RTHK: Kim Jong-Un praises 'far-sighted leadership' North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has praised what he described as his country's "shining success" in holding off the new coronavirus, according to state-run KCNA news agency on Friday. The head of the hermetic totalitarian state spoke at a Worker's Party politburo meeting on Thursday discussing the impact of the virus, six months after North Korea closed borders and put thousands in to isolation. KCNA reported that after reviewing efforts, Kim "said we have thoroughly prevented the inroad of the malignant virus" and "maintained stable anti-epidemic situation despite the worldwide health crisis". The reclusive leader praised the "shining success achieved by the far-sighted leadership of the Party Central Committee and a high sense of voluntary spirit displayed by all people who move as one on orders of the Party Central Committee," KCNA continued. But he also stressed the need to "maintain maximum alert" especially in light of new outbreaks in "neighbouring countries". "He repeatedly warned that hasty relief of anti-epidemic measures will result in unimaginable and irretrievable crisis," KCNA said. Pyongyang has not confirmed a single case of the deadly disease that swept the world after first emerging in neighbouring China, but has imposed strict rules, including closing its borders and schools, and putting thousands of its people into isolation. Analysts say the North is unlikely to have avoided infections from the virus, and that its ramshackle health system could struggle to cope with a major outbreak. Last month a United Nations rights expert warned food insecurity is deepening and some people are "starving" as a result of North Korea's attempts to ward off any outbreak, particularly closing borders. Before the coronavirus crisis, more than 40 percent of people in North Korea were already considered food insecure, with many suffering malnutrition. Touching almost every country on earth, COVID-19 has infected at least 10.7 million people and claimed some 516,000 lives as it upends ordinary and economic life in unprecedented ways. It continues to accelerated around the world, including in the United States. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-07-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Oakland County Sheriffs OfficeBy FREDA KAHEN-KASHI and KELLY MCCARTHY, ABC News (NEW YORK) -- A white woman and her husband have been charged with assault after she was seen pointing a gun at a Black mother and her teenage daughter in a now-viral video. Michigan authorities discussed the altercation during a press conference on Thursday, where they explained that the conflict started after an alleged bumping incident at a Chipotle restaurant in Orion Township. "Two very different stories from two different groups. Both sides claiming they feel extremely threatened," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. The video, posted on Facebook by Takela Hill on Wednesday, shows an interaction during which Hill claims Jillian Wuestenberg, 32, had just bumped into her 15-year-old daughter. Wuestenberg claimed she was being blocked from entering her car before her husband, Eric Wuestenberg, 42, was seen on video helping usher her into the vehicle. The couple and Hill argued and exchanged racial accusations before Hill appeared to move behind the couple's vehicle. Hill says the couple tried hitting her as they reversed out of their parking spot, according to authorities. Jillian Wuestenberg accuses Hill of striking her car. Bouchard said officers saw an open handprint on the car. Jillian Wuestenberg then exited the car and brandished a gun, pointing it at Hill several times. Bouchard said the deputies who arrived on the scene did their job to keep everyone safe. "They stabilized the scene, initially handcuffing the woman, taking the weapons into custody and then beginning an investigation," he said. Bouchard also said he "ordered all necessary resources" to help gather all the information that could help them "investigate the totality of circumstances with all the facts." "For example, were there other witnesses? Were there other cameras on other buildings, viewpoints or angles that could give us other angles and corroborate either side's story?" he said. "Unlike the internet, we have to gather all the facts and not just have snippets. So, this is what's been gathered so far." Bouchard said they listened to the 911 call and corroborated the timeline with responding deputies as well as witness accounts. If Wuestenberg and her husband are convicted of felony assault, they could face up to four years in jail. Responding to the incident, Oakland County executive Dave Coulter said, "I am deeply disturbed by an incident last night where a woman pointed a cocked gun at another woman during an argument. This behavior is unacceptable. I wholly expect the prosecutor to bring charges that reflect the severity of the incident." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The Jharkhand High Court on Friday denied permission for holding the annual Shravani Mela at the Baidyanath Temple in Deogarh due to the COVID-19 pandemic and directed the state government to facilitate virtual prayers for devotees. Priests will perform puja in the temple which devotees can watch virtually, it ordered. A division bench of Chief Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad passed the order on a petition filed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey. Referring to a recent Supreme Court order allowing Rath Yatra in Odisha with certain conditions, the Lok Sabha member from Godda had urged the high court to allow kanwar yatra and open the revered shrine for devotees during the holy month of Shravan starting July 6. The writ petition also pleaded the high court to allow opening of the Basukinath Temple in Dumka, about 40 km from Deoghar, as devotees who offer prayers at Baidhyanath Temple also visit the neighbouring shrine. The high court had on June 30 reserved the order on the petition. The bench pronounced the order Friday after the Jharkhand government submitted to the court that it is unable to organise the Shravani Mela and prayers in the Baidyanath Temple due to the pandemic. It further said that due to surging cases of infections in the state, public gatherings on any occasion and puja are banned, Besides, all schools and colleges have been shut. The state government had favoured a virtual darshan of the Shravan festival at the Baidyanath Temple. Secretary, Disaster Management Department, Amitabh Kaushal told the court that due to the coronavirus outbreak, all places of worship have been shut by the state government. On June 26, the high court had asked the Jharkhand government to reply and make the Bihar government a party. During the kanwar yatra, Shiva devotees in the state fetch sacred water from the river Ganga in Sultanganj in Bihar's Bhagalpuqr district and offer it at the Baidyanath Temple. Millions of Shiva devotees from different parts of the country and Nepal undertake the sacred pilgrimage from Sultanganj to the Deogarh temple. Also Read: Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital charges Rs 17 lakh for COVID-19 treatment; BMC files FIR Also Read: ICMR aims to launch India's first coronavirus vaccine by August 15 A French court will open an inquiry into former prime minister Edouard Philippe and two cabinet ministers over their handling of the coronavirus crisis, a prosecutor said Friday. The inquiry will be led by the Law Court of the Republic (CJR), which deals with claims of ministerial misconduct, said senior prosecutor Francois Molins. Along with Philippe, who was replaced Friday in the first stage of a government reshuffle, the ministers under investigation are former health minister Agnes Buzyn -- who stepped down in February for an unsuccessful bid to become mayor of Paris -- and her successor Olivier Veran. Veran was health minister during the peak of the crisis. It is not clear if he will keep his job in the reshuffle expected to be finalised in the coming days. The CJR has received 90 complaints and examined 53 of them. It considered nine complaints admissible, which will form the basis of the inquiry. The complaints were filed by private individuals, doctors, associations and even prisoners. The inquiry will consider whether Philippe, Buzyn and Veran neglected their duties in the face of a disaster. The coronavirus outbreak has left 29,875 people dead in France so far, and has sparked anger against the government over a lack of protective equipment in the early stages of the pandemic. France is not the only country where legal proceedings are possible against current and former ministers over the coronavirus pandemic. Prosecutors questioned the Italian prime minister and two ministers last month over their handling of the coronavirus crisis as part of an investigation into whether more should have been done to save lives. L-R: Agnes Buzyn, Edouard Philippe and Olivier Veran are under investigation for their handling of the coronavirus crisis They are gathering dust on shelves, but could make war criminals tremble: the archives of the OSCE, an international organisation addressing security-related concerns, are increasingly becoming a source for those who seek to prove abuses committed during conflicts in Europe. The field reports of the observers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe -- stacked in an elegant white villa on a leafy hill on the outskirts of Prague -- document conflicts on the continent since 1975. No media have until now been allowed access, according to the OSCE, as the organisation -- set up during the Cold War to build trust between the West and the Soviet Union -- usually doesn't seek publicity to continue collecting information from the ground as much as possible. But it is here that famous prosecutor Carla Del Ponte combed through documents for the 2002 indictment of former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic. - Precedent set - Documentalist Alice Nemcova, who reigned over this universe of cardboard boxes enclosing billions of yellowed A4 sheets from 1991 until last month, has seen the collection gain in importance over the years. "The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) set a precedent by wanting to access our files," the 63-year-old told AFP. "Mrs Del Ponte kept asking for more. She received four metal boxes filled with testimonies and photos of mass graves," Nemcova recalled. The UN established the ICTY in 1993 to try perpetrators of war crimes committed in the ethnic violence that followed the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Milosevic, who faced 66 counts including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the former Yugoslavia, was never convicted as he died in prison in 2006 during the trial. However, others accused by the tribunal have been found guilty and jailed. "The International Criminal Court (ICC) also made a request concerning Georgia in 2012," Nemcova revealed. Four years later, the Netherlands-based ICC launched an investigation into the conflict between the Caucasus country and Russia. The Kosovo Force (KFOR), the NATO-led troops tasked with protecting Kosovo for the past two decades, also applied for access to the OSCE in 2017, as did the Red Cross, which was looking for people who had gone missing in conflicts. - 'Invaluable source' - The OSCE is an important source of information because it "specialises in questions of democracy, freedom and minority rights" and is a constant presence on the ground over an area larger than that of the European Union or NATO, said researcher Nicolas Badalassi. From Vancouver to Vladivostok, the Vienna-based OSCE has 57 member states, and its archives are "enormous", said Badalassi, who lectures contemporary history at the Institute of Political Studies in Aix-en-Provence, France. OSCE is the only international organisation to have immediately gone to the crash site of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down by a Russian-made missile over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people aboard. A trial opened in March in the Netherlands against four men -- three Russians and one Ukrainian -- accused of downing the plane. The OSCE has had observers in the rebel-held eastern Ukraine for years to monitor the conflict there. "In the future, it is clear that the reports in Ukraine since the start of the war in 2014 will be an invaluable source for justice," Badalassi said. "In fact, I don't see anyone else describing the crisis as seen from the inside. Besides, observers have even been kidnapped -- to hinder their work." Even after the Cold War, the OSCE also maintained offices in many countries and regions, including those accused of authoritarianism, such as Chechnya and Belarus. It also sends election observers regularly to monitor polls around the world. But not everyone looks towards the OSCE archives kindly. A former rebel leader once tried to have his name deleted from its search engine. "He must not have had a clear conscience," Nemcova said. Former OSCE Documentalist Alice Nemcova looked after the archives of the OSCE from 1991 until last month Prosecutor Carla del Ponte combed through documents in the archives for the 2002 inditcment of Slobodan Milosevic at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic was taken to the Hague as a result of the files that Carla Del Ponte uncovered at the OSCE The archives of the OSCE are increasingly a source for those who seek to prove abuses committed during conflicts in Europe Panama's former president Ricardo Martinelli must face corruption charges just eight months after he was acquitted of spying on political foes, one of his lawyers said on Wednesday. "They charged him," his lawyer Ronier Ortiz told reporters outside the public prosecutor's office in the capital Panama City. According to local media, Martinelli has been linked to the so-called "New Business" case in which an editorial group was allegedly bought using public money during his 2009-14 term as president. Martinelli is due to be interviewed by prosecutors on Thursday but his lawyers say he cannot be prosecuted because of a law -- the speciality principle -- that says a person cannot be tried for a different crime to the one that provoked their extradition. The former president was extradited from the United States in 2018 -- he fled there in 2015 -- and held in pre-trial detention to face charges of spying and misappropriation of public funds. "My summons is not just a violation of my speciality principle, procedural guarantees and my human rights. Above all it is a smokescreen," Martinelli wrote on Twitter. He said the summons was designed to detract from another corruption investigation against former president Juan Carlos Varela, his former ally but now political enemy. Martinelli has been linked with several other corruption scandals and claims he was the victim of political persecution by his successor Varela's government. Varela, who left office last year, was questioned on Monday by anti-corruption prosecutors over alleged illegal campaign donations from scandal-ridden Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, which has admitted to paying $59 million in bribes to Panamanian officials between 2010 and 2014, when Martinelli was in power. "We'll fight to the death," insisted Ortiz, adding that "those managing justice are corrupt and dirty." Ricardo Martinelli was cleared of spying on political foes in 2019 but the former Panama president faces new corruption charges Sunshine Coast. (Source: Getty) The coronavirus crisis has ground Australias economy into a standstill, stifling property prices along the way except for some particular regions that are, against all odds, doing better because of the pandemic. According to hotspotting.com.au founder and Ryder Property managing director Terry Ryder, there are multiple influencing factors behind why a property market might perform strongly and some property markets have three or more of these tailwinds behind them. Some locations have local economies well set up to withstand the negative forces of the virus shutdown period. Theyre places where most of their jobs are provided by sectors which are more likely to be hiring than firing during this period, Ryder said. And theyre places which are spending big on new infrastructure. Some of them are in our smaller capital cities and others are in key regional centres. Australias top locations for property buyers seeking capital growth are littered all around the country. According to Ryder, heres where the top five are: Sunshine Coast, Queensland Median house price: $400,000 to $850,000 In early 2020, Sunshine Coast was Queenslands strongest property market and it remains well-positioned to withstand Covid-19 thanks to its strengthening economy and infrastructure spend. Infrastructure spending boosts property prices by generating jobs, economic activity and improving amenities for locals, according to Ryder. Around 20,000 new jobs have been created in the last five years in this city, and the trend is set to continue. With a robust economy that has averaged growth of 4 per cent per year over the last 15 years, well above the national rate, opportunities to invest wisely continue to present themselves. The Sunshine Coast benefits from three strongly-performing sectors: tourism, retail, and construction. Enquiry levels into the Sunny Coast come from Victoria, NSW and Brisbane from those wanting a lifestyle change and looking to take advantage of remote work. Story continues Marion, South Australia Median house price: $350,000$600,000 This city 10km away from Adelaides CBD now boasts 30 research, tech and science start-ups, businesses, institutions, a new teaching hospital and a university campus, making it a precinct tipped to emerge strongly from the pandemic. The creation of jobs is driving the demand for property, making the City of Marion a strong leader in the Adelaide market, which we regard as the most under-rated in capital city Australia, said Ryder. Major transport projects are also improving connectivity and creating further opportunities for businesses. The City of Marion offers affordable properties, with many of its markets being priced in the $400,000s, as well as low vacancies (most postcodes are below 1 per cent). South Australia is one of the most consistent property markets in Australia, given the steady demand, solid local economy, and housing affordability. Bendigo, Victoria Median house price: $300,000$500,000 Bendigo attracts property buyers from Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra and has also been named by RMIT University as one of Australias most liveable regional cities. Not only that, but PRDnationwide has named it as one of the nations most resilient property markets, and its unemployment rate is below the national average. The standout features of the Bendigo property market are affordability (houses typically priced below $400,000), good price growth across many suburbs, strong yields (4.5 per cent to 5.5 per cent is common) and some of the lowest vacancy rates in the nation (many postcodes are below 1 per cent). The citys strongest feature is its steady local economy, close proximity to Melbourne as well as strong transport links to the Victorian capital. Its strongest economic sectors are retail; financial institutions; the manufacturing and mining sector; as well as agriculture, tourism and education. Badgerys Creek Precinct, NSW Median house price: $580,000$760,000 This Western Sydney hub is already well-known for being the site of the Western Sydney Airport, and is already slated to become an economic powerhouse. The NSW government has already given the green light on two major construction projects on top of four already underway that will create a combined 16,052 new jobs. The region will also feature an international university and education precinct, a wellness and healthcare centre, a Westfield shopping centre, and a hi-tech logistics hub, said Ryder. This constitutes a massive new jobs node and the availability of employment opportunities will drive big demand for housing accommodation nearby. Billions are being spent on road and rail infrastructure to cater for a population that is predicted to swell to around 300,000 by 2036, he said. Suburbs that are strategically located near the airport development are likely to benefit from the evolution of this precinct through rising property prices. Relative affordability has made the region popular with first-home buyers. Ballarat, Victoria Median house price: $300,000$500,000 This regional city is well set-up to not only withstand the impacts of Covid-19 but to thrive during recovery, said Ryder. This is because key employment sectors in the city are information technology and healthcare, as well as the trend of working in regional hubs thanks to the new era of remote work. Proximity to the state capital and housing affordability are key factors in Ballarats popularity with investors and home-buyers seeking alternatives to Melbourne, said Ryder. It thrives through a diverse economy, low unemployment, a growing population and proximity to Melbourne, making it a popular commuter city. With the State and Federal Governments planning to spend billions on upgrading road and rail links to Ballarat, including improved connections to Melbourne airport, commuting will become easier. Make your money work with Yahoo Finances daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, property and economy news. Follow Yahoo Finance Australia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. KEY HIGHLIGHTS: Agriculture Ministry has proposed to double the allocation for the sector to Rs 1,300 crore annually in coming years It has also proposed to bring additional 25 lakh hectares under organic farming in the next 5 years. The current organic farming coverage of 28 lakh hectares is a measly 2% of the total farm land. Zero budget farming expert Subhash Palekar thumbed down the government's move saying it was a foreign concept and destroys fertility of the farmland In a major push to organic farming in the country, the Agriculture Ministry has proposed to double the allocation for the sector to Rs 1,300 crore annually. The Centre has provided Rs 660 crore to support the sector in its budget estimate (BE) for FY21. In a presentation to the Fifteenth Finance Commission, the Agriculture Ministry has proposed to bring additional 25 lakh hectares under organic farming in the next 5 years. The current organic farming coverage of 28 lakh hectares is a measly 2% of the total farm land. The government has been promoting organic farming in the country through various central schemes. The move is aimed at reducing the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and growth regulators. States such as Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Sikkim have boosted organic farming by providing various incentives and support. In January 2016, Sikkim was declared India's first 100% organic state. Despite the government's push for organic farming, its adoption has been slow. Compared to some of the European countries, the total acreage under organic farming is much lower. As per Eurostat, the total area under organic farming in the European Union (EU) has been increasing over the years. In 2018, the total area under organic farming was 13.4 million hectares of the agricultural land. This made up about 7.5% of total EU agricultural land in that year. Besides motivating farmers to take up organic farming, India has been pushing for exports of organic products especially fruits and vegetables. As per Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), total exports of organic products in value terms recorded a 50 per cent jump in 2018-19 to Rs 5,151 crore. Among the major food items that were shipped out from the country included flax seeds, sesame, soybean, arhar (red gram), rice and tea. The US and European Union (EU) member-countries were the biggest buyers of these organic products. But not everyone is excited about organic farming. Subhash Palekar - the pioneer of Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) - said that organic farming is a foreign method and should not be encouraged when the government is stressing on Atmanirbhar Bharat. "Atmanirbhar Bharat means Swadeshi. Organic farming is not Swadeshi and it destroys the fertility of the land. It is far more expensive than conventional farming using chemical fertilisers. The input cost is far higher in case of organic farming. It's beyond my understanding that while the government is talking about Atmanirbhar Bharat it has decided to promote organic farming. This policy is not right," Palekar said. Agriculture policy expert Vijay Sardana said that there was no reliable data to conclude that productivity goes up in organic farming. "There is no issue in pushing for organic farming but the government should also spell out its food security plan. Then, the other issue is organic products are sold at a premium so only the rich can afford to buy," Sardana said. Also Read: Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital charges Rs 17 lakh for COVID-19 treatment; BMC files FIR Also Read: ICMR aims to launch India's first coronavirus vaccine by August 15 An investigation into a crash which killed six people north of Sydney has revealed the pilot may have suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. British businessman Richard Cousins, four members of his family and Canadian pilot Gareth Morgan died after the plane made a 270-degree turn, entered a narrow bay and then suddenly nosedived into the water. The lightweight plane bound for Sydneys Rose Bay wasnt required to carry a cockpit voice or flight data recorder, leaving investigators to determine the planes fatal flight path from the passengers photographs and witness accounts. High-profile UK businessman Richard Cousins, his two adult sons Edward and William, his fiancee Emma Bowden and her 11-year-old daughter Heather all died in the crash. Source: Supplied The Australian Transport Safety Bureaus chief commissioner Greg Hood said on Friday the aviation medical specialist engaged by the ATSB had advised checking the blood samples of those on board for carbon monoxide. The results of the toxicology report, handed to the ATSB in March, found Mr Morgan and two passengers had elevated levels of carbon monoxide. Wreckage pulled from the river. Source: AAP From that consultation with medical experts, and research into the effects of carbon monoxide on aircraft operations, the ATSB considers the levels of carbon monoxide were likely to have adversely affected the pilots ability to control the aircraft, Mr Hood said. The ATSB found preexisting cracking of the engine exhaust collector-ring, which could lead to exhaust leakage into the engine bay. Further, the ATSB found a breach in the firewall from missing bolts used to secure magneto access panels in the firewall under the instrument panel in the cabin. Mr Hood added any breach in the firewall can allow gases into the cabin from the engine bay, in this case the carbon monoxide, which poisoned Mr Morgan. A file photo of the plane which crashed into the Hawkesbury River. Source: AAP The ATSB is yet to issue its final report. But Mr Hood added its a reminder for people flying aircrafts to carry out routine inspections. The ATSB is reminding aircraft maintainers that the primary mechanism for the prevention of carbon monoxide exposure to aircraft occupants is to carry out regular inspections of aircraft exhaust systems to identify and repair holes and cracks, and to detect breaches in the firewall, he said. Story continues Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. Russian prosecutors on Friday demanded that a journalist be sentenced to six years in prison for allegedly justifying terrorism in a case that has drawn outrage from supporters and rights groups. Svetlana Prokopyeva is based in the northwestern city of Pskov and works for the Russian service of The US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) as a freelance contributor. She was charged with publicly justifying terrorism after she wrote a commentary about a bombing attack in 2018. Speaking from the court, a defiant Prokopyeva said the prosecution had demanded that she be sentenced to six years in prison and banned from working as a journalist for a further four years. "This is revenge for hard-hitting -- and apparently -- spot-on criticism," she told AFP. The court case has its origins in November 2018, when a 17-year-old anarchist blew himself up in the lobby of a Federal Security Service (FSB) building in Arkhangelsk in northern Russia, injuring three service members. In her opinion piece, published by the Pskov affiliate of the Echo of Moscow radio station, Prokopyeva, 40, linked the teenager's suicide bombing to the political climate under President Vladimir Putin. Nearly half a year after her commentary was published gun-toting police commandos broke into her apartment and seized her computers during a search, she said. Prokopyeva was also placed on Russia's official list of "terrorists and extremists". The journalist has denied the charges, calling them punishment for her work. - 'Cynical and cruel people' - Prokopyeva said in court she was not afraid of criticising the state. "State power that has ended up in the hands of cynical and cruel people becomes the most serious threat to people's security," she said. Without freedom of speech a crackdown on dissenting voices could get even worse, she added. "Repression is unfolding gradually," she said. "It's impossible to predict when limits on freedoms and persecution of dissent will turn into concentration camps and executions." On Monday, the court is expected to announce its verdict in the hugely controversial trial. Prokopyeva's employer said she had done the opposite of what prosecutors allege. "Svetlana's commentary was an effort to explain a tragedy," RFE/RL acting president Daisy Sindelar said in a statement. "The portrayal of her words as 'promoting terrorism' is a deliberate and politically motivated distortion aimed at silencing her critical voice, and recalls the worst show trials of one of Russia's darkest periods." - 'Dangerous precedent' - Reporters Without Borders urged Russia to throw out the case. "Svetlana Prokopyeva just did her job," said Jeanne Cavelier, head of the watchdog's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. "That would be a dangerous precedent for all the Russian journalists." In June, Human Rights Watch said that with Russian acquittal rates below 1 percent, "there is a real risk that the court could convict Prokopyeva". Journalist and activist Ilya Azar, who had urged supporters to protest against "this insane case," wrote Friday evening that he had been detained while staging a picket outside the Moscow FSB headquarters. He wrote on Telegram messenger that he was in a police van with 15 others detained at the protest, most of them journalists. Two groups that monitor detentions at protests gave a slightly higher figure of 17 detainees. Over the past few years authorities have unleashed a crackdown on critics including journalists who are increasingly squeezed by curbs on press freedoms. This week Putin, who has been in power for two decades, oversaw a controversial nationwide vote which allows him to extend his grip on power until 2036. Russian prosecutors are seeking a conviction for 'justifying terrorism' against Svetlana Prokopyeva Every Friday, The Citizen features a pet available for adoption from the Finger Lakes SPCA of Central New York. This week, we spotlight Kingsley. AGE: 1 1/2 years old BREED: Pug mix COMMENTS: Kingsley came to the shelter about two weeks ago. Unfortunately, his family didn't have the time to devote to him so he is looking for a new one that will make him the center of their lives. And Kingsley's life has been a whirlwind since he arrived. He has recently completed the shelter spa treatment. He is now up-to-date on his vaccinations (rabies, distemper, kennel cough), he has been tested for heartworm disease, is negative and on preventives, and he was recently neutered. Kingsley is a very sweet little guy. He has been restricted to kennel rest because of his recent surgery, but he does appear anxious to get out and get some leash walks under his belt. If you might be interested in meeting Kingsley, please fill out an adoption application, which is on our website, flspcaofcny.org. You can email (flspca_cny@yahoo.com) or fax ([315] 282-2387) it, or deliver it to the shelter at 41 York St. Once approved, an appointment will be set up for a meet-and-greet. Q. Who is your best friend? VANCOUVER, B.C.In anticipation of what may turn out to be the worst economic crisis in history, Broker.xxx has announced that it is hiring new agents as a form of response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. "We wanted to offer help to everyone sitting at home laid off or unemployed due to COVID," explained Juicy Jay, CEO & founder of Broker.xxx. "We decided the best way to help others was to empower them to help themselves. There are lots of smart and talented people sitting at home waiting, when they could be moving their lives forward by working with us." The company is offering 20% commissions to people for referring business to Broker.xxx, which helps adult businesses sell their websites or businesses, and also helps buyers acquire them, similar to how a real estate agent functions. "This isn't a limited time offer. We are taking the lead and hiring self-motivated and ambitious people from inside (and outside) the adult industry," stated associate Broker Jimmy "Wizzo". "There's no bullshit fine print terms with Broker.xxx. If you have what it takes after your first deal, you will be paid up to 50% as an agent on subsequent deals." The program details can be found here. Broker.xxx helps people buy or sell websites and businesses, with focus on the adult industry. The platform was launched by adult industry veterans JuicyAds founder "Juicy Jay" and Jimmy "Wizzo", who have more than 42 years combined experience. Broker.xxx offers the lowest commission rate and highest referral finders' fees. The platform is accessible at Broker.xxx and can be contacted at [email protected]. LOS ANGELESEthan Cole prefers improv to a full script of dialogue. Its one of the reasons why Cam_Girlfriend feels so real. Each episode in the new YouTube comedy series starts with one page that summarizes what we really need to get out of the scene. Thats how I like filming all my stuff, says Cole, the creator of the project. This is exactly the conflict. This is what we need to introduce and this is where it needs to go. Its sort of a roadmap. Its working. Episode 2 of the 10-part series starring Chaturbate exclusive broadcaster Lily LaBeau and actor and TV personality Dave Keystonetitled The Hitlaunches today on The Camming Life YouTube channel on the heels of last weeks terrific premiere. The ambitious project, shot by CAMGF1 Productions and made possible by the Independent Production Fund, follows LaBeaus character Chloe Cablesan up-and-coming cam modelthrough her relationship struggles with her live-in boyfriend Mike (Dave Keystone) while she juggles the unforeseen challenges of being a professional fantasy girl. Coleand what LaBeau calls the dream team of creative minds behind Cam_Girlfriendmay not write the jokes ahead of time, but there are no shortage of laughs in the fast-moving, tightly edited episodes about various fictional, yet plausible cam-girl problems and how they affect real-life romance. Todays episode centers on what happens when Chloes orgasm is pirated by a world famous DJ for what becomes a hit song. Will music fans around the world grow tired of hearing Chloe climax? Will she sue? We wanted to explore funny situations that could only really arise from the space, Cole says. Thats kind of the challenge from the writing. We said, Whats something really funny that could happen? What would it feel like if your orgasm was pirated? Were in some ways inspired by Seinfeld. We wanted to create Seinfeldian sort of conflicts in the world of camming. In the premiere episode The Registry, Chloe and Mike find themselves in another awkward predicament when they begin using gifts procured from her camming registry as wedding presents to friends. Cole explains that choosing LaBeau to play Chloe Cables made sense on many levels. A established porn star and veteran cam girl from Seattle with more than 500 performing credits, LaBeau at first was going to be a story consultant for Cam_Girlfriend. With Lily we wanted to make sure that there was someone helping even from a writing perspective who has worked in the spaceand someone who can give us a female perspectiveand Lily is pretty interestingly positioned because she is a cam girl as well as an adult performer, Cole says. LaBeau and Cole got to know each other during several casual Skype chats during pre-production. As we got close to casting, she was the one who realized she thought she could play Chloe; she convinced us, Cole says. We did a lot of auditioning and no one felt right. She was the perfect person. Dave Keystone, meanwhile, was someone Cole had a feeling was up to the task. Ive known Dave for a while and hes a friend of mine. Im someone who is a big fan of his work, Cole says. He auditioned and he was a really good fit. Cole came into Cam_Girlfriend with a track record of making digital series that get people talking. In 2010 he created, wrote, and directed the show The Project for the Score Television Network. Cole remembers being inspired by a book he read about the historic Buster Douglas-Mike Tyson fight while in Mexico, leading to the creation of the comedic documentary series that featured various professional athletes reliving their worst career moments. That show was featured on ESPN.com, Yahoo Sports, and the Toronto Star. In 2014, Cole created the hit digital series Explaining Things to My Grandfather, which has millions of views and has been featured in "Funny or Die," People, Huffington Post, Daily Mail, Esquire, and the front page of Reddit. Then in 2016 he createdand starred inMy 90-Year-Old Roommate, one of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's flagship and most popular digital series about what happens when a single man moves in with his 90-year-old grandfather. That show has been recognized by the Canadian Screen Awards, the Rockie Awards, the Webby Awards and more. My 90-Year-Old Roommate was the first show Cole scripted. I learned a lot about the whole process and how to make a scripted project with a big team. It was a steep learning curve. That was kind of my film school, Cole says. I did some videos with my actual grandfather that went viral and thats what those episodes were based on. It was also when Cole realized he liked the aesthetic of improv. I liked the surprises, Cole says. With each episode we know exactly what happens, exactly what the beats are, but we allow them to improvise to get there. Its an interesting process and like with anything, theres benefits and theres obviously cons. But with us we really wanted to get authentic performances. ... We probably would do five to 10 takes per scene. But the project really started on the beach in Costa Rica. It was where the Toronto native was vacationing in November 2016, when the inspiration came. Cole had just finished the first season of My 90-Year-Old Roommate and wanted to create another scripted show about relationships in the digital age. And the camming industry really kind of spoke to me, he says. He returned to Canada and sat down with his creative teamincluding seasoned producer/director Daniel AM Rosenberg, fellow writer Michael Goldlist and producer David Lipsonat a diner where they discussed the idea. Communicating with everyone these days is very digital with texting and sexting and we thought this would be a cool way to explore digital relationships in the camming space, Cole says. Camming is part of the zeitgeist. Cole started writing the pilot for Cam_Girlfriend in December 2016 and with his teams own financing, shot it in one day in January 2017 in his old apartment, unveiling it on Feb. 28, 2017. He says the team's chemistry made all the difference. Dan was someone who I really respected as a director, I loved his stuff, Cole says. And then Michael actually acted in my show, My 90-Year-Old Roommate, and hes done a lot of work with Dan in the past. With [producer] Jason Kennedymy relationship with him was through Dan. Hes the one who worked with Dan and theyre kind of a team." Cole, who just turned 37, got his Bachelors degree in History at Western University in Ontario and then earned a Masters degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge in England. I thought maybe I was going to go to law school, to be honest, Cole admits, adding that he has always put on plays and had a creative side. After earning his graduate degree, he worked in advertising copywriting for a couple years. Cole says he learned a lot from the three-plus-year journey of bringing Cam_Girlfriend to life. I realized how important the team is. This is such a collaborative beast with so many up and downs and so many things that are going to change from the original vision, he says. You really have to have a solid team. That was one of the takeaways for sure. Click here to watch Episode 2 of Cam_Girlfriend. Highlights Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has launched yet another long-term prepaid plan in India. The new prepaid plan by BSNL costs Rs 2399 and has a validity of 600 days, BSNL has also discontinued two of its recharge plans costing Rs 149, Rs 725 Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has launched yet another long-term prepaid plan in India. The new prepaid plan by BSNL costs Rs 2399 and has a validity of 600 days, the pack is available in all telecom circles barring two. BSNL has also discontinued two of its recharge plans costing Rs 149, Rs 725 that was available in Chennai and Tamil Nadu circles. The telecom brand has introduced many new plans and discontinued existing ones recently. The newly-launched 2399 prepaid plan has a never-seen-before validity as most prepaid plans in this price segment are valid only for 365 days or less. However, there is a catch. The Rs 2399 prepaid plan doesn't come with any data benefits, which clearly means that plan is only good calling purposes. The prepaid plan is available in all circles except Andaman and Nicobar and Jammu and Kashmir. There Rs 2399 prepaid plan offers unlimited calling benefits with a FUP limit of 250 minutes and the plan also ships with 100 free SMS messages per day for 600 days. If compared to the other long-term prepaid plans available in the market by Vodafone, Airtel, and Jio, the BSNL plan has its advantages and disadvantages. All the other long-term prepaid plans have a validity of a year but this prepaid plan by BSNL has a validity of almost two years, 600 days to be precise. However, what users will most certainly miss is the data benefits that all the other prepaid plans offer. With people advancing with every passing day, a prepaid plan without data benefits might not sound like a good deal to many. People prefer talking over WhatsApp, Facebook and other apps than calling but there are people who still believe in picking up their phones to check on their friends, for them this pack can be a really good one. You can recharge with this plan and also recharge with a separate data plan to enjoy both the benefits. Apart from this BSNL also has a long-term prepaid plan which offers data benefits, so in case you don't want this plan, you can use the other prepaid plans by BSNL. Recently, the government-owned telecom brand discontinued the Rs 96 prepaid plan. Interestingly, BSNL had revised the validity of the 96 prepaid plan fro 90 days to 60 days in May this year. The company has also revised its Rs 74 and Rs 75 prepaid plan that is available in Chennai and Tamil Nadu circles. Kyra Anastopoulos bought a one-way plane ticket to Germany while it was affordable in the hopes that her program, also at the University of Konstanz, would continue for the fall, but with the European Union restricting Americans from entry, she is especially concerned she will miss her one chance to study abroad. If Im not going for this academic year or for the spring, then I wouldnt study abroad at all because then my senior year rolls around and I have to do all my capstones and my finishing classes for graduation that I dont want to do in another country, Anastopoulos said. This is the time to do it because I dont know if Im going to be going to a graduate school or medical school and I dont want to take a year in between to travel, so I thought, why not this? Its the best of both worlds to go travel and do school, so Im ready for whatever I decide to do after I graduate. The junior biomedical sciences major, who is not a part of IGP, explained this is one of the only study abroad programs that teaches courses in English. She has been planning for the trip for the last nine months, saving many of her liberal studies courses for completion during her time in Germany. If she is unable to make the trip in the spring, her back-up plan is to simply attend NAU in the fall and move on with life. Be mindful of where youre detonating them, because if a fire is ignited from where embers fall, you could be held liable, Paris said. Fire Marshall Mike Spini said anything that leaves the ground could be a potential fire hazard, which includes mortars and rockets. Anyone launching their own fireworks should have a bucket of water or hose handy. "Duds are always a big issue, too. if youve got a dud, leave it alone for 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water," he said. While safety concerns regarding the possible spread of COVID-19 canceled fireworks displays across the country, fireworks vendors have experienced a surge in sales during the past month. With the only sanctioned fireworks shows in Yellowstone County taking place at MetraPark in Billings and at an undisclosed location in Laurel on July 4, local vendors have seen sales similarly skyrocket. There have been more sales here during our first three days of opening this year than there have been of any year in the past, said Jane Weber, the owner and operator of Patriot Discount Fireworks in Yellowstone County for the past 15 years. I think people are just wanting to get out and enjoy themselves finally after being cooped up for so long. An employee at a Billings nursing home has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a press release from the nursing home Thursday evening. The St. Johns United employee wasnt feeling well on Tuesday and underwent testing that day. He then was sent home and has not been back at work since, said CEO David Trost. The nursing home learned of the positive diagnosis Thursday. He appears to have contracted COVID-19 through community spread off St. John's campus, Trost said. The employee works in a building on the campus that houses about 130 residents, and about 200 people work in that building, Trost said. The employee is considered non-care staff, meaning he doesnt perform resident care or have resident contact. St. John's campus has several buildings, and residents and staff don't often move from one building to another, which helps prevent spreading the disease, according to the press release. Barbara Schneeman with RiverStone Health said health officials have already begun their investigation, which includes contact tracing. You know when you come face to face with pure evil, Itzen said. The question is: what do you do about that, your honor? The prosecutor said that the vast majority of kidnappings in Wyoming dont resemble the apparent random abduction by a stranger that Hicks committed. The abduction, Itzen said, rightfully terrifies parents. After abducting the child, Itzen said, Hicks tried to destroy evidence: he threw out the girls sandal left behind in his truck and moved a tool box that appeared in a photo police circulated as they looked for Hicks. Itzen said that Hicks needed extensive incarceration for the protection of society and supervision for the rest of his life. The prosecutor asked Wilking to sentence Hicks to 55 to 100 years. Such a sentence would enable for the Corrections Departments parole board to let Hicks out of prison after completing depending on awards of credit for good behavior the lesser number. If set free before completing the greater number, though, he would remain under parole agents supervision. This will assure that at least someone will watch him if he ever gets out of the state penitentiary, Itzen said. Sports, music, and other activities? Look at national guidance and be ready to modify activities. Contact tracing? Have a plan with county health officials. Attendance? Ease up on sick day limits, maybe, and consider every-other-day attendance. The plans come on the heels of a 91-page policy recommendation from MT-PEC, an umbrella organization for education advocacy group in Montana, that includes different options for different scenarios. Preparation by local school boards will be crucial, said Amanda Curtis, the president of the Montana Federation of Public Employees, which represents teachers. She highlighted provisions to account for at-risk students and employees. Our members are all committed to coming back to work and doing their jobs, she said. Districts are going to have to do some kind of a survey of not only their staff, but also their students, and figure out how many students are going to be willing to come to school face-to-face, and how many staff members they have, physically, that are able to come into work. Funding Neither plan says how schools should pay for additional costs associated with the guidelines. When John Jones and his crew at Half Yard Productions conceived a new television series on fossil hunting in the West, the hook turned out to be another iconic figure cowboys. It just clicked for everyone, he said. With its third episode airing this week on the Discovery Channel, Dino Hunters is capturing the imagination of a world wrestling with confinement during the coronavirus pandemic. Its great to provide people an escape, Jones said, and get people dreaming about visiting the West. The show, which premiered June 19, includes Montana rancher Clayton Phipps, also known as the dinosaur cowboy, and his 13-year-old son Luke; father and son Mike and Jake Harris of Newcastle, Wyoming; their neighbor Aaron Bolan; and South Dakotas Jared Hudson. In addition to filming the ranchers fossil discoveries, the show details some of the chores involved in running a working cattle ranch. The crew also adds animation of the dinosaurs found to bring the long-extinct animals to life for viewers, as well as showing how bones are situated in the ground. Harrises Mike Harris said he was skeptical of the shows premise when Jones first pitched it last summer. I didnt know if we wanted the publicity or not, said the 67-year-old rancher. He changed his mind after considering the lack of family-friendly television shows now available. Harris got bit by the dinosaur bug after his neighbor, John Bolan, showed him a fossil hed found and suggested Harris could find similar ones on his ranch, just west of South Dakotas Black Hills. If the excitement of such a find can be genetic, he passed it on to his son Jake. I dug my first bone up 22 years ago, Jake said. You catch a fever. You cant describe it to anybody. If you find things on your own place it makes it extra cool, his father said. When youre digging it out of the ground youre the first human eyes to see it. Thats cool in itself. In 2011 a fossil discovery on the Harrises ranch led to the unearthing of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton the giant two-legged carnivore with tiny forelimbs that roamed the region about 66 to 68 million years ago. He wound up being one of the most complete T. rexes ever found, Mike said, more than 150 bones and more than 50% complete. Although dinosaur bones can be sold, the market is mostly for smaller items like teeth, claws and limb bones, Mike said. Finding a buyer for a larger specimen, which might fetch millions of dollars, is difficult. Selling fossils to help pay for their work, as well as ranch expenses, seems even more important these days as cattle prices have plummeted by as much as $1,000 a head, Mike said. We need to do something to put more money in the pocket of ranchers, or well be extinct. Phipps Perhaps no one knows that better than Clayton Phipps, who ranches west of Jordan near the small Montana community of Brusett. A unique fossil assemblage he discovered on his neighbors land, dubbed the Montana Dueling Dinosaurs, features a beaked plant eater and a smaller meat eater that were buried while locked in battle. The Dueling Dinosaurs is one of the most remarkable fossil discoveries ever made, Scott Sampson, a paleontologist and president of Science World in Vancouver, British Columbia, told Smithsonian magazine in 2017 story. It is the closest thing I have ever seen to large-scale fighting dinosaurs. If it is what we think it is, it's ancient behavior caught in the fossil record. Weve been digging for over 100 years in the Americas, and no ones found a specimen quite like this one. An attempt to sell the fossils landed Phipps and the landowner in court. Previous owners of the land claimed the fossils were minerals and therefore theirs, since they retained mineral rights to the property. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a lower court ruling that the fossils were not minerals. So sale of the dinosaurs has finally been cleared. It was seven years of frustration, for sure, Phipps said, but the troubles didnt discourage him from continuing to search for fossils. Cowboys usually tend to stick with something, see it through to the end. Further settling the issue, in 2019 the Montana Legislature passed a bill that makes fossils a part of a propertys surface estate. With that law newly minted, Phipps cousin, Jodi Pierson, made a big discovery last summer. Phipps believes this to be a Nanotyrannus, a smaller relative to the T. rex, although some scientists believe such fossils are simply juvenile T. rexes. It turned out way better than we could hope, Phipps said, and provided the film crew with a great opportunity. Hopefully it will settle some of the scientific debates. Gap The excavation of dinosaur fossils has been criticized by some academics who see the removal of the bones as a loss of scientific context that would enable a greater understanding of the environment the animals lived in. We dont wear white coats or have Ph.D. behind our names, Jake Harris said, but the ranchers take pains to perform the excavations like the pros. Mike Harris said he even hired an academic to give him a crash course in fossil extraction and preparation, but they also say some of the disapproval is misplaced. I just believe the landowners deserve something for their fossils, Phipps said. Mike said hes had it hard in the past, working as a trucker and building fence to provide enough money to make his ranch payments. Ill tell you, dinosaurs are a lot more fun, he said and chuckled. Mike also noted ranchers are preserving fossils that otherwise might be destroyed by the extreme weather conditions that continually batter the badlands country where they live. The old-timers, according to Phipps, used to say the country was hard on women and horses because of the remoteness and isolation. If we dont get (the fossils) out of the ground theyll be gone, Jake said. They deserve to be seen by the world. Love 11 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Dr. Edward J. Englerth died on July 1, 2020, in Bismarck, from natural causes. He was born in Linton on Sept. 28, 1931, to Edward J. Englerth Sr. and Zona (Smith) Englerth. His maternal grandparents were early residents of Linton, arriving there in 1905. He served four years in the United States Navy in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific fleets and was a veteran of the Korean War. He married Nancy Murdoch in 1953. After graduating from the University of North Dakota with a degree in Geology, he and Nancy spent seven years in the interior of Liberia, West Africa, where he served as instructor in Physical Sciences and Head of the Science and Agriculture Department at Cuttington University College. Ed received a graduate degree in Agronomy from the University of Illinois in 1964 and in 1966 was awarded a Federal Fellowship to pursue his studies in Tropical Agriculture. He obtained his PhD in Soil Science from the University of Hawaii three years later. He joined World Neighbors, headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Ed was responsible for overseeing rural and community development projects in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia. Highlights Google announced that it will soon bring Google Meet for the Gmail app. Following this, Google may bring in Chat for Gmail app, a report suggests. The noise cancellation feature for Google Meet will soon roll out for Indian users. Gmail app may soon become a one-stop-shop for all of its services for video calling including Google Meet and Chat. In a latest report on the development of Google's products by 9to5Google, it is noted that Google Chat may soon be integrated into Gmail mobile apps for Android. The report noted that it analysed the decompiled version of an application which Google uploaded to the PlayStore. These decompiled files also called APKs showed strings of code that suggest Chat could come as part of the new integration. While the report suggested that the new integration may or may not materialise, the version 2020.06 has onboarding strings for "Chat" and "Rooms" along with Google Meet. While Chat is ideal for one-to-one meetings, Rooms aims at collaborations. The report also noted that there were introductory prompts that ask if the user wants to use a consumer account, or an enterprise account. Moreover, "what's new in Gmail" directly advertises how "There are more ways for you to connect and collaborate without switching apps." This strongly suggests that users can operate multiple Gmail products from one platform and hints at the integration. The report notes that end users should be able to disable both the services/tabs. Last month Google announced that it will soon be integrating Google Meet to the Gmail app on Android and iPhones. Users can thus make video calls or invite people without actually having to download a separate Meet app. Users having the Meet app can still use it as it will not become defunct. Whenever users make calls using the app, it will not redirect them to Gmail. Google Meet was integrated on the desktop for its users first. The option is currently available for all users with Gmail for free. Google Meet also works for users who do not have a Gmail account. In related news, Google has announced that its noise cancellation feature for video calling app Google Meet will be rolled out soon in India. Apart from India, the noise cancellation feature or the 'denoiser' will roll out to users in Australia, Brazil, Japan, and New Zealand in the coming weeks. The noise cancellation feature uses a machine learning model that is capable of understanding the difference between noise and speech. To filter out background noise, a sender's voice is sent from his device to a Google data center, which is where it goes through the machine learning model. Once the processing is completed, it gets re-encrypted and sent back to the Google Meet call. her Asian face but with Caucasian last name caught up my curiosity to check her ethical background. Duckworth, a former Army National Guard helicopter pilot who lost both legs when she was shot down in Iraq in 2004.She is also reportedly under consideration by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to be his running mate. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-military-promotion/u-s-senator-to-block-military-promotions-until-assurances-on-former-white-house-aide-idUSKBN2432ZD -- Early life and education [ edit ] Tammy Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand, the daughter of Lamai Sompornpairin and Franklin Duckworth. Her father, who died in 2005, was a U.S. Army veteran[5][better source needed] who traced his family's American roots to the American Revolutionary War.[6] Her mother is Thai Chinese.[7] Because of her father's work with the United Nations and international companies in refugee, housing, and development programs,[8] the family moved around Southeast Asia. Duckworth became fluent in Thai and Indonesian, in addition to English.[9] Duckworth attended Singapore American School, and for a few months in her senior year was at the International School Bangkok, and was in the class of 1985 at Jakarta Intercultural School[10][11] (then known as Jakarta International School). The family settled in Hawaii when she was sixteen. Her father was unemployed for a time, and the family relied on public assistance.[8] She graduated with honors from McKinley High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1985, having skipped the ninth grade. She graduated from the University of Hawaii in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and later received a Master of Arts in international affairs from George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.[12] She completed a PhD in Human Services at Capella University in March 2015.[13 Military service [ edit ] Captain Duckworth in 2000 Captain Duckworth in 2000 Following in the footsteps of her father, who served in World War II, and ancestors who served in the Revolutionary War,[5] Duckworth joined the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps as a graduate student at George Washington University in 1990. She became a commissioned officer in the United States Army Reserve in 1992 and chose to fly helicopters because it was one of the few combat jobs open to women at that time. As a member of the Army Reserve, she went to flight school, later transferring to the Army National Guard and entering the Illinois Army National Guard in 1996.[14] Duckworth also worked as a staff supervisor at Rotary International headquarters in Evanston, Illinois[15][16] and was the coordinator of the Center for Nursing Research at Northern Illinois University.[17] Duckworth was working towards a Ph.D. in political science at Northern Illinois University, with research interests in the political economy and public health in southeast Asia, when she was deployed to Iraq in 2004.[15] She lost her right leg near the hip and her left leg below the knee[18] from injuries sustained on November 12, 2004, when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents.[19] She was the first American female double amputee from the Iraq War.[3] The explosion severely broke her right arm and tore tissue from it, necessitating major surgery to repair it.[5][5] Duckworth received a Purple Heart on December 3 and was promoted to Major on December 21 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where she was presented with an Air Medal and Army Commendation Medal.[19] She retired from the Illinois Army National Guard in October 2014 as a lieutenant colonel.[20] The Daughters of the American Revolution erected a statue with Duckworth's likeness and that of the Revolution's Molly Pitcher in Mount Vernon, Illinois, in 2011.[5] The statue was dedicated in honor of female veterans.[5][21] Government service [ edit ] Duckworth being sworn in as Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, by Judge Duckworth being sworn in as Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, by Judge John J. Farley with her husband Bryan Bowlsbey beside her On November 21, 2006, several weeks after losing her first congressional campaign, Duckworth was appointed Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs by Governor Rod Blagojevich.[22][23][24] She served in that position until February 8, 2009. While Director, she was credited with starting a program to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and veterans with brain injury.[25] On September 17, 2008, Duckworth attended a campaign event for Dan Seals, the Democratic candidate for Illinois's 10th congressional district. She used vacation time, but violated Illinois law by going to the event in a state-owned van that was equipped for a person with physical disabilities. She acknowledged the mistake and repaid the state for the use of the van.[26] In 2009, two Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs employees at the Anna Veterans' Home in Union County filed a lawsuit against Duckworth.[27] The lawsuit alleged that she wrongfully terminated one employee and threatened and intimidated another for bringing reports of abuse and misconduct of veterans when she was head of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.[28] Duckworth was represented in the suit by the Illinois Attorney General's office.[29] The case was dismissed twice but refilings were allowed.[30] The court set a tentative trial date of August 2016 and rejected the final motion to dismiss.[31] The state announced that it had settled the case in June 2016 for $26,000 with no admission of wrongdoing.[30] The plaintiffs later indicated they no longer wanted to settle, but the judge gave them 21 days to sign the settlement and canceled the trial.[32][33] Also in 2009, the Illinois Auditor General released an audit of the Veterans Affairs department. Some issues noted by the audit predated Duckworth's tenure, but the majority of it covered her tenure.[34] Its findings included a fiscal year 2007 report that was not completed on time, failure to conduct annual reviews of benefits received by Illinois veterans, and failure to establish a task force to study the possible health effects of exposure to hazardous materials. The routine audit covered a two-year period, June 2006 to June 2008, and the auditor's department called its findings "typical" of its audits.[35] On February 3, 2009, Duckworth was nominated to be the Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.[36] The United States Senate confirmed her for the position on April 22.[37] Duckworth resigned her position in June 2011 in order to launch her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in Illinois's 8th Congressional District.[38] Joshua Taylor and Brandon Dingman, two officers with Wilson Police Department in Oklahoma, were charged with second-degree murder after killing a man they tased 50 times. The New York Times reports that Jared Lakey, 28, "stopped breathing and became unresponsive" and died two days later. Court records said that "such dangerous and unnecessary tasing" was a "substantial factor" in bringing about Mr. Lakey's death. Spencer Bryan, a lawyer for Mr. Lakey's parents, Doug and Cynthia Lakey, said both officers had initially claimed that they used Tasers on Mr. Lakey only four times. He said the charges were appropriate given what was shown on Mr. Taylor's body camera footage, which he said the city of Wilson had allowed him to view. "I have never seen a more disturbing video," Mr. Bryan said in an email. "After watching it, I cannot understand how the city allowed officers who exhibited such gross recklessness, resulting in a man's death, to continue working. We have great confidence the evidence supports the charges." The Washington Post reports: The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that it will loan $700 million to a trucking firm that ships military equipment, in exchange for having U.S. taxpayers acquire an almost 30 percent stake in the company. Under the unusual arrangement, the Treasury Department will provide the emergency loan to YRC Worldwide, while taking a 29.6 percent equity stake in the company. The U.S. government does not typically take ownership stakes in companies but was given permission to do so by Congress as a way to ensure taxpayer funds are not misspent. That lede alone should be enough to raise an eyebrow. But it gets even more suspicious: YRC Worldwide's stock had already plunged 27 percent this year, and was down 85 percent over the last five years. The day before the deal was finalized, the company was only valued at $70 million. Yet somehow, the company finagled a rare deal for a government loan worth 10 times more than the company itself. To hear Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin tell it, that's because the company is very, very important: YRC is a leading provider of critical military transportation and other hauling services to the U.S. government and provides 68% of less-than-truckload services to the Department of Defense. This loan will enable YRC to maintain approximately 30,000 trucking jobs and continue to support essential military supply chain operations and the transport of industrial, commercial, and retail goods to more than 200,000 corporate customers across North America. That argument might make sense on the surface, until you factor the part where YRC Worldwide is also being sued by the federal government for defrauding the Department of Defense out of millions of dollars. As Roger Sollenberger explains at Salon: In 2018 the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against YRC along with subsidiaries Roadway Express Inc. and Yellow Transportation Inc. alleging that trucking units had overcharged the Pentagon millions of dollars for at least seven years. The suit claims that the companies made false statements to the government and inflated weight measurements on the bills it charged to the Defense Department from 2005 to at least 2013. The reason the trucking company got the bailout? The Pentagon endorsed it. The same Pentagon that the company allegedly defrauded for seven years. Roger Sollenberger (@SollenbergerRC) July 2, 2020 Bill Zollars was the CEO of YRC Worldwide at the time of the alleged illegal activity against the US government. He stepped down in 2011 after 15 years with the company, meaning he was still in charge for at least 5/7 of the years in which the company was stealing from the Pentagon. "This case should serve as a warning to any organization that enters into a contract with the federal government: If you try to rip us off, be prepared to pay a heavy price," U.S. Attorney James Kennedy said at the time when the lawsuit was filed. As of June 2020, Zollars now serves on the Board of the Governors for the US Postal Service. A leadership position within USPS and a loan worth 10x more than it should be, particularly you already stole millions of dollars from the Pentagon, hardly qualifies under my personal definition of a "heavy price." But your mileage may vary. Former CEO of troubled trucking company that got huge COVID loan is now on USPS board [Roger Sollenberger / Salon] In unusual deal, U.S. Treasury to acquire 30 percent of trucking company in exchange for $700 million loan [Jeff Stein and Aaron Greg / The Washington Post] The Trump administration just lent $700 million to a trucking company sued for ripping off taxpayers [Chris Isidore / CNN] Treasury to provide loan to YRC Worldwide [US Department of the Treasury] Image: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons The Branson Board of Aldermen on Thursday (now postponed to July 28) will consider an ordinance that would require face coverings in public spaces. The aldermen might approve it, disapprove it, or approve an amended version. Would you be in favor of some form of mandatory face covering ordinance in the city of Branson? You voted: Every name on the BrandBucket marketplace is exclusively listed with BrandBucket. That means that all of our sellers are very responsive, making for quick domain transfers. A dedicated BrandBucket agent will manage your domain transfer from beginning to end, ensuring a secure and easy transaction. They will manage the receipt of the domain into one of BrandBuckets secure registrar accounts and then complete the transfer to you. 1. Verification and registrar choice After we receive the payment and verify it, we will reach out via email to confirm which registrar you want the domain transferred to. We also provide a link to our tracking system, where you can communicate with us, check on the status of your transfer, view your invoice, and download your logo files. In most cases, if a domain is moved between accounts at a single registrar, the transfer is quick and usually completes within 48 hours. If a domain changes registrars (in other words, you would like to move it away from where it is currently registered), the transfer is slower. The total transfer time can then be anywhere from 48 hours to 7 days. BrandBucket has vetted and supports the following registrars: GoDaddy Namesilo Uniregistry NameCheap Google Domains Network Solutions Name.com Dynadot Amazon Route 53 123 Reg Gandi 2. We request the name from the seller. Once we know where you would like the domain transferred, BrandBucket will request the domain from the seller. All of our sellers are very responsive, making for a quick process. 3. Transfer the name into your account As soon as we receive the name from the seller, we start the transfer into your account and guide you through the whole process. 4. Verify with the buyer that the transfer is complete Once we confirm that you have received the name, we consider the escrow process to be complete. Only then do we release payment to the domain seller. As my practice grew, so did my staff. It was always nice to go to work, knowing Id spend the day with people who sincerely wanted to help clients. We didnt have a water cooler, but we had a coffee room where we would catch up. Frankly, when we and the rest of the world had to close our offices and work remotely, I questioned if anything would get done. I pictured clients giving up on their cases and staff members succumbing to the temptations of doing laundry or playing with the kids or the dog. I couldnt imagine SSD clients on video or phone hearings getting justice, even if their catheter bag broke in the middle of the hearing. Happily, I was wrong. Clients, many of whom find it difficult get out and actually prefer talking on the phone, provide the information we need just as they always have. My staff gets as much done as they did before. Administrative judges adjusted their procedures so, although they arent face-to-face with clients, decisions are handed out fairly. Staying home for three months would never have been my choice, but Ive worked out more, read more, and walked the dog more. I miss the human interaction of the office, but Im thankful my firm was among the industries that could work remotely. My heart goes out to businesses dependent on face-to-face contact. As things open up, I urge you to open your wallets and support people who couldnt work remotely. Just watch your budget I dont want to have to dust off that big glass jar. Mychajliw gave her credit for her 10-year tenure as a county legislator and placed her at a higher pay step for the job, step 5. At that time, Hogues spoke with Comptrollers Office officials and approved the salary. His approval is further reflected in county payroll data. But in late May, Hogues told Dixon there was an error, that she should have started at a much lower step, step 1. That drops her annual salary to $52,058. Hogues then followed up last month with a letter asking Dixon to sign an agreement to pay back $5,413 in raises she received for the first half of the year, raises that he now calls unwarranted. Hogues said if Dixon didn't agree to repay the money, her future paychecks would be garnished until the county got all the money back. That reduction began Thursday, after the lawsuit was filed and on the day The Buffalo News inquired about it. Dixon echoed Mychajliw's comments about the dispute over her pay. "This important litigation is far bigger and more important than one person," she said in a text message. "It's about the balance of power given to the taxpayer's watchdog by the people themselves." No social distancing is planned for the event. "We told those folks that have concerns that they can stay home, but those who want to come and join us, we'll be giving out free face masks if they choose to wear one," Republican Gov. Kristi Noem told Fox News. CNN medical analyst Dr. Celine Gounder said holding such an event during a pandemic is "beyond irresponsible." "This is the behavior of a cult leader who is jumping off the cliff but he is jumping into a safety net -- with protections around him, people around him are testing, he is tested on a regular basis," she said of the President Friday. "While he asks the followers to jump off a cliff into nothing. This is extremely dangerous behavior. And unfortunately this is becoming so politicized where you abide by public health and scientific recommendations on the basis of your political beliefs, not based on the science and people are going to be harmed as a result of this." Coronavirus cases in South Dakota currently remain stable, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, with 6,893 confirmed cases and 97 deaths as of Thursday. But it's unclear how many attendees will travel from other states. Virus has mutated to become more infectious Opposition figures ordered to pay over $65k to Moscow police over illegal rally RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 10:56 03/07/2020 MOSCOW, July 3 (RAPSI) Moscows Simonovsky District Court on Friday recovered over 4.6 million rubles (over $65,000) jointly from organizers of the unauthorized opposition rally held on August 3, 2019, Lyubov Sobol and Georgy Alburov, in favor of the Moscow Main Directorate of the Interior Ministry, RAPSI reported from the courtroom. The court granted the suit in part. Police demanded over 6 million rubles (over $85,000) from the opposition figures. According to the plaintiff, the said funds were spent for security upgrade during the illegal rally in central Moscow and purchase of combustive and lubricating materials for police. The defendants objected to the claim believing that its amount is excessive and unproven. Protest actions began in Moscow in mid-July after election commissions denied registration of certain opposition members as candidates for the Moscow City Duma elections reasoning that documents submitted by them contained numerous violations. The first unauthorized rally took place hear the Moscow City Election Commissions building on July 14 and looked like a provocation, according to law experts. Unauthorized rallies in support of candidates seeking to become lawmakers of the Moscow State Duma but refused registration by the Election Commission were also held on July 27 and August 3 in central Moscow. Over 1,000 people were arrested for various violations as a result. Freedom of the press: The right of the news media to publish is aligned with the First Amendments right to free speech. These are often grouped together under the term freedom of expression, which is a central tenet of the first plank of the Bill of Rights. The rights of the press cannot be taken for granted. In an atmosphere in which Trump and some of his supporters have labeled journalists as enemies of the people, reporters have been subjected to physical and verbal abuse for doing their jobs. This does not merely push back against a norm it assaults the countrys First Amendment rights. When it comes to other cases of free expression, the Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment leans strongly against prior restraint of publication. That doesnt mean that free speech is free from consequences, but that there is an extremely high bar for when the government can legally stop written material from being published. Posted 7/3/20 Those of us in the Reflex readership area have always been acutely aware of the advantages of living in small towns and rural areas. We feature the wide open spaces; friendly neighbors; good schools Posted 7/3/20 The American Red Cross of Missouri and Arkansas is seeking to recruit new volunteers throughout the two-state area. Those interested may learn more by registering for a free Experience the Mission MasterClass Review: James Suckling Teaches Wine Appreciation Become an Expert on the World of Wine With This MasterClass The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. Internationally regarded as one of the worlds most influential wine critics, James Suckling knows a thing or two about exactly how to properly appreciate a fine bottle of wine. The international wine critic and former magazine editor has tasted more than 200,000 different bottles of wine throughout the span of his career and knows exactly what to look for when it comes to sipping, smelling, and savoring bottles ranging from table wine to bucket list vintages. RELATED: Best MasterClass Cooking Courses Thats why amateur wine aficionados should look for someone like James Suckling to be in their corner when first dipping their toes into the world of wine because you dont need to splurge on rare bottles that cost the equivalent to your monthly mortgage payment if you know how to properly appreciate the notes and flavors you happen to have in front of you. I try not to be pretentious about wine, Suckling cheekily explains in the introduction monologue for his MasterClass, but if you want to be, I can help you with that also. The Tuscan-based, American wine critic aims to take his students on a journey through the vineyards of Italy to learn about the principals of viticulture and what makes great wines great. Throughout the James Suckling Teaches Wine Appreciation MasterClass, students will learn exactly how to properly taste and talk about wine, learn how to buy fifteen dollar bottles that taste like a hundred bucks and increase their overall confidence when it comes to enjoying wine. How to Get Started Getting your name on the list of James Suckling Teaches Wine Appreciation is the easiest part of your new wine-sipping journey, to be sure. Simply visit MasterClass.com on your computer, tablet, smartphone, or any other smart device and click Get Started on the homepage. From there, all you have to do is create an account, add your credit card information for payment (the membership fee will run you $180/year and will give you access to the entire MasterClass library), and youre good to go. Note that MasterClass also offers a 30-day time window for anyone who isnt satisfied to request a refund. MasterClass To find Teaches Wine Appreciation, you can either search using relevant keywords or you can head to the Culinary Arts category which lists James Sucklings course at the top. The best thing about taking a MasterClass online course is that you can easily download the class workbooks and high-definition classes onto your smartphone or tablet so you can take your classes or do the recommended homework assignments from anywhere without needing wi-fi access. Run-Down of All 10 Lessons 1. Introduction In this introduction to Wine Appreciation, youll get a sense of exactly who James Suckling is and why hes the most qualified teacher for the job, as well as a primer on how wine appreciation can lead to an enhanced and more fulfilled life. 2. Tasting Techniques: Conducting a Blind Tasting In Tasting Techniques, James shares insights into the 100-point scale system he uses to evaluate the quality of a given wine. Youll also learn how to refine your palate and distinguish good wine from great wine even if you have no idea how much a bottle costs or where its from. 3. Discerning Flavors and Aromas: Student Tasting Experience Here youll learn how to properly smell, taste, and talk about the different flavors and aromas in any given bottle of wine. This class will be key to learning proper phrasing, common characteristics, and different varietals that will have you talking like a wine expert in no time. 4. Meet the Maker: An Introduction In Meet the Maker, James shares the stage with the winemaker behind the historic Marchesi Antinori. In this class, youll gain valuable insights into the winemaking familys part in creating the legendary Super Tuscan Tignanello. 5. Appreciation on Location, Part 1: A Vertical Tasting In this lesson, James will talk you through a vertical tasting of Tignanello and exactly what to look for when comparing wine vintages all the way down to how the soil and climate vary year over year. 6. Appreciation on Location, Part 2: Barrel Tasting If youve ever had the chance to visit a vineyard or winery, youre probably familiar with the concept of barrel tasting. In this lesson, James will share the distinctions to pay attention to when tasting from a barrel and what to look for in order to predict a wines potential. 7. Primary Factors of Influence: In the Vineyard To help you comprehend the power of the vineyard, James will walk you through the importance of viticulture and how soil, climate, varietals, and region can each play a highly significant role in a wines characteristics. 8. Storing and Curating: A Home Cellar Now that youve mastered wine tasting and appreciation, James will show you exactly how to store and curate your home cellar including how to properly age important bottles and what wines you can collect with confidence. 9. Education and Etiquette: Reading a Wine List Even the most seasoned wine aficionados can struggle to get through the wine list at a bar or restaurant. In this lesson, James and legendary winemaker Lamberto Frescobaldi will help decode the restaurant wine list while walking you through the proper etiquette for ordering wine in a restaurant setting 10. Breaking the Rules of Pairings: A Tuscan Luncheon In the final lesson, James shares how to pair unconventional foods with wine with the idea being that breaking the rules of wine pairing (within reason!) will result in the best flavor combinations. 11. Closing James ends his wine appreciation MasterClass with a reminder of the key elements of drinking wine and the takeaways he hopes his students will walk away with. RELATED: Best Bottles of Wine Under $15 Pros & Cons MasterClass Pros The well-designed class workbook makes each class and concept engaging and dynamic. The beautifully edited high-definition videos will whisk you away to the rolling hills of Tuscany. James Sucklings knowledge translates seamlessly into wine appreciation from a consumer standpoint, but his guest winemakers give you a sense of all aspects of the business of wine. The community aspect allows students to connect with fellow wine novices from all across the globe. Cons You have to track down the wines for each lesson, which can be difficult if you dont have access to a specialty wine store. The barrel tasting class will evoke a thirsty wanderlust that cant be replicated with bottled wine. Who Is This Class Best For? James Sucklings MasterClass is great for anyone looking to enjoy wine more thoroughly or feel more confident when discussing wine with friends or purchasing new bottles from wine sellers. Whether youre at the beginner level or you consider yourself a wine aficionado already, youll definitely learn a thing or two. James Sucklings knowledge runs deep and spending a few virtual hours with the worlds most influential wine critic is sure to rub off on even the most seasoned wine lovers. You Might Also Dig: AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use. Businessman holding tablet and showing a growing virtual hologram of statistics, graph and chart with arrow up on dark background. Stock market. Business growth, planning and strategy concept Its a perfect time to buy growth stocks. These investments are usually priced at a premium, but thats the cost of buying a company that can compound shareholder capital quickly. Due to the coronavirus, many of these stocks are now priced at a discount. The recent recovery eliminated many opportunities, but some of the best options are still available, likely for a limited time. Despite trading at bargain prices, the growth stocks below retain incredible business models that will grow immensely in value over time. Peter Lynch, a legend when it comes to growth investing, suggests that now is the time to strike. The trick is not to learn to trust your gut feelings, but rather to discipline yourself to ignore them, he wrote in One Up On Wall Street. Stand by your stocks as long as the fundamental story of the company hasnt changed. The valuations are much lower for the companies below, yet the fundamentals stories havent changed. Bet on population growth Global populations are rising fast. In 1900, there were 1.6 billion people on earth. By 2000, that figure ballooned to six billion. By the end of this decade, well surpass 8.5 billion. The United Nations believes this trend will persist until at least 2100, when the global figure will be above 11 billion. If you want to profit from this population explosion, buy a growth stock like Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (TSX:BIP.UN)(NYSE:BIP). Brookfield owns assets that directly benefit from higher numbers of humans. Examples include cell towers, data centres, natural gas pipelines, wind farms, seaports, highways, and more. As populations grow, demand for these assets rises. Over the past decade, Brookfield stock has risen by 400% versus a 35% rise for the S&P/TSX Composite Index. The coronavirus has created an attractive entry point, even though this growth opportunity will persist for decades to come. The ultimate growth stock Constellation Software (TSX:CSU) is a growth investors dream. In 2006, shares were priced at $18. Today, theyre above $1,500. Thats an 8,200% return in just 14 years! Story continues Few investments produce this much growth so quickly. Whats the secret? Unlike most growth stocks, Constellation operates under the radar. Theres a good chance youve never used any of its products. Thats because they serve niche industries, like pharmaceutical manufacturing and timber logistics. By going niche, Constellation reduces competition. Oftentimes, its customers dont have a competing product to switch to. That improves customer retention and boosts pricing power. To build its product portfolio, the company relies on acquisitions. This has been the major driver of growth since its founding. But others have caught onto its success. To maintain secrecy, and reduce competing bids, the company includes very little information on its website. Management doesnt even conduct quarterly conference calls. These efforts keep growth rates high but also create a lack of awareness for this incredible stock. Shares trade at 70 times earnings, which isnt cheap, but also isnt reflective of a business growing profits at 20% per year with returns on invested capital above 30%. Youll have to stomach the premium, but Constellation has proven to be the ultimate growth stock. The post 2 Growth Stocks to Buy Right Now appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Constellation Software. The Motley Fool recommends BROOKFIELD INFRA PARTNERS LP UNITS and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. Fool contributor Ryan Vanzo has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020 Businessman holding tablet and showing a growing virtual hologram of statistics, graph and chart with arrow up on dark background. Stock market. Business growth, planning and strategy concept Warren Buffett shocked the world when he announced that hed sold out of all the airline stocks that hed accumulated over the years. Heck, Buffett scooped up a considerable chunk of shares of Delta Airlines, just weeks before he threw in the towel on the ailing industry over coronavirus-related uncertainties. The only thing more un-Buffett-like than selling the airline stocks at a major loss was how quick Warren Buffett was to ditch Delta after his latest (and last) helping to the major U.S. airlines. Theres no question that the airline thesis has changed for the worst this year. The highly profitable firms of yesteryear, such as Air Canada (TSX:AC), suddenly found themselves cutting capacity, raising liquidity, and battening down the hatches in an unprecedented fight for survival. Last year, airlines may have been a sound investment by investors, including the likes of Warren Buffett. But in the age of COVID-19, theyre now seen as more of a dangerous speculation that could end in tears for those who are chasing upside with no consideration for potential downside risks. Thats not to say that you should blindly follow Warren Buffett out of airline stocks like Air Canada, though, especially if youre a young investor with the stomach for an all-or-nothing bet. Forget Warren Buffett for a moment: Meet the market-beating airline bull, Bill Miller For every big-league investor whos bearish, theres bound to be one thats a raging bull. Consider legendary investor (and founder of Miller Value Partners) Bill Miller, whose claim to fame is beating the S&P 500 for 15 consecutive years between 1991 and 2005. The man knows how to beat the market like its nobody elses business. So, when the man speaks, it can pay dividends to listen up, even if what he says goes against the legendary Warren Buffett. Miller is a raging bull when it comes to the airlines, going as far as saying that investors who dont own them are making a bet against the [coronavirus] vaccine in a virtual round table hosted by Ariel Investments. Story continues Miller notes that people love flying and that once a vaccine lands that the air travel industry will come back very, very quickly. Airline stocks: Betting on a vaccine While most pundits see a slow and steady multi-year recovery for the airlines, with the odd bankruptcy en route to post-pandemic normalcy, the ultimate trajectory of the ailing air travel industry ultimately depends solely on the advent of a vaccine. If a vaccine lands sooner rather than later, Miller (not Warren Buffett) is right on the money in that the airline industry could recover sharply than most folks on the Street expect. Perhaps airline stocks could recover over the course of weeks, rather than years once a vaccine is readily available for broad distribution. Once people get vaccinated, the risk of contracting the deadly coronavirus will be zero, and many consumers will instantly get the green light to board the airlines again, whether for business, pleasure, or anything in between. Moreover, theres likely to be pent-up demand for air travel once it becomes completely safe to hit the skies once again. Many people are itching to see their families and use up those accumulated vacation days. The only question is when the vaccine will land. If a vaccine takes years to arrive, some of the airlines could stand to be wiped out as their liquidity reserves dry up. On the flip side, some pundits think that a vaccine will be available within a year or so. And if thats the case, a relatively liquid airline like Air Canada is a must-buy today. Once Air Canada weathers the storm, and a vaccine lands, AC stock could more than double in seemingly an instant. Should you follow Warren Buffett or Bill Miller when it comes to airline stocks? Warren Buffett has had his fair share of soured investments lately. His decision to bail on airline stocks could prove to be another massive mistake if a vaccine were to arrive in a timely fashion. If you can take near-term pain for a shot at long-term gain, Air Canada is a buy with or without Buffett standing in your corner. The post Forget Warren Buffett! Another Legendary Investor Is Bullish on Airline Stocks appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor Joey Frenette has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Delta Air Lines. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020 Is the worst over? Looking at stock prices lately, one might be inclined to think so. As investors, we make all sorts of predictions and expectations of future earnings in attempt to place the valuation on a given company before investing. The idea behind analyzing a company is simple based on expected future earnings. In essence, what is the multiple one is willing to pay for those future earnings discounted to today? Earnings for this years first quarter has been dismal, as expected. This is due primarily to the COVID-19 related prevention measures. The question now is, how will investors react to potentially two quarters in a row (or three) of terrible results? I will use the earnings results of two of Canadas Big Six banks to highlight potentially extremely bearish narrative. Companies appear to expect higher losses that investors Perhaps one of the most surprising elements of this snap back in the stock prices from the March lows we experienced is the broad-based bullish outlook on earnings across the board. Investors seem to be brushing off what many companies are explicitly telling us. For example, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (TSX:CM)(NYSE:CM) saw its net income decline by more than 70% as loan loss provision soared. Across the board, large Canadian banks have raised these provisions to levels which some investors saw as unnecessarily high. Some viewed this as overly conservative. Others brushed this off as unrealistic. They hold the view that the Canadian economy will lead the G7 in coming out of yet another recession relatively unscathed. These warning signs have not slowed down capital inflows into equities of late. One of CIBCs peers, Bank of Nova Scotia, recently reported a profit beat. This was despite a doubling of loan loss provisions. In addition, this was supplemented by a statement that less than 5% of the banks loans were likely to be considered high risk to delinquencies as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a bullish narrative for investors. Story continues Impact of CERB Personally, I think investors are missing the big picture right now with respect to earnings expectations. The Canadian government CERB program is one of many similar programs launched globally to keep the underwater (and in some cases highly insolvent) public liquid enough to pay bills and continue spending in the short term. New debt creation once these stimulus measures are lifted is likely to be muted. Canadians banks earnings are going to be one of the canaries in the coal mine investors need to pay attention to. When borrowing slows as credit quality deteriorates, economic performance will suffer. I view these recent earnings results by Canadas large financial institutions as overly aggressive. Further, I believe much more pain is likely to be on the horizon, contrary to popular opinion. If this is true, we will indeed experience another couple rounds of earnings declines broadly. I think investors will be forced to reassess their valuation models. Also, theyll be forced to admit how overvalued most stocks are right now on a fundamental basis. Stay Foolish, my friends. The post Market Crash Update: Brace for a Second Market Crash With These Top Tips appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor Chris MacDonald has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020 Equities in Toronto took a step backward on Friday, as a record surge in COVID-19 cases in the United States raised fears of another round of lockdowns, thus putting the brakes on what looked like a promising economic recovery. The S&P/TSX Composite Index subsided 25.65 points to close Friday and the week at 15,596.75. Even so, the index gained 122.65 points, or 0.79%, over the last four sessions (markets were closed Wednesday for Canada Day). The Canadian dollar recovered 0.05 cents at 73.78 cents U.S. The Supreme Court removed an obstacle to the expansion of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline on Thursday, dismissing an appeal of a lower court decision that had backed Ottawa's approval of the project. Real-estate showed the greatest amount of crumble on the day, as H&R REIT demurred 40 cents, or 3.8%, to $10.17, while Real Matters sank 69 cents, or 2.5%, to $27.30. In health-care, Aurinia slipped 45 cents, or 2.1%, to $20.69, while Canopy Growth gave back 37 cents, or 1.7%, to $21.96. Among tech concerns, Photon Control gave up three cents, or 1.6%, to $1.80, while Shopify slipped $14.61, or 1.1%, to $1,383.00. Consumer stocks tried to balance things out, with Sleep Country Holdings rising 52 cents, or 3.1%, to $17.09, while Restaurant Brands International hiked 80 cents, or 1.1%, to $74.29. Jamieson Wellness triumphed $1.28, or 3.6%, to $36.97, while NorthWest Company took on 33 cents, or 1.1%, to $30.51. The United States reported more than 55,000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, a new daily global record for the pandemic. Oil prices declined 33 cents at $40.32 U.S. a barrel. Read: Gold prices slipped $2.70 to $1,787.30. ON BAYSTREET The TSX Venture Exchange collected 5.51 points to 633.02; on the week, the index enjoyed a jump of 65.82 points, or 11.6%. All but two of the 12 TSX subgroups were lower on the day, with real-estate dipping 1%, health-care fading 0.9% and information technology descending 0.4%. Story continues The two gainers were consumer discretionary and consumer staples, each nicking up 0.1%. ON WALLSTREET Markets are shuttered Friday for the Fourth of July holiday. Futures for Canada's main stock index retreated on Friday as a record surge in COVID-19 cases in the United States raised fears of another round of lockdowns, overshadowing early signs of an economic rebound from the pandemic-driven slump. The S&P/TSX Composite Index leaped 107.18 points to conclude the session Thursday at 15,622.40. September futures dipped 0.1% Friday. The Canadian dollar dipped 0.05 cents to 73.68 cents U.S. Canada's Supreme Court removed an obstacle to the expansion of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline on Thursday, dismissing an appeal of a lower court decision that had backed Ottawa's approval of the project. Overseas, in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 0.7% Friday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index gathered 1%. Oil prices gave back 51 cents at $40.14 U.S. a barrel. Gold prices slipped $2.90 to $1,787.10. Read: This is Why the World Needs More Coronavirus Testing Kits Now ON BAYSTREET The TSX Venture Exchange gained 7.38 points, or 1.2%, Thursday to 627.51. ON WALLSTREET Markets are shuttered Friday for the Fourth of July holiday. Embezzlement trial of Russian Authors Society ex-head postponed for 2 weeks RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 18:02 03/07/2020 MOSCOW, July 3 (RAPSI) The Presnensky District Court on Friday adjourned a case against ex-Director General of the Russian Authors Society (RAO) Sergey Fedotov accused of embezzling 730 million rubles (about $10.5 million at the current exchange rate) until July 17, RAPSI was told in the courts press office. The trial is held under a special procedure, without examining evidence, as the defendant has pleaded guilty. In late April, the court extended Fedotovs detention until October 13. There are five defendands, including Fedotovs mother and ex-employee of the Russian Authors Society Svetlana Temeshova. All of them pled guilty and sought for a special procedure trial, without evidence examination and witness questioning. In December 2018, Moscows Tverskoy District Court ordered the accused persons to be placed in detention. Investigators believe that they transferred the authors royalty payments to the fake accounts and then cashed the money. In June 2017, Fedotov was convicted in his first embezzlement case and sentenced to 1.5 years behind bars. As previously reported, employees of the Interior Ministry and the Federal Security Service (FSB) have revealed a fraud scheme over illegal alienation of RAOs property. Damage caused to the RAOs property has been estimated at 500 million rubles (over $7 million at the current exchange rate). The defendant pleaded guilty. In December 2017, he was released on parole. (Bloomberg) -- After six years in Japan, Uber Technologies Inc. is finally coming to Tokyo. Starting Friday, users in the Japanese capital will be able to hail taxis using the Uber app, according to Tom White, who heads the companys operations in the country. Uber is partnering with three local taxi operators to make 600 cars available primarily in the citys central business district and the popular areas of Shinagawa, Akihabara and Asakusa. The U.S. company has done things a little differently in the worlds No 3. economy, which has strict regulations covering ride-sharing. The San Francisco-based company has focused on growing its food-delivery business, which now encompasses about 25,000 restaurants in 20 prefectures. For rides, its built partnerships with taxi companies in provincial cities, including the popular tourist destinations of Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima. In Tokyo, its offering has been limited to black-car hires till now. We wanted to do it right, having learned lessons in smaller markets, White said in an interview. We are in a better position to not just offer a good service to riders, but also to have lasting relationships with taxi companies. In Tokyo, Uber is partnering with Hinomaru Limousine Co., Tokyo MK Corp. and Ecosystem and is in talks with more operators, White said. The goal is to extend coverage to all of the capitals central districts by the end of the year. That brings the total number of Japanese cities where the service is available to 12. Despite the regulatory challenges, Japan has only grown in importance for Uber. After years of costly battles, ride-hailing giants have struck deals to stay out of each others core markets. In 2016, Uber ceded China to Didi Chuxing in exchange for a stake in its former rival. It pulled out of Russia in a similar manner the following year, and sold its Southeast Asian operations to Grab in 2018. That left few reservoirs of untapped growth. Despite being the second-largest taxi market in the world -- generating some $15 billion in annual revenue -- most locals in Japan still hail a cab by flagging one down in the street. Apps are used for less than 5% of the rides, White said. Others have also spotted the opportunity. Sony Corp., startup Japan Taxi and Chinas Didi are among those that have rolled out competing taxi-hailing apps. Story continues We are very much still in the early days, White said. There is still tremendous opportunity in this market. And the success of Uber Eats shows that people are open to the brand. (Corrects size of Japanese market in the penultimate paragraph) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The #MeToo movement has helped expose sexual harassment in the workplace, but the difficulties that women face on the job is by no means limited to unwanted advances or inappropriate remarks. On average, women are paid less than men in every state. And, theyre twice as likely as men to encounter gender discrimination at work, according to a Pew Research Center survey. To continue inspiring women in their careers, its crucial to share these stories about the adversity that women have battled and how they overcame it. Last updated October 5, 2020 Getting Excluded From Important Meetings When Kelly Lockwood Primus became the only female vice president of a national water company, she quickly learned how difficult it would be as the lone woman among a group of male executives. During her first week, Primus found out that she hadnt been asked to join a weekly executive team meeting that all of the vice presidents were expected to attend. After the meeting was over, she asked the vice president of human resources why she hadnt been included. He tried to explain it away as an oversight, but I couldnt help feeling like I was being discriminated against, Primus said. How She Overcame It After complaining to the vice president of human resources, Primus was officially made part of the executive team. Needless to say, if I had not advocated for myself, I never would have been included in those weekly meetings where important decisions were being made about the direction of the company, and the good old boys club would never have taken me or my role seriously. Primus now is the president and COO of Leading Women, a consulting firm for companies that are committed to closing the leadership gender gap. Feeling Pressured to Hide a Pregnancy In 2012, Talia Goldstein found out she was pregnant while trying to raise funds to launch her matchmaking company, Three Day Rule. She was thrilled to start a family but had read about an angel investor who was openly reluctant to provide funding for a pregnant CEO. In fact, when I spoke to several advisors about their thoughts, I kept hearing the same sentiment, Goldstein said. It was awful to know that because I was pregnant, investors would suddenly second-guess whether I was capable enough to run a company. Story continues So, she hid her pregnancy. During the four months that Goldstein spent fundraising for her company, she wore ponchos and baggy clothing. Looking back, I wish that I had more role models and other business leaders telling me that it was perfectly fine to be a mother and an entrepreneur, she said. How She Overcame It Goldstein said she had transformed the Three Day Rule from a pipe dream to a matchmaking powerhouse by 2014. Then, before starting another round of fundraising, Goldstein found out in 2015 that she was pregnant again. This time, I wouldnt be hiding my baby bump, she said. We went on to raise even more than we had set out to. But it wasnt because investors were looking past her pregnancy. In fact, no investors who met with her in person gave her money for the company only investors who spoke with her on the phone or with whom she already had a relationship with did. The only way to end this stigma is for more women to become part of the process founding companies, investing and fundraising all while having a family, Goldstein said. The more we talk about our experiences and stand for what we believe in, we blaze the trail for future female founders, who I hope wont have to think twice about their decision to be a mother and an entrepreneur. Losing Out on Promotions to Less Qualified Men During her 20-plus years of experience in the financial services industry, Thailand native Jiab Wasserman has faced countless instances of workplace adversity and gender discrimination. Despite her MBA and bachelors degree in industrial engineering, she wasnt paid or treated the same as her male colleagues. Men who hadnt earned advanced degrees and sometimes had less experience than her would be promoted to positions that Wasserman said she deserved. While Wasserman was working as a strategy analyst, her company promoted a male colleague who knew nothing about strategy and struggled with statistical concepts. I had to tutor him, she said. His exact words to me were, Please dumb down your presentation, so he could present it as his own in executive meetings. How She Overcame It Wasserman said she didnt let the gender discrimination that she faced discourage her. Instead, Wasserman worked hard to learn new skills and was always willing to take on new projects so that she would be ready if an opportunity to advance came along. Most importantly, she didnt give up. Before I landed my final position as a vice president of credit risk management, I had applied internally for 83 positions, she said. And by living frugally and saving as much as she could, Wasserman was able to retire at age 53 and blog about her retirement adventures at Your Third Life. Not Being Taken Seriously As an African-American woman, Keli Hammond said she has experienced both racial and gender discrimination at work. But the biggest adversity for her has been reverse ageism. Its been happening since I entered management over a decade ago in my early 20s, continued as I moved into a leadership role and still happens now that I own my own firm, said Hammond, who is owner of marketing and communications agency B Classic and author of Craved: The Secret Sauce to Building a Highly Successful, Standout Brand. When Hammond was presenting to the board of directors and leaders at her organization, a board member interrupted to ask how old she was and why they should trust her because she couldnt possibly have enough experience. I was stunned, not to mention embarrassed and caught off guard, she said. How She Overcame It Hammond said theres a belief in the business world that you have to be a certain age to be knowledgeable. It would be unacceptable to ask older workers their age, but Hammond said people dont hesitate to ask her about her age in business settings. Hammond said that she has gotten used to the question but feels like she has to put in extra work to persuade people that shes competent. Because Hammond has worked hard, though, she has won industry awards and succeeded in building a solid track record in the marketing industry. Being Patronized by Older Men Leslie Tayne has no shortage of stories about the discrimination that she has faced as a female debt relief attorney, such as being the brunt of sexist jokes, fearing that she couldnt disclose her pregnancy and having to hire a male attorney to join her firm to land business opportunities. But one of Taynes most degrading experiences happened when she attended a debt collection industry conference, where she was patronized by an older man at one of the conference sessions. On the way out, instead of shaking my hand, he patted my head, Tayne said. I was so disgusted and embarrassed. How She Overcame It At the time, Tayne was starting out in her career and afraid of rocking the boat, so she said nothing. Today, I wouldve said, How about we shake hands because were equals,' she said. Tayne didnt let the discrimination that she faced early in her career deter her. Her law firm, Tayne Law Group, is now one of the top providers of debt relief services. And, shes the author of the best-selling book, Life & Debt: A Fresh Approach to Achieving Financial Wellness. Being Outnumbered in a Male-Dominated Industry Danielle Putnam works in an industry dominated by men: plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) contracting. Its not just that shes outnumbered Putnam feels that shes treated differently as a woman. What makes her experience especially hard is that Putnam acts in a leadership role as president of The New Flat Rate, a menu pricing system for plumbing, electrical and HVAC contractors. Ive had male authority figures in other companies question my title as president because Im a woman, but also because of my age, Putnam said. Im not who you expect to see leading a company in this industry, but Ive worked hard, and I earned this position. How She Overcame It Putnam said it takes longer for men in her industry to interact with her in an open, honest way. But she doesnt let it deter her. As we work together, their perception changes and they see me as [their] colleague, Putnam said. Im the president of this company, and yes, Im a woman. Im also a mom, a daughter, a sister, a friend and a lot more. Being a woman doesnt define me, and it doesnt dictate my job performance. Putnam is helping other women in her industry overcome adversity by serving as president of Women in HVACR. The group fosters networking opportunities, education and mentoring for women. Its also implementing an ambassador program that will send HVACR professionals into schools to talk about careers in the trade. Encountering Microaggressions in All Areas Joy Altimare is chief brand and engagement officer at Engaging Healthy Employees (EHE), a leading progressive healthcare provider with a focus on prevention. However, Altimare has faced adversity as she climbed the career ladder to her leadership position. As a black woman working in corporate America for 20 years, I share similar stories of many women and women of color [in] gender inequality, microaggression based on race and general bigotry, and elitism, Altimare said. Its not just one instance that I think is noteworthy. I think that its the consistency of being overlooked, underestimated and sometimes patronized that provides one with a choice. How She Overcame It To overcome adversity, Altimare said she chose to have compassion toward the ignorant without sacrificing her voice. Every day, I make a choice to lead my team and my colleagues by example demonstrating what its like to give everyone the support they need to soar and achieve their professional goals, she said. Facing Derogatory Comments Stephanie Hammell learned the hard way that others in her industry thought less of her because shes a woman. Hammell is an investment advisor through LPL Financial, the largest independent broker-dealer in the nation. While attending a financial industry conference in 2018, Hammell participated in a hike with other advisors. When two male advisors asked about her credentials, Hammell said she had an MBA with a specialization in finance. One of the men made the comment, Maybe if you get another credential, youll be more than just a pretty face,' she said. The other man with us chose to ignore the comment, and I chose the reaction to laugh it off. But this wasnt the first time that men in her industry had made derogatory remarks about Hammell. How She Overcame It I chose the reaction to ignore or laugh these derogatory comments off because, at the end of the day, I know my professional value, Hammell said. It goes back to the saying, Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. It is the difference and the impact that we women make in the world that will silence these comments in the end. Plus, Hammell is having the last laugh shes in the process of getting her certified financial planner designation, which is the highest standard of excellence in the financial planning industry. Feeling Afraid to Ask About Work-Life Balance A few years ago, Georgene Huang lost her job as an executive at a major company due to an unexpected management shake-up. The timing couldnt have been worse because she was two months pregnant. I was in this position of looking for a job and going on interviews and feeling quite pressured to hide my pregnancy, Huang said. While interviewing, she wanted to ask companies about their maternity leave policies and what sort of work-life balance they enabled. But, in the end, she didnt ask Huang was afraid that she would be judged as less than fully committed to her career. How She Overcame It During her job search, Huang wanted to hear from other women about how they overcame the challenge of asking work-life balance questions during interviews without being stigmatized. She turned to the internet but was surprised by the lack of information that she found. So, Huang decided to create a community, Fairygodboss, to help women connect and share information about workplace issues. Today, millions of women turn to Fairygodboss for that sense of community and to connect with other women, she said. Were obsessed with improving the workplace for women and believe the No. 1 way to do that is through transparency and women collaborating with each other. Getting Underestimated Despite Being Overqualified Carol Gee had a long career in higher education as both an instructor and an administrator. In the final six years of her career, Gee worked as an editor for a business school. As [a] retired military vet, author of two books at the time and enjoying a vibrant freelance life, this was the ideal position nearing the end of my career, she said. Gee was supervised by professors in her department, who took turns serving in this role. My last year in my department, the professor whose turn it was came to me to say that the department no longer needed an editor but rather another admin assistant, she said. With nearly 28 years in higher ed that included a masters degree and past experience as an adjunct faculty and instructor, and a former department administrator with my own administrative assistant, this was not something I even contemplated. He thought that I would accept this [offer, but this] showed he didnt know anything about me. How She Overcame It Gee had already considered turning her skills in higher education into a small business before her supervisor suggested that she take a lower-level position. The time seemed right, she said. So I put in my paperwork. Rather than getting demoted, Gee retired at age 61 to pursue her own passions. Encountering Racism From Co-Workers As an African-American woman, Brittany Gamble said she has encountered racism in the office. Theres one instance, in particular, that stands out to her. At Gambles previous workplace, a variety of holidays were celebrated everything from Hanukkah to Cinco de Mayo. I asked my co-worker what we did for Black History Month, Gamble said. She said, We dont do anything. The energy around us suddenly became very awkward, and I didnt understand why. Gamble asked if she could help the office celebrate Black History Month by setting up a table with pictures and biographies of some of the most inspirational black people in history. Her nose pinched up, and she frowned and responded, We dont do that here,' Gamble said. I was pretty new in the working world, so her outright racism stunned me. How She Overcame It Gamble said that she didnt let her co-worker discourage her. I shared my culture and history with everyone at my workplace, she said. I was happy to share pieces of my culture and share my pride with my other workers. I didnt let one racist person stop me. Gamble now works at MyCorporation as a social media specialist. Im happy and fortunate to say that I currently work for an organization that embraces diversity and sees all of the opportunities and knowledge that people of color bring, she said. Receiving a Smaller Bonus Than a Male Colleague Jenn Lishansky has faced sexism in the workplace throughout her career, but one instance stands out more than others. After leading the most profitable and highly attended fundraiser ever for the nonprofit organization where she worked, Lishansky said she was expecting to receive a bonus. I had worked 100-hour weeks, ruining my health for months and seen in the past years budget that my male predecessor had received a $3,000 bonus for a less successful event, she said. However, when Lishanskys bonus check arrived, it was $500 one-sixth of what her male colleague had received. How She Overcame It Lishansky asked the executive director why her bonus was so much smaller than the one given to a male colleague. They met five times trying to resolve Lishanskys resentment and her bosss unwillingness to provide a larger bonus. During our sixth meeting, I told her that if the successes I brought to the organization would not be compensated equally to my male predecessors, I quit, she said. Lishanskys boss let her walk out but called her back 15 minutes later. She then offered Lishansky an equivalent bonus, a promotion and a small raise. I learned [at] that moment to stand up for my value, a lesson Ive applied at every organization Ive worked for since, she said. Getting a Gender-Biased Performance Review Melissa DeLay got her start in the corporate world in 1999 and thats when she had her first run-in with workplace discrimination. During DeLays first performance review, her manager told her that she was pushy, aggressive and overbearing. I had never heard those words to describe me, and I was shocked, DeLay said. How She Overcame It Although she was shocked, DeLay said she maintained her composure and asked her manager if he could give her an example of when she acted pushy, aggressive or overbearing. No, he replied. Its just a general observation,' DeLay said. She realized that her manager would have never used such words to describe the men in her workplace. He was just saying it to hurt me, said DeLay, who is now the founder of crisis communications agency TruPerception. This beautiful realization gave me the freedom to neutralize his otherwise piercing comments and take them in stride. More from GOBankingRates Photos are for illustrative purposes only. As a result, some of the photos might not reflect the people listed in this article. This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: These 13 Women Battled Workplace Discrimination and Won Cenovus Energy is sending a shipment of crude oil down through the Panama Canal as part of its first-ever transaction with New Brunswick's Irving Oil. The oil shipment will make the 11,900-kilometre journey to Irving's refinery in Saint John by tanker ship, Cenovus announced in a social media post on Wednesday. The news comes two months after Irving Oil, the operator of the country's largest refinery, surprised the sector with its plans to begin receiving more crude from Western Canada by using tankers starting this summer. Cenovus vice president Keith Chiasson said in a statement provided to CBC News that it's a "one-off "shipment for now. "But we believe this Canadian success story has the potential over time to create significant value for both companies and the entire country," he said, adding Cenovus is pleased with the economics of the transaction. On Friday, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said he considered Irving Oil's decision to seek more oil from the West to be an "important expression of confidence" in Canada. But he said the long journey via tanker also underscores the need for national pipeline infrastructure. "On the one hand, it makes me happy that we're finally going to be able to supply a Canadian refinery on the East Coast with Alberta oil, but it just underscores how crazy this whole situation is," said Kenney, pointing to the cancellation of the Energy East pipeline nearly three years ago. The Energy East project would have carried more than one million barrels of oil every day from Alberta and Saskatchewan across the country to be refined or exported from facilities in New Brunswick and Quebec. The energy giant then known as TransCanada since renamed TC Energy had proposed adding 1,500 kilometres worth of new oil pipelines to an existing network of more than 3,000 kilometres, which would have been converted from carrying natural gas, to carrying oil. Story continues About 99 per cent of Canada's exports now go to refiners in the U.S., where limits on pipeline and refinery capacity mean Canadian oil sells at a discount. Privately held Irving applied this spring to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) to use foreign tankers in order to increase the amount of domestic crude it gets from offshore Newfoundland and Western Canada. Irving Oil's application included a proposal for the tankers to transport oil from a terminal in Burnaby, B.C., through the Panama Canal and on to Irving Oil's refinery in Saint John. The company said at the beginning of May that it wanted to increase the mix of Canadian crude it uses, which at that time was in the range of 20 per cent. Increasing the amount of Canadian oil that the refinery uses would displace the crude imports the company gets from around the world, but it wasn't clear which shipments might be affected. An official with the refinery said at the time that it uses a "significant" amount of oil from the United States. Chiasson said the transaction shows the ability of the two companies "to help drive Canada's economy even during these unprecedented times of turbulence created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting challenges for the energy industry." Tanker shipment comes as TMX, Keystone XL pipelines move forward News of the Cenovus shipment via tanker to the East Coast came as the Supreme Court released a decision dismissing a First Nations' legal challenge to the Trans Mountain expansion project. The Trans Mountain pipeline will allow Canada to diversify oil markets and vastly increase exports to Asia, where they can command a higher price than those sent to the U.S. Some experts said the top court's decision to end the years-long legal battle demonstrates stability to potential investors and provides clarity about what constitutes adequate consultations with Indigenous groups. And on Friday, Alberta's premier visited the small town of Oyen to mark the start of construction within the province of the Keystone XL pipeline. Work is already underway in three U.S. states. The 1,947-kilometre project will be able to carry 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Hardisty, Alta., to Steele City, Neb., where it will connect with TC Energy's existing facilities and eventually reach refineries on the Gulf Coast. A full list of the countries exempt from England's coronavirus travel quarantine has been released by the government. The list includes more than 70 countries and territories where holidaymakers can visit without self-isolating for 14 days on their return to England. Fourteen British Overseas Territories are also included, with Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man already exempt. Among the countries not on the list are the US, Portugal, Sweden, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Iran, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China. The exemptions will apply from 10 July. The Department for Transport said the approved destinations pose "a reduced risk to the public health of UK citizens", but the list will be kept "under constant review". It has indicated that reciprocal arrangements between England and overseas nations have not been confirmed. It is Downing Street's "expectation" that a number of exempted countries will also not require arrivals from the UK to self-isolate. Officials "continue to work closely with international partners around the world to discuss arrangements for travellers arriving from the UK," the government has said. However, some of the countries on the list are not allowing tourists. Australia and New Zealand are open only to their own citizens or permanent residents, for example. Another example, Vietnam, is only open to Vietnamese nationals, foreigners on diplomatic or official business, and highly skilled workers. Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said: "Labour, like families and businesses up and down the country, are keen for the government's quarantine measures to be lessened, but this is a mess. "First we had the quarantine that they were slow to implement, then they said they'd do air bridges. "Now we see a plan to let residents of 60 or more countries into England without any reciprocal arrangements." Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will "set out their own approach" to exemptions, the Department for Transport has said. Story continues The first ministers of Wales and Scotland have criticised the UK government's "shambolic" handling of its coronavirus travel quarantine. In a tweet, the Portuguese foreign affairs minister said it was "absurd" that Portugal had been left off the new list despite the UK having 28 times more deaths related to coronavirus. Portugal's prime minister Antonio Costa tweeted a graph appearing to show the UK had a much higher number of cases per 100,000 population than the Algarve, adding: "Which is the safest place to stay? You are welcome to spend a safe holiday in Algarve!" And the UK government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance hinted that the earlier quarantine imposed on travellers to England was not supported by scientific evidence. He said: "Our advice has been clear that quarantine makes most sense and can be used effectively when people are coming from countries with higher infection rates than the ones we have here. "That's where quarantine is a measure that would make a difference." The full list is as follows: The Foreign Office has also revealed which countries will be exempt from its advice against all but "non-essential travel". This will mean that people can travel to a number of destinations overseas with regular travel insurance policies. * Shanghai shares hit 14-month high on service sector recovery * U.S. payrolls jump 4.8 mln but hurdles lie ahead * Rising U.S. COVID-19 cases threaten U.S. recovery * Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4 By Hideyuki Sano TOKYO, July 3 (Reuters) - Asian shares rallied to a four-month high on Friday on robust U.S. payrolls data and a brisk pickup in Chinese service sector activity, but a surge in coronavirus cases in the United States kept a lid on stronger gains. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.66%, reaching the highest level since late February, while Japan's Nikkei rose 0.40%. Mainland Chinese shares, which were among the best performers over the past month, extended gains, with the Shanghai composite index hitting a high last seen in April 2019. China's services sector expanded at the fastest pace in over a decade in June, the Caixin/Markit services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) showed, as the easing of coronavirus-related lockdown measures revived consumer demand. Factory surveys earlier in the week had also shown momentum in China is building, though companies are still shedding jobs. "Recovery in China's domestic demand is accelerating, even though the external demand is still weak. Thus investors are shifting to domestic-demand oriented sectors," said Wang Shenshen, senior strategist at Mizuho Securities in Tokyo. Brokerage shares were leading the gains in China on hopes of further capital market reform, a move that is in part fuelled, ironically, by Washington's attempt to restrict Chinese firms' access to Wall Street. S&P 500 futures were down 0.2% but volumes were lower than usual due to a U.S. markets holiday on Friday for Independence Day. The country's nonfarm payrolls surged by 4.8 million jobs in June, above the average forecast of 3 million jobs in June, thanks to rises in the hard-hit hospitality sectors. But economists noted there were caveats to the upbeat headline figures. Story continues Even after two months of recovery from May, the U.S. economy has recovered only just over a third of a historic plunge of 20.787 million jobs in April. A separate report on jobless claims, the most timely data on employment, showed the number of people receiving benefits after an initial week of aid actually rose 59,000 to 19.290 million in the week ending June 20. The recovery also faces more headwinds as a surge of new coronavirus infections prompts U.S. states to delay and in some cases reverse plans to let stores reopen and activities resume. More than three dozen U.S. states saw increases in COVID-19 cases, with cases in Florida spiking above 10,000. On the other hand, expanded unemployment benefits to support those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic are due to expire at the end of this month, though many investors think Congress could extend the measure. "Back to pre-pandemic (job levels), in my view, will be a matter of years," Danielle DiMartino Booth, CEO and chief strategist of Quill Intelligence in Dallas, Texas. "With luck, it will be two years but that is likely optimistic given the number of permanent closures we've learned of." Sino-U.S. diplomatic tensions have also cast a shadow. The U.S. State Department warned top American companies including Walmart, Apple and Amazon.com Inc over risks faced from maintaining supply chains associated with human rights abuses in China's western Xinjiang province. "China will keep a hard line stance towards the next year when the Chinese Communist Party will celebrate its 100th anniversary since its founding," said Akira Takei, a bond fund manager at Asset Management One. "Global companies can no longer have supply chains in China as they used to." In foreign exchange, major currencies were little changed, with the euro at $1.1245 and the yen changing hands at 107.52 per dollar. Oil prices eased on concerns about the resurgence of the coronavirus globally and in the United States, the world's largest oil consumer. Brent crude fell 0.65% to $42.86 a barrel while U.S. crude dropped 0.66% to $40.38 a barrel. (Editing by Sam Holmes and Kim Coghill) By Donny Kwok and Yanni Chow HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police arrested a 24-year-old man at the airport early on Thursday on suspicion of stabbing and wounding an officer during a demonstration against a new national security law imposed by Beijing on the financial hub. The arrest followed protests on Wednesday in which police fired water cannon and tear gas and arrested more than 300 people as demonstrators defied the sweeping security legislation introduced by China to snuff out dissent in the former British colony. There were no signs of protests on Thursday. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the new law was a betrayal of the Sino-British agreement on Hong Kong's future after it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. "The national security law that China passed and now is imposing on Hong Kong is a - it's a betrayal of the international agreement that they signed, and ultimately it's unacceptable to freedom-loving people around the world," he told CNBC on Thursday. Hong Kong police posted pictures on Twitter from Wednesday's disturbances showing on officer with a bleeding arm saying he was stabbed by "rioters holding sharp objects". The suspects fled while bystanders offered no help, the police said. A police spokesman said the arrested man was surnamed Wong but could not confirm whether he was leaving Hong Kong or working at the airport. Media, citing unidentified sources, said the suspect was on board a Cathay Pacific flight to London due to depart just before midnight. A witness said three police vehicles drove towards a gate as a Cathay Pacific plane was preparing to take off and about 10 riot police ran up the bridge to the aircraft. The suspect held an expired British National (Overseas) passport, a special status which provides a route to citizenship, the source told the Cable TV station. Cathay Pacific did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying on Wednesday posted on Facebook that a bounty of HK$500,000 ($64,500) would be offered to anyone helping catch the fugitive. Story continues China's parliament adopted the security law in response to protests last year triggered by fears Beijing was stifling the city's freedoms and threatening its judicial independence, guaranteed by a "one country, two systems" formula agreed when it returned to China. Beijing denies interfering. Hong Kong and Beijing officials have said the law is vital to plug holes in national security defences exposed by the protests, pointing to the citys failure to pass such laws by itself as required under its mini-constitution, the Basic Law. Another unfulfilled constitutional requirement for Hong Kong is to introduce universal suffrage, the protesters' main demand. DIPLOMATIC TENSION The new law punishes crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. It will also see mainland security agencies in Hong Kong for the first time and allows extradition to the mainland for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party. Ten of the arrests made on Wednesday involved violations of the new law, police said, with most of the 360 or so others involved illegal assembly and other offences. Demosisto, a pro-democracy group led by Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, disbanded on Tuesday, hours after China's parliament passed the legislation. Prominent group member Nathan Law said on Thursday he had left the territory. "I have already left Hong Kong and continue the advocacy work on the international level," he said on Facebook. "Based on risk assessment, I shall not reveal too much about my personal whereabouts and situation now... I do not know the date of my return." Simon Cheng, who worked for the British consulate in Hong Kong for almost two years until he fled after he said he was tortured by China's secret police, said activists were discussing a plan to create an unofficial parliament-in-exile to keep the flame of democracy alive. In the latest diplomatic tension over the law, China said Britain would bear all consequences for any offer to Hong Kong citizens of a path to settlement. China also denounced the United States after the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would penalise banks doing business with Chinese officials who implement the national security law in Hong Kong. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the United States "must stop advancing the bill, let alone sign it or implement" it. [L1N2E82R1] Democratically ruled and Chinese-claimed Taiwan advised its citizens to avoid unnecessary visits to or transit through Hong Kong, Macau or mainland China. Britain and Canada have also updated their travel advisories for Hong Kong, warning their citizens of detention risks. Apparently seeking to allay fears that judges for national security cases would be cherry-picked by Hong Kong's unpopular, pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam, Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma said they would be appointed on the basis of judicial and professional qualities, rather than politics. Hong Kong's independent judiciary, one of many freedoms guaranteed when it returned to Chinese rule, has long been considered key to its success as a glittering global financial hub. (Additional reporting by Anne Marie Roantree and Clare Jim in Hong Kong, Natalie Thomas and Guy Faulconbridge in London and Lisa Lambert and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Writing by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Michael Perry, Robert Birsel and Nick Macfie) The COVID-19 virus may bring an end to Nova Scotia's streak of record-breaking immigration increases. "The landings for the month of April are low, very low, relative to what we would have expected prior to COVID," Immigration Minister Lena Diab said Thursday. "The January, February landings, prior to COVID were the highest, historically, we've ever had and we were on track, had COVID not hit, to exceed the 2019 number, which was fantastic." According to the Office of Immigration, 45 people arrived in Nova Scotia in April, a fraction of the 543 immigrants who arrived in April 2019 and the 547 who came that month the year before. March saw a drop in arrivals, but it was less dramatic than the April decrease. In March, 330 people arrived in Nova Scotia compared to 513 that month the year before and 508 in March 2018. The office hasn't completed its tally for May and June. The low numbers reflect travel restrictions worldwide as well as a desire among many to stay put. Despite how few people are travelling to Nova Scotia, Diab said her office is continuing to process a large number of files. "We are on track to hit our numbers and, in fact, we received increases in our allocations both in the provincial nominee stream that we have and in the Atlantic immigration pilot numbers," Diab said. "Many people are continuing to apply. Of course, we are prioritizing essential workers." Diab said the province has nominated two doctors just last month, although when they are able to come remains unclear. Although immigration is a federal responsibility, the Provincial Nominee Program allows provinces to pre-approve, or nominate, immigrants with skills needed in that province to fast-track their acceptance into Canada. When Nova Scotia signed onto the program in 2002, the five-year agreement restricted the program to 200 nominees a year. Since its creation, successive governments have lobbied for a greater number of nominees with varying success. Ottawa recently increased that number to 1,850 for 2019. Story continues Last year, Nova Scotia welcomed more than 7,500 immigrants overall. In 2018, close to 6,000 came to the province from outside Canada to start new lives. Diab remained hopeful that Nova Scotia would continue to see a greater number of people coming to the province from outside Canada, despite the drop in landings for March and April and the anticipated decreases in May and June. "We'll have to wait and see what happens in the second half of 2020," she said. MORE TOP STORIES CBC A rainy Friday couldn't dampen the spirits of business owners in downtown St. John's, as the Water Street pedestrian mall opened to the public. The City of St. John's has opened up a lengthy stretch of Water Street for a two-month experiment, to help lure people to downtown shops, restaurants and bars, and to help with physical distancing guidelines brought in because of the COVID-19 pandemic. "I think it's really going to make a lot of citizens of St. John's curious and get people down here, and I really believe we're going to get a lot of people that don't typically come downtown, just out of curiosity alone," said Lorne Loder, owner of Cajones Tacos and Tequilla on Water Street. Loder opened his own deck seating on Wednesday, to what he described as a great response from customers. "It was Canada Day, and there was a lot of people about. It was ideal," Loder said. "There were people waiting for a table on the deck, [we] couldn't have had a better turnout and reaction. A lot of positive response people seem to love it." CBC The mall covers four blocks on Water Street, where traffic will be pedestrian-only between noon and 10 p.m., seven days a week. It stretches from Bishop's Cove and Adelaide Street to Job's Cove and Prescott Street. Affected roads will be closed until Sept. 7, and open for delivery purposes only. As part of the pedestrian mall, businesses and restaurants are now able to bring their store into the streets with decks and picnic tables set up in the area. Loder said the move will help businesses as it will be easier for walkers in the area to see what is available in the downtown. CBC "A lot of retailers, they have to get the customer into their store," he said. "If they put their wares on the street, I think a lot more people will notice them. It's just going to be a different experience across the board," Loder added. 'They need to come down and support it' Story continues St. John's Mayor Danny Breen said the city has been working quickly to get the pedestrian mall plan ready for Friday's opening, after it was approved two weeks ago. "I don't know if it's a record or not, but you know, we're in interesting times," he said. CBC "It's very challenging for businesses, and there was definitely a need here. The restaurants with the capacity restrictions, they were limited and the reopening was going to be very challenging so this is one of the ways we had of helping." The area had briefly been a pedestrian mall back in 1969, where Breen said he remembers walking as a boy. He said if the city were to continue with the mall idea, the city would need to see how this summer works out and do other kinds of analysis. "The public have asked for this for a number of years," he said. "And now they need to come down and support it." Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 3, 2020 2020/07/03 CCTV: The foreign ministry of Laos issued a statement expressing congratulations and firm support for China's passage of the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong SAR, believing that the Law will ensure long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong. The spokesperson of the foreign ministry of Vietnam also affirmed the country's respect and support for China's "one country, two systems" principle, the Basic Law and the related legal system, hoping other countries can respect that, too. What's China's comment? Zhao Lijian: China highly applauds Laos and Vietnam for their staunch support in China's passage and implementation of the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong SAR. At the 44th session of the UN Human Rights Council, over 70 countries including Laos and Vietnam voiced their support for China's legislation and urged certain countries to immediately stop interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of Hong Kong. It illustrates a simple truth: fair-minded people can tell right from wrong. Several Western countries' attempt to smear China will never succeed. I'd like to add that after Cuba made a statement on June 30 on behalf of 53 countries at the Human Rights Council to welcome the passage of the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR, representatives of over 20 countries delivered remarks at the UNHRC to endorse the legislation. To sum up, more than 70 countries voiced their support for China's legislation at the 44th session of the UNHRC, vividly demonstrating that "a just cause rallies abundant support while an unjust one finds little." Beijing Youth Daily: Ryo Takeuchi, a Japanese director living in Nanjing, filmed a documentary Long Time No See, Wuhan that received an amazing array of responses in China and Japan and has recorded over 25 million views online. By presenting the stories of ten ordinary citizens, the documentary depicts Wuhan residents' daily life and the state of the city now. It captures Wuhan's tremendous efforts in fighting COVID-19 and the outcomes it achieved and people's aspiration for and confidence in a brighter future. Do you have any comment on this film? Zhao Lijian: Indeed, the documentary you are following has been warmly received in China and Japan. Director Takeuchi visited Wuhan and demonstrated from ordinary citizens' perspective the life in Wuhan after being hit by the coronavirus, as well as the resilience and optimism of Wuhan residents. For Chinese and Japanese viewers, this documentary is very touching as it depicts people's life in a plain, sincere and heart-warming way. We hope there will be more documentaries like this one, which will enhance mutual understanding and friendship between China and Japan. China News Service: The American Chamber of Commerce said in a recent statement that for more than 50 years, it has been committed to preserving Hong Kong's stature as an international business center, and has worked with and supported the Hong Kong SAR government in the development of a world class business hub incorporating the shared values of rule of law, free flow of information and connectivity across the globe. The statement also said that AmCham remains "committed to Hong Kong as a home base for international business". I wonder if you have any comment? Zhao Lijian: Since its return to the motherland, Hong Kong has given full play to its unique advantage as a global hub backed by the mainland. Its status as an international financial, shipping and trading center has been consolidated. It has been known as one of the most free, open, prosperous and vibrant places in the world. It ranked second in this year's Index of Economic Freedom released by an American institution. For a while, anti-China forces seeking to disrupt Hong Kong engaged in mass illegal violent activities, vandalizing facilities and harassing residents. They seriously affected Hong Kong's law and order, threatened people's life and property, and jeopardized the normal operation of businesses from all countries. The national security law in Hong Kong will provide a stronger institutional guarantee for the steady and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems". It will help ensure Hong Kong's lasting security, stability and prosperity, safeguard residents' lawful rights and freedoms, and protect investors' rights and interests. Looking forward, as China's reform and opening-up unleashes greater economic vitality and as Hong Kong grows closer ties of cooperation with the mainland and the rest of the world, Hong Kong will definitely enjoy an even better future and foreign businesses there will surely embrace brighter prospects. We welcome foreign businesses including American companies to continue operating in Hong Kong and wish them greater success. We also hope the American business community will work with all those supporting Hong Kong's development and prosperity to make sure this "Pearl of the Orient" will shine with more brilliant luster. RIA Novosti: According to the State Security Service, Belgium's intelligence agency, Chinese students in Belgium may be spying for China and sharing knowledge obtained in universities with Chinese armed forces. The deputy head of the agency said Belgium's Intelligence service is trying to identify potentially dangerous students. I wonder what is your comment on this report? Zhao Lijian: The Chinese embassy in Belgium has responded to this. The report you mentioned is groundless and maliciously smears China. As we have repeatedly stated, China always develops relations with other countries on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference. In recent years, with concerted efforts, China-Belgium exchange and cooperation in the education sector made steady progress, benefiting both sides. We urge relevant sides in Belgium can look at student exchange with China in an objective and rational light, refrain from making irresponsible comments, and work to promote mutual trust and cooperation with China. CNR: US Secretary of State Pompeo issued a statement on July 1 that the US Department of State, along with the US Department of the Treasury, the US Department of Commerce, and the US Department of Homeland Security, is issuing an advisory to caution businesses about the risks of supply chain links to entities that engage in human rights abuses, including forced labor in Xinjiang and elsewhere in China. I wonder if China has any response to this? Zhao Lijian: US politicians including Mr. Pompeo have been spreading fallacies on Xinjiang, creating "fake news", wantonly criticizing China's Xinjiang policy, and interfering in China's internal affairs non-stop. China deplores and firmly rejects that. The so-called "forced labor" is just a concoction by some US and Western institutions and personnel. Nothing could be further from the truth. The rights and interests of workers from ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang as part of China's large workforce are protected by law. They are free to choose a profession and can decide on where to work of their own free will. There is no restriction whatsoever on their personal freedom. Their customs, religious beliefs and spoken and written language are all protected by law. Relevant enterprises provide good living and working conditions for ethnic minority workers and make sure all their needs are attended to. The government of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region takes active measures to guarantee to the maximum the right to work and employment of people from all ethnic groups based on their own will. According to statistics on hand, since 2018, altogether 151,000 people from impoverished households in southern Xinjiang found employment away from home, with many earning an annual income of 45,000 RMB. Thanks to the income, all their families got out of poverty. How can anyone call this "forced labor"? Some in the US profess they care about ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, but at the same time they are taking all sorts of measures to repress Xinjiang enterprises. This inconsistency exposes their hypocrisy and malicious intention to contain Xinjiang's development and sow discord between different ethnic groups in China. We urge the US side to respect facts, overcome bias, stop political manipulation, stop erroneous words and deeds detrimental to others and itself, stop using Xinjiang as a pretext to disrupt normal cooperation between Chinese and American companies, and work to promote mutual trust and cooperation with China. China has unwavering resolution to defend its sovereignty, security and development interests. Those attempting to undermine stability and prosperity in Xinjiang and contain China's development will not and cannot succeed. Phoenix TV: According to reports, India's transport minister said Chinese companies will be barred from constructing the country's roads and highways. In the last few days, we also witnessed a lag in customs clearance for shipments originating from China. Previously, India announced a ban on over 50 Chinese apps. Does China have any comment on these measures taken by the Indian side? Does China believe they will affect China-India cooperation? Are China and India in any consultation on these matters? Zhao Lijian: In recent days some politicians in India have kept issuing irresponsible remarks that are detrimental to China-India relations. It calls for concerted efforts on both sides to maintain China-India relations. India should work with China for the same goal and uphold the overall interests of our bilateral relations. China-India practical cooperation is mutually beneficial and win-win in nature. Artificially setting up barriers for such cooperation not only violates WTO rules, but also hurts India's interests. China will take all necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese businesses. China Daily: APAC News, a comprehensive independent news website in Australia, published an article titled "ASPI Strategy Pays Off" on July 1. According to the article, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) is actually an anti-China lobbying group despite its claim of independence. Its analysts are always forthcoming with research pointing to the strategic threat of China, promoting China as Australia's "No. 1 strategic threat". The Australian Department of Defense is its biggest funding source, while the US, British, and some other governments and major weapons makers are generous supporters. Besides the 4 million Australian dollars annual grant from the Australian Department of Defense, ASPI also acquired contracts that amounted to more about 2.133 million Australian dollars from the Australian government from July 2019 to June 2020. However, ASPI deliberately makes the Australian and US governments' funding figures opaque. I wonder if China has any comment? Zhao Lijian: Given the fact that some in Australia keep hyping up the co-called China influence and Chinese interference and infiltration in Australia, and that some in the US and Australia randomly blame China for spreading disinformation, I suggest you ask these people for their comments on this. It is not the first time that the background of this "think tank" is revealed by Chinese and foreign media. Now we are even seeing exact numbers. ASPI has been widely criticized by many, including those with vision in Australia, for what it has done. When truth and facts emerge, an institution maliciously smearing China by creating disinformation will only end up in humiliation. PTI: In response to what you just said about the ban by India of some of the apps as well as the minister's comment, you know the context in which India has done this, purely on the security-related issues. And there is also the issues related at the border. So against the background of all this, you think Indians are not justified in taking this particular action? Zhao Lijian: I already stated China's position very clearly just now. I would like to stress that China hopes that India will work with us, follow faithfully the important consensus reached between the two leaders, abide by the agreements reach between the two governments, strengthen communication and coordination on properly managing the current situation through diplomatic and military channels, and jointly uphold peace and stability in the border areas. At the same time, we need to see that China and India, both major developing countries, bear the historic mission of accelerating national development and rejuvenation. Hence, acts of mutual respect and mutual support represent the right track and also conform to the long-term interests of both countries, whereas those of mutual distrust and friction belong to an evil path and go against the fundamental aspirations of the two peoples. China and India should follow the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and uphold overall bilateral relations. India should avoid a strategic miscalculation with regard to China. Kyodo News: First question, reports say Indian Prime Minister Modi visited China-India border areas today. Can you comment on that? Second question, Japan's Liberal Democratic Party adopted a resolution today expressing serious concerns that many were arrested after the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR was promulgated, and they asked the Japanese government to reconsider Chinese leader's visit. What's your comment? Zhao Lijian: On your first question, China and India are in communication with each other through military and diplomatic channels. Neither side should make any move that may complicate the border situation. On your second question, China has lodged stern representations with Japan for its negative comments on Hong Kong-related matters. China hasn't been discussing major bilateral agenda with Japan for a while. The hyping-up of this matter by some forces in Japan is just meaningless. Some in Japan have long been politicizing and making unwarranted comments on other countries' internal affairs. I'd like to point out that their anti-China "performance" means nothing to us. We have neither the time nor the interest to comment on that. AFP: The US Pentagon recently said it was concerned about Chinese military exercises in the South China Sea near the Paracel islands. And Vietnam's foreign ministry has rejected it. Official from the government of the Philippines also made a statement. What is China's response? Zhao Lijian: Xisha Islands are indisputably China's inherent territory. China's military exercises in the seas off Xisha Islands are within our sovereignty and beyond reproach. The fundamental cause of instability in the South China Sea is the large-scale military activities and flexing of muscles by some non-regional country that lies tens of thousands of miles away. The following question is raised after the press conference. Q: In response to Chinese Coast Guard vessels found near Diaoyu Dao for 80 consecutive days by Japan's Maritime Safety Agency, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said to the press on July 2 that Japan will firmly safeguard its territorial land, seas and space. The Japanese patrol vessels warned the Chinese vessels multiple times, and the Japanese government made stern protests with China more than once through diplomatic channels. What is China's response? Zhao Lijian: Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands are China's inherent territory. China is determined in safeguarding our sovereignty. Patrolling and law-enforcement in the waters off Diaoyu Dao is our inherent right, and Japan has no right to make unwarranted comments. We don't accept its so-called "protests", and we ask Japan to immediately withdraw from Chinese waters, stop hyping up Diaoyu Dao-related issues, and refrain from stirring up new trouble. FILE PHOTO: Byzantine-era monument of Hagia Sophia or Ayasofya is seen in Istanbul ANKARA (Reuters) - Criticism of Turkey over the possible conversion of Istanbul's landmark Hagia Sophia monument from a museum to a mosque "is an attack on Turkey's sovereignty", President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday. Erdogan has proposed restoring the mosque status of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, a building at the heart of both the Christian Byzantine and Muslim Ottoman empires and today one of Turkey's most visited monuments. "Accusations against our country about Hagia Sophia directly target our sovereign rights," said Erdogan, responding to concern over the proposal from the West, particularly Greece, France and the United States. "We are determined to continue to protect the rights of Muslims, our country's majority faith, as well as members of all other faiths and religions," he added at the formal opening of another mosque in Istanbul. A Turkish court on Thursday heard a case aimed at converting the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque. It will announce its verdict within 15 days. Earlier this week Turkey said it was "shocked" at a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging Erdogan not to go ahead with the plan. France's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the sixth-century structure, which served for nine centuries as a Christian cathedral before the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, must remain open to all. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Giles Elgood) Beaches beckon as England to end quarantine for more than 50 countries FILE PHOTO: People sunbathe on Playa de Palma beach in Mallorca By William James and Costas Pitas LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will end coronavirus quarantines for people arriving in England from more than 50 countries, including Germany, France, Spain and Italy - but not the United States - the government said on Friday. The move, effective July 10, clears the way for millions of British tourists to take summer holidays without worrying about being quarantined when they return. Those arriving from higher risk countries will still have to self-quarantine for 14 days under a rule which has angered airlines and travel companies. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government had debated for days how to ease the quarantine rules. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which set their own health policies within the United Kingdom, have not announced plans to lift the measures. "Today marks the next step in carefully reopening our great nation," Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said. As the spread of the novel coronavirus slows in Europe, countries are reopening travel after more than three months of lockdown. The full list of countries was published here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors Australia, New Zealand and Japan are included, as are Caribbean tourist destinations such as the Bahamas and Barbados, but popular holiday destination Portugal was not on the list. Nor were the United States, China, India or Russia. "The U.S. from a very early stage banned flights from the UK and from Europe so there isn't a reciprocal arrangement in place," Shapps said. Britain's foreign ministry also set out exemptions from a global advisory against "all but essential" international travel, from July 4, a key to normal insurance being valid. The government said it expected countries included on the quarantine-free list to reciprocate by relaxing their own restrictions. The move to ditch the quarantine prompted three of Europe's biggest airlines, British Airways , Ryanair and easyJet to end a legal challenge against the government. Story continues Britain, with the highest COVID-19 death toll in Europe, is slowly reopening its economy. England and Northern Ireland will reopen pubs this weekend, and Scotland and Wales are expected to follow later in July. Johnson has warned people to maintain social distancing rules and is expected to repeat that caution at a news conference on Friday. "Anyone who flouts social distancing and COVID-secure rules is not only putting us all at risk but letting down those businesses and workers who have done so much to prepare for this new normal," he will say. [nL8N2EA1PC] (Additional reporting by Kate Holton, William Schomberg and Michael Holden; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Alexander Smith and Peter Graff) Kameko ridden Oisin Murphy approaches the finish line to win the Qipco 2000 Guineas Stakes. Can he do the double at the Investec Derby at Epsom Forget form lines, it's the blood lines that really matter in racing because this sport is all about the breeding - and it's not just the horses, writes James Toney. Oisin Murphy's consistency - he was first to the post once in five last year's campaign - was the story of last season, as was named Britain's Champion Jockey, the fifth Irishman to claim the prize after Pat Eddery, Kieren Fallon, Jamie Spencer and Richard Hughes. The 24-year old's route to the summit of his sport seemed written in the stars as soon as he arrived, born 13 weeks prematurely in Killarney, Ireland. His mother Maria believes he developed his fighting instincts from these early days, while his passion for horses was honed riding on his grandfather's knee while he watched racing on television. Murphy's uncle is Jim Culloty, who famously rode Best Mate to three Gold Cups at Cheltenham, Bindaree to Grand National success and then trained Lord Windermere to Gold Cup glory at Prestbury Park. After a promising start to his showjumping career, with his first pony still stabled at the family home, a young Oisin spent his young teenage years in Culloty's yard, his future pre-ordained. He spent time with trainer Tommy Stack in County Kerry and Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle before the family decision was taken to complete his apprenticeship with Andrew Balding across the Irish Sea in Newbury. "I've only ever had one ambition and it was horses, ever since my first riding lesson on my fourth birthday," said Murphy. "The first time I rode out for my uncle I knew I wanted to be a jockey and it is all Ive ever wanted to do. "When I first came to England it was my first trip aboard on my own. I wasnt that happy but I knew in the best interests of trying to a jockey this was the right place. I still used to cry down the phone to my mother." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. There was one asterisk along Murphy's performances last year, a win in a Classic - a wrong he righted with Kamekos blazing success for trainer Andrew Balding in the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. Story continues Frankie Dettori, who Murphy admires so much he named his dog after him, famously took 14 attempts to win the Investec Derby at Epsom, the blue riband of the turf. But Murphy has a live chance to better that in his sixth attempt, as Kameko aims to become the first horse since O'Brien's legendary Camelot in 2012 to follow a win at Newmarket with a success on the Downs. "To have a live chance is a real thrill," said Murphy, an ambassador for the Qipco British Champions Series and Sporting Life. "If I do ride Kameko to victory, it wont be the first time Ive ridden a Derby winner. Back in 2012 I used to ride Ruler Of The World at Ballydoyle as a two-year-old, so to see him develop into a Derby winner at three was tremendously exciting. Since then Ive ridden in five Derbys, so Im racking up plenty of experience in the big one around Epsom. The best horses Ive ridden in the race, Benbatl and Roaring Lion, didnt stay the trip, so Im hoping Kameko can get the extra couple of furlongs this weekend. That is the big question and the one Ive been asked all week. "Of course, the answer is, we just dont know if hell stay and we wont know until the final quarter mile in the Derby." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The market suggests Dettori is Murphy's main rival on Ed Walkers English King while O'Brien will fire six Ballydoyle raiders at the race he is attempting to win for a record eighth time, with Ryan Moore on Mogul his principal contender. "There isnt one rival I fear the most," adds Murphy. "Every horse in the race deserves to be there. I know how good English King is having sat on him at home, so hes respected as are all of the Ballydoyle contingent, with Mogul and Vatican City the standouts on form, while Serpentine has the unknown factor. "But Im on the best horse in the race. Im on the fastest horse in the race. Hes the highest-rated horse in the race and hes already a Classic winner. Thats the bottom line." Time - and a rollercoaster ride on Epsom's undulating cambers - will tell. Finish this article for as low as $1 when you purchase a day pass. Just click the sign up button to purchase. If you are already a subscriber, just click log in to continue reading. Weve tried to make as many ways possible to get assistance so that people can really access it, she said. In addition, WestCAP has funding though the Community Services Block Grant, which was funded by the federal CARES Act. These funds are designed to allow the financial flexibility for communities to address its local needs. The organization has used these funds to provide assistance for rent or mortgage payments, utilities, phone or internet, food and transportation costs. Like WRAP assistance, it is only permitted for those impacted directly by the pandemic. This is a problem, Thibado said, as those with continuous needs of assistance from prior to the pandemic and then once it ends arent eligible for the funds. If youre poor and youre just poor and youre still poor and need assistance, we cant use that money for that, she said. But we are trying to use it as flexibly as possible to meet the needs of people that have lost income in some way due to the COVID pandemic. The WRAP grant is being offered through Oct. 31, or until state funding runs out, and officials encourage anyone who is behind on rent to apply. The old adage stating 'it's not how you start, it's how you finish' was certainly fitting for two of the more noteworthy outings during the Friday (July 3) session of baby races at Woodbine Mohawk Park. In the morning's first event for trotters, Dicentra established herself as an early season favourite for the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold series with her second winning qualifier. There might be a need for trainer Luc Blais to make some equipment adjustments before her next start, however, as the rookie filly had trouble in the opening turn while trying to land in the pocket for driver Bob McClure. She eventually settled down at the rail as Southwind Cersei (Paul MacDonell) carved out healthy fractions of :30.1, :59.4 and 1:30. Dicentra patiently stalked the leader before tipping out in the stretch and powering past for the 1:59 score, three lengths the best over Southwind Cersei and Hadiknownbetter (Louis-Philippe Roy). Owned by Determination of Montreal, Que., Dicentra (Muscle Mass - Dicent No) is a full sister to star OSS graduate On A Sunny Day. Living up to his name, Publicity Seeker warranted mention with his effort. And much like the case with Dicentra, his morning performance still leaves something to be desired by his connections. In his second appearance of the season, Publicity Seeker made a break before the start of his mile for driver Sylvain Filion and spotted his rivals a generous lead. He was charted as 21 lengths off the leader Whole Nine Yards (Paul Walker) at the opening :31.1 quarter, just less than 20 lengths back at the 1:02.3 half and then made up a ton of ground in his third stanza to sit second over less than eight lengths from the lead at the 1:33.4 third station. Tipping off cover turning for home through a :27.4 final quarter, Publicity Seeker emerged victorious by a head over a fast-closing Dealin With Dewey (Mario Baillargeon) in 2:03. A $38,000 London Selected Yearling Sale purchase, Publicity Seeker (Muscle Mass - Pretty Crafty) is owned by trainer Steve Bossence along with Richard Thompson of London and Derek Reid of Etobicoke, Ont. Expect to see Publicity Seeker back in to qualify as his erratic performances still have him on the judges' list. Baby races continue on Saturday (July 4) at Woodbine Mohawk Park with 11 dashes carded exclusively for pacers. To view the results from Friday's baby race session at Mohawk, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Baby Races). The report prompted the states largest business organizations including Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the Wisconsin Restaurant Association and Wisconsin Grocers Association to send letters to Evers office saying releasing such information would have severe impacts on businesses already struggling through the pandemic. Susan Quam, the restaurant associations executive vice president, said she understands the administrations need to respond to a public records request but cautioned that releasing such information would mislead the public. Our concern is primarily that, unfortunately, youre not going to know the full story of every single individual who became ill and where they contracted it, Quam said. Its just going to put businesses further at risk. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development reported the state unemployment rate dipped slightly in May, but was still 12%. While retail and service industries experienced some of the biggest gains since April, those industries also took some of the hardest hits as stores and restaurants were forced to close as the pandemic spread. As coronavirus cases soar nationwide in many U.S. states, there is one thing every American could do that would make a difference. Wear a mask. President Donald Trumps miserable mockery of masks has morphed them into a partisan political symbol in this country. But in most democracies that have had the greatest success in fighting COVID-19, including South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, mask-wearing is common practice. The Japan example is of special interest to Americans, because its government, like ours, badly fumbled the initial handling of the virus. Yet it has suffered less than 1,000 virus deaths in a country of 126 million people. One key thing Japan did right was near-universal masking. And the history of Japans masking habits holds surprising lessons for Americans while offering hope they could be duplicated here. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was slow and erratic in responding to COVID-19. He instituted no mandatory lockdowns on the public. His distribution of masks to each household was botched, while the governments distribution of funds to the public got mired in red tape. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has found no wrongdoing on the part of Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque after his recent visit to a marine adventure park in Subic. "Wala po kaming nakikitang problema dun sa ginawa ni Spokesperson Harry Roque. Bakit po? Unang-una po, doon po sa Ocean Adventure, yung lugar na yun sa Subic, Zambales ay under MGCQ na ngayon," said DILG Spokesperson and Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during the Laging Handa virtual briefing on Friday. [Translation: We don't see any problem with what Spokesperson Harry Roque did. Why? First of all, Subic, Zambales, where Ocean Adventure is located, is now under MGCQ.] Malaya said that Roque's trip happened at the time the province had been placed under modified general quarantine, meaning tourist facilities have already been allowed to operate up to 50 percent. The DILG official likewise mentioned that the Palace spokesperson is an authorized person outside of residence (APOR), and that his provincial trip was primarily business-related, which is considered essential travel. "Kahit po sino na (Any) APOR who happens to be in a MGCQ area, pwede na po tayong pumunta sa mga (may already visit) resorts so long as these resorts comply with the 50 percent occupancy requirement," explained Malaya, adding the resorts may open provided they observe authorized health protocols. On Thursday, Roque defended his recent visit to the dolphin park , saying it was only a "side trip." He explained that he went to Bataan to check on his ailing business ventures for the first time since lockdowns were implemented. Roque has already apologized for the photos which made the rounds in social media, earning the ire of netizens for supposedly displaying insensitive behavior amid the coronavirus pandemic. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) The National Bureau of Investigation has filed illegal detention complaints against officials and security personnel of a condominium for allegedly prohibiting three frontliners from leaving their unit amid the COVID-19 crisis. NBI on Friday said at least nine condominium and security personnel of the Victoria Towers Condominium were found responsible for restricting the three nurses inside their condo unit from June 22 until their rescue June 29. It identified the subjects of the complaint as Mel Tosco, the property manager; Napoleon Brinas, head of the security management of San Jose Builders, Inc. (SJBI); SJBI Vice President Jerich Jucaban; Gadat Macabanding, a security guard; and the assigned guards at the condominium; and five other unidentified individuals. The NBI quoted the nurses as saying that the condo officials illegally confined and restricted them in their condominium unit despite the fact that they already presented their medical clearances certifying that they are negative for COVID-19. NBI said its Special Action Unit conducted an operation on June 29 to rescue the three healthcare workers. When they arrived at the condominium tower in Quezon City, the building officials refused to free the nurses despite the barangay chair clarifying the local government does not issue health clearances, the bureau said. NBI operatives were blocked by security guards, following orders from the condo officials, it added. It said Tosco was held and brought to the NBI for booking procedures, Brinas "managed to flee, and Jucaban failed to show up. CNN Philippines is trying to reach the condo management for comment. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) The Philippines would unleash the severest response if Chinas military exercises in the South China Sea spills over to the countrys territory, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Teddy Boy Locsin, Jr. warned. In a video message on Friday, Locsin said the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army has been conducting naval exercises around Paracel Islands since July 1. The disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea are being claimed by China and Vietnam. Locsin said he immediately checked where the drills would take place, as announced by China, and saw that they do not impinge on Philippine territory. Should the exercises spill over to Philippine territory then China is forewarned that it will be met with the severest response, diplomatic and whatever else is appropriate, Locsin said. He cited the diplomatic protest earlier filed by the Philippines over Chinas creation of two new districts in what it calls Sansha City. China's self-proclaimed districts include the Xisha or Paracel Islands, and some areas Manila claims and occupies as part of the West Philippine Sea. Locsin added that while China, like any other country, is entitled to freedom of navigation, it "requires a straight and uninterrupted voyage." He reiterated the call for all South China Sea claimants to exercise self-restraint and adhere to international law to avoid escalating tension. Despite the countrys interest and some concern over the naval exercises off the Paracels, Locsin stressed that China remains the Philippines biggest trading partner and that it has a big role in any post-pandemic recovery not just of the Philippines but of the world. The Duterte administration has nurtured friendship with China despite its refusal to recognize the Philippines' 2016 win at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which invalidates Beijing's sweeping claim to almost the entire South China Sea. We find out more about the recently discovered swine flu which can potentially cause a pandemic. Dr. Thea de Guzman, an expert from the Health Department, will discuss this with us. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, Metro Manila, July 3) San Miguel Foundation on Friday opened its COVID-19 testing center which could process up to 4,000 tests daily. San Miguel President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang, in a speech during the launch of the center, said the capacity of the testing facility is expandable to 12,000 if needed. Ang added the test results may be released after three hours. In May, the executive said it was putting up its own COVID-19 testing laboratory to its 70,000 employees and extended workers. SMC earlier said it has donated to public and private health facilities reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction machines as well as sets of high-flow machines for COVID-19 patients in severe condition. It also donated testing booths and test kits to 17 local governments in Metro Manila. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) The Anti-Terrorism Bill is fundamentally flawed and is something that should not be passed across administrations, Senator Risa Hontiveros said, as she hopes for a Presidential veto before the measure lapses into law next week. The senator told CNN Philippines' The Source that the controversial bill touted to be prone to abuse by law enforcers just to silence dissent should not see enactment even under the most humane and transparent regimes. "Naisip ko rin talaga, kahit pa nakaraang administrasyon pa ito [It has occurred to me that even if this was pushed by the previous administration] which I was an ally of, even if it were still the Noynoy Aquino administration, I would still have voted against the bill," Hontiveros said. "All of us are against terrorist actions and it is the duty of government to secure people's safety against terrorist actions, but not with this overly broad, vague, and subject to interpretation definition," she added. RELATED: Bangsamoro leaders urge President Duterte to veto Anti-Terrorism Bill The proposed law allows the police to make warrantless arrests and keep suspected terrorists detained for 14 days which can be extended by another 10 days as authorities build a case and to stop any planned criminal acts. Police and military officials have said there are enough safeguards in the measure to prevent abuse. "Even if it had been the best of administrations, I would have voted against it... We always legislate with the possibility of worst administrations in mind, not presuming best administrations," she added. The Anti-Terrorism Bill has been slammed by human rights, media, civil society, and even business groups for its vague provisions and untimely passage, which comes in the middle of the government's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawmaker added that it was insensitive to suddenly certify the measure as urgent in the middle of economic sufferings, hunger and job losses due to strict stay-at-home rules. RELATED: Esperon assures Anti-Terrorism Bill critics: Activism is not terrorism Instead, Hontiveros said amendments to the Human Security Act of 2007 would do in tightening the country's watch against terrorists. She voted against the measure when it was tackled by the Senate in February. The House of Representatives fast-tracked its approval and adopted the Senate version before ending sessions in early June. The bill will lapse into law by July 9 unless President Rodrigo Duterte either signs it into law ahead of time or decides to veto certain sections or even the entire measure before that. "I really hope government vetoes the bill, the public needs to regain complete trust that government is first and foremost and urgently addressing the pandemic, the health crisis, the economic crisis also brought on by our necessary quarantines instead of prioritizing consolidating its power," Hontiveros said. She pointed out how the proposed law will add to the Duterte administration's penchant for using "iron-fisted governance" and has had numerous complaints regarding human rights violations in the past four years. OPINION: The Anti-Terror Bill is a law that lends itself easily to abuse Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the measure is now under final review in Malacanang. He said earlier that Duterte is "inclined" to sign it into law. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 10) More faithfuls will be allowed to attend religious gatherings in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ), Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Friday. Churches and similar places of worship are allowed to welcome 10 percent of their total capacity in their premises starting July 10. Roque said dry runs will be conducted this Sunday. Previously, only 10 people were allowed in religious gatherings in areas under GCQ. Meanwhile, in the most relaxed modified GCQ, churches are allowed to fill up up to its 50 percent capacity. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law the anti-terrorism bill, which has been a target of local and international criticisms. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed the signing on Friday, a day after he announced that the Palaces legal team was done reviewing the measure. As we have said, the President, together with his legal team, took time to study this piece of legislation weighing the concerns of different stakeholders, Roque said in a statement. Republic Act No. 11479, or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, repeals the Human Security Act of 2007, giving more surveillance powers to government forces. Among its contentious features is a provision allowing suspected terrorists to be arrested without warrant and detained without charges for up to 24 days. Critics said the hotly-contested measure relaxes safeguards on human rights and is open to abuse, but lawmakers who authored and sponsored the bill said it is at par with the laws of other countries and will not be used against law-abiding citizens. Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III said all provisions of the law will take effect after publication pending the issuance of implementing rules and regulations. Earlier, Senator Panfilo Ping Lacson, principal sponsor and one of the authors of the bill, said the Anti-Terrorism Council will lead the crafting of the IRR, which would "fine-tune" certain provisions and clarify the scope of the councils powers. READ: Anti-Terrorism Council won't be 'sole arbiter' in tagging, arresting suspected terrorists Lacson In a statement on Friday, Lacson praised Duterte for signing the measure despite all the pressure coming from different directions. Rest assured that I will exert extra effort in guarding against possible abuse in its implementation, notwithstanding all the safeguards incorporated in this landmark legislation, he said. Even United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet earlier urged Duterte to refrain from signing the law and instead come up with a measure with safeguards against possible abuse. Opposition Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said he was not surprised by Duterte's decision to sign the "draconian measure," which former Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said would face legal challenge in the Supreme Court once enacted. "Handa tayong kwestyunin ang Constitutionality ng batas na ito sa Korte Suprema. Hindi pa tapos ang boksing. Hindi pa tapos ang laban," Pangilinan said. READ: Some senators, AFP hail Dutertes signing of Anti-Terrorism Law, but critics fear for human rights Three-year-old fillies will be the stars of the show this Sunday (July 5) at Clinton Raceway, as the half-mile oval will play host to six $22,800 Grassroots Series divisions for the sophomore trotting fillies and the $64,700 Kin Pace final for their pacing counterparts. Trainer Marcel Barrieau will start Th Present in the Grassroots season opener and will send out elimination winner Preeminence in the Kin Pace final. Th Present will benefit from Post 1 in the fourth Grassroots split, while Preeminence will have to overcome the outside Post 7 to take home the 2020 Kin Pace title. Somebodys got to get it, but I wished it would have been somebody else, said Barrieau of the elimination winners post position draw. But what can you do. Bob McClure, who piloted Preeminence to a 1:58 score last Sunday -- the quickest of the three eliminations -- will be back in the race bike for the final. The other elimination winners, Marzannk Hanover and High Roller Duke, will start from Post 4 and 8, respectively. Working in the Sportswriter daughters favour is her familiarity with the half-mile surface and her experience with outside post positions. At two, she only saw the inside half of the starting gate three times from nine starts. She trains on a half-mile track, so shes used to them, said Barrieau, who trains Preeminence for Claude Baril of Mascouche, Que., Gilles Caouette of Sudbury, Ont. and Michel Daneault of Terrebonne, Que. Shes got a few little quirks, like you know when she tries to get in gear quick youve got to watch her, but shes got a good motor; she can go the distance and shes surely competitive with that bunch. Both Preeminence and Th Present were regulars on the Grassroots circuit last season. They each won two Grassroots legs in 2019 and finishing among the top five point earners in their respective divisions. Barrieau has said that Th Present was much tougher to race. She was hard to manage. She wanted to go 100, and she wasnt easy on herself; and thats why sometimes shed go on the run, because you couldnt control her, explained the trainer. But she seems like this year shes so much better, so I hope -- and her too, shes been trained on a half-mile track, she loves the half-mile track -- so I think shell be a good start there. Barrieau said the improvement Th Present has shown through her first two sophomore starts both flawless, one trotted in 1:57 the other in 1:57.4 came partly through physical and mental maturity and partly through hard work and repetition. She grew up physically. Shes stronger for sure. And then, mentally, I worked on her all winter to try to calm her down, and she responded pretty [well], said the veteran horseman. Last year, she was a handful going to the gate and everything. Now she just puts her nose on the gate and she goes at her business. Bob McClure will also steer Th Present, as he did in her June 16 and 23 starts at Woodbine Mohawk Park, for Cambridge, Ont. resident Barrieau and his co-owner Gestion Mastel Inc. of Longueil, QC. Th Present and her three-year-old trotting filly peers will compete in Race 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 9, while Preeminence and the other seven Kin Pace finalists will wrap up the Sunday afternoon program in Race 10. The first race will head in behind the Clinton Raceway starting gate at 1:30 p.m. While fans cannot be on hand to cheer for their favourite fillies, a complete live stream is available on the Clinton Raceway website and fans can download a program to play along. In addition to Sundays Ontario Sires Stakes event, Clinton Raceway will also host: the two-year-old pacing fillies in Grassroots action on September 6 and two Prospect Series divisions for Ontario-sired youngsters; the two-year-old trotting fillies on July 12, and the three-year-old pacing colts on July 19. To view the harness racing entries for Sunday at Clinton, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Clinton Raceway. (OSS) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) The Philippine government is boosting COVID-19 testing efforts to now include people who not showing flu-like symptoms, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Friday. Roque said members of the COVID-19 task force, where he serves as the spokesman, approved expanding the testing strategy to also cover asymptomatic individuals to fully utilize the 10 million Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test kits procured by the Budget and Health Departments. "Ngayon po isasama na rin natin ang mga asymptomatic, mga manggagawa, mga frontliners gaya ng media, subject to final guidelines," he said in a media briefing. COVID-19 Response Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon previously said the country's increased testing capacity will also help the national government expand the targeted testing to asymptomatic patients. Authorities have set the goal of testing one million people by the end of July. National government data showed the country has already conducted over 738,000 coronavirus tests. Back in May, Roque said the government did not have a program for mass testing and is leaving efforts to employers to test returning workers in the private sector. Back then, asymptomatic persons are not subject to testing unless they had contact with a patient. Several groups have long called on the national government to provide free mass testing to Filipinos to curb the spread of COVID-19. On Friday, Peoples groups led by former Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, through the National Union Peoples Lawyers, asked the Supreme Court to compel officials leading the countrys COVID-19 response to conduct mass testing and efficient contact tracing. RELATED: Judy Taguiwalo, groups run to SC to compel COVID-19 task force to conduct mass testing Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) Thousands of locally stranded individuals will sent back to their respective provinces this weekend, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said on Friday. "Meron po tayong inihandang mga 100 bus, tatlong barko, isang eroplano at isang tren para makapaghatid po ng mga locally stranded individuals na sa ngayon ay bumibilang sa 4,000," said DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya in the regular Laging Handa virtual briefing. [Translation: We have prepared 100 buses, three ships, an airplane and a train to transport locally stranded individuals, which have reached 4,000 as of late.] Malaya said this is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte's announcement on Monday regarding a massive send-off for LSIs. The official also clarified that stranded individuals from Mindanao will be sent home on Saturday, while residents of Luzon will be transported on Sunday. LSIs headed for Visayas, on the other hand, will not be sent home for the meantime in light of the decision of the regional Inter-Agency Task Force and local government units, added Malaya. "Yung mga nasa Manila North Harbor na na-cancel po ang kanilang mga ticket ay tinutulungan na po ng Philippine Ports Authority ng Department of Transportation at ni-rebook na po ang kanilang mga ticket para makauwi na po sila as soon as ma-lift ang suspension ng pagpapauwi ng mga LSIs sa Visayas," he said. [Tarnslation: The Philippine Ports Authority is helping (LSIs) in the Manila North Harbor and they have already rebooked their tickets so they can go home immediately once the suspension on sending LSIs to Visayas is lifted.] The DILG likewise reiterated stranded individuals must secure a medical clearance certificate and travel authority so they can get back home. Palace debunks claims help is slow for LSIs Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque refuted claims that government is slow in helping LSIs. He said the government immediately crafted a policy to assist stranded individuals after a single mother of four died while waiting for a bus ride home in June. "Hindi po totoo na nagtagal ang mga LSIs na walang tulong," explained Roque. "Ang problema po eh mas maraming mga LSIs, dahil mas marami pong mga flights na naka-kansela dahil hindi nga po tinatatanggap ang mga flights na ito sa iba't ibang mga LGUs kung saan sila papunta." [Translation: It's not true that LSIs did not receive help for a long period of time. The problem is that there are more LSIs because more flights are getting cancelled as LGUs aren't allowing them to land in their respective localities.] The DILG has consistently asked local governments to accept stranded individuals into their localities. Local authorities are free to enforce their own health protocols upon the arrival of LSIs, the agency likewise reminded. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) The World Health Organization in the Philippines is urging local authorities to follow quarantine protocols on returning residents, citing a worryingly large number of infections in the regions. These new infections in new regions [are] oftentimes being influenced by people travelling from infected areas where there is active transmission to those areas, WHO Country Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, said in an online briefing Friday. While theres concentration of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila and Central Visayas, Abeyasinghe said more new infections are being recorded in CALABARZON, Central Luzon, Northern Mindanao, SOCCSKSARGEN, Eastern Visayas, and maybe a few other regions. He said the WHO understands the need to bring residents home as many lost their jobs in the middle of the pandemic. However, he reminds authorities that bringing these people require quarantining them, testing them and managing them so they do not introduce newer infections into the country, into their home provinces. He added that the testing of returning Filipinos contributed to the large number of cases in the Philippines. READ: Stranded Filipinos to undergo COVID-19 swab test before return to hometowns As of July 2, the Department of Health said 2,379 returning Filipinos from abroad tested positive for COVID-19. Of this number, 1,690 recovered and 1 succumbed to the viral disease. Abeyasinghe added that poor compliance with quarantine guidelines was observed in COVID-19 hotspot Cebu City and other areas in the province, resulting in increased transmission. "As we work together with the government and the regional department to understand what was happening in Cebu, it has become clear that the compliance with the quarantining guidelines and the procedures were not optimum in Cebu," he said. RELATED: Cebu private hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients (CNN) The British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has been arrested in connection with an investigation into her ex-boyfriend, the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell, 58, has been named in multiple lawsuits by women who said they were abused by the disgraced US financier, who killed himself last August. She was arrested Thursday morning in New Hampshire, said Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for the US attorney's office. Maxwell, whose whereabouts have been unclear since the arrest last summer of Epstein, has been under investigation for allegedly facilitating Epstein's recruitment of young girls and women. In the wake of Epstein's suicide in August 2019, public pressure has mounted to hold those who might have assisted him -- perhaps including Maxwell and a coterie of young women who allegedly worked under her -- accountable not only for his actions, but also for their own roles. In that investigation, Maxwell has remained a significant target. She has denied wrongdoing, and in a deposition has called at least one of her accusers "a liar." So who is Maxwell? Why was she hiding, and what accusations does she face? Who is Ghislaine Maxwell? Born in 1961, the British socialite grew up in the idyllic Oxfordshire countryside and is the daughter of Robert Maxwell -- a Czech-born newspaper tycoon and British lawmaker who died under mysterious circumstances. The media magnate fell off his luxury yacht -- called "Lady Ghislaine" -- around the Canary Islands in 1991. He was posthumously discovered to have committed a massive pension fraud against his employees. According to Roy Greenslade, who worked for the media mogul as editor of The Daily Mirror in the early 1990s, Maxwell "doted" on Ghislaine "in a way that he didn't on his sons." "He was a monstrous father," Greenslade recalls. "He treated his whole family very badly." But when it came to the youngest of his nine children, Maxwell "treated her more leniently than any of them." In his biography of the tycoon, "Maxwell: The Rise and Fall of Robert Maxwell and his Empire," Greenslade recalls one evening in particular when he was sitting in an office with Maxwell and the daredevil teenager wandered in. He says Maxwell gave his daughter a scolding for "always taking risks, doing stupid, dangerous things" after she had a near-fatal accident after diving off a boat. "She was quite clever at dealing with him," Greenslade explains, adding that she always spoke sweetly to her father in ways that he found difficult to challenge. After Ghislaine left, Greenslade says Maxwell turned to him with a sense of pride in his voice: "She's like me." That, Greenslade says, is evidence of perhaps why he favored her the most. In 1991 the media mogul died, with an inquest ruling that his death was due to a heart attack combined with accidental drowning. However, some believe Maxwell's death was suicide with his business empire teetering on the brink of ruin. There were plaudits at the time for the way Ghislaine handled the family tragedy. "People who were there at the time (when Maxwell died), said she dealt with it brilliantly," Greenslade said. "Dry-eyed, dealing well with the press." Following her father's death, Maxwell reportedly moved to the United States. "She was probably left with no money," Greenslade says, despite many speculating she secured income from a secret trust. In the US, Maxwell lived a public life and socialized in exclusive circles that included people connected to politics. According to eyewitness accounts, Maxwell was invited to former first daughter Chelsea Clinton's wedding and was even brought backstage at the Clinton Global Initiative summit in 2009. However Bari Lurie -- a spokesperson for Chelsea Clinton, says the only reason Clinton was acquainted with Maxwell was because the socialite was dating a friend of hers. Maxwell was also photographed in 2000 with Donald Trump and his future wife, Melania Trump, alongside Epstein. Maxwell was also in the background of the infamous photograph of Prince Andrew, which shows him with his arms around the waist of a young woman named Virginia Roberts. Roberts alleges that she was trafficked by Epstein with the help of Maxwell and forced to have sex with his friends, including Prince Andrew, when she was a minor. The prince has emphatically denied having sex with Roberts, and says he has "no recollection of the photograph ever being taken." In 2012 Maxwell founded the charity, the TerraMar Project, which sought to encourage ocean conservation. However, the non-profit ceased operations in December 2019, according to records at the UK's Companies House. The same year federal prosecutors in New York unsealed a criminal indictment charging Epstein with having operated a sex trafficking ring between 2002 and 2005 where he paid girls as young as 14 to have sex with him. How is she connected to Jeffrey Epstein? Ghislaine Maxwell was the ex-girlfriend turned social companion of Epstein, who died by suicide in his jail cell at the age of 66 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sexually abusing underage girls and running a sex trafficking ring. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges. The pair are reported to have split in the 1990s, although the socialite remained close to the pedophile. Her name has been frequently mentioned in a cache of documents that were unsealed earlier this year that allege she was a procurer for Epstein and other high-profile people. In 2003 Epstein described Maxwell as his best friend in a profile with Vanity Fair. According to multiple people in affluent Manhattan circles, including two of her friends, Maxwell introduced Epstein to many of the social figures in his life. What accusations does Maxwell face? Maxwell is charged with enticement and conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation and conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and two counts of perjury, according to a US federal indictment unsealed Thursday. "In particular, from at least in or about 1994, up to an including at least in or about 1997, Maxwell assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18," the indictment says. Those victims, according to the indictment, included girls as young as 14 years old. An attorney for Maxwell, Jeffrey S. Pagliuca, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Virginia Roberts -- who now goes by Virginia Giuffre -- accused Maxwell of being the person who introduced her to Epstein and allegedly forced her to have sexual relations with Prince Andrew when she was 17 years old. She says she was brought to London in 2001 where she was introduced to the prince and went dancing at a nightclub with him, Epstein, and Maxwell. In a 2015 defamation case brought against Maxwell -- which was settled in 2017, after the judge had ruled against a motion for summary judgment filed by Maxwell -- Giuffre says she was "forced to have sexual relations" with the Duke of York when she was a minor in "three separate geographical locations," including London, New York and the US Virgin Islands. Giuffre says when she left the London nightclub Tramp where she danced with Prince Andrew, Maxwell gave her instructions. "In the car Ghislaine tells me that I have to do for Andrew what I do for Jeffrey and that just made me sick," Giuffre said, adding that she had sex with the prince at Maxwell's house in London's Belgravia area. The Duke of York has vehemently denied all of Giuffre's allegations, telling the BBC last year that he had "no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever." Buckingham Palace said Thursday they would not comment on Maxwell's arrest. Maxwell has not been charged in Britain and she and her representatives had previously denied she engaged in sexual abuse or sex trafficking. An attorney for Maxwell did not respond to CNN's request for comment. In court filings, Maxwell and her attorney also portrayed Giuffre as an unreliable narrator, claiming there are errors in certain dates and figures she provided. Jennifer Araoz, who is suing Epstein's estate, alleges Maxwell, along with others, acted as Epstein's accomplices. Araoz says his "network of enablers" stole her youth, identity, innocence and self-worth. "While I am angry that Mr. Epstein's death means he will never personally answer to me in a court of law, my resolve to pursue justice is only strengthened," she previously told reporters last August. "My story and my experiences -- those who enabled and facilitated his criminal behavior -- none of that is diminished or immunized simply because he apparently chose to take his own life." She alleges that Epstein repeatedly committed sexual assault and battery against her when she was 14 and 15 years old and that he forcibly raped her. Araoz's attorneys say she has not interacted with Maxwell, but the lawsuit alleges Maxwell "participated with and assisted Epstein in maintaining and protecting his sex trafficking ring, ensuring that approximately three girls a day were made available to him for his sexual pleasure." It also alleges she provided "organizational support to Epstein's sex trafficking ring, identifying and hiring the recruiters of underage girls" and "scheduling appointments with these underage girls" for Epstein's "sexual pleasure," as well as "intimidating potential witnesses to Epstein's sex trafficking operation." An enigma Despite the accusations launched against Maxwell, she largely remained an enigma whose recent whereabouts were shrouded in mystery -- until her arrest on Thursday. For a woman who once reveled in the attention she received as she mingled with some of the most high-profile politicians and celebrities, Maxwell did an incredible job of hiding herself away from the public eye. Tabloids became fascinated about her whereabouts. Last year, one British newspaper offered 10,000 (about $13,100) to anyone who could reveal her location, while others claimed they had traced her from Massachusetts to the Brazilian riviera. Despite the rumors though, only one photograph emerged of Maxwell amid the controversy -- when the New York Post ran a story last year showing her eating at a fast-food chain in the US. But even then, questions were raised over the photo's veracity. (CNN) Nathan Law, a former lawmaker and prominent pro-democracy activist, has fled Hong Kong, he announced Thursday on Facebook. The news comes days after China's central government imposed a controversial national security law in the territory. Law said he left the city because he wanted to continue the protest movement's advocacy work on the international stage. He did not say where he had gone, noting only that he would not reveal too much about his personal whereabouts and situation, and does not know when he will return to Hong Kong. Law is one of the most famous protest leaders to come out of Hong Kong's 2014 demonstrations, which shut down parts of central Hong Kong for more than two months. He was elected as a lawmaker in 2016, but was disqualified from office by Hong Kong courts after Beijing enacted a rarely-used power to "reinterpret" the city's constitution, putting more stringent requirements on how legislators took their oaths of office. Law's oath was deemed "insincere," ending his term in parliament. The new security law dramatically broadens the powers of local and mainland authorities to investigate, prosecute and punish dissenters. Critics say the law has stripped Hong Kong of its autonomy and precious civil and social freedoms. The Chinese and local governments argue it's necessary to curb unrest and uphold mainland sovereignty. Prominent activist Joshua Wong announced soon after the bill's reported passage that he was leaving Demosisto, the political party he co-founded in 2016. Law and activist Agnes Chow, who were leading figures in the party, soon followed suit. Wong and other activists have met with foreign diplomats and testified before the US Congress since large-scale pro-democracy protests broke out in vast numbers last summer. After the new law went in effect on Tuesday night, Law testified via video conference before a US congressional committee hearing. This story was first published on CNN.com Pro-democracy leader Nathan Law leaves Hong Kong For Carlisle, the Black perspective is interwoven not just in history, but also across the full spectrum of the social studies curriculum. It shows up at a lot of different levels in a lot of different places, Wagner said. In sociology, it provides a focus on how different groups interact. In anthropology, it appears in lessons on race and ethnicity. In psychology, there is an entire unit on racism and the study of hate groups. The state standards for social studies go beyond rote facts and figures, Gogoj said. Instead, there is an emphasis on encouraging students to learn about patterns of conflict and cooperation, the analysis of historical events and actions, looking at the world through another persons eyes and how to evaluate and use primary source material. The expectation is set for us to approach social studies in a thoughtful and comprehensive manner, Gogoj said. But conversations on diversity and perspective take place throughout school in a variety of settings whether it is reading a novel by a minority author or appreciating the music and artwork of different cultures or ethnic groups, he said. Mile wide, inch deep One problem that educators face is what Wagner called the conundrum of history. There is no apparent federal leadership on either gathering or using data as part of a unified digital tracing system. CDCs website says that its primary role in contact tracing is to provide guidance and support to help State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial (STLT) health departments to manage disease outbreaks and launch effective contact tracing programs. If you are contacted by a tracing employee, will it be a phone call, text message or email? Will the contact be initiated by a government employee or a private firm? How will you differentiate a legitimate contact from a scammer who is trying to steal your identity by getting you to share your date of birth and social security number? If you are told that the identity of the COVID-positive person who was within close contact of you is confidential, will you be able to accept that? Is there any way that such a contact will motivate you to self-quarantine in place for two weeks? Even if you would be willing to self-quarantine, would your employer or family cooperate? It has been announced that Cams Card Shark passed away peacefully at Hanover Shoe Farms today (Thursday, July 2, 2020) at the age of 29. When he passed, Cams Card Shark was with the people that loved him, including Hanover Shoe Farms Farm Manager Patti Murphy, who has been with him since he retired to stallion duty, first in New Jersey and then Pennsylvania. Cams Card Shark was retired from stallion duty in 2014 and lived his remaining years in the stallion barn at Hanover. Cams Card Shark took his record of 1:50 at age three and raced to $2,498,204 in purse earnings. He was the Dan Patch Horse of The Year in 1994 and was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2007. Cams Card Sharks major wins include the North America Cup, Meadowlands Pace, New Jersey Classic, Messenger Stakes, The Adios, Berrys Creek, James Dancer Memorial, Art Rooney Pace and The Miller Memorial. He was scratched as the overwhelming favourite to win the Little Brown Jug and never raced again -- but the story just starts there. Cams Card Shark started his stallion career at Hanover Shoe Farms of New Jersey in 1995 and moved to Pennsylvania in 2012 where he stood his last two seasons at Hanovers main farm in Pennsylvania. Cams Card Shark sired 1,829 foals that earned a total of $150,458,259 in purses. His most notable performers include the double millionaires Bettors Delight p,3,1:49.4 ($2,581,461), Shark Gesture p, 1:48.1 ($2,818,021), Four Starzzz Shark p 1:47.4 ($2,537,267), Royalflush Hanover p,3 1:49.3 ($2,153,483), and the one-time co-fastest pacer of all time, Holborn Hanover p,1:46.4 ($2,070,640). Cams Card Sharks daughters have produced the winners of $117,543,368, including the performers A Rocknroll Dance p.1:47.2 ($2,429,411) and Heston Blue Chip p,3, 1:48f ($1,7881,881). If he had only sired Bettors Delight, who is unarguably one of the greatest stallions the business has ever seen, he would have left his mark, however he did so much more," said Hanovers Dr. Bridgette Jablonsky. "'Shark' was a great racehorse and an even greater stallion. He was as tough and gritty a horse as you could know. It was, of course, a sad day here, but he had a great life and we were blessed to have had him for as long as we did. Owners Jeff and Paula Snyder were understandably sad when they received the news. He changed our lives," said Jeff. "He was really the start of my career in harness racing and the horse that got Paula interested in racing. We really appreciate everything he did for us and take comfort in the fact that he had such a long and happy retirement at the only home he knew after racing. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Cams Card Shark. (Hanover Shoe Farms) In the case of, like, belt buckles and pins, that was removed, Martz said. Scott Hancock, an associate professor of history and Africana studies at Gettysburg College, said the parks museum and visitor center does an excellent job of laying out the causes of the conflict, that the Confederacy was fighting to preserve slavery. If you go on the battlefield and never go in the museum, you would never know about slavery, would never know that there was anything to do with Black people at all in Gettysburg, he said. Hancock said he would like to see the battlefields Confederate monuments put into context, perhaps with placards informing visitors that many were erected during the civil rights era to protect and maintain white supremacy. Without that context, Hancock said, hed rather see those monuments removed. While Gettysburg, like many small towns in Pennsylvania, has had its own Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of George Floyds murder, there have been no physical attempts to remove battlefield monuments. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} In his recent decisions, Roberts has taken a very different approach, putting "the institutional integrity of the Supreme Court over personal ideology," according to his biographer, Joan Biskupic. Richard J. Lazarus, a Harvard law professor, told The Washington Post that the chief's opinion in the abortion case was "a shot across the bow at presidential candidates who campaign with lists of nominees based on the assumption that, if confirmed, they will, of course, necessarily vote based on the preferences of the majority who supported that candidate." Roberts has not always lived up to those principles, and his deep antipathy to racial preferences has, at times, strongly served Republican partisan interests. In 2013, he provided a critical fifth vote in the disastrous Shelby County ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and has led to a wholesale GOP assault on the political power of minority voters, who tend to support Democrats. Three years earlier, he joined another five-vote majority in the Citizens United case that opened the floodgates for wealthy individuals to buy political influence through unlimited campaign contributions. It would be complicated, but it has been done before with Virginia. But D.C. statehood advocates don't want it. Why? Because retrocession to Maryland would not create a new state with two new Democratic senators and one new Democratic representative. If Democratic statehood advocates were concerned only with winning full voting rights for district residents, they would be open to supporting retrocession. There is a precedent, and the voting-rights argument would be untainted by partisan motive. No, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser would not become Gov. Bowser, as she would in the Democrats' bill, but hundreds of thousands of district residents, the vast majority of them Democrats, would win the right to elect voting representatives in the House and Senate in their new home state of Maryland. Instead, under the House Democrats' plan, a new state would be created, with an entire state government and those two new senators and one new representative. Vanuatu turns the Corner LETS USE THIS AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR THE FUTURE Australian MP Joins Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks in Calling for Genocide Recognition Tony Zappia. Federal Member for Makin, Tony Zappia has added his voice of support for the Joint Justice Initiative, which was established to promote Australian recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides. The February 2020 launch of the Joint Justice Initiative at Australia's Parliament House featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU), Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) and Australian Hellenic Council (AHC), which declares Australia's recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides as a priority on behalf of their communities. Zappia, who was born in Italy and has represented his South Australian electorate in Federal Parliament since 2007, is a long-standing supporter of Armenian Genocide recognition and spoke on the matter most recently during a parliamentary debate in December 2018. "(The) recognition of atrocities will bring a sense of closure and solace to survivors and family descendants. It will also send a message to the world that such acts of horrific cruelty to others are not acceptable and, if perpetrated, those responsible will ultimately be held to account," Zappia said during the 2018 House of Representatives debate, which honoured the 70th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) Executive Director, Haig Kayserian said: "Mr. Tony Zappia has continues his long-standing support on the issue for justice for the 1915 Genocide by signing the Joint Justice Initiative affirmation. We thank him fort this support and are fortunate he will continue this journey towards national recognition, hand-in-hand with our three communities." The Joint Justice Initiative has so far announced the support of Zappia, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Senator Hollie Hughes, Senator Rex Patrick, Mike Freelander MP, Senator Eric Abetz, Senator Larissa Waters, Senator Pat Dodson, Jason Falinski MP, Josh Burns MP, John Alexander MP, Senator Andrew Bragg and Bob Katter MP, with a promise of more announcements to come. On 25th February 2020, over 100 Federal Australian parliamentarians, diplomats, departmental officials, political staffers, academics, media and community leaders were treated to cultural performances, food, wine and brandy, as well as the historic signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, which affirmed that the signatory public affairs representatives of the three communities were jointly committed to seeing Australia recognise the Turkish-committed Genocide against the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian citizens of the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Paris, TX (75460) Today Showers likely along with a possible rumble of thunder early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Showers likely along with a possible rumble of thunder early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%. India: Government of India sets Rs 640 Crore for Seaweed Cultivation July 03,2020 | Source: Krishijagran Seaweeds are the macro algae growing in marine and shallow coastal waters. Recently, they have emerged as a new source of food, energy, chemicals and medicines. They are often termed as the Medical Food of the 21st Century due to their use in treatment of goitre, cancer, bone-replacement therapy and cardiovascular surgeries. In India, there are around 46 seaweed-based industries that are facing problems due to short supply of raw materials. These are used in the preparation of agar, agarose and carrageenan. Scope of Seaweed cultivation in India Rich seaweed beds around Mumbai, Ratnagiri, Goa, Karwar, Varkala, Vizhinjam and Pulicat in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh; and Chilika in Odisha, provides a huge scope for the seaweed cultivation in India. Seaweed cultivation will go a long way in supporting lives of coastal fisher-families, especially fisher-women, farmers and entrepreneurs. Keeping these things in mind, the government has setup a fund of around INR 640 crore for boosting seaweed cultivation in the country. Seaweed species and their uses Red Seaweeds: Gelidiella acerosa, Gracilaria edulis and G. dura are used for manufacturing Agar, Kappaphycus alvarezii used in manufacturing Carrageenan Brown Seaweeds: Sargassum wightii and Turbinaria conoides are used for manufacturing of Alginates Seed stock of seaweeds is collected from south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu. Process and Locations for implementation of the project In shallow coastal waters of maritime states Technological Partners - CSIR-Central Salt Marine and Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), Gujarat and Mandapam Regional Centre, Tamil Nadu Implementing Agency Department of Fisheries in coastal states/UTs Financial Assistance by National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) Conclusion The Government of India is trying to promote seaweed cultivation in such a way that, it enhances the income of fishers in the coastal areas. Through seaweed cultivation, the industry dependent on it as a source of raw material will get a boost, which in turn will help in generating employment in the country. Thus, Seaweed cultivation is a win-win condition for all. Pakistan: Swats trout fish farmers say coronavirus restrictions destroyed business July 03,2020 | Source: Samaa TV The owners of trout fish farms in Swat have warned that their businesses will be completely destroyed if the government doesnt lift the ban on tourism in the country. We used to sell around 400 to 500 kilograms of trout fish before the lockdown, Usman Ali, the owner of a farm, told SAMAA TV. But it (sale) has now completely stopped because tourists are not coming due to lockdown. In Swat alone, there are over 100 farms that produce over 1,000 metric tonnes of trout per year. The first farm for trout was established in Swat's Madyan area in 1961. Swat district now has over 200 fish farms which are home to Rainbow, Brown, Kamloop and Salmon trout. In Pakistan, the coronavirus has claimed 4,118 lives. The government has lifted the lockdown but several areas across the country are still in smart lockdown due to the surge in number of infections in the country. Another owner of the farm for trout fish told SAMAA TV that the district has over 1500,000 trout fish prepared to be sold in Swat. If they are not sold the business will be destroyed because people dont have money either to feed them or pay salaries to their employees. World News: Farming could empower millions of women across South Asia - here's how July 03,2020 | Source: World Economic Forum South Asias record on gender equality is weak, to say the least. The region has the worlds highest rate of child marriage, and domestic violence against women is pervasive. Women are over-represented in unpaid work, and under-represented in the labor force, even in countries like Sri Lanka, which has invested heavily in girls schooling. Yet there is one sector where women are taking over: agriculture. This is an opportunity for womens economic empowerment that should not be missed. As South Asian economies develop, men are increasingly pursuing employment in manufacturing (or overseas), leaving women responsible for a growing share of agricultural labor. In Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, the share of economically active women working in farming now ranges from 60-98%. In each of these countries agricultural sectors, women outnumber men. A comparable shift occurred in some high-income countries during World War II. As men left for the battlefield, women filled the vacant civilian jobs including farming. In the United States, for example, the share of female agricultural workers jumped from 8% in 1940 to 22.4% in 1945. When the war ended, women were not simply going to return to the pre-war status quo. In some sectors especially higher-skill positions the WWII labor shock seems to have directly and permanently altered womens paid employment. More generally, however, women had sampled the economic and personal freedom that employment provides, gained marketable skills, and proved their capabilities. Womens wartime experience thus gave powerful impetus to the movement for gender equality. Will the feminization of farming in Asias transition economies have a similar effect? There are no guarantees. Evidence shows that increased representation in agriculture does not necessarily contribute to womens socioeconomic empowerment. In fact, even as women take on more agricultural duties, their decision-making power remains limited. In Bangladesh, the microfinance revolution and NGO-led training programs have enabled thousands of rural women to become frontline workers and even start their own small businesses since the 1990s. The country now leads South Asia in closing the gender pay gap. Yet, in agriculture, women have about half the power of men, measured by variables like asset ownership and control over income. Moreover, research conducted in India has found that womens growing participation in agriculture is strongly linked to several indicators of poverty. This at least partly reflects the fact that womens entry into the paid workforce is not accompanied by any reduction in their already-heavy burden of unpaid labor. And a rising proportion of women employed in the agricultural sector are not paid for their work at all. Add to that the unpredictable nature of agricultural production, and, as researchers in India noted, the feminization of agriculture may better be described as the feminization of agrarian distress. In the Indian state of Maharashtra, mounting debts have led to a doubling of suicides among female farmers in the last four years. By contrast, my colleagues and I found that, among women in rural Bangladesh, empowerment such as the ability to influence purchasing decisions and join voluntary associations contributed substantially to their life satisfaction, regardless of their economic status. As Amartya Sen once wrote, The lives that women save through more powerful agency will certainly include their own. How, then, can South Asian governments translate rising female participation in farming into genuine empowerment? One approach focuses on income earned outside the home. Data from rural Bangladesh indicate that it is not paid employment per se that increases women farmers autonomy, but rather employment outside of their husbands farms. Yet the fact is that most women in agriculture in South Asia are working on family farms, where they cannot earn an independent income (or, in many cases, any income at all). One way to address this could be to promote exports of high-value-added agricultural products, such as seafood. Formalizing the production process could encourage the monetization of female labor and improve working conditions, as export-oriented manufacturing of readymade garments, textiles, and footwear has done in many emerging Asian economies. Technology can also help, including by enabling women to circumvent barriers rooted in social norms. For example, even as Bangladeshi women do more on farms, they are traditionally excluded from aquaculture. The USAID-funded Aquaculture for Income and Nutrition projects low-cost gillnets, however, have enabled Bangladeshi women to harvest small fish from small local ponds quickly and easily, so that they do not have to compete with men for access to larger sources. Similarly, digital technology can improve womens ability to sell their products. In many places, women are excluded from markets, and a male family member must be present for the sale of crops; that would not be the case online. Governments should support the development and dissemination of such technologies, which could also enable women to assert more purchasing power, such as over agricultural inputs. Another crucial element of an effective strategy for empowering women in South Asias agriculture sector is the reduction of unpaid labor for which they are responsible. Pursuing this objective is tricky, given that in patriarchal societies, interventions that empower women at the expense of male family members are sure to provoke formidable resistance. But productivity-enhancing schemes, such as Biotech-KISAN, can help to pave the way for the more equitable distribution of domestic duties. The anthropologist Penny van Esterik once wrote, Women are both vulnerable and powerful victimized and empowered through food. With the right policies and effective use of technology, we can tip the scale in the right direction. - In South Asia women are underrepresented in the labour force. - But agriculture could present a much needed opportunity for female economic empowerment. - In Bangladesh, the microfinance revolution and NGO-led training programs have enabled thousands of rural women to become frontline workers. Oregon State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton said if true, the behavior was "embarrassing and indefensible." The warning came despite current state rules that allow bars to remain open, attracting a mix of people who are not from the same family and who interact in a closed indoor space. While customers must wear a mask when entering bars or restaurants, they can remove the coverings to eat or drink. Cieslak said that the state had not seen evidence so far that specific types of businesses were driving the higher numbers. In social gatherings at homes or other venues, he said, people tend to circulate around for numerous conversations with different people. Unlike a bar, "you're not holding onto your barstool so you don't lose it," Cieslak said. The state will continue to dig into the numbers it gets daily to see if there are any patterns that emerge. "We are all operating with less than perfect data," he said. In June, deputies took a burglary report at the Santiam Ski Lodge near Hoodoo, where a male and female broke into the ski lodge. A Nissan Pathfinder was used at both locations. Through the investigation, deputies were able to identify the male associated with the vehicle as Fennimore. On June 28, deputies investigated several reports of vehicles that had been broken into in the Marion Lakes area of Linn County. That same day, deputies also investigated a report of a vehicle stolen from a Pacific Crest Trail entry point off Highway 20 near Hoodoo. The investigations revealed thousands of dollars worth of items were stolen during these thefts, including a firearm, according to Yon. Tuesday morning, deputies located the Nissan Pathfinder and the vehicle stolen from the trailhead at a residence in Stayton. Deputies served a search warrant and recovered the stolen vehicle, in addition to nearly 200 items believed to be stolen from both Marion and Linn counties, Yon said. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Detective Steve Frambes at 541-967-3950. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 9 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. Denton, TX (76205) Today Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%. The arrest of Jorge Enrique Rodriguez Camejo and the threat to prosecute him on July 8th constitute the most serious step in the regime's escalation of attacks on DIARIO DE CUBA journalists on the island. "Unfortunately, you could see this coming. The government of Miguel Diaz-Canel has continued to harass Cuban independent journalists, both from this and other media sources. Journalist Roberto Quinones has been serving an unjust sentence for more than ten months now," explained DIARIO DE CUBA director Pablo Diaz Espi. With Rodriguez, six journalists from this media source have now suffered summons, threats, and even harassment of their families since March. The difference in this case is that, according to his family, Rodriguez is being held at the criminal processing center known as the Vivac, and has a trial date. His family, however, is unaware of the accusations against the journalist, who was arrested last Sunday. "There are several versions, in one they told me that it was 'contempt of authority'; in another that he was supporting the protests following the death of the young Hansel Ernesto Hernandez at the hands of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR); and, according to another he was shooting a video," said his brother, Leonel Rodriguez. Jorge Enrique Rodriguez has been working with the DIARIO DE CUBA for nearly six years. "Two of his main tools as a journalist are his sensitivity and his personal history. He grew up in a rough Havana neighborhood, of the type the official press ignores, surrounded by deprivation and violence, and he has never denied it," says Mirta Fernandez Laffitte, editor-in-chief of this publication. "His interest in the social issues on which he writes regularly stems from his knowledge of the despair and resistance of the people who live in that reality, and who are sources of his," he adds. "Trying to silence a journalist like Jorge Enrique Rodriguez means also trying to silence the part of the population that is most pressured by the regime, is aware of this, and has steeled itself, to speak out." "Jorgito - as we all called him - also does so with great professionalism." The arrest and threat to try one of our journalists "only strengthens our commitment to bringing freedom of information and expression to Cuba," says Pablo Diaz Espi. "On the island, information is flowing a little freer every day, and, with acts like this, the government is revealed for what it is: an oppressive regime without any plan for development and peaceful coexistence between Cubans; an obsolete and abject regime whose objective is to stay in power at any price." The other DIARIO DE CUBA journalists who have suffered repression in recent months are Waldo Fernandez Cuenca, Yoe Suarez, Manuel Alejandro Leon, Jorge Amado and Boris Gonzalez Arenas. So far very little information is available on the situation of DIARIO DE CUBA journalist Jorge Enrique Rodriguez Camejo. It is only known that he is being held in a criminal processing center and that the authorities have announced a trial date: July 7. This does not mean, however, that the trial will necessarily go forward, and, depending on the circumstances that arise, there are several paths that the case may take in the coming days. We explain them here. About his arrest The Cuban Criminal Procedure Law (LPP) establishes, in its Article 244, that "upon the arrest of any person, a record shall be issued immediately, stating the time, date and reason for the arrest, as well as any other information that may be of interest [alleged crime]. The record will be signed by the arrestor and the arrestee." "At the request of the arrestee, or his relatives, the Police or the authority holding him or her will report the arrest and the arrestee's location, as well as facilitate communication between them in accordance with the time frames and in the manner established in the corresponding provisions," it adds. In addition, the legal guidelines stipulate that, when a person is detained, his relatives and close friends are to be contacted by the police authorities to inform them of the reasons for the arrest, and so that they can view the signed arrest document. In this way transparency in the criminal investigation process is ensured from the beginning. The regime, however, regularly violates these rules in cases of activists, dissidents and independent journalists, which is what has happened with Jorge Enrique Rodriguez. The trial date In the current situation, according to the Criminal Procedure Law, the journalist may be detained for seven days before his legal situation is clarified. Thus, it may be necessary to wait until next Sunday, July 5, to ascertain the authorities' decision, since Jorge Enrique Rodriguez was arrested on June 28. As for the trial, the fact that there is a date may mean that the journalist, while in jail, has received a notification from the court, the only body with powers to do so. If so, due to the brevity of the time frame in question, it would be a summary trial, for which sanctions of less than one year of incarceration are slated, and that can be carried out with or without a lawyer. The trial day scheduled would give family members time to seek legal counsel. But the trial will take place, whether they find it or not. The other possibility is that the trial date is a false one, a move by State Security to put pressure on the journalist. A person may be detained based on investigative criteria, with a file being compiled documenting the commission of the alleged crime and, depending on how the police investigator appointed for the case advances in his inquiries, and collects evidence, the proceedings may be dismissed (filed away) on a provisional or definitive basis. In this scenario, the detainee must be released, or a precautionary measure must be imposed, such as provisional prison, bail, in cash; house arrest, a moral bond, or an obligation undertaken in writing. "Dissemination of false news" Last April, Jorge Enrique Rodriguez was threatened with prosecution for "spreading false news". The Cuban Penal Code contains no crime with that name, but the phrase could allude to several ones, according to the assessments of the investigator and the Prosecutor's Office. Hence the extreme importance of the journalist and his relatives knowing immediately the purported crime leading to the arrest, so that a defense strategy can be drawn up, a fundamental human right that until now has been denied him. What are the crimes that the alleged "spreading false news" could entail? "Crimes against State security," such as: Enemy propaganda (Article 103 of the Penal Code), applicable to those who "spread false news or malicious predictions intended to cause alarm, or discontent in the population, or sow public disorder." Diffusion of false news against international peace (Article 115), which applies to those who "spread false news with the purpose of disrupting international peace, or endangering the prestige or standing of the Cuban State, and its good relations with an other state." In both cases the sanction provided for is from one to four years of incarceration, such that the judging of the crimes would not be compatible with the provisions of a summary trial. The other crimes with which "spreading false news" could fit are defamation and contempt: Defamation of institutions and organizations and of heroes and martyrs (Article 204: Applies to those who "publicly defame, denigrate or belittle the institutions of the Republic, the country's political, mass or social organizations, or the heroes and martyrs of the Fatherland." It is punishable by sanctions of three months to one year of incarceration, or a range of fines. Contempt (Article 144.2): Applicable to those who "threaten, slander, defame, insult, slight or in any way affront or offend, orally or in writing, the dignity or decorum of an authority, or public official, or their agents or auxiliaries, in the exercise of their functions..." It protects "the president of the Council of State, the president of the National Assembly of the Popular Power, the members of the Council of State, or the Council of Ministers, or the Deputies of the National Assembly of Popular Power," and the sanction is one to three years of incarceration. Jorge Enrique Rodriguez and the time frames in play As per Cuban law, the judicial authorities have seven calendar days to make a decision on the Jorge Enrique Rodriguez case. For the first 24 hours detainees are in the hands of the Police, for the next 72 hours they are in the hands of the investigator, and for the last 72, the prosecutor's. These periods can be shortened, but not lengthened, unless authorised by the attorney general. After these seven days, the prosecutor must issue an order releasing the detainee, changing the precautionary measure of imprisonment for another one entailing freedom; or ratify the precautionary measure of provisional imprisonment, after which the court can maintain the measure and order an oral trial. In the last month, Ive added a new word to my vocabulary kayfabe. What does it mean? Its the theatrical master plan that people involved in pro wrestling engage in when deciding whether Boris the Black or The White Snake will win or lose a match. By which I mean that Angela Merkel, at last, has decided to loosen her grip on the EU purse strings. Despite the moans and groans from the frugal four, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands who are virulently opposed to permitting the EU hierarchy to borrow money at will because they know that it will be a green light for the catholic South to spend it like drunken sailors - money for which they will be partly - if not wholly! - responsible. Of course, the devil - or perhaps the angel! - in this will be, as always, in the detail. I simply cannot believe that 'Mutti' Merkel would surrender the keys to the European treasury. Konstantin Eckner puts it this way in 'The Spectator' with my emphasis: After the mortal shock of Brexit, the EU tried to show confidence about the future. Brussels tried to punch above its weight, taking on tech giants like Google and Apple. But now the pandemic has transformed the EU from policymaker into big money spender. This means Germanys council presidency will revolve around two questions: Can the EU cushion the economic effects of the crisis? And can the member states agree on the EU budget for the next seven years? The budget for the entirety of that period will be in the ballpark of 1.1 trillion euros (1 trillion). Of course, the Covid pandemic has caused massive financial problems everywhere including 'this septic Isle' but we are a sovereign country capable, eventually, of working our way through it. The European Union is not! The strains and anguish will be immense and will take them to the very edge of the precipice. Thank God we're out of it! Indonesia surpassed Thailand to hold the top position in passenger car exports to Vietnam in the first five months of the year with 15,074 units. Data from Vietnam Customs shows that Indonesia accounted for 53 percent of 28,523 imported cars with nine seats or less. Thailand came second with 37 percent, losing the top place it has been enjoying since 2016. The two countries account for 90 percent of Vietnams passenger car imports. Cars imported from Indonesia include the multi-purpose vehicle Mitsubishi Xpander, among the top 10 best-selling cars last month, and other models such as the hatchbacks Toyota Wigo and Honda Brio. January-May passenger car imports fell 40 percent year-on-year to 28,523 units as domestic demand dwindled and factories in Thailand and Indonesia were shut down to contain the novel coronavirus. In the same period, imports of car parts fell 19.6 percent year-on-year to $1.3 billion. People file for unemployment at the Hanoi Center for Employment Services (HCES) on June 11, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh. Vietnam saw second quarter unemployment rate in urban areas reach a 10-year high of 4.46 percent, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO). The national unemployment rate for the first six months was at 2.26 percent, higher than the 1.99 percent recorded last year. The H1 unemployment rate in urban and rural areas was 3.62 percent and 1.59 percent, respectively. The GSO attributed the surge in unemployment rate to the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. It estimated the Q2 labor population of 15 years and above at 53.1 million people, down 4.32 percent over the same period last year. For the first six months of 2020, this figure was 54.2 million, a year-on-year drop of 2.34 percent. The GSO calculated the labor force participation rate for the first half of the year at 73.8 percent, down 2.8 percentage points year-on-year. The average monthly income recorded in the second quarter was VND6.3 million ($273), down 2.78 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, the average monthly income of workers in the first six months was VND6.7 million ($290), down 0.16 percent compared to the same period last year. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits in the country in the first half of the year rose 32 percent year-on-year to 565,000. The government has paid VND7 trillion ($300 million) in benefits, a 40 percent increase, the GSO said. Reflecting the economic downturn, the number of businesses temporarily suspending operations in H1 2020 went up 38.2 percent year on year to 29,200. There are about 760,000 businesses operating in the country and Vietnam had targeted taking this up to a million this year. Vietnam's GDP grew by just 1.81 percent in the first half, the lowest since 2011. Vietnam could allow a 2-3 percentage point increase in its public debt this year as it seeks to borrow to revive its economy post-pandemic. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a meeting on Thursday that the Ministry of Finance should negotiate for loans with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to facilitate the economic revival. This could increase public debt by 2-3 percentage points from the current 57-58 percent of GDP. But that will still be within the 65 percent cap the National Assembly has set for 2016-20. The PM said rejuvenating the economy after the pandemic ends is a matter of urgency, and policies should stimulate spending, investment and exports. The loans could be used to fund support packages for people affected by the pandemic, he said. The government had earlier said public debt could be 56.4 percent of GDP this year if GDP growth is 3.6 percent. It stood at 54.7 percent last year. Another key measure to boost growth would be disbursement of official development assistance (ODA) funds, Phuc said. However, local authorities are facing challenges in using ODA funds. Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said that in the first six months 22 provinces and cities have not been able to spend any percentage of their ODA disbursement target though the country plans to spend VND60 trillion ($2.6 billion) this year. He blamed it on those localities being unable to mobilize counterpart funds for land acquisition, a requirement for ODA disbursement. Vietnam, although among the earliest countries globally to contain the novel coronavirus, has not been immune to the resultant economic damage since businesses had to be shut down and trade activities had to be restricted in March and April. GDP growth in the first half of the year fell to a 10-year low of 1.81 percent. Last year growth was 7.02 percent, the second highest figure in the last decade, after a record 7.08 percent in 2018, according to government data. Number of Vietnamese workers going abroad falls by 40 pct in H1 Vietnamese workers repatriated from Japan arrive at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, May 25, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Vietnam sent 33,500 guest workers overseas in the first half, a 40 percent year-on-year decline due to travel restrictions to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. The country has suspended all international flights since March 25, and many other countries too have also closed their borders. Nguyen Gia Liem, deputy head of the Department of Overseas Labor, said many businesses in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, the largest markets for Vietnamese labor, are seeking to hire Vietnamese workers to enable a resumption of operations, Vietnam News Agency reported. They have assured they can meet local quarantine and monitoring requirements. At a government meeting last week Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said guest workers could be sent abroad if they are accepted. Vietnam seeks to send 130,000 workers overseas in 2020. According to statistics from the ministry, over 5,000 workers have returned home from abroad after many businesses were forced to lay off workers. Many flights have been organized in recent months to bring Vietnamese workers and students back from overseas. More than 147,000 workers went abroad last year, up 3.2 percent from the previous year. According to the International Organization for Migration, nearly 100,000 Vietnamese leave the country each year to live in more developed nations. Vietnamese workers go abroad mainly for labor-intensive and low-skilled jobs. The country has a workforce of around 50 million. Taiwanese Chen Tsen Wei is at a trial in HCMC for drug trafficking, July 2, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Hai Duyen. A Taiwanese man was sentenced to death in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday for trafficking around 317 kg of heroin. Chen Tsen Wei, 34, was charged with illegal transport of narcotic substances, HCMC Peoples Court heard. Two accomplices, Yen Yung Chu and Yu Chi Fu, both Taiwanese, are still on the run. According to the indictment, Chen and the others entered Vietnam in November 2018 and settled in the southern province of Binh Duong, which borders HCMC. They subsequently rented warehouses in both Binh Duong and HCMC, masquerading as a glue business. Chen and Yen trafficked around 1.5 tons of meth from one warehouse to another in Binh Duong by car in early 2019. First, they tried to disguise the drugs using gypsum powder, before simply placing the packages into wooden crates to be shipped to Taiwan. When the crates finally reached Taiwans Kaohsiung City, local police found them to contain meth and arrested various traffickers, who ratted out Chen and his accomplices. In February 2019, Chen again entered Vietnam on similar business. With Yen, he drove two trucks carrying 100-200 kg of drugs from a warehouse in Binh Duong to a hotel in HCMCs District 10, later handed to Yu. Yu then transported the drugs to a warehouse in HCMCs Hoc Mon District. There, the drugs were hidden inside packets resembling tea bags, mixed with bags containing plastic beads, distributed among four containers destined for Taiwan. HCMC police at the time had already informed their Taiwanese counterparts to check on the containers, though narcotics were found in only one. Another container was said to have been shipped prior to the tip-off. In March 2019, Chen again traveled to Vietnam. On March 27, he and Yen drove a small truck to a Binh Duong warehouse to transport drugs to the facility in HCMCs Hoc Mon District, where the stash would be handed to Yu as on previous occasions. However, their truck was intercepted by HCMC police. Chen, failing to bribe the officers, made a run for it but was caught. Only Yen managed to escape. Police found 895 heroin packets inside the truck, which amounted to around 317 kg. Chen subsequently pleaded guilty to his crimes. Vietnam has some of the harshest punishments for drug trafficking, awarding death to those convicted of possessing or smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine, alongside those producing or selling 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics. This does not seem to have had a deterrent effect, with increasing drug trafficking cases coming to light in recent years. The chief executive officer of Thrive Cannabis Marketplace, Mitch Britten, said he would be very happy to talk with the countys legal team. He said Strive already operates two of the six licenses it holds in Nevada. According to its website, Thrive has facilities in Las Vegas and Reno. David Poole of Stateline Liquors in Jackpot told commissioners he is interested in a license for a dispensary. He said Scott Matthews of 420ville, a company out of Oregon, has offered him a chance to buy into that company to open one in Jackpot. He said Thursday in a telephone interview that he has been hearing from people all day who were surprised Thrive was interested in coming to Jackpot. He said the whole town wants local owners. Hannah Roberts, a real estate agent with Bottari and representing 420ville, also told commissioners Wednesday that the community was behind a locally owned dispensary. Commissioner Rex Steninger said he supports a marijuana dispensary as he has done when the question has come before the county in the past, but he said he didnt want to hold them hostage at a $500,000 bond. It might be a deal breaker for whatever company wants to come here. Andreozzi said he was not stuck on a number but wanted a bond. The Nigerian federal government has announced that reopening schools is part of its upcoming measures for the next phase of easing lockdown restrictions, those that followed the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. Second phase of eased lockdown extended by four weeks The chairman of the presidential task force on Covid-19, Boss Mustapha, also declared at the task force daily briefing that the current phase of eased lockdown has been extended for four more weeks. He also confirmed that it would include some modifications such as ending the ban on interstate travel effective 1 July, provided that it's not during curfew hours. Follow all the latest coronavirus-related news in Africa on our dedicated live blog "I am pleased to inform you that Mr. President has carefully considered the 5th Interim Report of the PTF and has accordingly approved that, with the exception of some modifications to be expatiated upon later, the Phase Two of the eased lockdown be extended by another four weeks with effect from Tuesday, June 30, 2020, through Midnight of Monday, 27 July, 2020," Mustapha said. Lockdown history in Nigeria Nigeria first went into lockdown in late March. Five weeks later, on 27 April, the country's president Mr. Buhari, announced adopting the measures of easing the lockdown restrictions gradually in FCT, Lagos, and Ogun. The complete lockdown was then reduced to a curfew from 20:00 till 06:00 from 4 May to 17 May, although many states modified the curfew hours to start at 22:00 and end at 05:00. The first phase of easing the lockdown ended on 1 June while the second phase was set to end by midnight of 29 June, but following its extension, it should now end on 27 July. Real Madrid full-back Achraf Hakimi has joined Serie A club Inter Milan, it has been confirmed. Both clubs issued statements on Thursday to announce a deal for the defender, who moves to Italy for a fee of 40m euros plus 5m in add-ons. Real Madrid keep first refusal on youth product As part of the sale, Madrid have negotiated a clause giving them first refusal on the Morocco international for the next five years. Achraf, who has spent the past two seasons on loan at Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, travelled to Milan earlier this week to undergo a medical and put pen to paper on his Inter contract, which is to run until 30 June 2025. Achraf waves emotional goodbye to Dortmund On Tuesday, Achraf published an emotional farewell letter to the Dortmund fans, after making 73 appearances and scoring 12 goals in an impressive spell in Germany. "The time has come to close a very beautiful stage in my life," he wrote. "After two wonderful years, Im ready to leave this club that has given me so much joy. "From the first moment, the care and attention by the club and the city has been amazing. Now I know that I was right to choose Dortmund as my home two years ago." Achraf to earn 5m euros net in first year at Inter The 21-year-old is understood to have agreed an after-tax salary of 5m euros plus bonuses in his first season at Inter, with his basic wage then rising in the subsequent four years of his contract. Leroy Sane will wear the number 10 shirt belonging to Philippe Coutinho when he plays for Bayern Munich next season. Bayern completed the signing of Sane from Manchester City in a deal worth 60million on Friday, the Germany international putting pen to paper on a five-year contract. When he is eligible to feature in 2020-21, Sane will occupy the number worn by Coutinho during his season-long loan from Barcelona. Waiting on number 10 However, while advertising replica 'Sane 10' shirts for sale in their official club store, Bayern said: "Out of respect for Philippe Coutinho, who is the current number 10 and could play in the upcoming DFB-Pokal final in Berlin and any games in the Champions League in August, Sane decided not to use the number in his photos on Thursday." The decision appears to suggest Coutinho is unlikely to remain at Bayern for the long term. The Brazil international has been linked with a host of clubs across Europe after the Bundesliga champions let their option to sign him permanently expire. Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has not ruled out moving again for Coutinho entirely, saying: "We'll see if he still has a role to play with us or not." Regional Airline LIAT, dubbed the Caribbean Airline, is heading into liquidation. This is the consensus of a weekend discussion involving the airlines four major shareholder governments Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Directors and at least one of the airlines creditors, the Caribbean Development Bank. The recommendation for dissolution of the company (LIAT) will be advanced for approval to a general meeting of all the ordinary shareholders of the company. All of this was disclosed by Chairman of the Shareholder Governments Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of SVG, who reported the decision to his people via WE FM radio on Sunday, and communicated same by way of a circular letter dated Monday 29th June, to all employees of the airline. Severance to be addressed In his letter to the employees, PM Gonsalves sought to assure employees that their severance and outstanding salaries "will be urgently addressed. As it stands, the Antigua-based financially strapped airline owes its staff an estimated EC$94 million in severance and holiday payment, which, Dr. Gonslaves admits, it is unable to pay since it is "insolvent and "doesnt have any assets to pay anybody anything. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the two Unions representing LIAT workers have indicated that it is going to be difficult convincing LIATs ground staff and pilots to accept reduced severance, reduced wages and other benefits. This is the shared view of David Massiah, Chairman of the Regional Consortium of Unions representing LIAT workers, and Capt. Patterson Thompson, Chairman of the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA). This indication came from the two organizations after a statement by Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua on Saturday, in which he said, inter alia, that should LIAT go into liquidation, it would be hard-pressed to honour severance and other entitlements to its workers. LIAT is said to have a work force of some 600 persons with 400 of those being nationals of Antigua, according to the Antigua Observer of June 30, 2020. Browne in a rage And while Dr. Gonsalves last Sunday went to pains to assure LIAT staff in SVG that they would be taken care of and that there were some things in place that could take up the slack when LIAT ceases to fly (see article on page 3), Prime Minister Browne was in a no nonsense mood on Monday, The Antigua Observers reported him as accusing LIAT shareholders of "selfish motives. In reference to his shareholder colleagues, he said he feared some of them were "thinking singularly, that "they are concerned about their countries only, with no consideration that Antigua and Barbuda, by it being the headquarters of the airline, "was offering a regional service. He described LIAT, according to the Observer, as "not an Antiguan institution but a regional one. Regarding the liquidation of LIAT, PM Browne said that Antigua supported that option "contingent upon the establishment of a new regional airline. PM Gonsalves, though, told listeners to WE FM radio here on Sunday, "Im not getting involved in arguments about if there is a new airline, regional airline, where it is to be located, what private sector should be involved. I hear a lot of private sector people talking, but I want to see where their money is. Remember the number who wanted LIAT to close down and they will spring up? Browne, meanwhile, went on to declare that if no other options are agreed upon, his country may have to look at operating its own airline, and he took his umbrage even further by announcing that Antigua and Barbuda may have to consider opting out of the OECS and CARICOM, since "fellow shareholder governments had sparse interest in integration and enhancing the region. LIAT operated 491 weekly flights to 15 destinations from Puerto Rico in the north to Guyana in the south. Its passenger service has remained suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ghana's deputy trade minister Hon. Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah has resigned following his visit to the electoral registration office without completing his self-isolation period. The Ghanaian ex-minister had earlier tested positive for Covid-19 and was advised to go into self-isolation, which he admitted to breaching later. He also stated that he had been in contact with a former party scribe and his driver, who both tested positive for the virus later. Following his admission at the main hospital in Accra for a night, Ahenkorah spent a week self-isolated at home before leaving his house and putting others' lives at risk. President Akufo-Addo's office announced that the resignation of the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry has been accepted, effective immediately. Follow all the latest coronavirus-related news in Africa on our dedicated live blog President Akufo-Addo called on all government officials to set a good example for their people urging them "to provide leadership at all times" and abide by the rules and measures taken to curb the coronavirus spread. Akufo-Addo also noted that Ahenkorah, the ex-deputy manager, "acted honorably" by stepping down and resigning from his post, wishing him well in the future. Ahenkorah was subject to strong criticism following a visit he paid to an electoral registration office, as his period of self-isolation wasn't over yet. The-ex minister found that his only way of making a good exit was to give up his duties and step down, while the Ghanaian president found it a good time to send a direct message to Ghana's officials implying, they should be an example to be followed by people. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held consultations with the leadership of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) and financial market players on the candidacy of the new NBU governor on Thursday. The press service of the head of state reported that in particular, the president met with the deputy governors of the National Bank, the heads of state-owned and private banks, as well as the leadership of banking organizations and institutions. The meetings were attended by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak, his Deputy Yulia Kovaliv, Minister of Finance Serhiy Marchenko, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy Danylo Hetmantsev. "During the negotiations, the parties discussed in detail the situation in the state's financial sector and the possible impact of Yakiv Smolii's letter of resignation from the post of NBU governor on the banking market. Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated commitment to the principle of central banks independence and the need to preserve its institutional capacity," the press service said. "An independent National Bank is a guarantee of macroeconomic stability of the state and the welfare of Ukrainians. Therefore, as President, I will protect the independence of the NBU under any leadership as a basis for financial and macroeconomic stability of our state," Zelensky said. The parties also discussed possible candidacies for the post of the new governor of the NBU, the press service reported. The resignation of Governor of the National Bank (NBU) Yakiv Smolii should not affect the macroeconomic stability of Ukraine, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko has said. "I believe that the resignation of the NBU governor should not affect macroeconomic stability," he said during a press briefing on Thursday. "The time for the statement of resignation was chosen very poorly by the NBU governor," he said, speaking about the postponed issue of eurobonds. He added that the Finance Ministry will continue to work with investors. "There were long night negotiations with investors, our legal advisers... And so in the morning we decided to suspend this issue. Investors responded positively to our decision," Marchenko said. "There could be no worse moment for this transaction than yesterday," he added. Ukraine fulfills only one out of seven benchmarks of memo with IMF with deadline before July 2020 On June 19, the Verkhovna Rada adopted bill No. 2284 that simplifies the implementation of investment and the introduction of financial instruments, and this was the only out of seven structural benchmarks in the memorandum with the IMF on the new Stand By Arrangement (SBA), the deadline for which expired last month. According to the memorandum, the text of which is posted on the website of the IMF and the Ministry of Finance, before the end of June it was planned to lift the temporary cap introduced on all public sector wages and salaries of UAH 47,000, which was introduced for the lockdown period. "This cap is to be lifted by end-June, as containment measures are gradually eased. Should further burden-sharing be needed, we will explore other mechanisms for efficient redistribution," the Ukrainian side said in the memorandum. The structural benchmark of the SBA was that the state-owned banks' legacy non-performing loans (NPL) reduction plans, including the option of taking NPL resolution decisions that could realize final losses, will be endorsed by the shareholder and approved by the Financial Stability Council (FSC) and the National Bank of Ukraine (a structural benchmark for end-June 2020). According to Interfax-Ukraine, the holding of the meeting of the FSC was planned for June 30, but information if it was held and the results are not available. As part of Ukraine's efforts to reduce the ultimate costs of bank failures to the state, the country said that it was working on a strategy paper that will propose by end-June 2020 a set of credible measures to improve asset recoveries from former owners of failed banks and their related parties, including through the use of administrative mechanisms. "By end-June we will legislate an October 1st, 2020 deadline for all new utility service contracts incorporating the revised heating tariffs to be concluded," the Ukrainian government said in the memo. In addition, it was planned to select a supplier of last resort (SOLR) through a competitive tender by end-June 2020 in order to annul PSO of Naftogaz Ukrainy from July 1, 2020 in the market of gas supply for households. However, the tender was announced only at the end of month, and PSO were extended until August 1, 2020. "By end-June 2020, we will also enact legislation that establishes a partial credit guarantee fund to ensure financial support to small farmers through provision of portfolio credit guarantees; streamlines land transfer procedures and decentralizes land management (No. 2194), transferring state land to communal ownership and shifting land use control functions from the cadaster to appropriate bodies; and establishes a transparent process for electronic land auctions and mandates the sale of state and communal land on such auctions (No. 2195)," the government said in the memo. Energoatom's lawsuit against the Ministry of Energy with Kyiv's business court regarding the invalidation of certain paragraphs of the charter of the enterprise is connected with the company's intention to optimize the structure and conduct human resources management reforms. "There are no conspiracy theories and conspiracy. Everything is very simple: we want to quickly optimize the structure of the enterprise, because the team is the urgent issue," Vice President for Development at Energoatom Herman Haluschenko said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. According to him, the previous leadership of the ministry approved amendments to the charter of the enterprise, which do not comply with the law and limit the powers of the enterprise, in particular, regarding changes in the structure of the company. In addition, he drew attention to the fact that the amendments to the charter did not have legal grounds. At the same time, Haluschenko said that the Ministry of Energy did not approve the new edition of the Energoatom's charter, and also twice returned without approval the draft new structure of the enterprise, which forced the company to file the lawsuit against the ministry. "We decided to reach out to the ministry through court with a lawsuit to invalidate certain paragraphs of the charter," Haluschenko said. According to a Thursday report on the enterprise's website, the current edition of the charter makes it impossible to make fundamental changes, in particular, in conducting human resources management reforms and changing the structure of the company, taking into account the financial challenges facing Energoatom. In this regard, the company has prepared a new edition of the charter, which fully takes into account the norms and requirements of the legislation, in particular regarding the adoption of managerial decisions, the implementation of financial and economic activities and the fight against corruption. U.S. Congress representatives called on President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to restructure legislation on support for renewable energy based on consensus with investors. "We ask you to continue supporting this consensus approach in negotiations with both solar and wind generation investors and industry in the decision-making process to restructure the legislation that served as the basis for their investments," reads a letter to the president of Ukraine from US Congress members, Marcy Kaptur and Mike Quigley, dated July 2, published on the website of American-Ukrainian Business Council (USUBC). According to the text of the letter, companies in the United States and other countries, investing in renewable energy industry on the basis of legislation that is currently undergoing restructuring, expected the following governments to adhere to the laws adopted by their predecessors. "Supporting the integrity of this approach [in negotiations with investors] would be recognized as a significant achievement and would strengthen the authority of Ukraine in attracting further foreign direct investment in its energy sector and other sectors of the economy," the letter said. At the same time, congress members noted the importance of involving the Secretariat of the Energy Community in negotiations with investors. Kaptur and Quigley noted that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, in which the United States is a leading shareholder, has provided or approved $0.6 billion in financing for renewable energy projects, while the International Finance Corporation has invested $0.4 billion in financing and political insurance of wind energy project risks. In addition, they provided examples of private American capital investment in renewable energy sector, in particular, GE Wind Energy, which supplies wind turbines of total production capacity of 275 MW to Ukraine. "We hope to cooperate with Ukraine to expand investment opportunities in leading energy sectors, including solar and wind energy, biofuels, hydropower and geothermal energy," the congress members said. As reported, the Verkhovna Rada included on the current session agenda the bill No. 3658 "On amendments to some laws of Ukraine regarding the improvement of conditions for supporting electric energy production from alternative energy sources" which provides, in particular, a reduction in the "green" tariff for solar and wind power stations. The draft law was developed on the basis of the Memorandum concluded between the government and representatives of the renewable energy industry as part of the mediation of the European Energy Community. First Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Kateryna Rozhkova will act for head of the NBU until a new governor is appointed. "Until the appointment of a new governor, I will perform the duties of governor of the National Bank according to the schedule," she said during a press briefing. Rozhkova called on the president, the government and politicians for cooperation, which will allow the National Bank to fulfill the functions assigned to it by the Constitution of Ukraine and the law on the NBU. "For our team, those lines that were voiced by the governor remain "red lines." First, the independence of the NBU as an institution, the right of the National Bank to make decisions regardless of political wishes, but only with the aim of maintaining macro-financial stability. It's also inadmissible to turn on the printing press, the inadmissibility of return of bankrupt banks to their former owners. This is the inadmissibility of administrative interference in market relations," Rozhkova emphasized. According to her, the NBU team understands the responsibility and remains to work to maintain and ensure macro-financial stability and stability of the financial sector. Ukraine plans to open its embassy in Albania this year, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar said during a meeting with newly appointed Charge d'Affaires of the Republic of Albania in Ukraine Fation Peni. According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA), Bodnar informed the Albanian side about Ukraine's plans to open its embassy in Albania in 2020 "which will mark the beginning of qualitatively new stage in the history of Ukraine-Albania relations." Peni passed the Ukrainian side Albania's note on the opening of the country's diplomatic mission in Ukraine. The parties shared opinions about the preparations for the conclusion of an underlying agreement on friendship and cooperation between Ukraine and Albania, which will become the main document determining the framework of bilateral relations. Bodnar and Peni also praised the resumption of air traffic between Ukraine and Albania from June 26, 2020 and the selection of Ukraine International Airlines for carrying out regular flights between the capitals of the two countries. They also discussed intensification of the countries' high-level political dialogue. Russia-led illegal armed formations in Donbas have mounted an attack on Zaitseve on Friday morning, killing a local woman as a result, according to the press service of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) headquarters. "Today, in the early hours of July 3, the armed formations led by the Russian Federation again opened fire on the town of Zeitseve. As a result of this cynical attack from 82mm mortars a local woman, born in 1940, was killed," the JFO headquarters said on its Facebook page. Russia-occupation forces have once again openly demonstrated disregard of the Minsk agreements and affirmed that the civilians mean nothing to them. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) rejected 128 foreign citizens, who are the members or supporters of international terror organizations, from entering Ukraine the first half of 2020, according to the SBU's press service. "Today the SBU jointly with the Office of Prosecutor General are carrying out an extradition check of 37 members of foreign terror organizations. All of them are on the international wanted list of INTERPOL and were detained in the territory of Ukraine. Most of these detainees are citizens of Russia, the rest are citizens of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Lebanon and Kazakhstan," it said. The fight against international terrorism is accompanied by seizure of weapons, ammunition, equipment and fake documents. In H1, 2020, some 349 fake passports of foreign citizens, five units of weapons and 156 ammunitions were seized. St Clair Leacock, Parliamentary Representative for Central Kingstown, says governments must not run away from dealing with air transport problems that confront the region. Opposition Parliamentarian St. Clair Leacock has issued a call for the problems thrown up by the recent LIAT debacle to be addressed and addressed soonest. Speaking earlier this week on the heels of news that a proposal had been made for the debt-ridden airline to go into liquidation, Leacock warned that if the LIAT problem is not resolved, the Argyle International Airport (AIA) will become a "white elephant. His reading of the tea leaves with respect to the AIA must have been predicated on the fact that LIAT was the main scheduled passenger air carrier serving SVG, even in the face of much touted direct flights from the USA and Canada, by Amercian Airlines, Air Canada and Caribbean Airlines. The Central Kingstown representative also cited the debilitating impact LIATs dissolution would have on the local hotel industry, not least being that there would be no scheduled nor sustained airlift of regional visitors into St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Existing hotels will suffer, and those whose investments in the industry have begun to take shape will be having doubts about the feasibility of their investments. In not as many words, the trained Business Consultant opened discussion on the harsh economic times that lay ahead for this country, with or without the challenges occasioned by COVID-19. And as far as a new entity replacing LIAT upon its dissolution, Leacock is not at all excited about a quick response to this expectation. He all but said that the region could not depend on any of the large international airlines Virgin, British Airways, American Airlines, even Caribbean Airlines to invest in a new entity since they were all in "debt up to their necks. Those airlines are themselves looking for bailouts; they could not be expected to "bail us out, Leacock reasoned. Further, the MP suggested that there was no private sector entity in SVG, for that matter anywhere in the OECS, that would even think of buying out or bailing out LIAT. "Whether we like it or not, the governments will have to and bound to and compel to get back into the solutions of air transport problems in the region and eat humble pie, Leacock said. Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, along with a national delegation, will pay a working visit to Germany on Friday to meet with political advisors to the heads of Normandy-format states, the presidential press service said in a statement. "At the meeting, there are plans to discuss progress in the activity of the Trilateral Contact Group, the fulfillment of the agreements reached at the Normandy-format summit in Paris in December, and the prospects for the next Normandy-format summit in Berlin," the statement said. The will of the Belarusian people will determine who becomes the Belarusian president, and this will in no way affect the bilateral relations of Ukraine and Belarus, Belarusian Ambassador to Ukraine Igor Sokol has said. "We proceed from the fact that the choice of the president of Belarus is the will of the Belarusian people. At the same time, I'm sure that this will not affect bilateral relations in any way, because a lot depends on the attitude of the common people. The attitude of the Belarusian people to Ukraine is known, it is not subject to no change or revision. We expect the same from the Ukrainian people in relation to Belarusians," Sokol said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine. Sokol emphasized that the basis of bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Belarus is deep economic, cultural, humanitarian and family ties. "The presidential election will be held, it will be the choice of the Belarusian people. In Ukraine, the sixth president is now the sixth sovereignty. And it seems to me that this does not affect Belarusian-Ukrainian relations in any way, because the basis of bilateral cooperation is deep economic, cultural, humanitarian and kindred communication," the ambassador said. At the same time, assessing the mood of the population in Belarus in connection with the presidential election, the diplomat pointed out that the electoral campaign in Belarus has just begun, the registration of candidates has not yet been completed, and explained that anyone who has gathered over 100,000 signatures can be registered as a presidential candidate. "Some initiative groups began to carry out illegal actions during the collection of signatures, which involved disturbing public order. It came to insulting opponents not only from the current government, but also insulting law enforcement officials. The response of law enforcement agencies in this situation is absolutely adequate. Their task is to ensure order and stability in society," Sokol said. He emphasized that "everything should be within the framework of the law: both at the stage of preparation for the elections, and at the stage of registration of presidential candidates, and in subsequent actions." Answering the question of whether the situation in Belarus is normalizing before the elections, the ambassador said that he considers it normal for the electoral period. "I proceed from the fact that it is now normal for the electoral period. And I am very glad that the state in this situation fully fulfills its obligations to citizens to maintain law and order and ensure the electoral process in accordance with Belarusian law," the diplomat said. The 17th annual meeting of Yalta European Strategy (YES), scheduled for September 10-12, 2020, has been postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, YES press service reported. "YES and the Viktor Pinchuk Foundation remain committed to the mission: to integrate Ukraine into the world and ensure its proper role on the international agenda. The YES meeting in 2021 will again become a powerful discussion platform in Ukraine, which supports changes in the country and development of the new Ukraine supporters' networks all over the world," reads the statement. Yalta European Strategy (YES) is a leading forum where the European future of Ukraine is discussed and developed in a global context. YES was founded in 2004 by businessman Victor Pinchuk. From 2004 to 2013, annual YES meetings were held at Livadia Palace in Yalta. After the temporary occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, meetings were rescheduled in Kyiv. Belarus hopes that the Third Forum of the Regions of Ukraine and Belarus in Grodno will be held in live mode on October 8-9 and will take all sanitary-epidemiological measures, logistics and law enforcement to conduct it, Ambassador of Belarus to Ukraine Igor Sokol has said. "We will strive for the Forum to take place in live mode. We are determined to hold it in the same formats as the previous Forums, that is, we are waiting for Ukrainian delegations in Belarus. We will take all sanitary-epidemiological measures, logistics and law enforcement. I think that we will be able to do it in the proper way," he told Interfax-Ukraine. The ambassador said that Belarus had previously informed the Ukrainian side about the program, the events that will be held within the forum, and submitted them in writing to the Ukrainian ministries. He also said that Belarus would like Ukraine to quickly form its own organizing committee to prepare for the event. "On the Belarusian side, an organizing committee has been created to prepare for the Forum, which is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Yury Nazarov. So far, no organizing committee has been created in Ukraine, but Minister of Development of Communities and Territories Oleksiy Chernyshov has taken up all the preparatory work, we met on April 24. Belarus would like the Ukrainian organizing committee to be formed as soon as possible," he said. The diplomat also said that the Belarusian embassy in Ukraine notified all regions of Ukraine and the chambers of commerce and industry, including regional ones, when the Third Forum of Regions will be held, that preparations are underway. From the beginning of 2020, eleven civilians were killed in Donbas in the result of the shell attacks committed by the Russia-led armed groups, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova said. "Today, as a result of shelling committed by illegal armed groups, a female resident of Zaitseve of Donetsk region died. During the shelling, the deceased was in the yard. (...) Since the beginning of 2020, this is the eleventh victim of shelling among the civilian population. Since the beginning of Russian aggression in the east of the country, we lost more than 13,000 citizens," Denisova wrote on Facebook on Friday. The ombudsperson emphasized that the Russian Federation continued to violate the Minsk agreements, demonstrated to the world its aggressive occupation policy and unwillingness to cease fire in the east of Ukraine, which is why civilians continue to die. Denisova also called on representatives of international humanitarian missions and human rights organizations to strongly condemn the actions of the aggressor and join forces to force the Russian Federation to comply with IV Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Kyiv says reasons for U.S. withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty are Russia's actions to break pan-European regimes for arms control The real reasons for the United States to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty have been Russia's deliberate long-term actions aimed at scrapping pan-European regimes in the field of arms control and military restraint, as well as hiding military preparations and large-scale deployment of new weapons systems near the Ukraine-Russia border, as well as in the annexed and temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said. "The Ukrainian side believes that the real reasons for the U.S. withdrawal from the treaty were deliberate long-term actions provoked by Russia aimed at destroying pan-European regimes in the field of arms control and military restraint, as well as hiding military preparations, large-scale deployment of new weapons systems near the Ukrainian side of the Russian state border, in Russia-occupied Crimea and Donbas," the ministry said during an extraordinary conference of states parties to the Open Skies Treaty on Friday. At the same time, the ministry emphasized that Ukraine, together with partner states from among the NATO and EU members, will continue to participate in the Open Skies Treaty and its implementation. "As before, Ukraine insists on the conscientious fulfillment of the obligations stipulated by this Treaty by all participating states without exception," the ministry said. It is indicated that maintaining the Open Skies Treaty and continuing to participate in it is in the interests of Ukraines military security, as well as the priorities of Euro-Atlantic integration. "Aerial monitoring of military activities, as well as the exchange of information with partner states, constitute an important source of information necessary for assessing the military and military-political situation in the context of countering the armed aggression of Russia," the ministry explained. The holding of joint observation missions with the participation of Ukrainian and foreign inspectors, as well as the use of the Ukrainian AN-32 aircraft in the interests of NATO observation missions, is one of the important areas of practical cooperation and an element of achieving interoperability between the armed forces of the member states and Ukraine, explained in the comment. Ukraine called on all participating states to ensure compliance with and further implementation of the Treaty, as well as to actively counter Moscow's attempts to manipulate its provisions in order to legalize the consequences of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, temporary occupation and illegal annexation of part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine. A British citizen, she joined the lender in 1998 and has held various positions, with her latest being the country direction of the WB in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan and Eritrea. The official will shoulder the leading role in intensifying WB investment and knowledge sharing programmes with Vietnam so as to help the country achieve the goal of becoming a middle-high income state by 2045. As of June 30, 2020, the WB had provided Vietnam with more than US$24.86 billion, including grants, credits and loans aimed to support development programmes. Over the past six months, it pledged an additional US$516.67 million for projects in the fields of transport, urban development, university education, climate change and green growth. WBs study and consultation programmes in Vietnam have also created a strategic source of knowledge and consultation, thus providing a timely assistance to the national development roadmap. Held at the Can Tho International Exhibition Fair Centre from July 3-5, the Mini Thailand Week 2020 is co-hosted by the Department of International Trade Promotion under the Thai Ministry of Commerce and the Vietnam National Trade Fair and Advertising Company under the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam. This year, the fair is showcasing unique products from across a variety of industries such as fashion and accessories, children's products, healthcare and beauty products, food and beverages, kitchen and household appliances, as well as products from the service sector such as tourism, aviation and restaurants. The event is expected to attract over 7,000 visitors who will experience authentic Thai food and products, in addition to Thai music and dance performances. According to Apirat Sugondhabhirom, Thai Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, in the first five months this year, despite being affected by COVID-19, Thai investors are still confident and committed to Vietnams economy. Thailand is ranked second among all foreign investors in Vietnam with total investment of US$1.4 billion. In the Mekong Delta region alone, Thailand's total investment up until March this year had reached US$1.8 billion across 58 projects. Customers visit booths at the fair. (Photo: VNA) The Thai diplomat also said that the "Mini Thailand Week 2020 would play an important role in promoting economic ties between the two countries, especially in terms of local economic development post-COVID-19, thus contributing greatly to the economic growth of the two countries. Duong Tan Hien, Vice Chairman of the Can Tho Municipal People's Committee, said the Thai fair held in his city has an important function in introducing Thai goods to Vietnam, while helping enhance the expansion of trade relations between the two countries in general and with Can Tho and the Mekong Delta in particular. According to Hien, the event also demonstrates the importance of Vietnams Southwestern key economic region in Vietnams cooperation with the ASEAN community. It is also a good opportunity for investors, producers and businesses from both sides to meet, exchange and expand trade links in order to boost two-way trade between Vietnam and Thailand. At the meeting, Thuan Huu, who is also a member of the Party Central Committee (PCC), the deputy head of the PCCs Commission for Communications and Education and the chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association, and his guest expressed their delight at the fine and substantive progresses in the Vietnam - US comprehensive partnership. They discussed the prospects of press cooperation between the two countries, including strengthening exchange of working missions and focusing on information sharing, especially in the context that the two countries are organising various activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties. Thuan Huu thanked the US Embassy in Vietnam for its contributions to promoting bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as cooperation in the field of journalism and communications, including helping Nhan Dan Newspaper to obtain valuable documents for the production of the documentary series titled Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh Era A Television Chronicle. The host also expressed his wish that the embassy would continue to cooperate with Nhan Dan Newspaper in promoting the relationship between the two countries in the near future. Impressed by Vietnam's efforts to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic, US Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink said that he would be ready to share with the US and the worlds press about the Vietnam's success story. The diplomat affirmed his wish to continue cooperating with Nhan Dan Newspaper and other Vietnamese press agencies, thus contributing to enhancing the understanding between the two nations peoples and further promoting the Vietnam - US relations. The event was jointly held by the Da Nang Union of Friendship Organisations, the Vietnam-Russian Friendship Association in Da Nang and the Russian Consulate General in Da Nang. In 1950 the Soviet Union was one of the first countries in the world to recognise and establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, demonstrating its solidarity with the Vietnamese people in their struggle for national independence. Chairman of the Da Nang Union of Friendship Organisations Nguyen Ngoc Binh stated that the workshop and photo exhibition sought to look back at the time-honoured friendship and close cooperation between the two countries over the past 70 years. He added that other activities will take place to further develop Vietnam-Russia ties as an invaluable asset that the two countries need to cherish. For his part, Russian Consul General Plam Andrei Yurievich affirmed that Vietnam is one of Russias most important strategic partners in Asia and that deepening ties with Vietnam is one of the main orientations in its foreign policies. The diplomat added that Russia is promoting Vietnam as a popular destination for Russian citizens. The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force presented a plaque to the Melisizwe Brothers, in recognition of the groups support for the Police Band and for promoting the name of St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the global stage. In a brief handover ceremony held at Police Headquarters Conference Room on Monday June 29, 2020, Commissioner of Police Mr. Colin John handed over the plaque to Mr. Mark James, father of the Melisizwe Brothers. According to Commissioner John, the Melisizwe Bothers has impacted positively on the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force and St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a whole. He thanked the brothers for their generous contribution of the musical instruments donated to the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force Band on June 8, 2020. He proffered that the instruments would play a pivotal role in the development of the Police Band. Mr. Mark James, in accepting the plaque on his sons behalf, expressed sincere gratitude. He stated that the smiles on his sons faces seen as they joined the presentation via Zoom, illustrated appreciation of the plaque. He outlined that he is more than happy to partner with the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Band and the Police Force as a whole, to promote future ventures. He thanked the Commissioner and the Police The plaque was designed and made by Vincentian craftsman Mr. Rowland "Scrappie Dopwell and crew. New cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, shot up by nearly 50,000 on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, marking the biggest one-day spike since the start of the pandemic. "The spread of this virus continues at a rate that is particularly concerning," California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said in ordering the closure of bars, bans on indoor dining and other restrictions in 19 counties, affecting over 70% of the state's population. The change in California, which was the first US state to impose sweeping "stay-at-home" restrictions in March, will likely inflict more financial pain on the owners of bars and restaurants who have struggled to survive the pandemic. The epicenter of the country's COVID-19 epidemic has moved from the Northeast to California, Arizona and New Mexico in the West along with Texas, Florida and Georgia. Texas again topped its previous record on Wednesday with 8,076 new cases, while South Carolina reported 24 more coronavirus deaths, a single-day high for the state. Tennessee and Alaska also had record numbers of new cases on Wednesday. The United States recorded its biggest one-day increase of nearly 48,000 new infections on Tuesday, including more than 8,000 each in California and Texas, a Reuters tally showed. New Mexico Governor Michelle Grisham, a Democrat, on Wednesday extended the state's emergency public health order through July 15, saying that authorities would "aggressively" enforce mandatory mask rules. "I want to be as clear as I can possibly be: New Mexico, in this moment, still has the power to change the terrible trajectory of this virus," Grisham said. "But our time is limited. And we are staring down the barrel of what Texas, Arizona and many other hard-hit states are grappling with." 'VIRUS ON THE PROWL' In Indiana, Republican Governor Eric Holcomb halted his state's phased reopening until at least mid-July. "We just have to accept the fact ... that again this virus is on the prowl and it is moving, and it's moving even within our borders, he said. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat whose city was for months at the center of the US outbreak, said Wednesday he would postpone a plan to allow indoor restaurant dining beginning Monday. We see a lot of problems and we particularly see problems revolving around people going back to bars and restaurants indoors, and indoors is the problem more and more, de Blasio told reporters. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found Americans are increasingly worried about the spread of COVID-19, the serious and sometimes fatal illness caused by the coronavirus. Roughly seven in 10 Republicans said they were personally concerned about the virus' spread, up from six in 10 in previous polls. About nine in 10 Democrats said they are similarly worried, a level of concern that has not changed. While Iranian state-run media are lambasting the U.S. over the killing of George Floyd killing and the resulting civil unrest, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic Ali Khamenei has limited his reaction to two tweets and brief comments in a speech. "The fact that a policeman has cold-bloodedly pressed his knee on the throat of a black man until he died and that other policemen watched on without doing anything is nothing new," Khamenei said in a televised speech on Wednesday, June 3 marking the 31st anniversary of Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini death. "The crime committed against this black man is the same thing the US govt has been doing against all the world. They have done the same in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Vietnam, & many other countries. This is the US govts nature & character that is being exposed today." Khamenei maintained. Meanwhile, in a series of tweets, Khamenei claimed that the United States today is experiencing what the USSR faced at the time of its collapse. Referring to his predecessor, the founder of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei tweeted, "Imam Khomeini caused the US leaders at that time to admit that Khomeini had humiliated them. #ImamKhomeini proved that superpowers can be broken and beaten." Khamenei, who has never criticized the Islamic Republic security forces and intelligence agents for brutally killing hundreds of protesters, has not missed the chance to blast the U.S. government for its reaction to the recent unrest. Reuters reported in December that Khamenei personally authorized the use of lethal force against protesters in mid-November. "In dealing with its people, the US govt has behaved in the worst manner. The people of the United States have every right to feel embarrassed and ashamed by their govts, particularly the current govt", Khamenei said in one of his tweets. During his televised speech, Khamenei also said, "These (recent developments in the U.S.) are realities that have always been camouflaged or hidden, but they are not new". The top foreign policy aide to Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has criticized UK, France and Germany for voting against Iran at the latest meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Kamal Kharrazi who is known for furthering Khamenei's policy on Europe, also accused IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi of behaving "suspiciously." Kharrazi's remarks appeared as an identical article in several major Iranian news agencies, meaning it was more of a statement meant to be published and not part of a speech. No mention was made that he spoke at any public event. The IAEA Board of governors on June 19 voted for a resolution suggested by the EU Trio calling on Iran to fulfil all its obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "without denial, deception, and wasting time. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has also described Iran's uranium enrichment program as "unacceptable" and a threat to "world peace and security." Stressing its commitment to block Iran's access to nuclear weapons, the State Department said in its annual report that "Iran's efforts to retain files, documents, and personnel related to its pre-2004 nuclear weapons program as revealed in the atomic archives acquired by Israel in 2018 suggest that Iran may have kept this information at least in part to preserve technical expertise relevant to a nuclear weapons capability." Kharrazi, a former foreign minister, also said that the fact Grossi held a meeting with Brian Hook, U.S. Special Representative for Iran, showed Grossi's "lack of independence." Hook met Grossi on July 1 in Vienna. He further threatened that "the IAEA Chief's suspicious behaviour will undoubtedly lead to the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Using the Islamic Republic's usual jargon, Kharrazi said the Islamic Republic will not submit to bullying by foreigners, adding that Iran's behaviour during the past decade has shown that increased pressures will make Tehran even more determined to follow the path it has chosen. Iran has gradually reduced its obligations under the JCPOA in breach of the agreement with world powers after the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 demanding a comprehensive agreement that would limit Iran's regional military ambitions and stop its destabilizing measures across the region and abandon its ballistic missile development plans that threatens US allies in the Middle East. Kharrazi said defiantly that "the unilateral policies of the United States and the three European member states of the JCPOA to stop Iran's peaceful nuclear activity has always led to adverse results," adding that Tehran is adamant to continue its efforts to develop nuclear technology with even more determination. He called the vote against Iran by the IAEA Board of Governors part of the United States plan to extend the arms embargo against Iran at the United Nations Security Council. To prove that measures against Iran may not be fruitful Kharrazi reiterated that Iran managed to increase the number of its centrifuges to 19,000 in the late 2000s despite opposition by the EU Trio and when the West refused to give Iran 20 percent enriched Uranium for the Tehran reactor, Iran went ahead and enriched Uranium at the 20 percent level. This sounds like a threat that if pressure increases on Iran it might increase both the quantity and the degree of its uranium enrichment. He also added that the Rouhani administration did not remain silent after the U.S. pull-out from the JCPOA and designed powerful new centrifuges 20 times more powerful than the early generations and suspended some of its other obligations under the nuclear deal. Kharrazi added that the centrifuges enable Iran to take more significant steps in reaction to the West's measures. A blast and fire on Thursday morning ruined part of a building in Natanz where the new centrifuges were being assembled and balanced, said Iran's nuclear energy organization chief Behrouz Kamalvandi on 2 July. Immediately after the event, Iran threatened on several media platforms that it "will change its policy in case the West crosses Iran's red lines." But it did not say exactly what Tehran will do and did not even clarify what it meant by red lines. The statement was attributed to the Supreme Council of National Security, but the Council did shy away from acknowledging it was the source of the vague statement. Despite the "incident" as Kamalvandi called it, Kharrazi said on Friday Iran can manufacture and operate many more centrifuges and boost its production of enriched uranium within a short period of time. He added that following the suspension of its obligations, Iran has produced more than 1,500 Kilograms of enriched uranium. However, he did not mention that this was in breach of the 300 Kilogram cap Iran is allowed to produce under the JCPOA. Using the defiant jargon once again, Kharrazi reiterated that "neither economic sanctions nor the arms embargo can stop Iran," adding that in spite of the U.S. maximum pressure policy Iran has had undeniable successes in producing weapons. He was probably referring to the overhauled 1970s F-5 aircraft and T-72 tanks Iran put on display last week as "modernized" weapons. President Emmanuel Macron has demanded that Franco-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah, whom Tehran has sentenced to six years in prison, be released immediately. "One year ago, Farida Adelkhah was arbitrarily arrested in Iran. It is unacceptable that she is still in prison," Macron tweeted on June 5. "My message to Iranian authorities: justice demands that our compatriot be immediately released," Macron said in his tweet marking the one-year anniversary of Adelkhahs arrest. Adelkhah, 60, was sentenced in May to six years in prison on charges relating to security. Iranian officials said last year that Adelkhah, a prominent anthropologist who often traveled to Iran for research, had been arrested on espionage charges. In March, a prisoner exchange was carried out between Iran and France, swapping researcher Roland Marchal for engineer Jalal Ruhollahnejad. But there has been little indication that Adelkhah will be released in a similar manner. Iran has rejected previous calls to release Adelkhah calling the demands amounted to interference in Tehran's internal affairs. Iran does not recognize dual nationality. "This ongoing situation can only have a negative impact on the bilateral relations between France and Iran, and can only significantly reduce the trust between our two countries," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement on June 4. Relations between France and Iran remain tense over Iran's nuclear activities, its ballistic missile program, and regional influence. Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP On day seventeen of the new round of strikes at Haft Tappeh agro-industrial complex on Wednesday, workers took to the streets in Shush and chanted slogans about poverty and hunger and against President Hassan Rouhani. Videos posted on social media show a large group of masked workers protesting and chanting "Unity, unity", "Death to Rouhani", "Workers will die but not be humiliated". The protesting workers are organized by Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate, one of the few large workers' unions established in 1974. They also want two members of the syndicate who were sacked by the owners to return to work. The workers are on strike because the owners of the huge sugarcane industries have not paid their wages for three months and failed to renew their health insurance among other things. The massive agro-industrial complex which was founded in the 1960s in the oil-rich Khuzestan Province, is the oldest sugar mill in Iran. The mill was privatized under questionable circumstances in 2015. The workers of the mill want its ownership to return to the government as huge debts have built up since the new owners with dubious records took over. The owners are also involved in a $1.5 billion FOREX corruption case. In one of the sessions of the trial, the prosecutor alleged that Omid Assadbeigi, the CEO of the company and one of its owners, has deliberately not paid the workers wages as a tool to put pressure on the court to acquit him, presumably being aware of the complications that workers' protests and strikes will create for the government. In the latest session of his trial, Assadbeigi claimed that the government had mistreated the owners and created unjustified legal cases against them. According to the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), workers are also worried about the spread of coronavirus among them. "40 of our colleagues are now in isolation due to COVID-19," one of the workers was quoted by ILNA as saying. ILNA also on Wednesday reported that the Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare has ordered to renew the health insurance of all of the workers of Haft Tappeh. An official of the local Welfare Department confirmed to ILNA that workers were last paid their wages in early March. According to the official, the agro-industrial complex employs 3,380 full-time and contract workers as well as 2,500 seasonal workers. Another official told ILNA that the government is arranging for the payment of one-month's wages to the workers within a week. Burglars have "cleaned out" the Museum of Anthropology of old Tehran without leaving traces, the state-run Iran Students News Agency, ISNA, reports. The museum is in a mansion called Sara-ye Kazemi in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Tehran. The burglary took place three weeks ago and it is not clear why law enforcement and media did not report it earlier. A cultural heritage activist, Arash Saberi, told ISNA news agency that the burglar hid in the museum for several hours on June 8, and removed all artifacts by midnight, cleaning out the showcases full of valuable objects before dawn. Mr. Saberi estimated the value of the stolen pieces as "about thirty billion rials (more than $700,000)." Sarai Kazemi is an old mansion in the historical neighborhood of the 12th district of the Iranian capital city, Tehran. Following reconstruction and restoration, the estate was inaugurated as the "House-Museum of Old Tehran", " including an anthropology museum. The house, visited by tens of thousands of local and foreign tourists every year, is magnificent 19th century mansion once owned by Haj Sayyed Kazem, who worked for the Qajar royal dynasty. Last year, a Jewish synagogue was twice robbed in the old part of Tehran. Since then, nobody is allowed to visit it. Iranian Jewish community leaders in the U.S. confirmed reports that on February 28, 2019, three antique Torah scrolls were stolen by unknown burglars from the centuries-old Ezra Yagoub synagogue located inside Tehran's old Jewish ghetto. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 3 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 52 times, Trend reports on July 3 referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 3 Trend: The cooperation of Azerbaijan and Ukraine within the framework of international organizations is at a high level, as was noted during a meeting of the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Amina Dzhaparova with Ambassador of Azerbaijan to this country Elmira Akhundova, Trend reports on July 3. The meeting participants discussed, along with cooperation at international organizations, the political, economic, trade, transport, cultural ties of the two countries. Stressing that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Azerbaijan provided the greatest support to Ukraine, Dzhaparova expressed her gratitude to Azerbaijan. She also noted that Ukraine is looking forward to the official visit of Azerbaijans president. Touching upon the importance of further strengthening cooperation between GUAM member countries, Amina Dzhaparova pointed out the importance of holding a next meeting between heads of Azerbaijani and Ukrainian governments within the framework of this organization. Elmira Akhundova noted that she would make every effort to further expand and deepen existing ties between the two countries. She added that Azerbaijan and Ukraine support each other in a bilateral format and at international organizations, expressing gratitude to Kyiv for the position demonstrated on the issue of territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of Azerbaijan. The ambassador also emphasized that Ukraines support for Azerbaijans fair position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on an international platform testifies to the high level of relations between the two countries. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 3 Trend: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev sent a letter to US President Donald Trump. It is on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan that I wish to cordially congratulate you and the friendly people of the United States on the occasion of July 4 Independence Day, the Azerbaijani president added. Azerbaijan and the United States of America have enjoyed the ties of successful cooperation for the past 30 years, President Aliyev added. Throughout these years, American companies have played a substantial role in the development of the energy sector, information and communication technology and other key spheres in our country. Furthermore, our countries have forged an exemplary engagement in the area of strengthening international security and fighting terrorism, the Azerbaijani president said. I am confident that through our joint efforts the friendly ties and the partnership between Azerbaijan and the United States will continue to expand. We hope that the United States of America, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, will step up its efforts with regard to the early and fair settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and the principles of the Helsinki Final Act, based on Azerbaijans territorial integrity, sovereignty, and inviolability of its borders, President Aliyev said. I wish to state once again that the people of Azerbaijan remain in solidarity with the friendly American people as the world faces challenging times during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Azerbaijani president said. On this memorable day, I wish strong health and success to you, and everlasting prosperity to the United States of America, President Aliyev said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 3 By Samir Ali Trend: During the initial period of the pandemic, employees of the Azerbaijani Management Union of Medical Territorial Units (TABIB) were sent to Azerbaijans Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, where they assessed the situation, TABIB Chairman Ramin Bayramli said. Bayramli made the remark during a briefing of the Operational Headquarters under the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers in Baku on July 3, Trend reports. A modern testing laboratory has been created in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, the chairman said. So far, 9,290 tests have been carried out, as a result of which 142 infected people have been detected. Of them, 126patients recovered and 11 died. Currently, medical treatment of five patients is underway, Bayramli added. Prime Minister Gaston Browne (right) got a boost of support for his suggestion of establishing a new airline, from St. Lucias Prime Minister Allen Chastanet. There will be no monopoly of air travel in the region. This is the expressed position of Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne, in response to a suggestion that the Trinidad and Tobago owned Caribbean Airlines should take over LIAT. LIAT, the cash-strapped, debt-ridden regional airline whose principal shareholders are the government of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and is headquartered in Antigua, is heading for liquidation. Talk of Caribbean Airlines replacing LIAT as the major inter-island connecting air service in the region reportedly surfaced in certain circles, as a response to PM Brownes suggestion that a new entity be established to replace LIAT, and that the name LIAT be retained. Browne must have been put off by his colleague and Chairman of the Government Shareholder group, PM of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Dr. Ralph Gonsalves who made it clear, inter alia, when he spoke after last weekend meeting of LIATs shareholders and Director, "Im not getting involved in arguments about if there is a new airline, regional airline, where it is to be located, what private sector should be involved. However, PM Browne must have been well pleased to learn that St. Lucia has said it will support a new regional airline, if one is to emerge from the dissolution of LIAT. St. Lucias Prime Minister Allen Chastanet is reported by Antigua News Room, an Antigua Online News Agency, to have given that assurance. "If the airline has a very well selected board; a board that understands business, particularly aviation and one the company is allowed to make all the necessary business decisions and we are not just going to be a shareholder attending a meeting If we see the executive not doing a good job and the executive can be fired, then St Lucia will support such a venture, PM Chastanet is reported to have said. This statement is indicative of a position the St. Lucian Prime Minister has articulated on many occasions in the past, which he had often coupled with a vehement repetition that his country was not going to pump money into a debt-ridden LIAT. The St Lucia prime minister noted that there are some territories Dominica, St Vincent, and the Grenadines for example which depend on islands such as St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados for their link to the international routes, and determining the types of aircraft that is best suited for these routes is critically important. "There are some hard economic rules that must be followed and observed, he stated. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 3 By Tamilla Mammadova - Trend: Trend's exclusive interview with Georgian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Zurab Pataradze Dynamics of Georgian-Azerbaijani relations Bilateral relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan are developing rapidly, said Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Azerbaijan Zurab Pataradze. "There are big positive breakthroughs in our bilateral relations, and, I think, in the future, these relations will develop, strengthen and expand. The dynamics of Georgian-Azerbaijani relations are very positive," the ambassador added. According to him, the development of trade and economic relations between the two countries is one of the important areas of bilateral cooperation. "I want to note that in 2019, Georgia and Azerbaijan reached a new level of cooperation, overcoming a certain psychological barrier of over $1 billion in trade turnover. I believe that this is not the limit, and we have great opportunities and potential for cooperation in new areas," said Pataradze. Azerbaijan is one of the main investors in Georgia, he stressed. Having noted significant importance of regional projects and relations, Pataradze emphasized that mutually beneficial cooperation between the business communities of Georgia and Azerbaijan is also developing dynamically. "Many Azerbaijani companies are registered in Georgia, as well as a significant number of Georgian companies operate in Azerbaijan. I think we have great potential in this regard, too. Our countries continue to create new joint ventures, identify new areas for cooperation," he noted. Pataradze reminded that Georgia has signed a free trade agreement with the European Union and China, which opens possibilities to create new joint ventures. Next Georgian-Azerbaijani business forum The next Azerbaijan-Georgia business forum will be held in the near future in an online format with the support of the ministries of economy of Azerbaijan and Georgia, Pataradze said. Pataradze added that the forum will discuss new areas of cooperation between the two countries and ways to create new enterprises, increase commodity circulation, attract more investments in the economies of both countries and develop their transit potential. "The Silk Road passes through the territory of our countries, and Georgia and Azerbaijan are actively cooperating with the goal of increasing freight traffic from third countries including China, India and Central Asia states," the ambassador said adding that both countries have good prospects in this field. Cooperation in the field of energy "The South Gas Corridor (SGC) project, which provides for the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, will help attract additional investments in Georgia," Pataradze said. "We are very pleased that the implementation of the South Gas Corridor project is in its final stages," the ambassador said noting its geopolitical importance for both countries. The Southern Gas Corridor is an integral part of the strategy for developing transit and economic potential of our countries. The project contributes to the creation of new jobs, implementation of infrastructure projects and economic development, and it also increases revenue to the budget, the ambassador said. The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) actively participates in new projects implemented in Georgia by gas supplies, Georgian ambassador to Azerbaijan added. Patarazde said that gas supply including gas supply to high regions of the country is one of the priorities in the socio-economic development of Georgia, which contributes to the expansion of tourism infrastructure and the construction of new facilities. "We are building new ski resorts and set up new enterprises; therefore, an uninterrupted supply of gas is among the key factors contributing to the country's development. SOCAR is actively cooperating with us in this sphere," Pataradze explained. At the same time, SOCAR is one of the main taxpayers of the country, the ambassador noted. According to Pataradze, SOCAR is actively involved in many areas including implementation of social projects. "SOCAR is our reliable partner and we are confident that this cooperation will deepen and the projects launched will continue," the ambassador said. Prospects of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project for Georgia and Azerbaijan Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway is one of the important projects that is reaching a new level today, said. The number of goods transported via the railway is growing day by day, Pataradze added. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway helps increase the transit potential of our countries, the ambassador said adding that it is a good alternative to many other routes. "The railway corridor has a great future, and we must make every effort to increase the recognition of this project," he noted. Cooperation of Georgia and Azerbaijan in the port sector Azerbaijan is taking very wise steps to diversify its economic potential, Pataradze stated. According to him, one of the components of the economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Georgia is to increase the countries' transit potential. The important economic gateway between our countries is the ports through which a large amount of cargo passes. Communication between the Caspian and Black Seas is very important, and sea transportation between our countries is increasing from year to year, the ambassador said. Pataradze noted that an important area of cooperation between the ports of the two countries is the implementation of the single window principle. "This will enable both countries to monitor all cargoes arriving at our ports online to ensure prompt delivery of goods," he said. Prospects for Georgian-Azerbaijani relations amid coronavirus pandemic During each crisis, new areas of interest are revealed, and in this regard, Azerbaijan and Georgia will make every effort to bring these opportunities to life, Georgian ambassador said. He praised the state bodies of both countries, which are taking steps to provide assistance to their needy citizens. "During the pandemic, freight traffic between the two countries did not stop for a day. Georgia and Azerbaijan are making every effort to ensure that all goods reach their destinations," the ambassador said. Cooperation in tourism Tourism plays a significant role in Georgian-Azerbaijani relations, Pataradze said. "Georgia positively ended 2019 from the point of view of the tourism industry; over 9 million tourists visited our country. I think this is not the limit and these figures will continue to grow, while tourism potential between our countries will also increase," said the ambassador. According to Pataradze, by the decision of both parties, work is underway to create a single tourist route between Azerbaijan and Georgia, including the creation of a single tourist package for citizens of third countries willing to visit Azerbaijan and Georgia at the same time as part of their vacation. "That is, if a person has a ten-day tour package to one country, then he or she can rest five days in Georgia and spend five days in Azerbaijan, get to know the culture of both countries and taste the wonderful Azerbaijani and Georgian cuisines," the ambassador noted. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356 Pakistan is one of handful of countries that does not recognize Armenia due to its occupation of our lands and does not establish diplomatic relations with Armenia - President Aliyev BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 3 By Nargiz Ismayilova - Trend: Azerbaijan and Indonesia will sign a memorandum in the field of energy, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry. This statement was made during a meeting held through videoconference between Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Indonesia to Azerbaijan Husnan Bey Fananie. The current state and prospects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Indonesia in the energy sector were also discussed during the meeting. The issues of cooperation between SOCAR and Pertamina on the development of oil and gas fields were considered," said the ministry. The parties highlighted readiness for the signing of Memorandum about Mutual Understanding on energy cooperation between the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia. The sides noted the expediency of signing the document during the visit of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia to Azerbaijan. Since 2007, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has been exporting crude oil to Indonesia. From 2007 through 2019, the company delivered a total of 25.1 million tons of crude oil to the country. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsmailovaNargis BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 3 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: As many as 2,566 people have been infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past 24 hours in Iran, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Trend reports citing the ministry. According to Sadat Lari, 154 people have died from the coronavirus over the past day. Sadat Lari added that the condition of 3,123 people is critical. So far, more than 1.74 million tests have been conducted in Iran for the diagnosis of coronavirus. Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 235,400 people have been infected 11,260 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 196,400 have reportedly recovered from the disease. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease. The Islamic Republic of Iran only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. Switzerland will open borders for Georgian citizens from July 20, Embassy of Switzerland to Georgia said, Trend reports citing Georgian First Channel. The new regulations and rules for entry will be posted on the Embassys web-page. The borders were closed as part of the restrictions imposed across the country due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, and will remain closed till July 20. The Tobago Cays Marine Park (TCMP) has received a grant of XCD$131,360.00 from St Vincent and the Grenadines Conservation Fund (SVGCF). The grant, in response to a project proposal title Enhancement of resource management capacity within the Tobago Cays Marine Park, is earmarked for use to enhance the institutional capacity of the TCMP, so that it is better equipped to fulfil its mandate to protect and conserve the resources of the Tobago Cays, while being environmentally friendly and climate smart. The project will be executed over a one year period driven by the objectives: to reduce the emissions and increase fuel efficiency of operations by at least 20%; increase institutional capacity by training at least four park rangers in water-based activities, monitoring marine resources and maintaining moorings towards creating a fully trained and equipped team of rangers at the park; and to establish a comprehensive biophysical (conch, coral reef, sea turtle) monitoring programme. By way of tangibles, the project will deliver new dive equipment, biophysical monitoring equipment, and two 60hp (4-stroke) outboard engines for the TCMP patrol vessel. A virtual launching of the project was held on Tuesday June 16th with remarks from Director of Grenadines Affairs Mr. Edwin Snagg, Chairman of the SVGCF Mr. Michael John and Lesroy Noel Manager of TCMP. John described the Park as world class, encouraged that students be educated about it and reminded that in as much as the project will deliver tangibles, it was also development human resources and education. Noel presented the project as being consistent with and helping to address a number of St. Vincent and the Grenadines regional and international commitments and national biodiversity priorities. "The conservation measures implemented within the TCMP addresses SVGs attempts to address over-exploitation of plant and animal species, habitat loss or fragmentation and global climate change as articulated in the National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan for St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Noel said.Noel also explained that the management of the TCMP is responsible for the conservation and sustainable use of the resources, so as to preserve the historical aspects while developing novel livelihood opportunities for the people of the Grenadines and SVG as a whole. The Tobago Cays Marine Park is the only marine protected area (MPA) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). The main management office is located on Union Island with a satellite office on Mayreau, and is staffed by nineteen permanent workers including a manager, an accountant, administrative officers and a team of park rangers. The Park is located approximately 5 miles sailing east of Union Island and is a 6,450 hectare multiuse land and sea MPA which include five primary uninhabited Cays: Petite Tabac, Petite Bateau, Petite Rameau, Baradal, and Jamesbyand the inhabited Island of Mayreau. The Saudi-led coalition involved in a war in Yemen intercepted on Friday four bomb-laden drones launched by Houthi rebels, Trend reports citing Xinhua. The coalition spokesperson Turki Al Maliki said in a statement on the Saudi Press Agency that the drones were targeting Saudi Arabia and three of them were destroyed in Yemen. He said that the coalition forces are capable of tackling Houthi militia's threats to protect civilians as per international law. The Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir told a press conference on Monday that Houthis have carried out 1,659 attacks on Saudi Arabia in the past five years, using a variety of weapons, including 318 ballistic missiles, 371 drones, 64 explosive boats and 153 naval mines. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 3 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Turkey and Uzbekistan will cooperate in the military sphere, a source in the Turkish presidential administration told Trend on July 3. According to the source, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ratified an agreement on military cooperation with Uzbekistan. The source noted that cooperation between the military academies of the two countries will be established. "Turkish military universities will accept students from Uzbekistan," the source said. Under the agreement, Turkish students also will be able to study at the military academies of Uzbekistan. The agreement between Ankara and Tashkent on military cooperation was signed on July 26, 2017, added the source. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jul. 3 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Kazakhstan is one of the top countries for job seekers from Turkey, Turkish Employment Agency (ISKUR) told Trend. According to the agency, the number of Turkish citizens looking for job in Kazakhstan considerably rose from January through May 2020. The number of Turkish citizens visiting Kazakhstan to find work through ISKUR surged by 116 percent in the first 5 months of 2020, compared to the same period in 2019. Some 428 Turkish citizens visited Kazakhstan via ISKUR during the reporting period. In general, 4,288 Turkish citizens went abroad via ISKUR, which is 50.2 percent less than from January through May 2019. In May 2020, 41,235 citizens were provided with jobs through this agency in Turkey. Some 35.6 percent of the total number of employed citizens accounted for women and 64.4 percent for men. In May 2020, 97.1 percent of the total number of citizens provided with jobs accounted for the private sector, ISKUR said. The number of unemployed in Turkey in the reporting month amounted to over 3.5 million people, 48.4 percent of which are women, and 51.6 percent are men. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Turkish ministers on Friday said the death toll in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Turkey's northwestern province of Sakarya rose to four and the number of wounded people to 108, Trend reports citing Xinhua. Speaking to reporters on the scene in the Hendek district, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said so far four people were killed, and search and rescue operation is continuing. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca noted that a total of 108 people were wounded and rushed to hospitals, noting that 48 of them, with minor injuries, were later discharged. A huge explosion occurred at 11:15 a.m. local time (0815 GMT) at the factory, which contains 110 tons of explosive materials. The main blast was followed by a series of other explosions, preventing firefighters from controlling the fire and launching a rescue operation. The authorities urged the citizens to leave the region and stay indoors as the chemicals in the smoke can affect health. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority announced that the incident should be considered as an industrial accident, and no radiation source has been detected at the factory. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday that the countrys tax system needs to be reformed so that those who are in the highest income tax (IRPF) bracket, as well as large companies, pay larger contributions. In an interview with Spanish television channel La Sexta, the Socialist Party (PSOE) leader said that a tax hike on large companies was inevitable, given that they pay less than a 10% rate. The comments came as Spain struggles with the financial fallout of the coronavirus crisis, which has devastated the tourism industry, and led to the largest first quarterly drop in gross domestic product (GDP) in nearly a century. The prime minister announced an additional 50 billion in loans for small businesses and self-employed workers In a bid to address this crisis and create a fairer tax system, Sanchez also raised the possibility of increasing value-added tax (VAT), as recommended by the Bank of Spain in its Annual Report. According to Sanchez, Spain must close its fiscal gap with Europe if it is to strengthen the countrys welfare system in areas such as public healthcare. In Spain, the tax burden the total tax revenue as a percentage of GDP is 39%. This is six points below the European average, which translates to 80 billion in taxes a year. Sanchez said that Spain will make adjustments in the short term, once the coronavirus recovery effort is underway, in accordance with the recommendations from EU institutions and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The prime minister also announced on Thursday that an additional 50 billion in loans will be made available to small businesses and self-employed workers through the state-owned lender Instituto de Credito Espanol (ICO). The government is also focused on the European Commissions 750 billion recovery package which must be approved by the 27-member bloc. Sanchez said he will meet with the leaders of Sweden and the Netherlands to make Spains position known. Spain will contribute 9% to this fund, much more than the 6% that the Netherlands is contributing, he said. According to Sanchez, Spain must close its fiscal gap with Europe if it is to strengthen the countrys welfare system The Netherlands is one of the staunchest critics of the plan, forming part of the so-called frugal four with Austria, Denmark and Sweden, which have blocked previous attempts to approve the aid package. If the coronavirus recovery plan is approved, Spain may receive a total of 140 billion to help shore up its economy, which is expected to contract by up to 13%, according to the Bank of Spain. Sanchez also said the government was focused on passing a new budget by the end of the year. The prime minister leads a minority government led by his party and backed by junior partner Unidas Podemos, meaning he needs the support of other groups to pass legislation such as the budget. In 2019, Sanchez failed to secure enough votes to pass his budget plans, which led to a snap general election in April, and a repeat vote in November. The prime minister said that he hopes to secure a wide margin of votes to approve the 2021 plans: Unity must be the obligation for the government and the opposition, he told La Sexta. On the question of Unidas Podemos, Sanchez said he had no doubt the party was a loyal partner, and insisted that his government would see out its four-year term, arguing the coalition is stronger than ever. English version by Melissa Kitson. The severity of coronavirus cases that are being detected in Spain is falling in step with the average age of those being infected. Two months ago, nearly one in every four positive cases 23 to 24% required hospitalization, but now that figure has fallen to 8%, which is less than one in every 10. The explanation can be found in the profile of the new infections: they are increasingly young. At the beginning of May, the average age of detected cases was over 60. New cases currently are being found at an average age of 47 in men, and 50 in women. Now they are milder because the vulnerable groups are more protected, explained Fernando Simon, the director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts (CCAES), speaking on Thursday evening. Among the cases detected in recent days, 56 were imported i.e. from travelers who had arrived from outside of Spain The less serious nature of the cases can also be seen in the percentage of patients whose condition worsens, and who have to be admitted to intensive care units. Two months ago this figure was at 3.5 to 4%, but now it is as low as 1.5 to 2%, according to the latest data supplied by Simon on Thursday evening. The majority of new infections are being detected among healthy and young people who are of working age, he added. The most vulnerable part of the population, seniors and those with pre-existing conditions, are likely taking more care and are less exposed to infection. Despite the fact that new infections are being detected in practically all of Spains regions, Simon explained that uncontrolled community transmission is falling week by week in Spain. He added that last week the trend for new infections rose slightly due to new outbreaks detected in three provinces, but that it appears that this trend is reversing. Efforts to detect cases in these three outbreaks helped to achieve this, with testing revealing a number of asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus. The daily report on the pandemic from the Health Ministry released on Thursday shows that there were 297 new cases with symptoms detected in the last week, and 134 cases diagnosed on Wednesday many of them asymptomatic. Simon pointed out that more than 60% of new cases detected are asymptomatic, which is a positive indicator, given that it shows that the detection of infections from identified cases is rising. Five new coronavirus-related deaths were registered in the previous 24 hours, according to Thursdays report, bringing the official death toll from the pandemic in Spain to 28,368. I think that we are doing a very good job of detecting cases but we know that we are not detecting 100% of them Fernando Simon, the director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts Among the cases detected in recent days, 56 were imported i.e. from travelers who had arrived from outside of Spain. These cases, combined with those from declared outbreaks, explain a good part of the new infections, but not all of them. For example, they do not explain what has happened in the Madrid region, which is yet to report any new outbreaks in its territory despite being, along with Catalonia, the area that is diagnosing the most cases. In recent days, it has reported between 25 and 40 cases detected the day before, with a total of 335 in the last seven days. Asked by journalists about Madrid, Simon described the situation in that region and in Barcelona as a little strange, given that they were not reporting new outbreaks despite having such large populations. Could this mean that Madrid is not detecting them? Just as any other region could not be, he replied. I think that we are doing a very good job of detecting cases but we know that we are not detecting 100% of them, Simon added. There are currently 58 outbreaks in Spain that have been detected, but the majority are perfectly under control and will mostly be brought under control in the coming days, Simon explained. Of greatest concern, he continued, are those in Huesca given the scale and the type of population affected, and those in Lleida. The CCAES director added that in these cases, its better to overreact than to come up short. English version by Simon Hunter. KYODO NEWS - Jul 3, 2020 - 19:46 | All, Japan Lawmakers from Japan's ruling party said Friday they will urge the government to cancel Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit, citing concerns over Beijing's crackdown on dissidents in Hong Kong under a new national security law. Senior members of the Liberal Democratic Party's two committees on foreign affairs drew up a draft resolution decrying the law, which took effect Tuesday and was quickly used to arrest protestors. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe leads the party. "We cannot just stand by and watch. We voice our strong condemnation (of the law)," the resolution said. "We cannot help but doubt whether fundamental values such as freedom, human rights and democracy will be upheld" in Hong Kong. The resolution also calls on the government to explore ways to help Hong Kong residents who fear Chinese oppression move to Japan, for example, by making it easier for them to obtain work visas here. The committees are expected to formally adopt the resolution next week and submit it to the office of Abe, who is viewed as being right-wing by Beijing. China immediately reacted to the LDP's resolution, saying the party lawmakers "have long been accustomed to making irresponsible remarks about internal affairs of other nations." "Their anti-Chinese performances have no meaning to China. We have no time and no interest to deal with them," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing. Xi's visit, which would include a summit with Abe as well as a meeting with Emperor Naruhito and a banquet at the Imperial Palace, had been slated to take place this spring but was postponed due to the global coronavirus pandemic. The resolution by the LDP's Foreign Affairs Division and Research Commission on Foreign Affairs reflects growing calls within the party and its conservative base to cancel Xi's trip outright. In an earlier resolution adopted in late May, LDP lawmakers asked the Abe government to "reconsider" the invitation. Yasuhide Nakayama, head of the Foreign Affairs Division, told reporters the lawmakers felt strongly that China's actions warranted taking a tough stand. On the timing of Xi's visit, Abe said last month, "We will continue to maintain communication with China, but for now, at least, we have yet to reach a stage where we can arrange a specific date." The National People's Congress Standing Committee, China's top legislative body, on Tuesday unanimously passed the national security law, which prohibits acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces in Hong Kong. Countries including the United States, Britain and Japan have strongly criticized the move, saying it erodes freedoms and goes against the promise of a "high degree of autonomy" in the former British colony for 50 years after its return to China in 1997. Relations between the Japanese and Chinese governments have been improving in recent years by the effective shelving of a territorial dispute in the East China Sea. Related coverage: U.S. Congress passes bill to penalize China banks over Hong Kong law China threatens Britain, U.S. with countermeasures over Hong Kong FOCUS: Japan caught in dilemma over Hong Kong in ties with mainland China By Chananthorn Kamjan and Petchanet Pratruangkrai, KYODO NEWS - Jul 3, 2020 - 09:22 | World, All It is a year since Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha returned to power in Thailand as a civilian leader, but his government already has its sights set on staying in power beyond the remaining three years of its term. The first 12 months have presented many challenges for the Prayut regime, including anti-government protests and the coronavirus pandemic, which has sent the Southeast Asian economy into a tailspin. The government claims it has launched numerous projects and packages to help people over the past year, while mega infrastructure schemes such as a high-speed rail link between the country's major airports are proceeding apace. Some opinion polls show Thais are fairly satisfied with the performance of Prayut, the former junta leader, though they question the government's track record on transparency as well as checks and balances within parliament. Yutthaporn Issarachai, a political science lecturer at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, says the government scores six out of 10 for its performance, citing a lack of progress in its promise to heal rifts in domestic politics. Prayut had made this pledge when the military, led by the then army chief, staged a coup and seized power from a civilian government in 2014, after years of fractious political infighting. In February, the Prayut government faced a near crisis after the Constitutional Court dissolved the country's second-largest opposition party and banned its 16 executives from participating in politics for 10 years. Groups of students held rallies criticizing the Future Forward Party's dissolution as politically motivated, accusing the government of engaging in a conspiracy to crush the burgeoning opposition party. Then the country was hit by coronavirus. Despite a clumsy initial response, the government guided the country away from the precipice after imposing a state of emergency in late March. Related coverage: FOCUS: Thais adjust daily life to new normal that prioritizes public health Thai gov't OKs Thai Airways' rehabilitation via bankruptcy court The decree was quickly followed by a nighttime curfew, along with the closure of schools and restaurants, to keep the spread of the virus in check. The country, which reported a one-day high of 188 confirmed cases on March 22, gradually saw a decline in infections and fatalities over the following weeks. Meanwhile, the government moved to draw up stimulus packages to prop up the economy, while financial assistance poured into businesses and to help people affected by the lockdowns. Yutthaporn acknowledged the government's handling of the pandemic means it has likely done enough to ride out its four-year term, but that it is too far ahead to predict if it can secure a second stint in 2023. Political and military sources agree with Yutthaporn's assessment, saying the government is confident of surviving the first term due to keeping the virus under control, and because parliamentary opposition is weak. In a bid to ensure it retains power, the government has begun laying the ground for a second term, in particular last weekend's leadership change in the ruling Palang Pracharath Party. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, a former army chief known in military circles as Prayut's big brother, became party leader at the expense of finance minister Uttama Savanayana. The leadership change is seen to signpost a Cabinet reshuffle, which is rumored to be coming in August or September. Student-led anti-government protests are expected to continue but are unlikely to upend the political landscape, one of the sources said. Parit Chiwarak, one of the student leaders who organized flashmob-style protests over the dissolution of the opposition party this year, said students will hold further demonstrations. He accused the government of using "various mechanisms to cling onto power" while trampling on society's basic rights. Some of the biggest unknowns include whether the government can weather the economic whiplash brought on by the impact of the pandemic, and if there could be a post-pandemic backlash over its handling of it. Kalin Sarasin, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand, said the government's overall performance over the past year was moderate given the global economy has faced sluggish growth. He lauded the regime for its handling of public health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it did a good job of protecting people and helping relieve the impact on all sectors. "I expect to see more efficiency and concrete measures in stimulating the economy, and a long-term plan for promoting the country's sustainable growth," Kalin said. Kalin suggested the government should focus on making Thailand more competitive, narrowing the income gap, promoting tourism and trade, and continuing to expand trade on bilateral and multilateral tracks, among other areas. Yet, Aat Pisanwanich, director of the International Trade Studies Center at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said the government has performed poorly on the economy. "Many economic-related problems still need to be solved or improved, including the declining price of agricultural products, and declining trade competitiveness," he said, suggesting the government reshuffle its economic team to better tackle these. KYODO NEWS - Jul 3, 2020 - 14:45 | All, Japan A woman with visual impairment filed a lawsuit Friday against the Japanese government, demanding it pay 33 million yen ($307,000) in damages for forcing her to undergo sterilization in 1977 under the now-defunct eugenics protection law. "I want the state to apologize. I wanted to have a third child," Chieko Muto, 71, a resident of the central Japan city of Hamamatsu, told reporters after filing the suit with the Hamamatsu branch of the Shizuoka District Court. Muto has argued she endured significant mental distress, and that the 1948 law was unconstitutional. Soon after giving birth to her second child in 1977, a hospital told Muto that she might pass an eye disease onto a third child and forced her to undergo sterilization, according to the plaintiff. Across Japan, 24 other plaintiffs filed similar lawsuits against the government at eight district courts since the first such suit was filed in January 2018. In the first ruling among the lawsuits, the Sendai District Court in May last year determined the law was unconstitutional but rejected the 71.5 million yen damages claim filed by two women in their 60s and 70s in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan. In a separate lawsuit, the Tokyo District Court in June rejected a 77-year-old Tokyo man's 30 million yen damages claim, deeming that the statute of limitations expired 20 years after his surgery conducted in 1957. The court did not rule on whether the law was unconstitutional. From 1948 and 1996, Japan's eugenics law authorized the sterilization of people with intellectual disabilities, mental illnesses or hereditary disorders to prevent births of "inferior" offspring. Japan's parliament enacted legislation in April last year to pay 3.2 million yen state compensation to each person who underwent forced sterilization. KYODO NEWS - Jul 3, 2020 - 10:17 | World, All Cambodia, host of this year's Asia-Europe Meeting, is set to delay the political forum's biennial summit from mid-November to the spring of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, a diplomatic source said Friday. The Nov. 16-17 summit in Phnom Penh was going to be the first opportunity for major political leaders to get together after the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3. Cambodia's decision may affect the timing of other regional summits such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering, both slated for November. ASEM brings together 51 countries from across Europe and Asia -- 30 from Europe and 21 from Asia -- which collectively account for 60 percent of the global population as well as the same percentage of the global economy and international trade. The United States is not a member of the framework. The last biennial ASEM summit took place in Brussels in October 2018, with leaders such as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev taking part. It is thought Cambodia will suggest the summit be held in May or June next year, the source said, adding the nation emphasizes the value of a face-to-face gathering over a teleconference. New Delhi: Online travel firm MakeMyTrip will acquire rival ibibo in an equity deal that will create one of the leading travel groups in India. South Africa's Naspers and China's Tencent Holdings are selling ibibo Group to MakeMyTrip in exchange for an issuance of new shares by MakeMyTrip, the company said in a statement. Upon closing of the transaction, MakeMyTrip will own 100 per cent of ibibo Group. Naspers and Tencent will become the single largest shareholder in MakeMyTrip, owning a 40 per cent stake and will contribute proportionate working capital upon closing, it added. Additionally, prior to closing, a USD 180 million, 5-year convertible notes issued by MakeMyTrip to Ctrip.com International Ltd in January 2016 will also be converted into common equity, resulting in Ctrip having an approximately 10 per cent stake in the combined entity, it added. The transaction is expected to close by the end of December 2016 and is subject to approval by MakeMyTrip shareholders and regulatory approvals. Commenting on the development, MakeMyTrip Founder Deep Kalra said: "We expect this deal to create an even more scalable business with the expertise to transform the booking experience for Indian travellers. I am delighted to be leading such a strong team in our next chapter of high-growth in this dynamic industry." The combination will bring together a bouquet of consumer travel brands, including MakeMyTrip, goibibo, redBus, Ryde and Rightstay, which together processed 34.1 mm transactions during FY 2016, MakeMyTrip said in a statement. "India is a key market for Naspers and this deal reinforces our commitment to the country. ibibo and MakeMyTrip have built leading companies through their innovative use of technology to create exceptional experiences for people traveling throughout India and, increasingly, beyond," Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk said. Following the closing of the proposed transaction, MakeMyTrip Founder Deep Kalra will remain Group CEO and Executive Chairman of the company and Co-founder Rajesh Magow will continue to remain CEO India of MakeMyTrip, it added. Founder and CEO of ibibo Group, Ashish Kashyap, will join MakeMyTrip's executive team as a Co-founder and President of the organisation, MakeMyTrip said. "Deep, Rajesh and I saw a great opportunity to join forces, and I am excited that this merger enables all of us to continue a great journey together as the leading travel group in India," ibibo Group CEO Ashish Kashyap said. Hyderabad: After MNS, Telangana BJP MLA Raja Singh has opposed screening of upcoming Bollywood film "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", starring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. Singh threatened that he would "attack" theatres in entire Telangana, starting from his constituency Goshamahal, if the film is screened there. "My idea is that a message should go to Pakistan in all possible ways about India's opposition and public anger against Pak-sponsored terrorism," Singh said. "There is widespread anger in the country against Pakistan at the moment following the neighbouring country's support to terrorism against India," the MLA claimed. He alleged that the tax paid by Pakistani actors to their country is used against India. The filmmaker should know that there are many talented actors in India itself, Singh said. The legislator said he is also "campaigning against China which is supporting Pakistan". Singh was in news earlier for opposing a proposed beef festival here. The Raj-Thackeray led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has opposed the movie and threatened to break glasses of film theatres screening it. "We will oppose the screening of the movie everywhere in the state (Maharashtra). If any multiplex operator dares to screen the film, they (operators) should remember that multiplexes are decorated with expensive glass sheets," MNS leader Amey Khopkar had said. Under pressure over opposition to the upcoming release of "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", Johar had yesterday said he will not "engage with talent" from Pakistan in future and made a fervent appeal against stalling the blockbuster. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Beijing: India has outmanoeuvred Pakistan by effectively branding it as a regional pariah during Goa BRICS-BIMSTEC summit where the country presented itself as a bright spot, strengthening its case for the NSG membership and a permanent seat in UNSC, state-run Chinese media said today. Given the uneasy background of Indo-Pak tension, which escalated last month, Indias inclusion of BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) bore even thicker geo-strategic connotations, an article in the state-run Global Times said. As India invited all countries in the region except Pakistan, it in effect consigned Pakistan to be a regional pariah, the article titled India uses BRICS to outmanoeuvre Pakistan, said. ALSO READ: (BRICS identifies state-sponsored terror and state-protected terrorism as biggest global challenge) Referring to Indias decision not to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit to be held in Islamabad after the Uri attack, it said, The collapse of the SAARC summit presented India a rare opportunity to get rid of any constraints Islamabad may have over the regional group, as the same group would soon gather in Goa in the absence of Pakistan. BIMSTEC also made a major difference for India at the Goa summit, it said. A major difference between the Goa summit and the previous ones was that New Delhi put the (BIMSTEC) in tandem with the BRICS meeting, it said. By bringing regional countries - Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan - together with the major emerging economies of the BRICS, the daily said, India breathed legitimacy and substance into an otherwise hallow and moribund acronym organisation. While the rest of the BRICS members would never openly endorse either side in the Indo-Pak tension, India in a way secured its stance vis--vis Pakistan by taking advantages of its agenda-setting powers for the summits, it said. While the prospect of BIMSTEC as a more effective alternative to SAARC remains ambiguous, a subcontinent grouping without Pakistan balancing and checking a dominant India may well raise suspicions and fear for smaller countries, it said. ALSO READ: (Pak reaction on Modi's 'mother-ship' comment: Sartzaz Aziz calls India financier of terrorism) The summit also helped India to push for its membership in the NSG, which was blocked by China, as well as for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council (UNSC), it said. The BRICS summit brings India an ideal mechanism to articulate and push for its reformist demands together with like-minded countries. This common front became particularly valuable for New Delhi, especially as its arduous bids for Nuclear Suppliers Groups (NSG) membership as well as for a permanent seat on an enlarged United Nation Security Council have both met frustration, it said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Paris: The UN cultural agency adopted a highly controversial Arab-sponsored resolution on Tuesday condemning Israel's actions at a flashpoint holy site in east Jerusalem which has sparked anger and fury in the Jewish state. The UNESCO resolution on "occupied Palestine" was drafted by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Sudan. It was endorsed on Teusday by the executive board after being approved at the committee stage last week. Referring throughout to Israel as "the occupying power,"it condemns Israel for restricting Muslims' access to theAl-Aqsa mosque compound -- Islam's third holiest site. But it is the language used to describe the Old City site, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews, that has infuriated Israel, which suspended its cooperation with theParis-based UN body last week. While acknowledging the importance of the Old City to "the three monotheistic religions" (Islam, Judaism andChristianity) the resolution refers throughout to the site byits Muslim names, Al-Aqsa or Al-Haram al-Sharif. Jews however revere it as the Temple Mount where theFirst and Second Temples once stood and the holiest site in Judaism. Palestine's deputy ambassador to UNESCO, Mounir Anastas, welcomed the adoption of the resolution, saying he hoped it would pressure Israeli authorities to "stop all their violations", particularly the excavation of sites in and around the Old City. But Israel's UNESCO ambassador, Carmel Shama Hacohen,accused the Palestinians of playing "games". "This is the wrong place to solve problems between countries or people," he told AFP. This is the second time this year that the UN agency,which accepted Palestine as a full member state in 2011, has been the focal point of tensions between Israel and Arab countries. In April, it passed a resolution condemning "Israeli aggressions and illegal measures against the freedom ofworship and Muslims' access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque". That led Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu topropose a "seminar on Jewish history" for UN staff in Israel. The atmosphere before the vote on Tuesday was soured further by threats received by telephone and on social media last week, a UNESCO official said. The text had created unease at the top of the organisation, with Michael Worbs, who chairs UNESCO'sexecutive board, saying he would have liked more time to work out a compromise. UNESCO chief Irina Bokova distanced herself from the resolutions, saying in a statement that "nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space." For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a first, India and China on Wednesday carried out a joint army exercise in eastern Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, a move that comes amid hectic diplomatic manoeuvring between the two countries over a host of issues like Nuclear Suppliers Group and designation of Masood Azhar as a terrorist by the UN. During the day long exercise on Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) a fictitious situation of earthquake striking an Indian Border village was painted. Thereafter joint teams carried out rescue operations, evacuation and rendering of medical assistance. This was done as a sequel to the first Joint Exercise held on February 6 in the area of Border Personnel Meeting Hut at Chushul Garrison of Eastern Ladakh, along with Chinese troops of Moldo Garrison. Indian and Chinese armies today held the second joint tactical exercise Sino India Cooperation 2016 A pic.twitter.com/LHrAFhrqj0 ANI (@ANI_news) October 19, 2016 Sources said that in February, the exercise was held in the Chinese side and this time in the Indian side along the line of Actual Control. The Indian team for the exercise was led by Brigadier R S Raman and that of the Chinese was led by Sr Col Fan Jun. The exercise was a great success and has not only refined the drills to provide succour to the border population in case of natural calamity but has also increased the level of trust and cooperation between the two border guarding forces along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh, the Army said in a statement here. The joint exercise, compliments the Hand in Hand series of the India-China joint exercises and the effort of both the nations to enhance cooperation and maintain peace and tranquillity along the border areas of India and China, it said. This years edition of Hand in Hand will be held at Aundh, near Pune in Maharashtra, from November 15 to 27. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Jammu: Security forces carried out a massive search operation at the Jammu airport after an input that two persons had entered the premises after scaling the airport wall, police said Wednesday. One person has been detained for questioning in this regard, sources said. A massive search operation was launched by security forces and police in and around the airport and IAF station after some inputs about suspected movement last night, a senior police officer said today. The IAF pressed into service helicopters armed with search lights during the night operation, he said. Some children in Azadnagar locality close to Airport in Jammu had informed the people that two suspected persons have breached the wall and entered airport area. The information was passed on to police. Personnel from the police, IAF, army, CRPF and Airport Authority of India (AAI) rushed to the area, which was cordoned off last evening and massive searches were undertaken. Jammu Airport houses IAF station (technical area) and airport complex and is jointly guarded by IAF, CRPF, AAI security setup round-the-clock. The search operation and information on suspected movement had triggered panic in localities around the airport including Gadigarh and Azadnagar areas. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In the wake of a major fire mishap at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar, AIIMS, which has witnessed two small fire incidents this year, today reviewed its fire safety measures and preparedness. Following a review meeting with all the officials of Delhi Fire Service, AIIMS Engineering Wing, Fire Supervisors and Security Personnel, the Deputy Director Administration of the AIIMS V Srinivas said, AIIMS fire preparedness is in accordance with the provisions of the Delhi Fire Services Act. The premier institute has witnessed two small electrical fires this year, both of which were due to UPS cables catching fire. The fires were extinguished and no major loss to property was reported, the AIIMS said in a statement. The recommendations made by the CISF in their Fire Preparedness Study of AIIMS have been fully implemented. There are 30 trained fire officers and supervisors deployed at the Main Hospital and various centres. Fire systems are well maintained and on auto-mode. All fire exists are fully operational. The fire supervisors have trained over 4,000 faculty, non-faculty and nursing personnel in 2016, the statement said. The Centre for Medical Education and Training AIIMS has conducted training programmes for 700 newly-recruited nurses on fire preparedness, it added. Monthly fire preparedness exercises are being held in the main hospital and centres. The main hospital and centres would also be undertaking evacuation drills in October to further enhance their preparedness, it said. To address the electrical fires at the institute and centres, Srinivas said thermal scanning and thermal imaging audits have been conducted. Cables where temperatures increase are immediately detected in the process. All panels having loose wires have been checked. Fire safety circulars have been issued to all faculty and laboratory in-charges, he said. Delhi Fire Service has advised some improvements in fire safety operations for the Jaiprkaash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre and Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Studies with regard to installation of smoke management systems and sprinkler automisation, he said. These shortcomings would be rectified in the next 10 days. The institute also said that over 2,000 fire extinguishers installed in all patient care areas, teaching blocks, residential areas are well maintained, fully functional and available on auto-mode, it said. New Delhi: India has outmanoeuvred Pakistan by effectively branding it as a regional pariah during Goa BRICS-BIMSTEC summit where the country presented itself as a bright spot, strengthening its case for the NSG membership and a permanent seat in UNSC, state-run Chinese media said today. 1) India outmanoeuvred Pak by effectively branding it as regional pariah at BRICS summit: China India has outmanoeuvred Pakistan by effectively branding it as a regional pariah during Goa BRICS-BIMSTEC summit where the country presented itself as a bright spot, strengthening its case for the NSG membership and a permanent seat in UNSC, state-run Chinese media said today. 2) India to acquire a second class Akula 2 nuclear-powered attack submarine from Russia In a whopping deal of around $2 billion, India is all set to acquire a second class Akula 2 nuclear-powered attack submarine from Russia. 3) Only military will know if the cross-LoC surgical strikes took place in the past: FS Jaishankar Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar Tuesday said whether cross-LoC surgical strikes were undertaken by the army in the past only the military will know as no message about such assaults were conveyed. 4) Security forces recover Chinese flags with incriminating material from suspected hideouts in Baramulla Possibly for the first time in Kashmir, security forces have recovered Chinese flags along with incriminating material during raids at suspected hideouts of militants in Baramulla and arrested 44 people for their alleged involvement in terror-related activiites. 5) Saudi Arabia executes a member of the royal family for murder Saudi Arabia Tuesday executed a member of the royal family for murder, in a rare case involving one of the thousands of members of the House of Saud. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Ayodhya: Lord Ram looked set to occupy political centrestage in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh despite BJPs claim of a temple to the deity not being on its agenda, with Union Minister Mahesh Sharma on Tuesday said that those who get to do Ram Ka Kaam (serve Ram) were fortunate. If anyone gets a chance to work for Bhagwan Ram he is most fortunate...it will be good fortune if Bhagwan Ram gives us a chance to do Ram ka kaam and this responsibility has been given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the country, Sharma said during his visit to Aodhya to inspect the proposed site for setting up a Ramayana musuem. The proposed museum, to be built on a 25 acre plot given by the Uttar Pradesh government nearly 15 km from the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid complex, has reignited demands by BJP hardliners like Vinay Katiyar for building a Ram temple at the site where the Babri mosque stood before being pulled down in 1992. ALSO READ: (Ramayana Museum: Vinay Katiyar calls it mere 'lollipop'; Mahesh Sharma rules out 'political motive' behind his Ayodhya visit) Katiyar, who had yesterday demanded that a bill be brought in the Lok Sabha for creation of Ram temple, today said no positive efforts were being made for construction of the temple and only lollipop was being offered to the devotees of the deity. A race is on...somebody is building a museum, somebody else (the Akhilesh Yadav government) a Ramleela Theme Park. We welcome development of Ayodhya, but everything is useless without construction of Ram temple. We cannot compromise on that. No positive steps are being taken for building Ram temple, which is the core job that needs to be done. The Samajwadi Party government shot dead the Kar Sevaks and now it is offering lollipop in the form of a theme park, Katiyar, a BJP member of the Rajya Sabha who once represented Faizabad, the district where Ayodhya is located, in Parliament, said. Mann ban chuka hai, mahaul ban chuka hai (we have made up our mind, a conducive atmosphere has also been created). The beginning has been made and we have got the directives from Ram Lala, Sharma said, adding, We are the Lords children and so have to do his work of spreading education. Insisting that Ram temple was not on the Modi governments agenda, Sharma said Ayodhyas development will get a big push from the Rs 151 crore allotted for developing the proposed museum, which will present the life of the deity as portrayed in sage Valmikis epic. He said there was no politics behind the proposed museum being constructed as part of the Ramayana Circuit. Similarly Krishna Circuit and Buddhist Circuit were also being developed, Sharma said. He said Ram temple was an issue of faith for millions of people, but it was not on BJPs electoral agenda. The Minister said the government would try to have the museum inaugurated before Uttar Pradesh votes to elect a new government. The Modi government, however, came under attack from the Congress over the issue with party general secretary Digvijay Singh alleging the museum and Ram temple were being raked up with an eye on the assembly election in Uttar Pradesh due early next year. Come election, come Ram Mandir issue. This is what BJP has as a strategy. Nobody is against the temple. I am a practising Hindu, but even Lord Ram would not have wanted a temple in the atmosphere of dispute. BJP has been trying to fool all the people all the time, Singh said. Singh said Modis chant of Jai Shri Ram, Jai Jai Shri Ram at a Dussehra event in Lucknow was obviously intended to polarise Hindu votes in favour of the BJP. However, another Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan claimed there was no attempt at polarisation by constructing a Ramayana museum in Ayodhya. Lord Ram is not an issue linked with polls. Mahesh Sharma has been trying for Ramayana museum for the last year-and-a-half. If not a Ram musuem, will a Babur (Mughal emperor) museum come up there, Balyan, an accused in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case, said. About Katiyars demand for building a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, he said,The matter is pending with the court, nothing will happen without its verdict. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar Tuesday said whether cross-LoC surgical strikes were undertaken by the army in the past only the military will know as no message about such assaults were conveyed. What FS said is that the key issue is that we went public after conducting the surgical strikes which conveyed a politico-military message. Whether any previous crossings had been done only the army would know. But it is irrelevant anyway because there was no message, sources in the government said. ALSO READ: (Army has carried out 'surgical strikes' across LOC in the past too, says Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar) The clarification about what transpired at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs, which was briefed on the strikes by Jaishankar, came after some opposition MPs quoted him having said the army had carried out target specific, limited-calibre, counter-terrorist operations across the LoC in the past too but this was for the first time the government had gone public about it. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Sambhal: BSP national general secretary Naseemuddin Siddiqui on Wednesday cautioned the Muslims against SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav describing him as more dangerous than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Muslims, you all need to be wary of Mulayam Singh Yadav...he is more dangerous than Narendra Modi...during Modis term as chief minister of Gujarat, 42 Muslims were killed in the Godhra riots, while 187 of them were killed in the Muzaffarnagar riots (in Uttar Pradesh) under the SP government, he said at the BSPs Bhaichara Committee meeting here. Muslims, if you dislike Modi so much, why dont you dislike Mulayam? Siddiqui asked, adding that the community had been voting for Mulayam for 25 years but what had he given to them in return. Mulayam remembers the minorities only at election times but after that, they are forgotten...all the parties, be it the Congress or the SP, have used Muslims as a vote-bank, alleged the BSP leader. Siddiqui said riots did not take place on their own but were instigated. Both the SP and the BJP instigate riots as part of a conspiracy for their political gains, he alleged. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Dhaka: A leading pro-left civil society group appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to scrap a deal with Bangladesh for building a coal-fired power plant near the fragile Sundarbans even as UNESCO warned against the project it says threatens the worlds largest mangrove forest. We have sent the Indian premier an open letter reiterating our demand to scrap the Rampal power project to save the Sundarbans through the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral, Resources, Power and Ports spokesman Anbu Mohammad said. He said the letter was sent as construction process of the plant being built with Indian assistance near the World Heritage Site of Sundarbans was underway despite widespread criticism and protest from national and international experts and general public. Witnesses said police allowed five representatives of the group to hand over their letter to the High Commission as over 200 activists marched towards the mission at upmarket Gulshan diplomatic enclave. The protesters submitted the letter a day after police stopped them on their way to the Indian mission. The UNs culture and science agency UNESCO, meanwhile, issued a second statement in the past month yesterday urging Bangladesh to halt construction of the huge coal-fired power plant reiterating its fears that it posed a serious threat to the delicate ecosystem of the Sundarbans forest. The Sundarbans in Bangladesh is part of the worlds largest mangrove forests, home to the famous Bengal Tiger and a hotspot for dolphins, turtles, and birds. Millions of people depend on this labyrinth of tidal rivers for food, homes, and flood protection, the UNESCO statement read. It added, The proposed Rampal power plant, a 1,320 megawatt super-thermal power plant located just 65 kilometres from the World Heritage property, poses a serious threat to the site. UNSECO identified pollution from coal ash by air, pollution from wastewater and waste ash, increased shipping and dredging, and the cumulative impact of industrial and related development infrastructure as four key concerns related to the plants construction. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier denounced protests against the proposed coal-fired power plant. Let me tell you one thing, I would have been the first person to oppose the power plant had there been the slightest chance of damage to the Sundarbans, she had said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Chennai: For the first time after the Tamil Nadu Governor re-allocated the portfolios of ailing Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, state Finance Minister O Panneerselvam Wednesday presided over a meeting of the state cabinet to discuss, among other matters, the vexed Cauvery issue. Although the government did not release details of the agenda of the meeting, the Cabinet is understood to have deliberated on the ongoing Cauvery water sharing dispute with Karnataka, besides other subjects. The meeting also comes ahead of the scheduled onset of north-east monsoon later this month. The rains in December last year had wreaked havoc, flooding Chennai and nearby districts. Last week, Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao had allotted the portfolios including Home held by Jayalalithaa to Panneerselvam, till the time she returned to resume official duties. The government released photographs of todays cabinet meeting, where Panneerselvam was seen seated with a picture of Jayalalithaa placed on his desk. The nearly hour-long meeting was held in the backdrop of the ongoing Cauvery water sharing row with Karnataka and demands by Opposition parties for an all-party meeting on the issue. Farmers bodies and political parties had staged a two-day state-wide rail blockade ending Tuesday, urging the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Management Board. The Raj Bhavan had last week in a release, said Paneerselvam, who holds the Administrative Reforms portfolio, in addition to Finance, will also preside over cabinet meetings. The last Cabinet meeting held by Jayalalithaa was in July this year to discuss the state budget. 68-year-old Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration. A specialist from London besides three-member team of doctors from AIIMS, Delhi, had also examined Jayalalithaa, who is being treated for infection with respiratory support. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Coming out in support of Karan Johar, veteran director Shyam Benegal on Wednesday said it is sad that the "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" filmmaker had to reiterate his patriotism. Johar made a video appeal yesterday to those protesting the release of his directorial venture because it has Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. Raj Thackeray-led MNS has threatened to stall the movie's release on October 28. Benegal, 81, also questioned the constant demand made on people to prove their patriotism. "I feel very sad that he had to make a statement like that because how can anybody doubt his patriotism or his love for this country. Does it need to be reiterated everyday of his life or my life, because there is a demand on people to prove his patriotism? Why should one do that? "When you are born here, when you live here or make a livelihood here, you are going to live all your life in your country and you are not planning to leave or go anywhere else. You are an important and successful member of the society. Why should a person like him have to constantly say that he will not do this? Why have we come to this situation?," Benegal said. In the video, Johar had said that he was hurt to be called an anti-national because "country comes first" for him. Meanwhile, veteran scriptwriter Salim Khan tweeted that film industry is not divided and is the only place where talent is valued. "What works is talent & capability. This is true from the time of Dada Saheb Phalke till date. It is true that there are some amongst us who have aligned themselves to political parties for personal gain. "And yes we are a happy lot. If our films work we are happy and if a rivals film flops we are happy too. And we live happily ever after," he tweeted. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Goas plush Kingfisher Villa, where Vijay Mallya has hosted several glitzy parties in the past, failed to attract a single bidder at an e-auction on Wednesday marking yet another failed attempt by lenders to recover dues from the embattled businessman. While repeated attempts have been made without any success for sale of several other assets kept as collaterals by erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines of the Mallya-led UB Group, the famed Villa was put under hammer for the first time. However, the auction turned out to be a damp squib, supposedly due to its high reserve price at Rs 85.3 crore, sources said. The 12,350 sq mt Villa was once used by Mallya to host lavish parties in his good times. None of the bidders came forward, so the auction of Kingfisher Villa failed. Higher reserve price could be the reason, a source said. The sea-facing palatial villa, situated in Candolim, Goa had earlier attracted interest from at least half a dozen players in the hospitality industry and a media group, when it was opened for inspection to interested bidders during the end of September and early October. The 17-lender consortium led by State Bank of India took physical possession of the property in May after a long legal battle with United Spirits over tenancy rights. The Villa was owned by United Breweries Holdings and mortgaged by Kingfisher Airlines to the consortium of banks to obtain loans in 2010. The Villa is among many movable and immovable properties under lenders possession, which they are trying to auction as a part to recover Rs 9,000 crore from Mallya. In August this year, lenders to the now-defunct airlines and tax authorities had put under hammer various movable and immovable assets of the KFA for a second time, but failed to get any buyers. The assets which were put on sale included the airlines erstwhile headquarters, Kingfisher House, near Mumbai airport, cars, Mallyas plush personal jet and numerous brands and trademarks, including the famed Fly with Good Times. Most of these assets were put on auction for a second time, and with a lower reserve price. Lenders had reduced the reserve price of Kingfisher House, which has a built-up area of over 17,000 sq ft and is located in the prime suburb of Vile Parle, to Rs 135 crore from Rs 150 crore. New York: Indian-American hotelier Vikram Chatwal has been charged with criminal mischief for allegedly trying to light two dogs on fire, an allegation his lawyer has denied. Chatwal, 44, had turned himself to the police early yesterday morning and has been charged with criminal mischief, torture and injure animal, reckless endangerment and arson. The charges stem from an October 7 incident in which Chatwal allegedly got into an argument with a woman walking the dogs outside his home in the city. Chatwal, accused of allegedly pulling out a lighter and aerosol can to hurt the two dogs, pleaded not guilty to the charges during his appearance in a Manhattan court yesterday. Chatwals bail was set at USD 50,000 and the next hearing in the case is set for December 8. His attorney Arthur Aidala told PTI that Chatwal denies all the charges and proclaims his innocence. He said he is a non-violent person who would never injure an animal or human being. His personality and disposition in his 44 years is not of somebody who would injure another animal or another human being, Aidala said. He informed the judge that Chatwals personality and disposition is that of a calm, peaceful and non-violent person as Chatwal himself owns many dogs and even takes care of a horse. He is known as being an animal lover. We vehemently disagrees with the set of facts that the prosecutor put forth in court, Aidala said. Aidala said he also informed the judge that the dogs in this case were not hurt and were not even taken to the veterinarian until days after the alleged incident occurred. He said even the case the prosecutor puts forth says that some of the hair on the dogs back was burnt but none of the dogs were burned and neither did they suffer. It was among Chatwals priority to make sure that the dogs in question were unharmed and were well-treated and cared for, Aidala said. The big takeaway from this is that the dogs were never hurt, that was very important to Vikram and his whole family to make sure no one is accusing him of actually hurting the dogs. Even the prosecutor said the dogs were never hurt. What flies in the face of the charges is that Chatwal is just not the kind of person who is going to attack anybody, let alone the dogs walking down the street, he said. Aidala said he would meet with the prosecutors in the coming months and explain to them what really happened. We will try to work out some sort of disposition regarding case, he added. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bhubaneswar: Manoj Ranjan Nayak, the chairman of Sikshya O Anusandhan Charitable Trust that runs the Sum Hospital where 21 people were killed in a fire mishap, was on Thursday arrested after he surrendered before police in Bhubaneswar. With the arrest of Nayak, the number of those held in connection with the fire tragedy now stands at five. Manoj Nayak surrenders at Khandagiri Police Station. He is arrested and under interrogation, Commissioner of Police, Y B Khurania told reporters. Sources said Nayak surrendered at the Khandagiri Police Station at about 3.30 AM. He was taken to an undisclosed destination where the police officers were interrogating him. Last evening the commissinorate of Police had issued a Look Out Circular in the name of Nayak and Saswati Das, both trustees of the charitable trust. Also read: Four officials arrested in a major hospital fire that claimed 20 lives The police had informed all the airports and railway stations to ensure that Nayak and his wife Saswati do not escape from the state capital. The Ministry of Home affairs was also apprised about the police action in this regard, Khurania said. We may go for arrest of more people during course of investigation, he said. The police issued LOC after Union Health Minister J P Nadda made it clear to the state government that persons responsible for the fire tragedy should not not go scot free. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had also assured the state that all the guilty persons would be taken to task. Also read: PM Modi, CM Patnaik express grief over loss of lives in massive blaze Two days ago, the police had arrested four senior officials including the medical superintendent of Sum Hospital Pushparaj Samantasinghar. They were booked under section 304. 308, 285 and 34 of IPC. The four officials were arrested on the basis of an FIR lodged by the state governments fire service department. A case was registered against the authorities of Sum Hospital which has been accused of overlooking a 2013 advisory of state government to improve its firefighting mechanism. The hospital does not possess a fire safety certificate. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: A day after the pilot of a private airline reported seeing a drone near the city airport, three persons were on Wednesday arrested for flying the drone. Rahul Rajkumar Jaiswal (24), Rana Subhash Singh (25) and Vidhichand Jaiswal (45) were arrested by Crime Branch unit-11, police said. The pilot of IndiGo Airlines flight from Dehradun had told authorities yesterday that he spotted a drone some 100 metres below the aircraft, while landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at around 7.30 PM. During investigation, it was revealed a drone camera was being used as part of preparations for a film shoot in Charkop area of Western suburbs. The actual film shoot was scheduled later, they said. Also read: Pilot of IndiGo Flight 6E 755 spots a drone during landing at Mumbai airport The pilots information had led to a security alert. Police seized the drone camera and an I-Pad from the accused. Rahul and Rana were handling the camera, while Vidhichand runs a business of renting out drones, police said. The trio, booked under IPC Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), was handed over to Charkop Police after registration of an FIR. Further investigation is on, police added. Use of drones in Mumbais skies has been banned. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved order on maintainability on appeal of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala against Tribunal's order of 2007. The Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal announced its final verdict on 5 February 2007.According to its verdict Tamil Nadu gets 419 TMC of Cauvery water while Karnataka gets 270 TMC. Karnataka was on Tuesday directed to keep releasing 2,000 cusecs Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu till further orders by the Supreme Court. The apex court also order both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to maintain peace and harmony in the respective states. Earlier, on October 4, the Supreme Court had ordered the Karnataka government to release 2,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu from October 7 to 18. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bhubaneswar: The police in Bhubaneshwar on Tuesday arrested four hospital officials in connection with the SUM hospital fire mishap, which left more than 20 people dead. Earlier on Tuesday, the Odisha government filed two FIRs alleging negligence in conduct and safety against the private hospital where a major fire broke out. Two separate FIRs were lodged by Joint Director of the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET) Umakanta Satpathy and Fire Officer (Central Circle) B B Das with the Khandagiri police station, said ACP P K Patnaik. In both the cases, allegations of negligence in conduct and safety were levelled against the Sum Hospital authorities. A case will be registered soon, he said, adding that some other organisations have also lodged complaints against the hospital. Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the Joint Director of DMET lodged the FIR against the hospital for alleged violation of provisions under Odisha Clinic and Establishment Act, 1992. The minister expressed hope that the inquiry by Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Central) A B Ota would be conducted in a neutral and impartial manner. The DMETs decision to file FIR with police was taken at a meeting attended by the minister, health secretary, DMET and RDC, said a senior official. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Hongqi, the premium auto brand of FAW Group, announced that its new vehicle sales topped 15,400 units in June, surging 92% compared to the year-ago period. For the first half of the year, the automaker saw its cumulative sales skyrocket 111% year on year to over 70,000 units, greatly outpacing the overall auto market bruised by the coronavirus pandemic. (Hongqi H5, photo source: Hongqi) Hongqi is ambitious to sell 200,000 vehicles in 2020. Although the industry was severely hit by the COVID-19 spread during the first quarter, the automaker decides to meet business challenges head-on rather than lowering the sales target. As of June, Hongqi has completed only 35% of its annual goal, and it has to go all out in the second half of the year to reach the sales that are doubled over the 2019's volume. The premium auto brand has six models on sales to-day, namely, the H5, the H7, the L5, the HS5, the HS7 and the E-HS3 BEV, including both SUVs and sedans, and is ambitious to form a massive product matrix composed of 21 models by 2025, 18 of which will be NEVs. (Hongqi H9, photo source: Hongqi) Aside from the forthcoming Hongqi H9 sedan, the carmaker will launch the E115 large-sized all-electric SUV, the H5 1.5T and the HS7 2.0T this year. FAW Group established a wholly-owned subsidiary on June 22, which is likely to help Hongqi forge ahead with its ICV (intelligent-connected vehicle) development. On October 30, 2018, FAW Group announced its R.Flag Plan a technology development plan for Hongqi brand in Shanghai. As a key measure of implementing New Hongqi Brand Strategy, the R.Flag Plan is also a major achievement in promoting brand image and product competitiveness of Hongqi brand. The R.Flag Plan, stands for Rise, Future, Leading, Autonomous and Genes, comprises of four strategic plans i.RFlag, e.RFlag, 5f.RFlag, and m.RFlag, which focus on ICV, electrification, experience and ride-sharing segments respectively. New Delhi: Delhi High Court has rejected Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals plea to stay the proceedings before a trial court in a criminal defamation case filed against him and other AAP leaders by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. As per Kejriwals plea, there are two casesone civil and the other criminalfiled against AAP leaders on the same allegations and the trial court should have stayed the proceedings in the matter, but it had declined. Arun Jaitley had on December 21, 2015 filed the criminal defamation case against the AAP leaders and sought their prosecution for offences that entail a punishment of up to two years in jail. Besides the criminal defamation case, Jaitley has also filed a civil defamation suit in the High Court seeking Rs 10 crore in damages from Kejriwal and the five AAP leaders for issuing allegedly false and defamatory statements against him and his family in connection with alleged irregularities in DDCA when he was its president. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a bid to introduce clean fuel across the country, the National Green Tribunal on Wednesday directed five northern states to explain their stand on making CNG as the main fuel for vehicles. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi to file affidavit giving details about cities which are connected with the supply of CNG and the areas proposed to be connected. It asked them to explain which functions are to be performed by the states and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) in this regard. The green panel also asked PNGRB to submit a comprehensive plan for laying CNG pipeline for distribution. "PNGRB shall clarify how many cities shall be covered with supply of CNG and what is the current status of CNG use in these five states," it said. The matter was listed for next hearing on October 28. On the last date of hearing, the tribunal had warned of halting state transport if they did not introduce CNG, saying most particulate matters in the air inhaled by Delhi'ites emanated from there. The NGT in September had asked Uttar Pradesh and Haryana government to mull over the possibility of installing CNG stations in NCR while refusing to grant permission to over 10-year old diesel vehicles to ply in these areas. On July 18, the green panel had directed authorities in Delhi-NCR to cancel the registration of all diesel-powered vehicles which were more than 10 years old. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a whopping deal of around $2 billion, India is all set to acquire a second class Akula 2 nuclear-powered attack submarine from Russia. According to reports, the deal remains unannounced so far which was finalised and signed in Goa between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other defence deals worth more than $5 billion which have been made public. The submarine will arrive in Indian waters by 2020-21. Our Indian Navy already operates an Akula 2 class nuclear submarine, INS Chakra (formerly known as K-152 Nerpa), which was leased from Russia. Earlier, there were reports that India was keen on leasing the much more advanced Project 885 Yasen Class nuclear attack submarine, the newest class of submarine in Russias arsenal. ALSO READ: (INS Arihant: All you need to know about India's indigenous nuclear submarine) About Akula class 2 #The Akula class 2 submarine is nuclear powered and considered one of the most advanced. Akula 2 is among the quietest submarines to have been built by Russia. #Akula is armed with torpedoes and cruise missiles, it can strike enemy ships, submarines and also targets on the land. #The second Akula submarine which is being leased from Russia is likely to be based in Visakhapatnam. #It will have two roles- defending India's fleet of nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines and to track Chinese nuclear powered attack submarines which are increasingly frequent visitors to the Indian Ocean. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In yet another trouble for controversial self-styled Godwoman Radhe Maa, a criminal complaint has been filed against her for allegedly hurting religious sentiments by visiting Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwari wearing snickers. The complaint has been lodged by Advocate Gaurav Gulati who sought registration of an FIR against Radhe MAA for alleged offences under sections 295A, 290 and 34 (common intention) of IPC. Radhe Maa had sparked controversy and left the local priests furious on Saturday while visiting Har-Ki-Pauri ghat wearing snickers. Despite shoes not being allowed at the famed ghat, the Godwoman had flouted norms while offering milk to the river. Further, she had also prayed at Brahmkund while wearing shoes. Complaint against Radhe Maa Complaint against Radhe Maa Complaint against Radhe Maa Complaint against Radhe Maa For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Office space leasing in seven major cities touches a 10 quarter high at 11 million sq ft during July-September with corporates remaining upbeat on their expansion plans, according to property consultant CBRE. The office space absorption in seven cities, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune, rose 14 per cent during July-September quarter compared with the year-ago period. "The third quarter of the year continued to observe strong leasing activity with occupier demand for corporate real estate reaching a 10-quarter high of 11 million sq ft, recording a growth of 9 per cent on a q-o-q basis and 14 per cent on a y-o-y basis," CBRE said in its quarterly report on India Office Market. The demand for office space was led by Bangalore (24 per cent), Hyderabad (17 per cent) and Mumbai (16 per cent) followed by Chennai (16 per cent) and Pune (13 per cent). In the first nine months of 2016, the overall prime office space absorption across the seven leading cities was about 28 million sq ft. "This increase in demand is an indication of an improvement in overall economic sentiment with both domestic and international corporates remaining upbeat on their entry/expansion strategies," CBRE said. "The commercial real estate market in India continues to grow at a steady pace. Positive changes in policy and regulations have given a further boost to the sector," CBRE Chairman (India and South East Asia) Anshuman Magazine said. "The year 2015 was a record year with the segment witnessing the highest ever annual office absorption. With just a few months left till the end of the year, I am optimistic that this number will be met, if not surpassed," he added. The national capital region (NCR), on the other hand, witnessed a drop of almost 50 per cent in office space take-up by corporate occupiers on a quarterly basis. "This was largely because of a lack of available supply in the established micro-markets, coupled with the fact that new supply of office space lined up for completion was delayed to subsequent quarters," the report said. What started out as a hunt for ice lurking in polar lunar craters turned into an unexpected finding that could help clear some muddy history about the Moon's formation. Team members of the Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) instrument on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft found new evidence that the Moon's subsurface might be richer in metals, like iron and titanium, than researchers thought. That finding, published July 1 in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, could aid in drawing a clearer connection between Earth and the Moon. "The LRO mission and its radar instrument continue to surprise us with new insights about the origins and complexity of our nearest neighbor," said Wes Patterson, Mini-RF principal investigator from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, and a study coauthor. Substantial evidence points to the Moon as the product of a collision between a Mars-sized protoplanet and young Earth, forming from the gravitational collapse of the remaining cloud of debris. Consequently, the Moon's bulk chemical composition closely resembles that of Earth. Look in detail at the Moon's chemical composition, however, and that story turns murky. For example, in the bright plains of the Moon's surface, called the lunar highlands, rocks contain smaller amounts of metal-bearing minerals relative to Earth. That finding might be explained if Earth had fully differentiated into a core, mantle and crust before the impact, leaving the Moon largely metal-poor. But turn to the Moon's maria -- the large, darker plains -- and the metal abundance becomes richer than that of many rocks on Earth. This discrepancy has puzzled scientists, leading to numerous questions and hypotheses regarding how much the impacting protoplanet may have contributed to the differences. The Mini-RF team found a curious pattern that could lead to an answer. Using Mini-RF, the researchers sought to measure an electrical property within lunar soil piled on crater floors in the Moon's northern hemisphere. This electrical property is known as the dielectric constant, a number that compares the relative abilities of a material and the vacuum of space to transmit electric fields, and could help locate ice lurking in the crater shadows. The team, however, noticed this property increasing with crater size. For craters approximately 1 to 3 miles (2 to 5 kilometers) wide, the dielectric constant of the material steadily increased as the craters grew larger, but for craters 3 to 12 miles (5 to 20 kilometers) wide, the property remained constant. "It was a surprising relationship that we had no reason to believe would exist," said Essam Heggy, coinvestigator of the Mini-RF experiments from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and lead author of the published paper. Discovery of this pattern opened a door to a new possibility. Because meteors that form larger craters also dig deeper into the Moon's subsurface, the team reasoned that the increasing dielectric constant of the dust in larger craters could be the result of meteors excavating iron and titanium oxides that lie below the surface. Dielectric properties are directly linked to the concentration of these metal minerals. If their hypothesis were true, it would mean only the first few hundred meters of the Moon's surface is scant in iron and titanium oxides, but below the surface, there's a steady increase to a rich and unexpected bonanza. Comparing crater floor radar images from Mini-RF with metal oxide maps from the LRO Wide-Angle Camera, Japan's Kaguya mission and NASA's Lunar Prospector spacecraft, the team found exactly what it had suspected. The larger craters, with their increased dielectric material, were also richer in metals, suggesting that more iron and titanium oxides had been excavated from the depths of 0.3 to 1 mile (0.5 to 2 kilometers) than from the upper 0.1 to 0.3 miles (0.2 to 0.5 kilometers) of the lunar subsurface. "This exciting result from Mini-RF shows that even after 11 years in operation at the Moon, we are still making new discoveries about the ancient history of our nearest neighbor," said Noah Petro, the LRO project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "The MINI-RF data is incredibly valuable for telling us about the properties of the lunar surface, but we use that data to infer what was happening over 4.5 billion years ago!" These results follow recent evidence from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission that suggests a significant mass of dense material exists just a few tens to hundreds of kilometers beneath the Moon's enormous South Pole-Aitken basin, indicating that dense materials aren't uniformly distributed in the Moon's subsurface. The team emphasizes that the new study can't directly answer the outstanding questions about the Moon's formation, but it does reduce the uncertainty in the distribution of iron and titanium oxides in the lunar subsurface and provide critical evidence needed to better understand the Moon's formation and its connection to Earth. "It really raises the question of what this means for our previous formation hypotheses," Heggy said. Anxious to uncover more, the researchers have already started examining crater floors in the Moon's southern hemisphere to see if the same trends exist there. ### LRO is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Mini-RF was designed, built and tested by a team led by APL, Naval Air Warfare Center, Sandia National Laboratories, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. For more information on LRO, visit: https:/ / www. nasa. gov/ lro Written by: Jeremy Rehm, jeremy.rehm@jhuapl.edu Media Contacts Jeremy Rehm The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Nancy Neal Jones NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center NEW YORK, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- COSAN LIMITED (NYSE: CZZ), Cosan S/A (B3: CSAN3) and Cosan Logistica S/A (B3: RLOG3) are pleased to announce to all employees, partners, clients, and stakeholders the publication of the 2019 Annual Sustainability Report. Sustainability has always been integrated into Cosan Group's core values and forms an important part of our long-term decision-making processes. As our Annual Sustainability Report releases today, we want to solidify the Group's effort towards promoting a sustainable future and its growing importance in a post-pandemic world. Our companies are leaders in their respective segments, driving innovation towards a future of clean energy, as well as more efficient and reliable logistics in Brazil. To ensure a more sustainable future, we made our 10 commitments to sustainable development public for the first time, in alignment with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals are integrated into the Group's strategy, with many already ingrained into the company's culture. We will continue to track and measure our progress across all our portfolio companies into 2030. Cosan has a unique portfolio with a strong culture based on sustainable core values. The team heavily focuses on the present while planning for a better future. To learn more about the Group's sustainability vision and goals, you can access the Sustainability Report here. Sao Paulo, July 2, 2020 Marcelo Eduardo Martins Chief Financial and Investor Relations Officer Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2019-sustainability-report-and-commitments-to-sustainable-development-301087932.html SOURCE Cosan Limited; Cosan S/A; Cosan Logistica S/A Acacia Pharma Announces US FDA Approval of BYFAVO (remimazolam) for injection for the Induction and Maintenance of Procedural Sedation BYFAVO is a very rapid onset/offset IV benzodiazepine sedative for use during invasive medical procedures lasting 30 minutes or less, such as colonoscopy and bronchoscopy Approximately 25 million such procedures take place annually in the US, of which ~90% use moderate sedation BYFAVO is the second Acacia Pharma product approved by the FDA in 2020 and extends its portfolio of new products for anesthesia Conference call scheduled for 9:00 am ET / 3:00 pm CET, Monday 6 July This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No 596/2014. Cambridge, UK and Indianapolis, US 2 July 2020: Acacia Pharma Group plc (Acacia Pharma or the Company) (ACPH.NX), a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel products to improve the care of patients undergoing serious medical treatments such as surgery, invasive procedures, or chemotherapy, announces that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved BYFAVO (remimazolam) for injection for the induction and maintenance of procedural sedation in adults undergoing procedures lasting 30 minutes or less. Acacia Pharma in-licensed the commercial rights to BYFAVO for the US from Cosmo Pharmaceuticals NV in January 2020. Remimazolam was developed by Paion AG. The approval of BYFAVO will help to further strengthen Acacia Pharmas financial resources, as previously announced, the Company will now have access to an additional 25 million debt facility from Cosmo. Acacia Pharma will make a 30 million upfront payment for the license of BYFAVO to Cosmo, triggered by the approval, consisting of 15 million in cash and 15 million in ordinary shares of Acacia Pharma stock. The 10 million of net cash that Acacia Pharma will receive will be available to help fund the US launch of BYFAVO. Story continues We are very pleased to announce today the approval of BYFAVO in the US for procedural sedation in adult patients, commented Mike Bolinder, Acacia Pharmas CEO. This marks the second FDA approval of an Acacia Pharma product since the start of 2020 and another major milestone in our evolution into an integrated hospital pharmaceutical company with strong development and commercialization capabilities. The addition of BYFAVO to our product portfolio strengthens our offering to anesthesiologists and enables us to further leverage our commercial infrastructure. I would like to thank our partners at Paion and Cosmo as well as the Acacia Pharma team and our stakeholders who have enabled us to bring this new and innovative therapeutic to market to address the needs of millions of patients each year undergoing procedures that require sedation. Gerard A. Silvestri, MD, MS, Professor of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, and past-president of the American College of Chest Physicians, commented: The approval of remimazolam (BYFAVO) is very exciting for proceduralists as the field has not seen new sedation medications added to our armamentarium in decades. The drug performed very well in clinical trials, with excellent sedation effect enabling 80-90% of procedures to be completed successfully. The cardio-respiratory safety profile looked very encouraging and there was a rapid return of patients to consciousness enabling them to be discharged in a timely manner. It is gratifying to see how successfully our new strategy is unfolding. We entered into new partnerships with RedHill Biopharma and Acacia before their own main products were approved by taking substantial equity stakes in these companies and integrating our products, Aemcolo and BYFAVO, into each so that they could potentially have a more stable and efficient marketing organization. The approval of BYFAVO follows the approval of RedHills Talicia and Acacias BARHEMSYS and is the third FDA approval in 9 months for products in companies in which we hold an equity stake. We are now looking forward to Acacia Pharmas transforming BYFAVO into a resounding success, said Alessandro Della Cha, CEO of Cosmo Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Jim Phillips, CEO of PAION AG, commented: The US marketing approval of BYFAVO marks the most significant milestone in PAIONs history, and I congratulate everyone who has played a role in this important achievement. The US is the worlds largest pharmaceutical market, and we are excited to see the product PAION successfully developed being made available to doctors there. We wish Acacia a highly successful market launch in this important market, and we will be supporting their commercialization efforts. We also look forward to remimazolam being rolled out in other countries around the globe as we and our partners work to gain additional marketing approvals. BYFAVO is an important addition to the limited selection of drugs available for procedural sedation, said Acacia Pharmas Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Gabriel Fox. BYFAVO demonstrated clear patient benefits in its extensive clinical trial program, offering very rapid onset and offset of action coupled with an incidence of cardio-respiratory and other adverse reactions similar to that seen in patients in the placebo group. We are grateful to all the clinical investigators and patients who made this approval possible through their participation in the development program. The safety of BYFAVO was evaluated in three pivotal studies in 969 patients undergoing colonoscopy (two studies) or bronchoscopy (one study), of whom 630 received BYFAVO. In these studies, the most common adverse reactions (incidence greater than 10%) following BYFAVO administration were hypotension, hypertension, diastolic hypertension, systolic hypertension, hypoxia, and diastolic hypotension. The labeling for BYFAVO includes a Boxed Warning regarding appropriate training of personnel and equipment that must be available when administering BYFAVO, during sedation and during the recovery period of the procedure. The Boxed Warning also addresses risks from concomitant use of BYFAVO with opioid analgesics and other sedative hypnotics. See Important Safety Information at the end of this press release and Prescribing Information. Acacia Pharmas first product, BARHEMSYS (amisulpride injection) was approved by the FDA on 26 February 2020 for the treatment and prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in adult patients and the company intends to launch both BARHEMSYS and BYFAVO in the US during the second half of 2020. It should be noted that BYFAVO may not be marketed in the US until the Drug Enforcement Administration has determined its scheduling under the Controlled Substances Act, which is expected to take place within the next few months. Conference Call Information The Acacia Pharma management team will host a conference call Monday 6 July 2020, at 9:00 am ET / 3:00 pm CET. Participants can pre-register at any time using this link and they will receive a PIN to access the call: https://www.speakservecloud.com/register-for-call/338b92c9-88fb-4649-ad3a-90a62c9732d9 Dial-in numbers: UK: +44 33 0606 1122 US: +1 646 585 9191 Belgium: +32 3 808 7133 The Netherlands: +31 20 795 6615 For other international numbers, click here Conference call room number: 099697 Participant PIN (if not pre-registered): 5855 The presentation will be available for download prior to the conference call in the Investors section of the Acacia Pharma website (www.acaciapharma.com) in Financial Reports and Presentations. A recording of the conference call will be available in the same place for 30 days following the call. The conference call presentation can be accessed prior to the call by visiting the investors section of the Company's website (Financial Reports and Presentations) at www.acaciapharma.com. A recording of the conference call will be available in the same place for 30 days following the call. Contacts Acacia Pharma Group plc Mike Bolinder, CEO Gary Gemignani, CFO +44 1223 919760 / +1 317 505 1280 IR@acaciapharma.com Citigate Dewe Rogerson (Financial PR) Mark Swallow, Frazer Hall, David Dible +44 20 7638 9571 acaciapharma@citigatedewerogerson.com About Acacia Pharma Acacia Pharma is a hospital pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of new products aimed at improving the care of patients undergoing significant treatments such as surgery, other invasive procedures, or cancer chemotherapy. The Company has identified important and commercially attractive unmet needs in these areas that its product portfolio aims to address. Acacia Pharma's first product, BARHEMSYS (amisulpride injection) for postoperative nausea & vomiting (PONV), has been approved by the US FDA, with US launch planned for 2H 2020. BYFAVO (remimazolam) for injection, a very rapid onset/offset IV benzodiazepine sedative is approved in the US for use during invasive medical procedures in adults lasting 30 minutes or less, such as colonoscopy and bronchoscopy. BYFAVO is in-licensed from Cosmo Pharmaceuticals for the US market, and US launch is planned for 2H 2020. APD403 (intravenous and oral amisulpride), a selective dopamine antagonist for chemotherapy induced nausea & vomiting (CINV) has successfully completed one proof-of-concept and one Phase 2 dose-ranging study in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy. Acacia Pharma is based in Cambridge, UK and its US operations are centred in Indianapolis, IN. The Company is listed on the Euronext Brussels exchange under the ISIN code GB00BYWF9Y76 and ticker symbol ACPH. www.acaciapharma.com About BYFAVO BYFAVO (remimazolam) for injection is a very rapid onset/offset intravenous benzodiazepine sedative for use during invasive medical procedures in adult patients lasting 30 minutes or less, such as during colonoscopy and bronchoscopy. Approximately 25 million such procedures take place annually in the US, of which around 90% use moderate sedation. Cosmo in-licensed the US rights to BYFAVO from Paion AG in 2016 and together they have progressed the product candidate through to registration. BYFAVO is now approved in the US and is indicated for the induction and maintenance of procedural sedation in adults lasting 30 minutes or less. www.BYFAVO.com Important Safety Information for BYFAVOTM (remimazolam) Injection Indications BYFAVO is a benzodiazepine indicated for the induction and maintenance of procedural sedation in adults undergoing procedures lasting 30 minutes or less. Important Safety Information WARNING: PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT FOR MONITORING AND RESUSCITATION AND RISKS FROM CONCOMITANT USE WITH OPIOID ANALGESICS Personnel and Equipment for Monitoring and Resuscitation Risks From Concomitant Use With Opioid Analgesics and Other Sedative-Hypnotics Concomitant use of benzodiazepines, including BYFAVO, and opioid analgesics may result in profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death. The sedative effect of intravenous BYFAVO can be accentuated by concomitantly administered CNS depressant medications, including other benzodiazepines and propofol. Continuously monitor patients for respiratory depression and depth of sedation. Contraindication BYFAVO is contraindicated in patients with a history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to dextran 40 or products containing dextran 40. Personnel and Equipment for Monitoring and Resuscitation Clinically notable hypoxia, bradycardia, and hypotension were observed in Phase 3 studies of BYFAVO. Continuously monitor vital signs during sedation and through the recovery period. Only personnel trained in the administration of procedural sedation, and not involved in the conduct of the diagnostic or therapeutic procedure, should administer BYFAVO. Administering personnel must be trained in the detection and management of airway obstruction, hypoventilation, and apnea, including the maintenance of a patent airway, supportive ventilation, and cardiovascular resuscitation. Resuscitative drugs, and age- and size-appropriate equipment for bag-valve-maskassisted ventilation must be immediately available during administration of BYFAVO. Consider the potential for worsened cardiorespiratory depression prior to using BYFAVO concomitantly with other drugs that have the same potential (e.g., opioid analgesics or other sedative-hypnotics). Administer supplemental oxygen to sedated patients through the recovery period. A benzodiazepine reversal agent (flumazenil) should be immediately available during administration of BYFAVO. Risks From Concomitant Use With Opioid Analgesics and Other Sedative-Hypnotics Concomitant use of BYFAVO and opioid analgesics may result in profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death. The sedative effect of IV BYFAVO can be accentuated when administered with other CNS depressant medications (eg, other benzodiazepines and propofol). Titrate the dose of BYFAVO when administered with opioid analgesics and sedative-hypnotics to the desired clinical response. Continuously monitor sedated patients for hypotension, airway obstruction, hypoventilation, apnea, and oxygen desaturation. These cardiorespiratory effects may be more likely to occur in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, the elderly, and ASA-PS class III or IV patients. Hypersensitivity Reactions BYFAVO contains dextran 40, which can cause hypersensitivity reactions, including rash, urticaria, pruritus, and anaphylaxis. BYFAVO is contraindicated in patients with a history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to dextran 40 or products containing dextran 40. Neonatal Sedation Use of benzodiazepines during the later stages of pregnancy can result in sedation (respiratory depression, lethargy, hypotonia) in the neonate. Observe newborns for signs of sedation and manage accordingly. Pediatric Neurotoxicity Published animal studies demonstrate that anesthetic and sedation drugs that block NMDA receptors and/or potentiate GABA activity increase neuronal apoptosis in the developing brain and result in long-term cognitive deficits when used for longer than 3 hours. The clinical significance of this is not clear. However, the window of vulnerability to these changes is believed to correlate with exposures in the third trimester of gestation through the first several months of life but may extend out to approximately 3 years of age in humans. Anesthetic and sedation drugs are a necessary part of the care of children needing surgery, other procedures, or tests that cannot be delayed, and no specific medications have been shown to be safer than any other. Decisions regarding the timing of any elective procedures requiring anesthesia should take into consideration the benefits of the procedure weighed against the potential risks. Adverse Reactions The most common adverse reactions reported in >10% of patients (N=630) receiving BYFAVO 5-30 mg (total dose) and undergoing colonoscopy (two studies) or bronchoscopy (one study) were: hypotension, hypertension, diastolic hypertension, systolic hypertension, hypoxia, and diastolic hypotension. Use in Specific Populations Pregnancy There are no data on the specific effects of BYFAVO on pregnancy. Benzodiazepines cross the placenta and may produce respiratory depression and sedation in neonates. Monitor neonates exposed to benzodiazepines during pregnancy and labor for signs of sedation and respiratory depression. Lactation Monitor infants exposed to BYFAVO through breast milk for sedation, respiratory depression, and feeding problems. A lactating woman may consider interrupting breastfeeding and pumping and discarding breast milk during treatment and for 5 hours after BYFAVO administration. Pediatric Use Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established. BYFAVO should not be used in patients less than 18 years of age. Geriatric Use No overall differences in safety or effectiveness were observed between these subjects and younger subjects. However, there is a potential for greater sensitivity (eg, faster onset, oversedation, confusion) in some older individuals. Administer supplemental doses of BYFAVO slowly to achieve the level of sedation required and monitor all patients closely for cardiorespiratory complications. Hepatic Impairment In patients with severe hepatic impairment, the dose of BYFAVO should be carefully titrated to effect. Depending on the overall status of the patient, lower frequency of supplemental doses may be needed to achieve the level of sedation required for the procedure. All patients should be monitored for sedation-related cardiorespiratory complications. Abuse and Dependence BYFAVO has the potential for abuse and physical dependence. Please click to access full Prescribing Information for BYFAVO. BYF HCP ISI 07/2020 2020 Acacia Pharma Group Plc BYFAVO is a trademark owned or licensed by Cosmo Technologies Ltd. Forward looking statement This announcement includes forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations and projections about future events. These statements may include, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as "believe", "expect", "intend", "may", "plan", "will", "should", "could" and other words and terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements may and often do differ materially from actual results. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about the Company and its subsidiaries and investments, including, among other things, the development of its business, trends in its operating industry, and future capital expenditures and acquisitions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances. Any forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current view with respect to future events and are subject to risks relating to future events and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to the Group's business, results of operations, financial position, prospectus, growth or strategies and the industry in which it operates. Save as required by law or applicable regulation, the Company and its affiliates expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update, review or revise any forward-looking statement contained in this announcement whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Investment Services Team with $340 Million in Client Assets Partners with Securities America Financial Institutions Division PHOENIX, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Advisor Group, the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, and Securities America today welcomed Oregon Community Credit Union (OCCU) to the Securities America Financial Institutions platform. The financial institution's Investment Services team includes four licensed financial professionals who offer financial planning and wealth management services to credit union members at each of the institution's 10 Oregon branches and oversee $340 million in client assets. OCCU has affiliated with Securities America through Priority Financial Group (PFG), a hybrid Registered Investment Advisor / Super-OSJ based in Phoenix that specializes in developing competitive, customized programs for financial institutions to grow their wealth management capabilities and improve operating efficiency. Securities America is part of Advisor Group, which also includes FSC Securities Corporation, Royal Alliance Associates, SagePoint Financial, Woodbury Financial Services, Triad Advisors, Investacorp, KMS Financial Services and Securities Service Network. Headquartered in Eugene, Ore., OCCU has eight branches in the Eugene / Springfield area and additional locations in Salem and Wilsonville. OCCU has more than $2 billion in total assets and offers its 170,000 members banking, lending and wealth management services. Jim Norwood, President of Securities America's Financial Institutions Division, said, "We are thrilled to have a financial institution of OCCU's caliber join the Securities America and Advisor Group family. OCCU President & CEO Ron Neumann and his team have built a strong, trusted company that is actively expanding its ability to serve and assist its members. Along with Priority Financial Group, Securities America and Advisor Group stand ready to help OCCU's Investment Services program take the next step in its growth and reach its full potential." Story continues Priority Financial Group has over two decades of experience helping financial institutions build and strengthen their wealth management capabilities. The hybrid Registered Investment Advisor / Super-OSJ provides financial institutions at all stages of growth with expertise in the areas of compliance, operations and sales management. Priority Financial Group CEO Michael Prior said, "The future of banking and wealth management is evolving rapidly, and the way members engage with credit unions will look very different going forward. At PFG, we are excited about helping OCCU drive growth by evolving its wealth management program, improving business operations and taking advantage of rapid technology innovations." Mr. Neumann has been part of OCCU's executive leadership team since 2010, serving first as Chief Financial Officer and later as Executive Vice President before being appointed President & CEO in 2018. Mr. Neumann said, "We are pleased to support our members as they progress through their financial journey by offering high-quality, objective financial advice and planning services. We are excited to start this new chapter alongside Priority Financial Group, Securities America and Advisor Group, and believe that together, we are well positioned to support the continued growth and development of OCCU's investment services offering, allowing us to provide the best experience possible for our members." Advisor Group President and CEO Jamie Price concluded, "On behalf of the entire Advisor Group network, we congratulate Securities America, Priority Financial Group and OCCU on today's announcement. OCCU's decision to join our family provides further evidence that Securities America and the other firms in our network are destinations of choice for financial professionals and institutions seeking top-notch technology and resources to raise their efficiency and accelerate their growth trajectories. As always, we are in our financial professionals' and institutions' corner and will continue to invest in their future success." About Securities America Securities America is part of Advisor Group, the nation's largest networks of independent wealth management firms. Headquartered in Omaha and founded in 1984, Securities America supports approximately 2,600 independent financial professionals with innovative technology and wealth management platforms, practice management and business growth tools and a personalized service culture. The firm's flexible, multi-custodial approach supports a range of business models including Super OSJs, independent RIAs, RIA-only advisors, hybrid advisors and financial institutions. For more information visit https://www.securitiesamerica.com/. Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., member FINRA / SIPC. Advisory Services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. and Arbor Point Advisors, LLC. About Advisor Group Advisor Group, Inc. is the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, serving approximately 11,300 financial professionals and overseeing over $450 billion in client assets. The firm is mission-driven to support the strategic role that advisors can play in the lives of their clients. Cultivating a spirit of entrepreneurship and independence, Advisor Group champions the enduring value of financial professionals and is committed to being in their corner every step of the way. For more information visit https://www.advisorgroup.com. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Advisor Group, Inc. subsidiaries, FSC Securities Corporation, KMS Financial Services, Inc., Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc., Triad Advisors, LLC, and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, and members of FINRA and SIPC. Securities services are offered through Investacorp, Inc., Securities America, Inc., and Securities Service Network, broker-dealers and members of FINRA and SIPC. Advisory services are offered through Arbor Point Advisors, LLC, Investacorp Advisory Services, Inc., Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, Inc., Securities America Advisor, Inc., SSN Advisory, Inc., and Triad Hybrid Solutions, LLC, registered investment advisers. Advisor Group, Inc. is a holding company. Advisor Group, Inc. is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Advisor Group, Inc. 20 E. Thomas Rd., Ste. 2000, Phoenix, AZ, 85012. 866.481.0379 About OCCU OCCU was founded in 1956 in Eugene, Oregon. Today, as a not-for-profit financial cooperative, OCCU has more than $2.2 billion in assets, and its members are served through digital channels and 10 branch and service center locations in Eugene, Springfield, Salem and Wilsonville. Although most members reside in one of the 28 Oregon counties or six Washington counties OCCU serves, others reside throughout the United States and even abroad, keeping their membership active through online and mobile banking. Learn more at MyOCCU.org. Media Inquiries Joseph Kuo / Chris Clemens Haven Tower Group 424 317 4851 or 424 317 4854 jkuo@haventower.com or cclemens@haventower.com Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/advisor-group-and-securities-america-welcome-oregon-community-credit-union-investment-services-301087308.html SOURCE Advisor Group; Securities America - Projects will serve customers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, saving them approximately $3 billion over 30 years COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- While the Public Utility Commission of Texas today denied approval of Southwestern Electric Power Co.'s (SWEPCO) plan to add 309 megawatts (MW) of wind energy to serve Texas customers, American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) has received the other regulatory approvals needed to acquire the entire planned 1,485 MW of North Central wind generation. AEP is investing approximately $2 billion to bring new renewable energy to Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) customers and SWEPCO customers in Arkansas and Louisiana. "We are disappointed that our SWEPCO customers in Texas will not be able to benefit from the low-cost wind energy the North Central projects will provide," said Nicholas K. Akins, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer. "The regulatory approvals we have received in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will allow us to move ahead with the North Central wind projects at full scale, saving our customers in those states approximately $3 billion over the next 30 years. As we transition to a clean energy future, our investment in the North Central wind projects supports economic and business development in our communities and will help our customers meet their renewable energy goals." North Central includes three wind generation facilities located in north central Oklahoma. AEP's SWEPCO and PSO operating units announced July 15, 2019, that they would seek regulatory approvals to purchase the three wind projects. The projects are expected to be completed over the course of the next two years. The Arkansas and Louisiana Public Service Commissions approved the projects in May, and PSO received approval from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in February. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission also approved the acquisitions in February. Story continues PSO will acquire 675 MW of the North Central wind projects to serve its customers in Oklahoma. The Arkansas and Louisiana commissions approved options to increase their allocations of wind energy if another state did not approve the projects. With these options, an estimated 464 MW will be allocated to Louisiana and 268 MW to Arkansas, while wholesale customers will benefit from 78 MW for a total of 810 MW that will serve SWEPCO's customers. AEP continues to make significant investments in renewable energy to serve its customers. The company's regulated integrated resource plans call for the addition of more than 8,000 MW of wind and solar, including North Central, and 1,600 MW of natural gas between 2020 and 2030. American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP's approximately 17,400 employees operate and maintain the nation's largest electricity transmission system and more than 221,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with approximately 31,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 5,200 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP's family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information, visit aep.com. (PRNewsfoto/American Electric Power) Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aep-to-proceed-with-full-2-billion-investment-in-wind-projects-to-benefit-customers-in-three-states-despite-texas-commission-decision-301087728.html SOURCE American Electric Power PRESS RELEASE Roissy, 3 July 2020 The Air France group plans measures to adapt its workforce to the COVID-19 crisis Air France and HOP! today presented the staff representatives with their strategic orientations and the prospects for adapting the workforce following the COVID-19 crisis which has hit the Group hard. For three months, Air France's activity and revenue fell by 95%, and at the height of the crisis, the airline was losing 15 million euros per day. Recovery looks set to be very slow due to the uncertainties regarding the health situation, the lifting of travel restrictions and changing commercial demand. In this way, even on the basis of ambitious recovery assumptions, Air France predicts that it will not see the same level of activity as in 2019 before 2024. The support of the French State, in the form of guaranteed loans amounting to 7 billion euros, will enable the Group to withstand the crisis in the short term and is accompanied by strong commitments to ensure its sustainability. Air France must accelerate its transformation to regain its competitiveness and strengthen its leading position in terms of sustainable transition. In the context of such a lasting decline in activity, the Air France Group must act with lucidity and responsibility. Its transformation is mainly based on changing its domestic business model, reorganizing its support functions and continuing to reduce its external and internal costs. For Air France, predictions of staff requirements show a reduction of 6,560 jobs by the end of 2022 out of a current total of 41,000. The many natural departures expected over this period (more than 3,500) will make it possible to compensate more than half of these job reductions thanks to a favourable age pyramid. For HOP! the resizing of activity and the restructuring of the company linked in particular to the simplification of the fleet will lead to a reduction of 1,020 jobs over the next three years out of the current 2,420. Taking into account the estimated number of natural departures, the overstaffing figure remains at around 820 at the end of 2022. Story continues Air France and HOP! are working together with the unions to implement plans that give priority to voluntary departures, early retirement arrangements and professional and geographical mobility. Solidarity within the Air France Group will also be implemented with proposals for internal job offers to all employees whose position will no longer exist and who do not wish to be included in the departure plan. Air France and HOP! will conduct these processes in a spirit of dialogue, and with responsibility and transparency around the challenges of rebuilding the Air France Group. This reconstruction plan will be presented at the end of July, together with the plan for the Air France-KLM Group. Attachment SHANGHAI and PHILADELPHIA, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Antengene Corporation today announced its appointment of Zhinuan Yu, Ph.D., as Corporate Vice President (CVP) of Biometrics and Regulatory Enabling Functions. Zhinuan will be responsible for providing statistical leadership and strategic regulatory input on company pipeline projects and will report directly to Dr. Jay Mei, Chairman and CEO of Antengene. Dr. Zhinuan Yu Dr. Zhinuan Yu has been working in the pharmaceutical industry for more than 20 years. Prior to joining Antengene, she was Senior Director of Biostatistics at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Before that, Zhinuan had served in Celgene Corporation for nearly 16 years, leading statistical support for multiple high priority programs including Thalidomide, Lenalidomide, Pomalidomide, and bb2121 (CAR-T) for multiple myeloma and other therapeutic areas, and played a key role in successful NDA/ sNDA / BLA submissions with global health authorities including the US FDA, EMA, Swissmedic, Health Canada, PMDA, CFDA, and other regulatory agencies. Zhinuan provided statistical expertise and co-authored multiple publications in prestigious journals including the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and Lancet, and at various professional conferences. Her outstanding contributions and leadership earned her the highest individual recognition bestowed by Celgene, the John W. Jackson Leadership Award. Prior to Celgene, Zhinuan had worked at Organon (now Merck) and the University of Miami. "I'm delighted to have Zhinuan join Antengene at this exciting time. Zhinuan will play a key role in building Biometrics and Regulatory Enabling Functions with her solid technical knowledge of advanced statistical methodologies as well as successful experience in NDA/sNDA submissions," said Dr. Jay Mei, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Antengene. "We have initiated NDA of ATG-010 (selinexor) for the patients with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) and the patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with several Asia Pacific markets that meet the regulatory requirement. I am confident that Zhinuan, a seasoned industry leader with a proven track record in the past 20 years in NDA with global regulatory agencies, will strengthen our ability to deliver meaningful results now and in the future." Story continues "I am impressed by the fast growth of the promising pipeline and talented team at Antengene within such a short time," said Zhinuan. "Having had an amazing journey of drug development at Celgene/BMS, I look forward to joining Jay and the Antengene team to continue to do well by doing good, and to bring much needed innovative medicines to patients in China, Asia Pacific regions, and around the globe." Zhinuan earned her B.A. in English and M.A. in World Economy from Fudan University in China, and Ph.D. in Psychometrics / Statistics from Tulane University in the USA. About Antengene Antengene is a biopharmaceutical company with integrated drug discovery, clinical development, manufacturing and commercialization anchored in Asia Pacific region with global layout, aiming to provide the most advanced and first-in-class anti-cancer drugs and other treatments for patients in China, the rest of Asia and around the world. In April 2017, Celgene (now officially acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb and a world's top ten pharmaceutical company after the merger), a global leading innovative biopharmaceutical company became a founding partner and obtained an equity position as an investor in Antengene. Over the past 3 years, Antengene has obtained 7 IND approvals with 6 first-in-class drugs in more than 10 ongoing cross-regional clinical trials in Asia Pacific regions, and has built a product pipeline of 12 clinical and pre-clinical stage programs. The vision of Antengene, "Treating Patients Beyond Borders," is to meet the unmet medical needs of patients in Asia Pacific regions and around the world through research & development and commercialization of first-in-class drugs. ATG-010 (selinexor) is the first oral selective inhibitor of nuclear export (SINE) compound with novel mechanisms in the world. In July 2019, the U.S. FDA approved selinexor in combination with low-dose dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma. Currently, the registration clinical trials of ATG-010 in relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are ongoing in China. The compound is also in late clinical development for various other hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. In addition, preclinical studies have shown that inhibitors of nuclear protein export XPO1 can effectively treat KRAS mutant tumor, and related clinical studies are currently being conducted. ATG-008 is a second-generation dual mTORC1/2 inhibitor and is in multi-regional clinical trials for treatment of advanced liver cancer, lung cancer, and several other tumors. ATG-016 is a second-generation oral selective inhibitor of nuclear export protein, and is currently being studied in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) as well as in several clinical trials of solid tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC), gastric carcinoma (GC), triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and prostate cancer (PrC) . ATG-019 is the first-in-class PAK4/NAMPT dual-target inhibitors, and is currently being studied in a number of clinical trials including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma. In addition, preclinical studies have demonstrated that ATG-019 in combination with anti-PD-1 antibodies can effectively improve the anti-tumor activity and is effective in tumors that became resistant to anti-PD-1 therapy. Related clinical trial is about to initiate. ATG-527 is an innovative product under development for antiviral and treatment of autoimmune diseases, and has been in clinical trial of healthy volunteers and been studied against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other related diseases. ATG-017 is a potent and selective small molecule extracellular signalregulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) inhibitor, in clinical development for the treatment of various solid tumors, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) and multiple myeloma. In addition, the drug discovery team of Antengene focuses on the early preclinical development of multiple innovative target drugs in the fields of small molecule, monoclonal and bi-specific antibodies. For more information, please visit www.antengene.com. Forward-looking Statement The forward-looking statements made in this article relate only to the events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this article. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this article completely and with the understanding that our actual future results or performance may be materially different from what we expect. In this article, statements of, or references to, our intentions or those of any of our Directors or our Company are made as of the date of this article. Any of these intentions may alter in light of future development. Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/antengene-corporation-appoints-former-bms-senior-leader-of-biostatistics-zhinuan-yu-as-corporate-vice-president-of-biometrics-and-regulatory-enabling-functions-301087347.html SOURCE Antengene Corporation STOCKHOLM, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ASSA ABLOY has signed an agreement to acquire FocusCura, a leading provider of technology solutions for senior care in the Dutch market. FocusCura has developed a software platform, which in combination with other products and technology services, enables elderly care organizations to focus on care. "I am very pleased to welcome FocusCura and their employees into the ASSA ABLOY Group. FocusCura is a strategic technological addition to the ASSA ABLOY Group. The company will reinforce our current offering within Senior Care and will provide complementary growth opportunities," says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY. "FocusCura is a true innovator in digital solutions for care providers and senior people. The FocusCura offering is a good fit with our solutions in Phoniro and together we will continue to support people to stay independent for longer and live enriched lives," says Christophe Sut, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Technologies business unit Global Solutions. FocusCura was founded in 2003 and the main office is located in Driebergen-Rijsenburg, Netherlands. Sales in 2019 amounted to about EUR 13 million (approx. SEK 130 million) and the acquisition will be dilutive to EPS from start. The acquisition is expected to close during the third quarter of 2020. About ASSA ABLOY The ASSA ABLOY Group is the global leader in access solutions. The Group operates worldwide with 49,000 employees and sales of SEK 94 billion. The Group has leading positions in areas such as efficient door openings, trusted identities and entrance automation. ASSA ABLOY's innovations enable safe, secure and convenient access to physical and digital places. Every day, we help billions of people experience a more open world. For more information, please contact: Nico Delvaux President and CEO tel. no: +46-8-506-485-82 Erik Pieder CFO and Executive Vice President tel. no: +46-8-506-485-72 Story continues Bjorn Tibell Head of Investor Relations tel. no: +46-70-275-67-68 This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/assa-abloy/r/assa-abloy-acquires-focuscura-in-the-netherlands,c3147745 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/7333/3147745/1273907.pdf Press release (PDF) Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/assa-abloy-acquires-focuscura-in-the-netherlands-301087977.html SOURCE ASSA ABLOY The global sanitizer market is expected to grow by USD 12.59 billion as per Technavio. This marks a significant market slow down compared to the 2019 growth estimates due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. However, steady growth is expected to continue throughout the forecast period. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200702005453/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Sanitizer Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Request challenges and opportunities influenced by COVID-19 pandemic - Request free sample pages of sanitizer market Read the 120-page report with TOC on "Sanitizer Market Analysis Report by Product (Hand Sanitizer and Food contact surface sanitizers), Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA), and the Segment Forecasts, 2020-2024". https://www.technavio.com/report/sanitizer-market-industry-analysis The market is driven by an increase in hygiene consciousness. In addition, the introduction of new products is anticipated to boost the growth of the sanitizer market. Hand sanitizer contains at least 60% of alcohol, which kills most kinds of bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria and tuberculosis bacteria. Hand sanitizers are recommended when in the absence of soap and water to wash hands. In addition, hand sanitizing is considered to be more effective in fighting against common cold than hand washing. Many such benefits coupled with growing awareness about the importance of hygiene has increased the demand for sanitizing products among consumers, which is fueling the growth of the market. Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. View market snapshot before purchasing Major Five Sanitizer Companies: 3M Co. 3M Co. operates its business through segments such as Safety and Industrial, Transportation and Electronics, Health Care, Consumer, and Corporate and Unallocated. The company offers 3M Avagard Handrub, 3M Avagard CHG Handrub, and others. Story continues Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. operates its business through segments such as India, Indonesia, Africa (Including Strength of Nature), and Others. The company offers a wide range of sanitizers such as Godrej protekt. GOJO Industries Inc. GOJO Industries Inc. operates its business through segments such as Industrial solutions and Home and school. The company offers PURELL Advanced Hand Sanitizer Soothing Gel, PURELL Advanced Hand Sanitizer Soothing Gel, PURELL Hand Sanitizing Wipes Alcohol Formula, PURELL Advanced Hand Sanitizer Skin Nourishing Gel, PURELL Advanced Hand Sanitizer Foam, and others. L Brands Inc. L Brands Inc. operates its business through segments such as Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works International, and Other. The company offers Gentle Foaming Hand Soap, Deep Cleansing Hand Soap Creamy Luxe Hand Soap, Gentle Exfoliating Hand Soap Nourishing Hand Soap, PocketBac Sanitizer, PocketBac Holder, and Older Style PocketBac Holder. Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc operates its business through segments such as Health and Hygiene Home. The company offers a range of sanitizer under its brands Dettol and Lysol. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Sanitizer Market Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024) Hand Sanitizer Food contact surface sanitizers Sanitizer Market Geography Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024) North America Europe APAC South America MEA Technavios sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report Related Reports on Consumer Staples Include: Global Hand Sanitizer Market Global hand sanitizer market by product (gel, foam, spray, and wipes), distribution channel (offline and online), end-users (commercial, residential, and institutional), and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America). About Technavio 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, Technavios 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 Technavios 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200702005453/en/ Contacts Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 2, 2020) - Avalon Investment Holdings Ltd. ("Avalon") the holder of 100% interest in the Omai Gold Mine in Guyana, through a wholly owned subsidiary, is pleased to announce that it has raised additional gross proceeds of US$2,753,513 to complete its pre-RTO non-brokered private placement initially announced on October 10, 2019 (the "Offering"). Pursuant to the closing of this final tranche of the Offering, Avalon issued 27,535,134 units (each, a "Unit") for total consideration of US$2,753,513 each Unit consisting of one Common Share and one-half of one whole common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder, on exercise, to purchase one additional Common Share for a period of 24 months at a price of US$0.35. Avalon closed an aggregate of US$8,886,980 as part of its the pre-RTO financing. Michael Smith, President and CEO of Avalon commented, "We are very pleased with the strong support from investors to advance the Omai Gold Mine project. Significant progress has been made at Omai to refurbish the camp in preparation for planned drilling in the latter half of 2020. The Company has also secured and transported to the Omai mine-site over 4,500 metres of historical drill core for logging and assaying from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commissions. We believe Omai has the ability to develop into a tier one gold asset in the Americas with significant potential for both high grade open pittable mineralization and high-grade mineralization to depth." As previously disclosed, Avalon has executed a definitive amalgamation agreement (the "Agreement") dated October 9, 2019 with Anconia Resources Corp. (TSXV: ARA) ("Anconia"). Pursuant to the Agreement, Anconia will acquire all of the issued and outstanding securities of Avalon by means of a three-cornered amalgamation (the "Proposed Transaction"). The Proposed Transaction constitutes a reverse takeover of Anconia under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") and its completion is subject to the approval of the TSXV. For further information regarding the Proposed Transaction please refer to the SEDAR profile of Anconia at www.sedar.com. Story continues Technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Brian H. Newton P.Geo, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101 "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects" This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy in the United States nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. For further information, please see our website www.omaigoldmines.com or contact: Michael Smith President and Chief Executive Officer msmith@omaigoldmines.com 239-404-8593 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the potential increase of the size of the Offering, the closing of additional financings and the completion of the Proposed Transaction. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; the price of gold and copper; and the results of current exploration. 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. The 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, except as required by law. Not for distribution to United States news wire services or for dissemination in the United States To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/59064 FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a protective mask walks past the headquarters of Bank of Japan amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Tokyo By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) - Forced to cancel a popular on-site tour due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Bank of Japan created a virtual one that takes viewers through the brick corridors, dome-roofed rooms and even an underground vault of its century-old headquarters online. With a click of the mouse, visitors to the "Tour the BOJ from home" site enter through the central bank's massive courtyard and stroll inside the western, classical-style building with a 360-degree panoramic view of its interiors. They can also browse a three-dimensional, virtual reality video of the building hunting for hidden "treasures" that include an old chair that had been used by the BOJ's governors and the world's first automatic bill inspection machine. The virtual guide, available for free on the BOJ's website, was created after the central bank was forced to cancel from March a popular tour of its headquarters that attracted 19,000 visitors last fiscal year - of which nearly 10% were overseas travellers. "What's unique about this online tour is that it's not affected by COVID-19, and that visitors can have the historical building all to themselves," said BOJ director Noriaki Kawamura. Located in Tokyo's Nihonbashi business district, the BOJ's headquarters consist of a new complex, and an old building that was built in 1896 and designated by the government as a cultural heritage. The link, below, is only available in Japanese but one with English-translated instructions will be available later this month, the BOJ said. https://www.boj.or.jp/announcements/education/ouchi.htm (Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro attends the inauguration ceremony of the Main Space Operations Center of the Geostationary Defense and Strategic Communications Satellite in Brasilia BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro appealed on Thursday to negotiators to conclude the final text of the European Union- Mercosur trade accord so that it can be signed this semester, speaking at a virtual summit of the South American trade bloc. Bolsonaro said he is working to undo distorted views of Brazil's policies on the Amazon and its indigenous people. His government environmental measures have raised criticism in Europe and calls to block the trade deal that has taken 20 years to negotiate. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle, Editing by Franklin Paul) Francis Borboh Dumbuya releases Occupational stress, job satisfaction, mental health, adolescents, depression and professionalisation of social work LONDON, July 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Francis Borboh Dumbuya believes work-related stress is a growing problem in occupational organizations and it is a problem affecting employees as well as organizations adversely in terms of human and economic costs. For him, this is especially true for those who work in community mental health teams and children and family services. He investigated this issue more in Occupational stress, job satisfaction, mental health, adolescents, depression and the professionalisation of social work (published by AuthorHouse UK). This book highlights themes covering occupational stress, job satisfaction and the impact of these on the mental health of social workers who work in community mental health teams and those who work in children and family settings. It looks at how poor self-esteem increases the risk for depression in adolescent girls and the practical steps that can be taken by social workers to enhance self-esteem in young people. The book also poses the questions In what ways can social work be regarded as a profession, and does social work require a professional status? It discusses about social work process and skills that registered social workers are expected to possess to enable them to practise effectively. In addition, it includes reviews of journals mainly British journals of social work. This book will appeal not only to social workers but will also appeal to policy makers and organizations because it will provide a framework to underpin the effective management of occupational stress in the work place for the overall wellbeing of employees, Dumbuya says. Occupational stress, job satisfaction, mental health, adolescents, depression and the professionalisation of social work aims for readers to be aware of work-related stress as well as for them to understand the difference between an occupation and a profession. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.amazon.com/Occupational-Satisfaction-Adolescents-Depression-Professionalisation/dp/1728398614. Story continues Occupational stress, job satisfaction, mental health, adolescents, depression and the professionalisation of social work By Francis Borboh Dumbuya Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 112 pages | ISBN 9781728398624 Softcover | 6 x 9in | 112 pages | ISBN 9781728398617 E-Book | 112 pages | ISBN 9781728398600 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author Francis Borboh Dumbuya is a British citizen who originated from Sierra Leone, West Africa. His work experience includes working as a senior lecturer of mathematics in a college in Sierra Leone where he was also a member of its council. In England, he has worked as a mental health nurse as well as a registered social worker. 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 0800 047 8203. Attachment Marketing Services AuthorHouse 888-519-5121 pressreleases@authorhouse.com FILE PHOTO: Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognised as the country's rightful interim ruler, takes part in a gathering with supporters in Caracas By Marc Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's president, the English High Court ruled on Thursday, in a case over whether Guaido or Nicolas Maduro should control $1 billion of its gold stored in London. A four-day hearing last week had been the latest part of a tug-of-war over the gold reserves held in the Bank of England and centered on which of the two rival presidents Britain now views as Venezuela's legitimate leader. In early 2019, the British government joined dozens of nations in backing Guaido, head of Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress, after he declared an interim presidency and denounced Maduro as an usurper who secured a fraudulent re-election. High Court judge Nigel Teare handed down a judgment ruling that Britain had "unequivocally" recognised Guaido as constitutional interim president. Teare based his decision on the so-called "one voice" doctrine, in which the court must accept as conclusive an unequivocal statement by the British government recognizing the leader of a foreign nation. "The judiciary and the executive must speak with one voice" Teare said. "There cannot be two Presidents of Venezuela." Maduro's legal team has said his central bank (BCV) wants to sell the gold to fund Venezuela's response to the coronavirus. His central bank filed a suit against the Bank of England in May claiming it had barred access to Venezuela's gold reserves. Sarosh Zaiwalla, one of the lawyers representing the Maduro camp, said on Thursday that the BCV would be seeking leave of the court to appeal the judgment. The BCV on Twitter called the decision "absurd" for depriving Venezuela "of the gold it urgently needs to confront the pandemic". If the BCV's appeal is granted the accelerated pace of the case means it could go to the London Court of Appeal in the coming weeks. If that appeal were to prove successful it would then go up the Supreme Court. Story continues The opposition alleges Maduro wants to use the gold to pay off his foreign allies, which his lawyers have denied. Over the past two years, Maduro's government has removed some 30 tonnes from its reserves in Venezuela to sell abroad for much-needed hard currency. "We have secured the gold for the future of the Venezuelan people," Guaido's ambassador in Britain, Vanessa Neumann, told Reuters. A member of Guaido's legal team said they now expect the court to determine whether Guaido has the authority to represent Venezuela's central bank in another legal case to decide control over the gold itself. (Reporting by Marc Jones and Angus Berwick; Additional reporting by Corina Pons in Caracas, Editing by Simon Jessop and Angus MacSwan) The Brunswick Potomac Foundation, Inc., owners and operators of the Brunswick Heritage Museum in Brunswick, Maryland, are excited to share important news. BRUNSWICK, Md., July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- After the review of several highly qualified architectural firms, the Board of Directors of the Brunswick Potomac Foundation selects SM+P Architects from Baltimore, MD as the Architectural firm for the Museum's facade restoration project. The principals of SM+P are Schamu, Machowski, and Patterson. In 1982, Walter Schamu & Associates moved into Baltimore's Federal Hill neighborhood and began a legacy of unique and revered architecture, starting out with a focus on residential work. Through the 1980s, the firm continued to expand and bring in new, exciting work. In 1984 the firm found work in historic preservation, renovation, rehabilitation, and adaptive use. From historic preservations, leading laboratories, private residences and five-star restaurants, SM+P Architects is responsible for some of Baltimore's most notable architecture. SM+P Architects has helped to restore famous buildings in the Baltimore region, including: B&O Railroad Museum This 1884 Baltimore landmark was restored and upgraded in a fast-track $15 million design and construction effort. The work included: shoring and bracing; demolition and debris removal; structural analysis and design; historic paint analysis; and roof element reconstruction, including upper and lower roofs and the lantern. Bromo Seltzer Tower After years of neglect, this 1911 Baltimore landmark has been transformed into studio space for artists. SM+P Architects designed building plans which called for a small interior fire stair to meet with City Fire Department and MD Historic Trust approval and to allow the building to be occupied. Work included new lighting, HVAC, elevator and exterior restoration. The $1.2 million restoration met the historic guidelines available for achieving the available tax credits for the investment group of owners. Story continues B&O Oakland Station Following the design of a master plan and interior alterations developed by SM+P Architects, this historic 1884 Baltimore & Ohio Railroad station became a new visitor center for the town of Oakland, MD. The award-winning facility includes a small theater and museum. The meticulous restoration used slate mined from the same quarry that produced the original building. Today, the building is a centerpiece for the ever-increasing tourist destination Garrett County. For the last several months, the museum has operated a capital campaign to raise funds to make needed improvements to its home, Brunswick Red Men's Hall, located at 40 West Potomac Street, within the historic district of Brunswick. The City of Brunswick and Sate Senator Michael Hough assisted the Museum in receiving a $100,000 state bond bill to restore the building. As a requirement the Museum needed to raise $25,000 in matching funds. To date, $33,000 has been raised by the generosity of the greater Brunswick Community. "The Museum is excited to have an engineering firm as prestigious as SM+P to lead us in moving forward with this needed project," said Museum President James R. Castle. For more information regarding the Brunswick Heritage Museum contact James R. Castle at president@Brunswickmuseum.org For more information on SM+P Architects visit their website, http://www.smp-architects.com SOURCE Brunswick Heritage Museum By David M. Rubenstein, co-founder & co-chairman, The Carlyle Group July, 3 2020 By celebrating the Fourth of July, which the country has done annually since 1777, are we still celebrating independence from Britain or are we really celebrating the key principle outlined in the Declaration of Independence that we are all equal, with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? And if we are celebrating that principle, are we closing our eyes to the fact that the Declarations principal author, Thomas Jefferson, was a slaveowner who had a forty-year intimate relationship with one of his slaves? For years I have been interested in these questions and that interest has accelerated with the ongoing race-related protests and re-examinations. Over the past decade, I have purchased a dozen historic copies of the Declaration and placed them on public display around the country. My hope is that more Americans will delve deeply into the Declarations meaning what it meant in 1776 as well as today. My theory is that when people see historic documents, as opposed to replicas or images on computers, they become more interested in the real meaning of these documents. David Rubenstein has purchased several copies of The Declaration of Independence (produced in 1823) and places them on public display at prominent institutions including the National Archives and the Smithsonian Institution. Some background: The Second Continental Congress approved on July 2, 1776, a resolution to declare independence from Britain. John Adams, the principal advocate of independence, wrote to his wife Abigail saying that in the future July 2 would be celebrated by Americans as the most memorable epoch in the history of America. Right after the vote on July 2, the delegates to the Congress began debating the wording of a document the Declaration of Independence designed to explain to the American people, the British government, and to other interested people and countries, the reasons for the break with England. The draft Declaration had been principally authored by the 33-year old Jefferson (accompanied to Philadelphia by two of his slaves). For two days, the delegates debated Jefferson s handiwork. After the final text was approved, about 200 copies were disseminated to the public. Story continues It wasnt until August that the delegates signed the engrossed version of the Declaration. That faded version today resides in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. So why do we celebrate the Declaration of Independence on July 4 rather than July 2, the date of the actual vote for independence? One theory is that the Second Continental Congress, in session on July 2, 1777, simply forgot about the date, realized its error a bit late, and organized itself to have a celebration two days later, on the 4th. Whatever the reason, the country has celebrated the Fourth of July unofficially since 1777 and officially (by act of Congress) since 1941. But, again, what are we celebrating? In the early years of the Republic, independence from Britain was what the colonies felt was significant and worthy of celebration. The wording of the Declaration was not considered that significant indeed, even Jefferson thought so little of his authorship that he did not publicly admit to his role for many years. Today, independence from Britain, while important historically, is not foremost on the minds of Americans. What deserves and receives more attention is the Preamble of the Declaration: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. This sentence may be the best-known sentence in the English language. Why is that? It is because the sentence has become the creed of America our aspiration and the creed of all disenfranchised people, in this country and around the world. And that is what we are really celebrating on July 4th the concept that, despite the allowance of slavery and the subsequent Jim Crow laws; despite the disenfranchisement of women until 1920; despite the inequities in social, political, economic, religious, gender and sexual preference suffered by so many in the countrys history to this day, the goal of equality and equal opportunity is what the country should be about. So the fact that Jefferson, with his obvious flaws, which were shared by many Founding Fathers, unknowingly wrote the words that have become the creed of this country should not detract from the Declaration and its relevance to todays challenges. We should take comfort in the progress made since 1776 toward the creed; we should not take comfort that enough progress has been made toward the creed. And we should resolve that in celebrating the Fourth of July and the Declaration, we are really celebrating where the country should be heading where everyone can feel and be equal in rights and opportunities and hopefully will arrive someday soon. David M. Rubenstein is a Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the worlds largest and most successful private investment firms. Mr. Rubenstein co-founded the firm in 1987. Since then, Carlyle has grown into a firm managing $224 billion from 32 offices around the world. - Find live stock market quotes and the latest business and finance news For tutorials and information on investing and trading stocks, check out Cashay Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and reddit. SYDNEY, July 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the world's largest rail transportation equipment companies, China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC, 1766.HK), has recently released the 2019 Australian Corporate Social Responsibility Report. Highlighting the company's efforts to support local partners through deep integration, the report speaks to the results of these partnerships and commits to even further levels of cooperation into the future. In the rail transit industry, international cooperation is imperative to ensuring the highest levels of safety, comfort and efficiency. Partnering with the Victorian Government, the CRRC has provided 65 new sets of seven-car HCMT trains that will enter service throughout 2020, beginning with the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines. Throughout the whole domestic production of these trains, local partners and stakeholders were actively involved in the development process. In 2018, the Victorian Government invited a large number of these stakeholders and train drivers to inspect the vehicles and give feedback. From the over 2,500 pieces of relevant feedback received, more than 150 changes were made to final design, allowing the trains to now carry up to 20% more passengers than currently used models. A major part of CRRC's commitment to cooperating with local industry players is through parts procurement, investment and employment. Over a number of years, CRRC has developed a reputation as being a locally-conscious international partner; this means including local manufacturing as an integral part of the supply chain. For the HCMT project, 60% of the spending was on local parts procurement, design, manufacturing and sourcing. Also, for 2015 established subsidiary Pacific Railway Engineering Pty Ltd (PRE), over 50% of stock components and services are supplied by local Australian partners. This cooperative focus is fundamental to CRRC's business vision as Chairman Liu Hualong notes in the report: "By actively engaging with our partners in Australia, we have been able to jointly build a community of shared interests. Our aim is to build long-term strategic partnerships with local companies and help their businesses go global by providing high-end products and services. We fully integrate in the industry supply chain to help local suppliers grow as well as promote the rail industry in Australia in general." Story continues Local Australian giant and the world's largest mining company, BHP is one of CRRC's major local partnerships with over 20 years of cooperating together. The two specialized organizations' mutually beneficial relationship is in part due to their shared vision of connecting the world; for BHP this is connecting people and resources, for CRRC it is providing the infrastructure to allow greater mobility. The relationship in Australia has been marked by collaboration in R&D projects for long-life products, the filling of enormous and urgent requests (587 ore wagons delivered in 5 months) and a joint completion ceremony celebrating BHP's 4,000th ore wagon. Adding to stories of local cooperation, in 2016 CRRC's SDA1 locomotive proved successful in managing 'devil's corner' for Australian rail freight partner Pacific National. The 8,500km stretch of land with 75% of the track reaching up to a 25% gradient and an s-bend curvature between Hawkesbury River and Cowan Bank in New South Wales, required a specialized high-power locomotive. The SDA1 is capable of towing more than 8,000 tonnes at a maximum speed of 120km/h and was later commended by Pacific National as providing high-quality and efficient delivery. For more information about latest news of CRRC to work with its partners in Australia, please visit http://www.crrcgc.cc/en About CRRC CRRC (China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation) is one of the world's largest rail transportation equipment companies, with annual sales revenue of RMB 229.01 billion in 2019. The CRRC provides products and services to more than 100 countries and regions, and has established 15 international R&D centres. The CRRC has also set up local manufacturing bases in the US, Australia, South Africa, Malaysia, Turkey and India etc. By 2019, CRRC was ranked 359th in the list of Global Fortune 500 Companies. SOURCE CRRC The DOC rejected 4,600 masks from Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware in May, claiming a lack of need, but accepted 5,000 masks from the REFORM Alliance, another grassroots group Following news that in-person visitations have resumed at Delaware prisons, largely thanks to a donation of 5,000 masks given by the REFORM Alliance, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Campaign Manager Chris Coffey released the following statement: "We offered 4,600 masks to the Delaware Department of Correction (DOC) to protect inmates nearly two months ago, but were turned away by the agency, which claimed it had sufficient supply chain to procure the masks it needed. "That the DOC accepted masks when they came from the REFORM Alliance makes it painfully clear that this was a politically-motivated lie. In fact, DOC Commissioner Claire DeMatteis admitted that without this donation, we would have to purchase masks to provide to visitors to the prison. "My question is: why is Delawares DOC picking and choosing organizations to take protective equipment from in the middle of a deadly pandemic that disproportionately affects vulnerable communities, especially inmates and people of color? Even worse, its clear that Commissioner DeMatteis, who was appointed by Governor Carney, who weve publicly criticized for his handling of the Covid-19 crisis, is making these decisions based on political considerations, rather than prioritizing public health. "Its despicable that when we offered direct help to the DOC, Commissioner DeMatteis and Governor Carney chose to play politics and put inmates lives at risk, but now that help is coming from a more politically palatable group, theyve welcomed the aid with open arms. "Im disappointed but frankly, Im not surprised. This is just another example of the Delaware Way that protects the interests of the elites over everyday Delawareans, to the point that the DOC would rather put peoples lives on the line than accept a donation from a group that challenges Delawares corrupt status quo." Story continues Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the unprecedented forced sale of TransPerfect. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200702005082/en/ Contacts Chris Coffey, ccoffey@tuskholdings.com SEOUL, South Korea, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloud4C, the world's leading cloud Managed Services announced launch of its operations in South Korea. Cloud4C delivers a broad array of services including cloud migration to hyperscalers, hybrid cloud, cloud managed services, IT modernization services, disaster recovery services and managed security services among others. The company serves 60 of the Fortune 500 Global Multinationals and has presence in 25 countries and 50 locations. Cloud4C, Worlds leading Cloud Managed Services Provider, launched its South Korean Operations Businesses in South Korea who are looking to embark on digital transformation or IT modernization journey will benefit immensely from Cloud4C service portfolio. Cloud4C is cloud managed services provider with key strategic partnerships with SAP, AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, while it brings its own public cloud platform. It has helped SAP launch its SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud across 25 countries and serves world renowned global brands. Sridhar Pinnapureddy, Founder and CEO, Cloud4C said, "We are delighted to launch our operations in South Korea which is world's 12th largest economy with a unique geographic position and pursues business-friendly policies with tremendous potential for growth. We plan to enable businesses in South Korea through our wide spectrum of services to help them address their critical business needs through differentiated offerings such as banking community cloud, SAP community cloud, cloud migration services to hyperscale cloud providers and cloud managed services." He further added, "We bring to South Korea our experience of working with 4,000 enterprises from across the world to help CIOs embark on their digital transformation and help them achieve their technology and business goals. We plan to partner with South Korean CIOs to help them play a larger role in evolving their IT strategies and establish digital Leadership." Cloud4C plans to set up Cloud4C Academy in South Korea in partnership with the Government and leading IT Universities to train and nurture local talents with adequate industry exposure. "We aim to train the youth in South Korea and prepare them for a bright future in cloud computing to help them gain employment and eventually assume leadership roles in the industry," said Sridhar Pinnapureddy. Story continues The company has recently appointed Peter Seo, Country Head and Vice President, he will be based out of Seoul and provide leadership and growth direction to the organization. Peter Seo said, "Leveraging the existing alliances as Premium Supplier of SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud, we aim to be the number one SAP partner in the region. As an Azure Expert MSP, Advanced Consulting partner of AWS, Managed services partner of GCP and OCI, we have the groundwork to build a collaborative ecosystem to deliver stellar business outcomes for organization in South Korea, China and Japan looking to modernize their IT environment." About Cloud4C Cloud4C is the World's leading Cloud Managed Services Provider serving 4,000 customers in 25 Countries and 50 locations including 60 of the Fortune 500 Global Multinationals. The company provides cloud (public, private, hybrid) and community cloud services (Banking Community Cloud, SAP Community Cloud), cloud migration on hyperscalers such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, end to end cloud managed services, disaster recovery services, managed security services. The company plans to expand its geographical footprint to 80 countries and 160 locations worldwide in the next 36 to 48 months. www.cloud4c.com Media Contact: B.S.Rao Vice President and Global Head (PR and Communications) bsrao@cloud4c.com Cloud4C Logo (PRNewsfoto/Cloud4C) Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cloud4c-worlds-leading-cloud-managed-services-provider-launches-its-operations-in-south-korea-301086981.html SOURCE Cloud4C VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 3, 2020 / Core One Labs Inc. (COOL.CN)(CLABF)(Frankfurt:LD6, WKN:A14XHT) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed a non-brokered private placement of 42,105,264 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.095 per Unit for gross proceeds of $4,000,000.08. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company, and one-half-of-one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to acquire an additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.35 per share until July 3, 2022. The Company anticipates utilizing the proceeds of the placement for the evaluation of its proposed acquisition of interests in Rejuva Alternative Medicine Research Centre Inc. and Shahcor Health Services Inc. and other potential strategic acquisitions, to retire existing payables and for general working capital purposes. In connection with completion of the placement, the Company paid finders' fees of $31,946.84 and issued 869,781 Warrants to certain arms-length parties who assisted in introducing subscribers to the Company. All securities issued in connection with the placement are subject to a statutory hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities law until November 4, 2020. The Company also announces that, effective immediately, Joel Shacker has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and Ryan Hoggan has been appointed as a director of the Company. Messrs. Shacker and Hoggan fill the vacancy created by Brad Eckenweiler who has resigned as a director and officer of the Company but will remain with the Company in a temporary advisory capacity to assist with the transition of any ongoing matters. The board of directors of the Company expresses its gratitude to Mr. Eckenweiler for his previous service to the Company. Mr. Hoggan joins the Company from Mota Ventures Corp., where he currently serves as Chief Executive Officer. He brings more than eighteen years of leadership, global business development and entrepreneurship experience in the health equipment, medical devices and natural health product sectors. Mr. Hoggan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Westminster College, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Arizona and a Master of Global Management (MGM) from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. Story continues About Core One Labs Inc. Core One Labs Inc. is a technology company that licenses its technology to a state-of-the-art production and packaging facility located in Southern California. The Company's technology produces infused strips (like breath strips) that are not only a safer, healthier option to other forms of delivery but also superior bioavailability of cannabis constituents. Some strips will also include supplemental co-active ingredients such as nutraceuticals, vitamins and peptides. The technology provides a new way to accurately meter the dosage and assure the purity of selected product. Core One Labs Inc. Joel Shacker Chief Executive Officer FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: InvestorRelations@coreonelabs.ca 1-866-347-5058 Cautionary Disclaimer Statement: The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. In addition, marijuana remains a Schedule I drug under the United States Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Although Congress has prohibited the US Justice Department from spending federal funds to interfere with the implementation of state medical marijuana laws, this prohibition must be renewed each year to remain in effect. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. SOURCE: Core One Labs Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/596215/Core-One-Labs-Completes-Private-Placement-Financing The COVID-19 pandemic has rocked global markets and economies, and it has changed the face of business forever. Like every other industry, the hedge fund industry has also been impacted by the coronavirus, although the impacts may not be as obvious as impacts in other industries. Here are some ways the hedge fund industry has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Strategy Rotation Perhaps the biggest impact on the hedge fund industry is a shift in rotations. Strategies with lower correlations to the capital markets are now in higher demand, which means CTA/ managed futures funds, market-neutral funds and arbitrage funds could see inflows. On the other hand, long/ short equity funds may see outflows. According to Eurekahedge, the only two strategies that are in the green for the first five months of the year were CTA/ managed futures, which was up 0.95%, and macro, which was up 0.12%. All other hedge fund strategies were down, with event-driven funds taking the biggest hit, followed by distressed debt. Eurekahedge also reports that the rotation into CTA/ managed futures funds continued in May as net investor flows were up the most compared to other strategies. The other strategies that saw investor inflows in May were multi-strategy funds, relative value funds, long/ short equity funds and fixed income funds. May brought a turnaround in investor flows for CTA/ managed futures funds as year to date through the end of May, the strategy had investor redemptions of $22.5 billion. May did bring a turnaround for the hedge fund industry, which recorded $9.3 billion in investor inflows and $7.4 billion in performance-driven gains. Year to date through the end of May, hedge funds are still down 2.53%. Fee pressure and investor redemptions As many hedge fund managers have struggled this year, especially in the March selloff, there is likely to be additional pressure on fees. The traditional 2% management fee and 20% performance fee structure is all but a thing of the past, as most funds are no longer able to command fees that high. Story continues Estimates suggest only about 25% of hedge funds are still charging 2 and 20, with most fund managers lowering their fees after the 2008 financial crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has been the worst economic downturn since the financial crisis, so it stands to reason that fund managers will face additional pressure on the fees they charge. A related issue is investor redemptions. The last several years, investor redemptions have been high. Funds that have been underperforming their peers can expect to see even more redemptions during and after the pandemic. Some hedge funds may end up closing their doors entirely. Hedge Fund Research found that more than 300 hedge funds were liquidated during the first quarter. That number is likely to increase for the second quarter. More opportunities Many hedge fund managers have been hoping for an increase in volatility for a while, and this year, their wish was granted. Unfortunately, that has meant bad things for fund managers who haven't been able to take advantage of the increased volatility. However, some fund managers have managed to make the most of the volatility so far, and a few even managed to protect their investors from the steep selloff in March. Bloomberg reports that Universa, a tail risk fund, Saba Capital, Haidar Capital, Pershing Square, Andurand, Chenavari, and Odey all managed positive returns in March despite the steep selloff. The markets have mostly recovered since then, but there are still some opportunities for hedge fund managers who know where to look. About the Author Michelle Jones was a television news producer for eight years. She produced the morning news programs for the NBC affiliates in Evansville, Indiana and Huntsville, Alabama and spent a short time at the CBS affiliate in Huntsville. She has experience as a writer and public relations expert for a wide variety of businesses. Michelle has been with ValueWalk since 2012 and is now our editor-in-chief. Email her at Mjones@valuewalk.com. See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. High airfreight rates and the urgent need for personal protective equipment have led to more direct all-cargo flights from Vietnam to the U.S., saving shippers time and money, according to logistics companies and airport managers. Since mid-April, Wen-Parker Logistics has chartered 46 full freighters, the majority of them from Vietnam, carrying face masks for multiple U.S. customers, according to Brady Borycki, executive vice president, global business development. Three more aircraft are scheduled to arrive by the end of the week. The company, based in Elmont, New York, is bringing the protective gear through several airports. Atlas Air, for example, is operating about a dozen leased flights direct from Hanoi to Rickenbacker International Airport, a cargo-dedicated airport in Columbus, Ohio, and five flights to Newark, New Jersey. "One thing that made this possible was the elevated rate levels this year. [Before], it wouldn't have even been an option. It wasn't really economical, or necessary, to charter direct from Vietnam," said Borycki. Most of the flights have been from Hanoi, with a few departing Ho Chi Minh City. Both cities are much farther from the U.S. than cargo gateways such as Shanghai and Hong Kong. Without enough consistent volume to fill an entire plane, it previously wasn't worthwhile in most cases for all-cargo operators to offer direct service to the U.S. Instead, freighters typically stopped along the way in another Asian city before flying over the Pacific and refueling in Anchorage, Alaska. Every stop adds to the transit time and costs, such as airport fees. Cargolux and Cathay Pacific have each operated for a couple years regularly scheduled freighters to the U.S. that originate in Vietnam, but the flights always stop in Hong Kong first to get topped off, said Evan Rosen, president of the Americas region at Sri Lanka-based Expo Freight Logistics. "We'd love to run weekly scheduled flights from Vietnam to Rickenbacker, but it's just been cost prohibitive because of the fact that there is so much regular capacity based off of the passenger and cargo flights," he said. "The rate levels were pretty depressed from Vietnam." Story continues At the higher rates and huge quantities involved, Wen-Parker and EFL have been able to get ad hoc airlift from carriers such as Atlas Air. China Alternative Interest in Vietnam as an alternative source of personal protective gear grew after China implemented stricter quality controls on face masks to prevent fraud. New procedures by China Customs slowed clearance and caused massive backlogs at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and, to a lesser degree, other Chinese airports. Many apparel factories were able to easily convert production to personal protective gear. A company that makes Halloween costumes, for example, switched to make hospital gowns, said Bryan Schreiber, manager, air cargo business development for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority. Vietnam has heavily invested in transportation infrastructure, including airports, since joining the World Trade Organization 15 years ago. Big planes and deepwater container ships can now support export-driven manufacturing. Countries like Cambodia are still catching up, Rosen said, noting Cambodia doesn't have large enough runways to accommodate some widebody aircraft so freight is often trucked to Vietnam or Thailand. Wen-Parker is primarily shipping non-medical-grade cotton masks for consumer use. Although demand for personal protective equipment has waned since the apex in April and May, it is still heavily occupying airline and airport resources at origin and destination, industry specialists say. Some of Wen-Parker's dedicated carriage is out of Hong Kong, with part of the planes filled with transshipped cargo from Vietnam. The freight forwarder has separately chartered 10 cargo-only passenger flights operated by United Airlines from Hong Kong to Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Borycki said. Wen-Parker, he said, will continue to manage regular imports of face masks from Vietnam, as well as Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and China, but at lower quantities that will not require chartered aircraft. EFL, which is 80% owned by Sagawa Express in Japan, is also moving large quantities of medical protective gear to Rickenbacker with direct charter flights as well as feeder service from countries throughout Asia to Dubai, where the shipments are consolidated and put on Emirates freighters, Rosen said. The forwarder has booked flights with personal protective equipment through August. Weekly scheduled freighter flights from Vietnam to the U.S., even at main gateways such as New York and Los Angeles, could continue for the foreseeable future until passenger networks get rebuilt to previous density, he added. Click here for more stories by Eric Kulisch. RECOMMENDED READING: Market Watch: Air cargo frenzy dies down Shanghai Pudong Airport continues to choke on COVID cargo Tensions ease between US, China over passenger flights Photo: Columbus Regional Airport Authority See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. The rail transport equipment company continues its commitment to sustainability to cultivate win-win opportunities and unlock long-term economic value SYDNEY, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC, 1766.HK), one of the world's largest rail transportation equipment companies, has released its 2019 Australia Sustainability Report. In a comprehensive overview of its key CSR priorities and initiatives, the report highlights the company's unwavering focus on professional development, improving green standards for its operations and manufacturing, and driving social and community development. "We actively aim to protect the environment and strictly abide by Australian environmental policies and related regulations," said Liu Hualong, Chairman of CRRC. "As a corporation, we attach significant importance to research and development, focusing on eco-friendly materials and the reduction of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, we are providing eco-friendly solutions for customers and low-carbon travel for passengers in Australia." Committed to long-term partnerships In the report, CRRC emphasized its commitment to cultivating fruitful, long-term relationships with local companies. Leveraging its experience in technology, management, operations, and services, CRRC is engaging Australian partners to uncover win-win opportunities and provide efficient, low-cost transportation solutions. One such example is its subsidiary Delkor, the Australian rolling stock spare and accessory parts manufacturing company. While CRRC acquired Delkor in 2011, the latter has nonetheless maintained its independence in business management. Meanwhile, CRRC provides all-rounded support for pricing, quality control, supply, and communications. Support for career development and occupational health & safety prevention In full recognition of the importance of career support, CRRC Australia member companies offer employees advanced training, to nurture talent and encourage professional mobility. This includes seminars on leadership, project management, and quality management. Story continues CRRC also understands the importance of equal employment. Along with partners Downer and Plenary, CRRC cooperated with the Victorian government on the HCMT rail transit infrastructure project in Melbourne, which will create 1,100 jobs. 15% of which are allocated for trainees and 7% for disadvantaged groups. Green operations To reduce energy consumption and emissions, CRRC continuously utilizes new technologies, processes, equipment, and materials, with the goal of achieving clean production. It treats all potential environmental contaminants, such as industrial wastewater and gas, in compliance with relevant regulations and standards. Energy efficiency is also a key priority, as seen at the CTEA's Morwell plant. Designed to ensure efficient material transport and energy use, the plant is equipped with advanced production facilities that improves product quality while lowering energy consumption. The plant, itself, has also been optimized, maximizing use of natural light and ensuring a comfortable temperature throughout building design and layout. Community development CRRC seeks to play an active role in the local community. In 2018, it supported the global Pink Ribbon campaign against breast cancer by delivering a batch of trains to Australian customers decorated with the campaign's signature pink hue, to raise broad awareness of breast cancer prevention. Moving forward, CRRC will continue to play a socially minded role to help forge a prosperous future with its local Australian partners. For more information about CRRC, please visit http://www.crrcgc.cc/en *** About CRRC CRRC (China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation), one of the world's largest rail transportation equipment companies with sales revenues of RMB 229.01 billion in 2019, has provided products and services to more than 100 countries and regions. CRRC has established 15 international R&D centers and set up local manufacturing bases in the US, Australia, South Africa, Malaysia, Turkey, and India. In 2019, CRRC ranked 359th on the Fortune Global 500 list. SOURCE CRRC Public will have an opportunity to provide comments to regulators on the Proposed Project VANCOUVER, BC, July 2, 2020 /CNW/ - Midas Gold Corp. (MAX.TO) (MDRPF), ("Midas Gold" or the "Company") today announced that the United States Forest Service ("USFS") and other regulators working on the review of the Stibnite Gold Project ("Project") under the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA"), have released their quarterly Schedule of Proposed Actions ("SOPA"), which updates the NEPA permitting schedule for the Project. The updated schedule indicates that the USFS expects to release the Draft Environmental Impact Statement ("Draft EIS") for public review in August 2020 . Once the much-anticipated Draft EIS is released, the public will have an opportunity to comment on the Project, as required by NEPA. "Almost a decade of work has gone into studying, designing and improving the Stibnite Gold Project," said Laurel Sayer , President & CEO of Midas Gold Idaho, Inc. "The rigors of the permitting process have provided years of additional scientific study and refinement to the Project. Once released, we are confident that the Draft EIS will clearly illustrate the remarkable opportunity we have to use responsible, modern mining as both a path to restore the ecosystem at the Stibnite site, and also provide the family-wage jobs, capital investment and critical minerals our nation so clearly needs." The USFS has spent the last several months working to make the Draft EIS complete, comprehensive and more accessible for the public, so stakeholders can more easily review and understand the document. Midas Gold has worked closely with regulators to provide the technical information needed to ensure the USFS has access to the best available science and develops the best alternative possible for the Stibnite Gold Project. The USFS brought significant additional technical resources to the review process that have worked diligently to ensure this objective is met. This additional effort should ultimately support a complete and robust record of decision ("ROD") at the conclusion of the NEPA process. The updated schedule indicates that USFS anticipates releasing a final ROD in Q3 2021. Story continues During this period, Midas Gold has continued to evaluate opportunities to further refine the Project with the objective of reducing Project footprint, improving water quality and developing a sustainable ecosystem supporting healthy fish populations that can access spawning grounds in the headwaters of the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River for the first time in more than 80 years. This is an iterative process between regulators and Midas Gold designed to ensure the best outcomes for the site. "The historical mining district where the Project is located is in desperate need of environmental repair," said Sayer. "Mining operations undertaken by prior operators, particularly in the WWII and Korean War era, left heavy impacts on the site that were largely abandoned once mining concluded and only minimal reclamation undertaken. Our Project was designed from the outset to use modern, responsible mining to restore the area by providing the expertise and financial resources necessary to reconnect salmon to their native spawning grounds, improve water quality and address numerous legacy issues from historical mining operations. If permitted, the Project would also provide America with its only domestically mined source of antimony and bring more than 500 family-wage jobs to rural Idaho ." Joint Review Process Seven federal, state and local agencies involved in permitting the Project signed the Stibnite Joint Review Process Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") in 2017, committing to work together to evaluate the Plan of Restoration and Operations ("PRO") for the Stibnite Gold Project under NEPA. The MOU was designed so agencies could collaborate in the review and preparation of the EIS, meet the requirements of the public process and follow a mutually agreed upon schedule. Agency cooperation and collaboration remain key to the timeliness and completeness of the process. Next Steps in the Regulatory Process Once the Draft EIS is released, there will be a minimum 45-day public comment period, as required by NEPA. Immediately following the public comment period, the USFS and cooperating agencies will respond to all comments and produce the final EIS and a draft ROD. Upon publication of the final EIS, there would be a period for objections and resolution before the final ROD is published. A positive final decision would allow Midas Gold's subsidiary, Midas Gold Idaho, Inc., to seek the issuance of the final permits that are dependent on the ROD being issued. Stibnite Gold Project Permitting Background A detailed presentation on the PRO can be found at www.midasgoldcorp.com . Details of previous news releases and technical studies can be found filed under Midas Gold's profile on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ) or at www.midasgoldcorp.com . Considerable supporting information on the Project and additional resources, such as questions and answers about the Project, can be found at www.midasgoldidaho.com. Facebook: www.facebook.com/midasgoldidaho Twitter: @MidasIdaho Website: www.midasgoldcorp.com About Midas Gold and the Stibnite Gold Project Midas Gold Corp., through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is focused on the exploration and, if warranted, site restoration and development of gold-antimony-silver deposits in the Stibnite-Yellow Pine district of central Idaho that are encompassed by its Stibnite Gold Project. Forward-Looking Information Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, disclosure regarding possible events, next steps and courses of action including actions to be taken by the USFS and other state, federal and local government agencies and regulatory bodies; the anticipated timelines under the SOPA; the expected timing for release of the Draft EIS and the final ROD; possible outcomes of the permitting process, including the content of the Draft EIS and the support for a complete and robust ROD; the expected benefits of the Project, once permitted; and the actions to be tain by the USFS and cooperating agencies following the public comment period. In certain cases, Forward-Looking Information can be identified by the use of words and phrases or variations of such words and phrases or statements such as "anticipates", "targeted", "complete", "comprehensive", "defensible", "ensure", "potential" and "robust", in relation to certain actions, events or results "could", "may", "will", "would", be achieved. In preparing the Forward-Looking Information in this news release, Midas Gold has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions that the current objectives concerning the Stibnite Gold Project can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected; that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner; that the formal review process under NEPA (including the review process being undertaken by the USFS and other regulators) as well as the public comment period, EIS and ROD will proceed in a timely manner and as expected; that the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, although evolving, will stabilize or at least not worsen; that the extent to which COVID-19 may impact the Company will not change in a materially adverse manner; that agency engagement, cooperation and collaboration as contemplated under the MOU will follow the mutually agreed upon schedule set out therein and proceed as expected and that all requisite information will be available in a timely manner. Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Midas Gold to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward-Looking Information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, changes in laws and regulations and changes in the application of standards pursuant to existing laws and regulations which may result in unforeseen results in the review process under NEPA; uncertainty surrounding input to be received pursuant to the public comment period; risks related to dependence on key personnel; risks related to unforeseen delays in the review process including availability of personnel from the USFS and other regulators (including, but not limited to, future US government shutdowns and delays related to COVID-19); risks related to opposition to the Project including litigation involving the Nez Perce Tribe; risks related to the outcome of litigation and potential for delay of the Project, as well as those factors discussed in Midas Gold's public disclosure record. Although Midas Gold has attempted to identify important factors that could affect Midas Gold and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-Looking Information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking 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. Except as required by law, Midas Gold does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. SOURCE Midas Gold Corp. Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2020/02/c0550.html The airline industry is sitting in a financial hotseat as the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic burns up cash, but for some carriers it feels like an inferno. Israeli-flag carrier El Al on Thursday said it has ceased scheduled passenger operations through the end of July and sent most employees home without pay amid a liquidity crisis, while Aeromexico received court approval to use existing resources to pay employees and vendors, and honor ticket purchases and existing agreements with business partners as it seeks to restructure under U.S. bankruptcy protection. The International Air Transport Association recently projected that the commercial airline industry would lose $84 billion this year, with revenues halved because of the significant decline in passenger travel. El Al had planned to resume passenger flights Wednesday after a three-month shutdown for health safety reasons, but a dispute with unionized pilots and other workers over concessions and pay forced the company to cancel flights, according to the Jerusalem Post. El Al officials are seeking to secure a rescue package from the Israeli government, without which they warn the company may not survive. A key condition of the assistance is reaching agreement with employees on downsizing measures. The Israeli carrier and the government are negotiating two bailout options. The first consists of obtaining a $400 million loan, guaranteed by the state, and offering a stock sale to raise $150 million. The second proposal is for a $250 million state-backed loan and offering $150 million in shares, with the state agreeing to purchase all shares not purchased by investors. The airline has been trying to secure government aid for more than two months. El Al said on its website that it is continuing to operate cargo-only passenger flights and special passenger charters with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The Israel newspaper Maariv reported that the dispute between the pilots and the company was also caused by El Al's refusal to transfer Boeing 737 pilots to Dreamliner aircraft for cargo and passenger flights. Story continues El Al released first-quarter results showing a $140 million loss compared to a $55 million loss in the same period in 2019, with cash and short-term deposits dwindling to $131 million from $264 million at the start of the year. Revenues fell 25% and in an ironic note, sharply lower fuel prices are actually hurting the company because of hedging contracts that locked in jet fuel prices at higher levels and cost it $56 million for the quarter. Similar to other airlines, it has taken a series of self-help measures that include placing workers on unpaid leave, canceling capital investment projects, deferring aircraft lease payments and selling spare aircraft engines. Aeromexico bankruptcy Meanwhile, Aeromexico cleared the first step of Chapter 11 bankruptcy with court approval to maintain continuing operations without interruption. As announced in its court filing on Monday, the airline is in talks to obtain debtor-in-possession financing as part of its restructuring process. Debtor-in-possession financing lenders get first priority on a company's assets in the event of liquidation. Such deals, which must be approved by the court, allow a bankrupt company to remain in business and make payments for goods and services during the reorganization. "We are committed to taking the necessary measures so that we can operate effectively in this new landscape and be well prepared for a successful future when the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us," CEO Andres Conesa said in a statement. "We expect to utilize the Chapter 11 process to strengthen our financial position, obtain new financing and increase our liquidity, and create a sustainable platform to succeed in an uncertain global economy." The airline said it expects to double the number of domestic flights in July and quadruple international flights compared to June, joining other airlines that are slowly increasing operations in response to better travel demand. Aeromexico's rehabilitation is important to Delta Air Lines too. Under a 3-year-old joint cooperation agreement, the airlines operate hundreds of weekly routes between cities on both sides of the border. They have integrated services, products, airports and sales teams, including online ticket purchases and carry-on baggage policies. Aeromexico, like El Al and other passenger airlines, has also made extensive use of passenger planes for dedicated cargo customers. Aeromexico joins Chilean-based LATAM Airlines and Avianca, the top two carriers in Latin America, in seeking U.S. bankruptcy protection. Last week the German government tossed Lufthansa Airlines a safety net worth in excess of $10 billion, while the governments in Hong Kong and Austria have invested in Cathay Pacific and Austrian Airlines, respectively, to prop up those national carriers. Click here for more FreightWaves stories by Eric Kulisch. RECOMMENDED READING: El Al says it might not survive, seeks Israeli bailout Airlines seek government help to survive winter doldrums Avianca receives preliminary OK for chapter 11 bankruptcy Photo: Flickr/Nicky Boogaard See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Eni SpA E recently announced offshore gas discovery in the Mediterranean Sea. The discovery has been made in the first exploration well in the North El Hammad concession. The prospect is named Bashrush, located off the coast of Egypts Nile Delta. The integrated energy player believes that the new finding of a single 152-meter-thick gas column in the well has extremely good petrophysical properties. The exploratory well is being tested by Eni for production. To fast-track production activities, the company will also weigh the development options. Notably, in the North El Hammad license, containing the Bashrush prospect, the Italian energy company holds an operating interest of 37.5%. British energy giant BP plc BP and Frances TOTAL S.A. TOT have a 37.5% and 25% stake, respectively. Eni added that it will continue to explore the prolific Nooros field along with developing the new discovery. In the Nooros field, the company plans to drill another exploration well Nidoco NW-1 DIR later in 2020. The company revealed that the latest discovery signifies the effectiveness of new exploration strategies. The objective is to find potential prospects and to fast-track development activities of the new findings through the existing infrastructures. Importantly, the new gas discovery has strengthened the companys upstream portfolio to capitalize the mounting demand for clean energy across the world. Eni SpA Price Eni SpA Price Eni SpA price | Eni SpA Quote However, the short-term outlook for the companys upstream business is likely to be unfavorable since the coronavirus pandemic has dented global energy demand. Eni currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Meanwhile, a better-ranked player in the energy space is QEP Resources, Inc. QEP, with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. QEP Resources has witnessed upward earnings estimate revisions for 2020 in the past 30 days. Story continues More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2021. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report TOTAL S.A. (TOT) : Free Stock Analysis Report QEP Resources, Inc. (QEP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Eni SpA (E) : Free Stock Analysis Report BP p.l.c. (BP) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research BANGKOK, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic is causing significant impact on people all over the world for an uncertain period. While governments around the world urgently take actions to mitigate various impacts from the pandemic, the increasing gap in education seems to be one of the major issues that is ignored. The inequity education tends to intensify since children and adolescences over 90% across the globe have to be temporarily out of the education system. Equitable Education Conference 2020 The Equitable Education Fund collaborates with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Ministry of Interior, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Bank, Global Partnership for Education, Save the children UNESCO and alliance partners to hold an international conference on equity education: ALL FOR EDUCATION during 10th-11th July 2020 via online channel. According to data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), there are around 263 million children out of the school system currently. Meanwhile, the educational reformers and academic researchers around the world assess that the inequality in education will become even more severe after the COVID-19 pandemic crisis as many more millions of children are at risk of dropping out from the education system. The conference is honored by the presence of more than 60 notably reformers and education leaders from 14 countries such as Amartya Sen, the Noble Prize laureate economist; Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), whose organization aims to reduce the inequality in education over 68 developing countries, Andreas Schleicher, the founder and behind-the-scenes operator for the Program using for International Student Assessment or PISA. The conference is also attended by one representative who is the great leader in Asian teacher developments from Singapore as well as one of the world top educators from Finland. All representatives will participate in the conference in order to seek solutions in educational inequality during COVID-19 crisis together. On this occasion, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will graciously preside over the opening ceremony and deliver the keynote speech on "Four Decades of Working in Education and Disadvantage Children Life's Development". Story continues For those who are interested, please register your online attendance for free at https://bit.ly/EquitableEducationConference2020 or http://afe2020.eef.or.th/ Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-equitable-education-fund-and-60-educational-reformers-partner-to-hold-an-interntional-conference-on-equity-education-all-for-education-301088066.html SOURCE EEF-Equitable Education Fund EUR/USD Current Price: 1.1234 US upbeat employment data gave high-yielding assets a temporal boost. Record coronavirus cases in the US put at doubt a possible economic recovery. EUR/USD neutral, trading within familiar levels for a third consecutive week. The EUR/USD pair hit a daily high of 1.1302, but gave up and settled near daily lows, in the 1.1230 price zone. Risk-appetite lead the way for most of the day, boosted early in the US session by an upbeat Nonfarm Payroll Report. According to official figures, the US added 4.8 million new jobs in June, while the unemployment rate contracted to 11.1%. The headline reading for May was upwardly revised to 2.7 million, adding to the good news. However, the US also reported a record 51,000 new coronavirus cases. New York delayed the re-opening of some indoor activity after California lockdown some areas on Wednesday. Also, Houston reported that ICU capacity is at 102%. Despite hopes a vaccine is nearby and that the economy is doing pretty well, the reality is that things are only getting worse in the worlds largest economy. The US celebrates a holiday this Friday, which means the day will be over with Londons close. During the European morning, Markit will publish the final versions of the Unions services PMI, seen little changed from preliminary estimates. EUR/USD short-term technical outlook The EUR/USD pair is technically neutral, confined to a 1.1170/1.1330 range for a third consecutive week. In the 4-hour chart, the pair is between Fibonacci levels and moving averages, with the 100 SMA converging with the 23.6% retracement of its latest daily advance at 1.1270. Technical indicators eased within positive levels, now flat around their midlines. Theres no scope for a significant breakout during the upcoming sessions, but the risk is skewed to the downside, with better chances of a bearish extension being the next relevant move. Support levels: 1.1210 1.1170 1.1125 Story continues Resistance levels: 1.1270 1.1310 1.1350 View Live Chart for the EUR/USD See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Faithful+Gould, through its framework for professional services with Modon, acted as client representative and project and cost managers on the first phase of this programme which eventually will see 20 new mosques across the city by the end of 2020. The project is part of the Department of Municipalities and Transports (DMT) plan in co-operation with Modon to build 20 mosques across Abu Dhabi, with 10 in the capital city, five in Al Ain city, and five in the Al Dhafra region, to be delivered by the year-end. The five mosques were completed in a record time of four months to coincide with Ramadan despite the considerable challenges that arose from the Covid-19 pandemic. Working in close collaboration with key stakeholders involved in this project, the Faithful+Gould team developed a fast-track construction solution based upon a prefabricated steel load-bearing structure supported on a simple raft foundation. Working closely with the contractor, the team was able to minimise the supply chain delays associated with traditional materials and significantly reduce site operations and construction time. The careful selection of construction methodology together with the use on non-traditional materials has proven to be a real game changer in Mosque construction. Project Director Andrew Watson said: "Innovative solutions, client centricity and pushing on through adversity are at the heart of the companys culture and this is a perfect example of how we deliver on our promises." "We have now set the benchmark for the roll out of mosques across Abu Dhabi and will be using this delivery model and lessons learned in the roll out of the additional 15 Mosques across the programme," stated Watson. "This project has been an outstanding example of the client, consultant and contracting team going the extra mile. Construction works were completed in record time, well within client timelines and despite the challenges resulting from precautionary measures implemented to mitigate the risk of Coronavirus," he added. With over 20 years experience in the Middle East, Faithful+Gould has helped transform the region into the live, work and play destination it is today through its portfolio of projects across the property, transport and infrastructure sectors. The companys strategy is derived from the ability to improve project management efficiencies through digital technology by enabling new business models and maximising the value from data to create safe and secure infrastructure fit for the future.-TradeArabia News Service Excellon Resources Inc. (CNW Group/Excellon Resources Inc.) TORONTO , July 3, 2020 /CNW/ - Excellon Resources Inc. (EXN.TO) (TSX: EXN.WT) (EXLLF) and (E4X1.F) ("Excellon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has signed a binding term sheet for a fully subscribed financing of C$8,000,000 (the "Financing") through the private placement of secured convertible debentures of the Company (the "Debentures"). The proceeds will be used to repay the US$6 million bridge loan with Sprott Private Resource Lending II (Collector), LP entered into in connection with the acquisition of Otis Gold Corp. References to principal amounts and conversion or exercise prices in respect of the Financing are in Canadian dollars. "We are pleased to realize the support of long term and significant European shareholders to refinance our outstanding bridge loan at a 25% premium to yesterday's closing share price," stated Brendan Cahill , President and CEO. "This financing comes as we begin the first drill campaign on our Silver City Project in Saxony, Germany , which saw over 750 years of high-grade silver production until the 1870s, yet had never seen modern day exploration for precious metals until 2019." The Debentures have a term of 36-months and are convertible into common shares ("Common Shares") of the Company prior to maturity at a conversion price of $1.06 per Common Share. The Debentures shall bear interest at an annual rate of 5.75%, payable in cash semi-annually. Interest on the Debentures may alternatively be paid in Common Shares of the Company at the Company's option based on (i) the 10-day volume-weighted average price of the Common Shares prior to the payment date and (ii) an effective annual rate of 10%. The Debentures are secured against the Company's assets in Mexico . On or after the second anniversary of the date of issue and prior to maturity, the Company may accelerate the conversion of the entire issuance of Debentures, provided that the 20-day VWAP of the Common Shares on or after such 24-month anniversary is equal to greater than $2.50 , upon the Company providing the Lender with 30-calendar days prior written notice of such accelerated conversion. Story continues The purchasers of the Debentures shall also be entitled to 2,248,000 Common Share purchase warrants ("Warrants") or 281 Warrants per $1,000 principal amount of Debentures. Each Warrant shall be exercisable at a price of $1.15 for a period of three years from the date of issuance. In connection with the Financing, the Company has agreed to grant 377,358 Common Share purchase warrants (the "Broker Warrants") with an exercise price of $1.15 and a term of 36 months. The Common Shares underlying the Debentures, Warrants and Broker Warrants shall be subject to a four-month hold period following closing of the Financing in accordance with applicable securities legislation. The Financing is subject to approval by the Toronto Stock Exchange and final documentation and is expected to close on or about July 20, 2020 . About Excellon Excellon's vision is to create wealth by realizing strategic opportunities through discipline and innovation for the benefit of our employees, communities and shareholders. The Company is advancing a precious metals growth pipeline that includes: Platosa, Mexico's highest-grade silver mine since production commenced in 2005; Kilgore , a high quality gold development project in Idaho with strong economics and significant growth and discovery potential; and an option on Silver City, a high-grade epithermal silver district in Saxony, Germany with 750 years of mining history and no modern exploration. The Company also aims to continue capitalizing on current market conditions by acquiring undervalued projects. Additional details on Excellon's properties are available at www.excellonresources.com. Forward-Looking Statements The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this Press Release, which has been prepared by management. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 27E of the Exchange Act. Such statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the future results of operations, performance and achievements of the Company, including potential property acquisitions, the timing, content, cost and results of proposed work programs, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, geological interpretations, proposed production rates, potential mineral recovery processes and rates, business and financing plans, business trends and future operating revenues. 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 typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, significant downward variations in the market price of any minerals produced, the Company's inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities, to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies. All of the Company's public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties, and particularly the September 7, 2018 NI 43-101 technical report prepared by SRK Consulting ( Canada ) Inc. with respect to the Platosa Property. This press release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States . SOURCE Excellon Resources Inc. Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2020/03/c0699.html BERLIN (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz described as a scandal the collapse of Wirecard after the payments company disclosed a hole in its books that left it owing creditors almost $4 billion, adding it was a wake-up call for supervision. "We must rethink our supervisory structures," said Scholz, adding he had asked his ministry in the coming days to come up with some ideas. "If legal, legislative, regulatory measures are needed, we will embrace them and implement them," he said. "A scandal like Wirecard is a wake-up call that we need more monitoring and oversight than we have today," he said. (Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Alexandra Hudson) REUTLINGEN, Germany July 3 (Reuters) - German scientists began a nationwide study on Friday to gain a better overview of the actual prevalence of the new coronavirus in the country's population and test how well measures to prevent its spread are working. The study by the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) will start by testing around 3,000 blood samples from residents in the southern German town of Reutlingen for antibodies created when immune system fights the coronavirus. Scientists will conduct five different antibody tests on each sample. The study will take place over a period of one year, with additional blood samples being collected and tested again in selected districts across Germany four and eight months after the first survey. Antibody studies, also known as seroprevalence research, are considered critical to understanding where an outbreak is spreading and can help guide decisions on restrictions needed to contain it. Gerard Krause, coordinator of the study and head of the Department of Epidemiology at the HZI in Braunschweig, said the results will help better understand how long the antibodies stay in the body and allow policymakers to refine vaccination strategies. The first results from the Reutlingen study are expected in the Autumn. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 446 to 195,674, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Friday. Some people, however, are asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms so it can be hard to estimate the virus's true prevalence. In May, an antibody study by the city of Boston and Massachusetts General Hospital found 10% of the population had COVID-19 antibodies. The Spanish government ran a study showing exposure in 5% of people - suggesting 10 times the number of confirmed positive cases. (Reporting by Reuters TV Writing by Caroline Copley Editing by Thomas Escritt) NEW YORK, July 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Griffin Industrial Realty, Inc. (GRIF) (Griffin) announced today that it will host a pre-recorded webcast on July 10, 2020 at 8:00 A.M. Eastern Time to report on its fiscal second quarter results and to discuss its current operations. Griffin plans to release its financial results for the second quarter after the market closes on July 9, 2020. The listen-only webcast can be accessed at https://services.choruscall.com/links/grif200710.html or via the investor relations section of Griffins website at http://www.griffinindustrial.com/investors. A replay of the webcast will be available through October 10, 2020. About Griffin Griffin is a real estate business principally engaged in developing, acquiring, managing and leasing industrial/warehouse properties. Griffin currently owns 42 buildings totaling approximately 4.6 million square feet (approximately 4.2 million of which is industrial/warehouse space) in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Florida in addition to over 3,400 acres of undeveloped land. CONTACT: Anthony Galici Chief Financial Officer (860) 286-1307 Gus V. announces the release of 1947: The Greys Odyssey to Earth COCOA, Fla., July 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In his return to the publishing scene, Gus V. brings 1947: The Greys Odyssey to Earth (published by Archway Publishing), a science fiction inspired by the 1947 UFO crash near Roswell, Mexico set in a distant future where humans have already established relations with several extraterrestrial races. The year is 2065. A new age of peace, economic prosperity and enlightenment has begun. One group of aliens, the Greys in particular, are an advanced and peaceful race. Human journalist C. A. Wyatt is in the process of writing a book about the Greys odyssey from their home world, planet Zeta, to Earth and their crash landing near Roswell, New Mexico, back in 1947. The Greys journey begins with the invasion of their planet by an aggressive alien species called Reptoids, just as their spaceship is about to be launched on an expedition to the uninhabited planet of Avalonia. As crew of the ship voyages to various planets, they face problems, both internal and external. Eventually, they set out to meet the humans of Earth, hoping to form a new alliance. But when things do not go as planned, the fate of the Greys and of humanity will change forever. They landed on Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. But who were the Greys? What do they want from humans? What did they think of Earth? To purchase a copy, please visit https://www.archwaypublishing.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001231541. With this unique chronicle, Gus V. hopes to entertain readers, provide a food for their thought and provoke them to think about the what ifs, that there may be life in other planets; some of it as intelligent and perhaps a bit more advanced than humans. 1947: The Greys Odyssey to Earth By Gus V. Hardcover | 5.5x8.5 in | 270 pages | ISBN 9781480884168 Softcover | 5.5x8.5 in | 270 pages | ISBN 9781480884182 E-Book | 270 pages | ISBN 9781480884175 Story continues Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author Gus V. holds a bachelors degree in electrical engineering and a master's degree in engineering management. He worked for more than 32 years as an aerospace engineer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center before retiring in late 2008. He is the author of Memories from the Land of the Intolerant Tyrant, about the Cuban Revolution and life in Cuba, and Out of Numbness, about addiction and recovery. 1947: The Greys' Odyssey to Earth is his third publication. 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 www.archwaypublishing.com or call 888-242-5904. Attachment Marketing Services Archway Publishing 888-242-5904 pressreleases@archwaypublishing.com TORONTO , July 3, 2020 /CNW/ - Guyana Goldfields Inc. (GUY.TO) ("Guyana Goldfields") announced today that it has mailed its management information circular ("Circular") and related materials (together with the Circular, the "Meeting Materials") in connection with the annual and special meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting") to be held on July 27, 2020 . The purpose of the Meeting will be to vote on, among other things, an immediate value realisation transaction with Zijin Mining Group Co., Ltd. ("Zijin") that will provide shareholders with a significant premium for their Guyana Goldfields shares. The Meeting Materials have been filed under Guyana Goldfield's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Guyana Goldfields encourages shareholders to read the Meeting Materials in detail. To ensure representation at the Meeting, shareholders should carefully follow the voting instructions provided in the Meeting Materials. For registered shareholders, the deadline for the receipt of proxies is 10:30 a.m. ( Toronto time) on July 23, 2020 . Beneficial shareholders should contact the intermediary through which they hold their shares to determine their cut-off time for voting. Shareholders are encouraged to visit www.guygold.com where the circular, voting instructions and other information relating to the transaction with Zijin have been posted. The Arrangement Agreement Guyana Goldfields and Zijin entered into a binding arrangement agreement (the "Agreement") pursuant to which Zijin will, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Guyana Goldfields (other than shares already held by Zijin) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately C$323 million . Under the terms of the Agreement, Guyana Goldfields shareholders will receive C$1.85 for each Guyana Goldfields share held. Benefits to Guyana Goldfields Shareholders The consideration represents a 427% premium to the volume weighted average price of the Guyana Goldfields shares on the TSX for the 20 trading days ended April 24, 2020 As an all-cash offer, the proposed arrangement provides certainty of value and immediate liquidity Zijin's strong balance sheet and access to capital provides the funding needed for the transaction (no financing condition) and for the development of the next phase of the Aurora mine Additional details with respect to the potential benefits and risks of the Arrangement are described in the Circular. Story continues The Meeting In light of the ongoing concerns regarding the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), one of Guyana Goldfields' primary considerations is to protect the health of its employees, shareholders and the communities in which it operates, and to ensure compliance with local laws and orders restricting the size of public gatherings. Accordingly, the Meeting will be held in a virtual-only format conducted by a live audio webcast. Guyana Goldfields shareholders, regardless of geographic location, will have an equal opportunity to participate in the meeting and ask questions. For the details as to how to access and vote at the Meeting, please see the Circular. In particular, beneficial shareholders must take certain additional steps in order to vote and ask questions at the Meeting. YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. VOTE TODAY. Recommendation of the Board of Directors After consulting with its financial and legal advisors and following careful consideration, the Board of Directors has unanimously recommended that Guyana Goldfields shareholders should vote FOR each of the special resolution approving the proposed arrangement with Zijin and the special resolution approving the reduction in the stated capital of the Guyana Goldfields shares in order to satisfy certain requirements under the Canada Business Corporations Act in respect of the proposed arrangement. Shareholder Questions and Assistance Shareholders who have questions regarding the Meeting should contact Guyana Goldfields' strategic shareholder and communications advisor and proxy solicitation agent, Kingsdale Advisors, at 1-800-775-1986, or collect call outside North America at +1-416-867-2272, or by e-mail at contactus@kingsdaleadvisors.com. Advisors and Counsel RBC Capital Markets is acting as financial advisor, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP is acting as legal advisor and Kingsdale Advisors is acting as a strategic shareholder and communications advisor and proxy solicitation agent for Guyana Goldfields. Credit Suisse is acting as financial advisor to Zijin and Gowling WLG ( Canada ) LLP is acting as Zijin's legal advisor. About Guyana Goldfields Inc. Guyana Goldfields is a Canadian based gold producer primarily focused on the exploration, development and operation of gold deposits in Guyana , South America . Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements and information with respect to the Meeting date, the cut-off time for voting by proxy or through an intermediary and the Guyana Goldfields' plans regarding the Aurora mine. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and are based on various assumptions. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, events or achievements of Guyana Goldfields to be materially different from any future results, performance, events or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: a delay in the Meeting date, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates; unforeseen operational issues and other difficulties in the execution of mine plans; delays in the development of projects; general business, economic, competitive, political, health and social uncertainties; political instability and Government action; as well as those factors discussed in Guyana Goldfields' public documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Guyana Goldfields has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and Guyana Goldfields disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. SOURCE Guyana Goldfields Inc. Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2020/03/c5327.html Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - July 3, 2020) - Hemostemix Inc. (TSXV: HEM) (OTC: HMTXF) ("Hemostemix" or the "Company") is pleased to announce on June 29, 2020, it filed a Verified Complaint and, on July 2, 2020, Motions for a Preliminary Injunction and Expedited Scheduling seeking to compel the immediate return of all clinical trial data from Defendant Accudata Solutions, Inc. ("Accudata") and enjoining Accudata from continuing to divulge and disclose such highly sensitive and confidential information to third parties who have no ownership or custodial right to it. Hemostemix engaged the services of Accudata to conduct, pursuant to a Consulting Agreement executed in August 2019, a statistical analysis of the clinical trial midpoint data. All clinical trial data and, in particular, the clinical trial midpoint analysis and supporting data are, and always have been, the property of Hemostemix. Hemostemix has an absolute ownership right over that data and an absolute right to recover the data upon demand. Despite repeated requests, Accudata has failed and refused to return the midpoint data to Hemostemix. Hemostemix also recently learned that, while refusing to return the clinical trial midpoint data to Hemostemix, Accudata produced a copy of the midpoint data and report to an agent of the former Contract Research Organization ("CRO"), Aspire Health Science, LLC ("Aspire") and Aspire is now blocking Hemostemix from obtaining the return of its clinical trial data. Neither Aspire nor any of its agents or representatives have any ownership or any other right to have, maintain, or withhold such data, or to hold such data to the exclusion of Hemostemix. Hemostemix seeks the Court's immediate intervention to enjoin Accudata's continued breaches of the parties' agreement. Hemostemix filed in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. On June 25, 2020 counsel for Hemostemix presented oral argument to the 9th Circuit Court in and for Orange County, Florida on its motion to dismiss Aspire's lawsuit on grounds that, among other things, Hemostemix's threshold challenge that it is not subject to jurisdiction in Florida. A decision on Hemostemix's motion is pending. In the meantime, the presiding judge has stayed a hearing on Aspire's Motion for a Speedy Hearing previously set for June 29, 2020 pending a decision on Hemostemix's motion to dismiss. Story continues ABOUT HEMOSTEMIX Hemostemix is a publicly traded autologous stem cell therapy company. A winner of the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer Award, the Company developed and is commercializing its lead product ACP-01 for the treatment of CLI, PAD, Angina, Ischemic Cardiomyopathy, Dilated Cardiomyopathy and other conditions of ischemia. ACP-01 has been used to treat over 300 patients, and it is the subject of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind trial of its safety and efficacy in patients with advanced critical limb ischemia who have exhausted all other options to save their limb from amputation. On October 21, 2019, the Company announced the results from its Phase II CLI trial abstract entitled "Autologous Stem Cell Treatment for CLI Patients with No Revascularization Options: An Update of the Hemostemix ACP-01 Trial With 4.5 Year Followup" which noted healing of ulcers and resolution of ischemic rest pain occurred in 83% of patients, with outcomes maintained for up to 4.5 years. The Company owns 91 patents across five patent families titled: Regulating Stem Cells, In Vitro Techniques for use with Stem Cells, Production from Blood of Cells of Neural Lineage, and Automated Cell Therapy. For more information, please visit www.hemostemix.com. Contact: Thomas Smeenk, President, CEO & Co-Founder TSmeenk@Hemostemix.com 905-580-4170 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information regarding: the commercialization of ACP-01. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects Hemostemix's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Hemostemix and on assumptions Hemostemix believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to: the results of ACP-01 research, trials and studies being equivalent to or better than previous research, trials or studies as well as management's expectations of anticipated results; Hemostemix's general and administrative costs remaining constant; the receipt of all required regulatory approvals for research, trials or studies as well as any required or desired financings of Hemostemix, including TSX Venture Exchange acceptance and any third party consents; the level of activity, market acceptance and market trends in the healthcare sector; the economy generally; consumer interest in Hemostemix's services and products; competition and Hemostemix's competitive advantages; and obtaining satisfactory financing to fund Hemostemix's operations including any research, trials or studies. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Hemostemix to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the ability of Hemostemix to complete its current CLI clinical trial, complete a satisfactory futility analysis and the results of such and future clinical trials; litigation and potential litigation that Hemostemix may face; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; general capital market conditions and market prices for securities; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; the actual results of future operations including the actual results of future research, trials or studies; competition; changes in legislation affecting Hemostemix; the timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; long-term capital requirements and future developments in the Company's markets and the markets in which it expects to compete; lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals; and risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic including various recommendations, orders and measures of governmental authorities to try to limit the pandemic, including travel restrictions, border closures, non-essential business closures, service disruptions quarantines, self-isolations, shelters-in-place and social distancing, disruptions to markets, economic activity, financing, supply chains and sales channels, and a deterioration of general economic conditions including a possible national or global recession; the potential impact that the COVID-19 pandemic may have on Hemostemix may include a decreased demand for the services that Hemostemix offers; and a deterioration of financial markets that could limit Hemostemix's ability to obtain external financing. A description of additional risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in Hemostemix's disclosure documents on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Although Hemostemix 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 that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of Hemostemix as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. However, Hemostemix expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/59101 INDIANAPOLIS, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A pandemic and a canceled annual convention strengthened the resolve to gather if only virtually for student leaders of Key Club International. The preeminent service leadership group for high school students typically sees 1,000 students at its annual convention. This summer, more than 4,500 teens registered for a three-day summer online leadership conference. A key meeting component is a series of sessions on creating a Culture of Care in high schools. "It was important to us to be able to connect, to offer relevant content for continuing education and to have something we could all be a part of in light of the cancellation of our Key Club convention," said K'lena Schnack, Key Club International president. Schnack, from the Nebraska-Iowa District, had the distinction of serving as president during a tumultuous year that included changes to her own school year and club activities. "While 2020 brought so much uncertainty, our Key Club members know that leadership and service are at their core," said Michelle Study Campbell, executive director, Kiwanis Youth Programs. "We had to find a way to bring them together to support them as they develop the skills they will need to continue their leadership journey." Students who complete the four Culture of Care sessions will be certified change-makers, ready to make a positive impact in their communities. Each student will receive a certificate and will be included in continuing education throughout the year. "Of all the sessions we offered, the Culture of Care series garnered the most interest among students," said Greg Stowers, director, Key Club International. "These sessions reinforce positive peer pressure that students can employ in their own schools and communities to help bring about real change." The four courses include Out of bounds: Understanding healthy boundaries; You talking to me? Effective peer communication; Removing the blindfold: Bystander intervention 101; and a Train the trainer course, that will help students as they lead these sessions in their own communities. Story continues Study-Campbell said Key Club International's board of 13 student leaders developed the curriculum for the summer leadership conference and quickly brought the online sessions to life. Registration is free and features more than a dozen sessions from today and Thursday; elections and business meetings will be Friday. As with a physical convention, students will participate in a service project by writing letters of encouragement to residents of long-term care facilities and deliver them based on the lockdown phases of their communities. Media Contact: Vicki Hermansen 242876@email4pr.com 317-217-6171 Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/high-school-students-take-leadership-education-and-training-online-301087410.html SOURCE Kiwanis International CHIFENG, China, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hitachi Elevator (China) Co., Ltd. provided 20 escalators and 15 elevators in tandem with related maintenance services to the eastern and western squares as well as the bus hub of Chifeng West Railway Station, an integrated transportation hub project of Kazuo-Chifeng High-speed Railway. The rail line formally opened on July 1, 2020, marking the city's entry into the era of high-speed rail transportation by connecting to the national high-speed railway network via the network's Beijing-Shenyang line. Hitachi Elevator provides escalators and elevators to Chifeng West Railway Station, part of the newly opened Kazuo-Chifeng High-speed Railway With the opening of the Kazuo-Chifeng High-speed Railway, Chifeng, a key urban center in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is now connected to the high-speed rail networks of Northeast China and, by extension, the whole of the country, including to the Beijing-Tianjin, Dandong-Dalian (to the south), Harbin-Qiqihar (to the north) and Changchun-Jilin (to the east) lines. With the opening, travel time from Chifeng to Shenyang is reduced to 2 hours and 45 minutes, to Dalian to 4 hours and 45 minutes, and to Harbin to 5 hours and 33 minutes. Hitachi Elevator provides escalators and elevators to Chifeng West Railway Station, part of the newly opened Kazuo-Chifeng High-speed Railway At a time when the Chinese government is accelerating the construction of various infrastructure projects across the country, Hitachi Elevator has been committed to developing and providing intelligent products and solutions to the such projects, including high-speed railways, airports and metros, and, by doing so, contributing to the rapid growth of the infrastructure construction sector by enhancing the country's public transportation services and improving the quality of life for the Chinese people. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200702/2847454-1-a Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200702/2847454-1-b SOURCE Hitachi Elevator (China) Co., Ltd. The Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) continues to see strong investor appetite for its currencies portfolio against a backdrop of ongoing foreign exchange (FX) volatility, said its top official. In June, the DGCXs G6 currencies portfolio recorded year-on-year (Y-O-Y) volume growth of 265.56%, and has now recorded year-to-date (Y-T-D) volume growth of 456.69% compared to the same period last year. British Pound and Yen Futures Contracts were the most notable performers, registering Y-O-Y Average Daily Volume (ADV) growth of 307.58% and 1010.45% respectively. The strong performance of the DGCXs suite of currency products comes ahead of the launch of three FX Rolling Futures Contracts, which will provide investors with additional opportunities to efficiently hedge their risk exposure, particularly during this period of heightened volatility. The three FX Rolling Futures contracts Euro (EUR), Pound Sterling (GBP) and Australian Dollar (AUD) against the US Dollar (USD) will go live on Monday (July 6). CEO Les Male said: "The FX market across the region has been gathering pace in recent years, but its really come to the fore over the last few months in terms of investor appetite and maturity. This is particularly true in the UAE, which serves as a regional hub for retail and institutional traders and has solid regulatory infrastructure in place." "Right now, the biggest factor influencing currency flows is of course the Pandemic and the uncertainty its caused globally, but were also seeing a number of other geopolitical events having a significant impact on currencies ranging from Brexit trade negotiations to concerns that the US and China trade talks may fall through again," he stated. Following the DGCXs launch of three FX Rolling Futures Contracts next week, the DGCX plans to expand its portfolio of Indian Rupee (INR) Futures Contracts with the introduction of a Weekly INR Futures Contract against the US dollar (USD) later this month. The new contract will provide market participants with short-term hedging and arbitrage opportunities and will track the worlds largest pool of offshore liquidity for exchange-traded INR-USD currency products that the DGCX offers. According to Male, the DGCX continues to play a pioneering role in the development of Menas financial markets. "Dubais strategic geographic location between the Far East and Europe allows us to serve as a unique hub for global Forex flows," he noted. "With the launch of these new products, we hope to further enhance the UAE and wider regions rapidly growing influence and importance in the global FX market," he added. Total volumes on the DGCX in June totaled 948,377, valued at $23.96 billion. The DGCX last month also recorded Average Open Interest (AOI) of 145,493 contracts.-TradeArabia News Service Bloomberg (Bloomberg) -- Exxon Mobil Corp. is preparing to reduce headcount at its U.S. offices by between 5% and 10% annually for the next three to five years by using its performance-evaluation system to suss out low performers, according to people familiar with the matter.The cuts will target the lowest-rated employees relative to peers, and for that reason will not be characterized as layoffs, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information isnt public. While such workers are typ - Investing $20 million in 2 Silicon Valley tech fundsfostering future mobility startups in the mid-to-long term - Concentrating on R&D amid rapidly changing business environmentexpanding research areas to include next-generation sensors, biometrics and robotics SEOUL, South Korea, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Mobis(KRX:012330), which has been devoted to securing future car technologies by developing proprietary technologies and investing directly in global leaders, is diversifying its investment strategies by investing in global venture funds, etc. Hyundai Mobis CI (PRNewsfoto/Hyundai Mobis) Hyundai Mobis announced on the 2nd that it would invest a total of $20 million in 'ACVC Partners' and 'MOTUS Ventures,' US tech funds in Silicon Valley. This decision was made with the aim of securing future mobility technologies and growth engines in various ways to help contend with the rapidly changing business environment. By so doing, Hyundai Mobis will be able to preemptively secure global allies necessary for its strategies represented by autonomous driving, electrification and connectivity. Until now, Hyundai Mobis has been investing KRW 1 trillion each year as R&D expenditures, and concentrating on securing proprietary technologies with the Technical Center of Korea and four global R&D centers playing the central role. The company succeeded in developing the radar sensor, which used to depend entirely on imports, with its own technology in 2018, and independently secured the camera systems for commercial vehicles and the in-cabin sensing technology. Additionally, Hyundai Mobis has been engaging in direct investments in leading companies at home and abroad. Back in 2018, the company invested in StradVision (Korea), a deep-learning-based camera sensor maker. Last year, it invested $50 million in Velodyne, a global leader in lidar technology, and directly invested in the joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv. Following its development of independent technologies and investments in leading companies, Hyundai Mobis invested in global startups, diversifying its investment strategies. The company is planning to foster global startups, which have strengths in future mobility technologies and leverage various collaboration opportunities as part of its mid-to-long-term R&D strategies. Story continues Most of the startups, discovered by 'ACVC Partners' and 'MOTUS Ventures' in which Hyundai Mobis invested, are North American startups specializing in next-generation sensors, biometrics and robotics, etc. They are considered promising technologies in the future mobility market. These tech funds are deemed to have a good eye for discovering the promising technologies of university research labs and research institutes in their early stages, and they provide support to create synergies with investors. Hyundai Mobis is trying to create an ecosystem for collaboration with startups from their initial stages. This year, the company is planning to increase the number of successful case studies in investment and collaboration by discovering promising startups in other regions of the world, including Europe. About Hyundai Mobis Hyundai Mobis is the 7th largest leading automotive supplier. Founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, Hyundai Mobis is to become a lifelong technology partner for vehicles and people. It is excellent in sensors, sensor fusion in controllers and software design capabilities in safety control. As Hyundai Mobis internalized all core auto component technologies, it has various product groups in ADAS based on its state-of-the-art technologies which combined sensors and these technologies. Its products also include core modules (chassis, cockpit and front-end), brakes, suspension, steering, airbags, lights and automotive electronics. Mobis currently has more than 30,000 employees and has been manufacturing in more than 30 regions in 10 countries including South Korea, China, Germany, India and the United States. In addition to its R&D headquarters in South Korea, Mobis has 4 technology centers in Germany, China, India and the United States. Media Contacts Hyundai Mobis PR, Hanbyul Kim, khb@mobis.co.kr Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hyundai-mobis-accelerate-mobility-technologies-investing-in-overseas-vc-funds-301087369.html SOURCE Hyundai Mobis LONDON, July 2 (Reuters) - Ukraine postponed its planned Eurobond sale after fund managers asked to cancel orders or for the deal to be re-priced following the resignation of the central bank governor, investor sources told Reuters. One investor said his firm asked if it could pull its order for the bonds, while another said it had requested adjustments to the pricing or for the deal to be delayed after Yakiv Smoliy unexpectedly resigned. Ukraine decided to pause the sale after learning that Smoliy had quit as central bank governor and consulting investors, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said on Thursday. (Reporting by Tom Arnold, Karin Strohecker and Sujata Rao; Editing by Catherine Evans) JERUSALEM (AP) A state-linked technology company in the United Arab Emirates has signed a partnership with two major Israeli defense firms to research ways of combating the coronavirus pandemic. The agreement, announced late Thursday, comes just weeks after the UAE warned Israel that proceeding with its planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank would upend its efforts to improve ties with Arab states. G42, an Abu Dhabi-based company specializing in artificial intelligence and cloud computing, signed a memorandum of understanding with Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries, the UAE's state-run WAM news agency reported. It said executives held a signing ceremony by video link between the two countries, which do not have diplomatic relations. Rafael and IAI's Elta subsidiary confirmed the agreement. Elta, which specializes in sensors, radars, electronic warfare and communication systems, said they would cooperate on research and technology focused on artificial intelligence, sensors and lasers. They said the collaboration would not only benefit the two countries, but the entire world as it grapples with the pandemic. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to annex all of Israel's West Bank settlements as well as the strategic Jordan Valley, had announced an agreement with the UAE a week ago, without providing specifics. Only two Arab countries, Jordan and Egypt, have made peace with Israel, with the rest saying it must first resolve the conflict with the Palestinians. But Israel has quietly improved ties with Gulf countries in recent years, in part because of their shared concerns about Iran. In recent weeks, senior UAE officials have warned that annexation would jeopardize those improved ties, but have also suggested that the two countries could set aside their political disputes to collaborate on humanitarian and other projects. President Donald Trump's Middle East plan, which overwhelmingly favors Israel and was rejected by the Palestinians, would allow Israel to annex up to 30% of the West Bank, which it occupied in the 1967 war along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians want all three territories to form their future state. Story continues The U.N., European and Arab countries have warned Israel against annexation, which is widely seen as a violation of international law that would dash any remaining hopes of reaching a two-state solution to the conflict. Group 42, also known as G42, is led by CEO Peng Xiao. He previously ran Pegasus, a subsidiary of DarkMatter, a cybersecurity firm based in the UAE that has recruited Western intelligence agents. Since late 2016, Dubai police have partnered with Pegasus to use its big data application to pool hours of surveillance video to track anyone in the emirate. DarkMatters hiring of former CIA and National Security Agency analysts has raised concerns, especially as the UAE has harassed and imprisoned human rights activists. SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / July 3, 2020 / Jadestone Energy Inc. (JSE.L) ("Jadestone", or the "Company"), an independent oil and gas production company focused on the Asia Pacific region, announces that it has commenced arbitration proceedings against Teikoku Oil (Con Son) Co. Ltd ("Teikoku"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inpex Corporation ("Inpex"), in respect of Jadestone's acquisition of an interest in Block 05-1 PSC, offshore Vietnam. On August 9, 2016, Jadestone, as buyer, signed a definitive sale and purchase agreement ("SPA") with Teikoku, as seller, for the acquisition of a 30% working interest in Block 05-1 PSC, for a total cash consideration of US$14.3 million, subject to normal closing adjustments. On February 22, 2018, Inpex delivered to Jadestone a purported notice of termination of the SPA, despite Teikoku having just received on February 9, 2018, (i) the waiver by Vietnam Oil and Gas Group ("Petrovietnam") of their statutory pre-emption rights, held under Vietnamese law; and (ii) direction from Petrovietnam to complete and submit all documents necessary to effect the transfer of interest to Jadestone. As noted in our press release of February 26, 2018, the Company has not accepted Inpex's alleged termination, and views the obligations of both parties under the SPA as continuing. Jadestone and Inpex engaged in negotiations over an extended period in 2018 and 2019, which the Company pursued with the objective of securing its interest in Block 05-1 PSC. Jadestone has assessed its options, including advice from Queen's Counsel, as the SPA is subject to English law, and has determined that it is in the best interest of shareholders to challenge Teikoku's purported termination of the SPA, and to seek specific performance by Teikoku to fulfil its obligations under the SPA. To that end, the Company has filed a notice of arbitration with the Singapore International Arbitration Centre in accordance with terms of the SPA. Story continues Paul Blakeley, President and CEO commented: "We intend to complete our planned acquisition of a 30% interest in Block 05-1 from Inpex. Prior to the purported termination, the parties had worked together and made very substantial progress toward closing the deal, a process which included Inpex requesting that the deal not be terminated even after the long stop date had passed, and with the objective of obtaining Petrovietnam's waiver of their pre-emptive rights, which was then achieved in early February 2018. While commencing arbitration is never an easy decision, we have exhausted all avenues to come to an amicable conclusion, and now feel Inpex's continued unwillingness to complete the SPA constitutes a material breach of their obligations, to the detriment of potential value for Jadestone shareholders." - Ends - Enquiries Jadestone Energy Inc. +65 6324 0359 (Singapore) Paul Blakeley, President and CEO +1 403 975 6752 (Canada) Dan Young, CFO +44 7392 940 495 (UK) Robin Martin, Investor Relations Manager ir@jadestone-energy.com Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (Nomad, Joint Broker) +44 (0) 20 7710 7600 (UK) Callum Stewart Simon Mensley Ashton Clanfield BMO Capital Markets Limited (Joint Broker) +44 (0) 20 7236 1010 (UK) Thomas Rider Jeremy Low Thomas Hughes Camarco (Public Relations Advisor) +44 (0) 203 757 4980 (UK) Georgia Edmonds jadestone@camarco.co.uk Billy Clegg James Crothers About Jadestone Energy Inc. Jadestone Energy Inc. is an independent oil and gas company focused on the Asia Pacific region. It has a balanced, low risk, full cycle portfolio of development, production and exploration assets in Australia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The Company has a 100% operated working interest in the Stag oilfield and the Montara project, both offshore Australia. Both the Stag and Montara assets include oil producing fields, with further development and exploration potential. The Company has a 100% operated working interest in two gas development blocks in Southwest Vietnam and is partnered with Total in the Philippines where it holds a 25% working interest in the SC56 exploration block. In addition, the Company has executed a sale and purchase agreement to acquire an operated 69% interest in the Maari Project, shallow water offshore New Zealand, and anticipates completing the transaction in H2 2020, upon receipt of customary approvals. The Company has recently executed an agreement to acquire an operated 90% interest in the Lemang production sharing contract, onshore Sumatra, Indonesia, and anticipates completing the transaction in Q1 2021, upon receipt of customary approvals. The block includes the Akatara gas field. Led by an experienced management team with a track record of delivery, who were core to the successful growth of Talisman's business in Asia, the Company is pursuing an acquisition strategy focused on growth and creating value through identifying, acquiring, developing and operating assets in the Asia Pacific region. Jadestone Energy Inc. is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. The Company is headquartered in Singapore. For further information on Jadestone please visit www.jadestone-energy.com. Cautionary statements Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements and information (collectively "forward-looking statements"), within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation, as well as other applicable international securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are forward-looking and not historical facts. Some of the forward-looking statements may be identified by statements that express, or involve discussions as to expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of phrases such as "will likely result", "are expected to", "will continue", "is anticipated", "is targeting", "estimated", "intend", "plan", "guidance", "objective", "projection", "aim", "goals", "target", "schedules", and "outlook"). In particular, forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to statements regarding the outcome of the dispute with Teikoku and completion of the acquisition under the SPA. Because actual results or outcomes could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements, investors should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, which contribute to the possibility that the predicted outcomes will not occur. Some of these risks, uncertainties and other factors are similar to those faced by other oil and gas companies and some are unique to Jadestone. The forward-looking information contained in this news release speaks only as of the date hereof. The Company does not assume any obligation to publicly update the information, except as may be required pursuant to applicable laws. The information contained within this announcement is considered to be inside information prior to its release, as defined in Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation No. 596/2014, and is disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of those Regulations. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. 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: Jadestone Energy Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/596190/Jadestone-Energy-Inc--Arbitration-Commences-Over-Vietnam-Acquisition By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL, July 3 (Reuters) - South Koreas President Moon Jae-in on Friday tapped officials known for advocating inter-Korean engagement as chiefs of national security, intelligence and unification policy in a bid to revive relations and stalled projects with North Korea. Moon appointed Suh Hoon, director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), as his national security adviser, and nominated Park Jie-won, a former lawmaker and special envoy to Pyongyang, to succeed Suh as NIS head. Lee In-young, a four-term lawmaker, was nominated to oversee inter-Korean ties as unification minister, after the current minister resigned over worsening relations with the North. Moon also named his national security adviser Chung Eui-yong and former chief of staff Im Jong-seok as special advisers on foreign policy and security. The nominees for NIS director and unification minister are subject to parliamentary questioning and approval. The shake-up of top security officials came as Moon seeks to cement progress in inter-Korean relations as his major legacy in his final two years in office by restarting diplomatic exchanges and economic initiatives dogged by international sanctions imposed over the Norths nuclear and missile programmes. "Reviving inter-Korean dialogue is a top priority, and Id look at the issue of restarting humanitarian exchanges and cooperation which can be done immediately," Lee told a news conference. Moon held three summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and signed an agreement aimed at easing tensions, but relations have soured since a second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed last year in which Moon had offered to be a mediator. North Korea has rejected the idea that South Korea can play mediator, but Moon has vowed to continue playing a bridging role between Kim and Trump, and this week called for the two leaders to meet again before the U.S. presidential election in November. All of the nominees are known as strong supporters of inter-Korean detente, with Suh, Chung and Im being instrumental in facilitating the summits between Moon and Kim. The U.S. point man for North Korea, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, is due to visit South Korea next week for meetings with his South Korean counterparts. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Josh Smith and Kim Coghill) Performance Marketing Specialist Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Brand-First Digital Marketing Firm SmarterChaos and Female-Centric Performance Ad Network She Is Media DMS Raises Guidance for Fiscal 2021, Increasing Revenue from $425 Million to $435 Million and EBITDA from $75 Million to $78 Million With this Acquisition, the Total Enterprise Value of the Business Combination of $757 Million Now Represents a Multiple of 9.7x Fiscal Year 2021 Expected Adjusted EBITDA DMS Leverages Proven M&A Playbook Developed Over Nine Successful Deals to Predictably Estimate Growth Impact of Acquisition Previously Announced Transaction Will Introduce DMS as a Publicly Listed Company to Trade on the NYSE Leo Holdings and DMS Merger Vote Date Scheduled for July 14 th , with Closing Expected Shortly Thereafter As a Result of Revised Guidance, Increased Confidence, and Strong Company Performance, DMS Sellers Agree to Reduce Minimum Cash Condition for Leo Holdings Transaction Leo Holdings Corp. (NYSE: LHC), a Cayman Islands exempted Special Purpose Acquisition Company ("Leo"), and Digital Media Solutions LLC ("DMS"), a leading provider of technology and digital performance marketing solutions leveraging innovative, performance-driven brand and marketplace solutions to connect consumers and advertisers, announced today that DMS has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SmarterChaos, a premier digital marketing and online performance management agency, along with She Is Media, a female-centric performance ad network. Recently listed among Americas Fastest Growing Companies by Financial Times, SmarterChaos is a brand-first performance marketing firm designed to drive awareness and customer acquisition for brands, including Pepsi, Shipt and Casetify, among others. Offering complementary brand-direct performance marketing capabilities to the DMS suite, SmarterChaos provides an existing roster of name-brand advertiser clients and an extensive network of website publishing partners instantly expanding the audience profile and media reach of DMS and its own advertiser clients. Similarly, brands engaged with SmarterChaos will benefit from DMS mature, powerful customer acquisition platform to further maximize campaign performance. Story continues As part of the same transaction, DMS will also take ownership of She Is Media, a female-centric performance ad network with a mission to connect innovative, influential women bloggers and influencers with brands. With its robust and expansive media partnerships, the She Is Media business is complementary and accretive to the DMS brand-direct performance business. The transaction is expected to close shortly after the closing of DMS' and Leo's previously announced business combination transaction, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Matt Frary, the CEO and Founder of SmarterChaos and She Is Media, will be joining DMS as EVP of Brand Strategy, along with other key SmarterChaos and She Is Media employees, to ensure strong business continuity and a smooth integration with DMS. While the acquisition of SmarterChaos and She Is Media (the "SmarterChaos Acquisition") is not deemed material to the fiscal year 2020 DMS financial outlook, DMS anticipates a swift contribution to growth as a result of synergies once the transaction is closed and both teams and capabilities of the collective companies are fully integrated. As a result, DMS is increasing its previously provided financial outlook for fiscal year 2021. For fiscal year 2021, DMS now expects revenue of $435 million and EBITDA of $78 million. This compares to previous fiscal year 2021 expectation of $425 million in revenue and $75 million in EBITDA. As a result, the total enterprise value of the Business Combination of $757 million represents a multiple of 9.7x fiscal year 2021 expected adjusted EBITDA compared to prior 10.1x. DMS financial outlook is as follows: Revenue EBITDA Fiscal 2020 $340 million $57 million Fiscal 2021 $435 million $78 million "In successfully executing nine acquisitions since 2016, DMS has consistently seen additive value to the bottom line with our proven M&A playbook. This has helped to both improve our level of performance for our advertiser customers as well as create new revenue opportunities by expanding our reach into new brand relationships, penetrating new channels for growing net new logos, and strengthening our highly diversified vertical customer base" said Joe Marinucci, CEO of DMS. "We are confident that the additions of SmarterChaos and She Is Media will contribute to both organic and inorganic growth for DMS in 2021, and we will continue to assess acquisition targets as an important part of our long term growth strategy." In light of the revised guidance, increased confidence, and strong company performance, the DMS sellers have agreed to reduce the minimum cash proceeds required at closing of the Business Combination from $200 million to $100 million. The parties expect that the previously announced $100 million private placement, which is expected to close concurrent with closing of the Business Combination, will be sufficient to satisfy the minimum cash proceeds condition. SPAC Transaction Overview As previously announced, Leo and DMS entered into the Business Combination Agreement on April 23, 2020. Leo has scheduled a special meeting to approve the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement (the "Business Combination") for July 14, 2020, as described in its definitive proxy statement/prospectus, dated June 24, 2020. The parties expect to close the Business Combination on or about July 15, 2020. The total enterprise value of the Business Combination of $757 million represents a multiple of 9.7x fiscal year 2021 expected adjusted EBITDA. Leo believes the valuation at consummation of the transaction represents a meaningful discount to relevant public comparable multiples. Additionally, Leo has secured $100 million in commitments from a number of institutional investors to purchase common equity in the post-combination company at $10.00 per share in support of the Business Combination. Once the Business Combination closes, DMS is expected to trade on the NYSE under ticker "DMS". The management team owns 54% of DMS with private equity funds managed by Clairvest Group, Inc. (TSX: CVG) owning the remaining 46%. The sellers are expected to retain a significant continuing equity interest in the post-business combination company representing over 40% of the economic interest in the company on a combined basis. Completion of the Business Combination remains subject to satisfaction of other closing conditions included in the Business Combination Agreement and approval of the transaction by Leos shareholders. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the Business Combination will be consummated. About Digital Media Solutions LLC Digital Media Solutions, LLC (DMS) is a leading provider of technology and digital performance marketing solutions leveraging innovative, performance-driven brand direct and marketplace solutions to connect consumers and advertisers. DMS deploys a robust database of consumer intelligence and leverages substantial proprietary media distribution to provide customer acquisition campaigns that grow businesses. Continuing to experience explosive year-over-year growth, DMS has been continuously recognized on the Inc. 5000 list, securing its sixth consecutive ranking in 2019, and the Entrepreneur magazine 360 list. Named one of Americas "Best Places to Work" by Inc. magazine and awarded the Excellence in Lead Generation Award by the LeadsCouncil, DMS brings together some of the industrys most knowledgeable people, efficient processes and sophisticated technology across the digital marketing spectrum. About Leo Holdings Corp. Leo is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. Important Information About the Business Combination and Where to Find It In connection with the Business Combination, Leo has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions ("SEC") a final prospectus and definitive proxy statement and has mailed the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents to its shareholders. This press release is not a substitute for the definitive proxy statement/prospectus or any other document that Leo will send to its shareholders in connection with the Business Combination. Investors and security holders of Leo are advised to read the definitive proxy statement/prospectus in connection with Leos solicitation of proxies for its extraordinary general meeting of shareholders to be held to approve the Business Combination (and related matters) because the definitive proxy statement/prospectus contains important information about the Business Combination and the parties to the Business Combination. Shareholders are also be able to obtain copies of the definitive proxy statement/prospectus, without charge, at the SECs website at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to: Leo Holdings Corp., 21 Grosvenor Place, London SW1X 7HF, United Kingdom. Participants in the Solicitation Leo and its directors, executive officers, other members of management, and employees, under SEC rules, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies of Leos shareholders in connection with the Business Combination. Investors and security holders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names and interests in the Business Combination of Leos directors and officers in Leos filings with the SEC, including Leos Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, which was filed with the SEC on March 13, 2020, as well as the definitive proxy statement of Leo for the Business Combination. Shareholders can obtain copies of Leos filings with the SEC, without charge, at the SECs website at www.sec.gov. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Leos and DMS actual results may differ from their expectations, estimates and projections and consequently, you should not rely on these forward looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, DMS expectations with respect to the future performance of SmarterChaos and She Is Media following consummation of the SmarterChaos Acquisition, Leos and DMS expectations with respect to future performance and anticipated financial impacts of the proposed Business Combination, the satisfaction of the closing conditions to the SmarterChaos Acquisition and the Business Combination and the anticipated timing of the completion of the SmarterChaos Acquisition and the Business Combination. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside Leos and DMS control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the SmarterChaos Acquisition or cause the SmarterChaos Acquisition to fail to close; (2) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Leo and DMS following the announcement of the Business Combination Agreement and the transactions contemplated therein; (3) the inability to complete the proposed Business Combination, including due to failure to obtain approval of the shareholders of Leo or other conditions to closing in the Business Combination Agreement; (4) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Business Combination Agreement or could otherwise cause the Business Combination to fail to close; (5) the amount of redemption requests made by Leos shareholders; (6) the inability to obtain or maintain the listing of the post-business combination companys common stock on the New York Stock Exchange following the proposed Business Combination; (7) the risk that the proposed Business Combination disrupts current plans and operations as a result of the announcement and consummation of the proposed Business Combination; (8) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the proposed SmarterChaos Acquisition or the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the combined company to grow and manage growth profitably and retain its key employees; (9) costs related to the proposed SmarterChaos Acquisition or Business Combination; (10) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (11) the possibility that DMS or the combined company may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; and (12) other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in the proxy statement relating to the proposed Business Combination, including those under "Risk Factors" in the Registration Statement, and in Leos other filings with the SEC. Some of these risks and uncertainties may in the future be amplified by the COVID-19 outbreak and there may be additional risks that we consider immaterial or which are unknown. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risks. Leo cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. Leo cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Leo does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. No Offer or Solicitation This press release is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase, nor a solicitation of an offer to sell, subscribe for or buy any securities or the solicitation of any vote in any jurisdiction pursuant to the Business Combination or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer or securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and otherwise in accordance with applicable law. Non-GAAP Financial Measure and Related Information This press release references EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, which are financial measures that are not prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). These non-GAAP financial measures do not have a standardized meaning, and the definition of EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA used by DMS may be different from other, similarly named non-GAAP measures used by others operating in DMS industry. In addition, such financial information is unaudited and/or does not conform to SEC Regulation S-X and as a result such information may be presented differently in future filings by the post-business combination company with the SEC. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200702005115/en/ Contacts Investors Sherif Guirgis (310) 483-8958 guirgis@lioncapital.com Edward Parker (646) 677-1864 Edward.parker@icrinc.com Media Jack Murphy (646) 677-1834 Jack.murphy@icrinc.com Representatives of a local alliance rally outside the US Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macao on Thursday, opposing US and foreign forces meddling in China's internal affairs. [PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY] More than 1.65 million Hong Kong residents signed an online petition against foreign interference led by the United States in national security legislation for the special administrative region. Claiming that the new law will deprive Hong Kong of its autonomy from the rest of China, Washington has revoked the city's special trade status under US law, ending defense exports and restricting Hong Kong's access to its high-technology products. The petition which ended on Thursday, two days after the legislation took effect was organized by the United Front Supporting the National Security Law an association comprising cross-sector civic leaders. Representatives of the group marched to the US Consulate General Hong Kong and Macao on Thursday afternoon to hand in the petition, but consulate staff refused to accept it. Meeting the press outside the consulate, Stanley Ng Chau-pei, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, the city's largest labor group, said US politicians were "shameful hypocrites" for showing double standards on Hong Kong's national security legislation. With more than 20 national security laws in force, the US has repeatedly criticized Beijing for enacting the national security law for the HKSAR. On the same occasion, Brave Chan Yung, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress, said that the US is in no position to make accusations over the national security law for the SAR which is solely China's internal affair. "US politicians have absolutely no right to interfere in Hong Kong's affairs. I hope the Hong Kong community can unite and say 'no' to foreign meddling," Chan added. Echoing Chan, lawmaker Holden Chow Ho-ding, said the security law was enacted to protect the interest of Hong Kong people and the nation. Chow, who is also vice-president of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the city's largest political party, urged the US to stop criticizing the law and destabilizing the city. Lawmaker Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan told reporters the US, which is now plagued by social unrest, was on shaky ground when meddling in other nation's affairs. Following the death of African American George Floyd in police custody, nationwide anti-racism protests erupted in the US in June. These have spread to some European cities. "Don't assume you are a global policeman," Quat said, in reference to the US. "Focus on your own business and keep your hands off Hong Kong!" Another petition in support of the new law launched by the group garnered nearly 3 million signatures in eight days. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The Covid-19 pandemic confronts governments around the world with two overlapping emergencies: the virus itself and the economic collapse its causing. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is failing on both. Coronavirus cases continue to rise in Mexico, with thousands newly diagnosed every day. The countrys ratio of deaths to confirmed cases is the second-highest in the world, after the U.K.s. The economy is projected to contract by at least 7.6 percent this year and could slow even more due to the resurgence of the virus in the U.S., the countrys biggest trading partner. A United Nations report estimates that the number of Mexicans living in extreme poverty this year could rise from 11 million to 17 million, or 13% of the population, the biggest increase in the region. Mexicos population density, underfunded health-care system and large informal economy make it especially vulnerable to the coronavirus. Misguided policy has only made matters worse. After ordering most businesses to shut on March 30, the government allowed for a partial reopening on June 15, despite the accelerating infection rate. Social-distancing and mask-wearing rules have been inconsistently enforced. Lopez Obrador has openly flouted the advice of his own health officials, continuing to hold campaign-style rallies replete with handshakes, hugs and selfies. The inadequacy of Mexicos pandemic response should be kept in some perspective, considering the failures of other countries to contain the virus. Less defensible is Lopez Obradors handling of the economy. Unlike the leaders of most major economies, he has rebuffed calls for aggressive fiscal stimulus to support workers and businesses. The governments spending commitments amount to about 3% of GDP one-third what G-20 countries as a whole are spending and much of it is money repurposed from other programs. The funds are being doled out as microloans to small businesses, up to a maximum of just $25,000 pesos ($1,150), which most have already exhausted. Larger companies in the formal economy, which employs some 40% of Mexicos labor force, have received no government assistance. Story continues Lopez Obradors refusal to support private industry after Mexico slipped into recession last year was a mistake. Continued penny-pinching in the face of a historic crisis that has already destroyed at least 1 million formal-sector jobs is inexcusable. Relative to its neighbors, Mexico has a manageable debt-to-GDP ratio, giving the government room to borrow. Even as Lopez Obrador cuts government salaries in the name of austerity, hes barreling ahead with pet infrastructure projects including a $6.5 billion passenger train aimed at boosting tourism on the Yucatan peninsula that will take years to complete. Rather than place risky bets on future development, the government needs to deal with the crisis at hand. It should boost cash transfers to workers in the informal sector, as other countries in Latin America have done, increase subsidies to help businesses in the formal economy stay afloat, and use infrastructure funds to upgrade existing roads and rail networks. U.S. officials should use Lopez Obradors planned visit to Washington this month to urge such steps. They should also warn him to pull back from attempts to limit private energy production and undermine the independence of government regulators all of which threaten to further discourage investment and business activity. A stable and prosperous Mexico is essential to the futures of people on both sides of the border. Lopez Obradors refusal to spend more to help Mexicans withstand the current crisis will only make it harder to recover. (Corrects date of Lopez Obradors visit in seventh paragraph.) Editorials are written by the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Microsoft MSFT recently announced the launch of a new program aimed at equipping 25 million people around the world with the latest digital skills. The initiative will bring together resources from every section of the company including GitHub and LinkedIn to help people develop their skills per the requirements of the market. Markedly, the program offers free access to learning materials from LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn and the GitHub Learning Lab. It also combines them with Microsoft Certifications and LinkedIn job seeking tools. These resources can all be accessed from a central location and will available in English, German, Spanish and French. Moreover, the company is developing a new learning app in Microsoft Teams that will help companies train new and current employees as the economy starts to re-open and people return to work. Microsofts announcement comes amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which has led to a global economic crisis. Markedly, coronavirus-led economic downturn has triggered layoffs and pay cuts; with people of color, women and younger workers at the highest risk of job loss. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has stated that in May, unemployment rates were much higher in African American and Latino communities compared with that of white individuals. Further, lack of skilled workers, particularly from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields in the United States, has been a concern for quite some time. Also, the recent freeze on the H1-B visas is likely to remain an overhang. Thus, Microsofts initiatives are likely to help cushion these companies from the sudden lack of skilled workers from China and India by focusing on creating a highly-trained local workforce. The companys efforts are expected to aid jobseekers pursue in-demand jobs, which will accelerate global economic recovery. It is also likely to generate goodwill around Microsofts brand and boost investors optimism in this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Notably, the companys shares have returned 30.8% in the year-to-date period compared with the industrys rally of 23%. Story continues Microsoft Corporation Price and Consensus Microsoft Corporation Price and Consensus Microsoft Corporation price-consensus-chart | Microsoft Corporation Quote Atlanta Becomes First American City to Benefit Microsoft recently announced Accelerate: Atlanta which marks the first implementation of the companys initiative in the United States. The company has partnered with various organizations in the city to improve employability and ensure people can acquire digital skills like AI and Machine Learning that are needed to stay competitive in this rapidly changing work environment. Markedly, Microsoft is collaborating with civic bodies like the Office of the Mayor of Atlanta and Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, as well as academic institutions like General Assembly, OpenClassrooms and TechBridge. It has also inked deals with Accenture ACN in regard to the same initiative. Microsoft is investing an additional $1 million to help high-risk communities like low-income groups as well as ethnic and racial minorities in the city. Non-profit organizations in Atlanta led African American members will be among the 50 such organizations across the U.S. to receive cash grants to aid in this initiative. These endeavors are likely to become the first steps toward driving an economic comeback in the United States and ensuring the general well-being of the people. Other Companies in the Fray With this announcement, Microsoft has become the latest company to offer free digital learning courses aimed at helping people develop skills and find suitable employment. Recently, International Business Machines IBM announced the launch of 'SkillsBuild Reignite' to aid job seekers and entrepreneurs in India reinvent their careers and businesses amid the pandemic. The program expands on the original SkillsBuild initiative which the company had launched in Nov 2019. The revamped program now includes even more coursework which includes financial management, business strategy, digital strategy, legal support, among others. In March, SAP SE SAP announced a digital learning initiative designed to help students and professionals upskill themselves by offering innovative and interactive educational content. The initiative is based on three pillars which include massive open online courses (MOOCs), learning journeys for universities and the SAP Young Thinkers program. These offerings can be accessed through the openSAP platform and is available for anybody who wishes to learn during these challenging times. Just Released: Zacks 7 Best Stocks for Today Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +24.1% per year. These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout. See these time-sensitive tickers now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Accenture PLC (ACN) : Free Stock Analysis Report SAP SE (SAP) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Molina Healthcare, Inc. MOH recently acquired certain assets of YourCare Health Plan, Inc., a not-for-profit unit of Monroe Plan for Medical Care. As part of this deal, the company will serve around 47,000 Medicaid members across seven counties in the Western New York and Finger Lakes regions. Monroe and its unit MP CareSolutions will provide certain post-closing management and administrative services related to member care and provider relations. Rationale Behind the Deal The buyout will help the company cater better healthcare to members. Molina Healthcare constantly made efforts to expand its presence in the Medicaid market and this move is in line with the same strategy. In October 2019, it purchased certain assets of YourCare Health Plan in a $40-million transaction. Meanwhile, the whole of United States is grappling with financial woes, emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when unemployment levels are alarmingly high, Molinas Medicaid business is likely to witness increased membership. This is because Medicaid health plans generally provide coverage to low-income groups across the United States. Also, the Health Maintenance Organization industry, to which Molina Healthcare belongs, remains well-poised to benefit from strong demand for health insurance products owing to a high percentage of aging population in the United States. Various other initiatives, such as contract wins and acquisitions bode well for the company's Medicaid line of business. Last month, its Kentucky health plan subsidiary was awarded a new Medicaid managed care contract. The new agreement is likely to benefit enrollees under the companys Medicaid programs in Kentucky. The healthcare provider inked a deal worth $820 million this April to acquire Magellan Complete Care (MCC), which is yet another managed care organization. With this addition, the company is expected to build a stronger portfolio and gain an enhanced geographic diversity, etc., which will allow it to launch Medicare and Marketplace in new Medicaid regions. In 2019, the companys Medicaid business contributed to 77% of its total premium revenues. We expect such moves to boost contribution of Medicaid line of business to the total revenues. Zacks Rank and Price Performance Shares of this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have gained 25.7% in a years time, outperforming its industrys growth of 12.1%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Story continues Other companies in the same space, such as Humana Inc. HUM, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated UNH and Centene Corporation CNC have also rallied 50.3%, 23.4% and 27.4%, respectively, in the same time frame. While both Humana and UnitedHealth Group currently carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), Centene carries the same Zacks Rank as Molina at present. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2021. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Humana Inc. (HUM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Molina Healthcare, Inc (MOH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Centene Corporation (CNC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 3, 2020) - Mundoro Capital Inc. (TSXV: MUN) (www.mundoro.com) ("Mundoro" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce the voting results of the Annual General Meeting held on June 30, 2020 (the "Meeting"). Shareholders voted as follows on the matters before the meeting: Board Members Shareholders elected the following 4 board members with shareholders represented at the meeting voting in favour of individual directors as follows: Director Nominee Percentage of Votes John Hoey 92.01% Teo Dechev 92.50% Michael Calyniuk 92.01% Nick Hatch 92.50% Appointment of Auditors Shareholders approved the re-appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditors of the Company for the ensuing year at the remuneration to be fixed by the directors. The Company's shareholders voted in favor of all matters brought before the meeting. The results of voting will be filed at www.sedar.com. Furthermore, the Company issued 1,545,000 stock options to its employees, consultants, officers and directors on June 30, 2020. The stock options were issued in accordance with Mundoro's Stock Option Plan, are exercisable into common shares of Mundoro at $0.12 (being the closing price on the TSX Venture Exchange on June 29, 2020) over a five-year term. On behalf of the Board, Teo Dechev Chief Executive Officer, President and Director About Mundoro Capital Inc. Mundoro is a Canadian listed (TSXV: MUN) precious and base metal company focused on building value for its shareholders through directly investing in mineral projects that have the ability to generate future returns for shareholders. Mundoro has generated an attractive mineral project pipeline in Serbia and Bulgaria, as well as an investment in a producing gold mine in Bulgaria, in order to drive long-term growth and achieve shareholder return. Potential future returns for our shareholders from our mineral properties can be in various forms such as discovery of mineral resources, royalties, advance royalty payments from partners, an interest in production, dividend payments or sale of our interest in the mineral property. Story continues For further information please contact: Teo Dechev, CEO, President and Director of Mundoro Capital Inc. at +1-604-669-8055 Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This News Release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "will", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe" or "continue" or similar words or the negative thereof, and include the following: completion of the earn-in expenditures and options by JOGMEC; and completion of a definitive joint venture agreement by the parties. The material assumptions that were applied in making the forward looking statements in this News Release include expectations as to the mineral potential of the Timok North Properties, the Company's future strategy and business plan and execution of the Company's existing plans. We caution readers of this News Release not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements contained in this News Release, as there can be no assurance that they will occur and they are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include general economic and market conditions, exploration results, commodity prices, changes in law, regulatory processes, the status of Mundoro's assets and financial condition, actions of competitors and the ability to implement business strategies and pursue business opportunities. The forward-looking statements contained in this News Release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this News Release are made as of the date of this News Release and the Board undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Shareholders are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and for a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/59082 By Arathy S Nair (Reuters) - Near-record crude stockpiles at the U.S. Gulf Coast will anchor prices of domestic oil grades through the end of this year and into next, traders and analysts said. Stocks along the U.S. Gulf Coast, known as PADD III, were near record levels following several weeks of cheap imports, sluggish exports and weak refining demand. Traders are concerned that the rise in coronavirus cases will keep fuel demand suppressed. WTI crude at Houston for delivery from August to June next year ranged between a 93-cent to a $1 a barrel premium over U.S. crude futures, according to settlements on the CME. It traded at a $3.75 premium to Cushing in early May. West Texas Sour, the sour grade delivered into Midland, traded at a 65-cent discount to U.S. crude futures in early June, its lowest in nearly two months. Weakness in Gulf Coast prices, due to a glut of storage, has stemmed the flow of barrels to that region from inland. The amount of oil shipped from Cushing, Oklahoma, to the Gulf Coast in May was about 15,000 barrels per day lower than in March, according to Genscape. "They have nowhere to go. You're at minimum refining, demand is still creeping up, but you're not at maximum," a trader said. Gulf Coast stocks hit to an all-time high last month at 308 million barrels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (https://bit.ly/31PQ7g7) Mars Sour, the benchmark for sour U.S. Gulf Coast grades, was trading at a $1.05 premium to U.S. crude futures on Wednesday, from a more than $4 premium in early May. Mars for December delivery currently trades at a 75-cent premium, a signal that the market sees demand for the grade to remain low through the rest of the year. (Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gregorio) (Fornebu, 3 July 2020) The alliance of CEOs from leading Nordic businesses yesterday presented their principles, commitments and asks towards the Nordic Council of Ministers in their joint effort to accelerate sustainability action on climate and diversity. The Nordic CEOs for a Sustainable Future met virtually with Katrin Jakobsdottir, Prime Minister of Iceland, and Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway, to address how their companies are taking action on climate and diversity, and to discuss opportunities for collaboration and government actions for accelerating the different measures. The discussion with the Prime Ministers was a follow-up of the previous meeting between the parties last August in Reykjavik, Iceland, when they made a public statement about their shared vision for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The focus is set on advancing action on climate change and promoting diversity and inclusion aligned to SDGs 5, 12, and 13 through greater public-private sector collaboration. Initiatives to drive climate and diversity changes The new challenges we today face caused by the COVID-19 crisis has only strengthened the Nordic CEOs for a Sustainable Futures dedication to delivering results on our SDG visions. A set of core principles and commitments will from now on be our guiding stars. Within both climate and diversity and inclusion areas, we focus on stronger disclosure, target setting, and impacting our value chains, said Jens Henriksson, President and CEO of Swedbank, and Chair of the Nordic CEOs for a Sustainable Future in 2020. In order to turn their efforts into effective and profound measures, the CEOs encouraged the Nordic Council of Ministers to take steps necessary to accelerate the speed of change. On climate, we encourage them to stimulate the transition to a net-zero carbon society through implementing new incentives, policy, and lay ground for better reporting. On the issue of diversity and inclusion, we encourage them to facilitate specific government initiatives and incentives related to reporting, procurement, and equal pay. Hopefully, our joint efforts will lead to a series of 2020-21 initiatives that will drive tangible progress towards establishing an economy where people and our planet can thrive together, said Henriksson. Story continues The way forward During the opening statements, Prime Minister Solberg described COVID-19 as a tipping point. Our task is to make sure that the crisis does not create a more divided world, but rather that it increases cooperation and openness; between nations and corporations, between the public and private sectors. Together, we must accelerate development of the green technologies, and ensure equality, inclusion, and diversity in our labour markets, she said. Katrin Jakobsdottir, Prime Minister of Iceland, concurred and added: The fact that the economic crisis brought forward by the pandemic is turning into a humanitarian crisis underlines the massive importance of the SDGs. We strongly believe that multilateral cooperation between key actors plays an essential role in achieving the targets. We can use the Nordic model to accelerate our joint efforts. Sigve Brekke, President and CEO of Telenor Group, presented together with Birna Einarsdottir, CEO of Islandsbanki, the Nordic CEOs commitments and asks on diversity and inclusion. Our commitments are focused on zero discrimination and increased inclusion in the workplace. We ask the public sector to contribute to these commitments, for instance, by measuring and addressing equal pay gaps in public institutions and state owned entities, and implement clear diversity and inclusion requirements to partners and suppliers, said Brekke. Going forward, the Nordic CEOs for a Sustainable Future will work on a plan for future meetings and joint activities on the regional and international stage. Nordic CEOs for a Sustainable Future is an initiative consisting of CEOs of some of the Nordic regions largest companies. Together, they have committed to integrate the UN Sustainable Development Goals in their respective business strategies and create a forum for the exchange of experiences and exploration of shared initiatives. The initiative also creates a platform for the Nordic Prime Ministers to engage directly with CEOs on how to move from sustainability as a compliance exercise to purpose-driven companies. Collectively, the companies operate across industries representing revenues of more than EUR 115 billion and 170,000 employees worldwide. The CEOs are: Eldar Stre, President and CEO, Equinor Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA Kristin Skogen Lund, CEO, Schibsted Birna Einarsdottir, CEO, Islandsbanki Arni Oddur orarson, CEO, Marel Tone Wille, CEO, Posten Rickard Gustafson, President & CEO, SAS Odd Arild Grefstad, CEO, Storebrand Jens Henriksson, President and CEO, Swedbank Sigve Brekke, President and CEO, Telenor Group Allison Kirkby, President and CEO, Telia Company Henrik Andersen, Group President and CEO, Vestas Svein Tore Holsether, President and CEO, Yara Topi Manner, President and CEO, Finnair A Chinese Communist Party expert on North Korea says it could pose a security threat to China and expects talks between Pyongyang and Washington to resume whether or not US President Donald Trump wins a second term in November. Zhang Liangui, professor of international strategic research at the Central Party School, said that the demolition of the inter-Korea liaison office in the border city of Kaesong last month highlighted the geopolitical risk China faced should ties between North and South Korea become unstable. "If one day North Korea takes military actions against the South, geopolitics dictates that China, as a neighbouring country, will inevitably be dragged into it, whether we like it or not," he said. The Central Party School is both a think tank and a training school for Chinese leaders. Zhang, who has studied Korean issues for decades, is considered one of China's top experts on North Korea. He said that the destruction of the liaison office by North Korea last month was meant to show Pyongyang's displeasure with Seoul over issues such as South Korea's ties to the United States, and its failures to provide economic assistance and help to lift sanctions on North Korea. Taking advantage of the thaw between the two Koreas following the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, North Korea launched the "special envoy diplomacy" with South Korea in February 2018. However, the warming of ties didn't last and North Korea began to step up its criticism of the South last year. "The underlying reason is that [North Korean leader] Kim Jong-un felt he has been let down by South Korea," Zhang said. The new book by former US national security adviser John Bolton, Zhang said, suggests that the US could either continue to apply maximum economic pressure on North Korea or resort to military actions. Zhang believes that US policymakers have concluded it would be to Washington's advantage to let North Korea hold onto part of its nuclear arsenal and negotiate with Kim only on give up his long-range missiles. Story continues "The US has come to realise that it would be good for them to leave a nuclear-armed country right on China's doorstep," he said. "If Trump is re-elected, he will begin dealing with North Korea again, and he'll have two options. One is to press on to force North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons completely, verifiably and irreversibly. If this cannot be achieved, then military force will be considered." Trump and Kim at the demilitarised zone in Panmunjom, South Korea, on June 30, 2019. Photo: Reuters alt=Trump and Kim at the demilitarised zone in Panmunjom, South Korea, on June 30, 2019. Photo: Reuters "Which option that he will choose may depend on how China-US relations go," he continued. "[It is entirely possible] that the US and North Korea may establish ties one day [regardless of where China stands]." Zhang said that the outcome would be the same if Joe Biden, the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee, defeats Trump in November " since both Republicans and Democrats have similar positions on China. Zhang said China should be worried about North Korea's nuclear stockpiles because the country has a fragile economy. "If a regime is struggling for survival, it may drag someone down with it," he said. "To use the same rhetoric by the Americans, North Korea is a failed state. Its economy is in a bad shape, and it is isolated diplomatically." "Very few people in China realise how big a threat North Korea can be." "A small nation which has nuclear arms can be a serious security threat for the world," Zhang said. "We should bear in mind what our ancestors have taught us " make friends from afar and attack enemies who are near." 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 2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) has reached a $678 million settlement in a civil fraud lawsuit that alleged the company bribed doctors at speaker events it organized. What Happened The agreement was made with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York, the New York State Attorney General, and the whistleblower Oswald Bilotta. The Government complaint had alleged that between 2002 and 2011, Novartis hosted tens of thousands of speaker programs but used these opportunities to bribe doctors. The United States Department of Justice alleged that Novartis violated that federal False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute by providing doctors with cash payments and other inducements, which led them to prescribe Novartis drugs reimbursed by federal healthcare programs. U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss commented on the settlement, Giving these cash payments and other lavish goodies interferes with the duty of doctors to choose the best treatment for their patients and increases drug costs for everyone. Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis, said that the settlements are consistent with [Novartis] commitment to resolve and learn from legacy compliance matters. We are a different company todaywith new leadership, a stronger culture, and a more comprehensive commitment to ethics embedded at the heart of our company. Why It Matters According to Novartis, it had fully provisioned the settlement in July 2019, and it will evolve its peer-to-peer medical education. The company also finalized another $51.25 million agreement with the Department of Justice and the U.S. attorney's office for the District of Massachusetts on Thursday related to an investigation of the companys support of certain independent charitable copay foundations from 2010 to 2014. The Department of Justice said that Novartis had entered into a corporate integrity agreement, which will curtail the companys ability to conduct speaker programs in the future and reduce the amount it can spend on such events. Story continues Future Novartis speaker events must take place in the shape of a webinar. The integrity agreement will remain in place for five years. Price Action Novartis shares traded 0.51% higher at $88.30 in the after-hours session on Wednesday. The shares had closed the regular session 0.50% higher at $87.85. See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. BOSTON, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Owl Labs , the leader in immersive video conferencing technology and services, announced today that they have entered into a strategic alliance with Japan-based SOURCENEXT CORPORATION (4344:JP), which produces and sells utility software and software products. The company also designs and distributes hardware and peripheral devices. SOURCENEXT will serve as Owl Labs' exclusive go-to-market partner selling the Meeting Owl Pro in Japan. Owl Labs (PRNewsfoto/Owl Labs) The news comes as the Japanese government is focused on preventing the spread of COVID-19, strongly insisting people work from home, using teleconference systems, to prevent the spread of the disease. Taking these recent activities into scope, SOURCENEXT decided to place more focus on partnering with software services and hardware from Japan and around the world that are aimed to assist and improve the work-from-anywhere environment. The Meeting Owl product line is driven by Owl Labs' proprietary Owl Intelligence System. While sitting in the center of the table, it uses vision and voice recognition to automatically shift the camera to focus on whoever is speaking. This creates a fully immersive and equalized experience for those who can't be on site. Both products are compatible with all popular video conferencing platforms (i.e. Zoom, Google Meet, Skype for Business, Bluejeans, etc.) and accessible to nearly all businesses at a sub $1,000/device price point. "As hybrid teams and remote work continues to rise at a rapid pace as a result of COVID-19, our team has been dedicated to helping companies adapt around the world," stated John Stevens, Chief Financial Officer at Owl Labs. "As part of that effort, we've partnered with SOURCENEXT to accelerate distribution of the Meeting Owl to the Japanese market. In addition, SOURCENEXT has invested capital in the company which will allow us to accelerate our growth further. We couldn't be more excited about this partnership." Story continues For more information, please visit www.owllabs.com. About Owl Labs Owl Labs is a collaborative technology company dedicated to creating a better workplace experience for today's hybrid workforce of remote and in-office employees. The company's products use emerging technology such as AI to bring teams together for better work. While focused on its core hardware, The Meeting Owl line of products, the company is developing advanced software technology to reinvent the conference room ecosystem and make it smart. Learn more about the company at www.owllabs.com. Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/owl-labs-forms-strategic-partnership-with-sourcenext-to-exclusively-launch-brand-in-japan-301087302.html SOURCE Owl Labs Oyu Tolgoi LLC has completed an updated feasibility study (OTFS20) and is in the process of submitting this to the Government of Mongolia. The OTFS20 has been prepared in accordance with Mongolian regulations and standards which require mining companies to submit updated feasibility studies every five years. The updated study incorporates a new mine design for Panel 0 of the Hugo Dummett North underground mine at Oyu Tolgoi. The new design also confirms that the caving method of mining remains valid and that the underground schedule and costs remain within the ranges previously disclosed. These ranges include a delay of 21 to 29 months for first sustainable production compared to the original feasibility study guidance in 2016 and an increase of $1.3 billion to $1.8 billion from the original $5.3 billion development capital. Detailed study, design, engineering and optimisation work is ongoing to support the definitive estimate of Panel 0 for the development of this world-class orebody, which remains due in the second half of 2020. These estimates are subject to any additional scheduling delays or increases in capital costs arising from the impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Arnaud Soirat, chief executive of Copper & Diamonds said "This amended mine design is another positive step in the development of the underground mine which will unlock the most valuable part of Oyu Tolgoi. We remain focused on delivering the underground project safely and within the guidance ranges we have announced on both cost and schedule." The updated mine design is the result of the review announced by Rio Tinto in July 2019 when enhanced geotechnical and geological information obtained from drilling and mapping at depth suggested there may be some stability risks associated with the original mine design. The updated design retains two in-situ rock pillars on either side of Panel 0 for geotechnical stability. In the original mine design, these pillars were within the mining area. The updated design is supported by extensive geotechnical modelling and industry leading technical assurance. Story continues As a consequence of leaving the pillars in place, the material contained in the pillars has been reclassified from Ore Reserves to Mineral Resources. It is expected that part of the material contained in these pillars will be recoverable at a later stage following additional studies which are currently underway. Ore handling infrastructure will be relocated to the pillars, located immediately north and south of the current Panel 0 boundaries. Panels 1 and 2 will now be initiated as independent panels or mine blocks. Optimisation of mine designs for Panels 1 and 2 is ongoing and it is anticipated that this next phase of study may result in further movements in classifications of Ore Reserves and Mineral Resources. Any such movements will be reported following completion of the studies. On 3 July 2020 Rio Tinto released to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) updated Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves for the Oyu Tolgoi mine. A copy of the full announcement to the ASX is available on Rio Tinto's website at riotinto.com/invest/financial-news-performance/resources-and-reserves. This announcement is authorised for release to the market by Rio Tintos Group Company Secretary. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200702005596/en/ Contacts media.enquiries@riotinto.com riotinto.com Follow @RioTinto on Twitter Media Relations, United Kingdom Illtud Harri M +44 7920 503 600 David Outhwaite T +44 20 7781 1623 M +44 7787 597 493 Media Relations, Americas Matthew Klar T +1 514 608 4429 Media Relations, Asia Grant Donald T +65 6679 9290 M +65 9722 6028 Media Relations, Australia Jonathan Rose T +61 3 9283 3088 M +61 447 028 913 Matt Chambers T +61 3 9283 3087 M +61 433 525 739 Jesse Riseborough T +61 8 6211 6013 M +61 436 653 412 Investor Relations, United Kingdom Menno Sanderse T: +44 20 7781 1517 M: +44 7825 195 178 David Ovington T +44 20 7781 2051 M +44 7920 010 978 Clare Peever M: +44 7788 967 877 Investor Relations, Australia Natalie Worley T +61 3 9283 3063 M +61 409 210 462 Amar Jambaa T +61 3 9283 3627 M +61 472 865 948 Group Company Secretary Steve Allen Rio Tinto plc 6 St Jamess Square London SW1Y 4AD United Kingdom T +44 20 7781 2000 Registered in England No. 719885 Joint Company Secretary Tim Paine Rio Tinto Limited Level 7, 360 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 Australia T +61 3 9283 3333 Registered in Australia ABN 96 004 458 404 Category: Oyu Tolgoi pCloud users now have the word when it comes to the location of their data ZUG, Switzerland, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- pCloud, leading cloud storage service is giving users the opportunity to select location of their data. The Swiss company for file storage in the cloud proves once again that file security and the application of first-class security measures are top priorities for the cloud service. Another example for that is the latest news from the company. All pCloud users will be able to choose the server location where their files are stored. This will give users greater control over the security of their files. Once the choice of where to store the data is made during registration - in the US or Europe - it is practically impossible to transfer them without the user's knowledge or permission. Currently, the option to select the server location is available only to newly registered users. The company is developing the option to change the storage location for existing users and it will be available very soon. The company has recently added a data centre in Luxembourg, meeting the needs of consumers and businesses even in the most regulated sectors in terms of consumer data protection and information security. pCloud's new European data center is certified to SSAE 16 SOC 2, Type II standard. In addition, pCloud meets some of the most widely recognized standards such as ISO 9001: 2015 (Quality Management Systems) and ISO 27001: 2013 (Information Security Management Systems). When using the pCloud service, user data is transferred via TLS / SSL protocols, which provide complete data protection during transmission. Users who choose to use the pCloud service can be confident that their files are in safe hands, no matter where they want to store them. "Our data centers are carefully selected following rigorous risk assessment procedures in which they have proven their quality and reliability. This includes choosing the highest level of physical and technical security to ensure data security," says the company. Story continues With this latest news, pCloud strengthens its position as one of the most secure cloud storage services on the market. Here you can find more information about all security and privacy measures applied by pCloud and the special features of the server locations: https://www.pcloud.com/data-regions/ Media Contact: Tunio Zafer, CEO 242771@email4pr.com +41 43 508 59 48 Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/with-pcloud-users-decide-where-their-files-are-stored-301086806.html SOURCE pCloud AG Pfizer Inc. PFE and its Germany-based biotech partner BioNTech SE BNTX announced encouraging preliminiary results from its early-stage coronavirus program. Their nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) vaccine candidate, BNT162b1, generated signnifcantly higher receptor binding domain ("RBD") IgG antibodies and SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies compared to sera of convalescent patients who have recovered from COVID-19. Shares of Pfizer were up 3.2% on Jul 1 following the announcement. However, the companys shares have declined 13.9% so far this year compared with the industrys decrease of 2.9%. Pfizer and BioNTech are currently evaluting four different vaccine candidates as part of their BNT162 mRNA-based vaccine program, Project Lightspeed, against SARS-CoV-2 in a phase I/II study. The study evaluated two doses of 10 g or 30 g of BNT162b1 21-days apart or a single dose of 100 g in healthy adults to determine an optimal dose of the vaccine as well as its safety and immunogenicity. Preliminary data from the study showed that patients receiving 10 or 30 g of BNT162b1 achieved eight and 46.3 times geometric mean concentrations (GMC), respectively, of RBD-binding IgG antibodies compared to sera of convalescent SARS-CoV-2 patients. Moreover, geometric mean titers (GMT) of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies were 1.8 times for 10 g dosage and 2.8 times for 30 g dosage versus similar comparator group. All observations were made at day 28 following first vaccine administration. The single dose of 100 g achieved GMC and GMT, which were three times and 0.35 times, respectively, compared to convalescent serum panel. BioNTech stated that levels of neutralizing antibody responses in humans achieved by BNT162b1 at relatively low dose levels are encouraging. The companies will determine a dose level and select from multiple vaccine candidates for next-stage phase IIb/III study based on these preliminary data from the phase I/II study along with additonal preclinical and clinical data. The phase IIb/III study is anticipated to start by end of July, if necessary regulatory approvals are received to proceed. Story continues The companies are also building manufacturing capabilities to support the availability of a vaccine folling its potential approval. The companies expect to manufacture up to 100 million doses by the end of 2020 and potentially more than 1.2 billion doses in 2021. Please note that apart from developing a coronavirus vaccine, Pfizer is also screening antiviral compounds and has confirmed a lead compound based on the results of initial screening assays. The company plans to start a potential clinical study of the lead molecule in the third quarter of 2020. It is also evaluating azithromycin for its antiviral properties. Moreover, an independent, investigator-initiated phase II study to evaluate Pfizers JAK inhibitor, tofacitinib, in patients with SARS-CoV-2 interstitial pneumonia in Italy has also been planned. Meanwhile, a number of drugmakers and biotech companies are making drugs, vaccine and therapies to get a grip over the rapidly spreading virus. Among them, the Trump administration has reportedly picked five companies as part of the Operation Warp Speed initiative to rapidly develop a vaccine for COVID-19. The five companies are J&J JNJ, Moderna MRNA, the Oxford University/AstraZeneca, Merck and Pfizer. Reportedly, these five companies will get extra federal funds, and help to run their clinical studies and manufacturing assistance. Earlier this week, the FDA also issued guidance documents for companies that are developing a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 in order to get approval for the same. Pfizer Inc. Price Pfizer Inc. Price Pfizer Inc. price | Pfizer Inc. Quote Zacks Rank Pfizer currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2021. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Johnson Johnson (JNJ) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pfizer Inc. (PFE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Moderna, Inc. (MRNA) : Free Stock Analysis Report BioNTech SE Sponsored ADR (BNTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. NEW YORK , July 3, 2020 /CNW/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Grand Canyon Education Corporation ("Grand Canyon" or the "Company")(LOPE) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court for the District of Delaware , is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise, acquired Grand Canyon securities between January 5, 2018 , and January 27, 2020 , inclusive (the "Class Period"). The claims asserted herein are alleged against Grand Canyon and certain of the Company's senior executives (collectively, "Defendants"), and arise under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and the rules promulgated thereunder, including SEC Rule 10b -5, 17 C.F.R. 240.10b -5. If you are a shareholder who purchased Grand Canyon securities during the class period, you have until July 13, 2020 , to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Grand Canyon is an education services company incorporated in the State of Delaware. This case concerns the Company's July 2018 spin-off of its education assets through a sale to a purported non-profit entity, Grand Canyon University ("GCU"). Before the spin-off, Grand Canyon had owned and operated a for-profit university with a physical campus and through online programs. After the spin-off, Grand Canyon would purportedly become a third-party provider of education services to GCU and potentially other universities, and GCU would operate as a separate, non-profit entity no longer owned or operated by Grand Canyon. Story continues The Class Period begins with Grand Canyon's January 5, 2018 , announcement that it had applied to regional accreditation body the Higher Learning Commission ("HLC") for recognition of GCU as a non-profit institution. The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Grand Canyon told investors that GCU would be "independent" from Grand Canyon, that the relationship between the two entities would "no longer be as owner and operator, but as a third party contract party," and that GCU was "not a related party" to Grand Canyon. Following the spin-off, Grand Canyon consistently reported growth in net income and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ("EBITDA"), and touted the success of its transition into the role of a third-party services provider. In reality, GCU functioned as an off-balance-sheet entity to which Grand Canyon was able to funnel expenses and costs in exchange for a disproportionate amount of revenue, thereby inflating Grand Canyon's financial results. In addition, GCU was not a proper non-profit organization but rather remained under the control of Grand Canyon through the Master Services Agreement ("MSA") and by virtue of Grand Canyon's employees serving as the executives who managed GCU. The truth was revealed in a series of corrective disclosures. First, on September 9, 2019 , short-seller Citron Research ("Citron") published a report examining Grand Canyon's financials and concluding that the Company "is stuffing GCU with expenses to inflate its profitability and as a result bankrupting GCU." In response to this disclosure, the price of Grand Canyon stock declined approximately 5% intraday on September 9, 2019 , to a low of $104.20 per share, and closed at $109.62 per share on September 10, 2019 . Then, after the close of the market on November 6, 2019 , Grand Canyon announced that it had received a letter from the U.S. Department of Education ("DOE") denying its application for designation of GCU as a non-profit. In response to this disclosure, the price of Grand Canyon stock declined approximately 4% to close at $88.08 per share on November 7, 2019 . On January 28, 2020 , Citron published a second report expanding on the DOE's findings based on hundreds of pages of supporting documentation from Grand Canyon, which Citron obtained through a Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") request. Citron concluded that Grand Canyon was the "educational Enron," using a "captive non-reporting subsidiary" to "dump expenses and liabilities while receiving a disproportionate amount of revenue at inflated margins in order to artificially inflate the stock price." Following this disclosure, Grand Canyon shares declined approximately 8% to close at $84.07 per share on January 28, 2020 . The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York , Chicago , Los Angeles , and Paris , is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz , known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP rswilloughby@pomlaw.com Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pomerantz-law-firm-announces-the-filing-of-a-class-action-against-grand-canyon-education-corporation-and-certain-officers--lope-301088115.html SOURCE Pomerantz LLP Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2020/03/c7807.html Summary Portugal Cards and Payments - Opportunities and Risks to 2023 report provides detailed analysis of market trends in the Portugals cards and payments industry. New York, July 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Portugal Cards and Payments - Opportunities and Risks to 2023" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05918047/?utm_source=GNW It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including cash, cards, credit transfers, cheques, and direct debits during the review-period (2015-19e). The report also analyzes various payment card markets operating in the industry and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, transaction values and volumes during the review-period and over the forecast-period (2019e-23f). It also offers information on the countrys competitive landscape, including market shares of issuers and schemes. The report brings together research, modeling, and analysis expertise to allow banks and card issuers to identify segment dynamics and competitive advantages. The report also covers detailed regulatory policies and recent changes in regulatory structure. This report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into the Portugals cards and payments industry, including - - Current and forecast values for each market in the Portugals cards and payments industry, including debit and credit cards. - Detailed insights into payment instruments including cash, cards, credit transfers, cheques, and direct debits. It also, includes an overview of the countrys key alternative payment instruments. - E-commerce market analysis . - Analysis of various market drivers and regulations governing the Portugals cards and payments industry. - Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit and credit. Scope - The rising adoption of contactless payments during the review period drove overall card payments. According to Banco de Portugal (the countrys central bank) 38% of all cards in circulation and 74% of POS terminals incorporated contactless technology in 2018. To capitalize on the growing popularity, banks such as Banco BPI, Santander, Caixa Geral de Depositos (CGD), Novo Banco, and Millennium bcp now offer contactless cards. In addition, to promote contactless payments during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the central bank increased the contactless payment limit from 20 ($22.45) to 50 ($56.14) as of March 25, 2020. - The digital channel is gaining prominence among Portuguese customers. Consequently, banks such as Novo Banco, Millennium bcp, and Santander enable consumers to open bank accounts through digital channels. In September 2019, Portugal-based Banco BNI Europa partnered with integrated digital platform provider ITSCREDIT to launch an online credit card, which can be ordered online or via mobile app, eliminating the need to fill in physical documents. - Banks are expanding their reach to remote locations via mobile banking branches. For instance, CGD launched its vehicular mobile banking branch in July 2017. When parked in a particular location it provides services such as debit and credit card issuance as well as information on products and services. The bank introduced two more mobile banking branches: one in Castelo Branco (in February 2018) and one in Portalegre (in September 2018). As of June 2019 these three branches covered over 52 locations across various districts. Reasons to Buy - Make strategic business decisions, using top-level historic and forecast market data, related to the Portugals cards and payments industry and each market within it. - Understand the key market trends and growth opportunities in the Portugals cards and payments industry. - Assess the competitive dynamics in the Portugals cards and payments industry. - Gain insights into marketing strategies used for various card types in Portugal. - Gain insights into key regulations governing the Portugals cards and payments industry. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05918047/?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. __________________________ Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 Energy Water with Great Taste and Long-Lasting Energy Coming to America BOCA RATON, FL, July 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PureHeart Energy plans to bring two great-tasting organic energy-water drinks to America this year. Called NRG Water, PureHeart is an innovative brand that focuses on using 100 percent organic raw materials with natural superfoods from the Amazon. Drinking PureHeart Organic NRG Water will redefine how you feel about energy drinks, said Kim Kristensen, one of the co-founders of PureHeart Energy, which is based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Organic NRG Water prevents the intense intake of sugar, which is one of the biggest health issues in society today, Kristensen said. We believe Organic NRG Water defines an entirely new category of energy beverages. People, who want a healthy option, now have great tasting, 100 percent Organic NRG Water. Our formula ensures a long-lasting energy boost with no sugar shock, he added. NRG Water is 100 percent organic made with fruits, grape sugar, spring water, and caffeine from South American Guarana berries. This organic formula is vegan and gluten-free with caffeine levels equivalent to two shots of espresso. PureHeart Organic NRG Water is brand new, not just to American consumers, but also to the world market, said Bill Boyd, another co-founder of PureHeart Energy. Our energy water is for American consumers, who today are more concerned about their health than ever before. PureHeart Energy is an innovative brand that recognizes the growing trend of organic energy drinks and consumers desire for sustainable and socially responsible business practices. We work actively with sustainability at all levels in our company, especially when it comes to choosing suppliers for our products, Boyd said. PureHeart Energy only uses suppliers that employ socially responsible practices that focus on the environment and good working conditions. This is part of our core mission, Kristensen added. Story continues NRG Water, which should appeal to everyday active men and women, will soon be available in America. For more information, visit pureheartenergy.com . Attachments Andrew Polin PureHeart Energy 561-544-0719 apolin@inhealthmedia.com Quadient Continues to Give Support for Charitable Programs Providing Relief to Communities Impacted by COVID-19 Paris, July 2, 2020 Quadient , a leader in helping businesses create meaningful customer connections through digital and physical channels, shares an update on global initiatives to support communities impacted by the coronavirus. Supporting communities is an intregal part of Quadients Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, as the company continues to encourage its employees to support and contribute to positive change in their communities. Social distancing due to COVID-19 has resulted in many elderly residents in long-term care facilities becoming isolated from their loved ones. In its latest initiative, Quadient has donated various equipment, supplies, services, together with 12,500 in financial support, to multiple organizations in the U.S., France and the U.K. that are fighting social isolation faced by the elderly and enabling senior residents to send letters written by volunteers to loved ones. 1 Lettre 1 Sourire Words of love, photos or drawings are created by volunteers to light up the hearts of visit-deprived senior residents living in facilities in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Canada. Love for the Elderly The organizations Letters of Love campaign collects cards and letters written by volunteers at a central hub in Cleveland, Ohio, and then mails them to senior communities across the U.S. Omegas A Letter from Louise Volunteer letter writers are matched with an elderly recipient in the UK. A freepost envelope is included so the recipient can write a return letter. Unfortunately, the current restrictions are hitting Omega clients harder than most. We are, therefore, extremely grateful for the generous package of support offered by Quadient, which will make a huge difference at a difficult time, said Carol Moody, team leader, A Letter from Louise. Not only have we incurred increased costs of working, but we also have had the most welcome extra responsibility of managing a groundswell of kindness by volunteers and their offers of help. Story continues This initiative is one of many efforts undertaken by Quadients employees in this difficult time. In the Czech Republic, Quadients team of software professionals have dedicated their time and skills to develop software on a pro bono basis for University Hospital Hradec Kralove. In the U.K., Quadient has provided 3D printing of thousands of protective masks and raised funds for National Health Service Charities in the UK through a run/walk event. These initiatives follow the announcements earlier this year of financial support and volunteerism dedicated to Dress For Success Worldwide, which is empowering women to achieve economic independence as economies reopen, and solidarity initiatives to support the employees during the crisis. One of our core values at Quadient is community. I am proud of Quadients contributions in response to the spread of COVID-19, and how our employees around the world have volunteered their time and resources to help relief efforts in their local communities, said Geoffrey Godet, CEO, Quadient. During these exceptional times, when we have had to physically distance ourselves from each other, our purpose at Quadientto simplify the connections between people and what mattersis more crucial than ever before. About Quadient Quadient is the driving force behind the worlds most meaningful customer experiences. By focusing on four key solution areas including Customer Experience Management, Business Process Automation, Mail-Related Solutions, and Parcel Locker Solutions, Quadient helps simplify the connection between people and what matters. Quadient supports hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide in their quest to create relevant, personalized connections and achieve customer experience excellence. Quadient is listed in compartment B of Euronext Paris (QDT) and is part of the CAC Mid & Small index. For more information about Quadient, visit quadient.com . Contacts Joe Scolaro, Quadient Sandy Armstrong, Sterling Kilgore Global Press Relations Manager Account Executive +1-866-883-4260 Ext. 1590 +1-630-964-8500 j.scolaro@quadient.com sarmstrong@sterlingkilgore.com Attachment Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 3, 2020) - Red Light Holland Corp. (CSE: TRIP) (FSE: 4YX) ("Red Light Holland" or the "Company"), an Ontario-based corporation positioning itself to engage in the production, growth and sale of a premium brand of magic truffles to the legal, recreational market within the Netherlands, is pleased to announce the naming and establishment of its medical and scientific division, "Scarlette Lillie Science and Innovation." The establishment of Scarlette Lillie Science and Innovation marks an early move by Red Light Holland, to position itself to expand its business into the medical psychedelics market in the future, at such time as market and regulatory conditions present a viable business opportunity. "While we are focusing on the recreational truffles market in the Netherlands, we are also keen on the medical market, in which we see tremendous future opportunities for Red Light Holland to help make a larger, positive change in the world," said Todd Shapiro, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Director. "Scarlette Lillie Science and Innovation is named after Scarlette, my nine-month old daughter, and Lillie, the daughter of the Company's President, Hans Derix. And so this is indeed a very proud day for both the Company, and for Hans and myself. As fathers, we want to see a better future for both of them, and for your family's as well. We firmly believe we need more research and development into psilocybin and its potential benefits. We absolutely look forward to being an official part of that process," added Mr. Shapiro. Scarlette Lillie Science and Innovation is expected to be funded by a portion of Red Light Holland's available funds from time to time, and once operational, is expected to allow Red Light Holland to initiate and expedite various science, innovation and research activities focused on, among other things, exploring the potential medical and health benefits of psilocybin and whole fungi-medicine. Story continues Dr. Joseph Geraci, Advisor of Red Light Holland and Chief Executive Officer of Netramark Corp., added: "I'm pleased to help advise and work closely with Scarlette Lillie Science and Innovation. This division aligns tremendously well with the over two decades of efforts that I've personally and professionally made within neuroscience, psychiatry and important research and data collection. I believe that working with psilocybin can have an impact in helping with mood disorders and beyond. I look forward to being a part of this synergistic mission to prove these theories out, and I'm also excited to introduce my contacts from the science and medical fields to our team of visionaries." About Red Light Holland Corp. The Company is an Ontario-based corporation positioning itself to engage in the production, growth and sale (through existing Smart Shops operators and an advanced e-commerce platform) of a premium brand of magic truffles to the legal, recreational market within the Netherlands, in accordance with the highest standards, in compliance with all applicable laws. For additional information on the Company: Todd Shapiro Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tel: 647-204-7129 Email: todd@redlighttruffles.com Website: https://redlighttruffles.com/ Forward-Looking Statements Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Readers are further cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such forward-looking statements (including, but not limited to, the assumption that (i) the Company will be able to execute on its business plan and/or enter into the medical psychedelics market as proposed, (ii) the Company will receive one or multiple licenses, permits, and authorizations from time to time necessary to execute on its business plan and/or enter into the medical psychedelics market, (iii) the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events, (iv) there will continue to be a demand, and market opportunity, for the Company's product offerings, (v) the Company will be able to establish, preserve and develop its brand, and (iv) the Company will be successful in attracting and retaining required personnel), although considered reasonable by management of the Company at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and result in actual results differing materially from those anticipated, and as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements, forward-looking financial information and other metrics presented herein are not intended as guidance or projections for the periods referenced herein or any future periods, and in particular, past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results of the Company in this press release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast or projection of the Company's future results. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/59094 By Deena Beasley and Ankur Banerjee (Reuters) - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc and Sanofi said on Thursday their rheumatoid arthritis drug Kevzara failed to meet the main goals of a U.S. study testing it in the most critically ill COVID-19 patients. Previous trial results had shown that the drug did not help patients with less severe COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and shares of Regeneron fell about 3% in after hours trading. Kevzara belongs to a class of drugs called interleukin-6 inhibitors that are being tried to help regulate a dangerous overreaction to the virus by the bodys immune system called cytokine storm." Other drugs in the same class, including Roche Holding AG's Actemra, are also being studied as treatments for COVID-19. A separate Sanofi-led trial of Kevzara outside of the United States in hospitalized patients with severe and critical COVID-19 using a different dosing regimen is ongoing, the companies said. Patients who required mechanical ventilation or high-flow oxygen therapy or treatment in an intensive care unit were considered critically ill. Those who required oxygen without mechanical or high-flow oxygenation were considered severely ill. More than three dozen U.S. states were seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases, according to a Reuters analysis on Thursday, the latest grim sign that the coronavirus pandemic, once thought to be waning, was again spreading rapidly. Worldwide, the virus has infected 10.76 million people, resulting in 516,600 deaths. Shares of Regeneron were down $17.20 at $605.25 after hours. They are up about 67% so far this year. (Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni and David Gregorio) MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's safety watchdog on Friday ordered NTEK, a power unit of mining giant Norilsk Nickel, to suspend operations at six facilities for 90 days for violating safety rules, following a fuel spill in the Arctic. A fuel tank lost pressure on May 29 and released 21,000 tonnes of diesel into rivers and subsoil near the city of Norilsk, an incident that Greenpeace has compared to the devastating 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska. Nornickel said the requested changes to improve safety by the Rostekhnadzor watchdog were already in its working plan to prepare for the winter season in the Norilsk region. The watchdog's decision will not affect the power supply of the region, it added, meaning production should not be affected. Rostekhnadzor met with Norilsk Nickel management on Friday to discuss results of an unscheduled audit it had conducted after the fuel spill, the watchdog said in a statement. At the meeting it warned management of the potential for even worse accidents if comprehensive measures were not taken, and described accident rates at the site as "alarming", its statement said. The company and emergency specialists are collecting contaminated soil and fuel from local rivers, and President Vladimir Putin has said the scale of the clear-up operation is unprecedented for Russia. According to Nornickel's estimate, over 90% of spilt fuel has been collected and removed so far. It previously said the accident was caused by a thaw in the permafrost weakening the foundations of a storage tank and is now developing a system to monitor the condition of the permafrost. (Reporting by Maria Grabar and Anastasia Lyrchikova; Writing by Polina Devitt and Alexander Marrow; Editing by Maria Kiselyova, Mark Potter and David Evans) ATHENS (Reuters) - Low cost carrier Ryanair resumed flights from Athens after a near four-month grounding due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, it said on Thursday. A flight from Athens to Rome's Ciampino airport marked the first of Ryanair's summer schedule for Athens on June 24. The airline started operating its full schedule on July 1 across 30 routes to destinations including Bologna and Berlin. Greece reopened its regional airports to international travellers on Wednesday, pinning its hopes on a recovery in tourism after a three-month lockdown. The country has managed to contain coronavirus infections to 3,409 since its first case in February but its economy is expected to contract by 8% this year, hurt by a slump in tourism. (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle) Saudi Arabia is the largest consumer and producer of ceramic tiles in the GCC region. Ceramic tiles are thin slabs predominantly made up of naturally occurring minerals like clay, silica sand, feldspar and dolomite and are used as floor or wall coverings in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. New York, July 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Saudi Arabia Ceramic Tiles Market - Growth, Trends and Forecasts (2020 - 2025)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05917991/?utm_source=GNW The market is currently being driven by rising demand for residential and commercial buildings, technological advancements and increasing construction activities. Moreover, increasing focus of domestic companies towards expanding their operations and technology developments such as use of digital printing technology is expected to positively influence the countrys ceramic tiles market. Key Market Trends Hospitality Industry is Driving the Market The hospitality industry in the Saudi Arabia is emerging significantly owing to the construction of the holy Islamic shrines, Mecca and Medina witnessing millions of pilgrims every year. In addition, government is increasingly spending on construction activities to accommodate these pilgrims and religious tourists. The increasing oil prices are bringing in more revenue for the government, and hence, the government is able to spend more on construction activities. The growing hospitality industry will require the construction of new travel facilities such as airports, railways, and roadways or remodelling of the existing facilities. As a result, with the rising investments by the governments in the ongoing construction activities will further drive the ceramic tiles market in Saudi Arabia. Residential Segment is Driving the Demand for Market Increase in remodelling activities is estimated to boost the product demand in residential segment of the ceramic tiles market during the forecast period. Consumers are spending massively to increase wall and floor appearance which will be a prime factor fuelling product demand for residential segment in the coming years. The growth of the market can be attributed to the growing consumption of residential buildings owing to their durability and low price. Competitive Landscape The report covers major international players operating in the Saudi Arabia Ceramic Tiles Market. In terms of market share, some of the major players currently dominate the market. However, with technological advancement and product innovation, mid-size to smaller companies are increasing their market presence by securing new contracts and by tapping new markets. Reasons to Purchase this report: - The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format - 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05917991/?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. __________________________ Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 The event, in combination with the International Summit on Innovation and Development for Youth brought together entrepreneurs from more than 20 countries and regions JINAN, China, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On the morning of June 30, the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee and Shandong Provincial People's Government held the Second Conference of Great Business Partners and International Summit on Innovation and Development for Youth Entrepreneurs in the province's capital city of Jinan. Themed "Seizing the New Opportunities, Sharing the New Development", the conference gathered more than 7,000 leading entrepreneurs, innovators and celebrities from 20 countries and regions, who joined the event via an online platform to collectively discuss Confucian principles as well as development plans to drive the high-quality development of the province. Provincial Party Secretary Liu Jiayi attended the conference and chatted online with the chairman of Hong Kong's Shimao Properties, Xu Rongmao, and the chairman and managing director of Macao's Xinbaijia (Hengqin) Development, Ma Zhiyi. They welcomed entrepreneurs from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and abroad, to invest in Shandong, and to collaborate in achieving mutual benefits and win-win results. Mr. Xu and Mr. Ma both expressed their strong desire to deepen cooperation with the province, and, with a look to the future, to further expand the fruitful cooperation. Li Ganjie, Deputy Party Secretary and Acting Governor of Shandong said in his speech that Shandong promotes epidemic prevention and control in conjunction with economic and social development, all the while continuing the effort to fight the three major battles alongside the implementation of eight key development strategies, the initiation of nine major reform and key actions as well as the ongoing support for the expansion of the province's top ten leading modern industrial clusters and initiation of the development of new industries with unlimited opportunities. The province has an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate investment as it implements the policy of "ensuring stability on six fronts", in a move to ensure stability in employment, finance, foreign trade, foreign investment, domestic investment and people's expectations, as well as the policy of "security in the six areas", those areas being people's livelihoods, the development of market entities, food and energy security, the stable operation of industrial and supply chains, and the smooth functioning of society, while taking the steps necessary to avoid a resurgence of the epidemic. The opportunities to build a joint platform are unprecedented as the province comprehensively deepens reform and promotes the next stage of opening-up in service to and in full compliance with the national strategy, while carrying out the construction of the Comprehensive Experimental Zone for New and Old Kinetic Energy Conversion, the China (Shandong) free trade experimental area, and the demonstration zone for economic and trade cooperation between China and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries. Furthermore, the province is fully optimizing the business environment, with more emphasis on realistic and pragmatic approaches, administration by law, efficiency and convenience, with the goal of creating a sound political, social, market and natural environment. As a result, the opportunities for deep cooperation are also unprecedented. With Shandong's next stage in terms of opportunities just around the corner, the province emphasizes the fact that it is the right time to choose the province as the next location for your investment. It is with the utmost sincerity that we invite entrepreneurs from both within China as well as abroad to visit the province to look for opportunities and engage in business negotiations. We will provide a first-class service and first-class environment, so that entrepreneurs can genuinely feel the quality and enthusiasm of "hospitable Shandong". Story continues Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-second-conference-of-great-business-partners-held-in-jinan-china-301087953.html SOURCE Information Office of the People's Government of Shandong Province Customers queue to draw money from an ATM outside a branch of South Africa's Capitec Bank in Johannesburg,South Africa (Reuters) - Capitec Bank forecast a fall of at least 70% in first-half earnings on Friday due to a spike in bad loans from the coronavirus crisis, the first major South African lender to detail its full effect. Concerns over a jump in bad loans after a nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus have hit South African banks and Capitec's shares, which were already down 42% so far this year, were 2.5% lower at 1359 GMT. Capitec, which had forecast a drop of at least 20% in first-half profit in May, said it expects headline earnings per share, the main profit measure for South African firms, to fall by more than 1,782 cents from the 2,545 cents it reported for the six months to the end of August 2019. The bank said its credit impairment charge was 145% higher than forecast, mainly due to 5.75 billion rand ($338 million) and 236 million rand in retail and business credit balances being rescheduled or granted payment breaks due to the lockdown. Capitec said in a statement that it does not expect to return to pre-lockdown levels of credit sales before the start of its next financial year. "We do, however, believe that the results for the second half of the 2021 financial year could return to normal levels," it added. Major banks across the United States and Britain have set aside billions of dollars in provisions to handle loans that sour as customers become unable to make payments as a result of unemployment triggered by the coronavirus crisis. ($1 = 17.0275 rand) (Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru and Emma Rumney in Johannesburg; Editing by Susan Fenton and Alexander Smith) MADRID, July 2 (Reuters) - Spain will approve a new package of measures worth around 50 billion euros ($56.41 billion) aimed at boosting companies' investment capacity and solvency to help revive the country's coronavirus-battered economy, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told private news channel La Sexta. "The aid is linked to (boosting) solvency and investment," Sanchez said during the interview with La Sexta on Thursday. A government source told Reuters earlier that Spain would approve this new package of measures at a cabinet meeting on Friday. ($1 = 0.8864 euros) (Reporting by Madrid Newsroom; Editing by Nathan Allen) Switzerland's InCore Bank has enabled fiat on-ramps for crypto exchange Kraken's European clients. The move means Europe's retail and institutional clients who want to buy crypto via Kraken can do so by transferring their fiat via InCore Bank. The bank is initially supporting euro (EUR) deposits via the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) system a payment system created by the EU that simplifies euro bank transfers. Looking ahead, InCore and Kraken plan to support three more currencies British pound (GBP), Swiss franc (CHF), and Canadian dollar (CAD) in Q3 of this year. Kraken's other European banking partners include Germany's Fidor Bank and Liechtenstein's Bank Frick. InCore Bank CEO Mark Dambacher said cryptocurrencies are a "valuable addition" to modern investment portfolios and will be "indispensable as a payment and investment value" in the future. InCore appears to be betting big on the crypto space. In May, the bank received authorization from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA to provide brokerage, custody, and tokenization services of digital assets. InCore has also set up a dedicated division called "digital services" to introduce these services via various partners. 2020 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. - Experts, scholars, and business leaders discuss development of PV industry after COVID-19 pandemic - TUV Rheinland PV Module Supply Chain Whitepaper 2020 officially launched - 16 companies win "All Quality Matters" award SUZHOU, China, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 30, the 2020 "All Quality Matters" Solar Congress and "All Quality Matters" award ceremony hosted by TUV Rheinland Group ("TUV Rheinland") was held in Suzhou. Focusing on the photovoltaic industry's development after the COVID-19 pandemic, this event brought together more than 200 industry-related enterprise representatives, experts, and scholars to discuss trending hotspots and solutions to crises through online and offline interactions, providing suggestions for the healthy and sustainable development of the PV industry. Experts, Scholars, and Business Leaders Discuss Development of the PV Industry after the COVID-19 Pandemic Wang Bohua, Vice President and Secretary General at China Photovoltaic Industry Association, said in his speech that the global demand for renewable energy is expected to increase by about 1% in 2020, which may be one of the few energy sources to experience demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for about 30% of global power supply. He pointed out that the pandemic brings not only challenges but also opportunities for the PV industry. On the one hand, the world will increase investment in renewable energy to boost economic growth; the price drop in each link of the industrial chain is expected to promote the rise of new incremental markets around the world; and the overall market will become more mature and stable with increase in the concentration of each link. However, the industry will also face many problems, including the impact of recovery pace after the pandemic in overseas markets on the aftermarket demand, the increased pressure on the cost of backward production capacity, and unclear and delayed domestic policies. To deal with these problems requires the joint efforts of the entire industry. Story continues Specially invited to the event were Watson Wu, Vice President of Product and Technology at AISWEI New Energy Technology (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd., Kevin Chen, Technical Director Business Strategy of Coveme Engineered Films Zhangjiagang Co., Ltd., Monsoon Wang, Product Director of LONGi Solar Co., Ltd., Dr. Liu Zhifeng, Vice General Manager of Jolywood (Taizhou) Solar Technology Co.,Ltd, Tony Liu, Product Director of SolaX Power Network Technology (Zhejiang) Co.,Ltd., Bu Yanhui, General Manager of Investment and Financing Department at EDF Renewables (China), Jonathan Luan, Senior Analyst of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, etc., to deliver keynote speeches and share their in-depth thinking from different perspectives on such topics as the quality of PV products, technology, investment and mergers, global markets, and so on. In addition, more than a dozen business leaders from the upstream and downstream sectors of the industry chain participated in two round-table dialogues to discuss and propose insights on related topics including "Seize the Opportunity to Rebuild Commercial Value in Energy Storage" and "Photovoltaics in the 2020s." TUV Rheinland PV Module Supply Chain Whitepaper 2020 Officially Launched At this event, the TUV Rheinland PV Module Supply Chain Whitepaper 2020, after a preparation and writing process that spanned nearly half a year, was officially released. In order to better understand the views of the PV industry and related supply chain practitioners, TUV Rheinland surveyed the major domestic manufacturers of PV modules and components. In the whitepaper, TUV Rheinland deeply analyses practitioners' views on the current PV module market environment, exports, and the current status of companies' operations and their prospects for the future. At the launch conference, Chris Zou, Vice President of TUV Rheinland Greater China Solar Products, pointed out that China's PV industry already possesses a full industry chain from the production of high-purity crystalline silicon in the upstream sector and high-efficiency solar cells in the midstream, continuing to the construction and operation of PV power plants in the downstream sector. Moreover, China's PV industry has complete independent intellectual property rights. The PV industry is about to enter a new era marked by technology leadership, cross-sectoral cooperation, coordinated development, and value innovation instead of price competition. High requirements such as photoelectric-conversion efficiency, attenuation rate, and comprehensive energy consumption of PV modules will accelerate industrial transformation and upgrading. Various PV module and component producers are constantly innovating in technology, improving product quality, reducing production costs, and increasing efficiency. In addition, in the whitepaper, technical experts from TUV Rheinland provided in-depth analysis of the impact of PV components on the output power of modules from the perspective of an independent third party, including solar cells, encapsulation materials, backsheets, junction boxes, PV connectors, etc., and elaborated on the market status, technical issues, and future technological development trends for PV components, as well as on the corresponding test requirements and standards evolution for products domestically and overseas, providing guidance for companies to ensure product quality and safety and facilitating their entry into target markets more rapidly and efficiently. 16 Companies Win the "All Quality Matters" Award On the evening of the congress, the TUV Rheinland "All Quality Matters" award ceremony was held. This year, the award set up selections of several categories, including PV modules, PV components, PV inverter, energy storage, and PV power plants operation and maintenance service providers. It is worth mentioning that testing and selection for the PV Module Energy Yield Simulation Award was based on TUV Rheinland's world-leading "Energy Yield Rating Label" to more accurately identify the energy yield capacity of PV modules. In the end, 16 companies involved in PV modules, inverters, energy storage systems, components, and power plant operation and maintenance stood out and won awards for their excellent product and service quality. As an authoritative platform established by TUV Rheinland for communication with the entire PV industry, the "All Quality Matters" Solar Congress has become a bellwether of the PV industry. Over the years, the "All Quality Matters" Solar Congress has been focused on the photovoltaic revolution in the Asia-Pacific region and in the global economy, and has witnessed the development and progress of the industry. However, the market is constantly changing. The opportunities and challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic make transformation and upgrading of the industry urgent. TUV Rheinland will continue to rely on its over 35 years of professional experience in the global PV field, guarding quality and safety and paying attention to new trends in the global market, to help PV companies seize opportunities and welcome challenges. Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tuv-rheinlands-all-quality-matters-solar-congress-ends-on-high-note-promoting-future-development-of-the-industry-with-concerted-efforts-301087943.html SOURCE TUV Rheinland Greater China TAAT LTD has recently launched its official website, initiated social media campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and released its corporate introduction video in which its management provides an overview of the Company, Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes, and their plans for entering the US $814 billion global tobacco industry. This initial digital rollout is in preparation for the planned launch of Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes which is scheduled to occur in Q4 2020. LAS VEGAS and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TAAT LIFESTYLE & WELLNESS LTD. (CSE:TAAT) (2TP2.F) (the Company or TAAT LTD) is pleased to announce it has recently completed its initial digital media rollout, to include the launch of its official website and social media channels, as well as the release of its corporate introduction video. The Company is taking aim at the US $814 billion global tobacco marketplace with the planned launch of its flagship product Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes, a better-for-you smoking alternative which emulates the experience of smoking a traditional tobacco cigarette. In preparation for the planned Q4 2020 launch of Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes, the Company has been establishing its online and digital presence to avail information about TAAT LTD and Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes to the general public. In late June, the Company launched its homepage, began social media campaigns on each of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and published an introduction video in which the Companys management narrates the Companys story and its plans for positioning itself in the tobacco industry. TAAT LTD Official Website To offer a centralized, comprehensive information resource for prospective investors, Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarette users, vendors and distribution partners, and the general public alike, the Company has designed its official website to provide an abundance of insights about the Company, its products, and the market it intends to penetrate. A dedicated investor section allows users to view the Companys latest presentation deck and press releases. Further, an e-commerce function powered by Shopify has been integrated into the website to allow for immediate activation for direct-to-consumer sales upon the official release of Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes. Story continues The TAAT LTD official website can be accessed at the following link: http://taatusa.com . Social Media Channels In the interest of providing the latest updates about TAAT LTD and Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes, the Company has commenced campaigns on the Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter social media platforms. Interested parties may view and follow the Companys social media channels by searching for the respective account names listed below. Facebook: http://facebook.com/taatglobal Instagram: http://instagram.com/taatglobal (@taatglobal) Twitter: http://twitter.com/taatglobal (@taatglobal) Corporate Introduction Video In June 2020, the Company produced a corporate introduction video in which its management discusses TAAT LTD, Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes, and the anticipated market position of the product upon its launch that is planned to occur in Q4 2020. Throughout the video, several live-action visuals of Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes and their production are shown, reflecting the Companys cumulative research and development progress to date. The corporate introduction video has a duration of 2 minutes and 21 seconds, and can be viewed at the following link: https://youtu.be/1nFPGovcY_Q or click on link below. A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/be219332-34b9-4cc3-a995-ec0a5c710b94 As announced in its June 29, 2020 press release, the Company recently completed its initial phase of retail market testing of Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes which yielded overwhelmingly positive responses from users who obtained the product from more than 50 retail stores in Nevada and California. The subsequent phase is expected to consist of an intensive series of focus groups, the insights from which will be used to optimize the strategy for the official launch of Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes, which remains on schedule to occur in Q4 2020. TAAT LTD Founder Joe Deighan commented, It is very exciting for us to be in a stage in which Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes are so close to launching that we can now release public-facing media about the product and the Company. The demand from tobacco smokers for a better-for-you alternative to traditional cigarettes is persisting, and we have worked very hard to engineer a product in the stick format which emulates the experience of smoking a traditional cigarette while potentially helping users to transition off of the addictive product. We have made significant strides in 2020 and I was delighted to have the opportunity to tell the world about them in our corporate video. Our team has created a presentable and informative website for TAAT LTD, in addition to building a dynamic and engagement-driven social media strategy to start building buzz in anticipation of our planned Q4 2020 launch. On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company, TAAT LIFESTYLE & WELLNESS LTD. Joel Dumaresq Joel Dumaresq, CEO and Director For further information, please contact: Joel Dumaresq +1 604 336 3193 info@taatusa.com About Taat Lifestyle & Wellness Ltd. Taat Herb Co., the flagship brand of Taat Lifestyle & Wellness, is an early-stage life sciences company based in Las Vegas, Nevada innovating nicotine-free and tobacco-free alternatives to traditional cigarettes. With a unique proprietary blend of all-natural ingredients and meticulous engineering of the user experience, Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes are designed to emulate every aspect of legacy tobacco products with no significant difference to the user. Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes provide benefits that include mitigation of tobacco withdrawals, and reduction of tobacco dependency. With an expert-led go-to-market strategy, the Company's objective is to position itself in the US $814 billion (2018) global tobacco industry to capitalize on the growing worldwide demand for better-for-you alternatives to traditional cigarettes. For more information, please visit http://taatusa.com . References 1 British American Tobacco - The Global Market Statement Regarding Effects of CBD on Smoking Cessation The Beckley/Exeter research program (University of Exeter) carried out a pilot study that found after several weeks following cannabidiol ("CBD") treatment, CBD helped tobacco smokers to reduce the amount of cigarettes smoked by as much as 40%. A follow-on study is planned, which will include a brain imaging component to examine the brain activity patterns underlying the probable therapeutic effects of CBD. Source: https://beckleyfoundation.org/cbd-for-smoking-cessation/ Link to Study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S030646031300083X Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, estimates, 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 information in this news release includes statements regarding the potential launch of Taat hemp cigarettes. The forward-looking information reflects managements current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed timeframes or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) changes to the growth and size of the tobacco and CBD markets; and (iii) other factors beyond the control of the Company. The Company operates in a rapidly evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Companys management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Companys 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 information. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. The statements in this news release have not been evaluated by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As each individual is different, the benefits, if any, of taking the Companys products will vary from person to person. No claims or guarantees can be made as to the effects of the Companys products on an individuals health and well-being. The Companys products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This news release may contain trademarked names of third-party entities (or their respective offerings with trademarked names) typically in reference to (i) relationships had by the Company with such third-party entities as referred to in this release and/or (ii) client/vendor/service provider parties whose relationship with the Company is/are referred to in this release. All rights to such trademarks are reserved by their respective owners or licensees. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 2, 2020) - TNR Gold Corp. (TSXV: TNR) ("TNR", "TNR Gold" or the "Company") is responding to a request from the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada ("IIROC"), following recent trading activity in its common shares. The Company is not aware of any corporate developments or other reason for the recent increase in market activity, and there has been no material change or information to report under applicable securities laws that would account for recent unusual trading activity in its common shares. "The times in which we find ourselves bring the mining industry face to face with some particular challenges, but it is within which lies the opportunity of embracing gold's unique value through which it reminds us of its ultimate purpose; its solid, dependable reliability throughout uncertain times that makes it such an ultimate hedge. TNR Gold's strategy with the Shotgun Gold Project is to attract a partnership with one of the major gold mining companies. The Company is actively introducing the project to interested parties," commented Kirill Klip, Executive Chairman of TNR. "We may be at the beginning of a great discovery. There is a clear path on how to move this project forward using the geological and geophysical research currently available to target drilling to expand the resource and form the basis of a preliminary economic analysis. The next step is to acquire a partner that shares our vision and recognizes the growth potential and value to be added to the Shotgun project over time." Kirill Klip continued, "We are building the green energy metals and gold company. Energy rEVolution requires secure supply lines of the critical strategic metals like copper and lithium. Our forward-thinking approach allows us to integrate our company into the international capital markets and mining industry in order to accelerate the development of Shotgun Gold Project and extend our royalty portfolio in Green Energy Metals, potentially adding to our core royalty holdings on the Los Azules Copper Project with McEwen Mining and the Mariana Lithium Project under the management of Ganfeng Lithium." Story continues ABOUT TNR GOLD CORP. TNR Gold Corp. is working to become the green energy metals royalty and gold company. Over the past twenty-four years, TNR, through its lead generator business model, has been successful in generating high-quality exploration projects around the globe. With the Company's expertise, resources and industry network, it identified the potential of the Los Azules Copper Project in Argentina and now holds a 0.36% NSR Royalty on the entire project, which is being developed by McEwen Mining Inc. In 2009, TNR founded International Lithium Corp. ("ILC"), a green energy metals company that was made public through the spin-out of TNR's energy metals portfolio in 2011. ILC holds interests in lithium projects in Argentina, Ireland and Canada. TNR retains a 1.8% NSR Royalty on the Mariana Lithium Project in Argentina. ILC has a right to repurchase 1.0% of the NSR Royalty on the Mariana Lithium Project, of which 0.9% relates to the Company's NSR Royalty interest. The Company would receive $900,000 on the completion of the repurchase. The project is currently being advanced in a joint venture between ILC and Ganfeng Lithium International Co. Ltd. TNR provides significant exposure to gold through its 90% holding in the Shotgun Gold porphyry project in Alaska. The project is located in Southwestern Alaska near the Donlin Gold project, which is being developed by Barrick Gold and Novagold Resources Inc. The Company's strategy with Shotgun Gold Project is to attract a joint venture partnership with one of the gold major mining companies. The Company is actively introducing the project to interested parties. At its core, TNR provides significant exposure to gold, copper and lithium through its holdings in Alaska (the Shotgun Gold porphyry project) and Argentina (the Los Azules Copper and the Mariana Lithium projects) and is committed to the continued generation of in-demand projects, while diversifying its markets and building shareholder value. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Kirill Klip Executive Chairman www.tnrgoldcorp.com For further information concerning this news release please contact +1 604-229-8129 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. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information Except for statements of historical 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", "will", "could" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "could" occur, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Specifically, forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements made in relation to: TNR's corporate objectives, changes in share capital, market conditions for energy commodities, the results of McEwen Mining's and ILC's PEAs, and improvements in the financial performance of the Company. Such forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those discussed in the sections entitled "Risks" and "Forward-Looking Statements" in the Company's interim and annual Management's Discussion and Analysis which are available under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. While management believes that the assumptions made and reflected in this news release are reasonable, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking information. In particular, there can be no assurance that: TNR will be able to repay its loans or complete any further royalty acquisitions or sales; debt or other financing will be available to TNR; or that TNR will be able to achieve any of its corporate objectives. TNR relies on the confirmation of its ownership for mining claims from the appropriate government agencies when paying rental payments for such mining claims requested by these agencies. There could be a risk in the future of the changing internal policies of such government agencies or risk related to the third parties challenging in the future the ownership of such mining claims. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements included herein are not guarantees of future performance, and such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied on. In formulating the forward-looking statements contained herein, management has assumed that business and economic conditions affecting TNR and its royalty partners, McEwen Mining Inc. and International Lithium Corp. will continue substantially in the ordinary course, including without limitation with respect to general industry conditions, general levels of economic activity and regulations. These assumptions, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking information herein and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/59074 By Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith SEOUL, July 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. point man for North Korea is due to visit South Korea next week as it pushes for a resumption of talks with the North ahead of the U.S. election and despite few signs of any progress. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, who led working-level negotiations with the North Koreans, will be among several State Department officials holding talks with South Korean counterparts on Tuesday, a government official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity as the trip has not been announced. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has said U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should meet again before the U.S. election in November, and on Thursday, South Korea's foreign minister said Seoul is pushing for a resumption of U.S.-North Korea talks. Biegun has said there is time for both sides to re-engage and "make substantial progress", but the coronavirus pandemic would make an in-person summit difficult before the November election. Last month, North Korea abruptly raised tension with South Korea and blew up an inter-Korean liaison office, just on its side of the border, before just as suddenly announcing it would suspend plans for unspecified military actions against the South. North Korea has repeatedly said it will not return to talks until the United States drops its "hostile policies", including strict sanctions, and vowed not to provide Trump with another photo opportunity before the election without significant concessions. "Its hard to imagine a scenario where the North Koreans would be compelled to come back to the table unless the U.S. 'offer' was drastically different than its been in the past," said Jenny Town, of 38 North, a think-tank focusing on North Korea. "And even then, how credible would that be that it would survive a potential change in administration in the U.S.? Trump and Kim met for the first time in 2018 in Singapore, raising hopes of an agreement to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons programme. Story continues But their second summit, in early 2019 in Vietnam, fell apart. Trump and Kim met again at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in June 2019 and agreed to restart negotiations but working-level talks between the two sides in Sweden in October were broken off. Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, told reporters in New York on Thursday that the president might seek another summit with Kim as an "October Surprise" ahead of the election. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith Editing by Robert Birsel) By Daphne Psaledakis WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday lifted sanctions on four shipping companies and tankers belonging to them that it said had transported Venezuelan oil this year, following a meeting between U.S. officials and industry representatives. Washington in June had sanctioned Marshall Islands-based Delos Voyager Shipping Ltd, Sanibel Shiptrade Ltd and Adamant Maritime Ltd, as well as Greece-based Romina Maritime Co Inc, as part of its escalating sanctions on Venezuela aimed at forcing socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power. It also threatened to blacklist dozens of tankers that had traded with Venezuela, throwing the shipping industry into panic. In response, several companies that owned or operated blacklisted vessels pledged to stop dealing with Venezuela, prompting Washington to lift some sanctions in mid-June. But several other vessels and shipping firms remained on the sanctions list, so earlier this week U.S. officials met with representatives of Greece's maritime industry to discuss the Venezuela sanctions, according to three people familiar with the matter. "They recognized that it is a very toxic moment to do business with Venezuela," said one of the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the talks were not public, adding that the companies had pledged not to do more business with Venezuela. A Treasury representative said the delisted entities had committed to cease involvement in the Venezuelan oil sector as long as Maduro, who is accused of rigging his 2018 re-election, remains in power. "The primary goal for the imposition of sanctions under OFAC's various authorities is to promote behavioral change," the representative said, referring to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control. "The entities and vessels delisted today credibly showed that they have stopped engaging in sanctionable activities." The vessels removed from the U.S. blacklist on Thursday are the Seahero, Voyager I, Delos Voyager and Euroforce oil tankers. Story continues Thenamaris, manager of the Seahero, said it was adapting a "firm policy" against transporting oil from Venezuela, while NGM Energy, manager of the Voyager I, said it had "implemented enhanced compliance controls." Washington in January 2019 recognized the leader of Venezuela's opposition-held National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the OPEC nation's rightful leader and has ratcheted up diplomatic pressure and sanctions to try to starve Maduro of revenue. While those sanctions have prompted a collapse in Venezuela's oil exports to their lowest levels in 77 years, Maduro remains in power, backed by Venezuela's military as well as Russia, China and Cuba. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington, Jonathan Saul in London and Marianna Parraga in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Tim Ahmann; Writing by Luc Cohen; editing by Jonathan Oatis) United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) and Estafeta have announced a partnership to provide Mexican businesses with international shipping services. The new agreement will help small and midsize businesses (SMEs) in Mexico reach more than 220 countries and territories around the world, as well as customers in the United States within one business day. "The future is about nimble networks and strategic partnerships," said Nando Cesarone, president of UPS International, in a release. "The timely collaboration leverages UPS's smart global logistics network and Estafeta's established presence in Mexico." Cesarone added that the new partnership will benefit from the newly implemented United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). "As the (USMCA) comes into force to simplify trade for a refreshed North American trade bloc, we stand ready as growth partners to further streamline established supply chains and open up new cross-border opportunities," Cesarone said. Estafeta is a Mexico City-based company and one of the largest courier, express and parcel (CEP) firms in the country. Estafeta has around 3,600 trucks and vehicles. In February, Estafeta spent almost $10 million purchasing 65 new trucks, including 16 Volvo VNR640 heavy-duty trucks and 49 new Freightliner Cascadia trucks. The collaboration includes more than 160 Estafeta service points, where businesses can link up with UPS's worldwide network through a connection to its global air hub in Louisville, Kentucky. The Estafeta locations include those in Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey and Queretaro, territories that in the last few years have been a launching point for Mexican exporters. Michael Cuesta, marketing director of UPS Mexico, said online sales by SMEs in Mexico have increased since the coronavirus pandemic started. "With this economic time that we are living in now with the coronavirus, SMEs are looking for support, they are trying to reinvent themselves, they are looking for added value from their logistics partners," Cuesta said during a video press conference Thursday. Story continues Cuesta added, "We have worked to choose contact points in Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara and Queretaro, cities that have seen significant growth in exports, and when these clients make their shipments they will find integrated services from a single supplier, as well as advice and visibility of the route." Atlanta-based UPS Inc. (NYSE: UPS) is one of the world's largest parcel delivery companies, with a fleet of more than 500 planes and 100,000 vehicles along with hundreds of sorting facilities around the world. Click for more FreightWaves articles by Noi Mahoney. More stories USMCA enters into force amid coronavirus-related uncertainties Tech company uses quantum computers to help shipping and trucking industries More than 100 maquiladoras get back to work in Nogales, Mexico Photo: Estafeta See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Even seasoned bankers and real estate investors, honed by past financial markets and health crises, are no match for the calamity brought by the US-China trade war and the coronavirus pandemic. Phoenix Property Investors, a US$7.7 billion real estate fund, has six months to save itself from potential cascading defaults in two commercial property bets in China after the market cracked, banks trimmed lending and co-investors balked at a restructuring proposal. Two funds managed by Phoenix and outsider co-investors could lose as much as 74 per cent of the equity they pooled to part finance the down payments for Tower A and B at One Financial Street in Shanghai, an office and retail development situated strategically near the Shanghai railway station. The transactions, worth almost 4 billion yuan (US$562 million), hinge on repaying two offshore bridging loans maturing in November used to pay for part of the costs, according to a document seen by the South China Morning Post. "We cannot refinance," it warned. Unable to close the transactions, Phoenix considered cutting its losses or finding new buyers for the assets in a proposal last month. Investors balked at the prospect of sinking more capital or offloading the assets at depressed prices, at least according to one stock exchange filing. "This is just a short-term crisis," Samuel Chu Wai-tak, managing partner and chief investment officer at Phoenix, said in an interview on June 17. "It's a worst-case scenario. We are looking at various options in the hope of preventing our investors from suffering any losses." The rare distress offers a cautionary tale of how the US-China trade war and the coronavirus outbreak spread the pain around the world's biggest money management firms, as China's much-vaunted economy shrank for the first time since 1992. Samuel Chu, managing partner and chief investment officer at Phoenix Property Investors. Photo: SCMP alt=Samuel Chu, managing partner and chief investment officer at Phoenix Property Investors. Photo: SCMP Story continues In the mainland's US$2.3 trillion real estate market, it could be a reminder for investors like Brookfield Asset Management and Blackstone Group. Or the likes of GIC Real Estate and Oaktree Capital Management, who have a war chest to buy the dips. It was not supposed to turn out like this when Phoenix first invested in Tower B and sold the plan to outside investors in October 2017, according to Chu, a former Deutsche Bank executive who co-founded the firm with ex-Morgan Stanley bond trader Benjamin Lee Kai-yiu in 2002. Phoenix has made money for its clients over an 18-year span, since the first Phoenix Asia Real Estate Fund came into being, according to Chu's past media interviews. They burnished its track record over about 100 properties. From redeveloping prime land in Mid-Levels to churning pre-war colonial shophouses in Singapore and gleaming office blocks in Jakarta, Seoul and Osaka, they have bought and sold US$4.1 billion of them. Like its earlier forays in mainland China, the deals for One Financial Street in October 2017 and January 2018 went like clockwork at the outset. Not many, however, could have foreseen the events that followed next. The United States and China quarrelled over trade, anti-government protests in Hong Kong gained momentum and a novel coronavirus emerged, jolting markets and crashing the value of financial and real assets. At Phoenix, the stresses soon snowballed. Tenancy offers were 20 per cent to 30 per cent below underwriting levels and banks tightened margin loans. Chu and his team have had to offer longer rent concessions to fill up floors. All told, the towers were substantially lagging behind their budgeted targets by the time Phoenix rang the alarm bell. "China's commercial real estate sector entered a bear market, both in terms of capital value and rental," Phoenix said in the restructuring proposal in late May. "We are therefore walking towards a purchase default situation." An artist's impression of One Financial Street, an office and retail development near the Shanghai railway station. Photo: Handout alt=An artist's impression of One Financial Street, an office and retail development near the Shanghai railway station. Photo: Handout "The Covid-19 pandemic dragged down what was already a weak office market in China," said Wang Feng, chairman of Shanghai-based real estate investor Ye Lang Capital, which is not involved in the Phoenix projects. "It has deterred investors from going into projects with low occupancy rates." There were two options in Phoenix's rescue proposal. Either abandon the two transactions and negotiate for lower penalties, or find new buyers for one or two of the towers to help pay off the maturing bridging loans, whose lenders were not disclosed. It is not known if Phoenix had obtained unanimous consent from both sets of tower investors by the June 3 deadline. Chu declined to disclose the status of current negotiations. Hong Kong-listed ship chartering group Jinhui Holdings, which had committed US$10 million for one of the office towers, was not immediately impressed after receiving the update from Phoenix on May 26. In a May 28 stock exchange filing, the shipping firm said it was still considering the financial and commercial impact of the options, and had not decided on consenting. It has not filed new updates as promised since the deadline passed. "This is just like what Warren Buffett once famously said, 'you only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out'," said a person close to some investors in Phoenix funds, who declined to be named. "The manager is probably too optimistic and expects prices to go up and up. There may be more fund managers in the same boat." Chu remained upbeat despite the looming deadlines for the bridging loans. One Financial Street is a good project, in a very good location, he said in the interview. The market should bounce back in the next two years, he added. "Since Phoenix's inception in 2002, we have invested in a total of 99 properties," he added. "We have been able to generate profit on 96.8 per cent of all equity invested and allocated. I believe our co-investors will not abandon us." With additional reporting by Daniel Ren in Shanghai 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 2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. HOUSTON, July 2 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp assets are likely overvalued in light of weak oil-demand outlook, according to Wall Street analysts, and face write-downs as soon as this month. A roughly 30% drop in global fuel demand from the COVID-19 pandemic has fed an energy glut expected to last well into 2021, hurting the values of assets. Oil producers BP Plc, Occidental Petroleum , and Royal Dutch Shell have cut billions of dollars off their assets in recent weeks. The oil industry "is clearly altering its view on the value of assets and we would not be surprised if Exxon followed suit," said Cowen analyst Jason Gabelman by email. The size of any impairment is unclear, he said. Exxon will "start to lose credibility if they don't take a writedown soon," said Jennifer Rowland, an oil and gas analyst with Edward Jones, in an email. She did not estimate the size of any charge. While Exxon does not disclose the prices it uses to test for impairments, "I suspect they are still testing the balance sheet," said Biraj Borkhataria, analyst with RBC Europe Ltd, in an email. Exxon on Thursday signaled weak oil and gas and refining profits, prompting several analysts to say losses could be higher than they anticipated. For the first time, Exxon added language to an investor update saying it "may not account for all adjustments and charges required to fully reflect the changes in industry conditions." A company spokesman called it "standard legal and accounting language," however, and did not reply to a question about a possible write-down. Exxon rivals have aggressively reduced book values, with BP signaling an up to $17.5 billion write-down, Occidental up to $9 billion and Shell up to $22 billion this quarter. (Reporting by Jennifer Hiller in Houston; Editing by Tom Brown) (Bloomberg) -- Colin Huangs ascent is one for the history books: In just six months, his fortune swelled by $25 billion -- one of the biggest gains among the worlds richest people. His Pinduoduo Inc., a Groupon-like shopping app he founded in 2015, has become Chinas third-largest e-commerce platform, with a market value of more than $100 billion. In the first quarter, as the coronavirus pandemic caused most of the nations economy to grind to a halt, PDDs active users surged 68% and revenue jumped 44%, the company said in May. Now Huang, who has overseen the firm as its American depositary receipts have more than quadrupled in less than two years, has stepped down as chief executive officer. At one point, his net worth climbed as high as $45 billion, placing him just behind Chinas wealthiest people -- Tencent Holdings Ltd.s Pony Ma and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.s Jack Ma -- on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Thats even as PDD continued to post losses, primarily because it chases growth with the help of generous subsidies and has been known to spend more on marketing than it earns in sales. Pinduoduo was perfectly positioned for people being stuck at home, said Tom Ronk, CEO of Century Pacific Investments in Newport, California. Huang, who controlled 43.3% of PDD shares, has reduced his stake to 29.4%, according to a June 30 regulatory filing. His fortune now stands at $30 billion. That excludes a $2.4 billion charitable holding that he shares with PDDs founding team, and $7.9 billion that went to Pinduoduo Partnership, of which Huang and newly named CEO Lei Chen are members. The partnership will help fund science research and management incentives, according to a letter following Huangs resignation. The wealth estimate also excludes $3.9 billion that people familiar with the matter said was transferred to an angel investor. PDD declined to comment on Huangs holdings or net worth. Facing Challenges He will remain chairman and work on the companys long-term strategy and corporate structure to help drive the future of the e-commerce giant, PDD said. Story continues PDD is still facing some high-level challenges in product supply, relationship with brand merchants, logistics and payments, said Shawn Yang, an analyst at Blue Lotus Capital Advisors. Colin may want to focus more on these issues. PDDs success hinges on deals, which have become particularly popular with customers looking for bargains as the worlds second-largest economy slows. Most of its users come from smaller Chinese cities, and the app gives them extra discounts when they recommend a product through social networks and get friends to buy the same item. Fen Liu, a homemaker in Quanzhou, a provincial city in Fujian, said she accrued enough coupons with her friends help to reduce the price of a suitcase to zero. I couldnt believe my eyes when I saw my suitcase arrive in the mail, she said. Its made me a loyal Pinduoduo user ever since. Bargain Hunters While PDDs aggressive price-reduction strategies have helped win over people with lower incomes, they may stifle the companys efforts to attract wealthier consumers, according to Charlie Chen and Veronica Shen, analysts at China Renaissance Securities in Hong Kong. PDDs users are largely bargain hunters reluctant to buy large-ticket items, they wrote in a June 29 note, adding that the companys image remains a key obstacle to users spending more. We believe PDD is working to change its low-price brand image -- but this could be costly. That may require heavy marketing and hurt margins further despite a strong user-base foundation for future growth, the analysts said. And PDDs management has offered no clear path to profitability. Last year, the companys 10 Billion RMB Subsidies campaign, which is ongoing, led to a $2 billion increase in sales and marketing expenses to $3.9 billion, and those costs have been at 90% to 120% of revenue for the past two quarters, China Renaissance said. For the nations June 18 shopping festival, PDD provided a subsidy program with no cap across different product categories to push spending and attract more users. Other fast-growing Chinese startups -- including rival Meituan Dianping, ride-hailing app DiDi Chuxing and Starbucks Corp. competitor Luckin Coffee Inc. -- have also adopted subsidies strategies to maintain customer loyalty. Huang, 40, grew up in the eastern city of Hangzhou, where Alibaba has its headquarters. After receiving a degree at Zhejiang University, he went to the University of Wisconsin for a masters in computer science. He began his career at Google in 2004 as a software engineer and returned to China in 2006 to help establish its operations in the country. He then became a serial entrepreneur. He started his first company in 2007, an e-commerce website called Ouku.com that he sold three years later after realizing it was too similar to thousands of others. He then launched Leqi, which helped companies market their services on websites like Alibabas Taobao or JD.com Inc., and a gaming firm that let users play on Tencents messaging app WeChat. Both took off and Huang found himself financially free, according to a 2017 interview. After getting an ear infection, he decided to retire in 2013 at age 33. But following a year of pondering what to do with his life -- he contemplated starting a hedge fund and moving to the U.S. -- he came up with the idea of combining e-commerce and social media. At the time, Alibaba dominated the online business, and WeChat became a must-have application on smartphones in China. The tables have turned since. In 2018, Alibaba launched a PDD-style app in an attempt to lure smaller-town users with bargains. It came months before Huang took his company public in New York, raising $1.63 billion in its July 2018 initial public offering. Since then, PDD has surged 389%, while Alibaba has gained just 13%. In 2017, Huang had said he was unlikely to spend the rest of his life at PDD. While hes still chairman of the company, he now wants to give more responsibility to younger colleagues to keep the entrepreneurial spirit as PDD matures, he wrote in a letter to employees. We envision Pinduoduo to be an organization that creates value for the public rather than being a showoff trophy for a few or carry too much personal color, Huang said. This will allow Pinduoduo to continually evolve with or without us one day. (Updates PDD, Alibaba moves in 22nd paragraph. A previous version of this story corrected Fen Lius location.) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The man was waiting for someone to do it for him. Then Joyce points out something else: Jesus doesnt stop and say how sorry he is that the man has had such a rough time. Instead, Jesus says: Rise, take up your bed and walk. Notice how Jesus tells the man to take his bed with him. I think its great of Jesus to encourage the man not to be a litter bug. But Jesus does so much more than that. Immediately, the man is made well. The guy takes his bed and walks. Recently, I was watching a video of Joyce, when she reached the part of the story where Christ asks the man if he wants to get well. She asks her audience: Do you really want to get over your problems? Are you serious enough about getting over your problems to do your part that whatever God shows you to do you would be willing to do it? Ohhh. Those can be tough questions, especially if youre hurting. But Joyce believes there are people who need to get up and stop expecting someone to do for them what they should be doing for themselves. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 51F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 51F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Can software help local governments find alternatives to COVID lockdowns? While its clear theres no one-size-fits-all solution to protecting Americans and opening the economy, one researcher thinks software can help local officials devise more-granular solutions. Sai Dinakarrao, an assistant professor in George Mason Universitys Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, believes analyzing factors such as population density, demographics, climate and transportation statistics could help policy-makers find strategies that would prevent surges in the virus without taking a huge toll on the economy, GMU officials said. Dinakarrao, along with colleagues from University of California at Davis and Morgan State University in Baltimore, was recently awarded funding from the National Science Foundation to develop a model for pandemic, focusing on community spread, mitigation measures and the optimal distribution of health care resources in that context. The researchers plan to develop a tool that is generic and demography-agnostic that determines the best solution for a given topology, such as a state, county, or city, Dinakarrao said. Drawing from current COVID-19 data, the solution will incorporate machine learning and stochastic optimization techniques to determine the best epidemic confinement strategy, depending on demographic information as well as the epidemic spread, according to the award announcement. Given the uncertainty in the available data regarding COVID-19 due to varied testing strategies and false positives, our methodologies consider these variations to determine the optimal confinement strategy under the constraints of economic impact, Dinakarrao said. Because the researchers just started the year-long project, the tool will used for later waves of COVID-19, future pandemics or to mitigate bioterrorism threats. The solution is expected to have applicability beyond the current pandemic. We want our tool to be as scalable and futuristic as possible, Dinakarrao said. We want it to be able to function for any kind of pandemic. A fireworks store owner in north-central Indiana suggested the same when interviewed by the local paper The Kokomo Perspective. According to reporter Alyx Arnett, Best Price Fireworks owner Joe Wampler said that people are taking what's available to them. "People are still going to have fireworks to watch whether they go to a public show or buy them themselves, and if they dont have the option to go to a public show, theyre going to buy them themselves," he said in the story. Like with Iowa Fireworks in Mason City, some of his most popular items have been multi-shot cakes. There's been some weirdness in Iowa with ordinances, too. In 2017, state legislators legalized fireworks sales in Iowa, but allowed individual counties and cities to determine when they can be used which means there's the possibility for variance even between neighboring counties. Statewide, the gap between the percent of the population that is Latino and the share of cases among Latinos continues to widen. In mid-May, the 9% of the population that is Latino had roughly 30% of the reported cases. As of 5 p.m. Thursday, that number was 44%. There is no race data available for many of the cases reported across the state. In the Pittsylvania-Danville Health District, 30 reported cases do not have any racial data available. Spillmann explained that stems from some labs not reporting and some organizations taking the tests not getting the data. Not all the labs report it out as we ask them to, and not all labs receive that from the people that are ordering the tests," he said. There have been 41 people hospitalized due to the virus in the Pittsylvania-Danville Health District. Of those, 22 are in in the 60 and up age brackets, despite that group making up significantly less than half of the local population. Both statewide and in the district, the percent of cases in those in the 80-plus bracket is relatively small, but that age bracket makes up a large share of the deaths caused by COVID-19. Statewide, 51% of the 1,816 deaths have been in the 80-plus age range. Former Gov. Doug Wilder has accused the Library of Virginia of racism for failing to make publicly available records from his term as the country's first elected Black governor 30 years ago. Wilder, who took office in January 1990 and ended his term four years later, said the library has recorded the archives of numerous other governors who served after him but has made his gubernatorial records inaccessible to public research. "The neglect and obfuscation conveys the handling of his administration's gubernatorial papers to be current examples of racism and does not reflect well on the state of Virginia," said Wilder's assistant, Angelica Bega, in an email message to State Archivist Michael Strom on Friday morning. The state librarian acknowledged Friday that the processing of Wilder's records had "fallen off the radar." Wilder, who is approaching his 90th birthday in January, said in an interview Friday that he does not understand why the library would not fully process papers from his term before acting on the papers from his successors. The collections of former Govs. George Allen, Jim Gilmore and Mark Warner are all complete, while former Gov. Tim Kaine's remains in progress. All of Wilder's successors have been white. "Why isn't it racism?" Wilder asked. DANVILLE, Va. Local historian and artist Robert Daniel "Danny" Ricketts, 79, of Danville, died on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, at Centra Lynchburg General Hospital after a sudden illness. Born January 13, 1941, in a log cabin in Blairs, Virginia, Danny was the son of the late Ruben Edward and Annie Marie Jones Ricketts. Danny was also predeceased by one brother Ray E. (Mary) Ricketts of Richmond; three sisters, Idella (James, living) Lynch of Danville, Marion (Willie) Lewis (Herman) Cook, and Elaine (Edward) Gibson; and a grandson, Cody Austin Hill. Danny's family moved to Washington Street when he was five years old. On March 29, 1968, Danny married his first (and only) wife, Nancye Barbour Ricketts, after wooing her with a series of ancient arrowhead hunting dates. Together, they raised three children, one daughter, Jo Ricketts (Kevin) Hawke of Danville; and two sons, Robert Allen "Bobby" (Kimberly) Ricketts of Forest, Va., and Paul Daniel (Rebecca) Ricketts of Broken Arrow, Okla. He is survived by six grandsons, Joseph Robert (Erica) Ricketts of Lynchburg, Va.; Ryan Andrew Hill of Danville; Caleb Daniel Ricketts and Samuel James Ricketts, both of Broken Arrow, Okla.; and Lucas Sebastian Dalton and Atticus Sage Hawke, both of Danville. Also surviving are several generations of nieces and nephews and a multitude of cousins. Danny graduated from George Washington High School in 1960. He joined the U. S. Air Force in January 1961 and served in Intelligence as a Radio Intercept Analyst Specialist in Karamursel, Turkey, where he became fascinated by ancient and early cultures of western civilization. After serving his country, Danny studied at Danville Community College and became a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, delivering mail, enjoying conversation, and running from dogs until he retired in 1992. Danny was an avid historian and collector of ancient artifacts and local memorabilia alike. He and son Bobby unearthed the oldest surviving wooden water wheel in America, the Beavers Mill water wheel (circa 1792) in Pittsylvania County in 2003. It was excavated, preserved, and donated to the Virginia Historical Society for display in the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in 2006. With the assistance of his niece Sylvia Matthews, Danny was awarded the Daughters of the American Revolution History Award medal and Historic Preservation medal, as well as the Arkansas Traveler appointment by then-governor Mike Huckabee. Danny started painting as a child. His art teachersMrs. Vass in fourth grade at Stonewall Jackson Elementary and later Miss Lucille Walton at George Washington High Schoolencouraged his talent. Danny won two Scholastic Gold Key awards for his artwork. For the next 50 years, his art was primarily focused on his historical work, producing dozens of posters on local history and more. Then, in 2011, he once again immersed himself fully in his art. Danny's artistic hero was Pablo Picasso, but over the course of his lifetime, he produced more than 1,300 pieces spanning multiple styles and modes, including abstracts, landscapes, collage, and sculpture. In 1996, Danny and Nancye moved to Tulsa, Okla., where they attended Rhema Bible Training College, graduating in 1998. They traveled with mission teams to India twice and pastored Victory Family Church in Danville for several years. Danny's favorite Bible verse was, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." He said that this verse was posted over the door of his Sunday School class at Third Avenue Congregational Church, where he and his family were members for many years. Striving to live this message out every day of his life, Danny Ricketts' testimony will continue to live on in his historical work, his art, and his family and friends for countless years to come. A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, 2020, at Norris Funeral Services' Mt. Hermon Chapel with the Rev. Oscar Rivera officiating. A visitation will be held an hour prior to the service. The family will also receive guests at the residence at other times. Interment will follow the funeral at Highland Burial Park. Memorial donations may be made to God's Pit Crew Crisis Response Team. But then Blight asks its critics to please consider the people who created it and what it meant for their lives in a century not our own. African Americans, most of them former slaves, had raised the $20,000 needed to build the monument. Nearly every black organization participated in its unveiling. Is it OK for woke moderns to cancel these African Americans sense of their history? I dont think so. Much is subject to interpretation. Some see the former slave crouching subserviently before Lincoln. Others see him rising up. Some object to his chains. Others see chains that are breaking, which, of course, is what was happening. Most strange are complaints that the African American is naked from the waist up. That reflected the misery of bondage. Putting a nice shirt on him would have amounted to slavery denial support for the claim by many slave owners that their captive, unpaid labor was well treated. (Slaves in ancient Rome were depicted without shirts, a sign of their degradation.) That the sculptor, Thomas Ball, was white should be of no consequence. The emancipated blacks sponsoring the monument hired him, and that was their right. For the record, Ball said he considered Archer Alexander, the former slave who modeled as the freed man, an agent in his own resistance. A P-8A Poseidon aircraft assigned to the "War Eagles" of Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 is parked on the flight line at Clark Air Base. VP-16 is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet (C7F) area of operations conducting maritime patrol and reconnaissance operations in support of Commander, Task Force 72, C7F, and U.S. Pacific Command objectives throughout the Indo-Asia Pacific region. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close This item is available in full to subscribers. Attention subscribers We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription. If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site. If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here. Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing. The city's legal team contends that the county's review of a recall petition must "examine the truthfulness of the purported facts asserted in the statement of reasons for recall." They cited a 1988 Supreme Court of Montana case, in which then Chouteau County Attorney Thomas Sheehy successfully appealed to have a recall petition against him thrown out. Justice Jean Turnage wrote in his opinion following the 1988 case, "if he is to be removed from office, his removal must be based on true statements which demonstrate his incompetence ... Whether the allegations are legally sufficient is a matter of law for a district court to decide." The city's legal team also argues that the allegations leveled at the elected officials within the petitions are false. Although City Commissioners Emily Dean and Sean Logan have said they were excluded from the decision process used to hire Reed, the city's attorneys argued that the commissioners' opportunity to comment during the March 9 meeting was sufficient enough. We cant rest on our laurels, and we have to continually reassess. But as of right now, with one hospitalization, a new ICU coming online here in the weeks ahead, were feeling pretty good about it, Kelley said. I would also say we only have one major hospital in Gallatin County, so we have to be really careful about being too complacent with it. Back in late March and early April, Montana hospitals were in the thick of the beginning of the pandemic and didnt know what to expect. Some of the modeling at the time painted a dark picture. Rich Rasmussen, the president and chief executive officer of the Montana Hospital Association, said some early predictions showed there could be more than 3,000 cases in Montana, leading to overwhelmed ICUs. It was a very different world, or a very different lens we were looking through at that time, Rasmussen said. Today we have a better grasp of that. We have the protective equipment, the blood supply is coming back, and certainly we have measures in place to help us with that surge to be able to create capacity in our health system. All of that we didnt have (in March). The increase in case growth now also doesn't correlate to increased hospital demand, said Dr. Scott Ellner, the chief executive officer at Billings Clinic. About this series Montana is the oldest state west of the Mississippi, and demographic projections show the state growing collectively older as more Montanans enter their senior years. The economic, cultural, and personal impacts of that trend present the state and its residents with new challenges and, with those challenges, opportunities. Graying Pains is a series of weekly stories and broadcasts exploring those challenges and opportunities in communities statewide. By investigating how other communities have responded to the issues raised by aging, Graying Pains hopes to point the way toward policies and innovations that can help Montana, and Montanans, improve with age. The series is produced by the Montana Fourth Estate Project, a collaboration among 13 Montana newsrooms and the University of Montana School of Journalism coordinated by Montana Free Press under the auspices of the Montana Newspaper Association and the Solutions Journalism Network. See montanafourthestate.org for the collected Graying Pains stories and more information. Spring is the time of abundant water. Westslope Cutthroat, Montanas state fish, sense rising flows and commence their age-old spawning migrations upstream to tributaries across Montana. It may seem like an odd time to think about water scarcity and demands, but there are important discussions happening in Washington DC that should concern all Montana anglers and those who care about our world-class fisheries. The Flathead Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited (FVTU) was founded in 1972, dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring Northwest Montanas coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. FVTU has weighed in on countless projects and issues that impact our Northwest Montana streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Seldom are those impacts positive, so we have learned to know a good deal when we see one. The negotiated Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) Water Compact is such a deal. Its good for fish, its good for irrigators, its good for taxpayers, and it creates new jobs and economic activity in our communities. DECATUR When people look back at the coronavirus in Macon County, Fair Havens Senior Living will likely be at the forefront of any discussion. For nearly three months, it was ground zero. Of the 22 county residents who have died of complications related to the virus, 20 were Fair Havens residents. Of the 232 county residents who have tested positive, 59 were Fair Havens residents. Facility officials note 31 staff members also tested positive, but some of those may not live in Macon County and would not be included in the countys total. What often goes overlooked, according to those associated with the facility at 1790 S. Fairview Ave. in Decatur, are the 39 residents who tested positive and survived. This distinction has earned them a special nickname. They are affectionately known among the staff as the COVID Warriors. Irene Crotser, 97, said she didnt know she had the coronavirus until she tested positive. She suffered from headaches and was short of breath. But I didnt feel real sick, she said. I dont think I had it too bad. The staff began talking to her about the disease. Thats when she realized she had been diagnosed. I was surprised, she said. I thought it would be worse than it was. Crotser is grateful she didnt suffer through the illness like other residents did. Some of them have had it pretty bad, she said. Terry Lidy, 77, found out he tested positive for coronavirus while in the hospital three weeks ago for a heart condition. Ive had heart and kidney problems for the last eight years, he said, so the threat of coronavirus was just another ailment, along with a diagnosed case of skin cancer while in the hospital, to add to the list. Im trying to be a tough old bird, he said. Im hanging in there. Lidy credits the Fair Havens staff for helping him through all of the health problems he has faced, and the quarantine that came with the coronavirus finding. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} A lot of these people here did a good job getting it controlled and helping me out, he said. Its a big battle. But it wasnt just those residents who tested positive feeling isolated. In an effort to keep the residents safe, visitors were not allowed in the facility beginning in early March. To keep the residents upbeat, the facility provides activities, such as spiritual packets, adult coloring pages, and arranges for correspondence with family through Skype and FaceTime. Were doing everything we can to keep them connected with the outside world, Jennifer Griswold, activities director for Fair Havens, said. It can be rough. Griswold said one of the first activities undertaken by residents who were quarantined because of the coronavirus is a trip to the outdoor courtyard for a healthy dose of sunshine. And smell some of that good Decatur air, Lidy said. While the number of new coronavirus cases in Macon County have started to slow down, Fair Havens isnt easing up on the prevention efforts. Fair Havens continues to be vigilant, following the guidance from the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), as well as the state and local health department's best practices and protocols to protect everyone's health, said Courtney Malengo, Fair Havens public relations representative. Pat Eubanks, who was released from quarantine on May 23, is taking the whole coronavirus situation in stride. At age 92, Eubanks said she has lived through her fair share of quarantines measles, mumps, scarlet fever, chicken pox and polio. Eubanks remembers the concern her family had when it came to polio. If you had a child and it had a leg ache, you were so frightened, Eubanks said, recalling the concern her family had when it came to polio. Except for polio, Eubanks said she had them all. So the coronavirus was not a concern, she said. It didnt scare me, she said. I had other things come up in my lifetime. Eubanks said she did not remember suffering through the symptoms associated with the coronavirus. In fact, I dont think I really knew I had it until I was over with it, she said. Through all of her childhood health scares, Eubanks said the spread of the diseases slowed down because they stayed away from others. Quarantines were part of their lives. It was the thing to do, she said. I cant understand people arguing about it. It is the only thing to do. How we're doing: Decatur-area residents share pandemic stories Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. We have now entered Phase 4 of Gov. Pritzkers gradual reopening plan for our state, and the restored freedoms for our families and businesses are certainly needed now to get our communities well on the road to recovery. On March 12, Gov. Pritzker issued the first proclamation declaring that the coronavirus outbreak was a disaster in Illinois. A week later, the first of a series of stay-at-home orders was issued. Our families and businesses have suffered greatly over the past three months. During that time, my office went into emergency response mode. We fielded hundreds of calls from constituents struggling to secure unemployment benefits through the Illinois Department of Employment Security, and we worked daily with local small business owners who were forced to close their doors or limit operations, connecting them with state and federal resources to help keep them afloat. Now its time to get back to business. Phase 4 allows for the safe reopening or expansion of several key business segments - such as health and fitness, movies and theater, museums and zoos, as well as indoor dining at restaurants. Phase 4 also allows for expanded gathering sizes, increasing the limit from 10 in Phase 3, to 50 people or fewer. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. In addition, the state has built up its daily testing capabilities, surpassing 30,000 tests in a 24-hour period for the first time. Drive up testing here is continuing at the Interstate Center through an agreement I reached with the Administration; and I would like to thank Gov. Pritzker, his staff, and the Illinois Department of Public Health. In addition to expanded business and social activities, we are also looking forward to the reopening of schools for the 2020 fall term, which will begin in late August. Our local districts are racing to open under the strict conditions laid out by the governor, which include facemask requirements for all students and staff. Activities that normally involve gatherings of 50 or more pupils, including school lunchroom times and most sporting activities, will be modified or suspended. Colleges and universities are also preparing to reopen for on-campus learning with restrictions, including only one person per bedroom in many dormitories, facemask requirements, and suggested staggering of classroom attendance and laboratory session times. The lifting of more restrictions is very welcome news for our communities, and in my opinion, overdue. Now we need to turn our attention to fully reopening. The problem is that in the governors plan that is nowhere in sight. According to the governor, complete reopening of our communities (Phase 5) is not to begin until a vaccine or highly effective treatment widely available or the elimination of any new cases over a sustained period. That could be more than a year away, and will require hardships to continue. One of the truths that this coronavirus ordeal has reinforced is that Illinois is a very diverse state. Full reopening of our communities needs to be done on a local basis, based on local data with decisions made by local officials - not on a statewide vaccine mandate. Dan Brady, a Bloomington Republican, represents the 105th District in the Illinois General Assembly, where he serves as deputy minority leader. As we gamely trudge into the second half of a beleaguering year, I have found something to root for: Bruno the bear, and his quest for love. It almost sounds like a Hallmark movie. What's that you say? Ursine romance isn't one of typical interests? I get that: usually, I don't leer at wildlife on the make, either Nonetheless, I don't have to explain the relentless pounding we've taken in 2020. The best thing we can say? Murder hornets didn't turn out as bad as we'd feared. Yippee. So, amid all the heaviness, enter Bruno. Especially with no sports to follow, I'm glad to have something to cheer for. Plus, he almost has a hometown connection, as he has been tromping through Peoria's backyard. He's an unusual guest. In the late 1800s, hunting eliminated bears in Illinois, where the species is now protected by law. About June 10, a black bear departed southern Wisconsin (where bears usually stick to the northern part of that state) and crossed into Illinois, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Why did he flee Wisconsin? That's unclear, but I suspect a distaste for the Green Bay Packers. Makes sense for a bear, right? Anyway, from Rock Island County, the bear headed south. Once in a great while, bears pop up in northern Illinois. But not west-central Illinois. "We have never had one to my knowledge come this far south," an Illinois Department of Natural Resources representative told the Monmouth Review-Atlas. "This is very unusual." Unusual, yes -- as affairs of the heart can often be. The bear is believed to be a male, about 350 pounds. Somewhere along his Illinois excursion, he was dubbed Bruno. And he apparently is looking for a mate. But he with no dating prospects in Illinois, he seems to be headed to Missouri, which has a population of black bears -- and, presumably, lady bears who are single and ready to mingle. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. IDNR and Illinois State Police have been tracking him -- for the safety of people but also the animal. The IDNR warns people to stay at least 100 yards away, which means no selfies with Bruno. Still, when he has ventured close to towns, people have gotten close with cell cameras, occasionally distressing him. But he has kept a Fonzie-like cool. With love on his mind, he doesn't seem interested in mixing it up with any bipeds while sojourning south. From the Quad Cities, he plodded into Henderson County. Near Oquawka, about 80 miles west of Peoria, Melissa Stanton saw a social media post June 20 about a bear seen outside the nearby town of Keithsburg. When she told her husband, Jeff, he poo-pooed the idea, saying, "There's no bear in Keithsburg." The next day, they headed to their cabin north of Oquawka, which is surrounded by fields, including a potato field. While she was inside the cabin, her husband called from outside, "Hon, come out! The bear is in the potato field!" She rushed outside, where the bear was looking for food. "He stopped and checked out the potatoes," she said. "But they're not ready to pull, so he left them alone." The bear slipped into Oquawka, stopping at its eastern edge. There, as Stanton found out later, he played in a pond outside the home of one of her friends. From there, he continued south into Hancock and McDonough Counties. On June 25, along Illinois Route 9 near Blandinsville, Torrie Thomas was surprised to see a big, black blob shamble down a hill and over the pavement, about 50 years in front of her car. This week, Bruno ventured through Adams County and into Pike County. In Barry, about 100 miles southwest of Peoria, police blocked off heavy-traffic routes to let him pass safely. The Pike County Sheriff's Office even posted video of the bear on its Facebook page. His next steps from Pike County? Like a lot of Illinois natives, Bruno soon might flee state for greener pastures. Though it's hard to tell what's on a bear's mind, officials tell the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Bruno soon might land in Missouri. He might want to move fast. Missouri is considering legalizing the hunting of black bears. So, let's keep rooting for Bruno. Let's hope he finds love -- and the couple vanishes from sight, happily ever after. PHOTOS: Scovill Zoo Buddies holds class about hedgehogs on Tuesday Phil Luciano is a Journal Star columnist. Email pluciano@pjstar.com, Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Indias ban on 59 Chinese apps apps has caused a huge furore and created a sizeable dent in the Chinese digital space. While India could have imposed a ban on foreign apps a long time ago in the pursuit of being self-dependent, or atmanirbhar, the move even though late is welcome. This now brings back into focus a variety of advanced apps within India that can replace foreign apps. Take, for instance, the apps listed below that can make your life much easier! Note: Arogya Setu has not been included in this list yet. BHIM: For financial transactions BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) is an Indian mobile payment App developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Launched on 30 December 2016, it is intended to facilitate e-payments directly through banks as part of the 2016 Indian banknote demonetisation and drive towards cashless transactions. The app supports all Indian banks which use UPI, which is built over the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) infrastructure and allows the user to instantly transfer money between bank accounts of any two parties. It can be used on all mobile devices. BHIM allow users to send or receive money to or from UPI payment addresses, or to non-UPI based accounts (by scanning a QR code with account number and IFSC code or MMID (Mobile Money Identifier) Code).[8] DigiLocker: For safely keeping digital copies of important documents DigiLocker is an online service provided by Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), Government of India, under its Digital India initiative. DigiLocker provides an account in cloud to every Aadhaar holder to access authentic documents/certificates such as driving license, vehicle registration, academic mark sheet in digital format from the original issuers of these certificates. It also provides 1GB storage space to each account to upload scanned copies of legacy documents. Users need to possess an Aadhaar number to use DigiLocker. For sign-up, the Aadhaar number and the one-time password sent to the Aadhaar-registered mobile number, need to be entered. Story continues IRCTC: Indian Railways app (Confirmtkt.com) Confirmtkt.com is one of the best IRCTC train booking sites online. Increase your chance of train ticket availability. IRCTC train enquiry and booking which is backed by a unique and efficient algorithm which predicts your IRCTC PNR in seconds based on historical trends. It also assists you in deciding whether to book train tickets or not if the train is on the waitlist. 112 App: For womens safety Primarily meant for women safety, under the Nirbhaya initiative, the project is the joint effort of Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry for Home Affairs. Anyone can download this application and just by pressing a button or just pressing power button thrice, one can initiate call to the state emergency responses. Without making any voice call, the police will automatically reach the victim. It has a unique feature which is called Shout. Since the police is limited and there is a huge population to cover, any citizen can register with the system as a volunteer. After proper scrutiny and verification, these volunteers will be incorporated in the system. Startup India app Startup India is essentially an initiative taken by the Indian government that aims at promoting and encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit amongst its citizens. Startup India app is designed for entrepreneurs to understand and gain information about the startup ecosystem. Through the app, users can learn about government initiatives about startups and also learn about incubators. Bharat ke Veer: For contributing to families of Central Armed Police Forces soldiers Bharat Ke Veer mobile app is an initiative for the citizens to pay homage to the bravehearts in Central Armed Police Forces who laid down their lives in the line of duty. Using this app, individuals can contribute directly into the bank accounts of the bravehearts kin, or to the Bharat Ke Veer corpus. To ensure maximum coverage, a cap of 15 lakhs is envisaged per braveheart and the donor would be alerted if the amount exceeds Rs 15 lakhs, so that they can choose to either decrease their contribution or divert part of the donation to another braveheart's account, or to the Bharat Ke Veer corpus. Payments through this app is powered by State Bank of IndiaDigiSevak: For citizen volunteer National Scholarships Portal: For students looking for scholarship National Scholarships Portal is one-stop solution through which various services starting from student application, application receipt, processing, sanction and disbursal of various scholarships to Students are enabled. National Scholarships Portal is taken as Mission Mode Project under National e-Governance Plan (NeGP). It is a common app for various scholarships schemes of Central Ministries and State Governments Voter Helpline: App by the Election Commission of India Voter Helpline App is the comprehensive app for Indian Voters to search their name in the electoral roll, submit forms for voter registration & modification, download their digital photo voter slips, make complaints, find details about the contesting candidates and most importantly see the real-time results of the elections. 19 Million (1.9 Crore) users used the Voter Helpline Mobile Application to search their names in the Electoral Roll till date. With 2,16,81,289 (2.16 Crore or 21 Million) downloads and 1,53,604 (1.53 lac or 153K) user feedback, this national award-winning application has taken roots as a major tool for citizen empowerment. The seed for the Voter Helpline was sown in the year 2016, when a new website for Election Commission was envisaged. In the process of designing the new website, the concept of Voter Helpline took its humble beginnings. At that stage, the Project was codenamed as ECI Citizen App and the initial objective was to display on the mobile app, the main ECI Website content. MyGov: Feedback, suggestions and ideas to the government MyGov is Government of Indias innovative citizen engagement platform for direct citizen participation in governance by providing an avenue for channelizing their ideas, comments and creative suggestions to Central Ministries and associated organisations. Citizens can participate in policy formulation and program implementation to usher in an era of direct participatory democracy.The MyGov app acts as a platform for citizen participation in governance. Users can provide ideas ,comments, suggestions to ministries and associated organisations. One can also apparently participate in policy formulation and programme implementation. Khelo India: For sports and fitness enthusiasts The Khelo India programme has been introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in our country and establish India as a great sporting nation. Talented players identified in priority sports disciplines at various levels by the High-Powered Committee will be provided annual financial assistance of INR 5 lakh per annum for 8 years. Khelo India (school version) mobile app is exclusively developed for schools to assess the fitness level of their students. If individuals/parents want to assess the fitness level of their children. The Khelo India (school version) app requires user name and password to login. The same can be obtained by registering the schools in Khelo India fitness assessment portal (link http://schoolfitness.kheloindia.gov.in). ePathshala: For students and teachers This app has been developed by the HRD ministry and NCERT. eBooks can be accessed by students and teachers on mobile phones, tablets and desktops. One can carry as many book according to their devices storage. The app has features like pinch, select, highlight and even listening to text using text-to-speech. mPassport: For passport related information mPassport Seva is a light weight, easy to use app that provides all the functions as available over the Passport Seva Portal such as New User Registration, existing User Login, Apply for Passport Services, Pay online, Schedule appointment, Know Location of Passport Centers, Fee Details, Application Status, Contact Information and other General Information. The app provides facility to Register, Apply, Pay and Schedule appointment for Passport related services. The app provides information on various steps involved to obtain a passport related service and where to call in case of queries or concerns. The users are able to search for a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) or District Passport Cell (DPC). Citizens living overseas can find out relevant information about the Missions/Posts abroad. For certain states and districts, the users can search for Police Stations as well. Fee Calculator feature of the application enables users to find out the required fee based on the service and mode of submission. Document Advisor helps users to find out the required documents they need to carry while visiting Passport Office for application submission. The users can track status of their passport applications using file number and date of birth. For dispatched passports, the delivery status can also be tracked. mParivahan: For driving license and vehicle related information Provides Transport Service access to citizens through a mobile-based application. This app empowers citizen with instant access to various information, services and utilities related to the Transport Sector. Aimed to bring convenience to citizen and transparency in the system. It is a genuine government app for all India RTO vehicle registration number search. Incredible India: For tourism information Incredible India App is an innovative project of Ministry of Tourism to assist the international and domestic tourist to showcase India as a holistic destination, revolving around major experiences such as spirituality, heritage, adventure, culture, yoga , wellness and more. The mobile app has been designed keeping in mind the preferences of the modern traveller. The app follows the trends and technologies of international standards and has been equipped with features to assist the traveller in each phase of their journey to India. Kisan Suvidha: For agriculture related information Kisan Suvidha is an omnibus mobile app developed by Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to help farmers by providing relevant information to them quickly. The app is available in multiple Indian languages. Yoga locator: For fitness and yoga enthusiasts Ministry of Ayush launched Yoga Locator to help you find yoga trainers, yoga centres and yoga events around your area. The app enables yoga instructors to register themselves and reach out to people who want to pursue a yoga course. Yoga Locator uses your location to find yoga trainers, yoga centres and yoga events near you. All you need to do is to open the app and grant location access. The app will list all the registered yoga trainers and events in your city. Alternatively, you can manually enter the name of your city in the app. UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) is envisaged to make e-governance . It is developed by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and National e-Governance Division (NeGD) to drive Mobile Governance in India. UMANG provides a single platform for all Indian Citizens to access pan India e-Gov services ranging from Central to Local Government bodies and other citizen centric services. MADAD: For Indian citizens abroad Consular Services Management System (MADAD) has been setup for Indian Citizens to log and track Grievances pertaining to the Consular Services offered by the Indian Embassies (Missions/Posts) abroad. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) with a view to provide mobile enablement of MADAD, has launched MADAD Mobile Application on Android, iOS, and Windows platforms. Grievances regarding Compensation, Court Case, Domestic Help, Imprisoned Abroad, Transportation of Mortal Remains, Repatriation, Salary Dues, Tracing the Whereabouts, Marital Disputes, Birth Certificate, No Obligation to Return to India (NORI) Certificate, Asylum-Cases, Worker Abuse, Recruiting Agent, Contract Problems, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse and Sponsor Problems will be lodged. Grievances/queries related to Visa and Passport, Emergency Travel Documents, and Attestation of Documents are not entertained through the MADAD system. Indian Police on Call The Indian Police at Your Call App is a GIS Map based interface for the citizens to locate police stations near to their current location so that they can easily reach the police station in case of emergency. Sangam: For devotional and Indian classical music The governments music app Sangam treats Hinduism as the core of Indian culture. the app has a collection of over 2500 devotional tracks in 24 Indian languages, as per the ministrys website. Under the aegis of Ministry of Culture, Government of India, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) has created, a mobile and web music application SANGAM, as the name of the application suggests, has been conceived as an aural confluence of several streams of devotion and divinity, as also a confluence of the various art forms that are part of our musical traditions. The application has been envisioned as a one-stop virtual destination for the connoisseurs of music of classical, folk, devotional and popular styles alike. SANGAM is a first of its kind initiative taken by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Thiruvananthapuram, July 2 (PTI): Kerala's COVID-19 tally touched 4,753 with 160 fresh cases on Thursday, but in some relief for the state 202 people have been cured from the infection, the highest single day recovery so far. Those under treatment are 2,088 and 2,638 have so far recovered, while 1.78 lakh people are under observation,the highest in Malappuram-over33,000. Pathanamthitta reported 27 cases, Malappuram 24, Palakkad 18, Alappuzha 16,Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thirssurand Kannur nine cases each, Idukki eight, Kozhikode seven, Kasaragod five and Wayanad one. Of the positive cases, 106 had come from abroad and 40 from other states, Health minister K K Shailaja said in a release. At least 1,78,099 people are under observation of whom 1,75,111 are in home/institutional quarantine and 2,988 in various hospitals, including 403 admitted today. Testing of samples has been further ramped up and in the last 24 hours, 7,589 samples have been tested. Totally, 2,46,799 samples have been sent for testing and the results of 4,722 are awaited. Besides, as part of sentinel surveillance, of 52,316 samples, which had been sent for testing, 50,002 are negative. There are 123 hot spots in the state as of today. Palakkad has the highest number of positive cases at 249, while Malappuram accounts for 226 cases, Kannur 217 and Pathanamthitta206. In Thiruvananthapuram, a two-year-old girl, who returned from Kuwait, a lottery seller and a migrant worker from Assam were among those who tested positive today. PTI UDBN WELCOME WELCOME Shimla, Jul 2 (PTI) Thirty-five people, including 23 ITBP jawans, tested positive for COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, taking the state''s tally to 1,015, officials said. Of the 23 ITBP jawans, 17 were found positive in Kinnaur district while six in Shimla district, they said. Kinnaur Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Sonam Negi said that ITBP Battalion, stationed at a camp in Jangi of Kinnaur district, was sealed to check the spread of the infection as 17 ITBP jawans tested positive for COVID-19 there. The CMO said that all the 17 jawans had come to Kinnaur in an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) vehicle from Jammu and were already quarantined. Earlier on Wednesday, ITBP's Reckong Peo Battalion in Kinnaur district was sealed after declaring the area as cantonment zone after five ITBP jawans had tested positive, Kalpa sub-divisional magistrate Avaninder Sharma said. In Shimla, six ITBP jawans of 43rd Battalion in Jeori of Rampur tehsil also tested positive on Thursday, Rampur sub-divisional magistrate Narendra Chauhan said. The jawans, who had recently returned to Rampur after leave, were placed under quarantine in SJVN premises, he added. All these ITBP jawans were asked to return to their battalions as their leaves had been cancelled after the Indo-China border standoff in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh on June 15. Of the 35 fresh cases, 17 were reported from Kinnaur district, six from Shimla, three each from Hamirpur and Una, two from Kangra and one each from Lahaul-Spiti, Mandi, Sirmaur and Bilaspur districts, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, R D Dhiman said. In Hamirpur, three people, including a woman, tested positive, a district official said. The three fresh cases included a 48-year-old Delhi returned woman from Bani village of Barsar, a 78-year-old man of Taringar village of Kot, who was primary contact of a COVID-19 patient and a 59-year-old Ludhiana returned man from Bharnang village, he added. In Kangra, a 22-year-old Kyrgyzstan returned woman from Sanot village and a 65-year-old woman from Ghamala village who was a contact of a COVID-19 patient tested positive, a district official said. Story continues In Mandi, a 31-year-old man, who had returned from Dubai, tested positive for novel coronavirus, he said. Meanwhile, 12 patients --- five from Hamirpur, three each from Una and Solan, two from Una and one each from Shimla and Kangra -- recovered from the infection on Wednesday, Dhiman said. So far, 632 people have recovered, while 13 have migrated out of the state, he said. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the state stands at 359 and fatalities at nine. Kangra has the maximum number of active cases in the state at 108, followed by 85 in Hamirpur, 47 in Solan, 27 in Kinnaur, 23 in Una, 21 in Shimla, 19 in Bilaspur, 10 in Sirmaur, nine in Mandi, six in Chamba, and four in Lahaul-Spiti. PTI DJI CORR KJ KJ Eight Uttar Pradesh police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were shot dead by the members of a gang in Kanpur on Friday. At least seven others, including a civilian, were also injured in the incident. The police team was ambushed around 1 am on Friday when they had gone to raid a house in search of notorious gangster Vikas Dubey, after an attempt to murder case was filed against him. Dubey has over 60 cases against him, including a murder charge for the killing of Santosh Shukla, a former UP minister in the Rajnath Singh government, inside a police station in 2001. As the police party reached the Bikru village under Kanpur Dehat's Shivli Police Station area to make the arrest, at least eight to 10 criminals opened indiscriminate fire from the rooftops. DSP Devendra Mishra, Shivrajpur Station Officer Mahesh Yadav, a sub-inspector and five constables were killed in the attack. Giving details of the incident, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police HC Awasthi said the notorious criminal might have got an inkling of the impending raid. He and his henchmen put up massive roadblocks to prevent the police from proceeding towards their hideout. As the police team was caught unawares, the criminals rained bullets at them from a building rooftop leading to the deaths, Awasthi said. "Eight police personnel died, four were injured. They are being treated at the hospital. Police from neighbouring districts Kannauj and Kanpur Dehat have also been called," Kanpur ADG JN Singh said, adding that a combing operation is underway. A source said AK-47 cartridges were recovered from the spot, though police are yet to confirm whether the assault rifle was used by the gang. Speaking to News18, ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said, "Investigation is underway and nothing can be confirmed at the moment. It seems the criminals used a semi-automatic weapon. Police also resorted to retaliatory fire. So at the moment, it can't be confirmed whether an AK-47 was used by the criminals." Story continues The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Inspector General of Police have reached the spot and forensics teams carried out an examination of the area. The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh police has also been pressed into action, the DGP said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tributes to the slain policemen and conveyed condolence to their family members. According to a spokesperson, he directed the police chief to take stringent action against the culprits and collect detailed report from the spot. New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): Consumer intelligence platform Affle India is acquiring 8 per cent stake in smartphone operating system firm Indus OS for about Rs 21 crore. "Affle India Ltd through its subsidiaries announces the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire 8 per cent ownership in OSLabs Pte Ltd Singapore (Indus OS). Indus OS operates India's largest independent indigenous app store with key investment from Samsung Venture Investment Corporation," Affle said in a statement. "It strengthens Affle's position as the enabling platform for the indigenous apps ecosystem in India, ensuring digitally inclusive growth for our customers," said Affle Chairman, MD and CEO Anuj Khanna Sohum. Indus OS has Indus App Bazaar which comprises over four lakh apps accessible in English and 12 Indian languages -- Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Odia, Punjabi, Malayalam, Bengali, Assamese and Kannada. "We derive significant synergies with the Indus App Bazaar which, through its multi-lingual capabilities, deeply enhances our vernacular scale and the verticalisation strategy," said Sohum. Indus OS platform with its indigenous app store capabilities, thousands of apps and powered by a robust app recommendation engine is deployed by Samsung and many Indian original equipment makers. "This deal would strategically strengthen our market position and create a leading one-of-its-kind engagement model for the Indian users," Indus OS Co-founder, Director and CEO Rakesh Deshmukh said. (ANI) The father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing criticism for travelling to Greece despite UK government advice against international travel and a Greek ban on flights from Britain. Stanley Johnson posted videos on Instagram taken from a plane with the words "Arriving in Athens this evening!" as well as a photo of himself in a mask in what appeared to be an airport. The elder Johnson, 79, has a villa in Greece. Greece has banned flights from the UK until at least July 15. The Daily Mail reported that Stanley Johnson flew to Athens via Bulgaria. He told the newspaper he was visiting Greece on "essential business trying to COVID-proof my property." Opposition politicians accused the prime minister's father of flouting lockdown rules. Madrid [Spain], July 3 (Sputnik/ANI): A train carrying up to 28 million masks from China has arrived at its final destination in Spain after a month of traveling, Spain's Health Ministry said Thursday. The freight train with 35 cars also brought up to 425,000 units of protective body covering for medical workers. The volume of the cargo is equivalent to four airplanes, the ministry said. The train left the Chinese city of Yiwu on June 3 and traversed the longest rail path in the world of 13,025 kilometers. It crossed eight nations on its path: China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, France before finally reaching the Spanish capital of Madrid. "The Ministry of Health is optimizing the cost of importing this type of product, since rail transport is fifteen times cheaper than by air. This type of transport is intended for those materials that the national health system already has and therefore its need is not urgent," the health ministry's statement read. China has taken a leading role in supplying different countries with personal protective equipment and advanced medical equipment to help tackle the pandemic. In a telephone conversation in March between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Xi assured Sanchez of China's continued backing and reassure him that "the sun will come out after the storm," according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. (Sputnik/ANI) Kochi, Jul 2 (PTI) Cochin International airport on Thursday said it handled 322 arrival relief flights during the three phases of Vande Bharat Mission evacuating 55,293 passengers till June 30 during the COVID-19 lockdown. The airport has a reason to smile amid the grim situation as it received flights from countries which were intact in pre-pandemic years, a CIAL statement said. The very first flight of the Vande Bharat Mission in the country had arrived at CIAL on May 7. 'Till June 30, the airport received 322 repatriation flights (640 movements) which together brought in 55,293 passengers. Air India and Air India Express carried out more than 100 relief operations,' it said. Besides repatriation flight operations carried out by Air India Express and Airlines like Qatar Airways, Kuwait Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Gulf Air, Jazeera, Saudia, Fly Dubai from GCC countries, Air India operated special flights from San Francisco and Chicago in the US and Paris, London, Armenia and Moscow in Europe, Cebu in The Philippines, Ho-Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Djibouti in Africa. Apart from these British Airways and Swiss Air joined the repatriation drive for transporting their citizens from Kochi and Qatar Airways and Saudia operated special departed flights for transporting as many as 1500 medical professionals from Kerala to various hospitals in respective countries, the statement said. During this period CIAL hosted Air Peace from Nigeria, Air Malta from the Republic of Malta, Somon air from Tajikistan, DAT Air from Denmark, Air Astana from Tajikistan, Iraq Airways from Iraq, Salam Air from Oman, Maldivian from Male, Ethiopian From Ethiopia, Onur Air from Moldova and Azur air from Ukraine, it said. 'Since May 25, when the Ministry of Civil Aviation permitted calibrated operations in the domestic sector, CIAL handled 822 arrival/departure operations. 38,112 domestic passengers arrived at the airport and 30,033 departed,' it added.PTI TGB BN WELCOME BN WELCOME Prague With a table spanning the 515-metre Charles Bridge, people in the Czech capital of Prague held a party that gave the coronavirus pandemic a "symbolic farewell". "The table is set" was the name of Tuesday's event organized by the citizen group "Piana na ulici" (Pianos in the streets) and the capital's city council, reports Efe news. "We are experiencing a unique situation where Charles Bridge is not crowded with people. Maybe we won't experience it ever again. Together with you, we want to symbolically celebrate the farewell to the past difficult period of the coronavirus crisis," the organizers said on the event's Facebook page. The Czech Republic has recorded almost 12,000 coronavirus cases and 349 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. "Anyone can come, they just have to bring something. Maybe bake a cake, prepare canapes, bring a rose in a vase. Or just buy grapes in the evening. It is an act of trust that everyone will bring something," it added. The number of diners was limited and they all had to register through the Goout.cz website. "Reservations disappeared in 40 seconds. We are fully occupied," the Facebook page said. Prague 1 Mayor Petr Hejma told the media that "we need to send the world a symbol that we live again and that we invite decent tourists, both Prague residents and non-Prague, to experience this unique event". The construction of the Gothic Charles Bridge, one of the most iconic places in the city, began in 1357 by order of King Charles IV, who consulted with astrologers to find an auspicious date and time for the laying of the first foundation stone. Due to its strategic importance, the bridge over the Vltava river has been a silent witness to epic episodes in the defense of the city. It is also a gallery of 30 open-air statues, which were added at the beginning of the 18th century during the reigns of the Habsburgs, Joseph I and his brother Charles VI, to enhance the site. Chennai, July 2 (PTI): A total of 100 ecstasy pills worth Rs 3 lakh from the Netherlands have been seized at the foreign post office here and the person to whom the parcel was addressed is at large, a top Customs official said on Thursday. A search is on for the accused who had allegedly ordered for the pills suspected to be methylenedioxy- methamphetamine (MDMA), a narcotic, the Customs Commissioner Rajan Choudhary told PTI. Consumption of the pills alters the mood similar to stimulants producing feelings of increased energy and pleasure. Initial investigations revealed that the parcel was addressed to the city and no person with the consignee name was living in the residential locality as was mentioned, he said. A manhunt has been launch trace the accused, he said. Last week, the Customs officials at the airport here had foiled a bid to smuggle ecstasy pills from the United Kingdom sent through parcel service and detained the consignee. Recently, the department sleuths recovered MDMA pills worth Rs 3 lakh from Germany and arrested a 25-year-old Malaysian national in this connection. In March, the Customs department seized ecstasy pills worth Rs 30 lakh at the Foreign Post Office here. PTI VIJ COR NVG NVG The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has set an ambitious launch date of August 15 for the public use of the Coronavirus vaccine being developed in partnership with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech. It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15th August 2020 after completion of all clinical trials. BBIL (Bharat Biotech International Limited) is working expeditiously to meet the target, however, final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project," a letter by ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava to the sites that will conduct the clinical tests, read. The letter, accessed by News18, was also marked to Bharat Biotech. ICMR sources have confirmed the authenticity of the letter, but say it was only meant for internal communication. Bharat Biotech has refused to comment on the letter. The date set for the launch of the vaccine is just a month and a half away. The letter by the premier research institute also comes attached with a warning: deliver or face consequences. Kindly note the non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. Therefore, you are advised to treat the project on highest priority and meet the given timelines without any lapse, it reads. Bharat Biotech is the first Indian pharmaceutical company that on June 30 got clearance from the Drugs Controller General of India to launch human trials of their inactivated vaccine COVAXIN. Experts have questioned the accelerated timeline for the vaccine launch, and warned of consequences if it is rushed. Speaking to News18, Dr Anant Bhan, researcher global health, bioethics and health policy, said. Such an accelerated development pathway has not been done ever for any vaccine, even for the ones being tried out in other countries. Even with accelerated timelines, this seems really rushed and hence with potential risks. The trial of this vaccine was registered on July 1, 2020, and the Ethics committee approval has also not come through so far. Bhan pointed out that the tone of the letter sounds more like a 'threat'. Non-compliance will be reviewed seriously - under what power?' he asked. Story continues WHO scientists have previously predicted that a safe and effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could take at least 12-18 months to develop. Vaccine development for a new pathogen traditionally takes many years or even decades. The ICMR has selected 12 institutes for clinical trial of the country's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine. "The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the pre-clinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine," an official said. Bhubaneswar-based Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital under the SOA Deemed to be University, has been chosen by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for undertaking human clinical trials of India's first coronavirus vaccine, an official of the institute said. The 12 institutes have been asked by the ICMR to fast track clinical trials of the vaccine as it is being considered as one of the top priority projects which are being monitored at the topmost level of the government. Dr Krishna Ella, the Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech, had given a bit more conservative but still aggressive timeline for the vaccine launch when he spoke to News18 on July 1. I hope like in other countries, some processes would be skipped to ensure quicker delivery of the vaccine. I can't give a timeline, but hope the vaccine is only a few months away, he said. Dr Sumaiya Shaikh, a neuroscientist, also questioned the need for the fast-tracked procedure by skipping steps. Without due processes, there are concerns of safety and efficacy. Also science is teamwork. Since Biotech is already working on two vaccines in collaboration with American universities, why is there a need to develop a new vaccine using a shortcut? the doctor asked. It is more about the national pride to be the first. Which is understandable but safety and efficacy of a vaccine during a deadly pandemic comes before nation and politics, Dr Shaikh added. Exponential increased usage of science and engineering-related online laboratory material More than 17% international users Hosts over 1,000 lab experiments HYDERABAD, India, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Analytics from the Virtual Labs initiative released by the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIITH) has shown an increasing trend in the usage of Science and Engineering-related online laboratory materials over the last 6 months. Coinciding with the imposition of the lockdown in India, statistics show a steep rise in page views of the materials - from 628,300 in March 25 to nearly 4 million in June 2020. 'We've seen a surge in the number of usages due to the recent COVID-19 situation. This reiterates the importance of virtual labs for students across the country and also across the world,' says Dr. Venkatesh Choppella, Principal Investigator (PI) for Virtual Labs, IIITH. For users across the world, he is referring to the US, Colombia, the UAE, Philippines and Malaysia who are currently some of the leading non-Indian users contributing to more than 15% of the total usage. From providing remote access to labs to a complete learning management system, the Virtual Labs initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) includes additional web-resources, video-lectures, animated demonstrations and self evaluation for undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as research scholars. This digital project which was officially kicked off in 2012 to make accessible high quality and expensive equipment to all those constrained by time, geography, and sufficiently trained teachers, sees the participation of six IITs along with other institutes such as the IIITH, Amrita Vishwa VidyaPeetham, College of Engineering, Pune, Dayalbagh Institute, and NIT Surathkal. In addition to creating content, the team at IIITH under the Virtual Labs Engineering, Architecture and Design (VLEAD) is also primarily responsible for developing and maintaining the central engineering platform which hosts over 1,000 experiments created by the partner institutes. 'All the backend infrastructure that is required for the Virtual Labs - the hosting, the analytics, and the UI - all this is done by IIITH. We're also maintaining the Outreach portal which gives information on the workshops and other outreach activities,' says Dr. Choppella. Story continues In keeping with IIITH's core focus on Computer Science and Electronics, the labs developed by this institute are mainly related to Problem Solving, Data Structures, VLSI, Language Processing, Pattern Recognition, Artificial Neural Networks, among others. Interestingly, many of these feature in the top 10 labs listed by number of users. The Computer Programming and Data Structures labs, both built by IIITH are in the Top 10 most popular labs with a combined usage of over 225,000. Director of IIITH, Prof P J Narayanan says, 'IIITH is a pioneer in this field. Prof Jayanthi Sivaswamy started computer-based demonstrations to aid teaching science for secondary schools in 2004 funded by Media Labs Asia, now called Digital India, under MeitY. There was also emphasis on enabling the teachers to create their own content to connect with everyday science. Some of those were distributed to schools in the state and were also displayed in the Birla Science Museum more than a decade ago. The MHRD-funded Virtual Labs effort started in 2009 for college-level courses. IIIT Hyderabad's experience played a strong role in making it happen. Over 20 of the institute faculty members developed Virtual Labs in their areas of expertise and are available on the platform for the world to use. In the later part, IIITH took up the role of managing the backend as well as ruggedizing the virtual labs in the system. The Virtual Labs could be an important tool for college students even in normal times; the Covid days have brought that to the fore forcefully. I am glad of this development and the institute's role in this endeavour. However, there is plenty of room for growth as 4 million hits is still a tiny number in the Indian scenario.' Details on virtual labs at http://www.vlab.co.in About IIIT Hyderabad The International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIITH) is an autonomous research university founded in 1998 that focuses on the core areas of Information Technology, such as Computer Science, Electronics and Communications, and their applications in other domains through inter-disciplinary research with great social impact. Some of its research domains include Cognitive Science, Visual Information Technologies, Human Language Technologies, Data Engineering, VLSI and Embedded Systems, Computer Architecture, Wireless Communications, Algorithms and Information Security, Robotics, Building Science, Earthquake Engineering, Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, IT in Agriculture and e-Governance. Website: www.iiit.ac.in Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/600789/IIIT_Hyderabad_Logo.jpg PWR PWR FILE PHOTO: Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn attends a news conference at the Lebanese Press Syndicate in Beirut By Nate Raymond BOSTON (Reuters) - Japan has formally asked the United States to extradite a former Green Beret and his son accused of helping former Nissan Motor Co boss Carlos Ghosn flee the country while he was awaiting trial on financial charges. Japan submitted a request to the U.S. State Department to extradite Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, after they were provisionally arrested in Massachusetts in May, the U.S. Justice Department said in a court filing on Thursday. Lawyers for the Taylors did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Their lawyers have argued that they have not been charged in Japan with an offence for which extradition is possible under the U.S-Japan treaty. The Japanese embassy in Washington and U.S. Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment. The Taylors were arrested in Harvard, Massachusetts, on May 20 at Japan's request after authorities there in January accused them of helping smuggle Ghosn, Nissan's former chairman, out of the country on Dec. 29, 2019, in a box. Ghosn fled to Lebanon, his childhood home, after being charged with engaging in financial wrongdoing, including by understating his compensation in Nissan's financial statements. He denies wrongdoing. Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan. Both men have been held without bail since their arrest. Prosecutors have argued that neither Taylor, including Michael, a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and private security specialist, should be released from jail as they are flight risks. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; editing by Jonathan Oatis) "My message is, let's not blow it now folks, we've done a fantastic job so far in bearing down on this disease, collectively, let's not blow it now," he told LBC radio, speaking a day before pubs and other hospitality businesses in England are allowed to reopen. Johnson said questions about his father travelling to Greece despite current advice for British nationals to avoid all but essential international travel, should be directed to his dad. He refused to provide any comment on Stanley Johnson's decision to travel to Greece via Bulgaria. Kathmandu [Nepal], July 2 (ANI): Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Thursday approved the Cabinet's proposal to prorogue the ongoing parliamentary session and sent a letter to the Parliament Secretariat acknowledging the same. Earlier in the day, a Cabinet meeting was held at Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's official residence in Baluwatar, during which the government decided to discontinue without dissolving the ongoing budget session of the Parliament. The decision was taken amid reports of an inter-party dispute between Oli and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda. The Prachanda-led faction in the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has demanded the resignation of Oli from the post of the prime minister and party-co chair. Earlier in the day, Oli visited Sheetal Niwas to meet President Bhandari. On Wednesday, the Standing Committee meeting of the NCP was called, during which 17 out of 18 Standing Committee members demanded Oli's resignation. The senior leaders, including co-chair Prachanda, Madhav Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam asked the Prime Minister to step down from the post citing his 'failure' over various issues. (ANI) Kathmandu [Nepal], July 3 (ANI): Co-chair of ruling Nepal Communist Party -- Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda -- has claimed that the party's future is uncertain due to internal factions after Thursday's political upheaval. Dahal made the statement during the second round of the Standing Committee meeting on Thursday after having a separate meeting with President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. "Today's meeting will be a historic one for the Nepal Communist Party. We are holding the meeting here at Prime Minister's residence but he is not present I had made multiple requests with him on the issue but he has been turning out from it," Dahal told the committee. Since the unification between the two parties, the factions had increased inside the NCP forming alliance of former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and KP Sharma Oli. "I had also asked him not to prorogue the ongoing meeting but they rejected and went ahead with it. It is learned that they are bringing on an Ordinance which helps to split the party, I have made it clear that I am against it," he added. Despite the ongoing rift in the ruling party, Dahal claimed that he is committed to protecting the unity of the party. "If we succeeded in maintaining it then it would a historic one," Dahal said. Dahal and Oli share the Chairmanship of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) after the merger of the party after its coalition worked in 2017 general election in which it swept the result securing a majority. Before the 2017 election, Dahal used to lead the Maoist Center and Oli led the CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist). A formal agreement was made in May 2018 between the two senior leaders signing on a 7-point pact to form the Nepal Communist Party (NCP). Dahal in the recent Standing Committee meetings had demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister for mishandling the pandemic and making unilateral decisions without consulting the leaders. The next Standing Committee meeting of the ruling party has been called on for Saturday at 11 am as Dahal asked for a day's time to forge consensus with Prime Minister Oli. (ANI) New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) Over 4.75 lakh Indians have returned to India from abroad after the government launched the Vande Bharat Mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. The Vande Bharat Mission entered its fourth phase from Thursday onwards. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, 'As on July 1, against a total number of 5,83,109 people who registered their requests with our missions abroad for repatriation to India, over 4,75,000 have returned under this mission.' This number includes more than 90,000 Indians who have returned through land border immigration checkpoints from Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, he said. The list of flights that will be part of the fourth phase of the mission are available on the ministry's website and are being updated regularly, Srivastava said. 'Under Phase-IV of the Vande Bharat Mission, we will be operating more than 500 flights. This includes both Air India and private carriers who are ramping up their operations in a big way,' he said. Asked about the H1-B visa issue, the MEA spokesperson said, 'The people to people linkages and the trade and economic cooperation, especially in the technology and innovation sectors, is an important dimension of the US-india partnership.' 'It is in this context that we have taken up this issue with the US side and we remain engaged with them,' Srivastava said. On June 23, in a huge blow to Indian IT professionals eyeing the US job market, the Trump administration suspended the H-1B visas along with other types of foreign work visas until the end of 2020 to protect American workers in a crucial election year. PTI ASK KJ KJ KJ Lahore, Jul 2 (PTI) The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), a ruling ally of the Imran Khan government, has opposed the construction of a Hindu temple in Islamabad, asking its coalition partner to scrap the project as it is 'against the spirit of Islam.' Last week, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the construction of the first Hindu temple in Islamabad. Prime Minister Khan had approved a grant of Rs 10 crore for the construction of the temple. Pakistan was created in the name of Islam. Construction of a new Hindu temple in its capital is not only against the spirit of Islam but also an insult to Riayasat-e-Madina (Islamic welfare state), Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said. My party, however, supports the rights of minorities. Existing temples were renovated during my tenure as Punjab chief minister. I had got Katas Raj temple repaired, he said. Reacting to the objection of its ally, Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hasan Chohan from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said that despite opposition from some parties the temple project will go ahead as per plan. The land for the Hindu temple was allocated in 2016 by the Pakistan Muslim League (N) government. Basically it was the project of the PML-N government, he said. PML-Q parliamentarian Moonis Elahi said that Pervaiz Elahi was suggesting that the temple should be built in Sindh province where there is a dense hindu population. As per plans, the Krishna temple will come up in a 20,000 sq ft plot in the capital's H-9 area. The groundbreaking ceremony for the temple was performed by Parliamentary Secretary on Human Rights Lal Chand Malhi last week. Malhi said there were several pre-independence era temple structures in Islamabad and its adjoining areas, including one at Saidpur village and at the hill point overlooking the Korang river near Rawal lake. However, they are all abandoned. While the official formalities are underway, we have decided to continue the initial ground works including the levelling of the land and erecting the boundary wall, Malhi said. Story continues The Hindu population in Islamabad is around 3,000, which includes government and private sector employees, members of the business community and a large number of doctors. The Hindu Panchayat Islamabad will manage the Shri Krishna Mandir. The panchayats president Mahesh Chaudhry said a large number of people from various parts of the country, including Balochistan and Sindh, had shifted to Islamabad, mainly due to insecurity in those areas. Now when we have families here, there is a need for a crematorium, a place for collective prayers and marriage ceremonies, Chaudhry said. Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country. Majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with their Muslim fellows. PTI MZ IND ZH RUP RUP Namgyal Durbuk knows the steep mountainous terrain of Ladakh like the back of his hand. But in the 45 years he has lived here, along the Indian states volatile and poorly defined border with neighbouring China, he has watched Indian land disappear before his eyes. The Indian government is lying that there is no land capture by China, said Durbuk, a former councillor. Our vast green pastures, where local herders used take their cattle, have been taken over. A number of locals have been forced by this situation to sell their cattle and move towards urban settlements for their livelihood. The fighting that broke out between Indian and Chinese troops on the Himalayan border last month was the worst assault between the two nuclear-armed nations since 1967. Hand-to hand combat between the two sides with rocks and spiked clubs, at an altitude of around 14,000ft (4,250m) in the inhospitable Galwan valley, saw 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops killed. It heightened tensions escalating since early May when China moved thousands of troops and artillery to disputed areas, including the strategic Galwan Valley. Narendra Modi visits Ladakh. Photograph: India Press Information Bureau Handout/EPA On Friday, the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, made a surprise visit to a military post in Ladakh, in what many took as a clear message to China. Since the attack, Chinese and Indian military commanders have met multiple times for disengagement talks, but they appear to have reached a stalemate. China and India have continued to accuse each other, and now both stake a claim to the valley. India condemned China for what it described as a premeditated attack on its troops, and Indian ministry of external affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava blamed it on Chinas unjustified and untenable claims. Chinas foreign ministry has said that Galwan Valley has always been under Chinese sovereignty. To those living along the poorly demarcated Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, a statement by Modi in the aftermath of the attack, that China did not enter our territory rang false. They allege Chinese incursions into Galwan and other disputed areas, such Pangong Tso, are just a continuation of the norm. Story continues Related: Soldiers fell to their deaths as India and China's troops fought with rocks An exclusive image obtained by the Guardian of Pangong Tso, a freshwater lake on the border where a similar but non-deadly clash occurred between Indian and Chinese forces on 5 May, clearly shows substantial Chinese military structures, including a radar tower, that have been built close to a ridge known as Finger Four in just the last few weeks, despite agreements to disengage. There are eight ridges around Pangong Tso, known as the eight fingers. Former military commanders and locals say India used to control the whole area, but Chinese troops have gradually moved in and as of two weeks ago it is understood they now control four of the eight fingers. China is said to be building a helipad and other infrastructure around Finger Four, as well as bringing more troops into the territory. The villagers are scared by the presence of the Chinese forces. They are so close they can even see their lights in the night for the first time, said Durbuk, who recently visited the area and fears India will lose entire the Ladakh region in the coming 20 years if the Chinese annexation continues. Taking out a notebook, Durbuk drew a map to demonstrate the Indian territory lost in Galwan. He pointed out a water handpump installed in 2010 by local authorities for herders, who used to bring their cattle and flocks of Cashmere wool-producing Changra goats to graze on high-altitude pastures near the border. But these herders have been driven away and their water pump is now accompanied by Chinese military infrastructure. The area is under Chinese army control and they have constructed roads and built structures there, said Durbuk. Sonam Wangchuk, a celebrated Ladakh-based engineer leading a boycott against China, made a similar observation. As residents we have seen over years how China have been pushing the line, metre by metre. Its been the cause of huge economic losses. Thousands of local goat herders have lost their pastures, and therefore their income because of it, and have been forced to become menial labourers in the city. In February, a group of local councillors gave a written memorandum to Modi, warning him about the capture of vast pasture lands by China. This combination of 22 May, left, and 23 June satellite images shows construction in the Galwan Valley. Photograph: AP We have been raising the issue of Chinese advancement with the government and army for years. The Chinese have been taking over huge patches of land every year, said Tashi Namgyal, 30, a councillor for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) representing Shyok area, the closest habitation to Galwan valley. Another BJP councillor, Urgain Chodon, 30, whose village Koyal is situated along the LAC, alleged China has not only been annexing Indian territory but actively building infrastructure. The Chinese come with their machinery dumpers, earth movers and construct roads and then claim later that it is their territory. When the herders would go to the places they were visiting every year, they would find Chinese occupying these areas, she said. Indian and Chinese military and diplomatic channels have publicly agreed to continue a policy of disengagement but recent satellite images appear to show a continued build up of Chinese structures on a terrace overlooking the Galwan river, on the the side of the border claimed by India as their territory. India has now deployed missile firing tanks and anti-tank missile systems along the entire 992-mile (1,596km) long border after China brought in armoured vehicles. Tashi Chhepal, 60, a retired Indian army captain, affirmed that when he was a young officer, Galwan Valley was considered Indian territory and there were no Chinese posts even close to it. There were no roads at that time and we would trek for three weeks on horses from Pratappur Nubra north-east to Chumgtas. On the way, we would rest in the Galwan Valley, said Chhepal. But with Chinese troops at patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley, he said such a journey would be unthinkable now. By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) - South Koreas President Moon Jae-in on Friday tapped officials known for advocating inter-Korean engagement as chiefs of national security, intelligence and unification policy in a bid to revive relations and stalled projects with North Korea. Moon appointed Suh Hoon, director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), as his national security adviser, and nominated Park Jie-won, a former lawmaker and special envoy to Pyongyang, to succeed Suh as NIS head. Lee In-young, a four-term lawmaker, was nominated to oversee inter-Korean ties as unification minister, after the current minister resigned over worsening relations with the North. Moon also named his national security adviser Chung Eui-yong and former chief of staff Im Jong-seok as special advisers on foreign policy and security. The nominees for NIS director and unification minister are subject to parliamentary questioning and approval. The shake-up of top security officials came as Moon seeks to cement progress in inter-Korean relations as his major legacy in his final two years in office by restarting diplomatic exchanges and economic initiatives dogged by international sanctions imposed over the Norths nuclear and missile programmes. "Reviving inter-Korean dialogue is a top priority, and Id look at the issue of restarting humanitarian exchanges and cooperation which can be done immediately," Lee told a news conference. Moon held three summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and signed an agreement aimed at easing tensions, but relations have soured since a second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed last year in which Moon had offered to be a mediator. North Korea has rejected the idea that South Korea can play mediator, but Moon has vowed to continue playing a bridging role between Kim and Trump, and this week called for the two leaders to meet again before the U.S. presidential election in November. Story continues All of the nominees are known as strong supporters of inter-Korean detente, with Suh, Chung and Im being instrumental in facilitating the summits between Moon and Kim. The U.S. point man for North Korea, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, is due to visit South Korea next week for meetings with his South Korean counterparts. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Josh Smith and Kim Coghill) Thai schools reopened on Wednesday for the first time since mid-March, with precautions in place to guard against the coronavirus, ranging from temperature checks to installing makeshift cubicles for social distancing in classrooms. At Sam Khok school, about 50 km (31 miles) north of Bangkok, nearly 5,000 students were told to self-quarantine at home for 15-days prior to the re-start as an extra precaution, Principal Chuchart Thiengtham said. Once students arrive at school, teachers hand face masks to them because its mandatory to wear them, said Chuchart, adding that face shields were also provided to pupils for additional safety during some activities. Students also get their temperatures checked and a facial recognition scanner automatically sends a message to parents, he said. In the classroom, the school has turned cardboard ballot boxes used in elections into partitions to ensure social distancing between desks. I feel good studying behind the box because it makes me feel safer returning to school, said student Kanlaya Srimongkhol. However, 17-year-old Soponwich Thianthong said while he felt more secure the partitions could be irritating because it limited his field of vision. The coronavirus has killed 58 people in Thailand out of 3,173 infections, though the country has not recorded a case of local transmission for 37 days. Thailand this week extended an emergency decree until the end of July in a bid to avoid the risk of a second wave, even as it relaxed more restrictions by also opening bars and allowing some foreigners into the country. The British government will effectively ditch its air bridge plans and simply end coronavirus quarantine rules for those arriving from 75 countries so that people can go on holiday, the Telegraph newspaper reported. It said the UK would shortly lift a ban on non-essential travel to nearly all EU destinations, the British territories including Bermuda and Gibraltar, and Turkey, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. Asked about the report, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "As we set out earlier this week ... we will be easing health measures at the border by allowing passengers arriving from specific countries and territories to be exempted from self-isolation requirements." He said the next steps in the policy would be set out this week. Johnson's government has been grappling with how to open up international travel after it imposed a 2-week quarantine for arrivals, which has added to the woes of the tourism and travel industry. It first discussed creating air bridges or travel corridors with countries popular with British tourists, but now seems to be favouring lifting the measures for certain countries. Last Friday, Britain said it would ditch the 14-day quarantine period for people arriving from countries such as France, Greece and Spain. Simon Clarke, a junior housing, communities and local government minister, said the government wanted to get the tourism sector back on its feet. "We will provide this announcement as soon as it is safe," Clarke told Sky. "Clearly we want to get the tourism sector back on its feet as quickly as we can and I'm sure that we will be able to give good news in the near future." United Nations, Jul 2 (PTI) A UNSC statement condemning the recent terror attack in Karachi was twice stalled by the US and Germany, delaying its issuance to give a message to Pakistan over it blaming India for the incident and Prime Minister Imran Khan calling Osama bin Laden a martyr, according to sources. The 15-nation UN Security Council issued a press statement on Wednesday to condemn the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack that took place in Karachi, Pakistan, on 29 June 2020, which resulted in several people killed. Pakistans all-weather ally China drafted the statement, which was put under a silence procedure, under which if no member state raises any objections to the draft within a specified time period, it is considered adopted. Germany was the first to break the silence procedure, delaying the issuance of the press statement. The deadline was extended till 10 AM July 1 (local time) and it was then that the US broke the silence for the second time, further delaying the statement from being issued. Sources said that the delay was to 'send a message to Pakistan that it cannot on the one hand call former al-Qaeda chief Laden, who masterminded one of the biggest terror attacks in the world and was killed by the US Navy Seals in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad, a martyr and link India to the Karachi attack, and on the other hand expect unequivocal condemnation of the attack against it. India had hit out at Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi for his 'absurd comments' linking India to the terror attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange building in Karachi. In a strongly-worded response, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that Pakistan cannot shift the blame on India for its domestic problems, and unlike Pakistan, India has no hesitation in condemning terrorism anywhere in the world including in Karachi. Further, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had called Laden a shaheed' during a statement in Pakistan Parliament. Story continues Sources said that the sentiment was shared among Council members that one cannot call a global terrorist a martyr and on the other hand expect unequivocal condemnation of the terror attack. Sources added that the delay in issuing the press statement was to send a message that you cannot have it both ways. They added that the message has gone to them that they cannot be irresponsible about these things. The sources said one cannot say anything one wants and get away with it and expect the international community to come to its assistance when one wants it. That is the message. Using a standard template for condemning all terrorist attacks, the UNSC said that its members underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice and urged all states, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Pakistan and all other relevant authorities in this regard. The members of the Security Council also reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed. Four heavily armed militants, believed to be from a banned Baloch terror group, on Monday made a brazen attempt to take over the Pakistan Stock Exchange building in Karachi, killing four security guards and a police officer before being shot dead by security forces. PTI YAS CPS AKJ CPS Boston, Jul 2 (PTI) A review of studies has found major weaknesses in the evidence base for diagnostic accuracy of COVID-19 antibody tests, particularly for point-of-care tests performed directly with a patient, outside a laboratory, and does not support their continued use. Serological tests to detect antibodies against COVID-19 could improve diagnosis and may be useful tools for monitoring levels of infection in a population, but it is important to formally evaluate whether there is sufficient evidence that they are accurate, the researchers said. The study, published in The BMJ, set out to determine the diagnostic accuracy of antibody tests for COVID-19. The researchers, including those from Harvard Medical School in the US and University of British Columbia, Canada, searched medical databases and preprint servers from January 1 to April 30, for studies measuring sensitivity and specificity of a COVID-19 antibody test compared with a control test. Sensitivity measures the percentage of people who are correctly identified as having a disease, while specificity measures the percentage of people who are correctly identified as not having a disease, they said. Of 40 eligible studies, most (70 per cent) were from China and the rest were from the UK, US, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Japan and Germany. The researchers noted that half of the studies were not peer reviewed and most were found to have a high or unclear risk of bias -- problems in study design that can influence results. Only four studies included outpatients and only two evaluated tests at the point of care, they said. When sensitivity results for each study were pooled together, they ranged from 66 per cent to 97.8 per cent depending on the type of test method used, meaning that between 2.2 per cent and 34 per cent of patients with COVID-19 would be missed, according to the researchers. Pooled specificities ranged from 96.6 to 99.7 per cent, depending on the test method used, meaning that between 3.4 per cent and 0.3 per cent of patients would be wrongly identified as having COVID-19, they said. Story continues The study found that pooled sensitivities were consistently lower for the lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) test compared with other test methods. The LFIA test is the potential point-of-care method that is being considered for 'immunity passports.' The researchers explained that, if an LFIA test is applied to a population with a COVID-19 prevalence of 10 per cent, for every 1,000 people tested, 31 who never had COVID-19 will be incorrectly told they are immune, and 34 people who had the disease will be incorrectly told that they were never infected. Pooled sensitivities were also lower with commercial test kits (65 per cent) compared with non-commercial kits (88.2 per cent) and in the first and second week after symptom onset compared with after the second week, they said. The researchers point to some limitations, such as differences in study populations and the potential for missing studies. However, study strengths include thorough search strategies and assessment of bias, they said. 'These observations indicate important weaknesses in the evidence on COVID-19 serological tests, particularly those being marketed as point-of-care tests,' the researchers said. 'While the scientific community should be lauded for the pace at which novel serological tests have been developed, this review underscores the need for high quality clinical studies to evaluate these tools,' they added. 'This is a detailed and thorough assessment of antibody tests that were developed and published in the first few months of the pandemic,' said Sanjeev Krishna, Professor at St George's, University of London. 'Like most diagnostic tests that need to be developed with urgency, the first products may lack robustness through poor evaluation methodologies or poor test performance, but many tests can be improved with time,' said Krishna, who was not involved in the study. He noted that it is important not to dismiss them from the start, as antibody tests will take their place in the suite of diagnostic tests that is needed to understand and manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Alexander Edwards, Associate Professor at the University of Reading said some important points are highlighted in the study about the way that antibody tests are validated or evaluated. For example, he said, the accuracy that any study publishes will depend a lot on the population used. 'Many studies are incomplete because they select only very specific groups of samples. But it takes time and a lot of resource to collect all different types of sample needed to fully define the performance of an antibody test,' Edwards added. PTI SAR SAR SAR Jammu, Jul 1 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu said the government is making diligent efforts to wean away youths from the vicious circle of terrorism and bring them to the mainstream. 'First of all, let better sense prevail upon those who are being misled (to join terror ranks). They should understand that it is not the right path. Every citizen of India has equal rights and they too have that, he told PTI in an interview at Raj Bhawan here on Tuesday. 'We have been trying that no youth is misled (to join terrorism). There is no future (for them in terrorism), he said. Murmu said the government is making efforts to bring them back to the mainstream. 'We have given opportunities to those who joined the terror ranks. In several cases, their parents were used to convince them to surrender. But sometimes they do not want to surrender as they have been brainwashed, he said. The Lieutenant Governor also spelled out the government's plan to launch a campaign to bring back the youth from militancy. 'In coming days, there would be another campaign (to wean away youths from terrorism). This we have to do so that they realise that is not the right path. In a democracy where everyone has equal rights, they should come forward and join the mainstream and become the master of their own destiny, he emphasized. Murmu noted that the youths, who are pushed into terrorism after being indoctrinated by vested interests, are killed to protect many innocent lives. 'There is no satisfaction (in killing these youths who are misguided to join terrorism), he said. To protect innocent people, security forces have to undertake operations (to eliminate such youths). Our aim is not to kill 25 or 50 such people. It is better that they shun joining terrorist ranks. It is better instead of neutralising them. We have to do it (killing these youths) to save innocent lives, he added. In a message to Kashmiri youths, the LG said vested elements in Pakistan have no love for them and that the objective of these forces is to destabilise India by creating an atmosphere of violence and turbulence. Story continues 'There is peace and normalcy in Kashmir. Law and order situation is peaceful. But forces across border do not tolerate peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir. They do not have any sympathy for Kashmiris. Their target is to destabilise India and create an atmosphere of violence, he said. Hitting out at ceasefire violations, Murmu said, 'They (Pakistan) engineer ceasefire violations. The cross-border terrorist leadership and their agents in Jammu and Kashmir try hard to keep the region in turmoil. We will deal with it strongly. I also hope that the way we are undertaking development works and empowering people at the grass root level, they (youths who have joined terrorism) would realise that the government is working for their betterment, he added. PTI AB SRY Responsible scientists, epidemiologists and government leaders are fast to say they are learning more about this virus every day and applying that knowledge to fight it. Their best preventatives at this moment are to avoid close contact with others as much as possible, wear facial coverings and wash hands frequently. Everyone is weary from the restrictions, from deaths, the economic chaos and from the disruptions to our lives. We refuse to give credence to conspiracy theories that some in positions of authority are deliberately trying to prolong our agony or distort the data for some personal or political gain. We all want this to go away, which makes it hard to understand those unwilling to cooperate to help make it happen. There are still those who refuse to accept the severity of this pandemic or the data compiled by scientists. They must think they can, by sheer determination, avoid COVID-19 and it will go away. They protest and refuse to accept the authority of leaders earnestly striving to do whats best for the most. They cite their rights as reasons not to wear face masks, keep safe distances or any other dictates they dont like. If you or someone you know had a weird cold earlier in the year, you might wonder if it could have been coronavirus. As COVID-19 cases spike again the United States after a few months of Americans staying at home, it's tempting to wonder if you might be immune. Antibody tests, or serological tests, that detect the presence of certain proteins in the blood could show if you might have already had the virus. But not all tests are reliable, and public health experts aren't sure exactly how you can act on results. Rather than guaranteeing your safety, the they could lend a dangerously false sense of security. It's not clear how long antibodies protect you against catching COVID-19 again, or to what extent you can be exposed to the virus before catching it, said Dr. Bruce Hall, vice president and chief quality officer for BJC HealthCare in St. Louis. "Let's say your result is positive (for antibodies). What does that really mean? It means at some point you were exposed to the virus enough that your body generated a response," Hall said. "That's interesting, but that does not mean that it's safe for you to ignore precautions or to assume that you can never catch this disease again." Still, antibody testing is an important public health tool for studying the prevalence of the virus and for determining how widespread it was in the United States before officials started tracking it closely. A study released last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control showed that COVID-19 infections were 10 times higher than originally believed. Experts hope to strike a balance where antibody testing serves its public health purpose in tracking the virus, but can also be used on a personal level to inform decisions about your behavior during a pandemic. Should you get an antibody test for COVID-19? Until more is known about serological tests, health professionals say you won't be able to change your behavior based on results, either positive or negative. This is in part because the tests aren't 100% reliable. Though they've vastly improved in recent months, even tests approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can produce either a false negative or a false positive. "If the test is negative, you've never been exposed or not enough to generate antibodies. If you get that result, nothing about your life changes," Hall said. "Let's say you get a positive result and pretend we know there was no mistake. Again, the answer is no. If you have a positive result, there's some chance you could get infected again and you still need to use all the precautions." In either case, public health experts still recommend frequent hand washing, social distancing and wearing a mask. COVID-19 has wrecked Illinois state finances even more. How bad will it get? The person in charge of managing the states bank accounts said she fears it could be one of the most difficult years in modern memory. For now, the value in getting tested is if you're interested in contributing to research on immunity or a vaccine. If you know you had COVID-19 and recovered, you might be able to help. The tests also produce large amounts of nationwide serology data to show whether the disease is growing or fading. The Red Cross offers a free FDA-approved antibody test in certain areas for anyone who donates blood. The Red Cross shares anonymous data from test results with the CDC. "It will give our donors more insight into their exposure and it will also help with public health overall looking for information where people have come in contact with COVID-19," said Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross of Missouri and Arkansas. Please log in to keep reading. Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. If you do get an antibody test, you should consult with your doctor or a local public health official about the results, Watson said. You should also ensure the FDA approved the test, and you probably shouldn't pay for one either, Hall said. A full list of approved tests is available on the FDA's website. But the U.S. is still "months away, if not longer" from fully understanding coronavirus antibodies, Hall said. "Today, we're really worried that (antibody testing) will create some unintended consequences." When will coronavirus antibody tests be more useful? Eventually, scientists will know enough about COVID-19 immunity to be able to say that a certain level of antibodies will protect you for a certain amount of time. That could help you understand if it's safe to go back to work or school, and for how long. But until scientists fill the knowledge gap about how much antibodies will protect you, serological tests will only be useful in clinical and research settings, not for personal use. Researchers nationwide have been busy conducting large, diverse studies on serological tests, including 300 scientists and clinicians who participated in a U.S. Department of Health and Human services workshop in May. The researchers discussed the status of antibody testing in the U.S. and how the tests can be used, said Cristina Cassetti, deputy director of the microbiology and infectious disease division at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Scientists do what they can to accelerate those studies, such as recruiting groups who are at higher risk of catching the disease or transmitting it, according to Cassetti. Health care workers in an urban area, for example, might catch the disease, recover and show the presence of antibodies quicker than the average person. Studying this population might allow scientists to gather data quicker, and possibly produce recommendations an individual could use sooner. Apart from accelerating studies, scientists hope to develop a centralized database of antibody information public health officials can use to make local decisions about reopening. The National Institutes of Health and the CDC have partnered to develop "something like a dashboard" that would allow officials to see data about how many people have coronavirus antibodies at any given time in a city or county, Cassetti said. It could also help them compare information about past infections to study how many people have been exposed to COVID-19. "It would be a very useful tool to have to help both for public health officials to make decisions as well as a good tool to plan for clinical trials," Cassetti said. But for the time being, unless a person wants to be part of research on a vaccine or antibodies, getting a serological test for personal use won't be very helpful. "We just have to sit tight as much as possible and hopefully in the next few months we can get enough data that will be more useful at the personal level," Cassetti said. "It's amazing how much progress we've made in the last few months, but of course these studies take awhile." 10 ways Illinois schools could look different this fall My favorite Fourth of July songs arent patriotic paeans, anthems or celebrations of, to quote the old TV commercial, baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet. In fact, theyre really not about the Fourth of July. They just happened to take place on the holiday one of them on the highways of Texas and the other in a dumpy duplex in Downey, California. The first 4th of July is a chiming guitar, swinging romantic rocker that documents a drive Shooter Jennings took through Texas with his girlfriend at the time. You were pretty as can be, sitting in the front seat Looking at me, telling me you love me And you're happy to be with me on the 4th of July We sang 'Stranglehold' til the stereo Couldn't take no more of that rock 'n' roll So we put on a little George Jones and just sang along. RACINE COUNTY Despite the pandemic, Racine County is still celebrating Independence Day. Following is a guide to whats happening across the county on Saturday, July 4. In Racine 9-9:04 a.m.: Churches ring their bells in what 4th Fest of Greater Racine is calling Let Freedom Ring. 10 a.m.: Watch last years big 4th Fest parade on WVTV-TV (broadcast Channel 24) 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: 4th Fest neighborhood parade winds its way through the north side and south side of Racine and then heads west to Festival Foods, 5740 Washington Ave., Mount Pleasant, which is the major sponsor for the parade. The parade route is not being published to prevent crowds from gathering. Traditionally 4th Fests calliope, which plays circus-type music, is the last float in the parade. On Saturday the calliope will be at the front of the parade, so that when people hear it, they will know the parade is in their neighborhood. The parade also will feature World War II and Vietnam veterans to be honored and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. She also started We include Wednesdays, which promotes her social impact initiative of embracing special needs and building inclusive communities. Just trying to keep peoples spirits up was the main goal during the quarantine, Bohm said. As someone who considers herself a planner, Bohm has had to learn to be more flexible this year. You have to stay very open minded and you have to be adaptable, Bohm said. I think this is a lesson for everyone to learn that we might plan for things to happen a certain way but sometimes things change and we have to be able to adapt and we have to be able to figure out what the new alternative is going to be. Bohm, who was a special education teacher at Case High School before resigning to take on the role of Miss Wisconsin, will be returning to education this upcoming school year as a special education teacher at Park High School. Goals accomplished Prior to the onset of the pandemic, Bohm said she accomplished many of the goals she set out for her year as Miss Wisconsin. While protesters in recent weeks have pulled down statues of Columbus, including one outside the Minnesota Capitol, there has long been a push to replace the holiday with a recognition of the cultural contributions of native people killed and displaced by European colonists. Columbus support Although public opinion of Christopher Columbus has been becoming more negative in recent years, as details of his escapades that led to the extermination of several indigenous American tribes have become more widely known, most Americans still support keeping the holiday honoring the Italian explorer. According to an October 2019 survey, 56% of Americans still support celebrating Columbus Day. Only 26% of respondents to the Rasmussen Reports survey were opposed to the holiday. Part of Christopher Columbus Causeway, which starts in Downtown Racine and extends into Lake Michigan, is set to be renamed Kipi Kawi Causeway after a community effort convinced the Racine City Council to rename the street so that it no longer honors Columbus. The Racine County Board has yet to act on a proposal to rename the portion of the causeway that the county controls. Simply put, the Monitor and Oversight Board envisioned by our Ad Hoc Committee will help the PFC perform its duties more effectively, equitably and comprehensively; they will not displace the PFC in any way, Keith Findley, a UW-Madison law professor and chairman of the citizen committee that recommended the creation of the monitor and board, wrote in a June 15 letter. In her response to the correspondence, Rousseau on June 25 wrote that it remained unclear how the board and PFC would resolve differences over police hiring, discipline and other matters. What if the Oversight Board finds that discipline should be imposed for a violation of policy, but the PFC determines after a just-cause hearing that the standards for imposing discipline were not satisfied? she wrote. While these are only hypothetical examples of situations that could arise, it illustrates how a discussion early on in the process would be beneficial for all involved. She also said the police union had nothing to do with her concerns. Department review - Kim Chiu shared her thoughts about a current controversy in the country involving a politician - The Kapamilya star posted about Congressman Jesus Remulla, who was caught on video writing notes while the national anthem, Lupang Hinirang, was playing - She speculated if the Congressman will not be penalized for what he did just because he is an ally of the government - According to the Kapamilya star, she feels extremely sad about what is going on in the country PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Photo from Kim Chiu's Instagram Source: Instagram Kim Chiu took to social media to share her thoughts about one of the current controversies in the country. KAMI learned that Kim posted about Congressman Jesus Remulla, who was caught on video writing notes while the national anthem, Lupang Hinirang, was playing. The actress speculated if the Congressman will not be penalized for what he did just because he is an ally of the government. According to the Kapamilya star, she feels extremely sad about what is going on in the country. The current administration has been repeatedly accused of enforcing selective justice, wherein rivals and opponents are persecuted while allies and friends violations are ignored. The Palace has denied this accusation. PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback Is this another issue na hahayaan na lang ulit dahil sila ay Nakakaiyak na ang mga nangyayari, sa totoo lang, Kim said. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Kim Chiu is a famous actress, endorser, and performer in the Philippines. She broke through in showbiz by joining the reality program, "Pinoy Big Brother." The Kapamilya star was recently bashed online for making confusing statements about the ABS-CBN crisis but she was able to bounce back by focusing her efforts on helping families in need. Her celebrity boyfriend, Xian Lim, has already expressed his support for Kim amid the controversy. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Source: Kami.com.ph - The President of the Republic of the Philippines has signed into law the Anti-Terror Bill - This was revealed by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and also by Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano - International institutions like the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, as well as local institutions like the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, made strong objections to the signing of the said bill - The measure eliminates provision on payment of damages against a person acquitted of terrorism charges and imposes imprisonment of 12 years for those who propose acts of terrorism, incites terrorism and commits terrorism PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed The 16th President of the Republic of the Philippines, His Excellency President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, signed the controversial "Anti-Terror Bill" into law. KAMI learned that Duterte signed the bill despite the strong opposition from local institutions as well as international institutions. Foremost among the groups that expressed objection against the bill was the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights. The Bangsamoro Transition Authority is another group that expressed anxiety over it. Duterte signs controversial Anti-Terror Bill of 2020 Source: Facebook Retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, in Rappler's report, stated that the law can be questioned on its face because it touches upon fundamental constitutional rights like the right against an arrest without a court warrant. GMA stated that on Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, asked the President not to sign the bill as the primary concern of the international community is the blurring of important distinctions between terrorism, criminality, and criticism. Some of the feared provisions include imprisonment of 12 years for those who will propose, incite, or do terrorist acts. Those who will volunteer or join an organization or group knowing it's a terrorist group would likewise be meted out the same imprisonment. In the amended law, the Human Security Act of 2007, the provision that provides for the payment of damages of P500,000 for each day that a person was wrongfully detained, was eradicated. Some of the reactions for politicians and celebs include: PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! It was Sen. Tito Sotto who confirmed that the Anti-Terror Bill was already sent to the President. He also mentioned that it was just waiting for PRRD to sign it. Many sectors of society expressed their opposition against the bill. One of them was Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray. The Anti-Terror Bill is a controversial bill. Many claimed it to be dangerous once signed into law. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Source: Kami.com.ph - Veteran actress Chanda Romero mourns the death of her mother, Nanay Remedios "Meding" Romero who succumbed to COVID-19 on June 30 - She was confined at the Cebu Doctors Hospital in Cebu City and passed on at the said hospital - In a Facebook post, the actress only had two words to say in reference to her mom, "No words" - The actress previously asked for plasma donation to help in the recovery of her mom PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed The family of veteran actress Chanda Romero is mourning the passing of their mother Remedios "Meding" Romero. She died of COVID-19 on June 30 at the Cebu Doctors Hospital in Cebu City. On July 3, the actress posted on Facebook a picture of her mom and captioned it with, "No words." Short as they may be, they conveyed the deep sadness that the actress is feeling. Chanda Romero's mother dies of COVID-19 Source: Facebook Previously, the actress took to social media and was asking for plasma donors. She was already imploring the public to help her mom. PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! There have already been celebs who fought COVID-19. Christopher de Leon was among them, as well as Sylvia Sanchez and her husband. The COVID-19 outbreak started out in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. Scientists believed that the virus came from an animal at one of Wuhan's wet markets. The Philippines has slowly eased quarantine measures and Filipinos are starting to adapt to the new normal. The Philippines has already breached more than 40,000 in coronavirus cases and celebrities like Angel Locsin, Anne Curtis, Dimples Romana, and Bea Alonzo have been going out of their way to help in getting testing kits to the poor. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Source: Kami.com.ph The Best Little Floorhouse in Texas Your choice for flooring in Central Texas! Your flooring is more than just the surface you walk on it's an integral part of your home. With over 35 years of flooring experience, The Best Little Floorhouse in Texas has the resources and knowled 1. Yes. Its important for students to stay focused throughout the year. Its a plus. 2. Yes. It would fill the learning gaps caused by COVID and would help cut youth crime. 3. No. Students and teachers deserve a summer break. Year-round school wont work. 4. No. It wouldnt work with the militarys summer PCS schedule. Its a bad idea. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say without knowing how the school calendar would work. Vote View Results For an unknown time I felt completely alone and desolate thinking only of my deep loss and misery. I can remember how I felt that even God had deserted me. It seems that I kept saying There is no God! Where is he! What kind of God could take a 39-year-old mother and snatch her away when shes needed so much by her family. Why? Why? Why? Cecile said the doctor took her by the arms and told her: Your mother is gone. She had a very bad heart and perhaps would have been an invalid eventually. You are a strong, intelligent person. You will be able to cope with this. You know God is good. He is with you always. Your Dad needs you and your young sister and young brothers need you. Keith is a fine young man who loves you and hell help you to carry on and do the things that you will have to do. Those words brought Cecile to face the moment. She realized her family needed her. She tracked down her brothers, who were scattered, weeping bitterly by themselves, and gathered them in her arms. As we wept together just past midnight that July 15, I became a mother instead of just a sister to my sister and brothers. I accepted that responsibility how lucky I was that I was about to be married to a man who accepted it too. He never resented the fact that he was called upon to share with me my bereft family. The HACC group had hoped to build a facility on land north of McHugh Road that was purchased by the town of Holland. However, the effort for that project didnt result in the needed resources. Ive been told, it was all meant to happen as it did, said Laurie Kessler, a board member of the Holmen Area Community Center. All the things lined up. When we started, Holmen was growing. The dream began to take form after Dave and Barb Skogen decided to donate the vacated grocery store on Holmen Drive to the Boys & Girls Club to serve as the community center. We were going to sell the building, Skogen said, but when that didnt happen, I said to Barb, We may have to give this away. The Skogens not only donated the building, they contributed $5 million toward its renovation. The user groups of HACC, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse and the School District of Holmen were charged with raising the remaining $3.5 million needed for the project. The Boys & Girls Club organization will own the building with the other groups contributing to its operation. They will also be responsible for the programming for their part of the center. A man and a woman were referred to the Monroe County District Attorney for child neglect after police served a warrant at a Dogwood Lane residence June 17. Police arrived at 7 a.m. with a warrant to remove animals from the residence. Jennifer M. Dahl, 28, New Lisbon, answered the door and allowed police inside. Police removed six dogs (three adults and three puppies) and two cats. The report says there was an overwhelming odor of urine in the home, piles of feces on the floor, appliances in the middle of the kitchen floor and dirty countertops. Due to clutter, it was difficult to reach the kitchen sink. The Tomah Fire Department assessed the property and condemned it. A three-year-old child under the care of Dahl and Nathanael Scott Rutherford, 24, Necedah, stayed overnight at the residence. Police found a knife and multiple prescription medications that were easily within a three-year-olds reach. Dahl told police that she and the child had planned to stay at the residence for just one night. Monroe County Social Services made arrangements for the child to stay an acquaintance of the couple in Necedah. In other Tomah Police Department news: Fr. Bob had been battling cancer since April of 2018, returning to his home town of Genoa, in February of 2019, in extremely poor health. Here, with great love and care from his family, he went into remission and regained much of his weight and strength. After pet scans revealed no active cancer, he was happy to return to his home in Florida, in October of 2019. We were so thankful to have had eight wonderful months with him. He enjoyed five months in Florida, when, in March, two other cancers were found. Then, we were hit with the coronavirus which prevented him from returning to Wisconsin. We were devastated that we would not be able to see him again, as he became too weak and couldnt take the chance of becoming infected with the virus. He was in his home under hospice care with assistance from his friend, Panos. We were in constant contact with him, until the very end. EVERYONE LOVED FR. BOB! We heard these words from everyone we met! He was the most loving, caring, giving, accepting, gentle, kind, humble, respectful, non-judgmental and witty man you could find. He valued and accepted every human being with LOVE, never putting himself above anyone. He was so against racism and injustice, always fighting for the underdog. He was such an important part of our families with most of the baptisms and weddings planned around when he could be home. His homilies were all about LOVE. He offered love and support and gave us strength at the time of family deaths, and then officiated at the funeral Masses, always available to us in times of need. Every year, he looked forward to the family reunion, the one time each year when his three sisters and their large families would come together. Before we ate, he would be sure to have a prayer, then thank everyone for being there, and for preparing the meal and then add a few humorous remarks, ending with, I LOVE TO EAT! He had a wonderful sense of humor and wit, entertaining everyone from small children through adults! He was able to relate to anyone at any level. He would always say, Bless your little heart! We are saying, Bless your GREAT BIG heart! We Love you Fr. Bob! You are a true gift from God, and you will be so missed! Your donation, which powers our reporters and keep us independent, will be matched dollar for dollar today during our June Member drive. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe The coronavirus keeps spreading in Los Angeles County, and the death toll continues to mount. Health officials are ramping up one of the most effective public health tools: contact tracing. The county has gone from having 250 contact tracers before the pandemic to about 1,500 and it plans to add another 1,300-1,400 over the next couple of weeks, according to Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, chief medical officer for L.A. County's Department of Public Health. These public health workers follow up with people who test positive for COVID-19 and their contacts to get them quarantined so they don't spread the infection. But with more than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases reported daily, how can they keep up? We spoke with Dr. Gunzenhauser about contact tracing and why it can take more than a week to receive test results. (This conversation has been edited for clarity.) Los Angeles County is reporting more than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases every day. How do you handle that? We do contact tracing seven days a week. As we get 2,000 cases a day, we're reaching out to call 2,000 people a day. We ask them about their contacts and either that day or the next day. We're calling all those contacts. A lot of the [contact tracers] are actually county workers that have been reassigned to help our department do this work. There have been reports of significant delays by laboratories contracted to do the COVID-19 testing, sometimes taking up to 14 days to report their findings to both patients and the health department. How does that impact contact tracing? As testing has expanded and there are a lot more tests going into the limited number of laboratories, they are falling behind. There are some labs where the delays are over 10 days; the average is certainly well above three days, it might be about four days now. That's a major problem. We've made a number of efforts to improve this. First of all ... we talk to them to try to understand what the problem is and how we can work together to receive those reports more quickly. For example, if they're having a problem with their information system, they can fax us the results or we will accept it as a spreadsheet or some other way. What is the role of the state in regard to contracted labs? The state has a licensure and certification function. So we're suggesting they could use that to only onboard [laboratories] if they're in full compliance with everything that's needed. We also can enforce this locally, our own health officer can issue orders. And if for some reason, we as the county thought that a particular lab was either performing testing that was poor quality or was failing abysmally on some of these reporting measures, we could shut them down. But we are working very closely [with laboratories]. In my view, they're doing all they can to try to improve this. The Department of Justice has warned that scammers pretending to be coronavirus contact tracers are trying to steal personal information and money. What should Angelenos look out for? We've not heard of contact tracing scams, but it doesn't mean they're not happening. If you get a call, and if it doesn't say [on your caller ID] L.A. County Public Health, it's not us. We will never ask for money. We will never ask for your social security number. And we'll certainly never ask about your immigration status or anything like that. We'll only ask for information related to your situation, your health, and your contacts. The county's public health order requires people who have been exposed to quarantine for 14 days. Contact tracers help connect people to county resources if they need it, but what if they need to keep going to work? We do realize that the 14-day quarantine period can be difficult for some people. However, there's been a number of laws passed, including here in California, that all employers are required to provide 14 days of paid time off specifically for this purpose. So we try to work with individuals who are in a work environment, explain that if we need to, [we'll] talk to their employer. But for individuals who are working, they should have a minimum of 14 days paid time off, which should help them during this period. What would you like people to know about contact tracing? We do protect your confidentiality completely. We don't divulge any information about you. And for the contacts, we do everything we can to help them meet their needs, whether there are employment issues, whether it's food, whether it's housing or even access to medical services. And in light of that, we hope that everyone will answer the phone when we call them and help to prevent the spread of this disease. Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now. Your donation, which powers our reporters and keep us independent, will be matched dollar for dollar today during our June Member drive. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now. UPDATE, July 14: The Orange County Board of Education voted 4-1 on July 13 to recommend local school districts reopen schools without any requirements for mask use or social distancing. If Orange County public schools resume in-person instruction in the fall, the county's Department of Education has advised schools to "encourage" students to wear masks and face coverings "to the extent feasible." But several members of Orange County's elected Board of Education have voiced skepticism about the scientific consensus that masks help prevent the spread of COVID-19 -- and they think the department's guidelines don't strike the appropriate balance. Board members are now moving to publish their own set of guidelines that -- according to this document -- will advise OC schools that "requiring children to wear masks during school is not only impossible to implement but not based on science and could be potentially harmful." Another guideline: social distancing is "unacceptable." Those forthcoming guidelines in particular have touched off a backlash. In a letter last week, more than 600 parents, students and alumni of Orange County schools accused the board of "gross misinterpretation of the available evidence" about masks and social distancing. In interviews, two public health experts said they were troubled by what they termed the Orange County Board of Education's cavalier attitude toward masks and social distancing reflected in its statement of "first principles." "The statement makes me uncomfortable," said Dr. Michael Neely, Chief of the Divison of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. "It is overly broad and it is overly dogmatic, I think. For example, to say that wearing masks is 'not based on science' is false." icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy HOW CAUTIOUS SHOULD SCHOOLS BE? But on another "principle" that will shape Orange County board members' forthcoming guidance, even their letter-writing critics "wholeheartedly" agree: "Delaying the opening of public schools ... is unacceptable." "I believe understanding the impact that not opening schools has on our children and our community must weigh into any guidelines that get put forward," board president Mari Barke said during a meeting last week. "There should also be recognition that distance learning is not working." The question looming for parents, not just in Southern California, but across the U.S.: How far should schools go with their rules? "Reopening [schools] in a cautious and careful way does make sense," said Dr. Richard Jackson, a pediatrician and former head of the California Department of Public Health. "Part of that is for children to be using masks in the beginning ... To make a statement that masks don't work as a statement of theological belief is ridiculous." 'MOUNTING EVIDENCE' Even as coronavirus cases surge at the start of summer, public health experts are beginning to agree that the harms outweigh the risks of keeping school campuses closed next fall. Not only are students falling behind in online classes, but "mounting evidence" suggests that children -- especially younger ones -- are less likely to get seriously ill from, or even show symptoms of, the coronavirus. Young children are also substantially less likely to spread the virus; one study suggests children are about half as likely to catch the virus as those over age 20. A preschool teacher wears a face mask while speaking to students. (Chava Sanchez/LAist) Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics -- normally a cautious organization, Jackson said -- issued a statement calling on government officials nationwide to set a "goal of having students physically present in school" this fall. The pediatricians said universal use of masks in schools is "ideal," but also cautioned that schools can't expect all students to wear them, particularly younger students. Neely and Jackson both endorsed the academy's guidance, saying it's both comprehensive and nuanced. And, in fact, the person the Orange County Board of Education asked to write its school reopening guidance, Will Swaim, said he was trying to reflect the American Academy of Pediatricians' guidance. For example, last month, the local chapter of the pediatricians' group issued a statement calling for "flexible" school reopening guidelines. The group added that "wearing masks throughout the day can hinder language and socio-emotional development, particularly for younger students." Swaim -- a former journalist and now president of the right-leaning California Policy Center think tank -- said he wrote the board's statement of "first principles" based on the pediatricians' advice and the testimony of a selected panel of educators and medical professionals. Though the group behind the letter criticized the panel for being stacked with skeptics of mask-wearing, Swaim said the board was not trying to fly in the face of established science on mask use in general. "What we mean to say," said Swaim, "[is], 'There's no science to support the fact that kids are getting sick. Therefore, masking is probably not scientifically indicated' ... And it's unscientific if you think it produces healthy outcomes." 'NO REASON WE CAN'T TEACH MASK USE' But the Children's Hospital's Dr. Neely also said the risk of children getting sick or transmitting the virus is not zero. One study from China even suggests that placing children into crowded schools cancels out their low risk of catching the virus because they have contact with more people. "Even though the risk of transmission may be low," Neely said, "you want to do everything you possibly can to lower that transmission risk on a nationwide scale." And the American Academy of Pediatrics says using masks and physical distancing in coordination can limit that risk. For example, their guidance says that students may only need to maintain three feet of distance -- less than the standard six feet -- if they also wear masks. In situations where distancing isn't feasible, mask use is most essential -- particularly for older students, the guidance suggests. (Dr. Neely said students' risk of spreading COVID-19 is a continuum that rises with age.) "No, [masks] are not perfect," said Dr. Jackson, now a professor emeritus at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health. "But we ought to be wearing masks and there's no reason we can't teach children to be wearing masks in school. I'm not talking about preschoolers, but I'm talking about school-aged kids who have to learn to live with this new reality." All children entering the Young Horizons preschool facility have their temperatures checked before being admitted. Temperature checks are sometimes part of reopening plans for K-12 schools as well. (Chava Sanchez/LAist) THIS IS ALL UP TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS Swaim said the Orange County Board of Education was developing its guidance, at least in part, out of concern that the county's Department of Education had developed its own ground rules with little public input. Swaim also contended that the board's forthcoming report would not be all that different from the county department's guidance -- which, after all, also doesn't explicitly require mask use: "I think we are all closer than further apart," said Swaim, adding:. "If anything comes out of that public conversation we had last Wednesday, I hope it'll be that some people say, 'Oh! I didn't know that COVID isn't quite as fatal to children as I thought it was before,' and therefore maybe this important community institution called a school can reopen fully." In the end, both the county's guidance and the board's advice are not binding. Each district's school board is charged with determining how -- and if -- schools will reopen. But this is precisely what concerns Lyn Stoler, a Los Alamitos Unified School District alumna who wrote the letter criticizing county board members. "They're trying to signal to the district policymaker," said Stoler, "that if they want to implement school reopening guidelines that aren't based in evidence, that the [county] school board will back them up." So Stoler, who also works as a public health professional, and her allies have largely abandoned their appeals to the county board, opting to craft a toolkit to help districts make evidence-based decisions as they reopen campuses. And Stoler, by the way, believes districts should reopen campuses. "Can you make that really clear?" she asked in our interview. "Because I've had a lot of community members say, 'It's going to be your fault if schools don't reopen.'" Correction, July 3, 9:45 a.m.: A previous version of this story misstated the title of Dr. Michael Neely as the "chief of pediatric diseases." LAist regrets the error. Your donation, which powers our reporters and keep us independent, will be matched dollar for dollar today during our June Member drive. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. In a more perfect world, Pfc. Vanessa Guillen would be celebrating the Fourth of July on her Army base with the rest of her 3rd Cavalry Regiment. Even in an okay world, the 20-year-old Latina's disappearance would have led to a national outcry, a massive search party and Congressional investigation. But we live in this world. Vanessa Guillen has been a household name in my home for about two months now. Like concerns over COVID-19 and arguments about police brutality, the missing U.S. soldier has sat with my family at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Univision news reports that we watch have often featured Vanessa's mother Gloria and sister Lupe crying and pleading for a transparent, robust investigation into her disappearance. Their pleas have become part of the soundtrack to the absurd dystopia we are living through. So Wednesday morning all I had to say was, "They think they found her remains," for my family to know who I was talking about. My mother gasped and put her hand over her heart. "Estaba bien joven. Estaba tan bonita," she said. She was so young. She was so beautiful. My father, who was on his way out the door to work, shook his head and cursed in Spanish. My 18-year-old nephew, who is considering joining the military, spoke about how messed up it is considering how safe and secure a base like Fort Hood, the Texas base where Guillen was stationed, is supposed to be. It's a good thing I didn't have to add much more to the conversation. I had to curl up into a corner and cry. A few minutes later I got a message from my friend, Patty. "What can we do about this, Erick?" she said. "We need to bring attention to this." In a year that has felt gratuitous in its propensity for tragedy, Vanessa Guillen's story has felt invisible at times. "Two months! That's how long it took for the Army to announce they suspected foul play in the disappearance of a U.S. soldier," another friend, Mari, told me. "You know they'd be all over it if she was a 20-year-old white girl." If you don't know the story, Vanessa Guillen disappeared from the Army base, leaving behind her car, keys and wallet. She had recently told her mother over the phone that she had been sexually harassed by her superior officer and others on the base. Her disappearance was reported on April 22. The Army announced "foul play" on June 24. On the morning of July 1, a fellow soldier at the base, identified as Spc. Aaron David Robinson, was being pursued as a "person of interest" when he killed himself. He was dating the "estranged wife" of another soldier. The woman, Cecily Anne Aguilar, identified in a criminal complaint as Robinson's girlfriend, is now in custody. While the human remains found in a shallow grave have yet to be publicly identified by the Army, Vanessa's family said they believe the remains are hers. They are suing the U.S. military for mishandling the case. (UPDATE: The Army reportedly identified her remains on July 5.) I don't know if Vanessa's investigation would have been handled differently or if there would have been a much bigger national outcry if she were white. But from what experience can tell us, probably. Women of color already get less support in their workplace and are more disenfranchised when you consider factors such as economic opportunity, access to health care and education. Then there is what's known as Missing White Woman Syndrome. Here's how Gene Demby from NPR's Code Switch defined it a few years back: "It refers to the mainstream media's seeming fascination with covering missing or endangered white women -- like Laci Peterson or Natalee Holloway -- and its seeming disinterest in cases involving missing people of color." Academics have studied it. A Northwestern University analysis of online media coverage called it a "real, empirical phenomenon" and concluded this: Missing white women are more likely to garner media attention than their non-white counterparts That coverage is much more intense and sustained for a longer period of time This gap has "created considerable racial disparity in the world of missing persons cases," according to another study by William & Mary Law School. This disparity, the study found, negatively impacts "the ability to validate missing persons reports and begin allocating resources to the investigation of missing persons cases even if the person is classified as a runaway." Might this disparity have affected the investigation into Vanessa Guillen's disappearance? We don't know. We do know this: It exists. Ask the family of Mitrice Richardson, who still have no answers nearly a decade after her body was found in a Malibu canyon in the summer of 2010. By then, she'd been missing for close to a year. The truth is, we've become too accustomed as a society to violence against all women, trans and non-binary people. That's a tragedy all on its own. I continue to mourn people I've never met, like Vanessa Guillen, Breonna Taylor, LaVena Johnson, Monika Diamond, Penelope Diaz Ramirez, Mitrice Richardson, Elisa Lam, Ashley Loring Heavy Runner and way too many more who should be household names, and to try in some small way to help fan the flames of justice in the hope of a more perfect world. Frankly, I don't know what more I can add to the conversation right now. Instead, I yield the floor to these brave soldiers who have taken to Twitter, using the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen, to share their stories where they've endured sexual harassment, rape and violence while serving this country. #IAMVANESSAGUILLEN I just turned 20. I wasnt even done with training when I was assaulted. I reported. He confessed and 4 other women came forward. He was acquitted. Two E8 jury members laughed in my face after giving the not guilty verdict. He got a promotion. I got PTSD. pic.twitter.com/N9BFfo6Mtb ~d~ (@mf_p0tat0) July 1, 2020 I was a E3 when I was raped by another service member while being stationed overseas. I have a lifetime of trauma while he is still in the Army. This happens more than you know. #IamVanessaGuillen #JusticeForVanessaGuillen pic.twitter.com/zdOIEMlV1B ashley (@ashtayluh) July 1, 2020 It started in boot camp where a chief asked me to be his girlfriend. He said he could make my life easier. There was always someone at every command. I was not allowed to work in a tshirt in 100 degree weather because I was too distracting. #IAMVANESSAGUILLEN pic.twitter.com/ZkIUGrcKJo allie kosters (@MyLifeAsAllison) June 30, 2020 I was raped and drugged by a friend from Fort Sam.I was told not to report it because it was tech school.When I decided to get the help I needed at my duty station at Hill AFB the military therapist blamed me and wrote a report that destroyed my military career #IAMVANESSAGUILLEN https://t.co/lljL56IYMQ Lilmissmadkitten (@gabriellarenae0) July 1, 2020 I was 22. I never reported it for fear of backlash. Why would I, when the most they did for another girl who reported a different person was ask her if she led him on?#IAMVANESSAGUILLEN pic.twitter.com/EbyOo8R7me Karina (@BigTofuu) July 1, 2020 About the Mis Angeles column: Erick Galindo is chronicling life in Los Angeles for LAist. He took on this role after serving as our immigrant communities reporter. Erick came to us last year from LA Taco, where he was the managing editor of a James Beard award-winning staff. MORE FROM ERICK GALINDO: Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the relationship between the woman currently in custody and the unidentified soldier who killed himself. LAist/KPCC regrets the error. Your donation, which powers our reporters and keep us independent, will be matched dollar for dollar today during our June Member drive. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Listen to the radio version of this essay: Looking to escape the monotony of "safer at home" a few weeks ago, my family packed up the Volvo station wagon for a long-needed beach trip to Ventura County, where we found the perfect combination of sand, surf, dog-friendly rules, and readily available parking. Being an hour away, the whole family was treated to the radio highlight reel on KPCC from the previous evening's Black Lives Matter protests, and the unrest that was gripping the city. How To Participate Since June 2020, we've asked for your stories about how race and ethnicity shape your life and and published as many of these stories as we can. We call this year-long effort Race in LA. Click here for more information and details on how to participate. Shortly into it, our curious and precocious 6-year-old son, Andrew, asked a question. "What's a protest?" My wife, Gifty, and I looked at each other. We still had another 50 minutes to get to the beach. The time had come for "the talk." When Gifty and I were expecting Andrew, the U.S. and the world was watching the trial and eventual acquittal of Trayvon Martin's killer. Coming home from dinner one night, Gifty told me, "One day, you're going to have to tell your son what it means to be a Black man in America." It dumbfounded me, because I'm neither Black, nor American, but Gifty was right. I'm Chinese Canadian, raised in suburban Edmonton. Gifty was born and raised in Ghana. We met and fell in love when we were students at McGill University in Montreal. Years later, we made our way to Los Angeles and now we're here raising Andrew, one of the most confident boys you will ever meet. His sister, Sophia, assures us, that even at the tender age of 23 months, she will not take guff from anybody, especially Andrew. We worry for both of them. Darren Fung and his wife, Gifty, with their two children, Andrew, 6, and Sophia, 17 months, take a family photo in front of a mall Christmas tree for the holidays. (Courtesy Darren Fung) As a proud Canadian kid, I had that youthful naivete that piously led me to believe that our generous social programs meant that systemic racism did not exist like it did in the U.S. Growing up in an affluent and liberal suburban enclave further insulated me from many of the harsh realities that many American non-White kids encounter. I always thought that the best way to raise my kids was to teach them to be kind, empathetic, and hard working. To fight for justice, to learn right from wrong -- essentially, to be a good person. But the past few weeks have me asking myself: Is that truly enough? Am I doing enough to prepare my son for the way the world sees him? A self-portrait drawn by Darren's son, Andrew, for a kindergarten assignment. While Darren is Chinese and his wife is from Ghana, his son perceives himself as Black. (Courtesy Darren Fung) When I look at my two kids I don't see color; I see two little human beings that I would do anything to protect. But Andrew colored his school self-portrait with brown crayon. Andrew sees himself as Black. The world sees him as Black. And it was naive of me to think otherwise. In February, I was in Berlin taking an "off-the-beaten-track" tour with a work friend. As we left the U-Bahn station, an inebriated man and his entourage accosted and attacked me. Shoving him away with my hotel umbrella and a loud, "Get the f**k away from me!" I walked away shaken. For the first time since elementary school, I heard the clear sounds of racial degradation, "ching-chong" and fake kung-fu battle cries, directed at me by the drunk man and his delegation, for what I can only assume was COVID-19 anti-Asian sentiment. That sort of overt racism isn't what I worry about when I think about my kids. It's easy to dismiss racism as ignorance when it's as overt as name-calling or physical bullying. Instead, I worry about my kids facing a police officer who perceives them to be a more serious threat because of the color of their skin. I don't worry so much about someone calling Andrew the n-word, but I do worry that one day he'll be left out of a birthday party, or that he'll have his first date canceled on him, because someone, or someone's parent, doesn't like the fact that he's Black. The million dollar question remains: How do I prepare a 6-year-old for the way the world sees him? I don't have the answer. But Gifty and I told Andrew what we do know. We explained to him why there were helicopters flying over our L.A. home, why tanks were on our streets, and why people were lighting police cars on fire. Six-year-old Andrew and his little sister, Sophia, 23 months, being creative to keep cool in the summer heat. (Courtesy Darren Fung) We told him a man died because the police treated him differently because he was Black. When Andrew said it wasn't fair that White people got treated differently than Black people, we explained to him that's why people were upset and that's why people were protesting. We said that police officers sometimes do bad things. When Andrew asked how the police could go to jail, we had to explain that everybody has to follow the same rules, and even the police were not above the law. And that while stealing and vandalizing, no matter how upset you were, was wrong, sometimes you have to make some noise in order to be heard. And that's what a protest was. Andrew looked pensive for a second, nodded, then went back to playing his Nintendo Switch in the back seat. Gifty and I looked at each other, with a cautious sense of optimism. Andrew understood at a basic level the difference between fair and unfair, the difference between right and wrong. These lessons transcend race and color. There will be many more talks in the years ahead when Andrew and his sister get their driver's licenses, when they go on their first dates, and when they go to a bar for the first time. But if more 6-year-olds understand what it means to be a good person today, it gives us hope that tomorrow, these talks will get easier. MORE FROM OUR RACE IN LA SERIES ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Darren Fung is a two-time Canadian Screen Award winning composer based in Los Angeles. His scores have been heard at prestigious film festivals including Toronto, Cannes, and Sundance. He has conducted his music live to picture in concert with orchestras across Canada. Darren serves on the board of directors of the Screen Composers Guild of Canada and the public policy leadership development program Action Canada, of which he is a proud alum. In lieu of his early morning rowing with the Los Angeles Rowing Club and his late-night hockey playing, he recently adopted a road bike in an attempt to keep his COVID-lockdown sanity. Your donation, which powers our reporters and keep us independent, will be matched dollar for dollar today during our June Member drive. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Let's be real. Summer 2020 doesn't exactly set the stage for the vacation of your dreams... But we're lucky. California has some of the best campgrounds in the country, with pretty much every variety of terrain you can think of, from redwood forests to desert lakes. If you're looking for a mental health break or some (more) alone time in a place other than your own home, camping might be one of the safest activites out there. You have plenty of space on all sides for social distancing, there's no need to touch anyone beyond your immediate family (as long as you follow guidelines by keeping it to one household per site) -- and if you want to avoid public bathrooms, there are plenty of trees. On May 23, as Memorial Day was upon us, we wrote an update on some our favorite California state and national parks open for camping. Of course, a lot has changed since then... because that's the world we live in now. Here's what we know now about which campgrounds open this summer. This is by no means an exhaustive list (California is a camping mecca with thousands of options), but it's a start. Check details before you go and don't forget to pack out what you pack in. JOSHUA TREE Joshua Tree National Park is open (with some restrictions). Group campgrounds are closed in the park, but all of the regular family sites are available. Admission to the park is still a thing ($30 per vehicle), and the National Park Service says rangers will only accept credit card payment to aid with social distancing at the entrance. The campgrounds inside Joshua Tree are mostly available on a first-come, first-served basis, so you'll want to have a plan B and C in case they fill up quickly. Some are closed due to summer heat, which can be extreme in the desert climate, so check the website and the weather before you go. Here's what's open: Black Rock Campground: Sites 40-60 and 66-99 are closed from May 25-Sept. 3. All other sites are first-come, first-served until Sept. 4, when they'll be reservation only. Sites 40-60 and 66-99 are closed from May 25-Sept. 3. All other sites are first-come, first-served until Sept. 4, when they'll be reservation only. Cottonwood Campground: Loop B is closed May 25-Sept. 3. All other sites are first-come, first-served until Sept. 4, when they'll be reservation only. Loop B is closed May 25-Sept. 3. All other sites are first-come, first-served until Sept. 4, when they'll be reservation only. Hidden Valley: All sites are first-come, first-served, year-round. All sites are first-come, first-served, year-round. Indian Cove: Sites 40-101 are closed until Sept. 3. All other sites are first-come, first-served from May 25- Sept. 4, when they'll be reservation only. Sites 40-101 are closed until Sept. 3. All other sites are first-come, first-served from May 25- Sept. 4, when they'll be reservation only. Jumbo Rocks Campground: All sites are first-come, first-served from May 25-Sept. 3 Wildflowers grow near a Joshua Tree in the Antelope Valley. (Rennett Stowe/Flickr Creative Commons) YOSEMITE Yosemite had been closed for over two-and-a-half months, but the park reopened as on Thursday, June 11, with restrictions. The number of visitors will be limited to about half the usual amount... and some visitor centers and campgrounds will remain closed. "It's going to be a different kind of summer, and we will continue to work hand-in-hand with our gateway communities to protect community health and restore access to Yosemite National Park," Acting Superintendent Cicely Muldoon said in a press release. Reservations are required in advance, for both camping and day use, with a $2 fee -- 20% of reservations are held for two days before entry and each reservation is good for seven days. You can find answers to FAQs about reservations here. Reminder: Even if you have a reservation for a campsite, you still need to make a reservation to get into the park. The only open campgrounds are: Upper Pines Campground : At 50% capacity, reservations required. There are currently (as of June 24) no available campsites for July. : At 50% capacity, reservations required. There are currently (as of June 24) no available campsites for July. Wawona Horse Camp: Reservations required by phone (209-375-9535), but it looks like you can only camp there if you bring a horse or some other "stock animal"... Backpacking is allowed, but only if you have a wilderness permit -- and that is a whole thing. For non-campers, Yosemite Valley Lodge, Curry Village, and The Ahwahnee are open, but also require reservations. Park officials already cancelled all reservations for July at non-open campgrounds and half the ones at Upper Pines to allow for that 50% capacity. Things don't look too hopeful for August either. This is all to say, good luck staying overnight in the park this summer. There are no more campground reservations available for August right now (other than cancellations). Yosemite National Park (@YosemiteNPS) June 17, 2020 Yosemite National Park (Chava Sanchez/LAist ) SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK Several campgrounds will open after the July 4 holiday, but visitor centers, bookstores, ranger stations, and wilderness permit stations will remain closed. Unlike Yosemite, you don't have to make a reservation to enter the park for day-use. All sites require an advanced reservation via Recreation.gov. No walk-up sites this summer! These campgrounds are open, starting July 6: Sunset Campground: Allows RVs and tents, 157 drive-in sites, reservations here Lodgepole Campground: Looks like this one is fully booked for July, but sporadic available days exist in August, reservations here Potwisha Campground: Drive-in sites, also full for July, reservations here A woman stands amongst a grove of a Giant Sequoia trees in the Sequoia National Park. The Redwood trees which are native to California's Sierra Nevada Mountains are the world's largest by volume reaching heights of 274.9 feet and a ground level girth of 109 feet. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images) SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST/KERN RIVER/LAKE ISABELLA During quarantine, while they weren't allowed to lead rafting trips, a few bored guides at Kern River Outfitters learned to code... and they managed to make a website that's a lot more user-friendly than Reserve America (not hard to do because that website is the worst, but impressive nonetheless). The tool allows users to search open campsites in Sequoia National Forest, near the Kern. And while you can't go on guided rafting trips right now, you can still wade in the river or bring your own kayaks. The company also has stand-up (SUP) paddle boards and inflatable kayaks available for Lake Isabella. CHANNEL ISLANDS The Catalina Express reopened to take travelers to the biggest Channel Island in mid-June. The ferry departs from Long Beach, San Pedro, and Dana Point to Avalon and Two Harbors. Masks are required and tickets are about $37 each way. The Catalina Flyer is also an option if you want to leave from Newport Beach. Campgrounds are open, more info here. Anacapa Island is also open for hike-in camping. You have to climb over 150 steps with all your supplies, so keep that in mind. Reservations here. View from Avalon harbor from the Catalina Island ridge top, about 1 hour away from the Los Angeles coast, on April 20, 2019. (Photo by Daniel Slim/AFP) ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST All developed campgrounds and restrooms were cleaned by park rangers before reopening. But the forest's small staff hasn't gotten to all of them yet (they cover roughly 700,000 acres of land, so reopening was no small feat). A spokesperson for the Angeles National Forest told LAist/KPCC that they are expecting an "above normal" fire season, and conditions are already dry and hot. All of the national forests in California are now barring fires in any undeveloped wilderness areas (fires in campground rings are OK). Small burners for cooking in wilderness backpacking areas are allowed -- but be safe. Parking at some sites require an Adventure Pass, so check before you go. Open campgrounds include: A motorcyclist rides the Angeles Crest Highway (State Route 2) in the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains, northeast of Los Angeles. (David McNew/Getty Images) SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL FOREST The majority of campgrounds in San Bernardino National Forest , which includes popular spots in Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear, opened before Memorial Day Weekend. A public affairs person with the forest told KPCC/LAist that park officials "are looking into opportunities to open even more," including campgrounds around Idyllwild and Lydell Creek. All group campgrounds are currently closed, but most regular ones are open. Most picnic and day use areas are also open, including those at Lake Hemet, Fuller Mill, and Thurman Flats. Check this list for more info on specific sites. Forest officials ask that folks only camp with members of their household to avoid spreading the virus. DEATH VALLEY Look at the name of this park. IF YOU MUST GO (i.e. YOU LOVE 120 degree temps), proceed with caution and follow these tips. The park is open and all campgrounds are first-come first-served. We think there will be plenty of room. Itxy Quintanilla contributed to this story. icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy A western Pennsylvania man who served at three Lancaster County churches in the 1990s and early 2000s has been charged with repeatedly sexually abusing a teenage girl and exposing himself to two other children where he now lives. William J. Stonebraker, 50, of Altoona, was charged June 22 in Blair County with two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and 96 counts each of unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault, child endangerment and corruption of minors all felonies. He's also charged with 96 counts each of indecent exposure and indecent assault, which are misdemeanors. Stonebraker's attorney, Thomas M. Dickey, said Thursday that Stonebraker has pleaded not guilty to all charges and they're awaiting details of the accusations. According to charging documents, Stonebraker assaulted the girl for two years, starting in September 2016 when she was 13. Stonebraker also exposed himself to two other children on multiple times starting then they were 12 and 15, according to state police. Stonebraker had lived in Lancaster County during the 1990s and went to Millersville University, according to LNP | LancasterOnline archives. He had youth pastor positions with Southern Lancaster Grace Brethren Church, now known as Grace Church At Willow Valley, in West Lampeter Township, and Lititz Grace Brethren Church, now known as Grace Church of Lititiz, and was a reverend at Ephrata Grace Brethren Church, now known as Grace Church Ephrata. Rev. John Smith at Grace Church At Willow Valley said Stonebraker had been with the church for a couple years part-time and left in good standing to take a position at a New England church. In an emailed statement, Grace Church said Stonebraker was pastor from July 2001 through March 2003. "Our church family has great compassion and care for any and all victims of abuse or assault," the statement said. A woman who answered the phone at Lititz Grace said the church was aware of Stonebraker but declined comment. Stonebraker is free on $150,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 21. When news broke that Lancaster County was entering the green phase of Pennsylvanias reopening plan, 87-year-old Brethren Village resident Helen Keller called her children, thrilled at the thought of finally seeing them in person again. They, in turn, were heartsick at the reality that for her and other nursing home and personal-care residents, theres no clear end in sight for restrictions that since mid-March have separated them from everyone they love. Loneliness is consuming their parents, they said, and, despite the toll COVID-19 has taken on homes here claiming close to 300 residents lives in a county with roughly 7,700 nursing and personal care home beds they worry that despair caused by visit bans may end up being worse than the coronavirus. Such concerns are widespread, according to Jamie Schell, one of four local representatives of the states ombudsman program, which advocates for the rights of residents and their families. If this is my life, (and) I cant leave this room, I dont want to wake up in the morning, she said. We get tearful calls: My mom just said this. Can we get in there? I have to see her. Before the pandemic, Schell said, many families visited their loved ones multiple times a week, regularly helping feed them and otherwise serving as caregivers. Now, Schell said, despite efforts to stay connected, shes hearing that a lot of residents are interpreting their isolation as abandonment. The overall concern were hearing is not being able to sit next to a loved one whos in end-stage of life," she said. With this population time is of the essence, and its precious. Husbands want to sit next to their wives. A wife wants to hold a husbands hand. They want to see their grandkids. They want to be in the same room with what time is left. Restrictions remain Nursing homes arent free to set their own visitation policies during the pandemic. Theyre directed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which, following similar federal guidance, recently said in-person visits can resume once a home has at least 28 consecutive days without a new case of the virus. Even then, the department says, social distancing and mask protocols must be followed the whole time, with staff monitoring. End-of-life visits are permitted, and, if a nursing home allows it, so are window visits, where visitors remain outside but can see residents through glass. keller 8.jpg Brethren Village resident Helen Keller during a window visit in June 2020. What bothers the Keller family most, they said, is that even though their parents are at Brethren Village, they cant spend time together. Helen Keller is in personal care, and her husband, 88-year-old Harold Keller, is in skilled nursing. Theyve lived at the retirement community for about 12 years. It has been more than 100 days since the lockdown started, their children said, and the closest their parents have come to being together is three supervised visits through glass. They appreciate Brethren Villages efforts with those visits, as well as phone and video calls, they said, but they hope hearing how much seniors are suffering will lead to changes in the regulations separating couples in homes across the country. It just seems really odd that staff gets to go home and be with their families and residents cant be with their spouse, said their son, Tim Keller. Hard, unprecedented times In an emailed statement, Brethren Village spokeswoman Tara Marie Ober said the retirement community has to follow the health departments direction, and noted that the department recently confirmed that the nursing homes visitation protocols are correct and appropriate. We know that families are craving in-person visits where they can touch and hug their loved ones, she wrote. We also understand, and have seen first-hand, how brutal COVID-19 is on seniors, particularly those with underlying health conditions." At last report, 13 Brethren Village residents had tested positive since the beginning of the pandemic, all of them in skilled nursing memory support. Of those, seven died and six recovered. Fifteen staffers also tested positive in recent months. The retirement community's campus has more than 330 nursing and personal care beds, and about 1,200 residents overall, including those who live independently. We know these are hard, unprecedented times, health department spokeswoman Maggi Mumma said in an email. We developed this guidance through collective input from residents and families, stakeholders, academia and facility representatives to allow safe visitations with strong public health measures to balance the mental and physical well-being of Pennsylvanias most vulnerable residents. The health department recommends the ombudsman program and its weekly online virtual family council meetings to residents and families struggling with not being able to see each other. Schell, who is a member of the virtual council, describes it as a good source of information and support network for families. And, she said, while there are no easy answers through this hard time, ombudsmen are happy to help families address their concerns. In a few cases, she said, they have even helped families through the difficult process of removing a loved one from a facility in favor of home care. Dr. Leon Kraybill calls the situation an awful balancing act between the unequivocally harmful nature of isolation, the devastation the illness has wrought, and the reality that what residents, family and staff do has life-and-death consequences for many others in a facility. Chief of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Healths geriatric division and post-acute care, Kraybill is also medical director at Luther Acres in Lititz, where the coronavirus has claimed 29 lives. To start allowing family members back in homes to visit, he said, its important that rates of COVID-19 infection in the areas general population be low. Right now, he said, Lancaster Countys rates are not nearly low enough and I do not hear enough broad community support of wearing the masks that I think would allow us to get to that low level. We are still in the midst of a significant crisis, and we have to take significant steps that we have never done before, and those steps for safety have consequences, he said. Theres no good way around it. He urged families to take any steps they can to avoid being infected social distancing and masks so they could visit at the earliest opportunity if things open up. In the meantime, he advised them to do everything they can to maintain the connections that are so vital to residents. Call in regularly, he said. Leave phone messages. Send cards. Come to the window. Record a tape of whats happening in your lives. Ombudsman program The ombudsman program is designed to help nursing home and personal-care residents and their families advocate for their rights. Because of the pandemic, the statewide program has started a weekly online meeting and Facebook group to provide general information and support. Email jarotz@pa.gov and put 'Virtual Family Council' in the subject line to receive a meeting link and instructions. Individuals can also reach out to the ombudsman program through their local office of aging. In Lancaster County, the number to call is 717-299-7979. Infectious disease is biblical. It is a part of world history. It is never far away. There are biblical references to plagues, fevers and pestilence. History books remind us of leprosy, bubonic plague, cholera, smallpox and, almost in personal memory, the 1918 flu pandemic. Now, within the memory of many of us, is the long list of common childhood infectious diseases including: measles, diphtheria, pertussis, chicken pox, polio. Then, the succession of viruses including Ebola, HIV, severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome, the ever-present influenzas and now COVID-19. Literally and biblically, separation from infected individuals was understood to be a preventive step against catching a disease. Social distancing was an early discovery and it apparently worked. Infected people were kept outside of city walls and personal contact was limited. Before modern medicine, fear was a motivator that kept people away from the infected. There was no way to mitigate this fear because we did not understand the disease and there were no drugs or specific treatments available. Over time, slowly but surely, inquisitive minds began to bring some understanding to the transmission of these infectious diseases. A public health milestone was reached when it was decided to remove the handle from each towns central water pump. The result: the end of a cholera outbreak. This and similar successes became the motivator for early scientists to create new fields of research, including microbiology and understanding of the role of bacteria in disease transmission. According to lore, Dr. Edward Jenner invented the smallpox vaccine in 1796 after observing that milkmaids who previously suffered from cowpox did not become infected with smallpox. Jenner did invent the smallpox vaccine, but the milkmaid angle is likely apocryphal. What is certain is that observation continues to be critical in the worlds fight against disease. Today, we all know the vital role that vaccinations play in maintaining and lengthening the lives of all people. The work to prevent the transmission of disease did not stop while we waited for vaccines and medications to solve infectious diseases. Quarantine and isolation were major preventive steps that existed over many years. Some of us old folks can still remember signs in our neighborhoods posted on the front doors of neighbors reading, Infantile Paralysis, Keep Out. These signs indicated that a child had been stricken with polio. No one was allowed to go in or out of that house during the quarantine. Disease transmission was prevented. In the 1950s and 1960s, Dr. Jonas Salk and then Dr. Albert Sabin created the vaccine that virtually eliminated polio around the world. First, it was an injection, then drops of the attenuated virus placed on a sugar cube, allowing mass immunizations. Then still a registered pharmacist, I personally participated in such clinics in the early 1960s. There is another chapter to this story that has a 400-year history. In a Bloomberg Opinion article in April, Virginia Postrel described the history of the use of the mask. Its significant use as a medical device had to wait until the early 1900s. But, as we learned more about bacteria and disease transmission, the use of masks took hold, particularly during surgeries. Now, the modern hospital could not exist without medical masking and disease transmission prevention techniques. Beyond the mask, the world is armed with countless vaccines and drugs dedicated to prevent and treat infectious disease. But we are faced with the constant danger that a new virus may emerge from some source for which we have no immediate vaccine or medication. So, what do we do with a new virus like the one that causes COVID-19? Obviously, we start the pharmaceutical engines and begin searching for both a vaccine and medications for treatment. We know that this needs to be done without the assurance of when such discoveries may be made or even whether they will be successful. Though the engines are running at full speed, we must do what we can to combat this new virus. History provides the answer: Practice social distancing and wear a mask. Unfortunately, such a suggestion has taken on political implications. To that end, I believe that President Donald Trump must articulate and put into practice a clear recommendation for the nation to practice social distancing and the wearing of masks. Stuart Wesbury, a professor emeritus in Arizona State Universitys School of Health Administration and Policy, is a resident of Willow Street. He has a Ph.D. in economics and business administration. He is a former community member of the LNP Editorial Board. Trump Explains Intelligence on Alleged Russian Bounties Was Never Worthy of Presidential Attention July 2, 2020 (EIRNS)President Donald Trump yesterday called the New York Times narrative that claims that Russian military intelligence paid bounties to the Taliban to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan a hoax, telling Fox Business News in an interview yesterday that the so-called intelligence never rose to the level of the Presidents attention. We never heard about it because intelligence never found it to be of that level at which it would be brought to the President, he said. From what I hear, and I hear it pretty good, the intelligence people, many of them, didnt believe that it happened at all, Trump continued. I think its a hoax. I think its a hoax by the newspapers and the Democrats.... I agree with the intelligence people ... and if it did happen, the Russians would hear about it and anybody else would hear about it that was involved. National Security Adviser Robert OBrien said in an interview with Fox News that it was the CIA official who briefs Trump in person who decided not to tell Trump about the alleged intelligence on the Russian bounties. The Presidents career CIA briefer decided not to brief him because it was unverified intelligence, OBrien said, and stressing that she is an outstanding officer. We get raw intelligence and tactical intelligence every day, hundreds of pieces of intelligence come in every day, thousands of pieces of intelligence come in a week, he said. She made that call and, you know what, I think she made the right call, so Im not going to criticize her. And knowing the facts that I know now, I stand behind that call. OBrien told reporters he believes the CIA filed a crimes report with the Justice Department regarding the leak, a statement which the DOJ declined to comment on. Meanwhile, doubts continue to pile up about the intelligence that the New York Times claims are based on. Joseph V. Micallef, a military history author and veteran of the Afghan war offers what he calls an alternative explanation in an op-ed published yesterday by Military.com. A scrutiny of the evidence, what little there is, however, raises some serious doubts, he writes. He cites the Times claim that the recovery of a large amount of cash during a raid on a Taliban output as prompting suspicions that bounties were being paid. Frankly, thats a nonsensical conclusion. Having spent time in Afghanistan, I can attest from experience that the U.S. dollar is the currency of choice among Afghans. The country has been flooded with dollars since the U.S. intervention in 2001, when CIA operatives famously used million-plus-dollar cash bribes to flip Afghan warlords against the Taliban and to support the U.S. invasion, Micallef writes. Moreover, the Taliban has evolved a far-ranging web of criminal activities that are believed to bring in upwards of $2 billion a year. Most of that activity, as is true for most international crime, is conducted in U.S. dollars. No self-respecting Afghan warlord, Taliban or other, would be without his stash of American dollars. In Afghanistan thats not the exception, its the rule. Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, writing in a column posted today by antiwar.com, reminds his readers of the record of New York Times reporter David Sanger. McGovern writes that Intelligence analysts must pay close attention, of course, to provenance. What is this or that sources record for accuracy, for reliability. What kind of trough might this or that source be feeding from; and what agenda might she or he have? Discriminating readers of the corporate mediaand especially the Timesshould do the same with respect to journalists. When they see the byline of David Sanger they need to examine his record. David Sanger, McGovern points out, has a record of dubious reporting going back to the Iraq WMD story, in which he repeatedly cited unverified intelligence as flat fact, intelligence that later turned out to be completely false. Will Susan Rice Be Bidens Running Mate? July 2, 2020 (EIRNS)On Monday, Barack Obamas former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, chimed in on the New York Times Russian bounty affair: What I believe is more likely the case is that President Donald Trump was briefed by the intelligence agencies that Russia was paying bounties to the Taliban to kill Americans. And if they did, then again, we have evidence of a President utterly unwilling to stand up for American interests and rather serving Vladimir Putins interest. On Jun 30, Susan Rice was asked by talk show host Rachel Maddow about the possibility that shed be Joe Bidens running mate. Rice said that shes humbled and honored to be in the discussion. All I care about is getting Joe Biden elected President of the United States so that we again have competent, compassionate, loyal, effective leadership in the White House and pursue an agenda ... that can restore our global leadership. Susan Rice learned global leadership as a Truman Scholar at Stanford, a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, where she specialized in the art of destabilizing the countries of Africa under the imperial right to protect. Shes been at the center of the destabilization of the Congo. Her war to split up Sudan included organizing weapons to Garangs Liberation Army, bombing a pharmaceutical factory near Khartoum, and blocking Sudans attempts, from 1996-2001, to provide intelligence to the U.S. on Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. In 1998, she teamed with Al Gore to force South African President Thabo Mbeki to cease the mass production of anti-AIDS drugs. In 2011, she pressed for NATO-led air strikes against Qaddafi as part of the destruction of Libya. She famously subbed for then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Sunday talk shows after the 9/11/12 al-Qaeda-linked attacks on the U.S. Benghazi consulate which killed the U.S. Ambassador and three service members, with the ridiculous cover story about a spontaneous attack on the American consulate in response to an anti-Muslim video. In December 2016, she initiated the unmasking of Gen. Michael Flynn. And, of course, there is her transparent 1/20/17 memo to herself, attempting to cover for Obamas role in the infamous 1/5/17 planning meeting against Flynn. But now, perhaps it is her signs of moral dementia that qualifies her as Bidens VP. On the violence in the demonstrations after George Floyds death, she claimed Russian involvement, telling CNNs Wolf Blitzer on May 31: Based on my experience, this is right out of the Russian playbook as well.... I would not be surprised to learn that they have fomented some of these extremists on both sides using social media. I wouldnt be surprised to learn that they are funding it in some way, shape or form. Scrubbing California Landmarks of Racist Symbols and the Word Negro This past weekend, the Mississippi Legislature approved the removal of the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag. Its a sign of the times, historians say, that speaks to the turning spirit of the nation even happening in a state that has remained a proud stronghold, clinging to enduring customs that nod to a romanticized version of the Old South. Gov. Tate Reeves said he will sign the bill into law. The deep south state was the lone holdout flying a flag that flaunts the Confederate Stars and Bars, which has long stood as a symbol of White supremacy, racism, and slavery. Now, Magnolia State lawmakers say they will create a commission that will design a new flag. ADVERTISEMENT Worldwide protests against injustice and racism have led to a revolt in the United States against monuments that honor public institutions or figures who stood for or upheld racism. The death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man police officers killed in Minneapolis has brought police brutality, racism, and economic inequality in America into sharp focus. That has prompted the nation to look inward and soul search, which has now expanded to questioning the countrys tradition of celebrating controversial figures that honor its racist past. Across the United States, protesters have defaced, torn down or petitioned the removal of enshrinements honoring confederate soldiers, segregationists, slave traders, white supremacists and others identified as racist. There is no room in the hallowed halls of Congress or in any place of honor for memorializing men who embody the violent bigotry and grotesque racism of the Confederacy, said Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12), Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. On June 18, Pelosi ordered the removal of four portraits depicting confederate leaders from the nations Capitol. In California, after 137 years, legislators announced the removal of statues depicting Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella of Spain from the Capitol Rotunda. They had been on display under the buildings dome since 1883. As the first California Native American elected to the Legislature, I welcome removal of the statue. It is a symbol of genocide and atrocities toward Indigenous people throughout the world, including the United States, said Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland), reflecting on the removal of the Columbus monument. We need to harness this opportunity to portray factual history from the view of those who suffered. Yet, we must also focus on the present in order to change the future. These acts around the country have sparked a debate about whether or not history and public memorialization of our past should be sanitized. Dr. Daniel Walker, an African American historian and professor, says not creating, funding or publicly displaying these symbols do not equate to sanitizing history. ADVERTISEMENT It is removing what are, in many cases, false history. It is correcting what are misinterpreted histories, and, at some times, removing what is fully oppressive history, Walker told California Black Media. Renaming CA State Park Negro Bar, Formerly Ni**er Bar In northern California, a movement to study and correct local symbols deemed racist is brewing around one of the states African American-themed landmarks. Negro Bar is an area located within the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area near Sacramento. Located in the city of Folsom, Negro Bar sits on the west bank of the American River, which flows south into the adjoining Sacramento River. The picturesque park was named after an area where Black miners once worked during the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s. The miners were isolated because of their color. At Negro Bar, the Black miners struck gold in 1850, one to two ounces for each man on the average per day, according to an article published in the now-defunct Sacramento Placer Times. Clarence Caesar, a Black historian at California State Librarys California Historical and Cultural Endowment said Negro Bar is the states first Black gold mining site. The parks name has gone through several changes. It was initially identified as the racial epithet, (N-word) Bar, as described in the book Riches for All: The California Gold Rush and the World. Before recent anti-racism protests, local Black community leaders and historians had agreed to continue using the current name, which doesnt seem to bother the many kayakers, fishers, and hikers of all races that flock to that park during the hottest days. The Sacramento Chapter of Buffalo Soldiers, a history group that pays homage to the U.S. Armys Black 10th Cavalry of Company G, staged events at Negro Bar for many years, beginning in the 1990s up until the mid-2000s. The California Department of Parks and Recreation (CDPR) has stated that it recognizes the seriousness of offensive public symbols and that their interpretations can change over time. The department welcomes feedback from the public. In response to comments received in 2018, the department has undertaken a review to better understand the publics perspective about the name and its continued use, CDPR stated on its website. People who are not happy with the current name say Negro is an archaic term for Black people. A petition to rename Negro Bar currently has more than 60,000 signatures. But some Black people are in favor of staying with the current name. One of them is Jonathan Burgess, a native of Sacramento. His great-grandfather was an enslaved Black man whose owner brought him to California during the Gold Rush. He says the current name is part of history. He said changing the name would be a miscarriage of justice and he doesnt consider Negro Bar offensive. He added that some activists dont have a great understanding of history, and thats why they want to tear down all monuments. However, Burgess is firmly against statues that honor Confederate officers. He said those statues lionize people who fought against their own country to maintain slavery. These were people who fought against our government, he said. Pull them down. The city of Folsom and the California State Parks Office of Historic Preservation have procured another African American landmark called Negro Hill. Negro Hill, listed No. 570 in California Historical Landmarks Program, was an established community for African American, White, Asian, Spanish, and Portuguese miners founded by a Black man named Kelsey. Negro Hill, comprising of Little Negro Hill and Big Negro Hill camps, was located across the South Fork of the American River from Mormon Island, according to Sierra Nevada Geotourism. It was first mined in 1848, four miles from Negro Bar. Negro Hill had a population of 1,200 by 1853. When laws were enacted to limit the rights of Black people in the 1850s, disenfranchisement forced the African Americans to leave Negro Hill. Whats left of Negro Hill is now at the bottom of Folsom Lake, swallowed by an expanding lake basin. But the departed buried at the landmark town have been reinterred at the nearby Mormon Island Memorial Cemetery. Michael Harris, a Sacramento activist who studies both Negro Bar and Negro Hill, ensured that the 36 gravesites received new headstones to keep the Gold Rush era communitys legacy alive. More Monument Removals Around California The Statewide Coalition Against Racist Statues (SCARS) and numerous social justice partners celebrated the removal of the Capt. John Sutter statue from Sutter Park in Sacramento. Sutter, an early settler of Californias capital city, is memorialized as a Gold Rush icon and Sacramento founding father, but, SCARS has stated that he was actually a cruel and depraved slavemaster. The removal of the statue, which was issued by the administration of Sutter Hospital, ends the glorification of Indigenous genocides and De-Sutters Sacramento, SCARS said in a written statement. Being a Native American in Sacramento and seeing the idealization of a person who brought a reign of terror to our local Native tribes and beyond is triggering. I grew up here, learned about Sutter in my primary school education, participated in the field trips to the fort that left me shocked, wrote Vanessa Esquivido (Nor Rel Muk Wintu, Hupa, Xicana), an expert on Native American Studies, in a letter to CBM. In Antelope Valley, an inland area north of Los Angeles, Quartz Valley High School has ditched its Rebel mascot. And Fort Bragg, a small North Coast town with less than 8,000 residents, is considering changing its name. The Confederate general Braxton Bragg, for whom the scenic seaside town is named, enslaved over 100 Black people. On June 26, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order to protect monuments, memorials, and statues. Walker says the solution to preserving history without lifting up racist historical symbols is simple. Take all the monuments that have been removed and confiscated, put them in one place, he said. Put them in a museum, and say, this is the Confederacy. This is how bad weve been in America. This is the real story. New research from the United States space agency, NASA, suggests that the ocean under the surface of Jupiters moon Europa may have been able to support life. Researchers found that the ocean could have been formed when some minerals broke down and released water. Europa is a little smaller than Earths moon, but still one of the largest moons in our solar system. Observations of Europa by NASA spacecraft have shown that an ocean exists there beneath a thick layer of ice. Scientists estimate Europas ocean to be 65 to 160 kilometers deep. It may contain twice the water of Earths oceans. The new findings came from ocean models of Europa created by NASA. The results were reported in a study presented at a recent conference of Goldschmidt, a geoscience research organization. Mohit Melwani Daswani is a planetary scientist with NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. He led the study. Daswani told the Reuters news agency his team believes Europas ocean may have been habitable early when it formed. This is because the research suggests the water had a low level of acid and contained carbon dioxide. Daswani said the study suggests it may have been possible for some microorganisms to use carbon dioxide in the ocean for energy to survive. Some bacteria on Earth receive life-giving energy from carbon dioxide. The availability of liquid water is the first step to habitability, Daswani said. In addition, chemical exchange between the ocean and the rocky interior may have been significant in the past, so potential life may have been able to use chemical energy to survive, he added. In other words, Daswani said, the makeup of Europas ocean may have been very similar to oceans on Earth. We believe that this ocean could be quite habitable for life." The new study examined whether Europa was habitable in the past, but did not look at its present ability to support life. Daswani said that is a question researchers are now exploring. He added, however, just because a planet or moon is believed to be habitable does not mean that life is actually present. Just that the conditions could allow for the survival of some extremely hardy forms of life that we know of on Earth, he noted. The researchers believe Europa offers one of the best chances of finding life in our solar system. In the future, however, they say they will seek to create models to study other moons. These could include Europas neighbor, Ganymede - the largest moon in our solar system - and Saturns moon, Titan. Im Bryan Lynn. Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English, with additional information from the Goldschmidt Conference. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story geoscience n. earth sciences, especially geology habitable adj. able to support life interior n. the inside part of something potential adj. having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future allow v. to permit hardy adj. strong enough to deal with bad conditions or difficult situations ALBANY POLICE Assault About noon Wednesday, Paul Walton, 33, was charged with fourth-degree assault against a 31-year-old female after he allegedly entered her residence in the 2000 block of Willamette in violation of a restraining order. He was lodged at the Linn County Jail. LINN COUNTY SHERIFF Theft About 8 a.m. Wednesday, a caller in the 31000 block of 1st St., Lebanon, reported someone broke into a vehicle at Waterloo Park and took $950 worth of items. Business dispute About 1:44 p.m. Wednesday, a caller in the 700 block of 42nd Ave., Sweet Home, reported that employees of a tree trimming company, with whom she is having a dispute, took items valued at $500 from her home when they did not believe she was home. Suspects located and returned items. Missing ATVs About 3:58 p.m. Wednesday, a caller in the 33000 block of Berry Drive, Albany, reported a Yamaha Raptor quad and Suzuki LTR quad were taken from business during the night. About 10:10 a.m. vehicles were found in nearby fields. Both had damaged ignitions and a battery stolen. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 1 LEXINGTON Bids will be opened for a box culvert on Road 444 on July 31 as the design is now done and the existing bridge is in poor shape. During the Dawson County Commissioners regular meeting on Wednesday, July 1, Road Superintendent Mark Christiansen said the opening date for box culvert bids would be July 31. The box culvert would be placed on Road 444, just north of Highway 40, Christiansen said after the meeting. The design has been completed and there is an effort to expedite this project. Christiansen said the existing bridge is in bad shape and the road is half closed in this area. No action was needed to be taken by the commissioners but they gave Christiansen the nod for the opening date. During the board of equalization meeting, Assessor John Moore spoke to the commissioners via Zoom about valuation changes for soil notices. Moore said after discussions with the state, they recommended there be a change to three different soil notices. Moore said 673 notices will go out. This action is being taken because the value of the land was not as high as previously thought. Moore said owners have 30 days to protest, but many will likely choose not to, if their valuation goes down. SAN DIEGO Jon Rahm had safely deposited his infant son back in his wifes arms by the time a seemingly unflappable Louis Oosthuizen finally coughed it up on No. 17 at Torrey Pines. He stood, hands on hips, watching on TV as Oosthuizens par putt slid past the hole and it became increasingl Santa Barbara County students entering grades 4 to 12 are invited to join the 27th annual Young Writers Camp, from July 20 to 31, which will be held online this year due to health restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The summer camp is donation-only. According to course organizers of the South Coast Writing Project, the six virtual course groups will be offered via Zoom and led by credentialed teachers. The outlined objective is to expose students to a variety of writing processes and styles that encourage creative expression and help strengthen writing abilities and enhance quality of their writing. Each of the Zoom groups are designed to accommodate up to 16 students. The courses are as follows: Writing Exploration , Grades 4 to 6: July 20 to 31, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Tuesday and Thursday are open by appointment , Grades 4 to 6: July 20 to 31, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Tuesday and Thursday are open by appointment Exploring Genres , Grades 4 to 6: The Sprinkled Donut: July 20 to 31, Monday through Friday, from 9 to 11 a.m. , Grades 4 to 6: The Sprinkled Donut: July 20 to 31, Monday through Friday, from 9 to 11 a.m. Writing Warriors , Grades 6 to 8: "Writing Across Genres": July 20 to 31, Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. , Grades 6 to 8: "Writing Across Genres": July 20 to 31, Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Multigenre Project , Grades 7 to 9 and 10 to 12: "Two Week Session Writing Exploration Camp," July 20 to 31, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, from 11 to 11:50 a.m.; teachers are available for review, feedback, sharing and development of ideas, Tuesday and Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. , Grades 7 to 9 and 10 to 12: "Two Week Session Writing Exploration Camp," July 20 to 31, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, from 11 to 11:50 a.m.; teachers are available for review, feedback, sharing and development of ideas, Tuesday and Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Advanced Writing Seminar , Grades 8+: "You Have Writing Goals You Want to Achieve", July 27 to 31: 9 a.m. on Google Classroom for asynchronous and optional exercises/prompts, teacher feedback available from 10 to 11:30 a.m. , Grades 8+: "You Have Writing Goals You Want to Achieve", July 27 to 31: 9 a.m. on Google Classroom for asynchronous and optional exercises/prompts, teacher feedback available from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Exploring the College Entrance Essay, grades 9 to 12: July 13 to 24, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The South Coast Writing Project is an educational nonprofit out of UCSB that has held annual youth writing camps since 1993. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis until camp groups are full. Students who register after the camp is full will be placed on a wait list in the order registered. For more information, visit https://scwripyoungwriters.wordpress.com/ or contact 805-893-4422. All told, according to the Santa Maria Police Department, Michael Jolly was found to be in possession of 100 grams of fentanyl, 21 grams of rock cocaine, 26 grams of heroin, 93 grams of methamphetamine, $700 cash and a flare gun. Carl H. Esbeck (University of Missouri School of Law) has posted With the Supreme Court having Decided Espinoza v. Montana and Ordering the State to Fund Religious Schools: What's Left of the Establishment Clause? on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Consistent with the Establishment Clause, the Supreme Court had permitted the government to fund public and private K-12 schools, so long as any direct aid was not diverted to an explicitly religious purpose. In Espinoza v. Montana, the Court held that when there is a government program with a secular purpose, such as education, social services, or economic relief, the Free Exercise Clause requires that the program be available without regard to religion. Clearly the Religion Clauses have undergone a major transformation since the days of no parochial school aid whatsoever in the 1970s and 80s. So, it bears asking: What work is there still to be done by the Establishment Clause? To begin, government cannot set out to prefer religion over nonreligion. That such a preference is a prohibited establishment seems straightforward. And it is, once one appreciates that a discretionary legislative exemption to accommodate religion is not a preference. A religious exemption is where a statute, one that imposes a regulatory burden on others similarly situated, is viewed by the Court as leaving religion alone. And government does not establish religion by leaving it alone. Next are those difficult instances where the government maintains a symbol or other expression with religious content. Government can neither confess explicitly religious beliefs nor advocate that individuals profess such beliefs or observe such practices. However, government can speak about religion while stopping short of promoting it. Thus, the government may acknowledge the role of religion in history, literature, music, art, and the like. But controversy surrounds a governments sponsorship of memorials, mottos, seals, pledges, and anthems that depict a general Protestantism or monotheism. Here, a majority of the Court has recently rejected the much-reviled test of Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971). In Lemons stead, a majority of the justices say that they will be guided by the history and understandings of the founding generation. In this regard, it is well to remember that the government can have one point of view concerning its symbol, whereas those seeing or hearing the same symbol often have a different understanding as to what is being communicated. However, as a matter of state action the government is held accountable only for its own message. On the increase are instances where the High Court has had to resort to the rule that civil courts are prohibited from taking up questions that go to the validity, meaning, or importance of a religious belief or observance. The admonition to avoid excessive entanglement between church and state is shorthand for the same rule. The religious question rule is but a part of a larger set of principles that are referred to as the doctrine of church autonomy. Emanating largely from the Establishment Clause and its ordering of church-state relations, the church autonomy doctrine has its own line of cases from Watson v. Jones (1872) to Jones v. Wolf (1979), and most recently Hosanna-Tabor (2012). This case law acknowledges a narrow but absolute protection for the internal governance of churches with respect to their control over doctrine, polity, leadership, and membership. The Court has encouraged states to adopt neutral principles of law in intrachurch disputes over church property, not as an exception to church autonomy doctrine, but as a means of resolving the question of title while still honoring church autonomy. Bringing up the rear in the catalogue of remaining work for the Establishment Clause is the definition of religion as it appears in the First Amendment. While this is a matter of great theoretical difficulty, in practice the issue almost never arises. The integrating principle of the Courts modern Establishment Clause case law is to minimize the role of government in influencing religious choices made by individuals and religious organizations. When religion is left by the state to be voluntary in this way, both religious belief and organized religion will wax and wane in accord with the appeal of its message and the zeal of its adherents. Community Man arrested for murder in connection with Thursday morning shooting mugshot of Cedric Blake from 2015 arrest Cedric Tramon Blake, 23, was arrested on a charge of murder in connection to the shooting of a man in Diboll early Thursday morning. Detective Bart Riley of the Diboll Police Department said they received a call around 2 a.m. Thursday that Shyhiem Harper, 23, of Beaumont, had been killed by a gunshot wound in a duplex apartment home on Willie D. Jones Road on the west side of town. While Riley was headed to the scene, he said the Lufkin Police Department called the office and said they had a subject in custody who matched the description of the suspect (in addition to other evidence not being released at this time) and vehicle (champagne color GMC) reported in connection with the murder. However, LPD said Blake produced a false name when he was stopped, so they arrested him on two misdemeanor charges possession of marijuana and failure to identify fugitive from justice. LPD public relations specialist Jessica Pebsworth released information on the arrest, saying an officer made a traffic stop on a vehicle with a defective headlight in the 1700 block of Feagin Drive. The driver told the officer she was in a family members vehicle and she was not sure if the car had insurance. The officer made a check of the vehicle and found it had no insurance so it had to be towed. The officer said the passenger, later identified as Blake, was acting nervous and reaching into the back seat throughout the traffic stop and was reluctant to get out of the vehicle, according to the press release. When the tow truck arrived and Blake finally exited the vehicle, the officer detained him and found he was in possession of two gallon-size zipper bags of marijuana. The driver had no active warrants and was released. As Officer Westbrook took Blake into custody, he noticed that Blake had fresh cuts and scratches down his arms, the release states. Officer Westbrook then radioed dispatch, asking them to check with neighboring agencies to see if Blake was possibly a suspect in an evading arrest case. Blake initially gave Officer Westbrook a fake name, but after he was taken into custody the officer found an identification card in Blakes pocket. Blake denied that it was his. After phoning the Diboll Police Department, the officer learned that Blake was a suspect in a shooting death that had just occurred. After Riley processed the scene and spoke to witnesses, he said he drew up the complaint and warrant. No weapon was found on Blake at the time, but there is still a lot to process, Riley said. Lufkin Police Department was instrumental in the case and being able to tie it together, Riley said. If it wasnt for that traffic stop It was great police work on their part. He also commended the Angelina County Sheriffs Office for providing several units to help DPD secure the scene. As of 3 p.m. Thursday, Blake remained in the Angelina County Jail with no bond set on the first-degree felony murder charge, a $1,500 bond set for the Class B misdemeanor possession of marijuana charge and a $1,500 bond set for the Class B misdemeanor failure to identity fugitive of justice charge. No further details will be released pending the investigation. "It is a strange-disposed time." Shakespeare wrote that line 400-plus years ago, but it reads like a tagline for 2020. In fact, a good portion of Julius Caesar, with its portentous heralds of doom, feels quite contemporary at the moment. Its been three years since confused theatergoers rushed the stage to defend a Trump lookalike in Public Theaters Shakespeare in the Park performance of Julius Caesar. American Players Theater originally programmed the play for this summer, an election year, and insisted when they did it would not be modern. Nobody has any interest in doing that, said artistic director Brenda DeVita last fall. This play has so much addressed to the audience, (director Stephen Brown-Fried) wants our audience to feel like this is for them. The audience is central to discussion about this play. The shift from stage under the stars to a video conference room for a reading of Caesar removes the audience from the equation. Yet viewers might still feel a twinge of recognition when a sick man (Jim Ridge) appears in a mask. If we were watching in person, we would probably be wearing one just like it. Singing Lewis' praises in the documentary are Bill and Hillary Clinton, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar. There's also one Republican, Wisconsins retiring Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, who says he's proud of the bipartisan Voting Rights Amendment Act he co-sponsored with Lewis in 2019. (The bill passed in the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, but has yet to be brought up for a vote in the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate.) Porter declines, oddly and disappointingly, to draw a line between Lewis protests in the 1960s and the Black Lives Matter movement. Certainly, Good Trouble was completed before the nationwide wave of protests this summer in the wake of the death of George Floyd (Lewis has spoken approvingly of the largely peaceful protests, exhorting activists to give until you cannot give any more.) But Black Lives Matter's fight against police brutality and systemic racism has been going on for several years now, and the omission of any mention of the movement is glaring. Instead, Good Trouble finds time for relatively routine scenes of Lewis being greeted by supporters at the airport, talking to his constituents in his Atlanta office, or even dancing to Pharrell Williams Happy. Meanwhile, there is what Lewis calls good trouble, necessary trouble happening in the streets, inspired by Lewis example. Even if the film cant see it, Lewis does, and so do we. When a person tests positive for COVID-19, public health will notify their employer, which then has a responsibility to inform staff. Staff will be notified individually if they were exposed, but not necessarily told the names of who got sick. Public health considers someone exposed when theyve had 15 cumulative minutes in contact with an infected person, less than six feet apart. Public Health Madison & Dane County does not require businesses to notify the public after an employee or patron tests positive for COVID-19. Some have done so anyway, citing a desire for transparency and to build trust with employees and patrons. That includes Madison restaurants DLUX, Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company (two locations) and Graze. Tory Miller, chef/owner at Graze, said he saw no downside in choosing to inform the public. If Im honest with my staff, Im going to be honest with my customers. And if I get backlash because of that, then shame on those customers, Miller said. Its also a chance to raise a bit of awareness. Our staff is putting themselves in danger to be doing what were doing. Many bars and restaurants have been relying on takeout to carry their business through the pandemic. Rhodes-Conway said the streatery program is another way the city aims to support the small business community, especially as they adapt to pandemic conditions. Allowing expanded, outdoor dining provides greater opportunity for better airflow and the ability to stay further away from other diners recommended actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The order, which went into effect Thursday, does not affect outdoor dining but prohibits indoor service at bars. For outdoor dining service, tables and chairs must allow for six feet of space between customers who are not from the same household. Also, only six people from the same household are allowed at each table. Were all waiting for a vaccine to be developed ... but thats probably a year or two in the future, they wrote, and the multi-month experiment had shown the weaknesses of remote work. Even if work gets done we are losing, big time, the culture that made the company successful. The leaders explained that our culture was not an accident and that everything from the companys monthly staff meetings to campus layout complete with smaller buildings to keep employees close to their colleagues was designed to promote collaboration. When prospective customers visit us, they often tell us they are here to evaluate our culture, which they feel is the most important thing about the company they will select, they wrote. They very much like the Epic culture and tell us its critical to them that we retain it. Its hard (actually, its impossible) to retain our culture when were working from our homes ... Creativity, innovation, and serendipity suffer, which can be fatal to a company like ours that is constantly needing to create new products and new features. Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. It may not be as momentous as the 244th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, but there's another piece of history actually, African-American history that deserves recognition this 4th of July. In fact, Milwaukee Congresswoman Gwen Moore is hoping that she can get Congress to award an all Black Women's Army Corps unit known as the "Six Triple Eight" a Congressional Gold Medal for its overseas service during World War II. It would be a fitting tribute if the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was so honored in 2020, the 75th anniversary of the end of the second world war. As has so often been the case in American history, the unit of more than 850 African American women faced incredible odds, sexism and racism, as they were finally deployed overseas to clear up an enormous backlog of undelivered mail to American soldiers fighting in Europe. Several white WAC units had been sent overseas during the war, but it wasn't until November of 1944 that the War Department approved sending African-American women. The 6888th battalion was drawn from the Women's Army and Air Forces across the country. By early 1945, the backlog had grown to an estimated 18 million pieces of mail. We are not alone in that. In the wake of Floyds death, there has been much reporting about Minneapolis, an affluent city also dominated by prosperous whites, and how its progressive but limited-in-scope policies have fallen short on a much larger scale. The dream by many here is for Madison to be a model for more dramatic action. But I have been in conversations with diverse community leaders for years now and, so far, many see it as only talk. Anyway, what can we do now? For my part, I will use the megaphone of the Cap Times to reach beyond a comfort zone of usual suspects to reflect different voices and to think big in our reporting and opinion writing. But what can we all do? Thats easy: Act more like my friend Tim Harrington. I knew Tim for decades. He was close friends with Frank Denton, my long-ago former editor at the Wisconsin State Journal, but I really got to know Tim better in recent years. First, the president did not attend the event and it took place away from the White House. This was hardly surprising, especially given Trumps absurd and factually false comments about COVID-19 in the previous days. Nor was it surprising that the press corps was allotted an unusually limited number of questions a mere six questions were asked before Pence took the task force off the stage. Why? The answer surely is obvious. When you cannot provide satisfactory answers, stop entertaining questions. Second, Pences contention that it is better for young people to get COVID-19 unfortunately only gave youth a false sense of confidence. Worse yet, his suggestion that young people have a responsibility to help solve the problem was astonishing and reprehensible; after all, Pence himself failed to wear a mask at the briefing and at recent rallies and events Trump refused to do so. In fact, the president has been sending out the opposite message, making clear that masks are a political symbol rather than an important means of protecting the health of others. In 1948, an upstart U.S. Senate candidate thundered to the Democratic National Convention: It is time to get out of the shadow of states rights and into the bright sunshine of human rights. Then-Mayor Hubert Humphrey of Minneapolis birthplace of the modern Civil Rights movement demanded that delegates adopt a robust civil rights platform. The initiative, spurred by Wisconsin Congressman and Platform Committee Chairman Andrew Biemiller, prevailed, to the chagrin of southern delegates, who stormed out in protest. Humphrey went on to win election to the Senate and his fingerprints would eventually mark civil rights legislation for the next four decades. Humphreys signal moment was rooted in the progressive momentum of the New Deal, whose transformative policies continue to influence modern life. Today, Bernie Sanders and his delegates have an opportunity to energize that forward motion, using the same tools available to Humphrey. Wisconsin platform committee chairman Peter Rickman, delegation leader Mark Pocan and dozens of task force members from around the country have been working overtime to address matters of economic and racial justice. If next Novembers election breaks favorably, their work could pay off. Drive-in theaters like the Big Sky Twin Drive-In Theater outside Wisconsin Dells have an easier time operating their facilities due to the confidence patrons likely have in keeping their distance from others while being outside or in their cars, Rouman said. Big Sky owner Mary Bork did not return interview requests for this story, but Rouman says a big challenge for theaters like hers is a likely decrease in tourism during the summer months compared to past years. I would say were all going through an incredibly challenging time right now, said Rouman, who owns the temporarily closed six-screen Rouman Cinema in Rhinelander and estimated fewer than half of Wisconsin theaters have yet reopened. His board represents the interests of 50 companies (including local establishments of major chains like AMC) and many of them are pursuing state and federal relief funds. Weve never had to deal with anything like this in our history and I would guess that at this point, most movie theaters have lost anywhere from 30 to 40 percent of their projected revenue (for 2020), Rouman said. And without new releases in July, that will hurt us even more. Its a very scary time right now and there are no two ways about it. We started out wondering if people would want to buy fireworks, she said. After being cooped up for two months, theyre ready to have some fun. Despite losing some business during the stay-at-home period, Kastner said she now expects sales to be above average. Her daughter, a wholesale distributor, isnt so lucky. Jessica Kastner said orders from retailers are up, but not enough to make up for the lost sales of professional-grade pyrotechnics. Jeri Kastner, whose career has involved manufacturing and shooting off commercial-grade fireworks, said her expertise has been an asset with so many first-time buyers. I know what Im selling, how it works, Kastner said. Everybody gets instructions especially this year. The National Fire Protection Association contends there is no safe way to use consumer fireworks. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, fireworks resulted in at least 12 deaths and 10,000 emergency room visits in 2019, with about three-quarters of those during the month surrounding the Fourth of July. The injury rate is about 3.1 per 100,000 people, a rate comparable to injuries caused by welding or sledding, and about half the number attributed to washers and dryers. In several emails with similar wording sent June 24, residents called on the commission to make the chief-selection process open and transparent and guided by the communities most impacted by the police, while accusing it of working on behalf of the police union. Other emails included identical lists of reasons why writers felt Rousseau was wrong to question whether the proposed monitor and oversight board could infringe on the PFCs authority, with supporters of the monitor and oversight board noting that neither would have any final decision-making power. Simply put, the Monitor and Oversight Board envisioned by our Ad Hoc Committee will help the PFC perform its duties more effectively, equitably and comprehensively; they will not displace the PFC in any way, Keith Findley, a UW-Madison law professor and chairman of the citizen committee that recommended the creation of the monitor and board, wrote in a June 15 letter. In her response to the correspondence, Rousseau on June 25 wrote that it remained unclear how the board and PFC would resolve differences over police hiring, discipline and other matters. To: President Donald Trump From: The mask-wearers Mr. President, We need to talk about some numbers. Theyre bad. Like, really bad. In Arizona. In Texas and Florida. Pretty much everywhere. Each day brings new and jarring data, including about young people and, especially, about the elderly. You should be worried. About the coronavirus? No, we know youre not talking very much about that these days. Were talking about your poll numbers. Youre in trouble. And we think we have a bold solution: On Independence Day, tell Americans they need to wear a mask. Its a game changer, a way to turn your worst issue around. Well, maybe your third-worst right now behind the bounty thing and the racism thing. But lets face it, if a vaccine doesnt give you something to brag on this fall, this might be the only hope you have with COVID come November. President Donald Trump was at a town hall meeting in Green Bay recently. When asked about rioting and protests in Madison, his response was, "If Scott (Walker) were your governor, that would not have happened." President Trump's memory failed him. Rewind to March of 2011, and a Rasmussan poll indicated Wisconsin voters opposed weakening collective bargaining rights by 52% to 39%. This was a fight Gov. Walker started. And then protesters gathered all over the state. At the state Capitol in Madison, crowds estimated at 70,000 to 100,000 people gathered to protest. This went on until June. So according to Trump, Walker could stop anything? History proves otherwise. Deb Clark, Monroe The article "Repair or replace? Community reckons with what's next for Capitol's fallen statues" suggests the only choices for what to do with the Hans Christian Heg and "Forward" statues are to replace them with something else or repair and reinstall them in the locations where they previously stood. I propose a third solution, if the politicians who decide these things would be open to a little outside-the-box thinking. That solution is relocation, at least for the Heg statue, and an ideal place to relocate it is just down Highway 51 in Stoughton. Few, if any places in the United States celebrate Norwegian heritage to the degree Stoughton does. Norwegian immigrants from the Stoughton area fought under Col. Heg, who was an immigrant from Norway. Relocation of the Heg statue would free up a space for a proposed Vel Phillips (or anyone else) statue on the Capitol Square, and provide an appropriate new home and better fit for Col. Heg's statue. Mark Hudziak, Oregon Business and social practices took hold across the country through mid-century to keep Blacks from living in white communities. Blacks could not get housing loans for certain areas through a practice called redlining. Restrictions in deeds and covenants kept Blacks out of many neighborhoods. Those restrictions could still be found in Idaho property documents into the second half of the last century. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that separate schools for black kids were not permissible. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited a broad range of discriminatory practices, including in employment, housing and public accommodations. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was designed to provide people of color equal access to the polls. Despite all of this history of racial discrimination and the efforts to correct it, black and brown people still do not enjoy the same rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that their white brothers and sisters take for granted. The recent deaths of George Floyd and other black citizens at the hands of law enforcement have brought that graphically to the nations attention. The disproportionate death rate among people of color in the pandemic speaks of the need to better address their health needs. The efforts of some states to make it harder for these citizens to vote call for strong remedial action. One thing to keep in mind ... is that decisions have to be made based off of the resources that you have readily available to you, Lander said. If you cant do something safely with the resource you have available to you, thats when you have to make certain decisions and go a certain way. It might be easy for people to say that this law needed to be enforced, yeah, thats one side of it, but you have to look at the resources that you have available with the ultimate goal of public safety in mind, and to get that and to achieve that goal. While tensions flared and law enforcement officers did have to stand between the different groups of protesters at times, no one was injured and no one was arrested throughout the incident. I am very proud of the law enforcement that was out there, very proud of our officers, Lander said. They took a lot of verbal abuse. They were put in the middle of a situation and acted extremely professional, and thats what we expect out of our officers. For many, if not most, of the officers on scene, it was the first time they had experienced a demonstration that escalated to that point. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A novel study from the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet indicates that antibodies against a small lipid entity, phosphorylcholine (PC), can be associated with protection in inflammatory systemic diseases, including SLE and Sjogren's syndrome. The results support evidence for a potential treatment by providing antibodies (anti-PC) to patients with these diseases or through immunization with PC. The research group behind the study, led by professor Johan Frostegard, has previously demonstrated that a certain type of antibody against PC, anti-PC, are associated with decreased risk of chronic inflammation as atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and some rheumatic diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Phosphorylcholine is present and exposed to the immune system on oxidized lipids in atherosclerosis in the vessels, and on dead cells which should be taken care of by the body's defense systems, but also on different pathogens including parasites, nematodes and some bacteria. According to the research group's hypothesis, low levels of anti-PC can be caused by low prevalence of pathogens of this type. The hypothesis is supported by previous reports from the research group, where individuals from New Guinea, living a traditional life and where these kinds of pathogens are more common, have higher levels of anti-PC and lower prevalence of the diseases studied. In the present study, antibodies against PC and MDA (Malondialdehyde, another small lipid) were studied in a large cohort of patients with different rheumatic diseases, which were compared with a control group. Also cardiovascular disease was studied. The results indicate that among patients with systemic rheumatic diseases, including SLE, Sjogren's syndrome, systemic sclerosis and MCTD, anti-PCbut not anti-MDAwas associated with protection against these diseases, including cardiovascular disease. The antibodies were studied in detail by proteomics, and a potential underlying mechanism was identified. In SLE, T-cells of a certain subgroup, T regulatory cells (Tregs) are believed to be protective and are often low in SLE. Anti-PC, but not anti-MDA, normalized Tregs in white blood cells from SLE patients. A potential development of these results is to raise the levels of anti-PC in patients with systemic rheumatic diseases either by transfer of anti-PC or by immunization. Explore further New WHO autoantibody reference reagent will benefit SLE patients More information: undefined undefined et al. IgM antibodies against malondialdehyde and phosphorylcholine in different systemic rheumatic diseases, Scientific Reports (2020). Journal information: Scientific Reports undefined undefined et al. IgM antibodies against malondialdehyde and phosphorylcholine in different systemic rheumatic diseases,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66981-z Credit: Dimitri Karastelev/Unsplash, CC BY To beat the coronavirus pandemic, countries need to collaborate. We need the best possible science to develop vaccines and drugs, and to test, track and contain the virus. If we've learned anything from the rapid global spread of this virus, it's that we're all in this together. It was therefore shocking to hear, on June 29, that the US government has bought more than 500,000 treatment courses of the antiviral drug remdesivir, representing manufacturer Gilead's entire production capacity for the next three months and effectively excluding other countries from accessing this drug. The purchase raises concerns, not only about access to remdesivir in other countries, but more broadly about how to prevent profiteering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Gilead announced its global price for remdesivir on June 29 as US$390 per vial. The Guardian has reported the cost to the US government will be US$3,200 for a six-day treatment. In contrast, production costs for remdesivir are estimated at 93 US cents for one day's treatment, or less than US$6 for an entire course. The profit motive It was hardly a secret that Gilead was seeking to profit from its product. Earlier this year, it applied for seven years of "orphan drug exclusivity" for remdesivira status that extends a drug's period of patent protection, and is meant to act as a regulatory incentive to develop drugs for rare diseases. If only COVID-19 were rare! The US Food and Drug Administration granted the exclusivity 12 days after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The move was met with strong criticism and Gilead has since rescinded the orphan drug status. US consumer group Public Citizen estimates taxpayers in the US, Europe, and Asia have contributed US$70.5 million in development costs for remdesivir. The list of US government grants is impressive and begs the question of whether remdesivir should be in the public domain. Instead, Gilead maintains a monopoly on sales, holding patents in many countries, the latest of which lasts until 2036. Remdesivir's revenue this year could be US$2.3 billion, which would make the drug a blockbuster. We might criticize Gilead, but this is how commercial drug companies functionin non-pandemic times, at least. But it does call into question pharma's lofty promises of ensuring "equitable global access" to COVID-19 treatments. Is remdesivir worthwhile anyway? If remdesivir doesn't work, the US purchase would be a waste of money. The first report of benefit was a small follow-up study of 53 patients with no comparison group. This was followed by a more rigorous randomized controlled trial from China, published in the Lancet, in which remdesivir did not outperform placebo. However, fewer patients were recruited than anticipated. A third, mainly publicly funded trial by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases found patients given remdesivir recovered four days earlier, on average, than those not treated with the drug. But it also found no statistically significant difference in death rate between the two groups. That study was also stopped early, which can lead to exaggerated estimates of treatment benefits. A British Medical Journal editorial highlighted the study's financial links to Gilead as another source of bias. More trials are ongoing, but until more evidence becomes available we really don't know whether remdesivir significantly helps COVID-19 patients. If it does, it would be needed not only in the US but globally. Now Gilead's supply is confined to the US, what can other countries do? As a stopgap measure, Gilead has donated a stockpile of remdesivir to Australia, but it's unclear whether this is a one-time-only act of generosity, or indeed why Gilead would donate its products to a wealthy country like Australia. Bypass Gilead's patents? Gilead has voluntary license agreements with manufacturers in Egypt, India and Pakistan to supply remdesivir to 127 lower-income countries. Under these agreements, Gilead allows generic manufacturers to produce remdesivir with specified conditions, such as limits on where it can be sold. A company in Bangladesh, where Gilead holds no patents, also produces generic remdesivir. Where Gilead holds patents, countries could nevertheless gain access to generic remdesivir by issuing a compulsory license. This is a recognized measure under both international trade law and the patent laws of many countries, including Australia. A compulsory license grants the right to produce and sell a patented drug without the permission of the patent holder, both domestically and to other countries that have also issued a compulsory license. Boost international solidarity The remdesivir saga highlights the need for greater international solidarity and a more public health-oriented approach to the development of new treatments. On June 1, 2020, the World Health Organization addressed this by launching the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), which offers a way to share knowledge and intellectual property in response to COVID-19. Countries and charities spending billions of dollars on developing new vaccines and drugs should require that technologies developed with public funds are shared with C-TAP. Unfortunately, Australia has not yet pledged its support to C-TAP. Perhaps the recent experience with remdesivir will help the government realize that an open and collaborative approach is a much-needed alternative to one country hoarding the world's supply of an overpriced and largely unproven drug. Explore further NGOs press drug firm Gilead over potential virus treatment This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Britain on Friday exempted dozens of countries from its quarantine rules as the coronavirus outbreak slowed in Europe, but excluded the United States as the pandemic accelerates across the Americas. With Europe reopening after an unprecedented lockdown, travellers arriving into England from more than 50 nations will from July 10 no longer be required to undergo 14 days of self-isolation. The European Union meanwhile authorised the use of the anti-viral drug remdesivir for COVID-19the first treatment approved to deal with the diseasealthough the United States has bought most of the global stock. But across the Atlantic the news was increasingly grim with the US posting a record 53,000 new COVID-19 cases, while the number of infections in Latin America overtaking those in Europe for the first time. Touching almost every country on Earth since it emerged in China late last year, the coronavirus has hit at least 10.8 million people and killed 521,000 globally, shattering previously buoyant economies and bringing public life to a standstill. The World Health Organization called on countries hit by serious outbreaks to "wake up" to the realities instead of bickering over them. "People need to wake up. The data is not lying. The situation on the ground is not lying," WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told journalists in Geneva. "It is never too late in an epidemic to take control." 'Reopening of the nation' In Europe, countries are trying to safely revive a struggling tourism sector as the northern hemisphere summer gets underway. England unveiled a list of countries from which it allow travellers, mostly covering Europebut not Portugaland the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand. The United States and mainland China are notably omitted. "Today marks the next step in carefully reopening our great nation," British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said of the change, which reverses a two-week quarantine policy imposed in June. But the exemptions will only apply to arrivals into England, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland so far sticking to the blanket ban. Many of the countries on the English list will now also allow travellers from Britain, which has suffered the deadliest coronavirus outbreak in Europe with at least 44,000 dead, although infection rates are falling and it is gradually easing a three-month lockdown. Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to behave "responsibly" ahead of so-called Super Saturday when pubs will reopen after more than three-month shutdown. The rest of Europe is also looking to the future while also seeing what lessons can be learned. French prosecutors said they were launching an inquiry into former prime minister Edouard Philippe's handling of the virus crisis, following his resignation Friday. 'Roaring back' While much of the planet pursued a return to some semblance of normality, the United States soared past 50,000 new infections Thursday for the second time in two days. Now the epicentre of the pandemic, the United States has recorded nearly 129,000 deaths out of more than 2.7 million cases and is expected to record its three millionth infection next week. So-called "Sun Belt" states in the south and west have been forced to re-shut restaurants, bars and beaches, casting a grim pall over the nation's upcoming Independence Day celebrations on July 4. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis blamed the surge on "social interactions" among young people at parties, beaches, bars, swimming pools as well as a more "robust" testing program. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott ordered people in counties with 20 or more cases to wear masks and banned gatherings of more than 10 amid a spike in infections. California has meanwhile seen a 56 percent increase in hospitalisations over two weeks. States that reopened their economies the earliest and fastest after the pandemic struckand against the advice of federal health authoritiesare now experiencing the highest caseloads. But President Donald Trump, under fire for his handling of the crisis, highlighted positive jobs data that showed 4.8 million people were back to work in June. "Today's announcement proves that our economy is roaring back," said Trump. "The crisis is being handled." Latin American cases soar Cases have been skyrocketing across Latin America. The region now has the second most cases in the world with 2.73 million, head of Europe on 2.71 million but behind North America. However there are still fewer deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean compared to Europenearly 122,000 compared to nearly 200,000. Brazil, the region's largest economy, has almost 1.5 million confirmed cases alone, second only to the United States. Nevertheless, popular tourist city Rio de Janeiro authorised bars, restaurants and cafes to reopen at 50 percent capacity. Colombia, the fourth largest economy in the region, passed 100,000 cases while Peru topped 10,000 dead. In Asia, however, swift lockdowns have largely made progress against the disease. The Chinese capital Beijing was lifting most travel restrictions, weeks after a new wave of infections broke out. The global hunt for a coronavirus vaccine continues but there has been a ray of hope. The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, on Friday authorised the use of anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat the new coronavirus. Two US studies have showed it can reduce the length of hospital stays. However the United States announced earlier this week that it had purchased 92 percent of all remdesivir production by the California-based Gilead laboratory until the end of September. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP The men's range of its products will be called 'Glow & Handsome', Hindustan Unilever Ltd said in a statement. FMCG major Hindustan Unilever on Thursday said it has rebranded its popular skincare brand Fair & Lovely as 'Glow & Lovely' after dropping the word fair in its name. According to the company, it is taking a more inclusive vision of positive beauty while introducing Glow & Lovely -- the new name for the brand. Meanwhile, the men's range of its products will be called 'Glow & Handsome', Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) said in a statement. "Over the next few months, Glow & Lovely will be on the shelves, and future innovations will deliver on this new proposition," said HUL in a statement. Earlier on June, 25 HUL had announced dropping the word 'fair' from its popular skincare brand 'Fair & Lovely', citing its vision to adopt a holistic approach to beauty. The company had attributed the move to its rebranding exercise and said it would seek regulatory approvals. As part of the rebranding, HUL will also be announcing a new name for the Fair & Lovely Foundation, set up in 2003 to offer scholarships to women to help them pursue their education, the statement had said. HUL, a subsidiary of British-Dutch multinational company Unilever PLC, had approached the Controller General of Patent Design and Trademark to get the name 'Glow & Lovely' registered. Several Cosmetic brands have been under the scanner over their products that promote skin fairness for stereotyping racial types, which intensified further in the wake of 'Black Lives Matter' movement in the West. Recently the US healthcare and FMCG giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has stopped the sale of its skin-whitening creams globally, including India. French personal care maker the L'Oreal Group also last week said it will drop words such as "white/whitening, fair/fairness, light/lightening" from all its skincare products. Emami objects move to change name Home-grown FMCG firm Emami Ltd, however, strongly objected to Hindustan Unilever rebranding its men's range of skincare product as 'Glow & Handsome', claiming trademark rights over the name. Emami has also hinted at taking legal action as it has already changed its men's fairness cream's name to 'Emami Glow & Handsome'. "We are shocked to learn of HUL's decision to rename its men's range of Fair & Lovely as 'Glow & Handsome'. Emami Ltd, maker of 'Fair and Handsome' brand of men's grooming products, is the market leader in the men's fairness cream with legal ownership of the trademarks," said Emami in a statement. The Kolkata-based group has said it was "although shocked" but not surprised to note HUL's "unfair business practice which has been prevalent time and again to damage our brand image". The company will be consulting its legal experts to address this issues further, it added. Credit: University of New Mexico Depression is the most common mental health disorder in the U.S., affecting roughly one in five adults and is at the core of numerous other health conditions including cancer, substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, dementia, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, and other physical disabilities. Until recently, there has been little research on the actual effects of common and commercially available cannabis products on mood and behavioral motivations more generally. As a result of federal regulatory barriers to conducting clinical research on potential medicinal applications of the Cannabis plant in the United States, the existing research has been mostly limited to measurements of synthetic analog therapies or cannabis-derived formulates neither widely used nor generalizable to the extensive range of cannabis-based products used by millions of people every day. Now, researchers at The University of New Mexico have examined the immediate effects of consuming natural Cannabis flower or "buds" on symptoms of depression using data collected by the Releaf App. The data showed that using Cannabis results in an average symptom improvement of nearly four points on a 0-10 scale just moments after consumption. Conventional pharmaceutical medications for treating depression, such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MOIs), tricyclics antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), typically require several weeks or even months to begin to alleviate symptoms of depression. The potential side effects of conventional antidepressant medications include sedation, agitation, anxiety, anorgasmia, demotivation and suicidal ideation. In a recent study, titled: "The Effectiveness of Cannabis Flower for Immediate Relief from Symptoms of Depression," published in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, researchers showed that the vast majority of patients that use cannabis experience antidepressant effects, although the magnitude of the effect and extent of side effect experiences varied with fundamental properties of the plant. "One of the more interesting findings from this study," describes investigator Jacob Miguel Vigil in the UNM Department of Psychology Department, "is that Cannabis flower with relatively high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is particularly associated with immediate reductions in the intensity of depressive feelings." Other, mostly animal studies show that, like conventional antidepressants, THC affects dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine generation. "The differences in time-to-effect and relative side effect prevalence across products and users may also be due to other antidepressant and synergistic compounds in the plant, and there may be several thousand cannabis strains, each with their clusters of compounds that have individual or interactive antidepressant effects, including cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids," says Vigil. The study observed 1,819 people who completed 5,876 cannabis self-administration sessions using the Releaf App, a mobile software application designed to help users manage Cannabis consumption by allowing users to record real-time changes in symptom intensity and experienced side effects. In addition to the general finding of the effectiveness of Cannabis flower with high THC levels, the researchers found that up to 20% of cannabis use was associated with some negative side effects that correspond to low moods, such as feeling unmotivated, but users were three times as likely to experience positive side effects, including feeling happy, optimistic, peaceful, and relaxed. "With no end to the depression epidemic insight, and given the limitations and potential severe negative side effects of conventional antidepressant medications, there is a real need for people to be able to treat mood disturbances with natural, safe, and effective medications, and the Cannabis plant checks off all three boxes," says Vigil. "One of the major reasons I wanted to conduct this study was to help find answers for a close colleague who confided in me that their loved one was struggling with severe depression and heavy cannabis use. "My colleague didn't know if cannabis contributed to the depression or if their loved one was using cannabis to self-medicate. While the former possibility has yet to gain unequivocal support, our study definitively shows that the Cannabis plant effectively and quickly reduces feelings of depression in the vast majority of people." By enabling prospective, real-time recording of cannabis administration sessions across a broad range of Cannabis flower strains throughout the U.S., the largest study of its kind to date, the electronic recording software made it possible to measure how consumption of Cannabis flower products affected changes in the intensity of feelings of depression and which types of common product characteristics are associated with the strongest effects. "We are seeing very encouraging evidence that cannabis can be safe and effective for treating both depression and chronic pain," says Ph.D. student and fellow researcher Jegason Diviant. "Phytocannabinoid isolates, such as THC or CBD, are less effective treatment options than whole-spectrum cannabis products. However, it is not enough to simply educate the public that whole-spectrum cannabis is superior to cannabis-derived isolates. There are thousands of cannabis strains, also known as chemotypes or chemovars, and they all have a unique phytocannabinoid and terpene profile. "I predict that we will identify specific chemotypes that are optimal for treating various mental and physical health disorders as well as chemotypes that may be contraindicated for these disorders. This research is critical and essential for public health, and for us to properly conduct this vital research, the Schedule I classification must be lifted." Dr. Sarah Stith, an assistant professor in the UNM Department of Economics who studies pharmaceutical markets more generally, further explained the importance of the results, "This study focused on short-term relief from symptoms of depression, meaning we still do not have a complete understanding of the long-term relationship between cannabis use and depression. However, this study shows an obvious space for cannabis even within a conventional antidepressant medication regime, for short-term relief during the weeks of often very severe depressive symptoms before conventional antidepressants become effective." A related study, titled "The Effectiveness of Cannabis Flower for Alleviating Migraine and Headache Pain" soon to be published in the Journal of Integrative Medicine, showed that Cannabis flower with relatively high THC contents may also be effective for the treatment of migraine and headache-related pain, with females and younger users appearing to experience the strongest symptom relief from specific Cannabis strains. Explore further Study shows cannabis temporarily relieves PTSD symptoms More information: A Li X, Diviant JP, Stith SS, et al. The Effectiveness of Cannabis Flower for Immediate Relief from Symptoms of Depression. Yale J Biol Med. 2020;93(2):251-264. Published 2020 Jun 29. A Li X, Diviant JP, Stith SS, et al. The Effectiveness of Cannabis Flower for Immediate Relief from Symptoms of Depression. Yale J Biol Med. 2020;93(2):251-264. Published 2020 Jun 29. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7309674/ Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The World Health Organization on Friday urged countries hit by serious coronavirus outbreaks to "wake up" to the realities on the ground instead of bickering, and to "take control". "People need to wake up. The data is not lying. The situation on the ground is not lying," WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told journalists at a briefing hosted by the UN correspondents' association in Geneva. Touching almost every country on Earth since it emerged in China late last year, the coronavirus has hit at least 10.8 million people and killed 521,000 worldwide. The Americas are the hardest-hit region, with most cases and deaths registered in the United States, and with numbers skyrocketing in a several countries in Latin America. Asked about the dire situations in nations like Brazil and Mexico, which have been moving away from lockdowns despite ballooning numbers of infections and deaths, Ryan cautioned that "too many countries are ignoring what the data is telling them". "There are good economic reasons that the countries need to bring their economies back online," he said. "It's understandable, but you can't ignore the problem either. The problem will not magically go away." While he acknowledged that countries facing explosive outbreaks had some "pretty stark choices" ahead, he insisted that "it is never too late in an epidemic to take control". 'Worst case scenario' Instead of placing an entire nation under lockdown, he suggested that countries could try to break down the problem. It could be possible to loosen restrictions in areas with lower transmission rates and still contain the outbreak through things like physical distancing, hand-washing, testing, isolating cases and contact tracing. But in areas where the virus is spreading uncontrollably, strict measures could be unavoidable, he said. "If countries proceed with opening up without the capacity to cope with the likely caseload, then you end up in a worst-case scenario," Ryan warned. "If the health system stops coping, more people will die." He said there could be places in Mexico and in other countries "where it may be important to slow down or to reverse some of the measures aimed at opening up society." "It is looking at: can you control transmission by any other means other than transmission? If you can't, you may not have an alternative" to lockdown. In the case of Brazil, which counts almost 1.5 million confirmed cases, second only to the United States, Ryan meanwhile said that the numbers had "stabilised", meaning they are no longer rising as steeply, but they are "still rising". He also stressed that despite "fighting a large number of cases for a long time now," Brazil's hospitals and intensive care units had not yet been overwhelmed. "We want to see them intensify efforts and we want to see more progress," he said, "but we also have to pay credit to the health system in Brazil for its capacity to cope for what has been a long battle against this virus." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Peru surpassed 10,000 deaths from the coronavirus on Thursday, the health ministry said, a day after the government began easing a national lockdown in a bid to revive the economy. The number of deaths rose to 10,045, an increase of 185 in the last 24 hours, while the number of people infected rose to 292,004, the ministry said. Peru is Latin America's second worst-hit country after Brazil, where according to official figures more than 60,000 people have died from the disease. Peru's victims include 71 health workers and 153 police officers, according to officials. Among the latest of Peru's victims is the leader of the Awajun indigenous people, Santiago Manuin, who died Wednesday aged 63. Manuin was recognized with Spain's Queen Sofia Prize for his crusade in defense of the Amazon and indigenous rights. During a visit by Pope Francis in 2018, when the pontiff met with Amazon indigenous leaders in Peru's Madre de Dios region, Manuin presented the pope with a traditional feather headdress. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP Researchers experimentally infected liver cells with mosquito-bred parasites, and characterized the vivax malaria infection in India. Credit: Mindy Takamiya/Kyoto University iCeMS A new approach could illuminate a critical stage in the life cycle of one of the most common malaria parasites. The approach was developed by scientists at Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) in Japan and published in the Malaria Journal. "The Plasmodium vivax malaria parasite can stay dormant in a person's liver cells up to years following infection, leading to clinical relapses once the parasite is reactivated," says Kouichi Hasegawa, an iCeMS stem cell biologist and one of the study's corresponding authors. P. vivax is responsible for around 7.5 million malaria cases worldwide, about half of which are in India. Currently, there is only one licensed drug to treat the liver stage of the parasite's life cycle, but it has many side effects and cannot be used in pregnant women and infants. The liver stage is also difficult to study in the lab. For example, scientists have struggled to recreate high infection rates in cultured liver cells. Hasegawa and his colleagues in Japan, India and Switzerland developed a successful system for breeding mature malaria parasites, culturing human liver cells, and infecting the cells with P. vivax. While it doesn't solve the high infection rate problem, the system is providing new, localized insight into the parasite's liver stage. "Our study provides a proof-of-concept for detecting P. vivax infection in liver cells and provides the first characterization of this infectious stage that we know of in an endemic region in India, home to the highest burden of vivax malaria worldwide," says Hasegawa. The researchers bred Anopheles stephensi mosquitos in an insectarium in India. Female mosquitos were fed with blood specifically from Indian patients with P. vivax infection. Two weeks later, mature sporozoites, the infective stage of the malaria parasite, were extracted from the mosquitos' salivary glands and added to liver cells cultured in a petri dish. The scientists tested different types of cultured liver cells to try to find cells that would be infected by lots of parasites like in the human body. Researchers have already tried using cells taken liver biopsies and of various liver cancer cell lines. So far, none have led to large infections. Hasegawa and his colleagues tried using three types of stem cells that were turned into liver cells in the lab. Notably, they took blood cells from malaria-infected patients, coaxed them into pluripotent stem cells, and then guided those to become liver cells. The researchers wondered if these cells would be genetically more susceptible to malaria infection. However, the cells were only mildly infected when exposed to the parasite sporozoites. A low infection rate means the liver cells cannot be used for testing many different anti-malaria compounds at once. But the researchers found the cells could test if a specific anti-malaria compound would work for a specific patient's infection. This could improve individualized treatment for patients. The scientists were also able to study one of the many aspects of parasite liver infection. They observed the malaria protein UIS4 interacting with the human protein LC3, which protected the parasite from destruction. This demonstrates their approach can be used to further investigate this important stage in the P. vivax life cycle. Explore further First clinical trial with genetically modified malaria vaccine completed More information: Pradeep A. Subramani et al, Plasmodium vivax liver stage assay platforms using Indian clinical isolates, Malaria Journal (2020). Journal information: Malaria Journal Pradeep A. Subramani et al, Plasmodium vivax liver stage assay platforms using Indian clinical isolates,(2020). DOI: 10.1186/s12936-020-03284-8 Credit: Pennsylvania State University In a new study, Penn State College of Nursing Project Director Erica Hussera developmental gerontologist with a passion for nature and older women's healthinvestigated the perceived influence of nature on the daily lives of rural older women living with multiple chronic health conditions. According to Husser, we are hard-wired to pay attention to nature early in life, but as we develop, the ways in which people come to understand, value, and experience nature will vary. Considering how dramatically many lives have shifted and how uncertain the days continue to be in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Husser said the perceptions and experiences that rural older women have with nature can offer insights that may help others cope with, and adapt to changes that are out of our control. Husser said that culture, demographic characteristics, family norms and behaviors, and personal experiences all shape who we are and how we experience nature with differential impacts, but the science is clear: nature can nurture. Research examining the influence of nature on behavioral and psychosocial characteristics has showed positive outcomes for factors like heart rate, blood pressure, attention, cognitive function, social interaction, neighborhood satisfaction, and quality of life. "Traditionally, older women have had fewer seats at the table and their voices marginalized," Husser said. "They seem to disappear from society and not many people pay attention to them. Institutionally, academia has mostly overlooked older women, so we don't have much research on their views about the natural environment, and they have a set of values I think we could all learn from." Rural older women and the importance of nature Research conducted through Penn State College of Nursing investigated the perceived influence of nature on the daily lives of rural older women living with multiple chronic health conditions. Understanding those values and the potential impact nature could have on older women's health and well-being, Husser sought to learn how rural older women related to their natural surroundings. She conducted in-depth face-to-face interviews with 34 women aged 71 to 91, living in rural southwest Virginia. What she discovered were intimate and important connections between nature and the women's perceived well-being and quality of life, as they were experiencing aging in place. "The women identified with nature, and they were immersed in it, daily," Husser said. "They felt like it was part of who they were, and it provided them joy, helped them relax, engaged their mental and emotional processing, and for some, it strengthened their sense of community." Further elaborating on how the women identified with nature, Husser found that the women perceived nature to be the environment "right outside their door." Most women described a spiritual connection with nature, viewing it as God's creation. The study found that interacting with nature activated their faith in God, helping them reconcile and cope with health challenges, personal trauma, or natural disasters. "At some point, people become less interested with materialistic and rationalistic ways of being and they transition toward a more cosmic perspective that involves less concern for self, and increased interest in reflecting, exploring, and engaging more cognitive energy toward intangible and often-times existential questions and ideas," Husser said. "Nature seems to be one of the spaces that really allows for reflection, and potential growth and existential understanding to be experienced." Husser said that while nature served as a spiritual connector for a majority of the women, several others also described their experiences as emotionally and intellectually stimulating, which motivated continued engagement. They felt nature provided them with relaxation, energization, liberation, and an opportunity to learn more about nature, all of which contributed to enhanced cognitive engagementan essential component of mental and emotional health. As people struggle to cope with the developing coronavirus pandemic and its effects on their daily lives, Husser said these older women provide the perspective that time spent in nature can serve as an avenue for managing and adapting to feelings of loss, grief, isolation and confinement. Fear of contracting the virus, government mandated lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, and the transition to telecommunication emphasize the need to practice good self-care to help manage anxiety, stress, and concerns about liberty and independence. For these aging women, spending time in the natural environment enhanced their sense of freedom and provided a buffer against feelings of confinement. "You just see things like rabbits and turkeys; the field will be full of turkeys," said one 75-year-old woman. "I just like it, and it makes you feel like you are not closed in." These themes of enjoying nature, spiritual connections through nature, and emotional and intellectual health and well-being with respect to being immersed in nature do not translate across all groups, according to Husser, who added it's important to understand that as we age, we become more diverse, and that diversification paves the way towards more meaningful research. "We have to steer this popular fear of aging away from a horrible doom-and-gloom type of scenario toward something more realistic," Husser said. "Aging can be about the beauty of your lifelong learning and the integration of your experiences coming to fruition to support yourself as your physical health, and the world around both change. Knowing what you need to feed your own spirit and to energize yourself is important." As research continues to untangle the relationship between the natural environment and improved mental, emotional, and cognitive health, individuals experiencing a loss of control or feelings of isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic may find comfort and support in learning about the life experiences and perspectives of these older women aging in rural America. Husser directs Age Friendly Care, PA, a collaboration between the College of Nursing, CGNE, the College of Medicine, the Primary Health Network (PHN), Area Agencies on Aging, and the Alzheimer's Association, and the Pennsylvania Department of Aging. The program aims to educate and implement the 4Ms of Age Friendly Carewhat Matters, Medication, Mentation and Mobilityacross health systems, community groups, families, and individuals throughout the commonwealth over the next five years. Putting her research into the context of the 4Ms of Age-Friendly Care, Husser explains that spending time in nature informs what matters to these women. Knowing what matters empowers health care providers to individualize and align care that harnesses and supports the values of each patient. What matters anchors and informs the other care decision related to mobility, medications, and mentation. "My colleagues in the College of Nursing and my supervisor provided me with flexibility, support, and the encouragement I needed to get this work published," Husser said. "I can't say enough about the power of mentorship and peer support; it has allowed this research to emerge." For more information about Age-Friendly Care, PA, and how to stay healthy during COVID-19, click here. Explore further Who takes care of the elderly? Findings from rural South Africa Credit: CC0 Public Domain Saudi Arabia passed the grim milestone of 200,000 confirmed novel coronavirus cases, the health ministry said Friday, weeks ahead of an annual hajj pilgrimage drastically cut back because of the pandemic. The Gulf's worst-hit country has now 201,801 confirmed infections including 4,193 new cases on Friday alone, and 1,802 deaths. Over 140,000 of those infected have recovered. Amid tight restrictions to rein in the pandemic, the kingdom has said it would only allow around 1,000 worshippers already present in the kingdom to take part in the annual hajj pilgrimage later this month. In 2019, the rite attracted over 2.5 million Muslim pilgrims from around the world. This year's hajj will take place under strict hygiene protocols, with access restricted to pilgrims under 65 years old and without any chronic illnesses. Pilgrims will be tested on their arrival in the holy city of Mecca, and following the ritual they will go into quarantine in their homes. Saudi Arabia has seen an uptick in both confirmed infections and deaths from the COVID-19 illness since easing movement restrictions in late May. It has yet to restore international air links. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP Credit: CC0 Public Domain Spain on Friday registered 17 virus deaths within 24 hours, its highest daily COVID-19 toll since June 19. The update came as many Spaniards were gearing up to go on holiday and as the country preparing to reopen its frontiers on Saturday to travellers from 12 other countries outside the European Union. Spain had already opened its borders to EU nations on June 21 as well as residents of the passport-free Schengen zone. The health ministry said it had reinforced its presence at Spain's airports to check incoming travellers, with an extra 650 staff to add to the 600 already in place. On Thursday, the health ministry said five people had died overnight, giving a weekly total of 24 deaths. Also on Thursday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain must "learn to live with the virus" and carry on as normal, "without lowering our guard". Spain has been badly hit by the epidemic, suffering 28,385 deaths, Europe's fourth-highest toll after the United Kingdom, Italy and France. It has also diagnosed 250,545 cases within its population of 47 million, ranking third within Europe after Russia and the UK. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP Drinkers stand within rings marked on the grass to maintain their social distance outside a bar in Canary Wharf, East London as further coronavirus lockdown restrictions are lifted in England, on Wednesday, July 1, 2020. (Victoria Jones/PA via AP) The British government said Friday it is scrapping a 14-day quarantine rule for arrivals from a number of countries deemed "lower risk" for the coronavirus, including France, Spain, Germany and Italy. The change takes effect July 10, just over a month after the U.K. began requiring international arrivals to self-isolate for two weeks. The full list of exempted countries will be announced later Friday, the government said. It is considered unlikely the United States, which has the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the world, will be among them. On Saturday, the government will also exempt several countries from its advice against overseas travel, meaning U.K. tourists can once again head abroad on vacation. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the changes are "good news for British people and great news for British businesses." But he stressed that the government could re-impose quarantine restrictions "in countries we are reconnecting with." The changes announced apply only to England, a sign of friction between Prime Minister Boris Johnson's central government and semi-autonomous administrations in the rest of the U.K.Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been particularly critical of Johnson's approach to easing coronavirus lockdown measures and has taken a more cautious approach. A Doorman wearing a mask outside Harrods department store opens the door for customers in London, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Companies linked to hospitality and travel in Britain are shedding thousands of jobs as the longer term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic take hold, choosing to slim down for survival rather than await potential government handouts. Even stalwarts such as British shopping icon Harrods reportedly drew plans for 700 cuts, blamed in part on a lack of tourists. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) The British government also made the announcement without securing reciprocal agreements that British travelers will not face quarantines. The Department for Transport said its "expectation is that a number of the exempted countries will also not require arrivals from the U.K. to self-isolate." Britain has the highest COVID-19 toll in Europe, with almost 44,000 confirmed deaths. The country is gradually emerging from a nationwide lockdown imposed in March, with bars, restaurants and hairdressers allowed to reopen in England on Saturday. The European Union re-opened its borders this week to people from 14 countries including Canada, Japan, South Korea and Moroccobut not the U.S. Britain left the EU on Jan. 31 but continues to be bound by its rules during a transition period that lasts until the end of the year. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. A woman plastic surgeon and her colleagues operate on a patient at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington State. A Johns Hopkins Medicine study shows that throughout their residencies, women plastic surgeons underrate their performance and may foster unfair gender biases. Credit: With permission from the U.S. Army and photographer John Wayne Liston. Credit: Johns Hopkins University Recent news headlines, such as "Gender gap in self-promotion penalizes women," "Women less inclined to self-promote than men," and "Men exaggerate their importance at work while women do the exact opposite," vividly portray a long-standing problem in the working world: Women often do not evaluate their on-the-job performance accurately. This can create an undeserved gender bias that may result in severe disparities between the sexes in opportunities for leadership roles, career advancement and pay increases. The medical community is not immune to these disparities. Research suggests that women in medical professions tend to follow the disturbing trend of not assessing their performance properly. Now, investigators at three medical institutions led by Johns Hopkins Medicine have added another group to the list: plastic surgery residents. The researchers showed in a recent study that by the second year of a residency program, self-assessment performance ratings by residents differed significantly from the evaluations by their attending physicians, but not surprisingly, in opposite directions according to gender. Male residents scored themselves much higher than did their advisers, while female residents rated themselves much lower. "It appears based on our findings that for plastic surgery residents, it takes a year before the gender bias in performance evaluation develops," says Carisa Cooney, M.P.H., assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and lead author of the study published online on April 23, 2020, in the American Journal of Surgery. "During the first year of the residency program, we found that both male and female residents significantly underrated their performance," she explains. "However, the men moved their evaluations upward in post graduate years two to six, while the women continued to significantly underrate themselves over the same period." The study teamincluding researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine, the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Texasexamined more than 8,100 evaluations made by 64 residents (25% women) and 51 attending surgeons (29% women) during training programs at the three institutions. Based on their findings, the researchers recommend more studies to determine the reasons for the gender differences in self-assessments and to provide guidance for developing measures to reduce or eliminate bias. Explore further Women underrepresented in academic hospital medicine leadership roles, study finds More information: Carisa M. Cooney et al. Differences in operative self-assessment between male and female plastic surgery residents: A survey of 8,149 cases, The American Journal of Surgery (2020). Carisa M. Cooney et al. Differences in operative self-assessment between male and female plastic surgery residents: A survey of 8,149 cases,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2020.04.009 AT LEAST seven Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights between Manila and Hong Kong and the Middle East scheduled for June 6-8 were canceled, the ... MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava did not give a direct answer when asked if the Sino-Indian border situation had been discussed. New Delhi: At a time when time-tested friend Russia is emerging as a key player in the India-China equation and has also been a major defence supplier to India for decades, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and conveyed his keenness to welcome President Putin in India for the annual bilateral summit this year. The external affairs ministry said Putin reiterated his commitment to further strengthen the special and privileged strategic partnership in all spheres, but MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava did not give a direct answer when asked if the Sino-Indian border situation had been discussed. The MEA said the two leaders agreed to maintain the momentum of bilateral contacts and consultations, and that Putin thanked the PM for the phone call and reiterated his commitment to further strengthen ties. It added: The Prime Minister warmly congratulated President Putin on the success of celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Second World War, and also for the successful completion of the vote on constitutional amendments in Russia. The leaders took note of the effective measures undertaken by the two countries to address the negative consequences of the COVID-19 global pandemic and agreed on the importance of closer India-Russia ties for jointly addressing the challenges of the post-COVID world. In its own statement, Russia said: "The two leaders discussed topical issues on the Russian-Indian agenda and confirmed their mutual commitment to strengthening the privileged strategic partnership". Missoula was getting ready Thursday to prepare for Fourth of July festivities, with professional public fireworks slated for July 3 and 4. In preparation for Independence Day, city officials also sent out a reminder that most fireworks are illegal and cause safety hazards to people, wildland and animals. The two public fireworks displays this year are being set up to account for the novel coronavirus pandemic and social distancing measures. The first will be at the Ogren Park Allegiance Field on July 3, following an 8 p.m. showing of "Shrek." The display hosted by the Paddleheads will have limited capacity with social distancing pods on the field. Four-person pods cost $100 and eight-person pods cost $200. The second display will be hosted by Southgate Mall on July 4 at 10:30 p.m. The mall parking lot will be closed to the public after 6 p.m. as a COVID-19 precaution. The fireworks will be viewable from various spots around town or on an NBC Montana Facebook livestream, and accompanying music can be broadcast on Mountain 102.5 FM radio. Fireworks are prohibited in the city, on open space city lands, U.S. Forest Service lands, and county parks and recreation sites. They are also illegal in Fort Missoula and the annexed areas at the west end of Missoula. "I can't imagine a circumstance that would be so bad that I would do that. But the advantage is all concealed weapon permit holders do not have a criminal history and have some sort of background check and been vetted at some point. But I can't stress enough that there's nothing on the horizon. I don't have any list sitting on my desk ready to make a phone call. I just don't see that it happening." Manzella, who is a candidate for Senate District 44, told the Missoulian on Friday that forming a civilian posse "is all within his right and authority. I'm glad it's part of the Montana Code Annotated." Indeed, on Thursday and Friday she posted links to sections of the code on her Facebook page delineating a sheriff's duties, and excerpted one: "(6) command the aid of as many inhabitants of the count as are necessary in the execution of the sheriff's duties." In her post, she wrote, "I've specifically brought forward #6 for those who struggle with the simplicity of the word 'posse.'" She also posted a story from CNS News, which calls itself "conservative medias linchpin," headlined "Florida sheriff will deputize 'every lawful gun owner' if needed to handle lawless protests." "Huh. Imagine that? Ya mean hell raise a posse?" she wrote, adding a smiley-face emoji. As the company got closer to its 2-million-shield mark, Coaster Cycles and Imagine Nation decided to team up to make a commemorative beer. Rivers designed the beer can himself. It features Bruce riding a Coaster Cycles cargo bike, with health care workers wearing face shields riding in the back. The background depicts Mount Sentinel and Mount Jumbo with a skyline of famous buildings from various U.S. cities to depict the range of influence theyve had. The brew itself is a New England IPA, a favorite of Bruce who is from New England himself, with hints of mango, passionfruit and orange. The IPAs name, Fighting Chance, was inspired by the purpose of making the face shieldsthe people who would wear them. Rivers said that even though the process of making a shield is monotonous, the employees making them sustained energy because they connected with the purpose. Ultimately what youre doing is youre producing something critical for health care workers around the country to be able to combat the virus and hopefully give people a fighting chance, Rivers said. And so we decided to name the beer Fighting Chance New England IPA. The process of making a mask is simple, said Bruce, chief operating officer. It takes around 30 seconds to put it together before packaging. He said each person could make 600 masks a day on average. The Montana Commissioner of Higher Education called Thursday for reconvening the university system health task force to discuss a fall semester mask requirement. In a statement, Commissioner Clayton Christian said changing circumstances and a growing number of COVID-19 cases in Montana prompted him to ask the MUS Healthy Fall 2020 Task Force to reconvene. The discussion will center on mask requirements and enforcement, he said in the statement. The Task Force also will consider issues related to compliance, enforcement and other details surrounding a mask requirement, he said. The Task Force also will consider any relevant exceptions to a requirement. The decision to re-group the task force came after a Board of Regents meeting Tuesday and an increase in social media attention following word that the University of Montana had not been planning to mandate masks due to the difficulties of enforcement. UM has said it expects people to wear masks and hopes to inspire a culture of compliance. The chamber has posted resources on its website on hygiene and sanitization protocols and have hosted a number of webinars for businesses, especially in the first phase of reopening in the state. More information and assistance will be available as cases grow, O'Hair said. Healthy economies are based on a healthy population, he said. "Government grants, low-interest loans, business bail-out dollars cannot compare to healthy economic activity," O'Hair said. "Businesses will not be able to survive in Montana without healthy economic activity in the state." One business that has made changes to prevent COVID-19 spread is The Vig Alehouse & Casino in Billings' Heights. The bar's employees practice intense sanitation protocols and are required to wear masks, according to general manager Aric Weber. "There's an agreement you have when you open your doors to guests who come in," Weber said. "They decide to come to you for hospitality, food and whatever else. The unsaid agreement is that it's going to be a clean, safe environment where you can enjoy yourself and be comfortable. Otherwise, why aren't you just staying home?" The Vig kept its operations closed amid the business shutdown in March and April, taking the time to deep-clean the building and catch up on maintenance repairs. Last month, Japanese Ambassador also expressed his deep condolences to the families of Indian soldiers who were killed in the border clash New Delhi: In a major diplomatic boost to New Delhi amid the Sino-Indian border tensions in the Ladakh sector, Japan on Friday backed India by opposing any unilateral attempts by China to change the status quo at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This came after Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla briefed Japanese Ambassador Satoshi Suzuki on Friday, indicating how the Indian Government is building diplomatic support for its position. Japan itself has maritime territorial disputes with China. In a tweet put out without naming China, the Japanese envoy said, Had a good talk with FS Shringla. Appreciated his briefing on the situation along LAC, including GoIs policy to pursue peaceful resolution. Japan also hopes for peaceful resolution through dialogues. Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo. Last month, the Japanese Ambassador had also expressed his deep condolences to the families of the Indian soldiers who were killed in the border clash with Chinese troops at the Galwan valley in the Ladakh sector in mid-June. Ties between India and Japan have strengthened enormously in the past six years. India and Japan along with the United States and Australia are already part of the four-nation "Quad" arrangement that focuses on maintenance of a "rules-based order" in the Indo-Pacific region. The Quad is seen by observers as a crucial arrangement in the face of increasing Chinese military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region and South China Sea. Just a few days ago, the Japanese maritime self-defence forces had carried out a training exercise with the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean. One would think the illnesses and deaths from COVID-19 are enough for people to have to endure. Apparently serious illness and death are not adequate because politics and anger have also been thrown into this great American stew, apparently to satisfy those super-patriots among us. Somehow, some group from somewhere in this country decided the basest politics should be also be included in concocting the full scourge of this virus. As near as I can understand it, heres the deal: Progressives, Democrats, seem to be the ones wearing the masks without much complaining. The always Trumpers, Republicans mainly, are the ones refusing the masks and declaring that "government is not going to tell them they should wear a protective mask. You know, we all have significant lessons we learn through life. For me, one of those life lessons was political and it came early. I was a fourth grade student at Lincoln School in Butte when Harry Truman came to town. Even I, at the uninitiated age of 10, could tell the difference between milquetoast political candidates and a genuine kick-ass candidate like Truman. If people had suggested to him that freedom meant refusing to wear a face mask, even though it would likely protect ones family and neighbors from a killer virus, Truman would have cussed and laughed that gang into the last election. Disclaimer : The views expressed in the forum are the views of the user writing the post, and not that of moneycontrol.com. You agree, by accessing this forum, that moneycontrol.com bears no liability for any posts on this forum or, any losses suffered by following any advice posted on this forum. moneycontrol.com operates this real time, open, unmoderated, private forum for users to exchange information and to discuss various investing techniques. moneycontrol.com or, its personnel do not post anything, or vet the content posted, on this forum. moneycontrol.com reserves the right to deny service to anyone. You, and not moneycontrol.com, assume the entire cost and risk of any trading you choose to undertake. You are solely responsible for making your own investment decisions. If you choose to engage in such transactions with or without seeking advice from a licensed and qualified financial advisor or entity, then such decision and any consequences flowing therefrom are your sole responsibility. Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said during her briefing on Thursday that not only are the positive cases of COVID-19 growing, but theyre growing more quickly across the state. She said the state has seen increases day over day in June. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday a one-day total of 624 deaths from the virus since Thursday, and a total of 128,648 deaths since COVID-19 entered the U.S. The CDC also reported a one-day total of 53,301 of new positive cases on Friday, and a total of 2,732,531 positive cases. State and local health officials are urging everyone to wear a face covering, avoid crowds and wash their hands often. Burke County health officials said people need to be aware of the risks of having parties and getting together in large groups (more than 10 indoors and more than 25 outdoors). We encourage residents not to gather in groups on or at the lake, peoples houses for cookouts and parties unless you can stay away from each other, wear a face covering and wash your hands frequently, said a briefing from the county department on Friday. These activities could cause another spike in cases within our community. For answers to further questions or additional information, call the Burke County Public Information Line at 828-764-9168, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. After hours, weekends and holidays, leave a message and the call will be answered as soon as staff returns. Also visit the Burke County COVID-19 webpage at www.burkenc.org/COVID-19. Sharon McBrayer can be reached at smcbrayer@morganton.com or at 828-432-8946. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. No demographic subgroup in our survey was in consensus about what K-12 schools should do in fall 2020, Jason Husser, director of the Elon Poll and associate professor of political science and policy studies at Elon said. That all three broad approaches for reopening K-12 schools have similar levels of support is a testament to the uncertainty, complexity and difficulty of the decision. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} This complexity and uncertainty extends to the top levels of government, as state officials attempt to make sense of an ever-changing situation. We continue to get in more evidence regarding the kinds of steps we need to take to make sure that our teachers and our children are safe at school, Cooper said Wednesday in a media briefing. Were continuing to get more input from teachers and parents and we want to assimilate all of that and make a decision within the next couple of weeks. Cooper said Wednesday that he directed a number of schools that were scheduled to open in July to conduct remote learning until he hands down a directive on reopening in the next few weeks. During the briefing Wednesday, Cooper highlighted the importance that in-person school plays in a childs development, both educational and otherwise. Mace said the elections office has already received between 200 and 250 requests for mail-in ballots, which is as many as she thought they would have received throughout an entire election. Were ready, Mace said. We have measures in place to take care of them. Mace said absentee-by-mail ballots have to start going out on Sept. 4 but the elections office could start mailing them out before that date. Mace said one witness is required for a mail-in ballot but it doesnt have to be notarized. She said the elections office has had a lot of people inquiring about absentee-by-mail voting and when early voting will start. Early voting starts Oct. 15 and runs through Oct. 31. All five early voting sites in the county will be open during the period. Mace said the elections office is looking at doing the same hours they did during early voting for the primary election. As for voting in person, Mace said plans are being made to keep people safe. She said every employee will be provided a mask and hand sanitizer will be available at every precinct. Mace said she wants to have a hand sanitizer station as people come in the door and as they leave. At the start of June, there were 70,013 COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, which soared to 1,74,761 lakh by the end of June. Mumbai: In a frightening sign of how COVID-19 pandemic has been spreading rapidly in the state, more than one lakh coronavirus cases were reported in Maharashtra in the month of June. Nearly 3,500 patients were added on a daily basis in the state in June. At the start of June, there were 70,013 COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, which soared to 1,74,761 lakh by the end of June. In Mumbai, the most affected city in the state, the number of cases on June 1 was 41,099. But the figure rapidly rose to 77,658 by June 30. State health minister Rajesh Tope ruled out community transmission of COVID-19 in the state. He said, I think there is no community spread of coronavirus in Maharashtra. The state government has been able to trace almost every COVID-19 patient and his or her source of infection. Hence, in my opinion, there is no community spread in the state. The data shows that most of the coronavirus positive patients are those who were earlier placed under institutional quarantine, home quarantine or had some contact history. Therefore, there has been no community spread in Maharashtra so far, Tope added. Till Wednesday night, the number of coronavirus cases in the state stood at 1,86,626, while the death toll was 8,053. The first case of COVID-19 was found on March 9, whereas the first death was reported in Mumbai on March 17. Interestingly, June marked beginning of Maharashtra government's Mission Begin Again campaign. After more than 2.5 months of rigorous lockdown, the state government offered several relaxations by lifting the curbs on June 8. However, large crowds at public places and the failure in maintaining social distancing have nullified the advantages of the lockdown and resulted in manifold rise in coronavirus cases. In the midst of gloom, there is a silver lining too. More than 1,01,172 patients have recovered in the state, with the recovery rate at 54.21 percent. According to Tope, plasma therapy is proving to be effective as it is showing positive results in nine out of 10 patients. ARCHIVED - Covid positive irregular migrants cause a rumpus in Murcia this week Migrant transit centres are temporarily closed so the Spanish government has no mechanism by which to repatriate those reaching Spanish soil illegally in small boats During the state of alarm decreed by the coronavirus crisis, at least 2,545 migrants have irregularly entered Spain, of which 2,384 (94%) arrived by sea. Illegal immigrants attempting to enter Spain in pateras or small boats, is a regular occurrence along the Spanish coast, migrants choosing the shorter routes across from the African coast via Morocco arriving in the various provinces of Andalucia, from Algeria and landing in Andalucia, Valencia region and the Murcia Region, or the longer routes from Algeria to the Balearic islands and a fourth across to the Canary Islands. All attempts are made to intercept the boats out at sea by the Spanish coastguard, which undertakes a major vigilance operation to prevent the pateras arriving undetected and their occupants disappearing off into the Spanish countryside. All those intercepted are brought into Spanish ports, their medical condition assessed and the migrants taken to migrant transit centres(CIE) where they are temporarily held whilst attempts are made to repatriate them to their country of origin; 45 days is the maximum time permitted for this process, after which, if they cannot be repatriated, the Spanish government is obliged to release them onto Spanish soil. On average, only 36% of repatriation cases are successful. The migrants are not given residency rights and are not allowed to work legally, which means that some end up being exploited or earning money illegally, and others continue their journey on to other European countries, France or Belgium where there are large established communities of migrants (and some trying to reach the UK) and other destinations. The onset of the Covid crisis initially halted the flow of migrants, as both Algeria and Morocco closed their own external borders, but whilst this has the effect of limiting the number of migrants from entering via the African Continent, it also prevents the Spanish authorities from repatriating migrants who have successfully reached Spain. Irregular migrants are normally held in a migrant transit centre for the 45 day period, but these were all closed during the state of emergency as the authorities could not repatriate the migrants. Algeria and Morocco are still closed off, so the centres in turn, remain closed. But this hasnt stopped the mafias who earn millions transporting irregular travellers across to Spain. In Morocco confinement of the Moroccan population is very strict, so very few boats are reaching the provinces of Cadiz, Malaga or Granada, but boats from Algeria are more numerous, reaching the coast of Almeria, Murcia and the Balearic Islands, their numbers growing as word spreads that the Spanish Authorities cannot hold or repatriate those who reach Spain. There are believed to be thousands of would-be migrants waiting for their chance to make the journey across into Europe, living in hidden encampments, and these have not escaped the Covid crisis which has engulfed the world, so recently, a number of the migrants reaching Spanish soil are testing Covid positive. During the state of alarm decreed by the coronavirus crisis, at least 2,545 migrants have irregularly accessed Spain, of which 2,384 (94%) arrived by sea, according to data from the Interior Ministry. Most of them (1,412) arrived by boat on the shores of the Canary Islands. Although the Covid cases in Spain have been largely brought under control by a strict lockdown, there have recently been a number of outbreaks, some of which are being attributed to illegal immigration, such as that of Navalmoral de la Mata (Caceres), or that of a Red Cross reception center in Malaga. In the case of Navalmoral de la Mata (Caceres) a migrant who had arrived in Almeria on 24th May had been transferred to a Red Cross centre in Caceres along with a larger group of around 50 migrants, none of whom had been tested. Some of the other migrants who arrived in the same boat had been sent to Soria, and it was here that one of them tested positive for Covid. It wasnt until five days after the migrants had been moved that the Caceres authorities were informed that a positive had been found in Soria, and were warned to test all of those distributed amongst six houses for Covid, 20 of whom were found to be positive, having been in close contact with the patient zero. He walked out of the house and into the community and a search warrant had to be issued to track him down and bring him back into quarantine, sparking extreme concern in the local community. In Malaga there were 103 cases at the Red Cross welcome centre, the origin believed to have been an aid worker who caught the virus whilst volunteering in the Canary Islands and who subsequently sparked off a major outbreak amongst staff at the centre in Malaga and many of the migrants the centre was sheltering. The Canary Island of Fuerteventura only had two positives between April 23rd and June 17th, when an inflatable boat arrived from El Aaiun (Western Sahara) with 14 positive cases on board. And four days later, another boat came from the same port with 11 others. And these are not isolated cases, there are many more, including our own in Murcia, which have this week caused a major stand-off between our regional government and the national government with several days of arguing, as well as causing upset amongst local residents in the locations in which they are being housed. On Monday this week 7 Algerians reached Aguilas in a small boat, two of them testing positive for Covid-19. They were put into quarantine and temporarily housed in an encampment alongside the Guardia Civil installation in Aguilas, provided by Cruz Roja. Four cases were also detected amongst 108 migrants who arrived in a dozen small boats at the weekend and were taken into Cartagena, adding to the one case detected earlier in the same week, from a separate boat arrival in Aguilas. In that case, 23 police officers were quarantined after coming in contact with the first individual.On Tuesday it was reported that the 14 year old covid-positive who had arrived in the first boat in Aguilas and was being monitored in the Rafael Mendez hospital in Lorca, had tried to leave the hospital, causing distress for other patients and staff. The patient, who doesnt speak Spanish, was described as having caused damage in the hospital and being in a highly anxious state, and although he didnt succeed in escaping the hospital, staff later expressed their concern about the situation, saying that the hospital is not a jail. Of the 108 migrants who arrived last weekend, the four positives were taken to hospital, whilst the remainder were located in temporary accommodation by the Cruz Roja and the Fundacion Cepaim (which works to help refugees and migrants). Eight people, close contacts of the positive cases were put in quarantine. At this point, the calls to find suitable accommodation intensified, the Mayoress of Cartagena meeting with the Government Delegate to the Region of Murcia (the highest representative of the Spanish state in the region who looks after the interests of the national Government, such as the Guardia Civil, prisons, coast guard and government-run bodies), Jose Velez to insist that the national Government provide more resource to help control the arrival of the pateras and resolve the issue of what happens once migrants reach these shores. The Government Delegate wrote to the Murcian regional government requesting that the region provide accommodation for the migrants as the state-run migrant centre at Santomera (CIE) was closed. He stated in his letter that the same locations that had been used by the regional government to house the homeless during the state of emergency would be perfectly suitable for the purpose, (there were several problems at one of these locations in Mazarron after the residents rioted on two occasions and unsettled locals). However, the regional Minister of Health, Manuel Villegas, responded that the Delegation should have sufficient means for this itself and "if you do not have the capacity, you should ask for help". Han despedido al grito de "perros,maricones,hijos de la gran puta" a unos migrantes a los que han desalojado por su presion.Fueron trasladados a un piso de Los Nietos(Murcia) para pasar la cuarentena tras estar en contacto con 4 positivos por covid. Luego que no hay racismo y tal pic.twitter.com/E5EI0T0pWZ Ibon Perez (@ibonpereztv) July 3, 2020 By this point on Thursday, some of the migrants had endured the unpleasant experience of being heckled by residents of Los Nietos, where six immigrants were temporarily housed in calle Mujol, in a property owned by Caritas. Rumours had spread that these were Covid positives, and there was a risk that locals could be infected. There were even rumours that one of the young men had escaped, and frightened residents gathered in the streets when cars came to transfer them to a Red Cross centre in Murcia on Thursday afternoon, heckling and shouting, as police separated them from the migrants. On Friday afternoon the president of the neighbour's association said that the residents were "not racist" but were "frightened" and criticised the lack of communication and explanations about what was happening for the neighbours. In Murcia city residents in the district of la Fama where nine migrants who are close contacts of those who have tested positive and who had arrived in Cartagena were being housed in a property owned by Cruz Roja were also concerned, upset by the presence of two police cars and guard in the street outside the property in a residential area where the young men were being quarantined. It was stressed that the young men were not being arrested, but simply offered a roof over their heads as they had nowhere else to go until they had completed a quarantine period and had not tested positive. The Government Delegate issued a press statement on Thursday evening explaining that he could only hold any irregular migrants for 72 hours, as the only mechanism by which they can be detained for a further 45 days is the issuing of a judicial order for repatriation, after which they must be sent to the migrant transit centres, which are closed. Finally, on Friday afternoon, it was announced that an agreement had been reached between the regional government, Government Delegate and Cruz Roja to temporarily house migrants who either tested positive or had been in close contact with others who had tested positive for a 14 day quarantine period. Cruz Roja would undertake to house the migrants and the regional government would supply additional accommodation as required, with assistance and vigilance by the Policia Nacional. The regional government stated that although illegal migration was the competence of the national Government, they were extremely concerned at the prospect of outbreaks in the resident population ( should Covid-positive migrants be left to wander freely) and were also concerned that residents not be disturbed (by the migrants being housed in unsuitable accommodation) as had occurred in Los Nietos, we have offered our collaboration to prevent the sacrifice of Murcian residents during the lockdown being wasted, they said. However, this doesnt resolve the problem that as long as the Migrant Transfer Centres remain closed there are no repatriation orders being issued and after 72 hours there is no legal mechanism to prevent illegal migrants who test negative being detained in Spain. The role of the humanitarian charitable organisations who will be looking after the migrants is to give medical assistance, help, advice and information and should those in their installations wish to leave then they can do so at any time; the only route by which they can be prevented is for the health department to obtain a judicial order should it be felt that they represent a health risk to the general public, which would only be done for those testing positive or held in quarantine. Which is itself an added incentive for all those who are desperate to get to Spain to take advantage of this window of opportunity a point being seized on by Vox far-right politicians in other areas of the country. Not all boats are detained. On Thursday Almeria media reported that a woman carrying a baby and child had been found walking along the road close to where an empty boat was later found. Had she arrived alone? Had any of her undetected companions been Covid positive? How many more boats are reaching Spain undetected??????? --> MTN SA CEO Godfrey Motsa is one of South Africas most respected telecommunications leaders, who is behind making MTN the best network in the country. Motsa is a telecommunications veteran with a passion for mobile telecoms which led him to join Vodacom in 2005 as head of brand marketing. During his time at Vodacom, he held numerous executive positions, including Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Vodacom Lesotho and Vodacom DRC. Motsa left Vodacom in 2016 to join MTN where he served as the Vice President of South and East Africa at MTN Group. In March 2017, Motsa was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of MTN South Africa, a position which he continues to hold. In this conversation, Motsa discusses MTNs new 5G network which was launched in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Durban, and Port Elizabeth. He also sheds light on how the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown have affected MTNs operations, with many staff working from home. Motsa further touches on the increased traffic on MTNs network, the value of additional spectrum, and the rapid move to digitisation. The full interview is embedded below. You can see all Whats Next with Aki Anastasiou interviews here. Gauteng is facing a crisis as the number of COVID-19 cases in the province continue to increase rapidly, prompting the consideration of intermittent lockdown rules and other measures to curb the spread of the virus. Premier David Makhura recently said that the COVID-19 storm had arrived in Gauteng, warning that July would be even more difficult. These worries were echoed by Gauteng MEC for Health Dr Bandile Masuku, who told eNCA in an interview that case numbers in the province would continue to increase over the weekend. Masuku noted that while Gauteng would approach 60,000 cases after the weekend, a number of bulk test results would still be reflected in the case numbers as the backlog was cleared. By the end of the weekend, the number of cases will have passed 50,000 and will be going towards 60,000, he said. We have a very big chunk of results that will come in bulk because of the backlog that we have actually wiped out, so that is one of the reasons why you see the numbers growing quite fast. Masuku also called the COVID-19 mortality rate in Gauteng astonishing, stating that it was much lower than countries with a similar number of cases to the province. The mortality rate is still relatively low. Some of the countries, when they reached the 50,000-mark, the mortality rate would have passed over 1,000. It is something we are astonished about, but we will continue to observe and make very clear commentary on the mortality rate, Masuku said. Meeting over intermittent lockdown this weekend Previous reports have said Gauteng is considering an intermittent lockdown to reduce the load on hospitals in the province. This strategy would define a period of time where normal operations would be allowed and a separate period where a lockdown will be enforced to contain the infection. Masuku clarified that the decision to implement a hard or intermittent lockdown would rest with the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC). We are awaiting the decision which is to be taken in a meeting over the weekend, Masuku said. If this type of lockdown were to be implemented, Masuku said that the provincial government would be able to implement it effectively and obtain the maximum benefits from this strategy. Lets clarify it this way, Masuku said. Intermittent lockdown is an option on how we could apply a lockdown. The NCCC can decide to take another decision on how we can implement it. Provincial hotspots The Gauteng Department of Health has listed COVID-19 hotspots across the province, providing an overview of affected regions and districts. This information includes case numbers on a ward-by-ward basis, as well as the recovery numbers for specific areas. Major hotspots in Johannesburg include Johannesburg South, the inner city, Soweto, Protea Glen, Doornkop, and Dobsonville. COVID-19 hotspots in Ekurhuleni include Bedfordview, Boksburg, Edenvale, Alberton, and Germiston. The images below show the Gauteng provincial COVID-19 case numbers as of 1 July 2020. Editors note: This is one of an occasional column by Visit Napa Valley. It was a collective celebration for our tourism industry upon receiving news that Napa Valley could reopen for non-essential travel allowing the road to recovery for our communities to finally begin. As we embark on the process of reopening and welcoming our Napa Valley neighbors to enjoy staycations, your health and welfare are our top priority. Without a healthy community, we cannot maintain a safe and healthy reopening. Over the past few months, tourism leaders have worked closely with Napa Valley Public Health and the county Board of Supervisors to redefine cleaning and hygiene standards across the industry. Our hotels, restaurants, wineries and other industry partners are committed to practice the highest safety guidelines. They are going above and beyond the mandated requirements in order to protect the safety of everyone they work with and everyone they serve which includes our community and the 16,000 employees who, in a typical year, depend on tourism for their livelihood. The first step is a phone call to a business to explain the rules. Additional complaints result in a visit to the business from enforcement officials for further education. Next comes monitoring, Giudice said. Weve had a few where weve really had to get engaged, Giudice said. Fortunately, we havent gotten to the point where weve had to go to a citation level or end up in court with an injunction. Those are some of the options we have. However, the county in May threatened legal action when the Quent Cordair Fine Art opened before the county eased restrictions on businesses deemed non-essential. The gallery stayed open for four days before closing while seeking its legal options. The county also successfully pressured Fume Bistro & Bar in early May after the restaurant reopened before the county gave the green light. Pedroza stressed the three es educate, engage and enforce. He wants businesses to be aware of the possible consequences of noncompliance. Supervisors talked about showcasing businesses and residents who are following the COVID-19 rules. They talked of adding a COVID chapter to the countys compliance book to address the challenges posed by the pandemic. Heedless of informed advice about conditions in California, labor unions behind the split roll ballot initiative are now persisting in their attempt to fundamentally alter the landmark Proposition 13. Their measure would remove the 1978 ballot initiatives property tax protections from commercial and industrial property, while leaving residential levies untouched. If this passes, commercial land and buildings would be taxed based on current market values, while yearly residential property taxes would still be based on 1 percent of the latest purchase price or 1 percent of their 1975 assessed value if ownership has not changed. Residential levies can climb by no more than 2 percent per year. This alteration would give local governments and public schools an additional $11 billion to $12 billion annually, sponsors say. It would do nothing about the longtime Proposition 13 inequity that sees neighbors in similar properties paying wildly different property taxes, depending on when they bought. But the alleged commercial property tax total is fictitious at this moment, the remnant of a bygone era that ended with the coronavirus shelter-at-home order issued in March by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The governor, using emergency powers, coupled his stay-home order with others allowing tenants, both individual and commercial, to delay paying rent for months at a minimum. +2 Thomas D. Elias: School districts approving ethnic studies sight unseen School boards around California are approving a flawed new ethnic studies curriculum even before its been examined in public hearings or adopted by the state Board of Education, columnist Tom Elias says. With much of the withheld rent money perhaps 15 percent of all that tenants normally pay now in limbo, property owners and appraisers cant accurately assess the value of commercial property. Owners dont know how much they will really get if tenants like the Cheesecake Factory restaurant chain, which refused to pay rent while its eateries were shuttered, dont eventually pay up. Other commercial tenants withholding rent will likely let it pile up, then negotiate settlements with building managers. Owners of many buildings will never get the full rent they were due. Also, because corporations like Twitter, Facebook and many more have told white-collar workers to keep working from home as long as they like and many like it much better than commuting a healthy percentage of office building owners have no idea how much of their space may soon be vacant. Taken together, this makes it almost impossible for owners or appraisers to calculate the actual value of much of Californias commercial property, since office buildings value depends largely on income they produce. This makes the numbers often purveyed by split roll sponsors completely speculative. +2 Thomas D. Elias: Post-lockdown realities begin to emerge Nowhere is the effect - and occasional absurdity - of the COVID-19 lockdown on display than in California's gyms, columnist Tom Elias says. Into this quagmire steps the new ballot measure, pushing a fundamentally good idea, but one that will be slammed mercilessly in television and social media advertising as landlords fear high taxes that might force them out of business. When, not if, this proposition loses at the polls, it will become virtually impossible politically to tinker with Proposition 13 for years to come, as the initiative most likely returns to its prior status as the untouchable third rail in California politics. The measure was nearly sacrosanct in Sacramento for more than 40 years, legislators of all political persuasions fearing the wrath of homeowners, who always cast ballots in higher proportions than other groups. Standing by to help dump the split roll into a deep grave is the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, named for the more famous of Proposition 13s two authors. For decades, this outfit has opposed anything that looks like it might alter even the tiniest aspect of its pet law. The Jarvis organization frequently sends mailers to property owners warning them any attack on any part of Proposition 13 promises to send their taxes through the roof. Thats happening again now, as official-looking mailings from the group turn up from time to time in homeowner mailboxes. These will become more frequent as November nears. The din around split roll might even drown out presidential balloting, which figures to be among the noisiest in years. The bottom line: Sponsors believe the financial needs of schools in the wake of the coronavirus-caused recession, plus a rising sense of general resentment of injustice, will push this initiative over the top even in this odd election year. The betting here is that they are dead wrong. Thomas D. Elias writes the syndicated California Focus column. He is author of the book, The Burzynski Breakthrough: The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It. This isnt the first criticism a Black employee has levelled at Facebook. Black workers account for 3.8% of all U.S. Facebook employees and 1.5% of all U.S. technical workers at the company. Those numbers have barely budged over the past several years, a common pattern across large Silicon Valley firms. In this picture, Zachary Greene wears a face mask while protesting in front of the Lifsey residence where the USF President Steven Currall lives on campus on July 2, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. Tampa Bay Students for Democratic Society protest at the University of South Florida demanding an increase in Black student enrollment, employ more Black faculty and staff, more financial aid, and make direct connections with the surrounding community. (Photo | AFP) Oakland, California: A Black Facebook employee, joined by two others who were denied jobs at the social network, has filed a complaint against the company, saying it discriminates against Black workers and applicants in hiring, evaluations, promotions and pay. The charge was filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by Oscar Veneszee, Jr., who has worked as an operations program manager at Facebook since 2017 and claims he has not been fairly evaluated or promoted despite his excellent performance at the company. Two others joined Veneszees complaint, saying they were unlawfully denied jobs at the company despite being qualified. Facebook said in a statement it takes discrimination allegations seriously and investigates every case. We believe it is essential to provide all employees with a respectful and safe working environment, said spokeswoman Pamela Austin. Black workers account for 3.8% of all U.S. Facebook employees and 1.5% of all U.S. technical workers at the company. Those numbers have barely budged over the past several years, a common pattern across large Silicon Valley firms. This isnt the first criticism a Black employee has leveled at Facebook. Mark Luckie, who left the company in 2018, sent a memo to his coworkers on his last day _ also posted on Facebook _ that chronicled what he called Facebooks black people problem. Facebooks disenfranchisement of black people on the platform mirrors the marginalization of its black employees, Luckie wrote. In my time at the company, Ive heard far too many stories from black employees of a colleague or manager calling them hostile or aggressive for simply sharing their thoughts in a manner not dissimilar from their non-Black team members. According to Veneszees complaint, filed on Thursday, people of color and Black workers in particular remain underrepresented at all levels of Facebook and especially at the management and leadership levels. They do not feel respected or heard. And they do not believe that Black workers have an equal opportunity to advance their careers at Facebook. While there may be Black Lives Matter posters on Facebooks walls, the complaint says, Black workers dont see that phrase reflecting how they are treated in Facebooks own workplace. Armenia ruling party member warns pseudo-lawyers 'Armenia' bloc issues statement on results of snap parliamentary elections and election observation missions Armenia acting PM: Political crisis is resolved and is over Zakharova: Russia hopes to strengthen ties with Armenia based on results of snap parliamentary elections Gunshots heard in Yerevan, city's police chief is at scene of incident Erdogan invites OSCE Minsk Group to Karabakh Armenia President calls on making transition to presidential system again Armenia MFA: Specifics of work with UNSC regarding Azerbaijani invasion of Armenian territory not subject to disclosure Armenia acting minister says he will start using 'steel mandate' tomorrow at 9 am National-Democratic Axis Party issues statement on results of Armenia snap parliamentary elections Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of another 3 servicemen removed from Varanda (Fizuli) region Ukraine heralds free trade zone with Turkey Armenia President receives OSCE/ODIHR Director and OSCE PA Secretary General Child dies from car accident in Armenia's Gegharkunik Province Armenia Izmirlian Medical Center head is charged Karabakh President congratulates Armenia's Pashinyan on victory in snap parliamentary elections Russia MOD congratulates Armenian counterpart on snap parliamentary elections in Armenia Armenia Investigative Committee charges citizen and head of campaign headquarters for violating ballot secrecy Iran's President-elect says he has always protected human rights Georgia PM congratulates Armenia's Pashinyan on winning snap parliamentary elections PACE and OSCE PA election observers say they are content with elections in Armenia, in spite of violations India kicks off nationwide free COVID-19 vaccination campaign Azerbaijan, Pakistan agree to conduct military exercises Armenia 1st President's spokesperson on snap parliamentary elections Armenia MP: Azerbaijan is celebrating Nikol Pashinyan's victory, ruling party is holding fireworks display Charles Michel congratulates Pashinyan on winning snap elections OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission in Armenia says it heard allegations of administrative resources use OSCE Secretary General thanks Russia for its work in Minsk Group on Karabakh settlement Lavrov calls to wait for formation of new Armenia government Armenia's Pashinyan garners 197,000 less votes compared with elections in 2018 OSCE/ODIHR: Power outages did not considerably affect Armenia snap elections Garo Paylan congratulates Armenia's Nikol Pashinyan 'Armenia' bloc issues statement on results of snap parliamentary elections Opposition party leader: 'Armenia' bloc doesn't accept results of vote and will apply to Constitutional Court Digest: Armenia snap elections is over, Pashinyans bloc leads with almost 54% OSCE Secretary General: We work within Minsk Group framework to achieve long-term solution to Karabakh conflict Bayramov: Azerbaijan complains about non-fulfillment of points of trilateral statements on Karabakh Azerbaijan FM believes that Armenia authorities will draw right conclusion Pompeo: US should not negotiate with Iran's newly elected President Azerbaijan blackmails, threatens Armenia under guise of cooperation proposal Member of Armenia delegation to PACE: Azerbaijan delegation head said 50% of minefield maps given are fake Armenia freedom fighter is detained, declares hunger strike 9 children killed in accident during storm in US Swedish parliament passes vote of no confidence in PM's country Kremlin is following Armenia post-election situation Artsakh emergency service: Armenian, Azerbaijani sides exchanged bodies from time to time Azerbaijan Prosecutor General's Office accuses Armenia of deliberate deforestation in Lachin 13 Armenian captives trial starts in Azerbaijan What will happen if Armenia opposition forces do not accept their parliamentary seats? Armenia Central Electoral Commission approves preliminary results of snap parliamentary elections US won't issue threats or ultimatums to China in connection with investigation of pandemic causes CIS, CSTO observers find no considerable irregularities in Armenia snap parliamentary election voting Armenia acting PM visits Yerevan military pantheon Heiko Maas considers new EU sanctions against Belarus inevitable 26 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Armenia acting premier: Civil Contract Party will have constitutional majority in new parliament Reduction of US military assets in Saudi Arabia will not affect its defenses Armenia new National Assembly to have 107 MPs Borrell says mistrust is at core of political crisis in Lebanon Counting of ballots over in Armenia snap parliamentary elections Counting of ballots coming to an end in Armenia snap parliamentary elections Armenia Central Electoral Commission counts 86.4% of ballots Armenia Central Electoral Commission counts 80% of ballots Armenia Central Electoral Commission counts two thirds of ballots Armenia Central Electoral Commission counts 40% of ballots Acting PM thanks people of Armenia Armenia parliament vice-chair on Erdogan's "platform of six" proposal: We will answer later 33.49% of ballots counted: Pashinyans bloc leads Almost 27% of ballots counted by Armenia Central Electoral Commission (PHOTO) "Armenia" bloc: Snap parliamentary election results being published do not inspire confidence 19,95% of ballots counted by Armenia Central Electoral Commission (PHOTO) Artsakh President comes out of Armenia ruling party headquarters 2.54% of ballots counted by Armenia Central Electoral Commission (PHOTO) Armenia Central Electoral Commission announces most preliminary results of snap parliamentary elections Armenia's Citizen's Decision Party member not allowed to enter precinct, apprehended a little while ago "I Have Honor" bloc: Armenia National Security Service searches mayor's apartment, 2 MP candidates abducted Results of electronic voting: Civil Contract Party: 163, "Armenia" bloc: 135, Armenian National Congress: 43 Electric Networks of Armenia: Power outages during vote counts were systematic Citizen who disseminated anti-propaganda leaflets against "Armenia" bloc shows up at police station Mediaport: Power is out in Armenia's Gyumri, Vanadzor, Artik, Aparan, Dilijan and Armavir city YEREVAN. Past daily writes: A few days ago, the activists of the RPA [former ruling Republican Party of Armenia] youth organization staged a protest, handing letters to the EU delegation, the embassies of the OSCE member states, and the UN office. The RPA youth organization "() calls on the mentioned structures to refrain from biased, anti-democratic statements, and to give an objective and impartial assessment/response to the current illegal situation [in the country]." According to Past newspapers information, the authorities were surprised by the protest being crowded more than expected. The thing is that they were deeply confident that the "former [authorities]" have no potential and will not be able to take anyone to the streets. Moreover, according to our sources, [PM] Nikol Pashinyan was initially reported that "they [the ex-authorities] will be able to assemble barely ten people." Ultimately, the authorities astonishment was so great that they did not even take action to disperse the rally due to the [current] state of emergency [in Armenia]. YEREVAN. Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan on Thursday received the newly appointed Ambassador of Iran to Armenia, Abbas Zohouri. This was reported by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure. First, the minister expressed confidence that the ambassador will contribute to the expansion and deepening of Armenian-Iranian relations. In his turn, the diplomat reaffirmed Iran's readiness to give a new quality to cooperation and full use of the untapped potential in Armenian-Iranian economic relations. During the meeting, the parties discussed the prospects for the implementation of joint programs in regional cooperation, transport and energy infrastructure. The interlocutors also exchanged views on steps taken at the national level to address the challenges of COVID-19 and overcome the economic crisis. GO 2020 Reaches 277 Million People with the Gospel in the Midst of the Pandemic NEWS PROVIDED BY Global Outreach Day July 3, 2020 BERLIN, Germany, July 3, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- Global Outreach Day's GO 2020 mobilized over 57 million Christians worldwide to reach 277 million with the Gospel. Despite social distancing due to COVID-19, Christians shared the Gospel digitally, by phone, text, and through food and mask distributions, with Bibles and tracts, as well as personal evangelism. "We were surprised by the effectiveness of reaching out digitally and by phone," said Werner Nachtigal, Founder and President of Global Outreach Day. "GO 2020 was uniquely placed in the crisis. We could share the Gospel of hope with a multitude." Police officers with a pastor distributed food and tracts to a village in the Dominican Republic. In Honduras, several members of the army shared the Gospel. Ugandan Christians provided food during the famine and saved many from physical and spiritual death. In a Muslim country, an Imam invited people to come and see the Jesus Film and witness the "Heavenly God," using the mosque loudspeakers. Some highlights from our partners: Jesus Film reported showing their movie in 110 countries and had 163 M views in just one weekend. Global Media Outreach reached 14.3 M people in 150 countries with web-based evangelistic services. A video clip of 50 countries singing Amazing Grace got 32M views. Several TV programs, featuring Andrew Palau, Nick Hall, Michael W. Smith, Daniel Kolenda (with 1GDA), and others, were recorded and aired on TBN and GOD TV. One phone call in Ethiopia led to over 25 people giving their hearts to the Lord. We've heard many testimonies like this which shows the desperation and hunger people have for hope around the world. Filipino Senator and former champion boxer, Manny Pacquiao, led several senators to the Lord through an online Bible Study. In Minneapolis, only a few days after George Floyd got killed by a police officer during an arrest, Christians reached out to protesters with prayer. 15,000 got saved and baptisms took place in the center of unrest with our partner YWAM. Another partner, Dr. Hormoz Shariat of Iran Alive Ministries, reported that thousands of Muslims were saved through a TV program broadcast over satellite into the Middle East. GO 2020 is continuing its outreach with 90 Days of Hope until the end of August. During 90 Days of Hope, churches and ministries will have an outreach on the last Saturday of each month. On August 29th, there will be a Global Day of Hope with joint evangelistic outreaches and evangelistic activities taking place around the world. For more information visit Go2020.world. SOURCE Global Outreach Day CONTACT: Leilani Haywood, 816-332-0720, leilani.haywood@globaloutreachday.com Related Links https://www.globaloutreachday.com/ Go2020.world Many Indians are stranded in their homeland due to suspension of H-1B visas while their family members are still in US Karan Murgai, an IT management consultant for a multinational based in Dallas, shows on his phone in New Delhi, India, photograph of his daughters, who are in Dallas. (AP) New Delhi: The March day that his father died, Karan Murgai boarded a plane to India. The coronavirus was spreading, so Murgais wife and their two young children stayed home in Dallas. Their separation due to last three weeks became indefinite after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that suspends applications for H-1B and other high-skilled work visas from abroad. Trump said the June 22 order would protect jobs amid high U.S. unemployment because of the pandemic. But Murgai and at least 1,000 others like him, whose American visas are tied to their jobs in the U.S., are now stranded in India the orders collateral damage, he said. He contacted the offices of Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Rep. Van Taylor, Indian government officials and the U.S. Consulate in New Delhi. No one could help. An IT management consultant for a multinational, Murgai handles his fathers affairs in New Delhi during the day and his U.S. job overnight, worrying about his 4-year-old daughter who has lost her appetite and started throwing fits. India, with the worlds fourth worst-highest virus caseload, is tallying nearly 20,000 new infections each day, but restrictions on travel have begun to ease, with international commercial flights set to resume in July. Every day she has this one question to ask me: when am I coming back? I get heartbroken at that point. First, it was July. Now I dont know. Were getting hit from all sides, Murgai said. The H-1B visa program allows U.S. employers to hire high-skilled foreign workers, mainly for tech jobs. Employers first have to determine there are no American candidates, and then undertake a lengthy sponsorship process that costs as much as $15,000, making the program highly competitive. Indians account for 75% of the applications for the H-1B program, U.S. government data show. Nearly 85,000 H-1B visas are awarded each year. Nasscom, a trade association in the Indian information technology industry, called Trumps order misguided and harmful to the U.S. economy. Indian companies provide technology staff and services to U.S. hospitals, drugmakers and biotechnology companies, Nasscom pointed out. As a result, Indian companies may redirect Indian talent to Canada or Mexico. Indias foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said the order would likely affect movement of Indian skilled professionals, and that the government was assessing the impact on Indian nationals and industry. The H1-B program has created a pathway for a generation of skilled Indian and other foreign workers to build lives in the U.S., but the Trump order places years of investment in education, property and communities at risk, said Murgai. He arrived in Dallas with an H-1B visa in 2010 and now owns a house and land there. When youre in a place for a decade, you think youve settled down, he said. If new H-1Bs are being stopped, I get it. But then for people who already have jobs, who have already established themselves in their fields and have given the government a reason to keep them in the country, why upend lives like this? In surburban Dallas, Sandeep Vudayagiri, a big data analytics engineer, has been home alone since February, when his wife and daughter went to visit family in Hyderabad, India. Vudayagiris wife, Arpana Takkalapally, holds an H-4 visa, given to immediate family of H-1B visa holders. Even though Takkalapally isnt allowed to work on her visa, without a renewal stamp from a U.S. consulate, she cant go back. It is indirectly punishing the people who are working here, he said. How is my 2-year-old an employment threat in the U.S.? Which country does this? Vudayagiri said. Takkalapally spends her days in Hyderabad feeding and playing with her daughter, and cooking and cleaning for her parents, bookended by morning and evening calls with her husband. This is the longest the couple have been separated since they met as graduate students at San Jose State University in 2010. Takkalapally watched as Indian friends and neighbors flocked to Houston last year for a rally with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump. The leaders extolled the closeness of India-U.S. ties in a stadium filled with 50,000 people. A similar rally was staged in February in Modis home state of Gujarat. Now it seems like some backstabbing, Takkalapally said. Immigration attorneys in the U.S. said they have been inundated with emails and phone calls seeking help. The stress level that this causes on the number of people in the U.S. in legal working status is massive, said Nell Barker, an attorney in Chicago. It is causing mental health issues. It is causing productivity issues in a situation where businesses are already struggling to get through these shutdowns and economic downturn. The head of the USAID mission in Armenia and some other officials of this organization discussedvia videoconferencethe US assistance in the fight against COVID-19 in Eurasia, VOA reported. USAID Armenia Program Director Deborah Grizer presented her organizations assistance provided to the country, and stressed the importance of public awareness and communication in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. She praised the efforts of the Armenian government in this regard. The American side has assisted Armenia in raising awareness, which Griezer describes as effective. And touching upon the impact of Russian propaganda in Armenia, the head of the USAID mission in the country stressed that the incumbent Armenian authorities are successfully balancing their relations between Russia, the EU, and the United States. Griezer noted that Yerevan had adopted this policy before the pandemic, but the dominance of Russian news sources in Armenia complicates the dissemination of alternative messages. YEREVAN. The Minister of Health of Armenia, Arsen Torosyan, is being questioned Friday in the court session on the criminal case against former Deputy Minister of Health Arsen Davtyan, and director of the Republican Institute of Reproductive Health, Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology (Maternity Hospital) of Armenia, Razmik Abrahamyan. To note, the minister had promised to answer the journalists' questions after his questioning. The court does not allow journalists to enter the courtroom. According to the indictment, Arsen Davtyan, being an official, had taken a large bribe to provide backing for services and, by using his official position, to contribute to the carrying out of certain actions. Also according to the indictment, Razmik Abrahamyan, being an official of the Ministry of Health, had given a large bribe to then Deputy Minister of Health Davtyan. The trial of 20 Saudi nationals - including two former aides to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - indicted over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has kicked off in Turkey, AP reported. They are seeking life prison terms for the defendants, who have all left Turkey. Saudi Arabia rejected Turkeys demands for the extradition of the suspects and brought to trial some of them in Riyadh. The trial in Turkey will be closely monitored in the context of possible new information or evidence of the murder, including the whereabouts of Khashoggi's remains that were never found. The Turkish prosecutors have charged the princes former advisers, Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmed al-Asiri, with instigating a premeditated murder with the intent of (causing) torment through fiendish instinct. Khashoggi, who was a US resident, entered the consulate of his country on October 2, 2018, to receive documents that would allow him to marry. But he never walked out. A team of 15 Saudi agents flew to Turkey to meet with Khashoggi at the consulate. Among them were a forensic doctor, intelligence and security officials, as well as people working in the office of the Crown Prince. Turkish officials claim that Khashoggi was killed and then dismembered with a bone saw. Before his assassination, Khashoggi criticized the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Turkish prosecutors say the suspects acted in consensus from the beginning in line with the decision of taking the victim back to Saudi Arabia and of killing him if he did not agree. A court in Riyadh sentenced five people to death, three others were convicted of concealing a crime and sentenced to 24 years in prison. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in May, Khashoggi's son announced the family had forgiven the killers by providing legal reprieve to five government agents who had been sentenced to death. Co-founder of One Armenia Party Artur Ghazinyan today told reporters that the government had failed in the fight against the coronavirus and that he had submitted a maximally substantiated report on a crime with concrete facts on June 12. Our political party has presented data that have been concealed from the public and distorted by entities obliged to present information that poses a risk to the lives and health of people, and this has led to deaths or severe consequences. This report has nothing to do with the 600 recorded deaths, the criminal negligence and the potential corruption risks of the pandemic, Ghazinyan said, adding that he will bring a couple of facts to substantiate that a crime has been committed in Armenia. The Special Investigation Service rejected the report on the crime and refused to institute a criminal case. The preliminary investigation body approved the fact that it is the duty of entities in charge of implementing Armenias healthcare policy to provide information about people and lives in the healthcare sector. The policy is developed by the government, and the authorized body is the Ministry of Health. Consequently, it is the duty of Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan and other officials of the Ministry of Health to provide the information. The investigator has only accepted as a basis the viewpoint of the deputy health minister, but the investigator had to implement complex measures and listen to Nikol Pashinyan, Arsen Torosyan, the director of Nork Infection Clinical Hospital and other entities thathave provided information about the risks of the coronavirus in this period. Ghazinyan stated that, in essence, the Special Investigation Service approves the fact that the government hasnt taken preventative measures and has acted according to the situation, meaning the government didnt take measures to prevent penetration of the virus into and its spread across Armenia. Ghazinyan also emphasized that the investigator had stated that the WHO declared the coronavirus a pandemic on March 13, but it was declared a pandemic on March 11. Our political party thought perhaps this was due to the fact that Nikol Pashinyan had been holding meetings until March 12 in Armenias Syunik Province which were terminated on March 13. Perhaps the investigator decided to solve the problem of those two days under a political instruction, but we found a government decision that also states March 13. I dont believe that government officials didnt know that the WHO had declared the coronavirus as a pandemic on March 11. The decision is signed by Nikol Pashinyan. We strongly believe that official fraud has been committed. Today I will submit a report on a crime based on official fraud to the Special Investigation Service. I would like to repeat that a crime has been committed in Armenia and that its scale is unprecedented, that is, over 600 people have died. Armenias economy is on the brink of collapse, thousands of companies have shut down, tens of thousands of people are unemployed, and the healthcare system is in the worst situation. There have to be people held liable for this, and we believe Nikol Pashinyan and Arsen Torosyan are those people, he said. YEREVAN. I think maybe new circumstances have emerged from my answers; the court will decide what to do with them. Leaving the court Friday, the Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan said this in a conversation with journalists. To note, the minister was summoned to court to testify as a witness in the criminal case against former Deputy Minister of Health Arsen Davtyan, and director of the Republican Institute of Reproductive Health, Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology (Maternity Hospital) of Armenia, Razmik Abrahamyan. "I have told certain processes preceding that case, about which I was aware, which may bring a change in the course of the case. I assume that there are factual circumstances proving or refuting them, and the court will decide whether the charge was right or wrong. At that time, I have condemnedwith my statementsand considered such a practice unacceptable. And I reaffirm that no healthcare worker, including a deputy minister, should have entered or should enter into any kind of financial relations," Torosyan said in particular. According to the indictment, Arsen Davtyan, being an official, had taken a large bribe to provide backing for services and, by using his official position, to contribute to the carrying out of certain actions. Also according to the indictment, Razmik Abrahamyan, being an official of the Ministry of Health, had given a large bribe to then Deputy Minister of Health Davtyan. Edmon Marukyan, chairman of the opposition Bright Armenia Party and head of its parliamentary faction, has addressedwith a lettermembers of the US Congress, and regarding FY2021 Foreign Aid Bills; Marukyan himself informed about this on Facebook. "In particular, underscoring the continuity of demining work being carried out over these years in Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] through HALO Trust, I stressed the importance of this work in terms of saving the lives of civilians in the conflict zone. These works guarantee the safety of tens of thousands of people in Artsakh. In particular, about 500 minefields have been demined in Artsakh since 2000. These works are of great importance also in terms of the re-establishment of peace in the region. The Armenian-American friendship has proved its strength in defending human rights and democracy, guaranteeing peace and security," Marukyan added, in particular. The Police have clarified the incident linked to judge of the Constitutional Court of Armenia Hrant Nazaryan. Nazaryan wanted to enter the building of the Constitutional Court, but police officers prevented him from entering. The clarification particularly reads as follows: Based on the amendments made to Article 213 of the Constitution of Armenia adopted by the National Assembly of Armenia on June 22, 2020 and entered into force on June 26, 2020, the term of powers of a member (judge) of the Constitutional Court having been appointed and having served not less than a total of 12 years as a member or judge of the Constitutional Court prior to entry into force of Chapter 7 of the Constitution shall be deemed to be expired, and service shall be terminated. Based on the logic of direct effect of constitutional norms, we record that if the period of no less than 12 years of service of a member or judge of the Constitutional Court has expired, the powers of the member (judge) of the Constitutional Court shall be deemed to be terminated. The systemic analysis of the norm allows us to state that the already former members of the Constitutional Court are not entitled to enter the building of the Constitutional Court. The issues related to the checkpoint regime in the building of the Constitutional Court are regulated by Annex No 3 to the Rules of Procedure of the Constitutional Court. Incident occurs at Armenia Constitutional Court entrance Pyongyang insists it has not had a single case of COVID-19, while the disease has swept the world infecting more than 10.8 million people In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a politburo meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea Thursday, June 2, 2020. (AP) Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned against the "hasty" relaxation of anti-coronavirus measures, state media reported Friday, indicating the country will keep its borders closed for the foreseeable future. The nuclear-armed North closed its borders in late January as the virus spread in neighbouring China and imposed tough restrictions that put thousands of its people into isolation. Pyongyang insists it has not had a single case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus that has swept the world infecting more than 10.8 million people and killing over 500,000. Analysts say the North is unlikely to have avoided the contagion and that its ramshackle health system could struggle to cope with a major outbreak. But Kim told a Politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Thursday that its efforts had been a "shining success", the official KCNA news agency reported. "We have thoroughly prevented the inroad of the malignant virus," it cited him as saying, "despite the worldwide health crisis". Kim cautioned against any "self-complacence or relaxation", calling for stricter anti-epidemic efforts while "re-infection and re-expansion of the malignant contagious disease persists in neighbouring countries". South Korea is currently recording around 40 to 60 cases a day, while China saw a surge of infections in Beijing last month. At the meeting Kim "repeatedly warned that hasty relief of anti-epidemic measures will result in unimaginable and irretrievable crisis", KCNA added. The comments indicate North Korea will maintain its self-imposed blockade, which has also hit trade with China, its key backer and aid provider. Several embassies in Pyongyang have temporarily closed as they have been unable to bring in supplies, money and staff. Under the current rules, any arrivals must spend 30 days in strict quarantine and diplomats and analysts believe the border could remain closed for the rest of the year. "It has no choice but to keep its border closed with China, it is something inevitable for the North," said Hong Min, director of the North Korean division at the Korea Institute for National Unification. "Its border closure with China may harm its economy, but the Pyongyang leadership seems to have determined preventing a coronavirus outbreak is more important in keeping control of the country." More than 40 per cent of North Korea's 25 million people are considered food insecure. A United Nations expert warned last month that the problem was worsening as a result of the country's attempts to ward off an outbreak. Armenia ruling party member warns pseudo-lawyers 'Armenia' bloc issues statement on results of snap parliamentary elections and election observation missions Armenia acting PM: Political crisis is resolved and is over Zakharova: Russia hopes to strengthen ties with Armenia based on results of snap parliamentary elections Gunshots heard in Yerevan, city's police chief is at scene of incident Erdogan invites OSCE Minsk Group to Karabakh Armenia President calls on making transition to presidential system again Armenia MFA: Specifics of work with UNSC regarding Azerbaijani invasion of Armenian territory not subject to disclosure Armenia acting minister says he will start using 'steel mandate' tomorrow at 9 am National-Democratic Axis Party issues statement on results of Armenia snap parliamentary elections Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of another 3 servicemen removed from Varanda (Fizuli) region Ukraine heralds free trade zone with Turkey Armenia President receives OSCE/ODIHR Director and OSCE PA Secretary General Child dies from car accident in Armenia's Gegharkunik Province Armenia Izmirlian Medical Center head is charged Karabakh President congratulates Armenia's Pashinyan on victory in snap parliamentary elections Russia MOD congratulates Armenian counterpart on snap parliamentary elections in Armenia Armenia Investigative Committee charges citizen and head of campaign headquarters for violating ballot secrecy Iran's President-elect says he has always protected human rights Georgia PM congratulates Armenia's Pashinyan on winning snap parliamentary elections PACE and OSCE PA election observers say they are content with elections in Armenia, in spite of violations India kicks off nationwide free COVID-19 vaccination campaign Azerbaijan, Pakistan agree to conduct military exercises Armenia 1st President's spokesperson on snap parliamentary elections Armenia MP: Azerbaijan is celebrating Nikol Pashinyan's victory, ruling party is holding fireworks display Charles Michel congratulates Pashinyan on winning snap elections OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission in Armenia says it heard allegations of administrative resources use OSCE Secretary General thanks Russia for its work in Minsk Group on Karabakh settlement Lavrov calls to wait for formation of new Armenia government Armenia's Pashinyan garners 197,000 less votes compared with elections in 2018 OSCE/ODIHR: Power outages did not considerably affect Armenia snap elections Garo Paylan congratulates Armenia's Nikol Pashinyan 'Armenia' bloc issues statement on results of snap parliamentary elections Opposition party leader: 'Armenia' bloc doesn't accept results of vote and will apply to Constitutional Court Digest: Armenia snap elections is over, Pashinyans bloc leads with almost 54% OSCE Secretary General: We work within Minsk Group framework to achieve long-term solution to Karabakh conflict Bayramov: Azerbaijan complains about non-fulfillment of points of trilateral statements on Karabakh Azerbaijan FM believes that Armenia authorities will draw right conclusion Pompeo: US should not negotiate with Iran's newly elected President Azerbaijan blackmails, threatens Armenia under guise of cooperation proposal Member of Armenia delegation to PACE: Azerbaijan delegation head said 50% of minefield maps given are fake Armenia freedom fighter is detained, declares hunger strike 9 children killed in accident during storm in US Swedish parliament passes vote of no confidence in PM's country Kremlin is following Armenia post-election situation Artsakh emergency service: Armenian, Azerbaijani sides exchanged bodies from time to time Azerbaijan Prosecutor General's Office accuses Armenia of deliberate deforestation in Lachin 13 Armenian captives trial starts in Azerbaijan What will happen if Armenia opposition forces do not accept their parliamentary seats? Armenia Central Electoral Commission approves preliminary results of snap parliamentary elections US won't issue threats or ultimatums to China in connection with investigation of pandemic causes CIS, CSTO observers find no considerable irregularities in Armenia snap parliamentary election voting Armenia acting PM visits Yerevan military pantheon Heiko Maas considers new EU sanctions against Belarus inevitable 26 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Armenia acting premier: Civil Contract Party will have constitutional majority in new parliament Reduction of US military assets in Saudi Arabia will not affect its defenses Armenia new National Assembly to have 107 MPs Borrell says mistrust is at core of political crisis in Lebanon Counting of ballots over in Armenia snap parliamentary elections Counting of ballots coming to an end in Armenia snap parliamentary elections Armenia Central Electoral Commission counts 86.4% of ballots Armenia Central Electoral Commission counts 80% of ballots Armenia Central Electoral Commission counts two thirds of ballots Armenia Central Electoral Commission counts 40% of ballots Acting PM thanks people of Armenia Armenia parliament vice-chair on Erdogan's "platform of six" proposal: We will answer later 33.49% of ballots counted: Pashinyans bloc leads Almost 27% of ballots counted by Armenia Central Electoral Commission (PHOTO) "Armenia" bloc: Snap parliamentary election results being published do not inspire confidence 19,95% of ballots counted by Armenia Central Electoral Commission (PHOTO) Artsakh President comes out of Armenia ruling party headquarters 2.54% of ballots counted by Armenia Central Electoral Commission (PHOTO) Armenia Central Electoral Commission announces most preliminary results of snap parliamentary elections Armenia's Citizen's Decision Party member not allowed to enter precinct, apprehended a little while ago "I Have Honor" bloc: Armenia National Security Service searches mayor's apartment, 2 MP candidates abducted Results of electronic voting: Civil Contract Party: 163, "Armenia" bloc: 135, Armenian National Congress: 43 Electric Networks of Armenia: Power outages during vote counts were systematic Citizen who disseminated anti-propaganda leaflets against "Armenia" bloc shows up at police station Mediaport: Power is out in Armenia's Gyumri, Vanadzor, Artik, Aparan, Dilijan and Armavir city Armenian News-NEWS.am providing live coverage at polling station #9/48 in Yerevan district (VIDEO) Armenian News-NEWS.am providing live coverage at polling station #9/49 in Yerevan district (VIDEO) Tense situation at polling station #9/21 in Armenia, red beret police officers called to location Armenian News-NEWS.am providing live coverage at polling station #14/13 in Etchmiadzin (VIDEO) Power goes out before vote count at polling station #25/58 in Armenia's Odzun Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov returns to US Armenia Police receive 87 alarms via hotline as of 8:30 pm Armenia snap parliamentary elections voter turnout 49.4%, 51.55% voter turnout in Yerevan Armenia Ombudsman's statement on taking photos of ballots speculated Armenia Civil Contract Party member obstructing work of opposition party proxy at polling station Armenia advocate: National Security Service decided to conduct search in office and apartment of Masis mayor Armenian News-NEWS.am providing live coverage at polling station #2/46 in Yerevan district (VIDEO) Netanyahu and his family to leave PM residence no later than July 10 Armenian News-NEWS.am providing live coverage at polling station #31/02 in Gyumri Armenian News-NEWS.am providing live coverage at polling station #8/04 in Yerevan district (VIDEO) Gabrielyanov: Russian institutions' exit poll results of Armenia snap parliamentary elections announced Armenian News-NEWS.am providing live coverage at polling station #17/03 in Armenia's Ashtarak (VIDEO) Catholicos of All Armenians sends congratulatory message to Iran's President-elect Armenia snap parliamentary elections are over hetq.am: Ballot box at polling station in Armenia's Gavar not sealed YEREVAN. The relative recognized the body of the relative, but in reality it did not happen that way, then they apologized for recognizing the body of the wrong person. The Minister of Health of Armenia, Arsen Torosyan, said this in a conversation with journalists Friday, when asked why the dead body of an elderly woman from Gyumri was lost. The minister stressed that there was a mix-up in the process of recognition. Asked whether he is going to resign, the minister said: "I'm not going to." "The Republic of Armenia citizens with the coronavirus disease receive proper medical care, which has not happened in countries more developed than us. As for the numbers, which, unfortunately, do not go down (), it depends not only on the steps by the government, but also on the behavior of all of us. We [Armenia] do not have a volatile situation. By all predictions, we should have had more than 30,000 cases now, but we have 27 thousand, Torosyan added, in particular. A reporter noted that the parliament opposition was going to set up an inquiry committee to expose the shortcomings in Armenia related to the coronavirus, and to the question whether he was ready to answer the questions of this committee, the minister said: "We are ready, I am personally ready to answer all the questions of all the people. It is my political assessment that Armenia, with its resources, situation, has fought quite well against the global challenge. Turkish trial over the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder has been adjourned until November 24, Hurriyet reported referring to DHA. Khashoggi's fiancee told a Turkish court on Friday that the Washington Post columnist was murdered at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul through "a great betrayal and deception." She asked that all persons responsible for his killing be brought to justice. The trial of 20 Saudi nationals - including two former aides to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - indicted over the murder of Khashoggi has kicked off in Turkey, AP reported. They are seeking life prison terms for the defendants, who have all left Turkey. Saudi Arabia rejected Turkeys demands for the extradition of the suspects and brought to trial some of them in Riyadh. The trial in Turkey will be closely monitored in the context of possible new information or evidence of the murder, including the whereabouts of Khashoggi's remains that were never found. The Turkish prosecutors have charged the princes former advisers, Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmed al-Asiri, with instigating a premeditated murder with the intent of (causing) torment through fiendish instinct. Khashoggi, who was a US resident, entered the consulate of his country on October 2, 2018, to receive documents that would allow him to marry. But he never walked out. A team of 15 Saudi agents flew to Turkey to meet with Khashoggi at the consulate. Among them were a forensic doctor, intelligence and security officials, as well as people working in the office of the Crown Prince. Turkish officials claim that Khashoggi was killed and then dismembered with a bone saw. Before his assassination, Khashoggi criticized the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Turkish prosecutors say the suspects acted in consensus from the beginning in line with the decision of taking the victim back to Saudi Arabia and of killing him if he did not agree. A court in Riyadh sentenced five people to death, three others were convicted of concealing a crime and sentenced to 24 years in prison. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in May, Khashoggi's son said the family had forgiven the killers by providing legal reprieve to five government agents who had been sentenced to death. Egyptian authorities arrest medical personnel who disseminate data on the COVID-19 fight and openly report details, The Wall Street Journal noted. At least nine doctors and other healthcare providers have been reportedly arrested since March. All of them were complaining about a lack of protective gear in hospitals. They were criticizing the governments response to the virus or reporting COVID-19 cases without authorization. In mid-June, the human rights organization Amnesty International reported that doctors were arrested for expressing concerns about personal safety. At the rise of the pandemic, Egyptian authorities imposed a nationwide curfew and closed public spaces. However, according to experts, these restrictive measures cannot be kept for a long time amid the worsening economic situation. Therefore, the government deliberately underestimates the number of infected and dead, and tries to prevent doctors from talking freely about the true situation, Coda edition noted. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian today hosted US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Lynne Tracy ahead of Independence Day. President Sarkissian congratulated the Ambassador and the friendly American people and wished them success. Sarkissian expressed his gratitude for the US governments ongoing support to Armenia and particularly in the difficult period of the coronavirus pandemic. Ambassador Tracy stated that the US government continues to assist Armenia in the development of democracy, the fight against corruption and reforms in various sectors, as well as the shaping of an attractive business climate for investors. At the request of the Ambassador, the head of state touched upon the processes linked to the amendments to the Constitution of Armenia and constitutional reforms. In this context, talking about the Professional Commission on Constitutional Reforms, President Sarkissian attached importance to the public discourse over the development of the Constitution and the participation of wide layers of society in the process. The interlocutors also talked about investments and agreed that investments need to be protected by not only laws, but also the existence of a favorable and attractive environment. The US Ambassador also touched upon the US governments programs targeted at Armenias economic development and the opportunities for investments. Khashoggi was an insider-turned-critic who wrote for The Washington Post before he was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 Istanbul: The trial in absentia of 20 Saudi suspects accused in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, including two former aides to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, began in Istanbul on Friday. Khashoggi was an insider-turned-critic who wrote for The Washington Post before he was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, to obtain documents necessary for his wedding to Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz. The suspects were charged with "deliberately and monstrously killing, causing torment," and prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for them. Turkish prosecutors claim Saudi deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Assiri and the royal court's media czar Saud al-Qahtani led the operation and gave orders to a Saudi hit team. Cengiz was attending the trial alongside the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, who has directly linked the crown prince to the killing, an AFP correspondent said. Yasin Aktay, a close friend of Khashoggi and advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party, was also in the courtroom. Cengiz said she hoped the trial "brings to light the whereabouts of Jamal's body, the evidence against the killers and the evidence of those behind the gruesome murder." "I will continue to pursue all legal avenues to hold Jamal's killers accountable and I will not rest until we get justice for Jamal," she told AFP before the trial. Khashoggi was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in a case that damaged the reputation of the crown prince despite his strenuous denial of any involvement. Khashoggi's remains have never been found. Saudi Arabia describes the murder as a "rogue" operation. A closed-door trial in Saudi Arabia ended in December with five unnamed people sentenced to death. The crown prince's former aides, Assiri and Qahtani, were exonerated. The sons of Khashoggi said they forgave his killers in May this year, a move expected to allow the government to grant clemency for the five convicts on death row. The Anti-Corruption Policy Council today held a session chaired by Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, as reported the Government of Armenia. The first item on the agenda was the report on the actions implemented in 2019 and in the first quarter of 2020 under the Anti-Corruption Strategy of Armenia and the 2019-22 Action Plan for Implementation of the Strategy. Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan stated that the report on implementation of the actions in 2019 was posted on the official website of the Ministry of Justice in February 2020 and stated the establishment of a Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, the regulations for integrity checks of judges of the Constitutional Court, candidate members of the Supreme Judicial Council and persons to be appointed to state positions, as well as establishment of mechanisms for civil forfeiture of illegal assets as major achievements. The Prime Minister asked about the process of studying integrity within the scope of introduction of mechanisms for civil forfeiture of illegal assets, and in response, Chairperson of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption Haikuhi Harutyunyan stated that in June 2020, based on the methodology of integrity, the Commission checked the integrity of the prosecutors nominated to perform functions for civil forfeiture of illegal assets and the deputy of the Prosecutor General nominated to coordinate the sphere of civil forfeiture of illegal assets. Pashinyan stated that integrity checks of persons to be appointed to state positions are being held for the first time in Armenia and serve as a key component for the fight against corruption. Afterwards, Badasyan provided details about the package of laws for improvement of the system of declaration of assets, incomes and interests and introduction of the system of declaration of expenses. During an exchange of ideas, the proposed regulations were considered, and the members of the Council shared their comments on the types and amounts of expenses, etc. During the session, coordinator of the Union of Informed Citizens NGO Daniel Ioannisyan touched upon the prevention of political corruption, including the transparency of funding for political and journalistic activities. In the context of financial transparency and accountability, importance was attached to the introduction of mechanisms for revelation of real owners. The government and representatives of the National Assembly touched upon the activities being carried out within the scope of the aforementioned reforms. Proposals to touch upon reforms in public governance, anti-corruption mechanisms in the investment policy and other topics were also presented during the session. The Communist Party of Armenia has issued the following statement: The Communist Party of Armenia has spoken out about the cracks in the relations between Russia and Armenia, as well as the deepening of those cracks and the consequences several times. The politicians who have refused all types of isms and have proclaimed themselves as pro-Armenian and Armenia-centered are currently acting to the detriment of the Republic of Armenia. On the background of the uproar caused due to the broadcasting of Russian TV channels in Armenia and which the Communists had spoken out about before, airtime is given to Navalny, the infamous Armenophobic politician who is against the empowerment of and stability in Russia, and this is further undermining the foundations for the Armenian-Russian friendship and is presented as a sign of democracy and sovereignty. The Republic of Armenia is a sovereign political entity because it is Russias ally, and the sooner the Armenian authorities understand this simple truth, the more the Armenian people will gain. The Russian 102nd Military Base plays an undeniable role in the impregnability of Armenias borders and protection of Armenia from the encroachments of hostile countries, and the Communist Party has also made significant contributions to the deployment of the Military Base in Armenia. Consequently, as one of the founders and supporters of the Armenian-Russian friendship, we cant be indifferent to what is happening around the ally that is vitally significant for the Armenian people. Thus, to the authorities and to the venturesome people who have proclaimed themselves as political forces and receive grants from the West and only serve the Wests interests, we call on you to not try to thrust a wedge in the friendship of the two friendly peoples because you will fail, you are temporary, but the friendship of our nations traces back to centuries and will continue for centuries to come. by Paul Wang The bishop emeritus of Hong Kong has no confidence in China and fears government interference in Church affairs will occur in Hong Kong. Card Tong holds a different position. For Hong Kong priest, Beijing will only allow freedom of worship, but religious freedom is broader. Hong Kong (AsiaNews) The national security law enacted by the mainland in Hong Kong cannot completely guarantee true religious freedom. [. . .] I have no confidence, said Card Joseph Zen speaking to some young Catholics last Tuesday in a video posted on Facebook three days ago. The cardinal, who is the bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, explains that religious freedom means that the affairs of the Church "are handled by ourselves without the need to involve the government. [. . .] If anyone arbitrarily amends Catholic teachings, we shall say You are not Catholic. Card Zens distrust stems from the situation of the Church in mainland China, where in the name of "sinicisation, the government claims the right to review the doctrine of the Church in light of Chinese culture and even "retranslate the Holy Scriptures" according to its criteria. Card Zen has taken a different position from Card John Tong, also bishop emeritus of Hong Kong and current apostolic administrator of the diocese. Two weeks ago, after a meeting of religious leaders with representatives of the Chinese government who briefed them on the new security law, Card Tong gave his personal thoughts in an interview with the diocesan paper Gong Jiao Bao. In it the cardinal says that the security legislation will not harm religious freedom because the Basic Law, Hong Kongs constitution, which requires such legislation, also defends the religious freedom of the local population. The cardinals interview seemed to be a response to a statement by some lay Catholics, who fear that the new security law will undermine the religious freedom of Catholics as well as the relationship between the diocese and the Vatican, which Beijing considers a foreign state. In fact, the new law criminalises "collusion with foreign forces" for the purpose of secession, sedition and terrorism. The Church in Hong Kong is divided over the issue and there is a risk of a great rift between the faithful and priests. A priest who asked for anonymity points out that "in China, religious freedom in practice means only freedom of worship. Beijing is likely to allow the Church of Hong Kong only freedom of worship. In his view, religious freedom is much broader: it implies freedom of association, speech, and expression in society, of travelling and having relations abroad with the members of one's community. "The primary risks for future spillover of zoonotic diseases are deforestation of tropical environments and large-scale industrial farming of animals, specifically pigs and chickens at high density," says Emory disease ecologist Thomas Gillespie. (Getty Images) On July 6 in 1885, Louis Pasteur successfully administered the first vaccine against rabies, one of the most feared diseases of that time. The bite of an infected animal transmits the rabies virus to humans, leading to an agonizing death without the vaccine. World Zoonoses Day, held July 6 every year, marks this major breakthrough in the fight against zoonoses diseases caused by germs that spread between animals and people. And yet, 135 years later, despite tremendous advances in science and medicine, the world is struggling to respond to the novel coronavirus the latest devastating pathogen to spill over from animals. We are at a crisis point, says Thomas Gillespie, associate professor in Emory Universitys Department of Environmental Sciences and Rollins School of Public Health. We have to act now. We cannot forsake this moment. If we dont radically change our attitudes toward the natural world, things are going to get much, much worse. Pandemics will become increasingly common. What we are experiencing now will seem mild by comparison. Gillespie served as an expert reviewer for a report by the United Nations Environmental Program and partners, Preventing future zoonotic disease outbreaks: Protecting the environment, animals and people in a post-COVID-19 world, to be released July 6. The primary risks for future spillover of zoonotic diseases are deforestation of tropical environments and large-scale industrial farming of animals, specifically pigs and chickens at high density, Gillespie says. A disease ecologist, Gillespie studies how germs jump between wildlife, domesticated animals and people. Through this One Health approach, he aims to protect humans, ecosystems and biodiversity. While vaccine development is important, pathogens can leap from animals to humans much faster than scientists can develop vaccines and treatments. We also need complementary approaches that focus on the environment, Gillespie notes. Its far cheaper to invest in the prevention of infectious disease outbreaks than to deal with the consequences of a pandemic. Gillespie is contributing his One Health expertise to an upcoming United Nations forum on the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. The silos have broken down, Gillespie says. There is growing awareness that we dont need a separate forum on climate change and another one for pandemics. Discussions about the environment and health should be integrated and not considered separately so that we can gain momentum. We really need to be sprinting right now. Climate change and the increase in pandemics are both signals that we have reached a tipping point. Genetic sequencing links the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 to horseshoe bats in China. The first detected outbreak sprang from a live animal market in Wuhan. Gillespie points out, however, that the coronavirus may have been circulating in remote, rural areas before it was detected in Wuhan, a city of 10 million where population density fueled rapid transmission. He notes that no one has studied the ecological impacts of Chinas Three Gorges Dam project. The worlds largest hydroelectric power station, it was built on the Yangtze River on what was previously a mix of secondary forest and agricultural land. Live animal markets are definitely dangerous places when it comes to spillover events, Gillespie says, but shutting all of them down wont solve the bigger issue. The markets are just a small piece of a much bigger problem. Deforestation to make way for palm oil plantations, which changed the roosting habits of bats, was linked to a major Nipah virus outbreak in Malaysia. Evidence suggests that similar deforestation in West Africa for palm oil production may have played a role in outbreaks of Lassa fever and Ebola. A meta-analysis by Gillespie and colleagues quantified how fragmentation of forests by agriculture facilitates the spread of pathogens from wildlife. Optimal rates of spillover occur once 40 percent of the forest cover disappears. That opens a window where youre going to see more germs jumping species, Gillespie says. And tropical environments are at primary risk for pathogen spillover due to simple mathematics there is a much richer diversity of species living in the tropics than in other environments. In the developed world, and rapidly developing parts of the world, people are eating more animal protein and fried food than is recommended for human health. To meet the demand, corporations are clearing natural habitats for cattle ranches, for soybean fields to feed the cattle, and oil palm plantations for cooking oil. Many species are endangered by these actions. Habitat loss, poaching and disease are the primary threats to the remaining great apes, Gillespie says. COVOID-19 poses a particularly dire situation for apes in danger of extinction, he adds, including bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans. Due to genetic similarities, they are highly susceptible to human respiratory diseases. Gillespie serves as an adviser on great apes to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and has worked to develop IUCN guidelines during the pandemic to limit human contact with the animals while also protecting them from poachers. Gillespie and colleagues created the Non-human Primate COVID-19 Information Hub to serve as a real-time resource on the issue. Current policies fail to factor in the costs of wholesale extraction of resources and the destruction of natural habitats, Gillespie warns. Nature will persist, he adds, even as biodiversity diminishes. Nature will push forward, evolution will happen, without regard to human suffering, Gillespie says. Meanwhile, were ignoring how dependent we are on nature and how fragile we are in the grand scheme of things. Gillespie starts off his undergraduate Conservation Biology class with a quiz. Among the questions: How many people are there on the planet? Has the world reached its human carrying capacity? The last item on the quiz asks students to list 10 species that occur in Atlanta. None of the students ever writes Homo Sapiens, Gillespie says. Many people dont think of themselves as part of nature anymore. They have this artificial sense that were apart from it. The pandemic is shifting perspectives. Were all feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gillespie says. Thats created a sense of urgency that we havent seen with past discussions on climate change and land-use change. People are recognizing the linkages between our financial and agricultural systems, the environment and our health. Its critical right now to make the message as understandable as possible to as many people as possible. Follow Thomas Gillespie on Twitter: @BiodiversHealth. 19:37 By visiting Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a very clear signal that India is ready to escalate the cost on China for its "misadventurism" and that the armed forces are adopting a firm approach in defending the country's territories, strategic affairs experts said on Saturday. They also said that China is increasingly getting isolated internationally for its aggressive military posturing in Ladakh, South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region, and time has come for India to take advantage of the situation. Hailing Modi's visit to Ladakh, former Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen (retd) Subrata Saha said the "loudest message" from the visit was that India is not going to back-off in eastern Ladakh and that it will handle the situation with a "firm hand". He also talked about Modi paying glowing tributes to 20 Indian soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley clashes and sought to contrast it with China's refusal to even acknowledge its military casualties. "On the Indian side, we have the prime minister going there, literally close to the ground zero, and praise the valiant sacrifice of 20 bravehearts at Galwan and just compare it to the Chinese side. They have not even acknowledged their casualties. Imagine the impact it could have on the minds of a Chinese soldier," Saha said. Strategic affairs expert Dr Laxman Behera said by visiting Ladakh, Modi sent a very clear message to China that India is "resolute and firm" in defending its borders and that it is ready to escalate the cost on China for its "misadventurism". "The prime minister sent a very clear and unequivocal message to China at a time India is getting lot of international support on the border row. China is being marginalised. Major powers have supported India on the issue," he said. Welcoming Modi's visit, Lt Gen (retd) Ashok Mehta said Modi has sent a very strong message to China that India has taken the Chinese action in eastern Ladakh "very seriously". "This message from the visit was that we are taking these intrusions very seriously, unlike previous episodes of border skirmishes in Depsang in 2013, Doklam in 2017 and Chumar in 2013. The message was that the latest actions are highly provocative and we will respond adequately," he said. Behera, a noted defence expert from Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, said China will incur significant economic losses because of its latest belligerence in eastern Ladakh, South China Sea as well as in the Indo-Pacifc region after drawing criticism over origin of the COVID-19. "China is being slowly and steadily marginalised in the international community. India should take advantage of it. We should try to sideline China economically in various global fora. That should be the focus of Indian foreign policy," he said. Saha, a member of the National Security Advisory Board, called the prime minister's interaction with the soldiers at a high-altitude forward location "absolutely fascinating and very motivating" from a military point of view. "He spoke about two mothers that he respects. 'One is mother India and the other is the mother who gives birth to valiant soldiers like you'. Line like this is very big for people who are listening to him," he said. The former Deputy Chief of Army Staff also called Modi's message from Ladakh to the rest of the country to work for making India a self-reliant nation. "Standing there, he was telling everybody, that let us become a self reliant country. He was literally speaking on behalf of the soldier and motivating the industry, academia and those involved in research and development that lets become self-reliant. That was a very important message," he said. Modi made a surprise visit to Ladakh on Friday during which he said the era of expansionism is over and that the history is proof that "expansionists" have either lost or perished, in comments were seen as a clear message to China. -- PTI Click here to read the full article. Editors Note: As the world commemorates the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, the Center for the National Interests Korean Studies team decided to ask dozens of the worlds top experts a simple question: Do you believe that the Korean War will finally come to an end before its next major anniversary in 2025? The below piece is an answer to that question. Please click here to see even more perspectives on this important topic. If I look back from this year, the seventieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, I see an interminable conflict, but if I look ahead to its next major anniversary, five years from now, I see the best prospects for its closure so far this century. Indeed, I see prospects of any grade for the first time this century. If in 1984, five years before the end of that four-decade-long Cold War between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, a person had been asked whether it would all end within five years, then they would have been considered a fool to say that they knew it would. If a person had misinterpreted the it would all end in that question to be referring to a potential nuclear annihilation of human civilization or end to the conflict by that means, then they might even have been considered less of a fool than if they had truly been forecasting with such certainty that it would end anything like how it did. And yet in 1989, the Eastern Bloc began to crumble, the Berlin Wall was torn down, and the leaders of both states recognized at their Malta Summit that the Cold War had come to a close. If a person had been more nuanced in their answer, reckoning that certain factors led them to believe there was a significant probabilityhigher than the baseline of preceding decades if not necessarily over 50 percentthat the Cold War would end within that period, then that person still may have been a minority opinion but not an outright foolish one nor mere expression of hope. I believe that within these next five years leading up to the Korean Wars seventy-fifth anniversary in 2025, there is such a significant probability. And though I cant be certain the war will formally come to a close within that period, I certainly believe it can. So what are the certain factors underlying my belief? Story continues Foremost among themand the critical one for that five-year rather than, say, a five-decade time frameis the willingness of President Donald Trump to develop a meaningful personal relationship with the leader of North Koreas regime. It is that willingness to develop a meaningful personal relationship with North Koreas leader, in contrast to the aversion which saw prior presidents prefer interfacing with the regime at the institutional level, which has halted war-risking acts by North Korea since 2017, which led to the historic first meeting between any leaders of the two states. That meeting produced what I would consider to be the most historic first step by any American, historic in this instance since it was the U.S. president, since that of Neil Armstrong onto the moon on the behalf of humanity. Without that willingness on the part of the U.S. president to develop a meaningful personal relationship with the leader of North Koreas regime, I would argue that a peaceful end to the war within the next five years has an insignificant probability of occurring. While this characteristic of Donald Trumps personality may be necessary to end the war within that time frame, however, it is not in itself sufficient for reaching that milestone. Blocking the path is the question of whether North Korea relinquishes its nuclear weapons capability, and, as a subset, whether the United States needs North Korea to do so before being willing to ink the wars end. Under the present circumstances, North Korea is unwilling to relinquish its nuclear weapons capability. If the United States were willing to be taken advantage of in order to secure an end to the war, then it would trade away sanctions relief for the mere promise of this, or otherwise for steps towards this which were merely reversible; such a deal would be wholly antithetical to Trumps personality under any conceivable circumstance. North Korea will leverage its nuclear weapons capability as a bargaining chip in any negotiations on ending the war, and will not relinquish it unless and until the needs which it addresses are addressed by other means. So beyond its utility as a bargaining chip, what needs does that nuclear weapons capability address? Fundamentally, North Koreas nuclear weapons capability serves to guard the security of its regime. More specifically, it serves to guard two aspects: existence and independence. Though it does serve to guard the regimes existence by providing a deterrent to external attempts at regime change by force, it also paradoxically incentives external agents to instigate regime change. And while a sufficient conventional defense capability to this end perhaps wouldnt be sustainable over the coming decades absent possession of a nuclear deterrent, perhaps it would even if sanctions were sustained and even in a regional environment of increased hostilities between the United States and the Peoples Republic of China. Perhaps more difficult to replace than the nuclear weapons capabilitys role in guarding regime existence, however, is its role in guarding regime independence. If France at the beginning of the Cold War, sandwiched between the United States and the Soviet Union, despite its alignment with the United States nonetheless felt it critical to its independence that it develop and maintain its own nuclear weapons capability, then take a moment to consider how North Korea, sandwiched between the Peoples Republic of China and United States, despite its alignment with the PRC might regard its nuclear weapons capability as critical to preserving the independence of its regime. I would not expect there to be progress on an end to the Korean War until there was some notion of what alternative solutions to these dual needs North Korea may be willing to accept, as well as how the United States and South Korea may be willing to institutionalize them. That being said, its my sincere hope that in 2025 we wont just be commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the wars commencement but celebrating the anniversary of its conclusion as well. Steph Umbert is Director of Membership at the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC) and a Summer Research Associate for Korean Studies at the Center for the National Interest (CFTNI). Steph studied International Security Policy, International Conflict Resolution, and East Asian Studies at Columbia University's School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA) as well as both Economics and Political Science at the University of Miami (UM) and George Washington University (GW). The opinions expressed here are not representative of any organization, of any group, or of any other individual. Image: Reuters Click here to read the full article. Several main characters in "Harry Potter" tragically died throughout the series. Warner Bros. Warning: Spoilers ahead for all eight "Harry Potter" films. The eight "Harry Potter" movies featured quite a few major deaths, primarily due to Voldemort's rampage through the Wizarding World. Some of the most villainous characters, like Bellatrix and Voldemort, died in their battle for immortality and wizard supremacy. Other characters, like Cedric Diggory, Lily and James Potter, and Alastor Moody, met their untimely end long before the final fight of good versus evil. Many of the major deaths from the "Harry Potter" series happen during the Battle of Hogwarts in the final movie. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Due to Lord Voldemort's violent quest for eternal life and wizard supremacy, there were many deaths throughout the eight "Harry Potter" movies, based on the books by controversial author J.K. Rowling. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the saddest here are 28 notable deaths from the "Harry Potter" film series, ranked from least to most heartbreaking. Note: Animals, particularly owls like Hedwig, are exempt from this list. 28. Lord Voldemort Voldemort died at the end of the series. Warner Bros. Also known as Tom Marvolo Riddle, the Dark Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and You-Know-Who, Lord Voldemort was the most powerful Dark Wizard in the world. He split his soul into seven fragments called Horcruxes that could've allowed him to live forever if they weren't destroyed. Throughout the series, Voldemort sets out to kill Harry Potter because of a prophecy that predicted Harry would defeat him. He also led a large group of Death Eaters who killed many of the main characters and fought for pureblood-wizard supremacy over Muggles. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" Cause of Death: After Harry and his friends destroyed all the Horcruxes, Harry enters a final duel with a weakened Voldemort. Harry's disarming spell had the power to beat the Dark Wizard, in part, because Harry was the true owner of the powerful Elder Wand, which Voldemort was using. When Harry's spell finally hit him, the Dark Lord died. Story continues Sadness Ranking: 1/10 By the time he died, Voldemort's soul had been split so many times that he was hardly human anymore. After many years of murdering anyone in his path to get to Harry, it was a bit of a relief when Harry's spell slowly killed him. 27. Bellatrix Lestrange Bellatrix Lestrange died during the Battle of Hogwarts. Warner Bros. A loyal Death Eater and member of Slytherin House, Bellatrix Lestrange was Sirius and Regulus Black's cousin. She was infatuated with Voldemort and would go to any lengths to please him. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" Cause of Death: During the Battle of Hogwarts, Bellatrix tried to murder Ginny Weasley with the Killing Curse. Ginny's mother, Molly Weasley, entered a duel with Bellatrix and killed her with a powerful spell to the chest. Sadness Ranking: 1/10 Bellatrix murdered Sirius, Dobby, Tonks, and many others just so Voldemort could continue his pursuit for eternal life. She probably would've continued killing wizards and Muggles alike had she not met her end at the Battle of Hogwarts. 26. Scabior Scabior also died during the Battle of Hogwarts. Warner Bros. Death Eater and Snatcher Scabior was the wizard who found and captured Harry, Hermione, and Ron and brought them to Malfoy Manor to face the Death Eaters in the seventh film. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" Cause of Death: Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan were tasked with adding explosives to the bridge during the Battle of Hogwarts. After the protective enchantments around the school were broken, Scabior and an army of Death Eaters chased Neville across the bridge, but Neville cast a spell that lit the explosives and Scabior fell to his death. Sadness Ranking: 1.5/10 Scabior didn't display any redeeming qualities and he was a prime Death Eater in Voldemort's army. 25. Quirinus Quirrell Voldemort used Professor Quirrell's body to enter Hogwarts undetected. Warner Bros. Professor Quirinus Quirrell was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts during Harry's first year. He was previously a Muggle Studies professor at the school, but he took a year-long sabbatical to travel the world in search of what was left of Voldemort (after Harry first defeated him as a baby). Eventually, a weak Voldemort attached himself onto Professor Quirrell's body and used him to enter Hogwarts undetected. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" Cause of Death: At the time of his death, Quirrell had Voldemort living on the back of his head. So when he was fighting Harry for the Sorcerer's Stone, Quirrell was burned by Harry's touch and he turned to ash. Sadness Ranking: 2/10 Fans might feel sorry for Quirrell because Voldemort was taking advantage of him, but at the time of his death, he was trying to kill an 11-year-old student for the Dark Lord. 24. Nicolas Flamel The story of his death was relayed to Harry in the first movie, but the character doesn't appear on screen until the "Fantastic Beasts" series. Warner Bros. Nicolas Flamel was the alchemist who created the Sorcerer's Stone, which offered him eternal life. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" Cause of Death: After Professor Quirrell tried to steal the Sorcerer's Stone so that Voldemort could regain his body, Flamel realized how dangerous the stone could be in the wrong hands, so he destroyed it. By destroying the stone, he cut himself off from the Elixir of Life, causing him and his wife to die from old age. Sadness Ranking: 2/10 Although it is sad to lose a famed wizard, Flamel's death was peaceful and he got to die on his own terms after living a very long and full life. 23. Gellert Grindelwald Voldemort killed Grindelwald. Warner Bros. Known for being one of the most powerful Dark Wizards, Gellert Grindelwald and Dumbledore were close friends as teenagers, and the pair plotted to find all the Deathly Hallows (including the Elder Wand) together. After the mysterious death of Dumbledore's sister, however, they ended their friendship and Grindelwald proceeded to gather a following of Dark Wizards. Dumbledore defeated him in a legendary duel that resulted in Grindelwald's imprisonment. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" Cause of Death: Voldemort realized that the thief who stole the Elder Wand from Gregorovitch was Grindelwald, and therefore he was once an owner of the all-powerful wand. One night, Voldemort appeared in Grindelwald's jail cell to demand where the Elder Wand was located. Grindelwald refused to tell him, so Voldemort murdered him with the Killing Curse. Sadness Ranking: 3/10 Grindelwald was responsible for a lot of death when he was raising his army of wizards. However, it was noble of Grindelwald to conceal the Elder Wand's location and sacrifice his life to prevent Voldemort from growing even stronger. 22. Regulus Black Regulus died after acquiring the locket Horcrux. Warner Bros. Sirius Black's brother, Regulus Black, was a Slytherin at Hogwarts and a Death Eater for much of his adult life. However, he walked away from Voldemort when he realized the kind of destruction he was capable of. Time of Death: Prior to the start of the series, revealed in "Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows - Part 1" Cause of Death: Regulus learned that Voldemort was creating Horcruxes and set out to find them. He was killed by Inferi while retrieving Slytherin's locket from the cave, but his house-elf, Kreacher, was able to escape with it. Sadness Ranking: 3/10 Audiences don't learn much about Regulus, but it's a big blow when they realize the locket that Harry and Dumbledore found (right before Dumbledore's death) isn't the real Horcrux. In the end, Regulus had been killed while following an honorable pursuit. 21. Rufus Scrimgeour Rufus Scrimgeour was the Minister for Magic before he died. Warner Bros. Rufus Scrimgeour was briefly appointed as Minister for Magic after Cornelius Fudge's resignation. Scrimgeour was tasked with fulfilling Dumbledore's will and gave Harry, Ron, and Hermione the items that he left them after his death. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" Cause of Death: During Bill and Fleur's wedding, Death Eaters infiltrated the Ministry of Magic, and Voldemort killed Scrimgeour to take control of the government. Sadness Ranking: 4/10 Scrimgeour wasn't featured heavily in the movies but he appeared to be a strong leader. His death was upsetting for the magical community because it showed how much Voldemort's power had grown. 20. Gregory Goyle Gregory Goyle died from his own fire spell. Warner Bros. Sorted into Slytherin House, Gregory Goyle came from a pureblood family with Death Eater ties. He was best friends with Draco Malfoy and Vincent Crabbe, and they terrorized Harry, Ron, and Hermione throughout their time at Hogwarts. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" Cause of Death: During the Battle of Hogwarts, Malfoy, Goyle, and fellow Slytherin student Blaise Zabini ambush Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Room of Requirement. Goyle tried to kill Ron by casting a Fiendfyre spell, lighting the room in an uncontrollable blaze. While trying to climb to safety, Goyle fell into the fire and died. Sadness Ranking: 4/10 Goyle spent all of his Hogwarts years bullying other students and then swiftly sided with Voldemort during the uprising. But Harry, Ron, and Hermione likely wouldn't have wanted him to die. The trio saved Malfoy and Blaise from the burning room, but they couldn't get to Goyle in time. 19. Griphook Voldemort killed Griphook along with several other goblins. Warner Bros. Griphook was a goblin who worked at Gringotts Wizarding Bank. He was responsible for taking Harry and Hagrid to the vaults in the first movie, and he played a key role in breaking the trio into Gringotts in the eighth movie. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" Cause of Death: Griphook helped Harry, Hermione, and Ron break into Gringotts to steal a Horcrux, and in return, Harry said he would give him the Sword of Gryffindor. Griphook got a hold of the sword early and alerted the other goblins of their presence, betraying their deal. When Voldemort learned about the break-in, he brought several goblins including Griphook to Malfoy Manor and killed them. Sadness Ranking: 4.5/10 Griphook didn't trust wizards, so he deceived Harry. But wizards like Voldemort had been mistreating goblins and other magical creatures for a long time, so his mistrust of Harry is somewhat understandable. 18. Bathilda Bagshot Voldemort reanimated Bathilda Bagshot's corpse after killing her. Warner Bros. Bathilda Bagshot wrote "A History of Magic," a book used by all Hogwarts students. She lived in Godric's Hollow alongside the Dumbledores and latter the Potters. Daily Prophet reporter Rita Skeeter took advantage of Bathilda's old age to get intimate information about Dumbledore after his death. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" Cause of Death: Voldemort killed her sometime prior to the Battle of Hogwarts, and left her body alone in her home. He sent his snake, Nagini, to reanimate her corpse and lure Harry into her house to attack him. Sadness Ranking: 5/10 Bagshot was a very old woman who kept to herself and happened to find herself in Voldemort's crosshairs. Although she was able to lead a long and full life, her death was pretty gruesome. 17. Mykew Gregorovitch Voldemort killed Mykew Gregorovitch during his search for the Elder Wand. Warner Bros. Mykew Gregorovitch was a famous European wandmaker who sold wands to the likes of Viktor Krum. He was also the owner of the Elder Wand for some time. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" Cause of Death: Voldemort learned Gregorovitch had owned the Elder Wand, so he kidnapped him and combed through his memories for the truth of the wand's whereabouts. When Voldemort realized that Gregorovitch had been telling the truth about the wand being stolen by an unknown thief, he murdered him with the Killing Curse. Sadness Ranking: 5/10 Gregorovitch was another casualty in Voldemort's quest for power. We don't learn much about the wandmaker, but he didn't have much information to offer Voldemort and he didn't deserve to die. 16. James Potter Voldemort killed James Potter in his quest to destroy Harry. Warner Bros. James Potter was a Gryffindor and best friends with Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew at Hogwarts. He married his classmate Lily Evans, and their son Harry was born a little while later. Time of Death: Prior to the start of the series, revealed in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" Cause of Death: When James and Lily realized that Voldemort was going to try to kill their son, they went into hiding. Peter Pettigrew betrayed his childhood friend by revealing their location. When Voldemort arrived at their home, James told Lily to run and protect Harry before he was murdered by Voldemort's Killing Curse. Sadness Ranking: 6/10 James' death was caused by Pettigrew's betrayal, which is especially tragic because they had been close friends. Additionally, Harry never got to know his father, and that causes him a lot of distress especially in his teenage years. 15. Lavender Brown Fenrir Greyback killed Lavender Brown during the Battle of Hogwarts. Warner Bros. A fellow member of the Gryffindor House, Lavender Brown joined Dumbledore's Army to learn defensive magic in the fifth movie, and she was Ron's overbearing love interest in the sixth. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" Cause of Death: During the Battle of Hogwarts, Lavender falls and is attacked and killed by the werewolf Death Eater Fenrir Greyback. Sadness Ranking: 6/10 Although Lavender annoyed Hermione and some of her other classmates, she was just a teenager caught up in a tragic war, and she didn't deserve to be killed in such a violent manner. 14. Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody Alastor Moody died during the Battle of the Seven Potters. Warner Bros. First introduced as the Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Alastor Moody was an Auror and leading member of the Order of the Phoenix. He was never actually a professor Hogwarts Barty Crouch Jr. used Polyjuice Potion to impersonate him but Moody is seen as one of Harry's greatest protectors throughout the second half of the series. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" Cause of Death: During the Battle of the Seven Potters, the Order of the Phoenix arrived at Privet Drive on a rescue mission. They disguised six members as Harry using Polyjuice Potion, and then those six plus the real Harry paired up with another member to fly to safe houses. During the flight, Voldemort showed up and thought the real Harry was flying with Moody, but it was really Mundungus Fletcher. When Mundungus realized what was happening, he Disapparated, and Moody was hit with Voldemort's Killing Curse. Sadness Ranking: 6.5/10 When Moody was killed, it showed that any character is vulnerable, even the toughest of protectors. His death was the beginning of many more to come and was extra tragic because Mundungus Fletcher betrayed him. 13. Frank Bryce Voldemort killed Frank Bryce in the fourth movie. Warner Bros. Frank Bryce was the Muggle caretaker of the old Riddle house that Voldemort's family used to live in. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" Cause of Death: While watching over the Riddle house, Frank happened to overhear Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew plotting their plans to murder Harry. Nagini realized Frank was in the hallway and alerted Voldemort, who killed him. Sadness Ranking: 7/10 Any innocent death is especially sad, even if the character only had a brief appearance in the movie. Frank lived alone and spent his days caring for the Riddle home he was just doing his job when he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 12. Charity Burbage Voldemort killed the Hogwarts Muggle Studies professor in front of the Death Eaters. Warner Bros. Charity Burbage was the Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts. She encouraged her students to understand that Muggles aren't so different from wizards, and even wrote a famed Op-Ed for the Daily Prophet defending non-pureblood wizards. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" Cause of Death: Voldemort kidnapped Charity and held her hostage. During a meeting with Death Eaters, he suspended her body over the table and expressed disgust for her views on Muggles. He murdered her with the Killing Curse and then let his snake eat her body. Sadness Ranking: 7/10 Charity's death was a gruesome one. She's seen pleading with her fellow professor, Severus Snape, to save her right before Voldemort killed her. She was an innocent witch with idealistic views nothing justifies her tragic murder. 11. Colin Creevey Colin Creevey was another character who died during the Battle of Hogwarts. Warner Bros. Colin Creevey was a Gryffindor in the year below Harry who was known for taking photos of his experiences at Hogwarts. In his first year, he was petrified by the basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets when he saw it through the lens of his camera. Throughout the series, Colin is somewhat of a nuisance to Harry. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" Cause of Death: Colin was killed by Death Eaters during the Battle of Hogwarts, but his death is not shown on screen. Sadness Ranking: 7.5/10 Colin was an enthusiastic, 16-year-old Muggle-born who was just excited about his new life as a wizard at Hogwarts. He was an innocent student who never got to lead a full life, making his death especially brutal. 10. Nymphadora Tonks Nymphadora Tonks risked her life during the Battle of Hogwarts. Warner Bros. Born a Metamorphmagus (someone with the magical power to change their appearance), Nymphadora Tonks was an Auror for the Ministry of Magic and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. She married Remus Lupin and they had a child together. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" Cause of Death: Tonks was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange during the Battle of Hogwarts, however, her death isn't shown on-screen in the movie. Sadness Ranking: 7.5/10 Tonks was killed alongside her new husband and they both left behind a newborn son, making her death especially tragic. It wasn't shown on-screen during the film, but we see the aftermath of her body lying next to Lupin's in the Great Hall. The couple had been secretive about their relationship and pregnancy because Lupin was a werewolf. She had her whole life ahead of her as a wife and mother even more so in a world that would've been more accepting of their relationship after Voldemort's demise but never had the chance to enjoy it. 9. Albus Dumbledore Severus Snape killed Albus Dumbledore. Warner Bros. Albus Dumbledore devoted his life to Hogwarts, first as a professor and later as the headmaster. He formed the Order of the Phoenix during Voldemort's first uprising and was thought to be one of the only people Voldemort feared. He formed a special bond with Harry during his time at Hogwarts and helped him figure out how to ultimately defeat Voldemort. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Cause of Death: Snape murdered Dumbledore in the Astronomy Tower with the Killing Curse. Dumbledore was nearing death already due to a curse from Marvolo Gaunt's ring (a Horcrux), and he knew that Voldemort had tasked Draco Malfoy to kill him Because of this, he worked with Snape to plot his own death so that Voldemort would truly trust Snape and believe his faux allegiance to the Death Eaters. Sadness Ranking: 7.5/10 Dumbledore was beloved by those at Hogwarts and most of the Wizarding World, and it was devastating for Harry to lose another parental figure after experiencing so much loss throughout his life. However, Dumbledore was over 100 years old, marking a life well-lived. 8. Severus Snape Voldemort killed Severus Snape during the Battle of Hogwarts. Warner Bros. Severus Snape was a Slytherin and the Potions professor at Hogwarts. He was in love with Lily Evans and bullied by James Potter during his time at the school, so he was typically cold with Harry. Throughout his adult life, Snape was working as a double agent as a member of the Order of the Phoenix and one of Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" Cause of Death: Voldemort killed Snape during the Battle of Hogwarts. He believed that Snape was the rightful owner of the Elder Wand and the only way for Voldemort to gain ownership would be to kill him. Sadness Ranking: 8/10 After Snape's death, we learn his tragic backstory revealing that Snape was working for Dumbledore all along. For his entire life, he harbored a deep love for Lily and when she was murdered by Voldemort, he promised to protect Harry and fight the Dark Lord. His death would have been even sadder if Harry had known Snape was a good guy all along, but ultimately Snape picked on Harry throughout his time at Hogwarts, likely because of his difficult relationship with Harry's father. 7. Myrtle Warren ("Moaning Myrtle") Myrtle was killed by the basilisk while she was a student at Hogwarts. Warner Bros. The ghost of a Ravenclaw student from many years ago, Moaning Myrtle could be found haunting the second-floor girls' bathroom at Hogwarts. The students see her as a nuisance, which allowed Harry, Ron, and Hermione to use her bathroom to brew their Polyjuice Potion uninterrupted in the second film. Time of Death: Prior to the start of the series, revealed in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" Cause of Death: In the 1940s, Myrtle was hiding from a bully in the bathroom when Tom Riddle came in to open the Chamber of Secrets. The basilisk emerged and killed Myrtle, leaving her body alone for hours before it was found. Riddle used her death to make his first Horcrux with a diary. Sadness Ranking: 8/10 Myrtle was an innocent child trying to escape from petty bullies when a giant snake slithered out of the bathroom drain and killed her with one look. No one came to find her after she died. She's left to haunt the place where she was murdered for eternity, and Hogwarts students continue to bully her in the afterlife. She may be a little annoying and vengeful in the eyes of the trio, but her story is still a tragic one. 6. Remus Lupin Remus Lupin died alongside his wife during the Battle of Hogwarts. Warner Bros. Remus Lupin is first introduced as Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in the third film, but Lupin becomes a father figure to Harry. Lupin was bitten by a werewolf when he was younger causing him to transform each full moon, but he found solace in his childhood friends, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew, who accepted him and helped him during his time at Hogwarts. In his adult life, Lupin was a leading member of the Order of the Phoenix, and he fell in love with and married fellow member Tonks. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" Cause of Death: Lupin died during the Battle of Hogwarts. It's not shown on-screen, but it's implied that the Death Eater Antonin Dolohov killed him in a duel. Sadness Ranking: 9/10 Although the movies don't dive quite as deep into Lupin's story as the books, he died at a time in his life when he was happiest he had found love with Tonks and just had a baby. Now that child is an orphan and will never know his parents. Lupin's tragic and difficult life as a werewolf ended just as things were starting to look up. 5. Fred Weasley Fred was killed during the Battle of Hogwarts. Warner Bros. Fred Weasley was one of Ron's older brothers and twin to George. He was a Gryffindor and a passionate prankster. The twins ultimately left Hogwarts early to open a joke shop in Diagon Alley. The pair were inseparable both at school and after, and they became important figures in the fight against Voldemort. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" Cause of Death: Fred died in an explosion outside the Room of Requirement during the Battle of Hogwarts, though only the aftermath of his death is shown on-screen in the movie. Sadness Ranking: 9/10 Although his actual death isn't shown in the movie, the aftermath of his family finding his body in the Great Hall is. The Weasleys are a tight-knit family, for the most part, and it was clear how devastated his parents and siblings were to lose him. But the reaction of his twin brother, George, as he took in the reality of their permanent separation was truly heartbreaking. 4. Dobby Bellatrix Lestrange killed Dobby the house-elf. Warner Bros. Dobby was a house-elf who used to work for the Malfoy family. He was first introduced using unconventional, and sometimes annoying, methods to try to warn Harry that the Chamber of Secrets was going to be reopened during his second year at Hogwarts. Harry freed him from his master by tricking Lucius Malfoy into offering him a sock, and after that, the pair formed an unlikely bond. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" Cause of Death: Dobby was alerted by Dumbledore's brother that Harry and his friends were trapped in Malfoy Manor. He dropped a chandelier on the Death Eaters, which distracted them enough to Apparate himself and the others away. While Dobby was in the process of Apparating, Bellatrix Lestrange threw her dagger at him, which stabbed him in the chest and killed him. Sadness Ranking: 9.5/10 Dobby's sweet and sad reaction to realizing his fate makes his death incredibly emotional. His last words are, "Dobby is happy to be with his friend, Harry Potter." He was an innocent creature who was willing to do anything to help and protect his friends, and Harry couldn't do anything to save him. 3. Sirius Black Bellatrix Lestrange was also responsible for the death of Sirius Black. Warner Bros. Born into the pureblood Black family, Sirius Black was a Gryffindor and best friends with James Potter. Sirius was Harry's godfather, but he was falsely imprisoned in Azkaban for the supposedly killing Peter Pettigrew when Harry was a baby. He was an unregistered Animagus (a wizard who can transform into an animal), so he escaped Azkaban by transforming himself into a large, black dog. In an attempt to earn Harry's trust, he revealed the truth about Pettigrew how he betrayed the Potters, framed Sirius for his murders, and escaped the scene. He was welcomed back into the Order of the Phoenix after his escape from Azkaban, but he had to stay hidden from the rest of the Wizarding World. Time of Death: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" Cause of Death: During the battle in the Department of Mysteries, the members of the Order of the Phoenix fought Voldemort and his Death Eaters to protect Harry and his friends. While dueling his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius got blasted by a curse and fell into the veil a mysterious archway that serves as a portal between the living and the dead. After floating into the veil, it's understood that Sirius is dead. Sadness ranking: 10/10 Harry's guttural reaction to Sirius' death makes this one especially tragic. Sirius was the closest thing Harry had to family, and they'd even talked about living together one day. But since Sirius was on the run from the law before his untimely death, that never happened. Harry also blamed himself for Sirius' death because Voldemort had tricked Harry into going to the Department of Mysteries by making him believe that Sirius was in grave danger which only became true when Sirius arrived there with the Order of the Phoenix to save Harry. 2. Lily Potter Lily Potter died to save her son. Warner Bros. Harry's mother Lily was a talented Gryffindor who fought as a member of the Order of the Phoenix to defeat Voldemort during the First Wizarding War. As a child, she grew up near Severus Snape, and the two became close friends in their early years at Hogwarts. Time of Death: Prior to the series, revealed in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" Cause of Death: Lily and James took their newborn son into hiding after a prophecy revealed that a boy born at the same time as Harry would have the power to defeat Voldemort. The couple trusted only Peter Pettigrew with their whereabouts, but he betrayed their loyalty by telling the Dark Lord. Voldemort murdered her with the Killing curse while she was protecting her son. Sadness ranking: 10/10 Lily's death is especially sad because we find out that her love for Harry is what ultimately saved him that night. She shielded him from the curse, sacrificing herself in the process, and left Harry an orphan who would never know his family. It's also tragic when we learn of Severus Snape's undying love for Lily and see his devastated reaction to losing her. 1. Cedric Diggory Peter Pettigrew killed Cedric Diggory after the Triwizard Tournament. Warner Brothers The son of Amos Diggory, Cedric was a Hufflepuff who was selected to represent Hogwarts in the Triwizard Tournament. He was known for being a great student who was skilled at Quidditch. Cedric and Harry ended up winning the Triwizard Tournament together, but it was a trap. Time of death: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" Cause of death: When Cedric and Harry Potter went to grab the Triwizard Cup together, it turned out to be a Portkey that transported them to a graveyard. After they arrived, Voldemort told Peter Pettigrew to "kill the spare" (Cedric) because he only needed Harry. Sadness ranking: 10/10 Cedric's death is the most tragic in the series because he was innocent and, in his final moments, his value was greatly diminished when he was called a "spare." It's made even more tragic when Harry brings his lifeless body back to Hogwarts and we witness Amos' heart-wrenching reaction to losing his only son. Read more: Read the original article on Insider Elijah McClain, a Black man who died days after he was subdued by three policemen and injected with a powerful sedative in August 2019, poses in an undated photograph in Aurora, Colorado. Family photo/Handout via REUTERS Three Aurora, Colorado, police officers have been fired over a photograph that was taken near a memorial for 23-year-old Elijah McClain last year. The photo featured officers Jaron Jones, Erica Marrero, and Kyle Dittrich, smiling and reenacting the chokehold that the police used on McClain before he died. The officers had sent the picture to Jason Rosenblatt, one of three officers involved in McClain's death. Interim Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson fired Marrero, Dittrich, and Rosenblatt on Friday. Jones resigned on Tuesday. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. The interim police chief in Aurora, Colorado, fired three officers over a photo in which cops from the department reenacted the chokehold used on Elijah McClain last year. Interim Chief Vanessa Wilson said at a press conference on Friday that the two other officers posing in the picture Erica Marrero and Kyle Dittrich had been fired, according to The Denver Post. One of the officers in the picture, Jaron Jones, resigned on Tuesday. Wilson also fired Jason Rosenblatt, one of three officers involved in McMclain's death last summer, who, according to the interim police chief, had received the photo and replied, "ha ha." Rosenblatt, Marrero, and Dittrich were previously put on leave over the photo as the Aurora Police Department conducted an investigation. The photo was taken in October 2019, near a memorial for McClain. Erica Marrero, Jaron Jones, and Kyle Dittrich. Aurora Police Department McClain, 23, died on August 30, 2019, days after police confronted him as he walked home from a convenience store. The officers were responding to a 911 call from someone describing a "suspicious black male wearing a ski mask, 'acting weird' by 'waving his arms around,'" according to the police department's incident report at the time. During the arrest, police placed McClain in a chokehold, and a medic sedated him with the drug ketamine. McClain's family said he was anemic and that he often wore an open-face ski mask to keep warm. They said he was listening to music when police stopped him. Story continues "I speak for all men and women of APD we are ashamed and sickened over what we have to share with you ..., " Wilson said at a press conference announcing the firings, according to 9 News. Wilson said the police officers who took the photos claimed they did so to "cheer up a friend." In a statement posted on Facebook, Aurora's police union criticized the firings, saying Wilson's investigation was not thorough enough. "It appears that interim Chief Wilson's participation in the chief selection process drove her decision making in this case," the union's board wrote. "The appearance of impropriety is obvious." Expanded Coverage Module: black-lives-matter-module Read the original article on Insider by Nirmala Carvalho The celebration of the feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle. "His profession, 'My Lord and my God', Kyrios Theos is the clearest declaration of the divinity of Jesus in Sacred Scripture." Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Cardinal Oswald Gracias presided over the celebration for St. Thomas, Apostle of India, which was live streamed today. The Cardinal's daily mass has attracted one of the largest online following in the English-speaking world. Every day, in his homily, the Cardinal evangelizes and courageously teaches the Truth of Jesus. The Cardinal has repeatedly spoken of "do to others as you would like to be done to you" an "Everest of ethics", which "goes beyond the realm of the norm and with the Spirit of Christ, can be a rule, a guide and a principle for a Christian lifestyle. This morning, July 3, in the homily, the Cardinal greeted all three rites. He wished all a happy feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle of India, who brought Jesus - for the first time - to India in 52, almost 1978 years ago. We pray to St Thomas to strengthen our faith. We celebrate this Eucharist in communion with my brother Cardinal Allencherry of the Siromalabarese Church and my brother Cardinal Cleemis of the Siromalankarese Church, who trace their origin back to the evangelization of St. Thomas. We pray, he said again, also for the rector of our archdiocesan seminary, the students (seminarians) and the staff, who make their "profession of faith" by saying: I believe in what the Holy Mother Church teaches and promising to teach what which the Church teaches. Every year, on this day, I preside over the Eucharist at the seminary. Happy feast to the rector . Today is a great celebration for India, it is a solemnity for the Church in India. St. Thomas brought the faith to India in 52 AD, we had the privilege of one of the apostles coming to India. It is a privilege given by God to India, we must respond by being a religious people, a spiritual people moving towards Christ, towards our heavenly Father . The name of Thomas appears in Matthew (10: 3), Mark (3:18), Luke (6) and Acts of the Apostles (1:13), but in the Gospel of John it plays a particularly significant part. Thomas, faithful follower. "When Jesus announced that he would visit Lazarus in Judea, a few kilometers from Jerusalem and dangerously close for someone unpopular like him, Thomas said to his fellow disciples: 'Let us go too, in order to die with him.'" Thomas has always been a Seeker, a scholar of the Truth. Before the last supper, he asked Jesus 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, how do we know the way?' And Jesus said to Thomas: 'I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me "." Thomas is called "a doubtful". At the lake of Tiberias Thomas was not present (in God's plan) when Jesus appeared on the eighth day - Jesus already sanctified this day as Domus Dei, the day of the offering of the Eucharist. And Jesus offers Thomas to touch his wounds ... St. Thomas passes from doubt to enlightenment, makes the leap of faith, Thomas does not touch the hands and the side of Jesus as Jesus invites him to do, but responds with the utmost acclamation or title for Jesus who is in the New Testament. Thomas makes his highest pronouncement - his profession, 'My Lord and my God', Kyrios Theos is the clearest declaration of the divinity of Jesus in Sacred Scripture. Kyrios which is YHWH in the old testament and theos, God " "Thomas sees God completely revealed in Jesus. That's why Jesus is for Thomas 'My Lord and my God!' And he kneels and worships Jesus, Kyrios Theos." There is nothing wrong with true doubt, what Thomas doubt was, you doubt when you do not accept anything, you doubt, with an attitude of mental closure. There is doubt, because you think you know everything, there are people who sincerely doubt, because they do not see fully clearly Thomas did not doubt (as a negative term). Thomas searched for the truth without stopping. St. Thomas constantly asked questions, Thomas was brave. "We don't have all the answers, we should have questions, we should try to find the answers, but trying to understand our Faith more, study our Faith, understand the Word of God more, the whole Creed, should be studied in details, the articles of faith must be studied and prayed for and reflected upon, listening to the magisterium, receiving the sacraments and reading the Word of God, and in doing so we touch Jesus and say: 'My Lord and my God', committing ourselves totally to God. Click here to read the full article. Japan had serious difficulties deploying her manpower, and a few examples illustrate some of the worst events. Tatusta Maru was a sleek, 13-year-old, 21-knot passenger liner of 16,955 tons. When she departed Japan in February 1943 with reinforcements for Truk, a submarine torpedoed her. She took down all hands, 1,481 passengers and crew, in cold, gale-driven seas. Heavy losses occurred even in port. On February 17, 1944, Aikoku Maru was anchored at Truk. Aboard were personnel of the 1st Amphibious Brigade. Four bombs and a torpedo ripped the ship in a great blast that killed 730 passengers and 12 crewmen. Nearby, bombs hit Akagi Maru and set off fuel tanks, ignited her magazine, and killed 1,300 men. Some convoys were lucky. In early June, a convoy of five marus carried half the 43rd Division to Saipan without loss, but a second convoy with 7,000 men of the division lost five of its seven ships. The cargo ship Katsukawa Maru sank and dumped 2,800 infantrymen into the sea. The freighter Tamahime Maru and the transport Takaoka Maru were torpedoed and sunk. Takaoka Maru lost 144 men, while another 3,366 went into the water. The cargo ship Harve Maru also went down, and 1,120 soldiers were thrown into the sea. The cargo ship Kashimasan Maru was carrying ammunition and aviation gas. A submarine torpedoed her, and she took down 43 merchant crewmen. Despite getting wet, 80 percent of the men on the lost transport ships lived to reach Saipan, but all their equipment was gone. The 118th Infantry Regiment lost about 850 men and all its equipment, a blow that destroyed it as a combat- effective unit. On June 29, 1944, the 7,386-ton Toyama Maru was hauling 4,000 men and thousands of drums of gasoline to Okinawa. A torpedo touched off the gasoline, and drums surged out of the sinking ship, exploding in the fires that already covered the sea and engulfing men floating in life jackets. The sinking took a gruesome toll: 3,627 men killed. Story continues Convoys sailing to the Philippines were hard hit. On July 31, 1944, submarines attacked a convoy sailing at eight knots and carrying elements of the 26th Division. Fuso Maru, with 4,500 troops aboard, took 1,376 men down with her. Manko Maru lost 295 men. Yoshino Maru, carrying 5,012 soldiers, sank and 2,482 men died. Tanker Koei Maru had 1,050 men aboard when she sank. A battalion of the 2nd Tank Division heading for Manila went down. Final results were five ships lost totaling 39,063 tons, and a sixth wrecked beyond further use. Loss of life was heavy. In August, Convoy HI-71 sailing to the Philippines lost the big attack transport Tamatsu Maru. She sank so fast that she dragged 4,541 soldiers and merchantmen to their deaths. The huge, 17,537-ton transport Teia Maru, once an armed French merchant cruiser, took 2,665 men to the bottom when she sank. Over 8,378 soldiers and sailors died in this single convoy. In November, a submarine sank the 11,000-ton transport Akitsu Maru. She went down in three minutes, and 2,150 men, mostly from the 23rd Division, died. Two days later, torpedoes hit the attack transport Mayasan Maru sailing in the same convoy as Akitsu Maru. A total of 4,500 men of the division were packed aboard. The ship sank in two and a half minutes, and 3,432 soldiers and crewmen died. Torpedoes sank the escort carrier Shinyo, killing 700 sailors. Japan suffered numerous other convoy losses, all of which contributed to the more than 83,000 men lost at sea in 1944. This article by John W. Whitman first appeared in the Warfare History Network on June 24, 2016. Image: Swordfish (SS-193) off San Francisco, California, 13 June 1943. Photographed by the Mare Island Navy Yard, California. More From The National Interest: Russia Has Missing Nuclear Weapons Sitting on the Ocean Floor How China Could Sink a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Where World War III Could Start This Year How the F-35 Stealth Fighter Almost Never Happened Click here to read the full article. Andi Peters was emotional as he told black children watching Good Morning Britain that they could do his job. The presenter paused during a competition segment to deliver his heartfelt message. Visibly welling up, he told viewers: I just want to say something as I can, as one of the only black people on this show, it is so important that we all keep talking. "It really is. Read more: Andi Peters leaves viewers in hysterics as he runs from small dog Praising the ITV programme, he said: Weve all started this conversation and one of the best things about Good Morning Britain is that we talk about it - were not brushing it under the rug, were not tip-toeing around, we are talking about it. Andi Peters attends The Prince's Trust Celebrate Success Awards at Odeon Leicester Square on March 12, 2015 in London, England. (Mike Marsland/WireImage) "Every day on this programme we are talking about it and its really important that we do." His voice wobbling, the TV star said: Every black kid watching right now - you could do this job. Getting back to his planned segment, Peters initially apologised for the interruption as he explained he needed to say it. He then added: I shouldnt apologise, I mustnt apologise." Read more: Andi Peters says he is 'only person of colour' in GMB studio Viewers were moved by Peters speech. One wrote on Twitter: Representation in the media and across wider is really important. Young folk need it to be there to inspire them. You can't be what you can't see. Well done Andi, said another. Your sincerity and how much it means to you that people are really talking about Black Lives Matter was so apparent. It's so important.. it can't be just a 'moment'. Another person called Peters a brilliant role model. Donald Trump gives thumbs up as supporters chant 'Lock her up!' about Hillary Clinton: C-Span Likely Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has released an ad mocking President Donald Trump's promise to Americans that they would get "tired of winning". The ad, which began circulating on social media on Thursday, shows a clip of Mr Trump making the boast to supporters at a campaign rally. As he speaks, an animated graph is superimposed showing a line graph forming to illustrate the number of coronavirus cases in several countries. Each of the lines is identified by a flag icon. While other nations Italy, UK, Canada, France and South Korea successfully manage to bend the curve on coronavirus cases, the line representing the US shoots up towards a second peak. Mr Biden's Twitter account shared the 2020 US election ad along with a quote from Mr Trump's speech: "Mr President, it's too much." It's been a record-setting week for new coronavirus cases in the US. On Wednesday, 50,655 new coronavirus cases were reported, marking the largest number of new infections recorded in a single day in the US. The surge comes just a month after many US states began re-opening their economies following a nearly three month shut-down due to the pandemic. The rise in infections has been most prevalent in the West and South, especially in Florida, Texas and Arizona. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. On Tuesday, Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, addressed Congress along with several other national health leaders to discuss the recent resurgence. "We are now having 40-plus thousand new cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around and so I am very concerned," Dr Fauci said. He warned that if people continue to congregate in large groups and refuse to wear masks, the pandemic will continue to worsen. "We're going to continue to be in a lot of trouble, and there's going to be a lot of hurt if that does not stop," he said. Story continues As the number of cases continue to climb and health officials warn Congress of dire consequences if the country stays its current course, Mr Trump has continued to suggest that the coronavirus will eventually just disappear. On Wednesday, he appeared on Fox Business and was asked if he believes the virus will still disappear. "I do. I do. Yeah sure. At some point. And I think we're going to have a vaccine very soon too." Despite maintaining his insistence that the pandemic will eventually just disappear, Mr Trump has somewhat changed his public stance on wearing masks. During the same interview, he was asked if he would wear a mask, and said he would. "Oh I would. I have. I mean people have seen me wearing one. If I'm in a group of people where we're not 10 feet away but usually I'm not in that position and everyone's tested," Mr Trump said. The president said he didn't think making mask wearing mandatory was necessary at the national level but did say he was "all for masks" and now thinks that they're good. Up until recently, Mr Trump has been characteristically obstinate about wearing masks, at times claiming people wore them to show this displeasure with him and during a trip to a Michigan Ford Motors plant refused to wear one to spite the press. Read more Joe Biden beats Donald Trump again with record $140m fundraising haul A Black family is alleging discrimination in a lawsuit filed Thursday against Hilton and a Hampton Inn franchisee in Wilson, North Carolina, after a white female hotel clerk called police over a dispute regarding a billing mistake. Dolores Corbett, who stayed at the hotel on the night of Nov. 23, 2018 with her husband and two teenagers, says that in addition to humiliating and degrading her, the clerk's decision to call police "put our family in imminent danger." The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, arises from a dispute over a billing error. The next morning after spending the night, the clerk loudly and repeatedly told Corbett that her credit card had been declined. Corbett tried to explain that the $145-a-night room had been prepaid using points from her Hilton Honors account, the suit states. Hampton Inn is a Hilton brand. Related: What systemic racism means and how it can be dismantled The suit alleges that when Corbett, a businesswoman from Eastampton, New Jersey, asked to speak to a supervisor about the problem, the clerk shouted "get off my property" and summoned police. More: Milwaukee hotels begin to see signs of recovery from COVID-19 pandemic on travel industry, experts say Fearing that the clerk would misrepresent what had occurred to the police dispatcher and the responding officers might overreact, Corbett said she felt compelled to check out immediately. She and her daughter packed up their belongings as quickly as possible as her husband and son waited outside in their van. When police arrived, Corbett told them they had done nothing wrong and the clerk acknowledged that they had paid for their stay, the suit says. A Black family that stayed a Hampton Inn in North Carolina is suing Hilton after a white clerk called police over a billing mistake that turned out to be the hotel's fault. Hampton Inn is a Hilton brand Yet officers escorted them from the hotel and circled their vehicle in a restaurant parking lot as the family waited for others in their party, the suit says. More: TV news show sting alleges NYC hotels weren't following coronavirus cleaning procedures Backing up their complaint, Corbett's attorneys revealed an email from the hotel's general manager, Phil Ronaghan, a day after the incident in which he offered his "sincerest apologies" and called the clerk's actions "unprofessional and unwarranted." Story continues In the email, Ronaghan acknowledged the dispute was the result of a "simple billing error on our part" and one "that should have been resolved quickly and without hassle." He said the unnamed clerk told them she called police because she felt threatened. However, he said he did not feel that the situation rose to "anywhere near that level of dispute" and noted that she had been reassigned pending an internal review of the incident. Ronaghan could not be reached for comment but the hotel's franchised owner, Patco Lodging, sent a statement to USA TODAY saying it believes the suit is without merit and that it has a zero-tolerance policy toward racism and discrimination. It said the incident was handled properly in accordance with Hiltons sensitivity programming. Delores' husband, engineer Alvin Corbett, told USA TODAY he is still shocked at what occurred that morning. He said the experience left the family feeling "blindsided," adding, "You're thinking these things aren't going to happen to you and they did happen to us." More: Hilton hotel to refund students after trip canceled due to coronavirus; Kodak Black intervenes Reached for comment, Hilton spokesman Nigel Glennie said that while the company doesn't normally comment on lawsuits, "Hiltons records show that our guest assistance team worked to resolve this complaint in 2018. We believe that our Hilton team engaged with sensitivity to understand, listen and address concerns about the guests experience." One of the family's attorneys, Jason Kafoury said in an interview that he believes there may be a pattern of similar discrimination happening in Hilton-branded hotels. "We were capturing the moment to highlight this problem at Hilton and their franchises. "Its wrong. Its actionable. If we dont call out racist behavior and file lawsuits, nothing changes." In an interview, Delores Corbett said the lawsuit wasn't prompted by calls for justice for Black Americans after the George Floyd killing at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis. Rather, she said the incident has been a source of continuing anguish, even more than a year and a half after the trip to Wilson. The family was there for what was supposed to be a celebration honoring Alvin's mother, Fannie, a civil rights activist and community organizer, who earned praise from the state's governor and legislature for her contributions to the Wilson area, which is located about an hour east of Raleigh. "The pain is still there," she said. It's not the first instance of alleged discrimination at a Hampton Inn. An employee at a property in Williamston, North Carolina, was fired after calling police on a Black family using the swimming pool there last weekend. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Black family alleges discrimination by Hilton after clerk calls police Officer responding to a 31 May protest fire rubber bullets and throw tear gas into a crowd: Fort Lauderdale Police Department Florida police officers responding to a George Floyd protest have been caught on camera laughing and bragging about shooting protesters with rubber bullets. The video shows police forming a line against a group of protesters in Fort Lauderdale on 31 May and eventually tossing tear gas to drive them away. When protesters began throwing the cannisters back at the police, they responded by shooting at demonstrators with rubber bullets. The Miami Herald obtained video footage from an officer's body camera which showed a detective and an officer bragging about shooting at the protesters. "Beat it, little f*****," an officer identified as Detective Zachary Baro says in the video just after shooting a rubber bullet at a protester. The protester threw a tear gas canister back at the police and was walking away from the police officer when they shot at him. Later in the video, another officer, identified as Jamie Chatman, approaches Mr Baro and asks if his body camera is off. Mr Baro incorrectly says it's on standby. Once Mr Chatman believes he isn't being recorded, he begins to brag about shooting the protesters. "Did you see me f*** up those motherf******?" one of the officers says. "I got the one f*****" the other replies. One of the demonstrators on the receiving end of the police barrage was LaToya Ratlieff, who was shot in the face and suffered a skull fracture. Speaking with the Associated Press, Ms Ratlieff said she couldn't eat for a week after sustaining the injury and that she has difficulty seeing out of the injured eye as it is filled with blood. She has asked to meet with the police department to discuss ways to ensure there is accountability at the department in the future. In response to the Miami Herald's story, Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione released a longer version of the body camera video along with a statement to the paper defending the officers. "Your story shows less than 3 minutes of an 8 minute and 43 second long video. The entire video clearly demonstrates our officers were under attack by a group of people who chose to use violence instead of peace to antagonise the situation. Although the language is extreme, and offensive to some, our officers were dealing with the chaos of a developing situation. Story continues During the video, Mr Maro and Mr Chatman have their conversation behind the police line, minutes after the protesters had been driven away by "less than lethal" rounds and tear gas. Mr Maglione has not indicated publicly whether the officers in the video are under internal investigation. The clash between police and demonstrators appeared to kick off after an officer appeared to shove a kneeling woman's head. In response, demonstrators threw plastic bottles at the police, which prompted the officers to throw tear gas into the crowd. Read more LAPD funding officially slashed by $150m following racism protests Revelations that Russia may have paid bounties to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan is the latest and most alarming evidence to date that Vladimir Putins government is intent on damaging American interests there and hastening a U.S. withdrawal. Russian support for the Taliban has been apparent for at least two years. A steady, slow flow of small arms and cash from Russia has been trickling into Afghanistan, according to a U.S. official familiar with intelligence reports but not authorized to speak publicly. At one point in 2018, the outgoing commander of U.S. and NATO forces, Army Gen. John Nicholson, called out the Russians publicly on the shipments of cash and weapons, a charge the Russians denied. What we know: Reports say Russia offered bounty on US troops in Afghanistan But a Pentagon report this week, mandated by Congress, suggested a motive for Russian meddling: prevention of a long-term U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. The report noted that Russia supports the peace deal the Trump administration has pursued that would allow a complete withdrawal of American forces that have been in Afghanistan since 2001. In this May 3 , 2017 file photo, A damaged U.S. military vehicle is pictured at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. In an "open letter" to U.S. President Donald Trump, Afghanistan's Taliban on Tuesday reiterated their call for a withdrawal of troops to end the protracted war. The report also notes Putin's government sought deeper ties with Taliban insurgents there. Its possible, experts say, that Putin miscalculated the reaction to paying Taliban fighters to kill U.S. troops given the enormous downside when the scheme was inevitably exposed, the official said. If true, its another dumb move, overreach by Putin, said Mark Quantock, a retired Army two-star general and former head of intelligence for U.S. Central Command. The (Taliban) doesnt need to be incentivized to target U.S. troops. In-depth: What to know about how Trump gets, or doesn't get, intelligence briefings The return on investment would be minimal, Quantock said, and the downside immense for Putin. Russian-paid bounties almost guarantee a bipartisan response in Congress for sanctions against Russia. The relationship is now under scrutiny following reports in The New York Times and other outlets that Russian intelligence agents may have offered money and other forms of support "bounties" to the Taliban in exchange for killing U.S. or coalition troops in Afghanistan. The Taliban and Russian officials vehemently deny the allegations. Story continues Russian interference is not new The U.S. and Russia have a long, tangled history in Afghanistan, stretching back to the Cold War. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to prop up a communist-led government there, leading to alarm among American officials who eventually decided to intervene. During the Reagan administration, the U.S. helped resistance fighters known as the mujahideen, sending them anti-aircraft missiles and other assistance. U.S. soldiers in Wardak province, central Afghanistan, in 2019. In part, because of America's involvement, the Afghan conflict became a quagmire for the Soviet Union, costing Moscow billions of dollars and dealing a blow to the reputation of its Red Army. Russia finally withdrew its forces in the late 1980s. The war left more than 15,000 Soviet soldiers dead, a scar that Putin has not forgotten. After the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, and initially, Russia was on board with the U.S. mission to drive al-Qaida and other terrorists out of the country. But in recent years, Russia's goals have turned against the U.S. "The stories of Russian interference in Afghanistan are not new," said Max Abrahms, a global security expert at Northeastern University in Boston, referring to the furor that has erupted over whether Russia paid the Taliban to kill U.S. troops. "Militants in Afghanistan have long reported that the Russians are trying to make the U.S. presence more difficult," he said, adding that this could take several forms from backing open fighting to trying to inflict financial costs and sabotaging intelligence. 'No consensus': Intelligence community split over Russia bounty on US troops report A Taliban delegation arrives in Moscow, on Sept. 7, 2019, for talks with Russian officials. Abrahms said that Afghanistan is home to multiple militant groups "all of which detest the United States." He said that "we don't have a good understanding of where each organization starts and stops," but that the main state sponsor of actions in Afghanistan against American troops is not Russia, but Pakistan. Iran is also active in the area. In recent years, Washington has repeatedly accused Pakistan of providing a safe haven to the Haqqani network, a Taliban affiliate that has been blamed for major attacks in the nation. Pakistan also harbored al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, although Pakistan's security agencies have denied they knew Bin Laden's whereabouts when he and several of his operatives were killed by U.S. special forces in a raid in Abbottabad. Abrahms noted that Russia's alleged actions resemble American ones: When the U.S. supported the militants in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War that ended in 1989, they killed Russian troops. Some members of these U.S.-backed militants the mujahideen later formed the Taliban. Bin Laden was among them. 'We handled it appropriately' Before the White House signed a peace deal with the Taliban earlier this year, the U.S. was losing ground to the Taliban. The hardline insurgent group has for years pummeled American troops with roadside bombs and suicide attacks, as the U.S. tried to support a democratic government in Kabul. Trump has vowed to end the U.S. involvement there, viewing the conflict as an "endless war" that drained American blood and treasure. The White House says Trump was not "personally briefed" on the Russian bounty intelligence because there were "dissenting opinions" among intelligence officials about its credibility. Trump has called the claim that he was briefed and didn't do anything about it a "Fake News tale that is told only to damage me and the Republican Party." If the U.S. intelligence assessments prove accurate, it's unclear why the Russians would take the far more provocative step of directly paying Taliban fighters to kill American troops, a dramatic escalation of Moscow's previous activities in the Afghanistan war. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer and now Democratic congresswoman, said the allegation that Russia deliberately tried to harm U.S. troops by offering "bounties" to Taliban militants fits into its Cold War mentality and aggression against democracies, particularly the USA. She said its definitely a grave escalation. "The notion that they would actually take this step of putting a price on the head of Americans is it's just beyond the pale," she said. But Carol Rollie Flynn, a 30-year CIA veteran, now president of the Foreign Policy Research Institute think tank, said the idea that Russia would pursue such an operation was so outlandish she wondered if it is credible. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he takes threats against American troops seriously. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has said the Pentagon has no "corroborating evidence" to validate the allegations of the Russian bounties, but added that he takes threats against American troops seriously. "I want to assure all of our service members that we take seriously any and all potential threats against U.S. military personnel," Esper tweeted on Wednesday. "We took this seriously. We handled it appropriately," Pompeo echoed in a briefing with reporters that same day. "The fact that the Russians are engaged in Afghanistan in a way thats adverse to the U.S. is nothing new," he said. Meanwhile, some Senate Republicans have appeared to rally behind Trump, with Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., saying the Times and other outlets reported on "unverified and inconclusive intelligence as though it had been conclusively determined." But Russia's action, if proven, could provoke a bipartisan response from Congress, in the form of sanctions or other measures against Moscow. "The president of the United States should not be inviting Russia into the G-7," said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, referring to Trump's statements that Moscow should be allowed to rejoin that group of major advanced economies. "We should be considering what sanctions are appropriate to further detour Russia's malign activities, not further ingratiating Russia into the community of civilized nations." Peace deal: US starts pulling troops from Afghanistan as part of Taliban agreement Quantock said that any intelligence on bounties for U.S. troops would certainly reach the president, likely via the so-called President's Daily Brief. That means Trump either failed to read the report or discounted its significance, he said. "Either way, he should have known about and acted upon it," Quantock said. "It's a sad commentary on the (president) from every angle," he said. 'Russia publicly denies involvement' A total of 23 U.S. soldiers were killed in Afghanistan in 2019. This adds to the more than 2,300 total fatalities, according to the Defense Department. It's not clear if the alleged Russian "bounties" reportedly offered and paid to the Taliban directly led to the deaths of American service members in Afghanistan. The intelligence cited by the Times claims that the attacks on American soldiers in Afghanistan were orchestrated by a secretive unit of Russias military intelligence agency the GRU named Unit 26165. This is the same unit the British government has identified as being responsible for the poisoning in the U.K. of Sergei Skripal, a former GRU officer who defected to Britain. Russia has denied involvement. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives to the signing of a U.S.-Taliban agreement in the Qatari capital Doha on Feb. 29, 2020. The GRU has also been accused of arranging contract killings of Kremlin critics in Berlin, Istanbul and beyond. The U.S. Justice Department has charged GRU operatives with computer hacking, money laundering and disinformation crimes that favor Moscow. Still, the report released Wednesday by the Defense Department concluded that "Russia very likely continues to support U.S.-Taliban reconciliation efforts in the hope that reconciliation will prevent a long-term U.S. military presence." The report noted that "Russia has politically supported the Taliban to cultivate influence with the group, limit the Western military presence, and encourage counter (Islamic State group) operations, although Russia publicly denies their involvement." Arkady Dubnov, an analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Center, a foreign affairs think tank based in Russia's capital, has been traveling to Afghanistan for the past 25 years. Dubnov was among the first Russian journalists to cover the Taliban when it first swept to power in Afghanistan, beginning in the mid-1990s. He said that until "serious evidence" emerges to support claims that Russia was trying to financially motivate Taliban fighters to kill American troops he is not taking the allegations seriously. He also said that even though Taliban political delegations have traveled to Moscow on two occasions for secretive talks with Russian officials, he does not think that there is any kind of "reliable" relationship between the two parties. "How can Russia be on good terms with a group that is still unofficially on a list of organizations that the government considers to be terrorists?" he said. Contributing: Nicholas Wu This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Russian 'bounties' on US troops: Did Russia cross a line with Taliban? People at Le Petit Four restaurant on June 30 in West Hollywood, California. Michael Tullberg/Getty Images California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an order directing bars, restaurants, and movie theatres to close in 19 counties, including Los Angeles. The directive affects more than 70% of the state's population and comes as the state has set records for daily infections over the past week. California was quick to shut down on March 19 toward the beginning of the pandemic, but experts say it reopened too soon. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. California is directing bars and restaurants to close once again across the state as case counts continue to climb, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Wednesday press conference. Effective immediately, the order affects 19 counties, including Los Angeles and Santa Clara, home to Silicon Valley's tech center. Indoor operations, such as movie theatres, zoos, and museums, must also close. Restaurants can continue with outdoor dining, but all bars and pubs must stop indoor and outdoor service, including curbside. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious-disease expert, said Tuesday that going to indoor bars is one of the most dangerous things people can do right now. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The directive comes as California continues to set records for daily infections. The state recorded 7,000 new cases on June 23, according to government data. The state has 222,917 confirmed cases, with at least 5,980 reported deaths. Business Insider's Holly Secon reported that California was praised early on in the pandemic for its proactive action to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease. The governor announced a statewide stay-at-home order on March 19, two days after health officials issued an order in the San Francisco Bay Area. But California, along with other US states, began reopening parts of its economy before it began seeing a steady decline in cases. And experts say that some areas of California reopened too early. The state mandates the wearing of masks or face coverings to help contain the virus. Masks have become politicized during the pandemic, with many refusing to don them, saying they violate their civil liberties. "Wearing a face mask is a sign of toughness. It's a sign of resolve. It's a sign of someone who gives a damn," Gov. Newsom said during Wednesday's press conference. Read the original article on Business Insider Click here to See Video >> You can now watch our TV Series 'The Autoblog Show' online, with its ninth episode, camping all over the Golden State. First, Senior Producer Christopher McGraw flies to L.A. where he gets to drive a vehicle that has never been sold in North America, the Volkswagen California. Then, he leaves the coast behind for Yosemite Valley, where he sees what its like to sleep in a luxurious, renovated Airstream at Autocamp Yosemite. Check out episode nine of "The Autoblog Show" above. It originally aired on Verizon Fios TV, the Yahoo! Finance Channel on the Roku TV app and SamsungTV+. Terrorist suspects can be placed under surveillance for up to 60 days, detained without a warrant, and imprisoned for up to 24 days. For civil society groups and the Catholic Church, the legislation could be used to limit freedom of expression. Government argues that it will help fight communist and Islamic rebels. Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte today signed into law a controversial anti-terrorism bill, which will come into force in the coming weeks. The legislation broadens the definition of "terrorism" to cover incitement, something that civil society groups deem dangerous, as it could be used to limit freedom of expression. The new law allows authorities to conduct surveillance of terrorist suspects for 60 days, to arrest them without a warrant, and to hold them for 24 days. In the event suspects are acquitted of terrorism charges, they are not entitled to damages for wrongful arrest. Business people, activists, academics and Catholic Church leaders had urged President Duterte not to sign the law, calling instead for a broader debate before approving the legislation, noting that the countrys real emergencies are the fight against COVID-19 and the economic crisis. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet also expressed concern about the legislation. In particular, she urged the Philippine government to include safeguards for people who peacefully criticise the authorities or engage in humanitarian activities. According to the government, the law does not violate the rights of the people, and is needed to fight communist and Islamic rebels in different parts of the country. Duterte has already been criticised at home and abroad for his war on drugs. Unveiled in 2016, this policy has caused thousands of deaths (up to 27,000 extrajudicial killings according to some sources). Ottawa (AFP) - Canada announced Thursday an agreement to launch negotiations with Iran on compensation for the families of the foreign victims of a Ukrainian passenger plane shot down in January, with Sweden expressing confidence Tehran would pay. An international "coordination and response group" of countries whose nationals died on the plane signed a memorandum of understanding, formally paving the way for negotiations with Tehran, according to a Canadian government statement. The countries -- Canada, Britain, Ukraine, Sweden and Afghanistan -- each had citizens die when Tehran's armed forces mistakenly shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. "The five states created the legal structure necessary to start these negotiations," Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told AFP. "It is a first step -- necessary but only a first step -- to begin negotiations to obtain reparations for the victims' families," he said. Earlier in the day, Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde told news agency TT that Tehran had agreed to compensate the families of foreign victims. There is "no doubt" that Iran would follow through on the compensation, she said, adding that it was still unclear what sums would be paid out. "We have signed an agreement of mutual understanding that we will now negotiate with Iran about amends, compensation to the victims' next of kin," Linde said. Ukraine, the group's designated speaker on the negotiations, will be responsible for proposing a date to launch the talks in Tehran, Champagne said. "These kinds of negotiations generally take several months or even years," added Champagne, whose country chairs the coordinated group. "Iran had indicated to us its desire to start negotiations. I always judge Iran not by its words but by its actions," he warned. The 176 victims of the crash, which occurred shortly after taking off from Tehran airport on January 8, were mostly Iranian-Canadians. Story continues Of countries apart from Iran, Canada was the hardest hit, with a total of 85 victims (both citizens and permanent residents). The Islamic Republic admitted days after the downing that its forces accidentally shot the Kiev-bound jetliner. At the end of June Iran officially enlisted the help of France's BEA air accident agency to download and read the data on the flight recorder. Ottawa had been demanding that Iran, which does not have the technical means to extract and decrypt the data, send the plane's black boxes abroad. Leonardo Casas/Reuters CALI, ColombiaThere was a time, not so long ago, when Mexico City remained a safe haven from the deadly cartel violence plaguing the rest of the country. A place where El Narco dared not tread. That time is no more. Shortly after sunrise on Friday, June 26, Mexico City Police Chief Omar Garcia Harfuch was ambushed near his home in an upscale residential community. The unprecedented attack was carried out by a paramilitary force of more than two dozen men armed with automatic weapons, grenade launchers, and .50 caliber sniper rifles. Twenty-eight sicarios (hitmen) divided into four separate estacas (kill squads) had set up roadblocks on the Paseo de la Reforma, the most famous boulevard in the capital, which leads to neighborhoods full of sprawling mansions and embassy compounds. The police chief survived the barrage fired at his armored SUV, but he took three bullets and two of his bodyguards and a bystander were killed. Garcia Harfuch, who is expected to recover, tweeted from his hospital bed that: Our nation must continue to confront those cowards of organized crime. The assassination attempt has been blamed on the Jalisco New Generation CartelCJNG in Spanishone of Mexicos fastest-growing and most powerful crime groups. Mike Vigil, formerly the DEAs chief of international operations, called the attack brazen in an interview with The Daily Beast. Weve had other attacks in Mexico City but nothing like this, Vigil said. He described CJNG as a hyper-violent and supersized cartel capable of shooting down army helicopters and attacking military convoys. The cartels operation against Garcia Harfuch was committed with absolute impunity and no regard for the rule of law, Vigil said. Mexican Narcos, More Brazen by the Day, Land Coke Plane on a Highway and Shoot a General The attack comes at a time when violence stemming from organized crime is spiking across Mexico. Scores of bodies have been found in mass graves or dumped on roadsides, and federal officials and law enforcement officers are increasingly under attack. Last year was Mexicos most violent year on record, with some 35,000 documented homicidesthe true number is likely much higher as many murders go unreportedand 2020 is already on pace to eclipse those numbers. Nationwide at least 226 police officers were murdered between January and May of this year, or one-and-a-half dead cops each day. Story continues People in Mexico City thought they lived in this nice, safe bubble, Manny Gallardo, a Mexican journalist who specializes in covering the cartels, told The Daily Beast. But now the war has come home to them. INSIDE THE ATTACK Wiretaps obtained a few weeks ago by Mexicos National Intelligence Center [CIN] had hinted that CJNG was planning to target a government official, according to Mexican press reports. The leak didnt reveal who the mark would be, but CIN analysts had speculated Garcia Harfuch could be one of the intended victims, according to Vigil. CJNGs leader, a former police officer named Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka El Mencho, had been looking to strike back after authorities froze cartel assets and arrested certain high-ranking gang membersincluding Menchos son, Ruben Oseguera, aka Menchito, who was extradited to the U.S. in February. Journalist Gallardo said Mencho may have chosen Police Chief Garcia Harfuch because hed played a role in the governments recent crackdown. Garcia Harfuch arrested some of Menchos top lieutenants, including the commander of CJNGs Mexico City cell and the leader of the powerful Union de Tepito gang, which was the cartels principal ally in the capital. The chief rolled up gangsters at least as far away as the city of Guadalajara, where he arrested a ruthless CJNG assassin who murdered two Israeli citizens last July, according to Gallardo. Robert Bunker, a security specialist at the University of Southern California, called the attack against the police chief a declaration of war against the Mexican state that has further undermined federal authority. Another firebreak has been crossed in the criminal insurgency raging across Mexico, Bunker told The Daily Beast. Authorities have made more than two dozen arrests, including the alleged mastermind behind the plot, CJNGs Jose Armando Briseno, or Vaca (Cow), El Universal reported. But Gallardo said those captured were in essence fall-guys or patsiesdeliberately chosen for what he calls a suicide mission because they were expendable. CJNG has highly trained commandos but they didn't want to risk them, he said, and added that the failure to use elite shock troops is likely what led to a botched mission and the chiefs escape. The pandemic has erased many jobs, and a lot of people are desperate. That makes for easier recruitment by the cartels. So they hired some untrained newbies for the [hit on Harfuch] . This is how organized crime takes advantage of poverty and ignorance in Mexico. BEHIND THE VIOLENCE In the run-up to the ambush in the capital, the last couple of months have been particularly bloody. Some of the more high-profile incidents include: On Sunday of this week at least 20 people, including Mexican Marines, were killed during a clash between rival gangs in the Michoacan region. In mid-June a federal judge and his wife were gunned down by CJNG sicarios in the state of Colimathe first time in more than 15 years that a national-level judge has been murdered in Mexico. A few days later a caravan of police vehicles was ambushed in western Guerrero state, leading to the deaths of eight officers with three wounded. Also in June, some 30 bodies were found dumped on roadsides across two northern states, apparently casualties of a power struggle within the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, formerly run by Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. In early June, seven cops were abducted and later found dead in the CJNG-controlled territory of Colima. Experts say part of the rise in criminal activity is due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mexico has been one of the hardest-hit countries in Latin America, with 220,657 confirmed cases and more than 27,000 deaths at the time of this writing. The health crisis has diverted the attention and focus of security forces, while the cartels capitalize on the chaos to take over new turf, settle old scores, and even provide food and medical supplies to strapped communities in order to build their brand. But the outbreak has also impacted both supply and distribution chains for narcotics, forcing drug lords and their minions to expand operations to diversify their revenue streams. Slowed commerce between China and Mexico means the narcos have reduced access to vital precursor chemicals needed to produce drugs like crystal meth and fentanyl. Meanwhile the closed U.S. border has limited their ability to move what product they do have stockpiled. That scarcity is leading to ever more violent struggles between rival crime syndicates. With the pandemic negatively impacting illicit narcotics trafficking routes, cartel profits are down, which is resulting in criminal organizations fighting over dwindling profits, said USCs Bunker. Also with Mexican state and federal forces increasingly strained [by the pandemic] more opportunities exist for the stronger cartels and criminal gangs to move against plazas [drug shipping and production corridors] and regions held by weaker opposing groups, he said. Crime groups are also flexing their muscle in new directions since the pandemic, turning to other black-market options to fill their coffers, such as extortion, kidnapping, fuel theft, even taking over the regional avocado trade. The cartels have to have huge revenue streams to pay sicarios and money launderers, and to bribe public officials. Otherwise those people might go to work for a rival group, said Vigil. Nobody works for free. NEW TECH AND TERROR TACTICS Another factor behind the rising tide of violence is that the cartels have adopted new tech and weapons systems for use against each other and government forces. Crime groups are increasingly using anti-personnel car bombs, attack drones, and improvised armored fighting vehicles [AFVs], according to Bunker. The AFVs can range from bullet-proofed tactical trucks with machine guns mounted in the cargo bay, all the way up to the so-called narco-tankssemis or dump trucks with welded sheet metal armor and multiple gun ports. The use of assault rifles, grenade launchers, body armor, .50 caliber sniper rifles, and rocket propelled grenades [RPGs] is pretty standard now in many of the cartel tactical units, along with caltrops and burning vehicle blockades for area denial, channeling, and kill-zone creation purposes, Bunker said. (Caltrops are those spikes laid down across roads to blow car tires.) Journalist Gallardo agreed that cartel capabilities are on the rise: I've interviewed sicarios trained by Colombian paramilitaries to fly drones and drop C4 on targets. Theyre well trained in small-arms and infantry tactics, as well as how to dismember and torture people. That's how [the cartels] work today. Growing power and increasingly sophisticated methods of warfare often intimidate poorly funded local police, making cartel rule absolute in regions with little state presence. In isolated areas they can act without fear of government reprisal, Vigil said, and in fact often serve as the de facto authorities, settling quarrels, and dispensing food and medicine. As part of a comprehensive solution, Vigil said, security forces need to provide a government presence throughout the country, especially where they have these voids that are filled by organized crime groups. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Theodore Rothrock during a homily: (Seton video - YouTube) A Catholic priest in Indiana has been suspended from his public ministry, after he called Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters maggots and parasites". Reverend Theodore Rothrock, assigned to St Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in Carmel, Indiana, was suspended on Wednesday, after he disparaged BLM protesters in a bulletin published on Sunday, according to Huffpost. In his article titled The lady (doth) protest too much, methinks, Mr Rothrock called BLM protesters serpents, whose poison is more toxic than any pandemic we have endured. Mr Rothrock claimed that the protesters are wolves in wolves' clothing, masked thieves and bandits, seeking only to devour the life of the poor and profit from the fear of others. They are maggots and parasites at best, feeding off the isolation of addiction and broken families, and offering to replace any current frustration and anxiety with more misery and greater resentment, he added. BLM protests followed the death of unarmed black man George Floyd, who died after his neck was knelt on by Derek Chauvin, who at the time was a Minneapolis police officer. He has been charged with manslaughter and second degree murder. Protests in opposition to police brutality against African Americans started in Minneapolis, but quickly spread to every state across the US. Mr Rothrock described the protests as being against alleged systemic racism. Bishop Timothy L Doherty of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana announced Mr Rothrocks suspension from public ministry in his district, but said that the priest may still have a role in the future. He added that the suspension is an opportunity for pastoral discernment for the good of the diocese and for the good of Father Rothrock. The priest attempted to clarify his comments in a statement on Wednesday, and said that he was sorry that his words offended some. However, Mr Rothrock added that we must also be fully aware that there are those who would distort the Gospel for their own misguided purposes. Story continues People are afraid, as I pointed out, rather poorly I would admit, that there are those who feed on that fear to promote more fear and division. His suspension was called for by anti-racist group, Carmel Against Racial Injustice, who said he should have showed greater remorse in his statement. What he needed to say was, I need to as a leader in a church educate myself to do better and recognise the plight of people of colour, not only in my congregation but in our country, to better serve our community, said Ashten Spilker, one of the groups co-CEOs. It was misguided fearmongering to his parish, she added. People look to leaders to educate them, and so to put out something so misguided that can instil fear about what were trying to do here in Carmel was irresponsible on his part. Read more For Catholics like me, coronavirus has transformed worship Western nations are moving to offer millions of Hong Kongers refuge after Beijing passed draconian security laws designed to choke the city's democracy movement -- but many obstacles prevent a mass exodus. The United Kingdom is leading allies in offering nearly half the city's 7.5 million people a potential pathway to British citizenship, with strong indications Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States may also offer some form of asylum. In a direct challenge to China, members of the so-called FiveEyes alliance have framed the move as a moral imperative -- a bid to help citizens of a once-free city escape the clutches of a police state. Speaking in parliament, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said Britain had a duty of care to residents of a colony it handed back to China in 1997. He said the country would allow anyone with British National (Overseas) (BNO) status -- and their dependents -- to come to the United Kingdom and eventually receive citizenship. That is estimated to be more than three million Hong Kongers. In the United States, a cross-party group of prominent senators this week proposed legislation giving an unlimited number of Hong Kong protestors a fast-track to refugee status. Australia hinted strongly that an offer of safe haven would be made in the coming days while Canada has quietly emerged in recent months as a potential sanctuary with at least 50 Hong Kongers lodging asylum applications according to local activists. - Hong Kongers torn - In the run up to the 1997 handover, hundreds of thousands left Hong Kong, mainly to join large Cantonese communities in Australia, Canada and the US. But many returned in the intervening years. This time around Britain's offer is the most comprehensive. BNO status is open to anyone born before Hong Kong's 1997 handover to China. There are currently some 300,000 BNO passport holders, but around 2.7 million Hong Kongers are eligible to apply and there has been a rush of new applications. Story continues "I will depart as soon as possible to start a new life in the UK using the scheme," Asuka Law, a recent university graduate, told AFP, adding she was "immensely grateful" to Britain and expected to leave in the autumn. An accountant who only gave his first name Sam said he was torn. "I still love Hong Kong very much," he said. "But I'll reapply for the BNO passport first and decide after the details are confirmed. It gives us one more way out." On Thursday, prominent pro-democracy activist Nathan Law confirmed he had fled the city to an undisclosed location overseas. Hui Feng, a political expert at Australia's Griffith University, said an influx of Hong Kongers to economically troubled Britain "could lead to concerns for a surge in supply to an already tight labour market." "But the latest poll suggests that the majority of Britons approve the government's decision on this," he told AFP. - Will China block departures? - Yet behind the dramatic invitations -- and the potential rewards of attracting an influx of well-educated, often English-speaking and wealthy emigres -- experts wonder how many Hong Kongers can or would leave. The coronavirus pandemic has severely restricted travel options from Hong Kong. Many of those involved in the protests are youngsters from blue collar families with limited resources to upend their lives. "Abandoning your home, friends and family, potentially forever, is not an easy decision," Ben Bland, author of a book on young people and identity in Hong Kong, told AFP. "Setting up a new life overseas will be even harder in the midst of a global pandemic and deep recession. And many activists still want to stay and fight for their city." China has also threatened countermeasures against Britain's move to extend immigration rights. In an interview earlier this week Raab admitted there was little London could do if China simply stopped Hong Kongers leaving. "Ultimately we need to be honest that we wouldn't be able to force China to allow BNOs to come to the UK," he said. And while sanctions are an option, there is a high chance they would disrupt Western businesses operating in Hong Kong just as much as Chinese ones. A student born after 1997 and not eligible for the passport said she had no plans to leave. "We shouldn't be especially happy about the news," the student, who gave her nickname Blue, told AFP when asked about Britain's BNO offer. "We should stay here and fight for our place," she added. China promised Thursday to take countermeasures against Britain if it presses ahead with plans to extend citizenship rights to Hong Kongers after Beijing imposed a sweeping security law on the restless financial hub. Beijing has faced a groundswell of criticism from primarily Western nations over its decision to impose a new law outlawing acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces. Hong Kong police fired water cannon and tear gas and arrested more than 300 people as protesters took to the streets in defiance of the sweeping security legislation introduced by China to snuff out dissent. Police officers detain protesters during a rally against a new national security law - MIGUEL CANDELA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Early in the morning of July 2, Hong Kong police arrested a 24-year-old man at the city's airport on suspicion of attacking and wounding an officer during protests against a new national security law Beijing imposed on the financial hub. On Wednesday, police posted pictures on Twitter of an officer with a bleeding arm saying he was stabbed by "rioters holding sharp objects". The suspects fled while bystanders offered no help, police said. A police spokesman told Reuters the arrested man was surnamed Wong but could not confirm if he was leaving Hong Kong or working at the airport. A protester (L) using a sharp object against a police officer (R) who is trying to detain a man (C) during a rally against a new national security law - ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP Local newspaper Apple Daily, citing unnamed sources, said the suspect was onboard a Cathay Pacific flight to London due to depart just before midnight. A witness said "around 10 minutes before take-off, three police vehicles drove towards No 64 gate, outside the Cathay Pacific plane" and around 10 riot police ran up the bridge to the aircraft. Cathay Pacific did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A police officer after being stabbed with a sharp object during the protests in Hong Kong - Stand News/News Scan Adding to concerns of Beijing's crackdown, Hong Kong's influential Bar Association published a new legal analysis warning that the wording of the law - which was kept secret until Tuesday - undermines the city's independent judiciary and stifles freedoms. Britain has said the law breaches China's pre-handover "One Country, Two Systems" promise to grant residents key liberties - as well as judicial and legislative autonomy - until 2047. Story continues It has responded by announcing plans to allow millions of Hong Kongers with British National Overseas status to relocate with their families and eventually apply for citizenship. "We will live up to our promises to them," Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told parliament. That move has infuriated Beijing, which says Britain promised not to grant full citizenship rights to Hongkongers ahead of the 1997 handover. "If the British side makes unilateral changes to the relevant practice, it will breach its own position and pledges as well as international law and basic norms governing international relations," China's embassy in London said Thursday. "We firmly oppose this and reserve the right to take corresponding measures," it added. A woman reacts after being hit with pepper spray - DALE DE LA REY/AFP via Getty Images Australian leader Scott Morrison said he was "very actively" considering offering Hong Kongers safe haven. Taiwan has opened an office to help Hongkongers wanting to flee, while a proposed bill in the United States offering sanctuary to city residents has received widespread bipartisan support. Beijing says the law is needed to quell seething pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and restore order after a year of political unrest. But critics fear it will usher in a new era of political repression given similar laws are routinely used to crush dissent on the Chinese mainland. The law has sent fear coursing through the city and rattled the legal community in a business hub that has built its reputation on the independence and reliability of its courts. A young boy holds up a sign in Los Angeles showing his support for the protesters in Hong Kong - ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Live News/https://www.alamy.com On July 1, the US House of Representatives agreed unanimously to seek tough sanctions on Chinese officials and Hong Kong police. The House quickly passed the act that had already passed the Senate the week prior. Due to technical changes, the Senate will need to vote again and a senator said it could happen today. "The Chinese regime just thinks that they can act with impunity and repressing the spirit of democracy," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before the House passage. "If we refuse to speak out on human rights in China because of commercial interests, we lose all moral authority to speak out for human rights any place in the world," said Washington's top elected Democrat, long a vocal proponent of human rights in China. President Donald Trump has not said if he will sign the bill but one of his allies briefly held up the Senate version, seeking changes. A woman reacts after being doused with pepper spray by police in Hong Kong - AFP Contributor#AFP/AFP Trump publicly hesitated last year before signing another rights bill on Hong Kong which also lays out sanctions against Chinese officials for infringing on the city's autonomy. Unlike the previous act, the new legislation would make sanctions mandatory, limiting Trump's ability to waive them. In a crucial pressure point, it would also slap sanctions on banks that conduct transactions with violators. Beijing said Thursday it "deplores and firmly opposes" the US bill, adding that Hong Kong issues are part of China's internal affairs. "We urge the US to grasp the reality of the situation, stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and implementing the negative bill, otherwise we will take strong countermeasures," said foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. A Sydney-based Chinese academic has slammed Beijing-run media reports labelling him an Australian spy, three years after an espionage case against him was "closed" by authorities in China. Feng Chongyi, who was detained for 10 days in China in 2017, told the South China Morning Post that allegations in the Global Times, a tabloid affiliated with Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily, were "outrageous slander", as the two countries locked horns again in a worsening geopolitical spat. The diplomatic war of words between the Chinese and Australian governments has intensified again this week, with each accusing the other of espionage. On Monday, Chinese state media resurrected a 25-year-old bugging scandal, when Australian agents were alleged to have slipped eavesdropping equipment into the floor slabs of the Chinese embassy in Canberra during its construction in the 1980s, as part of a US-led spying effort. The Global Times published photos of the 1995 affair, and alleged that Australia had trained nationals in secret locations before sending them to China and Hong Kong to gather intelligence. One of those accused was Feng, an associate professor of China Studies at the University of Technology Sydney, who was stopped from leaving China after he completed a study on lawyers' rights in the country in 2017. Feng refuted the allegation, saying he was released after Chinese authorities failed to find any wrongdoing. He said that he suspected the article was "contributed by agents of the Chinese Ministry of State Security" and slammed the "propaganda machine of the Chinese Communist Party" for bringing the case up again. "I was detained by them for intensive interrogations in 2017," Feng said. The tabloid splash came after Australian police raided the home and office of Shaoquett Moselmane, a member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales, the upper house of the Australian state's parliament, last Friday in an investigation into allegations that his office was infiltrated by Chinese government agents. Story continues A federal officer enters the home of New South Wales Labour MP Shaoquett Moselmane in connection to alleged links to China and allegations of Chinese government influence, in Sydney. Photo: Reuters alt=A federal officer enters the home of New South Wales Labour MP Shaoquett Moselmane in connection to alleged links to China and allegations of Chinese government influence, in Sydney. Photo: Reuters Moselemane, a vocal supporter of the Chinese government, was suspended by the Australian Labour Party but denied that he had committed any wrongdoing. "The investigation is linked to other people allegedly advancing the goals of a foreign government, namely the People's Republic of China," Moselmane said in a statement, adding that he was the victim of a "political witch-hunt". "I am not sure what those goals are. Let me tell you at the outset, according to what I have been told, this is a federal police investigation," he said. Australia has since committed to spending A$1.35 billion (US$934.7 million) to create more than 500 new jobs in its cyber intelligence agency to combat cybercrime, after a hacking incident two weeks ago by a "sophisticated state-based cyber actor", which local media reports have linked to China. In addition, Canberra approved a wider A$270 billion budget to fund an aggressive defence strategy that would include "long-range strike" capabilities to "deter or respond to aggression in the Indo-Pacific". "Tensions over territorial claims are rising across the Indo-Pacific region, as we have seen recently on the disputed border between India and China, and the South China Sea, and the East China Sea," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in an address on Wednesday. "Relations between China and the United States are fractious at best, as they compete for political, economic and technological supremacy. The rest of the world, and Australia, are not just bystanders to this." The Australia-China spat has exploded since April, when Australia elected to help coordinate an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. China responded by imposing a series of trade-related sanctions on Australia in May and June, including a ban on beef exports, an 80.5 per cent anti-dumping duty on barley and warnings issued to Chinese nationals to reconsider travel and study plans in Australia. The Global Times claimed to have sourced documents outlining Australian government efforts to train Chinese nationals at the Swan Island Training Area, a 175-hectare (432-acre) secret warfare centre and training ground for Australian defence forces in Melbourne. It also charged that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation had set up an outpost in Beijing to watch activities not just in China but in Japan, South Korea and Mongolia. It was manned by intelligence personnel disguised as diplomats, the report claimed. An Australian Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said the Australian government would not comment on the article, nor on intelligence matters generally. "Australia's intelligence and security agencies are committed to protecting our national security, including the important work of countering the serious threat of foreign interference," the spokeswoman said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian claimed in response to the state tabloid's attack that the Five Eyes alliance, of which Australia is a part, has long engaged in "cyber espionage, spying and surveillance on foreign governments, companies and individuals in violation of international law". "This is not a secret to anyone. I am afraid that what is revealed by the Global Times this time is just the tip of the iceberg," he said on Monday, suggesting Australia "abandon the Cold War mentality". Chen Hong, a professor at the Australian Research Centre at East China Normal University in Shanghai, said rising tensions between the countries were caused by the rise of China and Australia's desire to no longer follow the US, but instead play a bigger role in the region. Growing hostility over Australia's trade dependence on China was due to clashing political values, Chen said. "China welcomes Australia to play a more active role on the world stage. It does not oppose Australia's relationship and alignment with any other country. However, such alliances should not be at the expense of Australia's relations with China," Chen 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 2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Chris Evans admits that he already misses playing Captain America (Image by Marvel Studios) Chris Evans has admitted that he already misses playing Steve Rogers and Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The 39-year-old actor made this admission during his recent interview with Backstage. But before people start speculating about Evans potential return to the MCU, he quickly followed it up by saying he is currently enjoying the creative freedom he now has at his disposal I absolutely loved my time with Marvel; I already miss it, but theres no denying that it is very exciting to just have complete freedom to pursue whatever my creative appetite wants. Read more: Robert Pattinson says his Batman is inspired by Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth Evans above remarks were preceded by his candidness about taking on the hugely popular superhero all the way back in 2010, as he admitted that he felt an incredible amount of pressure trying to match fans expectations. President of Marvel Studios/Producer Kevin Feige, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeremy Renner at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX, 2019. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images) There was this enormous expectation that these people already had in their minds, this idea of who this character was, and you have to respect that. Audiences are part of what will make [these films] work, and I owe that group my understanding of what they see. At a certain point, you do have to say, OK, I have to approach this the way I would anything else, and connect to it on a personal level without every single day being preoccupied with how its going to be perceived. Read More: Chris Evans turned down Captain America several times due to anxiety This isnt the first time that Evans has spoken about his time as Captain America coming to an end, as he told Graham Norton back in May that he thinks his time as the superhero is over. "It was a great run and we went out on such a high note that it would be risky to revisit it in my opinion. It was such a good experience and I think it's better left that way." INDIANAPOLIS The diocese in Lafayette has suspended a priest from public ministry after calling Black Lives Matter organizers "maggots and parasites" in his weekly message. Bishop Timothy Doherty suspended the Rev. Theodore Rothrock from St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in Carmel on Wednesday. "The Bishop expresses pastoral concern for the affected communities," the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana said in a statement Wednesday. "The suspension offers the Bishop an opportunity for pastoral discernment for the good of the diocese and for the good of Father Rothrock." Rothrock, who previously was poised to become pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, will no longer transition to that role. Deacon Bill Reid will serve as administrator of St. Elizabeth Seton. According to the diocese's statement "various possibilities for his public continuation in priestly ministry are being considered." In Rothrock's original message posted on Sunday, June 28, he wrote that the church must oppose Black Lives Matter and Antifa and carry the "message of peace." "The only lives that matter are their own and the only power they seek is their own," Rothrock wrote of Black Lives Matter organizers. "They are wolves in wolves clothing, masked thieves and bandits, seeking only to devour the life of the poor and profit from the fear of others. They are maggots and parasites at best, feeding off the isolation of addiction and broken families, and offering to replace any current frustration and anxiety with more misery and greater resentment." The post has since been removed from the church's website. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in Carmel livestreamed Easter Mass with submitted pictures of parishioners taped onto the pews, Sunday, April 12, 2020. Rothrock apologized Tuesday night in a message sent to parishioners and later posted on the church website, "It was not my intention to offend anyone," he wrote, "and I am sorry that my words have caused any hurt to anyone." He continued on to say that all people are welcome in God's kingdom and the church must condemn bigotry, which is "a part of the fabric of our society." Story continues "We must also be fully aware that there are those who would distort the Gospel for their own misguided purposes," Rothrock wrote. "People are afraid, as I pointed out, rather poorly I would admit, that there are those who feed on that fear to promote more fear and division." The newly-formed Carmel Against Racial Injustice group had asked the bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana to remove Rothrock from leadership. In a statement posted online before Rothrock issued his apology, Doherty said he hadn't approved or previewed the article. "Pastors do not submit bulletin articles or homilies to my offices before they are delivered," he said. "I expect Father Rothrock to issue a clarification about his intended message. I have not known him to depart from Church teaching in matters of doctrine and social justice." Doherty also referenced a column he wrote in early June, in which he called the killing of George Floyd brutal and unjust. Follow Kaitlin Lange on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Carmel church pastor suspended after calling BLM organizers 'maggots' Former U.N. Ambassador and civil rights leader Andrew Young says once the world gets through the worst of the coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis it's caused, "we're going to have to renegotiate the world order." Young spoke with CBS News' Pamela Falk about the challenges facing the United States on the world stage and how the Trump administration is responding. He also reflected on racism, how the death of George Floyd "touched the heart of the planet," and what his experience working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., can teach today's protesters. Young helped draft the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed 56 years ago this week and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and he was with King in Memphis on the day of King's assassination. Andrew Young, left, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Feb. 7, 1968, two months before King's assassination. / Credit: AP Photo He went on to an accomplished career as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1973-1977), U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (1977-1979) and mayor of Atlanta (1982-1990). Today he runs the Andrew J. Young Foundation to promote more just and prosperous communities by developing and supporting a new generation of leaders. Here are excerpts of the interview. CBS News' Pamela Falk: There have been protests about racism in just about every corner of the globe. Why is this message having such an impact around the world today? Ambassador Andrew Young: It all comes back to these little cellphones. You know, I say that, when I was working with Martin Luther King we hardly had telephones in most of the residences where we stayed. And when I became mayor, there were four stories of mainframe computers. Now, in today's technology, this little device can do just about everything that all four stories of mainframe computers used to do. I think the availability [of] the cellphone as a low-cost means of communication has made the world smaller and the internet means that almost nothing can escape the knowledge of the world. Everything goes global. Story continues Since the death of George Floyd, protests have taken off in a way that they hadn't for so long, calling for racial equality. Why now? The difference was that we had to watch it watch the death of George Floyd. And it has the same impact everybody remembers, the little girl, the nude girl walking down the road in Vietnam crying. That image ended the war in Vietnam. And George Floyd's death, the cold, callous way that it took place with other officers watching, and with people saying "get off him, get off him" around. It was one of those moments that touched the heart of the planet. And life is not supposed to be that way. You worked so closely with Dr. King. Does his belief in non-violence and his preaching on civil disobedience still hold today? Is it an effective message? Well, I think that the anger is not productive. One of the things that my father taught me at 4 years old was, "Don't ever lose your temper in a fight. Don't get mad, get smart." I happened to grow up in New Orleans; the Nazi Party headquarters [was] 50 yards from where I was born. And he explained to me that white supremacy is a sickness. You don't get angry with sick people. You kind of help them with their sickness and you don't, you just don't ever lose your temper in a fight. You lose your temper in a fight, you lose the fight. And I guess that was one of the reasons why you never saw, I don't think I ever saw Martin Luther King get angry. Dr. King wrote about socialism. How do you think that applies today? Do you think that is still an issue in terms of wealth in this country and around the world? That was one speech. One set of speeches. Martin Luther King was a capitalist. Martin Luther King's father started a bank. His grandfather was the treasurer of the National Baptist Convention with 6 million members. His family owned property. He was born with a guarantee that would have to get a Ph.D. degree in something; it was sort of decided by his family. His mother had a master's degree in music. His sister got a master's degree in music. He was born to education, and black privilege, as we say as was I. What do we need to do today ... for very poor societies, for the poor in America? What is needed to get where society needs to go? I think the United States right now is committed to equal opportunity. I think we are also committed to a prison-industrial complex. Those two don't go together. And I think we've got to find a way. A friend of mine says that his younger brother is in jail for drug problem that normally he should be in a treatment facility and should not be in a prison. It's costing $55,000 a year to keep him in prison. And she went to Yale Law School cheaper than that. She says he's smarter than she is. He, he just had a problem that she was able to escape. I've visited prisons. I've always been impressed with the level of intelligence, the kinds of questions that I get, sensitivity and awareness of most of those people in prison. And those are people, if they were a different color or had been born with different parents Yet there are 2.2 million people in America's prisons. Now, I would give you the two points point-two maybe need to be there. The two million should be educated and serving and competing and contributing. And that's something we've got to figure out how to solve. What is racism a product of? Is it a product of economics? Is it hatred? Is it fear? Fear is probably the most accurate description. I remember meeting with [then South African Minister of Defense, later President P.W. Botha] who was considered the most powerful man in South Africa at the time. And he was the main obstacle to ending apartheid. And when I went to see him, one of the questions he asked me was: "How long do you think there'll be before the bloodbath?" And I said, what bloodbath? "Surely, these Black people are going to rise up one day and kill us all." I said no, I don't think so. And he got very agitated, he said, "How can you say that?" I said, I can say that because Gandhi formed the Indian National Congress here about the same time the African National Congress was formed. And he went back to India and liberated India, and I don't think a single Englishman was killed. I say now I have never heard any of my African friends talk about not working with [White] Afrikaners or getting rid of the Afrikaners. Turning to the United Nations what do you think in terms of the U.S.? The United Nations' World Health Organization, this whole network of globalization, came out of the Second World War. It was a time when America wanted to be a leader. And America had learned from the First World War that it cannot get along unless we're somehow working for the global unity. The full economy could be strong, and so they went to Bretton Woods [economic summit in 1944] and they made financial agreements, and those financial agreements made it possible for almost every economy in the world to grow 3% to 6% between 1944 and 1974. And that was the period in which the United Nations flourished. The World Trade Organization began to negotiate treaties. Now, Americans now forget. One of the reasons why we were able to take the leadership was that we had won the war. We also had realized that we were the ones who had the most and we were going to let the rest of the world catch up. We had to pay a little more. So, we helped Japan. We helped Germany. We helped England. We help friends and enemies, friends and foe alike. The one thing that the Trump administration has not realized yet, that this virus has taught us that this little thing that we can't see and don't know much about has reminded us that this is one world. And that there's no escaping it. We can't take many people to the moon. And somehow this little virus has gotten to everywhere, with everybody, and it reminded us: We are one family and, I think, under God. And it requires leadership from somebody. So why do you think it's time for the U.S. administration to return and reinvest in multilateralism? No, I think that it's not going to be investing in multilateralism. I think that there are others who are doing better than we are. When we recover from this virus, with 40 million people out of work, we're going to need help from our trading partners around the world. And that help well, everybody's going to need help. And so we're going to have to renegotiate the world order. And I think that the present president doesn't think in those terms. We normally got together, everybody was doing well. I think this time because of this virus, every economy in the world is going to be crippled. We're going to have to come together, deal to heal problems that are caused by combination of this health pandemic and the dramatic consequences of climate change. Everything that they asked me to accomplish I did, because I practice what I call, with President Carter, the politics of respect. Diplomacy is personal. And we treated everybody that came from anywhere in the world to be part of our family and we developed honest, trustful relations. That really paid off. I think they will always pay off. What is the highest point in your career? The last point that I negotiated at the United Nations before I left was between China and Vietnam. That was the last war China had in 1979. China's been doing well because they have not had wars. We have been spending almost $6 trillion in various wars around the world. And that's the reason our economy's in trouble. Heading back to solving problems without violence, getting back to working together with people and talking out differences is still the only way we're going to have one peaceful planet that's also prosperous. We have to include those who are left behind... We need to make the world work. "Hamilton" star Daveed Diggs on new video questioning the meaning of July 4 for Black Americans New complaint alleges Vanessa Guillen murdered on base Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell arrested by Shafique Khokhar The project is funded by the government. Aournd three million Hindus live in the country; 3,000 in the capital. For some conservative Muslims, members of minority are third-class citizens and do not have the right to build new places of prayer. A High court justice has no objection to construction. For Hindu activist, new mosques built in non-Muslim countries are examples of harmony between the different faiths. Islamabad (AsiaNews) The construction of the first Hindu temple in Islamabad has sparked opposition from some of countrys more conservative Muslims. Work on the Shri Krishna temple (mandir) began last Tuesday. The structure covers an area of more than 2,000 square metres. The government of Prime Minister Imran Khan is providing US$ 1.32 million in funding. Pakistan is home to about three million Hindus out of a population of 204 million (97 per cent Muslims). The capitals 3,000 Hindus are currently forced to go out of town to take part in their religious ceremonies. For Prime Minister Khan, the Hindu community has contributed to the prosperity and development of the country since it was founded, and so deserves public support. Some Muslim clerics disagree. Maulana Zia-ul-Din Manseharvi, from Jamia-e-Ashrafia University in Lahore (Punjab), issued a fatwa (religious opinion) against building the Hindu temple. He claims that non-Muslims can live and pray freely in the land of Islam, but sharia (Islamic law) prohibits them from building new places of prayer or renovating old temples. Chaudhary Parvez Ilahi, speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly, is also against the project. For him, Pakistan belongs only to Muslims and Hindus are third-class citizens. "We respect the rights of minorities, and the temples that already exist should only be repaired. The issue is now before the courts. In a statement, High Court Justice Amir Farooq stressed that the rights of minorities must be respected and that there can be no objection to the construction of a sacred place. Parkash Heerani, a Hindu activist, member of the Alkhidmat Foundation, also rejects the objections to the construction of the temple. In a comment on social media, he noted that when a mosque is built in a non-Muslim country, many in Pakistan consider it an example of harmony between different faiths. The same should apply in the case of the Hindu temple in Islamabad. President Trump and two of his fiercest enablers, Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Mitch McConnell, in the Capitol. (Associated Press ) The exit of pundit Chris Matthews from MSNBC, on March 2, was one of the zillion discordant notes drowned out in the deafening cacophony this past spring. But its worth another look. Matthews abrupt over-and-out could be a model for how men might quit the he-man wolfpack that defines Trump times. A few days before he resigned, The Daily Show produced a montage of Matthews grody history of leering at female journalists. He once joked, with pre-interview cameras rolling, about giving Hillary Clinton a Bill Cosby pill a knockout drug that makes rape easier. And during the primaries, he was shocked that Elizabeth Warren believed a womans sexual harassment claims; candidate Michael Bloomberg had, after all, denied them. Why would Bloomberg lie? Matthews asked, agog. Why would she? Warren was forced to counter. All in all, many expected a defensive, crocodile-tears apology from Matthews. Maybe defiance. But thats not what happened. He said he was sorry but then came his last words: The younger generations out there are ready to take the reins. With that, he was gone. Matthews sudden white flag came to mind this week in the context of collaborationism, a tricky phenomenon recently elucidated by historian Anne Applebaum in the Atlantic. During evil regimes some members of the ruling class collaborate with the madness while others break ranks, become dissidents. Both types have a range of reasons for their actions. Collaborators may believe theyre accomplishing great things by sucking up to a tyrant. Or they tell themselves they can contain the tyrant by keeping him close. As for dissidents, Applebaum, citing the resistance in East Germany during the Cold War, said some have an epiphany that ends their tolerance for the big lies. Others fall away in increments, until they find themselves "irrevocably" on the other side of authoritarianism. And there are also Matthews types. They collaborate and collaborate and collaborate until one day they just give up. Story continues Matthews, long known as a pit bull for male Democrats, was obviously not a collaborator with the Trump regime, but he was in deep with a complementary system: sexism in journalism. He operated as a front man for condescension and misogyny at the least, and harassment at the worst, until the contrast between his behavior with men and women became too stark for the zeitgeist. Matthews got rolled by history. It hardly seems like heroic dissidence, but sometimes its laudable just to pack up your stuff and go. Applebaum tells the story of an East German border guard, Harald Jaeger. Jaeger ran the passport control unit in East Berlin, which chiefly meant he stopped anyone who tried to breach the Berlin Wall. He was blindly loyal to the East German regime, until Nov. 9, 1989, as the regimes authority was crumbling of its own dead weight. Jaeger that night was under his usual orders to capture and destroy trespassers. But he did nothing of the kind. Not because he was brave, but rather the opposite: He saw the futility of his position in the faces of throngs of people trying leave East Germany and, in a flash, he got out of the way. "I didn't open the wall. The people who stood here, they did it," said Jaeger in 2014. "Their will was so great, there was no other choice but to open the border." Sometimes maybe even most of the time a paradigm shift comes not because of bold dissent but because the pressure on the old ways simply becomes too great. Under such conditions, even the most stout-hearted gatekeepers are forced to step aside. Emulating Matthews and Jaegers decisions to step aside for history has already shown its worth as a response to George Floyds killing and the floodgates it opened. In Bristol, England, for example. Since the 1990s, objections have been leveled to little avail against a public statue memorializing Edward Colston, a slave trader. On June 7, Black Lives Matter protesters hurled the statue into Bristol Bay. Their will was so great, the police wisely stepped aside. The American people too may be ready to act. On Wednesday, in a Politco/Morning Consult poll, 75% of voters said the country was headed in the wrong direction. With Trump in the lead. The presidents enablers, sooner or later, will have to let the inevitable happen. Even the fiercest of the White House collaborators Sen. Mitch McConnell, Vice President Mike Pence, Atty. Gen. William Barr will one day reach the limits of their loyalty and just go silent on the whole Trump era. The president is indefensible. Hes facing defeat. The will of the people is too great. @page88 Army Col. Edward Ramirez, who has 27 years of service as a combat medic under his belt, never expected his next deployment to take him to New York City as it became the epicenter of the nation's COVID-19 outbreak. "It's not bullets. It's not missiles or bombs. But the threat to life [from the coronavirus] is just as much, if not more," Ramirez told "Nightline." Having just returned from a months-long deployment in Kuwait, Ramirez kissed his family goodbye and boarded a cross-country flight to the Bronx, one of the city's five boroughs, where medical teams were overwhelmed in a losing battle against a silent killer. Watch the full story on "Nightline" TONIGHT at 12:05 a.m. ET on ABC "When you're a medical person or a physician, you're not on the very front of the war. They bring the casualties back so the threat is less," he said. "Here, we're the infantry." Ramirez is one of thousands who answered the call from a city in crisis combat medics deployed to the epicenter of a new kind of war. Today, they carry the scars of a hard-fought battle, ready and willing to answer the call yet again. PHOTO: Army Colonel Edward Ramirez, who has 27 years of service and four deployments under his belt, never expected his next one to take him to New York City. (ABC) On March 1, a 39-year-old woman returning from travel in Iran became New York state's first case. COVID-19 killed 1,000 in New York City before the month was out. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency and, on March 20, made an urgent plea for help, calling for the "full mobilization of the United States military." "This has been like war every week. You either had to find a way to survive or you would be overrun," de Blasio told "Nightline." "I said we are running out of people and we have got to find another way to do this. Can we turn to the military medical personnel on duty right now all over the country and bring them to the front?" MORE: Timeline: The first 100 days of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's COVID-19 response Story continues Within weeks, the federal government, working with the state of New York, sent thousands of troops to New York City. The Army Corps of Engineers built makeshift hospitals at four locations, including the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan. Air Force Maj. Angela Murphy, another combat medic, was getting her hair done when she got her deployment call. "My commander was like, 'I need you tomorrow,'" she told "Nightline." "I don't even know what to think or say. And I just came home. I went to my deployment box that I had made when I was active duty. And I just started getting everything out." She even spoke to her parents about whether they had her power of attorney. "Like, if something happens, I want to make sure everything is squared away, because we're going to New York City Health care workers [were] dying," Murphy remembered. This deployment would be a world apart from her last mission at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. "For Bagram, I had six months of prep time to go in," she said. "Here we have like 16 hours and then we were there. Things were just happening so fast. It was like, you just have to go." By April, New York state's COVID-19 cases surpassed China. The city was seeing about a dozen deaths every hour. "The minute we got there, there was no traffic," Murphy said. "I've been there when you're like wall to wall people, you know. And so it was kind of eerie." She was deployed to the emergency department at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, the city's most northern borough which has suffered the highest rates of COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations in all of New York City. PHOTO: Air Force Major Angela Murphy came to New York to fight COVID-19 from Austin, Texas. (ABC) Murphy said she realized the severity of the outbreak the day she arrived. "Just to see the amount of critically ill patients, rooms turned into [intensive care unit] beds. Everyone's crashing in the hospital. They call codes back to back to back," she remembered.Murphy said it was like dealing with a mass casualty event "every moment of every shift, every day for weeks." MORE: 100 days in 'hell': Gov. Andrew Cuomo on his pandemic performance In the emergency room, reacting fast was often a matter of life and death. "They were so sick they wouldn't even realize it until [they] got to the hospital. So they may be struggling for their last breath," Murphy said. She remembered treating one patient who had to be placed on maximum oxygen through a face mask. But that alone wasn't enough. Murphy said she and her team had to flip the woman onto her front to make it easier to breathe. It worked. "I remember turning her back over and she didn't speak English, but I could understand a little bit of, you know, pieces that she was saying. And she was just like saying, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you,'" Murphy said. "She would take my hand and she would grab my hand and just hold it." Murphy said the experience has been "overwhelming." "Sometimes you just want to duck out and just cry. But you can't do that right now because you have other things to do." Just a few miles away from the Bronx, Commander Thomas Shu deployed to Elmhurst in Queens. Early in the outbreak, it was one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in the city. "We're here to help relieve them, help decompress their staff who had been on it since the very beginning and that's why we were there," Shu told "Nightline." Now with 28 years of experience in the Navy, he's provided life-saving care to those in need around the globe. But the front-line of COVID-19, he says, is entirely different. PHOTO: Commander Thomas Shu deployed to Elmhurst, Queens. Early in the outbreak, it was one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in the city. (ABC) "If you are injured on the battlefield or have a combat casualty, and we could get you to medical care within that golden hour you had about a 96% survival rate. That really is different here," he explained. "When you're intubated, the mortality rates kind of skyrocket The horror outcomes seemed to be more than the good outcomes." By the end of April, the curve in New York appeared to be flattening and the situation in the city appeared to be stabilizing. By early May, the Army hospital at the Javits Center fully closed. The USNS Comfort, docked on Manhattan's west side, was saluted and sent home. The worst-hit hospitals were finally seeing fewer patients. First responders like Maj. Esther Nicole Cleggs-Burns made so many sacrifices to see this achieved. "This isn't my first deployment," she told "Nightline." "I'm used to the exit, but not in that short period of time." Within a day's notice, the Army Reservist headed to Elmhurst Hospital, leaving behind two young daughters and her husband back home in Alabama. MORE: Coronavirus updates: Trump says increase of cases is 'great news' "My baby, she's 1, so she doesn't even realize I'm gone," Cleggs-Burns said. "My oldest, she's 6, so she's having a little more difficult time." PHOTO: Major Esther Nicole Cleggs-Burns left her two young daughters in Alabama to help fight COVID-19 in New York. (ABC) Like so many of us these days, her husband has his hands full navigating today's new normal. "I definitely want to say like, I don't think military spouses get the credit that they deserve. But my husband, he is rocking it," Cleggs-Burns said. "My husband can't go to work because childcare is closed. School is closed. So he's at home every day, taking care of our girls." The time away is perhaps made a bit easier with the gratitude of a city that has claimed these heroes as their own. "When we arrived here to New York City, the people just showed us overwhelming love. A love that I can't even articulate," Cleggs-Burns said. In March, quarantined New Yorkers had made a point to cheer, whistle and even bang pots and pans nightly at 7 p.m. to show their support for health care workers. "It's an incredible thing to hear how appreciative everybody is here," Ramirez adds. "I had three people as I walked over here today thanking me for my service, thanking me for being here. Yesterday was my last day in the hospital at Lincoln. And my ward, my clinic gave me an applause which, just from the heart. It was great." That appreciation extends far beyond the 7 p.m. cheers. Maj. Murphy and a few dozen others were honored in may in a special ceremony at Lincoln Hospital. This time, their colleagues and city hospital executives expressed heartfelt thanks for their sacrifices and their willingness to help carry such a heavy burden. For Murphy, this deployment ended almost as suddenly as it began. She said she's taken so much away from her trip. PHOTO: Air Force Major Angela Murphy came to New York to fight COVID-19 from Austin, Texas. (ABC) "From the fire department to the physicians to the nurses," she said. "But also, the bike rides we took, the Brooklyn Bridge, which is my favorite. I see the flag; the American flag. If you look back, you know, that is where the Twin Towers were When I see the American flag, like I always get, you know, emotional about it." She says the patients she cared for and their stories will stay with her "always." Murphy bought a copy of The New York Times the day its front page listed the names and stories of some of the 100,000 people who died from COVID-19 in the U.S. "I wouldn't look through the names I didn't want to see a name I recognized. One day I'll pick it up and maybe I'll read it or maybe I'll just keep it how it is," she said. "When you hear something like that you start thinking, 'Well, did I do enough? Could I have done more?'" Nevertheless, Murphy says she would answer the call to help if a second wave of the virus were to strike. "I couldn't not, you know, I mean, my God," she said. "It's just too hard for me to say no when your country needs you." When Murphy arrived home in Austin, her boyfriend was waiting. The heartfelt reunion was two months in the making. As for Ramirez, after so many deployments and so many months away in the last year, his return home to California was an opportunity to make up for lost time. "I missed Halloween. I missed my wife's birthday. I missed Thanksgiving, I missed Christmas, missed New Years. I missed all the important days of our life, so to speak," Ramirez said. PHOTO: Col. Ramirez greets his wife after months apart. (ABC) He even managed to bring his wife of 35 years flowers all the way from New York City. "This is what I wanted to be in the military for, to try to be of service to my country," Ramirez said. "I know that if I had not deployed, I would have regretted it." Combat medics called to fight COVID-19 in New York City: 'Here, were the infantry' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com While Americas financial leaders may be split about whether the U.S. is on its way to economic recovery, both Democrats and Republicans largely agree that additional measures -- including another stimulus package -- is inevitable. It will all have to wait, however, until after Congress returns from its Fourth of July recess, a two-week vacation that leaves legislation at a standstill. As the legislators depart, heres where things stand. Bipartisan action in the nick of time on PPP One play by the Democrats moved off the Senate floor this week: an extension to the Paycheck Protection Program, which expired at the end of June under current law. PPP, which still had $134 billion to give even as the deadline neared, has undoubtedly been plagued with flaws. But rather than let the deadline for small businesses to apply for the program pass while Congress is on vacation, the extension means businesses can continue to apply through August. MORE: Congress extends Paycheck Protection Program; billions remain available In the meantime, Republicans and Democrats have batted around ideas to fix the program, which has doled out more than $513 billion in forgivable loans since it was launched in April. Senate Small Business Committee Chairman Marco Rubio, R-Fla., argued that many small businesses that needed PPP have already gotten it -- and used it up. "What we really need to pass very soon is targeted help for those who need a second round of aid," he said. Other Republicans, like Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., have supported Rubios idea of less money but more targeted aid. "Itd be driven more by losses, be needs-based and targeted as opposed to kind of just pushing money out," Thune said. As for the Democrats, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, chair of the House Small Business Committee, demanded more data on who had gotten the first round of PPP loans before she would agree to anyone getting a second loan. PHOTO: Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D- N.Y., asks questions during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on the coronavirus response on Capitol Hill, June 30, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/AP) "We know that 4 million businesses accessed the program. But what about the millions of minority- and women-owned businesses that were not able to access the program?" Velazquez said during a House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday. Story continues "No one should get a second loan unless we know most businesses that are struggling get a chance to get a loan," said Velazquez, a Democrat from New York. Actual changes to the program will likely be tied to the next stimulus package. Unemployment Benefits The future is still unclear on the $600 per week of unemployment benefits. The last CARES Act gave an extra $600 a week to everyone in the country who applied for unemployment insurance, on top of the regular unemployment amount they would receive from the state. But it expires on July 31, less than two weeks after Congress returns. MORE: Employers struggle to compete with $600 coronavirus unemployment payments And more than one in 10 Americans, or 11.1%, are still unemployed, according to the latest joblessness report. MORE: Unemployment rate at 11.1% in June, another 1.4 million workers filed jobless claims last week On Wednesday, Democrats introduced an option to keep the program going past July 31. The legislation, introduced by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden, would create a "trigger" mechanism, tying the rate of unemployment benefits to the unemployment rate. As long as unemployment remains above 11%, $600 bonuses would remain in place. As the unemployment in each state drops, the bonus would reduce by $100 dollars for each percentage point. But the latest joblessness report also showed nearly 5 million new jobs were added to the U.S. economy since May, when the unemployment rate was 13.3%, a measure of growth that Republicans took to mean they shouldnt interfere. "I just think it underscores how quickly the economy is rebounding, and we shouldn't do anything to derail that," said Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. MORE: Senate GOP torn on how to address expiring COVID-19 unemployment boosts But some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have warned that tumult is still expected. The job numbers released Thursday were compiled before the recent surge in COVID-19 cases caused some states to delay their reopening plans. "You've got to be living in a country club fantasy land to believe that this economic crisis is anywhere close to ending," Wyden said. Wyden has floated this "trigger proposal" for several weeks, but it has gained relatively little traction with Republicans. On the Senate floor Wednesday, he called on Republicans to offer constituents who are facing the July sunset of benefits some sense of security moving forward. "We've got a moral obligation to not turn our back on those who are suffering," Wyden said. "And I'm telling you the Senate is going to go home and Senators are going to hear loud and clear that workers are concerned about whether after July 31 they're going to be able to pay rent, they're going to be able to buy groceries." While Republicans have objected to an extension of the unemployment program, arguing that the $600 bonus serves as a disincentive for returning to work, some prominent Republicans have said they support some sort of additional unemployment support. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, has proposed a bonus for individuals returning to work, while Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has said he supports some sort of measure that would prevent those receiving the unemployment bonus from "falling off a cliff" when it ends. Direct Impact Payments Back in April, the Internal Revenue Service executed a quick band-aid effort to combat economic standstill, delivering direct checks of up to $1,200 to nearly 160 million Americans. Since then, Americans have said theyd like to see another round of direct impact payments, a call the White House seems to be receptive to. Its "on the table," Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, said on Fox Business, though the payment could also come in the form of tax rebates, he said. "I think the tax rebates or the direct mail checks are on the table. This is all pre decisional, a lot of discussion going on. Probably we would want to target those to folks who lost their jobs and are most in need, Kudlow said. The president, too, has expressed support for another round of payments in an interview with Fox Business, but was unclear about how those payments would manifest. PHOTO: President Donald Trump's name on a stimulus check issued by the IRS to help combat the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak. (Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images) But many Republicans are not in lockstep with the Kudlow or the president. Democrats in the House, on the other hand, have called for not only another round of payments, but to increase the amount for families with children by $600 per child. There are, however, outstanding issues from the first round of stimulus checks that would need to be addressed before another goes out. MORE: As stimulus checks hit bank accounts, many encounter roadblocks According to a report on the CARES Act by the nonpartisan Government Office of Accountability (GAO) published on June 25, 1.1 million of the $1.4 billion in payments went to dead people. MORE: US sent $1.4B in virus relief payments to dead people: Report As a solution, GAO recommended getting death data in the hands of both Treasury and the IRS to "help ensure the integrity of direct payments to individuals if Congress considers this type of assistance in the future." Broad themes of the next stimulus package On Tuesday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell outlined three main themes he says Republicans will focus on in their next proposal: kids, jobs and healthcare. "To step back toward normalcy our country will need K-12 and college students to resume their schooling, we will need to re-energize hiring to get workers their jobs back, and we'll need continued progress in the health care fight to get ready for the fall and winter and speed the search for a vaccine," McConnell said. McConnell and fellow Republicans have also adamantly supported a legal carve-out to protect businesses, schools and health care providers who are afraid theyll face lawsuits if people get sick when they reopen. Republicans are expected to put pen to paper in late July, after the recess. But as the number of coronavirus cases surge, Democrats have lambasted Republicans for slow-walking future relief packages. In an effort to galvanize support for their cause, Democrats brought a number of coronavirus relief proposals to the Senate floor throughout the week, almost all of which failed. Those included proposals that would have granted rental assistance, food assistance, a moratorium on evictions, aid for nursing homes, among others. Congress is on recess for 2 weeks. Heres where they leave off on COVID-19 relief. originally appeared on abcnews.go.com (Reuters) - Total coronavirus cases rose to 235,429 in Iran on Friday, with 154 deaths in the past 24 hours bringing the death toll to 11,260, authorities said as the country tries to fend off new infections after easing its lockdown restrictions. Eight out of 31 provinces are considered in a red status, meaning the epidemic has been on the rise, while seven, including the province where Tehran is located, are on alert as the virus is still a threat, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on state TV. State television is airing warnings such as Coronavirus is very close and Lets take the coronavirus danger seriously. Authorities launched a campaign on June 27 to motivate a reluctant public to use face masks. Reporters interviewing people in the streets chastise those who are not wearing them. The country, which has had the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, has seen a sharp increase in infections and deaths since restrictions were gradually lifted from mid-April. It has been divided up into white, yellow, and red regions based on the number of infections and deaths. (Editing by Frances Kerry) A COVID-19 team at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston works to revive Terry Hill, whose heart stopped while he was being put on a ventilator. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Doctors did everything they could to keep Terry Hill off a ventilator. Theyd treated 140 COVID-19 patients since the pandemic began, almost all successfully, in part by not resorting to ventilators. But as the virus attacked the 65-year-olds lungs, a medical team in hazmat suits arrived in one of United Memorial Medical Centers new intensive care isolation wings to insert a breathing tube. We have no option, Dr. Joseph Varon, a pulmonologist, said from behind two masks and a face shield. Hill nodded, too short of breath to talk. His chest heaved. His heart monitor beeped a steady pulse. Nurses and medical students rushed in and out. On the television above his bed, Hill could see a Texas tavern owner who had sued to stop the governor from closing bars ahead of the Fourth of July: You are not going to put me out of business! The medical team pressed closer. Hill caught sight of a plastic hook the size of his hand and a tube as long as his arm. He began to tremble. Varon called for sedatives. He reached out to steady Hills arm. You can do this, he said. Dr. Joseph Varon, left, prepares to put Terry Hill, 65, on a ventilator, assisted by medical student Estrella Gutierrez. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) No one could be sure. During the last month, Varon and his staff had lost their first five patients, including a 34-year-old hotel worker. They had also admitted their first colleagues, a nurse and a medical student. A handful of patients were now on ventilators, including a local nightclub owner who fell ill after reopening last month. The virus had Texas spiraling in a free-fall no one could stop. On Friday, Texas reported 7,555 new COVID-19 cases and 7,652 hospitalizations a record for the fifth consecutive day. The state has now seen a total of 183,532 cases and 2,575 deaths. Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, had for weeks resisted pleas from Houstons mayor and other officials to issue mandatory mask and stay-at-home orders, despite a spike in infections in the states largest cities. He relented with a mask order for hard-hit areas beginning Friday. Houstons Texas Medical Center the largest hospital complex in the world was filling with COVID patients. A Houston arena was preparing to temporarily house overflow. The hospital where Hill was being treated was 80% full. Story continues Hill, a truck driver, was another life crisis, another troubling statistic, in a snapshot of America. He was soon sedated, unconscious, eyes staring blankly. Varon and his team inserted the tube into Hill's mouth. The ventilator took over; he stopped breathing on his own. The heart monitor flashed. Something was wrong. Hills pulse grew thready. He was dying. Start compressions, Varon commanded. Two medical students began pumping Hills chest. A dozen students and nurses rushed in with surgical tools and echocardiography equipment to check Hills heart. Faster, people! Varon shouted. A technician stroked the echocardiogram wand across Hills body, projecting a black-and-white image of his chest on the screen. It was riddled with blood clots, including a massive one in his heart, which had just stopped beating. Its a dying heart, Varon said. He shouted: Continue compressions! Come on, get on top of the bed! Students climbed onto the gurney, pumping furiously. Others fetched epinephrine and blood-thinning medication they hoped would stabilize their patient. Meanwhile, Varon and his team inserted an arterial line into Hills groin to better monitor his blood pressure. The technician pulled up the image of Hills chest on his monitor again. Varon examined it. We have a beating heart, he said. In a hospital room in a nation of rising deaths, Hill had been saved. It had taken doctors and nurses half an hour to revive him. It wasnt clear how long he had been deprived of oxygen, or what damage that had wrought on his brain. The team brought ice to cool Hills body, hoping to minimize the effects. Staff at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) The onslaught of severe COVID-19 cases has worsened at United Memorial since the first ones arrived 106 days ago. Some patients suffer psychologically; others, like Hill, crash. This is what weve been going through every day, Varon said, his gloves and hazmat suit bloody. People dont believe whats going on: Were bringing people back from the brink of death. During the past month, Varons 117-bed hospital quadrupled its COVID-19 unit from 20 to 80 beds. The hospital lab went from handling 40 tests a day to hundreds. The COVID-19 outpatient clinic and drive-through testing also expanded, from one site testing 300 people a day to eight sites testing 2,000. The percentage of people testing positive climbed to almost 17%, well above the state's rate (14%) and more than twice the nation's (7%). About half of those who tested positive at the hospital had no symptoms. Luis Florez, 59, suffered from cirrhosis before he contracted COVID-19, putting him at added risk. He holds onto a nurse as he receives treatment at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Most of Varons staff are people of color, some with relatives who have died of COVID. All of them know someone who has tested positive. Unlike the upscale Texas Medical Center to the south, where Varon has an additional 72 overflow beds prepped, United Memorial is on the citys low-income north side. Among the hospital's COVID patients, 60% have no insurance. Varon has treated a 19-year-old man with few symptoms but a deadly blood clot in his lungs, a 29-year-old woman who was turned away from another private hospital and a woman who fell ill after hosting a 150-seat family funeral for her husband who had died of COVID-19. Some of those the hospital called to notify about positive tests had been at parties, or worked at nursing homes and didnt want to stop. Last week the unit was so full, they had to have a patient wait in the parking lot. The problem is if we get all the patients at the same time," Varon said. "Thats the situation were in. He and his colleague Dr. Joseph Gathe Jr. have tried to innovate COVID-19 treatment, adjusting a cocktail of medications that includes steroids, blood thinners, vitamin C and the controversial malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. Some of their patients are participating in FDA-approved randomized blind drug trials involving stem cells and DAS181, a retroviral drug produced by San Diego-based Ansun BioPharma. The team, which plans to soon join a third trial of Regeneron antibody treatment, has also installed a proning machine, which rotates patients to increase their lung capacity like a rotisserie, Varon said. Staff at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Its not clear yet whether the stem cells and other new treatments work. The machine helped one patient, but another died. The medical student and nurse who tried to resuscitate him were admitted to the COVID unit soon after. Nurse Tanna Ingraham initially tested negative for COVID-19 last week. Then doctors ordered a chest scan. Ingraham, 43, knew as soon as she saw the gauzy image of her lungs: I had COVID everywhere. The beach vacation she had planned has instead become days of isolation. She sent her 9- and 10-year-old daughters to stay with their father in Los Angeles. She was receiving the stem cell treatment but worried about blood clots, her barking cough and recent panic attacks. COVID had left her dependent on the very team she had left short-staffed. Nurse Tanna Ingraham, 43, tested negative for COVID-19 last week, but doctors ordered a chest scan. She knew as soon as she saw the cloudy image of her lungs: "I had COVID everywhere." She is still in isolation at United Memorial Medical Center. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) This virus is taking everything that I have, she said. The virus exacts a psychological toll, Varon said. Hes had patients run naked from their rooms, pull out IVs and oxygen lines, search the floor for an imaginary lost cellphone, insist a fellow patient was their son and call 911 to rescue them. Nurse LaTonya Rafe, 50, watched on a monitor as a patient her age whom she had just strapped into restraints wiggled free, yanked out his IV and collapsed. She rushed to pull on protective gowns and gloves before entering the unit. When we got in there, he was on the ground. We turned him over, and he had that zombie look, she said. He soon died, as did another of her patients. Somethings changing, she said. Varons not sure whether the delusions are a function of the virus, which could be mutating or impacting brain function by elevating patients ammonia levels. It may just be the stress of isolation or dire news reports. Hes considering blocking patients access to news in their rooms. During rounds this week, Varon visited one of his most troubled patients. Ricardo Trevino, 49, had waited more than a week to get tested and admitted to the hospital. He worried his lungs had suffered irreparable damage. He was participating in one of the new drug trials but had lost hope. Dr. Joseph Varon, center, reviews COVID patients' records. He says he hasn't slept more than an hour and a half each night since the pandemic began. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Every day hes doing his will, saying hes going to die. When a patient tells you that, they usually do, Varon said before entering Trevinos room. You are not going to die. Not on my watch, Varon told him. But the damage is extensive, said Trevino from where he lay in his bed, exhausted and feverish, draped in a towel. Varon explained that Trevinos lungs were inflamed, not scarred. He also reminded the patient that many of the virus long-term effects are still unknown. Trevino, who works in communications, could barely breathe. He felt air seep through his lungs like a sponge filled with wet concrete. He worried the virus was eating away at his liver. He couldnt sit up, let alone walk. He blamed himself for not realizing how dangerous the virus was and kept thinking, If I had just come earlier You are going to get better, Varon said, but I need your help. Trevino nodded, and the doctor moved on. The Fourth of July weekend was coming. He needed to heal and discharge patients, before he ran out of beds. A Canada Goose takes flight from a water course backdropped by the buildings in Canary Wharf area of the City of London. Photo: Victoria Jones/PA via AP The UK services sector emerged tentatively from the shadows in June, with data continuing to indicate an economic turnaround as the country emerges from the coronavirus lockdown. A closely watched survey by IHS Markit found that the sectors purchasing managers index (PMI) reading came in at 47.1 in June, up from 29.0 in May and sharply higher than the all-time record low of 13.4 in April. The services sector is hugely important to the UK economy it includes finance, law, retail, engineering and consulting and makes up about 45% of the countrys exports. PMIs are an indicator of private sector activity and are given on a scale of 1 to 100. Anything above 50 signals growth. Because anything below 50 signals a decline, the figure indicates that the sector contracted once again in June, even if the pace was slower than that seen in previous months. The headline reading was the highest in four months and came in slightly ahead of analyst expectations. READ MORE: Green recovery risks voter backlash unless it boosts households and jobs Respondents noted that the easing of lockdown measures and the subsequent reopening of the UK economy had a favourable impact on business activity, IHS Markit said. A cessation in some lockdown policies enabled the services sector to emerge tentatively from the shadows last month and reclaim some normality, said Duncan Brock of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply. Around 33% of respondents said that they experienced a drop in business activity in June, however. Some 28% signalled that they had seen an expansion. Firms also continued to report highly subdued demand and disruptions related to the coronavirus pandemic, IHS Markit noted. June data highlights that the worst phase of the service sector downturn has passed as more businesses start to reopen and adapt their operations to meet social distancing requirements, said Tim Moore, economics director at IHS Markit. The proportion of service providers reporting a drop in business activity has progressively eased after reaching a peak of 79% in April, he said. Story continues READ MORE: IMF warns it is 'too early' to predict V-shaped recovery for UK economy June also saw the smallest decline in new orders since the downturn began in March. While firms attributed the continued fall-off to cautious business and consumer spending, some firms saw growth as a result of pent-up demand. Sales of services to export markets decreased at a steeper rate than overall new orders in June, with firms citing ongoing travel restrictions as an explanation for a reduction in overseas orders. There were continued job losses in the sector in June, but IHS Markit said that the pace of cutbacks was the slowest since the beginning of the crisis in March. More than half of respondents believed they would experience a rise in business activity during the coming year, while 21% expect a decline, pushing the business expectations index to a four-month high in June. A landslide caused by heavy monsoon rains buried the miners. Only the floating bodies have been recovered, many are still under the sea of mud and dirt. At the moment there are also 54 injured, hospitalized in the area. The Burmese mining industry is worth billions of dollars, but the proceeds remain in the hands of the military and the former rulers. Yangon (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The official death toll from yesterdays landslide in a jade mine in Kachin State, in northern Myanmar, on the border with China, has risen to 162. Experts report that it is one of the worst catastrophes in the country's recent history, with the miners swept away by a torrent of water and mud caused by heavy monsoon rains. Authorities warn that the number of victims is expected to rise because there more bodies are still buried under a sea of mud. The victims reportedly ignored the warnings of security chiefs, who had advised against going to the area because of the abundant seasonal rainfall. Moreover, the mining industry is one of the main national resources, with a turnover of billions of dollars in precious extracts from the mountains each year to meet the demand, in particular from China. The mines are shrouded in secret, although according to several environmental groups, including Global Witness, the proceeds of the sale are the prerogative of the army leaders and representatives close to the military junta that held power for decades in the former Burma. Activists and civil society representatives hope that this incident will serve as a "wake-up call" for the Myanmar government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party has promised reforms and fighting corruption without achieving the objective so far. According to the latest data available in 2014, the total value of Myanmar's mining industry is around $ 31 billion. However, a small part of them are also redistributed to the population, which is largely excluded from the proceeds of the sale. Rescue operations also continue today, but are hampered by the heavy rains that continue incessantly in the area. Local sources report that the accident was triggered by a collapse of a part of the mountain which poured huge quantities of mud into a waste water lake below, while workers sought shelter on the top. Police commissioner Than Win Aung reports that the rescuers managed to recover "only the bodies that floated to the top", while dozens are buried by the mudslide and their recovery appears unlikely due to the extreme danger of the operations. There are also 54 wounded at the moment, who have been transported to various hospitals in the area. Landslides and floods are frequent in Myanmar, especially during the monsoon season. In November 2015, a similar accident killed over 100 people. Last year more than 50 workers were buried in a landslide. A novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 520,000 people worldwide. More than 10.8 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding the scope of their nations' outbreaks. Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 2.7 million diagnosed cases and at least 128,740 deaths. Latest: Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Please refresh this page for updates 11:10 a.m.: Florida reports 9,488 new COVID-19 cases Florida reported an additional 9,488 COVID-19 cases, bringing the state's total to 178,594. PHOTO:A sign is posted at a closed entrance to the beach during the new coronavirus pandemic, July 3, 2020, in Miami Beach, Fla. (Lynne Sladky/AP) The positivity rate was 14.8%, up .3% from Thursday, according to the state's Department of Health. Lee County reported the highest rate of positivity at 22.1.%, with Miami-Dade following at 20.8%. PHOTO: Cars wait in line at the Corona Virus (COVID-19) drive in testing site, set up at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Fla., July 2, 2020. (Larry Marano/REX via Shutterstock) 10:50 a.m.: UK to lift quarantine for lower risk countries; US not among them Travelers to the United Kingdom from a handful of countries will no longer have to quarantine for 14 days, the government announced. The United States, however, is not among those countries. Fifty-nine countries and territories are on the list, including Australia, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Spain. Starting on July 10, anyone visiting the U.K. from those countries will not be required to self-isolate. The exemption may differ for those who have visited or stopped in any other country or territory 14 days prior. Currently, all international travelers, with a few exceptions, are required to self-isolate for 14 days. "Today marks the next step in carefully reopening our great nation. Whether you are a holidaymaker ready to travel abroad or a business eager to open your doors again, this is good news for British people and great news for British businesses," Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement. Story continues The news for travelers comes the same day Downing Street announced that pubs can open beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday. Pubs will not have to limit the amount of time one can spend inside. 10:20 a.m.: Pakistani FM tests positive for COVID-19 a day after meeting with senior US officials Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan's foreign minister, has tested positive for COVID-19, he wrote on Twitter. The news comes one day after Qureshi met with Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the top U.S. diplomat brokering an end to the war in Afghanistan, and Adam Boehler, the head of the U.S. government's international finance development institution. "By the grace of Allah, I feel strong and energetic," Qureshi tweeted. "I will continue to carry on my duties from home. Please keep me in your prayers." PHOTO: Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi speaks to reporters at the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 1, 2020. (B.k. Bangash/AP, FILE) 8:57 a.m.: White House defends domestic trips as Secret Service agents test positive The White House is defending its domestic trips after yet another incident of Secret Service agents getting sick as a result of those trips. A senior official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, "I hope it's reflected that these trips have been an important way for the Task Force to get ground reports from states, provide states what they need when they need it, and to assure the American people that we'll get through this together." While Vice President Mike Pence's trips this week to two hot spots -- Florida and Arizona -- took on a coronavirus focus, they were originally slated to include campaign activities as well. The campaign events were postponed. However, ABC News confirmed that Secret Service agents in Arizona who were preparing for a trip involving Vice President Mike Pence tested positive for COVID-19 or showed signs of illness, which led to a postponement of the trip, according to a government official familiar with the matter. The delay was needed for the Secret Service to send a new team of healthy agents to Phoenix to complete the trip, according to the official. 7:50 a.m.: Face coverings required in Myrtle Beach ahead of holiday weekend Anyone in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is now required to wear a mask or face covering, Mayor Brenda Bethune told "Good Morning America." The mandate comes ahead of what Bethune said will be a crowded holiday weekend, with more than 100,000 tourists expected. PHOTO: People wade in the surf in this file photo on May 23, 2020 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images, FILE) Bethune said they should have enacted a mask order earlier, but didn't have the authority until just last week. The order went into effect Thursday at 11:59 p.m. local time. "I wish we could have done it sooner -- we acted on it as quickly as possible," Bethune said. 7:36 a.m.: Penn State student dies of COVID-19 complications A student at Penn State University died of respiratory failure and COVID-19, according to a statement from the university. Juan Garcia, a 21-year-old College of Earth and Mineral Sciences student from Allentown, died June 30, the university said. He is the first known Penn State student death related to the coronavirus. "We are profoundly saddened to learn about Juan's untimely death during this pandemic," vice president for Student Affairs Damon Sims said. "While I did not know Juan personally, we have learned through conversations with those closest to him that this young man had a remarkable spirit and was greatly loved. I know our entire campus community sends our deepest condolences to his family and friends as they grieve this unthinkable loss." Garcia was living off campus when he began to feel ill, according to the university statement. He then traveled back home to Allentown on June 19 and was tested for COVID-19 on June 20. He died 10 days later. 7:18 a.m.: 'Great news': Trump says of increase in number of COVID-19 cases Even as Republican-led states roll back reopenings due to the significant rise in coronavirus cases and warnings from his own government that the pandemic is far from over, President Donald Trump continues to take an optimistic tone about the increased in diagnosed COVID-19 cases. "There is a rise in Coronavirus cases because our testing is so massive and so good, far bigger and better than any other country," Trump tweeted late Thursday night. "This is great news, but even better news is that death, and the death rate, is DOWN. Also, younger people, who get better much easier and faster!" However, Adm. Brett Giroir, the man Trump appointed to oversee testing, testified at a House hearing Thursday that "this is a real increase in cases" and not just attributable to increased testing. PHOTO: President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks during a Spirit of America Showcase in the Entrance Hall of the White House July 2, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) "There is no question that the more testing you get, the more you will uncover," Giroir said Thursday. "But we do believe this is a real increase in cases because of the percent positives are going up. So, this is real increases in cases." Giroir said the U.S. is not flattening the curve. "The curve is still going up," he testified. Trump's positively also comes the same day as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its coronavirus death toll projections for July. Forecasts indicate that between 140,000 and 160,000 total deaths nationally are expected by July 25. The U.S. reported 52,815 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the biggest week-over-week jump since the third week in March, when testing had just begun to increase. 5:55 a.m.: Arizona bar let COVID-19 positive workers continue working, officials say The state of Arizona has seen an incredible rise in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations recently, forcing the state to pause its reopening. And now one bar is under investigation after it allegedly allowed multiple employees known to have tested positive for the coronavirus to continue working. Varsity Tavern, located in downtown Tempe, allegedly permitted both employees and managers to continue working after being diagnosed, according to the State of Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control. After the state agency began its investigation, the business decided to close on July 1. Officials are still seeking to revoke Varsity Tavern's license. The establishment has had its license suspended twice before, once in December 2018 and again in July 2019. The Department of Liquor also alleges that the bar management knowingly didn't notify health officials that workers tested positive, didn't enforce social distancing requirements and didn't enforce mask-wearing requirements. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey ordered bars, gyms, movie theaters, water parks and tubing operators, last Sunday to pause their operations until July 27 in a renewed effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the state. For the fifth day in a row, Arizona on Thursday surpassed its record number of hospitalizations, with 2,938 patients currently hospitalized. At least 89% of ICU beds are now in use. PHOTO: Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announces a new executive order in response to the rising COVID-19 cases in the state, during a news conference in Phoenix on Monday, June 29, 2020. (Michael Chow/The Arizona Republic via AP) There are more than 87,000 diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in Arizona, with at least 1,764 deaths. What to know about coronavirus: How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map ABC News' Jordyn Phelps, Jake Date, Kirit Radia and Habibullah Khan contributed to this report. Coronavirus updates: Trump says increase of cases is 'great news' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Click here to read the full article. Here's What You Need to Remember: What matters, in the end, is whether it is a reliable aircraft. The F-35, also referred to as the Joint Strike Fighter, has been touted as the most lethal and versatile aircraft of the modern era but with a price tag well over $1.5 trillion for the program, it is one of the most expensive. A few points need to be put into perspective when noting that price. First, there is the fact that this is for 3,000 aircraft, and that those planes could be flying well into the 2070s or roughly 50 years from now. So is the cost really worth it? "Like everything in life, it is a matter of opinion," said Brad Curran, industry principal for Aerospace, Defense & Security at Frost & Sullivan. "Some people say the F-35 is not worth the cost because less expensive legacy platforms can fill the fighter and strike role as well if they had the equivalent computer, sensor, and weapons upgrades," Curran told The National Interest. "Others say only the F-35 has the combination of speed, maneuverability, stealth and flexibility to survive and win against today's fighter and air defense threats," Curran added. Then there is the fact that the Joint Strike Fighter was also designed to take on numerous roles in combat. It is a single platform that can do what the A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A- 18 Super Hornet, and AV-8B Harrier are currently charged with, and likely do it better. Many of those planes have also been in service for many years, and older aircraft are more expensive to maintain. "Some say it is better to have a large number of adequate fighters than just a few exquisite fighters the truth is probably in the middle," said Curran. "That may be why the U.S. has F-22's, F-35's, and a large number of F-15's, F-16's, and F-18's in the inventory," Curran explained. "The U.S. has decided they can afford such a mix to accomplish a variety of missions outlined in different types of operational plans." Story continues Another truth is that many countries cannot afford such diversity, so they opt instead for an "adequate" aircraft. "However, as F-35 production ramps up, more countries are participating, for example Belgium just became the 13th country to participate," noted Curran. Then there is the fact that this high tech aircraft could follow a trend that happens in consumer electronics prices tend to go down as production ramps up. And the larger the number of aircraft produced the prices will likely drop further. "Prices usually drop as production expands and the kinks are worked out of new airplanes," added Curran. "There will continue to be upgrades of all kinds for many years. It will be cheaper to buy a new fighter then spend a lot of money on maintenance, and upgrades to an older fleet." Then there is the fact that Lockheed Martin is having components sourced from across the United States, so while the majority of the work related to the deal will be carried out in Fort Worth, Texas, no one location will benefit from this program and that could provide good jobs across almost every congressional district. What matters, in the end, is whether it is a reliable aircraft. "Experienced Air Force, Navy, and Marine pilots who have flown a variety of fighter/strike aircraft in combat including the F-35, say it is the best, the maintainers say the same, and combat readiness stats compared to the legacy fleet back it up," said Curran. "So, in my opinion, is yes, the F-35 is worth the cost." Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com. This article first appeared several months ago and is being republished due to reader interest. Image: Reuters Click here to read the full article. Activist Albia Miller sits under a canopy of shade trees at the Menifee Valley campus of Mt. San Jacinto College. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) The tiny woman with the big straw hat has spent the last 30 years doing a nearly impossible task: Fighting against any development that threatens the few small swaths of rural land that remain in the fast-growing Inland Empire. Albia Miller frail, 71 and barely 5 feet tall has attended every city council meeting she could possibly get to in Murrieta, Menifee, Temecula, Lake Elsinore and other small, burgeoning towns in Riverside County. In the process, she has wedded her passion for politics with a love for lyrics, serenading local officials about municipal agenda items with songs. She's the singing gadfly of Riverside County. And government meetings were her stage. Not only city council meetings but also board of supervisors meetings, planning commission meetings. Miller would create videos highlighting the environment, filing lawsuits against developers, or going door to door to gather signatures on petitions she spearheaded. Mondays were dedicated to polishing her public comment presentation. Tuesdays and Thursdays were spent mapping out which meetings she would attend. She would prepare a three-minute speech, many times accompanied with song, and take a group limousine otherwise known as the Route 61 RTA bus to various council chambers. The look of open space is in your eyes, the look that bulldozing and grazing cannot replace, she often sang at council meetings. She moved her arms with precision to gesticulate and signal anger or disbelief, looking directly at each council member many of whom looked down or avoided eye contact. Before the pandemic started shutting things down, Miller would rehearse at grocery stores. On Sunday mornings, shed perform songs about environmentalism accompanied by an electric keyboard outside Trader Joes and Organic Roots Natural Food Store. In between sets shed strike up a conversation with people and sell CDs of her songs, some of which had been performed in local meetings. Story continues Since then, she stopped performing in front of Trader Joes in fear of catching the virus, which limited her income to government assistance. And with most libraries closed, she no longer has a reliable place to spread her piles of environmental impact reports and locate city council agendas. On a recent day, her voice rang out in an empty corridor of Mt. San Jacinto College a regular stage for her in normal times, but now locked up because of COVID-19. If we love as much as angels, she sang, holding the last note until chuckling over the hilarity of singing with a mask on. These songs are my therapy, Miller said as she shuffled through piles of papers and compact discs on a grassy square outside her unofficial office in Menifee. But recently, my life has been very hard, and I havent had the heart to sing. The coronavirus has taken a much larger toll on Miller than she could have imagined. In March, city council meetings began closing their doors in an effort to keep the public safe from the virus. The pandemic also cost her her home with her partner, who needed the spare room for a relative. Miller was cast out with nothing more than an old car, a small storage unit and an unrelenting desire to protect Earth. She since moved into a bus she helped retrofit into a film editing space, but on some nights she can be found in a tent outside the college's future $40-million stadium site as an act of defiance. COVID-19 threw a wrench into a schedule she perfected over the last 30 years. Her activism runs through her blood as her grandmother inspired her to take action against developers. After attending a Sierra Club meeting in San Diego three decades ago, Miller was hooked. She then started an unofficial nonprofit Global Harmony Network and created an email list of 150 people to send updates about her work. Her pre-COVID weekly routine was determined by council agendas. On Friday, she began combing through agendas, researching development projects and, if needed, drafting 20-page letters. Each day, she works five to eight hours, she said. Now Millers days are filled with restlessness and a constant search for access to electricity. Now Im totally lost. I only have a few hours of access a day, and I dont know if my letters are even read at the meetings, she said. I didnt realize the meetings were still going on, and theyre still voting on major developments. How can our voice get out there when we cannot attend meetings? Meetings can be viewed online, but Miller said she has a hard time viewing them because of her limited Wi-Fi access. As a result, she has not been able to follow council meetings as diligently and can send in comments only with the hope that they will be received. Activist Albia Miller is reflected in the glass of the Mt. San Jacinto College library, now closed because of COVID-19. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) She peered into the glass windows of the Mt. San Jacinto College library, clutching a dead laptop by the arm and began to worry. If you look at my arms, theyre so frail. The air quality, the developments, the work. Its taken a toll on me, she said, wringing her hands. Before the virus stifled public discourse, the tiny woman was a larger-than-life presence at the legislative lectern. Her meticulous supporting research, gesticulations and songs captivated council members some of whom struggled not to crack a smile during Millers unconventional public comment. Most comments started the same: a lengthy diatribe concerning the California Environmental Quality Act and the local effects of these projects followed by a brief pause and a 15-second rendition of either a song on the spot or one shes memorized and reused. As swiftly as she approached the stand, shed slam the lectern, whisk her head at the sound of the three-minute buzzer and proudly head back to her seat. Though on occasion, Miller has been carried out of council chambers by force, Menifee Mayor Bill Zimmerman said. Im convinced Ms. Miller has a musical theater background. She has the energy of a 16-year-old, said Murrieta Councilman Jonathan Ingram. Sometimes meetings can be mundane, but she brings a lot to them. Wildomar Councilman Joseph Morabito met Miller at council meetings before he was elected. Morabito ran a blog he used to post meeting videos and recaps. Many times, he captured Miller, dressed as a sunflower, playing to the camera. Despite his not-so-kind comments on his blog, he still described her as well-intentioned and fiery. Miller sang to the council at an October meeting endorsing Morabito for a council seat. In the weeks leading up to the 2018 election, she went door to door to get Morabito elected. Miller still prioritizes her advocacy work and has found a way to continue her letter-writing campaigns. Instead of plotting out her bus route, she spends her Tuesday nights frantically submitting her comments to be read aloud at the council meetings comments devoid of her personal flair and theatrics. All of my passions are squeezed out. You cant read parts of anyone's statement and it wont have the same meaning. The inflection isnt right, Miller said mimicking a robot. Although many of Millers public comments in the past have targeted council members, some still missed hearing from her. She has a love for our Earth and I think she brings a unique perspective to the table, Ingram said. I miss her, the public meetings and those interactions. You never forget a meeting shes been to. Her original dream of traveling across the country in an electric van with a large invest in sustainable living banner has been put on pause, but Miller is still waging legal war against new developments in Menifee. She plans to spend the remainder of the week preparing for a court hearing. COVID tore me to bits. But it wont stop my work, she said. From significant business changes to noteworthy product launches, theres always something new happening in the world of design. In this weekly roundup, AD PRO has everything you need to know. Business Crate and Barrel CEO Steps Down Neela Montgomery is officially departing from her role as chief executive officer at Crate and Barrel. Montgomery reportedly told the board of her intention to do so at the end of last year. It has been a pleasure to lead these amazing brands at Crate and CB2, Montgomery said in a statement. We have accelerated their strategic and operational capabilities as a digitally-forward, innovative retailer now positioned for the future. This is a passionate, talented team with a great platform for continued success. I thank them for their commitment and as I take on new challenges, I look forward to seeing their future achievements. Her last day will be August 1. Perigold Adds Nearly 100 New Brands Visual Comfort, Bernhardt Design, Simon Pearce, Farmhouse Pottery, and House of Rohl are among the latest showroom brands being added to Wayfair-owned Perigolds e-commerce platform, joining a list that also includes Century Furniture, Janus et Cie, and others. The Perigold team is thrilled to expand our roster of designer-trusted brands so we can better meet our shoppers needs, especially in the lighting, decor, and renovation categories, Rebecca Ginns, general manager, said in a statement. Contract Magazine Folds After 60 years, Contract magazine will close, with this months issue being its last in print. Online newsletters and coverage will continue through September 1. It will live on, in part, via the Contract Pavilion at ICFF, which will focus on the workplace of the future, and through owner Emerald Expositions related brands and sister publications, including Hospitality Design, Boutique Design, Healthcare Design, and Environments for Aging. The magazine shared a closing note online: For more than half a century Contract has served as the voice of the commercial design market, covered the radically evolving workplace, featured thousands of stories, and honored the creative individuals and companies who make great design a reality every day. On behalf of all of us, thank you for being part of Contracts enduring legacy. We look forward to serving you through our other design magazines and events. Story continues Good Works Haas Brothers Design Baking Tin for Charity Little House Confectionsan initiative born out of the COVID-19 crisis that bakes and sells olive oil cakes to support Covenant House of Californiais partnering with the Haas Brothers on a special cake tin. The design features animal-esque figures hugging each other. Were always excited for the opportunity to raise money for a good cause, Nikolai Haas said in a statement. It feels great to be a part of brightening anyones day right now. In Pursuit of a More Just World A New Initiative Asks: Where Are the Black Designers? A new initiative known as Where Are the Black Designers is ready to make waves by facilitating dialogue within the industry. The organization takes Cheryl D. Millers 1987 Print magazine article, Black Designers: Missing in Action, as its starting point, while aiming to help create a platform for people of color. The organization held a virtual conference on June 27, and certain panels are available to view on YouTube. As of now, its Instagram account has more than 30,000 followers, but that number is sure to only continue to grow. See the video. Fairs Field and Supply Is Set to Go Digital The name of its new incarnation? Field + Supply Virtual MRKT. Interior designer and Field + Supply founder Brad Ford explains of the July 1619 event: The Virtual MRKT is much more than simply an e-commerce platform; its about creating an emotional connection and rich content experience. Like the live event, our goal is to cultivate and support a community that shares a love of fine craftsmanship and great storytelling across a wide range of products and categories. Ford also adds that the event will include a live video contact feature that will enable makers to speak directly to shoppers about their process and products. Openings Photo: Courtesy of Shreeji News Shreeji News Gets a Chic New Look Londons beloved Shreeji News has reopened with a beautifully refreshed look, in partnership with Graydon Carters Air Mail. The purveyor of magazines and more was first founded in 1982, but recently teamed up with Gabriel Chipperfield in order to reimagine its own look. It is seldom to have the opportunity to really let your imagination run wild, Chipperfield said in a statement. Designing this shop was a fun and special opportunity. Laura de Gunzburg, an Air Mail editor and authority on the art world as well as Chipperfields wife, spearheaded the interior design. The store will now sell various design goods (think Cabana tableware) and host a handful of periodic pop-ups. We hope to have this be a melting pot of our many interestsa space where we can promote dialogue on design, art, culture, travel, and so on, says de Gunzburg. Waterworks Set to Open Expanded New York City Flagship According to the luxury bath and kitchen company, its Manhattan showroom is set to reopen this fall will an even larger floor plan. Peter Sallick, CEO and creative director of Waterworks, said in a statement: New York City is a cornerstone of the Waterworks story. Since its founding, our company has been a part of this dynamic and rich design community. Were now honoring that history by reinvesting in, and significantly expanding, our flagship showroom on 58th Street. Coming at this moment, when the entire cityincluding our colleagues in the design fieldhave been through so much, were proud to reaffirm our love for Manhattan and our commitment to clients who live and work there. All About Arts Friedman Benda Presents a Confined Exhibition Since Berlin-based Functional Art Gallery started showing the work of OrtaMiklos last year, the French-Danish duo has captured the attention of the design world with their freewheeling furniture, which they have dubbed ignorant design. Now, Leo Orta and Victor Miklos Andersen, who met at Design Academy Eindhoven, are making their Stateside debut at New Yorks Friedman Benda gallery with OrtaMiklos: 6 acts of confinement. The show, which will run through July 31, is a contemplation of their time in lockdown. It features their own otherworldly functional work (think: tree-like floor lamps draped with bulbs and seats made from electrical cords) alongside a curated selection of other artworks. And while this is a real exhibition that you can visit in person at the New York gallery, the designers have braided the IRL showcase with an online performance. In collaboration with digital artist Janis Melderis, composer Amedee De Murcia, and writer Richard Johnston Jones, OrtaMiklos will digitally occupy the Temple of Dendur, the ancient monument that now sits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, starting July 18. The Liberty Bell Gets Newfound Meaning On July 4, artist Nancy Baker Cahill will unveil Liberty Bell, a 21st-century reimagining of the historic Philadelphia landmark. Commissioned by the Art Production Fund and presented in partnership with 7G Foundation and the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, the animated and richly sonorous augmented reality can be experienced simultaneously at a series of six sitesin Boston; Philadelphia; Charleston, South Carolina; Rockaway, New York; Selma, Alabama; and Washington, D.C.and via the free 4th Wall app. As the artist notes, it comes at a particularly resonant time in American history: From its origins in [our society], liberty was only available to a certain demographic and came at great expense to others, she says. You cant have a conversation about freedom and not talk about the history of slavery and inequality in the United States. A bell can be a warning or a celebration; something spiritual or a wordless means of communication. In an age of pandemic, surveillance, injustice, and disinformation, who is actually free? Thats the conversation we need to have. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest Danny Glover has played Murtaugh in all four of the 'Lethal Weapon' movies. (Credit: Warner Bros) Too old for this s***? Well, Danny Glover might be about to head back into the Lethal Weapon franchise at the age of 73, based on a script with strong relevance to current events. Glover told Variety that there is something of a plan for a fifth instalment in the action series, but admitted that history changes fast and so nothing is set in stone. The star last played homicide detective Roger Murtaugh in 1998s Lethal Weapon 4 and had the chance to read a new script earlier this year. Read more: Glover appears in trailer for Jumanji sequel He said: I found the plot had very strong relevance to some of things that are happening today. I can say that. Glover hinted the movie could deal with the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement and widespread protests about police brutality. Danny Glover and Mel Gibson on the set of 'Lethal Weapon', directed by Richard Donner. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) He said: It would be interesting to see how we take this within the political framework we are in; the economic framework that we are in. And especially that framework as opposed to the communities that have been affected by the kind of police violence, the kind of police standards, and the power that they exert as well. What would be interesting from that vantage point is what that attempt could be like at this particular moment. Read more: Critics suggest anti-racist films to watch Glover said hed like to see the franchise confront the issue head on in its fifth and final movie. The star has been an outspoken campaigner for civil rights issues and testified in front of Congress in support of providing reparations for Americas history of slavery and racial discrimination. Danny Glover speaks before the start of a campaign event with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders on February 17, 2020. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) The original Lethal Weapon movie, penned by Shane Black and directed by Richard Donner, follows Murtaugh as he is reluctantly paired with Mel Gibsons loose cannon Riggs. It was previously confirmed that both Glover and Gibson are keen to appear in another outing, reprising some of their most iconic roles. Donner is reportedly also on board for the fifth film, which is currently set to be titled Lethal Finale. Story continues Read more: Richard Donner and other directors who were fired on sets The news of a return to the movie franchise comes after the Lethal Weapon TV series in which Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans played Riggs and Murtaugh was cancelled last year after three seasons. American Pie actor Seann William Scott replaced Crawford alongside Wayans for the third season after allegations of misconduct on the set. The Telegraph Donald Trump wanted to send Americans who had Covid to Guantanamo Bay to stop them spreading the disease across the United States, a new book has claimed. In the early stages of the pandemic, it is alleged that Mr Trump suggested that Americans infected abroad should not be brought back home for care, but should instead be isolated at the military base in Cuba. Dont we have an island that we own? the president reportedly asked officials assembled in the Situation Room in February 2020. What Descendants of Confederate soldiers have sued St. Augustine city leaders over their decision to remove a monument honoring the fallen ancestors. The group, along with the Veterans Council of St. Johns County and the Military Officers Association of Americas Ancient City chapter, filed a lawsuit Monday that accuses the citys mayor of trying to relocate the Confederate Memorial Obelisk without going through the proper channels. City commissioners voted to remove the statue on June 22. A spokesman for the city told the Miami Herald that they cannot comment on open cases. A group of Civil War descendants sued the city of St. Augustine over their decision to remove a monument honoring the fallen Confederate soldiers. According to the complaint, the petitioners contend city officials got wrapped up in the passion of the moment and neglected to meet with the Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB), a group of experts tasked with protecting historically significant structures, before making their decision. The group also argues that the monument, which is the oldest Civil War statue in Florida, differs from those constructed in the Jim Crow era. This monument was a communal effort, public art, and social history, the complaint said. Ex-soldiers and politicians had a difficult time raising funds to erect monuments so the task mostly fell to the women, the mothers, widows, and orphans, the bereaved fiancees and sisters of the soldiers who had lost their lives. Completed in 1872, the 30-foot obelisk contains an inscription reading, Our Dead. In Memoriam, our Loved Ones Who gave up Their Lives in the service of The Confederate States as well as the names of those killed in combat. The memorial has stood in Plaza de la Constitucion since 1879 and became a national historic landmark in 1970. The complaint lists 38 descendants who are seeking the judge to rule that moving the monument without the advice of the HARB jeopardizes its safety. They also want a temporary injunction that will forbid the city from moving the memorial until officials consult with the HARB and the court sees a feasible relocation plan. The group also wants to be able to find their own experts who can attest to the viability of moving the monument. The lawsuit comes at a time when statues of historic figures are being torn down across the globe as people reexamine their legacies. NBC News running list of statue removals shows four Confederate monuments, including the one in St. Augustine, have been taken down. In Miami, statues of Christopher Columbus and Ponce de Leon were defaced during a protest in early June. ASCHHEIM, GERMANY Media gathers outside the corporate headquarters of payments processor Wirecard during a raid by investigators on July 1, 2020. Photo: Lennart Preiss/Getty Images Germanys disgraced Wirecard (WDI.DE) payments company, which filed for insolvency last week after revelations of a 1.9bn (1.7bn, $2.1bn) hole in its balance sheet, could be thrown a lifeline from Deutsche Bank (DB). Deutsche Bank said this week that it could envisage helping out Wirecards banking subsidiary with emergency financing to help it survive. We are, in principle, prepared to provide this support if such assistance should become necessary, Deutsche Bank spokesman Sebastian Kramer-Bach said. The German lender said that a potential offer was under discussion with Germanys financial regulator, BaFin, the insolvency administrators, and the management of Wirecard Bank. The former chief executive of Wirecard Markus Braun is currently out on bail. In an interview with Handelsblatt, published on Friday, Deutsche Banks chief transformation officer and management board member Fabrizio Campelli said that Wirecards bankruptcy could prove to be an opportunity for Deutsche. We are one of the largest banks in payment transactions worldwide. That is one of our strengths, a real core business, Campelli told Handelsblatt. So if there are opportunities to strengthen ourselves here, we will look at them. With a view to Wirecard it is about firstly examining whether it makes sense to support the Wirecard Bank financially, Campelli added. In principle, we can imagine that, but it must also be in the interests of Deutsche Bank and our shareholders. Assets of the DAX-listed fintech are currently being broken apart by its insolvency administrator Wirecard Bank is not part of the insolvency proceedings and attracting interest from global investors. A large number of investors from all over the world have already contacted us, who are interested in acquiring the core business or the independent business units that operate successfully on the market, Michael Jaffe, the insolvency lawyer said in a statement to Bloomberg. Story continues The companys share price, which collapsed when the news of the scandal broke, surged after it declared bankruptcy last week, and are up over 7% as of Friday. Regulator BaFin is still very much in the hot seat for lack of oversight on Wirecard. BaFin boss Felix Hufeld called the scandal a complete disaster, and finance minister Olaf Scholz has called for an overhaul of the financial watchdogs systems. READ MORE: Germanys financial regulator in spotlight over Wirecard scandal Wirecard hit the headlines in mid-June when auditor EY said it had refused to sign off on the companys 2019 accounts due to the 1.9bn missing from the balance sheets. Initially, Wirecard said that the money had disappeared from escrow accounts in the Philippines, and that it may have been the victim of considerable fraud. Then it admitted there was a prevailing likelihood that the funds did not exist in the first place. by Dario Salvi Felix Dawood al-Shabi will lead the eparchy, today distinct from that of Amadiyah on the proposal of Patriarch Sako. A strategic area for trade with Syria and Turkey, as well as being "the heart of the Chaldean world". He asks the faithful to "have courage and hope"; appeals to Western Catholics to "support their suffering brothers". Rome (AsiaNews) Valuing Christian "identity and roots" and strengthening cultural belonging to the Church and the Chaldean community: these are the goals that Fr. Felix (Saeed) Dawood al-Shabi, recently appointed bishop of the eparchy of Zakho. The eparchy in the future will be distinct from that of Amadiyah. "My hope - he points out to AsiaNews - is to be able to go in a month, when the flights will resume [after months of blockages and closings for the Covid-19 pandemic] and meet a people, a community that is waiting to work together with their new bishop with confidence and affection". Zakho, says the priest, is located in Kurdistan, in the triangle that unites Iraq with Syria and Turkey. It is a very important area for trade, for traffic: a gateway to all Iraq. As a new bishop - he continues - I feel I am going to the heart of the Chaldean world: Zakho, in fact, is unique in the world because Aramaic and Chaldean is widely spoken there, and you don't need to use another language. You feel immediately at home, so I feel a deep nostalgia and a great desire to start my mission there. I hope to be able to put down and strengthen the roots, in the face of a Chaldean community that is spread throughout the world". The Chaldean primate Card. Louis Raphael Sako, with the consent of the Synod of Bishops of the Patriarchal Church, separated the eparchy of Zakho from that of Amadiyah, to which it had been united in June 2013. This decision matured in the last meeting of August 2019, which led to the appointment, confirmed by Pope Francis, of Fr. Felix. On June 27 the future bishop received his purple biretta (skull cap) from Card. Leonardo Sandri (pictured), Prefect of the Congregation for Easter Churches. The patriarchate has yet to communicate the date of the consecration, because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The new diocese - explains Fr. Felix - is the result of an ecclesiastical decision, although in reality it dates back to the mid-1800s and has a great history behind it. An old, but also new diocese formed by three parishes in the city and at least 14 villages, of varying sizes, in the surrounding area. Some inhabited centers are made up of 30 families, others have up to 300 families. The total is over 8,000 Chaldean Christians in the area, added to which are Armenians and Syrian Catholics." The future bishop was born in Karemlesh, in the Nineveh plain (northern Iraq), on January 19, 1975. He received his Bachelor's degree in Theology from Babel College in Baghdad and, later, his license in canon law from the Pontifical Oriental institute in Rome in 2002. He is now preparing a doctoral thesis in canon law at the Pontifical Lateran University. His ordination as deacon dates back to January 18, 1998; on June 29 of the same year he became a priest in Baghdad by the then Patriarch Raphael Bidawid. From 1998 to 1999 he served in Mosul as a priest in the church of St. Joseph, before moving to the United States where he worked in several parishes of the Eparchy of Saint Peter Apostle in San Diego. In 2007 he was appointed chancellor, then vicar of the bishop for the state of Arizona from 2009 to 2018. In Zakho there are three celibate priests and another seven married priests. "It will take a lot of effort - says Fr. Felix - because Christians in the area still remain a minority and do not have many opportunities in terms of work or rights. I will try to instill courage in them, to be a brother with my brothers. It will then be essential to resume active evangelization and in this respect it is important to highlight that one of the first acts will be the priestly ordination of a seminarian. The patriarch asked precisely to wait for the new bishop to arrive to preside at the ordination, and everyone welcomed the decision with joy. This new priest will be important to strengthen pastoral work." Another precious contribution is offered by the Chaldean nuns, who live in a center near the cathedral and manage an educational institution that welcomes students from kindergarten to high school. "The presence of Catholic schools is fundamental - says future bishop - which represent one of the bases for strengthening the faith. But also "to enhance and strengthen the Catholic faith with respect to the Protestant movements that are gaining ground in the area, following the example of illustrious personalities of the Chaldean Church who have given their lives for the mission as Msgr. Paul Faraj Rahho or Fr. Ragheed Ganni, who was my cousin ". Finally, Fr. Felix wants to launch two appeals to the faithful of Zakho and to the Christians of the West: To the former, who are waiting for their bishop, I say to have courage and hope, while to the latter I ask to have courage and to support the suffering brothers in the most difficult areas of the world. As Christians, we are one body ... pray for us." Rep. John Lewis in the Civil Rights Room in the Nashville Public Library in Tennessee. (Mark Humphrey / Associated Press) John Lewis has led a life arguably too large for a movie. Yet the new documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble, which is available now via video-on-demand, tries to capture not only the scope but also the spirit of this longtime activist and legislator. The film travels from the fateful day when a young Lewis was beaten by police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., to his becoming an elected congressman from Atlanta to the present. Lewis, now 80 years old, announced he was being treated for cancer late last year. Director Dawn Porter is a widely acclaimed documentary filmmaker. Her Gideons Army detailed the work of public defenders in the American South, while Trapped looked at the laws governing abortion clinics. Spies of Mississippi was about a campaign to bring down the civil rights movement of the 1960s, while Bobby Kennedy for President was a four-part docuseries. She is currently at work on a film about Pete Souza, the White House photographer for President Obama. Good Trouble features interviews and testimonials from established figures including Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Nancy Pelosi and Elijah Cummings (who died in October 2019 and to whom the film is dedicated), but also younger political activists such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Stacey Abrams, Ilhan Omar, Cory Booker, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib. Porter recently got on the phone from her home in Marthas Vineyard, Mass., to talk about creating a portrait of John Lewis and capturing his formidable legacy. As a filmmaker, you've made a number of films set in the American South. What keeps drawing you back there? Dawn Porter: I think I don't mean to keep going back there. The topics that I've been interested in have drawn me there. So for Gideon's Army, that's where all the public defenders were working. And then I made a film called Spies of Mississippi, for PBS and that film was set in Mississippi. And while I was there, I read about the abortion clinics closing [and then made "Trapped"]. Story continues I tried to get out of the South in making Bobby Kennedy for President, which was firmly New England. But John Lewis in a lot of ways working on the Bobby Kennedy series, I was kind of in that head space of being in the 1960s and thinking about civil rights and thinking about, How did leaders make their way? What did they actually do? I think a lot of us right now are thinking, What would we do? People want to believe there's some magic to people who step up and do things. And I don't think that there is any magic. [With John Lewis] what you see is what you get. He couldn't stand segregation and he decided to do what he could to stop it. He's just a determined, straightforward person. Maybe it says something that that's so rare, that people believe there must be something else. And I'm like, "That's it, he hated segregation." That's what it was. That's what motivated him. And I think he found that he was good at it. He was good at organizing and it made him feel good, it made him feel productive when he otherwise felt powerless. He saw what his choices were: "I can be powerless or I can try and do something, but the life I have, the life that has been selected for me, is not the life I want. So I have to figure it out myself." When you come onto a project like this, knowing how big John Lewis life is, where do you start? It's not easy, to tell you the truth. When you've lived for 60 years as a public servant and you've written several books. So I've watched as many things as I could find about him or places where he was included. I read a number of articles, I read history. And then I tried to look and see, "What else, what do I have to add?" But I don't want to make a film that's a book report. I don't want to make a film that is only overstating what we already know. And there's this question of what happens to old civil rights leaders. There's so many of them who we have to resuscitate their names, and that wasn't what happened with him. He shifted in a way that allowed him to continue his work. But I think he changed, along with the work. When you are the activist, you're kind of pushing, pushing, pushing, but when you're the legislator, you have to have a different approach to making change. Police officers confront protesters on Bloody Sunday in the documentary "John Lewis: Good Trouble." (Magnolia Pictures) The movie includes scenes of Lewis sitting in a chair and watching old footage of himself there's something very simple about it but also very striking, especially to see John Lewis as he is now with an image of his younger self. Where did that idea come from? We were filming with him in Alabama. And as part of that trip, we all, as a large group, went to Bryan Stevenson's civil rights museum. I was watching the congressman and he was watching an exhibit about himself. There was all this great archive footage and he was shaking his head. And he said, "Sometimes I can't believe thats me," and he turned to his left. And there was a teenager. I mean, can you imagine being on a high school trip and the guy in the exhibit is next to you? He starts telling this kid a story I hadn't heard him tell before. It gave me the idea: "Oh, if I show him some things, I could bring him a little bit back in time." Particularly with people who have a very public life, and so they've spoken a lot about their experiences, I knew that I needed a way to get some additional information from him, to get him to tell new stories. So we created these small mini-films of just archive and then we constructed three huge screens and put him in the middle and turned the lights down. Then I just asked him to tell me the story of those times, which he did. And so in the middle of that, he says, I'm seeing things I've never seen before. As much as any one moment, I think it was also the totality of it, because it was just all of these huge moments that he was part of. Like I didn't remember that he spoke at the March on Washington. I know he remembers it. And to see sit-ins and training and marching and getting arrested, and then after he'd already been beaten so badly on that bridge to then start the freedom rides and walk again into the fire. I mean, most of us spend our lives trying to avoid pain. John Lewis continuously walks into it. There's a line I love from Bernard Lafayette, when he's talking about the sit-ins, the kids and how they kept going every day, they kept going back, even though they were treated so terribly. And he says, "We kept giving them the opportunity to change." And I just love that phraseology. It's the most positive way you could think about it. Instead of being angry he and people who are religious he said they had the opportunity to change. "We'll give them another chance tomorrow." And you know what, eventually that change did happen. Do you feel like the movie will play differently now, being released amidst the Black Lives Matter protests, than when you were making it? What does it mean to you to have that be the environment the movie is actually being released into? There's no doubt that ... it's a much more sober time and a reflective time. I think before the murder of George Floyd, before the pandemic, before we all felt this vulnerability to things out of our control, I think it might have been harder to get people's attention and to realize how important all the things that John Lewis has worked for in his life really are. And by that I mean equal access to voting, speaking up when you see brutality and police violence, having good government, having a functioning democracy. I think in a lot of ways people tend to take those things for granted. And the movie doesn't have to do that work anymore. It doesn't have to do the work of saying, "This is why you should care." Unfortunately, we can't chase the news in a documentary. Once you finish it, you finish it. We finished this in December. So it would have been great to have him reflect on what is happening, but we don't have that. But I am 100% sure, I'm positive, from speaking with him, from speaking with his chief of staff, how important this moment is for him. Particularly because he's been ill, hes not been able to keep up the same schedule that he had before. So when he goes down and poses in front of that Black Lives Matter art installation in front of the White House, I think he's telling everybody what he wants them to know, which is this is what gives him hope. This is what keeps him optimistic we did not have protests against police violence in all 50 states when John Lewis was beaten. And today we do have that. So for people who say nothing has changed, that's just not true. I think that helps him not be as depressed about current events as other people, because he never thought that he was finished. Peter Thiel. AP Photo/Ben Margot Peter Thiel is backing away from supporting President Donald Trump's reelection campaign, sources told The Wall Street Journal. Thiel has been Trump's highest-profile ally in Silicon Valley. Sources said Thiel thought Trump's reelection campaign was doomed to fail because of the economic damage done by the coronavirus pandemic. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. President Donald Trump's most vocal supporter in Silicon Valley, Peter Thiel, is said to have lost faith that Trump can win the 2020 election. Sources told The Wall Street Journal the PayPal cofounder had said he would not participate in this year's campaign as he did in 2016 because he thinks it's increasingly unlikely Trump can win. The sources said Thiel might still vote for Trump but had not donated any money to the campaign thus far and didn't plan to. He also doesn't plan to speak at the Republican National Convention this year, they added. Related: Why economists predict 15 million unemployed in 2021 Thiel's comments were made during private conversations in recent weeks at his house in Hawaii, according to The Journal. Thiel reportedly cited the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic as a reason Trump would struggle, as he apparently believes the US will still have double-digit unemployment percentages in November. One source said Thiel compared the Trump campaign to the SS Minnow, the boat from "Gilligan's Island" that ends up stranded on the beach. Thiel said he would instead funnel his money into supporting Republican candidates for the House and the Senate, the source added. Thiel did not respond to The Journal's request for comment, and a spokesman for the Trump campaign said Thiel remained a Trump supporter. Thiel is one of Trump's closest allies in Silicon Valley. Thiel has attended private dinners between the president and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Thiel's data-analytics company Palantir has worked closely with the government. Palantir worked with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and in April it signed a $25 million contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to build a platform for tracking the spread of the coronavirus. Read the original article on Business Insider (Los Angeles Times ) Will COVID-19 ever go away? Americans were so-so about staying at home during the first couple of months, but our discipline has relaxed, and infection rates are trending perilously upward. We still need masks and social distancing and a lot of hand-washing. Toilet paper has returned to the shelves. But when, if ever, can people safely go back to their workplace, send their kids to school or plan a big Thanksgiving dinner? President Trumps politicization of mask-wearing is partly to blame, but there are other reasons some people, especially younger Americans, are losing confidence in face coverings. A vaccine is probably a long distance away, if one is even found. Why not just allow nature to take its course and let most people to get sick so theres herd immunity? Two good reasons: First, its not clear that herd immunity can happen without a vaccine. In fact, its not known yet whether COVID-19 survivors are immune, or if they are, for how long. Second, according to the Mayo Clinic, more than 200 million Americans would have to catch and survive the illness for herd immunity to occur. Already, COVID-19 has killed twice as many Americans as the flu did this past season. Letting it run rampant would mean millions more deaths a price far too high to pay. Besides, there are good reasons to keep those masks on for months to come. The problem is that were thinking in all-or-nothing terms. A scenario in which almost all of us get COVID-19 until none of us do. Or one in which well have to breathe through triple layers of cotton stuffed with coffee filters for years. Left out of this equation is the possibility of treatments coming on board that might greatly reduce the fatality rate of the disease. Even if we cant get rid of the new coronavirus for now, we might find ways to live with it, and even go have a drink at a bar. The public, understandably enough, has stopped talking much about treatments for COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine, so heavily promoted by Trump, turned out to be a dud. Then infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci sang the praises of remdesivir after a robust study showed it reduced hospitalization time by a few days. Thats helpful, especially if hospitals become overcrowded, but not a real lifesaver. Story continues Those were the famous ones, but a host of less-noticed treatments are working their way through the clinical trial system. (Disclosure: Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the surgeon and bioscientist who owns the Los Angeles Times, is one of many scientists trying to develop an effective vaccine.) A large study out of Oxford University found that dexamethasone, a cheap and widely available steroid, brought the death rate down by a third among patients who were on ventilators. The study still hasnt been peer-reviewed or published and more research is needed, but with no other treatment available for the most critically ill patients, British hospitals have turned to it as well as some U.S. hospitals. The steroid is one of many drugs being examined for their ability to quell cytokine storms, the acute immune-system reactions that so often make COVID-19 deadly. There are two stages in the severe cases, doctors explain: The first week or so, when a robust immune response helps fight off the virus, is sometimes followed by a relapse in which the immune response goes into overdrive, causing life-threatening problems. Other steroids and additional treatments might tamp down those immune system reactions in more targeted, effective ways. Meanwhile, an early and small study on the use of blood plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 did not find it helpful. The idea was that the antibodies they had developed might work for the newly sick. But more studies are underway and scientists are working on developing monoclonal antibodies. And though remdesivir hasnt shown lifesaving prowess, researchers are examining additional antiviral medications. These drugs generally are most helpful early on in viral diseases, reducing their severity and length. The chances of a cure are slim, but what if there were an array of medical tools that might reduce the COVID fatality count closer to that of flu? Drugs and other treatments follow a shorter approval timeline than vaccines, in part because theyre given to the already ill instead of to healthy people. Of course, weve had big hopes for treatments or cures that havent panned out. But its only been a few months. If we prevent spread now by keeping masks on while figuring out how to bring down the diseases death toll over the long term, we become the people who saved millions of lives. Edouard Philippe has grown in popularity and has been seen as a possible presidential candidate - LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP President Emmanuel Macron replaced his prime minister on Friday in the first stage of a high-stakes government reshuffle aimed at relaunching his troubled presidency for the final two years of his term. Jean Castex, the conservative mayor of the small southern town of Prades, succeeded Edouard Philippe, also a conservative. Mr Philippe, 49, whose adroit handling of the coronavirus epidemic made him more popular than Mr Macron, is seen by some as a possible rival to Mr Macron in the 2022 presidential election. The reshuffle comes after a wave of Green local election victories humiliated Mr Macrons centrist party last weekend, although it was planned before the vote. However, ousting Mr Philippe, one of the most popular members of his government, is a big gamble for the unpopular president. Mr Castex, 55, a low-profile former civil servant seen as more compliant than Mr Philippe and less likely to upstage the president, coordinated Frances exit from lockdown and is known as Monsieur Deconfinement. Like Mr Philippe, Mr Castex is a former member of the opposition centre-Right party, The Republicans, but unlike his predecessor he is said to be planning to join the presidents centrist party, the Republic on the Move. However, ousting Mr Philippe, one of the most popular members of his government, is a big gamble for the unpopular president. Mr Castex, who is close to the former conservative president Nicolas Sarkozy, will form a new government by Wednesday, the presidents office said. Many ministers are expected to be replaced, including Christophe Castaner, the interior minister criticised for failing to quell yellow-vest anti-government protests in 2018 and 2019. After Greens won control of French cities including Lyon and Bordeaux last weekend, Mr Macron promised to prioritise the fight against climate change, but his partys election defeats made a reshuffle imperative. Story continues We have to chart a new course, he said in an interview with regional newspapers on Thursday. The return to work will be very difficult. Jean Castex was in charge of easing lockdown After dismissing Mr Philippe, who was elected mayor of Le Havre last weekend, Mr Macron asked him to head efforts to form a coalition of centrist and centre-right parties for the parliamentary elections that will follow the presidential vote in 2022. Along with Mr Castexs appointment, the move was seen as signalling that Mr Macrons strategy will hinge on winning centre-Right support. His Republic on the Move party lost its absolute parliamentary majority in May because of the defection of Left-wing MPs to a Green-Leftist group. He will need conservative support to beat the far-Right leader Marine Le Pen, expected to be his main presidential opponent in 2022. The Greens leader, Julien Bayou, criticised the appointment of Mr Castex. A man of the Right replaces a man of the Right, who weve never heard talk about the environment. The president wants to be the only one visible, he tweeted. During the coronavirus crisis, Mr Philippes popularity rose while Mr Macrons fell. The presidents approval rating was 44 per cent, according to a poll last week, while Mr Philippes jumped 13 points since the outbreak of Covid-19 to 51 per cent. The president and Mr Philippe had disagreed over Frances reopening, with the prime minister reluctant to lift the lockdown as speedily as Mr Macron wanted. Earlier they had fallen out over fuel tax rises, which sparked yellow-vest protests in 2018. When the governments controversial pension reform plans triggered widespread strikes and protests before the coronavirus crisis, Mr Philippe insisted on raising the age of eligibility for a full pension to 64, a fiercely contested move on which Mr Macron has showed more flexibility. Mr Macrons pro-business economic reforms, which critics said favoured the wealthy, were impeded by the yellow-vest movement and have now been put on hold because of the coronavirus crisis. Thousands of jobs are now being cut. After a formal handover at the prime ministers office in the imposing 18th century Matignon mansion on the Left Bank, Mr Castex said the government was entering a new phase. The economic and social crisis is already there. Priorities must evolve, methods must change. Standing alongside Mr Castex on the steps of the mansion, Mr Philippe paid tribute to the president, saying they had worked together in confidence. I have no doubt that you will be capable of taking the right decisions, Mr Philippe told his successor. In an unrelated development, Frances public prosecutor opened an investigation into allegations that Mr Philippe, Olivier Veran, the health minister, and his predecessor Agnes Buzyn mishandled the Covid-19 epidemic. The inquiry, in response to legal complaints filed by members of the public, is expected to be lengthy. In theory, the ministers risk two years in prison and a 30,000 fine if charged and convicted of failing to take action to combat a public danger. France was seen as more successful than the UK in fighting the epidemic, but the public was upset that Germany handled it better, with fewer deaths, while France spends more of its GDP on health. Mr Philippe gained popularity for implementing a massive economic recovery plan, but Mr Macron was blamed for a lack of face-masks and tests. The president is immune from prosecution. Encompass Health Corporation EHC recently formed a joint venture (JV) with Knoxville-based Covenant Health, which is the healthcare system offering diverse range of healthcare services in Tennessee. Through this alliance, the companies will be responsible for operating the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center. Notably, this rehab centre comes under the vast hospital network of Covenant Health. The JV also involves joint filing of two certificate of need applications by both the healthcare providers, the first one being construction of a freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospital with 51 beds on Fort Sanders West campus, which also falls under Covenant Healths hospital network. The second one involves converting all the semi-private rooms of the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center into private and renovating the center to a hospital-in-hospital structure containing 22 beds. Notably, Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center will continue to operate in during the renovation period. The construction of the new hospital and renovation of the existing one, which are likely to conclude in 2022, are yet to receive customary approval. The JV will result in development of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, which will aid patients in recovering from debilitating illnesses and injuries. This, in turn, is likely to enable Encompass Health in resolving health issues of Knoxville residents more efficiently. We believe that Covenant Health will also be benefitted from this venture considering strong presence of Encompass Health in the United States. It is to be noted that another U.S. healthcare provider has also tied up with Covenant Health based on its diverse range of healthcare services. Last month, Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. ACHC collaborated with Covenant Health, with the tie-up involving building a new behavioral health hospital. The alliance is intended to cater to mental health issues, which remain quite unaddressed owing to the dearth of resources in East Tennessee. Story continues Notably, shares of Encompass Health, which carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), have lost 1.9% in a year compared with the industrys decline of 5%. Furthermore, this is not the first time that Encompass Health has entered into a JV with established healthcare systems. Last month, the University of Iowa Health Network Rehabilitation Hospital a JV between Encompass Health and University of Iowa Health Systems announced in January this year started operating. Plans of establishing this hospital were declared by Encompass Health in early 2019. In addition, it opened Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Sioux Falls last month, which is intended to offer improved healthcare services in South Dakota. This hospital marks the companys 136th rehabilitation hospital, which bears testament to the robust hospital network of Encompass Health. The company has also unveiled plans in June to inaugurate Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Libertyville that is expected to start operations in spring 2022. All these initiatives underline the companys efforts to offer improved healthcare services across the United States. These efforts will certainly provide a sigh of relief to several people across the country, who are already grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic. The current situation definitely calls for greater access to healthcare services, which positions Encompass Health well for growth in the long term. Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the medical space include Brookdale Senior Living Inc. BKD and Abeona Therapeutics Inc. ABEO, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Brookdale and Abeona Therapeutics have a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 2.33% and 5.45%, on average, respectively. Just Released: Zacks 7 Best Stocks for Today Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +24.1% per year. These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout. See these time-sensitive tickers now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (BKD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (ACHC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (ABEO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Encompass Health Corporation (EHC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The statue of a young man, gun at his side, has sat outside the Harrison County Courthouse in Marshall, Texas, since 1905. Its main inscription reads "Confederate." That's enough to warrant its removal, says Demetria McFarland, a fifth grade teacher who has started a petition to that end. "That statue, in a public place, doesn't represent my values as a Black woman, it represents slavery and the torture my ancestors went through," says McFarland, founder of Marshall Against Violence. "Other cities are taking down these symbols of racial divide, so why not also here in our little east Texas town?" Many are asking the same question. History is on review as the 21st century's latest civil rights movement catches fire, smoldering embers fanned by the death in police hands of George Floyd on Memorial Day. From California to Washington, D.C., grassroots efforts such as McFarland's are urging citizens and lawmakers to reject historical figures whose backstories reveal views or deeds that insult millions of Americans. Demetria McFarland, a school teacher and local activist in Marshall, Texas, stands near a statue of a Confederate soldier erected in 1905 by the Daughters of the Confederacy. McFarland is circulating a petition to take the statue down and calls it an affront to her and other Black Americans. In past weeks, Mississippi passed a bill to create a new state flag without the Confederate battle emblem. In New Jersey, Princeton University took former President Woodrow Wilsons name off a college, citing his racist views. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, officials took down a statue of Diego de Vargas, a Spanish conquistador who brutalized Native Americans. Countless other petitions and protests are calling for similar statue removals and name changes in an effort to at least spark a dialogue about who deserves honoring. In many cases, such symbols were erected decades after the Civil War by the Daughters of the Confederacy, a civic group aimed at upholding the South's racial segregation. Over the Fourth of July weekend, President Donald Trump fanned the flames of the issue during an appearance at Mount Rushmore, where he condemned efforts to reevaluate the appropriateness of historical tributes and charged that children are being taught to believe the men and women who built (this country) were not heroes but villains. Activists and Native leaders have called for the removal of the South Dakota monument. Story continues "There's no question that all movements require conversation and dialogue to truly move ahead," says Melina Abdullah, a founding member of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and a professor of Pan-African Studies at California State University, Los Angeles. "But what doesn't require conversation is knowing things shouldn't be named after people who dehumanized other people." It is hard to know how far this latest drive to rename landmarks will get. Almost every historical figure could be worthy of deeper review. Consider Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian seafarer who gave his name to America. Some historians contend Vespucci exaggerated his claims, partnered in his enterprise with a man made rich from the slave trade, and stole the limelight from his contemporary, Christopher Columbus whose own statues have been targeted because of his murderous treatment of Indigenous people. Renaming is a powerful way to announce that change has arrived. And for many people of color, the time has come to stop ignoring symbols of oppression, says Elena Ortiz, chair of the Santa Fe Freedom Council of The Red Nation, a New Mexico-based activist group focused on the liberation of indigenous peoples. "The great reckoning is here," says Ortiz, whose group successfully pushed to remove statues of Juan de Onate, a 16th century Spanish conquistador who raped Pueblo women and stole from enslaved tribal communities. "It's time to fan the flames." Ortiz says it is not appropriate to honor figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and explorer Kit Carson. "Jefferson was a slave holder, Jackson believed the only good Indian is a dead Indian and Carson was an Indian murderer," she says. "When people ask do we need to rename Carson City, Nevada, the answer is yes." In Denver, school board member Tay Anderson has joined other activists to push for the renaming of schools named after figures such as Jefferson and George Washington, "who may have been founding fathers but they didn't stand up to racism and slavery, so they were complicit." Tay Anderson, 21, a Denver School Board member, has been active in the push to rename schools honoring presidents involved in slavery, as well as a local neighborhood, Stapleton, named after a onetime Denver mayor with ties to the Ku Klux Klan. Anderson also has been part of an effort to change the name of a neighborhood, Stapleton, named after former mayor and Ku Klux Klan member Benjamin Stapleton, whose name once also adorned the city's airport. "We are better than this," Anderson says. In St. Louis, Moji Sidiqi, executive director of the Regional Muslim Action Network, has joined forces with an Israeli restaurant owner to start a petition to not only remove a statue of Louis IX of France, the city's namesake, but also to rename the city itself. "History tells us King Louis was a Christian zealot who was an Islamophobe and anti-Semite" in 13th century France, says Sidiqi. "We don't want to see the statue broken or trashed, but it doesn't need to be in a public place where Muslims and Jews and African Americans go to make memories with their families." For Sidiqi, the current push to rename things isn't about erasing history but rather choosing what is worthy of celebration. Moji Sidiqi, executive director of the Regional Muslim Action Network in St. Louis, points to a statue of French king and city namesake Louis IX. The king's treatment of Jews and other minorities has prompted activists to call for the statue's removal and for changing the name of the city. "Are we supposed to keep pretending our beautiful nation doesn't have symbols of anti-inclusion and slavery everywhere?" she says. "We're trying to take away symbols of hate and replace them with symbols of love and community." The movement also includes a growing call to rename mountains, parks and other destinations, says Jennifer Runyon, a research staffer at the U.S. Board on Geographic Names in Washington, D.C., which meets monthly to review petitions requesting such changes. Weve gotten a half a dozen proposals related to racial issues lately, requests to change names that may have squaw or negro or digger, which is offensive to some Native Americans, says Runyon. We are a reactive body; we dont go looking for an issue. But if people bring one to us, well review it all and see what people locally say. You just have to have a good name ready to replace it. One example of such change, years in the making, is in California. Instead of Jeff Davis Peak near Lake Tahoe being a tribute to Confederate President Jefferson Davis, it will be called Da-ek Dow Go-et Mountain, Washoe for saddle between two mountains. "We are open to all petitions," Runyon says. "All we ask is that you have a good and relevant name ready that speaks to what people in the community care about." Read this: South Dakota tribal leader joins call to remove Mount Rushmore More: Trump calls proposed Black Lives Matter mural outside Trump Tower 'a symbol of hate' Debate over who and how to honor BLM leader Abdullah suggests that perhaps instead of more statues to Abraham Lincoln, who helped officially emancipate slaves, why not celebrate "people like Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass, Black people who worked hard to free themselves and others?" Activist Ortiz says why not move away from naming things after people, and instead focus on nature. "We need to step away from the worship of human beings, and in so doing accept that we're not the center of the universe," she says. Rio Arriba County workers remove the bronze statue of Spanish conquerer Juan de Onate from its pedestal in front of a cultural center in Alcalde, N.M., on June 15, 2020. Some, however, worry that by focusing intently on the removal of physical objects or name changes, true societal shifts may remain elusive. "We strongly support the removal of statues that celebrate histories of genocide and aggression against Native people, but we have to ensure that this doesn't gloss over the real history of this continent," says Michael Roberts, president of the First Nations Development Institute, a Longmont, Colorado, organization focused on the economic empowerment of Native Americans. "These activities are only a first step toward true healing, justice and reconciliation between Native people and the larger society," he says. Historian Douglas Brinkley says in the past, presidents have made efforts to "expand the national narrative" on matters of race and equality, citing President Barack Obama's executive orders on New York City's Stonewall National Monument, which celebrates the fight for LGBTQ rights, and the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Ohio, spotlighting African Americans who served in the U.S. military. A woman celebrates outside the Stonewall Tavern in the West Village in New York on June 26, 2015. "That was the right thing to do then, and the right thing to do now is de-Confederatize America," says Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University in Houston. "People aren't in the mood for compromising." Efforts to remove statues or rename places have drawn emotional reactions as some balk at what they see as the erasure of history. A Catholic priest in San Francisco recently held a public exorcism on the site in Golden Gate Park where protesters had torn down a statue of Father Junipero Serra, who founded many California missions. Serra was known to force Native Americans to convert and punish them if they rebelled. Evil has made itself present here, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said in a video of the event. What is systemic racism? Here's what it means and how you can help dismantle it 'I'm leaving, and I'm just not coming back': Fed up with racism, Black Americans head overseas In Orange County, south of Los Angeles, Democrats are pushing to rename John Wayne Airport because of racist statements made by the actor in a 1971 magazine interview. Wayne was quoted in Playboy as saying, I believe in white supremacy. A Los Angeles Times editorial supporting the name change argues that it will help the county a conservative stronghold in a largely Democratic state confront its racist past. Waynes son, Ethan Wayne, 58, issued a statement strongly denying his father was a racist. And in St. Louis, the local Roman Catholic Archdiocese issued a statement opposing efforts to change the name of the city. In siding with counterprotesters who do not want the Louis IX statue removed or city renamed, the Archdiocese highlighted the king's charity toward the poor, adding that we should not seek to erase history, but recognize and learn from it, while working to create new opportunities for our brothers and sisters." Renaming doesn't solve the problem Scholars say the claim that taking away a statue or renaming a street erases history is questionable. We make a mistake saying memorials are about history, says philosopher Susan Neiman, director of the Einstein Forum in Berlin, which promotes the cross-cultural exchange of ideas. We dont memorialize all our history, we pick and choose to remember men and women who live by the values we share. Neiman said the debates over which statues, streets and schools should be renamed should remain local, allowing community members to decide what gets scrapped, what finds its way to a museum with context and what perhaps gets turned into an art project that changes the meaning of the offending symbol. "It's not about history," she says. "It's about values." That was the approach South African leaders took in trying to reconcile that country's racist past. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, established by President Nelson Mandela in 1996, aimed to help Black and white South Africans come to grips with the countrys racist apartheid past while speeding up a transition to democracy. In this Dec. 10, 1993, file photo, South African President Nelson Mandela, left, and Deputy President F.W. de Klerk pose with their Nobel Peace Prize Gold Medals and Diplomas in Oslo. While that process did not involve much statue and location renaming beyond the removal of tributes to Hendrik Vorwoerd, the architect of apartheid, it did highlight the impact of having government officials be part of the reckoning, says Ronald Slye, a law professor at Seattle University who was an adviser to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. One of the lessons to be taken from the TRC is in order for real change to come about, the push for change needs to be part of a broader process in society and there needs to be clear political support for it, Slye says. Slye says the sheer size of the U.S. and its divided political makeup mean it is more likely that local movements aimed at renaming landmarks will precede changes at a national level. But the point isnt just to change a name, he says. In the end, its easy to change a name of a street or take down some monuments and say, Now were fine, he says. But its not the street thats the problem; its broader." Robbie Powelson, a native of Marin County, Calif., leads a protest at the site of a statue of Sir Francis Drake at the Larkspur ferry terminal. Powelson says he, other activists and members of local Miwok tribes are opposed to the statue, as well as a boulevard and school named after Drake, because of the 16th-century explorer's role as a slave trader. Robbie Powelson is fine with starting with a street. Growing up in Marin County, California, Powelson didnt give much thought to the name of an English explorer whose name adorns a local street, school and statue. But inspired by the Black Lives Matter social justice movement and its efforts to remove symbols of the Confederacy, Powelson now leads a campaign to revisit the tributes paid to Sir Francis Drake, best known for a 16th century sail that claimed California for England and less known for being a slave trader. Changing the names of things is significant because it is visceral and real to people, says Powelson, founder of Tam Equity Campaign. Through these symbolic changes, we can have a substantive shift in local consciousness. Follow USA TODAY national correspondent Marco della Cava: @marcodellacava This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Confederate statues to Columbus: BLM questions heroes, symbols of hate Click here to read the full article. Here's What You Need To Remember: Congressman David Obey was worried that some of the sensitive and secretive technologies that went into developing the F-22 could be discovered and reverse-engineered by enemies of the United States if the U.S. were to export the airframe. In particular, the stealth characteristics unique to the plane. Israel gets a large amount of defense aid from the United States in the form of both cash, weapons, and weapons platforms but why doesnt Israel have the F-22 stealth fighter? American Weapons in Israeli Hands Perhaps the most prominent example of American-Israeli cooperation is the Israeli version of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, which Israel and Israel alone is allowed to modify to better fit Israeli requirements for the Middle East. But aside from the stealthy platform, Israel also operates a huger number of other American airframes. According to Lockheed Martin, Israel has acquired over 300 F-16s since the mid-1990s when Israel started purchasing American surplus making the Israeli fleet the largest in the world outside of the United States Air Force. Considering such tight military cooperation between the United States in both technology and joint exercises, why have they been unable to get their hands on the much-vaunted F-22 platform, likely the stealthiest aircraft ever created? Stealthiest Bird in the Sky The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is operated by the U.S. Air Force, and is arguably the worlds most advanced manned combat aircraft. It is stealthier than the F-35 Lightning II, which has been exported to a number of U.S. allies in both Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, most notably to Japan and Israel. It was originally designed to counter aircraft in the Soviet Unions arsenal in air-to-air combat, and therefore exploits the latest developments in stealth technology to reduce detection by enemy radar, as well as thrust-vectoring engines for more maneuverability, and avionics that fuse and display information from on-board and off-board sensors in a single battlefield display. Story continues Obey The F-22s export was sunk due to the so-called Obey Amendment. Congressman David Obey was worried that some of the sensitive and secretive technologies that went into developing the F-22 could be discovered and reverse-engineered by enemies of the United States if the U.S. were to export the airframe. In particular, the stealth characteristics unique to the plane. In 1998 he added an amendment to the 1998 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. His amendment was a single sentence, and read, none of the funds made available in this Act may be used to approve or license the sale of F-22 advanced tactical fighter to any foreign government. Back in the USSR During the F-22s development (the Advanced Tactical Fighter program), the U.S. Air Force initially estimated they would purchase a whopping 750 of the programs fighters, but today has only 187 airframes. On top of the Obey Amendment, the F-22 program was hindered by any real threat to use F-22s against. The F-22 was designed to counter advanced fighters from the Soviet Union. With the breakup of the Soviet Union and the United States moment of unipolarity, there just wasnt a need for the advanced fighter. Caleb Larson is a defense writer for the National Interest. He holds a Master of Public Policy and covers U.S. and Russian security, European defense issues, and German politics and culture. This article first appeared earlier this year. Image: Wikipedia. Click here to read the full article. In the aftermath of George Floyd's death while in Minnaeapolis police custody, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis. Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley, the first Black commissioner in the county's history, stewarded the effort. "I know how racism is perpetuated through our systems, I know how racist policies and practices show up on the ground -- show up in [the] community -- and we can't sit by and not say structural racism is the problem," said Conley in an interview with ABC News. The resolution passed in a 7-1 vote. MORE: George Floyd's relatives watch as 4 officers charged in killing appear in court The sole "no" vote came from Commissioner Jeff Johnson, who said he felt declaring racism a public health crisis would send a message that racism is the biggest problem the county faces, which he does not believe it is. Hennepin County officials said in a statement that since 2017, the county has "focused on disparity reduction by allocating resources" and "launching training to build staff awareness of internal bias," but Conley said reduction of racial disparities isn't enough. "It's not about disparity reduction, it's about dismantling disparities and if you want to dismantle those disparities, you can't do that without dismantling racism," said Conley. Hennepin County's resolution places renewed focus on policies to improve health outcomes for Black, Indigenous and other communities of color, and calls for the formation of partnerships with community groups "confronting racism" and working to bring awareness to issues of racism. It also sets a deadline for the Board of Commissioners to create a timeline to address issues of systemic racism. PHOTO: Angela Harrelson, George Floyd's aunt, speaks to members of the media gathered outside the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility on June 29, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images, FILE) Hennepin County is not the first to designate racism as a public health issue. According to Pew Trusts, at least 20 cities and counties and three states -- Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin -- have already declared racism a public health crisis. Story continues Dr. Martine Hackett, a public health professor at Hofstra University, called Hennepin County and other similar declarations significant. "The significance of declaring racism as a public health crisis draws the attention needed to be able to recognize that it is at the root of many of the differences that we see in health outcomes, everything from infant mortality to diabetes, to obesity," said Hackett. "It makes us recognize that we need to put the concept of racism front and center to be able to understand why these differences exist." Discrimination on the basis of race has long been listed among the social determinants of health. Researchers have tied poorer health outcomes for Black patients to institutional racism, including the lack of access to quality health care, like Jim Crow-era segregation that pushed Blacks into low-quality care, and implicit bias on the part of providers. (MORE: Racism declared a public health crisis in Ohio's most populated county) Hackett believes that national designation of racism as a public health crisis could bring more funding to effectively address these issues and force a reckoning on their history. "Designations on the federal level are also connected to funding," she said. "They're connected to Medicaid and Medicare, what can be billed for." "It then forces us to say, 'Where did this structural racism come from?'" added Hackett. "And that forces us to deal with our history and makes us recognize that these differences in health outcomes are not just the result of poor behavior, but are fundamentally built into the system that we live in." (MORE: Boston declares racism a public health crisis) Conley encourages other government bodies who plan to make these declarations to ensure that action is taken to follow it up. "If other municipalities, cities, counties, states are going to declare racism a public health crisis, you can't just do it because it sounds good," said Conley. "It has to have meat and you have to significantly shift the way that your entity does business or has done business. They can't be status quo." After George Floyd's death, Hennepin County declares racism a public health crisis originally appeared on abcnews.go.com An aerial view of the house. REUTERS/Drone Base Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested Thursday at a $1 million house where authorities say she was hiding since the death of Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell, a longtime friend of Epstein, was arrested on charges connected to the Epstein case. An FBI official said Maxwell "slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims live with the trauma inflicted upon them years ago." The four-bedroom home is listed as previously selling for more than $1 million and is described as an "amazing retreat" for someone who wants "total privacy." Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Ghislaine Maxwell, a former girlfriend of the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested at a $1 million four-bedroom New Hampshire house that she is accused of secretly buying in cash last year. Maxwell was arrested by FBI agents on Thursday on charges including enticing minors to travel to engage in sexual acts and the transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual acts. The FBI had been tracking Maxwell as part of its investigation into Epstein, FBI Assistant Director in Charge William Sweeney Jr. told reporters. Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Epstein killed himself in jail in August while facing sex-trafficking charges. He was due to face trial after being accused of running a years-long sex ring designed to supply him with girls to take advantage of. An indictment made public Thursday accuses Maxwell of being part of it. Sweeney said the FBI "learned that she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims live with the trauma inflicted upon them years ago." A $1 million property The FBI said that Maxwell, 58, who had kept a low profile since December, was arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire. Prosecutors said she was had been living on the 156-acre property, which was acquired in an all-cash purchase in December, "through a carefully anonymized LLC." Story continues Law-enforcement sources told the New York Post that the property was 338 E. Washington Road, an address also reported by The Guardian and The Daily Mail. The property where Maxwell was arrested by the FBI in Bradford, New Hampshire, on Thursday. REUTERS/Drone Base The property website Zillow says it sold for $1,070,750 in 2019, and the property website Estately says it sold for $1,050,000 in 2017. The Zillow listing describes the four-bedroom, four-bathroom house as an "amazing retreat for the nature lover who also wants total privacy." The listing on property website Neren describes it as having mountain views and a "gourmet kitchen" as well as a "cathedral ceiling and spectacular custom chandelier." It says the "materials and craftsmenship and finishes throughout are the finest." Audrey Strauss, the acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York, announcing charges against Maxwell on Thursday. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson 'A good place to hide' A neighbor, who declined to give his name to the New York Post, said of the property: "It's a good place to hide." The Daily Mail reported that the house was named "Tuckedaway." The word "Tuckedaway" sits at the end of a driveway to the property. REUTERS/Brian Snyder Sources told the Post that FBI agents and local police officers rang the bell at the driveway, which was answered by a housekeeper, and that Maxwell then hid in the bathroom. Maxwell appeared in federal court in New Hampshire on Thursday afternoon. She was due to be detained in New York to wait for further proceedings there. A locked gate blocked the driveway to the property on Thursday. REUTERS/Brian Snyder Maxwell had disappeared from public view since Epstein's arrest last year. Authorities said she seemed to make "intentional efforts to avoid detection," The Guardian reported. They said this included "moving locations at least twice, switching her primary phone number (which she registered under the name 'G Max') and email address, and ordering packages for delivery with a different person listed on the shipping label." Read the original article on Insider The Financial Intelligence Authority (AIF), the agency of the Holy See and Vatican City State charged with fighting money laundering and terrorist financing, received 64 suspicious activity reports, took action in four cases, and froze one IOR account. Vatican City (AsiaNews) The Vaticans Financial Intelligence Authority (AIF[*]), the agency of the Holy See and Vatican City State that fights money laundering and financing of terrorism, released its annual report today. In it, the financial watchdog says that it received 64 suspicious activity reports in 2019, taking four preventive measures and froze an IOR[] account. The report suspended three transactions worth 240,000 (US$ 269,500), froze one bank account with 178,970.65 (US$ 201,000), and forwarded evidence to Vatican prosecutors 15 times. The majority of potential financial crimes "involve foreign subjects or actions undertaken in, or in connection with, foreign jurisdictions. The main potential offences are international fraud, including tax fraud, and misappropriation. International activity was particularly intense. More than 370 subjects were involved in exchanging requests for information with foreign financial intelligence units (FIUs). "Four new memoranda of understanding were also signed with the FIUs of foreign jurisdictions (Finland, Cook Islands, Czechia and Serbia), for a total of 60 Memoranda of Understanding signed since 2012. In addition, AIF exchanged information with foreign supervisory authorities in 18 cases (16 requests made to foreign authorities and two requests from foreign authorities). International collaboration also allowed the analysis of complex financial schemes with connections in different jurisdictions, leading to reports of potential violations and illegitimate behaviour. Regarding the fight against terrorist financing, the report notes that during 2019 there was only one potentially related case, which "turned out to be devoid of subjective or objective elements. This confirms "a low level of risk associated with terrorist financing". In this regard, in 2019, "three updates were made to the list of high-risk states with strategic deficiencies in their respective systems for preventing and fighting money laundering and terrorist financing, taking into account the updates of the lists published by the Financial Action Task Force. Overall, the Financial Security Committee (COSIFI[]) confirmed a medium-low level of risk in the fight against money laundering and a low level of risk in the area of financing of terrorism, noting no significant internal threats. The main risks identified are related to international and/or cross-border activities. However, in 2019, cross-border cash flow decreased significantly. There were incoming and outgoing 1,121 declarations, worth 21,630,000 (US$ 24.2 million), compared to 1,239 in 2018 worth more than 26 million (US$ 29.2 million). The report highlights that "the analysis of the declarations made by AIF did not find any significant anomalies or risk indicators. The Holy See has "made a strong commitment to ensure international collaboration and information exchange in order to prevent tax evasion and facilitate the fulfilment of tax obligations by foreign citizens and legal persons who entertain a relationship with IOR. Checks and controls by the AIF in 2019 have shown that the implementation of the procedures adopted by the IOR is overall effective. Furthermore, overall monitoring activities did not lead to the detection of significant anomalies and risk indicators. Speaking about the IOR, the AIF carried out two inspections in 2019. The first, in June, was aimed at verifying technical compliance with the current legislative and regulatory framework regarding payment services, as well as the existence of all the necessary requirements for the Institutes participation in SEPA[] payment schemes. The inspection was substantially successful. The second, in August, was aimed at verifying compliance regarding preventing and fighting money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as the effective functioning of adopted measures and safeguards. In this case too, a "broad level of compliance" of the rules to fight money laundering and terrorist financing was found. [*] Autorita di Informazione Finanziaria [] Istituto per le Opere di Religione, Institute for the Works of Religion, generally known as the Vatican Bank [] Comitato di Sicurezza Finanziaria [] Single Euro Payments Area The Goring Hotel is a royal favourite. (Getty Images) A hotel which can boast of being a royal favourite is preparing to reopen, which could be good news for the Duchess of Cambridge, and the Queen. The Goring Hotel, which is close to Buckingham Palace, has planned to open its doors for overnight stays again from 4 September. Its where the Duchess of Cambridge spent her last night as Kate Middleton before she married Prince William back in 2011. Its also said to be where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hosted a goodbye lunch for their palace staff before they stepped back as senior royals. The Goring Hotel received a royal warrant from the Queen in 2013, the only hotel to have the honour, and holds a Michelin Star. Kate arriving at the Goring the night before her wedding. (Getty Images) Read more: Queen-in-waiting: How Duchess Kate is preparing for the throne The Queen also gave a knighthood to George Goring, who ran the hotel for several years, following in the footsteps of his father Otto, who founded the hotel. Before it became a favourite of the Queen and her granddaughters-in-law, it was loved by Queen Mary, the wife of George V, and the late Queen Mother, according to The Telegraph. It was the last place the Queen Mother visited publicly before her death in 2002. She is said to have enjoyed Eggs Drumkilbo a lobster and egg-based dish which is still on the menu at the restaurant. The suite has its own dining room. (Goring Hotel) The hotel's bar will also be reopening in September. (Goring Hotel) Read more: 100 things the Royal Family has done in 100 days of lockdown The Queen is thought to host a Christmas lunch for her staff there. In 2018, she was spotted leaving with a small gift bag, and her dressmaker Angela Kelly was seen leaving afterwards, as well as Terry Pendry, Stud Groom to the Queen. On reopening a hotel statement said: Since 1910 some very well-known guests have chosen The Goring, not just for our delicious food but also no matter how secret or important the conversation might be, it could never be overheard. It is likely we wont be able to seat quite as many guests as before but there will be no change in our professional yet friendly service, the atmosphere and the memorable experience our guests have come to expect. Story continues The royal suite, where Kate stayed the night before her wedding. (Goring Hotel) The Royal Suite, where Kate spent her last night as an unmarried woman. (Goring Hotel) Read more: This year's must-read royal biographies, from Harry and Meghan's 'real story' to feuding princes Kate stayed in the Royal Suite at the hotel the night before her wedding, a two bedroom suite with its own footman, as well as all the fruit, sweets and pastry you could wish for. One of the bedrooms features a grand four-poster bed with a dressing room, and both have en-suite bathrooms. In March 2020, Meghan and Harry were seen leaving the Goring Hotel separately after she arrived back in the UK for their farewell engagements as senior royals. It was thought she may have been staying there, but it later emerged it was an emotional goodbye lunch with their staff. Women react outside a drug rehabilitation facility where assailants killed several people in Mexico: REUTERS Gunmen have killed 26 people in a deadly attack on a drug rehabilitation centre in central Mexico as the countrys government struggles to fulfil its pledge to stop gang violence. Police in Guanajuato state said the attack on Wednesday occurred at a modest two-story house, which was an unregistered rehab centre on the outskirts of the town of Irapuato. It is understood that the attackers shot every man at the rehab centre but let the women in the building go free. Rosa Alba Santoyo, who lost three sons in the attack, said a woman at the centre said the gunmen told the women to get out, before gunning down the men. Ms Santoyo said two of her sons, construction workers aged 29 and 39, were at the centre because they had problems with drugs, while her youngest son, 27, had been at the centre previously and recovered. He had only returned on Wednesday to bring his brothers soft drinks when the gunmen killed all three of them, she added. The shooting, which is the deadliest such attack in a decade, has led to calls for change in a prosperous state which has become a battleground for cartels. Guanajuato, a major car-making hub, has become one of the principal flashpoints for criminal violence in Mexico, due to a turf war between the local Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel. About 1,400 homicides were registered in the state this year up to the end of May, more than any other state, according to federal data. Mary Moreno, a woman who lives near the centre, said the gunmen simply burst into the rehab and started shooting. The government doesn't do anything anymore, she added. Rehab centres are known to have been targeted by criminal gangs seeking control of the drug business and gunmen opened fire at a different addiction rehab centre in Irapuato on 6 June, killing 10 men. No motive was given for this week's attack but Diego Sinhue Rodriguez Vallejo, Guanajuatos governor, said drug gangs appeared to have been involved. Story continues The violence generated by organised crime not only takes the lives of the young, but it takes the peace from families in Guanajuato, Mr Rodriguez Vallejo, who belongs to the conservative opposition party National Action, said. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexicos president, said on Thursday that changes must be made to solve Guanajuato's problem, because the circumstances demand it. The problem was allowed to grow, it grew a lot and we have to see if there was some sort of cooperation, criminal conspiracy between the criminals and officials, he added, without specifying who he was accusing. There have been persistent reports that state authorities who once tolerated the Santa Rosa de Lima gang turned in recent years to allow the Jalisco cartel to enter the state in the hope they would end the local gang's systematic extortion of businesses. However, the less sophisticated Santa Rosa gang has been more resilient to Jalisco than expected. Additional reporting by agencies Read more Mexican president tells gangs to stop donating food and end crime A Hampton Inn employee in North Carolina called police on a Black guest whose children were using the pool. Facebook/Missy Williams-Wright A hotel employee in North Carolina is no longer with the company after calling police on a Black guest whose children were using the pool, Hampton by Hilton said in a statement. The incident prompted outrage online after the guest filmed the encounter with police on Facebook Live. The guest accused the employee and the officers of discrimination, noting that none of the white guests using the pool had been asked for proof that they were staying at the hotel. The hotel chain apologized in a statement, saying the company has "zero tolerance for racism or discrimination of any kind." The Williamston Police Department said in a statement that it's launching an internal investigation over the matter. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A Hampton Inn employee is no longer with the company after she called police on a Black guest whose children were using the hotel's pool. The confrontation, at a hotel in Williamston, North Carolina, was captured in a Facebook Live video that quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of views. The guest, who goes by Missy Williams-Wright on Facebook, could be heard in the video telling the employee and two police officers that she felt discriminated against, since other guests using the pool weren't questioned about their presence. "I feel it's discrimination," Williams-Wright said. "I have a room here and I told you that." Hampton by Hilton said in a statement the company has apologized to Williams-Wright, and confirmed that the employee no longer works at the hotel. It was unclear from the company's statement whether the employee was fired or resigned. "Hampton by Hilton has zero tolerance for racism or discrimination of any kind," the statement said. "We remain in contact with the hotel's ownership about follow-up actions, and to ensure that in the future, their employees reflect the best values of our brand and are welcoming of all." Story continues This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The Williamston Police Department told WCTI-TV in a statement that the officers had been told by Hampton Inn staff that there were two unattended children swimming in the pool and an adult inside a vehicle in the parking lot. The Hampton Inn staff had told the woman to leave, police said, though the woman explained that she was a guest at the hotel. Williams-Wright told CNN she had been charging her phone and speaking with her mother in the car but was watching the children while they were in the pool. In the video, the officers could be heard asking Williams-Wright for proof that she was a guest. So she presented her room key but declined to tell them what room she was staying in. "Why do I have to tell you what room I'm in? What did I do wrong?" she asked, noting that the hotel employee had not asked white guests using the pool for proof. Police said they eventually used Williams-Wright's car registration to verify her identity and confirm that she was a guest at the hotel. The police statement acknowledged there was an "outcry of public concern" over the video, and said the department will launch an internal investigation. Expanded Coverage Module: black-lives-matter-module Read the original article on Insider BUCKS COUNTY, PA Bucks County health department workers will be out in bars and restaurants that serve booze over the 4th of July weekend, making sure drinking establishments are complying with social distancing requirements. "The Fourth of July, of course ... people are used to celebrating and having a good time," Dr. David Damsker, director of the Bucks County Department of Health, said Friday. "Bars are one of the places that can be overwhelmed with people who won't be social distancing and won't be wearing masks." Damsker's comments came as Pennsylvania reported its highest single-day total of new coronavirus cases in six weeks. There were 832 new positive cases of the virus reported in the state on Thursday the highest new case total since May 20. Damsker said Bucks County has had "pretty good compliance" from bars since they were allowed to let patrons back inside last week, when the county went to the green phase of Pennsylvania's coronavirus plan. But elsewhere in Pennsylvania, spikes of coronavirus have been linked to a lack of social distancing at bars and nightclubs. In Allegheny County, officials renewed the ban on indoor consumption of alcohol at bars this week after a surge in cases. The ban came after the county health department there reported 90 new coronavirus cases on Saturday and 96 on Sunday. "We are making this a major initiative," Damsker said. "Anyone who has a bar, who has a restaurant who has (alcohol sales), needs to know we'll be looking. If we start seeing outbreaks regarding those facilities, that will be the first place Gov. Wolf will shut down. "There are a lot of facilities that are doing exactly what we're asking them to do and we don't want them to be penalized." During the green phase, restaurants and bars may use bar seating, but groups of no more than four must be physically distanced from each other or have physical barriers. Standing in bar areas is not permitted. Story continues Staff must wear masks, as must customers when they are entering, exiting or moving through the building. At least six feet must be provided between tables. Bucks County's number of newly reported coronavirus cases has remained low compared to the height of the outbreak in April, when it wasn't unusual for the county to report more than 100 new cases per day. But, on Thursday, the county reported 34 new cases the highest number since 42 new cases were reported on June 11. Damsker had predicted numbers would tick upward when Bucks County moved to green, opening up more businesses and public spaces. But, he said, officials are more likely to take a targeted approach to outbreaks than to move back to the more-restrictive yellow phase if cases spike. "We would have the ability (to act) here if we saw outbreaks at Business X or Business Y," Damsker said. "What I don't like about yellow is it penalizes the businesses who are doing the right thing. We're looking at more of a specific focus on the businesses who are not doing things right." Speaking at an online news conference Friday, members of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners echoed Damsker's advice for businesses and residents to stay vigilant against the virus during the holiday weekend. "Just remember, as Dr. Damsker says all the time, that alcohol and COVID do not mix well," said Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo. "To our young people and to our adults, please be careful. Wear masks. You have to remember the virus is still out there and we want to make sure everyone here in Bucks County is safe and sound." Finding Our Way Forward: See more stories about Pennsylvania's coronavirus recovery This article originally appeared on the Bensalem Patch Some of Hong Kong's biggest insurers are dramatically upping their headcount of sales agents, betting that the Greater Bay Area will generate new business and that more people will buy policies in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even against the backdrop of economic turmoil, the likes of AIA and Prudential say they are hiring more aggressively this year. The number of insurance sales staff had risen 16 per cent to 122,769 by the end of March, after 16,943 newcomers joined the industry in the previous 12 months, according to official data. The insurers' hiring spree is in contrast to other industries which are laying people off, leading the jobless rate to hit a 15-year high of 5.9 per cent in the March to May period. Hong Kong's economy shrank 8.9 per cent year on year in the first quarter, the worst slump since records began in 1974. It has received multiple blows, including the protracted US-China trade war, a year of anti-government protests and the Covid-19 pandemic. The expansion within the insurance sector is potentially good news for 232,400 jobless in the city, as the industry may be able to offer some of them a second career. AIA, the largest life insurance company in Hong Kong, plans to hire 6,000 more agents this year, 1,000 more than its average annual recruitment count. "As the emergence of Covid-19 has increased the awareness of insurance protection and risk management, we have strong confidence in the insurance industry and we would like to invite high-calibre talent to join our professional elite team of financial planners," said Peter Crewe, AIA's chief executive for Hong Kong and Macau. AIA's hiring target also reflects its confidence in the bay area project " Beijing's plan to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland Chinese cities into an economic powerhouse. Insurance was a major sector mentioned in the blue print revealed last year. Story continues Insurers want to expand because they believe the current health crisis will lead more people to buy policies to protect their family. They are also optimistic that an "Insurance Connect" scheme " similar to existing cross-border initiatives like Stock Connect and Bond Connect " being considered as part of the Greater Bay Area project will bring them more business in the long term. An "Insurance Connect" would initially allow them to set up servicing centres in bay area cities to collect premiums, handle claims and even distribute simple insurance products in the future. "We remain confident there will be tremendous potential for business growth in the GBA, with its combined population of 71 million and GDP of US$1.6 trillion," Crewe said. AIA would work closely with the Insurance Authority about the establishment of the services centres in the bay area cities, he added. Mainland Chinese are big spenders in the local insurance sector. At the peak, they bought HK$72.68 billion (US$9.4 billion) in insurance policies in Hong Kong in 2016, about 39 per cent of all premiums collected in the city. This declined to only HK$5.4 billion in the first quarter of this year, down 58 per cent year on year as the pandemic prevented mainland residents from coming to the city to shop for insurance products. The opening up of the bay area provides hope of a turnaround. As the sector faces a challenging time, the is set to be the next driving force for Hong Kong insurers, according to Edward Moncreiffe, chief executive of the Hong Kong office of HSBC Life, the insurance arm of the city's biggest bank. "The latest announcements on the development of the bay area will definitely present more opportunities to the insurance industry. We fully support the development of the Insurance Connect as a means to drive closer integration of the insurance markets across the GBA, and to make it easier for customers to purchase the best insurance solutions available to them," Moncreiffe said. Prudential Hong Kong, another major life insurer in the city, is also planning to hire 7 per cent more new agents this year, according to its Hong Kong chief executive, Derek Yung. "During this period, new talent is joining our company from other industries. Many retail and small and medium-sized enterprises are affected by the economic downturn. These new joiners are seeking opportunities in the insurance field as their second career," he said in a telephone interview. 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 2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Hong Kongers are scrubbing their social media accounts, deleting chat histories and mugging up on cyber privacy as China's newly imposed security law blankets the traditionally outspoken city in fear and self-censorship. China's authoritarian leaders enacted sweeping new powers on Tuesday -- keeping the contents secret until the last minute -- after more than a year of often violent protests in a financial hub increasingly chafing under Beijing's rule. Certain political views such as wanting independence became outlawed overnight and legal analysts and rights groups warn the broad wording of the law -- which bans subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces -- will choke civil liberties and free speech. Despite assurances from Beijing that political freedoms would not be hindered, many Hong Kongers moved to delete digital references of their opposition to China's ruling Communist Party, which uses similar laws on the mainland to crush dissent. "I changed my profile name and switched to a private account so that my employer will not be able to see future posts which they deem to be offensive to China or have breached the national security law," Paul, an employee of a large company whose management he described as "pro-Beijing", told AFP. He said he would be "very careful" about posting in the future, fearing colleagues or even friends might report him, and asked not to be identified. - VPNs and deleted chats - After the law came in, many Hong Kongers took to Twitter and other social media platforms such as Telegram and Signal to either announce their departure or share tips on internet safety. "We will clear all the messages for your safety," one popular Telegram group used by pro-democracy protesters wrote. "Please watch out for what you say." One lawyer with pro-democracy leanings messaged an AFP journalist asking for their entire WhatsApp history to be deleted. Story continues Another announced they were moving all communications to Signal, which they felt was a more secure messaging app. Beijing has said some serious cases will be prosecuted on the mainland, dismantling the legal firewall that has existed between Hong Kong's judiciary and China's Communist Party-controlled courts since the 1997 handover from Britain. Local police have been granted wider surveillance powers to monitor suspects, including wiretapping and accessing digital communications, without a judge's approval. The new law also allows China's feared security agencies to set up shop in Hong Kong for the first time. Beijing says it can now prosecute national security crimes committed outside it borders -- even by foreigners -- raising concerns that people visiting of transiting through Hong Kong could be arrested. Companies providing virtual private network (VPN) tools -- which can make internet access more secure -- have reported a spike in downloads since the law was announced. Billie, a 24-year-old assistant to a district councillor, said he started using a VPN in May when China announced plans for the new law. He culled many of his social media followers and removed some "sensitive" posts -- even though Beijing's new law is not supposed to be retroactive. "I feel very ashamed and embarrassed. I never wanted to do so, but I felt I have to, in order to survive," he told AFP, also asking for anonymity. "A part of me is gone." - 'Lennon Walls' removed - It is not just digital walls being scrubbed. Several pro-democracy restaurants and shops have taken down their "Lennon Wall" displays expressing support for protests or criticism of China's leadership. Gordon Lam, a pro-democracy activist prominent within the city's catering sector, told AFP at least one restaurant sought his advice after police visited and warned their display "might violate the national security law". "It seems the government is using the national security law to put pressure on the yellow economic circle," Lam said, using a local phrase to describe businesses that support calls for democracy and are popular with protesters. The first arrests under the new security law were made during protests on Wednesday when thousands defied a ban on rallies, many chanting slogans. Most were arrested for having flags and leaflets in favour of Hong Kong independence, a clear signal that even possession of such items was now illegal. Others vowed to avoid censoring themselves. "It's not that I am not at all worried," Chow Po-chung, an associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, wrote on Facebook. "I just don't want to be overly worried and live in fear all the time. Because once fear takes root in our minds, we can't live up to what we want for ourselves." Click here to read the full article. Key Point: Iran still has some of these planes left from before the revolution. Here's how they repair and maintain them. The F-14 Tomcat first flew in 1970--and made famous by Tom Cruise in Top Gun--was intended to fly from American aircraft carriers to protect from massed Soviet bombing formations. The not-so-secret recipe to the F-14 Tomcats success was its variable geometry wings, that could be optimized for low speed and high-speed maneuvers. During low-speed flight, the F-14s wings would be swept outwards, generating higher amounts of lift. The F-14s relatively wide fuselage and widely-spaced engines also helped to generate some lift, important when landing on short aircraft carrier decks. At higher speeds, the Tomcats wings would be swept inwards, creating a lower-drag, more aerodynamic shape. When parked, the Tomcats wings could be tucked in even further, allowing for more space to park other airframes onboard cramped aircraft carrier decks. The F-14s were extremely maneuverable and easy to fly. A former F-14 pilot detailed how just how quickly Irans Tomcat pilots learned how to maneuver the large fighters. F-14s equipped with the AWG-9 pulse Doppler radar, the Iranian pilots could hit an enemy aircraft from 100 miles away, but the pilots also appreciated the airplanes fighting abilities close in. Major Farhad recalls the airplanes maneuverability: The capability of the F-14A to snap around during the dogfight was unequalled After only 100 hours of training, I learned to pitch the nose of my Tomcat up at a 75-degree [angle of attack] in just over a second, turn around, and acquire the opponent either with Sidewinders or the gun. The Most Successful F-14 Pilot in History Before the Iranian Revolution, a number of F-14s were exported to Iran. The F-14 was the platform piloted by Jalil Zandi during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War. He is credited with doing 11 Iraqi aircraft, making him Irans Ace of Aces and the most successful F-14 pilot ever. Story continues Despite the F-14s age, a number of F-14s apparently made an appearance over Syria, when they flew escort for Russian Tu-95 bombers. Air-to-Air Killer Despite updated livery, and supposedly updated air-to-air missiles (which is most likely a reverse-engineered IM-54 Phoenix missile from the F-14 fleet which has since been retired from U.S. inventories, along with the F-14 itself. Still, the IM-54 was a very capable missile, and comparably only with the F-14s. Iraqi pilots seemed to have learned respect for the F-14. They faced the aircraft again during Operation Desert Storm, begun only three years after the United Nations-mandated cease fire ended the Iran-Iraq hostilities. U.S. F-14 pilots who flew the fighter on escort and photo reconnaissance missions in Iraq reported that Iraqi aircraft would break off an approach once the Tomcats AWG-9 radar fired up. Not bad for a 1970s era airframe. Resistance Economy The F-14 is an example of Irans so-called resistance economy wherein Iran stretches its resources to the limit, getting the most mileage out of their planes as possible by domestically-built or internationally-acquired parts Well likely see Irans F-14s until theyre shot out of the sky. Caleb Larson is a Defense Writer with The National Interest. He holds a Master of Public Policy and covers U.S. and Russian security, European defense issues, and German politics and culture. This first appeared in 2020 and is being reposted due to reader interest. More From The National Interest: Russia Has Missing Nuclear Weapons Sitting on the Ocean Floor How China Could Sink a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Click here to read the full article. Baghdad (AFP) - More than a dozen pro-Iran fighters detained over a planned rocket attack were released on Monday, in an apparent major misstep for Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi. Counter-terrorism forces detained 14 members of Kataeb Hezbollah late Thursday for allegedly planning a rocket attack on Baghdad's Green Zone, where the US and other embassies as well as state buildings are located. But the accused were soon handed over to the Hashed al-Shaabi, the umbrella organisation of Iraqi paramilitary groups that has been nominally incorporated into the state. On Monday, an Iraqi judge ordered the case dropped, Kataeb Hezbollah's military spokesman Jaafar al-Husseini told AFP. "The judge ordered their release due to a lack of evidence. The arrests shouldn't have happened," he said. Husseini said they had appeared at a Hashed military tribunal, as Iraq's various security forces each have their own court system. A Hashed security source confirmed the fighters' release, although a government official said one remained in custody. "We'll be filing a claim against the premier. The state of law must prevail, not the state of personal whims," Husseini added. Another Kataeb spokesman, Abu Ali al-Askary, said earlier that the group would sue Kadhemi for abduction. "Today, we ended all the legal proceedings for the malicious accusations against our brothers, and we will sue Kadhemi for kidnapping," he said in a written statement. - 'Embarrass' Kadhimi - An Iraqi government official told AFP that 13 of the 14 were released on bail but insisted the charges have not been dropped. "The detainee that remains in custody is the one that the evidence undeniably points to," the official said. According to Iraq's Joint Operations Command, the arrest warrants for the 14 ere based on the country's counter-terror law, which carries the death penalty. It also said the counter-terrorism forces had seized two rocket launchers during the raid as proof of the planned attack. Story continues Since October, nearly three dozen missile attacks have targeted either US troops or diplomats, killing three US military personnel, one British and one Iraqi. The US has accused Kataeb Hezbollah and other pro-Iran factions of carrying out the attacks and has bombed Kataeb bases across Iraq in retaliation. Iraqi authorities had not previously taken direct action against Kataeb, fearing a possible fallout from confronting a group with such close links to neighbouring Iran. Kataeb has never claimed responsibility for the attacks but has hailed them as a way to pressure US troops out. As part of a new strategic dialogue with the US launched this month, the US has vowed to keep reducing troop levels and Iraq has pledged to hold the perpetrators of rocket attacks accountable. "If Kataeb Hezbollah succeeds in shielding its fighters from justice, it will embarrass the Kadhemi government," wrote Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy last week. - 'Protect the Americans' - Kataeb is deeply suspicious of Kadhemi, accusing him of complicity in the US killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and the Hashed's deputy chief in January. After its fighters were released on Monday, it issued a statement insisting its weapons would never be "handed over, restricted or counted" by the Iraqi state. Photographs of the released men showed a dozen fighters in sand-coloured uniforms burning American and Israeli flags, and stepping on pictures of Kadhemi's face. "He wanted to send a message that he would attack factions that reject the American presence and tell the Americans that he could protect them," Husseini told AFP. Kataeb Hezbollah first began fighting US troops in 2003 during the American-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein. According to Knights, it is the top armed Iraqi ally of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Washington has designated as a "terrorist" group. Thursday's raid was the boldest act yet against pro-Iran groups based in Iraq, which has long had to walk a fine line between its two main allies, Tehran and Washington. By Russell Dean Christopher Bicknell, Post-doctoral researcher in Palaeobiology , University of New England Dimitris Siskopoulos/Wiki commonc, CC BY-SA Lets turn back the hands of time. Before extinction knocked dinosaurs off their pillar, before the Great Dying extinction wiped out 95% of all organisms we had the Paleozoic Era. During this age in Earths history, between 541 million and 252 million years ago, arthropods (animals with exoskeletons such as insects, crustaceans, scorpions, and horseshoe crabs) were exploring the extremes of size, from tiny to huge. In fact, some Paleozoic arthropods represent the largest animals on Earth at the time. If you were to take a swim in the Paleozoic oceans, you may have been fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to find one of the most fearsome of these extinct arthropods: the sea scorpions, Eurypterida. Our new research, published in Gondwana Research, is the most comprehensive collection of information on these fascinating creatures that once roamed Australian waters. https://images.theconversation.com/files/344972/original/file-20200701-5... 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344972/original/file-20200701-5... 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344972/original/file-20200701-5... 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344972/original/file-20200701-5... 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344972/original/file-20200701-5... 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"> H. Zell/Wiki commons, CC BY-SA A sight to behold Although Eurypterida looked broadly like scorpions (with a similar body shape, albeit built for swimming), they were not. They were more like the cousins of modern scorpions. An exceptional part of the sea scorpion evolutionary story is how they fit into the narrative of Paleozoic gigantism. Read more: Fossils of huge plankton-eating sea creature shine light on early arthropod evolution Sea scorpions include the largest marine predators to have ever arisen in the fossil record, including one species thought to have been more than 2.5 metres long, Jaekelopterus rhenaniae. Back then, some of these giants were effectively in the same place in their food web as the modern great white shark. These likely agile swimmers would have used their large front limbs, armed with claws, to grab their prey, which they would then crush between the teeth-like structures on their legs (called gnathobasic spines). While were not sure exactly what these large animals ate, its likely fish and smaller arthropods would have been on the menu. And if humans had been around swimming in the sea, maybe us too! https://images.theconversation.com/files/344940/original/file-20200701-5... 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344940/original/file-20200701-5... 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344940/original/file-20200701-5... 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344940/original/file-20200701-5... 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344940/original/file-20200701-5... 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"> Slate Weasel/Wiki commons. Modified. A fascinating (but murky) history Australia is famous for its array of curious animals, including unique modern species such as the platypus. And this uniqueness extends far into the fossil record, with sea scorpions being a case in point. But the scientific record and study of Australian sea scorpions has been patchy. The first documented specimen, published in 1899, consisted of a fragmented exoskeleton section found in Melbourne. Prior to our new research examining the completeness of the group in Australia, there were about ten records and only one other attempt to pool everything together. As such, the diversity and spread of these fossils was fairly uncertain. For us, revisiting these amazing fossils resulted in a few trips to different Australian museums. We also had specimens sent to us at the University of New England to examine in person. Read more: The mighty dinosaurs were bugged by other critters This journey of palaeontological discovery uncovered many sea scorpion fossils than hadnt previously been noted. As a result, we now have evidence of a possible six different groups that existed in Australia. Collating these specimens together in our most recent publication, we illustrate the Pterygotidae (the family of sea scorpions that reached 2.5 metres long) dominated the groups Australian fossil record. Although this had been noted before, the abundance of material from different locations and time periods, especially from Victoria, was unexpected. https://images.theconversation.com/files/344946/original/file-20200701-5... 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344946/original/file-20200701-5... 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344946/original/file-20200701-5... 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344946/original/file-20200701-5... 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344946/original/file-20200701-5... 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"> Back to the source Besides showcasing the largest number of Australian sea scorpions, our paper also outlines the overall lack of information on these animals. Despite there being much fragmented material, there is only one (mostly) complete specimen, Adelophthalmus waterstoni, measuring just 5.7cm long. Future research will involve revisiting the sites where these specimens were originally collected, in the hope of finding more complete specimens. Not only will this help document Australian sea scorpion species better, it will also allow for a more complete understanding of the environments in which they lived. Ultimately, one thing is clear there is much left to uncover about these titans that swam through Australias prehistoric oceans. The authors thank Natalie Schroeder Geoscience Australia for her help with this project. The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Originally published in The Conversation. Click here to read the full article. Here's What You Need To Remember: Although never officially acknowledged, Israel has widely considered a nuclear power. Though the Popeye Turbo and Jericho 3 are the likely nuclear delivery vehicles, Israels non-nuclear missile umbrella is also quite impressive. Enemies beware. Israels missile capabilities are perhaps among the most advanced in the Middle East. Through extensive aid from the United States and Europe, as well as collaboration in developing missiles, Israel has been able to nurture a mature domestic missile production capability that has been successful as exports. Most of Israels missiles are relatively short- to medium-range, they also have several missiles in the Jericho family that can reach out into the 1,500 to 4,800-kilometer range (930 to 3000 miles). Delilah Although originally designed as a decoy to distract enemy air defenses, the Delilah today functions as a subsonic cruise missile and is compatible with a wide suite of Israeli aircraft. Due to its stubby wings, it has the ability to loiter after launch until the appropriate detonation time and has a range of 250 to 300 kilometers. It was used in 2006 by the Israeli Air Force over Lebanon against a Hezbollah arms convoy. It is reportedly accurate to one meter. Popeye Family The first in the Popeye family of missiles are solid-fueled, air-to-ground launched high explosive variant with a ranger of approximately 80 kilometers or about 50 miles. They were put into Israeli service in the mid-1980s. The Popeye system uses a man-in-the-loop system of TV navigation that requires an onboard Weapons Officer to guide the Popeye to its target and has a circular error probability of 3 meters (10 feet). Although highly accurate, the Popeye has to be accompanied by the guidance system, which is quite heavy too heavy for Israels extensive F-16 fleet. In 1994, the Popeye got extensive upgrades. Although the warhead size was decreased, so were the internal electronics weight, and the missiles aerodynamics were improved. Its range is slightly less 75 kilometers but the Popeye 2 can be launched from Israeli F-16s. Story continues The latest variant of the Popeye family is the Popeye Turbo, which is a glide missile powered by a turbofan and experts speculate it has a much greater range, around 200 to 350 kilometers (125 to 220 miles). A variant of the Popeye Turbo may be able to be launched from Israels submarines and is the likely delivery vehicle for Israels nuclear warheads. Jericho 3 The Jericho 3 is Israels longest-range missile and entered service with Israel Defense Forces in 2011. Using solid propellant, it can travel from 4,800 to 6,500 kilometers, or 3,000 to 4,000 miles, which puts the entire Middle East, most of Africa, all of Europe, India, Moscow, and western China in its crosshairs. Although it can, in theory, carry a large payload of 1,000 to 1,300 kilos, its nuclear payload is estimated to be roughly half that. Jericho 3s are allegedly stationed in caves underground near Tel Aviv. Nuclear-Capable Although never officially acknowledged, Israel has widely considered a nuclear power. Though the Popeye Turbo and Jericho 3 are the likely nuclear delivery vehicles, Israels non-nuclear missile umbrella is also quite impressive. Enemies beware. Caleb Larson is a defense writer for the National Interest. He holds a Master of Public Policy and covers U.S. and Russian security, European defense issues, and German politics and culture. This article first appeared earlier this year. Image: Wikipedia. Click here to read the full article. Former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who is running for his old Senate seat in Alabama, appeared to refer to a prominent Black professor at Harvard as "some criminal," while disparaging former President Barack Obama's treatment of police officers. Sessions made the remarks in a New York Times Magazine profile published online Tuesday. In the interview, Sessions said he wanted to support law enforcement when he served as President Trump's first attorney general and that his mantra was, "Back to the men and women in blue." "The police had been demoralized," Sessions said. "There was all the Obama there's a riot, and he has a beer at the White House with some criminal, to listen to him. Wasn't having a beer with the police officers. So we said, 'We're on your side. We've got your back, you got our thanks.'" This appears to be a reference to Mr. Obama's famous "beer summit" at the White House in the early months of his first term. Attendees included Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the director of Harvard University's Center for African and African American Research. Gates also hosts the PBS show "Finding Your Roots," in which he traces the genealogy of celebrities. The summit happened in July 2009 after a highly publicized incident where Gates was arrested at his own home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by a white police officer. Gates had been trying to open a jammed door, and a woman called the police to report it as an attempted break-in. After Gates confronted the officer, James Crowley, and accused him of racial bias, the officer arrested him on a disorderly conduct charge, which was later dropped. The arrest was one of the first high-profile controversies about racial bias in policing during Mr. Obama's presidency, and the uproar reached a next level after Mr. Obama said police "acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home." The remark drew widespread anger from law enforcement and Mr. Obama soon said the comment and resulting media frenzy were "unfortunate." Story continues To cool tensions, he invited both Gates and Crowley to the White House to discuss it over a beer. The professor and the police officer both said after the meeting that they had talked out their differences. A Sessions spokesman did not clarify to The Times if Sessions was speaking about that incident in his "criminal" remark, and did not immediately respond to CBS News for comment. Gates also did not respond. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions / Credit: JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS Elsewhere in the interview, Sessions was asked if he'd support efforts at police reform following nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd. "I think you should probably have some money for actually training for riots," he said. "That's what really needs to be done. Not tell the police, 'If you were just more sensitive, riots wouldn't occur.'" As attorney general, Sessions often argued that officers were unfairly blamed for violence. Sessions' nomination for a federal judgeship in 1986 was blocked after Justice Department lawyers who had worked with him testified that he had made racially insensitive remarks, such as calling the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People "un-American" and referring to a black attorney as "boy." Sessions denied making the remarks. He would later serve 20 years as a Republican Senator for Alabama until Mr. Trump tapped him to be attorney general. The alleged remarks also came up during Sessions' confirmation hearings. Mr. Trump publicly turned on Sessions for failing to protect him from the Mueller investigation, and Sessions resigned at the president's request in November 2018. Sessions is now running for his former Senate seat, and Mr. Trump has endorsed his primary opponent, Tommy Tuberville. The vote is set for July 14. Officers investigated over photos at Elijah McClain memorial Sneak peek: The Mysterious Death of Casey Kasem Sneak peek: Natalie Wood: Death in Dark Water Ghislaine Maxwell has been charged with helping financier Jeffrey Epstein in his abuse of young girls (Getty) Ghislaine Maxwells long-time link to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein culminated in a court appearance yesterday, where she stood accused of helping him exploit underage girls. Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire on Thursday after disappearing following Epsteins death in August last year and has been charged with helping the disgraced financier identify, befriend and groom multiple girls, including one as young as 14. She could now face life in prison if found guilty. But who is the British socialite caught up in the scandal and how did she end up so closely connected to Epstein? No stranger to wealth Born not far from Paris, Maxwell was the youngest of media baron Robert Maxwells nine children. She spent her childhood at her familys mansion, Headington Hill Hall in Oxfordshire, and attended the exclusive public school Marlborough College before studying at Balliol College, Oxford. After graduating, Maxwell held various posts in her fathers companies and was a prominent figure on the London social scene. Maxwell's alleged activities with Epstein are a far cry from her background in British high society. (AP) Maxwell appearing after her father Robert Maxwell's death in 1991. (AP) Her life was thrown into chaos with the death of her father in 1991, who was found floating in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the Canary Islands having apparently fallen overboard from his luxury yacht. His death exposed his multimillion-pound pension fund fraud at Mirror Group newspapers, plunging the familys empire into disarray. With two of her brothers under investigation for the fraud, Maxwell fled to New York to start a new life. Meeting Epstein It was in the United States that Maxwell met Epstein. It is believed the pair were in a romantic relationship but the true nature of their connection has remained unclear, with some knowing them as a couple, while others thought she was his assistant. Maxwell disappeared following Epstein's death in August 2019. (AP) Epstein himself described the socialite as his best friend. It was Maxwell who allegedly introduced Epstein to the Prince Andrew, whom she knew through the circles she had mixed in in British high society, in the early 1990s. Story continues The Duke of York claims he did not meet Epstein until 1999. Read more: Prince Andrew showing 'zero co-operation' with FBI request for Jeffrey Epstein interview In 2000 Prince Andrew and Maxwell would be seen on holiday with Epstein at Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. In the same year Epstein and Maxwell also attended a party at Windsor Castle hosted by the Queen to mark Andrews 40th birthday, the Princess Royals 50th, the Queen Mothers 100th and Princess Margarets 70th. Maxwell (right) was pictured at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida in 2000 with Donald Trump (left), his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss and Jeffrey Epstein. (Getty) The first allegations It is alleged that it was in the 1990s when Maxwell started identifying and grooming young girls for Epstein. In the indictment she currently faces, she is accused of charges including conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts and enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts. Read more: Jail where disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein found dead was short staffed She is also charged with conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss said: (She) would be present for sex acts involving the minor victim and Epstein, Maxwells presence as an adult woman helped put the victims at ease. One of Epstein's victims, Virginia Roberts, claims she was assaulted by Prince Andrew at Maxwell's home. (PA) Virginia Roberts, also known as Virginia Giuffre, who was groomed by Epstein between 2000 and 2002, She claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times in 2001, with the first encounter allegedly taking place in Maxwells London townhouse. The duke has categorically denied he had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Giuffre. The investigation into Maxwell Police received their first complaint about Epstein for sexual abuse of minors in 2005, sparking an FBI investigation that went on to identify around 40 victims. Over the next decade the investigation would continue in one form or another, with Maxwells name starting to appear in a growing number of civil cases brought by Epsteins victims. Read more: Prince Andrew has 'very little credibility', says lawyer of Epstein victims The first, filed by Virginia Roberts, accused Maxwell of recruiting her in 1999 when she was still under age and grooming her as a sex slave for Epstein. At this point, Maxwell disappeared from public life, with her lawyers and those of claimants in the cases against her saying she was unreachable and did not appear to have a permanent address. Epstein was arrested at a New Jersey airport in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges and found dead in his prison cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in New York on 10 August. Maxwell was arrested in July and has been charged with offences relating to procuring girls for Epstein. (AP) Maxwells disappearance Maxwell maintained a low profile and was rumoured to be staying at a former partners home in a coastal town in Massachusetts. Five days after Epsteins death, photos emerged of her apparently dining in a fast food restaurant in Los Angeles though they were later exposed as fakes. In January 2020 Maxwells lawyers claimed they did not know where she was or have permission to accept papers in lawsuits naming her as a defendant. She was arrested by the FBI in July in Bradford, New Hampshire, with FBI New York assistant director William Sweeney telling a press conference: We have been discreetly keeping tabs on Maxwells whereabouts as we work this investigation. More recently we learned she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims live with the trauma inflicted upon them years ago. Johnson & Johnson JNJ ("J&J") announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing approval to its two-dose Ebola vaccine regimen for the prevention of Ebola Virus caused by Zaire strain. Two marketing authorization applications (MAAs) were submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the vaccines that are made of Zabdeno (Ad26.ZEBOV) and Mvabea (MVA-BN-Filo). Ad26.ZEBOV is a monovalent vaccine and MVA-BN-Filo is a multivalent vaccine and both are designed to provide active specific acquired immunity to fight the Ebola virus. The MAAs also received a positive opinion fromthe EMAs Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) in September 2019. The MAAs were supported by data from eleven phase I, II and III studies evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine regimen. The studies were conducted in more than 6,500 adults and children aged one year and above across the United States, Europe and Africa. Janssen is also collaborating with the World Health Organization on vaccine pre-qualification to accelerate theregistration of its treatment in Africa. Shares of the company have decreased 2% compared with the industrys 0.4% decline. The European approval of theEbola vaccine regimen marks the first major regulatory approval of a vaccine developed by Janssen. The Ebola vaccine regimen leverages Janssens AdVac technologyplus Bavarian Nordics established MVA-BN technology. The AdVac technology is also being used to develop vaccine candidates to protect against SARS-CoV-2, as well as Zika, RSV and HIV. We note that Bavarian Nordic is a biotechnology company specializing in research, development and manufacture of active cancer immunotherapies and vaccines for infectious diseases. The approval of the vaccine is a landmark moment for the company as it brings forth a vaccine to treat the deadly Ebola virus. Ebola virus outbreak in 2018 caused more than2,000 deaths a mortality rate of 65%. Story continues We note that another company, Merck MRK, received FDA approval in December 2019 for its vaccine Ervebo (V920) to treat Ebola. The vaccine was approved for active immunization of individuals 18 years of age or older. Johnson Johnson Price Johnson Johnson Price Johnson Johnson price | Johnson Johnson Quote Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider J&J currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked stocks worth considering in the large-cap pharma sector include AbbVie Plc ABBV and Eli Lilly and Company LLY, both carrying a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. AbbVies earnings estimates have increased from $9.71 to $10.54 for 2020 and from $11.22 to $12.03 for 2021 over the past 60 days. Eli Lillys earnings estimates have increased from $6.81 to $6.82 for 2020 over the past 60 days. Just Released: Zacks 7 Best Stocks for Today Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +24.1% per year. These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout. See these time-sensitive tickers now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Johnson Johnson (JNJ) : Free Stock Analysis Report Merck Co., Inc. (MRK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) : Free Stock Analysis Report AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Journalist Justin Yau lies handcuffed on the ground with police officers standing over him at a demonstration in Portland, Oregon: ALEX MILAN TRACY via REUTERS As protests originally sparked by the death of George Floyd continue in Portland, Oregon, a US District Court has issued a two-week restraining order barring the Portland Police Bureau from arresting journalists and legal observers or using force against them. The order comes after the police arrested journalists who were covering a protest on Tuesday. One of them, Lesley McLam, was taken into custody. The restraining order declares that the police are enjoined from arresting, threatening to arrest, or using physical force directed against any person whom they know or reasonably should know is a journalist or legal observer unless the police have probable cause to believe that such individual has committed a crime. Officers are also barred from seizing journalists and legal observers cameras or press passes, or ordering them to stop filming or observing a protest, unless they are being lawfully arrested and even then, the police will have to return their equipment when they are released. Ms McLam was covering the protest along with fellow journalists Cory Elia and Justin Yau, both of whom were also arrested. In the courts decision, it is recorded that another journalist saw the three being arrested after the police were informed of their trade and that Ms McLams press badge was removed during her arrest. Portland is now entering its sixth week of protests, with people attending every day and night to demand the citys police force reform itself. Events took a turn on Tuesday night when officers declared the protest a riot and demanded demonstrators leave the area, driving them back with CS gas and ultimately arresting 29 people. Along with the restraining order that has now been granted, the city is facing a class-action lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union over its treatment of journalists and observers, while local nonprofit Dont Shoot Portland has asked a judge to find the city in contempt of orders to limit the use of gas and less lethal munitions on peaceful protesters. Story continues This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. In a thread on Twitter on Thursday evening, Mr Elia announced that he would no longer be covering the protests, citing exhaustion and the loss of his equipment. It is with great sadness that I must state that I am done covering the protests. It is not my choice. I have been stripped of most of my equipment, humiliated, and harassed on multiple occasions. Im exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. It was made obvious that [Portland Police Bureau] no longer wished me to be reporting on the protests and they are now getting their way. There are still reporters able to cover the protests and whose work you will appreciate. SAN DIEGO (AP) A federal judge has knocked down a cornerstone border policy of the Trump administration that denies asylum to people who travel through other countries to reach the U.S.-Mexico border without first seeking protection in those countries. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that authorities violated federal rule-making procedures by not seeking public feedback before putting the policy into effect in July 2019. The impact of Kelly's ruling is diminished by a coronavirus pandemic-related measure that was imposed in March to quickly expel people who cross the border illegally and block asylum-seekers at official crossings. In May, the administration extended the measure indefinitely, relying on a little-known public health law to prevent the spread of the disease. The administration could appeal. Asked to comment Wednesday, the Justice Department said in a statement that the courts ruling was based on procedural claims and not about the policy's substance. The Homeland Security Department said it strongly disagreed with the decision and was considering options. Kelly, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, ruled Tuesday in Washington that Homeland Security officials failed to justify why they avoided seeking and responding to public comments as required under rule-making. In a similar vein last month, the Supreme Court refused to let the administration end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to shield 650,000 young people from deportation, deciding the case on procedural steps. In his 52-page ruling, Kelly dismissed arguments that quick action was needed to avoid a dramatic surge of asylum-seekers at the border, saying evidence was lacking. He also disagreed that the administration was justified under its authority to set foreign policy. In September, the Supreme Court lifted a nationwide halt to the policy that was imposed by a federal judge in another case that is currently before a panel in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Kelly said he was unmoved by the high court's action, which didn't provide an explanation. Story continues At bottom, the Court can glean little from the Supreme Courts one-paragraph order other than that a majority of Justices believed the factors meriting a stay were satisfied, Kelly wrote. The administration has been relentless in rewriting rules of asylum, saying the system is rife with abuse. The rule at issue denies asylum to people who pass through another country on the way to the U.S.-Mexico border without first seeking protection in that country and being denied. Critics of the administration's policy hailed the ruling, with Mitchell Reich, an attorney at Hogan Lovells who argued the case, calling it a "massive victory for asylum-seekers and the rule of law. Judge Kelly rightly concluded that the administration failed to do its homework in issuing this rule," Reich said. It didnt hear from interested parties, and it didnt give any remotely satisfactory explanation for ignoring normal administrative procedures. The lawsuit was brought by Capital Area Immigrants Rights Coalition, Human Rights First, Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) and nine asylum-seekers. It was consolidated with a case brought by the Tahirih Justice Center. Click here to read the full article. If youre looking to upgrade your HDTV this summer, there really is no better time to do that than the 4th of July weekend. From Amazon and Walmart to Best Buy and B&H, there are indeed plenty of great deals to take advantage of. Parsing through dozens of these mega-sale offerings can be a challenge, so to simplify the process, here are three outstanding options to consider. First up is LGs highly regarded 65-inch CX OLED 4K TV, which is currently retailing for $2,400, a savings of $400. Although still on the pricier side, know that youre getting a top-of-the-line OLED panel that boasts incredible picture quality, black levels, accurate colors and inimitable uniformity and contrast levels. And like the B9 and C9 Series, the CX offering also proves that its wide-angle viewing is second to none. The CX also features the much-coveted HDMI 2.1 featuresincluding eARCand comes with support for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple AirPlay 2. The handy remote control also lets you speak to those voice assistants. One particular aspect, however, that can irk some LG TV owners is the operating system webOS, which lacks the innovative extras and app-based setup and coverage of Roku TV, Samsungs Tizen or Sonys Android TV. If you desire a bigger selection of apps, your best bet is to go out and get an external streamer. Up next is Samsungs 65-inch Q90T 4K TVnow on sale for $2,200, which represents a robust discount of $500. This premium set doesnt quite match up with OLEDs in terms of overall picture quality, but it is still considered to be within that high-end tier. Featuring next-gen quantum dot technology and full-array local dimming, the TV-viewing experience is surprisingly good even from extreme angles. For all you avid gamers out there, know that the Q90Ts motion handling is outstanding thanks to its incredibly fast response time, and the set also flaunts super-low input lag and FreeSync support, reducing any potential screen tearing and stuttering. Story continues As for the software features, the Q90T comes with the ultra-cool ambient mode, which enables you to display a digital photo that matches the wall behind the TV. This set supports Samsungs own Bixby digital assistant, which can be a mixed bag for some, in addition to the big guns Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. No. 3 on the list is another Samsung offeringbut its for those with much deeper pockets. The 85-inch Q900TS 8K TV right now is $1,000 off, but know that it will still set you back nearly $9,000. Obviously, this hefty price tag will turn many consumers away, but if you do have the financial resources to splurge on this set, you will be on the receiving end of all the advanced QLED picture features youd expect in a flagship display. The mammoth 85-inch panel boasts edge-to-edge Infinity Screen that makes the TV appear frame-less. However, despite having the 8K AI upscaling feature, be aware that side-by-side tests have shown that the pictures on both of Samsungs 8K and 4K TVs often look nearly identical. Until there is more 8K content to work with, this 8K TV might be a bit early for some consumers. But if the opportunity to future-proof your TV tech is there, few can find any fault in pouncing on that. Ethen Kim Lieser is a Minneapolis-based Science and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn. Click here to read the full article. Frederick Douglass gave one of his famed speeches on July 5, 1852, and not the Fourth; he refused to celebrate American independence on the usual day until enslaved people were free. (National Park Service) Generations ago, Americas leading political figures delivered many of their most eloquent orations not in the chambers of the Capitol but from local gazebos and bandstands on Independence Day. Before large crowds on town greens or in front of fire halls, they would harken back to the lessons of the nations Founders, often holding their audiences spellbound for an hour, perhaps even more. American presidents still deliver pro-forma July Fourth messages; last year President Trump, in a remarkable personal version of history and the capabilities of George Washingtons Revolutionary War forces, said that "our Army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports." But the grand tradition of the Independence Day oration has largely disappeared. Todays audiences are unaccustomed to the patriotic rhetoric that once commanded attention. Indeed, the standard themes of July Fourths past paeans to the wisdom of Washington, suggestions that his Revolutionary comrades were soldiers in Gods own cause now possess an antiquarian, almost alien air. A politicians Fourth of July speech may seem anodyne and cliched," said Rutgers historian David Greenberg. But it also contributes in some way to understanding and perhaps subtly redefining, in that moment and from that political perspective, what Americanism is or should be. And there are lessons in these orations of a long-ago age. They are period pieces, and yet they underline in the 21st century how the 18th century Enlightenment values embedded in the Declaration of Independence have not been redeemed or realized. If democracy is America's civic religion, then its sacred text is the Declaration of Independence," said Martin Kaplan, a USC expert on media and society. What better occasion for a secular sermon about our founding values than the anniversary of our birth certificate? The first time many Americans heard their unalienable rights proclaimed was with their own ears, listening to its text. In a way, every Fourth of July speech since then has been a reenactment of that first declaration, renewed and recommitted in the terms of its changing times. Story continues So as the 244th celebration of American Independence draws near, let us pause and draw inspiration, and perhaps wisdom, from this holiday sampler of Fourth of July addresses of the past: Daniel Webster, July 4, 1800 It becomes us, on whom the defence of our country will ere long devolve, this day, most seriously to reflect on the duties incumbent upon us. Our ancestors bravely snatched expiring liberty from the grasp of Britain, whose touch is poison... Shall we, their descendants, now basely disgrace our lineage, and pusillanimously disclaim the legacy bequeathed to us? Shall we pronounce the sad valediction to freedom, and immolate liberty on the altars our fathers have raised to her? Daniel Webster, circa 1855 and 1865. Of all the remarkable elements of Websters life, what might be most remarkable was that the citizens of Hanover, N.H., invited him as a Dartmouth junior to deliver a speech at the tiny college towns Independence Day commemoration. At age 18, Webster consciously looked to the past (by invoking the greatness of Washington, who had died earlier that year) and eerily foreshadowed the future (by providing a direct antecedent to the message John F. Kennedy would offer when he bid Americans to ask what you can do for your country"). These words also remind us that these moral principles are at the heart of the American creed, a theme that John Quincy Adams would return to on July 4, 1821, when he spoke of how the American Revolution swept away all the rubbish of accumulated centuries of servitude and proved that the social compact was no figment of the imagination, but a real, solid, and sacred bond of the social union. ~~~ Charles Sumner, July 4, 1845 Nothing resembles God more than that man among us who has arrived at the highest degree of justice. The true greatness of nations is in those qualities which constitute the greatness of the individual. It is not to be found in extent of territory, nor in vastness of population, nor in wealth; not in fortifications, or armies, or navies; not in the phosphorescent glare of fields of battle; not in Golgothas, though covered by monuments that kiss the clouds; for all these are the creatures and representatives of those qualities of our nature, which are unlike any thing in God's nature. Charles Sumner, pictured in 1870, would become known as one of the Senate's most ardent opponents of slavery. (Library of Congress) These remarks by Sumner, who would become known as one of the Senates most ardent opponents of slavery, are part of a larger speech delivered six months before Texas joined the Union. In summoning an image of Golgotha, the Jerusalem hillside where Christ was crucified, and in decrying the prospect of war with Mexico, Sumner offered a vivid celebration of the concept of justice. This is a meditation on eternal truths that we might embrace in our own time, when the killings of men in Minneapolis and Atlanta remind us that we have not yet arrived at the highest degree of justice." ~~~ Frederick Douglass, July 5, 1852 The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn... Frederick Douglass in 1870. Photo from Library of Congress (Schreiber) Speaking in Rochester, N.Y., the Black abolitionist and statesman opened by asserting that he was not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. Douglass, perhaps the greatest orator in our history, escaped slavery and in in his freedom spoke across the country, assuring that Americans could not escape the moral questions inherent in human bondage nor the hypocrisy of Americans rhetoric about human freedom. In this speech he went on to ask the preeminent question of the age, and of ours: Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? Douglass speech came on July 5, not the Fourth, because he refused to celebrate American independence on the usual day until the enslaved were free. July 5 was not without meaning; on that date in 1827, 4,000 Blacks people had marched through New York to mark the end of slavery in that state. ~~~ Edward Everett, July 4, 1861 We contend for the great inheritance of constitutional freedom transmitted from our revolutionary fathers. We engage in the struggle forced upon us, with sorrow, as by our misguided brethren, but with high heart and faith. Edward Everett, pictured in 1905, possessed a voice that was, in the words of his protege, Ralph Waldo Emerson, "most mellow and beautiful, and correct of all the instruments of the time." (Library of Congress) Few Americans ever assembled a resume quite like that of Everett, who served as governor of Massachusetts, member of both the U.S. House and Senate, secretary of State and president of Harvard University. But he is remembered most for a speech he delivered whose content, ironically, is not remembered at all a two-hour stemwinder with allusions to classical antiquity, references to the War of the Roses and quotes from the philosopher David Hume that turned out to be merely the warm-up act to the two minutes of what is now known as Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg Address. Everett possessed a voice that was, in the words of his protege, Ralph Waldo Emerson, most mellow and beautiful, and correct of all the instruments of the time. In the speech excerpted above, delivered in the early months of the Civil War, he spoke of the primacy of freedom in the Constitution and, by employing the powerful verb contend," he underlined the enduring struggle that has animated all of our history and our own time: the debate over the nature, and the extent, of freedom in the nation. ~~~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, July 4, 1863 It is easy to understand the bitterness which is often shown toward reformers. They are never general favorites. They are apt to interfere with vested rights and time honored interests. They often wear an unlovely, and forbidding, aspect. Oliver Wendell Holmes, pictured in 1870, was a physician and poet. (Library of Congress / Corbis / VCG via Getty Images) Physician and poet, Holmes was both one of the leading literary figures of a period with a surfeit of cultural giants and the father of the famous Supreme Court justice (1902-1932) who bore his name. These remarks came as Union troops were surging to victory at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania and Vicksburg in Mississippi, and they anticipated a period when the country, rent by the Civil War, would need to be reconstituted on a new, reformed basis in essence the new birth of freedom that Lincoln spoke of in his Gettysburg Address and that we seek in this hard year of contention and conflict. ~~~ Susan B. Anthony, July 4, 1876 Our faith is firm and unwavering in the broad principles of human rights proclaimed in 1776, not only as abstract truths, but as the corner stones of a republic. Yet we cannot forget, even in this glad hour, that while all men of every race, and clime, and condition, have been invested with the full rights of citizenship under our hospitable flag, all women still suffer the degradation of disfranchisement. Susan B. Anthony became the first woman portrayed on an American coin. (Getty Images) The official celebration of the centenary of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia included no remarks by women. But a group of determined feminists distributed a Declaration of Rights for Women to the crowd assembled outside Independence Hall and then, at a stand erected for a group of musicians, Anthony read that document aloud. It is with sorrow we strike the one discordant note at the anniversary commemoration, she said, but went on to assert, The history of our country the past hundred years has been a series of assumptions and usurpations of power of woman, in direct opposition to the principles of just government... With Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Anthony founded the National American Woman Suffrage Assn. It took 44 more years for the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing all women the right to vote a measure known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment and a century and a half later there remains a pay gap between men and women in the workplace and a representation gap in Congress. Anthony, an important ally of Douglass in the abolitionist movement, became the first woman portrayed on an American coin. ~~~ Charles Francis Adams, July 4, 1876 Let us labor continually to keep the advance in civilization as it becomes us to do after the struggles of the past, so that the rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which we have honorably secured, may be firmly entailed upon the ever enlarging generations of mankind. Charles Francis Adams at CBS microphone in 1931. (Harris & Ewing) The son and grandson of presidents, Adams was a state senator, a congressman, twice an unsuccessful vice presidential candidate, and the American ambassador to London. In this excerpt, delivered pointedly on the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, he speaks of the fragility of liberty and the threat that it might not be extended to all in the future. This sentence is a vow that any contemporary American political figure could, and perhaps should, quote in a speech this Independence Day. ~~~ John F. Kennedy, July 4, 1946 Our idealism, [a fundamental] element of the American character, is being severely tested. Now, only time will tell whether this element of the American character will be true to its historic tradition. John F. Kennedy examined several elements of the American creed in a 1946 speech. (NASA / EPA) In an evocative setting where Daniel Webster thundered about the Union and Frederick Douglass lectured about the evils of slavery, a first-time congressional candidate delivered a thoughtful analysis of what it means to be an American. In Bostons Faneuil Hall, the meeting place for colonial rebels built by a slave trader and slave owner, Kennedy examined several elements of the American creed. JFKs speech couldnt be more timely, said Robert Dallek, a prominent historian and Kennedy biographer. With a current president, whose character defects cast a shadow across the presidency and the nations reputation for human decency, Kennedys speech reminds us that the country is better than what Donald Trump represents. Yet the Kennedy speech is more than an answer to the Trump presidency. As president he would weaponize the rhetoric of idealism, but as a recent war veteran and fledgling politician he set forth the ultimate American challenge, as fresh on the Fourth of July in 1946 as it would be three-quarters of a century later: for the United States to be true to its historic traditions. The U.S. headed into the Fourth of July weekend with many parades and fireworks displays canceled, beaches and bars closed, and health authorities warning that this will be a crucial test of Americans' self-control that could determine the trajectory of the surging coronavirus outbreak. With confirmed cases climbing in 40 states, governors and local officials have ordered the wearing of masks in public, and families were urged to celebrate their independence at home. Even then, they were told to keep their backyard cookouts small. This year is a huge bummer, to say the least, said Ashley Peters, who for 14 years has hosted 150 friends and relatives at a pool party at her home in Manteca, California, complete with a DJ, bounce house, water slide and shaved-ice stand. This time, the guest list is down to just a few people. Pulling the plug on the bash, she said, was a no-brainer because so many of those she knows are front-line workers, including her husband, a fire captain. I woke up and told my husband I wish it was just July 5, she said. Health experts agree this will be a pivotal moment in determining whether the nation slides into a deeper mess. The fear is that a weekend of crowded pool parties, picnics and parades will fuel the surge. Were not going to be arresting people for having gatherings, but were certainly going to discourage it, said Dr. Jeff Duchin, public health director for Seattle and King County. Those who decide they must gather with a small group of family members need to be careful, he said: Dont share utensils, dont share objects, dont pass them back and forth, because youre passing that virus around as well." The warnings were sounded after a Memorial Day weekend that saw many people emerge from stay-at-home orders to go to the beach, restaurants and family gatherings. Since then, confirmed infections per day in the U.S. have rocketed to an all-time high, more than doubling. The U.S. set another record on Friday with 52,300 newly reported cases, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. Story continues The picture was bleak around much of the country. In Arizona, the number of people in the hospital with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 eclipsed 3,000 for the first time. Alabama reported more than 1,700 new confirmed cases, its highest single-day count yet. New York state, which has largely tamed the virus, recorded 918 new cases, the most in at least three weeks. Despite it all, there will still be fireworks and community events scattered across the nation, with many taking social distancing into account. In Ohio, Upper Arlingtons July Fourth parade will take a much longer route through its neighborhoods so residents can watch without crowding the streets. Were calling it the front porch parade, said organizer Sam Porter. We cant just not do something. Fireworks will be launched from four spots across Albuquerque, New Mexico, so that people can ooh and aah from home instead of gathering in a single place. Willie Nelsons annual Fourth of July Picnic will carry on at his Texas ranch outside Austin, but this year the concert portion will be virtual. President Donald Trump traveled to South Dakota on Friday for a fireworks show at Mount Rushmore before returning to the nations capital for military flyovers Saturday and a mile-long pyrotechnics display on the National Mall that his administration promises will be the biggest in recent memory. Up to 300,000 face masks will be given away but not required. The big party will go on over objections from Washington's mayor. Ask yourself, do you need to be there? Ask yourself, can you anticipate or know who all is going to be around you? If you go downtown, do you know if youre going to be able to social distance?" Mayor Muriel Bowser said. Beaches that had been open for the traditional start of summer over Memorial Day weekend will be off-limits in many places this time, including South Florida, Southern California and the Texas Gulf Coast. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans who do go to the beach to wear face coverings, though not in the water. With professional pyrotechnic displays canceled, authorities are bracing for wildfires and injuries caused by Americans shooting off fireworks at home. Sales of fireworks have been booming in what some sellers say may reflect a desire for a little excitement among people cooped up for so long. Jamie Parrott, a pediatric neurologist in Columbia, South Carolina, said he intends to stay home with his grandchildren, setting off fireworks and eating hamburgers, because that's the safer course for older people like him. Well muddle through, he said. Delawares governor ordered bars in some beach towns to close, saying people were getting complacent about masks and social distancing. The Lake Erie resort village of Put-in-Bay in Ohio canceled its fireworks after a small number of coronavirus cases were linked to bars on the island. And the New Jersey resort town of Wildwood did the same. Still, many people are expected to pack the beaches, boardwalk restaurants and amusement parks up and down the Jersey shore. South Carolina's Myrtle Beach is one of the nations worst hot spots for COVID-19, and officials in several other states blame their outbreaks on vacationers returning from the resort city. On Thursday, the city passed a mask requirement. I hate the perception that people have right now, as any city would, said Mayor Brenda Bethune. After hearing Michigans governor warn about the need to be smart amid an uptick of cases, Mary Halley of Jonesville said her family canceled plans for a weekend outing on Lake Michigan. We had some disappointed kids, but we knew as a family we couldnt do that, she said. The problem, she said, is that too many people arent listening to the experts. Even in my small, little town, there are lot of people who didnt comply with the orders, she said. Dr. Don Williamson, head of the Alabama Hospital Association, said he is really, really worried about the Fourth of July." I think that will likely determine the trend for Alabama for the rest of the summer, he said. ___ Associated Press reporters from around the world contributed to this report. Washington Post The transmission of the more contagious Delta variant in the United States could spur a fall surge in coronavirus infections if only 75% of the country's eligible population is vaccinated, former Food and Drug Administration chief Scott Gottlieb said Sunday. While Gottlieb cited one projection forecasting an increase in infections reaching as high as 20% of last winter's peak, he called that an "aggressive estimate," saying he doesn't "think it'll be quite that dire." But he said states with low The county and state health departments offer dashboards that include the status of many of those factors, including the number of new cases daily and the average over a week, the amount of testing and negative results, as well as the number of COVID-patients hospitalized. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un pushed for officials to remain alert to COVID-19, saying that a quick relaxation of virus prevention measures could provoke an "unimaginable and irretrievable crisis," state media reported on Friday. In a rare comment on the coronavirus, Kim said that his country's handling of the pandemic had been a "shining success," reiterating past claims by the country that it hasn't had a single case of the virus, state media KCNA reported. The deadly coronavirus first emerged in neighboring China before sweeping through the rest of the world. It has now infected more than 10 million people, and killed more than 500,000 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University data. "We have thoroughly prevented the inroad of the malignant virus and maintained a stable anti-epidemic situation despite the worldwide health crisis, which is a shining success achieved," Kim said in a statement carried by KCNA. Outsiders widely doubt that cut-off North Korea escaped the pandemic entirely, given its poor health infrastructure and close trade and travel ties to China. Kim made the comments during a politburo meeting of the Workers' Party, and several photos of him at the meeting were also published in the North's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper the first state media images of him in weeks. According to state media, Kim also sharply criticized inattentiveness among officials and violations of emergency anti-virus rules. He warned that a "hasty relief of anti-epidemic measures will result in unimaginable and irretrievable crisis," for the country. Neither Kim nor the ruling party officials at the meeting wore masks. According to the World Health Organization, North Korea's Ministry of Public Health said the country tested 922 people for the coronavirus as of June 19 and that all of the results were negative. Earlier this year, North Korea also shut down nearly all cross-border traffic, banned tourists and mobilized health workers to quarantine anyone with similar symptoms to the coronavirus. Story continues Kim's recent statement suggests North Korea's border closure with China, its biggest trading partner and economic pipeline, will likely continue despite the toll that it is taking on the already heavily sanctioned economy. Image: People wearing masks walk in Pyongyang, North Korea on Friday. (Jon Chol Jin / AP) Earlier this month, tensions escalated between the communist country and neighboring South Korea, with the North dramatically demolishing an inter-Korean liaison office in a town on the border between the two. The North also lashed out at North Korean defectors living in the South, for sending over propaganda leaflets and balloons into the demilitarized zone. Kim's sister and trusted aide, Kim Yo Jong who appears to have gained prominence in recent months also threatened unspecified military action against the South but North Korean officials later appeared to back away from military action. The two countries are still technically at war as their 1950-53 conflict ended without a peace treaty. A protester is arrested June 2 in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Superior Court recently approved a temporary $0 bail measure that exempts some protest-related offenses, permitting police to hold demonstrators on bail. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) The Los Angeles County Superior Court recently approved a temporary measure setting bail at $0 for most misdemeanors and low-level felonies. The move was intended to reduce jail populations in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus. But several exemptions permit police departments to hold people on bail for misdemeanor offenses commonly associated with protests, including unlawful assembly and failure to disperse. The new measure comes amid the fifth week of nationwide demonstrations over the police killing of George Floyd and other Black Americans, which have resulted in thousands of arrests in L.A. County alone. The exceptions to the bail rule have alarmed advocates, prompting the possibility of legal action. Its hard to imagine a clearer violation of the First Amendment, longtime civil rights attorney Carol Sobel said Monday upon learning of the revised bail rules. Sobel has won several large lawsuits against the LAPD over its handling of protests and is currently helping sue over the department's response to the Floyd demonstrations. What this would mean is if you shoplifted, you would get out, but if you came together to have your voices heard, youd be held in jail. This is just absurd. So far, no police department has used the revised measure as a reason to hold protesters on bail, legal observers say, but many fear its simply a matter of time. It was sort of like a bomb we saw, said Kath Rogers, executive director of the National Lawyers Guild of Los Angeles. We knew it was aimed at the protesters, but we're just waiting for it to be used. L.A. County first implemented a $0 bail requirement March 27, as the number of coronavirus cases recorded by local public health officials began to climb rapidly. The aim was to cut down on the number of people held in pretrial custody due to concern the virus could spread rapidly through crowded jail facilities and courthouses, straining limited resources. Ten days later, that was replaced by a statewide $0 bail rule approved by the Judicial Council, the policy-making arm of the state courts system. Story continues The statewide schedule listed a little over a dozen exceptions to the $0 bail rule, most of them violent crimes, sex offenses or firearms violations. When the Judicial Council voted to rescind the measure effective June 20, the L.A. County Superior Court passed a revised $0 bail rule. The list of exceptions grew to more than 50. Among them are 18 misdemeanor charges for which police can now elect to hold people on bail, including unlawful assembly, unauthorized entry into an emergency area and failure to disperse. Its pretty obvious when you look at what theyre exempting, said John Raphling, an attorney and senior researcher with Human Rights Watchs U.S. program. At least three of them in particular are targeting protests. Just plain and simple. The bail schedule was reviewed and approved by the Superior Court's bail committee and executive committee, public information officer Mary Eckhardt Hearn said in an email. The Zero Bail Schedule was unanimously approved by the Executive Committee after discussion and consideration of various factors, Eckhardt Hearn wrote. The Executive Committee, which is made up of judges and commissioners, concluded that the exemptions were appropriate. Sobel said that, in addition to violating the Constitution by singling out protected activity, the countys bail schedule also runs contrary to state law, which requires that people accused of most misdemeanors be either cited in the field or booked and immediately released. The law lays out exceptions for certain offenses, mostly violent crimes, as well as for people who are deemed at high risk of reoffending or endangering others. But the L.A. County bail schedule goes further and adds a number of exceptions beyond those listed in state law, including the charges related to protests, she said. This is just astonishing to me, Sobel said. In order not to release someone, they must have a very specific reason that is created by state law. They cant create a new reason here in Los Angeles. Adding to activists' concerns is the fact that police already have a great deal of discretion when it comes to arresting people on a charge of unlawful assembly, they said. "The police declare the unlawful assembly. They make the decision to decide that a protest has become an unlawful assembly," Raphling said. "And while they may not be able to justify it in the future when it's reviewed in court, theres nothing at the time of the protest to question their use of discretion." For that reason, he said, the charge gives police the power to make mass arrests. "Adding that now, they can hold the people they arrest in custody, which aside from being wrong and arguably a violation of First Amendment rights is also exposing people to often brutal conditions and in particular now to COVID-19," he said. Advocates have been closely watching how police interpret the new rules since they took effect less than two weeks ago. Staff with the National Lawyers Guilds legal observer program have been monitoring protests, including 10 to 15 actions that took place over the weekend, to ensure that arrestees are released promptly, Rogers said. Thats happened in every case except one, she said. When Beverly Hills Police arrested 28 protesters during a demonstration early Sunday, most of them on suspicion of unlawful assembly, they initially said the demonstrators would be held on $5,000 bail, likely meaning they'd be jailed for the weekend pending an appearance before a judge. Following an outcry from the National Lawyers Guild, which called for the protesters to be freed, the police department reversed course and said the majority of them would instead be cited and released. Still, many were jailed upward of 19 hours as they were processed and booked. This is the only arrest situation in recent weeks or the past month where people have not just been [immediately] released on their own recognizance, and it's been a fight to get them out, which is ridiculous, Rogers said. But Im hopeful that other jails and other jurisdictions are going to see that people are not going to accept this. Sobel said Monday that she was considering taking legal action against the bail schedule but first planned to file a demand letter asking the court to rescind the exemptions related to protests. You cant penalize First Amendment activity in this way at all, she said. And you certainly cant penalize it more than you would other alleged crimes that have no protective constitutional value. Warren Olney hosts "Which Way, L.A.?" from the basement studio at KCRW at Santa Monica College. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Employees at Santa Monica-based KCRW-FM (89.9), which airs news and music from Santa Barbara to Palm Springs, have completed their first collective bargaining agreement, the latest action in a growing move in public radio and podcasting to unionize. The group We Are KCRW said in a tweet Thursday that it had reached a tentative agreement on a first contract, which will be subject to ratification, after almost a year of bargaining and despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The group sought pay equity and a more diverse workforce to better represent its city. It did not disclose the terms of the agreement; it follows a vote in June 2019 to recognize SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 actors and performers, as the KCRW workers' labor union. "It's the result of hard work, unity and collaboration," the group said in its statement Thursday. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The agreement marks the latest success story for workers in radio and digital media who increasingly have been moving to unionize. Across the country, journalists at digital news groups, podcasting companies like the Ringer and Spotify and public radio stations have been organizing to improve wages and working conditions. "I still can't believe it," tweeted reporter and host Benjamin Gottlieb, who described two years of tough conversations with coworkers and management. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The KCRW bargaining unit consists of more than 90 DJs, hosts, producers, engineers and reporters, among others, who create the music and news programming, podcasts, digital content and live events that sustain the station. Management, led by KCRW President Jennifer Ferro, said when its employees joined forces with SAG-AFTRA that it supported the move to create a better workplace and recognized the union. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Some employees, like L.A.-based Cerise Castle, had shared their experiences of pay disparities and micro-aggressions via social media. "I've been told by white employees that I 'don't look like I work' at KCRW," the multimedia journalist tweeted last month. "I found out just a few weeks ago I make $12k less than white employees with my job." She said unionizing was important to protect employees of color like her. Story continues In a statement Thursday, KCRW said it was proud to have its first contract with SAG-AFTRA. "Each and every day, KCRW strives to inspire our listeners across Southern California and across the globe with the content we put on the air and online," Ferro said. "I have never met a more talented or more dedicated team of people. We are happy to have worked together in order to benefit the organization for years to come." Employees at KPCC in Pasadena secured their first contract in 2014 with management at Southern California Public Radio. The three-year deal included guaranteed wage hikes annually, minimum pay scales and improved benefits. Along with KPCC, KPBS in San Diego and WBEZ in Chicago are also among those that have unionized with SAG-AFTRA, Hollywood's biggest union, which also represents employees at National Public Radio. The Writers Guild of America East has been organizing workers in podcasting as well, at the Ringer and at Gimlet which was the first podcasting group to form a union. Police in Dallas are investigating the Tuesday death of a transgender woman as a homicide, according to CBS DFW. The woman, identified as 22-year-old Merci Mack by the Human Rights Campaign, is at least the 18th transgender or gender-non-conforming person slain in the U.S. in 2020, the group said. That's up from 11 deaths in the same period in 2019 although many more may have gone unreported. Protestors march with chants, flags, sign and white clothing in support of Black Trans Lives Matter on June 14, 2020. / Credit: Michael Noble Jr. / Getty Images Mack was found shot to death in the parking lot of an apartment building around 6:15 a.m. Tuesday, according to CBS DFW. Residents reported hearing gunshots around 5 a.m., but there are no records of 911 calls at that time. "Another Black transgender woman has had her life stolen from her," Tori Cooper, HRC director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, said in a statement. "...Her friends say that Merci Mack was a young, upbeat soul who deserved to experience a full life. HRC is mourning with Merci's loved ones and are calling for a full, thorough investigation into her death." Police have not identified a suspect. Mack's death came after 17-year-old Brayla Stone, who HRC identified as a black transgender girl, was found slain in Arkansas last Thursday. Police said the body of Stone, who lived in North Little Rock, was found in a vehicle on a walking path in nearby Sherwood, according to CBS affiliate TVH11. The Sherwood Police Department is investigating the death as a homicide, but has not released information about how Stone died or whether a suspect has been identified. The department did not immediately return a request for comment from CBS News. Transgender and gender non-conforming people face a heightened risk of fatal violence, and Black transgender women are especially vulnerable because of a "a toxic mix of transphobia, racism and misogyny," according to the Human Rights Campaign. Most transgender people who are killed are victims of gun violence, according to an analysis by research and advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. Story continues Brayla Stone / Credit: HRC "Brayla Stone was a child. A child, just beginning to live her life. A child of trans experience. A young Black girl who had hopes and dreams, plans and community," Cooper said in a statement. "As a nation, we failed Brayla as we have failed every transgender or gender non-conforming person killed in a country that embraces violence and upholds transphobia, racism, [and] homophobia. Guns are not as important as people." The FBI reported a significant increase in hate crimes motivated by gender identity bias between 2017 and 2018, the most recent year for which federal hate crime data is available. Advocates are using the phrase "Black Trans Lives Matter" to raise awareness about anti-transgender violence amid nationwide demonstrations protesting systemic racism and police brutality. Thousands participated in rallies for black trans lives in New York City and across the country last month in the wake of the murders of two black trans women: Riah Milton in Liberty Township, Ohio, and Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells in Philadelphia. Investigators in Butler County, Ohio, have made two arrests and are still searching for a third suspect in the death of Milton, who was shot to death during an apparent robbery in a park on June 9. Dominique Philadelphia police are searching for 36-year-old Akhenaton Jones in the killing of Fells, whose body was found June 8 on the banks of the Schuylkill River. Police told an ABC affiliate that the 27-year-old had suffered stab wounds, and that her body was found with both legs severed. In a June statement, the Philadelphia Police Department's Office of LGBT affairs said the pain of losing a member of the city's LGBTQ community "is especially deep as we are in the midst of Pride montha season typically filled with joy and celebration for many in our community." "As thousands take to the streets to proclaim that Black Lives Matter, it is critical we remember that this includes Black trans lives. Dominique Rem'mie Fells' life mattered," the statement said. "Sometimes we have no choice": Guatemalan family recounts harrowing journey across the U.S. border Biden argues U.S. economy is improving after release of April jobs report Federal civil rights charges for 4 ex-officers in George Floyd's death Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), center, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, announces her vote in favor of the first of two articles of impeachment on Dec. 13, 2019. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) To the editor: If there is anyone who could galvanize Sen. Bernie Sanders' voters into supporting Joe Biden for president and strengthen his support among African Americans, it would be Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) if he chooses her as his running mate. I have known Bass for more than 20 years, beginning in the 1990s when I was the Los Angeles city controller and she was the executive director of the Community Coalition of Los Angeles. I have been her constituent for more than 15 years, observing her as speaker of the California Assembly and now as a member of Congress. Bass is progressive in her politics and moderate in temperament. Over a span of many years, she has demonstrated impressive leadership skills. As Assembly speaker, she helped guide our state through difficult economic times. Today, as chairwoman of the vibrant Congressional Black Caucus, she is leading her fellow African American legislators in addressing important issues. For these reasons and more, Biden should invite Bass to be his vice presidential running mate. Rick Tuttle, Culver City .. To the editor: While I would miss the closeness of having Bass as my representative in Congress, I believe that she would make an excellent vice president. As a constituent, I have seen, through her frequent in-person and teleconference town halls, her genuine concern for our issues and for keeping us informed of her perspectives and actions. She's all in for us, not for her own ego. In addition to her leadership abilities and successes, her warm smile and easy laugh would be welcome salve for our tattered psyches and divided nation. Linda Shahinian, Culver City President Trump speaks during a news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin after their meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. (Sharifulin Valery / TNS) To the editor: We confront a moral and constitutional crisis unlike anything I have seen in my 73 years. President Trump's actions with regard to Russia are exponentially more dangerous than Watergate or President Bill Clinton lying about sex. We must believe our own eyes, and they are showing us that our president is a traitor to the fundamental principles of American democracy and may even be a traitor to the country. He has facilitated an ongoing attack on our republic, most recently by doing nothing in response to the horrifying scheme by Russia to have American soldiers killed in Afghanistan. There is a principle in science that when confronted with compelling facts, the simplest explanation is probably the correct one. In the law there is a similar doctrine: "The thing speaks for itself." We must admit that the simplest explanation for Trump's conduct is the correct one. Trump's actions speak for themselves: He could be one of the greatest traitors in the history of our country. Kenneth Dusick, Los Angeles .. To the editor: Republicans, please don't be silent to the families who lost loved ones in Afghanistan recently. Please don't wander hunched over with a downtrodden face as you try to hide your shameful reticence from reporters. Do not seal your lips out of fealty to the president when American lives are at stake. Why not investigate and explore, demand to discover the truth, and check out the possibility that this could be much worse than Benghazi? Your silence is so far from golden. Let's see what you are made of. We are waiting. We are watching. The clock is quickly ticking toward Nov. 3. We will see what kind of men or women you are and cast our votes for only the honorable and decent among you. Roz Levine, Los Angeles .. To the editor: How long has Trump known about Russia putting bounties on American soldiers? Has he given a discernible response? Or will his "pattern of submissive behavior" toward Vladimir Putin continue when American soldiers are killed by militants paid by Russia? Story continues Americans have to face the horrifying possibility that our leader is being blackmailed by Russia. Every interaction Trump has with Putin is shaded by the Helsinki tableau: the smug, grinning Putin, and a shaken Trump. The only factor possibly holding back Putin from displaying outright dominance at this point is the impending U.S. election. It is not too excessive to say that the balance of international power will be tipped by the results of our election. Don't forget to vote. Jacqueline Kerr, Los Feliz .. To the editor: I guess everybody has forgotten that the U.S. secretly provided about $3 billion to aid the mujahideen (or freedom fighters) in Afghanistan for their war against the Soviets in the 1980s. When the Reagan administration sent Stinger missile launchers, the occupation of Afghanistan became a deadly quagmire, with Soviet helicopters being destroyed at a crippling rate. All in all, thousands of Soviet soldiers were killed with the aid of U.S. arms. And yes, you can look at that as payback for Soviet aid to North Vietnam. By the end of 1993, Afghanistan was basically a destroyed country, and the Taliban and Osama bin Laden filled the vacuum. Just think: Had we stayed out of this, perhaps Russian soldiers would still be in Afghanistan and there would have been no 9/11. Josef Colman, Santa Monica Supporters of President Trump cheer during a campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., in June. (Associated Press) To the editor: Any time there is progress in society, there is a rebuff in reaction. As Gloria Steinem said, lynchings became common not during slavery, but after emancipation. ("'Something is not right.' George Floyd protests push white Americans to think about their privilege," June 28) I call that the "Fugitive Slave Law Theory." After slaves became successful in fleeing to freedom in the North, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, requiring that ex-slaves found in a free state be returned back to slavery in the South. When Barack Obama was elected president, it appeared that America had made progress on race relations. But then came the rebuff in the form of Donald Trump's victory. Our current president thrives on blaming and dividing, and he has signaled support for white nationalism. If we are to progress and continue to be a global leader, white America truly has to have a change of heart. It must support a forward-thinking, unifying leader, and not some anachronistic politician whose thought process is from the 19th century. Paulette Mashaka, Carson .. To the editor: I have been re-watching episodes of "The West Wing," which began more than 20 years ago. It is still very relevant because most of the issues that the fictional Bartlett administration addressed are still not resolved in real life. So, understand my cynicism when I read that we white people have opened our eyes to racism and will be active from now on in helping make real positive changes. Am I the only one who remembers way back to 2018 when we were sure those Florida high school students would be the tipping point on gun laws? Parrish Nelson Hirasaki, Culver City If exposing his life in the semi-autobiographical ABC comedy Black-ish wasnt enough, Kenya Barris now plays a fictionalized version of himself in #BlackAF. The Netflix series the first project under the $100 million overall deal that Barris signed with the streamer in August 2018 is a satirical look at himself, his family (series co-producer Rashida Jones plays his wife) and his career. The show was recently picked up for a second season. Fame and fortune aside (hes also the writer behind movies Girls Trip and the upcoming Coming to America sequel), Barris isnt numb to the harsh, and sometimes fatal, realities of being Black. Still when Im with my boys in the car, Im like, Police, 8 oclock. Police, 3 oclock, the 45-year-old Inglewood native says on Tuesdays episode of the Variety and iHeart podcast The Big Ticket. Im like, why am I calling out the police? Im OK, dude. I have no reason to do this, but I still call them out. Im still like, Everyone should just be aware to our right there are officers. How are you coping these days? Im trying to get back to work. I think for the last two or three weeks its been a little hard to work, honestly. Trying to get back to work and trying to remain [and] act normal in a world thats not normal. I think thats what were all trying to do, right? Are you hopeful about the future? I have kids, so I have to be hopeful. I also am hopeful in the moment that Im seeing. It feels to be a much more unified moment than Ive seen in a long time. It reminds me of the civil rights movement, where people are just like, Enough is enough, from all different walks of life. That means a lot to me. Do you think it will last? I think there will be lasting change. I dont know that this moment of unity and this moment will last, but I think there will be lasting change. I do want to believe. My hope is that this moment will bring about some changes that cant be taken away. Story continues How much do you feel with the position that youre in that you have to get involved? And is it to have a voice? Is it to create? I think all the above. I feel like literally all the above. I want to get involved, boots on the ground. I want to say something. I want to write about it. I want to talk to my friends who I know dont look like me, but I believe their heart is in the right place. I want to talk to people who I think their heart isnt in the right place. I want to sort of make this a moment of clarity and of healing. I imagine a lot of the big-decision meetings youre in are still very white, but is there a different feeling or energy now? Are people trying to change? It is absolutely a different energy. Im absolutely seeing more representation. Im lucky. I work for Netflix, and Disney has done a really good job in some aspects, too. Netflix is a company that is very much about diversity. One of the craziest words I ever heard was safe spaces because the least safe place is a safe space. You dont want to be around people who all think like you. There is zero growth thats going to happen. You need to make sure that the people that youre around are a sampling of the world that you actually want to live in. How involved will you be in the 2020 elections? As much as I can. I might write an episode of Black-ish about it. The census is a really big deal to me. I think that voter suppression is a real, real, real problem. We saw it recently on the Super Tuesdays, with people being told they had to wait outside for seven hours while there were voting booths empty inside. I look at right now whats happening with the police and I tell people, They know theyre being watched, and this is happening. What the f do you think theyre doing when theyre not being watched? Its a compulsion. It is something that they have been doing for so long that they cant stop themselves. I am not anti-police. If I hear a creak in my house, I am the first to call the police. I definitely feel like we have to change the structure. It doesnt need to be a mobilized army. The power needs to be given to people who understand it and respect it. I read somewhere that its 1,500 hours to become a barber and its 880 to become a cop. Thats insane. I feel like we have to sort of make a person who goes into law enforcement understand that this is a respected job with a lot of weight to it and that why not have four years of college or why not have two and a half years of academy under your belt? Why not get the sensitivity training? Why not do these things? LONDON (Reuters) - British police said they had arrested a man over the toppling of a statue of a 17th Century slave trader last month, an incident which sparked a major debate about Britain's imperial past. Anti-racism protesters demonstrating in the port city of Bristol in western England in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in the United States pulled down the statue of Edward Colston and threw it into the harbour. "A 24-year-old man was ... arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and has since been released under investigation," Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement. Colston had made a fortune from trading in West African slaves and his statue had long been a contentious issue in Bristol. The memorial has since been retrieved from the water, and the mayor said it would displayed in a museum alongside Black Lives Matter placards. After the incident, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said he understood people's strong feelings on the issue but removing the statue was a criminal act. The tearing down of Colston's statue led to other memorials being taken down or their future being debated, while many academics and public figures voiced opposition to the removal of such monuments, arguing they merely reflected history and should be used as points of discussion. (Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Giles Elgood) We read a lot, said Hoppe, who has two children in elementary school. Especially when youre home and you want them to do something educational and not on a screen, I would say, Go read a book.' But we ran out. So Im very excited. Click here to read the full article. The Navy awarded the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri a $795 million contract to design and build the Navys newest ship. Though the FFG(X)s exact specifications have not yet been determined, the FFG(X) is a guided-missile frigate with an area-defense anti-air warfare system. The FFG(X) is designed to be more capable than both the Independence- and Freedom-classes that make up the Littoral Combat Ship program. Both classes have suffered numerous breakdown and cost overruns, and despite the massive amount of spending sunk into the LCS program, both classes have been deemed unsurvivable in a high-end fight against a peer or near-peer adversary. In contrast to larger surface ships like aircraft carriers or destroyers, the FFG(X), is intended to operate in lower-threat environments. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service defined the mission scope and capabilities of frigates in general and explained why they just can hang with the bigger ships: In contrast to cruisers and destroyers, which are designed to operate in higher-threat areas, frigates are generally intended to operate more in lower-threat areas. U.S. Navy frigates perform many of the same peacetime and wartime missions as U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers, but since frigates are intended to do so in lower-threat areas, they are equipped with fewer weapons, less-capable radars and other systems, and less engineering redundancy and survivability than cruisers and destroyers. As part of the Navys fleet expansion that began under the Obama administration, the Navy moved to buy twenty FFG(X) ships. The FFG(X) would complement the capabilities of existing cruisers and destroyers already in service with the Navy, and offer more capabilities than the LCSs. According to the Navy, the FFG(X) ships could also be used to provide a high-end presence normally carried out by destroyers in different areas around the globe. Some of the design requirements for the frigate are onboard space for one manned helicopter and another unspecified unmanned air vehicle. As a guided missile frigate, the FFG(X) design can accommodate vertical missile launch tubes, though the Navy has hinted that the FFG(X)s onboard volume and electrical output would be sufficient for future laser weapons. Story continues The FFG(X) will be similar to the Bergamini-class, a joint French-Italian project. Fincantieri lists the vessels endurance as forty-five days with a top speed in excess of 27 knots. At a reduced 15-knot speed, range is 6,000 nautical miles. The class is to be built in Wisconsin and despite its Italian design, is said to be made with 95% American parts. Vice Admiral Jim Kilby, the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Requirements and Capabilities emphasized just how important the FFG(X) is to the Navy, saying, This is going to be a real workhorse for the United States Navy supporting distributed maritime operations in the future. So we are super excited about this ship, and I cant think of a better assetto give them [Naval commanders] the flexibility to do what we need to do in the future. Caleb Larson holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy. He lives in Berlin and writes on U.S. and Russian foreign and defense policy, German politics, and culture. Image: Fincantieri/USNI News Click here to read the full article. Meghan Markle said in court documents that she was unprotected. (Getty Images) Meghan Markle wasnt defended against stories about her when she was a senior royal because some of them were true, it had been claimed. The Duchess of Sussex has said she felt unprotected by the Royal Family from the stream of stories about her, in court documents which emerged on Thursday, which is why her friends went to People magazine to defend her. But The Times has reported that Kensington Palace could not defend her because some of the stories were true. According to the papers, the duchess was left unhappy by stories about her deteriorating relationship with palace staff, as well as the comments made about her by her half-sister Samantha Grant. Referring to reports that one palace employee had been left in tears by Meghans demand, a source told The Times: The stories were a drop in the ocean compared to what was going on. The source also told the paper the institution Meghan felt unprotected by refers to the media team rather than members of the Royal Family. Meghan, 38, is also reported to have wanted something done about the interviews her half-sister was carrying out, but the palace would be unlikely to get involved with those. The palace couldn't defend some stories, according to a source. (PA Images) Read more: Why is Meghan Markle suing the Mail on Sunday? Meghan announced legal action against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL) after the Mail On Sunday and the MailOnline published excerpts of a letter she sent her father after her wedding to Prince Harry. She claims there was a breach of copyright, and misuse of private information in the printing of parts of the letter. ANL has said it will hotly contest the case, and says there was no misuse because the letter had been referenced in an interview five friends of Meghans had carried out with People magazine. The duchess has said she did not authorise the interview, and she previously said she did not know about it until it appeared. Meghan was the subject of many headlines after her father, Thomas Markle, was found to have set up paparazzi photographs near his home in Mexico. Story continues Meghan's friend spoke to a magazine about her. (Getty Images) Read more: Meghan Markle 'spoke Spanish perfectly' while volunteering with ex-gang members in LA He has since gone on to claim he has not been contacted by his daughter, though in court papers, she sets out how she has sought to contact him, including how she arranged for him to attend her May 2018 wedding. It also emerged in the papers that Mr Markle has not met either Prince Harry or the Sussexes son Archie. Meghan and Harry dialled into the last hearing of her court case, which she lost, and the duchess subsequently had to strike out parts of her application against ANL. MONTERREY (Reuters) - Mexican soldiers killed 12 alleged drug cartel members wearing military gear in the violent border city of Nuevo Laredo on Friday, Tamaulipas state security officials said, in another instance of mass murders that have driven Mexico's homicides. Officials said armed gunmen clad in military-style uniforms attacked soldiers from the 16th Regiment in a neighborhood near the airport around dawn. The military seized eight AR-15 type weapons, one AK47, and two .50 caliber Barrett sniper rifles at the scene, officials said in a statement. Images published by local news outlets appeared to show corpses piled in the back of a pickup truck and lying on a roadside in pools of blood. A thirteenth man was found dead later in the day, according to officials, who said his death was related to the early-morning confrontation in Nuevo Laredo, opposite the city of Laredo in Texas. Local news outlets reported the victims were likely members of the Cartel of the Northeast, a regional gang that is a remnant of the once-powerful Zetas cartel. The military has not said whether any of its soldiers were injured or killed in the clash. Homicides in Mexico hit a new record last year and are trending higher still in 2020. Also on Friday, five police officers were killed in the central state of Guanajuato, the state's security secretary said. On Wednesday, gunmen killed 27 people at a drug rehabilitation facility in another part of Guanajuato in one of the worst mass killings since President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office 19 months ago pledging to reduce record levels of violence. (Reporting by Laura Gottesdiener and Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Daniel Wallis) Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP Before they were photographed brandishing guns during a Black Lives Matter protest, Mark and Patricia McCloskey had made a name for themselves in their St. Louis neighborhood, suing and writing angry letters to community groups, and even accusing a neighborhood association of trespassing for taking a picture of their house. The McCloskeys, a pair of lawyers, won internet fame this week after they were filmed pointing guns at racial justice protesters outside their mansion in a gated community. The McCloskeys said the protesters were trespassing on their private street, and that they feared for their lives. But the couple has, for decades, been wrapped up in conflict in the area, sometimes in cases that foreshadowed their now-infamous confrontation with Black Lives Matter activists. Footage of the McCloskeys went viral on Sunday after activists walked on their St. Louis street en route to a protest outside the mayors home nearby. Standing outside their palatial home, the coupleMark wearing a pink polo and carrying a rifle and Patricia with her finger on the trigger of a pistollooked like a portrait of weaponized white wealth. Gun-Toting St. Louis Lawyer Denies Hes Racist: My Black Clients Love Us! In interviews after the confrontation, the McCloskeys said they went outside with guns because they felt terrorized and worried that the marchers were going to murder them. The couple pointed to damage to a nearby gate as proof that the protest was intent on destroying property. That story has since come under some dispute, after the release of a video that showed the gate intact when the McCloskeys first drew guns on the protesters. The gate was photographed damaged later on Sunday. Nevertheless, the presence of the gated community in the middle of St. Louis highlighted the potentially divisive role of private streets, an urban phenomenon with which the McCloskeys have long been intimately acquainted. Portland Place is a gated street full of large and historic homes, like the one the McCloskeys currently occupy. But the McCloskeys filed their first lawsuit against the community before they even lived there. Story continues A lawyer in St. Louis has filed suit against a bank and a group of lawyers and real estate agents, accusing them of cheating him out of a chance to buy a unique mansion in the Central West End, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported in 1987. Another party bought the mansion for less money than McCloskey had offered, the suit says. McCloskey asked the court to give him the mansion or pay him damages. He won the suit and the couple bought the mansion in 1988. They became involved with the Portland Place homeowners association, but soon were embroiled in group politics. According to a Post-Dispatch report from 1992, Patricia spearheaded an effort to enforce an obscure state law banning unmarried couples from living together. Fellow members of the homeowners association accused her of using the provision as an excuse to stop gay couples from moving in, which Patricia denied. This is insanity, she told the paper. It isnt about gay-bashing. I want to enforce certain restrictions. She cited a nearby doctor, whom she accused of running a business out of his home. (The McCloskeys had previously opened their home to a photoshoot of designer clothes, like a $300 paisley silk Neiman-Marcus robe, which ran in the Post-Dispatch.) The doctor said her complaint was bogus. I have not officially seen a patient since 1984, he told the Post-Dispatch, adding critically that the McCloskeys are trying to preserve the exclusivity of the neighborhood. Patricia was ousted from the homeowners association the following year over disagreements about the neighborhood rules. Reached by phone, Mark McCloskey declined to comment immediately, and Patricia could not be reached. The couples lawyer, Albert Watkins, said he was unfamiliar with the unmarried couples dispute. But that he knew the couple had lobbied to remove anti-Black language (which had already been ruled unconstitutional and unenforceable) from the neighborhood charter. Since the video of them went viral, the couple have claimed to support Black Lives Matter. Patricia McCloskeys booting seems to have begun a decades-long stretch of hostile relations with the association, which the couple have since battled in court four times, in three cases as plaintiffsmost recently over the groups alleged failure to maintain the private sewer system. That matter remains in litigation, but suits the two brought in 1995 and 2017 wound up dismissed without prejudice. A lawyer who represents the association and multiple individual members either declined to comment or could not be reached prior to publication. In 1996, after relations with the Portland Place homeowners association had apparently soured, Mark McCloskey took issue with the Central West End Association when the group included a picture of their stately homealongside 25 othersin a poster of the neighborhood. I do not necessarily support the Central West End Association, I am not a member, McCloskey wrote in a letter published in part by the Post-Dispatch that year. The Association certainly has no right to use a photograph of my home for its personal profit it could only have resulted from a trespass upon this private place I feel compelled to request that you forward to me, at a minimum, one-25th of the gross receipts recovered by the Central West End Association from the sale of such poster. An Association spokesperson told the Post-Dispatch that the poster revenue may reach $33. McCloskey apparently doesnt mind fighting over small change. When a lawyer fined him $1,800 for frivolous filings in a 2000 case, McCloskey made the payment with 18,000 dimes in a box, delivered to his opponents office. He has also been an opinionated author of letters to the editor of the Post-Dispatch over the years. In 1993, he wrote one such letter, upset that the paper had disparaged yuppies like him. Why live where your life is at risk, where you are affronted by thugs, bums, drug addicts and punks when you can afford not to? he wrote. In 1999, he wrote a long letter complaining about airport security. On March 14, I had an encounter with airport security, which I think sends a frightening message about the state of our free country, he wrote, describing a security agent who asked. May I inspect your bag? I responded, Not unless you can tell me some legal reason why you have the right to. That response caused all the security agents to burst out laughing. When working for others, however, Mark McCloskey has taken a different tack. He has at least twice represented clients alleging racial bias: in 1990, when he accused federal lender Fannie Mae of refusing to finance mortgages in predominantly Black sections of St. Louis, and in 2000, when he took up the case of an African-American deckhand who claimed his white superiors had subjected him to harassment. Fannie Mae continues to engage in systematic red-lining and discrimination, the attorney told the Post-Dispatch. Local lenders wont make loans because they cant sell the loans in the secondary market. A federal judge later threw out the suit. McCloskey is also currently representing a police brutality claimant. After the video of the McCloskeys went viral, urbanists and racial justice advocates pointed to the couples gated community as an example of divisive land use that disproportionately harms people of color. Trayvon Martin, a Florida teenager killed by a gated communitys neighborhood watch member in 2012, was one such example. When confronted at gunpoint, the marchers in Portland Place noted that they were on the street or the sidewalk, not the McCloskeys private property. Mark McCloskey countered in the media that the entire gated neighborhood was technically privateand he was technically correct, thanks to an old St. Louis zoning code that walled off some of the citys most elite neighborhoods. Even so, pointing guns on the protesters remains of dubious legality. A Circuit Court attorney representing St. Louis said she was launching an investigation into the incident, noting that we must protect the right to peacefully protest, and any attempt to chill it through intimidation or threat of deadly force will not be tolerated. Watkins, the McCloskeys lawyer, told The Daily Beast that hed lived on Portland Place in the early 2000s, and that the street had its own armed security force at the time. It didnt bother me at first blush, except that in practice what happened was that every one of my friends and guests of color inevitably would show up at my door kind of traumatized, he said. Theyd been stopped by a cop with his hand ready on a gun asking them what they were doing there. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Jockey Seamie Heffernan and trainer Aidan O'Brien with winning connections collect the trophy for winning the Investec Derby after Anthony Van Dyck's success in 2019. In a race with many imitations but no true rival, Aidan OBrien is primed to move himself beyond the storied legends of Derbys past, writes James Toney. OBrien is seeking a record eighth win this weekend with a six-strong raiding party travelling across from Ballydoyle. Back in the early 19th century Robert Robson was known as the Emperor of Trainers, winning the race seven times for grandly-titled owners such as the Duke of Grafton, the best friend of William Pitt the Younger. John Porter was the most successful trainer of the Victorian era, winning not just seven Derbys but three Triple Crowns. And then there was Fred Darling, who won his first Epsom showpiece in 1922 and his seventh 19 years later. Sixty years then passed before Galileo soared into a different stratosphere to win OBriens first Derby in memorable style. High Chaparral followed up 12 months later but a decade went by before Camelot, under a brilliant and historic ride from son Joseph OBrien, scorched to the second leg of an ultimately doomed Triple Crown bid. Since then the Master of Ballydoyle has dominated, winning four of the next seven races, with Ruler of the World and Australia all obliging before 40-1 outsider Wings of Eagles flew home under a stunned race novice Padraig Beggy, proof that whoever he fires at the race is a threat. Last year Anthony Van Dyck obliged for jockey Seamie Heffernan to make it a truly magnificent seven, meaning O'Brien is now poised to move to a plinth of his own in the pantheon of this most fabled of races. I suppose it all started with Galileo but I've got so many memories of great Derby winners, said OBrien. The thoroughbred breed is based on the Epsom Derby, its the ultimate test of the racehorse. It is physical and mental, they have to get the trip, they have to have pace, they have to act on the track. Frankie Dettori's English King - a son of O'Brien's legendary Camelot - will likely go to post as favourite this weekend, despite his unfavourable stall one draw, something of a kiss of death in the last two decades. Story continues Oisin Murphy is also well-supported to deliver a second Classic for Andrew Balding on Kameko but there is a growing belief that O'Brien could have plotted another winner from up on the rails. Mogul, an eye-catching juvenile last year, looked a little lacklustre when a distant fourth at Royal Ascot last month but with OBrien it is all about timing and peaking when it really matters. "We had to do an unorthodox thing with Mogul and we wanted one race to do the job of two at Royal Ascot," he said. "Firstly to know to give him a chance of winning a Derby, he had to run in the toughest trial. The risk was that he was going to get beaten but we felt it was a risk worth taking. What we've seen since has really impressed everyone. He's bounced out of Ascot with a big smile on his face begging for more and we like where we are with him." Last year's winning jockey Heffernan faces a busy weekend, taking charge of Russian Emperor, the winner of the Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot, before jetting to Chantilly where he'll ride Order of Australia in French Derby, a race no Irish horse has won since Vincent O'Brien's Caerleon in 1983. OBrien has booked William Buick for Amhran Na Bhfiann and James Doyle for Mythical and for the first time this season he will bring his Ballydoyle jockeys across the Irish Sea, Beggy riding Vatican City while Emmet McNamara partners Serpentine. "Russian Emperor came out of his Ascot win well, we think Vatican City will get the trip but we don't know if he'll have enough class," added O'Brien. Mythical has improved a lot for his last run at Curragh and is good traveller and Serpentine is seriously well-bred and stays well. "Amhran Na Bhfiann is a lovely big horse who is getting better and his sister won an Oaks so he should get the trip too." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. It's a squad with strength in numbers but Epsoms unique characteristics dont make it any easier. From the stalls the field rapidly climbs the 184 feet towards the seven furlong pole, the highest point on the course. The rollercoaster then plunges downwards while undulating cambers can unbalance the most experienced of runners in the mile-and-a-half contest. However, such is O'Brien's attention to detail, he has got a version of Epsoms famous Tattenham Corner on the gallops. You cant recreate Epsom the contours and everything about the place make it unique," he adds. "Its sport at the top level, everything gets tested horses, jockeys, trainers everything gets put to the test. Id be delighted if we won it again, just delighted." Indeed it could be a weekend to remember for O'Brien, who will see 1000 Guineas winner Love go for the fillies' classic at Epsom as he attempts to win the Derby and Oaks double yet again. And then it's all eyes on Chantilly, where he is looking to win the French equivalents for the first time, with Irish 1000 Guineas winner Peaceful taking on Jessica Harrington's Royal Ascot heroine Alpine Star in the Prix de Diane. Perhaps by Monday he could be celebrating something no trainer has ever achieved in the same year, a trifecta of Derbys at the Curragh, Epsom and Chantilly, with an Oaks winner either side of the Channel for good measure too. A long shot forecast maybe but trends say you may be crazy to bet against it. Abortion rights activists celebrated the 2016 ruling overturning a Texas abortion restriction. It set the precedent for Monday's 5-4 vote striking down a copycat Louisiana law. (Michael Reynolds / European Pressphoto Agency) Shortly after Brett Kavanaugh joined the Supreme Court in 2018, legal commentators declared the death of Roe vs. Wade, and some red states rushed to pass bans that they fully expected the new conservative court majority to uphold. With the results of June Medical Services vs. Russo this week, supporters of legal abortion cant help but feel relieved. The court reaffirmed that unduly burdensome abortion restrictions cannot stand. Nonetheless, its a mistake to think that abortion rights are safe. Yes, Chief Justice John Roberts joined his more liberal colleagues in striking down a Louisiana abortion restriction. The state had required abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles, claiming that the rule increased womens safety. In reality, it would have served to eliminate all but one abortion clinic in the entire state. But Roberts deciding vote in June Medical did not reflect a newfound commitment to the right to choose. Instead, the chief justice could not escape the fact that the court had already seen a Texas statute just like Louisiana's and struck it down four years ago. Roberts couldnt find a way to differentiate the two, at least not with a straight face. His was a vote for the courts vaunted legacy of legal consistency stare decisis. The most sophisticated players in the antiabortion movement surely were not surprised. They know that optics matter, especially to this chief justice. Antiabortion leaders might not have seen any harm in testing the courts new conservative majority, including asking the justices to forsake precedent. But their real strategy is evolution not revolution, selling Roberts on the idea that there is a way to reverse Roe without creating a public outcry or damaging the courts legitimacy. Groups such the National Right to Life Committee and Americans United for Life lobby for legislation that incrementally erodes the right to choose and skirts the problem of precedent, allowing conservatives such as Roberts to seem agonized and thoughtful rather than partisan as they unravel abortion rights. Story continues The smart antiabortion money, for example, opposes outright bans and heartbeat bills and focuses instead on later abortions, trying to prohibit the most common second-trimester procedure, or curtailing the right to end a pregnancy at, say, 20 weeks rather than viability. (Activists claim, contrary to the majority of scientific evidence, that after 20 weeks fetal pain is possible.) Such prohibitions build on abortion foes latest win in the Supreme Court Gonzales vs. Carhart, a decision upholding a federal ban on a procedure opponents called partial-birth abortion. And most importantly, these laws dont require the court to directly overturn a precedent, even as they allow the justices to move closer to undoing Roe. Given the respect paid to stare decisis, why doesnt it serve to protect the 40-year-old Roe vs. Wade absolutely? It isnt that simple. Justices baldly ignore precedent when they want to or find ways around it. Kavanaugh talked a great deal about his fealty to settled law during his confirmation hearing in 2018, especially in reassuring Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins that he wouldnt doom Roe. And yet in his June Medical dissent, Kavanaugh made it clear he would have upheld Louisianas law and gutted the Texas decision of just four years earlier. Roberts worries too much about the courts legacy to follow Kavanaughs lead; his concerns about stare decisis run deep. However, there is no guarantee he will remain the courts swing justice. The head of the antiabortion Susan B. Anthony List, Marjorie Dannenfelser, was bitterly disappointed at Roberts vote this week but still looking relentlessly forward. It is imperative, she told the New York Times, that we re-elect Trump and our pro-life majority in the Senate so we can further restore the judiciary, most especially the Supreme Court. A second Trump term would likely mean several new conservative justices, most likely, antiabortion nominees less concerned than the chief justice about the courts reputation. June Medical is certainly a slap in the face to lower court judges and state legislatures that think they can overturn Roe themselves and get the current Supreme Court to sign off on it. With a dizzying number of challenges to abortion rights still pending in the lower courts, the future of Roe remains up for grabs. As long as Roberts casts the deciding vote, expect the legal fights to be about exactly what precedent means and what saving (or destroying) Roe would do to the Supreme Courts legacy. But remember: If Roberts could find a way to save the courts reputation while eliminating the right to choose, we have every reason to think he would do just that. Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University, is the author of "Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present." Click here to read the full article. The U-boat landings of German spies off the coast of Long Island during Operation Pastorius were not the only instances of U-boats putting German agents ashore on the Atlantic coast of the United States. There had been at least one other landing before Operation Pastorius, and there would be at least one afterward. Intercepting a Saboteur Party On April 14, 1942, two months before U-202 surfaced off the coast of Long Island, the destroyer USS Roper discovered U-85 running on the surface off the coast of North Carolina near Cape Hatteras. The U-boat did not crash-dive, which came as a surprise to Ropers captain, Commander Hamilton W. Howe. Instead, the submarines captain changed course several times and fired a torpedo at the destroyer from his stern tube. Commander Howe closed with the submarine at a speed of 20 knots and began firing his 3-inch forward mount and 50-caliber machine guns at 300 yards. After U-85 had been hit by a 3-inch shell and 50-caliber machine-gun fire, the captain decided to scuttle the boat. The seacocks were opened, and the crew began jumping overboard as the submarine settled by the stern. Commander Howe wanted a confirmed kill and dropped 11 depth charges on the boat as it sank. The barrage shattered the boat and killed every man in the water. When the bodies, 29 of them, were recovered, some of the dead were wearing civilian clothes. When their pockets were examined, they were found to contain quite a bit of American currency, as well as Social Security cards, draft cards, and other documents needed for living and working in the United States. Commander Howe had broken up an attempt to land German spies or saboteurs in North Carolina. The reason behind the U-boats mysterious behavior now became clear. If the submarines captain had crash dived with his men and the German agents still on deck, most of them would have drowned. Over the years, everything about the sinking of U-85 was made public except the fact that the submarine was trying to land civilians. That information was not released until several years after J. Edgar Hoover died. Story continues The Last U-Boat Landing? No records exist to prove whether this was the first U-boat attempting to land saboteurs on U.S. soil, but it certainly was not the last. The final landing took place on November 29, 1944, when U-1230 put two would-be German spies ashore at Frenchmans Bay on the Maine coast. The two men were Erich Gimpel, a German who had worked as an agent in Peru for several years, and William Colepaugh, a flighty young American infatuated with Nazi Germany but with no background in espionage. Their assignment was to find out as much as possible about the Manhattan Project, the U.S. effort to develop the atomic bomb, as well as to gather technical information on American shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing. The two men were rowed to shore by crew members; both were wearing civilian clothes. They were spotted by the son of the county deputy sheriff as they made their way to the nearest rail station, and the FBI was notified, but FBI agents were not able to locate the two. Gimpel and Colepaugh took a train to Manhattan, where they rented a flat and Gimpel built a shortwave radio. Young Billy Colepaugh had an attack of conscience shortly afterward. Colepaugh faced a dilemma. He wanted Germany to win the war but did not want the United States to lose it. He went to the FBI and turned himself in, along with Erich Gimpel. Both men were in custody by December 30, 1944. Gimpel and Colepaugh arrived in the United States too late in the war to help the German cause, even if Colepaugh had not gone to the FBI. Both men were tried for espionage, found guilty, and sentenced to death by hanging. The war ended before the sentences could be carried out, and both men spent years in prison. There may or may not have been other landings, but it is a reasonable possibility that others did take place. The FBI denies this, but J. Edgar Hoover had the power and influence to cover up any incident that might possibly have tarnished his image. This article first appeared at the Warfare History Network. Image: Wikipedia. Click here to read the full article. DUBLIN, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Refrigeration Monitoring System Market: Global Industry Analysis, Trends, Market Size, and Forecasts up to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Research and Markets Logo The report on the global refrigeration monitoring system market provides qualitative and quantitative analysis for the period from 2018 to 2026. The report predicts the global refrigeration monitoring system market to grow with a CAGR of 8.1% over the forecast period from 2020-2026. The study on refrigeration monitoring system market covers the analysis of the leading geographies such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW for the period of 2018 to 2026. The report on refrigeration monitoring system market is a comprehensive study and presentation of drivers, restraints, opportunities, demand factors, market size, forecasts, and trends in the global refrigeration monitoring system market over the period of 2018 to 2026. Moreover, the report is a collective presentation of primary and secondary research findings. Porter's five forces model in the report provides insights into the competitive rivalry, supplier and buyer positions in the market and opportunities for the new entrants in the global refrigeration monitoring system market over the period of 2018 to 2026. Further, Growth Matrix gave in the report brings an insight into the investment areas that existing or new market players can consider. What does this report deliver? Comprehensive analysis of the global as well as regional markets of the refrigeration monitoring system market. Complete coverage of all the segments in the refrigeration monitoring system market to analyze the trends, developments in the global market and forecast of market size up to 2026. Comprehensive analysis of the companies operating in the global refrigeration monitoring system market. The company profile includes analysis of product portfolio, revenue, SWOT analysis and latest developments of the company. Growth Matrix presents an analysis of the product segments and geographies that market players should focus to invest, consolidate, expand and/or diversify. Report Findings 1) Drivers Story continues Rapid growth in retail sector, technological development in food industry globally Stringent government policies, rising focus on reducing food wastage and increasing demand for frozen food 2) Restraints High cost involved in installation 3) Opportunities Increasing number of grocery stores, super markets and specialty stores in emerging countries Segment Covered The global refrigeration monitoring system market is segmented on the basis of sensor, offerings, application, and industry. The Global Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Sensor Temperature Sensor Defrost Sensor Liquid Level Sensor Pressure Sensor Motion Sensor Contact Sensor Others The Global Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Offerings Software Hardware Service The Global Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Application Transportation Storage The Global Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Industry Food and Beverage Pharmaceuticals Hospitals Residential Others Company Profiles Zebra Technologies Emerson Electric Co. Texas Instruments Danfoss Dover Corp Daikin Industries Carrier Commercial Refrigeration Johnson Control Haier Group Others Key Topics Covered: 1. Preface 1.1. Report Description 1.2. Research Methods 1.3. Research Approaches 2. Executive Summary 2.1. Refrigeration Monitoring System Market Highlights 2.2. Refrigeration Monitoring System Market Projection 2.3. Refrigeration Monitoring System Market Regional Highlights 3. Global Refrigeration Monitoring System Market Overview 3.1. Introduction 3.2. Market Dynamics 3.2.1. Drivers 3.2.2. Restraints 3.2.3. Opportunities 3.3. Analysis of COVID-19 impact on the Refrigeration Monitoring System Market 3.4. Porter's Five Forces Analysis 3.5. Growth Matrix Analysis 3.5.1. Growth Matrix Analysis by Sensor 3.5.2. Growth Matrix Analysis by Offerings 3.5.3. Growth Matrix Analysis by Application 3.5.4. Growth Matrix Analysis by Industry 3.5.5. Growth Matrix Analysis by Region 3.6. Value Chain Analysis of Refrigeration Monitoring System Market 4. Refrigeration Monitoring System Market Macro Indicator Analysis 5. Global Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Sensor 5.1. Temperature Sensor 5.2. Defrost Sensor 5.3. Liquid Level Sensor 5.4. Pressure Sensor 5.5. Motion Sensor 5.6. Contact Sensor 5.7. Others 6. Global Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Offerings 6.1. Software 6.2. Hardware 6.3. Service 7. Global Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Application 7.1. Transportation 7.2. Storage 8. Global Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Industry 8.1. Food and Beverage 8.2. Pharmaceuticals 8.3. Hospitals 8.4. Residential 8.5. Others 9. Global Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Region 2020-2026 9.1. North America 9.1.1. North America Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Sensor 9.1.2. North America Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Offerings 9.1.3. North America Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Application 9.1.4. North America Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Industry 9.1.5. North America Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Country 9.2. Europe 9.2.1. Europe Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Sensor 9.2.2. Europe Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Offerings 9.2.3. Europe Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Application 9.2.4. Europe Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Industry 9.2.5. Europe Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Country 9.3. Asia-Pacific 9.3.1. Asia-Pacific Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Sensor 9.3.2. Asia-Pacific Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Offerings 9.3.3. Asia-Pacific Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Application 9.3.4. Asia-Pacific Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Industry 9.3.5. Asia-Pacific Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Country 9.4. RoW 9.4.1. RoW Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Sensor 9.4.2. RoW Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Offerings 9.4.3. RoW Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Application 9.4.4. RoW Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Industry 9.4.5. RoW Refrigeration Monitoring System Market by Sub-region 10. Company Profiles and Competitive Landscape 10.1. Competitive Landscape in the Global Refrigeration Monitoring System Market 10.2. Companies Profiled 10.2.1. Zebra Technologies 10.2.2. Emerson Electric Co. 10.2.3. Texas Instruments 10.2.4. Danfoss 10.2.5. Dover Corp 10.2.6. Daikin Industries 10.2.7. Carrier Commercial Refrigeration 10.2.8. Johnson Control 10.2.9. Haier Group 10.2.10. Others For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/61u70y Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com 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 Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/outlook-on-the-worldwide-refrigeration-monitoring-system-industry-to-2026---increasing-number-of-grocery-stores-presents-opportunities-301088084.html SOURCE Research and Markets ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Friday he had tested positive for COVID-19, days after holding high-profile meetings including one with U.S. special representative on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in Islamabad. "This afternoon I felt a slight fever and immediately quarantined myself at home," Qureshi said on Twitter. He said he felt healthy and would carry on his duties from home. In the last few days, Qureshi has had contact with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in parliament and in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Qureshi also met Khalilzad on Wednesday when the U.S. special representative travelled to Pakistan to discuss progress on the Afghan peace process. Pictures released from those meetings showed Qureshi and others wearing face masks. The U.S. State Department did not comment. Pakistan has reported 221,896 cases of the coronavirus and 4,451 deaths. The country has continued to see around 4,000 new cases on a daily basis, despite daily testing numbers falling. A number of high officials have tested positive for COVID-19 in Pakistan, including Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed and the speaker of the lower house of parliament, Asad Qaiser. (Reporting by Gibran Peshimamin Islamabad; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Matthew Lewis) People need to become more concerned about it and do all the correct things, Nicewarner said. A lot of people are focused on themselves and wanting to do what they want to do and not realizing that the impact of this disease is deadly. Gavin Williamson Parents can be fined for failing to return their children to school in September, official guidance said yesterday. School attendance will be mandatory again from the start of the autumn term, meaning parents could face penalties if they do not comply. Hours earlier, the Prime Ministers spokesman suggested fines would be at headteachers discretion. Downing Street told reporters that school heads would be able to judge whether parents should face fines if they refuse to send their children back to school in September. The spokesman said: "Returning to school in September will be mandatory. "It's always the case that headteachers do have some discretion. They know their pupils and their family situations. "But, in general, children need to get back into school and get back learning again." The official guidance says: Missing out on more time in the classroom risks pupils falling further behind. School attendance will therefore be mandatory again from the beginning of the autumn term. This means from that point, the usual rules on school attendance will apply, including [..] the availability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices in line with local authorities codes of conduct. School attendance will be mandatory from September This week, Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, said families may face fines if they keep their children at home, unless they have a "good reason" to do so. A spokesman for the Association of School and College Leaders said: We do not agree with the suggestion in the guidance of fixed penalty notices for unauthorised pupil absences. This is not the right message at this difficult time and we need to focus on building confidence rather than threatening sanctions. The government should make it clear to school leaders that there will be no expectation on them to issue fines from the start of term and that there will be a period of grace as attendance settles down. Story continues At Thursday's Downing Street press conference, Mr Williamson also said schools that fail to re-open fully in September will face "very specific action". The Education Secretary also insisted children would not be taught a "watered-down curriculum" when they return. The guidance issued by the Department for Education says "substantial modification to the curriculum may be needed at the start of the year," meaning that "teaching time should be prioritised to address significant gaps in pupils' knowledge." It goes on to state that the "aim" is for the curriculum to return to normal content "by no later than summer term 2021". Mr Williamson said: "It is going to be a full and total curriculum that is going to be delivered for our children across all subjects. "It's incredibly important that we have the same standards and rigour across our education system as we come out of lockdown as we had going into it. "We are not going to be in a situation where we see vital subjects cut out of children's education. "So, the idea that there will be a watered-down curriculum is totally, totally untrue." The guidance says "schools may consider it appropriate to suspend some subjects for some pupils in exceptional circumstances," although heads will have to show "this is in the best interests of these pupils". It adds the focus for pupils in key stages 1 and 2 should be to "re-establish good progress in the essentials", which are listed as "phonics and reading, increasing vocabulary, writing and mathematics." It says the curriculum should "remain broad" and that the "majority of pupils" are taught a full range of subjects including "sciences, humanities, the arts, PE and religious education." For pupils in Year 7, it suggests teachers may need to revert back to parts of the key stage 2 curriculum to address "gaps in England and Maths". For pupils sitting their GCSEs, it states that while the "vast majority" should continue to study all their subjects, in "exceptional circumstances" some in year 11 could drop a subject to help them catch up in core areas such as English and Maths. Click here to read the full article. Here's What You Need To Remember: Despite its awesome firepower and nuclear propulsion, the USS San Francisco, like all submarines, was dependent on sea charts that map out the seafloor below. In the aftermath of the investigation, the Navy found that the submarine had been using outdated charts that described the area where the grounding happened as discolored water, indicating likely seamounts in the area. In 2005, a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine ran aground on a mountain. No, it wasnt out of the waterit hit an underground mountain, and nearly sank. USS San Francisco The USS San Francisco is an American nuclear powered submarine, one of the large Los Angeles-class submarines first laid down in 1972 and are among the U.S. Navys quietest submarines. At the time of the collision, or grounding in Navy parlance, the USS San Francisco was near Guam on a peacetime training mission en route to Australia. The sub was at a depth of about 525 feet and skipping along at a crisp thirty-ish miles per hour. The grounding was massive. Sailors in the dining room were tossed up to twenty-five feet across the mess-hall. One of the subs Petty Officers, Brian Barnes, recalled the incident during an interview with 60 minutes. I remember just bodies everywhere, he said. Broken glass, stepping on plates, your shipmates moaning because theyre in pain, yelling. The bow of the USS San Francisco was shattered, the frontal thirty feet or so were crushed and exposed to the sea. Water was rushing into the subit was critical that an emergency blow be initiated in which air is pumped into the submarines ballast tanks to bring it up to the surface. Full Complement The San Franciscos normal complement was 127 souls, 12 officers and 115 men. 98 suffered injuries during the collision and many of which were unable to man their stations due to their injuries. One sailor, Machinists Mate Second Class Joseph Allen Ashely would later die of a head injury. Story continues The sailor who opened the submarines air valves to fill the ballast tanksthe emergency blowdid so with two broken arms. Danny Hager, who was monitoring the submarines depth gauge, had a harrowing experience after the valves were opened. I told them 525 feet 0 acceleration. And Im waiting, you know, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, I dont know how long it was, you know, 525 feet, 0 acceleration, Hager explained to 60 Minutes. And it was just absolute silence in control because theyre waiting for me to report that we were accelerating upwards. The problem was that the forward ballast tanks had been ruptured in the collision. Air was bleeding out into the ocean. A full 60 seconds passed with no change in depth. Then, the rear of the submarine began to tilt upwards as the rear ballast tanks gradually filled with air. Hager was relieved. You could feel the pregnant pause, and the almost the relief when I said 500 feet acceleration upwards. Eventually the USS San Francisco bobbed to the surface, but the journey home was not complete. Luckily the nuclear reactor hadnt been damaged in the grounding, and the crew limped homeward at a slow ten miles per hour, taking them fifty-two hours to get to Guam. Unstoppable Force, Immovable Object Despite its awesome firepower and nuclear propulsion, the USS San Francisco, like all submarines, was dependent on sea charts that map out the seafloor below. In the aftermath of the investigation, the Navy found that the submarine had been using outdated charts that described the area where the grounding happened as discolored water, indicating likely seamounts in the area. The commanding officer, Commander Kevin Mooney was reprimanded. Several sailors were commended for their actions, earning the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. There is a tribute to Ashley at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. Caleb Larson is a defense writer for the National Interest. He holds a Master of Public Policy and covers U.S. and Russian security, European defense issues, and German politics and culture. This article first appeared earlier this year. Image: Wikipedia. Click here to read the full article. Broadway through Chinatown, not far from Plum Tree Inn, has seen less traffic than usual during the COVID-19 pandemic (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) Closures: Plum Tree Inn Chinatown restaurant Plum Tree Inn, best known for its Peking duck, has closed. The restaurant opened in 1979 before moving to its Broadway location in 2007. We appreciate all of the support everyone has shown us over the past 40 years, owner Mark Ting said. Krimseys Cajun Krimseys Cajun Kitchen, a vegan Cajun restaurant in North Hollywood that served dishes such as okra gumbo and hearts of palm poboys, has closed. Olive Tree Restaurant Olive Tree Restaurant in Anaheim has closed after 15 years in business. The Middle Eastern restaurant had been a staple of the citys Little Arabia district. Owner Alan Abdo said he hopes to reopen eventually. Taste at Pacific Palisades Brunch restaurant restaurant Taste at Pacific Palisades has closed. Openings: Champions Curry Champions Curry, a Japanese curry rice chain from Kanazawa City founded in 1961, is open at the SteelCraft food hall in Long Beach. A second location is scheduled to open in Little Tokyo in mid-July. SteelCraft Long Beach, 3768 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach, instagram.com/champions_usa Dun Huang Dun Huang, a Northern Chinese noodle specialist with locations in Rowland Heights and New York City, will open this month in Westwood. Expect bowls of hand-pulled Lanzhou beef noodle soup and spicy cumin lamb skewers. 1081 Gayley Ave., Los Angeles, dunhuangfood.com Sqirl Away Sqirl Away, the long-awaited takeout extension of Jessica Koslows Sqirl, is open in Virgil Village. The adjacent market offers to-go soups and salads and a variety of deli items, snacks, condiments and, of course, house-made jams. 720 N. Virgil Ave., Los Angeles, sqirlaway.com Hotel June Caravan Swim Club, a poolside bar and restaurant at the new Hotel June in Westchester, is open. Restaurateur Steve Livigni of Dama and Scopa Italian Roots is behind the food and drink program. A separate lobby restaurant, Scenic Route, will open in late July. 8639 Lincoln Blvd., Los Angeles, thehoteljune.com Story continues Honey Drop Chicken Culver City fried chicken spot Honeys Kettle has launched a delivery-only location in DTLA called Honey Drop Kitchen. Delivery orders for kettle-fried chicken, biscuits, hotcakes, sides and pie by the slice can be placed through UberEats. honeyskettle.com Sylvain Gaboury/Getty Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epsteins closest confidante, was arrested by the FBI in New Hampshire on Thursday. Who is Ghislaine Maxwell? Shes a 58-year-old British heiress, born in France as the youngest of nine children to Elizabeth and Robert Maxwell, and raised in a 53-room mansion in Oxford. Robert Maxwell, a publishing tycoon who once served in the British Parliament, was a charismatic but shady businessman who died in mysterious circumstances in 1991 when he disappeared from the deck of his yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, anchored off the Canary Islands. Family observers previously told The Daily Beast that it was not strange that Ghislaine and some of her sisters were drawn to larger-than-life, strange men. They attach themselves to bizarre psychopaths like their father, one researcher said. Ghislaine Maxwell has a degree from Oxford University, speaks four languages, and is a trained private helicopter pilot. She was involved in social clubs at Oxford and perhaps not surprisingly given her upbringing, has moved in high society circles her whole life. She has homes in several countries but largely resided in her London townhouse during her time with Epstein. What was her relationship to Jeffrey Epstein? Maxwell was close to her father and, after his death, she moved to the United States. She lived in a friends apartment overlooking Central Park, worked at a luxury real estate company, and quickly ingratiated herself with the high-society set in New York. She met Epstein at a party in the '90s when he was a wealthy but exceptionally private financier who didnt yet move in high-society circles. While they initially dated, their relationship has been murkier over the years and she has been described as his live-in companion, his best friend, his assistantand his madam. She is credited with introducing Epstein to the New York social scene and notable figures like Prince Andrew, a member of the British royal family. Story continues Villian Ghislaine Maxwell Lived Life of Privilege as FBI Hunted Her Maxwell continued to socialize after Epstein served a 13-month sentence in Florida in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution but the pair were not seen together as often. What has she been charged with today? Maxwell has been charged with six offenses relating to the transportation and enticement of minors to engage in illegal sex acts. It relates to three underage victims and covers the period 1994 to 1997. She is accused of recruiting and grooming girls who traveled to Epsteins homes in New York and New Mexico, and Maxwells London home for erotic massages that turned into sexual abuse. She allegedly procured the girls and built a rapport by taking them shopping and asking about their lives. She then slowly normalized sexual abuse by undressing in front of them, discussing sexual topics, and being present when they gave Epstein massages, an 18-page indictment says. She is also accused of participating in some of the massages and sexual abuse. She and Epstein often gave victims expensive travel and education opportunities, leaving them feeling indebted to the pair. Maxwell is also charged with two counts of perjury for allegedly lying during a 2016 deposition in which she said shed never participated in any massages and shed wasnt aware of Epsteins persistent sexual abuse. Epstein was charged with several sexual abuse and sex trafficking offenses last year but committed suicide in his jail cell after being denied bond. Is this the first time we have heard these allegations? No. Maxwell is facing three civil lawsuits by women who accused her of helping Epstein procure girls who were sexually assaulted and trafficked out to other pedophiles on multiple continents. She is accused of participating in some of the sexual abuse in the form of threesomes with Epstein and underage girls. Most notably, Virginia Giuffre accused Epstein and Maxwell of keeping her as a sex slave when she was 16 and loaning her out to high-powered menincluding one of Maxwells high-society connections, Prince Andrew, who went on to become a close Epstein palfor erotic massages and sex. Maxwell denied the allegations and counter-sued Giuffre for defamation with the case settled in 2017 on confidential terms. Despite a photo existing of him and Giuffre in Maxwells London townhouse, Prince Andrew has denied knowing Giuffre and maintained that he knew nothing about his close friend Epsteins sexual abuse. Epstein Victim: Ghislaine Maxwell Made Me Recruit Youngest-Looking Girls for Epstein Another victim, Jennifer Araoz, is suing both Maxwell and Epsteins estate over repeated sexual abuse in the early 2000s that culminated in a brutal rape in Epsteins New York mansion. She alleges that Maxwell and Epsteins employees recruited her from outside her high school and introduced her to the billionaire pedophile under the guise of helping her fledgling musical career. Maxwell helped to identify and hire underage girls, schedule appointments for erotic massages, and later intimidate witnesses into not disclosing abuse, the lawsuit says. Two other victims have suits against Maxwell and Epsteins estates: an unidentified 13-year-old known only as Jane Doe; and Annie Farmer, who was flown out to Epsteins New Mexico ranch in the '90s and accuses the pair of rape, battery, and false imprisonment. Sarah Ransome, who accused Maxwell of hiring her to give massages to Epstein and threatening to harm her if she didnt comply, settled a suit against Maxwell and Epsteins estates. Why has it taken so long to arrest her? Maxwell has been in hiding since Epsteins arrest last year, refusing to accept service of the civil lawsuits and only communicating with courts through her lawyers, who said they didnt know where she was living. She filed a lawsuit in Superior Court in the U.S. Virgin Islands in March this year seeking money from Epsteins estate to cover legal and security costs, claiming Epstein had promised to always look after her financially. Rumors have swirled in the past year, placing Maxwell in Brazil, Paris, and rural France. Last August, it appeared she was living in Manchester by the Sea, Massachusetts, in the home of a possible boyfriend, Scott Borgerson, CEO of CargoMetrics, a hedge fund firm involved in maritime data analytics. Locals said theyd seen her walking her dog on the beach and going by the name G. Later that month, she was supposedly photographed eating at an In-N-Out in Los Angeles but the photos, which ran in the New York Post, were later proven to have been staged by her friend, the lawyer attorney Leah Saffian. Southern District of New York prosecutors said Thursday they had been keeping tabs on her all along and she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire where she was still living in luxury. In a court filing, prosecutors said Maxwell had moved at least twice recently, had switched her primary phone number (which she registered under the name G Max) and email address, and had ordered packages under different shipping names. The 156-acre property in Bradford, New Hampshire, was paid for with cash in December using a carefully anonymized LLC, the filing says. What kind of high-society connections did she have? Maxwells longstanding friendship with Prince Andrew has perhaps caused the most ructions. She introduced him to Guiffre during a London trip, leading the British royal to be dogged for years by accusations of underage sex. In a car-crash interview with the BBC, Prince Andrew said he couldnt recall ever meeting Guiffre and said he could disprove her allegations of a disturbingly sweaty sexual encounter because he was unable to sweat. The royal was a frequent guest at Epsteins private island, where staff claim they saw him engaging in sex acts with underage girls. Prince Andrew Claims He Offered to Make Jeffrey Epstein Witness Statement At Least Three Times Maxwell had close connections to the Clinton family, too. She attended Chelsea Clinton's wedding in 2010, appeared at a dinner at the Clinton White House with Epstein in 1993, and participated in the Clinton Global Initiative as recently as 2013, through her oceanic non-profit the TerraMar Project, according to the Initiatives website. Bill Clintons name appeared on flight logs for Epsteins private planeand witnesses placed him on the private islandbut he has denied any involvement in illegal acts. Similarly, Chelsea Clinton maintains she had no idea about Maxwells alleged sexual grooming. What does she do for a living? She has had numerous streams of income over the years, from running social clubs at Oxford to working for a Madison Avenue real estate company to living off a trust fund set up by her father. Maxwell launched a bizarre, and now defunct, oceanic environmental non-profit called TerraMar in 2012 that advocated for the protection of oceans. The FBI had reportedly been investigating whether TerraMar was a shell company. The New York Post reported that Maxwell pumped $283,429 worth of loans through the company between 2012 and 2017, and gave out just $874 in grants. What was her family like? The Maxwell family has been described as having more skeletons in the closet than a haunted house. After Roberts mysterious death in 1991, rumors abounded that he was an Israeli spy. It also emerged that his companies were in massive debt and he had plundered hundreds of millions of dollars from the pension fund of one of his newspapers. Two of his sons were implicated in the corporate theft but later cleared. Two of her sisters, twins Isabel and Christine, were internet pioneers who started the early search engine Magellan. Her brother-in-law Al Seckel, who gave TED talks on optical illusions, reportedly fell to his death in 2015 after he was exposed as a swindler in Los Angeles. Robert Maxwells parents and siblings were killed during the Holocaust, inspiring his French Protestant wife, Elisabeth, to become a renowned Holocaust scholar. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Prince Andrew has been named in a lawsuit filed in the US by a woman claiming she was introduced to the Duke before being raped by Epstein - AKGS Prince Andrew has been named in a lawsuit filed in the US on Thursday by a woman claiming she was introduced to the Duke shortly before being raped by Jeffrey Epstein. Caroline Kaufman alleges that she was sexually abused by Epstein in 2010 when she was 17 at the late financiers New York mansion while the Duke of York was visiting, in a civil suit filed on the same day as charges were brought against Epsteins associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Ms Kaufman, now 26, said she was invited to the house for a modelling interview, according to a suit seen by The Telegraph that was filed at the Manhattan Federal Court against Epsteins $630 million estate. Prince Andrew was pictured leaving the Upper East side townhouse in 2010, two years after Epstein was convicted by a Florida state court of procuring an underage girl for prostitution. The Duke claimed he had travelled to the US to cut off ties with Epstein. The suit will add to mounting pressure on the Duke to address allegations centering on his contact with Epstein and his former girlfriend Ms Maxwell. Caroline Kaufman, 26, accused Epstein of raping her during a 'modeling interview' at his Manhattan mansion - Facebook It does not accuse the Duke of wrongdoing or of being aware of the alleged attack. He has previously said of his interaction with Epstein, who died in prison last year: "At no stage during the limited time I spent with (Epstein) did I see, witness or suspect any behavior of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction." The lawsuit alleges Ms Kaufman was told to strip naked and was photographed by an older woman she now believes to be Ms Maxwell. Upon entering Epsteins Manhattan home, Kaufman was introduced to a number of people. One of the individuals was Andrew Albert Christian Edward, aka, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, it reads. Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell appear together in New York in 2005 - Getty Kaufman was escorted by Maxwell into a massage room. Epstein was nude on the massage table as she entered the room. After Maxwell left the room, Epstein got up off the table, grabbed Kaufman and threw her against the massage table, the suit alleges. During this encounter, Epstein (...) raped Kaufman, while saying 'I know you love it.' Kaufman was screaming for help during this encounter, but no one came to her rescue. Story continues Ms Kaufman says she was lured into Epsteins circle through his close associate Susan Hamblin whom she met at a horse show in New York earlier in 2010. Ms Hamblin, who was also reportedly present, handed $500 to Ms Kaufman as she left, the suit says and wanted her not to speak about the incident as Mr Epstein is a very powerful man and he knows presidents. If you say anything he will kill you and your family." Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Audrey Strauss, speaks to the media at a press conference to announce the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell - Getty The lawsuit claims that Ms Kaufman has suffered "extreme distress, humiliation, fear, psychological trauma, loss of dignity and self esteem and invasion of her privacy". It adds: "Epstein and his co-conspirators enticed Kaufman to cross state lines, with the full knowledge and intent to sexually exploit Kaufman. Ms Kaufman is asking for damages and legal costs from Epstein's estate, and a jury trial of the civil case. It came as Audrey Strauss, acting US Attorney for the Southern District for New York, urged Prince Andrew to come forward to be questioned, saying: "We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk to us, we would like to have the benefit of his statement." A source close to the Duke told The Telegraph: The Dukes team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DOJ (US Department of Justice) in the last month and to-date, we have had no response. Virginia Roberts Giuffre speaks during an interview on the BBC Panorama program that will be aired on Monday Dec. 2, 2019. Roberts Giuffre says she was a trafficking victim made to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17 - BBC Panorama The Duke is facing allegations from Virginia Roberts Giuffre that Ms Maxwell arranged for her to have sex with Prince Andrew at her London townhouse. Ms Giuffre bolstered her allegations with a picture of her, the Duke and Ms Maxwell that she said was taken at the time. Prince Andrew denied her story, saying he did not recollect ever having met Ms Giuffre, and Ms Maxwell said in a deposition that Ms Giuffre was "totally lying." The prince was not mentioned in Thursdays criminal indictment, and the charges covered Ms Maxwell's dealings with Epstein only from 1994 through 1997, a period well before his alleged encounters with Ms Giuffre in 2001. Ms Maxwell was charged with helping elicit underage girls to travel for sex and of lying to investigators about it later. Sources have suggested that Ms Maxwell could be asked to co-operate with prosecutors, by sharing information she may have on bigger names that may have been involved in Epsteins sex ring in order to secure a plea deal. Lisa Bloom, a lawyer for some of the victims, said: Im sure that Ghislaines attorneys will try to make a deal where she speaks out about a bigger name to get reduced charges for herself. But she herself is a big name, with Jeffrey Epsteins passing a year ago, she is one of the biggest names of people who were involved in this scheme, she added. Prince Andrew is subjecting Jeffrey Epsteins victims to a torture test by not speaking out according to one of the lawyers involved in the case. Gloria Allred, a lawyer for some of the alleged victims, was speaking after Epsteins former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in the US on Thursday. Her arrest has sparked renewed calls for the Duke of York to co-operate with American authorities investigating Epstein. Maxwell, 58, has been charged with helping disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Epstein to sexually exploit and abuse multiple minor girls over a three-year period in the 1990s. Epstein died in prison last year as he awaited trial on new charges. Andrew says he was introduced to Epstein by Maxwell. Yahoo News UK understands that the duke, 60, is bewildered by the requests to speak to US prosecutors and they insist his legal team has offered on multiple occasions. Read more: Who is Ghislaine Maxwell? The London socialite now accused of being paedophiles procuress Ghislaine Maxwell, with the Duke of York leaving the wedding of a former girlfriend of the Duke, Aurelia Cecil in 2000. (PA Images) Speaking on Friday morning to ITV1s Good Morning Britain, Gloria Allred, who represented some of the alleged victims in the case: The question is, Prince Andrew when is he going to tell what he knows? He needs to do that. He needs to do it without delay. It is so traumatising and difficult for the victims not to know the truth. And this kind of torture test that Prince Andrew is subjecting the victims to, like will he or wont he give a statement, if he will, when? More excuses, more delays, it really is painful for many of the victims. Its just not fair. Allred has previously targeted Andrew over his relationship with Epstein, leaving a school bus outside Buckingham Palace with his face on it, and asking him to call the FBI. Read more: 'Come and talk to us': US prosecutor calls for Prince Andrew to speak to FBI after Ghislaine Maxwell charged over child sex abuse crimes Gloria Allred has repeatedly urged Prince Andrew to speak to authorities in the US. (Getty Images) Spencer Coogan, who represents some of the other alleged victims in the case, told BBC Radio 4 his clients were relieved that Maxwell had been arrested. Story continues He said: I certainly think Prince Andrew has a story to tell. On behalf of the victims be have continuously asked him to step forward, step up, be a man and tell us what he knows. He has been hiding behind not only the royal family but his attorneys. Regardless of his position we, on behalf of the victims, hope that he will step forward and speak up about what he witnessed, at the very least when he was visiting the (Epstein) mansion in New York, when he visited the home in Palm Beach and when we know he was down visiting the Virgin Islands mansion. Boris Johnson declined to say how the government would respond if an approach was made to speak to the Duke of York. He said on LBC: No such approach has been made and otherwise it really is a matter for the royal family. Read more: Prince Andrew accuses US prosecutors of seeking publicity instead of answers Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Audrey Strauss, announces charges against Ghislaine Maxwell. (Getty Images) On Thursday night, a source close to the dukes working group said: The Dukes team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DOJ in the last month, and to-date, we have had no response. The duke has found himself in a transatlantic war of words over his friendship with Epstein. He denies all allegations against him. Having pledged to co-operate with the investigation into Epstein, US prosecutors say they have yet to hear from the duke. He claims they have been seeking headlines instead of help and that he has offered to speak. Andrew tried to distance himself from the disgraced financier, but had to step down from his senior royal duties in November 2019 after a disastrous BBC Newsnight interview. He said after the interview that he unequivocally regretted his relationship with Epstein, and offered his sympathy to the victims. Earlier this year it emerged he is unlikely ever return to royal duties, with the Queen resigned to the situation. In mid-June, a source close to the duke told The Sunday Times: I dont think he regrets the intention behind the interview, which was to clear the air for his family, the royal family and the institution. But the fact he was unable to appropriately or sufficiently convey his sympathy for the victims of Epstein, is of course a source of regret. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK The Queen would be distressed by the claims, a royal editor has said. (PA images) A royal expert has claimed the Queen would be distressed by Meghan Markles claims that she felt unprotected by the royal family when she was pregnant. Russell Myers, The Daily Mirrors Royal Editor, told Good Morning Britain that the monarch and senior members of the family would no doubt be upset that Meghan felt she was "prohibited from defending herself" against negative media coverage at the time, as UK news outlet agencies have reported, citing court documents. "They are absolutely disturbing reading for the royal family and they will be very distressed, Russell said. Russell went on to say that back in January, when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they were stepping away from their roles as senior royals, the Queen released a statement saying that while she was disappointed, she understood their decision. "The Queen mentions family, how they took Meghan into the heart of the family and how she had been so impressed with her, he said. "Certainly, these claims that she felt unprotected, especially when pregnant, will be very distressing indeed for the Queen, Charles, Kate and William." Read more: Meghan Markle was 'unprotected by the Institution' after media attacks, court papers say Harry and Meghan stepped back from their royal roles in March 2020. (Getty Images) The statement at the time read: Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family. I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life. I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family. It is my whole familys hope that todays agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life. Court documents reviewed by the Press Association and the BBC were prepared as part of Meghan's lawsuit against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday newspaper and MailOnline website over articles that reproduced parts of a letter the duchess wrote to her father a few months after her 2018 marriage to Prince Harry. Story continues Read more: Why is Meghan Markle suing the Mail on Sunday? Meghan is seeking damages from the Mail on Sunday's publisher for alleged misuse of private information, breach of privacy and copyright infringement. The publisher, Associated Newspapers, denies her claims. In court papers reportedly filed after the publisher's lawyers requested further information, Meghan's lawyers described how her relationship with the British media had deteriorated by the time excerpts of the letter appeared in print and online in 2019. "The claimant had become the subject of a large number of false and damaging articles by the UK tabloid media, specifically by the defendant, which caused tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health," they wrote. Referring to interviews that five of Meghan's friends gave to People magazine last year, the duchess's lawyers added: "As her friends had never seen her in this state before, they were rightly concerned for her welfare, specifically as she was pregnant, unprotected by the Institution, and prohibited from defending herself." Queen Elizabeth II and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during Trooping The Colour 2018. (Getty Images) Read more: Eight times the Royal Family has sued the media In the People article, published in February 2019, the friends spoke out against the bullying the royal said she faced. Following a preliminary hearing in London in May, a judge struck out parts of Meghan's claim against Associated Newspapers, including allegations that it acted "dishonestly" by leaving out certain parts of her letter to her father, Thomas Markle. The judge also struck out allegations that the publisher deliberately stirred up issues between Meghan and her father and that it had an agenda in publishing intrusive articles about her. With extra reporting by AAP MOSCOW (AP) Russia's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Moscow has never delivered weapons to the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, countering U.S. allegations. Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova rejected the claim by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said Wednesday that he had repeatedly raised the issue during his talks with the Russians. Russia has only supplied weapons to the legitimate government of Afghanistan, which is well known, Zakharova said at a briefing. On Wednesday, Pompeo said that "the Russians have been selling small arms that have put Americans at risk there for 10 years. He added: "When I meet with my Russian counterparts, I talk with them about this each time: Stop this. Russia, which has long been critical of the U.S.-led operation in Afghanistan, welcomed February's peace deal between the U.S. and the Taliban aimed at ending the protracted war. Zakharova didn't comment Thursday on reports that Moscow offered bounties for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but other Russian officials have denounced them as fake. Earlier this week, Zamir Kabulov, a top Russian diplomat who serves as Russian President Vladimir Putins representative on Afghanistan, described the bounty allegations as a reflection of the U.S. political infighting, and charged that they could have been spread by forces that dont want to leave Afghanistan and are willing to justify their failure. If you had asked 40-year-old Melonie, she would have said yes, Johnson said. But 50-plus Melonie says no. My personality does not allow me to seek validation through others; I have to wake up in the morning and like what I see in the mirror. Im never afraid to say, I dont know or I need help. INDIANAPOLIS After decades of segregation, of failing to educate and serve all students equally, of privileging the prejudice of white parents over the well-being of Black students, a new era has begun in Indianapolis Public Schools. The IPS Board of School Commissioners unanimously adopted a new racial equity policy and resolution affirming that Black lives matter last week, naming the ways in which the district has failed its Black and brown students in the past and committing to doing better in the future. It will be wide-ranging, affecting everything from how students are taught and disciplined to how teachers are hired and trained. The policy has been in the works for the past 18 months and wasnt due out until later this summer, but Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said timing its adoption with the current momentum around the Black Lives Matter movement felt right. Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Aleesia Johnson poses for a portrait at her Indianapolis office on Wednesday, June 17, 2020. Creating and adopting what she calls a racial equity mindset was one of Johnsons top priorities when interviewing to lead the district. The first Black woman to lead the district, she served as interim starting in January 2019 and was officially hired into the position last June. With the current climate, it felt right to bring it now, in June, and amplify this message and our commitment to racial equity and the work we have ahead, Johnson said after the vote. 'This impacts your life forever': How one school district addresses students' racism charges This month's board meeting was the first the district held in person since schools were closed statewide in March. Most board members were present, though at least one participated electronically as concerns persist about the spread of the coronavirus. Attendance at the meeting was capped at 50, including board members and district staff, but only 25 people were physically present. The district livestreamed the meeting online for those who could not be there. Several board members commented on the weight of the moment. Commissioner Susan Collins called it a "historic night." Story continues The school district is the largest in Indiana. Eighty percent of the students it serves identify as Black, Hispanic, multiracial or an ethnicity other than white. Still, white students far outpace their Black and brown counterparts on state tests, and the vast majority of the districts teachers are white. And despite the racial makeup of the district, some of its highest-performing schools are majority-white and inequities in access and opportunity persist. That needs to change, said school board president Michael OConnor. We must address the reality of the knee of the white community on the neck of the Black community, OConnor said, a knee that may not always extinguish the precious gift of life but certainly has been used to limit the oxygen of fair and equitable access to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. What those of us in the white community must now recognize is this: Simply removing our knee from the neck of the Black community isnt enough. We must extend a hand and the warm embrace of equity, that we must assure and provide equitable access to education, economic opportunity and all the tools that allowed so many of us people like me to succeed. That is, indeed, what we are starting to say. Michael O'Connor, president of the Indianapolis Public Schools board, speaking at the IPS headquarters on Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. Its work the district has begun, Johnson said, but will continue. By adopting the policy, the district will continue and expand ongoing efforts to identify and address racial disparities and disproportionalities in discipline and academic outcomes, expand equitable access to educational and programmatic opportunities, and examine policies and practices to ensure that their burdens and benefits do not reinforce existing inequalities." As part of the new commitment, Johnson will regularly report to the board on students' academic performance and the district's progress on closing achievement gaps. The district will work to create more diverse candidate pools when hiring, in recognition of the importance of representation in its teaching force. And the district committed to supporting and advocating for legislation to address inequities. "I am proud of this moment, but we must remember this is just the start," OConnor said. "All we have done is put words on paper good, powerful and meaningful words. But, if we dont follow that up with action, that meaning will all be lost. We must have uncomfortable conversations, make difficult decisions and demand the equity we are spelling out." Schools and racial equity: Austin schools suspend Black students nearly 5 times as often as white students The resolution included several guiding principles: Black lives matter. Every student is capable of success, deserving of respect and valuable to our community. All students of every race benefit from Black teachers and Black leaders. Representation and recognition matter. Understanding the ugly truth of our past is necessary to building a beautiful vision of our future. The district will also recognize Juneteenth as a district holiday. June 19 is celebrated as a day of liberation, commemorating the day the last enslaved people in the United States were freed, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Read the resolution below. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Black Lives Matter: How 1 school district is pushing for racial equity Florida teacher Amy Spies' classroom is normally so cramped that her 22 fourth-graders do not even have space to hang their backpacks over their chairs. So if every student returns when school begins next month, there is no way, she says, that her class will be able to follow health guidelines that recommend keeping 6 feet between students to reduce the chance of transmitting the coronavirus. But Spies' school, R.J. Longstreet Elementary School in Daytona Beach, has yet to present an alternative to her that would make social distancing possible. A move like bringing on a second teacher who could teach half her students in another classroom seems highly unlikely, given her school district's budget is facing a $14 million deficit. "They have already tried to cut anywhere humanly possible," said Spies, 46, who worries that because she donated a kidney to her aunt in 2011, she would be at risk for complications if she gets COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. "With the safeguards they are attempting to have in place, I just don't know where they're going to get the money, or even the manpower, to ensure it's all happening." Amy Spies (Courtesy Amy Spies) Spies' district is far from alone. As educators across the country look to reopen schools in the fall and welcome at least a portion of their students back in-person, they find themselves in an impossible situation. With their budgets decimated by the economic downturn, many school districts are wondering how they will pay for costly new cleaning procedures, health screenings and other safety measures for those reentering their schools for the first time since the pandemic shuttered them. Related: The price tag is expected to be enormous: The average-size district could pay as much as $1.8 million to reopen all of its school buildings under the new safety guidelines, according to a joint analysis by the Association of School Business Officials International and AASA, The School Superintendents Association. Story continues "Districts are looking at significant cuts in their budget and wondering where the money will come from. They're caught between a rock and a hard place, and the biggest fear is they're going to be forced to open schools without the safety guidelines," said Dan Domenech, executive director of AASA, which advocates on behalf of the 14,000 superintendents in the United States. Still, there is a push to bring students back. Despite no reliable treatment or vaccine yet for the coronavirus, the American Academy of Pediatrics says it "strongly advocates" having children physically present in school, citing some evidence that not only are children less likely to get severely infected by the coronavirus, they also may be less likely to spread the infection. And remote learning is widely considered to be less effective, with research suggesting low-income, Black and Latino students are experiencing the greatest academic losses. How, exactly, the fall semester will look will vary across the country: In Florida, Spies' school and others are slated to reopen at full capacity per Gov. Ron DeSantis' recommendations, even as coronavirus cases in the state spike. Florida students can opt to continue remote learning instead of coming back in-person if they have health concerns. Spies has not yet heard how many of her students, if any, will choose that option. California, which narrowly averted a budget crisis that could have delayed the start of the fall semester in at least six major districts, anticipates a hybrid model combining some face-to-face learning and some remote learning so fewer children will be in the building at one time, making it easier to practice social distancing. Connecticut will allow students to return in-person but is leaving details up to individual districts. Same with New Jersey, where Gov. Phil Murphy has said it is probable many schools will use the blended model of some learning in school and some at home. New York City, the nation's largest public school system with 1.1 million students, plans to reopen with social-distancing guidelines, Mayor Bill De Blasio announced on Thursday, although he did not provide details on what that might mean in terms of staggering students' schedules or finding extra spaces to teach them, if the plan proceeds. School districts have dealt with economic crises before, but they have not dealt with an economic crisis on top of a global health pandemic at the same time. In the meantime, school districts are trimming costs anywhere they can from not renewing software licenses to deferring maintenance on school facilities to laying off administrative positions in their central district offices, said Elleka Yost, the government affairs and communications manager with the Association of School Business Officials International. All that still may not be enough. "The challenges that stand before schools are just Herculean," Yost said. "School districts have dealt with economic crises before, but they have not dealt with an economic crisis on top of a global health pandemic at the same time." Federal safety guidelines, but not enough federal funding If schools bring students back in-person, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends they provide adequate soap and hand sanitizer, turn desks to face the same direction, install sneeze guards in areas such as reception desks where it isn't possible to maintain social distancing, provide visual cues like tape on floors to help students and staff stay 6 feet away from each other, and close communal spaces, such as cafeterias and playgrounds, if feasible, or stringently disinfect them between use if not. The recommendations will be expensive to implement: For an average school district with 3,659 students in 8 school buildings, hand sanitizer alone will be $39,517. Additional custodial staff to sanitize schools could be another $448,000. And if schools add bus aides to screen students for fevers before they board, that would be an additional $384,000. Congress did provide some funding to schools through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act at the end of March $13.5 billion but education advocates say much more is needed. Hopes were raised this week when Democratic Sens. Patty Murray of Washington and Chuck Schumer of New York on Tuesday introduced a $430 billion coronavirus relief bill for child care and education, $175 billion of which would go to K-12 schools. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called the bill "visionary" in a statement and said it would "provide the 'must haves' of physical distancing, deep cleaning, PPE for educators and students, and resources to support our most vulnerable students." Lily Eskelsen Garcia, president of the National Education Association, urged lawmakers to promptly pass the bill. The American economy cannot recover if schools cant reopen." "The American economy cannot recover if schools can't reopen, and we cannot properly reopen schools if funding is slashed and students don't have what they need to be safe, learn and succeed," she said in a statement. But it is not clear when, or if, the bill will pass. An earlier education bill stalled in May, when only the House of Representatives passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions, or HEROES Act, a bill that contained about $100 billion for education. The Republican-controlled Senate indicated it won't consider that bill, although last week, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said Congress must give schools and colleges the money they need so students can return. 'There are no easy answers' While all schools are struggling to make their new reality work, experts say districts in which the majority of students live in poverty will be the hardest hit. Schools are primarily funded through tax revenues, with about 90 to 92 percent of funding coming from state and local sources, including property and sales taxes, Yost said, which have suffered since the pandemic ravaged the economy and cost millions of Americans their jobs. The remaining 8 to 10 percent of funding is generally federal. In Cobb County, Georgia, which has about 113,000 students, school officials are looking at a $65 million shortfall, according to John Floresta, the school district's chief strategy and accountability officer. That's after the county received approximately $16 million in federal funds from the CARES Act. "We appreciate that," Floresta said of the CARES funding. "But in a district with a $1.2 billion budget, it doesn't amount to much." Meanwhile, in Taunton, Massachusetts, about 160 teachers and staff have received layoff notices ahead of the new school year amid a $5.8 million budget cut for the district. James Quaintance (Courtesy James Quaintance) James Quaintance, a career technology education teacher at Taunton High School and president of the Taunton Education Association, said if students return to class in-person, they will require more teachers, not fewer, and more money to fund a safe education. "It's unconscionable that people would expect us to provide a quality education to the students in this environment," he said. "You're going to have to do more with less. It's simply crazy." Spies, the Florida fourth-grade teacher, is unsure how her school year will look. Her Title 1 school, where about 75 percent of students receive free or reduced breakfast and lunch, does a lot on a shoestring budget to begin with. Even before the coronavirus hit, Spies and other teachers had complained that the custodial services, which the district outsourced years ago, did not provide a satisfactory level of cleanliness. School buses were already crowded. If the funds arent there, how are we going to make it happen? Now, there is even less to work with. Her district has just eliminated its social-emotional learning department as a cost-cutting measure, removing services Spies feels her students will need more than ever when they return. "This has been the most challenging time of my educational career," Spies, who has taught for 23 years and was named her school's most recent Teacher of the Year, said. "Lying awake nightly trying to think what we can do to best protect our students and also trying to ensure that the opportunity gap doesn't become even larger just weighs so heavily." "There are no easy answers," she added. "If the funds aren't there, how are we going to make it happen?" Sharon Osbourne attending X Factor filming at the Titanic Hotel, Liverpool. Picture date: Tuesday June 20, 2017. Jon Super/PA Wire via Getty Images. Sharon Osbourne has voiced her support for the take-down of John Wayne's name and statue from a US airport. John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California was named after the Hollywood actor who lived nearby but the Democratic Party of Orange Country recently passed an emergency resolution calling for the airport to revert back to its original name of Orange County Airport. Now, Osbourne has said he should no longer be memorialised in such a way due to his views on race. Read more: Sharon Osbourne says she was fat-shamed by her brother The 67-year-old told the Daily Star: It just gives me the creeps. There has always been this reputation of him of really hating blacks, Jews, anybody that wasnt white. Travelers walk past a John Wayne statue at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Calif, Monday, June 29, 2020. In the latest move to change place names in light of U.S. racial history, leaders of Orange County's Democratic Party are pushing to drop film legend Wayne's name, statue and other likenesses from the county's airport because of his racist and bigoted comments. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) When the airport came, I was like: Why would you give this man this honour of having an airport named after somebody like that, who is just a bad man, a really ugly man? We cannot celebrate these people that we once thought were heroes. The Western film star, who died in 1979 at the age of 72, made multiple racist comments during an interview with Playboy in 1971. The interview saw Wayne state: I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I dont believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people. He also said that Native American people had "selfishly" tried to keep their land from being colonised. In addition, Wayne made homophobic remarks as he described Midnight Cowboy as a story about two f**s. American actor John Wayne on the set of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance directed and produced by John Ford. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) It comes as a debate wages on about whether place names and symbols linked to figures who profited from or believed in white supremacy should remain in place. It follows global anti-racism protests after George Floyd, a black man, was killed by police in the US. Wayne, who was born Marion Morrison, has been defended by his son Ethan Wayne who released a statement saying his father should not be judged on a single interview. He added that the actor "did not support 'white supremacy' in any way and believed that responsible people should gain power without the use of violence". Actor Tom Cruise (L) and actor Simon Pegg attend 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' press conference, 2018. (Photo by Visual China Group via Getty Images) Simon Pegg has declared his interest in joining Tom Cruise in space for a potential movie. Back in May there were reports that Cruise was working alongside Elon Musks Space X and NASA for the first ever narrative feature film to be shot in outer space. Even though it was specifically reported that the action adventure movie wouldnt be part of the Mission: Impossible series, Pegg still told NME that he would love to go into space for it. Read More: Simon Pegg told Carrie Fisher: 'I've always loved you' It would be amazing! But you know, you have to also think about your family and safety and stuff. Tom never does anything recklessly and all of his stunts are meticulously designed, rehearsed and trained for. If he does it, it will be really safe. So, I dont know, you never know. Simon Pegg says he and Ving Rhames have bigger roles in the Mission: Impossible sequels (Image by Paramount Pictures) Since that intergalactic movie is still in the very early stages of development, the conversation soon turned to the upcoming Mission: Impossible sequels, which will see Pegg return as Benji Dunn. According to Pegg, writer and director Christopher McQuarrie has given Dunn and Ving Rhames Luther Stickell much bigger roles for the seventh and eight installments, too, which are being filmed back to back. Read More: Simon Pegg reveals 'Hot Fuzz' sequel would've gone to 'the big city' I know the basic story of the two movies and its going to be a lot of fun, Pegg continued. With me and Ving, you know, weve put the hours in now so wed hope we would get some kind of payback to give our characters their own arc, something really interesting to do and I think we have that now. Its great because it obviously gives you something to get your teeth into as an actor and you dont want to be hanging around waiting to do stuff on set. You want to be on set and if you are the main actor, then you do get to do that the most. It was really nice. I hope I can continue to do that. Click here to read the full article. Key Point: Although Bismarck outclassed nearly all the heavy capital ships that chased it, naval aviation was another matter. On May 23, 1941, the Battleship Bismarck was on a roll. The largest and most powerful ship in the German Navy, the mighty Bismarck had broken out into the Atlantic Ocean, sunk a Royal Navy battlecruiser, badly damaged a battleship and was poised to add its guns to a naval blockade that threatened to strangle Great Britain. Ninety-six hours later, heavily damaged, the battleship was on the bottom of the North Atlantic. Bismarcks swift reversal of fortune was the result of a heroic effort by the Royal Navy to hunt down and destroy the battlewagon, and avenge the more than 1,400 Royal Navy personnel killed in the Denmark Strait. The German battleship Bismarck was the pride of the Reichsmarine, Nazi Germanys naval service. Construction began in 1936, and the ship was commissioned in April 1940. It and its sister ship, Tirpitz, were 821 feet long and displaced fifty thousand tons, making them by far the largest warships ever built by Germany. Despite its size, twelve Wagner steam boilers made it capable of a fast thirty knots. Like any battlewagon, Bismarcks firepower lay in its main gun batteries. Bismarck had eight fifteen-inch guns in four large turrets, each capable of hurling a 1,800-pound armor-piercing, capped projectile 21.75 miles. This gave it the ability to penetrate 16.5 inches of armor at eleven miles. The relatively small size of Germanys World War II navy made it incapable of taking on the British and French navies head-on. Instead, the Kriegsmarine was given a much more limited role, of shepherding invasion fleets and cutting off the flow of commerce to Great Britain. On May 18, 1941, Bismarck and its escort, the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, embarked on Operation Rheinubung, a campaign to sink Allied shipping in the North Atlantic and knock Britain out of the war. Story continues On May 24, southwest of Iceland, Bismarck and Prinz Eugen tangled with the battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the aging battlecruiser HMS Hood. Trading armored protection for speed, Hoods designers had left it dangerously exposed to enemy fire. Hits from the German task force ignited an ammunition fire that raged out of control on Hood. Within ten minutes a titanic explosion shook the Denmark Strait as the fire reached the aft magazine. Hood broke in half and sank, taking 1,418 men with it. Bismarck, despite its stunning victory, had not emerged from the battle unscathed. Hit three times by Prince of Wales, it lost some of its fuel supply to seawater contamination, sustained damage to its propulsion, and suffered a nine-degree list to port. Its captain, desperate to get away from the site of the battle and a slowly coalescing Royal Navy force eager for revenge, refused to slow down to allow damage control to effect repairs. Bismarcks captain was correct. The Royal Navy was assembling a large force to sink it, and indeed had ordered every ship in the area to join in the search to find it. The much larger Royal Navy was able to assemble a force of six battleships and battlecruisers, two aircraft carriers, thirteen cruisers, and twenty-one destroyers to hunt Bismarck. Unfortunately, many of the larger ships were of World War I vintage, and could not catch up with the wounded, but still fast Bismarck. Although Bismarck outclassed nearly all the heavy capital ships that chased it, naval aviation was another matter. The German task forces location was betrayed by oil leaking from the battleship and the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious was sent to slow it down. An air strike by six Fairey Fulmar carrier-based fighters and nine Fairey Swordfish carrier torpedo bombers managed a single hit on Bismarck. The torpedo explosion did minor damage, but the evasive maneuvers conducted by Bismarcks captain to evade the torpedo attack caused even more damage, slowing the mighty battleship to sixteen knots. Although it was eventually able to get back up to twenty-eight knots, the temporary loss of its speed advantage allowed a Royal Navy task force, Force H, to catch up to it. Established to take the place of the surrendered French Navy in the western Mediterranean, Force H was based at Gibraltar. It consisted of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, the battlecruiser Renown and a light cruiser. But Force H had to find it first. British intelligence had decoded some of the Kriegsmarines message traffic, which stated that the Bismarck was going to Brest for repairs. Reports from the French resistance that the Luftwaffe was assembling at Brest to provide an air umbrella for the battleship corroborated the report. So did a sighting of the battleship by a U.S. Navy Catalina seaplane that put it a day away from the French port. All of this happened very quickly throughout the morning of May 26. At 9 p.m. on the twenty-sixth, an initial air strike of Fairey Swordfish torpedo planes was aborted after the strike force mistakenly attacked the light cruiser HMS Sheffield. The bungled attack proved beneficial, however, in that the new torpedo detonators failed to work properly. Had the Swordfishes found their mark, the attack would have been for nothing. The new detonators were swapped out for the older, reliable ones, and a second attack was launched. The second Swordfish attack correctly located Bismarck. A single torpedo found its target, jamming the ships rudder. The mighty battleship was reduced to sailing in circles in the North Atlantic, unable to straighten out and continue onward to Brest. To make matters worse, a combined force of Royal Navy and Polish destroyers made repeated torpedo runs on the ship, exhausting the crew. Bismarcks crew proved unable to repair the rudder. At twenty minutes to midnight, Bismarcks captain radioed German forces in France: Ship unmaneuverable. We will fight to the last shell. Long live the Fuhrer. The next day, May 27, the Royal Navy moved in for the kill. At 8:47 a.m., the battleships HMS Rodney and HMS King George V opened fire on the wounded German battleship, striking it several times. Bismarck returned fire, but its inability to steer and list made accurate return fire nearly impossible. One of Bismarcks shells landed just sixty feet from Rodneys bridge, drenching it with water, but the German battleship was unable to damage its assailants in any meaningful way. Eventually Rodney and King George V defanged the their German counterpart. Turrets A and B were destroyed within the first hour and twenty minutes of the battle, while Turret D was put out of action when a shell exploded inside one of the main gun barrels. The last turret, C, ceased fire ten minutes later, at 9:31 a.m. Bismarcks main guns were totally out of action. Still, the fifty-thousand-ton battleship refused to sink. King George V blasted away at a range of 1.5 miles with all ten guns, point-blank range for battleships. The heavy cruisers Norfolk and Dorsetshire joined in the battle. The ships superstructure was turned into scrap, and the ship was burning from many fires. Hundreds of crew lay dead or dying, and a pillar of black smoke followed it. By 10 a.m., Rodney had expended 380 sixteen-inch shells on Bismarck, and King George V 339 rounds of fourteen-inch shells. The secondary 5.5- to 6-inch guns of both battleships, plus the guns of the two heavy cruisers, expended a total of 2,156 shells on the battleship, plus numerous torpedo attacks. While not every shell hit many did, especially after the Bismarck was unable to return fire. At 10:39 a.m., after two more rounds of torpedo attacks by air and sea, Bismarck finally sank. Its list gradually increased to twenty degrees, then to the point where its port secondary guns were almost submerged. Finally, it capsized to port and sank. Although hundreds of men made it to the water, a U-boat scare sent the Royal Navy ships collecting survivors heading for safety. Of the 2,200 officers and enlisted personnel that manned Bismarck, only 116 survived. Bismarcks sinking was an excellent example of combined arms at sea working together to take down a more powerful opponent. No single element of the Royal Navy present at the battle was strong enough to defeat Bismarck singlehandedly, but together a force of aging aircraft carriers and torpedo bombers, twenty-to-thirty-year-old battleships, and more than a dozen scrappy cruisers and destroyers were able to ensure that the mighty German battleship would never reach refuge in France. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Francisco who has appeared in the Diplomat, Foreign Policy, War is Boring and the Daily Beast. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami. This article first appeared in 2016 and is reprinted here due to reader interest. More From The National Interest: Russia Has Missing Nuclear Weapons Sitting on the Ocean Floor How China Could Sink a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Where World War III Could Start This Year How the F-35 Stealth Fighter Almost Never Happened Click here to read the full article. One Oregon newspaper clip reads: "We appeal to your civil patriotism to co-operate with us in our effort to stamp out the Spanish Influenza or "Flu" Plague in Portland by wearing a mask." University of Oregon Mask-wearing was enforced during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, but many refused, citing the government mandates as threats to their civil liberties. Men needed more convincing to wear masks than did women. Men didn't practice proper personal hygiene and also thought wearing masks was too feminine, so public health officials set forth to rebrand personal hygiene as a display of red-blooded patriotism. Men and boys were primarily depicted in public health advertisements and cartoons during the 1918 pandemic when the Spanish flu swept the nation. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. As the Spanish flu swept through the US in 1918 and 1919, face masks became ubiquitous to help in preventing the spread of the disease, much as they have today during the coronavirus pandemic. However, many refused to wear them in 1918, saying that government-mandated mask enforcement violated their civil liberties. An "Anti-Mask League" was even formed in San Francisco to protest the legislation. But men, it turns out, needed more convincing than did women to heed the advice of public health officials. Some men associated masks with femininity, and behaviors like spitting, careless coughing, and otherwise dismissal of hygiene made men the "weak links in hygienic discipline" during the 1918 pandemic, according to a 2010 report published in the US National Library of Medicine. So public health leaders rebranded personal care as a display of patriotism and duty to incentivize men to wear masks. "The influenza pandemic offered a teaching moment in which masculine resistance to hygiene rules associated with mothers, schoolmarms, and Sunday school teachers could be replaced with a more modern, manly form of public health, steeped in discipline, patriotism, and personal responsibility," reads the report. It's yet another instance of history rhyming. Fast forward to the present-day coronavirus pandemic and anti-lockdown protests dot the US, with many refusing to wear masks and citing their civil liberties as a reason for defying public health orders. A recent survey of 2,459 people found that men specifically see masks as "a sign of weakness" and "not cool" and are less likely to wear face masks outside. Story continues Many of the adverts and public health messaging during the 1918 pandemic encouraging the public to practice good hygiene depicted men and young boys. Here's what some of them looked like. The Spanish flu of 1918 was one of the worst pandemics in history, eventually killing 50 million people worldwide. St. Louis, Missouri, October 1918. Underwood Archives/Getty Images Read more: How the US 'flattened the curve' during the Spanish Flu pandemic One precaution taken to quell its spread through the US was enforcing mask-wearing, or at least covering the mouth with handkerchiefs to prevent the disease from being transmitted. A poster distributed by Rennsselaer County Tuberculosis Association in New York in 1918. National Library of Medicine And public health messaging displayed on posters typically showed men and boys. The Spanish flu outbreak coincided with World War l. Male soldiers returning home from Europe dispersed to their home states and stations, spreading the disease in the process. A poster distributed by the National Tuberculosis Association in 1918. National Tuberculosis Association The male-centric public health advertising could then simply be a reflection of the experience of male soldiers during that period of wartime. The "unsanitary herding of men" in war settings made for a perfect environment for disease to spread. Men were also shown in ads calling for an end to spitting, which made it easier for the disease to be transmitted. 1918 spanish flu pandemic ad United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation/Free Library of Philadelphia According to the report, the "public health villains blamed for careless coughing, spitting, and sneezing during the influenza pandemic were frequently represented, at least visually, as men behaving badly." The prevalence of men in the ads also could be that it was considered indecent to depict women performing such natural bodily functions as sneezing, although some public health posters do illustrate women and not men. But it's also likely that men saw masks as a threat to their masculinity, associating the gauze with passive motherly figures and the like. A newspaper clip from 1918. Edmonton Bulletin Men and boys were also seen as the "weak links in hygienic discipline" during the interwar period of 1918 through the 1930s, according to the report. A poster distributed by the US Public Health Service in 1918. Public Health Service According to the report, some public health leaders felt that the methods of educating "modern men and boys" at the time were too old-fashioned. So to help persuade members of the male population to do their part in controlling the disease, officials aimed to introduce a "more manly style of health education," usually by encouraging patriotism and engaging in civic duty. One Oregon newspaper clip reads: "We appeal to your civil patriotism to co-operate with us in our effort to stamp out the Spanish Influenza or "Flu" Plague in Portland by wearing a mask." A newspaper clip from January 1919. University of Oregon Others were more lighthearted, like a cartoon depicting an interaction between two boys, with one proudly brandishing a "hankachif" made for him by his mother. A newspaper cartoon from 1918. George Rehse/New York World As for the effectiveness of wearing gauze masks during the 1918 pandemic, experts debated if they even helped in combatting the spread of influenza. A man wearing a mask in 1918. Western Neighborhoods Project/OpenSFHistory.org/wnp26.1205 But what did work in 1918 and 1919 was enforcing and sustaining social distancing measures. That, too, involved everyone doing their part and taking individual accountability. Men were seen as weak points in disease control during the Spanish flu pandemic due to lack of hygiene, and recent studies have shown that men still tend to be more careless. irish spring body wash man Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Irish Spring A 2018 report from market research company Ipsos found that women are more likely than men to consider hygiene habits very important. Studies also show that women are better at hand-washing than men, a relevant feat in the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Recognizing gender disparities in personal hygiene remains an issue. "We need to make sure men don't feel too macho to worry about germs," Rosie Frasso, program director of public health at Thomas Jefferson University, told The New York Times in mid-March. Repackaging health education into man-friendly messaging has become a mainstay into the 21st century. Personal hygiene products, from body wash to razors, have long been tailored for men and women individually, as The Atlantic reports. Men's scents have overwhelmingly "grassy," "minty," and overall bold-smelling scents, with rugged-looking packaging to match. Men's grooming company Old Spice founded in 1938 has long embraced a masculine approach to its marketing. Old Spice Guys Terry Crews and Isaiah Mustafa on November 18, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Vincent Sandoval/WireImage Even such basic needs as water have been given "macho" branding that appeals to male consumers. The buzzy canned water startup Liquid Death turned to aggressive punk rock imagery for its eco-friendly tallboy cans of water. To stunt the spread of COVID-19, many states currently mandate that residents wear masks, including California. A man wears a mask in Los Angeles on June 18. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a recent press conference that "wearing a face mask is a sign of toughness. It's a sign of resolve" and "a sign of someone who gives a damn." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the wearing of masks or face coverings. But people want to wear something that fits their personal identity, as The Atlantic reports. A demonstrator wearing a respirator mask and holding a US flag gathers with others to protest coronavirus stay-at-home orders during a "ReOpen Colorado" rally in Denver, Colorado, on April 19, 2020. JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images If men in 1918 did indeed feel as though masks and personal hygiene weren't aligned with their masculinity, it makes sense as to why officials felt the need to adapt public health calls-to-action accordingly. Read the original article on Business Insider Harvard University students prepare to leave campus to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in March 2020. Brian Snyder/Reuters US universities began shifting to remote learning in light of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. Some universities, like Harvard, are planning for another remote semester, while others, like Rice, expect to reopen campus with social distancing regulations in place. Here's what the top 25 US colleges and universities have discussed for fall 2020 reopening plans so far. To inform our list, Business Insider used education research firm Quacquarelli Symonds' first-ever US specific ranking of the best colleges and universities in 2020. Business Insider used Niche's net price calculation for each school, which is the average cost of tuition after financial aid reported by each college in 2019. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories This is a developing story. Check back for updates. University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin. Joey Hadden/Business Insider Location: Austin, Texas Net price: $14,156 COVID-19 updates: A June 29 update shared that the fall semester will begin on campus on August 26 with several new regulations, like that a classroom can't be more than 40% full. After that, all courses will be conducted remotely. A June 8 update shared that all students and faculty will be required to wear a face mask or covering inside buildings on campus and that the university is working on a plan for voluntary coronavirus testing for students. A previous update confirmed that remote coursework will be available. Read more about the University of Texas' coronavirus response here University of Washington The University of Washington is in Seattle. Mike Peters/Shutterstock Location: Seattle, Washington Net price: $9,765 COVID-19 updates: On July 22, the University of Washington shared an update stating that because of rising coronavirus cases, a good chunk of the coursework will likely be taught remotely. The school predicts that less than 10% of classes will be conducted in person for undergrads on the Seattle campus. The college said it will release an updated course schedule and solidified plans for coursework by August 7. Story continues A month earlier, the university said that it will provide a combination of in-person and online coursework. The school will prioritize in-person coursework for hands-on classes, like studio, clinical, and lab courses. Earlier in June, the university implemented a policy requiring people on campus to wear a face mask indoors and outdoors when social distancing isn't possible. Read more about the University of Washington's coronavirus response here Georgetown University Georgetown University is in Washington, DC. lillisphotography/Getty Images Location: Washington, DC Net price: $27,420 COVID-19 updates: On July 6, Georgetown University released a tentative plan for its undergraduates that allows for 2,000 students to return to campus. Most of these students will be the freshmen class of 2024, with a few exceptions, like Resident Assistants and students who can't pursue remote coursework. Some classes will be online and others will be in-person. Students living off-campus will have a fully-remote schedule. A June 18 update announced that the fall semester for the School of Continuing Studies will take place online. A previous update from earlier in the month shared that the university's main campus is still working on a plan for the upcoming semester. In a letter dated May 12 detailing the school's financial response to the pandemic, Georgetown University President John DeGioia told the Georgetown community that the school will cut spending on new buildings and grounds, hold salary increases, and suspend contributions to retirement plans for the upcoming fiscal year. DeGioia also mentioned that 54 administrative employees volunteered to reduce their salaries for the upcoming fiscal year. Read more about Georgetown University's coronavirus response here Rice University Rice University is in Houston, Texas. cheng/Shutterstock Location: Houston, Texas Net price: $24,131 COVID-19 updates: In a July 17 update, the university shared that all undergraduates will be tested for the coronavirus upon arrival to campus and throughout the semester. Only 25 students can be in a classroom at a time. The school will enforce mask-wearing and social distancing. A week later, Rice released a letter saying that all students, remote and in-person, must sign an agreement to follow Rice's coronavirus-era safety guidelines. In May, Rice announced tentative plans to begin the fall semester in-person as planned on August 24. This decision is not final and will be reevaluated periodically throughout the summer. Most courses will be offered remotely as well. Rice plans to have a final decision made in July. In a May 5 letter to graduate students, the university president David Leebron and Dr. Seiichi Matsuda, dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies, detailed a "cautiously optimistic" plan for reopening for in-person coursework in the fall. According to the letter, the semester will likely be shortened and international students will likely have additional flexibility for start dates. Read more about Rice University's coronavirus response here Boston University Boston University is in Massachusetts. Elijah Lovkoff/Shutterstock Location: Boston, Massachusetts Net price: $29,154 COVID-19 updates: A July 21 update suggests that the university is gearing up for phase three of its reopening plan. In-person coursework will begin on September 2. The first students to return will be students of the BU Medical Campus, followed by students of the Charles River Campus. A May 6 update suggested that Boston University began phase one of its reopening plan, which included resuming some on-campus research. The university also released a digital book with a detailed guide of the first phase. Boston University is planning both in-person and remote coursework for the fall semester, according to their website. Read more about Boston University's coronavirus response here Brown University Brown University is in Rhode Island. jiawangkun/Shutterstock Location: Providence, Rhode Island Net price: $25,651 COVID-19 updates: On July 7, Brown University released its return to campus plan, which includes a three-term school year where students take turns being on campus. Juniors and seniors will be on campus in the fall and spring, freshmen will be there in spring and summer, and sophomores will be on campus for all semesters if public health conditions allow. Final exams will be conducted remotely for everyone, and all students will have the option to learn remotely. Students will get three face masks from the university that they will be required to wear when they can't social distance, including in classrooms. In May, the university announced the gradual reopening of some summer on-campus activities in conjunction with the state of Rhode Island's reopening plan. This is beginning with only approved laboratory-based research. Read more about Brown University's coronavirus response here The California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology is in Pasadena. Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com Location: Pasadena, California Net price: $24,466 COVID-19 updates: The California Institute of Technology (CalTech) announced on July 14 that the fall semester will include a combination of in-person and remote coursework. Classes that require in-person work will take place on campus and the rest will be online. After Thanksgiving break, all students will finish their coursework remotely. When it comes to on-campus housing, only one person can live in each room. Students with in-person coursework will be prioritized for returning to campus. A June 7 update announced a phased reopening of athletic facilities on June 11. In May, the school announced a phased reopening of on-campus research facilities over the next few weeks. Read more about CalTech's coronavirus response here University of Michigan The University of Michigan. Ken Wolter/Shutterstock Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan Net price: $16,408 COVID-19 updates: On July 15, the university announced that everyone has to wear a facemask while on campus. The University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel emailed a video to the campus community on June 22 announcing that the fall semester will include in-person and remote coursework with measures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, like wearing face masks and social distancing. The university also launched a website dedicated to fall reopening plans. Read more about the University of Michigan's coronavirus response here Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tupungato/Shutterstock Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Net price: $30,847 COVID-19 updates: According to the university website, Carnegie Mellon's fall semester will include a combination of in-person and remote coursework, and it will begin on August 31 as scheduled. Students traveling to campus from outside of Southwestern Pennsylvania must check their health every day for two weeks before joining classes in-person, the school announced on July 9. Read more about Carnegie Mellon University's coronavirus response here Northwestern University Northwestern University is in Illinois. Anthony Ricci/Shutterstock Location: Evanston, Illinois Net price: $26,099 COVID-19 updates: A June update shared that Northwestern University is working on a plan to offer some coursework on campus. Each department will have its own plan, and the fall course schedule will state whether each course includes in-person coursework. A May 22 update details plans for a phased return to campus, starting with research facilities. A May 11 update about the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic suggests that the university hopes to reopen the campus in phases for the fall 2020 semester. The update also shared that the university expects a $90 million shortfall for the 2020 fiscal year. Read more about Northwestern University's coronavirus response here The University of Southern California The University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Associated Press Location: Los Angeles Net price: $32,892 COVID-19 updates: On July 8, the University of Southern California (USC) announced that many courses will take place both in-person and online. In a May 7 update, USC announced Project Restart a task force of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to planning the reopening of campus. They hope to announce much an update on the fall 2020 semester plan in June. Read more about the University of Southern California's coronavirus response here Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University is in Baltimore, Maryland. Jon Bilous/Shutterstock Location: Baltimore, Maryland Net price: $27,868 COVID-19 updates: Johns Hopkins University released a June 30 update detailing its reopening plan. Classes will begin on August 31 as scheduled. While some classes will only be offered in-person, most will be offered both in-person and online. Students in classrooms will be spaced out, and some classes may meet at nights and on weekends. First-year students will each get their own dorm room, and the school will provide off-campus housing for other students wanting to live on campus, complete with transportation to campus and Resident Assistants. Read more about the Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus response here Duke University Duke University is in North Carolina. Gerry Broome/AP Location: Durham, North Carolina Net price: $22,011 COVID-19 updates: Duke University President Vincent Price announced on June 30 that the school is planning for both in-person and online coursework in the fall with safety measures like coronavirus testing and social distancing, Duke Today reported. The plan could be adjusted based on public health information. Read more about Duke University's coronavirus response here The University of Chicago The University of Chicago is in Illinois. Thomas Barrat/Shutterstock Location: Chicago, Illinois Net price: $34,834 COVID-19 updates: In a June 30 update, the University of Chicago announced that it plans to begin the semester on September 29 with both in-person and online coursework. In-person coursework will end before Thanksgiving, and only 40% of campus housing will be available so everyone can have their own room. Read more about the University of Chicago's coronavirus response here New York University (NYU) New York University is in Manhattan. Melia Robinson/Business Insider Location: New York Net price: $39,935 COVID-19 updates: In a June 19 update, New York University (NYU) announced that it will provide a combination of in-person and remote coursework in the fall with safety measures like required face coverings and coronavirus testing and tracing. Earlier in June, NYU announced that all summer coursework is remote and that a phased reopening of research facilities would begin on June 8. Read more about the NYU's coronavirus response here Cornell University Cornell University is in Ithica, New York. Lewis Liu/Shutterstock Location: Ithaca, New York Net price: $31,449 COVID-19 updates: In a June 30 update, Cornell University President Martha Pollack shared that the campus would reopen for in-person coursework on September 2 until Thanksgiving break. After Thanksgiving, students will finish the semester online, and the spring semester will begin on February 9. Pollack said that in-person coursework will be safer for students than online coursework, according to a study led by Operations Research and Information Engineering Professor Peter Frazier. Many students said they planned to return to Ithaca for online coursework in surveys from Cornell, and being on campus will allow for coronavirus testing and regulations, Pollack wrote. Remote coursework will also be available for students who cannot return to campus. Read more about Cornell University's coronavirus response here Princeton University Princeton University is in New Jersey. John Greim / Getty Images Location: Princeton, New Jersey Net price: $16,302 COVID-19 updates: On July 6, Princeton University President Chris Eisgruber told the community that campus will reopen to freshmen and juniors in the fall, while sophomores and seniors will learn remotely. Most coursework, even for students living on campus, will take place virtually. Read more about Princeton University's coronavirus response here The University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania campus. f11photo/Shutterstock Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Net price: $24,539 COVID-19 updates: On June 8, the University of Pennsylvania began phase 1 of resuming research. In a coronavirus update on the University of Pennsylvania website dated April 27, the university said it plans to have a combination of remote and in-person courses in fall 2020. Read more about the University of Pennsylvania's coronavirus response here Yale University Yale University is in New Haven, Connecticut. Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters Location: New Haven, Connecticut Net price: $18,053 COVID-19 updates: On July 17, the university announced that students traveling back to campus from states with increasing coronavirus cases must quarantine for two weeks. Earlier in July, Yale University announced that most classes will be held remotely, aside from studio and lab classes. Juniors and seniors will be able to live on campus. In the fall, freshmen will have the option to live at Yale as well, and in the spring, sophomores will. In a May 28 update, Yale University announced that the fall semester will run from August 31 to December 4. In a letter to the Yale community dated earlier in May, Provost Scott Strobel announced that on-campus research facilities will reopen in phases starting in June. Read more about Yale University's coronavirus response here University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) The University of California in Los Angeles. Damian Dovarganes/AP Location: Los Angeles Net price: $15,002 COVID-19 updates: The University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) released a June 15 update with anticipated plans for the fall semester. Up to 20% of courses will take place in-person or with some remote course work. There will be coronavirus regulations too, like fewer students will be able to live on campus and those who do will have daily symptom checks. Read more about UCLA's coronavirus response here 5. Columbia University Columbia University is in New York. LENS-68/Shutterstock Location: New York City Net price: $22,824 COVID-19 updates: In early July, Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger announced a tentative reopening plan. The school will reopen in the fall for a three-term year, including fall, spring, and summer semesters. There will be both in-person and online coursework, and about 60% of undergrads can live on campus at a time. Freshmen and sophomores can live on campus in the fall, followed by juniors and seniors in the spring. Everyone will be required to wear masks and social distance on campus. Read more about Columbia University's coronavirus response here University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) The University of California in Berkeley. Jeff Chiu/AP Location: Berkeley, California Net price: $17,862 COVID-19 updates: On July 21, the University of California in Berkeley (UC Berkeley) announced that the semester will begin remotely for everyone because of increasing coronavirus cases. At the same time, the school said it intends to implement in-person coursework when it's safer. Read more about UC Berkeley's coronavirus response here Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) The Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus. Brian Snyder/Reuters Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts Net price: $22,230 COVID-19 updates: On July 7, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced that seniors and students who can't learn effectively from elsewhere will be able to return to campus in the fall. In a June 17 update, MIT released tentative plans for the fall semester. Most coursework will take place online and only a few students will be able to live on campus so everyone can have their own room. The semester also may begin around September 1, a week earlier than initially scheduled. All in-person coursework will end by Thanksgiving. Read more about MIT's coronavirus response here Stanford University Stanford University in California. REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach/File Photo Location: Stanford, California Net price: $16,562 COVID-19 updates: A June 29 update provided a schedule for returning students with four semesters each year. In the fall and summer semesters, freshman, sophomores will live on campus, and in the winter and spring semesters, juniors and seniors will. A June 3 update outlined a developing plan for the 2020-2021 academic year. The plan is subject to change based on the fluctuating public health situation and will likely not be finalized until late summer. The plan outlines several changes including that student housing will be limited to provide students with private sleeping spaces. Only half the undergraduate class will return to Stanford in the fall quarter, while the other half learns remotely, and in the spring the remote students and on-campus students will switch. Read more about Stanford University's coronavirus response here Harvard University Harvard University students prepare to leave campus to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in March 2020. Brian Snyder/Reuters Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts Net price: $17,030 COVID-19 updates: Harvard University announced that all coursework will take place online in the fall on July 6. Additionally, the university plans for 40% of undergraduates, including freshmen and students without a suitable home learning environment, to return to campus in the fall. Those living on campus will have their own bedrooms and shared bathrooms. Read more about Harvard University's coronavirus response here Read the original article on Business Insider Jorge Silva/AFP via Getty You pay to kill our troopswe wont invite you to our meeting of world leaders. Thats the scenario being mulled by senior officials in the upper echelons of the Trump administration, who are scrambling for a way to respond to Russia after news broke that Moscow paid bounties to the Taliban to kill U.S. forces. One idea these officials have raised with President Donald Trump in recent days: not inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G7 summit of global powers later this year. President Trump told reporters in late May that he wanted to invite Russia to the meeting (which used to be known as the G8, until Russia was suspended for annexing Crimea and invading Ukraine). And that following Monday, Trump spoke with Putin on the phone to discuss, among other things, the G7 gathering and the possibility that Russia might attend. But over the last several days, senior officials in the White House, including National Security Adviser Robert OBrien, have recommended to Trump that he not formally extend that invitation in the wake of the recent reports about the Russian bounties. (Thats according to two U.S. officials and a third source familiar with the matter.) While President Trump has not made a final decision on whether to officially invite Russia to the G7, officials say the administration is also considering inviting India and Australia to the meeting. Trump Gives Putin a Pass on Bounties So He Can Target Leakers Instead When government officials have briefed the president in the past week on the bounty intel and the G7, as well as the way forward on messaging and possible policy moves, they have encountered a familiar problem: holding Trumps attention. In at least two instances in recent days when officials or aides have discussed the option of rescinding his offer to Putin, Trump responded by not committing one way or the other. According to two sources familiar with the matter, he instead quickly pivoted to bashing the media, particularly The New York Times, which broke the news of the bounties. Story continues The discussions about the G7 highlight the extent to which the administration is concerned about the optics of Trump embracing Russia in the middle of an uproar over its military intelligence service paying the Taliban to kill American troops. It also shows how constrained administration officials believe their options to be, given the presidents long-documented admiration for Putin. Trump has made it perfectly clear that he wants to do Russias bidding, said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT). The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Since the Times broke the news about the bounties, officials have grappled with how to defend the integrity of whats been called an ongoing investigation into the Russian payoffs while also protecting Trump himself. The administrations top intelligence and national security officials have all claimed that the president was not verbally briefed on the intelligence because there was a lack of consensus over the validity of the bounty evidence. Yet the information was deemed solid enough to make it into the Presidents Daily Brief. But as The Daily Beast previously reported, a classified U.S. intelligence report makes it clear that Russia is supporting the Taliban materially and financially, and that there is serious evidence pointing to the fact that it is also paying bounties. So far, though, the administration has not made any moves to publicly address the issue, though senior administration officials said the Pentagon had issued warnings about the bounties to troops on the ground in Afghanistan. Backing away from offering Putin an invitation to the G7 could be a way for the president to take a public stand against Russia while at the same time preserving the goodwill between the two countries, an official familiar with the administrations G7 conversations said. And maybe, if worded right, it might not piss off Trump. GOP Deny, Downplay Questions About Russian Bounty Scandal On Capitol Hill, where the intelligence report has circulated in recent days, Democrats are calling on the White House to address the Russian bounties. Some suggested issuing additional sanctions. Others said the president should demand that Putin put a stop to the bounty program. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the Armed Services Committee and an Iraq War veteran, expressed exasperation on Thursday with what she said was an inadequate briefing on the Russia bounty question from the Defense Department. She has yet to hear from Afghanistan war commander Gen. Scott Miller, CIA Director Gina Haspel or Gen. Paul Nakasone, director of the NSA. While Duckworth cautioned that she has not been fully briefed, she said the administration ought to do much more than not inviting Putin to attend the forthcoming G7 summit. Obviously, we can have sanctions, obviously the president should be reaching out to the Russians saying, You will not do this, you will cease and end this, she said. But Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, suggested on Wednesday that, at this point, theres little Congress can do to rein in the presidents clearly pro-Moscow instincts. I think it's impossible for Congress to override the presidents Russia policy. The President sets foreign policy Congress can pass additional sanctions, but if the President continues to try to bring them into the G7, if he withdraws troops from Germany, theres nothing we can do that counteracts the administrations policy, Murphy said. I dont think Russia cares too much about congressional sanctions if the president is cheering them back into the G7 and withdrawing troops from NATO countries. with additional reporting by Spencer Ackerman and Sam Brodey Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Williams was kept in custody until that evening, 30 hours after being arrested, and released on a $1,000 personal bond. He waited outside in the rain for 30 minutes until his wife could pick him up. When he got home at 10 p.m., his 5-year-old daughter was still awake. She said she was waiting for him because he had said, while being arrested, that hed be right back. The Trump administration was slow to respond to warnings about the country's dwindling supply of protective equipment at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and failed to prevent ongoing shortages across the country, companies involved in a federal effort to airlift supplies to the United States told House Democrats. The House Oversight Committee released a memo Thursday summarizing its investigation into Project Airbridge, the Trump administration initiative led by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, that used taxpayer dollars to fly supplies to the United States on behalf of industry. MORE: FEMA relied on inexperienced volunteers to find coronavirus protective equipment: Complaint Citing interviews with representatives of six medical supply distributors that participated in the program, the memo depicts a dysfunctional program, and includes claims that the administration wasted valuable time at the outset of the pandemic to stockpile protective gear such as masks, face shields and medical gowns and effectively deliver it to communities in need. Officials told the committee that "folks in the industry saw that things were getting worse, and their requests for guidance was increasing week by week," according to the memo, adding that "everyone was asking the same questions, but guidance wasn't coming." Under the Kushner-backed program, the distributors, in exchange for taxpayers footing the bill for the airlifting of personal protective equipment, committed to selling half their cargo to customers in coronavirus "hot spots" designated by the federal government, the memo said. PHOTO: Committee Chairman Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., adjusts his protective mask as he chairs a House Select Subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis, July 2, 2020, on Capitol Hill. (Kevin Lamarque/AP) But the participants were given little guidance on which customers to prioritize in a given area, or how to distribute the other half of their products airlifted to the United States by the federal government, according to the memo. The companies told Democrats they were forced to rely on public information and customer demand to make purchasing decisions, rather than data from the federal government. Story continues "Despite months of effort, there are still severe shortages of PPE and critical medical equipment, and the Trump Administration has no coherent national strategy to address these deficiencies," House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said in a statement. The alleged lack of a coordinated federal response to the nationwide PPE shortages was "one of the biggest missed opportunities," one official told House investigators. Without the purchasing power and resources of the federal government, states were left to fend for themselves on the global market, leaving many overly reliant on Chinese brokers, industry representatives said. MORE: 'Little or no transparency': Warren wants data on White House medical supply program Instead, the Trump administration allegedly worked to ink a deal with BYD, a Chinese electric car and battery manufacturer, and unsuccessfully pushed distributors to purchase protective gear from the company at higher prices. The report also raised concerns about ongoing PPE shortages amid an overwhelming domestic demand for protective equipment that could increase as the U.S. hits new records for the daily number of coronavirus cases. PHOTO: HOUSTON, TX - JUNE 30: Medical staff wearing full PPE wait for a car to pick up a deceased patient outside of the Covid-19 intensive care unit at the United Memorial Medical Center on June 30, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Go Nakamura/Getty Images) Officials also raised concerns about a global shortage of raw materials used to make protective gear, including gowns. "Despite months of effort, there are still severe shortages of PPE and critical medical equipment, and the Trump Administration has no coherent national strategy to address these deficiencies," Democrats wrote in the memo. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the top Republican on the panel, criticized Democrats for not including Republicans in the interviews with the medical supply distributors, dismissing the findings as "blatantly one-sided attacks on the president in an election year." The Federal Emergency Management Agency defended its procurement efforts throughout the pandemic. "The Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force supplied critical PPE to save lives in our nation, and we worked with Governors from every state and territory to provide PPE that otherwise would not have been available in our fight against this disease," FEMA press secretary Lizzie Litzow said in a statement to ABC News. MORE: Russia bills US $660K for aid that included gas masks, household cleaning gloves Asked about Project Airbridge at a House hearing on Thursday, Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, who leads the task force, said the "legal agreements that we signed with the commercial enterprise allowed us to direct their efforts to where the government felt the highest need was." He also said he had no knowledge of any efforts to pressure companies to buy PPE from Chinese company BYD, and did no business with the firm. Polowczyk and other top administration officials defended the state of the Strategic National Stockpile, noting that the government would have 50,000 ventilators in reserve by next week. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., citing federal government documents, warned on Thursday that the demand for N95 masks exceeds the national supply of 160 million by roughly 30 million. "These shortages are getting worse as coronavirus infections skyrocket across the country, driving up prices and demand for PPE," Clyburn, the chairman of the House select committee on the coronavirus, said in the hearing. Polowczyk said that roughly 70 to 75% of states have at least 30 to 60 days of protective gear in reserve, but added that the federal government still lacked granular state-level data on N95 and PPE supplies -- impacting the federal government's projections on anticipated demand. As the virus continues to spread dramatically across southern and western states, while slowly climbing upward in nearly every region of the country, administration officials also acknowledged the potential strain on the nation's testing system and supplies, which could complicate efforts to aggressively track and contain coronavirus outbreaks. "We are not flattening the curve right now, the curve is still going up," Adm. Brett Giroir, the administration official coordinating federal testing efforts, told House lawmakers. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the top Republican on the select panel, called on Democrats to focus their inquiry on China's role in suppressing information about the initial coronavirus outbreak, and impact on the global supply of protective gear. "As China was lying to us and the rest of the world, they were hoarding PPE supplies," he said. Trump administration slow to respond to protective gear shortages: Democrats originally appeared on abcnews.go.com President Donald Trump took aim at North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday, blaming him for the Republican National Convention being moved to Florida. In the tweet, Trump writes Cooper, a Democrat, made it absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for the Republican Party to have its Convention in Charlotte, forcing it to be moved to Jacksonville. As a result, North Carolina will lose out on millions of dollars and jobs, Trump said. Cooper was at odds with GOP leaders last month, as he wouldnt guarantee a fully attended convention, citing coronavirus concerns, according to The Charlotte Observer. Trump soon tweeted he would move the event, and Jacksonville was ultimately chosen as the new destination. The president also took the opportunity to endorse Lt. Gov. Dan Forest for governor, but not before he first tagged the Twitter account of Dan Forrest, an apparent random man who hasnt tweeted since 2012. The original Tweet The tweet was later corrected and Lt. Gov. Forest expressed his thanks to Trump for the endorsement, tweeting looking forward to WINNING together in November. This shutdown is clearly targeted at keeping @realDonaldTrump YUGE rallies out of our great state #MAGA#ncpol#runforestrun, he said in a separate tweet. Forest also has sued Cooper over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, alleging that Cooper has issued several executive orders without seeking support from the Council of State, The Charlotte Observer reported. By Mark Hosenball and Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he was not told about a reported Russian effort to get the Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers because many U.S. intelligence officials doubted its veracity, a stance contradicted by four U.S. and European sources and by its inclusion in a widely read CIA report in May. "We never heard about it because intelligence never found it to be of that level," he told Fox Business Network. "The intelligence people... many of them didn't believe it happened at all." The four U.S. and European government sources, who are familiar with intelligence reporting, said that in recent weeks the United States had acquired fresh reporting backing up the allegations that Russia had encouraged Taliban-affiliated militants to kill U.S. and allied soldiers in Afghanistan. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the latest information caused U.S. government experts to discount the National Security Agency's questioning of the allegations. One of those sources and a fifth person familiar with the matter said the U.S. intelligence community is confident Russia encouraged the Taliban to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan but there was internal debate over whether Moscow had actually paid bounties. A sixth person familiar with the matter said the CIA was sufficiently confident of the intelligence to include it in May in its daily flagship publication, the CIA World Intelligence Review, known informally as "The Wire." Its inclusion there "undermines the administrations entire claim that it is not finished, it's not verified and it wasn't a fully complete product," said this person, who asked not to be identified further because of the sensitivity of the matter. White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien told reporters the United States will respond strongly if it is confirmed that Russia paid militants to kill U.S. and allied soldiers in Afghanistan, without providing details. Story continues The New York Times, which broke the story last week, has reported that Trump received a written briefing on the matter in February. O'Brien said a CIA civil servant decided not to brief Trump verbally "because she didn't have confidence in the intelligence." He declined to say whether Trump received anything in writing. "These are important allegations that, if they're verified I can guarantee you the president will take strong action," O'Brien told reporters outside the White House, though he added that Washington may never know the truth of the matter because of media leaks. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, said the United States must immediately impose sanctions on Russia. [nL1N2E82IC] The White House said Pelosi and other congressional leaders will receive a briefing on Thursday. [nW1N2DL01E] U.S. and European investigators strongly suspect that the unit of the GRU Russian military intelligence agency accused of targeting U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan using Taliban-linked militants is the same unit that was implicated in the poisoning of Russian intelligence defector Sergei Skripal in Britain, according to four sources familiar with intelligence reporting. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Mark Hosenball, Steve Holland, Arshad Mohammed, Humeyra Pamuk, Phil Stewart, Mohammad Zargham, Lisa Lambert and Patricia Zengerle; Writing by Arshad Mohammed, Andy Sullivan and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Andrea Ricci and Dan Grebler) Click here to read the full article. Here's What You Need To Remember: Questions of feasibility aside, Irans anti-access/area-denial strategy relies on using cheap, easy to produce, plentiful weapons against a much more technologically advanced enemy. At sea, this likely means the United States Navy. Against American aircraft carriers and destroyers, Iran doesnt need an expensive, hard to maintain nuclear powered submarineit needs seamines, and lots of them. Which it already has. In 2018, Iran informed the U.N.s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it was planning to construct naval nuclear propulsion in the future. But could Iran feasibly manufacture a nuclear submarine? The Exclusive Sub Club The history of nuclear underwater propulsion began sixty-five years ago. In 1955 with the USS Nautilus. The Nautilus was an American submarine, and the worlds first nuclear submarine. Nuclear submarines totally changed the face of both naval warfare writ large and underwater warfare, specifically. Nuclear submarines, naturally, do not have to refuelat least not even as close to as often as diesel-electric submarines, which are dependent on a carbon-based fuel source. No, nuclear submarines are limited only by the amount of food they carry, andgiven an unlimited amount of foodcould theoretically stay underwater nearly indefinitely. Nuclear submarines are also faster than their non-nuclear counterparts and, because they do not need to surface, are much better protected. To this day only a handful of countries are in the nuclear submarine clubthe United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, and India (although it should be pointed out that the Indian nuclear submarines are on lease from Russia, with the option of purchase after the lease is up). Feasibility Could Iran actually join the ranks of the nuclear sub club? There are several problems. First, regardless of the nuclear question, is Irans domestic manufacturing capabilities. Story continues Iranian weapons programs draw heavily on foreign tech, despite being vaunted as domestically manufactured. Look at the Karrar tankwhich Iran says it is 100 percent Iranian built. A closer look reveals it is likely a T-72 or T-90 hull with some new components, maybe a new turret. Or look at their supposedly domestically-produced light attack jets. Those planes are just refurbished American technologyairframes likely from the 1960s! Questions of feasibility aside, Irans anti-access/area-denial strategy relies on using cheap, easy to produce, plentiful weapons against a much more technologically advanced enemy. At sea, this likely means the United States Navy. Against American aircraft carriers and destroyers, Iran doesnt need an expensive, hard to maintain nuclear powered submarineit needs seamines, and lots of them. Which it already has. If, If, If Ifand this is a long ifIran could somehow get its hands on the proper technology, it would almost certainly not be domestically manufactured, but rather draw on the expertise of other countries, in much the same way that Brazil or Turkey has done or intends to do. The naval expert H. I. Sutton explained that Brazils stated nuclear ambitions would require help from France, already a nuclear sub club member. Meanwhile, Turkeys nuclear ambitions rely heavily on German help. Therefore, Iran would likely beg, borrow, or steal tech from another country to have any chance of a viable nuclear sub. Fake News Be they remote-control stealthy jet fighters or mock-ups of American Trimaran ship designs, Iran has a long history of bombastic announcements and is not likely to produce a nuclear powered submarine anytime in the near future. Caleb Larson is a defense writer for the National Interest. He holds a Master of Public Policy and covers U.S. and Russian security, European defense issues, and German politics and culture. This article first appeared earlier this year. Image: Reuters Click here to read the full article. MCMINNVILLE, Ore., July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TTR, The Tax Research company, announced today that all employees - of all genders have the option to take up to 12 weeks paid leave to care for a newborn or adopted additions to their family. This is in addition to any requested unpaid leave. group of babies. The U.S. is the only country among 41 nations that does not mandate any paid leave for new parents, according to data compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD.) Yet almost half of two-parent families in the US now include two full-time working parents. The recent bill signed by the President has made paid leave mandatory for Federal employees, but companies are not legally required to provide paid time off for new parents. "In the US, companies are required to allow 12 weeks unpaid time off or leave for both men and women," commented Shon Holyfield, CEO of TTR. "Beyond that, there is no requirement. I was talking to executives from Europe about their policies and they just made more sense than what we were doing here in the US. Most companies let professionals take their personal time off (PTO), but that is about it. It doesn't seem reasonable to assume a professional can get back to "normal" after 20 or 30 days of paid time off. It often takes longer to adjust for a new family. Whether a newborn or adoption, there is a lot to do when a family expands. Our people do so much for us, it is nice to find meaningful ways to give back to them." Understanding employee's needs, and adjusting policies to meet those needs, is one factor that has placed TTR on the Best Places to Work in Oregon list five years in a row. Media contact: Sally Falkow Meritus Media sally@meritusmedia.com 626 676 6419 TTR logo (PRNewsfoto/TTR) Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/all-ttr-employees-get-12-weeks-paid-parenting-leave-301087955.html SOURCE TTR Turkey has indicted 20 Saudi officials for the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi - AP Turkey launched a trial on Friday for 20 Saudi officials accused of killing Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, with rights groups saying the prosecution offered the best chance for justice for the slain journalist. The killing of the Saudi national inside the kingdoms Istanbul consulate in October 2018 caused an international outcry, damaging the reputation of Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In March, Istanbul prosecutors indicted the former deputy head of Saudi Arabias general intelligence, Ahmed al-Asiri, and former royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani for instigating premeditated murder with monstrous intent. Prosecutors say 18 other defendants participated in suffocating Khashoggi and disposing of his body, while his fiancee waited for him on the street outside the consulate. Turkish prosecutors issued arrest warrants for the defendants, who are being tried in absentia. Zeki Demir, a local technician who worked for the consulate, told the court he was asked to light an oven at the consul's residence near the consulate on the day of the killing. "There were five to six people there... They asked me to light up the tandoor. There was an air of panic," he said. Turkish investigators, who were only allowed to search the buildings after they were cleaned and painted, had focused an oven in the residence grounds, according to the indictment. Khashoggis fiancee Hatice Cengiz hopes the trial will reveal fresh information about his murder, including what happened to his body. I hope this criminal case in Turkey brings to light the whereabouts of Jamals body (and) the evidence against the killers, she told Reuters. Khashoggi, 59, was a Washington Post columnist and a former Saudi royal court insider who had grown increasingly critical of Prince Mohammed. The CIA concluded Prince Mohammed likely ordered the assassination, something he denied, though he said he bore ultimate responsibility as the kingdoms de facto leader. Story continues A Saudi court in December sentenced five people to death and three to jail over the murder, in a trial criticised as secretive and incomplete. Members of Khashoggis family in Saudi Arabia said they forgave his killers, opening the way for a formal pardon. Turkey accuses Saudi of obstructing its investigation into the murder, while Riyadh says Turkey failed to share information about its investigation. The Turkish trial may be the only chance of accountability for this horrific crime following Saudi Arabia's blatant miscarriage of justice, according to Rebecca Vincent, Director of International Campaigns for Reporters without Borders. But she criticised the disappointing absence of diplomatic monitors at the opening day, calling the trial the most significant development so far in efforts to pursue justice in this case. She would ask the Foreign Office to send observers to the trial, she told The Telegraph. Is it capacity or is it a political decision? Many countries have not done enough to hold Saudi Arabia to account for this horrific crime, she said. The UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Agnes Callamard, attended the opening day, saying it represented a chance for justice. "Justice in these complex environments is not delivered overnight," she told Reuters on the eve of the trial. "But a good process here can build up (evidence for) what can happen in five years, in 10 years, whenever the circumstances are stronger." Eight witnesses gave testimony during Friday's three-and-a-half hour hearing. The next session is scheduled for November 24. By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - Turkey's ambassador to Paris accused France of having a biased policy over Libya, turning a blind eye to suspected violations of a U.N. arms embargo by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt to the benefit of eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar. Turkey has intervened decisively in recent weeks in Libya, providing air support, weapons and allied fighters from Syria to help the internationally recognised government based in Tripoli repel a year-long assault by Haftar, who is backed by the UAE, Egypt and Russia. "When one supports the legitimate government we're accused of playing a dangerous game but when some countries like Egypt and the UAE support Haftar, then they are deemed legitimate and it's not dangerous. I'd call that biased, no?," envoy Ismail Hakki Musa told a hearing of French senators. The United Nations has previously named the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Turkey for breaching the embargo. A joint statement issued in February by 13 countries involved in Libya, included Egypt, UAE and Turkey, said there had been a discussion on the "deplorable" arms embargo violations and "renewed determination to contribute to its thorough implementation". Ties between NATO allies France and Turkey have soured in recent weeks over Libya, as well as the conflict in northern Syria and drilling in the eastern Mediterranean. The animosity was aggravated in June after an incident between Turkish and French warships over an attempt to inspect a vessel that was suspected of smuggling weapons to Libya. Turkey accuses Paris of supporting Haftar politically, having previously given him military assistance to fight Islamist militants. It denies this. President Emmanuel Macron this week said Turkey had a "criminal responsibility" in the country. When asked about the Turkish comments, a French official said Paris had never been ambiguous in condemning all arms violations, but said that Turkey's intervention and attitude towards NATO allies created a specific threat to France and Europe's interests unlike the UAE. (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Richard Lough and Alison Williams) BERLIN (Reuters) - Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday Turkey expects France to apologise after an incident between Turkish and French warships in the Mediterranean prompted Paris to request a NATO investigation. Relations between the NATO members have soured over the Libya conflict, where Turkey supports the internationally recognised government and accuses Paris of backing the eastern-based forces of Khalifa Haftar who tried to capture Tripoli. France denies backing Haftar's offensive on the capital, and accused Turkish warships of aggressive behaviour after its own warship tried to inspect a vessel in June that it suspected was violating a UN arms embargo on Libya. "France should apologize to us instead of confronting Turkey with wrong information. France supported the wrong side in Libya," Cavusoglu said during a news conference in Berlin. Libya has been split since 2014 between rival factions in Tripoli, home to the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), and in the east, where Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) holds sway. Cavusoglu was speaking in Berlin alongside Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who called for "constructive dialogue" to resolve the differences between France and Turkey, and appealed for a return to ceasefire talks in Libya. "At the moment we would like those (countries) that have a large amount of influence on one of two conflict players to encourage them to return to the table," he said. (Reporting by Daren Butler and Ece Toksabay in Turkey and Madeline Chambers in Berlin; Writing by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Dominic Evans) By Umit Ozdal DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Bride-to-be Merve Kacar adjusted her gown, placed a crown on her head and added the finishing touch of a lace-trimmed white face mask as she prepared for her wedding in southeast Turkey after a three-month delay. The country allowed wedding halls, along with theatres and internet cafes, to open again from Wednesday as it wound down some of its last major coronavirus curbs in a bid to return life to normal and revive the economy. But some restrictions remained. "There is no dancing without touching our families, and no gold ceremony," Kacar, said, referring to the custom where guests give coins to the couple. "We are not happy about it but it's more appropriate this way," the 24-year-old told Reuters at her dress rehearsal in Diyarbakir, the southeast's main city. At a separate wedding in the city on Wednesday, the groom Serdal Aman felt more sanguine. "We are feeling lucky in all this unluckiness. We were really lucky to get an appointment for the first day," he said. At the start of June, Turkey opened restaurants and cafes, and lifted weekend stay-home orders and inter-city travel bans. A subsequent doubling of daily coronavirus cases prompted President Tayyip Erdogan to warn the country had lost some ground in its battle with coronavirus. Turkey has recorded more than 200,000 COVID-19 cases and 5,150 deaths, with new daily cases running around 1,300. As Turks poured out into streets, parks, malls and vacation spots last month, Ankara made face masks compulsory in major cities. More measures could come even as officials have said there is no plan to slow momentum in the economy, which emerged in June from a near standstill since mid-March. Some 1,150 wedding halls in Istanbul were cleaned and prepared for the reopening, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported. New rules mean guests' temperatures are taken and sanitisers are used upon arrival. Tables are separated and everyone - including the bride and groom - must wear masks. Story continues Biricik Kiziltas, a bridal gown designer, said she had responded by making a new line of masks with lace and other decorative touches. "Brides are already feeling sad, and they have no excitement, so we tried to make something to cheer them up," she said. (Additional reporting by Daren Butler in Istanbul; Writing by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Andrew Heavens) By Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday declined to hear a bid by a large group of Iraqis convicted of crimes in the United States to prevent imminent deportation to their home country where they say they could face persecution and torture. The justices let stand a lower court's 2018 ruling that the federal judiciary lacked the authority to stop the planned deportations. The Iraqis had argued that the U.S. Constitution's so-called suspension clause - relating to a person's ability to challenge confinement by the government - empowered courts to review their claims. The case involves approximately 1,400 Iraqis in the United States who were ordered deported years or even decades ago because of criminal convictions. They were able to remain in the United States because Iraq had refused to repatriate them. The diplomatic situation changed in 2017, however, when Iraq struck a deal with the United States to repatriate its citizens. The U.S. government then conducted raids and detained hundreds of the Iraqis as part of a larger push by President Donald Trump to increase immigration enforcement. The Iraqis, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, sued the U.S. government in federal court in Detroit to try to halt the deportations. The Iraqis, many of whom are Christian, have said face likely torture and death in Iraq. They wanted U.S. courts to halt the deportations so they could reopen their cases before immigration judges and present new evidence that they should be allowed to stay because they faced possible torture. A judge in Detroit ruled for the Iraqis in 2018, but the Cincinnati, Ohio-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision. In another case raising similar issues, the Supreme Court on June 25 enhanced the ability of the U.S. government to quickly deport illegal immigrants including asylum seekers with limited judicial review. (Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Will Dunham) Consumer fireworks are banned in much of Maryland, including in Baltimore City and Montgomery, Howard and Prince Georges counties, as well as in the town of Bel Air and in Ocean City (the laws are not as strict in Pennsylvania). But just because it is unlawful does not necessarily mean it can be prosecuted. The lockdown restrictions are beginning to ease in the UK and the government has introduced a new flexible furlough scheme in an effort to accommodate part-time return for employees. The new scheme comes into effect from 1 July as businesses start to reopen after three months of lockdown. The government has said the furloughing scheme will remain open until the end of October and will continue to support jobs and business in a measured way as people return to work. So what does the flexible scheme mean and how does it work? The governments new flexible furlough scheme launched on 1 July, giving employers the chance to bring staff back part-time and still claim grants to cover some of their wages, says Alan Price, employment law expert and CEO of BrightHR. Who can go on flexible furlough? From 1 July, only employees that employers successfully claimed a previous government grant for will be eligible for more grants under the Job Retention Scheme, he says. This means they must have previously been furloughed for at least three consecutive weeks at some point between 1 March and 30 June. Chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak during a media briefing on coronavirus in Downing Street, London. Photo: PA Video via Getty Images How do I put someone on flexible furlough? Employers should discuss with employees who they wish to place on the flexible furlough scheme, outlining the hours they will be expected to work. Staff will need to agree on the arrangements of their part-time work, which will need to be put in writing. The written record of this needs to be kept for five years. READ MORE: Coronavirus: How to cope with being furloughed Employers will also need to consider operational requirements, for example, what roles are needed and how many staff are required. They will also have to think about practical issues too, as not all employees will necessarily be able to return to work, such as those who are shielding or people with childcare issues. How long must flexible furlough last? Previously, staff needed to be furloughed for at least three weeks to benefit from the scheme. However, flexible furlough agreements can last any amount of time, Price says. Story continues That said, the period that employers claim for must be for a minimum period of seven calendar days. Employees can enter into a flexible furlough agreement more than once. How much can I claim? The scheme will allow employers to recover the remainder of wages to a maximum cap. Wage caps are proportional to the hours an employee is furloughed. For example, an employee is entitled to 60% of the 2,500 cap if they are placed on furlough for 60% of their usual hours, Price explains. The amount that the scheme will cover will begin to decrease from September, and employers will be responsible for all of the national insurance and pension contributions from August 2020 regardless of the employee being on flexible furlough. READ MORE: What does the furlough extension mean? How do I calculate working hours? There are two different calculations employers can use to work out their employees usual hours, depending on whether they work fixed or variable hours, Price says. Where the employees working hours are fixed, or their pay does not vary with the number of hours worked, the reference period for calculating their hours is the hours they were contracted for at the end of the last pay period ending on or before 19 March 2020. Where an employee works variable hours, employers will use the higher of: the average number of hours worked in the tax year 2019 to 2020, and the corresponding calendar period in the tax year 2019 to 2020. File image of UN peacekeeping forces - AFP The United Nations has suspended two male workers without pay after a video emerged of them cavorting with a woman in a red dress inside a UN-marked vehicle as it cruised through Tel Aviv. In the 18-second video clip, a woman is seen straddling a man in the back seat of the car, while another man dozes in the passenger seat as the vehicle drives past a beach in the Israeli city. The UN reacted with horror to the video and launched an investigation, which is focused on two workers from the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), which monitors military activity in Israel. Neither the woman nor the two men have been named since the video - which UNTSO has described as abhorrent" - went viral earlier in June. Two male international staff members who were in the UN vehicle in Tel Aviv have been identified as having engaged in misconduct, including conduct of a sexual nature," Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement on Thursday. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. He added: Given the seriousness of the allegations of failing to observe the standards of conduct expected of international civil servants, the two staff members have been placed on Administrative Leave Without Pay, pending the results and conclusion of the ongoing investigation. The staff will be disciplined if they are found guilty of sexual misconduct, which the UN says it takes extremely seriously. Mr Guterres has previously said he will take a zero tolerance approach to sexual misconduct. They could also be banned from taking part in UN peacekeeping work and after being repatriated to their countries of origin could face further investigation from the national authorities. The UN has faced numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, with 175 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse against UN workers in 2019 according to one recent report. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, public health officials have gained greater visibility and in some cases, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, became household names. But along with that attention has emerged a troubling trend: as states and counties revised restrictions, conducted contract tracing and reacted to our evolving understanding of combatting the virus, public health experts have been threatened and criticized, sometimes to the point of pushing them to resign. This pushback has been especially notable for women in high-profile positions. PHOTO: Dr. Amy Acton, the now former director of the Ohio Department of Health, poses for a portrait on Oct. 9, 2019, at the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus. (Joshua A. Bickel/Dispatch via USA Today Network, FILE) In the first weeks of the pandemic, Dr. Amy Acton was widely praised and admired for her tough response to the coronavirus pandemic as director of Ohio's health department. As the state slowly started to reopen, though, she received challenges to her authority from Republican lawmakers. One, Rep. Nino Vitale, called her a "medical dictator" and a "globalist," a term that is considered an anti-Semitic slur (Acton is Jewish), in Facebook posts. In early May, Ohio House Democratic leader Emilia Sykes lambasted a vote by the Republican-led House to limit the health director's authority, saying at the time that Acton hadn't needed additional oversight "until that director in charge of a pandemic was a woman." After the vote, the House speaker said that "what happened today wasnt about Dr. Acton." PHOTO: A woman holds up a sign against Dr. Amy Acton outside of the Ohio State House in Columbus, Ohio on April 18, 2020, to protest the stay home order that is in effect until May 1st. (Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images) On several occasions, protesters demonstrated against Acton at the statehouse and her home, some toting signs with sexist and anti-Semitic messages, others armed, according to local reports. Gov. Mike DeWine urged protesters to demonstrate against him instead and that Acton wasn't "fair game." Last month, Acton resigned as director, taking a less public-facing health role in the governor's administration. Her office declined an interview request. MORE: Amy Acton, Ohio's embattled health director, resigns amid COVID-19 crisis Story continues 'I felt very unsafe' Lauri Jones, the community health director for Okanogan County Public Health in north-central Washington, told ABC News she has never felt threatened for doing her job until now. In late April, after the department requested that a family isolate due to COVID-19 exposure, she was threatened in Facebook comments. She bought surveillance cameras as a precaution and filed a police report to document the threats. "I felt very unsafe," Jones said. "They had threatened to publish my address, and they were all going to come to my house. ... It has been kind of a little bit of a nightmare. There were many sleepless nights." Jones said she has heard from a couple of female colleagues in her area who said they have also received threats, though she hasn't heard the same for any male colleagues. "I truly wonder if it disproportionately affects women in public health positions, as opposed to men in public health," Jones said. "My gut's telling me it is." Women are more likely than men to hold top spots in local health departments. According to a 2019 report by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), 66% of top executives in local health departments were women, up from 62% in 2016. They also may be more vocal about what has been happening to them during the pandemic, NACCHO CEO Lori Tremmel Freeman told ABC News. (A rare exception is Dr. Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, who said in April he had received threats.) MORE: Fauci given security detail after threats: Source "These are not innocent threats," Freeman said. "Some of these are quite violent in nature." Georgia's public health director, Dr. Kathleen E. Toomey, told NBC affiliate WXIA-TV in May that she had received threats. The health department declined to comment to ABC News on the nature of the threats, though the director was seen with armed security during coronavirus briefings in April and May. 'Casually suggested that I should be shot' Barbara Ferrer is one of several female county health directors in California who has received threats during the pandemic. In a statement released last week, the Los Angeles County public health director said she received a death threat in May during a Facebook Live broadcast about COVID-19, "when someone very casually suggested that I should be shot." "I didnt immediately see the message, but my husband did, my children did, and so did my colleagues," she wrote in the statement. Other attacks, via emails, public posts and letters, had been ongoing since March, and serious threats have been reported to a sheriff's liaison, she said. In May, one Twitter post criticized her appearance and shared an image doctored to make her look ill. PHOTO: Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer takes questions at a news conference in Los Angeles, Mar. 12, 2020. (Damian Dovarganes/AP, FILE) Ferrer told ABC News that she understands that people are angry about the impacts of the pandemic. They are "looking for somebody to blame -- and found a target," she said. Ferrer believes women have been experiencing these attacks "way more than men." "My sense is that I think it's a little bit harder for women. I think people feel freer to denigrate us," Ferrer added. "The only thing I know is that the women in California that have spoken about this the most -- there are three of us, we're all women." One of those women is Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara Countys public health officer. In May, a Santa Clara County resident purchased an ad in the Mercury News titled, "Dr. CODY, YOU OWE US ANSWERS," which questioned the health director's response in reopening the county. Last month, the county also acknowledged that Cody was "the target of serious threats." The local sheriff's office is investigating threats made against her in recent weeks, ABC News San Francisco affiliate KGO reported. "Even though those individuals represent a tiny fraction, we take those threats extremely seriously and are taking all the necessary steps to ensure the safety of our Public Health Officer," the county said in a statement. A third woman is Dr. Nichole Quick, the former chief health officer of Orange County. After issuing a mask order on May 23, she faced death threats and protests at her home, and the local sheriff's department provided her with a security detail, county officials said. She resigned on June 8 without making a public comment. In a statement, the Los Angeles County Medical Association said Quick's resignation "is both disheartening and disturbing." The California Medical Association said it "creates a dangerous precedent that should concern all of us." "We must continue to protect public health based on science, and not allow bullying to drive the health recommendations that can keep us safe and healthy," the organization said in a statement. On Wednesday, a day after Ferrer spoke with ABC News, a fourth female California health officer -- Alameda County's Dr. Erica Pan -- detailed harassment she's received over coronavirus orders. Fired or forced out Several women in top state positions have been fired or asked to resign during the pandemic, including in Connecticut, Wisconsin and West Virginia, where last week Dr. Cathy Slemp was ousted as the state health officer. Gov. Jim Justice publicly criticized reporting errors at her office, saying there were discrepancies in the number of cases out of a correctional facility, and voiced his "lack of confidence" in her leadership. Officials at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Slemp's alma mater, said they were "stunned and troubled" by her resignation and praised her "steady leadership." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Emily Brown was let go from her position as the director of the Rio Grande County Public Health Department in Colorado in May. She told Kaiser Health News she was at odds with county commissioners who wanted to loosen coronavirus restrictions faster. They finally were tired of me not going along the line they wanted me to go along, she said, according to Kaiser. More than two dozen residents of the rural county called her firing during a public health crisis "shocking and appalling." The commissioner chairman said in a local report the move was part of a restructuring "to better address the crisis." Brown, as well as Quick and Acton, were replaced in the interim by men. PHOTO: In this March 2020 photo, Orange County, Calif., Chief Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick listens during a coronavirus press conference in Satna Ana, Calif. (The Orange County Register via AP, FILE) Credibility questioned Women in leadership roles are often challenged "from a credibility standpoint, from a trust standpoint," Freeman, the NACCHO CEO, said. Women also are often subjected to social media abuse when they "step into the public arena," Sarah Hawkes, co-director of Global Health 5050, an organization that promotes gender equality and health equity in health care, told ABC News. Before she was fired, Brown told NPR that she had seen social media comments about her and other female public health officials remark that "based on what we looked like, we obviously weren't health experts and shouldn't be listened to." During a public hearing on a proposed mask order in Palm Beach County, Florida, last week, one resident threatened to execute a citizen's arrest on Dr. Alina Alonso, the county's health director, for "crimes against humanity." Another questioned the respected health official's credentials. "I really have many question marks about your degrees and what you really know," she said. MORE: Officials see pushback as more states, counties require people to wear masks in public In May, reacting to Alameda County lockdown orders that kept his Fremont factory closed, Tesla founder Elon Musk called Pan, the county's health officer, "ignorant" in a tweet. She was recently appointed California's state epidemiologist. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. A Pennsylvania official faced backlash for transphobic comments made during a virtual discussion on the township's reopening last month. Scott Township Commissioner Paul Abel said he was "tired of listening to a guy dressed up like a woman" -- referring to Pennsylvania's secretary of health, Dr. Rachel Levine, who is transgender. Abel resigned a week later. Levine has not publically commented on the incident. Toni Van Pelt, president of the National Organization for Women, told ABC News in a statement that misogyny "prevents people from respecting women in leadership." During the pandemic, "that has meant that policymakers often look to men as scientific experts instead of women," she said, pointing to this Undark Magazine report. "These women leaders across the United States are trying to do their jobs, making the right call and putting people over profit, but they have misogyny and sexism in their way," Van Pelt said. "When health professionals in the U.S. speak truth to power, especially those who are women, women of color or LGBTQIA+, they arent given the respect they deserve." Not stopping Okanogan County's Jones, for her part, is undeterred. "I am not going to back down from this, regardless of any threats," she said. "We'll continue to do our jobs. This isn't a short-term virus." Ferrer said she isn't worried about the threats, but she is concerned about the county's case numbers and hospitalizations. On Monday, Los Angeles became the first county in the country to hit 100,000 cases of COVID-19. Hospitalizations have also increased 27% in the last two weeks, officials said earlier this week. "I think the more important thing is, how do you work with people who have very different understandings of their risk, of other people's risk, a different tolerance for what they're willing or not willing to do? How do you get everybody together so that we can actually, successfully slow the spread?" Ferrer said. "We have a ton of work in front of us. We need to stay focused on what's important right now." 'Unsafe': Women in public health facing pushback and threats for coronavirus response originally appeared on abcnews.go.com FORT WORTH, TX Their fingers intertwined the way lovers do, a Fort Worth couple spent their final moments on Earth clasping each others hands, dying less than an hour apart in a sorrowful yet poignant moment shining through the death and heartache wrought by the coronavirus. Their deaths together that way, their children said, was a completion, a perfection of lives well-lived and a marriage built to last. When they died, Curtis and Betty Tarpley, ages 79 and 80, had loved each other for more than a half-century and had known each other for even longer. They raised a son, Tim, and a daughter, Tricia, and lived in three states during their 53 years of marriage. When Betty got sick in early June, Curtis fretted she had COVID-19, the coronavirus illness. He was right. She was admitted to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth on June 9. Two days later, Curtis joined her at the hospital. They were in separate rooms, but the hospital staff made sure they could spend as much time as possible with one another. But the virus was raging, showing Texas and the rest of the country that the pandemic is far from over. The cruelties of the coronavirus are many, but the prospect of Tim's parents dying alone weighed heavily on him. It was the saddest thing ever, Tim told news station KSAX of taking his parents to the hospital. Because you drop your parents off at the curb [in] their walkers, and they walk themselves into the emergency room and you dont see them again. His last words to his mother were in a text message. I just said that she was a great mom, he told KSAX, but shes going to be a better angel. As her condition declined, Betty called her children and said she was ready to go, Tim told CNN. It took a bit for Tim to come to terms with that, let alone tell his dad. When he did, Curtis oxygen levels began to fall. I really feel like he was fighting because he was supposed to, and once he knew she wasn't gonna make it, then he was OK with, you know, taking it to the house, Tim told CNN. I think he fought because he thought the team needed him, but he was also tired, and he was in pain. Story continues That was June 18. Blake Throne, an ICU nurse who was caring for Curtis, knew what needed to be done. I started inquiring about if it was even possible, and then I started shaking the tree to try to get it done, Throne told CNN. When Betty was wheeled into Curtis room, both were on whats called comfort care that is, they were heavily medicated but their son said his mom and dad didnt need to speak words to communicate. I honestly think they were so incapacitated that all they could do was talk with their souls or something, a special unspoken language, Tim told CNN. They obviously knew each other well enough that they could communicate without words. Betty died about 20 minutes after Throne put their hands together. In another 45 minutes, Curtis was gone. I dont know how one would have survived without the other, Tricia told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Ive had so many people tell me, Im so sorry you lost them both, but I almost think it would have hurt worse. Theyre together. Neither one of them had to grieve for the other one. For them, it was perfect. Betty had always said she didnt want to live to be 100, Tricia told the Fort Worth newspaper. She very much believed this world was temporary and it was a stop on going off to a better place, she said. She knew something better was coming, and she was fine with that. Curtis and Betty Tarpley built a beautiful life together. Their journey began in the 1950s, when they attended the same high school in Rockford, Illinois. They worked together at a local ice cream shop but werent sweethearts. They reconnected again in their 20s when both were living in California, fell in love and moved back to Rockford, where they were married. After Tim was born, they returned to California. Tricia was born two years later. They werent wealthy and, in fact, had lived in poverty in the early years of their marriage. We were this poor family in California, yet we were eating lobsters every night because they worked a deal where he would build a lobster trap, and they would split whatever the fisherman caught, Tim told the Star-Telegram of his childhood. It was crazy. The Tarpleys werent college-educated but were hard workers, their children said. Curtis, a military veteran, worked as a cab driver in San Diego, often ferrying around the glitterati, and Betty worked her way up in a credit union office. After Curtis was laid off from his job in the 1980s, the family moved to Fort Worth. Jobs were scarce, and it took a while for the couple to get started again, but it eventually worked out. Curtis retired from the Postal Service, and Betty from a couple of credit union jobs. They were just regular people who worked hard, in life and at their marriage, and taught their children strong values. Growing up, nobody wants to turn into their parents, right? Tim told KSAX. Then, as we get older, we get to that age, right? They're our heroes, and you're lucky if you end up being half as good as they are. Curtis and Betty Tarpley touched the lives of others in ways the kids didnt know until after they had died. A friend of mine, I dont even know the situation honestly, but I guess he was homeless and living in his car, and my mom would let him shower and sleep on the couch, and she would make him food to eat in the car, Tim told the Star-Telegram. I had no idea. Tim announced his parents deaths in an emotional Facebook Live video. We lost our parents this morning and, in true Tarpley fashion, they go close to the same time, holding hands, he said. I still question that, you know? It seems like just a week ago they were both arguing about who should or shouldnt be driving ... but anyway, Ill buy that. Its pretty romantic. This article originally appeared on the Dallas Patch U.S. Army This story contains graphic details. A lawyer representing the family of slain Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen has revealed disturbing new details about how the young Houston native is believed to have died after she vanished in late April. Speaking on an episode of the Crime Stories podcast hosted by Nancy Grace that aired Thursday, Natalie Khawam said she and the Guillen family had just learned from Army investigators that the 20-year-old was brutally beaten after being called in to work at the Fort Hood armory on April 22. Army investigators discovered partial human remains earlier this week they believe belong to Guillen, though they have yet to be positively identified. After reporting for work that day, Guillen is said to have encountered Aaron Robinson, a fellow soldier publicly identified by the Armys Criminal Investigation Division on Thursday as the suspect in Guillens disappearance. Robinson displayed a weapon and took his own life when authorities closed in on him Wednesday morning, the CID said. According to Khawam, Robinson savagely attacked Guillen at the armory after she remarked on his relationship with the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier. When Guillen reminded him that the relationship was in violation of military rules, he allegedly picked up a hammer and began bludgeoning her head over and over. The whole place was filled with blood, Khawam said. Dead Suspect in Disappearance of Fort Hood Soldier Sexually Harassed Her: Lawyer The suspect then allegedly took Guillens body to a river and enlisted the help of his girlfriend to dispose of the remains. They go to the river, they first try to light her body on fire, they try to burn her body, they cant burn her body, theyre having a hard time burning her body, so they decide to take the machete out and start dismembering her whole body, Khawam said. After scattering her remains in a shallow grave, she said, they used quick-dry cement to try and cover it. Story continues Ironically, this all happened between midnight and four in the morning when they were burning her body and dismembering her body with a machete. That time was when Vanessas sister Mayra was arriving at the base. While shes looking for her sister, they are dismembering her body, Khawam said. The CID has confirmed that the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier is also in custody in connection with the Guillen case but because she is a civilian and in the custody of local authorities, Army CID will not be releasing any further information concerning her or her status at this time. The Bell County Sheriffs Office identified the second suspect as Cecily Aguilar and said she is in custody and awaiting a court appearance in federal court on a charge of tampering/fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, a second-degree felony. Khawam said Robinson managed to flee and shoot himself after authorities tried to hold him at the base in connection with coronavirus precautions rather than getting an arrest warrant. Guillen reportedly confided in family members about experiencing sexual harassment by one of her superiors on the base prior to her disappearance, and Khawam said Robinson was one of the men accused of sexually harassing her. But at a Thursday press conference, Damon Phelps of the CID said Robinson was not involved in the sexual harassment inquiry and was in no way Guillens superior. Guillens family is demanding a congressional investigation into the militarys handling of the case, claiming Army authorities have gone out of their way to protect soldiers in the course of the investigation. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Fort Lauderdale police released footage showing officers laughing and celebrating after shooting protesters with rubber bullets during a late May protest against police brutality. The police department in South Florida released the nearly 9 minutes of body-camera footage on Wednesday in response to a Miami Herald story that was accompanied by a 2-minute clip of the footage the Herald obtained through a public records request. The Miami Herald reported that the recording was from a Fort Lauderdale officer's body camera during a protest on May 31, after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Beat it, little f---er, an officer can be heard saying after shooting projectiles at a protester. The protester appears to have tossed tear gas at the police and to be walking away. Later, one officer asked another if his body camera was off, and the second officer incorrectly said it was. Did you see me f--k up those motherf----rs? one of the officers says on the video. I got the one f---er, the other officer replies, as the two officers laugh. The department said it is conducting a review of 8,000 minutes of body-camera footage, including from the protest on May 31, but it is defending the officers involved in the video published first by the Miami Herald. "The Herald's story shows only two and half minutes of an 8 minute and 43 second long video. The entire video clearly demonstrates our officers were under attack by a group of people who chose to use violence instead of peace to antagonize the situation. Although the language is extreme, and offensive to some, our officers were dealing with the chaos of a developing situation," Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione said in a statement. A Fort Lauderdale police officer who was captured on video appearing to push over a kneeling demonstrator during the same protest was charged with battery earlier this week. Quote: Kati Hockstad and Kim Gossert, senior class advisors, said, Manchester Valleys Class of 2020 is most notably defined by their resilience, tenacity, and talent during their time at Manchester Valley. This special group of students has taken every opportunity to embody the slogan that began their freshman year: Together we are one.' Collectively, they have exhibited an unwavering determination, persistence, and ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances and situations, from being the first fully Maverick freshmen right up through graduating through a pandemic. During their final weeks as high school students, our seniors have once again demonstrated great character and pride as they have adapted and adjusted to challenges with grace and dignity. Their high school careers will end as they started with great excitement and anticipation for the new chapter that is about to begin in their lives. They are certain to leave lasting impressions wherever they go, just as they left their legacy at Manchester Valley. Photograph: Nick Harvey/WireImage While Ghislaine Maxwells arrest Thursday in relation to her confidant Jeffrey Epsteins sex crimes answered some questions about her life revealing, for example, that she hid at a sprawling, million-dollar New Hampshire estate, where she was picked up in a morning raid still more questions arose about whats next for the mysterious British socialite. As she sits in custody, at the top of many minds was whether Maxwell long accused of grooming underage victims for Epstein will cooperate with prosecutors. Related: Prince Andrew under pressure after arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell Despite Epsteins death in a jail cell in Manhattan last August while awaiting trial, the authorities continued to investigate his crimes and other people in his network. Maxwell, 58, was charged on Thursday in a 17-page indictment with allegedly enticing a minor to travel to engage in criminal sexual activity, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, conspiracy to commit both of those crimes, and perjury related to a sworn deposition. If convicted, she faces up to 35 years in federal prison. At a press conference in Manhattan, federal prosecutor Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York, accused Maxwell of lying about allegations that she conspired with Epstein and also was directly responsible for some of the sexual abuse herself because the truth was almost unspeakable. Then Strauss was asked whether the perjury charge could impact Maxwells potential value if she were to cooperate. This sometimes happens where there are perjury charges and people can go on from there and become cooperators, Strauss said. She continued: So Im not concerned about that. And if Maxwell were to become a cooperator, Strauss said of the perjury charge: I think we could deal with that. Maxwell is reportedly being held at the medium-security Merrimack county jail in New Hampshire and is expected to be transferred to New York for a court appearance next week. Story continues She is probably alone under close observation, said Ted Lothstein, a criminal defense lawyer familiar with the jail. They are going to have her on the tightest security imaginable, he said. At this point, any talk of Maxwells cooperation, typically a plea deal in return for information about other perpetrators, remains hypothetical. It is unclear how any potential cooperation would play out. Following Epsteins death, many now perceive the wealthy socialite as the ringleader in his abuse conspiracy. Related: Ghislaine Maxwell arrest sends tremors through Epsteins celebrity circle Its more common for cooperators to be lower-level participants, not ringleaders, the idea being that their cooperation would implicate the higher-level offenders, now those lower down a crooked hierarchy. David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor who now handles white-collar criminal defense at Hinshaw & Culbertson, pointed to the potential lengthy sentence as a possible incentive to cooperate. If Maxwell pleaded guilty rather than going on trial, she could face less time. They will use all of this to pressure her into cooperating against the other known and unknown co-conspirators mentioned in counts one and three [of the indictment], Weinstein told the Guardian in an email. However, keep in mind that at this point, with Epstein dead, she is the kingpin of the organization, Weinstein said of how prosecutors likely perceive Maxwell. If she cooperates, she would be cooperating down. Those co-conspirators would have to be high profile individuals to warrant [prosecutors] accepting her cooperation. Britains the Sun newspaper on Friday reported that a former associate of Epstein, Steven Hoffenberg, who spent 20 years in prison for a financial pyramid, or Ponzi, scheme, predicted that Maxwell will quickly crack in custody and cooperate. Julie Rendelman, a New York criminal defense lawyer who formerly worked as a prosecutor, said that cooperation wasnt off the table despite Maxwells potential alleged high rank. Could she cooperate? Sure, she could cooperate, even though many view her at this point, without Epstein, as being the highest in the chain, Rendelman said, adding, however, we dont know for sure she is. But cooperation wouldnt necessarily be a get out of jail free card, but may instead get her leniency when it comes to sentencing in the end, Rendelman said. Asked whether he had anything to say about Maxwells arrest, or the cooperation question, her lawyer, Lawrence Vogelman, said in an email: Sorry. No comment. Maxwell has long maintained that she did not engage in any wrongdoing. Daniel R Alonso, a former federal prosecutor whos a partner at Buckley LLPs New York City office, said: Clearly, the top of the pyramid in this case was Epstein, and hes gone, so it all depends on the governments perception on the relative value of its own mission, of prosecuting other people that they might not otherwise be able to convict without her testimony. Even if the FBI concluded that the people she can cooperate against are somehow less culpable, that wouldnt mean that they wouldnt find value in her cooperation, Alonso pointed out. There are many instances where the government has used so-called higher level people against so-called lower level people, he continued. Its not the norm, its much more common to cooperate people up, but its not unheard of. He also said that cooperators can still be effective, even if theyre implicated in perjury. Theres this sort of misconception that if somebody has a perjury conviction, that theyre never useful as a witness ever again. Thats not true, he said. The question is not: Did they lie the first time? The question is whether theyre telling the truth now. U.S. troops at Bagram Airfield, north of Kabul, Afghanistan, in December 2019. (Rahmat Gul / Associated Press) Top U.S. commanders believe they have tentative White House approval to leave just over 4,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond November, delaying a full American pullout until after the presidential election. The plan, worked out at a meeting between Pentagon and White House officials late last month, would represent an about-face for President Trump. He has pushed for a complete withdrawal of the 8,600 troops now in Afghanistan by the election, seeing a pullout as a much-needed foreign policy achievement as his reelection prospects have deteriorated. Trump had only recently told advisors that a full and rapid pullout could blunt the controversy over intelligence reports that Russia has paid militants to kill American service members, one official said. The president, who has made clear that he cares little about conditions in Afghanistan, could still order a full withdrawal by November if he decides it would help him in the election, officials said. But Pentagon officials warned that a complete withdrawal over the next five months could plunge Afghanistan into crisis, dooming peace talks U.S. officials have been seeking to jump-start between the Afghan government and Taliban militants and worsening already surging violence. Officials also warned the White House that getting out completely by November would force them to leave substantial amounts of equipment behind. The timetable is being driven by the election clock, not the Afghan clock, said one official, who requested anonymity in discussing the administrations thinking. Other administration officials also believe that a sooner-than-planned exit would only worsen the perception that the U.S. and Trump were being driven out of the country after nearly two decades of war. Marine Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the top commander in the Middle East, said last month that he could not recommend a full withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan until the Taliban demonstrates it no longer supports Al Qaeda forces there. Story continues If conditions would allow, were prepared to go to zero by May, McKenzie said in a videoconference hosted by the Washington-based think tank Middle East Institute. If asked my opinion, those conditions have not been fully met. It wouldn't be the first time that the Pentagon had successfully lobbied a president to halt a planned withdrawal from Afghanistan months before an election. President Obama also halted plans for a complete pullout in 2015, leaving to his successor the question of whether the U.S. should depart. If Trump loses the election, the decision on a final withdrawal would fall to Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, who has long favored reducing the U.S. presence in the country. The president recently revived his talk of a complete withdrawal before the election, amid the public furor over the reports that he was informed this year about the Russian bounties and has done nothing in response. Trump has denounced the report of Russian bounties as a hoax and claimed that intelligence officials never told him verbally about the payments. The bounties were mentioned, however, in intelligence summaries provided to him and other top advisors at the White House. A Taliban spokesman has denied the reports. U.S. military commanders and intelligence officials say there is strong evidence that Russia paid bounties to the Taliban, and they have been investigating whether payments were made after three Marines were killed last year by a car bomb near Bagram Airfield, north of Kabul, officials said. The U.S. troop level in Afghanistan has already fallen steeply, to 8,600 last month from 12,000 as recently as January. The initial drawdown was part of a Feb. 29 agreement between the Trump administration and Taliban militants that calls for a complete American exit by next spring. Trump wanted to expedite that even as U.S. officials insist that further withdrawals are contingent on the Taliban denying sanctuary to Al Qaeda within Afghan territory under its control and on the power-sharing negotiations with the Afghan government. Neither condition has been achieved. The planned talks have been delayed by jockeying between Kabul and Taliban officials over the release of prisoners. And a Pentagon report released Wednesday concludes that Al Qaeda operatives still routinely work with low-level Taliban members and maintain an enduring interest in attacking U.S. forces. Also, attacks by Taliban fighters against Afghan troops have soared since the signing of the U.S.-Taliban deal. The agreement barred Taliban attacks on U.S. troops but left out similar protections for Afghan government forces, whose casualties have reached levels unseen for a decade. Afghan government officials say more than 400 Taliban attacks this year have claimed the lives of some 200 members of the Afghan security forces. Separately, 42 civilians including babies in a hospital maternity ward were killed in a single week, although other Islamic militants were blamed. Trump's insistence on pulling out all U.S. troops has drawn opposition not only from the Pentagon but also from lawmakers of both parties. The House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday moved to restrict his ability to order steeper withdrawals, approving a provision that would block funding for reductions below 8,000 troops unless the administration certifies that doing so would not compromise counter-terrorism goals and other conditions. The amendment, attached to an annual defense bill, was approved by a vote of 45 to 11. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a member of the House Republican leadership, said the provision lays out, in a very responsible level of specificity, what is going to be required if we are going to in fact make decisions about troop levels based on conditions on the ground and based on what's required for our own security, not based on political timelines." U.S. diplomats have consulted numerous times with Taliban and Afghan government leaders, with the goal of pushing the sides toward enacting the Feb. 29 agreement. But they have made little progress. Giving the process a short shrift will undermine our interests and our international reputation, Earl Anthony Wayne, a former senior U.S. diplomat in Afghanistan, told The Times. We would pay serious costs in the short, medium and long term for a precipitous departure this year. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo on Wednesday declined in a news conference to confirm or deny reports that Russia has paid the Taliban to kill U.S. troops, but warned the Taliban against attacks. The administration is constantly issuing warnings to Russia, he said, despite Trump's outward affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin. "When we see credible information that suggests that the Russians are putting American lives at risk, we're responding in a way that is serious," he said. "Do we warn them? Do we talk to them? ... The answer is, of course we do." In a videoconference Monday night with the Talibans chief negotiator, Abdul Ghani Baradar, Pompeo had reiterated that "the expectation for the Taliban [is] to live up to their commitments, which include not attacking Americans." Pompeo insisted that the United States was continuing to press Taliban leaders to cut ties with Al Qaeda. I think we will be able to see when we get to that point, Pompeo said Wednesday on Fox News. Asked whether U.S. troops will be in Afghanistan on election day, Nov. 3, he said, The president will ultimately make that decision. Woman holds a gun on an African American woman and her daughter outside a Chipotle near Detroit: Twitter An angry exchange outside a Chipotle restuarant in Michigan escalated on Wednesday when a woman pulled a gun on an African American woman and her daughter. Takelia Hill said she and her 15-year-old daughter Makayla were walking into the restaurant when a woman walking out bumped into the teenager. Ms Hill said her daughter asked the woman for an apology, after which things began to escalate. She bumped me and I said excuse you. And then she started cussing me out and saying things like I was invading her personal space, Makayla told the Detroit News. The encounter moved to the restaurants car park, where Ms Hill began filming as she approached the conflict. She couldnt see me because her back was to me, but she was in my daughters face, Ms Hill said. Ms Hill and her daughter continued arguing with the woman. Ms Hill said the woman did something wrong and needs to apologise during the course of the confrontation. The woman claims in the video that Ms Hill and her daughter are blocking her from getting into her SUV and leaving. The driver of the SUV, a man, steps out and opens the door for the woman, urging her to get in the SUV. Ms Hill and her daughter call her ignorant and a dumb a** b**** and challenge the man to do something. The man responds by asking who the f*** do you guys think you are and alleges the woman did nothing to them. He then returns to the SUV and Makayla calls themvery racist and ignorant. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The argument continues and the woman tells Ms Hill and her daughter that you cant just walk around calling white people racist. This is not that type of world. White people arent racist, no one is racist. Ms Hill continues to ask the woman why she bumped her daughter, and before attempting to leave the woman says I care about you and Im sorry if youve had an incident where someone has made you feel like that. Eventually the woman tries to drive away, but Ms Hill ends up behind the SUV. The video does not make clear whether Ms Hill intentionally moved behind the SUV or if the vehicle backed up toward where she was standing. Ms Hill responds by punching the back window of the vehicle, after which the two individuals inside get out and the woman pulls out a pistol. Story continues In the video, the woman shouts get away and has her gun pointed directly at Ms Hill. She then yells at her to stay away from the back of her vehicle. Ms Hill calls on her daughter to take down the couples license plate and accuses them of trying to hit her with their vehicle. She got the gun on me, she was about to hit me with the car. Call them, get the licence plate. Get the licence plate now. Cause you were about to hit me with the car, Ms Hill said. After the tense moment, the woman gets back in her vehicle and drives off. The woman was later arrested. The Oakland County Sheriff Office told the Detroit News it planned to hold a press conference about the situation at some point on Thursday. The woman had not been charged with a crime as of the time of this storys publication. Read more White couple who pointed gun at crowd support Black Lives Matter Click here to read the full article. As the United States convulses with protests and riots over the killing of George Floyd, assassinations continue to be carried out in our name around the world. Despite few or no signs of success in countries like Somalia, the Trump administration has doubled down on a core tactic embraced by politicians from both parties in the war on terror: the use of drones. An estimated 155 air and drone strikes have been launched in Somalia since Donald Trump assumed office. This is a fivefold increase over the number carried out during Barack Obamas last term. There are similar increases in Yemen and Afghanistan where the United States no longer releases data on air and drone strikes. In most cases, increasing numbers of civilian deaths track the frequency of drone strikes. The myopic U.S. news media devotes little coverage to Americas ongoing drone wars. This is just as it is meant to be. Drone warfare comes with no physical danger for the soldiers and contractors who operate them from their air-conditioned boxes thousands of miles away from those they target. They are invulnerable. It is war by remote control and death by algorithm. Policymakers and politicians do not have to worry about grisly headlines describing dead and injured American soldiers. There are no inconvenient questions from the public about why and what American soldiers are dying for. The media generally gives no voice to those killed by drones in countries like Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The dead are declared militants, regardless of whether they are militants or not, and forgotten. Though to be forgotten they would have to merit discussion. And they do notnot in the United States. With few costs beyond the financial, war by remote control is the go-to method for combatting those the United States labels militants and terrorists around the world. Reliance on drones, like the War on Terror itself, is a tactic devoid of strategy that only creates more terrorists and militants. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that between 2001 and 2018, the number of militant Salafi-oriented fighters has increased nearly four hundred percent. This is probably an underestimation. The use of drones, in particular, has fueled recruitment for militant Salafi groups across the Muslim world. Story continues In the course of numerous visits to Yemen and the Horn of Africa, government officials, community leaders, and tribal elders repeatedly told me that: the United Statess use of drones, and more broadly its ill-conceived War on Terror, are fundamental to the popularity of various militant Salafi organizations. A tribal elder from the south of Yemen explained, they (the drone operators) watch us like animals in a zoo. And they kill us when they want to. The boys and young men, if they are to think of themselves as men, must do something to fight back, to seek vengeance. So, many of them join whoever promises to help them do that. Yemen, Somalia, and almost every other country where the United States is fighting its War on Terror are now home to far more insurgents and terrorists than before the start of the Forever War. Not only are there more insurgents and terrorists, but they are also more and more capable due to the effects of combat Darwinism and the democratization of technology. Most of these groups, including al-Shabaab in Somalia, now field their own drones. It will not be long before even small, poorly trained and funded, militant groups can deploy drones, or even swarms of drones, that are capable of tracking and killing targets far from those who are flying them. In fact, advanced fly and forget technology, which is widely available, means that militants and terrorists need not place themselves in danger. Despite spending $6.5 trillion, one is hard-pressed to point to a single country where U.S. policies have resulted in greater stability and a sustained decrease in insurgent numbers. In almost all of the countries in which U.S. forces are involved, the opposite is the case. Yet, there is no fundamental rethink by Republicans or Democrats of the United States Forever War or its reliance on armed drones. Nor is there likely to be. In his book, A Theory of the Drone, Gregoire Chamayou, argues that drones have already reshaped decision making in warfare, because the threshold of recourse to violence is drastically lowered, violence tends to be seen as the default option for foreign policy. Just as there is little or no discussion of those routinely killed by the United States drones, there is no public debate about the efficacy of a foreign policyif one can call it thatthat is all too often built around the assassination. Instead, there are morbid and largely unquestioning news articles touting the CIAs latest and most ethical variant of the Hellfire missile which uses blades to slice uprather than blow up--those it targets. During a recent trip to the unrecognized Republic of Somaliland, a country that successfully battles terrorism on its own, a senior official with Somalilands intelligence service explained to me, you cant understand a community, much less a country, by watching it on a video screen. Our approach to counter-terrorism is community-centric. The people provide the intelligence we need to fight al-Shabaab. It is this human intelligence and community-level engagement that is critical to combatting insurgency and terrorism. Both are essential to understanding how people may or may not be interacting with groups like al-Shabaab. People living in parts of Somalia and Yemen often have no choice but to deal with members of militant and terrorist groups to conduct business, move goods, and settle disagreements. In the case of al-Shabaab, the organization is pervasive. If you are a Somali living in parts of that country, you will have to interact with members of al-Shabaab, regardless of whether you support them or loathe them, as most Somalis do. Yet, this interaction may also mark you or your family members for death by the drones that watch from above. Either a computer program or an analyst who has more than likely never set foot in Somalia, or some combination of the two will decide it is your day to die. With the push of a few buttons in a cockpit thousands of miles away, lives are ended and the drone moves on to the next target. Counter-insurgency is, in of itself, fraught with problems and rarely successful as Gian Gentile makes clear in his book, Wrong Turn. However, drone-centric antiterrorism tactics are even more problematic. Success is measured in the number of militants killed rather than how these killings impact communities, sentiments, and the terrorist groups they purport to target. Just as there are few questions from the media or the American public about the United States drone wars, policymakers rarely step back and ask: is any of this working? As unarmed Predator drones orbit above protests in American cities, it is worth thinking about what acceptance of this technology means for the country and the world. As Chamayou argues, one of the questions that arises is whether the societies that have, for the time being, failed to rule out the use of this technology in wars waged on the other side of the world will eventually realize, perhaps with a jolt, that this technology is designed to be used on them too. George Mason, a founding father and slave owner, said when referring to the unchecked evil of slavery, Providence punishes national sins by national calamities. The Civil War and ongoing racial injustices and the responses to them have proved Mason correct. The unquestioned use of drones to hunt and kill people the world over, may, in time, be seen as another of Americas national sins that resulted in a profound and lasting blowback. Michael Horton is a foreign policy analyst who has written for numerous publications, including Intelligence Review, West Point CTC Sentinel, The Economist, The American Conservative, and the Christian Science Monitor. Image: Reuters Click here to read the full article. A bartender pours a beer for a customer at Shade Bar NYC in New York on June 22, 2020. Associated Press Bars are closing again in several states across the US, as more people who head out for drinks with friends are getting infected with the coronavirus. But in other places, including the UK, bars are opening for the first time this week. Dr. Anthony Fauci said earlier this week that bars are "really not good" places to be hanging out right now. He's right: gathering indoors, where you get close to other people, shout to be heard, take off face coverings to drink, and (perhaps) loose a little inhibition along the way is a dangerous concoction that dramatically ups the odds of transmitting the coronavirus. Drinking outside, at a safe (at least 3-foot) distance from friends and family, is a better idea. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Dr. Anthony Fauci is America's biggest party pooper these days. On Tuesday, while testifying before a US Senate Committee, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases said that "congregation at a bar, inside, is bad news" for the coronavirus. "Bars: really not good," Fauci said. "We really got to stop that right now." Many states are doing just that. From California, to Arizona, Florida, Colorado, and Texas, several US states that had previously allowed people to belly up at their local watering holes, after months of home isolation, are shutting their doors once again. The wave of new precautions comes in the wake of dozens, and in some cases hundreds of new coronavirus infections in cities and states around the country being tied back to local bars. Meanwhile, bar-goers across the Atlantic Ocean are getting their first fresh sips of pub life, after more than three months away. In Ireland, bars re-opened on Monday, and across the UK, pubs are gearing up to pour pints just after the stroke of midnight, on what's being dubbed "Super Saturday." Story continues Of course, it's a far less risky prospect to head to a bar if you know that there are no coronavirus cases circulating where you live. But how many Americans (or Brits, for that matter) can say that for certain right now? Here are seven good reasons why science suggests that sipping a brew outside this weekend is a far better idea than bellying up to a bar indoors Customers pose for a photograph with their drinks outside the re-opened Murray's Bar in Dublin on June 29, 2020, as lockdown measures begin to ease. Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images 1. The coronavirus thrives, survives, and moves quickly indoors It doesn't matter whether you're at a church service, singing karaoke, gambling in a casino, drinking at a bar, working in an office, going to the gym for a workout, using an elevator, or celebrating at a house party more and more evidence from around the world continues to suggest that being inside, for prolonged periods of time, with other people and their germs, is the best way to catch COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. A study from China (which is still under review) found that among 318 coronavirus outbreaks in that country, only one occurred outside. The other 317 happened indoors. Another examination of COVID-19 cases in Japan (also under review) found that the odds of COVID-19 transmission in a closed, indoor environment were nearly 19 times higher than out in fresh air. 2. Singing, cheering, and speaking loudly all help the coronavirus spread well between people A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which studied coronavirus cases across Japan from January to April, found that many of that country's coronavirus clusters tended to sprout up when people did heavy breathing in close proximity, including "singing at karaoke parties, cheering at clubs, having conversations in bars, and exercising in gymnasiums." Try ordering another beer without raising your voice, at least a little. 3. After a drink or two (or more), physical distancing and other forms of self-restraint might begin to disappear A recent review of 172 studies showed that wearing a mask, and keeping at least three feet apart (or more!) are the very best ways to avoid catching the coronavirus from others. How possible, really, is it to adhere to those rules in a bar, while sipping drinks, and chatting with friends? 4. Summertime sunlight can kill off a lot of virus, but there's little to no sun in a bar A recent study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases found that the coronavirus is "rapidly inactivated" by the sun. Using simulated sunlight and saliva in the lab, scientists recorded that the virus decayed by 90% after about 6 minutes in summer sun, and 19 minutes if it was late winter or early fall. Similarly, on a sunny, 80 degree Fahrenheit day, the US Department of Homeland Security estimates the virus decays by 90% in less than 9 minutes, and by 99% in just over 17. 5. Taking off a mask (which you need to do to drink) ups a person's risk of infection "You see people at bars not wearing masks, not avoiding crowds, not paying attention to physical distancing," Fauci said during his recent Senate complaints. But it doesn't have to be so. "You can get outdoors, you can interact wear a mask, try to avoid the close congregation of people, wash your hands often. But don't just make it all or none," Fauci added. "We've got to be able to get people to get out and enjoy themselves within the safe guidelines that we have." You could wear a face shield, which you don't need to take off to drink, or just be prudent about when, where, and how you take off your mask, making sure to stay well out of spitting distance of your friends when you're drinking. 6. People who don't look or feel sick spread the virus best of all Scientists are learning that people who show no symptoms of the coronavirus are just as good at spreading their illnesses to other people as those who do develop the dry cough, fever, shortness of breath, loss of smell, and other tell-tale signs of this virus. What's more, people tend to spread the coronavirus best before they ever know they are sick, whether they're ultimately symptomatic or not, which means bars full of seemingly healthy patrons could be hotbeds for viral spread. "You could be in the restaurant, feeling perfectly well, and start to get a fever," the World Health Organization's Executive Director of Health Emergencies Mike Ryan said during a recent Q&A. "You didn't think you'd need to stay home, but that's the moment at which your viral load could be actually quite high ... It's because the disease can spread at that moment that the disease is so contagious. That's why it's spread around the world in such an uncontained way." 7. Most bar workers don't have sick pay, making it harder to stay home if they get symptoms After being closed for business for months, and stuck at home without money coming in to pay the bills, bar owners and wait staff alike are in a desperate situation. They need business and cash now and most food service workers don't get sick days, either, which means even if they are sick, they can't stay home. If you want to drink to support your local businesses, consider taking it to go, or enjoying it outside, at a socially-distanced spot. That way, you're protecting the workers, who will be in a very precarious situation if they get sick. Read the original article on Business Insider Click here to read the full article. In the opening months of 1942, German U-boats pushed Allied supply lines to the breaking point. In the month of January, Axis submarines claimed over 20 Allied vessels including a tanker just 60 miles off the coast of Long Island. How could German submarines operate at such long ranges along the nations coastline? The U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) reasoned that freebooting American fishing vessels were resupplying these marauding subs somewhere off the coast of Long Island. But why? The Navy hypothesized that these fishermen were either ex-rumrunners put out of business by the end of Prohibition or a massive conspiracy of enemy agents nestled within the port of New York. The task of uncovering the plot fell to 40-year naval veteran Captain Roscoe MacFall, chief intelligence officer of the Third Naval District, a region that encompassed New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The captain needed to act quickly, for the Allied war effort was struck a $5 million blow on February 9, 1942. At 2:30 pm fire engines wailed and thousands of workers scrambled through dense smoke to Manhattans Pier 88. On that tragic day, a suspicious inferno devoured the French-built superliner Normandie. Amid the toxic fog, fireboats dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of water onto the conflagration. The strategy proved disastrous, for the excess water pitched the groaning ship into a 30-degree list that panicked stunned onlookers. The loss of the Normandie represented a catastrophic defeat for American forces. Seized from the Vichy French and renamed the Lafayette, the militarized mega-liner was as big as she was fast. Capable of carrying 10,000 troops, the blue-ribbon vessel could traverse the Atlantic in only four days time. The Navy suspected Nazi foul play. MacFall put little stock in official FBI investigations that suggested an erratic spark from a workers blowtorch ignited the blaze. The loss of the vessel was not only a physical defeat but also a symbolic one that highlighted a weakness in Americas strongest port. Story continues Turning to the Mob to Hunt Saboteurs From this strategic point, men, arms, and munitions would be shuttled to the front lines. To starve out the British, German Admiral Karl Donitz, commander of the Kriegsmarine U-boat arm, calculated that U-boats needed to sink 800,000 tons of Allied shipping a month. Current losses at that point exceeded 650,000 tons a month. If enemy agents provided enough assistance to paralyze this lifeline, the war would be over. Plainclothes Navy operatives descended upon the New York docks seeking information. With their best Jimmy Cagney impersonations, Ivy League-educated naval officers crept into the raucous haunts frequented by longshoremen. The stevedores met the agents with a threatening brick wall of silence. The officers were incapable of understanding the lawless tight-lipped culture of the docks. On the wrong side of the law for most of their lives, some of the ship workers mistrusted anyone in uniform, whether they were naval officers or meter maids. To make matters worse, mob-controlled longshoremen regularly doled out gaff beatings to inquisitive cops and reporters. Only the American Mafia claimed an utter dominance of the docks. ONI Warrant Officer Maurice Kelly remembered, Union officials and people in illegal operations along the waterfront had as much influence with conditions on the docks as the shipping people themselves, and, in many cases, more. The Navy wanted the Mafias help, but what would be the ramifications of turning to an organization predicated on murder, extortion, and drug dealing? Time was running out for MacFall as the Navy moralized over the implications of enlisting the mob. Between February and May, Nazi torpedoes sent more than 100 ships to the bottom, and the death toll was rising fast. The easy pickings inspired the Kriegsmarine to christen the first six months of the war the Happy Time. Director of Naval Intelligence, Rear Admiral Carl Espe, later reminisced, The outcome of the war appeared extremely grave. In addition, there was the most serious concern over possible sabotage in the ports. It was necessary to use every possible means to prevent and forestall sabotage. Someone on the docks was feeding the Nazis information, and only the mob had the power to hunt down the guilty party. The Sicilian Mafias Grudge Against Mussolini ONI held strong reservations over an alliance with the Mafia. Could Italian criminals even be trusted? Judging by the example set by master of intrigue, Vito Genovese, probably not. After fleeing to Italy to avoid a murder prosecution in 1937, Genovese grew close to Mussolini by befriending his son-in-law and foreign minister, Count Galeazzo Ciano. The shrewd Genovese courted Mussolini by donating $250,000 for the construction of a Fascist party building. The hoodlum grew so cozy with Il Duce that he soon dispatched his hitmen to assassinate New York newspaperman Carlo Tresca, a vocal critic of the Italian regime. For his work, Mussolini awarded Genovese the Commendatore del Re, the highest civilian honor in Italy, but Genovese was as apolitical as he was amoral. Capable of shifting like a feather on the political winds, the wily mobster held a reputation for double-crossing friends with impunity. The gangster felt no affinity for the fascist dictator and saw him only as a means to an end. After weeks of intensive research, MacFall discovered that Genovese was an anomaly. The Mafia represented the most antifascist organization in the world. Under Mussolinis savage purges, Sicilian mafiosi were bombed, machine-gunned, and arrested in droves. Many of the founding fathers of the American Mafia had fled their homeland because of the attacks. Project Underworld Time had run out for the Navy. On March 7, 1942, Captain MacFall met with New York District Attorney Frank Hogan to discuss striking a deal with organized crime. Hogan in turn put the captain in contact with the head of the New York Rackets Bureau, Murray Gurfein. What followed the meeting was one of the most unusual episodes of the war, and it remained a secret until 1977, when author Rodney Campbell uncovered the classified 1954 Herlands investigative report while organizing Governor Thomas E. Deweys archives. The 101-page report summarized over 3,000 pages of testimony that detailed the Navys involvement in what was dubbed Project Underworld. MacFall assigned the day-to-day operations to Commander Charles Radcliffe Haffenden, the debonair swashbuckling leader of ONIs B-3 investigative unit. Commander Haffendens style did not end with his personality. Project Underworld would be run from a series of posh suites in the Times Square Astor Hotel. Around him the commander assembled a dedicated team of colorful agents, many of them Italian-Americans versed in the Sicilian dialects spoken by the underworld. Among these men were Lieutenant Anthony Marsloe, a man fluent in Italian, Spanish, and French; Lieutenant Joseph Treglia, a former bootlegger now in charge of breaking and entering operations; and Lieutenant Paul Alfieri, a safecracker. Recruiting Crime Lord Joe Socks On March 25, Hogan and Gurfein offered Haffenden his first contact in organized crime. The team suggested the czar of Manhattans Fulton Fish Market, Joseph Socks Lanza. A made member of the Luciano crime family, the hulking 200-pound Mafia bulldozer earned his handle socking anyone who disagreed with his edicts. His criminal history stretched back to 1917 with arrests for homicide, burglary, conspiracy, and extortion. The beefy fishmongers resume in the Federal Bureau of Narcotics International Offenders Black Book added, A powerful and feared member of the Mafia in NYC. Has been one of the most accomplished terrorists in connection with labor racketeering in the lower east side Fulton Fish Market area. Sockss clammy grip over the United Seafood Workers Union stretched from Maine to Florida. With a simple nod of his massive head, an entire fishing fleet would dump its catch to inflate market prices. For companies that failed to bribe the racketeer, their fish were left on the docks to rot. Those who continued to disobey orders faced beatings, arson, and death. If anyone was capable of ferreting out sailors supplying Nazi submarines, it was Joe Socks, but how could the Navy approach a man bound by the oath of omerta? Haffenden knew a Navy officer stood little chance of penetrating the lawless fish market. Rather than walk through Lanzas front door, he chose a surreptitious route and phoned the mobsters attorney, Joseph Guerin, to set up a clandestine meeting. Lanza needed to be careful. The hoodlum was currently on trial for extortion. Just meeting with a naval officer and a member of the district attorneys office could earn the mafiosi a pair of cement shoes and a one-way ticket to the bottom of the East River. During the meeting, Gurfein pleaded with Lanza. He begged, Its a matter of great urgency. Many of our ships are being sunk along the Atlantic coast. We suspect German U-boats are being refueled and getting fresh supplies off our coast You can find out how and where the submarines are being refueled. Surprisingly, the gangster jumped at the opportunity. The district attorneys office had wire-tapped the mobsters phones to ensure his loyalty. To their horror, the bugs recorded conversations detailing Navy-inspired mayhem that included assaults, break-ins, and possible murders. A Lookout System For Finding U-Boats The next morning Lanza called his longtime associate Benjamin Espy, a former bootlegger who had served time in Lewisburg Penitentiary. Together the team questioned ship suppliers and demanded that any unusual purchases of food or fuel be reported to them. The two gangsters moved onto the vessels themselves and set up a network of fishermen to keep an eye out for submarines. The fish racket bosses success startled the men of the B-3 investigative unit. Sensing the Mafias influential grip, Haffenden requested union cards to infiltrate his agents on long-range fishing vessels. Socks responded by providing valuable cards used for no-show payoff jobs. The agents of the B-3 investigative unit roved far and wide under the protective wing of La Cosa Nostra. They sailed aboard mackerel fleets bound for Maine, Florida, and Newfoundland. Shockingly, these fleets served as the first line of U.S. defense against submarines. Captain MacFall later recounted, Some of the larger fishing fleets had their own ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore telephones, including codes used to guide the ships of one fleet to places where the catch was good Naval Intelligence worked out a confidential cooperative agreement and code with them as a part of the submarine lookout system. Lanza and Espy even traveled on their own fishing missions, recruiting informants as they went. Joe Socks also provided cover for much more sensitive missions. Lieutenant Joseph Treglia, leader of B-3s breaking-and-entry teams, wanted agents placed within several Manhattan buildings and a foreign consuls office. The teams obtained entry through Lanzas connections with the buildings superintendents and the Elevator Operator Union. The units consisted of 11 men and included a lock expert, a letter opener, a photographer armed with a miniature camera, and a radio- equipped security detachment. These black-bag jobs helped uncover several German espionage rings across the nation. Dealing With Subversive Union Leaders There was no doubt that Socks enjoyed playing his role of secret agent as much as Commander Haffenden enjoyed playing the role of mob boss. In one instance, the commander received word that Harry Bridges, a subversive West Coast union leader, was headed to New York to stir the union pot. Wiretaps revealed a startling conversation between Haffenden and Lanza. How about that Brooklyn Bridge thing? the commander asked in reference to the union leader. I dont want any trouble on the waterfront during the crucial times, Haffenden continued. You wont have any. Ill see to that, Lanza quipped. A goon squad later caught up with Bridges in a popular dance hall. A savage beating sent the union organizer home without a peep. Pleased with the power his acolyte wielded, Haffenden pushed the beefy fishmongers connections to the limit, and the gangster eventually reached the ceiling of his power. Lucky Luciano on Ice The Luciano family revered Lanza, but the fish racketeer annoyed the other four crime families. To secure Brooklyns docks the Navy needed the approval of Albert Anastasia, a bloodthirsty figure known as the High Lord Executioner. Socks balked at the prospect of facing Anastasias explosive temper and legendary trigger finger. Furthermore, Lanza lacked the influence to cross the ethnic divide. Irish gangsters controlled the Hells Kitchen slums surrounding the Hudson River piers and railway terminals. To organize the West Side docks, the Navy required the cooperation of Irish tough, Joseph Ryan, president of the International Longshoremens Association. According to Lanza, there was only one man capable of snapping the whip in the entire underworld. That man was New Yorks imprisoned emperor of vice, Lucky Luciano. Born Salvatore Luciana just outside of Palermo, on the island of Sicily, the thin, almost frail, Charlie Lucky clawed his way to the top of the criminal world in little more than three decades. A prison psychiatrist later analyzed him as a highly intelligent, aggressive, egocentric, and antisocial type. Lucky earned his nickname in 1929 after surviving a brutal torture at the hands of a rival bootlegging gang. Left for dead, Luciano crawled to freedom and earned his moniker, but the beating left him permanently disfigured. The Mafia leader rose to prominence during the 1930-1931 Castellammarese Mafia War after Luciano double-crossed two bosses and became the top Mafia don in the United States. After the Castellammarese War, Charlie Lucky overreached himself with a bold takeover of all Manhattan whorehouses. The scheme landed the hoodlum a 30- to 50-year prison rap courtesy of Thomas E. Dewey. After the conviction, Luciano wasted away in the frigid recesses of New Yorks Dannemora Prison on the Canadian border. The sentence put the crime boss on ice, literally. The distance from the city effectively severed Luckys communication with his mob. Making Contact With Luciano Haffenden needed Lucky but had no idea how to contact him. As in the case of Socks Lanza, the district attorney suggested that the Navy approach the imprisoned gangsters attorney, Moses Polakoff. The lawyer bluntly stated that he no longer had any dealings with Luciano, but he knew of one man who had the exiled bosss undying devotion. That man was Jewish racketeer Meyer The Little Man Lansky. Unlike the Mafia, the Navy never questioned The Little Mans patriotism. A staunch Zionist, Lanskys hoodlums battled American Nazis in Manhattans streets long before the declaration of war. Lansky later recalled, We got there that evening and found several hundred people dressed in their brown shirts. The stage was decorated with a swastika and pictures of Hitler We attacked them in the hall and threw some of them out the windows. There were fistfights all over the place. Extremely patriotic, the Jewish mob busted up Nazi meetings and offices all over the city. Dannemora Prisons remoteness posed another obstacle. The war effort could never be coordinated at such a distance. While Polakoff and Gurfein worked with Lansky, Haffenden moved to transfer Luciano. The Navy proceeded with caution, for if the other four crime families caught wind of an unexpected prison reassignment, they might suspect Luciano had cooperated with the authorities. With this situation in mind, an ONI officer approached New York State Corrections Commissioner John A. Lyons with a letter detailing Project Underworld and a scheme to relocate Luciano and several decoy inmates to Albanys Great Meadow Prison. Lyons agreed to the arrangement, and the agent burned the letter. On May 12, 1942, Luciano and eight other convicts headed to Great Meadow as nine new prisoners filled their vacancies at Dannemora. Shortly thereafter, Lansky and Polakoff traveled to the penitentiary, and Lucky reportedly exclaimed, What the hell are you doing here! Lansky outlined Project Underworld, but Luciano worried about many variables. First, the Navy offered no sentence reduction for the gangsters crimes. Second, as an illegal alien the mobster faced deportation. If word of his alliance leaked out, a fascist lynching was sure to follow his homecoming. Despite these realities, Lucianos control over his crime family was slowly slipping away. The freedom provided by the proposal offered the perfect cover for the boss to confer with his top lieutenants and regain his power. Bringing the Waterfront Under Control On June 4, Lansky, Polakoff, and Socks Lanza traveled to Great Meadow to plan their strategy. The meeting was a proud moment for Socks when Luciano gave the fish boss permission to use his name on the streets. Lansky oversaw the entire operation, serving as Luckys eyes, ears, and mouth on the outside. Lucianos acting boss, political fixer Frank Costello, assured him that the family backed Socks on every step. Within days, the underworld fell in line. First to join the alliance was the president of the International Longshoremens Association, Joseph Ryan, and his brutal enforcer Johnny Cockeye Dunn. A murderous cross-eyed fiend, Dunn would one day die in the electric chair. Next to throw in was the High Lord Executioner himself, Albert Anastasia. With Anastasias backing, no one could refuse the mobs offers. Longshoremens Association tough Jerry Sullivan later testified, Lansky was solving the problem for the Navy on the waterfront by the visible deployment of some of the most ruthless gangsters in the city. It was expected that the mere appearance of these men on the piers would serve as a deterrent, a warning to cooperate with the United States war effort or face the consequences. Throughout 1942 and 1943, mob heavies came and went from the Navys elegant Astor Hotel suites, relaying orders and carrying out missions. Haffenden then controlled a mercenary shadow army stocked with street brawlers, thumb breakers, murderers, smugglers, and international kingpins. Legs and arms were occasionally broken, and, gangsters being gangsters, the hoods often got a little carried away. When Commander Haffenden sent Cockeye Dunn to investigate two suspected German agents, the Irish hoodlum took the men for a gangland one-way ride. Wiretaps recorded Dunns chilling report, Theyll never bother us again. The Navy frowned upon unauthorized killings, but it was impossible to keep a mad dog like Dunn in check. Meanwhile, the visiting list at Great Meadow read like a copy of Whos Who in American Crime. The autographs of Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Segal, Frank Costello, and Joe Adonis all graced the guestbook. Under the Mafias watchful gaze, not a single act of sabotage, labor strike, or suspicious fire occurred for the rest of the war. F-Target Section: Planning the Invasion of Sicily With the Mafia With the ports secured and North Africa ready to fall to Allied forces, the Casablanca Conference convened on January 14, 1943, at the Anfa Hotel in Morocco. For 10 days, Churchill and his aides badgered President Franklin D. Roosevelt into submission over the next military objective. The conference closed with a decision that radically altered the course of Project Underworld. Allied generals, admirals, and strategists prepared for a savage dagger thrust into the Axis underbelly, Sicily. Surprisingly, a deficiency of intelligence existed. Long considered an area primarily under British surveillance, the Navy lacked even the most perfunctory details on the island. The president of the Naval War College, Rear Admiral William Pye, chalked the lack of information up to a feeling among many Americans that intelligence duty is somewhat akin to spying and, therefore, in times of peace, is an undignified and unworthy occupation. The mob had no such moralistic problems. The machinery of Project Underworld quickly spun toward the new strategic goal. While still in command of the B-3 investigative section, Haffenden formed the F-Target Section, a group dedicated to gathering data on the invasion zone. Sadly, the Navys most ardent supporter would have to sit this mission out. On January 29, 1943, Judge James Wallace smacked Socks Lanza with a sentence of 7 to 15 for six counts of extortion. The flabbergasted Haffenden cursed the decision. Naval Intelligence required Lucianos help more than ever before. ONIs spymaster summoned Meyer Lansky to relay the invasion plans at Great Meadow. The Navy desired Sicilian nationals who knew the islands terrain. They wanted pictures, postcards, maps, and any kind of information to help plan the amphibious assault. Of particular importance was a list of possible Sicilian mafiosi willing to join a guerrilla insurgent army. Lucky loved the idea. His narcotics smuggling network had close ties with the Sicilians. The boss even volunteered to lead the Mafia resistance and offered his services, suggesting that he was prepared to be parachuted into the island. High Command vetoed the idea. They reasoned the release of an arch criminal could be a public relations nightmare. Joe Adonis and George Tarbox To gather topographic data, the imprisoned boss brought in his lieutenant, Joe Adonis. A strikingly handsome ruffian, Adonis racked up arrests for nearly every crime conceivable, but astonishingly his rap sheet never listed a single conviction. Adonis then brought the situation to the attention of Vincenzo Mangano, the elderly don of one New Yorks five families. Among members of all the families, the old don held the closest ties to Sicily through his massive import business that traded in cheese, pasta, olive oiland most importantlymorphine base. Adonis hauled hundreds of Italians into Naval Intelligence headquarters. He even kidnapped a man who was once mayor of a village in the old country. Meyer Lansky later testified, Sometimes some of the Sicilians were very nervous. Joe would just mention the name of Lucky Luciano and say he had given them orders to talk. If the Sicilians were still reluctant, Joe would stop smiling and say, Lucky will not be pleased to hear that you have not been helpful. The threats worked, and the information poured in. To make sense of the gathered data, Target Section enlisted civilian agent George Tarbox. A cartographer and artist by trade, Tarbox crafted an enormous four-by six-foot map of Sicily with a clear plastic overlay that detailed strategic points in India ink. The overlay marked airfields, naval bases, and power plants. With the intelligence survey completed, the Sicilian D-day, Operation Husky, loomed large. Project Underworld Commandos Land in Sicily By May, Project Underworld was winding down. The ports were safe thanks to the mobs brutal tactics, and the Mafia provided intelligence for the assault on Sicily. With no work left for Haffendens most skilled operatives, they embarked on a bold new endeavor. In preparation for the assault, ONI formed a pair of two-man commando squads with two alternates from Project Underworld operatives. The squads included Lieutenant Marsloe, Haffendens language expert; Lieutenant Titolo, B-3s former analyst; Lieutenant Alfieri, the commanders safecracker; and Ensign Murray, a former police officer. On May 15, 1943, the teams boarded a plane and flew to Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria, for the Armys Counter Intelligence Corps commando school. The operatives took with them a list of names provided by their underworld associates. The list, which according to the Herlands report proved 40 percent effective, contained the names of imprisoned mafiosi, hill country bandits, and deported American gangsters. Just three hours before midnight on July 10, 1943, the fishing villages of Licata, Gela, Marzamemi, and Pachino awoke to a cacophonous roar of Allied warships commencing a pre-invasion bombardment. Within three days, General George S. Pattons Seventh Army and General Bernard Montgomerys Eighth Army put ashore 181,000 men, 600 tanks, 14,000 assorted support vehicles, and over 1,500 artillery pieces. Among the first to storm the beaches were Haffendens officers. Agents Marsloe and Murray landed between Torre di Gaffe and Punta due Rocche with General Truscotts 3rd Infantry Division and a Ranger battalion. Alfieri and Titolo put ashore in the Gulf of Gela in the midst of General Terry Allens 1st Infantry Division and two Ranger battalions. With lead flying all around them, the naval operatives donned civilian clothing and infiltrated the enemy lines. Raid on Italian Naval Command The agents recalled that Lucianos name acted like a magic key that when spoken unlocked the hearts and minds of the islands mafiosi. In one instance, Alfieri located a cop killer whom Luciano rescued from the electric chair by smuggling him to Italy. The islands men of honor proved particularly useful for Alfieri, for they identified the headquarters of Italian naval command. Together with a posse of Sicilian bandits armed with shotguns and hunting rifles, agents Alfieri and Titolo raided the headquarters. Under the covering fire of his Mafia guards, Alfieri crept into the base. Alfieris experiences breaking and entering during the New York phase of Project Underworld paid off. With the skills of a master cat burglar, he blew the enemys safe and seized hundreds of classified documents, codebooks, and maps. For his work, Alfieri earned the Legion of Merit. While Titolo and Alfieri raided the naval headquarters, Marsloe and Murray set about building an insurgent army. Unfortunately, the plan never took root. The mafiosi were willing to fight, but the competitive race between Patton and Montgomery for Messina in an effort to cut off Axis forces on Sicily exceeded all expectations. Destroying the Evidence On July 22, Patton captured the Sicilian capital of Palermo just two hours before Monty. A scant 19 days later, Allied troops entered Messina and ended the Sicilian campaign and with it Operation Underworld. The Navy immediately burned all evidence of its cooperation with organized crime. On the same day as the armistice, Charlie Luciano applied for executive clemency on the grounds of his cooperation with the Navy. His request was granted, and on January 9, 1945, the aging racketeer was released and deported. This article by Gregory Peduto first appeared in the Warfare History Network on January 13, 2017. Image: Lucky Luciano at the Excelsior Hotel, Rome, in 1948. Remo Nassi. Public domain. More From The National Interest: Russia Has Missing Nuclear Weapons Sitting on the Ocean Floor How China Could Sink a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Where World War III Could Start This Year How the F-35 Stealth Fighter Almost Never Happened Click here to read the full article. Susan Shulz calls the police on her black neighbors after insisting they need a permit to build their backyard patio and claiming the neighbors shoved her: Facebook A video of a New Jersey woman calling the police on her black neighbours went viral and eventually spawned a protest outside the woman's home. The incident occurred on Monday when Fareed Nassor Hayat, an attorney and a professor of law at City University of New York, and his wife, Norrinda, were in the backyard building a stone patio. Their neighbour, Susan Schulz, whose property abuts the Hayat's backyard, allegedly approached the couple and demanded to know if the two had permits for the construction. Mr Hayat told Ms Schulz his contractor checked and assured him that no permits were needed. This explanation was apparently insufficient for Ms Schulz, who continued asking about the permits. The video begins with Ms Schulz threatening to call the police, alleging the Hayats pushed her "10 feet" off of their property. "Call the police. We expect that," Ms Hayat yells from behind the camera. Ms Shulz then tells the police that Mr Hayat pushed her off his property and explained her belief that the couple did not have permits for their work. "She's been waiting two years to do this to us," Ms Hayat claims multiple times as Ms Shulz speaks with the police. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. While Ms Shulz is on the phone with the police, a passerby walking her dogs shames her for calling the cops on the couple. "Shame on you! In this climate right now, you're especially not supporting members of our community here," she says. Ms Shulz then approaches the dog-walker to defend herself, asking if she saw Mr Hayat push her "10 feet." Mr Hayat chuckles off-camera and replies "I didn't put my hands on you, woman." The couple continues to deny that Ms Shulz was touched, and Ms Hayat asks her to "please leave," which prompts Ms Shulz to exasperatedly claim "oh my God, because you're attorneys you know what to do." "Exactly," Mr Hayat responds. "So please walk away from our property." Story continues Eventually, Ms Shulz asks Ms Hayat to stop recording, which Ms Hayat refuses to do "No. This is for the people so they can see even in Montclair what we are living with, even in Montclair, for two years. Susan from Marrion Road has been harassing us for two years." Neither the Hyats nor Ms Shultz filed formal complaints with the police. Ms Hayat then asks her husband to leave the situation alone and to take their children inside the house so they aren't outside when the police arrive. The video went viral and eventually sparked a small protest on Tuesday. Demonstrators with "Black Lives Matter" signs marched through the neighbourhood and past Ms Shulz's home. Read more White woman filmed pulling gun on black family outside restaurant Getty Images Prince Andrew has been named in a federal lawsuit by a woman who claims the royal was present at Jeffrey Epsteins New York mansion when she was raped by the late billionaire. Caroline Kaufman, who was 17 years old at the time of the alleged offence in December 2010, says she was invited to Epsteins Manhattan home by an associate for a modelling interview. Ms Kauffman, now 26, alleges she was escorted to a massage room by an older woman who she believes to be Ghislaine Maxwell, where she was raped by Epstein. Kaufman was screaming for help during this encounter, but no one came to her rescue, the lawsuit, filed on Thursday in the Southern District of New York, alleges. Ms Kaufman does not claim that the Duke of York took part in the incident, only that he was present in Epsteins Manhattan mansion beforehand. Upon entering Epsteins Manhattan home, Kaufman was introduced to a number of people. One of these individuals to whom she was introduced within the Epstein mansion was Andrew Albert Christian Edward a/k/a Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the lawsuit says. The new claims are likely to raise further questions for the royal, who is already under increased scrutiny for his ties to the late billionaire following the arrest of his longtime friend and Epstein's former girlfriend, Ms Maxwell, on Thursday. Ms Maxwell was charged with multiple crimes related to the late billionaires abuse of minors among them the transportation of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts. Her arrest came one year after Epstein himself was arrested and taken into custody in New York, where he killed himself. When announcing the charges on Thursday, Audrey Strauss, the acting US attorney in the Southern District of New York, reiterated a call for the Duke of York to cooperate with US law enforcement in its investigation into Epsteins abuse. We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk to us, we would like to have the benefit of his statement, she said at a press conference in Manhattan. Story continues Prince Andrew was named in a previous civil case in 2015 by another of Epsteins victims. Virginia Roberts who later changed her name to Virginia Giuffre said she was forced to have sex with the prince three times between 2001 and 2002, in various locations. The prince has repeatedly denied that allegation, and of having any knowledge of Epsteins abuse. Asked whether Prince Andrew intends to submit a statement following the US attorney's remarks, a source close to the Duke's legal team told The Independent that the Dukes team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DOJ in the last month, and to date, we have had no response. Prince Andrews legal representation and public relations team both refused to comment when asked by The Independent about Ms Kaufmans claim that the two met at Epsteins mansion in December 2010. The new claim comes as a lawyer acting for dozens of Epsteins alleged victims accused Prince Andrew of deliberately evading authorities. Ben Edwards, who represents 55 women who claim they were abused by the disgraced financier, says he believes Andrew has information that could help US law enforcement with their investigation. In an interview with Sky News, Mr Edwards said he had contacted the prince at least three times but that the 60-year-old had not responded. Representatives for Andrew have previously denied claims that he has not made himself available to the FBI for an interview. Ms Kauffmans lawsuit provides further insight into how Epstein and his associates groomed and abused young girls, and how the victims were intimidated into silence. It names Susan Hamblin, who was employed by Epstein, as the person who set up the meeting at Epsteins mansion. It alleges that Ms Hamblin approached Ms Kauffman at a horse show in Lake Placid in early 2010 and asked if she was a model. Hamblin then told Kaufman that her boss could help Kaufman get into the modelling industry. During these conversations, Kaufman made clear to Hamblin that she was only 16 years old at that time, the lawsuit says. Ms Kaufman says she met Prince Andrew shortly after arriving at Epsteins Manhattan mansion some time in December 2010. The princes visit came two years after Epsteins conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution. Prince Andrew was pictured with Epstein in the same time period that Ms Kauffman alleges the assault took place. When later questioned about his visit to Epstein at the time, Prince Andrew said he went to put an end to the friendship. After a short period of time, Kaufman was escorted to a private area and told to completely undress for an older woman who took some photos of Kaufman. Kaufman is under the reasonable belief and understanding now that this older woman was Ghislaine Maxwell, the lawsuit says. While Kaufman remained in the private area, Maxwell left the room with the camera. Shortly thereafter, Maxwell came back and advised Kaufman that her 'boss' wanted to meet her. Kaufman then put a bikini back on and was escorted by Maxwell into a massage room. Epstein was nude on the massage table as she entered the room. Ms Kaufman says she was then threatened with retaliation if she spoke out. Upon finishing, Epstein left the room and Kaufman put on her bikini and clothes and started hyperventilating. She then exited the massage room. Upon exiting the massage room, Hamblin handed Kaufman $500 cash and said Mr. Epstein is a very powerful man and he knows presidents. If you say anything he will kill you and your family. Ms Kaufman is seeking damages from Epsteins estate which is valued at $630 million for the alleged rape and sexual assault. Read more FBI tracked Ghislaine Maxwell as she slithered away to New Hampshire Epstein Can Prince Andrew be forced to testify in the US? FBI How are Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell connected to Epstein? Travel Promotions to Spur Recovery 7 in 10 Singaporeans want to travel in 2020 when border regulations are eased and travel promotions will further entice them to do so 40% of Singaporeans are willing to visit COVID-19 hotspots in 2021, signalling the gradual recovery in travel 85% of Singaporeans are prepared to increase their budget for their next holiday and almost half are willing to spend 30% and more to make up for cancelled plans "Pay Now, Travel Later" promotions of 50% and above are the most enticing to travellers SINGAPORE, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- YouTrip , Singapore's leading multi-currency mobile wallet, conducted the Travel Intent Survey 2020 to analyse post-COVID-19 travel intentions of 6,000 Singaporeans. The survey aimed to understand the outlook of travel recovery and changes to travel behaviours of Singaporeans as a result of the pandemic. YouTrip Logo First Travel Destination With less than 6 months till the end of the year, slightly more than half of the respondents (54%) indicated that they'll be travelling in 2020 as soon as travel restrictions lift. Another 20% of Singaporeans would be enticed to travel in 2020 if there's an attractive promotion, suggesting that both border restrictions and prices spur travel recovery. Among Singaporeans with immediate travel intentions within 2020, millennial travellers aged 25 to 34 years old are the most adventurous (35%). Comparatively, only 22% of travellers aged 35 to 44 years and 11% of travellers aged 55 to 64 years old expect to travel within the year. Caecilia Chu, Co-Founder and CEO of YouTrip said: "It's encouraging to see signs of travel recovering after months of pent up demand. Within our community of users, many of them are avid travellers who I believe will be amongst the first movers for the initial travel recovery." Popular countries like Japan (23%), Thailand (12%), and Malaysia (11%) remain top choices for Singaporeans, followed by Australia (8%), South Korea (7%), Taiwan (6%), Mainland China (5%), New Zealand (4%), Indonesia (4%), and Vietnam (2%). As for COVID-19 hotspot countries, 25% more Singaporeans are willing to travel there in the first half of 2021 (40%) as compared to 2020 (15%), signalling a gradual recovery of tourism in the most affected countries. Story continues The New-Normal in Travelling As an indicator of the pent up demand for travel, 85% of Singaporeans are prepared to spend more on their next holiday. 4 in 10 Singaporeans are willing to budget 30% or more for their upcoming travel plans as a way to compensate previously cancelled plans. The Chief Economist from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Brian Pearce estimates that flight tickets will cost 43% to 54% higher than previous prices due to in-flight social distancing policies. Even though Singaporeans have expressed their enthusiasm for their next holiday, most of them are value-driven when it comes to transport expenses. 72% of respondents said they will be deterred by higher flight ticket prices and would wait for promotional prices before making their travel plans. This is echoed in 58% of respondents stating that promotional prices will entice them to resume travelling in 2020, further suggesting that Singaporeans are value-driven. "Pay Now, Travel Later" promotions seem to be a viable option for Singaporeans, with more than 70% indicating that they will be keen to purchase if the discounts are at least half-priced or more. Other factors that could influence their purchase include the flexibility of stay and eligibility for full refunds. "We're taking the time to anticipate and understand the new-normal of travel, and the different ways it'll impact travellers. With this understanding, YouTrip will be ready to better serve our users' needs once travel resumes," Caecilia adds. Alternatives to Travel Plans In view of cancelled travel plans in 2020, 28% of respondents stated that they'll be saving the money instead. Local staycation (15%), shopping (14%), and visiting local tourist attractions (5%) are amongst alternative options for Singaporeans. ABOUT YOUTRIP TRAVEL INTENT SURVEY 2020 The YouTrip Travel Intent Survey 2020 was conducted to uncover the outlook on travel recovery and understand post-COVID-19 travel behaviour of 6,000 Singaporeans. The survey was carried out from 17 June 2020 to 24 June 2020, targeting YouTrip users aged 18 and above. ABOUT YOUTRIP YouTrip is a regional financial technology startup, dedicated to creating the best mobile financial services for travellers across Southeast Asia by simplifying overseas spending and creating a fuss-free travel experience. YouTrip first launched in Singapore in 2018 and subsequently in Thailand in 2019. For more information, please visit www.you.co Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200514/2804174-1LOGO SOURCE YouTrip Before 1930, Carrolls African American population usually got their education in someones home or in the quintessential one-room schoolhouse. In a Jan. 29, 2008 interview with the late Bill Dixon, the mayor of Charles Street; he said that in 1930, two large structures were located in Westminster for the purpose of educating all African American students in Carroll County from grades 1 through 11. (Remember it was only after 1950 that Maryland schools went 12 years.) Home | News | General | Child abuse: Oyo records 17 cases within March, June Kindly Share This Story: Reunites 13-year old girl with family By Adeola Badru Seventeen child abuse cases have been reported in Oyo State between the months of March and June 2020, with victims in the range of one to seventeen years of age. The Chairman of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusions Rapid Response Team on Sexual, Gender-Based Violence and Child Abuse, Pastor Marcus Williams made this analysis while presenting his report on practical and technical activities of the team within the last three months of its inauguration, at the conference room of the ministry on Thursday. The presentation analysed cases reported, swift responses, rescue, protection, care, maximum support cum alternative shelter provided by the team to survivors, and among the survivors were three males and fourteen females. Pastor Williams explained that part of the mandate of the team was to prevent and protect from violence and other ill-treatment not to women and children alone, but also to men on an equal basis through a holistic practice response which is multi-sectoral and child-centered. He said the move has increased the number of children that enjoyed democratic dividends, access to free health care and education, and have their rights upheld in the state. Speaking on some of the hindrances encountered, he hinted that incomplete information of violence against survivors and most times, reports that were inaccurate, hindered swift responses in most cases. He added that the unavailability of sufficient responders, cultural values, and family pressure of the survivors limited the extent of prosecuting the offenders. Earlier in her remarks, the states Commissioner for Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Alhaja Faosat Sanni who spoke through the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Christiana Abioye, appreciated the efforts of the team for their swift responses, stressing that most of the cases reported happened during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. She said that security agencies and non-governmental organisations have been collaborating with the ministry to see that cases of rape and gender-based violence were dealt with accordingly. She frowned at the way some private radio stations and On-Air Personalities report sexual, gender-based violence and child abuse cases. The majority of them are biased and not objective in their reports, they allowed emotions to override professionalism of balancing whatever stories they heard through proper investigations and enquiring from the Ministry and appropriate agencies before publicizing it especially through various social media handles. She, therefore, admonished philanthropists who have a passion to care and advocate for the survivors and less privileged to follow due process of registration as Oyo state government would not spare anyone jeopardising its efforts. The meeting which also serves as case conference reintegrated a 13-year old girl, Anuoluwapo Ayodele with her family. Anuoluwapo, who is the only child of her parents, lived with her father, Mr. Samuel Ayodele, a 67-year old Farmer at Imota, Ikorodu, Lagos State, came to Oke-Ado area of Ibadan with a 30-year old man who promised to take her to where her mother lived. Narrating her story, she said: I always asked my father about my mothers whereabouts but he never told me the truth that my mother was dead and when I saw someone that promised to take me to my mother I was very happy to follow him because I have always desired to know my mother not knowing that the man has evil plans for me, she lamented. Handling over Anuoluwapo to her aunty, Mrs. Yemi Abayomi a 43-year old trader (Paternal sister) in the presence of other family members, the Chairman of the team, Pastor Williams described her as a promising and bold child who fought the perpetrator to ensure that he did not take advantage of her while he left the young girl with series of wounds and bruises on her body. He stated further that, she was rescued during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown and was immediately placed on isolation in one of the alternative shelters for proper care. He charged the guardians to treat her like a biological daughter in other to ease the trauma she went through. Similarly, another case of rape was reported by a 13-year old girl, Aliyat Emiola who lived with her paternal grandmother at Ijaye village, Atan, Iwinsola Moniya, Ibadan. The alleged perpetrator, Usman Raji, a 16-years old boy has been arrested for further investigation while the girl was taken to Adeoyo state hospital, Yemetu, Ibadan for further examinations and proper treatment as she claimed to be bleeding through her virginal since the incident happened. An alternative shelter has also been provided for her to ease the burden of her trauma. Vanguard Kindly Share This Story: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Lagos govt seals 10 private schools for holding lessons Ten private schools have been put under lock by the Lagos State Government for flouting the closure order to prevent the spread of coronavirus, especially among the students. The Director-General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State, Mrs. Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, who led the Monitoring and Investigation team of the office, disclosed this during the second and third phase of the massive monitoring of private schools compliance to the directive.. According to her, a large number of private schools visited across the state were found to have complied, but those who did not comply were sealed. She said they were holding lessons for their teeming students within the school premises, disregarding the social distancing order, explaining that the exercise would continue across all the education districts in the state to make sure all schools comply with the government order and discourage the nonchalant attitude of some schools to the directive. READ ALSO: COVID-19: 172 Nigerians evacuated from Uganda, Nairobi arrive Abuja, Lagos No doubt, COVID-19 has had a negative effect on our schools but we want students to come out stronger and better. We want to make sure schools are closed. We also want to make sure schools are adhering to the closure directive since the number of COVID-19 infections has increased dramatically over time. On the field The Director-General, who earlier warned of the danger inherent in the exposure and clustering of students in a class in the name of lessons, strictly reiterated that any school where teaching and learning is ongoing while trying to beat government scrutiny without concern for the health and safety of learners would be sealed. READ ALSO: Nigeria records 790 new cases of COVID-19, 603 deaths While admonishing parents and school owners, Seriki-Ayeni encouraged them to abide by the directive of the Lagos State Government to stay safe and healthy by promoting washing of hands with soap, wearing of masks in public places and using alcohol-based hand sanitizer. This is a unique time in the entire world, therefore, it is only the living that learns. She pleaded with them to embrace the norm of online schooling as she advised parents not to be found guilty for exposing the lives of their children to danger. She encouraged school owners to begin the process of thinking through the opportunities that exist at this time to up-skill their staff through virtual training and webinars. She said: This is the time to think and plan strategically to form good partnerships with the government in order to get resources for your schools. Advertisements CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Etowa, who resides in Tinuoye Estate, Ojoo, Ibadan, is charged with defilement. Chief Magistrate Taiwo Oladiran, who did not take plea of Etowa ordered that he should be remanded in NSCDC custody in Ibadan. Oladiran said , Etowa cannot be admitted at Correctional Centre, Agodi, Ibadan, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Etowa is hereby remanded at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Headquartre, Ibadan, pending an advice from the Oyo State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), he said. Oladiran adjourned the case until July 16 for mention. Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, ASP Sunday Ogunremi told the court that Etowa committed the offence on June 15 at Ibadan. Ogunremi said the offence contravened the provisions of Section 387 Criminal Law of Oyo State, 2000. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily readers Aderemi, a political figure, was the Ooni of Ife between 1930 and July 3, 1980 when he died at the age of 90. The first class monarch served as the governor of the Western Region between 1960 and 1962. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a statement said Buhari eulogised the late traditional ruler in a letter addressed to the deceaseds family. The President said it was heartwarming that the late monarchs memory remained evergreen. He urged his family members to keep the memory alive for the guidance and inspiration of the current and subsequent generations Buharis letter read, It gives me deep sense of pleasure and fulfilment to do this brief tribute in memory of the illustrious Ooni of Ife, Oba Adesoji Tadenikawo Aderemi, who reigned between 1930 and 1980. On this 40th remembrance of the great man, the country recalls the imprints of a foremost nationalist, very successful businessman, former governor, Western Region (1960-1962), and traditional ruler, on the sands of time. To the benefit of his memory, Ooni Aderemi built schools, dispensaries, churches, museums, and attracted the establishment in his domain of waterworks, electricity projects, and the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife). It is also on record that the respected monarch was a member, Legislative Council of Nigeria (1946-1951); delegate, African Conference, London (1948); President, Western House of Chiefs (1952-1960); member, Federal House of Representatives/Minister (1952-1954); led Nigerias delegation to Queen Elizabeth IIs Coronation (1953); and member, Nigeria Constitutional Conferences (1953-1958). As the family remembers this awesome personality, knighted twice by the Queen of England, it gladdens the heart that his memory remains evergreen. Please, keep this alive, for the guidance and inspiration of the current and subsequent generations. May God give us more illustrious people in the mould of Ooni Adesoji Aderemi. Amen. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily readers This is why we are a republic, not a democracy. Pure and heavy democracy is motivated in the spirit of the moment by passion, not by serious reflection or sound reason. During the Peloponnesian War, the Athenian democracy, in such a moment, voted to kill every man, woman, and child on the rebellious island of Mytilene and sent out a trireme to deliver the sentence. Only later did they realize their rashness, and were forced to send out a second trireme to overtake the first. As a rule of thumb, Alkire said, shoot fireworks in the same jurisdiction they were purchased; that way, they are sure to be legal. In Harford County, fireworks are illegal except the sparklers and snap-pops which are not technically defined as fireworks that can be found in big-box stores like Target and Walmart, he said. The James River Association, a local nonprofit, is offering hospital workers a break to find solace and relaxation on the river with free paddle trips. The new program, called James River Relief, launched Monday for hospital workers across the James River watershed as a way to show appreciation for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The James River Relief program takes care of those who have been courageously taking care of our communities. Our health care workers have been on the front lines since the beginning of this crisis, and we are deeply grateful for their unwavering dedication to the well-being of Virginians, Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Daniel Carey said in a news release. The mental and physical health benefits of the outdoors will allow these heroes to find healing, solace, and rest after months of stress. Carey said he is grateful to the association for its support of the health care community. James River Relief will provide more than 100 paddle trip and rental options to doctors, nurses and other hospital staff by partnering with several regional outfitters, include Riverside Outfitters and RVA Paddlesports in Richmond, James River Reeling & Rafting in Scottsville and Rivanna River Company in Charlottesville. In interviews with state officials, according to the report, the federal agency found Virginia does not have procedures in place, outside of formal disputes, to find out if a local school district did not comply with IDEA, even when the state was given credible information about potential noncompliance. The federal law guarantees a free appropriate public education to students with disabilities. Completely ignoring credible allegations of noncompliance is not a reasonable method of exercising the States general supervisory responsibilities, the report says. The federal report, which The Virginia Mercury first reported, offers two examples of the states lack of oversight. In one situation, a complaint was filed to the state alleging systemic noncompliance by a local school system. The school district was not conducting timely evaluations, was not giving special education students sufficient access to the general education curriculum and falsified documentation related to students individualized education programs (IEP), according to the report. America has racist legacy Sam Barlotta says we are not a racist nation. His solution is to ignore police murders of minorities and concentrate on electing governors and mayors who think like he does. He recommends young students of all backgrounds enroll at Hillsdale College, a Christian college with an enrollment of 1,400, which considers itself a trustee of our Western philosophical and theological inheritance tracing to Athens and Jerusalem. Nothing quite like having a little Zionism with your Plato, now is there? Hillsdale College would rather not be caught succumbing to the dehumanizing, discriminatory trend of so-called social justice and multicultural diversity. Hillsdale College will accept students from diverse backgrounds, and mold them into Christians. Hillsdale claims to have been the first college in Michigan, and the second in the United States to have admitted women on par with men. But Sam Barlotta knows that women still do not have equal rights as men, nor does he support the Equal Rights Amendment. Epworth United Methodist Church, 2447 Ave. B, is handicap accessible. Membership is not necessary to participate in any church activities. The church is open for worship at the regular time of 9:25 a.m. on Sundays, and social distancing will be practiced. Masks will be available for those who need one, and there is plenty of hand sanitizer. Congregants will meet in the Fellowship Hall due to ease of sanitizing the facility. The weekly sermon will be posted on Facebook. The scripture for Sunday is Matthew 11:16-19 and 25-30. If you decide not to attend at this time, you can read some scripture, pray, and worship at home at the regular time so as not to get out of the habit of regular worship. The church is in prayer for all those affected by the virus. Worship services are also being held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in Roberts Park, weather permitting. If you would like to host a service in your driveway on a Wednesday at 10 a.m., just let us know. Church office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The churchs phone number is 712-323-3124. Check out the church online at facebook.com/pages/epworth. Its completely out of character, Angel Rivera told The Sun at the time. Hes not only going to tell you where hes going; hes going to tell you how he got there. For him to go this long and not contact any of his family or friends, its got everyone scared. Iowa positive coronavirus cases jump more than 650, pass 30,000 total The number of confirmed positive coronavirus cases identified in Iowa continues to increase, with 686 new positive cases reported by the state during a roughly 24-hour time period. Around 2 p.m. on Thursday, coronavirus.iowa.gov listed 30,132 cases, up from 29,446 on Wednesday. The state listed 23,942 recoveries, up from 23,588. There were no new deaths, with the number remaining at 717. Iowa Department of Public Health data indicates positive case numbers had been in decline since early May but began a slow climb again around mid-June. That is about two weeks after Gov. Kim Reynolds reopened bars and restaurants and relaxed other restrictions on large gatherings and social activities. After media reports highlighted spikes in college towns that caused some bars and restaurants to close again, Reynolds said increased cases were tied to young adults. She said Monday at a news conference that since mid-June, there has been a big increase in confirmed cases among adults aged 18 to 40. She continues to place the responsibility on business owners and individuals to stop the virus spread. Photo: Dale de la Rey/AFP via Getty Images Genocide is not measured simply by the number of human beings in a demographic group who have been killed. Such numbers vary. The pogroms in Europe of the 14th century killed far, far fewer Jews than died in the 20th-century Holocaust, but it would be crazy not to see a very similar eliminationist impulse. Its the genocidal intent that defines a genocide. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum defines it as the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Their definition includes the following five categories: 1. Killing members of the group. 2. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group. 3. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part. 4. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group. 5. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. There is no doubt at this point that communist China is a genocidal state. The regime is determined to coerce, kill, reeducate, and segregate its Uighur Muslim population, and to pursue eugenicist policies to winnow their ability to sustain themselves. The Associated Press just published an exhaustive and chilling account of the extent of the campaign, which was reportedly supported and seconded by the president of the United States when speaking with President-for-life Xi. We already know about the reeducation camps. We found out this week the grisly detail that China may even have been exporting human-hair products taken from Uighur political prisoners in those camps. What the AP helps us better understand is how the regime is forcibly sterilizing Uighur women inside and outside the camps, attempting to control the Uighur population by assaulting basic reproductive freedom. Uighur families with multiple children are now in danger of being sent to camps for the crime of bringing Uighur kids into the world: Time in a camp what the government calls education and training for parents with too many children is written policy in at least three counties, notices found by [scholar Adrian] Zenz confirmed. In 2017, the Xinjiang government also tripled the already hefty fines for violating family planning laws for even the poorest residents to at least three times the annual disposable income of the county. And the campaign of terror is working: Birth rates in the mostly Uighur regions of Hotan and Kashgar plunged by more than 60% from 2015 to 2018, the latest year available in government statistics. Across the Xinjiang region, birth rates continue to plummet, falling nearly 24% last year alone compared to just 4.2% nationwide, statistics show. In the Uighur city of Hotan, over a third of all married women of childbearing age were sterilized in 2019 alone. And this is taking place in the context of a new campaign to increase the fertility and offspring of the majority Han Chinese. This is pure racial social engineering. This genocidal dictatorship also took this past week to stomp all over whats left of freedom in Hong Kong. Just before the anniversary of the end of British rule in Hong Kong, Beijing has introduced a new security law that all but eviscerates any freedom for dissent in the former British colony. It renders a variety of offenses that involve pro-democracy activism and criticism of the regime punishable by up to a lifetime in jail. The law is deliberately vague, was passed with no input from Hong Kongs own government before its details were revealed, and criminalizes offenses such as secession, subversion against the central Chinese government, terrorism, and colluding with foreign forces. The effect has been immediate: Key members of a leading dissident group, Demosisto, resigned, and the party has been disbanded. Throughout Hong Kong, businesses that had posted messages of support for the pro-democracy forces are swiftly removing them. People are deleting their social-media accounts for fear of imprisonment. A BBC reporter notes the immediate impact: One contact of mine, a lawyer and human-rights activist, sent me a message shortly after the law was passed. Please delete everything on this chat, he wrote. Mass demonstrations on Wednesday were greeted by riot police holding up large banners that read: This is a police warning. You are displaying flags or banners/chanting slogans/or conducting yourselves with an attempt such as secession or subversion You may be arrested and prosecuted. A barge suddenly appeared in Hong Kongs Victoria Harbor with the slogan: Celebrate the National Security Law! All of this violates Chinas solemn vow to protect Hong Kongs special status within the communist state, and effectively marks the end of any political freedom on the island. It also appears to criminalize pro-democracy activism even for those who are not permanent residents of Hong Kong, and those who do not live there at all a way of also crippling the Chinese diasporas organizing efforts. Going forward, the law effectively criminalizes the kind of demonstrations that have taken place in Hong Kong, and authorizes sweeping surveillance of any individuals suspected of dissent. This genocidal dictatorship has also presided over the emergence of a terrifying virus that many scientists believe crossed over to humans in Chinas wet markets, which it still wont close. The country is now home to yet another swine-flu virus, which has been found on pig farms in China since 2016, and which, according to one study, has serious potential to cause a mass outbreak among humans in more aggressive mutations. China is also harassing its neighbors with military aggression, with a dangerous recent clash on the Indian border, serious provocations against Taiwan and Japan, and assertion of more control over the South China Sea. Few countries are spared from Beijings newly beefed-up military, which is enjoying a major buildup, even as other spending is being cut. According to the Times: In April, Chinas Coast Guard rammed and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat. The same month, a Chinese government research ship stalked an oil vessel in waters Malaysia claims as its own, prompting the United States and Australia to send four warships to monitor the situation. The Philippines lodged a formal diplomatic complaint after a Chinese warship pointed its targeting radar at a Philippine naval vessel. Its time we treated China as the rogue dictatorship it is. When a totalitarian nation is enacting genocide, has a dictator for life, is showing itself to be a health menace to humankind, has crushed an island of democracy it pledged to protect, and is militarily acting out against its neighbors, we cannot continue as normal. The type of response we take is up for debate, but that things have changed for the worse is unmistakable. Granting asylum to all Hong Kongers in the U.S., as the U.K. has now promised, would be a start. This is a classic asylum case like Cubas. But the delusions and weaknesses of the Trump years need to end. Biden needs to tell us what our future policy should be, and what actions we can take to rein in this genocidal obscenity. The New Newspeak One of the core premises of critical theory the academic project that undergirds much of todays progressive politics is that controlling language is essential. Since critical theorists suggest that there is not any objective reality, and that there are only narratives imposed by oppressors, changing the meaning of words is essential to gaining and maintaining power. After all, they sure dont believe in open debate. Some of this is subtle. The New York Times, an institution now meaningfully captured by the doctrines of critical theory, will now capitalize Black, for example, but will not capitalize white or brown. Ive read their explanation a few times and it seems to boil down to the idea that all people of African descent all around the world are somehow one single identifiable entity, while white and brown people are too diverse and variegated to be treated the same way. (The Times explains: Weve decided to adopt the change and start using uppercase Black to describe people and cultures of African origin, both in the United States and elsewhere.) Given the extraordinary diversity of the African continent, and the vast range of cultural, ethnic, religious, and tribal differences among Americans of African descent new immigrants and descendants of slaves, East and West Africans, people from the Caribbean and South America, and the Middle East this seems more than a little reductionist. As Times contributor Thomas Chatterton Williams has noted, there are 371 tribes in Nigeria alone. How can even all the immigrants from Nigeria, from Igbo to Yoruba, be said to constitute a single ethnicity? Let alone belong to the same ethnicity as tenth-generation descendants from Mississippi share-croppers? The point, of course, is to ignore all these real-life differences in order to promote the narrative that critical race theory demands: All that matters is oppression. Similarly, Reddit this week announced its new policy against hate and banned a whole slew of discussion groups, including some pro-Trump ones. Again, the reasoning was straight out of critical theory: The ruling against hate only protects minority groups and does not protect people who are in the majority. (After complaints, Reddit removed the specific claim that any and all attacks on a majority are fine, but kept the notion that it does not apply to all groups or identities.) But the implication remains that it is perfectly kosher for discussion groups to demonize and spread hatred for all white people, or, say, women. Louis Farrakhan would thereby be protected to speak of the white devil. Ditto any Islamists defending the burka. But J.K. Rowlings defense of biological sex as a key element supporting the rights of women is impermissible because it could be deemed a form of hate by some trans groups. And indeed, groups that dissent from critical gender theory which seeks to efface the basic fact of biological sex have been banned. Arguments rooted in good-faith differences over the nature of sex and the meaning of gender are thereby suppressed because of alleged transphobia. But countless porn groups with extraordinarily misogynist content r/RapeKink, r/degraded females, r/putinherplace are still up. You can celebrate the rape and abuse of women on Reddit, but you cannot debate the contentious question of what sex and gender actually mean. A Canadian Broadcasting Service program also debuted a new term this past week: non-straight cisgender people. This is the newly approved newspeak for gay people, parsed through the language of critical queer studies. The proponents of this new language seem eager to retire familiar terms like gay men or lesbians perhaps because they suggest that the homosexual experience is rooted in basic human nature and can exist outside the parameters of structural oppression. So they find ways to define us in terms of queer theory, insisting there are only oppressed LGBTQ+ people. Thats also why, for example, so many on the left insist that gay white men had very little to do with Stonewall, which was led, were told, by trans women of color, subsequently betrayed by white men, who stole the movement from them. That this is untrue is irrelevant. Its a narrative which serves to dismantle structures of oppression. And thats all that matters. Leading progressive maternity and doula organizations now deploy and encourage a whole array of gender-neutral language with respect to sex, birth, labor, and parenting. And so we now have the terms chest-feeding, persons who menstruate, persons who produce sperm, and birthing person for breastfeeding, women, men, and mothers, respectively. And instead of a butthole, we have a back-hole; instead of a vagina, we have a front hole. Ovaries and uterus are now rendered as internal organs, which may strike you as somewhat vague. These may sound completely absurd now, but given the choke hold critical gender theory has on almost all elite organizations, you can be sure youll hear them soon enough. Theyll likely be mandatory if you want to prove youre not a transphobe. It was an objection to one of these terms people who menstruate that got J.K. Rowling tarred again as a bigot. Those of us who oppose this abuse of the English language, who try to abide by Orwells dictum to use the simplest, clearest Anglo-Saxon words to describe reality, are now instantly suspect. Given the fear of losing your job for resisting this madness, most people will submit to this linguistic distortion. As you can see everywhere, the stigma of being called a bigot sweeps away all objects before it. But the further this goes and there is no limiting principle in critical theory at all the less able we are to describe reality. Which is, of course, the point. Narratives, only narratives, exist. And power, only power, matters. A Shadow Over the Military One of my many fears when Trump became president was that he would authorize war crimes, just as the last Republican president, George W. Bush, had. He promised as much during his campaign, and his enthusiastic support for some of the vilest acts of criminality in wartime made him unique among American presidents. Bush and Cheney did not actually campaign on war crimes, after all. And, in office, they tried to hide them in fake legalisms and euphemism. Trump, on the other hand, was an out-and-proud barbarian. He seemed to insist that abiding by the laws of war was for the weak. Mercifully, Trumps aversion to foreign intervention and the relative lack of terrorist incidents on his watch helped make the question moot. But Trumps pardons of war criminals egged on by Sean Hannity and the darker elements of Fox News have nonetheless entrenched the idea that military service is not so much about honor as it is brutality. This past November, Trump pardoned three convicted soldiers: Army First Lieutenant Clint Lorance, convicted of second-degree murder in the death of two Afghans; Army Major Mathew Golsteyn, who faced murder charges for a similar crime; and Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Gallagher, who had been acquitted by the surprise reversal of a key witnesss testimony, had his rank restored by the president. Each individual was feted on Fox News. Trump called Lorance and Golsteyn to the stage at a Florida fundraiser in December to honor them. So much of this speaks to the depravity of this disgrace of a commander-in-chief, and his utter inability to understand the code of honor that the U.S. military does its best to uphold. But one aspect of Trumps flouting of moral law is the impact on other service members, the ones who resisted the easy acts of revenge and dehumanization that can turn warfare into outright barbarism. Which is why I strongly recommend a deeply reported piece in the Washington Post this week on the collapse of morale among the platoon that the murderous Clint Lorance once commanded in Afghanistan. After Lorance was convicted, the platoon lived under a double shadow: To some of their fellow troops they were the murder platoon, a bunch of out-of-control soldiers who had wantonly killed Afghans. To others they were turncoats who had flipped on their commander. Over time, the usual PTSD of surviving service members, along with the memory of these atrocities by their commander, undid many of them. They got no honors; they felt abandoned. One survivor explains: I thought of the Army as this altruistic thing. I thought it was perfect and honorable. It pains me to tell you how stupid and naive I was. The Lorance stuff just broke my faith And once you lose your values and your faith, the Army is just another job you hate. In the last seven years, five members of the platoon have died, four more have nearly died from alcohol, drugs, or suicide attempts. The impact of atrocities on those who witness them, and who are coerced into participating in them, is immeasurable. To have the war criminal who committed these crimes be pardoned and honored and treated as a hero by the commander-in-chief compounds the damage. These men may never recover. Neither will the militarys honor until this president, and the profound moral stain he represents, is out of office. See you next Friday. Ghislaine Maxwell. Photo: Sylvain Gaboury/Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Ghislaine Maxwells arrest seemed to come out of nowhere. Could it portend more breaks in the Epstein case? I spoke with Matthew Schneier, features writer for New York and the Cut, about what Thursdays events could mean for Epsteins co-conspirators and his victims. Ben: Ghislaine Maxwell, a onetime fixture of New Yorks social elite who helped Jeffrey Epstein groom young girls for abuse, was arrested today in New Hampshire and charged with a series of crimes relating to that abuse. As someone who has written about Maxwell extensively, did you think it was inevitable that she would eventually be found and taken in by the authorities, or does this whole development come as a surprise to you? Matthew: I think it had an air of inevitability, but for many of us who have been following Maxwell since last summer and even before, it was very much hurry up and wait. Especially after Epsteins death, the public thirst for justice seemed to attach itself to Maxwell, the most visible and longest-serving of his associates. Still, for months, nothing. There were rumors she was collaborating with the Feds, as well as rumors that she was continuing to enjoy the high life for a minute, tabloids seemed to have tracked her to Brazil. Even today, at the press conference announcing the indictment against her, questions for the U.S. Attorney kept circling back to how long this case has been underway and why now? An eye was being kept on Maxwell was about all that Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, would say, and that cases like these especially about events that happened decades ago are hard to put together. (These specific charges relate to events between 1994 and 1997.) That will likely be as much explanation as were going to get right now. Ben: Jeffrey Epstein famously ran with a boldface-name crowd. And when he was arrested, there was lots of talk about how nervous the A-listers in his orbit might be about what he would reveal to the authorities (President Trump and Bill Clinton were two names who came up a lot in this conversation). Epstein, of course, ended up committing suicide last summer. With Maxwell now in custody, do you think theres potential for a new raft of secrets to be revealed? Matthew: I suspect theres probably some anxiety in some corners of the world about that. Maxwell was well-known in rich and powerful social circles in New York, London, and around the world shes got a tabloid Zelig quality. (People love passing around the photo of her at Chelsea Clintons wedding.) Since last year, her lawyers have fought hard to keep as much information suppressed as possible, and prevented the unsealing of hundreds of pages of documents from a previous civil court case, brought by alleged Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Could new secrets come out now? Very possibly. Strauss didnt rule out the possibility of Maxwell providing testimony against others, despite indicting her on two charges of perjury. People can go on from there and become cooperators Im not concerned about that, Strauss said this afternoon. In the event she were to become a cooperator, we can deal with that. Ben: Do you think there are other people who were involved in the actual mechanics of the Epstein operation who could still be charged? Matthew: Its hard to say, and I dont think anyone would want to rule it out. Victims allegations over the years have mentioned a number of assistants and associates in Epsteins circle, and he had a number of loyal professionals, like lawyers, who worked with and for him for many years. But Maxwell stands accused not only of arranging, transporting, and grooming young girls, but of being directly implicated in their sexual abuse as well, and some of the alleged abuse took place in her home in London, in addition to Epstein properties in New York, Florida, and New Mexico. That, on top of the fact that she was so publicly associated with Epstein and his predations, makes her a very big fish. At the press conference today, the assistant director of the FBI, William F. Sweeney, called her one of the villains of this investigation, in no uncertain terms. Ben: Strauss made a point of saying her office welcomes hearing from other victims, whenever they were victimized. Could Maxwells arrest bring more stories out of the woodwork? Matthew: SDNY, the district court prosecuting the case, certainly seems open to it. Strauss called combating the exploitation of children a special priority for her office, and asked anyone watching or aware of the prosecution who believes she was a victim of Epstein and Maxwell to come forward, offering the witness and victim services of the FBI. She took care to thank and commend the brave women who had already done so, without whom these charges could not have been brought today. They have three anonymous victims in the initial indictment, but the onrush of Epstein coverage over the last year has brought out a number of other accusers. More could well follow. Shares of Novavax, Inc. NVAX have risen sharply in the year so far. The stock has skyrocketed 1210.3%, outperforming the industrys increase of 6.6%. The company was recently in the spotlight following its efforts to develop a novel vaccine against the deadly coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In April, Novavax identified its potential coronavirus vaccine candidate NVX-CoV2373, which was made using the companys proprietary nanoparticle technology. NVX-CoV2373 includes Novavaxs proprietary Matrix-M adjuvant to improve immune responses and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies. Last month, the company initiated a phase I/II clinical study on NVX-CoV2373. Preliminary immunogenicity and safety data from the study is expected in July. Novavax received a funding of more than $390 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) for the clinical development of NVX-CoV2373. Significantly, the CEPI is financing several biotechs including Moderna MRNA, Inovio Pharmaceuticals INO and many universities to accelerate the development of vaccines against COVID-19. Notably, Novavax acquired Praha Vaccines in Czech Republic for approximately $167 million in cash during May. The acquisition added a biologics manufacturing facility, located in Bohumil, Czech Republic, which will likely provide an annual capacity of more than 1 billion doses of NVX-CoV2373 starting 2021. The company already has an agreement with Emergent BioSolutions EBS to manufacture and supply GMP vaccine product for use in its clinical studies. Earlier this month, Novavax was awarded a contract worth $60 million by the United States, Department of Defense (DoD) to support manufacturing of NVX-CoV2373. Per the agreement, the company will deliver 10 million doses of NVX-CoV2373 to DoD that can be used in phase II/III clinical studies or under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), if approved by the FDA. This apart, Novavax is developing its nanoparticle seasonal influenza vaccine candidate, NanoFlu, for senior patients aged 65 years and above. In March 2020, the company announced positive top-line data from a pivotal phase III study on the same. Story continues Novavax also plans to submit a biologics license application (BLA) for NanoFLu using the FDAs accelerated approval pathway. We note that the Novavax's portfolio is currently devoid of any approved product. As a result, it is yet to generate any revenues from product sales. If the company is able to successfully develop and commercialize its influenza as well as COVID-19 vaccines, it will be a huge boost to the stock in the days ahead. Novavax, Inc. Price Novavax, Inc. Price Novavax, Inc. price | Novavax, Inc. Quote Zacks Rank Novavax is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, currently. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Moderna, Inc. (MRNA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Novavax, Inc. (NVAX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Emergent Biosolutions Inc. (EBS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (INO) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- So here we are again, back where this presidency began: Trump and Russia. Russia and Trump. News that Russian President Vladimir Putin was paying bounties for killing U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, and that President Donald Trump was briefed about it and took no action, is the latest shocking/unsurprising twist in a long and sordid saga. Some day, perhaps, the American people will learn why Trump is so subservient to Putin. Meanwhile, another important question is how far Putin is willing to go to help Trump get re-elected. Its perplexing that, four years after Trump was privately pleading for Kremlin approval to build a tower in Moscow while publicly insisting that he had no business dealings in Russia, the exact nature of his Russian passion remains a mystery. American intelligence agents are said to know a great deal about Putins hidden wealth. It beggars belief that they dont know quite a bit about Trumps, too. Even Trumps astonishing humiliation before Putin in Helsinki in 2018 did not shake the details of his subjugation loose from some knowledgeable quarter. No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant, said the late John McCain in a candid assessment. Whatever Trump so desperately needs from Putin, he needs far more of it now. Trumps re-election campaign is a travesty on par with his shambolic 2016 effort. (His campaign was both boorish and victorious.) This time, however, the political context is less cooperative. His peculiar incompetence is killing tens of thousands of Americans while keeping the economy in suspended animation. Trumps crude instincts are no different than in 2016. But he is proving incapable of adapting to new political realities, just as his lies are failing to fool a virus. Meanwhile, he faces a candidate less easily caricatured than his 2016 opponent. Polls are dismal. Without a dramatic turnaround, Trump will need serious help to win. Attorney General William Barr has made it clear that he wont sound an alarm if Putin pulls another electoral burglary. In a rare appearance before Congress last year, Barr refused to commit to defend the election even if North Korea intervened. In case Putin is hard of hearing, on Tuesday Senate Republicans blocked a provision to require campaigns to report offers of foreign assistance. Story continues So what does Putin do this time? The context is different for him as well. On the one hand, his preferred candidate is flailing. If Putin goes all in for Trump and Democrats win the White House, Russia, and Putin personally, may face a blistering blowback from the new administration. On the other, having Trump in the Oval Office is a strategic asset of incalculable value. How far is Putin willing to go to secure it? Its difficult to mitigate risks to an election when the greatest risk is the incumbent in the White House and a party that accepts foreign interference and views voting as a threat to its power. Likewise, the perils of foreign sabotage go far beyond Russian hacking and coordination with the bumblers in the Trump campaign. In his book Election Meltdown, election law expert Richard Hasen raises the harrowing possibility of targeted electrical outages on Election Day. Its easy to imagine: Russia targets the power in Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia (you can add Miami too, if you like). Chaos ensues. Large numbers of Democrats concentrated in those cities are unable to vote. Trump wins those states. Barrs Justice Department and the Supreme Court refuse to act. The tainted vote stands. Trump is re-elected. After Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in 2017, the FBI opened an inquiry into whether Trump was working on behalf of Russia. It was a glaringly obvious question then. In the years since, Trumps haphazard foreign policy damaging NATO, acceding to Russia in Syria and Kurdistan, promoting oil and attacking green technology, undermining Ukraine, advocating Russian membership in the G-7 has included an uncanny litany of Kremlin victories. Over the next four months, Americans will find out what Putin is prepared to do to sustain his winning streak. What we are unlikely to learn, in a systemic political failure unparalleled in American history, is why Trump is so very keen to enable it. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Francis Wilkinson writes editorials on politics and U.S. domestic policy for Bloomberg Opinion. He was executive editor of the Week. He was previously a writer for Rolling Stone, a communications consultant and a political media strategist. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Raytheon Technologies Corp.s RTX Missiles and Defense business unit recently secured a $495.1 million contract to provide program support and annual sustainmentfor advanced medium range air to air missile (AMRAAM). Work related to the deal will be executed in Tucson, AZ. In particular, the company will offer non-warranty repairs, program support, contractor logistics support and service life prediction program analysis supporting the AMRAAM weapon system. The deal, awarded by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, FL, is scheduled to be completed by Jun 30, 2026. Attributes of AMRAAM Raytheons AMRAAM is a versatile combat-proven air dominance weapon. Its capabilities have been fully demonstrated in over 4,200 test shots and 10 air-to-air combat victories. Notably, this weapons advanced active guidance section provides aircrew with a high degree of combat flexibility and lethality. AMRAAM is currently being used by 37 countries across the globe, including the United States. This missile has been integrated in some of the renowned fighter jets like Boeings BA F-15 and F/A-18and Lockheed Martins LMT F-22, to name a few. Whats Favoring Raytheon? In recent times, missile defense has steadily emerged to play a pivotal role in a nations defense strategy due to increasing geo-political tensions across the globe. With regard to the United States, the nations latest cross-border tiffs with Russia and earlier with North Korea have prompted the U.S. government to spend copiously onmissiles. As a result, Raytheon Technologies, a prominent U.S. missile maker, has been clinching significant awards for the enhancement of its missile defense systems with latest technologies and providing its end users with complex technical services. The latest acquired contact is one such example. Considering the latest deal and a few other contracts secured by the company in recent times, we expect its Missiles and Defense segment to reflect solid top-line performance in the coming days. Story continues Growth Prospects The U.S. fiscal 2021 defense budget proposal provisioned $20.3 billion for major war-fighting investments in missile defense. This should enable Raytheon Technologies to clinch more contracts related to missile defense systems and associated services, considering the companys proven expertise in varied missile systems. Other major missile defense players like General Dynamics GD, Boeing and Lockheed Martin are also expected to benefit from the aforementioned budget provision. Price Movement In the past month, Raytheon Technologies has lost 8.4% compared with the industrys 10.5% decline. Zacks Rank & Stock to Consider Raytheon Technologies currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). A better-ranked stock in the same sector is Lockheed Martin, which holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Lockheed delivered average positive earnings surprise of 7.40% in the trailing four quarters. The company has a long-term earnings growth rate of 6.9%. Just Released: Zacks 7 Best Stocks for Today Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +24.1% per year. These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout. See these time-sensitive tickers now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Boeing Company (BA) : Free Stock Analysis Report General Dynamics Corporation (GD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Raytheon Technologies Corporation (RTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Washington, PA (15301) Today Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. A few storms may be severe. Low 56F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. A few storms may be severe. Low 56F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. This is, of course, not to suggest that the mode of education is the primary driver in the decision to attend or return to college in the age of COVID-19. Even though we find that the majority of college students say they now intend to stay enrolled with their current institution even if a return to online education ensues, those plans may still be in limbo if the pandemic places additional economic pressures. In fact, nearly 60% of the students we surveyed said that the economic fallout from the coronavirus has impacted their or their familys ability to afford college. men are trash. eat the rich. Reply Thread Link He needs to be colstond for that. Reply Thread Link Your new baby brother that could be your grandchild Reply Parent Thread Link Just the ramifications of it. Like your grandchild and your sibling being the same age. Your grandchildren having a great-uncle/aunt younger than them. I don't think his oldest daughter has any children but it's like wild to me. Reply Parent Thread Link I don't think his oldest daughter has any children but it's like wild to me. From the Mirror (with some info about his oldest daughter) "She is thought to have two children and a grandchild - that made her dad Bernie, 89, a great-granddad for the first time." https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/bernie-ecclestones-first-daughter-deborah-21807087 From the Mirror (with some info about his oldest daughter)"She is thought to have two children and a grandchild - that made her dad Bernie, 89, a great-granddad for the first time." Reply Parent Thread Expand Link This actually happened in my family. My daughter (grandfather's great-granddaughter) and my aunt (grandfather's daughter) are a year apart. My aunt is younger. One of my uncles was names after my brother... Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Through a perfect storm of circumstances, my 25 year old cousin is a great aunt. And even that is less weird than this. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I absolutely passed away when I got to the 65 year old daughter part. Reply Parent Thread Link Thats fucking wild jfc Reply Parent Thread Link Its kinda like my mom where shes 50+ years older than her youngest half-sister. I have an uncle whos the same age as me. My late grandpa was trash for having a second family (divorce isnt legal) Reply Parent Thread Link I wonder what it's like to have a parent father that's 65+ years older than you. Reply Thread Link I wonder what it's like to have a sibling that's 65 years older than you. Reply Parent Thread Link I didnt see the big deal until I was older. I felt like his trophy along with my mum. It made for a really complicated relationship. Reply Parent Thread Link lmao so she gon be a single mother Reply Thread Link she'll be filthy rich, I bet she can't wait tbh Reply Parent Thread Link Men are horrible. He's 89. This child has a sister who is old enough to be his grandmother. The poor kid will grow up without a father and with a higher risk of congenital disorders and mental health issues. This is just irresponsible and selfish. At least the child is as financially secure as can be. Reply Thread Link bc I grew up in the South and was socialized to view Europeans as the epitome of sophistication and ~sexual liberation~ and progressivism, I was lowkey shook to learn they were just as terrible to ppl like me. and it makes sense given their (Britain, Italy, France, etc) as colonizers and imperialists. It's racism w/ different accents. also, eat the rich Reply Thread Link Yes, I worked for a Dutch company and I remember they used to come after Americans ALL THE TIME trying to start arguments and shit and most of them didn't know I was Brazilian-American so when they tried to point out all the terrible things in the US I would turn around and point out all the terrible things happening in their own country that they sweep under the rug and they did not like that. Reply Parent Thread Link I was surprised to find out that many Americans are shocked by trash British TV like Love Island or w/e because I didn't realise anyone genuinely bought into the image of Europe as this ultra-classy place. We're awful. It's racism with different accents from people who have convinced themselves they aren't racist "like America" despite, as you say, being responsible for colonising and subjugating the rest of the world. Reply Parent Thread Link Any illusion of classiness was destroyed when I read that buzzfeed listicle of things british people put on french fries. Reply Parent Thread Link There's nothing that irks me more than European elitism honestly. Especially as a black american who's parents are from a former european colony. Hate those pretentious white fuckers lol Reply Parent Thread Link I was expecting a death announcement. Reply Thread Link It's probably not that far off. Reply Parent Thread Link I would be ashamed to have such an old dad. To know that he would have the audacity to reproduce in his late twilight years. Reply Thread Link This guy will be dead before the kid is even old enough to feel that way. Like there's a good chance he'll grow up and not even remember his dad. Reply Parent Thread Link Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ Reply Thread Link That's fucked up. Reply Thread Link Bag secured Reply Thread Link gross Reply Thread Link Meghan said she was under extreme mental and emotional duress while pregnant because Palace staff, members of the royal household & their friends were allowed to give anonymous quotes to the press about Meghan, but she & those close to her were not allowed to comment. However, it's been suggested that Palace press team couldnt defend Meghan against true stories, according to "insiders." Her anger allegedly grew over the Palace not defending her from attacks by her family on her father's side, especially her mouthy sister. Sources say that the press team were unable to deny the reports because they were largely true and the stories were a drop in the ocean compared to what was going on at the time. sounds like double standards to me!! sounds like double standards to me!! Reply Thread Link William had a whole-ass affair they managed to cover up just fine but okay. Reply Parent Thread Link they could easily throw andrew under the bus but it was always Meygan 'works too hard' or some other bullshit. like?! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Yep. They didn't defend Diana and they didn't defend Sarah Ferguson, either. They only protect their own. Reply Parent Thread Link photos of meghan holding baby bump while walking: DUCHESS KEEPS HOLDING BABY BUMP- IS SHE FAKE PREGNANT? photos of kate doing the same thing: KATE IS A GOOD MOM PROTECTING HER UNBORN CHILD i mean technically it's a "true" story bc she's holding her baby bump but that's such a weak excuse Reply Parent Thread Link 1billion is a shit ton of money Reply Thread Link To be honest they should have never broken away from the royal family because with the pandemic going on they couldve just stayed in the UK with no paparazzi harassing them collecting money while doing virtual charity work. Theyre basically doing the same now except they no longer have a revenue stream Reply Thread Link So what you're saying is she should've stayed and endured family manipulation because, money. Reply Parent Thread Link I mean shes not free from all the family drama and negative press now is she? Harry will never officially break free because theyre his family. Shes received so much more negative press since breaking from the royal family. They couldve just done virtual charity work like Kate and William do, and wait until this pandemic is over to consider their next step. I mean maybe she is way happier than before, if so, good for her and good choice but it seems her main issue is with the British press and now shes under way more negative scrutiny AND theyve lost their revenue stream. I mean I see your point too but I dont know who Id rather be at this point - Kate or Meghan. Both have it as bad as each other in different ways. Edited at 2020-07-03 03:49 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link As long as she stays married to harry she's always going to be in that position. Comes with the territory when you marry into a family of racist colonizers and every piece of wealth your husband has comes from their blood money. Reply Parent Thread Link Nah. They're better off where they are. They just need to go a little longer between press "leaks". Reply Parent Thread Link they protect bad shit about the men, she isn't allowed the same? they made such a fucking pivot on kate when meghan showed up Reply Thread Link The number of stories I've seen that are basically like "Kate farted rainbows for her precious daughter's 5th birthday - photos inside!" Surely nobody is this much of a 'Kate fan' -- this is all just meant to be a juxtaposition to Meghan. Reply Parent Thread Link the media ragged on kate constantly when she first married in. those nude photos were a huge scandal. i feel like until she had george, the media was always on her ass, but as soon as meghan became a thing, they acted like she was suddenly a saint. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link "Tourist revenue" is a joke phrase. Any family "worth" 70 billion should be guillotined ashamed and their wealth and property redistributed. I feel badly for the terrible racism and misogyny she received, but she's soured me completely with every decision she and Harry have made since. Reply Thread Link Lmao are there still royal apologists thumbs-downing on ONTD? Reply Parent Thread Link lmao always the same ones Reply Parent Thread Link Sigh. I hate this attitude. Meghan might have bad politics because she married into such a shitty family, but that doesn't mean the level of vitriol she has faced without protection from that family is okay. Women, especially WOC are allowed such little grace. A few mistakes (in her case, and series of joint decisions with her ugly husband to protect their small family), and suddenly it's okay to hate her. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link These are the same people pulling all the strings to protect a fucking pedophile and mummys favorite. Reply Thread Link That part Reply Parent Thread Link I don't understand why they don't just say that. Bringing up the stuff they are seems petty compared to that. "The queen blocked a criminal investigation but couldn't say shit about avocado toast" is a stronger case than "they didn't defend me against things that were probably true," in my opinion. Reply Parent Thread Link Calling out your grandma the fucking queen of England for protecting her prince pedophile son while letting your wife be subjected to daily racist and misogynistic crap is probably the last resort. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Because they are still entirely dependent on them financially. Reply Parent Thread Link Meghan also claimed her wedding raised 1billion in tourist revenue girl. also hi @tommy Reply Thread Link I honestly don't know why she bothered marrying him. It was always going to be a clusterfuck. I can't imagine wanting in - what do you get out of it? Being in the spotlight and judged 100% of the time? Fancy trips where you don't get to do anything *you* want? A big funeral? Reply Thread Link In Hallmark Movie Network movies (she's been in some), the prince falls in love with the "normal, common" girl and after his family not wanting her, she wins them over with her charm and they marry and live happily ever after. She must have figured that would have been the obvious outcome. Reply Parent Thread Link Regular people make fools of themselves just to go viral on tiktok. Actors are kinda like that except its their profession. They will never stop wanting more fame. I think any other actress wouldve jumped to date Harry just to be a part of a royal family and be papped/etc all the time Reply Parent Thread Link I've been wondering for a while now if she regrets marrying Harry (and into the royal family). There must be times when she thinks "damn I want my boring life as an C-list actress back" Reply Parent Thread Link I also think they left the crown because of Prince Andrew. When shit hit the fan they were like if you want to protect this pedo we are out. Reply Thread Link I think you're giving them way too much credit. They haven't said a word about all that, even though it would help them to bring him up. They haven't held back on voicing their other issues, so why not bring that up as well? Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah and denouncing the royal family on moral grounds doesn't exactly make sense with the half-in/half-out deal they tried to negotiate Reply Parent Thread Link Nah! Harry was always OK with the shitty, corrupt, racist things they ALL have done during the years. His whole family is trash and Meghan was OK to marry into that. Her issue is that no one defended her from the tabloids but I don't believe anymore that she was uncomfortable with all the other shitty things the family does behind the scenes. Andrew is no exception to that pack of wolves, he's just the dumbest of the lot who got caught but they all have some sort of dirt in their hands. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link idk about one billion from the wedding since that sure seems like.... a lot, but the royals were 100% protecting andrew during her pregnancy i wonder if they'll have another kid Reply Thread Link Having another child is always an easy winning PR move. Reply Parent Thread Link I think they said they wanted two total, but that they didn't want more than that because of "the environment"... which felt like a cute petty slam at Kate & Will, since they'd just had their third. I'm not mad. I thought it was funny. Reply Parent Thread Link A billion? Did she hire the same accountant as Kris Jenner? Reply Thread Link Personally, I think Meghan and Harry shot themselves in the foot. The Queen offered to take care of the awful Markles (pay them off, make them sign NDAs), Meghan refused and said she'd take care of it. The Queen told Meghan and Harry to take two years as "part time royals" so she could get used to royal life, they declined. William said the wedding was too fast and Kate suggested Meghan didn't understand what she was getting into and instead of listening to thwm, Harry threw a tantrum and ignored their concerns. There is a specific way on royal life and Meghan appeared unprepared completely. Fuck the queen for defending her pedo son, but Meghan's claims aren't about that. She's mad they didn't defend her against her family (which she said she'd take care of) and the palace leaks (which may or may not be true). And she keeps bringing up the York sisters, which is ???? Reply Thread Link If they prohibited her from speaking out or commenting publicly then isn't she right that they failed to protect her? The Royals not only buried stories about Andrew but also William's cheating, all while Meghan was being racially abused in the press. I don't blame her for allegedly ignoring the queen's advice to keep enduring this for another two years. Others have done worse than whatever benign acts of "rebellion" she's being accused of and haven't dealt with this type of backlash. Reply Parent Thread Link Where'd you hear that about the queen offering to pay her family off? Reply Parent Thread Link Both are correct Reply Parent Thread Link Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have restarted production at the Al-Khafji oil field in the neutral zone between the two countries, Turkeys Anadolu Agency reported, citing a statement by the acting CEO of the Kuwait Gulf Oil Company. The official Twitter account of the company posted an update yesterday, saying (via Google Translate) Congratulations on the occasion of the resumption of production in joint abundance operations. An earlier report by Argus News from late June said Saudi Arabia and Kuwait had plans to restart both oilfields in the neutral zoneAl-Khafji and Wafrathis month. Al-Khafji is one of four offshore and one onshore field located in the neutral zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Of these, just two fieldsAl-Khafji and Wafrapumped half a million barrels daily until 2015. Operational differences and a worsening in bilateral relations led to the suspension of production during that year. The worsening came as Saudi Arabia renewed Chevrons concession for Wafra. According to the Kuwaiti side, Riyadh did that without consulting it. Negotiations on the restart of the fields began in 2018, and Wafra and Al-Khafji began producing oil again in late 2019. However, in May, Kuwaiti media reported that production at Al-Khafji would be suspended in June as part of the OPEC+ agreement to curtail the global supply of crude oil by 9.7 million bpd in May and June. The news of the restart is somewhat surprising, however, after OPEC+ agreed to extend the deep cuts through the end of July as prices did not react as favorably to the cuts as OPEC+ expected. Al-Khafji was pumping 300,000 bpd until 2015 when production in the neutral zone was suspended, and plans were to ramp this up to 325,000 bpd by the end of this year. Wafra has the capacity to produce 250,000 bpd of crude. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: While oil majors stuck to spending discipline after the 2015-2016 price crash, ExxonMobil was the one to stand out from the crowd as it increased capital expenditures to boost production. This year, in the second price collapse in four years, Exxon again appears to be the outlier in Big Oil as it is not writing down billions of U.S. dollars of asset values and continues to resist calls from sustainability-conscious investors to disclose price forecasts and account for climate change in the value of its assets and its future business. Unlike its peers, Exxon hasnt booked major writedowns since oil prices crashed earlier this year. And unlike its European peers, the U.S. supermajor hasnt pledged any emission-reduction targets, either. The lack of double-digit-billion writedowns at Exxon not only this year, but also in the past decade, raises two questions: does Exxon think that oil and gas prices will ultimately rise and therefore its assets fairly valued at a later date? Or has Exxon been doing some creative accounting in valuing its assets? No Major Write Downs: Wishful Thinking Or Accounting Fraud? Unlike Occidental, BP, and Shell, Exxon hasnt yet adjusted the value of its assets, and hasnt been doing much of that over the past decade. Franklin Bennett, a former senior accounting analyst at Exxon, alleges that the supermajors stubborn refusal to write down a large part of the value of natural gas producer XTO Energy Inc that it bought for US$31 billion ten years ago is part of an arrogant, aberrant, long-standingposture, The Wall Street Journal reported this week, citing a complaint Bennett has filed with the SEC under its whistleblower program. According to Bennett, who left Exxon in 1995, the way Exxon accounted for the XTO deal fits its previous accounting practices of overestimating the value of its oil and gas assets. Bennett believes that the value of XTO should be written down by at least US$17 billion and that Exxon should make at least US$20 billion in writedowns on its other oil and gas assets, the Journal reports. Related: Oil Rallies On Bullish EIA Inventory Data Exxons CEO at the time of the XTO acquisition, Rex Tillerson, admitted last year that We probably paid too much, because the outlook on gas prices was for them to stay at around US$5 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). Of course, it never saw those numbers again, Tillerson said at a conference in June 2019. Commenting on Exxons impairment accounting practices, Exxon spokesman Casey Norton told the Journal: Exxon Mobils record on impairments and our rigorous and consistent process for testing for impairments have been repeatedly scrutinized and upheld. Exxon has long explained the lack of huge writedowns compared, for example, to Chevrons US$11-billion impairment charge in Q4 2019 mostly in Appalachian natural gas with the fact that it books the value of new oil and gas fields very conservatively and doesnt adjust values to short-term price trends. Last year, Exxon was found not guilty in a lawsuit brought by the state of New York, alleging the company had misled investors by failing to account for climate change in its disclosures. Investors Press Exxon For Climate-Risk Disclosures But investors have upped the pressure on Big Oil to start accounting for climate change in its price assumptions. European majors have listened, and just last month, they lowered their oil price forecasts, which led to up to US$17.5 billion impairment charge at BP and up to a US$22 billion charge at Shell. Exxon and Chevron, however, do not disclose their price assumptions. But their environment-conscious investors want this to change, investor coalition Ceres, the New York State Common Retirement Fund, and California State Teachers Retirement System, told Bloomberg this week. The investors want to know how U.S. Big Oil is viewing the impact of climate change and the energy transition on its assets and future business. Chevron views future scenarios as proprietary information, spokesman Sean Comey told Bloomberg in an emailed statement. Related: 3 Oil Stocks With Good Upside And 3 To Avoid At this years shareholder meetings of the two U.S. oil giants, shareholders were asked to vote on climate-related issues proposed by investors. Exxons shareholders rejected proposals for a report on lobbying and a report on the risks of petrochemical investments. A shareholder proposal at Chevron, urging it to report on climate lobbying aligned with Paris Agreement Goals, however, passed, as some 53 percent of the votes cast voted for the proposal to report on climate lobbying. BlackRock, for example, pushed for more climate action and transparency at Exxon and Chevron, after the worlds biggest asset manager said earlier this year that it would place sustainability at the center of its investment approach. As we have discussed during our most recent conversations with Exxon Mobil Corporation (Exxon), we continue to see a gap in the companys disclosure and action with regard to several components of its climate risk management, BlackRock said in its rationale for voting contrary to Exxons boards recommendations. After Exxons meeting, Edward Mason, Head of Responsible Investment for the Church Commissioners for England, said: Exxon needs to join its peers and set out a strategy for transition to net zero emissions. Investors will not tolerate a board that is not capable of steering a course consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement. We believe that ExxonMobil can do so much better, and that a change in strategy and governance can bring about a long overdue improvement in shareholder returns, The New York State Common Retirement Fund and The Church Commissioners for England said in a letter to shareholders before the meeting. An Ocean Apart Exxon, in particular, has made itself an outlier for its refusal to seriously account for the demands of a lower carbon global economy, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said, commenting on the voting results at the annual shareholders meetings of U.S. companies this year. With very little writedowns on asset values and with no emissions targets, Exxon looks increasingly distant from the European oil majors, many of which have pledged to become net-zero energy companies by 2050. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Gulf economies will experience a combined contraction of 7.6 percent this year because of the oil price crash, a senior IMF official has forecast. This is a sharp downward revision from an earlier forecast by the international lender, which saw the Gulf economiesthe six states that make up the Gulf Cooperation Councilexperiencing negative growth of 2.7 percent. The previous forecast was released in April. The oil sector will shrink sharply by around 7.0 percent and it will be accompanied by a drop in the non-oil sector also, said Jihad Azour, director of the Middle East and Central Asia department of the International Monetary Fund said at a webinar this week. In June, the IMF had warned Saudi Arabias economy, which is the biggest in the region, would suffer a 6.8-percent contraction this year. This was a substantial downward revision on an April forecast that saw the largest economy in the Gulf shrink by 2.3 percent in 2020. According to Azour, oil revenues in the Gulf countries will shrink by as much as $200 billion this year as a result of unfavorable price developments. The latest growth revisions reflect the continued overreliance of Gulf economies on oil revenues despite efforts to diversify away from the commodity after the last oil market downturn in 2014-2016. In fact, even before the crisis began, the IMF saidin February this yearthat low oil revenues could result in Gulf economies seeing their financial wealth vanish in 15 years. At the current fiscal stance, the regions existing financial wealth could be depleted in the next 15 years, the IMF said at the time, adding, All GCC countries have recognized the lasting nature of their challenge ... However, the expected speed and size of these consolidations in most countries may not be sufficient to stabilize their wealth. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Oil Powers Bought Iraqi Compliance - And Something Else, Too They may have paid for compliance, but they were really buying something else. With COVID-19 cases now starting to ravage a politically fragile Iraq - which is also the center of a proxy war between the US and Iran - theres never been a better time for the country to ask for aid. Aid is a bargaining chip, and oil production cuts are the end game because Iraq is never in a financial position to comply. What Iraq wants, specifically, is an IMF loan of up to some $5 billion and Saudi investment in its natural gas fields. So far, money--and the prospect of more--has bought Iraqs best run at compliance yet: By mid-June, Iraq had made good on a pledge to make cuts, and for the full month, its oil exports had dropped by 310,000 bpd (9%). For July, Iraq says it plans to reduce crude oil exports (Basra Light) by half. Even without Iraqs full compliance, numbers seem to show that OPEC compliance overall was still over 100% last month, thanks to efforts by others to cut more than pledged. Iraq, quite simply, cannot comply: Its too politically fragile and has too many civil servants to pay off for loyalty. Thats why we should look at aid as buying something other than production cuts that have already been accounted for. Its buying a move against Iranian influence in Iraq. On June The Houthi rebels in Yemen claim they have sent a team to repair an oil tanker full of 1 million barrels of oil sitting off the Yemeni coast for five years and threatening to leak oil into the sea or to explode. The maintenance team may not prevent the tanker from leaking oil because the Saudi-led coalition is not allowing access to the equipment needed for the repairs, Bloomberg quoted Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the ruling political council of the Iran-aligned Houthis, as saying. The tanker is in an area controlled by the Houthi rebels who have been fighting a Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen since 2015. The floating storage and offloading (FSO) unit SAFER has been sitting off Yemens coast since early 2015 and hasnt been maintained or attended since then. Experts and the UN-recognized Yemeni government have been warning for a year that there is an imminent environmental and humanitarian catastrophe in the Red Sea. The Houthis, however, have been denying access to a UN team to assess the situation and the danger from the tanker. Last week, the United Nations (UN) warned that the tanker could explode or sink, in the latest warning that an environmental disaster and potential disruption of oil shipping routes around the Red Sea is waiting to happen. Internal documents obtained by The Associated Press showed last week that seawater had seeped into the engine compartment, rust had taken hold, and the gas that prevents the oil tanks from gathering inflammable gases had leaked out. The damage to the ship is irreversible, experts say, according to the documents obtained by the AP. The Houthi rebels continue to deny experts access to the oil tanker, sources told the AP. They do say that openly to the U.N., We like to have this as something to hold against the international community if attacked, a European diplomat told the AP. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: In partnership with the business sector, the Japanese government will invest some $14.4 billion (1.5 trillion yen) in liquefied natural gas development in Mozambique, the Nikkei Asian Review reported. According to the report, the money will fund the development of a gas field in the African country to produce some 12 million tons of LNG annually, beginning in 2024. As part of the deal, trading major Mitsui & Co. and Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. will together buy a 20-percent stake in the field. Three Japanese private banks will provide most of the debt funding for the project, and the state-owned Japan Bank for International Cooperation will supply $3 billion in loans. Another report also mentions $3 billion to be provided in debt financing for the Mozambique LNG project in which Mitsui & Co. is a minority partner with 20 percent to French Total, which operates the project. Part of the $14.4 billion may go into this particular project. Japan is the worlds largest importer of liquefied natural gas, and earlier this year, the Nikkei Asian Review reported that the countrys LNG supply security was threatened by the coronavirus outbreak, with stockpiles at the time only sufficient for two weeks of consumption. Mozambique, on the other hand, is turning into a hotspot for the LNG industry, with Totals $20-billion Mozambique LNG project to produce close to 13 million tons of the fuel annually, and Exxons Rovuma project to yield some 15.2 million tons once operational. For now, however, the Mozambique LNG facility is the only one in the country that has received a final investment decision. Exxon recently said it would delay its FID on Rovuma until next year because of current market conditions. The liquefaction operation was originally scheduled to come online in 2024, like Mozambique LNG. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Maryland has many events that do her proud and that can be set to the music of O Tannenbaum for example, the first American declaration of religious freedom and the defense of Ft. McHenry. Heres my take: French oil giant Total SA has sent a drilling rig to South Africa in the hopes of duplicating its massive find there last February, Totals partner in the project Africa Energy Corp said in a press release on Thursday. According to Africa Energy Corp (TSXV: AFE), the Odfjell Deepsea Stavanger sem-submersible rig has left Norway and is now headed to South Africa to drill the Luiperd-1 well in Block 11B/12B. It is the same rig that drilled the Brulpadda oil and gas discovery last February. Canada-based Africa Energy Corp holds a 49% stake in Main Street 1549 Proprietary Limited, an entity that holds a 10% participating interest in Block 11B/12B. Totals Africa subsidiary, Total E&P South Africa B.A. is the operating in the block, with a 45% interest. Gas powerhouse Qatar Petroleum International Upstream LLC holds a 25% stake, and South Africas Canadian National Resources International holds the remaining 20% stake. Block 11B/12B is located in the Outeniqua Basin about 175 km off the southern coast of South Africa. Source: Africa Energy Corp Totals website did not have any information about the discovery, although Odfjell Drilling confirmed they had signed a contract for drilling work in South Africa with the Deepsea Stavanger with Total back in December. It has since been in dry dock in Norway undergoing maintenance and modifications in preparation for the upcoming drilling program on Block 11B/12B Africa Energy said. At the time, Africa Energy expected the rig to be underway by Q2 2020, with drilling to commence in Q3. We believe it is of great benefit to Odfjell Drilling and Total to be able to utilize the same drilling unit for the next wells in order to build on the experience from the previous exploration drilling campaign in this operationally challenging harsh environment high-current area", Simen Lieungh, CEO of Odfjell Drilling, said last December when the deal was signed. Total originally suspended drilling its Brulpadda Prospect in 2014 due to the challenges in the harsh deepwater environment, according to Africa Energy. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Three organizations received $50,000 each, the highest amount given to any organization. The local bureau of Maryland Legal Aid, which will use the funds for general operating costs; Arundel House of Hope, which will use the funds towards two positions that help residents secure and adjust to permanent housing; and The Light House homeless shelter, which will use the funds for general operating costs. Of Marylands nearly 69,000 cases, 15,967 nearly one in four are people under 30, according to state data. While a majority of cases are in people between 30 and 59, the most deaths are in the states oldest population. But public officials have warned that young people can transmit the virus even if they are asymptomatic. Editorials Editorial: Roberts' Emotion about DACA 'Betrays' Trump DACA has sheltered these young people from deportation, allowing them to continue their studies, obtain employment, serve in the United States military, and live in the only country they really know. These are individuals who grew up in the United States and are for all intents and purposes American citizens, except for the necessary legal documents. DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), Barack Obama's 2012 executive order, granted protection to these individuals by offering them a temporary residence permit, renewable every two years. Essentially, it is a "green card," legal temporary residency in the U.S., without a pathway to citizenship. It's conceivable that when Roberts wrote these words, he was thinking of one of these young people in particular. Luis Cortes Romero, a member of the team of lawyers who fought to save the program, is himself a DACA beneficiary. Born in Mexico, Cortes Romero was brought by his parents to the United States without legal immigration documents when he was only one year old. After many sacrifices, he managed to graduate from law school at the University of Idaho, where he studied without legal residency and without hope of practicing his future profession. Then in the second of his three years of study, DACA was put in place by Obama. Cortes Romero applied and managed to qualify, obtaining temporary legal residency. After graduation, he began to practice law, defending individuals whose personal situation he knew first hand. Cortes told Democracy Now, the progressive American television network, that he was sure the stories of so many young people like him had an impact on Roberts' thinking as he made his decision to hand Trump a serious defeat. Yet, it is not a total defeat, because the 45th president could try again to repeal DACA, even though it would obviously take time. In his decision, Roberts stated that Trump's lawyers did not present legally valid reasons for revoking Barack Obama's executive order. Trump's reaction was predictably disappointed, especially considering that five of the nine Supreme Court justices lean right, having been appointed by Republican presidents. The "traitor" in this case was Roberts, appointed by George W. Bush in 2005, who, according to Cortes, used legal arguments but also his emotions for the decision. Roberts was not the only one who used extralegal arguments. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who voted with the majority, made reference to an aspect that directly affects politics. Sotomayor points out that Trump expressed animus towards Hispanics, something that the majority did not include in their decision. She specifically points to some of Trump's well-known language that characterize Hispanics as "criminals," "drug dealers," and "rapists." Sotomayor knows very well that, from a legal point of view, her dissent is only valuable to underscore the political behavior of the 45th president. Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh, two of the four judges who voted in support of Trump's repeal effort, also disagreed, making their arguments in legalese, fully accessible only to scholars. Thomas, however, betrayed himself when he acknowledged that the law gives the Attorney General the power to protect certain foreigners from deportation for "humanitarian" reasons. Thomas does not ignore the tragic situation "dreamers" find themselves in. If deported from the United States, they could end up in their native country, a place they barely know. Thomas later stresses legal arguments, claiming that Obama's executive order has created a new class of immigrants by granting them benefits not supported by law. Roberts counteracted, citing humanitarian and practical repercussions that the Trump administration did not consider as it tried to end Obama's executive order. He specifically points out that in the eight years of DACA, beneficiaries have created families and their 200,000 children born in America are fully-fledged American citizens. He also makes reference to the practical value of the "dreamers'" contributions, since they generated more than $215 billion in economic activities and $60 billion in tax contributions to the treasury coffers in ten years. Dreamers, after all, are young people with jobs, and therefore contribute significantly more with their new status as legal residents. Supreme Court justices must be objective and base their decisions on the law. Yet, they are human beings as well as "political animals" because they are appointed by presidents who have a certain ideology. The DACA ruling clearly demonstrates this. Roberts, as Chief Justice, is however also concerned about the reputation of the Supreme Court. Attacks on judges by politicians, particularly Trump, have eroded the credibility of the Supreme Court. In 2016, 48% of Americans approved of the Supreme Court, yet there is hope. Now the figure has risen to 58% and is back on positive ground. Also, a recent poll tells us that 64% believe the Supreme Court uses legal arguments to determine its rulings. We will see whether Roberts continues to be the tie breaker with other important cases currently under consideration, such as abortion and the release of Trump's tax returns information. Related article: Trump's Tiny Heart and DACA's Repeal is an emeritus professor of romance languages at Allan Hancock College, Santa Maria, California. He is the author of a book on Pirandello, one on Spanish grammar, and another on Italian grammar. He has also published a number of articles in newspapers and magazines around the world, some of which have won awards from the National Association of Hispanic Publications. "Since 2012, DACA recipients have enrolled in degree programs, embarked on careers, started businesses, purchased homes, and even married and had children, all in reliance on the DACA." That's how U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, explained the 5 to 4 decision which blocked Donald Trump from eliminating the program which benefits "dreamers," young people brought to America by their parents without legal authorization.These are individuals who grew up in the United States and are for all intents and purposes American citizens, except for the necessary legal documents. DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), Barack Obama's 2012 executive order, granted protection to these individuals by offering them a temporary residence permit, renewable every two years. Essentially, it is a "green card," legal temporary residency in the U.S., without a pathway to citizenship.It's conceivable that when Roberts wrote these words, he was thinking of one of these young people in particular. Luis Cortes Romero, a member of the team of lawyers who fought to save the program, is himself a DACA beneficiary.Born in Mexico, Cortes Romero was brought by his parents to the United States without legal immigration documents when he was only one year old. After many sacrifices, he managed to graduate from law school at the University of Idaho, where he studied without legal residency and without hope of practicing his future profession.Then in the second of his three years of study, DACA was put in place by Obama. Cortes Romero applied and managed to qualify, obtaining temporary legal residency. After graduation, he began to practice law, defending individuals whose personal situation he knew first hand.Cortes toldthe progressive American television network, that he was sure the stories of so many young people like him had an impact on Roberts' thinking as he made his decision to hand Trump a serious defeat. Yet, it is not a total defeat, because the 45th president could try again to repeal DACA, even though it would obviously take time. In his decision, Roberts stated that Trump's lawyers did not present legally valid reasons for revoking Barack Obama's executive order.Trump's reaction was predictably disappointed, especially considering that five of the nine Supreme Court justices lean right, having been appointed by Republican presidents. The "traitor" in this case was Roberts, appointed by George W. Bush in 2005, who, according to Cortes, used legal arguments but also his emotions for the decision.Roberts was not the only one who used extralegal arguments.Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who voted with the majority, made reference to an aspect that directly affects politics. Sotomayor points out that Trump expressed animus towards Hispanics, something that the majority did not include in their decision. She specifically points to some of Trump's well-known language that characterize Hispanics as "criminals," "drug dealers," and "rapists." Sotomayor knows very well that, from a legal point of view, her dissent is only valuable to underscore the political behavior of the 45th president.Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh, two of the four judges who voted in support of Trump's repeal effort, also disagreed, making their arguments in legalese, fully accessible only to scholars. Thomas, however, betrayed himself when he acknowledged that the law gives the Attorney General the power to protect certain foreigners from deportation for "humanitarian" reasons.Thomas does not ignore the tragic situation "dreamers" find themselves in. If deported from the United States, they could end up in their native country, a place they barely know. Thomas later stresses legal arguments, claiming that Obama's executive order has created a new class of immigrants by granting them benefits not supported by law.Roberts counteracted, citing humanitarian and practical repercussions that the Trump administration did not consider as it tried to end Obama's executive order. He specifically points out that in the eight years of DACA, beneficiaries have created families and their 200,000 children born in America are fully-fledged American citizens.He also makes reference to the practical value of the "dreamers'" contributions, since they generated more than $215 billion in economic activities and $60 billion in tax contributions to the treasury coffers in ten years. Dreamers, after all, are young people with jobs, and therefore contribute significantly more with their new status as legal residents.Supreme Court justices must be objective and base their decisions on the law. Yet, they are human beings as well as "political animals" because they are appointed by presidents who have a certain ideology. The DACA ruling clearly demonstrates this.Roberts, as Chief Justice, is however also concerned about the reputation of the Supreme Court. Attacks on judges by politicians, particularly Trump, have eroded the credibility of the Supreme Court. In 2016, 48% of Americans approved of the Supreme Court, yet there is hope. Now the figure has risen to 58% and is back on positive ground.Also, a recent poll tells us that 64% believe the Supreme Court uses legal arguments to determine its rulings. We will see whether Roberts continues to be the tie breaker with other important cases currently under consideration, such as abortion and the release of Trump's tax returns information. Domenico Maceri, PhD, is an emeritus professor of romance languages at Allan Hancock College, Santa Maria, California. He is the author of a book on Pirandello, one on Spanish grammar, and another on Italian grammar. He has also published a number of articles in newspapers and magazines around the world, some of which have won awards from the National Association of Hispanic Publications. Site Map Print this Page Email Us Top Lakefront Brewerys tank series turns 6. Or maybe 1, depending on how you're measuring. The sixth installment in the brewerys Small Tank Series, which launched just over a year ago, is here and its a riff on the Rendezvous French biere de garde style. "We took our Rendezvous," says Lakefront Brand Manager Michael Stodola, "and let it age for three years in brandy barrels. "This traditional farmhouse ale is brewed with a special French ale yeast, giving it a subtle, yet delightful ester fruitiness. At 11.6 percent (ABV), its a bit boozy, but an excellent barrel-aged liquid." Like its predecessors, the barrel-aged Rendezvous arrives in an extremely limited run of 500ml EuroBottles. It arrives on Tuesday, July 7 at $10 a bottle. Lakefront will open sales online at 8 a.m. that day and you can select a pickup appointment time between 3 and 8 p.m. the same day. You can also order any Lakefront to-go beer and crowlers, as well as food from the regular take-out menu, too. Previous beers in the series have included a Belgian quad, a Belgian strong golden ale, a "small beer" made from the second runnings of Black Friday imperial stout, a British strong ale and a Norwegian kveik farmhouse IPA. For more information on Lakefront and to order, visit http://lakefrontbrewery.com or call (414) 372-8800. Midcentury Modern Milwaukee isnt always the choice when someone decides to feature Cream City buildings in works of art. But thats where artist Patrick Castro has (mostly) cast his eye for his Make MKE series of drawings that he sells as prints on his website. His detailed works on paper spotlight the former Boy Blue ice cream stand in West Allis, the low-slung office building at Jefferson and Chicago Streets in the Third Ward, the lobby of the main post office on St. Paul Avenue, St. Marys Hospital and other familiar but not often heralded sites. (Though he has drawn the Domes, the War Memorial and the Sydney Hih.) "These are the buildings that we drive by or walk by every day," says Castro. "Theres something that catches your eye but never in a flashy way. My drawings are the equivalent of sitting down and having a deep conversation with someone thats youve worked with for years but just never had the chance to connect. "Every design project, whether its logo or a building, is loved by the designer. It has to be since it's a long and grueling process. As a result, there's a great deal of thought and good intentions poured into the design of the building. The drawings are an opportunity to reflect on design rationale. Many times I gain a deeper appreciation for the building after Im finished. Ultimately, its been my own way of expressing appreciation for those lesser known or appreciated moments in our urban experience." You can find Castro's work at his website. I asked Castro about his background, his art and what he loves about Milwaukee architecture. OnMilwaukee: Tell me a bit about your background as an artist. Patrick Castro: I grew up in rural Louisiana and went to college at Loyola University in New Orleans where I studied Graphic Design. Until college, I didnt take art classes. Drawing was nothing more than copying comic books. Creating as a profession was an idea planted in my head by my cousin, at the time an architecture student at LSU. My love of comic books and movie posters lead me to graphic design. My wife, Libby, is an architectural designer. When we met, my appreciation for architecture and the long-haul of the process of creating buildings became a huge part of my life. Where I grew up, modern architecture was few and far between. Living in Milwaukee, I appreciate what we have here. What got you interested in drawing buildings. Have you studied architecture? I am not an architect nor have I studied architecture. I dont have the patience required for the rigor of the architecture practice. Because my wife is an architect and we have always bonded over architecture and choreographed space, this series is a a forgone conclusion. I currently have two drawing series. In addition to the architectural series, I have a series of drawings of natural objects wood, seeds, etc. from places we visit; a nice counter balance. Theres a thread that ties these together in that both are typically overlooked things: buildings or unmemorable sticks. What attracts you to the buildings you choose to draw? Theres a few exceptions to the selection process. Theres been a commission or two. Two were presents. The ones that were most by-the-book were the buildings that were mid-century, overlooked, yet had this inherent beauty. The series started off with the War Memorial. With all of the grandeur and flamboyance of the Calatrava, the War Memorial quietly sat on its perch. Whats not to love? The Boy Blue stand is another example of this small gem that has long been abandoned but you can still see how cool it must have been when first built. Many of these buildings have similar stories. The design process, especially for buildings, is a long and grueling process. Architects and designers, in some way, need to fall in love with their projects to stick with it through the end. I cant help but appreciate that. What do you hope to convey in the drawings? In the past Ive described these drawings as love notes to Milwaukee. Its a tad overdramatic but theres a grain of truth to that. Its easy to overlook whats great about this town when you see it every day. Just like its hard to see progress when youre in the storm. Its often necessary to take yourself out and look objectively at yourself, your life and in this case your town to appreciate whats cool or whats interesting or fun. So selecting buildings that are sometimes completely overlooked, yet are still quite beautiful, taking the time to render them in a way few have seen, is my way of turning a mirror to Milwaukee. Do you have favorite buildings? I dont. Well, not really. Theyre a little like favorite songs. You experience it. You fall in love with it. They come and go. Sometimes when you happen upon the song, you fall back in love again with it and remember why you thought it was so great. Each of these buildings are a little like that. The list, like favorite songs, is long and varied. I get so happy when I find a new building. I do have favorite stories. The Lakeshore Drive residence (in Mount Pleasant) is the only house Ive drawn (it) feels a little creepy if its a house. I drew it as a Christmas present for my wife. That house a John Randal McDonald house was one of the main inspirations that led her to architecture school. When I decided to draw it, I needed a photograph to work from. The house could not be photographed. There was only one photograph on the internet on the Wisconsin Historical Societys website. It didnt have the best resolution. When I was about to quit the search, I noticed this one line that mentioned David Erikson, McDonalds last apprentice. In a last ditch effort, I called Mr. Erikson and he turned out to have all of this information, photography and even newspaper clippings about the house. It meant a lot to my wife. Hal Mason the father of Libbys childhood friend; still friends! commissioned John Randal McDonald. Hal worked at Johnson Wax when they worked with Frank Lloyd Wright. He is passed and the property is out of the family, so meeting Mr. Erickson was piecing a very important part of history together for Libby. Gorgeous and meaningful public art is putting down roots all across Milwaukee from new murals in the courthouse to several on the South Side and in the Riverwest/Harambee neighborhoods to one of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo above The Highbury Pub in Bay View. And now there's a new temporary piece in bloom in front of Sherman Phoenix quite literally. Created by the local floral artist collective MKE Seen, the new floral sculpture along with free bouquets for visitors to take was installed Friday morning in front of the popular entrepreneurial business incubator, community hub and food court found at 3536 W. Fond Du Lac Ave. (PHOTO: Lindsay Staton Photography) "We wanted to add a little softness to the conversation around racial justice," said Sally Vander Wyst, founder of the Milwaukee Flower Co. and self-proclaimed "flower co-conspirator" with the project. "Our message today is, 'We see you. We hear you. We stand with you.'" The piece features the Black Lives Matter symbol surrounded in front and on the sides by red, orange and yellow flowers of different hues and varieties partly a nod to the building's recent history as a BMO Harris Bank that was burned down during the Sherman Park unrest of 2016 but resurrected as a vibrant community center and marketplace for Black-owned businesses. "There's this beautiful mural up (near the top of Sherman Phoenix) that's flames," explained Vander Wyst. "We wanted to draw attention here but also make sense with the mural behind as well as drawing attention to LIT MKE and their victory in removing the MPD contract with MPS." The individual flowers themselves tell a story within the floral sculpture, according to Vander Wyst and MKE Seen. In addition to paying tribute to American Flowers Week, utilizing and showing off American-grown flowers in the new artistic creation, one particular selection carries extra significance: the yellow and black rudbeckia, more famously known as black-eyed Susans. "What we really like about that is that flower symbolizes encouragement," Vander Wyst pointed out. Encouragement is one of the key tenets of the MKE Seen collective. The group was first assembled in 2017, creating three floral sculptures one at the Sojourner Family Peace Center, one at Independence First and one at Pathfinders all with the same message of solidarity with the city's Black and Brown communities. The group, now up to nine members, reconnected this year amidst the nationwide protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd, installing a colorful floral sculpture proclaiming "Black Is Beautiful" outside America's Black Holocaust Museum this past Juneteenth. The group has additional plans for what they call "a summer of flowers," in which they have dozens of installations planned for a day in August, hoping to draw attention to Black-owned businesses and historically relevant places throughout the city complete with an app that they view and share the installations and therefore the locations as well. An official date is in the works, but updates will be teased on MKE Seen's Instagram. "We basically want to bring attention to those areas, and if we can do that through the means of floral installations, that's the plan," said goldsmith and fellow "flower co-conspirator" Rachel Stenman. "We want to still give the artists and designers some accreditation, but we're really trying to push Sherman Phoenix and LIT forward ... push these non-profits and institutions forward in the Black community." In following with that mission, click these links for more information on Sherman Phoenix and LIT (Leaders Igniting Transformation) MKE as well as how you can donate or support them. As for the new floral sculpture, the piece will be in front of Sherman Phoenix, maintained and refreshed with new flowers throughout the weekend until 9 a.m. on Monday, July 6. More than 70 Milwaukee restaurants and businesses including OnMilwaukee have written a letter to Mayor Tom Barrett and Common Council President Cavalier Johnson, calling on them to require that masks be worn by patrons and workers in public spaces, including stores, theaters, museums, restaurants and bars (while not consuming food or beverages), to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The letter titled "Mayor Barrett, President Johnson: Please Don't Let Us Become Florida or Texas" comes signed by several restaurants from the city as well as Fiserv Forum, the Pabst Theater Group, Verlo and more. The letter notes that more than 20 states and hundreds of cities across the nation have mask mandates, as health experts have pointed to regular public mask wearing as one of the best ways to slow the spread of the coronavirus while a vaccine is in the works. "Without a city mandate, many customers will not be willing to come to our businesses," reads the letter. "Compliance with requirements a business may establish will be inconsistent at best. Our employees can't be assured of a safe work environment. And the risk is much higher for new outbreaks, which could result in new stay-at-home orders that put us out of business for good." To sign a petition asking for a Milwaukee mask requirement, click here. The full letter can be found below: CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma did not mention any specific incident or name any Cebuano leader but his reminder "to all of us to refrain from hurting one another" must refer to the accusations of corruption and incompetence being hurled in social media against some local government leaders. Charges of irregularities in distribution of donated food, building of quarantine sites, and purchases of testing kits and protective equipment have been hurled, some with specifics and others in plain innuendoes, against officials leading the campaign against Covid-19 epidemic. Those who are being smeared, or their surrogates, have answered with their own heap of insults. They must be what Cebu's Catholic spiritual leader means in his interview with CBCP News. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines news site banners the Palma interview on its front page. The news was posted Wednesday, July 1, but remains as of Friday, July 3, as the lead story, with a big photograph of Palma. Palma asked Cebuanos to maintain their "sense of courtesy and respect" to government authorities, recognizing their "sincerity and sacrifices," their "best intentions and dedication to their duties." "The worst of times is the best of times," he said, to show to the rest of the country "our sense of personal discipline," apparently referring to the criticism of President Duterte for being "hard-headed" on health protocols imposed under the community quarantine. Cebu City is the only LGU under enhanced CQ left in the country during the period from July 1 to 15. Under an ECQ, mass gathering, including religious worship, is limited to five persons. In GCQ areas, the maximum number is 10. Archbishop Palma called for "solidarity and tenacity." Could that stop the trading of potshots between the two rival political parties in the city? Harry Roque and dolphins What's wrong with Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque cavorting with dolphins during last weekend's side trip to Ocean Adventure in Mariveles, Bataan where he had "agricultural businesses" to attend to? Story continues Maybe not for violating quarantine rules since the marine park was in a modified general quarantine (MGCQ) area. The rules allow the park to operate, said a DILG official, up to 50 per cent capacity. Aside from the usual critics, the other netizens complaining must resent him publicly enjoying while most people are suffering. It was the marine park that posted the images on Facebook, apparently to help restore its lost business. Playing with initials [1] Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia uses ECD for her Enhanced Countryside Development, a plan to rebuild the tourism industry even during the community quarantine that still applies to the province, the much-milder modified general quarantine or MGCQ. [2] President-sent Roy Cimatu, a retired general who is also environment secretary, said Cebuanos should aspire for ECQ (End Community Quarantine), indicating that Cebu City residents themselves can terminate the lockdown and its restrictions by obeying them and thus helping stop or slow down the local transmission of the virus. *** Tell us about it. [paseares1@gmail.com] MANILA, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte will fly to Zamboanga City on Friday to meet with the officials and members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the wake of a shooting incident that killed four soldiers in Jolo, Sulu. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the president will meet separately with members of the police and military to ensure that the shooting incident between cops and soldiers will not happen again. The commander-in-chief will also try to ease the tensions between the two security forces, and lift the morale of its members following the incident, which, according to Roque had saddened the president. Andoon po ang president para magbigay ng assurance na makakamit po ang katarungan, kung mayroong nagkasala, mapaparusahan po, Roque said. Andoon po siya para i-lift ang morale ng mga sundalo, ng mga pulis dahil kung may pagkakamali po yan, pwede naman pong iwasto yan at sisiguraduhin po niya na ito na po ang huling insidente na gaya nito sa kaniyang administrasyon, he added. On June 29, four soldiers were fatally shot by police officers some meters away from the Jolo police station. Police said the military officers attempted to escape and opened fire at them while on their way to police station for identity verification. However, the Philippine Army disputed this claim, saying the soldiers did not try to flee and never fired a single shot towards police officers. The nine police officers involved in the incident, as well as the chief of Jolo police station have been relieved from their posts pending investigation. Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano earlier said that aside from talking to police and military commanders, Duterte would also like to meet with the nine police officers involved in the incident. He has also ordered for the National Bureau of Investigation to expedite the release of its probe findings. This is the first time that the president will visit police and military camps in the country since the coronavirus disease pandemic started. Story continues Roque said Duterte insisted on the trip despite the threat of the viral respiratory disease and the Presidential Security Groups appeal to delay his visit to the camp. Di na po mapigilan ang president, kung masusunod po ang PSG, ayaw po siyang palabasin talaga ng Bahay Pangarap, Roque said. Pero sabi ng presidente, ako pa rin ang President at kung mayroon pa ring kinakailangang talagang gawin, gagawin niya so hes risking his life by going to Zamboanga, pero ganuon po ka-importante ang misyon niya, he added. RRD (with details from Correspondent Rosalie Coz) The post Duterte to meet police, military in Zamboanga City Roque appeared first on UNTV News. THE Health Alliance for Democracy-Cebu Chapter strongly condemned the signing of the Anti-Terror Bill into law and stood in unity with more and more groups and Filipinos calling on the government to repeal the Anti-Terrorism Bill amid the ongoing global health crisis that the Philippines is battling now. While the country is in the middle of a public health emergency, President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the Senate Bill 1083 or the Anti-Terrorism Bill on July 3 just days before it was to lapse into law. The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 seeks to amend and repeal the Human Security Act (HSA) of 2007. Among the most controversial provisions of the bill include the warrantless arrest of suspected terrorists, prolonged detention period of up to 24 days after the warrantless arrest from the current three days under the HSA, prolonged length of time of surveillance of up to 90 days, creation of an Anti-Terror Council (ATC) that has the power to order arrest and detention of people found to be terrorists -- a measure reserved for the courts, and removal of the provision on payment of P500,000 damages for any wrongful detention made by officials. This bill comes at a time when clearly the government has no adequate response to the Covid-19 crisis, which has resulted in more people suffering, especially the poor and marginalized. As the people have yet to see actual leadership amidst crisis, the government is now giving its people a whole new level of disaster in the face of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. As the country is facing an impending economic recession as a result of the global health crisis, it seemed that the governments priority is to come after those people who criticized the president, his incompetence and anti-people policies. The government should know that expressing dissent is not terrorism, it is a basic human right. Thus, the proposed law is a clear violation of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in its report on the killings and human rights violations in the Philippines during the 44th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council said that the proposed law dilutes human rights safeguards, broadens the definition of terrorism and expands the period of detention without warrant. Story continues These vague definitions may violate the principle of legality under international law... And now you add to this the context of the Philippines where a lot of human rights organizations are routinely being labeled as terrorists this is very worrying, the UN Human Rights Office said in a press conference on June 4. It is just quite ironic that the Duterte administration urgently certified and signed an anti-terrorism bill but remains answerable to the Filipino people for its bloody war on drugs and other human rights violations -- an act of terrorism. Head-Cebu Chapter reiterates its demand that the government urgently acts on the public health emergency that has severely impacted the lives of the Filipino people. It has resulted in mass unemployment, overworked health professions with inadequate support from the government, and the increasing number of Covid-19 deaths and cases due to the overwhelmed and ill-equipped health system in the country. This is more urgent than a law that would only worsen the situation amid the pandemic. The country is in a public health emergency and it needs inclusive and pro-people solutions to address the needs of the communities. Flattening the curve of Covid-19 cases does not require a new law violating peoples rights and freedoms. Head-Cebu Chapter demands public health solutions, not human rights violations. Repeal Anti-Terror Bill Now! (PR) CEBU City Mayor Edgardo Labella has asked the City Council to allocate funds for 1,800 nurses, doctors and other healthcare practitioners working in private hospitals in the city as cash incentives for joining the fight against Covid-19. Labella directed the Local Finance Committee and Cebu City Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia, chairman of the committee on budget and finance, to allocate a budget for the release of monthly allowances for healthcare workers tapped by the government to augment the workforce of private hospitals in the city. Labella said the cash incentives will amount to P10,000 a month for three months. In a press conference on July 3, 2020, Labella said the list of beneficiaries would include private nurses, doctors, medical technologists, radiologic technologists and respiratory therapists. The doctors and nurses were deployed to Chong hua hospitals, Cebu Doctors University hospital, Perpetual Succour hospital, Velez hospital, H.W. Miller Memorial Sanitarium and hospital, and Cebu Community hospital, he said. I am asking our Vice Mayor (Michael Rama) and our City Councilors, let us provide incentives to our healthcare workers. We know the risk they are facing in our battle against the unseen enemy, Labella said. The cash incentives would be given in addition to the salaries already received by the healthcare workers from the private hospitals where they had been deployed. Labella said the move is meant to boost the morale of private doctors and nurses who are paid less compared to their counterparts working in government. Labella said the funds amounting to about P54 million may be sourced from Supplemental Budget (SB) No. 2. However, should this budget not be enough, another supplemental budget may be passed, he said. Supplemental Budget The second supplemental budget of the City, approved by the City Council in March, amounted to P1 billion. Out of the P1 billion, P500 million went to the purchase of relief goods for the citys residents, while P400 million was used to procure personal protective equipment and other consumables. Story continues Garcia said the P100 million funds remaining from the SB 2, originally intended for Covid-19 recovery efforts, could be realigned to respond to the mayors call. Garcia said the budget for the recovery program was supposed to be used in providing loans to small and micro businesses to help them recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. For his part, Cebu City Councilor eduardo Rama Jr. said he will file a resolution urging Labella to provide P15,000 financial aid monthly in the next four months for nurses responding to Covid-19 patients in Covid-designated hospitals in the city. Our healthcare workers are overworked and many have considered resigning, while some already have, said Rama. Our medical frontliners are essential and instrumental in this battle, and the lack of nurses could significantly affect the capacity of our healthcare system in fighting this pandemic, Rama added. Joseph Stephen Descallar, Philippine Nurses Association (PNA)-Cebu Chapter president, said while PNA recognizes the Cebu City Governments effort in boosting the morale of health care workers especially nurses in private hospitals, clear guidelines must be set so that the cash incentives do not only benefit a few chosen private hospitals. We continue to appeal to our government and private hospital administrators to consider the salaries of our nurses and may this financial support not be only for three months, Descallar said. Employees Compensation Program Meanwhile, frontline workers from the private and public sectors who have contracted Covid-19 during the course of their work will reportedly receive aid from the government. The assurance was made by the employees Compensation Commission (eCC), an attached agency of the Department of Labor and employment, under its employees Compensation Program (eCP). Frontline workers include healthcare workers, government workers, protective service workers like the uniformed personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, cashiers and crew members of groceries and stores providing essential goods and products, production and food processing workers, janitors and maintenance workers, and truck drivers involved in the transport of essential goods, among others. In a press statement, Ingrid Yumang of the eCC-Regional extension Unit 7 said there is a package of benefits for public and private sector employees and their families under the ECP in the event of work-connected sickness or injury resulting in disability or death. Benefits She further explained that the eCP benefits provided to workers who contracted the coronavirus by reason of their employment or working environment would include loss of income benefits, medical benefits and cash assistance. In case of death due to the virus, the funeral benefit would amount to P30,000 plus death benefits, which will be given to the family of the affected employee. As for medical reimbursement, we cannot estimate how much it will be since it is the SSS (Social Security System) for the private sector and the GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) for the government sector that will be doing or processing that, being the eCCs administering agencies, she said. For approved sickness or injuries, affected workers will receive P10,000 in cash assistance and P15,000 for those who died. The application for eC Benefits, she said, will be done at the SSS for private sector employees and at the GSIS for those working in government. All circumstances will be evaluated thoroughly with the help of a doctor. Queries on the eC Benefits could be sent through private message at the eCC Cebu Facebook account. The eCC ReU 7 could also be reached at (032) 266-7230 or at its website at ecc.gov.ph. (WBS, PR) They are gathering dust on shelves, but could make war criminals tremble: the archives of the OSCE, an international organisation addressing security-related concerns, are increasingly becoming a source for those who seek to prove abuses committed during conflicts in Europe. The field reports of the observers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe -- stacked in an elegant white villa on a leafy hill on the outskirts of Prague -- document conflicts on the continent since 1975. No media have until now been allowed access, according to the OSCE, as the organisation -- set up during the Cold War to build trust between the West and the Soviet Union -- usually doesn't seek publicity to continue collecting information from the ground as much as possible. But it is here that famous prosecutor Carla Del Ponte combed through documents for the 2002 indictment of former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic. - Precedent set - Documentalist Alice Nemcova, who reigned over this universe of cardboard boxes enclosing billions of yellowed A4 sheets from 1991 until last month, has seen the collection gain in importance over the years. "The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) set a precedent by wanting to access our files," the 63-year-old told AFP. "Mrs Del Ponte kept asking for more. She received four metal boxes filled with testimonies and photos of mass graves," Nemcova recalled. The UN established the ICTY in 1993 to try perpetrators of war crimes committed in the ethnic violence that followed the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Milosevic, who faced 66 counts including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the former Yugoslavia, was never convicted as he died in prison in 2006 during the trial. However, others accused by the tribunal have been found guilty and jailed. "The International Criminal Court (ICC) also made a request concerning Georgia in 2012," Nemcova revealed. Four years later, the Netherlands-based ICC launched an investigation into the conflict between the Caucasus country and Russia. The Kosovo Force (KFOR), the NATO-led troops tasked with protecting Kosovo for the past two decades, also applied for access to the OSCE in 2017, as did the Red Cross, which was looking for people who had gone missing in conflicts. - 'Invaluable source' - The OSCE is an important source of information because it "specialises in questions of democracy, freedom and minority rights" and is a constant presence on the ground over an area larger than that of the European Union or NATO, said researcher Nicolas Badalassi. From Vancouver to Vladivostok, the Vienna-based OSCE has 57 member states, and its archives are "enormous", said Badalassi, who lectures contemporary history at the Institute of Political Studies in Aix-en-Provence, France. OSCE is the only international organisation to have immediately gone to the crash site of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down by a Russian-made missile over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people aboard. A trial opened in March in the Netherlands against four men -- three Russians and one Ukrainian -- accused of downing the plane. The OSCE has had observers in the rebel-held eastern Ukraine for years to monitor the conflict there. "In the future, it is clear that the reports in Ukraine since the start of the war in 2014 will be an invaluable source for justice," Badalassi said. "In fact, I don't see anyone else describing the crisis as seen from the inside. Besides, observers have even been kidnapped -- to hinder their work." Even after the Cold War, the OSCE also maintained offices in many countries and regions, including those accused of authoritarianism, such as Chechnya and Belarus. It also sends election observers regularly to monitor polls around the world. But not everyone looks towards the OSCE archives kindly. A former rebel leader once tried to have his name deleted from its search engine. "He must not have had a clear conscience," Nemcova said. Russian prosecutors on Friday demanded that a journalist be sentenced to six years in prison for allegedly justifying terrorism in a case that has drawn outrage from supporters and rights groups. Svetlana Prokopyeva is based in the northwestern city of Pskov and works for the Russian service of The US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) as a freelance contributor. She was charged with publicly justifying terrorism after she wrote a commentary about a bombing attack in 2018. Speaking from the court, a defiant Prokopyeva said the prosecution had demanded that she be sentenced to six years in prison and banned from working as a journalist for a further four years. "This is revenge for hard-hitting -- and apparently -- spot-on criticism," she told AFP. The court case has its origins in November 2018, when a 17-year-old anarchist blew himself up in the lobby of a Federal Security Service (FSB) building in Arkhangelsk in northern Russia, injuring three service members. In her opinion piece, published by the Pskov affiliate of the Echo of Moscow radio station, Prokopyeva, 40, linked the teenager's suicide bombing to the political climate under President Vladimir Putin. Nearly half a year after her commentary was published gun-toting police commandos broke into her apartment and seized her computers during a search, she said. Prokopyeva was also placed on Russia's official list of "terrorists and extremists". The journalist has denied the charges, calling them punishment for her work. - 'Cynical and cruel people' - Prokopyeva said in court she was not afraid of criticising the state. "State power that has ended up in the hands of cynical and cruel people becomes the most serious threat to people's security," she said. Without freedom of speech a crackdown on dissenting voices could get even worse, she added. "Repression is unfolding gradually," she said. "It's impossible to predict when limits on freedoms and persecution of dissent will turn into concentration camps and executions." On Monday, the court is expected to announce its verdict in the hugely controversial trial. Prokopyeva's employer said she had done the opposite of what prosecutors allege. "Svetlana's commentary was an effort to explain a tragedy," RFE/RL acting president Daisy Sindelar said in a statement. "The portrayal of her words as 'promoting terrorism' is a deliberate and politically motivated distortion aimed at silencing her critical voice, and recalls the worst show trials of one of Russia's darkest periods." - 'Dangerous precedent' - Reporters Without Borders urged Russia to throw out the case. "Svetlana Prokopyeva just did her job," said Jeanne Cavelier, head of the watchdog's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. "That would be a dangerous precedent for all the Russian journalists." In June, Human Rights Watch said that with Russian acquittal rates below 1 percent, "there is a real risk that the court could convict Prokopyeva". Journalist and activist Ilya Azar, who had urged supporters to protest against "this insane case," wrote Friday evening that he had been detained while staging a picket outside the Moscow FSB headquarters. He wrote on Telegram messenger that he was in a police van with 15 others detained at the protest, most of them journalists. Two groups that monitor detentions at protests gave a slightly higher figure of 17 detainees. Over the past few years authorities have unleashed a crackdown on critics including journalists who are increasingly squeezed by curbs on press freedoms. This week Putin, who has been in power for two decades, oversaw a controversial nationwide vote which allows him to extend his grip on power until 2036. Restaurants E-Cookbook Features Recipes from World's Top Chefs This initiative offers a means for every food-and-drink lover to help the cause of the hospitality sector in return for a very special collection of recipes from the world's best chefs and bartenders. Home Comforts: simple lockdown recipes from the world's best chefs and bartenders, featuring the meals that the world's most revered chefs are cooking for their families at home. Available for a US$10/A8 minimum donation through the 50 Best Bid for Recovery The cookbook contains 50 unique recipes from an equal balance of female and male chefs who have featured on recent 50 Best lists, alongside 25 cocktail pairings from bartenders behind The World's 50 Best Bars. The result is a collection of simple and delicious comfort food creations, from Tokyo to San Francisco, split into categories of vegetarian, fish and seafood, meat and dessert. Whether it's Alain Passard's inspired veg-led cookery, Daniela Soto-Innes' versatile mole, Manu Buffara's Sunday family favorite or Vicky Lau's brilliant bao, Home Comforts offers something to suit any amateur cook and every palate. This initiative offers a means for every food-and-drink lover to help the cause of the hospitality sector in return for a very special collection of recipes and insights. The release of Home Comforts coincides with the impending 'Bid for Recovery' Auction of out-of-this-world gastronomic experiences and rare items. Bidding on the auction opens on 3rd July and closes on 12th July at 50 Best is also launching the #50BestRateMyPlate Instagram challenge for food lovers to create, and post, dishes inspired by those in the Home Comforts recipe book. Every week for five weeks from 20th July, 50 Best will choose its favorite three #50BestRateMyPlate dishes and share these with its 1.1m followers, who will then vote on their preferred dish. The plate with the most votes during that week will become a finalist and win the chance to be judged by a panel of 50 Best chefs in late August. The winner will receive two VIP tickets to The World's 50 Best Restaurants awards event in Antwerp, Flanders in 2021. 'Home Comforts' features recipes from the world's best chefs and bartenders. Proceeds will help support the global hospitality industry as they emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic. Home Comforts has been created to give an insight into what 50 Best chefs have been cooking during lockdown, giving readers special access to the simple suppers they make at home, away from the polished plating in their restaurants. Anyone, anywhere in the world can donate, download a copy, and start cooking like a 50 Best chef, with ingredients easily sourced from supermarkets and local stores. With a balance of female and male chefs and bartenders, those participating reflect the gender parity that 50 Best promotes with its '50/50 is the new 50' campaign. The funds raised will go towards providing direct and tangible financial relief for restaurants and bars worldwide as they emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic as part of the 50 Best for Recovery program. Independent restaurants & bars across the world will be able to apply for a direct grant in late July. Additional donations will be made to non-profit organizations: William Drew, Director of Content for The World's 50 Best Restaurants, says: "We are thrilled to have some of the world's leading chefs and bartenders come together and offer their favorite recipes for our first ever e-cookbook. Chefs who have featured on The World's 50 Best Restaurants lists are opening their kitchens and encouraging food lovers to recreate their best-loved dishes in the comfort of their own homes. We urge people to support us in raising as much money as possible for the global hospitality industry - and help give back to the restaurants and bars struggling around the world - with a minimum $10 or A8 donation." The 50 Best team continues to offer its heartfelt support to all those businesses and individuals suffering from the global pandemic. The organization is hugely grateful to all those in the hospitality world who are dedicating their time and skill to help others, as well as to its partners. 50 Best is committed to using its platform to help fight for equality. The Black community has been hit disproportionately hard by COVID-19. This fact will continue to help shape the distribution of funds in the 50 Best for Recovery campaign. A selection of Home Comforts recipe previews are available by request. All details of the e-cookbook and auction will be available on the The organization behind The World's 50 Best Restaurants has released its first ever e-cookbook, entitledfeaturing the meals that the world's most revered chefs are cooking for their families at home.Available for a US$10/A8 minimum donation through the 50 Best Bid for Recovery donation site with immediate effect, the cookbook will raise funds to support the global hospitality community as part of the 50 Best for Recovery program announced earlier this year in partnership with founding donor S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna.The cookbook contains 50 unique recipes from an equal balance of female and male chefs who have featured on recent 50 Best lists, alongside 25 cocktail pairings from bartenders behind The World's 50 Best Bars. The result is a collection of simple and delicious comfort food creations, from Tokyo to San Francisco, split into categories of vegetarian, fish and seafood, meat and dessert.Whether it's Alain Passard's inspired veg-led cookery, Daniela Soto-Innes' versatile mole, Manu Buffara's Sunday family favorite or Vicky Lau's brilliant bao,offers something to suit any amateur cook and every palate.The release ofcoincides with the impending 'Bid for Recovery' Auction of out-of-this-world gastronomic experiences and rare items. Bidding on the auction opens on 3rd July and closes on 12th July at 50BestForRecovery.com. 50 Best is also launching the #50BestRateMyPlate Instagram challenge for food lovers to create, and post, dishes inspired by those in the Home Comforts recipe book. Every week for five weeks from 20th July, 50 Best will choose its favorite three #50BestRateMyPlate dishes and share these with its 1.1m followers, who will then vote on their preferred dish.The plate with the most votes during that week will become a finalist and win the chance to be judged by a panel of 50 Best chefs in late August. The winner will receive two VIP tickets to The World's 50 Best Restaurants awards event in Antwerp, Flanders in 2021.has been created to give an insight into what 50 Best chefs have been cooking during lockdown, giving readers special access to the simple suppers they make at home, away from the polished plating in their restaurants.Anyone, anywhere in the world can donate, download a copy, and start cooking like a 50 Best chef, with ingredients easily sourced from supermarkets and local stores. With a balance of female and male chefs and bartenders, those participating reflect the gender parity that 50 Best promotes with its '50/50 is the new 50' campaign.The funds raised will go towards providing direct and tangible financial relief for restaurants and bars worldwide as they emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic as part of the 50 Best for Recovery program. Independent restaurants & bars across the world will be able to apply for a direct grant in late July.Additional donations will be made to non-profit organizations: Lee Initiative's Restaurant Reboot Relief Program and Black Urban Growers (US); Nosso Prato (Brazil); the Eat Out Restaurant Relief Fund (South Africa); Feed the Needy (India); Horeca Next (Belgium); Ambasciatori del Gusto (Italy); Chefs for Spain ; Singapore Cocktail Bar Association; and the worldwide Social Gastronomy Movement. You can find out more about the fund distribution process and recipient non-profit organizations HERE. William Drew, Director of Content for The World's 50 Best Restaurants, says:"We are thrilled to have some of the world's leading chefs and bartenders come together and offer their favorite recipes for our first ever e-cookbook. Chefs who have featured on The World's 50 Best Restaurants lists are opening their kitchens and encouraging food lovers to recreate their best-loved dishes in the comfort of their own homes. We urge people to support us in raising as much money as possible for the global hospitality industry - and help give back to the restaurants and bars struggling around the world - with a minimum $10 or A8 donation."The 50 Best team continues to offer its heartfelt support to all those businesses and individuals suffering from the global pandemic. The organization is hugely grateful to all those in the hospitality world who are dedicating their time and skill to help others, as well as to its partners.50 Best is committed to using its platform to help fight for equality. The Black community has been hit disproportionately hard by COVID-19. This fact will continue to help shape the distribution of funds in the 50 Best for Recovery campaign.A selection of Home Comforts recipe previews are available by request. All details of the e-cookbook and auction will be available on the 50 Best for Recovery webpage, as well as via Instagram @TheWorlds50Best and Facebook @50BestRestaurants. Site Map Print this Page Email Us Top THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has warned the public against individuals and groups engaged in unauthorized activities such as investment-taking in the guise of cryptocurrency trading and online selling. In separate advisories issued on June 30, the commission encouraged the public to exercise caution in dealing with Forsage, RCash Online and The Saint John of Jerusalem Knights of Malta Foundation of the Philippines Inc. Forsage, which is headed by Lado Okhotnikov, is not duly registered with the SEC and lacks the necessary license to solicit, accept or take investments from the public or issue investment contracts and other forms of securities. RCash Online, which claims to represent Royale Business, is likewise not registered as a corporation or a partnership. It neither possesses a secondary license to solicit investments from the public. Meanwhile, the certificate of registration of Saint John of Jerusalem Knights of Malta Foundation has been revoked as early as February 3, 2003 for noncompliance with its reportorial requirements. Accordingly, the SEC warned the public against placing money in Forsage and RCash Online, and joining in any scheme operated by The Saint John of Jerusalem Knights of Malta Foundation. A maximum fine of P5 million or imprisonment of 21 years or both await those who act as salesmen, brokers, dealers or agents of entities engaged in unauthorized investment schemes, for violation of Republic Act 8799, or The Securities Regulation Code Securities Regulation Code, among others. Republic Act 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, also punishes those participating in cyber incidents that make use or take advantage of the current crisis arising from the Covid-19 outbreak to prey on the public through scams, phishing, fraudulent emails, or other similar acts. Forsage Forsage touts a Crowdfunding International Platform or a Smart Contract Crypto Earning Program based on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain technology, which supposedly provides long-term active and passive income to investors through a crowdfunding referral system. Story continues As posted online, Forsage offers two commission payout systems or compensation plans called Forsage X3 and Forsage X4 for a minimum investment of 0.05 ETH, or at least P600, and a maximum of 51.2 ETH, or almost P600,000. Each program has 12 income slots that the investor may activate. Under Forsage X3, for instance, an investor needs three referrals to complete the cycle. The first two referrals' membership fees shall be paid to the referring member's account while the third referral's membership fee shall be considered as a "re-entry fee" and awarded to the referring member's sponsor or upline. Basically, the active income generated from the compensation plans depends on the number of referrals and/or membership fees gathered while passive income is acquired through spillovers. Accordingly, Forsage's so-called smart contract is synonymous to an investment contract, where there is an investment or placement of money in a common enterprise with a reasonable expectation of profits to be derived from the efforts of others. An investment contract is a security and, therefore, must be duly registered with and approved by the SEC before it could be sold or offered for sale to the public, pursuant to Section 8 of The Securities Regulation Code. Aside from lacking the necessary licenses, Forsage's compensation plan resembles a Ponzi scheme, where investors are paid using the contribution of new investors, according to the SEC. The commission also noted that Forsage does not appear in the list of virtual currency exchanges registered with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. RCash Online RCash Online, meanwhile, offers business packages, which include Royale products for resale, starting at P18,660 for one account and going as high as P130,620 for seven accounts with insurance worth P1 million. The scheme of RCash Online relies heavily on recruiting members in exchange for high monetary rewards rather than on selling products. The commission also noted that RCash Online employs the same schemes and is being managed by the same persons or group operating OnlineBiz and ELITE Entrep Blue Print, which have been the subjects of previous advisories. The Saint John The Saint John of Jerusalem Knights of Malta Foundation invites members to join its programs for free. The group promises members P5,000 worth of grocery items every month and offers 21-year-old male agriculture students and graduates all-expenses-paid training with $1,000 allowance in Israel for six months, in exchange for personal information. The group also claims that it will soon purchase a 100 hectares of land for future housing/agricultural projects. The SEC warned that any matter entered into by a corporation whose registration has been revoked, other than for the purpose of liquidation, is void. The commission encourages the public to visit the SEC website to see the advisories it issues regularly and to report unauthorized investment-taking and suspicious activities of corporations to the SEC Enforcement and Investor Protection Department through email at epd@sec.gov.ph. (PR) Taipei is expelling two Taiwan-based mainland Chinese TV reporters who produced and broadcast political talk shows from Taiwan in violation of local regulations. The journalists from Southeast Television in the mainland province of Fujian must leave Taiwan on Friday morning, according to the Mainland Affairs Council, the islands top mainland policy planning body. They have violated the regulations governing their job status in Taiwan, council vice-chairman Chiu Tsui-cheng said, referring to the job descriptions the two listed when they applied to be stationed in Taiwan as reporters. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. Taiwan allows mainland news outlets to post journalists on the island and permits them to rent studio space from local broadcasters for their correspondents, but it bans them from acting as talk show hosts and broadcasting those shows from Taiwan. Chiu Tsui-cheng is vice-chairman of Taiwans Mainland Affairs Council. Photo: CNA Chiu said mainland media outlets that wanted to produce radio or TV programmes in Taiwan needed to apply for broadcasting permits from relevant Taiwanese authorities. Since the two do not have such permits, what they did was illegal, Chiu said, adding that the Culture Ministry, which is the regulatory agency, decided to expel the two and that they must leave on Friday. Two other mainland media outlets CCTV and Haixai TV have also rented studios in Taiwan, featuring news talk shows presented by mainland Chinese hosts and Taiwanese guest speakers. It is not immediately known if those shows were directly broadcast from Taiwan or from the mainland. Chiu said no decision had been made about whether their correspondents would be expelled and authorities were still collecting information. The latest move came after a complaint by Chiu Chih-wei, a legislator of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, which called on the government to ban the production of such talk shows, which were consistently negative about Taiwan. Story continues Meanwhile, Chiu warned Taiwanese to be careful when visiting Hong Kong as they could face penalties for criticising Beijing after the implementation of the new national security law. The law was passed unanimously by Beijings top legislative body on Tuesday and came into force that night. It punishes crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with a maximum term of life imprisonment, raising fears that it will curtail freedoms and undermine the rule of law in Hong Kong. The law also targets non-Hong Kong residents whose speech could create hatred and resentment towards Beijing. In Beijing, the Taiwan Affairs Office accused the Taiwanese government of restricting journalistic work. Over a long period of time, mainland reporters have helped mutual understanding of mainland and Taiwan through their objective reporting, TAO spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian said. The legitimate interest of mainland reporters should be protected, and their reporting work in Taiwan should be respected, she said, before warning the DPP of all possible consequences for its action. Be the first to access our in-demand, all-new China Internet Report 2020 Pro Edition! Click here to qualify for a limited time only, 50% early bird discount and receive deep-dive analysis, trends and case studies across 10 critical sectors shaping the China internet and impacting tech around the world. You will also receive access to 6x webinars led by China tech's most influential C-suite executives. Offer Valid until July 6th 2020. More from South China Morning Post: This article Taiwan expels 2 mainland Chinese TV reporters over political talk shows first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Under fire for his silence in the face of America's spiralling coronavirus caseload, President Donald Trump heads to Mount Rushmore on Friday for a night of fireworks that he hopes will soothe a nation he has struggled to unite. On the eve of the country's Independence Day, the Republican leader will speak in the shadow of four of his notable predecessors: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, whose heads are carved into the granite in South Dakota. The billionaire real estate mogul-turned-president, who has seemingly turned a blind eye to the shocking increase in the number of virus cases in many US states, has been openly exuberant about the Rushmore event. Some 7,500 people are expected to attend -- and social distancing is not on the agenda. "We're going to have a tremendous evening. It's going to be a fireworks display like few people have seen. It's going to be very exciting," he said Thursday. Will Trump speak about the pandemic that has claimed nearly 130,000 American lives, and the resurgence of cases in the country's south and west? The nation's top infectious diseases expert, Anthony Fauci, has said the uptick "puts the entire country at risk." So will Trump wear a face mask, setting an example for the nation after resisting for months, as many politicians and others, even in his own camp, have asked him to do? The Republican president is in a political predicament, badly trailing his Democratic rival Joe Biden in the polls with four months to go before the presidential election. For now, he is sticking with one tried-and-true message, that he conveyed Thursday: the coronavirus crisis is being "handled," the US economy is "roaring back," and 2021 is going to be a "phenomenal" year. But in contrast with Europe, infection rates and daily case totals are increasing in the United States, and some states are beating their own grim records nearly every day. Fauci has warned that the country could eventually see 100,000 new cases a day if things don't change. For now, many states have paused efforts to reopen their economies. Some have even backtracked and reimposed restrictions on bars, restaurants and beaches. - No social distancing - The man in the Oval Office can expect a warm welcome in South Dakota, a sparsely populated state that he won easily in 2016 with more than 60 percent of the vote. The state's Republican governor, Kristi Noem, is certainly not going to spoil his party. "We told those folks that have concerns that they can stay home," Noem told Fox News. "Those who want to come and join us, we'll be giving out free face masks, if they choose to wear one. But we will not be social distancing." The last sitting US president to visit Mount Rushmore was George W Bush, in 2002. Trump has long expressed his fascination for the imposing monument, which was sculpted in the Black Hills from 1927 to 1941. In 2017, he even joked about someday seeing his face etched in stone with his four predecessors -- which is unlikely to happen. "The rock that surrounds the sculpted faces is not suitable for additional carving," says National Park Service spokeswoman Dana Soehn. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum wanted to "represent the first 150 years of the history of the United States -- the birth, growth and preservation of our country," she said. "The National Park Service takes the position that... the work is complete in its present form." The Lincoln Project, a group formed by anti-Trump Republicans, took on the president's Rushmore trip in its own way. In a video released on the eve of Trump's visit, the group highlighted famous quotes from Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln to showcase their legacies. As for Trump, the group said: "America's worst president will neither be remembered nor revered." The Christmas Season, 1878, an engraving by Arthur Burdett Frost of a wild game stand at New York Citys Fulton Market showing a bear, deer and many types of birds. Credit: NYPL It was a dark time for animals. Poaching was rampant. Wild birds and mammals were being slaughtered by the thousands. An out-of-control wildlife trade was making once-common animals hard to find and pushing rare species into extinction. This is the story of North America a century ago, and of Asia today. But there was a surprise ending in America, and I believe there could be one in Asia. Today North America has abundant wildlife. Much of my research as a wildlife biologist focuses on documenting the rebound of species that once were hunted into scarcity, including wolves, deer and fishers. This is the outcome of what I call the North American wildlife conservation miracle. A century ago, with many species on the brink of extinction, people here stopped overusing wildlife and created a new culture of conservation. Today unregulated wildlife trade in Asia is decimating species in much of the world, and now even threatens humans through the likely spillover of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from bats or pangolins to humans. Suddenly the harm caused by this rampant wildlife trade is in the spotlight, which creates an opportunity to pull off a conservation miracle in Asia. I hope lessons from the American experience can help. Out-of-control wildlife trade In the late 1800s and early 1900s the seemingly endless bounty of America's wildlife began to run out. By 1878, three northeast speciesthe Labrador duck, great auk and sea mink went extinct. The eastern elk, the largest mammal in most eastern states, followed in the 1880s. Even highly resilient species like white-tailed deer and Canada goose declined sharply. Bison once numbered 30 million, but were down to a few hundred animals by the late 1880s. The pioneer delusion of endless bounty was replaced by an acceptance that there was nothing they could do about it. American settlers had a "manifest destiny" mindset, believing they were destined to expand across the continent, and accepted that the loss of other species was an inevitable consequence of that. Then the bison didn't go extinct. The first U.S. duck stamp, issued by the federal government in 1934. Purchase of a current duck stamp is required to hunt migratory waterbirds, with proceeds funding migratory bird conservation. Credit: USFWS Back from the brink For some Americans, including Theodore Roosevelt, the prospect of erasing an iconic species like bison was a call to action. They formed the American Bison Society, which bred bison at New York's Bronx Zoo and shipped them west in hope of repopulating their former ranges. As president, Roosevelt helped create some of the first national wildlife refuges and signed laws restricting the wildlife trade. But the bulk of the work was done by states and individuals. Americans spoke out against large-scale hunting. George Bird Grinnell, editor of the sporting journal Forest and Stream, used the magazine as a platform to call for protecting birds. Grinnell later teamed with Teddy Roosevelt to create the Boone and Crockett Club, a group of conservation-minded hunters. Two Boston socialites, Harriet Hemenway and Minna Hall, formed the Massachusetts Audubon Society and worked to end the custom of adorning ladies' hats with plumes from wild birds. By the 1930s every state had a wildlife agency funded by taxes and hunting license fees. These agencies shut down most wildlife harvests, protected and restored habitat and reintroduced animals that had been eradicated, such as turkeys and otters. When hunting resumed, states managed when it could take place and how many animals a person could harvest. Ecology was a new field, and scientists like Aldo Leopold adapted its principles to create wildlife management as a new branch of study that could help inform these regulations. Today deer, turkey, bear, elk, ducks and geese are abundant in many parts of North America. State governments carefully regulate harvests. Wildlife is not sold commercially for food in the U.S., unlike Australia and much of Europe. Trapping and sale of fur-bearing animals like beaver and fisher is managed sustainably. Of course, wildlife conservation in North America still faces serious challenges, including habitat loss, climate change and pollution. But unsustainable hunting is no longer a problem, and legal hunting helps fund conservation for all species. Former NBA star Yao Ming has campaigned for a decade to reduce Chinese demand for wildlife products. Will Asia stop eating wildlife? Over the last 20 years, demand for wildlife products in Asia has driven a collapse of animal populations there, as well as in Africa and Latin America. Most larger mammal species outside of North America today are primarily threatened by poaching for food, art and traditional medicines of dubious effectiveness. But it seems no species have been safe from this scourge. Consumers will pay high prices for exotic dishes like braised salamander and soup made from the swim bladder of the totoaba, a giant Mexican fish. Conservationists hope to seize on the tragedy of the SARS-Cov-2 spillover to end the global wildlife trade, or at least regulate it more tightly. What lessons can the North American experience offer? First, it is critical to reduce demand. This was a slow process a century ago. But COVID-19 has cast a stigma on wildlife products that could help turn the tide in Asia, just as public shaming in the U.S. helped end demand for things like feather hats and fur from spotted cats. Today animal welfare advocates are using social media to urge Asian consumers to avoid products made from endangered animals. In response to efforts like these, China banned domestic sales of ivory in 2017, and Chinese consumption of shark fin soup has declined sharply over the past decade. Second, this effort will involve many players, including national governments, regional authorities and nongoverment organizations like Save Vietnam's Wildlife, Bat Conservation India Trust and Save Pangolins. These groups understand local culture and politics, and can connect directly with communities where wildlife is hunted and sold. Finally, we need some optimism. The persistence of the bison a century ago showed Americans that extinction wasn't the only option. It is important now to monitor wildlife populations so that efforts can target species most at risk, and to celebrate recoveries that might be early signs of a second conservation miracle. Explore further The link between virus spillover, wildlife extinction and the environment This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. A close-up view of the mouth of a ringed caecilian, Siphonops annulatus, reveals snake-like dental glands. Researchers from Brazil's Butantan Institute and Utah State University say the glands could indicate an early evolutionary design of oral venom organs. Credit: Butantan Institute Utah State University biologist Edmund 'Butch' Brodie, Jr. and colleagues from Sao Paulo's Butantan Institute report the first known evidence of oral venom glands in amphibians. Their research, supported by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, appears in the July 3, 2020, issue of iScience. "We think of amphibiansfrogs, toads and the likeas basically harmless," says Brodie, emeritus professor in USU's Department of Biology. "We know a number of amphibians store nasty, poisonous secretions in their skin to deter predators. But to learn at least one can inflict injury from its mouth is extraordinary." Brodie and his colleagues discovered the oral glands in a family of caecilians, serpent-like creatures related to frogs and salamanders. Neither snakes nor worms, caecilians are found in tropical climates of Africa, Asian and the Americas. Some are aquatic and some, like the ringed caecilian (Siphonops annulatus) studied by Brodie's team, live in burrows of their own making. In 2018, the team reported the species secreted substances from skin glands at both ends of its snake-like body. Concentrated at the head and extending the length of the body, the creature emits a mucous-like lubricant that enables it to quickly dive underground to escape predators. At the tail, caecilians have glands armed with a toxin, which acts as a last line of chemical defense, blocking a hastily burrowed tunnel from hungry hunters. A ringed caecilian, Siphonops annulatus. Neither snakes nor worms, caecilians are serpent-like amphibians related to frogs and salamanders. Researchers from Brazil's Butantan Institute and Utah State University report the creatures have venomous dental glands -- the first known discovery of the snake-like glands in amphibians. Credit: Carlos Jared, Butantan Institute "What we didn't know is these caecilians have tiny fluid-filled glands in the upper and lower jaw, with long ducts that open at the base of each of their spoon-shaped teeth," Brodie says. His research colleague Pedro Luiz Mailho-Fontana, who studied with Brodie as a visiting graduate student at USU's Logan campus in 2015, noticed the never-before-described oral glands. Using embryonic analysis, Mailho-Fontana, first author of the paper, discovered the glandscalled "dental glands"originated from a different tissue than the slime and poison glands found in the caecilian's skin. "The poisonous skin glands form from the epidermis, but these oral glands develop from the dental tissue, and this is the same developmental origin we find in the venom glands of reptiles," he says. The researchers surmise caecilians, equipped with no limbs and only a mouth for hunting, activate their oral glands when they bite down on prey, including worms, termites, frogs and lizards. Researchers Pedro Luiz Mailho-Fontana, left, of Brazil's Butantan Institute and Edmund "Butch" Brodie, Jr., right, of Utah State University, along with colleagues, report snake-like dental glands in caecilians. Credit: M. Muffoletto, USU The team doesn't yet know the biochemical composition of the fluid held in the oral glands. "If we can verify the secretions are toxic, these glands could indicate an early evolutionary design of oral venom organs," Brodie says. "They may have evolved in caecilians earlier than in snakes." Explore further Playing both ends: Amphibian adapted to varied evolutionary pressures At the market, you can come across fish preserved with formalin. Credit: SDN/J. Chongwang Toxic chemicals are being used by food sellers across sub-Saharan Africa to improve the look of meat and fish, scientists and food inspectors say, putting the health of millions at risk. Weak government testing capacities and informal food supply chains means there is little oversight of traders and fishermen, and almost no protection for unwary consumers. However, veterinary specialists say there are techniques which can help people identify contaminated food before they buy it. With fish, the fraudulent activity often begins when they are caught. According to Serge-Claire Nkolo, a veterinary surgeon and departmental delegate of the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINEPIA) in the Cameroonian coastal city Douala: "What mostly happens is people pour a very toxic insecticide, Gamalin, into the water." "After a few minutes, all aquatic forms of life in the area will die and come to the surface. That's when the fish are gathered." Patricia Ngono, who sells smoked fish in the Youpwe fish market in Douala, says: "Rather than buy wood and use firewood, some saleswomen gather up leftover fabric from tailors and burn it to smoke the fish." Wild meat is affected too. Clement Polewa, a farm advisor in Douala, says some hunters use formalin, especially if they have gone into the bush for a hunting expedition lasting several days. Used to embalm and preserve bodies in morgues, some butchers use formalin to keep meat from going off. "They use this product on game they have killed to stop it from decomposing so it can be preserved until they get back to their village," Ngono says. The US Environmental Protection Agency classifies formalin as a "probable human carcinogen", linked to cancers of the nasal cavity and leukaemia. Milk medicine According to Ashagrie Zewdu Woldegiorgis, assistant professor of food science and nutrition at the College of Natural Sciences of Addis Ababa University, farmers in Ethiopia use high levels of formalin to preserve milk before selling it to factories. For the farmers, he says, formalin is referred to as "milk medicine"an indication of the lack of knowledge about the chemical. "Our preliminary tests in an ongoing study show very high levels of formalin in milk that is hazardous for human health," says Woldegiorgis. Fisherman and traders do not admit to using these illegal substances: everyone simply claims to be aware of anecdotal evidence of such practices. "A few years ago, after we stressed how vitally important this was, the fishermen in a village finally agreed to tell us which one of them had been bombing the river," says Douala's Serge-Claire Nkolo. "The individual concerned kept claiming he was completely innocent, until one day, after a surveillance operation, we caught him red-handed." Farm adviser Polewa is in no doubt as to the extent of the problem: "We've even had cases where our inspection services have found evidence of the use of formalin in fishmongers who operate from established retail outlets in our cities." The practice constitutes food fraud, according to Markus Lipp, head of the Food Safety and Quality Unit at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. "The use of formalin to preserve meat and other produce for longer periods is, as far as we know, not permitted anywhere and constitutes food fraud," Lipp says. Fruit and vegetables Lipp distinguishes between products that are used illegally and other chemicals, which are permitted for use, but which are often employed on fruit and vegetables in an inappropriate way and without proper oversight. Vendors cover fruit with phytosanitary products that accelerate the ripening process or make the produce appear to be perfectly ripe. Guy-Merlin Wakam, a senior agricultural technician in Douala, explains that this practice draws on methods used in the cultivation of pineapples, where the plant growth regulator ethephon (also known as ethrel) or the plant hormones gibberellins are employed, following protocols for dosage and application. "Ethrel is used while the fruit is still on the stalk, when it is already ripe, before it is picked," Wakam says. "The aim is to get them to take on a yellowish hue. Because some clients, especially overseas, believe a pineapple is not ripe if it isn't yellow." Jean-Pierre Mba, head of the Quality Control Unit in the Douala regional office of Cameroon's Ministry of Agriculture, says traders then use the same fruit-ripening technique, leading to dosages that far exceed recommendations. "Traders simply draw on this method to try to control the ripening process of bananas and plantain," he says. 'Abuse of science' For Woldegiorgis, this has led to an "abuse of science" by some traders who use excessive amounts of a permitted chemical just because it has been approved for use. He says that his research on the safety of sodium benzoate for preservation of the flatbread injera, a staple in Ethiopia, was supported by the Ethiopia Food and Drug Authority (EFDA). The additive, says Woldegiorgis, was meant to improve the shelf life of injera from three days to ten days. "But illegal and unprofessional people are adding this chemical by themselves by trial and error by adding a huge dose at the expense of human health," he says. "They only care about the shelf life being prolonged not safety and quality of the product and the chemical but for profits." The practice appears to be widespread, says Raphael Onguene, an academic at the University Institute of Technology (UIT) in Douala, who is also a producer of banana, pineapple and cocoa in Cameroon's Yaounde region. "When I started out in agriculture, I very quickly noticed there was an overuse of phytosanitary products to help pineapples and plantain ripen," he says. Whistleblowing Hilaire-Flavien Foumane, head of the Inspection and Fraud Repression Squad at Ministry of Commerce in Douala, says: "Thanks to other tradespeople turned whistleblowers, we dismantled a network of plantain traders who engaged in this practice. Strangely enough, the growers who provided them with the goods knew nothing about this." Douala's Wakam describes how things work: "It's mostly resellers who are guilty of these practices. A trader might have taken an order to provide ripe plantain within two or three days. They go and buy the fruit from a grower and then, without the producer knowing anything about this, treat it with ethrel or gibberellin to ensure it ripens ahead of their deadline." These practices have real health impacts for the people who eat this food. Researchers report that formalin and some chemicals used for extending the shelf life of fruits can cause dizziness, weakness, ulcers, heart disease, skin disease, lung failure, cancer and kidney failure. Gisele Etame Loe, a specialist in food and medicine quality control at the University of Douala, says she was "struck by the large number of cases of food poisoning we have already recorded as a result of people eating food treated with these products". Food safety Loe describes a particularly memorable case she was involved in a few years ago: "Two people died after a whole family was hospitalised when they ate a local dish known as mbongo tchobi that was made with fish caught using Gamalin." Smoked fish is not immune to this fraud. Credit: SDN/J. Chongwang According to the first comprehensive report on food safety from the World Health Organization, the agency says that unsafe food is responsible for 600 million cases of foodborne diseases and 420,000 deaths globally each year. The report, by the Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group, said that 30 percent of foodborne deaths occurred among children under five, with sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia recording the largest burden of foodborne diseases. Loe points out that this is linked to the fact that all of these products are known to present a risk of acute or chronic toxicity. She adds that formalin, Gamalin, ethrel and gibberellin are all carcinogenic at certain doses. "Formalin leads to significant respiratory difficulties and causes serious visceral lesions in the stomach, the intestine and the kidneys," she says. "As for Gamalin, it is a neurotoxin and can cause lasting damage even if death does not ensue. "Ethrel can be very toxic and have an extremely corrosive effect on the oral cavity and the pharynx, which means there is a risk the stomach and the digestive tract could be perforated, and even that stomach cancer might develop," says Loe, who was behind the establishment of the industrial and pharmaceutical chemistry laboratory at UIT. Avoiding toxins There are a few tips consumers can follow to avoid toxic foods, says farm advisor Polewa. "If you go to an outlet and you see a bunch of bananas or plantain in which all the individual fruits have reached the same level of maturity, it's likely that they haven't been left to ripen naturally," he says. He points out that when a bunch of bananas is allowed to ripen naturally, the individual fruits will mature at their own pace; they will never all be ripe at the same time. Veterinary surgeon Nkolo encourages consumers to be observant: "If you are being sold meat that does not attract a single fly, it is not good quality meat. Because when meat is on display, it's normal for flies to be buzzing around it, even if they can't land on it." Woldegiorgis urges food authorities to do random checks, especially at informal markets, to enhance the quality of food soldbut he admits that food quality control may not be an easy task. But Woldegiorgis says that informal businesses are often small-scale, some with no physical addresses or registration permits. The ever-increasing number of reports about the misuse of food additives and chemicals in the past four years forced Kenya's Ministry of Health and Agriculture to begin planning a National Food Safety Authority. In addition to looking to the need for authorities to carry out regular food safety inspections, experts are unanimous in highlighting the need for greater awareness among producers of fruit and vegetables, meat, and fish, as well as consumers. For Douala's Wakam, the solution also requires stronger regulation of the sale of controlled-use chemicals. Explore further Risk of 'dirty' turkey after Brexit if UK strikes a US trade deal Provided by SciDev.Net Cryptoforis hughesae from Brisbane, subadult male. Credit: Jeremy Wilson A new group of trapdoor spiders that builds burrows hidden by camouflaged doors has been discovered in eastern Australia. One of the almost 20 new species found in this group occurs in the suburbs of Brisbane. The research team from Griffith University and the Queensland Museum named the group of spiders Cryptoforis, which means "cryptic door," in reference to the burrows with hinge-doors made of leaves, twigs and silk, the spiders construct. Published in Cladistics, the research was led by former Griffith University Ph.D. student Jeremy Wilson, now working as an arachnologist at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales in Argentina. When a new group or "genus" of animals is named, researchers must characterize a single species of that group which serves as the definitive reference point for the genus. Dr. Wilson selected a species from Brisbane as the reference species of this new group of spiders, naming it Cryptoforis hughesae, after his recently retired mentor and supervisor Emeritus Professor Jane Hughes, a world-renowned expert in population ecology, phylogeography, biogeography, and evolutionary biology. "Jane has had a huge impact on my development as a scientist, and no doubt on many others having mentored more than 70 postgraduate students and over 60 honors students," Dr. Wilson said. "Naming this species of spider, which occurs in the forests that surround the Brisbane Griffith University campuses, seemed a fitting tribute for everything she has done for me and so many others at Griffith University. If you look carefully you can find this newly described species in most forests and natural reserves within Brisbane and the Brisbane valley." Co-author and Queensland Museum Principal Curator of Arachnology Dr. Michael Rix said, "I was extremely pleased when Jeremy told me that he wanted to recognize Emeritus Professor Hughes' extensive contributions in this way." Dr. Wilson discovered that this widespread group of trapdoor spiders, found up and down the east coast of Australia, was actually a separate genus by comparing them to other trapdoor spiders from across Australia. "We compared their physical appearance and the burrows they construct, and then looked for molecular differences in their DNA," Dr. Wilson said. "We found differences in their physical appearance which allow them to be distinguished from other trapdoor spiders in eastern Australia." Molecular differences confirmed that the researchers were dealing with an entirely new genus of trapdoor spider. "The incredibly well hidden burrows they create were also different to other trapdoor spiders in eastern Australia, which is probably why this new group of spiders remained undiscovered in the past," Dr. Wilson said. "This newly-described group of trapdoor spiders is far more widespread and diverse than we previously realized, and Jeremy's meticulous research was instrumental in revealing this hidden fauna," Dr. Rix said. "The discovery and description of this group of spiders adds to our knowledge of the diversity of the Australian invertebrate fauna, and is also the crucial first step towards protecting these elusive spiders," Dr. Wilson said. More information: Jeremy D. Wilson et al. Totalevidence analysis of an undescribed fauna: resolving the evolution and classification of Australia's golden trapdoor spiders (Idiopidae: Arbanitinae: Euoplini), Cladistics (2020). Jeremy D. Wilson et al. Totalevidence analysis of an undescribed fauna: resolving the evolution and classification of Australia's golden trapdoor spiders (Idiopidae: Arbanitinae: Euoplini),(2020). DOI: 10.1111/cla.12415 Leatherback sea turtles can weigh up to 600 kilogrammes In a classic case of "poacher turning gamekeeper", the fishermen of Senegal have joined forces to protect one of the ocean's most endangered speciesthe sea turtle. Three species can be found on the Senegal coast in west Africa. The most populous is the green turtle and they are joined by the loggerhead and leatherhead which can weigh over 600 kilogrammes. They are all beautiful creatures but each is threatened by pollution, poaching and, even now, the fishing net. "Once we were the biggest eaters of turtles, now we have become their biggest protectors," says Abdou Karim Sall, a fisherman who is now the manager of a protected marine zone through which the turtles pass. Some 30 years ago, turtle meat was sold in the streets of Joal, one of the most important fishing ports in Senegal, and in Fadiouth, the port's sister village built on an artificial island made from heaps of shells. "We ate them in the street, we cooked them at home," says the 56-year-old Sall who leads the management committee for the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Joal-Fadiouth, two hours south of Dakar. Founded in 2004, and backed by the government, local authorities and several associations, the MPA stretches over 147 square kilometres (57 square miles) and is made up of sandy beaches along a marine strip eight kilometres wide, as well as a network of mangroves and an area of savannah. It is an area for the protection of endangered migratory species, such as the sea turtle. Its objectives are the conservation of biodiversity, as well as the improvement of fishing yields and socio-economic benefits for the local population. Senegalese fishermen have gone from catching turtles to protecting them The sea turtles navigate their way along this tropical stretch of the Atlantic during their migration of more than a thousand kilometres between the volcanic archipelago of Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau, just south of Senegal, where they return to lay eggs when they reach sexual maturity. The green turtles are predominantly herbivorous while the other species like to snack on crab and sea urchin. They all graze on the sea grass beds that grow abundantly in the shallow waters of the Senegalese "Petite cote" (small coast), especially in front of Joal. Through their presence the turtles help maintain a fragile biotope, a breeding ground and nursery for many species of fish and this, in turns, boosts the economythe fishing sector directly or indirectly supports about 500,000 Senegalese. Trapped in a net The sea turtles' long voyage is not without risk. Plastic is an increasing danger as they often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish which is one of their favourite foods, even for the green turtle. And, in spite of the efforts of Sall and the other protectors, they also get caught in fishermen's nets. On a dugout canoe with a multicoloured hull at the limit of the protected area, four young bare-chested lads haul in their nets. It is the start of the migration period and they have snagged a 100-kilogramme turtle. It takes a big pull to haul it in. They untangle the turtle from the nets and release it back into the water. Senegalese fishermen rescue a sea turtle from their nets and return it to the sea "It's not to our advantage to eat them, because they help save marine species. Wherever you find turtles you will find shrimp and octopus in abundance," explains the boss Gamar Kane. Since 2000, Sall, as head of the local fishermen's association and manager of the MPA, has made local populations aware of the protection of turtles, in particular by organising "cinema debates". Even former turtle sellers have been "converted" by receiving "three small canoes to take tourists to sea," he said. According to Sall, turtle numbers have "decreased by around 30 percent in the past 20 years" but the 500-odd visitors who come each year are almost guaranteed a memorable photo of some of the thousands that still line the coast. With luck, they might also spot a manatee (sea cow) grazing peacefully in the depths. Rather than imposing restrictions, the MPA is trying to educate the communities in the economic benefits so that they join the project. "It's after they are told: 'It's an endangered species'," he says. Protect the nests From June to October, a few dozen turtles stop to lay eggs on the beaches of Joal. About 20 MPA agents and village volunteers protect their nests with fences. About 45 days later, "people come at 6:00 am so that predators do not take the young", says Sall. Baby sea turtles are their most vulnerable when they first hatch and make the run for the sea The danger lies largely at the feet of monitor lizards who like the eggs, the birds who swoop down just after the young turtles have hatched and the monkfish who move in once they enter the sea. The chances of survival for a young turtle are no greater than one in a thousand, says Sall. But the fisherman-conservator agrees, "awareness has not worked 100 percent". "Not all fishermen have turned away from turtles and when the fishing is not good, some even hunt them," he says. They can take dozens a day, or more, to pay for fuel for their outbiard engines. And there remains a taste among the human population for turtle fleshand other parts. At the end of June, the corpse of a young green turtle was found on a beach in Dakar, its belly cut down its entire length. "Its tail and reproductive system were removed for 'medicinal' reasons," said Charlotte Thomas, an official with the Senegalese NGO Oceanium. The struggle to protect the sea turtle goes on. Explore further Aussie scientists turn to drones to protect sea turtles 2020 AFP Credit: McGill University Hauffiopteryx altera (Latin for different from) has been identified as a new species of Ichthyosaurs by researchers from McGill University and the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart in Germany. Ichthyosaurs ('fish lizards'), a group of tuna-shaped reptiles that inhabited Earth's seas during the Mesozoic Era, were discovered by scientists in the early 19th century. Similar to the modern-day dolphin, ichthyosaurs underwent profound adaptions to aquatic environments including limbs transformed into flippers, a dorsal fin, and a tail fin. Following a meticulous study of all specimens related to Hauffiopteryx typicus, a small 2-meter-long species, it was revealed that a single specimen in Germany was in fact different. "Although the marine ecosystems are generally similar across Europe during this time, we are finding there are some rare and possibly endemic species," explains Dirley Cortes, a graduate student under the supervision of Prof. Hans Larsson at McGill's Redpath Museum and co-author of the study published in Palaeontologica Electronica. "This finding will have a lot to say about how these ancient ecosystems functioned." The fossils were retrieved in the Posidonia Shale, an Early Jurassic geological formation located at the axis of Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Quarried for over 200 years, the site has yielded thousands of spectacularly preserved ichthyosaur skeletons ranging between two and more than ten meters in length and representing seven species. Fossilized soft tissues, stomach contents and embryos were also discovered. "We were surprised to discover that this small dolphin-sized specimen, collected decades ago, is a new species," remarked Erin Maxwell, curator of fossil aquatic vertebrates at the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart and lead author of the study. "There is quite a lot of diversity still waiting to be discovered in our vast museum collections." More information: Erin Maxwell et al. A revision of the Early Jurassic ichthyosaur Hauffiopteryx (Reptilia: Ichthyosauria), and description of a new species from southwestern Germany, Palaeontologia Electronica (2020). Journal information: Palaeontologia electronica Erin Maxwell et al. A revision of the Early Jurassic ichthyosaur Hauffiopteryx (Reptilia: Ichthyosauria), and description of a new species from southwestern Germany,(2020). DOI: 10.26879/937 remaining of Thank you for supporting local, independent journalism! 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. Many in attendance declined to be interviewed by a Post-Star reporter, but those who agreed to talk said they were there for varying reasons. One local man said he knew nothing of the group or the lawsuit but stopped because he saw the gathering as he was passing by and he supports the president. Others said they associated with APEX and wanted to show their support. Another, Carmine Nuova, traveled from New Jersey to protest restrictions Gov. Andrew Cuomo put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I just want to protest the whole lockdown and everything surrounding it, he said. Nuova said he has friends who belong to APEX, but doesnt belong to the group himself. Hes been traveling to rallies across the region protesting the shutdown. I know this rally is kind of complicated because its more specific to some local issue, but it kind of reflects the bigger issue of all the restrictions, Nuova said. Few in attendance wore masks and social distancing was limited. Some groups stood shoulder to shoulder waving flags at passing vehicles. Adapting to the changes has been no easy task for the tourist-dependent community, but Blais said hes confident the village is ready for what he hopes will be a busy weekend. Our merchants are ready, he said. The Warren County Tourism Department has also partnered with the Lake George and Adirondack chambers to get the word out that Lake George, as well as the entire region, is a safe place to be amid the pandemic. The county is in the process of posting hundreds of signs along roadways with messages that read Wear a Mask and Maintain Social Distancing When in Public so visitors can know that safety is a top priority for the county. The signs are Adirondack-themed, featuring images of mountains and wildlife to fit the region, Joanne Conley, president of Warren County Tourism Department, said. This is good, positive messaging, she said. Meanwhile, the village on Wednesday announced it hired a COVID-19 inspector to ensure all businesses are complying with safety guidelines put in place by the state. To track down the other 206 passengers, Health Services put together lists for each county that had residents on one of the flights. Those lists were sent to the county departments of health, some of which were in other states. Only 89 passengers live in New York State, which suggests that many of the passengers are here for vacation or work, making it harder to find them. A 14-day quarantine is required for all visitors from Florida and 15 other states, but many people seem to be ignoring it. Of the three people who flew in with coronavirus, only one quarantined prior to testing positive. Health Services emailed a letter to every passenger who lives in another state, telling them to call Public Health and quarantine now, to limit the number of people they expose. For all of the passengers, its been at least a week since the flight. They could be experiencing mild symptoms and taking no notice of it, until notified of their exposure by Warren County. Warren County officials are also trying to track down passengers through hotels and campgrounds. Hoteliers, the Lake George Chamber of Commerce, Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce and Warren County Tourism Department are all working together to get the word out about the flight exposure. The two flights with passengers who tested positive are: Before the barbecue, he had barely gone out, his brother-in-law Gustavo Lopez told CNN. But he was incredibly social and was feeling isolated and decided to visit his friends when the state lifted some restrictions, he added. "Everywhere he went he made friends instantly," Lopez said. "He was missing his friends and missing his family. So as soon as they lifted some of the restrictions he felt free and he unfortunately went to this get-together to be with his friends and then this was the result." A friend who was at the party reached out to Macias to say he had coronavirus, and he was aware of the diagnosis when he attended the gathering but didn't think he could infect anyone because he had no symptoms, Lopez said. "Our understanding is that a gentleman had called him and said 'hey I was at the party, I knew I was positive. I didn't tell anybody,'" Lopez said. "I think the gentleman was regretting not telling everybody, and he was calling people who were at the party to recommend they get tested." Macias was upset but blamed himself for the error in judgment, even using his Facebook post to warn friends about the dangers of the virus. About a dozen people who attended the party tested positive, Lopez said. Offer a personal message of sympathy... You'll find individual Guest Books on the page with each obituary notice. By sharing a fond memory or writing a kind tribute, you will be providing a comforting keepsake to those in mourning. . From a Guest Book, you may log in with your Google, Facebook, Yahoo or AOL account to leave a message. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that. Otherwise, it's simple to create a new one by clicking on the Create "Sign up" button and following the simple steps on the Sign Up page. The proposed solar code does not support our ability to adapt and preserve our family farm. If the prohibitions on siting and the lot coverage requirements were adopted by the town I grew up in with my 12 siblings, our family farm would be in danger, because grid scale solar projects would be infeasible in the agricultural district. The proposed draft code does not foster a positive relationship between agriculture, the environment, solar and the community, but instead will lead to more pressure to convert farms to single family homes. If we want productive farms in this town, we must reject this code and draft something that is sensible and helps the farm families of the town of Moreau meet the many challenges ahead. We have been given a great opportunity to be able to show our family, our kids how to be honest, forthright and seek compromise for the greater good. I know together, we can draft something that supports the long-term well-being of Moreau and its citizens. Lets get this right. Patrick Killian, Gansevoort Our health coverage must be protected Editor: Kiser was a member of the MCB for 21 years before becoming director. There were a couple of years when we had light rain at the July 4 concert and the audience sat with their umbrellas," he recalled. "In 2019, there was a storm approaching on the radar, but we started a little early and got half of the concert in before it let loose on us. We have never had to cancel the event in 31 years. It will be a little different online this year, but people can watch it on July 4 or anytime after that. In 1990, the band lost funding from the local Community Chest because of IRS rule changes, Kiser said. That first year, the MCB put on a steak fry with the ice cream social. It was a great success, but the board realized it was too much to undertake in conjunction with the concert, so in 1991 they invited the Geneseo Kiwanis Club to provide a dinner, which is known as Pork in the Park. Kiser said about 45 businesses advertised in the MCB seasons print programs. Truth is, I liked my fingers. I liked my digits so much, I made my living using them -- all of them. Never did I stuff the aforementioned M-80 inside a mailbox, a common dumb stunt by my youthful peer group. Nope, my stupidity was saved for non-exploding stuff. Today, I'm the dude that gets no kick out of watching fireworks or going through the motions to see public displays. I will not pack enough food for a small army, pick out a spot in a field or park along the river just to fight bugs for three hours until its dark enough for the show. Then, in 20 minutes, it's over and you're fighting a Chicago-style traffic jam to get home. Some fun, that is. Yawn!!!! It must be noted, I am not a captain of finance. However, I did marry a financial whiz, who like me, does not understand the reward of spending hundreds of dollars on 500 gram finale cake, a box or two of bottle rockets and assorted other goodies that go boom. All it leaves you with is damaged ears, scared pets, a bunch of powder burns on your driveway and a mess of blown-up paper scattered everywhere. Wouldn't it be easier to take a group of $100-dollar bills, light them on fire and yell boom? They also said they were concerned about students having to wear masks in buildings with no air conditioning. A portion of Moline-Coal Valleys 14 school buildings are air conditioned, but some are not. A $15 million high school HVAC project is underway but will not be fully complete until fall of 2021. Savage said the guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health indicated people would need to wear face coverings for in-person learning this fall. She said that was a challenge the district was working through in its planning. We are certainly aware of all the struggles and challenges that could be associated with wearing masks, whether child or adult, Savage said. Several parents said their children were happy with some aspects of remote learning this spring, particularly the flexibility of choosing when to complete certain tasks and the ability to interact with classmates virtually. Some individuals said they struggled keeping up with remote learning, particularly trying to juggle which student needed to be on a device at which time. Savage said the district was running a small-scale pilot program with secondary students of a digital curriculum called Edgenuity. The digital platform is aimed at providing a digital curriculum but will still allow for individual teacher customization. SPRINGFIELD An order last week by a downstate judge nullifying each of the COVID-19-related executive orders issued by Gov. JB Pritkzer the past three months is quickly causing friction between the state and a Republican lawmaker. Clay County Circuit Court Judge Michael McHaney also expanded his ruling beyond Xenia Republican Rep. Darren Bailey, who filed a lawsuit at the end of April alleging the governor overstepped his authority. That case, as filed, would lift public health-related restrictions for only the representative. But as they exited the courthouse Thursday, Bailey and his attorney, Thomas DeVore, touted the order as freeing the people of Illinois right before the Independence Day weekend. This is a good day for accountability, Bailey told reporters. DeVore said business occupancy limitations, social gathering restrictions and other elements of Pritzkers orders were immediately void. But the governors office interpreted the ruling differently Pritzkers orders are still valid, a spokesperson said in an email, which means provisions in the states reopening plan are still enforceable. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of face coverings when people are in public, around people not in their immediate household, and especially when they can't keep six feet of distance from others. Illinois has mandated their use in public, Iowa has not. Muscatine Mayor Diana Broderson called a press conference for Sunday, where she plans to mandate wearing face coverings in public, according to a news release from that city. On Thursday, Scott County Health Department Director Ed Rivers said contact tracing showed people who become infected go to work or attend group activities, spreading the virus to others. Some of the confirmed cases said they had been in close contact with 10 to 20 people during the time they would have been infectious. "Recently we have heard reports of shoulder-to-shoulder patrons, without masks, in bars, businesses requiring employees who have tested positive to come into work, large gatherings at parties without deference to social distancing, business gatherings of a large number of people in close quarters without masks: these are not behaviors that will keep the virus from spreading," Rivers said. HCM City to receive 437 foreign experts 437 foreign experts including investors, managers and highly-skilled workers will be quarantined when they arrive in HCM City for work. Many foreign experts to come to Vietnam to work on Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Project HCM City People's Committee has sent an official document to the Immigration Department of Vietnam about receiving the experts to work at 100 agencies and firms which have resumed business. There are 139 people from China, 53 from the UK, 44 from Japan, 20 from the US, 18 from Ireland, 15 from India, 19 from France and 16 from Australia and the rest are from other countries. They will be charged quarantine fees and will stay at quarantine centres in Can Gio, Chu Chi, the Division 317 and Regiment 10. The crews of Vietnam Airlines will be brought to IBIS Saigon Airport or Park Royal hotels for quarantine. All expenses will be paid by the responsible firms. The Department of Health will be responsible for receiving procedure at Tan Son Nhat Airport, taking samples and transferring the experts to the quarantine areas. The city police will monitor the quarantine areas and the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will monitor firms that use foreign employees. One problem with the governors approach was that he acted as though he knew better how people should behave, Bailey said in a statement. Instead of presenting facts and calling on people to respond in a collaborative way, hard and fast rules were imposed. Bailey entered the court Thursday afternoon and walked out to applause from a group of supporters who, the representative said, came from across Illinois. Several were wearing grey shirts that said, My governor is an idiot. The ruling in his lawsuit, he told reporters after the hearing, is beneficial for all Americans governors COVID-19 responses should not be unilateral. Instead, he suggested, local departments of health should make determinations county by county. As vaccine development for COVID-19 and the economic rebound show signs of promise, the horrific killing of a Black American in police custody added yet another test to Americas resilience and social cohesion. George Floyds murder has captured the worlds attention and inspired hundreds of thousands of people to exercise their constitutional rights to assemble peaceably. Its wrong that looters, arsonists and vandals hijacked this moment with criminal violence. Riots sow discord at a time when Americans of all backgrounds are coming together, calling on America to, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal." Law enforcement says it's prepared to keep the president and public safe on July 3 despite large crowds and challenging geography in Keystone and at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Mount Rushmore has a challenge of the geography, its surrounded by forest and is only accessible by car via one road, said Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom. Keystone has some challenges in terms of just geography it's small and theres limited parking, Thom said of the small town where protesters plan to gather and ticket holders will drive through to reach the national monument. About 7,500 spectators are set to celebrate Independence Day at Mount Rushmore with fireworks and speeches from President Donald Trump, the Secretary of the Interior and Gov. Kristi Noem. Hundreds of others are expected to attend watch parties in Rapid City, protest in Keystone, or seek out a good view of the fireworks from vistas across the Black Hills. Thom said his office has been in contact with multiple law enforcement groups including the Secret Service and said local, state and national agencies are ready to help direct traffic, keep protesters safe, and respond to scenarios involving people trying to hurt Trump, other officials or the public. At Fridays fireworks display at Mount Rushmore where 7,500 people including President Trump and other out-of-state visitors are expected, no social distancing measures will be in effect and no mask policy will be enforced despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The state health department provided input to the tourism department on the event, including information about handwashing, wearing a mask and social distancing, said state epidemiologist Dr. Joshua Clayton. The guidance has not changed in that respect, Clayton said. Individuals do need to take the precautions into their own hands when they are out, whether it be grocery shopping or going out to other events including fireworks celebrations at Mount Rushmore. Gov. Kristi Noem has said, however, that face masks will be provided for free at the event. Yet, people wont be forced to wear them. Those who choose not to wear a mask at the event may be jeopardizing their own health and the health of other people, said Dr. Benjamin Aaker, president of the states medical association. He said those who dont believe in masks should listen to their doctors, the SDSMA and CDC guidance on masking. In 1874 the Black Hills Expedition led by George Armstrong Custer discovered gold near the town that now bears his name. He immediately informed the U. S. Congress that the gold would be a welcome bonanza to America and they should take control of the Black Hills. Congress did the thing they do the best. They offered money to the Lakota people for the Hills. The Lakota replied, The He Sapa are not for sale. They added, One does not sell their holy land. This angered Congress so much that they set in motion a sell or starve policy. They drastically cut rations to the tribes and since the United States had nearly decimated the once mighty buffalo herds, the main food source of the Lakota, starvation became a reality. And yet the Lakota refused to sell the He Sapa. Congress attempted to diminish the Lakotas refusal to sell by propagandizing a lie, The Black Hills were never sacred to these Indians. In fact they believed the Hills were filled with evil spirits and were afraid to go there. Such poppycock. As a member of the Rapid City Area Schools Board of Education, I hear daily from parents who want - need - their children to return to in-person school this fall. For this to happen, two groups of people need to do their part: Members of Congress and the Rapid City community. Our schools are nowhere near sufficiently equipped to re-open and keep our students and staff safe. Our teachers need face shields. Those students who can tolerate them need face masks. We need the space to keep our students and staff as close to six feet apart as possible; this ideally would include the hiring of more teachers to lower class size. We need more buses and more bus drivers to transport our students in smaller groups. In the likely event that a school has an outbreak and needs to close, we need improved technology that will allow our students and staff to switch seamlessly between in-class and remote learning. For our staff to do their jobs well and safely, they need training. All of these necessities have an associated, hefty, price-tag. They will require resources that districts simply do not have. Congress needs to act quickly to pass an emergency funding bill that will give schools the resources they need. Rohrbach said the Zoom meetings are for input and questions for himself, Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf and Public Works Director Donny Ramer. On the website www.connect93hamilton.com, there are posters showing strategies and designs, and a button for community members to take an online survey for giving feedback and asking questions. The survey has traffic flow remodeling design options and asks community members to rank their choices and priorities about each one. The Connect 93 project to improve the entrance to downtown Hamilton is a collaborative effort among the City of Hamilton, Community Builders, a nonprofit that helps local leaders create strong communities, and the Hamilton Downtown Association. Other nonprofits such as Bike/Walk Bitterroot have offered suggestions and ideas through the outreach process. Join the hourlong Zoom meetings through Connect 93 webpage, the Hamilton City website or these links at 11:30 a.m. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83563760524 or at 4:30 p.m., https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83346718266. Submit questions on the survey, during the live Zoom meetings or by emailing Rohrbach directly at mrohrbach@cityofhamilton.net. About two-thirds of Virginias 63,203 cases reported by the Virginia Department of Health on Wednesday were in people 40 and younger, although the serious burden of the disease is still being felt in the elderly. Three-quarters of the 1,786 deaths have been in Virginians who were 70 and older. Our age range is still one month to 99, ODell said, but the recent case counts, which include about 100 linked to travel to Myrtle Beach and the return of younger workers to their jobs, has pushed down the median age. While most of the areas cases were once in the 50-and-older set, more cases now are falling in younger age groups. As of Wednesday, 20 cases have been in children under 10, 115 in older kids and teens, 182 in people in their 20s and 147 in their 30s. On the other end of the age spectrum, 68 were in their 70s and 81 were 80 or older. They account for all but two of the regions 25 deaths; those were in people in their 50s and 60s. Most of those hospitalized locally have been 50 and older. But four of the patients are in their 20s. The Western Piedmont Health District, which includes Franklin County, has had one young child hospitalized. Population Health Manger Nancy Bell said cases are now occurring in younger people there, too. Sometime in the next six, seven, eight months, were going to begin looking for the possibility of sites to locate the first production facilities, Critchfield said during the call. The technology would allow a business to capture a pollutant like carbon dioxide and then resell it as raw material. All of the targeted pollutants have commercial applications. This product is of particular interest to high-emission industries such as livestock farming, fossil fuel energy production, chemical production and other industries that consume substantial amounts of energy produced from carbon-based fuels, according to the company. Imagine a device placed in poultry or swine facility that eliminates any odors caused by methane and hydrogen sulfide, or imagine a device placed on an energy production facility that eliminates the need to capture pollutants and store them in bags, Critchfield said. That is our technology. We believe there are multiple opportunities for strategic partnerships to both deploy our technology and to further customize our chemical sorbent compounds. The filters use various sorbents, including sand, to capture the pollutants, Director of Technology Development Matt Gullota said. A big part of this is I want to show the students they can do something that they love to do to connect to their community, Kuehl said. Down the road, over four Saturdays in September, Virginia Childrens Theatre formerly Roanoke Childrens Theatre will hold performances under the bridge that share childrens books about diversity and Black history. We will provide four different opportunities for anyone in the community, youth, all ages, where they can come to a common space and be introduced to different types of literature about diversity, said VCT Producing Artistic Director Brett Roden. These books will be dramatically told by a professional teaching artist from our team, and then there will also be an interactive portion. Members of the audience will get to participate in the story, and receive take-home materials, including copies of the books. Were just really excited to do a partnership with the city that is free of charge to those neighborhoods that maybe wouldnt be able to come see one of our mainstage productions. Theyre exposed to professional live theater. Theyre also exposed to some topics that really need to be discussed right now and dug into, Roden said. Our commitment is to have it all wrapped up by Sept. 30, Jackson said. Unusual public dissent, and an allegation that Republican politics are driving a push to widen Roanoke Countys school reopening plan, led to the abrupt resignation from the chairmans role of board member Don Butzer. School administrators proposed return-to-school plan calls for daily instruction for pre-K through second grade and twice-weekly in-person instruction, supplemented by remote learning, for third through 12th graders. Superintendent Ken Nicely said Wednesday that its possible third graders could attend daily in person, too. Board members have debated whether its better to stringently follow the recommended health guidelines or vary from them to send more students back. Butzer said in his resignation letter to the board and Nicely that he didnt feel he could be effective as chair any longer, and more importantly I feel that [I] have lost the confidence of the majority of the Board. He will remain on the board as a member. A pivotal factor in his decision was finding out three school board members were invited to a meeting to organize against the recommended return-to-school plan, he wrote in the letter, obtained Thursday by The Roanoke Times. Butzer confirmed the authenticity of the letter but declined to comment further. There seem to be three basic reasons a minority of people are flouting the wearing of masks. One is, some believe the order violates their constitutional rights. Theyve been encouraged by certain non-mask-wearing Western sheriffs who have made videos urging people not to be sheep. The part of the U.S. Constitution that addresses face masks is the same section that permits drivers to speed through red lights. In other words, it doesnt exist. But that doesnt stop certain libertarians-run-amok from proclaiming it, along with the Right to Ignorance and the Right to Do Whatever the Hell They Want. To check this, I consulted a respected (and now retired) Virginia circuit court judge, Martin Clark of Stuart. He was vacationing in Montana the state with the fewest number of coronavirus cases when I asked him about this via email. Putting the law aside, common sense and common decency ought to be the only requirements we need as citizens to wear a mask, Clark wrote back. Why do we even need to have the discussion? Are there really people who would selfishly insist that the right to endanger their neighbors and my family is both moral and legal? But as the country enters another month of social distancing and homebody life, many posit that a relatively simple explanation might be at work. Its hard to tell but, if I had to guess, I would say a big part of it is probably boredom, Roanoke Fire Marshal David Guynn said. People are trying to find something to do to spend some time. After all, he added, it wouldnt be the first time a new diversion has captured collective attention as people seek out new ways to fill their hours at home. Thats one of the interesting things about what were facing with COVID, he said. There have been these kinds of zeitgeist moments. First, it was everybody learning to bake sourdough bread, you know? Guilty, I did that. Then it was all these home improvement projects. Its these different things that start to happen collectively across the country. One growing concern sparked by this latest amusement has been the growing number of illegal fireworks seen or heard, as the case may be. In Virginia, any pyrotechnics that explode are illegal for consumer use, as are those that shoot through the air. The Black house was still a log house, but he later covered it over with clapboard, Green said. Logs seemed pioneer. Everybody who could afford it hid their logs. When Solitude was built [around an earlier log cabin] in 1851, the Blacks had to keep up, so they added Greek revival pillars and a porch like Solitudes. Green, an industrial design professor at Virginia Techs College of Architecture and Urban Studies, says he purchased antique tools Black would have used to build the house just to understand the experience. Green likes old things. He drives vintage vehicles, collects old telephones, razors, and plastic things. His antique tools include a broad ax for squaring logs and an adze for hewing logs. Green can point to the marks left by Johns ax on the exposed logs in his house. John Black and his wife had 12 children in that house. When their son Charles took over, the older couple moved into the brick kitchen building. All of Johns other sons moved west, including William Black, who laid out and contributed the 16 blocks that became Blacksburg. One of Williams few stipulations was that his brother John be a town trustee for life. Physical distancing and other health and safety protocols are involved in the return to school plan, which reduces the number of students able to fit in a building. Board member Jason Moretz said following the public comment period that he received 401 emails, about 60% of them in favor of Nicelys plan. He also explicitly said he will only approve a plan that follows health guidelines, which is what Donald Butzer, the former board chairman, has also said. No members have said they wish to ignore health guidelines, but several have asked whether its possible to still follow health recommendations and have more students return. Board member Tim Greenway, who has strongly advocated for sending all elementary students back, said in an interview Thursday that he is extremely concerned about students academic progress and well-being if they arent in the classroom, especially students from disadvantaged families. In Denton, Texas, 1,300 miles away from where a crowd was gathered to watch the removal of the Stonewall Jackson statue, Jacksons great-great-grandsons phone was buzzing with text messages from friends watching workers saw off the base of the statue. Im very much cheering on from afar, said William Jackson Jack Christian, a lecturer in the English Department at the University of North Texas who was home with his 3-week-old daughter on Wednesday when he heard the news. I think removing racist imagery and symbols whether its statues or a Confederate flag or school names is a first step toward addressing a racist past and hopefully enacting a more just future. Christian, 41, said he was raised in Bon Air with both reverence and skepticism for his namesake. He was taught that Jackson committed good deeds, such as educating enslaved people in violation of state law. As an adult, his views sharpened. He still had a white supremacist viewpoint that he went to war to protect, Christian said. Laws passed in the recent session will allow for the expansion of power purchase agreements a financing mechanism used for solar projects for customers of Appalachian Power and Old Dominion Power, Barnes said. Net metering caps were also lifted for these utilities from 1% to 6%, which gives clean energy developers a lot more long-term certainty for coming in and establishing businesses here, she said. The Virginia Clean Economy Act requires Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power to be 100% carbon-free by 2045 and 2050, respectively. As part of the transition to renewable energy, Dominion has to secure 16,100 megawatts of energy from solar and wind sources by the end of 2035. According to the law, at least 200 megawatts have to be on previously developed project sites, which could include former mine lands. While the VCEA doesnt guarantee that renewable energy projects will be built in Southwest Virginia, it does open up the market to the region, Barnes said. The VCEA generated controversy in Southwest Virginia during the General Assembly session, when an early version of the law would have closed Dominions Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in Wise County by 2030. The final version allows the coal and biomass plant to stay open through 2045. And so, our Revolution did rage for six long years, til the despot across the sea saw the world turned upside down, grudgingly conceding the new reality of an America born, independent and free. And to protect its hard-won victory for ages yet to come, to enshrine those stirring words declared a scant decade previous, again those men of resolve, of courage and foresight, came together once more in the city that witnessed its birth, then strove to meld rights old and rights new articulated as never dreamed of or seen in ages past with words of hope, determination and purpose We The People, unheard of in a time of despots and those who ruled with cruelty and malice, these words shook the very bedrock of governments across the globe for these words were but a precursor to those iron principles that followed Freedom of religion, free speech and of the press, the right to bear arms, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, the right to due process, the right to a speedy and fair trial, the prohibition against double jeopardy, against cruel or unusual punishments, our, Bill of Rights, Do these parks offer a model for Virginia and other Southern states? Put another way, does Virginia and the nation need a place where we can examine what really happened in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when the South set about trying to undo the results of the Civil War by other means? Heres something that astonishes many Virginians when they learn it: Virginia did not move directly from Reconstruction to repression. Instead, in the 1880s there was a brief period in which Virginia was actually on a pretty progressive path for its time, one led by the Readjuster Party, which at the time was the civil rights party in the state (and was aligned with Republicans nationally). During those years, Virginia abolished the poll tax and the whipping post. It appointed African-Americans to government posts. It elected African-Americans to public office. Virginias first African-American congressman was a Republican, John Langston of Louisa County, who was elected in 1888, more than a decade after Reconstruction formally ended. Danville elected a black-majority town council and proceeded to integrate its police force. Then came the reaction, in a series of elections in the 1880s and 1890s that saw a conservative backlash. Those elections were every bit as consequential as Appomattox, just in different ways. In 1902, with conservative Democrats firmly in charge, Virginia rewrote its constitution to disenfranchise as many people (black and white) as possible. The states leaders refused to put the new document to a vote because they knew voters were unlikely to disenfranchise themselves. Instead, the constitution was simply proclaimed, a kind of a legal coup detat. It was during that era that Jim Crow laws were enthusiastically passed and Confederate statutes started going up, a visible assertion of just who was really in charge. Few Virginians understood that era because even in the 1970s official state textbooks glorified the conservative Democrats who instituted that crackdown and vilified the Republican progressives who tried to set Virginia on a different path. Weve said this before but it deserves repetition: Virginia did not move directly from Reconstruction to repression. There was a period in the 1880s when Virginia was on a very different path. It passed civil rights laws that were progressive for their day. Then came a backlash. Civil rights were rolled back. Voters both Black and white were disenfranchised. Those in charge did their best to recreate the Old South and they put up Confederate statues as a visible reminder of just who was in charge now. Even into the 1970s Virginias history textbooks taught what amounted to official propaganda what whitewashed the unpleasant parts of our past. Generations were brainwashed in ways that would have marveled even George Orwell. We are not forgetting our history here. On the contrary, we are now understanding it better than we once did. Plans to start mining the Moon as early as 2025 became more attractive this week after a US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) team found evidence that the Earths natural satellite may, underneath its surface, be richer in metals than previously thought. Using data from the Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) instrument onboard NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a team of researchers came to the conclusion that the lunar subsurface contains higher concentration of certain metals, such as iron and titanium, than estimated. The study, published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, contends the most popular theory surrounding the Moons origins. The hypothesis contends the satellite was formed when a Mars-sized object collided with Earth, vaporizing large portions of the Earths upper crust. By improving our understanding of how much metal the moons subsurface actually has, scientists can constrain the ambiguities about how it has formed, how it is evolving and how it is contributing to maintaining habitability on Earth, lead study author Essam Heggy said in a statement. The evidence was discovered while the scientists were looking for ice at the bottom of craters in the lunar north pole region, NASA said. It means that fine dust found at the base of those holes are parts of the deeper layers of the Moon, ejected during meteor impacts. As such, this dust represents the composition in deeper Moon layers. The researchers found a pattern in which larger and deeper craters have higher metal concentrations than smaller and shallower ones. Specifically, in craters approximately 1 to 3 miles wide, the dielectric constant or electrical property increased along with crater size. However, the electrical property remained constant for craters between three to 12 miles wide. Order to mine US President Donald Trump signed an order in April encouraging citizens to mine the Moon and other celestial bodies with commercial purposes. The directive classifies outer space as a legally and physically unique domain of human activity instead of a global commons, paving the way for mining the moon without any sort of international treaty. Americans should have the right to engage in commercial exploration, recovery, and use of resources in outer space, the document states, noting that the US had never signed a 1979 accord known as the Moon Treaty. This agreement stipulates that any activities in space should conform to international law. Russias space agency Roscosmos quickly condemned Trumps move, likening it to colonialism. There have already been examples in history when one country decided to start seizing territories in its interest everyone remembers what came of it, Roscosmos deputy general director for international cooperation, Sergey Saveliev, said. The proposed global legal framework for mining on the moon, called the Artemis Accords, would be the latest effort to attract allies to the National Space Agencys (NASA) plan to place humans and space stations on the celestial body within the next decade. It also lines-up with several public and private initiatives to fulfill the goal of extracting resources from asteroids, the moon and even other planets. In 2015, the US Congress passed a bill explicitly allowing companies and citizens to mine, sell and own any space material. That piece of legislation included a very important clause, stating that it did not grant sovereignty or sovereign or exclusive rights or jurisdiction over, or the ownership of, any celestial body. The section ratified the Outer Space Treaty, signed in 1966 by the US, Russia, and a number of other countries, which states that nations cant own territory in space. Trump has taken a consistent interest in asserting American power beyond Earth, forming the Space Force within the US military last year to conduct space warfare. The countrys space agency NASA had previously outlined its long-term approach to lunar exploration, which includes setting up a base camp on the moons south pole. Trillion-dollar market The US isnt the first nor the only nation to jump on board the lunar mining train. Russia has been pursuing plans in recent years to return to the moon, potentially travelling further into outer space. Roscosmos revealed in 2018 plans to establish a long-term base on the moon over the next two decades, while President Vladimir Putin has vowed to launch a mission to Mars very soon. Luxembourg, one of the first countries to set its eyes on the possibility of mining celestial bodies, created in 2018 a Space Agency (LSA) to boost exploration and commercial utilization of resources from Near Earth Objects. Unlike NASA, LSA does not carry out research or launches. Its purpose is to accelerate collaborations between economic project leaders of the space sector, investors and other partners. Thanks to the emerging European network, scientists announced last year plans to begin extracting resources from the moon in five years. The mission, in charge of the European Space Agency in partnership with ArianeGroup, plans to extract waste-free nuclear energy thought to be worth trillions of dollars. Both China and India have also floated ideas about extracting Helium-3 from the Earths natural satellite. Beijing has already landed on the moon twice in the 21st century, with more missions to follow. In Canada, most initiatives have come from the private sector. One of the most touted was Northern Ontario-based Deltion Innovations partnership with Moon Express, the first American private space exploration firm to have been granted government permission to travel beyond Earths orbit. Space ventures in the works include plans to mine asteroids, track space debris, build the first human settlement in Mars, and billionaire Elon Musks own plan for an unmanned mission to the red planet. Geologists, as well as emerging companies, such as US-based Planetary Resources, a firm pioneering the space mining industry, believe asteroids are packed with iron ore, nickel and precious metals at much higher concentrations than those found on Earth, making up a market valued in the trillions. By Mining.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com: Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. As July starts, "Total Federal Inmates" as reported by BOP, down to 160,690 | Main | Liberty, freedom, 2020 in incarceration nation ... discuss July 3, 2020 "Proposition 47s Impact on Racial Disparity in Criminal Justice Outcomes" The title of this post is the title of this notable new and timely report from the Public Policy Institute of California. Here is its "Summary": While the COVID-19 pandemic has forced changes to correctional systems and law enforcements interactions with the community, widespread protests focused on the deaths of African Americans in police custody have intensified concern about racial and ethnic disparities in our criminal justice system. In recent years, California has implemented a number of significant reforms that were not motivated by racial disparities but might have narrowed them in a number of ways. In this report, we extend our previous arrest work to examine the impact of Proposition 47, which reclassified a number of drug and property offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, on racial disparities in arrest and jail booking rates and in the likelihood of an arrest resulting in a booking. While significant inequities persist in California and elsewhere, our findings point to a reduction in pretrial detention and a narrowing of racial disparities in key statewide criminal justice outcomes. After Prop 47 passed in November 2014, the number of bookings quickly dropped by 10.4 percent. As a result, Californias use of pretrial detention has declined. Prop 47 also led to notable decreases in racial/ethnic disparities in arrests and bookings. The African Americanwhite arrest rate gap narrowed by about 5.9 percent, while the African Americanwhite booking rate gap shrank by about 8.2 percent. Prop 47 has not meaningfully changed the disparities in arrest and booking rates between Latinos and whites, which are still only a small fraction of the African Americanwhite gap. The narrowing of African Americanwhite disparities has been driven by property and drug offenses. The gap in arrests for these offenses dropped by about 24 percent and the bookings gap narrowed by almost 33 percent. Even more striking, African Americanwhite gaps in arrest and booking rates for drug felonies decreased by about 36 percent and 55 percent, respectively. The likelihood of an arrest leading to a jail booking declined the most for whites, but this is attributable to the relatively larger share of white arrests for drug offenses covered by Prop 47. When we account for arrest offense differences, the decreases in the likelihood of an arrest being booked are similar across race and ethnicity. We also looked at the cumulative impact of reforms and prison population reduction measures in California since 2009 on racial disparities in incarceration. We found that the sizable reduction in the overall incarceration rate produced by these efforts has led to a narrowing of racial disparities in the proportion institutionalized on any given day. In particular, the African Americanwhite incarceration gap dropped from about 4.5 percentage points to 2.8 percentage points, a decrease of about 36 percent. In addition to meaningfully reducing racial disparities in key criminal justice outcomes, the reclassification of drug and property offenses led to significant decreases in arrests and bookings, and hence pretrial detention. These decreases have the potential to reduce and/or redirect the use of public resources. However, more work is needed. Given evidence that the reforms have led to some increases in property crime, it is important for policymakers and practitioners to identify effective programs and policies that can reduce recidivism and maintain public safety while also continuing to address racial disparities. July 3, 2020 at 09:32 AM | Permalink Comments So in other words, lowering the penalties for property crimes and other crimes and releasing people from jsils is the ONLY reason that there is growing parity between white and black. Blacks still commit huge numbers of crimes, but the "solution" is just don't arrest them. Then write a study claiming that that is working because "parity." Seriously, why are these studies written? They are the equivalent of fake news in the legal scholar field. Posted by: restless94110 | Jul 3, 2020 3:32:55 PM Well, restless, I recall the Prop 47 campaign pledged it would reduce racial disparities, so this research helps to confirm (or undercut) that claim. Moreover, when we are dealing with drug possession crimes, many thousands of which go unprosecuted and which almost always are enforced in racial disparate ways, the "solution" of not arresting anyone for simple drug possession makes a lot of sense to a lot of people. Posted by: Doug B. | Jul 3, 2020 9:32:35 PM Post a comment Its that time of the year again when companies report their financial results. That practice will be somewhat different this year as SGX has no longer made it a mandatory requirement for companies to report quarterly results. Because of the change in ruling, numerous companies, including blue-chip ones such as ComfortDelGro Corporation Ltd (SGX: C52), have ceased quarterly reporting. Now that the frequency of reporting has declined, its all the more important for investors to sit up and pay attention to the half-year reports that companies churn out. REITs are no exception, with many switching to half-year reporting. But the good news is that many REITs have voluntarily chosen to provide business updates in lieu of quarterly financial statements. These updates provide great insights into how REITs are coping with the current COVID-19 pandemic. With the next earnings season starting in mid-July and lasting till mid-August, here are three aspects that investors should watch out for. More tenant support measures As Singapore exits from the circuit breaker measures that were imposed from 7 April through to 2 June, REITs will breathe a sigh of relief. These measures called for the closure of all non-essential businesses, leaving malls and public places looking like ghost towns. Retail REITs such as Frasers Centrepoint Trust (SGX: J69U), or FCT, announced the retention of 50% of its distributable income during the previous quarter to better manage the crisis. Another popular retail REIT, Mapletree Commercial Trust (SGX: NI6U), or MCT, retained S$43.7 million out of its total fourth-quarter distributable income of S$73.9 million due to COVID-19. As a result of these retention amounts, distribution per unit (DPU) fell sharply for both REITs. FCT saw a 48.7% year on year fall in DPU, while MCTs DPU fell by 60.6% year on year. Investors should look out for further tenant support measures being announced by REITs, as this could signal lower DPU for the foreseeable future. Story continues To date, FCT has rolled out two rounds of tenant support packages, with new measures being announced by the government on 5 June requiring landlords to co-share rental waivers for eligible tenants. Lower occupancy rates Due to forced closures, more tenants will suffer from financial stress. Even with the successive waves of tenant support measures rolled out by REIT managers, some businesses may still not survive. Certain types of tenants may be more adversely affected than others. Retail and hospitality REITs are witnessing the sharpest negative impact as the pandemic shuts down malls and curtails travel and tourism. Industrial and commercial REITs may face less financial stress, though some may still be somewhat impacted as supply chains are disrupted and offices start to downsize. Investors should keep a lookout for commentary on whether occupancy rates may fall in coming quarters, and what the REIT is doing to fill the gap. So far, occupancy rates have remained high in the last quarter for both FCT and MCT. FCT reported occupancy of 96.1% as of 31 March 2020, while MCTs portfolio maintained 98.7% committed occupancy. For industrial and commercial REIT Frasers Logistics and Commercial Trust (SGX: BUOU), occupancy rate remained high at 97.6%. Negative rental reversions A third aspect to watch out for are rental reversions. With weaker demand for space and an economy suffering from its worst contraction since independence, tenants are likely to negotiate for lower rental rates to reduce their overall operating costs. Some REITs may have no choice but to give in to these requests or risk losing their key tenants. During this protracted downturn, it may be tougher for a REIT to find suitable replacement tenants. Thus, it may make more sense for the REIT manager to accept a negative reversion rather than expend the time and effort to source for replacement tenants. Get Smart: More pain expected, but the worst seems to be over With all thats been happening with REITs, many investors may question if the REIT model still works well, or whether it may be broken. We believe that REITs with well-located, quality assets will manage to recover better than those with weaker assets. More pain is certainly expected in the coming months as the economy convulses from the damage wreaked by the coronavirus. However, the worst seems to be over as countries around the world start to reopen, albeit at a slow and careful pace as the pandemic is still far from over. Investors need to remain vigilant and watchful as the economic situation remains uncertain at this point. With share prices battered to multi-year lows, many attractive investment opportunities have emerged. In a special FREE report, we show you 3 stocks that we think will be suitable for our portfolio. Simply click here to scoop up your FREE copy before the next stock market rally. Click here to like and follow us on Facebook and here for our Telegram group. Disclaimer: Royston Yang owns shares in Frasers Logistics and Commercial Trust. The post 3 Things to Expect from REITs During Earnings Season appeared first on The Smart Investor. SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 3 July 2020 - Rhonda Wong, CEO and Co-founder of Ohmyhome, has been recognised as a Women of the Future Award SEA 2020 winner for her one-stop property platform, Ohmyhome. Live-streamed on 25th June 2020, the award recognised remarkable female leaders in South-East Asia who drive positive change with courage, hard work and determination. Rhonda is one of ten female leaders felicitated at the award ceremony, where the successes of female leaders in other categories such as Business, Arts & Culture, Community Spirit & Public Service were celebrated too. Out of 48 candidates across the region vying for the Property, Infrastructure and Construction award, Rhonda emerged as the winner for her remarkable efforts in shaping the world we live in through her leadership at Ohmyhome. The judges commented that "Rhonda had a clear vision of what she'd like to achieve, and a well laid out structured plan to get there. She wants to leverage her role and company and achieve greater good across SEA." Founded in 2016 to simplify the process of selling, buying and renting properties, Ohmyhome has facilitated more than 5,300 property transactions worth over S$1.6 billion. Pinky Lilani CBE DL, founder of the Women of the Future (WOF) programme says: "In these unprecedented times, we've had to adapt and for the first time virtually announce the winners, however the vision and motivation of the awards remains the same. When we spotlight success, share our own stories and collaborate across professions and borders, we create a powerful community and support system for these women. I have been so very impressed by our candidates' achievement and their deep desire to make the world a better place. Through these awards, we hope to continue inspiring women to broaden the female talent pool and support progress in the region." Commenting on the award, Rhonda said, "I am very honoured to be recognised alongside all the inspirational and visionary women at the Women of The Future Awards. It inspires me to carry on shaping the Proptech industry to create a better future for all, especially for the most important asset in their lives - their homes and property investments." Story continues Please refer to the Dropbox link for the media alert: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ywo7321refyqr8m/AAC37HNnDV0dsQZRR-2E0iuaa?dl=0 FILE PHOTO: People line up at an ATM outside an Alpha Bank branch in Athens By George Georgiopoulos and Pamela Barbaglia ATHENS/LONDON (Reuters) - Alpha Bank , Greece's fourth-largest lender, is close to finalising a deal to sell a portfolio of bad loans worth more than 1 billion euros (902 million) to U.S. investment manager Fortress Group, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The sale is part of Alpha's efforts to offload bad debt and clean up its balance sheet as Greek banks resume plans to divest non-performing loans after the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Alpha was initially looking to wrap up the sale of the portfolio, known as Neptune, in February but final discussions had to be pushed back because of the health emergency. "They are now close to the finishing line," one of the sources said, asking not to be named. Alpha and Fortress had no immediate comment. The Neptune portfolio consists of mid-size corporate loans, which are backed by commercial property collateral, the sources said. Alpha Bank is also in parallel negotiations with at least five U.S. investment firms including Cerberus and PIMCO in a fresh attempt to get rid of another portfolio of bad debt worth more than 10 billion euros. That portfolio, known as Galaxy, consists of retail loans worth 7.6 billion euros plus loans to medium-sized and large corporate clients worth 3 billion euros. Alpha, which is 11% owned by Greece's bank rescue fund HFSF, reported a slight drop in its non-performing loans (NPLs) to 30% of its loanbook at the end of the first quarter from 30.1% in December. U.S.-based Fortress invests globally, including in undervalued assets and distressed credit. Since 2002 it has invested more than $130 billion across the credit spectrum. (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos in Athens and Pamela Barbaglia in London; editing by Barbara Lewis) FILE PHOTO: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks during a joint press conference at the Istana Presidential Palace in Singapore, By Colin Packham SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will on Saturday vie to secure a 100-year first by winning a seat from the opposition at a by-election, a contest that will test how well voters believe his government has handled the dual crises of catastrophic summer bushfires and COVID-19 pandemic. The sprawling Eden-Monaro electorate on the south coast of New South Wales state was one of the worst hit by fires and some locals jeered Morrison over his handling of the deadly event when he visited the devastation. The conservative leader was widely criticised for taking his family on holiday to Hawaii as fires raged across the country. Political polls soon rebounded, however, with Morrison lauded for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic that has seen Australia record about 8,000 infections and 104 deaths - well below other countries. "By rights, the opposition Labor party should win the seat - but he has turned his standing around dramatically since the bushfires," said John Hewson, a former leader of the Liberal Party now headed by Morrison. "If the Liberals win, then coronavirus has changed the landscape." Voters in Eden-Monaro - about 478 km (297 miles) south of Sydney - are voting to elect a new parliamentary member after the retirement of an opposition Labor lawmaker due to ill-health. Election campaigns in Eden-Monaro are historically tightly-fought contests. While a victory for the Liberal candidate, Fiona Kotvojs, won't change the balance of power in the national parliament, it would be a boon for Morrison, given voters usually lodge protest votes against the sitting government in by-elections. The last time the opposition lost a by-election to a government candidate was in 1920, in the West Australia state goldfields electorate of Kalgoorlie. Haydon Manning, a political science specialist at Flinders University in South Australia, said a victory for the Liberal candidate would provide strong momentum ahead of a tricky period ahead navigating an economic recovery out of the pandemic. The next federal election is due by mid-2022. (Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Michael Perry) Factory owners in Chinas Greater Bay Area expect annual orders, sales, hiring and investment to all decline this year largely because of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new survey shows. The pandemics impact on demand was the biggest concern among manufacturers, with 58 per cent of more than 190 respondents reporting orders were down by at least a third between March and May, and no near-term improvement on the horizon, according to Standard Chartered Banks annual manufacturing survey released late Wednesday. Some 75 per cent of firms said the Covid-19 pandemic had had a negative impact on business and 83 per cent cited the outbreak as the top concern this year. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. Concerns were highest about the economic outlook in the United States and the European Union, reflecting exposure to traditional export markets that are still struggling with the virus. More than 60 per cent of businesses believed orders would fall an average 12.4 per cent this year, with only 21.2 per cent expecting an average improvement of 10.0 per cent. That was a significant deterioration from their actual 2019 performance, when 43 per cent saw orders increase by an average 9.4 per cent amid the US-China trade war, versus 31.1 per cent who reported an average drop of 9.4 per cent. Still, many respondents were confident about the regions long-term future due to supportive financial reforms and cross-border integration, said Kelvin Lau, senior economist for Greater China of Standard Chartered Bank. He added: Hong Kongs crucial role within the [Greater Bay Area] appears to be intact despite the recent political upheaval. The Greater Bay Area plan, which was unveiled in February 2019, is Chinas ambitious plan to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong province into an economic cluster. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Already, the combined economic output of the area is larger than Russia, and just behind Canada if it were counted as a stand-alone entity, with a population that is forecast to grow 43 per cent to 100 million by 2035. Story continues Guangdong province accounts for about 30 per cent of Chinas total exports, 12 per cent of industrial production, 37 per cent of new hi-tech product sales and 49 per cent of patents, official data shows. Its economy contracted 6.7 per cent in the first quarter of this year after growing 6.3 per cent in 2019. Faced with worsening US-China trade tensions and economic disruption caused by the pandemic, 43 per cent of factory owners in the region said they were more actively considering relocating out of China. More than half 56 per cent cited diversifying production capabilities as the main reason for considering relocation. China has seen an exodus of manufacturers from its shores over the past two years after the US slapped tariffs on a slew of Chinese goods, while disruptions to global trade from the coronavirus has caused some companies to explore supply chain diversification. Some 19 per cent of those considering moving offshore had already established overseas operations, up from only 6 per cent a year earlier. Vietnam emerged as the most favoured destination, followed by Cambodia, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Thailand. For the first time in the surveys 11-year history manufacturers also expected wages to fall by 0.2 per cent this year, largely as a result of the pandemic. Growing labour market slack followed directly from plunging orders, with almost 40 per cent of respondents saying they no longer face hiring difficulties, and 18 per cent reporting excess labour supply. Investment will also suffer this year, with firms expecting an average 1.3 per cent decline after an average 2.7 per cent expansion last year. Some 35.8 per cent of respondents expect capital investment to fall this year, compared with 17.1 per cent in 2019, with 25.9 per cent expecting a rise, down from 48.2 per cent in the previous years survey. Economic headwinds will also slow industrial upgrading for most businesses, including investment in artificial intelligence, robotics, big data and internet-related investment. That indicated the recovery in manufacturing investment will continue to lag that in infrastructure and real estate this year, according to the survey. I think the survey shows the reality of the current situation, said a senior executive with a Guangdong-based footwear factory who did not want to be named. My manufacturer friends around me in [Greater Bay Area] and I see little improvement currently compared to late May and June. Be the first to access our in-demand, all-new China Internet Report 2020 Pro Edition! Click here to qualify for a limited time only, 50% early bird discount and receive deep-dive analysis, trends and case studies across 10 critical sectors shaping the China internet and impacting tech around the world. You will also receive access to 6x webinars led by China tech's most influential C-suite executives. Offer Valid until July 6th 2020. More from South China Morning Post: This article Chinas Greater Bay Area factories struggling as coronavirus takes bite out of 2020 orders first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. The robotics category has been building to a kind of critical mass in recent years, but the past six months of the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed many otherwise wary investors over the top. Today, Shenzhen-based Pudu Robotics announced that it has completed a Series B in excess of $15 million, with Beijing food services group, Meituan as the sole investor. Pudu describes itself as a smart delivery robotics company, with a majority of its products falling within the food services category. There are multiple robot SKUs for food delivery and dish return, all of which are indoor models. Rather than focusing on delivery apps, the robots are designed for a variety of scenarios under the same roof, including hotels, restaurants and office buildings. Last month, Pudu noted that it had deployed hundreds of units to hospitals in South Korea and its native China amid the pandemic. Other existing clients include restaurants and hotels, all of which are looking for methods for reducing human contact as a means of transmitting the novel coronavirus. In total, it says its robots have been deployed in 200 cities across 20 countries. Nonhuman physical contact means safety, and automation means saving human efforts. In the event of human life, these two advantages will be magnified, CEO Zhang Tao said in a press release issued last month. "Many technology companies have played an important role in intelligent disinfection, unmanned delivery and intelligent diagnosis during COVID-19, which made an irreversible influence to the public health system. The irreversible bit remains to be seen, of course. What does seem certain, however, is that COVID-19 will be an important testing ground for the efficacy and need for these sorts of technologies. What seemed like, at best, an indulgence a year ago is now being viewed as a potentially necessary part of the food-handling process. The virus has certainly driven investor interest, but it will be up to the startups to show theyre ready to deliver on the promise. A notice reminding people to wear masks hangs on a post as people walk by in Singapore. (PHOTO: AP/YK Chan) SINGAPORE The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 169 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore as of Friday (3 July) noon, bringing the total to 44,479. There were three imported cases who returned to Singapore from India on 21 June. Two of them are Singaporeans - a 60-year-old man (case 44350) and a 56-year-old woman (case 44352) - both of whom are close contacts of each other. The other case is a 35-year-old permanent resident from India (case 44351). They had been placed on Stay-Home Notice upon arrival in Singapore, and were conveyed in dedicated transport to SHN facilities to commence their 14-day isolation. They are asymptomatic, and had been tested while serving their SHN. Of them, 11 are classified as community cases, while the remaining 155 are foreign workers living in dormitories. Of the community cases, five had been picked up as a result of proactive surveillance and screening, and five had already been placed on quarantine earlier. Nine of the community cases today are linked to previous cases or clusters. Amongst them, six (cases 44368, 44405, 44440, 44441, 44443 and 44444) had been identified as contacts of previously confirmed cases, and had already been quarantined earlier. They were tested during quarantine to verify their status. Of these, one is a 53-year-old Singaporean woman (case 44,440), one is a 55-year-old male permanent resident (case 44441) and the rest are foreigners. The remaining three cases (cases 44404, 44407 and 44511) are asymptomatic, and were detected as part of proactive screening of individuals working at dormitories (case 44404) or in essential services (cases 44407 and 44511). Case 44,404 is a 20-year-old male PR while the other two are foreigners. Two of the community cases - both foreigners - are currently unlinked. Of these, one (case 44406) was proactively swabbed as he works in essential services, even though he is asymptomatic. Epidemiological investigations are ongoing for the remaining case (case 44366), who had been tested under our enhanced community testing after being diagnosed with acute respiratory infection. Story continues Besides the polymerase chain reaction test, serological tests are conducted to determine if some of these cases are current or past infections. The serological test results for four cases (cases 44368, 44404, 44444 and 44511) have come back positive, which indicate likely past infections. The test results for the remaining cases are pending. Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased, from an average of five cases per day in the week before, to an average of nine per day in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased, from an average of two cases per day in the week before, to an average of four per day in the past week. The ministry has placed 58 households residing at Block 111 Tampines Street 11 under active phone surveillance and is facilitating COVID-19 testing for them and their visitors, after it detected nine confirmed cases from two households residing at the block. As these households and visitors are not close contacts of the confirmed cases, they are assessed to have a low risk of being infected, MOH said. Of the 85 tests that have been completed so far, all the results have come back negative for COVID-19. Dormitories cleared of COVID-19 Dozens of clusters linked to foreign worker dorms have been identified thus far, including Singapores largest cluster of 2,774 cases linked to S11 Dormitory@Punggol, followed by Sungei Tengah Lodge with 2,055 cases, Jurong Penjuru Dormitory with 1,809 cases, Cassia @ Penjuru with 1,474 cases and Tuas View Dormitory with 1,409 cases. These dorms, the top five clusters with the highest number of cases here, account for over 20 per cent of the total infected workers living in dorms. Some 400,000 such workers live in such residences here. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Tuesday (30 June) that 78 more dorms have been cleared of COVID-19. These comprise 72 factory-converted dormitories and six construction temporary quarters. In addition, three blocks for recovered workers in three purpose-built dormitories have been cleared. This takes the total number to 241 dorms and 21 blocks for recovered workers in 14 purpose-built dorms cleared of COVID-19. As of 28 June, 87,000 foreign workers have been cleared of COVID-19, including those residing in government-provided accommodation facilities.. A forecast of dormitories and blocks to be cleared from now till August onwards has been published on the ministrys website. Over 39,000 have fully recovered With 340 more patients discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities on Friday, 39,769 cases have fully recovered from the infection. Most of the 223 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while at least one is in critical condition in the intensive care unit. A total of 4,461 patients with mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive are isolated and cared for at community facilities. Apart from 26 patients who have died from COVID-19 complications, 12 others who tested positive for the virus were determined to have died from unrelated causes, including three whose deaths were attributed to a heart attack and another four, including the 48-year-old male Indian national, whose deaths were attributed to coronary heart disease. Only cases where the attending doctor or pathologist attributes the primary or underlying cause of death as due to COVID-19 infection will be added to the COVID-19 death count, said the MOH in previous press releases, adding that the method of assessment is consistent with international practices for classifying deaths. As of 22 June, the ministry has conducted 684,359 swab tests, of which 376,749 were done on unique individuals. This translates to around 120,100 swabs conducted per 1 million total population, and about 66,100 unique individuals swabbed per 1 million total population. Singapore entered Phase 2 of its reopening with various safe distancing measures still in place on 19 June. This phase is expected to last up to six months or longer, according to authorities. Singapores General Election will take place on 10 July during this phase. Follow Yahoo News Singapores GE2020 coverage here. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at t.me/YahooSingapore A top aide to the Philippines' president has made waves after he swam with dolphins at a theme park, even as the country endures tough travel restrictions due to the coronavirus. "I did not violate any regulation although I recognise that some people might have been offended by the pictures they saw," said Harry Roque, spokesman for Rodrigo Duterte, during a news conference Thursday. "Swimming is now allowed because it's a non-contact sport. If I had violated any social-distancing rules, well I was with dolphins, not with people," he said, while also apologising for his behaviour. "I did not party. I was alone -- I was with four dolphins." Roque, 53, told reporters someone had taken photos of him at Ocean Adventure, near the former US naval base at Subic Bay, on Wednesday without his knowledge. The photos were posted to the marine theme park's Facebook page, local media reported. They have been removed. Twitter users criticised Roque for taking the trip during the coronavirus outbreak that has left many in the country jobless and devastated the economy. "Here he is swimming w dolphins while the whole country is crippled by a pandemic," one post said. Roque said he had taken a "side trip" to the park in Bataan province after visiting his "loss-making ventures" that include a pig farm. He is attempting to sell them to comply with a constitutional provision that prohibits public officials from running a business. "How could I sell them off during a lockdown? So that was the real reason I went to Bataan," Roque said, adding he had used a police-issued permit to travel and was not a "tourist". While virus restrictions have been eased in Manila, non-essential trips outside the capital are not permitted under the current rules without special permission. Tens of thousands of Filipinos have been detained by police for quarantine violations ranging from failure to wear face masks, breaking curfews or leaving their homes without special passes. Several Duterte aides and allies have been accused of violating regulations imposed by his government as it seeks to slow the spread of the virus. The Philippines has nearly 39,000 confirmed cases, including 1,274 fatalities. Duterte, who rarely wears a mask in meetings broadcast on television, warned in April that people caught breaking lockdown rules would be shot dead. cgm/amj/gle FACEBOOK New daily coronavirus cases in the United States soared past 50,000 for the first time Wednesday, as the World Health Organization delivered a grave warning that the global pandemic is accelerating. Restaurants, bars and beaches in the world's worst-hit nation closed from California to Florida, as states reeling from yet another surge in the deadly virus braced for Independence Day festivities. Global infections have hit their highest level in the past week, WHO data showed, with chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saying new cases topped "160,000 on every single day." The grim milestone came as the European Union left the United States, Brazil and Russia off its final list of nations safe enough to allow residents to enter its borders. With more than 52,000 new COVID-19 cases in the United States alone in the past 24 hours, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally, several US states imposed 14-day quarantines on visitors in the buildup to the long weekend's July 4 celebrations. California suspended indoor dining at restaurants in Los Angeles and several counties, while New York scrapped plans to allow restaurants to seat customers inside from next week. President Donald Trump reiterated his belief that the contagion will "at some point... sort of just disappear, I hope." But the US leader who has yet to be seen in public wearing a face mask during the pandemic added he would have "no problem" doing so. - EU travel ban eased - The rollbacks came as the European Union reopened its borders to visitors from 15 countries. The bloc hopes relaxing restrictions on countries from Algeria to Uruguay will breathe life into its tourism sector, choked by a ban on non-essential travel since mid-March. Travelers from China, where the virus first emerged late last year, will be allowed to enter the EU only if Beijing reciprocates. And Brazil -- which has suffered the most deaths globally for the last week, and is the second-worst affected country overall -- was excluded entirely. It topped 60,000 total fatalities Wednesday, after suffering 1,000 deaths in just 24 hours. However, with over 10 million known infections worldwide and more than 500,000 deaths, the pandemic is "not even close to being over", the WHO warned. Data provided by the UN health agency for the seven days from June 25-July 1 showed the highest number of new daily cases ever recorded came on June 28, when over 189,500 new cases were registered worldwide. - 'Dutch brothels reopen' - According to the United Nations, the coronavirus crisis could cost global tourism and related sectors from $1.2 to $3.3 trillion in lost revenue. Greece, which has suffered fewer than 200 virus deaths, has seen its economy hit hard by lockdowns and travel restrictions -- all but ending its lucrative tourism season before it began. Romanian Cojan Dragos was "the first tourist" in one Corfu hotel after driving there with his wife and daughter. "We have the whole hotel just for us," he told AFP. Separately, Spain and Portugal held a ceremony as they reopened their land border. The Netherlands also confirmed the reopening Wednesday of another tourist draw -- its brothels and red-light districts. "I'm totally booked," said sex worker Foxxy, adding that she had held a "little party" when she heard restrictions would be lifted. - Clusters spur new lockdowns - Russia did not make the EU's list of approved countries so its citizens will be absent from the bloc's tourist hot-spots. The country, however, enjoyed a public holiday Wednesday as it voted in a referendum to approve constitutional changes allowing President Vladimir Putin to stay in power for another 16 years. Putin was forced to postpone the vote in April as his government tackled an outbreak that has infected almost 650,000 people -- the third-highest in the world. In other countries, clusters are still causing problems. Parts of the Australian city of Melbourne suffered sharp rises in infections, spurring new stay-at-home measures. The Palestinian Authority announced a five-day lockdown across the West Bank after a surge in confirmed cases. And textile factories in the central British city of Leicester were suggested as the reason for a spike in infections that has prompted the reimposition of local restrictions. - Americas spike - In the United States, spikes across southern and western states are driving a surge in national infections. Texas, which again smashed its daily COVID-19 record with over 8,000 new cases, joined Florida and California in closing some beaches for the upcoming holiday weekend. Apple announced it would close another 30 US stores on Thursday, half of them in California. A further 700 deaths nationwide took the US past 128,000 deaths in total. The Pan American Health Organization warned that the death toll in Latin America and the Caribbean could quadruple to more than 400,000 by October without stricter public health measures. The US government announced this week it had bought 92 percent of all remdesivir production -- the first drug to be shown to be relatively effective in treating COVID-19. Britain and Germany, however, said Wednesday they had sufficient stocks of the drug. - 'Corona baby' - In Britain, some 1,500 acts from Ed Sheeran and Coldplay to Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones urged the county's government to save the live music industry, which has been collapsing because of the coronavirus. But while lockdown measures have been a disaster for many, some have welcomed the chance to spend more quality time with hard-working partners. burs-amz/ch Police said Thursday they had arrested more than 800 people across Europe after shutting down an encrypted phone network used by organised crime groups to plot murders and drug deals. French and Dutch police said they hacked into the EncroChat network so they could read millions of messages "over the shoulders" of suspects as they communicated with custom-made devices. Britain said it had arrested 746 people as a result of the operation in what it called a "massive breakthrough" against organised crime, while there were also arrests in countries including Norway, Spain, and Sweden. EncroChat sent a message to its estimated 60,000 users in June warning them to throw away their 1,000-euro devices as its servers had been "seized illegally by government entities". It has now been shut down. The hack allowed police "an unprecedented look into the heart" of organised crime groups, Wil van Gemert, Deputy Executive Director of the EU police agency Europol, told a press conference in The Hague. Police then foiled crimes including "violent attacks, corruption, attempted murders and large-scale drug transports," Europol and the EU judicial agency Eurojust added in a joint statement. "Certain messages indicated plans to commit imminent violent crimes and triggered immediate action." - 'So worrying' - Some of the encrypted messages "were so worrying that it went far beyond our imagination," said Jannine van den Berg, Chief Constable of the Dutch police's central unit. "It was as if though we were sitting at the table where criminals were chatting," she told the press conference. French authorities launched the investigation in 2017 after finding that EncroChat phones were "regularly" found in operations against criminal groups and that the company was operating from servers in France. They then "put a technical device in place to go beyond the encryption technique and have access to the users' correspondence," the statement said. Between 90 and 100 percent of EncroChat clients were linked to organised crime, according judicial sources, with between 50,000 to 60,000 of the phones in circulation. Dutch police then became involved based on information shared by French police. A joint Dutch-Franco investigation team unearthed a "colossal number of encrypted data," Carole Etienne, the public prosecutor for the French city of Lille, told AFP. Law officials were then able to "intercept, share and analyse millions of messages that were exchanged between criminals to plan serious crimes" later shared with police including in Britain, Sweden and Norway. - 'Power off' - "We've been able to see what's happening in real time with these criminals," Andy Kraag, head of Dutch police's central investigations division told the press conference. Dutch police had busted 19 meth labs, seized 10 tonnes of cocaine and thousands of kilos of crystal meth and arrested more than 100 people, Kraag said. In Britain, police arrested 746 suspects, recovered more than 54 million pounds (59.8 million euros, $67.5 million) as well as 77 guns including an AK-47 assault rifle and 1,800 rounds of ammunition. "This is the broadest and deepest ever UK operation into serious organised crime," Britain's National Crime Agency director of investigations Nikki Holland said in a statement. The French and Dutch authorities said the decision to hack into the encrypted phone network was justified. "The platform targeted in this operation catered specifically to the needs of criminals," said Europol's Van Gemert. EncroChat sent what it called an "emergency" text to its users on June 13 saying it had been compromised. "Today we had our domain seized by government entities," said the message. "You are advised to power off and physically dispose your device immediately." Panama's last two presidents, Ricardo Martinelli and Juan Carlos Varela, were charged Thursday with money laundering, as two separate scandals tarnished the political legacy of the former allies turned enemies. Martinelli was charged with money laundering over the so-called "New Business" case in which a publishing group was allegedly purchased with government funds during his 2009-14 term. Martinelli, 68, was in a combative mood as he departed the public prosecutor's office in Panama City. "I'm going to be frank with you, this pisses me off, this political persecution that has no end... they want to involve me (in the case) in order to do away with me," he said, after refusing to testify. Martinelli was held in pre-trial detention for two years after he was extradited from the United States to face trial for spying on his political foes. He was acquitted on those charges in 2019. Varela meanwhile "was charged with money laundering in the Odebrecht case," the public prosecutor's office told AFP. The 56-year-old former president is being investigated for allegedly accepting illegal donations to his political campaigns from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Varela, who left office last year, said afterward that he would "come as many times as necessary to prove my innocence, clarify any questions that the public prosecutor has and comply with the country and strengthen the rule of law." The appearance of the two former presidents "could mean, if there is any optimism, that... no one is above the law," Carlos Barsallo, head of the Panamanian office of Transparency International, told AFP. But "being realistic and prudent and based on previous experiences, we have to wait and see real and definitive results because in Panama, the perception of impunity has prevailed," he said. Martinelli won the 2009 election with Varela as his running mate, but their alliance broke down in 2011 when Varela was sacked as foreign minister. Since then, the two former political allies have become enemies. French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday tapped a senior but low-profile bureaucrat as prime minister to replace Edouard Philippe, the first move in a widely expected cabinet reshuffle after dismal local election showings for the ruling party. The new premier, Jean Castex, was drawn from the right-wing opposition to Macron's centrist party, and was totally unknown to most in France until now. But Castex, a former top aide to ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, has been in charge of the country's progressive emergence from the coronavirus lockdown, a policy greeted as a relative success by experts. "Let's be clear: I'm not here to seek the limelight. I'm here to get results," Castex said in what was effectively his introduction to the general public during a prime-time interview on TF1. He said he would present his political road map next week, and a wider cabinet overhaul is expected in the coming days. Macron has promised a "new course" for France to deal with the crisis, which has plunged France into its worst recession since World War II and left millions of people facing unemployment. The former investment banker, who swept to power in 2017 on pledges to radically reform France, already has a wary eye on his 2022 re-election bid after months of protests and strikes that preceded the coronavirus outbreak. Speculation that Philippe was on the way out mounted this week after Macron's centrists were routed in municipal elections last Sunday, which saw the Greens take control of several major cities. Philippe, a popular right-wing politician who never joined Macron's Republic on the Move party, nonetheless easily won his bid to be mayor of Le Havre. His approval ratings have surged over his handling of the coronavirus crisis, while those of Macron, who has pursued ambitious economic reforms since coming to office in 2017, have fallen. During the official handover ceremony at the Hotel de Matignon, Philippe gave wide smiles while saying his goodbyes, posing for photos and selfies while sporting a telling choice of cuff links -- minature purple flip-flops. - 'New team' - While many analysts thought Macron would tack left or look farther afield for his new prime minister, Castex is a pure product of the French administrative elite, having attended the same ENA managerial university as Macron and Philippe. "We might have expected a political shift, but this is a technocrat," Christian Jacob, head of the Republicans, told AFP, indicating that Castex would be cast out of the party. His nomination comes after Philippe has pushed through a series of Macron's controversial overhauls that sparked massive strikes as well as the fierce "yellow vest" anti-government revolt. Sources close to Philippe told AFP on Friday that he would help Macron "consolidate" his majority in parliament, after an embarrassing series of defections in recent weeks by lawmakers unhappy with the president's policies. Press reports had suggested that Macron might keep Philippe after all, not least after he praised his work as "remarkable" in an interview with regional newspapers published Thursday. Nonetheless, "we have to chart a new course" with "a new team," Macron said. Other top ministers could also be on the way out, but analysts noted that Macron has a thin bench of potential replacements, not least because his young party has failed to produce any standouts from its parliamentary ranks. Under particular pressure is interior minister Christophe Castaner, who has been assailed by critics over the failure to contain the rioting and looting that marred the "yellow vest" protests of 2018-2019. More recently, Castaner has drawn the ire of police who say he has failed to support them against renewed claims of violence and racism in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. Since the start of Macron's presidency, a total of 17 ministers have quit the government, most recently Agnes Buzyn, who stepped down as health minister in a doomed bid to wrest the Paris mayor job from Socialist Anne Hidalgo. Workers' Party's Aljunied GRC candidates speaking at a televised constituency political broadcast on 3 July 2020. (SCREENSHOT: Mediacorp) SINGAPORE The Workers Party (WP) candidates contesting in Aljunied group representation constituency (GRC) at the upcoming General Election (GE) on Friday (3 July) called on voters to support the opposition party in order to continue asking the Peoples Action Party (PAP) government tough questions and hold it accountable. WPs chief Pritam Singh, chairman Sylvia Lim, Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap, Gerald Giam and Leon Perera, who were speaking in a televised constituency broadcast, highlighted the improvements in Aljunied since the party began running the constituency in 2011 and their performance in Parliament. Pritam said WP Members of Parliament (MPs) have been rational and responsible during their stints in the House. We support the government agenda when we think it is on the right track, and oppose it only when we find it not to be in the national interest. He cited the WPs objection to the governments Population White Paper in 2013 and the Goods and Services Tax. Perera, a former NCMP, also said the WP had supported most Bills in Parliament if they are good for Singapore, and also the governments defence and foreign policy. But if the Bills are wrong for Singapore, we vote no as we did against the GST hike, the Constitution Amendment to the Presidency and POFMA, he added. WP MPs have spoken up on topics like spending on foreign student scholarships and the Keppel corruption scandal, and moved parliamentary motions in issues ranging from public transport to the mechanism of the reserved presidency, Perera said. Meanwhile, the PAP candidates contesting in Aljunied - Victor Lye, Shamsul Kamar, Chan Hui Yuh, Chua Eng Leong and Alex Yeo - also reached out to voters during the broadcast to talk about the improvements they have brought to the GRC. People's Action Party candidates for Aljunied GRC speaking at a televised constituency political broadcast on 3 July 2020. (SCREENSHOT: Mediacorp) Chua spoke about the many new facilities that have been added in the constituency within the last five years. The PAP team has brought about major projects like a new polyclinic, a community hospital and four MRT stations on the upcoming Cross-Island Line, he added. Story continues Our infrastructure has improved, as we continue to engage the government on your behalf, and provide necessary ground feedbackWe have delivered on our 2015 GE promise, Chua said. The candidates also talked about future plans such as setting up Jobs and Livelihoods Centres across Aljunied, a pocket money fund in Aljunied for disadvantaged children, and working with merchants to provide essential goods and services. Lye urged Aljunied voters to give the PAP team a chance to serve them. He said, Aljunied is yours. Not somebodys political hostage. It should be about your lives, your jobs and our future. You have given them (the WP) nine years, its time, bring us home. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at t.me/YahooSingapore Follow Yahoo News Singapores GE2020 coverage here. GE2020 stories: GE2020: Vote us for diversity instead of PAP's '2D cutout' candidates PSP Tanjong Pagar team GE2020: HCI defends email to students to refrain from posting about election on social media COMMENT: Ivan Lim is not the issue, the outdated GRC system is GE2020: Government should state position clearly, before election WP's Pritam on '10 million' saga COMMENT: Dancing around 10 million people Thursdays arrest of the seemingly elusive Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell is an important day for justice, Lisa Bryant, the director of Netflixs Epstein documentary, told TheWrap. Its an important day for justice and accountability on behalf of the courageous survivors who spoke out about how Ghislaine Maxwell manipulated, facilitated and groomed them for sexual abuse, Bryant said. The entire production team of Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich hopes to see justice served. Speaking further about Maxwells arrest, Bryant told EW, Id like to see her brought to trial. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. But all of our research and the women in the series that we spoke to, all their stories added up and they all mentioned Ghislaines involvement. I think theres a lot of evidence, overwhelming evidence, or they wouldnt have made that arrest today. I hope that perhaps the awareness that the series created worldwide, and the outrage as most of the feedback was, What happened to these co-conspirators? Why arent they getting Ghislaine? I hope that that might have put pressure on the FBI to act quickly. Also Read: Read the Indictment Against Jeffrey Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell Maxwell, who was once a British socialite and Epsteins girlfriend, was arrested by the FBI in New Hampshire earlier on Thursday and charged with six felony counts, including for sexually abusing minors and recruiting and grooming victims as young as 14 years old. If convicted, she faces up to 35 years in prison. Bryants four-part documentary, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, was released on May 27 and features interviews with women who have accused him of sexual abuse. Epstein was arrested last year based on federal sex trafficking charges; he died by suicide while awaiting his trial in Manhattan. Read original story Jeffrey Epstein Documentary Director: Ghislaine Maxwells Arrest Is An Important Day for Justice At TheWrap Morocco's prime minister has demanded Amnesty International provide evidence to support its allegations that Rabat used spyware to bug a journalist's phone. Amnesty said in June the Moroccan authorities used software developed by Israeli security firm NSO to insert spyware onto the cellphone of Omar Radi, a journalist convicted in March over a social media post. The Pegasus software can switch on the phone's camera and microphone as well as access data. If the international watchdog fails to provide evidence, the kingdom "will take the necessary steps to defend its national security" and "clear up public opinion" on the allegations, Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani said in a statement carried by the Moroccan Press Agency on Thursday. Last week, the Moroccan authorities said they summoned the local director of the London-based group to demand proof about the "serious and tendentious accusations", but did not get a response. Without proof, Amnesty's allegations amount to "an unjust international defamation campaign dictated by an agenda having nothing to do with human rights", the statement said. It went on to denounce the organisation's "systematic and continual persecution against Morocco's interests". In addition, Morocco "does not have at its disposal NSO technology", a senior government official told AFP on condition of anonymity, referring to the Israeli security firm. Rabat said last week it was investigating if Radi received foreign funding for intelligence services. Thursday's statement said the journalist is "undergoing a judicial investigation for suspected breach of state security, because of his links to a liaison officer of a foreign country". It said the alleged foreign agent has "worked under diplomatic cover since 1979 in several regions of tension" around the world. Last week, Radi told AFP the legal action was connected to the Amnesty report, denouncing the allegations against him as "ridiculous". Amnesty said he had been "systematically targeted by the Moroccan authorities due to his journalism and activism". In March, he was given a four-month suspended sentence for criticising a judge in a tweet. NSO is being sued in the US by messaging service WhatsApp over alleged cyber-espionage on human rights activists and others. The Israeli firm says it only licenses its software to governments for "fighting crime and terror" and that it investigates credible allegations of misuse. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed a contentious anti-terrorism bill into law Friday that critics fear will be used to silence dissent and give the government a new weapon to target opponents. The legislation, which was approved by Congress last month and has been criticised by rights groups, enables Duterte to appoint a council that could order warrantless arrests of people it deems are terrorists. It also allows for weeks of detention without charge, which the government argues is necessary to combat long-running communist and Islamist insurgencies. "The signing of the... law demonstrates our serious commitment to stamp out terrorism, which has long plagued the country and has caused unimaginable grief and horror to many of our people," Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque said. But activists say the definition of terrorism in the legislation is vague and could strengthen Duterte's campaign against critics. Some are already serving prison sentences or facing jail time after attacking his policies including his drug war that has killed thousands. "Under Duterte's presidency, even the mildest government critics can be labelled terrorists," Amnesty International's Asia director Nicholas Bequelin said. "This administration has effectively crafted a new weapon to brand and hound any perceived enemies of the state," he added. "In the prevailing climate of impunity, a law so vague on the definition of 'terrorism' can only worsen attacks against human rights defenders." The law defines terrorism as intending to cause death or injury, damage government or private property or use weapons of mass destruction to "spread a message of fear" or intimidate the government. Suspects could be held up to 24 days without charge, which opponents allege violates a three-day limit set by the Philippine constitution. Critics allege the legislation also strips away old safeguards, such as penalties against law enforcers for wrongful detention of suspects. "By signing the anti-terrorism bill into law, President Duterte has pushed Philippines democracy into an abyss," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch. "The law threatens to significantly worsen the human rights situation in the Philippines, which has nosedived since the catastrophic 'war on drugs' began four years ago," Robertson added. In a report last month, the UN human rights office said at least 8,663 people have been killed in the drug war with "near impunity" for offenders. Government officials say alarm about the law is overblown, citing provisions that exempt "advocacy, protest, dissent, stoppage of work... not intended to cause death or serious physical harm". Roque told AFP Duterte signed the bill without making any changes. Since its passage through Congress, prominent Philippine business leaders, Muslims in the Catholic-majority country, and UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet have lobbied Duterte to veto the bill. PKR tells Tian Chua to resign from GLC post or risk stern action The PKR central leadership council has issued party vice-president Tian Chua with a warning and an instruction for him to resign as the Malaysia Productivity Corporation chairperson. When contacted, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution confirmed that the June 28 central leadership council meeting had made the decision based on recommendations from the party's disciplinary board. "Yes, I issued a letter based on the central leadership council's decision at its last meeting where Tian Chua was also present," Saifuddin told Malaysiakini today. Earlier today, The Malaysian Insight quoted sources who revealed Saifuddin's letter to Tian Chua dated June 29. According to the letter, Tian was instructed to resign from the politically- appointed position or risk sterner action. It is understood that the former Batu MP has yet to communicate his decision to the party leadership. The Malaysian Insight report quoted Tian Chua as confirming he had received the letter on Wednesday night via e-mail. However, Sin Chew Daily earlier today quoted Tian Chua as saying there was no such letter asking him to resign and that he had discussed the issue of his GLC position with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim in private. Tian with Anwar (file pix) Malaysiakini has contacted Tian Chua for a response. It was previously reported that PKR leaders at their June 28 meeting had moved to sack PKR Women's chief Haniza Talha, PKR Penang Women's chief Nur Zarina Zakaria, PKR Sabah Women's chief Rahimah Majid and two Penang assemblypersons Dr Afif Bahardin (Seberang Jaya) as well as Zulkifli Ibrahim (Sungai Acheh). This after the party initiated a disciplinary probe against those known to be aligned with former party deputy president Azmin Ali who triggered the Sheraton Move in late February that led to the downfall of the Pakatan Harapan coalition government. The internal purge saw hundreds of PKR members being suspended or sacked. Tian Chua was among the five spared and issued with a show-cause letter instead. The Sheraton Move refers to the gathering of 11 rogue PKR MPs led by Azmin, the Gombak MP, together with MPs from Bersatu, BN, PAS, GPS and Warisan at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya on Feb 23 to finalise political manoeuvres which later led to the ouster of the Harapan government by the new coalition Perikatan Nasional. FILE PHOTO: Ryanair logo is pictured ahead of a news conference by Ryanair union representatives in Brussels By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Ryanair has filed a complaint to EU antitrust regulators about alleged talks between Lufthansa's Italian unit Air Dolomiti and three Italian airlines to fix prices, the chief legal officer of Europe's biggest budget airline said on Thursday. The complaint also cites alleged price fixing in Austria involving Lufthansa's local unit Austrian Airlines. "I can confirm that the price fixing cartel complaint was filed with the European Commission," Ryanair's Juliusz Gomorek told reporters. "In Austria, where Lufthansa has a subsidiary, in the context of the bailout of that subsidiary, we have government officials talking about potentially introducing minimum prices," he said. Earlier this month, Austria said it would introduce a minimum ticket price of on average 40 euros ($45), a shot at budget airlines' heavy discounts and following its 450 million-euro bailout of Lufthansa's Austrian Airlines. [nL8N2DL31G] Gomorek also pointed to Italy "where Lufthansa has its subsidiary, we have that subsidiary talking about getting together with three other airlines to discuss and maybe agree what price levels they may feel comfortable at." The European Commission said it had received the complaint and would assess it. Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines declined to comment. Gomorek last week wrote to European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager's head of cabinet Kim Jorgensen calling for action against Lufthansa's Air Dolomiti, Alitalia, Neos and Blue Panorama, according to the letter seen by Reuters. ($1 = 0.8915 euros) (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, additional reporting by Ilona Wissenbach in Frankfurt and Kirsti Knolle in Vienna; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Edmund Blair) (Reuters) - Bayern Munich's Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara is set to leave the Bundesliga side in the close season because he wants a new challenge, the club's CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has said. The 29-year-old, who joined Bayern in 2013 from Barcelona for 25 million euros (22.5 million pounds), has since played 230 games and won seven league titles with the German champions. "A top man on and off the pitch. We negotiated with him in a serious way and fulfilled all his wishes. But it now seems that he wants to do something new for one more time," Rummenigge told Bild in an interview on published on Friday. Thiago's deal with Bayern ends next season and Rummenigge said they had no choice but to sell the player as they did not want to let him go without receiving a transfer fee. "We do not want to lose any player without any money next year," he explained. Bayern manager Hansi Flick had said earlier on Friday that he hoped Thiago would stay at the Munich club. Media reports have linked Thiago with a move to Liverpool. (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris) Venezuela's opposition cried victory on Thursday after a London judge ruled that the British government had "unequivocally recognised" opposition leader Juan Guaido as the troubled Latin American country's president. The ruling came in a dispute over $1 billion in gold reserves that Venezuela's central bank wants released from the Bank of England to help fund the country's response to the coronavirus crisis. The Bank of England said it was unable to act on the instructions because it was "caught in the middle" of competing claims for the presidency after disputed elections in 2018. The Venezuelan central bank's board was appointed by the government of President Nicolas Maduro, successor to the late anti-US populist Hugo Chavez. A rival ad hoc board appointed by Western-backed Guaido had asked for the release to be denied. Commercial Court judge Nigel Teare was asked to decide who had the authority to make the demand -- Guaido or Maduro. Teare's judgement said: "Her Majesty's Government does recognise Mr Guaido in the capacity of constitutional interim president of Venezuela and, it must follow, does not recognise Mr Maduro as the constitutional interim president of Venezuela." The judge added that it was impossible to recognise both men as president. Maduro's government described the move as "absurd and extraordinary" as he called for a probe into the matter. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said Maduro had "asked the Venezuelan courts to immediately open an investigation with the aim of determining the criminal responsibility of those participating in this blatant piracy of Venezuelan gold." A lawyer for the Maduro-appointed central bank board said his clients would file an appeal. But Guaido's London envoy hailed the ruling as "a victory for the Venezuelan people". "Our intention now, as always, is to safeguard the gold of the national reserve for the Venezuelan people," opposition envoy Vanessa Neumann told AFP. "We want to make clear that we never sought the gold." Guaido added on Twitter: "We've protected the gold reserves from the clutches of the dictatorship." - 'Ignores reality on ground' - The rival claims come two years after election results handing Maduro a controversial victory, sparking mass protests and a violent police crackdown. Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans fled to neighbouring countries in search of food and safety as the poverty-stricken country plunged into chaos. Maduro's claim on the presidency is mainly supported by Russia and Cuba. Guiado's January 2019 claim to the presidency had been backed by the United States and around 60 other countries. But the opposition movement has been riven by internal conflicts, and Maduro's grip on power has held. The leftist leader said last month that he was "prepared to speak respectfully with President Trump" and the White House chief said he "would maybe think about" meeting Maduro. Maduro started off working as a bus driver before becoming a trade union leader and then getting elected to the country's legislature in 2000. He succeeded Chavez after his death in 2013 but pursued many of the same policies with the same iron grip on power. The once prosperous country -- home to the world's largest untapped oil reserves -- has continued its decline into poverty throughout his rule. The Maduro-appointed central bank board lawyer Sarosh Zaiwalla said Thursday's judgement "entirely ignores the reality of the situation on the ground." "Mr Maduro's government is in complete control of Venezuela and its administrative institutions, and only it can ensure the distribution of the humanitarian relief and medical supplies needed to combat the coronavirus pandemic," he said. He added: "This outcome will now delay matters further, to the detriment of the Venezuelan people, whose lives are at risk." US President Donald Trump bemoaned protests demanding racial justice as "violent mayhem" Friday, but said little about an alarming resurgence of coronavirus cases as he attended a crowded, fireworks-studded Independence Day celebration beneath majestic Mount Rushmore. Trump, under fire for his response to America's spiraling coronavirus caseload four months before the presidential election, spoke on the eve of the July 4th celebrations before thousands of closely-packed people -- many of whom chanted "Four more years;" few of whom were wearing masks. In the shadow of four notable predecessors -- George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, whose likenesses are carved into a granite cliff in South Dakota's Black Hills -- the president called on supporters to defend America's "integrity". He accused protesters calling for racial justice of "a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children." "The violent mayhem we have seen in the streets and cities... is the predictable results of years of extreme indoctrination and bias in education, journalism and other cultural institutions," he added. The US has been engulfed by a once-in-a-generation reckoning on racism and police brutality since George Floyd, an African American man, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25. That has included a rethink of how America venerates symbols of the pro-slavery Civil War South, from removing statues of Confederate generals to retiring the Mississippi state flag, which featured the Confederate emblem. Trump -- who has also been criticized for his response to the protests -- promised Mount Rushmore would never be defaced, and that he would never abolish the police or the right to bear arms. "They want to silence us -- but we will not be silenced," he said to cheers, adding later that it was time to "speak up loudly, strongly, powerfully and defend the integrity of our country." "The best is yet to come," he said, promising to establish "a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans who ever lived". - 'Safe and smart' - Trump did briefly thank those "working tirelessly to kill the virus" during his comments Friday. But otherwise he has had little to say about the shocking increase in US virus cases. On Friday a record 57,000 new infections were confirmed. The pandemic has claimed nearly 130,000 American lives, and the recent resurgence "puts the entire country at risk," top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci has said. The surge, especially in the south and west of the country, has cast a pall over Independence Day and seen US residents blacklisted by Britain and Europe, who have opened their borders to others. Trump did tweet Thursday the rise was because "our testing is so massive and so good," calling that "great news." US testing has risen sharply, but health experts say it still lags on a per capita basis behind many other countries and does not fully explain the case rise. They also note that deaths tend to increase a few weeks after cases rise. Vice President Mike Pence postponed a trip to Arizona this week after members of his Secret Service detail reportedly showed signs of COVID-19, and he and other Republican leaders have belatedly begun emphasizing the importance of wearing masks. On Friday US media reported Donald Trump Jr's girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, had tested positive for COVID-19. She is the third person with close contact to the president to be diagnosed with the virus. Former president Barack Obama weighed in Friday, tweeting: "This holiday weekend, let's be safe and smart. It's going to take all of us to beat this virus. So wear a mask. Wash your hands. And listen to the experts, not the folks trying to divide us." - 'Recipe for disaster' - Trump, accompanied by first lady Melania, was warmly welcomed in South Dakota, a state he won easily in 2016. But Randy Seiler, who heads the state Democratic party, told CNN the planned festivities are problematic: that they are offensive to Native Americans who consider the land sacred, that the fireworks pose a fire risk in the extremely dry area, and that the virus danger is real. The event, he told CNN, "is a recipe for disaster." Trump has long expressed his fascination with the imposing Mount Rushmore sculpture. In 2017, he joked about someday seeing his own face joining the Rushmore likenesses of his four predecessors -- though the National Park Service says "the work is complete in its present form." A special episode of "Upin Ipin" that features Ultraman Ribut. 3 Jul There's no denying that Les' Copaque Production is well known throughout Asia thanks to their popular animation "Upin Ipin", and they have achieved numerous successes and accolades in their 15 years in the animation industry. However, all the awards and achievements did not come by as easily as planned, as they've had to face numerous challenges and betrayal, including from their own partner from Indonesia who mocked "Upin Ipin" in front of the founder and owner of Ultraman's IP (intellectual property), Tsuburaya. The incident was revealed by Tn Hj Burhanuddin Md Radzi himself, owner Managing Director of Les' Copaque Production, on his Facebook. According to Burhanuddin, he was invited by the Indonesian partner to go to Tokyo, Japan, to meet with one of the biggest investment companies there, Fields Corporation, who was at the time looking for foreign experts to produce their latest IP. "[My Indonesian partner] was going to Japan to do her filming for a co-pro project with Fuji TV and I am not sure at that time what she was up to with this big corporation. I was looking for investor for my theme park project and decided to join in. In the meeting only I realized they were having a meeting with Tsuburaya the owner of Ultraman IP. Ultraman series were produced by Tsuburaya family but now it is owned by Fields Corporation (Panchinko maker 51%) and Bandai ( Merchandising company 49%). "The meeting started with an introduction by my partner that she was representing Upin & Ipin in Indonesia and she moved on to push her company ability to produce 3d animation better than Upin Ipin. I was shocked when she said the popularity of Upin & Ipin is declining and her show is getting popular. I was upset by her remarked (sic) and immediately I texted my lawyer back home to proceed with the plan to dumped (sic) her as our partner," he stated. However, after the meeting, he was invited by Tsuburaya representative Mr. K to return to the office the next morning without his partner. Story continues "Next day, me and my wife, went to their office without my partner as she had to go for the shooting session. During the meeting, Mr K told us they knew how popular Upin Ipin in Indonesia, and the Ultraman popularity was declining. He asked us whether it is possible for Ultraman to go into Upin Ipin series to prop up their popularity. We told him it is possible for a price." After more than year of discussion, they in the end agreed to the terms and conditions set by Les' Copaque and thus Ultraman Ribut (Storm) begun production and was completed in 2014 and when presented to Tsuburaya, they were satisfied with the final result. However, Burhanuddin said that after two years of working together, they decided to pull out from the collaboration as "Upin Ipin" was unable to penetrate the Japanese market. Even though they are no longer working together, Les' Copaque is still waiting for the decision from them on a collaborative "Upin Ipin" and "Ultraman Ribut" movie project. Ultraman Ribut, which was introduced last September in an "Upin Ipin" episode, will be making its debut in "Ultra Galaxy Fight: New Generation Heroes" which will be screened worldwide exclusively on the official Ultraman YouTube channel. Rather than enforce the ruling, the EPA is now considering retroactive waivers, designed to create a mock paper trail covering years as far back as 2011. As a result, new exemptions would be considered extensions rather than fresh handouts, so court-ordered limits would not apply. The exemptions aim to rewrite history, with the sole purpose of sidestepping the law and pushing more U.S. biofuels out of the marketplace. Its an absurd and transparent tactic designed to bend the law beyond recognition all to help oil companies claim handouts covering years they reported millions or billions in profit. Biofuel and farm leaders are furious. Senator Joni Ernst has promised a renewed effort within my office and Senator Grassleys office now since hearing just the really unsatisfactory answers from the EPA. But time is running out. It took years for farm communities to win their court victory ending the EPAs abuse. Over that time, billions of bushels of grain demand were lost, siphoning income away from farm families and biofuel producers alike. True, it did not all work out well. Sold as "the war to end war" and "to make the world safe for democracy" Wilson took us in in April 1917 as an associate power of four empires. And rather than make the world safe for democracy, the war made the world that emerged accessible to Lenin, Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler. Yet, if Wilson's disbelief in equality is sufficient to get the most famous son Princeton produced from having his name on a public institute, this is likely just the beginning. The Wilson Center, chartered by Congress in 1968, a nonpartisan policy forum led today by ex-Congresswoman Jane Harman, is the official memorial to President Wilson in Washington, D.C. It, too, is likely to be headed for the chopping block. One of the largest and most integrated public high schools in D.C. is Woodrow Wilson High, which has stood since before World War II in the northwest corner of the city. Is that name to be changed as well? What of the D.C. Beltway's Wilson Bridge, south of the city, which has brought traffic into, out of and around the capital for decades? Will we need a name change there as well? In 1989, an Italian immigrant named Arturo Di Modica cast a bronze statue of a bull as a symbol of his optimism about America. He trucked it into Lower Manhattan from a Brooklyn foundry and left it on the street, illegally, where it become an icon of New York Citys financial might. For five years, Sajid Mahmood has served chicken and rice from a cart in the Financial District, in the shadow of Charging Bull. When the Pakistani immigrant came back to work last week in Phase 2 of the citys reopening, it was with a sense of hope for business downtown. On Tuesday evening, as he was wrapping up for the day, I wanted to know how things were going. Advertisement Usually, I get about a thousandbut today it has been closer to 250, he told me. Advertisement Advertisement Customers? I asked. Dollars. After six terrible weeks as the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, New York is reopening again, in fits and starts. The city was not, as some observers irresponsibly claimed, a uniquely vulnerable edge case. Instead, it suffered an excruciating spasm of infection that is now recurring, on a smaller scale, in less dense, more suburban metropolises like Houston and Phoenix. Most cities are the same animal at a different scale, Esteban Moro, a physicist who studies cities and measured New Yorkers interactions during the shutdown, told me. Bigger city, smaller cityit doesnt make much of a difference, Moro says. Youll meet about 5,000 people a year. Advertisement Which is what I thought about when COVID-19 cases started surging across the Sun Belt, in cities where politicians and pundits wrongly predicted that cars would protect them. Same animal, different scale. New York just had the bad luck to be the first place in the U.S. to really probe the depth of our leaders incompetence. Its problems are Americas problems now. Thanks to our governments ongoing failure to manage the pandemic, much more than Manhattan seems to be in jeopardy. Beginning this week on Slates future-focused Friday podcast What Next: TBD, Im hosting a six-part series on the next stage of the American city. Its an uncertain topic. The only thing that seems clear is this: Inadequate help for people, businesses, and local governmentscombined with failures to stem the spread of COVID-19will result in seismic changes to the places we love. Advertisement For the first episode, I started with those glassy totems looming over Mahmoods halal cart: skyscrapers. Specifically, I wanted to explore some of the material challenges to reopening them while the coronavirus still ragesbusy elevators, open plan offices, and mass transit. I was expecting to hear about conference rooms strung with shower curtains and cubicles divided by plexiglass. Instead, I learned that few companies are trying to COVID-proof the office. As the CEO of Warby Parker put it recently, its better to be productive outside the office than to be sent back into a maze. If working from home works so well, some bosses are asking themselves, then what should the office really do? Already, many firms forecast that the relationship between office work and remote work will change long after the coronavirus is no longer a fact of daily life. Advertisement Like many coronavirus disruptions, this shift would accelerate a trend thats been underway for a while: the split office. To the extent that big companies have re-established themselves in downtown Boston or Chicago over the past two decades, they have done so with small, boutique offices for creative workersnot replacements for their old suburban campuses. Advertisement These days (pre-COVID), a company like Uber makes big decisions from its headquarters on Market Street in San Francisco, while back-office support works from low-cost cities like Phoenix. (Other companies use contract workers, or just outsource that work: Many customer support numbers will put you through to speak with deported Americans in El Salvador.) A leaner, post-pandemic office might mean workers dont come in every day. It might mean the ongoing elimination of various administrative staff like secretaries, already long in decline, and the further isolation of Americas managerial elite from the people who work for them. Advertisement But it also means something much more immediate in the streets around the skyscrapers, where the spillover effects of office jobs go far beyond the sad-desk-salad chains. An office upheaval prompted by COVID-19 may eventually end the livelihoods of people like Mahmoodand thats if he makes it through what is shaping up to be a long, weird interim period in the American city. Dont expect any grand predictions about what happens next. In future episodes of this series, Ill bring you stories from the people on the groundfrom suburbs where young families are house-shopping, theaters where the audience has vanished, and budget offices where panic is setting in. The end of the city? Nothing has done it in yet. But somethings got to give. Hawaii is ready for its midpandemic tourism boom. Starting on Aug. 1, tourists looking to visit Hawaii will be able to bypass the states two-week quarantine requirement for arrivals by getting a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours before landing in the state. Visitors can also have their quarantines cut short if they receive negative test results during those two weeks. The same rules will also apply to residents returning to the islands. Hawaii wont pay for the tests; travelers will have to handle that themselves before departure, though screeners will still administer temperature checks at airports. Were in deep discussions with national pharmacy agencies and labs to get everyone willing to participate on board, Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green told Honolulu Civil Beat. Were working through the details to get as much availability as possible. The level of detail is quite extraordinary, actually. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With just 926 infections over the course of the pandemic, Hawaii has the lowest number of cases in the country. Its death toll stands at 18. The state did see relatively high spikes in cases around the beginning of the U.S. outbreak in March; most of those infections were travel-related. Since then, Hawaii has mandated that visitors quarantine themselves for 14 days upon arrival before venturing out. The restrictions have made travel to the state almost nonexistent, according to CNN, and cases have fallen dramatically. If you look at the epidemic curve and trends in Hawaii, theyve done a good job of really curbing the spread of coronavirus on the islands, said Amanda Castel, an epidemiology professor at George Washington University. Theyre in a unique situation because, unlike being in the continental U.S., they actually can try to control movement in and out of the islands more easily. Advertisement Local officials are still working out many of the specifics, though the plan is partially based on a similar program that Alaska implemented starting June 5. Alaskas program currently requires people to take a test no more than 72 hours prior to departure and provide proof of negative results to screeners when they land. If someone is unable to receive results before arrival, screeners administer another test at the airport and instruct the visitor to minimize exposure to others. Visitors who dont get tested before their trip also have to get one at the airport, and then self-quarantine until they get the results. They also receive a voucher for an additional test that they have to undergo sometime within seven to 14 days. Anyone who declines to go through these testing protocols has to self-quarantine for two weeks. (Alaska has been relying on voluntary cooperation as opposed to enforcement, however.) Advertisement Advertisement News of Hawaii easing its regulations has jump-started the travel industry. Hawaiian Airlines, which has been focusing on cargo transportation and essential travel over the past few months, announced on Monday that it will be adding hundreds of weekly flights between Hawaii and the mainland in August. Local chambers of commerce are reporting that theyre also seeing an uptick in tourism bookings. Theres some uneasiness around Hawaii relaxing the two-week quarantine. State lawmakers voiced their concerns at a briefing about the testing plans on Monday, pointing to the spikes in cases in cities across the mainland U.S. Castel, of George Washington University, also has doubts about whether testing is really an adequate substitute for a two-week quarantine. Theres so many pitfalls with testing. We dont have fantastic tests, she said. Testing only really reflects your prior exposure to that date, so its just a snapshot in time. Indeed, a study from Johns Hopkins suggests that coronavirus tests may have at least a 20 percent false negative rate. And Castel worries that people are still at risk of exposure while making their way to Hawaii, after theyve gotten the test. When I say traveling on a plane, Im thinking about the whole process. Like parking your car at the airport and taking the shuttle and going to check in and going through security and waiting by the gate. All those things increase your risk because youre mixing with people from all over. Advertisement Advertisement Gary Slutkin, an epidemiologist who formerly worked for the World Health Organization, has similar concerns. While he notes that the scientific community still doesnt know much about how the coronavirus spreads on planes, Slutkin points to incidents during the 2003 SARS outbreak, during which there were 40 flights that had probable cases of infected passengers spreading the disease to others. Studies found that travelers were at the highest risk if they sat within two rows of an infected person, though SARS transmission could still occur outside that radius. Slutkin points out that coronavirus may be even more concerning for air travel because even asymptomatic carriers can spread it, unlike SARS. In addition, SARS only infected about 8,000 people, while COVID-19 has afflicted about 10.8 million. Its a whole new game when you have people who are infectious when theyre not sick and there have been millions of cases already, he said. Slutkin recommends that Hawaii go the extra mile by requiring that everyoneeven those who took a test before flyingget tested shortly after arriving in the state. Its worth it to be cautious, and a Mai Tai is just as delicious in a hotel room you cant leave. As the 21st century dawned, liberal democracy seemed virtually unassailable, at least as an idea. Then, two decades later, authoritarians were looking like the trend-setters and democrats the holdouts. The liberal idea has become obsolete, declared Russian President Vladimir Putin as leaders gathered for the 2019 G-20 summit in Japan. Then came the murder of George Floyd. In the wake of other high-profile killings of Black Americans by the police, the tragedy ignited the most significant social uprising in the United States since the 1960s and sparked kindred protests around the world. Beyond the struggle for racial justice, a broader conflict has emerged over national identity and fate. These events have set illiberal ethno-nationalists back on their heels, most notably President Donald Trump and his allies in America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Still, even if the courage and verve of the protestersand the singular repugnance and incompetence of the American presidentlead to a Democratic sweep in November, the specter of illiberalism will persist in the United States. It will prove even more menacing in countries that have less deeply embedded democratic institutions than America and more talented autocratic leaders than Trump. If liberal democracys defenders are to refute Putins smug declaration, liberal party leaders around the world will have to seriously rethink their approach. Not since the 1930s, after all, has democracy experienced such a precipitous decline on the global stage. More distressing still, the worst backsliders include the United States and India, the worlds largest democracies, as well as Poland and Hungary, formerly poster children for successful transitions from dictatorship to free government. Advertisement Why have liberal parties faltered even in established democracies? Conventional wisdom holds that rising economic and cultural anxieties are to blame, but these factors alone do not provide a sufficient explanation. The crisis can be traced at least in part to the behavior of leaders. While liberal politicians stake their fortunes on better policies, their illiberal opponents have seized upon something more powerful: rhetoric that appeals to primal, tribal instincts and projects strength and fortitude. Advertisement Around the world, illiberal demagogues are cloaking their ethnocentricity and assaults on democracy in a forceful argot of national greatness. They hammer home their purported superiority as commanders, patriots, and protectors. Illiberals characterize their transgressions as strength while portraying liberals defense of the vulnerable and the rule of law as weak-kneed pandering and proceduralism. Advertisement Liberals are too often losing this fight because they have forgotten how to embed their messages and policies in compelling national narratives, symbols, and rhetoric. If they are to vanquish illiberals rather than merely edge them out in the next elections, liberals must mobilize nationalism to counter ethno-nationalism and reestablish their credentials as tough-minded, confident patriots. As protesters from Berlin to Budapest to Rio de Janeiro march in solidarity with their American counterparts, the current moment presents a historic opportunity to take back the flag from illiberal nativists and consign them to the electoral fringe. Illiberal demagogues are cloaking their ethnocentricity and assaults on democracy in a forceful argot of national greatness. Numerous observers have tried to account for democracys crisis. According to some, including Thomas Frank and Joseph Stiglitz, growing economic insecurity and injustice explain the increasing appeal of illiberal leaders. Liberal parties, for their part, are said to have forsaken the material interests of working people in favor of neoliberal policies, driving those voters into the welcoming arms of demagogues. In this account, the key to fighting the illiberal right is to double down on the progressive economic agenda. Advertisement Advertisement On its face, this argument makes sense. Recent research showing an elephant curve in global income growth reveals dramatic gains for the bottom half of humanity as well as top earners. But growth has proved slower for the squeezed middle, which includes most wage earners in advanced industrialized countries, not least in the United States. We cannot know whether these developments account for the rise of illiberals in the West. We do know that American democracy sailed through the wrenching recessions and double-digit unemployment of the early 1980s and late 2000snot to mention the Great Depression of the 1930s. The rise of inequity in a context of decent macroeconomic conditions is not an obvious formula for crashing democracy in the United States, which has the worlds highest per capita income among countries with populations over 10 million. The middle did not realize the gains that the poor and rich did, but all groups incomes expanded, and the economy was on the upswing at the time of Trumps election. Some argue that the skyrocketing costs of housing and health care swung working-class whites to Trump. But two-thirds of Trumps support in 2016 came from voters with incomes above the median earners. Advertisement Advertisement Nor are progressive arguments that the Democratic Party has abandoned the concerns of working people entirely convincing. Some observers point to Bill Clintons welfare reforms and financial sector liberalization, and Barack Obamas support for bailing out Wall Street during the financial crisis, as evidence of a turn to neoliberalism. Debates over the effects of these choices continue, but the overall thrust of the Democrats policies has remained progressive. Democrats have fought for universal health care for decades. They passed Obamacarewithout a single Republican votein 2010. In 2001 and 2017, they opposed the Republicans regressive, deficit-ballooning tax cuts, and under Obama they hiked rates on higher incomes. In the electorate as a whole, the Democrats policies have long been more popular than the Republicans. Those who care most about inequality, moreover, have stuck with the Democrats. Advertisement In Europe, the countries that have experienced the worst democratic backsliding had previously authored the most impressive economic success stories. Between 1993 and 2015, the year that the democracy-busting Law and Justice (PiS) party captured a parliamentary majority in Poland, GDP per capita more than doubled and the country sustained comparatively low levels of income inequality. Hungarians likewise generated growth with equity. From 1993 to 2010, GDP per capita expanded robustly. In 2010, when Viktor Orbans illiberal Fidesz party won a parliamentary supermajority and started dismantling democracy, Hungarys level of income inequality was the same as Denmarks. Advertisement Advertisement Bread-and-butter explanations for democracys crisis do not readily fit India, either. Between 1991 and 2014, GDP per capita tripled, poverty plunged, and life expectancy shot up from 58 to 69. Yet in 2014 the ethno-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a parliamentary majority, and its imperious leader, Narendra Modi, became prime minister. In 2019, Modi renewed his mandate in a landslide despite decelerating economic growth. Advertisement On balance, ordinary people are more prosperous than at any time in history, yet many are turning away from liberal candidates and parties at the polls. If economic grievance cannot readily explain democracys crisis, does dismay over immigrants pouring over borders, a Black American president, and gay marriage account for the rise of illiberal demagogues? Bigotry and hate undoubtedly constitute one of the worlds most pressing problems. Still, surveys offer little evidence that countries suffering democratic deterioration have grown more culturally conservative. The percentage of non-Black Americans who believe landlords should have to rent and sell to people regardless of race rose from 37 percent in 1978 to 78 percent in 2018. In 1988, 11 percent of Americans supported gay marriage, compared with 68 percent in 2018. Views on legal immigration have become much more positive since the 1990s. Advertisement Advertisement Liberalizing trends are manifest in other democracies in danger as well. At the time of PiSs 2015 victory, Poles were more pro-immigration than were the French, the British or the Belgians. Hungarians attitudes toward immigrants held steady between 2002 and 2006 and actually turned more favorable between 2006 and 2010, the year of Orbans big win. On cultural issues, Poles and Hungarians have grown markedly more liberal across the board. Evidence of liberalization in cultural attitudes is present in India as well. Might a backlash against declining bigotry be to blame? In a magisterial recent volume, Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart argue that once liberal values became predominant, a tipping point was reached, triggering an authoritarian reflex in attitudes and a counter-revolutionary conservative backlash. Ultimately, the authors expect socio-economic modernization to resolve the conflict in liberals favor. But for now, heated culture wars disrupt politics and society. Advertisement Yet when are modern societies not in a tipping point era? Consider racial attitudes. Perhaps the liberalization of opinion on integrated schools in the 1950s and 1960s was the tip. Or did it come in the 1980s, when a majority of white Americans broke decisively for nondiscrimination in housing? Did it arrive in the 2010s, resulting in Trumps election? Or have we reached it now, with the spectacular upsurge and widening of the Black Lives Matter movement? Disillusionment over cultural change runs deep in every era. Like economic injustice, the passage of tipping points is a constant in modern societies. Advertisement Perhaps liberal parties problem lies at least as much with their messaging as it does with policies and underlying social forces. Contemporary liberals have typically been preoccupied with policy solutions, overlooking the imperative of telling a compelling national story. In the United States, even if Trump is defeated and progressive reforms are enacted, without a rousing liberal-national narrative the illiberals story of a nation under siege by immigrants, minorities, and cosmopolitan elites will continue to infect public discourse and yield electoral dividends. Advertisement Democratic Party operatives seem to recognize that something is missing. After incurring heavy losses in the 2014 midterm elections, the party convened a special task force. Topping their list of concerns was the widespread perception that the party is little more than a long list of policy statements. In order to develop a unifying message for future elections, the task force proposed a National Narrative Project. Evidence of its fruits have yet to surface. To find such a narrative, Democratic leaders need look no further than their mid20th century predecessors. The progressive leaders who dominated American politics for decades offered forceful national narratives that tethered rights, equality, and welfare to Americas identity and highest purposes. They consistently strove to make liberal democracy patrioticand patriotism liberal and democratic. They enacted Medicare, Social Security, and civil rights over furious conservative opposition by appealing to nationalism as well as a spirit of compassion, benevolence and justice. Advertisement Advertisement Franklin Roosevelt spoke about his social reforms in a nationalist idiom that is rarely heard from current-day Democratic Party leaders. In a 1936 speech, the president praised the New Deal for having Americanized the tax system: First, we gave a credit to earned income. Wasnt that the American thing to do? Secondly, we decreased the tax rates on small corporations. Wasnt that the American thing to do? And third, we increased the taxes paid by individuals in the higher brackets. Wasnt that the American thing to do? Fourth, we increased still further, more steeply, the taxes paid by individuals in the highest bracket. Wasnt that the American thing to do? This was stock rhetoric for FDR, who justified his every move in terms of American traditions, interests, and values. It aided his efforts to enact the kinds of deep reforms that helped restore the economyand save democracy to boot. The fact that FDR was largely authoring the story as he wentAmerica in fact had little tradition of the radical economic measures he enactedtestified to his appreciation of the power of narrative and of Americanizing his every reform in the minds of the voters. In a country allergic to socialism, FDRs language helped him sell his radical economic program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps liberal parties problem lies at least as much with their messaging as it does with policies and underlying social forces. John F. Kennedy also tapped national sentiment to advance progressive causes. In June 1963, as George Wallace tried to block integration at the University of Alabama and police Commissioner Bull Connor set dogs on peaceful civil rights demonstrators, JFK addressed the nation in a bold speech on civil rights. He not only spelled out a litany of disturbing data on the disadvantages faced by Black people that spoke to Americans sense of justicehe also appealed to national pride: We preach freedom around the world, and we mean it but are we to say to the world, and much more importantly to each other, that this is the land of the freeexcept for the Negros? Kennedy also bound specific progressive policies to national greatness. In a May 1962 speech that laid the groundwork for Medicare, he linked strong, assertive action by the national government to the nations great pioneer heritage and declared that cooperation between an alert and progressive citizenry and a progressive government is what has made this country great. Advertisement Advancing a powerful liberal-national narrative in support of domestic causes was not the only feature that distinguished Americas midcentury progressives. They also spoke in robust, muscular terms about national interests, tying them always to the defense of freedom. In a January 1941 speech, with Hitler in control of the European continent, Roosevelt denounced the new order of tyranny that seeks to spread over every continent today. He continued, The American people have unalterably set their faces against that tyranny. Advertisement Martin Luther King, the moral conscience of midcentury progressive patriotism, showed that nationalism need not be martial. Even as he excoriated the folly of Vietnam, he offered a soaring vision of national greatness: My beloved nation can well lead the way in [a] revolution of values, one that would diminish deadly Western arrogance and end the age of imperialism. Arguing that the day has passed for superficial patriotism, he declared: I criticize America because I love her. I want her to stand as a moral example to the world. Advertisement Post-Vietnam progressives answered Kings call to eschew imperialism but they mistrusted nationalism. Many came to regard it as just another expression of toxic tribalism that modernization and popular enlightenment would one day wash away. Democrats have told stories of class, gender, and racial injustice, and they have rightly pressed for ameliorative policies, but they have typically failed to scale up their message to a full-blown narrative that joins the pursuit of justice to the nations ideals, identity, and greatness. Most party leaders have also refrained from taking the lead on national interests and security, leaving that to the Republicans. As a result, they left the flag with politicians who carried it into another reckless warand eventually turned it over to Trump, whose patriotic pretensions too often go unchallenged despite their manifest hollowness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement American liberals have been relatively comfortable talking about race but have forgotten how to speak the language of nationalism. If ever there was a time to rejoin the two and leverage nationalism to counter ethno-nationalism, it is now. The seismic events of recent weeks have induced a remarkable rise in popular awareness of structural racism, and people of all ethnicities are flooding the streets alongside their Black American brethren. Still more may remain on the sidelines, waiting for liberal leaders to craft a message that resonates with them. King, Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson all marshaled patriotism in the service of racial justice. Not only that, their messages gained currency among a sufficiently broad audience to help usher in the most significant civil rights legislation in a centuryand in an age marked by greater hostility to racial justice than that which prevails today. Advertisement As Trump rose in the 2016 primaries, political psychologist Jonathan Haidt warned Democrats of the need to challenge Trumps patriotic credentials. Trumps opponents, he suggested, should not only stress how he threatens justice for the underprivileged but also how he brings shame to America and weakens our stature among our friends. Haidts advice was rooted in his theory of the moral foundations of politics. He and his colleagues identified five such foundations: care, fairness, loyalty, authority, and sanctity. They showed that contemporary liberal leaders invoke a language of care and fairness while leaders on the right lean on a parlance of authority, loyalty, and sanctity. Advertisement Thus, the general tenor of contemporary Democrats rhetoric amounts to humanitarian pleas. After the Republicans passed their tax bill in December 2017, typical responses included Hillary Clintons excoriation of the policy as part of a very mean-spirited campaign. Sen. Cory Booker called it unjust and just plain cruel. That same year, Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer labeled Republicans proposed health care bill heartless. The compassion is there in spades, but less visible is the jaunty nationalism of FDR that pushed a progressive vision to Americanize the tax system and JFKs association of government-sponsored health care with the pioneers. Advertisement According to research, the language political leaders use to talk about their policies is more important to voters than the policy stances themselves. Unlike their progressive successors, Americas midcentury liberals intuitively appealed to all five moral foundations. While the defensive rhetoric of todays progressives castigates voter suppression in terms of its cruelty, King called the denial of this sacred right by its proper name: betrayal. Kennedy likewise spoke in moral absolutes and invoked symbols of sanctity and authority as well as care and fairness. Speaking of Black Americans civil rights, he declared: We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the scriptures and as clear as the American Constitution. In contrast, current-day progressive politicians often allow an increasingly illiberal conservative party to monopolize the rhetoric of authority, loyalty, and sanctity. They routinely attack Trump as heartless, mendacious, and incompetent, but charges of disloyalty to country, degradation of the presidency, and betrayal of American values figure less prominently in their messaging. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Democrats approach has electoral consequences. According to the research of sociologists Rob Willer and Jan Voelkel, the language political leaders use to talk about their policies is more important to voters than the policy stances themselves. The authors further report that for a Democratic presidential nominee, summoning patriotism and the American dream beats the Democrats usual language of compassion and justice. From day one, Trumps bizarre fealty to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, his serial betrayals of U.S. national security from Ukraine to Syria, and his partys tireless efforts to cover his tracks invited Democrats to bolster their bona fides as resolute patriots and guardians of national security and prestige. It similarly afforded them the chance to purvey their own narrative that linked progressive policy to national greatness and to paint Trump as a suck-up rather than the indomitable boss who marches to his own drum. Yet the Democrats mostly treated Trumps treachery as a distraction from their policy goals. Advertisement To be sure, some Democratic Party leaders have attacked Trumps patriotic credentials, using a forceful language of authority, loyalty, and sanctity. Adam Schiff, the Democratic chair of the House Intelligence Committee, did so during the impeachment proceedings. Joe Biden and others have sometimes spoken in similar terms. But generally speaking, this is not the approach most of todays party leaders take, and they certainly do not do so with the relentless consistency of their mid20th century forebears. The task has instead fallen to the #NeverTrump movement of recovering Republicans, whose ads typically go viral. One recent spot denounced the Confederate flag, beloved of so many Trumpians, as a symbol not just of white supremacy but of treason as well. The closing line captures the choice in blunt terms: America or Trump. Advertisement Democrats have also neglected to leverage their opponents patriotic lapses to advance progressive reforms. Campaign finance is an example. Trumps ties to Putin and Republicans receipt of big donations from Putins oligarchs offered the Democrats a golden opportunity. They could have reached out to centrists and conservatives alarmed by an anti-American autocrats attack on the countrys sovereignty. Yet the Democrats stuck with their traditional depiction of campaign finance reform as a matter of class justicea message that has never yielded a winning coalition for change. Democrats have neglected to leverage their opponents patriotic lapses to advance reform. The Black Lives Matter movement has rightly placed racial justice at the forefront of the progressive agenda. Clearly, a reckoning with the historical roots of the structural racism that pervades American life is long past due. With such a shameful legacy to confront, leading progressive Democrats might be loath to link their programs and campaigns to a proud national narrative. But the countrys mid20th century leaders also had to grapple with past crimes even as they struggled to advance civil rights. MLK, JFK, and LBJ did not whitewash Americas checkered past as they smashed Jim Crow. But they consistently distinguished the virtues of the nations founding principles from the failings of its conduct. By calling out the failure of America to live up to its lofty ideals, midcentury leaders summoned national pride in those ideals to mobilize a coalition for change. They told a compelling story of the nation to challenge the country to do better. Redemption and progress lay at the heart of their messaging. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 21st-century liberal-national narrative can and must offer a searing indictment of the nations failings as well as a soaring affirmation of its progress and promise. These two elements hardly preclude each other. The narrative can exalt the nations capacity for critical self-evaluation as a powerful facilitator of American progress and greatness. It can recount, too, the nations mighty progressive tradition that has labored to bend the arc of history toward justice. Above all, it can stress Americas status as a country founded on a noble ideato establish self-government, equality, and individual rights. Liberal leaders can harness nationalism to promote social inclusion and progress. And they can rely on hard rhetoric that taps into voters longing for authority, loyalty, and sanctity as well as care and fairness. When liberals neglect these imperatives, demagogues who claim preeminence as patriotic national guardians while identifying the nation with only part of its people are sure to step forward and press their own ideas about how to make their country great again. From Washington to Warsaw and Budapest to Bangalore, that is exactly what has happened. Advertisement During their struggles against communism, the leaders of Eastern Europes democratic movements tore down the patriotic pretensions of Communist Party rulers who relied on Moscows backing. They also fostered a sense of optimism and common national purpose that helped steer nascent democracies through the hardships of transition. Advertisement Polands Solidarity trade union movement famously fused liberal and national aspirations. Its leader, Lech Waesa, never failed to summon the martyrs of Polands centurieslong quest for national independence, often in the same breath that he demanded political liberalization. At their First National Congress, Solidaritys leaders issued a Letter to Poles that stated: Here, on the Vistula, a new Poland is being born. Born of the whole nations will, Solidarity is a civic social movement of people conscious of their rights and their duties towards the Fatherland and its independence. Movement leaders adopted Zeby Polska bya Polska (Let Poland Be Poland) as Solidaritys anthem and adorned countless factory entrances with their chosen emblem, a worker bearing the Polish flag. Advertisement In Hungary, the revolution of 1848 and the anti-Soviet revolt of 1956, the historical cornerstones of national independence, figured prominently in the democratic movements imagery. Jozsef Antall, an opposition leader and Hungarys first post-Communist prime minister, called forth national pride in the service of democracy as Waesa did in Poland. In a speech marking the 1956 revolt, Antall reminded his audience that it was the Hungarians who punched a hole in the ship of tyranny. Advertisement Advertisement Yet over time the liberals lost sight of nationalisms significancea mistake that would prove costly for themselves and for democracy. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, head of the right-liberal Civic Platform and prime minister from 200714, fixated on prosperity and the EU. The liberals indeed posted a strong record on the economy. But Tusk and other liberal leaders often implied that Brussels approval was the measure of Polands success. They struggled to respond when Jarosaw Kaczynski, leader of the illiberal PiS, accused them of ignoring national interests and characterized Tusk as a weak-kneed servant of the EU. Kaczynski portrayed himself as a dominant figure capable of staunchly defending Polands sovereignty in the face of the EUs overbearing demands and Russias imperial designs. Advertisement Hungarys democrats did not display the same overt devotion to Brussels or weak-willed response to their illiberal foes. Still, as Balint Magyar observes, their failure to marshal national symbols to legitimize the new democracy prevented the ethos of the republic from touching the souls of the people. Nor did they advance a stirring narrative that couched the nations recent democratic success in the heroic tradition of the 1848 and 1956 revolts. Instead, they surrendered the mantle of Hungarian nationhood to Orbans illiberal Fidesz. Orban plies a language of strength and dominance to distinguish his nationalist pretensions, depicting himself as the head of an age-old movement to build a mighty Hungary. Fidesz won an overwhelming majority of seats in 2010 and repeated the feat in 2014 and 2018. Advertisement Advertisement A similar pattern is evident in the worlds largest democracy. In the decades before and after independence, the Indian National Congress (INC) and its liberal leader, Jawaharlal Nehru, owned the Indian tricolor. Nehru embedded his fervent commitments to democracy and minority rights in an inspiring vision of Indias identity and global mission. In 1947, on the eve of independence, he hailed the birth of freedom, a moment when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. But Nehrus INC successors neglected to integrate their commitments to religious minorities and the poor into an absorbing narrative of national glory. Their missteps opened the way for Modi and his BJP to commandeer the conversation about national mission and fate. Promising to put India first, Modi quipped in 2012: [INC leader] Rahul [Gandhi] is not just a national leader but an international leader. Modi also contrasted his own muscular stance on foreign policy with INCs weak and feeble approach. Advertisement Nehru wielded Indian nationalism to crush ethno-nationalists, accusing Hindu chauvinists of betraying our country. But his heirs avoided such stalwart rhetoric when it came to the BJP. They make people fight, spread anger, Rahul Gandhi proclaimed in 2014. We spread love and compassion. Advertisement Advertisement INC prime minister Manmohan Singh (200414) presided over high growth while spearheading employment, food security, and education schemes. Still, in 2014 the BJP steamrolled the INC in parliamentary elections and Modi became prime minister. While Modis Islamophobia draws much attention, his message appeals far beyond his Hindu-nationalist base. He propagates a vision of a mighty, rising India commanded by an indomitable leader, and his national vision and reputation for decisiveness, more than his Hindu zealotry, explain his rise. His message is designed to make Indians across castes and classes feel great about their countryand the man responsible for that sentiment. Advertisement Leaders like FDR, JFK, Waesa, and Nehru demonstrated that democrats can propound powerful liberal-national narratives. History is full of mighty leaders who mobilized nationalism to promote freedom, equality, and progress. For now, the people are taking the lead. With November 2020 approaching, the door is wide open for democracys defenders to assault Trumps pseudo-patriotism and bolster their own nationalist credentials. By urging the use of military force to crush Black Lives Matter protests, Trump dishonors American troops and constitutional traditions. His hapless response to the COVID-19 pandemic not only reveals the need for a robust social safety net but also lays bare the administrations abject failure to protect the nation from a grave menace. His cowering before Putin evinces a disgraceful disloyalty to country. By attacking patriotic civil servants who testified against him in impeachment proceedings, Trump degrades the presidency and betrays the nations front-line protectors. Advertisement Advertisement Etching such facts into voters minds in a manner that invokes a powerful national narrative and projects dominanceAmericans will not stand for thismay be key to subduing the illiberal challenge over the long haul. Next time, Democratic Party leaders might not have the luxury of facing an opponent as bungling as Trump. For now, the people are taking the lead. The protesters thronging Americas cities and towns are toppling Confederate monuments and spurring calls to rename military bases that honor Confederate traitors. A movement that began as a protest against racist police violence has become a pitched battle over the American story. Trumps GOP acolytes are digging in, defending not only the memorials to treason but also a president who has made betrayal of country routine. Democratic Party leaders are laudably calling for criminal justice reform, but their instinctual focus on policy is causing them to miss a broader point: George Floyd ripped the flag from the hands of the illiberal right. It is now up for grabs. Will liberal leaders now claim it, at long last, for all American citizens and aspirants to citizenship? Advertisement Rarely in recent history has custody of the flag been so contested in so many countries. In India, Modis proposed National Registry of Citizens and Citizenship Amendment Bill prompted furious popular resistance from flag-waving, constitution-quoting, national anthemsinging demonstrators, most of them women. As Prerna Singh notes: Protestors are challenging the BJPs attempts to define the national identity and breaking from a common liberal response of rejecting national pride. As a result, Modi found himself on the defensive on a major initiative. In Switzerland, a grassroots movement, Operation Libero, has helped defeat a string of referenda sponsored by the ethno-nationalist Swiss Peoples Party. To tackle rightwing populism, explains Flavia Kleiner, the groups young co-founder, you have to dispense with peevishness and be very much on the offensiveyou must lead the narrative. As polls showed overwhelming support for a measure to expel foreigners for petty violations, Kleiner says her group avoided entirely speaking about foreigners and criminality. Instead, it deliberately argued in a patriotic way, tying equality before the law to the countrys constitution and deepest national traditions. As the vote drew close, she reports, the referendums sponsors found themselves having to explain why they wanted Swiss values to be upended. In conceding defeat, the leader of the Swiss Peoples Party seemed baffled: I dont know what happened but at some point, everyone was just talking about the rule of law. Such popular movements show how liberals can reinvigorate the spirit of democracy by tapping nationalism and reestablishing their reputations for optimism and strength. The organizers grasp that robust economies, liberalizing social attitudes, and attractive policies may not be enough to quell the illiberal challenge, and that standing up to authoritarian bullies requires attacking them relentlessly, using the full force of a national narrative. By taking their cue, democratic leaders can arm themselves for the protracted battles that lie ahead. For more of Slates news coverage, listen to What Next: TBD. Two police officers in Oklahoma have been charged with second-degree murder after they allegedly used Tasers on a man more than 50 times before he died. Joshua Taylor, 25, and Brandon Dingman, 34, of the Wilson Police Department were charged in connection with the death of Jared Lakey, 28, as part of an incident that took place on July 4 last year. Lakey was hospitalized and died two days later. The use of the Tasers was a substantial factor in Lakeys death, according to court documents. If convicted the two men could face sentences of 10 years to life in prison. Advertisement Taylor and Dingman came into contact with Lakey on July 4 last year while responding to a call that he was acting in a disorderly manner. When he didnt comply with their commands, Taylor and Dingman reportedly fired their taser repeatedly over nine minutes. According to the data logs in the court filings, Taylor fired his taser 30 times while Dingman fired his taser 23 times . That means Lakey was tased for almost four straight minutes in the nine-minute span. Spencer Bryan, a lawyer for Lakeys parents, said that the officers had claimed at first they only used Tasers four times. Advertisement Advertisement A year after a man died after being shocked with a Taser dozens of times, two Oklahoma police officers have been arrested, officials say. https://t.co/LDAChmB9iM Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) July 3, 2020 Advertisement The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent who assisted in the investigation concluded that Lakey never made any kind of aggressive move toward either one of the officers. That appears to contradict Dingman who said that the officers continually used their tasers to avoid Lakey from getting up and attack them. Plus the officers never tried to control him using their hands as they are trained to do in these kinds of situations. The use of tasers amounted to a substantial factor in Lakeys death and the number of times they were fired greatly exceeded what would have been necessary or warranted by the attendant circumstances. The officers turned themselves in on Thursday morning after the Carter County District Attorneys Office issued warrants for their arrests. Both were released on $250,000 bonds. This article is part of the Free Speech Project, a collaboration between Future Tense and the Tech, Law, & Security Program at American University Washington College of Law that examines the ways technology is influencing how we think about speech. The basic idea of Parler is an awful lot like Twitter. But instead of tweets, users post Parleys; instead of retweets, there are echoes. And upon registering, the suggested accounts to follow include Breitbart, the Epoch Times, and the Daily Caller, as well as Rand Paul, Mark Levin, and Team Trump. In June, right-wing users started flocking to this alt-Twitter, whose main selling point is that it vows to champion free speech. As mainstream platforms banned more far-right accounts, removed hate speech with newfound vigor, and attached warning labels to a few of President Donald Trumps tweets, Parler became, for many, an attractive solution to Twitters supposed ills. Now, its the second most popular app in the App Store, and last week it was estimated to have reached more than 1.5 million daily users, snagging some high-profile newbies: Sen. Ted Cruz, Rep. Elise Stefanik, Rep. Jim Jordan, Donald Trump Jr., and Eric Trump. What led to Parlers founding in August 2018 was, predictably, disillusionment with the likes of the Silicon Valley giants. Henderson, Nevadabased software engineers Jared Thomson and John Matze created the platform, according to Parlers website, [a]fter being exhausted with a lack of transparency in big tech, ideological suppresssion [sic] and privacy abuse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet while the platform is being billed as the big free speech alternative to Twitter, it isnt exactly unique. Nor is it as uncensored as it claims to be. Parler is just the latest in a long line of rival social networks that have appeared (and, often, disappeared) in the past decade as alternatives to Big Tech. And, if the past is any indicator, its unlikely that Parler will become anything more than a fringe platform in the near future. Some of the platforms to emerge as alternatives to the major social networks have taken a hard line on data privacy. Ello, for example, was founded in 2014 as an ad-free network that promised never to sell user data to advertisers. (After being dubbed a Facebook killer, the site was overwhelmed with new users and crashed frequently; it could never scale up and instead became a community for digital artists.) MeWe, another Facebook rival, offers the industrys first Privacy Bill of Rights. (It also takes a laissez-faire approach to content moderation.) And while its 8 million users are dwarfed by Facebooks 2.6 billion, MeWe is one of the few successful alternative networks in that its continued to grow since its founding in 2016. Advertisement Advertisement Matze, Parlers CEO who counts Ayn Rand and conservative economist Thomas Sowell among his influences, fancies his platform a sort of free-speech utopia: Were a community town square, an open town square, with no censorship, Matze told CNBC. If you can say it on the street of New York, you can say it on Parler. And while Parler says it is unbiasedMatze is offering a $20,000 progressive bounty for a popular liberal pundit to joinits evidently become an unofficial home to the far right, which has long claimed to be mistreated by mainstream platforms. When alt-right celebrities, such as Milo Yiannopoulos and Laura Loomer, are banned from Twitter, Parler is their next step. (Loomer announced last week that she has become the first person whose Parler following572,000exceeds her pre-ban Twitter following.) Advertisement In this regard, Parler is most similar to Gab, the free speechdriven platform launched in 2017 thats known as a haven for extremists. [F]ar angrier and uglier than Parler, Gab quickly became a breeding ground for anti-Semitism and neo-Nazism, where posts calling for terrorist attacks and violence against minorities circulate. Gabs fate, however, represents one iteration of the circle of life for platforms of its ilk: After it was connected to an instance of terrorism in 2018, when the suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting posted about his intentions to act just before he killed 11 people, Gab never quite recovered. Its server, GoDaddy, dropped it, and though it eventually found another home online, its popularity waned following the shooting and the period offline. In 2019, a software engineer for Gabs web hosting company said that the platform probably had a few tens of thousands of users at mostrather than the 835,000 that Gab claimedthough the hosting company later denied that. Advertisement Advertisement But Parler doesnt quite have Gabs teeth. (Andrew Torba, Gabs founder, has referred to Parler as a network for Z-list Maga celebrities.) While even Gab has limits to free speech, since its content policy purports to ban extremism, Parler is stricter. It goes far beyond what you might expect from a platform whose entire ethos is freedom of expression. Matze listed a few of the basic rules in a Parley on Tuesday: This is how the Parler CEO describes their content policies pic.twitter.com/fiPnNCpxgd Cristiano Lima (@viaCristiano) June 30, 2020 Advertisement As the top Twitter comment points out, Twitter allows four of the five things that Parler censors. Parlers thorough community guidelines also prohibit spam, terrorist activity, defamation, fighting words, and obscenity, among other kinds of speech. And Parlers user agreement includes clauses that may seem antithetical to its mission. The platform may remove any content and terminate your access to the Services at any time and for any reason or no reason, it states. But perhaps most surprising is this: Advertisement 17. You agree to defend and indemnify Parler, as well as any of its officers, directors, employees, and agents, from and against any and all claims, actions, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to all attorneys fees) arising from or relating to your access to and use of the Services. Parler will have the right to conduct its own defense, at your expense, in any action or proceeding covered by this indemnity. Advertisement The indemnity provision means that if Parler faces a lawsuit for something you post, you pay. Basically, youre free to say whatever you wantas long as it falls within the community guidelines, and as long as youre willing to take the risk. That Parler has been reportedly banning users en masse this week only further illuminates the facade of free speech on the platform; but regardless of the extent to which one can or cannot Parley whatever they want, the fact remains that the platform is becoming an important space for the American far right. Its worth considering, then, what its members might do with it. Part of the concern over polarized platforms is that they can lead to radicalization: In general, theyre seen as part of the pipeline to extremism. First, extremist movements find a foothold in mainstream platforms, where they present their norms in a slightly more palatable way, explained Jeremy Blackburn, a computer science professor at Binghamton University who researches fringe and extremist web communities. Then they gain ground in platforms like Parler that straddle the fringe and mainstream. Once you remove any question of there being an echo chamber, theres just obvious consequences, Blackburn said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While this may be cause for concern, Amarnath Amarasingam, an extremism researcher and professor at Queens University, is skeptical that Parler will really galvanize the right. I think part of what animates the rightand the left to some extentand particularly the far right, is the ability to argue with the other, Amarasingam said. Interacting (and fighting) with the left reinforces the far rights identity, giving it meaning and purpose, he said, and from studying similar platforms like Gab, Amarasingam has found that talking to yourself in the dark corners of the internet is actually not that satisfying. And while he believes it might lead to the radicalization of certain individuals within the far right, the platform itself wont necessarily further the ideologies of extremist right-wing groups. Advertisement What Parler could do, Amarasingam believes, is serve as a kind of sounding board for the far right, a place for fringe movements to try out and refine different arguments. Essentially, it could be a factory of sorts, churning out ideas before theyre deployed into the mainstream. Maybe one day, at leastfor now, a good portion of the conversation of Parler is about how fantastic the platform is and how dumb the old tech giants are. Amarasingam acknowledged this. [W]hat that indicates to me is that they actually are just using Parler to vent their anger of being suspended from what really matters, which has been more mainstream platform, he said. And so I think theyll very much try to get back into wherever the conversation is happening. Advertisement Theres also the matter of growth. Normally, these networks just dont get that big. Theyre considered fringe platforms for a reason, and theres rarely a solid business model behind them. In Parlers case, the network was started with angel funding, and Matze hasnt devised a clear business plan since. Currently, his tentative model is to match conservative influencers with advertisers, and have Parler take a cut of the influencer fee. But given brands recent reluctance to advertise on Facebook, this plan seems far from foolproof. With only 30 employees, Parlers ability to handle more users will be tested. It might growespecially if Trump does decide to join after allbut, as Amarasingam put it, if youre not in the mainstream, youre not in the mainstream. Generally speaking, what I expect to see in these sites is they hit a certain threshold of users, just like any other social networking platform, said Blackburn. And then for these types of platforms that are explicitly attracting these certain types of users, probably one of them will do something stupid, then they get shut down or deplatformed, and the next one pops up. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Police raid Nitra security firm with ties to Fico Businessman Norbert Bodor who also featured in the case of illegal surveillance of Jan Kuciak and other journalists, is charged. Font size: A - | A + The police raided the Nitra security firm Bonul on Friday and have brought charges against five people, including an influential businessman. The Aktuality.sk website reported that Norbert Bodor, an alleged Smer sponsor who has had lively contact with mobster Marian Kocner according to the Threema messages found on the phone of the latter during the investigation of the Jan Kuciak murder, is among those charged. His attorney did not comment for the media. Related article How the agricultural subvention agency was turned into a bribe machine Read more The raid is not linked to the Kuciak case or to Threema, but to another high-profile corruption affair the police are currently investigating, the Cattle Breeder case. Dennik N reported that Bodor has been charged on suspicion that he was the final recipient of the millions of euros in bribes flowing through the Agricultural Payments Agency (PPA). Peter Kuba of the Roko advertising agency has reportedly also been charged. He was allegedly involved in the flow of money from bribes through the companies and the PPA. 3. Jul 2020 at 14:12 | Compiled by Spectator staff You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Adham al-Kurd has said that the settlement agreements made with Russian support have not help the south and have only fuelled further violence writes Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. The leader of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the Daraa governorate, Adham al-Kurd, said that the settlement agreements concluded by the Syrian opposition factions in southern Syria with the Russian side were deceiving, describing Moscows role in the negotiations as tragic. In an interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Kurd said that elements of the agreements concluded with the Russian side in mid-2018 in southern Syria were not implemented and are still pending, adding that, we [Free Syrian Army] were thrown into a quagmire filled with details, and after more than two years, the arrests and assassinations have doubled. Tensions and public resentment prevail throughout the Syrian province of Daraa, which witnessed the start of the Syrian revolution in mid-March 2011, due to abuses by the forces of the regime and its security services against the people of the province. Syrian opposition factions have previously concluded agreements with the Russian side in the governorates of Quneitra and Daraa, which were effectively a settlement with the regime. Pursuant to that settlement, these factions had to surrender their heavy weaponry to the regime in exchange for ceasing military operations and releasing detainees held by the regime The settlements in Daraa pushed the rejectionists including leaders, fighters, and civilians to the north of Syria, a scenario that unfolded in many other Syrian regions. The ones who decided to stay behind ended up realizing that those agreements were a gateway to the infiltration of the regime forces to once again murder them, in light of the Russian indifference to deter those forces. Furthermore, the agreements never ended the Iranian presence in Syria, which is represented by several militias, and which the people of southern Syria reject. Competition between the Russians and the Iranians Adham al-Kurd, who, for years, had commanded the Engineering and Missile Regiment faction of the FSA, indicated that the Iranians are hiding in the headquarters of the Fourth Division, led by Maher al-Assad, Bashar al-Assads brother, as well as in the Air Force Intelligence and civil society institutions in southern Syria. The issue of missing persons and detainees held in the regimes prisons since the start of the Syrian revolution back in 2011 is still a thorny one for the people of the governorates of Daraa and Quneitra. Those people were hoping that the 2018 agreement would result in the release of the remaining detainees. However, the regime still refuses to address this issue. Instead, opposition leaders were arrested and tortured to death after the agreement was concluded. In the same context, Kurd revealed that the regime and the Russians are demanding the delivery of trucks full of arms in exchange for releasing detainees; and that, according to Kurd, is immoral extortion. Kurd is considered the most prominent leader of the Free Syrian Army in southern Syria, who is opposed to a compromise with the regime, although he was one of the members of the delegations who negotiated with the Russian side in mid-2018. Kurd stressed that Russias Fifth Corps in the south is feared by the majority of the population. He affirmed his rejection of the idea of establishing a unified army in the Daraa governorate unless the objective is clear and not influenced by any foreign country or political ideas. In response the announcement that Ahmed who is seen as Russians puppet in southern Syria and one of the most prominent officials and accomplices who handed over the south to the regime and the Russians in 2018 Kurd said that he [Ahmed] intends to form a unified army for the Houran region (Daraa), which would act as a nucleus of the whole of Syria. Kurd assessed the performance of the Syrian political opposition abroad, saying that they are dispersed, insufficient, and lack coordination and harmony with Syrias interior climate. Kurd added that the opposition is affected by the interests of their respective host countries. He expressed his belief that nine years of the Syrian revolution is not enough to make change happen in Syria, but he did stress that the country is moving towards radical change through new generations who are bringing the idea of change back to life. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Protestors have taken to the streets in the villages around Kobani, rejecting the presence of Turkish-Russian joint patrols in the area reports Smart News. On Thursday, protesters threw stones at a Russian-Turkish military patrol west of the city of Kobani (Ayn al-Arab), northeast of Aleppo, expressing their refusal at the deployment of these patrols. The patrol set off from the village of Ashmah, west of the city of Kobani, with the participation of four military armored vehicles, in addition to two Russian helicopters. Local sources reported to Smart News that the Russian helicopters fired tear gas to disperse protesters near the village of Boban, after the residents intercepted the patrol in their villages. The patrol passed through the villages of Ashmah, Gargili, Qiran, Decamdash, Boban, Siftak, and Tel Shair, then it returned passing through the villages of Sousan, Koula, Khor Kouri Tahtani, Mishko, and Jabna. The residents of villages north of Hassakeh and Kobani pelted the Russian-Turkish patrols with stones, shoes, and eggs, in protest of the deployment of the patrols and as a rejection of the entry of the Turkish Army to their areas. Also on Thursday, hundreds of people demonstrated against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the town of Ghranij, east of Deir ez-Zor. An official in the Deir ez-Zor military council, Mahmoud Ghranij, reported to Smart News that dozens of people demonstrated against the SDF demanding an improvement to living conditions. The source added that the demonstrators demanded the release of detainees from SDFs prisons. The demonstrators raised pictures of detainees, and banners against the Syrian regime and the Iranian presence in Syria. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 814-368-3173 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com. Protestors in Daraa have continued to call for the release of prisoners held by the regime, and for the expulsion of the Iranian militias reports Smart News. Dozens of people demonstrated against the Syrian government, demanding the release of detainees, in the Syrian government-controlled city of Daraa. Local sources and activists reported to Smart News that dozens gathered in the Omari Mosque square demanding the release of detainees and the overthrow of the Syrian regime. The sources added that the demonstrators raised banners reading, We demand the release of detainees, and other banners calling for the expulsion of Iranian militias from the area. The demonstrators chanted slogans demanding the overthrow of the Syrian regime. Earlier, a number of activists organized a protest to demand the release of detainees and the overthrow of the Syrian regime in the city of Daraa, southern Syria. Also in Daraa, people found the decomposing bodies of two women and a child. Local and medical sources reported to Smart News that one of the decomposing bodies was an unknown woman in her 30s, who was found on the western plains of the town of Tasil (26 kilometers northwest of Daraa). The sources added that the woman died about 10 days ago, with the cause of death unknown. The body of the woman was transported in an ambulance to the city of Nawa and buried there. People also found two other bodies, one of a 30-year-old woman and the other of a four-year-old child in the Kawkab area, north of the town of Sahem al-Golan. The two bodies were transferred to the Daraa National Hospital for identification, according to local sources. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. The National Front for Liberation has rejected rumours that it has joined by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but stressed that they are ready for combat writes Alsouria Net. The National Liberation Front (NLF), which operates in Idleb and is part of the National Army, denied what was reported by media platforms regarding the formation of a unified army with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. A spokesperson for the NLF, Captain Naji Mustafa, told Alsouria Net that what is being circulated on some sites, regarding the merging of military factions and the establishment of unified camps for all the factions in Idleb and the countryside of Aleppo, is incorrect. Mustafa stressed that intensive and continuous training camps for the factions of the NLF are currently taking place, which come within the framework of increasing readiness and preparation, developing the capabilities of fighters, elevating combat capacity, rearranging the military hubs, and providing them with special forces that are trained and equipped to deal with all possible combat conditions. In recent days, people close to the NLF published pictures of military exercises, in addition to the graduation ceremonies for batches of new fighters in both preparation and training camps. These exercises come against a calm backdrop that the region has been witnessing, despite the violations by the regime, since the Moscow Agreement between Turkey and Russia, on Mar. 5, 2020, which stipulated for a ceasefire and joint patrols on the M4 highway. However, the Russian-backed Assad forces have been repeatedly violating the agreement by using artillery to target the cities and towns of the Jabal Zawiya and Jisr al-Shughur areas, according to the opposition factions. The latest of these violations was on Tuesday, when Assads forces tried to advance towards neutral points along the Ruweiha axis in the southern Idleb countryside, using artillery and missiles, but it was said that the military factions present in these areas repulsed the attack. The talk of the merger comes in light of an escalation by Tahrir al-Sham, which, alongside the NLF, defends the area from jihadi factions in the Fathbutou Operation Room, especially Hurras al-Deen. In a related context, a tripartite summit was held on Wednesday, bringing together Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Hassan Rouhani, through video technology. Putin praised the improvement of the situation in Idleb after the ceasefire agreement. The level of violence in the region has decreased and is gradually returning to normal, he said. Putin also stressed that Russia continues to work with their Turkish friends to achieve the goals of the cease-fire agreement in Idleb. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Krager said often employee screening procedures are not strong enough to catch and prevent everyone with COVID-19 symptoms from working. He said dismissing symptoms because they could be something else, like allergies, has gotten us into trouble a few times. Its better to err on the side of caution and restrict people with symptoms from working, he said. The county has enough testing supplies, and Krager said he wants to see testing increase to help slow the virus spread. He said he advised local health care providers to be more liberal with testing close contacts with no symptoms or those with mild symptoms who think they may have been exposed. Health officials, still saying that they are protecting patient privacy, are declining to report which businesses are seeing increases in cases. However, sources at the WestRock paper mill in Longview told TDN that about 20 workers have tested positive for the virus as of Thursday. Roughly 80 others are out on quarantine because they were potentially exposed or because they are awaiting their own test results, according to the sources. Brand: Logitech Product: G502 Lightspeed Key specs: 10 customisable buttons, comes with tunable weights and DPI sensitivity levels from 100 to 16,000. Price: 14,995 Rating: 3.5/5 Be it at a slower pace but the gaming market is definitely catching up in India. And the most obvious indicator here is the quarterly financial statements of firms that make gaming PCs and components. Logitech is one of them. It has been around since years now and has managed to stay strong in a market like India, offering a new accessory more often than before. Adding to that long list of gaming accessories is the G502 Lightspeed. Now, this might ring a bell for PC gamers and enthusiasts. Thats because the Logitech G502 gaming mouse is already available in the country. However, the Lightspeed is the wireless version of it. We have been using the G502 Lightspeed mouse since the past couple of weeks, playing as many hours of shooting and arcade games as we can on our gaming machines. While theres mostly pros to talk about in this 14,995 priced mouse, there are a couple of minor issues to crib as well. And yes, if you are paying 14,995 for a wireless gaming mouse in India, you really expect to win every match. Heres the review. Looks and build Logitech says its G502 Lightspeed flaunts a thin wall build and an endoskeleton chassis. Thats not a magical new build that you havent seen before but a rather winning design formula that the company has not tampered with ever since the G502. And thats appreciable because the design itself is five years old and still holds up well when compared to its counterparts from rivals. Logitech G502 Lightspeed. (HT Tech) Measuring 5.2 x 3.0 x 1.6 inches, the mouse has RGB lighting now and a bunch of buttons with the left side being slightly heavy as it houses six sensitive buttons. These include the sniper button that drops the DPI sensitivity to 400 for precise aiming, two DPI adjusting buttons, two large thumb buttons that are of course programmable, and the usual left click button. A minor issue here is that since the left side has more than half the buttons, all within a good range from your thumb, it may result in accidental clicks during intense situations during combat gaming. It happened to us during Modern Warfare. This is not a deal breaker though but something that can be annoying at times. A little more room to move the thumbs would have been really appreciable. At the centre you get the clickable scroller, the scroll lock and the programmable button that by default shows the battery indicator, which again is on the left side. On the right, you get the usual right click button. And all this together gives you 10 buttons in total, all of which are customisable using the companys G Hub software. In case you havent used any G502 mouse before, you may find the scroll wheel lock either super useful or just useless. We do like it because at times you want to blast through those long web pages easily, within a single scroll. However, the more interesting part is underneath. Besides the usual on/off switch, you get a circular cover that uses (strong) magnets to position itself. Inside it is a compartment to store the wireless Bluetooth receiver. And the cover itself can house two 4-gram weights. We did find it nifty and rather thoughtful. So, thumbs up to Logitech for that. Logitech G502 Lightspeed tunable weights. (HT Tech) As for the tunable weights, the four 2-gram metallic weights can be placed inside the removable panel thats just above the circular compartment. Whats appreciable is that adding and removing these weights are not a task but a matter of seconds. Also worth the mention is the additional case, which comes inside the box, to carry extra weights. Performance If you are using the G502 Lightspeed, 99% of the time it would require the companys G Hub software. Its not a mandatory software for the mouse to run but lets you tweak the DPI sensitivity levels from 100 to 16,000, customise the backlighting (the only lighting part that hides when you keep your hands on it) and of course, program those buttons for different gameplay styles. The software itself is easy to use and friendly enough to not confuse you in any way. Also see: Logitech G502 Lightspeed launched in India: In Pics The highlight of G502 Lightspeed is its wireless connectivity which needless to say, was on point. It works as good as the wired version and the setup is way too easy. All you need to do is to plug in the Bluetooth receiver and it will install the drivers automatically, making the mouse functional within seconds. The performance, accuracy and responsiveness while gaming and in general for everyday browsing is really impressive. And since there are no wires to deal with, you have the flexibility to move your hand a few inches more here and there without thinking twice. Logitech says the response rate for the G502 Lightspeed is 1ms and while we didnt really measure that, it did perform exactly how we wanted it to move while gaming. Logitech G502 Lightspeed. (HT Tech) As for the battery, you can simply charge it to full and quite literally forget about it for at least 3-4 days if you are an average gamer or have a mixed usage. Heavy users and gamers who are actually using the G502 Lightspeeds full potential, might touch the end of charge before the claimed 48 hours. We were able to use it for over 40 hours constantly mixed with both gaming and general browsing and with RGB switched on at all times. In short, it is in fact better than what we expected. Verdict So all in all, it is worth the asking price of 14,995? For an enthusiast or an average gamer, probably not since the price tag is no doubt on the costlier side. However, heavy gamers, who would want to use a wireless mouse to its full potential, might be fine using this. However, for them, we would also recommend a G PowerPlay mat that can wirelessly charge the accessory while you are using it. This would also eliminate the use of cables and make it fully wireless. We did like the mouse, its precise HERO sensor and the ergonomics as well, which is something that most gamers or non-gamers will like. And with no mandatory cable, this gaming mouse is right now the best one can get. Xiaomi has decided to tighten the security grip not only for its own smartphones by making its MIUI Security app for the Play Store. This means that the brand will be able to update the app faster and in an easier way. For those who are not aware of the Xiaomi Security app, the app is responsible for delivering features like app lock, cleaner ad battery saver. It also scans the smartphones for system security and data usage, so there is no anomaly. The app comes pre-installed in Xiaomi smartphones and moving to Google Play Store is definitely good news for many as the updates will be quicker than before. Also read: Xiaomi MIUI 12 update in China: Heres the entire list of 13 Mi, Redmi smartphones Being an integral part of the MIUI software ecosystem, Security contains a powerful set of protection and optimization tools. App lock, Data usage, Security scan, Cleaner, Battery saver, Blocklist, and many other features will keep your phone fast and secure, says the description of the app. On a related note, Xiaomi has rolled out its MIUI 12 operating system to more smartphones in its home country China.The Android-based interface that was introduced back in April this year, has already been seeded to some users as who are a part of the beta process, in China and globally. Now, it has been reported that MIUI 12 will be coming to a total of 13 smartphones for now, as per a new report. The list includes Mi 10 Pro, Mi 10, Mi 10 Youth Edition, Mi 9 Pro 5G, Mi 9 Explorer Edition, Mi 9, Redmi K30 Pro Zoom Edition, Redmi K30 Pro, Redmi K30 5G, Redmi K30, Redmi K20 Pro Exclusive Edition, Redmi K20 Pro, and the Redmi K20. Also read: Xiaomi announces Privacy Brand to secure your personal data in smartphones, to launch alongside MIUI 12 Xiaomi is going for a more minimalist look with MIUI 12 but at the same time it has also added many new animations for app launches and closing as well. The new animations are said to be faster and more fluid. In addition, there's a new virtual ID security tool that's supposed to prevent apps from accessing device information. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The term "blockchain" is familiar to anyone who has delved into so-called cryptocurrency. It represents an incorruptible digital ledger of transactions associated with a given digital coin in this technology. However, the notion of such a ledger might be useful in a whole range of human affairs, such as electoral and other voting systems. Work published in the International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning suggests that a blockchain might be viable in the U.S. voting system. Khaled Zayed and Rebekah Placide of the International School of Management in Paris, France, explain that blockchain technology could be used to build "a secure, efficient, and smart voting system." Used in conjunction with biometric technology, such a system would be far less open to abuse or electoral fraud of any kind. The U.S. has four voting methods commonly used at the moment: optical scan paper ballot systems, direct recording electronic systems, ballot marking systems, and punch-card ballot. Each of those voting methods has its own pros and cons and is open to significant abuse as has been seen in at least one recent election. In essence, the team writes, "The current U.S. voting system is antiquated and in desperate need of a technological and legal overhaul." In addition, the current voting machines are in a state of crisis. "They run the risk of malfunctioning, lost votes, shutdowns, and incorrect tallies," the team adds. "The inability to maintain and purchase parts for these aging machines is of an even greater burden for election administrators in many jurisdictions." The team further explains how blockchain technology could fix the voting system in a single step, eradicating many of the problems associated with archaic systems and bringing to bear the benefits of the digital realm on an ancient system. "Blockchain technology was developed to create security, trust, transparency, and efficiency in communications and business transactions," the team says. "Blockchain allows a recording and transfer of data that can be audited and transmitted safely and more importantly it is resistant to outages. A list of records called blocks linked together using cryptography for secure communication. With blockchain technology, digital information can be distributed but not copied over." Such positive characteristics, when applied to a voting system, could be used for voter registration, identity verification, and electronic vote counting. This would ensure that only legitimate votes are counted and the creation of such a ledger of public votes would represent a step towards a fairer, entirely transparent, and fundamentally more democratic election system. Explore further Voting on a blockchain More information: Khaled Zayed et al. Advocating for a blockchain voting system in the USA, International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning (2020). Khaled Zayed et al. Advocating for a blockchain voting system in the USA,(2020). DOI: 10.1504/IJTEL.2020.107985 The new, highly compact chip brings together the fastest electronic and light-based elements in a single component for the first time. Credit: ETH Zurich/Nature Electronics Researchers from ETH Zurich have achieved what scientists have been attempting to do for some 20 years: in their laboratory work as part of European Horizon 2020 research projects, they have manufactured a chip on which fast electronic signals can be converted directly into ultrafast light signalswith practically no loss of signal quality. This represents a significant breakthrough in terms of the efficiency of optical communication infrastructures that use light to transmit data, such as fiber optic networks. In cities like Zurich, these fiber optic networks are already being used to deliver high-speed internet, digital telephony, TV, and network-based video or audio services ("streaming"). However, by the end of this decade, even these optical communication networks may reach their limits when it comes to rapid data transmission. This is due to the growing demand for online services for streaming, storage and computation, as well as the advent of artificial intelligence and 5G networks. Today's optical networks achieve data transmission rates in the region of gigabits (109 bits) per second. The limit is around 100 gigabits per lane und wavelength. In the future, however, transmission rates will need to reach the terabit region (1012 bits per second). New: electronics and light on the same chip "The rising demand will call for new solutions," says Juerg Leuthold, ETH Professor of Photonics and Communications. "The key to this paradigm shift lies in combining electronic and photonic elements on a single chip." The field of photonics (the science of light particles) studies optical technologies for the transmission, storage and processing of information. The ETH researchers have now achieved precisely this combination: in an experiment performed in collaboration with partners in Germany, the US, Israel and Greece, they were able to bring together electronic and light-based elements on one and the same chip for the first time. This is a huge step from a technical perspective, because these elements currently have to be manufactured on separate chips and then connected up with wires. There are consequences to this approach: on the one hand, manufacturing the electronic and photonic chips separately is expensive. On the other hand, it hampers performance during the conversion of electronic signals into light signals and thereby limits the transmission speed in fiber optic communication networks, explains Ueli Koch, a postdoc in Leuthold's group and lead author of the study, which was published in the journal Nature Electronics. Thanks to the combination of electronics and plasmonics on a single chip, light signals can be amplified and data can be transmitted faster. Credit: IEF/Springer Nature Ltd. Compact size for maximum speed "If you convert the electronic signals into light signals using separate chips, you lose a significant amount of signal quality. This also limits the speed of data transmission using light," says Koch. His approach therefore begins with the modulator, a component on the chip that generates light of a given intensity by converting the electrical signals into light waves. The size of the modulator must be as small as possible in order to avoid a loss of quality and intensity in the conversion process, and in order to transmit the lightor rather the datafaster than is possible today. This compactness is achieved by placing the electronic and photonic components tightly on top of one another, like two layers, and connecting them directly to the chip by means of "on-chip vias." This layering of the electronics and photonics shortens transmission paths and reduces losses in terms of signal quality. As the electronics and photonics are implemented on one single substrate, the researchers describe this approach as "monolithic co-integration." For the past 20 years, the monolithic approach has failed because photonic chips are much bigger than electronic ones. This prevented them from being combined on a single chip, says Juerg Leuthold. The size of the photonic elements makes it impossible to combine them with the metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology that is prevalent in electronics today. Plasmonics: magic potion for semiconductor chips "We've now overcome the size difference between photonics and electronics by replacing the photonics with plasmonics," says Leuthold. For ten years, scientists have been predicting that plasmonics, which is a branch of photonics, could provide the foundation for ultrafast chips. Plasmonics can be used to squeeze light waves into structures that are much smaller than the wavelength of the light. As the plasmonic chips are smaller than electronic ones, it is now actually possible to manufacture much more compact, monolithic chips that incorporate both a photonic and an electronic layer. In order to then convert the electrical signals into even faster optical ones, the photonic layer (seen in red in the graphic) contains a plasmonic intensity modulator. This is based on metal structures that channel the light in order to reach higher speeds. Combined for record speed This is in addition to a speed increase in the electronic layer (seen in blue in the graphic). In a process known as "4:1 multiplexing," four lower-speed input signals are bundled and amplified so that, together, they form a high-speed electrical signal. "This is then converted into a high-speed optical signal," says Koch. "In this way, we were able to transmit data on a monolithic chip at a speed of over 100 gigabits per second for the first time." In order to reach this record-breaking speed, the researchers combined plasmonics not only with classical CMOS electronics but also with the even faster BiCMOS technology. They also made use of a new temperature-stable, electro-optical material from the University of Washington as well as insights from the Horizon 2020 projects PLASMOfab and plaCMOS. According to Leuthold, their experiment showed that these technologies can be combined to create one of the fastest compact chips: "We're convinced that this solution can also pave the way for faster data transmission in optical communication networks of the future." More information: Ueli Koch et al. A monolithic bipolar CMOS electronicplasmonic high-speed transmitter, Nature Electronics (2020). Ueli Koch et al. A monolithic bipolar CMOS electronicplasmonic high-speed transmitter,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-020-0417-9 Sajjad Moazeni. CMOS and plasmonics get close, Nature Electronics (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-020-0426-8 Koch, U. A monolithic bipolar CMOS electronic plasmonic high-speed transmitter. Nature Research Device & Materials Engineering, Behind the Paper. devicematerialscommunity.natur gh-speed-transmitter Journal information: Nature Electronics Portugal said Thursday it will nationalise TAP airline to prevent the firm collapsing after striking a deal with private shareholders. Like most carriers, the company has been hit hard by lockdowns aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus that saw most global air travel halted. The government said it would invest 55 million euros ($62 million) in the company, increasing its ownership stake from 50 percent to 72.5 percent. "The activity of TAP is of enormous strategic significance for the country," Finance Minister Joao Leao told a news conference. He said the Portuguese government had intervened to avoid "the collapse of the company". TAP had rejected earlier offers from the government. But after extensive negotiations, the government reached an agreement with the airline's main shareholder, US businessman David Neeleman, to relinquish his stake. Neeleman and his Portuguese associate Humberto Pedrosa had previously held roughly 45 percent of the firm through their Atlantic Gateway consortium. Pedrosa will retain around 22 percent of TAP and the company's employees will keep five percent. TAP plays a key role in Portugal's important tourism sector. "Nearly 90 percent of our tourists arrive by plane, and half of them by TAP," Infrastructure Minister Pedro Nuno Santos said Tuesday. "It would be an economic disaster to lose it." COVID-19 lockdowns have forced many airlines to dramatically reduce their business, with other European nations also intervening to prop up firms such as Lufthansa and Air France. Explore further TAP Air Portugal profits take off after years in the red 2020 AFP PM agrees to accept 14,000 Vietnamese from abroad Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has agreed to allow some 14,000 Vietnamese nationals abroad to return home amid the on-going Covid-19 pandemic in many countries. According to the prime minister, it was important to take Covid-19 prevention measures to ensure that the country would not face the second wave of the pandemic. He asked authorities to keep up the good work and be ready to deploy fast contact-tracing measures if a new case is discovered, and government-run quarantine sites must also always stand ready. This voice assistant does not only react to the trigger word Amazon, but is also activated by the phrase and the zone. Credit: RUB, Marquard Researchers from Ruhr-Universitat Bochum (RUB) and the Bochum Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Cyber Security and Privacy have investigated which words inadvertently activate voice assistants. They compiled a list of English, German, and Chinese terms that were repeatedly misinterpreted by smart speakers as prompts. Whenever the systems wake up, they record a short sequence of what is being said and transmit the data to the manufacturer. The audio snippets are then transcribed and checked by employees of the respective corporation. Thus, fragments of very private conversations can end up in the companies' systems. Suddeutsche Zeitung and NDR reported on the results of the analysis on 30 June 2020. Examples yielded by the researchers' analysis can be found at unacceptable-privacy.github.io. For the project, Lea Schonherr from the RUB research group Cognitive Signal Processing, headed by Professor Dorothea Kolossa at the RUB Horst Gortz Institute for IT Security (HGI), collaborated with Dr. Maximilian Golla, previously at HGI, now at MPI for Security and Privacy, as well as Jan Wiele and Thorsten Eisenhofer from the HGI Chair for Systems Security headed by Professor Thorsten Holz. Testing all major manufacturers The IT experts tested the voice assistants by Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Deutsche Telekom, as well as three Chinese models by Xiaomi, Baidu, and Tencent. They played them hours of English, German, and Chinese audio material, including several seasons from the series "Game of Thrones," "Modern Family," and "House of Cards," as well as, news broadcasts. Moreover, professional audio data sets that are used to train smart speakers were also included. All voice assistants were equipped with a light sensor that registered when the activity indicator of the smart speaker lit up, thus, visibly switching the device into active mode indicating that a trigger occurred. The setup also registered when a voice assistant sent data to the outside. Whenever one of the devices switched to active mode, the researchers recorded which audio sequence had caused it. They later manually evaluated which terms had triggered the assistant. The researchers used their setup to analyse eleven different smart speakers, including devices by Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Deutsche Telekom. Credit: RUB, Marquard False triggers identified and generated Based on this data, the team created a list of over 1,000 sequences that incorrectly trigger speech assistants. Depending on the pronunciation, Alexa reacts to the words "unacceptable" and "election," while Google reacts to "OK, cool." Siri can be fooled by "a city," Cortana by "Montana," Computer by "Peter," Amazon by "and the zone," and Echo by "tobacco." In order to understand what makes these terms false triggers, the researchers broke the words down into their smallest possible sound units and identified the units that were often confused by the voice assistants. Based on these findings, they generated new trigger words and showed that these terms also activated the voice assistants. "The devices are intentionally programmed in a somewhat forgiving manner, because they are supposed to be able to understand their humans. Therefore, they are more likely to start up once too often rather than not at all," concludes Dorothea Kolossa. Using light sensors, they registered when the indicator LEDs of the speakers lit up. Credit: Maximilian Golla Audio snippets are analyzed in the cloud The researchers analyzed in more detail how the manufacturers evaluate false triggers. A two-stage process is most common. First, the device analyzes locally whether the speech it perceives contains a trigger word. If the device suspects that it has heard the trigger word, it begins to upload the current conversation to the manufacturer's cloud for further analysis with more computing power. If the cloud analysis identifies the term as a false trigger, the voice assistant remains silent, only its indicator LED lights up briefly. In this case, several seconds of audio recording may already end up at the corporation, where they are transcribed by humans in order to avoid such false triggers in the future. "From a privacy point of view, this is of course alarming, because sometimes very private conversations can end up with strangers," says Thorsten Holz. "From an engineering point of view, however, this approach is quite understandable, because the systems can only be improved using such data. The manufacturers have to strike a balance between data protection and technical optimisation." Explore further How voice assistants follow inaudible commands More information: GitHub: Unacceptable, where is my privacy? Exploring Accidental Triggers of Smart Speakers: GitHub: Unacceptable, where is my privacy? Exploring Accidental Triggers of Smart Speakers: unacceptable-privacy.github.io/ The Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce combined two of its annual events The Chamber Experience and Business and Bites to bring the business community together for fun, networking and fundraising for the chamber. It was the chambers first large-scale in-person event since early Looking for in-depth reporting on labor issues? You're in the right place. Subscribe to The Chief and get stories that cover every side of civil service in New York City and beyond. You can sign up in minutes for immediate access. Despite COVID-19 shutting down theaters, there are plenty of movies available through streaming. Were just over halfway through the year, and Ive seen 103. Here are the best films of 2020 so far: 10. The Invisible Man Available to rent at: YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Google Play Quote: Theres nothing left for you to take. Youve already taken it all. Leigh Whannell is best-known co-creating the Saw franchise. In recent years, hes branched out as a director and done some very creative work (Upgrade was one of more underrated movies of 2018). Now, Whannell puts a fresh spin on a classic. Instead of simply regurgitating the H.G. Wells story, this is completely different. The movie opens with Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) making a desperate late-night escape from her abusive ex who soon after commits suicide. Just when Cecilia thinks she is finally free, strange things start to happen. This is a film for the #MeToo era. You could look at it as a commentary of how abusers continue to terrorize their victims long after the wounds have healed. Made with a shoestring budget of $7 million, The Invisible Man has been the surprise hit of 2020. Thanks to good word-of-mouth, it is the fifth-highest grossing film of the year, taking in $124 million worldwide. 9. Driveways Available to rent at: YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Google Play Quote: You know what I wish? I wish we could do that all over again. Are you sad and stressed out? Driveways will make you feel better. Single mother Kathy (Hong Chau) and her young son Cody (Lucas Jaye) have temporarily moved into the house of her late sister as theyre trying to get it ready to be sold. Right next-door is neighbor Del (Brian Dennehy), a Korean War veteran and a widower. When a friend forgets to pick up Del, Kathy gives him a ride to the VFW. She tells him theres no electricity at her sisters house because of overdue bills. The next day she returns to find out that Del has run an extension cord from his house so that she can have power. Its little acts of kindness that make this movie special. Soon Del and Cody form a friendship that includes a sweet moment when Del shows up for Codys birthday party. This is Dennehy final film before he died in April. 8. Never Rarely Sometimes Always Available to rent at: YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Google Play Quote: Im just not ready to be a mom. This is difficult to watch. Never Rarely Sometimes Always seems so realistic that it looks like a documentary. In rural Pennsylvania, teenage Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) is pregnant. Autumn reveals her secret only to her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder), and tells her that she wants to have an abortion. Due to state laws regarding parental consent, they go to New York City to have the procedure done. Two young girls in the big city with very little money spend a lot of time waiting and hanging around the Port Authority Bus Terminal, because they cant afford lodging. When Autumn is finally able to seek medical attention, its difficult and emotional. It all builds to a question-and-answer session that is heartbreaking. The movie will make you think long and hard about how our society treats women, especially since almost every man in this film is a horrible human being. 7. Swallow Available to rent at: YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Google Play Quote: Are you happy? Or are you pretending to be happy? Prisons can look lovely. You can live in a beautiful home with a beautiful spouse and still feel like a captive. Hunter (Haley Bennett) appears to have it made. She resides in a mansion with her hunky, rich husband. Everything and everyone looks fabulous. Quiet and pregnant Hunter spends her days at home while hubby works for the family business. One day Hunter decides to swallow a marble. This is excitement for her. The thrill of doing something dangerous seems liberating. Hunter doesnt stop there. She keeps upping the ante by finding more and more dangerous things to ingest. Shes suffering from pica, an eating disorder that involves eating items that are not typically thought of as food. Hunter isnt just rebelling. Theres something seriously wrong here. When her husband finds out, the details come into focus. This film is about a womans fight to control her life, and Bennett deserves an Oscar nomination. 6. Tigertail Available on: Netflix Quote: There are many things I never told you. How much do we know about our parents? Their hopes and dreams. Their struggles and failures. That can be complicated when youre talking about immigrants and the children they raise in America. These parents sacrifice so much. Tigertail is about one Taiwanese mans sacrifice. The story is told in two timelines: Pin-Jui as young man (Hong-Chi Lee) before he came to the USA and Pin-Jui as an older man (Tzi Ma) with grown children in New York City. As a youngster, he loves American music and dreams of escaping poverty to live in the states. When he gets the chance to pursue that dream, he jumps at it, but it comes at a great personal cost. Over time, he becomes a divorced, regretful old man who has an estranged relationship with his daughter. Tigertail was written and directed by Alan Yang, who along with Aziz Ansari, co-created the Netflix series Master of None. 5. Saint Frances Available on: YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Google Playb Quote: My guitar class is a patriarchy. Bridget (Kelly OSullivan) is a 34-year-old Northwestern University dropout whose life is stuck in neutral. She feels constantly annoyed when people judge her for what they perceive as a lack of ambition. To make ends meet, she quits her job as a waitress to become a summertime nanny for an upper-class lesbian couple with a precocious 6-year-old daughter Frances (Ramona Edith Williams). This is strictly a business decision because Bridget doesnt even like children. Theres not an instant bond between the child and the babysitter. It takes a while for Bridget and Frances to warm up to each other. Through Bridgets interaction with the family, she learns a lot about them and herself. This film has a strong feminist tone with difficult conversations about postpartum depression and how one defines success in adulthood. OSullivan wrote the screenplay, which tackles tough issues with a warm touch. 4. The Occupant Available on: Netflix Quote: Im done watching others enjoying things they dont even appreciate. Javier (Javier Gutierrez) used to be somebody. A once successful businessman is now unemployed, with a wife he no longer loves and a son he barely tolerates. Worst of all, in his mind, hes forced to give up his luxury apartment. This wasnt supposed to happen. Not to the man who created the advertising tagline: The life you deserve. Javier is going to get what he deserves by any means necessary. So, he stalks the new tenants of his former home. The Occupant is a slow-boil thriller about a desperate psychopath willing to do anything to get what he wants. Its riveting and terrifying to watch Javiers evil plan unfold. If he put as much dedication to finding a job, hed be employed within a week. But that wouldnt make for an interesting movie. When it all comes together, you realize what a truly terrible person Javier is. 3. Da 5 Bloods Available on: Netflix Quote: We fought in an immoral war that wasnt ours for rights we didnt have. Weve seen movies about the Vietnam War before. But Spike Lees interpretation is a little different. According to Lee, At the height of the Vietnam War, almost a third of the fighting force in Vietnam were African Americans. Yet, we were only 11, 12% of the American population. And yet, most people dont know that. Da 5 Bloods is the story of four black veterans returning to Vietnam in search of millions of dollars worth of gold they had hidden during the war, as well as the body of a lost comrade who died in battle. The gold is mostly a MacGuffin (a plot device used to motivate the characters). But it also represents reparations for the broken promises of America. This is not a preachy movie though. Its entertaining, highlighted by a powerhouse performance by Delroy Lindo, whos getting Oscar buzz. Lindo plays Paul, a Make America Great Again hat-wearing vet suffering from PTSD. 2. All the Bright Places Available on: Netflix Quote: I wasnt worried about what would happen if I lived. I was worried about what would happen if I didnt. Mental illness is often hard to understand in real life, so its difficult to reflect in art. Movies have tried, and usually failed, to portray the nuances. All the Bright Places may not be perfect, but the characters come across as authentic. Thats the gift of director Brett Haley (The Hero (2017) and Hearts Beat Loud (2018)). Few in Hollywood do a better job of presenting characters in way that audiences can connect with. Haley does it again with Elle Fanning and Justice Smith. Fanning plays Violet, whos grieving the death of her sister. Smith plays Finch, whos battling bipolar disorder. These high school classmates form a bond that makes both feel a little less lonely. All the Bright Places, based on a young adult novel, is more of a drama than a teen romance. Forget the myth of everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you must learn to live with heartbreak. 1. Bad Education Available on: HBO Quote: My problem? My problem is you. Its the people who trot their poor children out like racehorses at Belmont, who derive some perverse joy out of treating us like low-level service reps. What do you do when youre good at your job and feel unappreciated? You could ask for a raise. You could seek employment elsewhere. Superintendent Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) and his assistant Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney) have a different idea: embezzle millions of dollars from taxpayers to bankroll their lavish lifestyles. This audacious scandal is a true story that happened in 2004 in Long Island, NY. At the heart of this scheme is Tassone. Hes not some cartoonish villain. Jackmans Tassone is well-meaning, earnest, and so darned likable. He wants the best for his school district, and he delivers. But he feels undervalued by his bosses and the public. Tassone doesnt see himself as a wrongdoer, even though he fully realizes that hes doing wrong. As the fraud is slowly revealed, Tassone remarkably still believes he can talk his way out of this one. Enjoy this career-best performance by Jackman. Richwood, TX (77531) Today Thunderstorms. Low around 75F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms. Low around 75F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. 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. During Thursdays dedication ceremony, Young said he lived for many years on Carbondales northeast side, and said it was an honor to have a housing complex named for him. This is a very emotional time, he said. Young was born in New Madrid, Missouri, and moved to Carbondale with his family as a teenager in 1960. He graduated from Attucks High School in 1963 and then enrolled at Southern Illinois University on a scholarship. Prior to finishing his undergraduate degree, and with the U.S.s involvement in the Vietnam War in full swing, Young put his educational pursuits on hold and enlisted in the Air Force. Young said his dad, who served in the U.S. Army for 29 years, was military to the core, and he was looking for direction in his life. He spent four years in the military working stateside as a missile electrician at the McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas, home of the 381st Strategic Missile Wing. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} We had to keep those missiles ready to fire, ready to go, if in fact they ever needed to do that, he said. After the service, Young returned to Carbondale, and to SIU. He joined the housing authority as a housing manager after earning his undergraduate degree. His thought was that he would work there until he landed a teaching position. But plans changed. SPRINGFIELD An order Thursday by a downstate judge nullifying each of the COVID-19-related executive orders issued by Gov. J.B. Pritkzer the past three months is quickly causing friction between the state and a Republican lawmaker. Clay County Circuit Court Judge Michael McHaney also expanded his ruling beyond Xenia Republican Rep. Darren Bailey, who filed a lawsuit at the end of April alleging the governor overstepped his authority. That case, as filed, would lift public health-related restrictions for only the representative. But as they exited the courthouse Thursday, Bailey and his attorney, Thomas DeVore, touted the order as freeing the people of Illinois right before the Independence Day weekend. This is a good day for accountability, Bailey told reporters. DeVore said business occupancy limitations, social gathering restrictions and other elements of Pritzkers orders were immediately void. But the governors office interpreted the ruling differently Pritzkers orders are still valid, a spokesperson said in an email, which means provisions in the states reopening plan are still enforceable. Comment Policy Calaveras Enterprise does not actively monitor comments. However, staff does read through to assess reader interest. When abusive or foul language is used or directed toward other commenters, those comments will be deleted. If a commenter continues to use such language, that person will be blocked from commenting. We wish to foster a community of communication and a sharing of ideas, and we truly value readers' input. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Retail employees must wear face coverings while working in areas open to the general public and in areas with other employees when social distancing of six feet cannot be followed. Restaurant, retail, salon, grocery store and pharmacy employees must wear face coverings in face-to-face interactions with the public. All persons entering any building open to the public must wear a face covering inside the building. The rules dont apply to religious establishments, but masks are recommended. Public transportation users and providers have to wear masks. Masks have to be worn when interacting with people in outdoor spaces such as at curbside pickup, delivery and service calls. There are a number of exemptions, including in outdoor or unenclosed spaces where people can be distanced six feet apart, for children between the ages of 2 and 9 when adults are trying to keep their faces covered, for people with medical or behavioral issues, for people with religious concerns, and while swimming, dining and having dental work. People who violate the ordinance can be fined up to $25. Employers who fail to have their employees follow the ordinance can be fined up to $100. Keep the lines of communication open. God sent Hosea to Israel around 700 B.C. with this message: Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of God in the land. There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing, and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed. Sounds a lot like America today! In his 2017 book, The Closing of the Liberal Mind, Kim R. Holmes examines historical roots and philosophy behind political revolutions, writing, Enamored as he was by the potential of human sentiment, Rousseau lifted human reason up from the mulchy soils of empiricism and skepticism and transformed it into an all-powerful force for utopian change. Human beings were perfectible because they were inherently good, but they were good because they possessed a perfect kind of reason. That is the seed of modern utopianism. Holmes concluded, This way of thinking accounts not only for the hubris of violence that has possessed countless revolutionary movements in Western history. It also explains the paradox of a political movement seemingly based on human reason veering off into wild passions of vengeance and mass hysteria. Maybe we humans are not so inherently good? SUMMER SPECIAL!!! - Sign up at 20% OFF for Full Access to all of the online content and E-Editions on the www.thewordlink.com website here! (The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement) Dakota graduated from Bret Harte in 2013 and went to Davidson College, NC where she earned a bachelor's degree in Arab studies. After spending time studying in the Middle East and Europe, she is happy to be home, writing about the community she loves. Follow Dakota Morlan 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 Welcome to the weekend! This week's suggestions include the classy drive-in cinema, exploring Luxembourg's youth hostels, apero jazz at Neimenster, trends of time in exhibitions and music, and a ride through our capital on your favourite mode of transport. 1. Apero Jazz with the Dahm Belardi Deconfiture Band What: Finest Sunday morning jazz concert Where: Neimenster, 28 Rue Munster, 2160 Luxembourg When: Sunday 5 July at 11am - more information here. Your editor has missed Apero Jazz. It's one of those musical experiences that has manifested itself in the cultural agenda. Thus, without hesitation, it is this week's number one. Bassist and multi-instrumentalist Pol Belardi has teamed up with long-time friend, drummer and pianist Pit Dahm to form a new Luxembourg jazz group, made up of the creme de la creme of the local scene. Entry is free, but seats must be reserved in advance. Listeners must also wear a face mask when not seated. And of course, in the most fashionable Luxembourgish way, one should have a glass of cremant after the gig. 2. A night's stay at one of Luxembourg's youth hostels What: Affordable and comfortable accommodation Where: Nine locations around the country, check our map below When: Anytime Coronavirus means we best stay within Luxembourg's borders this summer, but contrary to popular belief there is actually loads to discover in this picturesque nation. With the 50 voucher that each resident receives to stimulate the country's hospitality sector, now is the right time to do something funky and different: spend a night at one of nine modern, fully-equipped youth hostels. And yes, they're also perfect for adults! From Beaufort to Schengen, Luxembourg City to Vianden, each youth hostel offers an interactive programme and sits in a surrounding with plenty to do. Prices are very affordable, and the accommodations are clean and professional. Tip: Luxembourg City has a great hostel for when your friends are coming over and you may not be able to host them at home. 3. Sunday Brunch, Beats & Bubbles What: Good food, good drinks, good people Where: Rooftop Chalet & Beach Bar 2, rue Nennig, 2214 Luxembourg When: Sunday, 5 July between 1pm-10pm In line with more cremant, the Rooftop Chalet & Beach Bar is reopening its doors this weekend. Every Sunday, this spot offers a tasty barbecue with Asian fusion dishes, cold delicacies and refreshing cocktails. A stunning view over the capital together with a full tummy really is a great way to start the day. There will be music, there will be sun (hopefully). Book in advance as only a few dozen seats are left - check out their facebook event here. 4. Drive-in cinema: The Addams Family Values What: Story of a spooky family Where: Bauhaus Parking, 37-39 Parc d'Activites Capellen, 8308 Mamer When: Friday, 3 July at 9pm 5. Hear musical exposition at Casino Luxembourg What: Post-quarantine musical revival Where: 41, rue Notre-Dame, L-2240 Luxembourg When: Sunday, 5 July between 3.30pm-5.30pm - info here. This Sunday, live music will be revived at Casino Luxembourg after several months of silence. The ensemble for contemporary music United Instruments of Lucilin is the only Luxembourgish chamber music ensemble specialised in contemporary music. As their saying goes: "All music has been contemporary". The group is continuously reaching a growing enthusiastic audience and has been encouraging innovative musical expressions, as will also be presented on Sunday. Expect suspense, a magnetic trio, a sound installation and resonating walls. 6. Take a Onewheel or bike ride through Luxembourg What: They see me rollin', they hatin'... Where: Luxembourg City When: Anytime Ever completed a full city tour by bike or alternative mode of transport? Local alternative jazz artist (and now tour guide) Jerome Klein from KLI refreshed his musical inspiration during quarantine by taking a trip through the city on a Onewheel, starting at the Golden Lady, past the Grand Ducal Palace, down to the Grund and up with the Pfaffenthal elevator. Of course the city streets will be a tad busier now, but nonetheless a fun experience! 7. Trends of time in 90s portraits of women What: Female pioneers in art Where: Neimenster, 28 Rue Munster, 2160 Luxembourg When: Friday 3 July - Sunday 5 July between 10am-12pm, 1pm-6pm - more info here. The 1990s were important years for the cultural development of Luxembourg. The country's economic boom, thanks to activities of the financial centre, led to the opening of numerous galleries, thus giving visibility to that generation of artists. This decade also marked a whole generation of female artists who, with their energy and creativity, managed to achieve gender parity in the art world. This exhibition, named "The Pioneers: Luxembourg - the 90s, portraits of women" aims to reflect on these developments and retrace routes and trends of the time. Can be nicely combined with Apero Jazz in the same location on Sunday morning. Is there an event you think we'd enjoy and like to share with our audience? Feel free to let us know through audience@rtltoday.lu and we may consider it for next week's agenda. The government, union representatives and employers are set to meet on Friday to discuss the social impact of the health crisis in Luxembourg. The meeting is expected to revolve around three central subjects: maintaining economic activity support for an economic recovery the preservation of the purchasing power of the country's citizens. The Luxembourg government has already agreed with the unions and employers to grant support to companies in the Grand Duchy at previous bilateral meetings, including partial unemployment or the freezing of rents. However, the unions insisted a tripartite was required to proceed further. Ministers Bettel, Bausch, Kersch, Gramegna and Fayot will represent the Luxembourg government on Friday, joined by representatives of the largest trade unions OGBL, LCGB and CGFP. The Luxembourg Employers' Association will also be present. The housing crisis will also continue to haunt Luxembourg after the pandemic, Luxembourg's Minister for Housing Henri Kox said. Residential construction has been a political priority for a long time. The discussions and ideas did, however, not always translate into reality and housing prices have kept skyrocketing over the last years. Individuals with meagre incomes are most affected, the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-economic Research (LISER) explained during a press conference on Thursday. The researchers outlined a number of approaches that could be used to combat the rising inequalities. They agreed that it is key to make affordable housing accessible for more people. Luxembourg's Minister for Housing Henri Kox stated that his ministry would try to implement this recommendation. LISER also stressed the importance of including targeted residential construction in the so-called housing pact 2. The goal, the researchers said, is that everyone can afford a home. This idea has been a key point in Luxembourg's political discourse over the last years. Housing Observatory: housing prices increase more rapidly than salaries The LISER report also found that housing prices in Luxembourg increase more rapidly than salaries. Tenants are the worst-affected group. Around 40% of tenants belong to the lowest salary groups. The government is planning to implement a new law that will regulate the increase of rent prices more efficiently. Officials also hope to offer more affordable state-owned housing. Dakota graduated from Bret Harte in 2013 and went to Davidson College, NC where she earned a bachelor's degree in Arab studies. After spending time studying in the Middle East and Europe, she is happy to be home, writing about the community she loves. Comment Policy Calaveras Enterprise does not actively monitor comments. However, staff does read through to assess reader interest. When abusive or foul language is used or directed toward other commenters, those comments will be deleted. If a commenter continues to use such language, that person will be blocked from commenting. We wish to foster a community of communication and a sharing of ideas, and we truly value readers' input. Luxembourg's Minister for Social Security Romain Schneider and his German counterpart Hubertus Heil have extended the agreement until 31 August. The measure will continue to facilitate remote work from home for cross-border workers commuting to Luxembourg the end of next month. Similar agreements have already been reached with France and Belgium, both of which also now run until 31 August. Schneider commented on the extension, saying: "I thank Germany for their openness and flexibility in this matter. Telework is an important tool in the fight against the spread of COVID-19, so businesses and employers must be able to continue using it without suffering unwanted consequences." The Luxembourg Regulatory Institute (ILR) analysed the internet and telephone traffic during the pandemic. The networks were not affected by surging traffic, their report says. Many employees relied on remote working rather than heading to their offices. According to ILR, it was not necessary to implement additional measures to regulate internet traffic. Luxembourg's internet and phone networks were not negatively impacted during the pandemic. ILR will compile a detailed report until autumn. On a different note, ILR also highlighted that Luxembourg's internet networks are in line with the EU's regulation on "open internet" and net neutrality. A Luxembourg driver was accused of parking his car in front of a speed camera so that other drivers would not get caught speeding. The story doesn't end here though: the accused only found about his court case when the press reported about it... Court cases can occasionally be quite dry - but not this one. To take a step back, a driver was accused of parking his car in front of a mobile speed camera for 40 minutes in Remich last year. He came up with this idea after the radar caught him speeding. His goal was that other drivers would not suffer the same fate. The story doesn't end here. Luxembourg City's court had already pronounced a verdict in this case in January earlier this year. The problem? The driver himself only learned about the unusual court case in the press. In other words, he was tried in absentia. Needless to say, the driver appealed against this decision - and the case made it into Luxembourg City's court for a second time earlier this Friday. Friday hearing A police officer told the court this Friday that the defendant had been caught speeding in an orange car. The defendant later came back in a blue car to obstruct the speed check, the officer argued. The speed camera only took one more picture after the defendant had parked in car in front of it, he explained. He added that the defendant must have intentionally obstructed the speed camera because he parked his car in a way that shielded the camera lens from the street. "If he had parked it normally, it wouldn't have been a problem," the officer told the court. The accused meanwhile told the court that he had been annoyed after getting flashed by the speed camera. He explained that he came back in a different car, which he parked behind the speed camera in order to... "piss people off," the judge finished the defendant's sentence. The attorney of the defendant demanded that the charges be dropped. The representative of the public prosecutor's office argued that cars are meant to be means of transportation, not means to disrupt a traffic check. "You knew it was a speed camera and not a food truck, and you didn't want to go for a hike there," the judge similarly argued. The representative of the prosecutor's office demanded an adequate fine, a 6-month driving ban, and that the defendant's car be seized. The defendant's attorney replied: "And why not the death penalty?" The verdict in this unusual case will be rendered on 23 July. Trade unions, the government, and employers came together for a tripartite meeting earlier this Friday. Discussions exclusively revolved around unemployment in Luxembourg. As a reminder, the "tripartite" social model is based on an institutionalised trialogue between the government, employers, and trade unions. Its goal is to find agreements in important economic and social issues. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, Francois Bausch, Dan Kersch, Pierre Gramegna and Franz Fayot met with representatives of trade unions OGBL, LCGB, CGFP as well the employer representatives of the UEL. Jeannot Ries Lynn Cruchten Lynn Cruchten Lynn Cruchten Lynn Cruchten Lynn Cruchten Lynn Cruchten Lynn Cruchten Lynn Cruchten (RTL) Lynn Cruchten (RTL) Lynn Cruchten (RTL) Lynn Cruchten (RTL) Lynn Cruchten (RTL) Unemployment dominated discussions The discussions exclusively revolved around unemployment in Luxembourg, which is becoming an increasingly threatening issue due to the pandemic. It is important for the government to focus on unemployment, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said. Other issues will be addressed at a later stage, he added. It was agreed that the state-paid recruitment aid will be extended. The minimum age of new recruits will also be lowered and companies will receive another support package aimed at the creation of more apprenticeship positions. The state will also continue to employ new civil servants. The government is set to present further details next week. The next tripartite meeting will take place in September. The government had already held bilateral meeting with the trade unions and employer representatives prior to the tripartite meeting. These meetings had also been fruitful: the government agreed on concrete support packages for Luxembourg's businesses and to extend short-time working schemes until the end of the year. It is also illegal for landlords to increase rent prices before the end of the year. International organisation addressing security-related concerns is a source for those seeking to prove abuses committed during conflicts in Europe. They are gathering dust on shelves, but could make war criminals tremble: the archives of the OSCE, an international organisation addressing security-related concerns, are increasingly becoming a source for those who seek to prove abuses committed during conflicts in Europe. The field reports of the observers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe -- stacked in an elegant white villa on a leafy hill on the outskirts of Prague -- document conflicts on the continent since 1975. No media have until now been allowed access, according to the OSCE, as the organisation -- set up during the Cold War to build trust between the West and the Soviet Union -- usually doesn't seek publicity to continue collecting information from the ground as much as possible. But it is here that famous prosecutor Carla Del Ponte combed through documents for the 2002 indictment of former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic. - Precedent set - Documentalist Alice Nemcova, who reigned over this universe of cardboard boxes enclosing billions of yellowed A4 sheets from 1991 until last month, has seen the collection gain in importance over the years. Prosecutor Carla del Ponte combed through documents in the archives for the 2002 inditcment of Slobodan Milosevic at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia / REUTERS POOL/AFP/File "The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) set a precedent by wanting to access our files," the 63-year-old told AFP. "Mrs Del Ponte kept asking for more. She received four metal boxes filled with testimonies and photos of mass graves," Nemcova recalled. The UN established the ICTY in 1993 to try perpetrators of war crimes committed in the ethnic violence that followed the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Milosevic, who faced 66 counts including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the former Yugoslavia, was never convicted as he died in prison in 2006 during the trial. However, others accused by the tribunal have been found guilty and jailed. "The International Criminal Court (ICC) also made a request concerning Georgia in 2012," Nemcova revealed. Four years later, the Netherlands-based ICC launched an investigation into the conflict between the Caucasus country and Russia. The Kosovo Force (KFOR), the NATO-led troops tasked with protecting Kosovo for the past two decades, also applied for access to the OSCE in 2017, as did the Red Cross, which was looking for people who had gone missing in conflicts. - 'Invaluable source' - Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic was taken to the Hague as a result of the files that Carla Del Ponte uncovered at the OSCE / ANP/AFP/File The OSCE is an important source of information because it "specialises in questions of democracy, freedom and minority rights" and is a constant presence on the ground over an area larger than that of the European Union or NATO, said researcher Nicolas Badalassi. From Vancouver to Vladivostok, the Vienna-based OSCE has 57 member states, and its archives are "enormous", said Badalassi, who lectures contemporary history at the Institute of Political Studies in Aix-en-Provence, France. OSCE is the only international organisation to have immediately gone to the crash site of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down by a Russian-made missile over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people aboard. A trial opened in March in the Netherlands against four men -- three Russians and one Ukrainian -- accused of downing the plane. The OSCE has had observers in the rebel-held eastern Ukraine for years to monitor the conflict there. The archives of the OSCE are increasingly a source for those who seek to prove abuses committed during conflicts in Europe / AFP "In the future, it is clear that the reports in Ukraine since the start of the war in 2014 will be an invaluable source for justice," Badalassi said. "In fact, I don't see anyone else describing the crisis as seen from the inside. Besides, observers have even been kidnapped -- to hinder their work." Even after the Cold War, the OSCE also maintained offices in many countries and regions, including those accused of authoritarianism, such as Chechnya and Belarus. It also sends election observers regularly to monitor polls around the world. But not everyone looks towards the OSCE archives kindly. A former rebel leader once tried to have his name deleted from its search engine. "He must not have had a clear conscience," Nemcova said. The French government resigned Friday ahead of a cabinet reshuffle that President Emmanuel Macron says will set out a "new course" as the country grapples with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday tapped a senior but low-profile bureaucrat as prime minister to replace Edouard Philippe, the first move in a widely expected cabinet reshuffle after dismal local election showings for the ruling party. The new premier, Jean Castex, was drawn from the right-wing opposition to Macron's centrist party, and was totally unknown to most in France until now. But Castex, a former top aide to ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, has been in charge of the country's progressive emergence from the coronavirus lockdown, a policy greeted as a relative success by experts. "Let's be clear: I'm not here to seek the limelight. I'm here to get results," Castex said in what was effectively his introduction to the general public during a prime-time interview on TF1. He said he would present his political road map next week, and a wider cabinet overhaul is expected in the coming days. Macron has promised a "new course" for France to deal with the crisis, which has plunged France into its worst recession since World War II and left millions of people facing unemployment. The former investment banker, who swept to power in 2017 on pledges to radically reform France, already has a wary eye on his 2022 re-election bid after months of protests and strikes that preceded the coronavirus outbreak. French President Emmanuel Macron, right, has parted ways with Edouard Philippe as he charts a "new course" in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. / POOL/AFP/File Speculation that Philippe was on the way out mounted this week after Macron's centrists were routed in municipal elections last Sunday, which saw the Greens take control of several major cities. Philippe, a popular right-wing politician who never joined Macron's Republic on the Move party, nonetheless easily won his bid to be mayor of Le Havre. His approval ratings have surged over his handling of the coronavirus crisis, while those of Macron, who has pursued ambitious economic reforms since coming to office in 2017, have fallen. During the official handover ceremony at the Hotel de Matignon, Philippe gave wide smiles while saying his goodbyes, posing for photos and selfies while sporting a telling choice of cuff links -- minature purple flip-flops. - 'New team' - While many analysts thought Macron would tack left or look farther afield for his new prime minister, Castex is a pure product of the French administrative elite, having attended the same ENA managerial university as Macron and Philippe. "We might have expected a political shift, but this is a technocrat," Christian Jacob, head of the Republicans, told AFP, indicating that Castex would be cast out of the party. His nomination comes after Philippe has pushed through a series of Macron's controversial overhauls that sparked massive strikes as well as the fierce "yellow vest" anti-government revolt. Edouard Philippe's poll ratings have soared over his government's handling of the COVID-19 outbreak. / POOL/AFP/File Sources close to Philippe told AFP on Friday that he would help Macron "consolidate" his majority in parliament, after an embarrassing series of defections in recent weeks by lawmakers unhappy with the president's policies. Press reports had suggested that Macron might keep Philippe after all, not least after he praised his work as "remarkable" in an interview with regional newspapers published Thursday. "I'm not here to seek the limelight. I'm here to get results," France's new Prime Minister Jean Castex said in a TV interview Friday. / AFP Nonetheless, "we have to chart a new course" with "a new team," Macron said. Other top ministers could also be on the way out, but analysts noted that Macron has a thin bench of potential replacements, not least because his young party has failed to produce any standouts from its parliamentary ranks. Under particular pressure is interior minister Christophe Castaner, who has been assailed by critics over the failure to contain the rioting and looting that marred the "yellow vest" protests of 2018-2019. More recently, Castaner has drawn the ire of police who say he has failed to support them against renewed claims of violence and racism in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. Since the start of Macron's presidency, a total of 17 ministers have quit the government, most recently Agnes Buzyn, who stepped down as health minister in a doomed bid to wrest the Paris mayor job from Socialist Anne Hidalgo. The marker was unveiled to great fanfare by a Wyoming celebrity, Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard, who was a professor at the University of Wyoming and its first librarian, an Oregon Trail enthusiast, a suffragist, and a D.A.R. member, according to the DAR. Memorial Park isn't the monument's original spot, which was farther west along Yellowstone Highway where the Lariat Mobile Home and RV Park now stand, according to the press release. The area was identified as the site along the Oregon Trail where U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Caspar Collins died on July 25, 1865 in a battle near Platte Bridge Station, later renamed Fort Caspar in his honor. "In this day and age, with all the monuments being torn down," she said, trailing off, "... I feel it is important to keep history alive. Good, bad, indifferent. It's all important, because even the bad history, you can learn from it." Casper police while looking for someone wanted on a warrant wrongfully arrested another man because of his race and put false information in a court document to cover up their violations of constitutional law, a lawyer for the man alleged in a legal notice filed with the city and police department. The allegations came in a legal filing sent to the city and police department that keeps open the possibility of lawsuit for the arrest of Kaleb Clark, 24. The filing which Ian Sandefer, a Casper attorney, submitted weeks before a two-year time limit was set to expire means that Clark has retained his ability to sue under Wyoming law governing certain cases against governmental entities. The notice of claim, which was filed late last month is not itself a lawsuit, but does open the door to one. In the June 22 filing, Sandefer makes a demand of $1 million and gives the city a July 31 deadline to indicate it is interested in settling the case before a lawsuit is filed. The Casper Police Department this week declined to comment on the allegations or the agencys plans. By email, a police spokeswoman said that the pending litigation prevented the department from commenting, "so as to not impede or circumvent the legal proceedings. The heat got turned up Thursday afternoon in the debate over the Washington Redskins team name. Discussion has simmered for years, but none of the team's major sponsors had called for a change. That changed with a statement Thursday from FedEx, which read: "We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name." The e-mail was sent to reporters shortly after 5 p.m. entering a holiday weekend, a traditional "news dump" time, but the significance is large. FedEx CEO Frederick Smith is a minority owner of the team, and has fended off similar attempts at a corporate position in the past. The company is the title sponsor of FedEx Field in Landover, Md., where the team plays its home games. The debate came to the forefront earlier in the decade, but was mostly quieted by a 2016 Washington Post poll showing 9 in 10 Native Americans were not offended by the name, which the dictionary defines as a derogatory term. Thursday, July 2, 2020 at 3:14PM OnePlus is going back to its affordable flagship roots with its upcoming launch of the OnePlus Nord. The company's co-founder, Carl Pei, revealed that Nord refers to the concept of "true north." He said in a tweet, "Some people have been asking what the Nord name means. It comes from the concept of true north. We each have this inner compass that guides us. This product line reminds us to always search for our true north, and we hope it will keep reminding you of yours." With a promise of releasing this new phone for under US$500, it brings us back to the earlier days of the company when it produced "flagship killers" or handsets that packed in some more premium specs but at a fraction of the price. In recent years, though, the company's devices kept creeping up the price brackets, with its latest OnePlus 8 series being its most expensive devices to date. The first smartphone coming out of this new Nord series will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset, which Pei already confirmed. Other rumoured specs claim it'll have 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, 6.55-inch OLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, 48-megapixel primary camera, 16-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a single selfie shooter. But there are contradicting reports about the camera specs. The OnePlus Nord is expected to launch in India on July 10. The OnePlus Nord is coming to Europe and India first. While "a select number of users" in North America will get a chance to experience the new device through a highly limited beta program after launch." We're hoping to get an update on when it'll be available and how users can participate. Why come back to the midrange now? Pei told TechRadar it believes the company is at a place technology-wise to offer a successful midrange handset. "We've been looking at the mid-range smartphone market for a while," Pei said. "It's just that we felt like the technology wasn't really there to be able to create a mid-range product that also lives up to our 'Never Settle' philosophy. But we're pretty confident that this time around the OnePlus Nord will do just that." And while we don't have the official specs yet, Pei explains the concept behind this first Nord offering: "A great camera, a really fast, smooth and fluid experience, and a device made by somebody you trust to make a good phone. That's the entire concept behind the first product, the OnePlus Nord." OnePlus is promoting the Nord line through a documentary series it recently debuted. It's also seen for the first time in this teaser video from the company. Source: Android Authority + Revu The last few weeks have provided plenty of support for the political positions traditionally espoused by conservatives. Some of the evidence is so painfully obvious its hard to believe there could be any dispute about it. And yet, disputes there are. In fact, the divisions in this country seem deeper than ever. As we approach the November election and beyond, it is vital that we understand the lessons current events teach us about what were facing in our future. Heres a short and (very) incomplete list: 1. Our governments are shockingly weak. COVID-19 has revealed that the twin pillars of some city and state governments are hypocrisy and cowardice. Rules put in place to prevent the spread of the virus were strictly enforced when the would-be violators were Orthodox Jews and other worshipers, small business owners and skateboarders. Ill and elderly people died alone, their loved ones forbidden from visiting them in hospitals and long-term care facilities. These sacrifices, we were told, were necessary to keep the public safe. But when the George Floyd protests exploded into the streets across the country, the narrative changed. Social justice became an exception to the infection rules, as if the virus would somehow distinguish between irate Black Lives Matter activists and frolicking beachgoers. Telling others was a way for him to get the solve off his chest. Boulder, Colorado, resident Paul Klasky thinks the treasure was hidden near him, in the small town of Cascade. The community is home to North Pole Santas Workshop, a themed amusement park. In a letter to The Billings Gazette, Klasky wrote that Fenns poem seemed to have the cadence of The Night Before Christmas. Consequently, his reading of the clues are linked to Santa, including the passage that reads: The answers I already know, which he said refers to Santa knowing who is naughty and nice. Cascade is about an hours drive from Santa Fe, Klasky noted. Speculation So even with the reported solving of Fenns riddle and supposed recovery of the hidden riches, the mystery of it all continues to gnaw at treasure hunters. The Billings Gazette received emails from other seekers, including residents of Ohio and New Jersey who did not return calls seeking more information. Was there ever a treasure? Did Fenn recover it himself because some hunters were getting close? If not, why is the person who found the treasure remaining silent? Are they afraid of being mobbed by the media or people seeking to swindle them out of their hard-found fortune? THE job of Police Commissioner is sacrosanct and the process of selecting a top cop must not be at the whim and fancy of a government, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said yesterday. The former prime minister said the United National Congress (UNC) will decide whether it supports Governments move to make changes to the process of appointing a Police Commissioner (CoP) and Deputy Police Commissioners when it gets sight of the legal notice. THE Police Service Commission (PolSC) has the green light to proceed with a new shorter process to appoint a Police Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner. Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson-Regis made this clear yesterday in response to a story in the Sunday Express which stated that the legal notice giving effect to the process was to be debated in the Parliament today. THE legislative road has been paved for the decriminalisation of pepper spray in Trinidad and Tobago. The Firearms (Amendment) Bill 2021 was passed yesterday in the House of Representatives with no objection. ON Sunday morning, just like Saturday morning, there was a lot of loud talking coming from the back of a mini- mart in Santa Cruz. A mini-bar that has no bar licence (because it is in the middle of a residential community) but is a liming spot that has some great ties that apparently keep their loose practices untouched. Friday, July 3, 2020 at 12:32PM Embed from Getty Images The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada recently announced plans to investigate the Tim Hortons mobile app. A comprehensive media report released mid-June prompted this investigation. It brought up concerns about how the company collects data from its users and the amount of information it receiveseven without the customers being on the app. The federal Privacy Commissioner will be working with three of its provincial counterparts in Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta to determine whether the app complies with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). PIPEDA is Canada's federal private sector privacy law. They want to determine if Tim Hortons received "meaningful consent" from app users, meaning companies can only collect information if they receive consent from the individuals affected. "To make the consent meaningful, the purposes must be stated in such a manner that the individual can reasonably understand how the information will be used or disclosed," PIPEDA states. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is concerned about the privacy issue this practice raises, particularly when it comes to geolocation data gathering. Geolocation data offers sensitive information about habits and activities, like medical visits and the places they frequent. And they want to determine if it's appropriate to collect and use this data under these circumstances. Financial Post's James McLeod brought up this problem after discovering the app was collecting more information than what's perceived as necessary from millions of its users. McLeod used PIPEDA to request his data from Tim Hortons' parent company Restaurant Brands International Inc., which then gave us a look at just how much data the coffee and fast-food chain collects from the users of its mobile app. He discovered that the company had recorded his longitude and latitude coordinates over 2,700 times in less than five months, even when he wasn't using the app. McLeod received vast amounts of text files containing thousands of computer code pages in a format known as JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). He received information from November 2018 to October 2019. According to the data he collected, many of the information pulled off from his phone and logged in RBI servers recorded his interactions with the app from launching it through to checkout. The data also showed Tim Hortons using a location-tracking service from Radar Labs Inc. The company claims on its site to ping phones carrying its tech as often as every three to five minutes. The app recorded the type of device he was using (a Pixel 3XL), Android Advertising ID, and carrier. It routinely logged hi IP address and when he had Bluetooth enabled. There were lines of code that even listed the amount of free disk space he had and how much charge the battery was holding. "Radar, as described, is turning your phone into a device that's constantly streaming your location to a remote server. It's unexpected. It's certainly far more invasive than I would consider acceptable for a coffee shop app. I don't think any of us want corporations watching every single move we make without any insight into it." Erinn Atwater, research and funding director at Open Privacy According to Tim Hortons Chief Corporate Officer Duncan Fulton, users consent to this tracking when they allow the app to access the GPS on their phone, and the onus was on the user to deny the app such access. When McLeod checked the Tim Hortons app's FAQ on privacy issues, it said that it tracked location "only when you have the app open." But as it was revealed in the data he received, Tim Hortons was getting information even when he wasn't on the app. That statement remained on the app until the week the article came out on June 12. And when Financial Post clarified the discrepancy, the media outlet claimed Tim Hortons revised its privacy statement to say that users' ability to limit location tracking differs "depending on your device." And that its users should "check and understand your device settings" to make sure they are comfortable with the amount of location information they're sharing. The company did acknowledge that statement was misleading. "We absolutely agree that our FAQ on location data could have been more clear," Fulton said. He added that Tim Hortons sent an updated statement to customers. When you check the Tim Hortons app now, it states: "It's up to you to decide if you want to share your location data. Depending on your device, you will have different options about how to share this data Make sure you check and understand your device settings to be sure they reflect your preference." The company sent an email to its app users informing them that in addition to using location data to route orders to the nearest restaurant: "We'll use your location data to provide you with tailored offers and choices. For example, we may provide you different offers depending on the community where you live, or we may send you a tailored offer on your morning commute." Fulton has been quoted in the story that this kind of data collection isn't out of the ordinary. "We are not on the cutting edge of this. We are the blunt edge of a butter knife compared to cutting-edge collection and use of data," he said. McLeod showed his data to Erinn Atwater, research and funding director at Open Privacy, a non-profit organization based in Vancouver that advocates for better privacy and security practices. Atwater confirmed his understanding of the JSON data and was surprised to discover that Radar is conducting server-side location processing. It allowed the app to send streams of location data to Radar, which they then analyzed and sent back "items of interest" to RBI. "Radar, as described, is turning your phone into a device that's constantly streaming your location to a remote server," Atwater said. "It's unexpected. It's certainly far more invasive than I would consider acceptable for a coffee shop app. I don't think any of us want corporations watching every single move we make without any insight into it." The amount of information collected might already be concerning, but the report also raises the issue of RBI using partners to gather data. Radar isn't the only company RBI is working with. Atwater pointed out companies like Amplitude Inc., Braze Inc., and mParticle Inc. provided services to Tim Hortons to help track its users. Fulton confirmed this list, but he also said it doesn't sell its data, even in anonymized form. He then acknowledged that they buy other data sets to get a better insight into consumer activity. Fulton said customer location data is usually kept for 12 months, but that the company has safeguards in place to ensure that not all customers can access detailed customer location information. "There's actually only a very few number of people in the company that would have access to all the different information silos," he said. "And we routinely run a monthly audit on every access to every part of our information databases. So we can see on a monthly basis who is accessing which data for what reason." Why go through this trouble of gathering this much data? It's a big part of RBI's business plan over the past couple of years. McLeod wrote, "The app, which is inexorably tied to the Tim Hortons loyalty program, is a huge part of it." The data RBI gets offers them better insight into their consumers. It can learn customers' habits and preferences that will hopefully keep them coming back. It is, as Fulton, pointed out isn't exactly an unusual business move. "We are not on the cutting edge of this. We are the blunt edge of a butter knife compared to cutting-edge collection and use of data." Duncan Fulton, Tim Hortons chief corporate officer But it has been something privacy experts have been concerned about for a long time. Tech giants Apple and Google, who operate platforms iOS and Android, have responded to this issue. Since 2014, Apple has given the users the ability to limit how apps can access location data. It's something they've doubled down on with the recently announced iOS 14. As for Android, McLeod pointed out that location permission was a "blanket all-or-nothing" when he signed up for the Tim Hortons app. It's only Android 10which is the latest version of the operating systemthat offers granular location permissions. This feature allows users to dictate whether services like location permission are only enabled when the app is in use or all the time. The feature is also what tipped him to the issue in the first place. Unfortunately, users running an older version of Android are stuck with either giving blanket access to background tracking or deny location permission entirely, which could render certain features in apps almost unusable. Google is tackling background tracking further with a new policy it's enacting by November. "An app with a store locator feature would work just fine by only accessing location when the app is visible to the user," the Android Developers Blog post said when it announced the upcoming policy. "In this scenario, the app would not have a strong case to request background location under the new policy." All existing apps that access location in the background will require Google's approval or these apps will be removed from the Google Play Store. Despite this, Fulton said RBI doesn't plan to offer an opt-out of tracking for marketing purposes if they choose to enable location services to use the store locator function. So, for those who can still only give blanket access to the app, you might have to think about whether you're willing to provide that much data to a company. Sean Chapman, a pillar of the Tucson law community, died on June 26. He was 58. He died of multiple myeloma, a form of cancer, of which he was diagnosed in June 2010. Chapman argued on both sides of the courtroom, as a prosecutor and a defense attorney. He earned his law degree from the University of Arizona in 1988. In the early 1990s, he served as a Pima County public defender before becoming an assistant U.S. attorney in 1997 and then a private defense attorney in 2004. He did an excellent job in whatever setting he was in. I think thats going to be his lasting legacy, said U.S. District Court Judge Raner Collins. It was amazing to watch his growth in professionalism, how hard he worked for his clients, and how much he cared about the law. As a private defense attorney, Chapman argued a string of high-profile cases in recent years. In 2018, for example, two juries sided with Chapmans defense of Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz, who was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter and second-degree murder after Swartz shot and killed a Mexican teen through the border fence at Nogales. Women from all around Florida united to learn fishing skills at the Ladies, Lets Go Fishing! Gulf Coast University June 27-28 at Bass Pro Shops, Fort Myers. The university offered education, fishing skill practice and an optional fishing trip. The No Yelling School of Fishing provided classroom presentations by Capt. Jon Fetter/Inshore Fishing, Capt. Debbie Han-son/Fishing Basics, Betty Bauman/ Conser-vation and Capt. Rob Fussnecker/Best Times to Fish. Skill practice for knot tying, fly casting, spin casting, live shrimp usage and net casting was conducted by the speakers as well as Steve Johnson and Bait Box Sanibel. With the event rescheduled from March due to the coronavirus, the class was limited to encourage social distancing. On Sunday, participants embarked on their chosen fishing adventures from boats where they caught or released snook, snapper, redfish, sea trout and other species. Featured on national network television and more, the series is supported by major partners including Recreational Fishing and Boating Foundation, Take Me Fishing, Vamos a Pescar, Mercury, Magic Tilt trailers, Penn, Scout Boats, Seven Seas Yacht Sales, Power-Pole and Fish Florida. Largest Annual Sponsors are Freedom Boat Club, Sunrise Resort & Marina, Future Angler Foundation, CCA Florida STAR, TACO Marine and Seaguar. Other donors are listed on the website. The Fort Myers University Fishing Report for the half day fishing on Sunday was positive. Every boat caught fish, captains said, with caught signifying either landing or releasing. Capt. Rob Fussnecker Aqua Breeze Charters said, The ladies slayed the fish, releasing 13 fish in total. Lisa Birns caught her first fish ever, a 26-inch redfish. In total they released five redfish from 24 to 26 inches, eight sea trout up to 20 inches and one 19-inch snook. They learned fishing for redfish near mangroves and fishing for trout on the flats. Capt. Keith Kersey 5/0 Charters said, Mother Robin Krueger, teen daughter Amy Krueger and friend Erin Pyper all from Parkland, Fla., caught/released 20 fish, including two 23-inch redfish, four mangrove snapper, six sea trout, two 23-inch blacktip sharks and six catfish. They learned about tides, winds and casting. The remaining 2020 LLGF events, with optional fishing, include: * Aug. 8 Scalloping in Homosassa, Fla. * Aug. 14-16 Keys Fishing Learning on the Water Screamin Reels Islamorada, Fla. * Aug. 21-23 South Florida Offshore Saltwater Weekend Seminar at IGFA Dania Beach, Fla. * Sept. 12-13 Tampa Inshore Seminar at Progressive Insurance Tampa Boat Show, Fla. * Oct. 23-25 Keys Saltwater Weekend Seminar Islamorada, Fla. For information, call 954-475-9068; or online: info@ladiesletsgofishing.com; www.ladiesletsgofishing.com, www.facebook.com/ladiesletsgofishing. The three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania ended in a major victory for the North as Confederate troops failed to breach Union positions, and more events that happened on this day in history. I think Arizonans believe that our health-care workers, the people on the front lines, are heroes, he said. And they deserve to be paid fairly. Its not that simple, says Garrick Taylor, lobbyist for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The new wage mandate will leave Arizona hospitals with only bad options: pass the higher cost on to patients, reduce care or close their doors, he said. Increasing health-care costs at a time the Arizona economy is struggling with reckless jobless claims and we are in the midst of a pandemic is terrible timing. The provision on infection control requires hospitals to comply with certain national standards based on benchmarks set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for certain services, ranging from problems caused by putting in a catheter to MRSA infections caused by a certain type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics. Hospitals that dont meet the standards would be subject to oversight by the state Department of Health Services and subject to fines for violations. On a day when Florida logged an additional 10,000-plus cases of the COVID-19 virus setting another record dozens of local residents turned out to have their say on whether Cape Coral City Council should require masks to be worn in the municipality. In the end, after one council member had to leave the dais and another left the meeting remotely, resulting in a lack of quorum, the special meeting held Thursday was continued to Monday, July 6, at 4:30 p.m. in council chambers. The meeting will reopen public input and hear updated information on the virus from the weekend with the emergency ordinance then expected to come to a vote. For the measure to mandate masks to pass, it will require a supermajority of six votes, something that eventually came lacking Thursday night after Councilmember Jennifer Nelson had to leave, leaving only five council members with just three at the dais. Councilmember Rick Williams, attending remotely, also had to leave the meeting. The ordinance was brought forward by Mayor Joe Coviello, who said he is looking for a way to protect residents while in public without crippling the economy with another lockdown. As tendered, the ordinance would require that people wear a face covering, such as a mask, while in a business establishment. Exceptions would include children under age 6, those with breathing issues, people exercising while social distancing, restaurant patrons while eating or drinking, and first responders, who are governed by their respective agencies. Public health experts from Lee Health made their cases for wearing masks, saying it would greatly reduce the chance of infecting of others. Masks are important to protect ourselves and those around you. Its the main source control from preventing others from contracting it, said Dr. Mary Saunders, medical director of infection prevention and epidemiology with Lee Health. The theme delivered by many who came was give me liberty or give me death in one of the most raucous meetings at City Hall in years. Many who were against the ordinance gave a multitude of reasons to shoot it down, from lack of oxygen intake from masks to the impugnment of individual liberty, to well, other things. One woman, wearing a Q-anon T-shirt, said they were violating Gods law and that she wouldnt be a puppet, even saying that it was them who paid for the riots (protests) that have occurred nationally over the Black Lives Matter Movement. Another woman, her face completely covered by a wig, called a speaker before her who supported masks a socialist and asked if mandatory microchips would be next and that we were one step away from tyranny. One supporter, Jordan Lindsey (who wore a mask), approved of the ordinance and said he lost two uncles from the virus. We have no choice. We need to do this before more people are endangered and it forces businesses to close again, Lindsey said. Places that mandate masks have a lower rate of transmission. Things got so heated that Coviello called a recess to calm things down. When the meeting resumed, Williams left the meeting and Nelson said she wasnt able to stay much longer. A long line of people waiting to speak remained in the hallway. Another 300 or so had submitted input via email. It was suggested the meeting be continued to July 20, the first regular meeting after hiatus. Councilmember John Carioscia disagreed. This issue is too important for it to wait two and a half weeks. We need to do this as quickly as possible, Carioscia said, suggesting the continuance to Monday. Councilmember John Gunter, meanwhile, expressed his unhappiness with Williams tapping out another meeting, presumably due to technical problems from his location. Indeed, his one comment on the ordinance was nearly impossible to understand. Gunter, though, said his inability to take part in a whole meeting has become a habit since the pandemic and asked for a vote to direct Williams to explain himself. Council took on action on the motion, which came as there was another motion on the floor. The meeting will be at City Hall, 1015 Cultural Park Blvd. The city of Sanibel and Town of Fort Myers Beach each passed emergency mask ordinances this week with the Sanibel Council also voting to close city-owned parking lots at island beaches through the weekend to those who do not have a resident parking sticker. OPINION: Who knew what, and who knew it when? Those are just some questions letter writers are asking in the wake of the in-custody death of Carlos Adrian Ingram Lopez. School management boards across Ho Chi Minh City are scrambling to readjust their budgets to account for the massive cost of reinforcing the trees on their grounds a necessary expense to ensure student safety after a tree in a schoolyard fell and killed a student earlier this year. I was shocked when Ho Chi Minh City Greenery Parks Co. Ltd. quoted us VND237,494,400 [US$10,284] to trim, prune, and chop the trees in our schoolyard, said one member of the management board from Marie Curie High School. The high price caught both us and the students parents off guard. Skyrocketing costs There are dozens of trees on our grounds. Many of them are quite old and some have even passed the centennial mark, said Nguyen Thi Que Van, vice-principal of Marie Curie High School. According to Van, maintaining the trees is no simple task. Marie Curie High School is designed with an arched doorway, which means we cant just drive a crane-truck onto the grounds. With some of our trees measuring more than 40 meters tall, getting workers that high without heavy machinery is extremely complicated, she explained. Ho Chi Minh City Greenery Parks initially offered a VND258 million ($12,000) price to maintain the schools trees, but eventually agreed to slightly cut it to VND237 million. Nguyen Thi Hong Chuong, principal of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School in District 3, said her school is facing the same issue as Marie Curie, with chopping down dead trees, planting new ones, trimming, and pruning eating up large chunks of the budget. An urgent need for public funds The principal of a high school in downtown Ho Chi Minh City had more on her mind than just the cost of maintaining trees. Greenery maintenance should be regulated by the city, not just assigned to the principal, she pointed out, adding that educators simply do not have the expertise to efficiently manage landscaping projects. Instead, the principal suggested that the municipal Department of Construction charge specialized officers with coordination with schools to achieve better outcomes in maintaining their greenery. Another high school principal in the city said the school contracted a private firm to periodically check and prune its trees. After the incident [where a falling tree] killed a student at Bach Dang High School in District 3, we invited a state agency which oversees greenery to give consultation and document the condition of our trees, but the agency charges much more than private firms to trim and prune them, the principal said. To soften the blow of greenery upkeep on school budgets, the principal suggested that the state provide full or partial funding to schools so that larger portions of their own funds can be channeled into education-focused initiatives. Improper upkeep In late May, Ho Chi Minh Citys Department of Construction began working with relevant agencies to examine greenery management and care at 21 schools, concluding that the schools are not pruning trees correctly and many trees on the grounds have truncated branches which endanger the vitality of the trees. According to the departments report, tree branches can split when cut improperly and are at risk of falling and hurting students. Another issue the report identified is the way trees are planted at city schools. Most trees are grown in a ring with brick-walled edges built up from the ground to provide seats for students. This method creates a confinement, making it hard for their root system to branch out. Others are planted in areas with little light, which can predispose them to become slanted and inhibit their growth. In response to the schools funding request for tree maintenance, Le Hoai Nam, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, noted that the agency was collecting opinions on tree maintenance and protection duties from schools. "Afterward, it will cooperate with the Department of Construction and the Department of Finance to rectify the situation. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Editor's note: Gareth Ward is the UK ambassador to Vietnam. In this piece sent to Tuoi Tre News, he reassured international students that UK universities look forward to welcoming students from all over the world, including from Vietnam, in the 2020-21 academic year despite disruptions caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Over the last two years, I have had the pleasure to meet thousands of students, at undergraduate and graduate level, all across Vietnam. I have been struck by the great energy and talent, as well as the openness to learning in an international context. It has also become clear to me how Vietnamese people recognize the UK as a world leader in quality education. I know from my own experience of study in the UK how international students enrich the learning environment in the UK socially, culturally and academically. This educational exchange helps grow life-long friendships, develop strong networks, nurture business and build political and diplomatic bridges. In recent years, Vietnamese students have been choosing in large numbers to study in the UK, and to study for UK joint degrees in Vietnam. This year, had COVID-19 not happened, I am sure that students in Vietnam, from 1st to 11th grade, would be enjoying their summer holidays. Most of the students would be taking a well-earned rest after finishing their exams. The current crisis has disrupted this longstanding routine. Pupils remain hard at work, preparing for their upcoming end-of-year exams. Uncertainty hangs over plans to study abroad. Let me reassure you that the UK is open to receive international students. Applications for study in the UK in 2020-21 are open now and our universities look forward to welcoming students from all over the world and, including from Vietnam. UK universities are among the best in the world, with four in the top 10 global rankings (Source: QS World University Rankings). They are leading research, including to understand and combat COVID-19. A UK education opens doors. UK graduates are among the most desirable in the world. Vietnamese students in the UK are seen in a supplied photo. During this particularly turbulent time, we are committed to ensuring a welcoming and safe experience for international students. We want to ensure that each student feels comfortable when studying in the UK, maximizing their education experience. Our recent survey of UK universities confirms that 97% will provide in-person teaching at the start of term this year, with 87% also stating that they will offer in-person social opportunities to students, including outside events and sporting activities, all in line with government and public health guidance. (Source: Study UK British Council) We also understand the importance of being able to get post-study work experience in the UK. That is why international students present in the UK before April 6, 2021 will still be eligible to join the Graduate Route, even if you begin your course online before traveling to the UK in person. This will enable students to benefit from two years work experience in the UK after graduation. We want Vietnamese students to join the wider British alumni network in Vietnam, and make the UK the best place to continue your studies, visit or do business. The UK government, working closely with universities, has gone to great lengths to ensure the utmost flexibility for those planning to study in the UK from Autumn 2020, adopting measures from visa regulations to learning models and student safety. Following guidance from the UK government to prioritize the needs of all students in education in the UK, universities have adopted a range of tailored support services to students, including those regarding mental health. Although admissions processes and modes of teaching might look slightly different this year, the UKs universities continue to recruit and encourage international students to apply, even when travel is complicated. Universities are showing great flexibility, responding to the individual needs of each student. In the absence of being able to travel overseas, students can study remotely and need only apply for a visa when able to leave for the UK. We have seen some fantastic and innovative examples of high-quality online learning being delivered by institutions across the UK, and the sector is already working hard to prepare learning materials for the summer and autumn terms. Vietnamese students in the UK are seen in a supplied photo. I am also pleased to announce that the UK governments prestigious Chevening Scholarship scheme will open for applications on September 3, 2020. I am always delighted to meet these incredibly bright and inspiring scholars and see their contributions to Vietnams development. Chevening is open to all disciplines and I encourage anyone looking to develop their leadership ability and make a positive change in Vietnam through pursuing a Masters degree in the UK to apply. 2020 marks the 10-year anniversary of the UK-Vietnam strategic partnership, of which education is a cornerstone. During this milestone year, I and our growing team at the British Embassy in Hanoi and the British Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, look forward to further deepening relations between our two countries, especially in education with a vision towards our mutual growth and sustainability in the post-COVID-19 world. What you need to know today in Vietnam: Politics -- Chinas military drills in the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago have violated Vietnams sovereignty and gone against the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Vietnam Sea (DOC), Le Thi Thu Hang, spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affars, said on Thursday. Society -- The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has asked the Vietnam Immigration Department under the Ministry of Public Security to allow 437 foreigners who are investors, experts, managers, and skilled workers to enter the city from abroad. They are working for 100 agencies and enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City. -- The Ho Chi Minh City People's Court on Thursday sentenced a Taiwanese to death for trafficking over 316kg of heroin from the southern province of Binh Duong to the city last year. -- Vietnamese authorities have managed to take a Ukrainian seaman suffering acute pancreatitis aboard a ship en route to Malaysia from China to the shore for emergency care. Business -- Vietjet has cooperated with Facebook in boosting Vietnam's tourism and offered 50 percent discounts on ticket prices from Thursday to Saturday on its website and smartphone app. -- The disbursement of public investment capital should be one of the criteria to measure public governance, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said during a teleconference between the central government and local authorities on Thursday. Sports -- Manchester City hammered new Premier League champions Liverpool 4-0 at the Etihad stadium on Thursday. World News -- The coronavirus has infected almost 11 million people and killed nearly 524,000 patients around the world as of Friday, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health's statistics. Over 6.1 million people have been cleared of the virus. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The development of a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine in Vietnam is currently two months ahead of schedule and is expected to complete in nine to twelve months. A group of scientists from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) and VABIOTECH, a state-owned firm managed by the Ministry of Health, officially introduced their COVID-19 vaccine to the press on Wednesday. The research and development process has showed positive signs and is two months ahead of time during the first phase, said Do Tuan Dat, director of VABIOTECH. The vaccine has been tested on eight groups of mice, of which four have been confirmed by the NIHE to have developed antibody response, Dat elaborated. It will take us another nine to twelve months to finish producing the vaccine, but we are trying to speed up the process, the director said. The development of the vaccine began with two VABIOTECH researchers studying new vaccine production technologies at the University of Bristol in the UK. We were able to return to Vietnam right before the country stopped welcoming international arrivals in late March. We spent 14 days in quarantine and another month developing the vaccine at an isolated facility, said Mac Van Trong, one of the two VABIOTECH researchers. The scientists developed the vaccine using viral vectors, a new and versatile technology that is suitable in the context of an ongoing pandemic and promises high production efficiency, Trong stated. According to Prof. Dang Duc Anh, head of the NIHE, China and other countries have progressed to the second stage of their vaccine development, which is human trial. Vietnam will be ready to test its homemade vaccine on humans after another round of animal testing in four to nine months. The worlds first COVID-19 vaccine may be released in about six months, while it will take longer for the Vietnam-made vaccine to be ready, Prof. Anh stated. However, the countrys primary goal is to develop a complete and stable vaccine that is safe and effective for human use, according to Dat, the VABIOTECH director. The research team will also develop a commercial production line that is capable of producing up to millions or even tens of millions of doses. This drive will boost Vietnams vaccine production capability, especially in response to future pandemics, Dat added. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! As the state and country prepare to celebrate Independence Day, Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Floridians to take precautions over the holiday weekend amidst the highest single-day increase in cases since the COVID-19 pandemic began. DeSantis, along with Florida Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees, presented three Cs for those across the state to take into consideration while enjoying the holiday. The three Cs include: 1) Closed Spaces. Avoid closed spaces with poor ventilation that could allow contagious droplets to linger in the air. 2) Crowded Places. Avoid crowded places with many people nearby; the greater the number of individuals in an area, the greater the chances of COVID-19 spreading from person-to-person. 3) Close-Contact Settings. Avoid close-range conversations and stay at least six feet from others. People over the age of 65 and those with underlying conditions are at risk of severe complications from COVID-19 and should avoid crowds and minimize contact outside of the home, DeSantis said in a statement. As we head into this holiday weekend, I encourage all Floridians be diligent in avoiding closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings, and remember to wear a mask. Together, we must continue to take the appropriate steps to slow the spread of this virus. Rivkees said, Many asymptomatic individuals are unknowingly carrying the COVID-19 virus in public. Wearing a mask in public settings, frequently washing your hands for at least 20 seconds and observing the latest social distancing guidelines will also amplify our ongoing efforts in protecting our most vulnerable populations from contracting this virus. Every Floridian has an important role to play in shielding and safeguarding our communities against COVID-19. By the Numbers As of 11 a.m. Thursday, there are 169,106 cases of the new coronavirus confirmed in Florida, an increase of 10,109 since FDOHs last update Wednesday morning. This is the highest single-day report of cases from the state. More than 68,800 test results were reported to the Department of Health on Wednesday, July 1. Of those reported tests, 14.59 percent tested positive. Since June 21, positivity rates have increased from 7.74 percent up to 15.99 percent. On Friday, June 26, 78,318 tests were processed by the state the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. The death toll increased by 67 from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 11 a.m. Thursday, reported among Lee Broward, Collier, Dade, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Martin, Monroe, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns and St. Lucie counties. A total of 2,033,794 individuals have been tested: 1,863,077 have tested negative, 1,611 tests were inconclusive and 1,683 tests are pending results. Of those testing positive, 15,150 (+570) have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. There have been 3,718 deaths. The age groups of Florida residents that have yielded the most positive test results are 25-34 years old (20%), followed by 35-44(16%), 15-24(16%) and 45-54 (15%). The highest hospitalization rate is found in patients 65-74 (19%), 75-84 (18%) and 55-64 (17%) years old. In Lee County, 5,869 (+354) individuals have tested positive as of 11 a.m. Thursday; 2,688 in Fort Myers (+138), 1,122 in Cape Coral (+90), 1,311 in Lehigh Acres (+59), 377 in Bonita Springs (+22), 201 in North Fort Myers (+22), 135 in Estero (+5), 32 on Fort Myers Beach (+2), 17 in Sanibel (+0), 23 in Alva (+0), eight in Bokeelia (+1), five on Matlacha (+1), four in Saint James City (+0), three in Tice (+0), two in Miromar Lakes (+0), two in Boca Grande (+0), two on Captiva (+0), two in San Carlos Park (+0) and one in Buckingham (+0). Eighty cases were not identified by community. Positive COVID-19 cases in the county have ranged from infants to a 101-year-old. Lee County saw its first two cases on March 7, when a man and a woman, each 77, tested positive. They had traveled to the Dominican Republic. There have been 161 deaths (+2) in Lee County and a total of 616 (+6) hospitalizations; 117 deaths were reported in residents or staff of long-term care facilities. As of Thursday, Lee Health had 258 COVID-19 patients isolated in system inpatient hospitals. A total of 927 patients who had tested positive have been discharged, including 34 on Wednesday. Lee Health had 245 patients insolated in hospitals on Wednesday. The system has submitted a total of 28,927 specimens for testing, with 1,461 results currently pending. Lee Healths mobile collection sites on Wednesday collected 264 specimens. Bed capacity as of Thursday is at 82 percent, with 20.1 percent of those being COVID-19 patients. As of Thursday, 70 percent of ventilators and 11 percent of ICU rooms are available for use across Lee Health facilities. COVID-19 is a highly contagious viral disease. For most individuals, symptoms are mild. For a minority, the disease becomes a type of viral pneumonia with severe complications. Especially at risk are those who are older, those with underlying health conditions and the immune-compromised. Officials strongly urge all members of the public who are at risk to remain at home so as to limit exposure. All others are urged to observe social distancing and to wear a mask for all public interactions. For more detail on Florida resident cases, visit the live DOH Dashboard. To find the most up-to-date information and guidance on COVID-19, visit the Department of Healths dedicated COVID-19 webpage. For information and advisories from the Centers for Disease Control, visit the CDC COVID-19 website. For more information about current travel advisories issued by the U.S. Department of State, visit the travel advisory website. For any other questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, contact the Departments dedicated COVID-19 Call Center by calling 1-866-779-6121. The Call Center is available 24 hours per day. Inquiries may also be emailed to COVID-19@flhealth.gov . -Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj Police in the north-central Vietnamese province of Thanh Hoa have broken up an illegal ring that produces and sells guns and bullets at cheap prices. Officers in Quan Hoa District confirmed on Thursday they had raided the house of 58-year-old Luong Van Vuot in Hoi Xuan Town. Police found two homemade guns, three gun barrels, eight kilograms of iron balls, 1,500 explosive particles, over four kilograms of explosive precursors, sulfur, brimstones, and many other exhibits related to the manufacturing of guns and bullets. Vuot claimed he had produced the guns and bullets and sold them to residents in Hoi Xuan Town, who used the weapons to hunt wild animals as a hobby. Materials used in the manufacturing of guns and bullets are held at a police station in Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. Photo: Binh An / Tuoi Tre The man sold his guns at VND500,000 (US$21) each and iron balls at VND20,000 ($0.86) per 100 grams. It is not uncommon for residents in the mountainous district of Quan Hoa to make and use homemade guns to hunt wildlife at local forests, posing high risks to social order and security as well as the safety of local people. Further investigation into the case is ongoing. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Peoples Court of Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday sentenced a Taiwanese to death for trafficking 316 kilograms of heroin to the city from neighboring Binh Duong province last year. Chen Tsen Wei, a 34-year-old Taiwanese man, was given the capital punishment after the court convicted him of smuggling massive amounts of heroin. Chen and his accomplices were found to have entered Vietnam from Taiwan on several occasions since November 2018 to traffic narcotics, according to court documents. At the beginning of 2019, a shipment of heroin belonging to the drug ring led by Chen was busted in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung, with several arrests made by local police. In February 2019, Chen and his accomplice Yen Yung Chu entered Vietnam and traveled to Binh Duong Province. On March 27, the Taiwanese men were driven by a Vietnamese driver, Nguyen Dinh Hong, to a warehouse in Binh Duong to pick up a shipment and transfer it to Ho Chi Minh City. After the pick-up, Chen and Yen drove the groups van to Ho Chi Minh City while Hong led the way in a taxi. At 8:30 pm on the same day, the gang of three was intercepted by municipal police officers at the An Suong intersection in District 12. Chen and Yen tried to bribe the officers but wound up attempting to flee the scene on foot when their offer was rejected. Chen was caught but Yen managed to escape and has been at large ever since. Officers have also identified Yu Chi Fu as a member of the drug racket. The officers seized five cartons containing over 316 kilograms of heroin from Chens van. No drugs were found in their Binh Duong warehouse. Yen and Yu will be prosecuted separately from Wei following their arrest. At Thursdays court, judges handed Chen the death penalty for transporting narcotics. Under Vietnams Penal Code, anyone found guilty of transporting from 100 grams of heroin can face either 20 years to life behind bars or the death penalty. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A woman has been sentenced to death while three others jailed for 13 to 22 years for murdering two men and hiding their bodies in concrete at a house in the southern Vietnamese province of Binh Duong last year. Their sentences were announced on Friday morning at the Binh Duong Peoples Court. Pham Thi Thien Ha, 32, a resident in Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City, was given the death penalty for murder. Has mother, 67-year-old Trinh Thi Hong Hoa, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for murder and failure to report a crime. Nguyen Ngoc Tam Huyen, 40, received a 19-year jail term for murder and failure to report a crime. Le Ngoc Phuong Thao, 30, was jailed for 22 years for murder and crime concealment. Trinh Thi Hong Hoa is escorted to the Peoples Court in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, July 3, 2020. Photo: Ba Son / Tuoi Tre The defendants were also required to pay VND440 million (US$18,890) as compensation to the families of the two deceased victims 28-year-old Tran Tri Thanh and 52-year-old Tran Duc Linh. They will also have to provide monthly financial support for Linhs elderly mother. According to the indictment, Ha recruited Hoa, Huyen, Thao, Thanh, Linh, and two other women to join a cult in July 2018. They rented a house in Binh Duong Province to conduct their practices. Two women later left the group due to its strict rules, forcing the rest to rent another place to keep their activities a secret. They moved to another house in Bau Bang District, also in Binh Duong, in October 2018. Le Ngoc Phuong Thao is pictured at the Peoples Court in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, July 3, 2020. Photo: Ba Son / Tuoi Tre Later the same year, Linh was unable to handle the harsh living condition and attempted to escape by jumping off the first floor of the house. Linh was captured and beaten by Ha and Thanh, before passing away a few hours later. All members joined hands to dispose of Linhs body by putting the corpse inside a barrel and filling it with concrete. After a while, Ha discovered that Thanh often sneaked out at night and disobeyed the cult's regulations. She told Hoa, Huyen, and Thao about her intention to murder the man, which they did. Nguyen Ngoc Tam Huyen is pictured at the Peoples Court in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, June 26, 2020. Photo: Ba Son / Tuoi Tre After killing Thanh, the women disposed of his body the same way they did with Linhs. In April 2019, they returned the house to the owner, who then sold it in May the same year. The new owner discovered the concrete-filled barrel on May 15 and found Thanhs body as he was breaking up the concrete. Police officers then searched the house and found Linhs body the following day. The women were apprehended on May 17, 2019 when they were staying at a hotel in Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong, about 50 kilometers from the crime scene. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Gillian Moody Screen NSW is launching a new talent incubator program, facilitated by producer Gillian Moody, for NSW emerging and mid-career Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives. Head of Screen NSW Grainne Brunsdon said, Telling stories is a critical way for us to understand our past, navigate the present and imagine possible futures. This program will provide tangible career pathways in the screen sector, kickstart avenues for important stories to be shared across the country and worldwide, and support building important networks and relationships for emerging practitioners. This partnership and announcement of the 2020 Indigenous Talent Creative Incubator has never been more important. Incubator mentor, Gillian Moody adds, I am thrilled to be working with Bunya Talent and Screen NSW in delivering a career development lab. Weve seen amazing creative mentors participate in past incubators such as Nakkiah Lui, Wayne Blair, Adrian Russell Wills and Dena Curtis. Im so excited to curate an experienced team to work with emerging and mid-career Indigenous NSW talent. The three-day intensive incubator, facilitated by producer Gillian Moody will work with up to eight successful creatives to identify and harness their talent for film, TV and digital outcomes, and to advance the story ideas and skills of NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander screen practitioners. The incubator will be tailored for each participants interests, background and skill sets and will also feature a bespoke program of masterclasses and one-to-one mentoring with experienced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander industry practitioners. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander producers, writers, writer/directors and director/producers living in NSW are encouraged to apply. Applications close 4pm AEST 31 July 2020. Related With Fiji cleared of COVID-19 what are the chances of Survivor (US) and Australian Survivor returning? The government of Fiji has always been film-friendly to both productions, including with incentives, as well as Bachelor in Paradise, amongst others. Fijian PM Josaia Frank Voreqe Bainimarama recently announced that the country was working on a travel arrangement called the Bula Bubble between itself, New Zealand and Australia. US host Jeff Probst has spoken about recent negotiations to the Hollywood Reporter. What types of safety measures are you discussing? JP: Shooting in a foreign country is exponentially more complicated, and we are still exploring them. Im on the phone every couple of days, either with the government of Fiji or with our executive teams that are in charge of logistics and planning. Were continuing to lay out ideas. We dont have a plan yet. Its what were spending all our time doing because its not like were going to Atlanta to shoot a show. Fiji, where youre filming next, just declared itself COVID-19-free. JP: Theyve done an incredible job of controlling the virus. Theyve had a total of only 15 cases in their entire country, and theyve had no active cases for months. They have figured out how to handle it, and they just want to ensure that when we come shoot there, we dont change that. Were working together with them, but theyve been very production-friendly in terms of wanting it to happen. Probst also addresses questions around reflecting the current US climate in its casting which you can read here. Related "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:38) Hong Kong: Civil servant rumours unfounded The Government today dismissed online rumours that it would soon publish in the gazette a requirement for civil servants to take an oath and renounce their BNO (British National Overseas) status, saying such claims were unfounded. It will report the progress of the study on the proposal on oath-taking by civil servants at the Legislative Council Panel on Public Service meeting on July 10. This story has been published on: 2020-07-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang (Photo: VNA) She made the statement while answering reporters queries at the ministrys regular press briefing in Hanoi on July 2nd. The drills have complicated the situation, which is unfavourable for the current negotiations between ASEAN and China over a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) and the maintenance of peace, stability and cooperation on the East Sea, the spokesperson said. She added that Vietnam has handed over a diplomatic note voicing its objection and demanding China not to repeat such violation in the future. Regarding the information on Chinas Haiyang 4 survey ship entering Vietnams exclusive economic zone, Hang affirmed that survey, exploration and scientific research activities in Vietnamese waters defined under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982) must receive Vietnams approval in line with the convention. She underlined that respect for national sovereignty, sovereign rights, jurisdiction, and UNCLOS 1982 provisions holds significant meaning to maintaining peace, stability, security, cooperation and development in the East Sea, the region and the world./. Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees have a uniquely 2020 Fourth of July holiday weekend message for Floridians: Avoid the Three Cs Closed Spaces, Crowded Places and Close-Contact Settings. And wear a mask in public. In a joint statement released Thursday morning that also included cautionary comment from Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, the states top officials urged us all to take precautions to mitigate the heightened spread of the new coronavirus. People over the age of 65 and those with underlying conditions are at risk of severe complications from COVID-19 and should avoid crowds and minimize contact outside of the home, Gov. DeSantis said. As we head into this holiday weekend, I encourage all Floridians be diligent in avoiding closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings, and remember to wear a mask. Together, we must continue to take the appropriate steps to slow the spread of this virus. Dr. Rivkees reiterated the help flatten the curve measures health professionals have stressed since the pandemic began impacting the U.S. earlier this year. Many asymptomatic individuals are unknowingly carrying the COVID-19 virus in public, Dr. Scott Rivkees said. Wearing a mask in public settings, frequently washing your hands for at least 20 seconds and observing the latest social distancing guidelines will also amplify our ongoing efforts in protecting our most vulnerable populations from contracting this virus. Every Floridian has an important role to play in shielding and safeguarding our communities against COVID-19. Indeed. We have heard the comments concerning the spike in numbers. Theories, and what pass for theories, abound. However our states top officials continue to urge those at risk to stay home and the rest of us to take care in our in-public interactions. With the number of COVID-19 cases again spiking in Florida, Lee Health President and CEO Dr. Larry Antonucci summed up the current situation succinctly: We are at a critical point in our battle against the coronavirus. Numbers dont lie, Dr. Antonucci said last Friday. Coronavirus is spreading throughout Southwest Florida, and we are seeing more hospitalizations and a higher positivity rate than ever before. Today we have more than 200 people in our hospitals and nursing homes with COVID-19. Just before Memorial Day, we had 80. This is a significant increase, and as a community, we have the power to reverse this trend. Together, we have the power to save lives. On Thursday, the number of hospitalizations was 258 with 47 new admission since Wednesday. Bed capacity was at 82 percent, with coronavirus patients occupying 20.1 percent of those beds one of every five. The numbers dont lie. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued some advice back in February regarding the then-new coronavirus disease formally dubbed COVID-19: Share the Facts, Stop Fear. Its good advice so here goes. One more time: For the vast majority, the illness is mild. Youre not going to get very sick. Youre not going to be hospitalized. Youre not going to die. Many of us may not even know we are infected. Thats the double-edged sword wielded by this stealth virus that can and does kill at a rate much higher than other types of serious respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia or flu. How much higher? The ratio of confirmed cases of the flu to attributed deaths is .01, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The ratio of reported cases to attributed deaths for COVID-19 varies by country, even by state. In the U.S, overall. its 4.8 percent. The numbers dont lie. So yes, are we are all urged, this holiday weekend, add some common-sense safety precautions to the usual Fourth of July take-cares concerning fireworks and the consumption of moms mayonnaise-based potato salad. Avoid the Three Cs Closed Spaces, Crowded Places and Close-Contact Settings. Wear a mask in public. And take to heart also the words of Dr. Antonucci, whose days and we fear, nights are consumed with the health of those of us who call Southwest Florida home: The threat of this virus is as real as it has ever been, and complacency is not an option. Stay safe. And have a happy Fourth. -Breeze editorial ADO Properties S.A. / Key word(s): Capital Increase ADO Properties S.A.: ADO Properties announces fully underwritten capital increase with subscription rights in the amount of EUR 450 million Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Dissemination of an announcement according to Art. 17 para 1 Market Abuse Regulation, Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 ("MAR"). ADO Properties S.A. NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, CANADA OR JAPAN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADO Properties announces fully underwritten capital increase with subscription rights in the amount of EUR 450 million - Issue of 30.8 million new shares - Subscription ratio of 5:12 - Subscription price of EUR 14.60 per share - Major shareholders have provided firm subscription commitments for 36% to participate in the capital increase Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, July 2, 2020: ADO Properties S.A. ("ADO Properties") announces to issue 30.8 million new shares in dematerialized form with no nominal value and with dividend entitlements as from January 1, 2019 (the "New Shares") by utilizing its authorized capital in connection with a capital increase against contribution in cash (the "Capital Increase"). The subscription price will be 14.60 per new Share. The New Shares will be offered to existing shareholders of ADO Properties at a subscription ratio of 5:12. The existing shareholders may acquire 5 New Shares for 12 existing shares of ADO Properties at the subscription price during the subscription period. Subject to the approval and publication of the prospectus, which is expected in the course of today, the subscription period will commence on July 6, 2020 and is scheduled to end on July 20, 2020 (at 5:30 p.m. CET). The subscription rights (ISIN LU2199485652) for the New Shares will be traded on the regulated market (XETRA and XETRA Specialist) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the period from July 6, 2020 up to and including July 16, 2020. Any New Shares not acquired by existing shareholders during the subscription period are expected to be offered to institutional investors in a private placement on or around July 21, 2020. The admission to trading and inclusion of the New Shares in the existing quotation is expected to be on or around July 24, 2020. ADO Properties has received firm subscription commitments, including from major shareholders, in respect of an aggregate shareholding of approx. 36% in the Company. Under the firm subscription commitments, each such shareholder has undertaken to participate in the Capital Increase according to its shareholding. The gross proceeds from the Capital Increase are expected to amount to EUR 450 million. ADO Properties intends to use the entire net proceeds for the repayment of debt to reduce financing liabilities relating to Consus Real Estate AG's development projects. Notifying Person: Colleen Yorke, Legal Counsel +49 30 403 907 543 c.yorke@ado.berlin IMPORTANT INFORMATION This release is neither an advertisement nor a securities prospectus and should not be relied upon in making any investment decision to purchase, subscribe for or otherwise acquire any securities. The information and opinions contained in this release are provided as at the date of this release, are subject to change without notice and do not purport to contain all information that may be required to evaluate ADO Properties S.A. ("ADO Properties"). No reliance may or should be placed for any purpose whatsoever on the information contained in this release, or any other information discussed verbally, or on its completeness, accuracy or fairness. This release is not and may not be published, distributed or transmitted in the United States of America, Canada, Australia or Japan. This release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale or a solicitation of an offer to purchase securities of ADO Properties in the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which such offer, sale or solicitation is unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. The securities referred to herein may not and will not be offered or sold in Australia, Canada or Japan or to, or for the account or benefit of, any national, resident or citizen of Australia, Canada or Japan subject to certain exceptions. The securities offered by ADO Properties may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or an applicable exemption from registration. This publication may not be distributed, directly or indirectly, into the United States, other than to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act ("Rule 144A"). Furthermore, outside the United States, this publication may only be distributed, directly or indirectly, to non-U.S. persons within the meaning of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act ("Regulation S"). In the United Kingdom, this release is only being distributed to and is only directed at persons (i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments being defined in Article 19(5) of the United Kingdom Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "FPO"), (ii) who fall within Article 49(2)(a)-(d) of the FPO, (iii) who are outside the United Kingdom, or (iv) to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in an investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the United Kingdom Financial Services and Markets Act 2000) in connection with the issue or sale of any securities may otherwise be lawfully communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). This release is directed only at Relevant Persons and must not be acted on or relied upon by persons who are not Relevant Persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this release relates is available only to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. In any member state of the European Economic Area, other than Germany and Luxembourg, or the United Kingdom, this release is only addressed to and is only directed at "qualified investors" within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 14, 2017, as amended (the "Prospectus Regulation"). This release is not an advertisement and not a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus Regulation. This release and the information contained herein are for information purposes only and constitute neither a prospectus nor an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities. The offer will be made solely by means of, and on the basis of, a securities prospectus which is to be published (the "Prospectus"). An investment decision regarding the publicly offered securities of ADO Properties should only be made on the basis of the Prospectus. The Prospectus will be published promptly upon approval by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) and will be available free of charge at ADO Properties S.A., 1B, Heienhaff, L-1736 Senningerberg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, or on the website of ADO Properties at https://www.ado.properties. Certain statements contained in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements" that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of the words "may", "will", "should", "plan", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "project", "goal" or "target" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, forecasts, estimates, projections, opinions or plans that are inherently subject to significant risks, as well as uncertainties and contingencies that are subject to change. No representation is made or will be made by ADO Properties that any forward-looking statement will be achieved or will prove to be correct. The actual future business, financial position, results of operations and prospects may differ materially from those projected or forecast in the forward-looking statements. ADO Properties does not assume any obligation to update, and does not expect to publicly update, or publicly revise, any forward-looking statements or other information contained in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. Notice to Distributors Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within (i) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("MiFID II"), (ii) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II, and (iii) local implementing measures (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the subscription rights to the new shares and the new shares have been subject to a product approval process. As a result, it has been determined that such subscription rights and such new shares are (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the "Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) should note that: the value of the subscription rights and the price of the new shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment. The new shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the subscription rights and the new shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the offering described in the release. For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the subscription rights or the new shares. Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the subscription rights and the new shares and determining appropriate distribution channels Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, July 2, 2020 ADO Properties S.A. Board of Directors Contact: Thierry Beaudemoulin, CEO 02-Jul-2020 CET/CEST The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de DGAP-News: ADO Properties S.A. / Key word(s): Capital Increase The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. ADO Properties S.A. announces fully underwritten rights issue of EUR 450 million Berlin, 2 July 2020 - Following the announcement of the exercise of the call option to acquire control of Consus Real Estate AG ("Consus"), ADO Properties S.A. ("ADO" or the "Company") today announces a fully underwritten rights issue of EUR 450 million (the "Capital Increase"). In the Capital Increase, the Company will offer for subscription 30,819,391 new shares to its existing shareholders at the subscription price of EUR 14.60 per new share (the "Subscription Price"). ADO intends to use the proceeds from the Capital Increase for the repayment of debt relating to Consus' development projects with the aim of reducing financing liabilities. The prospectus for the Capital Increase is expected to be approved and published later today. Key terms of the Capital Increase The new shares will be offered to existing shareholders of ADO at a subscription ratio of 5:12. The existing shareholders may acquire 5 new shares for 12 existing shares of ADO at the Subscription Price during the Subscription Period. Subject to the approval and publication of the prospectus, the Subscription Period commences on 6 July 2020 and ends on 20 July 2020 at 17:30 CET (the "Subscription Period"). The subscription rights for the new shares will be traded on the regulated market (XETRA and XETRA Specialist) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange from 6 July 2020 up to and including 16 July 2020 (the "Trading Period"). The Capital Increase is fully underwritten by the syndicate banks. Participation of shareholders ADO has received firm subscription commitments, including from major shareholders, representing a total shareholding of approximately 36% in the Company. Under the firm subscription commitments, each such shareholder has undertaken to participate in the Capital Increase according to its shareholding. Background of the Capital Increase On 15 December 2019, ADO announced an all share voluntary tender offer for ADLER Real Estate AG ("ADLER"), acquired a minority stake in Consus while entering into a call option to acquire control of Consus and announced its intention to launch a rights issue in connection with the acquisition of ADLER. The acquisition of ADLER was completed in April 2020. On 29 June 2020, ADO announced the exercise of the call option to acquire control of Consus, a leading development platform with significant growth potential in the Top-7 German cities, which is expected to be fully settled upon the launch of the Capital Increase. Subsequently, a voluntary tender offer is expected to be launched in due course for all remaining shares of Consus. In the light of the Capital Increase, ADO's board of directors is proposing a one-time cancelation of the dividend for 2019. In the future, the dividend policy will continue to be 50% pay-out of FFO 1. Expected prospectus publication The prospectus is expected to be approved and published later today. The prospectus will be made available at the website of ADO at https://www.ado.properties/websites/ado/English/4200/capital-increase.html. Indicative timetable of the Capital Increase 2 July 2020 Approval and publication of prospectus 3 July 2020 Record Date of the Capital Increase 6 July 2020 First trading day without subscription rights 6 July 2020 Commencement of Subscription Period and Trading Period 16 July 2020 End of Trading Period 20 July 2020 End of Subscription Period 21 July 2020 Expected announcement of results of the Capital Increase and potential rump placement 22 July 2020 Expected admission of the new shares to trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange 24 July 2020 Expected inclusion of new shares in ADO's current stock quotation Full underwriting by syndicate banks J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, acting as the joint global coordinators, and Barclays Bank PLC and Kempen & Co, acting as joint bookrunners for the Capital Increase, have entered into the underwriting agreement with the Company pursuant to which they have agreed, subject to certain terms and conditions, to procure subscribers for any shares that may remain unsubscribed for in the Capital Increase, or to subscribe for such shares themselves. White & Case is acting as legal adviser to ADO, Clifford Chance is acting as legal adviser to the syndicate banks. Investor Relations: T +352 278 456 710 F +352 203 015 00 E ir@ado.properties Media Relations: Finsbury Gordon Simpson E Gordon.Simpson@finsbury.com Ed Simpkins E Edward.Simpkins@finsbury.com T +44 207 251 3801 Hering Schuppener Christian Falkowski E cfalkowski@heringschuppener.com T +49 69 92 18 74 64 IMPORTANT INFORMATION This release is neither an advertisement nor a securities prospectus and should not be relied upon in making any investment decision to purchase, subscribe for or otherwise acquire any securities. The information and opinions contained in this release are provided as at the date of this release, are subject to change without notice and do not purport to contain all information that may be required to evaluate ADO Properties S.A. ("ADO Properties"). No reliance may or should be placed for any purpose whatsoever on the information contained in this release, or any other information discussed verbally, or on its completeness, accuracy or fairness. This release is not and may not be published, distributed or transmitted in the United States of America, Canada, Australia or Japan. This release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale or a solicitation of an offer to purchase securities of ADO Properties in the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which such offer, sale or solicitation is unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. The securities referred to herein may not and will not be offered or sold in Australia, Canada or Japan or to, or for the account or benefit of, any national, resident or citizen of Australia, Canada or Japan subject to certain exceptions. The securities offered by ADO Properties may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or an applicable exemption from registration. This publication may not be distributed, directly or indirectly, into the United States, other than to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act ("Rule 144A"). Furthermore, outside the United States, this publication may only be distributed, directly or indirectly, to non-U.S. persons within the meaning of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act ("Regulation S"). In the United Kingdom, this release is only being distributed to and is only directed at persons (i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments being defined in Article 19(5) of the United Kingdom Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "FPO"), (ii) who fall within Article 49(2)(a)-(d) of the FPO, (iii) who are outside the United Kingdom, or (iv) to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in an investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the United Kingdom Financial Services and Markets Act 2000) in connection with the issue or sale of any securities may otherwise be lawfully communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). This release is directed only at Relevant Persons and must not be acted on or relied upon by persons who are not Relevant Persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this release relates is available only to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. In any member state of the European Economic Area, other than Germany and Luxembourg, or the United Kingdom, this release is only addressed to and is only directed at "qualified investors" within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 14, 2017, as amended (the "Prospectus Regulation"). This release is not an advertisement and not a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus Regulation. This release and the information contained herein are for information purposes only and constitute neither a prospectus nor an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities. The offer will be made solely by means of, and on the basis of, a securities prospectus which is to be published (the "Prospectus"). An investment decision regarding the publicly offered securities of ADO Properties should only be made on the basis of the Prospectus. The Prospectus will be published promptly upon approval by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) and will be available free of charge at ADO Properties S.A., 1B, Heienhaff, L-1736 Senningerberg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, or on the website of ADO Properties at https://www.ado.properties. Certain statements contained in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements" that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of the words "may", "will", "should", "plan", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "project", "goal" or "target" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, forecasts, estimates, projections, opinions or plans that are inherently subject to significant risks, as well as uncertainties and contingencies that are subject to change. No representation is made or will be made by ADO Properties that any forward-looking statement will be achieved or will prove to be correct. The actual future business, financial position, results of operations and prospects may differ materially from those projected or forecast in the forward-looking statements. ADO Properties does not assume any obligation to update, and does not expect to publicly update, or publicly revise, any forward-looking statements or other information contained in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. Notice to Distributors Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within (i) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("MiFID II"), (ii) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II, and (iii) local implementing measures (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the subscription rights to the new shares and the new shares have been subject to a product approval process. As a result, it has been determined that such subscription rights and such new shares are (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the "Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) should note that: the value of the subscription rights and the price of the new shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment. The new shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the subscription rights and the new shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the offering described in the release. For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the subscription rights or the new shares. Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the subscription rights and the new shares and determining appropriate distribution channels. 02.07.2020 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de Language: English Company: ADO Properties S.A. 1B Heienhaff 1736 Senningerberg Luxemburg Phone: +352 278 456 710 Fax: +352 203 015 00 E-mail: ir@ado.properties Internet: www.ado.properties ISIN: LU1250154413 WKN: A14U78 Indices: SDAX, FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Index, FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed Europe Index, FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Germany Index Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange; London, Luxembourg Stock Exchange, SIX EQS News ID: 1084379 End of News DGAP News Service show this Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market Research Report by Type (Coal, Iron Ores, Powder Materials, and Wood Chips), by End User (Chemical, Construction, Energy, Food & Beverages, and Metals) - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 New York, July 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market Research Report by Type, by End User - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913691/?utm_source=GNW The Global Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market is expected to grow from USD 53,487.06 Million in 2019 to USD 58,786.67 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 1.58%. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: On the basis of Type, the Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market is studied across Coal, Iron Ores, Powder Materials, and Wood Chips. The Powder Materials further studied across Conveying Systems, Material Feeding Systems, Screening Systems, and Weighing Systems. On the basis of End User, the Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market is studied across Chemical, Construction, Energy, Food & Beverages, Metals, Mining, Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals, and Plastics. On the basis of Geography, the Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market is studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region is studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region is studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region is studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Company Usability Profiles: The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market including FLSmidth & Co., Metso Corp., Senet Inc., Tenova S.p.A,, ThyssenKrupp AG, TRF Ltd., and Voith GmbH. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market on the basis of 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. Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines 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. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering 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 forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on sulfuric acid offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes 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, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market? 6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Bulk Material Handling Product & Technology Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913691/?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. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 Summary "Middle East and Africa Renewable Energy Policy Handbook 2020" offers comprehensive information about the renewable energy policies of the Middle East and African countries. New York, July 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Middle East and Africa Renewable Energy Policy Handbook 2020" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p03833659/?utm_source=GNW The report provides a clear overview of the regulatory framework, plans, programs and incentives initiated by the individual countries to promote renewable energy sources. It provides information regarding the financial incentives, renewable energy auctions, net-metering, renewable targets and other plans implemented by the government or utilities of seventeen countries- Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Syrian Arab Republic, Tanzania, and UAE. The report uses information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, associations, and annual reports. Scope - The report covers policy measures and incentives used by Middle East and Africa to promote renewable energy. - The report details promotional measures in United Kingdom both for the overall renewable energy industry and for specific renewable energy technologies that have potential in the country. Reasons to Buy The report will enhance your decision making capability in a more rapid and time sensitive manner. It will allow you to - - Develop business strategies with the help of specific insights about policy decisions being taken for different renewable energy sources. - Identify opportunities and challenges in exploiting various renewable technologies. - Compare the level of support provided to different renewable energy technologies in the country. - Be ahead of competition by keeping yourself abreast of all the latest policy changes. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p03833659/?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. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 July 2, 2020 Dear Shareholders and Investors, We receive questions about potential US sanctions involving tankers trading on Iran & Venezuela. What would this mean for NAT? Earlier this week there was an article in the international press, to the effect that the US Treasury is considering to expand its list of tankers under sanctions from 80 to 130 vessels. If implemented, such a level of tonnage restrictions has the potential of tightening the balance between supply and demand of tankers. As we mentioned in our press release of June 18, NAT is always complying with sanctions imposed by the US in all parts of the world. Best regards, Herbjrn Hansson Founder, Chairman & CEO Nordic American Tankers Ltd. www.nat.bm CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words believe, anticipate, intend, estimate, forecast, project, plan, potential, will, may, should, expect, pending and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, our managements examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third parties. Although we believe that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Story continues Important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand in the tanker market, as a result of changes in OPECs petroleum production levels and worldwide oil consumption and storage, changes in our operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for our vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessels breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other important factors described from time to time in the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the prospectus and related prospectus supplement, our Annual Report on Form 20-F, and our reports on Form 6-K. NAT is a Bermuda based company. Contacts: Gary J. Wolfe Seward & Kissel LLP New York, USA Tel: +1 212 574 1223 Bjrn Giver, CFO Nordic American Tankers Limited Tel: +1 888 755 8391 or +47 91 35 00 91 Herbjrn Hansson, Chairman & CEO Nordic American Tankers Limited Tel: +1 866 805 9504 or +47 90 14 62 91 July 2, 2020: Oslo, Norway; President & CEO Rune Olav Pedersen and EVP & CFO Gottfred Langseth are available for investor conference calls after release of the Q2 2020 results. The conference call slot is 30 minutes and senior management is available from 12:30 to 16:00 CEST on Thursday July 23. To schedule a conference call, please send your request to bard.stenberg@pgs.com . Call-in details will be provided once a conference call is scheduled. FOR QUESTIONS, CONTACT: Bard Stenberg, SVP IR & Corporate Communication Mobile: +47 99 24 52 35 **** PGS ASA and its subsidiaries (PGS or "the Company") is a focused marine geophysical company that provides a broad range of seismic and reservoir services, including acquisition, imaging, interpretation, and field evaluation. The Company MultiClient data library is among the largest in the seismic industry, with modern 3D coverage in all significant offshore hydrocarbon provinces of the world. The Company operates on a worldwide basis with headquarters in Oslo, Norway and the PGS share is listed on the Oslo stock exchange (OSE: PGS). For more information on PGS visit www.pgs.com . --END-- Luxembourg 2 July 2020 - Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Brs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) today announced the award of a sizeable(1) contract for work in the Gulf of Mexico. The contract will be recorded in backlog in the second quarter. The scope of work includes engineering, procurement, construction and installation of subsea pipelines, and transport and installation works associated with the project. Offshore installation activities are scheduled for 2020. At this time, no further details can be communicated for contractual reasons. (1) Subsea 7 defines a sizeable contract as being between USD 50 million and USD 150 million. ******************************************************************************* Subsea 7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the evolving energy industry, creating sustainable value by being the industrys partner and employer of choice in delivering the efficient offshore solutions the world needs. Subsea 7 is listed on the Oslo Bors (SUBC), ISIN LU0075646355, LEI 222100AIF0CBCY80AH62. ******************************************************************************* Contact for investment community enquiries: Katherine Tonks Investor Relations Director Tel +44 (0)20 8210 5568 katherine.tonks@subsea7.com www.subsea7.com Contact for media enquiries: Tracey Miller Group External Communications Manager Tel + +44-1224-265-733 tracey.miller@subsea7.com www.subsea7.com Forward-Looking Statements: This announcement may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the safe harbour provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements relate to our current expectations, beliefs, intentions, assumptions or strategies regarding the future and are subject to known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, future, goal, intend, likely may, plan, project, seek, should, strategy will, and similar expressions. The principal risks which could affect future operations of the Group are described in the Risk Management section of the Groups Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2019. Factors that may cause actual and future results and trends to differ materially from our forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to): (i) our ability to deliver fixed price projects in accordance with client expectations and within the parameters of our bids, and to avoid cost overruns; (ii) our ability to collect receivables, negotiate variation orders and collect the related revenue; (iii) our ability to recover costs on significant projects; (iv) capital expenditure by oil and gas companies, which is affected by fluctuations in the price of, and demand for, crude oil and natural gas; (v) unanticipated delays or cancellation of projects included in our backlog; (vi) competition and price fluctuations in the markets and businesses in which we operate; (vii) the loss of, or deterioration in our relationship with, any significant clients; (viii) the outcome of legal proceedings or governmental inquiries; (ix) uncertainties inherent in operating internationally, including economic, political and social instability, boycotts or embargoes, labour unrest, changes in foreign governmental regulations, corruption and currency fluctuations; (x) the effects of a pandemic or epidemic or a natural disaster; (xi) liability to third parties for the failure of our joint venture partners to fulfil their obligations; (xii) changes in, or our failure to comply with, applicable laws and regulations (including regulatory measures addressing climate change); (xiii) operating hazards, including spills, environmental damage, personal or property damage and business interruptions caused by adverse weather; (xiv) equipment or mechanical failures, which could increase costs, impair revenue and result in penalties for failure to meet project completion requirements; (xv) the timely delivery of vessels on order and the timely completion of ship conversion programmes; (xvi) our ability to keep pace with technological changes and the impact of potential information technology, cyber security or data security breaches; and (xvii) the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting;. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Story continues Attachment AFP UK When I talk to frontline warriors, when I talk to doctors, they tell me that in the fight against the coronavirus, they used yoga as a protective shield" said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he kicked off another muted International Yoga Day. "When I talk to frontline warriors, when I talk to doctors, they tell me that in the fight against corona, they used yoga as a protective shield, he added. Yoga Day -- proposed by Modi and adopted by the United Nations in 2014 -- is observed mostly in India, but also worldwide on the Northern Hemisphere's longest day. Throughout the pandemic, India's ministry of yoga and ayurveda has touted yoga and herbal medicines -- sales of which have boomed -- to protect and even cure those with the virus. Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement have arrested Jose Enrique Ortega, 39, of Cape Coral, on 20 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of promotion of child pornography. FDLE agents served a search warrant Thursday at Ortegas apartment and found a desktop computer that contained hundreds of digital images of child pornography, the agency said in a release issued Thursday afternoon. Ortega was booked into the Lee County Jail where he remained as of Friday morning.Total bond was set at $110,000. The case will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, 20th Judicial Circuit. Source: FDLE SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil was set to pass 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Friday, as the virus continues to ravage Latin America's largest country even as cities reopen bars, restaurants and gyms sparking fears infections will keep rising. Brazil has the world's second largest outbreak after the United States and the virus has killed over 60,000 people in the country. In Rio de Janeiro, crowds gathered to drink on the sidewalk of an upscale beach-side neighborhood on Thursday night, the first evening bars in the city were allowed to reopen. Pictures of the revelry in Leblon, where few were wearing face masks and people were huddled close together, went viral on social media drawing condemnation and concern. "A tragedy foretold," David Miranda, a federal congressman for Rio, wrote on Twitter above a picture of the crowded sidewalk. He criticized the city's mayor Marcelo Crivella. "Crivella's decision to throw open the doors of business will come with a high cost," he added. In an emailed statement, Crivella's office said local law enforcement had asked several establishments to close on Thursday as public health rules prohibit the gathering of crowds drinking outside bars. It said enforcement would be ramped up over the weekend. In Rio alone, more than 6,600 people have died of COVID-19 in the past four months. Only 14 countries in the world have a death toll higher than the city. Intensive care units in public hospitals are at 70% capacity. Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest and worst hit city, is expected to open bars and restaurants next week. President Jair Bolsonaro has been widely criticized by health experts for downplaying the severity of the virus which he has dismissed as just "a little flu." Bolsonaro has pressured governors and mayors for months to reverse lockdown measures and reopen the economy. On Friday, Bolsonaro vetoed parts of a law that would have made wearing a face mask obligatory in enclosed spaces where large groups gather - such as churches and schools. Bolsonaro has regularly flouted social distancing guidelines advised by most health experts, shaking hands and embracing supporters. He has said publicly that his past as an athlete makes him immune to the worst symptoms of the virus. (Reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer; Editing by Alistair Bell and Chizu Nomiyama) ATHENS (Reuters) - The father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has flown to Greece, despite current advice for British nationals to avoid all but essential international travel. Greek government officials confirmed on Thursday that author Stanley Johnson had arrived, likely via Bulgaria, in the northern region of Pelion, where he has a holiday home, but said there was nothing untoward in his arrival. Photos on Stanley Johnson's Instagram account showed him wearing a mask in what appeared to be an airport. Two videos on the same account showed an aircraft coming in to land. "Arriving in Athens this evening!," the caption said. Stanley Johnson was quoted on Britain's Daily Mail newspaper website as saying he was in Pelion "on essential business trying to COVID-proof my property in view of the upcoming letting season". Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said: "We have banned flights, direct flights from UK and Sweden until July 15. If a citizen from these countries arrives in a different way to Greece, of course they can come." British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman declined to comment on the specific case but when asked whether the prime minister thought the public should follow travel advice, he said: "In relation to Foreign Office advice, that is what it is, it's advice and it is for individuals to make the judgments themselves." The local governor of the southern Pelion region, Michalis Mitzikos, said: "The relevant authorities are aware of the presence of Mr Johnson here and will act accordingly. We are following the instructions of the relevant authorities, health authorities and police," he said, declining to elaborate. (This story corrects translation error to show direct flights banned until July 15, not June 15, in paragraph 5 quote) (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou and Renee Maltezou; Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper in London; Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Alison Williams) Boris Johnson has urged the public not to blow the progress made in tackling coronavirus when lockdown restrictions are eased this weekend. The Prime Minister said he hoped the reopening of pubs, restaurants and hairdressers in England on Saturday would allow people to enjoy themselves, but in a safe way. It comes as the Government announced that quarantine restrictions for people returning to or visiting England from destinations such as Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Germany will be lifted from July 10. The US is excluded from the list of 73 countries and territories where English holidaymakers can visit without self-isolating on their return. Mr Johnson said the Government was making progress in reducing the incidence of Covid-19 in England, but faced questions on why pubs were being opened on a Saturday, which typically sees a higher rate of alcohol-related issues for police and the NHS. (PA Graphics) In an interview with LBC Radio, the PM was asked whether he only hoped it would be safe. He said: Its not on hope, its based on a clear understanding of the statistical risks that we now face as a country. Weve progressed thanks to the efforts of the British people from an incidence of the disease at about one in 400 a few weeks ago to maybe one in 2,200 today. Youre appreciably less likely now to be in close proximity to someone who has it than you were even a couple of weeks ago. Were making progress, we aimed for July the 4th, we wanted to set ourselves a target, we think were in good shape but my message is lets not blow it. Labours shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds backed the return to pubs as a boost for the economy, as she called on the Government to adopt a targeted strategy in extending the furlough scheme to avoid a flood of redundancy notices. I have two small children, I have to say maintaining social-distancing at the best of times is a bit of a challenge, she said when asked if she would be going for a drink. Story continues I hope, however, people will be going out to make use of those new opportunities to support local businesses but of course we all need to make sure and I very much include myself in that, that we are following those guidelines at all times. Number 10 said pubs will be allowed to open at 6am on Saturday. It is understood to have been delayed to avoid people drinking just after midnight on Friday. In other developments: The number of deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK has passed 55,000, according to the latest available data. Mr Johnson said gyms would be able to reopen in a couple of weeks, and vowed to try to get theatres going as fast as we possibly can. The Prime Minister urged people to wear face coverings when in confined spaces with people they do not normally see, revealing he has one with a Florence Nightingale pattern. The Office for National Statistics said almost 20,000 care home residents have died with coronavirus up to June 12. Mr Johnson said there had been far too many lives lost in care homes and that the Government would go over and look at whether an earlier lockdown could have prevented some deaths. Easing the lockdown in England: key dates (PA Graphics) He disputed claims that people were pushed into care homes from the NHS to make space in hospitals, saying that numbers of people going into care homes fell by 40% from January to March. What we certainly wanted to do to was to ensure we had the space in the NHS, thats absolutely right, but what Im told is every decision to move people out of the beds in the NHS was taken on a clinical basis and not in any way intended to endanger the care homes, he said. Whether an earlier lockdown would have made the crucial difference is something that really we will have to go over and look at. The Government published its travel corridors list on Friday afternoon, listing 59 foreign countries and territories as well as 14 British Overseas Territories from where arrivals will not need to quarantine. Greece was included in the list despite the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps saying earlier in the day that it would not be. Ministers failed to guarantee reciprocal arrangements with all the included destinations, meaning some such as New Zealand will continue to order English holidaymakers to go into quarantine at the beginning of their trip. A man suspected of stabbing a Hong Kong police officer in the shoulder during a protest was arrested on board a flight that was about to take off for London, police said Thursday. Press photo and video images on Wednesday captured the moment a masked man wearing a dark blue T-shirt attacked the officer during protests sparked by Beijing imposing a sweeping new security law on the financial hub. Thousands defied a ban on rallies to voice opposition to the law on Wednesday with police using water cannon, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse protesters blocking roads. "During the early hours of July 2, a 24-yo man surnamed Wong was arrested at the airport on the suspicion of wounding," police said in a statement. A police source, requesting anonymity to speak openly, said the man was pulled from Cathay Pacific flight CX251 to London, moments before it was due to leave the departure gate. "He bought a ticket last minute. He was the only passenger on the flight to have purchased a ticket so late and had no check-in baggage with him," the source told AFP. The flight was delayed for nearly an hour according to Hong Kong International Airport's record. Police said seven officers were injured and more than 370 people were arrested on Wednesday. The stabbed officer was attacked as he tried to make an arrest, police said. Three others were injured when a man flying a Hong Kong independence flag rammed his motorbike into a group of officers in a scene that was captured on mobile phone. Wednesday marked the 23rd anniversary of the city's handover to China. A day earlier, Beijing imposed a sweeping security law on the city, outlawing acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces. Beijing said the law would restore stability after nearly a year of unrest, but instead it sparked the worst street violence in months. Critics and many Western governments say the law ends Hong Kong's unique political freedoms and its judicial and legislative autonomy. By Wednesday afternoon, the first arrests under the new law had been made -- mainly for people possessing pro-independence flags and leaflets. Under the new law, certain political views and symbols became illegal overnight -- including showing support for the independence of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang and Tibet. Ministers are set to reveal a list of countries exempted from the coronavirus quarantine while Boris Johnson will warn the public to act responsibly when the lockdown eases. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will outline on Friday that people returning to England from Spain, France, Italy and Germany will be exempted from the 14-day quarantine. He will set out the other countries to be exempted from the measure from July 10, but there is no guarantee that foreign nations will not require travellers from the UK to self-isolate on arrival. The announcement also exposes a fracture in the response from across the four nations, with the exemption only applicable to travel to England, while the devolved administrations will set out their own approaches. The Prime Minister will lead a Downing Street press conference on Friday ahead of pubs, restaurants and hairdressers reopening in England on Saturday. He is expected to warn the nation we are not out of the woods yet and that severe restrictions could return if transmission of Covid-19 rises with the easing of the lockdown imposed on March 23. They are our local restaurants, hairdressers, libraries, museums, cinemas, and yes, pubs. They are also hotels, B&Bs, indeed much of our tourism industry, he will say, according to an extract released to the media ahead of the speech. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. All these businesses and their workers have put in a heroic effort to prepare their venues for this reopening, to work out a way to trade in a way that keeps their customers safe. But the success of these businesses, the livelihoods of those who rely on them, and ultimately the economic health of the whole country is dependent on every single one of us acting responsibly. We must not let them down. But, in order to prevent a flood of redundancy notices, Labour was demanding that the Government extends the furlough scheme for sectors hit hardest by the pandemic. Story continues Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds called for a targeted strategy to protect businesses after the PM said it would not be healthy for the economy or workers for the scheme to run past its scheduled end date in October. Anneliese Dodds wants a targeted strategy to assist businesses hit by the pandemic (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament/PA) Mr Johnson has been under pressure to relax the quarantine measures imposed on travellers returning from abroad in order to ease the strain on the travel industry. After much talk of forming so-called air bridges of reciprocal quarantine-free travel with other nations, the Department for Transport (DfT) indicated these have not been confirmed. Instead, a statement said it was the Governments expectation that a number of exempted countries will not require arrivals from the UK to self-isolate. A rift across the four nations is also possible, with the DfT saying the devolved administrations will set out their own approach, meaning passengers arriving in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should ensure they follow the laws and guidance which applies there. The policy had already created a row between the governments in Westminster and Holyrood after Mr Shapps tried to blame the Scottish administration for delaying its announcement. The SNP accused the UK Government of failing to engage them in meaningful consultation while First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Shapps had misrepresented the situation. Meanwhile on Friday, pubs, hotels, restaurants and museums will begin reopening in Northern Ireland. And Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford will announce that the five-mile restriction on travel in Wales will be lifted from Monday, where pubs and restaurants will open from July 13. In Scotland, face coverings will become mandatory in shops from July 10 when the two-metre social distancing rule will be reduced in the hospitality and retail sectors as well as on public transport. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. In other developments: Education Secretary Gavin Williamson set out plans to get all pupils back to school in England in September, with children being kept in class or year-sized bubbles of contact. Official figures showed 74% of people who have taken a home test for Covid-19 have waited longer than 48 hours for the result. NHS Test and Trace figures showed 27,125 people who tested positive for Covid-19 had their case transferred to the system in its first four weeks of operation, but just 74% of them were reached and asked to provide details of recent contacts. Some 132,525 people identified as recent close contacts of people who had tested positive for Covid-19 were reached through the tracing system and asked to self-isolate, but 20,918 other contacts were not reached Turkey's top court convened Thursday to consider whether Istanbul's emblematic landmark and former church Hagia Sophia can be redesignated as a mosque, a ruling which could inflame tensions with the West. The Council of State evaluated a case brought by several associations during a short hearing and will announce its decision on the fate of the UNESCO World Heritage site within 15 days, state broadcaster TRT reported. The sixth-century edifice -- a magnet for tourists worldwide with its stunning architecture -- has been a museum since 1935, open to believers of all faiths. Despite occasional protests outside the site by Islamic groups, often shouting, "Let the chains break and open Hagia Sophia" for Muslim prayers, authorities have so far kept the building a museum. Hagia Sophia was first constructed as a church in the Christian Byzantine Empire in the sixth century but was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Transforming it into a museum was a key reform of the post-Ottoman authorities under the modern republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. But calls for it to serve again as a mosque have sparked anger among Christians and tensions between historic foes and uneasy NATO allies Turkey and Greece. - 'High-profile symbol' - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last month the decision was for the highest administrative court -- known as the Danistay -- adding: "The necessary steps will be taken following the verdict." But Erdogan also said last year it was time for Hagia Sophia to become a mosque as it had been a "very big mistake" to convert it into a museum. "The Danistay decision will likely be a political one. Whatever the outcome, it will be a result of the government's deliberation," said Asli Aydintasbas, fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. But she said the government will weigh several issues, including relations with Greece, Europe and with the US where "religion is an important matter". Anthony Skinner of the risk assessment firm Verisk Maplecroft said converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque would "kill at least two birds with one stone" for Erdogan: he could cater to his Islamic and nationalist base, and sustain if not exacerbate tensions with Greece, while seeking to cast Turkey as a formidable power. "Erdogan could not find a more high-profile and potent symbol than Hagia Sophia to achieve all these goals at once," he told AFP. The Turkish leader has in recent years placed great emphasis on the battles which resulted in the defeat of Byzantium by the Ottomans, with lavish celebrations held every year to mark the conquest. Muslim clerics have occasionally recited prayers in the museum on key anniversaries or religious holidays. - Turks divided - Greece closely follows the future of Byzantine heritage in Turkey and is sensitive to the issue as it sees itself as the modern successor to Orthodox Christian Byzantium. Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, who sent a letter of protest to UNESCO last week, said the move "rekindles national and religious fanaticism" and is an attempt to "diminish the monument's global radiance". She accused Turkey of using the monument "to serve internal political interests," arguing that only UNESCO had the authority to change Hagia Sophia's status. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday urged Turkey to keep Hagia Sophia as a museum, and to ensure it remains accessible to all. "The United States views a change in the status of the Hagia Sophia as diminishing the legacy of this remarkable building and its unsurpassed ability... to serve humanity as a much-needed bridge between those of differing faith traditions and cultures." Turks are divided over its status. Istanbul shoemaker Mahmut Karagoz, 55, said he dreams he can one day pray under the dome of Hagia Sophia. "It is a legacy by our Ottoman ancestors. I hope our prayers will be heard, this nostalgia must come to an end," he told AFP. However economics student Sena Yildiz said she believes Hagia Sophia should stay as a museum. "It is an important place for Muslims, but also for Christians and for all those who love history," she said. burs-raz/txw By Amanda Ferguson BELFAST (Reuters) - Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill rejected calls on Thursday by her partner in government, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), to stand down temporarily for allegedly undermining COVID-19 restrictions. The DUP called for O'Neill to step aside pending a police probe into a funeral of a party member attended by O'Neill that attracted large crowds, threatening another political crisis in the region's power-sharing government. The devolved executive led by the two parties was only restored in January after a three-year standoff between Sinn Fein and the DUP led to the suspension of the regional assembly formed as part of a 1998 peace agreement. Northern Ireland First Minister and DUP leader Arlene Foster said, however, that she would not pull down the government over the issue, telling Irish broadcaster RTE that such a move would "punish everyone in Northern Ireland." Foster had asked O'Neill to apologise after the funeral of party member and ex-Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner Bobby Storey attracted thousands of people onto the streets of Belfast. O'Neill responded by saying she was very satisfied her actions were in line with public health advice and accused parties both in Northern Ireland and the Irish republic who criticised her of "petty attempts to political point score". The DUP-Sinn Fein government collapsed in 2017 after Foster rejected Sinn Fein calls to step aside pending an investigation into the DUP's handling of a botched green energy scheme. "Michelle O'Neill will not be stepping aside under any circumstances," a Sinn Fein spokesman said on Thursday after the DUP called on her to do so while police review footage for any suspected breaches of laws to control the spread of coronavirus. Northern Irish police said they had engaged with the funeral organisers before Tuesday's service to highlight the public health advice and the requirement for those attending to adhere to social distancing. Story continues "No one wants a political crisis. That is why we asked for, and respectfully gave, the Deputy First Minister the opportunity to apologise," senior DUP lawmaker Jeffrey Donaldson told BBC. "Not only did she not do that... Her tone was arrogant and her behaviour was disrespectful of many who have sacrificed so much during this period." (Writing by Padraic Halpin and Conor Humphries; Editing by Catherine Evans, Philippa Fletcher and Alexandra Hudson) LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson's father, who travelled to Greece likely via Bulgaria despite current advice for British nationals to avoid all but essential international travel, was within his rights to do so, Britain's transport minister said on Friday. "It's advice so everyone can decide what to do with the advice," Grant Shapps told Sky News. Asked whether Stanley Johnson was within his rights to travel to Greece, Shapps said: "Yes, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office make it clear. They issue travel advice." (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton; writing by Costas Pitas) Each week through the primary, The Breeze will ask the candidates for Cape Coral City Council an issue-related question. In the interest of fairness, each candidate is limited to the same amount of space, about 100 words, for their response. This weeks question is: Should the city of Cape Coral subsidize its municipal charter school system? If so, for what should subsidies be provided, including revenue sources? If not, why not? District 2 Bryan DeLaHunt The city charter schools are a true asset to Cape Coral and need to be subsidized. My thoughts are the subsidies would not be direct cash payments from tax revenue. Instead, subsidies would be in-kind city services without billing the charter school for them, and a restructuring of lease payments for the city-owned school buildings. Also, as the buildings are city owned and are leased by the charter schools the city should complete needed building repairs and routine maintenance such as carpet replacement and parking lot sealcoating. Todd Maurer The charter schools are an asset to the City and I support them. They are one of the draws for people with young families to come here. We also do have fantastic public schools on the Cape as well, so we are in a good position there as well. I do support keeping the system afloat for the time being with a clear go forward plan to have them become self-sufficient. My understanding is that current council is making progress towards that end which is a positive sign. With planning I see there is light at the end of the tunnel. Dan Sheppard The city needs to help till the lawsuit is over. Schools will get enough money from the state per student to operate. As a city we need to make sure that the schools are marketed well to keep full attendance. *** District 3 Chris Cammarota Supporting our Charter schools which are a major draw for young families moving to cape Coral is imperative. Calling the current process subsidized is misleading. For clarity, tax dollars paid by Cape residents follow all county students(including charter school students). The tax money goes to the state and is returned to the school districts and Charter Schools. The city owns the property and buildings which are leased by the charter schools. The City plans to restructure the leases to conform to more of a normal lease which will lengthen the term and lower the outlay allowing the schools to be an even larger draw for our city. Tom Hayden Subsidizing the successful charter school system with in-kind services, like Human Resources, is important to continue so the elementary, middle and high school schools can operate efficiently. Restructuring the leases would put off the debt, but at some point down the road that debt will need to be paid. There is over $1 million in escrow waiting for the result of a state lawsuit filed against the Lee County school district and others, but without relying on that money, there is another funding source. The schools charter says no taxpayer money is to go towards funding without a referendum vote. I am in favor of taxpayers determining whether they want to pay into a very successful educational system that improves the quality of life of the community. Joseph Kilraine Education is the pathway to upward societal mobility. The freedom to choose excellence in providers is critical. The Cape Coral Charter system is a stellar asset meriting full support. Singular focus on subsidy impedes unbiased, fact-informed, analysis. Albeit the 2020 budget shows $568k in non-chargeback city services, the facts are: * Building lease is for debt service totaling $61.2M causing the cash shortfall. * Without the Charter lease, the city remains on the hook. * Resale/reuse of the buildings at best offsets 15% of debt obligation. * Lease restructure via extended term generates annual break-even cashflow with optimized long-term city recovery. Edward Nichols In light of current events, I would wait to see what the school situation is going to be like for the upcoming semester. With the second wave of COVID-19 on the rise it might be wise to seek alternative methods of education. The safety of the community is most important. *** District 5 Louis C. Navarra I have been impressed with the charter schools. They are a good alternative to public schools. I was a Lee School District teacher for 38 years. I know the state gave school boards the right to write charters to private schools. The public school systems were not pleased but the state legislature approved. Funding should come from the State and local school board. I would even ask for some of the revenue that the Lee School Board levied with a half cent local sales tax the previous year. As far as local revenue from the City it is be acceptable as long as the cost is shared. I am not familiar with the revenue used by the City but if I am elected to the commission, I will do an in depth analysis. Robert Welsh The charter schools are great for the city of Cape Coral, I do not believe the city needs to subsidize them, but work on solutions in order to keep them going through these tough times. *** District 7 Jessica Cosden, Incumbent The municipal charter schools are a huge success. I will not let them fail. To address revenue issues (felt statewide by both district and charter schools), the city should continue to provide services like H.R., I.T., finance to the schools; restructure the time frame of the building loan agreement; and add building maintenance to that agreement. With all these supports in place, I believe the schools will be self-sufficient. Importantly, the city Charter stipulates that the City cannot provide funds to the charter schools. If it ultimately came down to funding or failure, a change to the Charter would require a referendum, which I would absolutely support. Patty L. Cummings If we are to fund charter schools in Cape Coral, the only way I would agree to that is to have transparency on how the funds are spent. I would not give taxpayer money to any organization without oversight. Charter schools have been notorious for mismanagement of funds with no accountability. One would think the big foundations and venture capitalists who fund them would know where the money is going. I believe Cape Coral should follow the same funding guidelines that Washington is now proposing, and put our public schools first where there is accountability and transparency. Dr. Derrick Donnell The issue facing our charter schools is complex. The short answer is no. Our residents are taxed annually for the School District of Lee County. A subsidy provided to the charter schools would be classified as double taxation. However, our charter schools continue to achieve academic excellence. This is a major factor as to why our city continues to attract young families to the area. That being said, I am open to helping the students of our charter schools provided that assistance; A) Is assigned a specific time frame B) Includes specific annual objectives and C) Guarantees all funds will be reimbursed. Cape Coral City Council races are non-partisan, city-wide elections meaning all registered voters within the city may cast a ballot in each race. A Turkish court has opened the trial in absentia of two former aides of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and 18 other Saudi nationals over the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Prosecutors have indicted the 20 Saudi nationals over Mr Khashoggis grisly killing at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018, which cast a cloud of suspicion over Prince Mohammed. They are seeking life prison terms for the defendants, who have all left Turkey. Saudi Arabia rejected Turkish demands for the suspects extradition and put some of them on trial in Riyadh. The proceedings were widely criticised as a whitewash, and Mr Khashoggis family later announced that they had forgiven his killers. Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi (Emrah Gurel/AP) The trial in Turkey will be closely watched for possible new information or evidence into the killing, including the whereabouts of Mr Khashoggis remains. The Turkish prosecutors have charged the princes former advisers, Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmed al-Asiri, with instigating a premeditated murder with the intent of (causing) torment through fiendish instinct. Prosecutors are also seeking life prison sentences for 18 other Saudi nationals charged with carrying out a premeditated murder with the intent of (causing) torment through fiendish instincts. Mr Khashoggi, who was a resident of the US, had walked into his countrys consulate on October 2 2018 for an appointment to pick up documents that would allow him to get married. He never walked out. A team of 15 Saudi agents had flown to Turkey to meet Mr Khashoggi inside the consulate. Jamal Khashoggi (Hassan Jamali/AP) They included a forensic doctor, intelligence and security officers and individuals who worked for the crown princes office. Turkish officials allege Mr Khashoggi was killed and then dismembered with a bone saw. Turkey, a rival of Saudi Arabia, apparently had the Saudi Consulate bugged and has shared audio of the killing with the CIA, among others. Story continues Prior to his killing, Mr Khashoggi had written critically of the Saudi crown prince in columns for the Washington Post. Saudi Arabia had initially offered shifting accounts about Mr Khashoggis disappearance. As international pressure mounted because of the Turkish leaks, the kingdom eventually settled on the explanation that he was killed by rogue officials in a brawl. Turkish prosecutors say the suspects acted in consensus from the beginning in line with the decision of taking the victim back to Saudi Arabia and of killing him if he did not agree. Members of the media work outside the court in Istanbul (Emrah Gurel/AP) Riyadh had insisted that the kingdoms courts are the correct place for the suspects to be tried, and put 11 people on trial over the killing. In December, five people were sentenced to death while three others were found guilty of covering up the crime and were sentenced to a combined 24 years in prison. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in May, Mr Khashoggis son announced that the family had pardoned the killers, giving a legal reprieve to the five government agents who were sentenced to death. A young girl kept falling asleep at her desk while attempting to finish her homework at her house in Pereira, Colombia. This video, posted to YouTube on March 12, shows the girl dozing off twice while her mother can be heard waking her up each time. Towards the end of the video, the sleepy student appears frustrated at her mother for not allowing her to take a nap. Nicholas David Mesa, the girls father, captured the video and shared it online. He told Storyful that his daughter did end up finishing her homework despite being tired. Credit: Nicholas David Mesa via Storyful BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand on Thursday reported six new coronavirus cases, all of which were imported from abroad, marking 38 successive days without any domestic transmission.The new cases were four Thai nationals returning from Indonesia, one from South Africa and one from Sudan, said Panprapa Yongtrakul, a spokeswoman for the government's COVID-19 Administration Centre. All were detected in state quarantine. The coronavirus has killed 58 people in Thailand, among 3,179 infections, of which 3,059 patients have recovered. (Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Ed Davies) FILE PHOTO: Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn talks during an exclusive interview with Reuters in Beirut By Ezgi Erkoyun ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish jet executive on trial over Carlos Ghosn's dramatic escape from Japan told a court on Friday that the former Nissan boss spoke about Hollywood making a movie of his getaway as he flew in a private jet to Beirut. Ghosn, once a leading light of the global car industry, was arrested in Japan in late 2018 and charged with underreporting his salary and using company funds for personal purposes, charges he denies. The ousted chairman of the alliance of Renault, Nissan Motor Co and Mitsubishi Motors Corp had been awaiting his trial under house arrest in Japan when he escaped in December via Istanbul to Beirut, his childhood home. An executive from Turkish private jet operator MNG Jet and four pilots were detained in early January soon after Ghosn's escape and charged with migrant smuggling, a charge carrying a maximum sentence of eight years in jail. They appeared in white protective overalls, masks and gloves as a measure against the coronavirus, as the court in Istanbul began hearing their defence. Two flight attendants, charged with failing to report a crime - which could incur a sentence of up to one year - were also there. All seven defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. In their indictment, prosecutors had said MNG Jet operations manager Okan Kosemen - who is one of the seven on trial - knew before the flight left Osaka that Ghosn would be on board and would transfer to Beirut. Kosemen said in court on Friday he was only told via phone about Ghosn's presence on the plane during its flight to Istanbul and that he cooperated under duress, believing his family could be in danger. Kosemen said a Lebanese broker who had arranged the flight had told him by phone, from Beirut, that the ex-Nissan boss was on board. He added that he had heard "screams of joy" in the background. "I swore at him (the broker). I was very angry," he told the court. Kosemen later met the arriving plane at an Istanbul airport, and accompanied Ghosn on the Beirut-bound flight, he told the court. "Carlos asked me how much the plane cost ... and told me about Hollywood producers who want to make this escape a movie," he said. Story continues A lawyer for Ghosn did not immediately respond to a request to comment. At the end of Friday's session, the court ordered the release pending further proceedings of Kosemen and the four pilots, who had been in custody until now. "When you take into account the time they've served already we expected a release decision earlier. The court answered our calls for a release today. We think our client is innocent," Kosemen's lawyer Levent Yildiz told Reuters. SAGA SHAKES AUTO WORLD The prosecution said Kosemen used WhatsApp to communicate with pilots before, during and after the Osaka-Istanbul flight, using terms like "luggage" and "consignment" to refer to Ghosn. Kosemen told the court "consignment" referred to sake - rice wine - that he himself had ordered from Japan. According to the indictment, Kosemen told prosecutors a price of $175,000 was agreed for the flight with the Lebanese broker and paid into MNG Jet's bank account. In January, MNG Jet said he acted without the knowledge of the company and it had filed a criminal complaint for the illegal use of its aircraft. MNG declined to comment. The pilots have said they are only required to check headcount, not the identities of passengers, according to the indictment. Japan has formally asked the United States to extradite two Americans - a former Green Beret and his son - who also stand accused of helping Ghosn flee Japan. They were arrested in Massachusetts in May. The Ghosn saga has shaken the global auto industry, at one point jeopardising the Renault-Nissan alliance which he masterminded, and increased scrutiny of Japan's judicial system. Renault and Nissan have struggled to recover profitability following his tenure, during which both automakers say Ghosn focused too much on expanding sales and market share. (Additional reporting by Naomi Tajitsu in Tokyo; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer, Pravin Char and David Evans) Travellers from more than 50 countries including France, Italy and Spain - but not the United States - can stop self-isolating on arrival in England from 10 July, the British government said on Friday. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will announce their own separate rules at a later stage. Britain's transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said the change reverses a two-week quarantine policy imposed in June to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. "Today marks the next step in carefully reopening our great nation," said Shapps. "Whether you are a holidaymaker ready to travel abroad or a business eager to open your doors again, this is good news for British people and great news for British businesses." Under the new rules, a traffic-light system of red, amber and green would be used for different countries depending on the prevalence of the coronavirus. Reciprocal arrangements Amber countries - including France, Germany, Italy and Spain - would have reciprocal arrangements in place, meaning travellers from the UK will not have to quarantine on arrival there either, Shapps said. Self-isolation would only be imposed if the visitor had been in or travelled through non-exempt countries in the preceding 14 days. All people arriving in England would still have to fill out a locator form, Shapps said. He said Greece would not be on the amber list to begin with because it was not allowing flights from the UK. Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland undecided Green countries are deemed to be safer than England, such as New Zealand. There would also be a red list of countries, including the United States, for which restrictions would remain in place. The government had hoped to introduce the system across all four UK regions, but leaders were not able to come to an agreement in time. Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said her government needed more time to analyse the proposals properly and rationally. Story continues "We can't allow ourselves to be dragged along in the wake of another government's, to be quite frank about it, shambolic decision-making process," she said at her daily coronavirus press briefing. Boost for tourism Meanwhile, tourism and aviation industries have expressed relief after the announcement. Budget airline EasyJet said: "This would be an important move in the reopening of aviation, to support the wider UK recovery." A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said it was waiting for further details in the government's announcement and said it was continually reviewing its flying programme. VisitBritain director, Patricia Yates, said allowing easier entry for overseas visitors would provide a timely boost. Meanwhile, British prime minister Boris Johnson is urging people to act safely and sensibly on Saturday when lockdown is eased in England. Easing of lockdown, except Leicester Many businesses in the UK are preparing to re-open, including restaurants, pubs, hairdressers and cinemas which have been closed since March. However, at a press conference on Friday, Johnson warned: "We are not out of the woods yet." A case in point is the city of Leicester which went into local lockdown on Monday following a spike in Covid-19 cases. The UK has registered nearly 44,000 deaths from the virus, most of them in England. FILE PHOTO: The logo of Wirecard AG is pictured at its headquarters in Aschheim By Abhinav Ramnarayan LONDON (Reuters) - Convertible bonds that were part of a complex transaction that allowed Japan's SoftBank Group <9984.T> to buy a stake in now-collapsed payments company Wirecard and then de-risk the transaction have been put up for sale in an auction. In a process managed by Credit Suisse, bonds convertible into Wirecard debt with a nominal value of 900 million euros ($1.01 billion) will be sold via an auction set to close on July 8, according to a document seen by Reuters. Many of Wirecard's creditors are eager to sell their exposure to the now-insolvent company, as police have raided the German firm's offices and its administrator has started selling its assets. The auction should end one of the most complex acquisition structures seen in recent times. Instead of buying a direct stake in Wirecard, SoftBank bought bonds that could be repaid with Wirecard shares. Soon after, however, Credit Suisse sold 900 million euros of new bonds to investors linked to the convertible bond held by SoftBank, which would be convertible into Wirecard shares. This transaction effectively repackaged SoftBank's convertible bonds and sold them on at a profit for the Japanese investor. The structure is one made famous by billionaire investor Warren Buffet, who used to buy stakes with little risk to his company Berkshire Hathway before benefiting immediately from the boost to the share price from his involvement. The auction would likely represent a significant loss to investors currently holding the convertible bonds; the linked Argentum convertible bonds were trading at a cash price of 13.5 cents on the euro on Thursday, having been as high as 73.5 just three weeks ago. (Reporting by Abhinav Ramnarayan, Editing by Rachel Armstrong and David Gregorio) Wirecard, the troubled German payments processor, has just filed for insolvency at a Munich court. Announcing the news on Thursday, Wirecard said it has taken the decision due to "over-indebtedness. The Wirecard saga began last week when the companys auditor EY said it is unable to find evidence for $2.1 billion worth of cash on Wirecards accounts. Wirecard at the time said spurious balances may have been provided by a third party in order to deceive the auditor. Wirecard later acknowledged the issue, and soon after, its CEO Markus Braun resigned. He was then arrested and later got released on bail. The company today said it is evaluating whether insolvency applications have to be filed for its subsidiaries. Wirecards two subsidiaries, Wirecard Card Solutions and Wirecard Singapore, issue crypto Visa debit cards for firms such as Crypto.com and TenX. Both the crypto firms have told The Block that their operations remain unaffected for now. Commenting on the insolvency news, Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek said customers' fiat funds are "safe and guaranteed by Crypto.com" and in case if Wirecard's services are disrupted, "you will receive a fast 100% credit back to your crypto wallet." "It is not clear at this stage which of the subsidiaries are going to be affected and if any of the services will be interrupted at all. We will keep everyone up to date as this develops, but I want to make it clear for all our SG and EU card customers that their funds are safe," Marszalek added. The Frankfurt Stock Exchange suspended shares of Wirecard before the insolvency news. The shares have lost more than 90% of their value and are currently worth only about 10 euros (~$11) apiece. 2020 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Photo credit: Getty Images From Red Online Marquia Walton is a writer and digital producer based in Bedstuy, Brooklyn. My favourite way to start an argument is by saying, I find it funny how. followed by whatever transgression has upset me. So, I find it funny how I, as a Black woman, know so much about White hair. I know it gets greasy if it isnt washed. I know that the Rachel didnt really work out for everybody. And I know if you are going to wear a "Bump It" you need to tease your hair up from the root. However, my White counterparts know about as close to zero as one can get when it comes to Black hair unless it has been popularised by an influencer, celebrity, fashion show or beauty publication. Funny, right?! A quick Google search of the word hair will disproportionately show all-white results. The Google page populates like a Trump rally: not a kink or curl in sight. White womens hair has dominated the conversation with racially charged terms like silky, smooth and straight; hair ideals not always associated with natural Black hair. The long lustrous manes you see on TV and in mainstream media are usually in shades of blonde, amber and brunette rarely with a twist out or an afro featured centre stage. White beauty in this space is prioritised even down to how it is maintained. While you'll see a slow motion hair flip or just-stepped-out-of-the-shower "wet look" in a commercial, it's rare to find an advertisement that shows a Black woman washing her hair in the same way as a White woman. The White beauty standard is reaffirmed with every shampoo and conditioner scenario, presented as something most women do, but only showing White women doing it. My unwanted edification started in high school in the completely devoid-of-diversity suburbs of Connecticut. Connecticut is where I learned some of the greatest hair hits for white women, which included but were not limited to: layers, highlights, balayage, the still-wet-and-left-the-house-hair-to-let-it-air-dry-in-public-look, the classic scrunch moment often done with gel or hair spray to give the illusion of a wavewhich if done wrong can end up looking like a crunchy curlthe clip-ins so they can tell you about their weave and my absolute personal favourite, the-I-just-went-to-the-Caribbean-with-my-family-and-I-got-these-braids-with-beads-on-the-ends, because Jamaica, Mon! Story continues PSA: Cornrows and box braids were not invented at a Sandals resort or wherever you spent your family vacation. Moments like these remove the history of Black hair and hairstyles and place it under the white lens. If you are white and the first time you saw cornrows in person was on vacation, you now associate hair braiding as a part of your tourism experience, and a souvenir you can bring back with a sunburn. These moments which may have harmless intent aid in the erasure of the history and culture behind these hairstyles created by Black people. Photo credit: UniversalImagesGroup The general lack of awareness of White women when it comes to Black hair unlocks a different level of frustration. I remember when I was in my junior year of college and was preparing to study abroad in Seville, Spain. My biggest concern before I left was, What am I going to do with my hair? My White college roommate was studying abroad with me and couldnt understand the level of stress this was causing me. I didnt have the energy to explain to her that despite how dull her highlights may get or how visible her roots would become, that if she really needed to she would likely be able to find someone to fix her hair, or at the barest of minimums, find someone that would be familiar with the texture of her hair. I have had countless experiences like this and I have learned that I do not have the time or the tools to explain the nuances of my Black hair without being offended by how much I know about hair that is nothing like my own. Whether it has been by Asking Jeeves or being bombarded by white standards of beauty in my lifetime, it is now clear to me that I have been in AP White Hair, while my white peers had been left back twice in remedial Black Hair 101. Having spent a lot of time in predominantly white spaces in school and in the workplace I have done some light Google searches on the things being spoken about around me, even if they were as trivial as highlights and lowlights. White people are most comfortable with Black people who make them feel like they are speaking to white people, so the light research feels almost like I am in Duolingo. Knowing this sort of goofy information can unknowingly shift me from being just the Black girl at work to the nice Black girl at work who asked about my keratin. The necessity of knowing about Black hair has never been made of value because there is no tangible way for white people to benefit from it other than by co-opting it for non-Black hairstyles. It is unfortunate that there isnt more widespread knowledge of Black hair given its resilience, strength and versatility. I am biased, but Black hair is beauty and it is power. I think of all of the uniquely Black experiences I have had in my lifetime that are directly related to my hair. Spending countless hours of my life in the hair salon to get my hair pressed, going into the shop expecting to leave looking like Aaliyah and ending up like Shirley Chisholm instead, getting banana curls for church on Easter Sunday, the first time I had to hold down my ear to get ready for a hot comb straight off the stove to get my edges, rifling through the pages of the JET magazines at the beauty shop to find the Black Beauty of the Week, the headache you get after box braids and my first weave. These memories are not ones I have ever expected my non-Black friends to know about, but I am sure if they had some sort of basic understanding of the cultural differences, in the same way I did growing up, I could have probably avoided the following choice comments: Your hair is so wild, You dont wash your hair every day?! and the most fun comment of them all, I like you better with straight hair like mine! This disproportionate understanding of hair has now come full circle. I have seen so many people pledging a commitment to educate themselves on Black culture and history as a means of reconciling the fact that they have lived the entirety of their lives not having to do so. I kindly ask that all of the non-Black folk making this commitment not misconstrue this as an opportunity for you to learn about Black hair and then explain to me how much you know about its history. I do not need you to educate me about me. I need you to learn and understand more about me. This is an opportunity for you to be more culturally aware of microaggressions that you are a part of when you treat my hair like it's a science project. However, if you would like extra credit, please know I have been quietly and patiently waiting in the wings to release a very niche brand of pop quizzes inspired by my personal experiences and composed of questions that I would consider to be deep cuts on Black hair and the like. Is two bundles ever enough? (No.) Should I cancel all of my plans if I plan on getting waist length box braids on a Saturday? (100%) The winner gets the invaluable knowledge that raisins will never be a part of a potato salad recipe that is welcome at any cookout and it is not okay under any circumstances whatsoever to put their hands in another persons hair. Subscribe to Red now to get the magazine delivered to your door. Red's latest issue is out now and available for purchase online and via Readly or Apple News+. Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. You Might Also Like As the Independence Day holiday weekend begins, local health care officials spoke of the worrisome number of COVID-19 patients in their care and urged the public to take proper precautions when in public areas. We are seeing a trend in our hospitals that has me very concerned, said President and CEO of Lee Health, Dr. Larry Antonucci, Friday afternoon. Between our hospitals and skilled nursing units we are treating 327 COVID-19 patients. Just a month ago we were treating around 100 COVID patients each day. In one month we went from 100 to over 300, triple the number of hospitalizations. As we enter this holiday weekend, and we celebrate with friends and family, we must take the threat of this virus extremely seriously. I am here to tell you today that we are at risk of hitting critical mass, and if, as a community, we do not take action we will run out of room in our hospitals. And that could happen as soon as the end of this month. Antonucci said actions taken by residents in the early stages of the pandemic were successful in mitigating the virus, but that since the state reopened many residents are taking a relaxed stance on the virus and disregarding guidelines. Cases are rising and hospitals in the area are in danger of not meeting the needs of the community. We know how to stop this spread, we have done it before, and I am asking for our community to help us do it again, Antonucci said. At our current rate, Lee Health hospitals will be completely full by the end of the month. We must act now to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Three months ago, everyone joined in a shared goal of flattening the curve, which was temporarily accomplished. We stayed at home, we practiced hand hygiene and we began wearing masks. The curve is no longer flat. Instead we have a spike in cases and the spike is growing fast. Antonucci said the time for action is now that wearing a mask is scientifically proven to mitigate the spread of the virus. Now is the time to take action. No one person, law or mandate can stop the spread of the virus, he said. The actions of each and every one of us can ensure the safety of our families, our neighbors and strangers alike. Limit leaving your home unless necessary, and when you do leave, wear a mask, keep a safe physical distance from others and make sure you wash your hands or use sanitizing gel. Wearing a mask and distancing can be inconvenient and at times uncomfortable, but the science is clear, these actions help save lives by slowing the spread of the virus. Anonucci said while currently they have the means to meet the needs of the community, things could change drastically if residents are not vigilant in their efforts to protect themselves and others. I can tell you today that we still have the necessary capacity to meet every need of our community, but I cant promise that will still be true a month from now if we dont take action now, he said Every one single person in Southwest Florida has the ability to help reverse this surge and ensure every patient needing health care has access to it. I love Southwest Florida, and I believe in Southwest Florida. We will get through this together and we will grow stronger as a community together, but it is not possible without our entire region buying-in for the benefit of the friends and neighbors. I wish everyone a happy Fourth of July, and ask you to please take action this holiday weekend and beyond to protect yourselves and your neighbors from this devastating virus so that Lee Health may continue to provide our community with the same exceptional care they have become accustomed to over the last 100 years. By the Numbers As of 11 a.m. Friday, there are 178,594 cases of the new coronavirus confirmed in Florida, an increase of 9,488 since FDOHs last update Thursday morning. This is the third highest single-day report of cases from the state, following yesterdays highest single-day increase of 10,109. More than 67,091 test results were reported to the Department of Health on Wednesday, July 1. Of those reported tests, 14.91 percent tested positive. Since June 21, positivity rates have increased from 7.74 percent up to 15.99 percent. On Friday, June 26, 78,318 tests were processed by the state the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic. The death toll increased by 67 from 11 a.m. Thursday to 11 a.m. Friday, reported among Lee, Brevard, Broward, Dade, Escambia, Hendry, Hillsborough, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Seminole counties. A total of 2,083,056 individuals have been tested: 1,902,766 have tested negative, 1,696 tests were inconclusive and 1,717 tests are pending results. Of those testing positive, 15,491 (+341) have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. There have been 3,785 deaths. The age groups of Florida residents that have yielded the most positive test results are 25-34 years old (21%), followed by 35-44(16%), 15-24(16%) and 45-54 (15%). The highest hospitalization rate is found in patients 65-74 (19%), 75-84 (18%) and 55-64 (17%) years old. In Lee County, 5,869 (+799) individuals have tested positive as of 11 a.m. Friday; 2,852 in Fort Myers (+164), 1,335 in Cape Coral (+213), 1,390 in Lehigh Acres (+79), 412 in Bonita Springs (+35), 213 in North Fort Myers (+12), 145 in Estero (+10), 34 on Fort Myers Beach (+2), 17 in Sanibel (+0), 26 in Alva (+3), 11 in Bokeelia (+3), six on Matlacha (+1), four in Saint James City (+0), three in Tice (+0), two in Miromar Lakes (+0), two in Boca Grande (+0), two on Captiva (+0), two in San Carlos Park (+0) and one in Buckingham (+0). Eighty-eight cases were not identified by community. Positive COVID-19 cases in the county have ranged from infants to a 101-year-old. Lee County saw its first two cases on March 7, when a man and a woman, each 77, tested positive. They had traveled to the Dominican Republic. There have been 162 deaths (+1) in Lee County and a total of 621 hospitalizations; 118 deaths were reported in residents or staff of long-term care facilities. As of Friday, Lee Health had 285 COVID-19 patients isolated in system inpatient hospitals. A total of 927 patients who had tested positive have been discharged, including 84 on Thursday. Lee Health had 258 patients isolated in hospitals on Thursday. The system has submitted a total of 29,989 specimens for testing, with 1,110 results currently pending. Lee Healths mobile collection sites on Thursday collected 499 specimens. Bed capacity as of Friday is at 83 percent, with 22.2 percent of those being COVID-19 patients. As of Friday, 70 percent of ventilators and 11 percent of ICU rooms are available for use across Lee Health facilities. COVID-19 is a highly contagious viral disease. For most individuals, symptoms are mild. For a minority, the disease becomes a type of viral pneumonia with severe complications. Especially at risk are those who are older, those with underlying health conditions and the immune-compromised. Officials strongly urge all members of the public who are at risk to remain at home so as to limit exposure. All others are urged to observe social distancing and to wear a mask for all public interactions. For more detail on Florida resident cases, visit the live DOH Dashboard. To find the most up-to-date information and guidance on COVID-19, visit the Department of Healths dedicated COVID-19 webpage. For information and advisories from the Centers for Disease Control, visit the CDC COVID-19 website. For more information about current travel advisories issued by the U.S. Department of State, visit the travel advisory website. For any other questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, contact the Departments dedicated COVID-19 Call Center by calling 1-866-779-6121. The Call Center is available 24 hours per day. Inquiries may also be emailed to COVID-19@flhealth.gov. -Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj LogBox, a South African medical data startup that bills itself as an "absolutely secure" way of replacing paper forms for sharing patient data with doctors, has exposed user accounts and patient data following a security lapse. Security researcher Anurag Sen found an exposed database belonging to the company containing account access tokens for thousands of LogBox users, which if used would grant full access to users' accounts without requiring their password, Sen said. Sen reported the exposed database to the company but did not hear back. After TechCrunch reached out, the database was pulled offline. When reached, LogBox director Neal Goldstein declined to comment by our deadline or answer any of our questions, specifically if LogBox planned to inform users or customers that data was exposed or if the company plans to report the incident to regulators. Founded in 2010, LogBox has become a rising star in South Africa, just last year partnering with Lancet Laboratories, a medical diagnostics company that operates in 11 African countries. South Africa is one of Africa's top tech hubs, attracting $206 million in VC in 2019, according to Partech. Health tech ventures have been on the rise across Africa, with medical related startups accounting for a third of all investment deals on the continent in 2019, per WeeTracker's last annual investment report. LogBox's database exposure comes as South Africa's new data privacy laws advanced by the country's president Cyril Ramaphosa take effect on July 1. South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) seeks to better safeguard personal data and protect against data breaches, per a statement of the country's president. The measure includes guidelines that apply to LogBox's business activities and database exposure. University of North Georgia (UNG) alumna Lauren Bradshaw discovered pursuing a master's degree in ceramics during the COVID-19 pandemic came with some unique challenges. "I'm a sculptor, but it's hard to do that without a studio space with a kiln," said Bradshaw, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art from UNG. "So I've been building abstract structures and putting them in the yard to let them get rained on and melt. Then I document them with photography." The only element missing for Bradshaw was a venue to display her work since many art galleries have been closed because of the pandemic. Then Victoria Cooke, UNG art galleries director, called with an offer: UNG galleries would host an online exhibition featuring the school's alumni. Bradshaw jumped at the chance. "I thought it would be a great opportunity to do something now when it's impossible to show in person," said Bradshaw, who lives in Newry, South Carolina. "I thought it was exciting to have an opportunity to show work on a digital platform, and I was grateful for it." Bradshaw is one of 16 alumni with artwork in the exhibit titled "Alumni Voices from the Quarantine Exhibition." The exhibit began July 1 and is the second of three planned online exhibitions for the public. The first exhibition featuring current UNG students ran from May 26 to June 30. "These exhibitions are devoted to artists who, as we all have, suddenly found themselves cut off from their work spaces only to discover different ways to approach crafting a work of art," said Dr. Pamela Sachant, chair of the Department of Visual Arts (DoVA) at UNG. Isaac Bramblett's "Saratoga - Corona Indian" and Isabella Martino's "In the Daylight" are two of the 16 pieces in the exhibit titled "Alumni Voices from the Quarantine Exhibition." The exhibit began July 1 and is the second of three planned online exhibitions for the public. Featured artists range from painters to graphic designers as well as graduate students like Bradshaw. All are artists who graduated from UNG, Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University. "Like our current students, some used art to reflect their mood, others reflected on life outside of the quarantine," Cooke said. "Each one represents the wide range of reactions of the UNG visual arts alumni to this remarkable time." Alumna Morgan Auten took this opportunity to create an abstract piece, which is out of the box for the art teacher with Habersham County Schools. "Being in quarantine, the world flipped upside down, so I thought 'Why not do what I want and be brave," said Auten, who earned a Bachelor of Science in art education in 2010. "I want people to get a sense of boldness and bravery, and I wanted to bring a sense of peace and serenity." UNG alumnus Kyle Clark applauded the visual arts department's ability to respond to the situation and showcase pieces from students and alumni. "I was really proud of the department and their ability to adapt to the current world circumstance and continue with their objective to display artwork," said the 2013 graduate who works in the conservation lab at the University of Michigan's library. Featured alumni include: Kate Ash, Morgan Auten, Madison Beaulieu, Lauren Bradshaw, Isaac Bramblett, Renee Marie Brooks, Christy Cason, Kyle Clark, Amy Henke, Rebecca Knowles, Jessica Loklar, Isabella Martino, Jill Raden, Vanessa Studebaker, Mary Thompson, and Gretchen Vanderbunt. To see the pieces, visit the UNG galleries online art exhibitions webpage. The Bob Owens Art Gallery on the Dahlonega Campus, Roy C. Moore Art Gallery on the Gainesville Campus and the Oconee Art Gallery on the Oconee Campus will all reopen to coincide with the beginning of the fall semester in August. All UNG art gallery exhibitions and programs are free and open to the public. The defence ministry said France had suspended its role in Operation Sea Guardian, accusing Turkey of violating an arms embargo against Libya, BBC writes in the article Libya crisis: France suspends Nato mission role amid Turkey row. It comes weeks after Turkish ships allegedly targeted a French warship in the Mediterranean - something Ankara strongly denies. The Nato allies are thought to support different sides in Libya's civil war. Riven by violence since Col Muammar Gaddafi was deposed by Nato-backed forces in 2011, the oil-rich nation is a key transit point for migrants heading to Europe from Africa. Currently, the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) is battling against the forces of Gen Khalifa Haftar which control large parts of the east and south of Libya. Why is France pulling out of the operation? French relations with Turkey have become increasingly strained in recent months because of the Libya crisis, Turkey's role in northern Syria, and also drilling in the eastern Mediterranean. But the key incident came on 10 June, when French frigate Courbet went to inspect a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship, Cirkin, off the coast of Libya, to check if it was smuggling arms. At the time the French ship was taking part in Nato's Operation Sea Guardian, which among other things maintains freedom of navigation and plays a "maritime counter-terrorism" role. What happened next is still under dispute. According to French defence forces, Turkish ships escorting the Cirkin - which they said was carrying medical supplies - acted aggressively to the Courbet, and even targeted it with their weapons systems three times. Turkey denies the French allegation, saying the interaction was friendly. France has since asked Nato to investigate the incident. Both countries have traded insults in recent weeks. On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron accused Turkey of "historic and criminal responsibility" in the Libyan conflict, "for a country which claims to be a Nato member". Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said on Tuesday that France had been "destructive" in the North African nation, and accused the country of trying "to increase Russia's presence in Libya". On Thursday, he asked France to apologise for its allegations about the Courbet. Now France has suspended its role in Operation Sea Guardian. "It doesn't make sense to keep our assets... with allies who do not respect the embargo," a French defence official reportedly said. This latest row with France is only the latest issue to raise questions about Turkey's position within the alliance. Tensions over its approach to Libya come after similar differences between Ankara and key allies over its interventionist approach in Syria. Turkey has even held up approval of Baltic defence plans as part of this row. Then there is its decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defence missiles which has resulted in its suspension from the US F-35 fighter programme. And to cap it all there are wider tensions in the Mediterranean with its long-standing rival and fellow Nato-member, Greece. But given the distractions of the Covid-19 pandemic and President Trump's own ambivalent attitude towards Nato, such tensions are likely to simmer on. What's the background? Both sides in Libya's civil war have international support. Turkey, Italy and Qatar all side with the GNA in Tripoli, while Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates back Gen Haftar. France, meanwhile, is also thought to back Gen Haftar, although leaders in Paris have repeatedly denied this. A UN arms embargo is in place to stop men and materiel flowing into the country, but it has had little effect. Turkey agreed a military cooperation deal with the GNA in 2019, and deployed troops to the country in January. Last month, GNA forces finally regained full control of Tripoli thanks to greater help from Turkey. Gen Haftar has reportedly withdrawn his forces from the city's suburbs. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he would like to see another summit-level meeting between the United States and North Korea before the formers presidential election later this year, The Diplomat writes in the article South Koreas Moon Expresses Hope for Another US-North Korea Summit Meeting. Speaking on Wednesday via video conference at a South Korea-European Union summit, Moon said that South Korea would do its best to facilitate such a meeting. Moon was speaking just a little over one year after June 30, 2019, meeting between U.S. President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the inter-Korean border. What South Korea hopes is that efforts for dialogue between the North and the U.S. should be pushed forward once more before the U.S. presidential election, Moon said. South Korea plans to do its best to make it possible for the North and the U.S. to sit face-to-face again before the U.S. presidential election, the South Korean president added. I think the EU can play a big role, he also said. Moon, who entered office in May 2017, has been a major proponent of engagement with North Korea and of U.S.-North Korea diplomacy. In May 2018, when U.S. President Donald J. Trump suddenly canceled the first planned U.S.-North Korea summit, Moon met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to save the summit. Moons statement on Wednesday came after a period of rising and then sharply declining inter-Korean tensions. In June, North Korea detonated conventional explosives at the inter-Korean liaison office at the city of Kaesong, along the inter-Korean border, in a rebuke to the Moon administration. In 2018, Moon met Kim for two major summits: the April 2018 Panmunjom Summit and the September 2019 Pyongyang Summit, which also coincided with the signing of a major inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement. It is my firm will that the hard-earned progress and achievements in inter-Korean relations cannot be backtracked, Moon said. I will be patient and make efforts to sustain the momentum of dialogue between South Korea, North Korea, and the U.S. Despite the South Korean presidents suggestions, North Korea and the United States have not held serious diplomatic talks since last October, when they met for official working-level talks in Stockholm, Sweden, Diplomatic progress between the two sides has been limited since the February 2019 Hanoi summit, which ended without a U.S.-North Korea agreement amid disagreements between the two sides over concessions, including sanctions relief. Days before Moons remarks on Wednesday, Stephen E. Biegun, the U.S. deputy secretary of state and the Trump administrations special envoy for North Korea during the diplomacy of 2018 and 2019, said that he believed it was possible for the two sides to make substantial progress. No ongoing talks between the United States and North Korea are confirmed to be taking place, however. On June 12, on the two year anniversary of the Singapore Summit, North Korea released a statement criticizing the United States for not following through on its commitments. In the coming years, Azerbaijan will launch a communication project, which will eventually transform Baku into a large regional digital center covering the South Caucasus, the Middle East, Central and South Asia with a total population of about 1.8 billion people. It's about the Azerbaijan Digital Hub program, within which Azerbaijan is laying fiber-optic backbone cable line along the bottom of the Caspian Sea. At the same time, the Azerbaijani project will contribute to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) - Azerbaijan will provide the BRI a telecommunications corridor. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have launched this grandiose project last November. The Trans Caspian Fiber Optic (TCFO) project will allow the countries to reach a higher level of development of a high-speed and secure data transmission infrastructure, entering the number of leading Europe-Asia trunk routes. It is expected that the cable will be commissioned by late 2021 to transmit data with a capacity of at least 4-6 terabits per second. As for cooperation with Turkmenistan, the interstate agreement on laying the fiber-optic cable line with the total length of 300 km along the bottom of the Caspian Sea with a capacity of 2-3 terabits per second will provide high-speed Internet traffic not only to Turkmenistan, but also to Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. In general, Baku will be added to the global Internet map as a new Internet exchange point along with cities such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Sofia, London, Istanbul or Dubai. The economist, leading analyst of the Baku-based Center for Analysis of International Relations Orkhan Bagirov told Vestnik Kavkaza about this project's prospects and its impact on the country's economy in the future. "The implementation of this program will make it possible to reduce Azerbaijans dependence on Internet traffic from other countries," Bagirov said, adding that Azerbaijan will not only provide for itself, but will also become a digital service provider, raising the level of its telecommunications infrastructure to international standards. In economic terms, this will lead to the digitalization of a number of economic areas, the development of the non-oil sector and the creation of jobs; the IT sector's economic weight will grow in Azerbaijan. In political terms, this will provide significant dividends: if soon after gaining independence the republic began to actively implement energy projects, becoming one of the regional centers in this area, and then joined the Trans-Caspian routes in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, turning into a major transport center, now there's a new era, which will transform Azerbaijan into a digital service provider, will strengthen the states position in the system of international relations. This project will strengthen the region's stability, make processes more predictable. In particular, Bagirov drew attention that relations with Central Asian countries will become closer. "Azerbaijan has traditionally developed relations with Central Asia, in particular, in transport projects, we have a system of constant contacts between the ports. After Azerbaijan becomes a digital hub, our relations will be even more strengthened, as it will open up new areas of cooperation - IT and information telecommunication technologies. In addition, the project will contribute to the implementation of another China's project - the Digital Silk Road - its route will run from Frankfurt to Mumbai via Azerbaijan, which, of course, will enable the republic to cooperate with all countries along this global communication line. The success of the project, according to Bagirov, will make it possible to profit by creating the largest DATA center in the region, presenting its resources on the foreign market. Thus, the largest content providers will be able to open their representative offices in Azerbaijan. Answering the question of how new projects combining East and West with digital routes can influence the resolution of conflicts, in particular, whether this initiative can make Armenia abandon its occupation policy, Bagirov noted that all projects implemented by Azerbaijan influence processes in the region. "In particular, this also concerns the issue of Armenia's occupation policy. As Azerbaijan increases its energy and transport power through global projects, Armenia realizes that its occupation policy is leading nowhere, while it could use the benefits from these projects. Armenia will face the same fate in the case of Azerbaijan's new digital initiative. This will also happen because nationalist ideas are very strong in Armenia: even if the government tries to change something, it will not be able to do it," the leading analyst of the Center for Analysis of International Relations summed up. Doctors have cured another 1,591 COVID-19 patients in Moscow, Deputy Moscow Mayor Anastasiya Rakova said on Friday. "The number of recoveries in Moscow keeps growing. Over the past day another 1,591 patients recovered after undergoing treatment. The total number of people who recovered from the infection has risen to 154,839," Rakova said. All patients will remain under medical supervision after being discharged from hospitals and will receive recommendations, TASS reported. The recovered Moscow citizens have been asked to donate their plasma to treat coronavirus patients. People aged 18 to 55 who have recovered from COVID-19 can become blood plasma donors, provided they dont have chronic illnesses and test negative for HIV, Hepatitis B and C. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to award the honorary title City of Labor Valor to 20 Russian cities. The document was uploaded to the Kremlin website. Among the 20 cities are Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Samara, Perm, Nizhny Tagil, Saratov, Omsk, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Yaroslavl, Magnitogorsk, Izhevsk, Ufa, Tomsk, Ulyanovsk, Ivanovo, Novokuznetsk, Irkutsk and Borovichi. In March 2020, Putin signed a law to institute a new honorary title. It is awarded to the cities whose residents made a substantial contribution to victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, ensuring uninterrupted manufacturing of military and civil-purpose products at city enterprises, manifesting mass labor heroism and self-sacrifice. Airlines have been lowering airfares and targeting mostly domestic passengers. According to ICAO (the International Civil Aviation Organization), effective June 16, flights to Vietnam until September 16 are not allowed to carry passengers except people entering Vietnam for diplomatic or business purposes, specialists, certain businesspeople, highly qualified workers, or those who have approval from the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. All of the people entering the country will be put under quarantine for 14 days. Vietnam is considering step by step resuming international air routes with some countries and territories, but the plan of some airlines to fly internationally again by July 1 has proven to be not feasible. Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper quoted a representative of an airline as saying that the airline will be focusing on the domestic market in the immediate time. According to Tran Thanh Hien from Vietnam Airlines, the national flag air carrier, the output still cannot reach the level of 2019, but the number of passengers in some weeks of May and June were even higher than last year. According to Tran Thanh Hien from Vietnam Airlines, the national flag air carrier, the output still cannot reach the level of 2019, but the number of passengers in some weeks of May and June were even higher than last year. However, the average revenue has decreased by 50 percent because of the drop in airfares. Air carriers have slashed airfares to compete with each other to lure domestic passengers. He said such big sale promotion campaigns have never been seen before in the country. Le Xuan Nghia, an economist, commented that the lower airfare will help stimulate the demand, but warned that sharp decreases will adversely affect air carriers capability. Carriers are also rushing to open new routes. In May and June, Vietnam Airlines opened 13 new domestic routes. Its domestic passenger output increased by 4.4 percent compared with the same period last year. Meanwhile, Vietjet opened eight new routes, raising its total number of air routes to 53. On June 15, Vietjet began selling air tickets for five domestic air routes in Thailand. According to Truong Phuong Thanh, deputy CEO of Bamboo Airways, the carrier is considering flying to niche markets such as Thanh Hoa Phu Quoc/Quy Nhon, and Hanoi Dien Bien/Con Dao Island. Dau Khac Cuong, CEO of Kai Group Vietnam, thinks that air carriers should follow a repositioning process in the post Covid-19 period. They can reduce selling prices, change sale channels or promote sales, such as selling tickets in combo. The aviation sector has suffered in the Covid-19 crisis with the losses of up to tens of trillion of dong. Kim Chi Vietnam Airlines postpones shareholders meeting until July 16 Vietnam Airlines Group will postpone its shareholders meeting until July 16, according to a decision signed by Chairman of Vietnam Airlines Executive Board Pham Ngoc Minh. Never-before-seen activities in Vietnams aviation sphere are expected to come to EU businesses soon on the back of the landmark EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, director of the WTOs International Trade Centre under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, talked about how market access commitments are brightening the investment picture in the sector. Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, director of the WTOs International Trade Centre under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry In the agreement (EVFTA), Vietnam commits to widely open the market in aircraft maintenance and repair service to EU businesses. In comparison with the countrys World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments, how can the new adherence benefit investors from the bloc in the future? Aviation transport is one of the logistics services that Vietnam commits to open the market to EU businesses in the EVFTA and this commitment is more open than that in the WTO. Among them, aircraft maintenance and repair service provides the strongest opening. As committed in the WTO, Vietnam allows foreign investors to join this market under the form of joint venture, holding less than 51 per cent. Meanwhile, this service market will totally open to EU investors without restrictions in the form of business operations, or foreign ownership limit (FOL). This means that as of entry into force, EU companies will enjoy never-before-seen opportunities to establish a 100 per cent foreign-invested entity or joint ventures with Vietnamese partners to provide aircraft maintenance and repair service in the Southeast Asian nation. Up till now, this golden chance has been available only in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, and Singapore as committed in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Which other services will Vietnam open under EVFTA commitments, and what changes do you foresee? Vietnam also pledges to open the aviation market for EU companies in other two groups of services, to which the country had no commitments in the WTO. The first is in-flight meal services. Specifically, Vietnam permits EU businesses to establish a joint venture to provide this service with the conditions that FOL is not higher than 49 per cent. The second is ground services but this excludes aircraft maintenance and cleaning services, ground transport, aircraft management, and guaranteed flight operations. Meanwhile, for ground services which Vietnam does open, there is no set schedule as yet. This depends on the time when Vietnam allows private firms to join ground services in a specific airport, restrictions to location for specific airports and other licensing barriers, and the type of businesses involved. Investment attraction in aviation remains modest. Will the new commitments be able to change the investment picture in the sector? In the EVFTA, Vietnam will still keep the level of market opening similar to the WTO for core aviation services such as passenger and cargo transporting by air. However, looking globally, this is rather normal. Many countries have a similar approach with Vietnam while others even have a narrower approach. From a market view, it is difficult to say that Vietnams aviation sector is not attractive enough for investment. Even when gaining no foreign investment, interest from local private financers remains strong. Regardless, for aviation services the most interest among managers is not only the room for business and investment activities, but also safety concerns and public interest. The important issue is probably not only how open the country is for the aviation market for foreign investors, but also the way of approaching that openness for the private sector in general. VIR Bich Thuy Administrative reforms would help unlock EVFTA's potential: EuroCham Administrative procedure reform is the key to unlocking the full potential of the Europe-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), said participants at a conference on Tuesday. While exports of many products have plunged because of Covid-19, rice exports are growing, with prices of some products reaching an 8-year high. According to the General Department of Customs (GDC), Vietnam exported 408,914 tons of rice in June, worth $206.705 million, a decrease of 57.13 percent in export volume and 58.03 percent in value compared with the last month. The figures represented 31.75 percent and 22.12 percent decreases in export volume and export turnover compared with the same period last year. However, both the rice export volume and turnover in the first six months of the year were higher than the same period last year, 1.54 percent and 17.12 percent, respectively. The sharp increase in export turnover is attributed to the export price increase, by nearly 13 percent, at $487 per ton on average. After one month of interruption, the Prime Minister decided to resume rice export on May 1, paving the way for exports to soar this month. Businesses exported 953,950 tons of rice in May, worth $493.54 million, up by 87 percent in volume and 93.6 percent in value compared with April. Businesses exported 953,950 tons of rice in May, worth $493.54 million, up by 87 percent in volume and 93.6 percent in value compared with April. In the first five months of 2020, Vietnam earned $1.5 billion from rice export, up by 12.2 percent in quantity and 26.8 percent in value in comparison with the same period last year. Dinh Minh Tam, deputy director of the Dong Thap-based Co May Rice, is satisfied about the export of ST24, the variety recognized as the most delicious in the world. Tam said exports to Singapore and Hong Kong have increased by 20 percent in quantity and 15 percent in value. The export price of ST24 is $1,200 per ton, which is even higher than Thailands Hom Mali in some markets, Tam said. According to Pham Thai Binh, general director of Trung An Hi-technology Agriculture JSC, after the government allowed resumption of rice export, many foreign partners placed orders, pushing the rice price up. Thailand also buys Vietnams rice, especially Japonica rice. Binh revealed that the export price has increased by 25-30 percent compared with three months ago. 5 percent broken rice is sold at $500-520 per ton instead of $380-390 per ton. However, opinions vary about Vietnams rice export prospects in the time to come. Nguyen Thanh Long, director of Gao Viet, said the export price has increased in recent months because many countries want to store food during Covid-19. However, some countries have begun reducing imports. Clients also have many choices with low-cost rice from India, Pakistan and Myanmar. Besides, Thailand has begun its harvest, which will increase supply. Mai Lan Is Vietnam outstripping Thailand in rice exports? Because of unprecedented difficulties, Thailand may be outstripped by Vietnam in rice exports this year, but this may only be for the short term. Vietnam has issued a note to China to protest an illegal military drill conducted on islands that rightfully belong to Vietnam. spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang has said. Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang Foreign ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang informed the media of the action on Thursday during a press briefing held in Hanoi. Vietnam has had exchanges with the Chinese side and has issued a diplomatic note protesting the move and requesting China do not repeat this action in the future, Hang said. The military drill is reportedly being held from July 1-5 around Vietnams Hoang Sa (Paracel Islands) in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea), a large part of the island chain China seized control of illegally by force from Vietnam in the 1970s. "The drill constitutes a serious violation of Vietnam's sovereignty, complicated the situation, impaired the ongoing negotiations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea between ASEAN and China, and undermined the maintenance of peace, security and co-operation in the East Sea," the Vietnamese diplomat said. Previously, China also announced the establishment of administrative districts in the East Sea to govern over both Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) islands, which also met with a rebuke from Vietnam. Responding to reports of the recent entry of China's survey ship Hai Yang 4 into Vietnam's exclusive economic zone, Hang stressed all surveying and exploration activities must be conducted with the approval of Vietnam, in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). ASEAN, China to step up COC talks Hang said ASEAN and China had committed to continuing to step up negotiations over a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) during the 26th ASEAN - China Senior Officials Consultation, held via videoconferencing on July 1. Hang said the two sides reached consensus on several important orientations for ASEAN - China collaboration in the near future on the back of effective implementation of the vision for the ASEAN - China strategic partnership to 2030, including developing the digital economy and high-quality human resources and jointly working on emerging challenges such as cyber security, natural disasters, and trans-national crime. She said the two sides also debated practical cooperation in mitigating the impact of COVID-19. The Chinese side affirmed its support for the ASEAN Fund for COVID-19 Response and the regional emergency medical supply reserve. It also offered new cooperation initiatives, including holding the ASEAN - China Forum on health cooperation and considering safe travelling corridors between China and ASEAN countries. The two sides also expressed a wish to resume the COC talks when possible, she added, and highlighted the need for the serious and full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). US ties anniversary Regarding the upcoming 25th anniversary of the normalisation of relations between the US and Vietnam on July 11-12, both sides have organised many activities in both Vietnam and the US to commemorate this, Hang said. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, events and activities such as delegation exchanges, conferences, forums on bilateral trade, as well as other economic and trade promotion activities, were affected, she added. The two countries were determined to hold anniversary events with "flexible formats", Hang said. A quarter-century after the normalisation of diplomatic ties and six years since the setting up of a comprehensive partnership, relations between Viet Nam and the US have improved in both bilateral and multilateral frameworks. "In the coming time, the two sides will further co-operation to deepen Vietnam-US ties, contributing to the maintenance of peace, security, co-operation and development in the region as well as the world," Hang said. Stability in Hong Kong Responding to questions on Vietnam's reactions to China's adoption of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region late in June, Hang said Vietnam is watching the situation in Hong Kong with interest. "Vietnam respects and supports China's one country two systems policy, the Basic Law of Hong Kong and other related mechanisms. Hong Kong issues are China's internal affairs," the Vietnamese diplomat said, adding that Vietnam always wants stability and prosperity in Hong Kong, to live up to its status as an important financial hub of the region and the world. Vietnam, Cambodia resolve to prevent community spread of COVID-19 Vietnam appreciates Cambodias decision to annul diplomatic note 698 MFA.IC/API on restricting cross-border travel between the two countries, Hang said. Cambodias Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation notified the Vietnamese Embassy of the termination of the validity of the March diplomatic note on June 22. In reply to a Vietnam News Agency reporters question regarding the move, the spokesperson said Vietnam and Cambodia have been coordinating closely to ensure entry and exit of prioritized cases, especially students, and normal border trade between the two countries. She went on to say that in the context of complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region and the world, authorized agencies of both sides will continue to study and discuss ways to ease entry-exit restrictions based on the pandemic situation and each countrys health regulations, towards the highest goal of well controlling the pandemic and preventing it from spreading in the community in both countries. VNS/VNA The recognition of OECMs (other effective area-based conservation measures) as a complementary approach to efforts to establish official reserves gives Vietnam an opportunity to expand and link the nations conservation networks. At the 2010 Conference of the Parties (COP), the parties of CBD, including Vietnam, recognized new conservation measures as the complementary solution to the efforts of establishing official protected areas. Harry Jonas, co-chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), said that OECM is an opportunity to recognize and contribute to the conservation of biodiversity outside protected areas. OECMs may include many different types of governance, including the government, the private sector, local people or local communities. An OECM needs to satisfy the requirements on locations outside protected areas and must have definable geographical boundaries. They need to be managed by appropriate agencies and have sustainable management policies. They also need to bring effective internal biodiversity conservation results and have potential for long-term biodiversity conservation. Opportunities for Vietnam Vietnam is home to large agricultural landscapes, including areas with high biodiversity, and areas subject to the restoration or re-establishment of ecosystem functions in nature so as to bring climate or biodiversity benefits. In these landscapes, there are many opportunities to recognize OECMs. According to Nguyen Duc Tu, Coordinator of IUCN Biodiversity Program in Vietnam, OECM helps Vietnam fulfill conservation commitments, and protects habitats with high biodiversity which are at high risk, such as isolated karst areas, seasonally inundated grasslands and coastal mudflats. OECMs also offer an opportunity to recognize contributions to biodiversity conservation by businesses and communities by improving the efficiency of the management of the land they are allowed to use. OECMs also offer an opportunity to recognize contributions to biodiversity conservation by businesses and communities by improving the efficiency of the management of the land they are allowed to use. Tu said Vietnam has OECMs, such as "no-enter areas"; sacred areas, military zones, war ruins, and other "prohibited" areas (dependent); areas preserved by low-impact use, watershed protection areas, and wetlands related to ecosystem services (secondary); private land areas for conservation as the first purpose, and areas which cannot or dont want to be registered as protected areas (primary). In Vietnam, OECM is a new internationally recognized definition that can help assess and recognize biodiversity conservation efforts outside protected areas; and can be used to formally recognize management forms and administrative subjects. This helps ensure the safety of the areas. In particular, it can improve biodiversity conservation of various sectors, including the business sector (which is considered to be outside biodiversity conservation efforts); and supplement the list of CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities of businesses that have large land plots, ensuring biodiversity in development projects. Mai Lan In Vietnam, stopping biodiversity degradation a challenging task Dr Nguyen Ngoc Lung, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Forest Management and Forest Certification, explains that biodiversity degradation can be seen in three forms - biodiversity of ecosystems; of species; and genetic biodiversity. Digiworld Corporation has embarked on strategic cooperation with Apple, though purchasing power in Vietnam is showing signs of slowdown. Digiworld on June 24 said it has become an official distributor of Apples products in Vietnam. According to Digiworld, it was chosen by Apple because of Digiworlds comprehensive added value chain, including market analysis, marketing, sale, logistics and post-sale services. Apple hopes that with the cooperation, it will have opportunities to access more groups of clients and diversify distribution channels. Explaining the reasons behind the decision, Digiworld said Vietnam is one of the largest smartphone markets in Southeast Asia. Digiworld has embarked on strategic cooperation with Apple, though purchasing power in Vietnam is showing signs of slowdown. A report from GfK, a market analysis firm, said that Vietnam ranks second in number of products sold, just after Indonesia and above Thailand and Malaysia. Vietnamese consumers now have better understanding about technology and pricing. They tend to choose products deserving the amounts of money they spend. Many Vietnamese people, however, buy Apple products indirectly, carried to Vietnam across border gates and through unofficial channels. Digiworld can see an opportunity in this market segment. GfKs report showed that from January to April 2020, Apple held the third largest market share in Vietnam in number of products sold, but ranked second in value. Vietnam is considered a gold mine for Apple. Digiworld wants to directly distribute all products of Apple, including iPhone, iPad to MacBook, Beats, Watch, Apple TV, accessories such as Airpod and Earpod, keyboard, mouse and covers. Digiworld believes that it can provide products imported directly from the manufacturer at reasonable prices thanks optimizing of operational costs. Doan Hong Viet, Chief Executive Officer of Digiworld, said he hopes it can sell 50,000 Apple products from now to the end of the year. However, some analysts doubt the feasibility of Digiworlds ambitious plan. Other distributors, including F. Studio of FPT Retail and eDiGi of IPPG, also want to conquer the market segment of products imported to Vietnam through unofficial channels. At FPT Retail, according to Nguyen Bach Diep, sales of new iPhone versions are not very good and FPT Retail has asked for support from Apple. The distributor decided to postpone its plan to open more F. Studio shops in 2019. An analyst commented that iPhones, which have had no breakthrough features in recent years, have lost their appeal in Vietnam. GfK reported that within 12 months, by September 2019, 20.3 million feature and smart phones had been sold in Vietnam. Kim Chi Time for Vietnamese smartphone brands to conquer home market After a lot of failed efforts, Vietnams smartphone products now have a great opportunity to return to the market. The ex-soldier and his son are held in the US for allegedly helping the ex-Nissan boss flee Japan. Carlos Ghosn fled from Japan to Lebanon last December Image copyrightReuters Japan has asked the US to extradite a former special forces soldier and his son for allegedly helping ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn flee Japan last year. Ex-Green Beret Michael Taylor and his son Peter were held in Massachusetts in May, several months after Japan had issued warrants for their arrest. The US authorities confirmed a formal extradition request was submitted. Mr Ghosn, who was detained in Japan on financial misconduct charges in 2018, made a dramatic escape last year. The former Nissan boss denies the charges against him. Despite being under house arrest and monitored 24 hours a day, on 29 December he managed to fly to the Lebanese capital Beirut via Turkey. Details of the Taylors' alleged involvement in the escape are unclear. But Japanese prosecutors have said the two were in Japan at the time and helped Mr Ghosn evade security checks as he left. In May, prosecutors in Turkey charged seven people over the escape. The suspects - four pilots, two flight attendants, and an airline executive - are also accused of helping Mr Ghosn flee. They go on trial in Istanbul on Friday, with Turkish prosecutors seeking up to eight years in jail for the four pilots and the airline executive. Full details of the escape have never been fully explained. Mr Ghosn, who holds Brazilian, French and Lebanese nationalities, ran Renault and Nissan as part of a three-way car alliance. He is accused of misreporting his compensation package, but has insisted he can never get a fair hearing in Japan. Since his arrival in Lebanon, he has told reporters he was a "hostage" in Japan, where he was left with a choice between dying there or running. BBC When she logged into an internal management app on her smartphone to check out after a four-hour shift, Nguyen Thi Luan was shocked to find her schedule was blank. A jupviec.vn cleaner disinfects chairs and tables at an office in March. Photo courtesy of jupviec.vn Having worked for jupviec.vn, a home-cleaning service start-up based in Hanoi, since day one, for the first time in eight years, she was without work. Everything was normal at the time I started my shift, around 8am. At noon, I could no longer confirm that my job was accomplished (on the app), said Luan. It felt like a cyber-attack swept through and took it all, she added. It was March 31, the day Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc announced the 14-day social distancing orders across Vietnam, meaning all unnecessary services including home cleaning must be suspended. The measure was later expanded for a week in Hanoi the countrys worst-hit city to contain the pandemic, impacting thousands of workers in the informal economy sector. Desperation was the common feeling among jupviec.vns employees during that time. We didnt know how to earn money to cover our childrens tuition, said Luan. What does not kill you makes you stronger, I thought. Picking myself up, I decided to make pate and marinated chicken legs to sell online. The cleaner said her situation was much better than others at jupviec.vn who had left their hometowns for Hanoi in search of a better life for their children as she does not need to pay for accommodation. Tran Thi Han, another jupviec.vn worker, took her two children to Hanoi three years ago and lives in the outlying district of Nam Tu Liem. I have been married for a decade, said Han. My husband is autistic and too weak to be a breadwinner. I dont want to put any pressure on him or consider him as my burden. I accept working harder to support my family in Ha Nam Province, making ends meet and ensuring my children enjoy a good education, she added. When COVID-19 came, her aspirations were smashed to pieces. Waking up, the first thing I thought of was money, she said, adding that staying under the same roof with two children day after day tired her out. Hans normal day starts by her arriving at a clients house, checking in via the jupviec.vn app then working for two to three hours. She usually registers two shifts per day, one in the morning, another in the afternoon. Before COVID-19, she could earn VND5 million (US$216) per month. During? VND500,000 at best ($21.61), she said with a weary sigh. Representatives of jupviec.vn receive cash support from Mastercard and CARE in mid-June. Photo courtesy of CARE International in Vietnam Double burden Founding jupviec.vn eight years ago to aid female informal workers in Hanoi and HCM City, Phan Hong Minh the companys CEO, thought it had been through the turbulence of young business and was ready to enter a more stable stage. Then came COVID-19, he said. For the first time since its establishment, jupviec.vn failed to pay workers on time, said Minh. Overnight, the companys revenue dropped by 90 per cent, without any warning, he added. The managing board members were the first ones to not receive their salary. The companys activities were all frozen in the social distancing period. Without cash, the only thing Minh could do for his cleaners was to list all charity rice programmes around the city. While social distancing was in place, our workers suffered from declining working hours, or even job losses. This led to greater financial pressure for them as they still had to pay living expenses while having less or no income, Minh said. There has been a significant decline in the number of orders on our platform compared to the same period last year and our working partners have also witnessed a drop in their earnings. "Only after the social distancing order was lifted in late April did we see the light at the end of the tunnel, he added. In mid-June, more than 800 female house cleaners working at jupviec.vn received cash support with a total value of $70,000 to overcome the consequences emerging from the COVID-19 as part of the aid provided by Mastercard under the coordination of NGO CARE International in Vietnam to support local women. Each of them received up to VN3 million ($130) via direct bank transfer, based on their circumstances and financial damage. These women working in the informal sector are among the most vulnerable populations and those most affected by the pandemic. During this time of uncertainties, the economic crisis caused by the outbreak may hit harder than the coronavirus itself, so protecting and supporting people have never been more critical, said Le Kim Dung, Country Director of CARE International in Vietnam. Up to 77 per cent of Vietnamese enterprises estimated the effects of the COVID-19 on their business to be either serious or severe, according to an assessment on the pandemics impacts over social enterprises released by the Centre for Social Initiatives Promotion (CSIP) in May. Among those, 10 per cent said that they were at risk of bankruptcy and shutdown. The enterprises which are providing jobs to marginalised groups such as people with disabilities and disadvantaged women are trying their best to keep their staff on the payroll, the report said, stressing these businesses are struggling under the double burden of maintaining business goals while sustaining social impacts. Their closure would be catastrophic for the employment and income of marginalised groups, it said. Luan and Han have witnessed a significant increase in their bookings since May. I will work harder to make up for the period staying at home and save up for rainy days as well, said Han. For Luan, her experience selling food online during social distancing might be the start of something new. A small business, maybe? she said. VNS Khoa Thu Vietnam attends UN Security Councils Open Debate on Pandemics and Security Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung attended the UN Security Councils Open Debate on Pandemics and Security on July 2, during which he said that intensifying international solidarity and multilateralism is a solution to current challenges. Dung emphasised the importance of fostering collaboration in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and promoting socio-economic recovery. Multilateral organisations, especially the UN with its central role, can play a key part in coordinating pandemic prevention and control efforts, he stressed. He called on all parties involved in conflicts to follow UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' appeal for a global ceasefire amid the pandemic, while suggesting the UN Security Council to take stronger actions to ease tensions, build trust and boost reconciliation and dialogue to seek long-term solutions to conflicts. The diplomat affirmed that Vietnam supports the UN chiefs call for easing sanctions which affect COVID-19 response efforts and hopes that the council and its member states take proper measures to facilitate humanitarian aid for sanctioned countries for the interests of their citizens. He also told participants that Vietnam has taken early actions to prevent negative impact of the pandemic by mobilising the engagement of the entire political system. At the video conference, Guterres said that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to profoundly affect peace and security across the globe, and makes many countries postpone their elections, intensifies tensions and violence in many countries, worsens the risks of bioterrorist attacks, and causes negative impact on people around the world, especially vulnerable groups such as women, children and refugees. Vietnam enters 78th day free of local coronavirus infections No new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the morning of July 3, which is also the 78th straight day without local community transmission of the coronavirus, according to the national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control. Vietnamese citizens wait to handle boarding procedures at a French airport on June 28 before flying home Among the 355 confirmed cases, 215 are imported and quarantined upon arrival. Up to 340 or 95.8 percent of all infections have recovered, and there are no related deaths. Most of the 15 remaining patients are in stable condition, with three negative for the coronavirus at least twice. Meanwhile, 8,859 people are currently in quarantine, including 120 in hospitals, 7,040 in other quarantine facilities, and 1,699 at home. Vietnamese citizens brought home safely from Southwestern Asia Nearly 200 Vietnamese citizens from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives were brought home safe and sound on July 2-3. The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinated with the Vietnamese embassies in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, budget carrier Vietjet Air, and the hosts relevant agencies to conduct the flight. The flight was arranged to land in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to receive the maximum number of Vietnamese citizens in the region. As the COVID-19 pandemic is developing complicatedly in the world, many countries are applying travelling restrictions. In that context, the Vietnamese embassies in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India are actively working with local authorities to prepare all necessary procedures for Vietnamese citizens from Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives to transit in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and fly home. Preventive measures were taken seriously during the flight. After landing at the Van Don Airport in the northwestern province of Quang Ninh, crew members and passengers had their body temperature checked and went under quarantine as regulated. In the return flight, Vietjet Air also carried some Bangladeshi citizens in Vietnam back to their home country. Vietnamese authorities and representative offices abroad will continue conducting more flights to bring Vietnamese citizens home in the coming time, based on the pandemic developments at home and abroad, the citizens aspirations, and quarantine capacity in localities. 343 Vietnamese nationals repatriated from Australia for Covid-19 prevention The southern province of Bac Lieu has received 343 Vietnamese nationals who were repatriated from Australia for Covid-19 prevention on July 2. The returnees have been quarantined at a local dormitory in Bac Lieu City. The quarantine area used for 343 Vietnamese people from Australia On Thursday evening, provincial authorities held an urgent meeting on pandemic prevention. According to the local Department of Health, Covid-19 tests on the people will be sent to Pasteur Institute in HCM City as regulated. Ma Quoc Thien, director of Bac Lieu General Hospital, said that the hospital has prepared beds to receive Covid-19 patients in necessary cases. The province will also deal with vendors around the hospital to ensure pandemic prevention. Bac Lieu previously welcomed 150 Vietnamese coming back home from the UK and 297 from UAE. To date, most of the countrys Covid-19 cases have recovered and been discharged from hospital. As of this morning, July 3, Vietnam had no Covid-19 community infections for 78 days. Vietnam presents face masks to UK, Ireland The Embassy of Vietnam in the UK handed over 135,000 antimicrobial face masks to authorities of London and Wales on July 2 (local time) to support the fight against COVID-19. This is the first batch of a total of 500,000 masks from Vietnam which will be sent to over 30 localities and organisations of the UK and Ireland. At the handover ceremony, Ambassador Tran Ngoc An underlined the thriving and close-knit cooperation between Vietnam and the UK, as the two countries are marking the 10th year of their bilateral strategic partnership this year. The 500,000 masks from budget carrier Vietjet Air to the UK demonstrate the sound bilateral relations with proactive engagement of firms, organisations and people, he noted. London is among the first UK localities to make wearing masks mandatory when using public transport, in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. Cheryl Dennis, head of Wales London Office, thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for the support and vowed to distribute the masks to the people in need. No new COVID-19 cases on July 2, four more recover Vietnam recorded no new COVID-19 cases from 6am to 6pm on July 2, marking the 77th straight day without local transmission, the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control has reported. Of 355 infections, 215 were imported and quarantined upon their arrivals. Up to 13,085 who had close contact with patients or entered from pandemic-hit areas are under quarantine. Of them, 105 are in hospitals, 12,107 in other facilities and 873 at homes. The same day, four patients were given the all-clear at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases. They will continue staying in quarantine for health monitoring for the next 14 days So far, 340 out of 355 positive to SARS-CoV-2 in the country have recovered, accounting for 95.8 percent, and there is no death. Among 15 patients under treatment, three tested negative to the virus at least twice. Governor of Mexican State thanks Vietnam for supporting COVID-19 fight Governor of Mexicos Guerrero State Hector Astudillo has recently thanked the Vietnamese Embassy in the country for presenting medical equipment in support of the states battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is still developing complicatedly in Mexico. As of July 1, the country reported 231,770 infections, including 28,510 fatalities. Guerero State with famous Acapulco tourism city has also been hit hard. Governor Hector Astudillo also tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 and has been receiving treatment since June 8. The second phase of the Slow Zones, Safe Zones speed reduction programme will be carried out in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai between July and March 2022, following the first phase that began in April 2018 and ended in June this year. The Slow Zones, Safe Zones speed-reduction programme improves the road safety environment and culture for students commuting to and from school through a comprehensive set of interventions to limit speed in school zones. Photo courtesy of AIP Foundation The programme educates children and the community about the dangers of speeding, and focuses on legislative change by increasing collaboration with local government and police enforcement. In this phase, the programme will improve safety around 30 primary schools in the provinces Pleiku City by installing minor and low-cost modifications (co-funded by the government) that are highly effective in reducing speed. It will also advocate for a policy change by soliciting community input and government support to establish a legal school-zone definition for all future designs and renovations for schools in Pleiku. A standard school zone does not exist in Vietnam. A national road safety e-curriculum which features interactive videos, games and activities designed to teach students life-saving skills will be expanded to other provinces in the country. The adoption of the e-curriculum as a national resource is the best way to benefit the youngest people across Vietnam and keep them safe when travelling. Khuat Viet Hung, deputy chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said: Twenty-five per cent of road crashes are caused by speeding, so speed reduction can lower the risks of serious injury or death. Mirjam Sidik, CEO of AIP Foundation, said: According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which is an independent global health research centre at the University of Washington, 2,150 children lose their lives on Vietnams roads every year. This is unacceptable. When we know that pedestrians have only a 10 per cent chance of survival if in a collision with a vehicle driving at 60 kilometres per hour, but have a 90 per cent chance of survival if the car is driving at 30 kilometres per hour, there is never an excuse for speeding, especially near school zones. We must take immediate action to protect our children from preventable tragedies, Sidik added. The first phase of Slow Zones, Safe Zones resulted in comparably significant speed reduction, with maximum speed at both target schools in the programme reduced by as much as 18-21 kilometres per hour. Among self-reported student road crashes, the rate of crashes near the schools decreased from 34.1 per cent to 30.4 per cent. Additionally, according to community surveys, the percentage of people who correctly identified the current speed limit in the target school areas increased from 15.9 per cent before intervention to 65.8 per cent afterward. The programme is carried out by the non-profit Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation in partnership with the local government in Gia Lai Province, supported by Foundation Botnar, Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), Nissan Motor Corporation, Federation Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA) and Kova Paint Company. Raoul Powlowski, of the Global Road Safety Partnership, said: Today in Vietnam, there is little or no recognition of school zones and the need to create safer environments for children who use them, let alone a standard school zone definition. VNS Traffic accidents kill 1,125 people in two months A total of 2,368 traffic accidents occurred nationwide from December 15 to February 14, killing 1,125 people and injuring 1,781 others, according to the National Committee for Traffic Safety. Following the launch of the Trang An Heli Tour, tourists now have the chance of enjoying a view of the Trang An landscape complex in the northern province of Ninh Binh from high above. Tourists can now take a tour above the area on a Helicopter Bell 505, a modern helicopter that has been imported from the United States. A typical tour usually lasts for 10 minutes with a maximum of four passengers going up in the air per ride. Visitors undergo enjoyable experience at different altitudes, usually hovering between 150 and 200 metres above the terrain. The Trang An scenic complex boasts views of a majestic natural landscape, all of which can be enjoyed from high above. A number of famous sites can be viewed through the tour, including Tam Coc-Bich Dong tourism site, Bai Dinh pagoda spiritual complex, and the former capital complex of Hoa Lu. Pham Van Dung, director of the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company, says it is anticipated that the helicopter tour will provide a unique perspective by giving domestic and foreign tourists a panoramic aerial view of the surrounding area. The tour is set to be part of the tourism stimulation programme put into place by the Ninh Binh administration in an attempt to resume tourism services following the novel coronavirus epidemic. The event aims to launch the 2021 National Tourism Year hosted by Ninh Binh province. Tienphong/VOV Nguyen Thu Loan from Germany loves getting the chance to enjoy Hanois special treat kem xoi (sticky rice ice cream) when she returns to Vietnam. Loan has been suffering the powerful summer heat in Hanoi, but it's worth it to enjoy the traditional kem xoi made by her mother Trinh Thi Thao, 75. A bowl of tasty and fresh kem xoi dua in Hanoi's Phan Chu Trinh Street is one of famous destinations of Hanoian generations. Photo toplist.vn The kem xoi helps to cool down the heat from the bodys inside so much, Loan said. Loan, who has lived in Germany for almost 30 years, said her mothers kem xoi is as tasty as those sold on the streets of Hanoi that she fell in love with as a youngster. Kem xoi Kim Ma is also well known for nearly half a century in the capital. Photo toplist.vn The ingredients to make kem xoi include sticky rice, fresh ice cream, fresh milk, yoghurt, coconut juice, white sugar, and la nep (pandan leaves). The leaves have a fragrance similar to new glutinous rice with green colour. Thao said she has to order nep cai hoa vang (a special glutinous rice grown in mountainous areas) and pandan leaves from her friend in the northwestern province of Son La because this rice is softer and stickier. La nep or la dua (pandan leave) is one of main ingredients to make the kem xoi more tasty and enjoyable. Photo bachthaoduoc.vn The rice has to be soaked between 8-10 hours while the pandan leaves are ground with water and strained to ensure there is no fiber left. These two ingredients should be mixed well together before steaming. After the sticky rice (xoi) is steamed, it should be mixed with coconut juice as the xoi is greasy, Thao said, noting that the next step is to mix yoghurt, fresh milk and ice cream and whisk well them until the mix becomes smooth and freeze it for two hours then whisk it again twice more to ensure that the mix does not have any pieces of ice left. The next step is to draw the steamed xoi into a bowl and let it cool and cover on it with the mixed cream and finally top it with fresh coconut threads or roasted peanuts, Thao said. Nationwide favourite Vuong Dac Duc, in the countryside of So Hamlet in Hanois Quoc Oai District, opened his Kem Xoi Dua Duc So branch after facing many failures. He was wandering around Hanois Old Quarter when he saw young people drinking soft drinks such as Coca-Cola imported from abroad. These colourful carbonated beverages are attractive but unhealthy. Kem xoi dua made by rural man Vuong Dac Duc in Hanoi's So Hamlet receives prestige among eaters in not only his Quoc Oai District but also surrounding areas. Photo vanhien.vn An idea for creating healthy dessert using traditional organic cereals such as organic glutinous rice, and fresh fruits such as coconuts to supply increasing demand appeared in my mind. I decided to carefully research the market and joined several courses to make my own dessert from my own recipe, Duc said, adding that he registered to approve his food's quality, safety and hygiene at the Ministry of Science and Technologys Quality Assurance and Testing Centre 1. As a result, his kem xoi dua (coconut sticky rice ice cream) has won favour not only in Quoc Oai but also its surrounding areas. Writer Nguyen Van Toai in Hanois Hai Ba Trung District said he recently went to So Hamlet to try famous mien So (So noodles), see ancient So communal house and enjoy Ducs dish. Its really great to have a bowl of fresh coconut sticky rice ice cream handmade by a young rural man, particularly during such severe hot weather. I saw Ducs dish has its own flavours such as light sweet fragrant soft sticky rice covered with three cream pieces compared with two cream pieces in other shops and topped with coconut threads or roasted peanuts, Toai said, adding that he felt quite healthy after enjoying the dish. Duc told Viet Nam News that he had popularised his kem xoi dua online to meet increasing demand. Ive received hundreds of orders every hot day, Duc said excitedly. VNS Ha Nguyen & Hoang Ho To sample kem xoi Ha Noi check out the following olaces: + Kem xoi dua uc So at Km 20 Road 419, Cong Hoa Village, Quoc Oai District Hotline 0979228686 + Kem xoi 8 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem District + Kem xoi Kim Ma, at 117 A5 TT Giang Vo, Ba inh District + Kem xoi 47 Tran Quoc Hoan Street, Cau Giay District + Kem xoi 90 To Hien Thanh Street, Hai Ba Trung District + Kem xoi 57 Nguyen Chi Thanh Street, ong a District. Competition rising in VN ice cream market Ice cream is also a market where local and foreign brands are battling it out for market share. After the officers arrived at about 3:25 a.m., the homeowner led them to the basement, where police say the two were speaking with the individual in distress, attempting to de-escalate the situation, when he pulled out a handgun and pointed it at them. Investors with US$1,000 can invest in the realty platform RealStake. Photo courtesy of the firm HA NOI The tech start-up RealStake announced it has closed seed funding from the 500 Startups Vietnam venture capital fund, as well as angel investors in realty, retail and banking industries. Aiming to digitise and democratise consumer investment in Southeast Asia, RealStake first launched in Viet Nam last year as a realty investment platform where investors with US$1,000 can invest. The platforms rate of selling a property has increased 200 per cent in less than a year since its launch. RealStake plans to eventually offer a wide range of sophisticated investment products, such as ETFs, bonds, term deposits, as well as tech-driven, personalised expert financial planning and portfolio optimisation to diversify and maximise returns for each customers hard-earned money. RealStakes unique value is the use of technology to enable easy, cheap and smart investing as well as access to previously inaccessible financial products for more diversification and better returns. According to the e-Conomy SEA 2019 report by Google, Bain, and Temasek, digital investment will be the fastest-growing in Southeast Asias digital financial service segment, which will increase from $10 billion in 2019 to $75 billion by 2025. RealStakes founders are experienced entrepreneurs and investors. Its co-founder & CEO, James Vuong, whose prior company was acquired by LINE Corp while the other co-founder & CFO Calvin Lam has been an entrepreneur and investor in start-ups and local businesses in the US, Singapore, and Viet Nam. Eddie Thai, General Partner of 500 Startups Vietnam, said: Financial literacy and digital financial engagement are accelerating rapidly in Viet Nam and the region. The booming middle classes will seek increasingly diverse and sophisticated ways to protect and accumulate wealth. The team of operators and investors behind RealStake have a real shot at unlocking this massive potential. VNS That's because Japan's practice of holding onto workers through economic tumult could actually backfire, they say, since doing so could make companies and their employees less nimble. One-fifth of the working population has been employed with the same company for more than 20 years in Japan, or double the comparable figure in the United States, according to government data. "The biggest issue in Japan's labor market is the stubborn insistence on pay by seniority. If genuine merit-based pay were introduced, there would be much more job switching and career climbing," said Jesper Koll, a senior adviser to the fund management company WisdomTree. Legal hurdles also make it more challenging for companies in Japan to cut jobs compared to their western counterparts. The Labor Contract Act, for example, states that a dismissal would be invalid if it is "not considered to be appropriate in general societal terms." In practice, human resource managers say workers are rarely fired, with companies preferring to negotiate a voluntary retirement package that often includes generous severance pay. Kent Thiesse Farm Management Analyst and Vice President, MinnStar Bank For generations, the standard measure for corn growth was knee-high by July 4th, which meant that the corn plant should be able to produce a crop for that year. Of course, most farmers a couple of generations ago had much lower yield goals for their corn than the farmers of today. Today, waist-high or higher corn by July 4th is a more typical and has resulted in some very good corn yields in most areas of the Upper Midwest in recent years, except for 2019. It is difficult to get exceptional corn yields in the region, if corn is only knee-high or smaller on July 4th. In much of Minnesota and Iowa, the 2020 growing season started out earlier than normal, with most corn planted in the last half of April and first week of May. In recent weeks, excessive rainfall and severe storms with wind and hail has resulted in crop damage and poor growing conditions in some locations. Most corn in Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa that was planted by early-May will not only exceed knee-high by July 4th but will likely exceed waist-high. Some of the corn planted in April in areas with favorable growing conditions will likely approach or exceed shoulder-high by July 4th, which has not occurred in most parts of the region since 2015. Corn and soybean development in most areas of Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa continues to be slightly ahead of normal, as of late June, due to earlier than normal planting dates and above average temperatures in June. The accumulation of growing degree units (GDUs) is one measurement of crop development. The total GDU accumulation at the U of M Southern Minnesota Research Center from May 1 through June 24, 2015 totaled nearly 800 GDUs, which is about 7 percent ahead of normal and compares to a GDU accumulation of only 633 on the same date in 2019. In most areas of Southern Minnesota, the 2020 GDU accumulation in late June is probably the highest since the drought year of 2012. The old saying rain makes grain may hold true in many instances, but excessive rainfall amounts in late June could result in crop loss in portions of South Central and Southeast Minnesota, along with adjoining areas of Western Wisconsin. Some local areas within this region received 5-8 inches of rain or more on June 28 and 29. This has caused considerable standing water in fields, which could result in some crop damage. Some farm operators with farmland in the flood plain that avoided the initial crop loss this Spring could now experience flooding and crop loss due to the rising rivers and streams. Interestingly, most portions of Southwest Minnesota and the very dry areas of West Central Minnesota received very little rainfall during the two days. June rainfalls have been quite variable across the region, with most areas of Upper Midwest receiving adequate to excessive amounts of rainfall during June; however, there were some very dry areas beginning to develop in portions of Central, West Central and Northwest Minnesota by late June. Total rainfall at the Waseca Research Center as of June 24 was 3.27 inches; however, Waseca received another 1.54 inches overnight by 8 AM on June 29, with rain continuing. This will put the total rainfall for June very close to the normal June rainfall of 4.69 inches. The total precipitation for 2020 at Waseca is now just below 17 inches, which is just slightly above normal for the first six months of the year. Some areas of South Central and Southeastern Minnesota have received much higher amounts of precipitation in the month of June, while many portions of Western Minnesota have received lower rainfall amounts during the month. Stored soil moisture levels, which were near capacity prior to planting this Spring, have likely stayed near maximum levels in most areas of Southern Minnesota by late June. As a result, any major rainfall events can quickly result in large amount of standing water in crop fields. The wet field conditions and recent frequent rainfall events in some areas has resulted in problems for timely applications of post-emergence herbicides for weed control. The excessive rainfall can also result in some leaching of available nitrogen in the soil profile; however, drier weather conditions in early June allowed corn roots to move deeper into the soil profile. There are also some areas with yellow, chlorotic-looking soybeans due to the excessively wet soil conditions, which should improve with some warmer and drier conditions. On the other hand, many areas of the region have experienced nearly ideal growing weather in the month of June and have crop conditions that are good to excellent. Based on the June 22 weekly USDA Crop Progress Report, 85 percent of the corn crop and 81 percent of the soybean crop in Minnesota was rated good-to-excellent. Only 2 percent of the corn and soybeans were rated in poor condition. This is the best late June crop ratings in Minnesota in several years. Iowa also had excellent crop ratings on June 22, with good-to-excellent ratings on 85 percent of the corn and 84 percent of the soybeans. Other States with good-to-excellent ratings of 80 percent or more for corn included Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The corn ratings in the Eastern Corn Belt were not as robust, with Illinois., Indiana and Ohio all below 60 percent on corn ratings that were good-to-excellent. North Dakota had 72 percent of the corn crop in the higher rating. Nationally, 72 percent of the U.S. corn crop was rated good-to-excellent on June 22, which compares to only 56 percent on approximately the same date in 2019. Only 5 percent of the U.S. corn crop was rated poor-to-very poor, compared to 12 percent a year ago. In the June 22 USDA report, 70 percent of the U.S. soybean crop was rated good-to-excellent, which compares to 54 percent in 2019. Similar to corn, only 5 percent of the 2020 soybean crop is rated poor-to-very poor, compared to 10 percent a year ago. In 2019, a large portion of the poor-to-very poor corn and soybeans were located in Southwest Minnesota and Eastern North and South Dakota, due to late planting and excessive rainfall. Nick Lowrey South Dakota News Watch Optimism for the future of South Dakotas small towns and resilience in overcoming obstacles to stability and growth were the main takeaways from a recent virtual town hall meeting as part of an ongoing South Dakota News Watch series examining the past, present and future of small towns and how they have been affected by COVID-19. One goal of the Small Towns, Big Challenges project was to spark in-depth conversations about how to keep small towns stable and vibrant. In an effort to kickstart those conversations, South Dakota News Watch assembled a group of four panelists, each with a unique perspective on small-town vitality, to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing small towns via video conference. The meetings four panelists included: Travis Anderberg, owner of the Rexall Drug store in Miller. Tawney Brunsch, executive director of Lakota Funds, a community development financial institution on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Ben Winchester, a rural sociologist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service who studies small towns. Thomas Worsley, president of Spearfish Hospital and Hills Markets for Monument Health. The wide ranging discussion covered topics such as the challenges facing farmers and ranchers, the lack of housing in rural small towns, ideas for job-creation and economic revitalization, challenges in providing access to health care and services such as high-speed internet. All four panelists acknowledged that small towns face significant hurdles, but all expressed optimism that solutions to problems can be found and that once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, rural communities will be able to grow and thrive. I am very, very positive, Worsley said. Small communities come together, they get things done, they have a can-do attitude, they have a resolve, they dont rely upon external forces to come in and solve problems for them. They tend to come together and see whats possible rather than what the limitations are, so I share the optimism of the group. Winchester challenged the notion that small towns were at risk prior to the pandemic. Data from the U.S. Census and other sources show that many of South Dakotas small towns have struggled for generations with slowly declining populations, a lack of economic opportunity and, more recently, sharp drops in the prices of grain and cattle. Health statistics also show that rural residents have higher rates of death from illnesses like cancer, heart disease and accidents than their urban counterparts. Despite those issues, Winchester said, small towns are stronger than they appear at first glance. The population, actually, for rural communities across the U.S. has gone up by 11% since 1970, Winchester said. Weve diversified our economy well beyond where we were 50 years ago, which is really a good thing when we weather economic hits. Were not so prone to having an entire Main Street decimated because the single industry takes a hit. Were much more diversified here today. Even before the pandemic, there had been a nationwide trend of people moving from cities to small, rural communities among Americans aged 30 to 49, Winchester said. In fact, one of the challenges for small-town economic development is providing adequate housing to those who want to relocate. If small towns are dying, then why cant I find a home to buy? Winchester asked. Housing Lack of housing is one of the biggest problems for small-town economic development. Existing housing is either worn or expensive, and developers find it difficult to build new homes in rural communities, a fact that Anderbergs home town of Miller has experienced. About seven years ago, the city of Miller commissioned a housing study and learned that the city needed to shore up its housing stock, Anderberg said. We went around and identified about 30 dilapidated properties and took the procedures to clear those out to provide room for building other (homes) or putting Governors Houses on those lots, Anderberg said. We had people redo apartments and sometimes fix up those dilapidated properties and make them rent-able. The Governors Home Program is run by the South Dakota Housing Development authority and uses prisoners to build low-cost modular houses to provide affordable, single-family housing units in communities for families in need. Housing is a big issue on the Pine Ridge reservation too, Brunsch said. Reservation communities have been short of adequate housing for decades, but the money needed to address the issue has been hard to come by. Federal funds dont go far enough and private investment has been spotty, if not nonexistent, Brunsch said. Were going to need some help to be able to fully address all of these needs at the level that we need to, Brunsch said. The pandemic has made the lack of housing in reservation communities an even bigger problem. In some cases there are more than 10 people living in a single 1,200 square-foot home, Brunsch said. Such tight quarters can lead to fast transmission of COVID-19. How do you isolate when youre sleeping with two other kids? Brunsch said. Its just impossible. And so its more about a safety issue now as well, and it needs to be dealt with immediately. The attention the pandemic has focused on the housing crisis may wind up helping solve the problem. COVID-19 may end up serving as a rallying point for reservation communities. Already, the crisis has caused philanthropic foundations to redirect financial support to efforts aimed at combating the virus and fixing other long-term challenges, such as food insecurity, that also have been given new attention due to the pandemic. Im happy to say that its creating partnerships where were able to leverage other resources, Brunsch said. Brunsch said the despite historical challenges to growth on South Dakota reservations, that strong hope remains for a bright future. I have every confidence that our small communities are only going to continue to get stronger. I think this pandemic has helped make us appreciate smaller communities more, Brunsch said. Were stronger. Were more committed. I think were more unified and hopefully were going to be more focused on addressing the needs of our community, to not only strengthen the economy, but to also provide better housing and a better lifestyle for its residents. Health care Access to health care is another major issue getting some renewed focus in reservation communities, but also in small towns across South Dakota. Rural health care providers are suffering from many of the same issues affecting the towns they serve. The shrinking and aging populations mean there are fewer patients to treat. Meanwhile, a lack of certain amenities has made recruiting doctors and nurses harder for rural hospitals, Worsley said. But new technologies that could help improve access to care for rural residents have been getting renewed attention and support during the pandemic. Telemedicine, or virtual doctor visits delivered via video conference through the internet, have been given new, more broad coverage by Medicare, for example. Usually, when Medicare covers something, private insurers arent far behind. Telemedicine has been in development for years and many health systems already had the ability to provide virtual doctor visits, Worsley said. The problem, though, is that not all rural communities have the high-speed internet access needed for strong connectivity. There were folks that being able to have a virtual visit was not something that was available to them because of that reason, Worsley said. Internet High-speed internet has the potential to help solve a number of the challenges facing small towns. During the pandemic, the necessity of fast internet access has only increased as students began taking classes online and more businesses have come to rely on remote workers and online marketplaces to sell goods, Worsley said. As you start thinking about, as others have alluded to, access to education and encouraging businesses to be located in these small towns, you start thinking about high-speed internet, more like a utility like water, like all of the other utilities that we enjoy and take for granted, Worsley said. Because for education, health care, viability of business, it cant be overstated how important (internet) is. Some communities already have started treating internet access with more urgency, Winchester said. In Minnesota, co-ops have been created to deliver the latest in high-speed internet technology to rural residents. In Pine Ridge, the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council is seeking to use the airwaves to wirelessly broadcast high-speed internet access to its people, Brunsch said. The availability of solutions to problems and the potential for rural communities to meet the challenges that existed before and that have popped up during the pandemic was a consistent theme during the News Watch town hall. All four panelists said they were confident that small towns would survive the pandemic and that there was potential to come out of it stronger than when they went in. People are working together, becoming closer, realizing the importance of community and family and getting back to whats important in our lives, Anderberg said. And I really think that seeing the support not only for my business, but just as a neighbor, I just think everybody is gonna come out of it stronger. And so thats my hope. Thats the way I feel. The full town hall meeting can be viewed on South Dakota News Watchs Facebook page at facebook.com/SDNewsWatch.org. This story is part of a series of articles by South Dakota News Watch called, Small Towns, Big Challenges that is examining small towns from a historical perspective and looking forward through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Small Towns, Big Challenges series will conclude as News Watch publishes a series of profiles of small towns and small-town residents at SDNewsWatch.org. Special devices have been installed on all the movie theaters doors so they can be opened without using hands, the theaters are routinely cleaned and disinfected after shows, and sanitizing stations are available, Wienholt said. Beyond that, showtimes can be staggered so throngs of people do not converge in theater lobbies, and all seating is arranged. When a seat is reserved using an online system, Wienholt said, adjacent seats can be blocked off to comply with social distancing guidelines. Alan Guebert Farm and Food File If the ill-tempered and deadly first half of 2020 had been a first-calf heifer on the dairy farm of my youth, my father would have ticketed it for the freezer a month ago. His yardstick of heifer potential was short: If she lived up to her breeding, she was a keeper; if she put more on her back than in the bucket, she was a goner. We cant get rid of 2020 by backing up the truck to the loading chute. Its here, were here, and were in this awful mess together. We can, however, be honest about what todays numbers mean for its second half. We can then use those guesses to make changes that will help everyone survive 2020 for a hopeful, better 2021. Lets start with the hard facts: The coronaviruss deadly comeback has undermined every public and private effort to restart the broader U.S. economy and the more focused U.S. ag economy. Worse, were far from a possible peak to even estimate when either can restart. In fact, according to numbers cited June 29 by Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the Food and Drug Administrations former commissioner, the current waves total predicted infections will reach 3.8 million (under) the best case scenario by mid-August. Thats 1.3 million more cases than now. And thats only if everything goes right people stay home, mask-wearing becomes universal, and testing is ramped up to track and contain outbreaks. If we dont and we arent new cases soon could rise by 100,000 per day, not todays 40,000, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, told the U.S. Senate on June 30. There was other big-number news June 30. The U.S. Department of Agricultures (USDA) June Acreage Report estimated 2020 U.S. corn acreage at 92 million, or five million acres less than its spring forecast. December corn futures spiked 25 cents higher on the news, leaving prices at $3.75 per bushel, their highest point since March 9. USDA also estimated a smaller-than-expected soybean acreage for 2020. The news pushed new crop soybean futures up to near $8.90 per bushel, their highest price since early March. Neither piece of news was anything to shout too loudly about, though. New crop corn futures, even after the rise, remain a solid 25 cents per bushel lower than when 2020 began and new crop soy futures are nearly 80 cents per bushel lower than their Jan. 1 price. As such, one market sage suggested on Twitter shortly after the USDA report, Dont confuse a bullish report with a bullish market. And dont forget, livestock prices are so far into the tank no one can see the tank. Cattle futures are $25 per hundredweight less now than in January and hog future are, well, fried bacon $40 per hundredweight below, or about half, what they were at the years start. Add up the outlook for these four, key ag commodities, then stir in the estimated, record $32.8 billion in direct government payments from Uncle Sam, and you still dont have a recipe for success even if the pandemic is contained now. What can be done? First, if Congress wants to send farmers and ranchers more aid, fine, but tie a large share of the aid to 2021 acreage cuts so smaller crops boost market prices to do some of the heavy lifting, not just American taxpayers. Take the same approach with food aid. Pour new billions into SNAP, school lunch programs, home-delivered meals, overseas food aid and the like so todays rising waves of needy people can buy food from local outlets that will generate jobs, tax revenue, and hope at the grassroots level. Do the same for long under-funded, on-farm soil and water conservation efforts; require acreage cuts for conservation dollars. Every dime invested in rural clean water programs now will save dollars a decade from now. Besides, taxpayers have a right to expect public good for their public investments. Currently, all theyre getting is more corn, more soybeans, more corporate hogs, and more heartache. And start now. Change is coming; we can harness it or be harnessed by it. The choice is ours and its getting late. Articles Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles. Images Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. The Headquarters Command Battalion, one of three units of its kind in the Army, provides administrative and logistical support to a diverse set of services for the Fort Meade community. These include emergency, legal, religious and protection services. Fort Meade is the Armys second-largest installation by employee population with more than 57,000 military, civilian and contract employees. WENN Celebrity The Duchess of Sussex's legal team believes that Kensington Palace allegedly 'mandated' that her close friends give 'no comment' when they were approached by the press. Jul 3, 2020 AceShowbiz - Meghan Markle opened up her feelings during the time she stayed with British royal family in new court documents from her ongoing lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday. It is said that Duchess of Sussex felt "silenced" and "unprotected" by the Royal Family amid the constant public backlash. "[Meghan Markle] had become the subject of a large number of false and damaging articles by the U.K. tabloid media, specifically by the [Mail on Sunday], which caused tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health," the documents, which were obtained by E! News, read. "As her friends had never seen her in this state before, they were rightly concerned for her welfare, specifically as she was pregnant, unprotected by the Institution and prohibited from defending herself," the documents continued. Additionally, it was said that it was Prince Harry who told the former "Suits" star that her friends defended her against the claims made by the Mail on Sunday, which revealed her personal letter to her father Thomas Markle following his fake paparazzi scandal. Meghan's legal team believed that Meghan's anonymous friends did so because Kensington Palace allegedly "mandated" that the Duchess' close friends give "no comment" when they were approached by the press. "Had the Claimant been asked or been given the opportunity to participate, she would have asked the KP Communications Team to say on the record that she had not been involved with the People magazine article, as she had not been," her representatives asserted. Harry and Meghan are suing The Mail on Sunday and its parent company, Associated Newspapers, after the "unlawful" publication of a private letter the Duchess had written to her father, Thomas Markle. Meanwhile, Harry has filed papers against the owners of The Sun, the defunct News of the World, and the Daily Mirror, in relation to allegations of phone-hacking. Instagram Celebrity The Monty Python star agrees with many people who take issue with the image of a white Angel stepping on the throat of a black Satan depicted in the knighthood medal. Jul 3, 2020 AceShowbiz - Michael Palin has backed calls for a badge he received with his knighthood last year (19) to be redesigned due to its racist connotations. The Monty Python star-turned travel broadcaster and writer was awarded the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George - which often comes with a badge featuring a white Archangel Michael standing on the throat of a black Satan in chains. The scene depicted on the medal has prompted another recipient, Patrick Allen, the Governor General of Jamaica to say he will no longer wear it due to its "degradation of people of colour" - after he received complaints about its similarity to the harrowing images of George Floyd's death at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May. Speaking to Britain's Daily Telegraph, Palin said that although his own medal has a slightly different image, he backs Allen's calls for a change. "Though the image on my award is of a white Satan being vanquished, I think that depicted is inappropriate and offensive and I would back the governor-general of Jamaica's call for it to be redesigned," he stated. The design of the enamel badge has varied over the years, with some showing Satan as light skinned but a majority showing a figure with a darker skin tone. The award, which is only given to 65 people at one time, honours service to the British Commonwealth or foreign nations. Instagram TV The 'Skyscraper' hitmaker is reportedly going to talk about the overdose, that almost took her life back in 2018, for the very first time in the upcoming YouTube series. Jul 3, 2020 AceShowbiz - Demi Lovato will reportedly open up on her 2018 overdose in her forthcoming YouTube series. The "Confident" hitmaker spent two weeks recovering in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, followed by a stay in a rehab facility, after relapsing following six years of sobriety in July 2018. After managing to get clean and return to her career, the star has now reportedly agreed to detail her experience in the new online series in an effort to quash speculation surrounding the incident. A source told Britain's The Sun newspaper, "Demi's experience in 2018 was horrific and will continue to affect her for years to come, so she hasn't felt able to speak about it properly yet." "But she has written much of her upcoming album about the situation and wants to address exactly what happened to her in the hope she can prevent anyone else suffering a similar experience." Adding the star has been "nervous about speaking about what happened because she doesn't want anything to be misconstrued," the insider claimed Demi, "Decided her own series would be the best way as she will have the power to control exactly what is spoken about." "Much of it has already been done and the plan is for it to be released this summer," they revealed. The deal has apparently been overseen by manager Scooter Braun, who was behind Justin Bieber's YouTube series, Seasons, earlier this year (20), which supported his chart-topping album "Changes". WENN has reached out to Demi's representatives for comment. WENN Celebrity The 'Casper' actress has filed papers to end her seven years of marriage roughly a week after cops were called to her home following altercation with estranged husband. Jul 3, 2020 AceShowbiz - Actress Christina Ricci has called time on her marriage after obtaining an emergency protective order against her husband, James Heerdegen. The "Casper" star hit headlines on Wednesday (01Jul20) after it was revealed police were called to her California home on 25 June (20) to respond to a domestic battery call. Heerdegen is alleged to have spit on Ricci during the altercation, and although he wasn't arrested, she lodged a formal report and subsequently obtained a restraining order against the film producer. Now the actress has officially called it quits, filing divorce papers in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday morning. According to TMZ, Ricci cited irreconcilable differences for the split, and is seeking sole legal and physical custody of their son, five-year-old Freddie. The estranged couple met on the set of TV series "Pan Am" in 2011 and began dating the following year. Ricci and Heerdegen became engaged in May 2013 and wed five months later. They are not thought to have signed a prenuptial agreement. YouTube Celebrity The British socialite who's also the daughter of late media baron Robert Maxwell is charged for allegedly helping her former boyfriend sexually exploit multiple underage girls. Jul 3, 2020 AceShowbiz - British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell will spend America's Independence Day weekend in custody following her arrest on Thursday (02Jul20). The former girlfriend of late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein is charged with grooming three underage victims for sex with her convicted paedophile ex. Maxwell was taken into custody in New Hampshire by FBI agents on Thursday morning and has since appeared via video in U.S. federal court, where Judge Andrea Johnstone apprised Maxwell of the charges against her. The 58 year old waived her right to a detention hearing and she was ordered to be held without bail. "Miss Maxwell, you are remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal," the judge said. Prosecutors had argued the socialite should remain locked up without bail, insisting she is an extreme flight risk because she has three passports and millions in the bank. If convicted, she faces 35 years behind bars. Her former lover, Epstein, hanged himself in jail last year (19) after his arrest on child sex-trafficking charges. Ghislaine is the daughter of deceased British media baron Robert Maxwell. That the States Attorney enforce penalties against persons knowingly making false statements to 911 operators and/or police officers; and review the elements of this case for criminal charges: That county police working in conjunction with local organizations to include C.A.S.T., immediately develop a policy giving impacted persons at least 30 days to review and object to reports, and that erroneous reports be corrected; and That inaccurate reports stemming from this incident be immediately corrected or be externally reviewed for accuracy. https://www.beyonce.com/Instagram Celebrity The Roc Nation boss and the JoBros have penned open letters to Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm to call for the prosecution of Wauwatosa officer Joseph Mensah. Jul 3, 2020 AceShowbiz - Jay-Z and officials at his Roc Nation firm are calling on a top Wisconsin prosecutor to fire and charge a police officer accused of fatally shooting three people of colour in just five years. The rap mogul and his team of social justice advocates took out a full-page advertisement in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Thursday (02Jul20), directly addressing Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and urging him to take action against Wauwatosa officer Joseph Mensah, reports TMZ. The cop is accused of using excessive force in multiple incidents since joining the Wauwatosa Police Department in 2015, with three ending in the deaths of Alvin Cole, Antonio Gonzales, and Jay Anderson. The open letter begins, "District Attorney Chisholm, Let us start off with a simple question - how many more people must die at the hands of Officer Joseph Mensah?" They claim Mensah fired a total of 19 shots during the clashes, stating, "His actions demonstrate an utter disregard for the lives of these young men..." "Outside of the three tragedies associated with Mensah, no other fatal shootings by police have taken place in Wauwatosa since Mensah joined the force in 2015. Doesn't that tell you something?" The Roc Nation representatives, together with officials from social justice organisations Until Freedom and The Gathering for Justice, go on to demand Chisholm "immediately" fire Mensah and hold him "accountable for his actions and protect Wauwatosa citizens from further tragedy." Roc Nation clients the Jonas Brothers have added their voice to the call for action, posting the open letter on their Twitter page to pile on the pressure. Echoing details in the note, their caption read, "@DAJohnChisholm How many more people must die at the hands of Officer Joseph Mensah? Mensah has recklessly shot and killed THREE men of color, inexplicably failed to enable his dash camera, and failed to render medical aid during these tragic instances. Prosecute him." The news emerges amid ongoing Black Lives Matter protests and renewed calls for social and racial justice, sparked by the murder of George Floyd, who was killed at the hands of a white cop in Minnesota in May (20). WENN Celebrity The 'Power' alum writes a lengthy comment to respond to a hater who is bothered by the fact that he asks other black people whether they value each other. Jul 3, 2020 AceShowbiz - Omari Hardwick just wanted to congratulate Erika James for becoming the first black female dean of the Wharton School of Business at The University of Pennsylvania, only to find himself being criticized over his marriage. Not one to remain silent, the actor quickly hit back at the user with a lengthy post telling her to mind her own business. Underneath his congratulatory post, the said user expressed how bothered she was by the fact that Omari asked his fellow black people whether they value each other. She commented, "You asking do we value us?? Meanwhile you choose a white woman. Smh. I can never take u type of guys serious." Omari was clearly not having it. In his response, the "Power" alum made it clear that he would never answer her question because in his opinion, the user just proved his point was right. "You know nooothing about Jae nor my kids. I would NEVER disrespect your significant other or your kids. So watch your mouth in disrespecting mine," so he said. "I value us & me so much I can be with whomever the F**K I was called to be with. THAT is NOT a race thing. It's a SOUL thing." He continued, "Every sister I ever been with was uniquely powerful & valued themselves as well as our race. It's interesting you say what you saywhile they still value me & even my life mate to the point of friendship with her. If them ex's read thisthey would say exactly what i am & what @vcusherlover said. Meanwhile I know not to ever send anyone I care about to you for your craft used in being a nurse." Concluding his post, Omari wanted his critic to know that he didn't trust "s**t you say. So we're even. Yet sooo not. Please unfollow me. God bless you & your family's days ahead." Omari tied the knot with his wife, Jae, in 2012. They share two children together. Instagram Celebrity The reality TV star received a huge backlash after she posted on TikTok a video of her giving her newborn baby, Nola, a splash attack as a part of TikTok challenge. Jul 3, 2020 AceShowbiz - It's always fun to attempt a TikTok challenge, but "Black Ink Crew Chicago" star Charmaine clearly needs to reconsider with whom she will be attempting the challenge, as well as its consequences. The reality TV star recently received a huge backlash for giving her newborn baby, Nola, a splash attack for a TikTok video. Her dad was among those who weren't having it, to the point where he decided not to talk to her. It all happened last month, when she posted on the popular site a video of her splashing Nola with water from a water bottle. The backlash was immediate, but Charmaine thought that it was nonsense considering that her baby wasn't harmed. She even took the time to respond to the critics by saying, "Some of you guys got your panties in a real bunch! MY baby is fine! She didn't cry. I didn't harm her. It's water!!! This post isn't for everyone but some people who aren't so stuck up might find the humor! My parents did dumb funny s**t to me all the time. I'm having fun with my family." Unfortunately, her response backfired and she received even more backlash than before. It was so bad that she eventually took down her video and issued an apology. Some people have moved on since that, but her dad hasn't. In an interview with Bossip through Instagram Live, Charmaine confessed she's currently not on speaking terms with her dad. "Yeah, it's just drama. Since it happened, it's just all the internet stuff and then my dad and stuff finding out about it. And we haven't talked since. Dad is pissed. So I'm trying to figure out like how do I call my dad and what do I say?" she explained. "I don't know if he blocked me. I tried to text him the next day. It came up green, so" Instagram Celebrity The 'Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood' star sparks the rumors after she appears to be sporting a baby bump during the opening of her beauty bar, Lux House, in Deer Park, New York. Jul 3, 2020 AceShowbiz - Is Alexis Skyy having a bun in the oven? The reality TV star has sparked the speculation after she appeared to be sporting a baby bump during the opening of her beauty bar, Lux House, in Deer Park, New York just recently. In some videos from the grand opening that surfaced online, Alexis opted to go for a white, form-fitting dress that she combined with a matching pair of high heels and a gray beanie. Joined by a white man, who was rumored to be her baby daddy and the co-owner of the beauty bar, Alexis thanked those who could find the time to come to the opening of her shop. The end of the video showed her sweetly hugging the man. People were convinced that Alexis is pregnant after seeing the video. "I thought this was a pregnancy announcement," one said. "She pregnant," someone simply commented, while another person wrote, "Hoping she has a healthy pregnancy and baby this time. God bless her." There was also someone who said that Alexis "looks pre," with one other criticizing her, "Naw she had that baby around 1,000 people with no masks on." Alexis hasn't responded to the pregnancy rumors. Should the rumors be true, the unborn baby will be Alexis' second child. She has a daughter named Alaiya Grace Maxwell. The "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood" star said that the father of her daughter is Fetty Wap, but the rapper denied the claim. However, he attended the birth of the little girl and often takes care of her. Alaiya, who was born three months prematurely and weighing just a pound, suffers from hydrocephalus, a medical condition that causes bleeding and fluid in the brain. Last year, she had a surgery to repair a malfunctioning implant that helps drain blood and fluids. WENN Celebrity Weeks after mourning the loss of Woody, the 'Ray Donovan' actor thanks the non-profit Tobie's Small Dog Rescue in Los Angeles for facilitating the adoption of Scout. Jul 3, 2020 AceShowbiz - Liev Schreiber has added a new pooch to his family after his beloved dog Woody was hit by a car and died. The "Ray Donovan" star took to Instagram on Wednesday, July 1 to share an image of his rescue pet and thank the non-profit Tobie's Small Dog Rescue in Los Angeles for facilitating the adoption. "New guy. His name is Scout," Schreiber captioned the shot. "Thank you to Tee and all the good people @tobiessmalldogrescue." The actor also posted a video of his new pet playing with his other dog Willow. Last month, the 52-year-old, detailed his grief on the photo sharing site following Woody's passing. "Been off the grid for a bit and just now beginning to find my way back. On top of everything else happening in the world right now, about three weeks ago Woody was hit by a car and unfortunately he didn't make it," he wrote on Instagram. "It was all over fairly quickly and I don't think he suffered too much. I wish I could say the same for us." He added, "He was an amazing friend, teacher, and companion. He helped me rebuild my life in a way that wouldn't have been possible without him. Those of you who have a friend like Woody will know what I mean. Hold them close." Schreiber is currently raising sons Sasha, 11, and Kai, 12, with ex Naomi Watts. Instagram Celebrity Detailing how the illness has taken its toll on her father's emotions, the wife of Ice-T wishes she could be in the same room with her father and lets 'him know that his family loves him.' Jul 3, 2020 AceShowbiz - Coco Austin is doing her best to provide her father with mental support after he was diagnosed with coronavirus. After her husband Ice-T revealed that his father-in-law Steve Austin tested positive for the illness, the former reality TV star has opened up on the devastation that her father's COVID-19 battle has put him and her family through. "I just want him to pull through," she emotionally told Page Six in an interview on Wednesday night, July 1. "I've been sending as much love as I can but there's only so much I can do from a distance. I want to be in the room with him right now and hold his hands, and just let him know that his family loves him, to push through, and this is too early for him to go." Admitting that her father's mental condition is as bad as his physical condition is, Coco shared, "He's at the point where he can't even talk. He can't even say a word. For him to say 'no' or 'yes' is so hard that I have to use texting now, and today he doesn't even want to text anymore." She added, "He's just getting so frustrated that he's in this position that he doesn't want to get on the phone." Steve, 63, is currently hospitalized at Abrazo ArrowHead Hospital in Glendale, Arizona. Doctors have informed Coco's family that her dad may have to go on a ventilator because he has pneumonia in both lungs. As for the treatment, Steve is being given steroids to help him "feel good," according to Coco. While his father has no underlying medical conditions, Coco said her father's condition is "not looking good" and she wished she "had better results today." Coco last saw her father in Arizona on Father's Day when she and a few family members with whom she was quarantining got together to celebrate. She said she noticed the symptoms that day, recalling, "He was feeling lethargic. My dad is very much a chattybox. He's very much a conversationalist and he wasn't talking that day much, so there was something up that we knew." His symptoms soon worsened and he began to experience shortness of breath and feel like pins were "being stabbed throughout his body." Steve only sought medical attention nine days after Father's Day, which Coco thinks was a mistake. "Knowing what he's gone through, he let this disease or virus sit in him for nine days before doing anything," she said. "That's basically what they say is too late." While her family has been quarantining, Coco believes her father is not the best at wearing face mask. "I know my family, in this house, we are very good," so the 41-year-old glamour model claimed. "As a matter of fact, we've been having fun with the face masks. I'm coordinating it with our outfits and making it something to be happy about instead of being sad about." Unlike the rest of her family members, however, Coco said of her father, "I don't think my dad was a good face mask wearer. I think that's why he's in the position he is in right now." Still, she wasn't sure how her father contracted the novel virus, while noting that two of her aunts have also contracted the disease. "It's like, 'Oh my God, like, my family is falling apart,' " Coco shared her feeling after learning that some of her family members have tested positive for coronavirus. "We're here thinking we came to Arizona to get away from the craziness in New York and New Jersey, and I feel like we now swallowed it up in the spike that just happened here." By sharing her family's experience, Coco hopes to spread awareness so people will take the virus more seriously. She went on advising people, "Mask it up! How hard is it to mask it up?" Instagram Celebrity In a lengthy Instagram post, the South Korean star details the time when her father passed away, her groupmate told her to stop her crying because it was ruining the mood. Jul 3, 2020 AceShowbiz - Being a part of a group is not that easy, especially when you're not getting along well with one of your groupmates. This is how Kwon Mina, an ex-member of K-Pop girl group AOA, felt as she recently admitted to being bullied by her former groupmate to the point where she ended up hurting herself and even tried to commit suicide. Mina took to her social media account to detail what happened during the time when she was still a part of AOA. In her post, she claimed that she was crying in the waiting room because her father passed away. However, instead of comforting her, one of her group mates dragged her to the closet and told her to stop crying because it was ruining the mood. "Honestly, I'm okay even if you people never respect me as an idol or an actress. I know I'm terrible, I'm not good at anything. But I was really happy, and I tried really hard. I still love being in this area of work," she said. "I was never stressed about being an idol, and in truth, I never wanted to leave AOA; but because of one person who hated me, I gave up after enduring her bullying for 10 years and at the end of it all, I wanted to turn around and curse at her." In the end, she decided to leave the group. In her post, Mina also recalled the time when that groupmate's father passed away and she attended the funeral. "I felt so sad and strange. At least I know exactly how that feels. When I went to the funeral she came to my crying, telling me she was sorry. It was so unfulfilling, and my heart really broke down," she wrote. "Everything emptied itself after that. I felt okay, I let go of the blame but by then, I was already too broken. Im scared." Mina then admitted the pain was so deep that she still has to take medication whenever she remembers that moment. Mina didn't name names in her post, though many already suspected that she was referring to Shin Jimin since her father passed away months ago. Jimin herself seemingly responded to the allegation by writing on Instagram Stories, "Fiction," before deleting it. Her post apparently didn't go unnoticed by Mina because just shortly after that, she returned to her account to post a photo of her self-harm scars. The 26-year-old even name-dropped Jimin this time, confirming that it was indeed Jimin who had been bullying her for ten years. "It's too terrifying to be considered fiction," she opened her statement. "I got treatment 3 or 4 times, now it has vanished a bit. But the memories of you will never vanish from my head, and it's driving me crazy everyday, Jimin unnie. Sue you? I don't have the money for that. Compensation for psychological damages? I don't need that, I don't even have the thoughts for that." She continued, "The fact that you ruined my life is very unfair and painful to me. All I want is for you to stand in front of me, acknowledge all the wrong-doings you've done so far, and a sincere apology. That's all. As someone who has bullied me all this time, you're doing way too fine and on the other side, I'm having a hard time to open my eyes every day, but I have to do it to support my family. Please acknowledge what you've done and apologize. I want to relieve this huge knot I have in my mind. Okay?" Jimin has yet to respond back. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt ... Donald Trump? For President Trump, nothing could be more natural than to stand alongside such giants of American history. On Friday night, he will travel to Mount Rushmore for an early Independence Day party, reviving the environmentally worrisome tradition of July Fourth fireworks over their massive carved likenesses. Such frivolity might seem in poor taste amid a fast-worsening pandemic -- and unwise since social distancing won't be required at the event. But the holiday that celebrates independence from Britain is being used to bolster Trump's false narrative that the country is doing just fine. "We're headed back in a very strong fashion ... and I think we are going to be very good with the coronavirus," Trump told Fox Business on Wednesday, a day after his government's top infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, had warned that the US could soon see 100,000 new cases per day. The Mount Rushmore state, South Dakota, has not been as badly hit by the virus as much of the rest of the heartland. But it only takes one infected person in what is expected to be a big crowd to seed new outbreaks. The President loves a big show and bigger crowds. On Saturday, he'll host his second "Salute to America" festival in Washington, complete with another massive fireworks display. Last year, his demand for flypasts and military hardware modeled on France's Bastille Day parade doubled the cost of the event to $13 million. Washington's Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked citizens to stay home and watch the show on TV -- but the temptation will be great for many. The city's subway system is already bracing for crammed trains. It's another public health nightmare. But Trump is desperate to put himself at the center of a celebration, four months away from Election Day. And it will take more than the worst pandemic in a century to get in his way. 'I can hardly wait to compare my cognitive ability to the cognitive ability of the man I'm running against' Now both of the men running for the office of US President are questioning the other's wits. After months of Trump's campaign describing former Vice President Joe Biden as "sleepy" and incoherent, a Fox News reporter this week asked Biden whether he had been tested for cognitive decline. "All you've got to do is watch me," Biden responded, "And I can hardly wait to compare my cognitive ability to the cognitive ability of the man I'm running against." BoJo and FDR Trump is not the only world leader basking in reflected presidential greatness. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who emulated his hero Winston Churchill by reaching 10 Downing Street, is now invoking the other half of World War II's dynamic democratic duo -- US President Franklin Roosevelt. With Britain in danger of posting its worst-ever unemployment figures, Johnson is promising a huge government investment program modeled on FDR's New Deal, which put America back to work in the 1930s and nurtured the welfare state. It's an intriguing comparison, not least because of Johnson's audacity in comparing himself to the wheelchair-using Democratic Party giant who beat the Great Depression and crushed Nazism. To start, Johnson's proposed plan -- worth 5 billion pounds, or 6.24 billion dollars -- is tiny compared with Roosevelt's vast public works programs. But it's still daring: Johnson's Conservative Party remains in the shadow of Margaret Thatcher, whose unbridled capitalism was the antithesis of FDR's government spending sprees. And Johnson has yet to reveal if he will raise taxes to pay for his infrastructure investments, as FDR did. His flirtation with Roosevelt is also a hint that despite his populist style, flamboyant rhetoric and fervent support for Brexit, Johnson is actually a more conventional and moderate politician than Trump -- to whom he's often compared. In calling for a "Rooseveltian approach" in the UK, Johnson may be thinking less of ideology than about FDR's buoyant, cheery personality, which put steel in the soul of his compatriots during his remarkable 12 years in power. That optimism, epitomized by the 32nd President's campaign song, "Happy Days Are Here Again," may be just what the world needs right now. CHICO, Calif. The Blue Room Theatre will be leaving its downtown home of 26 years due to the coronavirus pandemic, Board President, Martin Chavira told Action News Now. The board members said due to the coronavirus impact, its resulted in a "near-complete loss of revenue," for the Blue Room Theatre. Courtesy of the Blue Room Theatre, pictured in 2015 Courtesy of the Blue Room Theatre, pictured in 2015 Board of Directors announced Thursday it came to down to two decisions; that they must suspend all in-person productions for the foreseeable future and release the downtown space. Chavira said in a news release, the decisions are deeply emotional. Facing an unknown future for productions is disconcerting, and departing the space where so many have performed, volunteered, worked, and attended shows is painful. But in the end, it is not the space that defines us and we are confident that we will perform again. A specific date was not given on when they will leave their downtown space, but is expected to happen in the month of July. KHSL - Butte County Public Health announced Thursday the third death from coronavirus in the county. The person who passed away while hospitalized, was over 80 years of age and experienced underlying health conditions, BCPH said in a news release. They added that no specific place or event was has been identified as the source of their infection. Health officials said they express their sincere condolences to the persons family and friends. RELATED: North State coronavirus cases With the recent increase in coronavirus cases, Butte County residents are urged not to gather with family and friends this Fourth of July weekend to help slow the spread of COVID-19, health officials said. "Any time two households mix together, we risk getting each other sick," BCPH said in a news release. "For some people, especially adults who are older and people with health issues, COVID-19 can have serious and even deadly consequences." Butte County Health officials also announced an increase of 17 new coronavirus cases Thursday, bringing its total to 206. A total of 132 people in the county have recovered from the virus. Click Here to find out where you can get tested for coronavirus across the North State. Bowie police said they are investigating the stabbing Wednesday morning in the Giant on Annapolis Road as a possible hate crime. Although they identified the man detained during the search of a home in Washington, D.C., Thursday, no charges appear in online court records. BANGOR, Calif. - Butte County firefighters are on scene battling a vegetation fire off Stony Oaks Loop and Swedes Flat Road in Bangor. Firefighters reported the fire around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, saying it's estimated to be two acres of grass. Action News Now is working to learn more. We will provide updates to this page as they become available. SUSANVILLE, Calif. - After inmates were transferred from San Quentin to the California Correctional Center in Lassen County, coronavirus cases spiked. Prisons throughout the state are seeing a surge in coronavirus cases -- and two of those facilities are here at home. The Lassen County Health Officer declared a local health emergency due to the prison outbreak. According to the declaration, in early June, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation transferred inmates from the San Quentin State Prison to the 'CCC' in Lassen County without testing or quarantining the inmates. Days later four of those inmates tested positive for the coronavirus. The 'CCC' houses more than 3,000 inmates, as of Thursday there are 213 active cases at the 'CCC' and five at the High Desert State Prison in Susanville. Now prison officials are working tirelessly to protect staff and implement safe practices for inmates within the prison. Action News Now spoke with a woman who's cousin is a prison guard, "They are making sure that they sanitize through every door they are making sure they sanitize through every door every aspect they go through in that prison anything that they touch they sanitize their hands they have to go through a protocol for the COVID-19 so they're doing their jobs and to make sure everyones safe as much as possible," said Margie Bark. Both institutions have made programming adjustments including staggered dining, phone calls, and showers to allow for physical distancing and proper disinfecting between each use. Sanitation and hygiene practices are in place, as well as providing masks for all inmates and staff to wear under strict guidelines on prison grounds. A prison official told Action News Now they reduced two inmates to a cell and created space for social distancing in the dorms. One guard at the 'CCC' and five employees at the High Desert State Prison have tested positive for the coronavirus. Just miles down the road lies downtown Susanville, a population over 15,000. One of the many shops here, Uptown Uniforms. "Its just a bummer that you know we're in this situation where they might have to close down I dont- I hope it doesnt come to that, it would definitely impact our business," said Nicole Martinez, store manager. The nearby prison keeps Nicole's shop running. She provides uniforms for first responders and correction officers. She said the spike in cases does not surprise her. "It was bound to happen eventually in a prison system as large as California is I mean yeah," she said. "I feel like everyone who comes in is contentious of their health and if theyre not feeling good and everyone here so far seems healthy it seems like Prison officials tell me they're testing all staff on a voluntary basis. Temperatures are being checked and sanitation and hygiene practices are in place. not to mention mandatory masks for all inmates and staff. "If I did contract COVID yeah we would have to shut down the store and Id be quarantined for 14 days I dont foresee that situation really coming up at least, I hope it doesnt," said Nicole. Martinez said she trusts that prison officials are monitoring their staff and internal situation. Uptown Uniforms is an essential business, so Martinez does not foresee any financial impacts besides budget cuts. "Thats probably going to be the biggest impact to our business, hopefully, COVID doesnt shut us down," she said. CHICO, Calif. -- In the last two weeks, cases and hospitalizations in California are up some 50%. About 70% of California had to shut down bars and indoor dining. Glenn County is one of 19 counties on Governor Gavin Newsom's watch list. Action News Now asked Public Health officials why Butte County isn't on the list when it has almost a hundred more cases than Glenn. The conversation of us dialing back or dimming the switch has not been the prominent conversation, said Butte County Public Health official Lisa Almaguer. We have seen a significant increase in cases and it does concern us to some extent, but at the same time our ability to contact trace and test is in a good position right now. The state put Glenn County on the list because it didn't meet three of the six markers: new case rate, test positivity rate, and number of daily tests. The other three are hospitalizations, ICU bed and ventilator availability. They look at the metrics and they notify Butte County if they see any concerning trends and at that point they will offer up some physical or technical support, said Almaguer. Almaguer says the state already gave Butte County four additional contact tracers this week. We at this time rely on the state's guidance and the state's mandates and on Monday we did release a press release urging the public to follow the face covering mandate by the state, said Almaguer. Almaguer says the department will not put out extra guidelines. To put Glenn's situation in perspective, last week it had 65 cases at 115. In Northern California, Sacramento, Solano, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties are also on the list of 19. KHSL The Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology at Chico State is shifting its summer camp to a virtual format due to the coronavirus pandemic. For the last 16 years, the museum has hosted summer camps where North State kids could learn about cultures, anthropology, and history. Their motto, Travel the World Without Leaving Home. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, its forced museum doors to close all over. But the staff is getting creative to make sure kids can still enjoy summer camp. From July 6 to 16, Mondays through Thursdays, the museum will hold virtual anthropology camp, each day with a different theme. Registration is now open and fees for the virtual summer camp range from $10 per day to $35 for a full week. Below is the summer camp schedule: July 6 : Meet Alexandra P, who lives and teaches in Spain, will share stories about life in Spain plus give us a virtual tour of the Altamira Caveswith its 36,000-year-old cave art. : Meet Alexandra P, who lives and teaches in Spain, will share stories about life in Spain plus give us a virtual tour of the Altamira Caveswith its 36,000-year-old cave art. July 7 : Learn about a backyards biodiversity and explore why one drop of water, bees, and bugs are so important. : Learn about a backyards biodiversity and explore why one drop of water, bees, and bugs are so important. July 8 : Dig into what it is archaeologists actually do all day. : Dig into what it is archaeologists actually do all day. July 9 : Meet Kirk Scroggs, author of DC Comics Swamp Kid, who will explain why he so deeply cares about the planet and give drawing tips that anyone can do. : Meet Kirk Scroggs, author of DC Comics Swamp Kid, who will explain why he so deeply cares about the planet and give drawing tips that anyone can do. July 13 : Jamie W. will lead campers on a walking tour through her hometown of Adelaide, Australia, where visitors will meet some Australian animals at Cleland Park. : Jamie W. will lead campers on a walking tour through her hometown of Adelaide, Australia, where visitors will meet some Australian animals at Cleland Park. July 14 : Calling all sleuths! Cracking codes is one of the museums specialtiesand it will provide some great ones to try and stump parents with. : Calling all sleuths! Cracking codes is one of the museums specialtiesand it will provide some great ones to try and stump parents with. July 15 : Meet a local potterwhos also a former anthropology camperwho will teach pottery techniques and drop clay off at campers doors. : Meet a local potterwhos also a former anthropology camperwho will teach pottery techniques and drop clay off at campers doors. July 16: No camp is complete without an alien invasion! Campers will learn about the moons in our world and in a galaxy far, far away, when Siberian storyteller Laura P. tells us a haunting tale of The Moon Child. View the video player about for more details provided by Adrienne Scott, the curator of the Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology at Chico State. Britannia Marie Gold, a 60+ year old favourite brand of homemakers and the 3rd largest biscuit brand in India, today at an all-virtual finale event announced the ten winners of its annual women entrepreneurship initiative, Britannia Marie Gold My Start Up campaign. Under the aegis of this initiative, the 10 winners were felicitated and awarded INR 10 Lakhs each to kick-start their business ventures. Britannia Marie Gold My Startup is a platform for aspiring homemakers to fuel their entrepreneurial dreams, become financially independent and transform themselves into job creators. In addition to financial assistance, the current edition of the Britannia Marie Gold My Start Up initiative provides 10,000 homemakers access to Indias first-ever customized online skill development program, in partnership with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). The online course imparts these homemakers with the necessary entrepreneurial skills, boosting their confidence as they take their first step towards a self-reliant future. Britannia is confident that many of the homemakers who undergo the skill development training will move on to become entrepreneurs. Launched in February 2020, the 2nd edition witnessed, within a span of 3 months over 1.5 million applications from across the country and an overwhelming participation form 32 states and Union Territories. The means of entries was opened to include telephone call, web and WhatsApp. Over 25% of the entries came in via WhatsApp. Following weeks of deliberation by an external jury who mulled over lakhs of applications, the Britannia Marie Gold team shortlisted 50 finalists. With the strict social distancing protocols being observed in the country, the company decided on a digital finale where all the finalists from across the country, presented from the comfort of their homes to an eminent jury comprising of entrepreneurs, media persons and a select leadership team from Britannia. The all-digital felicitation ceremony was also a powerful example of the company, brands and consumers effortlessly adapting to the new normal. Gunjan Shah, Chief Commercial Officer, Britannia Industries Ltd. said, This is a very important initiative for Britannia driven by one of our flagship brands, Britannia Marie Gold. In its current edition, the initiative is touching the lives of over 10, 000 women and their families and we are privileged to be able to do so. Britannia is committed to provide a platform for aspiring women entrepreneurs to present their business ideas and stand a chance to gain financial help and skill development to set off on their entrepreneurial journey. Vinay Subramanyam, Head of Marketing, Britannia Industries Ltd. said, Becoming entrepreneurs enables our award winning homemakers to also become job creators who can transform many lives around them. One successful woman entrepreneur opens a wide window of opportunities for many, as was proven by our last years winners. We are delighted that through this initiative, we are introducing to the entrepreneurial world 10 more homepreneurs and skilling 10,000 homemakers to power their entrepreneurial journey. We strongly believe that when women become self-reliant and financially independent, entire families and societies and eventually, the country progresses. Britannia Marie Gold My Start Up Initiative 2.0 Entrepreneurial Women from Across the Country: Zarina MV, from Hyderabad in Telangana plans to use the winning amount to start her very own line of Linen Baby Clothing. Zarina understood that although the market is flooded with options for baby clothes, there are no clothing lines that offer pure linen and designer options. Her business would focus on producing an exclusive line of clothing for babies and toddlers (up to the age of 3) made out of linen and pure cotton, making them a desirable option for mothers looking for comfort with style for their children. Zarina would be providing jobs to several women from economically backward communities in the manufacturing of these products, in turn offering them with a steady livelihood. Shahnaz Tabussum from Patna in Bihar is planning to start a Reflexology Self Treatment and Training Centre. The thought behind her idea lies in creating a large, positive impact on society and the core idea for the business is Prevention is better than cure. The centre would focus on traditional holistic treatment and would also provide training to women, enabling them to realise their own dreams and create their own identity. In the course of setting this centre up she plans on providing a stable income to hundreds who she employs and trains. Narmatha Vasanthan from Thankavur in Tamil Nadu plans to start a Computer Training Centre. A Civil Engineer herself, Narmatha is adept in Estimation, Auto CAD and MS Office and comes with work experience, but had to quit her job post pregnancy. With her baby now 8 months old, Narmatha wants to start her own computer training centre where she can share her knowledge with students in a simplified manner. This business would also become a source of additional income for her family and enable her to support her husband a driver who is currently the sole wage earner and manages all the loans and expenses of the household. Ragini Kumari from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand plans to start a Flower Plantation along with the production of other eco-friendly products. Currently seedlings are prepared in plastic cups/pots that are later disposed off and can create great harm to the environment. Raginis business idea makes use of pots made out of cow dung that are eco-friendly and turn into natural manure, in turn helping the plants to grow. Besides pots, cow dung can also be utilized for preparing fire wood thereby reducing deforestation and are available at much lower costs, opening up a huge market opportunity. Shikha Dey of Durgapur, West Bengal will be utilising the seed capital to start a Bioflock Fish Farm. Bioflock Fish farming is a growing industry in India where fish is cultivated indoors rather than traditional pond methods, using advanced equipment. Shikhas business would involve raising the fish from when they are fishlings and then selling them to local markets as well as to other states in India. Archana P from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu plans to open a Science Museum for Kids in Coimbatore. Her business idea aims to create a lively educational environment for children filled with experimental and real-time learning and performances that inculcates a feeling of innovation in them. The winning amount would provide Archana with the support required in procuring necessary equipment, as well as in the maintenance of the museum infrastructure. Elakshi Phukan of Jorhat, Assam will use the winning amount to setup her own Homemade Cakes and Assamese Sweets Catering Service. With a passion for baking, Elakshi has always enjoying baking and preparing traditional Assamese sweets that are sugar-free. She realised that there arent many bakers or catering services that offer recipes that are sugar-free, giving her the edge to make this idea a success. Deepali Bansal from Ambala, Haryana plans to produce a Vegetable and Fruit Sanitizer that removes all traces of dust/pesticides/bacteria/virus from fruits and vegetables. With the current scenario around the globe, hygiene has become a priority for everyone and while many claim organic products to be safer, not everyone can afford them and there is no guarantee of how safe they are. Deepali came up with a product made out of natural resources that washes off the germs and ensures everyone can eat healthy. Sareena C of Kozhikode, Kerala plans to start her own Cage Fish Farm. With the high demand for fish within the country and outside, as well as the various schemes implemented by the Kerala government to support Cage Fish Farming in the area, there lies a huge opportunity for Sareena. Being close to a coastal area, she plans to motivate other women in her neighbourhood to work together and generate an additional income of their own. Sumathi R of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu had a dream to open a professional Eye Care Clinic in her village of Orikkai in Kanchipuram. As a prospective scholar in the discipline of B.S.(Opt), BITS University and MBA (Hospital management), Anna University, Sumathi has 9 years of experience as a consultant optometrist. She left her job sometime back to take care of her two daughters and was now looking for an opportunity to fulfil her dream to continue to service people. Being a developing area, Orikkai currently does not have an optical shop, giving Sumathi an opportunity to start something new and provide the people of her small village with better vision. Doctors are literally the last stand between life and death. This is a largely acknowledged fact around the world. In India, however, we go a bit further and place them at the same pedestal as gods. This embodiment, as respectfully envisaged as it may be, often overlooks the fact that they are after all human. COVID-19 has claimed many lives this year, many among them are doctors. So, on National Doctors Day 2020, Dabur has released a special video to acknowledge their contribution and to pray for the well-being of doctors - the frontline workers in the battle against this terrible disease. Dabur is a well respected wellness brand that is a leader of immunity building ayurvedic products. View this post on Instagram Doctors are gods. But they are also humans like us. They are the frontline warriors who are working hard to protect us every single day. Let's come together & celebrate them each & everyday. Let's wish them all the wellness in the world. They need our prayers & wishes :) Happy Doctor's day 2020. Take care Stay safe:) A post shared by DaburIndia (@daburindialtd) on Jun 30, 2020 at 3:02pm PDT Dabur India Ltd Marketing Head-Ayurveda Ethicals Dr. Durga Prasad : Doctors have been providing selfless services to patients across the country in the face of the COVID pandemic. We want to salute the spirit of our frontline Health workers on the occasion of National Doctor's Day by acknowledging their contribution in alleviating disease and suffering and building a healthy nation. This video is our expression of gratitude towards these superheroes. Ritu Sharda, CCO, Ogilvy Delhi: Doctors always put patients first, their own safety and well-being does not stop them from discharging their duties, I know this all too well because my father was a doctor and I have seen this ethos being lived out day and night. The idea that a doctor, as godlike as he may be, is after all a human is a very powerful message. This strongly reiterates doctor safety and wellness conversations that are especially important to have in these times. COVID-19 has impacted lives and businesses across the globe. The human society stands at the crossroads of a 'New Normal', something that will alter our future completely. Social distancing and curtailed movement have become the norm. Further, in this changing scenario, health protection through a comprehensive health insurance plan gains paramount importance. Staying ahead of the curve, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, India's leading private sector non-life insurance company, has revamped its health insurance portfolio and introduced new age solutions. Further, to create awareness of the same among consumers, it has launched a unique #RestartRight campaign in mass media, focusing on digital channels and targeting new age platforms like OTT (Over The Top) video streaming. The campaign launched by ICICI Lombard is two-fold. The first phase of the campaign involves a brand led communication which exemplifies the current situation where consumers are hesitant given the pandemic but are trying their best to work through the constraints. Depicting various 'slice of life' situations, it shows a lady inviting her friend home after a long time, but first makes sure she sanitizes her hands before entering. In another instance, a mother returning home from work stops her daughter from coming close to her, but then hugs her after she has taken a shower. In this way, the communication persuades people to 'Restart' life, but in the 'Right' way. At the same time, it communicates its own adoption to the 'new normal' and upgrading of its health insurance solutions that align to the new normal. The main communication will be followed by specific benefit driven creatives which bring out the individual offerings that form part of the brand's health insurance 'new age' solutions. These include benefits such as tele-consulting a doctor 24x7, online medicines order & delivery and insurance for treatment availed at home. The benefit driven videos again showcase constraints faced by consumers due to the lockdown and how the revamped offerings remove the said hurdle. For instance, if a consumer is hesitating to visit a doctor, ICICI Lombard's tele-consult facility enables her to seek expert medical advice on the phone itself including obtaining an e-prescription that can be ordered online. On the announcement of the campaign, Sanjeev Mantri, Executive Director, ICICI Lombard General Insurance stated, Amid the lockdown relaxations, consumers are wanting to restart life but hesitating to do so, amid the heightened health concern. At ICICI Lombard, we understand this 'new normal' situation and have accordingly reoriented ourselves by introducing relevant solutions for our customers. Our new campaign that showcases new age benefits reassures customers that by following safety protocols and equipping themselves with our health insurance solutions, they can go ahead and #RestartRight. Speaking on the launch, Talha Bin Mohsin and Mahesh Parab, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy Mumbai said, The new normal has brought with it new uncertainties that have left us with a lot of unanswered questions. We all are trying to make sense of the new range of do's and don'ts. But even in these testing times we wanted to tell people that ICICI Lombard has suitably adapted its services to help its customers adapt to the new normal, seamlessly. While the world awaits a restart, our new health insurance solutions are here to make it right. ICICI Lombard has always been a pioneer in identifying emerging trends and providing effective solutions to customers, in line with its brand ethos of Nibhaaye Vaade (Keeping promises). Cement manufacturing major, JK Super Cement, recently launched the campaign #YehPuccaHai to pay homage to our construction workers. The #YehPuccaHai campaign by the cement manufacturing giant, recognizes the strength, contribution and the hard work of millions of construction workers, who cement the strength into Indias infrastructure. The campaign has taken the internet by storm, garnering over 1.5 million YouTube views and 25.5 million Facebook and Instagram impressions. The campaign also highlights how lakhs of labourers across India have worked tirelessly with grit and determination to build a strong and safe future for India, and in the process, have realized their dreams with JK Super Cement. JK Super Cements mission is to provide safe homes for all which is in line with its brand slogan JK Super Cement Build Safe! The word Pucca has been creatively used in all its brand positioning, emphasizing on JK Super Cements commitment to strength, consistency and durability. The power of strength is outlined through all the brand narratives. JK Super Cement is among the first cement brands in the country to focus on labourers and their diligence. The #YehPuccaHai campaign film has garnered a whopping 31 million impressions across all social media platforms. The campaign has also received a strong participation from the digital audience, with over 600 videos made on Tiktok receiving over 22 million views. The campaign film takes us on a journey of a construction labourer and his son, whose dreams and desires are shaped by his surroundings. The message of having a strong will and determination resonates throughout the film, and the bond between the father and the son is also depicted beautifully. The film has been conceptualized in collaboration with Social Cloud Ventures Pvt Ltd. The Yeh Pucca Hai song has been released across various music streaming platforms such as Jio-Saavn, Apple Music, Wynk, Amazon Music and Hungama, and is receiving a lot of love and support from the listeners. The #YehPuccaHai campaign focuses on multiple aspects, ranging from safety, strength and the strong foundation which is built by usage of JK Super Cement. The Company salutes millions of labourers and workers whose efforts build a safe nation. Its mission is to get them the respect that they deserve. JK Super Cement invites the audience to share their salute to the workers by clicking on the I Salute tab. The audience was also invited to participate in a quiz based on the Yeh Pucca Hai video to win exciting prizes. JK Super Cements Yeh Pucca Hai campaign recognizes and thanks those people who stand behind us and become our pillars of strength in both good and bad times. As a part of this campaign, JK Super Cement has also made a video saluting #SuperDrivers. Often in the media, the efforts of doctors and other frontline workers are lauded but attention is not paid to the truck drivers who travel miles to transport the raw materials. Despite the situation today, they undertake risk and ensure that goods are transferred in a safe and secure manner. JK Super Cement salutes the spirit and hard work of truck drivers. The effort of the construction workforce across real estate and infrastructure segments is the real strength that drives the development in our country. It has been an ethos of JK Super Cement to take everyone along in our contribution to nations progress. These efforts and the stories of their grit, strength and hard work are very much a part of JK Super Cement. Hence, the tagline #YehPuccaHai emerged, which is reflective of the strong commitment our brand has to its customers. The video is reflective of the thousands dreams, hopes and ambition attached with JK Super Cement. The medium of social media was used to connect with our users and the digital audience with the #YehPuccaHai message, showcasing the shared values of commitment and determination to the audience. JK Super Cement salutes for all the workers out there who put in their best to ensure that safe structures are built. shared Mr. Pushp Raj Singh, President Marketing at JK Cement Ltd. (Grey Cement Business) Fujifilm India Pvt ltd, a leader in the development and application of imaging and information innovations in healthcare technologies, is happy to bring forth the Parivartan Campaign that illustrates the importance of regular breast cancer screening and breast self-examination in India. With this campaign, Fujifilm India aims to Create Change and spread awareness amongst young children, not only for their own well-being but also for them to act as an exemplar to their mothers, grandmothers, and women in general to adopt timely preventive screening practices against breast cancer. Fujifilm has introduced the child mascot Pari, the angelic girl who represents the biggest motivator for all mothers as the curious child. In the campaign, she personifies the unadulterated love, affection a child can have for mothers, and the persistence a child can exhibit if she wants something, especially if it means the wellbeing of her parents. The company seeks to reach out to young girls and women across the country with the message of Early Detection Saves Lives in Breast Cancer through the campaign. In the storyboard Pari the central character is seen playing in the park where she notices a poster on Breast Cancer and the importance of early detection. After seeing the poster, she gets alarmed and talks to her mother about it. Pari startles her mother with her innocent queries and convinces her to visit the doctor. On the day of appointment, Pari accompanies her mother and witnesses her mother responding to questions asked by doctor about the signs pertaining to breast cancer. Post the general check-up, the doctor recommends her mother to get a mammography test as she is over 40 years of age. Later, Pari takes her mother to a diagnostic center for her mammography screening. On arrival of the report, the doctor is seen informing both of them about the mothers breast being healthy and fine. Through the illustrative storytelling, the brand ingeniously tries to convey the importance of breast screening and how early detection can be the key to save the lives of our mothers. It further demonstrates steps on how women can easily self-examine their breast at home. On Mothers Day, it renders a lucrative message to all the children to be the Pari of their household and bring a Parivartan in early detection of breast cancer. Despite the innovations in treatment, the number of breast cancer cases and the risk associated with it are growing at an enormous rate. The biggest reason for this is the lack of awareness and ignorance of most patients to come forward to detect the problem well in time. Understanding the situation at hand, Fujifilm strives to educate and raise awareness through this stimulating campaign that elucidates the importance of self-examination among individuals. Commenting on this campaign, Mr. Haruto Iwata, Managing Director, Fujifilm India Pvt. Ltd. said, In India, the major problem is the late detection of cancer and the key to control is to give the accurate treatment at the right time. And Fujifilms Parivartan initiative encourages women towards being self-prepared, by a simple yet innovative easy-to-use self-examination method. We hope this initiative will continue to foster positive conversations around breast health not only amongst mothers but also create awareness for children to act as motivators for timely breast examinations, that is still seen as a taboo in India. Fujifilm has been at the forefront in the fight against breast cancer with its best-in-class Mammography Amulet Innovality that helps in detecting the early symptoms of cancer. We are dedicated to this mission and we believe that early awareness and detection of the disease is half the battle won and our continued approach this year is to initiate a nation-wide drive to educate women on self-examination and break some myths about breast cancer." The COVID-19 crisis has impacted the salon industry severely, with recovery not in sight immediately. Entrepreneurs and small businesses, who are at the heart of the professional beauty industry, will need to change their ways of operation and upgrade their hygiene measures in order to attract customers back to the salons. The new way of running the salon business post lockdown will require awareness and above all, strong financial support. Read Also: Muthoot Pappachan Group's Sanjeev Shukla moves on Beginning immediately, Streax Professional is implementing Salon Care and Trust Programme to help businesses alleviate the economic loss resulting from the pandemic and bounce into action all equipped. The programme is the first of its kind of initiative being taken by a brand in the country eliminates the need for partners to wait for the credits until the year-end and provides instant monetary relief. The brands other initiative, Salon Care programme, continues to create awareness about customer safety and encourage hygiene maintenance at salons through webinars, training sessions for its partners and distribution of free Salon Safety Kits. More than 3,000 partners have already been benefitted through this programme. In conversation with Adgully, Manish Chhabra, MD, and CEO at Hygiene Research Institute (Streax Professional), speaks at length about the brands initiatives to support their partners in these testing times, gearing up to commence operations with strict adherence to hygiene measures for the safety of consumers and staff, the overall impact of the pandemic on the salon industry and more. As businesses start to reopen in India Unlock 2.0, what kind of precautions and safety measures are you taking while commencing operations? The salon industry has witnessed the most unprecedented situation and a challenging time due to the pandemic. The widespread closure of stores and salons during the lockdown left the beauty and salon industry deeply affected as no one had imagined such a prolonged closure of the businesses. As the nature of the business made the salon industry one of the worst-hit sectors, its resilience and spirit will play a big role in bringing them back in action. However, the painful period is expected to continue even in the first few months after the lockdown is lifted and the salons reopen, as customers will take time to develop trust and return for salons services. Therefore, the salons will have to give customer safety and area sanitization utmost importance to earn their customers trust and confidence back. Hence, we decided to engage with our salon partners and other stakeholders and prepare them for the times to come. We took two exceptional decisions for the safety of salons and businesses to grow after a long pause: Community Training: Streax Professional has trained more than 30,000 stylists, 400 distributors and entire HRIPL workforce, which is in 1,000 through doctors, health and safety general expert (Giridhar Pai) and internal technical teams on both individual safety, customer safety and mix of other skills. Salon Safety Kit: Streax Professional has prepared a customised stylist care kit which comprises of multiple disposable masks, gloves, face shields, sanitisers, and disinfectant liquid, etc., to protect the stylist from having any infection from the customers visiting. How do you plan to address the customer apprehensions regarding their safety while visiting salons and build awareness about the commencement of salon operations? These are some of the most challenging times for salon professionals and brands. With reopening of salons gradually, the industry will for sure get back to normal eventually, but it will be the new normal that we will need to accept and live with, and salons will have to be prepared for the fact that it might take months for professionals, as well as customers, to get back to their usual salon routine. Streax Professional has also prepared a safety and hygiene SOP for its partners and stylists and is playing its role in creating awareness. We have also created a platform for the stylists to interact with their customers through video conferences and update them on their salon awareness initiatives from a safety and hygiene perspective. This call is generally facilitated by our technical experts and the lead stylists of the salons, wherein two experts engage with the end consumers on various subjects followed by a question and answer session, which leads to confidence building activity of the customers, which in turn leads to a good sales of the products and services. It is time for salons to earn customer trust and reassure them about their safety at salons to win them back. Please tell us more about the Salon Care and Trust Programme. How does this work? Will it help owners of salons across the country? Financially how you are supporting and helping them bounce back to business? Streax Professionals Salon Care and Trust Programme is our gesture of gratitude to our customers who have patronised us into becoming one of the most significant players in the industry. The programme is first of its kind initiative in the industry that enables instant monetary relief, which is a minimum of Rs 50,000 slab to help salon partners and stylists to rebound business impacted severely by the COVID-19 crisis. The programme allows partners enrolled in the scheme to receive instant cashback in their accounts on the purchase of Streax Professional products. It eliminates the need for them to wait for the credits until the year-end when the tie-ups slabs are achieved. It is one of the industrys most unique and exceptional programmes that cater to the distinct needs of salons and stylists, including service and hygiene products, and provides a financial respite with the fiscal stimulus in the form of an instant incentive. Through this initiative, we want to tell our salon and stylist partners that we stand with them in these testing times and offer all our support to help them revive their businesses. Under the Salon Care Programme, you are imparting training to all salons. How is this being conducted and how successful has this been? Have all your salons participated and learnt from your safety guidelines? With the Salon Care programme, Streax Professional is helping the salons revive their businesses post lockdown with utmost customer safety and encouraging hygiene maintenance. We are organising webinars and training sessions for our partners and stylists and distributing free Salon Safety Kits to prepare them to address the new safety norms and follow the government guidelines. There are classes conducted online for skill development as well and will continue post lockdown too, as brands will now have to incorporate digital/ online ways of learning sessions and conducting demos to allow salons to utilise their space to cater to customers only. Streax Professional has trained more than 30,000 stylists through their ongoing webinars on the Salon Care SOP and has utilised the lockdown period for imparting skill and upskilling the stylists. Post lockdown, the market is going to be different. There will be new expectations from consumers, need for highly aware staff and high-level of visible safety standards, so the salons need to be prepared for these situations. Streax Professionals Salon Care Programme aims to support and handhold the partners come out of these challenging times. What kind of marketing campaigns have you lined up to promote your products? You have two celebrities endorsing your brands. How have been leveraging them during the lockdown? During the lockdown, the concept of marketing has changed on a larger perspective and the businesses are coming up with innovative ideas to promote their brands. A professional business is an omnichannel business opportunity that means by professional for professional, where you cannot choose to do any activity ignoring their interest or excluding their involvement. Streax Professional had initiated a salon-customer engagement programme by tying up with Swiggy Stores and Swiggy Gennie to help salons supply their customers need through Swiggy partners. This was done to ensure that salons continue to engage with their customers and at the same time continue to help them get their day-to-day hair care supplies. As the salons have started reopening in Maharashtra from June 28, according to the Governments announcement, our lined up strategy is ready to roll out in post-lockdown conditions, which you will get to see soon. What has been your digital strategy for your brands? On digital, Streax Professional continues to create awareness about safety measures and provide healthcare guidelines to our salon partners and stylists. We have also started engaging with the customers and giving them tips on hair care during the lockdown. Our posts also talk about expert guidelines for doing essential services at home, like root touch ups, kids haircuts, and mens haircuts. As a brand, we also bridged the gap between salons and consumers by partnering with Swiggy and ensuring that commodities like our shampoos and conditioners were delivered directly from salons to their customers. With the Coronavirus slated to stay among the human population for the foreseeable future, what will be your long-term brand strategy? The pandemic has hit us all deeply and it will take businesses and economy a long time to find their footing once again. As part of the salon industry, we understand our responsibilities and are doing our bit in helping businesses bounce back once the lockdown is lifted. Through Streax Professionals Salon Care Programme and Salon Trust and Care programme, we are already working towards creating awareness and providing financial relief to our partners. As everything is new-found here, people acceptance is a must and we are helping them in all our ways to accept and cope up with this disaster in the market. The lockdown period has made us all realise the importance of technology. While the salon industry is highly dependent on services that require physical touch, many aspects of the business, like training, demo, appointments, etc., should be moved online. We are developing strategies to minimise human interface by investing in digital infrastructures. Streax Professional is working on developing a salon app, which would give our customers the opportunity to book orders, workshops, demo and engage them with other relevant activities on the digital platforms. We are also developing training videos for products, styling, cut and colouring techniques to expedite contactless training for our salon hair stylists. Why are you not leveraging your two celebrities to reassure the salons on the safety aspect? Dont you think that will carry more weight and credibility? Salons, our primary customers, and partners remain our priority always and more so in the present circumstances, where they need to be engaged, educated, and supported by the brand. Through webinars, training sessions and by simply being in solidarity with them, we wanted to let them know that the brand stands with them in these testing times. We focussed on building their confidence through a world-class (WHO standard) health and safety training and upskilling their hairdressing skills by the industry experts. Leveraging celebrities will begin when things improve and the need arises. Photo taken on June 6, 2020 shows the electric buses manufactured by Chinese company BYD heading for Santiago from the Port San Antonio in Chile. A fleet of 150 electric buses manufactured by Chinese company BYD have joined the Chilean capital's public transport system, the company said in a statement released on Monday. The buses were incorporated last Saturday into the line serving Santiago's central Bernardo O'Higgins Avenue, the capital city's main east-west axis. (BYD Company Limited/Handout via Xinhua) 2 1 [ Editor: ZY ] The statue offends me. Its in a place where it was clearly designed to send a message to the public, and its a racist message, Pittman said. I hope that they dont put the statue back up, but I dont condone the way it was done. Vidya Balan has distinguished herself in the Indian Cinema through her versatility, playing unconventional roles, be it a Romance, Comedy or a Thriller-drama. The Actor will be soon seen in another versatile performance in Amazon Prime Videos Direct-to-stream release Shakuntala Devi. Lets check out some of her momentous roles to stream on Amazon Prime Video before you binge Shakuntala Devi: Parineeta (2005): Parineeta is an Award Winning Bollywood Romantic Hindi Movie, Directed By Pradeep Sarkar, Starring Vidya Balan, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt In The Lead Roles. The Film Won 13 Awards From 31 Nominations. Childhood Sweethearts Lalita And Shekhar Wish To Get Married Some Day. However, Shekhar's Growing Suspicions About Her Coupled With His Conniving Father Threaten To Tear Them Apart. Watch Parineeta on Amazon Prime Video. Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006): Lage Raho Munna Bhai Is A National Award Winning Bollywood Comedy Hindi Movie, Directed By Rajkumar Hirani, Starring Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi And Vidya Balan In The Lead Roles. The Film Won 17 Awards. A Don Hopelessly Falls In Love With A Radio Jockey But Lies To Her About Being A True Gandhian. Although He Ends Up Hurting Her, He Also Undergoes A Change And Genuinely Begins Helping People. Watch Lage Raho Munna Bhai on Amazon Prime Video. Ishqiya (2010): Ishqiya is a story of romance between individuals caught in a web of crime, suspense, passion, and deceit. Two thieves seek refuge with the widow of their old friend and find themselves getting drawn to her. Set in a rural landscape, Ishqiya explores basic human emotions as influenced by desire, greed, and revenge. Watch Ishqiya on Amazon Prime Video. Tumhai Sulu (2017): Vidya Balan (Sulochana a.k.a. Sulu) essays the role of a beautiful, enthusiastic and happy-go-lucky Mumbai housewife whose routine life changes when she unexpectedly lands herself with the exciting job of a night RJ (radio jockey) on a leading radio station. Watch Tumhari Sulu on Amazon Prime Video. Begum Jaan (2017): Begum Jaan is the story of eleven prostitutes who refuse to part ways with their brothel and each other during the partition between India and Pakistan. Stream Begum Jaan on Amazon Prime Video. Dont forget to watch the eagerly awaited Biopic Shakuntala Devi, across 200 countries and territories exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Featuring Vidya Balan in the lead, Shakuntala Devi a biographical drama on the life of Shakuntala Devi, a writer and mathematician who was popularly known as the human computer. GKN Aerospace Sweden is to continue testing an alcohol-based biofuel in the RM12 engine used in the Gripen jet fighter as part of a seven year joint study between the Swedish defence Material Administration, the US Air Force and US Navy. FMV (Swedish Defence Materiel Administration) has contracted GKN Aerospace Sweden to continue testing of the ATJ (alcohol to jet) fuel, which is made Swedish Biofuels AB, in the RM12 engine. The joint project which started in October 2013 will be completed before the end of this year. ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> The test, which will be performed in a test cell, will give more in-depth information to see potential differences in engine data compared to earlier flight test results with this 50/50 biofuel mix. It will also demonstrate the capability of the engine test cells, such as flexibility in its measurement systems and feeding fuel to the engine. Stefan Oscarsson, vice president for government and space programs at GKN Aerospace said, This FMV contract will help us build understanding and in depth data, and takes us a further step towards sustainable aviation together with FMV. Its an exciting milestone in a key growth area for GKN Aerospace. In March 2017 a Gripen fighter with an RM12 engine completed a successful flight demonstration powered by 100% renewable Biofuel. The biofuel used in 2017 was developed by the US company ARA on a USN/NAVAIR contract, and was fully interchangeable with normal jet fuel and approved for a limited flight test. No engine changes or modifications were required for this demonstration. GKN Aerospace Sweden is Type Certificate holder for the RM12 engine and has reviewed fuel specifications and material compatibility for all fuel-wetted components in the engine to ensure safe engine operation during this test. Let the herd shaming begin.... "It would be tragic if Africa chose not to take part, at all levels, in clinical trials of a Covid-19 vaccine or any medical treatment that could save lives." Protests Against COVID Vaccine Show Fear I'm reminded of the good old days, when we could say "no" and even encouraged in an iconic American commercial for Life cereal. " Two brothers at the breakfast table jockey a bowl of cereal between them. The COVID version goes like this: "What's this stuff? Some vaccine. It's supposed to be good for you. I'm not gonna try it. Let's get Mikey!" Of course, Mikey likes the cereal, it's a Madison Avenue advertisement which always has a happy ending for the product. The vaccine, however, will not be sugar sweetened or come with a prize. ### From AP numerous sources: PBS JOHANNESBURG (AP) Protesters against Africas first COVID-19 vaccine trial burned their face masks Wednesday as experts note a worrying level of resistance and misinformation around testing on the continent. Anti-vaccine sentiment in Africa is the worst Ive ever seen, the CEO of the GAVI vaccine alliance, Seth Berkley, told an African Union vaccine conference last week. In general, people in Africa know the diseases and want to protect each other, he said. In this case, the rumor mill has been dramatic." The trial that began last week in Johannesburg is part of one already underway in Britain of the vaccine developed at the University of Oxford. Some 2,000 volunteers in South Africa are expected to take part. Its important that vaccines be tested in Africa to see how they perform in the local context, professor of vaccinology Shabir Madhi, leader of the new COVID-19 vaccine trial in South Africa, told reporters and others in a webinar Sunday. But the small band of demonstrators who gathered Wednesday at the University of the Witwatersrand, where the trial is based, reflect long-running fears among some in Africa over testing drugs on people who dont understand the risks. The people chosen as volunteers for the vaccination, they look as if theyre from poor backgrounds, not qualified enough to understand protest organizer Phapano Phasha told The Associated Press ahead of the event. We believe they are manipulating the vulnerable. The activist and political commentator brought up the widely circulated remarks earlier this year by a French researcher, Jean-Paul Mira, who said, If I can be provocative, shouldnt we be doing this study in Africa, where there are no masks, no treatments, no resuscitation?" He compared it to some AIDS studies: "In prostitutes, we try things because we know that they are highly exposed and that they do not protect themselves. The narrative we got is our continent is a dumping ground, Phasha said. First, ensure the vaccine works elsewhere before bringing it to Africa, she added. There has been much talk in the media about how various police forces across Canada and the United States have been abusing and sometimes even murdering black people, First Nations people and other minorities. This has prompted calls to "defund the police" in response to the police killing of George Floyd. who uttered the now infamous phrase "I can't breathe." However, one particular lawyer in Ottawa shows us how collusion between mostly white lawyers and judges who support a system rife with racism is arguably a far worse problem. Indeed, police who inflict abuse and commit murders can generally take solace that the judicial system will mostly shelter them from the kind of legal consequences they would face as a civilian. In the case of John Summers, who is the Ottawa lawyer in question, the evil that he is responsible for might arguably be considered more atrocious than the crime committed by Minnesota police officers against George Floyd. Within moments, Minnesota police offers in the United States destroyed a human life through immediate physical trauma involving asphyxiation. What the Minnesota police did within moments, John Summers, through unethical conduct,has inflicted since February 2016 against Dezrin Carby-Samuels. Can you imagine the life of an elderly woman forcibly cut-off from her son and other loved ones at the hands of an abusive husband who constantly subjected his wife to tortuous mental, physical, and emotional abuse in isolation for more than five years? Can you also imagine a lawyer who used lies and treachery to perpetuate and deprive an elderly woman of medical assistance, nutritious food, and the support of her loved ones, along with a wellness check which had been endorsed by an Ottawa judge back in February 2016? In my book Justin Trudeau, Judicial Corruption and the Supreme Court of Canada: Aliens and Archons in Our Midst, I document the sheer evil of John Summers conduct. Thanks to John Summers, Dezrin Carby-Samuels endured neglect and abuse which has now led to her reported death a reliable source reveals. Dezrin's son Raymond was legally blocked from seeing his mother since June 15, 2015. John Summers, along with conspiring judges at the Ottawa Superior Court and the Ottawa Police, worked against the will of Dezrin Carby-Samuels to see her son. Dezrin wanted her son Raymond to protect her from domestic abuse by Horace Carby-Samuels,a situation in which Dezrin endured horrific conditions, rotting in fecal matter. Apparently for John Summers, Dezrin was just another black woman and he worked tirelessly to perpetuate the profound physical, mental and emotional abuse which led to Dezrins death. In the above video, we see the situation that John Summers worked to perpetuate. In this video, Raymond, Dezrin Carby-Samuels son, is seen delivering a February 2016 court order to enable him to see his mother, who had wanted to reunite with him since June 2015. It was just after this video that John Summers intervened to perpetuate the forced isolation of Dezrin Carby-Samuels. Horace Carby-Samuels is seen near the end of this video shouting at Ottawa Police, who were prevented from doing a wellness check accompanied by Raymond. People who observe the evils of police have no idea that, for every evil cop they observe, there are a lot more evil lawyers like John Summers and evil judges like Sylvia Corthon of the Ottawa Superior Court who apparently have no regard for the lives of black people. When Raymond, Dezrins son, sought to complain to media organizations like CBC Ottawa, organizations pledged to protect women from abuse, and various religious leaders in the city, his cries were ignored because, after all, she was just an elderly black woman. The legal plight of Dezrin and the efforts of her black son to protect his mother from the evils of John Summers were irrelevant to these institutions. Thats because, in the eyes of all these institutions, Dezrin appears to be just another black woman that ought to be left alone to suffer under the terror imposed by her husband, Horace Carby-Samuels, with the diabolical orchestration of Mr. Summers. I am donating any money received from sales of my book to seeking justice for Dezrin in her death. I aim to expose all the evil actors in our justice system that worked for over five years to deprive Dezrin Carby-Samuels of her life. This includes the evil deeds of Ms. Alison Timons, who had been serving as a social worker at the Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode Community Resource Centre. My book also reveals how this so-called social worker had first reported to Raymond the abuse that Dezrin had been experiencing from May 2015. At first, Ms. Timons said that she would be a witness for Raymond in any court proceeding against Horace Carby-Samuels. But under the pressure of a very dirty Ottawa police detective named Robert Griffin Jr., who sought to work on behalf of Horace Carby-Samuels, Ms. Alison Timons not only decided not to help Dezrin's son expose the abuse but refused to have any further contact with Raymond. Systemic racism operates in a manner that marginalizes and destroys the lives of visible minorities, who are often viewed with much less regard than someone's cat or dog. Dezrin's horrific death in isolation from her loved ones was orchestrated by John Summers, who was in turn paid by some evil mastermind that, to this day, he has not revealed, and the court has supported his silence on this matter, because I can tell you for a fact that Horace Carby-Samuels cannot in any way afford $300 per/hr to pay such a lawyer over multiple years. Was Dezrin a guinea pig of some Deep State medical experiment against an elderly black woman and paid-off by these conspirators? Was this Deep State linked to the manipulative aliens that have been documented by Dr. Michael Salla as existing and presiding over evil experiments against humankind? Do the evils of the police before the camera also reveal mind control experiments by a Deep State to divide, rule and conquer humanity? Explore these and other questions in my book Justin Trudeau, Judicial Corruption and the Supreme Court of Canada: Aliens and Archons. Let us hold the evil responsible for the death of Dezrin Carby-Samuels and other people at the hands of police and the judicial system accountable and pursue the disbarment of John Summers for his key role in orchestrating Dezrin's death. The Conservation Reserve Program is a big part of managing natural resources across the country. The number of acres in the program fluctuates during different signup periods, but some are noticing the farm economy and shifting conservation interests are impacting the size of tracts dedicated to conservation. Craig Derickson is the Nebraska state conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which provides technical assistance for the CRP. One thing hes noticed in recent years is the CRP has evolved across the state. A couple of decades ago, Nebraska had a lot of wide-open acres and tracts of land enrolled in the states program, due in large part to the farm economy back then. It was a good opportunity to get the extra security of guaranteed payments over the course of a contract, he said. Things began to change back in the 1990s as other groups took notice of the Conservation Reserve Program. Wildlife groups became interested in enhancing some of the stands of native grasses enrolled in CRP. That enhancement eventually included planting flowers and plants that would provide food for pollinators, Derickson said. From our perspective, we saw a change from large tracts of land to more specialized priority-placement areas that were enrolling in the program. As of January, Nebraska had more than 35,000 acres planted specifically for wildlife habitat. 17,700 acres were planted as field windbreaks. Over 12,700 acres were planted as filter-strips and almost 1,300 acres were enrolled as riparian buffers. Approximately 15,000 acres were enrolled for wetland restoration, both in the floodplain and non-floodplain areas. By day, shes Michelle Hoffman, a Gilbert mother of three who owns the My CBD Store in Ahwat Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. Some will ask why people with my perspective on this issue dont apply this same standard to individuals such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who, like many in their day and time, owned slaves? This is easily answered, the aforementioned indeed owned slaves, and like so many individuals of that day and time struggled to reconcile their beliefs with the concept of slavery, however, what they did not do was to take up arms against their country. They did not attempt to destroy the United States of America. Those who bore arms for the Confederacy were about doing just that. Yemen's Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, takes two approaches to its relationship with Saudi Arabia. Informal negotiations between the two sides started first, paving the way for the Houthis to recently announce their desire for direct dialogue with Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, provided that it's public. At the same time, Houthi missiles and drones still penetrate Saudi airspace. The informal negotiations between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia in Jordan were revealed in late September 2019. On June 13, the Houthis announced willingness to head to Riyadh and stop the Yemeni war that has been going on for over five years via a public dialogue with the Saudi-led Arab coalition on a comprehensive cease-fire. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, told the BBC on June 13, We have no restrictions or an agenda that we fear will be exposed, and we are ready for a public dialogue with the aggression countries to reach a cease-fire and lift the siege that this coalition imposed on Yemens land, sea and air five years ago. On June 23, only 10 days after calling for dialogue with Riyadh, the Houthis carried out an air attack with ballistic missiles and drones on various locations in Saudi Arabia, saying it was in response to the ongoing siege on Yemen. The Houthis announced that the attacks had achieved their objectives by hitting military targets, while Riyadh said it had intercepted the missiles. On March 30, Saudi Arabia had called for direct dialogue in Riyadh, but the Houthis rejected the invitation, saying that Riyadh was a partner in the aggression against Yemen and could not sponsor both the war and reconciliation at the same time. Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed al-Jaber had noted that while the proposal for talks to end the five-year war is still on the table, the Houthis have not yet responded to that offer in making their own. Saudi Arabia has yet to comment on the Houthis recent call for direct dialogue in Riyadh. Member of the Houthi political bureau Ali al-Qahoom told Al-Monitor, The door to peace is open, but Saudi Arabia is seeking to close it by escalating airstrikes on Yemen. He added, We want real peace and we have made initiatives, but Saudi Arabia is not responding to them. Qahoom pointed out, Our missile operations and drones will carry on should the aggression and siege on Yemen continue, and will only stop when Saudi Arabia ceases to commit massacres and kill the Yemeni people. Both the Houthis and Saudi Arabia have often expressed willingness to sit down for talks to end the war in Yemen, but the statements are belied on the field, where airstrikes and military confrontations have been ravaging the country for over five years, leaving it with the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Abdel Salam Mohammed, head of the Yemeni think tank Abaad Studies and Research Center, told Al-Monitor, As much as the Houthis have played on contradictions since the beginning of the war in 2015, they are also taking advantage of opportunities. This is why they claimed to accept dialogue with Saudi Arabia in Riyadh while still launching missile and drone attacks. Mohammed added, [Houthi leader Abdul-Malik] al-Houthi is not looking for peace but rather victory, and he wants through this call to assert that this is a Yemeni-Saudi war, not a Yemeni-Yemeni one. The Houthi call for dialogue with Saudi Arabia came as the conflict intensifies between the government backed by the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen) and the Houthis over the oil and gas-rich province of Marib. Some observers are convinced that the Houthis made this call thinking they could get a hold of Marib without great material and human losses, with government forces desperate to defend this city. As Houthis increase pressure around Marib, the allied Sabaeans tribe inside the province opened a new front in Wadi Obaidat June 28. Mohammed noted, If Saudi Arabia does not review the mistakes committed by the coalition, such as the UAEs support for the separatists in southern Yemen, the war in Yemen will get out of control and chaos could prevail, forcing it to sit down with the Houthis in a public dialogue. It would have to admit its defeat in Yemen in an attempt to escape this quagmire, exacerbated by the policies of the UAE, which clash with the coalition's declared objectives to restore the state and end the Houthi coup. Tension between Saudi Arabia and the UAE has escalated after the UAE-backed separatists declared self-rule in southern Yemen on April 26. On June 21, the separatists seized the island of Socotra, further complicating the dispute between the nominal allies in the fight against Houthis. By escalating their military operations against Riyadh, the Houthis are seeking to create an environment suitable for serious and public negotiations with Saudi Arabia to end the war, but crucially, to first be recognized as an authority and a significant military power in the region. That Mohammed Ali Houthi, one of the most prominent Houthi figures, was the one to express the desire to negotiate is a reflection of the changes on the ground and the group's control of more areas in the governorates of Al-Bayda and Marib, as well as the corresponding decline in the influence of the government in south Yemen and Socotra. By targeting Saudi Arabia, the Houthis aim to compel Riyadh to accept negotiations with them from a position of strength, acknowledge their right to represent northern Yemen and recognize them as a de facto authority. Since Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi was sworn in on May 7, the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Services (CTS) have taken part in several high-profile operations and seem ever more in the foreground of the countrys security efforts. Their June 26 arrests of over a dozen Kataib Hezbollah (KH) fighters in a Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) headquarters in southern Baghdad sparked concern that the CTS might, however, end up targeted by Iran-linked factions. This has not yet happened. The CTS have been widely praised as heroes since their key role in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) starting in 2014 and though some Iran-linked factions say they are too close to the United States for now the blame was placed squarely on the prime minister as well as the United States for its rumored involvement. In a recent operation by the CTS in the Qarachogh mountains near the Makhmour district, over 50 supporting airstrikes were reportedly carried out, attesting to the confidence in the forces by both the international coalition and the Iraqi military. The June 24 operation reportedly resulted in the killing of 12 IS operatives in Iraqs notoriously difficult areas disputed between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the central government. A CTS officer contacted by Al-Monitor who cannot be named as he had not received official approval to discuss the matter with the media said that the number of airstrikes was correct, but that most had been carried out by Iraqi helicopters. In response to an emailed query, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) Media Operations told Al-Monitor July 1, In the last 10 days, the coalition has conducted eight strikes, all in Iraq, in the vicinity of the [Qarachogh]/Makhmour mountains. One of Kadhimis first actions as prime minister had been to reinstate Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi as CTS head. The officer had gained immense popularity in the country for his role in taking large swathes of Iraqi territory from IS. Months-long anti-government protests were initially sparked last autumn after he was removed from the position. In the wake of the general tension wrought by the Kataib Hezbollah arrests, Kadhimi reportedly brought the CTS and PMU together in a meeting July 1 to calm tensions. Iraqs new prime minister has tried to engage all the countrys armed factions that seem willing to move forward with his plan to bring all weapons under state control. This has led to repercussions. Shortly after he was sworn in, he drew criticism by some for being photographed in a PMU uniform while meeting with commanders of the Shiite-led fighting force. Some of these PMU have been accused of being involved in the killing of unarmed protesters. Coalition Spokesman Col. Myles B. Caggins III told Al-Monitor via WhatsApp July 1, In recent weeks, there has been increased partnership among all the Iraqi security forces," adding, "The coalition works closely with the CTS specifically and exclusively for the anti-[IS] mission. The CTS was formed after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and trained and equipped by the United States. Various Iran-linked armed groups have been careful not to openly criticize the CTS for the KH arrests, and ire was mostly directed at the prime minister. KH spokesman Jaafar al-Husseini told Al-Monitor via WhatsApp after at least most of the detainees had been released June 29 that KH personnel had not had orders to fire on any other Iraqi forces. They thus had let themselves be arrested when the CTS arrived at their base, he said, noting it had been an official PMU base for three years. Refraining from criticizing the CTS, he told Al-Monitor that those released had claimed that the United States had taken part in the operation and warned Israel and America not to interfere in the country or the "muqawama" the Shiite Islamic armed "resistance" movement active mainly from Iran to Lebanon. Member of parliament from the southern port city of Basra Faleh al-Khazali, who is also a commander in the PMU Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, claimed that false information had misled our heroes the CTS. CJTF-OIR stressed in an email to Al-Monitor that the arrest of the KH members was entirely an Iraqi operation. The Coalition did not provide support to the CTS operation. It has, however, provided a large amount of funding and equipment over the past few years to various Iraqi forces. The US-led international coalition continued its support for the CTS even when it stopped all training activities in the country early this year following an outcry sparked by the January killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani and KH leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US drone strike near the Baghdad airport. KH has accused Kadhimi of providing intelligence to the United States that led to the drone strike. The Iran-linked armed group, which was designated a terrorist organization by the United States in 2009, was against his nomination as prime minister. Col. Caggins noted to Al-Monitor, This coalition has supported the CTS, the Iraqi army, air force, the Iraqi army aviation and other security forces in the Ministry of Defense including peshmerga with more than $5 billion of military equipment since we responded to the invitation to defeat Daesh (IS) in 2014. He added that the CTS are exceptional at going after high-value targets including [IS] leaders, [IS] financiers, smugglers, media operatives and thats where their great training and great cooperation and great coordination with the intelligence services really works well. The Iraqi National Intelligence Service led by Kadhimi since 2016 is instead widely assumed to have been involved in the raid on the PMU based used by KH. Such an operation would presumably have required prior intelligence on the fighters present at the base. The majority of displaced Iraqis have experienced job losses, food shortages and more during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent survey by humanitarian organizations working in the country. The International Rescue Committee conducted a survey with other organizations in May of people in camps, informal settlements and places formerly displaced individuals have returned to. The interviews took place across the north and west, including the Kurdistan Region, in Ninevah, Duhok, Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Kirkuk, Salahuddin, Anbar and Diyala provinces, an International Rescue Committee spokesperson told Al-Monitor. According to the survey, 87% of those interviewed lost their jobs as a result of the lockdowns. Also, 73% reduced the amount of food they consumed due to their economic situation. And 61% said they were going into debt. Iraq has instituted a series of business closures, curfews, travel bans and restrictions on civilian movement since March. Despite these measures, coronavirus cases are climbing at around 2,000 per day, a large jump since mid-June, according to Health Ministry statistics. The number recorded today was 2,184, for a total of 53,708 with 2,160 deaths. The UN-affiliated International Organization for Migration did a report on April data that showed large percentages of small and midsize Iraqi businesses reported revenue and job losses during the pandemic. Iraqs economic situation was not good before the pandemic either. Protests against the government have continued on and off since October. One of the grievances of the protesters, who are largely young, is the lack of job opportunities in the country. There are around 1.4 million internally displaced Iraqis throughout the country, according to the UN. Many were displaced as a result of the conflict with the Islamic State that began in 2014 and have yet to go home. Security concerns, territorial disputes, poor economic conditions and other factors are contributing to continued displacement. The July 1 deadline set in March by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to begin a process of annexing up to 30% of occupied West Bank territories has come and gone, and nothing happened. There is a sense of reserved relief here in Jordan, a country whose leader, King Abdullah II, emerged as one of the most vociferous critics of the annexation, issuing on May 15 a terse warning of a massive conflict between Jordan and Israel if Israel really annexed the West Bank in July." But even though the controversial and illegal move appears to be on hold for now, Jordan is careful not to let down its guard. During a meeting with a number of military retirees July 1, the king stressed that Jordans position on the Palestinian cause remains unwavering, reaffirming that any unilateral Israeli measures to annex lands in the West Bank are unacceptable, according to a Royal Court statement cited by The Jordan Times. He added, Jordan has clearly expressed its steadfast position that such measures would undermine chances to achieve peace and stability in the region, pointing out that the kingdom was coordinating its position with a number of Arab and European countries. While rejecting any form of annexation, Jordan was particularly critical of plans to annex most of the Jordan Valley on the Palestinian side. By doing so, Israel would be severing any geographical connection between Jordan and what Amman sees as the future Palestinian state under the two-state solution. Jordan and the rest of the Arab countries have rejected the Donald Trump peace plan unveiled at the White House Jan. 28. The plan allowed Israel to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank as well as the Jordan Valley, while recognizing a Palestinian state on bits and pieces of whatever remains. It sealed the fate of East Jerusalem as well as Palestinian refugees, 2 million of whom reside in Jordan. Even as the kingdom battled the coronavirus pandemic, King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi conducted talks with leading Arab and European officials in a bid to build diplomatic momentum against annexation. The fact that a number of European countries had warned of consequences including possible economic sanctions against Israel if annexation took place is seen in Amman as the fruition of an extensive Jordanian diplomatic campaign. On June 17, King Abdullah held conference calls with US congressional leaders underscoring the danger that Israeli annexation poses to regional stability and to the peace treaty with Israel. On June 18, more than 190 Democrats in the House of Representatives sent a letter to the Israeli government arguing that unilateral annexation puts both Israels security and democracy at risk and would have a clear impact on Israels future and our vital bilateral and bipartisan relationship. While Jordanian officials did not specify what Ammans reaction would be if annexation takes place, local analysts said the king has a number of options available to him, including downgrading diplomatic ties and suspending parts of the 1994 peace treaty. On June 29, the Israeli press reported, citing unnamed Israeli officials, that King Abdullah made it clear to Israel that he will not accept even a limited annexation of West Bank land and will respond to any such move in the same way it would react to the unilateral annexation of all settlements and the Jordan Valley. The message was reportedly conveyed to the head of the Israeli Mossad, Yossi Cohen, who visited Amman in the last week of June and met with the king. The Jordanian media did not report the visit. Because of the unique historical political and demographic ties between Jordan and the West Bank, Amman sees annexation as a direct existential threat to its own stability. A poll conducted by the University of Jordans Center for Strategic Studies and published June 24 found that a majority of Jordanians believe that the biggest external threat to the kingdom is Israels planned annexation of the West Bank. Political analyst Labib Kamhawi told Al-Monitor that compared to the position of other Arab leaders, The king was the most courageous and bold. But he warned that the delay in annexation does not mean the conspiracy has failed. Kamhawi said the purpose of annexation is to erase the term occupation from the annals of the conflict, just as Israel has labeled the occupied territories as disputed territories; its a piecemeal land grab. Head of the Jerusalem Center for Strategic Studies Orieb al-Rintawi told Al-Monitor that the sword of annexation is still hanging over the Palestinians and Israel is not backing away anytime soon. He added that Israel is having a tough time swallowing a big bite of the West Bank without facing the consequences. Jordans bold position in backing Palestinian rights and threatening bilateral ties with Israel was instrumental in building an international front leaving Netanyahu by himself to confront the rest of the world. But the game is not over, he said. We have learned the hard way that partial or symbolic in Israels view soon becomes comprehensive and permanent. We should remain vigilant, he added. The Palestinian Authority told public sector employees today that it would pay them just half of their May salaries as the embattled government attempts to patch up its deepening revenue crisis. At a press conference in Ramallah today, Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bishara said the Palestinian Authoritys domestic revenues had dropped by 80% in the last four months. He added that public salaries would be paid out at 50% through the end of the year, unless the government is able to secure emergency funds. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule over the impoverished territory, announced June 4 that it would stop accepting tax revenues from Israel. The refusal was seen as a protest over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus plan to annex parts of the West Bank, land the Palestinians want for a future state. The tax revenue, which Israel collected on the authoritys behalf on goods that arrived at Israeli ports, was estimated at $190 million per month. The transfers accounted for roughly 60% of the Palestinian budget in 2019 and were expected to make up an even greater share this year as a result of the coronavirus. The World Bank projects the Palestinian economy could shrink up by to 11% in 2020. The cash-strapped Palestinian government also said last month that it would cut $105 million it sends each month to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, where the Palestinian Authority handles the wages for civil servants. In May, Israel announced it would loan the Palestinian Authority as much as $228 million over a four-month period to offset coronavirus-related losses to the economy. Syrias northwestern areas have been suffering a humanitarian crisis since April 2019. Though a cease-fire was struck in March in light of the pandemic, waves of displacement have increased the difficulties of everyday life. Six months ago, we were displaced from Maarat al-Numan to Zardana village in Idlib, and four months ago we reached Salqin, said Saeed, who asked that only his first name be used. His home in southern Idlib was under constant bombardment until regime forces took control of it in late January. Saeed has yet to find a job in Zardana to support his wife and five daughters and the family relies on modest financial and food aid from humanitarian organizations supporting displaced people in the area. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 1.4 million people had been displaced from northwestern Syria as of April 2019. Humanitarian workers are anxiously awaiting the UN Security Council to meet on July 10 and vote on extending the cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid, allowing help in without the Syrian regimes approval. The aid delivery mechanism for Syria was established by the 2014 Security Council Resolution 2165. The measure enabled the provision of assistance to Syrians in need through four border crossings: Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salama on the Turkish border, al-Ramtha on the Jordanian border and al-Yarubia with the Iraqi border. Mohammed Katoub, director of advocacy at the Syrian Center for Media and Free Expression, told Al-Monitor, Life in northwestern Syria mostly depends on humanitarian aid, a large part of which is through the resolution on cross-border aid. Katoub added, The last version of the extension was subject to negotiations and discussion in the Security Council and several drafts were written in order to reach the current version. Al-Yarubiya and al-Ramtha crossings were closed and the extension settled for two crossings, regardless of which party controlled the areas, while other areas started needing aid as well. The decision was renewed annually, but in the last vote in December 2019, it was extended for only six months, threatening the living conditions of about four million people gathered in northwestern Syria. Katoub noted, If the decision is not renewed, the situation will depend on Turkey's ability to allow the passage of goods without the Syrian governments approval, which would put it under pressure and make humanitarian aid more vulnerable to politicization, negotiation and pressure by the countries involved in the conflict. The deteriorating situation prompted Human Rights Watch to call on the Security Council June 18 to act quickly to allow the entry of humanitarian relief materials into Syria through the four crossings once again. Meanwhile, fear prevails of a military escalation or decision that blocks the flow of aid. Bread has reached prices the people in these areas cannot afford. Saeed said, We get a box of detergent and a box of biscuits for children, which we do not really care for. I have not been able to find work since we were displaced and I need to support my girls. We lost our homes and our land, but thank God anyway. The devaluation of the Syrian currency has also hurt the residents and displaced people in northwestern Syria. Belal Bayoush, a journalist residing in the Idlib countryside, told Al-Monitor, We are currently experiencing the most difficult living conditions, especially in light of the devaluation of the Syrian currency and severe poverty cases as a result of the lack of job opportunities and the recent waves of displacement. During the escalation that started in late April 2019, the regime forces and their allies took control of the northern Hama countryside and large parts of southern Idlib. Before then, the opposition-controlled areas were linked to the regime-held areas through the Murak and Qalaat al-Madiq crossings in the northern Hama countryside, Abu al-Duhur in the southern Idlib countryside, al-Rashideen in the western countryside of Aleppo, al-Eiss in the southern countryside of Aleppo, Al-Bab in the northern countryside of Aleppo and Aoun al-Dadat in the northwestern countryside of Aleppo. These crossings were the economic arteries of the opposition areas in northwestern Syria, but when areas in the northern Hama countryside and southern Idlib fell under the regimes control, the crossings were closed. New attacks could have the same result, especially as the regime reacts to the Caesar Act that entered into force on June 17. Katoub noted, Military escalation has always been the regimes go-to option. The area thus remains volatile as long as the factors of conflict and the parties involved in it exist and there is no clear political solution based on justice and sustainable peace. Will the Caesar Act increase or decrease escalation? We cannot predict how the regime will respond to it; the act targets not only the regime but its allies as well, so one way or another, it will affect the living conditions of Syrians and others. Bayoush explained, People are waiting for the end of the Russian-Turkish joint patrols on the M4 highway connecting Aleppo to Latakia to know their fate. All people talk about is an expected military action by the regime on Jabal al-Zawiya and Jisr al-Shughour, which means death and destruction will return along with targeting infrastructure and hospitals. Katoub said that disagreements and negotiations continue over opening the crossings between the regime-controlled areas and opposition areas that have been closed for many months. He explained the closures have made life even more difficult for citizens in all areas since commercial exchange has stopped and aid is no longer passing through. In the event of a siege, disaster would hit the area within days. The Lead: Israeli, Palestinian UN ambassadors discuss annexation, peace talks in podcast On Al-Monitors On the Middle East podcast this week I spoke with both Danny Danon, Israels ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, and Riyad Mansour, the ambassador and permanent observer of Palestine to the UN, about Israels plans to annex, or extend Israeli sovereignty, over Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Danon: Israel open to direct talks with Palestinians to discuss all issues Open for negotiations. Israels ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told Al-Monitor in an exclusive podcast interview, We are open for negotiations with the Palestinians. He added, however, We will not accept the outcome of the negotiations in advance...but like we did with Egypt, like we did with Jordan, we are willing to enter the room. Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu said clearly he is ready to discuss all issues. New, and slower, annexation timeline. Danon said a decision on annexation should be taken in the next few weeks, with some consideration of the US presidential election timetable. To take a decision like that before the [US] elections, I dont think that will be wise, adding that the Israeli government will put forward its plan in the next two months. Counting on support. While Danon noted the diversity of many voices among Israels supporters in the United States, he expects the majority of the Jewish community in the US will support Israels decision. Once there is a decision of an elected government, he said, you have to stand behind it. Mansour: Trump plans throw collective approach to peace by the wayside By the wayside. Ambassador Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of Palestine to the UN, flatly rejected talks with Israel and the US under the Trump peace plan, saying, This administration is trying to throw this collective effort [negotiations based on Security Council resolutions] by the wayside...We do not accept these ideas as the basis for negotiations. Collective process. Mansour added that talks should only resume as a collective process...ushered by the Security Council, the Quartet, and the Quartet Plus, so we can be sure there are several parties that can be trusted, neutral and honest broker between us and Israelis to ensure a successful political meeting that will lead to an agreement on all final status issues. Our take: Netanyahus pause in laying out his annexation plans likely primarily comes as a result of King Abdullah of Jordan, as well as consultations with US officials on the merits of a pause. Israels peace treaties with Jordan and Egypt are bedrocks of its national security policies. Those relations matter, as Ambassador Danon explains in our podcast. Nonetheless, Netanyahu is on the line to go ahead with annexation, even if the July 1 date has slipped. He may seek a watered-down annexation plan, short of extending sovereignty over all West Bank settlements, for him to keep his promise, while allowing time for more diplomacy and avoiding the kings warning of massive conflict. As for Israeli-Palestinian talks, Mansour made clear that any negotiations under the Trump plan are a non-starter, and that talks with Israel would only resume in a collective context. Danon, in contrast, emphasized that Israel is prepared, anytime, anywhere, for direct talks with the Palestinians. Listen for more: These excerpts are just a small sample of the context and insights provided in todays podcast. Tune in here for the full interviews with Ambassadors Danon and Mansour, and here for Ben Caspits podcast with former Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett. Three quick takes: Turkey; Syria; Iraq Turkey-Syria: Is Turkey finally getting control of terrorist group in Idlib? Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Movement for the Liberation of the Levant, or HTS), is the latest of al-Qaedas various permutations in Syria, ruling parts of Idlib, in northwestern Syria, with a combination of fundamentalist terror and gang-style shakedowns. HTS has been designated by both the United States and the UN Security Council as a terrorist group because of its al-Qaeda pedigree. Last stand. As HTS faces its Alamo in Idlib, with nowhere to go under siege from the Syrian military and Russian forces, the group may, finally, be considering Turkey as its last, best lifeline to regroup and fight another day. Turkey has been trying to bring HTS under control for two years as part of its agreements with Russia to secure Syrias northwest, but has mostly faltered in breaking off moderate elements from the jihadi gang. Meanwhile, Syrian and Russian forces have pummeled Idlib, creating an exodus of over 900,000 since December, and reclaiming strategic towns and highways in the province Turkish lifeline. HTS is not one of Turkeys proxy forces, and while they talk, Turkey cant control HTS. Besides, HTS moderates are an elusive and small crowd. But that may be changing, as Fehim Tastekin reports, since the latest Russia-Turkey agreement in March to secure and reopen the vital M4 Syrian highway between Aleppo and Damascus. Since then HTS has: allowed the Turkish lira to circulate in Idlib as an alternative to the embattled Syrian pound. reined in more radical elements; this has included arrests of several senior HTS figures. Under pressure. HTS, Tastekin writes, is said to be under growing pressure from Turkey to prevent attempts to block the M4 road, slated as a route for Turkish-Russian patrols, and rein in radical factions. Its rivals have come to accuse Hayat Tahrir al-Sham of taking orders from foreign powers, chiefly Turkey. Our take: Turkeys latest efforts may serve to split HTS from those who prefer a Turkish lifeline, to regroup and fight another day, from those who consider Ankaras deal with Russia a sellout, by extension, to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Turkeys diplomatic rope will at some point run out, as Syria and Russia gear up for another offensive. Read Tastekins report here. Syria: Northeast faces environmental catastrophe As if the people of northeastern Syria have not suffered enough under war, the Islamic State, economic hardship and COVID-19, a groundbreaking in-depth report reveals the region is facing an environmental catastrophe from oil pollution. Across the Kurdish-administered region, which is home to some 4 million people and sits on most of Syrias contested oil, crude oil leaking from dilapidated pipelines and carcinogenic oil waste are contaminating rivers and streams, write Dan Wilkofsky and Amberin Zaman. When the rivers flood, as they did most recently in April, they spread their poison over agricultural crops, just as thousands of rudimentary refineries belch their own toxic fumes into the air. Read the exclusive, in depth report by Wilkofsky and Zaman here. Iraq: Protesters take down statues The US is not the only country dealing with protesters defacing or topping down statues, monuments and gravesites. Iraqi demonstrators in the southern town of Nasiriyah, a hotbed of anti-government protests, recently vandalized the statue of 20th century cleric and poet Mohammed Saeed al-Haboubi. Other monuments and sites attacked in recent years include the statue of Turkmen figure Salahuddin Uji in Kirkuk, the murals of the revolution in Tahrir Square in Baghdad and the statue of the legendary poet Abu Nuwas. In May, the grave of Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, the father of Muqtada al-Sadr, was vandalized in Najaf. The perpetrators of the attacks may not be a uniform or organized movement and, as in the US, vandalizing or toppling monuments tends to accompany protests, even if done by fringe groups associated with the protests. Adan Abu Zeed has the report from Iraq here. In case you missed it: Donors conference for Syria secures $5.5 billion in pledges After nearly a decade of war and economic hardship, the scale of suffering remains shocking, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the Brussels donors conference last week. The US pledged nearly $700 million, as Elizabeth Hagedorn reports here. Over 11 million Syrians require assistance to survive. Read the UN report on the conference here. George Wells was a paramedic for a company in Montgomery when the coronavirus struck in Alabama. Once the schools shut down, Wells needed to stay home to take care of his kids. He has two minor children, and they were unable to obtain childcare, said Wells attorney Allen Arnold. He sought to exercise his rights to make an inquiry about the family and medical leave provisions, he said. Shortly thereafter, he was terminated. In a lawsuit, Wells alleges he was fired as retaliation for asking the question about whether he was eligible for COVID-19 emergency federal family leave. His workplace, Haynes Ambulance, disputes the claim. He was provided with written documentation why he was terminated, and it was for no reasons related to FMLA, said Haynes Chief Operations Officer Kirk Barrett. The Emergency Federal Medical Leave Expansion Act of 2020 (EFMLEA) benefit was passed April 1 to give families 12 weeks of leave to care for kids home from school. Alabamians were eligible as long as the state shutdown was in place. The benefit was designed to help families navigate childcare issues while school or daycare was out, but in some cases it backfired for workers. Some Alabama parents say they were terminated by employers for taking leave and are now suing in federal court. More commonly, EFMLEAs broad exemptions made it hard for many parents to qualify, sometimes making unemployment the only option. We are all getting lots of calls, said Birmingham-based attorney Jon Goldfarb. I probably talk to 10 people a week, and I cant do anything (for) them. Large workplaces, with more than 500 employees, like national chain stores, or small companies with less than 50 workers are exempt from the benefit. Healthcare employees, such as Wells, the paramedic, were not entitled to the leave. Arnold says the legislation places the largest burden on midsize businesses. Congress made an effort to protect larger employers that actually are in a better position to provide leave for school closures and COVID-19, he said. Vicki Shabo, a senior fellow at the policy think tank, New America estimates the EFMLEA excludes at least half of the working population in the United States. The limitations embedded into the emergency legislation are a huge mystery, she said And among Alabamians who do qualify for the federal leave, some have been denied by their bosses. A few of those disputes are playing out in federal court. Goldfarbs office is preparing a case for a mother who took leave when her childs daycare was closed and got fired. According to their generic absentee policy, she was just terminated, said attorney Rachel McGinley who works with Goldfarb. She was not aware of any (absences) she would have accrued at any time unless she was taking leave because her childs daycare was closed. McGinley guesses such issues arise partly because employers, who might be overwhelmed by dealing with economic stressors from the pandemic, arent familiar with the EFMLEA. In Jasper, Katie Dozier, a single mother, filed a federal lawsuit alleging she was fired from her job at the city after staying home with her 2 and 13 year-old children. Mayor, since we talked today, I have been crying and upset and do not know what I am going to do. I am a single mother and do not have anyone who can take care of my kids, she wrote in a message included in the legal complaint. Al.com could not reach Dozier, and her attorney did not respond to a request for comment. The City of Jasper declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. The lawsuit alleges the city told Dozier it had reached out to the Alabama Department of Labor about her request for EFMLEA but never heard back. The department has been overwhelmed with unemployment claims since this spring. In the suit, Dozier claims she requested EFMLEA but was told by the city to use her personal leave time instead. She says she was fired when she did not return to work. Nationwide, the struggle to navigate family and work during the pandemic has hit female workers like Dozier the hardest. Were seeing a surge of unemployment claims among women in particular, said Shabo. According to Shabo, 19 percent of the population had some form of family leave through work, prior to the pandemic, to fall back on. State unemployment data from May shows 57 percent of unemployment claims in Alabama were from women. Nearly half of claims were from workers between the ages of 25 and 44. Those who left jobs to care for children during the state shutdown are eligible for unemployment under the CARES Act, but they may have lost health insurance if they quit their jobs. To Arnold, the attorney for the paramedic, workers who didnt qualify for EFMLA faced an unfortunate choice. Do I keep my job that probably has health insurance and pays the rent? he asked. How do I balance that out with the fact my kids school is closed or my husband has COVID-19? Goldfarb says employees who did qualify risked going out on a limb to get their employers on board. Employees are having to research their rights on their own and bring them up to their employer on their own, which can be intimidating to go to your employer and say, I dont think you know what you are doing, I have the right to be off, he said. People were excited when Jeff Bezos rocket company Blue Origin signed a deal with NASA in 2019 to restore a historic Apollo test stand to test its new rocket engines at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. It would bring the sounds of rocket engines firing back to Huntsville, Blue Origin President Bob Smith said in a phrase repeated more than once by local leaders. Saturn V engine tests rattling pictures on walls in the 1960s are some of the citys most-retold memories. Those tests were a key part of turning Huntsville from a small southern town into the Rocket City. But Blue Origins plan meant much more than echoes of the glory days. It would reinforce North Alabamas place in the new space world of companies like Blue Origin, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada that are challenging legacy companies like Boeing as makers of space history. Assuming the licenses are granted, Sierra Nevada will make more new history in a few years by landing its Dream Chaser space plane at the Huntsville International Airport after missions to the International Space Station. Blue Origin knew it was taking on a big job, but restoring Test Stand 4670 turned out even bigger than the company thought. AL.com asked about the progress and the work ahead on a tour of 4670 this week. As we performed mitigation and sandblasting work, we discovered significant corrosion in the primary structure including rust that penetrated through 3-inch steel plates lead engineer Scott Henderson said. Corrosion was expected - the stand has been out in the weather since the 1960 - but holes in 3-inch steel were not. Essentially, thats where the 400 tons of steel were adding (to the stand) come into play, Henderson said. Thats not all replacing of rusted steel, but a significant part is. Some of that structural steel is unique to project to provide the stiffness necessary to very accurately measure engine thrust. The restoration means no engine testing before September 2021, but Blue Origin engine tests will happen at 4670. Historic stand Test Stand 4670 was finished in 1965. It was used to test fire the first stage of the Saturn V rocket, modified in 1974 to test the space shuttles external tank and later used to test a modified shuttle engine. It isnt on the National Register of Historic Places, but its eligible. Its one of those structures that show the size and power of rockets capable of going to the moon and the commitment and work needed to build them. Roughly 400 feet tall, the stand has four concrete support legs that are four feet thick set in bedrock 40 feet deep. It was built to test rocket engines with up to 12 million pounds of thrust. Another example of its 60s-era complexity is the way cooling water arrives to keep fiery rocket engine exhaust from melting the stands exhaust off-ramp. It comes from the Tennessee River 10 miles away by 13 diesel locomotive engines, and those engines can pump 190,000 gallons of water a minute to the stand. Young Blue Origin engineers have found the levers and dials of the engine control house one of the test sites most fascinating features. The key update to the stand is a large, horizontal deck with a hole in the center called the octagon for its shape. The steel around that hole will be fitted with specific support structures for each engine, and it will also hold the propellant tanks that will feed the engine and the thrust management systems during each test. New control rooms are also under construction with the necessary new wiring for control and communication. What Blue Origin is doing Blue Origin will use the stand to perform acceptance tests on each of the BE-3u and BE-4 engines it will build at a new rocket engine plant also in Huntsville. The engines will help boost Blue Origins own New Glenn rocket and also the giant Vulcan Centaur rocket being developed at United Launch Alliance in Decatur. An acceptance test fires each production engine for roughly 300 seconds or about 5 minutes. It proves the engine can reach and maintain the thrust it was designed for and is structurally sound. Each engine must be acceptance-tested, and Blue Origin will test roughly one a week on the stand at Marshall. The new Blue Origin engine factory that will make the engines opened in February in Huntsvilles Cummings Research Park. A tour led by plant Senior Director Eric Pacheco this week showed the steady emergence of a sophisticated system of parts supply trains that will serve massive lathes, milling machines and other tools that build rocket engines. The machines arrive in shipping containers and are laid out on the plant floor for assembly like giant 3-D puzzles. Some are already assembled, and others will be soon. None can be photographed because federal law restricts images of machinery used for national security systems. The rockets these engines will lift will carry defense satellites. The plant has 100 employees heading for roughly 450 next year operating in three shifts, five days a week, Pacheco said. The biggest challenge now is the same one affecting every business in the industrial world: COVID-19. It will be finished on time next year, Pacheco said. Why Blue Origin is committed The company is pushing forward with the stand. We made the right decision and are fully committed to it, Henderson said. There are several advantages to having the test stand in Huntsville. Propellants are easier to procure and less expensive than our Texas test site and the transportation and logistics are much more streamlined from factory to test to end customer. Its economically the right way to go in the long haul. Bezos himself has been monitoring the test stands development, and the Huntsville team said he was disappointed at the delay but understands the business. In many ways, rockets and space are his real passion, and his companys motto is Gradatim Ferociter, which is Latin for Step by Step, Ferociously. If youre building a flying vehicle, you cant cut any corners, Bezos explained in a 2016 interview. If you do, its going to be [just] an illusion that its going to make it faster. You have to do it step by step, but you do want to do it ferociously. Voters should be given a clear timeline of when requests need to be made by and when ballots need to be received by to be valid which should be several days prior to Election Day. Postage paid envelopes would eliminate the need for ballot drop off boxes. If someone requests a ballot but decides to vote on Election Day in person, they can bring their blank ballot with them and turn it in. Ballot harvesting should not be allowed at all. Voters in some parts of Alabama will need to wear masks to cast their ballots on July 14, the rescheduled runoff election that will determine which Republican will face U.S. Sen. Doug Jones in November. Jefferson County, the states most populous county, is the only one in Alabama with an ordinance requiring face coverings in public places countywide, but several cities have adopted similar laws within the city limits. Tuscaloosa, Selma and Montgomery require people to wear face masks, Mobile has an ordinance that goes into effect later today and leaders Huntsville will soon vote on a similar rule that could be in place by the runoff. Jefferson County Probate Judge Sherri Coleman Friday said the countys mask ordinance will apply to voting places. A small number of masks will be available in case of emergency, but most voters will be expected to provide their own face covering. Youve usually got a poll worker who makes sure the ballot goes into the machine all right, and that person will probably help monitor social distancing, Friday said. Many poll workers belong to high-risk groups, including those who are older and have pre-existing health conditions. Requiring masks will help protect them from catching the virus, Friday said. The county will use some coronavirus stimulus money to provide extra cleaning supplies at polling places. Voters and poll workers will be expected to maintain six feet of separation whenever possible. Madison County Probate Judge Frank Barger also announced a face mask requirement. In a statement, he said voters will also need to sanitize their hands upon entry and maintain six feet of separation. They are also encouraged to bring their own pens or pencils to mark ballots. He said the requirements could lead to some delays, but are intended to protect poll workers. Without our election workers we would be unable to properly administer an election, Barger said. Many of our election workers are either in a high-risk category themselves or care for someone in a high-risk category, and their protection while serving the community in this capacity is one of our highest priorities. Friday said she does not expect voters in Jefferson County to face delays in voting. Turnout for the election could be as low as 5 percent, she said. The county has no shortage of poll workers for the upcoming election. Republicans who voted in the primary will select candidates for U.S. Senate and two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. There is also a run off for a seat on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. Democrats will select nominees for U.S. House of Representatives District 1 and a seat on the Alabama State Board of Education. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is July 9. You can request one online or by contacting a local election official. This is an opinion cartoon. Did Russia offer bounties to the Taliban to kill U.S. troops? The White House and several Republicans have affirmed such intelligence exists and is a concern. This intel (was Trump briefed on it or wasnt he?) seems like a story that should at least spark the presidents interest. Instead, he just shuts his eyes, covers his ears and tweets, Hoax! As Aaron Blake of The Washington Post writes: The only people dismissing the Russian bounties intel are The Taliban, Russia and Trump. Why does the president always have Putins back? The Russians interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. Oh, but Trump says Putin told him he didnt do it. Ok then. No biggie. Trump has said he could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue, shoot a man and not lose a follower. Apparently, he has gifted the same kind of blind immunity to his Russian man crush. Hopefully, the whole truth will shine on this story. Our troops deserve nothing less. Happy Independence Day weekend, everybody. Happy birthday, America. Check out more cartoons by JD Crowe Once in a blue moon: The red state resistance to face masks If you have a face, put a mask on it COVID-19 cases spike, Trump blames testing Nick Saban: Portrait of a real leader Fearless Fauci more loyal to truth than to Trump Coronavirus vs the economy: Alabama dances with the devil Alabamas white supremacy playbook Supreme Court trumps Trump nightmare for Dreamers Jeff Sessions deserves to be put on a pedestal Angels of Mercy: COVID-19 nurses are the next PTSD veterans Alabama physician exorcises his coronavirus demons through art A Sumiton woman and a Montgomery man were killed Thursday in a single-car crash near the Walker County community of Empire, Alabama State Troopers report. Anna E. Jent, 20, and Justin M. Yancey, 20, were killed when the 2007 Toyota Camry Jent was driving exited the roadway and collided with a tree, according to a statement from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Jent and Yancey were pronounced dead at the scene. The crash occurred at 11:50 a.m. Thursday on Empire Road, about three miles north of Empire. No further details are available as troopers continue to investigate the crash. July 4th is Independence Day, a time to show your patriotic pride. The federal holiday marks the day in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, signaling the official separation of the colonies from Great Britain amid the Revolutionary War. Since that day, July 4, 1776 has been considered Americas birthday, making her 244 years old today. According to the Library of Congress, Philadelphians marked the first anniversary of American independence with a celebration, but it wasnt until after the War of 1812 that July 4th celebrations spread across the new nation. Congress passed a law-making Independence Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1870. The day is often celebrated with parades, fireworks shows and parties, though much of the celebrations this year have been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some facts about the Declaration of Independence from Constitutionfacts.com: Despite conspiracy theories and movies, there isnt a secret map or code on the back of the Declaration of Independence. There are words, however. An unknown person wrote Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776 on the back. Its believed that was added as a label when the document was rolled up for storage. Thomas Jefferson is often called the author of the Declaration of Independence, but he wasnt the only person who contributed important ideas. Jefferson was a member of a five-person committee appointed by the Continental Congress to write the Declaration. The committee included Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. The Declaration of Independence wasnt signed on July 4, 1776. In fact, independence was formally declared on July 2, 1776, a date that John Adams believed would be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. On July 4, 1776, Congress approved the final text of the Declaration. It wasnt signed until August 2, 1776. The two youngest signers of the Declaration of Independence were both from South Carolina. Thomas Lynch, Jr. and Edward Rutledge of South Carolina were both born in 1749 and were only 26 when they signed the Declaration. The oldest signer was Benjamin Franklin, who was born in 1706 and 70 at the time of the Declaration. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the vote to approve the Declaration of Independence. A store clerk was hospitalized Friday after a car crashed into a Midfield store. The accident happened shortly before 9 a.m. when police say a driver accidentally jumped a curb and drove into the Family Dollar on Phillips Drive. The sedan partially entered the store where a clerk was working. Police Chief Jesse Bell said the female clerk was injured, likely by falling debris. She was taken to UAB Hospital, but her injuries didnt appear life-threatening. The 59-year-old driver was not reported injured. The chief said authorities had already been in talks with the shopping center owners about putting up concrete barricades in front of stores to keep this kind of thing from happening. A North Alabama police officer was placed on administrative leave following complaints over two Facebook posts he shared, including one that mocks George Floyd. Mentone Police Officer Ross Greenwood said he was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a termination hearing after someone complained about his social media activity. Greenwood told AL.com that he was not told who complained about the posts, and Mentone Mayor Rob Hammond, who confirmed Greenwood was put on administrative leave to the Fort Payne Times-Journal, could not be reached for comment. Greenwood said he shared two posts that received complaints. One said., The Treasury Department will honor George Floyd by placing his portrait on the counterfeit $20 bill and the other said, Breaking News: Quaker Oats officially changes name to Shaquille Oatmeal. Mentone Police Officer Ross Greenwood was placed on administrative leave for sharing this Facebook post. Mentone Police Officer Ross Greenwood was placed on administrative leave for sharing this Facebook post. According to the Times-Journal, Hammond said disciplinary action was taken against Greenwood for violating the police departments code of conduct. Ive been at that police department for a year and a half full-time and I had asked for a copy of the policy. I had not received one, Greenwood told AL.com. Greenwood said he also never signed any papers documenting that he agreed to any department social media policy. The officer said he continues to display the posts on his Facebook page because he does not think the theres anything wrong with them. Theres something on Facebook thats going to offend somebody, he said. Theres posts going around of police officers getting their throats cut. That offends me. But I dont get out of shape. I just think, Wow, thats pretty rough. A second employee at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women has died. The Alabama Department of Corrections announced the death Thursday night. Officials did not identify the employee but said the staff member recently tested positive for COVID-19. No other details were made available. The ADOC extends its heartfelt condolences to the employees family and loved ones during this difficult time and is gratefully for the employees service to the department,' spokeswoman Linda Mays said in a prepared statement. The employee is the ADOCs second COVID-19 death of a staff member or contract worker statewide, both of them at Tutwiler in Wetumpka. The first was just one week ago Thursday, June 25. ADOC has not released either employees name. There are 84 active COVID-19 cases among ADOC staff and contracted staff. There 87 staff members who previously self-reported a positive test who have been cleared by medical providers to return to work. To date, nine inmates have died statewide after testing positive for the virus, including three since Saturday. Seventy-five total cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among the inmate population, 43 of which remain active. * Username This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Choose wisely! Still, he said he was concerned by cuts to programs aimed at stemming the violence in Baltimore, particularly the loss of the new prosecutors in Froshs office. The attorney generals prosecutions are critical, he said, because they take on complex cases and criminal networks that span jurisdictions. By the end of April this year in one of the countries hardest-hit by COVID-19, an oil-rich nation of some 300 million people including a large Muslim population, more than one in five households did not have enough to eat. Even prior to the pandemic, the situation had been dire with nearly 14 percent of the population dependent on food aid, one in every six children not having consistent access to food and nearly a million suffering from chronic malnutrition. The situation is today complicated not just by disease which has claimed tens of thousands of lives but also by tribally driven, political unrest and fears of bloodshed should the results of the fast-approaching November presidential elections be disputed. Following violent clashes between protesters and police as well as reports of looting, the military has been called out into the streets to preserve order. Journalists have been especially targeted by authorities in the crackdown and thousands of demonstrators across the country have been arrested. The political unrest also appears to have been inflamed by the fact that the pandemic has mostly devastated historically poor and marginalised communities including ethnic minorities and immigrants. What does a humanitarian crisis look like? What sorts of images does the phrase call forth? The Humanitarian Coalition, a grouping of Canadian aid agencies, defines a humanitarian emergency as an event or series of events that represents a critical threat to the health, safety, security or wellbeing of a community or other large group of people, usually over a wide area. It goes on to point out that humanitarian emergencies arise when man-made or natural disasters affect poor and vulnerable populations such as children, the poor, and immigrants or refugees who are unable to fend for themselves. By this definition, would you say the situation in the United States over the last few weeks described above qualifies? It can be a bit disconcerting to think about how humanitarian crises around the world are reported on and the stereotypes embedded in the language that is used. When events happen in certain parts of the world, the media is apt to use particularly colourful descriptions and adjectives you rarely hear the United Kingdom described as an oil-rich, island nation presided over by an ageing monarch as well as more vivid imagery just compare the published photographs of COVID-19 in Europe and the US with those of the 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa. This is partly because journalists, especially that anachronistic breed the foreign correspondent are stuck in a bygone age. Many still produce reports utilising tropes that exoticise parts of the world and that are aimed at home audiences but which will be published online and seen by people across the world, including their subjects. This generates unnecessary dissonances and controversies. But the descriptions also reflect a less innocent attribute of the current world order that it is based on and perpetuates a racist international hierarchy with white Europe (and her diaspora in North America and Australia) at the top and Black Africa at the bottom. In this telling, the developed nations of the global north are the custodians of wealth and civilisation and the global south is the site of poverty, natural maladies and crises. It is the humanitarian duty, so the story goes, of the enlightened West to help out her less fortunate neighbours who are cursed by incompetent and kleptocratic governance as well as a proclivity to have too many babies. This framing is also evident in how the media reports other stories. For example, when authoritarian presidents in the developing countries appoint close relatives with no experience to senior government positions, use their offices to enrich themselves and their cronies, use police forces to clobber peaceful protesters and meddle with voter registration to prevent opposition supporters from casting their ballots, they are normally called out for what they are: Brutal, nepotistic, corrupt, power-hungry regimes. When it happens in the US, much softer language is employed. Elections, for example, may be interfered with or voting suppressed, but are not actually rigged or stolen. Nepotistic, corrupt and brutal are not constant adjectives that are welded to descriptions of the Trump administration (which is also almost never referred to using the evil-sounding descriptor, regime). Portraying the world like this has real-life consequences. It allows both audiences and policymakers to construct an alternate reality where the globe is divided between honest, hardworking and benevolent whites on the one hand, and lazy, incompetent, poverty-stricken Black people on the other. It reinforces the pattern identified by Elizabeth Minnich, as related by Peggy McIntosh in her 1990 article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack: Whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average, and also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work which will allow them to be more like us. This is reflected in the global discourse in the preference for morally neutral terms like developed and under-developed which hide the reality of systemic and relentless extraction and impoverishment. This world view has no room for inconvenient facts like the continuing legacy of the slave trade and colonialism as well as that Africa is actually a net creditor to the rest of the world a 2014 analysis of 39 African countries found that what had been extracted from them between 1970 and 2010 and parked offshore was more than four times as much as they owed in external debt, and nearly equal to what they had received in foreign direct investment and aid combined. It also drives what American author Teju Cole called the White Savior Industrial Complex, which prioritises having a big emotional experience that validates privilege above justice and addressing the racist systems of oppression and extraction that buttress that privilege at the cost of immiserating a large proportion of the globe. Beyond that, it prevents would-be white saviours from recognising similar problems in their own society: The homeless and hungry on their doorsteps and the failing systems that produce incompetent, unaccountable and despotic populists like Trump. According to the Suffering in Silence report produced annually by CARE International, nine of the 10 most under-reported humanitarian crises of 2019 were happening in Africa, the sole exception being North Koreas malnutrition calamity. It cites the European Commissions definition of forgotten humanitarian crises as those that receive insufficient international aid and attention, notably in terms of media coverage. But by these measures, does the situation in the US not qualify as one? Using consistent language when reporting on humanitarian crises is critical to helping audiences recognise them wherever they occur in the world, and especially in their own backyards. Charity, after all, is meant to begin at home. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. The modern lynching of George Floyd struck a global nerve. The image of a white officer crushing the neck of a Black man triggered a collective trauma that resonated in more than 50 countries and on six continents. People poured into the streets and transmuted rage and raw emotion into a movement unseen in the United States for half a century. Police, showing their true colours, responded with tear gas, which hung oppressively in the air in an attempt to quell and suffocate the protesters indignation. Floyds last breath stoked the fires of global outrage. We revolt simply because, for many reasons, we can no longer breathe, Frantz Fanon prophetically said. His words capture this collective asphyxiation. In the case of Floyd and the protesters demonstrating in his honour globally, the inability to breathe is quite literal. This metaphoric suffocation is indicative of a broader policy change that expands the so-called war on terror into a noose around Black Americas neck. Understanding this expansion requires understanding the American military and its connection with policing. Few Americans realise they are citizens of an empire, one with hundreds of military bases in more than a third of the worlds sovereign nations. The criminalisation of Black and brown Muslim people abroad as terrorists influences the treatment of their American counterparts at home. American police end up with military-grade weapons. The same tools of indiscriminate carnage used in Mogadishu and Baghdad wound up in the hands of the PoPo. However, excess military supplies are not the only things police inherit from the military. Americas conquests serve as training exercises for the boys in blue. Policing practices have been continuously informed by counterinsurgency warfare, which is just a euphemism for crimes against humanity. How Eyad Hallaq, a disabled Palestinian, was murdered and dehumanised by an outgrowth of American foreign policy, sets the tone for sanctioning Black and brown bodies for violence in places like Minnesota. The imperial tactics of torture and suppression that stole the lives of countless Muslims took George Floyds life, too, on the streets of Minneapolis. The war on terror creeps onto Black America through the institution of policing. Police do domestically what the American military does internationally: extracting resources while suppressing the locals. The US was built on a principle of racial exclusivity yet was dependent on non-white labour. The establishment of policing governs this central contradiction. The police were put in charge of suppressing communities of colour while society exploited them. This dynamic continued beyond the polices origins as slave patrols and lynch mobs. In the words of the deputy director of the immigrant defence project, Mizue Aizeki, The real function of policing is really to maintain social control and an unequal status quo. Essentially, police are the vanguard of systemic inequality. It is well known that police behave differently in the barrio than they do in the suburbs. The police enter impoverished and minority areas like a foreign occupation, treating the inhabitants with contempt. Huey P Newton once noted the disparate practices: In America, Black people are treated very much as Vietnamese people or any other colonized people Newton became cognisant of the parallel experiences between Black and brown folks within the US and the Black and brown people outside the US who are under Uncle Sams imperial boot. The fear of Islamic terrorism has further given the police an excuse to militarise. Institutional Islamophobia sees Muslims as potential subversives in a civilisational war with savagery. 9/11 gave police another reason to go to war with the American people, especially those who lay at the intersection of Islam and Blackness. Islamophobia and anti-Blackness converge into the crosshairs fixated on the Somali American community, mostly concentrated in Minneapolis. COINTELPRO, a federal government programme that upheld white supremacy through murdering Black activists, gave birth to our modern CVE and TVTP programmes. The malformed TVTP essentially is a thought-policing programme designed to criminalise American Muslims who do not pursue Andy Griffith-style assimilation or McCarthyite allegiance to fascism. These programmes fixate on crushing dissent and coercing conformity from the Somali community. The toxic energy and funding that went into TVTP helped fuel the atmosphere and the militarised police apparatus that lynched George Floyd. Popular political discourse paints ugly pictures of Black protesters with the same brushes it uses to demonise developing countries rebellion. Even the lexicon of counterterrorism has been imported from Gaza and Kabul to criminalise the new Black Intifada. Respectability politics made sure to prioritise the value of readily replaceable property over the lives of Black folks. Designating protesters and looters as terrorists obscures the moral realities of anti-racist resistance. It also links Black Power to monsterised depictions of Muslims abroad. Black people and Indigenous Americans are two-and-a-half and three times more likely to die in police custody, respectively. That is not surprising when we understand the police as an extension of a military that continues settler colonialism beyond its borders. With the growing demand to defund or abolish police that followed Floyds murder, it would seem that the recent protests have been successful in catapulting a new discourse into the popular conversation on police. Riots, once described by Martin Luther King Jr as the language of the unheard, have proven to be more audible than lawful dissent. However, Newtons third law of motion dictates, for every widespread political shift, we can expect a fascist push back. Donald Trump took advantage of the situation by exaggerating the threat of rioting to assume unprecedented power. In a sith-like political manoeuvre, Trump threatened to invoke a 203-year-old law that would effectively grant him the authority to wage war against Black America and its allies. Like a narcissistic tyrant, he manipulates the fear of Black protest to exalt himself further on a pedestal of militarised police brutality. It is no coincidence that the highest-level authority in our military-executive branch is asking permission to treat Black protesters like a foreign military invasion. Although Trump ultimately failed and the political protests have slowly receded, the attempt to wage war on Black America is telling. With Trumps abuse of the Insurrection Act, the expansion of the war on terror to Black America will be official. The police and the American military empire are two heads on the same Cerberus. They defend the underworld of systemic injustice, domestically, and abroad. By expanding the focus of the war on terror apparatus to include Black people, racist forces have unwittingly pushed Black and Muslim liberation movements even closer together than they already are. The trauma of surveillance, racial criminalisation and murder of innocent people is blurring the lines between Blackness and the Muslim international. This world failed George Floyd, Eric Garner, Eyad Hallaq and so many more who suffocated under its oppressive weight. If our adversaries unified, then Black Power and the Muslim international need closer alliances than ever if we are to collectively breathe again. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Buena Vista, CO (81211) Today Mostly sunny. High 78F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low near 50F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Few places were harder hit than Little Village, sometimes known as the capital of the Mexican Midwest. Many people got sick. Some died. In the consequent economic crash, thousands were laid off. Most of those who kept their jobs were poorly paid and doing work that exposed them to the virus, which they risked bringing home. Feeding a hundred families a week was no match for the need. She had almost given up when she was approached by a member of Increase the Peace, a community organization in Back of the Yards, who told her she could apply for a $500 grant from the group. By last week, the group had distributed money to 59 street vendors across Chicago. Its distributed a total of $29,500, all raised by community members through a GoFundMe created in May. Lake Charles, Louisiana (70615) Today Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 73F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 73F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible. A prominent Christian minister said that Jesus does not want us to dismiss the grievances of Black Lives Matter protesters. Republicans are working on police reform. A pundit on TV advised Republicans to learn how to talk to black people and offer more economic programs. These solutions to dealing with racial chaos driven by BLM sound reasonable. However, what sticks in my craw is the presumption that white America and police are harming blacks. Folks, that simply is not true. And what is this nonsense about learning to talk to black people? President Ronald Reagan's generic appeals to all Americans inspired me tremendously. Why is it assumed that blacks must be courted with new government targeted initiatives and handouts? In some areas, blacks are getting the short end of the stick because of their brain-dead loyalty to voting for Democrats. More free stuff will not fix the moral problems which plague urban black communities. The American people are awesome, the most generous and fair-minded people on the planet. As for the supposed need for police reform, overwhelmingly, data confirms that the greatest defenders of black lives over the years have been police. Black-on-black homicides are on the rise due to police being removed from black neighborhoods. And yet, leftists who portray themselves as paragons of compassion for minorities are clamoring to defund and insanely disband police departments. Cruel Democrat governors, mayors, and city councils have begun defunding their police. Outrageously, Minneapolis city council members who voted to eliminate their police force hired private security which cost taxpayers $4500 a day. Around 1976, my cousin had a nervous breakdown. He held his two toddler sons in the basement, threatening to kill them and himself. I can't remember if he had a gun or a knife. His terrified wife phoned 911 and me. Two white cops showed up. The young slim cop dashed into the Baltimore row-house. The older morbidly-obese cop waddled up the steps into the house and made his way to the basement door. While wiping sweat and trying to catch his breath, he calmly mentored the distraught young black man. C'mon son, I know how you feel. But you don't want to do this. Amazingly, the awesome cop talked my cousin out of the basement with his sons unharmed. My cousin received the emotional help he needed. To fulfill their mission to transform America into a socialist/communist country, Democrats, fake news media, and anarchists promote the lie that cops awaken every morning with the intention of murdering as many blacks as possible. Selling this lie to low-info Americans is evil beyond words. My brother Jerry, the other Christian conservative Republican in our black family, phoned me to chat about the BLM chaos. Jerry said several years ago, one of our grandparents confronted him extremely concerned. There is something wrong with the way you think. One day Jerry heard a guy on the radio explaining the differences between Democrats and Republicans. Jerry had a eureka moment, So that's what's wrong with me, I'm a Republican! We laughed. The guy Jerry heard on the radio was Rush Limbaugh. We discussed how for years, we have given black friends and family irrefutable evidence of how the Democratic party is not our friend. Democrats founded the KKK -- they destroyed the black family they push for government programs which imply that we are inferior and stupid -- they champion Planned Parenthood, which was founded by racist Margaret Sanger to exterminate blacks. Obama's presidency was a disaster for black wealth. Before Democrats' intentionally created COVID hysteria to crush Trump's remarkable economy, blacks were enjoying unprecedented prosperity and historic low unemployment. Frustratingly, none of these truths effect their brain-dead loyalty to Democrats. They passionately believe Republicans and Trump are racists and mean. Jerry concluded that they are totally brainwashed. While I concur to a point, I believe a majority of blacks do not know who Democrats truly are because fake news media covers for them, portraying them in an angelic light. Jerry referenced the Michael Jackson song, Man in the Mirror. He said blacks should make the person they see in the mirror fully responsible for their lives rather than viewing themselves as victims, always looking for someone else to blame. I have always had a huge problem with white liberals selling blacks the lie that their success or failure depends upon whites. Real black empowerment is realizing that success or failure is dependent upon you and God. Jerry shared a few racial incidents. Years ago, he was walking through a trailer park. He saw a beautiful little white girl wearing a diaper. Upon seeing him, she became extremely excited, happily waving at him. Grinning ear to ear she said, Hi n*****! Hi n*****! Jerry smiled and waved back. Clearly, that child was taught racism. On the flip side of that coin, a countless number of whites have told me the n word was never said nor tolerated in their home. For several years, Jerry worked as a truck driver. His coworker was a racist white guy. As senior driver, Jerry had first preference to take Christmas off. Jerry told the racist driver, You have two small kids. Spend Christmas with your family. I'll work. Jerry said he will never forget the stunned look on the guys' face. Jerry said so much racism is rooted in ignorance. Jerry's white employer hired part-time helpers. A young black guy was assigned to work with Jerry that day. Upon making their delivery, the client gave Jerry a check which he turned in. Management called Jerry into the office. Someone had attempted to erase the payable to name on the check. Management knew Jerry would never do such a thing. As fate would have it, Jerry bumped into his former black helper at a gas station. Jerry gave the guy a severe tongue lashing. They think we are criminals and people like you make it worse! Jerry approached a new black hire on his job. Attempting to mentor the young man, Jerry advised him to get a haircut, pull up his pants, and get work gloves and boots. This would cause management to take notice and promote him much sooner. The young man gave Jerry a stone-face stare and walked away. Brother and sister Americans, in any way you can, regardless of how small, you must push back against the evil seeking to dominate and transform our country. Jerry confided that family members are embarrassed by my YouTube videos supportive of Trump and against BLM. This tells me God wants me to do more videos. Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American Help Lloyd Spread the Truth https://www.trumptrainusa2020.com/ http://LloydMarcus.com There might be something to the old hippie line about making love, not war. Crushing last decades violent Islamist uprisings in the Middle East took brute military force, but homegrown Islamist extremism among American Muslims may be more vulnerable to a different sort of weapon. When it comes to human sexuality, there is a non-negotiable conflict between Western progressivism and Islamist ideology. Indeed, leftists and Islamists are so strict in their conflicting orthodoxies on sex and gender that the former have ended many careers over dissent from their dogma, while the latter have ended many lives over dissent from theirs. Commentators on the right, including this author, tend to portray American leftists as the proverbial useful idiots of the Islamists, feeding the rest of the West into the jihadist crocodile maw, and hoping to go in last. Perhaps we have underestimated the left: in Boston at least, it might well eat the crocodile. Boston has been the scene of many audacious firsts in the modern sexual revolution. Now its aggressive sexual liberty activists are pressing local mosque leaders to renounce their stances on homosexuality. At the same time, modern pleasures are gradually seducing local Muslim youth away from the darker religious orthodoxy that, since 9/11, has produced over a dozen homegrown Islamist terrorists in the Boston area. On the surface, it is hard to detect any conflict between leftists and Islamists in Boston. In my recently-published book, Terror in the Cradle of Liberty: How Boston Became a Center for Islamic Extremism, I document the lovefest between Bostons far-left political establishment and the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB), the controversial group that runs Bostons largest mosque. In the first years of the Trump administration, squads of leftist politicians, rabbis, ministers, and priests made their pilgrimages to the ISB mosque to denounce the Presidents counterterrorism policies from the mosques pulpit, and to organize for the Democrats. Senator Elizabeth Warren showed up, as did the Boston mayor and two successive Boston police commissioners -- with one proclaiming: We are all Muslims deep inside. The lesbian Massachusetts attorney general, Maura Healey, came to show her support. The chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court -- the first state high court in the nation to recognize gay marriage -- came four years in a row. In 2018, he told the ISBs members, as long as things are being said in our nations capital that might cause you to wonder whether your constitutional rights will be honored, I will continue to come, and praised the ISBs preacher as a man of justice. Just one week before hearing from the chief justice, that same ISB audience listened to that same ISB preacher, Imam Yasir Fahmy, screaming that behind fornication and the freedom to please myself sexually in any way that I want behind all of that is a very big injustice. According to Imam Fahmy: When Allah talks about the types of relationships that a person is allowed to have, and he says that it is the marriage between a man and the woman in holy matrimony, in accordance with the Quran and Sunna, then that is haq [the truth]. Anything other than that is baatil [falsehood]. These are not things that we are allowed to negotiate over. Imam Fahmys predecessor at the ISB, Imam Suhaib Webb, had gone even further, preaching that Muhammad cursed the man who imitates a woman, and that Muslims must oppose gay marriage by any means necessary. When Massachusetts leftists, many of whom have personally played pioneering roles in the global movement to legalize same-sex marriage, found out about these sermons, they put the squeeze on the ISB and its imams. Imam Webb tried to save his standing in Boston by privately confessing to a gay Jewish leader that he was wrong about same-sex marriage and swearing to him that he repented after meeting with gay congregants and humanizing their struggles some months ago. Apparently, this was not enough, and the imam had to go on record in the Boston Globe as having rethought the gay marriage issue. Since nothing is ever enough for the left, the imam lost his job anyway. Early last year, my organization ridiculed New Englands leftist politicians for embracing his equally homophobic replacement, Imam Fahmy. Late last year, Imam Fahmy resigned as the ISBs imam. The pilgrimages of politicians to the ISBs mosque have since stopped. Love won, as the left always likes to say. The real threat to Islamist extremism in Boston, however, is not coercion from the citys left, but seduction from the citys good life. Indeed, urban modernity might be grinding away at fundamentalism within Islam, much as it is eroding Western traditional faiths. In a March sermon at the ISBs Boston mosque, John Robbins, executive director of the Hamas-affiliated Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) branch in Massachusetts, hit upon the irreconcilable problem Islamism faces in a free society. Robbins was fatalistic about the ISB mosques outliving their current congregations, and told the parents listening that they are wrong to think: As long as we can keep [our children] away from anything that is haram [forbidden], well be doing fine As long as we can protect them and insulate them from illicit images, from drugs and alcohol, from interactions with the opposite gender that are not in a halal [permissible] environment. But I hate to break it to you, the moment that they get in their hands a smartphone all of that goes out the window. Ironically, Robbinss young fellow CAIR Massachusetts board member Nadeem Mazen was caught cruising the libertine smartphone dating app Tinder a few years back -- while publicly claiming repressive sexual practices like the burqa to be a devout Muslim, defending, and insisting that trying to foist secular attitudes on Muslims is imperialist and inherently immoral. Ilhan Omar, another CAIR-backed American Muslim who claims to be devoutly religious, has recently been enjoying a secular lifestyle that could get her stoned to death in her native Somalia. Seventy years ago, the ideological father of modern jihad, Said Qutb, came to America from Egypt to study at the University of North Colorado and, like CAIRs Nadeem Mazen, pretended not to like what he saw. According to Qutb: The American girl is well acquainted with her bodys seductive capacity... in the round breasts, the full buttocks, and in the shapely thighs, sleek legs and she shows all this and does not hide it. Now it appears, in the judgement of those who know them best, an awful lot of Muslim American girls may turn out to be no different; and many of them, along with many Muslim American boys, care little about Qutb. Theyre making love, not jihad. President Ronald Reagan once said: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didnt pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. While it may have taken more than a generation, Reagans insight has been proven right. What our beloved American nation has undergone the past month has been an almost near collapse of law and order that threatens the democratic form of government the Framers of our Constitution created. Under the pretension of fighting for civil rights, the rioters, who are nothing other than left-wing anarchists, have torn down or defaced monuments even those who fought against institutional slavery, such as Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. The thugs have had the blessings of elected officials on all levels to carry out their anarchist revolution since the police force has been prevented from using necessary force to stop them -- keep in mind that many key government officials, like New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio have advocated to defund the police. What these anarchists and many Democrat Party members want is to destroy our democracy in lieu of a Marxist-type of government. There is one reason for this. [I]t is utterly clear, as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich recently stated, that [they] hate America, and they will do whatever it takes to make sure it is annihilated. The animosity is primarily due to the fact that we as Americans no longer have a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, [whereas] we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor, as Thomas Jefferson wrote. This is because, under the false understanding of separation between Church and state as guaranteed by the First Amendment, despite being One Nation Under God, God has been stricken from society. Once this is accomplished, as Reagan said: If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under. Yet this socio-cultural revolution did not begin overnight. It has, in fact, been boiling for quite some time. Gingrich explained: All of this is the result of three generations of brainwashing going back at least to Herbert Marcuse, the German-born University of California, San Diego professor who taught young Americans the philosophical foundation of Marxism in the 1960s. As early as 1972, Theodore White was warning that the liberal ideology was becoming a liberal theology and dissent was less and less acceptable to the left. We have watched the hard left, the America hating totalitarians who want to define acceptable speech, as they took over the academic world. The college boards -- made up of supposedly sound community leaders -- refused to fight. Public universities and colleges continued to hire vehement anti-American professors, the state legislatures and governors refused to fight. Alumni continued to give to schools, which were teaching their own children and grandchildren to despise them. All this has been materialized in the ideology Your rights end where my emotions begin. Like the Islamic terrorists, such as Boko Haram and ISIS, there is no way to reason with those who are seeking to undermine our freedoms. The enemies of America, which includes most of the mainstream media that gives the socio-cultural revolutionists prime-time coverage, are driven, as Gingrich indicated, by pure hatred of what America stands for. Many of these misguided souls tend to justify their belligerence by associating the personal misgivings of our Founders, which we all have, to the actual form of government they created. Their erroneous conclusion is that American society is de facto evil. This is just as bad as saying that just because there are some rotten fruits in the Catholic Church, as evident by its recent scandals -- and I speak as a Roman Catholic priest -- Christianity in itself is evil. After the U.S. helped with the First World War, it underwent numerous terrorist attacks by pro-communist rebels. Inspired by the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, as explained by Adam Quinn in his dissertation The Long Red Scare, these anarchists sought a stateless, egalitarian society was the very antithesis of the patriotic, capitalistic culture of post-war America. Though not all anarchists believed in violent revolution, to some in the U.S. government, all anarchists were thought to be guilty of believing in this dangerous ideology and were also guilty of political association with terrorists. President Woodrow Wilson, whose personal name and legacy in trying to create the League of Nations -- for good or for bad -- have both been recently tarnished, said: Hyphenated Americans [who] have poured the poison of disloyalty into the very arteries of our national life... Such creatures of passion, disloyalty and anarchy must be crushed out. With the unpopular Sedition Act of 1918 -- originally meant to suppress any criticism of the U.S. governments role against the Germans in World War I -- and the Palmer Raids of 1919 and 1920, President Wilson had various foreign anarchists, communists and radical leftists arrested; a number of them were subsequently deported. Abraham Lincoln had also understood that preserving the Union, especially after the Confederates attacked Fort Sumter -- giving birth to the Civil War -- meant unpopular steps had to be taken. Hence, the reason he suspended the writ of habeas corpus, which granted military authorities during the War the necessary authority to silence dissenters and rebels. Thomas Paine famously said: These are times that try mens souls. I am not advocating that President Donald Trump should take the same measures as Lincoln or Wilson. However, our country is in the midst of a socio-cultural war and he as to act this very moment to suppress the adversaries of our American lifestyle before it is too late. If not, not only will this phenomenon continue, he could also risk losing the presidential election to the Democrats in November, and then our nation would truly be in the brink of extinction. The arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell (July 2) as an accessory to the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein provides us an opportunity to take a quick look back at the integrity and dependability of some quite recent stories. She was reportedly hiding out at an estate in New Hampshire. Ghislaine Maxwell was hiding out in a luxury home on a 156-acre estate in New Hampshire where she fled to a bedroom when the feds rang the bell at the gate ahead of her arrest, The Post has learned. New York Post (July 2) That report seems reliable. However, on June 21, less than two weeks ago, The New York Post reported: Ghislaine Maxwell reportedly hiding from the feds in plush Paris apartment Jeffrey Epstein's alleged "madame," Ghislaine Maxwell, has reportedly fled to her native France. The socialite on the run has bunkered down in a plush Paris apartment as the FBI investigates her connection to the billionaire convicted pedophile and alleged sex trafficker, The Sun reported Saturday. That seems odd. A New York newspaper had fallen for a false story a mere two weeks ago?! Nothing gets by the New York press. Of course, in defense of the New York Post, it was merely citing The Sun as a source. Yet the story seemed plausible, as The Sun had an outside photo shot of her hideaway, even giving the street address as "Avenue Matignon, in Paris's exclusive 8th Arrondissement." Everything but her phone number. If one assumes that the N.Y. Post and The Sun were on top of their game, then Ms. Maxwell must have flown back from France to New Hampshire, to make it that much easier for the FBI to arrest her. Oxygen reported about a month ago: Since Epstein's 2019 arrest, she has reportedly been in hiding. She's been rumored to be everywhere from Israel to France, ABC News reported in January. And, sure enough, ABC did report some rumors on Jan. 30. Various press reports have placed her in Massachusetts, California, France and Israel, yet none of those sightings has been confirmed. ABC Confirmed? Let's look at that Massachusetts rumor. It seems that Heavy.com also repeated the Massachusetts rumors in May 2020. Two sources! It had to have been true. And the California rumor? That was reported in August 2019 with a photograph where Ms. Maxwell was supposedly eating at an In-N-Out Burger in Los Angeles. It had to be true. It was in the New York Post. The Post found the socialite hiding in plain sight in the least likely place imaginable a fast-food joint in Los Angeles. NY Post But wait, also in May 2020, The Daily Mail wondered: Is Ghislaine Maxwell hiding out at Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch? The Daily Mail The Zorro Rancho is in New Mexico. What? New Mexico, Massachusetts, California, Israel, and France? Ms. Maxwell got around. No wonder the FBI couldn't find her. In May 2020, Cheatsheet noted: As of early 2019, Maxwell was reportedly living in Manchester by the Sea in Massachusetts. And by August of 2019, the New York Post reported that she was spotted in Los Angeles. Since Epstein's death, tabloids and newspapers have been trying to track down Maxwell's whereabouts, and some have even offered rewards for information on her location. This woman was harder to find than Waldo. Not to be outdone, The Daily Mail reported in January that she was in both the U.K. and Israel: An explosive new report has asserted that deceased sex criminal Jeffery Epstein and his alleged 'madame' Ghislaine Maxwell were foreign intelligence 'assets', and that she is currently hiding in a safehouse in Israel. 'She is not in the US, she moves around. She is sometimes in the UK, but most often in other countries, such as Israel, where her powerful contacts have provided her with safe houses and protection,' the source said. ... Maxwell is being 'protected because of the information she has on the world's most powerful people,' the source said. The Daily Mail This story also had to be true, as it was repeated on Jan. 2, 2020. Prince Andrew's pal Ghislaine Maxwell 'hiding from the FBI in an Israeli safe house' The FBI want to investigate the British socialite over her friendship with the late paedophile Jeffery Epstein but the 58-year-old claimed to be his 'madam' appears to have vanished. The Mirror In October 2019 (after an update), the press reported: Jeffrey Epstein's alleged co-conspirator lived a low-key life in this tony seaside town in New England, neighbors say[.] Boston.com Around the same time in October, the New York Post wondered if Ms. Maxwell had gone down South America Way. Jeffrey Epstein's alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell has been hiding in Brazil along with the French modeling scout accused of recruiting girls for the late pedophile, according to a report. New York Post The Australian, in March 2020, reported rumors that Ms. Maxwell might have been in the French Alps. There have been unconfirmed sightings here and there, hints of couch surfing at a chalet in the French Alps or at a luxurious weekender at Manchester-By-The-Sea in Massachusetts. She may have taken up residence in Israel. She may be in any one of a number of countries that don't have extradition agreements with the US. - The Australian And then the Australian added, quite insightfully: Someone must know where Ghislaine Maxwell is but they're not letting on. But wait... The Daily Mail reported in August: Ghislaine Maxwell STAGED In-N-Out photo in Los Angeles with her close friend and attorney, using confidante's dog Dexter in the snapshot[.] Daily Mail You mean the Los Angeles photograph was staged? Possibly false? Was it Photoshopped? Was it an old photo? So why were other newspapers reporting that she might have been in California. At this point, one might be suspicious that the press is dishonest maybe they were being paid to report false stories to throw the authorities off the track. Nah! The press is an unimpeachable engine of democracy. So, I am going to take a stab. And see if I am not right. Within a week or two, Ghislaine Maxwell will regrettably and be sure it will be regrettably come down with a severe, and I do mean severe, case of coronavirus. She will die. Why? Because when she was arrested, she was not wearing a mask. Her bad! Photo illustration by Monica Showalter with use of screenshot detail from shareable Netflix video on YouTube, and public domain images from Public Domain Pictures and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department, via Wikimedia Commons. In addition, there will be six feet of separation between tables and the club will be disinfected between performances. The clubs are going paperless and cashless, with extra cleaning of barware health screenings for staff. Masks are required for entry and while patrons are not at their seats. More information about upcoming schedules and additional precautions at www.zanies.com. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) was established decades ago as an organization to combat anti-Semitism. However, under the new leadership of Jonathan Greenblatt, a former high-level partisan of the Obama administration, the ADL has made its focus the destruction of political conservatism and President Trump. Worse, under Mr. Greenblatt, it has betrayed its original mission of fighting anti-Semites by forging a new partnership with one of America's most notorious anti-Semites, Al Sharpton. Anti-Defamation League national director and CEO Jonathan Greenblatt has come under fire from Jewish groups for appearing on the MSNBC show "Politics Nation With Al Sharpton" on Sunday to promote the ADL's call for corporations to boycott Facebook in July over its unwillingness to ban hate speech on the social-media giant's platform. While the message seems on target with ADL's work, the idea of partnering with someone like Sharpton, who has a history of anti-Semitism and other bigotry, is hypocritical, if not counterproductive, they say. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Simon Wiesenthal Center's associate dean and director of global social action, suggested that it was wrong of Greenblatt to appear the show since the well-known reverend, who these days makes more television appearances then leads a congregational flock, has never apologized to the Jewish community for his words and actions. So much is it dedicated to destroying President Trump and political conservatives that it has found in Sharpton a preferred bedfellow. Those acquainted with New York City history are well aware that not so long ago, Sharpton incited rioters, culminating in the deadly anti-Jewish Crown Heights pogrom. He also referred in a speech to Jews as "diamond merchants." He created the racist Tawana Brawley hoax, falsely accusing white men of raping a young black woman. His demagoguery at his National Action Network week after week to drive white "interlopers" out of Harlem provoked the massacre at Freddy's Fashion Mart, a Jewish merchant. He also has the ignominious status of calling Israel a place of hell. He has never formally apologized for any of these remarks or actions. Al Sharpton became a very wealthy man by perfecting a tactic first used by Jesse Jackson called the shakedown. Corporations are threatened with the label "racist," yet suddenly they can be cleared of charges if they financially help the Sharpton or Jackson organizations and associated enterprises. Mr. Greenblatt has used the ADL's historic good name to threaten businesses and social media that allow Mr. Trump and other conservatives to fully express their opinions on current events. Mr. Greenblatt recently saw success in bringing to their knees many corporations who were frightened by Mr. Greenblatt's threat of associating them with racism and hate speech. Mr. Greenblatt is furthering his agenda by partnering with the like-minded Al Sharpton in cowing corporate America against Mr. Greenblatt's and Mr. Sharpton's political enemies. Greenblatt is using the specter of anti-Semitism or racism even against public officials who are ardent supporters of Israel and friends of the Jewish people but do not share Mr. Greenblatt's crusade against political conservatives. Through the exploitation of the historic reputation of the ADL, he seeks to intimidate a good-willed America public. He has made the ADL a defamation. Rabbi Spero is spokesman for the Conference of Jewish Affairs and author of Why Israel Matters to You and can be heard MondayThursday, 8:00 P.M. on CRN Digital Talk radio. We can debate whether Black Lives Matter is Marxist or not, whether it's grassroots or not, or whether it's a subsidiary of the Democrat party or not, but here's one thing you cannot debate: Black Lives Matter is not about black lives mattering. The movement does nothing to improve things for American blacks who have been trapped too long in a dead-end underclass or to support the expanding black middle class. Instead, it's about weaponizing a minute number of activist blacks in America the indoctrinated college grads and the thugs on the street to throw the election to the Democrats. If Black Lives Matter cared about black Americans, it would stop the annual holocaust of black babies in abortion centers across America. Abortion, though, is sacrosanct to the Democrats, including Black Lives Matter. If Black Lives Matter cared about black Americans, it would support vouchers that protect black children from failing public schools. Teacher unions, which are the Democrat party's most fanatic supporters, are dead set against competition. If Black Lives Matter cared about black Americans, it would tell failing black communities that blaming American history will not cure their systemic ills. Instead, American blacks must seize control of their destiny and engage in the tried-and-true behaviors that provide a path upward for every American: education, a job, marriage, and children, in that order, without engaging in crime along the way. If Black Lives Matter cared about black Americans, it would not encourage its foot soldiers to destroy black communities, burning down black-owned businesses, and driving away all hopes of economic viability. If Black Lives Matter cared about black Americans, it would not work to destroy the police. Yes, there are bad apples, something that could be helped if we broke the tight bond between Democrats and police unions, but the answer is making police better, not erasing them. Heather Mac Donald has documented the toll on real black lives beginning when BLM used Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, Missouri, as a reason to drive the police out of black communities: By early 2015, the resulting spike in shootings and homicides had become patent and would lead to an additional 2,000 black homicide victims in 2015 and 2016, compared with 2014 numbers. [snip] In Minneapolis, shootings have more than doubled this year compared to last. [snip] In Chicago, 18 people were killed and 47 wounded in drive- and walk-by shootings last weekend. [snip] The previous weekend in Chicago, 104 people were shot, 15 fatally. [snip] New York City's homicide rate is at a five-year high; the number of shooting victims was up over 42 percent through June 21 compared with the same period in 2019. The number of shootings in the first three weeks of June was over twice that of the same period in 2019, making this June the city's bloodiest in nearly a quarter century, according to the New York Times. [snip] Milwaukee's homicides have increased 132 percent. Most of the murder victims are black, and an inordinate number of them are children caught in the crossfire. If Black Lives Matter cared about black Americans, it would support the Second Amendment so that law-abiding black Americans who far outnumber the criminals, can defend themselves. A moral and armed society is a safe society. And if Black Lives Matter cared about black Americans, it wouldn't encourage farcical "autonomous zones" that are lawless, deadly places in which black lives don't matter at all. If you have a box of tissues at your side, watch Sean Hannity's interview with Horace Lorenzo Anderson, Sr., whose 19-year-old son died last month in Seattle's Black Lives Matter zone ("CHOP"). Lil Renz's life mattered a great deal but not to BLM, not to the people in CHOP who refused police aid, and not to the mayor of Seattle, who praised CHOP but couldn't be bothered to send her condolences to Mr. Anderson: Please remember that Black Lives Matter is in cahoots with the media and with the spawn of America's hard-left colleges and universities. The latter are indoctrinated young people who then work for America's corporations and push them to the left. These forces are loud, but they're not a majority. Most Americans, no matter their color, are like Mr. Anderson: good people who want a unified country, not the fractured hellhole the Democrat party promises. (It speaks volumes for Mr. Anderson that, during the interview, his moral support came from Andre Taylor, of Not This Time!, an organization dedicated to "reducing fatal police shootings, changing the laws that govern the use of force, and rebuilding trust between our communities and the police who are sworn to protect and serve us.") Image: YouTube screen grab. Russia has always been a nuisance, and probably always will be. It is the biggest country in the world geographically. Many of the worlds greatest novels (War & Peace, Crime & Punishment), greatest composers (Tchaikovsky), high arts (ballet), and scientific achievements (Sputnik) come from Russia. It's a nation with much to be proud of, but it has never accepted into the Oxford and Harvard clubs (much like Donald Trump), and it never will be. Russia has always been at pains to win respect on the world stage, even in its post-Soviet era. When it can't, the huge nation acts out, like the guy at the frat party who, because the cool kids cant be bothered with him, turns to mischief by pouring some vile fluid into the punch bowl or instigates a cowardly cyberattack. Valid or not, everyone knows Russia is no superpower. It is no economic force. Although Russia does have nuclear weapons, what Russia seeks is influence and prestige, not a kamikaze mission. Russias population is a mere 140 million compared to, say, Chinas, which is 1.4 billion. What is the liberal media's and Democratic Partys obsession with Russia, and not China, all about then? Very likely to take the heat off China, and its far-too accommodating relationship with China. Yet the two nations, stacked up against each other, couldn't be more different. Vladimir Putin, leader of Russia, is a more-or-less dictator, and so-called Russian democracy is a thin veneer for a ruling oligarchic cartel masquerading as a nation; however, Xi Jinping is an unequivocal dictator, and China is an unequivocal authoritarian state; there is not even a pretense to democracy in China. So, is Russia just an outrage smokescreen to obfuscate the veritable menace of China? Every American with common sense understands some basic things about this year. March seems long ago now, given all the news, but we have not forgotten about the devastation the coronavirus has brought upon our nation: That's the work of China. Chinas malfeasance in diminishing the threat of the Wuhan coronavirus has caused the deaths of more than 100,000 Americans. While Donald Trump was restricting flights from China to save American lives, the Democrats and Joe Biden were urging Americans to have lunch in Chinatown and screaming hysterical xenophobia. Anyone with a brain knows that the best way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in our country is to prevent those who are infected from entering our borders. But Democrats have long had a soft spot for China. Lets assume that Russia did offer bounties for killing American troops in Afghanistan. That is horrible and will be dealt with accordingly. Certainly our covert operatives repay any injury against Americans to Russia in kind. However, the front page coverage and urgency of these reports shouldnt fool any common-sense American. Blowing Russia up to being the main threat to America, instead of China serves to distract Americans from the first truth that the Democrats not only covered up for China, but parroted their propaganda. Chinese propaganda began with denouncing any bid to focus on Chinas cover-up of the pandemic as racist speech. Russia also is a convenient bogeyman to cover up for the fact that woke American business leaders (NBA, Goldman Sachs, Lebron James, Nike) continue to do business with China, a major human rights violator. Joe Biden's son Hunter, also made millions at least from his involvement with China's government-linked operations. But China is oppressing and in fact 'ethnically cleansing' Muslims in Xinjiang through forced labor, forced sterilization, and general demonization of the Uighur minority. China is also oppressing Hong Kong, which makes it a doubly inconvenient country for Democrats. Just yesterday, on July 1, China enacted its infamous security law against Hong Kong which quells free speech wholesale. In other words, Colin Kaepernick would face a jail sentence of three years for insulting the Chinese national anthem. Free speech has always been the way of life in Hong Kong. Now it's abolished. Hundreds of demonstrators have already been arrested by the mere act of stepping onto the street to express disagreement with government policy. Can Americans even grasp that concept? Whether youre on the right or left, for the most part you can say or do anything (non-violent) you want under the law. Twitter and Google might try to stop you, but they are not the law (to diminish tech companies posturing, all Americans needs to do is build alternative platforms). Its amazing, this protection of China by the left, effectively to cover up Democrats involvement in this tyranny. Corporate Americas subservience to China is a disgrace, too. If the average American fully understood the threat China poses (Antifa, for starters, would be disappeared by the Xi Jinping regime), there should be no mistake where our energies as a people need to be directed: toward raising awareness that the privileges and values we live and breathe every day are under threat by China. But instead what America gets is news organizations who give front page treatment of Russia skullduggery on the very day democracy in Hong Kong formally died. Now there is only silence from Democrats, and the business leaders who enabled Chinas rise in power to supersede American values, and from Hollywood celebrities who so badly want their films to be showed in Chinese movie theaters, that they will use their free speech privilege to ruthlessly criticize of their own countrymen, yet wont raise a peep about a hostile foreign power. Next time I travel to Hong Kong, by virtue of writing this article, I could be arrested. No one would tweet my name. Wake up to the real threat, America. Kenneth Mak is a New York lawyer who has worked for years in Beijing and Hong Kong. Image credit: Pixabay, with public domain logo modification Windmills of Montmartre, Maurice Utrillo. Paris is not exactly hilly, but there are a couple of high points in the city where one can easily catch the breeze. Back when Paris had a flourishing grain milling industry, these hills were dotted with numerous wind millsmore than three hundred, some say. Enormous quantities of grain arrived from the Americas and mills in the area ground them up into fine flour for local consumption. Bread was the staple food for the poor French peasants. During period of abundance, the average wage earner in France spent as much as two-third of his income on bread alone. During shortages, prices could double, dramatically straining the finances of poor French families. As such, grain merchants were often detested and viewed with suspicion. They were accused of adulteration and hoarding grain to artificially raise the price of this vital commodity. Anyways, these windmills skirting the borders of Paris gave the city a characteristic look, one that never failed to impress visiting foreigners. These windmills are gone now, but a couple of them still exist, although no longer serving their original function. The most famous of these is Moulin de la Galette, also known as Blute-fin, situated on the hilltop of Montmartre, a rural area just outside Paris city walls. Moulin de la Galette has quite a history. Moulin de la Galette, circa 1885. The windmill was built in 1622 and was used to mill grains to produce flour, and press grapes for making wine. During the siege of Paris at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1814, the Debray family, who owned the mills, defended the windmill like one would defend a castle. Several members of the Debray family was killed in the process. The miller himself was hacked to pieces and his body parts were nailed to the wings of the windmill. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Montmartre was attacked by twenty thousand Prussian soldiers. Again, the owner, Pierre-Charles Debray, was killed and his body strung up on the sails of the windmill. After the siege, the surviving son of the miller turned the mill into a guinguette, a type of drinking establishment popular during the 19th century. Eventually, the windmill became a cabaret. Wealthy Parisians went to Montmartre to enjoy the pleasures of the countryside with a glass of wine, freshly baked bread and a terrace view of Paris and the Seine below. Great artists such as Renoir, Van Gogh, and Pissarro have immortalized Moulin de la Galette in paintings. Over its history, the building has experienced a wide range of usesfrom open-air cafe and restaurant to music-hall and television studios. In 1924, its owner moved the windmill to its current location at the corner of Girardon and Lepic streets. It is now a private property. Moulin Radet sitting atop the Moulin de la Galette restaurant. Photo: Kiev.Victor/Shutterstock.com The other surviving windmill of Montmartre is Moulin Radet, also owned by the Debray family. The windmill now stands atop a restaurant, named after Moulin de la Galette, at its original site. Moulin Radet is more popular than Moulin de la Galette today because it is public and easily accessible from the main road. Moulin Radet sitting atop the Moulin de la Galette restaurant. Photo: vvoe/Shutterstock.com Moulin Radet. Photo: Arnaud Malon/Flickr In Argenteuil, a rural escape for Parisians, situated about 12 km northwest of Paris, stands another old windmill. The Moulin d'Orgemont was originally an old tower of Blanche de Castille, dating from the 13th century. It was turned into a restaurant in the middle of the 19th century. In 1999, the tower of the windmill was mostly destroyed in a fire, and was later restored to its current appearance. The restaurant is still there. Moulin d'Orgemont. Photo: Julie Kertesz/Flickr The Moulin de la Tour in Ivry-sur-Seine, a suburb southeast of Paris, is the last working windmill of the region. It was built in 17th century and was operational until the early 19th century. Then for a brief period it became a warehouse and lost its wings. The dilapidated building was almost slated for demolition when the city decided that it was a historic monument and should be saved. It was restored to working order. Moulin de la Tour now makes walnut oil for visitors amusement. Moulin de la Tour at Ivry sur Seine. Photo: PaolaBe/Shutterstock.com The Old Longchamp Windmill which stands today on Longchamp racecourse in Bois de Boulogne is a reconstruction. The original was once part of a monastery, and was built in the 13th century. During the French Revolution, when clerics were banished, the abbey along with the windmill was demolished. It was rebuilt on the same foundations when the course was renovated in 1856. The Old Longchamp Windmill at night. Photo: Sander Groffen/Shutterstock.com Windmills of Paris in Art Le Moulin de la Galette, Van Gogh. Le Moulin de La Galette, Van Gogh. Windmills on Montmartre, Van Gogh. Montmartre the Quarry and Windmills, Van Gogh. Windmills at Montmartre, George Michel (1763 - 1843) Bharat Biotech To Launch Coronavirus Vaccine By August 15th:- The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) are working together for a possible vaccine for the deadly coronavirus. Bharat Biotech already announced that the first and second phase of human clinical trials will start in July. Now Bharat Biotech and ICMR made it clear that the launch of vaccines for coronavirus would be possible by August 15th. The vaccine would be launched after the clinical trials are done. Bharat Biotech and ICMR developed this indigenous coronavirus vaccine (BBV152 COVID vaccine). Twelve institutes are selected to conduct the clinical trials in the country. The ICMR made it clear to launch the vaccine in the country at the earliest considering the public health and safety. Fast track clinical trials will be conducted for the vaccine on a priority basis. Bharat Biotech is working to meet the deadline and the final output depends completely on the clinical trial sites involved. Bharat Biotech developed Covaxin in association with ICMR and National Institute of Virology (NIV). It is developed in Biotechs BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) High Containment facility in Hyderabad's Genome Valley. The Drug Controller General of India- Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare already granted permissions for the human clinical trials. (Video Source: India Today) (Image source from: Twitter.com/TelanganaCMO) No Lockdown In Hyderabad:- Telangana Chief Minister KCR is meeting the health officials, his cabinet of ministers and legislators to discuss imposing one more strict lockdown in the limits of Greater Hyderabad in the wake of an increasing number of cases from the past two weeks. There are strong rumors that the announcement would be out on July 2nd and strict lockdown will be imposed from July 3rd. Several people who are from Andhra Pradesh and are residing in Hyderabad rushed to their hometowns and the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway witnessed huge traffic from the last couple of days. (Images Source: Thehindu.com) KCR is now hesitant of imposing the lockdown as life in the city is returning to normal just now. Most of them supported imposing lockdown in the containment zones where the cases are increasing. If there are strict guidelines imposed in these containment zones, things would return back to normal suggested the Telangana cabinet. KCR decided to go with their suggestions and Hyderabad will not get one more lockdown anytime in the coming future. Over 900 cases are registered in the limits of GHMC on a regular basis. 998 cases are registered on Thursday. Most of the cases are coming from a set of regions and Telangana government is now focused on these regions. Telangana health officials suggested home isolation for those who are not showing symptoms. The hospitals are full and the private hospitals are charging huge for the treatment. Even the government was targeted for conducting less number of tests when compared to the other states. The High Court of Telangana asked the government to come up with a detailed report in this month and asked to conduct more tests. KCR had a detailed discussion with his cabinet and officials about the same yesterday. As of now, Hyderabad will have no restrictions except in the containment zones. (Video Source: NTV Telugu) (Image source from: Twitter.com/BJP4India) Narendra Modi Pays A Surprise Visit To Ladakh:- With the tension prevailing across the India-China border, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a surprise visit to Ladakh this morning. He was accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief Gen MM Naravane. Modi landed in Leh and the visit was closely guarded. The officials were informed only about the visit of CDS Rawat but Modi made his presence which came as a surprise. Modi's visit is a morale booster for the troops that are leading and representing the country at the border. Narendra Modi interacted with the army officials and jawans after his visit. PM @narendramodi visited one of the forward locations in Nimu in Ladakh early morning today. Located at 11K feet, this is among the tough terrains, surrounded by the Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. He interacted with personnel of the Army, Air Force and ITBP. pic.twitter.com/hxoREuBvY0 BJP (@BJP4India) July 3, 2020 Modi was present to take stock of the situation and briefed the Army, Air Force and the ITBP in Nimu, one of the forward locations. Modi will visit the injured soldiers in the Galwan valley shortly. Before this, he was briefed by the senior officials in Leh. After the Galwan attack at the Ladakh border, the troops between India and China are negotiating for peace. A troop of 20 army officials lost their lives in the battle at the border recently. India recently imposed a ban on 59 Chinese apps citing security reasons. (Video Source: NTV Telugu) Leaked price and release date information for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20, Note 20 Ultra, and Galaxy Fold 2 suggest this will be the most expensive series yet. Originally reported by Greek site Tech Maniac, the information here is said to have come from a very reliable source. So it shouldnt be taken as the final word by any stretch of the imagination. But, if it is accurate, fans of the Note series may want to start saving up some cash now. To begin with, the unnamed source tips that these smartphones will be announced on August 5. That will, of course, be at a Samsung Unpacked event but its not immediately clear whether or not the even will be digital. As of this writing, Samsung isnt attending IFA 2020 due to health concerns. So it seems likely that it wont be a physically-attended event. Setting that aside, the source claims that pre-orders should start almost immediately. And that Samsung plans to start shipping the devices, at least internationally, on August 27. Advertisement Pricing, conversely, will start out at 1,249 in Greece. Thats for the standard Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and is around 250 more expensive than the previous entry in the series. That also means that the cost is going to be significantly higher for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. In fact, the source reports that will start at 1,499. Thats 350 more than the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ and 100 more than the Galaxy S20 Ultra. What about the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2? The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 will be announced at the same time but wont arrive until later. If the leak is accurate, thatll cost 2,199 in Greece. It also wont land in users hands until at least September or October. The delay comes down to complications with the above-mentioned health problems going on globally still. Thats likely the result of disruptions in the supply chain. But there is a silver lining for the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2. While the pricing does set it above the 4G variant of the original Samsung Galaxy Fold, its still cheaper than the 5G variant was. This is Samsungs newest top-tier flagship at the upper reaches of that market. So Samsung may plan to only release a 5G variant here. And, if thats the case, this device will actually be less expensive in terms of value. Advertisement Whats the price for the Galaxy Note 20 going to be like elsewhere? Now, the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Note 20 series wont cost the same everywhere. Thats largely down to price bias, rather than anything to do directly with the Galaxy Note 20 itself. But it should be slightly less expensive elsewhere in Europe, reports indicate, due to how taxes work in the rest of that region. The price drop, expected to place the two Note-series devices at from 1,199 to 1,209 or 1,449 to 1,459 respectively, wont be much. But a price drop is a price drop. The US base model, expected with 12GB RAM and 128GB storage, will reportedly start at around $1,199. Thats for the least expensive version of the device but still more pricey than the $949 launch price of its predecessor. The Ultra variant will, it goes without saying, be more expensive from launch. Thats predicted to land with a price tag at $1,449 relative to the $1099 launch price of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+. In the last 24 hours, HONOR announced two new smartphones. Weve already talked about the gigantic HONOR X10 Max, and now is the time to focus on the HONOR 30 Lite. The HONOR 30 Lite is a mid-range smartphone, just like its HONOR X10 Max sibling. The device is made out of metal and glass, and it has really thin bezels. Its chin is just a hair thicker than the rest of its bezels The HONOR 30 Lite includes a flat display, waterdrop notch The phone also includes a waterdrop display notch at the top. Its display is flat, while a fingerprint scanner is moved to the side, its right side. The volume up / down buttons are placed right above it. Advertisement There are three cameras included on the phones back, as part of the same camera module. Those cameras are vertically-aligned, while an LED flash sits right next to them. That camera module does protrude a bit. HONORs branding is placed on the back of this phone as well. The back side of the phone is proportional to the front, its flat, in case you were wondering. The phone features a 6.5-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate and 20:9 aspect ratio. The MediaTek Dimensity 800 fuels this handset, and it comes with 5G support. Advertisement The device packs in 6GB / 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB of UFS 2.1 flash storage, depending on what variant you get. The 6GB RAM variant comes in either 64GB or 128GB flavors. The 8GB RAM model comes with 256GB of storage only. If you end up needing more space, you can always expand this storage via a NM memory card. The phone includes two SIM card slots (2x nano SIM), one of which can be used for storage expansion. A large battery is included, along with fast charging Android 10 comes pre-installed on this phone, along with the companys Magic UI 3.1.1 skin. A 4,000mAh battery is placed inside the phone, and it supports 22.5W fast wired charging. Advertisement A 3.5mm headphone jack is also a part of the package, as is Bluetooth 5.0, and a Type-C port. A 48-megapixel main camera (f/1.8 aperture) sits on the back. It is aided by an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera (120-degree FoV, f/2.4 aperture), and a 2-megapixel macro lens (f/2.4 aperture, 4cm lens). A 16-megapixel camera (f/2.0 aperture) sits on the front side of the device. The phone measures 160 x 75.32 x 8.35mm, and weighs 192 grams. Advertisement The HONOR 30 Lite has been announced in Green, Midnight Black, Phantom Silver, and Summer Rainbow color options. The devices pricing starts at CNY1,699 ($240) in China. This handset will probably arrive to Europe, but we dont know when exactly. Samsung will reportedly be skipping right past 4nm chip processes and aiming for 3nm chips. Thats according to reports out of China citing unnamed industry insiders. The move could potentially position Samsung ahead of its rivals, such as TSMC. But it isnt at all without risks. Samsung is said to have made its decision to skip past 4nm process chips as part of its investment plan. In effect, it plans not to invest in the technology at all. The decision could ultimately cost the company a significant amount of ground in the chip-making space. Thats because it would essentially be skipping over an entire generation of chip technology. Allowing other companies to advance further ahead. Presumably, if the reports bear out, it would hope to regain the ground in subsequent generations of chip technology. Advertisement What could have led Samsungs decision, skipping 4nm chips altogether? Competition in the chip industry, particularly in recent months, has been exceptionally heated. Samsung represents one of just a handful of companies that could feasibly challenge TSMCs position in the market. In fact, in 2019 it appeared as though Samsung was prepared to take the crown from its competitors on 5nm. But that didnt pan out. TSMC, conversely, is blazing full speed ahead with its chip production readying itself for 4nm and then 3nm. In fact, the company recently opened up a new chip facility in the US and has led the charge on 5nm processes overall. It plans to enter that market next year and press on to 4nm shortly after. TSMC plans to launch its 4nm chip process as early as 2022 or 2023 in terms of mass production. The exact timing has seen discrepancies in reporting. Samsungs shortcomings have been in spite of delays at its biggest rival. Those resulted in a significant delay in 3nm research and development for the company. Advertisement Samsung appears to be looking at that gap as a means to gain further ground. By skipping past the 4nm goal, Samsung likely hopes to pour more resources, more quickly into 3nm chips. Whats the risk here? The inherent risk to Samsung, if reports are accurate, is multifaceted. First, the process of scaling back chip sizes to improve efficiency has been steady. At least over the past several generations, companies such as Samsung and TSMC have largely relied on the previous chip process to develop the next. By skipping, Samsung risks falling further behind if it runs into roadblocks the 4nm process might solve. The South Korean tech giant also risks running into issues in terms of funding its endeavor. Samsung has managed to secure orders to mass produce 5nm chips for Qualcomm. Specifically, thats for the Snapdragon X60 5G modem. But, if 4nm chips prove to be a big enough improvement, it stands to lose an entire generation of business. Advertisement The company could potentially offset those losses by cutting back costs to other OEMs, sweetening the appeal of its solution over others. But that isnt guaranteed to work. And mainstream companies looking to offer the best performance available will undoubtedly turn to the more efficient 4nm chips. Metropolitan Brewing posted a profanity-tinged statement on social media this week saying that irresponsible behavior from customers and bars will squander every sacrifice made over the past few months; render all of our painstaking efforts to get back to business safely useless; and frankly, is deeply disrespectful to our industry and to the health of our community. Googles acquisition of Fitbit last November was immediately questioned by several regulatory bodies over concerns that it may reduce competition. Now, the European Union (EU) is gearing up to launch an investigation on the deal. The European regulatory body is concerned that Googles proposed $2.1 billion takeover of Fitbit would bring along all the sensitive health data the latter has collected from its users over the years. This would further strengthen Googles dominance in the advertising business, where it faces little competition. The EU has reportedly queried potential rivals of the two companies about whether this deal will reinforce Googles dominance in general search and online advertising. Advertisement In your view, would the aggregation of Fitbits data to Googles database strengthen Googles position in the supply of online search advertising services? regulators ask. In a 47-page questionnaire, the EU also asks how this deal would affect the smartwatches and fitness trackers market. Google acquiring Fitbit means itll be making its own smartwatches and fitness devices. Effectively, it may stop providing its operating system (Wear OS) to rival companies. The EU asks what choices users will have should the prices of Fitbit devices go up under the new ownership. The regulators are also asking app developers about how this deal will impact them. They want to know whether it will lower the prices and bring in more choices, or the opposite may happen. Advertisement Additionally, in a separate 11-page questionnaire, the EU has asked healthcare providers whether their customers who use Fitbit devices would stay with Fitbit should Google gain access to its data or will they migrate to a new competing service. The EU reportedly has until July 20 to take the decision on whether to continue investigating or approve the deal. Along with the EU investigation, the Google-Fitbit deal is facing more troubles The European Union isnt the only regulatory body questing Googles acquisition of Fitbit. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the countrys regulatory agency, has also warned against the deal. The ACCC has similar concerns about competition and privacy. Advertisement Additionally, several advocacy groups from around the world have also voiced criticism and urged regulators to be wary of the deal. Past experience shows that regulators must be very wary of any promises made by merging parties about restricting the use of the acquisition targets data. Regulators must assume that Google will in practice utilize the entirety of Fitbits currently independent unique, highly sensitive data set in combination with its own, the groups said. A total of 20 advocacy groups from the US, Europe, Latin America, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere have signed the statement. Google, meanwhile, has maintained that it will not use Fitbits data for ads. This deal is about devices, not data, a Google spokesperson told Reuters. We believe the combination of Googles and Fitbits hardware efforts will increase competition in the sector. Advertisement The company had last year said that Fitbit health and wellness data will not be used for Google ads. It also promised to give existing Fitbit users the choice to review, move, or delete their data. The Google-Fitbit deal is yet to go through all the required regulatory approval in the US as well. However, the American officials have yet to indicate if they will approve the deal or launch similar investigations. Xiaomis 120W fast charger is coming, and soon it seems. The companys crazy 120W fast charger has been certified in China, by the 3C authority. That basically means that its ready for primetime. The only thing that remains at this point is for Xiaomi to release it to the general public. That probably wont happen before the company has a phone that you can use that charger with, though. Xiaomis 120W charger could launch alongside the next-gen MIX handset That brings us to the upcoming Xiaomi Mi MIX handset. Before we get to that, though, its worth noting that the charger appeared under the Xiaomi MDY-12-ED model number. Advertisement The charger supports 120W charging, in other words, 20Vdc, 6A max. That is pretty much all the information that 3C revealed. Do note that this is a wired charger. In any case, considering that this charger got certified, we do expect it to launch in the near future. The next-gen Xiaomi Mi MIX handset is expected to arrive by the end of 2020, and that is the phone that could support 100W charging. The companys MIX line of devices usually ushers in new technology. The original Xiaomi Mi MIX trimmed down the bezels, and it looked like a spaceship next to other phones. Advertisement The Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha, which arrived last year, features a 360-degree display, all around its body. Well, this year, the MIX phone could include unbelievably fast charging. Xiaomi had demoed its 100W fast charging last year (0-100% in 17 minutes, 4,000mAh battery), over a year ago at this point. This 120W charger is even faster than that. It was reported earlier this year that such charging is not ready to go yet. Well, now it seems to be ready. It makes us wonder how will 120W charging affect battery life We have to wonder, though, how will such fast charging affects battery life. Fast chargers usually degrade battery life faster than slower chargers, at least to a degree, so we have to wonder. Advertisement Truth be said, charging has evolved quite a bit. Different companies have different solutions, and some really did an excellent job in that regard. So, it remains to be seen what will Xiaomi offer. Were still not sure what will be the name of this years Mi MIX handset. It could be the Xiaomi Mi MIX 4, as it did not arrive last year. It could be the Mi MIX 5. Well, Xiaomi may even release the second-gen Mi MIX Alpha, even though the first one wasnt exactly commercially available. Well see what will happen. One thing is for sure, we can expect a truly futuristic smartphone from Xiaomi by the end of this year. Anniston, AL (36206) Today Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall may reach one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall may reach one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Purchase an online subscription to our website for $7.99 a month with automatic renewal. Each online subscription gives you full access to all of our newspaper websites and mobile applications. To cancel you may contact Customer Service @ 256-235-9253 or email JPAYNE@ANNISTONSTAR.COM For a limited time, for NEW SUBSCRIBERS ONLY a NEW ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION is just $59.99 for the first year. Existing customers do not qualify for the specials! After the first year, well automatically renew your subscription to continue your access at the regular price of $69.99 per year. Please note *Your Subscription will Automatically Renew unless you contact Customer Service To Cancel* Peter Jungen, Chairman of Peter Jungen Holding GmbH, President of European Enterprise Institute (EEI) Founding, President of Business Angels Netzwerk Deutschland (BAND), Co-Founder and President of European Business Angels Network (EBAN), Former Member of the Presidency of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). Certainly, Corona is effecting the world economy seriously. The world economy will shrink after a long growth period. In many European countries this is the worst post WWII contraction. The extend will depend very much on prudent government policies, not only in the shutdown but particularly in reopening the economies, loosening of the restrictions, and in keeping up international trade. The breakdown of industry chains is not a result of the virus, but a result of government shutdowns, and therefore of temporary importance. Certainly COVID-19 will have a long-lasting effect on lifestyle and behaviour. It will certainly effect the contacts between individuals, and it will certainly effect economic behaviour and means of production. Well have to make sure that in the future we should be better prepared for such emergencies. Therefore the pandemic plans which were developed years ago by governments have to be reassessed with the view of setting up larger buffers like lifting the capital requirements for financial institutions. Globally, mayor players in the world should also have buffers in terms of emergency products and needs. There will be soon a discussion on gradually lifting this, because there will be a debate about the trade-off between the costs of clamping down the virus dissemination, and economic growth and well-being on the other hand. It looks like China has done quite well in tackling this and in addressing the COVID-19 epidemic after the breakout. The Chinese support for the international community is certainly welcome. There was a very short-term resource shortage in March/ early April in view of the needs of the health system during COVID-19 epidemic. Without any restrictions the global economy is able and flexible enough to cope with this challenge. Actually, this is not very difficult. There is definitely in the future an even stronger need for international cooperation, which is another word for globalisation." It is very well conceivable that ongoing structural developments in the world economy will speed up, like in the steel or the car industry. The restructuring influences of the car industry could be accelerated on the one hand, but it could also be that the present drop in energy prices could be slowing down this process. One of the most important ways to fight an epidemic like COVID-19 is innovation. More than ever before we have seen that the world economy is based on innovation and driven by innovation. Innovation is a result of entrepreneurial attitudes and of risk-taking investors. One of the overriding lessons would be to foster innovation in order to improve health conditions all over the world, to prevent diseases from spreading around, and to make life easier. So Corona could even speed up technological change, be strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship. Human society, in historical perspective, has dealt with mayor crises, although COVID-19 is more than a normal crisis, but it is not a crisis the world is unable to cope with. There will be many opportunities in the next years to come, when certain measures of behaviour will change, for instance digitalisation of the global economy and of national economies will experience a mayor push. Maybe COVID-19 is a wakeup call for speeding up the digitalisation of our economies. It is doing away with all impediments of international trade. We should pursue a policy for global trade without tariffs. Therefor one of the main objectives should be the abolishing of all tariffs in world trade." The World Food and Agriculture Organization issued a warning that the global food production would be affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. Some countries have begun to stop exporting grains. The capacity for food production in the world is sufficient for the entire global population. The danger would be trade restrictions issued by governments and by trading-blocks. It is therefore very important to do everything possible not to restrict international trade. Global trade is the best approach against any food shortage. Certainly, President Xi Jinping's proposal vis a vis the globalisation and shared destinies should be supported. COVID-19 has demonstrated, that global community is sharing its destiny, whether we want this or not. Therefore, we have to draw the consequences out of this. We are living in one world, and therefore we have to cope also with the problems in this world. Humanitarianism is at the core of a joint approach. The behaviour of all nations will have an impact on the future of all other nations. It could well be that globalisation and regional integration will retreat, but this is not necessarily so. It depends basically on the political decisions of governments and regional blocks. So we would encourage the German government, the E.U., the United States and China and the G 20, to do everything possible to speed up globalisation. Finally, globalisation has brought more to the world in terms of growth, of well-being, of reducing poverty, of longevity, and on increasing health conditions of the world population, than anything else experienced in the history of humankind. This does not necessarily mean a new version, but it could be the biggest mistake governments could make in trying to limit globalisation by restricting global trade. I don't think that the impact on national governance systems will be less than the impact on regional systems like trading blocks and economic blocks like the E.U. It will show that not only solidarity is needed, but also subsidiarity. [ Editor: SRQ ] The discord was heightened as the Trump campaign confirmed during the presidents speech that Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top fundraiser for the campaign and the girlfriend of Trumps eldest son Donald Trump Jr., had tested positive for the coronavirus while in South Dakota. Both Guilfoyle and Trump Jr., who serves as a top surrogate for the president, are isolating themselves and have canceled public events, according to Sergio Gor, chief of staff to the Trump campaigns finance committee. (ANSA) - MILAN, JUL 3 - Italian police on Friday arrested a Milan businessman in connection with a case of alleged money laundering related to diamond fraud. Maurizio Sacchi owns the DPI company which sells diamonds across northern Italy. He was arrested on charges of self money laundering. Among the victims of the fraud was Italian rocker Vasco Rossi. Assets of over 700 million euros were seized in the probe, which began in February last year. Some 34 million euros in financial assets and company shares were also frozen in the probe. Sacchi's girlfriend was cited in the probe. The alleged money laundering totalled some 10.5 million euros, police said. (ANSA). (ANSA) - ROME, JUL 3 - Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Friday said it was "important" to have an ambassador in Cairo despite a call from the family of Giulio Regeni, an Italian student tortured and murdered there in 2016, to recall the envoy after the umpteenth rejection of Italian demands to hand over suspects. Rome prosecutors have named 10 members of Egypt's security apparatus in Regeni's death. "It's important to have an ambassador in Cairo, we understand the pain of the Regeni family, but as a man of State I say we are doing our utmost," said Di Maio. "And the search for the truth is a clear objective we have in front of us". Di Maio said the Italian foreign ministry had asked the Egyptian ambassador for "further inquiries". He noted that Egyptian prosecutors had promised to up cooperation with their Italian counterparts and said "we hope deeds follow words". Foreign Undersecretary Manlio Di Stefano said Thursday that withdrawing Italy's ambassador from Cairo will not solve the case. Also Thursday, Rome prosecutors said they were investigating another five Egyptian intelligence officers in addition to the five placed under investigation in December 2018. Regeni's parents urged the government to pull the envoy after a videoconference between Cairo and Rome prosecutors on Wednesday again failed to register any progress on Italy's request to hand over the first five Egyptian security service officers. Claudio and Paola Regeni described the latest summit as a flop and said the ambassador should be withdrawn and a planned sale of two frigates to Cairo stopped. Di Stefano said Thursday: "I don't think that withdrawing the ambassador is a solution. "If you pull the envoy you effectively stop dialogue, but we need to dialogue because we must have the truth on Regeni. "Pressure can be exerted in a thousand ways, certainly not by withdrawing the ambassador...an ambassador means something, it isn't a pawn for blackmail". The five new members of the Egyptian National Security Agency have been placed under investigation after their names emerged from phone transcripts supplied by Egyptian authorities several months ago, sources at the Rome prosecutor's office said Thursday. Rome prosecutors said Wednesday that Egypt's chief prosecutor was still only mulling a response to their requests to quiz the first five intelligence service officers over the Regeni case. Rome prosecutors had a videoconference on the case on Wednesday, after which chief prosecutor Michele Prestipino said their requests focused among other things on "the choice of domicile on the part of those probed, and on the presence and statements made by one of those probed in Kenya in August 2017", when he allegedly referred to the case. Regeni's parents said the strategy of "cosying up" to Egypt and, among other things, offering arms sales (the two frigates) had been shown to have "failed". They called for the ambassador to Cairo to be recalled. Wednesday's videoconference had "clearly failed," said Paola and Claudio Regeni. The Rome prosecutors have named major Magdi Ibrahim Abdel al-Sharif, captain Osan Helmy, and three other members of the Egyptian National Security Agency as being suspected of having had a hand in Regeni's death. Last month Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio wrote to his Egyptian counterpart reiterating Italy's demand for the truth about Regeni's death. Cambridge doctoral researcher Regeni, 28, was found dead on February 3 2016 a week after disappearing on the Cairo metro. He had been tortured so badly that his mother said she only recognised him by the tip of his nose. Rome prosecutors placed the five members of Egypt's security apparatus under investigation for the murder, sparking Cairo to stop significant cooperation in the probe into the Friuli-born researcher's death. At various times Egypt has advanced various explanations for his death including a car accident, a gay lovers' tiff and abduction and murder by an alleged kidnapping gang that was wiped out after Regeni's documents were planted in their lair. Regeni was researching Cairo street sellers unions for the British university, a politically sensitive subject. The head of the street hawkers union had fingered Regeni as a spy. Rome recently drew condemnation from Regeni's parents by announcing the sale of the two frigates to Egypt. Premier Giuseppe Conte said the deal was on a separate level from cooperation on the Regeni case. (ANSA). (ANSA) - ROME, JUL 3 - Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said at the Farnesina Friday that he had been struck by the measures Italy has taken against the coronavirus. "I am deeply struck by the Italian government's norms to emerge from the crisis," he said. "I am optimistic that the bans will continue to be dismantled also towards Lombardy, if the data allow us (to do so)". Schallenberg added that he wanted to "express my condolences to all the Italian friends who have lost someone in this pandemic. "We have shared your pain". (ANSA). 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. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday pushed for an agreement on the multi-billion-euro recovery fund to cope with the economic difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic. A large part of the fund, deemed vital for Europe's economic stability, would be in grants for European Union (EU) member states, hence sparking controversy which is feared to lead to lengthy negotiations. URGENT SCHEME In a joint press conference after talking via video link with von der Leyen, Merkel said everyone is now clear there are plenty of difficulties concerning the economic package and she hoped that an agreement could be reached in July as she "sees no alternative to an agreement during this summer." The 750-billion-euro (over 840 billion U.S. dollars) rescue package proposed by the European Commission has prompted divisions among EU governments as the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden and Denmark -- the so-called Frugal Four -- insist the recovery fund can only be based on loans that need to be paid back later. Merkel reiterated the urgency for a scheme, warning that Europe is facing a difficult time and the impact of the pandemic on the economy has not yet faded. "We see every day that the virus is not gone," said Merkel, adding that the world is watching what Europe can achieve here. According to the German chancellor, the answer to the unprecedented crisis needed to be "massive and really have an effect." She said intensive talks are already under way. "We will work hard, and we will show resolve," Merkel noted. GERMANY STEERS Von der Leyen echoed Merkel's words, saying the next six months would be crucial as the region is now faced with a severe economic downturn. "So it's a huge time pressure, but it is the crisis that sets the pace. Every day we lose, we will be seeing people losing their jobs, companies going bust, the weakening of our economies. So every single day counts," said von der Leyen. The recovery fund has to be approved by the European Parliament and then ratified by members states' national parliaments. Von der Leyen added that the "gigantic task" to forge an agreement needs member states to look beyond their interests and a good steer of Germany's EU presidency, which began on July 1. Merkel's talk with von der Leyen was already interpreted as the second vital step to rally support for the money to cushion the economic pains caused by COVID-19. On Monday, Merkel met with French President Emmanuel Macron and announced together their backing for a "strong and efficient" recovery fund. "If Germany and France agree with each other, other EU nations might not all agree. If Germany and France disagree with each other, it's a big impact on the EU solidarity," Merkel noted. Germany and France proposed in May a smaller fund to the tune of 500 billion euros in grants for the hard-hit countries in EU. A LOT TO BE DONE According to the German Press Agency (dpa), an EU summit on July 17 is set to decide on the recovery fund. Merkel will be working closely with European Council President Charles Michel to broker a deal as discussions intensify ahead of the summit, dpa reported. Sources said that besides the opposition from the Frugal Four, there are still plenty of details to be discussed and a main issue is how the funds would be shared among the member states. Some insist allocating the money based on the unemployment rate at pre-pandemic period while others recommend taking into account the economic situation during the pandemic. European Parliament President David Sassoli had earlier called the recovery fund proposal "ambitious", but added: "it only scratches the surface of what needs to be done." (1 euro = 1.12 U.S. dollars) (ASIA PACIFIC DAILY) Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of the late accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been arrested by the FBI in New Hampshire, an agency spokeswoman said on Thursday. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said in a news release the charges against Maxwell "for her role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein" would be confirmed later in the day. Maxwell has kept a low profile since the death of Epstein, a financier who was accused of raping and trafficking underage girls over nearly two decades. Epstein was awaiting trial on charges of trafficking minors when he died in August in a New York City federal prison. His death was determined to be a suicide. Some of Epstein's alleged victims have said Maxwell lured them into his circle, where they were sexually abused by him and powerful friends. Maxwell was arrested around 8:30 a.m. local time on Thursday in Bradford, New Hampshire on charges that remain under seal, FBI spokeswoman Adrienne Senatore said. Maxwell was due to appear in federal court on Thursday, sources told Reuters. The ex-girlfriend of Epstein was a longtime member of his inner circle. In a 2003 Vanity Fair article, Epstein was quoted as saying Maxwell was his "best friend." (CGTN) We recognize that this is a burden on people who were planning to take a vacation, for example, or people who were expecting to have people come to visit from these affected states, Arwady said. But we have come too far in Chicago at this point not to do the things that are open to us that help prevent the spread of COVID. BarcelonaOn Thursday the prison boards of the Lledoners, Puig de les Basses and Wad-Ras facilities proposed that all the Catalan political prisoners be granted level 3 status now that it is six months since they were upgraded to level 2, which is a legal prerequisite. The decision was unanimous and, once validated by the Catalan authorities something that might take up to two months, Oriol Junqueras, Carme Forcadell, Jordi Sanchez, Jordi Cuixart, Dolors Bassa, Josep Rull, Joaquim Forn, Jordi Turull and Raul Romeva will be allowed to sleep at home at the weekend. Online Access for Print Subscribers. Do you have a print subscription with the Argus-Press? If yes, then click here to enjoy complimentary access to our Online Content! We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit CLEVELAND -- NASAs Glenn Research Center and University Hospitals (UH) in Cleveland have collaborated to develop new methods and technologies for decontaminating personal protective equipment (PPE) for aerospace applications and for safeguarding the health of workers caring for patients with coronavirus (COVID-19). A team of researchers recently developed and tested two new approaches that could enable health care professionals to sanitize masks on-site and safely reuse them. These approaches also may be useful to the aerospace community when traditional sterilization techniques might not be available. Results of tests on both methods atomic oxygen and peracetic acid are promising. The atomic oxygen decontamination method currently is being evaluated and early results are favorable. The peracetic acid method has been proven to work for five cycles of decontamination, and the Food and Drug Administration is reviewing this method for an emergency use authorization. NASA strives to ensure the technology we develop for space exploration and aeronautics is broadly available to benefit the public and the nation, said Glenn Center Director Marla Perez-Davis, Ph.D. If our technology can lend a hand in overcoming this crisis, we will do whatever we can to put it in the hands of those who need it. While we currently have sufficient PPE on hand to care for the patients we have in our facilities today, we need to proactively and prudently plan for potential future needs, said Dr. Daniel I. Simon, chief clinical and scientific officer at University Hospitals and president of UH Cleveland Medical Center. This includes factoring in the potential for supply chain shortages due to COVID-19 surges in other states while also taking into account our need to restart non-emergent and elective services, which requires being mindful about current usage and putting in place go-forward conservation strategies. "The opportunity to pool resources and quickly bring about PPE sterilization solutions for the benefit of our caregivers is truly remarkable. Atomic Oxygen Method Glenn research engineer Sharon Miller and physicist Bruce Banks of SAIC developed a process and hardware to decontaminate masks using atomic oxygen. Pervasive in low-Earth orbit, these single oxygen atoms can remove organic materials that cant easily be cleaned by other methods. On Earth, we create atomic oxygen by putting ozone (O3) in a chamber and heating it, Miller said. As the ozone decomposes into atomic oxygen, it can kill organisms like viruses. Further testing is needed to verify the method can be used to perform multiple decontamination cycles without damaging the PPE. Recent filtration tests performed at an independent testing laboratory showed N95 masks filter well and pass acceptance testing after 20 minutes of atomic oxygen treatment. In early May, NASA provided a prototype for UH to test on N95 masks. Early results confirm the method deactivates the virus, and continued testing will determine the minimum ozone concentration and exposure time needed for disinfection. Ozone diffuses easily through and around objects, which makes it promising for sterilizing inside an N95 mask filter or loosely stacked masks, and it could potentially sterilize without leaving a residue, said Banks, who supports Glenns environmental effects and coatings branch. The process could be scaled up to treat multiple batches of PPE or made portable for small hospitals in rural areas. No liquid chemicals would be needed, just oxygen and nitrogen gas. Peracetic Acid Method Doctors Amrita John and Shine Raju, infectious disease and critical care physicians in the Department of Medicine at UH Cleveland Medical Center, are examining peracetic acid a chemical disinfectant commonly used in the health care, food, and water treatment industries as an option for decontaminating PPE. "The disinfection system could provide a means for in-hospital decontamination of large amounts of PPE during the coronavirus pandemic, said Donskey. Further testing is needed to determine if more than five decontamination cycles can be performed with no adverse effects on PPE performance and we aim to assess that over the next several weeks. We have some exciting results, said Raju. We found that the peracetic acid disinfection method is very effective in killing 99.9999% of viruses and even highly resistant bacterial spores from contaminated N95 masks without any detectable loss of filtration, structural integrity and strap elasticity for up to five decontamination cycles. We believe that the peracetic acid disinfection method is the fastest method of mass-decontamination of N95 respirators currently available. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Case Western Reserve University, and Glenn are participants in this multi- institutional study. It has been amazing to collaborate with such a multidisciplinary group of researchers and practitioners to discover innovative ways to conserve PPE, said John. As physicians and researchers, we aim to develop solutions that can work for the multitude of PPE categories as well as the variety of operational needs of a given hospital or health system. "In some instances, there may be needs beyond the FDA-approved methods currently in place and we want to ensure we are well-positioned to offer options for our patients and health care workers should circumstances arise. Dr. Curtis Donskey, an infectious disease physician at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, supervised the microbiology testing for the peracetic acid study. This collaboration was facilitated by UH Ventures, the innovation and commercialization arm of University Hospitals. We have been successfully leveraging relationships with health care, technology and supply chain providers across the state to bring to fruition several innovations that have addressed caregiver needs during this pandemic, said Kipum Lee, managing director of the UH Ventures Innovation Center and co-lead of the alternative PPE strategy team. We have been honored to join forces with the NASA team, as well as researchers at the VA and Case, to promote innovation discovery in this new frontier. The iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Colaba was among the targets of terrorists during the 26/1 terror attack. Mumbai: A day after the threat call to Mumbais iconic Taj hotel, the Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh has asked police to tighten the security in the state. Deshmukh, along with the Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) Subodh Jaiswal and Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, reviewed the security measures on Wednesday. Deshmukh said, Following an attack on Karachi stock exchange, a threat call was made to Taj Hotel on Monday night. I had detailed discussions with both DGP Maharashtra and Mumbai Police chief on beefing up security arrangements in the state. On Tuesday, security was tightened around The Taj Mahal Palace and Taj Lands End hotels in Mumbai after an anonymous caller, who claimed to be a member of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, threatened to carry out 26/11-like attacks, police said. There were separate threat calls to the hotels from a Pakistani number late Monday night, they said. The iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Colaba which overlooks the Gateway of India was among the targets of Pakistani terrorists during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. Tourists and locals alike mill about Paradise Corner on Thursday morning, enjoying the sunshine ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. While Gov. Jared Polis reversed a June 19 decision allowing bars to reopen at limited capacities after an uptick in COVID-19 cases county officials assure that broad-based closures are not currently on the table locally. We dont want any more closures, but our numbers are going through the roof, said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the public health officer in Riverside County, California. Please dont mix households, even if you think everyone is healthy, and instead celebrate the holiday with the people you live with. We started seeing more and more cases after Memorial Day, and we cant afford another jump after the Fourth of July. Stay up to date on COVID-19 Get Breaking News Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. 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. America's leaders are rethinking how they view Independence Day, as the country reckons with the historic, unequal treatment of people of color during a pandemic which has disproportionately affected nonwhite Americans. Why it matters: The countrys legacy of racism has come into sharp focus in the weeks of protests following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. From Confederate statues to Mount Rushmore, Americans are reexamining the symbols and traditions they elevate and the history behind them. Flashback: "I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary!" said abolitionist Frederick Douglass about Independence Day in a historic 1852 address. "Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common," Douglass said. Douglass reminded his audience that most Black people in the U.S. were still slaves when the country adopted the Declaration of Independence. Some people of color say it's still difficult to reconcile celebrating the country's independence while also acknowledging its past and current inequities. Recognizing both of those ideas is something we must do, said Dolores Huerta, a longtime civil rights activist and the founder and president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation. What they're saying: Huerta, born to Mexican immigrants, has had family members who fought in World War II and the Korean War. People of color have often fought for the United States in wars against ideas perceived as anti-American, like Nazism and fascism, Huerta points out. Huerta said even those who participated in the recent wave of protests against racism and police brutality, at risk to their own health, deserve recognition. "All of these sacrifices cannot be discounted, they have got to be honored," Huerta said. "When we talk about a celebration, I like to think of it as a commitment. We have to think of the Fourth of July as a celebration and a recommitment to the idea of a nation for the people and by the people." "We have a lot of work to do to get to that 'more perfect union.' But seeing all the demonstrators and marchers I think that is our redeeming grace," Huerta said. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she is commemorating the Fourth with "a day of reflection." "Time and time again, the murders of innocent, unarmed Black people Black Americans remind us that much of our history is focused on the protection of unalienable rights for white people. Lightfoot is Chicago's first Black female and openly gay mayor. She said increasing diversity among people who hold public office is a testament to how far the nation has come since its independence, which came at a time when only white men with property could participate in politics. Big Oil's transatlantic split on climate change is really on display of late, with a couple of recent reports highlighting the differences. Driving the news: "Royal Dutch Shell will announce a major restructuring by the end of the year as the energy company prepares to accelerate its shift towards low-carbon, CEO Ben van Beurden told employees," Reuters reports. Meanwhile, a detailed new report from the nonprofit Carbon Tracker Initiative finds a "widening Atlantic divide" on companies' emissions plans. The study out this morning also highlights differences among the European majors, putting Eni, Repsol and BP in their top tier. Where it stands: A wider Goldman Sachs report, which we covered last week, about the economic potential of clean technology shows how renewables are a growing, though still small, share of European oil majors' capital spending. One finding is that oil-and-gas investment cuts during the downturn boost the percentage of renewables spending, Goldman notes. Nonetheless, they also write that "the transition of the European Big Oils into Big Energy is accelerating" as companies also move into not just renewables but also retail power markets, EV charging and more. The intrigue: European majors have also been boosting their climate pledges in recent months, setting ambitious long-term targets eschewed by U.S. giants ExxonMobil and Chevron. A number are vowing to become "net-zero" emissions by mid-century, though the pathways to get there remain somewhat vague and aspirational. And setting targets for Scope 3 emissions that is, CO2 from the use of their fuels in the economy is now the coin of the realm. Yes, but: A brief Wood Mackenzie note Friday highlights the European-U.S. divide, but also points out that for European companies "zero carbon is a big growth opportunity globally, but the Majors pipeline of projects is still modest." The heads of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, National Retail Federation and other top business organizations wrote an open letter on Thursday urging the White House coronavirus task force to work with governors to make face coverings mandatory in all public spaces. Driving the news: An analysis led by Goldman Sachs' chief economist found that a national mandate requiring face coverings "could potentially substitute for lockdowns that would otherwise subtract nearly 5% from GDP," the Washington Post reports. What they're saying: The letter specifies that state and local officials should ultimately be responsible for implementing face covering requirements, but argues that "a national mask standard, implemented locally, offers the surest way to protect public health and promote economic recovery." "Current local and state mandatory mask requirements vary widely in scope, application, and enforcement," the letter says. mandatory mask requirements vary widely in scope, application, and enforcement," the letter says. "For example , there is variation on whether the mandate applies to all businesses, to just employees or also customers, and exemptions for age or other health conditions (e.g. asthma)." , there is variation on whether the mandate applies to all businesses, to just employees or also customers, and exemptions for age or other health conditions (e.g. asthma)." The business leaders argue that leaving the onus on businesses to enforce state-mandated face-covering requirements causes confusion, lowers consumer confidence, and sparks confrontations or litigation between customers and employees. The bottom line: Scientific evidence shows face masks can help to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, but the nuances and changes in messaging about their use are complicating public health efforts, Axios' Alison Snyder and Eileen Drage O'Reilly report. Go deeper: Where the science stands on using face masks against coronavirus The Armenian government has done a good job tackling the coronavirus pandemic and is not solely responsible for the large number of infections in Armenia, Health Minister Arsen Torosian insisted on Friday. My political evaluation is that considering its resources and situation, Armenia has dealt with this global challenge quite well, Torosian told reporters. All coronavirus patients in Armenia receive adequate medical care, which has not been the case in many more developed countries, he said. In that sense, the government efforts are more than appropriate and sensible. As for the [infection] numbers -- which unfortunately do not decline but are registered in gatherings like this, rather than in medical institutions -- they depend not only on the governments steps but also on the behavior of all of us. I can also say that we dont have an explosive situation, Torosian went on. According to all projections, we should have had more than 30,000 cases by now but actually have only 27,000 cases. So we are managing to contain the spread [of the disease] to a certain extent and seem to have flattened the curve since mid-June. The Armenian Ministry of Health said earlier in the day that 662 more people tested positive for the coronavirus in the past 24 hours. The total number of coronavirus cases registered in the country of about 3 million thus rose to 27,320. The ministry also reported 10 more deaths caused by COVID-19, bringing Armenias official death toll to 469. According to it, 156 other people infected with the virus have died primarily because of other, pre-existing diseases. The official figures show that Armenia has one of the highest infection rates in the world. In terms of the number of cases per million people, it is well ahead of countries like Britain, Italy and France that have been hit very hard by the pandemic. At the same time, the South Caucasus state still has a much lower COVID-19 mortality rate. Opposition leaders and other critics of the Armenian government increasingly criticize its handling of the coronavirus crisis. They often cite the example of neighboring Georgia where the health authorities have recorded only 943 cases and 15 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The two opposition parties represented in the Armenian parliament initiated on Thursday the formation of an ad hoc parliamentary commission tasked with investigating the governments coronavirus response. With senior deputies from the ruling My Step bloc criticizing the initiative, it is not clear whether the parliaments pro-government majority will agree to such an inquiry. I am ready to answer all questions, Torosian said when asked to comment on the commission. Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian again indicated his opposition to re-imposing a nationwide lockdown. Pashinian said the government will continue to put the emphasis on getting more Armenians to practice social distancing, wear face masks in public and follow other safety rules, and minimizing the countrys economic losses. He admitted that this strategy has not been a success so far. I know the importance of creating a safe work environment in theater and film for all people who are so often marginalized, the statement continued. And while I am immensely proud of the creative projects done by our many teams, there is much more work that could and should have been done for us to be truly inclusive and sensitive. As the leader of this team, I let too many people down and cannot find words to express how sorry I am. Prosecutors have formally asked the Court of Cassation to overturn a lower courts June 18 decision to release Armenias indicted former President Robert Kocharian from prison on bail. The Court of Appeals set a record-high bail amount, 2 billion drams ($4.1 million), when it agreed to free him over the prosecutors objections. Kocharians lawyers complained about the hefty sum, saying that his family cannot afford it. Nevertheless, the ex-president walked free on June 21 after being bailed out by four wealthy Russian businessmen. Three of them, notably billionaire Samvel Karapetian, are ethnic Armenians. The prosecutors denounced the ruling, insisting that Kocharian could obstruct justice and pressure other suspects and witnesses in the case. Arsen Nikoghosian, the Court of Appeals judge who handed down the ruling, said that the massive bail will minimize the risk of such obstruction. The prosecutors dismissed Nikoghosians conclusion in their appeal to the Court of Cassation, Armenias highest body of criminal and administrative justice. Incidentally, Kocharians lawyers have also appealed to the court. One of them, Hayk Alumian, said on Friday that they object to the bail amount and the fact that Nikoghosian did not rule out the possibility of Kocharian exerting unlawful influence other participants of his ongoing trial. We believe that there is no likelihood of obstruction, Alumian told RFE/RLs Armenian service. Kocharian, his former chief of staff and two retired army generals went on trial more than a year ago, accused of overthrowing the constitutional order in the wake of Armenias disputed 2008 presidential election which sparked deadly street clashes in Yerevan. The ex-president, who ruled the country from 1998-2008, also stands accused of bribery. He rejects all accusations leveled against him as politically motivated. Kocharian was released from jail for the third time since being first arrested in July 2018. His previous release was ordered in May 2019 by a district court judge who initially presided over the high-profile trial. Kocharian was arrested again in June 2019. By Trend The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) held a foreign exchange auction with the participation of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), during which Azerbaijani banks acquired $53.1 million, Trend reports on July 2 citing CBA. According to CBA, demand from the banks at the auction increased by 4.5 percent or by $2.8 million compared to the previous auction. Considering the number of days remaining before the next scheduled auction, as well as with the aim of ensuring uninterrupted currency trading by the banks, the demand of banks at the auction will be fully provided during weekends. The first foreign exchange auction in a long time was held with the participation of SOFAZ on March 10, 2020, during which Azerbaijani banks acquired $323.2 million. The CBA began to hold foreign exchange auctions through unilateral sale of foreign currency in competitive conditions since mid-January 2017. In March 2020, it was decided to hold extraordinary foreign exchange auctions in connection with the increased demand of the population for foreign currency amid the failed OPEC+ deal, which entailed a sharp decline in oil prices. (1 USD = 1.7 AZN on July 2) --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Spain is ready to assist in making linkage with Azerbaijani port in Alat, Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Azerbaijan Ignacio Sanchez Taboada told Trend. "Azerbaijan is much interested in developing Alat Port as a piece a multimodal logistic infrastructure connecting East and West. Similar multimodal infrastructures are successfully operating in many ports of Spain, namely Algeciras or Valencia. If there is an interest from Azerbaijani authorities in coming to know those hubs in Spain, we will be much pleased to assist in making the linkage," he said. Taboada noted that our bilateral trade increased remarkably in 2019. "The value of Spanish exports to Azerbaijan reached 69 million Euros. The value of Azerbaijani exports to Spain in 2019 was 650 million Euros. First figures for first trimester 2020 show a slight increase, despite the COVID19 pandemic," he added. Taboada pointed out that the rise in trade turnover is evident, but still the Azerbaijani market is not well known for Spanish companies and there is a huge gap between exports and imports in our bilateral trade. "The direct investment is much more difficult to measure. Most of the investment made by Spanish companies in Azerbaijan is made through their subsidiaries in Turkey, and to a lesser degree in Russia, and hence is register as Turkish or Russian investment in Azerbaijan. Something similar happens with Azerbaijani investment in Spain, it is channeled through companies in Northern Europe, and register as investment from the Netherlands, Belgium or the UK in Spain," he said. Taboada noted that it is probably too early to measure the impact of COVID-19 on bilateral economic relations. "Trade figures for first trimester 2020 show a very slight increase in trade, but undoubtedly at the end of the year we may see some negative effects, for instance in tourism," he said. ---- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijan State Art Gallery has provided a virtual tour through art by national artist Talat Shikhaliyev. The artist created beautiful paintings using golden yellow and dynamic spots in his palette. His exceptional feel for color never ceases to amaze art lovers. Through his art, Talat Shikhaliyev brilliantly expressed the individual character of each image and his outlook. In 1952 he traveled to Kiev where he spent the following decade and graduated from the Kiev State Arts Academy in 1960. The only work remaining from that period is "Road", most likely painted during his stay in Ukraine in 1958. The portrait genre has a special place in the artist's work. His famous paintings include "Guess Who" (1973), "Sleeping Daughter" (1978), "Motherhood (1976)" and others. Many of his works captured various life experiences. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijani State Art Gallery invites you to join online discussion on June 3. During the live stream, national artists Farhad Yalguzag and Nazim Mammadov will share their thoughts about art development in times of COVID-19 pandemic. Founded in 1975, Azerbaijan State Art Gallery displays more than 14,000 paintings, graphics, sculptures, decorative and applied arts and contemporary art examples. The main activities of the gallery include preservation and restoration of Azerbaijan's cultural heritage, researches on the current situation and prospects of the fine arts and decorative-applied arts and much more. The majority of exhibitions in Azerbaijan and abroad are mainly composed of the works stored in the gallery. The State Art Gallery regularly successfully holds various art projects, lectures and other events. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Akbar Mammadov The European Union must tailor and revise its expectations to ever-changing needs and circumstances and greater flexibility of the EU in this respect will play a critical role in maintaining the viability and relevance of Eastern Partnership, Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at the meeting of Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers with EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varheyli on July 1 via video conference. In this regard, Mammadyarov highlighted five policy objectives: resilient, sustainable and integrated economies, accountable institutions, rule of law and security, environmental and climate resilience, resilient digital transformation and resilient, fair and inclusive societies. Mammadyarov emphasized that there is an urgent need to move to a state of readiness for the next normal and planning across multiple horizons. Comprehensive economic policy should be combined with international support by measures to strengthen healthcare and institutions, facilitation of trade and investments with a focus on digitalization, connectivity and innovation, he said. Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Furthermore, the minister pointed out that the actions aimed at reviving and internationalization of SMEs are a priority in scaling up economic development. We look forward to the involvement of European financial institutions in SME Development Funds established in partner countries and application of innovative financing methods, which will support the transition to Green Economy, Mammadyarov added. For boosting trade, we expect the EU to work with Azerbaijan on increasing the number of entities authorized to export agricultural/food products to the EU. Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan has embarked on an ambitious reform strategy aimed at strengthening Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures in convergence with the EU standards. We are ready to work with the EU, which will help the local SMEs to strengthen their links with the EU innovation ecosystems, noted the minister. Energy, trade partnership, sustainable development Regarding energy connectivity, Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan is closely working with the counterparts in Western Balkans in order to extend the gas supply to the wider geographic region. He stressed that the Southern Gas Corridor will be instrumental in delivering EU policy priorities in Western Balkans, which seeks the diversification of supply sources and routes. Emphasizing the importance of EUs support to promote the East-West and North-South trade corridors, Mammadyarov invited the EU to support the efforts to build GUAM transport corridor that will provide an alternative route to Central Asia and beyond and the OSCE project Promoting green ports and connectivity in the Caspian Sea region. Bringing transparency and accountability standards in public administration to the European standards is a key domestic policy priority and we are ready to further our cooperation in this regard, added the minister. In addition, Mammadyarov commended the EU principled position with respect to international law and its application to the conflict settlement based on the principles enshrined in Helsinki Final Act, particularly, respect to the territorial integrity of states within their internationally recognized borders. We expect the EU to continue to promote the peaceful settlement of unresolved conflicts, reinforce respect for international law in its policies and practices, inter-alia, by opposing illegal practices aimed at consolidating the status quo via illegal resettlements and various infrastructural projects in the occupied territories and ongoing attempts to alter existing formats in an effort to derail political settlement of a conflict, said Mammadyarov. Furthermore, the minister pointed out that ensuring respect for the rights of conflict-affected populations should cover targeted measures enforcing the right of forcibly expelled Azerbaijanis to return to their homelands.Fostering dialogue between Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan could serve as a decent confidence-building measure. Stressing the significance of the EUs differentiation policy for keeping all partners on board, the minister noted that it should not entail an abuse or misinterpretation of international law principles as advocated by some EaP partner countries. Another serious danger to the entire region is the Soviet-era nuclear power plant, which lies on some of Earths most earthquake-prone terrain. We expect the EU to step up efforts to achieve closure and safe decommissioning of outdated nuclear power plants which have no room for improvement to meet international nuclear safety standards, said Mammadyarov. The minister also highlighted the importance of reinvigorating regional and international efforts to tackle the issue of global emissions and to work towards a greener economy through concrete projects. He underlined that Azerbaijan is interested in working closely with the EU to promote accession to and implementation of international agreements on water cooperation, including the 1992 Helsinki Convention by the upstream countries. Regarding that the COVID-19 pandemic, Mammadyarov said that practical cooperation in public health, including training medical staff, will bring a tangible deliverable to EaP. Azerbaijan is currently working on a government strategy for digital transformation. We are closely collaborating with Microsoft to develop artificial intelligence, address potential cyber-security threats. The promotion of start-ups on peoples digital skills will help us to diversify away from our economy from oil-sector. In the case of a legal framework for harmonized roaming tariffs prepared by partner countries, Mammadyarov emphasized that this exercise should be complemented with the EUs commitment to engage with EaP countries on reduced roaming tariffs. It will be one of the tangible deliverables for our citizens, he added. Commending the positive feedback of the European Commission on the implementation of Visa and Readmission Agreements, Mammadyarov said that opening visa liberalization dialogue could be a solid milestone in Azerbaijans cooperation with the EU. Speaking about racial and religious discrimination, he said that it spreads hatred and fuels violence across communities which unfortunately claim human lives. We need to work together to promote tolerance, diversity, and peaceful-coexistence and to counter all manifestations of violence, including violent separatism, extremism and xenophobia, the minister noted. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijans Combined Arms Armys rocket and artillery units have held combat-fire tactical exercises, the Ministry of Defense reported on July 2. According to the plan, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) were withdrawn from the permanent dislocation points to the concentration areas with the "Alarm" signal. During the military exercise, the actions of an imaginary enemy were tracked via ground reconnaissance means and unmanned aerial vehicles. The ministry noted that firing from MLRS at several targets was carried out within the batteries and divisions. In accordance with the exercise scenario, units redeploying to reserve positions destroyed the newly discovered targets. During the drills, tasks were successfully fulfilled to repel the enemys sudden attack and to restore defence at advantageous frontiers, the tasks were successfully completed. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijani Armys peacekeepers have returned to Baku from Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense reported on July 2. These were the servicemen of the Azerbaijani Army who were sent to Afghanistan on June 16, according to the rotation plan. The group of the servicemen were serving within NATO-led Resolute Support mission. It should be noted that the peacekeeping mission of the Azerbaijani Army in Afghanistan began on November 20, 2002. Earlier, on April 7, Azerbaijan Army officers who participated in the peacekeeping mission under the command of the UN Mission (UNMISS) in Juba, the capital of South Sudan returned to the country. Azerbaijan passed a decision on November 30, 2018, on the deployment of Azerbaijani servicemen in South Sudan as part of the UN peacekeeping mission. The international military command highly appreciated the activities of the Azerbaijani servicemen who have participated in the UN Peacekeeping Mission since January 2019. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Ayya Lmahamad Ukraine and Azerbaijan have reaffirmed their support for each others territorial integrity and the inviolability of their borders, Azerbaijan embassy in Ukraine reported in its Facebook page on July 3. During the meeting held between First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Amina Dzhaparova and Azerbaijani Ambassador to Ukraine Elmira Akhundova on July 3, the sides have praised cooperation within international organizations. Amabassador Akhundova thanked Kyiv for its position on the territorial integrity and inviolability of the border. She noted that Ukraines support to Azerbaijans fair position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the international platform is an indicator of the high level of relations between two countries. In turn, Amina Dzhaparova expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan for providing Ukraine with the greatest humanitarian aid compared to other countries to help this country's fight against COVID-19. Dzhaparova noted great development of cooperation between the two countries. Moreover, referring to the importance of further strengthening of cooperation between GUAM Member States, she stated that it is important to hold another meeting of the heads of government within the framework of organization. Ambassador Elmira Akhundova stressed that during her diplomatic mission to Ukraine, she will make every effort to further expand and deepen high level relations between the two countries. The meeting focused on politics, economy, trade, transport, culture as well as cooperation with international organizations. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Thousands of Arizonans could be at risk of eviction as an executive order protecting renters during the coronavirus pandemic expires on July 22. "Nobody should be forced out of their home because of COVID-19," said Gov. Doug Ducey when the executive order delaying evictions was first rolled out. But as the pandemic has worsened in Arizona, the governor's office wouldn't say if they're considering extending the executive order. "Our office is working closely with groups including constables, community legal services, the courts, local governments, partner agencies and more to determine any additional actions that may be needed following the order's expiration," said Patrick Ptak, a spokesman for Gov. Ducey. The main issue for tenants who've suffered a job loss because of COVID-19 is that while the governor's executive order has delayed eviction, rent continues to pile up. "So unless a tenant is able to get back on their feet with respect to employment and catch up on rental payments, there's not really a lot of great solutions short of government stimulus," said Benjamin Gottlieb, a Phoenix real estate attorney. There is rental assistance currently available from the state, but critics say it isn't getting to renters fast enough and that the application process is often difficult. Landlords are bracing for a wave of rent defaults Landlords across the country are anticipating fewer people will be able to pay rent in May than April. But they are even more worried about what comes in the months after. "Arizona has almost $127 million already available or could soon be dedicated toward rental assistance. To my knowledge, just over a million of that has been deployed. And that really is the problem," said Courtney Gilstrap LeVinus, president of the Arizona Multihousing Association. Meanwhile, Ptak says the governor's office is "continuing to focus on getting assistance to all those impacted by COVID-19," including $2 billion in unemployment assistance since April. Khawam said she was told by Army investigators that Robinson cleaned up the area where Guillen was killed, placed her body in a container and wheeled her out to his car. After driving to pick up Aguilar, Khawam said, the pair drove to a nearby river and tried to burn Guillens body, but later chopped it up with a machete. Then they put cement on the body and buried the remains. PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) A day after they were put on notice to shut down or face legal action by the state, Life Time Fitness has decided to comply with the Governors order to close their facilities. As of noon on July 3, Life Time Fitness will be closing the indoor fitness areas of all of their Arizona gyms. Other services provided by Life Time Fitness, such as the salon, spa, food service, kids clubs, and pools, will remain open for business. Officials with Life Time gym provided a statement explaining their decision to comply. After connecting with the offices of the Governor and the Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services this morning and, out of respect for the Governor, we are shutting down the indoor fitness portion of our clubs as of now through Monday evening, allowing time to meet with the Governors team and collaborate on how we can quickly reopen the indoor fitness portion in support of your health and well being, and that of our team members. All other services and amenities in the club will remain open to you at this time. In addition, July dues have not yet been charged and we will provide further updates early next week. As you likely will attest, Life Times safety protocols are beyond that of any other business. Once the health department has the opportunity to review what youve been experiencing every day, we believe they will come to the same conclusion. COVID is a serious virus and it should not be taken lightly. Everyone needs to act as responsibly as they can to protect themselves, as well as those who may not have immunity against the virus. The governments should work with each industry to unveil the safest protocols to conduct business. For example, these measures should include limiting business capacity appropriately (based on surge of the virus and hospital capabilities), requiring all employees to wear masks and for members to do so when six feet or less from another employee or member, and deploying temperature checks. Businesses who do not comply with these agreed upon, robust safety and cleaning protocols should be shut down immediately and assertively. We believe that health clubs and gyms can operate more safely than any other business and, because our customers are members, were able to ensure everyone understands their role in upholding safety measures. Plus, contact tracing can be performed, where needed, because every member visit is recorded. Other retailers and places consumers may visit cannot do this, yet, they remain unaffected by these revised restrictions. Arizona health officials order Life Time, Mountainside Fitness locations to close They have to be closed by noon Friday or else they face a lawsuit from the state. Thursday, ADHS issued Emergency Measures in a Notice and Demand for Compliance letter when it was notified that certain fitness centers were not complying with Governor Duceys Executive Order. These facilities include Mountainside Fitness, Scottsdale Shea; Life Time Fitness, Tempe; and Life Time Fitness, Camelback. The Notice and the Letter required compliance by noon today. Life Time Fitness complying with the Governors Executive Order is in the best interest of all Arizonans, said Dr. Cara Christ, director of ADHS. We look forward to partnering with Life Time Fitness on developing public health best practices for the fitness industry. We appreciate their willingness to protect Arizonans and provide their time and subject matter expertise. Mountainside Fitness, Scottsdale Shea has made it clear to ADHS that they will not comply with the Emergency Measures as prescribed in the Notice and Letter and are refusing to close as required by Governor Duceys Executive Order. "We hadn't done anything wrong. We hadn't violated anything. Just because we were open didn't mean we didn't care about the virus. Hell, we care," said Tom Hatten, the CEO of Mountainside Fitness. ADHS officials say they are moving forward to enforce its Emergency Measures against Mountainside Fitness to protect the public health and welfare against the serious threat posed by COVID-19. Vanessa Guillen, 20, was last seen in the parking lot of her barracks at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas, on April 22. A surprising new study found that the controversial antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine helped patients better survive in the hospital. The Supreme Court on Thursday night temporarily blocked a lower court order that would have cleared the way for more people in Alabama to vote by absentee ballot during Covid-19. With cheese on the inside and the outside, the new Grilled Cheese Burrito is Taco Bell's cheesiest new menu item of the year so far. CBS 5 Chief Meteorologist Paul Horton keeps you up-to-date on the Valley's forecast weekdays on CBS 5 News at 5, 6:30 and 10 p.m. Helping the community is also important to Paul as he as spearheads the yearly Pay it Forward Car Wash that benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona. After six straight days with temperatures above 115 degrees, we will see highs the next few days near our average, which is 106 this time of year. Though the Chicago Board of Education voted 4-3 last week not to end the current contract between CPS and CPD, that only runs through August. Between now and then, the Board of Education is expected to vote on a new agreement., A high-stakes financing deadline for one of Kern's biggest oil producers has come and gone this week with no word from the company on what hap Bluefield, WV (24701) Today Thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low around 60F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low around 60F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. President Trump is moving toward his 2024 candidacy as per all indications from his enlightening address to the NC GOP on June 5, 2021. Considering this political vector as a distinct possibility: What is your electoral pleasure as an integral cog in this Representative Republic? No Vote: Mr. Trump will never be president again as we boldly march toward a Socialist society. Yes Vote: Mr. Trump was the best president since Ronald Reagan, and we need a real leader, who is fully cognitive of that responsibility in these tumultuous times.. The term "free speech zone" can be misleading. While the name implies a policy that promotes free expression, free speech zones do the opposite. They confine political demonstrations to a small, often secluded, area on campus and typically require students to get advance permission to demonstrate.In Oregon, a pro-life group, Students for Life, filed a lawsuit against Chemeketa Community College in May to challenge the college's free speech zone policy.The college restricts outdoor speech to two smalland requires a two-week notice to use them. Students for Life claims that the policy violates their right to free speech and that the required notice prevents them from engaging in spontaneous political expression.Even at schools that claim to have eliminated their free speech zone policies, though, colleges still restrict speech. In 2003, Western Illinois University said that it would eliminate its free speech area policy. However, when students protested to legalize marijuana in 2019, campus police told them to stop because they were outside the school's free speech zone.Thankfully, colleges have been cleaning up their act in recent years: free speech zones are on the decline. According to FIRE's 2020 Spotlight on Speech Codes , only 8.3 percent of surveyed schools enforced free speech zone policies, down from 10.5 percent in 2019.State legislatures have also acted against free speech zones. Seventeen states have passed legislation preventing free speech zone policies: Virginia, Missouri, Arizona, Kentucky, Colorado, Utah, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Dakota, Iowa, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas.Those annoying limitations on students exercising their Constitutional rights on campus may soon be a relic of the past. During a court hearing for the two men Thursday, Will County Assistant States Attorney Chris Koch said that based on the available evidence, the states attorneys office was not filing formal charges against the men. Koch noted the case remains under review by the Illinois State Police and charges could be filed at a later date. Big Bend National Park has closed again to visitors until further notice, according to the National Park Service. The closure is in response to a positive case of COVID-19 in the park residential community, according to the NPS. Michael Oppenheimer, an attorney representing Lurrys widow, said he is not surprised by Thursdays findings but questioned their validity. He added he will be asking for a federal investigation into the incident and will seek a private autopsy. He suggests officers, who held Lurrys nostrils for more than a minute, were more concerned about retrieving drugs for a conviction than rendering medical aid to Lurry. Bedford, PA (15522) Today Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. A few storms may be severe. Low 61F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. A few storms may be severe. Low 61F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. The owner of a popular cafe in south Belfast has said he will not be reopening following lockdown after a decision to "streamline life and business". Root & Branch, which opened four years ago, served coffee from its own roastery. It first operated from a small premises on Jameson Street before expanding out onto the main Ormeau Road. It was named top coffee shop in Northern Ireland by the Irish Times and, along with other operators like Kaffe-O, formed a new wave of upmarket coffee shops catering for the more choosy coffee drinker. Owners Simon Johnson and Ben Craig later opened a branch at Ormeau Baths, a co-working space on Ormeau Avenue close to the city centre. But now Mr Johnson has told customers he wants to close the Ormeau Road branch to focus on the roastery, after a period of reflection in lockdown. In a Facebook post, he wrote: "Lockdown didn't afford me much time to reflect but it did help me realise that I have a finite amount of time. "As a dad to two young kids and with a wife who has her own demanding career, running a business is a challenge. "Granted, things are slowly returning to some degree of normality, but the 'new norm' has to look different for me and for Root and Branch." He said his desire to work in coffee had been motivated by an interest in sourcing, buying and roasting green coffee. "As R&B has grown, my energies and focus have also been required in other areas. In closing our Ormeau Road cafe, I want to streamline life and the business. "I am sad to be leaving our little side-street birthplace and breaking up the fantastic team we have. Like many of you, I've rich memories of great conversations over coffee with locals and visitors, baristas and roasters, musicians and whoever else graced our little roastery. "I'm quite sure it'll be bustling with life again soon and that its new resident will continue to make sure our coffee is lighting up that lovely little corner of the Ormeau Road." However, it's not clear whether a new tenant has been found. Belfast Telegraph restaurant critic Joris Minne said he recognised the dilemma facing someone with a specialism in production, such as a coffee roastery, who then moves into hospitality. "Production is much more sociable when it comes to working hours. You go into a warehouse or factory at a given time and finish at a given time. "But moving into hospitality is a different game and everybody knows the impact that has on family life, because of the crazy hours people have to live." On Facebook, customers said they were disappointed but applauded Mr Johnson's decision to focus on family. One wrote: "You've done your bit and created something special but there is nothing more important nor more fulfilling than your family. "Life is fluid and ever changing, it's great to see someone actually flow with life rather than follow a fixed route. The future is looking a bit brighter this morning, thank you. It will be interesting to see what you learn from your kids, they're great teachers." Phone lines to hairdressing salons have been red hot since the Government announced they could reopen on July 6. The scramble to fit everyone in while also having to limit the number of clients on their premises has been among the biggest challenges facing salon owners. After 15 weeks of closure, businesses have been working hard to put new government guidelines in place to keep staff and customers safe. A fall in the number of clients will hit some salons hard and owners say that price rises have been inevitable to ensure the survival of their salons due to the lockdown. We got a look inside some of our leading salons to see what clients can expect when the doors reopen on Monday morning. Im booked up for months and have so many calls to return Keris Weir of the Keris Weir Salon in Co Armagh has had to deal with her online booking system and Facebook messenger crashing as people scramble to get an appointment. Expand Close Keris Weir in her salon as she prepares to reopen / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Keris Weir in her salon as she prepares to reopen The award-winning stylist and Belfast Telegraph Weekend magazine columnist, whose family hairdressing business in Lurgan has been going for 45 years, is now booked up until September and has still hundreds of calls to return. Keris has a large salon and has been able to create two zones to keep clients separated. She doesn't expect to have any more than two clients and two members of staff (including her) in the salon at any one time. It is a massive change from normal times when she would have been working on the hair of three clients at once. The costs involved in cutting back on client numbers has meant limiting her menu choices to cuts, colours and extensions only and raising prices by 20%. It was a tough decision which she says was necessary for her salon's survival: "The new way of working is all about contamination control and volume control," she explains. "We have opted to use disposal gowns and disposable towels as well as provide our clients with masks. The salon will look different but we are lucky because we have a large floor space. However, we have had to take away four of our dress-out stations and that has left us with four. "We have also taken the middle of three sinks out of operation. "Prices have gone up because of the time we now have to devote to one on one styling and the extra costs of PPE. "Usually I would be jumping between three clients at any one time and now I will only be able to do one. "That is going to have a huge impact on the business and some salons already have said they can't survive. It has been a difficult decision for me to put prices up but if I want to be profitable I have no choice." A cut which would have cost 35 before lockdown will now be 45 and Keris's signature balayage colouring, which started at 85 before the pandemic will now cost 105. She adds: "I am not doing blow-dries or dry cuts anymore because it just simply isn't financially feasible and I know that has caused some upset but I had to make a big decision to keep the business going. "The salon will be very different but I hope people will still enjoy the full salon experience." Weve an extra space where customers can wait for colour to take Escapades Hair Salon has been operating in the village of Moira in Co Down for 23 years, run by business partners Simone Stronach, from Newry, and Jennifer Neill, from Warringstown. Expand Close Simone Stronach / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Simone Stronach The women have a staff of 10 and, to be able to open next week, they have had to take over a second unit at The Village Centre in Moira. The vacant unit which is downstairs from their salon will be used for people waiting for colours to process, freeing up more space to keep the main salon working. Simone says it has been a life-saver: "Our landlord is allowing us to take over the unit. It used to be a Barnardo's charity shop which closed during lockdown and it will be free of charge. "I really do think his generosity has saved our business. "Even with the social distancing rules relaxed to one metre it is still a challenge in salons and we won't be able to have as many clients as we used to have. "The extra unit will be used for people to wait in while colours are taking and we are also putting chairs outside the shop." Simone and Jennifer have been able to take away some of their work stations so that those in use will all be one metre apart, reducing the salon's usual 15 seats to 12. Perspex screens will keep basins safe and staff will be wearing both facemasks and face shields. The salon will also be asking customers to wear masks. There will be no refreshments or magazines in keeping with guidelines. Simone says: "We have to sanitise each work station after a client leaves which will give staff a break from wearing PPE. "We hope things will not feel too much different for clients." Pricing has been a challenge for the salon as they predict plunging profits due to the reduction in clients each day. Simone explains: "We have spoken to the bank manager and our accountant and with being closed for so long we will be lucky to break even in the first month even though we are booked out. "It is not even the cost of PPE but more the reduction in numbers that means there is not as much money coming in to cover overheads. "We have always prided ourselves on keeping our prices realistic and we haven't decided on what the new prices will be but we will have no choice but to make small increases." While the salon is booked out for the next four weeks, Simone is realistically taking a long term view on the future. She adds: "Everybody is dying to get to the hairdressers now but after three months at home doing their own hair we think there will be an impact further down the line. "There will be people who have decided to embrace their grey and others who don't feel the need to go to their salon as often so we don't know what the future holds." We wont need screens as were sticking to the two metre rule High end Belfast salon Andrew Mulvenna in Victoria Street is well- known for its quality service and highly trained stylists. A Northern Ireland Hairdresser of the Year award winner and Cosmo Top 10 in the UK salon, Andrew and his team of 30 are looking forward to opening their doors on Monday. Expand Close Andrew Mulvenna / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Andrew Mulvenna With a state-of-the-art salon spread over three floors he has been able to retain the two metre rule to give clients extra reassurance. A new maitre d' will greet clients and quickly whisk them to the floor they need to be on to meet their stylist. Andrew says: "It is only last week that we got clear and correct guidelines for our sector so it has been all systems go to get ready for opening next Monday. "We have hand sanitisers at the front door and floor markings showing a one way system and social distancing signs. "We will have a Perspex screen at reception but we are very lucky as a business that we have such a large space over three floors which means we can run it like three separate salons. "We will have half the amount of available seating which will be cut from 48 stations to 24 and there will be no need for screening as we have decided to stick to the two metre rule." Staff will be wearing masks and visors and customers will also be asked to bring their own masks and wear them during their treatment. You can bring your coat but you must bring a bag to put it in as it cannot be hung up with other coats. Expand Close Salon owner Andrew Mulvenna and director Judith McKay make preparations at Andrew Mulvenna Hair in Belfast PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Salon owner Andrew Mulvenna and director Judith McKay make preparations at Andrew Mulvenna Hair in Belfast Blow dries will not be on the menu for the first month as the salon prioritises cuts and colours. Prices will rise as the salon's income takes a hit from the drastically reduced numbers of clients. A gent's hair cut will rise from 36 to 39 while ladies will go up from 50 to 55. Colouring will only be charged according to how much product a client requires to cover their re-growth. Andrew adds: "People think hair salons are raising prices for the sake of it and that's not the case. "All salons are facing reduced revenue and increased expenditure. "Hairdressing is not a high flyer occupation and we have to work very hard get the revenues in. "Every salon will have to do it and those who don't must not understand their cash flow and will probably find that they will have to put prices up in six to eight weeks time." We always got a lot of drop-ins, but we cant have an open door policy any more Joanna McCartney runs Hairdressing by Joanna McCartney in Newry. The city boasts over 70 salons, so news that doors were reopening was a cause for great celebration. Expand Close Joanna McCartney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Joanna McCartney Joanna, who has been running her salon for 26 years, had already put many of the safety measures in place on the last week of trading before lockdown due to fears over coronavirus. She laments that her open-door policy will now change as she has to work by an appointment-only system. She says: "Newry is a place where we have a lot of well-kept ladies and it is known as the 'Queen of the Blow-dries' as many of our clients would get blow- dries twice a week. "When it was announced we could reopen the response was overwhelming and I will never forget that first phone call to book an appointment as it was so joyous. People were squealing with joy when they got their appointments. We are all really buzzing to get back." While hairdressing salons over the border opened a week earlier it hasn't stopped Joanna's loyal clientele from holding on until she is able to reopen. Her salon is spacious which will allow her to maintain a two metre social distancing rule. Instead of the usual eight clients having their hair done at any one time, capacity will be halved to four. Her staff of five will also be in full PPE and clients will be asked to wear masks. Full sanitising of 15 minutes will add to appointment times, pushing prices up slightly. Expand Close The extra space in Joanna McCartneys salon is proving beneficial / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The extra space in Joanna McCartneys salon is proving beneficial Joanna adds: "We always got a lot of drop-ins which we won't be able to do now which is regrettable for me as I always had an open door policy but will now have to keep the door closed. "It is appointment only by social media and we are booked out until August. "We will be working longer days and on Mondays, which was usually a day off, so that we can fit everyone in. "With half the normal number of clients our revenues will be down and we didn't want to put prices up too but we've had no choice. A cut will go up from 40 to 45 and a colour from 35 to 37. "Being closed for 15 weeks has been tough on business. We are still all shipwrecked and we need to get sailing again." A woman who punched a nurse and kicked a doctor after racially abusing her neighbour has been jailed for seven months. Mary O'Neill, 62, also harangued Asian patients being treated at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Prosecutors said she told police that when she drinks she becomes "evil". O'Neill, of The Milewater at North Queen Street in the city, was convicted of two counts of common assault, disorderly behaviour and breaching an injunction against harassment. Belfast Magistrates' Court heard she called at a neighbour's home on June 11 and hurled abuse at her. "She called her a foreign b******, telling her to get out of Ireland," a Crown lawyer said. O'Neill had been prohibited from contacting the woman due to previous encounters. But according to the prosecution she defied the court order, targeting a victim who is now seeking to be relocated. The defendant was taken to hospital in a drunken state, but launched a further tirade against others present. "In particular she was shouting abuse at Asian patients," the prosecutor said. A female doctor tried to get O'Neill to calm down, but she grabbed the medic's stethoscope and kicked her. Members of the public had to intervene to pull her away from the doctor. O'Neill then turned on a nurse who was attempting to treat her. "She again became abusive, calling her a 'bleached blonde whore bag' before punching her to the stomach and winding her," the lawyer continued. O'Neill was escorted out of hospital by security staff, and arrested later that day at her home. As police were leading her away she shouted at other residents, calling them "nosey b*******", the court heard. O'Neill, who has 288 previous convictions, claimed to have little memory of events at the hospital, but accepted it was her on the CCTV footage. The prosecutor added: "She said her actions were simply because of how much drink she takes, she said she becomes evil and expressed remorse." Defence barrister Conn O'Neill insisted his client's regret was genuine. "These weren't crocodile tears," he said. "She has brought all this on herself, but her concerns are more for the people she has hurt in these incidents." But District Judge Fiona Bagnall held that the assaults aggravated by involving attacks on hospital staff. She also described the breach of the injunction as a racially-motivated hate crime. Imposing seven months custody, Judge Bagnall pointed out: "There's something of a Jekyll and Hyde about Mrs O'Neill, when she has drink she turns into a completely different person." A young Belfast boy is set to make his television debut with a poetry monologue about life under the lockdown next week. Joshua McLees won a virtual masterclass with Harry Potter star Matthew Lewis after being selected as a winner for the British Film Institute's See Yourself on Screen Challenge. It was launched by television presenter Dr Ranj Singh last month. The seven-year-old's poem, Home But Not Alone, was shot in his house and will be broadcast on Channel 5's Milkshake programme. Joshua and his proud mum Emma told the Belfast Telegraph they will be tuning in next week to see the short programme - which is two minutes long - premiere between July 8-10. It also features his younger brother Adam (4). Joshua, who was one of hundreds of young people to enter the UK-wide contest, said it had been fantastic to be involved in the challenge. "Absolutely unbelievable. It was one of the best days of my life," he said. The schoolboy said he wanted to enter the contest because of the boredom of the lockdown, which meant he missed seeing other family members and friends. "I did because I just wanted to show people that it's okay to be feeling this way," explained Joshua. Expand Close Joshua McLees / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Joshua McLees To qualify for the challenge he had to submit - along with the other contestants - a 30-second clip. Once selected as a winner in his age category he was teamed up with Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films for a virtual one-on-one masterclass. Other mentors for the 15 winners included Rob Delaney, Reggie Yates, Harry Hill, Konnie Huq, Matthew Lewis and Jessica Hynes. Joshua said was a brilliant experience working with the silver screen actor. "It was unbelievable. I had heard of Harry Potter but I hadn't read the books or watched the movies," revealed Joshua. "I've now read the first book and I loved it and the movie, and Matthew's really funny in it." Joshua loved filming his monologue so much, he hasn't ruled out working in the TV and film industry when he's older. "Acting is a great job, and I think I might want to do it when I'm older," he said. "But there's other things out there." Jackie Edwards, head of the BFI's Young Audiences Content Fund, said it was important to give young people an outlet to express themselves during the lockdown period. "We launched the See Yourself on Screen Challenge as a way of giving a platform to young people from across the UK whose lives have changed significantly during the Covid-19 lockdown," she said. "And we were utterly thrilled to receive so many brilliant pitches. This challenge was also a great chance for our industry colleagues to join hands with young people and do something supremely positive." A Belfast dentist has said plans by the Health Minister to supply surgeries with Personal Protection Equipment do not go far enough. It's expected that dentists will be permitted to restart aerosol generating procedures such as fillings from July 20. Dr Lida Fartash of Elite Dental on the Ravenhill Road, however, said the current arrangements to deliver PPE made this "absolutely impossible". Yesterday, the Health Minister Robin Swann met with members of the British Dental Association to announce that more than 3million individual items of PPE - including masks, visors, gloves and aprons - will be delivered to dental practices in the next 10-14 days. He added that a financial support scheme had already provided 12m to local dentists and will continue for a further two months. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Dr Fartash said: "Unfortunately, the list of PPE that they are giving us, not all of the essential items we need to start aerosol generating procedures are there. So we still have no idea about when we can actually start." While welcoming the 12m already paid out to local dentists, she said it wasn't enough for services to resume. "What's the use of receiving this money if we can't treat patients? "This is the heartbreaking part for us. "We have old women who have lost their dentures or have broken teeth and they all need to receive urgent attention." She added: "The legislation says if you use one room for a filling, the NHS payment is 9.50. For that I need my staff to be fully protected with PPE. "The price for two of us is 15.50. After that surgery we have to leave the room for one hour to allow the aerosol to settle down. "How can anyone go back to work like that, it's absolutely impossible." Meanwhile, new figures released yesterday have shown that children in Northern Ireland have consistently needed more fillings than their UK counterparts. The statistics from the Health and Social Care Business Services Organisation said 21% of children registered with a dentist received a filling during 2019/20, despite an overall reduction by 12% in the last four years. Dr Fartash said a greater focus was needed on dental education in early school years, and that differences in payment methods between Northern Ireland and mainland UK could also account for the ongoing differences. A nurse left fighting for her life after working at a care home at the centre of a deadly Covid-19 outbreak has been discharged from hospital. Colette McAfee was diagnosed with the virus after working at Clifton Nursing Home in north Belfast, where nine residents with Covid-19 have died. She spent 26 days in intensive care, where her condition was described by medics as critical. As she fought the devastating effects of the virus, her family was repeatedly warned that she was not expected to survive. However, she defied the odds and returned to her home in west Belfast this week. Her daughter Emma Louise Aiken said: "We're absolutely delighted to have her back home. "I'm staying with her while she gets back on her feet and I just don't want to leave her, she's going to be sick of the sight of me." Expand Close Clifton Nursing Home in north Belfast, where Colette had been working / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Clifton Nursing Home in north Belfast, where Colette had been working Serious concerns were raised over why 64-year-old Colette, who came out of retirement to help on the frontline, was placed in Clifton Nursing Home, which had been failing to meet minimum infection control standards ahead of the pandemic. Her placement at the home was even more worrying as she has diabetes, which means she was at greater risk from the virus. Runwood Homes, the company that owns Clifton Nursing Home, had been repeatedly warned to raise standards at the facility - in particular over infection control procedures. On March 3, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) gave it a third and final warning to address infection control failings after first raising concerns in April last year. Colette began working at the home on May 8 and was diagnosed with the virus on May 15. Her condition quickly deteriorated and she was rushed to hospital, before being moved to the ICU at the Mater Hospital. Emma Louise continued: "We really thought she was never going to get out of there. She had a really bad time, they took her off the ventilator and had to put her back on immediately. They phoned us to say they didn't think she would be able to stay off the ventilator. "Mum doesn't remember getting sick. She remembers getting her test results, but she doesn't remember the day she went to hospital - everything is a blur to her. "She had a lot of dreams while she was in the coma and when she woke up, she thought a lot of things had happened that weren't true. "She actually thought she had been in intensive care for a week. We have been telling her what happened but only bit by bit because we don't want to overwhelm her too much." Emma Louise has told Colette that she met with the Health Minister and Chief Nursing Officer at the start of June to discuss her concerns about the circumstances leading up to her mum falling ill. She has put a series of questions to Robin Swann and Charlotte McArdle but is yet to receive a response. Emma Louise now wants to arrange a further meeting to give her mum an opportunity to speak to Mr Swann about her experience working at Clifton Nursing Home. Conditions there were considered so dangerous that Mr Swann announced on May 22 that steps were being taken to move residents elsewhere. However, an alternative provider was subsequently found to take over management of the home on a temporary basis, enabling the residents to remain. The home, which was handed a failure to comply notice by regulators on May 20, was found to be in compliance with basic standards on June 24. Emma Louise continued: "Mum obviously had no idea how sick she has been but we were waiting for a phone call every day to find out whether she was alive or dead. "There were quite a few days where we thought she was never coming home. "The staff in the hospital were amazing, they were so good, and we have been so overwhelmed by all the messages of support we've had. "Patients of mums from years ago found out how sick she was and got in touch, which meant so much. "We're just so delighted to have her home, it just shows how determined she is. It's fantastic - she's fantastic." Clifton Nursing Home has failed to meet basic standards over the years and in November last year, the chair of the Belfast Trust board Peter McNaney said the trust was "concerned that the home does struggle to sustain improvements". A spokesperson for Runwood Homes said: We are unable to comment on any staff employed by Belfast HSC Trust but do absolutely wish this Nurse a continued and rapid onward recovery. The owner of a historic Londonderry pub claims the Government's reopening rules leave her seriously disadvantaged. The Anchor Bar is one of the city's oldest pubs and also one of the smallest - having a maximum capacity of just 60. But Gemma Bell, who has owned the bar for the past 29 years, said social distancing rules will reduce that number to a meagre 25. Because she cannot provide food to her customers, Gemma could not reopen on Friday. And now she is questioning if it is worthwhile returning at all. "We closed our doors on March 16 like so many other pubs and restaurants in Derry, but unlike so many of our competitors we haven't been able to open because we can't provide food," Gemma said. "This has put us at a serious disadvantage and I cannot see what difference it makes to people coming inside whether or not they have a plate of chips with their pint. "We are still in the dark as to when we will be able to open but realistically, because we have had to reduce our capacity to around 25 people, there is only a 50-50 chance I will be able to open at all." In contrast, next door to the Anchor, the Bentley Bar was fully booked for the rest of the weekend. Seating had been arranged to ensure social distancing while customers were allocated a two-hour slot to enjoy a bite to eat with their drinks. Expand Close Emmett Gallagher / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Emmett Gallagher Emmett Gallagher said it was great to be back inside a pub after so long. He said: "I am so impressed by the way the staff here have things organised with regards to social distancing so I feel safe being here. Safety is definitely being put ahead of everything and they are still able to deliver wonderful food." Providing wonderful food has been Raymond Moran's passion since he opened Soda and Starch restaurant in the Craft Village. An emotional Mr Moran said opening the door on Friday was a big moment. He said: "I turned the key in the door this morning at 7.30am because I couldn't sleep and it was very emotional for me. "This is my livelihood and there are times I spend 80 or 90 hours a week here, so to see bookings coming in especially from regular customers, is such a real boost. "We put a big emphasis on using local suppliers so being open again will increase their business too." While Nonna's Woodfire Pizzas on Shipquay Street was not open for lunch, final preparations for evening opening led to a real buzz inside. Expand Close Darren Bradley / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Darren Bradley Owner Darren Bradley explained how, along with screens between tables, contact with staff would also be kept to a minimum. He said: "So much work has had to be done that it is almost like opening up for the first time all over again, but we are so delighted. "People coming to the restaurant will see a whole new way of doing things, not least in the way food and drink will be ordered. "We have developed our own app for ordering, which means we have a barcode on the table that allows our customers to order, which goes directly to the kitchen and it also allows them to pay, but we still have all our staff. "I think we are all a bit nervous and won't know for sure how things will work out for a while, but it should all be grand." A man wrongfully convicted of the Birmingham pub bombing has spoken of how singing helped him get through the coronavirus lockdown in the same way it helped him survive prison for 16 years. Hugh Callaghan (90) counted the notorious Kray brothers as fans while behind bars. Mr Callaghan was one of the innocent men known as the Birmingham Six convicted of the murder of 21 people in 1974. He was among guests from a London pensioners' club who told RTE's Morning programme how music helped them pass the days since the lockdown was introduced in March - just as it had done when he was in jail. After blasting out a strong voiced rendition of Danny Boy for the listeners, Mr Callaghan explained how a prison officer, upon hearing him sing in his cell, invited him to take part in a concert. It was a move that was to change the way he was treated by other inmates until he was freed in March 1991 after the murder convictions against him and the five other innocent men were quashed by the Court of Appeal. He said: "I was called up to sing and all the prisoners went mad clapping because they didn't know I could sing. "I couldn't believe it because all of sudden everybody started talking to me. "In the prison yard they came up to me and said: 'God, you were great' - all the big London gangsters like the Krays. "During the coronavirus lockdown I have done all right. "I have been listening to music, playing music and singing, and that has kept me going. "It is nice now to be out and about and be amongst people. "I like to be amongst people." I dont know a single person for whom the pandemic has been easy, Blackmon wrote in a letter posted on Wheatons website. To make matters worse, we do not know the answers to all the human what, when, where, why, how and now what questions. Considering all our uncertainties, Ive been taking life and ministry one day at a time. First Minister Arlene Foster has said that Michelle O'Neill's apology over scenes at the funeral of republican Bobby Storey "falls short" of what was needed. Mrs Foster said that the deputy First Minister failed to acknowledge her role in causing hurt to people who have lost loved ones during the Covid-19 pandemic. The DUP leader said she regretted that her Sinn Fein counterpart had not offered a full and frank apology and said it had damaged relationships "right across the Executive". "We will try now and deal with that matter, I will be speaking to other party leaders about this issue and trying to move forward," Mrs Foster said. "It is important we try and rebuild the trust that has been lost. "The Executive has tried to deliver messages in relation to public health guidance and try and keep our people safe and unfortunately the credibility of that messaging has been severely damaged over this past week." In a statement on Friday morning, deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill acknowledged the "considerable controversy" over her attendance at the funeral. She said it was "unfortunate" the matter had divided the Executive. She again insisted she acted within the rules in respect of all the things that were within her control, such as the size of the cortege and the numbers attending inside St Agnes' Church. "I will never apologise for attending the funeral of my friend," she said. She added: "I am particularly concerned that grieving families, who have lost a loved one during the pandemic had their heartache compounded by the necessary restrictions which were in place at that time. Expand Close Relationships between Arlene Foster and Michelle ONeill are now strained PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Relationships between Arlene Foster and Michelle ONeill are now strained I am also concerned that those grieving families are experiencing more hurt over recent days. I am sorry for that. Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald also issued an apology over the hurt caused by the funeral for the IRA veteran. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the deputy first minister's "half apology" did not go far enough and if she could not show contrition or admit wrongdoing she should stand aside. Read More Here's how Friday unfolded: Daniel Sebastian Allen is led into court at a previous hearing. A man accused of causing a fatal house fire in which a family of four, including a toddler, died has denied their murders. The blaze took place near Derrylin in Co Fermanagh in February 2018. The accused is Daniel Sebastian Allen (29), with an address at Molly Road, Derrylin, where the fire occurred. He appeared before Dungannon Crown Court sitting in Belfast via a video link from Maghaberry prison, where he is on remand. Grandmother Denise Gossett (45), her 16-year-old son Roman, his 19-year-old sister Sabrina, and her 15-month-old daughter Morgana died in the fatal blaze in their rented home at Molly Road on February 27 2018. Expand Close Roman (16) and Morgana Gosset (1) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Roman (16) and Morgana Gosset (1) In addition to the murders, Allen is also accused with the arson of the rented bungalow, endangering life. Via videolink, Allen pleaded not guilty to all five charges he faced during the arraignment hearing. No trial date was set by Mr Justice OHara because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The case will reviewed by the senior judge on Friday, September 18. Allen was remanded back into custody. The funeral of a Warrenpoint chef who died in a car accident this week will take place on Sunday. Loughlin Maginn (39), known as Loughie, died in Rathfriland on Wednesday afternoon when he became trapped under his car when it started to roll in a car park. His death follows another tragedy for the family after his father, who had the same name, was murdered aged 28 in a notorious loyalist shooting in Rathfriland in 1989. Read More A funeral notice said Mr Maginn the treasured partner of Keighra, devoted father to Megan, much-loved son of Maureen and the late Loughlin, step-son of Jim Murnin. His remains will leave his home in Warrenpoint on Sunday at 11.30pm for a private cremation in Lakelands Crematorium in Cavan, with house and funeral strictly private. Expand Close Loughlin Maginn Sr / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Loughlin Maginn Sr Mourners will also have an opportunity to pay their respects on Friday with his remains passing through Hilltown at 5.45pm. A message on the Clonduff GAC page, where he had been a former player, said a guard of honour will be formed on the Rostrevor Road at the entrance to Ardmore Park. Those paying their respects have been asked to maintain social distancing. This week, many of his former colleagues paid tribute to a friend and talented chef. One message from the Rostrevor Inn said: "He not only earned respect for his talent and dedication, but became a good friend to staff and customers alike. "He will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and sympathies are with his daughter, mother and siblings." Former IRA chief Bobby Storey was not buried after Tuesday's controversial funeral in west Belfast, it can be revealed. It was widely reported that the veteran republican had been laid to rest at Milltown Cemetery following orations by, among others, ex-Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams. The Belfast Telegraph understands, however, that instead of being interred at the cemetery's republican plot at that time, Mr Storey's remains were instead transported to Roselawn, where they were cremated later on Tuesday afternoon. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Funeral of senior republican Bobby Storey takes place in west Belfast - June 30 2020 [Photos] Close The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams as the funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Gerry Kelly and Michelle O'Neill as the funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Pictured: Conor Murphy MLA. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams as the funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) It is also understood that the veteran former IRA leader's ashes were due to be returned to close family to be subsequently brought back to Milltown some time later. A source told this newspaper: "Bobby Storey was cremated at Roselawn at 2.30pm on Tuesday. "When the mourners came out of St Agnes's Church they went to Milltown, where speeches were made. After that a select few, including Gerry Adams and some other high profile Sinn Fein members, followed the coffin to Roselawn." The source said that around 60 stewards dressed in white shirts, black trousers and black ties were monitoring events at the cemetery on the Ballygowan Road, which is home to Northern Ireland's only crematorium. "A lot of people were under the impression that there was an immediate burial at Milltown following the big cortege to the republican plot, but that was not the case," they said. "Sinn Fein stewards took control of Roselawn Cemetery from the entrance gates, which are normally manned by council staff. Police in plain clothes were spotted in unmarked vehicles nearby. "Mourners left the crematorium shortly after 3.15pm. It is understood that it normally takes 48 hours before cremated remains are released to loved ones so it is unclear if his ashes have yet reached their destination." The source added: "Cremetorium staff were told in advance about the cremation, but questions have been asked as to why it was all kept so quiet." A man charged with the murder of journalist Lyra McKee in Derry is to be granted bail, a High Court judge ruled on Friday. Mr Justice O'Hara held that Paul McIntyre, 52, can be released from custody amid delays in the case due to Covid-19. Ms McKee, 29, was shot dead as she observed rioting in the city's Creggan area in April 2019. Members of the New IRA were said to have orchestrated the unrest, which involved police being attacked by stones, petrol bombs and other missiles. McIntrye, of Kinnego Park in Derry, was initially charged with rioting, petrol bomb offences, and the arson of a tipper truck. But in February this year he was further charged with the journalist's murder, possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, and belonging to a proscribed organisation. According to the prosecution he escorted the gunman to the scene of the shooting and picked up his bullet casings. McIntyre was allegedly identified by clothing on mobile phone and television footage of the disorder. A previous court heard McIntyre had been challenged about dissident republican political party Saoradh the day after Ms McKee's death. It was claimed that he told an ex-partner: "It wasn't me, it was one of member's sons." Expand Close Paul McIntyre / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Paul McIntyre However, defence team Mark Mulholland QC and solicitor Derwin Harvey contended that the evidence is too weak to link him to any role in the killing. In court on Friday it emerged that a hearing to determine if McIntyre is to stand trial has been put back to September because of the impact of the pandemic. Mr Justice O'Hara suggested the new date must also be in jeopardy. He said: "Although a lot of people are understandably uncomfortable about bail being granted in cases where somebody faces murder charges, even one arising from events as notorious as those which led to Ms McKee's death, the courts are obliged to acknowledged the presumption of innocence." Based on the changed circumstances, the judge confirmed that McIntyre is to be released on strict conditions. The accused is to live under curfew at an address on Derry's Northland Road, must report daily to the PSNI and abide by an exclusion zone. McIntyre is also barred from going within 500 metres of any march, protest or police operation, and cannot having any dealings with Saoradh. "This decision is not taken lightly, and is not to be taken as any reflection on the strengths or weaknesses of the prosecution case," Mr Justice O'Hara stressed. "That will be tested at the committal proceedings when they take place, and then ultimately, if he's committed for trial, at the trial." Northern Ireland should not be of secondary consideration at Westminster, according to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. In an article published below, Sir Keir and shadow secretary of state Louise Haigh say the UK Government has failed to grasp the challenges facing the province in the wake of the Covid-19 emergency. "As we move out of this crisis, rejuvenating Northern Ireland's economy will warrant particular attention if the full promise of peace is to be realised," they write. "Northern Ireland shouldn't be overlooked in Westminster - something Labour recognised in office but which the Conservatives have failed to grasp time and again." Read More Turning to the looming controversial changes in trading rules for here contained in the UK/EU Withdrawal Agreement, the Labour duo say: "Businesses are crying out for detail on what the new arrangements will look like and are desperate to make it work. "But with 27 weeks until the border changes come into force, very little is known. "A lack of detail and engagement from senior ministers is not wise at any time, but in the middle of an economic crisis it is irresponsible. Northern Ireland must not be an afterthought." Sir Keir (57), who took over as Labour Party leader from Jeremy Corbyn in April this year, is no stranger to local affairs. A former Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales, he was asked in 2015 to investigate three connected cases involving sex abuse and terrorist-related charges following claims by Belfast woman Mairia Cahill. Sir Keir found the three women had been let down by the Public Prosecution Service. Meanwhile, the secretary of Labour here said the party in London was "institutionally racist" in the way it treated its local members. While the party accepts members who live in Northern Ireland, it refuses to allow official party candidates to stand at elections in order maintain its "honest broker" status on local issues. But Dr Boyd Black said that the "honest broker" stance is effectively racist. "It's saying that if you are an English member of the Labour Party you can be an honest broker, but if you are a NI member of the Labour party you can't - you are a lesser citizen," Dr Black told the Belfast Telegraph last night. "It's institutionally racist. It's saying you are second class members, not capable of being honest brokers." Photos of Operation Venetic, including some of the vehicles and cash seized Photos of Operation Venetic, including some of the vehicles and cash seized Photos of Operation Venetic, including some of the vehicles and cash seized Police carried out a series of raids across Northern Ireland as part of Operation Venetic. Pic Pacemaker. Police in Northern Ireland have made a "significant" number of arrests and seized hundreds of thousands of pounds in a major UK sting against organised crime. It comes after the the National Crime Agency (NCA) said a top-secret communications system used by criminals to trade drugs and guns had been "penetrated". More than two dozen searches have been carried out by the PSNI. A 64-year-old arrested in Northern Ireland on Thursday morning has been charged with a number of offences including possession of criminal property, conspiracy to convert criminal property, possession of a Class A controlled drug and conspiring to fraudulently import a Class A controlled drug. He is expected to appear before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Friday. As is normal procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service. The raids were part of the NCA's 'Operation Venetic', which targets organised crime groups operating using encrypted technology in a bid to evade law enforcement. Expand Close Photos of Operation Venetic, including some of the vehicles and cash seized / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Photos of Operation Venetic, including some of the vehicles and cash seized The NCA-led operation saw the PSNI carry out 25 searches across Northern Ireland in collaboration with European and international partners. Five other people have been charged as part of the operation, four of whom have been remanded in custody and one on High Court bail. They collectively face 44 charges ranging from conspiracy to commit murder, possession of significant amounts of criminal property, various drugs offences involving Class A and Class B drugs including conspiracy to import and also being concerned in the supply. Expand Close 'Encro' phones have been seized. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 'Encro' phones have been seized. As part of the operation, 15 'Encro' phones have been seized - custom encrypted devices which are thought to be ultra secure - along with more than 360,000 in cash. Suspected Class A and B drugs have also been seized, including 2.5kgs of suspected cannabis and cocaine. Three high-value vehicles and numerous pieces of documentation, laptops and a number of items of jewellery and designer handbags were also seized. A high-end vehicle has been seized as part of Thursday's operation in Newry and search operations are ongoing. The PSNI said it has mitigated over 15 threats to life during the operation. Detective Chief Superintendent Freeburn said: "This has been the largest and most significant law enforcement operation ever mounted in the United Kingdom in the fight against organised crime groups. It has focused on attacking their use of encrypted communication called Encro devices on which individual members of crime groups co-ordinate their illegal activities. "The organised crime groups thought that by using encrypted technology they could fly below the radar of law enforcement, however this operation should send a clear message that the combined strength of PSNI working in partnership with our law enforcement partners that no-one is beyond the reach of the law." Expand Close PSNI Detective Chief Superintendent Andrew Freeburn and Craig Naylor, National Crime Agency Deputy Director Investigations. Photo Pacemaker Press / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp PSNI Detective Chief Superintendent Andrew Freeburn and Craig Naylor, National Crime Agency Deputy Director Investigations. Photo Pacemaker Press Evidence has now been secured to prosecute a number of known criminals who thought they were beyond the PSNI's reach, said Detective Chief Superintendent Freeburn. And there will more to come as we continue to disrupt this criminal network operating here in Northern Ireland who have links to criminals both nationally and internationally. Craig Naylor, the deputy director of investigations for Northern Ireland, Scotland and the North of England, said the operation was unprecedented across Northern Ireland and Europe. "It is the broadest and most significant co-ordinated piece of activity into serious organised crime intended to cause significant damage to organised crime groups. "The NCA has worked with international partners and every single police force across the UK, to achieve these extraordinary results. Our partnerships with policing and especially the PSNI has allowed us to operate to dismantle groups that were previously thought to be beyond the reach of law enforcement." A former contestant on TV talent show The Voice who admitted to secretly recording women for his own sexual gratification has been spared jail. Jeffery Anderson (29) Co Down man was handed a three-year sentence, which was suspended for three years, after appearing at a remote hearing of Downpatrick Crown Court. Also attending the hearing via videolink were several of Anderson's victims, some of whom were teenagers when they were secretly recorded by Anderson, as well as others who were recorded in private acts such as going to the toilet. As he sentenced Anderson, Judge Geoffrey Miller QC spoke of the impact Anderson's offending has had on the women, who told a "similar story" of their experience with the former TV contestant. The complainants described Anderson as portraying himself as outwardly confident and sexually experienced, but who was also controlling and coercive. Judge Miller said that when Anderson's voyeurism emerged, the women in question felt embarrassed and disgusted at what he did. This stress was exacerbated, he said, by Anderson's initial denials of offending, and not knowing whether or not he had shared his recordings of them with anyone else. As well as pleading guilty to 11 counts of voyeurism spanning from 2005 to 2013, Anderson also admitted sexually assaulting a woman. The court heard this charge, carried out between January 1, 2012 and March 11, 2012, was "against a backdrop where there was no consciousness or ability to participate". In addition, he admitted assaulting another woman occasioning her actual bodily harm on a date between October 21 and 31, 2015. Anderson found fame on TV talent show The Voice, and gained the nicknamed 'Baby Jesus' while touring in the UK production of Jesus Christ Superstar. He continued his musical career working with bands and on cruise ships, and is currently employed writing jingles for his father's advertising company. During today's sentencing, it emerged Anderson suffered a medical condition linked to erectile dysfunction in his younger years, and he claimed that making and viewing these secret recordings helped him achieve arousal. As well as being handed a suspended sentence, Anderson was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and was made the subject of a ten-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order. Following sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Ian Wilson said: Jeffrey Anderson secretly filmed his victims over a nine-year period. He carried out these heinous acts purely for his own sexual gratification. No-one has the right to film another person in an intimate setting without their express consent. It is just not acceptable. The women in this case displayed immense courage in seeing this trial through to a successful conclusion. I hope that their tenacity and resolution to bring this man to justice will encourage anyone else who has experienced any form of sexual abuse to come forward to police. Officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland remain committed to investigating all reports of sexual offences. We will seek to place offenders before the courts so they can be made amenable for their crimes. I would like to take this opportunity to assure any victims of sexual abuse that they will be treated with sensitivity and respect, and I would continue to encourage anyone who has experienced any form of sexual abuse to contact police on 101, or 999 in an emergency." Illinois recent progression to phase four of its reopening plan might have some feeling a renewed sense of freedom just in time for July Fourth. And while the reopening of the lakefront, movie theaters and other spots has put many in a celebratory mood, surges in COVID-19 cases in the United States are a cautionary warning that the virus is still out there. Nevertheless, there are still ways to have fun and commemorate the birth of our nation while practicing social distancing. Here is a list of activities, restaurant specials and other events happening over July Fourth weekend. Michelle ONeill has said she will never apologise for attending the funeral of IRA veteran Bobby Storey. Stormonts deputy first minister stood by her decision to attend but did say sorry to any families bereaved during lockdown for the hurt caused by the funeral controversy. Ms ONeill is facing calls from the other four parties in the five-party Executive at Stormont to stand down from her role as joint head of government pending police and Assembly standards investigations into the scenes in west Belfast when hundreds lined the streets on Tuesday. She and party colleagues have been accused of flouting the Covid-19 regulations and guidance they helped to set. On Friday, Ms ONeill again insisted she acted within the rules in respect of all the things that were within her control, such as the size of the cortege and the numbers attending inside St Agnes Church. I will never apologise for attending the funeral of my friend, she added. Expand Close Michelle ONeill emerges from Parliament Buildings in Belfast before a press conference (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michelle ONeill emerges from Parliament Buildings in Belfast before a press conference (Liam McBurney/PA) But Ms ONeill acknowledged some families had been left upset. I am also concerned that those grieving families are experiencing more hurt over recent days, she said. I am sorry for that. She added: I would never set out to hurt any family or compound their grief at such a sad time. In terms of my attendance at the funeral I am confident I can stand over the fact I worked within the guidelines and I worked within the regulations in terms of attending a requiem mass, which was allowed, and also to walk in a funeral cortege of up to 30 people. The leaders of the five main Executive parties at Stormont met on Friday morning in an effort to resolve the row. Expand Close The funeral procession of senior Irish Republican and former leading IRA figure Bobby Storey following the funeral at St Agnes Church in west Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The funeral procession of senior Irish Republican and former leading IRA figure Bobby Storey following the funeral at St Agnes Church in west Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA) A statement from Ms ONeill apologising for the hurt caused to families was issued while the meeting was taking place inside Parliament Buildings. Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, who both participated in what have been described as robust exchanges, said Ms ONeills remarks did not go far enough. They rejected her claim that she stuck to the rules, insisting there were clear breaches. DUP leader Arlene Foster is due to respond to Ms ONeills statement later on Friday. Ms ONeill and Sinn Fein party president Mary Lou McDonald both said sorry to bereaved families on Friday morning. But both have stood by their decision to attend. Under Stormont regulations and guidance still displayed on executive websites this week, friends of a deceased person should only attend the funeral if none of the bereaved family members are attending. Mr Storeys family did attend Tuesdays funeral. While guidance around general church services was updated this week to allow congregations to return, with numbers dependent on the size of the church, there is dispute on whether this applied to funerals. Some churches have insisted they were advised the guidance did not apply to funerals when it came into force on Monday. The Diocese of Down and Connor, which has responsibility for St Agnes church where the service took place, said its policy on Tuesday remained a limit of 10 people. Expand Close UUP leader Steve Aiken said the apology did not go far enough (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp UUP leader Steve Aiken said the apology did not go far enough (Liam McBurney/PA) At a Stormont press conference on Friday afternoon, Ms ONeill suggested there had been a lack of understanding on behalf of the clergy. So we had a very clear and robust conversation with the church leaders around the fact that they can open for requiem mass from Monday, and it was for them to decide the numbers that they could take into the church, she said. Outdoor gatherings are currently restricted to 30 people in Northern Ireland. Ms ONeill has insisted the cortege at the funeral complied with that rule and the numbers who lined the streets to watch it pass were outside the control of organisers. Asked if she believed her statement would resolve the political row over the funeral, Ms ONeill said: I hope that families get some succour from what Ive had to say today. I hope the Storey family gets space now to be able to grieve for the loss of Bobby. Its for others to say where they want to go next, but Im determined, Im here to make it work. She added: I am determined to make this Executive and this Assembly work. I am determined to work with all the political parties. Thats my resolve, thats why I came back into these institutions, thats why I fought for three years to get it back up and running again. Expand Close Mary Lou McDonald said she was very sorry for the hurt caused to bereaved families (Niall Carson/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mary Lou McDonald said she was very sorry for the hurt caused to bereaved families (Niall Carson/PA) Earlier, party president Mrs McDonald said she wanted to apologise to anyone who was hurt by the sight of crowds gathering. I am acutely conscious of everyone who has lost a loved one and buried them in the most difficult and heart-breaking and lonely of circumstances at the heart of the pandemic, she told Newstalk. The very fact that people could not have church services, if that is what they wished, or even enter cemeteries or crematoriums, was incredibly, incredibly hard. Can I also say that I do understand that looking at the images of very busy pathways in west Belfast and taking all of that in obviously has jolted and has caused some hurt among some of those families, and for that I am very sorry. A Co Down man has appeared in court as police forces across Europe investigate organised crime in Operation Venetic. Prosecuting lawyer Robin Steer told Craigavon Magistrates Court that having accessed messages and images in an encrypted phone, police believe that Bryan McManus (64) is involved in the transport and shipment of large quantities of drugs and cash, adding that we say he is connected to a criminal network. McManus appeared at court via videolink from police custody and confirmed that he understood the 12 charges against him. McManus, from Aileen Terrace in Newry, was charged with nine drugs offences accusing him of conspiring with others to import cocaine and cannabis, being concerned in the supply of the class A and B drugs, conspiring to possess cocaine and cannabis, conspiring to produce cannabis and two counts of simple possession of cocaine, all alleged to have committed in dates between 25 March and 15 June this year. The 64-year-old was also charged with possessing criminal property and conspiring to convert and conceal criminal property. Giving evidence to the court, Detective Constable McDonald said he believed he could connect McManus to each of the charges while Mr Steer told the court there were objections to the defendant being freed on bail amid fears that he would commit further offences or interfere with the investigation. Mr Steer told District Judge Mark McGarrity how detectives had been able to access a previously encrypted phone which was found to contain a very large number of messages regarding the transport and shipment of very large quantities of drugs and cash. Some of the messages referred to amounts of money up to 300,000 while other referred to cocaine testing kits and a metal press used to make blocks of cocaine, said the lawyer adding that investigators believe they can connect McManus to the encrypted phone. Mr Steer revealed that on the messages the user, calling himself Foxnorth, referred to his wife being called Carmel, having a black Seat Leon car and to a yard at Bulls Hill in Newry, explaining how all of that was consistent with McManus. Further to the messages, officers uncovered an image on the previously encrypted phone of a red rug in front of a fireplace which police believe matches McManus home while during a search of the property, a saxophone and a harmonica were seized with Foxnorth messaging another user about playing those instruments. That search also uncovered two small quantities of cocaine but during interviews, McManus denied knowing anything about them, claiming they must have been left by others after a party. Despite defence submissions from solicitor Joseph McVeigh that nothing significant was actually found, other than the small amounts of cocaine and that the case against McManus is entirely circumstantial, the judge refused to free him due to the risk of further offences. Northern Irelands five party leaders are due to meet later to try to resolve serious differences over a republican funeral during the pandemic (Liam McBurney/PA) Northern Irelands five party leaders are due to meet later to try and resolve serious differences over a republican funeral during the pandemic. Deputy first minister Michelle ONeill was heavily criticised by her powersharing partners at Stormont after attending the service for former IRA prisoner Bobby Storey in west Belfast this week. The ceremony prompted hundreds of people to line the route as the cortege passed through. Expand Close The ceremony prompted hundreds of people to line the route as the cortege passed through (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The ceremony prompted hundreds of people to line the route as the cortege passed through (Liam McBurney/PA) The presence of Sinn Feins leadership followed months spent backing movement restrictions to defeat the virus spread. It was the latest dispute to hit a political coalition finding its feet after three years in cold storage. All of the other parties which make up Northern Irelands devolved government the DUP, UUP, SDLP and cross-community Alliance Party called on the deputy first minister to step aside or resign. Many people have felt the pain of not being able to pay respects to friends or loved ones in the usual way. Our success however, has only been acheived because people responded to the advice and followed it - putting the community first.https://t.co/ZcCI3OyhyG Arlene Foster #WeWillMeetAgain (@ArleneFosterUK) July 2, 2020 First Minister Arlene Foster urged her to apologise and stand aside while police investigate if any breaches occurred. A senior officer has already reminded the public that it is for independent prosecutors to decide whether offences may have happened. Under Stormont regulations and guidance, friends of a deceased person should only attend the funeral if none of the bereaved family members are attending. Mr Storeys family did attend Tuesdays funeral. A maximum of 30 people are allowed to gather outdoors. Mrs Foster has said she will not collapse the institutions in the way the late Martin McGuinness did when he quit as a joint head of government in January 2017. She said it was vital Northern Ireland had a government amid the coronavirus emergency. The DUP leader has written to her partner-in-government asking her to stand down pending police and Assembly standards investigations into the funeral scenes. Expand Close Thursdays scheduled Stormont press conference on coronavirus measures with Mrs Foster and Ms ONeill was cancelled due to the row (Kelvin Boyes/Press Eye/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Thursdays scheduled Stormont press conference on coronavirus measures with Mrs Foster and Ms ONeill was cancelled due to the row (Kelvin Boyes/Press Eye/PA) Thursdays scheduled Stormont press conference on coronavirus measures with Mrs Foster and Ms ONeill was cancelled due to the row. Mrs Foster confirmed she was not prepared to appear on a joint platform with Ms ONeill until the row over her attendance at the funeral was resolved. A party leaders forum was part of the New Decade, New Approach deal which restored Stormont in January. It is designed to prevent the falling apart of powersharing and make it easier to resolve difficult issues which could damage the fragile administration. It is understood that more than 100 people were inside St Agnes for Mr Storeys funeral. While Stormont is anticipated to sign off guidance that would allow more people to attend a funeral, depending on the size of the church, that has not yet been announced. Police have said they are investigating whether there were any breaches of lockdown rules during Tuesdays events. I am satisfied that my actions at Bobby Storeyas funeral are in line with public health advice These petty attempts to political point score must end and the Storey family giving space to grieve My thoughts are with Bobbyas much loved partner Teresa and the Storey family today pic.twitter.com/CQ445OBPjQ Michelle OaNeill (@moneillsf) July 1, 2020 Ms ONeill has insisted the cortege was limited to 30, while social distancing inside the church was exemplary. She acknowledged that a selfie taken at the cemetery of her posing close to two men, one of whom had his arm on her shoulder, should not have happened. Northern Irish ministers have picked up the pace of reopening the economy over recent weeks. Pubs which serve food, hotels and some visitor attractions are expected to open their doors later on Friday after coronavirus restrictions were amended. Plans for a memorial to two hunger strikers have been described as a "slap in the face" for victims of IRA terrorism. The proposed memorial cross in Bellaghy would commemorate Francis Hughes and Thomas McElwee. The application for the memorial, intended to be in place for the 40th anniversary of the 1981 hunger strike by republican prisoners in Long Kesh, has been submitted to planning authorities. It will come before Mid Ulster District Council's planning committee. Francis Hughes, who was the second man to die after Bobby Sands, and his cousin Thomas McElwee, the ninth, were cousins from Bellaghy. In Moneymore, which lies just over 10 miles from where the proposed memorial could be erected, Francis Hughes murdered two RUC men in a shootout in 1977, making him the RUC's most wanted man in Northern Ireland at the time. Thomas McElwee was serving a prison sentence for his role in a bombing blitz of Ballymena when he joined the hunger strike. Mid-Ulster UUP councillor Trevor Wilson said he was fiercely opposed to any form of memorial for the pair. He said any tribute would be an "affront to all decent people". He said: "Plans to erect a memorial to these two convicted terrorists will be a slap in the face of every innocent victim of IRA violence and an insult to their memory. "Francis Hughes was a notorious killer who, among the evil acts he carried out, murdered two police officers in Moneymore a short distance from where this memorial is likely to be, which is the last thing people in Moneymore will want. "I can't imagine any decent person in today's society thinking this is a good idea and you only have to look at the offence caused by naming a children's play park after another hunger striker - Raymond McCreesh - to see how much hurt this memorial will cause." Mr Wilson said any attempt to glorify terrorism and violence would send out "entirely the wrong message to impressionable young people who could be led right into the clutches of dissident paramilitaries". "This memorial is wrong on so many levels and I like so many others will be vehemently opposed to it," he added. The DUP group on Mid-Ulster council, along with MLA Keith Buchanan, also voiced objection to the planned memorial. The group described it as a retrograde step. In a joint statement, they said: "This memorial or any memorial to terrorists is an insult to the innocent victims and their families who were terrorised. Glorification of terrorism has always been wrong, whether in past decades or the present day. "The continued glorification of those who engage in violence only serves to drag Northern Ireland backwards. "These people who engage in glorification really need to grasp reality and not be disconnected from those in the community." A group calling itself the Bellaghy Republican Memorial Group launched a petition four weeks before the application was submitted. They said that in the approach to the 40th anniversary of the hunger strike, it was "only right" to erected a memorial to Hughes and McElwee, and they had a "duty to remember" the "patriot dead." Two police officers charged with possessing a loaded gun while drunk or on drugs may face further charges, a judge heard yesterday. Constables Samuel David Beattie (23) and Paul Coulter (24) did not appear at Lisburn Magistrates Court and none of the facts were opened in court. However, a police officer gave evidence that he believed he could connect the pair to their respective charges. Beattie and Coulter, both with an address given as PSNI Headquarters, are jointly accused of having a loaded firearm while "drunk or under the influence of drugs" on June 7 this year. While Coulter is also accused of supplying a loaded gun to a person he "knew or had reasonable cause to believe was drunk or under the influence of drugs", Beattie is charged with causing criminal damage to a roof belonging to a female. The charges arise after police were called to a house party in Dunmurry in the early hours after a shot was allegedly fired from a legally-held weapon into the kitchen ceiling. It is understood police arrived at the scene and the loaded weapon was recovered and a number of people arrested. In court yesterday, a prosecuting lawyer revealed the officers may face "possible additional charges" and the PPS was seeking a four week adjournment. District Judge Nigel Broderick put the case for mention to July 30. At 11.15am on Tuesday, a funeral was taking place. Mum of two Evelyn McMullen was taken from Bobby Morrison's Funeral Home in Lisburn to Roselawn Cemetery where she made her final journey alone, where Covid-19 restrictions denied family and friends access to witness her final moments. At exactly the same time in west Belfast thousands lined the streets, joined by the Sinn Fein leadership, as another funeral took place. The remains of Bobby Storey, former IRA intelligence officer, convicted terrorist, Maze prison escapee and leading republican, were carried from his home surrounded by family, friends, supporters and comrades. Read More Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, Finance Minister Conor Murphy, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald, MLA Martina Anderson and Gerry Adams, none of whom are related to Mr Storey, walked behind his coffin. As yet there has been no apology for the scenes, the lack of social distancing, the ignorance of their own guidelines set out to protect the community from Covid-19. Read More Instead there has been defiance and insistence nothing wrong had been done. On Thursday, Sinn Fein remained adamant that Mr Storey's funeral was carried out to the wishes of his grieving family. Expand Close The Bobby Storey funeral in west Belfast Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Bobby Storey funeral in west Belfast Another grieving family were left wishing for so much more. Across Northern Ireland, for more than three months, grieving relatives have obeyed by the restrictions Comfort in grief was nowhere to be found for Lynn Paul as her family was saying a solitary farewell to a mother, locked out at the gates of Roselawn as, a few miles away, the crowds gathered at the cemetery for Mr Storey. Read More Lynn has been working on the front line of the battle against coronavirus, a staff nurse with the NHS. She has seen the damage caused to families these past three months. And the Lisburn woman, now living in Belfast, had nursed her mum in her final days, taking care of her in her home until her death from lung cancer on June 25. Expand Close The late Evelyn McMullen / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The late Evelyn McMullen She said the scenes from the funeral of Mr Storey earlier this week have left her "devastated beyond words" and her family will be "psychologically distressed for a long time to come". "When mum died last Thursday, June 25 we weren't allowed to bring her body home to her house," she said. There has been no three day wake for Evelyn. "She was kept in the funeral home, away from her family, until Tuesday when we had a small 10 minute service attended by only 10 people as advised, before she was taken to Roselawn for cremation. "I am a nurse and nursed my mum with the help of my brother Neville at home for weeks before she died of lung cancer. "She did not have, nor never had, Covid-19. Her grandchildren, who live all in the same house, were not allowed to carry her coffin while on Tuesday we saw the coffin of Mr Storey carried in public view in front of hundreds of people. "We followed the hearse to Roselawn and the gates were open to let only the hearse in. We had to watch as my mother's coffin was driven up to the crematorium without us. We knew we had been told to remain standing at the gates. "It was heartbreaking. "As a family, we feel we have not been able to give my mum the send off she deserved." Lynn said her grief at saying such a sad and lonely farewell to her mum was then compounded by scenes from the funeral of Mr Storey that evening. For Lynn there was no three day wake for her mother to share memories of her life with those who knew and loved her. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Funeral of senior republican Bobby Storey takes place in west Belfast - June 30 2020 [Photos] Close The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams as the funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Gerry Kelly and Michelle O'Neill as the funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 30th June 2020 The funeral of Bobby Storey has taken place in Belfast. Pictured: Conor Murphy MLA. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye Philip Magowan / PressEye The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams as the funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The funeral of Bobby Storey takes place in Andersonstown, west Belfast on June 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) "Then I saw the funeral of Bobby Storey attended by masses of people, so many more than the advised 30 people and even less social distancing being adhered to," she said. "Next Michelle O'Neill was being photographed in a selfie type picture, smiling with two others. "She has undermined what she has been telling everyone else to do. "She has flouted the rules she set herself and done the exact opposite from what she expected the rest of us to do, what the rest of us have done. My family and I followed the strict instructions laid out for attending funerals and are devastated beyond words today. This will leave us psychologically distressed for a long time. "She got her farewell, and she's not even a family member. What made my mother less deserving of a proper funeral? "She deserved the best and we are so proud of her and how she battled bravely despite being so, so sick. "She was such a strong woman and raised us for a long time on her own after losing her husband at a very young age. "As a family, we feel devastated and let down by our so called leader in government. It's made worse still by her showing no remorse for her actions. "Yes, there have been new restrictions drawn up but these were not in place for Tuesday, no matter who you are." The sudden death of a popular chef from Warrenpoint has seen a flood of tributes from friends and colleagues. Loughlin Maginn (39) was accidentally crushed by his car on Wednesday after he had stopped at a car park in Rathfriland just before 12.30pm. Having built up his reputation as a chef over years, many expressed their shock on social media and sent messages of support to the family. His death follows another family tragedy in 1989 after his father, who had the same name, was murdered by loyalist terrorists following UDR collusion. Niall and Claire Ferguson from Ferguson's Bar and Bistro said they would remember a "friend and talented chef". "Loughie will be greatly missed by all the staff, customers and visitors," they said on Facebook. "Loughie built a renowned reputation in the Cooley Peninsula and beyond over the last two years and more recently with the launch of GQ Pizzas, that serviced us all during lockdown. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to his partner Keighra, daughter Megan, Mrs Maginn, brothers, sister and wider family circle. "You will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing you." One customer said he had been "an amazing chef with a great personality". Mr Maginn had also worked as head chef at the Rostrevor Inn for two years. A message from colleagues said during that time "he not only earned respect for his talent and dedication, but became a good friend to staff and customers alike". "He will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and sympathies are with his daughter, mother and siblings." Another message on Twitter read "tragic news about the death of young Loughlin Maginn ... a family previously touched by tragedy". Police have appealed for anyone who witnessed the accident or has dash-cam footage to contact them. In 1989 two UDR members were convicted of aiding the UFF in the murder of Mr Maginn snr, a father-of-four who worked as a poultry processor. Mary Lou McDonald and Sinn Fein TDs and officials are facing calls to stay away from the Dail for two weeks after they attended former IRA member Bobby Storey's funeral. Ms McDonald, her predecessor Gerry Adams, deputy leader Michelle O'Neill and a number of Sinn Fein TDs and MLAs, including Pearse Doherty, attended the funeral of Mr Storey, a senior figure in the republican movement, in west Belfast which drew a reported crowd of around 1,800 people on Tuesday. Read More The large attendance came despite official guidance in Northern Ireland restricting the numbers who can attend funerals to 30 during the Covid-19 pandemic. The PSNI is reviewing footage of the funeral for any suspected breaches of regulations. Sinn Fein mounted a robust defence of its actions yesterday amid mounting criticism. First Minister, Arlene Foster, called on Deputy First Minister Ms O'Neill to apologise. However, Ms O'Neill told MLAs she stood by her actions. Read More Mr Doherty said he would not advise anyone attending the funeral to quarantine. "Neither would I encourage people who went to Tesco yesterday to quarantine either," he added. However, Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail has been asked to request that anyone who attended the funeral in west Belfast stays away from Leinster House for the next 14 days in line with public health advice. Read More Fine Gael senator Garret Ahearn has written to the Dail chairman saying such a request is "in the interest of everybody's health and safety". He wrote: "It would be extremely regrettable if a cluster of Covid-19 cases was created in Leinster House because some members travelled to Belfast." Prior to the letter being sent, Mr O Fearghail told the Irish Independent: "It would be inappropriate for me to comment on something of this nature beyond saying I would expect all members of the Oireachtas to adhere in full to the Nphet guidelines." Read More Ms O'Neill told MLAs she stands by her actions and made it clear she would not be quitting over the controversy. She also declined to apologise to anyone who might have contracted Covid-19 as a result of being among the crowds. She told members of Stormont's Executive Committee that the things the organisers could control - such as the size of the cortege and the numbers inside the church - were observed. Ms O'Neill, who described much of the criticism aimed at her as "political point-scoring", said she would continue in her role as joint head of the devolved administration. Read More However, she said a selfie photograph that was taken of her and two other attendees at the funeral "should not have happened". She said it happened in the "blink of an eye" at the close of the commemoration at Milltown Cemetery. Ms Foster, the DUP leader, said the executive's public health message had been damaged by what unfolded at the funeral. Expand Close A photo posted on Lucan Sinn Fein Facebook page of Michelle ONeill posing for a selfie with two attendees at Bobby Storeys funeral PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A photo posted on Lucan Sinn Fein Facebook page of Michelle ONeill posing for a selfie with two attendees at Bobby Storeys funeral A Sinn Fein spokesman said last night that Ms McDonald would not be commenting on the controversy. Mr Doherty told RTE's 'SixOne News' there had been engagement with the PSNI and the church to comply with social-distancing guidelines, with numbers restricted inside the church and in the funeral cortege. "I believe the family and the local organisers did everything in their power to abide by the restrictions in place," he said. Health Minister, Robin Swann, has said he believes Mr Storey's funeral breached Covid-19 restrictions around mass gatherings. Parents have been urged to control their teenagers outside school to stop the spread of coronavirus. Deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries said that the risk of transmission in the classroom is probably much lower than when teenagers are left to their own accord. She said schools provide a controlled environment, and that the outbreak of coronavirus in Leicester was not down to the return of pupils to classrooms. Speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, Dr Harries said: The original guidance recognised that the transmission risks were potentially more in the social behaviours of the teenagers the older children out of school than they potentially were in school. School is quite a controlled environment and perhaps trying to encourage families as well I know it is difficult because Ive been there but to try and control their teenagers in their social interactions outside of school as well. She added: In many ways we should be more concerned with what the teenagers are doing outside school. So if they are in school, in a controlled environment, with hierarchies of control and people keeping an eye on them if you like, thats probably a much lower risk than if they were out of school doing their own thing. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the school attended by his two teenage daughters had more control over them than he has ever been able to achieve. He also said the rise in cases in Leicester was not something about schools returning. However, Public Health England (PHE) said earlier this week that the proportion of people aged under 19 testing positive for the virus in the city had risen from 5% in mid-May to a current level of around 15%. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that even though children are less likely to get ill from the disease, the decision to shut Leicesters schools was made to try to halt further transmissions. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has appeared in court accused of facilitating long-time associate Jeffrey Epsteins sexual exploitation of underage girls. Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire on Thursday and accused of helping the disgraced financier identify, befriend and groom multiple girls, including one as young as 14. At a brief hearing the same day, a magistrate judge ordered Maxwell to remain in custody while she is transferred to New York for a detention hearing there. Meanwhile, a source close to the Duke of York said he is bewildered by claims made by US authorities that he has not offered to co-operate with the Epstein case. It comes after Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York, told a press conference that authorities would welcome a statement from the duke in relation to the investigation. Maxwell, daughter of late media mogul Robert Maxwell, has previously denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of sexual misconduct by her former boyfriend Epstein. The disgraced financier took his own life in prison last year while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. Announcing the charges against Maxwell, Ms Strauss claimed that the socialite had helped Epstein to exploit underage girls and in some cases would participate in the abuse herself. Expand Close Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York (John Minchillo/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York (John Minchillo/AP) Maxwell was among Epsteins closest associates and helped him exploit girls who were as young as 14 years old, she told reporters. Maxwell played a critical role in helping Epstein to identify, befriend and groom minor victims for abuse. Four of the six charges cover Maxwells dealings with Epstein from 1994 to 1997, when she was in an intimate relationship with him, according to the indictment. These include conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts and enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts. She is further charged with conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. According to the indictment, three unnamed minors were allegedly induced and enticed by Maxwell, who facilitated for them to be groomed by Esptein at properties he owned. These include residences in New York City, Palm Beach in Florida and Santa Fe in New Mexico, as well as Maxwells personal residence in London, prosecutors allege. The court papers claim that Maxwell developed a rapport with the alleged victims, before encouraging them to give massages to Epstein, which often resulted in him sexually abusing the girls. One of the girls was allegedly groomed and abused in London between 1994 and 1995, with prosecutors claiming this included a period of time when Maxwell knew she was under the age of 18. Authorities claim that Maxwell, who is also charged with two counts of perjury, lied when being questioned under oath in 2016. Maxwell lied because the truth as alleged was almost unspeakable, Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, then delivered them into the trap that she and Epstein had set for them, Ms Strauss told reporters. One of Epsteins alleged victims, Virginia Giuffre, claims that she had sex with the duke at the socialites London townhouse in 2001. Maxwell, who has known Andrew since university and introduced him to Epstein, features in the background of a picture which apparently shows the duke with his arm around Ms Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts. Ms Giuffre has claimed she was trafficked by Epstein and alleges the duke had sex with her on three separate occasions, including when she was 17, still a minor under US law. Andrew categorically denies he had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Ms Giuffre, while his lawyers have insisted the duke has repeatedly offered to provide a witness statement to the investigation. At the press conference, Ms Strauss told reporters: Im not going to comment on anyones status in this investigation but I will say that we would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us, we would like to have the benefit of his statement. But a source close to the dukes working group said that his lawyers have twice communicated with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in the past month. The dukes team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DOJ in the last month and to date we have had no response, the source said. President Xi Jinping meets with President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen via video link in Beijing, on June 22, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua] President's efforts further enhance China's relations with rest of the world The COVID-19 pandemic may have pressed the "pause" button on interaction between countries, but China's diplomacy led by President Xi Jinping, in the form of phone calls, correspondence and videoconferences, has helped to further enhance the country's relations with the rest of the world amid the pandemic, officials and experts said. The intensive interactions between Xi and other world leaders in the first half of this year have contributed to jointly working out ways to effectively respond to the public health crisis and offset the impact of the pandemic on the world economy, they said. Since the start of the outbreak, Xi has engaged with more than 50 foreign leaders and heads of international organizations through phone calls and meetings, and advanced international cooperation in fighting the novel coronavirus. On June 22, he met with the European Union's new leadershipEuropean Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyenvia video link to strengthen China-EU cooperation. He also attended a series of virtual multilateral events, including the Extraordinary G20 Leaders' Summit and the opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly, and hosted the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19 via video link. In addition, Xi sent letters to foreign leaders to extend his sympathy to the people of epidemic-affected countries, express China's support to them for their efforts in curbing the virus and strengthen bilateral ties. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress, the nation's top legislature, on May 24, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that in all of Xi's diplomatic engagements in what was called "cloud diplomacy", in the form of phone calls, correspondence and video conferences, the president underscored China's unequivocal commitment to global solidarity and cooperation against COVID-19. More than 170 foreign leaders, 50-plus heads of international and regional organizations and more than 300 political parties or organizations have expressed their sympathy over the outbreak and their support for China's efforts to curb the virus through phone calls, letters or making statements, the Foreign Ministry said. China has also provided aid in medical supplies and expertise to other countries while sharing information and anti-epidemic experience with them. By the end of May, China had exported anti-epidemic materials such as masks and protective clothing to over 200 countries and regions, the ministry said. Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said at a news conference last month that China's relations with the majority of countries have been improved and strengthened amid the epidemic and its circle of friends has been expanded. China's cooperation with the international community in the fight against the virus has significantly enhanced its ties with other countries and promoted pragmatic cooperation with them, Ma said. Addressing the Extraordinary G20 Leaders' Summit, Xi called on the international community to be resolute in fighting a global war against COVID-19, make a collective response for control and treatment at the international level, leverage and coordinate international macro policies to counteract the negative impact of the contagion and prevent the world economy from falling into recession. In a written message to the China-Arab States Political Parties Dialogue Extraordinary Meeting held via video link last week, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is also the general secretary of the Ba'ath Party in Syria, praised China's active efforts in upholding cooperation with the international community in the fight against the disease. He said that China has played a significant role in responding to the pandemic, and he expressed hope that China will play a bigger role in the field of international politics. Xi announced at the opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly that China will provide $2 billion over two years to help with COVID-19 response and with economic and social development in affected countries. He said that a COVID-19 vaccine developed in China, when available, will be made a global public good. While hosting the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19 on June 17, Xi announced an array of measures to support African countries in curbing the epidemic and promoting socioeconomic development, including cancellation of the debt of relevant African countries in the form of interest-free government loans that are due to mature by the end of 2020 within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Matteo Giovannini, a finance professional at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in Beijing and a member of the China Task Force at the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, said that China's decision represents an act of generosity toward countries facing a difficult time by voluntarily deciding to cancel part of the pending debt. "China is showing real economic responsibility through actions that speak much louder than other nations' words in the past, and by doing this it is demonstrating that the country is ready to assume a prominent role at a time when global leadership is more than needed," Giovannini said in an opinion piece published on the website of the China Global Television Network. Observers said that China's "cloud diplomacy" amid COVID-19 has boosted international efforts in joint response to the unprecedented global public health crisis, and also injected confidence into the world economic recovery. Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said "cloud diplomacy" was developed at a time when the pandemic dramatically affected diplomatic activities due to travel restrictions, but through it, China has enhanced understanding and support with the rest of the world during such a trying time. A former United States police officer who worked with the Patten Commission has said police forces stateside should look to us for lessons on reform. Kathleen O'Toole, who once lived here, insisted the current social unrest engulfing America following the killing of African-American George Floyd could be tackled by implementing a similar process that occurred in Northern Ireland two decades ago. Mr Floyd's death has prompted calls by the Black Lives Matter movement to demand the defunding - or dismantling - of police forces in America. In an article for the Washington Post, co-written by Robert Peirce, an international policing consultant who was secretary of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland during the 1990s, she argues the history of the Troubles should pave the way forward to heal divisions. The Patten Commission led to the creation of the PSNI following the disbandment of the RUC. "Finding common ground on a way forward may seem a tall order amid calls for dismantling or "defunding" police departments on one side, and reflexive defense of the police and fear of anarchy on another," they said. "We encountered very similar sentiments in Northern Ireland while working on a commission to develop a new beginning for policing in that sharply divided society, following the 1998 peace agreement." They continued: "The agreement followed three decades of sectarian violence in which thousands of people were killed. "The conflict... was between a historically disadvantaged and alienated Catholic minority community and a politically dominant Protestant majority. "For many in the minority community the police were seen as an occupying force and instruments of majority oppression - feelings shared by many in black communities throughout the United States." The pair recall when they started working on policing here it was the "most contentious issue". They added: "One side called for disbanding the police, while the other argued strongly to keep the security apparatus in place. "Our answer was to ask the people what kind of policing they wanted. We then created the framework to deliver it. The PSNI is a transformed organisation now, professional and accountable, with broad cross-community support. "If Northern Ireland can agree a way forward on policing, so can we." Michelle ONeill and Dominic Cummings share more in common than you might think Michelle ONeill and Dominic Cummings share more in common than you might think On the face of it, Michelle O'Neill, our Deputy First Minister, and Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson's chief adviser, have very little in common. One is a fully programmed republican, viscerally opposed to British rule and thoroughly versed in the revisionist narrative which insists that the IRA were glorious, swashbuckling heroes and freedom fighters. The other is Mr Brexit, the former director of the Vote Leave campaign, and the person whom many suspect is actually running the country right now. His unorthodox strategies, aggressive appetite for power and casual disregard for political proprieties, or indeed for anything and anyone who gets in his way, led to former Prime Minister David Cameron, describing him as a "career psychopath". Can't see the two of them bonding over a socially distanced pint at the Duke of York, can you? O'Neill and Cummings do, however, share a certain special something. And that appears to be a high-handed, autocratic attitude to the rules when the rules don't suit them. What's particularly rich is that these are rules that both of them, each in their own way, helped to create, promote and enforce. While the pandemic swept the country, and the rest of us were obediently staying home in order to save lives, as instructed by the government, Dominic Cummings jumped into his car and took that now notorious family trip to Durham. At a time when people were barred from their dying relatives' bedsides, Cummings was driving around again, this time to a tourist attraction, Barnard Castle, in order to "test his eyesight" after suffering suspected Covid symptoms. This week, after months of telling the people of Northern Ireland to strictly keep their distance from one another, with accompanying dire warnings that the health service could be overwhelmed without full compliance, Michelle O'Neill attended a mass gathering for the funeral of former IRA chief Bobby Storey. She posed for a selfie with two other mourners, one of whom had his arm round her shoulders. I can't imagine how people who were cruelly denied attendance at the burials of their closest loved ones must have felt. To paraphrase Gerry Adams, the coronavirus hasn't gone away, you know. Last month, our Deputy First Minister spoke out about the need for police to be scrupulously even-handed in their approach to mass gatherings. "You need to be consistent in everything you do and so I think that it's important that the police are also consistent," Ms O'Neill said, suggesting an as yet untapped talent for self-satire. No matter what excuses they come up with, the actions of both Dominic Cummings and Michelle O'Neill show that there's one rule for the political elite and their associates and quite another for all the rest of us. Do as I say, not do as I do. Republicans hate being described as elitist, because they have always liked to paint themselves as bold revolutionaries and anti-establishment figures, gallant comrades of the people. Acting as privileged, autocratic rulers, to whom ordinary restrictions need not apply, does not fit the self-justificatory, victimhood-based myth they are so keen on imposing as historical fact. But when has something as inconvenient as reality ever held Michelle and Co back? In a graveside eulogy to Bobby Storey, Gerry Adams was again in characteristically sentimental mode. Mr Adams praised the former IRA chief as "caring", "selfless", "gentle" and "kind"; " always ready to help, always prepared to give freely of his time and his great positive energy". People of all political persuasions and none were revolted, quite rightly, by Dominic Cummings' behaviour, and his refusal to apologise or resign. Likewise, Michelle O'Neill's equally belligerent stance has alienated many, and not just along the usual sectarian lines. All of the other parties in the Executive - the DUP, UUP, SDLP and Alliance - have now called on the Deputy First Minister to step aside or to resign. You don't have to be a unionist - and I'm not - to be disgusted by the stink of shameless hypocrisy. 'Ourselves': the Sinn Fein name says it all. They may pledge allegiance to other politically expedient causes, such as gay rights, but their only real loyalty is to themselves, alone. So we shouldn't be surprised that republican leaders put tribal bonds before public health, in direct contravention of their own instructions. Inconsistency? What inconsistency? In Shinner-world, the truth is what they say it is. But we don't have to believe them. Louise Haigh MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, is right to stress that an honest broker and a principled partner in government, helping to build a fairer, shared future built on trust, is needed now more than ever in Northern Ireland. This is particularly so after 10 years of Conservative rule, in which trust in the UK Government as an honest broker has been depleted across all communities. The flaw in Labour's concept of an "honest broker" is that it wrongly asserts that being an honest broker is incompatible with Labour Party electoral participation in Northern Ireland. Labour makes this assertion to justify its discriminatory suppression of the democratic political right of the people of Northern Ireland to vote for candidates of the Labour Party that aspires to govern them at Westminster. In truth, the opposite is the case. To be effective honest brokers, the party must fight elections in Northern Ireland in support of its core values, including the principles of fairness, anti-sectarianism and neutrality. We must be a democratically elected party of "honest brokers" on the ground and in the communities. At present, we are a party of undemocratic political overseers. This becomes even more essential now that the SDLP has entered into a "policy partnership" with Fianna Fail. Fianna Fail is allied to the liberal-centrist Renew Europe group in the European Parliament. This new alliance calls into question the SDLP's continued suitability for "sister party" status and membership of the Party of European Socialists (PES). Contrary to the false impression given by the Labour Party, there is nothing in the Statutes of the PES that prevents Labour contesting elections in Northern Ireland, whatever the future of the SDLP. The party's current position on "honest broking" is summarised in the Outcome of the 2016-19 NEC review of democracy and participation of members in Northern Ireland: "Since 1990, the British Government has been neutral in Northern Ireland, backing neither unionists or nationalists. This neutrality allowed the government to be an honest broker between the two sides and facilitate the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. "The agreement commits both the British and Irish Governments to 'rigorous impartiality'. It is this impartiality that has allowed successive governments to resolve problems between unionists and nationalists when they have emerged. "Should the Labour Party become an active participant in Northern Irish politics, presumably aspiring to return MPs, MLAs and to lead councils, it is difficult to see how any future Labour government could retain its role as an independent guarantor of the peace process. "Indeed, the current Conservative government has been criticised for undermining the Good Friday Agreement through its Confidence and Supply arrangement." This is an extraordinary argument. If the Labour Party was to successfully run candidates in Northern Ireland in elections to the Stormont Assembly, it would immediately have to designate as a party in the Assembly: "Nationalist", "Unionist", or "Other". The Labour Party in Northern Ireland would designate as "Other". The Labour Party in Northern Ireland has always made it absolutely explicit that it supports the Labour Party's position of neutrality, backing neither unionists nor nationalists. The Labour Party in Northern Ireland has always been committed to "rigorous impartiality" and to resolving and overcoming inter-communal problems on the basis of Labour values and the cross-community struggle for a Labour government. That is the primary reason for our existence. Moreover, the Labour Party in Northern Ireland has always supported the party leadership on these matters, whether in government or in Opposition. So, where does this idea come from that Labour Party MLAs, say, elected to the Stormont Assembly and designated as "Other", would inhibit a future Labour government in its role as an "independent guarantor of the peace process"? Even more risible is the National Executive Committee's (NEC) suggestion that an elected Labour Party leader of a council in Northern Ireland would in some way threaten the peace process. How can the NEC argue that a member of the Labour Party in Northern Ireland, sharing the same values as party members elsewhere in the UK and elected as a Labour Party representative, with the party designated as Other" in the Stormont Assembly and committed to neutrality and impartiality, would threaten Labour's role in the peace process? The NEC report also disrespects the 150,000 members of affiliated unions in Northern Ireland, many of whom pay the political levy to the Labour Party. The trade unions have played a sterling role throughout the Troubles, maintaining a neutral workplace and keeping sectarianism out. The NEC - quite ludicrously - suggests that running Labour Party candidates committed to a similar neutral role could cause conflict in the workplace. The Labour Party stands candidates in Scotland against the SNP, the Lib Dems, the Tories and sundry other parties without causing conflict in the workplace. But, according to the NEC, there is something about the Northern Ireland members of the Labour Party and the members of affiliated unions here that distinguishes them as being not quite up to the mark and thus should be treated less favourably. At a time when the Labour Party is considering a report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on the issue of the party's institutional racism, Labour's "honest broker" stance raises awkward questions about the NEC's attitude towards its Northern Ireland members. Why are Northern Ireland members considered by the party NEC to be less capable of acting as "honest brokers" than any other member? Is it just because they are ethnically Northern Irish? The NEC needs to be reminded that the people of Northern Ireland are recognised as an ethnic group to be protected under race relations legislation. Furthermore, it is quite disgraceful for the NEC to compare, as it does, the relationship between elected Labour Party representatives in Northern Ireland and a future Labour government with the recent discredited Confidence and Supply arrangement between the Conservative Government and the Democratic Unionist Party. It is particularly reprehensible for it to make this comment, given the party maintains a "sister party" relationship with the SDLP. The SDLP is a self-declared nationalist party, now allied with Fianna Fail, which registers as "Nationalist" in the Stormont Assembly. Thus, it is far from "neutral". It is hardly a good example of "rigorous impartiality" on the part of Labour. The language and institutional attitudes revealed in the NEC report suggest that the mindset of the NEC towards its Labour Party members in Northern Ireland is one that may well bear investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Boyd Black is secretary of the Labour Party in Northern Ireland A protester joins a rally at the University of the Philippines calling for the government to scrap the anti-terror bill, June 12, 2020. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday signed the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act, which critics have denounced as likely to set the stage for abuses including torture and crackdowns on peaceful dissent. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque justified the move, saying it was in line with the administrations goal of ridding the country of terrorism. "The signing of the aforesaid law demonstrates our serious commitment to stamp out terrorism, which has long plagued the country and has caused unimaginable grief and horror to many of our people, Roque said in a statement. The new law, which repeals the Human Security Act of 2007, allows the government to arrest suspected terrorists without warrant and detain them without charges for up to 24 days. New York-based Human Rights Watch said these provisions would permit warrantless arrests and weeks of incommunicado detention, which facilitates torture and mistreatment. Local and international human rights groups also predicted that the new law would be used to squelch free speech. "The Anti-Terrorism Law will give a green light to the systematic targeting of political critics and opponents, as well as ordinary Filipinos who dare to speak out, warned Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of HRW. "Foreign governments should publicly denounce this development, which amounts to a stealth declaration of martial law," he added. Philippine-based rights group Karapatan said the new law would have far-reaching implications on expression of dissent and would affect the work of human rights defenders. It vowed to question the law in the Supreme Court. "The fight is far from over. We will not let this fascist regime cower us into silence and fear. We cannot let them take away our hard-won rights and freedoms, it said. A blurring of distinctions On Tuesday, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urged Duterte to refrain from signing the law. The recent passage of the new Anti-Terrorism Act heightens our concerns about the blurring of important distinctions between criticism, criminality and terrorism, she said, adding that the law could have a chilling effect on human rights and humanitarian work, hindering support to vulnerable communities. "I urge the President to refrain from signing the law, and to initiate a broad-based consultation process to draft legislation that can effectively prevent and counter violent extremism but which contains safeguards to prevent its misuse against people engaged in peaceful criticism and advocacy, she said. The law was signed days after four alleged militants with links to the Islamic State perished in a raid by joint police and military personnel in the Manila suburb of Paranaque City. The militants were believed to be working with an IS branch led by Mundi Sawadjaan, a relative of IS-Philippine head Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan who is believed to be plotting further attacks. Sawadjaan masterminded last year's bombing of a Catholic church in southern Jolo island that left 23 dead, including two Indonesian suicide bombers. It also came three years after IS militants from Southeast Asia and the Middle East took over the city of Marawi in the south. Five months of heavy fighting followed, leaving an estimated 1,200 government forces, militants and civilians dead in what is the largest outbreak of violence in the country in recent years. The leader of the IS at the time, Isnilon Hapilon, a commander of the militant Abu Sayyaf group, was slain. He was replaced by Sawadjaan. In early June, the Philippine military sought to allay public fears that government security forces could use changes to the countrys anti-terrorism law to crack down on dissent. The changes were meant only to boost the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in its campaign against terrorism, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said then. The new proposed legislation gives more teeth to the existing law and eliminates some provisions that tend to curtail rather than aid security forces to defeat terrorism, Arevalo said. The bill passes through the crucible of intense deliberations to ensure that it will not trample upon peoples rights, but rather defend their rights to life, liberty and property as well as the freedom from fear which the AFP seeks to uphold, he said. The acts provisions include a measure that would fine any government security unit 500,000 pesos (close to U.S. $10,000) for each day it keeps a terror suspect in custody, but who is later found not guilty of links to terrorism, he said. That should make authorities wary of carrying out arrests, Arevalo said. While it may not end terrorism immediately, the proposed law would it easier for the government to penalize acts that contribute to deadly attacks, the military spokesman said. This Fourth of July, while we cannot foresee the next few weeks, months and years, it can look more than a little uncertain. The coronavirus. The struggle for a more equitable nation. An election. The economy. Global warming. We may see a veil of darkness in front of us with only part of the necessary information to guide ourselves. But I implore the reader to keep the second stanza of The Star-Spangled Banner in mind: What happens in public view is critical in the early stages of an organization's formation. Speaking about the power and influence that the media has, Malcolm X said, "The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent." Spearfish, SD (57783) Today Some clouds. Low 52F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 52F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. The test detects virus in patients with low viral loads in 10-15 minutes, as compared to RT-PCR testing which typically takes 24-48 hours to detect the virus. Sona Nanotech Inc., a developer of rapid, point-of-care diagnostic tests, announced on 2 July 2020 that its rapid detection, COVID-19 antigen tests laboratory validation studies of performance levels have resulted in a test sensitivity of 96%, test specificity of 96% and a Limit of Detection (LOD) of 2.1 x 102 TCID50. Sales of the tests will now be permitted under a research use only label until full regulatory authority is granted, in relevant territories, at which time the research use only label requirement would be lifted, as discussed below. Technology transfer to manufacturers is currently underway to produce tests to meet current and expected demand. The Company will provide an update on sales progress and manufacturing delivery timetables in the coming weeks. MRIGlobal, using live COVID-19 viral cultures, determined the test to have a limit of detection of 2.1 x 102 TCID50 which corresponds to an ability to detect the virus in patients with low viral loads in 10-15 minutes, as compared to RT-PCR testing which typically takes 24-48 hours to detect the virus. Limit of detection is the minimum amount of target microorganisms that can be reliably detected under optimal conditions and is an essential step in determining the sensitivity of any assay. Current studies show positive COVID-19 patients presenting symptoms have viral loads in the 104 106 range. Validation studies were also conducted in-house to assess potential clinical performance of the test using 30 nasopharyngeal samples from healthy individuals who were presumed negative for COVID-19. Results from the study generated a specificity of 96% (29/30) and a sensitivity of 96% (28/29). All specimen samples tested generated negative results, except for one, generating the above result of 96%. To generate the sensitivity data, the remnants of each negative sample were spiked with gamma irradiated COVID-19 virus and the tests rerun to determine the positive results, generating the above result of 96%. Following consultation with MRIGlobal and the FDA, Sona will enter into independent clinical, in-field evaluation studies to generate the data to support its analytical and clinical data as part of the submission it will make to Health Canada and the FDA for emergency use authorization (EUA) approval. In-field collection of a minimum of 30 confirmed negative and 30 confirmed positive specimens and the associated data analysis is expected to be completed while technology transfer to manufacturers is still underway. To that end, the Company has engaged with a contract research organization (CRO) based in the U.S. to conduct one such study and a university-affiliated laboratory outside of the U.S. to conduct a second. The Company has been informed that the results of these field studies should be provided by the end of July, at which time it intends to make final submissions to regulatory authorities in multiple jurisdictions. During this time, technology transfer will continue and quality assurance manufacturing batches are expected to be run with manufacturing partners. The Company is committed to maintaining ongoing evaluations of its test in order to understand its performance in a wide range of testing environments. Darren Rowles, CEO of Sona Nanotech, commented, These excellent performance results are underpinned by our unique nanorod technology and completes a further milestone achieved for Sona along our path to bring a quality rapid test to market at scale. This will allow expansion of testing by governments, help ease the burden on healthcare systems, keep healthcare workers safe by allowing them to know their status on a daily basis and assist in softening restrictions by providing a quick and simple means to screen individuals. Our team have worked tirelessly to bring this product to this point in a record time and my thanks goes out to all involved in progressing the test this far. Rapid, point-of-care, antigen tests uses a nasopharyngeal swab to collect samples, which are then placed in a proprietary reagent solution and added to the sample port of the lateral flow test cassette. Blue colored lines will appear to indicate either a positive (2 lines) or negative result (1 line) within minutes. The Company cautions that its COVID-19 rapid antigen test is not yet approved by the FDA or other regulatory bodies and will update the market as appropriate. Novo Holdings to invest in three scope areas; Principal Investments, Novo Growth and Novo Ventures in Asia under the leadership of Amit Kakar Novo Holdings, world-leading life science investor with a focus on long-term, sustainable value creation with USD 62 billion (S$86 billion) in assets is expanding its geographical investment scope to include Asia, complementing its already extensive investment activities in Europe and the United States. For this purpose, Novo Holdings has appointed Amit Kakar as Head of Asia. While Novo Holdings has been actively investing in Asia out of its Financial Investments portfolio, the region represents a new opportunity for the Life Science Investments teams. Novo Holdings expects to invest out of three of its life sciences investment areas in Asia: Principal Investments, making sizable investments in leading, well-established life sciences companies; Novo Growth, providing expansion capital to high-growth life sciences companies; and Novo Ventures, investing in venture stage biotech and medical technology companies. We have followed the life sciences markets in Asia closely, and the growth, the demographics and the increased focus on innovation and R&D make the region a compelling area for us to explore investment opportunities. The industry is young and dynamic, with an underlying investment ecosystem that is rapidly developing, and we believe that our long-term approach and partnering mindset is well suited to the region, says Kasim Kutay, CEO at Novo Holdings. Novo Holdings has hired Amit Kakar as Head of Asia to lead investments and partnerships across the region, focusing primarily on the markets in China, Japan, Singapore and Southeast Asia. We are delighted that Amit Kakar is joining Novo Holdings to lead our efforts in Asia. Amit is an experienced business leader and investor with an impressive track record. He brings more than 25 years of valuable leadership and investment expertise within life sciences as well as an in-depth knowledge of our focus Asia markets, says Kasim Kutay. Amit Kakar will be based in Singapore and was most recently Head of Business Development and M&A at Everlife Asia, a buy-and-build platform, providing solutions for the healthcare and research industries in South East Asia and India. Prior to this, he has held positions across life sciences investment organizations and corporates in China, India and the United States. I am very pleased to be joining Novo Holdings, which has an impressive track record and a long-term approach to investing. The prospect of bringing better healthcare through our investments is a big motivation for me, and I look forward to working with the rest of the senior management team to shape and lead the implementation of an ambitious life sciences investment strategy for Asia, says Amit Kakar. Amit Kakar will report to Kasim Kutay, CEO at Novo Holdings. He will start in his new role on 1 August 2020 and will be based in Singapore following a period working out of the Novo Holdings headquarters in Denmark. Many consignments of essential medical devices imported by these companies are held up at various Indian ports since 22nd June 2020 Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI) has said that the government should release all consignments of medical devices at the earliest to meet the shortage of equipment for treatment of critical COVID-19 patients. MTaI represents global medical technology companies with a large footprint in manufacturing, and R&D in India. Many consignments of essential medical devices imported by these companies are held up at various Indian ports since 22nd June 2020. Consignments of critical medical devices including respiratory management devices like C-PAP machines, High-Flow Nasal Oxygen (HFNO) which are extensively used for COVID19 treatment are also stuck at the customs. Other critical medical device consignments like infrared thermometers, pulse oxymeters, video-laryngoscopes are also facing issues in getting customs clearances. Mr. Pavan Choudary, MTaI Chairman and Director General said Only a sample check is carried out in cases where the importer is compliant with all customs norms. However, from the fourth week of June customs authorities have stalled all imports of medical devices saying that a thorough check is to be conducted. This is delaying the supply of critical equipment to hospitals. Many hospitals have been relentlessly following up with our member companies for the supplies. The non-availability of these products not only impacts the hospitals ability to treat current patients but also cripples any effort to expand capacity. As India is witnessing a daily surge in the COVID19 infection cases, the availability of medical device supplies becomes even more important. The government should release these essential medical device consignments after conducting the checks at the earliest, he added. MTaI has already sent a representation to Department of Pharmaceuticals, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Customs Office of Chennai and Mumbai in this context. Launched in 1998, wine merchant CyberCellar was among the crop of original online retailers that led the advent of e-commerce in South Africa. Unlike many of the others, however, CyberCellar is still in business, trading under the same name and benefitting from the recent boom in online shopping driven by the Covid-19 pandemic. Vodacom launched a campaign called 'Be the light' to call everyone's attention to the scourge of gender-based violence and appeals to South African men to become change agents and play an active role in ridding our society of gender violence. #WomensMonth: Takalani Netshitenzhe on connecting ICT to education We chat to Takalani Netshitenzhe, chief officer of corporate affairs at Vodacom Group to find out about her journey to the top and how Vodacom is using its expertise in ICT to offer modern solutions... Speak out, Seek help By dialling 0800 428 428 or via USSD on *120*7867# A Skype line HelpMeGBV for members of the deaf community An SMS-based line 31531 President Cyril Ramaphosa recently appealed to SAs corporate sector, civic bodies and churches in society to partner with the government as it steps up its fight against gender-based violence. The campaign is launched at a time when the country is gripped by a spate of senseless violence against women and children.Gender-based violence in South Africa is unprecedented. According to the latest Gender Based Violence research, one in four women will experience violence by men and are five times more likely to be killed. A woman is murdered every three hours in South Africa. The issue is a social ill of our time that has started reversing the strides made in gender equality since the dawning of our democracy 25 years ago.Takalani Netshitenzhe, Chief Officer: Corporate Affairs, at Vodacom said: The truth of the matter is that, in recent times, we have seen more and more cases of women dying in the hands of men in the country, so it is about time we shifted the conversation on gender violence to men, so they can be part of the solution. In this context, Be the light campaign is focused on South African men, appealing to them to be change agents and play an active role in the elimination of gender violence from our society.In my view, gender-based violence requires men to stand up, call out, and address the violent and aggressive behaviour that we see many women face every day. For this to happen, men need to be the champions in the fight against women abuse and femicide, while shining a light on those perpetrators who continue to abuse women and children without fear or consequence.As a long-standing partner of government and civil society organisations that champion the rights of women and children, Vodacom and the Department of Social Development Department worked together to launch the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Command Centre in 2014. Vodacom contributed R4m into this partnership for the creation of a call centre that is managed by trained government-employed social workers. In December 2016, a Skype capability was launched at the call centre to give access to the victims of gender-based violence from the deaf community.The call centre receives an alarming average of 22,000 calls per month. These calls result in tele-counselling at the centre and some calls, based on the severity of the case, are referred to the community-based social workers and the South African Police Service.For the 2020 calendar year-to-date (January to 30 June), the command centre has received a staggering 48,583, of which 2,079 are GBV-related, compared to 87,092 for the full year (2019), of which 1,846 were GBV-related. In the two months after the lockdown was announced, the command centre received 33,715 calls, of these 1,427 were GBV-related, up from 133 GVB-related cases for the period 1-26 March 2020. Although we are aware of under-reporting on GBV cases, these recorded GBV-related numbers paint a bleak picture of a society that has a deep-seated problem of GBV.The centre can be reached as follows:Vodacom is currently developing a mobile-based app, which will serve as a risk assessment tool for the app users to determine if they are in an abusive relationship so that they could seek help.Vodacom plans to launch this app in the 2020 calendar year. In March 2019, Vodacom stepped up its efforts to support its employees by implementing an HR policy specifically for victims of domestic violence and abuse. The support provided by this policy includes an allocation of 10 days fully-paid leave and makes available resources such as free access to the companys Employee Assistance programme which provides counselling and life management tools as well as the 24-hour victim support and counselling call centre, the Gender-Based Violence.We are hoping that this campaign will challenge local men to reflect on this question of gender violence and lead them to initiate serious conversations among their circles on what they can do to prevent abuse of this type from occurring in the first place, concluded Netshitenzhe. YFM 99.2, Gauteng's biggest youth radio station, will introduce an all-female mix DJ show, The Mix Capital, on Saturdays 10pm - 2am starting 4 July 2020, hosted by Kea Zawadi. In seeking to address the gender inequality that exists in a male-dominated industry,will feature four of the most dynamic women, each representing their own DJ style. Legendary Crisp, DJ Candii and DJ Fae Fae will raise the bar when bringing the hottest genres to the music scene. Listeners can expect to vibe to Amapiano, house music, hip-hop, Afrobeats and, for the first time, RnB in this format, on YFM.Now more than ever, changing the narrative about who the best mix DJs are,will inspire other young up-and-coming female DJs in the industry. YFM staysby introducing a show that breaks barriers and promotes equality in the world of music and radio.In the driving seat of, Kea Zawadi who has been at YFM since 2018 on the, says: is the best representation of what music should look like right now. The DJs on the show are top class and every Saturday night is going to. Im so excited to host this show, change the game and I cant wait for everyone to be a part of this.Joining this award-winning DJ, will be another Alpha female, hip-hop maestrowho has been on the ones and twosBeing a part ofis all about four individually talented females taking space in this industry and making sure other younger versions of ourselves have a leg to stand on when they are also ready to grow and rise to the occasion.shines the spotlight on female DJs for the first time in South Africa. By showcasing the art and skill of these DJs, the show hopes to break through glass ceilings, something women often have to face in their craft. I am keen on being a part of a new front in the DJing scene and to inspire many women to not give up on their dreams, sayswill bring something for everyone. This show will have you covered: We've got you, so join us as we make history, you do not want to miss it, addswho has been part of the Y family since 2015.This all-female driven groundbreaking show has simply never been done before. Id love for them to get the respect they deserve, I want them to be identified as DJs that are amazing at what they do, and finally move past the female DJ label. They are good on the decks and thats all that matters, thats what were fighting for.Tune into YFM on 99.2 or via streaming on www.yfm.co.za , the YFM app or DStv channel 859. I called up the head of General Foods and said I had done research on Bisquick, she said. Seventy percent of people who buy Bisquick use it to make pancakes, and you only have 2% market share in the African American community. I didnt have a pancake and General Foods didnt have a syrup. I said, I can get you some share in the African American community by my face. Flexiroam Africa, a Cape Town-based travel technology will be providing a connectivity solution for the 23rd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2020: Virtual) taking place from 6-10 July 2020. Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels Crossing borders digitally What was set to be a physical event hosted by San Francisco and Oakland (USA), will become the first virtual edition of the International AIDS Conference as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The virtual conference will be attended by thousands worldwide including over 2000 scholarship recipients.AIDS 2020: Virtual will enable delegates to access and engage with the latest HIV science, advocacy and knowledge traditionally presented at the conference. It will be a compelling combination of virtual sessions and community networking, including exhibitions, workshops, the Global Village and Youth Programme, satellites and pre-conferences, that will reach audiences around the world.AIDS 2020: Virtual will continue to shine a spotlight on this years host cities, San Francisco and Oakland, exploring the tale of these two cities through science, innovation and activism, while underscoring the Bay Areas dedication to health equity in its Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative.AIDS 2020: Virtual is organised by the International AIDS Society (IAS). Their commitment to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing global health landscape and to persevere in the face of uncertainty is stronger than ever. The theme of this years conference is Resilience and there is no better word to describe the HIV community and their ability to come together in a shared commitment to the global HIV response.The Geneva-based organisation, IAS, asked Flexiroam Africa to create a solution to close the global digital divide by providing online access to their scholarship recipients across the world.It has been a privilege to be part of this landmark event and in the midst of the global pandemic, create a unique solution to power online access to the globally important AIDS2020: Virtual. Our teams in South Africa and Malaysia have worked tirelessly on this project and it has been a great example of what is now possible in the current era of increased digitalization. We are working across time zones with Flexiroam and the IAS teams in South Africa, Malaysia, Switzerland and the United States and all of this has been online.Our business was able to pivot during these unprecedented times and move from offering a global data roaming solution for travellers to connect people globally to a virtual conference. This opportunity was truly borne out of crisis and we are humbled by the trust and support shown to us by the IAS. There is a strong working relationship with our suppliers in Asia and together weve created this exciting and new connectivity solution, said Jacqueline Aylett, CEO and founder of Flexiroam Africa.To give scholarship delegates online access to conference events and sessions, Flexiroam will provide unlimited mobile data during the five days of the conference. Not only will AIDS 2020: Virtual showcase the latest developments in HIV research, the affiliated Covid-19 conference will present brand-new data on the pandemic, its relation to HIV and beyond. Additionally, Flexiroam Africa is providing smartphone devices from the IAS to those scholarship recipients requiring hardware support.Conference delegates are presented with the Flexiroam SIM card via an ambitious global shipping initiative. Upon activation through the Flexiroam App, they will have unlimited data during the Conference while riding on Flexiroams network of partners.For more, go to https://www.aids2020.org/ Theres a high degree of confidence that no members of the public would have been exposed, Johnson said. The village went through a review of where the employees had been and who they interacted with. There was a small number of other employees they had been near, but neither one was closely interacting with the public. Michigan State University leaders have successfully pressured Stephen Hsu to resign from his position as vice president of research and innovation after the Graduate Employees Union launched a campaign to oust him from his role. This came after the union, which represents teaching and research assistants, crawled through years of blog posts and interviews Hsu had conducted and criticized him for sharing content on genetic differences among different races. But the main thrust to oust Hsu came because the professor touted Michigan State research that found police are not more likely to shoot African-Americans. The victory of the Twitter mob will likely have a chilling effect on academic freedom on campus, Hsu told The College Fix via email. The union had taken advantage of a Black Lives Matter-linked #ShutDownStem day on June 10 to help oust him. Hsu stepped down from his vice president role on June 19 after pressure from the union and the president of the university, Samuel Stanley. Hsu will stay on as a physics professor at Michigan State, however. The union also circulated a petition against Hsu that accused him of scientific racism that garnered over 800 signers. An open letter signed by more than 500 faculty and staff at Michigan State argued Hsu supports the idea that intelligence is linked to genetics. A counter-petition in support of Hsu has gained more than 1,000 signers, including many fellow professors from across the country. To remove Hsu for holding controversial views, or for inquiring about controversial topics, or for simply talking to controversial personalities would also set a dangerous precedent, inconsistent with the fundamental principles of modern enlightened higher education, it read. As for the claim of scientific racism, Hsu rejected that on his personal website, stating I believe that basic human rights and human dignity derive from our shared humanity, not from uniformity in ability or genetic makeup. But a leader with the graduate student union said that there were multiple factors that led to Hsus removal, including people who disagreed with Hsu not feeling they were able to state their concerns for fear of backlash. Once we started the dialogue, dozens of people approached us with personal stories of their own attempts to speak out and their own experiences with Hsu, and hundreds signed on calling for his removal, Graduate Employees Union Vice President Acacia Ackles told The College Fix. The union has also criticized Hsus promotion of a study that found there is no racial bias in police shootings. We found that the race of the officer doesnt matter when it comes to predicting whether black or white citizens are shot, according to the Michigan State-based research Hsu had quoted that drew the ire of many. Hsu said that the attacks against him are baseless. The GEU alleged that I am a racist because I interviewed MSU Psychology professor Joe Cesario, who studies police shootings, he wrote in an email to The College Fix. But Cesarios work (along with similar work by others, such as Roland Fryer at Harvard) is essential to understanding deadly force and how to improve policing. Cesario is the Michigan State psychology professor who co-authored the study published July 2019 that debunked the notion that police are more likely to shoot African-Americans. Hsu wrote on his blog that the paper concluded there is no widespread racial bias in police shooting. Professor Cesario received a small amount of funding for his research under Hsus leadership. Cesario pointed out to The Wall Street Journal we had no idea what the data was going to be, what the outcome was going to be, before we did this study. Cesarios research had been cited in a widely shared Wall Street Journal op-ed headlined The Myth of Systemic Police Racism that was published June 3 amid racially charged protests against the death of George Floyd in police custody. The MSU communications team highlighted the mention in the June 9 edition of their email newsletter, InsideMSU. The next day, the Graduate Employees Union denounced Mr. Hsu. By June 11, editors of the newsletter had apologized for including the item and for the harm it caused, the Journal reports. The graduate union told The Fix that administrators should not share research that runs counter to public statements by the university. It is the unions position that an administrator sharing such views is in opposition to MSUs statements released supporting the protests and their root cause and aim, Ackles wrote in an e-mail to The College Fix. President Stanley released a statement on June 19 where he defended his decision to pressure Hsu to resign. I believe this is what is best for our university to continue our progress forward. The exchange of ideas is essential to higher education, and I fully support our faculty and their academic freedom to address the most difficult and controversial issues. But when senior administrators at MSU choose to speak out on any issue, they are viewed as speaking for the university as a whole. Their statements should not leave any room for doubt about their, or our, commitment to the success of faculty, staff and students, he added. Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday became the latest state leader to unilaterally order residents to cover their faces while in public, an effort to stem the increasing rise of COVID-19 cases across the South. Abbott's executive order states that "every person in Texas shall wear a face covering over the nose and mouth when inside a commercial entity or other building or space open to the public, or when in an outdoor public space, wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household." The order includes numerous exceptions including residents under 10, individuals with complicating medical conditions, anyone seated at a restaurant table and those swimming in a pool or body of water. Texas is among the states that have had a sharp uptick in coronavirus cases since it began re-opening about two months ago. It is unclear why the increase took roughly eight weeks to materialize, though officials have claimed that increased social activity by younger residents is part of the reason. Victims attorney Lisa Bloom says that Ghislaine Maxwell could reveal a bigger name involved in Jeffrey Epsteins pedophile network in order to secure a plea deal. Appearing on UK radio show LBC, Bloom stated, Im sure that Ghislaines attorneys will try to make a deal where she speaks out about a bigger name to get reduced charges for herself. But she herself is a big name, with Jeffrey Epsteins passing a year ago, she is one of the biggest names of people who were involved in this scheme, she added. "I'm sure that Ghislaine's attorneys will try to make a deal where she speaks out about a bigger name to get reduced charges for herself," says Lisa Bloom, the lawyer who represents one of Ghislaine Maxwell's accusers. @eddiemair | @LisaBloom pic.twitter.com/aXFIE4AkiU LBC (@LBC) July 2, 2020 The prospect of Maxwell fingering a bigger name in order to get a reduced sentence for herself is interesting given that there were reports Jeffrey Epstein was planning to do the same before he committed suicide weeks later. As we highlighted on July 7, just over a month before his death, OANNs Jack Posobiec reported that Epsteins lawyer had offered on behalf of his client to cooperate with the investigation, including giving up the names of individuals that paid for activities with underage girls in exchange for a maximum sentence not to exceed 5 years. Whether that was one of the incentives for Epstein being suicided remains unknown, but it was widely speculated at the time that the billionaire pedophile would be eliminated before he could talk. Just over a week before Epsteins suicide, lawyer Spencer Kuvin expressed his fear that a hit had been put out on Epsteins life that would prevent him from implicating influential people who were complicit in the sex trafficking of girls and young women. After Epsteins death, a Congressman told the Daily Mirror that a lot of powerful people were breathing a huge sigh of relief that he had been silenced. Follow on Twitter: Follow @PrisonPlanet My voice is being silenced by free speech-hating Silicon Valley behemoths who want me disappeared forever. It is CRUCIAL that you support me. Please sign up for the free newsletter here. Donate to me on SubscribeStar here. Support my sponsor Turbo Force a supercharged boost of clean energy without the comedown. Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. You are here: Business China's services trade fell in the first five months this year amid the COVID-19 epidemic, but the trade structure kept improving with a narrowing deficit, according to the Ministry of Commerce. The services trade totaled 1.87 trillion yuan (about 264.8 billion U.S. dollars) during the period, down by 14.6 percent year on year, the ministry's spokesperson Gao Feng said at a press conference on Thursday. Services exports amounted to 759.26 billion yuan in the January-May period, down by 2.3 percent, while imports decreased by 21.5 percent year on year to 1.11 trillion yuan. Meanwhile, the services trade deficit stood at 350.08 billion yuan, dropping by 285.15 billion yuan from the same period last year. The ministry highlighted strong resilience in China's trade of knowledge-intensive services, which jumped by 8.7 percent year on year. In contrast to merchandise trade, trade in services refers to the sale and delivery of intangible products such as transportation, tourism, telecommunications, construction, advertising, computing, and accounting. NDHSRF SENDS TOP FOUR QUALIFIERS TO NATIONALS Bowmans Wilson wins Short Go goat tying at state Sunday For more than three days, North Dakotas best high school rodeo competitors converged on the Bowman County Fairgrounds. For some... Kulseth places 27th at State Golf Tournament The Crossroads Golf Club was the host of the 2021 Class B State Boys Golf tournament. Karsen Kulseth was making... NEEPAWA Between 7 and 8 a.m. Wednesday, Neepawas reservoir, Park Lake, released its water onto Walker Street and anywhere else water could flow. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us NEEPAWA Between 7 and 8 a.m. Wednesday, Neepawas reservoir, Park Lake, released its water onto Walker Street and anywhere else water could flow. As town employee Jake Birch put it, "The Park Lake dam let go." Birch and several other town employees Jodi Anderson, Taylor Allen, Baillie Sandstrom and others continued cleaning up the accumulating mess at Riverbend Park, separated from Riverbend Campground by a footbridge. The entire area flooded. A few houses near the park also flooded. Together the four explained that Sunday and Tuesdays cataclysmic rains, combined with the flow from upstream of the Whitemud watershed, meant the town simply could not absorb all the water. Theyve had a couple of different crests, they said, adding that theyd anticipated Tuesdays rainfall and sandbagged on Monday, with some people out sandbagging their houses throughout the night as the water came fast. But Birch said that when that dam broke, it was game over. "We were prepared for the rain, but we were not prepared for the dam to break." At one point, the workers and volunteers were removing sandbags from areas now underwater to place them where they might now be more helpful. Birch said if Neepawa got even an inch of rain Thursday night, as seemed likely, "well be seeing everything back up again." Walker Street residents bore the brunt of the onslaught. They, like the park, are on low ground, while most of the rest of the town is on high ground. Dave and Ivy Cameron went to bed at about 11 p.m. Tuesday. In the morning, around 7:30 or 8 oclock, their neighbour, Neepawa Mayor Blake McCutcheon, called and told them to get out. "You better get out of here, the waters coming. Get your vehicles out, up the hill. Shut the power off. Get your pills," said Dave. "The earth at the dam let go, water is coming down Walker Street." The couple had a sewer backup in their basement. Kyle Ford works to empty his flooded basement of belongings on Walker Avenue in Neepawa on Thursday after his home was flooded when the earthen dam at Park Lake in Neepawa's south end eroded early Wednesday in the wake of Tuesday's evening heavy rainfall. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun) Darryn Cameron, whose RV is now parked at Dave and Ivys, is the campground manager. He had to evacuate from the park Monday due to Sunday nights flooding. "Tuesday it was pretty much dried up. Then yesterday (Wednesday) it was right back to square one again," Darryn said. He explained much of the water that came into town prior to Park Lake letting loose was due to water from creeks west of town coming into the Whitemud River. Thats the river that flows behind the houses on Walker Street. Ivy, Dave and Darryn said everyone in Neepawa has been amazing. The town put out a call on Facebook for eight pickup trucks for sandbags, for example, and 25 or more showed up, said Ivy. Neepawa was expecting three inches of rain Thursday night, the three said. "It puts us on alert to possibly evacuate," said Ivy. "We have to be ready to leave at a moments notice," said Darryn. Meanwhile, the Camerons basement is wrecked and theyve barely started cleaning up. For Shelley and Ross Bates, a few houses down from the Camerons and close to Park Lake, the dam breach meant their home flooded from the front. Ross and relatives moved the couples destroyed belongings from the home to a truck on the street. "We had water in the back. It came on Monday," Shelley said. "We kind of knew it was coming because our back yard is quite a bit lower. Sometimes when theres a lot of rain or theres a really quick melt in the spring, we do get water coming through the back yard." While the Bates were prepared, this time the water almost reached the front yard. They called the town and their place was sandbagged. "We were good. Then Wednesday morning, we got up at 8 and we saw water flowing down the street," Shelley said. Thats the water that filled their basement to the waist. They managed to get away in time in their vehicle. On Thursday afternoon, in thick humid air, the dirt and dust flew on Walker Street. As residents cleaned up their homes, large trucks lined up on the street. Some delivered huge amounts of earth to shore up the damage to the now-empty reservoir. Others, near the other end of the two-block street, delivered earth to shore up the creek. mletourneau@brandonsun.com Michele LeTourneau covers Indigenous matters for The Brandon Sun under the Local Journalism Initiative, a federally funded program that supports the creation of original civic journalism. OTTAWA - The Liberal party spent more than it took in the 2019 election year, raising just over $42 million and spending just over $43 million. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A support holds up a sign as Liberal leader Justin Trudeau holds a rally in Montreal, Quebec on Thursday Oct. 17, 2019. The Liberal Party eked out a small surplus in 2019, raising $42 million and spending $43 million. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - The Liberal party spent more than it took in the 2019 election year, raising just over $42 million and spending just over $43 million. Financial records released late Friday show that by the end of the year, the party had $625,865 in assets. All political parties had until midnight June 30 to submit their financial reports for last year. Of the major parties, only the Liberals' 2019 records were available Friday. The New Democrats say they asked for and received an extension, the Conservatives did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The Liberals also finished 2019 with $24.7 million in loans, according to their financial records, against huge election-year donations. Among their biggest expenditures in 2019 were salaries, coming in at $7.95 million. This year, they are covering some of their staffing costs using the COVID-19 wage subsidy program, which is also being used by the Conservatives. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2020. HALIFAX - With an increasing number of Nova Scotians complaining on social media about seeing cars with American plates entering the province, Premier Stephen McNeil has pledged to keep a closer watch on those showing up at the border from outside Atlantic Canada. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. With an increasing number of Nova Scotians complaining on social media about seeing cars entering the province with American plates, Premier Stephen McNeil has pledged to keep a closer watch on those showing up at the border from outside Atlantic Canada. Premier McNeil attends a briefing as they announce two more presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, in Halifax on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan HALIFAX - With an increasing number of Nova Scotians complaining on social media about seeing cars with American plates entering the province, Premier Stephen McNeil has pledged to keep a closer watch on those showing up at the border from outside Atlantic Canada. However, McNeil also warned Nova Scotians not to jump to conclusions about the people in those cars, saying most of them are probably Canadian citizens coming home after living or working abroad. "There are lots of stories circulating, conversation on social media about Americans and others who are coming into our province and not self-isolating," the premier told a virtual news conference Friday. "If this is true, this is not acceptable. If you commit to self-isolating for 14 days, we expect you to keep your word." The premier made the comments about 12 hours after the four Atlantic provinces lifted travel restrictions for residents to reflect the region's relatively low and stable COVID-19 infection rates. Residents of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador can now travel to any of the other three provinces without self-isolating for 14 days after arriving but the requirement remains in place for anyone who lives outside the region. Even though the Canada-U.S. border remains closed to non-essential travel, Canadians citizens living in the United States are allowed to enter Canada, as long as they have a passport and are not displaying symptoms of COVID-19. On Friday, the provincial government's Facebook page lit up with harsh comments about Americans entering Nova Scotia. "I am shocked and appalled that the premier will allow Americans in," said one post. "I thought the prime minister said the borders remain closed! I have heard numerous accounts of Americans in restaurants and trying to book kayak tours and admitting they haven't quarantined." Another Facebook post was more blunt: "I just read that our government will not be stopping people with American plates at the border. What is this Atlantic 'bubble' about if Americans can come into the province?" McNeil said Nova Scotians' growing concerns about people coming from the United States has prompted his government to intensify efforts to keep track of those entering the province who are not from another part of Atlantic Canada. Under the current rules, these people must show their identification at the border and say where they will be staying during their 14 days of self-isolation. They must also provide a telephone number. Those intending to stay less than 14 days are being turned away at the border. "We will be ramping up our calls and check-ins to make sure you are where you said you would be, and you are indeed self isolating," the premier said. "We want to be open and welcoming, but we are not going to let our guard down." Earlier this week, McNeil made it clear he would not take steps to restrict Americans from entering the province. "We have never closed our border at any point," he said Thursday, adding there were plans in the works to open Atlantic Canada's borders to the rest of Canada by mid-July. Last Friday, however, the Nova Scotia government cancelled the 2020 sailing season for the ferry service that links the province with Maine, citing the ongoing struggle to contain COVID-19 in the United States. "Like many of you, I am concerned about the number of (COVID-19) cases that we hear about in the U.S.," McNeil said at the time. Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston said there is growing anxiety over the rules at the province's border crossings. "Over the course of the past three-and-a-half months, the province took no steps to address the issues at our border," Houston said in a statement. "No one, including Americans, have been denied entry despite the fact that yesterday alone, the United States of America recorded over 50,000 COVID-19 cases .... While restaurants (in Nova Scotia) were taking names and numbers of patrons, the government wouldn't even do that when cars were entering from a different country where COVID-19 is rampant." This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2020. OTTAWA - Canada's Foreign Affairs Department says Ukraine will lead negotiations with Iran over compensation for the families of victims of the crash of Flight PS752. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/7/2020 (354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A police officer stands guard as debris is seen from an Ukrainian plane which crashed in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2020. Canada's Foreign Affairs Department says Ukraine will lead negotiations with Iran over compensation for the families of victims of the crash of Flight PS752. After first denying it, Iran admitted one of its air-defence batteries shot the Ukraine International Airlines jet down in January. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Ebrahim Noroozi OTTAWA - Canada's Foreign Affairs Department says Ukraine will lead negotiations with Iran over compensation for the families of victims of the crash of Flight PS752. After first denying it, Iran admitted one of its air-defence batteries shot the Ukraine International Airlines jet down in January, killing all 176 people on the plane. Fifty-five Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents were aboard, on the first leg of a trip from Iran to Canada via Kyiv, Ukraine. Many more were nationals of other countries returning to Canada as students and researchers after the December break. The federal government said Canada, Afghanistan, Sweden and the United Kingdom have agreed that Ukraine will be their spokesperson in talks over compensation. The members of the International Co-ordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752 settled on "a common approach to holding the Iranian regime accountable and signed a memorandum of understanding on co-operation regarding negotiations on reparations by Iran, paving the way for state-to-state negotiations," Global Affairs Canada said. Iran has said it shot the airliner down unintentionally, after mistaking it for a hostile target hours after Iran fired missiles at U.S. and coalition bases in neighbouring Iraq. Those missiles were a response to the American killing of Iran's Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of its elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a major figure in its regional geopolitical manoeuvring. After months of delays that Iran attributes to the COVID-19 pandemic, it agreed to send the plane's recovered data recorder to France for an analysis to be done July 20. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2020. The National People's Congress Standing Committee's adoption of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (National Security Law) has ignited much debate on the impact it will have on the freedoms enjoyed by its residents. The Law was enacted to safeguard national security by preventing, suppressing and imposing punishment for the offenses of advocating secession, subversion, organization and perpetration of terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security in relation to Hong Kong. The intention in regard to its effect, among others, is to deter any act or activity endangering national security, as was evidenced by the decision of Joshua Wong, the leader, and many others to abandon the pro-secession group Demosisto. In this regard, however, the deterrent effect of the law on prospective separatists, subversives and terrorists and those colluding with foreign forces, as well as the stern atmosphere that may be derived from the legal toolkit for suppressing and imposing punishment for such offenses should not, in any way, be regarded as suppressing the freedom of ordinary Hong Kong residents. Instead, the law enforcers are required to respect human rights while safeguarding national security in Hong Kong and fully protect the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Basic Law and the international covenants on civil and political rights and on economic, social and cultural rights. With or without this Law, Hong Kong residents' rights in regard to freedom of speech, of the press, of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration, are not to be affected. Moreover, the Law demands that the principle of the rule of law be adhered to in any activities for preventing, suppressing, and imposing punishment for offenses endangering national security. The well-established principle of the rule of law means that no one can be convicted and punished for an act not constituting an offence under the Law, and that a person is presumed innocent until convicted by an appropriate judicial body. The spirit of the rule of law can also be found in the provision that the Law is not retrospective. Even though groups like Demosisto seriously harmed the stability of Hong Kong and national security through the committing of acts and activities as described in the Law, they cannot be prosecuted for their notorious acts committed prior to the date this Law comes into force. A comparison between this Law and something similar, such as the Internal Security Act (ISA) adopted in the former British colonies of Malaysia and Singapore, demonstrates that the national security law for Hong Kong is in full accord with the rule of law. While both this Law and the ISA were enacted for the purpose of safeguarding national security in their respective jurisdictions, the stark disparity of the two laws is obvious. Under the Hong Kong legislation, law enforcement agencies are only allowed to take actions against targeted acts and activities as specified by it. While the ISA specifies that a specially designated government body can take swift actions with a court order alone against anything deemed to be a threat to national security. Again, under the ISA, the law enforcement agency is empowered to employ various measures that it considers necessary, including preventive detention. In regard to the Hong Kong Law, those enforcing it must follow the rule of law in any actions against targeted acts and activities. When we consider the issue from its contrast with the implementation of the ISA, the Hong Kong Law can be described as "tough yet mild." In conclusion, the Law has teeth in handling national security issues. Nevertheless, it has also a human face, attentive to the human rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents guaranteed by the Basic Law. Professor Kong Qingjiang is dean of the School of International Law, China University of Political Science and Law. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. Flash U.S. Texas issued face covering order in public places as COVID-19 cases continued to spike in the state. The executive order issued by Texas Governor Greg Abbott requires all people to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases, with few exceptions. "Wearing a face covering in public is proven to be one of the most effective ways we have to slow the spread of COVID-19," said Abbott. "I urge all Texans to wear a face covering in public, not just for their own health, but for the health of their families, friends, and for all our fellow Texans." The governor also issued a proclamation giving mayors and county judges the ability to impose restrictions on some outdoor gatherings of over 10 people, and making it mandatory that, with certain exceptions, people cannot be in groups larger than ten and must maintain six feet (about 1.8 meters) of social distancing from others. "Large gatherings are a clear contributor to the rise in COVID-19 cases," Abbott continued. "If Texans commit to wearing face coverings in public spaces and follow the best health and safety practices, we can both slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep Texas open for business." Following the order, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner expressed his support for the order. Local media reported earlier that Turner wrote a letter to Abbott, asking for more strict orders in the state to combat the coronavirus. "I fully support Governor Abbott's executive order requiring wearing masks in public places in counties with 20 or more #COVID19 cases. Although, I believe we need to do more," he tweeted. According to Texas Health and Human Services, as of Thursday there were 175,977 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the state, 7,915 more cases than that of Wednesday. The death toll reached 2,525. DHAKA, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Political veterans in Bangladesh have extended congratulations on the 99th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) that fell on Wednesday, lauding China's remarkable development over the past decades. The CPC has achieved unprecedented social and economic development in the path of socialism, said Hasanul Haq Inu, president of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, an ally of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Grand Alliance, in his congratulatory message. General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping and his political thought in the new era have been the most powerful drive in the current world political context, ensuring peace and development, said Inu. He expressed the hope that under the leadership of Xi and the CPC, China will overcome the negative impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, and stand with Bangladesh as well as the world in combatting the pandemic. He also expressed his gratitude to the CPC for sending doctors and urgently-needed medical equipment and medicines to his country. Dilip Barua, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, also hailed China's achievements and its role in the international arena. China has emerged as a global economic power, appreciated by the international community for its good governance and upholding of socialism, said Barua in his congratulatory message. "We are grateful to China for developing Marxism and adapting it to a Chinese context, which has created great momentum for the development of socialism in the world," he said. Under the leadership of Xi, China has brought the infectious disease of COVID-19 under control and become one of the first countries to curb the spread of the disease, he said. "We firmly believe that your pragmatic, cautious, serious, hardworking, down-to-earth and low-key leadership skill would be able to create new development in the world political context, and will lead the party as well as the country ahead along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era," he said. Flash U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's statements regarding China's national security legislation on Hong Kong demonstrate nothing but ignorance and prejudice, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian used four "ignorances" to describe Pompeo's remarks at a routine news briefing. Firstly, he is ignorant of the law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Zhao said, adding that pulling human rights into this is just fact-distorting. The law protects the overwhelming majority of people while punishing only a very small number of perpetrators. After it is enacted, Hong Kong will enjoy more stable social order and better business environment, where Hong Kong residents and foreign investors can all benefit, Zhao said. Secondly, Pompeo is ignorant of the "one country, two systems" principle. The adoption of this law is not aimed to alter "one country, two systems," but to improve and better act on "one country, two systems" and ensure its faithful and steady implementation, the spokesperson said. The U.S. secretary of state is also ignorant of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, Zhao said, noting that all the provisions concerning the British side in the Joint Declaration were fulfilled after Hong Kong's return to the motherland. "The basic policies regarding Hong Kong declared by China in the Joint Declaration are China's statement of policies, not commitment to Britain, and they certainly have nothing to do with the United States. Furthermore, Pompeo is ignorant of international law and basic norms governing international relations. It's completely China's internal affair to formulate a law on safeguarding national security in a subnational administrative region, he said. "We have every confidence that it will get Hong Kong back onto the right path of development and help it regain its repute as the 'Pearl of the Orient,'" Zhao added. You are here: World Flash The 9th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum will be held on July 6 via video-link, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced Thursday. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will co-chair the meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Zhao Lijian told a regular press briefing. Zhao said foreign ministers of Arab League (AL) member states will attend the meeting, along with AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit. Noting that China attaches high importance to advancing the China-Arab strategic partnership, Zhao said the two sides are "good partners of mutual benefit and good brothers sharing weal and woe." "Confronted with the COVID-19 outbreak, we have been fighting side by side with solidarity and mutual assistance," he said. "Our relations have been deepened and elevated in this process. As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the globe, convening this meeting will send out a message of China and Arab states consolidating consensus on solidarity and cooperation, upholding multilateralism, supporting each other on issues bearing on core interests and major concerns, and joining hands to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era," the spokesperson said. "China stands ready to work together with other participants to make this ministerial a complete success," Zhao added. Flash The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Thursday that the Libyan Coast Guard had rescued 102 illegal immigrants, including women and children, off the country's western coast. "A group of 102 migrants, among them 12 women and 20 children, were returned to Libya by the coast guard this evening. IOM staff are at the disembarkation point to provide assistance," the IOM tweeted later on Thursday. Nearly 300 migrants were rescued by the coast guard on Thursday, according to IOM. The IOM estimates that more than 5,400 immigrants have been rescued and returned to Libya so far in 2020, compared with 9,200 in 2019. The state of insecurity and chaos in Libya since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011 makes the country a preferred point of departure for thousands of illegal immigrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe. Despite repeated international calls to close those centers, many immigrants remain detained inside shelters across Libya. The Voluntary Humanitarian Return program, which arranges the return of illegal immigrants stranded in Libya back to their countries of origin, was run by the IOM before the Libyan authorities closed all the country's borders as a precautionary measure against COVID-19. Harrisonburg, VA (22807) Today Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 64F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 64F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Reuters found no evidence that Bancel, Zaks or Moderna has exaggerated the companys vaccine progress. Many news outlets have reported sales by Moderna executives in the wake of positive news on its vaccine efforts. Reuters reports that Bancel and affiliated entities are selling 90,000 shares every month and that Zaks moved to sharply increase his sales in March three days before Moderna released market-moving news. This was science by press release. Without complete data youre left to read the tea leaves. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Centre at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, speaking after Moderna released incomplete test results in May. A Moderna spokesman said that Bancel is liquidating only a small portion of his holdings and that "substantially all of his familys assets remain invested in Moderna." This stakeholding reflected Bancels "long-term commitment" to the firm, the spokesman said. Bancel, his companies and his childrens trust own more than 24 million Moderna shares, making him the second-largest stockholder, owning about 8 per cent of the firm, down slightly from the beginning of the year. Zaks did not respond to requests for comment, and Moderna did not comment on his share sales. The high frequency, volume and profits of Bancels transactions - at about 90,000 shares monthly - are unique among the CEOs of 26 companies identified by Reuters as developing COVID-19 vaccines or treatments and that regularly publish information on executive trades of company shares. Twenty-one of the firms have seen their stock rise since the end of January, just before coronavirus spread globally, and 10 of those, including Moderna, have seen share prices at least double. But just four of the CEOs of those firms, including Bancel, have sold company stock. Only one - Chad Robins of Adaptive Biotech - made substantial, regular sales under a 10b5-1 plan, like Modernas Bancel. Adaptive Biotech, however, has seen a far smaller recent stock-price increase - about 50 per cent - than Moderna. During May and June, Robins sold about $US12 million in stock after Adaptives stock price rose on news that it is researching antibody therapies and a coronavirus test that delivers faster results. Moderna is viewed as a frontrunner in creating a COVID-19 vaccine, but it faces 17 serious competitors with candidates in clinical evaluations and 129 others in earlier development stages, according to the World Health Organisation. Credit:Getty Images Adaptive Biotech declined to comment and referred to a company filing that said Robins sold the stock to diversify his investments. Most of Bancels sales have been carried out through plans in place since December 2018, the filings show. The transactions started in November 2019, when a trust belonging to his children began selling 11,046 shares each week. This January, Bancel and two companies he controls started selling stock regularly. Since then, they have collectively sold about 90,000 Moderna shares each month. High risk, rewards Such scheduled sales are more common at early-stage biotech companies such as Moderna - which face intense risk-reward scenarios - than at more established and diversified drug firms, where executives frequently hold their equity until they leave the company. Executives ongoing sales are an effective hedge against the bigger downside risk faced by companies like Moderna. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the firm has more than 20 therapies and vaccines in development - but none near approval. Investors view the firm as a frontrunner in creating a COVID-19 vaccine, but it faces 17 serious competitors with candidates in clinical evaluations and 129 others in earlier development stages, according to the World Health Organisation. Only a very small number of companies are expected to get vaccines to market, biotech executives and health experts say. If Moderna successfully launches its coronavirus vaccine and a dozen other of its most promising trial medicines, its stock price could rise to $US279 based on the new revenues, according to Morgan Stanley analysts. That would yield Bancel a fortune of about $US10 billion including currently unvested share options, the Reuters analysis shows. The firms stock has soared from $US18 in late February - just before it announced it had shipped its vaccine candidate to the US government for trials - to close at $US56.57 on July 2, down 5 per cent, after a report that the start of its large vaccine trial would be delayed. That gives the company a market capitalisation of nearly $US23 billion. The stock hit a high of $US80 in May. But Morgan Stanley also has a "bear case," in which the company would be worth only as much as the cash on its balance sheet if all of its vaccine and drug candidates dont make it to market. Dr Anthony Fauci - who is running the Moderna trial - later said he didnt like the companys early release of incomplete data, according to an interview published by the STAT health news service. Credit:AP 'Science by press release' Bancel and Zaks have been bullish on Modernas prospects in public statements. Bancel calls the mRNA technology the company uses for all vaccine development the "software of life," with potential to create "a new class of medicines." He has also said Modernas process can create vaccines much faster and with a better chance of "technical success" - and, by implication, regulatory approval - than other firms. Loading "We are not aware of anybody else who can do this at this scale, with this focus, at this speed," he told investors on June 2. Earlier, in a May 7 earnings call, Bancel said he had "never been as excited and optimistic about the future of Moderna." Many investors and analysts are optimistic as well but say it is difficult to evaluate Modernas prospects given the early stages of trials. The company drew criticism from scientists for releasing incomplete data from a trial being conducted by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). On May 18, Moderna announced that its vaccine candidate had produced protective antibodies in a small subset of healthy trial volunteers. The news pushed Moderna stock up 20 per cent to its peak of $US80. Some scientists suggested Moderna should have held off publishing until it had all test subjects results. "This was science by press release," said Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Centre at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Without complete data, he said, "youre left to read the tea leaves." For all the time spent trying to identify "V-shaped" recoveries or worse-faring "U" and hapless "L," letters may not be the most enlightening way to understand the rebound from the coronavirus pandemic. Perhaps a better analogy is a squiggly line, with economic life rolling forward and looping back as countries cycle in and out of lockdowns. This is nowhere more apparent than in Asia, where data have been patchy. The Bank of Japan's quarterly Tankan survey, released earlier this week, showed confidence among the biggest manufacturers sinking to levels unseen since the global financial crisis. The economic health of countries around the world is going up and down as they cycle in and out of lockdowns. Credit:Getty Images Asia Pac Drill deeper, however, and the same report shows that plans for capital spending jumped 3.2 per cent, twice as much as forecast and a nice turn from the decline in the previous quarter. That sign of resilience won't prevent Japan from having a down year, given the projected 20 per cent-plus plunge in gross domestic product during the second quarter. But you can find reason for hope amid all the despair. South Korea is showing a similar pattern. Exports fell 10.9 per cent in June, an unhappy number - except when measured against the 23.6 per cent dive in May. Semiconductor shipments were flat, while strong demand from China should put a floor under this vital piece of Korea Inc. Imports of chip-making gear rose 140 per cent, after a 168 per cent surge in May. Someone clearly smells demand. Seoul still clings to its official forecast of a 0.1 per cent decline in GDP this year. Compared with some places, that would be stellar. Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham has buoyed hopes Australians would be able to travel to New Zealand again by September if the coronavirus flare-up in Victoria is brought under control. As Australia's $60 billion-a-year tourism industry reels from the global pandemic, the governments from both countries have discussed plans for a "travel bubble" that would allow travel across the Tasman without mandatory quarantine. Australia and New Zealand have discussed a possible "travel bubble" for months. Credit:Geoff Marks Simon Birmingham said on Friday that despite the flare-up of COVID-19 cases in Victoria, it was viable for quarantine-free travel between the two countries to reopen in September. "That's a realistic time frame, however, it clearly is subject to uncertainties like the situation in Victoria and ultimately it requires the agreement of the New Zealand government as well," he said in an interview. If a rap battle between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton is what your life has been missing, get ready to be fulfilled. Off the stage and onto the screen, the first film version of the hit musical Hamilton offers as much as it loses from its transformation. Broadway wunderkind Lin-Manuel Miranda's blockbuster about America's founding father, Alexander Hamilton, dropped on the Disney+ streaming service on Friday. The film version offers a cast we are never likely to see again from seats that are far better (and comfier) than the front row of a theatre. And you don't even have to get frocked up. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size There was once a bloke who ran sheep in the Snowy Mountains high country named Jack Smith but everyone called him Sancho. One day in 1942, a party of horsemen including then NSW premier William McKell and Sam Clayton, the states commissioner of soil conservation, encountered Sancho in the high country and heard his story. Clayton later wrote in his journal: He was left in charge of sheep in the mountains at the age of nine for five weeks by himself after his father was taken to Cooma with appendicitis. Now he is a battler in the mountains for grass I hesitate to be hard on a man like this. But Clayton was hard. He was among a group of scientists and naturalists who believed that grazing in the Australian alps had wreaked havoc on the delicate ecosystem across NSW and Victoria, and he was there to convince McKell to force the graziers out. Running wild: feral horses on Long Plain in the Kosciusko National Park. Credit:Nick Moir There was tension in the party during the expedition. A grazier named Charley Harnett furiously opposed the scientists there and Clayton wrote at one point: It was a miracle he didnt shoot me or I drown him in one of the river crossings. In any event, Clayton convinced McKell that the regions watercourses had been wrecked by the trampling of cloven hooves, and that the fires the graziers lit to generate the green shoots their animals preferred had dried out the mosses that fed the rivers during summer. A few years later, the government acted and grazing leases were wound up, sparking what became known as the Range Wars between rogue graziers who flouted the new laws and drove their herds into the high country during the summer months and the rangers and soil conservation officers sent in to police them. Advertisement Communities were divided and bloodshed was not entirely uncommon. In 1959, according to a history of the NSW Soil Conservation Service by Roland Breckwoldt called The Dirt Doctors, a ranger called C.H. Harvey tried to impound a mob of sheep in the Snowys when the owner and his brother rode up. He kept on repeating, You stinking old bastard. Youve lived on sheep all your life and now youre doing this. You ought to leave this stinking bloody job. All the time he was saying this he kept riding around me. He had a big stick in his hand which was about four feet long and two inches thick. He kept on poking this stick at me every time he spoke ... He was a big man and I was really afraid he was going to hit me. Ive never seen a man as angry as Archie Turner. Back then, the graziers had little time for the feral horses that competed with their herds for feed and wrecked their fences. The Herald reported that in the 1940s, some had called on the government to let them use machine guns to exterminate them. Today, the sheep and cattle are long gone, but there are more horses than ever. According to surveys relied upon by both state governments and endorsed by the CSIRO, numbers in the Australian alps leapt from 9187 in 2014 to 25,318 in 2019 and are now growing at a rate of 23 per cent a year. The Victorian government and the NSW Environment Minister, Matt Kean, are determined to reduce their number, but many defend the horses as emblematic of the old high country culture. The dispute sprawls from the outskirts of Canberra into the Victorian alps, from NSW Parliament House to federal courtrooms in Victoria. Advertisement Target of attacks Richard Swain spent much of his childhood in the high country where his father was one of the dirt doctors sent in to repair the damage done by the grazing. Today, he works as a guide on the Snowy River and serves as Indigenous ambassador for the Invasive Species Council. The horses, he says, are wreaking havoc. Swain says he was moved to join the campaign for their removal when he saw that others were falling silent because of anger vented against them. He became involved just as the NSW government appeared to have come to an agreement on how to best reduce numbers on the NSW side of the border, an agreement that was torpedoed at the last moment by the leader of the NSW National Party, John Barilaro. Indigenous Snowy Mountains guide Richard Swain has faced racist abuse and harassment for his stance on feral horses. Swain is pictured on Long Plain where he says trampling by horses has damaged the creeks and threatened the habitat of the native Broad-Tooth Rat. Credit:Nick Moir Barilaro, who represents the state seat of Monaro, shocked some of his Liberal Party colleagues when he introduced the so-called brumby bill before the last state election in 2019. It sidelined scientific advice about the damage the horses were doing and underscored the heritage value of the animals. The move prompted despair among those who had spent years negotiating a culling plan. It prompted Professor David Watson, an ecologist at Charles Sturt University, to resign from the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee which had provided advice to the government on the impact of the horses, but it helped secure an unlikely swing to Barilaro. Swain says Barilaros campaign spurred the vitriol against his family. At first, the attacks were online and often targeted his business, but the abuse bled into the real world. Photos of his company vehicles were shared on brumby Facebook pages and they were then vandalised. Twice, human excrement was left in his driveway, he says. On February 19 last year, he was at a market in Cooma gathering signatures for a petition against Barilaros bill. He says his mother was abused and teenage daughter challenged to a fight. Advertisement In parliament in August, Barilaro called Swain's petition anti-democratic and accused him of being part of an inner-city Sydney group that lived in a fantasy". Barilaro did not respond to a request for comment. It wasnt just Swain who was copping abuse. Watson, too, found that whenever he spoke out, he would receive personal and professional attacks by email and phone; the most recent incident was on Thursday. Also on Thursday night, Deakin University ecologist Professor Don Driscoll had been invited to address a webinar on the brumbies to be hosted by the Bond Street Event Centre in Sale in south-west Victoria. Due to the tone and scale of online chatter, the centre cancelled the event. Anybody living close to Sale? said one message on the Facebook page Rural Resistance. A little protest outside would be helpful ... someone thats on our side should join this meeting.'' Many others chimed in. In the end, the event was hosted by Deakin University. Like Swain, Driscoll believes much of the animosity is born of generations-old resentment over the removal of the cattle. Perhaps, he says, they believe that if the horses wreck the environment enough, there will be no reason not to let the cattle return. Rural Resistance was established by Phil Maguire to challenge what he sees as unfair attacks by city people on the culture of high country people in Victoria. Maguire, who owns a property adjoining the Bogong High Plains in Victoria, recently led and lost a court case seeking to prevent the Victorian cull. Advertisement In Maguires view, the mountain horses deserve more respect than other pest species, such as deer, pigs and goats, because they helped build Australia and fought with us at Beersheba, a reference to the World War I Light Horse charge. A mob of brumbies near Kiandra in the high plains of the Kosciuszko National Park. Credit:Nick Moir He says he still plans to appeal the failed case against the Victorian cull, and claims that he has been abused by other brumby supporters, who he believes are jealous of the donations he has solicited via the Rural Resistance page to support the cause. He denies the suggestion advanced by many people contacted by the Herald and The Age that Rural Resistance spurred the dark tone of the debate. Rather, he says, women might be the problem. There are a lot of women who are involved [in the pro-brumby cause] and they seem to be causing the angst. Maybe it is a female horse thing. Maguires wife, Louise, agrees. I think there are a bunch of middle-aged women who have nothing better to do than go nutty over brumbies. 'It's a bloody invasion' Back across the border, another staunch brumby supporter is former state Nationals MP Peter Cochran, a proud supporter of and donor to Barilaro. Advertisement Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size If Nicole Russell could turn back the clock, shed probably turn down the volume, too. In 2004, when she was seven years old, Russell picked up an Apple iPod, plugged in a pair of the standard white headphones, pressed play, cranked it up and formed a habit shed enjoy for at least five hours a day for the next decade. Shed listen in the morning, on the way to school, during breaks, even as she fell asleep. A few years later, she was in the car listening to music, of course with her father, Dave, when he told her to turn the volume down. He was like, Niki, what the hell? Russell, now 24, says. It made me so embarrassed, Id just say, But it has to be this loud its the only way I can hear it. I didnt know there was a problem then. I thought it was just me. Throughout her school years in California where the problem was made worse when headphones, used with iPads, became mandatory for many lessons, as they are in some schools here Russell struggled to hear in class and spoke loudly, often resulting in being shushed, which isnt exactly great for self-esteem. When she watched television, she would turn the volume up high and add subtitles to help her follow. Eventually, while at university in Boston, doctors diagnosed her with hearing loss in both ears, though for some reason it was slightly worse in her left, and said there could only be one cause: the excessive loud music. I was told it had been accumulating over years, just getting worse, Russell says. I didnt want it to be true, but it was a relief to know and be able to change things. And change things she did. The volume came down; her awareness of noise went up. But the damage is going nowhere. She will have hearing loss for life. In our increasingly noisy society, stories like Russells are becoming more and more common. Deloitte Access Economics estimated there were 3.6 million people in Australia in 2017 roughly one in seven of us with hearing loss, a figure which will more than double by 2060 to 7.8 million. Advertisement The main form of preventable hearing loss in Australian adults is noise-induced, increasingly from lengthy exposure to loud music in young people. A report by the World Health Organisation claims that nearly half those aged between 12 and 35 or 1.1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud sounds, including music they listen to through personal audio devices. It is a point the audiology community is keen to stress: the world we live in is louder than ever, particularly in busy cities, but many people are exacerbating the strain on their ears by constantly listening to music or watching videos on smartphones. If you have a particularly noisy commute and turn the music up to hear it, try listening to it at that volume in a quiet room. Its painfully loud. Id like to say it was improving, but people just generally dont know about safe listening levels, and in a culture where headphones are everywhere, thats dangerous, explains Francesca Oliver, an audiology specialist. Biologically, our ears have not adapted to withstand the volume of noise most of us encounter or subject ourselves to almost every day. For example, anyone using headphones should listen at less than half the maximum volume for no more than half an hour at a time, but how many people know that, let alone implement it? If you have a particularly noisy commute and turn the music up to hear it, try listening to it at that volume in a quiet room. Its painfully loud. So imagine what thats doing to your ears. There is nuance to the statistics, of course: genetic factors, such as mutations in inner ear sensory cells, make some people more susceptible to hearing loss especially the age-related kind. (Its believed the causes of this are 35 to 55 per cent genetic.) But while much is still being done to tackle going deaf in old age, the focus of many audiologists has shifted to avoidable, noise-related hearing loss. It is believed that everybody from obvious cases such as musicians and construction workers, to the rest of the public (commuters, gym-goers, schoolchildren, hairdressers, drivers, toddlers, or anyone with a handheld device) is in danger of damaging their hearing from overexposure to loud noises, more than ever before. Advertisement Many people are exacerbating the strain on their ears by constantly listening to music or watching videos on smartphones. Credit:iStock Another problem is that people are often quite reluctant to admit they have hearing loss, especially the young, says Oliver. Put plainly: the human race is losing its hearing. Vincent Howard knows precisely how dangerous noise can be. In 2004, he was a 15-year-old heavy-metal fan floppy hair, always on the lookout for a moshpit when he found himself standing directly beside a stack of speakers at a Motorhead gig in Birmingham in the UK. As the band warmed up, a crew member walked past the speakers holding a microphone, causing a brief but piercing feedback sound. Howard was directly in the firing line. It almost knocked me over I didnt even see the rest of the gig properly, he remembers. At the time he saw the pain as a badge of honour, as much a souvenir of the gig as buying a T-shirt at the merchandise stall, but by the next morning, the high-pitched squall, the disorientation (manifesting in a lack of balance, and the perception of people talking out of sync) and the deafness were still there. Howard couldnt hear silence. Sign of a good show, he thought, trying to reassure himself but now, almost 16 years on, he still cant hear properly. Some souvenir, huh? He tells me the story from behind his desk at the London Bridge branch of Hearology, a group of ear-care clinics he co-founded in the capital in 2015. Now 31, Howard is an audiologist. His traumatic experience at Motorhead all those years ago was eventually confirmed as tinnitus, a condition thats believed to affect one in eight of us but is still largely mysterious, defined by a false perception of sound usually a buzzing or static noise, but it can vary wildly when there is nothing external causing it. By far the most common cause of tinnitus is prolonged exposure to loud sounds, and more than 90 per cent of sufferers also have hearing loss. Advertisement Having trained in the branch of science that would allow him to understand ears better, Howard is now on a mission to awaken the rest of us to the devastation that noise can wreak on humans especially young people. Loud concerts are nothing new. But an appreciation of what could be lost by refusing to take care of ourselves when attending them is relatively recent. As are many other harmful factors. Headphone culture hasnt been a part of everyday life for long enough for scientists to entirely agree on how best to make it safe, or for thorough regulations to be introduced. It is only recently that noise pollution has been considered alongside other environmental worries, too. We get our teeth checked all the time and see opticians regularly. But our ears, we just neglect them. And once theyre gone, theyre gone. The thing is, it doesnt take something like what happened to me to ruin your ears you could be doing it without even knowing, says Howard. I sometimes see people listening to music over the sound of the Tube, which is crazy because the Tube is already dangerously loud. People just dont value their ears. We get our teeth checked all the time and see opticians regularly. But our ears he gestures to his damaged pair we just neglect them. And once theyre gone, theyre gone. To understand what noise-induced hearing loss is, it helps to first understand the ears. You may not have given them much thought before besides decorating them, wishing they were smaller or shoving things in them but our ears are appendages of almost incomprehensible complexity, every bit as miraculous as the eyes. The outer, cartilaginous part (known as the pinna) that we recognise as our ear is unique to us: the shape, protrusion, size, its all matched with your height, head shape, everything that makes you you. Swap ears with your partner and you wont be able to hear properly. Do what Vincent van Gogh did cut one off and you definitely wont. They are your ears, and you have two for a reason. Advertisement Inside the ear are two muscles and three of the smallest bones in the body, encased within the hardest, the temporal bone, which is so dense it can make the inner ear almost impossible to biopsy. When sound waves hit the eardrum, vibrations move through these bones to the inner ear, the cochlea, where they meet 15,500 tiny hair cells, called stereocilia, which are divided into 3500 inner hair cells and around 12,000 outer hair cells. When sound arrives, these move, sending signals along the auditory nerve to the brain, which will instantly try to interpret what the sound is and where its coming from. These hair cells are crucial to what makes hearing loss so dangerous. Of course, 15,500 sounds like a lot, but compare it to the millions of photoreceptors in the retina or chemo-receptors in the nose and its nothing. Theyre also in extremely limited supply. At 10 weeks of foetal gestation, all 15,500 are created, and from that point on, for the rest of our lives, we can only ever lose them. Still with me? Good, now picture a perfect, luscious lawn of grass with each blade erect, pristine in every way. This represents your hair cells at birth. Ideally, all the grass has to handle is wind, rain and the occasional bird plodding over it. This is safe, low-level sound, such as people talking or music played at a reasonable volume. Once flattened by that sound, the grass, like our hair cells, springs back into place, ready for more. Now imagine if someone walked across that grass. Thats like exposure to very loud music or machinery. If it occurs only for a short time, tufts might take longer to rouse themselves, a few might be bent, but they should, most of them, go back to normal in time. This is the feeling of your ears ringing after a party, say, before that sensation wears off by the next morning. But what if you keep cutting across the lawn on that same path over days, weeks, months and years? What if some people scuff the ground with boots? What if somebody drives over it? Eventually, the grass will wear down to such a damaged state that it cannot recover. This is what happens with hearing loss: hair cells have been destroyed permanently, creating a gap, so sound waves have no way of getting to the brain. And there is no Miracle-Gro, there is no getting used to it: this hearing loss is completely irreversible. As anybody who has ever fought with an elderly person over the volume control on a television knows, there are competing definitions for what constitutes loud, but fortunately audiologists, such as Oliver and Howard, have a more concrete answer: most agree the safe sound threshold sits at around 80 to 85 decibels (dB) typically somewhere between a vacuum cleaner and an alarm clock. Where it gets more complex is when time is introduced. After eight hours exposure at 85dB, hearing is damaged. Thats fine, nobody listens to an alarm or Hoover for eight hours (though it may give cleaners pause for thought). Advertisement Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that China and Cambodia have demonstrated through their concrete efforts in jointly fighting the COVID-19 epidemic that the China-Cambodia community with a shared future is unbreakable. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks in a message to Samdech Techo Hun Sen, president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and prime minister of Cambodia. Xi said he appreciates the fact that on the occasion of the CPC's 99th founding anniversary not long ago, Hun Sen sent him a letter to express his own as well as the CPP's wishes and views on deepening relations between the two parties and countries. Calling China and Cambodia good neighbors and good partners that help and support each other, Xi noted that since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, the two sides have maintained mutual support and close cooperation, and achieved important progress in their concerted fight against the coronavirus disease. Xi added that Hun Sen's visit to China at a time when the epidemic situation in the country was still grave has left a deep impression on the CPC, the Chinese government and people, and himself. Stressing that China attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties, Xi said he is ready to work with Hun Sen to strengthen political guidance for the relations between the two parties and countries, deepen inter-party and other exchanges and cooperation, and promote the building of the China-Cambodia community with a shared future for the benefit of both countries and their peoples. Meanwhile, Xi said he is glad to see that under the strong leadership of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and the Cambodian government headed by Hun Sen, Cambodia has made gratifying achievements in various fields. China, he added, firmly supports Cambodia in pursuing a development path suited to its own national conditions, and believes that under Hun Sen's leadership, Cambodia will surely make new achievements in the cause of national construction and make positive contributions to promoting regional stability and development. In his letter sent to Xi earlier, Hun Sen said that thanks to the CPC's long-term adherence to the correct development path, and especially under Xi's wise leadership, China has made remarkable achievements of worldwide acclaim in political, economic, social and other areas. Today with its international status rising steadily, China has played a leading role in solving major global issues, added the Cambodian leader. Citing the success of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation last year, Hun Sen said it has fully demonstrated that the Belt and Road Initiative is gaining support from more and more countries and institutions, and that China's efforts in building a community with a share future for mankind are being recognized by more and more countries and peoples. The prime minister also noted that since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, China has played an important and exemplary role in fighting the epidemic and coping with its international impact. He said he is glad to see that Cambodia and China have forged an unbreakable friendship, and their cooperative relationship has enjoyed continuous development and been lifted to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. He also noted that the relationship between the CPP and the CPC has kept deepening, party delegations at all levels are exchanging visits frequently, and the two sides firmly support each other on issues involving their respective core interests. The Cambodian leader said he would like to take this opportunity to express his sincere gratitude to the CPC and Xi for their strong support for the development of the CPP. Thank you for the article about the healthcare workers on the COVID-19 frontline at St Vincents Hospital [Sydney, June 20]. I was especially touched by Jack Hungs words of support to his hard-working cleaning team, reminding them of the very critical and important role they play in protecting the other patients, hospital staff and visitors and indeed the broader community, from the virus. The incredible work being done by the often-praised medical and nursing teams can only be achieved by the army of less-recognised professionals around them who work equally as hard and put themselves and their families at risk every day. Alexandra Rehn, East Brighton, Vic Send us a picture or Instagram one of Good Weekend in your life, using the hashtag #goodweekendmag. We choose one each week to publish here and in print. A lovely warming soup for lunch. I feel it will be even more beautiful by tomorrow. Thank you, Karen Martini, for the recipe [June 20]. Credit:@relishmama Thank you for this insightful article about our heroes at the coalface of COVID-19. We thought isolation was hard to handle, but these angels went above and beyond to help humanity. We can never thank them enough. Kathy Short, Echuca, Vic It is so good to see from the photographs of health heroes from St Vincents such strong evidence of multiculturalism, with the whole group working together for the benefit of their community: a metaphor for a successful society. Anne Ring, Coogee, NSW Im glad that you dont run an online poll for readers to nominate their favourite story of the week. How could I choose between Indiana Bones and Behind the mask? Both were enthralling. And the photographic work by Kate Geraghty and Louie Douvis was exceptional. Rick Grounds, Mount Waverley, Vic I am involved with the Northcare Foundation of the ICU at Royal North Shore Hospital [Sydney] and I never cease admiring the dedication of intensive-care unit personnel. Jill Henry, Director, The Northcare Foundation, St Leonards, NSW Health experts say current measures for deciding when people can leave isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 are sensible and questioned whether retesting was necessary. It comes after a worker at a Sydney Woolworths tested positive following his release from hotel quarantine in Melbourne, but NSWs Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said it was unlikely the man was infectious while working. Cars queued for drive-by testing in Rozelle. Credit:Peter Rae Dozens of cars lined the streets in Rozelle in Sydney's inner west as residents waited to get tested following the case of the Woolworths Balmain worker on Thursday. Balmain residents Michelle May and David Wilson waited for two hours before getting their tests done. Labor has held the seat since 1977, but it is at serious risk of falling into the hands of the Greens if voting trends at the recent federal and council elections are repeated in October. LNP preferences saved Trad at the last election, but this time around, she will be behind the Greens on the opposition's how-to-vote cards. Trad won the seat with just 500 more first-preference votes than her Greens rival and holds the seat on a 3.6 per cent margin, secured because the Liberal National Party preferenced Labor before the Greens. In 2017, she fended off Greens candidate Amy MacMahon, despite a 10.2 per cent swing against Labor. Jackie Trad in 2015, just weeks after she became deputy premier. Credit:Robert Shakespeare South Brisbane, geographically the smallest electorate in the state, has been held by former deputy premier Jackie Trad since 2012. Home to a string of new high-rise apartments, the world-famous Gabba and South Bank Parklands, Anna Bligh's old safe Labor seat is the Brisbane electorate to watch at the October state election. The second-generation Lebanese migrant served as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's deputy from 2015 until she resigned from the frontbench in May after the state's corruption watchdog launched an investigation into her alleged interference in the selection of a school principal in her electorate. Trad was the first person in her family to go to university. She served as an adviser to former premier Bligh for years and took up her mantle as the state's most influential Left faction leader. Trad is facing an uphill battle and MacMahon is determined to finish the job this time, so what sort of chance does the former deputy premier have and how does she plan to win? Councillor Jonathan Sri secured the most votes at every polling booth in his ward at the March council elections, while the Greens saw a strong swing towards them in multiple inner-city wards. At last year's federal election , the Greens won booths at Woolloongabba, West End and South Brisbane. "The only path to winning South Brisbane is campaigning hard for South Brisbane," she said. When asked if she could retain her seat at the state election, Trad said: "I can win South Brisbane because I know the people of South Brisbane want a strong representative, someone who is absolutely focused on them and responsible for ensuring their lives are better." Despite being cleared by the watchdog twice, both investigations left her with deep political scars. The CCC said it found no evidence that supported a reasonable suspicion of corrupt conduct but made a series of recommendations including making it a criminal offence to not declare a conflict of interest that could, or may, interfere with ministerial duties. It was the second time Ms Trad was referred to the CCC in the past year. The first time was over the controversial purchase of a Woolloongabba house. The Crime and Corruption Commission cleared her of wrongdoing in the recruitment process that went "off the rails". Among them are the proposed partial demolition of the heritage-listed Broadway Hotel , rampant development, chock-a-block roads and the construction of major public transport infrastructure. Contentious issues have been mounting in the smallest electorate in the state ahead of the election. She went to high school in the electorate and rents a share house in East Brisbane. MacMahon has a PhD in climate change adaptation in Bangladesh and has worked as a teacher, carer and community worker. The Greens' Amy MacMahon came very close to snatching South Brisbane off Jackie Trad in 2017. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "That's why I have been a very strong advocate for what is needed." "I have always campaigned hard. This has been my life-long community, it is a community that I am raising my own children in and I feel very passionate about it. She says that has manifested in two ways: heavy traffic and a lack of green space. "I think it's fair to say that the investment in infrastructure to support that population growth hasn't been at pace; essentially, investment hasn't kept up with the population growth," she said. Trad says the community has "borne the brunt of significant development" . Brisbane: Too many apartments, too few buyers. Credit: The density debate has sparked more discussion about building standards and public open spaces, and what kind of Brisbane residents want in the future. Like other inner-city suburban areas, South Brisbane has suffered from the apartment boom several years ago that pushed down prices and left a glut of apartments unsold or untenanted. "So that's been a real struggle," Trad says. MacMahon agrees. "Overdevelopment is still a really big issue: lots of new towers [are] going in across the electorate and we are seeing a lot of pressure on local infrastructure," she said. "South Brisbane is struggling with the lack of public infrastructure, [such as] transport, green space and community facilities." Plans, trains and automobiles Traffic around South Brisbane can be a nightmare, but two major public transport projects are under way to ease the flow on roads. The state government's $5.7 billion Cross River Rail, at one point overseen by Trad, has begun tunnelling and promises to move thousands of commuters off the road and onto trains. Brisbane City Council's Brisbane Metro, which recently skyrocketed in cost from $944 million to $1.2 billion, caused controversy over a planned underground station at the Cultural Centre for large electric buses. But after a year's stand-off between the council and the state over the size, location and cost of the planned station, the council backed down and announced it would defer construction for up to 10 years. Instead, the Cultural Centre bus terminal will be upgraded at the street level to cope with increasing traffic. Trad supported the decision to hold off on major development of the site "until a proper or final design could be agreed to between the state and council". "I think, get the project started there are other parts of the Metro route that can start and get those jobs generated," she said. Cross River Rail's Woolloongabba site will be transformed. Credit:Tony Moore "I think that we do need more public transport and I think there is an opportunity here for us to improve some of the amenity, particularly if we want to see people use public transport more." MacMahon said that at the end of the day, residents wanted cheaper and more-frequent services. "Ultimately, we would be happy to see any improvements to public transport because we know the connectivity in the neighbourhood is really poor," she said. Woolloongabba residents will be able to catch a train into the heart of the CBD from a new underground station being built opposite the Gabba, as part of the Cross River Rail. Public consultation is under way about how the land above the station could be developed. MacMahon wants to see the space transformed into a park. "Labor are looking to sell off the 5.5-hectare Woolloongabba Cross River Rail site to developers for huge towers but Woolloongabba desperately needs a public park," she said. "The Cross River Rail site is a huge opportunity for the community to have some of the things they really need." Trad would like the space split into a park and affordable housing for "key workers" such as police, nurses and teachers. "These are the workers who we have relied on during the COVID shutdown, public sector workers who have been priced out of the inner city," she said. "I would like to see a great outcome for the community, which includes a lot of green space, but I think the state has an obligation to people who are in housing distress. "Those key public sector workers - police, nurses, teachers - I think we need to do more to make sure they have got housing options in the inner city, where their jobs are." Broadway in the spotlight Just up the road from the new underground station sits a burnt-out 1880s-era hotel that has been the centre of an ongoing debate involving the council, the state and the owner over its future. Multiple fires gutted the heritage-listed Broadway Hotel, and left it an unstable shell. While the state and the council have issued enforcement orders preventing its demolition, the owner recently lodged a development application with the council requesting approval to demolish sections of the site's outbuildings. Both the state and the council must sign off on any demolition, which proposes to remove wings added later to the original heritage building, World War II bunkers and other structures. Images of the derelict Broadway Hotel after the September 2018 fire. Credit:Jesse Harrison The assessment for the application, however, was paused until November well after the election at the owner's request. MacMahon believes the state government should be doing more to protect the building. "I know a lot of community members are really disappointed about this it is obvious that both the state and council heritage protections are both completely insufficient," she said. "To my mind, the only way we are going to be able to protect the Broadway Hotel is to bring it into public hands and restore the building. "I think the owner has had many years to look after this building and the community are obviously really unhappy with what has gone on but they are also unhappy with the council and state government response." The derelict hotel was an old watering hole for Trad in her youth. "The Broadway Hotel is an iconic, gothic infrastructure that we do not see a lot of in Brisbane," she said. "I think it is really important that we preserve the heritage features of the hotel, without doubt. "I think both jurisdictions [council and state] are working very hard to protect this important building it is really up to the person who owns it to make a contribution." The hotel is owned by Dr Malcolm Nyst, who appealed the last of a string of enforcement notices issued by the council last year. When asked if she thought the state should resume the site, Trad said: "Let's be clear, this is a site owned by a developer, someone who does have the resources to invest in this historic building." "The site is owned by someone with the financial means to manage it appropriately and they should really get on and do it, quite frankly," she said. Both MacMahon and Trad flagged the same three key issues affecting the South Brisbane electorate: lack of green space, congestion and infrastructure not keeping pace with development. So what is the difference between the two? "She can't deliver," Trad said. "She can talk about it but she can not deliver anything that is the difference between us." Macmahon said: "One of the big distinctions is that at the end of the day it was Jackie Trad and Labor who wrote the Queensland Planning Act, which gives developers so many loopholes and gives residents so little power." "What we have seen is Labor pretending that they are fighting against bad council decisions when, ultimately, they are the architects of this system that has allowed overdevelopment to spread in our neighbourhood," she said. With both candidates campaigning on the same issues, the two-way tussle will come down to this. Whom do voters trust to get things done? Loading On Victoria's 17th consecutive day of double-digit case growth, Mr Andrews acknowledged further areas could be locked down. "Many hours of the weekend will be spent analysing, considering, discussing back and forth what the status of other postcodes are, and then we will have further announcements to make, if indeed we need to, based on what that data tells us," he said. "Im not announcing that today, Im not even foreshadowing. Im simply saying you cant rule that out because were being driven by the data and the data obviously changes from day to day." Seventy-seven new cases were reported on Thursday, with most recorded in the Melbourne hotspot areas already in lockdown. Mr Andrews said the relative consistency of Friday's new cases was "very pleasing". "While it may be too early for us to be talking about trends, a day with 66 is obviously far preferable to seeing a doubling and then a doubling again," he said. Union Road in the locked-down suburb of Ascot Vale on Friday. Credit:Chris Hopkins More than 164,000 people have been tested across Victoria over the past week, though Ms Mikakos revealed more than 10,000 had refused in that period. "We are analysing that data to see exactly why people are refusing, but it is concerning that some people believe that coronavirus is a conspiracy, or that it won't impact on them," she said. The Premier warned if people did not follow government advice to get tested and self-isolate if experiencing symptoms, more parts of Melbourne and Victoria may have to be locked down. "We dont want to get to that," he said. Postcodes with highest number of new cases in the past week 3064 (in lockdown): Craigieburn, Donnybrook, Mickleham, Roxburgh Park, Kalkallo 3047 (in lockdown): Broadmeadows, Dallas, Jacana 3060 (in lockdown): Fawkner 3031 (not in lockdown): Flemington, Kensington 'Super spreader could be behind surge' Ms Mikakos flagged the possibility that a "super spreader" may have been the source of recent surge in cases. "On Tuesday, I received a briefing of a genomic-sequencing report that seemed to suggest that there seems to be a single source of infection for many of the cases that have gone across the northern and western suburbs of Melbourne, she said. However, Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen said authorities were still investigating the "super spreader" possibility. "We don't have a single super spreader per se, but it is one of the epidemiological theories being looked at by our team of very experienced epidemiologists," she said. Seventeen of the 66 new cases recorded on Friday are connected to known outbreaks, 20 were detected through community testing, one case is a traveller in hotel quarantine and 28 remain under investigation. Of the 23 people in hospital with COVID-19, six are in intensive care. On Monday there were nine COVID-19 patients in hospital, including one in intensive care. Across the state there are now 442 active cases, with about half in the hotspot suburbs. Residents in lockdown suburbs will have access to emergency relief packages containing two weeks' worth of groceries and other essential items such as toiletries and baby formula if required. Premier defends Defence Force decision Loading Earlier this week, Mr Andrews said genomic testing had revealed an "unacceptable" number of coronavirus cases were linked to staff members at hotel quarantine sites who had breached well-known infection control protocols. The conduct of security guards and breach of strict quarantine measures is now the subject of a judicial inquiry. Mr Andrews would not be drawn on whether government staff should lose their jobs over the botched quarantine program. "We have a judicial inquiry, that is the appropriate way to go," he said. The Premier also defended the government's decision not to involve the Australian Defence Force in the quarantine program."The notion that the ADF is running this everywhere except Victoria is just not accurate." Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos walks into the government's COVID-19 media conference on Friday. Credit:Joe Armao Opposition Leader calls on Health Minister to resign Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien on Friday repeated his calls for Ms Mikakos to resign, saying the government owed those in lockdown suburbs an apology. Loading Mr O'Brien said he had written to Colin Brooks, Speaker of the Lower House, to request that Parliament return next week, earlier than the scheduled date of August 4. "It's not time for politicians to go on holidays and come back in August. Too much is happening, too many questions need to be answered," he said. "I'm not holding my breath, but frankly Daniel Andrews cannot afford to continue to run and hide from accountability." New cases at schools A student at Mount Ridley College in Craigieburn was also among the new cases, taking the number of schools that have been closed for deep cleaning since last Friday to 27, an increase of seven since Thurday evening. The prospect of reopening schools after the school holidays is being reviewed "day-by-day", Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Thursday. Dr van Diemen announced eight new cases at Al-Taqwa College in Truganina, taking the school's total to 23. All students and staff at the school were directed to self-isolate on Friday. A new outbreak has been linked to the Northern Hospital emergency department with two healthcare workers confirmed as positive cases. A Werribee police officer has also tested positive, with contact tracing under way to determine the source of infection. Premier Mark McGowan will come under pressure to lift Western Australias border restrictions to all states but Victoria as other states move to do so. Earlier this week Mr McGowan shelved plans to reopen WA's interstate borders on August 8 in light of the eruption in coronavirus cases in Victoria, saying he felt vindicated over his strict border stance. Vindicated: West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has been travelling the state as the local economy opens back up. Credit:Lauren Pilat Yet South Australia and Queensland announced plans to lift their own border controls to every state except Victoria. Mr McGowan's argument in June that "picking and choosing between the states" was unconstitutional had effectively been eroded by his interstate counterparts not taking an all-or-nothing approach, according to law expert Lorraine Finlay. A Perth man who allegedly stalked dozens of women he met online, texting some more than 100 times a day and contacting their family members, has been charged with a string of offences. A WA Police spokeswoman claimed Adam Rybicki, 33, contacted women on dating sites pretending to want a relationship, with the encounters beginning innocently. The Perth man is accused of stalking up to 20 women he met on online dating sites. Credit:Jim Malo However after a short period of time he would seek deeply personal information and intimate images from the women, she said. It is alleged over a short period of time he would message the women in excess of 100 times a day and become increasingly hostile and threatening towards them. Indigenous leaders say nothing less than reaching parity with other Australians in the new Closing the Gap targets will be satisfactory following a new national agreement to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Four priority reform areas and 16 new targets have been identified within a new historic deal, which was endorsed by the Joint Council on Closing the Gap on Friday, with the revised plan to be put to national cabinet. Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt and co-chair Pat Turner at Parliament House on Friday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The draft agreement includes national socio-economic targets in areas including education, employment, health and wellbeing, justice, safety, housing, land and waters, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. Joint Council co-chair Pat Turner said it was the first agreement of its kind that would be signed by Australian governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, represented by the Coalition of Peaks. Queensland's public sector watchdog is investigating public servants who falsified and deleted documents as part of the botched process to hire a principal for a new Brisbane school. The Crime and Corruption Commission on Thursday released the findings of its six-month investigation into former deputy premier Jackie Trad's role in the appointment of a principal to Queensland's newest inner-city high school. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the affair is a wake-up call for the public service all the way up to the ministerial level. Credit:Fairfax Media The report cleared Ms Trad of corruption but said "the nature of her involvement in Department of Education decision-making created a corruption risk". It was scathing of Education Department public servants' actions, revealing poor record-keeping, falsified documents and misinformation provided to the media. London: China has raised the prospect of preventing Hong Kong citizens from taking up residency in countries such as Britain and Australia which have offered residency to them following Beijing's introduction of its draconian national security law. In fiercely worded comments on Thursday, China strongly condemned the intention by British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to offer British citizenship to almost 3 million Hong Kong citizens. It follows almost 400 arrests at pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong on Wednesday, 10 of them under the new law. Rushed through in secrecy on Tuesday night, the law introduced life sentences or long prison terms for vaguely defined crimes linked to secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. It sparked instant international condemnation. Zhao Lijian, a Chinese foreign affairs spokesman, warned Australia against moving down a "wrong path" by following Britain's citizenship offer. On Thursday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was considering offering save-haven visas to Hong Kong citizens. China has warned Australia against following Britain in offering safe-haven visas to Hong Kong residents, as one of the federal government's migration advisers says the unrest is an opportunity to attract highly skilled migrants. Accusing the federal government of meddling, China's Foreign Ministry told Australia not to go "further down the wrong path" after new national security laws were imposed in the former British territory this week. "We urge Australia to treat Hong Kong's national security law in an objective manner and immediately stop interfering in China's internal affairs through the so-called Hong Kong issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said. A pro-China supporter holds a Chinese national flag during a rally to celebrate the approval of a national security law for Hong Kong. Credit:AP Australia is set to join Britain as the second of the Five-Eyes partners, which also includes the United States, Canada and New Zealand, to offer safe haven visas to Hong Kong residents wanting to leave the semi-autonomous region, which has been rocked by 15 months of pro-democracy protests. Flash A train hit a passenger van at a railway crossing in Pakistan's eastern city of Sheikhupura on Friday afternoon, killing at least 19 people and injuring eight others, a rescue official said. The collision occurred when the Lahore-bound Shah Hussain Express train traveling from the southern port city of Karachi rammed into the van at the railway crossing located between Farooqabad and Bahali Wala areas of Sheikhupura, a city in eastern Punjab province, Rana Muhammad Ijaz, emergency official of emergency rescue service Rescue 1122 in the city told Xinhua. The death toll might further rise as several of the injured are in critical condition, said the emergency officer, adding that the accident occurred at an unmanned railway crossing, and the van was seriously damaged in the crash. He said the passenger van was hit after its driver tried to drive through the railway crossing without noticing the approaching train. Most of the passengers in the passenger van were Sikh pilgrims who were returning from Nankana Sahib, a district in eastern Punjab province, according to local media reports. Following the crash, rescue officials from both Pakistan Railways and Rescue 1122 arrived at the scene and provided first aid to the injured. The bodies and the injured were shifted to a nearby government-run hospital, said rescue officials. Taking notice of the incident, Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad sought detailed report and ordered authorities to take immediate actions against those responsible for the accident. Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed deep grief over the loss of lives in the incident and directed the concerned authorities to provide best medical facilities to the injured. London: Boris Johnson's father has been accused of ignoring coronavirus travel advice after it emerged that he flew to Greece to visit his holiday home. Stanley Johnson said he made the trip for "essential business" reasons, to "COVID-proof" his coastal villa before the holiday season. The former Conservative MEP revealed he had arrived in Athens on Wednesday evening, local time, having travelled to the country indirectly via Bulgaria, owing to Greece operating a ban on direct flights from Britain. Mr Johnson, 79, shared a video on Instagram of his plane landing in the Greek capital and a photo of himself wearing a face mask, which appeared to have been taken in the airport. The post has since been deleted. London: Boris Johnson has given his strongest signal yet that Britain will reverse permission for Huawei to grow its involvement in the country's 5G networks amid a hardening of opposition to Chinese investment on both sides of parliament. "On Huawei, Im not against investment in this country," the Prime Minister told London's Evening Standard. "This is an open market economy but I dont want to see our critical national infrastructure at risk of being in any way controlled by potentially hostile state vendors. "So, we have to think very carefully about how to proceed now." London: Millions of Britons will be free to travel overseas for their summer holidays after the UK government relaxed its travel advice, saying those returning to England from more than 60 countries and overseas territories would no longer have to quarantine. Australia is on the exemption list, but United States is not a reflection of the dire situation still facing the Trump administration. Coronavirus has claimed more lives in the US than in any other country. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Credit:AP While visitors from the US are banned from entering the European Union, Americans will be allowed to enter England but will have to undergo 14 days' quarantine upon arrival a requirement that will be dropped from July 10 for those arriving from more than 60 countries and British Overseas Territories. Other notable omissions include Sweden, mainland China, Portugal, Russia and India. Maxwell met Epstein shortly after moving to New York to take over her father Robert Maxwell's publishing empire when he died in 1991. The couple dated briefly and she introduced him to her wide, influential circle of friends. Maxwell, 58, is central to allegations made by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has claimed she was trafficked from the US to London and forced to sleep with the prince when she was 17. Andrew himself has always strongly denied the claims, maintaining that he has no recollection of meeting Giuffre. Now living in Queensland, Australia, Giuffre celebrated the arrest writing on Twitter "Orange is the new black", in a reference to US prison garb. She alleges she was introduced to him in Maxwell's London home in March 2001, with a now-infamous photograph of Andrew with his arm around the younger woman said to have been taken upstairs at the residence. Prince Andrew pictured with Virginia Roberts Giuffre in 2001 at the townhouse of Ghislaine Maxwell, right, in London. Epstein has also been linked socially to numerous powerful figures, from US President Donald Trump to former president Bill Clinton. Giuffre said in court documents that she had been directed by Epstein and Maxwell to have sex with a number of other prominent men, including Andrew, former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, former US Senator George Mitchell and Hyatt Hotels magnate Tom Pritzker, among others. The men have denied her accusations. The suit was settled in 2017. Dershowitz and Giuffre, meantime, have sued each other for defamation. Andrew is last known to have met Maxwell at Buckingham Palace in the British summer of 2019, two weeks after US prosecutors announced they wanted to reopen their investigation into Epstein. Prince Andrew vowed to co-operate with investigations during his infamous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis but hasn't yet done so. Credit:BBC He said in a Newsnight interview last year that it was the last time he was in touch with Maxwell - who has been a close friend of his for decades - inviting her to a "straightforward shooting weekend" at Sandringham and to Princess Beatrice's 18th birthday party at Windsor Castle. In June, Andrew's lawyers said he had offered to speak to investigators "on at least three occasions this year", accusing them of "seeking publicity rather than accepting the assistance proffered". A source close to the prince said on Friday: "The Duke's team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DoJ [US Department of Justice] in the last month and to date, we have had no response." Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video A former New York prosecutor said Maxwell may be offered a deal if she had information about the prince. "They could be putting pressure on," the former prosecutor said. "They knew where she was, they were just building a case." Strauss hinted at such a scenario. "In the event that she were to become a co-operator, I think that we can deal with that," she said. According to the indictment at the Southern District Court of New York, Maxwell is facing six charges, including enticement and conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and two counts of perjury. Federal prosecutors said Maxwell would assist in the "grooming of minors for and subjection to sexual abuse". They alleged she was well aware of Epstein's preference for minor girls and that he intended to sexually abuse them. The indictment accuses of luring the girls from 1994 to 1997 by asking them about their lives, schools and families and taking them shopping or to the cinema. Loading Strauss, who took over the role of acting Manhattan US attorney last month after her predecessor was fired by US President Donald Trump, called Maxwell's alleged acts "the -prequel" to Epstein's abuse. After Maxwell won the girls' trust, the indictment alleges, she would try to "normalise sexual abuse" by discussing sexual topics or by undressing in front of them or being present when they were undressed. The charges involve three unnamed victims, the youngest of whom was 14. One of the girls, referred to only as "Victim 3", was allegedly underage when she was groomed and abused in London between the years 1994-1995. The indictment alleges that Maxwell "encouraged Victim 3 to give massages to Epstein". Maxwell was accused by many women of recruiting them to give the financier massages, during which they were pressured into sex. There is no mention of Prince Andrew in the indictment. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, driven by Prince Andrew, leaves the wedding of a former girlfriend of the prince, Aurelia Cecil, in England in 2000. Credit:PA William Sweeney, the assistant director of the FBI in New York City, described Maxwell as "one of the villains in this case". She has been lying low since the arrest of Epstein last year. Epstein died in an apparent suicide weeks later on August 10 in his prison cell in New York while awaiting his sex trafficking trial. The filing says Maxwell appears to have been living on a 63-hectare property in Bradford, New Hampshire, that she bought in December in a cash purchase, using a limited liability company to shield her identity. A carving on a rock outside the property says "Tuckedaway". A boulder inscribed with "Tuckedaway" sits beside a road going to an estate in Bradford, New Hampshire, where Ghislaine Maxwell was taken into custody. Credit:AP Prosecutors asked for her to be held in custody because she has "extensive international ties, three passports, citizenships in two other countries and absolutely no reason to stay in the US". Ms Maxwell has a British passport as well as a French one from her mother. She was held without bail. She is also reported to have links to more than 15 bank accounts from 2016 to present, with accounts up to $US20 million ($28 million). She faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted of the charges against her. Maxwell has previously denied knowledge of or involvement in any crimes. Lansdale, PA (19446) Today Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Friday said 47 of its personnel, who were cured of COVID-19, were ready to donate their blood plasma to patients suffering from the disease in and A spokesperson for the paramilitary force said Director General (DG) Rajesh Ranjan has also made an appeal to the recovered troops to come forward for the noble cause that may help save many lives. "Forty-seven personnel, including an officer, who have recovered from have volunteered to donate blood plasma to save precious lives of critically ill patients suffering from and are in need of plasma therapy. "Services of these personnel are available for the noble cause at and Mumbai," the spokesperson said. He said constables Shrikant Dabral and R Narendra Kumar, posted with the unit that guards Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, donated their blood plasma recently. The 1.62 lakh personnel force is the national civil aviation security force and it also protects vital installations in the nuclear and aerospace domain. The force, as per latest data, has recorded over 960 cases till now out of which more than 430 personnel are under treatment while over 530 have been cured. Eight CISF personnel have succumbed to the disease. Plasma therapy is a minor medical procedure where the blood of a person who has recovered from the disease is taken as they develop antibodies against the virus and it is donated to the patient to better fight by developing enhanced levels of immunity. (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 total of 28 personnel of (ITBP) were tested positive for COVID-19, an official said on Thursday. Six of these COVID-19 positive personnel were reported in the Shimla district. Narendra Chouhan, Sub Divisional Magistrate Rampur (Shimla) said, "6 jawans have tested positive here, samples were collected yesterday. They've been sent to COVID care center in Mashobra." India's COVID-19 count crossed 6 lakh cases on Thursday after 19,148 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. (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.) Over 35 per cent of all active cases in are in six districts of the administrative division, where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wants special attention to combat the pandemic, according to official data. The division, which comprises Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Bulandshahr, and Baghpat districts, has also reported over 28 per cent of the total deaths recorded in the state due to the novel coronavirus, the data stated. There are 6,869 active cases in Uttar Pradesh, of which 2,456 (35.75 per cent) are from the division, according to the state Health Department's data updated till Thursday. The maximum such cases are in Ghaziabad (931) followed by Gautam Buddh Nagar (929), Meerut (272), Bulandshahr (141), Hapur (127) and Baghpat (56), the data showed. The region also accounted for 207 (28.16 per cent) of the 735 deaths recorded in the state till Thursday. The maximum of these fatalities were reported in Meerut (87) followed by Ghaziabad (57), Gautam Buddh Nagar and Bulandshahr (22 each), Hapur (14) and Baghpat (five), according to the data. In the region, Meerut (8.11 per cent) had the highest mortality rate followed by Bulandshahr (3.53 per cent), Ghaziabad (3.17 per cent), Hapur (2.15 per cent), Baghpat (1.81 per cent) and Gautam Buddh Nagar (0.88 per cent), the data stated. Chief Minister Adityanath had on Thursday directed officials to pay special attention to the Meerut division to tackle coronavirus, according to officials. A special 10-day screening campaign started on Thursday in these six districts, which are also part of the National Capital Region, where a spurt in cases has been seen, they said. As per the chief minister's directives, 2,375 surveillance teams in rural and 1,516 in the urban areas have been set up by the Health Department in the division, which has been provided with 50,000 additional antigen testing kits to ramp up tests, the officials 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.) Italy on Thursday said it will "naturally respect" the ruling of an international tribunal dealing with the killing of two Indian fishermen by two Italian marines in 2012, saying Rome is ready to fulfil what the arbitration court has established, with a "spirit of collaboration." India accused the two Italian marines on board the MV Enrica Lexie, an Italian flagged oil tanker, of shooting dead two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor India will operate nine more on Friday to evacuate its citizens stranded in the due to the travel restrictions imposed in view of the pandemic. Express will operate these as part of the Vande Bharat Mission to south Indian cities from Sharjah, according to the Indian Consulate in Dubai. All Indian nationals are advised to take note of direct sale of Express from Sharjah. Following flights will be opened for sale effective 4pm Time on July 3. Make sure to book your tickets once the sale is live, the mission announced on Twitter. The flights scheduled to operate from July 9 to 14 are flying to Madurai, Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Kochi and Hyderabad, the Gulf News reported. Indian nationals registered with the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi or the Consulate-General of India in Dubai, fulfilling the required entry conditions can book through Express booking offices or online on www.airindiaexpress.in or through authorised travel agents in the UAE, the statement with the flight details posted on Twitter said. Mentioning of correct passport number and contact number is important. Otherwise tickets can be cancelled or boarding pass may be denied, the Indian Consulate said. While 75 per cent of tickets are open for sale, 25 per cent are reserved for those with emergency cases handled by the missions, the report said. "Over 1,25,000 Indians have already been safely repatriated home from # since 7th May. We will continue the #VandeBharatMission till all those who want to go back are covered. Thank you all our partners," Indian Embassy in the UAE said in a tweet on Wednesday. (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.) Owners of more than 1,100 were penalised across and Greater on Friday for allegedly violating curbs imposed due to the pandemic, Gautam Buddh Nagar police said. Also, 17 were impounded for similar violation during a 24-hour period till Thursday night, the police said, even as Unlock 2 -- the phased re-opening of activities that had been barred to contain the spread of -- began in the state on Wednesday. Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) section 144, which bars assembly of more than four people, is in force in Gautam Buddh Nagar, whose urban areas fall in the 'Red Zone' for "A total of 2,497 were checked across 200 barrier points in the district and challans issued to 1,145 of them, while another 17 were impounded," the police said in a statement. Altogether, Rs 92,000 were collected in fines during the action, the police said. The Noida-Delhi border continues to remain sealed for movement except for essential services and people having passes issued by the district administration, according to officials. The Centre had on Monday issued guidelines for the month-long ''Unlock 2'' from Wednesday. The ''Unlock 1'', a graded exit from the lockdown imposed on March 25, ended on Tuesday. The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to tow the Centre's guidelines in the state where educational institutions, Metro services, cinema halls and gyms will continue to remain shut. There is no ban on intrastate and interstate movement of people and goods, senior UP government officials said. However, the district administration, police and health department officials of Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad can impose a ban at the local-level after consulting each other, they said. Both the districts had sealed their borders with Delhi in view of the high rate of COVID-19 cases in the capital in a bid to break the chain of transmission of (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.) Union Home Minister on Friday lauded the visit of Prime Minister to and said the tour will boost the morale of "our valorous soldiers". Modi's visit to came amidst the ongoing stand-off between the Indian Army and China's PLA (People's Liberation Army) in the forward areas of the high altitude region. Tensions had escalated between the two countries after 20 Indian Army personnel were killed in a fierce clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern last month. "Leading from the front. Prime Minister Shri @NarendraModi Ji with our brave and courageous personnel of Army, Air Force & ITBP at a forward location in Ladakh. "This visit of honourable PM will surely boost the morale of our valorous soldiers," he tweeted along with multiple pictures of Modi with the soldiers. Shah also used the hashtag '#ModiInLeh' in his Twitter post. The prime minister on Friday reached Leh where he interacted with personnel of the Army, Air Force and ITBP. Modi, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, reached Leh around 9.30 am and then proceeded to Nimu post, sources said. Modi was also briefed by senior Army officers, they said. Located at 11,000 feet, Nimu is among the toughest terrains on the banks of river Indus and is surrounded by the Zanskar range. (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.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday paid tributes to the eight policemen who were allegedly killed by criminals during an encounter in "Uttar Pradesh will never forget the martyred policemen who had discharged their duties with unmatched courage. Their sacrifice will not go in vain," the Chief Minister said on Twitter. The eight policemen who lost their lives in the encounter are - CO Devendra Kumar Mishra, SO Mahesh Yadav, Chowki Incharge Anup Kumar, Sub-Inspector Nebulal, Constables Sultan Singh, Rahul, Jitendra and Bablu. Also, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP), HC Awasthi had said in the morning that the operation is still underway to nab the criminals who had fled after shooting at the police. (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 government has capped the late fee charged on late GST filing at Rs 500 per return if filed before September 30 this year, and has made it zero for those with nil tax liability, in a bid to clear the ongoing mess in the GST system. Under previous provisions, even those eligible for nil tax were to cough up large amounts of late fee. Earlier, the late fee was Rs 200 per day, with a cap of Rs 10,000 per return. The late fee relates to filing of the form GSTR3B, or the summary input-output returns. Even those with nil liability may have late fee piled up. Nil liabilities are ... Co-chair of ruling Communist Party -- Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda -- has claimed that the party's future is uncertain due to internal factions after Thursday's political upheaval. Dahal made the statement during the second round of the Standing Committee meeting on Thursday after having a separate meeting with President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. "Today's meeting will be a historic one for the Communist Party. We are holding the meeting here at Prime Minister's residence but he is not present I had made multiple requests with him on the issue but he has been turning out from it," Dahal told the committee. Since the unification between the two parties, the factions had increased inside the NCP forming alliance of former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and KP Sharma Oli. "I had also asked him not to prorogue the ongoing meeting but they rejected and went ahead with it. It is learned that they are bringing on an Ordinance which helps to split the party, I have made it clear that I am against it," he added. Despite the ongoing rift in the ruling party, Dahal claimed that he is committed to protecting the unity of the party. "If we succeeded in maintaining it then it would a historic one," Dahal said. Dahal and Oli share the Chairmanship of the ruling Communist Party (NCP) after the merger of the party after its coalition worked in 2017 general election in which it swept the result securing a majority. Before the 2017 election, Dahal used to lead the Maoist Center and Oli led the CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist). A formal agreement was made in May 2018 between the two senior leaders signing on a 7-point pact to form the Nepal Communist Party (NCP). Dahal in the recent Standing Committee meetings had demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister for mishandling the pandemic and making unilateral decisions without consulting the leaders. The next Standing Committee meeting of the ruling party has been called on for Saturday at 11 am as Dahal asked for a day's time to forge consensus with Prime Minister Oli. (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.) British factories are increasingly planning to lay off workers, a warning sign for the economy as it tries to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, an industry survey showed on Friday. Some 46% of manufacturers expect to make redundancies over the next six months, up sharply from 25% in May, according to sectoral group Make UK which is calling on the government take more measures immediately to support jobs. "Conditions are still very tough for many companies with disruption likely to continue for some time," said Stephen Phipson, chief executive of Make ... The US Treasury Department on Thursday lifted sanctions on four shipping companies and tankers belonging to them that it said had transported Venezuelan oil this year, following a meeting between U.S. officials and industry representatives. Washington in June had sanctioned Marshall Islands-based Delos Voyager Shipping Ltd, Sanibel Shiptrade Ltd and Adamant Maritime Ltd, as well as Greece-based Romina Maritime Co Inc, as part of its escalating sanctions on Venezuela aimed at forcing socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power. It also threatened to blacklist dozens of tankers ... Shares of Reliance Industries (RIL) gained as much as 1.4 per cent to Rs 1,785.65 apiece on the BSE on Friday after the company announced Intel Capital will invest Rs 1,894.50 crore in its Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 trillion and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 trillion for a 0.39 per cent stake. This will be the twelfth international deal for Reliance's digital arm in less than three months, taking the total investment amount to Rs 117,588.45 crore. READ MORE At 09:21 am, the stock was trading 1 per cent higher at Rs 1,778 on the BSE as compared to around 0.5 ... The Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) adopted on June 30 by the Standing Committee of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC), Chinas top legislature, has established a seawall safeguarding the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. Hong Kong citizens celebrate the passage of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Causeway Bay of south China's Hong Kong, June 30, 2020. The law was passed at the 20th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC). (Xinhua/Wang Shen) Listed by the NPC Standing Committee in Annex III to the HKSAR Basic Law, the national security legislation is expected to terminate the regions long-standing unguarded condition in national security after being applied in the HKSAR. Since the disturbance related to the now-withdrawn ordinance amendments concerning the transfer of fugitives in the HKSAR in June 2019, Hong Kong independence forces, radical separatist forces, and the opposition in the region have grossly trampled on the rule of law and social stability of Hong Kong, inflicted heavy losses on its economy, damaged its business environment and international image, and undermined foreign investors confidence in the HKSAR. With international agencies constantly downgrading Hong Kongs credit rating because of its social unrest, the region lost its title as the worlds freest economy, which it had maintained for 25 consecutive years. Besides, the citys ranking among global financial centers has also dropped to the sixth. The region logged an 8.9-percent year-on-year slump in its GDP in the first quarter of the year, representing the sharpest quarterly decline on record. In addition, the HKSARs unemployment rate rocketed to 5.9 percent in the period from March to May, a record high in 15 years. It is the reality Hong Kong faces. Safeguarding national security is the foundation and a prerequisite for Hong Kongs prosperity and stability. The rapidly evolving situation in the region during the past more than a year has fully demonstrated that prosperity and stability is totally out of the question without the guarantee of national security. It must be understood clearly that legal loopholes regarding national security have cost Hong Kong society dear. Because of the lack of national security legislation, Hong Kong has witnessed in pain how the Hong Kong independence forces, black-clad rioters, and home-grown terrorists who threatened mutual destruction have kept escalating their violent activities at various locations, and secessionist, subversive, collusive, and disruptive practices have been conducted so unrestrainedly. The efforts of Chinas central government to plug the loopholes in safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, stop violence and curb disorder with effective measures, and restore the regions sound legal and business environment are not only in line with the common interests of all sectors of Hong Kong society as well as foreign investors in the region, but also important guarantee of Hong Kongs status as a global financial, trade, and shipping center. Only with a solid foundation for national security and overall social stability can a country create better environment and greater room to address deep-seated problems and issues troubling economy and peoples livelihood. When Hong Kong was confronted with severe challenges in safeguarding national security and was unable to complete relevant legislation on its own, the central government took decisive measures to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong from the state level. The endeavor has been not only absolutely imperative for the prevention and control of national security risks, but also the fundamental solution to problems undermining the long-term prosperity, peace, and order of Hong Kong. Hong Kong could never return to the right track and restore order if its legal loopholes in safeguarding national security remained, weak links in the system not improved, and the main dangers obstructing its long-term prosperity and stability not eliminated. It can be predicted that with the introduction of the new national security law, which defines a clear bottom line of national security and explicit standards of right and wrong, Hong Kong will see less confrontations and internal friction stirred up by people with ulterior motives, so that the whole society can focus efforts on development in an easier manner. The introduction of the national security law brings Hong Kong citizens the freedom of enjoying a peaceful life without concerns about the threat of black-clad rioters, the freedom of safe business operation, and the freedom of safe trips to office and school. By guaranteeing a stable environment, putting an end to the social unrest, boosting market confidence, bringing the city into the right track, and setting a bottom line of national security, the new law means to the SAR the hope of solving deep-rooted social and economic problems including the housing woes, brighter development prospects for various sectors, and greater roles of the advantages of the one country, two systems principle. Far-sighted personages in Hong Kong have pointed out since the onset of the legislative procedures for the national security law that the region is about to move from chaos to order. Chief Executive of HKSAR Carrie Lam has also noted that restoring order and confidence is crucial for a fresh start of Hong Kong economy. Its believed that with the newly adopted national security law for Hong Kong and the firm support of the central government, the SAR will soon stop violence, end the chaos and restore order. With its efforts focusing on construction and development after the introduction of the new law, Hong Kong will be able to make full use of the institutional strengths of the one country, two systems principle, make the most of major opportunities brought along by important initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, rebuild its advantages while integrating itself into the overall development of the country, and continue to create new development legends. Reserve bank of India (RBI) has come up with a research paper to assesses the sustainability of debt for Indian states. Fiscal shocks through schemes like Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) have led to increased fiscal pressures exacerbating the debt dynamics of states at periodic intervals. Recognising the increasing precedence of such fiscal shocks and invoking of contingent liabilities, the paper uses both conventional liabilities/debt and the augmented debt arrived at by incorporating information on states' guarantees and their likely fall out on states' budgets. The sustainability is assessed using a standard indicator based approach and panel data framework for the post Fiscal Responsibility Legislations (FRLs) period. Results indicate that states debt is just about sustainable with some signs of unsustainability likely to emerge. Guarantees given by states, if invoked, could certainly pose a potential risk to debt sustainability for Indian States. This has clear policy implications in terms of revisit of States' FRLs with inclusion of debt as a medium term anchor coupled with greater transparency with regard to contingent liabilities/off-budget borrowings. The paper does not cover the COVID-19 pandemic period and its impact on state finances. The Working Paper is titled Subnational Government Debt Sustainability in India: An Empirical Analysis and is authored by Sangita Misra, Kirti Gupta and Pushpa Trivedi. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Interim Congress President has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Union government to extend reservation for OBC candidates in the all-India quota for medical and dental seats to state/UT medical institutions. said in the letter that reservation for OBC candidates under the all-India quota is restricted to the Central institutions only. "As per the data compiled by the All India Federation of Other Backward Classes, since 2017, OBC candidates lost over 11,000 seats in all-India quota due to non-implementation of OBC reservations in state/UT medical education institutions," she wrote in the letter. The interim Congress President drew the Prime Minister's attention in the matter of denial of reservation to OBC candidates under the all-India quota being filled through the Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in state/UT medical education institutions. She said that the 93rd Constitutional Amendment envisages special provisions for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward class or for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in admission to educational institutions, including private institutions, whether aided or unaided by the state, other than the minority educational institutions. But denial of reservations to OBCs in state medical institutions under the all-India quota, being administered by the Government of India, violates the very objective of the 93rd Constitutional Amendment and is a barrier to access to medical education for the deserving OBC candidates. Under the all-India quota, 15 per cent, 7.5 per cent and 10 per cent seats are reserved for SC, ST and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) candidates, respectively, in both Central and state/UT medical education institutions. --IANS miz/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.) Pardon sought from the people by leader for "mistakes" that might have been committed during the 15 years when his parents ruled as successive chief ministers drew snide remarks from the ruling JD(U)- combine on Friday. Yadav, who is now leading his party as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the assembly polls due in a few months, made the charm offensive at a party function here on the previous day. "I was young when the party was in power. Still, if there were any mistakes, I apologize for that," Yadav, a former deputy chief minister, who is now the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, had said. The 30-year-old made the remarks in response to the "15 years versus 15 years" narrative being built by the NDA, which has ruled the state since 2005 barring a four-year- long period when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who heads the JD (U) had remained out of the BJP-led coalition. The younger son of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi also sought to rouse public sympathy by asserting "no wrongdoings took place under my watch" referring to the less than two years long period when he served as the deputy to Kumar, with many plum portfolios. Kumar had snapped ties with the RJD-Congress combine and returned to the NDA expressing disgust over stout refusal of Tejashwi Yadavs party to the demand that the young deputy chief minister tender his resignation till his name was cleared in money laundering cases for which the government was coming under relentless attacks. In his speech on Thursday, Yadav had also mounted an attack on his former boss for his failure to rein in large- scale exodus of work force from the state because of abject lack of employment opportunities back home. "The claims of good governance lay exposed before the whole country during the recent lockdown. Migrants were moving back to their homes in all states. But if one state stood out for very large number of such displaced people, it was Bihar," Yadav had said. JD(U) spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad rebutted Yadavs allegations against the Nitish Kumar government and asserted that the people of would not be taken in by "attempts at an image makeover in the election season". "People still shudder at the memories of the dark age when caste wars and kidnappings for ransom committed by anti- social elements patronized by those in power were the norm. Not just ordinary labourers but even doctors, engineers and professionals of all hues had to flee for their safety," Prasad alleged. spokesman Nikhil Anand, whose party likes to give Lalu Prasad no quarters, said the "will never be forgiven by the people of Bihar, just like the people of the country will never forgive China and Pakistan, for their anti-India stance, and the Congress for the massacre of Sikhs and messing up Jammu and Kashmir". Anand pointed out that Yadavs antics came "15 years after the 15-year-long misrule of his party came to an end" and wondered why no regret has ever been expressed by the supremo, now in Ranchi serving sentences in fodder scam cases, himself. (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.) Playstation has joined over 400 advertisers who have decided to pull out ads from and Instagram over its failure to curb and misinformation. The #StopHateForProfit boycott has more than 400 participants and the civil rights groups, including the NAACP and the Anti-Defamation League on June 17, are now calling for a global expansion of ad boycott. "In support of the #StopHateForProfit campaign, we have globally suspended our and Instagram activity, including advertising and non-paid content, until the end of July," PlayStation said in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz on Thursday. As hundreds of companies halt advertising on Facebook and Instagram, CEO Mark Zuckerberg is confident the brands would soon return on the platform. According to a report in The Information, Zuckerberg told employees he was reluctant to bow to the threats of a growing ad boycott, saying "my guess is that all these advertisers will be back on the platform soon enough." The social networking giant said it was getting better at removing harmful content and that the platform does not in any way profit from The call to boycott ads on Facebook started after the social networking giant decided to allow controversial posts by US President Donald Trump to stay up. American food company Chobani, drug maker Pfizer and software major SAP were among the latest brands pulling who joined Coca Cola, adidas, cleaning supply firm Clorox, Conagra (the maker of Slim Jim, Duncan Hines and Pam), fast food chain Denny's, Ford and Starbucks to pull their ads from the platform. Facebook's digital advertising accounted for over 98 per cent of the company's nearly $70 billion in revenue last year. --IANS na/ (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.) says it will roll out the much-anticipated Edit button if everyone wears a face mask to help health authorities fight the Covid-19 pandemic globally. In a series of tweets, the micro-blogging platform emphasised on maintaining social distancing and wear a mask. "You can have an edit button when everyone wears a mask," said on Thursday. "Everyone means EVERYONE". users have been asking for an Edit button to avoid embarrassment when they accidentally send tweets with typos and spelling errors. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has said the Edit button will "probably" never happen. "We started as an SMS, text message service. And as you all know, when you send a text, you can't really take it back. We wanted to preserve that vibe, that feeling, in the early days," Dorsey said recently. Users immediately reacted to Twitter's new offer for an Edit button. "Ok, Twitter has now given me one reason not to wear a mask," tweeted columnist Doug Saunders. Another commented: "Ok, I'm going to stop wearing a mask then because an edit button would be utter chaos and everyone at Twitter has always known it". --IANS na/ (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.) BSE and NSE listed Asian Granito India Limited (AGIL) is bullish on the demand for the quartz from USA market on account of a sharp decline in CVV and anti-dumping duty by the USA on import of Indian quartz. Earlier USA had levied CVV and Anti-dumping duty of 87.5 per cent on Indian quartz, however now they have revised their duty to around 3.19 per cent for Indian manufacturers, including Asian Granito India Limited, which will help company export quartz to the USA. Contradictory to that, USA imposed anti-dumping and CVD (Countervailing Duty) on Chinese up to 336.69 per cent. In addition, the final countervailing duty rates for imports of quartz slabs from China up to 190.99 per cent. Together, these duties amount up to over 500 per cent, for all imports of quartz surface products from China. "AGIL being one of the largest manufactures of the Quartz in India will be the key beneficiary of lower duty on quartz compared to China. This development will help AGIL to target the USA market which exclusive range of Quartz which further helps AGIL to became one of the biggest exporters in Quartz from India. Last year AGIL has seen very aggressive growth in export sales which we are likely to see in the current year too, hence all these developments is favorable for the AGIL in near to long term," said Kamlesh Patel, Chairman and Managing Director on the export potential. The USA has levied anti-dumping duty on Chinese imports of a wide range of ceramic tiles products, totaling to 714.83 per cent. However, on Indian tiles, the USA has levied duties up to 8.5 per cent which will further raise the scope of tiles export to the USA from India. Due to the above recent positive developments, Indian tiles and ceramic Manufacturers, especially Asian Granito India Limited, will benefit from the lower duties on tiles compared to China, whereby turnover and profitability of the company will increase substantially. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. DISCLAIMER (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 3 (ANI/NewsVoir): IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited (IndiaFirst Life), promoted by Bank of Baroda and Union Bank of India, has associated with BOB Financial Services Limited (BOB Financial), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of Baroda, to offer a unique group insurance covering that provides financial support upon hospitalisation or on COVID-19 diagnosis. BOB Financial has a range of credit card customers who will be able to opt for this insurance benefit by IndiaFirst Life, at the click of a button. "We are excited to connect with and offer our services to Bank of Baroda Credit Cardholders. Through this alliance, customers who opt for IndiaFirst Life Insurance Hospi Care plan can avail the benefits, in case of COVID-19 positive diagnosis as well as hospitalisation due to any other reason for more than 24 hours. In line with our #CustomerFirst philosophy, we have ensured that individuals can have a seamless end-to-end digital onboarding experience as they opt for Ghar Baithe Insurance on our website," said Rushabh Gandhi, Deputy CEO, IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited. "We are glad to partner with IndiaFirst Life to cater to our digitally savvy customers' needs and offer them a quick, simple and a hassle-free experience. Through this alliance, we will be offering our Bank of Baroda Credit Card customers a convenient, competitively priced and easily accessible insurance plan, which is a COVID-19 cum Hospital Cash Benefit product. Bank of Baroda Credit Card customers can voluntarily enrol online and select from Frequency, Cash Benefit/Hospitalisation benefit options," said Shailendra Singh, MD & CEO, BOB Financial Solutions Limited. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) DISCLAIMER (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The network of intelligent poles installed by Indus Towers in partnership with Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) in 2018 under Government's Smart City Mission has been playing a vital role in keeping people safe, informed and connected during the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The fibre network and smart poles are helping VMC create awareness about COVID-19 by disseminating important information 24X7 on a real-time basis through the Variable Messaging Displays across the city. The smart poles with Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) have also been capturing data from all major applications as well as feed from various cameras installed across the city are continuously monitoring the implementation of COVID-19-related activities and adherence to the restrictions. During the period of March to May, there have been about 100 per cent surge in the data consumption through the Wi-Fi network. There has also been an increase of 40 per cent in the number of people using Wi-Fi around hospitals indicating the crucial support the network is providing to citizens and healthcare professionals. "In the battle against the novel coronavirus, fibre network and smart poles are working as an important link for efficient dissemination of information and service to the citizens of Vadodara. During the lockdown, Vadodara recorded a 40 per cent hike in the usage of Wi-Fi, especially in residential and specific areas next to the hospitals and VMC offices indicating that the network helped people and healthcare workers stay connected. We have also integrated My Vadodara app with the VMC portal to provide access to a dedicated section on vital information related to COVID-19," said a senior official from VMC, as part of the Smart City Mission. "Telecom infrastructure has been playing a crucial role in ensuring people remain connected and have access to internet-enabled services. We are proud that our infrastructure and technology delivered on the promise of transforming the lives of citizens in Vadodara by harnessing the power of smart technology, especially during this challenging time. The multiple application of intelligent poles is a testament to our capability and experience to execute such infrastructure projects," said Nishith Dave, Circle CEO, Gujarat, Indus Towers. Indus Towers has always enabled connectivity in India, in the face of calamitous natural disasters and adversity. At present, the field employees of Indus Towers are enabling seamless 24x7 connectivity for the smooth functioning of the essential services as well as the digital operation that are dependent on the company's infrastructure. The field personnel of Indus Towers has equipped themselves with the necessary safety gear and working round the clock, even in designated hotspot regions. They have ensured the continuous functioning of the mobile tower, which is most critical when it comes to enabling seamless connectivity. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. DISCLAIMER (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Days after a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in East Ladakh, Prime Minister on Friday paid an unannounced visit to Leh, along with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General M M Naravane. He also visited soldiers who were injured in the clash in Modi reached Leh around 9:30 am, PTI reported. Located at 11,000 feet, Nimu is among the toughest terrains. It lies on the banks of river Indus and is surrounded by the Zanskar range. Prime Minister addresses soldiers in Nimoo, He told solidiers that the bravery that they and their compatriots had displated is a message that has gone to the world about Indias strength. He told the soldiers that their courage is greater than the heights at which they have been posted. The bravery of 14 Corps will be talked about everywhere, Prime Minister said, adding the tales of the soldiers' bravery and valour are echoing in every house. China today said that artificial blocks to bilateral cooperation would harm India's interests and that the two countries should work together to uphold peace in their border region. Beijing will take necessary measures to uphold the rights of Chinese businesses in India, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news briefing. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena says Demonetisation, scrapping of Article 370 and bifurcation of J&K have done nothing to improve security situation in terror-affected UT. While Ladakhis claim China has taken their land, the PM says otherwise, said Rahul Gandhi. Listen to the podcast for more In a letter to Bharat Biotech and principal investigators of medical colleges, ICMR DG Balram Bhargava has asked them to fast track the completion of trials of indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, in order to launch the results of clinical trials by August 15. India reported 379 deaths and the highest single-day spike of 20,903 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. With this rise, the total positive cases stand at 6,25,544, including 2,27,439 active ones and 3,79,892 recoveries and 18,213 deaths, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare data suggests. Among all states in India, the most affected ones are Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu as they account for a large chuck of cases. The ministry data says the coronavirus tally in Maharashtra has crossed 1,86,626, including 8,178 deaths and 77,276 active cases. Similarly, Tamil Nadu and Delhi have reported 98,392 and 92,175 cases, respectively. These states have reported 1,321 and 2,864 deaths so far. Also Read: Coronavirus update: Zydus Cadila's candidate 2nd vaccine approved for human trials Check out all the latest updates on coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu and other major states on BusinessToday.In live blog:- 12.27 pm: Latest coronavirus updates from Delhi Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal meets family of LNJP Hospital's Dr Aseem Gupta, who passed away due to COVID19. CM hands over a compensation amount of Rs 1 Crore to his family. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal meets family of LNJP Hospital's Dr Aseem Gupta, who passed away due to COVID19. CM hands over a compensation amount of Rs 1 Crore to his family. pic.twitter.com/YB44DF3LWi ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2020 12.19 pm: Gujarat coronavirus cases Gujarat is the fourth worst-hit state with a total of 33,913 COVID-19 cases so far. This includes 7,434 active cases, 24,593 cured/discharged, and 1,886 deaths, as per the Union Health Ministry's website. 12.10 pm: Coronavirus vaccine latest update: Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine lead the race According to the latest reports, the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate has emerged as a frontrunner in the race to find an effective cure for coronavirus. The British drugmaker has already started conducting phase III human trials of its AZD1222 (formerly known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccine candidate. Around 800 people will be administered the vaccine. Developers have inked a deal to manufacture 10 crore doses of the vaccine. Brazil announced on Saturday that it had signed a $127 million deal to locally produce the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. 12.03 pm: Get tested for COVID-19 ahead of assemble session, Goa speaker tells MLAs Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar has urged all MLAs to get themselves tested for COVID-19 ahead of the monsoon session of the assembly. Patnekar told reporters on Thursday that MLAs should get tested as they are constantly on the field, meeting and serving people. His statement comes two days after a South Goa-based BJP MLA tested positive for coronavirus and is currently being treated at ESI Hospital in Margao town. 11.55 am: Coronavirus vaccine update: Bharat Biotech's coronavirus candidate 'Covaxin' gets nod to conduct human trials In a major development for India, the drug regulator has given approval to Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech to conduct human clinical trials for the 'Covaxin' vaccine, making it the first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate to get this permission. The company is developing the drug in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV). According to reports, pre-clinical trials of 'Covaxin' yielded positive results. 11.47 am: Uttar Pradesh CM emphasises on need for research centre on coronavirus Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday stressed on the need for an advanced research centre on coronavirus and instructed officials to present their workplan for it. Adityanath also directed officials to consult the CSIR-Centre Drug Research Institute, King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, regarding this. 11.40 am: Corona tracker India: Check BusinessToday.In tracker to get state-wise tally of COVID-19 cases INDIA CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: BusinessToday.In brings you a daily tracker as coronavirus cases continue to spread. Here is the state-wise data on total cases, fatalities and recoveries in one comprehensive graph. 11.34 am: 3.79 people cured of coronavirus in India now With 2.27 lakh active COVID-19 cases and 3.79 lakh cured/discharged, the total count of coronavirus positive cases in India now stands at 6.25 lakh. 11.27 am: Mumbai coronavirus cases Maharashtra's capital Mumbai recorded 1,554 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the maxim city's tally to over 80,000. With 57 new deaths in one day, Mumbai's death toll crossed 4,500-mark. 11.20 am: Total COVID-19 cases in Thane Thane is the one of the worst-hit cities in Maharashtra besides Mumbai and Pune. The city registered 349 fresh coronavirus vases taking its tally past 41,000. 11.14 am: COVID-19 latest updates: Delhi govt reviews setting up of coronavirus war room In the wake of rising cases of novel coronavirus in Delhi, officials said on Thursday that top government authorities have reviewed setting up of a COVID-19 war room in the national capital. The Kejriwal government has been stressing on ramping up health infrastructure to meet the project bed requirements for patients. 11.06 am: Goa govt comes out with guidelines for tourists Goa government has issued guidelines for hotels and tourists as hotels resumed operations in the state on July 2. Goa opened for tourists as 250 hotels have been given permission to resume operations. Meanwhile, tourists will be required to carry with them coronavirus negative certificate or get tested in Goa. Government of Goa yesterday issued guidelines and regulations for hotels and tourists as hotels of the state re-opened yesterday. Goa opened for tourists starting July 2nd, 250 hotels have been granted permission to resume operations. pic.twitter.com/YKyah0dkBt ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2020 10.58 am: Delhi coronavirus news Delhi is the third worst-affected in India with 92,175 COVID-19 cases so far. Out of these, 26,304 are active cases, 63,007 cured/discharged, while the death toll stands at 2,864, as per the latest update by the Union Health Ministry. 10.54 am: Coronavirus in India updates: 92 lakh samples tested so far, says ICMR The Indian Council of Medical Research has said that the total count of samples tested up to July 2 is 92,97,749 out of which 2,41,576 samples were tested on Thursday (July 2). 10.48 am: Tamil Nadu coronavirus updates Tamil Nadu, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, has reported 98,000 COVID-19 cases, with death toll at 1,321, as per the Union Health Ministry. 10.42 am: Maharashtra COVID-19 cases Maharashtra, which is the worst-affected state in India, now has over 1,86,000 coronavirus cases with 8,178 people dead, according to latest update by the Union Ministrt of Health and Family Welfare. 10.36 am: Coronavirus vaccine update: ICMR writes to Bharat Biotech to conclude trials of COVID-19 vaccine In a letter to Bharat Biotech and principal investigators of medical colleges, ICMR DG Balram Bhargava has asked them to fast track the completion of trials of indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, in order to launch the results of clinical trials by August 15. 10.26 am: COVID-19 cases in 24 hours India recorded 20,903 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the country's highest single-day spike. Meanwhile, 379 new deaths were also reported in a day. 10.15 am: Coronavirus cases in India top 6.2 lakh With over 20,000 fresh COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, India's biggest single-day hike, the total count of coronavirus cases climbed to 6,25,544. While 379 deaths recorded in one day taking the death toll to 18,213. The country now has 2,27,439 active cases and 3,79,892 cured or discharged cases, according to the Health Ministry data. KEY HIGHLIGHTS Funds have been raised by way of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) in the last two months Bank of Baroda has subscribed the maximum of Rs 730 crore followed by Indian Bank with Rs 325 crore and SBI Rs 250 crore Indiabulls Housing, promoted by Sameer Gehlaut, has a balance sheet size of around Rs 1 lakh crore Last two years have been very challenging for the Rs 30 lakh crore NBFC sector In an environment of risk aversion in the financial markets, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) are running helter-skelter for raising funds from mutual funds, insurance companies and the banks. The funds are needed for refinancing existing loans and also for fresh lending. Mumbai-headquartered Indiabulls Housing Finance Limited has been quite successful in raising close to Rs 2,000 crore from leading public sector banks (PSBs) by way of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) in the last two months. Interestingly, only the PSBs have extended a helping hand. The latest fund mobilisation was done from the country's largest bank, the State Bank of India (SBI), for Rs 250 crore on private placement basis. The tenor of the NCDs is for 548 days with the redemption date being December 2021. The rate of interest is 9 per cent. Bank of Baroda has subscribed the maximum of Rs 730 crore followed by Indian Bank with Rs 325 crore. Canara Bank and Union Bank of India have invested Rs 200 crore each. Other public sector banks that have invested in the non-convertible debentures of the housing finance company are Punjab National Bank and Central Bank of India. These unsecured NCDs are part of the company's outstanding borrowings of Rs 33,500 crore plus. The bank loan borrowings are also around the same amount. Banks flush with funds are willing to lend for short-term, especially because there are not enough good lending opportunities because of slowdown in economy and disruption created by coronavirus lockdown. The HFCs with secured mortgage business make a good lending proposition for banks looking to earn a good yield along with safety of investment. The last two years have been very challenging for the Rs 30 lakh crore NBFC sector. They have faced rough weather since the debacle of infrastructure financing institution in September 2018. There is risk aversion amongst investors like mutual funds, insurance companies and banks, especially private sector banks. The shock from coronavirus has not only complicated fund mobilisation, or the liabilities side, but is also expected to lead to some surprises on the asset side. Falling growth, job losses and fall in income will impact credit worthiness of individual borrowers. Indiabulls Housing, promoted by Sameer Gehlaut, has a balance sheet size of around Rs 1 lakh crore. The market capitalisation of the company, with 74.93 per cent public shareholding, is Rs 9,626 crore. LIC has a stake of over 10 per cent in the company. Post the Covid outbreak, the senior management team has decided to take an average salary cut of 35 per cent in 2020-21. Chairman Gehlaut has decided not to take any salary while Gagan Banga, vice chairman, MD&CEO has taken a substantial 75 per cent salary cut in the current year. Intel Capital, investment arm of Intel Corporation, will invest Rs 1,894.50 crore in Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. Intel Capital's investment will translate into a 0.39% equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis. Intel Capital joins the list of marquee firms that have recently invested in Jio Platforms, taking the total investment amount to Rs 117,588.45 crore. The companies that have already pumped in money in JPL for 25.09 per cent stake are Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR, Mubadala, ADIA, TPG and L Catterton and Saudi Arabia-based Public Investment Fund. "Intel Capital invests globally in innovative companies with a focus on disruptive technology areas like cloud computing, artificial intelligence and 5G - opportunities where Jio is also innovating and investing for growth," a company statement said. Intel has operated in India for more than two decades and employs thousands of employees in the country. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said Intel was a "true industry leader", which was working towards creating world-changing technology and innovations. "Intel Capital has an outstanding record of being a valuable partner for leading technology companies globally. We are therefore excited to work together with Intel to advance India's capabilities in cutting-edge technologies that will empower all sectors of our economy and improve the quality of life of 1.3 billion Indians," he said. Wendell Brooks, Intel Capital President, said the company was excited to help fuel digital transformation in India. "Jio Platforms' focus on applying its impressive engineering capabilities to bring the power of low-cost digital services to India aligns with Intel's purpose of delivering breakthrough technology that enriches lives. We believe digital access and data can transform business and society for the better," he added. JPL was created as a subsidiary of RIL in October last year to bring together all digital and mobility businesses under one roof. The new entity has become the parent of Reliance Jio Infocomm and applications like MyJio, JioTV, JioCinema, JioNews and JioSaavn, besides content-generation ventures. Thus, the operating company Reliance Jio became a step-down subsidiary of RIL. For making JPL debt-free, the parent company has infused Rs 1.08 lakh crore in it. RIL wants to build JPL like Alibaba and Google, which claim high valuations in the stock markets. RIL has been using the cash flow from its flagship petroleum refining business to build the telecom and retail subsidiaries all these years. The Indian conglomerate has spent about Rs 4 lakh crore to build Reliance Jio. Here's a timeline of investments in Jio Platforms so far: April 22: Facebook investment: The social media giant announced an investment of Rs 43,574 crore in Reliance Jio accounting for a 9.99% stake in the company's platforms. Facebook investment: The social media giant announced an investment of Rs 43,574 crore in Reliance Jio accounting for a 9.99% stake in the company's platforms. May 3: Silver Lake- The American private equity (PE) giant will pick a 1.15% stake in Reliance Jio with an investment of Rs 5,656 crore in its platforms. Silver Lake- The American private equity (PE) giant will pick a 1.15% stake in Reliance Jio with an investment of Rs 5,656 crore in its platforms. May 8: Vista Equity- The US-based private equity firm will pick a 2.32 per cent stake in RIL's Jio platforms for Rs 11,367 crore. Vista Equity- The US-based private equity firm will pick a 2.32 per cent stake in RIL's Jio platforms for Rs 11,367 crore. May 17: General Atlantic- The New York-headquartered PE firm announced an investment of Rs 6,598 crore in Reliance Jio for a 1.34% stake. General Atlantic- The New York-headquartered PE firm announced an investment of Rs 6,598 crore in Reliance Jio for a 1.34% stake. May 22: KKR- The US-based PE company will buy a 2.32% stake in Jio platforms for Rs 11,367 crore. KKR- The US-based PE company will buy a 2.32% stake in Jio platforms for Rs 11,367 crore. June 5: Mubadala- The Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investor announced an equity infusion of Rs 9,093 in Reliance Jio on Friday in exchange for a 1.85% stake in the telecom arm of RIL. Mubadala- The Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investor announced an equity infusion of Rs 9,093 in Reliance Jio on Friday in exchange for a 1.85% stake in the telecom arm of RIL. June 13: RIL on Saturday announced TPG will invest Rs 4,546.80 crore in Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. This is the ninth investment for the company in the last seven weeks. RIL on Saturday announced TPG will invest Rs 4,546.80 crore in Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. This is the ninth investment for the company in the last seven weeks. June 13: L Catterton, one of the world's largest consumer-focused private equity firms, will also invest Rs 1,894.50 crore in JPL. L Catterton's investment will translate into a 0.39 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis. L Catterton, one of the world's largest consumer-focused private equity firms, will also invest Rs 1,894.50 crore in JPL. L Catterton's investment will translate into a 0.39 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis. June 18 : Saudi Arabia-based PIF decided to invest Rs 11,367 crore in JPL for a 2.32 per cent equity stake on a fully diluted basis, making it the 11th company to do so in around two months. : Saudi Arabia-based PIF decided to invest Rs 11,367 crore in JPL for a 2.32 per cent equity stake on a fully diluted basis, making it the 11th company to do so in around two months. July 3: Intel Capital, investment arm of Intel Corporation, decided to invest Rs 1,894.50 crore in JPL at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore. Also read: Mukesh Ambani's youngest son Anant debuts in Jio Platforms as director Japan has formally asked the United States to extradite a former Green Beret and his son accused of helping former Nissan Motor Co boss Carlos Ghosn flee the country while he was awaiting trial on financial charges. Japan submitted a request to the U.S. State Department to extradite Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, after they were provisionally arrested in Massachusetts in May, the U.S. Justice Department said in a court filing on Thursday. Lawyers for the Taylors did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Their lawyers have argued that they have not been charged in Japan with an offence for which extradition is possible under the U.S-Japan treaty. The Japanese embassy in Washington and U.S. Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment. The Taylors were arrested in Harvard, Massachusetts, on May 20 at Japan's request after authorities there in January accused them of helping smuggle Ghosn, Nissan's former chairman, out of the country on Dec. 29, 2019, in a box. Ghosn fled to Lebanon, his childhood home, after being charged with engaging in financial wrongdoing, including by understating his compensation in Nissan's financial statements. He denies wrongdoing. Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan. Both men have been held without bail since their arrest. Prosecutors have argued that neither Taylor, including Michael, a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and private security specialist, should be released from jail as they are flight risks. Also read: GVK denies wrongdoing; says allegations motivated Global rating agency Moody's has rated index heavyweights Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys and Reliance Industries above the sovereign, citing strong financials and significant global earnings. The country's leading software exporters, TCS and Infosys, have been rated two notches above India's Baa3 rating due to their global operations and minimal reliance on domestic funding. Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries has been rated one notch above India's sovereign rating due to large scale, diversified business and balanced funding. However, Reliance's digital services and retail businesses are more linked to India's economy, which does not meet the criteria to be rated two notches above the sovereign even if its credit metrics warrant such an assessment, as per the report. Last month, Moody's Investors Service had downgrade India's sovereign rating by one notch to Baa3 from Baa2, citing that there will be challenges in implementation of policies to mitigate risks of a sustained period of low growth, deteriorating fiscal position, and stress in the financial sector. Also Read: Moody's downgrades TCS, Infosys; affirms RIL's rating with negative outlook The global rating agency had lowered TCS rating to Baa1 negative from A3 negative in wake of downgrade of India's sovereign rating. The agency had said that TCS' rating will not be upgraded unless India's sovereign rating is upgraded, which is unlikely given the negative outlook. In line with rival TCS, Moody's had also cut Infosys' rating to Baa1 negative from A3 negative, which is unlikely to be upgraded unless India's rating is upgraded. The agency had said that Infosys' rating can be further downgraded if it undertakes material debt-funded acquisitions or increases returns to shareholders that significantly undermine its credit profile, or its operating performance deteriorates significantly. Also Read: Moody's cuts India's sovereign rating to Baa3, maintains negative outlook The agency, however, had affirmed the long-term issuer rating of Reliance Industries, but warned that it could be lowered if the Indian sovereign rating is further downgraded. The agency had said that RIL's rating could also be downgraded if its credit metrics deteriorate as a result of protracted weakness in its operations which results in significantly lower earnings beyond Moody's expectations. Adding to it, delay or cancellation of planned stake sales in its business segments and large debt-funded capital spending or acquisitions could also impact the firm's rating, it had said. Also Read: Intel Capital to pump in Rs 1,894.5 cr in Jio Platforms; 12th investment in 11 weeks In the last 11 weeks, RIL has raised a total of Rs 1,17,588.45 crore by selling minority stakes in its digital arm, Jio Platforms to Facebook as well as private equity firms such as General Atlantic, Vista Equity, Silver Lake, and KKR. In a fresh development, Intel Capital, investment arm of Intel Corporation, has announced investment of Rs 1,894.50 crore in Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. Intel Capital's investment will translate into a 0.39% equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis. By Chitranjan Kumar China under President Xi Jinping has stepped up its "aggressive" foreign policy toward India and "resisted" efforts to clarify the Line of Actual Control that prevented a lasting peace from being realised, according to a report released by a US Congress appointed commission. The armies of India and China have been locked in a bitter standoff at multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for the last seven weeks, and the tension escalated after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash in the Galwan Valley on June 15. Under General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Xi Jinping, Beijing has stepped up its aggressive foreign policy toward New Delhi. Since 2013, China has engaged in five major altercations with India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), said a brief issued by US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. "Beijing and New Delhi have signed a series of agreements and committed to confidence-building measures to stabilise their border, but China has resisted efforts to clarify the LAC, preventing a lasting peace from being realised, said the report and was prepared at the request of the Commission to support its deliberations. Authored by Will Green, a Policy Analyst on the Security and Foreign Affairs Team at the Commission, the report says that the Chinese government is particularly fearful of India's growing relationship with the United States and its allies and partners. The latest border clash is part of a broader pattern in which Beijing seeks to warn New Delhi against aligning with Washington, it said. After Xi assumed power in 2012, there was a significant increase in clashes, despite the fact that he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi several times and Beijing and New Delhi have agreed to a series of confidence-building mechanisms designed to mitigate tensions. Prior to 2013, the last major border clash was in 1987. The 1950s and 1960s were a particularly tense period, culminating in 1962 with a war that left thousands of soldiers dead on both sides, according to the records of China's People's Liberation Army, the report said. The 2020 skirmish is in line with Beijing's increasingly assertive foreign policy. The clash came as Beijing was aggressively pressing its other expansive sovereignty claims in the Indo-Pacific region, such as over Taiwan and in the South and East China seas, it said. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region. Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources and are vital to global trade. China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the area. Several weeks before the clash in the Galwan Valley, Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe called on Beijing to use fighting to promote stability as the country's external security environment worsened, a potential indication of China's intent to proactively initiate military tensions with its neighbours to project an image of strength, the report said. Also read: India approves purchase of Russian combat jets worth $2.4 billion amid tensions with China India's government on Thursday approved the purchase of 33 Russian fighter jets and upgrades to another 59 planes, acting to beef up its air force at a time when the military is locked in a border stand-off with China. The approval for 21 MiG-29 planes and a dozen Su-30 jets will together cost 181.48 billion rupees ($2.43 billion), the defence ministry said. The purchase, along with the upgrade of 59 other MiG-29s, was an attempt to address the "long felt need of the Air Force to increase its fighter squadrons." Tensions between India and China are at their highest in years following a clash last month in a disputed stretch of the border in the western Himalayas in which India lost 20 soldiers. The two countries, which fought a brief border war in 1962, have since the recent clash moved additional forces and military equipment into key sections of the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control - the ceasefire line separating the two forces. The green light for the Russian planes followed a visit to Moscow last month by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh where he urged his hosts to speed up deliveries, officials said. More than half of India's military hardware is still of Russian origin even though over the last decade India has turned to the United States and Israel for high-tech arms transfers. The Defence Ministry also approved the purchase of air-to-air missiles developed indigenously that it said will add to the strike capability of the air force. Also read: India can even do 'digital strike': Ravi Shankar Prasad on China apps ban An FIR has been filed for the first time against a private hospital for overcharging coronavirus patients. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has filed an FIR against Nanavati Hospital at Santacruz police station for overcharging for coronavirus treatment. Police officials have said that an inquiry into the matter is undergoing. According to the FIR file, case has been registered under Sections 188 and 34 of IPC. Nobody has been named in the FIR but the case has been filed against office bearers and staff. The hospital allegedly overcharged for PPE kits, testing, medicines, and ICU bed. A bill of Rs 6 lakh was generated by the hospital, following which the patient decided to complain. Nanavati said in the statement, "Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital (NSSH) has been at the forefront of the war on Covid 19 in Mumbai. The hospital was the first private hospital to offer dedicated Covid 19 services in the private sector and is currently managing 150 Covid beds including 42 ICU beds and has treated over 1100 Covid 19 patients so far. In this battle against COVID-19 we have unfortunately lost one healthcare worker and presently our CEO is infected and battling the disease. We have learnt from media reports that a FIR has been filed owing to some alleged discrepancy in a bill. We are awaiting the copy of the complaint to scrutinise the bill and will fully cooperate with the authorities concerned to redress the issue." According to reports, the patient was billed Rs 6 lakh. The family approached Shiv Sena leader Nitin Nangaonkar who had a word with the hospital's management. The son of the patient approached the civic authorities, who then initiated an inquiry. According to reports, the initial findings showed violation of government's order. Junior auditor of BMC's K/W ward Ramchandra Khobrekar then filed the police complaint on behalf of BMC and the patient was made a witness. The FIR comes after Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope had ordered action against private hospitals for overcharging patients. Mumbai, one of the worst-affected cities in the country, is facing challenges in terms of logistics. As the number of beds continue to deplete, patients have taken to filing complaints for overcharging by private hospitals. Also read: ICMR aims to launch India's first coronavirus vaccine by August 15 Also read: Coronavirus update: Zydus Cadila's candidate 2nd vaccine approved for human trials The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Thursday suspended work, including virtual hearings of cases and filing, till July 10 due to sealing of its premises after detection of a COVID-19 case. In a notice issued on July 2, the tribunal said all court works would remain suspended as some staff members have come in direct contact with a affected person, who was tested positive on June 26. "A staff member was reported to have tested positive for COVID-19 on June 26, 2020, which mandated further sanitisation and sealing of the premises of this Appellate Tribunal and suspension of work till July 3, 2020," the notice by the registrar said. The notice further stated that it has been decided to extend the suspension of court work to ensure personal safety of all concerned and to prevent any peril or hazard to human life. The tribunal said that a staff member had tested positive on June 26 after which samples of acting chairperson, members, officers of the registry and the staff who had come in his contact were subjected to COVID-19 test. After collection of their nasal swabs by a team of doctors from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on June 29 and 30, 2020, one of them tested positive. "It is accordingly notified that the court work (virtual hearing) and filing etc, in the NCLAT will remain suspended till July 10, 2020," it said. In line with other judicial/quasi-judicial bodies, the NCLAT was conducting virtual hearing of urgent matters through video conferencing, which was started during the lockdown. In May, the NCLAT had announced would cancel its summer vacation this year to cover the shortfall in working days due to closure during the lockdown. With PTI inputs Also Read: Over 2 crore free masks, 1 crore PPEs distributed to states, UTs, says Centre Also Read: Coronavirus vaccine update: Early trials by Pfizer, BioNTech show encouraging results Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the soldiers in Ladakh after reaching the region on Friday morning. He commended the soldiers for their bravery and valour and said that the world has seen India's strength. Referring to the 14 Corps, known as the Fire and Fury Corps, PM Modi said, "India's enemies have seen both your fire and fury." The PM said, "Your courage is higher than the heights where you are posted today." He said that the journey to Atma Nirbhar Bharat is strengthened by the sacrifices the soldiers have made. "The bravery of 14 Corps will be talked about everywhere. Tales of your bravery and valour are echoing in every house in the country," said PM Modi. He added that bravery is a prerequisite for peace and the ones who are weak can never do it. "Whether World Wars or peace, whenever the need arises, the world has seen the victory of our braves and their efforts towards peace. We have worked for the betterment of humanity," he said. The Prime Minister also criticised Beijing for its policies. While he did not name China, he said that the era of expansionism is over. "This is the time for development, not expansion," he added. He continued his criticism of China and said that the expansionist policies of some countries have affected world peace. He added that history has shown that the expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to retreat. "We are the same people who pray to the flute playing Lord Krishna but we are also the same people who idolise and follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the 'Sudarshana Chakra'," he said during his speech to the soldiers. PM Modi made a surprise visit to Ladakh amid the border tensions between India and China. He reached Ladakh to assess the on-ground situation. He was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief MM Naravane. Also read: PM Modi makes surprise visit to Ladakh amid rising India-China border tension North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged officials to maintain maximum alert against the coronavirus pandemic, criticising unspecified complacencies in the country's anti-virus campaign that he said risked unimaginable and irretrievable crisis. Despite the warnings, state media said Friday that Kim reaffirmed government claims that there hasn't been a single case of COVID-19 in North Korea. Kim told a ruling party meeting that the country has thoroughly prevented the inroad of the malignant virus and maintained stable anti-epidemic situation despite the worldwide health crisis. The North's claim of being COVID-19 free has been questioned by outside experts, who say a major outbreak in the country could possibly have dire consequences because of its chronic lack of medical supplies and poor health care infrastructure. Describing its anti-virus efforts as a matter of national existence, the country has shut down nearly all cross-border traffic, banned tourists, intensified screening at entry points and mobilized tens of thousands of health workers to monitor residents and isolate those with symptoms. Experts say the country's self-imposed lockdown is also hurting an economy already battered by stringent US-led sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programme. Also read: Coronavirus: UK to scrap 14-day quarantine for travellers from 'low risk' countries At least eight police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were killed in an encounter with some criminals in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday. The incident happened when the UP cops were approaching to arrest Vikas Dubey, a history-sheeter facing 60 criminal cases, in Dikru village. As cops were about to reach the hideout of the accused, a hail of bullets was showered on them from building rooftops. "A case was lodged under Section 307 against history-sheeter Vikas Dubey. Police had gone to arrest him. JCBs were put up there, which obstructed our vehicles. When cops got down, criminals opened fire on them. There was retaliatory firing but criminals were at a height, so our 8 men died," Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police HC Awasthi said. Eight policemen, who lost their lives in firing, are CO Devendra Kumar Mishra, SO Mahesh Yadav, Chowki Incharge Anup Kumar, Sub-Inspector Nebulal, Constables Sultan Singh, Rahul, Jitendra and Bablu. On getting information about the incident, Additional DG (Law and Order), IG (Kanpur) and the senior SP of Kanpur rushed to the spot, where a forensic team has started the probe. Kanpur: ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar visits spot of encounter in Bikaru village where 8 police personnel lost their lives after being fired upon by criminals pic.twitter.com/7mdJwK6bfG - ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 3, 2020 Prashant Kumar, ADG Law, and Order said, "A total of 7 other persons, including a civilian, were injured in the incident. Few police weapons are also missing." 7 other persons including a civilian were also injured in the incident. Few police weapons are also missing. Those responsible for the act will be caught and produced before the law: ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar on 8 policemen shot dead in encounter with criminals in Kanpur pic.twitter.com/Z3cBsf0gdM - ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 3, 2020 The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh police has joined the investigative team. Meanwhile, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tribute to eight policemen who lost their lives in today's incident. The CM directed the police to take stringent action against the culprits and asked the police chief to do speed-up the probe. Reliance Industries share price rose in early trade today on report that Intel Capital, investment arm of Intel Corporation, would invest Rs 1,894.50 crore in Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. Reliance Industries stock rose 1.4% to Rs 1,785 against the previous close of Rs 1,760 on BSE. The large cap stock has gained 4.33% in last 3 days. RIL stock price has risen 14.79% in one month and 16.94% since the beginning of this year. Reliance Industries share trades higher than 5 day, 20 day, 50 day, 100 day and 200 day moving averages. With this investment, Jio Platforms has raised Rs 1,17, 587.5 crore from leading global investors including PIF, Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR, Mubadala, ADIA, TPG and L Catterton, since April 2020. Reliance has sold 25.1% stake to 12 investors in mere 11 weeks till date. Intel Capital to pump in Rs 1,894.5 cr in Jio Platforms; 12th investment in 11 weeks Intel Capital's investment will translate into a 0.39% equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis. "Intel Capital invests globally in innovative companies with a focus on disruptive technology areas like cloud computing, artificial intelligence and 5G - opportunities where Jio is also innovating and investing for growth," a company statement said. Intel has operated in India for more than two decades and employs thousands of employees in the country. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said Intel was a "true industry leader", which was working towards creating world-changing technology and innovations. "Intel Capital has an outstanding record of being a valuable partner for leading technology companies globally. We are therefore excited to work together with Intel to advance India's capabilities in cutting-edge technologies that will empower all sectors of our economy and improve the quality of life of 1.3 billion Indians," he said. Jyoti Roy, DVP Equity Strategist at Angel Broking said, "We are positive on Reliance Industries from a long-term perspective as we believe that the digital and retail business will be key growth drivers for the company going forward. Potential listing of the digital and retail business over the next 3-5 years would also lead to significant value unlocking for shareholders in the long run. We also expect the hydrocarbon business to recover in the second half of the year as demand for petro products normalizes. Given no significant capex outlay in the near future, the hydrocarbon segment should generate free cash flows which can be used to fund expansion in other businesses. " Vinay Rajani- Technical Research Analyst at HDFC Securities said, "After few days of price consolidation, Reliance Industries stock has resumed its uptrend. The stock is on the verge of surpassing the previous all-time high placed at Rs 1804. Short term support for the stock is seen at Rs 1,695. Far support is seen at Rs 1625. Short Term and Medium Term Trend of the Stock is bullish. Upside resistances for the stock are seen at Rs 1844 and Rs 1983." Tata Motors share price climbs 5% in intraday; Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp up to 2% Share price of Tata Motors gained almost 5% in Friday's trade, touching an intraday high of Rs 106.35 on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Besides Tata Motors, shares of TVS Motor Company, Eicher Motors, Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp gained in range of 2-3%. Tata Motors shares rallied 4.73% against the previous closing of Rs 101.55. The stock opened at Rs 102.70 and hit the day's low at Rs 102.10 on BSE. Tata Motors share price trades higher than 5, 20, 50 and 100-day but lower than 200-day moving averages. Tata Motors stock has gained 5.9% in the last 3 days. Tata Motors stock has risen 2.5% in one week and 5.36% in one month. Market capitalisation of the auto maker stood at Rs 32,156.22 crore as of today's session. On July 1, Tata Motors recorded sales of 25,047 vehicles in the domestic & international market, for Q1 FY21 compared to 1,37,545 units during Q1 FY20. For the month of June, company saw a 48% YoY sales decline of total volume to 1,16,683 units as against 2,26,163 units during the corresponding period in 2019. The company said after the partial sales recovery in May 2020, pent up demand supported a steeper recovery of retail in June 20. The automaker also added that it has cash and cash equivalents of more than Rs 5,000 crore and undrawn committed facilities of Rs 1,500 crore. Meanwhile, Nifty Auto was among the top gaining sectors today that was up 1.8% intraday and later closed 0.93% higher. Auto shares rose in today's session after major Indian automakers clocked sharply higher month-on-month sales increase in June, on back of pent-up demand, giving hopes revival in economic activity to investors. Stocks in news: Cadila, RIL, Muthoot Finance, Axis Bank, Affle India, HDFC Life Share Market LIVE: Sensex rises over 200 points, Nifty at 10,625; Sun Pharma, Axis Bank, Cipla top gainers Malaysia's aviation regulator has temporarily suspended pilots employed by domestic airlines who hold Pakistani licences, after the government of the South Asian nation revealed that many pilots had dubious qualifications. The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) said in a statement on Thursday that the decision came after an evaluation of all foreign pilots in Malaysia. The regulator told Reuters that there are less than 20 Pakistani pilots in the country. National carrier Malaysia Airlines said it does not have any Pakistani pilot, Malindo Air, the Malaysian arm of Indonesia's Lion Air, said it does not have any foreign pilots, and AirAsia said it does not have any Pakistani pilot. CAAM said the pilots were employed with "local operators", such as flying schools, flying clubs and training organisations. Pakistan last week grounded almost a third of its pilots after discovering they may have falsified their qualifications. Pakistan has a total of 860 pilots, 107 of whom work for foreign airlines. Global concern has mounted since the announcement, with countries grounding Pakistan pilots and seeking to verify their credentials. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has also suspended Pakistan International Airlines' authorisation to fly to the bloc for six months. CAAM said it is making efforts with its Pakistani counterpart to verify the authenticity of the licence holders. "Licence holders that are verified as valid by (the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority) will be reinstated immediately," it said. Also read: Scandal-hit PIA halts operation to Europe after EU ban on its flights for 6 months Also read: Vietnam grounds all Pakistani pilots over 'dubious' licence concerns National carrier Air India has slashed its fares by 25 to 45 per cent for Indian passengers stranded in the US and Canada under the Vande Bharat mission. According to a report by the Economic Times, passengers booking an economy ticket for a New York-Delhi flight will now pay roughly around Rs 75,461. Earlier, Air India was charging more than Rs 1.07 lakh on the same route. Similarly, a Toronto-Delhi economy class ticket of Air India flight is now for Rs 75,321 from the previous fare of Rs 1.37 lakh, the daily added. According to the daily, the air tickets were costlier earlier due to parking costs. Initially, because of the new norms, an aircraft had to be parked in the US for as long as 40 hours. Cross-subsidising of the Middle East flights is also another factor. Vande Bharat fares on flights to the Gulf were about 40-45 per cent cheaper than other charter flights. Earnings from the US and Canada flights were being used to cross-subsidise those flights. Additionally, passengers had also complained about the steep fares and booking glitches. The Government of India launched Vande Bharat Mission on May 7 to evacuate stranded Indians from abroad. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, around 4.75 lakh Indians have been brought back under this mission till now. Since May 7, Vande Bharat Mission has completed three phases. The fourth phase of the mission started from July 3 and will continue till July 15. Under Phase 4 of the Vande Bharat Mission, Air India will fly 114 flights while IndiGo and GoAir will operate 457 and 41 flights respectively. Air India will operate 114 flights to India from 17 countries including Canada, the US, the UK, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa, Russia, Australia, Myanmar, Japan, Ukraine and Vietnam. Also read: Coronavirus fallout: Ola, Zoomcar may reduce fleet size as demand stagnates Also read: ICMR aims to launch India's first coronavirus vaccine by August 15 KEY HIGHLIGHTS Zydus Cadila's vaccine candidate has received DGCI nod for human trials No safety concerns were also observed for the vaccine candidate in repeat dose toxicology studies DCGI was was fast to take all measures for clearance, including conducting an audit Zydus Cadila company hopes the vaccine to hit the market by early 2021 Pharma major Zydus Cadila announced on Friday its plasmid DNA vaccine candidate for COVID-19 developed indigenously at its Vaccine Technology Centre in Ahmedabad has successfully completed the preclinical phase and received permission from the Drug Controller General of India - Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to initiate Phase I/II (combined) human clinical trials. This makes it the second indigenous vaccine candidate to get DCGI approval for human trials, after Bharat Biotech-ICMR candidate. Zydus Cadila, which claims to have achieved this after extensive animal studies, says in a note that the vaccine was found to elicit strong immune response in multiple animal species like mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits. The antibodies produced by the vaccine were able to completely neutralise the wild type virus in virus neutralisation assay, indicating the protective potential of the vaccine candidate. No safety concerns were also observed for the vaccine candidate in repeat dose toxicology studies by both intramuscular and intradermal routes of administration. In rabbits, up to three times the intended human dose was found to be safe, well tolerated and immunogenic. Zydus sources tell BusinessToday.In, the company hopes to begin human trials in a week and if, all goes well, then conclude the Phase I/II trials on over 1,000 people by October-November, and thereafter start phase III. The company hopes to hit the market by early 2021. The DCGI was was fast to take all measures for clearance, including conducting an audit, inspection and a holding a committee meeting. The company has already manufactured clinical GMP batches of the vaccine candidate for clinical trials to be held across multiple sites in India on over 1,000 subjects. The note issued by the company says, "with ZyCoV-D, the company has successfully established the DNA vaccine platform in the country using non-replicating and non-integrating plasmid carrying the gene of interest making it very safe. Further, no vector response and with absence of any infectious agent, the platform provides ease of manufacturing the vaccine with minimal biosafety requirements (BSL-1). The platform is also known to show much improved vaccine stability and lower cold chain requirements making it easy for transportation to remotest regions of the country." What is also important, it says, is that "the platform can be rapidly used to modify the vaccine in couple of weeks in case the virus mutates to ensure that the vaccine still elicits protection." Zydus Cadila now intends to rapidly ramp up the production capacities of ZyCoV-D at multiple sites and facilities to cater to Indian and global demand. A senior official of the company, not wanting to be quoted, told BusinessToday.In that what stands out about the company is its track record as it was the first company in India to develop and indigenously manufacture the vaccine to combat swine flu in 2010. The vaccine technology centre of Zydus Cadila has wide range of capabilities in developing and manufacturing viral, toxoid, polysaccharide, conjugate and other subunit vaccines. Candidate for COVID-19 (ZyCoV-D) developed indigenously at its Vaccine Technology Centre in Ahmedabad, India has successfully completed the preclinical phase and has now received permission from the Drug Controller General of India - Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to initiate Phase I/II (combined) human clinical trials in India. This makes it the second indigenous vaccine candidate to get the DCGI approval for human trials, after the Bharat Biotech- ICMR candidate. Zydus Cadila, which claims to have achieved this after extensive animal studies, says in a note that in animal studies the vaccine was found to elicit a strong immune response in multiple animal species like mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits. The antibodies produced by the vaccine were able to completely neutralize the wild type virus in virus neutralization assay indicating the protective potential of the vaccine candidate. No safety concerns were also observed for the vaccine candidate in repeat dose toxicology studies by both intramuscular and intradermal routes of administration. In rabbits, up to three times the intended human dose was found to be safe, well tolerated and immunogenic. Zydus, sources tell Businesstoday.in, hopes to begin human trials in a week and if, all goes well, then hopes to conclude the Phase I/II trials on over 1000 people by October / November and thereafter get into phase III and hopefully hit the market by early 2021. According to sources in the company, the DCGI was quite nimble footed while looking at this and also attending to the rigorous exercise required, including conducting an audit, inspection and a committee meeting apart from all the other measures required. The company has already manufactured clinical GMP batches of the vaccine candidate for the clinical trials now to be held across multiple sites in India in over 1000 subjects. The note issued by the company says, "with ZyCoV-D, the company has successfully established the DNA vaccine platform in the country using non-replicating and non-integrating plasmid carrying the gene of interest making it very safe. Further, no vector response and with absence of any infectious agent, the platform provides ease of manufacturing the vaccine with minimal biosafety requirements (BSL-1). The platform is also known to show much improved vaccine stability and lower cold chain requirements making it easy for transportation to remotest regions of the country." What is also important, it says, is that "the platform can be rapidly used to modify the vaccine in couple of weeks in case the virus mutates to ensure that the vaccine still elicits protection." Zydus Cadila now intends to rapidly ramp up the production capacities of ZyCoV-D at multiple sites and facilities to cater to Indian and global demand. A senior official of the company, not wanting to be quoted, tells Businesstoday.in that what stands out about the company in the vaccine development is also its track record as it was the first company in India to develop and indigenously manufacture the vaccine to combat Swine Flu during the pandemic in 2010. The vaccine technology centre of Zydus Cadila has wide range of capabilities in developing and manufacturing viral, toxoid, polysaccharide, conjugate and other subunit vaccines for unmet needs. Highlights Short video platform Like has been taken down from Google Play Store and Apple App Store The company announced that the app will temporarily take down the app. Bigo Live, which is also owned by Bigo Technologies was removed from the Play Store and App Store. Short video platform Like, which was owned by Singapore-based Bigo Technologies, has been taken down from Google Play Store and Apple App Store to comply with the government's order, the company revealed. The company announced that the app will temporarily take down the app. Earlier, Bigo Live, which is also owned by Bigo Technologies was removed from the Play Store and App Store. Reacting to the ban imposed by the government, Like said in a statement, "The Government of India issued an interim order on 29 June 2020 to block 59 mobile apps, including Likee. We respect the Indian government's order and have temporarily taken off Likee from Google Play and App Store, and have suspended service in India until there is further clarity provided on this matter." "To obey government instruction, our R&D team worked around the clock to ensure the service shutdown. Likee is under Singapore-based BIGO Technology and we hold utmost priority to the compliance of all local laws as well as the privacy and data security of all our users. We will be working closely with the Indian government under the local legal framework," the statement read. The company also said that it would comply with all local laws and ensure the privacy and data security of its hundreds of thousands of users spread across India."We respect the Indian government's order and have temporarily taken off Likee from Google Play and App Store, and have suspended service in India until there is further clarity provided on this matter," the company said. Like was TikTok's less popular rival in India and the company claimed that it at one point in time was downloaded more than 400 million times in the country. The 59 Chinese apps that were banned by the government of India have also been removed from the Google Play Store and App Store. TikTok was the first one to get removed from both the platforms soon after it stopped working in India. Post which all the other apps were also delisted from the Play Store and App Store. The government's decision to ban the Chinese apps came days after the violent clashes between India and China at the Galwan Valley, which claimed the lives of many Indian soldiers. However, said that the reason behind banning the apps was security and privacy issues that were discovered in those apps. Chingari, a TikTok competitor, witnessed a sudden spike with over 5 million downloads in the last four days. Similarly, Khabri witnessed 80 per cent spike in downloads whereas Rooter has been growing 8x in daily users. Since the government of India banned 59 apps including TikTok and Helo, there has been a sudden incline and motivation amongst Indians to move towards the homegrown ecosystem, and download Indian apps. Industry experts believe that the temporary ban is just a small trigger of motivation to move towards the digital ecosystems of Atama Nirbhar India. Just like any other country, the current scenario is igniting us to think about helping each other and growing together as a nation. This is the biggest psychological factor behind the sudden rise of Indian apps. With an added focus on national pride and security, the current context is a great opportunity for Indians to grow together. Tapping a new audience, the app developers are leaving no stone unturned. Platforms are even luring TikTok influencers to migrate and are helping them monetise too. For instance, Khabri, with more than a million downloads, is turning out to be a great platform for creators in Hindi-speaking markets across India. With around 40,000 influencers already on the platform, the company has got over 5,000 new influences onboard in the last two days. "Influencers can join 'Earn With Khabri' programme through Khabri Studio App and make their channel on which they can start creating content and publish it on Khabri App. There is an opportunity to earn from day one through 'Gigs' in addition to regular monthly earning basis content consumption", says Sandeep Singh, Co-Founder and President, Khabri. Industry experts believe that most apps similar to Tiktok, such as Mitron, Chingari, ROPOSO are getting organic downloads because of the positive 'Atma Nirbhar' sentiment in India. People are also naming them as 'Revenge Download'. "Brand advertisements or mentions are the primary channels of influencer revenue and TikTok ban has taken it away from the influencers. The content format was unique and as such an immediate transfer of an influencer's audience to another existing platform would help," says Ankit Chaudhari, Co-Founder at Aiisma. A hyper-local social platform, Aiisma creates opportunities for influencers to recreate brand content in their way and shape and market it to the audience following them 360 content format including video, pictures and opinions with rewards or compensation align into each. But it isn't as easy as it looks. "Investment from brands is always directly proportional to the content consumption pattern of the consumers. Brands must only invest money in the platforms which attract and are consumed by their target audience. Similarly, influencers always opt for platforms that have a wider reach and diverse earning opportunities. On average, TikTok is currently less than 1 per cent of the total digital ad spends in India so other apps can look into SaaS-based models to make more revenue within India," says Honey Singh, co-founder, #ARM Worldwide. "I have been managing TikTok influencers for a long time now, and by seeing their commitment and dedication towards the platform, I don't think they would be switching to any other competitive application anytime soon. Many of them already have good followership on platforms like Instagram and YouTube so they will concentrate to work on those platforms and be connected with their fans until TikTok is back," avers Ardasa Satsangi, Founder, Naked Media. Prateek Rana with 1.6 million followers on TikTok echoes the same sentiment. "Switching to any other competitive platform is not a good idea. I will post on Instagram only until TikTok comes back, and will start my YouTube channel," says Rana. While the Indian app players boasting about the increase in the number of app downloads and registrations, they still have a long way to go as for now the major opportunities are being shifted to YouTube and Instagram. Search giant Google has released the list of what Indians searched the most in the month of June. Surprisingly, while the coronavirus searches have dropped, late actor Sushant Singh Rajput turned out to be the top trending topic on Google. Google's June trend search report showed some interesting insights. Post the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput on June 14, the late actor was the top trending topic across India. Other overall trending topics included the solar eclipse on June 21 which saw an increase of 4,550 per cent and Father's Day search was up by 1,050 per cent. Even though the cases of COVID-19 are on a rise, coronavirus centric searches over the month have dropped by 66 per cent from May, but volumes remain more than double that of February. Google says the top trending coronavirus searches have been: "?????? ?????? / coronavirus news" which saw a spike of 3,450 per cent and vaccine for coronavirus latest update search was up by 1,350 per cent. The most searched coronavirus vaccine-related topics included "Patanjali corona medicine", "Global vaccine summit" and "Dexamethasone". Trending questions for coronavirus in June were which mask is best for coronavirus, how did New Zealand defeat coronavirus, is coronavirus weakening, when the vaccine for coronavirus in India, how many days symptoms of coronavirus, what treatment for coronavirus in India, how many days coronavirus stay in your body, what is the body temperature in coronavirus disease patients, how many deaths from coronavirus in all world and will the coronavirus ever end. Top 10 states ranked by search interest for coronavirus in June were Goa, Delhi, Chandigarh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Tripura, Punjab and Uttarakhand Highlights TikTok had said that it has no plans to take legal action against the ban. The company denied all the reports and said that it is complying with regulations of the government of India. The government of India announced the ban on apps including UC Browser, TikTok, CamScanner, Shareit. Ever since the government of India announced a ban on 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, several reports have claimed that TikTok plans to take legal action against the ban in India. However, the company has now refuted the claims that suggest it will pursue legal action against the Indian government for banning the app. The government of India dropped a major bomb when it announced the ban on apps including UC Browser, TikTok, CamScanner, Shareit. "There have been statements in the press concerning the possibility that TikTok might pursue legal action regarding the directive by the Government of India. We have no plans to pursue such action," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement. Reports had claimed that Bytedance along with Alibaba, Tencent and UC Browser had discussed pursuing a legal action internally. However, the company denied all the reports and said that it is complying with regulations of the government of India. "We are committed to working with the government to address its concerns. We comply with the laws and regulations of the Government of India. Ensuring the data sovereignty, security and privacy of our users has always been and will continue to be a top priority for us," the spokesperson added. This comes a day after all the TikTok and other apps were removed from the Google Play Store and App Store. "While we continue to review the interim orders from the Government of India, we have notified the affected developers and have temporarily blocked access to the apps that remained available on the Play Store in India." Google had said about the removal of the apps from the Play Store. Earlier, while addressing the TikTok employees in India, CEO Kevin Mayer had called the ban an "unfortunate challenge in India". He had said, "These are unprecedented times but we remain committed to supporting the welfare of our TikTok creator community till this interim order is in effect. Our creator managers are actively engaging with our top creators to reassure them of our efforts and updates about the path forward." The government's move to ban the Chinese apps came days after the violent clashes between India and China at the Galwan Valley, which claimed the lives of several Indian soldiers. While it was being speculated that the clashes at the valley have led to the ban, the government said that the step was taken due to safety reasons as these 59 apps were found to be engaged in "activities prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, the security of the state and public order." Business group Dublin Chamber has called on the new Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan to expedite the delivery of the Finglas Luas extension and the DART Underground project. Dublin Chamber, the representative body for businesses in the Dublin region, made the call in a letter to the new Minister earlier this week. In the letter, the Chamber urged the Minister to follow through on already-underway projects such as MetroLink, BusConnects and the DART Expansion Scheme. The Chamber said that ambitious, concerted investment in new transport infrastructure is needed to revitalise the economy and ensure that Dublin's transport system is ready to cope with both existing demand and future growth. Furthermore, Dublin Chamber has pinpointed the proposed 4km extension of the Luas Green line to Finglas as a project which could easily be advanced and brought to construction in the short term. The Chamber said the Finglas extension, which would run from Broombridge to Charlestown in Finglas, would help reduce the number of car journeys in Dublin. According to Dublin Chambers Head of Public Affairs, Fergus Sharpe said, "Over the past few years, considerable work has been done to progress a number of key major transport projects. We cannot afford to let this progress stall. Now is the time to press on with the projects currently at an advanced stage in the planning process and to also start work on the proper planning of other much-needed schemes such as DART Underground and Luas extensions. We have dates for the start and completion of the MetroLink and BusConnects projects. It is really important that these dates are not allowed to slip." He added, "We also now need full project timelines to be published for the DART Underground rail line which will run between Connolly and Heuston stations - a missing rail link we have been talking about building for almost 50 years. At the very least, the new Government needs to get DART Underground shovel-ready by the end of its term of office." Source: www.businessworld.ie A green algae bloom has again reached the shoreline of Qingdao, marking the 15th straight year the algae have invaded the eastern Chinese citys waters. On June 12, the local government issued the lowest-level emergency response warning for the bloom. Workers are trying to fight off the algae by placing nets along the coast to prevent it from reaching shore. And when it does, they are using bulldozers to remove it Jun 21, 2021 03:53 PM St. Johnsbury, VT (05819) Today Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. A few storms may be severe. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. A few storms may be severe. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. CAMEROUN :: Two entire human skeletons seized from traffickers :: CAMEROON Two human parts traffickers were arrested in Foumbot during an operation carried out by the Foumbot Gendarmerie brigade and the Foumbot Forestry and Wildlife Control Post. Two entire human skeletons were seized from the traffickers who were just about to sell the human remains. The arrest was the result of an investigation into illegal wildlife trafficking in the region. The operation was carried out with the technical assistance of LAGA; a non-governmental organization specialized in wildlife law enforcement. The two young men were found in possession of human bones lodged in two suitcases. One of the traffickers travelled all the way from Ambam in the South Region to sell the bones. Gendarmerie officials who carried out the arrest say the bones were unearthed in Ndikan, a village near Foumbot and the traffickers have clients of in the country and abroad. During the arrest, one of the traffickers violently resisted, but was quickly brought under control by gendarmes. The two suspects are currently under custody awaiting trial. This is the second time in just about a month when traffickers have been arrested in Foumbot with human remains. Three were arrested in May this year with a human remains and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment. In 2012, Djoum wildlife officials in collaboration with the gendarmerie and with technical assistance from LAGA arrested five men with elephant parts and human body parts. Human bone and organs trafficking is reportedly on the rise in the Noun region and several individuals have recently been arrested for their involvement in the crimes. A child was also recovered alive from kidnappers on the same day of the arrest of the three human bone traffickers by the gendarmerie. In January 2020, a gang of 4 suspected human bone traffickers were arrested in Koutaba. They had profaned a tomb for the sum of 10 million FCFA. article $100.00 / for 365 days Sponsored Content Articles Policy & Procedure Only content submissions which satisfy our conditions for publication will be published. The fee for publication via this portal is $100. This fee is non-refundable. To accomplish your publication purchase, you must be logged-in as a website user: https://www.capemaycountyherald.com/users/signup This purchase is for online publication only. If print publication is also desired, please proceed with the purchase of online publication and contact Advertise@cmcHerald.com regarding print publication. By default, approved/paid submissions will be published to the "Lifestyle" section of the website. Requests for other urls/sections deemed relevant to the submission will be honored. Submissions may contain links including do-follow links. Published submissions will remain published for as long as the website remains active, presumably at least one year. 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By initiating this transaction, the submitter assumes any and all liability associated with publication of the submitted content (e.g., infringement, licensing) and agrees to defend and hold the Publisher harmless. remaining of Thank you for reading! This is your last free article before you will be asked to subscribe. Already have a paid subscription? Sign in * Username This is the name that will be used to identify you within the system. Choose wisely! * First name * Last name Your real name will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more! * Email Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. We won't share it with anyone else. * Password Create a password that only you will remember. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. Do you have an athlete in mind that contributes to the team or sport, holds sportsmanship and team spirit, has epic playmaker moments and/or in general makes the the sports fun? If yes, please make your nominations for our edition of Athlete Spotlight. CLICK TO NOMINATE President Donald Trump swings a baseball bat during the Spirit of America Showcase at the White House, Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and consider subscribing for only $7 per month to get access to more articles and news as it happens. Photo: File photo Vancouver police were quick to nab a Surrey man who was attacking people at random Tuesday afternoon. VPD Const. Tania Visintin said police arrested the 19-year-old man for attempted robbery, assault and assault with a weapon. Visintin said the man allegedly approached two men in an underground parking lot near Columbia Street and West 2nd Avenue just after 3:30 p.m. and demanded money from them. The men called police and the suspect ran away. The suspect then accosted a passenger in a stopped vehicle. The passenger fought the suspect off and the driver drove away. When officers arrived on scene, the suspect appeared to grab an elderly man, threatening him with a knife. Officers were able to free the victim and there were no injuries to the victim or suspect. This was a dangerous and dynamic situation, said Visintin, VPD. Officers arrived on scene very quickly and thankfully, no one was injured. Photo: The Canadian Press Michael Bay attends the world premiere of "A Quiet Place Part II" in New York. The union that represents film actors told its members Thursday not to work on the upcoming pandemic thriller Songbird, saying the filmmakers have not been up-front about safety measures and had not signed the proper agreements for the movie that is among the first in production after coronavirus closures. Actors had reportedly been rehearsing remotely for the film produced by Michael Bay and directed by Adam Mason. The films pre-production listing on IMDbPro.com says its stars include Demi Moore, Peter Stormare and Craig Robinson, and gives the description, In a post-pandemic world, an even more serious virus continues to mutate. But the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Actors issued a do-not-work order to its members, saying the production company has failed to complete the signatory process, and working on the film could result in disciplinary action. The producers have not been transparent about their safety protocols and that is something we obviously take very seriously," a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson said in a statement. "Also, as noted in the Do Not Work order, the producers have not yet become signatory to our agreement. We have no further comment. The small film was among the first to attempt to resume production after the long closure. California Gov. Gavin Newsom gave film and television productions the green light to resume shooting in the state starting June 12, so long as strict coronavirus restrictions were in place. Messages seeking comment from the film's production companies and representatives for Bay and Mason were not immediately returned. One of the companies, Invisible Narrative, told Deadline, We are actively working to resolve this paperwork issue with the guild. Photo: The Canadian Press Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he believes U.S. presidential hopeful Joe Biden can be swayed into supporting the Keystone XL pipeline. Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at Alexis Dupont High School in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, June 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Patrick Semansky Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he believes United States presidential hopeful Joe Biden can be swayed to supporting the Keystone XL pipeline. The presumptive Democratic nominee has vowed to rip up President Donald Trump's approval of the Alberta-to-Texas crude oil conduit if his party wins back the White House this fall. Kenney says his government would be reaching out to Democrats who support the project, as well as unions with members who would be put to work building it. The premier says he believes those allies would impress upon Biden's campaign the importance of the project to North American energy independence and national security. He adds the federal government should remind Biden's team that cancelling the $8 billion pipeline expansion would mean a "terrible blow" to the Canada-U.S. trading relationship. Kenney made his remarks at a TC Energy pipe yard in Oyen, Alta., where he and industry officials celebrated the beginning of construction on the pipeline's Canadian segment. "We will use every tool at our disposal to get this project done," the premier said Friday. He said that involves doing what the province can to help TC Energy fight U.S. court battles against the project and stepping up Alberta's presence south of the border, including with a new office in Houston. Keystone XL is an expansion to an existing pipeline network to increase the flow of Alberta heavy oil to Gulf Coast refineries by up to 830,000 barrels a day. It was first proposed in 2008 and has been dealt a litany of legal and regulatory setbacks over the years. It has been met with fierce opposition on environmental grounds. Calgary-based TC Energy green-lighted Keystone XL in March, following the Alberta government's pledge to take a $1.5 billion equity stake and provide a $6 billion loan guarantee to ensure work started immediately. "This is about leadership and you can't do that without taking risks," Kenney said. "And so we have taken a conscious risk to get construction started, to create facts on the ground and we look forward to working with the many key leaders in the United States to support that." To me the reaction by senior RCMP managers to recent videos showing police officers beating people up is more disturbing than the actual violence to the citizens involved. Comments citing that these were normal police responses is absolute nonsense and shows me that there is something seriously wrong with the RCMP. It makes you wonder what goes on when there is no video evidence available. Now the RCMP are very concerned about the video dragging a young female student down the hall at UBC in Kelowna. Concerned about what? The dragging, the stepping on the head, the hair pulling? Now the police from Abbotsford are going to investigate. This in my opinion is part of the problem. An unbiased fair review will be forthcoming I am sure. Perhaps the next time there is a problem with gangs in Vancouver we send in a gang from Winnipeg to investigate and give us an unbiased fair review. Something needs to change. Maybe its time for us as citizens to give the RCMP an unbiased fair review. It is long overdue! Patrick Boyle, Kelowna Photo: The Canadian Press A police robot is shown near a pickup truck inside the grounds of Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Thursday, July 2, 2020. The RCMP say they have safely resolved an "incident" at Rideau Hall, where Gov. Gen. Julie Payette and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau live.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld An image linked to a COVID-19 conspiracy theory was posted to the social media pages of a company owned by a Manitoba man 35 minutes before he allegedly drove a truck through a gate at Ottawa's Rideau Hall. The photo about "Event 201" was posted on social media pages for Corey Hurren's GrindHouse Fine Foods, a company known for selling spicy sausage. "Event 201" refers to a pandemic training exercise that has been used by conspiracy theorists about the global health crisis. Facebook and Instagram accounts for GrindHouse also shared many recent images about COVID-19, with jokes about whether the year could get worse. "I was quite shocked," Swan River mayor Lance Jacobson said Friday after learning 46-year-old Hurren had been arrested in Ottawa on Thursday. Hurren appeared in court Friday afternoon on 22 charges, including possession of a restricted weapon and uttering threats. Swan River, located 385 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, is a small community where everyone knows everyone, Jacobson added. Hurren moved back to the community about one year ago, said Jacobson. Online posts about Hurren say he grew up in the area. Hurren also worked with the Swan River Patrol of the Canadian Rangers, said Jacobson. The patrol was formed in the community about two years ago, the mayor said. The community is surrounded by two forests and thick brush and the patrol helps in emergencies and with searches. Online posts also say that as a ranger Hurren was involved in a hunt in northern Manitoba last summer for two suspected killers from British Columbia. "I found out a few months later when I went up as one of the instructors for the Wilderness Survival course that the training area used by the Gillam Patrol was only about 10 km away from where the manhunt subjects were found, just on the other side of the highway where we went into the bush," said a GrindHouse post in January. Social media accounts also say Hurren was a veteran of the Royal Canadian Artillery and a resume posted online on tripod.com says he served from 1997 to 2000. The resume adds that Hurren went to Brandon University for computer science in 1994 and trained at Northwest Law Enforcement Academy in 2002. In 2004, he enrolled in distance learning at Red River College in Winnipeg, again for computer sciences. The resume says Hurren worked in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba as a doorman and in bar security before he started in the meat industry in Swan River in 2005. He started his own company there in 2014. The sausage Hurren made through GrindHouse was very popular with local snowmobilers, said Walter Pacamaniuk, reeve of the rural municipality of Mintonas-Bowsman. He said Hurren called the area home for about 10 years before moving to Swan River. He worked at the local grocery store and seemed pleasant, Pacamaniuk added. The reeve said he learned Hurren had been arrested in Ottawa when people called to tell him photos of the truck involved in the attack had Manitoba licence plates. Photos also showed a leather jacket with a logo for the local rodeo inside the truck. Bill Gade, a councillor for the Municipality of Swan Valley West and owner of the local radio station, said Hurren has a wife and children in the community. He seemed like "a nice normal guy," said Gade. The radio station started a GoFundMe page late Thursday to support Hurren's family. Gade said community members want to help his family and don't condone the alleged crime. "His wife and kids woke up this morning and are facing the reality dad's not coming home for a long time," Gade said. Medical student Kimberly Olivares, left, takes a sample from a patient at a free COVID-19 testing site provided by United Memorial Medical Center, Sunday, June 28, 2020, at the Mexican Consulate, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) CDCs NHANES team provided the Washington, DC, Department of Forensic Sciences with its mobile examination center for COVID-19 testing. Photo courtesy of Bruce Guthrie. resize icon View Larger Close CDCs NHANES team provided the Washington, DC, Department of Forensic Sciences with its mobile examination center for COVID-19 testing. Photo courtesy of Bruce Guthrie. The staff at CDCs National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) are not the kind of people who sit on the sidelines even during a global pandemic. On a typical day, you might find them on streets across the United States in one of their mobile examination centers. This fleet of mobile laboratories trailers is fully equipped so that staff can conduct physical exams and perform laboratory tests on the spot. Data collected from these in-person exams help NHANES track national rates of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, STDs, hearing loss, osteoporosis, and more. In the face of COVID-19, NHANES was suspended and the mobile units temporarily shuttered as the country moved toward social distancing and staying at home. Meanwhile, drive-up testing centers and other screening sites sprang up everywhere to meet a new need for more COVID-19 tests. NHANES staff quickly decided to turn down another path and provide this much needed service. We realized that there were people out there who needed COVID-19 tests, but they may not be able to get to a doctors office or even to one of the drive-up testing sites, says Cynthia Ogden, who leads a team of researchers at NHANES. We also realized that we might be in a perfect position to help those people. We had this resource that was really untapped, adds Jessica Graber, who handles operations. Not only did we have regularly used mobile units which were no longer being used to collect data when the pandemic hit, but we also had access to several other units in storage. We wanted to take advantage of those resources. With everyones work, the NHANES fleet didnt stay idle for long. Cynthia began sending out a flurry of emails asking if anyone could use the NHANES truck or the trailers. As a graduate of CDCs Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), she knew she could tap into a broad network of fellow EIS graduates, many of whom now held positions in public health offices across the country. At the same time, others began the huge task of reviving the trailers that had been in storage and preparing the mobile units. Staff worked to get the unused vehicles ready to go and to get labs inside the mobile units prepared and certified for COVID-19 testing. Cynthias flurry of emails soon paid off. Washington, DCs Department of Forensic Sciences, which handles all the COVID-19 testing for the area, was interested in what NHANES could offer. The two groups came together and decided to begin with the truck. They enlisted the help of other District of Columbia public health officials and the public works department to drive it to nursing homes in the area for rapid testing. Right now, staff on the truck can conduct about 50 nasal swab tests in four hours, says laboratory expert Renee Storandt. They will soon be adding more of the quicker instruments to increase that. With this success, the Washington, DC, team requested two of the trailers to use for antibody testing. Two more trailers are headed to the Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Health, and the NHANES team continues to reach out to more states. What started with a good idea was put into action in a matter of weeks and with equipment that would have otherwise sat unused. Im so happy that were able to do something very concrete that will help people, Cynthia says. Recently, the Smithsonian Institution noted the importance of this work by including a picture of the truck in a series of photos for their archives on the pandemic. Putting the NHANES mobile exam centers into service has truly been a team effort, both within NHANES and with many others working tirelessly to fight the pandemic at the state and local levels. As Renee sums it up: Collaboration is the key to combatting COVID-19. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, or activate your access, to continue reading. 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 Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions Final preparations are underway for the execution of Harold Wayne Nichols, who was convicted in Hamilton County Criminal Court of the rape and murder of Karen Pulley in 1988. The execution is currently set for 7 p.m. on Aug. 4. The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) is now accepting applications from recognized Tennessee news organizations to serve as statutorily required witnesses for the scheduled execution. Seven media witnesses and two alternates will be selected by the Tennessee Department of Correction during a drawing to be held at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. The drawing will take place on Friday, July 17, at 9 a.m. (CST) Nichols is now 59 and has long been on Death Row. The Tennessee Court of Appeals last October ruled that Nichols, who was also convicted of the rape and assault of several other women, would remain on death row. Nichols had appealed a decision of Judge Don Ash, who dismissed his post-conviction appeal. Judge Ash ruled against Nichols and denied an evidentiary hearing, though the district attorney's office had agreed to enter into a settlement agreement that would change his status to life in prison. The Court of Criminal Appeals said Judge Ash had the authority to dismiss the case without a hearing and to disregard the settlement. Nichols pled guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated rape and first-degree burglary in 1990 in the courtroom of Judge Doug Meyer. A jury imposed the death penalty. The appeals court said, "The proof showed that on the night of September 30, 1988, (Petitioner) broke into the house where the 21-year-old-victim, Karen Pulley, lived with two roommates in the Brainerd area of Chattanooga, Tennessee. After finding Pulley home alone in her upstairs bedroom, (Petitioner) tore her undergarments from her and violently raped her. Because of her resistance during the rape, he forcibly struck her at least twice in the head with a two-by-four he had picked up after entering the house. After the rape, (Petitioner), while still struggling with the victim, struck her again several times with great force in the head with the two-by four. The next morning, one of Karen Pulleys roommates discovered her alive and lying in a pool of blood on the floor next to her bed. Pulley died the next day. "Three months after the rape and murder, a Chattanooga police detective questioned [Petitioner] about Pulleys murder while he was in the custody of the East Ridge police department on unrelated charges. It was at this point that (Petitioner) confessed to the crime. This videotaped confession provided the only link between (Petitioner) and the Pulley rape and murder. The evidence showed that, until his arrest in January 1989, (Petitioner) roamed the city at night and, when energized, relentlessly searched for vulnerable female victims. At the time of trial, [Petitioner] had been convicted on five charges of aggravated rape involving four other Chattanooga women. These rapes had occurred in December 1988 and January 1989, within three months after Pulleys rape and murder." The court also said, "In June of 2016, Petitioner moved to reopen his post conviction petition on the basis that the Supreme Courts decision in Johnson v. United States, __ U.S. __, 135 S. Ct. 2551 (2015), announced a new rule of constitutional law requiring retroactive application. The post-conviction court granted the motion to reopen, but after Petitioner amended his petition and asserted additional claims, the post conviction court denied relief without a hearing. "On appeal, Petitioner argues (1) that the sole aggravating circumstance supporting his death sentence is unconstitutionally vague under Johnson; (2) that a judge, rather than a jury, determined facts in imposing the death penalty in violation of Hurst v. Florida, __ U.S. __, 136 S. Ct. 616 (2016), a new rule of constitutional law requiring retroactive application; (3) that the State committed prosecutorial misconduct at Petitioners sentencing hearing, along with a related ineffective assistance of trial counsel claim; (4) that the post-conviction court erred in canceling the scheduled evidentiary hearing without notice and a fair opportunity to be heard; (5) that the post-conviction court erred in denying the parties proposed settlement agreement to vacate the death sentence and enter a judgment of life imprisonment; and (6) that Petitioners death sentence is invalid due to the cumulative effect of the asserted errors. "Following our review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court." During World War II it was a common practice to have some type of insignia or saying on the nose of a bomber that reflected some correlation to a hometown or person of the crew. On July 3, 1942, Laurence Durwood Sies graduated from training as an Aviation Cadet and was designated as a pilot in the Army Air Force. The Peerless Clipper was one of these and was purchased as a result of War Bond sales by the Peerless Woolen Mills of Rossville, Georgia, across the state line near Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was a B-24 bomber in the 449 Bomb Group 717, Bomb Squadron and the plane was initially assigned to the crew of Chattanooga native Sies. who operated Sies Electric Company in Chattanooga on 11Street after the war until his death. According to his daughter, Katie Henderson, Sies flew 52 missions during the war. Twenty-five missions were the normal limit before being transferred to another plane. The plane was lost on April 2, 1944 over Steyr, Austria located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. The aircraft flew into a mid-air collision resulting from a rocket attack by Lufwaffe fighters which shot down two other bombers, Miss Behavin and Superstitious Al-o-ysius." The plane then was piloted by 1st Lt. Jake Kury and all 11 members of his crew perished and only one man survived out of the 31 men flying in the three planes. Sies would survive the war and raise four daughters. He lost his rank when he flew under the Market Street Bridge in a P51 Mustang on a lark. He moved up the ranks from 2nd Lt. to Major, but as a result of his under the bridge caper was demoted back to Captain. According to his son-in-law, Dave Pope, who married Sies youngest daughter Laura, after serving his 25 missions on the Peerless Clipper, Sies transferred to the O.S.S. which was the predecessor to the present-day CIA. He flew a B-24 bomber at night in an aircraft that had no numbers and was painted black. The plane's duties included dropping money, propaganda pamphlets and French Nationals of the resistance fighters in occupied France who would be parachuted into their native country. For his military service, Sies was awarded several decorations while serving in the Air Force. They included the Distinguished Flying Cross American, Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Cross France, Silver Star Croix DeGuerre, American Theater Metal, Distinguished Service Medal, European Theater Metal and others. It is another story about a Chattanooga young man and his Rossville Peerless Woolen Mill connection that is part of the military legacy of our community. * * * Jerry Summers (If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com Police said individuals that were involved in the murder of Robert Dowdy on June 22 recorded a Facebook Live Video that ended just before gunfire broke out toward the 31-year-old victim and a second man. The video was on the Facebook page of Montrell Crayton (Freeman), 22, who was arrested in Knoxville early Wednesday morning for murder and attempted murder. Tremaine Marquis Dillard, 20, was arrested in the same fatal shooting. Police said they responded at 3:58 p.m. to 101 W. 38th St. Robert Dowdy was found with a gunshot wound to his chest. Officers at the scene were informed that Brandon Rakestraw, 24, had also been shot in the pelvis and the injury was life threatening. He arrived at Erlanger Hospital by personal vehicle. Robert Dowdy died at the hospital after being taken by ambulance. Officers found blood and broken glass outside the 9 Brothers business. Multiple shell casings (9 mm and .223) were located in the roadway. Video footage was obtained that shows the incident occurring at 3:57 p.m. A silver Nissan Rogue with a broken/missing rear window wiper is seen driving east on W. 38th. A black male wearing a green hoodie is seen sitting on the driver side passenger door shooting over the vehicle. There appeared to be gunfire coming from the passenger side as well. The vehicle then fled the scene, continuing east on W. 38th. Video surveillance was obtained from the Bayberry Apartments on Windsor Street. It shows Crayton, Dillard and a third male getting into a silver Nissan Rogue at 3:10 p.m. Dillard gets into the driver's seat and Crayton into the front passenger seat. The third male is in the left rear passenger seat. This silver Nissan Rogue has the same broken/missing rear window wiper, police said. The Facebook Live video starts at 3:50 p.m. It shows the same three people sitting in the same positions and wearing the same clothes as at the Bayberry. A fourth male is now sitting in the right rear passenger seat. Crayton, Dillard and the third male are each seen brandishing what appear to be semi-automatic pistols. When the video ends it shows them heading west on W. 37th Street. Police said at approximately 3:55 p.m. a silver Nissan Rogue is seen traveling east in the 200 block of W. 38th Street. It returns a minute later going east on W. 38th. Police had located the Nissan Rogue an hour after the shooting. They were told that Crayton had taken the vehicle and Dillard had returned it about 30 minutes after the shooting. Police said multiple latent finger prints were found in the vehicle for each individual and were located at the spots they were sitting at the time of the shooting. 90 Day Fiance stars Andrei Castravet and Elizabeth Potthast Castravet have often navigated challenges in their marriage due to their cultural and personal differences. Andrei, a 33-year-old from Moldova, often pushed back against his 29-year-old American wifes more free-spirited choices, like drinking and partying at her bachelorette party. He has also frequently clashed with her family, as they seemed to believe he was stubborn and controlling. In a sneak peek of an upcoming episode of the fifth season of TLCs 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After, Andrei and Elizabeth had a tiff over packing and time management as they got ready to head off for their second wedding in Andreis home country. Andrei insisted that, unlike his more emotional wife, he was calm and rational. Andrei Castravet and Elizabeth Potthast Castravet with their baby Eleanor | Elizabeth Potthast Castravet via Instagram RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Elizabeth Struggles To Find a Dress That Covers Her Cleavage For Her Moldovan Wedding Elizabeth complained that Andrei didnt help her pack for their trip to Moldova In the 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After sneak peek, Elizabeth explained that she and Andrei were prepping for their long flight to Moldova. In a week, she said, her family would join them in Andreis home country. Soon afterward, Andrei and Elizabeth would have their second wedding and baby Eleanors baptism in Andreis church. While she was excited about the wedding, Elizabeth added that she was worried about the process of packing for the three-week trip. I am so nervous, because packing, or trying to get anything done in general with a baby, is very challenging, she said. The 90 Day Fiance star added that she couldnt usually rely on her husband for help with the baby along the way. I have to make sure that shes not crawling off the bed, and that she stays put, and she doesnt put stuff in her mouth, Elizabeth said. And meanwhile, Andrei just, like, sits there, like a bump on a log. When she finished packing her own suitcase, Elizabeth asked if Andrei was ready, too. Her husband began to brag about his superior packing abilities. Well, I have to pack mine, and just check this out. Its gonna take me, like, five minutes, because I know what Im packing, he said confidently. If youre an organized person, you have a bunch of jeans already prepared. Andrei accused his wife of not being able to manage time well as they packed Andrei told 90 Day Fiance producers that his wife was too easily stressed. Elizabeth is getting stressed, because shes not capable of managing time, he argued bluntly. And were late, and she cant do things when shes in a rush. By contrast, Andrei claimed, he was the picture of calm capability under stress. In this kind of situation, Im the only whos usually more calm and rational, he explained. I dont put my emotions in front of my brain, and I handle things. The couple bickered about their different approaches to packing. Elizabeth began to chuckle as Andrei showed a little more emotion than he originally claimed he would. Damn, this is annoying! he exclaimed in frustration as he struggled to close his suitcase. What is wrong with this f***ing suitcase? If you wouldve folded it right, it wouldve fit, Elizabeth retorted laughingly. All right, Mrs. Perfect, Andrei responded sarcastically. The 90 Day Fiance couple was both excited and nervous about their second wedding Despite their bickering, Elizabeth and Andrei were excited as they boarded the plane to Moldova. Elizabeth explained that she was most excited about her daughter meeting her grandparents on the other side of her family. As for Andrei, he told 90 Day Fiance producers that he was excited for the first chance to see his family or visit his home country in more than two years. Ive been thinking about this second wedding for a long time, and now that Im going there, its very, very exciting, he said. Elizabeth is coming around already, and she realized that this wedding is for both of us. Its not just for me. Still, there were a few kinks left to iron outlike the wedding venue, which the couple still hadnt decided on. Im just slightly stressed about the wedding, because we dont know where were getting married, so thats a thing, Elizabeth pointed out nervously. Whats more, Andrei and Elizabeth werent sure how their families would get along, given their very different backgrounds and personalities. Most importantly, our families are coming together for the first time, so that should be an event in itself, Elizabeth said apprehensively. That should be interesting, Andrei agreed, with a touch of trepidation about the potential drama to come. 90 Day Fiance star Tania Maduro has never been a fan favorite. In fact, many were shocked by how she treated her South African lover, Syngin Colchester, during their time together on the show. Notably, Maduro left Colchester behind in the United States for 30 out of his 90 days for an herbal retreat in Costa Rica. Now, with the two filming a new season together, many are wondering what happened to Maduros herbalism goals. These days, Maduro seems to be tending bar instead. Tania Maduro left Syngin Colchester behind RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Fans Speculate Tania Maduro Received Bad Edit, Syngin Colchester Not So Reliable During 90 Day Fiance, folks on the show have 90 days to make their relationship work in order to obtain a visa. Typically, couples spend the entire stint of time together, getting to know each other and making sure theyre on the same page. Tania Maduro had other plans, however. During Syngin Colchesters 90-day visit to the United States, she decided to take an herbal retreat in Costa Rica. The retreat was about 30 days long, meaning one-third of her time with Colchester was spent solo in Costa Rica. At the time, Colchester was not happy to be left behind in the U.S. He was stuck living in a small shed behind Maduros mothers home. He told Maduro, Im literally around everything that is yours. Im all alone in the backwoods of America, you knowSo I am not at all looking forward to staying here by myself. I kind of feel lost and it sucks. During her time in Costa Rica, Colchester wanted Maduro to call at night to chat and make sure shes doing fine. Maduro felt stifled by this request, and refused to do so, claiming Colchester was too clingy compared to other men shes dated. Tania Maduro receives bad news about bartending job Interestingly, viewers recently discovered that Tania Maduros work isnt exactly herbally focused these days. In fact, the 90 Day Fiance star has been tending bar. During a recent episode, Maduro received some bad news from her doctor. Unfortunately, Tania Maduro was in a car accident that resulted in her having to attend physical therapy to restore mobility. Maduro visited her doctor for foot x-rays and an MRI. The doctor explained that Maduros foot was crushed as a result of the accident. He told her, It hasnt shown any arthritis yet, but after maybe two years, youll probably begin to notice that arthritis. He also explained that her knee shows a lot of bruised bone, meaning shell not be able to return to work bartending for quite some time. This could be problematic, as Maduro and Syngin Colchester do seem to be a little tight on funds. 90 Day Fiance fans confused over bartending work Syngin Colchester and Tania Maduro of 90 Day Fiance |syngin_colchester via Instagram 90 Day Fiance fans have been less than forgiving towards Tania Maduro after her first season on the show with Syngin Colchester. Some have started pointing out that Maduro is tending bars instead of doing anything with her herbalism retreat in Costa Rica. One Redditor posted, Why is [Tania] so concerned about not being able to bartend? She said her mind is racing trying to think of what she could do for work. Um isnt that why she went to her [herbal medicine] classes? Isnt that supposed to be her career? Im not watching their season, but she has a f*cking bachelors degree, she could find a desk job so she wouldnt be on her feet. Yea, the money wont be as good as it would be bartending, but at least it would be something, added another user. Had this exact same thought tonight[.] She was so insistent and adamant about taking that trip for nothing it seems, opined another Redditor. Phoebe Waller-Bridges Fleabag blew up when it premiered, and for good reason. It introduced such a messy, relatable character in Waller-Bridges lead, and then also didnt shy away from her bad bits. Not to mention, her breaking the fourth wall didnt feel out of place or gimmicky. But the two-season show came with a little warning from Waller-Bridges brother. Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag Season 2 | Steve Schofield RELATED: There Was a Fleabag/Normal People Crossover You Probably Missed; It Involves Singing (and the Hot Priest) Waller-Bridges Fleabag started off as a monologue The Golden Globe and Emmy-award winning show started off as a monologue. Waller-Bridge performed her 10-minute monologue at the local fringe festival by Deborah Frances-White in 2012, according to Backstage.com. It was a terrific show. Everyone smashed it. Then Phoebe came out and perched on the edge of her promised high stoolwhich I had bought especiallyeyes alight as if she were about to make a hilarious prank phone call, Frances-White told the Henley Standard in 2019. It was the first time Waller-Bridge had performed something like this for an audience, although it didnt seem like they noticed. Id written a few short plays but hadnt written anything near a standup, solo thing, she told Backstage.com. The idea was it had to be somewhere between the two. I said, No, absolutely not, thats terrifying, The stage play made Waller-Bridges brother uncomfortable Fleabag then turned into an hour-long play, a one-woman show. A Kickstarter was set up for the performance, and they planned to debut it at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2013, it won a Fringe First Award at that festival. It then expanded and eventually traveled to London, Australia, and South Korea, and America after the series premiered. The audience reaction was favorable, and Francesca Moody, the producer said people were properly laughing at Waller-Bridges writing. We all thought it was funny but it was a huge relief to know that other people felt the same way, Moody told the Evening Standard. In and amongst those first few shows, though, Ill always remember one friend who turned to me said he found it desperately sad. That was the moment I knew we had something brilliant and special. Interestingly, Waller-Bridges brother also had a strong reaction to the play. My brothers face turned white when he saw the early script, she said. He said Id freak out a lot of men because everything feels true, like her saying shed rather wank than have sex. Obviously, as fans of the series can attest, the shows honesty and bluntness is a major draw. It was a challenge adapting the one-woman show for screen, but she obviously did a good job As you can imagine, having a one-woman stage show is vastly different from having a six-episode first season. So adapting her own work proved to be tough. And a major aspect that she had to really craft was Fleabags inner monologue. [We were] still working closely to the idea of the unreliable narrator, she told Backstage.com. As she brings you closer and closer into her personal life, she starts to kind of regret bringing you in because of how much pain there is and how she cant escape the camera. And the way Fleabag does this is different from a lot of other series. She actually looks straight into the camera, talking to the audience when she has these inner moments. Its done in a way where it becomes a part of the character and invites audiences into her world. The first and most important thing that was troubling to me was how to keep the relationship with the camera fresh and alive, because in the first one I knew what the journey of it waswhich was, at the beginning, she invites you in with total confidence that she can convince you that shes absolutely fine, hilarious, and is having a brilliant life, Waller-Bridge told The Hollywood Reporter. What Waller-Bridge wanted to then do with the second season was explore what its like to have the most personal thing come out to your audience, and move forward. The second season uses her breaking the fourth wall as a way to show just how broken she is. Its also important to note that the only person to notice she dissociates like this is the Hot Priest. The only one to see her but the one who cant be with her. Tragic! RELATED: Fleabag: Phoebe Waller-Bridge Explains Why It Was Hard to Turn Her One-Woman Show Into a TV Series A new book claims to shed light on Prince William and Prince Charles involvement in leaking Megxit. William and Charles took part in the discussions with Prince Harry in the months following his big announcement, but little is known about how Megxit got leaked to the press. One royal author, however, says that William and Charles leaked the news in a bid to fast-track their plan to slim down the monarchy. Prince Harry, Prince Charles, and Prince William | John Stillwell WPA Pool/Getty images A new book explores Prince Harry and Meghan Markles exit Author Nigel Cawthorne is getting ready for the release of his new book on the royals titled Prince Andrew, Epstein and the Palace. The book covers a variety of topics, including Harry and Meghan Markles controversial exit from the royal family. Although Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex announced their departure in January, Cawthorne says that they had been planning their big exit for several months. But the couple was forced to announce their exit at the start of the year because it had already been leaked to the press. After the shocking announcement, Harry spent the next few months ironing out the details of his exit with Charles, William, and Queen Elizabeth. RELATED: How Prince Charles Is Finding Support From Prince William During His Battle With Coronavirus As part of the exit deal, Harry and Meghan have agreed to stop using their royal titles and will no longer accept funds from the crown. They also plan on splitting their time between the United Kingdom and Los Angeles, where they are currently staying with their son, Archie Harrison. In light of Harrys decision to walk away from the royal spotlight, Cawthorne claims that William is tired and done with the entire situation. Seeing Harry cut ties with virtually every aspect of his English life and identity is so hard to fathom, he added. Did Prince William and Prince Charles leak Megxit to the press? Cawthorne went on tie link Megxit with another scandal the royals face last year. The author claims that staffers in the palace used Prince Andrews Jeffrey Epstein scandal to get Harry and Meghan out of the royal family. Cawthorne says that William and Charles had their team members leak stories about Harry and Meghans plan to leave around the same time Andrew was on the hot seat for his controversial ties to the pedophile. The leaks eventually forced Harry and Meghan to come clean about their plan and iron out the details of their exit with Queen Elizabeth. Cawthorne called the move a silent coup that was meant to get Harry out of the royal spotlight. The idea of slimming down the monarchy is nothing new. Charles has reportedly wanted to reduce the number of active royals for quite some time and is fully expected to do so once he is on the throne. Apart from Harry and Meghans exit, Andrew also stepped away from his royal duties following a disastrous TV interview about his connection to Epstein. A look at Prince William and Prince Charles close relationship It is unclear how Cawthorne uncovered this information but the release of his book should shed more light on the situation. In the meantime, it is clear that William and Charles bond has become stronger over the years. According to Express, inside sources claim that William and Charles have gotten even closer in the past few months, despite all of the drama the royals have faced. In fact, Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles enjoyed their first public engagement with William and Kate Middleton in nine years after the Megxit news dropped. RELATED: Prince William Accused of Upstaging Prince Charles Again By Royal Experts One sensed a spontaneous warmth between them, one insider said of the event. Apart from the very visible bond, theres plenty of evidence indicating a closer alignment between Charles and William. William and Charles relationship, of course, was not always good. They faced plenty of hurdles in the wake of Charles divorce from Princess Diana. In the book, Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion, and Defiance of Prince Charles, Tom Bower suggests that Charles thought Diana had poisoned the boys minds towards their father. Prince William and Prince Charles have not commented on the reports surrounding Harry and Meghans exit from the royal family. Dina Manzo has not been a cast member on Real Housewives of New Jersey since season 6, but she remains a fan favorite. The younger sister of Caroline has famously feuded with her sister but maintains a tight-knit relationship with longtime friend Teresa Giudice, who is Carolines nemesis. Strangely, Dinas ex-husband, who is also the brother-in-law of Caroline, was recently arrested for an attack on Dinas current husband. Dina Manzo | Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank Dina Manzo and Tommy Manzos marriage Prior to becoming a housewife, Dina was featured on the VH1 reality series My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding for her and Tommys million-dollar shindig. The couple were married at the famous Brownstone, a New Jersey restaurant and event space that Tommy and his brother Albert owns. Albert is married to Dinas sister, Caroline. There were over 600 guests at the wedding. Tommy did not appear on RHONJ. Little is known about their marriage, except that Tommy wanted no parts of the reality show due his business acumen, despite his brother and co-owner appearing on the series since the show premiered. While Tommy worked at the Brownstone, Dina was heavily involved in the local charity scene with her foundation Project Ladybug. Dina Manzo and Tommy Manzo via Twitter Related: RHONJ Where Are They Now? An Update On Former Cast Members Rumors surfaced that Tommy opted not to appear on the show because of his indiscretions. On their VH1 wedding special, Dina admitted that Tommy was unfaithful before they wed. Still, she married him anyway. His cheating ways allegedly continued throughout their marriage. Dina announced that they were separating in 2013 but the pair continued living together and even being intimate for some time. It was not until 2016 that she finalized the divorce. Dina Manzo is now married to David Cantin While still legally married to Tommy, Dina began dating Cantin. The two met through a charity project they both worked on. Were both heavily involved in pediatric cancer [we met] through a project for that, Manzo said, as reported by Radar Online in 2016 after Dina and Tommys divorce was finalized. I guess its been about a year now. Hes just the most loving man. Hes really an awesome person and very caring. He treats my family so good, and hes a great dad to his kids and I see that, how important that is, she said. While they dated, she split her time between New Jersey and LA where Cantin lived. They secretly tied the knot in 2017. After being brutally attacked in a home invasion while visiting New Jersey in 2017, Dina fled for the west coast permanently. The couple just celebrated their three-year wedding anniversary. Tommy Manzo allegedly conspired to attack David Cantin In a strange twist of events, Tommy has been arrested in connection with a planned mobster attack on Cantin. According to People Magazine, Tommy and John Perna, an alleged organized crime soldier, were arrested on charges of planning and executing an assault on Cantin five years ago. The conspiracy was for allegedly paying a mobster to attack Cantin in exchange for a discounted wedding reception at Tommys business. According to court documents obtained by People Magazine, Tommy was upset that Cantin had an ongoing relationship with his ex-wife, Dina, and planned to have a violent assault committed on Cantin that would leave a permanent facial scar. Perna was scheduled to host a wedding reception at Tommys business and Tommy offered the space at a discounted rate if Perna carried out the attack. Later that year, Perna and an accomplice attacked Cantin in the parking lot of a strip mall. As promised, Tommy allowed Perna to hold the reception at a discounted rate, or free. Both Perna and Tommy are facing charges. Dina has not spoken about the attack but her sister Caroline has spoken out, saying that shes shocked and looks forward to discovering the truth. Many substances that we use every day only work in the right 3D structure. Natural enzymes could produce these in an environmentally friendly way if they didnt need a co-substrate that is expensive to produce to date. A research team at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum (RUB) has discovered exactly the necessary enzymes in unicellular green algae. Better still: living algae can be used as biocatalysts for certain substances, and they bring the co-substrate along, producing it in an environmentally friendly manner through photosynthesis. Its a question of 3D structure Many chemical substances in cosmetics, food or medicines can assume slightly different three-dimensional structures, with only one of them generating the desired fragrance or medical effect. The chemical production of the right substances is often not environmentally friendly, as it requires high temperatures or special solvents. In nature, however, certain proteins do exist that produce the required product at mild temperatures and in water. In the process, they often generate exactly the 3D structure of the substance that is needed by the industry. Old yellow enzymes require an expensive additive These so-called old yellow enzymes, OYEs for short, owe their name to their naturally yellow colour. They occur in bacteria, fungi and plants, are in part well studied and offer considerable potential for a bio-based economy. However, they have one disadvantage: in order to carry out their reaction, they need the co-substrate NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate). In living cells, this small molecule is generated through metabolic processes, whereas its chemical production is very expensive; as a result, the commercial use of OYEs is thwarted. OYEs from unicellular green algae: two birds with one stone? The research team from Bochum has discovered several OYEs in unicellular green algae. For a broad application, industry needs OYEs that can also produce unusual molecules, explains Professor Thomas Happe, Head of the Photobiotechnology research group at RUB. Algae possess very complex metabolic pathways and are therefore ideal sources for novel biocatalysts. The researchers analysed algal OYEs in the test tube and showed that they are able to convert many commercially viable substances. The exciting thing is that living algae can also carry out the reactions needed in the industry, points out PhD student Stefanie Bohmer, lead author of the study. Since algae produce NADPH using photosynthesis, i.e. with sunlight, the co-substrate of the OYEs is supplied in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way. Promising collaboration The authors point out that the study demonstrates the importance of the collaboration between researchers from different disciplines, and that the industry can be a valuable partner who initiates basic research. Four researches from the Research Training Group Micon Microbial substrate conversion, which is funded by the German Research Foundation, contributed their expertise to the study. The project was the brainchild of Solarbioproducts Ruhr, a spin-off established by Wirtschaftsforderungsgesellschaft Herne and Thomas Happe with the aim of developing concepts for environmentally friendly algae biotechnologies. We have taken a big step towards a green industry, concludes Happe. This would not have been possible without collaboration. A paved road links U.S. Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment with the lighthouse of the same name, but a pedestrain trail for civilians has been made off limits. True Freedom, by Mike Glenn Most New Testament scholars agree Luke is one of the best writers in our biblical canon. His use of imagery and language have left us with stories we will never forget. The story of Jesus birth, the pathos of Simeon and Anna, and the panic of Mary and Joseph as they searched for Jesus in the Temple are rich in their ability to connect to the readers humanity. Most of the stories that have etched themselves in our memory the good Samaritan and the prodigal son are in Luke. Which makes the ending of Acts one of the most curious oddities of New Testament scholarship. According to Luke, Paul was in Rome under house arrest and preaching the gospel unhinderedly. Its the last word in his gospel. This is a very clumsy way to end the story of Acts. So clumsy, in fact, that many scholars believed it was intentional. Often, great writers will intentionally violate the rules of grammar in order to bring attention to a particular point of emphasis. My New Testament professor, Frank Stagg, titled his commentary on Acts, The Book of Acts: The Early Struggle for an Unhindered Gospel. According to Dr. Stagg, that one word, unhinderedly, is the key to understanding Acts. The entire gospel, Dr. Stagg would teach, is about a gospel breaking through every obstacle that would hinder it. The Christ-centered life, he would say, is an unhindered life. Ive known a few people who lived unhindered lives. In fact, some of the most successful people I know are not only unhindered in how they live, but they are extremely generous with their attention, their time, and their resources. They have become free from false obligations and expectations, and an unhealthy concern about what other people think. They manage their resources so they can do what they want to do, when they want to do it, the way they want to do it. As a result, most of these people are extremely generous. Now, understand, I didnt say rich. I said successful. Sometimes these individuals are very prosperous. Theyve started businesses, achieved remarkable success, and created some amazing things from music to gadgets. Others have decided to live very simply. Did I say simply? How about minimalistic. One of my friends lives in a very small house on his familys land. He doesnt have a television. He doesnt have internet. He reads. He plays music. He and his wife tend his garden and care for their animals. I think hes nuts. How can you go through life and never watch the World Series, college football and the Super Bowl? According to my friend, you can live very well. In fact, when the rest of the world shut down for the COVID pandemic, he hardly knew. When you stop by his house, hell always have vegetables to give to you. Maybe the hens had a good day, and youll walk away with a basket of eggs. Hes never in a hurry, and hes always got time to tell a good story. Hes very generous in his hospitality. Another one of my friends is one of the more successful business people in Tennessee. Hes always quick to return my call. He can always find time for a cup of coffee or an early lunch, and his counsel has been invaluable. Hes very generous. The freest people I know are also the most generous. Heres what Im learning. The freest people I know are also the most generous. For me, learning to be generous is the highest spiritual reality because it comes only when weve dealt with so many of the other spiritual disciplines. You cant be generous if youre holding grudges and living with unforgiveness. You cant be generous if youre materialistic or greedy. You cant be generous if your identity isnt grounded firmly in Christ. If you think your self-worth is proven by what you possess, by definition, you cant be generous. This is what I thought about when I begin to hear all of the discussions about freedom and liberty that usually happen around the Fourth of July. Yes, we do live in a great country. Yes, we are afforded a great deal of freedom as citizens of the United States. Yet, you and I know most of us and most of the people we know arent free at all. They are held captive by their addictions, their desires, and their needs. They are driven by cravings that drive them from bad decision to bad decision. As a result, most of us arent generous because most of us arent free. This year, as we celebrate all that we have been given because we live in the United States, lets spend some time thinking about what we can give. Can we volunteer in a local non-profit or tutor after school? Can we volunteer at our church or local senior adult center? Can you give money to a local food bank? What can you do to declare your independence that would hinder you from living a free life in Christ? What can you get free of this year? As you celebrate all youve been given, what will you celebrate you can give? After all, the most generous people I know are also the most free. Are you one of them? A ship carrying the slogan of "celebrating the passage of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)" sails at the Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee Thursday strongly condemned and resolutely opposed the passage of the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" by the U.S. Congress. The U.S. move gravely interferes in China's internal affairs, and grossly tramples on international law and basic norms governing international relations, the foreign affairs committee said in a statement. National security is a basic precondition for the existence and development of a nation and it concerns the nation's core interests, the statement stressed. "No country in the world would ever turn a blind eye to acts and activities severely undermining its national security," said the statement. The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has won firm support from all Chinese people including Hong Kong compatriots, read the statement. The U.S. move is not about democracy or freedom of Hong Kong residents, but about containing China's development, said the statement, underlining that the plot of the anti-China forces in the United States will never succeed. The implementation of the law will definitely help Hong Kong end chaos and start afresh, the statement noted. Ask Dr. Land: Should we still celebrate 4th of July amid this mayhem? Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Question: In light of all the social upheaval we are currently experiencing, should we still celebrate the 4th of July? Should we still commemorate and celebrate Independence Day? Absolutely. The 4th of July is about far more than parades, picnics, and gatherings of families and friends. Independence Day is about defining who we are as Americans. The Declaration of Independence is Americas reason for being, its sine qua non. A little more than a decade ago I was involved in a very interesting endeavor with the American Assembly, an organization started by President Eisenhower when he served as President of Columbia University in the interim between being Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and being elected president in 1952. The Assembly brings together people in equal numbers from radically different viewpoints for a very intensive weekend of discussions, debate, and dialogue for the purpose of hammering out a consensus statement of commonly agreed upon principles on a particular topic. This particular year the subject was the influence of religion on America. On Sunday morning, we assembled together over breakfast to debate on a line by line basis a document prepared from the weekends discussions. This particular Sunday morning we spent at least fifteen minutes debating the first line of the 20 page document, which said, Ever since our founding documents. . . . The liberals strenuously objected to the plural documents. They wanted only the Constitution, not the Declaration, because the Declaration mentions God and appeals to the Supreme Judge of the world and on a firm reliance in the protection of divine Providence. In other words, when our forefathers declared their independence from Great Britian, they never intended to declare their independence from God. The Constitution, which is an enabling document, implementing a government based on the principles of the Declaration, does not mention God. In the sixteenth minute of the debate, I carried the day for the documents language when I said, When President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in 1863, he said, Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation. If you subtract fourscore and seven from 1863, you get 1776. I say we agree with the Great Emancipator. America was born in 1776, and the Declaration of Independence is our first and foremost founding document. A significant majority agreed, and we moved on with the founding documents, thus including the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence is without question the defining document of what America is, and more importantly, what she stands for, and what she aspires to be. And yet, the extreme division of identity politics undergirded by Marxist based critical race theories have emphasized what separates, rather than unites us to the point that many people reject the principles of the Declaration, and even more sadly, many are ignorant and unaware of the Declarations principles. This 4th of July weekend let us all resolve to tell young people the story of Americas founding in 1776, not the foolhardy N.Y. Times driven propagandizing of 1619. Tell Americas true story to all who will listen. It is a wonderful story of the conception and birth of a new kind of country, previously unknown in the world, where you would have government of the people, by the people, for the people. The Declaration of Independence is a truly remarkable document produced by a remarkable group of men, providentially gathered together in the British North American colonies, which became the fledgling new nation. Listen to the stately language of the Declaration: When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitled them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. And then they scaled the heights: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. . . . And then after listing the abuses of the British Crown, they proclaimed, We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States. Many of the principles, values, and aspirations enunciated in the Declaration of Independence are currently under direct assault in our society. We must stand up, speak out, and fearlessly defend the foundational beliefs of our country. And, let each of us resolve before our Heavenly Father to preserve our freedoms and pass them on undiminished to our friends, to our neighbors, to our children, and to our childrens children. Let freedom ring! Have a great 4th of July, my fellow Americans. Happy Birthday America! Herman Cain hospitalized with COVID-19 after attending Trump rally, team seeks prayers Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Former Republican presidential candidate and businessman Herman Cain, 74, has been hospitalized with COVID-19, his team announced Thursday, just over a week after attending a rally for President Donald Trump in Tulsa. We are sorry to announce that Herman Cain has tested positive for COVID-19, and is currently receiving treatment in an Atlanta-area hospital. Please keep him, and all who are battling this virus, in your prayers, a statement from Cains Twitter account said. Cains staff further noted that they had no idea where he contracted the virus but he was notified on Monday that he tested positive for the virus and by Wednesday he had to be admitted to the hospital. There is no way of knowing for sure how or where Mr. Cain contracted the coronavirus, but we do know he is a fighter who has beaten Stage 4 cancer, Cains staff said. With Gods help, we are confident he will make a quick and complete recovery. We are sorry to announce that Herman Cain has tested positive for COVID-19, and is currently receiving treatment in an Atlanta-area hospital. Please keep him, and all who are battling this virus, in your prayers. Our full statement appears below. Updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/lDRW7Rla4e Herman Cain (@THEHermanCain) July 2, 2020 Dan Calabrese, editor of HermanCain.com, said when he got the call on Wednesday night that his boss had tested positive for the virus it was a punch in the gut. His executive assistant Lisa gave the news that hed been taken to the hospital and that he was having trouble breathing. We all prayed for him, right then, right there. And we continued to do so throughout the evening, Calabrese wrote in a report on HermanCain.com. He said the team was thankful because despite being admitted to the hospital, he did not require a respirator. That was probably the one detail we were praying about the most, and God was gracious, Calabrese said. While he remained confident that his cancer-surviving boss will recover again, he took the time to note how serious the coronavirus can be and called for prayers for his recovery. Lets not sugarcoat it: COVID-19 is a horrible thing to experience, and while we are sure Herman will beat it just like he beats everything, he really needs prayer right now. Hes 73 years old and just about as healthy as anyone I know, but this is really going to require all of his strength, and plenty of Gods help, he said. Herman will be fine. Were also confident of that. But please lift him up in your prayers, as well as his wife Gloria and their family for strength and encouragement in getting through this. Cain recently attend President Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where his team tweeted a photo of him with a group of supporters inside the Tulsa Arena. No one in the photo was wearing a mask. Just hours before the event, six staff members at the site had tested positive for the virus. Two more advance staffers tested positive after returning to Washington, The Washington Post reported, and dozens of Secret Service agents on the trip were ordered to self-quarantine at home because two of the staff who tested positive in Tulsa were Secret Service employees. Calabrese noted that even though Cain also attended the rally in Tulsa, he could have gotten the virus from other places. By the way, since I know there will be questions: We honestly have no idea where he contracted it. I realize people will speculate about the Tulsa rally, but Herman did a lot of traveling the past week, including to Arizona where cases are spiking, he said. I dont think theres any way to trace this to the one specific contact that caused him to be infected. Well never know. Miss. Christians reflect after state lifts alcohol ban Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Prohibition will officially come to an end in Mississippi next January thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Tate Reeves this week that has left some Christians mixed in their responses to the news. Mississippi House Rep. Trey Lamar, a Republican, proposed the bill that essentially flips the current law created in 1972. The possession of alcohol will no longer be illegal by default in all counties across the state. But individual counties can vote to become dry counties once again. From and after January 1, 2021, prohibition is renounced as to the possession of alcoholic beverages, Lamars bill reads. It shall thereafter be lawful to possess alcoholic beverages throughout the state. Until 2021, Mississippi is one of three states that remain entirely dry states by default, joining Tennessee and Kansas. Twenty-nine out of 82 counties in Mississippi are dry counties. However, many dry counties contain municipalities that allow alcohol sales. For example, alcohol is illegal in Tate County. But in the county seat of Senatobia Lamars home district alcohol sales are permitted because of a municipal vote. I think no matter what you do, someone will always find a loophole, Allen Lentz, a youth leader at LaBelle Haven Baptist Church in Olive Branch, told The Christian Post in an interview. Its not an issue for me, I guess, but when it gets in the hands of young people, it's a problem. Lentz has lived in both wet and dry counties. He said the laws have not impacted his life much at all, but he has seen the destructive qualities of alcohol addiction among other Mississippians. Ron Horner is a friend of Lentz and a deacon at Wyatte Baptist Church in Tate County, just outside of Senatobia city limits in northern Mississippi. Before Horner was devoted to the Christian faith, he was addicted to drugs and alcohol. He described it as bait from the devil. Its so, so sad. When they allowed alcohol in Senatobia, they promised to bring in nice new restaurants and all these great things, Horner said. But instead, weve probably got the worst Applebees on the planet, and the only reason they stay open is the bar. Horner became a heavy drinker when he followed his passion for professional wrestling. He would often travel with local wrestlers, party and drink at bars on a nightly basis. An alcohol addiction soon played a part in Horners drug addiction, sex addiction and marital issues. Horner said that some Christians can be OK with alcohol, but he believes it is a terrible thing. If I was to sit down at a restaurant and have beer with my meal, I mean, what would that do to my testimony? said Horner. I think people glorify drinking, especially in country music. I think if alcohol is involved, the likelihood of something bad becomes much, much greater. Horner and Wyatte Baptist now host fundraisers featuring professional wrestling. Horner said he delivers the Gospel during wrestling events, so he can give wrestling back to God and not to himself. The new bill still strictly prohibits the unlicensed sale, resale and manufacturing of alcoholic beverages. According to The Tax Foundation, Mississippi has the 12th highest beer excise tax in the country. Weekly briefing: Supreme Court on abortion, evangelical channel in Israel pulled, Seattle's CHOP dismantled Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment We've compiled the top stories of the week. Here's what you need to know: Supreme Court strikes down La. abortion clinic law, ban on public aid to religious schools The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Louisiana law requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where they perform the procedure. Pro-lifers denounced the decision as another disappointment, arguing that it ignores safety concerns for women. On Thursday, the high court tossed out rulings against Indiana laws requiring abortion clinic staff to show mothers an ultrasound image of their baby before an abortion is scheduled to be performed, and another requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on an underage girl. The cases go back to the appeals court for review. In another decision, the Supreme Court ruled that religious schools can qualify for a state tax credit program even when the state constitution explicitly bans public aid to religious entities. A State need not subsidize private education. But once a State decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious. Chief Justice John Roberts Israel pulls plug on GOD TV channel Israel has asked the U.S.-based evangelical Christian station GOD TV to halt broadcasting, claiming that its channel, Shelanu, is trying to evangelize Jews. Ron Cantor, God TV regional director in Israel, said they were clear from the start when getting a seven-year license about what they would be airing. From the first day we met with HOT (Israeli cable television provider), it was very clear what we wanted to broadcast: Messianic Jews sharing their faith in Yeshua in a variety of ways, from interviews, to music, to personal stories. And thats what we do to this day. Cantor Nigeria could be next Rwanda, Darfur: advocates A genocide expert and former Congressman Frank Wolf have warned that violence being committed against Christians in Nigeria and the U.S. governments failed response to it could lead to another genocide like the ones that occurred in Rwanda and Darfur. When the world and the U.S. ignored genocide in Rwanda, hundreds of thousands of people died. History, I believe, is repeating itself. Wolf Seattles CHOP dismantled after 2 teens killed After more than three weeks, Seattle police and the FBI began dismantling the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone on Wednesday after two teenagers were killed. Mayor Jenny Durkan issued the order to clear the zone, which has been the scene of several reported robberies, rapes and shootings. On Monday, a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed inside a vehicle. I support peaceful demonstrations. Black Lives Matter, and I too want to help propel this movement toward meaningful change in our community. But enough is enough. The CHOP has become lawless and brutal. Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best Interview 'VeggieTales creator talks Americas sin of racism, conservative pushback, how Jesus would respond Pray for Pastor Suresh Rao in India who was dragged and beaten New releases Film: 24 Counter: The Story Behind the Run (on demand) Albums: The Things That Got Us Here by Sidewalk Prophets (July 3) Come Alive by All Nations Music (July 3) Books: Original Sin and the Fall: Five Views edited by J. B. Stump and Chad Meister (June 30) Hope When Life Unravels: Finding God When It Hurts by Adam Dooley (June 23) Facebook has spent the past few days in round-the-clock conversations with advertisers, trying to persuade them to come back to the platform with the promise of modest changes to address concerns that the social network profits from hate and outrage. But advertisers and the agencies they work with say they are still negotiating. And they say they are so far unimpressed with promises to better police hate speech, including labeling some politicians' posts when they break the company's policies. On Tuesday, when the civil rights groups that organized the efforts expect to sit down with chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, they plan to push for a rash of changes, including adding a C-suite-level executive dedicated to ensuring that the company's policies don't contribute to racism and radicalization. More than 750 companies, including Coca-Cola, Hershey and Unilever, have already temporarily paused their advertising on Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram. More companies have joined the movement every day, with recent additions including Walgreens, Best Buy, Ford and Adidas. More than 200 advertisers joined in the past 24 hours. Kerri Pollard, senior vice president of the membership platform Patreon - which is pulling all of its ads from Facebook and Instagram - said that the recent string of concessions still did little to address the company's core concern: Zuckerberg's characterization of free speech. The Facebook CEO has said he believes that social platforms should not fact-check politicians. "Until he softens that, which would affect that entire business internally and externally, we're not going to feel comfortable returning to the platform," Pollard said. Patreon in 2018 booted far-right personalities off its platform in response to criticism. But fact-checking politicians could have wide-ranging consequences, too. Facebook's business model depends on engagement: The more time people spend viewing content on the platform, and the more they click and interact with others, the more they are exposed to advertising in Facebook's scrolling news feed. Critics have argued that divisive and emotional content spreads more rapidly, particularly in like-minded private Facebook groups. That outrage is built into Facebook's ability to profit. The boycott is the largest flare-up in a long-simmering battle between advertisers and social platforms over who gets to control what content the ads pop up next to. The campaign, which was triggered by Facebook allowing content that organizers said could incite violence against protesters, represents the most substantive effort to date to sanction the social network, which commands the second-largest share of the U.S. digital ad market behind Google. Facebook spokeswoman Ruchika Budhraja said in a statement that it invests billions every year to keep users safe and works with outside experts to update its policies. "We've opened ourselves up to a civil rights audit, and we have banned 250 white supremacist organizations from Facebook and Instagram," she said. "We know we have more work to do, and we'll continue to work with civil rights groups, [the Global Alliance for Responsible Media], and other experts to develop even more tools, technology and policies to continue this fight." Still, the initiative probably won't affect Facebook's bottom line. The company has 8 million advertisers, which generated almost all of its approximately $70 billion in ad revenue last year. Most are small businesses. "Given Facebook's colossal scandals and rare repercussions to revenue, the advertisers' boycott is a body blow that will decimate Facebook's top line. I expect to see a revenue bleed out of more than $7.5 billion in 2020," said Eric Schiffer, chairman and chief executive of the Patriarch Organization and Reputation Management Consultants. Zuckerberg appears to have to dug in. He told employees last week at a company meeting that he wasn't going to "change our policies or our approach on anything because of a threat to a small percent of our revenue, or to any percent of our revenue," according to the Information. Facebook has been meeting and talking with advertisers "almost every minute of every day," said a senior executive of a major ad agency who, like others for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity because the company works closely with Facebook. Another ad industry executive who participated in meetings with Facebook said she came out disappointed. The company is "slow and blame-sharing, acting like they are just the platform and society itself is full of bad actors," she said. She added that it is also blaming rivals YouTube and Twitter for their own practices over hate speech. The reckoning goes beyond Facebook. A recent survey of nearly 60 companies by the World Federation of Advertisers found that about a third were likely to halt ad spending across social media due to hate speech, while 40 percent were considering doing so. Companies including Coca-Cola, Verizon and Unilever say they are reconsidering their ad spending not just on Facebook, but on all social media platforms. Some skeptics say it's convenient timing for the advertisers, many of which are already cutting their marketing budgets amid a downturn in consumer spending. The campaign against Facebook first emerged amid a national conversation on race sparked by the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minnesota. Organizers said that Facebook's platform in particular was providing a forum for violent militia groups with plans to attack protesters. Some self-described members of those groups have been arrested in recent weeks for carrying weapons to protests and for allegedly planning to commit violent acts. "It was the killing of George Floyd that told us that we needed to move," said Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, one of the civil rights groups behind the campaign. "It was an obvious moment to say, you can't talk about race in your news release but not stand for racial justice in your product," he said, referring to social media companies publicly sharing support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Outdoor apparel company North Face was the first to join, followed by industry peers Patagonia and R.E.I. Those companies are known for taking stances on social issues. "The stakes are too high to sit back and let the company continue to be complicit in spreading disinformation and fomenting fear and hatred," Patagonia tweeted on June 21 as it joined the #StopHateForProfit campaign. The campaign's demands are broad and aim to address a host of grievances, including the removal of Facebook groups dedicated to white supremacy, militia movements, Holocaust denialism, vaccine misinformation and climate denialism. The campaign also asks that Facebook end its policy of exempting politicians from its hate speech guidelines and hire a C-suite executive. "We've been down this road with Facebook so many times," said Jade Magnus Ogunnaike, who is leading the campaign for the racial justice group Color of Change, noting that the boycott effort was a response to years of "fruitless" private meetings with Facebook staff as well as Zuckerberg. "At this point, we have reached an impasse." Other brands joined after outreach from civil rights groups and their supporters, including Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, whose representatives contacted the head of the Anti-Defamation League recently to ask how they could help, said a spokesman for the organization. The organizers of the boycott were also concerned about a post by President Trump, who appeared to endorse violence when he invoked a racially divisive phrase that dates to the civil rights era to describe the potential involvement of the U.S. military in the Minnesota protests. "When the looting starts, the shooting starts," he said on Twitter. Facebook refused to take down the president's post, despite widespread protests by employees and outsiders, while Twitter slapped a warning label on it, noting that it violated the company's policies prohibiting incitement to violence. Snapchat stopped promoting the president's account. Some smaller companies like Patreon that joined the boycott are an example of businesses that largely built on the ability of Facebook and others to help target specific groups of consumers. As advertising migrated online over the past couple of decades from print and other media, advertisers lost control over the tone of the material alongside which their ads appeared. On social media, an ad could appear next to a racist post or one by a terrorist organization. In 2017, Verizon, Walmart, Pepsi and other major brands suspended their ads on YouTube after reports that they had appeared alongside objectionable content promoting extremist or racist views. Last year, some advertisers boycotted YouTube after they saw their ads appear next to predatory and exploitative activity. As a result of the 2017 boycott, YouTube changed its policies and invested heavily in tools to give advertisers more control. Katia Beauchamp, the co-founder and chief executive of the beauty box subscription company Birchbox, said the company, which is participating in the boycott, has committed to decreasing its ad spending with Facebook and Instagram for the rest of the year and is "aggressively" exploring other avenues for advertising. She called the decision a matter of "legacy." "What we're most focused on is profiting from perpetuating prejudice, racism and hate," Beauchamp said. "We're not as focused on any reparations based on where our advertising shows up." Facebook and other social media companies have extensive policies prohibiting hate speech, graphic violence and calls for violence, harassment and other ills, and have hired thousands of content moderators to enforce those policies. But the companies also give wide latitude to political expression across the board and have been reluctant to listen to organizer complaints. Objectionable content has spread as a result, causing flare-ups with advertisers. Facebook has offered modest concessions to the boycott. At a town hall on June 26, Zuckerberg announced that the company would attach labels to some politicians' posts. In his most explicit terms to date, he said that it would take down posts by anyone who incited violence or suppressed voting rights and would label posts by politicians that break its other policies. The company has long had a policy that has allowed the spread of misinformation by politicians. Facebook on Monday also agreed to an external audit of how it polices hate speech, a specific request by the boycott's organizers. Zuckerberg will meet with them next week, the Anti-Defamation League said. Other organizers include Color of Change, the NAACP and Common Sense. In correspondence with advertisers and journalists, Facebook has cited a European Union report on hate speech that found that Facebook assessed more hate speech reports in 24 hours than Twitter or YouTube. Twitter spokesman Brian Poliakoff confirmed that it is also consulting with advertisers after Unilever said it would boycott all social media. YouTube did not respond to a request for comment. Kevin Urrutia, co-founder of Voy Media, an ad agency specializing in Facebook ads, said most businesses are so reliant on Facebook that it's almost a nonissue: Less than 10 percent of his clients are participating in the boycott or are concerned about their relationships with the company. The other 90 percent hope it could result in cheaper ad purchases, he said. "We have lots of clients that are pulling budget out this time of year," he said. "It could just be a matter of companies readjusting the budgets and using it as a way to get credibility with customers." MIDDLETOWN A local cafe known for its coffee sourced from one of the worlds finest manufacturers has expanded to an innovative menu offering customers the chance to try exotic cuisines from around the globe. Inspired by travel bans resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, Qawa Coffee Co. in Metro Square has created food tours of countries such as Yemen and Morocco. These complement the 170 Main St. restaurants homemade pastries and brunch menu. Through its Qawa Kitchen Initiative, husband-and-wife owners Abdul Alhadheri and Amirah Ailaqi are selling meals that feed four to five people. Some of the proceeds are aiding local families in need. So far, 30 have used the service, Alhadheri said. The cafe, which sources its coffee from Intelligencia, the best specialty coffee manufacturer in the world, Ailaqi said, opened in March 2019. Shortly afterward, and just before the pandemic hit, they added a kitchen to serve breakfast items, as well as pastries such as baklava and pistachio Halvah. Everything is prepared from scratch daily. Its really successful, Ailaqi said. We want to serve the best kind of food in Connecticut. There are numerous toppings that can be added to breakfast sandwiches, including on The Works, consisting of an egg, cheese, avocado and tomato butter on a croissant. Toasts, served with a side of greens, include avocado, protein, fig and ricotta. There also are Mediterranean bowls and Belgian waffles. When they post pictures of the food on the Qawa Instagram page, Ailaqi, said, people are just blown away by it. As a result of the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent closings of restaurants, the couple was forced to lay off all nine of its staff. Qawa has since opened for outdoor dining and curbside pickup. Members of their family have health issues, so the couple is not presently open for indoor service. Theyre back on their feet now with the unique food program which began in May. If youre in a place of privilege and have the resources, people should go for it, Ailaqi said. With the coronavirus, even in dark times, youre able to see the light. It was an opportunity to say things have slowed down a lot, and now its time for us to come up with something better, she said. It has been very well-received, Alhadheri said. A few days a week, customers can order a meal from the cuisine of the month priced at $85 and up. A portion of the proceeds contribute to First Church and St. Vincent De Paul Middletown, which partner on food programs. June featured Yemen, where both husband and wife are from, and this month its Morocco. Yemen is being hard hit by famine. We wanted to help the poorest people in the world at the moment, Ailaqi said. The first day they sold out in less than 10 hours. Three subsequent food tour nights did equally well, according to Ailaqi. Portions are very generous. Qawa is the original word for coffee. The Arabic word translates to the wine of the being, she said. When monks living in the 15th century first discovered the coffee bean, it was in Yemen. A lot of people dont know that, she said. In fact, her husbands great-great-grandfather was one of the first people to export coffee beans into the world from the port of Mocha. Qawa has an array of tea and coffee drinks, including the Dirty Chai, a double espresso with Maya chai syrup, steamed and frothed milk, which is very popular. They also have Spanish, Yemeni, matcha and honey-cinnamon lattes. Those who live farther away have the option of making a donation to feed Middlesex Hospital staff, as do others who simply want to give for that purpose, Alhadheri said. Theyve raised $300 for that effort, which enabled them to deliver eight lunches. They can feed at least double that amount of workers, Ailaqi said. Were here to educate people and allow them to experience the other side of the world, which they wouldnt have the opportunity to do, Ailiqi said. Its hard for people to connect with each other if they dont learn about the beautiful heritages and cultures of the other person. For information, call 860-788-6540 or visit the Facebook page, the website at qawacoffee.com or Instagram. People may be familiar with the handiwork of Houston Custom Metal Works, whether its the chandeliers at State of Grace restaurant or the four foot tall inspirational REFLECT or EXPLORE rising along Buffalo Bayou Park as part of the Monumental Moments installation. In normal times, the company fabricates interior decor items for residential and commercial customers. Projects include wine glass racks, foot rails for bars, kitchen islands and chandeliers. Private customers order custom shelving and other products for their homes. The firm also brings to life public art projects such as the decorative steel archways cut to resemble papel picado (perforated paper) along the Esplanade at Navigation, a 14-foot-wide design by artist Gary Sweeney. For a few industrial customers, the company does machining work. Thats what we used to do, said owner Adam Davidson, a Texas State University graduate in manufacturing engineering who started the company in 2012. These days, the bulk of the metal HC Metal uses goes into the custom feet used to hold up the protective plastic shields that make up much of its business since the coronavirus swept in. Until switching gears, hours for the companys five employees were roughly cut in half when the pandemic hit. Now, the 5,500-square-foot fabrication shop on Upland Drive in west Houston is humming again. We sort of lucked into a job making protective screens for Whole Foods, Davidson said. We were able to bring everybody back on. It wasnt steel, it wasnt aluminum, but it was still something to do. HC Metal made screens for Whole Foods, which is known for its commitment to support local businesses, across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Calls for work followed from Marriott, then landlords at downtown buildings needing screens at security desks with cut out areas where a clipboard could be passed through, then offices inside those office buildings with specific configurations matching the desk layouts. The shields are also being used at upscale apartments and at valet stations at condominiums. Costs vary depending on the number ordered, size and how much measuring and customization is needed for the job. A finished shield could typically go for anywhere between $80 and $400. HC Metals customers need a quick turnaround on their orders, typically a matter of days. The shields are made from either acrylic or polycarbonate sheets of varying thicknesses, depending on whats available. Prices for raw materials are volatile, rising from about $76 to $90 each when Davidson first started making the shields to as high as $225. Hes recently found them for $105 to $125 each when buying in bulk. The price for materials has gone through the roof, he said. You just take what you can get now. Calls are starting to come in from customers such as a restaurant and a private client looking for custom shelves for a residence. I think people are kind of gathering we cant just hide anymore, Davidson said. We have to get back to business. I think some business is trying to happen, because some of my regular work is coming back around. katherine.feser@chron.com twitter.com/kfeser America through Foreign Eyes By Jorge G. Castaneda Oxford. 307 pp. $27.95 --- America's sobering reckoning has been laid bare for the world to see - a nation beset by protests and rioting over police abuses, growing inequalities, a pandemic and resurgent white supremacists. Added to this season of discontent: A landmark presidential election looms just months away. In his latest book, "America Through Foreign Eyes," Jorge G. Castaneda, Mexico's former foreign minister and a longtime professor at New York University, critically dissects what's gone wrong from the perspective of a well-informed and often admiring outsider. As has often been true, the eyes of an outsider prove more lucid than those of natives. Castaneda holds a mirror up to America and warns that the once-shining model for much of the world is now crumbling. "Please don't hold this against me: The United States itself is at fault," he writes. "Like a great many people on earth, I've long been fascinated by this remarkable phenomenon which calls itself America." As Castaneda sees it, the United States is straining to balance different visions of what it could or should be. The nation is under siege by unresolved questions, from the Civil War to its debatable claim of exceptionalism and now the bluster of the Trump administration. Castaneda argues that America is fast losing its encanto - its charm - as it increasingly looks like other trouble spots that have authoritarians at the helm, from Europe to Latin America and beyond. Indeed, at times reading "America Through Foreign Eyes" feels like a humbling comeuppance for many of us - particularly journalists like myself - who perhaps have smugly judged Mexico and other societies as somehow more wayward than our own. "The very tenets of the American Dream are being questioned," Castaneda warns. He and I both are products of and participants in the dramatic U.S.-Mexico integration of the past three decades and of the more recent democratization in our homeland, Mexico. We share too often unrequited love and hope for both countries. I first met Castaneda in the late 1980s as a Mexico correspondent for a U.S. newspaper, and our paths crossed now and then while I reported on the country. I was the Mexican-born son of farmworkers, and I was back home in Mexico hellbent on proving to my countrymen that upward mobility, hope for reinvention up north, was real. Castaneda, a fortunate son of the Mexican elite, is a graduate of some of the finest schools in the world, Princeton and the University of Paris. He is no stranger to U.S. society and politics. A man of the left, he drew the ire of many former comrades by serving as the top diplomat for conservative president Vicente Fox, whose election 20 years ago ended seven decades of authoritarian one-party rule. Among Castaneda's lifetime goals has been bringing to Mexico the kind of institutions he now fears are collapsing in the United States. "This book is not written from a Mexican perspective," Castaneda writes, "but rather from that of a sympathetic foreign critic who has seen the United States from both inside and outside." The U.S.-Mexico relationship, of course, is more than a bit complicated. The countries share a 2,000-mile border, tightly woven manufacturing chains, and growing family ties between millions of Mexican immigrants in the north and their families back home. The fact that Texas and much of the American Southwest were once claimed by Mexico only adds to the irritants in the relationship. "Having lost half its territory to the United States in the nineteenth century, having found itself caught up in the maelstrom of America's current identity crisis," Castaneda writes, "Mexico can never ignore what happens north of the border." But Mexico isn't the main character in "America Through Foreign Eyes." This is a report card on the United States, now in the grip of a narcissistic, xenophobic reality TV star fumbling on the world stage and stoking division and fear at home. A 2017 Pew Research Center opinion poll in 37 countries found that just 22 percent of respondents said they trusted Trump's handling of international affairs, down from 64 percent who had had confidence in President Barack Obama. Trump's cynicism is emblematic of a deeper problem. He's simply a symptom of America's identity crisis - rooted in the nation's birth. The cry for independence was for equality, Castaneda writes, though limited to certain segments of the population. Equality existed, he explains, "as long as slaves and Native Americans were excluded from the calculation, which, of course, they could not be. Equality, but not for everybody." Castaneda warns that the world is growing fatigued with America because of Trump and his enablers' disregard for institutions and Trump's obsession with walls - not unlike the barriers he ordered built around the White House to keep Americans out during recent protests. America's soft power - technology, food, cinema, music, clothing, a welcoming spirit - remains strong and seductive. Castaneda believes there are few, if any, competitors in that realm. "Chinese soft power, while rising, is light years away from the potency of American civilization," he writes, "not yet ready for prime time." America's best hope for going forward may be based in its grand legacy of reinvention, an inherent ability for renewal and replenishment. To claim a promising future as the country moves toward a minority-majority population - younger, more brown, black and female - America must confront its racial and wealth inequality and show up at voting booths. America must also stare down itsaura of exceptionalism, which Castaneda compares to hypocrisy. Americans' vision of their country's exceptionalism - as a nation so superior to others, it can change the world - too often clashes with its culture of guns, mass incarceration, death penalty and war on drugs. Also in its history lie countless invasions and occupations of Latin American countries, including Mexico. Such conduct has no "place in the modern world, much less so in American civilization," Castaneda writes. Castaneda's book is short on storytelling and anecdotes and long on wonky policy musings. And despite reminding us that Mexico must always be vigilant of what goes on up north, he doesn't follow up on the implications of America's erratic behavior for his own country. Not even a mention of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whose left-leaning policies stand in sharp contrast to President Trump's. But their governing styles are remarkably similar: Both are populist, narcissistic, divisive and often stubborn figures who see institutions and the media as their archenemies. But obsessing over the lack of human narratives would be to miss the larger point of this important read and its impeccable timing. Yes, the world is watching America, especially its neighbors - all largely rooting as much for themselves as for the United States. "American democracy will no doubt survive," Castaneda writes. "But how it rides out its current storm will inevitably shape its future." --- Corchado is the Mexico border correspondent for the Dallas Morning News and the author of "Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter's Journey Through a Country's Descent Into Darkness" and "Homelands: Four Friends, Two Countries, and the Fate of the Great Mexican-American Migration." Vanilla Ice cooled off plans for a concert in Texas after taking considerable heat for an event that sought to gather hundreds of fans in one of the nation's coronavirus hot spots. The 1990s rapper with the hit single "Ice Ice Baby" had been scheduled to play a lakeside show just outside Austin on Friday, but on Thursday he announced it was being postponed. "Due to the increase in COVID-19 numbers in Austin we're gonna move the concert to a better date," Vanilla Ice tweeted. "We were hoping for better Coronavirus numbers by July but Unfortunately the numbers have increased quite a bit so for the safety and health of everyone we're going to stay home." Barrett Brannam, who owns the venue where Vanilla Ice had been scheduled to play, said the performer real name Robert Van Winkle had expressed concern about the health of his fans and himself. Brannam said Saturday's planned appearance by 1990s R&B group Color Me Badd also was postponed. He said both Vanilla Ice and Color Me Badd would perform at a later date, but he didn't know when. The Vanilla Ice show drew widespread attention and criticism when the rapper posted about it on social media Wednesday. Only 84 tickets had been sold before the online ticket broker suspended sales, Brannam said. Associated Press Judge rejects bid to toss Depp libel suit A British judge on Thursday rejected an attempt by tabloid newspaper The Sun to quash a libel suit from actor Johnny Depp over an article claiming he abused ex-wife Amber Heard. Judge Andrew Nicol said "in my view it would not be just to strike out the claim." The ruling means the two celebrities and their large legal teams will square off next week at the High Court in London. Depp, 57, and Heard, 34, met on the set of the 2011 comedy "The Rum Diary" and married in Los Angeles in February 2015. They divorced in 2017. Depp is suing The Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers, and Executive Editor Dan Wootton over a 2018 article claiming the actor was violent and abusive to Heard. He strongly denies the allegations. The Sun's lawyers applied for the case to be dismissed on the grounds that Depp failed to disclose text messages he exchanged with an assistant showing that he tried to buy "MDMA and other narcotics" while he was in Australia with Heard in 2015. The newspaper's lawyer, Adam Wolanski, said withholding the texts was a breach of a previous court order requiring Depp to provide all documents from separate libel proceedings against Heard in the United States. He said the lapse endangered the defendants' ability to get a fair trial. The judge ruled that Depp had breached the disclosure order, but granted him "relief from sanctions," meaning the case can proceed. He also rejected an attempt by Depp to force Heard to disclose evidence including communications with actor James Franco and Space-X founder Elon Musk, with whom she allegedly had affairs while involved with Depp. Depp and Heard are both expected to give evidence in person at the London trial, which was postponed from March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Associated Press Officials: Students threw COVID parties Several college students in an Alabama city organized "COVID-19" parties as a contest to see who would get the virus first, officials said. Tuscaloosa City Councilor Sonya McKinstry said students hosted the parties to intentionally infect each other with the new coronavirus, news outlets reported. McKinstry said party organizers purposely invited guests who tested positive for COVID-19. She said the students put money in a pot and whoever got COVID first would get the cash. "It makes no sense," McKinstry said. "They're intentionally doing it." Tuscaloosa Fire Chief Randy Smith confirmed the incidents to the City Council on Tuesday. The department thought the parties were rumors, but Smith said after some research, officials discovered the parties were real. Smith did not say whether actions would be taken against the students. He also did not say which schools the students attend. Tuscaloosa is home to The University of Alabama and several other colleges. Tuscaloosa City Council members unanimously approved a mask requirement during a meeting Tuesday. Associated Press MICHIGAN The Mitten State is home to some true natural beauty. We Michiganders really are lucky to live in such a Great state. From Lake Michigan to Lake Huron, St. Joseph to Sault Ste. Marie, there are many places in between to check out for a staycation. Many people may be thinking about taking summer vacations, but may be looking to stay a little closer to home due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic this year. Many states are again experiencing an increase in cases and some may be hesitant to travel. But there is a lot to do in our own backyard. Members of the Manistee News Advocate and Benzie County Record Patriot staff put on our thinking caps, and came up with our favorite vacation spots some may be a little farther away, some right in our own backyard. All of them offer great outdoor recreation and plenty of opportunity for social distancing. ASPEN PARK, GAYLORD Arielle Breen, Staff Writer As the crowds tend to stream north for getaways and summer vacations, some may find themselves passing by Gaylord on I-75 or making a stop in the Alpine Village. Before moving to Manistee, I lived in Gaylord working for the Herald Times, and one of my favorite places to go on lunch, after work or just in general in the city was Aspen Park, located at 239 Commerce Blvd. It has this tucked away feeling where you can walk, jog or cycle on paths or off the paved pathway to explore wooded trails away from the bustling town. But I think the total drive time from the newspaper office to the park was barely five minutes one way. The park also butts up against the Patrick Mankowski elk park enclosure so you can watch the elk and other cervids wander about while you walk by or stop along the fenceline. Just dont be that person who tries to feed them. I enjoyed grabbing a savory flatbread after work from Bennethums or some barbecue treats from Iron Pig Smokehouse to go eat it at the picnic tables at the pavilion area near the elk enclosure. But be warned that the open fields can get pretty windy at the picnic tables on some days. My favorite time to visit Aspen Park is on a rainy day when there are few visitors, and I can be lost in my thoughts or just take in the foliage. Last year, the city also paved another portion of the trail system making it more accessible for people using wheelchairs, strollers or recreational activities like rollerblading. That newly paved route takes you down to the beaver pond area where you can sometimes see the beavers swimming to and from their home and the woods. SILVER LAKE SAND DUNES Scott Fraley, Staff Writer Theres nothing quite like the view from atop the shifting sand mountain at Silver Lake. Turn your head left and youll peer out onto the sparkling deep blue of Lake Michigan. Turn your head right and youll see the water of Silver Lake, set like a turquoise gem against the soft white sand. Neither body of water is visible, when hiking between the dunes. Instead, it creates the impression of a vast desert right here in Michigan. The sand has a tendency to mute sound from the wind, other tourists and even the loud off-road vehicles which blast across this unique environment. When nestled between the taller dunes, Ive felt a sense of calming isolation. The bleached white dunes may appear desolate and lifeless at a glance, save the occasional scrub brush, but they hide many secrets for vacationers. Many of the scraggly bushes are in fact the tops of trees, peeking out from beneath the sand. Some animals such as the rare piping plover have adapted to the unusual environment. I last visited the dunes in 2016 with my wife. At the foot of one of the larger dunes we rested and saw damselflies locked in a heart-shaped embrace. Butterflies too flitted about the tranquil setting. When it got too hot and the sands began to tingle our feet, we made our way to Silver Lake for a refreshing dip in the water. Its a memory that I cherish and one that I hope others will want to replicate. LITTLE MANISTEE RIVER Kyle Kotecki, Staff Writer As I am travel-averse and perpetually on a budget, I am fortunate to have a little piece of paradise in my own backyard. When I lust for adventure, I reach for the nearest kayak, fishing rod or both and head for the Little Manistee River. The Little Manistee is over 60 miles of twists, turns, fish and fun. Ill never forget the day my sister and I went canoeing with our grandpa and the canoe got wedged up against a fallen tree that stretched across the entire river. As water rushed into the boat, my sister and I climbed onto the tree, hearts pounding, while Grandpa after handing me his wallet and watch went down with the ship, as any good captain should. Whether you enjoy canoeing, kayaking, fishing or simply reveling Michigans natural beauty, the Little Manistee River is a destination not to be ignored. LAKE MICHIGAN BEACHES Ken Grabowski, Associate Editor Sometimes people spend so much time looking for the perfect vacation spot that they tend to forgot what is available right here in Manistee County. Those who know me recognize that one of my favorite sayings about this area is we live where other people vacation. Need I say more? One of the best parts of living in Manistee is being located on the shores of Lake Michigan with its beautiful sandy beaches. In my life I have been able to wade into the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the Gulf of Mexico, and in my opinion none of them hold anything over what we have to offer in this wonderful place we call home. Where else can you find a place that offers sunsets that are sheer works of art. The color schemes of reds, orange and yellow leave even the most cynical people in the world muttering wow. And the best part is there is a new show every night, as each one is a little different than the one that came the night before as the hundreds who crowd the shoreline every night to watch the show can attest. Not even Picasso or Monet could do that on a regular basis. But it isnt just the nights that make the Lake Michigan shoreline special. It comes to life in a different form during the day. Replacing the quiet solitude of a sunset is the sound of summer fun in the daytime with swimming, boating, jet skis and so much more taking place on the sandy shores. In addition, the area has one of the worlds greatest fisheries in Lake Michigan. Pretty much everyone will agree that Manistee is the place to be in the summer. RIFLE RIVER RECREATION AREA Michelle Graves, Managing Editor I have some great memories of spending long summer days at the Rifle River Recreation Area with my family as a kid. I wasnt lucky enough to grow up on the shore of Lake Michigan, like some people. But the Rifle River Recreation Area, located near the small town of Lupton (about 35 miles east of Lake Huron), has a lot to offer. The nearly 4,500 acre state park is located within the AuSable State Forest. Its a great destination for wildlife watching, hiking, fishing and hunting. However, I loved to go swimming at one of the parks many lakes. It has this great beach and recreation area. My family used to spend hours there; wed swim and then eat. As kids, wed play on the playground area or take a walk on the trails. Then after the required half hour wait, go back in the water. For those who like camping, the Rifle River Recreation Area has that too. Did I mention theres not one but seven lakes? Theres also three ponds and seven miles of trout streams ... OK, that information is courtesy of the Department of Natural Resources, but its all the more reason to take a trip over to the east side of the state and check it out! BETSIE VALLEY TRAIL, BENZIE COUNTY Colin Merry, Staff Writer The Betsie Valley Trail offers an incredible diversity in scenery that I have enjoyed long before it was a paved trail. As a kid growing up in Benzie, it was a blast to walk along the old Ann Arbor Railroad tracks with friends. As an adult, the trail, created on the railroad bed in 1999, still offers me a chance to see a variety of environments. Along the 22 mile trail, you can travel through forests and open fields. You can walk along Betsie Bay, Betsie River and the shores of Crystal Lake. There are ponds, wetlands and creeks spread throughout the trail. My favorite spot along the trail, now and as a kid, is the causeway between Frankfort and Elberta, where the railroad crossed Betsie Bay. Here, the river opens up into a marsh, filled with cattails, reeds and other marsh plants. Muskrats swim by, unconcerned by human presence. The thickets at the shore are filled with birds like red-winged blackbirds, and the skies are filled with dragonflies and damselflies in the summer, and migrating birds gathering in the fall. It is also a great place to fish. I spent nights fishing for bullheads with coworkers after closing out a local restaurant during the summers. We tried, but with not much luck, to catch the giant carp we could see swimming by. Ive also caught everything from pike and smallmouth bass, to freshwater drum and bowfin. The trail is owned by the Department of Natural Resources and maintained by the Friends of the Betsie Valley Trail. UPPER PENINSULA Robert Myers, Staff Writer I have been fortunate to travel west of Michigan a number of times, and my favorite route is almost always crossing the Mackinac Bridge and west driving through the Upper Peninsula. What almost always happens during this is I think to myself: One of these times I need to spend more time in the Upper Peninsula enjoying the natural beauty this area has to offer. Unfortunately, I always seem to be in somewhat of a rush to get to where I am headed or return home, but there are still a few spots of I have managed to enjoy. One of my favorite stretches of road in the state has to be US-2 heading west from the Mackinac Bridge. The scenery is fantastic, and I always make it a point to stop and stretch my legs and grab a snack at one of the many pull-off parks along the lakeshore. Inevitably I find myself staying longer than expected, walking the remote beach and surveying the beautiful views this area has to offer. US-2 may be a beautiful place to drive and step out of the car for a rest, but the one area I am determined to devote a longer visit to is Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. I have visited once, on a whim that delayed my travels half a day. It was worth it! I cannot wait to go back and walk further along the shoreline trails overlooking Lake Superior and surveying the beautiful waterfalls that call this area home. Someday, hopefully soon, my journeys will take me back to these places. To help fight the pandemic recession, Congress temporarily made unemployment benefits more generous. Too generous, in fact. Eligible workers can receive $600 per week from the federal government on top of their regular state-provided benefit. This program expires at the end of July. What should Congress do? It would be a mistake to continue the benefit in its current form. But it would also be wrong to let expanded unemployment checks expire completely, in part because U.S. cases of coronavirus are rising, and some states are reinstituting social-distancing measures. The $600 weekly payments were approved as part of the $2 trillion Cares Act, which was passed on March 27 to help support the economy during the COVID-19 disaster. They have been controversial from the start. Economists Peter Ganong, Pascal Noel and Joseph Vavra estimate that 68 percent of unemployed workers who are eligible for payments saw their income go up relative to what they were making while employed. For one out of five unemployed workers, the benefits were twice as large as previous earnings. Taxpayer dollars shouldnt be used to raise the incomes of the majority of unemployed workers above what they were earning on the job. That said, benefits this generous did much less damage to the economy during the shutdown than they would under normal circumstances. Unemployed workers werent discouraged from getting new jobs because there werent new jobs to get. And because workers had income support from the government when stores and restaurants began to reopen, consumer spending roared back in May, increasing by 8.1 percent over the previous month, an extraordinary jump. The situation is different now that the economy has partially reopened. But letting the supplemental federal benefit abruptly expire would reduce overall income in the ballpark of $50 billion per month, by my back-of-the-envelope calculations. This would depress overall consumer spending by several hundred billion dollars in the second half of 2020, which by itself could cause a recession-level contraction in economic output. And the pandemic isnt petering out. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office expects the unemployment rate to be 11.5 percent at the end of 2020 - exceeding the peak unemployment rate during the Great Recession - and 8.6 percent at the end of 2021. If that forecast is accurate, the labor market will still have recession-level unemployment well into 2022. Enhanced unemployment benefits will be needed for some time to come. But the payments can be scaled back. The CBO estimates that if the $600 supplement were to continue for six additional months, roughly five out of every six recipients would have higher incomes from unemployment benefits than they could earn from working. This would keep the unemployment rate elevated at a time when it should be coming down. The CBO expects that the extra income would boost the economy during the rest of 2020, but would reduce economic output in 2021 by keeping idled workers from getting jobs. A nice middle ground was charted recently by a bipartisan group of economists. They argue that the amount of the supplemental payment should be determined by economic conditions in each workers state. In states with the highest unemployment, the federal government would provide a maximum payment of $400 per week, on top of what the worker receives in his or her normal state benefit. As the unemployment rate falls, this extra benefit shrinks. At 7 percent unemployment, the supplement is eliminated. I would quibble with some details in the proposal: $400 per week is too generous, even as a maximum payment. But the basic idea is sound, and points the way forward for Congress. Congress could also support spending and encourage employment by offering one-time bonus payments for low-income workers when they return to the labor force. Federal earnings subsidies for low-income working households could also be expanded. Given the looming expiration of supplemental unemployment benefits, Congress needs to act quickly. The recovery from the Pandemic Recession is fragile. The economy - and workers - will need a hand as we head into the fall. Strain is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is director of economic policy studies and Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute. Three months after the coronavirus pandemic shut down offices, corporate America has concluded that working from home is working out. Many employees will be tethered to Zoom and Slack for the rest of their careers, their commute accomplished in seconds. Richard Laermer has some advice for all the companies rushing pell-mell into this remote future: Dont be an idiot. A few years ago, Laermer let the employees of RLM Public Relations work from home Fridays. This small step toward telecommuting proved a disaster, he said. He often couldnt find people when he needed them. Projects languished. Every weekend became a three-day holiday, he said. I found that people work so much better when theyre all in the same physical space. IBM came to a similar decision. In 2009, 40 percent of its 386,000 employees in 173 countries worked remotely. But in 2017, with revenue slumping, management called thousands of them back to the office. Even as Facebook, Shopify, Zillow, Twitter and many other companies are developing plans to let employees work remotely forever, the experiences of Laermer and IBM are a reminder that the history of telecommuting has been strewn with failure. The companies are barreling forward but run the risk of the same fate. Working from home is a strategic move, not just a tactical one that saves money, said Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics. A lot of it comes down to trust. Do you trust your people? Companies large and small have been trying for decades to make working from home work. As long ago as 1985, the mainstream media was using phrases like the growing telecommuting movement. Peter Drucker, the management guru, declared in 1989 that commuting to office work is obsolete. Telecommuting was a technology-driven innovation that seemed to offer benefits to both employees and executives. The former could eliminate ever-lengthening commutes and work the hours that suited them best. Management would save on high-priced real estate and could hire applicants who lived far from the office, deepening the talent pool. And yet many of the ventures were eventually downsized or abandoned. Marissa Mayer, chief executive of Yahoo, created a furor when she forced employees back into offices in 2013. Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people and impromptu team meetings, a company memo explained. Tech companies proceeded to spend billions on ever more lavish campuses that employees need never leave. Facebook announced plans in 2018 for what were essentially dormitories. Amazon redeveloped an entire Seattle neighborhood. When Patrick Pichette, the former chief financial officer at Google, was asked, How many people telecommute at Google? he said he liked to answer, As few as possible. That calculus has abruptly changed. Facebook expects up to half its workers to be remote as soon as 2025. The chief executive of Shopify, a Canadian e-commerce company that employs 5,000 people, tweeted in May that most of them will permanently work remotely. Office centricity is over. The unemployment rate was low at the beginning of the year, and workers had some leverage. All that has been lost, at least for the next year or two. Widespread remote work could consolidate that shift. When people are in turmoil, you take advantage of them, said John Sullivan, a professor of management at San Francisco State University. The data over the last three months is so powerful, he said. People are shocked. No one found a drop in productivity. Most found an increase. People have been going to work for a thousand years, but its going to stop, and its going to change everyones life. Innovation, Sullivan added, might even catch up eventually. When you hire remotely, you can get the best talent around and not just the best talent that wants to live in California or New York, he said. You get true diversity. And it turns out that affects innovation. Who knew that an empire could be built from chicken? Founder of Frenchy's Chicken, Percy "Frenchy" Creuzot did. Frenchy's Chicken, Houston's premier chicken institution, opened today in Houston in 1969. If you walk into almost any Frenchy's today, you can read the restaurant's history on the wall, that tells the humble beginnings of a po'boy shop to now, a successful chicken franchise. You can learn about their full history on the restaurant's website. According to Frenchy's, Percy Creuzot was a New Orleans native, and came to Houston in 1965 to work as a traveling salesman. His appetite quickly shifted to food, literally. His first business endeavor was selling New Orleans-style sno-balls, and soon after, Creuzot and his wife Sallie opened a po'boy shop bearing his nickname "Frenchy" in Houston, in 1969. While they started with just po'boys, they eventually expanded their menu to chicken. Frenchy's used a family recipe to season their chicken, and it's been a hit in Houston ever since. Not to mention the mouthwatering sides -- jambalya, dirty rice, and french fries. According to Houston native Jacqueline Bostic, Frenchy's has had her heart since the beginning. "I'm 83 years old, and I loved going to Frenchy's. It was something about traveling up Scott Street to get some home-cooked chicken." The original Frenchy's location in Houston was at 3919 Scott Street, and quickly became a popular spot for Houston locals, tourists and college students. My dad used to go when he attended Texas Southern in 1977, and he would get the famous "3 Piece Campus," 3 pieces of chicken with a biscuit, with your choice of any regular side & a pepper. With the success of the original location and its menu, another location quickly opened in 1979. "I could never get tired of the Frenchy fries or the boudin," said Houston resident Jessica Lodge. "It reminded me so much of my home in New Orleans." Percy Creuzot died in 2010, but his spirit and love for creole cuisine still lives on. The chicken spot has become a Houston favorite, with seven locations in the area. Shaobeny Johnson, another Houston resident, says she misses the 'walk-up' location of Frenchy's. "It was something so nostalgic about walking up and waiting for my order outside," she said. "It brings back my fondest memories of going with my mom." THE DEAL: God and chicken: New plans set for Frenchy's, Wheeler Avenue church Frenchy's sold the original location to Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in the summer of 2016, so that the church could expand its sanctuary. Percy "King" Creuzot III told Chron that the deal "offered an opportunity to update the original store, and step out of the way of Wheeler's progress. The deal made way for a multi-million dollar plan to enlarge the church sanctuary that was built over 30 years ago. THE BIG MOVE: Fans flock to Frenchy's for flagship site's last suppers Construction is currently underway for a new permanent Scott Street location at the Alabama intersection, but in the meantime, hungry customers no longer have to stand outside in Houston's unbearable heat to get chicken-- they can order inside, or go through the drive thru at the interim location, at 4646 Scott Street. A change in location didn't change much for Third Ward residents. From the opposite side of Scott Street, you can see the drive thru line extending into the street, causing traffic. It just goes to show, nothing will separate us from the love of Frenchy's Chicken. In a letter to Governor Greg Abbott, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has requested the state's help to effectively "save lives, protect our hospital capacity and support your efforts to reopen the economy by enacting appropriate safety measures." "Scientists, doctors and modelers at the University of Texas at Austin advise that on our current trajectory, Houston/Harris County could well exceed our COVID-19 hospital capacity by 1500 beds by mid-July," Turner wrote. CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Record-breaking days continue in Texas' coronavirus surge Turner added that the experts have a "small window" to slow the trajectory of the current COVID-19 crisis in Houston "The more we can change behaviors and interactions, the more time we will have to maintain some measure of open economy while protecting public health." Turner is requesting that the state of Texas enact these orders, to avoid a "last resort" scenario: Mandatory masking for individuals when gathering with non-household members, inside or outside, not just through businesses and employers as currently authorized Removal of exceptions for gatherings over 100 and a reduction of the number of any social group gatherings from 100 to 50, or even 10 Establishments such as "BYOB" or "gentlemen's" clubs that are regulated separately from bars, should be subject to the same regulations and closures as bars Prohibit termination of an employee who stays home to isolate while waiting for a test result on those grounds Bowling alleys and gyms to 25 percent Turner also requested that other measures be put in place to help the most "vulnerable communities": More isolation facilities so that construction and health care workers have the needed opportunity to isolate and not infect household members, particularly family members who are elderly or immune-compromised (one kind of significant cluster we are seeing) More PPE or funds for PPE for vulnerable households Stipends for lost income for infected individuals who are isolating (so they in fact isolate rather than returning to work while infected or awaiting test results) More tests and rapid lab response (test results in the area are now delayed up to 4-5 days, and by then are less beneficial for public health purposes) BEACHES CLOSED: Galveston beaches to close for July 4th weekend amid sharp rise in COVID-19 cases Turner added that a "last resort" solution would be the return of a stay-at-home order. "Returning to a stay at home order, excepting essential businesses, should only be a last resort," Turner wrote. "It may well be better received if we can tell people the exact number of days we would be engaging in this practice, followed by the reopening of schools (something that might otherwise be difficult to achieve), so long as we reemerge this time it is done with universal, indefinite and mandatory face masking and social distancing." If Montgomery County schools do not change their anticipated start dates for next school year students could be back in the classroom in just six weeks. While no one knows what the next school year will look like yet, parents are considering what options they have for their students. Conroe ISD, the largest public district in the county, put out a survey on June 15 to gauge the communitys preferences for the 2020-21 academic year. Of the 25,370 respondents, 75 percent indicated that they would prefer in-class instruction for their students over a full-time online model. But Superintendent Curtis Null, in his YouTube Live on June 29, told the community that if the current spike in positive COVID-19 cases doesnt start to decline, in-class instruction may not be an option. Related: Conroe ISD superintendent says COVID-19 case spike could prevent in-class teaching The only guidance for next year currently available from TEA regards online instruction and the two options that districts have for funding: asynchronous and synchronous. Guidance has not been released regarding precautions or regulations for in-class instruction. But some parents have already decided that their students will not be going back to the classroom next year. Mistie Lava has four kids, and next year three of them will either be homeschooled or be doing online instruction at home. Her oldest is set to enter his second year of college and his classes have been moved online. Now, she is getting ready to homeschool her fifth-grader and freshman, while her junior will begin school online through Dallas Community College and an umbrella school. When her junior was an infant he had a respiratory virus that left him with life-long respiratory issues. Her biggest concern about next year is that if one of her kids went to school and came back with COVID-19, that could put her junior in danger of getting the virus. Hes somebody that we all have to protect in different ways, Lava said. Safety concerns Without strict regulation from the state, she is concerned that the district will have crowded classrooms and wont mandate masks or face coverings. She worries about her sons life even during a regular flu season and COVID-19 is more contagious than the regular flu. If the district were to require masks, keeping class sizes small, and enforced social distancing, she would consider sending her students back to class. Theres things that can be done, I just dont think those things the district necessarily wants to do or can do because of money, she said. Lava has experience in homeschooling already. Her incoming freshman had been planning on returning to public school for high school after being homeschooled for a while but plans changed when COVID-19 arrived. She isnt excited about the idea of online school provided by CISD after having a negative experience with it last year. I give teachers the credit, I know they were probably working three times harder than normal, they were thrown into a situation they were unprepared for and not fully qualified for, she said of the districts effort to offer online instruction after being forced to close by order of the governor. I dont blame the teachers or the school or even the district, but it was awful and I dont think they can turn that around in just a couple of months. She remains unconvinced that online schooling would meet the needs of her freshman who has special needs. She does not believe students with IEPs and 504 plans were offered equitable accommodations and modifications. For some families, COVID-19 was not the only factor in their decision to homeschool their students but was a big factor. Virginia Chowdary decided to remove her son, who will be going into fifth grade, from CISD in May in part because of COVID, and in part, because the public school setting wasnt working for him. But if academics were not a concern, Chowdary said she still wouldnt be comfortable sending him back. No, Im not comfortable with that, She said. Hes not even going to the grocery store with me. So, I really am not thinking about school and going back, at all, for the time being. Im not even considering that. Smaller classes While he and his wife are supporters of public school, Enrique Rosero said that they are more comfortable sending their daughter back to school at The John Cooper School for third grade, a private school in The Woodlands, because they believe it will be easier to enforce precautions like social distancing and smaller class sizes. The John Cooper School has the ability to be more flexible with their campus, their facilities, and even a little bit with their timing, Rosero said. They have more flexibility to stretch their instruction to fit their needs. The information they have received from the school so far has been encouraging, and they feel that The John Cooper School is preparing for multiple options for next year. I think were going to have to be flexible with online education, he said. I think the most likely scenario is that theyre going to have to be a hybrid of some (in-class) instruction and some online instruction. Both Rosero and his wife work, so homeschooling or doing online instruction from home would be tough. He is already back in his office while his wife is working from home, but she will likely be returning to the office soon. They know that there are benefits to in-class instruction that they wouldnt be able to give their daughter at home. Were not homeschoolers because we think there is value in the social interaction, there is value in the diversity that you get exposed to working with groups, understanding other people, how they act," he said. "Although we have high degrees, we think teachers are the best people to instruct kids. It would be a disservice if she doesn't benefit from the instruction and the interaction with the classmates. jamie.swinnerton@chron.com Andrew James, vehicular crimes chief at the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office, will be with wife and kids this Fourth of July weekend. But his cell phone will be on and right beside him. At any point, my phone could ring and I have to drop what Im doing and go work, James said. As much of Montgomery County marks the holiday weekend by driving to visit friends and family or by boating, members of law enforcement will be working to ensure the revelry doesnt turn mournful. James is positioned to respond to vehicle crashes where felony charges may be filed. Meanwhile, the DAs Office has a rotation of medical personnel, prosecutors and judges toiling away to stop intoxicated drivers in their tracks as part of No Refusal Weekend. Broken into shifts totaling 18 hours, the undertaking eases obtaining warrants to draw blood for evidence from a suspected intoxicated driver refusing to consent to providing a breath sample. Prepare for the worst As of 2018, Montgomery County was the states 11th largest county and had the second most alcohol-involved vehicle crash deaths per capita, James explained, citing data from the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Department of Transportation. Those staggering numbers make No Refusal operations, also done during New Years Day, Super Bowl, Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends and spring break, especially crucial, James noted. The process streamlines Montgomery County law enforcements approach to the 40 to 45 percent of suspected intoxicated drivers who refuse to be tested for blood-alcohol content or drug use. Needles and as many as a couple hundred evidence kits with two test tubes each to preserve blood samples are available for use by medical personnel. We hope for the best but prepare for the worst, James said of the supply list. If someone in custody for suspected intoxication refuses to give a sample, an officer will request a prosecutor draft a warrant to submit to a judge to possibly sign off on. Then, while being filmed, medical personnel will draw blood from the suspect at a hospital or at the Montgomery County Jail. The entire exercise from officer to blood drawing is done in a speedy 20 minutes. Similar to how search warrants are usually executed in these cases, the steps are accelerated by the immediate presence of nearly everyone required. A legal assistant or an investigator round out the on-call team. The staffing and resources for No Refusal operations are made possible by a grant from TxDOT. This fiscal year, the grant total was $143,460, according to James. On rotation One of three prosecutors working this weekend, Assistant District Attorney Gordon Dudley will be on shift overnight Saturday. Dudley said he is willing to sacrifice holiday time, as well as sleep, to help keep people safe from impaired drivers. No Refusal operations provide the evidence to hold impaired drivers responsible for their selfish and irresponsible choices, Dudley said. The evidence obtained by these programs means we may have to give up some time with our loved ones, but some other families will get to see their loved ones make it safely home again. Montgomery County Judge Phil Grant will be one of about 14 judges on a rotating shift during No Refusal Weekend. He recalls how consuming it was when it was a lone judge on call only a few years ago. We would get a lot of warrants and wouldnt get much sleep, Grant said. Of vital interest during No Refusal Weekend is upholding each suspected drivers Constitutional right to probable cause, James said. Thats our jobs as judges, to review those (warrants) and make that determination, Grant said. Its part of the checks and balances that are built into the criminal justice system. A haunting reminder James has headed up the vehicular crimes division since January 2017 and has been working No Refusal Weekend as a Montgomery County assistant DA since its 2009 start. In all his years at the DAs Office, James has reported to around 50 crashes involving death or serious injury. One incident remains a haunting reminder of the need for No Refusal operations. On Dec. 11, 2017, Wayland Melton had finished counseling a couple at Magnolias Decker Prairie Church of Christ where he served as a church elder. Pulling out of the parking lot, the 66-year-old husband and great-grandfather was killed after his car was T-boned by a driver later convicted and imprisoned for being highly intoxicated and going 41 mph over the speed limit. Mr. Meltons life was taken right then and there, James said. This was a guy who literally spent his evening trying to help people and then on his way home, his life gets ended. The men and women in Montgomery County who time after time labor through No Refusal weekends are motivated by preventing impaired driving from causing further travesties. And so James is pleading responsibility from drivers during the holiday weekend. That includes not getting behind the wheel with anything other than all of your mental and physical faculties, he said. jose.gonzalez@chron.com twitter.com/jrgzztx A year after the city of Conroe donated five acres of land to Conroe-based nonprofit Compassion United, the organization that is focused on helping the homeless has been awarded a $1.25 million grant to begin construction its new campus. Dubbed Miracle City, the campus will include transitional housing, a welding shop, carpentry shop that will also build tiny homes, a new CHOP location, clothing and food pantry. The property is located off Foster Drive near the Conroe Fire Station. Luke Redus, who founded Compassion United with his wife Karla, said landing the grant funds is great news for his organization and for the downtown Conroe. With the construction of the new campus, Redus will closed the Conroe House of Payer, moving all its operations to Miracle City. We are really excited about it, Redus said adding the total cost of the project will be $2.1 million. This being federal dollars, they cant build the chapel part so we still need to raise that but man, $1.25 million is such a phenomenal start. For Redus, developing a campus to offer all their services, including its Conroe House of Prayer, in one location has been a vision of theirs for several years. Redus, who said he has already created a mockup of the campus, is working with an architect to get plans created for construction. He said he hopes to be moved to the campus by December. In the meantime, Redus said, portable buildings will likely be used until the permanent structures are complete. The news of the grant comes as frustration with the homeless population reached a new level. During a May council meeting, City Administrator Paul Virgadamo Jr. told council members many businesses had complained about the homeless harassing customers around the downtown area. They say the homeless are harassing their customers, said City Administrator Paul Virgadamo Jr. Its just become more and more of an issue. They are quite upset. Virgadamo urged the council to put the item on the citys upcoming agenda for more discussion noting he was concerned about funding from organizations outside Conroe aiding in the citys homelessness issue. Councilman Jody Czajkoski, who has been supportive of Redus efforts to help the homeless, suggested the city form an eight-member task force made up of a city council member, city staff and community leaders to develop a plan to benefit both the homeless population along with residents and business owners. However, Mayor Pro Tem Duke Coon was more cautious. I think the city needs to first come together and determine what the objectives are of the task force and how we would possibly create a task force, Coon said. I dont know if one needs to be created. The council has not revisited the issue. For more information on Compassion United, visit www.compassionunited.us. cdominguez@hcnonline.com The Lake Houston area surpassed 1,000 positive coronavirus cases this week as the Houston region sees the largest increase in cases since the start of the coronavirus. The region reached 1,077 positive coronavirus cases this week, up 94 cases from last week according to Harris County Public Health data. In the Houston region, positive coronavirus cases have reached 47,531 and the statewide total is 180,445 according to the Houston Chronicle data team. COVID-19: Houston coronavirus updates: What you need to know for July 3 Coronavirus testing sites remain open in the Lake Houston area and across the Houston region. While some locations in the area will charge for a test with the option to be reimbursed by insurance such as BAS Premier Testing in Kingwood, others are completely free. For more information on where to find testing sites, visit the citys website. Anyone can receive a test whether or not they have symptoms, but individuals must call 832-393-4220 for an access code and directions to the nearest testing site. On July 3, the Walmart in Fall Creek, 9235 N Sam Houston Pkwy E, was the citys labeled testing site in the Lake Houston area. An appointment is required, which can be completed at DoINeedaCOVID19test.com. Emergency Hospital Systems Deerbrook on FM 1960 offered coronavirus testing from June 24-26 and June 29-July 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering unlimited testing to those who made it within the time limits. Lines were backed up nearly half a mile down the side of FM 1960 on Tuesday. Tamesha James, the director of registration and lab manager, said they are testing between 400-600 people a day. COVID-19: Once lauded for its COVID-19 response, Texas now grapples with one of countrys worst outbreaks Memorial Hermann also remains prepared for an increase in cases, stated Memorial Hermann media relations specialist Drew Munhausen in an email. As of June 30, he said they had 600 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases across the hospitals system and that capacity was not an immediate concern for them at the time. Memorial Hermann has had a surge plan in place for many months and we remain ready and prepared to care for our community, including those in Northeast Houston, Munhausen said in an email. More Information Data on the coronavirus as of July 3 from Harris County Public Health can be viewed by ZIP code. These ZIP codes cover the Lake Houston area. 77396 378 confirmed cases 172 active cases 203 recovered cases 3 Deaths 77346 237 confirmed cases 95 active cases 141 recovered cases 1 Death 77338 330 confirmed cases 127 active cases 183 recovered cases 20 Deaths 77339 103 confirmed cases 64 active cases 26 recovered cases 13 Deaths 77345 29 confirmed cases 22 active cases 7 recovered cases 0 Deaths See More Collapse As cases rise and restrictions become more strict to prevent the spread of the virus, Lake Houston area restaurants are working to adapt to the pandemic. With to-go and delivery options, as well as the 50% capacity limit for dining in, restaurants are pivoting through the continued changes brought by the virus. POLITICS: Texas GOP moves ahead with in-person Houston convention despite COVID-19 spike Were at a place right now where everyone should be trying to stay healthy, try and avoid crowds, and making sure the public is aware of that, Mary Huynh, owner of Bibos Bistro and Bar at Redemption Square in Generation Park, said. Were kind of in a really tough position now as coronavirus cases are increasing. I think that theres a fact of, you know, people wanting to go out, but I feel its my duty to be part of that solution as well as everyone elses in keeping those numbers down. It is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to wash hands with soap frequently for at least 20 seconds and to physically distance when around others. It is also recommended to wear a mask covering the nose and mouth as well as covering coughs and sneezes to prevent any potential spread of the virus. Clean and disinfect surfaces daily, or when they get dirty and monitor your health for any symptoms, according to the CDC. savannah.mehrtens@chron.com 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 Fort Bend ISD students will have two choices next year: returning to the classroom with new health and safety protocols in place or full-time online learning. Superintendent Charles Dupre recently confirmed a third alternative involving a mix of online learning and part-time classroom instruction has been sidelined due to new funding plans put forward by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for next year. The hybrid learning model that we previously discussed will be a fallback, alternate position in the event we do not have physical space in a building to serve all kids full time, Dupre said during an online presentation Wednesday (July 1). There will be places in the district where students can go to school all day, every day because many other students have chosen to learn online full-time. In schools with higher enrollment, students may have alternating schedules for classroom instruction, Dupre said. But, much has yet to be determined, including how many students will opt for online classes when Fall registration closes later this summer. For parents who dont feel safe sending a student back to the classroom, home schooling or online learning via an established private or charter school program may already be an option under consideration. A district survey last June found 21 percent were considering other educational options for next year of the approximately 18,000 parents who responded. Assuming infection-control measures were adopted, 28 percent were very comfortable and 38 percent were somewhat comfortable sending students back to the classroom next year. Regardless of the reasons, if a significant number of students leave Fort Bend ISD for other options, it could spell financial trouble for the district as state funding is based on student attendance. But for those that remain with the district, changes can be expected next year. The fall experience will look dramatically different from the Spring, Dupre said during Wednesdays presentation. There will be direct face-to-face learning in a classroom for many students but there will also be direct teaching and learning online where students might sit in a class for an hour on their computer engaging directly with the teacher and other students. Related: Fort Bend ISD announces plans for next year According to TEA funding guidelines, online classes involving posting online assignments and interacting with students via email must be expanded to include either real-time teacher-engaged instruction online or students logging on for pre-recorded classroom lectures and assignment activities among other things. For students in the third to the fifth grade, schools must provide at least three hours of instruction and four hours or more for older student to be counted for attendance. TEA guidelines currently limit funding for online classes to students in the third grade and above. In general, Fort Bend ISD students next year will be expected to actively engage in the learning process every day without the buffer of last Springs pass-fail grading system. Dupre said attendance will also be carefully monitored for online classes and for those returning to their schools. Will face masks be required? Information provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) with guidance from a four-member health advisory committee that includes Fort Bend County Health and Human Services Director Dr. Jacqueline Minter and three doctors specializing in emergency medicine, critical care and infectious disease from Houston Methodist Hospital in Sugar Land will be used to create new health and safety guidelines for schools for next year, Dupre said. Were working with a medical advisory team and were going to have full infection control measures in place. Most certainly they will include masks at some points of the day and will probably include face shields for many of our students and staff as those have proven to be very effective, Dupre said. Of course, we will also be addressing social distancing and class sizes all at the same time in those infection-control protocols. Related: Fort Bend ISD trustees sideline plans for employee raises next year Dupre said parents and students can also expect temperature checks, parent wellness checks and a process for staged entry to schools by grade level. Additionally, social distancing guidelines may affect class sizes at some schools. Dupre closed his presentation with a reference to author Simon Sineks concept of the infinite player. For our parents, students and staff, we are all in a situation as we begin this new school year where we need to be infinite players, Dupre said. We need to expand our thinking. We need to be nimble. We need to be flexible. We need to remember that life is ever changing and life is ever filled with uncertainty and how we deal with it is what counts. Pre-registration for the Fall semester begins the week of July 27. Classes resume August 12. knix@hcnonline.com Tomball Emergency Assistance Ministries canceled its fundraiser in March as the Houston area was forced to contend with the arrival of COVID-19. Despite the events cancelation, patrons still provided the donations that TEAM had hoped to generate during the fundraiser, said executive director Barry Hart. This kind of support during the pandemic has helped sustain services that the nonprofit offers its clients including food, financial and medical assistance. The outpouring of help from the community will continue to be essential as TEAM adjusts to operating in the new normal. With the pandemic, there have been fluctuations in our staffing in every category and so it has presented challenges to meeting the needs that have been out there; although, were actually very proud that weve been able to take care of our clients and provide for their needs on an ongoing basis, Hart said. The TEAM Resale Shop reopened in May after a two-month closure. On June 22, TEAM announced that its resale donation center would be temporarily unable to accept donations until further notice; though as of Friday, the shop itself remained open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. TEAM Resale reopens: Tomball Emergency Assistance Ministries providing aid for residents, reopens resale shop We opened (the donation center) up briefly and then had to shut it back down as staffing levels fluctuate, Hart said. We have very few paid employees as part of the organization and rely quite heavily on volunteers to help us both take care of our resale shop as well as take care of our assistance ministry and food pantry. Following the recommendations of health officials, donated items will be kept in containers outside the facility for five to seven days before volunteers begin placing products on the sales floor, Hart said. According to a June 24 post on the Tomball Emergency Assistance Ministries Facebook page, the quarantine areas for donations are at maximum capacity. We are hard at work processing donations that have met the quarantine requirements and are now considered safe to handle, states the post. Hart anticipates the donation center will reopen soon. The specific timeline for when TEAM may resume accepting resale shop donations is unclear, but Hart said people can check the organizations website or call the resale shop for automated message updates regarding donations. Once we get our donation center back up and receiving donations which will be very soon we certainly appreciate the community bringing those donations to us, Hart said. Were looking for gently used items that can be sold in our resale shop. Those items that are brought to us that are sellable items are huge in allowing us to continue our ministry. TEAM is implementing safety measures within its resale shop, requiring all volunteers and customers to wear masks inside, Hart said. Hand sanitizer stations are set up throughout the facility. Several people helping in the resale store are long-time volunteers, but Hart said the shop is also seeing some new volunteers. So, were able to get more and more accomplished on a daily basis and those volunteers are critical in helping us to get the donations that come into our donation center prepped and ready to go out on our sales floor, Hart said. The revenues that we receive in our resale shop are critical to allowing us to serve the community with our assistance ministry and food pantry. Assistance ministry When the pandemic first reached greater Houston, Hart said TEAMs focus was on its food pantry. The nonprofit has since been able to reopen aspects of its assistance ministry such as providing financial help for rent and utilities. Recently, he said, TEAM has expanded its assistance offerings to include provisions for dental and medical care. TEAM has also taken steps to protect the health of ministry clients and volunteers, many of whom are older adults considered more at risk of developing severe health issues from COVID-19. We have, especially in our assistance ministry, a large number of volunteers who are in their senior years of life, Hart said. They are outstanding people, but we have been careful to make sure that their exposure to the virus is minimal and thats why weve gone to outside signup for our clients. To promote social distancing, clients now sign up for assistance outdoors in front of the assistance ministry at 300 W Main Street. TEAM has narrowed its hours for client signup to 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays. Instructions are provided as to how clients can go about requesting assistance with their specific needs. On HoustonChronicle.com: Socially distanced July Fourth on tap for the Houston region amid coronavirus spike TEAM has seen an increase in the number of Spanish-speaking clients seeking help through the assistance ministry, Hart said, and could benefit from more bilingual volunteers. We have had several bilingual volunteers come to us to help us communicate with those clients, which has been mission critical, he said. Food pantry TEAM has also seen an uptick in clients asking for food assistance through the nonprofits food pantry. Fortunately, the Tomball community has been absolutely outstanding in providing food to TEAM in order to give it away, Hart said. Weve had churches and other organizations do food drives. Weve had businesses either food service businesses that had excess product that they brought to us, or other businesses that went and shopped at local supermarkets that brought that to us. Weve had individuals go and do their own shopping and bring that food to us. So thats been huge. Food distribution procedures have changed amid the pandemic as clients now wait in their cars instead of entering the facility. How to help TEAM continues looking to the community for food item donations. Hart said a variety of food is appreciated, though nonperishable food is most helpful. TEAM accepts monetary donations that go toward serving clients in need of food or financial assistance. Hart also encourages people to consider volunteering at TEAM. Weve just had huge support on all accounts, but always looking for more so that we can continue to serve the community the way that we have been, Hart said. For more information about donation and volunteer opportunities, visit www.teamtomall.com. mfeuk@hcnonline.com Forty-one Midland Health employees have tested positive for the coronavirus and are self-quarantining, President and CEO Russell Meyers said Thursday. Those staffers are from across Midland Healths network, he said, which includes Midland Memorial Hospital as well as several clinics and medical offices. The employees are not believed to have been exposed by positive coronavirus patients, Meyers said. He said officials believe all the cases are community acquired. Our staff live in this community. They are active in this community, and just like were seeing with hundreds of new positives, our people are among those, he said. Meyers said they require employees to wear masks and practice social distancing while at work, but they have little control over their behaviors outside of work. Were not in control of their behaviors once they leave the hospital, he said. Theyre going to behave just like other people in the community do. The number of staff testing positive is a growing concern because of the potential for them to expose patients and the staffing shortages that are created when employees are required to quarantine, he said. Any employees who begin experiencing symptoms are immediately told to self-isolate and tested for the virus, Meyers said. One critical care physician at Midland Memorial tested positive for the coronavirus in April. More thsn 20 other critical care employees were said to have been exposed by that physician, but none of those staff tested positive at that time. Meyers said Thursday the 41 employees are considered to all have active cases, though they are in different stages of the disease. They've been up there about a month now, floating around on the International Space Station, keeping tabs on their ride home. One, NASA astronaut Bob Behnken, has taken a pair of spacewalks. The other, Doug Hurley, has turned his Twitter feed into a startling exhibition of Earth art photography. Both have been monitoring the health of the Dragon spacecraft that ferried them to the station, and will, in a few weeks, carry them home in a perilous second leg of their historic test mission. On May 30, the pair became the first NASA astronauts to launch on a commercial rocket to the station, hitching a ride on vehicles manufactured by Elon Musk's SpaceX, not NASA. A day after lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center, their Dragon spacecraft, which they named Endeavor, docked with the station autonomously, and the duo were greeted on the station by fellow NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, as well as Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. The journey marked the end of a long fallow period of launches for NASA, which had not flown humans from United States soil since 2011, when the Space Shuttle was retired. "Certainly, the highlight for both Doug and I was the initial arrival at space station, coming through the hatch again and being on board after several years of working on a new spacecraft," Behnken said in an interview from the station this week. Since then, he has performed two spacewalks with Cassidy, successfully replacing batteries on the outside of the station. During the spacewalk, they were able to see the Dragon spacecraft docked to the station, and Cassidy turned and took a photo. "It was just awesome to be able to look back and snap a picture, and I think we got a good daylight shot," Behnken said. Hurley has spent a fair amount of time in the station's cupola, a small dome with six windows that provides some of the best views. As the station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, traveling 17,500 mph, he's captured stunning images from all around the globe, posting them to his Twitter account. Here was the Saharan dust plume and the western Atlantic Ocean. Here were clouds coiled like Rorschah inkblots over the South Pacific; Iran's Lake Urmia, clouds framing the St. Lawrence River; the tan expanse of the Middle East, and the deep blue of the Pacific off the southern California coast. And then on Thursday, he posted a shot of the Earth transitioning from day to night, one half dark, the other light. It is a peaceful image with no hint of the turmoil of the coronavirus pandemic or the social unrest following the death of George Floyd while in policy custody. "Look at the atmosphere!" Tweeted Hurley's wife, Karen Nyberg, a former NASA astronaut. "It is such a gorgeous blue, and so thin. @Astro_Doug has been taking some beautiful pictures of earth from @Space_Station. They serve as reminder to me that this amazing home belongs to all of us, together." NASA celebrated the mission as the beginning of a new era in human spaceflight, one where the private sector would play a larger role. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were at the Kennedy Space Center for the launch, and afterward, Trump heralded it in a speech as a victory for the country. "A new age of American ambition has now begun," he said. "Those of us who saw the spectacular and unforgettable lift off this afternoon watched more than an act of history. We watched an act of heroism." The Trump campaign sought to seize on the launch with an ad titled "Make Space Great Again." But the ad was quickly criticized by Democrats, who pointed out that NASA's "commercial crew" program - the hiring private companies to fly its astronauts - began under President Barack Obama. Others said it violated NASA rules that prohibit the agency from endorsing "a commercial product, service or activity." Nyberg, who was featured in the ad with her son, said on Twitter that she found it "disturbing that a video image of me and my son is being used in political propaganda without my knowledge or consent. That is wrong." The ad was abruptly taken down. Now, NASA and the astronauts are turning their focus to the return trip. At the moment, the space agency says the soonest Behnken and Hurley could return is Aug. 2. If all goes well, the Dragon would undock from the station, fire its thrusters and descend through the atmosphere. The entire mission is a test to see how SpaceX's Dragon capsule performs, and while NASA said its ascent went flawlessly, there still are many risks ahead. As it plunges down, the thickening air will cause friction and generate enormous heat, testing the capsule's heat shield. Then the spacecraft's parachutes are to deploy to slow the vehicle further. SpaceX has struggled with its parachute designs in the past, however. "Parachutes are way harder than they look," Musk said in an interview with The Post before the launch. "The Apollo program actually had a real morale issue with the parachutes because they were so damn hard. They had people quitting over how hard the parachutes were. And then you know we almost had people quit at SpaceX over how hard the parachutes were. I mean they soldiered through, but, man, the parachutes are hard." Another risk will be landing in the ocean. American astronauts have not splashed down in the water since 1975 - the Space Shuttles landed on land, as do the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Behnken said he and Hurley expect to spend about an hour bobbing on the ocean surface before they are hoisted on the deck of a ship. SpaceX has been training extensively for the recovery mission, working to get the astronauts to safety as quickly as possible, but that will also be a key test. "I wouldn't call it nervousness," Behnken said. "But one of the areas that both Doug and I really need to make sure that we're prepared for is that if something doesn't go as smoothly as expected with that recovery operation and we end up in that capsule for a little bit longer." He added: "We need to be on top of our game, both physically and mentally." ALBANY On Monday, New Jersey opened its indoor malls, welcoming customers back into the shopping monoliths for the first time in months. The same day, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo delivered a coronavirus briefing from New York City a metropolis just a stones throw away from its southern neighbor where he doubled down on a decision to delay the reopening of malls in New York. He had initially included them in phase four of the states reopening plan but changed course in late June, voicing concerns that poor air filtration systems could exacerbate the spread of COVID-19. In the same briefing, Cuomo raised alarms that indoor dining already available in much of upstate New York could also increase the spread of the virus, and he was considering delaying the reopening of indoor restaurant services in New York City from July 6 to an undetermined date. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced hours later that the state would also postpone the resumption of indoor dining, which had been scheduled to begin Thursday. Much of the reopening process has been similar, with states largely making individualistic decisions that happen to, at times, fall in line with one another. Its not exactly the hand-in-hand approach that Cuomo, Murphy and five other northeast governors had touted in April, when they held a special conference call announcing a coordinated reopening plan. I think its inevitable without a real legal restructuring that, ultimately, states will act independently, said Eli Rosenberg, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University at Albanys School of Public Health. Theyre individually charged with public health. The seven states involved included New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware and Pennsylvania a northeast coalition that Cuomo had initiated to work together on reopening strategies amid a lack of coordinated federal response to the virus. Each state appointed three people a chief of staff, a health official and an economic leader to a reopening council. Those officials ... will then form a working group that will start work immediately on designing a reopening plan, taking into consideration public health concerns and issues and the economic reactivation issues and concerns, Cuomo said on April 13. He cautioned that the coalition wouldnt "wind up with a fully common strategy" as he noted that different states, as well as different regions within New York, have unique needs and are at varying points of handling the pandemic. But he said the coordinated approach was smart, as the virus does not adhere to state boundaries and he wanted to prevent residents of one state traveling to another because different activities were permitted. In the weeks since, the council has become a short but formal outlet for each states leaders to exchange ideas for about an hour on Thursday mornings. It has no decision-making capacity; rather, all of us are making decisions for our particular area but taking into account how that might impact or be impacted on by what our neighbor is doing, said Kurt Foreman, the president and CEO of the Delaware Prosperity Partnership, and Delawares economic development appointee to the council. Some people thought and maybe I did too that this group would be making decisions for the group of states, Foreman said. Thats never been the case. The council has also since split into eight sub-groups that focus on more specialized topics, ranging from higher education to summer camps to economic reactivation. Those groups also meet at least once weekly and sometimes share their discussions on the larger call on Thursdays. But meetings have been helpful, Foreman said, to avoid surprise decisions and be thoughtful and helpful to each other and make sure that were not causing problems for each other. States have differed on specific timeline decisions, but there havent been any large conflicts or challenges within the meetings, he said. The differences have varied; for example, early on, New York City beaches were closed as New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware shorelines were still in limbo. But, weeks later, the states issued a press release touting a multi-state agreement in late May to ease restrictions ahead of Memorial Day Weekend. The states have also undertaken different reopening plans; while New York has established a four-phase plan enacted in 10 different regions of the state, New Jersey has operated as one collective state under a three-phase plan, and Pennsylvania has pursued a regional, red-yellow-green system. Museums, gyms and malls reopened in Delaware, with restrictions, on June 15. In New York, museums are a part of phase four which most of upstate is now in and gyms and indoor malls remain closed. Gyms have started to open in parts of Pennsylvania but are delayed in Philadelphia until August at the earliest. The interstate council is also an arrangement similar to simply talking with representatives from other states something that would happen anyway. A spokesperson for Vermont Gov. Phil Scott told POLITICO in May that because there is such a variance in the restrictions in place, it is difficult to align regional reopenings. Vermont never joined the council but shares borders with New York and Massachusetts. Ultimately, its probably very, very challenging to have seven states do exactly the same thing, said Rosenberg, the epidemiology professor. He added that even if New York hasnt perfectly aligned its reopening strategy with the six other states, it has worked closely with New Jersey and Connecticut through much of the public health response. Those states are the most connected through the New York City metropolitan area, and the fact that youre seeing three-state coordination still gets you a lot of the way there. In addition to the coordination in the reopening group, New York had also worked with Connecticut and New Jersey to shut down parts of the economy at the beginning of the crisis in March and, most recently, adopted the same quarantine policy for out-of-state travelers. Massachusetts, separately, introduced its own self-isolation policy for visitors. The differences in strategy among the states even those that have been working closely together could also be attributable to the absence of federal guidance for specific businesses, he said. I think what thats really showing is that the science is evolving, Rosenberg said. Were still finding out the environments that are still the most risky. State governments are interpreting the information thats available differently and responding to different local pressures. State Budget Director Robert Mujica, a New York appointee to the reopening council, said the states may fall out of step on the reopening timeline by a week or two, but overall, it was not about consensus, it was about coordination. He said the reopening strategies have largely been similar, and a two-week gap in timing wouldnt undermine the goal of avoiding attractive nuisances that would drive people from one state to another. He acknowledged that some differences such as reopening restaurants in parts of upstate New York or in Connecticut before New York City likely drove some residents to those areas. It always is a concern that the virus will spread because of uneven reopening strategies, he said. Mujica said the council meetings have informed New Yorks decision-making on reopening plans but have also, more generally, opened that dialogue between the states in case a specific issue arises immediately. He said he expects the council to continue meeting into the fall as states anticipate a potential second wave of the virus. Everyone knows that this is not over, and thats why we have to monitor it all the time, Mujica said. Were monitoring infection rates and testing in every county of the state. [Other states are] doing the same thing. Everyone is very concerned. When asked what had come of the regional coordination plans on June 10, Cuomo told reporters that we talk to [other states] on a daily basis before comparing the regional coordination to the reopening plan within the state, comparing revival strategies in Queens and Long Island. Five upstate regions, including the Mohawk Valley and North Country, had reopened retail stores, outdoor dining and hair salons and were just days away from reviving indoor restaurant and personal care services as New York City just entered phase one, which expanded manufacturing and construction. Were coordinating so we dont get in each others way, and we know what each one is doing, so we can anticipate and make plans, the governor said. Thats what the coordination is all about, and its worked brilliantly. Evangelist Alveda King - July 4th: Seeking God for Liberty in Times of Masks and Division NEWS PROVIDED BY Alveda King Ministries July 3, 2020 ATLANTA, July 3, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- Evangelist Alveda King submits the following and is available for comment: Every summer, July 4th, Independence Day, is centered between June 19th, Juneteenth, and August 28th, I HAVE A DREAM DAY. This summer is no different; yet everything is different. Each of these days was once a much anticipated holiday; a monthly celebration denoting a cry for freedom and liberty. Meanwhile this year, as we approach Independence Day, the festivities along with the quest for a "perfect union" will be marred by face masks and social distancing. Yet, our hearts should remain hopeful. Can we dare to celebrate the aspirations that as American people we can live together, prosper together, and grow together in liberty and justice? Admittedly, these aspirations for our nation have yet to encompass the rights of all American people; especially those in the womb, those oppressed by the yoke of skin color racism, and other human barriers. However, Hope is still alive. We are not colorblind; we are not separate races. We just need to learn to see and hear each other. There is hope that the imperfect union can still become a perfect union; one race, one blood, one nation under God. As we move forward, we must remember that as the human race, we are all made in the image of God. "And hath made of one blood all nations of [humans] to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation..." Acts 17:26 In the midst of COVID-19, race riots, and desecration of our communities, we must remember that we are human beings, flawed sinners capable both of great evil and extraordinary righteousness. Every one of us, from our founding fathers and mothers to all of us alive today at this perilous moment in our nation; we are all in the same boat. "We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now." -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, our union that started out as a brave experiment is still unfolding. Yet our grand hopes are in grave danger right now. We are challenged not only by a global pandemic that is sickening and killing more people every day, with an end we cannot predict; we are also facing a social upheaval the likes of which many alive today have never seen. Yes, we have been ravaged before. The Civil War. The Civil Rights Movement. The Vietnam War protests; all of these have stretched the fabric of our nation. Yet we are still here. Those challenges made us stronger, better. I hope and pray we can withstand our current challenges; but we won't without God's help. One way to seek God's help is to return to God. Meanwhile, I'm praying that we can redirect our obsession with statues, and focus on seeking God for a way out of our distress. I've never been a big fan of statues, and through the years, while I have admired the artistry, my faith always tells me not to worship idols; and as we see today, statues can become idols. One has to wonder about the driving forces that bring people to blows over images formed from clay and metal. Several years ago, when a statue of my uncle, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was to be dedicated, I told my family I wasn't sure I could be there. I loved and revered my uncle, the man, but I would not worship his statue. Today it still pains me to watch angry people, many of them driven by emotion, unaware of history, tearing down statues as if that's an answer to our problems. And it pains me to know that our First Amendment rights to free speech are being trampled by a politically motivated Twitter mob that decides what sentiments can be spoken and which must be stifled. The extremism of our newly anointed "cancel culture" is often overwhelming. While it is sobering to consider that while we are breathing behind masks, and keeping socially distant from each other, we need to find ways to reconnect. Yes, we have political differences, but we are all Americans. Surely that's a common connection worth celebrating. We can relearn civility. We can remember that we can disagree without destroying the world around us. South Africa is finding its way back from apartheid. Rwanda is recovering from genocide. Surely the U.S. can trust God to strengthen the resolve of a people still committed to praying for forming that more perfect union envisioned centuries ago. "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV SOURCE Alveda King Ministries CONTACT: Leslie Palma, 917-697-7039 Share Tweet The U.S. headed into the Fourth of July weekend with many parades and fireworks displays canceled, beaches and bars closed, and health authorities warning that this will be a crucial test of Americans' self-control that could determine the trajectory of the surging coronavirus outbreak. With confirmed cases climbing in 40 states, governors have ordered the wearing of masks in public, and families were urged to celebrate their independence at home. Even then, they were told to keep their backyard cookouts small. Health experts agree this will be a pivotal moment in determining whether the nation slides into a deeper mess. The fear is that a weekend of crowded pool parties, picnics and parades will fuel the surge. Were not going to be arresting people for having gatherings, but were certainly going to discourage it, said Dr. Jeff Duchin, public health director for Seattle and King County. Those who decide they must gather with a small group of family members need to be careful, he said: Dont share utensils, dont share objects, dont pass them back and forth, because youre passing that virus around as well." The warnings were sounded after a Memorial Day weekend that saw many people emerge from stay-at-home orders to go to the beach, restaurants and family gatherings. Since then, confirmed infections per day in the U.S. have rocketed to an all-time high, more than doubling. The U.S. set another record on Friday with 52,300 newly reported cases, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. Arizona, California, Florida and Texas have been hit especially hard. The latest numbers The U.S. has reported more than 2.7 million cases of the virus and at least 129,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. Despite it all, there will still be fireworks and community events scattered across the nation, with many taking social distancing into account. In Ohio, Upper Arlingtons July Fourth parade will take a much longer route through its neighborhoods so residents can watch without crowding the streets. Were calling it the front porch parade, said organizer Sam Porter. We cant just not do something. Fireworks will be launched from four spots across Albuquerque, New Mexico, so that people can ooh and aah from home instead of gathering in a single place. Willie Nelsons annual Fourth of July Picnic will carry on at his Texas ranch outside Austin, but this year the concert portion will be virtual. It will be a much quieter holiday for Ashley Peters, who for 14 years has hosted 150 friends and relatives at a pool party at her home in Manteca, California, complete with a DJ, bounce house, water slide and shaved-ice stand. This year the guest list is down to just a few people. This year is a huge bummer, to say the least," she said. But pulling the plug on the bash, she said, was a no-brainer because so many of those she knows are front-line workers, including her husband, a fire captain. I woke up and told my husband I wish it was just July 5, she said. President Trump at Rushmore: Jets and fireworks, but masks remain optional President Donald Trump traveled to South Dakota on Friday for a fireworks show at Mount Rushmore before returning to the nations capital for military flyovers Saturday and a mile-long pyrotechnics display show on the National Mall that his administration promises will be the biggest in recent memory. Up to 300,000 face masks will be given away but not required. The big party will go on over objections from Washington's mayor. Ask yourself, do you need to be there? Ask yourself, can you anticipate or know who all is going to be around you? If you go downtown, do you know if youre going to be able to social distance?" Mayor Muriel Bowser said. Beaches that had been open for the traditional start of summer over Memorial Day weekend will be off-limits in many places this time, including South Florida, Southern California and the Texas Gulf Coast. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans who do go to the beach to wear face coverings, though not in the water. With professional pyrotechnic displays canceled, authorities are bracing for wildfires and injuries caused by Americans shooting off fireworks at home. Sales of fireworks have been booming in what some sellers say may reflect a desire for a little excitement among people cooped up for so long. Jamie Parrott, a pediatric neurologist in Columbia, South Carolina, said he intends to stay home with his grandchildren, setting off fireworks and eating hamburgers, because that's the safer course for older people like him. Well muddle through, he said. Delawares governor ordered bars in some beach towns to close, saying people were getting complacent about masks and social distancing. The Lake Erie resort village of Put-in-Bay in Ohio canceled its fireworks after a small number of coronavirus cases were linked to bars on the island. And the New Jersey resort town of Wildwood did the same. Still, many people are expected to pack the beaches, boardwalk restaurants and amusement parks up and down the Jersey shore. After hearing Michigans governor warn about the need to be smart amid an uptick of cases, Mary Halley of Jonesville said her family canceled plans for a weekend outing on Lake Michigan. We had some disappointed kids, but we knew as a family we couldnt do that, she said. The problem, she said, is that too many people arent listening to the experts. Even in my small, little town, there are lot of people who didnt comply with the orders, she said. Dr. Don Williamson, head of the Alabama Hospital Association, said he is really, really worried about the Fourth of July." I think that will likely determine the trend for Alabama for the rest of the summer, he said. Oregon thought it had controlled COVID-19, then came surge Throughout the pandemic state officials have boasted having one of the lowest infection rates in the country, which remains true. At the end of May, Oregon only had about 4,200 cases and until June, daily confirmed new case numbers never hit triple digits. Some officials said the pandemic seemed distant," as Oregonians watched the disease clobber other states, such as California and Washington where far more people have tested positive. But in June, things shifted. Oregon continuously set record highs in the state for new daily cases. The Oregon Health Authority said Thursday there were 375 additional confirmed and presumptive cases of the coronavirus statewide. The previous record was 281 cases. Over the past month, the case confirmed count more than doubled surpassing 9,600. Dr. Paul Cieslak, the medical director for Communicable Diseases for the Oregon Health Authority, called the numbers concerning. But, the numbers may get worse. Researchers warn of the possibility of exponential growth in new infections in July. Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the states epidemiologist, said Wednesday projections indicate that daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 could rise. The worst-case scenario, based only on increased transmission rates, projects that confirmed daily cases could rise as much as 20 percentage points, to 4,852 new infections a day. While the case count has been increasing across the state, Cieslak said there have been significant increases in rural counties. The surge in cases is not solely caused by workplace outbreaks or large gatherings. We are now seeing a lot of new clusters (of cases) associated with multi-household gatherings birthday parties with large groups, graduation parties, extended family gatherings, vacation among friends, Cieslak said. Stop the spread of COVID-19 To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend wearing a cloth face mask in public, which is a requirement in some states. Experts also recommend you keep 6 feet between yourself and others. Make sure to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. For more tips on how to stay safe, CLICK HERE. Houston Police Department Houston Police is asking for information on the whereabouts of David Nathan Willis, accused of fatally shooting his pregnant wife last month. Around 3:40 p.m, on June 27, officers conducted a welfare check at an apartment at 3702 Southmore Blvd. after someone reported hearing a possible disturbance, according to a city of Houston news release. Former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday called for justice for missing Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen and an end to sexual violence in the military. We owe it to those who put on the uniform, and to their families, to put an end to sexual harassment and assault in the military, and hold perpetrators accountable, reads statement from the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. Guillen, 20, who was from Houston, went missing almost three months ago from Fort Hood, where she was stationed. Her family members have been asking for answers as to what happened to Guillen, whom they believe had been sexually harassed at the base. The case has drawn other national criticism of the Army post for its handling of the case. I want to tell Gloria, Vanessas mother and Mayra, her sister, that we will not rest until a full investigation is conducted by the military and changes are made so that this never happens to another soldier, Garcia said. For now, we pause and stand with the Guillen family in their time of sorrow and we will be with them to lay Vanessa to rest. U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said in a statement Friday that Guillen and her family were failed by the Army. Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said Friday his community is grieiving for Guillens family. Together with my colleagues in Congress, we must ensure the Guillen family gets justice for Vanessa and that this never happens again, she said. A fellow soldier bludgeoned Guillen, a Houston native, to death at Fort Hood in April and then dismembered, according to FBI investigators. Her body was buried along the Leon River. Military officials identified Army Specialist Aaron David Robinson as the soldier suspected in the disappearance of Guillen, the 20-year-old Houston native who went missing April 22. Robinson shot and killed himself as law enforcement officers confronted him along a Killeen road after the discovery of human remains believed to be those of the missing 3rd Cavalry Regiment soldier. A march calling for justice for Guillen is planned for 5 p.m. Saturday at Discovery Green. hannah.dellinger@chron.com Chron.com is following the latest headlines on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Houston area. 12 p.m.: Karbach Brewing Co. announced they will be temporarily closed due to an employee testing positive for COVID-19. "This will allow us time to perform a thorough cleaning, sanitation and contact tracing following guidance from health authorities," Karbach said in a Facebook post. 10 a.m.: The Houston Fire Department is considering of putting fire trucks out of service and temporarily closing fire stations because of staffing shortages, according to a Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association release. "If HFD orders service reductions, incident response times will likely increase, and fire and EMS service outages will occur throughout the city," HPFFA said. The union said the department has been hit with hundreds of resignations recently, quarantines and retirements. 9:50 a.m.: Texas saw more than 7,000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis. The statewide total went from 172,753 to 180,445, an increase of 7,692 cases. Its the third-highest single-day increase to date. Another 42 deaths brought the statewide fatality count to 2,551. MASK ORDER: Abbott issues statewide mask order to fight COVID-19 The Houston regions case count for Thursday went up by 1,851, bringing the total to 47,531. Harris County added 1,250 new cases and is now at 34,108 cases total. There have been 553 deaths in the Houston region, up 8 from Wednesday. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Texas unemployment claims tick up, benefits extended. While the statewide positive test rate dropped to 13.32 %, Houston's positive test rate reached 24.8%. As of Thursday, there are 11,983 beds available and 1,181 in ICU. There are 5,491 ventilators available. NOTE: This story will be updated throughout the day. kaila.contreras@chron.com CNN was invited inside San Antonio's Methodist Hospital this week and what one reporter witnessed brought him to tears on air Thursday morning. Correspondent Miguel Marquez spent time inside COVID-19 intensive care units at Methodist Hospital, speaking to staff about the overwhelming surge of patients. The result is a nearly 10-minute long package that aired on CNN's "New Day" on Thursday morning. Marquez broke down while speaking about the strain he witnessed. In early June, a team of San Antonio Express-News journalists spent 18 hours with the COVID-19 intensive care unit at Northeast Baptist Hospital and later at Methodist Hospital. Read their account and see the stunning images they captured in our subscriber exclusive story, Night Shift. He said the healthcare workers, who were already "pushed to limits," expect to see an even larger surge after the Fourth of July weekend. The San Antonio Express-News toured Methodist after the Memorial Day weekend, when ICU units at local hospitals went from "uneventful" to "frenetic." "They just know more is coming," Marquez said. "The question is: how big will it be and will they be able to take it on?" "It was an eye opener of all the eye openers I've seen," he added. Marquez's full report, which can be viewed here, included a sobering warning from San Antonio Dr. Jeffrey Dellavolpe. The disease is not just affecting older people. Dellavolpe said he's lost track of how many patients he's treating who are in their 20s. He also said there's a "long" waiting list for rooms. CNN also said there's an increase in infections among pregnant women, so much so Methodist Hospital has a dedicated unit in the NICU for babies who are born to mothers who are infected. The newborns are taken from their mothers soon after being born. Charge nurse Megan VanDewark told CNN she expects the specialized unit to be full soon at the rate they're seeing. ON EXPRESSNEWS.COM: While the city sleeps, a team of nurses cares for the sickest of the sick in the COVID-19 ICU at Northeast Baptist Hospital Back in one of Methodist's three COVID-19 units, Dellavolpe told CNN he's already having to make life or death decisions. He discussed using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment as a last-ditch effort. The treatment adds oxygen to a patient's blood in order to give damaged organs time like the lungs to rest. This treatment comes with a risk of serious complications, so younger patients are usually the best candidates, but Dellavolpe said there's not enough space in the system's large ECMO program. "Yesterday was probably one of my worst days that I've ever had," he told Marquez. "I got 10 calls, all of whom were young people who otherwise would be excellent candidates to be able to be put on ECMO. They're sick. They're so sick that if they don't get put on, if they don't get that support, they're probably going to die. I had three beds. In making that decision, being able to figure out who is really going to benefit, it is a level of decision-making I don't think a lot of us are prepared for." As of Wednesday, 1,019 people were hospitalized due to COVID-19. An additional 439 cases were reported as well as another death. The total COVID-19 case count in San Antonio stands at 12,504 and the death toll is 111. READ ALSO: San Antonio drops down hot spot list, but doubling rate is the same COVID-19 ICU Nurse Manager Adam Sahyouni told CNN he doesn't think he's ever seen a comparable situation in San Antonio. He offered grave advice for San Antonians if they want to be excluded from the post-holiday "tidal wave" local hospitals are bracing for. "If you want to see Aug. 1, then maybe you should stay indoors and isolate on July Fourth," he said. Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye Over the past few years, airlines have celebrated their "final" Boeing 747 flights with a litany of nostalgic send-offs for the graceful old "Queen of the Skies." But now, a more final ending is just two years away, when Boeing is set to stop production of the latest version of the jumbo, the 747-8. That's according to a report from Bloomberg, which says that even though Boeing has not officially announced the end of 747 production, it was able to tease out the decision from recent financial statements. The last order for a passenger version of the Boeing 747 was three years ago, in 2017 from the U.S. military for two jets to serve as Air Force One. Since then, Boeing has only sold the jet as a freighter, and built only six of them per year. It's a sad day indeed for aviation enthusiasts, to see the end of the an era that began in 1970, when the big four-engine bubble-tops made their debut. These days, airlines are more interested in buying smaller, lighter more efficient two-engine jets like the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350. At SFO, the most recent 747 send-off was by Qantas, which in December sent its 747-400 back to Sydney. It was not just the final 747 flight from SFO, but the final Qantas 747 flight from the United States. (Read more about that flight here.) Qantas switched to the sleeker, smaller Boeing 787 Dreamliner for its SFO-Sydney flights, which are currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Qantas recently announced that it would retire all remaining 747s in its fleet this month. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our FREE weekly email alerts. Before that, United put on a big event for its final Boeing 747 flight in November 2017 a special voyage from San Francisco to Honolulu. The airline threw a big party at the airport and on the plane, and when it landed in Honolulu, airport officials draped it with a giant floral lei. (Read about that here.) United spent about a year saying goodbye to the 747 throughout 2017, with several "final" flights to its various hubs, and an appearance at San Francisco's Fleet Week celebrations in the fall. One of my favorite 747 stories happened just before that, when the old Queen came to the rescue in the same year United retired her. Remember the torrential storms that ripped through the West Coast in early 2017, shutting down most air traffic up and down the coast, marooning travelers? United pulled one of its jumbos off Japan service, and used it on a few SFO-LAX runs to break the backlog and get people home. (Read more about that flight here.) Imagine the surprise (and relief) of passengers expecting to ride home on a 737 or A320, and discovering that they'd be flying on a 747 instead! Delta retired its B747 in December 2017 with a final flight between Detroit and Seoul. Cathay Pacific and Air New Zealand stopped flying their 747s to San Francisco in 2014. And before that, EVA Air's 747s flew away in 2012. Most recently, only Air China regularly flies a Boeing 747-8 between SFO and Beijing. British Airways, Lufthansa and Korean Air have also occasionally flown 747s to SFO, but not recently due to the pandemic. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. You can reach him via email or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Don't miss a shred of important travel news by signing up for his FREE weekly email updates! SFGATE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. FL Governor Signs Pro-life Parental Consent Bill NEWS PROVIDED BY Liberty Counsel July 2, 2020 TALLAHASSEE, Fla., July 2, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Tuesday that prohibits physicians from performing or inducing the termination of the pregnancy of a minor without parental consent. The new law went into effect yesterday and makes Florida the sixth state to require both parental consent and notice before minor girls can get an abortion. Senate Bill 404 requires a girl under 18 to have at least one parent's permission before going through with an abortion. The bill includes exceptions for medical emergencies and allows a judge to grant permission instead of a parent. It also increases the penalties for not caring for an infant born alive during an abortion. The bill, which passed during the legislative session that ended in March, comes more than three decades after the Florida Supreme Court in 1989 struck down a similar parental-consent law. Doctors who perform abortions for a minor without parental consent would face up to five years in prison for a third-degree felony. Polls show strong support for parental involvement laws. A Gallup poll found 71 percent of Americans favor laws requiring parents' involvement in a minor's abortion decision. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Kelli Stargel, experienced her own teenage pregnancy and said the bill will protect young girls and strengthen families. "I think this is strengthening the family and making sure that when you have those difficult situations that there is a conversation. A discussion," she said. About 1,500 underage girls have abortions in Florida each year and the new parental consent law makes abortion congruent with other medical procedures and laws affecting minors in Florida. For example, it is illegal to tattoo a child under 16, and parental consent is required for minors between 16 and 18. Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "The parental consent laws underscore the importance that parents, not abortion doctors, have the right to direct the decisions of their minor children. Parental consent laws help prevent young girls from making a hasty, uninformed decision to abort their unborn babies. There is no such thing as a safe abortion, and these laws help protect the lives of girls and unborn children." Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost. SOURCE Liberty Counsel CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org Related Links lc.org/ Florida, FL (34429) Today Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 73F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 73F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Express Entry has revolutionized Canada's immigration system, and is allowing global talent from all over the world to achieve their Canadian dream. Where are Express Entry immigrants coming from? Express Entry has revolutionized Canada's immigration system, and is allowing global talent from all over the world to achieve their Canadian dream. Where are Express Entry immigrants coming from? Express Entry has revolutionized Canada's immigration system, and is allowing global talent from all over the world to achieve their Canadian dream. Where are Express Entry immigrants coming from? Express Entry has revolutionized Canada's immigration system, and is allowing global talent from all over the world to achieve their Canadian dream. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Express Entry is the flagship system that Canada uses to manage immigration applications submitted by skilled workers around the world. Launched in 2015, Express Entry has revolutionized Canadas immigration system. Before Express Entry, Canada processed immigration applications from skilled workers in the order they were submitted. This resulted in a very slow system since more applications were submitted than Canada could process. As such, successful applicants often needed to wait several years, sometimes five years or more, before Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) would grant them permanent residence (PR). Express Entry is a more dynamic system. Candidates upload their profiles for free on IRCCs website. They receive a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score based on characteristics such as their age, education, English and/or French skills, work experience, among other factors. Find out if you are eligible for Express Entry Every two weeks, IRCC issues invitations to apply (ITA) for permanent residence to candidates based on their CRS scores. IRCCs processing standard for permanent residence applications is now six months or less. Each year, IRCC releases an analysis called the Express Entry Year-End Report. This report is important and helpful because its provides plenty of information on Express Entry, such as how it is operating, and the demographic characteristics of Express Entry candidates. For example, the report tells us that IRCC issued 85,300 ITAs in 2019. Here is where they came from. Top 10 countries by citizenship In 2019, the top 10 countries of citizens who received ITAs under Express Entry were: India (47% of all ITAs) Nigeria (7%) China (7%) Pakistan (3%) United Kingdom (2%) Brazil (2%) United States (2%) Iran (2%) France (2%) South Korea (1%) Why many immigrants arrive from India and the U.S. Unsurprisingly, Indians continue to receive the majority of ITAs. As the worlds second largest country, India has a significant middle-class population that speaks English, has high levels of education, and the work experience and skills that are desired by employers in Canada. IRCCs Express Entry report shows that the leading occupations of successful Express Entry candidates in 2019 were: Software engineers and designers Information systems analysts and consultants Computer programmers and interactive media developers Financial auditors and accountants Administrative assistants Indian professionals are arriving to Canada with these sorts of occupational backgrounds, and are particularly adept in ICT-related professions. In fact, many are former H-1B or other visa holders who worked in tech jobs in the U.S., and then decided to move to Canada. IRCCs report shows that 12 per cent of ITAs went to people living in the U.S. in 2019. The recent freeze on H-1B visas by the U.S. government creates much uncertainty for global talent. As a result, it may lead to even more Indians succeeding through Express Entry in the near future, and moving to Canada from both India and the United States. Find out if you are eligible for Express Entry Nigeria moves to #2 Nigeria has overtaken China as the second-leading source of successful Express Entry candidates. Nigerian immigration to Canada has been booming in recent years. Nigerians are a great source of talent since English is their countrys official language, they have high levels of education, and have many professionals with backgrounds in ICT, STEM-related fields, and oil and gasall of which are prevalent fields within Canadas economy. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, global oil prices have fallen even further. Oil-rich countries such as Nigeria may bear a heavy burden as a result, which may cause even more Nigerians to move to Canada in the coming years. 48% of successful candidates lived in Canada Some 48 per cent of ITAs went to Express Entry candidates who were already residing in Canada. This is a function of how Express Entrys CRS awards points. Plenty of research shows that immigrants who have Canadian experience are able to integrate quickly into Canadas economy once they obtain PR. Fortunately, research shows that immigrants who arrive to Canada from overseas are also very successful in the economy. Given that the CRS awards additional points to candidates with Canadian education and work experience, former Canadian international students and foreign workers have a strong advantage under Express Entry. The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) is one of various programs designed to help such individuals obtain PR. Many Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams, for example, also serve the same purpose. Most ITAs go to candidates outside of Canada Candidates living outside of Canada should not hesitate to submit an Express Entry profile. After all, they still account for the majority of successful candidates. Moreover, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) remains the leading Express Entry program, comprising 45 per cent of all ITAs. It is true that IRCC has not issued ITAs to FSWP candidates since the start of the pandemic. However, such candidates should not lose hope. Canada values global talent from all over the world, and it will eventually resume issuing ITAs to people currently residing outside of its borders. Find out if you are eligible for Express Entry 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701) Today Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Storms more numerous this evening. A few storms may be severe. Low 63F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Storms more numerous this evening. A few storms may be severe. Low 63F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Administratorii portalului nu poarta raspundere pentru continutul postarilor si materialelor plasate de utilizatorii site-ului. Utilizati informatia din acest articol pe propriul risc. So. Baptists defend outgoing Exec. Committee chairman amid racism accusations, bylaws dispute Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Southern Baptist leaders are defending their outgoing Executive Committee chairman, who was tarred as a racist on social media following a misunderstanding over how officers are appointed to the committee. Amid ongoing unease about the theological direction of the nation's largest Protestant group, allegations emerged last week that a new theologically conservative network within the Southern Baptist Convention was attempting to take over the denomination's Executive Committee, and that its now former chairman, Mike Stone, was a racist for denying the new chairman, Rolland Slade the first-ever African American to hold the position from nominating new EC officers. The EC, which has 86 members, serves as the administrative arm of the SBC that some have referred to as the Southern Baptist House of Representatives. It reviews the work of the Convention's many ministry endeavors, distributes funds given for the various missions, plans and manages the denomination's annual meeting, and handles legal matters, among other things. Stone explained in an interview with The Christian Post Monday that the bylaws of the SBC only allow the election of officers to occur at a meeting held the day before the denomination's annual meeting and state specifically that they are to occur at the convention hotel. Yet due to the cancellation of the 2020 annual meeting as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a special EC meeting had to be called. The bylaws had to be amended to permit the election of officers, a simple revision that had been discussed for nearly a month by EC officers, including Stone and Slade. Four days before the required deadline to announce the new bylaw amendment, Stone became aware that the CEO of the EC, Ronnie Floyd, was proposing a substantial revision to the process to elect officers, which would have given the incoming chairman, Slade, the ability to make the nominations of officers. Historically, that responsibility has always been given to the outgoing chairman, and revising this process had not been previously discussed. When Stone realized how substantial the change was, Stone convened a meeting, the officers reviewed it and unanimously declined Floyd's recommendation, a unanimity which included the new chairman. SBC bylaws also require 10 days' notice if the bylaws are to be amended. "Therefore, it came painted as my attempt to take a nomination privilege away from Mr. Slade, the first-ever African-American chair of the committee. That's where the racial accusation (against Stone) came in," Stone told CP. An amendment offered at a recent EC meeting by SBC pastor and EC member Jared Wellman that mirrored what Floyd had previously pitched to the officers was voted down. Wellman published a blog post in SBC Voices on June 24 accusing Stone of manipulating the process and argued that the Conservative Baptist Network was operating in a heavy-handed manner with "double-minded messaging." "The Executive Committee had restructured the Committee into four new Standing Committees that had not yet been populated, and I recommended during the meeting that we wait until those Committees were populated which would allow the new Chairman to have the opportunity, like former Chairmans, to have a significant part in electing new Chairmans. This recommendation was declared 'out of order' by Stone because it would have 'substantially changed the nature of the bylaw,'" Wellman argued last week. Soon after Wellman's article went live, the SBC social media world added to it, asserting that Stone's actions were motivated by racial prejudice. Stone told CP that though Wellman has never accused Stone of racism, the inaccurate information nevertheless led others to make such claims. CP reached out Monday to Wellman for further comment on this article but received no response. "When it came time for me to place nominations before the committees which I'm required to place by the bylaws, to my total surprise Mr. Slade offered alternative candidates. That's his right to do because these are not appointments, they're nominations. I nominate as the chair and then the floor is open. Nowhere in our precedent have there been opposing nominations between the outgoing and incoming chair," Stone said. Yet on Thursday at another EC meeting, Slade acknowledged that he had misread and misunderstood the relevant bylaws pertaining to officer nomination procedures, and apologized for how he had handled the situation, and noted that the way Stone was vilified online was wrong. "Mike is a man of integrity and high ethical character. He does not deserve to be characterized in any negative way. He is my predecessor, my friend and, most importantly, my brother in Christ. He deserved better from me. I sincerely apologize for the hurt and damage my actions this week have caused to him, his reputation, his family and the Emmanuel Baptist Church of Blackshear, Georgia," Slade said in a statement to Baptist Press Friday. Stone told CP that all is forgiven and his respect for Slade remains but Wellman has reportedly doubled down. "To me, it strains at credulity that [Wellman] cannot read the bylaw and see that he was inaccurate. Mr. Wellman has been upset with my leadership of the Executive Committee for the better part of my term," the former EC chairman said. But his esteem for Slade has "increased exponentially," Stone said. "What I saw Thursday when Mr. Slade apologized in front of the whole committee, even though it was a Zoom call, you sense the spirit of the call and Brother Rollands esteem in the minds of Christian brothers and sisters increased." Speaking to the charge that the recently-formed Conservative Baptist Network was conspiring to take over the SBC EC, Stone explained that of the four officers that he nominated, he had no idea that two were in any way connected with CBN and he had never discussed it with them. He knew a third nominee was sympathetic to the CBN and the fourth was Rod Martin, the highly publicized co-founder of the group. Stone added that if the recent activity of the EC was evidence of a secret agenda, he does not know how it could be characterized as such. "Nominations of officers for the Executive Committee have never given rundowns of affiliations," he noted, partly because it is a small body and they all know each other. The EC is already a theologically orthodox, philosophically conservative group and when leaders are pulled from it no one should be surprised that many have an affinity for the new network, he said. Asked if the accusation that the CBN was scheming to pack the EC with their people because some are suspicious of some of the network's other aims on a more macro level, Stone said: "I definitely think that's true." The Conservative Baptist Network "is a fairly new organization that is still largely unknown to the wider circle of Southern Baptists and because of that, there is a natural hesitancy or concern. So I think it's a legitimate question: Who is this group and what are their goals?" he said. He believes once the CBN becomes more widely known it will become clear that the network is manifestly in favor of a strong SBC and its Cooperative Program. Rod Martin, the CBN co-founder who was nominated by Stone to be an EC officer, said in a Tuesday CP interview that the idea some seem to have that the new Baptist network set in motion an ominous plot to take over a key denominational entity a notion he pushed back on in a Todd Starnes Media piece last week challenging Wellman's assertions is "silly" and "facially foolish." "Everybody in the world knew exactly who Mike Stone was and he did what every chairman did before him was required to do by the bylaws to do, which is to nominate a slate of officers," Martin said. Broadly speaking within the denomination at large, the new network has been well-received, he explained. The network co-founder has spoken with a number of SBC pastors who appear ready to "throw in the towel," are presently considering redirecting the funds they contribute to the denomination's Cooperative Program, and are thinking they can further the Gospel in keeping with the denomination's statement of faith the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as independent congregations. "To me, that's horrifying because I don't believe there has ever been a greater amalgamation of the Lord's resources than the Cooperative Program and the Cooperative Program funded ministries, and the Southern Baptist Convention. And CBN is in large part to give those guys a voice and some hope that somebody stands with them." For those within the SBC currently entertaining views espoused in other evangelical movements like Baptist21 and The Gospel Coalition like critical race theory one of the CBN's greatest stated concerns about the direction of the denomination Martin believes many are well-intentioned and are earnestly trying to address race issues besetting the church and wider culture. But critical race theory is not a useful tool to do that because the Gospel is sufficient, he maintains. "I think the big problem that is being missed in certain circles in SBC life is that merely because certain leaders articulate an agenda such as critical race theory, it doesn't mean that the Baptist in the pew is following along. I would say that the Baptist in the pew does not listen to what gets talked about on The Gospel Coalition's website. So that being the case, they are a bit shocked to hear that things are going on in denominational life that sound more like CNN than the Conservative Resurgence, and they're disturbed by that," Martin said. "In some cases I think it may stem from the 2016 election. They were turned off by politics in some way and so they've thrown out the baby with the bath water, so if anybody has an answer that falls on the conservative side of anything it must be wrong because of Trump. But I believe that they are going down not just a dangerous road but a road that is fraught with damage all along its path, because every step down that road further alienates people from one another," he said. "I believe that the Gospel is the way to save not just the souls of Americans but America itself. I think the SBC is one of the greatest tools God has ever created to achieve that end. And I think if we can have this family discussion and sort out some issues that I think matter a great deal, and more importantly, matter to a great many Southern Baptists, we will be healthier as a result and the outcome will be something we can be very happy about." Prior to May 25the day Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, killed George Floyd, a Black man, while three other cops looked onDefund the Police was not a message widely repeated in the press. But after that day, it was impossible to ignore. Protesters across the country were painting it onto cardboard signs and boarded-up windows. In march after march, the phrase could be heard in chants and shouts. Reporting from a protest in Oakland, I saw the words scribbled in Sharpie across a skateboard. By June, Defund the Police had spawned an entire genre of coverage. Defund the police? Heres what that really means, a headline in the Washington Post read. Theres a growing call to defund the police. Heres what it means, offered CNN. The Guardian asked, What does Defund the Police mean? posing the same question that would appear three days later in New York magazine as What Could Defund the Police Mean in Practice? Similar pieces ran in the New York Times, NPR, the Miami Herald, Esquire, the Christian Science Monitor, MTV.com, Rolling Stone, and dozens of other outlets. By their titles, these explainers may have appeared almost all the same, but in fact they varied dramatically. Journalists discussed Defund the Police as a slogan ripe for interpretation. Its become something of a semantic argument about what that means, exactly, Willie Geist, an MSNBC anchor, told viewers. For some, it was simply a strong call for reformmore body cameras, no choke holds. For others, it was a rallying cry for revolution, including a complete abolition of police departments. A reader could be forgiven for finding the resources hard to parse. Soon, an awkward reality set in: many journalists were trying to explain a concept with which they had little familiarity. As the clumsy reporting continued, arguments over the real definition of Defund the Police became a battleground, leading to another round of piecesin The Atlantic, the New Republic, The Hill, and other publicationsthat provided frustrated-tone correctives on how the media had gotten the protesters demand wrong. There was another category of coverage, too, one that performed the maneuver of a matador with a muleta: pieces that simply stepped away from the charging beast of the debate. Instead of actually engaging with any of the demands to defund the police, a large portion of the political press instead focused on the phrase itself and how it would play in the 2020 presidential election. Is Defund the Police a massive political mistake? CNNs Chris Cillizza asked, wondering aloud if the broadsides against cops could hurt Democrats trying to pick up middle-of-the-road voters. Like much of the coverage on cable news and in national newspapers, Cillizzas analysis didnt bother to weigh the valueor even the basic detailsof police abolition policy, but rather considered how it might affect the chances of Joe Biden, a centrist, as President Donald Trump busied himself painting a picture of a far-left radical. Would the mere existence of the term Defund the Police tar Biden as a revolutionary? The political problem for Democrats is this: They are now being backed into a corner by activists who are demanding radical change, Cillizza wrote. Others chimed in. Defunding police will lead to Republican victory this year, according to a piece in The Hill. Eddie S. Glaude Jr., a professor of African-American studies at Princeton, suggested on MSNBC that Biden might want to distance himself from the slogan, but he shouldnt distance himself from the substance of the policy. A couple of months ago, it would have seemed strange, even ridiculous, if a debate moderator had asked the lineup of 2020 Democratic hopefuls, Do you support defunding police nationwide? The question of taking money away from cops did not register on the radar of candidates or campaign reporters. Now, suddenly, it had exploded as a central campaign plot point. Journalists asked Biden, his cast of vice-presidential hopefuls, and most other prominent Democrats to offer their views on taking money away from police. The Biden campaign placed op-eds in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today declaring his allegiance to police departments; he also said as much in an interview on the CBS Evening News with Norah ODonnell. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House; Jim Clyburn, the House whip; and Sen. Bernie Sanders also came out strongly in opposition to defunding the police. Alex Vitale, whose book The End of Policing was published in 2017, watched with some disappointment as the defunding-as-election-hurdle narrative unfolded. Now all people are interested in is its relationship to national politics, he told me. And then the voices that they bring in are people who are a part of that world, and who are not a part of the movement, and who have often spent years working against it. Defunding the police was never a mainstream Democratic idea, after all. Demands to defund and abolish the police have existed for decades, but in the kinds of places journalists and presidential contenders rarely go and even more rarely come from: overpoliced neighborhoods, underserved Black communities, and Black feminist spaces. The underinformed takes raged on. Cameras pivoted away from the masses filling the streets and scanned back to the marble halls of the US Capitol: Here, now, the Democrats are kneeling in honor of George Floyd andfor some ineffable reasonwearing kente cloth; now watch as Kamala Harris, VP hopeful, debates Defund the Police with Meghan McCain on The View. Covering the 2020 presidential election has been no easy task, to be sure; the pandemic turned the standard horse race into a frantic trek across an unfamiliar wilderness. Still, the way political coverage has engaged with the countrys anti-racist uprising has often felt inadequate, even hackish, especially when it has assumed that calls to ban police departments must be novel, and cant be literal. (A three-word slogan is not a detailed policy agenda, Matthew Yglesias wrote, for Vox.) The news media is acting like abolition is a new idea, Samah Sisay, a lawyer and activist, told me. Defund the Police already existed as an abolitionist demand. But its not being framed that way. Suddenly, defunding the police had exploded as a central campaign plot point. According to Alisa Bierria, a Black feminist philosopher and assistant professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, Riverside, there are two ways to think about the movement that has led to Defund the Police. One is to look at recent community organizing; the other is to reach back to Angela Davis and other Black feminist radicals of the 1970s. Theres a way in which abolitionist work thats coming from radical Black feminism and radical queer politics gets submerged, Bierria said. When people see something on a sign at a protest, or see something as a hashtag on Twitter, its hard for them to understand that its connected to this broader trajectory and legacy. In 1971, Davis wrote an essay from inside the Marin County Jail, north of the Golden Gate Bridge. At twenty-seven, she already had a remarkable biography. In 1963, a Ku Klux Klan church bombing had killed four young girls in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama; two of the victims had been her friends. Within several years, Davis joined the Black Panthers and got fired from a professorship for her communist views; now she was jailed on a dubious charge connecting her to an armed takeover of a courtroom. In her cell, Davis contemplated the role of the policethose who had imprisoned her, and those who had not indicted the Klansmen who killed the girls in Birmingham. The announced function of the police, to protect and serve the people, she wrote, becomes the grotesque caricature of protecting and preserving the interests of our oppressors and serving us nothing but injustice. In 1997, Davisalong with Ruth Wilson Gilmore and other Black feminists and activistsformed Critical Resistance, a group dedicated to the abolition of police departments and jails, known collectively as the prison-industrial complex. Three years later, a network of feminists of color, joined by the name INCITE!, organized a conference called The Color of Violence; Davis was the keynote speaker. Now seventy-six, she has been enshrined by leftists as a luminary; lately, shes been in demand to appear before wider audiences. Of course, when many of us began to talk about abolishing these institutions, back in the seventies, we were treated as if we were absolutely out of our minds, she told WBUR. Today, she added, I see myself as witnessing this moment for all of those who lost their lives in the struggle over the decades. Her comments reflect just how much things have changed in her lifetime. In recent years, the modern abolition movement has grown steadily, as police brutality has been captured more and more on camera and many Americans, especially in majority-Black neighborhoods, have become disillusioned by failed attempts at reform. In 2012, in Florida, a seventeen-year-old Black teenager named Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, who was the neighborhood-watch coordinator for a gated community; Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges. In response to the murder, a group of college-age Black, Latinx, and Arab people formed the Dream Defenders, an organization serious about fighting for a world without prisons and police. In 2013, the Dream Defenders staged a thirty-one-day takeover of the Florida state capitol to protest the outcome of Zimmermans case. The same yearinspired, in part, by the Dream Defendersthe Black Lives Matter movement took to the streets, embarking on the relentless work of forcing Americans to confront police violence. (Patrisse Cullors, one of the founders of Black Lives Matter, affirmed her support for the abolition of police in a June interview with Newsweek.) One of the most ardent fighters in the modern abolition movement has been Mariame Kaba, the activist known on Twitter as @prisonculture. In 2009, she founded Project NIA, an advocacy organization combating the criminalization and incarceration of children and young adults. In the years that followed, Kaba hosted conferences, gave speeches, and traveled widely. She also frequently wrote articles; her childrens book Missing Daddy is about a girl whose father is in prison. In 2016, Kaba was among a group of lawyers, people in prison, community leaders, and others who established Survived and Punished (S+P), another abolitionist organization, which works to stop sexual violence and the criminalization of survivors. Efforts such as these, focused on eliminating police departments and replacing them with more compassionate forms of justice, have been developing for years just below the mainstreamquiet and immense and waiting to erupt past the surface, like the dramatic formation of a new island. An observant journalist could see evidence of this. In 2017, Tracey L. Meares, a Yale Law School professor and member of President Barack Obamas Task Force on 21st Century Policing, wrote in the Boston Review that policing as we know it must be abolished before it can be transformed, citing Kaba. In 2019, Critical Resistance was part of a coalition of activists that succeeded in ending a swat emergency training expo called Urban Shield. The ongoing campaign to eliminate Immigration and Customs Enforcement has some origins in the abolition movementthe language of people in cages comes from abolitionist rhetoric; many immigrant activists and attorneys identify as abolitionists, too. Recently, in Los Angeles, Black Lives Matter helped persuade the city council to advance a proposal that would move as much as $150 million of the police departments operating budget (totaling nearly $2 billion) to health and housing programs. In Minneapolis, the heart of the latest protests, the demand to defund the police appeared well before this spring. Back in 2007, five high-ranking Black officers sued their department for institutional racism; the case included death threats sent to every Black person on the force, signed KKK. The American Civil Liberties Union reported in 2015 that Black people in Minneapolis were about nine times more likely than whites to be arrested for low-grade offenses such as disorderly conduct and lurking. That year, in the north of the city, two white police officers, Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze, shot and killed a Black twenty-four-year-old named Jamar Clark. In 2016, an officer shot Philando Castile to death. Around that time, the Center for Policing Equity, a think tank, began working with the Minneapolis Police Department to curb burdensome and inequitable police practices. The Minneapolis police have struggled for a long time with pockets of resistance to those kinds of changes, Phillip Atiba Goff, one of the Centers leaders, recently told the New York Times Magazine. One terrible lesson of George Floyds death is that we dont have mechanisms to stop terrible officers from doing terrible things on a given shift. Turning a citys pain into a basis for research, a coalition of local residents reviewed decades of police violence against Black people in Minneapolis. The nominal occasion was the departments 150th anniversary, but the necessity came from the blood in the streets. In 2017, after completing dozens of case studies, the group produced a report. There was a clear conclusion: Abolition, not reform, is the way forward. Theres a way in which abolitionist work thats coming from radical Black feminism and radical queer politics gets submerged. As June wore on, many of the political journalists who had initially covered Defund the Police as a breaking news story caught up on their reading. Outlets began to produce pieces that were less reactive, more nuanced. The New York Times ran an op-ed by Kaba settling the confusion over semantics; its title was Yes, we mean literally abolish the police. Still, scrutinizing the policy proposals, not everyone was persuaded. The idea of dismantling police departmentsaccording to some writers at Vox, The Marshall Project, and other publicationswas to be judged as a set of outlines, not as the result of deep frustration thats built up in the places reporters too frequently ignore. They still didnt get it. When you see Defund the Police on signs, you have to understand that, for so many of us, its a placeholder for something much deeperit has a much bigger spiritual and epistemic commitment behind it, Bierria said. The modern abolition movement, she added, has been guided by Black feminism, which rejects accepted notions of crime and punishment. As Black women, we exist at the intersections of so many kinds of violence: state violence, sexual violence, racist violence. And that puts us in a unique position to find a politics that responds to that multidimensionality of violence. The problem with journalists coverage of police abolition cannot be disentangled from the lack of diversity within newsrooms. Minority groups make up nearly 40 percent of the population of the United States but only about 17 percent of newsroom staff at print and online publications, and only 13 percent of newspaper leadership. This means that the communities most reporters and editors come from do not look like the places where Black Lives Matter activists live. The press also has historically taken the side of police departments in coverage of crimeincluding cases in which an officer has been at fault. As Jelani Cobb wrote for this magazine, describing a white reporter in a predominantly Black and Latinx neighborhood, What to the journalist seemed inscrutable was, to many residents, reasonable. Many non-Black journalists first personal experience with American police violence came during the protests that erupted after Floyds death, when hundreds of reporters were arrested, shot with rubber bullets, or gassed with chemical agents. Its important to recognize that the demand to defund the police is about more than just policy; its the advent of a new kind of politics, one that breaks the narratives and tropes we have relied on in order to make sense of the country. The movement doesnt work in the same way that journalism, as we know it, expects a movement to work. As reporters, we typically look for leaders to interview and for spokespeople who can explain a rallys demands. But modern abolitionists tend to reject traditional organizing models; instead, they pursue collective, horizontal leadership structures. We want to let the community lead itself, and we also know that the state surveils and targets leaders, Sisay, who is part of Survived and Punished, told me. Like every other volunteer in the group, Sisays only title is member. No one is trying to be a Martin or Malcolm, she said. The context of the 2020 campaigns has compounded the challenge to journalists. Other social movements, such as the Tea Party, have thrown their weight behind putting candidates in office, but most abolitionists describe elections as simply one potentialand decidedly limitedtool in pursuit of their goals. More than one abolitionist I spoke to described voting as merely harm reduction. Elections, they argued, infrequently offer solutions to institutional problems where the government itself is to blame. The race for the White House would seem particularly removed from the organizing modern abolitionists do. No matter who is president, there is still violence in our communities, and still violence in the prison-industrial complex, Sisay said. And beyond strategy, theres also a deep sense of disillusionment with a system of voting that continually fails Black people, even as they turn out at record levels. If the protesters in the streets dont seem to be pursuing a strategy that prioritizes getting Biden elected president (and if defunding appears to be a massive political mistake for Democrats), it is because making Biden president is ultimately not abolitionists most pressing goal. The rules of the institutions that non-Black journalists knowthe schools, the government buildings, the campaign headquartersdont apply to the messy cacophony of a passionate protest movement. Anti-police advocates believe that it would be a mistake for political reporters not to understand the energy of this moment as revolutionary in nature. People are so fed up after the failures of reform, theyve embraced what abolitionists have been saying all along: that the systems of policing and imprisonment are, at their core, violent, racist institutions, Mohamed Shehk, the national media and communications director for Critical Resistance, told me. Then again, the nature of big ideas is that, eventually, theyll be taken up by the masses. Even if it doesnt happen this election cycle, it seems inevitable that politicians will soon pull Defund the Police into their campaign platforms. Shehk and others worry that, as their message becomes absorbed into the mainstream, it will be dislodged from its abolitionist roots and transfigured into a call for reform. The gravity of electoral politics is strong, and can be deadly. As time goes on, journalists will have to evaluate different policy proposals to defund the policestarting in Minneapolis, where it seems poised to become a reality. In June, a veto-proof majority of the city council announced their intent to disband the police department and to reinvest the resources into community infrastructure and nonviolent alternatives to policing. Jacob Frey, the mayor, said he was against the plan. He will be up for reelection next year. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jack Herrera is an independent reporter covering immigration, refugees, Latinx issues, and human rights. His work has appeared in Politico Magazine, The Nation, and elsewhere. Based in San Francisco, he is an Ida B. Wells Fellow with Type Investigations. William Russell Allton was born in Dewey, Oklahoma on April 25, 1931 to Russell Frank and Alice Mae (Steffens) Allton. He attended school in Claremore and graduated with the class of 1948. On August 26, 1949 Bill married Jimmie Louise Reed and the couple made Tulsa home for the first 25 year AKRON, Ohio -- Detectives are investigating after a man was killed in the citys Sherbondy Hill neighborhood early Friday morning. Someone called police about 4:30 a.m. Friday to report a man was lying on the ground on Laurel Avenue and Blanche Street, police said in a Friday news release. Officers found the man on the ground and bleeding from his head, police said. Paramedics who also responded pronounced the man dead at the scene. Akron police Capt. David Laughlin said that detectives have not identified a suspect, but believe a silver Ford Taurus with a shattered front passenger window may be connected to the killing. Laughlin did not say in the release how the man may have died. The Summit County Medical Examiners Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Police are withholding the mans name until his identity is confirmed and his family is notified, Laughlin said. Anyone with information about the case can call Akron police at 330-375-2490 or the Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS. Tips can also be submitted by text message by sending TIPSCO plus the tip to 274637. Tipsters can remain anonymous. Read more Akron news A family story as complex as American history, tracing to 1820s Berlin Crossroads in Ohio: Michael A. Chaney University of Akron professors rally in support of faculty union during contract negotiations TV legend, Akron native Hugh Downs dies at 99 Akron councilwoman proposes making masks mandatory in public Akron Municipal Court to resume evictions Monday, but out of public view CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Levin Furniture announced Friday that eight furniture and mattress stores across Northeast Ohio have officially re-opened after being temporarily shuttered due to ongoing bankruptcy litigation and the coronavirus pandemic. Robert Levin, whose family started the eponymous Pittsburgh-based chain 100 years ago and sold it in 2017 to Art Van Furniture, came out of retirement earlier this year to buy back the company after Art Van announced it planned to file for bankruptcy, according to a news release. The deal stalled and in March, Art Van announced it was shuttering all of its stores and laying off more than 1,000 employees due to COVID-19, according to news reports. The two sides negotiated for two months until a federal bankruptcy court judge in Delaware approved a$25.7 million deal in late May. The deal included a $10 million fund to pay customers who purchased furniture that Art Van never delivered. Levin became chairman of the board, and Matt and John Schultz, owners of Ashley Furniture HomeStore, are now co-CEOs of the company, according to a news release. Our customers and associates can once again have access to the quality and commitment of a family-owned business that offers a great place to furnish homes and to work, Levin said in the release. We are excited to bring back a century of high standards and caring for the communities we serve. Levin was founded in 1920 by Sam Levin in a rural town about 45 miles outside Pittsburgh, according to the companys website. The company grew as it was passed down in the family, with third-generation owner Howard Levin expanding the company to the Cleveland market in 1992. The re-opened stores are open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The stores will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 4. The company has increased its cleaning protocols due to COVID-19, Levin said in a letter posted on the stores website. The letter did not mention whether customers or employees are required or encouraged to wear masks or face coverings. Cleveland Furniture Stores: Oakwood Village: 23100 Broadway Ave., 440-374-2400 Mentor: 7799 Mentor Ave., 440-255-1320 Middleburg Heights: 16960 Sprague Rd., 440-891-1392 North Canton: 6229 Pomler Ave. NW, 330-498-4000 Avon: 1801 Nagel Rd., 440-695-3063 Cleveland Mattress Stores: Mayfield Heights: 6061 Mayfield Rd., 440-947-0047 Stow: 1061 Graham Rd., 330-928-4077 Strongsville 16105 Pearl Rd., 440-876-0044 Read more stories Fabletics, Saucy Brew Works now open at Pinecrest Lorain County Metro Parks offers virtual races: Short Takes on Avon, Avon Lake and North Ridgeville Masks for teachers part of Ohio school re-opening plan: Capitol Letter Coronavirus outbreak at Elkton prison is waning, says U.S. Sen. Rob Portman Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine changes course, passes coronavirus response to local officials BEREA, Ohio A Berea man, 65, may face criminal charges for allegedly harassing two Baldwin Wallace University track and cross-country athletes over the past 12 weeks or so. The women, 23 and 20, told police June 26 that the man, driving a gray 2019 Volkswagen Jetta, harasses them whenever he sees them running or walking throughout Berea. His behavior has included staring, honking, catcalling, turning around to follow them and parking to watch them. The man has harassed the women so often that they, and others who run with them, have memorized his license-plate number. The man appears when the women are together and by themselves. One of the women said the man has harassed her about 10 times and followed her on four to six occasions. One of the women said that at about 11:50 a.m. June 26, she was walking to her car after buying a drink at Starbucks on Front Street when the man pulled up in the Jetta. He stopped and stared at her for a few seconds. When the woman turned and noticed him, the man drove away. The women said they were concerned that the man might some day step out of his car and harm them. They said theyd been catcalled and harassed by other men while running but this man was different. Police referred the case to a prosecutor for possible charges. They said they would contact the man, and advised the women what to do if anyone harasses them on their runs in the future. LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Due to COVID-19, the Lakewood Public Library is delaying the highly-anticipated $2.9 million renovation of its Madison Branch. Initially the project had a spring start date with completion expected in early 2021. With the health crisis and the financial crisis our community is facing, the decision was made to revisit the Madison Branch project in September, Lakewood Public Library Director James Crawford said. The proposed project included the interior renovation of the 1929 building located at 13229 Madison Ave. in the historic Birdtown district, as well as an additional driveway on Madison Park land. The latter is something library patrons have been asking about for a while. Currently the branch has a 10-foot driveway for two-way traffic. The impetus for the additional driveway is to improve vehicular safety and pedestrian safety. Also, the project includes additional landscaping and a formal connection to the playground from the backdoor of the library. The driveway expansion involves a use agreement between the city and the library with an encroachment permit allowing use of the park land and requiring maintenance of a 30-foot buffer around the parcel. This plan better integrates Madison Park and the library, Lakewood Mayor Meghan George previously told cleveland.com. Additionally, itll provide better pedestrian access from the pool and playground. Im thrilled to see this investment in our community. Read more news from the Sun Post Herald here. UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Disorderly conduct: Washington Boulevard At 7:35 p.m. June 28, police received multiple reports of a man rolling around in the street, holding a handgun, screaming and flailing his arms. The man had crashed his car onto a tree lawn. A crowd had gathered around the man who, when police arrived, was lying on the tree lawn. Police arrested the man without incident and he was taken to the hospital. No gun was found. Police charged the Cleveland man, 43, with disorderly conduct and cited him for driving under suspension, operating a vehicle without a license, not paying full time and attention to the road ahead, and driving upon a tree lawn. Disturbing the peace: Saybrook Road At 1:40 a.m. June 22, a resident complained about loud music coming from a Saybrook Road home. Police located the home and noted that the music could be heard three doors away. A Michigan man, 21, living temporarily in University Heights, was cited for disturbing the peace. Assault: Cedar Road At 9:40 a.m. June 23, a South Euclid woman reported that her boyfriend assaulted her and smashed out the windows of her car while she was at his Cedar Road home. Police are investigating. Fraud: Washington Boulevard At 6 p.m. June 23, a woman reported that her tax preparer kept the tax refund that was issued on a pre-paid credit card through Turbo Tax. Police are investigating. Psychiatric situation: Fairmount Boulevard At 2:20 p.m. June 24, police were called to the Bellefaire JCB campus, 22001 Fairmount Blvd., on a report that a female client had a change in her mental state and banged her head against the wall and attempted to strangle herself with a jacket. Police transported the teen to UH Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital. Disturbance: Cedar Road At 5:25 p.m. June 24, two boys were riding their bike across Cedar Road when they were confronted by a man, about 65 years old, over a traffic altercation. The youths later told police that the man began to yell at them while holding a tire iron. When confronted by an adult bystander, the man left the scene. The man was accompanied by a younger man. The youths were turned over to the parents. The detective bureau is investigating. Child endangering: Cedar Road At 1:55 p.m. June 25, two UHPD officers were driving on Cedar Road when they noticed two small children walking in diapers. Police brought the children, girls ages 2 and 4, back to their homes. Their parents, a woman, 25, and a man, 30, were each issued misdemeanor citations for child endangerment. Disturbing the peace: Silsby Road At 12:20 a.m. June 28, police responded to a complaint of loud music and people talking loudly at a home. Police investigated and cited a 19-year-old man for disturbing the peace. Attempted assault: Cedar Road At 9:45 p.m. June 28, an employee of Speedway gas station, 14458 Cedar Road, reported that a man who is a regular customer at the convenience store pushed a clear plastic shield, meant to protect the employee from the coronavirus, into the employees face. The customer also threatened to punch the employee in the face before leaving in a large SUV. The employee called police about 30 minutes after the incident took place. Police are investigating. See more Sun Press news here. AKRON, Ohio -- The Akron RuberDucks on Friday announced that the Fourth on the Field fireworks show and other events set for Saturday evening have been postponed. Summit County health officials asked the team to postpone the event, which included a screening or Frozen II on Canal Parks video board and a fireworks show afterwards, the team said in a news release. The release does not say why health officials asked the team to postpone the event, only that the decision was made out of an abundance of caution as it pertains to fireworks gatherings. Despite the fact that we believe we have put all necessary safety precautions in place for this event, we respect this request and will always comply and work closely with our health authorities, the team said in a statement. The event is the latest July 4 fireworks celebration to be postponed, as cities across Ohio are seeing a second wave of coronavirus cases. RubberDucks General Manager Jim Pfander said the team was disappointed to postpone the event. The safety of our fans,guests and staff at Canal Park has always been our top priority, and we will continue to follow all health and safety protocols in order to proceed with events at Canal Park in the safest manner possible, Pfander said in the release. The organization plans to reschedule the event later in the summer, the release said. Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan praised the decision. Outlets for community fun and recreation have obviously been limited in recent months, so this cancellation is unfortunate, Horrigan said. However, we are eternally grateful to the Akron RubberDucks organization for always putting their fans first. They are a thoughtful and caring community partner, and this community will continue to show our support however we can in the future. All guests who have a ticket to Saturdays event can exchange their ticket to an event to be determined or can be refunded by contacting the RubberDucks ticket office at 330-253-5153. Read more stories Cleveland city councilman to introduce legislation requiring face masks in public spaces due to coronavirus Ohio reports 1,091 new coronavirus cases: Fridays update Cleveland reports new single-day record for confirmed coronavirus cases, 2 more deaths reported Akron police investigating after man found dead in Sherbondy Hill neighborhood University of Akron professors rally in support of faculty union during contract negotiations CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland police on Friday released a description of an SUV believed to have been involved in Wednesdays deadly hit-and-run that left a 29-year-old motorcyclist dead. Police are searching for a light-colored, possibly silver, SUV that has significant damage on the passenger side that witnesses said fled the scene of the Union-Miles neighborhood crash that left Devon Isom dead. The crash happened about 2:20 a.m. on East 120th Street and Corlett Avenue. Isom was riding his motorcycle westbound on Corlett when an SUV heading north on East 120th Street ran a stop sign and hit Isoms motorcycle, police said. Isom was pronounced dead at the scene. Anyone with information is asked to contact accident investigators at 216-623-5295 or Crimestoppers at 216-25-CRIME. Read more stories Motorcyclist dead in hit-and-run crash in Clevelands Union-Miles neighborhood Akron police investigating after man found dead in Sherbondy Hill neighborhood Former Indian Trevor Crowe charged with lying on his taxes involving gambling business Man charged in deadly shooting in front of Cleveland store Why is Maple Heights mans arson case related to Clevelands May 30 George Floyd protests a federal case? Speaking at the 44th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council on Tuesday, Cuba on behalf of 53 countries welcomed the adoption of the law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) by China's top legislature. "In any country, the legislative power on national security issues rests with State, which in essence is not a human rights issue and therefore not subject to discussion at the Human Rights Council," said a Cuban representative. "We believe that every country has the right to safeguard its national security through legislation, and commend relevant steps taken for this purpose," the representative added. Such a voice represented the justice upheld by the international society, and was a forceful reply to the malicious practices of some Western countries, including the U.S., to interfere in China's domestic affairs under the pretext of human rights. It also firmly protected the important principles in the UN Charter, such as non-interference in internal affairs of sovereign states, as well as the basic norms of international relations. It once again proved that justice naturally inhabits mans heart. The political persecution on other countries under the pretext of human rights will not be supported, and to apply hegemony and double standards on human rights issues will only lead to failure. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. Since June last year, groups advocating "Hong Kong independence" and "self-determination" have incited protesters with external forces, trying to turn Hong Kong into a heaven of violence. Emotionally blackmailing millions of people for their own interests, they encouraged mobsters mutual destruction and lynch mob-style assaults. Their practice not only paralyzed the traffic , shut down businesses and brought troubles to people's daily life, but also threatened the lives and property safety of the citizens. No country would allow and indulge such practices hurting human rights. Hong Kong is Chinas Hong Kong. No one cares more about Hong Kongs prosperity and stability and Hong Kong resident welfare and rights than the Chinese Government and people. The rule of law symbols the progress of human civilization, and also guarantees the realization of human rights protection. The law on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR clearly defines the principles on rule of law, including respecting and protecting human rights. Rather than restricting the rights and interests, as well as the freedom enjoyed by Hong Kong residents in accordance with the law, the legislation only makes better execution of such rights and interests in a more secure environment. The right of China to safeguard national security, as well as its practical measures to protect human rights deserve respect from the international society. The Western intervention in China's sovereign acts and domestic affairs under the disguise of human rights protection is typical political persecution, and seriously violates the international law and the basic norms governing international relations. One shall be objective and fair on the judgment of human rights issues, so that it can withstand the test of history. Facts have repeatedly proved that China is constantly improving its human rights conditions, while the U.S. is doing exactly the opposite. Recently, some U.S. politicians have been talking nonsense on Hong Kong and Xinjiang affairs out of political purposes, regardless of their own poor records in human rights protection, which exposed typical double standards. What the U.S. has done in the recent two months alone is enough to prove the country's indifference to its people's right to life and health, to international judicial fairness, and to the responsibilities it should shoulder as a major country. The U.S. is really in no position to point fingers at other countries' human rights conditions. The 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council held on June 19 adopted a resolution strongly condemning the continuing racially discriminatory and violent practices perpetrated by law enforcement agencies against Africans and people of African descent. The resolution, in particular, condemned police brutality that led to the deaths of U.S. citizen George Floyd in Minneapolis and other people of African descent. It also further condemned the structural racism in the U.S. criminal justice system. Also in June this year, the U.S. declared to impose sanctions against some International Criminal Court (ICC) officials investigating possible war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, as well as the expansion of visa restrictions against these officials and their family members. The decision by the U.S. to authorize sanctions targeting staff at the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a direct attack to the institutions judicial independence, UN human rights experts said, adding that it could undermine victims' access to justice. The human rights crisis of the U.S. revealed in the country's COVID-19 response was even more astonishing. There are over 2.6 million infections and nearly 130,000 deaths in the country, and the mortality among ethnic minorities and low-income earners is far higher than that among the white people. "Low-income and poor people face far higher risks from the coronavirus due to chronic neglect and discrimination, and a muddled, corporate-driven, federal response has failed them," said UN human rights expert Philip Alston. With the largest number of coronavirus cases in the world, the U.S. is now consciously spreading the pandemic beyond its borders by continuing to deport thousands of immigrants, many infected with the coronavirus. When the pandemic is still rampant around the world, the U.S. totally ignored the appeal by the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Refugee Agency to suspend repatriation of refugees, and deported thousands of immigrants to countries with underdeveloped medical conditions, causing severe public health disasters. According a report issued by the government of Guatemala in late April, nearly a fifth of the countrys coronavirus cases were linked to deportees from the U.S. Human rights are just a tool to politically persecute other countries for some U.S. politicians, who try to undermine the global human rights development and completely violate human rights protection. If the U.S. really wants to protect human rights, it should abandon the Cold War mentality of taking human rights as a tool for realizing supremacy, face its own human rights problems and conduct sincere dialogues and cooperation on human rights protection. It conforms to the general development trend of human rights governance, and helps promote the healthy development of human rights in the global context. (Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy.) Erwin Bros., Lionsgate to release film 'Jesus Revolution' based on 1970s spiritual awakening Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company are teaming up to make a film about a spiritual awakening in Southern California in the early 1970s known as the Jesus movement. According to reports, actors Jim Gaffigan and Joel Courtney have been selected to play the lead roles in the faith-based film, which will be titled Jesus Revolution. The Christian company Kingdom Story was founded alongside Kevin Downes and The Erwin Brothers are in partnership with media giant Lionsgate. The team recently released Jeremy Camps biopic I Still Believe, which was the No. 1 film in theaters on its opening night. Jesus Revolution was written by Jon Erwin and Jon Gunn. Courtney (Super 8) will play Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, who was a counterculture teenager in the late 1960s. At the time, Laurie was seeking meaning and purpose, and it led him to join the Jesus movement in Southern California where the spiritual awakening was commonly known for being spearheaded by a community of teenaged hippies. Gaffigan will portray Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, Lauries mentor. The minister famously opened his church to all who were seeking and was instrumental in launching the most recent spiritual revival in the United States. This is a distinctly American story of rebirth, Emmy winner Gaffigan told Deadline. The late 1960s and early 1970s were a time when spirituality was on the wane, leaving a lot of people searching for answers in other places. Im excited to play a pastor who helped make a home for the people most desperate for those answers and built a congregation a coming together of people to make something greater than themselves. When I read the script, I was very drawn to the idea of portraying a man who is completely lost within himself and seeks to find a path and purpose during a time of national turmoil, Courtney said. Jon Gunn, who co-wrote the film, also serves as director of the upcoming faith feature. I love this era, said Gunn. The defiant search for truth, the fight against oppression, the hope for a better future in the midst of social turmoil. In that way, its not unlike our world today. And I couldnt be more excited to work with Jim and Joel to tell this honest, captivating story that will serve as a powerful reminder that radical love really can change the world. Andrew and Jon Erwin, the Erwin Brothers, said the films content is very timely today. This is a fascinating true story about how young people gravitated toward a spiritual movement that erupted during a time that our country was being torn apart and couldnt be more divided, added the Erwin Brothers. Its themes are just as timely and topical today as they were in the late 60s. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- President Trump is headed to Mount Rushmore, for another photo-op, not to for his enshrinement next to Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln. Trumps head is too big along with his monumental misdeeds. The President will be speaking at ceremonies set to begin at 4:00 pm Mountain Daylight Time. Expect him to make a mountain out of the new jobs numbers molehill. Fireworks will follow at 9:15. Those fireworks, and the event happening during the Coronavirus surge have sparked safety concerns. It will be the first time in a decade that fireworks have been set off at Mt. Rushmore, and because it has been extremely dry in the area, there is worry over wildfires erupting. What can burn? Its stone, said blockhead Trump in January. There will be 7,500 seats and no social distancing and mask wearing enforced, although masks will be offered, according to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a Republican. We will have a large event on July 3. We told folks that have concerns that they can stay home, but those who want to come and join us, well be giving out free face masks, if they choose to wear one. But we wont be social distancing. Were asking them to come- be ready to celebrate, to enjoy the freedoms and the liberties that we have in this country. After President Trump flip flopped on mask wearing, giving it a thumbs up and comparing it to the look of the Lone Ranger, the question is will he wear a mask, and will he wear it over his mouth and nose, or over his eyes with a white Lone Ranger hat and a red scarf as long as his too long ties? Im all for masks. I think masks are good. People have seen me wearing one. I had a mask on. I sort of like the way I looked. OK. I thought is was OK. It was a dark black mask, and I thought it looked OK. It looked like the Lone Ranger. I have no problem with that, and if people feel good about it, they should do it. If I were in a tight situation with people, I would absolutely, Trump said in a Fox News interview. Trump was actually once known as a germaphobe. The problem now is that he has treated stuff like the truth, CDC and masks like germs. At the same time Trump was endorsing mask wearing, he also claimed the Coronavirus will just disappear. South Dakota has had the 11th lowest Coronavirus infection rate in the country. As of July 2, it had 6,764 cases and 91 deaths, with the majority of those occurring at the other end of the state. However, South Dakotas low infection rate is almost a moot point, since many of the 7,500 attending the event will be coming from outside South Dakota. Requests for tickets came in from states now getting hit hard by the Coronavirus surge-- Texas, Florida and California. Former Republican Presidential candidate Herman Cain has been diagnosed with Covid-19 after attending Trumps Tulsa rally and dismissing mask wearing. Several members of Trumps advance team for the Tulsa event were also diagnosed with Covid-19. As with the Mount Rushmore event, social distancing and mask wearing in Tulsa was not enforced. The last Republican one-term President, George H.W. Bush, also spoke at Mount Rushmore on July 3, 1991. The Trump administration has shown its current absence of leadership. It has been revealed that Russia has been paying out bounties to the Taliban for killing or injuring American soldiers. Since 2018, 28 U.S. service members have been killed in Afghanistan. How many had bounties paid out? President Donald Trump says he wasnt briefed, but according to CNN, the White House was notified in early 2019 and The New York Times says it was included in President Trumps daily brief in February. Maybe he just couldnt be bothered to read it. Trump has met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin since early 2019 and done nothing. Meanwhile, it took more than 130,000 Americans to die from COVID-19 before he even began encouraging people to wear a face mask. The coronavirus has exposed individuals for who they truly are. President Trump has demonstrated his narcissism and self-serving attitude. He sold Americans a car with square tires by convincing them the road was bumpy. Joe Petit, Parma Heights CLEVELAND -- Both sides expected their adversaries would do what they had to do to win the presidential election. The Democrat, New York Gov. Samuel Tilden, had defeated Ohios Republican Gov. Rutherford B. Hayes in the popular vote, but the electoral vote was too close to call. Soon after the polls closed in November 1876, political diehards from both sides pulled out all stops to win, throwing out votes, besmirching ballots with ink, or just paying bribes. Even then, it was still a dead heat. As a constitutional crisis loomed, Congress formed a blue-ribbon electoral commission to resolve the dispute. The group essentially voted 8-7 in favor Hayes, setting the stage for the candidates inauguration. But Democrats made violent threats, pushing both sides to reach a compromise, odiously called the Compromise of 1877, that appeased the racially prejudiced Democrats by ending Reconstruction. In 2020, with President Donald Trump threatening to withhold money from states that expand vote-by-mail initiatives, tweeting the false claim that mail-in voting produces massive fraud, and amid concerns about legislation to discourage the Black vote, political experts worry that we may see a 21st-century version of the 1876 debacle. As we enter this eerily quiet July 4 weekend, the political divisions in the country, ramped up by the recent riots, have ripped apart the blanket of unity that Americans usually experience, revealing an ugly underbelly, one that was always there but was pleasantly glossed over by parades and fireworks. Many Americans find it hard to muster the kind of pride in the country that used to be reflexive. African Americans and liberals read with horror the stories of deaths of unarmed Blacks at the hands of police, occurring as the pandemic has killed proportionately more Blacks than whites, yet another example of American-style inequality that knows no bounds. Richard M. Perloff is a professor at Cleveland State University. Conservatives point to the riots that occurred after the death of George Floyd, aghast that innocent businesses have gone up in flames and furious that all this police killings of Blacks and the multitude of lives lost to the pandemic are blamed on President Trump. The America they knew and loved, where people respected authorities and gave the president his due, has been trashed, a casualty of political correctness run amok. If there is anything that both groups agree on now, it is that government is not working. In 1958, three in four Americans said they trusted the federal government to do the right thing; by 2019, fewer than one in five Americans felt this way. Pride in the United States has also been slipping. In 2019, Gallup reported that less than 45% of Americans said they were extremely proud to be Americans, the second consecutive year when the ratings dipped below 50%. In its place, egged on by countless news reports, is partisanship, where, at the national level, liberals and conservative see -- and live in -- different realities. People who closely follow national politics probably feel their identity as a Republican or Democrat more intensely than their identification with America. Thus, the usual tropes uttered on the Fourth of July fall flat, incapable of bridging the political divide. Its clear we need a new national narrative, but shorn of the hoary textbook myths. Reflecting on the 1877 compromise provides a poignant reminder, relevant at this historical juncture, of the reprehensible manner in which the country unified its political elites. We constructed a saga of political conciliation built on the backs, symbolically as well as literally, of African American citizens. America needs a new guiding myth that calls on the democratic ideals that inspirited James Madison, the distinctiveness of the American political project that caught the imagination of Alexis de Tocqueville and the egalitarian optimism of Frederick Douglass. We need, as the poet Jericho Brown penned, to rethink/What it is to be a nation. Richard M. Perloff is a professor of communication, psychology and political science at Cleveland State University. Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio Dog bite: Meadow Lane As he walked his two dogs at 7:34 p.m. June 24, a Miles Road man and his pets were attacked by three other dogs being walked by their owner. The attacking dogs broke away from their owner, an Orchard Drive woman, 60. She was cited for having dogs at large and creating a nuisance. She will receive a Bedford Municipal Court summons. The victim had a minor hand injury and his dogs suffered bites. Juvenile complaint: East Washington Street After hearing strange footsteps at 9:32 p.m. June 25, a Chagrin Falls High School custodian investigated and found four girls on the roof. They attempted to run away, but were caught and identified. Two Chagrin Falls girls and two South Russell girls were cited for trespassing and will face Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court. Missing juvenile: West Washington Street A mother reported her daughter missing at 11:06 a.m. June 23 following an argument they had. Officers from municipalities surrounding Chagrin Falls searched for the girl. She was found and returned to her home. Found property: North Street A bicycle found leaning against a utility pole at 11:10 a.m. June 23 was taken to the police station. The owner can describe it and retrieve it at the station. Missing property: Hamlet Hills On June 25, a resident reported a jewelry item missing from her residence. It was uncertain whether the ring was lost or stolen. Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun. In our world of divisiveness, generally, most people can agree crime is bad. But what about hate crimes? We have all heard the loaded-phrase before, but many remain unclear about what elevates a seemingly regular crime into a hate crime? Two recent incidents reported on by the Clevel Ala. church moves back to online only services after spike in COVID-19 cases among members Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A large Alabama congregation has returned to online only worship services following what its pastor described as a spike in COVID-19 cases among the membership. First Baptist Church of Tillmans Corner, a Mobile-based congregation with approximately 1,500 members, had recently reopened with socially-distanced worship services of about 350 people. However, in an announcement posted on Facebook Wednesday, the church's pastor explained that they were canceling in-person services as well as their Kids Camp, which was going to begin next week. In the Facebook message, Pastor Derek Allen said the decision came because of a spike in COVID-19 cases among our faith family. Regardless of what is happening nationally or statewide, there has been a significant increase in cases among FBTC members in the past two weeks. We need to move quickly and decisively to stop the virus before it spreads any further, he wrote. We dont want to see any of our faith family members suffer through a COVID-19 infection, and we want to do our part to contain this spike as much as possible. Allen added that several of those who've contracted coronavirus have experienced severe illness and he was committed to leading us through this in a way that makes us stronger and more focused on advancing the Kingdom of God. I know this is disappointing to all of us. It felt like we were inching our way back to a full schedule, and now we are taking a step backward, he said. As states ease lockdown restrictions that were put into place over two months ago to ensure hospitals were not overwhelmed with patients all at once when the virus was said to be at its peak, a large number of churches have begun to return to in-person worship, while following the CDC's social distancing guidelines. Some congregations have decided to close down their in-person worship services for a second time following a resurgence of COVID-19 cases among their members. Last month, St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church of Omaha, Nebraska, temporarily halted in-person services after one of their priests, Father Toby Letak, tested positive for COVID-19. Father Ralph ODonnell of St. Margaret Mary sent a letter out to the congregation at the time, explaining that Letak was not symptomatic at this time and has not had a fever. He arranged for testing this week only after experiencing a brief bout of nausea. Father Toby plans to quarantine at the rectory and appreciates your prayers, wrote ODonnell. I am not experiencing any symptoms, nor is anyone in our office. However, out of an abundance of caution, those who have worked closely with Fr. Toby will self-quarantine for the next two weeks and be tested as well. Clinton, IA (52732) Today Partly cloudy skies. Low 47F. NW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low 47F. NW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. US Surgeon General Jerome Adams holds a face mask during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House on April 22, 2020, in Washington, DC. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Friday stopped short of advising people to avoid participating in large gatherings over the Fourth of July weekend, despite warnings from health officials that such events may spread the coronavirus. His remarks come as President Donald Trump plans to appear at two large Fourth of July events, one at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on Friday evening and one in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. Dozens of states are reeling from a spike in confirmed coronavirus cases as reopening efforts continue in the United States. When asked whether he'd advise someone to go to a large gathering, Adams in an interview with NBC's "Today" evaded answering the question directly, instead rattling off points for individuals to consider before making that decision. He recommended that an individual recognize whether they're at higher risk for the coronavirus because of underlying medical conditions and whether the community they're in has seen spikes in confirmed cases recently. "Today" show host Craig Melvin interrupted before Adams finished his points, pressing him on whether he'd advise someone to attend an event where there will be a large gathering of people. "It's not a yes or no," Adams said. "Every single person has to make up their own mind. There are going to be people going to beaches, going to barbecues, going to different environments. And they have to look at their individual risk. As you mentioned, CDC says larger gatherings are a higher risk. You have to take that into account again with whether or not you're at risk, whether or not you live with someone who is vulnerable." Adams urged people who do go out to wear a face covering. "If we all wear these, we will actually have more independence and more freedom, because more places will be able to stay open and will have less spread of the disease," he said. Tweet Trump is scheduled to attend a Fourth of July celebration this weekend, with large gatherings of people expected on the National Mall. White House spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday said that masks will not be required during the event. "The president has said that we should follow our local authorities with masks, so that's the decision," McEnany said. "He encourages people to follow those authorities. CDC guidelines, I'd also note, say recommended but not required, and we are very much looking forward to the Fourth of July celebration." Trump is also scheduled to attend a fireworks display on Friday in South Dakota, where Republican Gov. Kristi Noem said social distancing will not occur and masks will be optional. "We will have a large event at July 3rd. We told those folks that have concerns that they can stay home, but those who want to come and join us, we'll be giving out free face masks, if they choose to wear one. But we will not be social distancing," Noem said Monday night in a Fox News interview. The outbreak has spread worldwide, with more than 10.8 million confirmed cases and over 521,874 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. has had at least 2.7 million cases and 128,740 deaths, according to the latest tallies. Summer vacations used to mean wine tasting in Tuscany, backpacking in Southeast Asia or trips to the Grand Canyon. But fears that airplanes could be a breeding ground for Covid-19 infections have wreaked havoc on the air travel industry. "This could take several years before we're into our new normal of traveling," said Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian. Last Sunday, fewer than 640,000 passengers flew out of U.S. airports compared with more than 2.6 million travelers a year earlier. With passenger demand in sharp decline, Delta, United and American parked hundreds of planes and posted their first quarterly losses in more than five years. American Airlines said it expects its second quarter 2020 revenue to be down about 90% versus the second quarter of 2019. The U.S. airline industry is in turmoil. "This is the biggest crisis of all, bigger even than 9/11, than SARS and the Great Recession and all of that. Every crisis changes the airline industry, so it's only reasonable to think that the biggest crisis of all will cause some of the biggest changes of all," said Seth Kaplan, aviation analyst and principal with Kaplan Research. To lure panicked travelers back, U.S. carriers have implemented new rules, deep-cleaned planes and waived some fees. Some airlines are also limiting the number of seats they sell. But analysts argue that even with all the changes, it's impossible to maintain social distancing rules on airplanes. U.S. airlines are facing their biggest crisis in a generation and the stakes have never been higher. So will all these changes keep passengers safe? And what can travelers expect in six months? Watch this video to learn more. Watch more: Why US hospitals are closing What airlines are doing to clean their planes For more on tech, transformation and the future of work, join the most influential voices disrupting the next decade of work at the next CNBC @Work Summit this October. Christian father, son die after alleged police torture in India; 5 officers arrested Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Five police officers in India have been arrested in connection with the killing of a father and son who were allegedly brutalized after their arrest last month for keeping their store open past permitted hours during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. According to reports, P. Jeyarj and his son, Bennicks (Fenix), were arrested on June 19 in Tamil Nadu state in southern India and kept overnight in police custody. The father, believed to be in his 50s, and son, believed to be in his 30s, died two days after being released within hours of each other. I condemn the brutal killings of Mr. Jeyaraj and his son, Fenix in Sathankulam, Tuticorin. Let us raise our voice and demand justice. pic.twitter.com/gFdDiy2Pea Felix Raj (@FelixRa77947814) June 29, 2020 The father and son were jailed at the Sathankulam police station in Tuticorin and family members say their loved ones were tortured. The death of the Jeyarj and his son has fueled protests and demonstrations against police brutality in India, which have occurred since the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. An investigation was launched by a local court. The Madras High Court, the highest court in the state, ruled there was enough evidence to charge the officers with murder. The court found there were serious injuries listed in the two men's autopsy reports. CNN reports that court documents show that the son was admitted to the hospital just before 8 p.m. on June 22 and died less than two hours after being admitted. About an hour after the son passed, the father was admitted to the hospital and died the next morning. The court reprimanded the officers after a local magistrate said they were uncooperative and tried to tamper with evidence. According to Hindustan Times, Kovilpatti judicial magistrate M. S. Barathidasan issued a four-page report to the Madras High Court that cited testimony indicative of torture and an attempted cover-up. The magistrate cited testimony from an anonymous constable who said the father and son were beaten throughout the night. The magistrate reported that security camera footage from the night in question had been erased and that officers refused to hand over batons that were alleged to have been used to beat the men. In fact, [the police] were emboldened enough to even intimidate the judicial officer to put spokes in the wheel of his enquiry, the court argued, according to The Hindustan Times. Court documents show that the state government transferred the case to federal authorities. BBC reports that the police station in question has been implicated in several other instances of custodial torture and at least two allegations of custodial deaths. The court admits that it has received multiple complaints about the police station. The death of the father and son drew scrutiny from Christian organizations as people nationwide have protested against Indias problems with police brutality in recent weeks. "It is only when the community has confidence in the integrity and capacity of the law enforcement that the community is governed by the rule of law," R. Joseph Kennedy, the general secretary of the All India Christian Forum, said in a statement. The All India Catholic Union, the largest body of Catholic laypeople in India, released a statement on Monday stating that police brutalization has shocked the country, according to Vatican News. AICU warns that there are police atrocities in other states which have gone unchecked under the cover of the COVID curfew. Father Mariadas Lipton of the Diocese of Tuticorin, told Catholic news outlet Asia News that everybody no matter their religion or caste should be outraged by the deaths of the father and son. Jignesh Mevani, a deputy from the legislative assembly in Gujarat, called on people to protest against the killing of the "many George Floyd of India. Such violence from those who should defend citizens is unacceptable, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the president of the Indian Bishops' Conference, told Asia News. Justice must run its course and punish the guilty. Tourists pass by a homeless man sitting on Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, California on June 12, 2020. Mark Ralston | AFP | Getty Images Eviction moratoriums nationwide are set to expire later this month, potentially thrusting tens of thousands of people into a housing crisis. Congress in March passed a federal mandate prohibiting evictions or foreclosures until July 24 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. But as the deadline quickly approaches, experts warn that unless Congress passes more relief, renters might be forced out on the streets. Across the country, thousands of evictions are either pending or processing, possibly setting up a wave of newly homeless people in the next few months. The pandemic has pushed millions of Americans into unemployment, leaving many unable to keep up with monthly rent and food demands. In Tucson, Arizona, the courts are processing an average of 52 eviction cases per day, up from the normal 10 to 30 cases, according to the Arizona Daily Star. In Tennessee, more than 9,000 eviction hearings are pending, about 33% more cases than normal for this time of year, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported. Homeless and housing services experts in New York are seeing signs that there will be a spike in the population of newly homeless people in the coming months. No concrete data yet exists that quantifies the number of newly homeless people nationally. But in New York, "we still anecdotally have seen some people become newly homeless due to informal evictions, particularly for people who did not have a formal lease in their name," said Jacquelyn Simone, policy analyst at the Coalition for the Homeless. Large numbers of these people "were paying week by week for room rentals and lost their source of income due to the pandemic. Many of those people have become newly homeless, because they might not have realized what their protections were." Calls for congressional relief The CARES Act, which became law in late March, put a temporary pause on evictions and foreclosures as millions of Americans grapple with the economic turmoil brought on by the pandemic. That relief extends only to federally assisted properties. From state to state, moratorium degrees vary widely. Some states, such as Connecticut, Washington, and New York, have put in place their own temporary bans on evictions that last into August, according to data compiled by the Eviction Lab, an organization based in Princeton University that's dedicated to tracking eviction rates. "The moment these moratoriums are lifted, we'll see massive evictions," said Emily Benfer, visiting associate clinical professor of law at Columbia Law School. The inconsistency has caught the attention of notable politicians, who argue that the federal moratorium has to be strengthened and extended for a longer period of time to ensure that people do not lose access to their homes. House Democrats on Monday passed a bill that would halt evictions and foreclosures through March 2021. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Maxine Waters of California, includes $100 billion allocated to rental assistance programs and a $75 billion relief fund for homeowners. The bill is not expected to pass the Senate, which is expected to reconvene on July 20 from its two-week Fourth of July recess. Robert King Geiser, 35 years-old, after 2 years living on the street, stands outside his tent next to the 110 Freeway, during the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic in Los Angeles California on May 25, 2020. Apu Gomes | AFP | Getty Images "State and local eviction moratoriums are expiring rapidly and courts are beginning to address the backlog and new eviction cases," said Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, on a call with reporters Monday. "And they're putting people out of their homes in the middle of a pandemic, and in places where Covid-19 is raging out of control." Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also on Monday introduced a bill calling for a nationwide eviction moratorium that would last until March 2021. "This is a bill that protects renters from losing their housing," Warren said on the call Monday. "If they lose their job or have their hours cut during the crisis," she said, "the bill extends the federal moratorium to last one year instead of just 120 days as it was. And it expands the moratorium to cover basically all renters. It also makes sure that renters don't get hit with fees or penalties if they need a few extra months to pay their rent." 'A tsunami of evictions' Across the country, homeless service experts are watching for signs that the number of newly homeless will spike once their state's eviction moratorium ends. In New York, the number of single adult men checking themselves into homeless shelters has gone up on four nights in June, a period of time when "we would not be hitting new records" normally, Simone of the Coalition for the Homeless said. During other years, the single adult count in homeless shelters normally declined during this time. "Instead, we're hitting new records for the single adults in shelters, and that's just the shelters run by the Department of Homeless Services," Simone added. "So I think it's unusual to be seeing these trends and I am anticipating that we are going to continue seeing these trends as protections for people facing eviction expire." Additionally, the Coalition for the Homeless has received an influx of people calling in to ask about shelter access in New York City, questions that people who are new to the homeless services system might ask, Simone said. These indicators are among what have prompted nonprofits and advocacy groups to urge the federal government to pass rental assistance laws "to prevent a tsunami of evictions," Simone said. In California, one organization that provides homeless services had to open up seven new shelters since February to respond to the sudden surge in people needing a place to stay. "We set up probably 600 new beds, 700 new beds just since Covid started," said Joel Roberts, CEO of People Assisting the Homeless in California. But homelessness is a gradual process, so indicators like these that point to a potentially rising population of homeless people form just the tip of the iceberg. Someone who gets evicted from their home because they're unable to pay will likely "go couch-surfing and they'll call up friends or family" to ask if they can stay in their homes, Roberts said. Homeless person sleeping under scaffolding, 20th Street and Fifth Avenue, Manhattan. Joan Slatkin | Getty Images The transition to homelessness is different for each person. It could be a month or so until these people try living out of their cars, Roberts added. But if there's no steady income coming in, a person living in their car might resort to selling it for money. "And then that's when their day they start knocking on PATH's door," Roberts said. "So it's not all of a sudden that everyone's going to get kicked out of their apartments and they're all ending up on the streets. It's not that quick." Racial inequity World Federation of Advertisers CEO Stephan Loerke says he believes the slew of big brands publicly switching off social media advertising aren't likely to come back until real change is made. "I don't see those big brands come back if there hasn't been structural change," Loerke said in an interview with CNBC. "That's my take on the basis of my conversations with them." The trade group's 120 members, which include PepsiCo, P&G and Diageo, represent 90% of global marketing communications spending, the group says. In a recent survey of 58 of those companies, the WFA found that 31% of respondents had already decided to withhold or were likely to withhold social media advertising. 41% said they were undecided, and 29% said they were unlikely or not planning to withhold. The survey comes as major advertisers from Unilever to Starbucks have announced various degrees of pauses to their social media advertising budgets, following a campaign called "#StopHateForProfit" by a group of organizations calling on advertisers to boycott Facebook for the month of July. Although Facebook has spent recent weeks trying to stanch the departure of ad dollars with meetings and memos, an address from CEO Mark Zuckerberg to employees, reported by The Information on Wednesday, suggested the company doesn't plan to make changes based on the demands of advertisers. Zuckerberg reportedly said though the boycott posed reputational issues, his guess was "that all these advertisers will be back on the platform soon enough." Loerke told CNBC that he's aware temporary pauses aren't likely to ding Facebook financially, but that they signal a larger sea change in how companies are thinking about social media. He said even many of the companies that aren't pausing have said they're determined to find solutions to issues posed by social media. "If big brands withdraw like they seem to be withdrawing for a month, or a few months, it's probably not going to be making any big dent in the revenue of Facebook," he said. "I do think that the point of view, which those brands express, have a certain weight in the industry, and I think that in the longer term, that will have an importance for social media platforms." He said he's also skeptical brands will just jump back to the platform if no changes are made. "From the conversations I'm having with the brands, those which went public in order to state they were going to be pausing are very aware that they made those statements publicly. And they're also very aware that the same media who actually took note of that decision will be asking questions the day they restart," he said. "I think that those brands which have been public are serious about driving change collectively." Fitch Ratings has downgraded a record 33 sovereign ratings in the first half of this year and the agency is not done yet as the coronavirus pandemic pummels government finances. James McCormack, Fitch's global head of sovereign ratings, said the agency has placed the credit ratings of 40 countries or sovereign entities on a "negative" outlook. That means those ratings have the potential to be downgraded. "We've never in the history of Fitch Ratings had 40 countries on negative outlook at the same time," he told CNBC's "Capital Connection" on Friday. "That comes after we've already downgraded in the first half of the year 33 sovereigns. We've never downgraded 33 in any given year, so we've already done it in half a year," he added. Sovereign credit ratings that Fitch has downgraded include the U.K. and Hong Kong. McCormack explained many governments have increased spending to shelter their economies from being severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic. That's expected to cause a deterioration in the financial positions of all 119 countries rated by Fitch, he said. Jean Castex has been nominated as the new prime minister of France. French President Emmanuel Macron has named a new prime minister ahead of a major cabinet reshuffle. Jean Castex was appointed to the job Friday, after former prime minister Edouard Philippe handed in his resignation earlier in the day. Castex, a center-right politician like Philippe, had already been involved with the government after he was enlisted in April to help with its de-confinement plans. In a statement Friday, Macron's office said Philippe had handed in the resignation of the government, but that the current cabinet would remain in charge of governmental affairs until a new team was put in place. In France, the president the main political figure selects the prime minister, who then forms the government. As such, the resignation paves the way for a cabinet reshuffle. It comes after speculation that Macron was preparing a reshuffle to focus on the economic recovery post-coronavirus. Macron needed to decide whether or not Philippe should go, given that the prime minister had become more popular among the electorate in the aftermath of the pandemic than the president himself. Macron will face a new presidential election in 2022 and the remainder of his mandate is likely to be heavily impacted by the ongoing health and economic crises. Speaking earlier this month, Macron said: "With this epidemic, the global economy has come to a virtual standstill. Our first priority will be to rebuild an economy that is strong, ecological, sovereign and united." NYU estimates it will cost students more than $78,000 to attend the school in 2020-2021. That includes tuition, fees, textbooks and room and board. But that's not the price you will pay in 18 years. CNBC ran the numbers, and we can tell you how much money you would need to save to send your child to NYU. The first tool is a 529 savings plan. The plans vary but allow you to save money for a child's future education costs and offer much more than a traditional saving account. Check out this video to see how much you will need to put away every month to send your child to college in New York City without student loans. More from Invest in You: How much you can expect to get from Social Security if you make $40,000 a year The real 'Catch Me If You Can' con artist says this classic scam is making a comeback Disclosure: NBCUniversal and Comcast Ventures are investors in Acorns. Mukesh D. Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd., attends the Ajay Mushran Memorial Lecture in New Delhi, India, on Sunday, July 10, 2011. Intel is investing over $250 million in Indian telco Jio Platforms, just three months after Facebook announced a $5.7 billion bet on the company. Owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries, Jio Platforms announced the Intel investment in a media release on Friday via Twitter. Intel will inject $253.5 million into the company, which is valued at $65 billion, in exchange for 0.39% stake. The investment being made through the chipmaker's venture firm, Intel Capital comes after Facebook said it was investing $5.7 billion in the Indian company in exchange for a 9.9% stake in April. Jio Platforms operates the Jio Infocomm telecom network, which has amassed over 388 million 4G subscribers since launching in 2016. Today it is India's top telco, and also has several apps and other services in e-commerce and broadband. "Jio Platforms' focus on applying its impressive engineering capabilities to bring the power of low-cost digital services to India aligns with Intel's purpose of delivering breakthrough technology that enriches lives," said Wendell Brooks, Intel Capital President, in a statement. "We believe digital access and data can transform business and society for the better." Home to 1.35 billion people, India is developing fast and investors don't want to miss out on that opportunity, particularly when it comes to technological advances. Technology research analyst Neil Shah wrote on Twitter that Intel's investment will help ensure India's "5G network has a healthy share of Intel solutions." Ambani, India's richest man, is in the process of trying to sell approximately 20% of Jio Platforms to raise cash for debt-ridden parent company Reliance Industries, which is heavily involved in oil and petrochemicals. It reportedly has a net debt pile of around $20 billion. U.S. investors like KKR, General Atlantic, Silver Lake and Vista have pumped billions into Jio Platforms. Last month, UAE sovereign wealth fund Mubadala revealed it was investing $1.2 billion in the company, while Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund put in $1.5 billion. Facebook's investment was the company's biggest deal since its $19 billion WhatsApp purchase. Former Obama economic advisor Jason Furman told CNBC on Thursday that the U.S. government should consider mailing everyone a face covering to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. "A fiscal stimulus plan that would have incredibly high bang for the buck would be for the government to print up masks ... and mail them out to every American and tell every American to wear them," Furman said on "Closing Bell." "It's really not hard," he said. Furman's comments come as policymakers in Washington debate the need for additional relief measures to get the economy back on track. Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise across some Southern and Western states, prompting governors in places such as Texas and Arizona to pause or rollback parts of their economic reopening. The House and Senate this week approved a bill that would extend the deadline to apply for forgivable small business aid through a key coronavirus relief program. It's designed to help companies keep employees on payroll during closures to slow the virus' spread. The measure heads to President Donald Trump for his signature. Trump also said this week that he would support another round of direct payments to Americans, claiming he wants the checks to be larger than what Democrats on Capitol Hill support. In May, Democrats in the House passed a relief bill that authorized another batch of $1,200 stimulus checks, although the legislation was a non-starter in the GOP-held Senate. But Furman contended that there is a limit to the effectiveness of congressional stimulus efforts and interventions from the Federal Reserve as long as Covid-19 outbreaks continue to dot the country. The Rohingya are among the world's most persecuted ethnic minorities haunted by the past and denied a future. As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across the world and into their squalid refugee camps, they're confronted by another grim prospect: separation from loved ones. "There's Covid-19, it's quite clearly spreading in the camps. But the Rohingya will not go to get tested," said Phil Robertson, deputy director of Asia at Human Rights Watch. "They are afraid of being taken from their family, they are afraid of being isolated, they're afraid of being taken to this horrible detention island called Bhasan Char which is in the middle of nowhere... It's like a Rohingya Alcatraz," he said, referring to the former island prison in San Francisco. The Rohingya are a Muslim minority from Rakhine state in western Myanmar formerly known as Burma. Most fled their homes after the military launched a brutal crackdown in August 2017. They are essentially stuck in place, without a future, but also without any accountability for what happened to them in the past. Phil Robertson Deputy director of Asia at Human Rights Watch Today, nearly a million Rohingya refugees live in cramped, temporary housing in the Bangladesh district of Cox's Bazar, home to one of the world's largest settlement camps. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees told CNBC there were 50 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 5 deaths among the refugees in Cox's Bazar as of July 1. Testing was ramped up to 700 a day, and about 0.06% of the 860,000 Rohingya in the camps have been tested. Additionally, Myanmar's health ministry reported 10 confirmed cases in Rakhine, UNHCR said. A landscape view in the Balukhali camp, a Rohingya refugee settlement in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh on Feb. 11, 2019. Kazi Salahuddin Razu | NurPhoto | Getty Images It's hard to know the true extent of the outbreak among the Rohingya, argued Robertson. "People are refusing to go. I think the only people you're really seeing that turn up and get tested are the people who are gravely ill, and have no other choice ... they need to get treatment or they may die." "We have noticed a decline in the number of refugees approaching health facilities for COVID-19 symptoms in the last weeks," said Louise Donovan, a communications officer at UNHCR. She said there appears to be "fear and anxiety among refugees," as those who volunteered to be tested had to be isolated for precautionary reasons. Additionally, an internet shutdown in camps in Bangladesh and some towns in Rakhine "has meant that people in some villages are unaware of the Covid-19 outbreak," Human Rights Watch said. Flight from Rakhine Often referred to as "the most persecuted minority in the world," the Rohingya have endured decades of oppression and human rights abuses. A citizenship law in 1982 stripped them of their nationality, making them one of the world's largest stateless communities. Rohingya are seen after arriving on a boat to Bangladesh on September 14, 2017 in Shah Porir Dip, Bangladesh. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fled to Bangladesh since August 2017 during the outbreak of violence in the Rakhine state. Allison Joyce | Getty Images While there have been large migrations to Bangladesh since the 1970s, none was as rapid and massive as the August 2017 exodus that thrust the Rohingya crisis onto the world stage. More than 740,000 Rohingya were violently uprooted in the months that followed, driven by a brutal military crackdown that reportedly killed thousands of Muslims. At least half of those who arrived in Bangladesh were children. It was a migration that was "unprecedented in terms of volume and speed," the UN said. Hundreds of victims and witnesses described scenes of indiscriminate killing, including of children and the elderly. Victims spoke of torture, rape, looting and destruction. Satellite images showed hundreds of villages razed. Rohingya children playing games in a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh on December 11, 2019. Allison Joyce | Getty Images Myanmar's security forces said it was a counter-offensive aimed at rooting out terrorism. What sparked the campaign was a series of attacks carried out by Rohingya extremists, who killed 12 members of the Burmese security forces in August 2017. The UN condemned the operation as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" and its High Commissioner for Human Rights at that time slammed the response as "clearly disproportionate" and "without regard for basic principles of international law." Approximately 600,000 Rohingya are still inside Myanmar "living under threat of genocide," said the UN's fact-finding mission on Myanmar. Calls for accountability The Rohingya want justice, Robertson said. They want those who committed the crimes against them to be held accountable. Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been accused of failing to protect the Rohingya. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, once touted as the embodiment of democracy, has been criticized for forsaking the oppressed. In a January op-ed for the Financial Times, Suu Kyi defended her government. She noted that the UN's independent commission interviewed close to 1,500 witnesses, but she claimed the report said that "some refugees may have provided inaccurate or exaggerated information." Education gives the Rohingya children hope of a brighter future. Shairose Mawji UNICEF While acknowledging that "the report details killing of civilians, disproportionate use of force, looting of property, and destruction of abandoned homes of Muslims," she maintained that the commission "found no evidence of genocide." Robertson from Human Rights Watch strongly criticized the former democracy icon. "She has moved beyond just being a bystander or someone who wasn't involved to become part of the cover-up," he said. The Myanmar government did not respond to CNBC's request for comment. What the future holds Education brings hope for a brighter future to the Rohingya children, said Shairose Mawji, Bangladesh chief of field services at UNICEF. "Education not only brings knowledge and skills, it also brings hope to children and help counter the frustration and despair of their situation," Mawji told CNBC in an email. "Without adequate opportunities for learning, they are more exposed to dangers of trafficking, child marriage, exploitation and abuse." A student writes on the board during class in a shelter in the refugee camp on October 28, 2019 in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Allison Joyce | Getty Images U.S. and China flags along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 17, 2011. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images Delisting Chinese companies from U.S. stock exchanges is "a pointless drive" that will neither deny those firms access to American capital markets nor hurt China's growth, according to a report by think tank Peterson Institute for International Economics. U.S.-China relations are the worst they have been in decades and the stock market appeared to be one of the latest fronts where tensions between the two countries are playing out. The Senate in May passed a bill that could ban many Chinese companies from listing shares in the U.S. Last month, President Donald Trump urged regulators to find ways to tighten scrutiny on those firms. But there are several ways that Chinese companies can still get money from American investors, including through the private equity market and Hong Kong's stock market, said the PIIE report written by Nicholas Lardy and Tianlei Huang. "The key point is that the market for capital is global. Shutting out Chinese firms from listing in the United States would not deny these firms access to US capital," the authors wrote. There are about 230 Chinese companies totaling about $1.8 trillion in market capitalization listed on the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange, noted the report. It pointed out that U.S. private equity firms have been buying out those listed Chinese companies. One example is Warburg Pincus and General Atlantic, which recently led a deal to take Chinese tech firm 58.com private, said PIIE. The key point is that the market for capital is global. Shutting out Chinese firms from listing in the United States would not deny these firms access to US capital. Peterson Institute for International Economics In addition, an increasing number of U.S.-listed Chinese companies have sought secondary listings in Hong Kong a financial and business center in Asia that is open to international investors, said the report. Chinese companies that have launched secondary offerings in Hong Kong include major tech players Alibaba, JD.com and NetEase. "US institutional investors and US residents who want to own shares in these companies will simply buy them in Hong Kong. Similarly, foreign investors who have invested in Chinese companies via New York listings will buy them in Hong Kong," read the report. 'Unlikely' decoupling Twitter has said it will start letting people edit their tweets when there is widespread adoption of face masks in the world, which is still grappling with the coronavirus pandemic. As it stands, there is currently no way to edit a tweet once it has been published. You either have to delete it or roll with it. The San Francisco micro-blogging platform teased the long-awaited feature on the main Twitter account Thursday saying: "You can have an edit button when everyone wears a mask." Other social media platforms including Facebook and LinkedIn have allowed people to edit what they publish for years, and some Twitter users (including Kim Kardashian) are confused as to why Twitter hasn't done the same. An edit tweet option would allow Twitter users to correct themselves if they posted something they later realized was false or if they simply made a typo. In April 2013, Wired ran an article on the edit-tweet option headlined: "The One Function Twitter Desperately Needs," in which journalist Matt Honan argued it could be a crucial tool in the war against misinformation. In January, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said there were practical considerations that make the introduction of an edit button difficult. "You might send a tweet and someone might retweet that and an hour later you might completely change the content of that tweet," he said. "The person that retweeted the original tweet is now retweeting and rebroadcasting something that is completely different. So that's something to watch out for." Dorsey told podcaster Joe Rogan last February that Twitter was considering the introduction of a delay to sending Tweets, which could be up to 30 seconds. During the delay, a Twitter user would have the ability to edit a sent tweet before it gets posted on the platform for everyone to see. In the same month, Dorsey told an audience at a Goldman Sachs event in San Francisco that Twitter was "thinking about" some sort of feature that allowed people to go back and clarify or annotate old tweets. "The other thing that we're seeing more broadly within the culture right now in this particular moment is people quote-unquote 'being canceled' because of past things that they've said on Twitter or various other places in social media," Dorsey said. "There's no credible way to kind of go back and clarify or even have a conversation to show the learning and the transition since." It's unusual for a tech giant to tease a new feature like this, but Twitter has surprised people in other ways since the pandemic hit. In May, Twitter told employees they could work from home forever as the virus shut down offices around the world. Dorsey has also pledged to donate $1 billion, roughly a quarter of his fortune, to support relief efforts for Covid-19 and other causes once the pandemic is over. Attitudes towards masks varies. In Texas, they are now compulsory, but in the U.K., for example, they don't need to be worn in most places. While they have been commonplace in China and other Asian countries for several years, they're a relatively new concept in the West. One Twitter user pointed out: "It's practically impossible to make everyone wear a mask which means we won't get an edit button." Supreme Court vacates ruling against Ind. abortion laws on ultrasound images, parental notification for underage girls Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The U.S. Supreme Court has vacated rulings against two Indiana abortion laws, sending the cases back to the appeals court level for review. In orders issued Thursday, the high court tossed out rulings against Indiana laws requiring abortion clinic staff to show mothers an ultrasound image of their baby before an abortion is scheduled to be performed, and another requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on an underage girl. Known as Box, Kristina, et al. v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana & Kentucky, the case will be sent back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. The high court cited their recent 5-4 decision in June Medical Services L.L.C. v. Russo, which struck down a Louisiana law requiring abortionists to have admitting privileges at hospitals near their practice so they can assist emergency room doctors when their patient suffers an emergency such as a hemorrhage or a ruptured uterus caused by an abortion. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, which was represented in part by the ACLU, expressed disappointment in response to the Supreme Court's order. These laws are only meant to do one thing, restrict abortion access. Indiana ranks second in the nation for restrictions, and Indiana politicians insist on putting every barrier possible between a pregnant person and their legal health care, Planned Parenthood Indiana and Kentucky CEO Chris Charbonneau argued. These laws and others like them have nothing to do with the health and well-being of the patient, and everything to do with the politicization of abortion care. Indiana Right to Life President and CEO Mike Fichter said in a statement released Thursday that he was cautiously optimistic that the ultrasound and parental notification appeals will find success in the Seventh Circuit. We are very thankful for the relentless effort Attorney General Curtis Hill has given to defending Indianas pro-life laws in the courts, he added. On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled in June Medical Services v. Russo that abortion clinics in Louisiana should not be held to the same basic health and safety standards as ambulatory surgical standards. Authored by Justice Stephen Breyer, the majority opinion cited the 2016 decision Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt, which struck down a similar Texas law. In this case, we consider the constitutionality of a Louisiana statute, Act 620, that is almost word-for-word identical to Texas admitting-privileges law, wrote Breyer. Those findings mirror those made in Whole Womans Health in every relevant respect and require the same result. We consequently hold that the Louisiana statute is unconstitutional. Justices Clarence Thomas authored one of the dissents to the court decision, saying that the majority was enjoining a perfectly legitimate state law and doing so without jurisdiction. The Constitution does not constrain the States ability to regulate or even prohibit abortion. This Court created the right to abortion based on an amorphous, unwritten right to privacy, which it grounded in the legal fiction of substantive due process, stated Thomas. As the origins of this jurisprudence readily demonstrate, the putative right to abortion is a creation that should be undone. In the same order list from Thursday, the Supreme Court declined to hear appeals in two cases regarding ordinances over buffer zones around abortion clinic entrances. Both cases, one in Chicago, Illinois, and the other in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, involved pro-life activists suing to have the restrictions lifted, only to have courts rule against their efforts. A Ukrainian national flag flies outside the Ukraine central bank in Kiev, Ukraine. Ukraine's parliament voted to dismiss Central Bank Governor Yakiv Smoliy on Friday, two days after Smoliy submitted his resignation complaining of political pressure against him. Smoliy's resignation rattled the market and raised questions about Ukraine's commitment to reforms. In this article GOOGL AAPL Germany's coronavirus contact-tracing app, Corona-Warn, is displayed on an iPhone in Berlin on Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Krisztian Bocsi | Bloomberg via Getty Images Coronavirus contact-tracing apps were meant to play a significant role in how some countries dealt with the spread of the disease. But so far, they've had a limited impact. The apps alert people who come into close proximity with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19, the idea being that the "contacts" of that sufferer would then get tested and self-isolate. They were once heralded as a crucial part of some countries' plans to lift their lockdown restrictions. In the U.K., for instance, this type of app was regularly referred to in the daily coronavirus briefings, however now the government is playing down its significance and has had to completely revamp it. Many of these apps rely on Bluetooth technology to send out notifications when two smartphone owners approach each other. Some of them even track location data through GPS. But early in the development of such platforms, campaigners flagged major concerns over how they would approach privacy. Enter Apple and Google. In April, the companies set out to introduce a "decentralized" framework for contact-tracing apps that would aim to both protect user data and ensure they still work once people start traveling abroad. While Apple is often praised for taking user privacy seriously, Google has been a particular target for criticism over tech platforms' shortcomings on data protection. All of a sudden, it was winning plaudits for an apparent commitment to ensuring privacy by design. "They certainly created a system which can be used for proximity tracing without risking trust from centralization of personal data," Michael Veale, a lecturer in digital rights and regulation at University College London, told CNBC. Veale is part of a team of researchers who came up with a system known as DP-3T, or Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing. It's the protocol on which Apple and Google based their own contact-tracing model. "Whether any of these apps are useful to fight the virus on the ground is yet to be seen," said Veale, though he added it was "too early" to rule them out. Not a 'game changer' In May, a report said Iceland had achieved the largest penetration of any virus-tracking app, with 38% of its 364,000 inhabitants installing it. But the Iceland app, which collected people's GPS data, "wasn't a game changer," according to Gestur Palmason, the deputy chief inspector of Iceland's Covid-19 tracing team. Oxford University researchers have said 60% of a country's population would have to download a tracing app in order for it to be effective. "There isn't a single country in the world to date that would be able to point to an app and say: 'That was a game changer,'" Stephanie Hare, an independent technology researcher, told CNBC. Singapore, which was seen as a pioneer in the development of tracing technology, has seen about 2.1 million downloads of its app. This translates to about 37% of the country's population still well below the recommended 60% threshold. And although digital tracking measures seem to have helped in countries like China and South Korea, critics say that these technologies came at the expense of privacy. In Norway, health authorities were forced to pull their contact-tracing app after a warning from the data protection regulators. The Scandinavian country's app was ranked alongside Bahrain's and Kuwait's on Amnesty International's list of the "most alarming mass surveillance tools" used to track the virus. It used location data as well as Bluetooth, and processed proximity data centrally rather than on individual smartphones. "It's very much being pitched as: you either care about human life or you care about privacy," Raha Rasha Abdul Rahim, deputy director of Amnesty International's technology division, told CNBC. "You can absolutely still have a useful contact tracing app that does give respect to people's human rights and privacy." France launched a tracing app that used Bluetooth to find the contacts of coronavirus patients. But like Norway, the app didn't adopt Apple and Google's model. That may have been to the detriment of its success, as just 14 people of the 1.9 million who downloaded the app received notifications to say that they'd been exposed to someone who was coronavirus-positive. Like the U.K., France had also touted the app as a key part of the country's strategy to slow the spread of the virus. Apple and Google set the standards The U.K. has now backpedalled and said it will apply Apple and Google's technology to its app. The government wanted to push ahead with a centralized model that stored data on a central database, but discovered the app was far less effective on iPhones than Android devices due to privacy measures imposed by Apple's operating system. The only alternative was to succumb to the tech giants' approach. After 23 days of accepting Indian imports, but unable to export anything to the country, disgruntled Bangladeshi traders have now stopped the entry of Indian goods via the Petrapole-Benapole border. According to sources, disruptions on the Bangladeshi side of the border emerged last night after some exporters protested that after opening up of the Petrapole border with Bangladesh, the West Bengal government has still not developed the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the resumption of Bangladeshi imports. Indian exports to Bangladesh resumed via the Petrapole land port after June 7. Imports from the country to India are, however, still stuck, and were to resume after the WB government issued the SOPs. Imports from Bangladesh to India via the Petrapole border include rags, garments, jute goods, misc items, whereas exports from India to Bangladesh include engineering goods, onions, cotton, yarn, perishable goods, sponge iron among others. "Bangladesh has accepted some some perishable goods and some regular cargo yesterday, but significantly lesser than normal", Sushil Patwari, Chairman (East), FIEO, told CNBC-TV18. "Indian exporters have appealed to the state government for SOPs on Bangladeshi imports", he added. More than 1500 trucks carrying cargo bound for Bangladesh are currently stranded on the Indian side of the border. "The Kalitala parking controlled by Bangaon Municipal Corp is not allowing fresh trucks to be parked, after clearing its backlog by June 14", Patwari said. Trucks carrying goods to be exported to Bangladesh are controlled and released by the Kalitala parking. "After clearing the backlog of trucks, the Kalitala parking is not accepting new trucks citing the absence of such orders from the state government or the district magistrate", Patwari told CNBC-TV18 SHOWS February 22, 2021 10.00 am Bazaar Corporate Radar Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) Several persons and business entities are being probed for possible money laundering given their links to embattled German firm Wirecard AG, the head of the Anti-Money Laundering Council said. AMLC executive director Mel Georgie Racela told CNN Philippines that several individuals are currently the subject of the financial watchdog's analysis, triggered by claims of the German payments firm that they had $2.1 billion (about 104 billion) placed under the trust of two Philippine banks which went missing. The company later on said that these funds may not have existed in the first place. The scandal was unveiled when Wirecard's auditor presented bank certificates to BDO Unibank and the Bank of the Philippine Islands, which both said were fake. "We are analyzing the transactions of all the entities involved as well as the persons mentioned in the press statements their actual financial transactions. As long as those financial transactions exceed 500,000, they are part of our database and those are the transactions we analyze," Racela said in an exclusive interview. READ: PH reputation unharmed by Wirecard scandal BSP Racela did not reveal details of the ongoing investigation, but confirmed that Wirecard AG and Wirecard e-Money Philippines Inc. are part of the inquiry. Also included are the companies named by the Financial Times when it looked into Wirecard's dealings back in March 2019: Centurion Online Payment International, PayEasy Solutions, and ConePay International. ConePay used a retired seaman's home address in Nueva Ecija as its business address in the Philippines. These supposed Wirecard partners were tagged as the big players dealing with the German blue chip, but were found to be using office addresses in Manila that seemed too small for their reported financial might and scale. Filipinos linked to the Wirecard scandal so far are lawyers Mark Tolentino who has been invited to a separate inquiry of the National Bureau of Investigation and Andre Ria Buzeta, who was acted as treasurer-in-trust in setting up Wirecard's Philippine unit. The list continues to evolve as AMLC includes more persons or companies mentioned in news reports for their ties to the fintech firm. Tolentino has secured two temporary restraining orders stopping BDO and BPI from releasing details of his accounts with them for three days, which could be extended by the courts. "What we are analyzing in regard to the flow of funds are the financial transactions of the persons and entities of interest," Racela said. He clarified that the probe continues despite the admission of Wirecard officials that the supposedly missing funds may never have existed at all. "If that is the case, then there's nothing to analyze in regard to the missing funds. However, as mentioned, there is also some other crimes involved in this case like the two rogue employees of the bank [and the] forging or issuing false certifications," the AMLC official added. Wirecard's sacked chief executive officer Markus Braun has been arrested in Germany for suspected accounting fraud following the expose which revealed that the firm could have been padding its financial statements, particularly transaction volumes in Asia, to make it attractive to more investors. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno chairs the AMLC, with the Insurance Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission sitting as members of the body. Racela confirmed Diokno's statement that there was never a $2.1-billion inflow to local banks, which would have been easily detected through the AMLC's reporting channels. Currently, the country's framework to combat dirty money deals covers up to 90 percent of the local financial system. Under existing rules, banks and other reporting institutions must alert AMLC on all transactions worth more than 500,000 as well as those that look suspicious, such as a sudden spike in money deals which are not justified by a person or company's economic means. RELATED: Mastercard and Visa reportedly reconsidering their relationship with Wirecard following accounting scandal But what if the money was sent in several transaction below 500,000 to avoid AMLC's radar? Racela admitted that the case appears to be complex and could take months for the AMLC to finish its investigation. He added that they are assisting the NBI's parallel probe on the issue, which covers other possible violations. CNN Philippines' Lois Calderon contributed to this report. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) President Rodrigo Duterte said there are enemies you cannot kill because you need them, just like the appointment of Nur Misuari as the ambassador to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Look at Misuari, he staged a rebellion but where is Misuari now? He is ambassador to the OIC. Oil producing nation, Duterte said during his speech in Zamboanga City Friday night. May mga kalaban ka na hindi mo pwedeng patayin kasi gamitin mo pa (There are enemies you cannot kill because you will still use them). You need him, he added. In December 2019, Duterte appointed the Moro National Liberation Front founder as the countrys Special Economic Envoy on Islamic Affairs to the OIC, which is assigned in helping in the peace agreement between the government and rebels. The president noted that most of the leaders of the organization are friends of Misuari thus he believes that there is no other Moro personality that could be in the said group. He said this in line with the death of four soldiers in Jolo, which also involved the Philippine National Police. Duterte said that both authorities need each other and should help each other in ensuring safety in the country. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) The killing of four soldiers in the hands of policemen in Jolo involved an "unexplainable use of excessive force," Senator Risa Hontiveros said Friday. The senator filed a resolution asking the Senate to mount an official probe into the shooting incident between the two law enforcement units. Those killed in the shooting were Major Marvin Indammog, Captain Irwin Managuelod, Sergeant Jaime Velasco, and Corporal Abdal Asula all from the Armys 9th Intelligence Service Unit of the 11th Infantry Division. The four slain Army officers were on official intelligence mission when they were gunned down Monday by cops based in Sulu. Nine policemen tagged in the shooting have been disarmed and placed under restrictive custody, while the chief of Jolo Police has been relieved from his post following the incident. The Philippine National Police initially described it as a misencounter, but later said it was a shooting incident. However, Army Chief Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay said it was a rubout and his men were "murdered" by the police. RELATED: Families of slain troops demand justice as Duterte calls for calm in Jolo shooting aftermath "An additional casualty in this terrible incident is unfortunately further trust of the public in the PNP," Hontiveros told CNN Philippines' The Source, saying that this was not the first time cops were involved in misconduct. In April, at the peak of strict lockdown rules, PNP personnel shot and killed Winston Ragos, a mentally ill Army veteran at a Quezon City checkpoint. "Itong dalawang mga insidenteng magkasunod [These two consecutive incidents], not too far apart, seem to show a disturbing pattern of behavior that we should not expect from our national police institution also not between two institutions of the government," she added. Hontiveros said there was an "almost unexplainable use" of excessive force and violence, adding that initial investigations showed that the Army personnel did not fire their guns but were peppered with gunshots by the police. She added that the Congressional probe should also allow authorities to identify what went wrong so that policies can be instilled to prevent a repeat of the incident. "If there was a deeper motive, we should certainly have to uncover it and place it along the facts of the truth of this terrible incident," she added, pointing out that it's unlikely for the incident to be an honest mistake due to the way the cops behaved. She also questioned why the policemen fled the scene without calling for a Scene of the Crime Operation team, which she said should be standard protocol. RELATED: Lapses found in crime scene of Sulu shooting, Army admits For its part, the Department of the Interior and Local Government vowed for a fair and thorough investigation, adding that this episode of violence between PNP and the Armed Forces is an isolated case. "Given na may processes naman in place, we will make sure na hindi na po ito mauulit. Ang panawagan po natin sa ating kapulisan is always adhere to the operations manual of the Philippine National Police [Given that we have processes in place, we will make sure this will not happen again. We appeal to our police force to always adhere to the PNP Operations Manual," Interior Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said during the government's Laging Handa briefing. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) The Philippine Coast Guard on Friday ended its rescue operations for the 14 Filipinos who remain missing after their boat collided last week with a Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier in Occidental Mindoro. PCG shifted to a search and retrieval operation, an indication of fading hopes of finding alive the 12 fishermen and passengers of fishing vessel Liberty 5. The operation is set to end on Sunday, but officials will determine if there is a need to extend the search. "Usually ho kasi, after three full days of search and rescue operations, kapag wala pa rin tayong naililigtas, nag-shi-shift na tayo sa search and retrieval. Pero hindi naman tayo nawawalan ng pag-asa. Miracle is reality. May posibilidad pa rin na buhay pa sila," PCG said as it shared snippets of Commandant Vice Admiral George Usabia Jr's media interview. [Translation: Usually after three days of search and rescue and it's unsuccessful, we shift to search and retrieval. But we remain hopeful. A miracle is possible. It's still possible we may find them alive.] Hong Kong-flagged M/V Vienna Wood collided with Liberty 5 several times in the vicinity of Occidental Mindoro around 10:20 pm of June 27. Ursabia said that based on initial investigation, the 20 foreign crew members of Vienna Wood failed to conduct any immediate rescue or assistance to the Filipino group, which is required under maritime law. He added PCG received the distress call from Vienna Wood via email three hours after the incident. He said the time frame would have been crucial in the rescue of the 14 Filipinos. PCG said it has finished its investigation on the foreign crew and it is now "building up pieces of evidence" to file criminal charges against the Vienna Wood crew members. Ursabia earlier said the Vienna Wood mariners did not abandon the Filipinos after the collision, explaining that the bulk carrier moved away from the incident area after seeing seven small fishing vessels helping the capsized Filipino boat. "They have done their part," the official said in media briefing on Tuesday. "I would say 50 percent of what they're expected to do." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has extended for six months the deadline for the technical audit of third major telco Dito Telecommunity. In a resolution, the regulator gave Dito Telecommunity six more months or until January 7, 2021 to deliver on its commitments for the technical audit. Under its certificate of public convenience and necessity or CPCN, Dito should provide internet speed of 27 megabits per second to cover 37 percent of the population. Dito earlier said this would require the construction of 1,300 cell towers. As of July 1, however, Dito said in a Senate hearing it only finished putting up 300 cell towers. The company earlier filed an appeal with the NTC for the extension due to delays caused by the COVID-19 lockdown. In an online media briefing on Friday, Dito said 75%-80% of work stopped due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) implemented in March. Dito Chief Technology Officer Rodolfo Santiago said a number of contractors had difficulty producing and delivering materials such as steel and coal. He, however, said the construction of more than a thousand cell towers are ongoing under relaxed restrictions. Wala kaming disruption. Even in Cebu na ECQ, wala kaming report ng work stoppage Every day we start construction in several sites, Santiago said. [Translation: We do not have disruption. Even in Cebu which is under ECQ, we do not have a report of work stoppage. Every day, we start construction in several sites.] He added that all 1,300 cell sites will be put up on private lands. Meanwhile, Dito Chief Administrative Officer Adel Tamano said the telco will meet the target commercial launch. Our commercial launch lets say the drop-dead date is March 21, 2021. But it could happen earlier than that, he said. Tamano said the extension is outside the options available for Dito under its CPCN should it fail to meet a deadline. The company can avail of this twice. The remediation periods were not affected. Again, you have to have an audit first... Hence, since we wont have an audit in July, the remediation periods will only apply once we get an audit, Tamano explained. The first one, being January 2021. With the hope, of course, that we pass our audits. If Dito is unable to meet its commitment three times, the government may forfeit its P25.7-billion performance bond and the frequency given to the company. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) Around 48,000 liters of oil spilled into waters off Iloilo City on Friday after an explosion at a power barge, local officials said. Authorities estimated an area of 1,200 square meters was affected by the spillage. The Coast Guard also pegged that about 40,000 liters were spilled. Courtesy: Leo Solinap "Current efforts involve scooping and skimming of spilt oil in order to contain the spill led by the [Philippine Coast Guard]," said the city's city's emergency operation center. According to reports from the Coast Guard Saturday, one of the tanks exploded due to hot work as acetylene was used to open rusted compartments. The explosion took place at 2:24 p.m. at AC Energy's Power Barge 102 in Lapuz district's Barrio Obrero, officials reported. The fire was declared out by 3 p.m. The barge's estimated capacity is 200,000 liters. AC Energy said that the oil spill was initially blocked by a structure surrounding the barge but high waves caused it to spill out. The PCG added that approximately one hectare of mangrove area has become a proximate sensitive area to the oil spill, as revealed by environment scanning. The Marine Environment Protection Unit of Western Visayas has already installed five segments of oil spill booms to the water ingress point to prevent damage to the mangrove, the PCG said. 82% of white evangelicals would vote for Trump despite concerns about job performance: study Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Eighty-two percent of white evangelical Protestant registered voters say they would vote for President Donald Trump or lean toward voting for him if the 2020 presidential election were held today even though an increasing share of them disapprove of the way he has been doing his job, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. This support is 5% higher than the 77% of white evangelical Protestant voters who indicated in another Pew survey that they backed Trump after the 2016 presidential election. Exit polling has shown that 81% voted for him in 2016. Results from the latest Pew survey conducted June 16 to 22, show that despite the strong support the president has among white evangelicals, a declining number approves of the way he has been handling his job in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the social unrest over racial injustice and police brutality. The survey shows that 72% of white evangelicals approve of the way the president is doing his job reflecting a 6% drop from two months ago. Only 17% said they would support his rival, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden whose campaign recently revealed that they are courting evangelical voters. Biden is only faring 1% better than 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton who got 16% of the white evangelical vote. Some 26% of white evangelical Protestants say Biden would make a poor president while 49% believe he would be terrible. Seventy percent of them say Trump has been good or great in his role. Dean Inserra, the Southern Baptist pastor of City Church in Tallahassee, Florida, told The Washington Post that Trump continues to enjoy strong support from evangelicals because he is seen as the Christian choice and a defender of the faithful. Some think that a vote for Trump is a Christian vote, that it means theyre voting against abortion or theyre happy with the Supreme Court. Its the ends justifies the means, he said. Trump represents a defender of their way of life. Hes the representation of someone whos on their side, Inserra added. Ralph Reed, founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, admitted to The Washington Post that there has been frustration and disappointment in evangelical ranks about Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.s recent role in advancing both gay and abortion rights. In two major decisions last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and rejected a Louisiana state law requiring abortion providers to be held to similar standards as ambulatory surgical centers. Evangelicals see the court decisions as fuel to ensure Trump is reelected to appoint more conservative judges to the Supreme Court, said Reed. Voters of faith know that that project to shift the court in a more conservative direction is on the 5-yard line and its a strategic imperative to get President Trump reelected, he said. The Louisiana decision has brought the life issue into fuller relief and reminded us why we have to give the president the chance to nominate more justices. But not all agree. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Public Theology Professor Andrew T. Walker argued that the Supreme Court's decision in favor of LGBT workers, which was written by Trump appointee Justice Neil Gorsuch, works against evangelicals' rationale in supporting Trump. "Gorsuch writing the opinion eviscerates the main rationale that religious conservatives have in voting for Trump. But Gorsuch is moot, he contended. Only 8% of black Protestants who overwhelmingly disapprove of President Trump said they would vote for him in the survey while 88% back Biden. Some 54% of black Protestants said Biden would make a good or great president while 36% said he would be average. Another 8% indicated that Biden would be a poor or terrible leader. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) The country's COVID-19 cases surpassed 40,000 on Friday after recording a new all-time high single-day increase in infections, according to the Department of Health. The agency said the nationwide tally hit 40,336 with 688 fresh cases and 843 late cases. Fresh cases were detected in the last three days while late cases came from DOH's validation backlog. From the fresh cases, some 255 were from Metro Manila, 138 from Central Visayas, 271 from other regions while 24 were repatriates or those who recently returned to the country. Of the late cases, 158 late were from Metro Manila, 163 from Central Visayas, 514 from different areas and eight were repatriates. The DOH added that of the 1,531 new cases, 1,526 have mild symptoms, three have no symptoms, one is in critical condition and one passed away. Some 826 patients or 54 percent of the new cases were male, it noted. Health Spokesperson Ma. Rosario Vergeire explained that the jump in infections is still due to the reduced data extraction time which the agency began implementing on Thursday. The department also reported the highest number of recoveries in a day with 400 new survivors, bringing the total of those who have recovered to 11,073. The death toll also rose to 1,280 with six new fatalities, DOH added. There are now a total of 26,858 active cases or people who are currently ill, as shown in Friday's bulletin. Some 25,403 patients or 94.6 percent of this total have mild symptoms and 1,289 cases or 4.8 percent have no symptoms, it detailed. Meanwhile, 139 people or 0.5 percent are severe cases while 27 patients or 0.1 percent are in critical condition. The Department of Foreign Affairs also announced 13 new infections among Filipinos abroad. The total of infected Filipinos in 62 countries is at 8,627, while no new deaths were recorded, keeping the death toll at 561. The agency added that 15 more people got better, raising recoveries to 5,163. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) Quiapo Church in Manila resumed its limited physical services and activities on Friday as its lockdown ended, a church official said Friday. In compliance with the governments guidelines, only 10 persons could attend each mass, while 50 devotees are permitted to go inside to pray or do other liturgical activities when there is no mass, Fr. Douglas Badong, parochial vicar of Quiapo Church told CNN Philippines. Badong said they also got the local government of Manila's approval for phased reopening. Authorities are limiting public gatherings to 10 people in areas under general community quarantine such as Metro Manila, to limit people's risk of exposure to COVID-19 and curb the spread of the viral disease, pending a vaccine and cure. Quiapo Church, also called the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, was placed on lockdown on June 19 after a visiting priest tested positive for COVID-19. Badong said 80 people, including eight priests and 72 staff, went through the mandatory quarantine. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) Families of hundreds of overseas Filipino workers who died in Saudi Arabia will have to wait longer for their loved ones to fly home after the Labor Department said the deadline of their return was extended due to issues with requirements. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement that the July 4 deadline was moved to early next week, because of "pending release of documentary requirements" and other health protocols. Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay earlier warned about the extension. Gov't eyes deadline extension to bring home OFW remains from Saudi Arabia The Philippine government may ask for more time to bring home the remains of hundreds of OFWs from Saudi Arabia due to logistical issues, a Foreign Affairs official says. The government seeks to bring home 278 bodies, including 129 who died due to COVID-19. Saudi officials earlier asked the Philippines to transport the remains of 301 OFWs but 23 have already been buried in the kingdom. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) Some senators and the Armed Forces of the Philippines commended President Rodrigo Duterte for signing the Anti-Terrorism Law on Friday, but critics vow to question its legality and emphasize the measure violates basic human rights. Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the new law will surely protect the people against ruthless ideologies and stop unrepentant agitators from sowing mayhem and disorder. This new law against terrorism is the answer. The government's hands are no longer tied. We now stand at par with many countries in the region in capacity- building measures against terrorists, said Sotto. Sen. Francis Tolentino emphasized the signing of Anti-Terrorism Act is very timely and historic and is really needed by the country now. It just goes to show that a stable peace and order climate should go hand with economic rejuvenation post COVID-19. We should all support this measure, Tolentino said. The Armed Forces of the Philippines stressed the new measure will boost the governments security forces against those who cause inordinate sufferings to the Filipino people. We now have a powerful statute that provides law enforcement agencies the legal wherewithal to protect and defend our people, said Armed Forces Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Edgar Arevalo in a statement. Sen. Panfilo Lacson, one of the vocal supporters of the controversial measure, highlighted the President exercised his strong political will in signing the law despite many objections from societal groups. With all the pressure coming from different directions against the signing of the Anti-Terrorism Bill into law, at the end of the day, it is his strong political will that mattered most. I cannot imagine this measure being signed under another administration, explained Lacson. But some of Lacsons colleagues in the Senate, who are also members of the opposition, were not pleased with the Presidents signature unto the Anti-Terrorism Law. Sen. Risa Hontiveros lamented the governments priority in signing the measure amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. While the countrys COVID-19 cases have gone past 40,000 and while 7.3 million Filipinos have lost their jobs and livelihood, Malacanang has instead signed the Anti-Terrorism Law that it will use to trample on Filipinos basic rights and freedoms, said Hontiveros. Hontiveros added the laws vague and unconstitutional provisions will provide the government with fearsome legal tools to oppress and silence those who speak out and resist the injustices, the violence and the corruption of those in power. Fellow opposition member Sen. Francis Pangilinan said while he was not surprised the Duterte administration signed such draconian and authoritarian measure, the Anti-Terrorism Law does not solve the poverty and problems of the health crisis in the country. Members of the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives also denounced Dutertes signing of the controversial law. Not only did he sign the terror bill into law, Duterte just signed a death warrant to the human rights of every man, woman, and child in the Philippines, said House Assistant Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro. "We call on all freedom loving Filipinos to be very vigilant because darker days are ahead. We must remain united and report any and all violations of human rights. An attack on one is an attack on everyone. We will show them that in the face of repression an awakened people will resist and fight back," stated House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate. Media rights group Altermidya raised concern that the controversial Anti-Terrorism Law can be used to suppress those who report issues against the Duterte administration. Under this patently unconstitutional law, critical reporting of issues can and will surely be tagged as terrorist acts. The very irony lies in its name it is not against terrorism, but rather, aids and abets in the commission of state terror. It is anti-human rights, anti-press freedom, anti-free expression, and anti-civil liberties, the organization pointed out. In an interview with CNN Philippines Rico Hizon, Ateneo de Manila University School of Government Dean Ronald Mendoza said the new law effectively repealed the Human Security Act of 2007 by expanding the government forces powers on surveillance. But Mendoza underlined the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is a good measure to combat terrorism in the country if the governments institutions are trustworthy and accountable on using their power to rightfully solve terrorist threats in the society. I think the debate right now is that many people are concerned that the very institutions that will be tasked to implement the law are also those with right now a little bit of a history of human rights abuses, governance failures, links to extra-judicial killings and so on and so forth, said Mendoza. (CNN) Patience in lifting coronavirus restrictions is paying off all over the world, but lifting lockdowns too early can have deadly consequences. A CNN analysis of policies across 18 nations has shown that most of the countries that have now been designated by the European Union as having the epidemic under control only started easing their regulations after seeing sustained drops in daily new cases of Covid-19. In contrast, three of the four countries with the world's highest death tolls and case counts -- the United States, Brazil and India -- have either never properly shut down or started reopening before their case counts begun to drop. The EU formally agreed a set of recommendations of 15 countries it considers safe enough to allow their residents to travel into its territory on Tuesday. To get on the list, countries have to check a number of boxes: their new cases per 100,000 citizens over the previous 14 days must be similar to or below that of the EU, and they must have a stable or decreasing trend of new cases over this period in comparison to the previous 14 days. The bloc will also consider what measures countries are taking, such as contact tracing, and how reliable each nation's data is. The list includes Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay. China, where the virus originated, is also on the list, but the EU will only offer China entry on the condition of reciprocal arrangements. An examination of the coronavirus response in the 14 countries shows they have one key thing in common. Despite economic pressure, the vast majority refused to ease social distancing measures while their case counts were still going up. And when they did lift their lockdowns, they did it in a careful, phased manner. Scientists say lockdowns have likely saved hundreds of millions of lives around the world. A modeling study published in the scientific journal Nature last month estimated that by early April, shutdown policies saved 285 million people in China, 49 million in Italy and 60 million lives in the US. "I don't think any human endeavor has ever saved so many lives in such a short period of time. There have been huge personal costs to staying home and canceling events, but the data show that each day made a profound difference," said the study's lead author, Solomon Hsiang, a professor and director of the Global Policy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. Just how successful a lockdown has been depends on a number of reasons, including whether it was put in place early enough. No two lockdowns are alike, so while people in countries like Italy or Spain faced fines if they ventured outside their homes for anything other than essential reasons, in Japan, staying at home was a recommendation rather than an order. Australia, Canada, New Zealand were quick to restrict travel, while in other countries including Algeria, Georgia and Morocco, kids were the first to see the impact of the pandemic as schools shut. Other measures included stay-at-home orders, non-essential store closures, quarantining and isolation. Some countries, like Algeria, Rwanda, Montenegro and China have seen outbreaks after restrictions were lifted. That prompted officials to reintroduce some measures locally. In China, the capital city of Beijing was put under a partial lockdown last month following new cluster linked to a food market. Montenegro brought back bans on mass events last week after seeing a new outbreak of cases following a three weeks of being virus-free. And in Rwanda, health authorities placed a number of villages into renewed lockdown last week after new cases emerged there. But the restrictions launched to counteract the disease have also been hugely damaging for the economy and have exacerbated existing inequalities in education and the workplace, as well as between genders, races and socio-economic backgrounds. As shops and schools shut and nearly all travel ceased, hundreds of millions of people around the world have suddenly found themselves unemployed. The impact on the economy is one of the reasons why some leaders, including the US President Donald Trump, have been pushing for swift reopening, even as infectious diseases experts warned about lifting restrictions too early. This story was first published on CNN.com, "The US, Brazil and others lifted lockdowns early. These charts show just how deadly that decision was." The Coastal Point is a local newspaper published each Friday and distributed in the Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, Ocean View, Millville, Dagsboro, Frankford, Selbyville, Millsboro, Long Neck and Georgetown, Delaware areas. Columbia, MO (65201) Today Clear skies. Low 53F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph, becoming SSW and decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low 53F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph, becoming SSW and decreasing to less than 5 mph. Hours since the first Apple Silicon Mac benchmarks leaked come a fresh set of numbers detailing what could be Apples next iMac release. An iMac with Intel inside While we all expect Apple will introduce its first Apple Silicon Macs later this year, the company has told us it will continue to support and sell Intel-based Macs. China Times has previously told us to expect a new 23-in. iMac this year and its thought the first retail Macs based on Apple Silicon will field 8-core A-series chips. But the next iMac will be based on Intel. Apple is surely beginning to experiment with a new design language. This was suggested at WWDC when the company led its new macOS announcements with a lengthy segment exploring the new icons and user interface design concepts. These changes all nodded to the past, but opened up the platform to the future, with many speculating the icons were becoming increasingly unified across all Apples platforms in preparation for deployment across new platforms. That focus on design will inevitably be reflected in Apples hardware. When it comes to the Mac, the thinking is that Apple will move to an iPad-like design, with thin bezels. This will be the first major hardware introduction since Jony Ive left Apple, so its likely we can expect the new team to begin to make its mark. That may not come, however, until Apple begins shipping Apple Silicon Macs. What are the benchmarks? The benchmarks for this new Mac follow: Processor: Intel 3.6GHz Core i9-10910 processor with 10 cores. T2 chip. Intel 3.6GHz Core i9-10910 processor with 10 cores. T2 chip. Turbo Boost: 7GHz. 7GHz. Cache: 20MB L3. 20MB L3. Graphics : AMD Radeon Pro 5300 graphics card, a version of the 5300M card used in the entry-level 16-inch MacBook Pro. (Apple recently added an even more powerful GPU to this product as a BTO option.) : AMD Radeon Pro 5300 graphics card, a version of the 5300M card used in the entry-level 16-inch MacBook Pro. (Apple recently added an even more powerful GPU to this product as a BTO option.) Score: The test gives an OpenCL score of 32,366. We dont know what Mac this is, nor can we be completely certain this data relates to a shipping product. What we do know is that the inclusion of a 10-core processor and the same graphics card as Apple uses in its current MacBook Pro range means these may turn out to be relatively high performing systems. While China Times talked of a new 23-inch iMac, is it possible this may be the entry-level model of a revised iMac Pro range, which hasnt been updated since 2017? The consensus is thats unlikely. At the same time, with the move to Apple Silicon looming, this rather begs the question: Is it worth purchasing Intel Macs? Apples executives have been circulating across the Apple-focused podcasts since WWDC, and wherever possible have stressed their commitment to existing and future Intel Macs. When announcing the latest Mac migration, they stressed their plan to support Intel Macs for years and to continue to release them. These statements have put Apples historical record on Mac support during past migrations under scrutiny. For example, the last version of OS X to support PowerPC Macs shipped in August 2009, just three years after all Macs migrated to the new Intel chips in 2006. Historically, Apple tends to declare products obsolete after they have not been sold for over seven years. (The first Retina display MacBook Pro was declared obsolete at the age of eight just last week.) In other words, the Intel Mac you purchase over the next 12-months is likely to remain a supported product for the next seven years, though it is possible the company will cease providing operating system updates before that time. Ultimately, it will be up to the company to better define the extent of its commitment to provide support for years in more concrete terms. This isnt really a problem for enterprise purchasers. The window Apple is promising seems plenty long enough for most equipment purchases with a view to three to five years of usable life. SMEs and smaller businesses will expect and deserve more clarity as they consider the offer. Up next The freshly published Mac benchmarks indicate Apple will keep its word by continuing to offer new Intel Macs. It will be interesting to see whether the revision to its company-defining iMac will also reflect a new design aesthetic as the company perhaps seeks to build a bridge between the last processor decade and what is to come. Please follow me on Twitter, or join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe. Judge blocks Trump admin. rule requiring Central Americans to first seek asylum in countries they enter Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump struck down the administrations asylum regulation that required Central Americans to first seek asylum in other countries they traveled through before seeking asylum in the United States. U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly on Tuesday night struck down the rule enacted last summer that bars immigrants from applying for asylum in the U.S. if they did not first apply for asylum in a country they passed through before reaching the U.S. southern border. The order halts the implementation of the policy and denied the governments request to stay the order pending the governments likely appeal of his decision. Kelly, who was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2017 and is among 200 other federal judges appointed by the Trump administration, sided with immigration advocacy nonprofits. The plaintiffs, who include immigration advocacy groups and nine asylum seekers, claimed that the regulation published by the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department, known as the third-country asylum rule, violated the Immigration and Nationality Act as well as the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. The rule essentially requires asylum seekers from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and other Central and South American countries to go through the asylum process in other countries before applying for asylum in the U.S. The plaintiffs contend that the ruling was arbitrary and capricious and issued without notice-and-comment procedures. They further argued that the policy has virtually halted asylums at the southern border for the last year. Kelly called the rule unlawfully promulgated and accused the Trump administration of not following the proper protocols outlined in the Administrative Procedure Act as it did not allow enough time for a public comment period. The APA generally requires substantive rules to be promulgated through notice-and-comment rulemaking, Kelly wrote in his opinion. "These procedures are not a mere formality. The federal government argued that exceptions to the APA requirements applied to the rule. One of them is called the good cause exception, where an agency does not need to provide notice and an opportunity to comment when the agency for good cause finds that notice and public procedure thereon are impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest. According to the judges ruling, the administration also argued that through the foreign affairs function exception, the normal notice-and-comment requirements dont apply to the extent that there is involved . . . a military or foreign affairs function of the United States. Defendants argue that notice-and-comment rulemaking would have been impracticable and contrary to the public interest because that process would have led to a surge of asylum seekers at the southern border of the United States, the order explains. The Departments asserted upon the Rules promulgation that if it were published for notice and comment before becoming effective, smugglers might communicate its impending effects to potential asylum seekers, thus creating a risk of a surge in migrants hoping to enter the country beforehand. Kelly also said in his decision that the administration failed to document any immediate surge that has ever occurred during a temporary pause in an announced policy. Because of border restrictions enacted by the Trump administration in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the order might have little impact in the near term. However, refugee advocates are calling the courts decision a victory. The court determined what we have all known since this rule was created that it is illegal, it violates everything this country stands for, and it must be thrown out, Manoj Govindaiah, litigation director at Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, a plaintiff in the case, said in a statement. The court's decisive action is a victory to all asylum seekers and human rights protectors everywhere. Hardy Vieux, senior vice president at Human Rights First, another plaintiff, said in a statement that the ruling prevents the administration from doing an end-run around the law. In the United States of America, we follow the rule of law, even when it benefits asylum-seekers demonized by this administration, Vieux asserted. Matthew Soerens, a national coordinator of the Evangelical Immigration Table and director of U.S. church mobilization for World Relief, has previously argued that countries like Mexico have almost no capacity to adjudicate asylum requests. People trying desperately to go through our complex legal processes to request protection simply can't win, because we keep changing the rules, Soerens tweeted last September. The Supreme Court ruled last September to temporarily allow enforcement of the asylum rule, lifting an injunction ordered by a federal judge in California. Attorney Gen. William Barr said at the time that the new rule will reduce the burdens associated with apprehending and processing hundreds of thousands of aliens along the southern border. In January 2019, Trump declared a national emergency in response to what many described as a border security and humanitarian crisis. The Trump administration has also issued other asylum protocols, including a policy that requires asylum seekers to wait on the Mexico side of the border until their asylum claims can be adjudicated. Corsicana, TX (75110) Today Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, with mostly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 69F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, with mostly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 69F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. According to her, the Galwan situation has not been witnessed on Line of Actual control for 45 years before June 15. Since 1993, we have been using terms such as mutual and equal security, peace along the borders but these principles have been violated by China recently. She belived, in 1996, Article 10 of the Agreement of Confidence Building Measures posed by China talking about speeding up the clarification and confirmation on the Line of Actual Control still remains unclarified from China as was evident by the meeting that took place in 2003 to decide the line of actual control between China and India, China jinxed up the meet and deliberations never come to fruition. Rao asserted, India-China is one is the longest land border in the world that remains unsettled till date. The attitude of the Chinese towards border disputes has always displayed negligence. They have a bloated sense of self that China has, is hurting the interests of India and India needs resistance to the advances made by China. She underscored that a war with China is not the solution but internal and external peace is to be maintained. She insisted, Ladakh comes is under the close vicinity of the areas under the activities of China. The wrong interpretation of revocation of Article 370 by the Government of India has led them to create ruckus on the borders. China has improved relations with Pakistan as its iron brother and converged their interests in targeting India. Rao suggested that India should continue to stand up to China as was evident by the Doklam incident in 2017. Mutual adjustments and mutual negotiations would definitely improve the situation on the border, but it might remain a dream during Xi Jinpings rule, as China is unrelenting and does not play by any rule. This certainly remains a cause of worry for India. The webinar was organised in collaboration with the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, The George Washington University, Washington, DC. Making a major intervention at a webinar organized by Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI), New Delhi, Ambassador Nirupama Rao, former Foreign Secretary of India, who has served as Indian Ambassador to China, the US and Sri Lanka, has said that China has used Indias infrastructure development and excuse of India violating the border commitments along the borders as an interpretation to stir up tensions, though they themselves have engaged in expansion of their own infrastructure along the borders. According to her, the Galwan situation has not been witnessed on Line of Actual control for 45 years before June 15. Since 1993, we have been using terms such as mutual and equal security, peace along the borders but these principles have been violated by China recently.She belived, in 1996, Article 10 of the Agreement of Confidence Building Measures posed by China talking about speeding up the clarification and confirmation on the Line of Actual Control still remains unclarified from China as was evident by the meeting that took place in 2003 to decide the line of actual control between China and India, China jinxed up the meet and deliberations never come to fruition.Rao asserted, India-China is one is the longest land border in the world that remains unsettled till date. The attitude of the Chinese towards border disputes has always displayed negligence. They have a bloated sense of self that China has, is hurting the interests of India and India needs resistance to the advances made by China. She underscored that a war with China is not the solution but internal and external peace is to be maintained.She insisted, Ladakh comes is under the close vicinity of the areas under the activities of China. The wrong interpretation of revocation of Article 370 by the Government of India has led them to create ruckus on the borders. China has improved relations with Pakistan as its iron brother and converged their interests in targeting India.Rao suggested that India should continue to stand up to China as was evident by the Doklam incident in 2017. Mutual adjustments and mutual negotiations would definitely improve the situation on the border, but it might remain a dream during Xi Jinpings rule, as China is unrelenting and does not play by any rule. This certainly remains a cause of worry for India.The webinar was organised in collaboration with the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, The George Washington University, Washington, DC. Dr Gardner pointed to how the Britishers spent an entire century in Indian subcontinent developing mapping principles and building roads due to the fear of Russian encroachment. They tried to insulate India from Russia and Ladakh being at crossroads lacked front role while mapping. They used limits of watersheds to map Ladakh but the process was tedious thus, historically Ladakh never had defined borders. In future, China may possibly be present in all the problems India may have with its neighbours which may not in line with Indian interests Taking part in the webinar, Dr Kyle Gardner, a top scholar attached with the Sigur Centre for Asian Studies, explained the historical context of Sino-India borders and highlighted two important points- missing borders and the complications brought by the claims of the other states. He believed that Sino-India border is not the mutually agreed demarcated line which caused the tragic violence on June 15 in Galwan Valley of Ladakh.Dr Gardner pointed to how the Britishers spent an entire century in Indian subcontinent developing mapping principles and building roads due to the fear of Russian encroachment. They tried to insulate India from Russia and Ladakh being at crossroads lacked front role while mapping. They used limits of watersheds to map Ladakh but the process was tedious thus, historically Ladakh never had defined borders. According to him, the need for a borderline emerged when encroaching empires started demanding maps. These phenomena of historically missing borders continue till date and gave rise to second problem of continuity of claims by prior states over the territory of Ladakh. He also pointed out that India has carried the British legacy with itself as evident from the practices of road making, restrictive access to borders and surveying. Dr. Deep Pal, a senior scholar with the National Bureau of Asian Research, USA, said that President of China has a couple of centenary goals to deliver to the people of China to realise the Chinese Dream. The first centenary envisages that the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) as emerging as a prosperous democratic society by 2021 and also the 100th anniversary of Chinese Communist Party. He said, by 2049, they are determined to be strong democratic, civilised, harmonious and modern socialist country under the leadership of Xi Jinping. He highlighted due to pandemic, China is being cornered by large number of countries making the achievement of China dream questionable. China wanted to be the unquestionable leader in the current scenario. He also highlighted the strained relations between China and USA. On one hand USA has retreated from WHO and China is advancing for multilateral arrangement of Silk Road and Belt and Roads Initiative. Dr Pal warned that China is spreading itself far across from its neighbourhoods and developing relations with Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives which enclosed the Indian subcontinent. In future incidence, it is possible that China may be present in all the problems India may have with its neighbours, which may not in line with Indian interests. After the Galwan incident, India and China relations have been changed. He questioned the talks taking place between China and India to settle the border disputes and said India must make strong decisions. He called for policymakers to look around the world to strengthen the partnerships as evidenced by Australia in the Malabar Coast exercise. He highlighted that China had no interest in solving border issues with India and they will try to solve it in a way which works to their advantage. Dr Anit Mukherjee, assistant professor, South Asia Programme, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, asserted that the revocation of Article 370 had created a lot of turmoil in Beijing. He opined that China wanted to create fuss on the borders to deal with its domestic turmoil going post Covid-19. He wondered whether there should a military response to the Galwan attack to restore status quo and have tit-for-tat operations. According to him, while these could be plausible options, escalation of the conflict remains a consistent risk. The strategic and diplomatic costs must be weighed it. India must work with the countries who share apprehensions with China. India must utilise this crisis and address the system deficiencies on the borders and also speculated that Indias infrastructure development along the borders may have led China to deploy the troops on a large scale on Chinese borders. Perhaps setting up of a comprehensive Committee of Inquiry to address the nuances of the border conflict is the best way forward. In her introductory remarks, Dr Simi Mehta, CEO, IMPRI, said that the border disputes between India and China are not new, and in the post-independent India, the two countries have fought a major war and had engaged in several skirmishes. Both countries are bound by a mutual agreement to not use firearms in the inhospitable and contested Himalayan region along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), she added. Pointing that India received a jolt when 20 Indian personnel were killed at the hands of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) at the Galwan valley, she said, no Indian soldier was killed at the hands of the PLA since 1975. As a result, the hardening of Chinese positions in the region since April this year and the causalities in the Ladakh territory of the Indian subcontinent have raised several questions on the political relations between India and China in the context of strengthened the spirit of nationalism in India. In his concluding remarks, Dr Arjun Kumar, director of IMPRI, who is also China-India visiting scholar fellow, Ashoka University and Tongji University, wondered how could India match up to the infrastructure and economic expansion. He added, India needs to be less subtle and less hesitant in proclaiming where Indias interests lie. It can definitely afford multiple alignments to establish its rightful place in the world. That such an incident happened on an IIT campus points to the widening gap between the advanced technological development being pursued for the elite of the country and the living standards of unorganized masses dependent on daily wages or contractual jobs for their survival. When the new campus for IIT Gandhinagar started getting built at Palaj around the same time, a sensitive director Dr Sudhir Jain made sure that the first constructions that took place were houses and toilets for labourers. Now a similar gruesome incident has taken place on June 23, 2020, in Bah Tehsil of Agra District whena 26 years old woman Simpi went to relieve herself in Chambal ravines late evening she started having labour pain. She became unconsciousness after giving birth to a child but by the time she regained consciousness, the child was gone, probably taken away by some animal. When they searched for the child, his body, eaten away, was found nearby in a field. Laxman, 22 years, and Raina, 20 years, belonged to Bhuria Scheduled Tribe community from Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh and had come to work in Ahmedabad as migrant labourers. Akash was their first child after their marriage hardly a year back.That such an incident happened on an IIT campus points to the widening gap between the advanced technological development being pursued for the elite of the country and the living standards of unorganized masses dependent on daily wages or contractual jobs for their survival.When the new campus for IIT Gandhinagar started getting built at Palaj around the same time, a sensitive director Dr Sudhir Jain made sure that the first constructions that took place were houses and toilets for labourers.Now a similar gruesome incident has taken place on June 23, 2020, in Bah Tehsil of Agra District whena 26 years old woman Simpi went to relieve herself in Chambal ravines late evening she started having labour pain. She became unconsciousness after giving birth to a child but by the time she regained consciousness, the child was gone, probably taken away by some animal. The reality is that most toilets built during Swachh Bharat Abhiyan are not usable for various reasons, including corruption, another vice that the government claims to have eliminated. The latest incident also points to the failure of Janani Suraksha Yojana of the National Health Mission whose objective is to prevent child and mother mortality by encouraging institutional delivery for poor pregnant women. Accredited Social Health Activists are supposed to look after such pregnant women. It is a matter of enquiry whether the ASHA of Village Jodhpura in Block Pinahat of Agra was aware of the advanced stage of Simpis pregnancy, where she lived with her husband Sunil Kumar. The Gram Prahdan Gajendra Singh did not recommend a toilet for their home as Sunils Adhar Card had registered the address of a different village Raghunathpura. Countrys security has become a major issue these days vis-a-vis our neigbours. But we hardly bother about security of individuals It is a sign that in spite of all the claims about development, things havent changed much, at least for the underprivileged. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose Mahatma Gandhis birthday, who was widely regarded for his commitment to two prominent values one of which was truth, last year to declare that with construction of 11 crore toilets rural India was open defecation free, meaning thereby that 99% people had toilets.The reality is that most toilets built during Swachh Bharat Abhiyan are not usable for various reasons, including corruption, another vice that the government claims to have eliminated.The latest incident also points to the failure of Janani Suraksha Yojana of the National Health Mission whose objective is to prevent child and mother mortality by encouraging institutional delivery for poor pregnant women.Accredited Social Health Activists are supposed to look after such pregnant women. It is a matter of enquiry whether the ASHA of Village Jodhpura in Block Pinahat of Agra was aware of the advanced stage of Simpis pregnancy, where she lived with her husband Sunil Kumar. The Gram Prahdan Gajendra Singh did not recommend a toilet for their home as Sunils Adhar Card had registered the address of a different village Raghunathpura. That the incident happened in Agra, famous world wide for Taj Mahal, is a cruel reminder of the reason of Mumtaz Mahal's death during her 14th child birth. Looked at from another perspective, Taj Mahal is a monument of maternal mortality. The lackadaisical attitude in our society towards pregnancy, which is so important for the health of mother as well as going to be born child for his/her remaining life, is obvious from the number of child births which took place on trains while migrant workers were returning home on Shramik special trains during the coronavirus crisis. On May 9, Mamta Yadav, who belongs to Chappra, Bihar, delivered a baby on a train from Jamnagar to Muzaffarpur in Agra, while Shubhadra, a native of Ambedkarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, delivered a baby on the way from Jalandhar to Akbarpur in another train same day. On May 10, Sunita delivered a baby on a train from Valsad to Lucknow just before reaching Lucknow. While the women must have been tested for Covid-19 before boarding the respective trains, nobody bothered about their advanced stages of pregnancy as they were embarking on long and tortuous journey. 80 deaths admitted by the Indian Railways on Shramik specials between 9 and 27 May point to the inhuman travel conditions that these women were also subjected to. On the other hand, due to the threat of Covid-19 patients who needed attention for non-Covid reasons were being neglected. Imagine a pregnant woman arriving at a hospital being asked to undergo Covid test first, the result of which could take two days to arrive. On June 5, 30 years old Neelam in the eighth month of pregnancy died in an ambulance in Greater Noida after being turned away by three government and five private hospitals for lack of bed. All these incidents prove we take life of an underprivileged in this country for granted. Countrys security has become a major issue these days vis-a-vis our neigbours like China, Pakistan and even Nepal. But we hardly appear to be bothered about security of individuals. Even if we were to make our borders secure of what use will they be to a child or a mother who die because of negligence of the state? The country which is now behind only United States and China in terms of spending on external defence is very stingy when it comes to spending on health care. While the class which clapped from their homes and lit candles to appreciate the medical and other staff dealing with coronavirus crisis might feel secure in their homes with either a guaranteed salary at the end of the month or comfortable bank balances, the class which was walking on highways has been left to fend for itself. The poor development indices, whether related to education or health care, availability of toilets or proper habitation, malnourishment or fertility rate, don't make the vast masses involved in primary or secondary sectors of economy feel secure at all. Majority of the population on subsistence livelihoods are devoid of the sense of security which should come along with development. It is high time we took a hard look at the question of equitable access to the fruits of development. --- *Sandeep Pandey is Magsaysay award winning social activist, Kushagra Kumar is a student One of the writers of this article is reminded of an incident, when he was teaching at Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar which was then functioning from a campus in Chandkheda in Ahmedabad. On December 16, 2011, a dog picked up a two months old boy child Akash who was lying on ground while parents were busy cooking or eating dinner at 10 pm. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The barbarians are at the gates. Actually, the barbarians are inside the gates and on the streets. They are tearing down statues left and right. As we celebrate our national birthday this week, the Fourth of July, it doesnt feel like a celebration. Harvard professor Dr. Cornel West says that America is basically a failure. After the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis policeman, West noted, "I think we are witnessing America as a failed social experimentWhat I mean by that is that the history of black people for over 200 and some years in America has been looking at America's failure, its capitalist economy could not generate and deliver in such a way people can live lives of decency. The nation-state, it's criminal justice system, it's legal system could not generate protection of rights and liberties." So, is America a failed social experiment? Martin Luther King made a great point: America has not lived up to its creed, that all men are created equal (perhaps the single most important statement in the Declaration of Independence). But the creed itself is good. Dr. Kings work was based on a godly foundation. Take away God, and America will crumble, for everyone, black or white. No God, no rights. Kelly Shackelford, the founder/director of First Liberty Institute, which fights for religious liberty, says: If you lose religious freedom, youll lose all your freedoms. When you wipe away the foundation of God, you remove human rights with it. I am positive that neither you nor I nor Professor West would want to live in some future utopia where God-given rights no longer prevail. If you doubt that, look to the fate of millions in Marxist countries that have falsely promised foundationless equality. Imagine living in fear all the time of the notorious knock on the door at night. For all its faults and shortcomings, America stands for three things: 1. One nation under God. 2. The rule of law (based ultimately on the laws of nature and of natures God, i.e., natural law). 3. The consent of the governed. One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the document we celebrate each Fourth of July, was James Wilson of Pennsylvania. He also signed the Constitution and was a Supreme Court Justice, appointed by George Washington. Wilson put America in the context of world history, stating, After a period of 6,000 years has elapsed since the creation, the United States exhibited to the world the first instanceof a nation assembling voluntarilyand deciding calmly concerning that system of government under which theyand their posterity should live. Shamefully, blacks and Native-Americans were not initially included in that system. But the founders set the framework so that they could be included one day, and it was that framework to which Dr. King and the civil rights movement successfully and movingly appealed. Ronald Reagan observed that ours was the greatest revolution that has ever taken place in world's historyEvery other revolution simply exchanged one set of rulers for another. But here for the first time in all the thousands of years of man's relation to man, a little group of the men, the founding fathers for the first time established the idea that you and I had within ourselves the God given right and ability to determine our own destiny. We are not perfect, but there is a lot to celebrate on the Fourth of July. Radical rhetoric aside, no nation has ever provided more freedom and prosperity for more people regardless of skin colors. Dr. Walter Williams, an economics professor at George Mason University, says we should remember the great improvements America has made, even in the lives of African-Americans. He told me in a recent interview: In 1865, neither a slave nor a slave owner wouldve believed that kind of progress was possible in just a little over a century.That kind of achievement could not have been achieved anywhere on the face of this earth except in the United States of America. Adding the caveat we still have a long way to go, Williams concludes that America has a uniquely high level of potential for upward mobility: Just because you know where a person ended up in life, you cant be sure about where he started. That is, there is so much mobility, economic mobility in our country that some of the nations richest people started at middle class or either poor and they just moved up the economic ladder. Thats not true anywhere else in the world except the United States. God-given liberty makes the pursuit of happiness a real possibility. And that possibility exists for people of all backgrounds in America, which, despite all its flaws, is not a failed experiment. In contrast, the Marxist experiments have failed everywhere, every timespectacularly. So happy birthday, America. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Naturally, this was all facilitated by a network of down-home crooked politicians. They had to put a bank teller under every table in town, just to keep track of all the bribes being passed back and forth. But by the 1950s, the uptight '50s squares of Alabama decided that enough was enough. They were inspired by the Russell County Betterment Association (RCBA), a tiny group of Phenix citizens who had been fighting a lonely battle to clean up their town. This made the RCBA very unpopular in Phenix City. They were booed, kicked, shot at, beaten up, spit on, lightly dynamited, banned from all the best brothels -- it was a nightmare! But they persevered and soon the whole state started to rally round. Continue Reading Below Advertisement In 1954, RCBA leader Albert Patterson ran for attorney-general of Alabama, promising to clean up Phenix City. Unsurprisingly, there was massive vote-rigging against him. Every dead person in Phenix City voted twice and all the living ones voted three times. Dogs voted, cats voted, slot machines voted, gangsters wouldn't even take you down by the river and shoot you in the back of the head until you'd filled out an absentee ballot. But the groundswell was so huge that the Phenix mob lost. Patterson was elected attorney-general. Which was very bad news for Alabama's previous attorney-general Si Garrett, who was secretly one of the top dogs in Phenix's organized crime ring. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Shortly before taking office, Albert Patterson was gunned down on the street. The murder of a genuinely brave man shocked Alabama to the point that the governor declared martial law, called out the National Guard and sent them in seize control of Phenix City and clean it up at gunpoint. The crime phenix would never truly rise from the ashez. Meanwhile, the investigation uncovered that Attorney-General Garrett had sent a sheriff's deputy to straight-up murder his successor in broad daylight. The scandal ended his career, but Garrett had one final card to play, avoiding prosecution by having himself confined to a Texas mental hospital, which helpfully declared him mentally unfit to stand trial. Bear in mind, he was still attorney-general. Imagine how weird it would be to open the newspaper and read that your state's top law enforcement official is too crazy for his own murder trial. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Please click here to learn how. Black Jesus painting to be displayed at St. Albans Cathedral in the UK Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A painting depicting the last supper with Jesus Christ shown as a black man will be temporarily installed at a historic cathedral in the U.K. St. Albans Cathedral will install the painting, titled A Last Supper by Lorna May Wadsworth, who used Jamaican-born model Tafari Hinds as her inspiration for how Jesus would look. Inspired by the famous Leonardo da Vinci painting, the Wadsworth piece will be on display at the Cathedrals Altar of the Persecuted on Saturday through Oct. 31. In a statement shared with The Christian Post, the cathedral said the purpose of displaying the artwork is to show its support for the Black Lives Matter movement. The Very Rev. Jeffrey John, dean of St. Albans, said in the statement that he believed the church was not in a strong position to preach to others about justice, racial or otherwise. But our faith teaches that we are all made equally in the image of God, and that God is a God of justice, he added. Black Lives Matter, so this is why we have turned our Altar of the Persecuted into a space for reflection and prayer with Lornas altarpiece at the heart. In comments posted to the cathedral's website, Wadsworth said she felt inspired to challenge people over the Western myth that Jesus had fair hair and blue eyes. My portrayal of him is just as accurate as the received idea that he looked like a Florentine, she said. I also knew that, from a previous portrait of Tafari, there is something in his countenance that people find deeply empathetic and moving, which is the overriding quality I wanted my Christ to embody. Debates over the racial depictions of Jesus have been a source of periodic controversy, especially when some have advocated for vehement rejection of western imagery portraying Him as white. Progressive activist Shaun King garnered immense criticism and said he received death threats after he advocated for destroying statues, stained glass, and tapestries depicting Jesus, Mary, and the apostles with ethnic European features. Yes, I think the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down. They are a form of white supremacy. Always have been, he tweeted on June 22. Roberto Wakerell-Cruz of The Post-Millennial argued that King was attempting to cancel Jesus and wanted to destroy churches and statues. The tear them down attitude displayed by King is the same one that has now seen beloved president Theodore Roosevelt be canceled, as New York's Museum of Natural History has now announced that the statue will be torn down, wrote Wakerell-Cruz. Michael Brown, host of the Line of Fire radio program, said in an op-ed that an issue many people are overlooking is not whether Jesus is depicted as white or black, but whether He is depicted as a Jew. "The historic contrast was not between a white Jesus and blacks. It was between a white, Gentile Jesus and Jews," Brown said. "So a major reason that white artists depicted Jesus as white was because they forgot about his Jewish (and Middle Eastern) roots. Not only so, but since the Jews were viewed as demonic and evil, Jesus had to be different than them, hence a white, non-Jewish Jesus. (Or, in other cultures, a black, non-Jewish Jesus.)," Brown wrote. In a column for The Telegraph on Sunday, Nick Timothy criticized Archbishop Justin Welby's response to King's demands that statues depicting a white Jesus be toppled. "When a Black Lives Matter activist called for statues of Jesus to be pulled down because they portrayed Him as a white European, Welby had the chance to draw the line. Jesus is depicted in different ways the world over, the Archbishop explained. He might have gone on to say that the significance of Jesus is spiritual, not political or racial, that Jesus was God made flesh, and that we are all made in Gods own image. "Instead, he agreed that the depiction of Christ in Western countries should change and criticized the 'sense that God is white.' Jesus was 'Middle Eastern, not white,' he later reiterated, studiously avoiding the more accurate description that Jesus was a Jew. But then Middle Eastern Jews, or Israelis as we also call them, are these days an unfashionable minority to defend." BRIDGEPORT Heavy rains are causing flooding conditions and causing motorists to get stuck in the water. Firefighters were dispatched to the area of Connecticut Avenue and Third Avenue on a report of a vehicle trapped by floodwaters Friday afternoon, according to police. No injuries were reported. TRUMBULL Town buildings began the process of reopening this morning, albeit on a limited basis. In a message posted on the towns website and in a recorded phone message from First Selectman Vicki Tesoro, Trumbull officials announced that town hall, the EMS building and the recreation department building were open to the public by appointment effective July 1. The town clerk and tax collector are open for walk-ins, but Tesoro recommended against paying taxes in person. It is strongly recommended, however, that tax payments continue to be made online or via the US mail in order to avoid extended wait times at Town Hall, she said. The transfer station continues to operate, but transfer station tickets are available only at the station, not at the public works department. The senior center and both libraries remain closed, but the library is offering book pickup at the main library on Quality Street. Those going to town hall must have an appointment. Appointments can be made online or by calling 203-452-5000. Anyone entering town hall must wear a face covering. Those who come to town hall without a mask will be given a surgical mask to wear inside the building. Visitors also will be required to use hand sanitizer when they arrive. Once inside the building, visitors must check in with the greeter, who will ask a few health questions if the visitor did not make their appointment online. Once checked in, the greeter will inform the department, and the visitor may be asked to wait outside until the department can see them. When their business at town hall is concluded, visitors are asked to immediately leave the building. Other departments not located inside town hall also are reopening on a limited basis. The health department is open subject to restrictions, call 203-452-1030. Also, the public works department is open by appointment. The police department is open, with fingerprinting available Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visitors coming in for fingerprinting must be COVID-19 symptom free and wear a mask inside the building. Only the person being fingerprinted will be allowed inside. The recreation department has announced that the towns outdoor pools will reopen July 6, with safety protocols in place. Residents must sign up for a two-hour swim session and will be required to follow safety rules. Residents who did not register for a swim session will not be allowed to enter the pool area. Every person entering the pool area including infants, nannies and guests must be on the registration. Residents can register online beginning July 2. Residents may also register by phone at 203-452-5060. Voicemail and email registrations will not be accepted. The recreation department also will be offering a limited summer camp that will run in one-week sessions beginning July 6. Information is available on the town website. I want to thank our town employees who worked remotely for the past three months, seamlessly delivering services to our town residents, Tesoro said. The reopening comes as many states have seen COVID-19 cases surge. Connecticut so far has bucked that trend, but Tesoro encouraged continued caution. Trumbull has seen 562 total confirmed coronavirus cases, with 119 deaths. The rate of infection has slowed in recent weeks with 38 new cases in June. For comparison, there were 140 new cases in May, and 383 in April, according to the towns COVID-19 dashboard. The rate of new positive COVID-19 cases in Trumbull continues to decrease, which is good news, Tesoro said. However, we take on more risk as we continue to open more locations and have more gatherings even with restrictions. WASHINGTON - The White House is trying to capitalize on conservative anger at Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. over his latest decisions by telling evangelical leaders and other activists that they need to turn out voters for President Donald Trump so he can use a second term to continue nominating conservative judges to the nation's highest court. Some recent polls have shown a weakening in support for Trump among evangelicals, who have long been among the president's strongest supporters. But Roberts's role in cases advancing both gay and abortion rights is now seen in the White House as an opening to shore up that part of Trump's political base. Ralph Reed, the founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, said there is frustration and disappointment in evangelical ranks about Roberts's rulings, but he said he and others are not going to walk away from Trump. "Voters of faith know that that project to shift the court in a more conservative direction is on the 5-yard line and it's a strategic imperative to get President Trump reelected," Reed said. "The Louisiana decision has brought the life issue into fuller relief and reminded us why we have to give the president the chance to nominate more justices." In a remarkable stretch of decisions over the past two weeks, Roberts has infuriated conservatives and the Trump administration by finding that federal anti-discrimination law protects gay, bisexual and transgender workers and stopping the president from ending the federal program that protects undocumented immigrants brought into the country as children. In Monday's decision striking down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law, Roberts said the court's allegiance to honoring its past decisions meant striking down a law almost identical to one in Texas that the court said in 2016 was unconstitutional. Still, even as the White House works to reassure conservatives, it faces challenges in containing the rage over the George W. Bush appointee's alignment with liberal colleagues and ensuring that his rulings do not depress the president's core voters. "John G. Roberts Jr. has stabbed the American people in the back more than Norman Bates and 'swings' more than Hugh Hefner in his heyday," former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, an evangelical leader, tweeted on Tuesday, adding that Roberts should "Resign Now." Roberts is not alone in facing conservatives' wrath. Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, and Roberts joined the court's liberals in the 6-to-3 ruling that a landmark federal civil rights law from the 1960s protects gay and transgender workers. The decision by Gorsuch to chart his own course is particularly painful for some conservatives, given that he was vetted for Trump by a small network of conservative legal scholars, including leaders of the Federalist Society, who offered public assurances of his credentials. Inside the White House, officials are working to hold conservatives together and to remind them of Trump's track record on the federal judiciary, arguing that the scope of the president's efforts should outweigh any anger with Roberts and others on the court. Vice President Mike Pence, a conservative who has spent his career building bonds with evangelicals, is at the center of that outreach, according to two conservative activists in frequent contact with the White House. On Monday, Pence did not swipe Roberts directly, but he did tweet that "after today's disappointing decision by SCOTUS, one thing is clear: We need more Conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court." Pence also spoke Monday with the Susan B. Anthony List, an antiabortion group whose leader has criticized Roberts as caving to "social pressures" that cause "intellectual and moral collapse." One of Pence's aides, veteran conservative organizer Paul Teller, is communicating daily with right-wing groups and "bucking them up, staying positive, and sending us talking points," one of the conservative activists said. There are also ongoing discussions between Trump advisers and conservative leaders about the possibility of a Supreme Court vacancy in the coming months - a tantalizing prospect for Republicans who value the court above all other issues and are eager to have Trump have one more opportunity to nominate a justice before the election. Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative appointed by George H.W. Bush, is privately seen by Trump's aides as the most likely to retire this year. While Thomas has not given any indication of doing so, the White House and Senate Republicans are quietly preparing for a possible opening, according to a White House official and two outside Trump political advisers who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversations. "If Thomas goes, you've got a lot of people around this process ready to support Thapar - and McConnell ready to move his favorite through," said one of the outside Trump political advisers, referring to Judge Amul Thapar of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Thapar, 51, is the son of Indian immigrants and has been touted by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as a prime candidate. He previously served as a U.S. attorney and federal district court judge in Kentucky - and was on Trump's shortlist in 2018 when Justice Anthony Kennedy retired from the bench. Other conservatives remain hopeful that Judge Amy Coney Barrett, 48, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, will be nominated by Trump if there is a vacancy. But Barrett's past membership in groups that have promoted antiabortion views could make her harder to confirm in campaign season, the outside advisers said. Several Trump advisers and the White House official said Coney Barrett is more likely to be nominated in the event that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Bill Clinton appointee, steps down. One of the Trump advisers said, encouragingly, that Coney Barrett would cause a "culture war." McConnell has publicly stated that he would push to confirm another Trump nominee. "Oh, we'd fill it," McConnell said in May when asked at a Kentucky event about whether he would fill a vacancy this year. That remark sparked outrage and cries of hypocrisy among Democrats since McConnell blocked Judge Merrick Garland, President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court in 2016, insisting that the nomination should wait until after that year's presidential election. The White House official said Trump is likely to update and extend his public shortlist for the Supreme Court before the election as a way of reminding conservatives of his commitment to their cause. For Trump, keeping conservatives who focus on the court engaged and upbeat about him is of paramount importance as he faces off against former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee. Biden has pledged to nominate a black woman for the Supreme Court, should he win the White House. Top Democrats are urging their own activists to remain vigilant and keep pace with conservatives. "The ruling on the Louisiana law is no cause for complacency," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. "There will be more efforts by state legislatures to chip away at reproductive rights, and this week's majority could be lost if Trump is reelected." Whether Roberts's rulings end up driving up GOP turnout or not, it is clear that anger over the chief justice is unlikely to abate soon. "If it were up to me, I'd start impeachment proceedings against John G. Roberts Jr.," American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp, a Trump ally, told Fox News on Tuesday. "What he's done on Obamacare twice and what he has done here on abortion is act like a left-wing politician. If he's not going to be impeached, he ought to resign and run for Congress." On the campaign trail in Tulsa on June 20, Trump told his rally crowd, "Justice Gorsuch, Justice Kavanaugh, they're great. They're great. We have two and we could get a few more. Yeah. We could get a few." When asked last week, in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, whether Roberts is "worse" than past GOP-nominated justices that have distressed conservatives, such as Kennedy, Trump said, 'So far, we're not doing so well. It says, look, you've had a lot of losses with a court that was supposed to be in our favor." But, Trump added, the rulings show that it is necessary for Republicans to win this year to avoid having a "radical left group of judges" on the court. Trump's campaign advisers said the campaign will continue to make that point to Trump's supporters this summer. "President Trump has an unsurpassed record of appointing 200 solid, conservative judges and he will continue to do so," Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said in a statement. "Joe Biden cannot stand up to the radical left and would appoint liberal judges who would legislate from the bench. It would be a disaster for conservatives." The Senate last week confirmed Trump's 200th judicial nominee, a milestone that Trump and McConnell have made a keystone of their political legacies. Working to contain conservative anger over the court is hardly unusual for a Republican president. Harriet Miers, who was put forward by George W. Bush, withdrew from consideration in 2005 when Republicans objected to her nomination, saying she was insufficiently conservative. Retired justice David Souter was appointed by George H.W. Bush but became a target of conservative ire after he reliably voted with the liberal bloc on the court in the 1990s and early 2000s. "Conservative activists and Trump supporters don't blame Trump for it. It just seems to be a pattern of bad luck for conservatives. We had it with Souter, and I guess we're getting it with Roberts, if these last few decisions are an indication," said former senator Bob Smith, R-N.H. --- The Washington Post's Robert Barnes and Michael Scherer contributed to this report. Amazon, Microsoft and IBM stopped selling facial recognition technology to police departments after rising concerns that their tools might lead to unfair treatment of African-Americans. But one New England city with a significant black and Latinx population still uses artificial intelligence tools to identify its residents: Hartford. Connecticut needs an unbiased road map for artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence has arrived; soon it will impact every aspect of peoples lives. AI now unlocks iPhones using our faces, gives voice to Alexa in our homes, and chooses the next video to play on TikTok. But AI could soon eliminate 25 percent of all jobs, threaten privacy and equality, and exacerbate existing social biases. COVID-19 has shown that unexpected forces can upend our lives, and that state governments have critical roles in shaping responses to crises. As COVID-19 accelerates the trend toward automation, the protests for racial justice have drawn attention to the ethics of AI. Connecticut needs to develop a strategy that navigates between the benefits and hazards of AI without delay. AI is already changing how Connecticut works and lives. Some uses of AI might be expected. AI operates online chatbots for Peoples United, streamlines policy underwriting for Travelers, analyzes medical images at Yale New Haven, adds automation to helicopters at Sikorsky, and even powers milking robots for the dairy farm at UConn. But other uses of AI, like the facial recognition tools from BriefCam used by the Hartford PD, might be surprising. AI screens first round job candidates for the state government, tracks customers shopping in retailers, and helps teach elementary school math in Groton. The world economy relies on AI even more extensively. Significant investment in AI can be found at the big U.S. tech firms: Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Facebook. With a collective market cap of over $4 trillion, these four companies use sophisticated software, armies of fast computers and massive data sets to train models to simulate intelligent human behavior. Consulting firm PwC estimates that AI will add $15.7 trillion to the world economy by 2030, more than the current output of China and India combined. During the past three years over 30 nations have published national AI strategies to capture these potential trillions. Yes, large countries like the U.S. and China. But even smaller countries, similar in population to Connecticut, have recognized the need to create a road map for AI. These strategies address investment, education, the loss of jobs, and human rights like privacy and equality. Countries use these AI road maps to target competitive advantages to punch above their weight economically, and to establish principles for adopting AI in a thoughtful and humane way. Connecticut needs an unbiased AI road map of its own. With the right plan, the state could use its strengths in biotech, finance, defense, and education to attract further investment and talent to become an AI hub. The strategy would also give principles for how AI might be used in job interviews, judicial decisions, medical testing, and public surveillance. It could also provide answers to crucial questions: What steps will we take to support and retrain people as jobs of all kinds get increasingly automated? And how will we protect against bias in the data sets and algorithms used by AI in Connecticut? A new state commission focused on AI could draft this strategy by years end and act as the ongoing principal AI adviser for the state government. Composed of leaders in human rights, law, technology, business, and medicine from diverse backgrounds, the commission would aid policy-making in the face of rapid and extensive change brought about by AI. Applying the commissions work on norms governing AI, cities and towns across Connecticut would then have a valuable resource they can use as they incorporate the use of AI for their residents. The importance of AI is growing every day. Its potential benefits to the state economy and society are enormous, but its possible risks to jobs, privacy, and equality are equally large. These outcomes cannot be left to chance. Connecticut deserves a sound strategy for the productive and ethical use of AI. Sinclair Im, a graduate student at Yale University, is a student fellow of the Information Society Project at Yale Law School. Cuba gives pastor early release after serving 1 year in prison for homeschooling his children Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Cuba has released Christian Pastor Ramon Rigal, who spent over a year in prison for homeschooling his children. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent, bipartisan panel of experts that advises Congress and the federal government, issued a statement Wednesday praising Rigal's release. Rigal, who was arrested with his wife, Ayda Exposito, in April 2019, was serving a two-year term and was previously scheduled to be released in 2021. Although it's unclear why he was granted early release, it comes as the government has released thousands of prisoners in recent months to combat the spread of coronavirus. The pastors release was confirmed by Pastor Mario Felix Lleonart Barroso, a missionary who was arrested several times by the Cuban government before he and his family arrived in the U.S. as refugees in 2016. You can tell all the brothers who have been praying for us that we are very grateful for your prayers and all of the support you have given us, Rigal said in a statement shared through Barroso. I know those prayers came to the throne of God and answered them. It's beautiful to see how even if they don't know me personally they have cared about me and my family, putting him into practice. According to USCIRF, Rigal and his wife were arrested for homeschooling their children after they expressed concerns about the public schools promotion of socialism and atheism. The couple was later sentenced for acts against the normal development of a minor. Exposito was released from prison in April 2020. While we welcome the release of Pastor Rigal and are thrilled that he is reunited with his family, this was not the first time that Pastor Rigal and his wife were arrested in relation to their religious beliefs, USCIRF Commissioner James Carr said in a statement. The Cuban government must immediately cease harassing this couple and allow all Cuban parents, including the Rigals, to raise their children pursuant to their own faith. In its statement Wednesday, USCIRF also called on the Cuban government to release independent journalist Roberto Jesus Quinones Haces, who was detained for trying to cover the couples trial. He was sentenced to a year in prison last August for the crime of disobedience. Christian Solidarity Worldwide, an international organization that serves persecuted Christians in over 20 countries, had previously warned that the bullying of children in public schools over their religious beliefs is relatively common in Cuba. CSW reported that it received a number of cases that involve pastors children being denied educational opportunities. The Cuban authorities targeting of children on account of their religious beliefs or those of their parents is a deplorable violation of fundamental human rights, CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said in a statement in March. Last December, the U.S. State Department placed Cuba on its special watch list of countries that engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom. In a March report, USCIRF detailed how Cuban authorities manipulated the legal system to wage persistent harassment against religious leaders. USCIRF also voiced concerns over the denial of religious freedom for human rights activists and journalists. Additionally, the report goes into detail about how the government controls religious activity and groups through a permit system. Cuba, USCIRF warns, is also punishing religious leaders for their constitutional advocacy. In mid-February 2019, the Rev. Carlos Sebastian Hernandez was labeled a counter-revolutionary in response to his advocacy for strong constitutional protections of religious freedom. Others, including Pastors Alain Toledano Valiente and Marcos Perdomo, were interrogated by police, the USCIRF report explains. Yoruba Priest Alexei Mora Montalvo went on a 15-day hunger strike to protest the harassment he and his family were experiencing leading up to the constitutional referendum. The backlash continued after the constitutional referendum, USCIRF added. In June, seven Cuban Protestant denominations that jointly opposed the Constitution established the Cuban Evangelical Alliance. The alliance broke off from the Council of Churches of Cuba because it did not feel represented before the Cuban authorities. USCIRF notes that CEA members were blocked from receiving foreign visitors and were interrogated by authorities. CEA leaders were also blocked from attending the State Departments Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom last summer. Welcome to the CUInsight Minute, sixty seconds from our Publisher & CEO Lauren Culp with the top three of our favorite things from the week. Mentioned this week: *Happy Independence Day weekend! Get a sneak peek at the 2020-2021 CUNA Environmental Scan by CUNA Lately, the majority of your focus has probably been on daily operations, but with the 2020-2021 CUNA Environmental Scan (E-Scan), available July 1, you can lean on credible insights from top industry experts to start guiding future plans. CUNA E-Scan offers forecasting on 10 major trends that are impacting the credit union industry. New this year, CUNA E-Scan will provide a Fall 2020 update as new trends evolve. (read more) Prepare for PPP forgiveness by HEATHER BOSENKO, LUCRO COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS Over the last few months, many lenders stepped up to assist with providing financial relief to thousands of small businesses when the economy began to feel the impacts of COVID-19. Loans made under the SBAs Payroll Protection Program became the most viable option for business owners since the terms came with the added benefit of potential loan forgiveness. (read more) 10 tactics scammers use to trick credit union members by DAVID VER EECKE, PSCU Scammers are known for preying on victims vulnerabilities, such as financial hardship, fear and confusion. Given the particularly challenging circumstances surrounding COVID-19, people who believe they are savvy enough to avoid scams may fall victim, nonetheless. (read more) As unemployment soars, imposter scammers target benefits claims by ELIZABETH CARDENAS, SWBC In the few short months since the novel coronavirus outbreak and ensuing social distancing measures started disrupting communities and economies across the globe, the unemployment rate in America has soared to levels not seen since the Great Depression. At the time of writing, the unemployment rate sits at 13.3%, which translates to roughly 21 million jobless Americans. (read more) Cullman, AL (35055) Today Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 64F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 64F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (The Foundation) today announced that it is redirecting the entirety of its 2020 institutional grantmaking into a two-phase plan focused on COVID-19 relief totaling $8.5 million. Formally titled the COVID-19 Response Grants, the programs first phase concentrates on providing immediate relief to Los Angeles nonprofits in both the Jewish and general communities offering direct services to those impacted by the pandemic. The second phase will support Jewish nonprofits locally, as well as in Israel, facing economic hardship due to the pandemic to ensure their long-term sustainability. Phase One funding awarded to date totals $2.5 million distributed to 22 nonprofit organizations. This includes $1.5 million distributed to causes and initiatives that focus on providing direct relief for financial, housing, and food insecurity, as well as access to adequate healthcare. These Phase One monies also consist of a grant of $1 million to the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles for its COVID-19 relief efforts directed toward nonprofit organizations supporting the most vulnerable segments of the Jewish community locally and in Israel. The program complements efforts being undertaken by The Foundation and will encompass four critical human and social services areas. These include funding for wellness and resiliency; access to food through synagogues; financial aid and scholarships for early-childhood and day-school education to families impacted by COVID-19; and a loan-guarantee program. Read an appendix listing Phase One recipients. Phase Two grants, currently estimated at approximately $6 million, will be awarded to Jewish nonprofits locally and in Israel to mitigate economic hardship resulting from COVID-19 and to ensure their viability. The funding is expected to support recipients ongoing programmatic activities and organizational infrastructure to help ensure their future sustainability. In sum, The Foundations institutional grantmaking in support of COVID-19 relief and recovery is presently expected to total approximately $8.5 million. This includes funding from the Mickey and Irene Ross Endowment at The Foundation, as well as support from the Erwin Rautenberg Foundation, a private family foundation. To develop its plan, The Foundation consulted with more than 100 nonprofits locally and in Israel, as well as fellow funders throughout the community, to gain a better understanding of the most pressing and evolving needs facing the community. Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Marvin I. Schotland stated: The devastating effects of COVID-19 and the financial crisis required us to re-imagine our institutional grantmaking to meet these unprecedented challenges. Our funding strategies, devoted entirely to COVID-19 relief, are meant to address both immediate and developing needs resulting from the crisis, as well as provide us the flexibility to adapt as the situation changes. Schotland continued: The Foundations resources and keen understanding of the Los Angeles and Israel nonprofit landscapes and breadth of relationships in the charitable world uniquely position us to address pressing needs and serve a vital role. Beyond our institution, the outpouring of generosity by so many funders banding together in this global crisis is inspirational. Those with the capacity to give are stepping up, including The Foundation and its family of donors. Schotland further noted that, in addition to the re-direction of this years institutional giving to COVID-19 response and recovery, The Foundation relaxed requirements of previously awarded multi-year institutional grants to numerous nonprofits specifically its Cutting Edge, Next Stage, Israel and General Community Grants. These revised policies include modifying grant-reporting requirements, accelerating distributions, repurposing funds, and providing consultative services and support to help ensure continuity of programming and bolster these nonprofits. About The Jewish Community Foundation Established in 1954, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles manages charitable assets of more than $1 billion entrusted to it by over 1,300 families and ranks among the 10 largest Los Angeles foundations. It partners with donors to shape meaningful philanthropic strategies, magnify the impact of their giving, and build enduring charitable legacies. In 2019, The Foundation and its donors distributed more than $130 million in grants to 2,700 nonprofits with programs that span the range of philanthropic giving. Over the past 10 years, it has distributed nearly $1 billion to thousands of nonprofits across a diverse spectrum. http://www.jewishfoundationla.org Police First Hack Then Demolish Organised Crime Gangs Police have now arrested more than 800 people across Europe after shutting down an encrypted phone system, EncroChat, used by organised crime groups to plot murders and drug deals. More than two tonnes of drugs and 54m Sub-machine guns, an assault rifle, high value cars and luxury watches were impounded, says the NCA. The operation, launched at the height of the coronavirus lockdown, was the "deepest ever" UK operation into serious organised crime. The top-secret phone system, had been used by criminals to trade drugs and guns has been successfully penetrated and shut down, says the British National Crime Agency (NCA). The NCA worked with forces across Europe on the UK's "biggest and most significant" law enforcement operation, named Operation Venetic. British police have arrested 746 people as a result of the operation in what it called a "massive breakthrough" against organised crime, while the Netherlands held more than 100 people and there were arrests in Norway, Spain, and Sweden. EncroChat sent a message to its estimated 60,000 users in June warning them to throw away their 1,000-euro devices as its servers had been "seized illegally by government entities". It has now been shut down. Police monitored a hundred million encrypted messages sent through Encrochat, a network used by career criminals to discuss drug deals, murders, and extortion plots. Starting earlier this year, police kept arresting associates of Mark, a UK-based alleged drug dealer. Mark took the security of his operation seriously, with the gang using code names to discuss business on custom, encrypted phones made by a company called Encrochat. For legal reasons, Motherboard is referring to Mark using a pseudonym. Because the messages were encrypted on the devices themselves, police couldn't tap the group's phones or intercept messages as authorities normally would. On Encrochat, criminals spoke openly and negotiated their deals in granular detail, with price lists, names of customers, and explicit references to the large quantities of drugs they sold, according to documents obtained by Vice Media's Motherboard from sources in and around the criminal world. At the same time frame, police across the UK and Europe busted a wide range of criminals. In mid-June, authorities picked up an alleged member of a drug gang. A few days later, law enforcement seized millions of dollars-worth of illegal drugs, in Amsterdam. It was as if the police were detaining people from completely unrelated gangs simultaneously. In fact, for tens of thousands of criminal Encrochat users, their messages weren't really secure. French authorities had penetrated the Encrochat network, leveraged that access to install a technical tool in what appears to be a mass hacking operation, and had been quietly reading the users' communications for months. Investigators then shared those messages with agencies around Europe. This represents one of the largest law enforcement infiltrations of a communications network predominantly used by criminals ever. European agencies monitored and investigated "more than a hundred million encrypted messages" sent between Encrochat users in real time, leading to arrests in the UK, Norway, Sweden, France, and the Netherlands. As dealers planned trades, money launderers washed their proceeds, and even criminals discussed their next murder, officers read their messages and started taking suspects off the street. The messages show how gangs allegedly directed members to gather money from customers, how to launder it safely, and where to hide drugs. In meticulous and time-stamped sections, the Encrochat messages lay out alleged crime after crime. Encrochat positions itself as a legitimate firm with customers in 140 countries, but sources in the criminal underground say that many of Encrochat's customers are criminals. French authorities said they estimated that more than 90 percent of the company's French customers were "engaged in criminal activity." Buying an Encrochat device is not straightforward and available only through criminal sources. Encrochat's phones are essentially modified Android devices, with some models using the "BQ Aquaris X2," an Android handset released in 2018 by a Spanish electronics company, according to the leaked documents. Encrochat took the base unit, installed its own encrypted messaging programs which route messages through the firm's own servers, and even physically removed the GPS, camera, and microphone functionality from the phone. The company sold the phones on a subscription based model, costing thousands of dollars a year per device. Encrochat is not the only company offering these sorts of phones. So-called secure phone companies often don't have public-facing executives. Instead, they hide their ownership, and some have been caught conspiring with criminals. Law enforcement agencies had acted against encrypted phone companies before. In 2018, the FBI arrested the owner of Phantom Secure. The FBI tried to convince the owner to install a backdoor that they could use into the communications system. But he declined, before shutting the network down itself. Law enforcement agencies are understood to have extracted an extraordinary batch of data from Encrochat devices. In a press release, French law enforcement agency which spear-headed the investigation told France24 that "The investigation made it possible to gather elements on the technical functioning of Encrochat, and led to the establishment of a technical device, thanks to which unencrypted communications from users could be obtained." Dozens of organised crime groups have been dismantled, says the NCA, with the bulk of arrests in London and north-west England. National Crime Agency: France24: BBC: Vice: Birmingham Live: You Might Also Read: French Cyber-Police, Avast & FBI Neutralise Global Botnet: TM One is the enterprise and public sector business solutions arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) Group. With connectivity and security at its core, TM ONE is positioned as the only enabler of a hyperconnected ecosystem for all your businesss digital journey. TM One is a certified Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP). Our MSSP service offerings include: - Managed Secure Remote Access - Managed Security Information & Event Management - Managed Unified Threat Management - Managed Advanced Threat Protection - Managed Web Application Firewall - Managed Secure WAN Service - Anti-DDoS Services Kankakee, IL (60901) Today Partly cloudy skies. Low near 50F. NNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low near 50F. NNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Elizabeth City, NC (27909) Today Mainly clear. Low 77F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Low 77F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Nigeria could be next Rwanda or Darfur if world doesn't act, advocates warn Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A genocide expert and former Congressman Frank Wolf have warned that violence being committed against Christians in Nigeria and the U.S. governments failed response to it could lead to another genocide like the ones that occurred in Rwanda and Darfur. Wolf, a longtime Republican representative from Virginia who is the namesake of the International Religious Freedom Act passed by Congress in 2016, joined Genocide Watchs Greg Stanton, Nigerian bishops and other religious freedom advocates on a Zoom call with reporters last week hosted by the advocacy group In Defense of Christians. When the world and the U.S. ignored genocide in Rwanda, hundreds of thousands of people died. History, I believe, is repeating itself, Wolf contended. Almost daily reports show increasing violence and death in Nigeria. An implosion of Nigeria will destabilize the surrounding countries and send millions of refugees into Europe and beyond. The conversation comes as estimates show that thousands have been killed and millions displaced since 2015 due to attacks carried out by predominantly Muslim Fulani militias against predominantly Christian farming communities in the Middle Belt of Nigeria as well as Islamic extremist attacks carried out by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province in northeast Nigeria. Advocates have for years called on the international community to recognize the ongoing violence in Nigeria as a genocide. Genocide Watch, a nonprofit formed in 1999 that seeks to raise awareness and influence public policy regarding acts of genocide, estimates that as many as 27,000 people have been killed by extremists or Fulani jihadis in the last decade. According to Genocide Watch, the violence carried out by Fulani militias and Islamic terrorists in Nigeria combine to make the deadliest genocidal massacres committed by any terrorists since 2010. Boko Haram has committed genocide in Nigeria, has killed over 27,000 Nigerians, more than ISIS killed in Iraq and Syria combined, Wolf stressed during his opening remarks. The Fulani militants are committing genocidal massacres against Nigerian Christians. While some international organizations have in the last year warned the International Criminal Court about the genocidal implications in Nigeria, Stanton, the Genocide Watch founder, told those on the call that Genocide Watch has labeled the pattern of Fulani jihadi violence in Nigeria a genocide since 2012. He said that Genocide Watch raised alarms about the genocidal implications of Boko Haram long before 2012. What is preventing the world from facing this huge problem? Stanton asked. The first problem that we face [with] the Fulani militias is the dominant current narrative, which is denial. Denial is a part of every genocide. It starts in the beginning and it usually goes way after. What we got here [in Nigeria], the traditional narrative is the herder-farmer conflict. That was exactly the narrative, by the way, in Rwanda, before the genocide there. Stanton explained that the U.S. ambassador to Rwanda at the time thought of the violence committed against the Tutsis in the early 1990s as a civil war and conflict. Ultimately, hundreds of thousands of Tutsis were killed by ethnic Hutu extremists in just three months in 1994 as toxic rhetoric spread through the country incited Hutu radicals to attack their Tutsi neighbors. The result was, [the ambassador] was unable to see that this was also a genocide, not facing the fact that actually most genocides occur during civil wars or international wars, Stanton said. So we went along hoping the Arusha Accords would hold and so on in 1993. Finally, the denial ended up in April of 1994 with one of the worst genocides in history. Stanton warned that a similar dynamic is taking place in Nigeria. Our own embassy is still denying that this is genocide, that the Fulani militias are committing genocide, he said. So have human rights groups. Human Rights Watch, for instance, thinks of it that way. The International Crisis Group thinks of it that way. These are very distinguished organizations and I have great respect for them. But they are dominated by what I would call conflict-prevention narrative. In essential terms, the U.S. embassys policies on this violence have been what I call conflict resolution policies. They try to get the groups together and they try to have sort of Kumbaya moments in which people talk to each other and everybody is hunky-dory and they get along. Stanton argued that the problem with those types of policies is that they do not reach the terrorist groups. They also dont reach the army and the police and others who need to be really conscious of this huge problem in their country, he said. I think that is a fundamental misunderstanding of the problem that comes from this dominant false narrative of the Fulani jihadists. A predominant narrative of the violence in the Middle Belt is that they are farmer-herder clashes resulting from the fact that desertification in northern Nigeria is driving nomadic herding communities south in search of scarce land resources. A report released last week by a group of lawmakers in the United Kingdom suggests that Christian farming communities appear to be the main victims of the violence in the Middle Belt although some reprisals by vigilante groups have targeted Fulani communities. These killings are specifically in Christian villages. So when we say it is genocide against Christians, governments of the world don't want to hear that, including Nigeria's government, Benjamin Kwashi, the Anglican Archbishop of Jos, said on the call. They have always explained it away as farmers-and-herders clashes. There is no doubt that in history, communities have always had their clashes. The Fulani who we know have always had their clashes with local people. They are usually settled. But this is different because these killers are well armed. They shoot, they slaughter and burn down houses and businesses and destoy barns where food storage has been kept. These are calculated systematic, intentional killings of people and driving them away from their land. Kwashi said that there are some lands in the Plateau state and Kaduna state where indigenous people are not able to go back to their farms without being killed by Fulani extremists. The difficulty that I have is that these people have not been brought to justice, Kwashi said. How can we say that this is not intentional in the attempt to wipe out these villages who are majority Christians? Stanton argued that the Fulani militants leave the Muslim village nearby completely alone. Every single person of the 7,600 Christians that have been killed in Nigeria since 2015 by Fulani militias has been Christian, Stanton claimed. Thats genocide. It is the intentional destruction, in whole or in part, of a religious group. Stanton stressed that Christian villagers and farmers have no conflict with Fulanis. The Fulanis now arrive with truckloads, maybe 100 of their fighters. They simply massacre a Christian village, he added. Wolf agreed with Stantons assessment of the U.S. embassys approach. I want to say this clearly, the current policies and actions of the American Embassy in Nigeria have failed, he said. I believe we need a special envoy for Nigeria, in the Lake Chad region, a person who can coordinate the U.S. response to the crisis by various aid agencies of our government, who can work with the allies in France and England and other NATO countries. Stanton said that one way to overcome the dominant narrative is by conducting a full-scale international investigation that would result in an authoritative report. As we did with Darfur, however, we realized that even after an investigation by our own government that it wasnt enough to convince the [United Nations], Stanton said. They put together their own commission of inquiry, which came out with a report that said that there was not enough evidence of intent to say that Sudan was committing genocide against the people of Darfur, which was nonsense. By the time the commission was formed, there were already 50,000 Darfuris who had been murdered with the help of the Sudanese government with bombings and so forth. That, unfortunately, is what is happening in Nigeria today. The central government, the federal government, essentially is acting as a bystander. It is not pursuing actively. Wolf warned that every day there is a delay in appointing a special envoy means more people will die. When the appointment is made, Secretary Pompeo should stand next to the appointee to show that he or she has the support of the secretary and the administration, Wolf said. I believe the failure to act means thousands more will die in Nigeria and there will be serious repercussions in Africa and beyond. A special envoy for Nigeria and the Lake Chad region can essentially overrule the denialism of our ambassador," Stanton stressed. They can really organize an effort to do something about these massacres and genocide, he said. JUDY D.J. ELLICH judye@dailyamerican.com A 20-year-old buckskin American quarter horse stallions owner is offering a $3,000 reward with no questions asked for information on the animals whereabouts. The stallion, standing at 15 hands with a cloudy dot in his right eye from an old injury and a freeze brand with SHF (Stone Hollow Farm) and a rafter on his left hip, was taken from his pasture along Church Farm Road in Conemaugh Township in June, according to owner Joe Marisa. SHF Kiss This, nicknamed Newt, was seen at an auction facility in Pennsylvania after his disappearance, according to an international nonprofit organization that helps track down stolen horses. Marisa had reached out to NetPosse and the Conemaugh Township Police Department to assist him in his search for his friend. All this started with a cute buckskin weanling colt . . . going through a production sale in North Dakota, Marisa wrote for the NetPosse website. I took all my savings and spent that, plus $4,000 more to take a chance on this little buckskin colt. What followed for Newt was a lot of fun in the pasture, and then a lot of training. When his trainers 8-year-old daughter started riding and showing Newt, it was magic, Marisa said. {p class=p1}Bailey Wyant and Newt became rock stars, drawing crowds to the rail to see their smoking runs. I loved to see it and it always gave me goosebumps, he said. He took care of her and tried harder and ran harder. Their bond grew stronger and his following became bigger. That little buckskin grew a fan base and our horse family grew, too, Marisa said. {p class=p1}{a}Newt became a {/a}high-caliber barrel racer and the sire of a line of champions in the field. Marisa decided to retire Newt when his equine friend was 17-years-old on his farm in Conemaugh Township. Newts first year of retirement was spent with Bailey so they could enjoy each other while I built my barn, Marisa said. After that, I brought him home to his retirement, which included dream mares and green pastures and gorgeous sunsets. When Newt went missing, Marisa was described by his girlfriend as heart-broken. Marisa and Newt were like two peas in a pod, said Susan Dumas, of Upper Yoder Township. The search for Newt continues. Come home boy, Marisa said. Anyone with information is requested to contact Marisa at 814-525-2245, or by email at joemarisajr@gmail.com. RICK KAZMER rickk@dailyamerican.com The Somerset school board is scheduled to meet July 8 to further discuss reopening plans. District officials have been planning for a mix of options ahead of the Sept. 1 reopening, including in-person education and remote, online learning. We are in the process of surveying parents/guardians about the educational options they prefer for their children this school year. That data will help us create our final plan, Superintendent Krista Mathias said in an email about the matter. The process has been complicated by the changing COVID-19 landscape and updated guidelines from the state. Updates were issued from Harrisburg to the public on Wednesday regarding face coverings. School board President John Barth said its possible more regulation changes from the state will drop before school starts. Quite frankly, its frustrating, he said. A month ago, as he understood it, each district was in charge of making its own plans. Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday issued mask rules mandating that everyone wears a face covering when they leave their home and are unable to stay 6-feet from others. Wolf was also quoted by the Associated Press saying that another broad lockdown is unlikely, and that he would prefer that local officials decide how to mitigate spreading the virus. What we can do in Somerset is different from what they can do in Philly, Barth said, maintaining his position that each school should make their own plans. You are not going to make everybody happy. A document summarizing Somersets proposed plan, released June 26, is posted on the schools website for a green-phase reopening. Somerset County is in the states green, least-restrictive reopening phase. The document on the schools website is only a template that has not been discussed by the board, Mathias said. Parent/guardian surveys and board input will be crucial to creating the final plan. I am sure the data we gather from our families will play a role in that decision, she said. Highlights in the preliminary plan include heightened cleaning throughout the district. The sharing of classroom materials would be limited. Social distancing of at least 3-6 feet would be maintained. Students should remain home if they have a fever. Parents would be asked to monitor their childs temperature daily. Face covering and social distancing guidelines are also being discussed. Students may be required to wear masks, if required to do so by the state. At this time, the states recommendations regarding masks continue to change, so the wearing of face masks or face coverings is yet to be determined, Mathias said. She added that these are just examples of what could be part of the final plan. One thing is clear about any reopening plan it is a no-win situation for school districts. No matter what we do, some will agree and some will disagree with components of the requirements schools must meet for reopening. (The district) is working toward a balanced approach that keeps students safe, makes the most of teaching and learning, and provides educational options that match with families own beliefs and concerns about COVID-19, Mathias said in the email. Officials are still considering a plan to put a group of mobile broadband hotspots around the district, at a cost of about $30,000 for one year. This would help more students have access to high-speed internet, should they need to be educated remotely. The board had budgeted for the purchase of 1,000 iPads to go with the 1,100 the district already has in supply. The cost is $294 each. Government grant money is helping to cover the cost. Its part of the plan to enhance the online learning experience and to eliminate the need of paper-packet education for families that dont have internet. About a quarter of district households have unreliable internet service, according to a school survey. The school has about 2,100 students. Mathias has said the online experience this school year will be improved. The board is set to consider the hotspots next week. Those are on the agenda for the 8th. In anticipation of board action, we are looking for places to mount the hotspots, she said. She said she is not sure if the board will vote to approve the plan next week, or make changes before approving it. Many folks feel very strongly about COVID-19 and the Governors actions. The District certainly understands both sides of this very political issue. We have one goal to do our best to provide outstanding educational programs in the safest manner feasible, while meeting the states guidelines. This is a challenge, but we are up to it, she said. The Daily American Pennsylvania loosened restrictions on consumer-grade pyrotechnic displays a few years ago. Under a law passed in October 2017, Pennsylvanians can buy Class C, or consumer-grade fireworks. The class includes roman candles, rockets and other aerial fireworks, such as repeaters that fire off multiple shots. Larger display fireworks are still off-limits except to professionals. Before the new law passed, fireworks stores in Pennsylvania could only sell Class C fireworks to out-of-state residents. That meant Pennsylvanians could see the bigger fireworks in stores, but couldnt buy them. Many municipalities, however, have their own rules about setting off fireworks, and the state law also regulates or prohibits some sales or activities: You must be 18 or older to purchase fireworks. Fireworks cannot be set off within 150 feet of an occupied residence. Fireworks cannot be discharged on public or private property without permission of the property owner. Fireworks cannot be discharged from or within a vehicle or building, or toward a vehicle or building. Fireworks cannot be set off by someone who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Some Somerset County municipalities also have fireworks regulations and ordinances. Residents should check with their local townships or boroughs before setting off large fireworks displays. Meyersdale Borough Council President Jeff Irwin said his borough has a fireworks ordinance, but he was unable to cite the exact regulations. I cannot remember fireworks being a problem in the borough, he said. In Windber, borough Manager Jim Furmanchik said the town has an ordinance and a permit is required. No ordinances or regulations were added in Windber this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. OUR TOWN The Daily American Windber Area Community Kitchens next free dinner takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. July 11 at Calvary United Methodist Church, 1800 Stockholm Ave. The featured menu is barbecued chicken, macaroni and cheese, vegetables, fruit and dessert. The meal is to be served and sponsored by Bayada Home Health Care. All are welcome. Dalton, GA (30720) Today Showers and thunderstorms likely. Low 66F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Showers and thunderstorms likely. Low 66F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Tourists admire the skyline view of Lujiazui area at the Bund in Shanghai, east China, Jan. 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) All the measures adopted at these meetings are essential and imperative to both address the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus epidemic and drive long-term development. BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- At a time of global uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic and an economic recession, China is taking firm and steady steps to promote reform and opening-up. A high-level meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on deepening overall reform Tuesday reviewed and approved a series of reform plans and guidelines on state-owned enterprises, the integrated development of new generation information technology and the manufacturing industry, the rural homestead system, the integrated development of media, the evaluation system for education, and the state-owned art troupes. It further demonstrates China's resolve to comprehensively push forward reforms to tackle the changing situation and open up new prospects. On Wednesday, a State Council executive meeting stressed improving financial services to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. It also encouraged greater opening-up and cooperation to help high-tech national industrial development zones better integrate with international industrial and supply chains. All the measures adopted at these meetings are essential and imperative to both address the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus epidemic and drive long-term development. While some major economies have introduced huge stimulus and others even resorted to protectionism as a way out of the economic problems caused by the pandemic, China has focused more on optimizing the governance system, solving deep-seated institutional problems and expanding opening-up to stimulate social creativity and market vitality. Photo taken on April 9, 2020 shows the Lujiazui area in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Chen Fei) Its reform emphasizes improving the market, policies, rule of law and business environment for both Chinese companies and enterprises with foreign-investment. China's commitment to reform and opening-up is based on a clear understanding of the current situation and the confidence to overcome difficulties. The policies have created market certainty, which is especially vital in these uncertain times around the world, and helped accelerate the restoration of production. This has been proved by a series of signs of increased economic momentum. China's official manufacturing purchasing managers index climbed to 50.9 in June from 50.6 in May. The separate nonmanufacturing PMI, a measure of services and construction activity, jumped to 54.4, from 53.6 in May, a rise for the fourth straight month. Most overseas enterprises are optimistic about China's development and the Chinese market. China remains one of the three top investment destinations for 63 percent of respondents in the European Business in China Business Confidence Survey 2020, which was released by the European Union (EU) Chamber of Commerce in China and global consultancy firm Roland Berger. "The Chinese market remains attractive to a majority of European companies, which remain firmly committed to China's development," said Joerg Wuttke, president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. China's experience shows that the greater the difficulty, the more important the need to stick to reform and opening-up. The world has reasons to believe that China will continue with its reform and opening-up to carry on a more sustainable and broad-based economic improvement and inject vitality into world economic recovery. Treatment of Christians in Egypt much better now than it's been for a long time: expert Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The situation for Christians in Egypt is better now than it has been for a long time, according to an evangelical Christian professor who recently visited the nation. Darrell Bock, senior research professor of New Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary, was featured on an episode of The Table podcast that was posted on YouTube Tuesday. Bock and Mark M. Yarbrough, vice president for Academic Affairs, academic dean, and professor of Bible Exposition at DTS, said he recently visited Christian leaders in Egypt. While there, Bock met with a group of about 60 to 70 Protestant Egyptian leaders who told him, things are much better for us as Christians now than they have been in Egypt for a long time. Even though theres violence in some of the regions in Egypt related to the Christian Church, thats a matter of just administrative realities in different parts of Egypt, Bock said. Some areas are inherently more violent than the other because the government doesnt have the power yet to oversee everything thats going on across the whole of the country. Specifically, people Bock spoke with said that, overall, things had not been this good for Christians in the country since Anwar Sadat became president in the 1970s. Yarbrough agreed with this assessment, noting that the improvement in conditions for the Christian minority was huge and probably better than its ever been for that generation. Yarbrough also discussed how while only about 10% of the country was Christian and barely 1% were evangelical Protestant, they had made considerable social gains. This group that we met with are very influential leaders. They're not hidden in the background. Theyre very public figures, he explained. Many are serving in strategic positions of office that we met. And so, there is a growing, not just in regard to the role of the Church, but the positioning of evangelical leaders within governmental structures. Yarbrough found it significant to see Christians who are in strategic positions interacting with other folks from different religious backgrounds. Bock and Yarbrough also discussed meeting Coptic Church leader Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria, who they said was interested in ecumenical cooperation and biblical education. He talked about some things that theyre doing. He made reference to VBS. It was almost a discussion of something that many of us are familiar with. Something like Awana or something like that for kids. He talked about a process of that, recalled Yarbrough. He showed us a curriculum that hed had a team writing on. You could tell he lit up when it came to how do we equip the next generation of believers in Jesus to know Him better and to know His Word. It was very encouraging. A Muslim-majority nation, Egypt has a checkered history when it comes to tolerating its Christian minority, with recent upheavals leading to sporadic violent persecution. According to the Christian persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA, Egypt holds the dubious distinction of being the 16th worst persecutor of Christianity. Many Egyptian Christians encounter substantial roadblocks to living out their faith, noted the organization in a recent report. There are violent attacks that make news headlines around the world, but there are also quieter, more subtle forms of duress that burden Egyptian believers. Nevertheless, the al-Sisi government has made some overtures, including the creation in January 2017 of a government body aimed at giving legal recognition to various churches. Known as the Committee for the Legalization of Unlicensed Churches, it includes ministers of justice, parliamentary affairs, local officials, and representatives of Christian communities. Headed by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, in May, the committee gave legal recognition to 70 churches, adding up to 1,638 since its formation. Election 2020: Primaries No winners yet in judgeship, House races Paul Kirby is a reporter for the Freeman, covering Kingston politics. He has been at the Freeman since August 1996. You are the owner of this article. Diane Pineiro-Zucker has been a reporter at the Daily Freeman since April 2013. Pineiro-Zucker worked as a reporter in the Freemans Rhinebeck bureau in the early 1980s, left to become executive editor at Taconic Newspapers in Dutchess County. The following items are based on information provided by officials in law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Ashland, KY (41101) Today Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Sunbury, PA (17801) Today Chance of an isolated thunderstorm early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 63F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Chance of an isolated thunderstorm early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 63F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. AN AMERICAN FLAG flies over the veterans memorial in Memorial Park which honors veterans from the Civil War through World War I. With the Veterans Honor Park on Washington Avenue, all veterans will be remembered. Guest Column Now is not the time to reduce staffing at police departments Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:15 pm Editors Note: The Chronicle is working to assist local businesses suffering from the effects of the COVID-19 virus spread and associated government orders to close or limit commerce. There will be a feature on a local business in each edition of The Chronicle and at chronline.com moving forward. To be considered, email reporter Eric Trent at etrent@chronline.com. Additionally, The Chronicle will continue to offer its coverage of the coronavirus and its effects across the community, state and nation free outside of our paywall at chronline.com. ROCHESTER Ashley Skyberg braced for the worst when COVID-19 hit in March and every business in the state that wasnt deemed essential was shut down. Luckily, Skybergs business, Highway 12 Espresso, was one of those essential businesses. Washington state loves its coffee. It still left her fearing that customers would dry up and revenue would evaporate. We didnt know what to expect, Skyberg said. Nobodys been through anything like this. This is uncharted territory for any business owner. When Gov. Jay Inslee enacted the initial stay-at-home order on March 16, Skyberg decided to take one girl off each shift and leave just one employee running the stand at a time to counter the expected downturn. That lasted less than five days. Customers began driving off because the stand was so busy and the single employee couldnt keep up with the flood of people. Highway 12 Espresso went on to have its best three months of business during mid-March through mid-May since the coffee stand started six years ago. Skyberg expects its because people are able to safely social-distance, remain in the safety of their vehicles and still get that social interaction with others. So many things were closed and its still some sort of normal interaction youre having with someone, Skyberg said. When you go to a restaurant its so uncomfortable around people now. When you can go see a barista, get your coffee and have her ask how your days going, thats a huge part for people. They really like that. Skyberg founded Highway 12 Espresso six years ago. As a Rochester native, she began working at the local Dairy Queen during high school, then soon started working as a barista at Grand Mound Espresso on the weekends, swinging two jobs at the same time. She took a year off from being a barista then was hired at Stews Brews, which was the previous stand at the same location of what is now Highway 12 Espresso. She worked there for six months until the owner was ready to sell and Skyberg jumped at the opportunity. She had about four years of barista experience at that point. The transition from employee to owner was definitely a learning experience, she said. I feel like Im getting better, but Im always learning things as I go, Skyberg said. Managing girls is tough. Having employees, keeping them happy and keeping them long term is a big goal for me. If you keep them happy they stay, and when they stay your customers are happy because they see the same person and they really like that consistency. Its not terribly difficult to train a new barista, Skyberg said. One might think the technical aspect of making coffee and preparing complex drinks would be the biggest learning curve, but the most crucial part of the job is the emotional connection the baristas have with people, Skyberg said. When you can ask them how their day is, how their kids are doing or how their doctors appointment went, I think people really appreciate that, Skyberg said. Its what brings people back. It also helps that Skyberg grew up in the community and has known some of the locals since she was in kindergarten. Highway 12 Espresso uses Caffe Darte beans. Some of the more popular drinks right now are the Fishbowl Lotus, which comes with rainbow nerds and Swedish fish. That runs for $5.50 for a 16-ounce. The White Gummy Bear, which includes passion fruit, pineapple, white peach and a coconut milk topper. That goes for $6.75 for a 16-ounce. Another favorite, a peanut butter big train blended drink, has real peanut butter and chocolate and is topped with Reeses Pieces and homemade whipped cream. Skyberg has also been selling custom Highway 12 Espresso sweatshirts and tumblers. Right now they have Fourth of July sweatshirts for sale. Anything extra the business can make will help Skyberg and her employees in the future if anything does change and customers stop coming in, she said. Im bracing myself because the economy seems like its getting ready to tank, and I dont know what to expect from month-to-month, Skyberg said. I feel like Im trying so much harder because I dont know what to expect. But shes confident the community will have her back like it always has. She belongs to the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, is a board member on the Rochester Citizens Group and donates time at the Swede Hall Event Center. She sends donations to the Rochester Organization of Families (ROOF), a food bank and an afterschool program for children, as well as to Safe and Sober Grad Night auction. Highway 12 Espresso is even on the school districts Rochester Warriors card. Skyberg said shes grateful for the communitys support of her business, especially during these trying times. We like to be a part of the community, and we hope people know that when they come theyre talking to a person who grew up in the community and is a part of the community, Skyberg said. Theyre helping a girl pay for college, or shes got a kid and shes got to take care of them. Reporter Eric Trent can be reached at etrent@chronline.com. Visit chronline.com/business for more coverage of local businesses. The Rev. Gus Puleo is pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown and served as an adjunct professor of Spanish at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has masters degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. There were a couple of dozen animals in the pen. All of them young steers being fattened up before they were sent off to market. To my inexpert eye, they all looked pretty much the same. Except for one. He was scrawny. I asked the farmer who was trying to sell me the farm what was wrong with him. Wrong? he queried. Nothing Great for the farmers balance sheet but not the sort of meat he wanted his own family to eat. He didnt trust it [File photo] So why didnt he have the same meaty hindquarters as the others? Presumably, he wouldnt fetch much at the auction. Ah said the farmer, hes not going off to market. Hes going in my freezer. I was still puzzled. The farmer gave me a rather twisted smile. Hasnt had the jabs, has he? And then it dawned on me. The others had been treated with hormones and antibiotics and goodness knows what else to help them grow fatter faster. Great for the farmers balance sheet but not the sort of meat he wanted his own family to eat. He didnt trust it. Neither, it was to turn out, did the bureaucrats of Brussels. A few years later, EU farmers were banned from doing it and, in 1989, imports of foreign meat stuffed full of chemicals were banned, too. So far, so good. Then we voted to leave the EU. A trade deal with the U.S. became a top priority in Westminster. Washington said fine but only if you start buying our meat again. Why not allow cheap meat across our borders? Farmers are always getting angry and if they cant compete with imported meat thats their problem, isnt it? Well, yes, but its not only farmers who disapprove [File photo] Britains farmers went into meltdown. If we let that happen, they said, cheap meat will undercut our prices and well be ruined. But Britain began formal trade talks with Washington last month and Tokyo three weeks ago. Negotiations with Australia and New Zealand are due to begin soon. And thats where it stood until a few days ago, when the International Trade Secretary Liz Truss announced that an independent commission will be set up to ensure that British farmers will not be undercut. Which was just what the farmers and many others wanted. Except that Ms Truss went on to say that the commissions recommendations should be advisory only. Not so good. You could cover half the fields in England with all the reports successive governments have commissioned and then ignored. But so what? Why not allow cheap meat across our borders? Farmers are always getting angry and if they cant compete with imported meat thats their problem, isnt it? Well, yes, but its not only farmers who disapprove. Waitrose has said it would be simply wrong to import meat produced under weaker standards than on British farms. It points to hormone-treated beef and the extensive use of antibiotics as examples of American farming standards that are well below our own. It might also have pointed out that an EU scientific review in 2003 concluded that one of six hormones commonly used in the U.S. was carcinogenic, and there was insufficient data to adequately assess the health risks of the five others. So this is not a battle about farmers. Its about food. Including, of course, the notorious American practice of washing chickens in chlorinated water to kill bacteria that flourish in the disgusting conditions in which the animals live their pathetic lives. And there is more at stake. Much more. Its about our countryside. Its about biodiversity. Its about the respect we pay to animals. Its about climate change. But lets stay with the price of food and lets assume we cut a deal with America that opens the door to their farmers. Two things will happen. The first is that the big farmers in Britain will compete. Theyll have to. And when it comes to beef and other livestock, they wont be competing with farms. They will be competing with feedlots. An American feedlot bears about as much relation to a British beef farm as a seamstress running up a few dresses in her spare room in Bradford does to a factory in Bangladesh employing a thousand workers turning out a million T-shirts a week. It is industrial agriculture on a massive scale. Except that these are not farms. These are Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). A typical CAFO for beef might house 100,000 or more animals and every year there are more of them. Needless to say, the animals never see a blade of grass. Nor can they move very much. Moving uses energy. Thats wasteful. Disturbingly, there has been a move in this country towards feedlots. Theres no register of how many there are yet and, compared with the States, theyre minnows. But there will be more and they will be bigger, simply because they are more efficient. Farmers need to make a living and most do not. The latest figures show the average profit for a lowland livestock farm in England is about 12,000. Nearly half have gone bust in the past decade. How long, you have to wonder, before there are no small farms left in this country? So why cant we hand the land back to nature? Well, we can. Its called rewilding and it can produce some wonderful results. Ive seen it for myself at the Knepp Castle estate in West Sussex. Its good for the environment and biodiversity and, ultimately, climate change. But it could not survive without large subsidies. And, anyway, we are a small country with a relatively large population, and the less food we produce for ourselves the more we have to import. That is massively bad for the planet. One example: we have bought billions of pounds worth of beef from companies in Brazil that chop down trees in the Amazon rainforest to graze the animals. Its also massively bad for our health. For the past few months, the world has been obsessed with finding a vaccine to defeat the coronavirus. A trade deal with the U.S. became a top priority in Westminster. Washington said fine but only if you start buying our meat again Infinitely more important in the long run is the desperate search for new antibiotics to replace those that no longer work. Thats partly because we pop a pill every time we get a sniffle, but also because those feedlot cattle and many more farm animals are treated with them. Not because theyre sick, but to help them grow faster. American farmers use nine times as many antibiotics as farmers in this country. So, one way and another, its a scary picture. But there is some hope out there. Maybe the Government really will stand firm and tell Washington what to do with its hormone beef. And maybe the world will recognise that farming need not be a race to the bottom, with profitability as the only prize. That notion is gaining traction. The Sustainable Food Trust was set up nine years ago with support from some grand figures, including Prince Charles, and even grander ambitions. It wants to link government support for farmers without which most could not survive for five minutes to those who satisfy a set of sustainable standards its drawn up. Wales is already running a pilot. Next step: the world. Cynics will argue that this is quixotic idealism. That cheap food is all that matters and animals are perfectly happy to be incarcerated in a feedlot so long as the food keeps coming. Well, I did buy that farm all those years ago. I was useless at running it, but I had a brilliant young manager called Eddie. And to those cynics I would say: I wish youd been with me when Eddie made me watch what happens when cows are finally let out of their sheds in the spring after their long winter lockdown. They behaved like a gang of six-year-old kids released from the classroom. Even the most elderly of them tearing across the young grass, throwing their hind legs in the air. If cows could whoop with joy, that was it. It taught me a very simple lesson. Animals are more than figures on a balance sheet. And so is farming. Holocaust survivors have recalled how Nazi officers would select which children to experiment on by asking which one of them wanted to visit their mothers and choosing whoever stepped forward. Italian-born Andrea and Tatiana Bucci were deported with their family in 1944, they were incarcerated Risiera di San Sabba, an Italian transit camp for Jews before being sent Auschwitz in Nazi-occupied Poland. Appearing in Netflix documentary 'Anne Frank - Parallel Stories', the sisters told how after being mistakenly labelled as triplets with their cousin Sergio, they were approached by a man who they thought was Josef Mengele, also known as 'Dr Death'. Mengele was responsible for the camp's children, often carrying out experiments on twins, and Andrea told how he would trick children into volunteering to take part in trials on 'tuberculosis and lymph glands'. Italian-born Andrea Bucci was incarcerated Risiera di San Sabba, an Italian transit camp for Jews before being sent Auschwitz in Nazi-occupied Poland She and sister Tatiana were mistakenly labelled as triplets with their cousin Sergio (all pictured as children) HORRIFIC EXPERIMENTS OF THE NAZI 'ANGEL OF DEATH' Dr. Josef Mengele, an SS physician from 1943 to 1945, was known as the 'Angel of Death' for overseeing gruesome experiments at the Auschwitz death camp in Poland Immaculately dressed, it was Josef Mengele who greeted doomed arrivals at the Nazi death camp, Auschwitz, in occupied Poland. With a flick of his gloved hands, the supreme arbiter of life and death would consign terrified prisoners either to work or to death in the gas chambers. But many were condemned to an altogether more diabolical fate; they became guinea pigs upon his operating table as he pursued his berserk quest to clone blue-eyed Aryan supermen. Most of his victims died in terrible pain without anaesthetic. Captivated by oddities, victims of Mengele's medical experiments were chosen based on different eye colors, growth anomalies such as a clubfoot or a hunchback, giantism or dwarfism, twins and gypsies. A choice 'specimen' he sent to his lab for study was the head of a 12-year-old boy he was going to dissect. Twins held a particular fascination for him and it's estimated that he examined around 3,000 - but only 100 pairs survived. Mengele once impregnated one twin with the sperm from a different twin to see if she would produce twins. When there was only one baby, one survivor claimed he tore the baby out of the mother's uterus and threw the child into an oven and walked away. Mengele had a doctorate in medicine from Frankfurt University, but used his knowledge in a sickening manner at the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he performed experiments as an SS physician from 1943 to 1945. The so-called Angel of Death was on the Allied commanders' most-wanted list from 1944, but he escaped to South America and was never found Although prisoners transferred to his wing to be studied escaped the gas chambers and were well fed, they often ultimately met an even more painful death. Mengele regularly performed surgery without anaesthetic and would obtain bodies to work on simply by injecting chloroform into inmates' hearts while they slept, which would kill them in seconds. He was most interested in heredity and once tried to change the colour of childrens eyes by injecting chemicals directly into them. Pregnant women were also singled out. He was known to have performed vivisections on them before consigning them to the death chambers. Prisoners suffering from schizophrenia and depression were subjected to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The goal was to treat incapacitated prisoners so that they could return to the work force. Most of the experiments were unsuccessful and led to the death of the prisoners. The so-called Angel of Death was on the Allied commanders' most-wanted list from 1944, but he escaped to South America and was never found, despite the best efforts of private investigators and the Israeli secret service, Mossad. He died in 1979 after suffering a stroke while swimming and thirteen years later, DNA tests proved his identity beyond doubt. Advertisement She told: 'I remember that this one person came, he might have been Menegle and he asked us if we wanted to go see mother. 'A hack doctor from Neuengamme, who had carried out some experiments on tuberculosis and lymph glands on some adults, thought to experiment on children too and asked Mengele for these children.' The pair had been warned by a camp guardian who had grown fond of them not to step forward if he asked, however their cousin Sergio did not listen to their warning. Andrea went on: 'We warned Sergio not to step forward, but he did not listen to us and ten males and ten females stepped forward.' Tatiana Bucci went on to express the 'indescribable burden on her heart' she feels knowing their cousin went to his death on his seventh birthday, Another survivor, Arianna Szorenyi who was deported from Italy in 1944 before being deported to Auschwitz and then Bergen Belson. Pictured, Arianna's identification number tattoo Tatiana Bucci went on to express the 'indescribable burden on her heart' she feels knowing their cousin went to his death on his seventh birthday, while he believed he would be visiting his mother. She said: 'To think that he was left believing that he was going to met his mum and instead, going to meet his death on his seventh birthday, still feels like such a burden on my heart it's indescribable.' Reflecting on her time in the camp Andrea later said: 'I remember that we used to play with snowballs. But we were always surrounded by death. The documentary sees the story of Anne Frank, (pictured) retold alongside those of five Holocaust survivors. On August 4, 1944, Anne Frank and her family were betrayed, arrested by the Gestapo, taken from the Amsterdam annexe where they had hidden for two years 'Because in the camps and among the barracks, there are heaps of corpses. To see these corpses that they tried to push inside this barrack had become normal to us.' The documentary sees the story of Anne Frank, retold alongside those of five Holocaust survivors, in a poignant documentary narrated by Oscar winner Helen Mirren. On August 4, 1944, Anne Frank and her family were betrayed, arrested by the Gestapo, taken from the Amsterdam annexe where they had hidden for two years and despatched to concentration camps. The poignant diary Anne had been keeping for the two years, she and her family endured in the annexe, and had nicknamed Kitty, stopped that day. Anne was just 15-years-old at the time of her death, and the end of the war her father Otto, the sole survivor of the concentration camps, returned home to Amsterdam and published her famous diary. Irma Grese (pictured) was nicknamed the 'Hyena of Auschwitz' before becoming head of Bergen-Belsen's women section At 22 she was the youngest woman to be sentenced to death for war crimes after the camps were liberated Who was Irma Grese, the Hyena of Auschwitz? Irma Grese worked as an assistant nurse for the SS after leaving school at the age of 15 before volunteering at Ravensbruck concentration camp, exclusively for women. There she found herself as a supervisor by the age of 19 and in 1943 Irma was sent to Auschwitz, to act as a guard. Known as the Hyena of Auschwitz, Irma Grese, was one of the most feared guards at the infamous concentration camp. A sadistic nymphomaniac who slept with SS guards, she participated in selecting prisoners for the gas chamber as well as exacting horrific punishment beatings. She was rounded up when concentration camp Bergen-Belsen was liberated by the British army in 1945. She was hanged for war crimes in 1945 and many survivors testified against her, claiming she'd hand-selected prisoners for the gas chambers, trained half-starved dogs to savage prisoners, gave brutal beatings and arbitrarily shot prisoners. Advertisement Another survivor, Arianna Szorenyi who was deported from Italy in 1944 before being deported to Auschwitz and then Bergen Belson, told of her meeting with one of the most notorious female SS guards in history. Irma Grese was nicknamed the 'Hyena of Auschwitz' before becoming head of Bergen-Belsen's women section, and at 22 she was the youngest woman to be sentenced to death for war crimes after the camps were liberated. The survivor told that while in the camp, she had noticed the guard, who she says other officers were 'in love with' behind her, and didn't realise until she had turned around that she had her gun pointed at the back of her head. Arianna Szorenyi (pictured) told of her meeting with one of the most notorious female SS guards in history The poignant documentary which launched on Netflix in the UK yesterday was narrated byOscar winner Helen Mirren She recalled: 'I sort of ran for a short distance and then, almost in the front of my block I slowed down. 'Because I saw coming towards me maybe three of four well dressed Nazis Irma Grees was behind me, they were all In love with her. 'Like children I suddenly turned around because I was curious. and Irma Grese had her gun pointed at me, that was the only time I realised I could die.' A royal expert has claimed that Kate Middleton is more similar to the Queen than Princess Diana, due to her introvert nature and love of the outdoors. Speaking about the Duchess of Cambridge, 38, to Yahoo News, royal author Victoria Murphy said that she was 'still more of a team player than leader', but had grown in confidence since joining the Royal Family almost a decade ago. The commentator noted Kate's 'quiet self-assurance' and 'ability to compartmentalise', and predicted that those qualities would 'suit her future role' as Queen. Royal author Angela Levin also observed that the Duchess has become more 'relaxed' since her start with the royal family, and believes that becoming a mother helped her confidence grow. Scroll down for video Royal author Victoria Murphy said that Kate was 'still more of a team player than leader', but had grown in confidence since joining the Royal Family almost a decade ago (seen at Westminster Abbey in April 2019) Victoria Murphy told Yahoo UK: 'There is no doubt that Kate has hugely grown in confidence since joining the Royal Family. 'I think she still remains more of a team player than a leader though and perhaps more of a listener than a talker, but I think these qualities are well-suited to her current and future roles.' 'I've always thought that Kate has more in common personality-wise with the Queen; not an extrovert but quietly self-assured with a love of the outdoors and the ability to compartmentalise.' Royal author Angela Levin added: 'Now she knows the ropes she is more relaxed. I also think that being a mother has made a huge difference to how she faces life as a royal.' The commentator noted Kate's 'quiet self-assurance' and 'ability to compartmentalise', and predicted that those qualities would 'suit her future role' as Queen (seen at the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in March) Expert claimed that Kate Middleton is more similar to the Queen than Princess Diana, due to her introvert nature and love of the outdoors (seen buying plants for the East Anglia Children's Hospice in Norfolk this month) Last month, royal author Tom Quinn claimed The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are being 'watched closely' by senior royals including the Queen and Prince Philip. Speaking in Channel 5's William & Kate: Too Good to Be True?, the expert said the Queen, 94, and Prince Philip, who just celebrated his 99th birthday, were monitoring second-in-line to the throne Prince William, 37, and Queen-in-waiting Kate Middleton, 38. Explaining that The Firm was anxious the Cambridges wouldn't 'repeat mistakes made by other young royals', Tom said they 'didn't want that to happen again'. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are being 'watched closely' by senior royals including the Queen and Prince Philip, royal author Tom Quinn has claimed (Kate Middleton and Prince William pictured attending a reception in Dublin on March 3 2020) Speaking on the programme, Tom said: 'The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, will be watching very carefully, especially given that younger royals in the past have got things very badly wrong and they don't want that to happen again'. Her Majesty will turn 95 next year - the same age at which her husband Philip withdrew from his public duties - and there is talk among courtiers that she may use the milestone to effectively hand over day-to-day control of the monarchy to Charles. Meanwhile Kate, mother of Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two, has been stepping up and taking on more responsibilities to assist the Queen in her reign in recent years. The parents of a boy who was left in tears over discussions on The School that Tried to End Racism have revealed how they felt his emotion was 'positive' as it 'allowed them to understand what he was going through.' Last Thursday night, viewers of the Channel 4 documentary wept after watching Henry Littell, 13, from Surrey, break down and flee the classroom as he tried to talk about white privilege with his classmates. Pupils in Year 7 at Glenthorne High School in South London were separated into 'affinity groups' of white and non-white students to discuss race and ethnicity during a three-week experiment. The segregated affinity groups took place once a week, while 24 pupils aged 11 and 12 had further workshops and lessons together on white privilege and racial inequality throughout the programme. Henry told FEMAIL he was an 'emotional person', while his parents Kevin, 53, and Sarah Littell, 51, revealed: 'I think we probably learned more about it by the fact that he did show those emotions. We could almost explore that more at home. And that got us to speak more about it. I just see that as being a positive thing.' Kevin, 53, and Sarah Littell, 51, from Surrey, told FEMAIL it was a 'positive thing' that their son Henry, now 13, became emotional while speaking about race in The School That Tried to End Racism The family explained how they had on-going discussions with teachers, psychologists and the production team about how the experiment impacted Henry and his classmate. Kevin revealed: 'I think, we were trusting in the process because we had the conversations not just with Henry, but also the teachers.' 'When [Henry became upset] it happened, they would ring us and say, "This has happened, can we talk to him, can we talk to the production company". 'As we said, that was all in place, so we could deal with those things.' Kevin explained how Henry's open-hearted and emotional nature allowed the family to 'explore' the topics at home further Meanwhile he added: 'In some ways, it was then good, we could then sit down and talk to Henry more about the process.' Kevin went on: 'Yes, it affected him emotionally and he did cry, and that's how we dealt with it. We probably know him better than most.' The father-of-three added that his son's open emotion allowed them to 'feel like we could understand what he was going through.' 'We felt like we could understand, to know what he was going through.' Meanwhile Kevin also revealed how the family had discussions about whether the experiment 'was right' for them after the first affinity group, in which Henry was left in tears Kevin also revealed how the family had 'discussions' as a trio whether to continue with the process after the first affinity group proved challenging for the youngster. He said: 'It was the initial affinity group. That's where that's where we thought, "Oh, okay. We need to discuss this. We need to make sure that this is right. "We need to make sure that it should continue." And we definitely came to the right decision, the three of us.' Yesterday, it emerged that Henry had been terrified of speaking up in case he was misrepresented by his peers, telling The Telegraph: 'It would spread and everyone would know about it, and then people would say, "Oh, youre racist" and things like that. Even when it wasnt about racism, they twist your words.' It comes after Henry opened up about the challenges of the experience and violent bullying he suffered in his childhood Henry has now revealed how prior to the experiment, he was scared of speaking out about the importance of fairness having been the victim of violent bullying during primary school. How does the experiment work? Inspired by similar experiments by Mariama Richards in the US, for three weeks, 24 Year 7 students, aged 11 and 12 and from diverse ethnic backgrounds, were given a programme of classes to explore their racial heritage and issues around ethnicity. The groups were segregated into a white and non-white group for one session a week, for three weeks, and encouraged to discuss race and ethnicity. The hope is that by separating children by race, they are able to be more frank and honest about their experiences, without fear of offending or feeling uncomfortable. The groups then come back together to discuss all that they have learned. The goal of the experiment is to encourage a more honest discussion about race, with the aim that it will break down barriers and increase mutual understanding. The aim is that intervening at an early stage can help to change children's attitudes before they become crystalised with adulthood. Advertisement Henry was left terrified to go into the school, where bullies would pick on him because he 'used to ballet'. The 13-year-old said he was pushed up against a gate and punched by older students, while on another occasion he was swung around by older boys who thought it would be 'funny'. He also revealed how there had been racist name calling at the school, and he now regrets not stepping in to stop it. He said: 'I felt too scared to say something about it.' However the youngster has since settled into secondary school, where there is a 'boys-only' dance class. Sarah revealed that a lot of the older children from the class 'look after' and have taken Henry under their wing. Since the programme was filmed last year, Black Lives Matter protests have swept across the world, with the family sharing podcast and video recommendations that they have found informative. Henry and his two siblings Eloise, 21, and George, 19, have also tried to share what they have learnt about racial politics with their parents. The 13-year-old said he would 'love to' join the protests in the wake of George Floyd's death in the US, but feels Covid-19 is a barrier at the moment. And Sarah believes it is vital that parents endeavour to talk to their children about race, even if conversations are difficult. She insisted these issues relate to everyone, including white parents, because of its impact on 'friends' and 'the people you see in the outside world'. Meanwhile Henry revealed how the school has continued teaching pupils about racism since the end of the experiment, focusing each week on a different topic for morning registration. He said he now feels more confident to speak about race, explaining: 'I have been frightened to ask a question. [But] asking questions is how people learn.' Kevin and Sarah said they were keen for his education to become more diverse, explaining that they 'hoped the Government deals with the red tape' and allowed change to happen 'more quickly.' The youngster revealed he had been scared of speaking out about racism after finding classmates 'twist words' and misrepresentations would 'spread across the school' (Henry, pictured front row, left, along with his classmates who took part in the experiment) Henry, along with a whole class of 11-year-olds in their first year at secondary school, volunteered to take part in the three-week programme, aimed at reducing unconscious bias, at the school which has a nearly 50/50 make-up of white and non-white pupils. The scheme separated children by race into affinity groups, to allow them to have conversations and discussions about race. Teachers were trained to run the affinity groups, with Dr Nicola Rollock, an academic who works on race relations, and Professor Rhiannon Turner, joining the school throughout the experiment to observe how the children behaved. Who is Mariama Richards? Mariama Richards is an American diversity and inclusion practitioner who started affinity programmes at schools in New York and Washington DC. Although her initial schemes were voluntary, they were later made mandatory. She launched the schemes while working as the Director of Progressive and Multicultural Education at Ethical Culture Fieldston School, where she launched mandatory affinity groups in the lower schools in 2015. The mandatory programme was built into the school day, with 8-year-old children of all races separated into racial 'affinity groups' once a week for five weeks. During 45 minute sessions, they would talk about race - what it meant to be a member of that race, their commonalities and differences, and other people's perception of them. The goal was that children would feel free to raise questions and make observations that in mixed company might be considered impolite. Once the smaller race groups had broken up, the children would gather in a mixed-race setting to share, and discuss, the insights they had gained. The experiment aimed to to help children learn to break unexamined silences and use their voices to discuss race and ethnicity honestly. Advertisement During the test, students were shown pictures of black faces and white faces with a list of positive and negative words. They were told to associate the negative words with black faces and positive words with white faces, and were timed to see how quickly they did it. Halfway through, the test changed to match negative words with white faces and positive words with black faces. After a break, the teacher explained that the results showed there was an unconscious bias, with the majority of the class showing the bias towards white people by completing the task of associating positive words with them more quickly. Eighteen out of the 24 pupils showed a significant preference towards white people, with two showing a black preference and four showing no bias at all. Viewers were left in tears after watching Henry break down and flee the classroom during the first episode of the Channel 4 documentary series After the test, Mr Grant asked the children to tell him their thoughts, with one student called Henry explaining: 'Personally, I don't think that there was too much of a problem. People overthink it. He added: 'I don't think much about race. It's just not normally something I discuss.' Speaking at the water fountain with his friend Bright, Henry admitted: 'I know they say not to feel bad about it, but you still feel bad about it because you know you've done something wrong.' Students, including girls Beth and Miyu and boys Bright and Henry, were asked to divide into white and non-white groups, with the idea that the children could discuss their experience of race without judgement. After it emerged that 18 out of 24 pupils had an unconscious bias towards white people, Henry revealed to his friend that he 'felt bad' about the test In the white group, discussion was stilted and the pupils struggled to know what to say, as Mr Grant asked them: 'Have you ever thought what it means to be white?' Henry told his group of white peers: 'Listening to their group, it sounds like they're enjoying it a lot. But I don't know if that's because we're not there...or...' Other experiments included discussing 'what it means to be white', and doing a 'privilege walk', where they stepped forward or back in response to questions about their lives. The youngster confided in his friend Bright, revealing that while the teachers had told him 'not to feel bad', he still felt like he had 'done something wrong' After being separated, the groups came back together and are asked to provide feedback, but Henry burst into tears and said he actually felt 'jealous' of the other group before he fled the room. Later, speaking to his parents Kevin and Sarah, he cried again, explaining: 'What we were talking about is what it means to be white. And it felt really weird. I didn't feel comfortable talking. 'If I had the choice, I would be with my friends, not just by race, because that feels awful.' And, after he was separated from his non-white friends for an affinity group, Henry broke down in tears in front of his class He told the camera: 'Since the start of my life, I've been told that your race doesn't really matter. It's who you are as a person.' In the second affinity group session, the children were asked to bring in objects that reflect their own cultural background. Henry explained: 'I think we should not have affinity groups. Nearly every single person in our group said they feel less comfortable in affinity groups than in the whole group.' Unable to contain his emotion while his classmates appeared to laugh at him, the youngster fled the room and was comforted by a teacher And after Mr Grant asked why the white pupils found it so difficult to discuss race, the students admitted they were worried about upsetting others. One of the pupils said: 'If we say something, that they think is or might be racist, it might be asking a simple question, they might be like 'Wow.'' Meanwhile, Henry said he was scared of saying something offensive, which could follow him around for life. After several more days, Henry said he was learning to feel more comfortable about having the conversations, revealing: 'I've learnt that race is actually a bigger issue that I thought it was, and it's not talked about enough.' Both episodes of The School That Tried To End Racism are available to watch on All4 A bridal designer has unveiled a new line of Disney wedding dresses, with gowns inspired by beloved characters including Belle, Ariel, Tiana, and Pocahontas. Allure Bridal announced earlier this year that it would be playing fairy godmother to American and Canadian brides, bringing to life wedding gowns inspired by their favorite animated princess films. Now, after months of waiting, the collection of 16 Disney wedding dresses has been unveiled and is available to shop online. Look at this dress, isn't it neat? Disney teamed up with Allure Bridal on a collection of princess-inspired bridal gowns, like this one inspired by Ariel from The Little Mermaid Variety: Several of the princesses, including Ariel, inspired two different dresses one to be sold online and at bridal shops nationwide, the other only available at Kleinfeld So romantic! In all, 16 Disney dresses were made (pictured left: Ariel at her wedding to Prince Eric; right: Belle) Can you feel the love tonight? They were first set to debut in April at New York Bridal Fashion Week, before the pandemic hit (pictured: dress inspired by Belle) Lots of ideas:The brand came out with two different dresses inspired by Belle Sweet: At the time, Allure Bridal debuted a few sketches of the dresses including these two Belle options Pretty: The Rapunzel gown is described as 'effortless in its beauty and fit but also very romantic'. It has a V-shaped bodice, cap sleeves, and chiffon and tulle accents 'We reimagine Rapunzels iconic cascading braid with a dramatic floor-length, sheer, tulle ribbon,' says the brand The collection was originally set to be launched during New York Bridal Fashion Week in April 2020 before the pandemic hit. It seems the release was delayed, but nine of the dresses are no available on the brand's website. According to the original press release, seven of the gowns are part of a Disney Fairy Tale Weddings Platinum Collection, which will be available exclusively at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York and Toronto for $3,500 to $10,000. The other nine gowns which are on sale now are available online and at boutiques across the US, priced from $1,200 to $2,500. All dresses come in sizes 0 to 30. Never knew I needed: This dress was inspired by Tiana in Princess and the Frog Magical: Tiana inspired two different gowns, one pricier than the other Fairy tale: Tiana did get married at the end of the film, though the bridal gown inspired by her is much different Colors of the wing: For Pocahontas, it's a layered in all-over cotton lace applique with a sweetheart neckline, spaghetti straps, and covered buttons down the back Gorgeous: From the front, the Pocahontas gown is simple, sleek, and elegant Say I do! The two gowns in the Snow White collection 'capture her gentle grace and elegant beauty in timeless style' Bedecked: One of the two Snow White gowns has a large bow on the back, as well as a long line of buttons 'So many brides grow up admiring their favorite Disney Princess characters and are inspired by their journeys, gowns and stories of the classic films,' Allure Bridals CEO Kelly Crum said in a press release. The Aurora dress inspired by Sleeping Beauty 'showcases a voluminous and ethereal, ballgown skirt,' according to the website. It's made with over 100 yards of tulle and sparkling tulle and has a strapless neckline, a crystal-embellished bodice, and Alencon lace along the hemline. The Rapunzel gown is described as 'effortless in its beauty and fit but also very romantic'. It's made with cotton lace with a V-shaped bodice, cap sleeves, and chiffon and tulle accents. 'We reimagine Rapunzels iconic cascading braid with a dramatic floor-length, sheer, tulle ribbon this eye-catching back detail is perfectly suited to replace a traditional veil,' says the brand. Glam: The Jasmine dress is made with stretch crepe with opulent Venise lace and crystals covering the off-the-shoulder bodice Well, she is a princess! Jasmine inspired two different gowns for the collection Shining, shimmering, splendid! Seven of the gowns will be available exclusively at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York and Toronto for $3,500 to $10,000 No snoozing: The Aurora dress inspired by Sleeping Beauty 'showcases a voluminous and ethereal, ballgown skirt,' according to the website Fancy: It's made with over 100 yards of tulle and sparkling tulle and has a strapless neckline, a crystal-embellished bodice, and Alencon lace along the hemline Shoes come separate! Cinderella inspired two different dresses thought glass slippers are not included Ready to shell out? The pricier Cinderalla-inspired dress has a blue tint and a bit more detail A dress is a wish your heart makes! The gowns online are priced from $1,200 to $2,500 and will go on sale at boutiques across the US and come in sizes 0 to 30 For Pocahontas, it's a layered in all-over cotton lace applique with a sweetheart neckline, spaghetti straps, and covered buttons down the back. Meanwhile, there are two different Belle-inspired-dresses. The first, available online and nationwide, has an off-shoulder neckline, Alencon lace appliques, and a dramatic ballgown skirt. The second, available only at Kleinfeld's, has embroidered Venise lace and sparkling seed bead embellishments on the bodice. Similarly, there are two different gown options for Cinderella, Snow White, Tiana, and Jasmine. A father-of-three and self-confessed 'plant husband' known for his posts about being 'married to a plant lady' has encouraged hundreds of fed up men across Australia to share their own experiences. Brad Kearns, from the Central Coast of New South Wales, went viral in May when his 'plant-obsessed' wife Sarah arrived home with two giant palm trees for their bedroom. Now the comedic dad, who blogs under DadMum, has inspired other partners who are faced with the same issue to share photos of the 'invasive' plants popping up around their homes. 'Imagine this... You have friends over and there's a delightful conversation happening. You're distracted by the f***ing obnoxious devils ivy inside your nostrils so you begin pushing the strands away with your face,' he wrote. A father-of-three (centre) and self-confessed 'plant husband' known for his posts about being 'married to a plant lady' has encouraged hundreds of fed up men across Australia to share their own experiences Brad Kearns, from the Central Coast of New South Wales, went viral in May when his 'plant-obsessed' wife Sarah arrived home with two giant palm trees for their bedroom Now the comedic dad, who blogs under DadMum , has inspired other partners who are faced with the same issue to share photos of the 'invasive' plants popping up around their homes 'She looks at you like some gang boss and starts making death threats with nothing but her eyes. Legit she hears so much as the snap of a single leaf and I guarantee she will stab me.' Brad recalled drinking his beer quietly, unable to engage in the conversation because he couldn't see past the vines. He said: 'I don't think any husband can put up with as much as a plant husband. Those guys deserve a f***ing medal.' In response a number of men began sharing images of their own plant experiences, with many completely overrun by leafy branches in their homes. In response a number of men began sharing images of their own plant experiences, with many completely overrun by them in their homes 'My wife was a closet plant lady until last year. I returned home from walking the Kokoda trail and there were plants everywhere, it was like I still was in the jungle,' one man said 'My wife was a closet plant lady until last year. I returned home from walking the Kokoda trail and there were plants everywhere, it was like I still was in the jungle,' one man said. 'The only positive thing out of this is she's a lot easier to buy presents for. Buy her a plant and she's happy.' One man showed how he couldn't watch his favourite shows on TV because they were hidden behind foliage on the dining room table. 'I didn't want to watch TV while I eat anyway,' he said. One man fired back: 'Don't worry Brad, I feel you mate! Look at this monster' One man showed how he couldn't watch his favourite shows on TV because they were hidden behind foliage on the dining room table. 'I didn't want to watch TV while I eat anyway,' he said Another dutiful partner said he is always asked to hold up his wife's plants for photos, so she can send them to other 'crazy plant lady' friends How am I meant to see? Men across Australia complained that they were coming in second best to their wives' plants Another partner said he is always asked to hold up his wife's plants for photos, so she can send them to other 'crazy plant lady' friends. A tradesman was forced to carry a heavy cactus inside at 6.30am because it looked better in the corner of their kitchen than it did on the back deck. Wives wrote back to a number of posts saying that their husband's had come very close to a 'death wish' after complaining about their number of plants. 'My husband lost his entire weekend making me a beast of a plant stand,' one woman said. 'My partner made the mistake of telling me to get a hobby... so there's no whinging from him,' said another. In May Brad shared a photo of himself next to a giant tree, which his wife had placed on his side of their bedroom. He was shocked when his plant-obsessed wife Sarah (pictured) arrived home with two giant palm trees But after sharing the light-hearted posts on Facebook, many people quickly raised concerns the palm trees could potentially lead to a 'spider habitat'. Brad was forced to relocate the plants onto their outdoor balcony after his wife felt 'scared' about the 'spiders coming out' 'I should have known when she asked me to 'help lift the plants up the stairs'. I opened the front door to not one but two f***ing Jurassic-sized trees. She said they were for our bedroom,' he said. When he asked his wife for the receipts so he could check how much money she'd spent, 'she wouldn't show me the receipts. Said she lost them.' But after sharing the light-hearted posts on Facebook, many people quickly raised concerns the palm trees could potentially lead to a 'spider habitat'. 'Now she is scared of spiders and wants them gone... Well I kinda like them now. I think they will stay,' Brad continued. The husband has been documenting hilarious posts about his wife's obsession with plants When he asked his wife for the receipts so he could check how much money she'd spent, 'she wouldn't show me the receipts. Said she lost them' (pictured with their son) However, he was forced to relocate the plants onto their outdoor balcony after his wife felt 'scared' about the 'spiders coming out of them' in their sleep. 'I would like to point out a systemic failure in my wife's ability to make sound choices,' he said in a follow-up post. 'At 11pm she decided she couldn't sleep and 'we' needed to move them outside and call the pest man due to the new found safety risk.' However, a pest controller commented on the thread, saying: 'This isn't really a 'spider habitat'. The spider count won't really go up, but you may notice fungus gnats. Enjoy that beautiful plant-purified air.' Two popular Sydney businesses have joined forces to create a new Champagne cheesecake flavoured gelato. N2 Extreme Gelato has collaborated with 'sip and paint' art business Cork and Canvas to make the new flavour that features a signature teal colour made from natural colouring as well as white chocolate ganache to bring childhood memories of Ice Magic back to life. The flavour will be exclusively available to those who take part in Cork and Canvas' new gelato-inspired art classes that launch on August 2. Each class costs $60 and all participants will receive the new gelato for free during the class. Two local Sydney business have joined forces to create a new champagne cheesecake flavoured gelato (pictured) But the flavour will only be exclusively available to those to take part in Cork and Canvas' new gelato-inspired art classes from August 2 During the art session, participants will be guided by professional artists to paint a featured gelato painting. All art materials will be supplied and the customers can also bring their own nibbles and alcohol to enjoy. Cork and Canvas Founder Melinda Janiszewski said: 'We are always looking for unique and creative experiences for our customers and couldn't think of a better fit than partnering with N2 Extreme Gelato who are always pushing the boundaries of creativity with their flavours.' During the art session, participants will be guided by professional artists to paint a featured gelato painting (pictured) Each class costs $60 and all participants will receive the new gelato for free during the class After trying the flavour for themselves during the session, guests will be guided on how to recreate the delicious dessert on canvas by painting a picture of it. As Cork and Canvas continues to operate under COVID-19 government regulations, only 25 people will be able to take part in each class - so eager customers should act quickly to book in via the Cork and Canvas website. Unfortunately the gelato isn't available to purchase elsewhere. Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain took off their face masks as they attended an awards ceremony in Valencia this evening. The mother-of-two, 47, cut an elegant figure in a crimson dress which she coordinated with a pair of flattering red heels and gold earrings. Queen Letizia attended the Innovation and Design National Awards 2019, presented by the Spanish Ministry of Science, with her husband, where they posed with pose with Valencia's regional president Ximo Puig. The trip is part of a royal tour taking the couple through several Spanish autonomous communities with the objective of supporting economic, social and cultural activity following the coronavirus outbreak. Queen Letizia (right) and King Felipe (third-left) of Spain opted to go without face masks as they attended an awards ceremony in Valencia today. Valencia's regional president Ximo Puig (left) also attended the event The mother-of-two, 47, cut an elegant figure in a crimson dress which she coordinated with a pair of flattering red heels and gold earrings. King Felipe wore a pinstripe suite with a blue floral tie The couple wore face masks as they arrived at the event before opting to take them off as the ceremony began The couple wore face masks as they arrived at the event before taking them off as the ceremony began. Queen Letizia's husband King Felipe VI, 52, donned a dark pinstripe suite with a blue floral tie as he gave a speech at the awards. The Spanish royals presented the awards to winners before putting their face masks back on and leaving the event. Queen Letizia attended the event as part of a royal tour taking the couple through several Spanish autonomous communities with the objective of supporting economic, social and cultural activity following the coronavirus outbreak Queen Letizia's husband King Felipe VI, 52, spoke at at the Innovation and Design National awards The Spanish royals presented the awards to winners before putting their face masks back on and leaving the event Earlier today, Queen Letizia and King Felipe opted to go without face masks as they walked along the promenade in Benidorm today where they were greeted by locals. The couple were not pictured with face masks despite the royals opting to wear them as they visited the Tres Mil Viviendas neighbourhood in Seville on Monday. The Queen cut an elegant figure in a white and pink floral printed mid-length dress which she wore with a pair of flattering nude wedges and small gold earrings. Queen Letizia wore her brown hair scraped back into a sleek ponytail and opted for a brown eyeshadow and liner to complement the look. Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain opted to go without face masks as they walked along the promenade in Benidorm, Alicante, today And her husband Felipe VI, 52, tucked a lilac shirt into a pair of smart white trousers and accessorised with a dark brown belt, loafers and sunglasses. The couple waved to well-wishers on the beach, who stood taking pictures of the royals as they strolled along the promenade, before the pair were greeted by locals in face masks who had gathered in the street. Spain imposed a compulsory mask-wearing policy on 21st May, however it is only mandatory where a two-metre distancing cannot be maintained. On Monday, the royal couple looked relaxed as they took to the streets in the Tres Mil Viviendas neighbourhood in Seville, as Letizia cut an equally stylish figure in a dark and light blue halterneck dress and the same neutral wedges. Queen Letizia opted to wear her brown hair scraped back into a sleek straight ponytail and opted for a brown eyeshadow and liner to complement the look The couple were not pictured with face masks in Alicante today as they strolled along the promenade King Felipe VI waved to well-wishers who had gathered on the streets to see the royal couple She opted for a light-blue protective face mask as she put safety first while the couple walked alongside government spokesperson and Finance Minister Maria Jesus Montero. Last Sunday, the couple visited Palma de Mallorca and Letizia donned a recycled flowy green summer dress by Maje, which she first wore on July 25 2019. During their visit, the couple took part in a socially distanced round table with union representatives, as well as representatives from the tourism sector on the grounds of the Iberostar Cristina Hotel. The royal pair were greeted by locals in face masks who had gathered in the street to catch a glimpse of the couple They were particularly interested in seeing how hospitality services had applies sanitary measure to best accommodate tourists at the height of the summer. After their hotel meeting, Felipe VI and Letizia headed to the promenade of Platja de Sarenal where they had a stroll, closely followed by their security services and fans. The president of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Francina Armengol walked alongside the couple and highlighted the changes Palma had put in place to make sure tourists could flock the promenade safely. King Felipe VI (R) and Queen Letizia of Spain (L) walk next to the regional President of Andalucia, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla (C), as they visit the Civic Center 'El Esqueleto' at the '3,000 Viviendas' neighbourhood in Seville Queen Letizia of Spain, 47, put on a stylish display as she visited Tres Mil Viviendas neighbourhood in Seville, Spain, on Monday Last Monday, the royals debuted their tour of Spain in the Canary Islands and greeted crowds of adoring fans in Las Palmas, the capital of Gran Canaria. Spain just reopened its borders on June 21, and the Spanish monarchs wanted to see how the different regions of their countries were adapting. During their outing, the couple visited Perez Galdos' House Museum on the occasion of the 100 year anniversary of the renowned Spanish novelists death. Their tour of the area coincides with the usual commemoration from June 23 to 24 of the origins of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria - with the city celebrating its 1478 founding every summer. Princess Victoria of Sweden shared a sweet video of her children Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar horsing around with their father Prince Daniel. In the short video, the Swedish crown princess, 46, cannot stop laughing as Estelle, eight, and Oscar, four, recreate an exercise they saw online with Prince Daniel, 46, a former personal trainer. The clip was made to promote a new activity platform for children called Digifritids, which was created by Victoria and Daniel's organisation Generation Pep in association with the Swedish branch of Save the Children, Radda Barnen. As Prince Daniel does push ups, nimble Estelle has to crawl below him, while adorable Oscar is riding on his father's back and Victoria doubles over with laughter as she looks on. Princess Victoria of Sweden, 42, can be seen laughing with her children Princess Estelle, eight and Prince Oscar, four as they exercise at home with their father, Prince Daniel, 46 'Do as the Crown Princess's family and try Digifritids,' the post, shared by Generation Pep on Instagram, read. 'With Digifritids, you will find everything from jigsaw tips, games, movies and the opportunity to be safely supervised by adults. 'The platform is made by us at Generation Pep and Save the Children and is adapted for children in the low and middle school age.' The video starts with a skit showing the family all sat in their living-room, with Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar looking bored. Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, who celebrated ten years of marriage on June 19, shared a slice of family bliss to promote their initiative Generation Pep Princess Victoria is reading on the sofa next to Prince Daniel who is on his phone. They then start looking up Digifritids in hope to find something fun to do. Estelle suggests an exercise when one person does the push up and the other crawls below them. Moments later, Prince Daniel shows he's not lost any of his fitness training as he lunges into a push up. Princess Estelle, laughing, crawls under her father, before hopping over him to repeat the action. Determined to have fun as well, Prince Oscar can be seen laughing, perched on the shoulders of his father. Princess Victoria, who does not take part in the exercise but stands in the back, struggles to stand straight as she laughs. The heir to the Swedish throne also shouts words of encouragement to her daughter, who tries to complete the exercise as quickly as she can. The Prince consort shows off his fitness training by completing the exercise flawlessly while carrying his son on his back Princess Victoria can be seen laughing as Princess Estelle hops over her father, who does a push up with her brother Prince Oscar on his back Prince Daniel arches his back to allow Princess Estelle to crawl below him, while Princess Victoria gives them words of encouragement The somewhat precarious undertaking ends when Prince Oscar tumbles to the ground during his father's last push-up, right after Princess Estelle finished to crawl under Prince Daniel's belly. Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel launched Generation Pep in 2016. The organisation hopes to motivate young children and teenagers to practice a physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. The family looked happy as ever, just a few weeks after the couple shared unseen picture of their wedding to mark their ten year anniversary. The video ends with Prince Oscar tumbling to the ground. Prince Daniel looks over, but the prince is laughing, visibly not hurt The heir to the swedish throne, 42, shared romantic black and white photographs from her big day as well as a stunning new portrait of the couple. In the throwback images, the mother-of-two is seen sharing a sweet kiss with her husband, while another captures the newlywed couple dancing. The royal couple are seen more recently in the official anniversary image, posing side-by-side at the Haga Palace near Stockholm, with Victoria appearing effortlessly regal in a floral rose gown. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:53 pm At least 80 students living in a dozen fraternity houses just north of the University of Washington campus have reported testing positive for COVID-19, the coronavirus disease, with hundreds of results pending. The university learned Saturday that three fraternity residents had symptoms of COVID-19, and public health officials noticed a spike in cases from the area among people ages 18 to 20, said UW spokeswoman Michelle Ma. Since UW announced Tuesday that at least 38 students tested positive, the student-run Interfraternity Council informed the university of 42 more positive results. More than 800 students have been tested at a site set up Monday in response to the Greek system outbreak, Ma said. The university expects to have an updated case count early next week. Experts say the outbreak, along with cases among student athletes, is a troubling sign of what may be in store if colleges reopen in the fall. University of Washington leadership said this week they hope to reopen in-person, with larger classes held virtually, but that plans could change based on the virus's spread. Daniel Leifer, a pediatrician studying dermatology at UW, said he saw more than a dozen parties when walking by Greek Row in recent months. Students stood close together, and masks were nowhere to be seen, he said. It was concerning to Leifer, who recently completed a biosecurity fellowship at Johns Hopkins University and worked with the U.S. Department of State on its response to swine flu while in college. "I don't hold it against college students that they're partying with each other and getting to know each other, because that's everyone's college experience. It just doesn't make for a safe campus," Leifer said. "A lot of college reopening plans are premised on students wearing masks and social distancing. This crystallized for me that that doesn't seem very realistic." UW epidemiology professor Janet Baseman said the outbreak mirrors what was seen in long-term care facilities, with COVID-19 spreading widely in communal settings. Prior to the Greek Row outbreak, the university's Seattle campus was reporting about 80 cases among students and staff. "This is another reminder that we have our work cut out for us," Baseman said. "We need to be really prepared, and we have time to prepare because it's summer right now." In a letter to faculty and students this week, President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Mark Richards broadly outlined steps -- including expanded testing, contact tracing and setting up isolation rooms -- the university would take to reopen in the fall if King County reaches the state's third phase of reopening by then. But, they said, "it is possible that we have to pivot to all-remote learning, as we did in spring quarter, if the virus is spreading too quickly in our state." Gov. Jay Inslee released requirements last month for colleges and universities to reopen in person, including asking students and staff to self-report if they have had symptoms since their last visit to campus. In a news conference with Inslee, Cauce said UW had asked fraternity and sorority houses to reduce occupancy by 50% and planned to decrease the number of students in residence halls. State and federal guidance so far hasn't accounted much for the nature of college life, Baseman said. "What I'm seeing less of and think is really important is communication strategies for people of this age and trying to make sure that they are given the information they need for risk management and not just a set of rules," she said. "That can be a really challenging way to communicate information to college-aged students." About 1,000 students are living in 25 fraternity houses, according to the university. Most sorority houses close in the summer, although some members rent rooms in fraternity houses. Fraternity leaders at the UW say students who have tested positive or have symptoms are isolating in their rooms, and officials have asked that all students living in the houses isolate. UW doesn't have the authority to enforce quarantines at the houses, which are independent organizations, Ma said. The Interfraternity Council, a student-run governing board, has asked fraternity houses to stop holding social events, Ma said. The university has received reports of informal gatherings in recent months, which it is not able to stop, she said. Public Health -- Seattle & King County, which is leading the response to the outbreak, said it is not aware of any hospitalizations from the outbreak. The university said it would not give out the names of houses with infected residents to protect their privacy. Names of some fraternities have circulated online, with some saying more than a dozen cases were in one house. But the presidents of the house and Interfraternity Council declined to speak to The Seattle Times on Wednesday about the outbreak, as did the UW's Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life. A 20-year-old college theater major is going viral for an incredible video in which he transforms into his favorite superheroes all with some very impressive special effects. Julian Bass, who will be a junior this fall at Georgia State University, uploaded the video to his Twitter and TikTok accounts on July 2 and in just a day, he has already racked up about 13 million views and praise from the likes of Josh Gad, Mark Hamill, and former Disney CEO and current Executive Chairman Bob Iger. Using some VFX talent, costumes, and props, the suburban Atlanta native performs as a Jedi, Ben 10, and Spider-Man, and the very entertaining clip may have landed him a job. Talented: Julian Bass, a theater major at Georgia State University, is going viral for an incredible video in which he transforms into his favorite superheroes He uploaded the video to his Twitter and TikTok accounts on July 2 and in just a day, he has already racked up about 13 million views Woosh! The video, set to the Harry Styles song Watermelon Sugar, starts with Julian in a stylish outfit in his living room. He soon turns into a Jedi, whipping a lightsaber from behind his back Favorite heroes: He then turns into Cartoon Network's Ben 10 Amazing: He does a flip as Ben-10, employing impressive special effects The video, set to the Harry Styles song Watermelon Sugar, starts with Julian dressed in a stylish outfit in his living room. He soon turns into a Jedi, whipping a lightsaber from behind his back. Showing off his fighting skills, he eventually cuts right through the screen as the VFX show and as the shot parts, he returns as Cartoon Network's Ben 10. Then, with a backflip, he transforms once again into Spider-Man, looking like a dead ringer for Miles Morales. Julian shared the video on TikTok and Twitter, writing in the tweet: 'If yall can retweet this enough times that Disney calls, thatd be greatly appreciated.' On the two platforms, the clip has quickly earned millions of combined views and caught the attention of some industry heavyweights. 'The worlds gonna know your name!!!' wrote Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger, quoting a line from Hamilton (which began streaming on Disney+ today. Incredible! Then, with a backflip, he transforms once again into Spider-Man Uncanny: Viewers have pointed out that he is a dead ringer for Miles Morales Viewers are calling him amazing, talented, clever, awesome, spectacular, epic, so good, and 'great stuff, man' Julian shared the video on TikTok and Twitter, writing in the tweet: 'If yall can retweet this enough times that Disney calls, thatd be greatly appreciated' Sony, The Lonely Island, Joy Reid, superhero movie director James Gunn, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse director Peter Ramsey, Tara Strong, Casey Neistadt, and Mark Hamill commented too. 'Give this man his own everything now,' wrote Josh Gad. Others called him amazing, talented, clever, awesome, spectacular, epic, so good, and 'great stuff, man.' Julian is in awe of the replies. 'I jokingly asked for Disney and got the chairman himself,' he told The Hollywood Reporter. 'I absolutely had no idea it'd get this big. I mean, I've always put 100 per cent into the videos I make and they're usually well received by those around me but nothing of this caliber. 'It's insane. No other way to put it,' he added. Disney's Bob Iger, Sony, The Lonely Island, Joy Reid, superhero movie director James Gunn, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse director Peter Ramsey, and Mark Hamill have replied 'I mean, these are people who have always been on my radar and it means everything in the world to me that now they've inspired me to a point where I'm on theirs. And as for Bob Iger, [it's the] icing on the cake!!' As for whether or not he'll be working with Disney soon, he said: 'There's most definitely going to be some discussions about what can be done going forward.' Before this video went viral, Julian has won awards at local film festivals, with one video taking home a National PTA Reflections award. However, he said that most of his filmmaking skills were learned so that he could perform, which is his real focus. 'I always wanted to be a superhero, play a superhero, and so I learned VFX and did it myself,' he said. 'As a kid, I couldn't sit and wait to grow up or wait to have a friend make it for me. I felt like the only accurate way to portray what I was dreaming up was to actually do it myself.' In a rare move this week, Ivanka Trump showed public disagreement with her father by wearing a mask for a photo-op and urging others to wear one, too. On July 1, the 38-year-old posted a photo on Instagram showing herself wearing a light blue face mask as she posed outside with Republican Leader of the House Kevin McCarthy and Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman from Arkansas. But while Ivanka's caption encouraged others to follow suit and wear their own masks in public, her father's supporters are not convinced and are chastising the first daughter, telling her to remove the mask. Say cheese! Ivanka Trump posted a photo of herself in a face mask with Republican Leader of the House Kevin McCarthy and Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman from Arkansas Follow her lead: The caption which Ivanka copied from Rep. McCarthy reads 'Wear a mask. Plant a tree,' and includes both a tree and a face mask emoji Full look: She had been photographed earlier that day leaving her home in the blue mask The photo shows Ivanka and the two representatives outside. Rep. Westerman wears a suit and surgical mask, Rep. McCarthy has a gray cloth mask, and Ivanka is modeling a pretty blue watercolor mask. The caption which Ivanka copied from Rep. McCarthy reads 'Wear a mask. Plant a tree,' and includes both a tree and a face mask emoji. Ivanka has been pictured wearing face masks before during the pandemic. She donned a black one while accompanying her father to a photo op outside St. John's Church, after he'd had protesters cleared away with smoke canisters and pepper balls. On other occasions, she has been pictured in several different floral masks, and even posed for a selfie with her daughter Arabella in a mask as well. This, however, appears to be the first time that she has encouraged others to wear masks too and Trump voters aren't pleased. Take it off: Trump voters aren't pleased and are telling Ivanka to stop wearing masks calling it a 'mind control device' 'Please do not wear a mask thats not what we were created to do,' wrote one, while another told her to 'take the mask off.' 'I love POTUS but this mask bs needs to stop,' said another, while others called her 'silly' and 'stupid' and posted sheep emojis. More comments have poured in, with countless Trump supporters telling her to lose the mask. 'Why are you reppin the mask? Take that off.......' wrote one commenter 'Mask are bs if you where a mask why social distance all bs political bs,' wrote another. 'The administration needs to concentrate more on health, vitamins, and exercise to help fight Covid-19,' said yet another. 'You do not need to wear a mask to plant a tree. Fresh air is much healthier for you than breathing in what is in that mask. Plant a tree while breathing fresh air enjoy mother nature. I am a supporter of you and your family but the mask issue has got to end,' added one more. 'Take them off you look ridiculous,' chastised one 'Why mask now? Surprising. Yall listening to the left fearmongering,' said yet another commenter, while another commented: 'I see why Donald Trump Jr is the favorite. No mask for me. Disappointing.' 'Take them off you look ridiculous,' chastised one. 'Wtf Ivanka? Why do you support something you KNOW has sinister intentions? Take off the mask. Youre not a disease carrying death bringer, and this is not a real pandemic. I know you know that. Very disappointing to watch you play along,' another commenter chimed in. 'I think you are a great role model... but please take off the mask.... quit furthering the lefts agenda!' complained yet another. 'Take that lie off your face!' one more wrote. A habit: Ivanka has previously been pictured in masks, and was seen wearing one in a Twitter post on June 16 For the ride: She also wears them in the back of the SUV when she is driven to work She donned a black one while accompanying her father to a photo op outside St. John's Church, after he'd had protesters cleared away with smoke canisters and pepper balls Different styles: She wore a light floral one at Andrews Air Force Base on May 27 She has been pictured wearing them while leaving her home on several occasions (pictured left May 19 and right May 15) Family time: She had previously urged others to wear masks while posting this picture with her daughter Arabella The backlash comes from supporters of President Trump, who has famously refused to wear a mask during the pandemic. However, even he is changing his tune this week. In an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday, the President said he supports mask-wearing, and insisted that 'people have seen me wearing one.' 'Im all for masks. I think masks are good,' he said. 'If I were in a tight situation with people, I would absolutely. 'I had a mask on. I sort of liked the way I looked. OK. I thought it was OK. It was a dark black mask, and I thought it looked OK. 'It looked like the Lone Ranger. I have no problem with that, and if people feel good about it, they should do it.' In an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday, the President said he supports mask-wearing, and insisted that 'people have seen me wearing one' 'Im all for masks. I think masks are good,' he said, adding that he looked like the Lone Ranger while wearing one Trump has taken flack for politicizing mask-wearing, even going as far to say that those who wear masks to prevent giving or getting COVID-19 are doing so to 'signal disapproval of him.' But with coronavirus cases trending upward, especially in red states, even Republican senators have pushed Trump to put on a mask in an effort to lead. Fox Business' Blake Burman had pointed to a report that said national mask-wearing could save five per cent of the country's GDP. Trump split the difference when asked about masks - suggesting there was no need for a federal mandate, while also saying he'd put one on. 'Well, I don't know if you need mandatory because you have many places in the country where people stay very long-distanced, you talk about social distancing,' he said. 'If I'm in a group of people where we're not 10 feet away,' Trump said, articulating the circumstances of when he might wear a mask. 'But usually I'm not in that position and everyone's tested because I'm the president, they get tested before they see me.' Trump visited a Ford Motor Co. plant in Michigan in May, but didn't allow the pool of reporters who travel with him to see him donning a mask. 'I didn't want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it,' President Trump said during his tour of a Ford Motor Co. plant in Michigan in May, showing reporters his mask, but refusing to wear it 'I didn't want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it,' Trump said, showing off the mask he had worn, but leaving it off his face. Trump's words in support of face masks came with news that new coronavirus infections across the United States almost doubled last week, with 31 states reporting an uptick in cases as Arizona became the latest hot spot to reverse its reopening by closing bars and gyms. COVID-19 cases across the US increased by 46 per cent in the week ending June 28, compared to the previous seven days, with the majority of rises in the West and South of the country. Nationally, new cases have consistently spiked every week for four straight weeks. Daily cases have been increasing to record highs of 40,000 in the past week well above the initial surge of infections that were seen back in mid-April. Infections across the US have now surpassed 2.58 million and more than 126,000 Americans have died since the virus took hold in March. Infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci on Tuesday warned that the US was 'going in the wrong direction' with the pandemic and said cases could soar to 100,000 per day if current behaviors remain in place. Households' confidence in the economy and their personal finances is slowly starting to recover amid the easing of lockdown restrictions, new findings suggest. Meanwhile, retailers face a major uphill struggle to get back into gear again, with sales in non-essential shops trailing off only a week after an initial and brief surge in demand immediately after reopening last month. As high street casualties stemming from the pandemic mount thick-and-fast, it's not clear whethere stabilising consumer confidence will translate into increased spending in the shops and on experiences like eating out that have been sorely affected by Covid. Shopper confidence slowly improving With pubs, restaurants and hairdressers opening in England this weekend, some shoppers are increasingly willing and able to spend their cash on non-essentials and even buy big ticket items, GfK's latest consumer confidence index suggests. Despite a quarterly economic downturn and further mass job losses likely to be on the horizon, shoppers appear to be 'slightly more confident', the latest findings claim. The GfK reports suggests that consumer sentiment is, while still downbeat, slowly turning a corner. The data, gathered between 18 to 26 June, produced an overall score of minus 27. While this was still a negative score, it marked an improvement compared with a score of minus 30 from earlier in the month. The major purchase index score was minus 25, marking an improvement compared with a score of minus 32 on this measure at the start of June. Poll This Saturday, do you plan to go to the...? Pub Hairdresser Restaurant Shops None of the above - I'll wait until everything calms down This Saturday, do you plan to go to the...? Pub 9 votes Hairdresser 11 votes Restaurant 5 votes Shops 11 votes None of the above - I'll wait until everything calms down 183 votes Now share your opinion Joe Staton, GfK's client strategy director, said: 'Despite the backdrop of dire warnings about the state of the economy, large-scale job losses, the end of furlough with the prospect of further unemployment, and a possible second wave of Covid-19, consumers appear to be slightly more confident as lockdown loosens across parts of the UK. 'After the recent near-historic low of minus 36 for the consumer confidence barometer last month, we're seeing some early signs of improvement across most measures for our fourth Covid-19 flash, even though all our core scores remain negative.' The seven-point jump in the major purchase index could bode well for Super Saturday this week as more shoppers hit the high streets or plan a trip to the pub or hairdresser. But, Staton remains cautious, adding: 'However, economic headwinds could easily blow any recovery off-course with confidence remaining fragile and volatile amid few signs of stability.' Hard road ahead for retailers Separate data from BDO suggests that while sales in non-essential shops in the first week of reopening, they tapered off in a matter of days. A rapid recovery in sales in the first week after non-essential stores were allowed to reopen tapered off in the following days, according to BDO's data. Sales were around a fifth lower than last year in the first two weeks of last month, but rebounded to only 7.1 per cent down after 15 June, when non-essential shops were allowed to reopen. But hopes of a rapid rebound appear to have been dealt a serious blow the next week, as the decline widened to 15.5 per cent, according to BDO. Sales were still down by 14.4 per cent across the month when compared to last June, suggesting the retail sector has a long way to go on the recovery front. Closures: John Lewis has confirmed it will not be reopening all of its stores Job cuts: Philip Green's Arcadia group has announced it is cutting hundreds of office jobs Job losses: Luxury retailer Harrods is cutting nearly 700 jobs, it announced this week Stores closing: TM Lewin has confirmed that all its 66 UK shops will close as it switches online Retail casualties stemming from the pandemic are mounting thick-and-fast, with big name brands including Harrods, John Lewis, TM Lewin and Arcadia responding swiftly with mass job cutting proposals or store closures. In an email circulated to staff earlier this week, Harrods chief executive Michael Ward said 680 jobs out of its 4800-strong workforce would lose their job, amid dwindling demand from overseas tourists. On Wednesday, John Lewis confirmed that it would no be reopening all of its stores after lockdown, with job cuts on the cards and the partnership bonus at risk of being axed. Meanwhile, workwear chain TM Lewis has announced it plans to close all its 66 shops in Britain, putting around 600 people out of the job. Philip Green's Arcadia group is also cutting 500 office-based jobs this year after grappling with poor sales even before the pandemic. The casual dining sector has also been hit hard amid the pandemic. On Thursday evening, the owner of high street restaurant chains Cafe Rouge and Bella Italia collapsed into administration. Ninety one Casual Dining Group outlets will close immediately, and 1,900 of the firm's 6,000 staff will lose their jobs. Tough times: Retail sales were still down by 14.4% across the month when compared to last June, BDO said Sophie Michael, head of retail and wholesale at BDO, said: 'Despite the opening of non-essential retail and a strong performance of non-store sales in June, retailers have a long way to go to claw their way back following three months of closure.' June capped off five consecutive months of falling like-for-like sales across the country's high streets. That said, last month was the best month since February, according to the figures, with sales bolstered by online outlets and the reopening of non-essential shops. For the second month in a row, homeware businesses showed a set of positive results, with increasing numbers of people trying their hand at DIY or sorting out home offices. The homeware sector saw like-for-like sales increase by over a quarter last month. Ms Michael said: 'The strength of non-store sales throughout the lockdown shows that spending has not entirely dried up, and while the reopening of shops will be a welcome sign, for many it may not bring immediate results. Retailers should remain cautious and continue to invest in the ever-more critical non-store channels, given the acceleration of the continuing shift to online. 'The reality is that consumer confidence remains historically low, well below pre-crisis levels. 'Despite the Government's ambitious plans, the road to recovery will be challenging and fraught with uncertainty until the real impact of the pandemic is understood, and therefore any early signs of a high street recovery may prove to be a false dawn.' Rolls-Royce investors will be itching for more detail about the extent of the damage from the pandemic when it releases a trading update for the first quarter next Thursday. The engine maker has already warned it will need to cut 9,000 jobs and undertake another restructuring to ride out the crisis even though it was still working through a turnaround plan before the outbreak. Trading updates from any company can be notoriously sparse, but profit and revenue warnings and a further breakdown about where the job cuts will fall would be greatly appreciated. Components maker Meggitt said this week that it was seeing an uptick in demand for aerospace work, which was virtually grounded for months and is only slowly restarting. Rolls makes most of its money in the civil aerospace sector from servicing engines rather than selling them. But it could take longer for Rolls to recover, because it specialises in engines for big planes and it is short-haul flying that is expected to rebound more quickly. Rolls recently won a 93million contract with the US navy and Rolls' backers will be keen to know how much its defence arm may or may not be offsetting the passenger plane pain. Eight members of the National Liberation Army [ELN] rebel group have been arrested in Colombia for reportedly participating in the car bombing of a police academy that killed 22 police cadets, the government said Thursday. The arrests were carried out as part of 'Operation 22 Heroes' in cities including Bogota, Zipaquira and Manizales, as well as the settlement of La Esmeralda in Arauca province, which borders Venezuela, where equipment and vehicles were seized. 'Today we show Colombians that in the face of this unfortunate fact, he who commits a crime will pay, and they will pay it dearly,' President Ivan Duque said. 'Justice will be served. These criminals were captured and the full weight of the law must fall on them.' A Colombian police cadet is carried by paramedics following the January 17, 2019, car bombing by the National Liberation Army [ELN] at a police academy in Bogota. The attack killed 22 police cadets and injured 89 people. On Thursday, President Ivan Duque announced eight members of the rebel group had been arrested following a series of operations Law enforcement agents lead one of the eight suspects (center) who were wanted for their involvement in the January 2019 car bombing of a police academy in Bogota, Colombia which left 22 police cadets dead. The suspects each face at least 50 years in prison if convicted Bogota cops search a home that was raided as part of 'Operation 22 Heroes' which was launched following the bombing of a police academy in the Colombian capital on January 17, 2019. The car blast left 22 cadets dead and 89 people injured The January 17, 2019, explosion was the worst attack in years in Colombia's capital, Bogota, and resulted in Duque dismissing the possibility of continuing nascent peace talks with the left-wing group, founded in 1964. The detainees, accused of murder and terrorism, face jail sentences of between 40 and 50 years, Attorney General Francisco Barbosa said. Authorities had earlier captured five other people accused of belonging to the ELN and participating in the attack on the National Police Academy, which injured 89 people. In this image provided by military personnel, flames rise from a deadly car bombing at a Bogota, Colombia police academy on January 17, 2019 Pictured: Eight of the 22 cadets who died as a result of a car bombing in 2019 at a police academy in Bogota, the capital of Colombia Security forces in Colombia preparing themselves for one of the numerous raids that took place early Thursday which led to the arrest of eight members of the National Liberation Army. The rebel group has at least 2,000 fighters and is considered a terrorist group by the United States and European Union Since the bombing, Duque has refused to consider possible peace talks with the group, saying it must first suspend kidnappings and free all hostages. Duque has also insisted the ELN stop recruiting minors, end its attacks on infrastructure, and discontinue its alleged use of landmines. The ELN, which has 2,000 fighters and is considered a terrorist group by the United States and European Union, has declined to meet the demands. 'We once again send a strong message to the terrorists: we are going to keep fighting them, we are going to keep breaking them up,' Duque said. ELN chief negotiator Pablo Beltran told Reuters in May the group would support a three-month global ceasefire proposed by the Untied Nations to help combat the coronavirus pandemic. Colombian law enforcement authorities guard one of the several locations that were raided Thursday Advertisement This is the chilling moment the UK's first female suicide bomb plotter tells police during an interview she was planning a Sri Lanka-style terror attack on St Paul's Cathedral as she is jailed for 14 years. Wearing a black hijab, Muslim convert Safiyya Shaikh, 36, smiled and raised her index finger in a salute associated with ISIS as she was taken to the cells. Shaikh, born Michelle Ramsden in Hounslow, west London, told undercover police officers she wanted to 'do a piece of history and kill as many kuffar as possible' in a day of carnage across the capital. The single mother - who claimed to be a manager at a London garage - ran a chat room dedicated to martyrs and told followers of her determination to become Britain's first female suicide bomber. She was addicted to heroin but said she always wanted to 'do something big' and that killing one infidel was 'not enough for me.' After setting off the two bombs, she wanted to blow herself up on the London Underground, it can be disclosed. Safiyya Shaikh, 36, a mother of one, from Hayes, West London, wanted to attack St Paul's Cathedral and a central London hotel during Easter celebrations Shaikh (pictured giving the Islamic State salute) had told a friend in a prison call that she had not carried out the terror attack because she was 'too stoned', the court was told A CCTV still of Shaikh in the lobby at Great St Helen's Hotel, near the Gherkin office block in the City of London, on September 7, the night before her reconnaissance What does the one finger gesture mean? Raising an index finger is often used in Muslim prayer as a symbol of tawhid. Tawhid is the belief in the oneness of God, a central concept of Islam. The gesture can signify the oneness of Allah. However in recent years the point has also been used by members of IS. Historian Nathaniel Zelinsky has said it could refer to a fundamentalist interpretation of the tawhid which rejects any other views. Advertisement Shaikh told an undercover officer: 'So this is really what I want but I would like to kill a lot brother. Until I'm killed. This is what I really want. Bi'idnillah [god permitting]. 'I am ready for jannah [paradise] but I want to do big things, insha'Allah [god willing].' Shaikh shared images of Charles and Diana's wedding at the St Paul's and wrote: 'If I had choice I blow the church to ground. With kuffar in it,' adding a laughing emoji. 'I want start planning. I am serious about this,' she added. 'It not only words akhi [brother] I want action and revenge deep from my heart.' Shaikh was inspired by the Sri Lanka bombings on Easter Day last year which killed 259 people and wanted to strike when the cathedral was full. Shaikh, whose parents are no longer together, has one brother and one sister. She also has a half-brother from her mother's side. Alison Morgan QC, prosecuting, described her as a 'violent extremist' who had pledged her support for ISIS in a written oath on pink note paper. Shaikh 'gave the impression she was ready, in fact desperate, to launch an attack,' Ms Morgan said. Jailing her for life, with a minimum of 14 years, the judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, said she sought to encourage lone wolf attacks and had become 'determined to carry out terrorists acts of your own in this country.' Pictured: Shaikh's pink 'girly' backpack which was to be filled with explosives ahead of her attack Shaikh during a police interview where she spoke about detonating a bomb. She was inspired by the Sri Lanka bombings on Easter Day last year which killed 259 people The Old Bailey was told how Shaikh (right, in Islamic dress) radicalised in 2015 after converting to Islam in 2007, following an act of kindness by a neighbouring Muslim family The woman pleaded guilty to plotting to bomb St Paul's Cathedral in London (file picture) The judge jailed her for another eight years, concurrently, for running the chatroom. Jenny Hopkins, head of the Counter-Terrorism Division of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: 'Safiyya Shaikh chose to live her life as a violent extremist with a murderous hatred of those who did not share her twisted version of Islam. 'She hoped to inspire others by sharing terrorist images on social media but wanted to go much further. How Shaikh was snared by undercover officers Safiyya Amira Shaikh was snared by undercover officers last year as she planned to plant two explosive devices in central London. In encrypted chat with an undercover officer last August, she said that she would 'rather die young and get to Jannah (paradise) quickest way possible'. She also stated: 'I always knows (sic) I wanted to do something big....killing one kafir (infidel) is not enough for me.' Shaikh expressed a desire to target a church or somewhere 'historical' on a day like Christmas or Easter to 'kill more', according to the case summary. In September last year, she revealed her plan to stay in a hotel near St Paul's then check out the cathedral and 'take photos like a tourist'. On September 24 last year, she met the fake explosive expert's wife in Uxbridge to hand over her bags. Then on October 13, the female undercover officer cancelled a second meeting and police forced their way into Shaikh's flat to arrest her. Advertisement 'The damning evidence presented by the CPS of her planned suicide mission to St Paul's Cathedral left her with no room to talk her way out the charges.' The court heard how she became radicalised in 2007 and followed extremist preachers on Facebook. But she became disillusioned by what she saw as the moderate version of Islam preached in mosques and started to follow and talk to extremists online in 2015. She was radicalised by watching online videos of hate preacher Anjem Choudary and clips of his acolytes on YouTube. In a joint Met Police and MI5 investigation, Shaikh believed that an undercover officer would be able to help her obtain explosives and gave her two bags which she thought would be converted into bombs. She plotted to leave one bomb in St Paul's Cathedral, another in a nearby hotel and a third, to wear as a suicide vest, at a train station. In one message, she told the undercover officer: 'Even though it was first hard to see the beheading videos, but I kept watching more and more and now I love and would take a kuffar [infidel's] head off easy lol [laughs out loud]. She previously had her daughter removed to the care of social services and told a female undercover officer that she was launching a suicide attack so that 'Allah to forgive me for everything.' In September 2019 she visited St Paul's Cathedral and photographed the ceiling, sending the image to the undercover officer with the words: 'Under this dome I would like to put bomb'. The undercover officer arranged for Shaikh to meet his 'wife', known as Azra, in Fassnidge Park in Uxbridge to be fitted for a suicide vest and hand over a Pink Nike holdall and what she referred to as a 'girlie backpack', to be filled with explosives. After she was arrested, Shaikh claimed she had got cold feet and was trying to back out of the plan, but in a recorded telephone conversation from prison, she told a friend: 'I was going to go through with it, I wasn't getting cold feet, I wasn't having doubts. 'The reason why I didn't turn up on the day was that I was doing drugs. I would have arranged another appointment with them, I would have met them. That day I just didn't wake up in time and that's the truth.' When she was first arrested Shaikh could not be interviewed by police because she was on a heroin comedown, a court hearing was told. On August 18 last year, Shaikh was stopped at Luton Airport on her way to the Netherlands under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Her ticket had been purchased by Yousra Lemouesset, the wife of a so-called ISIS 'martyr' who had returned to the Netherlands from Syria after her husband was killed. Shaikh's telephone was examined and her passport was seized from her. She was released but not allowed to travel. A text message sent by Shaikh to an undercover officer about her intentions to bomb St Paul's Cathedral in London, showing the ceiling and message: 'Under this dome I would like put bomb.. It centre of church' A court artist's sketch of Shaikh, who was sentenced for life with a minimum of 14 years today at the Old Bailey in London Two days later, an undercover 'role play' officer, known as 'H', began chatting to her on Threema, an encrypted anonymous messaging app. Shaikh told him: 'I try to inspire others to fight Insha'Allah [god willing] but lately I fell it's not enough. 'I want to take revenge for Allah our Prophet. I hate the kuffar [infidels] for what they do and I fell I cannot live comfortably in this dunya [earthly life] while our ummah [Muslim nation] suffer.' Shaikh believed the man online could get hold of explosives for her and told him she was going to conduct a reconnaissance mission around St Paul's Cathedral. She said she had no 'kafir clothes' of her own and would have to 'take something from my daughter.' 'Also, just in case I was ever stop by police, what story I give them? I was thinking to say am visiting that church cos my gran loved it,' she added. On September 7 last year, Shaikh booked into the 200 a night, Great St Helen Hotel, near the 'Gerkhin' office block in the City of London, and the next day toured the cathedral, noting the number of American and Chinese tourists. A CCTV still of Shaikh on her way to a meeting with an undercover officer. She was jailed for one count of preparation of terrorist acts and one count of dissemination of terrorist publications A still taken from a video of Shaikh (pictured, circled) conducting a recce at St Paul's Cathedral in London She picked up an order of service for Matins, noted down the exit routes and sent images to the officer suggesting she would place a bomb under the dome to bring the whole building down. The next day, she sent an image of herself wearing a red niqab and black headband with Arabic writing on it, and giving the single fingered salute of ISIS. Raising one index finger is often used by Muslims in prayer as a symbol of tawhid, the belief in the oneness of God, but has recently been used by members of IS. Historian Nathaniel Zelinsky has said it could refer to a fundamentalist interpretation of the tawhid which rejects any other views. She wrote: 'I got this the other day. I love it. Always wanted to be a warrior, Soldier of Allah. I just don't want waste any second. If I am gonna die, I want do most I can til end.' Interviewed by police, Shaikh confessed that she planned to carry out a suicide bomb attack like the terrorist attack in Sri Lanka in order to gain access to heaven. Asked what she was planning, she said: 'Obviously if I had the rucksack, you know like what happened in Sri Lanka, like that. I was going to do the same thing - blow everything up.' She said she intended to die in the attack and added: 'I thought that was my way into heaven. I thought that was my way for forgiveness.' Shaikh pleaded guilty to preparing acts of terrorism and disseminating terrorist publications but claimed she would not have gone through with the plan. Shaikh's home in West London. The undercover officer, arranged for Shaikh to meet his 'wife', known as Azra, in Fassnidge Park in Uxbridge Timeline of terror: Shaikh's journey to becoming the UK's first female suicide bomb plotter 2007: Michelle Ramsden, a single mother in her early 20s, is befriended by a kindly Muslim family. Impressed by their warmth, Ramsden converts to Islam. 2016: Ramsden, now known as Safiyya Shaikh, is referred to the Government's Prevent anti-terrorism strategy after rejecting moderate Islam and becoming increasingly extremist. She no longer attends mosque because her fundamentalist ideology does not fit in. August 18 2019: Shaikh is stopped at Luton Airport as she tries to get to Amsterdam. Her ticket is bought by Yousra Lemouesset, who had previously been convicted of assisting Islamic State. August 20: Shaikh begins chatting with a man on an encrypted messaging app, later believing he can source a bomb and help her become a jihadi. She is unaware the man is an undercover police officer. August 22: Shaikh confesses to the undercover agent her desire for martyrdom. She tells him: 'So this is really what I want ... But I would like to kill a lot brother. Until I'm killed. This is what I really want.' August 31: She identifies St Paul's Cathedral as a potential location for the attack, posting a map and an image from the inside of the cathedral online and asking the undercover police officer: 'Is it possible to do here?' September 8: Shaikh carries out a reconnaissance mission in London. She visits St Paul's Cathedral where she spends an hour inside the landmark taking pictures. She describes the prospect of planting a bomb there as 'easy'. September 24: A second undercover officer - pretending to be the wife of the man who Shaikh believes is her would-be accomplice - travels to Uxbridge in west London to meet with Shaikh to discuss the plot. Shaikh breaks down when she discusses her 'really horrible path' and says she wants forgiveness from Allah for 'everything in my life that I've done'. They discuss getting fitted for a suicide vest and agree to meet again the following month. October 10: Shaikh cancels her second meeting with 'the wife' on the day they were due to see each other again, saying she feels unwell. Concerned, police storm her flat and arrest Shaikh. She later tells police: 'I don't know if I ever would have gone through with it because I had doubts.' February 21 2020: Shaikh pleads guilty to preparation of terrorist acts and dissemination of terrorist publications at the Old Bailey. June: Shaikh's sentencing hearing begins, during which her counsel says she had 'doubts' over the plan, and would never have gone ahead with it. Reading press coverage of her case, Shaikh makes a phone call from Bronzefield prison in which she describes the mitigation offered as a 'lie' and maintains her intention was to carry out the attack. July 3: Mr Justice Sweeney sentences Shaikh to life in prison, with a minimum term of 14 years. Shaikh raises her index finger - a widely accepted Islamic State salute - as she is led from court. Advertisement She wept as her legal representation Ben Newton described her 'life of pain and loneliness', and disclosed she suffered a 'truly traumatic childhood'. 'She didn't want to blow up a church of people,' her defence counsel Ben Newton told the Old Bailey. 'She just wanted friends.' Her counsel said she simply had a history of trying to please people, even flying to Pakistan for an arranged marriage against her will before backing out at the last minute and being sent home in disgrace. Conversations with the undercover police revealed she once asked how much of her body would be destroyed by detonating a suicide vest, and also enquired about the date of the September 11 terror attacks. Commander Richard Smith, head of counter-terrorism at Scotland Yard said: 'Safiyya Shaikh was clearly dangerous. She was spreading vile directives for mass murder across the world and also planning her own horrific attack on UK soil. 'I am pleased to say that we were able to identify her plans, assess her intent and then lay before her the evidence of her criminality resulting in the guilty pleas.' He concluded: 'Shaikh was dedicated to her extremist beliefs. In addition to wanting to carry out her own sickening attack on UK soil, she hoped to inspire others to implement attack plans even after she had died. Thanks to the hard work of officers from both the Met Police and MI5, she is instead in jail. 'Every day, including during the pandemic, the national counter terrorism police network is continuing to fight terrorism. We're working with businesses and places of worship to try and keep everyone safe. I urge the public to help us by reporting anything at all suspicious to police.' At the same time as she was planning the attack, Shaikh was running a 'channel' on the encrypted Telegram application called GreenB1rds. The channel disseminated extremist propaganda in support of ISIS and instructional material encouraging others to carry out 'lone wolf' attacks. It included posters threatening attacks on Tower Bridge - wrongly labelled 'London Bridge'- and Big Ben, saying: 'Know O Crusader that you - Allah willing - will soon be pursued in your own homeland.' Ms Morgan said Shaikh 'personally created some of the imagery and videos and also instructed others with necessary skills to create the material, which she then circulated.' The channels were run with a high degree of secrecy and technical application, storing the content in back-ups and re-creating the channels under different details whenever Telegram shut them down. Shaikh kept a 'banned list' of those suspected to be spies, and even created a false persona of herself as a man. Two weeks before her arrest, Shaikh boasted she was now running six 'brothers' channels' along with her own, but added: 'Alhamdullilah it's good, and it's an honur [sic] to be asked.' Others included channels called Lone Wolves and Jannah is my Goal. Shaikh had 15 'admins' who helped her run the GreenB1rds channel of whom seven were 'totally committed,' she said. 'They will continue my work when gone inshaAllah [god willing],' Shaikh told the undercover officer. After her arrest, Shaikh told a probation officer that when she ran the chatroom she 'felt happier than she had ever done.' She talked of having a 'sense of purpose and no longer feeling empty' and said that any doubt expressed about going through with the attack was mainly because her daughter had unexpectedly been returned to her care. Mr Sweeney said: 'I have asked myself whether life is required, and in my view, self-evidently it is, not least because it is impossible to predict whether you will be safe at the end of a determinate sentence.' Boeing Co is pulling the plug on its 747 jumbo jet, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. The 747 democratized global air travel in the 1970s but fell behind modern twin-engine passenger jets. The last 747-8 will roll out of a Seattle area factory in about two years, according to the Bloomberg report. When contacted by Reuters, Boeing did not confirm the Bloomberg report. 'At a build rate of 0.5 airplanes per month, the 747-8 program has more than two years of production ahead of it in order to fulfill our current customer commitments,' a Boeing spokesman told Reuters. A Boeing 747-8 operated by Lufthansa takes off from Airport Tegel in Berlin in February 2018. Boeing will phase out production of the jumbo jets, it was reported The first-ever Boeing 747 that was rolled out from the company's factory in Everett, Washington, is seen above in September 1968 The above undated file photo shows a Boeing 747-400 on the production-line at the wing fuselage join stage 'We will continue to make the right decisions to keep the production line healthy and meet customer needs.' Boeing's 747 plane is enjoying a second life as a cargo mule for companies like United Parcel Service due to a freight market boom fueled by online shopping. In 2016, Boeing said it could end 747 production amid falling orders and pricing pressure. Major US carriers like United Continental Holdings and Delta Air Lines have already said goodbye to the 747. The revolutionary aircraft, nicknamed 'Queen of the Skies,' was designed to provide seating for growing numbers of passengers and heralded the beginning of the age of air travel for the masses when it first flew in February 1969. But airlines began moving toward smaller planes that burn less fuel for their long-haul routes. A Boeing employee works in the forward section of the 747-8 Intercontinental jumbo jet at the company's manufacturing facility in Everett, Washington, on February 12, 2011 The revolutionary aircraft, nicknamed 'Queen of the Skies,' was designed to provide seating for growing numbers of passengers and heralded the beginning of the age of air travel for the masses when it first flew in February 1969. The above image shows the plane's interior Engineers work on the fuselage belly skin panels at a Boeing factory in this undated file photo A Thai Airways International pilot flies a Boeing 747-400 cockpit simulator in this undated file photo Since the first flight of the Boeing 747, the jumbo has transported 3.5 billion passengers as well as billions of tons of cargo all around the planet including another aviation icon, the Space Shuttle, which was ferried around America on the back of a jumbo. More than any other aircraft, the jumbo jet, with its ability to transport around 600 passengers over 8,000 miles at just under the speed of sound, shrunk the world. Although nearly 1,600 have been built since 1969, there are only around 350 still flying. British Airways, Boeing's biggest jumbo customer, has only 34 in the air, with a further 36 in storage. By 2024, the airline will have stopped flying them altogether. Dutch airline KLM is also phasing them out, while Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines are now only using 747s which weigh 435 tons at full-capacity as cargo planes. The Shuttle Orbiter is mounted on top of a Boeing 747 carrier aircraft as it is being transported from landing site to launch site in this file photo from 1977 United Airlines flew its last 747 flight in 2017. Delta retired its fleet of 747s months later. The jumbo's demise can be traced to its its cost. On a practical level, it is now possible to fly around 400 passengers across the Atlantic on two engines, and it makes little financial sense to fly 600 people the same distance on the jumbo's four. Environmental tariffs and landing fees levied by airports have also dramatically increased. One of the police officers investigated over photographs connected with the death of Elijah McClain in Colorado has resigned, Aurora police said Thursday. In a tweet, the department said that Jaron Jones was one of those depicted in the photos, which were taken sometime after McClain's death last summer. The department has not released details about what they show or said how many officers were being investigated. It said the photographs were taken near where three white officers stopped the black man as he walked down the street and put him in a chokehold. Jones, who has been with the department for more than three years, could not be located for comment. In a tweet, the department said that Jaron Jones was one of those depicted in the photos, which were taken sometime after Elijah McClain's death last summer Aurora Interim Police Chief Vanessa Wilson released a statement late Monday saying she learned of the apparent images on Thursday and 'immediately' ordered an Internal Affairs investigation as a 'top priority'. After Aurora's internal investigation was announced, the federal agencies also said they have been reviewing Elijah McClain's death since last year to determine if a civil rights investigation is warranted into that as well Wilson declined to specify what the photographs showed, when they were taken or what the officers were doing near the memorial for McClain, whose death in August last year has been at the center of protests throughout Colorado against racism and police brutality. However, sources told CBS Denver the photographs allegedly show the three officers re-enacting the carotid restraint that was used on McClain during his fatal arrest near the 1900 block of Billings Street. The U.S. Attorney's Office, the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the FBI also are looking into the photos to see if they should launch a civil rights investigation. After Aurora's internal investigation was announced, the federal agencies also said they have been reviewing McClain's death since last year to determine if a civil rights investigation is warranted into that as well. The Justice Department usually does not comment on investigations until they are complete, but the announcement noted that 'there are specific cases in which doing so is warranted if such information is in the best interest of the public and public safety.' In body cam footage of the fatal incident, McClain is heard pleading with the officers that, 'I just can't breathe correctly'. He went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and died days later The Aurora PD later determined that the three officers involved in McClain's death had acted within acceptable policy and training, with the district attorney overseeing the case declining to level any criminal charges against them Three officers stopped McClain as he walked down a street last August after a 911 call reported him as suspicious. Police placed him in a chokehold, and paramedics administered 500 milligrams of sedative to calm him down. The 23-year-old suffered cardiac arrest, was later declared brain dead and taken off life support. A local district attorney declined to file charges against police or the paramedics, citing an inconclusive autopsy. McClain's death generated renewed attention after the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis in May stirred worldwide protests over racial injustice and police brutality. Governor Jared Polis last week appointed a special prosecutor to review the case, and an internal affairs investigation has been launched into three officers who took photographs of themselves at the scene. A glamorous Instagram model has been arrested after she was allegedly found with a haul of stolen goods inside two Nike shoe boxes. Monique Marina Agostino, 25, was swooped on by Strike Force Raptor officers at Harris Park, western Sydney, on Wednesday and charged with three counts of stealing goods. The former northern beaches schoolgirl appeared at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday accused of breaching bail conditions and stealing the collection of odd items, The Daily Telegraph reported. Instagram model Monique Marina Agostino (pictured) was arrested on Wednesday over an outstanding warrant and charged with three counts of stealing goods The single mother (pictured) appeared in Parramatta Local Court on Thursday Agostino, 25, was accused of keeping a haul of odd stolen goods in two Nike shoe boxes Agostino pleaded not guilty to the charges after allegedly stealing men's cufflinks, photo identification cards, Medicare cards, four bank cards, a pensioner's prescription forms and vehicle registration papers. Police had been searching for Agostino, a single mother who grew up in Belrose, for an outstanding arrest warrant when they stopped the silver Subaru Forester she was driving. Magistrate Kevin Hocking granted Agostino bail on the conditions that she report to Blacktown police station daily and adhere to a curfew between 10pm and 6am. Agostino, who briefly worked at a real estate agency in Manly, was released on bail earlier this year after appealing against a jail sentence she was handed in December. She was sentenced to 18 months behind bars over a string of charges linked to break-and-enter robberies on cafes and convenience stores in November 2018. Agostino was involved in a break-in at the Pound of Pizza restaurant and attempted break-ins at the House of Fruit convenience store and Le Parisien Cafe in Killarney Heights on November 6. The group then drove 15km to St Ives where they broke into the Stanley Street Cafe less than an hour after the first attacks. The single mother went on a burglary spree in November 2018, targeting several cafes and convenience stores across Sydney's northern beaches Agostino has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for her role in the spate of burglaries, which included breaking into four premises in less than one hour Agostino was granted bail on Thursday and is set to appear at court at a later date Less than three weeks later, Agostino was again involved in a burglary, breaking in to the Forestville Bakery where $1000 was stolen. Agostino was sentenced in 2019 to 18 months in jail for the break-and-enter robberies on cafes and convenience stores The court heard how Agostino drove a number of teenage boys wearing black masks to the shops where they jemmied open the doors using a chisel. Her appeal was scheduled to be heard at Downing Centre court on July 22. Agostino was also sentenced on a second separate spate of charges for crimes committed at Blacktown Westfield Shopping Centre in May 2019. Those charges were for offences including possessing three diazepam tablets - a restricted benzodiazepine once known as Valium, possessing the prohibited drug ice, possessing a knife in Target and stealing a $90 jacket from budget clothing retailer Supre. She also received separate jail terms of two months apiece in 2019 for a series of bail offences for failing to appear in court. Agostino's matter will return to court at a later date. Pictured: Agostino outside court in February 2019 after skipping her first court date A glaring loophole in national coronavirus guidelines allowed an infected Woolworths worker to leave hotel quarantine in Melbourne without being retested for the disease. The man tested positive for coronavirus when he arrived in Melbourne from Bangladesh on June 11 before spending two weeks in hotel quarantine. But after the 14 days were over, he was allowed to leave on June 26 without being retested for the disease. National coronavirus guidelines have no requirement for infected people to return a negative result before being allowed to leave quarantine. The man flew back to Sydney and immediately began working at Woolworths in the inner-west suburb of Balmain before testing positive again on Wednesday. A Balmain Woolworths staffer infected with COVID-19 worked two shifts before testing positive for a second time. A loophole in national guidelines allowed him to leave hotel quarantine without being retested NSW Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant said mandatory retesting is not in place. 'We do not necessarily test everyone to get them for clearance,' Ms Chant said, according to ABC News. 'We know that people can have remnants of the virus for eight weeks, the virus is dead, not infectious.' Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said Victorian authorities followed national guidelines but admitted the lack of retesting to clear infected people was a problem. 'That's (retesting is) an emerging issue that we need to get on top of, clearly,' Professor Kelly said on 7:30 on Wednesday night. 'In terms of what happened about clearance from quarantine, my understanding is Victorian authorities did exactly what is required from the national guidelines, and so this symptoms that occurred after he arrived back in Sydney appeared to be a new thing and so the right thing was done at that time.' NSW Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant (pictured) said: 'We do not necessarily test everyone to get them for clearance.' News of a testing loophole in national guidelines comes after Woolworths customers were urged to get tested for coronavirus. Shoppers who are displaying symptoms of the virus and visited Balmain Woolworths on June 27 and June 28 should get tested, NSW Health said. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said anyone who visited the store on days the man worked should be tested if they had any flu or cold-like symptoms, however mild. 'NSW Health is now acting on a precautionary basis. Balmain residents should be on alert for any symptoms and come forward and get tested,' Mr Hazzard said. 'In NSW, we have always taken a strong position on hotel quarantine, processing more than 30,000 returning travellers since March 29.' Recently arrived overseas travellers arrive at Crown Promenade Hotel for two weeks of hotel quarantine. The infected Woolworths worker was allowed to leave quarantine without being retested, which is surprisingly not required required by national guidelines Alarming footage has also emerged of elderly COVID-19 susceptible shoppers using the self-service checkouts at Woolworths Balmain. While there is no suggestion the women were at risk of contracting COVID-19, the footage confirms what Ms Berejiklian is concerned about - Australians getting back to normal life, doing their groceries - and thinking they can no longer get the virus. The decision to keep the store open has outraged locals, with one woman taking to a popular Facebook group and telling others she had called Woolworths to complain. 'I have just spoken to Woolworths head office who told me that the store was closed and when I assured them it wasn't she checked the details,' one woman wrote. 'I was then told the store was still open because it had been deep cleaned last night so it could remain open. 'My argument was that if this happened in a school it would be closed for two days while it was deep cleaned. Why would this not happen at a grocery store?' A woman (left) uses a self-service checkout at Balmain Woolworths while specialist cleaners and management (right) discuss how to deep clean the store Balmain Woolworths was deep cleaned on Wednesday night and 50 of its workers are in isolation after it emerged one worker was infected. The man contracted COVID-19 in Bangladesh and tested positive when he arrived in Melbourne before going into hotel quarantine from June 11 to June 26. He was then allowed to leave the hotel and fly back to Sydney on Jetstar Flight JQ510 on Friday, June 26. After landing in Sydney, the man worked at the Balmain Woolworths that weekend. When he started to show COVID-19 symptoms again he underwent another test which returned a positive result on Wednesday. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:40 pm The Centralia City Council held a workshop on Tuesday evening to discuss how the city plans to utilize the $515,100 of federal COVID-19 relief funding. The council discussed the details of an application process for non-profit organizations to receive a portion of the funds and the creation of a scrips program. At the Centralia City Council meeting on June 9, the council approved the signing of an interagency agreement with the Washington State Department of Commerce to receive the $515,100 in CARES Act funding. Ideas for how to spend the funds were casually discussed at the meeting and the council asked city staff to put together a plan for how to spend the funds. That plan was discussed at the workshop. The applications for the Centralia Cares Response Proposal Program from non-profit organizations should propose how they plan to use the money in direct response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The minimum amount of funds the organizations can apply for is $50,000. An application is in the process of being developed by city staff and will be available on the City of Centralias website by July 6. The deadline for an organization to submit a proposal will be July 20, the council will review the proposals on July 28 and the chosen organizations will need to spend the funds and seek reimbursement from the city by Oct. 15. We will have the application on our website no later than July 6. The draft application is going through some final review processes with staff. When it is published we will have a notice put out on the city Facebook page saying the application is available on the city website, said Bret Brodersen, Centralias financial director. Brodersen said that the city will hold a virtual question and answer session for those interested in applying for CARES Act funding. The details of the scrip program were not finalized at the workshop city staff will prepare a resolution for consideration and the city council will vote on it at their next council meeting on July 14 at 7 p.m. City staff researched the options for a scrip program and Brodersen presented the general requirements to the council for discussion at the workshop. The city is looking to allocate $50,000 of the CARES Act funds toward the scrip program. The scrips would only be available to Centralia residents who complete the application and meet either the income thresholds or are enrolled in the senior discount program at the City of Centralia utilities. An eligible household will receive a set amount based upon the household size with a maximum award of $250 to be spent at participating Centralia businesses. More details will be presented at the upcoming Centralia city council meeting. Businesses that would like to be involved in the scrip program would need to apply, must have a Centralia Business License, and must agree to keep the scrips that they collect until the end of the program then return them to the city for reimbursement. Scrips would have no cash value and must be spent by Sept. 30 but cannot be used to purchase tobacco products, marijuana, alcohol, ammunition or firearms. Australian bikie gangs have set up in Thailand to recruit drug smugglers to import hundreds of kilos of drugs into the country. The Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force stopped an attempt by outlaw motorcycle gangs stationed in south-east Asia to import 1053 kilograms of MDMA into NSW this year. Another joint operation in June lead to the arrest of a member of the Mongols Outlaw Motorcycle Gang who was allegedly involved in importing 25L of the drug GBL from China into Sydney. The AFP said outlaw motorcycle gangs have set up bases in south-east Asia to expand their membership and direct and control the movement of drugs into Australia. The Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force stopped an attempt by outlaw motorcycle gangs stationed in south-east Asia to import 1053 kilograms of MDMA into NSW this year (pictured: The Thailand chapter of the Mongols Outlaw Motorcycle gane) An investigation into the criminal organisation responsible for the shipment of meth was sparked after the ABF found MDMA inside buckets labelled as tile adhesive inside a South Korean shipping container. Police raided several properties in March and found MDMA, cocaine and methamphetamine. This lead to the arrest of six men from Sydney who were charged with various drug-related offences. Another sting in Queensland led to the arrest of a 26-year-old man from Hamilton in Brisbane who was charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug. Police allege the man is a patched member of the Mongols Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. The Hells Angels have also been detected by police and border officials to be coordinating drug smuggling operations from Malaysia to Australia. AFP assistant commissioner Nigel Ryan said they are prepared for more attempts by motorcycle gangs to move drugs in Australia once coronavirus border restrictions are eased in south-east Asia. 'Outlaw motorcycle gangs are a threat to south-east Asia and Australia due to their recognised transnational organised crime links, criminal activities and local and international networks,' Mr Ryan told The Age. 'It is almost certain that OMCGs will continue to expand their presence and influence in south-east Asia to benefit their criminal enterprises.' The AFP and state police also believe the motorcycle gangs will try to smuggle drugs throughout the country once state border restrictions are eased later in July. The AFP said outlaw motorcycle gangs have set up bases in south-east Asia to expand their membership and direct and control the movement of drugs into Australia (pictured: 300 kilograms of meth inside steel gates from Vietnam to be smuggled into Victoria) Mr Ryan said the AFP will continue to work with overseas law enforcement to disrupt the criminal activities of bikie gangs in the region. 'In 2019 more than 25 foreign visas held by Australian OMCG members were cancelled by respective foreign governments, displacing them from or preventing their entry to countries in which these individuals may have been seeking to expand their criminal enterprise,' Mr Ryan said. The Australian Federal Police have been contacted for comment. Finance Minister Matthias Cormann will reportedly quit after the October 6 budget. A senior government source told the AFR that Senator Cormann plans to leave politics before the end of this year. He is reportedly considering a job with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development or in the private sector. Finance Minister Matthias Cormann (pictured) will reportedly quit after the October 6 budget A senior government source said that Senator Cormann plans to leave politics before the end of this year Mr Cormann (centre in blue) is considered a safe pair of hands for managing the nation's finances The 49-year-old, who was born in Belgium and moved to Australia aged 25, entered the Senate in 2007 and has been part of the cabinet since 2013. He is regarded as a safe pair on hands when it comes to managing the nation's finances and will be missed as Australia faces a deep recession. The federal government usually delivers its annual budget in May, but the financial report was delayed this year because of the coronavirus. The government will provide a budget update on July 23 that will outline the coalition's plans for JobSeeker and JobKeeper and other economic issues. Since March, the federal government has spent $153.7billion on three separate stimulus packages. Deloitte Access Economics is also forecasting a $143billion budget deficit for 2019-20 that would comprise 7.1 per cent of gross domestic product, the largest since World War II. The Parliamentary Budgetary Office is also forecasting government debt of close to $1trillion by the end of the decade. Despite that, the Grattan Institute wants the commonwealth government to spend another $70billion to $90billion on extra economic stimulus, including revamping and extending JobKeeper. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has cautioned against making the dole too generous, even though Australia's unemployment rate in May rose to a 19-year high of 7.1 per cent Since April 27, the JobSeeker benefit has been temporarily doubled from the old Newstart rate of $565.70 a fortnight to $1,115.70, with a $550 coronavirus supplement. Pictured is a Centrelink queue in March The Reserve Bank is forecasting a ten per cent plunge in Australia's economic output in the first half of 2020, or a level equivalent to four-and-a-half years of gross domestic product, as a result of the coronavirus business shutdowns. Unemployment at a glance in May 2020 The jobless rate surged to 7.1 per cent in May - the highest since October 2001 This occurred as 227,700 people lost their job or gave up looking for one The ranks of the unemployed swelled to 927,600 - the highest number since December 1993 Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics labour force data for May Advertisement Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in June acknowledged Australia was most likely already in recession, a situation that hasn't occurred since 1991. With the economy set to suffer from the sharpest contraction since the 1930s Great Depression, the Grattan Institute is calling on the government to scrap plans for compulsory employer superannuation contributions to be increased from 9.5 per cent now to 12 per cent by July 2025. 'Increasing compulsory superannuation would further dampen spending,' it said. 'Legislated plans to increase the rate of compulsory superannuation contributions incrementally to 12 per cent of wages between 2021 and July 2025 would also exacerbate the economic problems caused by COVID-19, and should be abandoned.' Australia's unemployment rate surged to a 19-year high of 7.1 per cent in May, as 227,700 people either lost their job or gave up looking for one. The Reserve Bank is bracing for a ten per cent jobless rate by June, a level unseen since April 1994. Treasury is expecting unemployment to peak at eight per cent in September - a rate that hasn't been experienced since July 1998. Jetstar has announced a mega sale mid-year sale with tickets starting from $45 as holidaymakers prepare for travel restrictions to ease. The Australian carrier announced the Friday Fare Frenzy sale in time for the second week of school holidays and as states reopen their borders. The sale launches at 12pm Friday until 8pm, unless sold out prior. The Australian carrier announced the Friday Fare Frenzy sale in time for the second week of school holidays and as states reopen their borders (Port Douglas beach in Queensland) The sale launches at 12pm Friday until 8pm, unless sold out prior (Couple enjoying a picnic in Adelaide) For the first time since restrictions began, Australians can enjoy a quick getaway from Gold Coast to Adelaide, Cairns to Sydney, Brisbane to Hobart and Cairns to Gold Coast. Other routes will include Sydney to Gold Coast and Newcastle to Brisbane. Tasmania will reopen its borders on July 24 with Premier Mark Gutwein being cautious as the state eases up on restrictions. The airline has reported a massive increase in flight bookings since Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced borders will reopen on July 10 to all states except for Victoria. More than 2,000 bookings were made on Tuesday on the popular route from Sydney to Gold Coast and Brisbane to Sydney. Demand for flights between South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales has seen an increase in demand with a whopping 25,000 airfares sold since Tuesday. Qantas is also expected to slash ticket prices by up to 85 per cent in time for the borders reopening. Flights to Hobart (pictured) will also be available, however Tasmania will reopen its borders on July 24 Despite New South Wales not closing their borders, residents will now be able to enjoy a getaway in other states (Bondi Beach) South Australia announced an ease of restrictions for travellers entering the state from the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania. Anyone entering the state will no longer have to quarantine for 14-days but instead fill in a pre-approved form for entry. Queensland won't accept travellers coming from Victoria as the state experiences a huge spike in positive coronavirus cases. Anyone arriving in the state from Victoria will be required to self-isolate in a hotel at their own expense. Travellers from other states will have to provide proof that they had not been in Victoria in the previous 14 days. At least 171 students living in or near fraternity houses at University of Washington in Seattle have tested positive for the virus, as hundreds of test results are still pending. The university first learned on Saturday that three fraternity residents had symptoms of COVID-19. By Thursday the university reported that at least 66 students tested positive for the virus 62 were fraternity house residents and four were close contacts of the residents but lived elsewhere. The Interfraternity Council, a student-run governing board, reported that at least 105 students living in 15 fraternity houses have self-reported that they tested positive for the virus. The University is still verifying the status of these cases. The Greek Row outbreak comes as public health officials in Seattle noticed a spike in cases among young people between the ages of 18 and 20. The Interfraternity Council have now asked fraternity houses to stop holding social events following the outbreak. At least 171 students living in or near fraternity houses at University of Washington in Seattle have tested positive for the virus, as hundreds of test results are still pending. A file image of students at the University of Washington campus above A view of a frat house at the University of Washington above. There are currently 1,000 students living in 25 fraternity houses on the north side of the Seattle campus University spokeswoman Michelle Ma said more than 800 students have been tested since Monday in response to the outbreak rocking the Greek community at the campus. There are currently 1,000 students living in 25 fraternity houses on the north side of the Seattle campus. Residents of those houses are being asked to quarantine or self-isolate. The university says itll have an updated case count early next week. UW Medicine has set up a testing facility on campus within walking distance of the greek houses. Daniel Leifer, a pediatrician who studies dermatology at UW, said he saw about a dozen parties as he walked through Greek Row in recent months. He recounted seeing students standing close together, not wearing masks, and ignoring coronavirus precautions. Nurses wait for a patient to arrive for a COVID-19 screening at an appointment-only drive-up clinic set up by the University of Washington Medical Center Northwest Outpatient Medical Center on March 17 'While we were pleased to see most of the houses had previously taken measures to reduce resident capacity by up to 50% this summer in response to COVID-19, those measures are not sufficient without vigilant, daily preventive measures, such as wearing face coverings, physical distancing and hand hygiene,' Dr. Geoffrey Gottlieb, chair of the UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases, said in response to the outbreak. Health experts now say the outbreak, along with a spike in cases among student athletes, could be a cautionary tale of what could happen if colleges reopen in the fall. The University of Washington said this week they hope to reopen in-person classes, but larger lessons will be held virtually. But those reopening plans could change due to the spread. The University of Washington and Public Health, and Seattle and King Counties are responding to the cluster of cases and their recent contacts. The Greens have ridiculed Australia's plan to spend $270billion on defence hardware during the coming decade and suggested spending that money on the homeless instead. The left-wing party's leader Adam Bandt said the scaling up of military capabilities would fail to protect Australia from China, and claimed Prime Minister Scott Morrison's spending spree was designed to help Donald Trump get re-elected. 'As a small to medium power, Australia is not going to be able to outgun China,' he told Sky News on Thursday night. With the Eden-Monaro by-election looming on Saturday, Mr Bandt said the money earmarked for defence spending during the coming decade would be better spent helping the homeless in southern New South Wales. 'Spending $270billion on unnecessary weapons is just wrong while bushfire survivors are still sleeping in tents in Eden-Monaro,' Mr Bandt said. The Greens have ridiculed Australia's plan to spend $270billion on defence hardware during the coming decade and suggested spending that money instead on the homeless. Pictured is Greens leader Adam Bandt Mr Morrison this week said Australia faced the gravest threat to its existence since World War II - when the Japanese bombed Darwin and sent midget submarines into Sydney Harbour. 'We have not seen the conflation of global economic and strategic uncertainty now being experienced here in Australia in our region since the existential threat we faced when the global and regional order collapsed in the 1930s and 1940s,' the Prime Minister said. Military experts fear China, under President Xi Jinping's authoritarian leadership, will spark a war in Asia within ten years as it escalates territorial disputes from India to the South China Sea. Despite that, Mr Bandt suggested boosting Australia's defence spending would put Australia in more danger. 'This isn't going to make Australia safer, in fact it's going to contribute to increased military tensions in the region,' he said. Mr Bandt, the member for Melbourne, downplayed the prospect of China even invading Australia. 'There are better ways to spend money to increase the personal security of people in this country and when you look at what's happening in our region, the big thing that has happened since the 2016 Defence White Paper came out that said Australia is not at risk of being invaded,' he said. The minor party's leader Adam Bandt said the scaling up of military capabilities would fail to protect Australia from China, hinting Prime Minister Scott Morrison's spending spree was designed to help Donald Trump win a second term Military experts fear China, under President Xi Jinping's authoritarian leadership, will spark a war in Asia as it escalates territorial disputes from India to the South China Sea. He is pictured in October 2019 inspecting troops at a parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Communist rule Mr Bandt also claimed Mr Morrison's announcement about a significant defence spending boost was somehow designed to coincide with US President Donald Trump's plan to be re-elected in November. 'Donald Trump is facing re-election, he's behaving increasingly belligerently and erratically on the world stage and now Australia has been caught up in Donald Trump's domestic politics,' he said. More than half of $270billion will be spent on improving Australia's air and maritime forces, including buying new AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles from the US. The missiles, which were designed in the United States in 2014, cost about $5million each and can hit a target 370km away, giving Australia significant new range. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's director of defence, strategy and national security Michael Shoebridge said China under President Xi was increasingly aggressive - making a war in the Asia-Pacific more likely within the next decade. More than half of $270billion will be spent on improving Australia's air and maritime forces, including buying new AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles from the US (pictured) 'The most obvious source of military conflict in our region is Beijing under Xi Jinping,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'This all means that major military conflict in our region is now credible well within the "ten years warning time" that Australian strategy has been based on until now.' A hot war in Asia would mark the bloodiest ideological conflict in Asia since the height of the Cold War. Australia, under Robert Menzies, sent troops to the Korean War in 1950 and to the Vietnam War in 1962 in a bid to crush Communist forces and support the United States - Australia's biggest defence ally since World War II. In 2020, Mr Shoebridge said China was Australia's biggest military threat, despite being Australia's biggest trading partner, and the No.1 buyer of iron ore exports used to make steel. 'This flows from the coercive, expansionist behaviour of the Chinese government,' he said. A distraught wife whose husband was rejected for an Australian spousal visa fled into a bathroom and took an overdose while filming a documentary. The confronting moment was caught on camera as the couple filmed a program about the country's immigration system. Melbourne woman Satinder and her husband Sumit, both in their 30s and from India, married in Australia in 2015 after three years of dating. The newlyweds applied for a spouse visa for Sumit so he could stay in Victoria with his Australian-citizen wife, but he had to wait out the approval process in India after previously overstaying a visa. In the first episode of SBS's new documentary series 'Who Gets to Stay in Australia?' which aired on Wednesday night, Satinder's lawyer delivered the heartbreaking verdict the visa was rejected. Satinder and her husband Sumit, both in their 30s and from India, married in 2015 (pictured together) At the time of filming, in 2019, the couple had spent more than three and a half years on separate continents. 'Unfortunately theyve decided to refuse the visa. They don't believe it is a genuine relationship,' the lawyer explains in the first episode which aired on Wednesday. The lawyer tells Satinder the next step would be to appeal the decision, a process that can take more than two years. 'I have already waited three and a half years, this is not a fake relationship,' Satinder says through tears. 'I know now want I want to do.' The lawyer says she believes there is still a chance, but Satinder responds 'there is no hope'. The couple first met as students in Melbourne in 2007, with their friendship eventually blossoming into a relationship five years later She excuses herself from the table, passing her phone to a SBS producer as she goes to the kitchen sink and fills a glass of water before going to the bathroom where she takes an overdose. After a long-wait she returns, and issues a dire message to the Department of Home Affairs that if anything bad happens to her they are responsible. Her chilling warning caused concern among the camera crew, who suspected something was wrong and called an ambulance. Satinder and Sumit's story is one of 13 featured in the four-part documentary investigating the mental health impact of Australia's immigration system on visa applicants. More than 25,000 applications for permanent residency in Australia are refused each year. After spending more than three years for the government to reach a decision, the devastating news Sumit's visa had been refused drove Satinder (pictured) to try to take her own life Muradiye Selvi, a consultant psychologist working in Melbourne, said many of her patients are temporary visa holders who are waiting for a decision from the Department of Home Affairs. 'The sense of insecurity, the prolonged waiting and the inability to set up a future for yourself - along with the fear of removal from the host country - these cause migrants on temporary visas detrimental mental health issues,' she told SBS News. Ms Selvi said the diagnosis she sees can include post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, psychosomatic disorders and adjustment disorder. 'They're waiting for their residency to be able to continue the life that they had planned here in this country, so theyre living in this state of protracted uncertainty,' she said. 'Major depressive disorder is also one that we have to work with intensely. Unfortunately, one of the major symptoms is suicide ideation. The mindset is "I might as well die rather than go back". It's an utter sense of despair.' If you or anyone you know is experiencing mental health issues contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. A 72-year-old man has been arrested for pushing an 86-year-old out of an elevator in their Miami Beach complex, saying he did it to protect him and his wife against COVID-19. Nachem Gross, 72, faces charges of aggravated battery of an elderly person after surveillance footage showed him shoving Gerald Steiglitz, 86, out of an elevator in the Portofino Tower condominium. But Gross has defended his actions, claiming he was trying to protect himself from coronavirus in line with the building's rules around social distancing that allow only two people in the elevators at a time. A 72-year-old man has been arrested for pushing an 86-year-old out of an elevator in their Miami Beach complex, saying he did it to protect him and his wife against COVID-19 Surveillance footage of the incident, dated June 22, shows the elevator door opening and Steiglitz trying to enter. Gross, who is already inside with his wife, is seen holding up two fingers in what appears to be a gesture about the social distancing rules allowing only two people in the space at a time. Steiglitz, who like Gross is wearing a face mask, continues to make his way into the elevator and is shoved back by Gross. Steiglitz is seen falling backwards off camera and Gross then steps out the lift after him. The alleged victim said he still had a bruise on his upper thigh several days after the incident. He told NBC Miami the two men had been friendly to each other prior to the altercation. Nachem Gross, 72, (bottom right) faces charges of aggravated battery of an elderly person after surveillance footage showed him shoving Gerald Steiglitz, 86, (top right) out of an elevator in the Portofino Tower condominium. Gross is seen is seen holding up two fingers in what appears to be a gesture about social distancing rules allowing only two people in the space at a time Steiglitz, who like Gross is wearing a face mask, continues to make his way into the elevator and is shoved back by Gross 'I saw him before in the building, in the swimming pool and the elevators. We always were friendly, hello, and that was it. But he could have said to me, 'go down, take the next one,' said Steiglitz. 'He just pushed me out. I'm not looking for financial reward. I'm not looking for anything.' Gross turned himself in to Miami Beach Police at around 9a.m. Thursday to face the charges brought against him. Footage from NBC Miami shows the elderly man arriving at Miami-Dade Corrections Center in the back of a police cruiser where he was booked. He has since posted bond and was released. Gross's defense attorney Michael Grieco is calling for the charges against him to be dropped, saying it was a 'stand your ground' case where the elderly man was protecting himself and his wife from the risks of contracting coronavirus. Grieco said the condo association where the two men live had recently ordered that no more than two people can ride the elevator at a time to limit the spread of the deadly virus. Footage from NBC Miami shows Gross arriving at Miami-Dade Corrections Center in the back of a police cruiser where he was booked The Portofino Tower condominium where the altercation took place. Gross has defended his actions, claiming he was trying to protect himself from coronavirus in line with the building's rules around social distancing that allow only two people in the elevators at a time Miami-Dade County does not have any specific emergency orders around the number of people who can occupy elevators at one time and has left it up to individual facilities to set rules. Grieco also said both Gross and his wife have pre-existing health conditions which make them especially vulnerable to the virus. 'Law enforcement made a huge mistake today by arresting someone for essentially protecting himself. In this world of COVID, every human being right now is a loaded weapon,' Grieco told NBC Miami. Gross's attorney also blasted law enforcement for bringing the elderly man into a jail - environments which are known to be hotbeds for COVID-19 due to their cramped conditions. 'The decision to arrest Mr. Gross is ridiculous. It's absolutely a ridiculous decision to make,' said Grieco. 'They decide to put handcuffs on a 72-year-old man who's already got health risks, and put him in the Miami-Dade jail. It is a terrible decision. It's beyond bad optics. What happens if my client gets sick?' People relax in Miami Beach on Thursday. Miami-Dade County reported another 2,304 coronavirus cases, taking its total to 40,265 - the highest tally of any county in Florida Miami Beach was busy Thursday ahead of July 4 celebrations this weekend. Miami Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced he is mandating a countywide curfew starting Friday in desperate efforts to slow the burgeoning outbreak across the county Fears are mounting that Florida is on track to become the new virus epicenter as daily infections have surged to record high levels in recent weeks. The state's health department on Thursday recorded 10,109 daily cases - marking yet another single-day record and pushing it's total confirmed cases to 169,106. Miami-Dade County also reported another 2,304 cases, taking its total to 40,265 - the highest tally of any county in the state. Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced he is mandating a countywide curfew starting Friday in desperate efforts to slow the burgeoning outbreak. The curfew will run from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and will go on indefinitely. Gimenez also expanded the order on face masks in public, mandating that people must now wear them outdoors even if social distancing can be maintained. Coronavirus cases are surging across the US with a record 52,000 new COVID-19 being reported in the last 24 hours alone, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Experts have warned that more people will die from the coronavirus as the number of active cases rise in Australia. Victoria recorded 66 additional cases on Friday, with 22 people admitted to hospital. Six of those remain in intensive care while another two people remain in hospital in New South Wales. Experts have become concerned about the coronavirus trend in Australia - with one chief medical officer warning more deaths are imminent. Pictured: ADF worker carries samples from COVID-19 testing clinic in Melbourne Twenty-six people are in hospital with coronavirus around the country. There are 22 people in hospital in Victoria, with six in the intensive care unit. Pictured: graph of hospitalisations in Australia as of yesterday. Two more people have been placed in ICU since it's creation CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton warned there is the possibility more deaths will happen after the state's huge spike in cases over the last fortnight. 'When you've got significant community transmission, when you've got 70-odd cases every day, there is absolutely a possibility, an expectation, that some of those people will die,' he said. Of the new cases in Victoria, seven are linked to outbreaks at schools as of Thursday. With 17 schools closed in recent weeks for cleaning following COVID-19 cases, Professor Sutton said he will review whether students in the locked-down areas should return to school. Also on Thursday, the state government confirmed veteran judge Jennifer Coate will lead an inquiry into Victoria's hotel quarantine program. A large proportion of the state's recent cases have been traced back to infection control breaches by security staff at hotels hosting returned travellers. Thirty-six north Melbourne suburbs have now been locked down to contain the outbreak. The lockdown will last for four weeks and came into force from 11.59pm on Wednesday, with locals urged to avoid any non-essential travel. Meanwhile, Coles has been forced to impose a two-pack limit on products including butter, cheese and fresh milk in Victoria, Tasmania and parts of NSW after several staff members tested positive to COVID-19 at their Laverton distribution centre. A Marvel Stadium security contractor also tested positive to COVID-19, but AFL matches at the venue will go ahead as planned. Mary-Louise McLaws, a UNSW epidemiologist and expert on the World Health Organization Experts Advisory Panel, told Daily Mail Australia the numbers lead people into a false sense of security and the pattern over the last 14 days is 'frightening'. She said we have gone from an average of cases in the high 90s to being in triple digits. Professor McLaws said Victoria is a particular place of concern but the government needs to be commended for its actions. 'Locking down those areas is an important step. When you manage an outbreak it's never a pleasant thing to do. If you don't act fast enough you end up in a place you can't come back from but if you act fast, like two weeks ago, complaints start to roll in,' she said. Thirty-six north Melbourne suburbs have now been locked down to contain the outbreak. Pictured: the locked down postcodes Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton warned there is the possibility more deaths will happen after the state's huge spike in cases over the last fortnight. Pictured: testing clinic in Melbourne She said the government needs to take it a step further and prevent people from leaving for work or study as studies suggest people are contagious two weeks before symptoms show. Professor McLaws said if the government is unwilling to do that then they should make it mandatory for anyone leaving the area to wear a cloth mask on their way to and from their place of employment regardless of whether they are sick or not. The World Health Organisation updated their guideline on masks on June 5 to state they can: 'either for protection of healthy persons (worn to protect oneself when in contact with an infected individual) or for source control (worn by an infected individual to prevent onward transmission)'. Critical components underpinning the rollout of Australia's 5G network could be manufactured by a company with close ties to the Chinese military and North Korean Government. Panda Electronics Group have a joint venture in China with Swedish multinational Ericsson that supplies 5G antenna equipment to Australian telecommunications providers Telstra and Optus. Ericsson said its products meet 'all relevant requirements set by the Australian Government'. However, Panda Electronics Group has clandestine agreements with the North Korean regime to supply tablet computers and maintain the rogue state's commercial wireless network, the Washington Post reported. Last week the US Defence Department warned the tech giant is 'owned by, controlled by or affiliated with China's government, military or defence industries', in a letter to lawmakers. Although Australia banned the world's biggest 5G builder Huawei from participating in the rollout of the network over national security concerns, Chinese-made components vulnerable to foreign interference will still end up powering the next-generation technology. Panda Electronics Group has a joint venture in China with Swedish multinational Ericsson that supplies 5G antenna equipment to Australian telecommunications providers Telstra and Optus These smaller components would not have posed such a threat prior to the onset of 5G technology and the 'Internet of Things,' security analyst Dr John Lee from the US Studies Centre told Daily Mail Australia. 'With 4G or 3G you can relatively easily protect against that technology, but under 5G things are very different,' the former Australian Government adviser said. 'Any product that interacts in a 5G network is connected to everything else which is why we are much more concerned about an antenna that may be made in China, for example.' The mostly friendly trading relationship between Australia and China turned particularly sour following the decision by the Australian government to ban Huawei and ZTE from participating in critical infrastructure in August 2018. China has now begun to use its economic might as a weapon against Australia, freezing exports on beef and barley after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an international independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and the role of Communist Party officials who tried to cover up the initial outbreak. Just weeks ago it was revealed that a 'sophisticated state actor', believed by security experts to be China, had launched a massive cyber attack on a litany of Australian institutions and government agencies. 'There are three kinds of threats when it comes to companies like Huawei being involved in this type of infrastructure and the first is espionage with back doors being placed in hardware and software for spying,' Dr Lee said. The relationship between Australia and China turned particularly sour following the decision by the Australian government to ban Huawei and ZTE from participating in critical infrastructure Australia banned the world's biggest 5G builder Huawei from participating in the rollout of the 5G network over national security concerns 'The second threat is sabotage as 5G will be attached to critical infrastructure like electricity grids, water supply and banking so there is the potential to be able to cripple critical services. 'The third is data protection because the private domain in China doesn't really exist. All data there is accessible by the government. In our democratic system there are limits.' Panda Electronics Group has strong ties with the Chinese military and is involved in mobile satellite communications, surveillance technologies and radio manufacturing. In its retail arm, the company makes mobile phones, datacards, TV sets and set top boxes. Pictured: Chinese Communist Party members swear their allegiance to the party flag in Yunnan Province Chinese Ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye has made economic threats against Australia after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent international inquiry into tthe origins of COVID-19 'Not all companies are fronts for the Chinese Communist Party but the problem is, under Chinese law the government can compel any company to hand over any information or perform any act that is in the interest of national security or national intelligence, which is extremely broad,' Dr Lee said. 'So even if a company is not a front for the Chinese Communist Party it can be used as a front for the Chinese Communist Party at any time.' But the idea that Australia can simply avoid anything made in China is unrealistic, according Lee. 'This is part of a conversation that we are having in Australia and elsewhere about disentangling supply chains to make sure that any parts and components linked to critical or strategic technology are not solely reliant on China,' he said. 'But there is no quick solution.' A picture of Xi Jinping is burned by Indian protesters after a border scuffle took place against Chinese troops Ericsson has denied Panda Electronics Group technology is being used in any telecommunication's equipment sold to Australian customers. 'Ericsson's current assessment is that the joint-venture in China is not impacted by the US Department of Defense's recently published list since its operation and purpose are non-military and Ericsson is the majority owner,' the company said in a statement. 'The Panda Electronics Group is one of several minority owners to the joint venture and does not supply components to any equipment utilised in Ericsson's equipment, including those supplied to Australian customers.' Daily Mail Australia have contacted Telstra and Optus for comment. Optus said it: 'complies with the national security arrangements imposed under Telecommunication Sector Security Reforms.' Telstra have not replied to our request but a spokesperson told the Sydney Morning Herald: 'It worked closely with Ericsson to ensure all components of its network were secure. 'The company also co-operated regularly with the government on security matters.' Public health workers have been sent door-to-door in Melbourne's hotspot suburbs without being given protective masks, a shocking video has revealed. Hundreds of doorknockers this week hit the streets of 36 suburbs across the city to hand out information and assess people for potential flu-like symptoms. Victoria is currently experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 and 10 postcodes were this week returned to strict lockdown by premier Daniel Andrews. Mr Andrews also ordered a door-to-door testing blitz in a bid to limit the outbreak. But shocking video filmed by one local shows doorknockers revealing they are yet to receive protective masks, despite coming face-to-face with up to 4,000 people each day. Public health workers have been sent door-to-door in Melbourne's hotspot suburbs without being given protective masks, a shocking video has revealed The footage shows a Melbourne couple driving past a street corner where two dozen health workers are standing around. 'What are you doing?' the woman can be heard asking one worker. 'We are collecting the information regarding COVID-19,' replies the man, showing off his COVID-19 Public Health staff badge. 'The Victorian Government wants us to let them know what are the conditions of the people, what are the symptoms people are having and encouraging them to get the test,' his colleague then said. As the couple continue driving through the suburb they come across another group of health care workers. Again pulling up the kerb, the man asks the group why they are not social distancing and then quizzes them on why they are not wearing masks. 'Excuse me, can you tell me where your mask is? Why are you not wearing a mask?' the man asks. 'We don't have any masks,' the health worker admits. Hundreds of doorknockers this week hit the streets of 36 suburbs across the city to hand out information and assess people for potential flu-like symptoms Close to 30,000 tests are being carried out across Victoria every day, with the government desperate to stamp out the risk of the outbreak spreading beyond Melbourne (pictured) CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement 'Did the government not give them to you?' the man asks again. 'Yeah, we didn't receive (a mask) but I hope from tomorrow onwards we'll get them,' the health worker said. There are three levels of teams being sent onto the streets of Melbourne - community engagement teams, doorknocking teams and qualified health teams, who administer the swabs. In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, a spokesperson for the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services said only those 'collecting swabs are required to wear PPE'. 'All staff working on our Suburban Testing Blitz are given a safety pre-brief ahead of their shift - including instructions on physical distancing and hand washing, as well as given access to hand sanitiser,' the spokesperson said. 'Only those involved directly with collecting swabs are required to wear PPE. They are provided with masks, gloves and gowns to keep them safe and follow strict safety protocols when in contact with residents.' Premier Andrews this week said the state was on a 'knife's edge' amid reports many people in the hotspot suburbs were refusing to get tested. The Labor leader said he believes many were knocking back tests because they fear being forced to take time off from work and being left in a financial difficulty. 'If someone knocks on your door and says "I've got a test kit for you", your only answer should be yes,' Mr Andrews told The Project. 'I think you have to understand why that is the answer. 'I think there might be some people that don't have access to pay, whether it be sick pay or holiday pay. 'Their economic circumstances might be very uncertain and the notion of having two days away from work while you wait for your test result may be a big challenge. 'That is why weve put in place essentially a no questions asked hardship payment, a $1500 payment to deal with that perhaps as a disincentive to getting tested.' Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:52 pm In the most recent obstacle Washington has run into with federal coronavirus testing supplies, hundreds of thousands of items are arriving unlabeled or poorly packaged, leading to major delays and costs, according to state Secretary of Health John Wiesman. Wiesman described the problems in a letter sent Tuesday to Adm. Brett P. Giroir, the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Department's assistant secretary for health, who has been leading the federal government's testing response. In the letter, Wiesman first expressed gratitude that the federal support had bolstered Washington's testing capacity, allowing the state to administer an average of 8,600 tests per day in the past week. (In March, an average of 2,603 tests were administered per day in Washington; more recently, that number was around 4,300.) But Wiesman went on to describe an array of recurring issues with the supplies the feds have provided and to ask for Giroir's "personal attention to addressing these issues." Among the worst-affected testing supplies: transport media, the chemicals used to preserve specimens during shipment to labs. Washington state has been receiving unlabeled molecular transport media, which could produce cyanide gas if used with incompatible testing platforms, Wiesman wrote. Other federal supplies Wiesman said "have failed our quality-control checks or presented other major barriers to usage" include: vials without clear expiration dates or identification labels; about 250,000 bulk-packaged polyester spun swabs, which require resterilizing and repackaging; and "a wide variety of other poorly packaged and unlabeled goods." Wiesman also mentioned shipping delays without temperature regulation, which require "significant staff time to sort and do unnecessary quality control." "Our team at the Washington Department of Health (DOH) has tried to resolve these at the staff level," Wiesman wrote to Giroir, "but we now request your personal attention to addressing these issues." The federal agency didn't immediately respond Wednesday to The Seattle Times' request for comment. Wiesman's letter comes after multiple other issues Washington state has faced with shipments of testing supplies from the Trump administration. In late April, the administration pledged to supply the state weekly shipments totaling 580,000 medical-testing-grade nasal swabs in May and June. By mid-May, Washington had received about 60,000 swabs -- roughly 10% of the amount Giroir had pledged to deliver by month's end. HHS made the same promise for June, and also agreed to send enough transport media to cover about three-quarters of the promised swabs. In May, new federal shipments of testing kits also arrived unfinished, leaving state officials scrambling to gather missing items necessary to complete the kits. And later that month, state health officials expecting a shipment of individually packaged, sterilized polyester nasal swabs were puzzled to receive a bulk order of Q-tips-style swabs packaged loose in boxes labeled "Comforts for Baby Cotton Swabs." The White House coronavirus task force said the packaging was mislabeled. Giroir, who was appointed to oversee coronavirus testing in March, announced at the beginning of June he would step down sometime during that month to return to his regular HHS role, NPR reported. An agency spokesperson told NPR that Giroir would remain engaged in COVID-19 testing and "related efforts," though many of the "day-to-day management and operations of testing" were being transferred to HHS operating divisions. "These reoccurring problems are creating barriers to our effectively carrying out Washington's testing strategy," Wiesman's Tuesday letter said. "In addition to imposing a significant burden on limited Department of Health and other state response staff time and resources, the combination of supply chain challenges -- particularly those affecting the transport media -- threatens to limit our overall testing capacity at a critical time in the pandemic response." Wiesman ended the letter by requesting a discussion with Giroir about how to address the issues and "support our shared goal of expanding testing and slowing the spread of the virus in our communities." Seattle Times staff reporter Lewis Kamb contributed to this story. A housewife who wrongly accused her neurosurgeon husband of assault allegedly threatened a secretary with whom she claimed he was having an affair after all charges against him were dismissed. Onetime model Emma Steel allegedly rang Angie Turner, who gave sworn evidence she had never had an affair with Dr Timothy Steel, on Thursday afternoon. The alleged call came within hours of Dr Steel being cleared of punching, slapping and kicking his wife at the couple's home in Sydney's eastern suburbs late last year. A source said Mrs Steel told Ms Turner words to the effect of, 'I know you f***ed my husband. Watch your back.' A New South Wales Police Force spokesman confirmed officers were investigating the alleged phone call. 'About 3.30pm yesterday, a 35-year-old woman reported a threatening phone call to officers from Kings Cross Police Area Command,' the spokesman said. 'Inquiries are continuing.' Emma Steel, who wrongly accused her neurosurgeon husband Dr Timothy Steel, of assault allegedly rang a secretary she claimed had an affair with him after all criminal charges were dismissed by a magistrate. Mrs Steel is pictured at a Christmas function in 2014 A source said Mrs Steel called medical secretary Angie Turner (pictured) on Thursday afternoon and said words to the effect of, 'I know you f***ed my husband. Watch your back.' A NSW Police Force spokesman confirmed officers were investigating the allegation Mrs Steel had accused Dr Timothy Steel (pictured) of punching, slapping and kicking her in the couple's sprawling home at Bellevue in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Dr Steel is pictured outside Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday after all charges were dismissed against him Daily Mail Australia put the words alleged to have been said in the phone call to Mrs Steel's solicitor but has not received a response. Mrs Steel had accused Dr Steel of having sex with Ms Turner at a Christmas party the night before the couple had a domestic dispute in their Bellevue Hill mansion. Dr Steel categorically denied ever having an affair with the secretary - or anyone else - during his 11-year marriage to Mrs Steel. On Thursday Mrs Steel's evidence about domestic and financial abuse was rejected by magistrate Vivien Swain, who found inconsistencies in her evidence. Dr Steel had faced charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and damaging property, all of which were dismissed. The 56-year-old surgeon told Downing Centre Local Court that on December 13 he had organised a Christmas party at Woolloomooloo's Ovolo hotel for 50 to 60 guests. Among those invited were friends, colleagues, nurses, radiographers, theatre staff and employees including Ms Turner and practice manager Stephanie Jobson. Dr Steel said that morning his 41-year-old wife had been in a bad mood and while in the shower she had thrown a wet fake tanning mitt across the bathroom at him. 'I hate you,' Mrs Steel allegedly said. 'Why don't you just leave. Get out.' Dr Steel said he performed surgery that day and then attended the Ovolo hotel where he had paid for drinks and canapes to be served from 6 to 9pm. When police arrived at Dr Steel and Mrs Steel's home (pictured) he immediately said he had acted in self-defence. 'My wife came into the room and started hitting me,' Dr Steel said Mrs Steel arrived at the gathering with the couple's children, sat in an area separate from the main party and stayed about an hour and a half. 'She was aggressive, angry and hostile to me,' Dr Steel told the court. 'She would not speak to me and she told me to stay away. 'She did not come anywhere near me. She was rude to my staff.' Dr Steel said he left the party, which had run much later than planned, shortly after his wife tried to call Ms Turner about 4.20am. He had been sound asleep, face down in bed, when his wife woke him up by scratching his back and head about 8.45am. 'I was awoken by severe pain in my back and behind my ears,' Dr Steel told the court. 'I was hit about three or four times.' Dr Steel said his wife screamed at him with accusations he had been having an affair with Ms Turner. He said she told him: 'You're a f***ing disgrace. It's disgusting. You've been with Angie. Video emerged of Mrs Steel nagging Dr Steel about money (pictured). 'You drip feed me,' she says to her husband in the footage tendered to court. '$24,000 a month!' Dr Steel replies. Mrs Steel then says, 'Big deal. You're on six million or four million dollars a year, Tim' Dr Steel said it was his wife who had assaulted him and he sustained deep scratches to his head, back and arms (left) when Mrs Steel dug her nails into him. He now has permanently scarring on his back. Injuries from an alleged domestic dispute in 2017 are pictured right 'You were having sex with Angie. I had a private investigator following you. I've got everything I need.' Mrs Steel had claimed it was Dr Steel who assaulted her with a punch to the head and stomach and a slap to the face. She also accused him of pinning her down and ripping her hair extensions out. After the incident Dr Steel had run downstairs and jumped in the pool while holding his wife's phone. Mrs Steel then called police. She claimed in court she 'knew' Dr Steel had been having an affair with Ms Turner but could not provide any evidence. 'I've seen text messages between the two of them and I'd heard conversations between them,' Mrs Steel said. Dr Steel said his wife screamed at him with accusations he had been having an affair with his secretary Angie Turner (pictured left). His practice manager Stephanie Jobson is pictured right. Both women denied ever having a sexual relationship with Dr Steel Ms Turner, who was called to give evidence in the defence case, said she had never had anything other than a professional relationship with Dr Steel. She had worked for Dr Steel as a medical secretary for two years but no longer did and any suggestion she had an affair with him was 'ridiculous'. After the Christmas party she had been in a hotel room with Dr Steel and Ms Jobson, drinking chardonnay ordered from room service. Dr Steele had paid for the room because Ms Turner lived in Cronulla and Ms Jobson lived in Wollongong, south of Sydney. Ms Turner was surprised Mrs Steel had tried to call her at 4.09am and again at 4.19am. 'I just said to him, "I think you need to go",' she said of Dr Steele. 'He seemed frightened. He seemed very concerned to go home and face Emma because they had been fighting all night. 'I think she told him to f*** off at one stage.' Dr Steel's practice manager Stephanie Jobson (pictured) was asked if she had ever had an affair with her boss. 'Absolutely not,' Ms Jobson said. Magistrate Vivien Swain found there was no evidence Dr Steel had ever had an affair with anyone Ms Jobson was also asked is he had ever had an affair with Dr Steel. 'Absolutely not,' she said. Ms Swain found there was no evidence Dr Steel had ever had an affair with anyone. Dr Steel's solicitor, Paul McGirr, had described Mrs Steel as a witness of 'very little credit' and an 'unhinged person' who made up allegations against her husband. 'I relation to her, she will make up anything to suit herself,' Mr McGirr said. 'The catalyst for all this is money. She was treating Dr Steel like a walking ATM. 'Dr Steel was the victim of her vicious attacks. Poor old Dr Steel is the one getting his reputation sullied. 'Emma Steel is a woman who is playing the system and playing the victim.' The former model's 19-year-old son from an earlier marriage to jockey Shane Dye gave evidence against Mrs Steel, describing his mother's obsession with money. Jack Dye said his mother regularly complained Dr Steel did not give her enough funds, despite being paid an allowance for personal and household expenses of up to $24,000 a month. After four days of evidence Downing Centre Local Court magistrate Vivien Swain found on Thursday there were inconsistencies in Mrs Steel's (pictured) evidence and dismissed all charges against her husband Jack Dye told Downing Centre Local Court his mother Emma Steel had regularly complained his stepfather did not give her enough money despite being given an allowance of at least $24,000 a month. He is pictured leaving the family home on Thursday As well as making allegations of domestic violence, Mrs Steel had suggested her husband had cut up a lacy red pair of her underwear. Mr McGirr referred to the evidence of psychiatrist Dr Olav Nielssen, who Dr Steel had consulted in 2017 about troubles in his marriage. Mr Nielssen, who had known Dr Steel since 1988, described him as 'not an impulsive or aggressive person at all' and 'one of the most unlikely people to be irrationally violent.' Mrs Steel, in Dr Nielssen's professional opinion, had a 'pretty narcissistic and unempathetic personality'. From the time police arrived at the Steel family home Dr Steel maintained he had only acted in self defence and Ms Swain found nothing to disprove that. Any injuries Mrs Steel sustained were the result of Dr Steel protecting himself against an attack by his wife. Dr Steel said he was only mildly intoxicated when he came home early one morning last year after his work Christmas party. He and Mrs Steel pictured together in November 2005 Dr Steel, who was cleared of assault allegations made by his wife, told Downing Centre Local Court how he woke to find his wife attacking him in the couple's Bellevue Hills home the morning after a work Christmas party 'I am satisfied that there is a reasonable possibility that the accused believed his conduct was necessary in order to defend himself,' Ms Swain said. 'I am satisfied that the way in which the scuffle occurred and the injuries that were occasioned to the complainant, that that was a reasonable response in the circumstances as the accused perceived them.' Dr Steel said after the incident with his wife he had gone downstairs and jumped into the pool because he was in so much pain. 'When I was being attacked and scratched the whole top half of my body... was burning and so I was looking for something to calm it down and put the fire out, as such,' he said. He believed the phone he had in his hands was his and knew it was water-resistant for 30 minutes. Dr Steel said he had been sound asleep, face down in bed, when his wife woke him up by scratching his back and head at their home (pictured). Dr Steel had then run downstairs and jumped in the pool of their family home (pictured) while holding his wife's phone Mrs Steel said red scratch marks across her husband's body shown in photographs tendered to the court were inflicted as she tried to defend herself. Dr Steel described a troubled marriage and alleged his wife had previously attacked him. 'She is regularly aggressive,' he said. 'Regularly confrontational and regularly demanding. 'When she is confronted by difficulties her behaviour deteriorates. Certainly verbal abuse is common and verbal denigration is almost constant.' Mrs Steel also claimed she was the victim of ongoing financial abuse, which Ms Swain discounted. 'I am not satisfied that that is made out either,' she said. Dr Steel is a senior neurosurgeon and spine surgeon at St Vincent's Hospital who has been unable to work The court heard Dr Steel gave his wife $10,000 a month for personal expenses and $10,000 to run their household as well as $4,000 for a full-time nanny. Dr Steel said the household allowance covered costs including their children's expenses, after-school activities, clothing and groceries. It did not go towards bills such as rates, utilities, school fees, holidays, motor vehicle expenses, insurance, takeaway food or restaurant meals. The court heard in total Mrs Steel received $175,902 in regular payment over seven months last year. Mr McGirr said it was 'farcical' under those circumstances for Mrs Steel to claim financial abuse. Mrs Steel is pictured centre alongside Roxy Jacenko (left) and Kristy Mirzikinian, (right) wife of professional poker player Warwick Mirzikinian 'I was living within our means of a four to six million annual salary,' Mrs Steel said. 'I was spending five per cent of our annual income.' Mrs Steel claimed she was in fear of her husband and police had applied for an apprehended violence order against him. 'I'm petrified because of the ongoing abuse,' she told police. Ms Swain dismissed the AVO application, finding while Mrs Steel may hold fears 'I am not satisfied those fears are based on reasonable grounds'. Dr Steel, a senior neurosurgeon at St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst, has been unable to practise due to the charges against him. William Robert Baer (pictured in mugshot) was arrested for murder charges on Thursday in connection to a 1999 cold case in Jacksonville, Florida A retired Florida Sheriff's office detective and his former wife were arrested on Thursday for the 1999 beating and slaying of a convenience worker outside his own home. The Jacksonville's Sheriff Office revealed that former officer William Robert Baer, 64, and his ex-wife Melissa Jo Schafer, 50, were hit with murder charges in the death of 39-year-old Saad Kawaf. The two decades-old cold case was cracked with genetic genealogy and help from the Cold Case Project, a nonprofit organization helping the families of unsolved homicide victims by publicizing cases. 'This is where it takes a turn that we are a bit saddened by,' Undersheriff Pat Ivey said during a press conference. 'Through his specific assignment at JSO at that time, thats what led him to have contact with the victim. He was a detective that was looking at a crime involving potentially the victim.' In May 1999, Kawaf was reportedly leaving his Deerwood neighborhood home when a man and a female accomplice waiting outside attacked him in his driveway. He was beaten and stabbed while being dragged into the home's garage. Kawaf's wife was bound inside the home and during the course of a scuffle bit the female accomplice. The suspects reportedly escaped with $30,000 from inside the family's home. That bite, and the DNA it left behind, was one of the key pieces of evidence used to identify Schafer, who was arrested by authorities in Jefferson City, Missouri. Her arrest led investigators to Baer, who was sworn in as a police officer in 1975 and retired by the Jackson Sheriff's Office in 2002. Baer was an intelligence division detective with the homicide unit at the time. He was reportedly familiar with Kawaf due to an assignment with the department. Saad Kawaf (pictured) was reportedly leaving his Florida home in May 1999 when two suspects stabbed and beat him inside his garage Investigators at the time only knew the suspects were a white female and white male. Detectives on Thursday said that two DNA profiles were created in 2003, but submissions to a genetic lab in May of this year provided a more thorough 'indication' of who the suspects were. A list of potential suspects were provided to investigators. Undersherrif Ivey said he could not disclose many details around the case and arrest as the investigation is still ongoing. According to First Coast News, Baer in 1999 had been monitoring Kawaf's house as part of an investigation over suspicions that he was illegally selling pseudoephedrine at his convenience store and a large sum of money was inside the home. Pictured: a police sketch of the female accomplice presented by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in 1999 It's unclear if Baer was interviewed by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office following Kawaf's murder. Det. Margo Rhatigan said that money was stolen from the home and that was a possible motive for the murder. Baer's alleged crime happened over the backdrop of an embattled Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in the 1990s when the department faced grand jury investigations and officer convictions. The department reportedly face several allegations of corruption, a murder trial and was the subject of an Academy-Award winning documentary probing the false confession of Brenton Butler. Undersheriff Pat Ivey (pictured) said in a press conference that DNA and genetic genealogy helped crack the case after 21 years Brenton Butler, then 15, said he was brutalized and forced to confess to a murder by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in 2000. Additionally, one officer was convicted for killing a convenience store worker while three others were convicted on charges like drug dealing, bank fraud and conspiracy. Kawaf's niece released a statement on behalf of the family after news of Baer and Schafer's arrests were revealed. 'We are thrilled. We are grateful. Not a day has gone by that we dont miss our beloved Saad, wrote Heather Kayal. 'The past 21 years have been the hardest to not only be without a man who meant so much to our family but to know that the people who did this were not held accountable for their actions. 'We are grateful to the brave members of the cold case unit and all members of law enforcement who have worked tirelessly on our behalf to ensure justice and that Saads memory will never be forgotten.' Eric Trump has quietly deleted his tweet that included a photo of Ghislaine Maxwell at Chelsea Clinton's wedding, saying 'birds of a feather', after Twitter users trolled him by sharing pictures of his father with the British socialite. The president's son shared the photo on Thursday in an apparent attempt to smear the Clintons for their ties to Jeffrey Epstein's alleged 'madam' who was arrested and charged by the FBI earlier on Thursday. The now-infamous photo showed Maxwell, 58, among a sea of guests at Chelsea's 2010 wedding in upstate New York, as former president Bill Clinton walks his daughter down the aisle. The tweet, however, backfired as users were quick to reply with old pictures of his own father rubbing elbows with Epstein and Maxwell over the years. Eric Trump tweeted a now-infamous photo of Ghislaine Maxwell at Chelsea Clinton's 2010 wedding, saying: 'birds of a feather', only for users to bombard him with pictures of his father with Jeffrey Epstein in response The president's son later quietly deleted the tweet Twitter users immediately replied with photos of Trump posing alongside billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged 'pimp' Ghislaine Maxwell, over the years Most of the pictures shared by users were taken in the early 2000s, showing the president posing with Epstein and Maxwell alongside wife Melania at various events. The 36-year-old has now deleted the post. 'Does the president's son not know that there are photos of Donald Trump with Maxwell?' MSNBC producer Kyle Griffin replied. 'You really are the dumb one, aren't you?' said another of the president's thirdborn child. Others replied with pictures of Trump and Epstein and completing the popular phrase tweeted out by Eric, adding: 'flock together.' 'Are you sure you wanna go down this road?' another user quipped. Eric, 36, did not immediately respond to any of the replies. Maxwell was arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire on Thursday morning, months after she disappeared from the public eye following Epstein's 2019 arrest. The British socialite is facing a string of criminal charges for allegedly procuring underage girls for billionaire pedophile Epstein between 1994 and 1997. Eric, the president's third-born child, was quickly made aware his tweet had been ill-conceived Trump had been photographed alongside Maxwell at various events in the early 2000s Epstein, who killed himself in prison last July, was known to have a powerful network of contacts and friends, many of whom were millionaires, businessmen and politicians. He had been photographed with Prince Andrew over the years and was said to have a close ties with Bill and Hillary Clinton. The disgraced financier became friends with Trump after meeting at his Mar-a-Lago club in the 90s, but the two eventually 'fell out' years later, according to the president. Maxwell (pictured in 2005) was arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire on Thursday morning, months after she disappeared from the public eye following Epstein's 2019 arrest Maxwell's charges relate to incidents that happened between 1994 and 1997 and involve three unnamed victims, the youngest of whom was 14. The alleged abuse happened at Epstein's homes in New York, Florida and New Mexico and at Maxwell's home in London. The charges against Maxwell are: conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, Enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and two counts of perjury. If convicted, she could face life in prison on the most serious charge - transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity - which carries a minimum 10 year sentence. Advertisement Gavin Williamson yesterday warned councils, parents and teaching unions not to block the return to school. The Education Secretary insisted youngsters must have full-time education in England from September. He signalled a clampdown on councils and schools that refuse to welcome all year groups back, with parents facing fines for childrens non-attendance. The hardline stance comes amid plans for primary and secondary schools to form mega bubbles which will see pupils kept in classes or year groups to minimise the spread of coronavirus. Unions have criticised the plans, with the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), claiming the concept is mind-boggling. Britain's Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, pictured above speaking during a remote press conference on June 2 to update the nation on the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, has said that unions and councils must not block schools from reopening in September But Mr Williamson told MPs: Those who stand in the way of children being able to return to school are standing in the way of the best interests of those children who are from the most deprived backgrounds and need the most help and the most support. That is why well get every child back in the new term. Some councils previously refused to open primary schools to certain age groups from June 1 due to safety fears. At the Downing Street press conference last night, Mr Williamson said the Government had already been forced to tell some local authorities that it would use its powers to ensure that all schools open up for those pupils in those year groups. Plans for reopening schools include primary and secondary schools forming mega bubbles. Pictured above, children in a classroom at Watlington Primary School as some schools in England re-open Under the plans announced yesterday, a whole school, or all pupils in a year group, may have to self-isolate at home if there are two or more confirmed coronavirus cases within a fortnight. All schools and colleges will get a small number of home testing kits. Mobile units could be dispatched to test anyone who has been in contact with a child, or member of staff, who has tested positive. Current restrictions on group sizes will be lifted to allow schools, colleges and nurseries to reopen fully. Limits on group sizes will also be lifted in nurseries, childminders, and other early years providers in England. Head teachers must stagger start and finish times, as well as lunch and breaks, arrange classrooms with forward-facing desks and impose behaviour regimes to cope with a possible rise in unruly pupils. They should encourage children to walk or cycle to school if possible and consider using walking buses to reduce the use of public transport. Schools have also been told to avoid large gatherings, such as assemblies. Geoff Barton, general secretary of ASCL, said: The logistics of keeping apart many different bubbles of children in a full school, including whole year groups comprising hundreds of pupils, is mind-boggling. School leaders will have to consider implementing staggered starts, finishes and lunchtimes, alongside transport to and from school, on an epic scale. Currently, head teachers must stagger start and finish times, as well as lunch and breaks, to limit children coming into contact with too many fellow pupils. Pictured above, children play with hula-hoops as teachers explain social distancing at Ysgol Hafan Y Mor school, as schools in Wales reopen In September, current restrictions on group sizes will be lifted to allow schools, colleges and nurseries to reopen fully. Above, a year six classroom as some children returned to the school as the coronavirus lockdown eases in Fulham Fines for parents if children don't go back in September Sending children to school will be 'mandatory' again in September after the rules were eased during full lockdown, it was confirmed today. Parents will face 60 fines if their offspring fail to attend when the autumn term begins. However, Downing Street said there would be some 'discretion' for headteachers over whether parents were fined. 'Returning to school in September will be mandatory. 'It's always the case that headteachers do have some discretion. They know their pupils and their family situations,' the PM's spokesman said. 'But, in general, children need to get back in to school and get back learning again.' Advertisement Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the National Education Union, said the government guidance is unlikely to address the concerns of school leaders, teachers, support staff and parents. He said: School leaders need clear guidance based on scientific evidence, but instead they are confronted by a Government which is rushing through ideas that seem more based on hope than on science. GCSE exams could be delayed next year with a reduced curriculum and more optional questions. Exam regulator Ofqual is also proposing pushing back the A-level exam schedule by weeks to help teenagers catch up with missed studies. Unions warned they were not yet satisfied the reopening was safe, and demanded the government comes up with a 'Plan B' in case virus cases rise. Mr Williamson told MPs in the commons on Wednesday that while he was constantly talking to unions, they could not 'dictate' policy, insisting 'education recovery is critical for this generation' and children must have the 'opportunity to thrive and fulfil their full potential'. 'Returning to normal educational routines as quickly as possible is critical to our national recovery too,' he said. Later during the Downing Street press conference, he said: 'As we move into September we are working very closely with the sector. I have absolute confidence right across the board that everyone accepts the fact that we have got to deliver full time education for every child in this country. 'But if we are not in a situation where people are operating and opening schools we will have to take very specific action to ensure that they do.' In the event that the situation in schools becomes serious and they are forced to close again, guidance states that the curriculum must 'remain broad and ambitious', and ensure that 'all pupils continue to be taught a wide range of subjects, maintaining their choices for further study and employment'. But it says teachers should 'make use of existing flexibilities to create time to cover the most important missed content'. 'Substantial modification to the curriculum may be needed at the start of the year, so teaching time should be prioritised to address significant gaps in pupils' knowledge with the aim of returning to the school's normal curriculum content by no later than summer term 2021,' the guidance said. Government tells parents they will just need to 'control their teenagers' outside of school hours to stop youngsters catching coronavirus Hard-pressed parents juggling childcare and work were told to 'control your teenagers' tonight as the Government pushed ahead with plans to force schools to reopen fully in September. Deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries said that schoolchildren, especially older ones, were more likely to contract coronavirus by hanging out with friends than they were in classrooms. She spoke as the Government finally revealed its plans to return to a full school year in September. Guidance published today states that whole year groups - potentially hundreds of children - can form 'bubbles' in secondary schools, while in primaries the maximum limit is being doubled to more than 30. Social distancing rules can be dropped within the bubbles to ensure there is capacity for all, and parents will face fines if they refuse to send their children. However, large numbers of pupils could be ordered to self-isolate if just two pupils test positive in a fortnight and entire schools could be shut. Speaking at a Government press conference called to allow questions on the plans, Dr Harries said: 'What the guidance that the DfE has developed has done is worked with PHE to ensure it is not just guidance about what is happening in schools but it is about things like transport, around advising families to, if you like, control their teenagers when they are outside coming in. Deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries said that schoolchildren, especially older ones, were more likely to contract coronavirus by hanging out with mates than they were in classrooms 'In fact the original guidance recognised that the transmission risk was potentially more in the social behaviours of the teenagers - the older children - out of school than they potentially were in school. 'School is quite a controlled environment and perhaps trying to encourage families as well - I know it is difficult because I have been there - but to try and control their teenagers in their social interactions outside school as well.' She added: 'In many ways we should be more concerned with what the teenagers are doing outside school. 'So if they are in school, in a controlled environment, with hierarchies of control and people keeping an eye on them if you like, that's probably a much lower risk than if they were out of school doing their own thing.' Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the school attended by his two teenage daughters had more control over them than he has 'ever been able to achieve'. He also said the rise in cases in Leicester was 'not something about schools returning'. Gavin Williamson told the Downing Street press conference this evening that the Government would force councils and headteachers to reopen schools to all pupils in September 'As we move into September we are working very closely with the sector. I have absolute confidence right across the board that everyone accepts the fact that we have got to deliver full time education for every child in this country,' Williamson said, warning schools and councils not to block to opening of schools in September. 'But if we are not in a situation where people are operating and opening schools we will have to take very specific action to ensure that they do.' Public Health England (PHE) said earlier this week that the proportion of people aged under 19 testing positive for the virus in the city had risen from five per cent in mid-May to a current level of around 15 per cent. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that even though children are less likely to get ill from the disease, the decision to shut Leicester's schools was made to try to halt further transmissions. Meanwhile Mr Williamson told the Downing Street press conference this evening that the Government would force councils and headteachers to reopen schools to all pupils in September if they tried to refuse to do so. He said: 'As we move into September we are working very closely with the sector. I have absolute confidence right across the board that everyone accepts the fact that we have got to deliver full time education for every child in this country. 'But if we are not in a situation where people are operating and opening schools we will have to take very specific action to ensure that they do.' Under the new arrangements, primary schools will be able to operate 'bubbles' of more than 30 children, allowing the return of full classes. Secondary schools, where children move between classes, could operate 'whole year bubbles' of more than 200 children. Advertisement Every school in England will reopen 'come what may' in September - with sources insisting even if the R rate surges other parts of society will be closed down first to facilitate the move A child uses a laptop in a classroom at Roath Park Primary School in Cardiff, Wales on June 29, as schools reopen in Britain More details are expected to be set out by Mr Williamson at a Downing Street press conference later - the first time one has been held since daily briefings were scrapped last week. Mr Williamson said the coronavirus precautions would include 'as a minimum, keeping whole year groups in schools and colleges separate'. 'This is in addition to the other protective measures we know are so important for infection control, such as regular cleaning and hand washing.' Mr Williamson told the Commons: 'By the start of the autumn term we will provide all schools and colleges with a small number of testing kits. These will be taken home by children or staff who develop symptoms while on site but who would struggle to access a testing centre. This is so that they can have a test quickly and that they can get results back quickly. 'All schools will have direct access to support and advice from their local Public Health England health protection team to deal with any cases that may occur. They will be advised on what steps need to be taken.' GCSEs could be delayed next year and pupils get more choice of questions GCSE exams could be delayed next year and more optional questions could be adopted in test papers under proposals unveiled by England's exams regulator. Ofqual has launched a two-week consultation on its plans for the GCSE and A-level exam series in 2021 after students have faced months of school and college closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The watchdog is considering how next year's exam timetable could be changed to allow more time for teaching - and it is proposing delaying the start of the GCSE exam series to June 7, after the half-term break. Ofqual is looking at using 'content sampling' in question papers and using more optional questions in a number of subjects at GCSE - apart from English language, English literature, maths and the sciences. The watchdog is also proposing removing the need for GCSE students to undertake science practicals and it has suggested that work relating to GCSE geography fieldwork should not be assessed in 2021. Advertisement On the reintroduction of fines for parents when children do not attend, he said: 'It is critical to ensure that no child loses more time in education and that from September all children who can be at school, are at school. 'Schools and colleges will need to work with families to secure regular attendance from the start of the new academic year with the reintroduction of mandatory attendance. 'Our intention is that those with education, health and care plans or special educational needs will also be back in school or college in September.' Downing Street said there would be some 'discretion' for headteachers over whether parents were fined. 'Returning to school in September will be mandatory. It's always the case that headteachers do have some discretion. They know their pupils and their family situations,' the PM's spokesman said. 'But, in general, children need to get back in to school and get back learning again.' Labour said getting all children back in September was 'achievable', but teaching unions said they were yet to be persuaded the reopening could be done safely. NASUWT General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach, said: 'We want to see all children back in schools as soon as it is safe to do so. 'Whilst the Government has published this latest guidance, it remains unfortunate that it has still not come forward with a plan to secure public confidence and ensure the safe return of all children to schools in September. 'Without a clear plan from the Government, there is still a risk of further confusion and uncertainty. 'The Government's guidance for the full reopening of schools is predicated on the assumption that virus transmission rates will continue to fall. 'However, there will be many questions for parents and for teachers and other staff working in schools about safe reopening, which is what we all want to see.' Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'The logistics of keeping apart many different 'bubbles' of children in a full school, including whole year groups comprising hundreds of pupils, is mind-boggling. 'School leaders will have to consider implementing staggered starts, finishes and lunchtimes, alongside transport to and from school, on an epic scale.' He added: 'However, we recognise that the options about how to bring all children back to school in the autumn are limited.' Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, added: 'The situation seen in Leicester this week has demonstrated that this crisis is far from over, and there will be further disruption ahead. 'It is therefore essential that Government continues to monitor the data when it comes to school return and that it also has a credible Plan B in place should it be required.' Teacher Claire Juniper teaches maths to year six students inside a socially distanced classroom setting in a tent outside on the school playing fields at Llanishen Fach Primary School in Cardiff Children check their bags in a canopy, which is a makeshift socially distanced cloakroom at Llanishen Fach Primary School in Cardif Mr Williamson said he had 'met unions every week all the way through this crisis' and wanted a 'dialogue'. But he added: 'This should not be about trade unions dictating what we are doing that is best for our children. 'We want to work with trade unions and the whole sector, including staff, to deliver the best education for all children.' Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: 'I want all children back in school as quickly as possible, and certainly by September, and I think that's achievable. I actually think that many more children could be back now if there had been a better plan and better leadership... 'We've been calling for a national plan. We'll look at the details of this plan. What's important now is confidence, confidence of teachers and of staff and of parents, and we need to build that confidence.' Mr Williamson has secured 1billion for a catch-up plan that will allow schools to hire tutors to provide catch-up classes for small groups. Final sign off for the back-to-school plan will not be given until mid-August, based on an assessment of the state of the epidemic. Although children face only a very low risk from the disease, some scientists fear that the reopening of schools could lead to a significant rise in community transmission of the virus. But a Cabinet source said ministers were determined to reopen schools in September, even if that meant other parts of society have to be shut down. 'Schools will reopen in September, come what may,' the source said. 'Everyone can see how important it is, not just to children's education but to the ability of parents to get back to work. Obviously we have to see what happens to the epidemic but the plans are there now for a safe return. 'Hopefully the virus will continue to decline over the summer. But even if the R-number [the number infected by a carrier] is up near one, I think people are clear that schools have to reopen. 'That might mean something else closing in order to keep the overall risk at an acceptable level, but schools have to reopen.' Social distancing could be dropped in 200-child 'bubbles' to ensure there is capacity at schools Social distancing is set to be eased for 'bubbles' including hundreds of children to free up capacity in schools. Under the new arrangements, primary schools will be able to operate 'bubbles' of more than 30 children double the current maximum - allowing the return of full classes. Secondary schools, where children move between classes, could operate 'whole year bubbles' of more than 200 children. To mitigate the risk, the need for hand washing will be stressed. Pupils will face staggered start, break and finish times, and 'walking buses' will be introduced to reduce the use of public transport. They will only be permitted to mix within their own 'bubble' of peers, and must sit facing the front to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Large gatherings, such as assemblies, will be off the agenda as will singing in groups, such as choirs. Advertisement Mr Williamson is expected to say Ofsted will not begin full school inspections again until January, but visits will be made to a handful of schools. Schools have also been told to improve their online resources for home-schooling in case an outbreak forces pupils to self-isolate at home. Parents have already complained about the variable quality of virtual teaching at different schools, an issue compounded by the Government's failure to provide 230,000 laptops and tablets for the most disadvantaged pupils. New figures show 202,212 laptops were delivered or dispatched to pupils by Tuesday, 88 per cent of the number the education secretary had promised. It is believed said some devices are being sent out without the passwords needed to access it, and the numbers do not cover every disadvantaged child. 'Six are sitting in the office, password protected and can't get into them,' one head teacher told the publication. Another said: 'We have ours but they are locked with passwords no one will let us have.' Mr Williamson defended the scheme at an education select committee: 'We are already in the process of rolling out IT equipment across the school estate, as well as to the most vulnerable children. 'Some 100,000 of those laptops have already been distributed to the most vulnerable and most disadvantaged children . . . We are on schedule to dis- tribute the full 230,000 computers over the coming month.' Ministers are now braced for a battle with the education unions over the details of the plans for a full return in September. But officials point out that the Government's Scientific Group for Emergencies has already concluded that teachers are at no higher risk than other professions. A father who took a chisel to a toy skill tester to free his daughter's stuck arm has become the victim of vile online trolling. Martin Kristofferson, of Wynnum, in Brisbane, said he was shocked by the public's reaction to the June 25 incident which left Hannah, eight, stuck for about 50 minutes after reaching into a machine to retrieve a prize. Mr Kristofferson stepped in after being called by his 16-year-old son, Miles, who was with his daughter at the time. The pair, who went shopping with their mother, Alana, were left without any assistance from Wynnum Plaza's centre management or authorities, he said. Scroll down for video Hannah (pictured), eight, was stuck in the toy vending machine for about 50 minutes before she was freed by her dad, Martin Kristofferson. She was stuck after reaching into a machine to retrieve a prize Mr Kristofferson said he rushed to the centre, grabbing a chisel on his way, and got there 15 minutes later. He used the chisel to loosen one of the latches on the contraption to make his daughters arm more comfortable. 'I expected a bit of backlash on social media because the internet is a toxic place but not the personal messages and comments calling my daughter a 'little b*tch' or that she have a slap for stealing,' the 43-year-old said. 'My daughter is fine - she isn't on social media. It just makes you realise online bullying does happen and it happens at any age. 'Parents really need to keep an eye on their kids online just to make sure they're not being bullied. It has affected me but I can cope with it. I have a thick skin. Others may be different.' Mr Kristofferson, who was born in Denmark and has been living in Australia for more than 20 years, said he was yet to hear from centre management about the incident, even though the toy vending machine had been fixed. Mr Kristofferson (pictured) trying to get his daughter's stuck arm (pictured) out of a toy vending machine on June 25. He rushed to the centre, grabbing a chisel on his way, after getting a call from his son, Miles, and got there 15 minutes later One of the messages Martin Kristofferson received on his social media account. While he has a thick skin and can 'push through', he said he has been affected and urged parents to keep an eye on their kids online 'I've not heard a peep,' he said, adding his daughter's incident was not the first time he saw somebody getting stuck in a vending machine at the plaza. 'I've personally seen it happen before - I was at the Wynnum Plaza last year and saw another little girl become stuck in the machine. The only difference is there were firies who had bolt cutters getting her out. 'I have a friend who saw this almost happen again yesterday, so my biggest message to the centre is to update your equipment, equipment, get some keys, contacts and work out what's going on.' Mr Kristofferson's daughter Hannah (pictured) who became stuck in a toy vending machine after reaching for a prize Mr Kristofferson said nobody had a key for the machine on the day, which was essential for future incidents. Nobody had called the fire brigade by the time he got there either, he said. 'No one there had a key which was surprising and we tried calling the number of the machine but it just rang out,' Mr Kristofferson said. 'Eventually the fire brigade arrived and got her arm out.' Wynuum Plaza management told the Wynnum Herald the problem 'should be a priority'. 'Wynnum Plaza is aware of an incident which occurred on Thursday 25 June 2020 whereby a child was attempting to retrieve a prize from a skilltester machine and has subsequently trapped her arm in the prize chute,' general manager Michael Belfield said. 'Once notified, Security and Centre Management staff immediately responded and requested the presence of emergency services with QFES and QAS attending the incident.' A school in New South Wales has been forced to shut after fears a student has contracted COVID-19. Green Point Christian College on the state's Central Coast closed on Friday while a senior student is tested for the virus. All students have been told to stay at home as a 'precaution' and test results are expected to be given on Friday afternoon. 'The school has been advised by NSW Health as having a possible but unconfirmed case of COVID-19,' Principal Phillip Nash said. Green Point Christian College (pictured) on the state's Central Coast closed on Friday while a senior student is tested for the virus 'A senior student from our school will have further tests and further communication will be issued this afternoon to advise if they have tested positive for COVID-19. 'The school will be non-operational for the on-site attendance of staff and students today as an extra precaution while we await confirmation of the result.' NSW Health urged any staff or students suffering flu like symptoms to get tested. Details on when students can return to the school are expected to be given by the end of the day. A school in Melbourne recently recorded the city's first student-to-student transmission, it was confirmed on Thursday. Five coronavirus cases have been traced back to Albanvale Primary School (pictured) in Melbourne's outer west A woman is seen getting a coronavirus test in Melbourne on Thursday (pictured) as an outbreak continues across Victoria, including at several schools CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement Five coronavirus cases have been traced back to Albanvale Primary School in Melbourne's outer west. The infections are made up of three students, one teacher and one close contact. Two other separate school infections have been linked to Al-Taqwa College in Truganina, also in the city's west. 'There has been some student-to-student transmission and also teacher-to-teacher transmission at some schools,' Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told reporters. 'When there's a heavy load of community transmission, more students getting infected, these schools have closed. 'We probably didn't have such a level of community transmission [before] that we were going to see so many cases in schools. 'I also think that we weren't sufficiently pushing for testing of students and maybe because we hadn't had a lot of cases in kids, there wasn't a real push.' A Woolworths worker in Sydney's Balmain also tested positive to coronavirus after spending two weeks in hotel quarantine in Victoria. On his second day back at work the man's manager noticed symptoms and sent him off to get tested, and he again returned a positive result. There has been student-to-student transmission of coronavirus in Victoria, as testing is ramped up across the state (pictured on Wednesday) At least 50 workers at the supermarket in Balmain, in Sydney's inner-west, have been ordered into self isolation, while the store was deep cleaned on Wednesday night. NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said the man had tested positive on day four of his stay in hotel quarantine in Victoria, but on day 14 he was cleared of the virus and allowed to fly north. However, when he returned to work, his supervisor noticed symptoms and told him to get tested immediately. A woman also arrived to Sydney from Victoria on a train on Thursday morning despite not knowing the results of her COVID-19 test. The AFF are seen helping at a coronavirus testing site in Melbourne (pictured on Wednesday) after an outbreak in ten postcodes and in several local schools While the border remains open, anyone who lives in or has visited 36 Victorian suburbs identified as COVID-19 hotspots is banned from entering New South Wales. Under the new public health order, they face fines of up to $11,000 or even six months jail if caught. The woman is now in self-isolation and waiting on the results of her virus test. One patient in NSW is currently in intensive care and 68 people are being treated by NSW Health. Tech billionaire Peter Thiel, once President Donald Trump's most prominent supporter in Silicon Valley, is reportedly distancing himself from this year's presidential campaign because he feels re-election is unlikely. Thiel, a venture capitalist who made his fortune as co-founder of PayPal, was one of the few tech leaders to publicly back Trump in 2016, donating $1.25million to his campaign and describing him as the man who could rebuild America during the Republican National Convention. Despite publicly stating in 2018 that he supports Trump's bid for another term in the White House, Thiel has remained largely silent throughout the current election cycle, without donating a single cent to the president's campaign. It's now emerged that Thiel has expressed concerns over Trump's re-election prospects in conversations with friends and associates at his oceanfront home in Hawaii in recent weeks. Sources told the Wall Street Journal that Thiel believes the US economy will likely be stuck in deep recession with double-digit unemployment when the election rolls around in November - one that would put any sitting president at a dire disadvantage to a challenger. Tech billionaire Peter Thiel, once President Donald Trump's most prominent supporter in Silicon Valley, is reportedly distancing himself from this year's presidential campaign because he feels re-election is unlikely. Trump and Thiel are pictured in the White House in 2016 One person close to Thiel said the billionaire likened Trump's campaign to the 'S.S. Minnow' - a ship that ran aground on the television series Gilligan's Island. The sources claimed that Thiel is not planning to donate any money to his campaign this year, nor does he intend to speak at the Republican convention next month. They said that Thiel may still vote for Trump, as he feels presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is aligned too closely with traditional liberal ideologies, and that he is unlikely to publicly distance himself from the president because he sees no benefit in doing so. Thiel, a self-proclaimed Libertarian whose net worth is valued by Forbes at $2.3billion, did not return WSJ's requests for comment. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh insisted to the newspaper that Thiel has been and remains a supporter of the president. In 2016 Thiel was virtually alone among tech giants in supporting Trump, whose anti-immigration rhetoric was at odds with views widely held by Silicon Valley giants like Apple, Amazon, Google, and others. Thiel reveled in Trump's victory that year, telling friends he was equally thrilled about picking the winning candidate and seeing Trump's campaign promises come to fruition. Their relationship reportedly began to sour less than a year later in August 2017, when Thiel told confidants that the administration was 'incompetent' and that he feared Trump's presidency would 'end in disaster', according to BuzzFeed News. However, Thiel donated to Trump again around the midterm elections in 2018 and maintained his close ties with the White House, once attending a private dinner with the president and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Then in May of this year reports emerged that Trump had further alienated Thiel with his handing of the coronavirus pandemic. Sources close to the billionaire told The Daily Beast that he had been 's**t-talking' Trump's botched management of the crisis. One member of the president's inner circle told the outlet that Thiel has 'ghosted' Trump associates. Thiel was one of the few tech leaders to publicly back Trump in 2016, donating $1.25million to his campaign and describing him as the man who could rebuild America during a speech at the Republican National Convention (pictured) Thiel (seen right with then-President-elect Trump and then-Vice President-elect Mike Pence in New York in December 2016) reveled in Trump's victory, telling friends he was equally thrilled about picking the winning candidate and seeing Trump's campaign promises come to fruition Thiel's apparent break from Trump came despite the fact that his data-mining venture, Palantir, has benefited from billions of dollars in government contracts. In March, Palantir won an $80million contract to build a logistics management system for the US Navy's warships and aircraft, according to The Washington Post. In February, Palantir won an $823million contract to provide software to the Pentagon. The firm has longstanding ties to some of the country's most feared intelligence and law enforcement agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Palantir also recently worked with the Trump administration to help the government build a 'single source' database that would help mitigate the effects of the spread of the coronavirus, according to The Daily Beast. The 'Protect Now' platform unveiled by the Department of Health and Human Services uses data from across federal, state, and local governments as well as health care facilities and colleges in order to help the administration to better 'mitigate and prevent spread' of COVID-19. Amid that collaboration, however, Thiel reportedly became 'frustrated' with the president's performance, particularly during his briefings on the virus. Trump's briefings raised questions about his ability to lead the country during a time of crisis, particularly after the sessions descended into tense back-and-forth exchanges with the press. The president also gave conflicted messaging about following social distancing guidelines while urging supporters to 'liberate' states that imposed lockdowns in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. Trump also touted a drug used to treat malaria, hydroxychloroquine, as a possible cure for COVID-19, though this claim has been refuted by medical experts. The president also drew widespread ridicule when he suggested that bleach or disinfectant cleaner can be used to rid the body of the virus. Trump later insisted he was being sarcastic. The administration has faced fierce criticism after reports surfaced indicating that Trump ignored dire warnings from top officials about the approaching pandemic. Thiel raised alarm about the virus early on as it spread across the world, recalling Palatir staff from abroad in mid-February, ahead of most other American companies. Sources close to Thiel say he is not planning to donate any money to Trump's campaign this year, nor does he intend to speak at the Republican convention next month. Trump is pictured on the campaign trail during a half-empty rally in Tulsa on June 20 The insiders also said that Thiel likened Trump's campaign to the 'S.S. Minnow' - a ship that ran aground on the television series Gilligan's Island (pictured) The cast of Gilligan's Island are seen above in the 1960s: (from left to right) Russell Johnson (Professor), Dawn Wells (Mary Ann), Bob Denver (Gilligan), Tina Louise (Ginger Grant), Jim Backus (Thurston Howell 3rd), Natalie Schafer (Mrs. Lovey Howell), Alan Hale Jr. (The Skipper) Sources told WSJ that Thiel was disappointed by the pace of Trump's response to the crisis that has left the economy in the worst shape it's been in since the Great Depression with tens of millions of Americans filing for unemployment benefits. While he's willing to cut Trump some slack over the pandemic, sources said that he doesn't believe the campaign has done enough to convince voters to keep him around. The insiders also said that they expect Thiel to use his vast resources to bolster GOP candidates in the House and Senate in hopes of securing a Republican majority in at least one branch of government. 'His biggest concern is that if people vote down the ticket, everything flips in one direction,' one person familiar with Thiel's plans said. Thiel has continued to fund his own political-action committee, Free Forever, which is committed to limiting immigration, ending wars and adding jobs for working-class Americans. Melbourne's hotel quarantine disaster has been compared to the Ruby Princess catastrophe as calls grow for state health minister Jenny Mikakos to resign. The Victorian government has been accused of 'putting other states at risk' after private security guards hired to enforce hotel quarantine breached health protocols and even allegedly had sex with returned travellers. The breaches have led to a massive outbreak in Melbourne with 300,000 residents in 36 suburbs placed back into lockdown from Thursday. The Ruby Princess cruise ship (pictured) was allowed to dock in Sydney on 19 March State Opposition leader Michael O'Brien today described the disaster as 'Victoria's Ruby Princess' and said that some private security guards are still guarding hotels. The Ruby Princess cruise ship was allowed to dock in Sydney on 19 March before 2,700 people disembarked without COVID tests. More than 300 passengers were infected and 22 have died. 'It feels like Victoria is a bit like the embarrassing uncle at the dinner table,' Mr O'Brien told Sunrise on Friday morning. 'This is Victoria's Ruby Princess in a way.' Mr O'Brien called for Ms Mikakos to resign and say sorry to Victorians for the hotel fiasco. 'The Victorian government has let the rest of the country down,' he said. New South Wales has used ADF troops (pictured in Sydney) to enforce the quarantine of more than 25,000 returned travellers without suffering any major outbreaks Staff inside the Stamford Hotel in Melbourne are seen moving luggage for guests in quarantine 'Frankly, heads should roll. I've said that the health minister really needs to go. There has to be accountability when these sorts of mistakes happen. 'It's not about finger-pointing it's about being accountable for the job you've got to do and the health minister has completely bothched this and at least she should fall on her sword and apologise to Victorians and the rest of the country for what's happened here.' He added: 'This shouldn't have happened, what has happened isn't bad luck, it's bad decision making from a government that put unqualified, untrained and unprofessional security guards in charge of hotel quarantine.' Victoria is desperately battling what appears to be a second wave of the deadly virus after suffering 289 new cases since Monday, less than four weeks after stamping out the disease when zero new cases were recorded on June 5. On Thursday, a man in Darwin tested positive after catching the disease in Victoria before a Woolworths worker, who was cleared to leave Melbourne quarantine after bringing the virus from Bangladesh, was also diagnosed with COVID-19 in Sydney. Ms Mikakos has blamed Victoria's outbreak on 'large family gatherings' but health officials have admitted that 'dozens' of cases can be traced back to breaches in the hotel quarantine system. Victorian Premier Dan Andrews (pictured in Beijing's Tiananmen Square) has lost support among his voters during the state's recent spike in coronavirus cases. He made the mistake of using private security guards to enforce hotel quarantine Passengers off the Melbourne to Sydney train service have their temperature checked by NSW Health officials at Central Station Since March, Victoria has quarantined more than 18,000 travellers returning from overseas but, unlike other state leaders, Mr Andrews chose to enforce the quarantine with private security guards instead of the police and defence force. It has since emerged that security guards breached infection protocols by mingling with guests and failing to use personal protective equipment properly. Insiders have also alleged that some guards fell asleep on the job, shook hands and even slept with hotel guests. Daniel Andrews adopted a rogue plan, which bucked the consensus of National Cabinet. He has put other states at risk Liberal MP James Newbury Premier Andrews said the guards shared cigarette lighters and even made journeys in the same cars while Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen said that several guards breached social distancing rules. 'There's been closer mingling of these guards than we would like in the workplace,' she said. More than 60 cases can be traced back to two quarantine hotels in Melbourne's CBD - the Stamford Plaza and the Rydges on Swanston - after workers and guards caught the virus and took it back to their friends and families. By contrast, New South Wales has used ADF troops to enforce the quarantine of more than 25,000 returned travellers without suffering any major outbreaks. Advertisement New York City's 'Occupy City Hall' protest has seen demonstrators cover buildings with graffiti, barricade subways, leave piles of trash and throw clothes over railings. Protesters have been camped outside City Hall for more than a week now as calls for widespread police reform and for the NYPD to be defunded have escalated in the weeks following the Memorial Day 'murder' of black man George Floyd at the hands of white cop Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. Demonstrations calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism show no signs of abating in the Big Apple where Floyd's killing reignited outrage felt by New Yorkers following the death of black man Eric Garner in NYPD custody back in 2014. But at the zone outside City Hall, dubbed 'Abolition Park' by it occupiers, what started as a sit-in demanding change and police reform has now descended into a rundown, smelly area after they celebrated $1billion being cut from the NYPD's budget. New York City's 'Occupy City Hall' protest has transformed Manhattan, with graffiti'd buildings, barricaded subway stations and strewn clothes littering the park and streets Protesters have been camped outside City Hall for more than a week now as calls for widespread police reform and for the NYPD to be defunded escalated in the weeks following the Memorial Day 'murder' of black man George Floyd at the hands of white cop Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. Scenes at the camp Thursday Brooklyn Bridge City Hall subway station was barricaded with wooden crates, metal railings and other debris Some protesters have settled in on chairs while others perch on the grass behind where rubbish bags and towels are seen littering the park On Thursday, the campsite's image of an organized, occupied protest area was a thing of the past. Clothing and sheets were seen flung over railings in the street, while graffiti demanding justice and slamming law enforcement was scrawled on the pavements. Brooklyn Bridge City Hall subway station was barricaded with wooden crates, metal railings and other debris blocking commuters coming and going into the city. Some protesters were pictured looking settled in on chairs while others perched on grass now littered with rubbish bags and towels. The City Hall building itself was barely recognizable compared to a week ago, with graffiti scrawled across its walls. Signs reading 'Defund the police' and 'Abolish the police' were also seen plastered around the zone. The famous pro-Trump Naked Cowboy who ordinarily entertains tourists in Times Square was once again thrown out of the area by protesters Thursday - one day after they turfed him out Wednesday when he showed up in underwear and holding a guitar covered in Trump stickers. Demonstrations calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism show no signs of abating in the Big Apple where protesters have set up camp. Clothes and sheets are pictured hanging over the railings in the area Thursday Outside City Hall, what started as a sit-in demanding change and police reform has descended into an area that smells and has clothes strewn round. A sign shows the protester's demands while graffiti is seen on the pavement The City Hall building itself is barely recognizable compared to a week ago, with graffiti scrawled across its walls 'No Justice' is scrawled on a statues outside City Hall where protesters have been camped out for a week Late Tuesday, the City Council voted in favor of slashing the NYPD budget by more than $1 billion, meaning it is canceling the recruitment of 1,163 new officers, stripping $484million from the overtime budget and transfering $354million to other services. The contentious budget passed the City Council with 32 votes in favor and an unusually large 17 votes against just ahead of the midnight deadline following hours of delays. Protesters toasted their victory Wednesday with prosecco following the news of the cuts. But people continued to gather outside City Hall Thursday and showed no signs of packing up and going home despite the mark of progress. Food, medical and information stations have been set up in the area as protesters appear to be there for the long haul as they say the cuts do not go far enough and the NYPD should be defunded entirely. Officers tried to clear barricades surrounding the park Wednesday and tried to push back protesters who spilled over from the park and onto the street in attempts to expand their 'cop free' zone. Three people were arrested before the situation calmed down again. Scenes of the city's decline Thursday come the same day Mayor Bill de Blasio temporarily called off the painting of a 'Black Lives Matter mural' just feet from the US president's former home in Trump Tower, but promised that the mural will go ahead next week. Protesters continued to gather outside City Hall Thursday and showed no signs of packing up and going home Signs reading 'Defund the police' and 'Abolish the police' have been plastered around the zone Food, medical and information stations have also been set up in the area as protesters say cuts to the NYPD's budget do not go far enough and the force should be defunded entirely Scenes of the city's decline come the same day Mayor Bill de Blasio temporarily called off the painting of a ' Black Lives Matter mural' just feet from the US president's former home in Trump Tower, but promised that the mural will go ahead next week Protesters put up tarpaulin in preparation for potential thunderstorms which have done little to deter the crowd over the last few days De Blasio Thursday announced he was postponing the painting of the Black Lives Matter mural outside Trump Tower on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue Thursday. No explanation was given by City Hall as to why the painting was postponed last minute and rescheduled to an unspecified time next week. The postponement came after President Trump and de Blasio engaged in a Twitter spat over the mural on Wednesday night with Trump branding it a 'symbol of hate' and demanding the money for its creation be spent on the NYPD instead. Many of the luxury shops close to where the mural is planned had barricades set up on Thursday morning, and cops were seen guarding the entrance to Trump Tower. 'It has been postponed due to scheduling change,' a city spokesperson told the New York Post. 'Well be sending out more details in the coming days on a new date.' City Hall is covered in graffiti. Late Tuesday, the City Council voted in favor of slashing the NYPD budget by more than $1 billion, meaning it is canceling the recruitment of 1,163 new officers, stripping $484million from the overtime budget and transfering $354million to other services The famous pro-Trump Naked Cowboy who ordinarily entertains tourists in Times Square was once again thrown out of the area by protesters Thursday He showed up in underwear and holding a guitar that was covered in Trump stickers Brueckner, 43, was recently identified as a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine, who vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007 Detectives are probing a 'promising' new mobile phone lead in the Madeleine McCann case after a tip-off from a TV appeal. A viewer on Germany's Crimewatch recognised the phone number that suspect Christian Bruckner is said to have phoned on the night the young girl vanished, as reported by The Sun. Brueckner, 43, was recently identified as a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine, who vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007. German prosecutors have repeatedly claimed they have 'concrete evidence' that the three-year-old was killed, and insisted last month they had shared this information with Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann in a letter. Details of a call involving a mobile number allegedly used by Brueckner were revealed on the German crime show Aktenzeichen XY Ungelost. At the end of the show detective Alfred Hettmer said: 'There have been 16 calls about this number and one of them is promising.' Brueckner, 43, was recently identified as a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine, (pictured) who vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007. Police previously said a phone linked to Brueckner had received a 30-minute call between 7.32pm and 8.02pm on the night Madeleine disappeared from the Ocean Club apartment complex. Scotland Yard took the unusual step of releasing two mobile telephone numbers as part of an appeal to end the 13-year mystery on June 4. The first number +315 912 730 680 is believed have been used by the prime suspect. He received a call from another Portuguese number + 351 916 510 683 while in the Praia de Luz area. German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters recently told 60 Minutes a phone linked to the prime suspect had been used near the holiday apartment on the night the three-year-old vanished. Police previously said a phone linked to Brueckner had received a 30-minute call between 7.32pm and 8.02pm on the night Madeleine disappeared from the Ocean Club apartment complex (pictured) The parents of Madeleine McCann, Kate and Gerry McCann. Their daughter disappeared in 2007 It comes as the lawyer for Madeleine McCann's kidnap and murder suspect Christian Brueckner has insisted his client is 'no psychopathic monster'. Friedrich Fulscher described the 43-year-old serial paedophile as a 'friendly conversationist'. He went on to claim: 'The prosecutor's office seems to have shot at our client and is now trying to correct their lack of evidence by any means possible. 'I experience him as a very calm and friendly interlocutor, and the atmosphere between us has always been very pleasant.' He said Brueckner has not spoken about the case 'and he has a right to silence', which does not infer guilt. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:55 pm The Anytime Fitness gym in Selah became the first business to be fined by the state for operating in violation of Gov. Jay Inslee's Safe Start order. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries issued a $9,639 fine to company owner Bradshaw Development Inc. this week after receiving numerous complaints from the public and a referral from the Yakima Health District. L&I inspectors saw the gym open for business on June 15. Yakima County, with continued daily case counts in the double or triple digits and stretched hospital capacity, remains in Phase 1 of the state's Safe Start plan. Gyms are not allowed to re-open until Phase 3. A Wednesday press release from Labor and Industries said state workers contacted the business multiple times about its non-compliance before issuing the fine. The citation from the department's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or DOSH, noted that Anytime Fitness Selah put workers at an unacceptable risk of exposure to the coronavirus. L&I Director Joel Sacks said Anytime Fitness Selah was "clearly aware" it was not complying with the governor's order and was putting employees at risk. "They chose to stay open even after multiple contacts," Sacks said in a press release. "It's just not fair to businesses that are following the rules when others don't." The general manager of Anytime Fitness Selah did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication of this story. In a post on the gym's Facebook page March 16, Owner Wes Bradshaw told members the gym would be closing for two weeks to comply with Inslee's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order, which ran through April 1. "Unfortunately with the apparent COVID-19 outbreak or scare, regardless of our feelings towards the legality of this, the Governor has directed us to close our locations, until April 1st," Bradshaw wrote. "I have looked extensively for some sort of loophole to remain open, but at this point my hands are tied." The post said the gym would be closing down for two weeks. The governor's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order was extended before the state rolled out its four-part reopening plan. Since May, Labor and Industries received more than a dozen complaints that people were using the Anytime Fitness gym in Selah without social distancing. A Yakima Health District official also emailed the governor's office to report community concerns and an observation from a staff member that the gym was "packed with customers," according to the press release. The business has until July 5 to close or 15 working days to appeal. The L&I press release noted that businesses are contacted by phone and email, if possible, to ensure owners understand Safe Start rules by the time Labor and Industries receives a Safe Start referral. If employers refuse to comply, the department sends a warning letter about possible fines. Inspectors may later drive by the business; if the business is open, the inspectors refer the case to a DOSH investigator for inspection and possible citation. Through June 26, state emergency operation center staff contacted more than 400 businesses about complaints filed by concerned citizens that operations are violating COVID-19 safety precautions. About 1,300 more businesses will be contacted about possible Safe Start violations soon, the department said. People who believe a business is violating Safe Start rules can report the possible violations online at https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/09349a1c56844b539fea1c2cabd16d56?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery. Waitrose has stopped selling coconut products that use slave monkey labour to harvest the fruit. The supermarket chain has vowed not to sell products made with animal labour after an investigation showed that popular brands were exploiting primates. Animal rights organisation Peta Asia's investigation found farms in Thailand training monkeys to pick coconuts from trees, sometimes being forced to carry items larger than their own bodyweight. Waitrose said it will thoroughly check its coconut products to ensure they are not derived from animal labour. Waitrose has stopped selling coconut products from Thailand after it emerged some products used slave monkey labour to harvest the fruit. Pictured: A macaque eats a piece of Chinese cabbage outside a shop in Lopburi, Bangkok John Gregson, communications manager for health and agriculture at Waitrose and Partners said: 'Waitrose and Partners supports PETAs goal to end the use of monkey labour in the coconut industry. 'As part of our animal welfare policy we have committed to never knowingly sell any products sourced from monkey labour.' Other companies including Boots, the Co-op and Ocado have also pledged not to sell products that use monkey labour, while Morrisons has removed the Thai products from its shelves. Animal rights organisations have spoken out against the farms which use pigtailed macaques to harvest the fruit. Animal rights organisation Peta Asia's investigation found Thai farms training monkeys to pick coconuts from trees, sometimes being forced to carry items larger than their own bodyweight Peta have called on customers to avoid buying coconut products from Thailand to prevent supporting the use of enslaved monkeys at farms. Elisa Allen, Peta director, told the The Daily Telegraph: 'These curious, highly intelligent animals are denied psychological stimulation, companionship, freedom and everything else that would make their lives worth living.' The animal rights organisation's investigation found farms chaining monkeys to tires outside and handlers pulling out the monkeys' teeth to avoid being bitten. Farms prize the monkeys for their work, with an adult male pigtailed macaque able to harvest 1,600 coconuts a day, compared to just 80 by a human. The news comes after Thailand sterilised hundreds of monkeys in a city famous for its macaque population, as the coronavirus pandemic left them hungry, aggressive and wrestling food from terrified residents. Central Thailand's Lopburi province and its 2,000 monkeys have long been a draw for tourists from around the world, who typically feed and pose with them for selfies. But since Thailand closed its borders on April 4 to control coronavirus infection, the monkeys did not adapt dwindling food supplies. Lopburi's authorities have begun catching, sedating and sterilising the primates, aiming to sterilise 500 to slow the growth of the population. Two Victorian mates have been found bogged down on a muddy back road after police busted their second attempt at crossing the South Australian border. The two men, 23 and 18, from Melbourne first tried to enter the state in a white Volkswagen van at around 4am on Thursday. The pair were stopped at a checkpoint on the Dukes Highway at Bordertown and told they were non-essential travellers and would need to self isolate for 14 days. Two men, 23 and 18, from Melbourne tried to sneak into South Australia on Thursday and were found bogged down in a muddy back road (pictured) on their second attempt Police found the men (pictured) 12 hours after they had first attempted to enter South Australia at a checkpoint where they turned away because they did not want to isolate for 14 days They also failed to complete an online application to enter the state and opted to return to Victoria. But 12 hours later, police found the van and the two mates bogged on a dirt road near Pinehill Road at Senior, about 28 kilometres north. 'Police will allege the pair had briefly returned to Victoria before re-entering South Australia, bypassing the border checkpoint and travelling along back roads towards Bordertown,' SA Police said in a statement on Friday. The men were both issued with a $1060 on the spot fine. They were again given the option to self-isolate for 14 days or return to Victoria. The mates chose to return and were escorted back over the border. SA Police are continuing to patrol cross-border roads from Victoria and are fining anyone detected illegally entering South Australia. The men were both fined $1060 and escorted back across the border as strict patrols are being enforced amid Melbourne's (pictured) spike in coronavirus cases Victoria on Friday reported 66 new cases and a total of 442 active coronavirus cases in the state. Dozens of suburbs across the city entered the second day of a reinstated lockdown after more than two weeks of double-digit case increases. Victorians will be required to self isolate, often at their own expense, in states like the ACT, South Australia and Queensland as the rest of nation begins to reopen. Queensland will open its border on Friday at noon and residents who have visited Victoria have until then to come home. Queenslanders may then be blocked from entering or have to fund their own 14-day quarantine in a government-assigned hotel. A high police presence at the Queensland border will continue to ensure visitors have not travelled to Victoria. Health authorities are now tracking down passengers who sat near the man A passenger said people were being crammed together in a small airport hallway Photos show passengers from the same flight tightly packed while disembarking A man from the flight tested positive to coronavirus, sparking fears of a spread Flight QF836 from Melbourne via Brisbane arrived in Darwin on Monday Passengers who were on the same flight as a coronavirus-positive man were crammed together while disembarking in Darwin, sparking fears he infected more travellers. The man in his 30s tested positive on Wednesday, becoming the Northern Territory's first local COVID-19 case in the state since April 6 and breaking its 42 day coronavirus-free streak. He flew from Melbourne to Darwin, with a change in Brisbane, on July 29 on Qantas flight QF836. A picture taken just two days later shows passengers from the same flight packed closely together in the airport hallway while awaiting processing, not observing the 1.5m rule. A photo shows passengers packed together in an airport hallway in Darwin (pictured on July 1) after arriving from Brisbane - two days after the infected man arrived at the same airport There are concerns that people on packed domestic flights are unable to socially distance (pictured, travellers returning to Sydney from COVID-19 hotspot Melbourne on Friday) The man landed in Melbourne from Pakistan and spent two weeks in hotel quarantine, where he tested negative before leaving. After his quarantine ended, he stayed with relatives in one of the city's infection hot spots for several days. He then flew back to Darwin on Wednesday via Brisbane on Qantas flight QF836 and went into quarantine at his home after developing symptoms. NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner said it was only a matter of time before the Top End saw more coronavirus cases A passenger arriving from Brisbane to Darwin on the same flight said people were being packed into a tight airport hallway as they waited to be processed after getting off their flight, NT News reported. The traveller said crew let passengers board five rows at a time and the plane was nearly full. But any social distancing measures taken on board were cancelled out due to people being crammed together while waiting to disembark. 'NT Airports understands that as travel restrictions are eased there is a risk that some people travelling through our terminals may test positive for COVID-19,' chief executive Tony Edmondstone said. 'We do not take this lightly and are working to make sure our airports are as safe as possible.' The man flew from Melbourne to Brisbane and then onto Darwin, becoming the state's first coronavirus cases since April 6 (pictured, Melbourne passengers arriving in Sydney on Friday) Health authorities are now tracking down passengers who sat near the man on his flights to Darwin from Melbourne via Brisbane on June 29. NT Health said the man who tested positive had the COVIDSafe app and contact tracing would focus on the two rows of seats in front and behind him as well as next to him. NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner said it was only a matter of time before the Top End saw more coronavirus cases. 'I know it's hard to hear, but it's the truth. I really want all Territorians to know this. It will happen again,' he said. The man had been quarantining in Melbourne but later tested positive in Darwin (pictured, a woman is tested in Melbourne) 'Coronavirus isn't going anywhere for a while. We don't have a vaccine and Australia is not corona-free.' NT Chief Health Officer Hugh Heggie said the new case was a warning to all Territorians that COVID-19 had not gone away. 'What's important is that everything that we have put in place seems to have worked and Territorians need to be assured that there's no risk to the community,' he said. 'In this case, the traveller did have some symptoms and he did contact the team to have a test. 'He did all the right things.' The man was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital and is in isolation but is experiencing only mild symptoms. Idaho prosecutors dismissed two felony counts of child abandonment and desertion against Lori Vallow (pictured) days after slapping the 'cult' mom with two new felony charges for conspiracy to destroy evidence following the discovery of her missing children's bodies Idaho prosecutors have dropped child abandonment charges against Lori Vallow days after slapping the 'cult' mom with two new counts of conspiracy to destroy evidence following the discovery of her missing children's bodies. Lori was charged with two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of children back in February amid the desperate search for her seven-year-old son Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and 17-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan. Those charges were dismissed on Thursday - three weeks after police found the children's remains buried on the property of Chad Daybell, whom Lori married weeks after they disappeared last September. Lori appeared in court via Zoom from the Madison County Jail on Tuesday night, where prosecutor Rob Wood read out two new counts of conspiracy to commit destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence. She is also facing misdemeanor charges of resisting and obstructing an officer, solicitation of a crime and contempt of court, which were filed at the time of her arrest. The remains of Tylee Ryan (left) and Joshua 'JJ' Vallow were discovered on the property of Lori Vallow's husband Chad Daybell on June 9 - nine months after they went missing Chad was arrested on June 9, the same day the bodies were found, on two felony counts of destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence, to which he pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors added two new felony counts for conspiracy to commit destruction, alteration, or concealment of evidence this week. Lori's husband Chad Daybell (pictured) is also facing felony charges for destruction or concealment of evidence Court documents say the he and Lori 'willfully and knowingly combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed to commit destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence' - that evidence being the remains of Tylee and JJ. The documents state that JJ's remains were easy to identify but Tylee's was decomposed beyond recognition that she had to be identified by her jawline. 'It was not possible to identify those remains by simply looking at them as they were too damaged by fire and dismemberment and no longer had any recognizable features,' authorities wrote. 'However, Dr. Glen Smith, an orthodontist and Deputy Coroner in the Ada County Coroner's Office was able to identify these remains as belonging to Tylee Ryan by matching an irregular jawline with an X-ray of Tylee when she was alive.' Both Lori and Chad are being held behind bars in lieu of $1million bond. They are facing up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine on each of the felony counts. No one has been charged directly over the children's deaths as the investigation continues. In this aerial photo, investigators search for human remains at Chad Daybell's residence in the 200 block of 1900 East in Salem, Idaho on June 9 Chad appeared in court on Wednesday to hear the new charges against him. He showed no emotion and spoke only to answer 'yes', 'I do' and 'thank you' to questions posed by the judge. The amended criminal complaint came two days after investigators carried out another search at his property in Salem, Idaho, though it is unclear whether the new charges stemmed from evidence found during that search. Chad is set to appear in court again for a preliminary hearing on August 3 and 4. Chad is seen appearing in court via Zoom on Wednesday, where the new conspiracy charges against him were read Lori put on an emotional display during her own court appearance on Tuesday, wiping away tears as she was also charged with conspiracy and her eldest son, Colby Ryan, watched with his wife Kelsee. Joined by her attorney, Mark Means, Lori spoke only to answer 'yes' to confirm she understood the new charges, her rights and had received a copy of her arrest prior to the hearing. At one point, the mother, who had repeatedly refused to say where her children were before the grim discovery of their remains, reached for a tissue and wiped away tears from her eyes. Colby, the distraught brother of JJ and Tylee, appeared overcome with emotion as he listed to the new charges. There was some disagreement between Means and Wood after the prosecutor noted that Lori's attorney had represented Chad in the past. Judge Faren Eddins said he would make a decision over whether there was any conflict of interest in Means now representing Lori. Her next court hearing has been scheduled for August 10 and is expected to last for two days. Lori Vallow (bottom left) appeared in court Tuesday via a Zoom call to face her new charges - while her emotional adult son Colby Ryan (bottom right) watched on At one point during the hearing Lori reached for a tissue and dabbed tears from her eyes Devastated relatives of Tylee and JJ issued a joint statement Wednesday asking for privacy and thanking people for their support as they grieve. 'We are utterly devastated trying to comprehend how our children, full of brilliant light and jubilance for life, ended at the hands of those who were supposed to love and protect them,' the families wrote. The families said they have faith in the judicial system and are confident justice will prevail. Public memorial services will be held at some point in Rexburg, Idaho, where the kids last lived, Phoenix, their home before Idaho, and Lake Charles, Louisiana, where JJ's grandparents live, they added. A probable cause affidavit alleges Lori's brother Alex Cox (pictured) helped bury the children's bodies Investigators dug up the bodies on Chad's property on June 9 - marking the conclusion of a seven-month, multi-state search for the children who hadn't been seen since September 2019 but were never reported missing by their mother. The story captured nationwide attention with the revelations that police were also investigating at least three suspicious deaths linked to Lori and Chad, as well as relatives' claims that the couple are members of a dangerous doomsday cult. Three weeks after the bodies were recovered, many questions in the complicated case remain unanswered. Chilling new details about the investigation emerged last week when two probable cause affidavits linked to Lori and Chad's arrests were unsealed. One of the affidavits, filed the day after Chad was arrested, alleges that Lori's brother, Alex Cox, brought the bodies to the property to bury them. The FBI released this photo of JJ and Tylee with their uncle Alex Cox on September 8, 2019 - the last day Tylee was seen. Police alleged that Cox brought Tylee to Chad's property and buried her hours later on the morning of September 9 Timeline of JJ and Tylee's disappearance July 11, 2019: Lori Vallow's husband, Charles Vallow, is killed by her brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona. August: Lori moves children JJ and Tylee to Rexburg, Idaho, where Chad Daybell lives with his wife Tammy. September 8: The last time Tylee is seen during a trip to Yellowstone National Park with Lori, JJ and Alex. September 23: The last time JJ is seen at his school in Rexburg. October 19: Chad's wife Tammy, 49, dies at their Idaho home. October 25: A friend of Tylee receives a vague 'miss you' text from her phone but says that it didn't sound like the teen. November 5: Lori and Chad tie the knot on a beach in Kauai. November 26: Out-of-state relatives ask Idaho police to perform a welfare check on JJ and learn both he and Tylee have not been seen for months. November 27: Police execute a search warrant related to the children at Lori's home and discover that she and Chad have fled Idaho. December 11: Tammy's body is exhumed from a Utah cemetery and her death is reclassified as suspicious. December 12: Lori's brother, Alex Cox, is found unresponsive in Arizona and dies. December 21: Rexburg police issue the first press release about JJ and Tylee, revealing they believe their disappearance could be linked to Tammy's death. December 24: Lori and Chad issue a statement through an attorney saying they love their son and daughter and look forward to addressing 'allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor'. December 30: Police accuse Lori and Chad of lying to investigators and say they believe the couple know where the kids are or what happened to them. January 3, 2020: Police search Chad's home in Salem and remove 43 items. They also comb over sections of the snow-covered yard with rakes and metal detectors. January 26: Lori and Chad are seen for the first time in months as police serve them with a court order to produce the children to authorities in Idaho in five days. January 30: Lori misses the court deadline to produce the children to Idaho authorities. February 20: Lori is arrested in Kauai. March 5: Lori is extradited to Idaho, where she is held on $1million bond at Madison County Jail. April 9: Authorities reveal they are investigating Lori and Chad for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy in connection with Tammy's death. June 9:Police search Chad's home in Salem for the second time and discover human remains in the backyard. Chad is taken into police custody and charged with destruction or concealment of evidence. Advertisement A ping from Cox's cellphone showed him at the site where Tylee's remains were found on September 9, the day after she was last seen. Two later pings on September 23, the day JJ vanished, showed Cox at the site where the boy's remains were found a few feet away in the yard. It wasn't until nine weeks later that Rexburg Police learned the children were missing when officers performed a welfare check at Lori's apartment in Rexburg on November 26, after relatives said they hadn't seen JJ in months. During that welfare check Chad 'acted as if he didn't know Lori very well and stated he didn't know her phone number', Lt Ron Ball wrote in an affidavit. Investigators soon discovered that was a lie when they came across photos of Chad and Lori's wedding three weeks earlier on a beach in Hawaii. Lori and her brother told detectives that the children were visiting relatives, which was also determined to be a lie. She and Chad fled from Idaho to Hawaii the day after the welfare check. The affidavits also describe how Lori complained that her 'Satan-loving' son JJ was 'acting like a zombie' and knocked a photo of Jesus off her refrigerator just hours before he vanished. Cox mysteriously died in Gilbert, Arizona, on December 12, about a month after police began searching for the children. An autopsy determined that the 51-year-old died of natural causes but noted that he had the overdose drug Narcan in his system at the time. His death is one of at least three that cops began investigating in connection with the kids' disappearance. Lori's estranged husband Charles Vallow was shot dead by Cox in Arizona on July 11. Charles and Lori had gotten into an argument when the father came to pick up JJ at the mother's home in Chandler. Lori's brother intervened and fatally shot Charles. Police initially determined that he acted in self defense - but the case was reopened amid the multi-state search for JJ and Tylee, who had moved to Idaho, where Chad lived, with their mother in August. A couple of months later, Chad's first wife Tammy Daybell was found dead at the home they shared on October 19. An obituary stated that Tammy passed away in her sleep and her cause of death was ruled as natural after Chad reportedly declined an autopsy. Investigators reopened the case after learning that JJ and Tylee were missing, as their mother had married Chad just two weeks after Tammy died. They believe the two cases could be linked. Tammy's body was exhumed on December 11 and the autopsy results have not yet been released. Police tracked Lori and Chad down in Princeville, Hawaii, in late January and served the mother with a court order requiring her to physically produce the children to authorities in Idaho by January 30. Lori failed to meet the deadline, prompting her arrest and extradition to Idaho, where she is currently being held at Madison County Jail. In April it was revealed that the Idaho Attorney General's Office and Fremont County Sheriff's Office are investigating Lori and Chad for murder in Tammy's death. A founding member of Black Lives Matter said President Trump was the 'embodiment of white supremacist terrorism' and 'terrorist in chief' over his recent comments on the movement. Melina Abdullah on Thursday appeared on CNN's Newsroom to blast the embattled commander-in-chief for calling a proposed Black Lives Matter mural outside of Trump Tower a 'symbol of hate.' 'I think its the height of hypocrisy for Donald Trump to call anything a symbol of hate,' said Abdullah, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles chapter and a Pan-African studies professor at California State University. 'He is the embodiment of hate, and for him to say that affirming the value of black life is somehow hate, again, reminds us of who he is.' Melina Abdullah (right) on Thursday appeared on CNN to criticize President Trump over his response to Black Lives Matter In response to claims that Trump is stoking the flames of both political and racial divide with harmful rhetoric, Abdullah pointed to white supremacy. 'I think we need to remember who he is. That Donald Trump is the embodiment of white supremacist terrorism.' On Wednesday, Trump lashed out at New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for cutting $1billion from the NYPD's budget and proposing to paint a Black Lives Matter mural in front of his Fifth Avenue skyscraper. 'NYC is cutting Police $'s by ONE BILLION DOLLARS, and yet the New York City Mayor is going to paint a big, expensive, yellow Black Lives Matter sign on Fifth Avenue, denigrating this luxury Avenue,' wrote Trump 'This will further antagonize New Yorks Finest, who LOVE New York & vividly remember the horrible BLM chant, "Pigs In A Blanket, Fry Em Like Bacon."' 'Maybe our GREAT Police, who have been neutralized and scorned by a mayor who hates & disrespects them, wont let this symbol of hate be affixed to New Yorks greatest street. Spend this money fighting crime instead!' President Trump (pictured) has been heavily criticized for his response to the Black Lives Matter movement in recent weeks after a series of political missteps Trump on Wednesday lashed out at New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio over a $1billion budget cut to the city's police force He called a Black Lives Matter mural set to painted outside of Trump Tower as a 'symbol of hate' in the same Twitter thread Mayor de Blasio said painting for the mural will begin on Thursday, but postponed the event without an explanation from city officials. Similar murals were painted in front of the White House and across other cities in support of the movement. Abdullah continued to lambaste Trump by pointing out that he shared an inflammatory video of two supporters yelling 'white power' to his Twitter feed. Trump also shared a video of a Missouri couple brandishing an AR-15 and a handgun at anti-police brutality protesters this week. The 'white power' video was eventually deleted from Trump's twitter with White House officials claiming the president did not hear that part. 'When he he is tweeting videos of people throwing up white power...and really entrenching himself within the white terrorist movement. Hes done that not just only over the last week, but over the last four years,' said Abdullah. 'And you see that really manifest in terms of the surge in hate crimes, which are primarily meted out on black people and at the hands of white people.' Melina Abdullah (pictured) is a founding member of Black Lives Matter in Los Angeles, California, and is a Pan-African studies professor at California State University A study released by the Pew Research Center on Wednesday showed nearly 60 per cent of Asian Americans and 45 per cent of Black Americans believed that it was 'more common for people to express racist views toward their group since the coronavirus outbreak.' Abdullah said the polarization and instances of police brutality against minorities rested squarely on Trump's shoulders. 'So its really important to understand what Donald Trump has done to this country, and where hes chosen to align himself,' she said. 'So for him, again, to call anything hate is really the height of hypocrisy and we need as a country to be willing to point to him and say that he is actually the terrorist in chief.' CNN Host Brooke Baldwin responded to Abdullah that 'those are strong words.' 'Obviously the White House would dispute that,' said Abdullah. 'But youre allowed your freedom of opinion, and the fact is that the president is highly critical of Black Lives Matter.' Abdullah (pictured): 'So for him, again, to call anything hate is really the height of hypocrisy and we need as a country to be willing to point to him and say that he is actually the terrorist in chief' Pictured: An aerial view of 'Black Lives Matter' mural painting is seen on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, New York City on June 15 Trump has been continuously ridiculed for his response to recent Black Lives Matter protests that sparked after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, two months ago. He was condemned over his heavy-handed military response to often peaceful protests, appearing to incite further divide between civilians using prejudice rhetoric and for using the widely contested phrase 'When the looting starts, the shooting starts.' Meanwhile, he's repeatedly claimed that he's done more for the Black community than any president besides Abraham Lincoln, who was credited with freeing African-American slaves after the Civil War. The president pointed to the bipartisan criminal justice bill he signed. 'And I got five or six Republicans Senators who had no interest in getting it done,' Trump reminded Faulkner. The president also pointed to getting prolonged funding for historically black colleges and universities. Advertisement Victoria has recorded 66 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours and Premier Daniel Andrews has said more suburbs could soon be locked down. A total of 23 patients are in hospital with six fighting for life in intensive care as the state suffers what appears to be a second wave of the deadly virus. Melbourne's north west, where 36 suburbs have been shut down, has suffered the most cases with postcodes 3064, 3047, 3031 and 3060 recording the highest totals this week. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos today revealed that a single person, a so-called 'super-spreader', could be to blame for the recent surge that has seen 355 new cases since Monday. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said the postcodes with the most cases in the past week are 3064, 3047, 3031 and 3060 A resident is given a COVID-19 test at a pop-up site in Broadmeadows on July 1. Victoria reported 66 new cases on Friday Residents are given a COVID-19 test at a pop-up site in Fawkner on July 1 in Melbourne. Victoria is suffering a huge oubreak How many active cases are in each postcode? 3064: 52 active cases 3047: 25 active cases 3021: 16 active cases 3060: 11 active cases 3046: 10 active cases 3032: Nine active cases 3038: Four active cases 3055: Three active cases 3042: Two active cases Correct as of Thursday night Advertisement 'On Tuesday, I received a briefing of a genomic sequencing report that seemed to suggest that there seems to be a single source of infection for many of the cases that have gone across the northern and western suburbs of Melbourne,' she said. 'It appears to be even potentially a super spreader that has caused this upsurge in cases. 'We don't have the full picture yet and as Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton explained the other day, not all of these cases have yet been subject to genomic sequencing.' Premier Andrews thanked residents who have gone back into lockdown but said he 'cannot rule out other suburbs being shut down'. Since last Thursday the state has swabbed more than 164,000 people in a 'testing blitz' - but 10,000 residents have refused. Ms Mikakos said some refused because they believed coronavirus is a 'conspiracy' and wouldn't affect them. The outbreak has been traced to breaches in Melbourne's hotel quarantine system and an inquiry has been launched. Some guards breached health protocols and even allegedly had sex with returned travellers and took them to McDonald's. Mr Andrews is facing criticism for hiring private security guards instead of the ADF to enforce the quarantine. Asked about that decision on Friday, Mr Andrews insisted that it was never National Cabinet policy to have troops enforcing quarantine even though other states such as NSW were using them. He admitted that he refused an ADF offer to help transport returned travellers to hotels - and used private company Skybus instead - but said transportation 'has not been the problem'. The Premier said it was 'pleasing' that the positive case numbers had stabilised rather than 'doubling'. On Thursday, a man in Darwin tested positive after catching the disease in Victoria before a Woolworths worker, who was cleared to leave Melbourne quarantine after bringing the virus from Bangladesh, was also diagnosed with COVID-19 in Sydney. Victorian health officials said on Friday that the Sydney worker was allowed out of quarantine without a second test because he had been symptom-free for ten days since contracting the virus and was no longer infectious even though he was still 'shedding' the virus. A passenger wearing a protective suit and mask collects her luggage after arriving on a flight from Melbourne at Sydney Airport Police Officers check reasons for not being at home in a booze bus-style random checkpoint on Camp Road, Broadmeadows New South Wales has used ADF troops (pictured in Sydney) to enforce the quarantine of more than 25,000 returned travellers without suffering any major outbreaks Staff inside the Stamford Hotel in Melbourne are seen moving luggage for guests in quarantine Worst days for coronavirus diagnoses in Victoria 1. 111 new cases on March 28 2. 96 new cases on March 31 3. 84 new cases on March 29 4. 77 new cases on July 2 5. 75 new cases on June 29 6. 73 new cases on July 1 Advertisement State Opposition leader Michael O'Brien today described the disaster as 'Victoria's Ruby Princess' and said that some private security guards are still guarding hotels. The Ruby Princess cruise ship was allowed to dock in Sydney on 19 March before 2,700 people disembarked without COVID tests. More than 300 passengers were infected and 22 have died. 'It feels like Victoria is a bit like the embarrassing uncle at the dinner table,' Mr O'Brien told Sunrise on Friday morning. 'This is Victoria's Ruby Princess in a way.' Mr O'Brien called for Ms Mikakos to resign and say sorry to Victorians for the hotel fiasco. 'The Victorian government has let the rest of the country down,' he said. 'Frankly, heads should roll. I've said that the health minister really needs to go. There has to be accountability when these sorts of mistakes happen. 'It's not about finger-pointing it's about being accountable for the job you've got to do and the health minister has completely bothched this and at least she should fall on her sword and apologise to Victorians and the rest of the country for what's happened here.' He added: 'This shouldn't have happened, what has happened isn't bad luck, it's bad decision making from a government that put unqualified, untrained and unprofessional security guards in charge of hotel quarantine.' Victoria's outbreak comes less than four weeks after it stamped out the disease when zero new cases were recorded on June 5. Ms Mikakos has blamed Victoria's outbreak on 'large family gatherings' but health officials have admitted that 'dozens' of cases can be traced back to breaches in the hotel quarantine system. Victorian Premier Dan Andrews (pictured in Beijing's Tiananmen Square) has lost support among his voters during the state's recent spike in coronavirus cases. He made the mistake of using private security guards to enforce hotel quarantine Since March, Victoria has quarantined more than 18,000 travellers returning from overseas but, unlike other state leaders, Mr Andrews chose to enforce the quarantine with private security guards instead of the police and defence force. It has since emerged that security guards breached infection protocols by mingling with guests and failing to use personal protective equipment properly. Daniel Andrews adopted a rogue plan, which bucked the consensus of National Cabinet. He has put other states at risk Liberal MP James Newbury Insiders have also alleged that some guards fell asleep on the job, shook hands and even slept with hotel guests. Premier Andrews said the guards shared cigarette lighters and even made journeys in the same cars while Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen said that several guards breached social distancing rules. 'There's been closer mingling of these guards than we would like in the workplace,' she said. More than 60 cases can be traced back to two quarantine hotels in Melbourne's CBD - the Stamford Plaza and the Rydges on Swanston - after workers and guards caught the virus and took it back to their friends and families. By contrast, New South Wales has used ADF troops to enforce the quarantine of more than 25,000 returned travellers without suffering any major outbreaks. The Ruby Princess cruise ship (pictured) was allowed to dock in Sydney on 19 March Victorian Liberal MP James Newbury told Daily Mail Australia that the decision to use private contractors has 'put other states at risk'. 'Daniel Andrews adopted a rogue plan, which bucked the consensus of National Cabinet, and used private contractors to manage hotel quarantine instead of the trusted Defence Force,' he said. 'His rogue strategy has failed and the pandemic is out of control in Victoria which is putting other states at risk.' In a scathing assessment of the premier, the state MP for Brighton in south-east Melbourne said: 'Mr Andrews and his government are directly responsible for this second wave'. Passengers off the Melbourne to Sydney train service have their temperature checked by NSW Health officials at Central Station Advertisement Ghislaine Maxwell bought her $1million New Hampshire hideout with the help of a mystery British 'tech firm owner' and had asked about the 'flight patterns' over the home before purchasing it with cash under an LLC, the broker who sold the house has claimed. Maxwell, who is accused of procuring underage girls for billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested Thursday morning at a luxurious mountain top home called Tuckedaway, outside the tiny town of Bradford, months after she disappeared from the public eye. She had reportedly been staying in the four-bed, four-bathroom, 4,500 sq ft house since December when she bought the property for $1.07million in cash, using a limited liability company called Granite Reality. The broker who sold the home told The Daily Beast she never met Maxwell, but attended the house inspection with a British man who she assumed was her husband. The man allegedly told the agent he had recently sold his tech company and was looking for a new place in the U.S., she said. The broker, who was not named, recalled thinking a celebrity was moving in after they refused to put Maxwell's name on the paperwork and asked questions pertaining to privacy. On Thursday, journalists reported seeing a man on the grounds with a British accent but it is unclear if he is the same person who helped Maxwell purchase the property. Maxwell was picked up by the FBI and NYPD detectives at 8.30am at the property in Bradford, New Hampshire, she had bought in December 2019 using a limited liability company called Granite Reality LLC to shield her name Justice finally caught up Thursday with Ghislaine Maxwell at this 156-acre she bought in secret and which is called Tuckedaway, DailyMail.com can reveal The four-bed, four-bath home is set on nearly 4,500 sq. ft. of land, as seen in this aerial view The British socialite, pictured with Epstein in 2005, disappeared from the public eye and had been holed up in New England since the disgraced financier's arrest last July 'They said they didn't want her name known, so I thought it must be a movie star,' the broker told the publication. 'She wanted to know what the flight patterns were over the house, which was very strange.' Another person familiar with the sale told the Miami-Herald that Maxwell's name was nowhere listed in the documents and said: 'Obviously whoever bought this property wanted privacy, and they got it.' The massive house is a quarter of a mile up a steep dirt road and sits behind locked metal gates that prevent cars going up a driveway that leads to two buildings. Residents of the sleepy town of 1,600 people have described the area with little cellphone reception as the perfect hiding place, as some said they couldn't recall ever seeing Maxwell in the neighborhood. 'For her to be back there, it's a little spooky,' resident Nate Herrick said. 'I can't think of a better place to hide than that road.' Several locals who spoke to the media in the wake of Maxwell's arrest said they were shocked to hear the news because the rural town was in the 'middle of nowhere.' One woman admitted they didn't even know who Maxwell or Epstein were, telling the Daily Beast: 'We keep our noses out of other people's business.' Maxwell was arrested at the luxurious mountain top home dubbed Tuckedaway outside tiny Bradford, New Hampshire The house also includes 'a cozy den, large dining area, wonderful laundry room and mudroom, partially finished basement, guest room suite and loft office guest room' 'Bradford of all places - shocked, seriously shocked - because nothing really happens around here. Nothing. It's a quiet town,' Kristie Dunn, another local, said. A neighbor told DailyMail.com he saw two small planes buzzing the area around 6am Thursday but he had left for work before the FBI arrived. A man with a British accent came from a second building and asked DailyMail.com to leave, claiming we were trespassing. He described himself as the estate manager. THE ALLEGATIONS THE CHARGES Conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts (5 years max sentence) Enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts (20 years) Conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (20 years) Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (10 years minimum, life maximum) X 2 counts of Perjury (x 10 years) THE 'FACTS' Prosecutors say Maxwell groomed three girls between 1994 and 1997 for Epstein. They are not named in the indictment, but she allegedly targeted them in London, Florida, New York and New Mexico. Maxwell, it is alleged, would befriend the girls by asking them about their life and their schooling. She would put them at ease by taking them to the movies and taking them shopping, winning their trust to later deliver them to Epstein, it's alleged. To 'normalize' the abuse that would come later, prosecutors say she undressed in front of the girls herself and asked them sexual questions. She then not only facilitated Epstein abusing them, prosecutors say, but took part in some of it herself. The alleged sex abuse includes 'sexualized group massages'. The indictment also says Maxwell made the girl feel 'indebted' to Epstein by encouraging them to take money from him and let him pay for their education and travel. Advertisement Realtors called it 'a stunning custom designed Tudor Frame home' saying it was 'an amazing retreat for the nature lover who also wants total privacy. 'From every room there are views or the Sunapee foothills to the west,' the realtor gushed. 'From the covered front porch to ceiling fieldstone fireplace, cathedral ceiling, and a spectacular chandelier, a wall of glass frames a stunning southwestern view beyond the stone patio.' The house also includes 'a cozy den, large dining area, wonderful laundry room and mudroom, partially finished basement, guest room suite and loft office guest room.' On Thursday federal prosecutors said that Maxwell had been hiding in New England since last July, when Epstein was arrested. She changed her phone number to one registered under 'G Max,' changed her email address, moved at least twice and when she ordered delivery packages had them delivered to a different name, which they did not specify. In a court document arguing that she should be refused bail, prosecutors said that she had at least 15 bank accounts which she owned or was associated with in the last four years. At times their maximum total balance had been as high as $20million, they said, and said that her finances were 'opaque and indeterminate.' It said that she had declared a foreign bank account in 2019 with a balance of more than $1million, and that she has French and British passports as well as an American one, having become a U.S. citizen in 2002. The document also revealed that between 2007 and 2011 which includes the time he was behind bars - Epstein transferred more than $20million into Maxwell's accounts, which were then returned to his accounts, suggesting some sort of scheme to keep the money undisclosed to authorities. Public records reveal that Granite Reality LLC was set up on November 18 last year and registered to a waterfront office block in Boston. Its purpose was 'acquiring, holding for investment, maintaining, preserving, improving, operating, selling, leasing, disposing of and otherwise investing in real and personal property.' The entity's sole piece of business to date was the purchase of the luxurious Bradford property on December 13. The only individual listed in public documents as having any involvement in Granite Reality is Jeffrey Roberts, an attorney whose firm, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, is based in the same Boston building. According to the company's website, Roberts specializes in 'estate planning for high net worth individuals; acting as counsel to executors, trustees and conservators; advising on tax planning and charitable giving; and negotiating prenuptial agreements.' Roberts has not yet responded to a request for comment. Richard Yospin, the former owner of Tuckedaway, has not responded to a similar request, nor have the two realtors involved in the sale. Maxwell had not been seen since last August when she was photographed at an In-N-Out Burger in Los Angeles, ten days after Epstein's suicide Maxwell with Epstein and Donald and Melania Trump in 2000 Special Agent William Sweeney said at a press conference Thursday that the FBI swooped in the morning after 'discreetly keeping tabs' on Maxwell for some time and that she recently moved to the property. Agents 'moved in' this morning. No other circumstances surrounding her arrest are known. She is due to dial into a conference call court appearance later this afternoon. It is unclear where she is currently or where she'll go after the hearing. A grand jury recently returned a sealed, six-count indictment against her which accuses her of enticing underage girls to travel for sex, actually having sex with them and Epstein and later lying about it under oath in depositions when she was being sued by Virginia Giuffre Roberts, one of Epstein's accusers who says she had sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17. The charges relate to incidents that happened between 1994 and 1997 and involve three unnamed victims, the youngest of whom was 14. The alleged abuse happened at Epstein's homes in New York, Florida and New Mexico and at Maxwell's home in London. Epstein has been accused of abusing dozens more girls and Maxwell is tangentially associated with the decades of alleged horror because, the accusers say, she was always by his side or making arrangements for him and them. Maxwell, the British socialite daughter of the late, disgraced newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell whose impressive international network of friends and acquaintances includes the Clintons, has been a ghost since Epstein was arrested last June on charges of sex trafficking. She is who introduced him to Prince Andrew and set up the 2001 London night out when the royal allegedly had sex with Giuffre. On Thursday, Acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss said the investigation into Epstein's decades of abuse is ongoing and that she'd 'welcome' Prince Andrew 'coming in to provide a statement', prompting speculation that he may among people investigators may focus their attention on next. 'We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk to us. We would like to have the benefit of his statement. Our doors remain open. We would welcome him coming in and giving us an opportunity to hear his statement,' she said. It opens the door to questions of jurisdiction and whether or not US Attorney Strauss may charge for alleged incidents that happened in London and not America. Among the claims in the indictment is that Maxwell groomed one of the victims in London. At her press conference, Strauss said some of the sexual abuse also happened at Maxwell's house in London. The charges against Maxwell are: conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, Enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and two counts of perjury. If convicted, she could face life in prison on the most serious charge - transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity - which carries a minimum 10 year sentence. A teenager has been charged with 208 child abuse offences, including the sexual abuse of five boys aged between three and 11. The charges were laid as detectives uncovered a national online child exploitation network. Police will allege that between 2014 and 2020, the 19-year-old Western Australian man sexually assaulted five boys who were known to him through family and friends. The man, from Gosnells, is accused of recording some of the abuse and sharing those videos and photographs online with other alleged child sex offenders around Australia. A 19-year-old has been accused of sexually assaulting five boys aged between three and 11 between 2014 and 2020 in Western Australia (file image) He is due to appear before the Perth Magistrates Court on Friday to face multiple offences, including two counts of threatening to kill. A NSW man was arrested and charged in May as part of the Australian Federal Police-led Operation Arkstone. AFP Child Protection Operations Detective Superintendent Paula Hudson said Operation Arkstone has so far resulted in nine men in three states being put before the courts and at least 19 children saved from further harm. 'We will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of anyone who is involved in the exploitation or abuse of children,' Det Supt Hudson said. The investigation is ongoing. A pilot who suffered a medical episode during his flight is lucky to be alive after Royal Flying Doctor Service rescued him. The Cessna 208 was flying from Cairns north of Brisbane on Thursday when air traffic control lost contact with the pilot. The pilot was due to land the plane at Redcliffe Airport but continued ahead for 120km. The Cessna 208 (stock) was flying from Cairns north of Brisbane on Thursday when air traffic control lost contact with the pilot The controller called the Royal Flying Doctor Service who flew alongside the plane in hopes of alerting the pilot. Audio of the rescue has been released as they tell the controller that the pilot appears to be unresponsive. 'The pilot appears to be groggy and search and rescue is looking for him,' the scanner audio revealed. 'He appears to have had some form of medical episode and he's about 70miles from his destination 'He looks like he's asleep and the crew is on autopilot. 'We have limited or some communication with the pilot.' The controller alerted the Royal Flying Doctor Service (stock) who flew alongside the Cessna 208 in hopes of alerting the pilot The rescue team was eventually able to get in contact with the pilot who made his way to Gold Coast Airport and safely landed. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is now investigating the reason behind the pilot's incapacitation. 'The evidence collection phase of the investigation will include interviewing the pilot and other involved parties, obtaining air traffic control surveillance and audio data,' they said. Almost 400,000 young Australians have taken their superannuation early during the COVID-19 crisis, fuelling fears they will be forced to rely on the pension in retirement. In March, the government changed super rules to allow Australians who had lost their jobs or had hours reduced to access $10,000 in super and a further $10,000 from July 1. So far, an estimated 395,000 people aged under 30 have already eroded their entire super balance, according to new analysis from Industry Super Australia. There has been such a rush to access the Morrison government's early release scheme that it crashed the ATO website this week. The ISA estimates that around 480,000 Australians had stripped their super accounts by June 14, with the vast majority comprising of young adults. A 25-year-old taking out $10,000 now could have $49,000 less in retirement, a 35-year-old could lose up to $34,000 and a 45-year-old up to $23,000. Experts fear hundreds of thousands of young Australians who cleared their accounts to help them stay afloat during the coronavirus crisis will need to rely on the pension when they retire (pictured, a young woman is seen wearing a mask at Sydney airport on Thursday) New analysis Industry Super Australia (ISA) estimates 395,000 people aged under 35 have wiped their superannuation (pictured, people queuing outside a Melbourne Centrelink office as lockdown hit in March) The figures are based on analysis of Australian Taxation Office data on accounts with balances below $10,000 and treasury statistics on the age distribution of those who applied for the scheme. On average, about 15 per cent of Australian workers have accessed their super early. Three states were above the national average Queensland at 20 per cent, Northern Territory 19 per cent and Western Australia 16 per cent. Only 8 per cent of ACT workers accessed their super early. WHO CAN ACCESS COVID-19 EARLY RELEASE OF SUPER Citizens and permanent residents Citizens and permanent residents are able to apply to access up to: $10,000 of their super until June 30 and a further $10,000 from July 2020 1 until 24 September 2020. Applicants must satisfy one or more criteria: You are unemployed. You are eligible to receive a job seeker payment, youth allowance for jobseekers, parenting payment (which includes the single and partnered payments), special benefit or farm household allowance. On or after 1 January 2020, either: you were made redundant, your working hours were reduced by 20% or more, your business was suspended or there was a reduction in your turnover of 20% or more. SOURCE: AUSTRALIAN TAX OFFICE Advertisement Demand for the scheme has already surpassed the government's expectations that about 1.65 million Australians would take out $27billion. More than 2.2 million have already withdrawn a combined total of $18.5 billion, taking out an average of $8,000 each. The trend has appeared to continue into the next phase, with the ATO website crashing earlier this week as thousands flocked to complete the second round of applications. The site buckled within half an hour of the new financial year, with users reporting outages from as early as 12.14am on Wednesday morning. Although industry super funds have supported the scheme's aim to get cash to those in financial need, the ISA is renewing calls for members to only access the funds as a last resort. It comes amid troubling reports the money is being used to gamble, buy alcohol and for other discretionary spending. 'To have hundreds of thousands wiping their savings out midway through their life is a tragedy waiting to happen and it will affect everyone,' ISA chief executive Bernie Dean said. 'Every Australian deserves a good life in retirement, not just scraping by on the pension.' Before the second tranche opened, Mr Dean warned young Australians early withdrawals could also 'wipe out' their life and income protection cover if your super balance falls low. Applications for accessing super early in the 2020-21 financial year close on September 24. Australians can only access their super if they're unemployed, are eligible to receive a JobSeeker payment, have been made redundant since January 1 or had their work hours reduced by at least 20 per cent. A barista working in a Sydney cafe on July 1 (pictured) amid concerns young people have withdrawn too much from their supers to help during the coronavirus pandemic Last month, the government warned it would take against anyone who tried to exploit the system. Those who provide false or misleading information could face penalties of more than $12,000 for each false and misleading statement. The MoneySmart website advises Australians to seek government assistance and speaking to their bank or lender about possible financial assistance before dipping into your super. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:24 pm Businesses will be legally required to turn down customers who dont wear face coverings starting next week as Gov. Jay Inslee announced a statewide mandate Thursday, July 2. During a press conference, Inslee announced the next step in the states Mask up, open up campaign. Starting Tuesday, July 7, businesses will be legally required to only serve those wearing a mask or some sort of face covering. The new order comes as an extremely troublesome spike in COVID-19 has hit the state, Inslee explained, seeing the infections per day of the disease reach peaks not seen since April. This is obviously a great cause for concern, Inslee said, adding that although testing capacity had improved since April, the increase is not just a coincident of more testing. Its because more people are becoming infected. That is clear. He said positivity rates of testing and number of hospitalizations backed up that argument. Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman said that one day before the press conference the state saw a new all-time high with 618 cases reported in a single day. He said Thursday it appeared more than 700 would be reported. The good news, Inslee said, is that the state had a very, very low-cost, non-injurious, almost universally-available tool at our disposal in face coverings. Apart from protecting the wearer, more importantly it protects the people around you, the governor said. It stops the spread of COVID-19 in those who are asymptomatic carriers or havent shown symptoms yet. When we wear a mask, it is a signal of something about us it is a signal that we care about the community, Inslee said. Inslee said the order gave businesses an added measure of protection, keeping employees less-susceptible to infection. The order is similar to one already in place in Yakima County, which has been hard-hit in recent weeks with escalating case counts. Inslee mentioned very preliminary evidence suggesting that efforts to increase mask-wearing in hard-hit Yakima County had already slowed the spread of COVID-19, which he said if proven conclusive would add to the mountain of evidence worldwide that the practice has an impact. This is not an optional plan for businesses. This is a legal requirement, Inslee said. Businesses could face fines, potential closures and Labor and Industries violation sanctions for noncompliance, though the governor felt that similar to other measures taken to stop the diseases spread there would be widespread compliance. We dont want to use those systems, and should not have to, Inslee said. If we simply continue the practice of adhering to the law well have a great success here. I believe thats going to happen, Inslee said. Inslee assured those with medical conditions preventing them from wearing a mask that they would not have to disclose their specific condition to a business, only state they have one that affected their ability. Inslee also announced a pause on all counties moving from their current Safe Start Washington reopening phases for two weeks, as well as the removal of bar and counter service at restaurants and bars from Phase 3 allowances. As part of the freeze on counties moving to further Safe Start Washington phases, Wiesman said that any submitted applications to move would also be subject to the suspension, such as Clark Countys application to move into Phase 3. The removal of bartop operations from Phase 3 was in an effort to prevent prolonged mingling in restaurant and tavern settings, Inslee said. Regarding legal challenges to executive orders intended to stop the spread of COVID-19, Inslee said there had been more than 15 lawsuits in state or federal court, many seeking injunctions against the orders. Of those, he said either judges denied the injunction request or the lawsuit was dropped, adding that some had been described as frivolous, unpersuasive and completely devoid of merit. Inslee affirmed that the orders were lawful under statutory emergency authority, remarking that there is nowhere in the United States Constitution that says that anyone has a right to infect another person with a deadly disease. Inslee was also heartened by apparent bipartisan support of wearing face coverings, pointing to Republicans such as Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, who have demonstrated or spoken about mask usage. This is important, because we win wars when were united, Inslee remarked. With the Fourth of July holiday the following weekend, Inslee and Wiesman reminded Washingtonians to keep any celebrations within guidelines for gatherings, among households or among a close circle of friends. This is not the time for extended family, friends or neighborhood birthday parties, retirement (parties) or Fourth of July barbecues, Wiesman said. This year I really hope people want to celebrate trying to win independence from this virus as well as independence for our nation, Inslee said. The US has broken a one-day record for new coronavirus cases with more than 53,000 infections in 24 hours on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The staggering increase set a new daily case record for the second day in a row after the nation observed over 52,000 new cases on Wednesday. According to the tracker, there were 53,069 new cases and 649 deaths over the 24 hours to Thursday evening. As of Thursday evening the US' total number of COVID-19 infections stood at 2,739,092 and the number of deaths at 128,742. The US has seen a record 53,000 new COVID-19 cases within 24 hours on Thursday, smashing a record from the day prior, according to data from Johns Hopkins University This chart shows how the number of daily coronavirus cases as skyrocketed in June President Donald Trump tweeted late Thursday blaming the surge in coronavirus cases on expansive testing efforts Florida: On Thursday eight states reported record highs in single-day cases, including Florida. But that didn't stop hordes of people from hitting the sand in Miami Beach (above) South Dakota: Crowds also gathered at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota ahead of Trump's July 3 visit Texas: Medical staff treat a patient in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at the United Memorial Medical Center on Thursday in Houstin, Texas amid a spike in cases It comes as eight states reported single-day case records on Thursday: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Montana, South Carolina and Tennessee. Despite the spike in numbers, some states are still seeing packed beaches and outfoor festivities as the nation heads into the holiday Fourth of July weekend. In Miami hordes of people were seen packed on beaches and enjoying the sun, despite looming concerns over the virus. In South Dakota, crowds of people waving pro-Trump flags were seen at Mt. Rushmore National Monument, a day ahead of President Donald Trump's scheduled visit to the site to celebrate Independence Day. Eight states reported single-day case records on Thursday: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Montana, South Carolina and Tennessee A woman sits with her child in Miami Beach, Florida on Thursday, as the state recorded more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases A couple pictured at Miami Beach where swimmers are seen drinking on Thursday despite a rise in coronavirus cases in the state Life's a beach! People pictured enjoying the Miami heat and clear waters on Thursday Florida now has over 169,000 cases and 3,600 deaths. Thursday is the 25th consecutive day that the state has set a record high in its seven-day rolling average Groups were seen enjoying the sand and sun on Thursday at Miami Beach Gov. Ron DeSantis blamed the surge in the Florida's coronavirus cases on 'social interactions' among young people at parties, beaches, bars, and swimming pools and a 'robust' testing program This beach goer wore a mask as she walked away from Miami Beach on Thursday, where hordes of people were seen lounging in the sand A view of the bustling Miami Beach strip pictured above. On Thursday 10,109 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Florida, smashing its previous record The celebration on Friday will include a fireworks display at the iconic monument, which features the stone carvings of US Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. On Thursday Texas Gov. Greg Abbott buckled down and issued a mandate for people in counties with 20 or more COVID-19 cases to wear face masks in public and banned gatherings of more than 10 people. The announcement came a day after the Lone Star state reported 8,000 new COVID-19 cases. As of Thursday Texas reported 175,977 coronavirus cases and 2,525 deaths. Preparing: Workers pictured setting up a stage and crowd space at Mt. Rushmore National Monument in anticipation of President Donald Trump's visit to the site on Friday Workers pictured preparing for Trump's visit to the site on Thursday Friday's Independence Day celebration will include a fireworks display Trump fans were seen posing for pictures at the bustling monument on Thursday Florida is another state of worry as it now has over 169,000 cases and 3,600 deaths. Thursday is the 25th consecutive day that the state has set a record high in its seven-day rolling average. But Gov. Ron DeSantis has cast blame on 'social interactions' among young people at parties, beaches, bars, and swimming pools, and also said the numbers are up due to a more 'robust' testing program. Arizona is another worsening hotspot for the virus reporting 3,333 new COVID-19 cases and 37 new deaths on Thursday. Overall the state has recorded over 87,000 cases of the virus and over 1,700 deaths. A doctor pictured communicating through an air tight curtain in the intensive care unit hrough an air tight curtain in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston on Thursday As of Thursday Texas reported 175,977 coronavirus cases and 2,525 deaths A COVID-19 patient pictured being transferred to another room at the coronavirus ICU at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas A COVID-19 patient pictured speaking with a doctor at the United Memorial Medical Center on July 2, 2020 in Houston on Thursday On Wednesday Vice President Mike Pence visited the state and promised to deploy hundreds of medical personnel to the state to aid in the crisis that has seen 86 percent of inpatient bends and 89 percent of ICU beds filled. Those patients include COVID-19 patients and those fighting other ailments. Nationally, cases have passed 2,715,000 with more than 128,000 deaths as the US scrambles to control the spread of the virus. A hulking Bondi drug kingpin who tried to import half a tonne of cocaine into Australia to fuel his extravagant lifestyle has been jailed for at least 18 years. Darren John Mohr, 46, was motivated by money and expected to receive millions of dollars for his significant role in the international plot, Justice Helen Wilson said. A jury had found the greedy former cafe owner from Sydney's east guilty of conspiring to import 500kg of cocaine from China to Australia by boat in 2016. Justice Wilson jailed the 46-year-old for a total of 32 years with a non-parole period of 18 years in the New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday. Darren John Mohr once flaunted his extravagant lifestyle on social media and participated in a $150million cocaine shipment, lured by dreams of money and prestige Mohr's ex-girlfriend Krissy Marsh had penned a NSW Supreme Court Justice a 600-word letter saying he was 'soft-hearted' and filled with regret What once was: A suited Darren John Mohr and his bikini model ex-girlfriend Krissy Marsh with a white Rolls Royce prior to his Christmas Day arrest in 2016 'This was an extremely serious offence that Mr Mohr entered into for no better reason than the lure of money and the prestige and lifestyle money could buy him,' Justice Wilson said. The cocaine, valued at up to $150 million, was hidden in a ship which sailed from Chile and was due to be transferred into a boat, The Dalrymple, based at Sydney Fish Markets, in 2016. But police waited for the drug-laden vessel when it pulled up to a NSW Central Coast boat ramp late on Christmas Day in 2016. Mohr, whose participation included travelling to Thailand and Chile to advance the plot, had a 'very significant and very important role as the representative in Australia', the judge said. I assure you his heart is soft What Mohr's ex-lover Krissy Marsh told the court He told another conspirator he spent days in the jungle in Chile with the drug operators who were to have a naval escort when they left the port with the cocaine. Muscular Mohr - described as narcissistic, ego-driven and self-centered in court - once flaunted the extravagant lifestyle he shared with ex-girlfriend Krissy Marsh on social media. Mohr posted pictures of the couple with luxury cars and on overseas holidays - a far cry from his new life behind bars. Ms Marsh penned a letter to Justice WIlson claiming to have seen a very different side of the 'senior' drug figure - who prosecutors said had repeatedly lied to a jury, and who urged the judge not to believe a 'single untested word' out of his mouth. Ms Marsh wrote: 'He is the type of person to give you the shirt off his back.' 'He may look like a tough guy but I assure you his heart is soft.' Ms Marsh once described Mohr as her 'king' (together above). Ms Marsh wrote in her letter : 'I would say with confidence that I know him very very well. My experience and opinion of his character is that he is a very kind, caring and driven man' Mohr flaunted his extravagant lifestyle with Ms Marsh on social media. Above, the pair sit behind the wheel of a Rolls Royce and deliberately flash their designer watches for the camera Ms Marsh said Mohr was 'kind and caring' and a really good listener. Mohr himself wrote a letter to the judge, speaking of writing a letter to her at 3.55am. The letter was picked apart by Crown Prosecutor Michelle England during a sentencing hearing as 'cliched and formulaic'. Ms England told the court Mohr's decision to help coordinate the drug deal wasn't an 'impulsive' decision and argued he had been motivated solely by greed. The court heard Mohr had a history of cocaine abuse and depression. According to a psychologist, although Mohr had a happy childhood and was materially well provided for by his family, he had desired a life of luxury and ease. He grew up in an area with more financially privileged peers, 'aspiring to luxuries he could not afford'. The judge was unable to accept Mohr was truly remorseful for the crime, although she did accept he regrets the position in which he finds himself and the stress caused to his family and friends. He had good prospects for rehabilitation. A drugged-up driver who crashed her car and killed her best friend after scoring ice has been jailed for nearly a decade. Elisa Kent was high on ice when she veered off a dangerous corner at Dixons Creek, northeast of Melbourne, in May 2018. The car went flying into a gully and killed her passenger and best friend, 41-year-old Amber Hughes. A drugged-up driver who crashed her car and killed her best friend after scoring ice has been jailed for nearly a decade (file picture) 'It's all f***ed up. I'm all f***ed up on drugs,' Kent told rescuers who arrived at the scene. The best friends were on their way back from buying $2500 of ice and had both taken the drug when Kent crashed the car. Ms Hughes was killed six months after her husband died, leaving the couple's seven-year-old daughter an orphan. It was 'gut-wrenching' to hear about the impact of the fatal crash on the victim's young daughter, Victorian County Court Judge Michael McInerney said. 'Each of Ms Hughes family and friends...have suffered a profound sense of needless loss at your hands,' he told the driver. Kent, now 54, admitted to culpable driving causing death and drug trafficking. More than 16 grams of ice was found hidden in a 'stash' in the car wreck which the woman planned to sell to support her addiction. The ice addict wrote an apology letter to the family of her victim but they refused to read it. Her remorse, guilty plea and mental health issues including post-traumatic stress were taken into account for her sentence. 'No sentence will satisfy the family ... Amber Hughes is unfortunately no longer to be with you and is lost forever, not only to you but to her daughter,' Judge McInerney said. He jailed Kent for nine years and nine months, but she must spend at least five years behind bars before she is eligible for parole. A renowned West Australian landmark named after an 'evil tyrant' who enslaved African people has been renamed to honour its Aboriginal heritage. The King Leopold Ranges in WA's far-north Kimberley region will now be known as the Wunaamin Miliwundi Ranges. It comes amid a period of global reckoning for historic injustices perpetrated by colonial figures, which has been fuelled by the Black Lives Matter movement. The King Leopold Ranges in WA's far-north Kimberley region will now be known as the Wunaamin Miliwundi Ranges The ranges were named in 1879 in honour of Belgian monarch Leopold II, who was responsible for brutally oppressing and enslaving people in the now-Democratic Republic of the Congo during its period under European rule The ranges were named in 1879 in honour of Belgian monarch Leopold II, who was responsible for brutally oppressing and enslaving people in the now-Democratic Republic of the Congo during its period under European rule. WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ben Wyatt said it was important to acknowledge and promote the traditional owners' connection to the land. 'It has troubled me for years that an extraordinary area of Western Australia should be named in honour of a person who is widely regarded as an evil tyrant with no connection to our state,' he said on Friday. 'The traditional owners of the region have always known the Ranges by their own name, so it's momentous to finally remove reference to King Leopold II and formalise the name.' The name was chosen after consultation with the Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation and Bunuba Native Title Corporation. It incorporates the Ngarinyin (Wunaamin) and Bunuba (Miliwundi) traditional names. President Donald Trump's niece says that the non-disclosure agreement she signed 19 years ago under an inheritance settlement with her family does not restrict her from writing a tell-all book about her uncle. Mary L. Trump defended her forthcoming book, 'Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man', in an affidavit filed Thursday, a day after a federal appeals court lifted a temporary restraining order blocking its publication by Simon & Schuster. Mary, a psychologist, is asking the New York Supreme Court to lift a restraining order against her, arguing that the confidentiality agreement she signed nearly two decades ago to end a dispute over her grandfather Fred Trump Sr's will was an unenforceable fraud. She claims that at the time of the signing she believed the asset amounts described in the agreement were accurate, but later learned the valuations were false in a New York Times expose. Mary further said she 'never believed' the agreement would bar her telling her 'life story' - which now includes 'the conduct and character of my uncle, the sitting President of the United States, during his campaign for re-election'. She also suggested that the agreement is irrelevant because President Trump 'has spoken out about our family and the will dispute on numerous occasions'. 'None of the parties to the Settlement Agreement, including my uncles Donald Trump and Robert Trump, or my aunt Maryanne Trump, has ever sought my permission to speak publicly about our family or their personal relationships with me, my brother Fred, or among each other,' the affidavit states. President Donald Trump's niece Mary L. Trump (left) says that the confidentiality clause she agreed to 19 years ago under an inheritance settlement with her family does not restrict her from writing her tell-all book (right) about her uncle Mary's lawyers asserted that it's obvious the president and his family 'do not want the American public to hear' their client's story, but said that 'the First Amendment, ordinary rules of contract law, and bedrock equitable principles defeat Plaintiff's extraordinary and unwarranted request for injunctive relief'. The Trump family feud came to light last month after reports emerged that Mary had written a bombshell book describing a 'nightmare of traumas, destructive relationships, and a tragic combination of neglect and abuse', according to the blurb. It is also expected to reveal that Mary was the primary source of the Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into Trump's tax history. That report, published in October 2018, found that the president received more than $400million in today's dollars from his father's real estate empire and had been involved in 'fraudulent' tax schemes - crushing his image as a self-made man. Mary's book is due to hit stores nationwide on July 28 and is already ranked number one on Amazon's bestseller list. President Trump's brother Robert filed court documents last month to block the book's publication and secured a temporary restraining order against Mary and Simon & Schuster. But on Wednesday the court lifted the restraining order against the publisher - claiming that, unlike Mary, the company was not bound by a confidentiality agreement and was therefore within their rights to publish the book. Mary said she 'never believed' the confidentiality agreement would bar her telling her 'life story' - which now includes 'the conduct and character of my uncle, the sitting President of the United States, during his campaign for re-election'. Trump is pictured at a rally on June 20 'While Ms Trump unquestionably possesses the same First Amendment expressive rights belonging to all Americans, she also possesses the right to enter into contracts, including the right to contract away her First Amendment rights,' Presiding Judge Alan D. Scheinkman wrote in his ruling on the appeal. 'Unlike Ms Trump, Simon & Schuster has not agreed to surrender or relinquish any of its First Amendment rights.' Simon & Schuster responded to the appeal in a statement on Wednesday saying: 'We support Mary L. Trump's right to tell her story in Too Much and Never Enough, a work of great interest and importance to the national discourse that fully deserves to be published for the benefit of the American public.' The publisher has claimed they were not aware Mary had signed a confidentiality agreement. Mary's lawyers argued in Thursday's affidavit that her restraining order should be lifted as well, writing that Robert Trump 'cannot succeed on the merits of his contractual claims because the confidentiality provision in the decades-old Settlement Agreement of financial disputes that Plaintiff invokes is unenforceable and inapplicable'. Mary and her brother Fred III filed suit against the president, his younger brother Robert and their sister Maryanne in 2000 for wrongful termination of medical benefits and coverage. When Fred Sr died in 1999, Mary and her brother Fred Trump III challenged his will because they claimed that the Trump family exerted undue influence to cut them out. Donald, Robert and Maryanne Trump are pictured together in 1990 Judge Hal B. Greenwald at the Dutchess County Court sided with Robert Trump on Tuesday, ordering Simon & Schuster to refrain from 'publishing, printing or distributing' any copies of the book ahead of a hearing on July 10. Justice Sheinkman, however, said terms of Mary's confidentiality agreement could have changed due to her uncle's position as president. Mary is one of two children by Fred Trump Jr (pictured), the president's older brother who died in 1981 after battling alcoholism. 'The legitimate interest in preserving family secrets may be one thing for the family of a real estate developer, no matter how successful. It is another matter for the family of the president of the United States,' he said. Although the restraining order has been lifted, the Trump family is expected to continue with their battle for an injunction. The Trumps have claimed that they will suffer 'irreparable harm' if the book is published, and that Mary breached her non-disclosure agreement by writing it. Mary is one of two children by Fred Trump Jr, the President's older brother who died in 1981 in his early 40s after battling alcoholism. When Fred Sr died in 1999, Mary and her brother Fred Trump III challenged his will because they claimed that the Trump family exerted undue influence to cut them out. Mary claimed in a lawsuit that in retaliation the Trumps ended healthcare for her side of the family. In the application for the restraining order the Trumps say that everything was resolved in 2001 under a 'global' agreement. Read Mary Trump's full affidavit below: NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin has been cleared of a COVID-19 travel fine while thousands of other residents copped over $1 million in penalties. Mr Harwin was fined $1000 in April after it was alleged he left his residence in Sydney's Elizabeth Bay and went to his Pearl Beach holiday home on the Central Coast. NSW Police referred the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions and the minister's fine was withdrawn in Gosford Local Court on Friday. NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin (pictured) was fined $1000 for allegedly breaching COVID-19 rules in April when he was accused of travelling between Sydney and the Central Coast Mr Harwin resigned after the accusations but on Friday his fine was withdrawn in Gosford Local Court 'The applicable public health order in its terms did not restrict a person to a single place of residence,' a DPP spokeswoman said in a statement on Friday. 'The evidence was unable to establish that Mr Harwin left his place of residence without a reasonable excuse as provided by the public health order.' NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said he stood by the choice to fine the minister. 'I reviewed the circumstances of the incident at the time and I stand by my decision to proceed with a Penalty Infringement Notice. 'The discontinuation of the case by the ODPP is a matter for them,' he said in a statement on Friday. Mr Harwin resigned as government minister in April after he was accused of travelling back and forth between Sydney and the Central Coast when regional travel was restricted. But Mr Harwin argued he relocated to Pearl Beach in mid-March before the NSW stay-at-home order was made, and sought to challenge the fine. He also argued he'd been living mostly at his Pearl Beach home for four months before his resignation. The minister said he was 'confident' he had not broken the rules and mounted the court challenge against the offence of 'fail to comply requirement public health order COVID-19'. Mr Harwin allegedly travelled back and forth from his holiday home on Pearl Beach (pictured) A prosecutor for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Ms Owens, told Magistrate Peter Barnett on Friday: 'I seek to withdraw that matter, your honour'. Mr Barnett replied: 'I can't stop you, it's withdrawn... he's discharged,' The Daily Telegraph reported. Mr Harwin was not required to appear at the fine dismissal and did not sit with his lawyer for the hearing. The ODPP confirmed they made a request to have Mr Harwin's court date brought forward from October 28 on Wednesday but did not explain why. A statement from NSW Local Court said: 'The matter was relisted from October 28 to July 3 at the request of the prosecution'. The arts and special minister of state dodged the $1000 fine while his fellow NSW residents copped over $1 million in penalties throughout the pandemic. Mr Harwin (pictured) was reinstated as a NSW minister after the fine was overturned on Friday A spokesperson from NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia that 1225 individuals had received COVID-19 related fines. This equated to a total of $1,225,000 in fine revenue. Premier Gladys Berejiklian in April said Mr Harwin had 'appropriately resigned' his frontbench role and that politicians had to be perceived to be acting correctly. She reinstated Mr Harwin to his arts portfolio on Friday. 'Mr Harwin's decision to resign from cabinet was appropriate when he received an infringement notice in April, but now that he has been cleared, it is appropriate that he return to cabinet,' Ms Berejiklian said in a statement on Friday. 'Mr Harwin has always assured me that he did not break the rules.' Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has admitted recent protests and mass demonstrations have led to a spike in coronavirus cases in the city. Garcetti revealed during a press conference on Wednesday that LA County health officials believe some of the new COVID-19 cases may have come from large groups of people gathering at rallies. 'I talked again with [Director of Public Health] Dr Barbara Ferrer about that this morning. She does think some of the spread did come from our protests,' the mayor told reporters. Mayor Eric Garcetti (pictured at a demonstration on June 2) has admitted recent protests may have contributed to a spike in coronvirus cases in Los Angeles. Members of Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles gather at a demonstration outside LAUSD headquarters last month 'It's not the act of protesting - that's a great and American thing to do no matter what your opinion is but protesting without maintaining physical distancing, without wearing your mask, without having sanitizer - we just have to be smart.' Garcetti had been asked if there was a link between the new cases and protests after the city - and most parts of California - saw a sharp spike in infections in the last two weeks. The mayor noted that it was likely some people were not being conscious of the health risks nor were they taking proper precautions while going out to protest. 'Whether you're at a protest or at your home, whether in your workplace or whether you're out shopping, these rules don't change,' he added. 'We do believe there is a connection, we don't believe that everybody has been doing this safely and wherever you can, please stay at home.' Garcetti's comments came after he had said there was no evidence to support cases were emerging from protests during a press conference on Monday. As of Thursday, LA County had a total of 105,325 cases and 3,402 deaths, according to data from the department of public heath Governor Gavin Newsom announced the shutdown on Wednesday, days after imposing a statewide order requiring all residents to wear masks in most public places The mayor said he supported Governor Gavin Newsom's decision to close bars in LA county after it recorded its largest number of new infections in a single day and that 1 in 140 people had been infected, Fox LA reported. However, Garcetti refused to speculate whether protests were contributing to the spike. 'We follow the data closely. There's no evidence yet that the protests led to much spread though it's something that Dr Ferrer has hypothesized, but we haven't seen any conclusive evidence there,' he said. 'People still can obviously and should exercise their First Amendment rights. This is a critical moment not to let up with that,' he added. Dr Ferrer later confirmed the link in a statement to Fox News. 'In situations where people are close together for longer periods of time and it's very crowded, we are certain that there is going to be spread. So, we've never said that there's no spread from people who were protesting,' she said. As of Thursday, LA County had a total of 105,325 cases and 3,402 deaths, according to data from the department of public heath. Governor Newsom on Wednesday was forced to shut bars and indoor operations at restaurants, movie theaters and museums in 19 counties, as infections continue to spread at an alarming rate. The number of new cases in California has increase nearly 50 per cent over the last two weeks, with a 43 per cent spike in hospitalizations. As of Monday, there were 222,917 confirmed cases in the state and 5,980 deaths, according to state's public health department. A grandfather of five ran over his lover after the pair had a huge row in a suburban street, a court heard. Witnesses said William Herbert Cameron, 74, was 'aggressively arguing' with his partner in the south Melbourne suburb of Seaford before he sped off in his vehicle and made a U-turn. He slammed into the woman, causing her to fall backwards before driving over her, leaving the woman unconscious under the car, the Herald Sun reported. Cameron eventually reversed back and tried to drag her 'limp body' into the passenger's seat, a local resident who heard the commotion said. A grandfather of five ran over his lover after the pair had a huge row in a suburban street, a court heard (stock image) The scorned lover faced Frankston Magistrates' Court on Thursday where he pleaded guilty to the ugly June 10 incident which took place on Railway Parade. Police apprehended Cameron in the New South Wales town of Harden, 125km northwest of Canberra. He had fled Victoria immediately following the incident and was arrested across the border just one day later. Since then he has remained in police custody after being taken back to Victoria. On the day of Cameron's arrest, police also located the woman who was hit by the car and took her hospital for a health assessment. Her injuries were not disclosed to the court and she did not make a victim's impact statement. Police said the woman's family told officers the pair had been in a long-term relationship, although Cameron denied the two were lovers. Defence lawyer George Vassis argued Cameron did not intend to run over the victim. He also said his client did not flee the state because of the incident, instead claiming he was visiting friends. William Herbert Cameron, 74, appeared in Frankston Magistrate's Court (pictured) in Melbourne 'They had words, there were objects thrown at my client, empty cans, coffee cups,' Mr Vassis said. '(The car) contacted her shin and her calf, and after witnesses came over (to help) he took her home and offered to take her to hospital, but she did not want to go. 'The victim was somewhat intoxicated.' Magistrate Ross Betts appeared to have little sympathy for the arguments put before the court. 'Just because you are drunk it doesn't mean people can run you over,' Mr Betts said. Cameron will be sentenced at a later date yet to be determined. Advertisement More than 10,000 Melbourne residents have refused coronavirus tests as the city battles a huge outbreak. Health officials launched a 'testing blitz' last Thursday as cases spiked, offering swabs on residents' doorsteps and in mobile testing units set up in hotspot suburbs. On Friday health minister Jenny Mikakos revealed that 164,000 people have been tested but many refused because they do not believe that coronavirus exists. Several conspiracy theories falsely claiming the virus is a hoax have circulated online, including one by anti-vaxxers who claim it was made up to encourage citizens to get vaccinated for other diseases. A member of the Australian Defence Force carries a batch of swab samples taken from members of the public at a drive-through COVID-19 coronavirus testing station in the Melbourne suburb of Fawkner 'Disappointingly, we have had more than 10,000 people who have refused to be tested,' Ms Makakos said in a press conference today as 66 new cases were recorded. 'That might be for a range of reasons, including that they may have already been tested in a different location. 'We are analysing that data to see exactly why people are refusing, but it is concerning that some people believe that coronavirus is a conspiracy or that it won't impact them, so what I want to stress here is that coronavirus is a very contagious virus,' she said. Ms Mikakos urged residents in 36 north Melbourne suburbs that have been placed back into lockdown to get tested as soon as possible. 'It can go through your family very quickly, it can affect your neighbours, your loved ones, and your entire community,' she warned. Ms Mikakos also revealed that a single person, a so-called 'super-spreader', could be to blame for the recent surge that has seen 355 new cases since Monday. 'On Tuesday, I received a briefing of a genomic sequencing report that seemed to suggest that there seems to be a single source of infection for many of the cases that have gone across the northern and western suburbs of Melbourne,' she said. 'It appears to be even potentially a super spreader that has caused this upsurge in cases. 'We don't have the full picture yet and, as Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton explained the other day, not all of these cases have yet been subject to genomic sequencing.' Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said the postcodes with the most cases in the past week are 3064, 3047, 3031 and 3060 A resident is given a COVID-19 test at a pop-up site in Broadmeadows on July 1. Victoria reported 66 new cases on Friday Residents are given a COVID-19 test at a pop-up site in Fawkner on July 1 in Melbourne. Victoria is suffering a huge oubreak How many active cases are in each postcode? 3064: 52 active cases 3047: 25 active cases 3021: 16 active cases 3060: 11 active cases 3046: 10 active cases 3032: Nine active cases 3038: Four active cases 3055: Three active cases 3042: Two active cases Advertisement A total of 23 patients are in hospital with six fighting for life in intensive care as the state suffers what appears to be a second wave of the deadly virus. Melbourne's north west, where 36 suburbs have been shut down, has suffered the most cases with postcodes 3064, 3047, 3031 and 3060 recording the highest totals this week. Premier Andrews thanked residents who have gone back into lockdown but said he 'cannot rule out other suburbs being shut down'. The outbreak has been traced to breaches in Melbourne's hotel quarantine system and an inquiry has been launched. Some guards breached health protocols and even allegedly had sex with returned travellers and took them to McDonald's. Mr Andrews is facing criticism for hiring private security guards instead of the ADF to enforce the quarantine. Asked about that decision on Friday, Mr Andrews insisted that it was never National Cabinet policy to have troops enforcing quarantine even though other states such as NSW were using them. He admitted that he refused an ADF offer to help transport returned travellers to hotels - and used private company Skybus instead - but said transportation 'has not been the problem'. The Premier said it was 'pleasing' that the positive case numbers had stabilised rather than 'doubling'. On Thursday, a man in Darwin tested positive after catching the disease in Victoria before a Woolworths worker, who was cleared to leave Melbourne quarantine after bringing the virus from Bangladesh, was also diagnosed with COVID-19 in Sydney. Victorian health officials said on Friday that the Sydney worker was allowed out of quarantine without a second test because he had been symptom-free for ten days since contracting the disease and was no longer infectious even though he was still 'shedding' the virus. A passenger wearing a protective suit and mask collects her luggage after arriving on a flight from Melbourne at Sydney Airport Police Officers check reasons for not being at home in a booze bus-style random checkpoint on Camp Road, Broadmeadows New South Wales has used ADF troops (pictured in Sydney) to enforce the quarantine of more than 25,000 returned travellers without suffering any major outbreaks Staff inside the Stamford Hotel in Melbourne are seen moving luggage for guests in quarantine Worst days for coronavirus diagnoses in Victoria 1. 111 new cases on March 28 2. 96 new cases on March 31 3. 84 new cases on March 29 4. 77 new cases on July 2 5. 75 new cases on June 29 6. 73 new cases on July 1 Advertisement State Opposition leader Michael O'Brien today described the disaster as 'Victoria's Ruby Princess' and said that some private security guards are still guarding hotels. The Ruby Princess cruise ship was allowed to dock in Sydney on 19 March before 2,700 people disembarked without COVID tests. More than 300 passengers were infected and 22 have died. 'It feels like Victoria is a bit like the embarrassing uncle at the dinner table,' Mr O'Brien told Sunrise on Friday morning. 'This is Victoria's Ruby Princess in a way.' Mr O'Brien called for Ms Mikakos to resign and say sorry to Victorians for the hotel fiasco. 'The Victorian government has let the rest of the country down,' he said. 'Frankly, heads should roll. I've said that the health minister really needs to go. There has to be accountability when these sorts of mistakes happen. 'It's not about finger-pointing it's about being accountable for the job you've got to do and the health minister has completely bothched this and at least she should fall on her sword and apologise to Victorians and the rest of the country for what's happened here.' He added: 'This shouldn't have happened, what has happened isn't bad luck, it's bad decision making from a government that put unqualified, untrained and unprofessional security guards in charge of hotel quarantine.' Victoria's outbreak comes less than four weeks after it stamped out the disease when zero new cases were recorded on June 5. Ms Mikakos has blamed Victoria's outbreak on 'large family gatherings' but health officials have admitted that 'dozens' of cases can be traced back to breaches in the hotel quarantine system. Victorian Premier Dan Andrews (pictured in Beijing's Tiananmen Square) has lost support among his voters during the state's recent spike in coronavirus cases. He made the mistake of using private security guards to enforce hotel quarantine Since March, Victoria has quarantined more than 18,000 travellers returning from overseas but, unlike other state leaders, Mr Andrews chose to enforce the quarantine with private security guards instead of the police and defence force. It has since emerged that security guards breached infection protocols by mingling with guests and failing to use personal protective equipment properly. Daniel Andrews adopted a rogue plan, which bucked the consensus of National Cabinet. He has put other states at risk Liberal MP James Newbury Insiders have also alleged that some guards fell asleep on the job, shook hands and even slept with hotel guests. Premier Andrews said the guards shared cigarette lighters and even made journeys in the same cars while Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen said that several guards breached social distancing rules. 'There's been closer mingling of these guards than we would like in the workplace,' she said. More than 60 cases can be traced back to two quarantine hotels in Melbourne's CBD - the Stamford Plaza and the Rydges on Swanston - after workers and guards caught the virus and took it back to their friends and families. By contrast, New South Wales has used ADF troops to enforce the quarantine of more than 25,000 returned travellers without suffering any major outbreaks. The Ruby Princess cruise ship (pictured) was allowed to dock in Sydney on 19 March Victorian Liberal MP James Newbury told Daily Mail Australia that the decision to use private contractors has 'put other states at risk'. 'Daniel Andrews adopted a rogue plan, which bucked the consensus of National Cabinet, and used private contractors to manage hotel quarantine instead of the trusted Defence Force,' he said. 'His rogue strategy has failed and the pandemic is out of control in Victoria which is putting other states at risk.' In a scathing assessment of the premier, the state MP for Brighton in south-east Melbourne said: 'Mr Andrews and his government are directly responsible for this second wave'. Passengers off the Melbourne to Sydney train service have their temperature checked by NSW Health officials at Central Station Advertisement Donald Trump boldly claimed the coronavirus death rate is 'down' in the US, even though startling data, including a record-breaking rise in infections and hospitalizations, points toward another surge in fatalities. The president took to Twitter late Thursday to claim that the staggering rise in COVID-19 cases is due to 'massive' testing measures, despite previously admitting he told officials to 'slow testing down' when numbers got too high, which health chiefs passed off as a joke. 'This is great news, but even better news is that death, and the death rate, is DOWN. Also, younger people, who get better much easier and faster!' Trump tweeted. However, on Thursday the US saw a record-high of over 53,000 new COVID-19 cases, meaning the virus is far from gone. The number of coronavirus hospitalizations in the US is also on the rise after falling for two months between April and mid-June, bolstering expert claims that lockdowns were lifted too soon. A decline in the number of people dying also appears to have levelled off, prompting one expert to say the US is 'losing the battle' against Covid-19. The US on June 27 recorded 2,516 more deaths, according to the World Health Organization a shocking jump up from 733 the Monday before. This trend is likely to start rising again within the next two weeks or fade out within days if the figures are a blip as some of the people infected in mid-June start to die in the nation's hospitals. It takes two to four weeks for a Covid-19 patient to die, on average. Donald Trump boldly claimed the coronavirus death rate is 'down' in the US, even though startling data, including a record-breaking rise in infections and hospitalizations, points towards another surge in fatalities 'This is great news, but even better news is that death, and the death rate, is DOWN. Also, younger people, who get better much easier and faster!' Trump tweeted It takes two to four weeks for a fatal COVID-19 patient to die, on average, meaning deaths could spike soon. The US on June 27 recorded 2,516 more deaths, according to the World Health Organization a shocking jump up from 733 the Monday beforw This graph by Johns Hopkins University shows the upward trend of deaths from COVID-19 in the US since the pandemic began More than 2.6million people in the US have already been struck down with the disease a quarter of the world's total. And at least 128,000 citizens have died since the crisis spiralled out of control. On Thursday eight states saw single-day record highs including Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Montana, South Carolina and Tennessee. Soaring numbers of people started testing positive for the coronavirus in June after the outbreak appeared to be shrinking. On Wednesday a record-high of 52,000 new cases were confirmed across the country, a figure described as 'disturbing' by the White House's top virus adviser Dr Anthony Fauci. And the average numbers of people being diagnosed rose consistently throughout June from 151,143 in the first seven days of the month to 288,258 last week, driven by soaring outbreaks in many Republican-voting states. Data in the US has shown a shift in the areas that are being worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Trump-voting states now accounting for a majority of new confirmed cases each day 73 per cent of all new daily cases diagnosed on June 28. Nine out of the 10 states with the biggest increases in daily positive tests since May have been those which voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, with Arizona, Idaho, Florida and South Carolina seeing case counts surge. The number of people in hospital with Covid-19 has risen to more than 35,000 in recent weeks after hitting its lowest point since April in mid-June. As hospitalizations rise, deaths are expected to increase proportionately (Data from The Covid Tracing Project) The number of people dying of COVID-19 in the US has remained relatively stable in June - there were a total 6,398 in the first week of the month, according to the WHO, and 6,178 in the past seven days. But the number of people in hospital is on the rise and will inevitably lead to more deaths. Data for July 2 showed there were 37,114 people in hospitals across the country. The number had hit its lowest point since April in the middle of June, when there were 27,115 patients accounted for on June 15, a significant drop from a peak of 59,260 on April 15, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project. There were more than 50,000 people in hospital at any given time between April 10 and May 6. As the number of people in hospital gets higher the number of deaths would be expected to rise proportionally with it. Experts fear that as the number of cases rising and the emergence of new hotspots - Delaware, Ohio and Colorado are projected to be on track for new outbreaks - means the virus is now totally out of control. Dr David Rubin, a professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, said Wednesday: 'We need to admit that we are losing the battle nationally to contain this dangerous virus as it engulfs more communities across the country, including those in the Northeast and Midwest that worked so hard to reduce cases and get back to a relatively normal way of life.' Many areas face second lockdowns after attempting to get back to normal, as the virus has rebounded in locations where rules were relaxed. Arizona, Texas, California, Florida and Delaware have rolled back plans to lift lockdown rules amid surging cases. In comparison, the most cases recorded in a single day in Britain was 6,201 on May 1. In Brazil the most cases recorded in a day has been 54,771. As the numbers of people being diagnosed with the virus increases, so too will the number of people being admitted to hospital with severe COVID-19 - assuming the cases are spread throughout all age groups. It can take up to a week, on average, for someone's condition to deteriorate to the point they need hospital care after they have developed COVID-19 symptoms. The number of people being diagnosed with COVID-19 in the US has surged in June to its highest ever level yesterday, with 52,000 new cases. This is in part due to improved testing provision but experts say infections genuinely appear to be rising, too A greater proportion of new coronavirus cases are being diagnosed in states that voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Those states tend to be more rural and have lower incomes (Data by the Associated Press) ARE THE US'S SECOND LOCKDOWNS AN OVER-REACTION? Various states and cities in the US are rolling back plans to reopen after lockdown or even bringing in new measures amid rising numbers of Covid-19 cases. In California, Arizona and parts of Delaware, bars have been asked to close once again to try and stop the spread of disease. But the people catching the coronavirus now are younger than they were in the earlier days of the pandemic, data shows, suggesting that the risk of death is lower and strict lockdowns may not be as necessary. In Florida, the median age of people testing positive is now in the mid-30s, down from higher than 65 in March, New York Magazine reports. 'If you look at that 25-to-34 age group, that is now by far the leading age group for positive tests,' said Governor Ron DeSantis. In Arizona, cases have soared among the under-19s in an eight-fold rise, while they rose six times for people between 20 and 44, and just two times for over-65s. The average age fell from 49 to 35. In Oklahoma around half of new cases are among under-35s, NY Mag reported, and cases have been attributed to younger people at bars and beaches in Michigan and Delaware. Younger people are known to be significantly less likely to die if they catch Covid-19, and scientists in the UK say the risk of death from any cause has not been increased for people under the age of 45 because of the pandemic. So locking down entire cities or states because of rising cases among the young could be a step too far, some argue. British columnist Gerard Baker, writing in The Times newspaper today, said they were a 'gross overreaction'. He said: 'Well need more evidence before we can say for sure how serious the new surge is but the overall picture continues to suggest that the threat from the virus has been consistently overstated... 'The new data we are seeing in the US suggest that, far from justifying the most extreme lockdown measures, with all the damage to the economy they do, the spread of the virus is much less of a threat to health and life than was widely argued. 'With proper, targeted protection of the most vulnerable it would probably not have been necessary to shut down entire economies.' Advertisement Most people sent into hospital then recover but, for those who don't, it can take weeks longer for them to be moved to intensive care or to become so ill that they die. Throughout the pandemic, scientists have suggested there is a lag of between two and four weeks, on average, between somebody becoming ill with COVID-19 and dying of it. Surging numbers of cases in June, therefore, could lead to rises in the daily death tolls within the next week or two. Speaking in mid-June, when the numbers of cases started to rise again, Dr Ali Mokdad, a global health expert at the University of Washington, told the Associated Press: 'We're going to see a rise in deaths in many places in the United States.' Recent startling spikes in cases have forced states such as Texas, California and Florida to buckle down and halt their reopenings after businesses hoped to emerge from statewide lockdowns. On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered all bars, indoor restaurants and cinemas to shut down immediately in most parts of the state, nearly three weeks after they opened for the first time following a three-month lockdown. Since then, the number of COVID-19 cases began to rise again, increasing nearly 50 per cent over the last two weeks, with a 43 per cent spike in hospitalizations. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey issued an executive order for bars, gyms and movie theaters to shut down immediately on Monday. Tuesday, Delaware ordered some of its beach towns shut down their bars after a recent spike in cases. Top US infectious disease specialist Dr Anthony Fauci warned during a Tuesday Senate hearing that daily infections could soar to 100,000 'if this does not turn around' and, while he declined to predict a specific number of fatalities, he worries the death toll in the US could reach 'disturbing' heights. President Trump has attributed the surging daily case numbers to a 'great' expansion of coronavirus testing in the US. The number of test run Tuesday, June 30, was nearly double the number of tests run on May 30, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project. But the number of daily cases has now far surpassed what was thought to be the pandemic's peak, in April. Public health experts warn that, although the number of people dying each day is down significantly, these increases typically lag behind case increases, with one recent study estimating a 17-day delay. But there are concerns that locking down cities and states again could be an over-reaction because the elderly - who are far more likely to die if they catch the coronavirus - are not catching it as often as they were. In Florida, the median age of people testing positive is now in the mid-30s, down from higher than 65 in March, New York Magazine reports. 'If you look at that 25-to-34 age group, that is now by far the leading age group for positive tests,' said Governor Ron DeSantis. In Arizona, cases have soared among the under-19s in an eight-fold rise, while they rose six times for people between 20 and 44, and just two times for over-65s. The average age fell from 49 to 35. In Oklahoma around half of new cases are among under-35s, NY Mag reported, and cases have been attributed to younger people at bars and beaches in Michigan and Delaware. Younger people are known to be significantly less likely to die if they catch COVID-19, and scientists in the UK say the risk of death from any cause has not been increased for people under the age of 45 because of the pandemic. Nine out of the 10 states with the biggest increases in daily positive tests since May have been those which voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, with Arizona, Idaho, Florida and South Carolina seeing case counts surge So locking down entire cities or states because of rising cases among the young could be a step too far, some argue. State-by-state data shows there has been a shift in the locations where people are spreading the virus most, too. While the early days of the US's epidemic was concentrated in wealthy urban cities - New York remains one of the worst affected cities in the world - analysis by the Associated Press shows the spread of the virus has shifted from Democratic-voting states to Republican ones. On June 28, states that voted for Trump in the 2016 presidential election accounted for an overwhelming 73 per cent of all new cases diagnosed, with the remaining 27 per cent in states that voted for Hillary Clinton. This was a total reversal of the situation in March when, for the first week of the month, 91 per cent of cases were diagnosed in Democratic states. Data shows that nine out of the 10 areas which have seen the biggest surges in cases between May and July were Trump-voting areas. In particular, Arizona, Idaho, Florida and South Carolina saw big surges. Alaska, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, Utah, Oklahoma are all also seeing rises in infections, while a larger proportion of states where outbreaks are shrinking were ones that voted for Hillary in 2016. In the east, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Illinois and New Hampshire are all seeing marked declines in their case counts. Trump supporters have been less likely to take the threat of the virus seriously, according to AP, and Republican governors have been more likely to put off enacting lockdowns on their citizens, potentially contributing to the spread. They have been more likely to take the lead of the president, who has been criticised for not taking COVID-19 seriously enough. Contrary to data showing the outbreak is still very real crisis for the US, President Donald Trump insisted the virus will simply disappear during an interview with Fox on Wednesday. 'I think were going to have a vaccine very soon,' he said. 'Were headed back in a very strong fashion ... And I think were going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point thats going to sort of just disappear. I hope.' New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo - a Democrat - hit out at the president last week on CNN, and said: 'You played politics with this virus, and you lost... You told the people of this state, you told the people of this country, the White House: "Dont worry about it. Go about your business. This is all Democratic hyperbole." 'It was never politics,' he added. 'It was always science.' Posted Friday, July 3, 2020 11:36 am Employers in Washington could see sharp increases in unemployment taxes starting next year as the state confronts the unexpected costs of hundreds of thousands of layoffs during the pandemic. By 2022, taxes that employers pay to cover state jobless benefits could rise to an average of $936 per worker. That's almost three times the expected 2020 figure of $317, according to preliminary figures released Thursday by the state Employment Security Department (ESD). And those are average increases: Employers who had more layoffs could see higher per-employee taxes. The tax hikes are needed to replenish the state unemployment trust fund, which has fallen from $4.7 billion to $2.8 billion since March 1 after paying out benefits to so many laid-off workers. A new state forecast shows the fund will likely be insolvent by early 2021 , which will require the state to borrow federal funds to cover any shortfall. The forecast for tax increases comes amid mixed news about the economy. On Thursday, the state reported 31,911 new, or "initial," claims for unemployment insurance for the week ending June 27. That's up 7.8% from the prior week, and reflects continued job losses in the hotel, restaurant and retail sectors, among others, ESD data shows. But it's down substantially from the wave of layoffs in March, April, and May. Nationally, initial claims fell 3.7%, to 1.4 million, the U.S. Labor Department reported. On Monday, ESD first acknowledged that the trust fund faced possible insolvency, but agency officials didn't release any specific projections for tax increases. Thursday's forecast suggests the state will need several years of substantial tax hikes to return the trust fund to its pre-COVID levels. ESD's data shows the average tax per worker peaking at $936 in 2022 before falling modestly to $896 in 2023, $829 in 2024, and $691 in 2025. Nick Demerice, ESD spokesman, cautioned that Thursday's forecast is preliminary. The actual tax increases will depend in part on future economic conditions: A faster than expected recovery could mean workers come back to to work sooner and withdraw less from the trust fund. Likewise, changes in government policy, such as new federal grants for depleted state trust funds, could reduce the amount Washington needs to generate in new taxes. "There's a number of different factors and variables that could change dramatically, which would change this [forecast] modeling," Demerice said, adding that the state expects to have a clearer picture when it begins applying for federal loans in August or September. Unemployment taxes have two components. There is an individualized "experience-based" tax, which is based on the average annual benefits paid to a specific employer's workers over the preceding four years. Typically, the more layoffs a company has, the greater its experience tax rate. Employers also pay a "social cost" tax, which covers costs that aren't attributable to a single employer. The combined tax rate, which is levied on a portion of a company's payroll, varies considerably: In 2020, total rates ranged from 0.10% to 5.7%, but were expected to average 0.91%. Prior to the pandemic, ESD expected the average to remain around 1% through 2025. The new forecast shows the average rate peaking at 2.74% in 2022 before gradually falling. The new projections will be unwelcome news for employers already struggling with dramatic declines in revenue during the pandemic. "It's huge," said Elizabeth Reed, co-owner of Interface Technologies Northwest, a Lynnwood-based installer of commercial telecommunications systems, when told of the increases. "I understand we have to pay for what just happened, but you're hitting employers for something that they had no control over." Reed's company has avoided layoffs during the outbreak, thanks to a federal pandemic loan. But she says the prospect of higher unemployment taxes in the future will make her and other employers reluctant to hire new workers out of fear of higher tax penalties if they have to be laid off. "None of us can know what's going to happen with COVID," Reed said. "So you're not going to hire anybody back if you don't have to." Mike Pence had to postpone his campaign event in Arizona this week after 'several' of his Secret Service agents reportedly fell ill with coronavirus. The vice president was scheduled to go to Phoenix on Tuesday but announced he was canceling the trip on Saturday due to a troubling spike in COVID-19 cases in the state. However, two White House officials told The Washington Post Pence had been advised to delay the event by a day because one Secret Service agent on the ground had become ill with the virus and several others were showing symptoms. Mike Pence was forced to postpone his trip to Arizona after several of his Secret Service agents got infected with coronavirus. He is pictured with Governor Doug Ducey in Phoenix on Wednesday The vice president instead flew out on Wednesday only to speak at public health briefing and he did not leave the airport The VP was instead told to make the trip on Wednesday in order to give the agency time to send in 'healthy agents', the Post reported. About eight to ten Secret Service members or federal officers who were scheduled to go to with Pence to Arizona had become sick, sources said. Pence eventually flew out to Phoenix on Wednesday but only for a public health briefing held at the airport with Governor Doug Ducey and health officials. The two hour event had apparently been 'scaled back' amid coronavirus concerns, and the vice president did not leave airport during the trip. During the press conference Pence was asked why he had made the journey to Arizona to which he replied: 'Well, the rising cases here in Arizona is why I'm here. 'It's why we brought the White House Coronavirus Task Force here. 'I'm a real believer, as President Trump is, in sitting down with the people that are leading the effort,' he said. A Pence spokesperson had told Fox News on Saturday the vice president would 'no longer participate in campaign events in Arizona and Florida this week.' A sign alerts motorists that visitors are not allowed on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in eastern Arizona due to COVID-19 'This is related to coronavirus numbers increasing in those states,' the spokesperson said. The Trump administration has been criticized in recent days after the president held a campaign rally in Tulsa on June 20 and another event with supporters in Phoenix last week despite the rising number of coronavirus cases. Dozens of Secret Service employees and other administration staffers quarantined themselves after the Tulsa event, where campaign employees were feared to be exposed to infection. At least eight White House staffers tested positive for COVID-19 - even as the president tries to project an image of 'business as usual.' But the sharp spike in coronavirus cases has put the Trump administration in a political bind since the numbers clash with the push to reopen businesses in hopes of speeding up the economic recovery.` Meanwhile, a number of states have been forced to roll back on their reopening plans after new cases began to spike. Texas and Florida, which were among the first to start lifting stay-at-home orders in May, ordered bars to close for a second time last week after both states saw record spikes in the number of new cases in a single day. Ghislaine Maxwell could end up in the same jail where Jeffery Epstein committed suicide last year when she is transferred to New York to face child sex trafficking charges. Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend and alleged madam, was arrested on Thursday morning in Bradford, New Hampshire, for helping the millionaire pedophile procure and sexually abuse young girls. At an afternoon court hearing Maxwell's attorneys agreed to have the case moved to the Southern District of New York - where she is being charged. She is being held without bail after prosecutors convinced the judge that she is a flight risk due to her international network of friends and access to unlimited resources. Maxwell is expected to be transferred to New York City on Friday or Monday, where she could be housed at one of two federal lockups - the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan or the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Ghislaine Maxwell could end up in the same jail where Jeffery Epstein committed suicide last year when she is transferred to New York to face child sex trafficking charges Epstein was found dead of an apparent suicide in his jail cell at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center (pictured) last August while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges Manhattan's MCC is where Epstein was found dead of an apparent suicide last August while awaiting trial on a slew of sex-trafficking charges. The lockup came under fierce scrutiny in the wake of Epstein's death amid questions over how he was able to hang himself while he was supposed to be under close supervision - as the financier's family insisted that he was murdered. Two MCC guards have pleaded not guilty to charges for falsifying records and failing to check on inmates in the hours before Epstein died. The jail faced further criticism in May after a court-ordered inspection found it was failing to adequately protect inmates from the coronavirus. At a press conference announcing the charges against Maxwell, acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss was asked if any special precautions would be taken to ensure the defendant's safety in custody. 'As you know, we are sensitive to that concern and certainly we'll be in dialogue with the Bureau of Prisons about it,' Strauss said in response. Jack Donson, a consultant who formerly worked for the federal Bureau of Prisons, told Bloomberg News that it's possible federal officials will choose to hold Maxwell somewhere outside of New York to avoid press attention. 'Maybe they'll want to get her out of New York entirely,' Donson said, adding that Maxwell will need to be evaluated for suicide and other risks no matter where she ends up. The photo above shows the inside of Epstein's jail cell after he was found dead. MCC came under fierce scrutiny in the wake of his death amid questions over how he was able to hang himself while he was supposed to be under close supervision A grand jury returned a sealed, six-count indictment against Maxwell on June 29, almost a year after Epstein was charged. It accuses her of enticing underage girls to travel for sex, actually having sex with them and Epstein and later lying about it under oath in depositions when she was being sued by Virginia Giuffre Roberts, one of Epstein's accusers who says she had sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17. The charges against Maxwell are: Conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, Enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and two counts of perjury. If convicted, she could face life in prison on the most serious charge - transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity - which carries a minimum 10 year sentence. Audrey Strauss, acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, gestures as she speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Maxwell on Thursday The indictment alleges: Maxwell groomed three unnamed girls, all under the age of 18, in London, New York and Florida, and New Mexico between 1994 and 1997 She befriended them by taking them to the movies or on shopping sprees and 'normalized' abusive behavior by getting undressed in front of them herself She encouraged them to travel to meet Epstein and engage in sex acts with them and him like 'group massage sex' in Epstein's homes Her introduction of them to him resulted in him abusing them when she was not present She lied in 2016 depositions while being sued by Virginia Giuffre Roberts that she'd never groomed or had sex with underage girls herself During her first court appearance prosecutors warned that Maxwell has a 'strong incentive' to flee if she's not detained because she faces years in prison. 'That risk is only amplified by the defendant's extensive international ties, her citizenship in two foreign countries, her wealth, and her lack of meaningful ties to the United States,' a detention memo states. 'In short, Maxwell has three passports, large sums of money, extensive international connections, and absolutely no reason to stay' in the US. Questions are being raised about whether Melbourne should expand its 36 suburb lockdown zone - as the number of new COVID-19 cases outside the suburban hotspots in the city's northwest continues to grow. As of Friday, there are 442 active cases across the state - with only half of these in the locked down hotspot suburbs. The figure is 66 more than the day before in what is Melbourne's 17th consecutive day of double-digit increases. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos on Thursday revealed four postcodes with the highest number of new cases in the past week - 3064, 3047, 3060 and 3031. As of Friday, there are 442 active cases across the state, with only about half in hotspot suburbs. The figure is 66 more than the day before in what is Melbourne's 17th consecutive day of double-digit increases. There have been 2368 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Victoria since the pandemic began The later included Flemington and Kensington, two suburbs bordering hotspot Ascot Vale (3031) in Melbourne's inner-north. The suburbs are two of a number of others not yet identified as hotspots or even listed for lockdown. The other suburbs include City of Melbourne with 39 active cases, Wyndham with 22, Casey with 21, Melton with 19, Yarra with 12 and Whittlesea with 21. Of the Friday increase in Melbourne, 17 of the active cases were linked to contained outbreaks, 28 remain under investigation, one is from hotel quarantine and 20 came from routine testing. Twenty-three people in Melbourne are in hospital with the virus, including six in intensive care. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald about the 'best path' to beating COVID-19 in Victoria, University of Melbourne epidemiologist Tony Blakely said Premier Daniel Andrews expanding the lockdown to include more suburbs was the answer. In recent weeks, Mr Andrews has become known as 'Chairman Dan' or 'Dictator Dan' after it was alleged he was being dictatorial. Passengers arriving from Melbourne are greeted by staff from NSW Health (pictured, right) to check for COVID-19 symptoms at Sydney Airport. A total of 36 suburbs in Victoria have been placed into lockdown following a spike in COVID-19 cases. People line up to get a COVID-19 test (pictured, left) in a lockdown suburb in Victoria 'Then hopefully we are able to get on top of it,' Mr Blakely said. 'I'd be very, very surprised if we didn't see more suburbs go into lockdown.' For a Local Government Area to go into lockdown, a postcode must have at least five active cases, with the rate in the postcode exceeding 20 per 100,000 people. Australian National University's Professor Peter Collignon said locking down more suburbs, however, was not necessarily the right answer as 'we can't be in lockdown for the next two years'. Melbourne has locked down 36 of its suburbs to get ahead of the spread of COVID-19. The suburbs (pictured) are located across 10 Local Government Areas (LGAs) 'The best thing people can do is continue practicing social distancing while using hand sanitiser and wearing face masks,' he said. 'We need to keep going with what we've been doing. 'It's really important for people everywhere in Melbourne - not just in the hotspots - to wash their hands, don't go near the sick and stay away from others. 'It's not the active cases we should be worried about at the moment - it's the cases popping up overnight. What that says is it's spreading in an area and hasn't been pinned down just yet.' Streets in suburbs which have been placed into lockdown, such as one in Ascot Vale (pictured), are now like ghost towns following a spike in coronavirus cases Professor Collignon's comments come as more than 10,000 people in Victoria refused to be tested for COVID-19 in a suburban testing blitz, which started on June 25. More than 880,000 COVID-19 tests have been done in the state since the start of the year, with 24,430 tests conducted on Thursday alone. There have been 2368 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Victoria since the pandemic began. Woolworths has announced limits on another 18 products as coronavirus cases soar in Victoria. The state recorded a total of 66 positive cases of COVID-19 on Friday as they battle to contain the spread of the deadly virus. The supermarket giant announced a two per-person limit on 18 more products as people resume panic buying due to lockdown restrictions. Items limited to two per-person include flour, sugar, pasta, mince, long life milk, eggs, rice, chilled juice, sausages, burgers and tissues. A large group of frozen foods including vegetables, potato, fruit, fish, pizza, party snacks, meals and seafood also have been limited. Empty fruit and vegetable shelves seen as people resume panic buying due to coronavirus cases Items limited to two per-person include flour, sugar, pasta, mince, long life milk, eggs, rice, chilled juice, sausages, burgers and tissues Woolworths has placed a purchase limit on a further 18 products as people continue to panic buy in Victoria Woolworths Supermarkets Managing Director Claire Peters said there was no reason for customers to worry as there is enough stock coming in but limits were placed to reassure everyone. Product limit The following items have a two per-person limit only in Victoria. Flour Sugar Pasta Mince Long life milk Eggs Rice Frozen Vegetables Frozen Potatoes Frozen Fruit Frozen Fish Frozen Poultry Sausages Burgers Fresh Milk Frozen Pizza Frozen Party Snacks Frozen Meals Frozen Seafood Chilled Juice Tissues Advertisement 'We care deeply about the wellbeing of our customers and team members and have put a number of further precautionary measures in place to ensure everyone can stay safe,' she said. 'We continue to see elevated demand in our supermarkets, but we have good stock levels continuing to flow through our warehouses and into stores. 'We want to reassure everyone in Victoria that our distribution centres, customer online fulfillment centre and our supermarkets remain open and will continue to operate as essential services for the customers and communities that depend on them. 'If you're in a hotspot area, we would encourage you to consider doing your grocery shopping online if possible. Together with our on-demand courier partners, we are able to fulfill thousands of extra orders each week.' Woolworths has already placed a limit in all national stores on toilet paper, paper towels, gloves and hand wash. Their competition, Coles, has already implemented two pack restrictions on many chilled and frozen items, pasta sauces and canned goods in Victoria and Tasmania, along with New South Wales stores in Lavington, Albury and Deniliquin. Affected items include fresh milk, butter, cheese, margarine, chicken thighs and breasts, prepacked carrots and potatoes, and frozen fruit and vegetables until Coles chilled distribution centre in Laverton returns to full operation capacity. A 'significant portion' of the centre's workforce are self-isolating at home after a number of employees tested positive to coronavirus last week. There are also temporary two pack limits on canned vegetables, fruit, meat, baked beans and spaghetti, along with pasta sauce after increased demand as Victoria battles a second wave of new infections. A number of employees at Coles' chilled distribution centre in Laverton, Melbourne (pictured) recently tested positive to coronavirus Additional limits have been introduced on essentials such as canned good and pasta sauce 'Our team is working hard with our suppliers to replenish our stores as soon as possible, and we apologise to customers of our Victorian and NSW border stores who may find some chilled and fresh produce lines are temporarily out of stock,' a Coles statement read. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement 'To help us provide a safe shopping experience for all, we ask that customers continue to treat our team members with respect, buy only what they need, continue observing social distancing in stores, make use of the sanitising stations at the entrance, and plan their visit so they can be 'speedy shoppers'.' Coles has also re-routed stock to other distribution centres in other states, established pop-up distribution centres in Victoria and working with suppliers to deliver products directly to stores. Coles is working with the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services to have all staff at its distribution centre at Laverton tested for COVID. The facility has been deep cleaned daily over the past week. 'The Victorian Government is working with Coles to ensure the distribution centre can remain open and keep food on shelves, and has confirmed all necessary precautions and steps have been taken by Coles to ensure the site has been appropriately cleaned and that relevant measures are in place regarding testing and isolation of team members,' the supermarket added. The Miami cop caught on camera punching a black woman in the face at an airport is about to be fired, the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department announced Thursday. Shocking video footage emerged on social media Wednesday of a Miami-Dade Police Department officer punching 21-year-old Paris Anderson, sending her tumbling to the ground, during a verbal altercation at Miami International Airport Tuesday night. The officer has not been publicly identified by the department but Miami Herald said multiple sources have named him as Antonio Clemente Rodriguez, a black officer of Puerto Rican heritage who is stationed at the airport and has a 20-year tenure. Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez III said Thursday he had begun the process to fire the cop following the violent incident. Shocking video footage emerged of a police officer punching a black woman in the face at Miami International Airport Tuesday evening The clip shows 21-year-old Paris Anderson facing two officers and yelling at one of them, before getting close to his face. She said: 'You acting like you're white but you're really black. What're you gonna do?' 'As a result of an administrative investigation into the officer's conduct during this incident; it is my intent to proceed with the termination of the involved officer's employment with the Miami-Dade Police Department,' Alfredo Ramirez III tweeted. 'The administrative process to proceed with termination has been initiated. The MDPD holds itself accountable for its actions, and this is just another example of our commitment to do just that.' But the Miami-Dade Police Benevolent Association has defended the officer's actions saying it was an 'open hand' slap rather than a punch - something sometimes called a 'diversionary strike.' Steadman Stahl, president of the union, told the Herald Thursday the cop had acted appropriately against Anderson who was 'clearly in his face'. He also said the union had not heard from the police department about the officer's firing and urged officials to go through the proper channels. Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez III said Thursday he had begun the process to fire the cop following the violent incident. The officer has not been publicly identified by the department but multiple sources have named him as Antonio Clemente Rodriguez 'I hope the officer's rights and due process will not be violated in this proceeding. We have nothing other than the video, and what we are seeing on TV,' he said. Tuesday's startling assault was filmed on an officer's bodycamera and shows Anderson facing two cops and yelling at one of them, before getting close to his face. 'I really should. You black, you acting like you're white but you're really black. What're you gonna do?' says Anderson getting close to the officer near his chin. Suddenly the cop believed to be Rodriguez snaps and punches her in the face. He then throws his hands on her and brings her to the ground as officers in the background shout 'Woah, woah'. A second officer rushes to pull the two apart, as does the officer behind the bodycamera recording the incident. In the clip, the cop believed to be Rodriguez is heard claiming 'she headbutted me.' According to an arrest report written by Rodriguez, he and another officer, Ricardo Alvarez, had been leading Anderson away from an American Airlines ticket counter in the airport after she was 'threatening' and 'yelling obscenities' at a staff member. 'I should go over there and punch him in the face,' Anderson allegedly yelled about the ticketing agent. According to an arrest report written by Rodriguez, he and another officer, Ricardo Alvarez, had been leading Anderson away from an American Airlines ticket counter in the airport after she was 'threatening' and 'yelling obscenities' at a staff member Rodriguez had allegedly told her to follow him and the other officer when she 'aggressively approached' him. The report says he then took a step back and struck her with an 'open hand'. Ramirez announced Wednesday he had launched an investigation into the incident when the footage surfaced on social media. He said he ordered for the officers involved to be relieved of duty. 'I am shocked and angered by a body cam video that I just saw involving one of our officers. I've immediately initiated an investigation and ordered that the involved officers be relieved of duty,' he said. 'Actions such as these undermine the hard work that we have invested in our community and causes my heart to break for our community and for the vast majority of our officers who dedicate their lives to serving our County. This will not stand, and I assure our community that any officer acting in this vain will be held to account,' he added. Ramirez said he also asked State Attorney Kathy Rundle to join the investigation. Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez slammed the video as 'appalling' and an 'unnecessary excessive use of force'. 'That's NOT what our @MiamiDadePD are trained to do. @MDPD_Director Ramirez has ordered the officer relieved of duty & investigation is underway. This is why I instituted body cameras & MDPD is reviewing all footage.' Miami Dade Police Department Director Alfredo Ramirez condemned the attack and ordered for an investigation. He said the police officers involved have been relieved of duty A man who was captured in sickening footage bashing a heavily pregnant Muslim woman at a Sydney cafe has bizarrely stormed out of a court appearance. Stipe Lozina, 43, has pleaded guilty to assaulting expecting mother Rana Elasmar at Bay Vista Cafe in Parramatta in November last year. Appearing via video link at Parramatta District Court on Friday, Lozina shouted 'f*** the system', before abruptly leaving. The 43-year-old appeared without any legal representation and was due to be given a date for sentencing by Judge Siobhan Herbert. He said his medication had been increased by health authorities and claimed the department told him: 'you're schizophrenic and you can't have children'. Stipe Lozina (pictured) punched and stomped on a heavily pregnant Muslim woman at a Sydney cafe He then shouted 'F**k the system' before leaving the appearance, The Daily Telegraph reported. 'I guess the matter's adjourned,' Justice Herbert said. 'He would be helped by having a lawyer involved but that's Mr Lozina's choice.' CCTV footage taken on November 20 shows the 43-year-old calmly approaching Ms Elasmar who was sitting with friends around a cafe table. He then unleashes a barrage of punches and begins stomping on her head before other diners intervene and pull him away. Ms Elasmar, a Muslim woman, was wearing a religious headscarf at the time of the unprovoked attack. She was also 38 weeks pregnant and was punched a total of 14 times as well as being stomped on twice. Justice Herbert ordered a NSW Justice Health report to determine the urgency of the case. Lozina is expected to face court again on July 14. Despite the horrific assault, Ms Elasmar gave birth to a healthy boy, Zayn, just three weeks after. Hundreds of wellwishers sent her messages of support and hoped the unborn child was not harmed in the cowardly attack. The 43-year-old attacked Rana Elasmar, who was dining inside Bay Vista Cafe in Parramatta, Sydney's western suburbs, about 10.30pm on November 20 CCTV footage shows the 43-year-old calmly approaching Ms Elasmar who was sitting with friends around a cafe table before the assault begins Australia's plan to consider giving safe haven to Hong Kong nationals under threat from draconian security laws has inflamed tensions with China. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said cabinet would consider options after the United Kingdom opened a path to citizenship for millions of Hong Kong residents. The new security laws criminalise secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces. The Chinese foreign ministry hit back, urging Australia to look at the national security legislation in a 'correct and objective' light. Australia's plan to consider giving safe haven to Hong Kong nationals under threat from draconian security laws has inflamed tensions with China. Pictured: Riot police officers walk as anti-national security law protesters march Prime Minister Scott Morrison said cabinet would consider options after the United Kingdom opened a path to citizenship for millions of Hong Kong residents 'Stop interfering in China's internal affairs with Hong Kong as a pretext, and refrain from going further down the wrong path,' spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters. Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said Australia had similar perspectives to the UK about Hong Kong. 'We support the 'one country, two systems' structure that was put in place,' he told ABC television on Friday, referring to the 1997 handover from the UK to Beijing. 'We want to see respect for the basic law that underpins the way in which Hong Kong works as a unique but very important part of China.' Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has expressed serious concerns about the security laws. 'The legislation that has been imposed is a breach of the handover agreement between Great Britain and the People's Republic of China with regard to Hong Kong,' he told reporters in southeast NSW. 'It was supposed to be one country, two systems. The second system was democracy. The freedom of the press, freedom of association. And those principles are important.' The Chinese foreign ministry hit back, urging Australia to look at the national security legislation in a 'correct and objective' light. Pictured: A protester uses a sharp object against a police officer who is trying to detain a man in Hong Kong Australia could fast track skilled migrant visas for Hong Kong nationals or offer safe haven through the refugee program. Mr Zhao lashed Britain over its plan to provide a path to citizenship for Hong Kongers with UK overseas national status. 'This is a serious breach of its own commitment and grave violation of international law and basic norms of international relations,' he said. 'China strongly condemns this and reserves the right of further reactions, the consequences of which shall be borne by the British side.' Jeremy Hunt has slammed Boris Johnson's government for taking 'far too long' to implement targeted coronavirus virus testing in Leicester. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, the former Health Secretary claimed mass coronavirus testing could reduce the likelihood of local lockdowns. His intervention comes as the East Midlands city was placed under harsher restrictions by Matt Hancock this week, with non-essential shops ordered to close and people urged to travel in or out of the area, amid a spike in cases. 'Why did we not just immediately test the whole city population? And why are we not doing this now in Bradford and Barnsley?,' Mr Hunt wrote. 'The quicker we identify asymptomatic carriers, the less likely whole cities will have to be locked down.' Jeremy Hunt, the former Health Secretary, has slammed Boris Johnson's government for taking 'far too long' to implement targeted coronavirus virus testing in Leicester His intervention comes as Leicester was placed under harsher restrictions by Matt Hancock this week amid a spike in cases (pictured, members of the 7th Regiment running the Levington Leisure Centre Covid-19 testing facility in the East Midlands city) Earlier this week, Bradford has said it is 'working hard' to prevent another lockdown and Barnsley has stressed new restrictions are not needed, as figures revealed they have the highest Covid-19 rates in England after Leicester. The latest data showed Bradford has 69.4 cases per 100,000 population, the second highest in England behind Leicester with 140.2. And Barnsley is third in the table with 54.7 cases per 100,000. Mr Hunt, now chairman of the health and social care committee, said the Test and Trace system 'will fail' unless a way of reaching infected people is found. He wrote: 'Even if cases overall continue to fall, we will not have the resilience we need for a potential second wave this winter. 'How do we solve this? The first thing we need is a massive public information campaign telling anyone with Covid symptoms - whether repeated coughing, fever, loss of taste or smell or any combination of these - to get a test immediately.' Mr Hunt told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme this week that local lockdowns will become the 'new normal' until a vaccine is found. He added that Leicester's lockdown wouldn't be a 'one-off occurrence' and hoped 'lessons would be learned for other cities'. Mr Hunt said: 'We know that the NHS Test and Trace process was going to take until the end of June before it could fully get local public health officers and local authorities on board and co-ordinated with their efforts. Members of the 7th Regiment are running the Levington testing facility in Leicester as a Public Health England report said that the increase in cases could be due to increased testing In Leicester its city centre has been shut down and schools closed due to a spike in cases The Leicester lockdown zone, which has left some in lockdown while their neighbours are not Pictured: Data shows how Leicester's coronavirus outbreak has grown over time 'We're now at that point, so I think there will be things when it comes to other cities and similar situations that happen more smoothly. 'We have shown that we're prepared to react quickly and decisively when there is an outbreak and let's hope we can get through this in Leicester quickly.' It comes as official figures released yesterday claimed that around 3,600 people are still getting infected with coronavirus every day. Office for National Statistics (ONS) data suggests 25,000 people across the country currently have Covid-19, or one in 2,200 people (0.04 per cent of the population) - a huge drop on the 51,000 active cases the week before. But the same data shows the virus is spreading at a slightly quicker rate, with an estimated 25,000 new cases in the week ending June 27 - up from the 22,000 infections occurring in the community the week before. ONS statisticians, who made their projection based on swab testing of 25,000 people, warned the speed at which the outbreak is declining has 'levelled off'. The estimate is in line with Public Health England and Cambridge University academics, who claimed up to 3,000 people are still getting infected each day. This included 1,000 in the Midlands, which is home to Leicester - the first UK city to be hit by a 'local lockdown'. Their estimate is based on modelling of based on death data, antibody surveillance sampling and mobility reports. But both guesses are much higher than the one by King's College London scientists, who believe around 1,200 people are being struck down each day. Ministers are thought to have ruled out imposing further local lockdowns imminently, though they will monitor testing data from hotspots this weekend. A source told The Telegraph: 'We're focusing on what happens after Saturday rather than what comes before it. The focus is on getting Leicester under control rather than locking anywhere else down. That doesn't mean it won't happen in the near future, it all depends on what happens to the data.' Another said: 'In places like Kirklees, Enfield and Weston, it does feel like identifying local outbreaks early and taking action seems to be working. 'In Weston... we closed the hospital to new admissions, tested and retested all patients and staff, isolated everyone who tested positive, a deep clean of the hospital. We worked well with the council and they increased access to testing.' Australia's youngest self-made billionaire has revealed the secrets to his $1.6billion Afterpay company and why a trip to Vegas helped get the idea off the ground. Nick Molnar, 30, became a billionaire on Thursday after shares of his buy now pay-later business soared 9.5 per cent to $68.16 in the stock market. The father-of-one, originally from Sydney, launched his first business as a teenager when he convinced his dad to take him to the US to buy a jewellery company before he turned it into a successful brand on Australia's eBay. Nick previously said he owed the success of that venture to his 'entrepreneurial spirit', which later gave him the drive to launch Afterpay. Afterpay co-founder Nick Molnar, 30, is Australia's youngest self-made billionaire after shares in the buy-now pay-later platform skyrocketed on Thursday Mr Molner enjoys a lavish lifestyle travelling around the globe with his wife Gabrielle (pictured together) when he is not busy working In an interview with Jetstar last year he said: 'I began mulling over an idea for a business where a customer can take home a product today and pay for it in installments. 'My neighbour Any Eisen and I launched Afterpay together in 2014'. He is now worth $1.4billion dollars. Nick and his business partner now own 20.5 million Afterpay shares, or about 8.5 per cent, of the business. The business' shares sank by more than 30 per cent in March as the coronavirus virus took hold, before re-surging from April, when Chinese tech giant Tencent bought a five per cent stake. The partnership between the two tech companies helped push the shopping service into the Chinese market. The young billionaire said the secret to success is never giving up and learning from from his failures. 'Look at failure as a way to learn. Don't take no for an answer you have to be relentless, especially as an entrepreneur. And back yourself. If you don't believe in yourself or your idea, no one else will,' he said. He also offered three tips to those wishing to take on entrepreneurship. The newest Australian billionaire is an avid skier, who often shares photos of snow holiday trips Mr Molnar pictured with his wife Gabrielle in September 2018 before the birth of their daughter Ella Mr Molnar and his wife married in November in 2016, two years after the entrepreneur set up Afterpay. They are pictured together during a holiday in 2015 'If I could go back I'd have charged on with being an entrepreneur from day one. Keep devices out of meetings - it's a way to show respect to everyone in the team by giving your undivided attention. And finally, enjoy the ride and have fun among the chaos but stay authentic and humble.' Mr Molnar said he always tries to maintain a boundary between family and work, and ensures breakfast is dedicated to spending time with his wife and daughter. Mr Molnar stole the position from 32-year-old Melanie Perkins, who became one of Australia's three wealthiest women just last week after her digital graphics platform Canva doubled in value. After raising an estimated $87million in its latest investor round, Canva is now valued at $8.77billion. The Perth-born entrepreneur founded the Sydney-based digital graphics business Canva with her fiance Cliff Obrecht in 2014 after dropping out of university. The growth has pushed the couple's wealth to an estimated to $2.5billion each. The pair are eclipsed by Vicky Teoh - the founder of telecommunications company TPG Telcom - worth $2.6billion. Mining magnate Gina Rinehart, who owns Hancock Prospecting, is Australia's wealthiest billionaire, with the company valued at $16.25billion. Mr Molnar splits his time between Afterpay's offices in New York and San Francisco. He is pictured giving a Ted talk in September 2017 Queensland police are on the hunt for Victorians being smuggled across the border, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has warned. The Sunshine State leader confirmed she had attended an operational briefing in which law enforcement and disaster management personnel raised concerns about infected travellers from Victoria being brought into Queensland illegally hidden in trucks. Queensland police are on the hunt for Victorians being smuggled across the border, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) warned A surge in new infections has resulted in dozens of Melbourne suburbs being sent back into Stage 2 shutdown. The Queensland Government now fears people-smuggling operations could start bringing in Victorians who are looking to escape the lockdown. 'They do have some concerns that that practice could be in place,' Ms Palaszczuk said. 'So what we say to everyone out there is, if you are thinking about doing it, don't do it. 'You will be hit with a fine. Trucks will also be randomly stopped, and if you are a truck driver participating in this you will also get fined as well.' Queensland has recorded eight new coronavirus cases in the past 30 days. However Victoria has seen over 400 cases in just the past week after breaches in the state's hotel quarantine program for returned travellers led to a surge in infections. A Queensland police officer speaks with a motorist at a checkpoint at Coolangatta on the Queensland-New South Wales border A motorist in a protective face mask is pictured being questioned at a police checkpoint on the Queensland-New South Wales border Although Queensland will ease their strict social distancing measures and border restrictions, anyone from Victoria hoping to enter the state will be forced to undertake a 14-day quarantine period at their own expense. Palaszczuk said anyone entering the state will be asked to declare they have not been in Victoria in the past two weeks. Travellers caught lying to police during random checks or at roadblocks can be hit with a $4,000 penalty. 'Previously we've seen other heavy freight (and) that type of thing get waved through,' Queensland's state disaster co-ordinator, Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski told reporters. 'They will still be able to do that but we will be randomly intercepting them to make sure that there are...not people getting through there that shouldn't. Victoria has been brutally cut out of a viral map of Australia as Melbourne begins its second coronavirus lockdown 'We've already had people try and test the system all the way through, so we're just going to make it really certain that people aren't doing that.' Mr Gollschewski said it's everyone's responsibility to understand and listen to the Queensland public health directions and follow them closely. 'Each person travelling must have a completed Queensland Border Declaration Pass and those travelling by road need to have one clearly displayed within their vehicle to enable priority passage,' he said. 'They must also carry identification which shows a residential address. 'The Queensland Border Declaration Pass is a print-at-home document and issued following the completion of an online questionnaire.' Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:34 pm Additional funding is set to go toward helping homeless families in Lewis County. In the weekly Board of County Commissioners business meeting on Monday, the county approved an agreement with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to grant $161,439 to the McKinney Transitional Housing Program. According to Lewis County Housing Programs Coordinator Meja Handlen, the program aims to assist families with school-age children who are homeless find a temporary place to live, while using what she calls progressive engagement to help families through the various aspects of establishing a long-term foundation. She continued by saying the program, to her knowledge, has existed in the county for five years. Its about engaging with a person in a way thats going to get the maximum outcome for them to be housed stably and funding it themselves, Handlen said. Handlen said shes seen the program make a significant impact on the families it aims to help. She told the story of a family with grade school-aged kids, who ultimately had to leave their home after their father was injured on the job and their mother lost her part-time position. From there, Handlen said the family had to couch surf before they were given a motorhome that didnt have a bathroom. It wasnt until a liaison for the McKinney Program through the school district noticed and thought the family could be helped. She said the liaison collaborated with the Coordinated Entry program, the family got an assessment and were quickly added to the program. It is an ongoing subsidy, but it doesnt last a lifetime, Handlen said. Its a time-limited subsidy that helps the family get back up on their feet. According to the agreement, $110,196 of the $161,439 is dedicated to rental assistance, while $40,668 goes to supportive services and $10,735 goes to administrative costs. The funding is slated to run through April 30, 2021. Lewis County Commissioner Edna Fund pointed to the importance of a solidified home environment for children and the impact that could have on their schooling. Thinking about a child in a homeless shelter being able to study, not having a computer, not having a library to do their work, how hopeful is that childs situation if they cant keep up in school? Fund said. If they have a stable living situation, its much better, so those children have a chance. She continued by saying the children who get their education will have a better chance to establish permanent shelter of their own someday. If we can get people into shelter and their kids have a stable home environment, they certainly will do better in school and absorb their education, Fund said. As it pertains to the countywide response to homelessness, Handlen pointed to fears surrounding generational poverty. Still, she feels that if the children in the families are able to see whoever is raising them work toward finding a permanent living situation, the dynamic can change. She added the importance of assisting these families is heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The department continues to keep an eye on Gov. Jay Inslees eviction moratorium and how families that have been impacted financially will be affected. This funding is more specific to families that are currently homeless, Handlen said. But the county has always seen a focus on families as being very important because if we can show mom and dad, heres your pathway out, the children see that, see how hard parents work and understand that work is important. Cleared: Don Harwin said he never broke the rules and a court agreed New South Wales arts minister Don Harwin has been reinstated after having his $1,000 fine for breaching COVID-19 travel restrictions withdrawn in court. The Liberal MP stood down on April 10 after it was revealed he had moved from his house in Sydney's Elizabeth Bay to his Pearl Beach holiday home. He was accused of travelling back and forth between Sydney and the Central Coast at a time when travel to regional NSW was restricted. NSW Police fined Mr Harwin $1,000 for acting 'in contravention of a current ministerial direction under the Public Health Act' and referred the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions. But Mr Harwin argued he relocated to Pearl Beach in mid-March before the NSW stay-at-home order was made, and challenged the fine. He also argued he'd been living mostly at his Pearl Beach home for four months before his fine. The fine was withdrawn by the DPP on Friday in Gosford Local Court. 'The applicable public health order in its terms did not restrict a person to a single place of residence,' a DPP spokeswoman said in a statement on Friday. 'The evidence was unable to establish that Mr Harwin left his place of residence without a reasonable excuse as provided by the public health order.' NSW Police and state politicians at the height of COVID-19 restrictions said Sydneysiders with regional NSW homes should not leave the city for those properties. Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) said at the time said Mr Harwin had 'appropriately resigned' his frontbench role and that politicians had to be perceived to be acting correctly. She reinstated Mr Harwin to his arts portfolio on Friday Premier Gladys Berejiklian at the time said Mr Harwin had 'appropriately resigned' his frontbench role and that politicians had to be perceived to be acting correctly. She reinstated Mr Harwin to his arts portfolio on Friday. 'Mr Harwin's decision to resign from cabinet was appropriate when he received an infringement notice in April, but now that he has been cleared, it is appropriate that he return to cabinet,' Ms Berejiklian said in a statement. 'Mr Harwin has always assured me that he did not break the rules.' NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller on Friday said in a statement: 'I reviewed the circumstances of the incident at the time, and I stand by my decision to proceed with a penalty infringement notice.' Firefighters pulled a woman from a burning flat in London last night as an explosion ripped through a dry cleaners below. Six fire engines and about 40 firefighters from the London Fire Brigade were called to a major blaze in the shop on Croydon High Street. They arrived at around 1am after locals reported hearing an explosion, and brought the 'fully developed fire' under control by 2.35am, the Brigade said. Eyewitnesses reported hearing people screaming and a woman being 'pulled from the building', with one saying: 'Looks like the fire is under control now. Seems everyone was evacuated with a couple of people being treated in the aftermath.' It is believed the woman was trapped in a first-floor flat at the rear of the building. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Firefighters rescued a woman pulled from a burning flat in Croydon, south London last night as an explosion allegedly ripped through a dry cleaners below Videos uploaded to social media show the fire raging as London Fire Brigade tackled the blaze, withe one person tweeting: 'Massive #fire over road in #croydon ...girl pulled from building... people screaming... very scary... hope nobody was hurt!' According to another tweet, people were throwing stones in a bid to wake up residents living by the burning building. Croydon Metropolitan Police tweeted: 'Police on scene with@LondonFire & @Ldn_Ambulance following report at 0058hrs of fire/ explosion at residential block in High St, junction West St #Croydon. Road closures in place. Videos uploaded to social media show the fire raging as London Fire Brigade tackled the blaze, withe one person tweeting: 'Massive #fire over road in #croydon ...girl pulled from building... people screaming... very scary... hope nobody was hurt!' Social media users tweeted that 'small explosion in a commercial property started the fire' 'Await news re any injuries & updates will be issued in due course.' In a statement, London Fire Brigade said: 'Firefighters tackled a severe blaze in a launderette with flats above on Croydon High Street. 'Firefighters rescued one woman at the rear via a ladder pitched against the first floor flat roof. She was treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service crews. 'A further two adults and one child left the property before firefighters arrived. 'The fire destroyed the ground floor shop. The fire also damaged parts of the first and second floor.' Staff and residents in care homes for people over 65 or with dementia will be regularly tested for coronavirus from next week, the Government announced today. The Department of Health and Social Care said staff will be tested weekly, while residents will have a test every 28 days as part of a new social care testing strategy. This is in addition to intensive testing in any care home facing an outbreak or at increased risk of a flare-up, the DHSC added. MHA Care Homes chief executive Sam Monaghan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he welcomed the new guidance as 'the step change we needed'. Mr Monaghan had also speculated that agency staff were 'not included in this' as far as he was aware - but the DHSC later confirmed that they are included in the rollout and will be tested through the care home they work at. Agency staff make up about 10 per cent of the social care workforce, and care homes are three times more likely to rely on them than other industries. A nurse wears personal protective equipment changes the dressings on the legs of an elderly woman during a home visit on June 9 The repeat testing programme will be rolled out to all care homes for the over 65s and those with dementia which have registered to receive retesting over the next four weeks before expanding to the entire care home sector from August. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'Our response to this global pandemic has always been led by the latest scientific advice from world-class experts, and we will now offer repeat testing to staff and residents in care homes, starting with homes for elderly residents before expanding to the entire care home sector. 'This will not only keep residents and care workers safe, but it will give certainty and peace of mind to the families who may be worried about their loved ones, and give staff the confidence to do what they do best.' The Government has faced criticism for failing to protect care homes from the virus. There have been 14,658 deaths linked to Covid-19 in care homes across England and Wales registered up to June 19, according to the latest Office for National Statistics data. A resident at Gracewell in Ascot meets visitors on May 25 after the care home organised a drive-through visit so residents can safely see their loved ones A National Audit Office report last month claimed that around 25,000 hospital patients were discharged into care homes in England at the height of the pandemic without all being tested for Covid-19. The new testing strategy comes following the latest advice from the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) and new evidence indicating a higher prevalence in care homes, the DHSC said. The Vivaldi 1 study, which surveyed almost 9,000 care home managers and analysed data from whole care home testing, identified the higher levels of the virus among care staff - particularly among temporary staff working in multiple care settings, it added. The study suggested that care home staff may be at increased risk of contracting the virus which they could then pass on to others if they have no symptoms, the DHSC said. Health Secretary Matt Hancock (pictured at Downing Street on Wednesday) said the move 'will give certainty and peace of mind to the families who may be worried about their loved ones' The new repeat testing programme was welcomed by care sector leaders who said it was 'absolutely essential' to support care homes managing the spread of infection. Care England chief executive Professor Martin Green said: 'The testing programme is one of the cornerstones of Covid-19 prevention, and we are pleased that the Department of Health and Social Care has recognise this, and responded with a comprehensive approach to repeat testing.' Vic Rayner, executive director of National Care forum, added: 'Access to repeat and regular testing is absolutely central to support care homes in managing the spread of infection within care homes. 'Testing has proved to be a vital tool in the box for providers and the continued expansion of the testing regime is essential.' Qantas has brought forward the final flight dates for its beloved fleet of 747 jets after nearly 50 years of service with the airline. The airliner originally planned to retire its fleet of Boeing 747s in late 2020 but the coronavirus pandemic forced the plans to be brought forward by six months. The 747s, also known as the Queens of the Skies, will be flown for the last time to an aviation graveyard in California's Mojave Desert on July 22. Boeing 747s are famous for their ability to carry up to 364 people across long-haul flights. But Qantas believes it will be too inefficient to keep using the large aircraft in the coronavirus-ravaged travel industry. Qantas has brough forward the retirement date of its fleet of Boeing 747s with its final flight to a plane graveyard in California's Mojave Desert planned for July 22. Pictured is at 747 in 1982 Before the final flight Qantas will hold a series of 'joy flights' to celebrate the aircraft which has served in its fleet since 1971. The special domestic flights will leave from Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane, the company told The Australian. Details for the special flights will be made available next week and Qantas said any profit it makes from the final flights will be donated to charity. The Boeing 747 has a strong history with Qantas, which has used almost every version of the plane since it placed an order for its first one in 1967. Boeing 747s are famous for their ability to carry up to 364 people across long-haul flights but Qantas believes it will be too inefficient to keep using the aircraft in the coronavirus-ravaged travel industry By 1971 the original 747-400 was in full operation in Australia and was quickly followed by the first double-decker version of the 747-300, the 747-400 and its extended range version. Qantas has used 65 different versions of the iconic plane during its history but it has now been replaced by more efficient and compact aircraft. Last month the the airline was forced to slash 6,000 jobs - 20 per cent of its workforce - as internal borders continue to remain closed with no end in sight. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce also said the 15,000 workers already stood down will remain out of work 'for some time'. Hundreds of Sydney residents have flocked to a COVID-19 drive-through testing centre after a local Woolworths worker tested positive for coronavirus. Balmain, in the city's inner west, is on high alert after the supermarket employee worked two shifts at the grocery store on June 27 and 28 while infectious. Residents who feel unwell have been advised to go for a COVID-19 swab, with hundreds attending the drive-through clinic in neighbouring Rozelle on Friday. Dozens of cars were forced to loop around the block amid the heightened demand for testing. Pictured: Cars line up at the COVID-19 drive-through clinic in Rozelle, Sydney's inner west Cars were forced to wait around the block for their coronavirus swab in Sydney's inner west on Friday Hundreds of residents went for a COVID-19 test in Rozelle after a Woolworths employee in neighbouring Balmain contracted the virus Sydney Local Health District said the Rozelle testing clinic was 'busy today' following the Balmain Woolworths staff member's positive coronavirus infection. 'We understand your concerns and we thank you for stepping up to be tested,' they said in a Facebook post. 'Our Rozelle team is working very hard to test all arrivals, but we have other sites where you may be able to get tested more quickly today.' 'Please consider attending the clinics at RPA, Canterbury and Concord hospitals, or Redfern Health Centre.' There are two additional drive-through clinics in the inner west, in Summer Hill and Homebush. 'Please help us share the load so our amazing nurses can continue doing their very best to keep everyone safe.' Balmain, in the city's inner west, is on high alert after a Woolworths employee worked two shifts at the grocery store on June 27 and 28 while infectious. Pictured: The COVID-19 drive-through clinic at neighbouring Rozelle A health worker in a face mask is seen directing traffic at Rozelle's drive-through clinic Healthcare workers conduct COVID-19 tests at a drive-through testing centre in Rozelle The supermarket worker had been in hotel quarantine in Victoria from June 11 to June 26 after flying in from Bangladesh and tested positive to COVID-19 on the fourth day of his quarantine period. He then flew from Melbourne on June 26 and returned to work at the Woolworths in Balmain on June 27, with his employer noticing he had minor symptoms. NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the level of virus detected in the man is low but authorities are treating him as infectious as a precaution. He worked at the store on June 27 and 28, and 50 employees are now in isolation after being identified as close contacts, with the store undergoing a deep clean. Dr Chant said the man was assessed as non-infectious and cleared of the virus before he was discharged from Melbourne quarantine on June 26. The Woolworths employee worked at the Balmain store (pictured) on June 27 and 28 Dozens of cars are forced to wait for their coronavirus test in Rozelle, Sydney, on Friday Residents in Balmain who feel unwell are urged to get tested for coronavirus after a Woolworths employee contracted the virus NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said anyone who visited the Woolworths store on either of the two days should come forward and be tested if they have respiratory symptoms. Health authorities are also contacting people who sat around the man on Jetstar Flight JQ510 from Melbourne to Sydney on June 26. The state's confirmed COVID-19 cases stand at 3,211 after no new cases were reported in NSW on Friday, with one patient currently in intensive care. 'It's a very good day for a health minister when you can say we had absolutely no new cases,' Mr Hazzard said on Friday. But a school on the NSW Central Coast, Green Point Christian College, has been closed after being informed of a possible COVID-19 case in a senior male student, who will have additional tests. Healthcare workers are seen at the drive-through testing site in Rozelle, Sydney's inner west, on Friday A rare photograph of the younger brother of King George VI who was kept out of the public eye because he was mentally disabled has come to light. The 1909 image shows the 'lost Prince' John posing for the camera with the Queen's father as well as her uncle, the future Edward VIII. The group portrait of all six children of King George V and Queen Mary was autographed by them, although it is possible someone signed John's name for him. Prince John had epilepsy and autism and died aged 13 in 1919 from a severe seizure, having spent his final years separated from his siblings at a house at Sandringham. The 1909 image shows the 'lost Prince' John posing for the camera with the Queen's father as well as her uncle, the future Edward VIII The group portrait of all six children of King George V and Queen Mary was autographed by them, although it is possible someone signed John's (left with Edward) name. Prince George, Duke of Kent (right), died in an air crash in Scotland in 1942 The future King Edward VIII is pictured with the Duke of York (the future King George VI), Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Prince George, Duke of Kent in the 1930s The 'lost Prince' John who was banished to Sandringham where he died age 13 The young prince was banished to an isolated farmhouse as his epilepsy, diagnosed at the age of four, intensified. His father, the king-emperor, could not allow his 'weakness' to be publicly discussed by his subjects. After his death in 1919, following a serious seizure at the age of 13, Prince John was swiftly written out of the family history. In at least one family tree issued by the House of Windsor, his name was deleted. And in the years when his eldest brother, the Prince of Wales, rose to become King Edward VIII, before casting away his throne for Mrs Simpson, he was swiftly forgotten. Advertisement In the photo, John, then aged four, is sat on Prince Edward's knee, with Princess Mary seated next to them. Prince Henry is stood on the far left, with Prince Albert in the centre and Prince George on the right. Henry and George are both in sailors uniforms, with the others dressed in formal clothes. The 4.5in by 3.75in photo is believed to have once belonged either to a member of the Royal Family, a friend of theirs or a nanny who looked after the young Royals. It is now being sold by a private collector with Malaga-based International Autograph Auction for 3,000. Auctioneer Francisco Pinero said: 'This item is a significant because it is extremely difficult to find a signed photo by all six children of King George V. 'At the age of four Prince John was sent to Sandringham House and kept away from the public eye, therefore his autograph is very rare. 'The photo was probably given to a member of the Royal family, someone close to it or perhaps a Royal nanny.' Attitudes towards mental disability were very different a century ago, with a lack of understanding leading to those with conditions being shunned. This was typified in a cold-hearted letter by Edward, Prince of Wales, penned shortly after John's death which was uncovered in 2015. Prince John (left) was the youngest of King George V and Queen Mary's six children and the fifth boy. The only girl was Mary (right, with Viscount Lascelles and their son George Henry Hubert Lascelles' in 1923) In it, he revealed he considered him only to have been a 'brother in flesh' and 'more of an animal'. He added the family only ever visited John 'once or twice a year' and his passing was the 'greatest relief imaginable' to them. The sale takes place on July 22. Advertisement Ghislaine Maxwell will be 'naming names' and 'fully co-operating' with the FBI and Prince Andrew is among those 'very worried' about what she might reveal, a former associate of Jeffrey Epstein has claimed. Maxwell's dramatic arrest on sex-trafficking charges yesterday has raised hopes among Epstein victims that prosecutors will untangle a 'spider web' of rich and powerful associates of the pair. The socialite and daughter of late British publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell was seized at a $1million home in New Hampshire and later appeared in court by video-link. It is unclear who she was there with. A mystery British technology entrepreneur is said to have helped her buy the home through an LLC in December. On Thursday, journalists reported seeing a man on the grounds with a British accent but it is unclear if he is the same person who helped Maxwell purchase the property. She is now awaiting transfer to New York to face charges of procuring girls as young as 14 for Epstein to sexually abuse - and could even be held in the same Manhattan jail where Epstein died last year. If convicted on all counts, Maxwell faces 35 years behind bars at a maximum. It would mean she'd be 93 by the time she'd be released. The latest twist in the case has ramped up the pressure on Andrew to testify about his relationship with Epstein and Maxwell, but sources close to the Duke say they are 'bewildered' because he has repeatedly offered to help. Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the Epstein accuser who dragged Andrew into the mire by claiming she had sex with him in the early 2000s, last night celebrated Maxwell's arrest and called her an 'insidious creature' who deserved to be locked up. Andrew denies her allegations, saying he has no recollection of meeting Miss Roberts. Ghislaine Maxwell will be 'naming names' and 'fully co-operating' with the FBI and Prince Andrew is among those 'very worried' about what she might reveal, a former associate of Jeffrey Epstein has claimed (Epstein and Maxwell are pictured together in New York in 2005) Prince Andrew (pictured during his BBC Newsnight interview last year) is under increasing pressure to give evidence - but the Duke's legal team insists he has offered to help US investigators Speaking to The Sun, Epstein's former employer Steven Hoffenberg said the paedophile's ex-girlfriend Maxwell 'knows everything' and will 'totally co-operate' after her arrest. Hoffenberg, a convicted fraudster who employed Epstein at Towers Financial in the 1980s, said 'there's a lot of people very worried' about what Maxwell could reveal. 'She's going to cooperate and be very important. Andrew is definitely, definitely concerned,' Hoffenberg said. On Thursday, a source close to the Duke of York's legal team told DailyMail.com that he was 'bewildered' by prosecutors' remarks that they wanted to speak to him. 'The Dukes team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DOJ in the last month and to-date, we have had no response.' On Thursday, Acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss said the investigation into Epstein's decades of abuse is ongoing and that she'd 'welcome' Prince Andrew 'coming in to provide a statement', prompting speculation that he may among people investigators may focus their attention on next. 'We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk to us. We would like to have the benefit of his statement. Our doors remain open. We would welcome him coming in and giving us an opportunity to hear his statement,' she said. It opens the door to questions of jurisdiction and whether or not US Attorney Strauss may charge for alleged incidents that happened in London and not America. Among the claims in the indictment is that Maxwell groomed one of the victims in London. At her press conference, Strauss said some of the sexual abuse also happened at Maxwell's house in London. US attorney Lisa Bloom, who represents one of Maxwell's accusers, said 'all others accused of enabling Jeffrey Epstein's predations must immediately be brought to justice as well'. 'Maxwell's brutal, ruthless behaviour caused my client tremendous pain,' Ms Bloom said in a statement, adding that she and her client applauded the socialite's 'long overdue arrest'. One Epstein accuser, Michelle Licata, has previously voiced hopes that prosecutors looking into Epstein were 'going to start digging into his life... and start pulling out this spider web of people that were related to it', according to the New York Post. Former federal prosecutor Jessica Roth told Bloomberg: 'There is no way for prosecutors to present a case against her without going into all the evidence they had against Epstein, because the charges here are intertwined. 'The original indictment against Jeffrey Epstein made it clear that he didnt act alone and that the government had evidence that other people were also involved.' Celebrating Maxwell's arrest, Prince Andrew's accuser, Roberts said last night: 'Thank you to the FBI, Southern District of New York and anyone involved in the arrest of this insidious creature. Hope the judge throws the book at her. So so so happy- shes finally where she belongs.' The 36-year-old's claims against Andrew are not part of the charges against Maxwell and a judge ordered them struck from court records in a separate case in 2015, without ruling on their veracity. However, Miss Roberts is relevant to the charges because Maxwell is accused of perjury by claiming during a lawsuit against her in 2016 that she had no involvement in procuring underage girls. Maxwell was picked up by the FBI and NYPD detectives at 8.30am at the property in Bradford, New Hampshire, she had bought in December 2019 using a limited liability company called Granite LLC to shield her name Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, gestures as she speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Ghislaine Maxwell for her alleged role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein, Thursday, July 2, 2020, in New York Ghislaine Maxwell's $20million bank transfers with Epstein Bank accounts linked to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein exchanged more than $20million between 2007 and 2011, the US government says. Prosecutors say the transactions took place between 2007 and 2011, covering the time when Epstein was in prison in Florida. Maxwell's accounts received more than $20million from Epstein's financial empire - 'including amounts in the millions of dollars that were then subsequently transferred back to accounts associated with Epstein', prosecutors claim. The details emerged in a document arguing that Maxwell should be denied bail because of her large financial resources, frequent travel habits and record of living 'in hiding' for the last year. Investigators have found more than 15 different bank accounts linked to Maxwell, with balances ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars up to more than $20million. She has also transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars between her accounts, including a $500,000 switch in March 2019, the government says. Prosecutors say Maxwell sold a New York City residence for $15million in 2016 and moved much of the proceeds into another bank account. 'Her numerous accounts and substantial money movements render her total financial picture opaque and indeterminate,' they say. Advertisement Andrew, 60, has been at loggerheads with US prosecutors for months after they claimed he was failing to co-operate with their Epstein probe. The Duke's lawyers say he has offered to help on 'at least three occasions this year' but US officials claim he has 'repeatedly declined our request' for an interview. Royal commentators say the discrepancy may lie in the nature of the offer, with Andrew's lawyers offering a 'witness statement' while former US attorney Geoffrey Berman made it clear he was seeking an 'interview'. Andrew's last verbal interview on the subject - his BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis - was widely seen as a disaster and led to his resignation from public life just days later. The prince was criticised for failing to show any empathy towards Epstein's victims, and many of his explanations attracted ridicule. In a subsequent statement he said he 'regretted my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein' and 'deeply sympathised with everyone who has been affected'. 'Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required,' he said at the time. The issue was thrown into further confusion last month when Berman was fired by the Trump administration in a separate row. Prosecutors renewed their appeal for Andrew to give evidence as they announced the charges against Maxwell yesterday, saying that 'we would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us'. US lawyer Gloria Allred, who represents some of Epstein's victims, said yesterday: 'It is long overdue for Prince Andrew to stop making excuses and to stop playing the victim. He should contact the FBI immediately and agree to appear for an interview.' A source close to the Duke said Andrew was 'bewildered' by the latest pressure, saying: 'We have twice communicated with the DOJ in the last month and to date we have had no response.' Asked about the Duke in an LBC radio interview today, Boris Johnson declined to say how Britain would respond if US authorities make an approach to interview Andrew. 'No such approach has been made and otherwise it really is a matter for the royal family,' the PM said. Andrew's legal representatives are adamant that the Duke 'is not and has never been a target' of the criminal investigations and that US prosecutors are seeking his help as a witness. He denies any wrongdoing. The prince was friends with Epstein and Maxwell during the 2000s but said in the BBC interview that he never witnessed or suspected any of Epstein's crimes. Maxwell has an astonishing network of high profile friends and acquaintances. She is shown at Chelsea Clinton's 2010 wedding as former president Bill Clinton walks his daughter down the aisle Maxwell with Epstein and Donald and Melania Trump in 2000 Epstein died in his Manhattan jail cell last August after he was arrested on sex-trafficking charges. He was already a convicted pedophile after pleading guilty to a separate child sex charge in Florida in 2008. Maxwell could be locked up in same Manhattan jail where Epstein died Ghislaine Maxwell could end up in the same jail where Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide last year when she is transferred to New York. Maxwell is expected to be transferred to New York City on Friday or Monday, where she could be housed at one of two federal lockups - the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Lower Manhattan or the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Manhattan's MCC is where Epstein was found dead of an apparent suicide last August while awaiting trial on a slew of sex-trafficking charges. The lockup came under fierce scrutiny in the wake of Epstein's death amid questions over how he was able to hang himself while he was supposed to be under close supervision - as the financier's family insisted that he was murdered. Two MCC guards have pleaded not guilty to charges for falsifying records and failing to check on inmates in the hours before Epstein died. The jail faced further criticism in May after a court-ordered inspection found it was failing to adequately protect inmates from the coronavirus. The Metropolitan Correction Center in Manhattan where Jeffrey Epstein died nearly a year ago At a press conference announcing the charges against Maxwell, acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss was asked if any special precautions would be taken to ensure the defendant's safety in custody. 'As you know, we are sensitive to that concern and certainly we'll be in dialogue with the Bureau of Prisons about it,' Strauss said in response. Jack Donson, a consultant who formerly worked for the federal Bureau of Prisons, told Bloomberg News that it's possible federal officials will choose to hold Maxwell somewhere outside of New York to avoid press attention. 'Maybe they'll want to get her out of New York entirely,' Donson said, adding that Maxwell will need to be evaluated for suicide and other risks no matter where she ends up. Advertisement Maxwell was taken into custody yesterday morning in Bradford, a small town in New Hampshire, on Thursday morning. Special Agent William Sweeney said at a press conference later that the FBI had been 'discreetly keeping tabs' on her for some time and that she recently moved to the property. Maxwell is believed to have bought the 156-acre property with cash, using an LLC to hide her identity, in December. Agents 'moved in' yesterday morning. No other circumstances surrounding her arrest are known. According to a memo filed in court on Thursday asking for a judge to deny her bail, Maxwell changed her phone number and her email address. She registered a new phone number under the name 'G Max', and used a different, unspecified fake name to have packages delivered to her, it is claimed. She also moved money between 15 different bank accounts, the total balance of which has varied from hundreds of thousands of dollars to $20million over the last few years, according to investigators. In one case, she moved $500,000 from one account to another. Before that, between 2007 and 2011, more than $20million was allegedly transferred from bank accounts linked to Epstein into accounts linked to Maxwell, and then back again. The prosecutors point to the fact that Maxwell has three passports - British, French and American - and say her high-flying, international lifestyle makes her a major flight risk. They say she has made at least 15 flights in the last three years to countries including the UK, Japan and Qatar. Prosecutors claim she 'made intentional efforts to avoid detection' during the last year, including moving locations at least twice, and say her 'transient' lifestyle means she would have no reason to remain in the US if freed. In a video-link court appearance on Thursday afternoon, her attorneys agreed to have the case moved to the Southern District of New York - where she is being charged. There was confusion at the start of the call when a woman with a British accent was heard repeatedly asking 'what the f**k' and saying 'I don't understand'. She became increasingly upset and had to be reminded to mute her line. The woman is not thought to have been Maxwell though. She spoke later to answer the judge's questions and was calm in her one word answers. Journalists could not see her but they were permitted to dial in to listen to the proceedings. Prosecutors asked the judge to deny her bail, saying she is a flight risk with an international network of friends and access to unlimited resources. She has been held for now without bail and is likely to appear in court in New York City either tomorrow or on Monday. It is unclear where she will now be detained before her next court appearance but the judge said she would be 'temporarily' placed in custody. If she is moved to New York she could be held in the same Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan where Epstein died last August. A grand jury returned a sealed, six-count indictment against her on June 29, almost a year after Epstein was charged. The indictment alleges: Maxwell groomed three unnamed girls, all under the age of 18, in London, New York and Florida, and New Mexico between 1994 and 1997 She befriended them by taking them to the movies or on shopping sprees and 'normalized' abusive behavior by getting undressed in front of them herself She encouraged them to travel to meet Epstein and engage in sex acts with them and him like 'group massage sex' in Epstein's homes Her introduction of them to him resulted in him abusing them when she was not present She lied in 2016 depositions while being sued by Virginia Giuffre Roberts that she'd never groomed or had sex with underage girls herself Maxwell, who has yet to enter a plea, faces 35 years in prison if convicted. She has previously denied any involvement in Epstein's crimes. The indictment reads in part: 'Ghislaine Maxwell facilitated Jeffrey Epstein's access to minor victims knowing that he had a sexual preference for underage girls and that he intended to engage in sexual activity with those victims'. THE ALLEGATIONS THE CHARGES Conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts (5 years) Enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts (5 years) Conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (5 years) Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (10 years) X 2 counts of Perjury (10 years) THE 'FACTS' Prosecutors say Maxwell groomed three girls between 1994 and 1997 for Epstein. They are not named in the indictment, but she allegedly targeted them in London, Florida, New York and New Mexico. Maxwell, it is alleged, would befriend the girls by asking them about their life and their schooling. She would put them at ease by taking them to the movies and taking them shopping, winning their trust to later deliver them to Epstein, it's alleged. To 'normalize' the abuse that would come later, prosecutors say she undressed in front of the girls herself and asked them sexual questions. She then not only facilitated Epstein abusing them, prosecutors say, but took part in some of it herself. The alleged sex abuse includes 'sexualized group massages'. The indictment also says Maxwell made the girl feel 'indebted' to Epstein by encouraging them to take money from him and let him pay for their education and travel. Advertisement Among the allegations in the indictment is that Maxwell groomed the girls, including one in London. 'Victim 1' met Maxwell when she was 14 in 1994, the indictment reads. Maxwell allegedly groomed her by taking her to the movies and on shopping trips, asking her about school, her classes, her family and other aspects of her life. 'She then sought to normalize inappropriate and abusive conduct by, among other things, undressing in front of her and being present when she undressed in front of Epstein,' according to the indictment. The trio then engaged in 'group sexualised massages' on more than one occasion, the indictment claims. The victim was allegedly encouraged by Epstein and Maxwell to travel to the financier's homes in New York and Florida 'for the purpose of sexual encounters with Epstein'. 'Victim 2' met Ghislaine in 1996 and was allegedly groomed by her at Epstein's New Mexico ranch. The indictment claims that Maxwell gave her a topless massage and 'encouraged [her] to massage Epstein'. 'Victim 3' met Maxwell in London in 1994 and was groomed until 1995, it is alleged. Maxwell encouraged her to massage Epstein 'knowing that Epstein would engage in sex acts' as she did so, prosecutors claim. The indictment alleges that Maxwell knew the three women were underage at the time. At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Acting US Attorney for the Southern District Audrey Strauss, said: 'Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, then delivered them into the trap that she and Epstein had set for them. 'She pretended to be a woman they could trust, all the while she was setting them up to be sexually abused by Epstein in some cases, by Maxwell herself. 'Today after many years, Ghislaine Maxwell finally stands charged for her role in these crimes.' FBI Special Agent William Sweeney said the bureau had been 'keeping tabs' on Maxwell 'for some time'. 'We have been discreetly keeping tabs on Maxwell for some time. 'She slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims continue to live with the trauma inflicted on them years earlier.' Before Epstein's disgrace, she and Maxwell had an astonishing network of influential and important friends and acquaintances around the world, including Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. Maxwell was photographed at Chelsea Clinton's wedding and she also flew with Clinton on Epstein's private jet, dubbed the 'Lolita Express' because it was used to ferry young girls to his private Caribbean island or ranch in New Mexico. She has also been photographed with Epstein and Donald and Melania Trump at parties, years before Epstein became a social pariah. So will Ghislaine Maxwell clear Prince Andrew - or damn him? RICHARD KAY on the agonising questions for the Queen and the Palace By Richard Kay for the Daily Mail Queen Elizabeth II attends a military ceremony in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle to mark her borthday on June 13, 2020 in Windsor There is never a good time for the proverbial bad penny to turn up, so imagine how the Queen received news of the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell and her appearance in court on sex-trafficking charges. Maxwell was once a welcome visitor to royal homes, an overnight guest at Sandringham as well as being invited to one of the starriest parties ever thrown at Windsor Castle, the so-called Dance of the Decades in the summer of 2000. Nor was that her only invitation to royal glamour at Windsor. In 2006 she was a guest at Princess Beatrices lavish costume ball to mark her 18th birthday. On another occasion the vivacious socialite was photographed at Prince Andrews side in the Royal Enclosure at Ascot, where admission is at Her Majestys discretion. Yesterday, with the Queen still in lockdown with Prince Philip at Windsor, there must have been the iciest of feelings at the news that the daughter of disgraced media tycoon Robert Maxwell had been taken into custody. As a mother, Her Majesty will, of course, be anxious about what Maxwells arrest and her knowledge of the alleged activities of paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein mean for her son. And as monarch there will be anger at the prospect of the good name of the Royal Family being dragged through the mud once again. No family matter has concerned her more than the shadow hanging over Andrew. To her, it is infinitely more serious than the selfish trivialities of the exiled Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex. For more than seven months it has been an ongoing crisis, with every sordid revelation lapping that bit closer to Buckingham Palace. Ever since that Newsnight interview in which Andrew spectacularly failed to offer any sympathy for Epsteins victims and showed no remorse over his friendship with the billionaire sex offender, fears about the implications for the Prince have multiplied. Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts, aged 17 at Ghislaine Maxwell's townhouse in London, Britain on March 13 2001 Maxwells arrest changes everything. She, remember, is in the famous photo of Andrew with his arm around the bare midriff of teenager Virginia Roberts a picture of which the Duke of York has no recollection which was taken by Epstein in Maxwells Belgravia home. Does she really believe Andrews insinuations that the photo was doctored or manipulated? Then there is the most damaging claim of all from Roberts, who says that, aged 17, she and Andrew had sex three times. The Prince denies it. If anyone knows the truth it must be Maxwell, whom Andrew befriended during visits to New York after his divorce from the Duchess of York. It was through Maxwell that Andrew was introduced to Epstein, who was found dead in his New York prison cell a year ago. And on all those social occasions including Beatrices party where Ghislaine was a guest of Andrew, so, too, was Epstein. As the Royal Family and their advisers have agonised over how best to protect the integrity of the monarchy from the fall-out of the Epstein affair, there may be some slim consolation. Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell at Ascot. With them are Edward (far left) and Caroline Stanley (far right) Ghislaine Maxwell, shown last August - the last time she was seen publicly, although there were doubts about the veracity of the photos - was arrested on Thursday morning The charges brought by the FBI against Maxwell relate to a period in the mid-1990s before Prince Andrew had ever met the sleazy Epstein. Perhaps more significantly, the decision to strip Andrew of all royal duties and force him to step down from official engagements looks even more of a wise move. With the benefit of hindsight, the prompt action brokered by Prince Charles and Prince William has been the only moment when the royals have been on the front foot. Andrews stubborn failure to sever contacts with Epstein after he was first accused of under-age sex offences, was the major contributor to his own downfall. He did, belatedly, end up cutting ties with him but only after he was photographed walking with the financier in Central Park, New York. Yet he continued to keep up his friendship with Ghislaine, the woman who brought them together and who was described as Jeffreys pimp. Although the relationship between the two was said to be platonic, their lives were so intertwined that Fergie was reported to have become concerned that Maxwell was exerting an unhealthy influence on him. Even so, the two remained friends. In the Newsnight interview, Andrew admitted he had seen Maxwell last year. The meeting, he said, was before Epsteins arrest on sex-trafficking charges last July and that they did not discuss the billionaire. He said: There wasnt anything to discuss because he wasnt in the news. Epstein and Maxwell met in New York, where she had set up home following the death of her father, who fell from his yacht and drowned in 1991. She was a pivotal figure on the New York social scene. Great fun, always was, still is, said a friend. Im not at all surprised that Prince Andrew likes her. She is full of energy, full of plans. She would ring and say: Ten of us are going to a restaurant then a club. Do come, it will be fun. She was persuasive, too, and Andrew loved that. By 2000 Maxwell and Andrew, who were introduced by the Duchess when she was a regular fixture on the New York party circuit, were very close. But they were not a couple. She would even introduce him to future girlfriends, such as Emma Gibbs. They were often seen together in public. The pair caused a minor stir when they made an appearance at a Ralph Lauren launch in the city. One source observed: They certainly seemed to have a good time together. Andrew was also a regular guest at the dinner parties she would hold at the home of Epstein, who was by then her ex-boyfriend, on the Upper East Side. Such was the importance of the role Maxwell played in Andrews life that it was even claimed he once asked the Queens permission to take her on an official work trip. This was refused. Andrew was widely criticised after he appeared with Maxwell at a pimps and prostitutes theme party thrown by the model Heidi Klum. To his ex-wife, such behaviour was beginning to damage his reputation. She was also concerned at the effect it would have on their daughters. In 2001, when Andrew was about to take up his role as Britains trade envoy, a friend of the Duchess told the Mail on Sunday: Fergie and a lot of other people who love Andrew believe his friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein has become really dangerous. Theyre using him just for his name and access and he is so innocent he doesnt realise. How prophetic those words were to become. Among courtiers there is considerable anxiety about what Maxwells arrest means for the Duke of York. They believe that such is her intimate knowledge of Epstein, she could damn Andrew or clear him. For Andrew, his reputation is gone but for the Queen at 94, this latest twist to one of the most unpalatable episodes of her reign can only be troubling. GUY ADAMS: She was born into fabulous wealth and was the toast of the New York Party set. How DID Ghislaine Maxwell plunge from society darling to be a sleazy 'pimp' and disgrace? British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, a close friend of paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested on Thursday in New Hampshire. She is accused of sex crimes that involved the disgraced financier who killed himself in his New York jail cell last year. GUY ADAMS explores how Maxwell plummeted from a wealthy elite to a sleazy 'pimp'... Jeffrey Epstein, in one of the few on-the-record interviews he gave to someone who was neither a lawyer nor a policeman, was asked to explain his close but somewhat mysterious relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell. He responded simply: 'She's my best friend.' It was 2003 and the colourful financier was speaking to Vanity Fair. Ghislaine Maxwell, in an early 1990's photoshoot. She appeared in an art-book photo spread wearing a tiny, American flag-themed bikini which ran in a publication meant to promote Sotheby's vintage fashion collection The magazine's reporter was puzzled by the exact role played by the British socialite, then aged 41, whose duties seemed to range from organising Epstein's personal diary to running various households and popping up on his arm at glamorous social functions. Although the squalid chain of events that would end with Epstein taking his own life in prison had not yet begun, the magazine writer, Vicky Ward, got an inkling that something wasn't quite right. 'One young woman recalls being summoned by Ghislaine Maxwell to a concert at Epstein's townhouse where the women seemed to outnumber the men by far,' she wrote. 'These were not women you'd see at Upper East Side dinners... many seemed foreign and dressed a little bizarrely.' A source told Ward that at another cocktail party, also thrown by Maxwell and attended by Prince Andrew, the room was 'filled with young Russian models', adding: 'Some guests were horrified!' Compared with the revelations of subsequent years, in which Maxwell was directly implicated in a global paedophile scandal involving scores of victims, some as young as 12, this might seem relatively insignificant stuff. Yet it speaks to a simple truth: the journey that culminated yesterday with well- spoken, 58-year- old Maxwell being arrested by the FBI and taken into custody reflects her decision to embrace the role of Epstein's official 'best friend'. Ghislaine Maxwell with her parents Robert Maxwell and Elizabeth Maxwell at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1987 Donald Trump and his future wife Melania Knauss pose in picture with alleged Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell at a hookers and pimps-themed Halloween party on October 31, 2000 The indictment alleges: Maxwell groomed three unnamed girls, all under the age of 18, in London, New York and Florida, and New Mexico between 1994 and 1997 She befriended them by taking them to the movies or on shopping sprees and 'normalized' abusive behavior by getting undressed in front of them herself She encouraged them to travel to meet Epstein and engage in sex acts with them and him like 'group massage sex' in Epstein's homes Her introduction of them to him resulted in him abusing them when she was not present She lied in 2016 depositions while being sued by Virginia Giuffre Roberts that she'd never groomed or had sex with underage girls herself The question of whether she will spend the rest of her life behind bars hinges on a simple question. Was she really, as various accusers have already testified on oath, a sleazy madam who not only recruited vulnerable teenage girls to provide sexual services to her ex-boyfriend but illegally trafficked them around the world and took part in appalling episodes of abuse? Or was she merely a naive party girl with a gift for networking, who helped the rich but somewhat awkward Epstein climb the social ladder, yet had little idea about the sordid sex crimes he was committing? One thing which can't be denied is that no one has a better knowledge of the billionaire paedophile and his relationships with the great and good than Maxwell. She beams like a proud mother in the notorious 2001 photograph of the Duke of York with Virginia Roberts, then a 17-year-old, who now claims Epstein paid her to sleep with the Prince after a late-night visit to the nightclub Tramp. Epstein himself took the picture at Maxwell's mews house in Belgravia. Maxwell looks on as the Prince drapes an arm round his painfully young acquaintance. Maxwell also pops up in photographs of Epstein and Donald Trump taken at the latter's Florida resort Mar-aLago, and in pictures that show her socialising with teenage girls (plus a middle-aged French model agent called Jean Luc Brunel, also allegedly implicated in Epstein's crimes) on the late financier's private island in the Caribbean. And Maxwell's name runs, like letters in a stick of rock, through the many lawsuits and legal depositions filed by Epstein's alleged victims, many of whom accuse her of recruiting them, flying them around the world and, in several cases, presiding over sickening abuse. Flight records show Virginia Roberts took at least 23 journeys with Maxwell on Epstein's private jet, dubbed the 'Lolita Express'. Maxwell was arrested at the luxurious mountain top home dubbed Tuckedaway outside tiny Bradford, New Hampshire She says she was 15 years old when Maxwell first persuaded her to visit Epstein's Florida mansion, where the walls were covered with pictures of naked girls and the bathrooms contained soap shaped like male and female genitalia. She claims Ghislaine stripped naked and told her to do the same, before showing her how to wash the middle-aged financier with soap, then perform a series of sex acts. In court papers, she has said 'Ghislaine took several nude photos of me for Jeffrey' and used to buy erotic outfits for teenage visitors to his house to wear. 'Jeffrey loved the latex outfits Ghislaine had for us girls,' reads a 2011 court filing. 'He had bondage outfits, he had all different kinds of outfit but his favourite was the schoolgirl.' A second woman, Johanna Sjoberg, has testified that she was a cash-strapped student when Maxwell approached her on the campus of a small university in Palm Beach. She says she was offered $100 to perform foot massages at Epstein's nearby home but ended up being told to strip n a k e d w h i l e M a x w e l l performed a sex act on her. Trump described Epstein in 2002 as 'a terrific guy'. The two fell out in 2004, and Trump now says they were not close In 2001, Sjoberg and Roberts say they took tea with Maxwell and Prince Andrew at Epstein's New York home. At one point, they allege, the Duke groped their breasts with a Spitting Image puppet. A third woman, known as 'BB', claimed in a 2010 lawsuit that Maxwell 'maintained a wardrobe at Epstein's estate in which she kept sexual toys and outfits', and 'upon her own volition, actively and passively participated in sexual acts with minor girls she recruited'. And so on. These and other alleged been helping the FBI with their investigations. But however the legal case plays out, Maxwell has had plenty of practice at coping with public disgrace. The favourite child of crooked newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell, she had a gilded upbringing, attending Marlborough College and then Oxford University before moving to London in the 1980s to start the Kit Kat Club, which purported to be an alternative to the old- school-tie network for high-powered women. She then worked for her father's newspaper The European and was made a director of Oxford United football club, which he owned. This happy existence imploded in November 1991 when her father drowned after falling off a yacht named Lady Ghislaine, after his daughter. It soon emerged that his newspaper empire was built on the proceeds of epic financial criminality, which had seen him defraud its pension fund of almost half a billion pounds. Vilified in the UK, where Robert Maxwell's victims were angered by the plush lifestyle his family had enjoyed at their expense, Ghislaine relocated to New York, where she took up residence in a small apartment and set about reinventing herself as a socialite. It was an inspired move. 'Ghislaine has always been a prodigious networker,' an acquaintance once told me. 'People in New York didn't care about the pensions scandal. And, of course, they are all suckers for an English accent.' Maxwell, then 30, quickly met Epstein, who was almost a decade her senior. Reportedly attracted by his resemblance to her father, she was soon being photographed as his guest at social functions. 'He saved her,' was how a friend put it. 'When her father died, she was a wreck; inconsolable. And then Jeffrey took her in. She has never forgotten that and never will.' Initial romance soon mellowed into close friendship, however, amid rumours that Epstein wanted to see other women. The French born socialite, 58, spent decades at the most exclusive of parties, pictured with the likes of Donald Trump, left in 1997, and Prince Andrew and riding private jets with Bill Clinton. She is pictured right with Eptein in 1995 The charges filed against her yesterday allege she was involved in trafficking young girls for sex with him by 1994. To outsiders, Ghislaine was a sort of fixer-cum-confidante, helping run Epstein's households, travel and social calendar a role in which she would continue for more than a decade, taking him into circles where the Clintons, Kennedys and other world leaders moved. Her relationship with Prince Andrew, to whom she was purportedly introduced by old chum Sarah Ferguson, gave Epstein an entree into royal circles. By the early 2000s he was being invited to Balmoral, as well as to the Queen's birthday party. In return, Epstein gave Maxwell a jet-set lifestyle far beyond anything she could afford from the reported 80,000- a-year trust fund set up for her by her crooked father, travelling in private jets and dividing her time between his Florida mansion, New Mexico ranch, private Caribbean island and New York home, the city's largest private residence. Yet there was a dark side to life at these glamorous residences. Juan Alessi, a former butler, has said he would clean up Epstein's bedroom (which adjoined Maxwell's) after he had enjoyed erotic massages and would sometimes find vibrators and sex toys in Maxwell's sink. Alfredo Rodriguez, another former butler, has testified that Maxwell kept an office under the stairs in the Palm Beach house, where her computer contained a list of girls who came to give massages there, along with their phone numbers and nude pictures of some of them. 'I don't think they knew they were being photographed,' he said. Tony Figueroa, a former bodyguard, has claimed in legal papers that Maxwell asked him to recruit school-aged girls to visit Epstein. He also testified that Maxwell and Epstein took part in multiple threesomes with some of them. When the whole edifice crumbled in 2005, Florida police had identified between 36 and 60 victims. As the 'favorite' daughter of disgraced newspaper baron Robert, Ghislaine boasted an impeccable network of contacts. The father and daughter are pictured in 1984 Born in Paris on Christmas Day in 1961 to her French mother Elisabeth and dad Robert Ghislaine was the youngest of nine. She is pictured left with her sisters and right in 1984 A 'little black book' containing Maxwell's contacts included details of scores of young girls. Notepaper left by the telephone showed she was arranging for several of the girls to regularly visit Epstein. Epstein was eventually arrested but, after three years of legal wrangles, he negotiated an extraordinary plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to two minor prostitution charges and was required to spend 13 months in open prison. Despite the public setback, Maxwell remained a loyal friend, continuing to organise his social calendar and at Christmas 2010 by which time he was a convicted child sex offender persuading Prince Andrew to join Woody Allen and a host of celebrities at a dinner party at Epstein's New York home. In 2013 Prince Andrew attended her birthday bash at the Dorchester in London. Yet by then, more trouble was brewing. In 2014, I revealed that court papers had been filed in Florida which, for the first time, accused Maxwell of orchestrating Epstein's abuse. She responded by hiring London law firm Devonshires, who claimed Epstein's crimes 'were committed long after Ghislaine Maxwell ceased to have dealings with him' an allegation that was demonstrably untrue. Maxwell is pictured meeting Princess Diana in 1984, right. Maxwell used her impeccable social contacts, like her friendship with the Prince, to introduce Epstein, a gardener's son, to society In return, she used the financier's millions to support a lavish lifestyle which included a home on Manhattan's Upper East Side, a wardrobe of designer clothes and helicopter lessons. Maxwell is pictured with model Naomi Cambell in 2002 At this point, she remained in close contact with Prince Andrew. A leaked email sent at 5.50am on January 3, 2015, reveals that Andrew wrote to Maxwell: 'Got some specific questions to ask you about Virginia Roberts.' She replied: 'Have some info call me when you have a moment.' And in June last year she visited the Prince in his private quarters at Buckingham Palace. Two months later, Epstein was arrested for the second and final time. By then, Maxwell was thought to be quietly holed up in Manchester-by-the-Sea, north of Boston in the U.S., with a tech company boss called Scott Borgerson. She had reportedly moved to a 3 million oceanfront mansion with several acres of private woodland in 2016, having allegedly persuaded Borgerson, then 43, to abandon his wife and young children for her. By the time the media descended on the property, she had vanished and there followed a surreal period during which she seemed to have disappeared entirely, offering neither explanations nor apologies to Epstein's many victims. There was one apparent sighting at a Los Angeles burger bar, another in a Brazilian hotel resort. At one point her own lawyers were forced to tell a New York court they had no idea where she was living and were unable to contact her. In a final act of shamelessness, she filed a lawsuit against the (by then) late Jeffrey Epstein's estate, claiming she was entitled to his cash to pay her legal and personal security fees. That claim has yet to be settled. But, given the seriousness of the events yesterday afternoon, Ghislaine Maxwell may soon be spending an extended period in the one place where money can't buy you a better existence. A prominent pro-democracy activist revealed he has fled Hong Kong for a secret overseas location after Beijing imposed draconian new security laws on the territory. Nathan Law, a founder of the pro-democracy Demosisto party and a figurehead of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, announced the move on Facebook late Thursday. It came just hours after he testified online to US Congress about the new security law, which criminalises acts of 'succession, subversion and collaboration with foreign powers' with a maximum penalty of life in prison. Law's departure also came just hours before Beijing named the man who will lead its security forces in the region, which are now allowed to operate independently of the Hong Kong police with the power to arrest and prosecute people. Zheng Yanxiong, a 56-year-old politician from Guangdong province which borders Hong Kong, is known as a party hardliner with a history of putting down protests. Nathan Law, a prominent pro-democracy activist, has left Hong Kong amid fear of reprisals under China's new security law. Meanwhile Beijing has appointed Zheng Yanxiong (right), a party hardliner with a history of putting down protests, to lead its security forces in the city China's new security bill outlaws acts of succession, subversion and collaborating with foreign powers, with a maximum penalty of life in jail (pictured, police suppress pro-democracy protests in the city this week) Former UK consulate worker warns China will send spies to quash protests overseas Simon Cheng, a former employee at the British consulate in Hong Kong, has expressed his concerns over Beijing's next crackdown move on pro-democracy activities overseas. Mr Cheng, who has received asylum from the UK, worries that Beijing 'will take my family members as hostage and send more agents to crush down the pro-democracy cause and activities outside of Hong Kong.' The pro-democracy supporter, who alleges that he was detained and tortured in China last year, has been granted political asylum in what he believes is the first successful case from the former British colony. Simon Cheng, a former employee at the British consulate in Hong Kong, has expressed his concerns over Beijing's next crackdown move on pro-democracy activities overseas Mr Cheng, 29, told The Associated Press that he hopes his successful application encourages other democracy activists from the semi-autonomous Chinese territory to seek protection in the UK as Beijing clamps down on the citys protest movement. 'My case is about political persecution intrinsically,' Mr Cheng said Thursday in London. 'I hope my case could be a precedent for other Hong Kongers who are not protected by the British National Overseas lifeboat scheme. They can quote my case to apply for asylum and seek protection.' Several other asylum cases involving people from Hong Kong are pending, he said. Advertisement In 2011 he led Beijing's security forces in stamping out anti-corruption protests in Wukan, a village in his home province. On Friday Hong Kong police announced the first charges against a man under the new security law, after he was arrested at a pro-independence rally earlier this week. The 24-year-old, who was not named, was charged with one count of inciting succession in others and one count of terrorist activity. The man is accused of driving his motorbike into a group of Hong Kong officers during the demonstration. Video footage captured by local television showed a man on an orange motorbike with a flag on the back reading 'Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our Times' - a popular protest slogan that has been ruled illegal under the new laws. He turned down a side street and drove into a group of riot police. Bystander footage shot on a mobile phone captured a scene moments later, where the man was swiftly detained after he fell to the ground. Police at the time said their officers were wounded. Announcing his departure from Hong Konga day earlier, Law wrote: 'The choices I have are stark: to stay silent from now on, or to keep engaging in private diplomacy so I can warn the world of the threat of Chinese authoritarian expansion. 'I made the decision when I agreed to testify before the U.S. Congress.' Law caught a flight out of the city but refused to reveal where he has gone or who he is staying with for fear of reprisals. He acknowledged that his decision is bound to attract criticism, but said he was left with few choices if he wanted to keep advocating for Hong Kong's independence. Joshua Wong, another prominent activist who co-founded Demosisto with Law, remains in the city. The party itself has been dissolved, amid fears it would be targeted by officials in the wake of the law passing. Critics say the law effectively ends the 'one country, two systems' framework under which the city was promised a high degree of autonomy when it reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Hong Kong government on Tuesday night released a statement stating that popular protest slogan 'Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times' is now banned under the security law. On Wednesday, thousands took to the streets to protest the new legislation. A 23-year-old man riding a motorcycle with a flag of Hong Kong independence slogans rammed his vehicle into a group of police officers in Wan Chai on Wed. Three Police officers were injured and the man was arrested for Furious Driving and violating the National Security Law. pic.twitter.com/5mBV4IJ2KZ Global Times (@globaltimesnews) July 1, 2020 Police arrested some 370 people, 10 of whom were detained on suspicion of violating the new law. In some cases, suspects were found to be carrying paraphernalia advocating Hong Kong's independence, police said. As China moves to assert its new jurisdiction over Hong Kong, Beijing appointed Luo Huining - currently director of Beijing's Liaison Office in the semi-autonomous city - as the national security adviser to the newly-formed national security commission. The commission is chaired by Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who was hand-picked for the role by Beijing. The State Council on Thursday also appointed veteran Hong Kong official Eric Chan Kwok-ki as the commission's secretary general. The commission - also created by the new law - will oversee policy formulation relating to the national security law in Hong Kong. Chan previously served as the director of Hong Kong's Chief Executive's Office, before which he was the territory's head of immigration. Pro-democracy protesters make a hand gesture referencing five demands to guarantee independence from China during a march this week Just one in four DIY Covid-19 swabs are actually being used despite being included in the Government's daily figures, it emerged today. More than 450,000 of the kits were shipped to care homes to be used on vulnerable residents and to Britons with symptoms of the virus in the week ending June 24. But just 117,759 (26 per cent) of the swabs were actually returned to laboratories to be processed and produce a result, it was claimed. All 450,000 were included in the Government's testing count, in a move slammed as 'inappropriate' and 'questionable' by experts today. Some of the missing tests - which can be uncomfortable to take - were likely thrown away because Britons struggled to take a sample themselves. Others may have been discarded by care home staff who were unable to get elderly care home patients to sit still. But health officials have admitted a large chunk of the unused tests were shipped to care homes to be used for future outbreaks. The Government has repeatedly been accused of fiddling with its testing numbers after being criticised for missing its own targets Taking proper swabs can be uncomfortable because they need to be pushed deep inside the throat and nose (file) Carl Heneghan, professor of evidence-based medicine at Oxford University, told the Sun: 'If you are putting it on the shelf, you cant call it testing. Thats stockpiling. 'They shouldnt be included in the official testing figures. Its an inappropriate use of data. 'It doesnt surprise me that large numbers arent being returned. It involves putting a long swab up your nose and the back of your throat trying it at home can be problematic.' Care home staff and residents will be regularly tested for coronavirus from next week but agency staff 'are NOT included' Staff and residents in care homes for people over 65 or with dementia will be regularly tested for coronavirus from next week, the Government announced today. The Department of Health and Social Care said staff will be tested weekly, while residents will have a test every 28 days as part of a new social care testing strategy. This is in addition to intensive testing in any care home facing an outbreak or at increased risk of a flare-up, the DHSC added. MHA Care Homes chief executive Sam Monaghan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he welcomed the new guidance as 'the step change we needed'. However Mr Monaghan also warned that agency staff are 'not included in this' as far as he is aware - and that many care homes rely on them. Agency staff make up about 10 per cent of the social care workforce, and care homes are three times more likely to rely on them than other industries. The repeat testing programme will be rolled out to all care homes for the over 65s and those with dementia which have registered to receive retesting over the next four weeks before expanding to the entire care home sector from August. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'Our response to this global pandemic has always been led by the latest scientific advice from world-class experts, and we will now offer repeat testing to staff and residents in care homes, starting with homes for elderly residents before expanding to the entire care home sector. 'This will not only keep residents and care workers safe, but it will give certainty and peace of mind to the families who may be worried about their loved ones, and give staff the confidence to do what they do best.' The Government has faced criticism for failing to protect care homes from the virus. Advertisement Professor Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist at the University of East Anglia, said it was 'questionable' to count kits used to stock nursing homes as part of official figures. But he added it was 'good news' that the Government appears to be planning for a future outbreak so it is not blind-sighted like it was the first time. The latest testing target the Government has set itself is to turn around every coronavirus test within 24 hours. Boris Johnson promised to achieve the goal by July 1, but figures released yesterday revealed that almost half of all swabs are still taking up to two days or more. Fewer than one in 10 of people who take a coronavirus test at home get results within 24 hours - with the majority waiting four days or more. SAGE says close contacts need to be tracked down and told to self isolate within 24 hours of interacting with a coronavirus-infected patient. Any longer than that risks allowing people to unknowingly infect countless others, making it impossible for tracers to hunt down every contact. A Department of Health report published yesterday showed just 9.3 per cent of people who take a test at home get a result the following day. Out of 58,500 swabs posted to symptomatic patients, just 5,468 were turned around in 24 hours. Of the 76,340 who took a test at a drive-through centre, less than half (42.1 per cent) were given a result the next day. Mobile testing centres - which travelled to test 59,251 essential workers at sites including care homes, police stations and prisons in the week of June 18 - also only gave a result within 24 hours to four in 10 patients. And results from antibody test kits - being trialled on healthcare staff to see if coronavirus survivors have immunity against the disease - were only turned around in a day 20 per cent of the time, figures show. The Prime Minister promised on June 3 that every coronavirus test would be turned around within a day by the end of the month. But Number 10 has so far failed to provide any data on progress towards hitting the target with the deadline now having passed. The weekly statistics on the 24 hour target published today only cover the period between June 18-24. This means it will not become clear until the end of next week, when the second set of data will be published, if the target was met by June 30. Meanwhile, staff and residents in care homes for people over 65 or with dementia will be regularly tested for coronavirus from next week, the Government announced today. The Department of Health and Social Care said staff will be tested weekly, while residents will have a test every 28 days as part of a new social care testing strategy. This is in addition to intensive testing in any care home facing an outbreak or at increased risk of a flare-up, the DHSC added. MHA Care Homes chief executive Sam Monaghan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he welcomed the new guidance as 'the step change we needed'. However Mr Monaghan also warned that agency staff are 'not included in this' as far as he is aware - and that many care homes rely on them. Agency staff make up about 10 per cent of the social care workforce, and care homes are three times more likely to rely on them than other industries. The repeat testing programme will be rolled out to all care homes for the over 65s and those with dementia which have registered to receive retesting over the next four weeks before expanding to the entire care home sector from August. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'Our response to this global pandemic has always been led by the latest scientific advice from world-class experts, and we will now offer repeat testing to staff and residents in care homes, starting with homes for elderly residents before expanding to the entire care home sector. 'This will not only keep residents and care workers safe, but it will give certainty and peace of mind to the families who may be worried about their loved ones, and give staff the confidence to do what they do best.' The Government has faced criticism for failing to protect care homes from the virus. There have been 14,658 deaths linked to Covid-19 in care homes across England and Wales registered up to June 19, according to the latest Office for National Statistics data. A German student who broke into the Australian Museum during a booze-fuelled night-out has been charged with breaking into a woman's apartment and sexually touching her. Paul Kuhn, 25, was arrested after he allegedly broke into an apartment in Pyrmont, Sydney in the early hours of Thursday morning. Police allege he climbed into the 21-year-old woman's apartment by scaling on her balcony after he allegedly left her flat earlier in the night, according to News Corp. The alleged incident comes after Kuhn, who is in Australia on a student visa, broke into the Australian Museum, where he took selfies with dinosaurs and rifled through storage spaces. German student Paul Kuhn (pictured) is accused of breaking into a woman's flat just weeks after being sentenced for museum break-in Paul Kuhn shown in CCTV of the previous break-in in which he wandered the levels of the Australian Museum and took selfies with exhibits including a Tyrannosaurus-Rex skull The alleged incident on July 2 unfolded when a group, including Kuhn, left a St George pub at about 2am and travelled to the woman's flat. The group later left the apartment but Kuhn allegedly returned shortly after and carried out the assault. Kuhn, from Ultimo in inner-Sydney, was then arrested the following day at about 1am at the same St George pub. He was charged with aggravated break and enter, commit a serious indictable offence and sexually touching another person without consent. He fronted Central Local Court on Friday where he was granted conditional bail despite the prosecutor arguing he was a flight risk and he had recently been sentenced over another break-in offence. 'Quite recently the offender was convicted of a break and enter offence and whilst on that community corrections order he's now alleged to have committed this fresh offence the nature of which is far greater than the previous offence,' the prosecutor said. On May 10, Kuhn was given a 12-month Community Corrections Order and a $500 fine for his late-night break-in at the museum in central Sydney. The court heard how Kuhn was fuelled by booze when he decided to climb the scaffolding into the building, entering through a fire escape door. Paul Kuhn (pictured) has been in Australia for two years on a student visa form Germany The international student wandered through various levels of the building, which is under renovation and took selfies with multiple exhibits. At one point he stuck his head inside a dinosaur skull to take a selfie. When he finally left the museum he stole a framed painting and an Akubra hat Kuhn's lawyer for that case Steven Mercael said his client's escapades were fuelled by alcohol and that his client had since called the museum to apologise. Kuhn had been in Australia for more than two years and hoped to stay longer, he said. Magistrate Jennifer Price said the need to protect the community and its assets was paramount. Despite Kuan's 'general good character and lack of criminal record' a conviction was recorded to deter others from committing similar crimes, she said. Kuhn's defence lawyer for the most recent alleged offence, Matthew Bogunovich, told the court he and the alleged victim had shared 'intimate contact' at the George St pub on the night of the alleged offence and Kuhn did not have a history of violence. 'The two kissed more than once, and ultimately there is only one occasion Mr Kuhn is expressly told to leave the (woman's) flat and he leaves shortly after that,' Mr Bogunovich said. 'Her leg was touched, her upper thigh was stroked twice, it went no further than that. It's far from being at the top end of the seriousness of the offending.' He was granted bail with conditions including he surrender his passport, report to police, and not go near the victim's residence. He will front court again in August. BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress, China's national legislature, on Thursday strongly condemned and resolutely opposed the passage of the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" by the U.S. Congress. This U.S. move has grossly interfered in China's internal affairs and seriously violated international law, as well as the basic norms governing international relations, the committee said in a statement. "Enacting the law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is completely China's internal affair, which no foreign country has the right to interfere with," the statement read. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, and the Chinese government's governance over the HKSAR is based on China's Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR, instead of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, said the committee. Hong Kong-related policies announced by China in the joint declaration have all been included in the Basic Law of the HKSAR and effectively implemented since Hong Kong's return to China. There is no case of the so-called violation of "international obligations" by China at all, according to the committee. "We urge the U.S. Congress and certain politicians to immediately stop meddling in China's internal affairs, including Hong Kong affairs, in any way," it said. If the U.S. side is bent on going down the wrong path, China will resolutely respond with all necessary countermeasures, the statement said. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:38 pm Just for kicks, lets say youre having a really weird dream one night, and it goes like this You own a cookie and pastry shop in a tiny Washington state town at the base of a towering, snow-capped mountain. Your Main Street Cookie Company, as youve deemed it, has a loyal clientele who so delight in your goodies that you often sell out of them before the end of your typical work day. Your customers in this town of Rainier delight in their gluttony a term of endearment in the cookie world and tend to go slightly bananas over your chocolate chunk cookies, and your orange iced butter cookies, and your snickerdoodle cookies, and even your oatmeal butterscotch cookies. And lots of other varieties, too. But for some reason, you are not completely satisfied with your business. Theres something missing a certain je ne sais quoi the ingredient that would be the cherry atop your cookie shop. If you could only think of it. Youve been racking your brain for weeks, but for your life you just cant figure out the missing piece of the puzzle. Until one fateful night about 2 a.m. ... Suddenly, as though a bumble bee had just stung you in the butt, you bolt upright in bed nearly knocking the lamp off of your bed stand and scream, Of course! Why didnt I think of this sooner!? I. NEED. AN. OUTHOUSE! Yes, an outhouse next to your cookie shop. This admittedly facetious dream really isnt as crazy as it sounds, because this particular outhouse an antique, you might call it actually sits alongside the building that houses the Main Street Cookie Company and the Rainier Barber Shop on Rainiers main street. And its chock full of local flavor and history and thankfully devoid of the muck it used to routinely hold. How it arrived at this particular Rainier junction is a story unto itself. But first, lets chat about Joycelyn Zambuto. She has owned the Main Street Cookie Company for the past 14 years, and as she puts it, we have a pretty large footprint in the Puget Sound and nationwide which means her business sells and ships a lot of cookies. But cookies werent particularly on her mind last week as she discussed the antique outhouse adorning the side of her building. A memory of another outhouse she encountered at age 3 has stayed with her until this day. It seems that she and her cousin Debbie, age 7 at the time, were playing one day on Zambutos grandparents ranch in Modesto, California Zambuto cant recall the time of year when suddenly Zambuto felt the call of nature. Debbie, she said, I have to go to the bathroom. Turns out they were within feet of the ranchs outhouse mostly used by ranch hands so Debbie nonchalantly said: I know, lets go in here. Not knowing any better, Zambuto agreed. So Debbie took her by the hand, led her inside the privy, placed her on the man-sized pot and held onto her. Well, something went haywire in the going-to-the-bathroom process, because before Zambuto knew it she was falling over backwards straight into the cavernous outhouse hole. I crumpled like a cat, and Debbie grabbed me by the hair and pulled me up, Zambuto recalled. The cookie shop owner figures she was immersed in the muck for about 10 seconds before climbing out and then spent the next two hours in the bathtub cleaning up. Even now, outhouses still give me nightmares, Zambuto said. Debbie and I were thick as thieves, but I have a feeling she might have been up to no good. So given her long-ago nasty experience, Zambutos not particularly thrilled that another privy is so close to her bakery. It certainly has historical significance, but an outhouse next to my building wouldnt have been my first choice to put in that spot, she said, a bit tongue-in-cheek. Maybe something more aesthetically pleasing to look at might have been more appropriate. Zambutos next-door neighbor, KC Field, 54, who owns the Rainier Barber Shop, hasnt necessarily given the outhouse much thought, though she did a double-take the first day she got back to work two weeks ago since closing the barber shop on March 17 due to the coronavirus. It hasnt really affected me, but it surprised me after I got out of quarantine (when her business was closed), she said. The outhouse is fine with me, but I think if everyone knew more about its history people would be more interested. Ok. So heres some history: The outhouse now owned by the Rainier Historical Society was built in the late 1800s by Albert Gehrke, known to be the first permanent settler in Rainier. Gehrke, as history tells it, homesteaded more than 180 acres over what is now the Mountain View Estates housing development. When Gehrke died the outhouse having occupied his property for about 20 years it ended up at his son Herman Gehrkes residence off of Highway 507 and Idaho Street in Rainier where it lived for another 11 years or so. Herman Gehrke who owned a liquor store for 30 years in the space now occupied by Zambutos cookie shop decided to move the outhouse behind the old Rainier Hotel, which at the time in the 1930s housed both the liquor store and a barber shop, but didnt have indoor plumbing. When Gehrke retired from the liquor business in 1961, he offered the outhouse to his friend Neil Burnham, who lived near Gehrke on Highway 507. Burnham operated a feed store on his property and boarded horses for people to ride, so the adjacent outhouse offered him and his customers a handy venue for relieving themselves when the urge hit. Burnham used the privy until he died in early 2017. At that point, Burnhams property was sold, and the outhouse became part of the Rainier Historical Societys trove of historical artifacts. With its trademark crescent moon design on the door, it would have been right at home on the movie set of O Brother, Where Art Thou? The outhouse which weighs about 350 pounds and is 50 inches wide, 50 inches deep, and 7 feet tall has stood the test of time because it was built so well, said Rainier Historical Member Mike Emmons, 71, who has owned the Main Street Cookie Company building for 35 years. The outhouse has lasted all these years, because it was built out of old-growth cedar, he said. It also has an unusual ventilation system of wood that makes it a unique, upper-class outhouse. We call it one of Rainiers original think tanks. But the upper-class think tank had shown some wear when Emmons obtained it, so he took it to his shop to do a little refurbishing. He first repaired its floor, then replaced some of the outhouses modern screws with period straight-slot, counter-sunk versions and found some rusty tin to place on the roof. He then built a concrete pad for it, loaded it onto his truck, and placed it on the side of his building that houses the cookie company and barber shop. It seemed appropriate to move the outhouse to where it had spent so many years, Emmons said. And its an easy place for people to enjoy there and take pictures. And if Emmons and other historical society members have their way, other aspects of the towns history will also soon be on display in what is initially being deemed the Historical Society Walkthrough Town. Gehrkes outhouse and other Rainier landmarks will contain plaques designating their significance, along with tourist maps that indicate the location of different displays. With any luck, Emmons hopes to have the details of the walkthrough worked out in about three months, but the timing is still up in the air. For now, though, the outhouse is a good place to start. Laura Immel, 73, who is Herman Gehrkes granddaughter, a member of the Rainier Historical Society and a lifelong resident of Rainer, cites the historical significance of the privy and its influence on the areas sense of self. The history is so important to the youth of today, because the history of a place provides a sense of belonging, she said. Its part of home and who you are. It has aesthetic appeal, too, Immel added. Its nostalgic and relevant for today, because of its craftsmanship. Its a piece of art. Emmons agrees, though given the longevity of the privy, the various locations around town its occupied, and its obvious utilitarian function, hes a bit more blunt. That outhouse has seen a lot of crap, he concluded. Prince Andrew has seen his legal team 'ghosted' by US prosecutors as they claim to have made repeated offers of help in the Jeffrey Epstein case including in the last 10 days. Sources close to the Duke of York's legal team say they have contacted Department of Justice representatives in the US on a number of occasions since they were first contacted at the beginning of the year. Andrew, 60, whose close friend Ghislaine Maxwell has been arrested and accused of assisting Epstein's abuse of minors by helping to recruit and groom underage victims, was described as 'bewildered' by the US prosecutors claims of non co-operation. The informed source said they had been in touch with the DOJ once Geoffrey Berman was replaced as US attorney for the Southern District of New York by Audrey Strauss. Ms Strauss was appointed on June 22 after Mr Berman was 'fired' by Donald Trump. The initial contact was made at the turn of the year when the DOJ confirmed that the Duke of York was being represented by legal firm Blackfords. Once contact had been established, the Duke's team offered co-operation and asked for a framework as to how the US wished to proceed, but there was no reply. The source said his team feel they have 'effectively been ghosted.' Another source added today that the prince was still happy to help: 'The Duke remains willing to offer his assistance.' Prince Andrew and his friend Ghislaine Maxwell attend Ladies' Day at Ascot in June 2000 The Prime Minister batted away the suggestion that the US authorities should ask him for help to access to the Duke of York claiming: 'It's a matter for the Royal Family' Last month outgoing Mr Berman clashed with Andrew's legal team when he claimed the Duke had 'yet again sought to falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to co-operate'. Berman claimed Andrew had repeatedly declined requests to schedule an interview. Last month the Duke's lawyers said Berman had breached his own confidentiality rules on three occasions and in doing so further diminished their trust in the DoJ's willingness to play a straight bat. Victims of Epstein, including Virginia Guiffre have urged the Prince to co-operate in the investigation into those people who helped the multi millionaire abuse young girls in New York, London, Florida and his home in New Mexico. Boris Johnson today denied the FBI has approached him for help to interview Andrew over his links to the paedophile as he expressed sympathy for their alleged victims. The Prime Minister batted away the suggestion that the US authorities should ask him for help to access to the Duke of York claiming: 'It's a matter for the Royal Family' as it was revealed the Queen is said to be anxious about the crisis engulfing her son. But earlier this year Dominic Raab gave tacit confirmation that he would be the point of contact for the US government - but the Foreign Secretary said that there was no 'deal to be done' over Prince Andrew. In contrast London Mayor Sadiq Khan today called on the duke to provide information to the American authoritie and said: 'I think it's really important for those of us in positions of power and influence to lead by example. Anybody who's got information helps the FBI and that includes Prince Andrew as well.' Boris Johnson was asked about Prince Andrew's case as US lawyers today piled more pressure on the Duke of York to reveal what he witnessed at paedophile Jeffrey Epstein's mansions following the arrest of Maxwell and declared: 'He Andrew has a story to tell'. The Prime Minister told LBC: 'I think everybody's sympathies are very much with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein - but you wouldn't expect me to comment on matters affecting the Royal Family.' Asked what he would do if the US were to approach the Government to broker talks he said: 'No such approach has been made and otherwise it is really is a matter for the royal family. No such approach has been made. It is a hypothetical question.' He added: 'Of course the law must be carried out and the law must be observed.' US lawyers Gloria Allred and Spencer Coogan, who are representing alleged victims of Epstein, urged Andrew to give evidence after Maxwell was detained in New Hampshire. The move piled fresh anxiety on the Queen about what Maxwell's arrest and knowledge of the alleged activities of Epstein mean for her 60-year-old son. Daily Mail editor-at-large Richard Kay revealed there will be anger at the prospect of the Royal Family's good name being dragged through the mud once again. Andrew secretly met Maxwell at Buckingham Palace on June 6 last year - a fortnight after US prosecutors said they would reopening their inquiry into Epstein. Maxwell was in London for the Cash and Rocket rally for '80 of the world's most successful women', and was pictured before a photocall at Wellington Arch. Later that day she and Nettie Mason, the wife of Pink Floyd drummer Nick, left in a Ferrari for the rally which finished in Monaco on June 9, via Paris and Geneva. One lawyer for some of Epstein's victims has called on the Duke of York to come forward and speak to US prosecutors about his friendship with the financier. Spencer Coogan said his clients were 'relieved' that Maxwell, who had introduced her friend Andrew to her former partner, had finally been arrested on charges of facilitating Epstein's sexual exploitation of underage girls. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I certainly think Prince Andrew has a story to tell. On behalf of the victims we have continuously asked him to step forward, step up, be a man and tell us what he knows. 'He has been hiding behind not only the royal family but his attorneys. 'Regardless of his position we, on behalf of the victims, hope that he will step forward and speak up about what he witnessed, at the very least when he was visiting the (Epstein) mansion in New York, when he visited the home in Palm Beach and when we know he was down visiting the Virgin Islands' mansion.' Lawyer Gloria Allred, who is representing some of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged victims, told ITV's Good Morning Britain today that the Duke of York is subjecting them to a 'torture test' And lawyer Gloria Allred, who is also representing some of Epstein's alleged victims, claimed the Duke was subjecting them to a 'torture test' by not speaking out about 'what he knows'. Ms Allred, who represents some of the victims, said Andrew is 'avoiding and evading' US law authorities by not providing a statement. She told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'The question is, Prince Andrew when is he going to tell what he knows? 'He needs to do that. He needs to do it without delay. It is so traumatising and difficult for the victims not to know the truth. 'And this kind of torture test that Prince Andrew is subjecting the victims to, like will he or won't he give a statement, if he will, when? 'More excuses, more delays, it really is painful for many of the victims. It's just not fair.' Andrew (second left) has said he became friends with Jeffrey Epstein (right) in 1999, after being introduced to him through Ghislaine Maxwell. Pictured: Melania Trump, Andrew, Epstein's friend Gwendolyn Beck and Epstein at a party at the Mar-a-Lago in Florida in 2000 Ms Allred also told how the Duke could be interviewed in the UK by US law authorities. She said: 'I have no doubt they want to talk with him. They've indicated they would like to speak with him and this is what acting US attorney Strauss said. 'This idea that somehow he wants to but he's not able to - he can do that right there in the UK. I'm sure they would facilitate the interview there. 'I'm just so tired of the excuses. The victims want the truth, they want the transparency, they want him to tell law enforcement what he knows.' She added: 'We know that Prince Andrew was at Epstein's home in London and in Manhattan and elsewhere. 'So he is an important person in all of that and if Ms Maxwell decides that she is going to co-operate and talk about Prince Andrew and what he did there, Prince Andrew might want to get to the prosecutors first.' Andrew is photographed with the disgraced Epstein in New York's Central Park in 2010 And royal author Nigel Cawthorne said that Andrew will lose all credibility and should be stripped of his title if he does not turn up as a witness if required. Mr Cawthorne told Good Morning Britain today: 'If he doesn't testify he will be discredited and if he does who knows what will come out?' Andrew has previously claimed he has offered three times to be a witness in the case and has denied any wrongdoing. It comes as US prosecutors last night urged Andrew to 'talk to us' after the FBI arrested Maxwell on child sex charges. They pounced on the British socialite in a dawn raid on her hideaway in New Hampshire yesterday. Hours later she appeared in court charged with the sordid abuse of girls as young as 14, including one in London. Epstein is pictured with Ghislaine Maxwell in New York in 2005. Lawyers for Miss Maxwell have previously said she denies any wrongdoing In a bombshell press conference, the prosecutors called Andrew's former friend an 'unspeakable villain' who groomed girls for abuse by Epstein and, at times, herself. But investigators suggested the alleged madam might now become a 'co-operator' in their probe into Epstein's accomplices. And they renewed their calls for Andrew to talk to them about Epstein as they promised the surprise arrest of Maxwell would not be the end of their inquiries. A source close to Andrew told the Mail: 'We remain bewildered that despite our difficulties with the Department of Justice earlier in the year, we have twice in the last month reached out to them to re-engage with the process of the duke helping the inquiry and have received no response. We remain willing to engage.' Maxwell has strongly denied any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein's crimes and in 2011 released a statement that said: 'The allegations made against me are abhorrent and entirely untrue.' Andrew spoke to the BBC's Emily Maitlis for a Newsnight interview in November last year Amid speculation she could strike a plea-deal to lessen a potential 35-year sentence: Maxwell was charged with the sex abuse and trafficking of three children; The daughter of the late Robert Maxwell was accused of befriending underage girls and 'luring' them into her sordid 'trap'; She spun a web of lies to cover her 'unspeakable' crimes against children, it was alleged; Maxwell was found hiding in New Hampshire, where the FBI said she had 'slithered' away; She had '15 different bank accounts' boasting $20million (16million), according to a memo from prosecutors. Her 'substantial resources' she transferred $500,000 between accounts in a single day made her a high risk of fleeing, according to the memo. Maxwell last night appeared via video link owing to coronavirus rules before the US district court in Concord, New Hampshire. Asked if she could see the judge and her lawyer, she said 'I can' in a cut-glass accent. Magistrate Judge Andrea Johnstone read Maxwell her rights and no plea was entered. When asked if she needed consular assistance from another country she has British, American and French citizenship Maxwell appeared to indicate 'No'. At the end of the 20-minute hearing, the judge told Maxwell she would be sent to New York where the charges have been laid. She added: 'You're remanded to the custody of the United States marshals.' Virginia Roberts Giuffre is not among the three alleged victims. She alleges that she was Epstein's sex slave and was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, a claim he has emphatically and repeatedly denied. At the press conference, Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York, said of Andrew: 'We would like to have the benefit of his statement. Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Ghislaine Maxwell yesterday 'Our doors remain open. We would welcome him coming in and giving us an opportunity to hear his statement.' Last night the threat of a legal move in this country was still hanging over the prince. Sources confirmed a special legal request sent to the UK by the US was still being processed. A specialist unit of civil servants within the Home Office is considering Washington's application for so-called 'mutual legal assistance'. This could potentially lead to Andrew being required to give evidence in a British court regarding Epstein's activities. Miss Strauss claimed Maxwell had lied to cover up her crimes 'because the truth, as alleged, was almost unspeakable'. Epstein, who was Maxwell's former boyfriend, hanged himself last August after he was charged with multiple child sex crimes. One of Epstein's victims, Virginia Roberts, now Virginia Giuffre, alleges she had sex with the Duke of York three times when she was 17 at the behest of the billionaire paedophile The charges against Maxwell were yesterday dubbed 'the prequel' to that case by prosecutors. They said Maxwell had groomed three underage girls for abuse in London, New York, Florida and New Mexico between 1994 and 1997. She was last seen ten days after Epstein's suicide. William Sweeney, an FBI assistant director, said last night: 'We announce the arrest of one of the villains in this investigation.' He said the Crimes Against Children Taskforce had been 'discreetly keeping tabs on Maxwell'. He added: 'We learned she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims live with the trauma inflicted upon them years ago. 'Miss Maxwell was arrested without incident. Like Epstein, Miss Maxwell chose to blatantly disregard the law and her responsibilities as an adult, using whatever means she had at her disposal to lure vulnerable youth into behaviour they should never have been exposed to.' Two UN workers have been suspended after a video of people having sex in an official vehicle in Israel sparked outcry. In the 18-second video which was posted on Twitter, a man in the back seat of a white car in Tel Aviv marked with the UN letters is seen being straddled by a woman in a red dress. The man is just wearing a T-shirt and shorts and another male passenger in the front of the car appears to be asleep. The vehicle is then driven further down the road. Now the United Nations has placed the two male workers on unpaid leave over allegations of sexual misconduct. The UN also confirmed the two men in the car are workers from the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), a peacekeeping force based in Jerusalem. In the 18-second video which was posted on Twitter, a man in the back seat of a white car in Tel Aviv marked with the UN letters is seen being straddled by a woman in a red dress Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said yesterday that their suspension was appropriate 'given the seriousness of the allegations of failing to observe the standards of conduct expected of international civil servants'. 'UNTSO has re-engaged in a robust awareness-raising campaign to remind its personnel of their obligations to the UN Code of Conduct,' Mr Dujarric added. When the video first emerged he said: 'We are shocked and deeply disturbed by what is seen on the video. 'The behaviour seen in it is abhorrent and goes against everything that we stand for and having been working to achieve in terms of fighting misconduct by UN staff.' The UN also said all of the car's occupants are workers from the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), a peacekeeping force based in Jerusalem Although the UN has strict regulations governing sexual misconduct by its workers, it has repeatedly come under fire for breaches in recent years. In December, a report claimed peacekeepers at the UN had 'hundreds of babies with women in Haiti before abandoning the young mothers. The study into the UN mission in the disaster-hit Caribbean country said girls as young as 11 were left pregnant after being sexually abused. Some of the girls were traded for 'a few coins' in order to get food and would have sex with the peacekeepers so they could survive, the British academic-led study found. After their children were born, the young mothers were left to a life of poverty, according to the Times. The person who posted the video, Canadian woman Mattea Merta, is a 'pro-family representative' at the UN, according to her Twitter profile. She wrote above the post: 'I present to you.....the UN' Another viewer also said the video was not a 'big surprise'. Ms Merta replied: 'Nope, not at all. Compared to stories I've heard from people who have left their UN jobs...this was an innocent situation' Soldiers from as many as 12 different countries, including Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Canada and France, were found to have impregnated local women, the report stated. The UN also knew of charity workers offering refugees food in exchange for sexual favours for more than a decade, it has been revealed. An 84-page report on 'food-for-sex' practices in West African refugee camps was compiled and handed over to the UN in 2002, but was never published. It claimed that workers at more than 40 aid organisations, of which 15 are major international charities including Save the Children and Medecins Sans Frontieres, sexually exploited young refugees. It marked yet another aid worker sex scandal in the spotlight. Viewers on Twitter expressed their dismay at the clip of people having sex in the car, with one writing: 'Why am I not surprised.' The person who posted the video, Canadian woman Mattea Merta, is a 'pro-family representative' at the UN, according to her Twitter profile. She wrote above the post: 'I present to you.....the UN'. Another viewer wrote in response to the clip, 'No big surprise is it?' Ms Merta replied: 'Nope, not at all. Compared to stories I've heard from people who have left their UN jobs...this was an innocent situation.' Advertisement Boris Johnson today declared that England's pubs can open from 6am tomorrow - just hours after he pleaded with millions to be 'sensible' on 'Super Saturday' amid fears of violence and drinkers spreading coronavirus or overwhelming NHS A&E departments. The Prime Minister said that he wanted people to use the loosening of lockdown in England from tomorrow to 'enjoy summer' - and has now ruled that alcohol can be served across the country from just after dawn. Mr Johnson's spokesman claimed this afternoon that the 6am opening times for pubs and bars was to avoid landlords opening a few hours earlier at 12.01am and holding all-night parties. But as police brace for chaos and fears of a surge in coronavirus cases, critics have said the 6am opening time gives 'mixed messages' about excessive drinking when most hostelries usually open at 11am or midday. No10 sources insisted an opening time had to be put in law. Normally it would be midnight, but we delayed it to avoid pubs opening at midnight and late-night parties, the source said, adding: 'Normal licensing rules still apply so a pub can only open if its got a licence. Some serve breakfast and coffee. It came as a survey of 15,000 pubs found that 42 per cent will open tomorrow, a further 17 per cent are reopening later in July and the rest either don't know or are waiting to the end of the summer at the earliest. The Prime Minister has said that he wanted people to use the loosening of lockdown in England from tomorrow to 'enjoy summer'. But he insists that the success of the move is down to whether people act 'responsibly', urging the public not to 'let down' the sectors of the economy that desperately need to reopen safely. Critics have called tomorrow 'Stupid Saturday' amid fears of heavy drinking, rowdy behaviour and most significantly concerns that there could be a spike in coronavirus cases - while mayhem on the roads are also predicted 10million drivers expected to clog the roads, especially those heading away on holiday after almost four months of lockdown. With pubs opening at 6am tomorrow, it also emerged today Hair salons are preparing to open at midnight and work until morning to meet the frenzied demand from Britons aching for a post-lockdown trim; Churches can also reopen for services including weddings of no more than 30 people - but 75,000 couples have already postponed walking down the aisle over the past three months; Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is finally paving the way for summer holidays today by releasing a list of 60 quarantine-exempt countries - but fears have been raised that plans for mass screening for covid-19 at airports could cause 'log jams' in the terminals; Speaking in a phone-in on LBC radio this morning, Boris Johnson said he wanted people to use the loosening of lockdown in England from tomorrow to 'enjoy summer' and decided pubs can open at 6am tomorrow Screens are being put up on the Atlas Bar and cafe in Manchester as the new era of going out for drinking and food begins tomorrow Sylvester Kowalczk pictured measuring 2m to put social distancing stickers on the floor at the Ship and Whale pub in Rotherhithe, south London Beer is deliveed this morning at The Cricketers in Chelmsford, Essex, as England's tens of thousands of pubs and bars can start serving again Nearly 75,000 couples postpone their weddings in just three months due to coronavirus lockdown Nearly 75,000 weddings and same-sex civil partnership ceremonies have been postponed in England since lockdown began more than three months ago. Weddings will be allowed to take place again from tomorrow on 'Super Saturday' with a maximum of 30 people who must maintain social distancing measures. But the Office for National Statistics has estimated that 73,400 marriages have been postponed along with 300 same-sex civil partnerships between March 23 and today. Guests at post-lockdown weddings must avoid singing unless behind a screen, not consume any food or drink and avoid playing instruments that must be blown into. More than 250,000 weddings usually take place in the UK each year, but most couples have been affected by restrictions that came into force in March. It comes as a couple from Staffordshire who will be among the first to get married in England since lockdown began said they 'didn't want to delay it any longer'. Advertisement Mr Johnson made the appeal in an LBC radio phone-in this morning as police chiefs urge the British public to use their common sense tomorrow. The move to allow pubs to reopen from 6am tomorrow will disappoint some punters who had hoped for establishments to open from midnight tonight. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said today that the regulations 'mostly come into force at 12.01am' tomorrow. They added: 'The reopening of pubs and bars specifically comes into force at 6am. That would just be in the event anybody would attempt to try to open at midnight.' A poll by ITVs Good Morning Britain (GMB) showed nearly 90 per cent of voters are dubbing tomorrow 'Stupid Saturday' instead of 'Super Saturday'. Social media users appear far from excited about pubs in England reopening, with many tweeting they will keep clear of boozers tomorrow. While some want to stay away from the possible 'carnage', others are concerned about a potential rise in cases of Covid-19. Mr Johnson said there was a need to proceed 'carefully and cautiously'. 'Tomorrow we come to step three of the plan that I set out on May 10, that everybody, I think, has understood, or huge numbers of people have understood and followed very carefully and very closely,' he told LBC. 'And it's because people stuck to that plan that we're now able to carefully and cautiously open up hospitality tomorrow. And my message is really for people to enjoy summer sensibly and make sure that it all works.' The PM will use a Downing Street press conference today to warn that the Government could 'put on the brakes' and bring back severe restrictions if there is a surge in cases, as has been witnessed in Leicester. The relaxation in England is set to be a key test of the progress made by imposing draconian restrictions on March 23 to halt the spread of Covid-19. Beer barrels arrive at the Windsor Castle pub in South Kensington, west London, ahead of pubs reopening tomorrow A poll by ITV's Good Morning Britain (GMB) shows that nearly 90 per cent of voters are choosing to dub 'Super Saturday' as 'Stupid Saturday instead' A member of staff at The Althorp by Wandsworth Common wears PPE while serving customers Social media users tweeted that they will be keeping clear of pubs in England tomorrow Hairdressers gear up to open salons at midnight with Perspex screens, visors and NO magazines while you wait as many are booked up for FIVE WEEKS in advance Salons are preparing to open at midnight and work until morning to meet the frenzied demand from Britons aching for a post-lockdown trim. After three months shuttered, hairdressers will be working flat out from tomorrow when the country ushers in the next big easing of restrictions. Confronted with a rammed appointment book for the next five weeks, salons are eager to start welcoming clients as soon as possible. Charlotte's Academy in Cowes, Isle of Wight, has bookings for 20 customers from one-minute past midnight until 8.30am, where they will be dealt with by a team of three hair stylists. Meanwhile Sunderland salon owner Debra Adamson has agreed to open on the hour for a loyal customer who failed to find an appointment after they were quickly snapped up following Boris Johnson's announcement last month. Advertisement 'We've put a lot of thought into this, he said. 'We feel now is not the right time for is. We'd like to avoid that first wave of enthusiasm as people return to the pubs on what is typically the busiest drinking day of the week. 'Our first concern is the health and safety of our staff and customers. Official pleas for calm tomorrow are being echoed by the public, as social media users tweet about keeping clear of pubs in England on 'Super Saturday'. 'In a pandemic, pubs have a new licence, a licence to contaminate, a licence to kill,' one social media user tweeted this morning. Another post read: 'Why is the reopening of pubs tomorrow being called Super Saturday? Carnage Saturday seems more appropriate.' One person commented: 'Is anyone actually going to the pub tomorrow or are they are all doing the same thing and "wait until it dies down"?' '#StayHomeSaturday #ProtectNHS,' one tweet read. 'StopTheSpread. Drink at home, don't risk spreading Covid-19 please.' Another said 'if I see anyone going to the pubs on reopening I will unfriend u on sight', while one added: 'The list time this country had a super Saturday, we were celebrating incredible sports people winning gold medals. Now they are using the phrase to celebrate pubs reopening and people most probably getting drunk. 'Change the phrase, because tomorrow is not going to be super.' Pub landlord William Douglas told GMB today that he has chosen not to reopen Docks Beer in Grimsby amid concerns for health and safety. Social media users tweeted that they will be keeping clear of pubs in England tomorrow Tomorrow is expected to be a wash-out as pubs in England reopen after months of lockdown Traffic jams alert as 10million motorists plan to hit the road on Super Saturday to escape homes for an overnight stay, poll finds A third of drivers will take to the road this weekend to celebrate the easing of the lockdown, according to the RAC. More than 10million of us will be escaping our homes for an overnight stay on July 4, the motoring group's poll found. The date has been dubbed 'Super Saturday' due to pubs and restaurants reopening. Officials are now braced for chaos on what is expected to be the busiest weekend on the roads this year, as many choose to avoid public transport for fear of infection. It marks a stark contrast to two months ago, when the traffic on the roads plummeted to mid-1950s levels. A fifth of motorists, equivalent to 6.5million, are planning overnight stays with friends or family, while around two million drivers will head off for 'staycation' breaks at campsites, the poll found. Some 680,000 drivers plan to visit caravan sites, while one million will stay in hotels, B&Bs or other self-catering accommodation. The weekend traffic forecast is certainly worrying residents in the former fishing town of St Ives in Cornwall. Officials fear that cars blocking up the narrow, winding roads will make it hard for tourists to follow social distancing rules when on foot, increasing the risk of a second wave of coronavirus. As a result, the streets have been closed to most traffic during the day. A 'keep left' system will also be introduced. Officials said the plan 'reflects the town's almost unique challenge of accommodating 220,000 visitors (on top of a higher number of day trippers) with a resident population of approximately 11,000'. A document published by St Ives Town Council, Cornwall Council and St Ives Business Improvement District said: 'Even in a normal year, pedestrians are in conflict with vehicles, crushing on to the pavements to allow them to pass.' Those heading on staycations this summer will have to adhere to new safety measures, with guests expected to remain more than 1m apart from others. There will also be contactless check-ins, increased hygiene measures and guests will not be permitted to welcome any visitors during their stay. Advertisement 'We announced on social media a few days that we wouldn't be reopening on July 4 and would be delaying reopening. We had hundreds of messages of support and no negative feedback, so we feel that decision is vindicated. 'We are taking a "wait and see" approach. It will be later in July and possibly even in August. We are mindful of that spike in Leicester. 'We hear that Doncaster down the road, 53 miles down the road from us, is not far behind. This disease has not gone away. 'We're one of the busiest pubs in North East Lincolnshire and when we do reopen it is absolutely essential that we do so with all the correct processes in place and we can manage what can be up to 400 people in this building - which is a challenge.' Today, Mr Johnson will paint the easing as a means of supporting the livelihoods of bosses and their employees but warn 'we are not out of the woods yet'. 'They are our local restaurants, hairdressers, libraries, museums, cinemas, and yes, pubs. 'They are also hotels, B&Bs, indeed much of our tourism industry,' he will say, according to an extract released to the media ahead of the speech. 'All these businesses and their workers have put in a heroic effort to prepare their venues for this reopening, to work out a way to trade in a way that keeps their customers safe. 'But the success of these businesses, the livelihoods of those who rely on them, and ultimately the economic health of the whole country is dependent on every single one of us acting responsibly. 'We must not let them down. The virus is still with us and the spike in Leicester has shown that. If it starts running out of control again the Government will not hesitate in putting on the brakes and re-imposing restrictions. 'Anyone who flouts social distancing and Covid-secure rules is not only putting us all at risk but letting down those businesses and workers who have done so much to prepare for this new normal.' The Prime Minister's official spokesman said Mr Johnson's message was that people should not 'overdo it'. Asked if Mr Johnson would be visiting a pub or restaurant tomorrow, the spokesman said: 'He's talked about his enthusiasm for a haircut and pint previously but I don't know exactly what he's doing on Saturday yet.' The spokesman added that it would be 'plain for all to see next week what he's been doing at the weekend' if he gets his blonde mop trimmed over the weekend. It comes after the Treasury was forced to delete a tweet from its official account on Wednesday evening urging people to 'grab a drink and raise a glass, pubs are reopening their doors from 4 July'. A Treasury source said: 'We got it wrong on this and the tweet was quickly removed.' Firefighters received a round of applause when they rescued a tiny ducking trapped in a road drain after flash flooding hit north London. Heartwarming footage shows a Barnet Fire Station firefighter retrieving the duckling from the drain after the 30-minute rescue on July 2. The tiny duck was later reunited with mother and eight siblings after onlookers rounded them up from a nearby store and put the youngsters in a shopping bag. Firefighters from Barnet Fire Station in north London rescue the duckling after it became trapped because of flash flooding yesterday The duckling got trapped at around 6.20pm after heavy rain sent water cascading down London roads. The footage shows the rescued duckling being put in a metal bucket, to claps and cheers from onlookers. One of the firefighters remarks 'beautiful,' about the tiny bird which appears cold but otherwise unharmed. One firefighter carries the bucket to the shop, where the mother duck had taken shelter, and puts it in the bag with seven of its siblings. The rescued duckling is put in a metal bucket and taken back to a shop to be reunited with its siblings A woman rounded up the ducklings and put them in a bag while the mother duck and another duckling were sheltering in a shop The rescue does not go quite to plan, however. When the firefighters go inside the shop to put the mother duck put into a box, she flies out of the door and lands on top of a building. One duckling which had been loose in the shop with its mother also runs around the until rescuers manage to catch it in a green bowl. The mother duck was later retrieved and the person filming said: 'The firemen took the ducks in their fire engine to the nearby pond where they are likely to be from, sadly I didn't get to see that.' Secret phone system EncroChat was used in some of the UK's most notorious murders and crimes, it was revealed today. The shadowy underground network used by thousands of criminals for worry free communication to arrange murders, drug deals and other illegal activity, was smashed, leading to the arrest of 746 underworld kingpins in Britain alone. As part of an international three-month investigation spanning Europe and beyond, police raided addresses throughout Britain and seized 54m of dirty cash, two tonnes of drugs and 77 firearms. Police made the breakthrough after intelligence officers in France and the Netherlands infiltrated the secret communications network, run by a mysterious Dutch firm where criminals buy encrypted handsets for 1,500 to communicate privately. Now MailOnline can reveal criminals have used the technology to plot high profile murders in the country - and was central to the planning of two gangland hits in Manchester. Gangland boss Mark Fellows used the secret network when he assassinated rivals, Salford's 'Mr Big' Paul Massey and another underworld rival, John Kinsella. Paul Massey (left) and John Kinsella (right) was both assassinated by Mark Fellows, who was helped by Steven Boyle using an EncroChat phone EncroChat was used on an adapted Android mobile phone to communicate secretly (file pic) Mark Fellows (left) and Steven Boyle (right) were both jailed for life over the killings of Paul Massey and John Kinsella. The two men used EncroChat to communicate in the plots Fellows, nicknamed 'Iceman' for his ruthlessness, executed Massey with an Uzi machine gun, hitting him five times on the doorstep of his Salford home in July 2015. Three years later he executed mob enforcer and fixer Kinsella was in a hail of bullets. During his trial it emerged that Fellows had been tipped off by an accomplice via the encrypted phone service when Kinsella was coming into range. When he was questioned about the unusual handset, he flippantly declared 'No one even owns a normal phone these days'. As he was jailed for both killings Mr Justice Davis told him: 'I have never had to deal with a contract killer of your kind before. 'There are few judges who have. Just punishment in your case requires you to be kept in prison for the rest of your life.' Andrew Venna (left) and Matthew Cornwall (right) both used EncroChat as part of their huge drug network in Gloucestershire A raid carried out on a luxury property in the Home Counties as part of the huge police sting West Midlands Police took part in raids in Birmingham that netted criminal suspects In Liverpool a suspect in the raids was brought out in his underwear by armed police Some of the 54million seized by police acting on data harvested from EncroChat How police smashed criminal gangs in the UK, Europe and the UAE by hacking their phones Police dismantled huge chunks of a criminal drugs, guns and people trafficking network spanning the globe after four years of trying. After two months of planning officers in major cities across the UK simultaneously struck kingpins all over the country. In April, at the height of lockdown in Europe, police in France and the Netherlands finally infiltrated the EncroChat platform. The phone system, similar to a walkie talkie system allowed users to send encrypted communications and offered a secure mobile phone instant messaging service believing that they were safe from detection. There were 60,000 users worldwide and around 10,000 users in the UK the sole use was for coordinating and planning the distribution of illicit commodities, money laundering and plotting to kill rival criminals. But detectives infiltrated the system - and the crime syndicate collapsed like a house of cards in June. Advertisement Meanwhile gangsters Andrew Venna and Matthew Cornwall were also revealed to have used the system in May last year. Venna and members of his gang were believed to be behind an outbreak of gang warfare in the city which left a number of victims seriously hurt. He and eight customers and couriers were hit with overwhelming evidence persuaded them to plead guilty to a series of drug supply charges against them. Venna, was branded Chief Executive of the gang, as he was jailed him for 12 years and nine months while Cornwall got ten years. Detectives handed data from the compromised EncroChat phone network recently used it track down one of the UK's most wanted criminals. The man, from Salford in Greater Manchester, was detained in May by Spanish officers at a beachside apartment block, and then extradited to Britain the following month, according to the Times. Bosses at the National Crime Agency have also said it is also pursuing distributors of the phones, who reportedly included Johnny Swales, a Belfast criminal and former soldier who is known as King Con. Yesterday's news of Operation Venetic, which spanning the globe, saw scores of raids carried out across the country in a major shift in the battle against drugs, guns and illegal activity. During the two-month operation officers seized the illegal cash along with firearms including hand grenade and machine guns. But it was only made possible after the NCA and European forces managed to get inside a formerly secure phone system called EncroChat. What is the 'EncroChat' smartphone system used by the mafia to move money, drugs and order murders EncroChat was a secret platform where users were able to communicate privately between specially-designed handsets - often to run drugs, traffick people and even order murders. These devices, costing 1,500, are usually Android-based smartphones that had their GPS sensors, microphones, and cameras stripped out, encrypted chat apps installed by default to allow people to sent private messages. It is now emerging that criminal syndicates across the world had one - with one in six of the 60,000 users in the UK. Marketed as the electronic equivalent of two people having a conversation in an empty room, it enabled users to send written messages or make voice calls through an encrypted system. There were thought to be 60,000 users internationally, including 10,000 in the UK, with prices at 1,500 for a six-month contract. Investigators say that the platform, which was not in itself illegal, was designed to be secure against unwanted outside access, and in the UK was used purely for criminal purposes. Since the breach, the Encrochat platform has shut down. According to the Encrochat website, customers had access to features such as self-destructing messages, that deleted from the recipient's device after a certain length of time. There was also panic wipe, where all the data on the device could be deleted by entering a four-digit code from the lock-screen. The National Crime Agency said the handset could also be wiped remotely. Advertisement It is a messaging system similar to WhatsApp and only pre-loaded on to special phones which have to be specially bought. Criminals paid 1,500 for a six-month contract to use them and could send a 'kill code text' which wiped everything on the customised Android handset. Experts in France and the Netherlands infiltrated the illegal communication network, which helped them understand what crimes gangs were planning, like in TV hit The Wire. In the show one of the police officers built up cases against crooks by using a device called the Triggerfish, which collected data from their phones. In the real world, investigators found 60,000 users worldwide and around 10,000 users in the UK alone on EncroChat the sole use was for coordinating and planning the distribution of drugs, guns, dirty cash, money laundering and plots to kill rival criminals. It was a treasure trove of evidence as top level criminals could be monitored speaking freely about their operations and plans, thinking their network could never be cracked. The company EncroChat is shrouded in mystery, but is based in the Netherlands, and says it has addresses there as well as in Turkey and Latin America. Scotland Yard said yesterday of the 177 people taken into custody during the operation, 99 people have been charged so far. As thugs chatted away, law enforcement officers were collecting clues in real-time to collect enough evidence to put them behind bars. The Met alone detained 132 people - including some from the most serious organised crime network in the capital - with over 13.3million in cash seized among machine guns and narcotics. One of the operations seized 5million in one go which is the force's largest ever single cash haul. Many of the arrests were of seemingly-respectable people living luxury lifestyles, but hiding their secret criminal empires. A care home resident died every minute in England and Wales at the peak of the coronavirus crisis in mid-April, shocking figures revealed today. Office for National Statistics data showed 1,300 care home residents passed away on April 12, the darkest day in the pandemic for the sector. That's almost one death every minute and more than triple the amount of fatalities on the same date last year, when 407 residents passed away. A total of 495 of deaths on April 12 were confirmed as Covid-19 following a positive test but the virus was likely to blame for hundreds more. Very few care home residents were swabbed for the infection at the time because tests were reserved for the sickest hospital patients and NHS workers. It means thousands of cases went undiagnosed as the virus raced through the social care sector. The ONS figures also revealed that nearly 20,000 deaths of care home residents in England and Wales involved Covid-19. A total of 19,394 deaths that occurred between March 2 and June 12 had Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate, whether as an underlying cause or not. This makes the overall care home resident death figure a third higher than the 14,658 deaths in care homes reported by the ONS on Tuesday. Office for National Statistics figures released today revealed 1,300 care home residents passed away on April 12, the darkest day in the pandemic for the sector A separate ONS report today found a correlation between the number of bank staff employed by care homes and the number of residents who caught the virus. Care home residents in every region outside of London had a lower chance of infection than those in homes in the capital, except in the North West The latest data includes all care home residents who died with coronavirus either at their care home or in hospital. Three in four residents died in their care home while a quarter died in hospital, the figures show. Of the near-20,000 deaths, 16,305 (84 per cent) were classified as 'confirmed' Covid-19 and 3,089 (16 per cent) were classified as 'suspected' Covid-19. A separate ONS report today showed that once an outbreak occurred in a home, at least a fifth of all residents caught the virus and one in 14 staff became infected. Care home staff and residents will be regularly tested for coronavirus from next week but agency staff 'are NOT included' Staff and residents in care homes for people over 65 or with dementia will be regularly tested for coronavirus from next week, the Government announced today. The Department of Health and Social Care said staff will be tested weekly, while residents will have a test every 28 days as part of a new social care testing strategy. This is in addition to intensive testing in any care home facing an outbreak or at increased risk of a flare-up, the DHSC added. MHA Care Homes chief executive Sam Monaghan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he welcomed the new guidance as 'the step change we needed'. However Mr Monaghan also warned that agency staff are 'not included in this' as far as he is aware - and that many care homes rely on them. Agency staff make up about 10 per cent of the social care workforce, and care homes are three times more likely to rely on them than other industries. The repeat testing programme will be rolled out to all care homes for the over 65s and those with dementia which have registered to receive retesting over the next four weeks before expanding to the entire care home sector from August. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'Our response to this global pandemic has always been led by the latest scientific advice from world-class experts, and we will now offer repeat testing to staff and residents in care homes, starting with homes for elderly residents before expanding to the entire care home sector. 'This will not only keep residents and care workers safe, but it will give certainty and peace of mind to the families who may be worried about their loved ones, and give staff the confidence to do what they do best.' The Government has faced criticism for failing to protect care homes from the virus. Advertisement The results came as part of the Vivaldi study, which surveyed 9,081 care homes in England between May 26 and June 20. Of the 9,081 care homes included in the study, more than half (56 per cent) reported at least one confirmed case of coronavirus among staff or residents. More than one in 10 (11 per cent) of all residents tested positive, while 4 per cent of staff were diagnosed with the illness. The report found a direct correlation between the number of bank staff employed by the care home and the number of residents who caught the virus. These homes were 60 per cent more likely to have outbreaks than care homes that used no agency staff. The analysis found care home residents in every region outside of London had a lower chance of infection than those in homes in the capital. The only exception to this was for care homes in the West Midlands, where the odds of infection for residents were increased by 9 per cent compared with London. Becky Tinsley, principal statistician of COVID-19 Surveillance Studies at ONS, said: 'These are the first results from the Vivaldi study, a large-scale survey which looked specifically at infections in care homes which provide care for people with dementia and older people across England. 'From this weve estimated that over half of these care homes have had at least one confirmed case of COVID-19 amongst their staff and residents. 'Future work will include more detailed analysis and will incorporate COVID-19 test results from the whole care home testing programme.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Every death is a tragedy, and our deepest sympathies go out to everyone who have lost loved ones. 'We have been doing everything we can to ensure care home residents and staff are protected during this unprecedented global pandemic and the Vivaldi 1 study has proved invaluable as we further build on our understanding of this virus. 'We announced today that we will be rolling out repeat testing for care home staff and residents across the country from Monday, to help further reduce the spread of infection in care homes.' It comes after the Government announced today that care home staff and residents over 65 - or with dementia - will be regularly tested for coronavirus from next week. The Department of Health and Social Care said staff will be tested weekly, while residents will have a test every 28 days as part of a new social care testing strategy. This is in addition to intensive testing in any care home facing an outbreak or at increased risk of a flare-up, the DHSC added. MHA Care Homes chief executive Sam Monaghan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he welcomed the new guidance as 'the step change we needed'. However Mr Monaghan also warned that agency staff are 'not included in this' as far as he is aware - and that many care homes rely on them. Agency staff make up about 10 per cent of the social care workforce, and care homes are three times more likely to rely on them than other industries. The repeat testing programme will be rolled out to all care homes for the over 65s and those with dementia which have registered to receive retesting over the next four weeks before expanding to the entire care home sector from August. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'Our response to this global pandemic has always been led by the latest scientific advice from world-class experts, and we will now offer repeat testing to staff and residents in care homes, starting with homes for elderly residents before expanding to the entire care home sector. 'This will not only keep residents and care workers safe, but it will give certainty and peace of mind to the families who may be worried about their loved ones, and give staff the confidence to do what they do best.' The Government has faced criticism for failing to protect care homes from the virus. There have been 14,658 deaths linked to Covid-19 in care homes across England and Wales registered up to June 19, according to the latest Office for National Statistics data. A National Audit Office report last month claimed that around 25,000 hospital patients were discharged into care homes in England at the height of the pandemic without all being tested for Covid-19. The new testing strategy comes following the latest advice from the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) and new evidence indicating a higher prevalence in care homes, the DHSC said. The Vivaldi 1 study, which surveyed almost 9,000 care home managers and analysed data from whole care home testing, identified the higher levels of the virus among care staff - particularly among temporary staff working in multiple care settings, it added. The study suggested that care home staff may be at increased risk of contracting the virus which they could then pass on to others if they have no symptoms, the DHSC said. The new repeat testing programme was welcomed by care sector leaders who said it was 'absolutely essential' to support care homes managing the spread of infection. Care England chief executive Professor Martin Green said: 'The testing programme is one of the cornerstones of Covid-19 prevention, and we are pleased that the Department of Health and Social Care has recognise this, and responded with a comprehensive approach to repeat testing.' Vic Rayner, executive director of National Care forum, added: 'Access to repeat and regular testing is absolutely central to support care homes in managing the spread of infection within care homes. 'Testing has proved to be a vital tool in the box for providers and the continued expansion of the testing regime is essential.' French President Emmanuel Macron has named Jean Castex as the new prime minister after Edouard Philippe resigned from the position. Castex, who led France's lockdown reopening strategy, will take over amid a cabinet reshuffle as Macron tries to bolster his popularity for his final two years in office. Macron said he wanted to 'reinvent' his presidency last month following a disastrous defeat in nationwide municipal elections to the Green Party. The Elysee Palace said outgoing prime minister Philippe would handle government affairs until a new cabinet is named in a statement this morning. During French cabinet reshuffles the prime minister tends their resignation ahead of the appointments. French president Edouard Philippe (pictured) announced his resignation ahead of a cabinet reshuffle expected 'in the coming hours' French government 'deconfinement' coordinator Jean Castex leaves after a videoconference with the French president and French mayors at the Elysee Palace in Paris in May 19, 2020. He will be taking on the role of prime minister More announcements are expected 'in the coming hours', a spokesman said. Philippe gained a large victory in the northern port city of Le Havre during local elections, making him the city's mayor. Philippe, a rightwing politician who never joined Macron's Republic on the Move party, is considered to be more popular than the president, according to political analysts. It comes after last month's elections revealed surging support for the Green party and underlined Macron's troubles with left-leaning voters. With only 21 months until the next presidential election, the former investment banker wants to reposition himself, close advisers say. Keeping Philippe in office could have suggested Macron was too weak to let go of his prime minister and that his young party lacked the depth to allow for a full-blooded cabinet overhaul. Emmanuel Macron said he wanted to 'reinvent' his presidency last month following the disastrous defeat to the Green Party Philippe had shown steadfast loyalty during waves of unrest and could emerge as a presidential rival in 2022. Macron poached Philippe from the centre-right opposition and holding onto him would have complicated winning back leftist voters. In an interview with regional newspapers publishing late Thursday, Macron said France must prepare for a 'very difficult' economic crisis, 'so we have to chart a new course.' 'I see this based on an economic, social, environmental and cultural reconstruction,' he said. 'Behind this, there will be a new team.' Tragic schoolgirl Anika de Beer posed proudly with her parents after flying solo for the first time - but just days later died in the blazing wreckage when she crashed the same aircraft. Delighted mother Rika and father Andries had presented their sixteen-year-old daughter with the traditional bottle of bubbly for her first lone flight which she was still too young to drink. But just days later and on the eve of her 17th birthday she got behind the flight controls of the Piper Cherokee 28A-180 to do solo practice landings and circuits at her local airfield. Delighted mother Rika and father Andries had just presented Anika de Beer with the traditional bottle of bubbly for her first lone flight which she was still too young to drink On the eve of her 17th birthday she got behind the flight controls of the Piper Cherokee 28A-180 to do solo practice landings and circuits at her local airfield. Pictured, burnt out wreckage Anika's distraught parents said that her funeral would be held tomorrow instead of her 17th birthday party adding: 'Our hearts are shattered she was our everything. We are lost' The talented pilot is believed to have lost control and stalled as she prepared to land at Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria, South Africa, and crashed at high speed away from the runway. Her distraught parents have now had to her cancel her birthday bash planned for tomorrow and instead invited her grief-stricken friends to attend her funeral rather than the celebration. Another pilot who had just landed saw the plume of smoke rising up from the flames of the crashed aircraft and radioed it into the control tower after radio contact with Anika ended. The talented pilot is believed to have lost control and stalled as she prepared to land at Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria, South Africa. She crashed at high speed away from the runway. Pictured, firefighters put out the blaze Anika had done just over 24 hours training and was due to take her Private Pilot's Licence after she turned 17 tomorrow. She set her heart on flying passenger jets for South African Airways The airfield's fire brigade were quickly at the scene along with ambulances but could do nothing for the teenage pilot whose charred body was found inside the burnt out Piper Cherokee. A senior local pilot said: 'I haven no wish to prejudge the accident report but the wreckage shows that it was a high speed impact and I would suspect the plane stalled while making an approach turn. 'Anika would never have been allowed to fly solo by her instructor if he was not 100 per cent confident she was ready and when she did her first solo flight a few days before she didn't put a foot wrong. 'Unless there was a structural or engine failure we may never know what happened up there but her loss has hit everyone in our community at Wonderboom Airfrield extremely hard,' he said. Anika had done just over 24 hours training and was due to take her Private Pilot's Licence after she turned 17 tomorrow and had set her heart on flying passenger jets for South African Airways. The airfield's fire brigade were quickly at the scene along with ambulances but could do nothing for the teenage pilot whose charred body was found inside the burnt out Piper Cherokee Tearful mum Rika from Pretoria said: 'Anika was the joy in our lives and our red-haired little pilot. Her ambition was to travel and see the whole world as a commercial pilot flying a Boeing. 'There is a world map in her bedroom on the wall and she said that when that day came she would soon know every corner of the earth. Flying was her passion and her biggest dream'. Anika's distraught parents said that her funeral would be held tomorrow instead of her 17th birthday party adding: 'Our hearts are shattered she was our everything. We are lost'. She was a member of the Professional Flight Centre at Wonderboom Airport and centre advisor Karel Ehmke confirmed Anika had gone up to do solo circuits and landing flight training. Karel said:'She was a brilliant pilot and died doing what she loved most - being a pilot'. She had just 24 hours of flight training under her belt and was flying on her second solo flight. Pictured, the Piper Cherokee 28A-180 Under South African Air Law a student pilot can learn to fly at 15 and fly solo at 16 but cannot apply to take their Private Pilot's Licence until they are 17 which Anika had planned to do. She had just 24 hours of flight training under her belt and was flying on her second solo flight. Owner of the flight centre Andre le Roux said he could comment further as an investigation is underway into the death of the young pilot but added: 'We are all severely traumatised by it'. The Tswane Emergency Medical Services declared the schoolgirl dead at the scene and the Accident and Incident Investigation Division have been called in to prepare a report into the tragedy. The flying club which Anika was a member of said on its Facebook site: 'You will always be part of our family and we will never forget your smile which enlightened the room whenever you walked in. 'May you spread your wings and fly high with the angels in heaven.' Boris Johnson will introduce daily White House-style televised press briefings from October in a bid to build on Downing Street's coronavirus press conferences. The daily press conferences which became a fixture of the crisis and only ceased last week were watched by millions of people. Number 10 believes continuing with such events will 'introduce a culture of transparency and openness' and help keep the public better informed. The televised press briefings will take place in the afternoon and will be hosted by an experienced broadcaster. Boris Johnson, pictured during an appearance on LBC Radio this morning, is set to introduce televised daily press briefings from October The briefings will inevitably draw comparisons to daily press briefings at the White House which see reporters grill the president of the day's press secretary. Donald Trump is pictured in the White House press room yesterday They will replace one of the two daily off camera briefings with the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman which were attended by political journalists before the deadly outbreak. A morning off camera briefing for reporters will continue as normal. Mr Johnson confirmed the proposals in an interview with LBC Radio, suggesting the public had liked having more direct information from ministers during the coronavirus press conferences. He said: 'People have liked a more direct, detailed information from the Government about what is going on - and I think that they've actually particularly liked our brilliant scientific and medical advisers, possibly more than the politicians to be frank. 'We do think that people want direct engagement and want stuff from us, and so we're going to have a go at that.' Mr Johnson said he would 'pop up from time to time' at the briefings. The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman later said: 'The morning lobby briefing will continue as is - taken by myself as a civil servant. The new televised afternoon briefing person who takes that will be a political appointment. 'Obviously what that will allow them to do is answer political questions in a way that I'm not (able to).' The spokesman said that the daily coronavirus press conferences had shown that 'there is a significant public appetite for information about what the Government is doing and why, and we feel that daily on-camera press briefings will help to increase Government accountability and transparency'. Televised press briefings have long been in existence in the US, allowing journalists to grill the president of the day's press secretary. However, the move by Downing Street to follow suit could prove controversial, with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown both having toyed with the idea before deciding not to go ahead with it. While some will welcome it as potentially good for transparency critics will be concerned that time constraints could lead to questions being curtailed. The briefings are expected to take place in Number 9 Downing Street which will be transformed into a media suite - like the one at the White House. The recruitment process for the host broadcaster will get underway this month ahead of a scheduled launch potentially in October. Number 10 is also believed to be pushing ahead with a shake up of Whitehall communications teams. Currently there are 4,000 communications workers across the government but a significant number of jobs are expected to be axed. Each department will be limited to having a maximum of 30 communications staff. Meanwhile, the chain of command will also reportedly be changed so that all press offices in Whitehall will be directly answerable to the Cabinet Office rather than to someone within their department. A Saudi embassy worker has told the Khashoggi murder trial that he saw many 'skewers of meat' and was told by 'panicked' staff to light the oven on the day the journalist was killed and dismembered. Zeki Demir, a local technician who worked for the consulate, told the court today he had been called to the consul's residence, close to the consulate itself, on the day of the killing. 'There were five to six people there... They asked me to light up the tandoor (oven). There was an air of panic,' he said. According to the indictment Demir also reported seeing many skewers of meat, and noticed that the marble slabs around the oven appeared to have changed colour as if they had been cleaned with a chemical. The Turkish court opened the trial today in absentia of two former aides of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and 18 other Saudi nationals over the 2018 killing of the Washington Post columnist. A Turkish court has opened the trial in absentia of two former aides of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and 18 other Saudi nationals over the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi (pictured) The trial in Istanbul will be closely watched for possible new information or evidence into the killing, including the whereabouts of Mr Khashoggi's remains. Prosecutors have indicted the 20 Saudi nationals over Mr Khashoggi's grisly killing at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018, which cast a cloud of suspicion over Prince Mohammed. They are seeking life prison terms for the defendants, who have all left Turkey. Saudi Arabia rejected Turkish demands for the suspects' extradition and put some of them on trial in Riyadh. The trial will be closely watched for possible new information or evidence into the killing, including the whereabouts of Mr Khashoggi's remains. Pictured are security guards outside Istanbul's court house today Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, leaves Caglayan Court House after first session of trial over the murder of Khashoggi, in Istanbul The proceedings were widely criticised as a 'whitewash', and Mr Khashoggi's family later announced that they had forgiven his killers. The Turkish prosecutors have charged the prince's former advisers, Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmed al-Asiri, with 'instigating a premeditated murder with the intent of (causing) torment through fiendish instinct'. Prosecutors are also seeking life prison sentences for 18 other Saudi nationals charged with carrying out 'a premeditated murder with the intent of (causing) torment through fiendish instincts'. Mr Khashoggi, who was a resident of the US, had walked into his country's consulate on October 2 2018 for an appointment to pick up documents that would allow him to get married. He never walked out. A team of 15 Saudi agents had flown to Turkey to meet Mr Khashoggi inside the consulate. They included a forensic doctor, intelligence and security officers and individuals who worked for the crown prince's office. Turkish officials allege Mr Khashoggi was killed and then dismembered with a bone saw. Prosecutors have indicted the 20 Saudi nationals over Mr Khashoggi's grisly killing at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018, which cast a cloud of suspicion over Prince Mohammed (pictured) Turkey, a rival of Saudi Arabia, apparently had the Saudi Consulate bugged and has shared audio of the killing with the CIA, among others. Prior to his killing, Mr Khashoggi had written critically of the Saudi crown prince in columns for the Washington Post. Saudi Arabia had initially offered shifting accounts about Mr Khashoggi's disappearance. As international pressure mounted because of the Turkish leaks, the kingdom eventually settled on the explanation that he was killed by rogue officials in a brawl. Turkish prosecutors say the suspects 'acted in consensus from the beginning in line with the decision of taking the victim back to Saudi Arabia and of killing him if he did not agree'. An exterior view of the court in Istanbul today where the trial in absentia of two former aides of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and 18 other Saudi nationals over the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, is scheduled to begin Riyadh had insisted that the kingdom's courts are the correct place for the suspects to be tried, and put 11 people on trial over the killing. In December, five people were sentenced to death while three others were found guilty of covering up the crime and were sentenced to a combined 24 years in prison. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in May, Mr Khashoggi's son announced that the family had pardoned the killers, giving a legal reprieve to the five government agents who were sentenced to death. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:21 pm Loren Culp, the Republican gubernatorial candidate and police chief of Republic in Ferry County, is accused in a lawsuit of botching a child sexual-abuse investigation and intimidating the victim with threats of a false-claims charge. The lawsuit, filed in 2017, alleges Culp and two other law enforcement officers failed to properly investigate and report to state authorities allegations in 2013 from a 17-year-old girl who said a male relative had been sexually molesting her since she was 5. After the abortive investigation in Ferry County, the Benton County Sheriffs Office stepped in with its own criminal probe, leading swiftly to the arrest of Roy A. Moore Jr. in 2014 on child rape, child molestation and incest charges. Moore pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree child molestation in March 2015. He was sentenced to a minimum of 67 months in prison but was released on Dec. 19, 2019, according to the state Department of Corrections (DOC). Now 57, Moore will remain under DOC supervision as a sex offender for life. The victim, now 23, said in an interview with The Seattle Times she is suing to make sure Culp and other officers and agencies involved are held accountable for failing to properly investigate her abuser, putting her through severe emotional trauma. Its going happen to somebody else if they dont pay for what they have done, she said in an interview this week. He (the abuser) was guilty ... and its like it wasnt important. It didnt matter what was going on with me. The Seattle Times generally does not name victims of sexual abuse. In interviews, Culp denied the lawsuits allegations and emphasized he was not in charge of the abuse investigation. He expressed no misgivings and denied that Moores guilty plea proves he committed a crime. He had a son, so he didnt want to spend 30 years in prison. He took the plea deal. Not everyone who takes a plea deal is actually guilty, Culp said. A police report written by Culp in 2014 stated he believed Moore and thought the allegations by the 17-year-old were made up. In pleading guilty a year later, Moore signed a statement declaring he had touched the victims vagina on two separate occasions with sexual motivation, when she was under 12 years old, court records show. The victim says the abuse went well beyond those instances and was ongoing for years. According to the lawsuit, a second girl also came forward to Benton County sheriffs deputies to say she had been sexually molested and raped by Moore. No charges were filed. Culp said that it was unfair to focus on the single case and not his 10-year law enforcement career. I have put a lot of child molesters in prison, he said. An Army veteran and former small construction business owner, Culp is one of several Republicans competing in the Aug. 4 primary for a chance to face Gov. Jay Inslee in November. He has raised more than $650,000 the most of any GOP gubernatorial candidate apart from former Bothell Mayor Joshua Freed. Culp also has attracted hundreds at campaign rallies, and thousands to his regular online chats. Yard signs in support of his campaign have sprouted in rural areas across the state. As police chief of Republic, a north-central Washington town of about 1,100, Culp made headlines when he declared he would not enforce Initiative 1639, the 2018 voter-approved gun-control measure which raised the age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21 and imposed other new gun restrictions. Culps defiance of the law, which he views as unconstitutional, made him a celebrity among conservatives and gun-rights activists and led to appearances on Fox News. The investigation by Culp and others of Moores abuse was slipshod and amounted to an effort to sweep it under the rug, said Bill Gilbert, the Spokane attorney representing the victim. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for extreme and outrageous conduct, and Gilbert said his client also wants to force changes in how sexual abuse cases are investigated in Ferry County. According to the lawsuit, filed initially in Lincoln County and then moved to Ferry County Superior Court, the then-17-year-old girl reported in November 2013 that Moore had been sexually molesting her for 12 years. She made the initial report to Matthew Beard, a 23-year-old reserve Republic police officer, whom she had been dating. Beard, who is also named in the lawsuit, did not immediately report the allegation to his law enforcement superiors or state child-welfare authorities, as required by law, the lawsuit states. Instead, days later he spoke to the girls mother. The case was investigated by Ferry County sheriffs Deputy Talon Venturo, who was assisted by Culp, according to the lawsuit. Both men were very good friends with Beard and Beard also knew her mother well, according to the victim. Obtaining a search warrant, Venturo provided the victims mother with a digital recorder to conceal in an effort to obtain a confession from Moore. The teen was sent to stay the night at Beards home, and the lawsuit states that he took advantage of the distraught and vulnerable 17-year-old, and ultimately engaged in sexual relations with her. In a court filing, an attorney for Beard acknowledged the girl went to his residence, but denied they had sex. The effort to get a confession out of Moore did not succeed, and after interviewing him, Venturo and Culp formed the opinion that Roy Moore was telling the truth and (the victim) was lying, the lawsuit alleges. Venturo and Culp interviewed the victim on Nov. 21, 2013, asking her disturbing questions about her personal life, sex life and home life and asking her to provide detailed descriptions of sexual acts with Moore, according to the lawsuit and police reports. At the conclusion of the interview, the officers confronted the teen, saying she may be prosecuted for making a false report, the lawsuit states. Culp filed a police report more than a month after the interview, on Jan. 8, 2014, writing that he felt the teen was not being truthful because she had shifted in her seat, shuffled her feet and did not always make eye contact. Based on that, and what he said were inconsistencies in her story, Culp wrote that he and Venturo felt strongly that the allegations were made up and the decision was made to not make an arrest. The written reports by Culp and Venturo were filed only after the victims grandparents got involved. They contacted the Ferry County prosecutor and then sought help from the Sheriffs Office in Benton County, where some of the abuse had taken place, according to Gilbert and the victims grandparents, who took her in as she became estranged from her mother. Neither Culp nor Venturo notified state child-welfare authorities of the abuse allegation against Moore, as required by law, according to the lawsuit. In addition, when the victim sought a protection order against Moore in January 2014, Culp and Venturo showed up at the court hearing and sat directly behind her in what she says was an effort at intimidation. Culp acknowledges participating in the interview of the teen, but said he never threatened or sought to intimidate her. Absolutely not, he said. He blamed attention to the lawsuit on a whisper campaign by supporters of his political rivals. Anybody can say anything they want in a lawsuit, Culp said. Just because someone says something doesnt mean its the truth. An attorney representing the city of Republic and Culp did not respond to a request for comment. In a legal filing, the attorney acknowledged Moores guilty plea but denied the accusations against Culp, called the complaint legally frivolous and argued Culp and the city are legally immune. Venturo, now a sergeant with the Ferry County sheriffs office, did not respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday. In a court filing, an attorney representing Ferry County generally denied the allegations in the lawsuit. The victim said the way she was treated by Culp and other officers still leaves her with major distrust of police. Lately, shes seen Culp for Governor signs sprouting in her neighbors yards, and his campaign rhetoric that emphasizes protecting individual rights. I am like, are you kidding me? If you cant defend a 17-year-old, how do you defend Washington? she said. Nearly 75,000 weddings and same-sex civil partnership ceremonies have been postponed in England since lockdown began more than three months ago. Weddings will be allowed to take place again from tomorrow on 'Super Saturday' with a maximum of 30 people who must maintain social distancing measures. But the Office for National Statistics has estimated that 73,400 marriages have been postponed along with 300 same-sex civil partnerships between March 23 and today. Guests at post-lockdown weddings must avoid singing unless behind a screen, not consume any food or drink and avoid playing instruments that must be blown into. More than 250,000 weddings usually take place in the UK each year, but most couples have been affected by restrictions that came into force in March. It comes as a couple from Staffordshire who will be among the first to get married in England since lockdown began said they 'didn't want to delay it any longer'. Sarah Williams and Richard Cunningham, of Staffordshire, who will be among the first to get married in England since lockdown began, said they 'didn't want to delay it any longer' Ms Williams and Mr Cunningham, both 39, will be tying the knot on 'Super Saturday' From tomorrow, weddings can take place, and, while their original plans have had to change, Sarah Williams and Richard Cunningham, both 39, will be tying the knot. 'The most important thing for us was to get married,' said Mr Cunningham. At a glance: What are the rules for weddings from tomorrow? Members of different households must maintain social distancing, so fathers cannot walk daughters arm-in-arm down the aisle Couples must wash their hands before and after exchanging rings Receptions are limited to two households indoors, or up to six people from different households outdoors Up to 30 people are allowed at the ceremony, including the couple, witnesses, officiants and guests, and staff not employed by the venue No food or drink is allowed to be consumed 'unless required for the purposes of solemnisation' There should be no singing during the service or use of instruments which have to be blown into Spoken responses should 'not be in a raised voice' If a small child is involved, they should be held a parent, guardian or member of that child's household Couples should consider using recordings instead of singing Organs music is allowed but they must be cleaned before and after Books, reusable and communal resources such as service sheets, prayer mats, or devotional material should be removed from use Advertisement 'Whether that was (with) five people or a hundred, it was about getting married. We'd been planning this for so long that we didn't want to delay it any longer.' The couple, who live near Lichfield, booked July 4 as their wedding day more than two years ago, but had originally intended to have more guests than they now can. 'I've got a big family, more down in London, and we had family coming from Canada, America and some friends from Germany,' said Mr Cunningham. 'They had this big holiday planned to come over and spend time with us, and we haven't been able to do that ... so it's probably having the extra people there that we've had to compromise on.' Ms Williams said: 'You can't have bell ringers, so we can't have any church bells - (and) we can't have any singing.' Ms Williams had been keeping on top of lockdown announcements in anticipation that weddings would be included in the easing of restrictions. Eventually, in late June, the Government announced that weddings and civil partnerships could take place from July 4. Such short notice provided an obstacle in the form of obtaining a marriage licence but, fortunately, a helpful vicar was at hand. 'Straightaway he was into action,' said Ms Williams. 'By the next day we were in the main church in Stafford, swearing an oath on the Bible, doing an affidavit. 'We only actually got a marriage licence on Tuesday night, which was a bit scary!' The couple have sent a seating plan to guests ahead of the big day to ensure social distancing is observed, and a three-hour rehearsal was completed to work out how people can move around safely. And while their wedding day will not look quite as they had envisaged in 2018, Ms Williams is adamant that restrictions will not have any bearing on their enjoyment. 'It's brilliant,' she said. 'After all this doom and gloom that we've had, hopefully it's the first sign of a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.' Sarah Williams (pictured with husband-to-be Mr Cunningham) had been keeping on top of announcements in anticipation that weddings would be included in the easing of restrictions Two London paramedics will also be among the first to tie the knot since lockdown began this weekend, as they have managed to keep their original wedding date. Stephanie Little and Thomas Martin originally planned their wedding for July 4 but never expected the ceremony to go ahead following the coronavirus lockdown, the Evening Standard reported. They had rebooked their ceremony but were stunned when the Government announced weddings and civil partnerships could restart - beginning on their original wedding date. With only a week to go, the couple, who both work at Edmonton ambulance station, knew they had to get married as they 'don't know what will happen in the future'. Stephanie, 24, said: 'We contacted our vicar and he said yes, and suddenly we had to plan a wedding in a week while I've been working night shifts. We only got the licence on Sunday.' They originally planned to have 90 guests but have adjusted their plans to adhere to Government guidance, which only allows a maximum of 30 attendees. The aisle at St Faith's Church in Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, has also been widened so Stephanie's father can walk his daughter down the aisle. Their reception and honeymoon have both been cancelled and Stephanie had to find a new wedding dress, as she was not able to attend fittings for her original gown. London paramedics Stephanie Little and Thomas Martin (above) will be amongst the first to get married after the ban on weddings will be lifted on July 4 - their original wedding date Thomas said: 'It's not the wedding we thought we would have, but after everything that has happened, we are just so happy we can still get married. 'Being in lockdown together has just made us appreciate each other more, we didn't want to wait any longer to be married to each other.' They held their wedding rehearsal over Zoom and the happy couple plan to hold a party for those who cannot attend the ceremony on their first anniversary. Receptions at post-lockdown weddings will be limited to just two households indoors, or up to six people from different households outdoors. The ONS figures are the four-year average of weddings between March 23 and July 3, 2014 to 2017, plus same-sex civil partnerships between the dates in 2015 to 2018. They do not include residents who got married abroad or same-sex couples who have converted civil partnerships into marriages following legal changes in 2014. The data does also not include civil partnerships among opposite-sex couples which have been possible from New Year's Eve last year. Post-lockdown wedding rules are unveiled: Father can't walk his daughter arm-in-arm down the aisle, couples must wash hands after exchanging rings and receptions are banned Fathers cannot walk their daughter arm-in-arm down the aisle and couples must wash their hands before and after exchanging rings in post-lockdown weddings. New rules issued by the Government on Monday also ban receptions when the ceremonies are allowed to restart with up to 30 people in England from tomorrow. The plans are intend to maintain social distancing at weddings as the coronavirus pandemic continues but will reduce the big day to little more than a formality. It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week gave permission for weddings to recommence as part of a widespread easing of lockdown restrictions. Here are some of the new rules which will make for very different weddings: CEREMONIES - Keep distanced during 'short' ceremonies The new rules urge people from different households to maintain social distancing between one another, which will be 'one metre plus' from tomorrow. They say this 'may require marriages or civil partnerships to be adapted to remove practices that would otherwise have brought people into contact with one another, unless required for the marriage or civil partnership to be legally binding'. The guidance adds that 'where this is the case precautions should be put in place to minimise contact and ensure the timeframe is as short as possible'. This means that fathers will be unable to walk their daughter arm-in-arm down the aisle - and people from different households will be banned from hugging or kissing. Couples have been told that ceremonies should only be done in a 'Covid-19 secure environment' and be 'kept as short as reasonably possible'. This means they should be limited to the parts of the ceremonies that are required so that the marriage or civil partnership can be legally binding. Fathers will not be able to walk their daughter arm-in-arm down the aisle as part of social distancing measures to keep people from different households at least one metre apart Small reception celebrations can only be held if they are groups of up to two households indoors, or up to six people from different households outdoors RECEPTIONS - Maximum of only two households indoors The Government has asked that the number of attendees at the service should 'ideally be kept to a minimum as far as possible', but will allow up to 30 to attend. This includes the couple, witnesses, officiants and guests, and staff not employed by the venue, which may include photographers, security or caterers. However it does not include staff employed by the venue. The guidance adds that 'any receptions that typically follow or accompany marriages or civil partnerships are strongly advised not to take place'. Small celebrations can only be held if they are groups of up to two households indoors, or up to six people from different households outdoors. DURING THE SERVICE - No singing or shouting allowed Meanwhile people have been told to avoid 'singing, shouting, raising voices and/or playing music at a volume that makes normal conversation difficult'. This is because of the potential for encouraging shouting which would raise an increased risk of transmission of Covid-19 from aerosol and droplets. It means spoken responses 'should also not be in a raised voice' and singing and playing of instruments that are blown into should be avoided. If it is required for a ceremony, one person should be allowed to sing or chant, and the 'use of plexi-glass screens should be considered to protect guests'. The Government has suggested couples consider using recordings instead of singing. Organs are also allowed but must be cleaned before and after. All guests should follow social distancing guidance - and venues should look at changing seating layouts, improve ventilation and use face coverings. The guidance also states: 'Visitors should avoid touching property belonging to others, such as shoes which, if removed, should be placed and collected by their owner while adhering to social distancing principles.' For the exchanging of rings during the ceremony, hands 'should be washed before and after' and the 'rings should be handled by as few people as possible'. And where a small child is involved, they should be held a parent, guardian or member of that child's household. People have been told to avoid 'singing, shouting, raising voices and/or playing music at a volume that makes normal conversation difficult' - which means sung hymns will be banned For the exchanging of rings during the ceremony, hands 'should be washed before and after' - otherwise they would not be permitted RITUALS - no full immersion or washing others' body parts Any washing rituals should now be done before arrival at the venue, and people 'should not wash the body parts of others', according to the rules. Full immersion should also now be avoided, and all others present should stand distant from any splashes and stay socially distanced. Concerns raised over possible surge in forced marriages as lockdown is eased Campaigners fear there could be a spike in forced marriages as coronavirus lockdown restrictions continue to relax in the UK and once quarantine rules are lifted. Charities say during the pandemic they have seen a surge in calls from people worried their parents are increasingly intent on marrying them off after living in close quarters amid the crisis. They warn parents could now be planning to take their children abroad for weddings against their will as soon as laws on self-isolating for 14 days on return to the UK are scrapped. The warnings came as data gathered by the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) leading the Government's work on tackling the crime indicated a rise in the number of LGBT victims and revealed more than a quarter of cases for which the unit provided advice last year involved children. Figures indicated the largest number of cases were linked to Pakistan. The FMU dealt with 1,355 suspected cases last year. Between 2008 and 2019, 2,452 Forced Marriage Protection Orders were granted in UK courts in a bid to rescue victims. The Government branded forced marriage a 'hidden crime', admitting that the figures fell short of revealing the true scale of abuse. Advertisement Full immersion can sometimes take place before Jewish wedding ceremonies, when a woman goes into a mikveh pool before the ceremony to achieve purity. Christians can also be baptised through full immersion, but this would be unlikely to take place at a wedding itself. Washing of feet can also happen at Christian ceremonies to represent Jesus Christ washing the feet of his disciplines as a symbol of humility. Venue managers have also been urged to take steps to prevent visitors from touching or kissing any objects which are handled communally. Books, reusable and communal resources such as service sheets, prayer mats, or devotional material should also be removed from use. But single use alternatives can be provided as long as they are removed by the attendee, and people can also bring personal prayer mats or religious texts. Venue managers have also been asked to discourage cash donations and continue to use online giving resources where possible. Religious communities have been told to adapt traditional aspects which might have seen celebrations take place over many hours or even days. No food or drink is allowed to be consumed at the ceremony 'unless required for the purposes of solemnisation', according to the rules. DRESS FITTING - Dresses in quarantine and face masks Bridal shops reopened on June 14, putting in measures such as plastic Champagne flutes, dresses put in quarantine and face masks for fittings. Since reopening, the Bristol branch of third-generation family business Allison Jayne Bridalwear has introduced a range of measures to comply with new rules. Face coverings are worn by bride to be Jessica Letheren and bridal consultant Felicity Gray during a dress fitting appointment at Allison Jayne Bridalwear in Clifton, Bristol, last Thursday Customers must book in for an appointment, which lasts between 90 minutes and two hours - with a 30-minute clean taking place before the next slot. Brides-to-be choosing their gowns are allowed to bring one person with them, with FaceTime and Skype used to include other friends and family members. Hand sanitiser, face masks and disposable gloves are available, with face coverings worn by both brides-to-be and staff in the changing rooms. Once a dress has been tried on, it is sprayed with disinfectant fabric spray and quarantined for 72 hours. Champagne is poured into glittery plastic disposable glasses, with a poster displaying coronavirus guidelines on view as people enter the shop. Customers showing symptoms or feeling unwell are instructed to reschedule their appointments. Salons are preparing to open at midnight and work until morning to meet the frenzied demand from Britons aching for a post-lockdown trim. After three months shuttered, hairdressers will be working flat out from tomorrow when the country ushers in the next big easing of restrictions. Confronted with a rammed appointment book for the next five weeks, salons are eager to start welcoming clients as soon as possible. Charlotte's Academy in Cowes, Isle of Wight, has bookings for 20 customers from one-minute past midnight until 8.30am, where they will be dealt with by a team of three hair stylists. Meanwhile Sunderland salon owner Debra Adamson has agreed to open on the hour for a loyal customer who failed to find an appointment after they were quickly snapped up following Boris Johnson's announcement last month. Dubbed Super Saturday, hairdressers, pubs, restaurants and cafes will tomorrow get the green light to fling open their doors from - but with strict social distancing. Mehmet Yusuf, owner of Chaplin's of London Barbers in Brockley, south London, is pictured showcasing his social distancing measures Charlottes Academy in Cowes, Isle of Wight has bookings for 20 customers from one-minute past midnight until 8.30am, where they will be dealt with by a team of three hair stylists, including owner Charlotte Stephan (pictured) Screens separate the chairs in Charlotte's Academy to prevent the spread of coronavirus Sunderland salon owner Debra Adamson has agreed to open on the hour for a loyal customer who failed to find an appointment PM begs Britons to be 'sensible' as country welcomes Super Saturday Boris Johnson has today pleaded with revellers to be 'sensible' when pubs reopen tomorrow as many Britons reveal they will stay home instead. The Prime Minister said that he wanted people to use the loosening of lockdown in England from tomorrow to 'enjoy summer'. But he insists that the success of the move is down to whether people act 'responsibly', urging the public not to 'let down' the sectors of the economy that desperately need to reopen safely. Mr Johnson said there was a need to proceed 'carefully and cautiously'. 'Tomorrow we come to step three of the plan that I set out on May 10, that everybody, I think, has understood, or huge numbers of people have understood and followed very carefully and very closely,' he told LBC. Advertisement Charlotte Stephan, the owner of Charlotte's Academy, said she is excited about tonight's reopening and has been longing to get back in the salon. But she stressed that the safety of staff and customers was paramount and showcased her revamped salon to make it Covid-secure. Perspex screens have been erected around the salon, which has also been rearranged so that customers can maintain social distance. A one-way system has been put in place and staff will wear PPE while customers will have to wear face masks, and everybody will have their temperature checked before entering. The contamination prevention measures are typical of ones being implemented in salons across the country. Under government guidelines, customers must remain at 'one-metre plus' apart and must insist on regular hand-washing. Magazines, long a staple of salon waiting areas, will also be banned to stop people spreading germs when handling them. Although her work will look radically different from pre-lockdown, Ms Stephan, 40, told MailOnline: 'I'm so excited. I'm very close to a lot of my customers and it feels as if I'm being reunited with family members. 'I have to be there to see them again but it's going to be really hard not to hug them. I don't like coffee so it's adrenaline that's going to be keeping me awake.' She added: 'I'm also very nervous because I've been waiting for this day for a long time.' High street outlets which rely on getting customers physically in the door have been hit hard by the pandemic, with hairdressers lying dormant throughout lockdown. The Prime Minister has relaxed restrictions to breathe life back into the economy, but swathes of the public remain nervous about re-opening up society Yet after weathering a tough lockdown, Ms Stephan is thrilled that her customers will be flooding into her doors at the earliest opportunity. She said: 'The lockdown was a very difficult time for me personally and for the business. 'This salon is my baby and it's wonderful to be able to open our doors again.' Paula Wood, owner of Saks Hair, practices new social distancing measures with colleague Lily Halliwell, as she prepares to re-open her salon in Knutsford, Cheshire Screens have been erected around the salon, which has also been rearranged so that customers can maintain social distance. A one-way system has also been put in place. Staff will wear PPE while customers will have to wear face masks, and everybody will have their temperature checked before entering Ms Stephan revealed that the idea of opening one-minute past midnight was suggested to her by a friend. She added: 'I then sent out a message to all my customers asking if they would be interested in booking appointments when they should be asleep, and I was overwhelmed by the response. 'Within a few minutes I was fully booked throughout the early hours of Saturday morning and into the remainder of the day and beyond. 'I'm really blown away by how loyal my customers are and how much they have missed coming to the salon to get their hair done.' She said that all the appointments for the early hours of Saturday morning are for hair colouring. 'Customers want to get rid of their lockdown roots. They've been complaining that they look a bit of a mess and want to get them sorted as soon as they can, which is why they want to come in at these bizarre times,' she added. Staff Ashley Tonge (left) wearing personal protective equipment practices haircut on her colleague Pippa Marland for the reopening of Sassoon's Salon in Manchester today Ms Stephan, who has been running the salon for 20 years said that work had been taking place in the run up to the big opening to make it Covid-secure. The salon closed its doors two days before the lockdown was formally announced on March 23. All ten staff have been on furlough since then. Ms Stephan added: 'Everybody is delighted to be returning. But the most important thing for us is to have an environment where customers and staff are safe. 'Customers have already been calling me to say how excited they are at seeing us and how much they've missed us. It's so nice to be appreciated by them.' Charlotte's Academy closed its doors two days before the lockdown was formally announced on March 23. All ten staff have been on furlough since then Sunderland-based salon owner Debra Adamson revealed she is also fully booked for the next five weeks and is also opening at midnight after failing to squeeze in one of her frequent customers, Karen She added that the salon is fully booked until the end of August and that opening hours have been extended to cope with the increase in customers. Sunderland-based salon owner Debra Adamson revealed she is also fully booked for the next five weeks and is also opening at midnight after failing to squeeze in one of her frequent customers, Karen. She told Good Morning Britain: ' She is desperate. She is desperate but she hasn't had her hair done for five months, and she did try to get in online but I didn't have any appointments for five weeks. 'So I did said 'Karen, do you know? I've done your hair for that many years, I'll open at midnight and do your hair at midnight'. She's been a very loyal client to me.' A poll by ITV's Good Morning Britain (GMB) shows that nearly 90 per cent of voters are choosing to dub 'Super Saturday' as 'Stupid Saturday instead' She added: 'I'm very excited to get back to work, I've missed work. I'm getting used to not being in work but I've still be liaising with my clients on social media.' Ms Adamson appeared on the show via her salon, which has been revamped to accommodate social distancing requirements. Wearing a face shield to insulate against the virus, she she reflected on the changes: 'It's going to be hard, it's going to be very hard. It's going to be hard for Caitlyn and myself having to wear all this outfit'. While much of the public are excited for the next wave of lockdown loosening tomorrow, swathes remain unconvinced. A poll for Good Morning Britain found nearly 90 per cent of viewers believed it will be 'Stupid Saturday', rather than Super Saturday. Amid nervousness that the easing of curbs will drive a spike in coronavirus infections, the PM today urged people to be sensible with the newfound freedoms. He told LBC: 'Tomorrow we come to step three of the plan that I set out on May 10, that everybody, I think, has understood, or huge numbers of people have understood and followed very carefully and very closely. 'And it's because people stuck to that plan that we're now able to carefully and cautiously open up hospitality tomorrow. 'And my message is really for people to enjoy summer sensibly and make sure that it all works.' Police have launched a murder probe after a pensioner in his 60s died in a 'serious assault' at a care home as a man, 43, has been arrested. Police and forensics teams rushed to Longcroft Residential Care Home in Wickford, Essex, last night shortly before 7pm, after reports the elderly man was assaulted. Despite the efforts of paramedics, the man was pronounced dead. Police officers seen wearing face masks while at the scene, as a cordon remains in place Essex Police said last night that a 43-year-old man from Wickford has been arrested and remains in police custody. Police are guarding the entrance to the facility with a single officer watching over a cordon. It follows a man being rushed to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being stabbed in the back at the same care home last year. Just seven service users can be cared for at one time in the unit which was rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission. The facility cares for people with mental health problems and substance abuse issues. Locals have been left shocked by the incident with residents revealing the man arrested was a care home resident. A neighbour, who did not want to be named, revealed he saw the resident being led out in handcuffs. And grandmother Avice Nunn, 84, said she saw the air ambulance desperately working to save the victim's life. 'We were watching the television and heard the air ambulance land in the field and went out,' she said. 'We knew something serious was going on, we saw them doing the CPR it was awful. Normally we don't know the care home is there, it is usually very good obviously someone got upset and something happened. Police and forensics in hazmat suits at Longcroft Residential Care Home in Wickford, Essex on Thursday evening, after a pensioner aged in his 60s died in a 'serious assault' Police vehicles and an ambulance outside the cordoned-off care home. A 43-year-old man from Wickford has been arrested, and remains in police custody, said Essex Police last night 'We knew something serious happening as normally you don't get any problem with them at all.' Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said he saw the man being arrested who he identified as a resident. He said: 'The bloke they arrested is 100 per cent a resident, I saw him being led out in handcuffs by police last night. 'It is a shock as the residents and carers there are all nice. 'When it is carnival day, they all get their chairs and tables out and sit there and wave their flags. 'Family always visit them and there is a really nice community spirit. It is a shock as it is a nice area around here.' Mike Saywood, 60, who lives nearby, said: 'We knew something had happened, but we didn't realise it would be anything like this. Police at the care home in Wickford, Essex. Officers are guarding the entrance to the facility with a single officer watching over a cordon A police vehicle and ambulance at the scene. Grandmother Avice Nunn, 84, said she saw an air ambulance desperately working to save the victim's life It follows a man being rushed to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being stabbed in the back at the same care home, pictured above, last year 'It's really sad to hear that someone has lost their life, you don't really hear about this kind of thing round here.' And another elderly local said there had been no problems at the facility. The 72-year-old resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'We were obviously so shocked, the care home has been there for a few years now and we've lived here for 40 odd- personally. 'I've never heard about them having any problems.' In a statement, Essex Police said: 'A man has died following a serious assault at a care home in Wickford this evening, Thursday 2 July. 'We were called shortly before 7pm, with reports that a man in his 60s had been assaulted at a residential care home on Swan Lane. 'Despite effort of paramedics, the man sadly died. A 43-year-old man from Wickford has been arrested on suspicion of murder. 'He remains in police custody.' The care home was unavailable for comment. The Prime Minister's father Stanley Johnson was spotted at a tavern in Greece last night after he flew to his villa in brazen defiance of pandemic travel warnings. Stanley Johnson, 79, jetted to his four-bed mountain-view home in Pelion ignoring Foreign Office guidance which says no one should travel unless it is essential. The former Tory Euro-MP dodged Greece's ban on direct flights from the UK by flying from Luton to Athens via Bulgaria, sharing videos and images of his journey online. Last night, Stanley Johnson was photographed looking at his mobile phone with a glass of red wine on a table while sitting alone at Martha's restaurant in Horto village. Boris Johnson did not condemn him today, telling LBC Radio: 'I think you really ought to raise that with him. I am not going to get into details of family conversations. 'I think the overwhelming majority of the British people have understood what needs to be done and have been very prudent, and that is the right thing to do.' Local residents told Magnesia News that Martha's is Stanley Johnson's favourite restaurant in the area and his dinner included fresh fish, Greek salad and red wine. Stanley Johnson was photographed last night looking at his mobile phone with a glass of red wine on a table while sitting alone at Martha's restaurant at Horto in Mount Pelion, Greece The Prime Minister's father Stanley Johnson was spotted at the tavern in Greece last night They added that he has otherwise rarely left the villa since arriving in the country this week, and has not been spotted in the village at any other time. Boris Johnson has also gone to the restaurant when in the village, and chose to visit the area with his now-fiancee Carrie Symonds for New Year's Eve in 2018. Speaking from his villa which he lets out to tourists Stanley Johnson said Greek officials were happy to allow him in and the ban only seemed to apply to 'bulk arrivals' of British holidaymakers. MPs said the incident 'stinks of one rule for them and another rule for the rest of us' and claimed it echoed No 10 aide Dominic Cummings' infamous lockdown trip to Barnard Castle. Stanley Johnson posted a selfie on his Instagram feed during his trip to Greece on Wednesday More than 400,000 sunseekers are thought to have had their Greek holidays ruined by government delays in relaxing the global travel warning, along with Greece's decision to ban direct flights from the UK until July 15. During the lockdown, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said foreign summer holidays are effectively cancelled following the Foreign Office travel warning. Also today, Mr Shapps disclosed that Greece was not on the initial list of countries from which travellers to England would no longer be required to quarantine for 14 days on arrival. Mr Shapps said a decision on whether to add Greece to the list would have to wait until at least July 15 when the government in Athens will decide whether to lift its restrictions on travellers from the UK. Mr Johnson travelled to his mountain retreat in Pelion, outside Athens, pictured, where he claimed he was making it Covid secure ahead of the letting season for holiday makers He said that if Mr Johnson senior returned to the UK before that date he would have to self-isolate for a fortnight 'which he will be happy to do'. Asked whether is visit to his villa constituted 'essential business', Mr Shapps said it was 'up to an individual to decide'. 'There is certainly no law against it. This is travel advice,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. 'But what isn't up to an individual to decide is when they return from that location then they will need to self-isolate, they will need to do that quarantine for 14 days.' Boris Johnson did not condemn his father today, telling LBC Radio (pictured): 'I think you really ought to raise that with him. I am not going to get into details of family conversations' As a Greek news website branded Stanley Johnson's trip 'unbelievable', MPs urged Boris Johnson to explain why his father appears to be bound by a 'different set of rules' to those imposed on ordinary holidaymakers. Labour's aviation spokesman Mike Kane said: 'The Government have been all over the place with their plans for a quarantine or air bridges, but what is clear is that the guidance is against any foreign travel at the moment.' Speaking in the Commons, Liberal Democrat Alistair Carmichael said: 'This is simply further evidence that when it comes to following the rules, it is one rule for the Conservatives and one rule for everyone else. 'Whilst the Prime Minister is continuing to ask people to make huge sacrifices... he must reflect on how much of a kick in the teeth these reports will be.' Stanley Johnson flew via Sofia, Bulgaria to avoid Greece's ban on direct flights from the UK Labour's Rosena Allin-Khan, a shadow minister and A&E doctor, wrote on Twitter: 'Most people have been following the guidelines and socially distancing not everyone will get a holiday this year. 'Those closest to the Prime Minister have different rules though.' Fellow Labour MP Kate Osborne added: 'They're laughing directly in the face of people up and down this country. Shame.' Liberal Democrat Jamie Stone said the incident 'stinks of one rule for them and another rule for the rest of us'. Prime Minister Boris Johnson with his father Stanley at a book launch in London in 2014 The Foreign Office currently advises British nationals 'against all but essential international travel'. It is up to travellers to decide whether their trip is essential. Mr Johnson said on Wednesday night: 'I'm in Pelion on essential business trying to Covid-proof my property in view of the upcoming letting season. I need to set up distancing measures at the property because they're taking it very seriously here.' The Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'In relation to Foreign Office advice, that is what it is it is advice. It is for individuals to make judgments themselves.' Stanley Johnson declined to comment further yesterday. China says it is 'not afraid' of Australia's bold plans to bolster its military after Scott Morrison unveiled a $270billion boost to the nation's defence forces. The Prime Minister announced on Wednesday that Australia will spend $75billion on the navy, $65billion on the air force, $55billion on the army, $15billion on cyber security, and $7billion on space. China's state-owned media responded on Friday saying the communist nation won't back down to the 'provocations' and could counter by upgrading its forces. 'These weapon procurement plans have widely been interpreted as being aimed at China,' an article that appeared in The Global Times on Friday stated. The English language newspaper is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and has recently run another article that alleges Australia is sending spies to China. The Global Times article titled 'China prepared against military provocation from Australia' quoted 'Chinese experts' who said Australia is a 'follower of the US'. 'Chinese experts said on Thursday that while the Chinese military has no intention of provoking Australia, it is also not afraid of Australian provocations.' the report reads. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison takes a look at military machinery during a visit to defence contractor Electro Optics Systems (EOS) in Canberra, Thursday, July 2, 2020 Australian troops (soldiers Private Samantha Dickins and Private Maddison Hamilton) could become involved in the biggest Australian defence deployment in Asia since Robert Menzies sent forces to the Korean War in 1950 and to the Vietnam War in 1962 The article also quoted Beijing-based Naval expert Le Jies, who warned China could develop military defence systems in retaliation. 'China can also take countermeasures in terms of politics, diplomacy and economic measures,' he said. The article said analysts have noted the specific weapons and equipment that Australia will acquire were 'obviously' not for defence within Australian borders but for 'long-range' combat. The article said the communist nation has 'no intention of challenging Australia militarily ... But if Australia wants to provoke China, China is also ready to defend itself'. 'Australia is only a follower of the US and its capability in the South China Sea will be limited despite the new plans,' the report reads. About 80 per cent of China's energy imports and almost 40 per cent of the country's trade passes through the South China Sea. Beijing has been widely condemned internationally since embarking in 2013 on a military expansion into disputed areas within the region. Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, China and Vietnam have claims over various islands and maritime waters in the area. Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy patrol at Woody Island, in the Paracel Archipelago, which is known in China as the Xisha Islands More than half of $270billion will be spent on improving Australia's air and maritime forces, including buying new AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles from the US (pictured) Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015 Beijing has been constructing man-made islands complete with air bases in the South China Sea, contributing to escalating tension in the South Pacific. Wednesday's announcement by Australia's Prime Minister includes long-range missiles that can hit targets up to 370km away. In a post-pandemic world of the 2020s, Mr Morrison hinted the likelihood of a hot war on Australian soil was the greatest since the 1940s, when the Japanese bombed Darwin and sent midget submarines into Sydney Harbour. 'We need to also prepare for a post-COVID world that is poorer, more dangerous and more disorderly,' he told the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra on Wednesday. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's director of defence, strategy and national security, Michael Shoebridge, said China under President Xi Jinping was increasingly aggressive - making a war in the Asia-Pacific more likely within the next decade. 'The most obvious source of military conflict in our region is Beijing under Xi Jinping,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'This all means that major military conflict in our region is now credible well within the 'ten years warning time' that Australian strategy has been based on until now.' In 2020, Mr Shoebridge said China was Australia's biggest military threat, despite being Australia's biggest trading partner, and the number one buyer of iron ore exports used to make steel. 'This flows from the coercive, expansionist behaviour of the Chinese government,' he said. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced Australia will be acquiring long-range missiles that can hit a target 370km away, as part of a plan to spend $270billion on defence hardware and cyber security during the coming decade. Pictured is a Long Range Anti-Ship Missile China has been constructing man-made islands complete with air bases in the South China Sea contributing to escalating tensions in the South Pacific (Getty Images imagery from 26 April 2016 of Woody Island) The CCP also appears to be preparing for a propaganda offensive with the Global Times running another article recently alleging Australia is ramping up spying efforts against Beijing. The report also claims Australia is instigating defections, spying on Chinese students and feeding 'fake news' to the media to hype up theories about the Asian superpower's spying network. The article, based on an anonymous source from a Chinese law-enforcement agency, says Australia had attempted to install wire taps in the Chinese embassy in Canberra. Liberal MP and former diplomat Dave Sharma suggested the report lacked credibility and was a ploy from communist regime. 'This is a classic disinformation campaign designed to muddy the waters,' Mr Sharma said. The government is also considering buying a range of other weapons and defence systems including the surface-to-air Missile, the High Mobility Rocket Artillery System and the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System. Pictured is a rocket being launched in South Korea as part of an exercise to prepare for North Korean aggression Prime Minister Morrison said on Wednesday that 'the Indo-Pacific is the epicentre of rising strategic competition'. 'Our region will not only shape our future - increasingly it is the focus of the dominant global contest of our age.' 'Tensions over territorial claims are rising across the Indo-Pacific region - as we have seen recently on the disputed border between India and China, in the South China Sea, and in the East China Sea.' China in the 21st century is seeking to overtake the US as the world's biggest military superpower, and supplant its place as the No.1 global economy. 'Relations between China and the United States are fractious as they compete for political, economic and technological supremacy,' Mr Morrison said. Experts have said Australia must navigate its position carefully in the next decade between the country's biggest trading nation and biggest ally. A Victorian man fined $1,000 for his attempts to sneak into South Australia claimed he was sightseeing when police found his van bogged on a back road. The 23-year-old first attempted to cross the border with his co-worker, 18, at a coronavirus checkpoint at Bordertown at around 4am on Thursday. After the pair were told they would need to isolate for 14 days if they entered SA the men returned to Victoria but were caught 12 hours later trying to cross again. Police found the men's Volkswagen van bogged in deep mud along a back road just 20 minutes north-east of the crossing. Two men, 23 and 18, from Melbourne tried to sneak into South Australia on Thursday and were found bogged down on a muddy back road (pictured) on their second attempt But the 23-year-old man, known as Mohammad, told 7 News he was not intending to sneak across the border. 'I did not try to go back into South Australia through the back roads, the police accused me they did not want to listen to me,' he said. 'There was a river nearby there, I put it in the navigator and the navigator told me to go there.' Officers fined both of the men $1,060 for breaching restrictions. The 23-year-old man said he was sightseeing when he was caught by police attempting to cross into South Australia using a back road SA Police have dedicated 500 police to patrolling the border to keep undeclared Victorians out but residents at the nearby town of Naracoorte said they believe people are still sneaking in. 'I've always been so angry about it, but what are we supposed to do,' a resident said. Locals said they were angry at Victorians for trying to cross the border when South Australians had worked so hard to keep coronavirus at bay. Victoria on Friday reported 66 new cases and a total of 442 active coronavirus cases in the state. The recent increase of cases have resulted in SA putting a halt on its plans to open to reopen its border to Victoria on July 20. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has ended a month-long absence from public view as he appeared at a meeting of the country's political bureau on Thursday. Kim, thought to be 36, used the meeting to praise North Korea's 'shining success' in fighting coronavirus as the Hermit Kingdom continues to deny having a single case. The meeting comes after Japan's defence minister reignited the debate over Kim's health last week, saying he has 'some suspicions' that the despot is ill. Kim has now been seen just eight times in public since April, having been seen an average of 46 times in the same period since taking power in 2011. He was last seen at another bureau meeting on June 8. Kim Jong-un led a meeting of the country's political bureau on Thursday, marking the first time he has been seen in public in a month A mark on Kim's right wrist, which some observers have suggested could have been left by a needle used to inset a heart stent, was still visible in images released Thursday (pictured) Taro Kono said on Thursday last week that Japan has observed the dictator making 'unusual movements' as he has travelled around the country. Mr Kono speculated that this could be due to Kim trying to avoid catching coronavirus, which observers believe has been spreading widely in North Korea for some time despite official denials. But he refused to elaborate further, saying he is 'not allowed to discuss intelligence issues'. Rumours about Kim's health first began swirling when he missed Day of the Sun celebrations to mark his grandfather's birthday on April 15. No North Korean leader has ever missed the event, as Kim Il-sung is considered to be the country's 'eternal president' - despite dying in 1994. He reappeared three weeks later at the opening of a fertilizer factory, though slight differences in his appearance led some to speculate he was using a body double. Among then was a spot on his right wrist, which experts suggested could also be a 'needle mark' left behind after surgeons inserted a stent - which is typically used to treat a heart attack. The mark was still visible in new images released on Thursday. His sister, Kim Yo-jong, has also been taking an increasingly public role in North Korea's affairs - including giving the order to blow up an inter-Korean liaison office with the South last month. That has led to speculation that she is being groomed for leadership, should her elder brother die. Japan last week renewed speculation about Kim's health last week, with defence minister Taro Kono saying he has 'some suspicions' that the dictator is ill Kim is thought to have three children, but none of them old enough to hold a leadership position. State media said that Kim used the meeting to urge officials to stay vigilant in the fight against coronavirus, warning of an 'unimaginable and irretrievable crisis' if they become complacent. But he also praised vigilance which he claimed has so-far 'thoroughly prevented the inroad of the malignant virus' despite the worldwide health crisis. Describing its anti-virus efforts as a 'matter of national existence,' North Korea earlier this year shut down nearly all cross-border traffic, banned tourists and mobilized health workers to quarantine anyone with symptoms. Experts say the country's self-imposed lockdown is hurting an economy already battered by stringent U.S.-led sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programs. The KCNA report said Kim during the politburo meeting of the Workers' Party 'stressed the need to maintain maximum alert without a slight self-complacence or relaxation' as the virus continues to spread in neighboring countries. The agency said Kim sharply criticized inattentiveness among officials and violations of emergency anti-virus rules and warned that a 'hasty relief of anti-epidemic measures will result in unimaginable and irretrievable crisis.' The North's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper published several photos of Kim at the meeting, which were the first state media images of him in weeks. Neither Kim nor the ruling party officials who participated were wearing masks. Kim's statement suggests North Korea's full border closure with China, its biggest trading partner and economic pipeline, will likely continue despite the toll that is taking on the already heavily sanctioned economy. Kim used the meeting to praise North Korea's 'shining success' in fighting coronavirus, but warned that complacency risks an 'unimaginable and irretrievable crisis' According to Chinese data, the North's exports to China and imports from it both plunged by more than 90% for two consecutive months in March and April. In May, the North's trade volume with China increased by about 164% from the month before, suggesting North Korea was trying to restore trade, the IBK Economic Research Institute said in a report. Cho Hey-sil, a spokeswoman at the South Korean Unification Ministry, told reporters Friday that it remains to be seen whether North Korea's trade with China will fully resume. Even before the pandemic, North Korea was grappling with the pain of U.N. sanctions imposed over its nuclear program. Its trade volume with China in 2019 was more than halved compared with 2016 figures, after new U.N. sanctions targeting the North's major export items such as coal, textiles and seafood were adopted in recent years. Kim was desperate to win sanctions relief when he engaged in a flurry of diplomacy with the United States, including three summits with President Donald Trump, in 2018 and 2019. But those efforts have made little headway since the second Kim-Trump summit in Vietnam in February 2019 ended when Trump rejected Kim's demands for extensive sanctions relief in return for partial denuclearization. Last year, Kim launched an ambitious five-year national development plan, but experts say the coronavirus crisis likely thwarted some of his major economic goals. Kim in December declared a 'frontal breakthrough' against the sanctions while urging his nation to stay resilient in the struggle for economic self-reliance. In May, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers that panic buying had taken place in Pyongyang amid skyrocketing prices of imported food such as sugar and seasonings, before authorities clamped down on those cornering the market. North Korea monitoring groups in Seoul recently said the price of rice and key commodities and foreign exchange rates in markets in Pyongyang remain stable. Ahn Kyung-su, head of the Seoul-based private dprkhealth.org institute, which focuses on health issues in the North, said there could be Chinese aid shipments and unofficial bilateral trade taking place that isn't reflected in official trade figures. Dr. Anthony Fauci has warned that a new mutation of coronavirus could spread easily across America. It comes as infections soar across eight states, with more than 55,000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday and 671 deaths, bringing the confirmed total to 2.74 million cases and 128,742 deaths. On Thursday the US broke a one-day record for new coronavirus cases with more than 53,000 infections in 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins University data. A small change to a variant of the novel coronavirus has helped it spread between people much faster and effectively, but has not make it more deadly, a new study suggests. Researchers found there were two strains of the virus circulating when it reached the US: the original D614 and a mutation, G614. The G614 variant spreads faster and is the one that devastated Italy and made its way to the East Coast of the US. Anthony Fauci, the United States's top infectious disease specialist, who wasn't involved in the research, said: 'I think the data is showing that there is a single mutation that actually makes the virus be able to replicate better, and maybe have high viral loads.' He told the Journal of the American Medical Association:'We don't have a connection to whether an individual does worse with this or not. It just seems that the virus replicates better and may be more transmissible, but this is still at the stage of trying to confirm that,' he added. 'But some very good viral phylogeneticists are working on that right now, and it does look like a particular mutation may make the virus more transmissible.' Senior health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci (pictured) has warned that a new mutation of coronavirus could spread easily across America. This mutation is not a deadlier version of the coronavirus but it does help the virus copy itself better, which results in a higher viral load in patients The US has seen a record 53,000 new COVID-19 cases within 24 hours on Thursday, smashing a record from the day prior, according to data from Johns Hopkins University It comes as the US on Thursday broke a one-day record for new coronavirus cases with more than 53,000 infections in 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The staggering increase set a new daily case record for the second day in a row after the nation observed over 52,000 new cases on Wednesday. According to the tracker, there were 53,069 new cases and 649 deaths over the 24 hours to Thursday. As of Friday morning the US' total number of COVID-19 infections stood at 2,739,092 and the number of deaths at 128,742. Eight states reported single-day case records on Thursday: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Montana, South Carolina and Tennessee. Despite the spike in numbers, some states are still seeing packed beaches and outfoor festivities as the nation heads into the holiday Fourth of July weekend. In Miami hordes of people were seen packed on beaches and enjoying the sun, despite looming concerns over the virus. In South Dakota, crowds of people waving pro-Trump flags were seen at Mt. Rushmore National Monument, a day ahead of President Donald Trump's scheduled visit to the site to celebrate Independence Day. The celebration on Friday will include a fireworks display at the monument, which features the stone carvings of US Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. On Thursday Texas Gov. Greg Abbott buckled down and issued a mandate for people in counties with 20 or more COVID-19 cases to wear face masks in public and banned gatherings of more than 10 people. The announcement came a day after the Lone Star state reported 8,000 new COVID-19 cases. As of Thursday Texas reported 175,977 coronavirus cases and 2,525 deaths. Florida is another state of worry as it now has over 169,000 cases and 3,600 deaths. Thursday is the 25th consecutive day that the state has set a record high in its seven-day rolling average. But Gov. Ron DeSantis has cast blame on 'social interactions' among young people at parties, beaches, bars, and swimming pools, and also said the numbers are up due to a more 'robust' testing program. Arizona is another worsening hotspot for the virus reporting 3,333 new COVID-19 cases and 37 new deaths on Thursday. Overall the state has recorded over 87,000 cases of the virus and over 1,700 deaths. On Wednesday Vice President Mike Pence visited the state and promised to deploy hundreds of medical personnel to the state to aid in the crisis that has seen 86 percent of inpatient bends and 89 percent of ICU beds filled. Those patients include COVID-19 patients and those fighting other ailments. Nationally, cases have passed 2,715,000 with more than 128,000 deaths as the US scrambles to control the spread of the virus. And the new atudy ashowing that coronavirus is spreading more easily with the new mutation will add to these worries. Researchers found the most dominant strain of the virus by mid-March was a mutation of the original variant called G614 (right, in blue), not the original virus D614 (left, in green) This chart shows how the number of daily coronavirus cases as skyrocketed in June Dr Erica Ollmann Saphire, a professor of at the La Jolla Institute of Immunology in California, says viruses often mutate to 'escape' antibodies created by our immune systems. This phenomenon of viruses making enough changes to 'drift' away from the original virus is known as antigenic drift. It's one reason why new flu shots are needed every fall, because the dominant strain is often so different from the one the year before. Health experts say coronavirus mutates at a slower rate than several other respiratory viruses, particularly the the flu. The lab-based research, published in the journal Cell, suggests this current mutation is more transmissible between people in the real world compared to the previous iteration, but this hasn't yet been proven. For the study, the team tracked the spread of both the G and D viruses. They found that while both the D virus and the G virus spread widely around the world, the G strain was more dominant by mid-March. Next, researchers analyzed at antibody samples from six San Diego residents who had previously been infected with COVID-19. They wanted to see if which variant would be harder to neutralize. Results showed the new G virus was just as well neutralized - and sometimes even better - as the original D virus. This means the immune system doesn't need to produce more or better-acting antibodies against the G virus, despite it being better at spreading. Eight states reported single-day case records on Thursday: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Montana, South Carolina and Tennessee President Donald Trump tweeted late Thursday blaming the surge in coronavirus cases on expansive testing efforts Florida: On Thursday eight states reported record highs in single-day cases, including Florida. But that didn't stop hordes of people from hitting the sand in Miami Beach (above) 'These findings suggest that the newer form of the virus may be even more readily transmitted than the original form,' said senior author Dr Bette Korber, a fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory. 'Whether or not that conclusion is ultimately confirmed, it highlights the value of what were already good ideas: to wear masks and to maintain social distancing.' Saphire says the virus 'wants' to be transmissible, which is why many get a mild cases, or have no symptoms at all. 'A virus that kills its host rapidly doesn't go as far--think of cases of Ebola,' she said. 'A virus that lets its host go about their business will disseminate better - like with the common cold.' Florida now has over 169,000 cases and 3,600 deaths. Thursday is the 25th consecutive day that the state has set a record high in its seven-day rolling average Preparing: Workers pictured setting up a stage and crowd space at Mt. Rushmore National Monument in anticipation of President Donald Trump's visit to the site on Friday Friday's Independence Day celebration will include a fireworks display Why the next few days could decide the fate of the coronavirus crisis in the US: Startling data shows deaths are RISING again - as spike in cases and hospitalisations show worsening outbreak may not be down just to more testing Sam Blanchard, Senior Health Reporter for MailOnline The US could be heading for a surge in coronavirus deaths as startling data shows the number of confirmed daily cases and Americans being hospitalised by the infection is continuing to rise. More than 2.6million people in the US have already been struck down with the disease a quarter of the world's total. And at least 128,000 citizens have died since the crisis spiralled out of control. Soaring numbers of people started testing positive for the coronavirus in June after the outbreak appeared to be shrinking. Yesterday a record-high of 52,000 new cases were confirmed across the country, a figure described as 'disturbing' by the White House's top virus adviser Dr Anthony Fauci. And the average numbers of people being diagnosed rose consistently throughout June from 151,143 in the first seven days of the month to 288,258 last week, driven by soaring outbreaks in many Republican-voting states. While rising cases is partly a result of more testing being carried out President Donald Trump admitted he told officials to 'slow the testing down' when the numbers got too high, which health chiefs later claimed was a joke more people are also ending up in hospital. President Trump claimed last week that the US's death toll was 'way down' and the rate of fatalities was 'one of the lowest in the world' and said told Fox News: 'We have more cases because we do the greatest testing. If we didn't do testing, we'd have no cases. Other countries they don't test millions.' The number of hospitalisations is one that can't be spun to look better and data shows it is on the rise after falling for two months between April and mid-June, bolstering claims from leading scientists that coronavirus lockdowns designed to suffocate the virus were lifted too soon. A decline in the number of people dying also appears to have levelled off, prompting one expert to say America is 'losing the battle' against Covid-19. This trend is likely to start rising again within the next two weeks or fade out within days because it the figures are a blip as some of the increasing numbers of people infected in mid-June start to die in the nation's hospitals. It takes two to four weeks for a Covid-19 patient to die, on average. Data in the US has shown a shift in the areas that are being worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with Trump-voting states now accounting for a majority of new confirmed cases each day 73 per cent of all new daily cases diagnosed on June 28. Nine out of the 10 states with the biggest increases in daily positive tests since May have been those which voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, with Arizona, Idaho, Florida and South Carolina seeing case counts surge. The number of people in hospital with Covid-19 has risen to more than 35,000 in recent weeks after hitting its lowest point since April in mid-June. As hospitalisations rise, deaths are expected to increase proportionately (Data from The Covid Tracing Project) The number of people dying of the coronavirus had been falling in May and June but appears to have levelled off and started to increase again in recent weeks, with spikes in late June and more than 2,500 deaths on 27 June The number of people dying of Covid-19 in the US has remained relatively stable in June - there were a total 6,398 in the first week of the month, according to the WHO, and 6,178 in the past seven days. But the number of people in hospital is on the rise and will inevitably lead to more deaths. Data for July 1 showed there were 35,937 people in hospitals across the country. The number had hit its lowest point since April in the middle of June, when there were 27,115 patients accounted for on June 15, a significant drop from a peak of 59,260 on April 15, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project. There were more than 50,000 people in hospital at any given time between April 10 and May 6. As the number of people in hospital gets higher the number of deaths would be expected to rise proportionally with it. Experts fear that as the number of cases rising and the emergence of new hotspots - Delaware, Ohio and Colorado are projected to be on track for new outbreaks - means the virus is now totally out of control. Dr David Rubin, a professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, said yesterday: 'We need to admit that we are losing the battle nationally to contain this dangerous virus as it engulfs more communities across the country, including those in the Northeast and Midwest that worked so hard to reduce cases and get back to a relatively normal way of life.' Many areas face second lockdowns after attempting to get back to normal, as the virus has rebounded in locations where rules were relaxed. Arizona, Texas, California, Florida and Delaware have rolled back plans to lift lockdown rules amid surging cases, and eight states - Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas - hit one-day record numbers of cases yesterday when the national total was 52,898 in 24 hours. In comparison, the most cases recorded in a single day in Britain was 6,201 on May 1. In Brazil the most cases recorded in a day has been 54,771. As the numbers of people being diagnosed with the virus increases, so too will the number of people being admitted to hospital with severe Covid-19 - assuming the cases are spread throughout all age groups. It can take up to a week, on average, for someone's condition to deteriorate to the point they need hospital care after they have developed Covid-19 symptoms. The number of people being diagnosed with Covid-19 in the US has surged in June to its highest ever level yesterday, with 52,000 new cases. This is in part due to improved testing provision but experts say infections genuinely appear to be rising, too A greater proportion of new coronavirus cases are being diagnosed in states that voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Those states tend to be more rural and have lower incomes (Data by the Associated Press) ARE THE US'S SECOND LOCKDOWNS AN OVER-REACTION? Various states and cities in the US are rolling back plans to reopen after lockdown or even bringing in new measures amid rising numbers of Covid-19 cases. In California, Arizona and parts of Delaware, bars have been asked to close once again to try and stop the spread of disease. But the people catching the coronavirus now are younger than they were in the earlier days of the pandemic, data shows, suggesting that the risk of death is lower and strict lockdowns may not be as necessary. In Florida, the median age of people testing positive is now in the mid-30s, down from higher than 65 in March, New York Magazine reports. 'If you look at that 25-to-34 age group, that is now by far the leading age group for positive tests,' said Governor Ron DeSantis. In Arizona, cases have soared among the under-19s in an eight-fold rise, while they rose six times for people between 20 and 44, and just two times for over-65s. The average age fell from 49 to 35. In Oklahoma around half of new cases are among under-35s, NY Mag reported, and cases have been attributed to younger people at bars and beaches in Michigan and Delaware. Younger people are known to be significantly less likely to die if they catch Covid-19, and scientists in the UK say the risk of death from any cause has not been increased for people under the age of 45 because of the pandemic. So locking down entire cities or states because of rising cases among the young could be a step too far, some argue. British columnist Gerard Baker, writing in The Times newspaper today, said they were a 'gross overreaction'. He said: 'Well need more evidence before we can say for sure how serious the new surge is but the overall picture continues to suggest that the threat from the virus has been consistently overstated... 'The new data we are seeing in the US suggest that, far from justifying the most extreme lockdown measures, with all the damage to the economy they do, the spread of the virus is much less of a threat to health and life than was widely argued. 'With proper, targeted protection of the most vulnerable it would probably not have been necessary to shut down entire economies.' Advertisement Most people sent into hospital then recover but, for those who don't, it can take weeks longer for them to be moved to intensive care or to become so ill that they die. Throughout the pandemic, scientists have suggested there is a lag of between two and four weeks, on average, between somebody becoming ill with Covid-19 and dying of it. Surging numbers of cases in June, therefore, could lead to rises in the daily death tolls within the next week or two. Speaking in mid-June, when the numbers of cases started to rise again, Dr Ali Mokdad, a global health expert at the University of Washington, told the Associated Press: 'We're going to see a rise in deaths in many places in the United States.' Recent startling spikes in cases have forced states such as Texas, California and Florida to buckle down and halt their reopenings after businesses hoped to emerge from statewide lockdowns. On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered all bars, indoor restaurants and cinemas to shut down immediately in most parts of the state, nearly three weeks after they opened for the first time following a three-month lockdown. Since then, the number of Covid-19 cases began to rise again, increasing nearly 50 per cent over the last two weeks, with a 43 per cent spike in hospitalizations. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey issued an executive order for bars, gyms and movie theaters to shut down immediately on Monday. Tuesday, Delaware ordered some of its beach towns shut down their bars after a recent spike in cases. Top US infectious disease specialist Dr Anthony Fauci warned during a Tuesday Senate hearing that daily infections could soar to 100,000 'if this does not turn around' and, while he declined to predict a specific number of fatalities, he worries the death toll in the US could reach 'disturbing' heights. President Trump has attributed the surging daily case numbers to a 'great' expansion of coronavirus testing in the US. The number of test run Tuesday, June 30, was nearly double the number of tests run on May 30, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project. But the number of daily cases has now far surpassed what was thought to be the pandemic's peak, in April. Public health experts warn that, although the number of people dying each day is down significantly, these increases typically lag behind case increases, with one recent study estimating a 17-day delay. But there are concerns that locking down cities and states again could be an over-reaction because the elderly - who are far more likely to die if they catch the coronavirus - are not catching it as often as they were. In Florida, the median age of people testing positive is now in the mid-30s, down from higher than 65 in March, New York Magazine reports. 'If you look at that 25-to-34 age group, that is now by far the leading age group for positive tests,' said Governor Ron DeSantis. In Arizona, cases have soared among the under-19s in an eight-fold rise, while they rose six times for people between 20 and 44, and just two times for over-65s. The average age fell from 49 to 35. In Oklahoma around half of new cases are among under-35s, NY Mag reported, and cases have been attributed to younger people at bars and beaches in Michigan and Delaware. Younger people are known to be significantly less likely to die if they catch Covid-19, and scientists in the UK say the risk of death from any cause has not been increased for people under the age of 45 because of the pandemic. Nine out of the 10 states with the biggest increases in daily positive tests since May have been those which voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, with Arizona, Idaho, Florida and South Carolina seeing case counts surge So locking down entire cities or states because of rising cases among the young could be a step too far, some argue. NEW DAILY CASES IN US TOPS 52,000 FOR THE FIRST TIME The US has seen a record 52,000 new COVID-19 cases within 24 hours on Wednesday July 1, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The surge marked a new one-day record of infections as states across the country reopen. According to the tracker, there were 52,898 new cases over the 24 hours to Wednesday evening. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the US was 2,686,249 early Thursday morning and the number of deaths stood at 128,062. The daily coronavirus case numbers have remained around the 40,000 mark in recent days. The news comes as more than 44,000 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the US on Tuesday. Adding to the rise in cases, hospitalizations for COVID-19, the contagious respiratory disease that first emerged in China, are also increasing in Houston, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona. On Wednesday alone Texas broke its daily record and recorded 8,076 new cases, which is nearly 1,000 more than the day prior. The startling spikes in cases have forced states such as Texas, California and Florida to buckle down and halt their reopenings. On Wednesday California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all bars, indoor restaurant operations and movie theaters to shut down immediately in most parts of the states, nearly three weeks after the states bars, stores, restaurants, and salons opened for the first time following a three-month lockdown. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey issued an executive order for bars, gyms and movie theaters to shut down immediately on Monday. And on Tuesday, Delaware ordered some of its beach towns shut down their bars after a recent spike in cases. Advertisement British columnist Gerard Baker, writing in The Times newspaper today, said they were a 'gross overreaction'. He said: 'Well need more evidence before we can say for sure how serious the new surge is but the overall picture continues to suggest that the threat from the virus has been consistently overstated... 'The new data we are seeing in the US suggest that, far from justifying the most extreme lockdown measures, with all the damage to the economy they do, the spread of the virus is much less of a threat to health and life than was widely argued. 'With proper, targeted protection of the most vulnerable it would probably not have been necessary to shut down entire economies.' State-by-state data shows there has been a shift in the locations where people are spreading the virus most, too. While the early days of the US's epidemic was concentrated in wealthy urban cities - New York remains one of the worst affected cities in the world - analysis by the Associated Press shows the spread of the virus has shifted from Democratic-voting states to Republican ones. On June 28, states that voted for Trump in the 2016 presidential election accounted for an overwhelming 73 per cent of all new cases diagnosed, with the remaining 27 per cent in states that voted for Hillary Clinton. This was a total reversal of the situation in March when, for the first week of the month, 91 per cent of cases were diagnosed in Democratic states. Data shows that nine out of the 10 areas which have seen the biggest surges in cases between May and July were Trump-voting areas. In particular, Arizona, Idaho, Florida and South Carolina saw big surges. Alaska, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, Utah, Oklahoma are all also seeing rises in infections, while a larger proportion of states where outbreaks are shrinking were ones that voted for Hillary in 2016. In the east, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Illinois and New Hampshire are all seeing marked declines in their case counts. Trump supporters have been less likely to take the threat of the virus seriously, according to AP, and Republican governors have been more likely to put off enacting lockdowns on their citizens, potentially contributing to the spread. They have been more likely to take the lead of the president, who has been criticised for not taking Covid-19 seriously enough. Contrary to data showing the outbreak is still very real crisis for the US, President Donald Trump insisted the virus will simply disappear during an interview with Fox on Wednesday. 'I think were going to have a vaccine very soon,' he said. 'Were headed back in a very strong fashion ... And I think were going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point thats going to sort of just disappear. I hope.' New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo - a Democrat - hit out at the president last week on CNN, and said: 'You played politics with this virus, and you lost... You told the people of this state, you told the people of this country, the White House: "Dont worry about it. Go about your business. This is all Democratic hyperbole." 'It was never politics,' he added. 'It was always science.' Advertisement Never-before-seen photos of the momentous D-Day landings have come to light after 76 years. The images were taken by Lieutenant Stephen Malenoir-Vickers, of the Royal Engineers, who cleared mines and paths across Juno Beach using an armoured bulldozer. Juno Beach was one of five beaches targeted in the allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on June 6 1944 during the Second World War. The pictures document this and the months that followed as troops progressed into Belgium and Germany. The Normandy landings - often referred to as D-Day - was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of German-occupied France and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front. Lt Malenoir-Vickers also kept hold of Top Secret D-Day maps and a war diary charting his time from the Normandy landings to the end of the war in May 1945. In November 1944 he was awarded the Military Cross for overseeing the 10 hour construction of two bridges over a canal in Holland while under intense shot and shell fire from the enemy. His personal effects are now being sold with C&T Auctions, of Ashford, Kent, who expect them to fetch 4,000. This image of armoured bulldozers on Juno Beach forms part of the collection being sold. The vehicles were used by Canadian troops to clear mines and paths as part of the allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on June 6 1944 during the Second World War In November 1944 Lieutenant Stephen Malenoir-Vickers (pictured left) was awarded the Military Cross for overseeing the 10 hour construction of two bridges over a canal in Holland while under intense shot and shell fire from the enemy. Right: one of the photographs in the collection is this image of troops in training One of the images in the archive shows the Normandy village of Pont-l'Eveque (pictured) which was the scene of a two-day battle in August 1944. It shows destroyed buildings and the rubble that remains as people mill around observing the aftermath of the conflict One photo shows tanks disembarking from a giant landing craft after the Normandy beach had been secured on June 6, 1944. Dozens of troops on board can be seen surveying the scene from the deck with their legs dangling over the ship's edge. A row of landing craft can be seen with another image, with officers supervising on the sand. The British 79th Armoured Division, which Lt Malenoir-Vickers was assigned to, assisted the Canadian Army with mine sweeping and sea transport on D-Day. His diary entry for June 4, two days before the invasion, reveals that 'sailing was postponed for 24 hours' due to the adverse weather conditions, so he instead tucked into a breakfast of pineapple, pancakes and syrup. They instead set sail for France, via the River Thames and Dover, on June 5. Wartime images taken by Lieutenant Stephen Malenoir-Vickers showing storm boats at a ferry site. The photograph shows some soldiers sat on one of the boats as others make their way onto another waiting vessel before heading out A captured bridge at Pont I'Eveque in Normandy. The successful capture of the bridges played an important role in limiting the effectiveness of a German counter-attack in the aftermath of the Normandy invasion Wartime images taken by Lieutenant Stephen Malenoir-Vickers showing troops stood on a bridge in Herenthals, Belgium during the war. After the Normandy landings troops progressed into Belgium and Germany and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front Lieutenant Stephen Malenoir-Vickers diary entry for June 6th 1944. His war diary charted events from the Normandy landings all the way to the end of the war He landed on Juno Beach at 5.30pm on June 6, having endured a choppy voyage across the English Channel which left him feeling 'sick' - although nerves surely must have played a part. Lt Malenoir-Vickers' understated diary entry for D-Day reveals how he came under fire while clearing mines, while a plane was shot down over his head. He wrote: 'Arrive & anchor 2/3 miles off French coast.. Hundreds of craft to unload.... See paratroops land... Haphazard AA Fire.. One of our planes down...to bed 0110 hrs.' A letter to his parents on June 17 sheds more light on his D-Day experience, including the warm reception the Allies received from liberated locals who did 'V' for victory signs. He wrote: 'I had not been in France two hours when a Focke-Wulf 190 was shot down in flames over us by a Spitfire. 'The first night I slept in a slit trench but have slept in a stable farmyard since and it's quite comfortable. This photo of landing craft unloading onto the beaches of Normandy form part of the collection of never-before-seen photos of the momentous D-Day landings. The most familiar type of amphibious craft in the war - LCVPs - carried platoon-sized units of some thirty-six infantrymen or five tonnes of cargo This striking picture taken by Lieutenant Stephen Malenoir-Vickers showing two officers training at Hythe in Kent is part of the collection. Hythe was a military town where soldiers trained before heading to the front lines during WW2 and WW1 One photo (left) shows tanks disembarking from a giant landing craft after the Normandy beach had been secured on June 6, 1944. Dozens of troops on board can be seen surveying the scene from the deck with their legs dangling over the ship's edge This image shows allied forces massing in fields in Normandy. By 9am on D-Day the coastal defences in France were mostly breached by the soldiers. Allied forces launched a combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France 'Most of our work has been mine clearing and road making since landing. We have had our experience of shelling and sniping but no casualties. 'The locals have given us quite a good reception and plenty of V signs. 'The enemy here left some very elaborate strong points and generally lived lavishly on the inhabitants. Lt Malenoir-Vickers also kept hold of Top Secret D-Day maps and a war diary charting his time from the Normandy landings to the end of the war in May 1945. Pictured is a map of Creully marked 'TOP SECRET' Lt Malenoir-Vickers also kept hold of rare maps of Nazi-occupied Le Havre dated September 5, 1944. Defensive positions have been marked on them to aid the immanent attack on the German-held Channel port, codenamed Operation Astonia 'Everything gives the appearance of a hasty evacuation.' One map shows Juno Beach, while another, marked 'Top Secret', gives the layout of Bernieres-sur-Mer, including German beach defences they needed to overcome. Lt Malenoir-Vickers also kept hold of rare maps of Nazi-occupied Le Havre dated September 5, 1944. Defensive positions have been marked on them to aid the immanent attack on the German-held Channel port, codenamed Operation Astonia. Royal Navy ships and RAF aircraft carried out a blockade and an extensive preparatory bombardment of the city from August 26. The land attack began on September 10. It was carried out by the British 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division and the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, aided by detachments of specialist armoured vehicles from the 79th Armoured Division, including Canadian troops. The German garrison of about 11,000 men surrendered two days later - a huge psychological blow for Adolf Hitler. Other images in the archive show the Normandy village of Pont-l'Eveque which was the scene of a two day battle in August 1944. In November 1944 Lieutenant Stephen Malenoir-Vickers was awarded the Military Cross for overseeing the 10 hour construction of two bridges (pictured) over a canal in Holland while under intense shot and shell fire from the enemy This image of the allied troops on the beaches of Normandy alongside landing craft under barrage balloons forms part of the collection. A barrage balloon is a large unmanned tethered kite balloon used to defend ground targets against aircraft attack, by raising steel cables which pose a severe collision risk to aircraft, making the attacker's approach more difficult Tim Harper, specialist at C&T Auctions, said of the archive (pictured): 'Unfortunately, we've not been able to find out more about his life, but it appears he survived the war and brought the maps and photos back with him' Beached ships at low tide on the beaches of Normandy. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning Landing craft on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day. British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France's Normandy region The final batch of photos chart the advance through Belgium and Holland into Germany at the end of 1944 and into 1945. Lt Malenoir-Vickers was awarded the MC after helping to build two bridges under relentless German machine gun and sniper fire during the Battle of Mark Kanaal in November 1944. They endured 10 hours of continuous barrage but successfully erected the structures which allowed the Allies to cross the waters. The archive has been consigned for sale by a private collector who has owned it for the past decade. Tim Harper, specialist at C&T Auctions, said: 'Lt Malenoir-Vickers was an Engineer Officer responsible for clearing mines and paths across Juno Beach at Courselles to make sure the tanks could navigate their way through. 'The photos, many of which will be previously unseen, document this and the months that followed as they progressed into Belgium and Germany. 'The maps are fascinating because they are so detailed and there is a war diary and letters as well. 'Unfortunately, we've not been able to find out more about his life, but it appears he survived the war and brought the maps and photos back with him. 'It is a unique archive and the most interesting of its type I've had the pleasure to handle.' The sale takes place on July 8. Cassie Norma Gillies has appealed her intensive corrections order after screaming at her ex-boyfriend A glamorous real estate agent who had a screaming fit after finding her ex-boyfriend in bed with another woman has successfully appealed her intensive corrections order. Cassie Norma Gillies, 25, unleashed on Brandon Walker after she arrived to gather some belongings at his home on the Central Coast, north of Sydney, at about 7.30am on Sunday March 22. Mr Walker was in bed with another woman when he woke up to Gillies screaming profanities at them. 'Get that sl*t out of here,' Gillies screamed, according to Central Coast Express Advocate. Mr Walker told Gillies to go but she continued to scream, prompting him to lead her outside and shut the door before she could get back in. The real estate agent kept on screaming and kicked the door. She then moved to his bedroom window and hit the glass so hard that Mr Walker thought it would break. Gillies then walked to the backyard and banged the glass sliding doors, threatening to smash the windows. Mr Walker shares his home with family members, including a two-year-old girl, who were woken up by Gillies' screaming and banging. Gillies was then charged with intimidation. Gillies and Mr Walker share a kiss on a dinner date before they broke up (left). The ex-girlfriend screamed at Mr Walker and continuously banged the windows of his family home Police took out an apprehended violence order (AVO) against Gillies to protect Mr Walker from ongoing harassment. But Gillies admitted to breaching the AVO when officers visited her on April 4. She said Mr Walker spent the night with her and she 'didn't want' the AVO anymore. Gillies breached the AVO a second time when police spotted her and Mr Walker holding hands at Lake Haven Shopping Centre at 12.35pm on May 3. In May the 25-year-old was found guilty of intimidation and two counts of breaching an apprehended violence order after twice taking back her boyfriend of more than 18 months, Central Coast Express Advocate reported. Gillies was handed a nine-month ICO and ordered to do 80 hours of community service over the outburst. She was also given a 12-month and a 18-month community correction order for breaching the AVO. The real estate agent had her ICO revoked and she was put on a three-year community corrections order with 80 hours of community service after appealing her sentence in Gosford District Court on Friday. The 25-year-old was in May found guilty of intimidation and two counts of breaching an apprehended violence order after taking back her boyfriend of more than 18 months twice Judge Tanya Bright said while Gillies had a shoplifting offence at the age of 19 in 2014, she was of 'excellent character' and her behaviour earlier in the year was an 'aberration'. The appeal against the AVO was dismissed as the breaches occurred less than two weeks of the AVO being served. Gillies is now living in Liverpool, Sydney, after removing herself from her ex-boyfriend, the court was told. She has also returned to work in property management after losing her job due to the coronavirus pandemic. The court heard the 25-year-old is seeking the assistance of a psychologist after being diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Gillies is required to report to Community Corrections at Liverpool within one week to set up her community service. Gillies (pictured) appealed her intensive corrections order in Gosford District Court on Friday Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:27 pm The difference four years makes in Washington elections is probably most obvious in the state attorney generals race. Four years ago, Republicans couldnt muster an opponent to Democrat Bob Ferguson in his first re-election campaign. Ferguson easily defeated Libertarian Joshua Trumbull, his only challenger in the primary and general that year. But 2016 also saw the election of Donald Trump as president, and Ferguson became one of the most active legal challengers of Trump policies. Among the policies hes taken on are restrictions on immigrants from certain Muslim countries and the reallocation of money in the Defense Department budget for helping construct a wall along the border with Mexico. This year, he has three Republican challengers, who see the office as a platform to address problems plaguing the state like homelessness and business development, as well as being head of the states largest legal office. The attorney generals office has always been suing the federal government, said Mike Vaska, a shareholder in Foster Garvey, one of the states largest private firms. For decades it has been locked in legal battles over the cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, he noted, but the last three years have been different. Bob has made made it partisan, not about the issues, and we need to change that, he said. The state should take on the federal government when Washington is being harmed and is the only one that can handle it, Vaska said. An example of that would be challenging the Navys practice of scraping ships and polluting Puget Sound. But it should not sue over things that others can handle, such as changes to federal rules on incandescent bulbs because theres a lot of groups interested in that. Brett Rogers, a lawyer who manages the Seattle Police Departments parking enforcement office, contends Ferguson isnt consistent in the legal fights with the federal government. He sees a contradiction between the state challenging the increase in flights at Whidbey Naval Air Station while also suing over a decision to divert military construction funds bound for Washington bases to the border wall. Love him or hate him, Trump was duly elected and has certain powers, Rogers said. Fergusons office has filed or been part of 40 lawsuits against the Trump administration in the last 3 1/2 years, and hasnt lost a case, although many are still on appeal. In an interview last summer, he said he would never have predicted such a successful string but it stems in large part from the administration not following the proper procedures when it decides to change a rule or a policy. The state should have stayed out of the dispute over the Tri-Cities florist who refused to provide arrangements for a gay wedding, Rogers argued, and allowed it to remain a civil dispute between the two sides rather than filing a consumer-protection case. The state won that case in the Washington Supreme Court, which ruled twice that the refusal violated the states anti-discrimination and consumer-protection laws, but the case is before the U.S. Supreme Court. Matt Larkin, the third challenger in the race, argued an attorney general has limited resources and should make better choices in cases. He was critical of Ferguson for taking health club owners in Snohomish and Pierce counties to court for violating orders to remain closed because of COVID-19. Was that a good fight to pick? Larkin asked. The attorney generals office should be more business friendly, he said. Ferguson filed consumer-protection lawsuits against the two gyms for violating the statewide public health order despite repeated warnings and for having an unfair advantage over competitors who stayed closed. The gyms signed a settlement agreement to close. Each challenger has a resume that he argues is more important for the next occupant of the office. Rogers stresses his experience in law enforcement, first in Wisconsin and later with the Seattle Police Department. He was also an investigator in the Seattle Public Schools before returning to the police department in a civilian position to manage the parking enforcement office. He suspended his small private practice when deciding to run. Larkin worked in the Spokane County prosecutors office as a third-year student at Gonzaga Law School and later in the Pierce County prosecutors office. While working on a Master of Law and litigation at George Washington University he also worked in the George W. Bush White House, checking the legal aspects of the presidents speeches. He left the Pierce County office to return to his family manufacturing business, Romac, which was started by his grandfather. Im used to juggling a lot, Larkin said. You dont need to be an experienced litigator to solve these problems. You need to be a leader. Vaska contends his decades of experience in a major law firm, where he works on consumer protection and anti-trust cases, is the best fit for the job that involves leading an office of hundreds of attorneys and staff. Hes also the only one of the three with previous election experience, having run for attorney general in 2004, and losing in the GOP primary to eventual winner Rob McKenna, who is endorsing him this time. Hes also the current chairman of the Mainstream Republicans of Washington, a moderate-to-conservative group that includes such GOP veterans as former Gov. Dan Evans, former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton and former Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed. State primaries are no longer partisan elections, so in theory two GOP challengers could advance to the general election. But Ferguson has strong support from Democrats and has raised more than $3.3 million for the campaign to go with the name familiarity of running statewide twice and holding a high-profile office. The primary race is for the other spot on the general election ballot. By comparison, Larkin has raised $180,000, Vaska $172,000 and Rogers about $40,000, and all three are scrambling to get their name before voters. Because of restrictions tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunities to meet large groups of voters in person have mostly disappeared, but the chances to appear by internet conferencing to local political gatherings around the state have grown. Jim Camden can be reached at (509) 879-7461 or at jimc@spokesman.com. Nicola Sturgeon today attacked the UK Government's 'shambolic' plans to exempt a swathe of countries from quarantine travel restrictions as she insisted Scotland will not be 'dragged' into making changes. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps finally paved the way this morning for summer holidays by releasing a 60-strong list of countries which will no longer be subject to 14 day self-isolation rules. However, Downing Street has been unable so far to secure the agreement of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the plans which means they will only apply to England when they come into force on July 10. Mr Shapps demanded Ms Sturgeon bows to 'logic' and accept the proposed way forward as he said he hopes the other nations will follow England's lead before the rules are eased. But the SNP leader responded with fury as she accused Mr Shapps of overseeing a 'shambolic decision making process'. She said the UK Government had failed to adequately consult the devolved administrations on the plans as she claimed the list of proposed safe countries had constantly changed. Ms Sturgeon said she will 'take time to properly and rationally consider' any changes as she warned there could well be differences between Scotland's and England's quarantine exemptions lists. That would mean that anyone who flies into an English airport from a country not on Scotland's safe list would still be required to self-isolate if they then travelled north of the border. The publication of the list has been repeatedly delayed with the UK Government blaming the devolved administration in Holyrood for dragging its feet. Grant Shapps said he hoped Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Government will accept the 'logic' of making some countries exempt from quarantine rules Ms Sturgeon hit back and accused the UK Government of failing to adequately consult on the plans and of overseeing a 'shambolic decision making process' The government will soon publish a list of countries that will form part of the quarantine-free air bridge to restart the tourism industry The Transport Secretary revealed that France, Italy, Spain, Germany and New Zealand will be among around 60 destinations on a safe travel list from July 10. They will be split into a 'traffic light' system, with unconditional 'green' ratings for those with very low coronavirus rates, such as New Zealand. Other such as France will be classed as 'amber', with reciprocal agreements for travel - although it is not clear whether the deals will be formal. The US will be classed as 'red' due to soaring cases, meaning travellers will still face quarantine. Greece will also not be approved, as it has declared that arrivals from the UK will be ordered to self-isolate. Mr Shapps said he had hoped to announce a UK-wide approach but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had failed to so far agree to the plans. He told Sky News: 'At the beginning of the week I said I would announce this by the end of the week and I was hoping to do it a day or two earlier but we haven't managed to get the devolved administrations to sign up to it yet. 'This won't come in until July 10 so there is still an opportunity for them to do that. 'It is obviously a decision for them to make so as you said, it should be stressed this is England and if you are travelling to and from England and indeed that is your permanent residence, this applies to you.' Asked directly why no agreement had been struck between the four Home Nations, Mr Shapps replied: 'We have a devolved system and they have their own governments and it is for them to decide. 'The Joint Biosecurity Centre does work across all four nations so I think the logic is very much on side for all four nations to do this but we will see in the next few days.' Mr Shapps yesterday directed the blame for delays in publishing the list at Ms Sturgeon who had previously said she wanted to weigh up the public health risks of easing the travel restrictions. Ms Sturgeon hit back at lunchtime today as she claimed the list of countries proposed by the UK Government had been like 'shifting sands' in recent days. She told her daily coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh: We have often had limited or no notice of the UKs proposals and that matters because some of the judgements involved here are difficult and complex. Just to illustrate the point about the shifting sands of the UK Governments position, the list of countries that they were yesterday demanding that the Scottish Government signed up to and suggesting that we were a barrier to getting agreement on is not the same as the list that they have shared with us today. So we need as the Scottish Government to analyse these proposals properly and rationally. We need to do that obviously from a public health perspective but we also need to do that from a legal perspective. She added: When so much is at stake as it is right now, we cant allow ourselves to be dragged along in the wake of another governments, to be quite frank about, shambolic decision making process. We will take time to properly and rationally consider this before hopefully very soon setting out our own decision. Ms Sturgeon said it is 'very likely' that the Scottish Government will agree to lifting quarantine on low risk countries but that medium risk countries would need to be carefully considered. The Scottish First Minister said she will aim to 'maximise alignment' between Scotland and England's quarantine exemptions lists but that if there are differences people will still be expected to self-isolate north of the border. She said: 'If there ends up being a different list of countries that are able to come into England without quarantine from the list that the Scottish Government agrees, it will not be the case that somebody can fly into England, to an airport in England, and come to Scotland without quarantine. 'The quarantine regulations in Scotland will mean that if you come from an international country and come back to Scotland even if you are coming through England, you will still have that requirement to quarantine in Scotland.' Earlier, Scotland's Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf criticised the UK Government's approach to air bridges, saying the Scottish Government was not given adequate consultation. Likely list of air bridge countries Andorra Antigua and Barbuda Australia Austria Bahamas Barbados Belgium Bermuda Brunei Canada Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France French Polynesia Germany Gibraltar Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Japan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malaysia Malta Martinique Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway NZ Poland Reunion San Marino Serbia Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Spain St Kitts and Nevis St Lucia St Pierre and Miquelon St Vincent and the Grenadines Switzerland Taiwan Trinidad and Tobago Turkey Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Advertisement Speaking on BBC Scotland's Reporting Scotland programme, he said he wants to take a 'swift' decision and is 'all for' a four-nations approach. 'That's why it is so frustrating that the information that the UK wanted us to consider has either been given to us the night before they intend to make an announcement, including last night, or indeed given to us 30 minutes before a meeting with substantial changes, and of course that is no way to get any kind of agreement,' he said. A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'The UK Government's latest plans for air bridges, released overnight, include countries which present differing levels of risk. 'Scottish ministers are actively considering the public health impact of these proposals, as well as the data and evidence underpinning them. Once they have done that they will announce any changes in relation to Scotland.' The spokesman added: 'It is disappointing that the UK Government have chosen to make an announcement on the countries they intend to exempt before a four-nations agreement has been reached. 'We would still like to reach a four-nations approach if possible but that is difficult when the UK Government change proposals and give us last-minute sight of them.' Boris Johnson today tried to play down the row between London and Edinburgh as he insisted the four Home Nations are working together to find a way forward. 'We have had very good conversations with all the devolved administrations about this,' he told LBC radio. 'I am sure that everybody will work together to make sure that people's holiday's to those countries - and it is a small list of countries where we are going to have the air bridges - can go ahead. 'There will be large parts of the world, I'm afraid at the moment, where you will have to observe 14 days' quarantine when you have come in and that is only right. 'We have made a huge effort in this country to get this virus under control. We cannot have reinfection from abroad.' Mr Shapps said much of the list was 'common sense' - but confirmed there will not be pacts in place for the 'green' rated countries, meaning there is no guarantee Britons will not face restrictions upon arrival. Meanwhile, he said the Government is working with airports to introduce effective screening systems from later this month that could lower the risks of travel spreading infection. The full list will be released around lunchtime, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will rework its advice against 'non-essential' travel guidance - starting from July 4. However, the measures exempting travellers from quarantine will not be in force until July 10. The majority of passengers will still have to provide contact details when they arrive in England. A passenger wearing a face mask arrives to to board Ryanair flight FR2190 to Malaga at London Southend Airport in Essex on Wednesday Holidaymakers return to Portals Nous in Mallorca yesterday as Spain starts to return to normal Those who have been through countries still on the quarantine list in the past 14 days will still have to self-isolate for two weeks. In a round of broadcast interviews this morning, Mr Shapps said: 'There will be a list of 50-plus countries. If you add in the overseas territories (there will be) 60-something-or-other that will be announced later today. 'France, Germany, Italy and Spain will be on that list. It is really important that we have done this in a very careful and cautious way. The most important thing is to maintain the gains that we have had.' Explaining the system, Mr Shapps said: 'We have countries in the green category where there are very low occurrences (of coronavirus), and then countries in the amber group. 'They would include France, Germany, Spain and quite a number of others.' Advertisement Firefighters were today battling a 'major incident' at Tilbury Grain Terminal after a massive explosion in a grain silo, with dramatic photographs showing how the blast blew off the roof. Nearby residents in the Essex town heard a 'huge bang' shortly before 10am which was so loud that it rattled the windows of homes, and one person was taken to hospital for treatment following smoke inhalation. Aislinn Ladd, 42, who lives along the Thames in Grays, said she was 'feeding the baby and suddenly it was huge noise, house shook, windows vibrated', adding: 'I've never experienced anything like it, scared the hell out of me.' Tony Coughlin, who lives close to the port, told the BBC: 'I saw it explode, it was just horrendous. It sounded like a bomb going off and I saw the flames shoot up into the air. About six of the silos exploded - the tops are all gone.' Other locals reported hearing 'a lot of sirens' and seeing a helicopter flying overhead, while another said the explosion was 'very loud' and a third added that it 'shook my whole house'. The cause of the blast is unknown. The large explosion caused significant damage to the Grain Terminal within Tilbury Docks in Essex this morning Nearby residents in the Essex town heard a 'huge bang' shortly before 10am when the explosion took place in Tilbury Locals in Tilbury reported hearing 'a lot of sirens' and seeing a helicopter flying overhead today following the blast Geoff Stringfellow, who lives nearby, told local website Thurrock Nub News: 'I was indoors and heard a huge bang. It was so loud all the windows shook and rattled.' Essex Fire and Rescue Service said crews were called to the scene at 9.55am today, with two teams attending from Grays, one from Orsett and one from Corringham. A spokesman said: 'On arrival, firefighters found a grain in a silo was on fire. Crews made sure the fire was under control but the grain is still smouldering. 'Two crews, from Grays and Orsett, remain at the scene and are working with site managers to remove the unaffected grain from the silo so it does not ignite. 'Crews are working with site managers to get the site back up and running and are liaising with Port of Tilbury Police to allow businesses back to their premises at the appropriate time.' Fire watch manager Dave Bond said: 'We've now reduced the number of crews needed to two, and these firefighters will continue to remove unaffected grain and allow the grain to smoulder in the top of the grain silo. Photographs showed the blast had blown the roof off the grain silo at Tilbury Grain Terminal in Essex this morning One resident said of the blast today: 'I was indoors and heard a huge bang. It was so loud all the windows shook and rattled' 'It was a great joint response from the Ambulance Service, Port of Tilbury Police, Fire Service and Port to control the incident and stop it from escalating.' A Port of Tilbury spokesman said: 'We confirm that there has been a major incident at the grain terminal within the Port of Tilbury. There have been no injuries reported and the emergency services are in attendance.' In a further statement, the port spokesman added: 'We can confirm that no one was injured. The situation at the grain terminal has now been stabilised and the site is not viewed as posing any immediate further risk. 'The cause of the explosion will now be the subject of a detailed investigation by the relevant authorities and it will be some time until the results of that investigation are known.' The site, which was built in 1969 at a cost of 53.5million in today's money, is Britain's largest terminal for the import and export of grain, and the Port of Tilbury marked its 50th anniversary last September. One person was taken to hospital for treatment following smoke inhalation, East of England Ambulance Service said today An Essex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said crews were called to the scene in Tilbury at 9.55am today Firefighters were today battling a 'major incident' at Tilbury Grain Terminal after the massive explosion in the grain silo The terminal, which is in the Tilbury Docks area, has processed more than 35million tonnes of product since opening in 1969. It now handles two million tonnes of grain, wheat, barley and beans every year. The terminal, which has two grain towers on site, regularly handles cargoes from in and out of the UK and to countries across the world including the US, Canada, France, Thailand and Australia. It is also linked to two flour mills within the port, with grain brought into the terminal made into flour that can be used for everyday goods in supermarkets such as pasta, baked goods and malt, used to make beer. The terminal has more than 200 silos and last year completed a storage expansion, with the new flat store increasing the capacity by an extra 16,000 tonnes of both import and export wheat. The site is located five miles along the River Thames from the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, where 39 Vietnamese migrants were found dead in the back of a lorry last October. Labour has urged for all over-50s to receive a free flu vaccine to prevent a 'perfect storm' of a winter flu outbreak and second Covid-19 wave. Leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Government owed it to the NHS to do all it could to prevent the two outbreaks coinciding. It comes as The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has warned a resurgence of Covid-19 could bring the 'NHS to a grinding halt' if it strikes alongside influenza. Some 10million more doses would be needed to expand the vaccination programme to over-50s, on top of the 25million already given out every winter. Sir Starmer says this is 'doable' but manufacturers have admitted they may not meet the supply demand at such short notice. Free flu jabs are given to all over-65s, pregnant women, young children and Britons with serious illnesses like asthma or heart or kidney disease. Plans to vaccinate more people against influenza are already being considered by ministers after government scientific advisers recommended it. There are concerns flu may overwhelm NHS hospitals, which already face the threat of being struck by a resurgence of coronavirus later this year. A second wave of Covid-19 is not certain but leading scientists fear the cold weather will drive up cases, just like it does for other seasonal illnesses. Speaking to Sky News on a visit to London's University College Hospital, Labour leader Leader Sir Keir Starmer said: 'We owe it to them [the NHS] to ensure that we take the preventive steps going into this winter. We're calling for vaccination for all those over 50' Labour has urged for everyone over the age of 50 to receive a free flu vaccine to prevent a 'perfect storm' of a winter flu outbreak and second Covid-19 wave (stock) Sir Starmer said he didn't think a second wave was 'inevitable', but that local outbreaks - which could lead to local lockdowns, such as that seen in Leicester - were 'likely'. Speaking to Sky News on a visit to London's University College Hospital, Sir Keir praised the NHS for 'an incredible job' in handling the Covid-19 crisis. IS A SECOND WAVE INEVITABLE AND WILL IT BE THIS WINTER? Almost all scientists agree the infection is bound to re-emerge in a second wave in the absence of a vaccine or cure for the coronavirus. Dr Andrea Ammon, the EU's boss on disease control, has warned the virus is not going away any time soon because it is 'very well adapted to humans'. She has urged Europe to prepare for another crisis, which she said was inevitable because so few people will have developed COVID-19 immunity. In an interview with The Guardian on May 21 she said: 'The question is when and how big, that is the question in my view.' Dr Hans Kluge, director for the WHO European region, said he was 'very concerned' a surge in infections would coincide with other seasonal diseases such as the flu. Speaking exclusively to The Telegraph in mid-May, he cautioned that now is the time for 'preparation, not celebration' across Europe - even if countries are show positive signs of recovery. Professor Hugh Pennington, an emeritus microbiologist at University of Aberdeen, has said there is no evidence there will be a second wave of the coronavirus, contradictory to the thoughts of others. Scientists have repeatedly referred to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic as a sign the world is heading towards a devastating relapse in cases. But the flu is biologically completely different from the coronavirus and should not be comparable, Professor Pennington said. But he added: 'If we get the easing of lockdown wrong, far more likely would be a continuation of infections, many in the form of localised outbreaks, but not waves or peaks.' Writing in The Daily Telegraph , he said Covid-19 tends to cause clusters of cases, which bodes well for the future. Professor Mark Woolhouse, of Edinburgh University, said it is more likely the UK will experience small outbreaks of the coronavirus, rather than a 'wave'. At its peak, the reproduction or R R number was between two and three, which meant every infected person passed the virus on to two or three others. It is now between 0.7 and 0.9, putting it below the crucial level of one, which is when cases spiral out of control. Professor Woolhouse, who is part of the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), told The i: 'Am I concerned that the R number might creep above one? Yes I am. But am I concerned it will go back to where we were at the beginning of the first wave, no Im not. 'There is no prospect whatsoever that its going to go up to two or three again thats far, far from the reality of what we might reasonably expect. Im not so much concerned about a second wave, Im concerned about a second bump. 'The only way that a second wave could happen is if there were a complete collapse in lockdown and everybody just gave up on it despite what the Government said and thats just not going to happen.' Advertisement He said: 'We owe it to them to ensure that we take the preventive steps going into this winter. 'We're calling for vaccination for all those over 50. 'It will be the perfect storm this winter if we had an outbreak of influenza at the same time as the possibility of a second spike in Covid-19 because the symptoms are very similar.' The symptoms of coronavirus - a fever, cough (usually dry), headache, muscle and joint pain, a sore throat - are very similar to the flu. If people are protected against the flu, and understand they are highly unlikely to get it, it would avoid them mistaking their Covid-19 symptoms for influenza. The flu vaccine, which is re-designed every year to be specific to the strains of influenza expected to circulate that winter, would offer no protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19. The point of vaccinating more people against the flu would be to ease the burden on the health service. Sir Keir said expanding the vaccination programme would 'prevent the NHS from being stretched in the way they have been in the last few months'. The NHS has treated thousands of Covid-19 patients since February, when the coronavirus first appeared in the UK. It was only made possible because routine operations were cancelled and the public largely stopped visiting A&E. But if there is a major flu outbreak, it may not be possible to cope with the burden of patients who need hospital care for flu as well as Covid-19. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP), also calling for free flu jabs for all over-50s, has said today is believed there was a 'very real possibility of a second peak' in Covid-19 which could bring the 'NHS to a grinding halt' when combined with the flu. It has called on the Government to bring forward the normal NHS and social care workforce flu vaccination programmes, with the aim of 100 per cent of staff being protected instead of last year's 71 - 86 per cent. It said prisons and other settings should also get a dedicated flu vaccine programme. Professor Andrew Goddard, president of the RCP, said: 'With lockdown further loosening this weekend for many, there is no time to waste in ensuring that the NHS and social care are prepared for the very real potential of future Covid-19 waves. 'It is crucial that we learn the lessons from the last three months, as well as considering the additional challenges that future waves may bring if they coincide with winter flu. 'Staff across the NHS are nervous about what lies ahead and we owe it to them to do everything we can to ensure that the system is ready to cope.' The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said the flu vaccination programme will be 'a crucial part of preparing the UK for winter'. 'We plan for the flu season well in advance and further details will be published soon,' a spokesperson said. Flu kills on average 8,000 people in England per year, and hospitalises thousands more. Those who are most vulnerable - the older generations and people with weakened immune systems - are also most at risk of severe Covid-19. Last winter 25million people in England were offered the flu jab, with officials expanding the annual vaccination programme to include all Year Six children for the first time. Sir Keir said vaccinating an additional 10million people between the age of 50 and 65 in the UK was 'doable'. However, manufacturers of the jabs have warned they may not be able to reach demand from the UK and other European nations with similar plans. Sanofi, one of the top NHS suppliers of flu jabs each winter, warned it would struggle to ramp up production of flu shots for the 2020-2021 season and that the additional requests were 'beyond our anticipated and planned supply'. UK-based vaccine manufacturer Seqirus, the largest influenza vaccine supplier in the UK, said it had seen a significant increase in demand - but claim to be 'on track to provide more vaccines to the NHS than ever before'. On top of that, experts have said delivering the jabs could be a logistical nightmare and people may need to receive their jab in pop-up surgeries. A senior source, who the Health Service Journal described as being well-placed to comment, said: 'The government is considering extending the vaccine to over 50s. 'But they will struggle to buy enough vaccines to do that. They are likely holding out on announcing it as they want to be sure they can fulfil the promise.' They added: 'I have no idea how the government will deliver on this promise. The logistical exercise required to do so will be very tough. 'There will need to create a similar system to that used by the testing system, perhaps by using car parks again and doing drive-through vaccinations.' Advertisement Britain's daily Covid-19 death toll has stopped falling as quickly and the number of cases has continued to plateau, figures show ahead of the lockdown finally being eased tomorrow to celebrate 'Super Saturday'. More than 1,000 infected Brits died each day during the darkest days of the crisis in mid-April but the number of victims had been dropping by around 20 to 30 per cent week-on-week since the start of May. But Department of Health data shows the rolling seven-day average of deaths has shrunk by only 10 per cent or less in July, and on Wednesday it was marginally higher than the week before. Government statistics last night revealed 110 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19 every day this week, on average. In comparison, the rate last Friday was only 8 per cent higher at 119. It corresponds with other official figures suggesting the coronavirus outbreak is stagnant, as officials yesterday estimated around 3,500 people are still getting infected every day in England alone. However, the rate has barely changed since mid-June, when data suggested 3,800 cases occurred each day. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) warned the speed at which the outbreak is declining has 'levelled off'. It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson today pleaded with British revellers to be 'sensible' when pubs reopen tomorrow as police brace for chaos and fears of a surge in coronavirus cases. In other coronavirus developments in Britain today: Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will finally pave the way for summer holidays by releasing a list of quarantine-exempt countries amid signs mass testing could be introduced at airports soon; Education Secretary Gavin Williamson warned councils, parents and teaching unions not to block the return to school as he insisted youngsters must have full-time education in England from September; Shocking figures revealed one care home resident was dying every minute in England and Wales at the peak of the coronavirus crisis in mid-April and that 20,000 have already died. CARE HOME RESIDENT DIED EVERY MINUTE ON WORST DAY OF COVID-19 CRISIS, DATA REVEALS Office for National Statistics figures released today revealed 1,300 care home residents passed away on April 12, the darkest day in the pandemic for the sector A care home resident died every minute in England and Wales at the peak of the coronavirus crisis in mid-April, shocking figures revealed today. Office for National Statistics data showed 1,300 care home residents passed away on April 12, the darkest day in the pandemic for the sector. That's almost one death every minute and more than triple the amount of fatalities on the same date last year, when 407 residents passed away. A total of 495 of deaths on April 12 were confirmed as Covid-19 following a positive test but the virus was likely to blame for hundreds more. Very few care home residents were swabbed for the infection at the time because tests were reserved for the sickest hospital patients and NHS workers. It means thousands of cases went undiagnosed as the virus raced through the social care sector. The ONS figures also revealed that nearly 20,000 deaths of care home residents in England and Wales involved Covid-19. A total of 19,394 deaths that occurred between March 2 and June 12 had Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate, whether as an underlying cause or not. This makes the overall care home resident death figure a third higher than the 14,658 deaths in care homes reported by the ONS on Tuesday. Advertisement Department of Health figures released yesterday showed 252,084 tests were carried out or posted the day before. The number includes antibody tests for frontline NHS and care workers. But bosses again refused to say how many people were tested, meaning the exact number of Brits who have been swabbed for the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been a mystery for a month since May 22. Health chiefs also reported 576 more cases of Covid-19, marking the smallest daily jump in new infections since a week before lockdown was imposed. Government statistics show the official size of the UK's outbreak now stands at 283,757 cases. But the actual size of the outbreak is estimated to be in the millions, based on antibody testing data. Officials revised the actual number of confirmed cases yesterday to take 30,000 off because of 'methodological improvements and a revision to historical data, suggesting they had been double-counted. But the actual number of confirmed coronavirus cases is much lower than the estimated daily infections made by the ONS, mainly because not everyone who catches the virus shows any symptoms and opts for a test. ONS data suggested 25,000 people across the country currently have Covid-19, or one in 2,200 people (0.04 per cent of the population) a huge drop on the 51,000 active cases the week before. But the same data showed the virus is spreading at a slightly quicker rate, with an estimated 25,000 new cases in the week ending June 27 up from the 22,000 infections occurring in the community the week before. ONS statisticians, who made their projection based on swab testing of 25,000 people picked at random, warned the speed at which the outbreak is declining has 'levelled off'. They added: 'At this point, we do not have evidence that the current trend is anything other than flat.' The daily death data given by the Department of Health does not represent how many Covid-19 patients died within the last 24 hours it is only how many fatalities have been reported and registered with the authorities. The data does not always match updates provided by the home nations. Department of Health officials work off a different time cut-off, meaning daily updates from Scotland as well as Northern Ireland are always out of sync. And the count announced by NHS England every afternoon which only takes into account deaths in hospitals does not match up with the DH figures because they work off a different recording system. For instance, some deaths announced by NHS England bosses will have already been counted by the Department of Health, which records fatalities 'as soon as they are available'. Professor Jose Vazquez-Boland, an infectious diseases expert at Edinburgh University, told The Times that the flat trend of infection was likely to explain why the steep decline in deaths had stopped. Downing Street's scientific advisers last week claimed the R rate of the coronavirus which denotes how many people infected patients pass the virus on to is between 0.7 and 0.9. An R of 1 means it spreads one-to-one and the outbreak is neither growing nor shrinking. Higher, and it will get larger as more people get infected; lower, and the outbreak will shrink and eventually fade away. At the start of Britain's outbreak it was thought to be around 4 and tens of thousands of people were infected, meaning the number of cases spiralled out of control. The R has now been consistently below one since at least April, according to the Government, but experts say it will start to fluctuate more as the number of cases gets lower. The fewer cases there are, the greater the chance that one or two 'super-spreading' events will seriously impact the R rate estimate, which are at least three weeks behind. Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government's chief scientific adviser, explained this month that the UK is approaching the point where the R will no longer be an accurate measure for this reason. For the UK as a whole, the current growth rate, reflects how quickly the number of infections is changing day by day, is minus 4 per cent to minus 2 per cent. If the growth rate is greater than zero, and therefore positive, then the disease will grow, and if the growth rate is less than zero, then the disease will shrink. It is an approximation of the change in the number of infections each day, and the size of the growth rate indicates the speed of change. It takes into account various data sources, including the government-run Covid-19 surveillance testing scheme which is carried out by the ONS and published every Thursday. For example, a growth rate of 5 per cent is faster than a growth rate of 1 per cent, while a disease with a growth rate of minus 4 per cent will be shrinking faster than a disease with growth rate of minus 1 per cent. Neither measure - R or growth rate - is better than the other but provides information that is useful in monitoring the spread of a disease, experts say. Royalty and politicians are among celebrities and wealthy business figures who used the SAME secret phone network smashed by police to track down 746 UK crime kingpins. High-profile names were today linked to the known 60,000 users of EncroChat, with 10,000 in the UK alone. The devices used for the secure messaging app usually a modified Android handset are not illegal and until weeks ago were available to buy online. The EncroChat system was installed onto modified mobile phones and cost 1,500 to run for six months But the network hack by European law enforcement teams, partnered with the UKs National Crime Agency, saw the coded communications system smashed wide open. Data was then passed to regional police forces who carried out waves of arrests in a drive codenamed Operation Venetic. The breach by the NCA has prompted concern from legitimate users of the system over what information was uncovered and whether they could be visited by police. Sources stressed EncroChat was not the exclusive domain of criminals, with the privacy it gave users an attraction for high-profile individuals. EncroChat being compromised that provided data that led to raids across the UK, like this one in Oldham on Thursday One told the MailOnline: There is no doubt big names will have used this app and system. The nature of the network means it is highly-desirable for those who want privacy, certainly not just criminals plotting wrongdoing. 'They will be wondering if any of their messages have gone before investigators looking for crooks.' Deepak Vij, who is the Director of law firm ABV Solicitors, said celebrities would have been among EncroChat users due to the privacy it offered customers What is the 'EncroChat' smartphone system? EncroChat was a secret platform where users were able to communicate privately between specially-designed handsets. These devices, costing 1,500, are usually Android-based smartphones that had their GPS sensors, microphones, and cameras stripped out, encrypted chat apps installed by default to allow people to sent private messages. Marketed as the electronic equivalent of two people having a conversation in an empty room, it enabled users to send written messages or make voice calls through an encrypted system. There were thought to be 60,000 users internationally, including 10,000 in the UK, with prices at 1,500 for a six-month contract. Investigators say that the platform, which was not in itself illegal, was designed to be secure against unwanted outside access. Since the breach, the Encrochat platform has shut down. According to the Encrochat website, customers had access to features such as self-destructing messages, that deleted from the recipient's device after a certain length of time. Advertisement A court report on a drug gang who used the phones was told last year the system had been originally developed for celebrities worried their calls were not secure. And French authorities admitted yesterday although the system was used by criminals, at least ten per cent were legitimate, innocent users. Deepak Vij, who is the Director of law firm ABV Solicitors, told the MailOnline there was little doubt important people would have been EncroChat customers. He said: This technology was very useful to persons including royalty, politicians, high network individuals, and executives who did not want their sensitive communications or data to be discovered. If it was just criminals that used these things, the devices would have been made illegal they werent. They were used for important people to have secure conversations without them falling into the wrong hands. If you are someone from the media or a politician you have the justification for having one. There are a vast number of people who have been curious and concerned by the NCA coming out saying what they have been doing. EncroChat was a flagship company for secure communications around the world before this. The system works by customers paying up to 1,500 for six months use of the encrypted handset. A feature of the device means there is a command which can quickly wipe everything on phone. The huge international police operation yesterday saw a total of 746 arrests made across Europe. More than two tonnes of drugs, several dozen guns and 54m in cash was seized in raids. A fireworks factory has erupted into plumes of smoke and fire, killing two, injuring more than 80 and trapping many people inside. Television footage shows smoke rising from the factory where 189 employees were working today. Two people died in the suspected gas explosion outside the town of Henkek, Sakarya province on the Black Sea coast, the Turkish Minister of Health Dr. Fahrettin Koca confirmed. Two helicopters and a fire extinguisher plane are currently working to bring the situation under control. There are homes less than two miles away from the blaze, according to Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He said the region was 'under control' during an address in Istanbul. The Turkish Minister of Health Dr. Fahrettin Koca confirmed two people had died at the blast at the factory outside the town of Henkek, Sakarya province on the Black Sea coast, Governor Cetin Oktay Kaldieim told Anadolu Agency Television footage shows a mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke rising from the factory where 189 employees were working today He said: 'The personnel who work in the factory live in this neighbourhood and we hope that the injured personnel will go back to their families with great health.' Video shared to social media showed plumes of black smoke rising above the factory, as fireworks continued to erupt amid the flames. A doctor attending the scene wrote on Twitter: 'There was an explosion in the fireworks factory in Sakarya Hendek, far from the city. 'We will be at the scene soon to follow the process closely with the instructions of our President. 85 ambulances, 2 helicopter ambulances, 11 UMKE team are at the scene. We have 2 casualties, 73 injured.' The blasts can be heard for miles around the factory and worried families have started to gather nearby despite warnings to stay away. Firefighters are trying to tackle the blaze Sakarya Governor Cetin Oktay Kaldrm said explosions have continued, meaning firefighters cannot get to the scene to bring the fire under control. He added: 'Since it is a fireworks factory, and the explosions continue, we cannot intervene at the moment.' It was not immediately clear what triggered the blast, but the head of the Turkish Red Crescent has urged residents living nearby to remain indoors and shut their windows over concerns of a possible chemical gas release. The blasts can be heard for miles around the factory and worried families have started to gather nearby despite warnings to stay away. The Minister for Health wrote on Twitter: 'There was an explosion in the fireworks factory in Sakarya Hendek, far from the city. Sec' Explosions have been continued meaning firefighters cannot get to the scene to bring the fire under control The factory holds 110 tonnes of fireworks stock, reported The Mirror. Three Cabinet members - Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, and Family, Labor and Social Services Minister Zehra Zumrut Selcuk - are at the scene. Turkey's President Erdogan has offered his condolences to the families of the victims. More to follow. The case against a former British soldier accused of wanting to fight against Islamic State alongside Kurdish militia in Syria has been dropped. Daniel Burke, 32, from Manchester, had been in custody since December when he was detained in a port stop. He was charged with three terror offences, including helping Daniel Newey, another British man who had allegedly gone to Syria last year. Following defence disclosure applications, it was announced at the Old Bailey on Friday the prosecution would offer no evidence against Mr Burke. Daniel Burke, 32, from Manchester, had been in custody since December when he was detained in a port stop Mr Burke was charged with three terror offences, including helping Daniel Newey (pictured), another British man who had allegedly gone to Syria last year Prosecutor Simon Davis also said the Crown would not proceed against Daniel Newey's father Paul, 49, and brother, Sam, 19, from Solihull in the West Midlands, who were accused of helping him. Mr Davis said a review had found there was no longer a 'realistic prospect of conviction'. Defence barristers responded by calling for a more detailed explanation. Andrew Hall QC, for Mr Burke, told the court it was in the 'interests of justice' that the reasons were known. Richard Thomas said Paul Newey was a 'hard working man vilified in this country and abroad as a terrorist'. He told the court: 'We say he is entitled to an explanation.' Prosecutor Simon Davis said the Crown would not proceed against Daniel Newey's father Paul (left), 49, and brother Sam (right), 19, from Solihull, who were accused of helping him Sam Newey's lawyer Balbir Singh added that their lives had been 'turned upside down with the anxiety that they have had to suffer'. Mr Justice Sweeney adjourned the hearing to allow the prosecution time to consider the matter. He said: 'I appreciate there may be public interest sensitivities involved because this decision has been taken in the context of a disclosure exercise but reconsideration may make the prosecution cast more light on the decision.' The prosecution had alleged Mr Burke had repeatedly shown his desire to leave the UK to return to Syria in order to fight for Kurdish militia. When he was stopped last December, Mr Burke told officers it was 'a joke', saying: 'I'm not a terrorist; you know I am not a terrorist. I have done nothing but fight for this country.' Mr Burke, who formerly served in the Parachute Regiment, had been due to face trial in Birmingham later this year alongside the Neweys. The first charge against Mr Burke (pictured) alleged he assisted Daniel Newey to commit, prepared or instigate an act of terrorism last October. The second charge alleged he was involved in an arrangement with others to provide money and military equipment while having reasonable cause to suspect that it would or may be used for the purposes of terrorism. He was further charged with engaging in conduct in preparation to commit, prepare or instigate an act of terrorism between October 7 and December 7 last year The first charge against Mr Burke alleged he assisted Daniel Newey to commit, prepared or instigate an act of terrorism last October. The second charge alleged he was involved in an arrangement with others to provide money and military equipment while having reasonable cause to suspect that it would or may be used for the purposes of terrorism. He was further charged with engaging in conduct in preparation to commit, prepare or instigate an act of terrorism between October 7 and December 7 last year. Paul Newey was charged with funding terrorism by entering into an arrangement to provide 150 his son Daniel last November. Sam Newey had been charged in February with one offence of giving assistance to his 27-year-old brother. The Neweys had been on bail, while Mr Burke is understood to have been released from custody on Tuesday. TV historian David Starkey was today dumped by his publisher and fired or forced to resign from a string of top university jobs after he claimed 'slavery was not genocide' because 'so many damn blacks live in Africa and Britain'. HarperCollins has axed the best-selling author calling his words 'abhorrent' while Hodder & Stoughton, who published his book on Magna Carta in 2015, said it would never work with him again. A spokesman for HarperCollins, who were advertising the release of one of his books in September, said: 'The views expressed by David Starkey in his recent interview are abhorrent and we unreservedly condemn them. We will not be publishing further books with him. We are reviewing his existing backlist in light of his comments and views.' The decision came hours after he was stripped of his visiting professor post at Canterbury Christ Church University and Fitzwilliam College accepted his resignation as he quit his University of Cambridge fellowship after he was accused of racism. Dr Starkey has also resigned from the Mary Rose Trust and could soon be stripped of his honorary degree by Lancaster University as his reputation was tarnished by the scandal. The row started when the 75-year-old academic was interviewed by BeLeave founder Darren Grimes during which he argued the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is 'wholly and entirely a product of white colonisation'. Speaking via video link from his home, the historian said 'the only reason that these young black protestors are here' is 'because of slavery'. He added: 'Slavery was not genocide, otherwise there wouldn't be so many damn blacks in Africa or in Britain, would there? An awful lot of them survived'. Historian David Starkey has come under fire after claiming 'slavery was not genocide, otherwise there wouldn't be so many damn blacks in Africa, or in Britain' - and is losing jobs across the country In an interview with Darren Grimes, the founder of the pro-Brexit campaign group BeLeave, Starkey said BLM is aiming to delegitimise Britain and 'the West in general' From the London riots and BLM to the 'poppy fascism' of Remembrance Day: Abrasive historian Dr David Starkey's long line of rows David Starkey attracted widespread outrage in the wake of the 2011 riots, when he said: 'The whites have become black; a particular sort of violent destructive, nihilistic gangster culture has become the fashion.' He compounded the offence in many people's eyes by adding that the outbreak of violence proved Enoch Powell's notorious 'rivers of blood' speech was accurate 'in one sense'. The next year, Mr Starkey used a speech in the Palace of Westminster to compare Alex Salmond to Hitler, saying the then-First Minister thinks that 'the English, like the Jews, are everywhere'. In 2009, he courted controversy by criticising the public attention on Henry VIII's wives, saying: 'It's what you expect from feminised history, the fact that so many of the writers who write about this are women and so much of their audience is a female audience.' After the convictions in 2012 of the Rochdale sex-trafficking gang, most of whom were British Pakistanis, the historian suggested their values were 'entrenched in the foothills of the Punjab or wherever it is'. Earlier in 2011, Mr Starkey angered royalists when he said that the Queen had 'done and said nothing that anybody will remember' during her record-breaking 63-year reign, adding that she views her duties as 'ordinary and humdrum'. In the past, the writer has embraced his reputation for being rude and abrasive, admitting that he has a tendency towards 'self-indulgence and explosion and repartee'. And most recently in 2019 the TV historian claimed Remembrance Sunday has become a 'crazy religious ritual' that imposes 'poppy fascism' on everyone in Britain. Advertisement In response to the remarks, Fitzwilliam College said the matter of Starkey's Honorary Fellowship will be considered at a Governing Body meeting next Wednesday. But today they confirmed he had quit his non-teaching role at the Cambridge college, presumably before he was fired. In a Twitter post, Canterbury Christ Church University said: 'We have terminated David Starkey's position as visiting professor with immediate effect. His comments are completely unacceptable and totally go against our university and community values'. The Mary Rose Trust, which manages the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, announced that it was cutting ties with Starkey. In a statement the trust said: 'David Starkey has been a long serving member of the Mary Rose Board and has given his Tudor expertise generously to help with the creation and promotion of the Mary Rose Museum. We remain extremely grateful for this help. 'However, we were appalled to hear his public comments on slavery today. Mary Rose Trust is a charity that exists for the benefit of everyone and we have zero tolerance for such comments. The board of the Mary Rose Trust has therefore accepted David Starkey's resignation.' Varsity claimed it is 'almost certain' his fellowship will be revoked. When asked what he would say to BLM activists who want to 'decolonise the curriculum' during the controversial interview on Tuesday, Dr Starkey replied: 'You cannot decolonise the curriculum because you, Black Lives Matter, are wholly and entirely a product of white colonisation. 'You are not culturally black Africans. You would die in seconds if you were dumped back in black Africa because you wouldn't know how to cope. 'You're a product yourselves of cultural and racial mix.' His comments follow nearly a month of anti-racist demonstration and protest around the UK following the killing of George Floyd in the US. Dr Starkey's remarks were denounced by Sajid Javid, the former Home Secretary, who tweeted: 'We are the most successful multi-racial democracy in the world and have much to be proud of. 'But David Starkey's racist comments ('so many damn blacks') are a reminder of the appalling views that still exist.' Other social media users followed suit, with one Twitter account asking if Starkey 'feels similarly' about the Armenian, Rwandan and Cambodian genocides. Another posted: 'Absolutely disgraceful comments from David Starkey.' 'This man hates as much as he breathes', another social media user claimed. Starkey (left) told Darren Grimes (right) that BLM are trying to impose a 'false history' of Britain on the country by making slavery 'central to the picture' Starkey's comments were denounced by Sajid Javid, who tweeted: 'We are the most successful multi-racial democracy in the world and have much to be proud of. But David Starkey's racist comments ('so many damn blacks') are a reminder of the appalling views that still exist' Outraged social media users denounced Starkey for comments he made in the interview One angry Twitter account posted: 'Imagine if he said that about the Holocaust. Quite rightly he never would be allowed on TV again.' One person wrote: 'Replace 'slavery' for 'the holocaust' and 'damn blacks' for 'damn jews' and you'd quite rightly never be allowed in the public eye ever again.' 'As David Starkey probably knows, only one genocide in history has come close to actually eradicating an entire population,' another tweeted. 'The so-called Black War of the 1820s reduced the number of indigenous Tasmanians to fewer than 300. Guess which empire perpetrated it?' One social media user commented: 'David Starkey's ignorant diatribe consolidate the impression that British historians are much more reactionary than they are.' Another said: 'Open-mouthed at David Starkey's racism. Words fail me.' Outraged social media users denounced Starkey for comments he made in the interview Starkey, a well-known TV and radio personality, called slavery the 'terrible disease that dare not speak its name' that was 'settled nearly 200 years ago'. 'The honest teaching of the British Empire is to say quite simply it is the first key stage of world globalisation,' Starkey said. 'It's probably the most important moment in human history, and it is still with us. 'So that's how you go about tackling it. And as for the idea, as I said, that slavery is this kind of terrible disease that dare not speak its name - it dare not speak its name, Darren, because we settled it nearly 200 years ago. 'We don't normally go on about the fact that Roman Catholics, once upon a time, didn't have the vote and weren't allowed to have their own churches because we had Catholic emancipation. And do you know what, we had Catholic emancipation at pretty much the exact same time that we got rid of slavery in the 1830s. Outraged social media users denounced Starkey for comments he made in the interview 'We don't go on about that because it's part of history. It's a question that's settled.' Starkey told Mr Grimes that BLM are trying to impose a 'false history' of Britain on the country by making slavery 'central to the picture'. Talking about US race relations, he said: 'Slavery in the South was substituted for by a system of organised repression - economic, social and everything else - in the form of segregation. But that's never been true in Britain. 'In other words, we're having a false history forced upon us.' Starkey made his comments on 'Reasoned', which is hosted by Mr Grimes - the founder of pro-Brexit campaign group BeLeave. Mr Grimes won his appeal last year against a 20,000 fine imposed by the Electoral Commission in 2018 after being accused of breaching spending rules during the EU referendum campaign four years ago. Starkey stirred controversy in 2011, when he told the BBC in an interview about the riots that 'the whites have become the blacks' and that 'a particular sort of violent, destructive, nihilistic, gangster culture has become the fashion'. A Harvard graduate who claims she was fired from her 'dream job' at Deloitte after saying she'd 'stab' anyone who told her 'all lives matter' in a TikTok video was never actually employed by the firm, it has emerged. Claira Janover, 22, tearfully claimed on Wednesday that supporters of Donald Trump 'took my job away from me' by calling for her firing, in response to the video. In the clip, which has sharply divided people online, she threatens to 'stab' anyone who says 'all lives matter'. Deloitte, however, have confirmed that she was never an employee of the company. Instead she was scheduled to complete an internship with them later this summer, which the company rescinded. Jonathan Gandal, a managing director at the firm, said Janover 'has never been an employee of our organization'. He said she was instead 'formerly scheduled for a two-week internship later this summer.' Gandal said the offer of an internship was withdrawn because they have a company policy forbidding threatening violence. 'Deloitte unequivocally stands against the legacy of systemic bias, racism, and unequal treatment that continues to plague our communities,' he said. 'We encourage and support our colleagues to speak out on these issues of critical importance to society, but our policies strictly prohibit invoking or threatening violence.' 'The job that Id worked really hard to get and meant a lot to me has called me and fired me because of everything,' she tearfully explained on Wednesday. She called out Deloitte, showing a screen grab of their website where the company claims to stand against systemic bias, racism and unequal treatment Janover, who graduated in May with a degree in government and psychology, posted a TikTok video earlier this week where she said angrily: 'The next person who has the nerve to tell me all lives matter... Imma stab you. 'Imma stab you and while you're bleeding out, imma show you my paper cut and say, "my cut matters too."' She claimed it was a 'satirical analogy', which was mistakenly taken at 'face value'. The video went viral and many critics called for her to be fired because of it. On Wednesday night, Janover returned to the video-sharing app to blame Trump supporters for 'taking' her job from her. 'I know this is what Trump supporters wanted because standing up for Black Lives Matter put me in a place online to be seen by millions of people,' she said. 'The job that I worked really hard to get and meant a lot to me just called me and fired me because of everything According to Janover's LinkedIn page, she is a Government and Psychology graduate from Harvard University 'I don't know if everyone seen but my Black Lives Matter videos have been circulating a lot, they were picked up by conservatives and spread and shared and people were demanding that I be fired which I just got the job I worked really hard for. 'I'm still not going to stop talking about and defend Black Lives Matter. You cant take away my spirit and my devotion for human rights,' she said. In a second video, she sobbed: 'Trump supporters took my job away from me.' She then accused Deloitte of 'cowardice' and said she was going to be 'an indelible change in the world'. 'Trump supporters just took my job away from me. I have gotten death threats, rape threats, violent threats and it's OK but now it's just like my future is entirely compromised because Trump supporters have decided to come for my life. You guys suck. 'I'm too strong for you. I am too strong for any of you, All Lives Matter racist Trump supporters. It sucks but it doesn't suck as much as systemic racism. 'And I'm not going to stop using my platform to advocate for it. 'I'm sorry Deloitte that you can't see that. 'That you were cowardice enough to fight somebody who is going to make an indelible change in the world and is going to have an impact.' Other youngsters who work at Deloitte or are due to leaped to her defense and started tweeting using the hashtag #FireMeToo, saying Janover had been fired for defending the Black Lives Matter movement. In the original clip, Janover, who has 113,000 followers, can be heard saying: 'The next person who has the sheer nerve, the sheer entitled caucasity to say 'all lives matter', imma stab you. 'All lives matter' is a controversial slogan that has arisen in response to the Black Lives Matter protests. Across the nation powerful protests have emerged in all 50 states decrying systemic racism and police brutality against black people following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. The 'all lives matter' phrase has been criticized as erasing the experiences of black people and dismissing the racism that African-Americans and black communities across the world face. While many praised Janover for her stance against racism, she was bombarded with negative comments. 'Harvard senior Claira Janover threatens to stab anyone who says "all lives matter." 'Will liberal colleges and universities ever teach students that speech = violence?' one person said. Another Twitter user wrote: 'Is there something in the water that these crazy liberals drink? 'This Harvard Leftist threatened to stab anyone on campus who says 'all lives matter?'' Still, many defended her, saying her video was satire and that it was 'obvious' she never intended to hurt anyone. '#ClairaJanover is articulate, educated and brave. It's obvious that the republicans are threatened! Your critical thinking scares them love. @cyanover we are with you!!' one supporter wrote. Janover attended Branford High School in Connecticut where she was the president of the environmental club, debate club, chemistry club and where she took part in a model UN. She was due to graduate this year and start working. Now, other youngsters who are due to start working at Deloitte have started tweeting with the hashtag #FireMeToo. They are standing in solidarity with her, claiming Deloitte fired her for expressing her views. They are also encouraging people to donate to her on Venmo or GoFundMe, saying she 'is at great financial and physical risk'. This is the moment a 72-year-old camper advanced to within 10ft of a bison in what proved a costly mistake as she was gored and flung 15ft in the air. Footage of the encounter in Yellowstone National Park was taken by another family at the campsite, who watched in horror as the creature attacked the woman who was trying to take a photo. The California woman was left unconscious on the grass and was subsequently airlifted to hospital, but the bison did not damage any major organs. Park rangers warned that visitors should keep 75ft (25 yards) away from the creatures because they are 'wild animals' that feel 'threatened' if they are approached. Risky move: A woman advances to within 10ft of a bison - well short of the recommended 75ft - in an encounter which ended with her being gored and flung into the air Jake Larsen, one of the campers who watched the bison attack unfold, told WCCO that 'the lady got way too close', adding: 'She just kept provoking the bison.' His sister Jenna said 'it was just an accident waiting to happen', recalling how she could 'hear the bison making noises and blowing steam out'. '[The woman] got thrown initially maybe 10, 15 feet in the air across and she was unconscious briefly. She got up and it hit her again,' said their mother Jodi. Jodi, a nurse, went to help the woman with some blankets before she was airlifted to hospital with no memory of what had happened to her. Park rangers said she was flown by helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, but she was later released after suffering only 'gorge marks'. 'The series of events that led to the goring suggest the bison was threatened by being repeatedly approached to within 10 feet,' said bison biologist Chris Geremia. 'Bison are wild animals that respond to threats by displaying aggressive behaviors like pawing the ground, snorting, bobbing their head, bellowing, and raising their tail. 'If that doesn't make the threat (in this instance it was a person) move away, a threatened bison may charge. 'To be safe around bison, stay at least 25 yards away, move away if they approach, and run away or find cover if they charge.' Footage of the encounter in Yellowstone National Park was taken by another family at the campsite, who watched in horror as the creature attacked the 72-year-old A bison is pictured in Yellowstone National Park in March. Park rangers say that the creatures can become aggressive when they feel threatened The California woman is not the first Yellowstone visitor to enrage a bison. In 2015, two people including a 62-year-old Australian were gored within three weeks. The other victim was a 16-year-old girl from Taiwan who was hospitalized after being attacked as she posed for a picture near the animal. In 2018, another California woman - 59-year-old Kim Hancock - was taken to a hospital with a hip injury after being gored by another bison. And in May this year, a woman was knocked to the ground when she got too close to a bison near the popular Old Faithful geyser after the park partially re-opened. A male American bison can weigh up to 2,000lbs and can run up to 40mph, experts say. The latest incident is under investigation, park rangers said, warning that guests should keep away from wild animals in campsites and parking lots. The 25-yard distance also applies to elk, deer, moose and coyotes while visitors should stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves, rangers say. Bears have killed at least seven people in Yellowstone since the park was established in 1872. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:19 pm The difference four years makes in Washington elections is probably most obvious in the state attorney general's race. Four years ago, Republicans couldn't muster an opponent to Democrat Bob Ferguson in his first re-election campaign. Ferguson easily defeated Libertarian Joshua Trumbull, his only challenger in the primary and general that year. But 2016 also saw the election of Donald Trump as president, and Ferguson became one of the most active legal challengers of Trump policies. Among the policies he's taken on are restrictions on immigrants from certain Muslim countries and the reallocation of money in the Defense Department budget for helping construct a wall along the border with Mexico. This year, he has three Republican challengers, who see the office as a platform to address problems plaguing the state like homelessness and business development, as well as being head of the state's largest legal office. "The attorney general's office has always been suing the federal government," said Mike Vaska, a shareholder in Foster Garvey, one of the state's largest private firms. For decades it has been locked in legal battles over the cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, he noted, but the last three years have been different. "Bob has made made it partisan, not about the issues, and we need to change that," he said. The state should take on the federal government when Washington is being harmed and is the only one that can handle it, Vaska said. An example of that would be challenging the Navy's practice of scraping ships and polluting Puget Sound. But it should not sue over things that others can handle, such as changes to federal rules on incandescent bulbs because "there's a lot of groups interested in that." Brett Rogers, a lawyer who manages the Seattle Police Department's parking enforcement office, contends Ferguson isn't consistent in the legal fights with the federal government. He sees a contradiction between the state challenging the increase in flights at Whidbey Naval Air Station while also suing over a decision to divert military construction funds bound for Washington bases to the border wall. "Love him or hate him, Trump was duly elected and has certain powers," Rogers said. Ferguson's office has filed or been part of 40 lawsuits against the Trump administration in the last 3 1/2 years, and hasn't lost a case, although many are still on appeal. In an interview last summer, he said he would never have predicted such a successful string but it stems in large part from the administration not following the proper procedures when it decides to change a rule or a policy. The state should have stayed out of the dispute over the Tri-Cities florist who refused to provide arrangements for a gay wedding, Rogers argued, and allowed it to remain a civil dispute between the two sides rather than filing a consumer-protection case. The state won that case in the Washington Supreme Court, which ruled twice that the refusal violated the state's anti-discrimination and consumer-protection laws, but the case is before the U.S. Supreme Court. Matt Larkin, the third challenger in the race, argued an attorney general has limited resources and should make better choices in cases. He was critical of Ferguson for taking health club owners in Snohomish and Pierce counties to court for violating orders to remain closed because of COVID-19. "Was that a good fight to pick?" Larkin asked. The attorney general's office should be more "business friendly," he said. Ferguson filed consumer-protection lawsuits against the two gyms for violating the statewide public health order despite repeated warnings and for having an unfair advantage over competitors who stayed closed. The gyms signed a settlement agreement to close. Each challenger has a resume that he argues is more important for the next occupant of the office. Rogers stresses his experience in law enforcement, first in Wisconsin and later with the Seattle Police Department. He was also an investigator in the Seattle Public Schools before returning to the police department in a civilian position to manage the parking enforcement office. He suspended his small private practice when deciding to run. Larkin worked in the Spokane County prosecutor's office as a third-year student at Gonzaga Law School and later in the Pierce County prosecutor's office. While working on a Master of Law and litigation at George Washington University he also worked in the George W. Bush White House, checking the legal aspects of the president's speeches. He left the Pierce County office to return to his family manufacturing business, Romac, which was started by his grandfather. "I'm used to juggling a lot," Larkin said. "You don't need to be an experienced litigator to solve these problems. You need to be a leader." Vaska contends his decades of experience in a major law firm, where he works on consumer protection and anti-trust cases, is the best fit for the job that involves leading an office of hundreds of attorneys and staff. He's also the only one of the three with previous election experience, having run for attorney general in 2004, and losing in the GOP primary to eventual winner Rob McKenna, who is endorsing him this time. He's also the current chairman of the Mainstream Republicans of Washington, a moderate-to-conservative group that includes such GOP veterans as former Gov. Dan Evans, former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton and former Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed. State primaries are no longer partisan elections, so in theory two GOP challengers could advance to the general election. But Ferguson has strong support from Democrats and has raised more than $3.3 million for the campaign to go with the name familiarity of running statewide twice and holding a high-profile office. The primary race is for the other spot on the general election ballot. By comparison, Larkin has raised $180,000, Vaska $172,000 and Rogers about $40,000, and all three are scrambling to get their name before voters. Because of restrictions tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunities to meet large groups of voters in person have mostly disappeared, but the chances to appear by internet conferencing to local political gatherings around the state have grown. A black Facebook employee, joined by two others who were denied jobs at the social network, has filed a complaint against the company, claiming black workers do not have 'an equal opportunity'. The charge was filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Thursday by Oscar Veneszee, Jr., 46, who has worked as an operations program manager at Facebook since 2017. The 23-year Navy veteran claims the social media giant discriminates against black workers and applicants in hiring, evaluations, promotions and pay. He says this discrimination is hidden behind a stated commitment to diversity and civil rights. Veneszee also claims he has not been fairly evaluated or promoted despite his 'excellent performance', where he recruits veterans and other people of color to work with the company. Scroll down for video A black Facebook employee has filed a complaint against the company, saying it discriminates against black workers and applicants in hiring, evaluations, promotions and pay despite claiming to promote diversity. Pictured, the company's headquarters in California Two others joined Veneszee's complaint, saying they were unlawfully denied jobs at the company despite being qualified. Howard Winns Jr. and Jazsmin Smith were both recruited by Veneszee but alleged they were not hired because they are black. They say the claim was filed on behalf of 'all black Facebook employees and applicants to Facebook'. According to Veneszee's complaint, 'people of color and black workers in particular remain underrepresented at all levels of Facebook and especially at the management and leadership levels. They do not feel respected or heard. And they do not believe that black workers have an equal opportunity to advance their careers at Facebook.' 'We have a black people problem,' Veneszee told NPR. 'We've set goals to increase diversity at the company, but we've failed to create a culture at the company that finds, grows and keeps black people at the company.' Among the claims that Veneszee has leveled against the company is that black employees are discrimination against because of Facebook's reliance on a 'culture fit' for its new recruits. It means that black employees are judged by the predominantly white and Asian existing employees and managers about whether they fit in culturally. His complaint says the practice results in bias outcomes and leaves black employees with lesser opportunities for advancement or higher pay. According to Facebook's 2019 diversity report, black employees make up just under 4 percent of the company (3.8 percent). Hispanic employees make up 5.2 percent of the office Veneszee says that he was excited to move to California to join Facebook three years ago after a long Navy career. He told the Washington Post that he started out in the job believing that he would have to pay a 'black tax', working harder to prove his worth but that the recent unrest meant it was now time for him to speak out after years of internal complaints. He said he had never had another black person evaluate him in his time at the company and claims he was even reprimanded when he suggested to a fellow recruiter to include more historically black universities in her plan. Veneszee also claims a white female manager disclosed that a colleague had referred to him as 'slick' and questioned whether he was trustworthy, unaware that it could be viewed as racist. Despite being described as a 'natural leader' and a 'powerhouse' by his manager, Veneszee told NPR he never received an evaluation that would allow him to be promoted, losing him the opportunity to earn 'tens of thousands of dollars more'. He says in the complaint that unlike gender complaints that were changed after the #MeToo movement racial discrimination and harassment claims at the company are kept in secret forums and the results are confidential. While there may be Black Lives Matter posters on Facebook's walls, the complaint says, 'Black workers don't see that phrase reflecting how they are treated in Facebook's own workplace.' Black employee groups recently met with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to discuss how the platform's inaction over hate speech on the social media site affected them Facebook said in a statement it takes discrimination allegations seriously and investigates every case. 'We believe it is essential to provide all employees with a respectful and safe working environment,' said spokeswoman Pamela Austin. 'Donating millions of dollars to civil rights organizations does not wash away or justify the unfairness, inequality, and hostility that black workers experience every day at Facebook when they are turned down for jobs for which they are exceedingly qualified, when they are unfairly evaluated by mostly white peers and managers, when they are denied promotions by overwhelmingly white managers, when they are reprimanded or criticized for sharing their constructive views about diversity, when their lower pay reflects these systemic biases, and when they are assumed to not match the white-dominated "culture fit" that drives so many employment decisions at Facebook,' the complaint adds. Black workers account for 3.8 percent of all U.S. Facebook's 45,000 employees and 1.5% percent of all U.S. technical workers at the company. Those numbers have barely budged over the past several years, a common pattern across large Silicon Valley firms. This isn't the first criticism a black employee has leveled at Facebook and comes as the company is grappling with a boycott of advertisers unhappy with the way that the platform manages hate speech. In recent weeks black employee groups have met with CEO Mark Zuckerberg to discuss how the platform's inaction over a recent controversial post from President Donald Trump affected them. In 2018, former Facebook executive Mark Luckie sent a memo to his coworkers on his last day - also posted on Facebook - that chronicled what he called Facebook's 'black people problem'. Mark S Luckie, a black former Facebook executive, accused the company of racial discrimination both within its Silicon Valley campus and on the social media platform in a scathing memo sent to colleagues company-wide just before his departure in 2018 'Facebook's disenfranchisement of black people on the platform mirrors the marginalization of its black employees,' Luckie wrote. 'In my time at the company, I've heard far too many stories from black employees of a colleague or manager calling them "hostile" or "aggressive" for simply sharing their thoughts in a manner not dissimilar from their non-black team members.' Facebook is currently facing an advertising boycott. There are currently more than 500 companies who have pulled advertising from Facebook Inc in support of a campaign that called out the social media giant for not doing enough to stop 'hate speech' on its platforms. The Stop Hate for Profit campaign was started by several U.S. civil rights groups after the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody triggered widespread protests against racial discrimination in the United States. It comes after the rise in the Black Lives Matter movement sparked by Floyd's death saw corporate America shaken by their handling of discrimination and prejudice in the workplace. Tech companies and Silicon Valley, in particular, came under fire for their lack of diversity. A quadriplegic patient died of the novel coronavirus after a Texas hospital stopped treating him. In early June, 46-year-old Michael Hickson was taken to St David's South Austin Medical Center after he contracted COVID-19 and pneumonia at the nursing home where he lived. Shortly after arriving, a physician told Hickson's wife, Melissa, that he didn't think treatment would improve her husband's quality of life due to his disabilities. Six days he was first transferred to St David's, on June 11, Hickson passed away. Michael Hickson, 46 (left and right), of Austin, Texas, a quadriplegic, contracted coronavirus and pneumonia at the nursing home where he lived He was transferred to St David's South Austin Medical Center for treatment In two recorded conversations, a physician told Hickson's wife, Melissa, that he didn't believe treatment would improve Hickson's quality of life. Pictured: Hickson with his family Melissa recorded two conversations she had with her husband's doctor and posted them on YouTube. 'Will [treatment] affect his quality? Will it improve his quality of life?' the physician tells her. 'And the answer is no.' Melissa is heard asking: 'Why wouldn't it? Being able to live isn't improving the quality of life?' 'There's no improvement with being intubated, with a bunch of lines and tubes in your body, and being on a ventilator for more than two weeks,' the doctor replies. In the recorded video, the doctor told Melissa that patients who were being treated with a drug were 'walking and talking,' unlike her husband. She told KVUE that her conversation with medical staff surprised her. 'The reason we go to hospitals is to be treated, and it is not to be based on a scale of whether or not you're disabled or anything else,' she said. 'It is merely to be saved and for treatment.' St David's chief medical officer denies that Hickson's paralysis or disabilities played a role in the decision of the hospital to stop treatment. The doctor added that a drug being given to other patients were for those that were 'walking and talking.' On June 11, six days after arriving at St David's, Hickson passed away from COVID-19. Pictured: Hickson 'Every clinical decision that was made for him was done as part of a multidisciplinary team that included his caregiver, who was his surrogate family, according to the law,' Dr DeVry Anderson told KVUE. The caregiver was an agency called Family Eldercare, appointed by the court after battles between Hickson's wife and his sister for custody. 'Mr Hicksons spouse, family, and the medical community were in agreement with the decision not to intubate Mr Hickson,' Family Eldercare said in a statement. 'As Guardian, and in consultation with Mr Hicksons family and medical providers, we agreed to the recommendation for hospice care so that Mr Hickson could receive end-of-life comfort, nutrition and medications, in a caring environment. Ethicists and disability rights activists say there are shocked at the alleged treatment of Hickson. 'Whenever you say quality of life, that is completely subjective, and is about whether I think this person deserves to live or not live,' Kimberlyn Schwartz, a Texas Right to Life representative, told KVUE. 'And frankly, those decisions are best left to the patient and their family.' In the US, there are more than 2.7 million confirmed cases of the virus and more than 128,000 deaths. A mentally ill man dressed as a gladiator and waving a samurai sword inside his home died of a heart attack after New York police, called to the area by a neighbor who falsely claimed he had a gun, zapped him with a Taser twice. George Zapantis, 29, was in the basement of his home in the Whitestone section of Queens on the night of June 21st when police say they saw him wearing a helmet and gladiator outfit while holding a samurai sword. Officers from the 109th Precinct were called to the area by a neighbor who reported that Zapantis had a gun. Just after 9:30pm, police moved to take Zapantis into custody. The image above shows the moment a New York City police officer fires a Taser at a mentally ill 29-year-old resident of Whitestone, Queens, who was soon afterward pronounced dead at a local hospital due to a heart attack. The arrest took place in Whitestone on the night of June 21 Officers were called to the home of George Zapantis, 29, after a neighbor reported that he had a gun. Instead police found him inside his home wearing a gladiator costume, helmet and waving a samurai sword Police say Zapantis refused orders to drop the sword and approached them, prompting officers to try to subdue him with a Taser Zapantis' death has sparked outrage in the Greek American community Officers used a Taser when Zapantis allegedly advanced toward them with the sword in his hand while refusing police orders to drop it, according to Gothamist. The NYPD said in a statement: 'On Sunday June 21, 2020, at approximately 2129 hours, police responded to a 911 call of a man with a gun inside of a private residence located at 20-39 150 Street, within the confines of the 109 Precinct. 'Upon arrival, officers observed a 29-year old male within a basement apartment area holding a Samurai sword and refusing to comply with the officers directives and orders. 'The male began to engage the officers and approach them with sword in hand. 'The officers deployed their department issued Tasers, and the individual was both subsequently subdued and suffered a medical condition/cardiac arrest. 'EMS removed the aided male to New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Queens where he was pronounced deceased. 'The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. 'The investigation remains ongoing by the NYPD's Force Investigation Division.' Police were reportedly so fearful of Zapantis wielding his sword that they grabbed a plexiglass shield from their patrol car and used it while trying to detain him. A neighbor filmed the officers Tasering Zapantis as he appeared to resist arrest at the entrance to the basement. Witnesses from that night said there was no indication that Zapantis was threatening anyone with the sword. 'There were moments where George did say that he couldnt breath to (police), when they were pulling on his shirt,' said a neighbor, 16-year-old Shakira Nobles. 'And the officers said "Dont play that card, no ones choking you".' Noble's father said he warned the arresting officers that Zapantis had a history of mental health issues. 'I told the officers hes got mental health (issues), he takes medicine,' said Ricky Noble. 'I was yelling at the officers that he was (mentally ill), and they were still Tasing him. Just handcuff him and walk him out.' Recent protests were sparked worldwide after the police-involved death of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man who was filmed unable to breathe as a white Minneapolis officer pressed his knee into his neck on May 25. Family and friends described Zapantis as a church-going man who cared for his 33-year-old sister, who has Down syndrome 'I can't breathe,' which Floyd was heard saying in video filmed of his arrest, became a rallying cry for protesters. There are reports that the neighbor who initially called the police to report Zapantis had a gun was clapping while he watched officers use a Taser on him. Zapantis then went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The family is awaiting the results of an independent autopsy. Im crying because I was not here for my son in his last moments, and he died in such a horrible way, Zapantis mother, Athanasia Zapantis, told the New York Daily News on Tuesday. He was my left hand, my son. He was everything ... He died for no reason. Athanasia Zapantis alleged that the neighbor had a personal vendetta against her son, who she says was repeatedly victimized and harassed by him on a daily basis. If I see him, Im going to spit in his face, the bereaved mother said. If my son was wrongI dont think he was wrong at all. He had so good a heart. He was kind to everybody. The Zapantis family lawyer disputes the NYPDs account of the arrest. He is demanding a fully transparent investigation into what led to Zapantis death. We want to view the body cam footage and any potential videos or witness statements they may have in order to confirm their accusation that Mr. Zapantis was armed and that their use of the Taser...was justified, said the attorney, George Vomvolakis. The lawyer told Gothamist that all of the videos he has seen of the incident do not show Zapantis holding a sword. The video we have shows that his back was turned to them, his hands were behind his back and there were four or five officers screaming at him and tasing at him, and yelling at him to not resist, said Vomvolakis. The attorney is also looking into whether NYPD officers were aware that Zapantis had a history of bipolar disorder. A GoFundMe page has been launched to help Zapantis' family It also remains to be seen whether or not the police were aware of that at the time that they responded, as well as at the time that they used these Tasers, he said. And if they did know, then it clearly was a use of excessive force, and that possibly they could have deescalated the situation by talking to him. Last December, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, a civilian agency that looks into complaints of excessive force used by NYPD officers, released a report saying that the use of Tasers was primarily being applied to people of color and the mentally ill. In the years 2014 until 2017, there were 114 complaints involving police use of Tasers. Of those, 59 per cent of those who filed complaints were black while 37 per cent were considered emotionally disturbed. Between the years 2016 to 2019, 14 mentally ill people died at the hands of the NYPD. The police force has come under fire in the weeks since protests erupted following the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. NYPD officers were seen on camera using excessive force against protesters. The images fueled public outrage as calls grew louder to cut the NYPD's budget. New York City lawmakers earlier this week approved an austere budget that will shift $1 billion from policing to education and social services in the coming year, acknowledging protesters demands to cut police spending - but falling short of what activists sought. Zapantis death sparked outrage in the Greek-American community, which held a vigil for a man described as a caring person who went to church and looked out for his 33-year-old sister, who has Down syndrome. Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, the most senior cleric of the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States, personally presided over Zapantis funeral this past Monday at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Whitestone We are in the midst of this global pandemic, and we are in the midst of our American society that has been rocked by the very kind of abuse that brings us around Georges coffin today, the archbishop said The family has started a GoFundMe page seeking donations from the public. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America volunteered to cover Zapantis funeral expenses, according to the Greek City Times. Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, the most senior cleric of the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States, personally presided over Zapantis funeral this past Monday. We are in the midst of this global pandemic, and we are in the midst of our American society that has been rocked by the very kind of abuse that brings us around Georges coffin today, the archbishop said. And there is no justice in this moment as we pray for Gods mercy upon his soul, as we pray for comfort for Athanasia, a mother bereft of her son. There are an estimated 1.5-to-2 million members of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in the US. The community, which is the largest outside of Greece, is heavily concentrated in New York City, Boston, and Chicago. The new owners of Virgin Australia could slash the jobs of up to 4,000 staff as it looks to radically restructure the struggling airline. Jobs cuts would likely hit those employed under the group's budget brand Tiger Airways which has suspend all flights indefinitely. Pilots, long-haul crew members along with non-operation staff and other workers are likely to be axed as the company becomes more focused on domestic flights, according to the Courier Mail. Virgin Australia new owners Bain Capital are said to be looking to cut the jobs of almost 4,000 people as the airline undergoes a major restructure The 4,000 job cuts would remove almost half of Virgin Australia 9,000 staff in yet another blow to the aviation industry amid the pandemic. Virgin Australia was purchased by American private equity group Bain Capital last month who are now believed to be in important talks with the airline's management about its future. The job cuts are expected to be announced sometime during the next fortnight. A spokesperson from Bain Capital said they were not able to comment at this stage. News of the jobs cuts comes after Qantas chief economist Tony Webber made a similar prediction earlier this week that Bain Capital would radically restructure the airline. 'They're [Bain Capital] going to get rid of Tigerair, and they're going to get rid of most of, if not all international,' Mr Webber told The Financial Review. 'They will probably get rid of half of the workforce, but that's dependent on how much of the business they are going to keep.' Pilots, long-haul crew members along with non-operation staff and other workers employed by the brand's budget carrier Tiger Airways are likely to be axed The Queensland Government also invested $200 million into Virgin Australia after the airline entered administration in April owing nearly $7 billion to creditors. Queensland opposition leader Deb Frecklington said it was a waste of money to invest money in a company that was cutting jobs and services. 'Writing a cheque for $200 million and getting job cuts and flights scrapped in return would be economic incompetence,' she said. Ms Frecklington called on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to secure the jobs of Queenslanders and the regional routes which Virgin currently operates. Travelers from the United States arriving in Britain must self-quarantine for 14 days, the British transport minister has confirmed. Grant Schapps was asked on Friday whether the U.S. was on Britain's 'red list', published to let holiday makers know whether they would face restrictions. 'I'm afraid it will be,' he said. He told the BBC: 'The US from a very early stage banned flights from the UK and from Europe, so there isn't a reciprocal arrangement in place'. He said the 'very high numbers of infections' in the U.S. prevented Britain from allowing free travel. Grant Schapps, Britain's transport minister, Friday confirmed the restrictions for U.S. arrivals The United States is failing to get the COVID-19 pandemic under control and cases are rising In contrast to most of Europe, the U.S. is still seeing its number of new cases rise. The U.S. now has more than 2.7 million cases and more than 128,000 deaths from Covid-19, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. The Americas is the hardest-hit region in the world, with Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Peru all suffering, in addition to the United States. There are double the number of total infections in the Americas - 5.4 million - than in Europe, where 2.7 million are infected. The U.S. infection rate is still rising rapidly England is relaxing its quarantine rules for around 50 other countries from 10 July, with people from France, Italy, Germany and Spain exempt from quarantine rules upon arrival in England. 'Green' countries, such as New Zealand, have 'very low' levels of coronavirus and will therefore have no restrictions for UK arrivals 'Amber' countries - including France, Germany, Italy and Spain - will have 'reciprocal arrangements' in place, meaning travelers from the UK will not have to quarantine on arrival. Restrictions will remain in place for 'red' countries, including the U.S. Heathrow, usually one of the busiest airports in the world, has seen a huge drop in arrivals Warning signs have sprung up in British airports, similar to those on display worldwide Mr Schapps added that it's 'hard to know' how many COVID-19 cases had been prevented from entering the UK thanks to quarantine rules imposed over the past month on new arrivals. 'We have worked incredibly hard as a country and everyone knows it because they've been staying at home and following all this guidance to get on top of this virus,' he said. 'The chief medical officer made it very clear the time to bring in a quarantine was when that had happened, when levels had gone done, and then prevent it from coming back again.' The European Union had announced on Tuesday that it would also exclude the U.S. from a list of countries permitted to enter the bloc this summer. It remains unclear when the restrictions will be revised. The U.S. currently has restrictions in place for travelers arriving from China, Iran, the Schengen area, the UK, Ireland and Brazil. 'With specific exceptions, foreign nationals who have been in any of the following countries during the past 14 days may not enter the United States,' the CDC website reads. Citizens and lawful permanent residents, such as Green Card holders, can still enter through one of 15 designated airports. The CDC then recommends they self-quarantine for 14 days. James Loganbill, 58, a 31-year veteran teacher from Olathe, Kansas, was arrested last month on a charge of reckless stalking targeting a 10-year-old student by allegedly photographing her A former Kansas elementary school teacher has been charged with reckless stalking after prosecutors say they found a cache of more than 240 photos and videos of a fourth-grader on his digital devices. The arrest of James Loganbill, 58, of Olathe, last month has sparked protests in the community, with parents calling for tougher laws aimed at protecting children from the predatory behavior of adults. Loganbill, a teacher in the Olathe School District for 31 years, resigned from Meadow Lane Elementary School in March when the stalking allegations against him first came to light. According to Johnson County prosecutors, some of Loganbill's fourth-grade students reported his behavior to officials after allegedly observing him photographing their 10-year-old classmate at school. Investigators said they ultimately discovered 210 photos and 31 videos depicting the girl on Loganbills phone and iPad, which were taken between August 2019 and March 2020. Loganbill resigned from Meadow Lane Elementary School in Olathe, Kansas, in March after the accusations against him had first come to light Some of the still images reportedly showed the child bending over, and one video depicted her lifting a leg toward her head, according to court documents. Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said investigators allege that Loganbill's actions were sexually motivated. Loganbill's search history revealed that he had looked up the girl's name online 39 times, according to a Fox 4 KC report from June. The young victim told investigators that Loganbill never physically touched her, but that she was afraid of him. During a meeting held last week between the girl's parents, elected officials and law enforcement representatives, the victim's mother revealed that her daughter's apprehension about being in close proximity to Loganbill was such that a friend would switch desks with her in class to get her away from him, reported Kansas City Star. Investigators said they discovered 210 photos and 31 videos depicting the girl on Loganbills phone and iPad, which were taken between August 2019 and March 2020 Loganbill was arrested on June 12 on a count of reckless stalking, which carries a maximum sentence of up to a year in prison. DA Howe said he believes the charge is inadequate, but the facts of the case do not meet the threshold for bringing a more serious charge carrying a stiffer penalty, like child exploitation, against the former teacher. Loganbill's attorney said he believes his client is innocent. Following Loganbill's arrest, a group of 200 parents and students staged a protest outside the Olathe Public Schools office, demanding accountability and tougher regulations, according to KMBC. 'Kansas is a little bit behind the times as it relates to essentially this type of behavior falling through the cracks,' said Sarah Hart Weir, a longtime friend of the victim's family, who is a Republican candidate for the US Congress. The school district released a statement, saying in part: 'the safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority. Any instance of reported misconduct against a student or staff member is taken seriously and thoroughly investigated.' On June 23, the parents of the victim sat down with the district attorney, members of the US Congress, state senators and Hair Weir to discuss how to close loopholes in state law addressing crimes against children. 'Whether youre a layperson, a legislator, a prosecutor or a police officer, we all recognize theres a hole in this statute for this type of conduct,' Howe said. Loganbill is currently out on bond. He is due back in court on August 18. Thousands of villagers in China have flocked to search for what they thought was a 'mysterious creature' after hearing loud noises that apparently sounded like a dragon's growling. Trending footage emerged recently shows curious locals swarming to the top of the mountain in Xiushui of China's southwestern province Guizhou while the supposedly mystical beast can be heard making the booming noises. Local officials even had to set roadblocks to stop people from gathering while sending a team of experts to investigate the strange sound. Thousands of villagers in China's south-western province Guizhou have flocked to search for a 'mysterious creature' after hearing a deep humming that sounded like a dragon's roar The villagers in Xiushui had rushed to the mountain hills after some farmers claimed that they had heard some strange noises on June 20. Footage filmed by onlookers shows local residents gathering in the area while they intently listen to the low-pitched sound. Some people can be heard shouting excitedly: 'It's growling! It's growling!' The videos has also drawn enormous attention on Chinese social media after some web users claimed that the sound had come from a dragon while others said it was a tiger's roar. Guizhou officials sent a team of experts to search the area after the videos became viral online. The villagers in Xiushui of Guizhou's Weining Yi, Hui, and Miao Autonomous County had rushed to the mountain hills after some farmers claimed that they had heard some strange noises. The picture shows the Miao villages in Guizhou province, south-western China Zoologists later revealed that the sound was, in fact, coming from a type of small bird called the yellow-legged buttonquail. Hardly bigger than a sparrow, the little ground birds have a disproportionately loud song. During the breeding season, the females repeatedly utter the booming hoots which can be heard at a distance as far as 100 metres (328 feet). The expert's conclusion was confirmed by some villagers who had spotted the animals while they were making the noise. It was later revealed by zoologists that the so-called 'dragon's humming' was, in fact, coming from yellow-legged buttonquails. The picture shows a female yellow-legged buttonquail Liu Fuqiong, a local primary school teacher, told Pear Video: 'It hummed twice or three times repeatedly every six or seven minutes. The sound was very deep. I thought it was quite strange as well. 'A dozen of villagers followed the sound to the cornfield and chased down a yellow bird with a really short tail.' Ran Jingcheng, director of the provincial wildlife protection centre, told reporters: 'Residents in other areas had heard similar sounds before. They just didn't think too much about it.' Local police said that they had detained at least four residents for spreading rumours online, claiming the sound was a dragon's humming. The glamorous Dutch horse trainer accused of being the secret mistress of the best-selling author of The Da Vinci Code by his furious ex-wife has broken her silence to say: 'This is a private matter between Dan and Blythe'. Dressage rider Judith Pietersen is said to have had an affair with the Da Vinci Code writer which contributed to the demise of his 21-year marriage to Blythe Brown. The brunette in her 20s, who met the couple in 2013 when she flew from Holland to the US to train their horses, has been flung into the spotlight by the American couple's very public legal dispute this week. However, she said she is not becoming embroiled in the bitter dispute and told MailOnline: 'This is a private matter between Dan Brown and Blythe Brown. 'It's not up to me but rather the judge in America to comment. I'm not a party in this lawsuit and I would appreciate that my privacy be respected.' The author and his wife Blythe Brown (pictured together at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006), split last year after 21 years with Brown accused of behaving 'wrongfully and blatantly' and lying about extramarital affairs The author's estranged wife Blythe is pictured next to his alleged mistress Judith Pietersen on a farm in 2014 Miss Pietersen was described in US court papers as the 'young horse trainer from Holland' and given the initials JP but was soon identified. The Frisian horse expert is said to have received lavish gifts from the 56-year-old thriller writer who is a huge fan of equestrianism. Brown is accused by his ex-wife of having donated horses, a two-horse transport truck and a car to Miss Pietersen, and financed her training stable. He is also said to have paid for renovations to the woman's apartment in Holland. One of the gifts is alleged to be the prize-winning horse named LimiTed Edition worth 277,000 ($346,700). She now lives in a converted barn in the town of Voorst, 60 miles east of Amsterdam, and runs a stables nearby which she visits twice a day. Brown is accused by his ex-wife of having donated horses, a two-horse transport truck and a car to Miss Pietersen, and financed her training stable Ms Pietersen has posted several pictures of the horse on Facebook in which she is competing and also standing proudly next to it with a wide smile on her face Mrs Brown's marriage ended in August 2018 when she reluctantly moved out of their 'marital dream home' in Rye Beach, New Hampshire. She had agreed to Mr Brown's request for a quiet and quick settlement and they agreed to divide their 'purported' marital assets. After the divorce was finalised in December 2019, the claims about Mr Brown's 'secret double life and fraudulent representations relating to their marital assets and his misconduct' came to light. Mrs Brown alleges that for many years he was secretly having an affair with the champion equestrian, among other women. Miss Pietersen had been hired in late 2013 to help train the Browns' Friesian horse, Daniel de G at their home in New Hampshire. According to the lawsuit, she became a 'friend and confidante' of Mrs Brown, who even invited her to attend the 50th birthday party she threw for her husband. The couple are said to have paid for Miss Pietersen to have corrective surgery on an injured shoulder in October 2014 While recuperating from the surgery at the Brown's home, the trainer and the author began their affair, it is claimed. The Frisian horse expert, who lives in Apeldoorn an hour from Amsterdam, is said to have received lavish gifts from the 56-year-old thriller writer who is a huge fan of equestrianism The author is best known for his celebrated novel, The Da Vinci Code. Audrey Tautou and Tom Hanks starred in the 2006 movie adaptation (right) Mrs Brown, who at the time was away at a horse show, said that her husband removed 'substantial amounts' from their bank accounts and marital assets and used them to buy 'extravagant' gifts for his lover. The presents reportedly included paying for the refurbishment of Ms Pietersen's flat in Holland, a new car and a two-horse transporter lorry. He allegedly also financed 'an entire horse-training business in Holland for her', including paying 36,000 for a horse that Ms Pietersen named Da Vinci in his honour and 276,000 for the 'highly coveted, prizewinning' Friesian stallion LimiTed Edition. According to his ex-wife, he used the name of his literary editor in money wire transfers to avoid detection. When Mrs Brown confronted her ex-husband in January this year after learning about the secret wire transfers, he allegedly acknowledged he had deceived her personally and financially, saying: 'I've done bad things with a lot of people.' She said that he had admitted the affair with Miss Pietersen and also confessed to another fling with a local hairdresser. Mrs Brown says he also cheated on her with a politician in Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory in the eastern Caribbean, where they had a home, and with his personal trainer in New Hampshire. Her lawsuit specifies undisclosed damages and says 'Blythe's sense of pain, humiliation, betrayal and anguish is unbearable and debilitating. 'She has great difficulty eating or sleeping, and Dan has caused her to suffer significant emotional distress.' Victoria's health minister claims residents in COVID-19 hotspots think the deadly virus 'is a conspiracy' as the state continues to battle a second spike in cases. Jenny Mikakos on Friday revealed more than 10,000 people have refused to be tested amid a 'suburban testing blitz' that started on June 25. She claimed some of the residents didn't believe the pandemic was real or failed to understand they could contract the virus. 'Disappointingly, we have had more than 10,000 people who have refused to be tested,' Ms Mikakos said. Pictured: Members of the Australian Defence Force take a swab sample at a drive-through COVID-19 clinic in Fawkner, Melbourne, on Thursday. More than 10,000 residents in Melbourne have refused a coronavirus test 'That might be for a range of reasons, including that they may have already been tested in a different location. 'We are analysing that data to see exactly why people are refusing, but it is concerning that some people believe that coronavirus is a conspiracy or that it won't impact them. 'What I want to stress here is that coronavirus is a very contagious virus.' Ms Mikakos also suggested a super spreader could be responsible for the second wave of cases in Victoria. 'There seems to be a single source of infection for many of the cases that have gone across the northern and western suburbs of Melbourne,' she told reporters. 'It appears to be even potentially a super spreader that has caused this upsurge in cases.' Victoria's Health Minister Jenny Mikakos (pictured) claims residents in COVID-19 hot spots think the deadly virus 'is a conspiracy' Genomic sequencing revealed on Tuesday a big proportion of Victoria's new coronavirus cases were related to infection protocol breaches in hotels hosting returned travellers. Undisclosed cases of Victorians testing positive and attending family gatherings had previously been highlighted by Premier Daniel Andrews. There were 66 new cases of coronavirus in Australia on Friday, all from Victoria. It marks the 17th day of double-digit increases in the state, but the numbers are slightly better than the 77 new cases on Thursday. Pictured: Victoria Police set up a check point in Melbourne on Friday as 36 suburbs return to lockdown Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd said the number hasn't been rising substantially day-to-day despite the high volume of tests being conducted. 'This is a strong indication of the effectiveness of the measures which are being implemented in Victoria,' he told reporters in Canberra on Friday. 'The figures are showing some signs of stabilisation but it is too early to confirm.' More than 880,000 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in the state since the start of the pandemic, with 24,430 tests completed on Thursday alone. Residents from 36 red zone suburbs in 10 postcodes have been put back into lockdown as the state attempts to control the second outbreak. This is the moment the driver of a Mercedes hire car drives straight at a police officer who is trying to arrest him for driving while disqualified. Suffolk Police had stopped driver Antwayne Plummer, 21, before he tried to drive off. Dashcam footage from one of the three police cars involved in the arrest shows an officer standing in the middle of the road trying to block the path of the Mercedes in Ipswich. Antwayne Plummer (pictured), 21, was jailed for 12 months after previously pleading guilty to dangerous driving; driving whilst disqualified; driving without insurance and aggravated vehicle taking causing property damage The Mercedes E220 accelerates sharply in the direction of the officer who leaps out of the way to avoid being run over. As the hire car driver attempts to flee he crashes into a police car which brings him to a stop. The footage was recorded on the morning of February 26 this year. Suffolk Police said that officers had tried to stop Plummer 'based on intelligence involving suspected criminal activity'. Plummer, from Newham in East London, admitted to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance and aggravated vehicle taking causing property damage at Ipswich Crown Court. On July 2, Plummer was jailed for 12 months for the Ipswish incident and a separate incident on January 17 in Holborn, London, which involved offences of driving wile disqualified and possession of cannabis. A Suffolk Police officer stands next to a patrol car to try and block the road as Plummer tries to drive away Dashcam footage from a second police car shows Plummer accelerate the Mercedes E220 hire car straight at the police officer who jumps to the side to avoid being hit Plummer was also handed a 26-month driving ban. After police boxed Plummer in, he and his 19-year-old passenger refused to unlock their doors for the officers who forced entry into the car. Both men were arrested but the passenger faces no further action. Acting Chief Inspector Gary Miller, of the Roads and Armed Policing Team, said: 'This is another example of the danger faced by our officers on a daily basis and how they put themselves in harm's way to protect the public. 'Antwayne Plummer was a disqualified and therefore uninsured driver, who was seemingly prepared to drive in a manner so reckless that no matter how many police vehicles he was surrounded by, he continued to try to evade capture, even if that meant driving directly at police officers. 'It was fortunate that no-one was seriously harmed and I commend the bravery of the officers involved to ensure this dangerous individual was removed from the roads.' Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:25 pm And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. The 56 signatories of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 Rereading our countrys famous founding document, the Declaration of Independence, Im struck by how it really is a statement of unity. It begins with the words The unanimous declaration and refers to one people. The document is written in the collective voice, saying we and our in laying out the argument for independence from Great Britain. The document concludes as representatives of all 13 colonies sign their names in full knowledge that they were publicly committing treason against the Crown and faced dire consequences. As Ben Franklin supposedly said after signing the declaration on behalf of Pennsylvania, We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately. And yet on this 244th American Independence Day, so many of us feel anger and contempt against our fellow countrymen, rather than unity. Too many of us view political opponents as enemies. Rather than engage and listen to learn, we shout others down with disdain and contempt. We look for reasons to criticize, rather than opportunities to understand. Each side views itself as virtuous and the other side as villainous. A couple of examples show it on both sides of our political divide. Friends of mine who conceal carry pistols are proud that they are prepared to defend themselves and those around them in the event of a violent incident. And indeed, there are stories from across the nation of responsible, armed people being key first responders during mass shooting incidents. My conceal carry friends go about their days with pride that they are a good guy with a gun, even though especially though the people around them dont know it. I see a similar feeling of satisfaction in people who are wearing masks these days. They know that by wearing a face covering they are much less likely to spread the novel coronavirus if they are infected but arent showing symptoms. They are willing to endure the inconvenience and discomfort of wearing masks to help the greater good, and they feel justifiable pride in that. So two groups who tend to see the world differently both feel that they are the virtuous ones, looking after the vulnerable or ill-prepared on the other side. Unfortunately, each side often fails to see that the other side might just have a key insight and deeper understanding of our shared reality. What if we listened and learned from each other? Our politics right now, supercharged by the angry digital shouting of social media, are far from the mutual respect and sacred honor that gave birth to our nation. From the right, I hear some folks dismissing half of the nation as Demon-crats. And from the left, I hear some people saying that anyone who voted for Donald Trump is an irredeemable racist. Both sentiments are terribly, tragically wrong. But even more importantly than that, they simply dont work from a political perspective. In America, we can never literally destroy our political opponents, and I hope it goes without saying we should never point our nation in that direction. We have to figure out how to work with each other. Its the endless challenge in our democratic republic. I wish our nation would return to a respect and appreciation for our countrymen and women whose lives and perspectives are different than ours. In rural America, we understand that it is our forests, our mines, our get-er-done spirit, that is a crucial engine for our nations economy. We believe our love for traditional life and faith is an important reservoir for our nations spiritual health. Many of us growing up with generations of our families together, deeply connected to the land and natural resources, feel that this is a cornerstone for what it means to be truly American. But we should remember that the cities of America power the researchers who discover the cures for diseases and invent the technologies which brighten our future. The vibrant economies of cities produce a surplus of tax money that flows to pay for rural services. The dynamic melting pot of beliefs and cultures in cities also has a longstanding claim to be an essential part of what it means to be American. What if we respected that different parts of America are important? What if all sides viewed those we dont understand with respect and forbearance? What if rural folks were respected by their urban cousins, and what if those of us in the country had the same respect for city folk? That sounds like a tall order these divided times, but lets remember that Americas founders were also divided. The needs of those in Rhode Island and Georgia were divergent then as they are now. But they came together and created a new we the newly declared United States. They faced hanging, or worse. But, united in the belief that together we are stronger, our founders persevered and created a new kind of nation that this world had never seen before. Many of those same founders, a dozen years later, wrote the Constitution that still governs our land. A woman then asked Franklin what kind of nation they had. A republic, if you can keep it, he replied. That job has fallen to us, and we can only do it together. *** Brian Mittge will be celebrating our independence and interdependence in rural Chehalis. Contact him at brianmittge@hotmail.com. Latin America has leap-frogged Europe to record the second-highest total of coronavirus cases of any continent, and is now second only to North America. There are now more than 2.7million confirmed cases of the virus in Central and Southern America and the Caribbean, narrowly topping the 2.69million in Europe. The rise is largely being driven by a rampant outbreak in Brazil, where the official case total is now just shy of 1.5million. Latin America has recorded 2.7million coronavirus infections, overtaking Europe which has 2.69million and is now secondly-only to North America Europe, where the infection has been spreading the longest, still has the most deaths - but North and Latin America are catching up and are due to overtake by the end of the month North America has more than 2.8million confirmed cases of the virus, almost 98 per cent of which are in the United States. Deaths in both North and Latin America are still lagging behind those in Europe, where the infection has been spreading for longer. The continent has just under 200,000 deaths from the virus while North America has 137,000 and Latin America has 121,000. However, both of those totals are now rising much faster than the toll in Europe and at the current rate will overtake it by the end of the month. The spike has seen governors in several hard-hit American states roll back plans to reopen bars and restaurants, though moves are still going ahead in Brazil - urged on by President Bolsonaro. Popular tourist city Rio de Janeiro recently authorised bars, restaurants and cafes to reopen at 50 per cent capacity. Europe has also been cautiously easing lockdown restrictions in an attempt to find a way to a 'new normal', and has yet to see a resurgence in the disease. Massively ramped-up testing programmes along with track and trace apps are being deployed in an attempt to snuff out local outbreaks before they can mushroom into widespread epidemics. The rise has been fuelled largely by a rampant outbreak in Brazil, which has recorded a total of 1.5million cases (pictured, indigenous peoples are pictured wearing face masks) North America has the most coronavirus infections at 2.8million, around 98 per cent of which are in the USA (pictured, a hospital in Texas which has seen cases soar in recent weeks) In Asia, where track and trace has been common since the start of the pandemic, case and death tolls have remained comparatively low. The continent has recorded a total of 36,000 deaths from 1.3million cases. The Middle East, which was also quick to go into lockdown with the exception of hard-hit Iran, there have been 16,959 deaths from 785,842 cases. Africa, which was also an early adopter of lockdowns and has a much younger population on average than all other continents, there has been 10,609 deaths from 433,436 cases. Oceania - including Australia and New Zealand which were quick to declare victory over COVID - has suffered just 133 deaths from 9,585 cases. However, fears of a second wave are now growing, particularly in Australia where the second-largest city of Melbourne has seen cases soar in the past week. The global hunt for a coronavirus vaccine continues but there has been a ray of hope. The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, on Friday authorised the use of anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat the new coronavirus. Two US studies have showed it can reduce the length of hospital stays. Swiss authorities also gave the drug the green light. Having once been the epicentre, Europe is now easing its way out of lockdowns which have suppressed the disease, with pubs set to reopen in the UK tomorrow (pictured) However the United States announced earlier this week that it had purchased 92 per cent of all remdesivir production by the California-based Gilead laboratory until the end of September. Globally, almost 11million cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories, along with more than half a million deaths. The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases. The United States is the worst-hit country with 128,740 deaths from 2,739,879 cases. At least 781,970 people have been declared recovered. After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 61,884 deaths from 1,496,858 cases, the United Kingdom with 43,995 deaths from 283,757 cases, Italy with 34,818 deaths from 240,961 cases, and France with 29,875 deaths from 202,785 cases. The UK case figures have been revised down from the 313,483 reported previously after the authorities changed their counting method. China - excluding Hong Kong and Macau - has to date declared 83,542 cases (5 new since Thursday), including 4,634 deaths and 78,499 recoveries. Diners at pop-up restaurants will sit in family bubbles in separate pods and have individual serving hatches as businesses gear up for Super Saturday. The St Moritz Hotel & Spa, at Trebetherick, Cornwall, was the first purpose-built socially-distanced restaurant and outlined its plan to maintain social distancing. The resort, which has nicknamed itself The Anti-Social Club, will have a 96-person capacity in 16 dining rooms, with food and drink served through holes in the wall. There will also be staggered eating times to help keep people apart as well as clear guidance for customers. It comes as Britain prepares for Super Saturday, which will see restaurants, bars, pubs, hotels and other hospitality venues open for the first time in three months. Businesses have to follow the Government's 'one-metre-plus' social distancing rule in their own ways, with some installing glass or Perspex screens between tables. The St Moritz Hotel & Spa, at Trebetherick, Cornwall, which has nicknamed itself The Anti-Social Club, is the UK's first purpose-built socially-distanced restaurant The resort will have a 96-person capacity across 16 dining rooms, with food and drink served through separate holes in the wall There will also be staggered eating times to help keep people apart as well as clear guidance for customers (pictured during preparations) But at St Moritz Hotel & Spa individual dining rooms are to be served from a central atrium for staff as food and drink is delivered from the outside. It was devised as a way to prevent the 20 workers from coming into close contact with visitors, to help stop the spread of coronavirus. Tables will be cleared and remade between groups of guests, with deep cleaning of rooms. The hotel now looks like a blend of a private members' club, a restaurant and a beach club due to its vibrant colours. Co-owner Hugh Ridgway, who came up with the idea with co-owner Steve Ridgway and director of restaurants Jonathan Dome, said the restaurant would only have been able to operate at 30 per cent capacity with the two-metre rule, so they decided to build the socially distanced pop-up venue. He said: 'Our self-catering accommodations are full for July and August, which we would expect. 'People have been waiting and waiting to stay in hotels and now our phones are very busy, our online bookings are very busy. 'We are very lucky here in St Moritz that our architecture means all of our hotel rooms can be occupied in a safe and socially distanced manner. 'The only problem is that we need to feed our guests. We can't do that if we are restricting our restaurant to 30 per cent or 60 per cent if at one-metre distance occupancy. 'That's why we came up with the idea of socially distanced dining and built this marquee with 16 individual dining rooms.' At St Moritz Hotel & Spa individual dining rooms are to be served from a central atrium for staff as food and drink is delivered from the outside Tables will be cleared and remade between groups of guests, with deep cleaning of rooms This is the scene at the stunning hotel in Cornwall, with the beach just a short walk away from diners Most restaurants shut when Britain went into lockdown at the end of March, with some flogging takeaway meals to help stay afloat. Despite the huge demand, only around half of hospitality firms will reopen on July 4, according to an industry survey of major chains. It has led to one survey by the Mail on Sunday finding many restaurants and pubs across the country are already fully booked for the grand reopening. Restaurant bosses said tens of thousands of customers bombarded reservation phone lines after the PM's announcement last Tuesday. Waiting lists for tables on Saturday night at sought-after venues are already understood to be hundreds long. Restaurant tycoon Richard Caring, who owns some of London's most famous venues including The Ivy, Scott's and J Sheekey, the private members' club Annabel's and the hugely popular nationwide Ivy brasserie chain, said the initial 30 sites he will open on Saturday are nearly all fully booked. The Ivy Collection brasseries will open on Saturday in Oxford, Guildford, Cambridge, Birmingham and Chelsea (pictured), among other places, as will Scott's and Sexy Fish in Mayfair, London He said: 'The phone lines exploded, it was incredible. The first Saturday, July 4, was booked up pretty much immediately almost everywhere and bookings have continued into July, right across the country from central London to the countryside to Manchester. 'The excitement has not only been with customers but with our staff, who are thrilled to be returning to work, which is hugely positive.' The Ivy Collection brasseries will open in Oxford, Guildford, Cambridge, Birmingham and Chelsea, among other places, as will Scott's and Sexy Fish in Mayfair, London. Private members' club Annabel's, one of the capital's most fashionable venues, already has a 400-strong waiting list for Saturday. Celebrity chef Rick Stein last week began taking bookings for eight of his restaurants, including three in Padstow, Cornwall The Seafood Restaurant, St Petroc's Bistro and Rick Stein's Cafe which are popular with well-heeled holidaymakers. He had 2,600 people across the eight restaurants booked in on the opening weekend by Sunday, with at least 12,850 people booked over the summer and autumn. Executive chef Jack Stein, Rick's son, said the firm's booking systems had 'taken a battering' due to an 'unprecedented' spike in bookings. Celebrity chef Rick Stein last week began taking bookings for eight restaurants that will reopen on Saturday, including three in Padstow, Cornwall The Seafood Restaurant, St Petroc's Bistro and Rick Stein's Cafe which are popular with well-heeled holidaymakers He said: 'We have never seen numbers like that in our entire history.' Tables are available for up to eight guests from no more than two households. Restaurateur Des Gunewardena, chief executive of D&D London, is opening 17 restaurants and all are fully booked. The most popular is 20 Stories in Manchester, which has taken 500 bookings for Saturday. Bluebird in Chelsea, Le Pont de la Tour near Tower Bridge and three restaurants in Leeds - Angelica, Crafthouse and Issho - are also all full with around 300 bookings. Mr Gunewardena said: 'We are full this weekend and the rest of the weekends in July are looking good too.' Peter Borg-Neal, chief executive of Oakman Inns, has taken 5,340 bookings for July 4 across his 25 pubs outside London. Peter Borg-Neal, chief executive of Oakman Inns, said he had taken 12,340 bookings for the opening seven days. Pictured, Sexy Fish Restaurant in Mayfair Five pubs are fully booked, including The Betsey Wynne in Swanbourne and The Akeman in Tring, and five more in Ascot, Farnham, Milton Keynes, Abingdon and Amersham are close to capacity. Mr Borg-Neal said he had taken 12,340 bookings for the opening seven days and enquiries were still flooding in. He said: 'That number is going up all the time as the phone is still ringing.' Due to the surge in demand, he has told customers hoping to visit his pubs this weekend that they cannot turn up without a booking. He added: 'There seems to be a genuine wave of enthusiasm for getting out and socialising again.' A leading Chinese disease control expert has claimed that it would be 'completely impossible' for the world to combat the coronavirus pandemic with 'herd immunity'. Dr Zhang Wenhong, who has led Shanghai's fight against COVID-19, said the method would lead to a 'global disaster that nobody wants to see'. Herd immunity is a situation in which so many people have become immune to an illness - either by having it or by getting a vaccine - that it can no longer spread. Shanghai's disease control expert Dr Zhang Wenhong (pictured) said herd immunity would require at least half of the world's population to catch the virus to build up a global tolerance Dr Zhang said the method would require at least half of the world's 7.8billion people to contract the virus to build up a global tolerance strong enough to stop the disease circulating. 'At present, we are far from a global infection rate of 50 per cent,' he told Chinese video news outlet Pear. The World Health Organization said in March that scientists would need some time to understand COVID-19 mortality, but the disease's crude fatality rate was between three and four per cent based on available data. Herd immunity is untested for the novel coronavirus. The extent and duration of immunity among recovered patients are equally uncertain. The measure has been considered by several European nations, including the UK and Holland Dr Zhang said it was 'very dangerous' for experts to consider herd immunity as a strategy to fight any epidemics. He noted that it would be more feasible for countries to unite and develop coronavirus vaccines as soon as possible than to think about using the approach. 'Because nobody has a vaccine right now, the most responsible way would be to try to improve the control and prevention measures.' He added that it would be 'completely impossible' for the world to achieve herd immunity in a short time. Sweden has not ordered a lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic in the hope of achieving herd immunity. Pictured, people enjoy themselves at an restaurant in Stockholm on April 20 Dr Zhang is not the Chinese medical advisor to hit out at the form of indirection protection, which has been considered by several European countries, including the UK and Holland. Dr Zhong Nanshan, the leader of China's expert team dealing with the virus, warned in March that 'herd immunity' would not contain the global outbreak because the disease was too infectious and lethal. 'Herd immunity won't solve the problem,' Dr Zhong said. 'We don't have the evidence to prove that if you are infected once, you would be immune for life.' 'Our next step is to develop effective vaccines, which requires global cooperation,' he added. Sweden is one of the few countries in the world that haven't ordered a lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic in the hope of achieving herd immunity. However, a study in June showed only around 6.1 per cent of Swedes had developed COVID-19 antibodies, well below levels deemed enough to achieve even partial herd immunity. Luxury hotels reopening tomorrow will turn away guests if they fail temperature checks as part of efforts to combat coronavirus. The Langham in central London, Cliveden House in Berkshire and The Bath Priory in Bath are among those which will screen visitors for signs of fever in an attempt to identify anyone with symptoms. Andrew Stembridge, executive director of Iconic Luxury Hotels, which owns a handful of boutique venues including Cliveden House, said he hopes the checks will be 'quite relaxed'. Cliveden House, pictured, is among the luxury hotels which will screen visitors for signs of fever in an attempt to identify anyone with symptoms Arriving guests will be greeted at the car park of their hotel and a member of staff will use a handheld contactless device, pictured, to take their temperature Arriving guests will be greeted at the car park of their hotel and a member of staff will use a handheld contactless device to take their temperature. Mr Stembridge said: 'We put in our (booking) confirmation 'If you are above 38C then I'm really sorry we're going to have to send you home again'. 'At least by doing it in the car park, you haven't got that slightly awkward situation where someone's already in the building.' He said he believes guests will be relieved such checks are being carried out. 'It's one thing going to Waitrose, but if you're going into an environment where you're going to be in there for the next three or four days, knowing that every single person has been temperature checked (gives you) peace of mind,' he said. Mr Stembridge said most of his hotel rooms have been reserved for Saturday night and the rate of bookings is three times higher than normal for this time of year. 'I don't think every hotel is going to have a great summer,' he added. 'I think there's a great opportunity for those hotels that have lots of space and a location that feels very rural.' Most UK hotels were closed when the coronavirus lockdown was introduced on March 23, with only those providing accommodation for key workers allowed to continue operating. Kelly-Anne McKittrick, Executive Head House Keeping Manager at the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast checks rooms before reopening Head housekeeper Carolanne Rowe attaches a deep cleaning seal to a hotel suite door at St Moritz hotel and spa, Cornwall, after saintising the rooms in preparation ahead of reopening Head housekeeper Carolanne Rowe wears PPE as she moves sun loungers on a balcony in a hotel suite at St Moritz hotel and spa, Cornwall Rooms are being prepared by staff at hotels up and down the country ahead of Super Saturday Head housekeeper Carolanne Rowe wears PPE as she deep cleans a hotel suite at St Moritz hotel and spa, Cornwall Head housekeeper Carolanne Rowe wears PPE as she cleans a balcony dining set in a hotel suite at St Moritz hotel and spa, Cornwall How hotels will be operating differently on Super Saturday What's happening? Discretionary reopening for all hotels, B&Bs, holiday apartments, caravan parks and campsites from tomorrow. The only exception is youth hostel dorms. There are plenty of deals and discounts on both UK staycations and European breaks as venues encourage guests to return. Property owners are also allowed to visit second homes. What to expect: Pre-arrival health questionnaires, full payment on booking and, in many cases, digital check-ins (via tablet or app). Face masks are not obligatory but some venues will ask you to wear them in communal spaces. Many lobbies will be equipped with digital temperature scanners to check guests' health. There will be limited availability, with some venues quarantining bedrooms for up to 72 hours between guests. There will be no mini bar or reusable toiletries. Guests will get sealed packs containing disposable essentials on arrival. The breakfast buffet is no more, with table service only and staggered arrival times. Room service is encouraged. Gyms and pools remain closed. Advertisement Hotels in Northern Ireland and England are permitted to reopen from Friday and Saturday respectively, while those in Wales with en-suite facilities can welcome guests from July 11. The Scottish Government has set a later date of July 15. Hilton will reopen the majority of its hotels in England from Saturday, including properties in Brighton, Cambridge, Liverpool, London and Manchester. Staff will not carry out temperature checks, but new safety standards include putting seals on bedroom doors to show no-one has entered rooms after they have been cleaned. Stephen Cassidy, Hilton's managing director in the UK and Ireland, acknowledged 'expectations will be different' when hotels reopen, with cleanliness and hygiene 'more important than ever'. Premier Inn, which has more than 800 hotels in the UK, is reopening those in England in phases from Saturday. As part of enhanced hygiene measures, screens will be placed at check-in areas, hand sanitiser stations will be installed in public areas and breakfasts will be served in boxes rather than at restaurants. Simon Ewins, managing director of Premier Inn, said he wants to reassure guests of the 'stringent hygiene standards that exist from check-in to check-out'. Other measures include asking guests to complete pre-arrival health questionnaires and a digital check in, and while face masks are not obligatory, some may ask for them to be worn in communal spaces. There will also be no mini bar or reusable toiletries, with guests instead receiving sealed packs containing disposable essentials on arrival. These can all be expected for guests checking in at UK hotels this weekend, but there are even more dramatic changes being looked at on the continent. Some European hotels are installing electrostatically-charged mist and ultraviolet sprays to sterilise interiors, while others are researching robot butlers. Aaron Murray, Assistant Front Office Manager, at the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast, prepares to reopen to guests Stephen Meldrum General Manager of the new Grand Central Hotel in Belfast stands near the socially distanced tables and chairs Guests at the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast will be met with signs reminding them to observe social distancing Customers have already returned to Belfast's Grand Central Hotel, which general manager Stephen Meldrum said had remained functioning through lockdown for key workers. 'It's been extremely difficult, from a hotelier's point of view, from Easter time onwards would traditionally be our busiest time of the year so we've lost quite a lot of business particularly from the international market,' he said. 'We're playing catch up at this moment in time.' Mr Meldrum said that since reopening dates were announced there had been a great deal of interest from across Ireland, with a number of bookings for this weekend. 'We are a 300-bedroom hotel but based on our social distancing guidelines we are running on a reduced capacity of around 90 bedrooms,' he said. 'We have done a lot of subtle touches behind the scenes like upping cleaning schedules, subtle signage and extra sanitation points but it's important we still deliver a hospitality experience, not a hospital experience.' A NSW violin prodigy who believed he was telepathic has been found not guilty of stabbing two police officers because of mental illness. Newcastle District Court judge Tim Gartelmann on Friday accepted psychiatric evidence that Oliver Scales-Copeland was suffering from disorganised thinking and paranoid delusions when he attacked the policemen in 2019. He said Scales-Copeland 'on the balance of probabilities' had been aware of what he was doing when stabbing the officers, but not criminally responsible because he did not know it was wrong. Scales-Copeland did not trust the police, feared they were trying to kill him and believed he was acting in self-defence. The judge ordered the 26-year-old continue to be detained in Long Bay jail's psychiatric hospital as a forensic patient until his case was assessed by the Mental Health Review Tribunal. Oliver Scales-Copeland was found not guilty of stabbing two police officers due to his mental illness but he is still being held in custody He said Scales-Copeland could not be released at this stage as he remained a danger to others because of his limited insight into his mental illness despite treatment. It would be up to the Tribunal to decide when he should be freed. Two Sydney psychiatrists, Dr Olav Nielssen and Dr Richard Furst, had diagnosed Scales-Copeland with chronic schizophrenia and substance abuse disorder. They said his cocaine use had made his schizophrenia worse before the attack but he had been mentally ill for a number of years. He claimed he was awake all night after taking cocaine before driving from Sydney to Lake Macquarie on Sunday, October 6, and attacking the two senior constables about 1pm outside a Toronto service station. Judge Gartelmann found Scales-Copeland, from Bronte in Sydney's east, not guilty due to mental illness to two counts of wounding with intent to prevent arrest. Scales-Copeland, the son of Greens councillor George Copeland on Sydney's Waverley Council, had been wearing only red underpants when he began threatening motorists with a knife before the two police officers approached him at the Caltex service station. Newcastle District Court (pictured) judge Tim Gartelmann ordered the 26-year-old continue to be detained in Long Bay jail's psychiatric hospital as a forensic patient until his case was assessed by the Mental Health Review Tribunal When ordered to drop the knife, he called out, 'come on dogs, I'll take you on'. The officers used capsicum spray and a baton to try to disarm Scales-Copeland and were wrestling with him when he stabbed one officer five times in the left thigh and the other officer once in the right hand, cutting one finger to the bone. Both officers opened fire but missed before he was arrested with the help of bystanders. When later questioned by detectives, Scales-Copeland claimed to have no memory of stabbing the officers. He told police he had to get out of Sydney because he realised the city was under a hole in the ozone layer and it was unsafe. Boris Johnson's new Union Flag-painted RAF Voyager was today scrambled to support fighter jets in Scotland as Russian aircraft approached UK airspace. The Voyager joined the Quick Response Action with jets from RAF Lossiemouth early this morning, a week after returning to the skies following the repaint job. The Ministry of Defence said no interception was required during the operation and the Voyager made a return to its base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. A Lossiemouth spokesman said the Voyagers can be tasked to 'provide air-to-air refuelling or they can be tasked to transport personnel or freight'. The repainted Voyager was pictured last Friday during its first operational tasking, by tanking RAF Lightning and Typhoon fighters during Exercise Crimson Ocean. The RAF Voyager is pictured last Friday during its first operational tasking, by tanking RAF Lightning and Typhoon fighters during Exercise Crimson Ocean The RAF Voyager, known as Vespina and also often referred to as 'ZZ336', is pictured last week The MoD spent 900,000 on the makeover for the PM's trips around the world. The once grey-coloured aircraft now displays the Union Flag alongside RAF markings. It will be used by the PM, other ministers, and senior members of the Royal Family. One source had described the paint-job as 'Austin Powers' style, referring to the hit comedy films featuring a British spy, played by Mike Myers, who drives a Jaguar E-type in the colours of the Union Jack. The aircraft, known as Vespina and also often referred to as 'ZZ336' which is its military registration number, was previously visually indistinguishable from the rest of the Operational Voyager Fleet. This external paint scheme will better reflect its VIP missions and contribution to 'Global Britain', the MoD said. The repainted RAF Voyager is pictured during its first operational tasking last Friday The MoD spent 900,000 on the makeover for the Prime Minister's trips around the world The cost of the respray which was undertaken at an airport in Cambridgeshire was condemned by opposition politicians when it was revealed last month. The SNP criticised it as an 'utterly unacceptable use of public funds'. The interior of the Voyager had a 10million makeover in 2016, when David Cameron was prime minister. An RAF source said the plane could be changed back to grey 'very quickly' if deemed necessary in a wartime scenario. The source noted that planes were painted a sandy shade of pink for the Gulf wars. The Voyager will be used by the PM, other ministers, and senior members of the Royal Family The RAF Voyager on the runway at Cambridge Airport last Thursday following the repaint job In May 2018 Mr Johnson asked why the Voyager needed to be grey as he said he needed his own plane in order to boost Britain's post-Brexit trade prospects. Speaking when he was foreign secretary, he said he and other Cabinet ministers needed another aircraft as the Voyager, used by Mr Cameron when he was prime minister, was rarely available. He said: 'What I will say about the Voyager, I think it's great, but it seems to be very difficult to get hold of... I don't know who uses it, but it never seems to be available.' Mr Johnson added that it was 'striking' such a plane did not yet exist and suggested that it could be a different colour. He added: 'And also, why does it have to be grey? The taxpayers won't want us to have some luxurious new plane. But I certainly think it's striking that we don't seem to have access to such a thing at the moment.' Seattle police officers were filmed kneeling on the necks of two CHOP demonstrators as they were being arrested for squatting at a downtown intersection on two separate occasions on Thursday. Seattle police officers continued to gradually reclaim the streets from the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) as one video shows cops dive-tackling a group of demonstrators at a downtown intersection where 25 people were arrested. A group of police officers on bicycles rode toward a line of demonstrators who appeared to be squatting in the middle of the intersection of Broadway and Pine Street at around 5:30pm on Thursday. In the video, an officer is seen tackling one of several demonstrators and telling him to put his hands behind his back. A Seattle police officer is seen kneeling against the neck of a protester that he was detaining at the intersection of Pine and Broadway at around 5:30pm on Thursday The officer presses his knee against the protester's neck as he is arresting him. The protester is heard asking the officer to remove his knee from his neck A Seattle police officer (right) was filmed lunging and tackling a protester in the CHOP zone on Thursday afternoon As the officer and one of his colleagues pins the protester to the ground, one demonstrator is heard yelling: 'Can you please not put your knee on his neck?' The protester is then heard telling the officer: 'Can you take your f*****g knee off my neck, dude?' The officers then handcuff the protester and lift him off the ground seconds later, taking him into custody. The arrests took place hours before police claimed that demonstrators in the area pelted them with bottles and rocks and shot fireworks in their direction from the same intersection. In a separate video from before dawn on Thursday, a police officer was seen pressing his knee against the neck another demonstrator near the same intersection. 'Get off his neck!' several protesters are heard yelling at the helmeted officer in riot gear as several law enforcement officials pin down a man who appears to be in his twenties. 'You're hurting him!' another protester who was off to the side yelled in the officers' direction as they were detaining the demonstrator. Video footage from before dawn on Thursday shows another Seattle police officer appear to press his knee into the neck of a demonstrator near the same intersection in downtown Three police officers in riot gear are seen trying to detain the protester as other demonstrators nearby accuse one cop of pressing his knee against the man's neck The video from the daytime incident showed helmeted officers swiftly getting off their bikes and then swooping in to detain the protesters who were blocking the intersection. The officers appeared to push out the protesters from the intersection and established a perimeter. During this time, protesters were filming the arrests with their cell phones and in some cases taunting the cops. He will be right back, you dirty pigs! He will be right back! one protester is heard yelling toward police after they detained several people. Another video of the same incident shows how events unfolded from a different angle. In the video, it appears that officers warned the protesters to clear the intersection, which was marked off with yellow tape. Do it, one of the protesters is heard yelling toward police. Come f*** some girl up whos reading. Within seconds, the police move in on bicycles and knock down several protesters to the ground. What the f***, man! What the f***! one protester is heard saying in the video. The massive unrest in Seattle and across the country was sparked by the May 25 police-involved death of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police. Video footage of Floyd's arrest shows one officer pressing his knee against Floyd's neck, cutting off his air supply. One of the arresting officers, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes. Chauvin and three other police officers have been charged. Seattle police moved in swiftly to clear the intersection of protesters on Thursday Several protesters who were not arrested taunted police and accused them of using excessive force The officers were sent to clear the CHOP of protesters after the mayor issued an executive order Police claim that protesters in the area hurled fireworks, bottles and rocks at officers hours before the arrests Police set up a perimeter and moved protesters out of the intersection in downtown Seattle on Thursday DailyMail.com has reached out to the Seattle Police Department for comment. Seattle police say they arrested more than two dozen people early on Thursday who gathered in an area officers cleared hours earlier after the mayor ordered an end to the citys occupied protest zone. In a statement police said they used pepper spray and blast balls after people in the crowd started throwing bottles at officers. Twenty-five people were arrested for failure to disperse, assault and obstruction. The mayhem came after police cleared the CHOP zone just east of downtown early Wednesday morning. The group had occupied several blocks around a park for about two weeks after police abandoned a precinct station following standoffs and clashes that were part of the nationwide unrest over the killing of Floyd in Minneapolis. More than three dozen people were arrested early Wednesday, charged with failure to disperse, obstruction, assault and unlawful weapon possession. Mayor Jenny Durkan ordered the area cleared after two recent fatal shootings. Seattle police said on Thursday they will continue to move people from the area or arrest them per Durkans order. At least 44 people were arrested in the early morning hours of Wednesday as officers took back their precinct just hours earlier following an executive order for demonstrators to vacate the area. In a statement issued at 5:30am on Thursday officials confirmed the 25 arrests for failure to disperse, assault, and obstructing. They added: 'Police deployed blast balls and pepper spray while attempting to make arrests after individuals in the crowd began throwing bottles at officers' Police pepper sprayed protesters and arrested 25 people for refusing to leave Seattle's reclaimed Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone on Wednesday night Police and protesters clashed overnight Wednesday hours after police took back their precinct A 10-day dispersal order remains in place as neighbors say 'we've lost residents and small businesses' after violence overran the cop-free zone and two teenage boys were killed. A huge clean up operation went into effect Wednesday They had abandoned the building and several blocks around it on June 8 following clashes with demonstrators calling for an end to police brutality. A 10-day dispersal order was put in place as neighbors say 'we've lost residents and small businesses' after violence overran the cop-free zone and two teenage boys were killed. A huge clean up operation went into effect Wednesday after police cleared out the protesters. As residents in the neighborhood watched from balconies, police cleared out the protesters' tents from the park and made sure no one was left in the park's bathrooms. Capitol Hill business owner Faizel Khan told King5: 'No, I don't think anyone has won anything out of this I think we've actually lost.' The area around the East Precinct and Cal Anderson Park remains closed to the public with only those who live and own businesses there allowed back in. 'I think we've lost a mayor. We've lost a city council person. We've lost residents. We've lost small businesses. We've lost the Black Lives Matter movement. The loss of life for children is the worst part of it', business owner Khan added. One anonymous shop owner added: 'It seems like we're supposed to sacrifice our piece of mind, our safety, for this movement and that doesnt seem fair.' City workers were then left to clean up huge piles of trash and tents left behind by protesters as bulldozers moved in and crushed the camp. City crews dismantle the Capitol Hill Organized Protest area outside of the Seattle Police Department's vacated East Precinct The clean up operation began at Seattle's Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone on Wednesday 'I was just stunned by the amount of graffiti, garbage and property destruction,' police Chief Carmen Best said after she walked around the area. A group of local business owners had sued the city, claiming that officials abandoned the area and made it impossible to run businesses because there was no police or fire protection. Police confirmed they were forced to use pepper spray during the arrest of one person who was armed with a metal pole. They later added: 'Individuals in crowd are throwing bottles at officers. Officers deployed pepper spray and are making arrests.' Wearing helmets and wielding batons and rifles, Seattle police stood shoulder-to-shoulder on several streets while others created a makeshift fence with their bicycles, using it to push dozens of protesters back away from the center of the CHOP zone just east of downtown. 'Our job is to support peaceful demonstration but what has happened on these streets over the last two weeks is lawless and it's brutal and bottom line it is simply unacceptable,' Best said. One protest organizer, Derrek Allen Jones II, said some demonstrators attempted to stay but were surprised by the early intervention by officers who were 'trampling everything I seen in sight, flipping tables.' 'People were trying to hold their ground but you could see the cops literally storm through people's beds while they were sleeping. And literally say 'If you don't get out, we will force you out or arrest you,' he said. Pictures show trash and debris being collected by city workers with tents and protest signs taken down Protester Jessie Livingston, 36, told The Guardian: 'Were going to organize sit-ins, were going to spam the city officials, were going to show up to city council meetings, were going to do everything we know how to do. Were not going anywhere.' One man dressed in black was peacefully led away in handcuffs and other demonstrators sat on the wet ground until their small group was handcuffed and detained. Police also tore down fences that protesters had erected around their tents and used batons to poke inside bushes, apparently looking for people who might be hiding. One officer took down a sign saying 'We are not leaving until our demands are met: 1. Defund SPD by 50% now. 2. Fund Black Communities. 3. Free all protesters.' After police evicted the protesters, heavy equipment was used to remove concrete barriers, cart away debris from the encampments while officers strung yellow caution tape from tree to tree warning people not to reenter. The move to dismantle the area follows the shooting death of a 16-year-old boy, named as Antonio Mays Jr, in the early hours of Monday morning. A 14-year-old was also critically injured when eyewitnesses say armed security inside the zone fired 300 rounds. TIMELINE OF VIOLENCE IN SEATTLE'S CHOP ZONE June 8: Protesters occupy the area; police abandoned the precinct June 20: A 19-year-old man is shot dead and a 33-year-old man was wounded June 24: Nearby businesses and property owners filed a federal lawsuit against the city June 29: Two teens shot - one fatally - in Jeep at zone's concrete barriers June 30: Barricades at Seattle's cop-free zone are torn down as protesters replace concrete barriers with trash cans and couches July 1: Early hours : Mayor Jenny Durkan demand all barriers are removed after a 525 per cent spike in violent crimes in the area 5am: Police swarm the zone 5:30am: Eyewitnesses say officers have cleared the area 7am: Chief Carmen Best confirms police have taken back precinct Advertisement Lorenzo Anderson, 19, was shot on the protest area on June 20. His father, Horace Lorenzo Anderson, said: 'This doesn't look like a protest to me no more. That just looks like they just took over and said we can take over whenever we want to.' Volunteer medic Marty Jackson had described the area as an 'active war zone' and said: 'I don't think we're gonna stop here.' 'The recent public safety threats have been well documented,' Mayor Jenny Durkan said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. 'These acts of gun violence resulted in the tragic deaths of two teenagers, with multiple others seriously wounded. Despite continued efforts to deescalate and bring community together, this violence demanded action.' Durkan also said while she supported the police in making arrests Wednesday, she doesn't think many of those arrested for misdemeanors should be prosecuted. She also said she was committed to work that would dismantle systemic racism and build true community safety. 'Events in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone this morning, while necessary, should not diminish the cause of racial justice,' Gov. Jay Inslee said in an emailed statement. Best said in addition to the fatal shootings, robberies, assaults, violence and property crimes have occurred in the area in the last few weeks. She said she wanted police to move back into the precinct so officers could better respond to needs in the area. Protesters have said they should not be blamed for the violence in the area. There had been mounting calls by critics, including President Donald Trump, to remove protesters. Wearing helmets and wielding batons and rifles, officers converged on the area at dawn Mayor Jenny Durkan, right, had demanded all barriers be removed from the city's 'occupied' protest zone after a 525 per cent spike in violent crimes in the area. Chief Carmen Best, right, said: 'The CHOP has become lawless and brutal. Four shootings-two fatalrobberies, assaults, violence and countless property crimes have occurred in this several block area' City workers begin to dismantle tents and barricades left behind after the CHOP area in Seattle was reclaimed by police Attorney General William Barr praised Best for what he called 'her courage and leadership in restoring the rule of law in Seattle.' 'Chief Best has rightly committed to continue the substantive discussion while ending the violence, which threatens innocent people and undermines the very rule-of-law principles that the protesters profess to defend,' he said in a statement. Seattle Black Collective Voice, which was formed by people in the protest zone, said previously that their work would continue even if they were forced out of that area. On Wednesday afternoon the group said via Twitter, 'We don't end with CHOP.' The group said on Thursday that most protesters had redirected their organizing to other areas of the city in the past week and that actions of the police Wednesday made it clear they have no intention of changing or reimagining. Also this week, Seattle City Council President M. Lorena Gonzalez said the council wont investigate council member Kshama Sawant as Durkan requested because Gonzalez wants the council to focus on other work, The Seattle Times reported. Durkan on Tuesday asked the council to investigate Sawant, accusing her of opening City Hall to protesters June 9 and participating in a protest march to Durkans home on Sunday. Sawant has said she did not organize the march and called Durkans request an attack on working peoples movements. Samia Hussein (pictured), 25, from Southall, west London, revealed her arm was blown off British ISIS bride Samia Hussein has revealed an explosion tore off her arm and one of her breasts when coalition forces launched an airstrike on a jihadist weapon store near her home. The 25-year-old from Southall, west London, blamed ISIS for her injuries. She said the caliphate put women and children at risk by storing supplies next to houses filled with families. Hussein, who is now being held in the Kurdish-run al-Hol prisoner camp in north east Syria, had walked into her house as the air strike detonated nearby. She said she 'saw orange' but didn't realise she had been hurt. In her first interview she told documentary filmmaker Alan Duncan: 'I tried to run. But then I realised that my arm was cut off, my chest was split open and my leg was broken - the whole bone came out.' A six-month-old baby and a pensioner were killed in the blast, according to Hussein. She was left bed-ridden for seven months and came close to having her leg amputated. She blamed ISIS for her injuries. She said the caliphate put women and children at risk by storing supplies next to houses filled with families The former student was discovered alongside other UK citizens when the jihadists' last-remaining stronghold of Baghouz fell in March last year. Mr Hussein said the militant group thought the coalition wouldn't want to risk bombing children, and when bombs killed families it was used as propaganda. 'To them this is good. They can take a recording of this and publicise it in their propaganda saying "look, the coalition has killed women and children",' she said. Hussein said she was groomed and radicalised online before she decided to travel to Syria via Turkey. She said the propaganda videos she watched as a teenager were 'fantasy' and it was not worth travelling to the region. Hussein, who is now being held in the Kurdish-run al-Hol prisoner camp (pictured) in north east Syria, had walked into her house as the bomb detonated nearby. She said she 'saw orange' but didn't realise she had been hurt She said there were no guards at the border and it was 'really easy'. MI5 officials visited Hussein's friends' homes to warn them about online grooming, but didn't confiscate any passports, she said. Now she wants to be allowed back into Britain where she can go through a trial. She said: 'I'm alive, half of me survived anyway. We were groomed online. I never knew coming to Syria was a crime.' Hussein described conditions with ISIS as 'inhumane' with people being held in cages for misdemeanours like smoking or not attending prayers. Children look through a chain linked fence at al-Hol displacement camp in Hasaka governorate, Syria, on March 8, 2019 Mr Duncan, a former British Army soldier who fought against ISIS with the Kurds, has interviewed dozens of extremists. He slammed Turkey for letting an estimated 1,500 British teenagers into Syria during the height of the civil war in 2015. His documentary with television firm Atlantic Productions is set to air in the UK and US in 2021. ISIS bride Shamima Begum (pictured at a refugee camp in Syria earlier this year) had her British nationality revoked It comes a year after Hussein's family said that she was tricked into thinking she'd be helping refugees as they pleaded with the UK Government to bring her home. A close relative said her family were worried about her health, telling The Telegraph she feared she'd never be let back into the UK. 'We need the Government to help her,' she said. 'She's British, she was born here and has a British passport and we want her to come back to this country.' The camp also holds Shamima Begum, who left Bethnal Green in East London to join Islamic State when she was 15. The family of Hussein said she was duped to stop studying and go to a camp in 2015 while living in Kenya. Five years ago, she left the UK to study A-Levels in Nairobi and hoped to head to the capital's United States International University - Africa to complete a degree. Her family says that she was groomed and 'brainwashed' into believing she'd be helping 'children in need' but found herself trapped in the Caliphate. A relative told the paper that somebody influenced her in Nairobi, telling her that she'd be carrying out aid work. She disappeared in autumn 2015 and one week later sent a text to her mother, Luul Hussein Tarambi, saying she was being held against her will and needed to get out. In her text she told them that she 'had been brainwashed and said she needed help', the relative said. Pictured: The camp where Hussein is living now alongside Shamima Begum from Bethnal Green, East London Three-and-a-half years later Hussein's family received a phone call from her while she was in the refugee camp. Her relative claims that she told them over a borrowed phone that Islamic State had kidnapped her and held her hostage. The relative says that Hussein is 'not loyal' to the terror group and 'wants nothing to do with them at all'. It was during that call on an apparently borrowed phone that she revealed her injuries from the air strike. She did not offer too many details about her situation for fear that the call was being monitored, the relative said, adding that Hussein was scared of people in the camp who are still loyal to the terrorists. One of her sisters, Asha Hussein, described her sibling as a 'bright girl' who was 'really happy'. She said that her sister wanted to become a journalist and that there was no sign of Samia being radicalised before she disappeared. Wollongong gives Laura Symes everything she wants, without Sydney's stress. The 32-year-old and her partner Simon Cramp, 33, are raising son Owen an hour from Sydney's CBD after living for several years in its inner-city. They are part of a trend where Australians are flocking to regional cities. A report comparing the latest Australian government data on all urban areas, including jobs growth, investment and welfare reliance found 'goldilocks' cities - not too big, not too small - outside the capitals were topping their more congested counterparts in terms of economic growth. Geelong and Ballarat in Victoria and Newcastle and Wollongong in New South Wales have experienced the biggest boom, The City Report by Polis Partners found. Research has shown 'goldilocks' cities are booming with economic growth as city based people move away to find affordable housing and a better lifestyle. Pictured is Wollongong, which is an hour south-east of Sydney Ms Symes hasn't looked back since leaving Sydney. 'Sydney was so much fun when we were working and going out every weekend, but it is just so hectic and we knew when we started a family we wanted to have space and still be by the water,' she told AAP. 'Wollongong is the best of both worlds really, because there are so many good schools and universities, plus the national park and beaches, but still reasonably close to the city.' Ms Symes said the lower property prices outside of the bustling capital were another tempting factor in making the move. 'It's also so expensive to buy any property in Sydney, let alone a family home,' she said. Geelong and Ballarat (pictured) in Victoria and Newcastle and Wollongong in New South Wales have experienced even more economic growth than their neighbouring capital cities The last census shows regional Australia attracted 65,000 more new residents than the capital cities as 1.2 million people moved to the regions between 2011 and 2016. And the Regional Australia Institute believes coronavirus will help the trend continue. 'Over the last few months, we've all had to change how we work and this has allowed staff and employers to see that location is no longer a barrier for where we choose to work,' the thinktank's chief executive Liz Ritchie said. Polis Partners economist and author Rob Tyson said The City Report highlighted the positive growth and development happening in regional areas. 'When you compare all 101 cities across Australia on these economic and inclusive factors, you find there are some really exciting things going on in the smaller regional areas,' he said. 'We know many city dwellers are looking for alternatives to the cost, traffic and 'busyness' of urban life.' The last census shows regional Australia attracted 65,000 more new residents than the capital cities as 1.2 million people moved to the regions between 2011 and 2016. Pictured is Geelong, based an hour south-west of Melbourne Geelong, about an hour west of Melbourne, has experienced a huge population surge in recent years, which mayor Stephanie Asher says is a good thing for business and bringing diversity to the region. 'It is a very strong, very proud community down here. Lots of community clubs and organisations, lots of volunteers,' she said. 'And a lot of strong multicultural communities as well, and proud Aboriginal culture too so really good diversity and it's so connected.' Geelong is also home to major hospitals and some of Victoria's best state and private schools. Ms Asher, who moved to Ocean Grove on the Bellarine Peninsula 20 years ago, said there was a sense of community in the area that was somewhat lacking in major cities. 'You can't drive down or walk down the main street for too long without seeing at least two people you know, which is actually quite lovely, and there's a real strength in that network,' she said. A Black Lives Matter protest set to attract hundreds in Newcastle has been authorised by the NSW Supreme Court. NSW Police on Thursday made an application to prohibit the assembly, scheduled to begin at Civic Park on Sunday from 1pm and expected to draw about 500 people. The court on Friday heard the event would proceed regardless of any decision made, but that defendant Taylah Gray, a 23-year-old Wiradjuri woman who is also one of the organisers, would withdraw if it was deemed unauthorised. Justice Christine Adamson said Ms Gray had cooperated with police and that it was more likely the public health risk would be minimised - through wearing masks, using hand sanitiser and physical distancing - by her presence. A Black Lives Matter protest will go ahead in Newcastle after NSW Police launched a failed Supreme Court bid to have it stopped. Pictured are protesters at Town Hall, Sydney NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant told the court via video link that while the event presented a low risk, she was 'vigilant' about the evolving situation in Melbourne. NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell said the Newcastle protest would bring about an 'unnecessary and unacceptable risk' of coronavirus exposure whether authorised or not. 'This is about police supporting health regulations within NSW and enforcing... those health regulations for the safety of our community,' Mr Mitchell told the court. 'We have no control over who comes to this public assembly.' He said there was no political pressure involved in the application to prohibit the assembly and that police would not make mass arrests. NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant (pictured) told the court via video link that while the event presented a low risk she was 'vigilant' about the evolving situation in Melbourne Ms Gray said it was difficult to accurately predict how many people would attend. The final-year University of Newcastle law student said those feeling unwell, as well as any other vulnerable people, had been encouraged not to attend, while 18 volunteers would be committed to carry out a coronavirus safety plan. Outside court, Ms Gray said it was important for the protest to go ahead with authorisation while there was still momentum provided by the international Black Lives Matter movement. 'We're really happy with the court's outcome and we're pleased that they are on the right side of history,' she told reporters. 'I'm advocating for everything I am. It's very important - it's not just an interest of mine, it's my essence.' NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell said the Newcastle protest would bring about an 'unnecessary and unacceptable risk' of coronavirus exposure. Pictured are police at Town Hall, Sydney, during a recent protest Ms Gray's lawyer Sidnie Sarang said the decision meant protesters could attend the action without risk of move-on orders or the fear of 'over-excessive police force'. She also said police seemed to unfairly target protests at the same as easing restrictions had seen casinos and stadiums re-opened to the pubic. 'The question we must ask ourselves is why does the freedom of speech have to be compromised in this situation - why is that what will risk COVID, and nothing else?' Ms Sarang said. Justice Adamson, who has not yet provided the reasons for her decision, awarded costs against the plaintiff. The protest has been organised by community group Fighting in Solidarity Towards Treaties. Public gatherings are currently restricted to a maximum of 20 people in NSW. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:24 pm A couple of weeks back, I penned a column about increasing law enforcement education requirements in Washington officers can currently be hired at age 21 with a high school diploma and how Lewis County was in a unique position with highly-developed resources to become the potential new model for law enforcement education and hiring practices. In that column, I very briefly outlined the hiring process for law enforcement officers and proposed the idea that a two or four-year degree should be required to become a law enforcement officer. Upon being posted to The Chronicles Facebook page, this was the thoughtful response from Jeff Humphrey of the Lewis County Sheriffs Office: Brittany, you outline the requirements for a police officer to get hired very well. However, you missed a few points. In order to get hired as a candidate, you have to pass a physical fitness test, in-depth background investigation, polygraph test, and psychological exam. This isnt your fill out a two-page application and has an interview hiring process. If the candidate successfully passes those tests, he or she then goes to the academy and upon completion of the 720-hour basic law enforcement academy, the new officer goes into another training phase called FTO. The trainee rides with a field training officer for at least 12 weeks or another 480 hours of on the job training. If the new officer passes all of this training the officer is then allowed to go out on their own and patrol. In most cases from the start of the hiring process to being out on their own is about one year. The training and education does not stop there. Once you are a full-time Officer, most if not all departments require their officers to attend on-going training of 4 to 8 hours a month. The Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC) requires full-time officers to have at least 24 hrs of ongoing training a year. This includes firearms / use of force training, emergency vehicle operations, defensive tactics, crisis intervention, legal / law updates, and search and seizure law updates. Im all for cops being educated, but police departments are already pulling from such a small number of qualified candidates, Im afraid this type of requirement would only diminish that hiring pool even more. I would be all for requiring a police officer to get their Associates degree within the first 5 years from their hire date. I personally have been through Centralia Colleges Crosswalk program. I can tell you, it is a great program. With that being said I believe it made much more sense and I got a lot more out of it, already being an officer for several years. Im also not naive enough to know we can always do better. I think opening up these conversations is good for everyone. I can also tell you in my experience there is a big difference between being book smart and street smart. I have been training new officers since 2004. I would much rather have a new officer that is street smart than one that is book smart. If they are both, it is a huge bonus! I wanted to share this response here because number one I just really appreciated Humphreys multi-faceted perspective. Number two, it raised some additional valid points some that I would counter but more importantly, and number three, it ended up generating some very real, very promising conversation. Since sharing this conversation, Steve Ward of Centralia College and Christine Fossett of the Centralia College Foundation have entered the conversation as well. And, as you know, I spoke with Sheriff Rob Snaza last week Humphrey had mentioned the potential hybrid education model to Snaza already. And, Snaza even recognized the excellence of some of the very deputies that I graduated with from Centralia College Criminal Justice program. John McCroskey, former Lewis County Sheriff and former Chronicle columnist, even commented on one of my Facebook posts to weigh in, too. The conversation has truly brought people across industries and generations of law enforcement together for an exciting opportunity. Ill continue to keep you posted if and when the conversation continues to progress. Brittany Voie is a columnist for The Chronicle. She lives south of Chehalis with her husband and two young sons. She welcomes correspondence from the community at voiedevelopment@comcast.net. The great-grandmother of a California boy whose parents have been charged with torturing and killing the four-year-old has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, accusing Los Angeles County child services and a non-profit organization of ignoring multiple reports of abuse. Jose Maria Cuatro Jr, 28, and Ursula Elaine Juarez, 25, were indicted in January on one count each of murder and torture in the July 2019 death of their son, Noah. Cuatro is also accused of sexually assaulting the boy just hours before his death, then falsely claiming that the child had drowned in a community pool. The great-grandmother of four-year-old Noah Cuatro (left), who was allegedly tortured and killed by his parents, Jose Maria Cuatro Jr, 28, and Ursula Elaine Juarez, 25 (pictured), has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against child services Eva Hernandez's complaint accuses the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services of ignoring multiple reports of abuse Eva Hernandez, Noah's great-grandmother who had cared for him for two years before he was returned to his parents, on Wednesday filed a civil lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services on behalf of herself and the victim's three surviving siblings. The complaint cited by KTLA alleges that the agency failed to act on a court order to remove Noah from his parents' custody directly leading to his death, even after receiving multiple reports of abuse. 'Instead of protecting Noah and his siblings, DCFS continued to place the children with their abusive parents, where the children continued to be abused over the course of several years,' the court filing alleges. The lawsuit also names as a defendant Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services, a non-profit organization that has worked with the county providing mental health services. According to the great-grandmother's complaint, Hathaway-Sycamores knew of, or suspected, the abuse happening in Noahs home after the boy was sent to the agency by DCFS for mental health assistance, 'but failed to report the abuse.' The couple called 911 on July 5, 2019, saying their 4-year-old son nearly drowned in this pool in their Palmdale, California, apartment complex Cuatro and Juarez are both accused of killing their son on July 5, 2019, at their apartment in Palmdale. 'Jose Cuatro allegedly sexually assaulted his son on the same date,' a statement from the district attorney's office read. Over the course of four months leading up to Noah's killing, the parents allegedly tortured the child, according to the indictment. Cuatro and Juarez took him to the hospital on the afternoon on July 5, claiming that he had nearly drowned in their apartment complex swimming pool. But medical staff soon became suspicious after they found signs of trauma on the four-year-old's body. Noah died at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles the next day. Just days after his death, Noah's great-grandmother spoke with multiple news outlets telling reporters that Noah had been taken from his parents' care a number of times, beginning when he was just a baby. The parents allegedly tortured Noah over the course of four months leading up to his killing. The lawsuit claims social workers failed to act on a court order to remove Noah from his parents' custody He had spent the first few months of his life in and out of foster care before Hernandez was able to gain custody of him at six months, after Juarez was accused of fracturing 'the skull of an infant she was related to,' according to the filing. DCFS allegedly substantiated the violence claim but placed Noah back with his parents anyway. But just a year later, Jose and Ursula lost custody once more with officials determining that Noah had been neglected. Police documents claim that he was so malnourished that he couldn't walk. After another stay in foster care, Hernandez cared for him for two years until November 2018, when he was return to his parents for the last time despite his desperate pleas. 'I told the social workers, "Please, he doesn't want to leave. He wants to stay here. He begged me",' Hernandez told KTLA. 'He would hold on to me and say, "Don't send me back, grandma." I don't know. I couldn't do anything. I just had to send him back.' Noah was returned to his parents in November 2018, and Hernandez cried that by the time she saw him again six months later, the little boy was clearly in need of help. Between March and April 2019, several reports of suspected child abuse involving Noah came to light, with one report claiming that the child had gone to the hospital with bruises on his back. The following month, a caseworker filed a 26-page request to again remove Noah from Jose and Ursula's custody, following accusations the boy's father had kicked Ursula and their children in public. Hernandez previously said Noah had been in and out of foster care since he was born, and that he begged her in 2018 not to return to his parents Even though a judge granted the request, Noah was never returned to foster care. The lawsuit alleges that DCFS 'willfully' ignored the request and the court order, and left Noah with his parents, despite the agent's own assessment that he was at a 'very high' risk. 'Had said Defendants fulfilled their mandated and legal duty of care, Noah Cuatro would not have been harmed and/or continued to be harmed,' the complaint reads. The DCFS previously issued a statement addressing Noah's death, which read in part: 'at any given time, the Department of Children and Family Services serves more than 34,000 families and vulnerable children in Los Angeles County with an unwavering commitment to pursue child safety every day in our communities.' The lawsuit further alleges that after Noah's death, caseworkers threatened Hernandez, who has been outspoken in her criticism of DCFS, 'in an attempt to silence her.' According to the complaint, the social workers told Hernandez that if she made any public statements about Noahs case, or talked about potential legal action, she would lose her request for guardianship of Noah's sister and two brothers, and would never see them again. Cuatro and Juarez were arraigned in February on one count each of murder and torture. The father also faces one count each of assault on a child causing death and sexual penetration with a child under the age of 10, while Juarez faces an additional count of child abuse under circumstances likely to cause death. If convicted at trial, Cuatro faces up to 47 years to life in state prison and Juarez could be looking at up to 32 years to life in prison. A BBC comedian will no longer work with a food firm he fronted after a racially-charged jibe on Twitter to Home Secretary Priti Patel about her not liking curry. Guz Khan, who appears on BBC3 show Man Like Mobeen, had been the face of delivery company Uber Eats, who had used him in a series of adverts. But this afternoon the MailOnline learned the firm have no plans to work with him again. It came after his social media posting sparked a string of disgusting responses branding her a 'coconut', a racist slur accusing someone of betraying their heritage. The nut is used in this way as insult because it is brown on the outside and white on the inside. Khan posted a photo of Ms Patel pulling a face with the message: 'Shall we have a curry for dinner tonight Priti?' Guz Khan had appeared on a series of adverts for Uber Eats that had appeared over the past few months He had been featured in a number of adverts over the past few months for an Uber Eats campaign called Bring It. It is understood is no longer contracted to do any further work for the company. In the commercials he stared as a 'charismatic and energetic courier' and saw him deliver punchlines and advice on his deliveries. After his tweet last month social media users had piled in with vile offensive tweets. The tweet, posted by Guz Khan, who appears on BBC3 show Man Like Mobeen, has caused outrage on social media A number of Twitter users made vile comments about the Home Secretary branding her a 'coconut', a racial slur Guz Khan, who appears on BBC3 show Man Like Mobeen, posted a photo of Ms Patel pulling a face with the message: 'Shall we have a curry for dinner tonight Priti?' The worst saw one call Mrs Patel a 'coconut' with another adding 'she's more of a coconut curry type of girl to be honest....' A senior Tory source told MailOnline: 'Full credit to Uber for acting swiftly to drop this nasty character. One can only assume they were concerned that associating with this individual would damage their reputation. Of course the BBC doesn't have to worry about promoting people who make such disgusting remarks, as they can prosecute you for not paying for their services. 'The vast majority of licence fee payers will be disgusted to learn that that their money is providing a platform for someone who thinks it is acceptable in this day and age to speak about people like this. The comedian's tweet came on June 11 the same day the Home Secretary had to hit back at 31 Labour MPs who accused her of 'gaslighting' BLM protesters by talking about her own experiences of racism. Twitter users reacted with fury at the joke from Gaz Khan this afternoon, describing it as 'unfunny' 'rude' and 'racist' Priti Patel allies hit back over comedian's racially-charged curry jibe Allies of Priti Patel have hit back after a comedian made a racially-charged jibe on twitter about her not liking curry. Guz Khan, who appears on BBC3 show Man Like Mobeen, posted a photo of Ms Patel pulling a face with the message: 'Shall we have a curry for dinner tonight Priti?' Followers piled in to describe her as the 'biggest coconut going', while another jibed that she 'eats daal with a knife and fork'. However, one reply said: ''''It's not racist when we do it to Priti'''. Some people in these comments need to think about their attitudes.' An ally of the Home Secretary said: 'In the week where she spoke movingly about the racist abuse she has faced all her live to get this from another person of colour is beyond ironic Advertisement The Home Secretary, who has revealed her own experiences of racist abuse, reacted furiously after Labour frontbenchers signed a letter criticising the way she spoke about her own background as the daughter of Gujarati refugees from Uganda. Ms Patel said she would not be silenced by Labour MPs who dismiss 'the contributions of those who don't conform to their view of how ethnic minorities should behave.' Khan's divisive tweet was met with fury from other social media users who leapt to the defence of the under-fire Home Secretary. One user said: 'It's not racist when we do it Priti' and another said the tweet was yet another example of that the left is 'kind and tolerant'. Other Twitter users piled in to criticise the tweet, which is still up despite the backlash. One user said: 'You're right, if anyone doubts that racism is alive and well in this country, some of these replies should show them how wrong they are.' Nikki Stix said: 'Wow so edgy. If this is the only way you can get attention, that's pretty desperate' and Beth Rosenberg said 'comedians are meant to be funny' The BBC did not respond to requests to comment when approached by the MailOnline last month. Uber declined to comment. A spokesman for Khan denied that he had been dropped by Uber Eats. He added: 'Guzs deal with Uber Eats was a one off and filming was completed in May.' A motorway service station has been split in half by the Leicester lockdown boundary. Forest East services, on the M1, has been sliced in two under the quarantine zone put in place on the coronavirus-hit city. The new boundary rules, which came into effect on Monday, have left the community confused over which side of the service station they can use - despite Welcome Break insisting both sides remain open. County council leader Nick Rushton said the service station was affected by the confusing boundary, which has seen streets in the city split down the middle. Cllr Rushton told BBC Radio Leciester: 'Look at Leicester Forest East Service Station for example. 'One side is in, one side is out. 'If you arrive on the side going south, which is in the restriction zone, you are not supposed to cross the bridge to go over to the other side. The Forest East service station on the M1 in Leicester has become the focus of the latest confusion over the new local lockdown boundary in the city after a spike in coronavirus cases Welcome Break, who operate the service station, have insisted both sides remain open to drivers as it provides an essential service to those using the M1 Map showing the location of the Welcome Break services station on the Leicester boundary line 'The M1 is the line. There are other bridges that cross the M1.' Leicester was put into the UK's first local lockdown on Monday after 2,987 coronavirus cases in the area were identified - ten per cent of all cases across the country. Almost 1,000 cases were confirmed in just two weeks - three times higher than the nearest city. Anyone who falls within the lockdown boundary has been urged to stay at home and avoid non-essential travel to and from the area. The lockdown boundary map surrounding Leicester which has been enforced after spike in coronavirus cases Quiet streets in the centre of Leicester after the introduction of a local lockdown on Monday following a spike in the number of coronavirus cases While the rest of Britain prepares to reopen, the city of Leicester has become a ghost town as authorities imposed a local lockdown after a spike in the number of cornavirus cases But residents have been left confused by the boundary map, with council chiefs bombarded with emails from fed-up residents. In one village, some residents are not affected but others living a matter of inches away are. In Scraptoft, Kathleen McDonagh, 77, and her daughter Mary, 56, will have to wait at least two weeks before she can go to the pub or the hair salon. Meanwhile, Veronica Cayless, 77, who lives in a house opposite the McDonaghs, is excited to restart her life alongside most Britons on what has been dubbed 'Super Saturday'. Mrs McDonagh said she was looking forward to seeing her grandson for the first time since March. She told Mail Online: "That is what I was looking forward to. I used to see him every day. I really miss him. It is awful. I miss not going to the shops. "I like to meet my sister in town once a month and have a cup of tea, but I have not seen her since March, either." Kathleen McDonagh, 77, who lives inside the border in Scraptoft with her daughter Mary (seen together), 56, faces a wait of at least two weeks before she can enjoy relaxed lockdown measures and head to the pub, hair salons, restaurants with the rest of Britain The Leicester lockdown boundary cuts across Telford Way and Kinross Avenue, with neighbours separated by a wooden fence now in entirely different situations Cllr Rushton said he had had 100 emails in one night - but claimed it was impossible to create a perfect boundary. While the northbound side of the service station falls outside the lockdown zone, the southbound half is classed as being inside the boundary. It technically means staff and users cannot move from one side of the facility to the other. He said 'It's been a very difficult job coming up with the zone. 'When people say, 'it was the county council's zone' - it is not our zone. 'We were in charge of drawing up the map in consultation with Public Health England and the Department of Health based on the evidence we have got, and the outbreaks in and around the city. 'It was refined and refined and refined. It has been a very fast-moving feast and we are the first area in the whole country to have to deal with this. 'It has caused quite a bit of consternation to people in areas where on one side of the road is in and one side of the road is out.' A spokesperson said both sides of Leicester Forest East service station were open and customers can walk across the bridge. "In line with guidance from the Department for Transport and Public Health England, Leicester Forest East - north and south - currently remain open as we provide an essential service for drivers," the spokesperson told the BBC. Police check cars in York on March 26. Officers will perform similar checks to ensure locals are obeying the new locdkown in Leicester Police conduct spot checks on passengers at Leicester Railway Station in Leicester after the introduction of a local lockdown following a spike in coronavirus cases in the city Earlier this week, police pledged to stop and fine drivers trying to flee Leicester for drinking or shopping when the fresh lockdown came into effect. Officers have said they will carry out spot checks on vehicles leaving locked-down Leicester and could turn them around if their journey is not essential, as confusion reigned because some areas in the city limits are in lockdown while neighbours are not. Leicestershire Police is also threatening 100 fines amid growing concerns that residents may flee for the county's open pubs, hair salons or other attractions while patrols will also break up mass gatherings in the city after they were partially blamed for a spike in coronavirus cases in June. Jeffrey Epstein investigators want to speak to a British aristocrat who made 32 flights on the pedophile's 'Lolita Express' plane as the inquiry continues after the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell, it has been claimed. Sources told the Daily Beast that investigators want to contact former Epstein associate Clare Hazell, who became the Countess of Iveagh when she married into the Guinness brewing family in 2001. The Countess who works as an interior designer lives with her husband Edward Guinness at Elveden Estate in Suffolk with their son. Flight logs show her making 32 trips on Epstein's Boeing 727 between 1998 and 2000, including trips to his luxury homes in New York, Florida and the Caribbean. It is not suggested that the Countess is suspected of any crime, but lawyers for Epstein's victims are already thought to have sought her out as a possible witness. US investigators want to contact former Epstein associate Clare Hazell (pictured) who made 32 flights on the late paedophile's 'Lolita Express' plane, it has been claimed The investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's crimes is continuing despite the arrest of key suspect Ghislaine Maxwell yesterday (Maxwell and Epstein are pictured together in 2005) The Countess's contact details were listed in Epstein's infamous 'little black book' under her married name, Clare Hazell-Iveagh. According to flight logs, Epstein accompanied her on all but one of the trips on board the plane. Maxwell, who was yesterday arrested in New Hampshire and accused of procuring underage girls for Epstein, was also a passenger on some of the flights. The plane was dubbed the 'Lolita Express' because it was used to ferry young girls to Epstein's private Caribbean island or his ranch in New Mexico. Epstein is also known to have flown with former president Bill Clinton on board the plane, and Maxwell was a guest at his daughter Chelsea Clinton's wedding in 2010. Other passengers on the plane included Alan Dershowitz, a lawyer who denies allegations from Prince Andrew's accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre that she was trafficked to him by Epstein. Ms Hazell worked as an interior designer and the nature of her connection to Epstein is not fully clear, but a friend said that she regarded him as a financial backer. Ms Hazell was studying at Ohio State University in the 1990s and reportedly had a modelling agency and an apartment in Columbus, Ohio. The friend described her as being at Epstein's 'beck and call', saying how mutual plans would be cancelled immediately if she was needed by Epstein and Maxwell. They also recalled how Ms Hazell had spoken of going on vacation with her boyfriend at Epstein's Caribbean property. Maxwell and Bill Clinton on the Lolita Express - Epstein's private jet that was used to ferry underage girls to his private island in the Caribbean and his ranch in New Mexico Clare Hazell flew on the Lolita Express (pictured) 32 times between 1998 and 2000, according to flight logs One of Epstein's accusers, Maria Farmer, recalled that Ms Hazell 'liked having nice drinks, piles of cash and nice outfits'. Ms Hazell became a Countess when she married the Earl of Iveagh, Arthur Edward Rory Guinness, in 2001, and gave birth to an heir called Arthur in 2003. Reports at the time said the Earl was the 30th-richest man in Britain with a 375million ($470million) fortune. The couple are the owners of the Elveden Estate in East Anglia, which has been in the Guinness family since the late 19th century. Edward Cecil Guinness bought the land in 1894 and the current Earl describes it as a 'world-class producer and purveyor of local and regional food excellence'. MailOnline has approached the Countess for comment about the Epstein probe, which remains ongoing despite the charges announced against Maxwell yesterday. A grand jury returned a sealed, six-count indictment against Maxwell on June 29, almost a year after Epstein was charged. The indictment alleges: Maxwell groomed three unnamed girls, all under the age of 18, in London, New York and Florida, and New Mexico between 1994 and 1997 She befriended them by taking them to the movies or on shopping sprees and 'normalized' abusive behavior by getting undressed in front of them herself She encouraged them to travel to meet Epstein and engage in sex acts with them and him like 'group massage sex' in Epstein's homes Her introduction of them to him resulted in him abusing them when she was not present She lied in 2016 depositions while being sued by Virginia Giuffre Roberts that she'd never groomed or had sex with underage girls herself Maxwell, who has yet to enter a plea, faces 35 years in prison if convicted. She has previously denied any involvement in Epstein's crimes. Maxwell was picked up by the FBI and NYPD detectives at 8.30am at the property in Bradford, New Hampshire, she had bought in December 2019 using a limited liability company called Granite LLC to shield her name Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, gestures as she speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Ghislaine Maxwell for her alleged role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein, Thursday, July 2, 2020, in New York The indictment reads in part: 'Ghislaine Maxwell facilitated Jeffrey Epstein's access to minor victims knowing that he had a sexual preference for underage girls and that he intended to engage in sexual activity with those victims'. THE ALLEGATIONS THE CHARGES Conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts (5 years) Enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts (5 years) Conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (5 years) Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (10 years) X 2 counts of Perjury (10 years) THE 'FACTS' Prosecutors say Maxwell groomed three girls between 1994 and 1997 for Epstein. They are not named in the indictment, but she allegedly targeted them in London, Florida, New York and New Mexico. Maxwell, it is alleged, would befriend the girls by asking them about their life and their schooling. She would put them at ease by taking them to the movies and taking them shopping, winning their trust to later deliver them to Epstein, it's alleged. To 'normalize' the abuse that would come later, prosecutors say she undressed in front of the girls herself and asked them sexual questions. She then not only facilitated Epstein abusing them, prosecutors say, but took part in some of it herself. The alleged sex abuse includes 'sexualized group massages'. The indictment also says Maxwell made the girl feel 'indebted' to Epstein by encouraging them to take money from him and let him pay for their education and travel. Advertisement Among the allegations in the indictment is that Maxwell groomed the girls, including one in London. 'Victim 1' met Maxwell when she was 14 in 1994, the indictment reads. Maxwell allegedly groomed her by taking her to the movies and on shopping trips, asking her about school, her classes, her family and other aspects of her life. 'She then sought to normalize inappropriate and abusive conduct by, among other things, undressing in front of her and being present when she undressed in front of Epstein,' according to the indictment. The trio then engaged in 'group sexualised massages' on more than one occasion, the indictment claims. The victim was allegedly encouraged by Epstein and Maxwell to travel to the financier's homes in New York and Florida 'for the purpose of sexual encounters with Epstein'. 'Victim 2' met Ghislaine in 1996 and was allegedly groomed by her at Epstein's New Mexico ranch. The indictment claims that Maxwell gave her a topless massage and 'encouraged [her] to massage Epstein'. 'Victim 3' met Maxwell in London in 1994 and was groomed until 1995, it is alleged. Maxwell encouraged her to massage Epstein 'knowing that Epstein would engage in sex acts' as she did so, prosecutors claim. The indictment alleges that Maxwell knew the three women were underage at the time. At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Acting US Attorney for the Southern District Audrey Strauss, said: 'Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, then delivered them into the trap that she and Epstein had set for them. 'She pretended to be a woman they could trust, all the while she was setting them up to be sexually abused by Epstein in some cases, by Maxwell herself. 'Today after many years, Ghislaine Maxwell finally stands charged for her role in these crimes.' FBI Special Agent William Sweeney said the bureau had been 'keeping tabs' on Maxwell 'for some time'. 'We have been discreetly keeping tabs on Maxwell for some time. 'She slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims continue to live with the trauma inflicted on them years earlier.' Before Epstein's disgrace, she and Maxwell had an astonishing network of influential and important friends and acquaintances around the world, including Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. Nineteen members of one family have died after their van was hit by a train at an unmanned crossing on their way back from a Sikh pilgrimage site. The bus passengers, from the northwestern city of Peshawar, were returning home from the shrine of Nankana Sahib in Sheikhupura, Pakistan. Their driver took a chance as a train headed towards them at the crossing near the small city of Farooqabad, but the bus skidded and got stuck on the trainline. The bus passengers, from the northwestern city of Peshawar, were returning home from the shrine of Nankana Sahib in Sheikhupura, Pakistan. Pictured, the wreckage Their driver took a chance as a train headed towards them near the small city of Farooqabad, but the bus skidded into the path of the locomotive No one on the train was injured but there are eight bus passengers in hospital in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. Nineteen members of the same family, including seven women, were killed, along with three other people. Photographs from the scene show the impact of the train decimated the bus, which was completely caved in. Sheikhupura resident Dilbir Singh said the pilgrims, after visiting the shrine and before leaving for Peshawar, had also visited the home of a relative whose family member recently died. Pakistan's President Arif Ali and Prime Minister Imran Khan have expressed their sorrow and ordered local authorities to provide the best treatment for the injured. Twenty members of the same family, including seven women, were killed. Photographs from the scene show mourning families The driver was travelling across an unmanned level crossing when the vehicle was hit by an incoming train No one on the train was injured but there are eight bus passengers in hospital in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. Two are in critical condition, according to the district police chief Sikhs have several shrines of their religious leaders in Pakistan. A shrine of Sikh founder Guru Nanak, built after he died in the 16th century, is in the Punjab village of Kartarpur, on the border with India. Many Sikh holy sites became part of Pakistan after the British partitioned the subcontinent into India and Pakistan in 1947 following two centuries of colonial rule. Ties between the rival nuclear-armed neighbours deteriorated sharply after India revoked the disputed Kashmir region's semi-autonomous status in early August. People carry a girl, who was injured in the bus and train accident, after receiving initial treatment at a hospital in Sheikhupura near Lahore, Pakistan A Sikh man reacts after the death of a relative at a hospital following the accident between a train and a van transporting Sikh pilgrims in Sheikhupura district Train accidents are common in Pakistan, mainly due to lack of enforcement of safety standards, a poorly kept railroad system and negligence of drivers. In February, a train crashed into a bus carrying passengers at an unmanned railway crossing in the district of Rohri in southern Pakistan, killing 19 people and injuring 28 others. Last November, a fire caused by a cooking gas stove swept through a train in Punjab, killing 74 people. Survivors at the time said it took nearly 20 minutes for the train to stop; there were also contradictory reports about the condition of the train's brakes. Pakistan's railway minister called for an immediate investigation into the crash. Universities across the United States are expecting to reopen in the fall, but they are facing a serious problem: many of the professors do not want to go back. Only eight per cent of American colleges and universities intend on continuing with online classes, and two thirds are planning to return to in-person classes this fall, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Another 17 per cent will be operating from a hybrid model. With a vaccine for COVID-19 still a distant hope, many faculty members are deeply worried about returning to classrooms. Eileen Hunt Botting, a political science professor at Notre Dame university in South Bend, Indiana, said she was concerned about crowds of people on campus. 'We want to encourage students to choose to study online as much as possible during the pandemic,' she said. The majority of students are expected back on campus in the fall, leading to worry for teachers 'We ought to encourage faculty and staff to teach and work online during the pandemic if simply to eliminate unnecessary crowds on campus milling about on the sidewalks, unintentionally spreading the virus.' Paul Kellermann, 62, an English professor at Penn State, signed an open letter with 1,000 of his colleagues asking the university to give teachers discretion over how and when to reopen their classrooms. Paul Kellerman has signed a letter asking Penn State to allow teachers to decide 'I shudder at the prospect of teaching in a room filled with asymptomatic superspreaders,' he wrote in an op ed in Esquire. Increasing concern is the fact that tenure-track professors are on average older than the wider U.S. labor force 37 per cent are 55 or older, compared with 23 per cent of workers in general. They are also more than twice as likely as other workers to stay on the job past 65, when they would be at increased risk of adverse health effects from the virus. Many younger professors have concerns as well, including about underlying health conditions, taking care of children who might not be in school full-time this Fall, and not wanting to become a danger to their older relatives. Some are angry that their schools are making a return to classrooms the default option. And those who are not tenured said they felt especially vulnerable if they asked for accommodations. Chapel Hill professors have said they are concerned about return of students after summer The debate about reopening educational institutions is fierce. Alice Pawley, associate professor of engineering education and president of the Purdue campus's American Association of University Professors chapter, in Indiana, told Inside Higher Education: 'I don't want to think about face-to-face teaching the hordes of students I usually teach until there is a vaccine.' She was criticized by Mitch Daniels, president of Purdue. Daniels told CNN that Pawley represented a 'very tiny minority' of the Purdue faculty and that she was 'frankly, not from the most scientifically credible corner of our very STEM-based campus.' Teachers including Alice Pawley (left) from Indiana and Kevin McClure (right) in North Carolina have said they are worried about plans to reopen campuses after the summer break Kevin McClure, associate professor of higher education at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, criticized colleges for not doing enough to assuage fears. He said too few plans involve faculty expertise, especially in the areas of public health and medicine. 'What is the responsibility of higher education institutions?' he asked. 'The answer I would like to see from college leaders is that we have a duty more profound than institutional budgets or student preferences.' McClure said in an interview with Inside Higher Ed that 'faculty members are almost perennially dissatisfied with their level of involvement in major decisions.' Yet institutions err when they exclude faculty members from subcommittees of import, assume that a dean or other administrator will automatically represent the interests of faculty members in decisions, or survey professors on their opinions but don't act on the results. 'We are all people who love higher education and thrive on teaching, but we don't want to see our institution founder,' said Maria DeGuzman, an English Literature professor at Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 'We don't want to see people die and people get very sick.' George Calombaris' up-market yoghurt chain is reportedly refusing to repay a $140,000 loan plunging the celebrity chef into a new debt crisis. The scandal comes after the former MasterChef star's restaurant empire MAdE Establishment folded in February with just a pitiful $389 in the bank and owing $22 million to creditors. Mr Calombaris' up-market yoghurt chain, Yo-Chi, based in Melbourne, owes money to his failed restaurant company,' The Daily Telegraph reported. The liquidators tasked with raising funds to pay MAdE's creditors and a $1.32 million employee wage and entitlements bill have given up trying to claw back the cash from Yo-Chi because it 'has 'minimal cash and recoverable assets'. George Calombaris has been caught in a fresh debt scandal with his up-market yoghurt chain refusing to repay a $140,000 loan (Pictured: George Calombaris and his wife Natalie Tricarico) The up-market yoghurt chain, Yo-Chi (pictured), based in Melbourne, owes the money to Mr Calombaris' failed company The liquidators, KordaMentha, have been trying to collect outstanding debts for MAdE since it was placed in administration on February 10. MAdE Establishment, a once thriving business, was ruined after a wage theft scandal last year. The liquidators had hoped the $140,000 debt Yo-Chi could help contribute to the funds as the money was made as an 'inter-company loan'. MAdE Establishment owes $9 million to the Commonwealth Bank alone, with most of that unlikely to be repaid. 'Yo-Chi has minimal cash and recoverable assets,' the latest liquidators report said following correspondence with one of Yo-Chis shareholders. 'In addition, Made Establishments claim is as an unsecured creditor of Yo-Chi and we are aware of a secured creditor who would rank ahead of Made Establishments claim in any formal insolvency process.' The Melbourne-based restaurant empire, founded by Calombaris, operates 18 venues including the Press Club, Gazi and Hellenic Republic (pictured) The announcement comes on the same day the former MasterChef judge flagged the sale of his mansion (pictured) in the exclusive Melbourne suburb of Toorak The liquidators have so far raised $820,000 which includes earning $222,000 from an online auction of restaurant equipment and food inventory. The Melbourne-based restaurant empire, founded by Calombaris, operated 18 venues including the Press Club, Gazi and Hellenic Republic. The company had a dizzying series of intercompany loans - which allow businesses to shift cash around in case of a shortfall. Their fortunes changed in July 2019 when it emerged it had underpaid staff to the tune of $7.8 million. Less than two years later, the business went into voluntary administration, marking the immediate closure of its 12 venues - with up to 500 staff set to lose their jobs. Five have now been sold to new owners, leaving little hope for the remaining seven. George Calombaris (pictured) admitted he was 'devastated' after his restaurant empire went into voluntary administration The business had a complex web of debts to more than 200 small creditors, which included food suppliers and tradesmen, according to documents seen by the Australian. Calombaris' business partner, millionaire Radek Sali, claims to be owed $13.7m. The former MasterChef host said he was 'devastated' by the decision to shut his empire which was made on February 10. 'It is with deep sadness and regret that today MAdE Establishment has been placed into voluntary administration,' he wrote on social media. 'To all my team, I truly regret it has come to this. On a personal note, the last few months have been the most challenging I have ever faced. 'At this time, while personally devastated, I remain thankful to my family, friends, the MAdE team, our loyal and regular customers. 'I am so sorry all our collective efforts have not provided to be enough. I'm gutted that it's come to this.' The announcement came on the same day Calombaris flagged the sale of his mansion in the exclusive Melbourne suburb of Toorak. The home boasts five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a pool, in-home gym and a cinema room. The exclusive home (pictured) boasts five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a pool, in-home gym and a cinema room The Jimmy Grants venues in Melbourne (pictured) have since been sold, after MAdE Establishment went into administration Just weeks earlier on Australia Day, Calombaris and his wife Natalie Tricarico sold their holiday home on the Mornington Peninsula for $1.01million at auction. Calombaris' hospitality empire was revealed in July 2019 to have underpaid staff to the tune of $7.8 million. The wages scandal was uncovered and reported by staff of Mr Sali, who was brought into the business in 2016. The $7.8 million in wages and superannuation owed to staff by MAdE Establishment was backpaid in 2019, but it devastated the company's reputation. The Fair Work Ombudsman also hit the company with a $200,000 fine. At the time, Calombaris told the ABC's 7.30 program: 'We aren't closing our restaurants, we're here'. Calombaris (pictured, centre) was a judge and host on the hit Network Ten show MasterChef from 2009 until 2019 Hellenic Republic in Brunswick, Melbourne, (pictured) closed immediately after the company went under The Melbourne-based restaurant empire, founded by Calombaris, operated 12 venues including the Press Club, Gazi and Jimmy Grants (pictured) 'And it's my job as their leader to keep pushing forward and keep speaking this message, not shying away from the mistake we made, but also acknowledging that we fixed it.' 'I won't forget that afternoon in 2017 when we sat there with my new business partners after we'd done a full audit for the business and discovered the underpayments.' Bosses said employees would be paid all outstanding wages when the company went under. The management of MAdE, which is backed by former Swisse CEO Radek Sali, met with creditors before the announcement was made. 'Craig Shepard and Leanne Chesser of KordaMentha restructuring were today appointed Voluntary Administrators of 22 companies in the MAdE Establishment Group,' the advisory and investment firm said in a statement. 'The appointment excludes the [smaller offshoot, yoghurt store] Yo-Chi operations which will continue to trade as usual. All other venues have stopped trading immediately. 'Employees have been paid all outstanding wages and superannuation up to the date of the appointment.' Labour has backed the idea of a wealth tax to help the UK recover from coronavirus meltdown. Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said a levy on assets, rather than income, should be consider as part of a 'new settlement' after the crisis. Delivering her first major speech since being appointed by Keir Starmer, she insisted the move would help ensure the government does not need to increase taxes or cut support for 'low and middle-income people'. Ms Dodds said there was an injustice in the worst-off paying more tax proportionally than high earners, while the rich face lower charges on their capital. She criticised Boris Johnson's 'muddled, confusing' and 'much too slow' response to protecting the nation's health during the Covid-19 outbreak. In a speech today, shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said a levy on assets, rather than income, should be consider as part of a 'new settlement' after the crisis The furlough scheme should be extended in a 'targeted' way to avoid a 'flood of redundancy notices', particularly for areas forced into local lockdowns such as Leicester. But she said Labour would not back extending the job retention scheme - which has seen the Government meet 80 per cent of workers' wages up to a ceiling of 2,500 a month - indefinitely, insisting it should be used to shore up specific sectors. 'These support schemes should serve as economic sandbags, ensuring localised second waves of Covid-19 don't wash away businesses and jobs in their wake,' she said. 'The reward for months of sacrifice cannot be a redundancy notice.' The intervention came after the Prime Minister warned it would not be 'healthy' for the economy or workers for the furlough scheme to continue beyond its scheduled end date in October. Rishi Sunak is due to deliver a 'mini Budget' next week, focusing on support for jobs. But Ms Dodds said the Chancellor must give 'back-to-work budget'. She said the Government should consider imposing a wealth tax, which would target assets rather than income. 'I think the Government does need to look at this area, I don't think we're in a fair situation,' she said, arguing that the tax paid by the rich is a smaller part of their income proportionally than the poor. Rishi Sunak (pictured on a visit to a book shop last month) is due to deliver a 'mini Budget' next week, focusing on support for jobs 'And of course for the very, very best-off people quite a bit of their money coming in is derived from wealth. 'I think we do need to have that new settlement and actually much of the opinion data has indicated that has a lot of support among the UK population as well.' Labour under Sir Keir has aimed to take a 'constructive' approach to opposition, backing measures the party believes to be valid while critiquing areas where the Conservatives are failing. Ms Dodds said the Government dithered over the lockdown, increasing testing and getting protective equipment to frontline workers as the death toll soared. And along with accusing ministers of being 'completely divorced' from the scale of the looming unemployment crisis, she said 'we still do not have a functioning' test and trace system to prevent a second wave of infections. Vladimir Putin has signed into law changes in Russia's constitution that will allow him to stay in power until 2036. The Russian President, 67, put his name to an executive order on Friday which will bring the changes into force on Saturday. It comes after he claimed victory in a referendum on the issue with 78 per cent of the vote, amid allegations of widespread vote rigging. Vladimir Putin has officially signed an order changing Russia's constitution to allow him to run for two more six-year terms, with the change to come into effect from tomorrow Sergey Shpilkin, a renowned independent electoral researcher from Russia, estimated that as many as 20million ballots cast in Wednesday's vote were falsified. During the last presidential election he estimated that 10million votes were falsified, hinting at the potential scale of the operation. 'The amendments come into force. They come into force, without overstating it, at the people's will,' Putin said after he signed the order. 'We made this important decisions together, as a country.' As well as extending Putin's term limits, the alterations will outlaw same-sex marriage and mention the 'belief in God as a core value' in Russian society. The new constitution will also emphasize the importance of Russian laws over all international laws. Putin proposed amending the constitution in January and insisted on putting the language on his eligibility for office and the other topics up to a nationwide vote. It comes after he declared victory in a referendum, widely believed to be rigged, that showed 78 per cent of Russians supported the move (pictured, people protest against the change) The vote was not legally required because the changes had already been approved by parliament and rubber-stamped by the country's Constitutional Court. The citizens' vote was initially scheduled for April 22, but postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The balloting concluded on Wednesday amid widespread reports of pressure on voters and other irregularities, including ballot-stuffing. Analysis found multiple precincts reporting close-to 100 per cent turnout. The higher the turnout, the more likely the ballots were to approve of the changes - strongly suggesting that 'yes' ballots were added to the boxes. Kremlin critics denounced the results of the plebiscite as falsified and undermining the legitimacy of the amendments. Central Election Commission Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova rejected the claims Friday, saying the results of the vote are 'authentic' and their legitimacy 'indisputable.' 'The vote was carried out with the utmost transparency,' she said. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, said Friday that lawmakers would start working on bills implementing the amendments immediately, without taking their traditional summer break. A white Massachusetts man who tailed a young black woman because he felt 'unsafe' while she was going to pick up dog food from a neighbor faces charges, according to police. Paul Birkhauser, 65, of Groveland will be charged with disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace, the Groveland Police Department told The Daily News of Newburyport on Thursday. Birkhauser, who records indicate once worked as director of architecture and engineering for Fresenius Medical Care, a kidney dialysis services company, was summonsed to appear in Haverhill District Court. Twitter users who flagged the video were told by the company: 'Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We do not tolerate racism or discrimination and strictly prohibit it. Black woman Julia Santos, 21, of Groveland, Massachusetts filmed the moment she confronted a white man (above) who allegedly followed her in his car for two miles on Monday before asking what she was doing in his neighborhood. He told her 'I dont feel safe with you driving around my neighborhood.' The man has been identified as Paul Birkhauser, 65 She had been picking up free dog food from a local who posted about it on Facebook when she was tailed by the man. She shared the video on Twitter where it has gone viral Santos said she's lived in Groveland all her life and was shocked that the man insisted on knowing why she was in that specific neighborhood. Santos pictured on social media 'Please note, this individual has not been employed with Fresenius Medical Care North America since 2019.' Birkhauser, a resident of the Juniper Terrace neighborhood of Groveland who was identified by The Boston Globe, is the white man who was filmed as he allegedly followed Julia Santos in his car and demanded to know what she was doing in his neighborhood. Santos, 21, was on her way home on Monday after she picked up free dog food from a local who posted about it in a neighborhood Facebook group in Groveland. She said as she drove home she passed through Juniper Terrace and realized a man was following her for several streets in his car. Disturbed by being tailed for two miles, Santos turned onto a side street to escape the man, where he pulled up next to her and confronted her. 'So what are you driving up Juniper Terrace for?' the white man is seen saying in the video, wearing a white T-shirt and sunglasses. 'Actually. If youre concerned if you want to look on the Town Crier (a Facebook Group) someone offered a bag of dog food, which I have in the back of my vehicle, Santos replied, her voice shaking. 'Where? Juniper Terrace is a very small street, you didnt stop,' the man replies, trying to seem friendly. 'I did. I stopped, I grabbed the dog food that is right there and then I left and saw you follow me all the way here and I turned right here because quite frankly, I dont feel safe right now,' Santos replied. 'You dont feel safe? I dont feel safe with you driving around my neighborhood,' the man quipped back. Santos challenged the man, asking if he followed her because she's black. 'I dont know what color you are what color are you?' the white man replied. 'Im black and thats why youre following me?' Santos said. Police have opened a criminal investigation into the incident and Groveland Police Chief Jeffrey Gillen said the clip 'deeply disturbed' him 'Thats good, youre black, congratulations!' the man replied. Another womans voice is then heard in the background saying, 'What are you doing? I dont like the fact that this poor girl is being harassed' and the man backs up in his BMW convertible. 'I just got Karen'd? This man followed me home because I went to pick up DOG FOOD at somebody's house! He followed me all the way to my house so I turned on a side street and he said he felt "unsafe,"' Santos posted on Twitter, where the clip racked up over 193,000 views and nearly 3,000 retweets. Santos said she's lived in Groveland all her life and was shocked that the man insisted on knowing why she was in that specific neighborhood. 'Think i'll just go cry and try to emotionally process today lol,' Santos tweeted after posting the video of the incident This Twitter user said on the disturbing video: 'Reminder that "Karens" come in all shapes and sizes 'Think i'll just go cry and try to emotionally process today lol,' she tweeted after posting the video of the incident. Police have opened a criminal investigation into the incident and Groveland Police Chief Jeffrey Gillen said the clip 'deeply disturbed' him. 'This is a good example to show this stuff is really happening,' Adriana Santos, Julias sister said to The Boston Globe. 'It was definitely shocking to watch, especially knowing my sister so well. I could definitely hear in her voice how shook up she was,' Adriana added. Twitter users voiced their fury over the video where Santos was seemingly targeted on account of her skin color, with some dubbing the man in the video a 'Chad'. 'Reminder that "Karens" come in all shapes and sizes,' one Twitter user wrote. 'This Chad is following and harassing a black girl who was afraid to drive home. She stopped and filmed. The video ends when someone comes to her aide. This Chad looks more like a Karen, dontcha think? if you toss me his address, I'll get his name so his boss knows,' another Twitter user added. 'This is literally one of my nightmares as a woman but add being black that's 100 times more scary...' another social media user said. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:26 pm June 28th, 1960, started as a beautiful, summer day in Lewis County, however tragedy struck later that evening, forever changing the lives of the Owen and Gilkerson families. History holds this to be one of the deadliest house fires in the county. Fire Chief Frank Bras was called to a home fully ablaze at 11:57 p.m. A later determination concluded that a smoldering cigarette located in the davenport was responsible for the deaths of four members of the Spencer Lionel Owen family. The family came from St. Cloud, Florida to attend the funeral of George Aden Norton, which they missed due to car trouble in Wisconsin along the way.Spencer and Ruth Owen, who met in Napavine, were married in 1953 at the Lewis County Courthouse following Spencers naval service in the Korean War. They were in the process of relocating their young family back to Lewis County when they arrived over the weekend to Owens sister and brother in laws home, Warren and Dana Gilkerson at 716 E Street in Centralia. The Owen family was sleeping on the second story when Spencer was awakened by smoke and flames just before midnight. He quickly exchanged communication with Ruth to get the older boys out while he rushed their 9 month old son down the flaming stairs in his bassinet. He attempted to alert Mr. and Mrs. Gilkerson to get out as well, not yet knowing they had already escaped. Once he realized that he did not see Ruth and the boys outside, he fought to get back into the house but was restrained by bystanders from reentering the engulfed and collapsing home. His wife Ruth (Norton) 26, (who was also 6 months pregnant), Wesley, 7 and Victor, 3, all perished upstairs from smoke inhalation and heat. His son, Clayton, 9 months, died at 3 a.m. at Centralia General Hospital. Spencer suffered 3rd degree burns over 75 percent of his body and was listed in critical condition, not expected to live. The newlyweds and new homeowners, Mr. and Mrs. Warren Gilkerson escaped from their downstairs bedroom through a window because the door was blazing hot. The 11 firefighters finally extinguished the flames at 1:47am. Both the house and its contents valued at over $9,000 was counted a total loss. The story was covered nationally in newspapers and on television news. It still remains Centralias deadliest house fire. Ruth, Wesley, Victor, and Clayton are all resting together in Mountain View Cemetery next to George and Charlotte Norton, (Ruths parents). Spencer Owen, 31, was transferred on July 2, the day of his familys funeral, to the UW Hospital in Seattle. There he received skin graft procedures that lasted 6 months. His extended family all moved to Lewis County from North Carolina to support him as he recovered. He later married Theola Albright in 1962 and lived out the rest of his life with their four children in Chehalis. He passed away September 9th, 1995 and is interred at Claquato Cemetery. Leslee Owen (son of Spencer Owen) Mexico's office of the attorney general of the republic intercepted a phone conversation in which the mother of an alleged cartel leader - who is linked to the 2014 disappearance of 43 students - instructed his lawyer to pay off the court in exchange for his release. The content of the recording, which was first published by Mexican newspaper El Universal on Thursday, came hours after Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the judicial system had been bribed in order to free Jose Angel 'El Mochomo' Casarrubias, who was rearrested as soon as he was released from prison. A man identified as Juan, who is part of the team put together by lead lawyer Arturo Rodriguez, briefed Francelia Salgado for about six minutes on the status of Casarrubias' case, assuring her that everything was all set for her son to be released after he was captured June 24. Mexican authorities have claimed Jose Angel 'El Mochomo' Casarrubias (left) is linked to the September 2014 disappearance of 43 male student teachers in the southwestern state of Guerrero. El Mochomo is the alleged leader of the Guerreros Unidos Cartel A recording of a conversation intercepted by the Mexican government revealed that Francelia Salgado (pictured) discussed monetary compensation to secure the release of her son, El Mochomo Pictured: 43 student teachers students whose bodies have not been found since they went missing September 26, 2014 Casarrubias was released from the Altiplano prison in the State of Mexico on Wednesday afternoon. The attorney general's office nor El Universal indicate the exact date of the conversation. However, authorities arrested him right outside of the prison on suspicion of organized crime activities. 'The evidence and the allegations have already been entered in the morning. My colleague Arturo (inaudible) [and I] met with the friend who is helping us and he told us that the job is ready and nothing else is awaits (inaudible) to assert and sustain it,' Juan said in the recording. The attorney then broke down some of the details of a meeting that took place with Marco Aurelio Gonzalez, a court clerk who works under Maria del Socorro Castillo, the head judge of the Second Criminal District Court in the State of Mexico. 'This person [Gonzalez] told us that everything is already done, that if we can go on covering the economic issue,' Juan explained. 'He even scheduled me right now [to meet] at six in the afternoon. So I had discussed the economic issue with you. But I don't know, you tell me.' Salgado, who was outside the detention facility when El Mochomo was taken into custody upon his initial release, wanted to make sure Gonzalez wasn't getting too ahead of himself with the agreement they had in place and reminded Juan that the payments should be generous. 'No, remember what we agreed to, giving and giving,' Salgado said. 'Tell them what we are not going to back down, but we want to give and give.' The exact amount of the monetary compensation is unknown, but local media outlets reported El Mochomo had agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to walk out of prison. Del Socorro Castillo ultimately ruled that there was not enough evidence to charge the alleged leader of the Guerreros Unidos Cartel with charges of organized crime and kidnapping, and instructed the court to release him from custody Wednesday afternoon. El Mochomo is questioned by a law enforcement agent moments after a judge ordered his release from a prison in the State of Mexico, in central Mexico, before he was taken into custody Forty-three male teaching students from Ayotzinapa, Mexico, were detained September 26, 2014 by corrupt police on their way to a protest (pictured) and handed over to the Guerreros Unidos Cartel The Federal Judiciary Council said it has opened an investigation into del Socorro Castillo and the court. A federal judge has ruled that Casarrubias can be held for up to 40 days while prosecutors investigate new charges that they intend to file. Casarrubias reportedly ordered the execution of the 43 teaching students who disappeared after being detained on September 26, 2014, by corrupt cops in Ayotzinapa, a municipality in the southwestern state of Guerrero. The abduction happened when 43 male teaching students from the rural town of Ayotzinapa were detained on their way to a protest and handed over to the Guerreros Unidos Cartel, after which they were never seen again. El Mochomo is led into a police van moments after he was taken into custody after a judge signed off on his release due to lack of evidence According to local media, intelligence reports from the interrogation of detainees suggest that El Mochomo gave the order for the 43 students to be executed, although their bodies were never found. Last year, Lopez Obrador announced plans to reinvestigate the case 'nearly from scratch', after 77 detainees were released amid allegations of official incompetence and corruption. The suspect's brother, Sidronio Casarrubias, who was previously the cartel's head, was arrested in 2014 as a main suspect of the mass kidnapping, but was absolved by a judge last year, who determined that he was being held illegally and tortured to extract a confession. Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil announced in a Thursday press release that Sergeant Jesse Franklin (pictured) had been arrested on a misdemeanor charge of first degree assault An Ohio sheriff's deputy has been charged with assault after he was filmed kicking an inmate in the head after the detainee bit his boot. Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil announced in a Thursday press release that Sergeant Jesse Franklin had been arrested on a misdemeanor charge of first-degree assault. 'As sheriff, I am outraged and shocked by this egregious conduct. These actions are inconsistent with our training and will not be tolerated under my watch,' Neil said in a statement. 'I have suspended Sgt. Franklin without pay and am proceeding with the disciplinary process as required under the applicable collective bargaining agreement.' On June 9, footage shows Franklin and multiple deputies struggling to restrain Nicholas Ballachino. According to the sheriff's department and the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office, Ballachino was arrested for disorderly conduct while intoxicated and obstructing official business. On June 9, footage shows Franklin and multiple deputies struggling to restrain Nicholas Ballachino While he was arrested by the Cincinnati Police Department, Ballachino had been transported to the Hamilton County Justice Center for processing. 'As sheriff, I am outraged and shocked by this egregious conduct. These actions are inconsistent with our training and will not be tolerated under my watch,' Sheriff Neil said In the clip, a shirtless Ballachino can be seen getting combative with officers trying to restrain him. He flings himself to the ground and the deputies pounce on top of him, with one able to pin Ballachino to the floor. As deputies work around a squirming Ballachino, Franklin can be seen assisting in the detainment. But then Ballachino bites the sergeant's boot and in response, Franklin gives him a powerful kick to the face. The clip ends with officers restraining a more toned down Ballachino. According to the prosecutor's office, Ballachino was taken to the University Hospital to be treated for injuries he sustained from the kick. A cut he received over his eye required five stitches. Prosecutors determined that because he did not receive 'serious physical harm,' the felony charge was not applicable. As deputies work around a squirming Ballachino, Franklin can be seen assisting in the detainment But then Ballachino bites the sergeant's boot and in response, Franklin gives him a powerful kick to the face 'Not everyone has the temperament to be a police officer. In this case, and as I have throughout my career, when I see criminal violations, I will pursue them according to the law,' Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph T. Deters said in the release. 'Maintaining a professional, 21st century police force is expensive to society, but pays for itself many times over. 'Actions like this are a harsh reminder that resources must be dedicated to recruiting the right kind of officers and ensuring that they have the proper equipment, knowledge, training and temperament to do the job that citizens want and expect.' Franklin's case will be transferred to the City of Cincinnati as they handle misdemeanor cases in the city's limit. If convicted, Franklin faces up to six months behind bars at the Justice Center. Ghislaine Maxwell has been accused of grooming a young executive assistant she hired so her boss Jeffery Epstein could launch a campaign of 'systematic, near constant abuse' on the woman, culminating in a shocking rape, DailyMail.com can reveal. New court documents obtained by DailyMail.com allege 'Epstein Associate 1', who sources have revealed to be Maxwell, interviewed the woman in September 2003 for a position of executive and/or personal assistant. Once the young woman was hired and came into contact with Epstein the billionaire financier created a 'hyper-sexualized work environment', in which he 'physically touched, groped, or assaulted her', fondling her breasts in his office, grabbing her vagina in front of another employee, eventually leading to a rape and two other non-consensual sexual encounters at his $77million New York townhouse. The shocking claims have emerged as Maxwell - Epstein's former girlfriend and alleged madam who is accused of procuring young girls for him - was arrested on charges of sex trafficking and perjury. Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003, when she allegedly hired the executive assistant to work for her and for Epstein Maxwell, 58, was taken into custody by the FBI in Bradford, a small town in New Hampshire, on Thursday morning. According to the civil lawsuit filed with the US District Court, Southern District of New York on June 17, Epstein's 'close friend' referred to as 'Epstein Associate 1' interviewed Jane Doe 5 at the financier's office in his luxury New York home. During her interview with 'Epstein Associate 1', the papers state, it was made clear that Epstein would control a 'substantial portion' of the woman's employment and that maintaining her physical appearance would be a priority. Maxwell told the interviewee that Epstein 'was a very powerful man'. After she was hired by Maxwell the woman, called Jane Doe 5 in the suit, first met Epstein in his office and he commented that she had a 'good body' and that he liked her 'small breasts'. Epstein is pictured in a 2013 mugshot 'To emphasize this point, Epstein then groped Jane Doe 5's breasts in the middle of the office. Shocked and appalled, Jane Doe 5 did not know how to respond,' the suit stated. The paperwork says Epstein's inappropriate conduct became the norm. Maxwell's new executive assistant was given various tasks to complete. She managed and organized a renovation project for Epstein in his New York residence and was once ordered to send a package of cookies to the hedge fund tycoon at his Virgin Islands residence. The woman spoke to Epstein daily and gave him weekly status reports on the tasks she'd been given. According to the suit Epstein regularly made inappropriate comments to her over the phone. The billionaire once told the woman to take off her shirt, so he could compare her breasts with Maxwell's. 'Epstein groped Jane Doe 5's breasts and commented that he enjoyed her "small breasts" or words to that effect,' the suit states. 'Epstein also repeatedly attempted to insert his fingers in Jane Doe 5's mouth, requiring her to forcibly push his hand away. 'On one occasion, Epstein approached Jane Doe 5 while she was speaking to another employee and forcibly grabbed Jane Doe 5's vagina. Jane Doe 5 immediately jumped away... the abuse was constant.' The suit states the executive assistant tried to tell Epstein to stop and when he made inappropriate comments she would use words like 'Inappropriate Jeffrey' or 'Not the time or the place, Jeffrey.' 'When Epstein physically touched, groped, or assaulted her, Jane Doe 5 either forcibly removed his hands or immediately stepped back,' the suit states. Epstein never once apologized for his conduct and even 'asserted control' over the woman's physical appearance. He would cancel food orders for her, force her to exercise at his private gym and insisted she maintain a certain appearance to keep her job. Jeffrey Epstein's residence at 9 East 71st Street in the Manhattan borough of New York The billionaire even took the assistant shopping and bought her 'tight-fitting and low cut' clothes, took her to the hair salon, where he would instruct the stylist on what style he wanted her to have. As part of her job, Maxwell directed her exec assistant to travel with Epstein on his various trips, including to his private island in the Virgin Islands. According to the suit, on her second trip to the island - a 70-acre paradise called Little Saint James - the woman was directed to go to Epstein's bedroom. When she walked in he was there wearing a bathrobe and directed her to lay next to him on the bed. Epstein began asking the woman pointed questions about her body, her measurements and her sex life, the suit states. 'Jane Doe 5 felt uncomfortable, yet trapped. Jane Doe 5 knew Epstein controlled the only means of travel to and from the island and all communications, so she stayed in bed with him and answered his questions until he let her go,' the paperwork states. After this the woman had three non-consensual sexual encounters with Epstein, all at his New York house. On the first occasion it's alleged Maxwell summoned the woman to the billionaire's home. 'Jane Doe 5 was led up the stairs to a small, dark room with a massage table,' the suit alleges. 'Epstein entered the room and immediately directed Jane Doe 5 to get on the massage table and massage her. 'Epstein then aggressively and forcefully massaged Jane Doe 5's breasts, Jane Doe 5 was terrified and frozen.' Shortly after the massage began another woman entered the room who was completely naked, according to the filing. 'Epstein directed the woman to perform oral sex on Jane Doe 5, while he watched and continued to forcefully massage Jane Doe 5's breasts. Soon after Epstein ejaculated, he left the room. 'While dressing, Jane Doe 5 saw that Epstein had left cash by the small sink in the room.' The suit described an almost identical second occasion during which Maxwell again summoned her exec assistant to Epstein's home and she was led up to the massage room. This time another woman came into the room. Ghislaine was last seen in August last year at an In-N-Out Burger in Los Angeles. She is now in custody 'Epstein directed the woman to perform oral sex on Jane Doe 5 while forcibly holding Jane Doe 5 down on the table as Jane Doe 5 began to squirm. 'When Epstein had finished the assault, Epstein immediately left the room and, again, left the money on the small sink for Jane Doe 5.' On the third and last occasion, Epstein summoned the woman himself, the suit states. Again she was taken to a small room in the home with a massage table. Epstein entered the room wearing a bathrobe and directed her to massage him. 'He opened his bathrobe and was naked,' the suit states. 'He masturbated in front of her on the table while he continued to instruct Jane Doe 5 to massage his legs and chest. Epstein then began to grope Jane Doe 5's breasts while she massaged him.' The situation took an even more sinister turn, however. Epstein placed his hand behind the woman and tried to bring her closer to him, but she resisted and was able to push back, the suit states. Epstein, who took his own life aged 66 on August 10 last year while in prison, then became more forceful, pulling the assistant on to the table, so that she was straddling his thighs. 'Epstein forcibly pulled Jane Doe's body onto his pelvis. Jane Doe 5 tried pushing herself away, but Epstein placed his hands on her shoulders and neck area, pushing down onto his pelvis,' the paperwork states. 'Epstein held Jane Doe's wrists while he raped her. 'Jane Doe 5 was left naked, abused and alone in the small, dark room on the second floor.' During all the shocking sexual encounters with Epstein the woman claims Epstein regularly threatened her and her close friends and family. The suit states: 'In a clear effort to silence and normalize his behavior, Epstein regularly commented with the words to the effect: "We're all family here. What happens in the family stays in the family." The threats became more aggressive. The suit adds: 'Epstein once told Jane Doe 5 (with words to the effect): "You will never work in New York again and you'll have to crawl back to (Jane Doe's home state)." 'Other times...Epstein stated: "You are nothing without this job. I'll see to it that you will never work in New York again."' He also referenced his powerful friends, the suit states, indicating he had friends in law enforcement and said his attorney would 'burn you'. But in the most shocking and direct threat Epstein told the assistant: 'I will burn you. I will (expletive) burn you. I will hunt you down.' The suit, which also cites four other Jane Doe victims in an action against Epstein's estate, added: 'Fearing for her life and the lives of her friends and family, Jane Doe 5 left her job soon after this latest threat.' The assistant says the campaign of continued harassment and intimidation continued well after her employment ended. At a wedding in 2011 the woman attended, an associate of Epstein's who was also a wedding guest approached her and offered an opportunity to work for Maxwell and Epstein again. And in 2013, two years after Epstein was hit with a slew of allegations, Maxwell made a similar offer of employment. The woman relied on Maxwell for a recommendation for other jobs and when she asked for one Maxwell said: 'Our door is always open. You are welcome to come work for us at any time.' The assistant feared for the safety of her family, her friends and herself so felt she couldn't come forward until after Epstein's death. Leading civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom, whose law company The Bloom Firm represents Jane Doe 5, told DailyMail.com shortly after Maxwell's arrest Thursday: 'It's a bittersweet day for her. 'She remains terrified and triggered by any news about Maxwell, but prays the charges will stick and that Maxwell will not be able to escape justice as Epstein did.' Amazon has refused police officers' pleas to remove 'deeply offensive' T-shirts displaying a 'Blue Lives Murder' logo. The Police Federation, which represents British officers, branded the shirts 'deeply offensive' and last month asked Amazon to remove them from sale on its site. Previously on sale for 17.95, the blue shirt shows a white officer striking a pair of arms from above and appears to have been taken down by the individual seller. Dozens of other merchandise bearing the slogan were on sale, including a T-shirt featuring officers in riot gear manhandling a hooded man. Amazon has refused police officers' pleas to remove 'deeply offensive' T-shirts displaying a 'Blue Lives Murder' logo showing a white officer striking a pair of arms from above The slogan appeared on dozens of T-shirts on the site, which have now been taken down by individual sellers rather than being banned by the company Chair of the federation John Apter has now revealed he had a meeting with Amazon UK executives on Monday to try and convince them to stop the sales. Last month the Police Federation claimed its pleas to stop the sales of the T-shirts was backed by Home Secretary Priti Patel. But he claims their plea was 'rejected' and added: 'The company maintained the merchandise does not contravene their policies.' He branded the decision a 'kick in the teeth'. Mr Apter said: 'Together with police colleagues, who have contacted me from across the UK, I consider this merchandise to be highly inflammatory and deeply offensive. Police Federation chair John Apter revealed he had a meeting with Amazon UK executives on Monday to try and convince them to stop the sales On Twitter the Police Federation said the immediate stopping of the sale of the 'disgusting' t-shirts in June was backed by Home Secretary, Priti Patel 'I believe most members of the public will agree with me that this calls into account the moral judgement of Amazon. 'I really can't contain my anger and disgust that Amazon failed to act and refuse to remove the 'Blue Lives Murder' merchandise from sale. 'I met with senior directors from Amazon UK and they did not consider that the sale of these disgraceful items contravenes their policy on offensive and controversial materials. 'I think this is a bad decision and a wrong decision and smacks of poor judgement. I believe that this is a decision police officers and the public will find hard to understand and stomach. 'Given recent attacks on my colleagues, this was an opportunity for Amazon to hear the voices of those officers, their families and others who have objected to the sale of these items and to show support for policing during this difficult and dangerous time. Mugs priced at 12.95 with the 'Blue Lives Murder' logo emblazoned on them continue to be sold on the Amazon UK website The mugs are being sold by traders Situen and PKS Home on the site and have received one-star ratings by customers 'With policing under so much pressure and being unfairly vilified by some, this is a kick in the teeth. 'I hope Amazon will urgently reconsider their decision and put right the wrong many of us feel.' A spokesperson from Amazon UK said: 'Amazon has strict guidelines in place and follows the local laws of every country we operate in. We also have public policies for third-party sellers, so that they understand the standards we expect of them. 'We have policies governing offensive and controversial materials which are posted publicly, and we invest significant time and resources to ensure our content guidelines are followed.' An online petition started by Chelsie Stevenson to remove the items from Amazon has reached more than 68,000 signatures out of its 75,000 goal While T-shirts emblazoned with the 'Blue Lives Murder' logo are not currently available on the Amazon UK website, mugs priced at 12.95 continue to be sold on the site. Amazon UK refused to comment on whether it removed merchandise from its website or if individual sellers took the decision to remove items when questioned by MailOnline. An online petition started by Chelsie Stevenson to remove the items from Amazon has reached more than 68,000 signatures out of its 75,000 goal. Among those to complain was serving police officer Carl Blower, who has been working with Greater Manchester police for 18 years. Among those to speak out against the t-shirt was police officer Carl Blower, 50, (pictured right, with Gino D'Acampo) who has been working with Greater Manchester police for 18 years He took to the retailer's Facebook page saying: 'I am appalled and disgusted that Amazon would sell and associate themselves to T-shirts with Blue Lives Murder slogans. 'You are adding to the cause of what is wrong with the world today. Please ban all these products.' Facebook user Lesley Michel also posted a picture of the shirt and said: 'Shame on you Amazon! #Bluelivesmatter'. Lawrence Hemmings added: 'Disgusting, I will no longer use Amazon.' And Kate John said: 'Still live to buy, how dare you.' President Donald Trump will begin his Independence Day weekend with a patriotic display of fireworks at Mount Rushmore. The event, which is expected to draw thousands, will not require people to wear masks or socially distance, even as coronavirus cases spike across the country. Trump is expected to speak at the event, which has issued 7,500 tickets to watch fireworks that he says will be a 'display like few people have seen.' It is expected to cost around $600,000 with money spent on fire and environmental consulting services, a permit review, inspections and even portable toilets, reports TMZ. Health experts are worried and one former park official says the event will 'endanger public safety' and it will be 'extremely difficult' to evacuate crowds if there is an emergency. President Donald Trump is beginning Fourth of July weekend with a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore. Pictured: Fireworks over Mount Rushmore National Memorial, July 2004 Masks and social distancing will not be required, but people will be screened for coronavirus symptoms before they can enter. Pictured: Trump delivers remarks during a Spirit of America Showcase in the Entrance Hall of the White House, July 2 The president will likely enjoy a show of support, with the state Republican Party selling T-shirts that feature Trump on the memorial alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt - the faces on the monument. Republican Gov Kristi Noem, a Trump ally, has said social distancing won't be required during the event and masks will be optional. Event organizers will provide masks to anyone who wants them and plan to screen attendees for symptoms of COVID-19. But concern about the coronavirus risk and wildfire danger from the fireworks, along with protests from Native American groups, will also greet the president. 'We're going to have thousands of people, shoulder to shoulder at these events,' Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender said. 'Someone in line to see a president and being able to see fireworks at Mount Rushmore, they are probably not likely to disqualify themself because they developed a cough the day of or the day before.' Leaders of several Native American tribes in the region also raised concerns that the event could lead to coronavirus outbreaks among their members, who they say are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because of an underfunded health care system and chronic health conditions. 'The president is putting our tribal members at risk to stage a photo op at one of our most sacred sites,' said Harold Frazier, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. And Cheryl Schreier, superintendent of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial from 2010 to 2019, said the event is a public health hazard. 'While such patriotic celebrations were memorable, they also endangered public safety and irreplaceable natural and cultural resources within the national park and surrounding area,' she wrote in The Washington Post. 'In case of emergency - wildfires started by the fireworks, medical emergencies or extreme weather events - evacuation of visitors could prove tremendously difficult.' Health experts say the event could lead to a spike in cases, and put not only attendees but also workers at risk. Pictured: Visitors look at Mount Rushmore National Monument, July 2 Supporters of US President Donald Trump wave flags on a road in Keystone, South Dakota, on July 3 About $600,000 is being spent on the display, including $350,000 for the actual fireworks and $3,500 on portable toilets. Pictured: Mike Harris, a retired over-the-road truck driver and registered Republican, shares his views about President Trump with motorists heading toward Mount Rushmore National Monument, July 2 Activists hold signs during a protest at Mount Rushmore National Monument in Keystone, South Dakota on July 3 Schrier said it's not only the attendees that are at risk of contracting the virus but park employees too. 'It will actually jeopardize the safety of park service employees, volunteers, concession workers, visitors and residents of the gateway communities,' she wrote. Security is expected to be tight, with the road leading up to Mount Rushmore shut down. The governor's spokesperson, Maggie Seidel, would not say whether the South Dakota National Guard was being deployed, but said organizers are making sure it is a safe event. Fireworks were called off after 2009 because a mountain pine beetle infestation increased the fire risks. Gov Noem pushed to get the fireworks resumed soon after she was elected, and enlisted Trump's help. The president brushed aside fire concerns earlier this year, saying; 'What can burn? It's stone.' Trump made no mention of the fire danger in new comments on Thursday. 'They used to do it many years ago, and for some reason they were unable or unallowed to do it,' he said. 'They just weren't allowed to do it, and I opened it up and we're going to have a tremendous July 3 and then we're coming back here, celebrating the Fourth of July in Washington, DC.' According to documents obtained by TMZ, the fireworks display will cost a little less than $600,000. An environmental consulting service called Ero Resources Corporation was paid $138,800 to work on the event Security and screening will cost about $33,000 and another $30,000 is being spent for permit review and display inspection. The National Fire Protection Association was paid $30,000 for code consultation and about $3,500 was spent on portable toilets. For the actual display, Pyro Spectaculars was paid $350,00. Advertisement Police in Portland declared a riot Thursday night for the second time in three days after chaotic scenes in which 'hostile and violent' protesters broke into the federal courthouse and later set it alight. Attempts were made to set two statues on fire in different parts of the city as outbursts of violence caused law enforcement to declare the riot just before midnight - a third was set alight. Several arrests were made after demonstrators refused to leave the area and continued launching projectiles including fireworks at officers, forcing them to retreat inside. The police reported that an open pocket knife was thrown at an officer as they attempted to clear the protesters. The increasing violence following protests in this liberal, predominantly white, city comes as local black leaders and residents voice concerns about the Black Lives Matter movement being co-opted by 'young white children'. Some say that the 'white fringe element' is taking over the moment and causing 'chaos', branding it another form of white supremacy. The change has already seen a building holding black-owned businesses set on fire following a protest late last week and a potluck at a park in the heart of a black community turn into a violent clash with police. Scroll down for video Police released as image of a mortar entering the broken glass doors of the federal courthouse and setting it alight Video footage from protesters showed cops emerging from the courthouse to disperse the crowds Thursday night Attempts were also made to set statues alight on Thursday night. A firework was set under The Promised Land Statue at Chapman Square in Downtown Portland after the mouths of the three people in the statue were covered in tape Hundreds of protesters had gathered near the Multnomah County Justice Center Thursday evening with speeches and chanting conducted peacefully for several hours. Police reported that several commercial grade fireworks were set off during the speeches but the crowd remained calm and police stayed at a distance. In a statement issued early Friday morning, cops claimed that the nature of the protest changed later in the night from about 11.30pm onward as a group of demonstrators broke in to the north side doors of the Justice Center located on Southwest Main Street They were then said to have broken the glass doors of the federal courthouse building close by, which has been covered with anti-police graffiti such as 'we got the guillotine', 'oink your last' and 'defund the cops' At around 11.42pm, federal officers said they emerged from the courthouse as large rocks, full cans, bottles and fireworks were flung at the building and a separate fire wast set using wood nearby on Southwest Main Street. Despite warnings issued from a sound truck, police say the demonstrators continued and 10 minutes later, law enforcement made the decision to declare a riot. 'A riot has been declared in the area of the Federal Courthouse and Justice Center. You must leave the area now by moving to the south and the west. CS gas and other crowd control munitions may be deployed. Leave the area now,' the police shared on their social media. Demonstrators were then told they would by subject to teargas and crowd control munitions if they did not leave but they remained, and officers began to clear the crowd. 'During this lawful action, the demonstrators were very hostile and violent towards officers,' the police statement said. 'An open pocket knife was thrown at an officer, coming within inches from striking them. Demonstrators continued to throw large rocks and full cans, as well as shot off commercial grade fireworks towards officers.' Initially dispersing, the crowd gathered around the west side of the courthouse again around 1am to continue launching mortars at the building, this time setting fire to it when one passed through the broken glass doors. Police released an image of the moment they said it was set on fire and it was quickly put out. Fireworks and mortars continued to be thrown as police made a second and final attempt to clear the area using devices emitting smoke and gas. Several protesters were arrested on Thursday night but the number has not yet been confirmed by police. According to KATU, fireworks were used to try and set light to The Promised Land Statue at Chapman Square in Downtown Portland after the mouths of the three people in the statue were covered in tape. The Promised Land Statue at Chapman Square in Downtown Portland after it was vandalized Thursday night The graffiti-covered federal courthouse in Portland where protesters and cops clashed on Thursday night Videos from protesters show the dispersal tactics used by the cops including tear gas and pepper balls Elsewhere, protesters attempted to set fire to the city's iconic 120-year-old elk statue for the second night in a row, lighting up its base. OregonLive reports that the statue, which sits atop of the David P. Thompson Fountain, has been the target of graffiti and fires for several weeks. The statue has now been removed from the downtown area, although the Regional Arts and Culture Council confirmed it had not been harmed. Police are continuing to investigate the damage. 'Engaging in criminal activity including vandalism and property damage is not peaceful demonstration,' said Portland Police Bureau Chief Chuck Lovell in a statement. 'We ask for the publics help in identifying and sharing information about those responsible so they can be held accountable.' Thursday's riot came just two days after a protest at the Portland police union headquarters was also deemed a riot and tear gas was used on protesters. Cops said no tear gas was used Thursday and a federal court order temporarily bars them from doing so unless officers believe someones life or safety is in danger, according to OregonLive. Protesters in Portland have taken to the streets peacefully every day for more than five weeks to decry police brutality, but violence by smaller groups is dividing the movement and drawing complaints that some white demonstrators are co-opting the moment. As the Portland protests enter a second month, they have shifted on several nights from the city's downtown core to a historically black neighborhood in North Portland that's already buckling under the effects of white gentrification and has the most to gain - or lose - from the outrage in the streets. Late last week, some protesters barricaded the doors to a police precinct a half-block from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and set fire to the building, which also houses black-owned businesses, including an Ethiopian restaurant and a barber's school. Police stand in front of protesters gathered outside Portland Police Union headquarters Tuesday, the first day this week that a riot was declared as cops clashed with protesters in the liberal and predominantly white Oregon city Graffiti covers the exterior of a Wells Fargo bank on Wednesday in a historically Black neighborhood in Portland that has been the scene of violent clashes with police in recent days. Thousands of protesters in the liberal and predominantly white city have taken to the streets peacefully every day for more than five weeks to decry police brutality Two nights later, a potluck at a park in the heart of the black community morphed into another violent clash with police, who unleashed tear gas to quell the crowd of several hundred people. The change has angered and frustrated some in the black community, who say a 'white fringe element' is distracting from their message with senseless destruction in a city where nearly three-quarters of residents are white and less than 6 percent are black. 'This is NOT the Black Lives Matter movement. This is chaos,' Kali Ladd, executive director of KairosPDX, wrote in a Facebook post. 'These white actors are enacting dominance in a different form under the guise of equity ... White supremacy has many forms.' One prominent black leader wrote to Mayor Ted Wheeler and said some clashes had unfolded three blocks from his house. He said the problem was with 'elements' that were '99% white' and did not represent the Black Lives Matter movement. 'It has nothing to do with helping black people. These hoodlums are needlessly scaring neighbors and their children,' said Ron Herndon, who has fought for racial justice in Portland for four decades and led a school boycott in 1979 after the city closed predominantly black schools. 'At some point, enough is enough.' Newly appointed Police Chief Chuck Lovell, who is black, said the violence in North Portland was 'offensive and hurtful' and has cost the city at least $6.2 million in overtime for its officers. 'People in that neighborhood were upset. That's not something they're going to tolerate ... and they came out and were very vocal,' Lovell said. 'I think people sometimes look at the protest movement as one homogeneous group - and there's definitely a segment here that is very violent.' The tension over the protests comes amid increasing conflict within the movement itself. Rose City Justice, a coalition that for weeks galvanized thousands of people for peaceful marches and rallies every night, announced last week it will no longer do so after it was criticized, among other things, for sitting down with the police commissioner and mayor to discuss police reform. The Rose City Justice marches and rallies attracted a diverse crowd of 10,000 people a night at one point. High school students marched arm-in-arm with the Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard across the Burnside Bridge, and people gathered along the Willamette River to listen to hours of music and speeches. Aerial photos of the crowds, which filled the massive bridge from end to end, made national headlines. 'The purpose of making noise is to have a seat at the table, to be heard,' the coalition said in a statement announcing its decision to stop marching nightly. 'As with every movement, we realize that there are people who actively work to discredit momentum and change.' Katrina Hendricks, left, pushes a stroller holding her son, Melo, as her mother, Elaine Loving, walks alongside her at a Juneteenth rally and march through a historically Black neighborhood in Portland. Loving said the area has changed dramatically because of white gentrification but despite Portland's liberal and progressive reputation and the weeks of sustained protests for racial justice, the white neighbors 'don't even speak to us half the time, and that hurts'. Carl Baskin sits by his car wash business in Portland as he discusses protests that have been unfolding nightly in this on Wednesday. Thousands of protesters in the liberal and predominantly white city have taken to the streets peacefully every day for more than five weeks to decry police brutality, but recent violence by smaller groups is creating a deep schism in the protest movement. As demonstrations enter their second month, they have shifted to a historically Black neighborhood Now, as clashes with police have become more violent in the business district and moved toward the residential neighborhoods of North Portland, black residents are watching in dismay. Many are concerned that those watching police precincts burn and businesses get vandalized will wrongly assume black people are doing the damage. Jerome Polk has operated his business, J.P.'s Custom Framing, for 26 years from a building he shares with the North Precinct police offices that were set ablaze. As he carried supplies into his business on a recent day, char marks, graffiti and police tape were still visible outside the building, and half of Polk's own windows had been boarded up as a precaution. 'I don't know the motivation of why people do what they do,' he said. 'I know when the damage is done, they blame that on what the movement is supposed to be. And thats unfortunate and unfair.' A few blocks away, Carl Baskin sat next to his drive-up car wash station and worried that the message of racial justice was being taken away from the black community by 'young white children'. 'This is where they're losing the narrative. In the midst of all this other stuff, theyre not really showing anyone sitting down with the police, actually talking and getting some of this stuff made into laws,' Baskin said. 'That's the stuff we should be talking about.' The sting is made even deeper by the fact that the North Portland neighborhood has, over the years, seen an exodus of black families and businesses as white people have moved in. On a recent day, just a few blocks from boarded-up buildings and anti-police graffiti, white families with strollers walked past food carts selling sushi burritos as fliers advertising micro-greens fluttered in the wind. 'Get to know us and get to know the pain that we feel with gentrification in this neighborhood,' said Elaine Loving, who has lived in her family's North Portland home for 59 years. 'Now it's mostly white folks, and they don't even speak to us half the time - and that hurts.' The massive unrest in Portland and across the country was sparked by the May 25 police-involved death of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police. Video footage of Floyd's arrest shows one officer pressing his knee against Floyd's neck, cutting off his air supply. One of the arresting officers, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes. Chauvin and three other police officers have been charged. Elsewhere in Seattle, protesters had established an autonomous zone known as the Capital Hill Organized Protest zone (CHOP). The group occupied several blocks around a park for about two weeks after police abandoned a precinct station following standoffs that were part of the nationwide unrest over the killing of Floyd. They had abandoned the building and several blocks around it on June 8 following clashes with demonstrators calling for an end to police brutality. The clean up operation began at Seattle's Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone on Wednesday City crews dismantle the Capitol Hill Organized Protest area outside of the Seattle Police Department's vacated East Precinct But this week Mayor Jenny Durkan ordered the area cleared of protesters after two recent fatal shootings. At least 44 people were arrested in the early morning hours of Wednesday as officers took back their precinct just hours earlier following an executive order for demonstrators to vacate the area. They were charged with failure to disperse, obstruction, assault and unlawful weapon possession. And on Thursday, Seattle police said they will continue to move people from the area or arrest them per Durkans order. A 10-day dispersal order was put in place as neighbors said 'we've lost residents and small businesses' after violence overran the cop-free zone. The move to dismantle the area followed the shooting death of a 16-year-old boy, named as Antonio Mays Jr, in the early hours of Monday morning. A 14-year-old was critically injured in the same incident when eyewitnesses say armed security inside the zone fired 300 rounds. Lorenzo Anderson, 19, was also shot on the protest area on June 20. A huge clean up operation went into effect Wednesday after police cleared out the protesters. Seattle cop KNEELS on CHOP protester's neck after officers dive at demonstrators while clearing the protest zone hours after another policeman is seen pressing his knee against another detained man Seattle police officers were filmed kneeling on the necks of two CHOP demonstrators as they were being arrested for squatting at a downtown intersection on two separate occasions on Thursday. Seattle police officers continued to gradually reclaim the streets from the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) as one video shows cops dive-tackling a group of demonstrators at a downtown intersection where 25 people were arrested. A group of police officers on bicycles rode toward a line of demonstrators who appeared to be squatting in the middle of the intersection of Broadway and Pine Street at around 5:30pm on Thursday. In the video, an officer is seen tackling one of several demonstrators and telling him to put his hands behind his back. A Seattle police officer is seen kneeling against the neck of a protester that he was detaining at the intersection of Pine and Broadway at around 5:30pm on Thursday As the officer and one of his colleagues pins the protester to the ground, one demonstrator is heard yelling: 'Can you please not put your knee on his neck?' The protester is then heard telling the officer: 'Can you take your f*****g knee off my neck, dude?' The officers then handcuff the protester and lift him off the ground seconds later, taking him into custody. The arrests took place hours before police claimed that demonstrators in the area pelted them with bottles and rocks and shot fireworks in their direction from the same intersection. In a separate video from before dawn on Thursday, a police officer was seen pressing his knee against the neck another demonstrator near the same intersection. 'Get off his neck!' several protesters are heard yelling at the helmeted officer in riot gear as several law enforcement officials pin down a man who appears to be in his twenties. 'You're hurting him!' another protester who was off to the side yelled in the officers' direction as they were detaining the demonstrator. The officer presses his knee against the protester's neck as he is arresting him. The protester is heard asking the officer to remove his knee from his neck A Seattle police officer (right) was filmed lunging and tackling a protester in the CHOP zone on Thursday afternoon The video from the daytime incident showed helmeted officers swiftly getting off their bikes and then swooping in to detain the protesters who were blocking the intersection. The officers appeared to push out the protesters from the intersection and established a perimeter. During this time, protesters were filming the arrests with their cell phones and in some cases taunting the cops. He will be right back, you dirty pigs! He will be right back! one protester is heard yelling toward police after they detained several people. Another video of the same incident shows how events unfolded from a different angle. In the video, it appears that officers warned the protesters to clear the intersection, which was marked off with yellow tape. Do it, one of the protesters is heard yelling toward police. Come f*** some girl up whos reading. Within seconds, the police move in on bicycles and knock down several protesters to the ground. What the f***, man! What the f***! one protester is heard saying in the video. The mayhem came after police cleared the CHOP zone just east of downtown early Wednesday morning. Douglas Novak said he fatally beat his 92-year-old father in their home in 2018 because he believed his father was a vampire. He was sentenced to between 10 to 30 years in jail A man who says he fatally beat his 92-year-old father in their home because he believed his father was a vampire has been sentenced to between 10 and 30 years in prison. Douglas Novak from Pennsylvania pleaded guilty but mentally ill last November to third-degree murder, arson, reckless endangerment and risking a catastrophe charges. Authorities have said he fatally beat Frank Novak with the wooden arm of a dining room chair. He then dragged him under a shower, then to a bed. The Novaks were found two days later when police responded to a fire at their Hempfield home. An autopsy determined the elder Novak died from complications of blunt force trauma to the head, torso and extremities. Authorities have said the fire started when candles used as part of a vampire ritual burned to the floor. Speaking at Thursday's sentencing, Douglas Novak's lawyer said Thursday that his client was off his medication when he attacked his father. He also said Novak stayed next to his father for the next two days because he wanted to kill him when he woke up by putting a stake through his heart. 'He believed what he was doing was killing a vampire. He lay next to his father for two days after the beating to kill him when he wakes up to put a stake through his heart because we all know that's how you kill a vampire,' defense attorney Brian Aston said during Novak's sentencing hearing. Novak had pleaded guilty but mentally ill last November to murder, arson, reckless endangerment and risking a catastrophe charges Prosecutors disputed those claims, saying Novak told police that he beat his father because the older man was hiding his phone. Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro said Novak's confession to police included the real reason for the killing. 'The vampire story was just one piece of his statement. He also said that he beat his father because he was hiding his phone,' Ciaramitaro said. Novak was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and was treated for five months at Torrance State Hospital before he was found competent to stand trial last year. On Thursday, Novak said he accidentally went off his medication and never intended to kill his father, who he described as his biggest supporter in his battle against mental illness. 'I loved my dad with all my heart. He was truly my hero,' Novak said. Douglas Novak's mental illness was so pronounced that he beat his father to death and believed the 92-year-old Hempfield man was a vampire who needed to be staked through the heart to kill him, his attorney told a judge Thursday. Novak's sister, Natalie Shannon, voiced her pleasure on Facebook at her brother's jailing Shannon posted on Facebook explaining how her brother had mental health issues His sister, Natalie Shannon, told the judge that her brother had a violent relationship with their parents and would routinely ignore medical advice pertaining to his mental health diagnosis. Sister, Natalie said that she would like Novak to remain behind bars for the rest of his life She said that she would like Novak to remain behind bars for the rest of his life. Shannon also made her feelings known on Facebook stating she was happy with the sentence. 'My brother Doug Novak, "mixing up his meds" is a lie! He always went off his meds. You can ask anybody who truly knew him. His ex-girlfriends. You know who you are. There are many people who saw the violent side of my brother. My brother was abusing my parents for a long time. He took money from them. 'The reason why Doug didn't have long jury trial is because the truth would come out. If he decided on a jury trial, he most definitely would've got life in prison. I have been silent for a long time, about what my brother was like and what went on. I will not stay silent any more. I am happy with the 10 to 30 year sentence.' Novak will be allowed to serve a portion of his sentence at a mental health facility and will be transferred to a state prison once he is cleared by medical professionals, according to TribLive. A 911 call has been released documenting a mother's frightening experience of having a stranger jump on her car during a Black Lives Matter protest in Virginia last month, and her futile attempts to get police to help her. On June 13, Tara Durant was driving with her 12-year-old daughter in the backseat in downtown Fredericksburg when she found herself trapped by a group of George Floyd protesters who were blocking Caroline and Hanover streets. Unable to drive through the intersection because of the crowds, Durant called 911 at 7.34pm seeking assistance, only to be told that police 'can't do anything about it' beyond monitoring the protest, which has been sanctioned by the city. Tara Durant was driving in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia, with her daughter on June 13 when she got caught in the middle of a Black Lives Matter protest (picture taken in the area) Durant argues on the call that the protesters are not allowing her to get out, to which the emergency dispatcher replies, 'Yeah, they're allowed to do that per City Hall.' The dispatcher suggests that Durant make her complaint to City Hall. 'How do I get out of here?' Durant presses. 'I can't go backwards.' The dispatcher reiterates that police officers are not allowed to intervene, unless the caller is 'hurt, or something.' Durant tells the 911 operator that she cannot be expected to sit at the intersection all night with her daughter in the car. 'Am I going to get arrested when I keep going? 'cause they're gesturing...' she says of the demonstrators. The dispatcher warns Durant: 'you can't hit people with your car.' Moments later, the situation escalates when Durant declares that the protesters are climbing on her car. 'They're on my car right now,' she says. The dispatcher continues to advocate patience, instructing the caller to slowly make her way out of the area without hitting anyone, and reiterating yet again that police cannot help her because 'it's a sanctioned event.' Durant posted a Facebook post, saying a protester jumped on her car and her pleas for help on a 911 call were brushed off 'Get out of my car! You know, this is going to get dangerous. I got a kid here,' Durant yells. The dispatcher impassively suggests a second time that Durant 'call up the City Hall and let them know about your frustrations.' Durant is heard screaming: 'Get out of the way! Get out of the way! This is getting scary! I cannot get out of her.' Sounding increasingly frantic and scared, Durant yells at the people in the street, 'Get out of the way!' She tells the dispatcher through sobs: 'theyre on my car! Theyre on my car! And, Ive got a little girl in the car crying. Are you kidding me?! This is insane.' A police spokesperson has acknowledged the incident and said the agency has opened an investigation and has made 'adjustments' to its 911 call center The dispatcher asks for the make and model of Durant's car and tells her that she is going to let officers in the area know about her predicament, but towards the end of the call the driver says that she had managed to get out of the area. Nearly two weeks later, the Fredericksburg Police Department issued a videotaped statement addressing the incident involving the female driver. In it, Sarah Kirkpatrick, public information officer for the agency, acknowledged that a protester had jumped on Durant's vehicle, leaving the woman in fear for her safety and for the safety of her child. 'Now, anyone who has heard this call can hear how frightened she was. Frightened for herself, frightened for her daughter,' Kirkpatrick says in the video. 'And, as a mother myself, I can only imagine the thoughts that were going through her head.' According to the spokesperson, in the intervening weeks, police have had several conversations with Durant, have opened a criminal investigation to identify the person who jumped on her car, and have made 'adjustments' to the 911 communication center. 'If a person dials 911 over a concern about demonstrators in the roadways, they will be notified that an officer is staged one block away - not only to divert traffic but also for their safety,' Kirkpatrick said. 'If you express concern for your safety, you can be certain that an officer will respond to assist you.' Durant insisted in another post that she posed no threat to the demonstrators to dispute some statements to the contrary In an interview with Potomac Local News last week, 18-year-old Wesley Burton, one of the leaders of the June 13 protest, said he stood in front of Durant's car to stop her from hitting anyone. 'At most someone did have their hands on the car,' Burton said. Amaya Montgomery, an organizer with the Melanin Cooperative of Fredericksburg protest group, told the outlet that Durant posed a threat to the demonstrators because she was driving into the crosswalk - a claim the woman has vehemently denied. 'This is a lie,' Durant wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday. 'As heard in my 911 call, I was unable to move due to my car being surrounded. I was only allowed to proceed onto Caroline Street after a motorcyclist that we have since identified in various other protest videos ordered the protestors [sic] off of my car. 'He then repeatedly swore at us to get the f*** out of there.' Durant argued that had she made an attempt to run anyone over, there undoubtedly would have been video evidence of it. 'The Fredericksburg Police have actively searched for video evidence. My daughter and I saw several cell phones presumably capturing what was transpiring. None have surfaced,' she added. 'I challenge these protestors to prove the false assertion I attempted to run protestors over.' DailyMaill.com reached out to Durant on Friday for comment and was awaiting a response. An anonymous woman has accused Ghislaine Maxwell of raping her 20 to 30 times when she was a young girl and says the British socialite is 'just as evil' as Jeffrey Epstein, whose baby she claims she was forced to abort. In an interview with Fox News, the woman - whose identity was protected - called Maxwell a 'rapist' and said she was willing to testify in court that she sexually abused her. Maxwell was arrested on Thursday in New Hampshire and is currently being held without bail in county jail. None of the victims in the indictment have been named. Scroll down for video The anonymous woman told Fox News on Friday that she'd been raped by Ghislaine Maxwell (left) between 1991 and 1993 Prosecutors are asking more women who believe they have been the victim of Epstein or Maxwell to come forward. Epstein in a 2013 mugshot It's unclear if this new accuser has spoken to prosecutors. She said the abuse began in 1991, when she was 14, and that it continued until she became pregnant, aged 16, with Epstein's baby. 'She raped me. I would say it's more than 20 or 30 times. She is a rapist. She destroyed what was supposed to be the best years of my life, being a teenager, being a cheerleader. 'She is just as evil as Jeffrey Epstein, as everybody is painted him to be. Miss Maxwell was his business partner in this. She did this to many girls,' she said. The woman claims Maxwell showered her with gifts and then taught her how to perform sexual acts on both men and on her. The woman said the abuse by Epstein eventually resulted in her becoming pregnant. 'I had never been with anyone except for him...the fact that I had to kill my child, really affected me and my family,' she said. The woman also claimed that she was 'gang raped' by Maxwell and others as a 'punishment' for threatening to speak to the authorities then dropped off, naked, on her grandparents' front yard lawn by a man who she alleged had a gun and warned her that she would not 'come back alive' next time. Maxwell was picked up by the FBI and NYPD detectives at 8.30am at the property in Bradford, New Hampshire, she had bought in December 2019 using a limited liability company called Granite LLC to shield her name No other Epstein accuser has described that level of violence or threats. Before he killed himself in prison, he denied ever having sex with underage girls. Maxwell has denied the allegations in court documents for years in lawsuits. She was arrested on Thursday after living under the radar for almost a year. After Epstein killed himself in custody, she went into hiding. The FBI says she has been living mostly in New England and has moved several times over the last eight months. She bought the house where she was arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire, in cash in December, using an LLC to make the deal to try to conceal her identity. Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner was twice extradited from Portugal for sex crimes against children Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner was twice extradited from Portugal for sex crimes against children but detectives investigating the three-year-old Britons disappearance never considered he could be involved, it has emerged. The serial sex attacker was first sent back to Germany in 1999 after he had spent four years on the run in the Algarve and served a two-year sentence in youth custody for sexually abusing a child. He was sent back to Germany a second time in 2017 to serve a 15-month prison sentence for sexually abusing a child and possession of child pornography. Brueckner was taken into custody in Portugal that year after he was caught indecently exposing himself at a childrens playground just 30-minutes-drive from Praia da Luz from where Madeleine McCann went missing. Despite these two convictions for sex crimes against children and the indecent exposure Brueckner, who had lived on and off in the Algarve for 22 years, was never put on Portugals sex offenders register. This contributed to the failure of detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann to consider Brueckner could be linked to the crime. The new revelations are made on Portuguese broadcaster RTPs show Friday at Nine tonight. Presenter Sandra Felgueiras said: It may be hard to believe, but it is true. The suspect in the murder of Madeleine McCann was twice extradited from Portugal to Germany for sex crimes against children but was never investigated into her disappearance from Praia da Luz. Kate and Gerry McCann, pictured with a photograph of their daughter Madeleine According to German prosecutors, Brueckner is the prime suspect in Madeleine McCann disappearance. They are treating the case as a murder investigation Parents of the children who raised the alarm after Brueckner exposed himself in the playground in the town of Sao Bartomoleu de Messines in 2017, have told of their horror. One mother said: Brueckner could have taken my daughter. It is so difficult to realise that somebody linked to so many criminal case and so potentially dangerous, was so close to my daughter. Brueckner was arrested at 2.15am by local police officers after four children told their parents he had flashed at them while they were playing. The Portuguese police have maintained that Brueckner was dismissed from their initial inquiries into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann because they did not know about his child sex crimes. But the latest revelation that he was a known child sex attacker adds the catalogue of failures of the Portuguese authorities. Last month it emerged that Brueckner had admitted to a judge that he was a sexual predator in 2006, the year before the youngster went missing. But this admission was not logged and he was not put on the countrys sex offenders register. Brueckner only became a suspect in 2017 after he boasted to a friend in a bar in Hannover Germany he was knew what had happened to Madeleine McCann as they watched a TV appeal on the tenth anniversary of her disappearance. Brueckner admitted to a judge in Portugal that he was a sexual predator in 2006 - a year before Madeleine was kidnapped Madeleine McCann went missing from Praia da Luz on August 10, 2007 The German Federal Police asked Portugals Policia Judiciaria to investigate Brueckner and they discovered that the took a phone while he was in Praia da Luz just before the youngster vanished. Brueckner had returned to Portugal in 2017 but was extradited back to Germany after he was caught exposing himself to serve a 15-month prison sentence for sexually abusing a child and possession of child pornography. He was released in August 2018 and fled the country. He was arrested in September 2018 in Milan, Italy, and extradited back to Germany and charged with drug dealing. In 2019 he was charged and convicted of raping a 72-year-old tourist in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2005. Boris Johnson has refused to speak about the 'movements and doings' of his father Stanley who flew to Greece in a brazen defiance of pandemic travel warnings. Stanley Johnson, 79, jetted to his four-bed mountain-view home in Pelion this week ignoring Foreign Office guidance which says no one should travel unless it is essential. The former Tory Euro-MP dodged Greece's ban on direct flights from the UK by flying from Luton to Athens via Bulgaria, sharing videos and images of his journey online. At tonight's coronavirus press conference, the Prime Minister refused to comment on his father's movements. When asked why the public should obey all the rules when his father and top aide Dominic Cummings had not done, he replied: 'Durham Police made it clear they were not pursuing that. Boris Johnson has refused to speak about the 'movements and doings' of his father Stanley who flew to Greece in a brazen defiance of pandemic travel warnings Stanley Johnson was photographed last night looking at his mobile phone with a glass of red wine on a table while sitting alone at Martha's restaurant at Horto in Mount Pelion, Greece 'I make it a normal practice not to comment on the movements and doings of my family. 'When you look at what the British public have done over the last three months it has been a phenomenal effort to follow the guidance and get this thing under control. 'People have worked together and done an absolutely heroic job. We have got to keep that going now.' Last night, Stanley Johnson was photographed looking at his mobile phone with a glass of red wine on a table while sitting alone at Martha's restaurant in Horto village. Mr Johnson also failed to condemn his father's actions earlier today, telling LBC Radio: 'I think you really ought to raise that with him. I am not going to get into details of family conversations. 'I think the overwhelming majority of the British people have understood what needs to be done and have been very prudent, and that is the right thing to do.' Local residents told Magnesia News that Martha's is Stanley Johnson's favourite restaurant in the area and his dinner included fresh fish, Greek salad and red wine. Last night Stanley Johnson told Greek journalists: 'Boris is right. What's done is done and let's move on. I'm not going to refer to private conversations with members of my family. 'I'm not aware of what the response of the British people is. I've just come here for some quite moments to get the house ready.' Asked why he removed pictures of his journey to Greece from Instagram, he said: 'it is true. I did take them down. I did not post them in defiance. There has not been an breach on my behalf. 'But we should open this bridge between Greece and the UK soonest,' he said. 'Greece is a country that has it all. I won't get into whether my actions were right or wrong. What's done is done. 'While being here, how can you not think how great it would be for the governments of these two countries to come to a quick agreement (on travel).' He made the remarks after returning from a swim at Paganias beach, near his villa. Mr Johnson is due to stay until July 10. The Prime Minister's father Stanley Johnson was spotted at the tavern in Greece last night Locals added that he has otherwise rarely left the villa since arriving in the country this week, and has not been spotted in the village at any other time. Boris Johnson has also gone to the restaurant when in the village, and chose to visit the area with his now-fiancee Carrie Symonds for New Year's Eve in 2018. Speaking from his villa which he lets out to tourists Stanley Johnson said Greek officials were happy to allow him in and the ban only seemed to apply to 'bulk arrivals' of British holidaymakers. MPs said the incident 'stinks of one rule for them and another rule for the rest of us' and claimed it echoed No 10 aide Dominic Cummings' infamous lockdown trip to Barnard Castle. Stanley Johnson posted a selfie on his Instagram feed during his trip to Greece on Wednesday More than 400,000 sunseekers are thought to have had their Greek holidays ruined by government delays in relaxing the global travel warning, along with Greece's decision to ban direct flights from the UK until July 15. During the lockdown, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said foreign summer holidays are effectively cancelled following the Foreign Office travel warning. Also today, Mr Shapps disclosed that Greece was not on the initial list of countries from which travellers to England would no longer be required to quarantine for 14 days on arrival. Mr Shapps said a decision on whether to add Greece to the list would have to wait until at least July 15 when the government in Athens will decide whether to lift its restrictions on travellers from the UK. Mr Johnson travelled to his mountain retreat in Pelion, outside Athens, pictured, where he claimed he was making it Covid secure ahead of the letting season for holiday makers He said that if Mr Johnson senior returned to the UK before that date he would have to self-isolate for a fortnight 'which he will be happy to do'. Asked whether is visit to his villa constituted 'essential business', Mr Shapps said it was 'up to an individual to decide'. 'There is certainly no law against it. This is travel advice,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. 'But what isn't up to an individual to decide is when they return from that location then they will need to self-isolate, they will need to do that quarantine for 14 days.' Boris Johnson did not condemn his father today, telling LBC Radio (pictured): 'I think you really ought to raise that with him. I am not going to get into details of family conversations' As a Greek news website branded Stanley Johnson's trip 'unbelievable', MPs urged Boris Johnson to explain why his father appears to be bound by a 'different set of rules' to those imposed on ordinary holidaymakers. Labour's aviation spokesman Mike Kane said: 'The Government have been all over the place with their plans for a quarantine or air bridges, but what is clear is that the guidance is against any foreign travel at the moment.' Speaking in the Commons, Liberal Democrat Alistair Carmichael said: 'This is simply further evidence that when it comes to following the rules, it is one rule for the Conservatives and one rule for everyone else. 'Whilst the Prime Minister is continuing to ask people to make huge sacrifices... he must reflect on how much of a kick in the teeth these reports will be.' Stanley Johnson flew via Sofia, Bulgaria to avoid Greece's ban on direct flights from the UK Labour's Rosena Allin-Khan, a shadow minister and A&E doctor, wrote on Twitter: 'Most people have been following the guidelines and socially distancing not everyone will get a holiday this year. 'Those closest to the Prime Minister have different rules though.' Fellow Labour MP Kate Osborne added: 'They're laughing directly in the face of people up and down this country. Shame.' Liberal Democrat Jamie Stone said the incident 'stinks of one rule for them and another rule for the rest of us'. Prime Minister Boris Johnson with his father Stanley at a book launch in London in 2014 The Foreign Office currently advises British nationals 'against all but essential international travel'. It is up to travellers to decide whether their trip is essential. Mr Johnson said on Wednesday night: 'I'm in Pelion on essential business trying to Covid-proof my property in view of the upcoming letting season. I need to set up distancing measures at the property because they're taking it very seriously here.' The Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'In relation to Foreign Office advice, that is what it is it is advice. It is for individuals to make judgments themselves.' Stanley Johnson declined to comment further yesterday. The National Theatre today confirmed that 400 casual workers will lose their jobs as the theatre industry continues to feel the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The NT revealed it will pay 250 front of house and 150 backstage staff members until the end of August but they will not be kept on afterwards. The news comes just days after the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester announced it had made 65 per cent of its permanent redundant in a bid to safeguard the theatre's future. The National Theatre (pictured) in London announced it has made 400 casual staff redundant as the theatre industry continues to feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic The NT joins the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester (pictured) in making staff redundant, with the London theatre company axing 250 front of house staff and 150 backstage workers A National Theatre spokesperson said: 'We have committed to paying our casual staff until the end of August, but very sadly due to the changes in the government Job Retention Scheme we simply cannot afford to offer financial support beyond that point.' As many lockdown restrictions are set to be lifted in England on Saturday, including the reopening of pubs and cinemas, it remains unlikely that theatres will be allowed to reopen in the near future, despite Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden's five-step roadmap to reopen theatres last week. Mr Dowden's strategy was described as too vague and needing more investment and the National Theatre have since stated that the decision to make staff redundant was 'inevitable'. The casual workers were informed of the decision by the NT in an email on Friday, while the company added it is just midway through its redundancy process. NT chief executives Lisa Burger and Rufus Norris admitted that redundancies will continue unless they receive more support from the Government. Jasmin Mandi-Ghomi, a playwright who works as an usher at the National Theatre, tweeted: 'The National Theatre have let all FOH staff go. I now have no job whatsoever. Not a single source of income. God I loved that job so much. How can the arts have been let down this badly by the government?' One playwright and National Theatre usher claimed the theatre industry has been 'let down by the Government' as other businesses, including cinemas and pubs, are set to reopen on Saturday She also told The Guardian: 'They [the NT] don't know when they're going to reopen and they have three auditoriums, without knowing when people are going to be back in or how they're going to keep people safe. 'It just needs to survive at this point. I understand why they've done it, but it is still hard.' Former Artistic Director of the National Theatre, Sir Nicholas Hynter, told BBC Newsnight on Friday night that the country is reaching the 'critical point' for the survival of theatres. He said: 'I have heard that this something that Oliver Dowden and Rishi Sunak are taking seriously. 'But unless there is a substantial and unprecedented rescue package as part of the July Statement next week, we are really looking at waves of insolvencies, waves of redundancies. We are looking at the whole ecosystem breaking down.' Sir Nicholas also called for the Government to start investing money in the future, instead of paying money towards closing venues such as theatres down. He added: 'It will cost countless millions in redundancy payments. It would be money spent on closing things down, when it could be money spent on investing in the future.' 'Great institutions, small institutions are simply going to go to the wall. That will cost a fortune in monetary capital as well as, of course, in human capital. 'Why would you not want to preserve British culture? There are rescue packages that have been established all over Europe. Italy, for instance, has announced five billion euros for culture and tourism.' The National Theatre was wrapped in tape on Friday as part of the 'Miss Live Theatre campaign' to give messages of support to the theatre industry. The idea was created by Scene Change, a collective of British Theatre Designers and several other theatres will be covered in the tape over the weekend. The NT was covered in tape on Friday as part of the 'Missing Live Theatre' campaign giving messages of support to theatre companies across the UK The campaign was set up by the group 'Scene Change' and it will be taking place in major theatres in Edinburgh, Manchester, Cardiff and Belfast across the weekend The Royal Exchange Theatre will also take part in the scheme on Friday, along with the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh, Lyric Belfast and Cardiff's Sherman Theatre. Several of London's West End theatres are also set to be wrapped on Saturday. Scene Change said: 'As businesses begin to reopen, the doors of theatres remain firmly shut whilst we navigate a way back to live performance. 'This is a moment of reset in our industry and we believe the design community can be an essential part of the transformation that will see theatre buildings being reopened and the ways in which theatre can be re-imagined. 'As shapers of theatrical space through the use of people and place, our work is pivotal in connecting an entire ecosystem within the theatre industry. 'We are ideally positioned to be at the heart of any discussions about how theatre operates in the future.' Five out of seven people traveling inside a SUV were killed on Thursday after their vehicle crossed an interstate median in South Carolina and hit two tractor trailers, state troopers said. The 2001 Chevrolet was heading east on Interstate 26 near Orangeburg when the driver lost control around 12:30pm Thursday, South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Tyler Tidwell said. The SUV went through a cable median barrier and into the westbound lanes, hitting two 18-wheelers and then overturned before coming to a rest, Tidwell said. Five people died following a crash on Interstate 26 in Orangeburg County in South Carolina The collision took place around 12:40pm in the westbound lanes The collision saw traffic backed up for miles on Thursday afternoon Two people in the SUV survived the wreck, although troopers didn't know their conditions. Both truck drivers were not injured. Jamison Fire Department Chief Kirk Davis said a tractor-trailer caught fire. The drivers of both tractor-trailers were also not injured and were wearing seatbelts, Tidwell said. Tidwell said troopers have not determined where everyone in the SUV was sitting at the time of the wreck. State troopers say an SUV went off the left side of the road into the median, struck the median cables, and went into the westbound lanes The SUV struck two tractor trailers killing five while two others went to hospital The road was closed for several hours while investigators worked at the scene of the crash The names of the people inside the SUV have not yet been released. A special team of state troopers is investigating to determine what caused the SUV to lose control and cross the median, Tidwell said. The wreck happened between the U.S. Highway 601 and state Highway 33 exits on I-26. Orangeburg County Emergency Services Director Billy Staley said the severity of the accident serves as a good reminder for motorists to use caution during the long holiday weekend. 'Wear your seat belts and obey the law,' he said. 'Drive safely. It is a holiday weekend and there are a lot of people on the highway.' The South Carolina Highway Patrol and its Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team are investigating the accident. The drivers of the tractor-trailers were not seriously hurt. Those involved in the crash have not yet been publicly identified. Pictured, a maintenance worker examines the median Advertisement One of the Colorado policemen involved in the death of Elijah McClain last August has been fired after receiving photos of three officers mocking and re-enacting the killing, outside the 23-year-old's memorial. The Aurora Police Department on Friday announced Jason Rosenblatt was fired, along with officers Erica Marrero and Kyle Dittrich for their involvement in the October 2019 incident. A fourth officer, Jaron Jones, who also appeared in the images, resigned on Tuesday ahead of the pre-disciplinary hearing. Rosenblatt, who was one of three Aurora cops involved in McClain's fatal arrest, did take part in the pictures but was terminated after receiving them in a text message and responding: 'HaHa'. Aurora Interim Chief Vanessa Wilson publicly released the photos for the first time, which showed Jones pretending to put Dittrich in a chokehold while Marrero looks on and laughs. All three officers were on duty and in uniform at the time. They were taken two months after McClain, 23, a massage therapist who loved animals and who taught himself to play the guitar and the violin, died after cops held him in a chokehold on August 24. 'We're ashamed, we're sickened and we're angry,' Chief Wilson said in a press conference on Friday. 'While the allegations of this internal affairs case are not criminal, it is a crime against humanity and decency.' 'It shows a lack of morals, values and integrity, and judgment. I can no longer trust to allow them to wear this badge,' she added. Jaron Jones (center) resigned from Aurora police on Thursday for staging the 're-enactment' photo. Erica Marrero (far left) and Kyle Dittrich (right) were fired on Friday for appearing in the photo, which McClain's family said was 'a new low' for the Aurora police department The three also took a smiling selfie on October 20, 2019, after posing for the 're-enactment' of McClain's killing in Colorado Jason Rosenblatt, who was involved in McClain's fatal arrest last August, was fired on Friday for receiving a photo re-enacting McClain's killing Elijah McClain, 23, was killed by three white police officers in Colorado in August after someone called 911, saying he 'looked sketchy' and was wearing a ski mask and waving his arms Wilson said the disturbing images were shown to McClain's family before they were released to the public. 'The fact that three on-duty, in-uniform police officers thought that it was appropriate to reenact the murder, jokingly, shows that the department is rotten to the core,' said Mari Newman, the McClain family's lawyer. 'For her, [Elijah's mother, Sheneen McClain] it was just devastating to see that people were mocking the murder of her son,' Newman added. The police union reacted with anger to Rosenblatt's firing, saying he was only terminated for receiving the photos, which he had no part in making, and saying there had not been sufficient investigation. McClain's death has become a rallying cry amid a national reckoning over police brutality and racial injustice, with the state reopening the case for possible criminal charges and federal officials looking into a civil rights investigation. In several places, the chokehold has been banned and other police reforms passed after nationwide protests. According to the investigative report, the images were brought to Wilson's attention last week by an uninvolved officer who saw them and reported them to the chief. The cops involved were immediately placed on administrative leave and the department launched an Internal Affairs Investigation. Rosenblatt told investigators during an interview that he gave such a response because 'I nervous laugh and I wanted to give something short and concise and not engage in anyway, and just let them know that - kinda just be done with it. 'I don't know if you've texted anybody but if you give a short response then you kinda close yourself down for discussion a little bit and that's kinda what I was hoping for', he added. McClain, who weighed 140lbs, was tackled to the ground by cops shortly afterwards. After handcuffing him, Officer Nathan Woodyard applied a 'carotid control hold' around McClain's neck, which restricts blood to the brain to render someone unconscious In body-cam footage of the fatal incident, McClain is heard pleading with the officers that, 'I just can't breathe correctly'. He went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and died days later Aurora Police confirmed the resignation of Jaron Jones following the re-enactment photos Officers Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt and Randy Roedema were called when McClain was spotted walking home from a store on August 24, 2019. Rosenblatt, center, was fired on Friday but the other two remain in the force In an interview with Dittrich, he said the three officers had been returning from a call nearby and decided to take a selfie to 'cheer up' their colleague, Nathan Woodyard, who was involved in McClain's arrest. 'After we were done with that call, after we handled it, we were walking back to our cars, and I just thought it would be...um I thought it would be - it would cheer Woody up if we took a selfie. '... I just wanted to show Officer Woodyard that, you know, we were ... together, um in solidarity thinking of him, and so I thought it would be funny if we took a photo there.' The McClain family released a statement on Friday saying the police department had reached a 'new low.' 'Just when you think the Aurora police cannot get any worse, they reach a new low. This is a department with police who tackled an innocent young black man, inflicted fifteen minutes of multiple kinds of excessive force, including two carotid chokeholds, who stood over him joking, "Don't get that on me" while he was vomiting from the pain, and threatened to sic a dog on him because he wasn't lying still enough while dying,' they said. 'Now we learn that this is a department where uniformed police officers feel empowered to make a mockery of killing an innocent young black man by returning to the scene of Elijah's murder at the hands of fellow APD officers to take photos of themselves laughingly reenacting the chokehold used to murder Elijah.' The police union Friday issued a statement condemning the firing of Jason Rosenblatt and saying he was denied fair process McClain's death has become a rallying cry amid a national reckoning over police brutality and racial injustice and has sparked protests across the country. Pictured: String players perform during a violin vigil for Elijah McClain on June 29 Protester and violinist, Jeff Hughes, plays music to honor Elijah McClain, who, when alive, would play his violin at animal shelters because he thought the kittens were lonely, during a vigil in Aurora in June 27 Protester and violinist, Jukka Pawley, continues to play music to honor Elijah McClain, as Aurora police fire tear gas into the crowd behind him during a vigil in Aurora, Colorado McClain, an asthmatic, was walking home from a convenience store in Aurora at 10.30pm when someone called 911, saying he 'looked sketchy' and was wearing a ski mask and waving his arms. The police arrived and, after struggling to handcuff McClain, officers brought him to the ground and used a carotid hold, which restricts blood to the brain to render someone unconscious. Police said they had a right to stop him because he was 'being suspicious,' and he begged them repeatedly to let go of him, according to body-camera video. When medical responders arrived, after about 15 minutes, paramedics injected him with ketamine, a powerful sedative. McClain suffered cardiac arrest, was later declared brain dead and taken off life support. Mike Coffman, mayor of Aurora, called the pictures of the cops deeply troubling. 'It really reopens wounds in our community,' he said. The U.S. Attorney's Office, the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the FBI last week revealed a federal probe into McClain's death was launched last year. The three officers who attended the 911 call on August 24 - Nathan Woodyard, Rosenblatt and Randy Roedema - were placed on administrative leave, but they were all reinstated. District Attorney Dave Young said at the time that charges could not be brought against the three because a pathologist could not determine whether it was homicide. McCain tweeted a transcript of Elijah McClain's last words as the three police officers pinned him to the ground Meghan McCain was among those to express outrage at McClain's killing, tweeting on July 1 her disgust at the cops McClain's death generated renewed attention after the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis in May stirred worldwide protests over racial injustice and police brutality. The governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, recently appointed the Attorney General, Phil Weiser, as a special prosecutor to look into McClain's case. Rosenblatt was not fired for his role in the killing, but rather for receiving the image. Meghan McCain, co-host of The View, tweeted his final words, as heard on police audio. 'Listen to the audio and tell me there isn't true, unabashed evil in this world,' she tweeted. In the audio, McClain tells the police he isn't armed, and has no intention of hurting anyone, saying: 'Why are you attacking me? I don't even kill flies! I don't eat meat! But I don't judge people.' Later, as the choke hold tightens, he says: 'Oww - that really hurt. You are all very strong. Team work makes the dream work.' He then begins crying. As other officers join to restrain McClain, he begs them to let go and says, 'You guys started to arrest me, and I was stopping my music to listen.' In the video, McClain tells officers: 'Let go of me. I am an introvert. Please respect the boundaries that I am speaking.' His death last August has prompted a handful of small protests over the last 10 months, but his case has garnered renewed attention amid a global outcry sparked by the Memorial Day death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. The PM announced in the briefing today that the UK would clap one final time on Sunday at 5PM Boris Johnson announced today that the country will clap for keyworkers one last time on Sunday at 5PM. It comes after the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) published an open letter saying they would take part in the final clap. The letter was signed by 50 business leaders including Dragons' Den's Peter Jones, saying it will be taking part in one final clap this Sunday, July 5. At this afternoons Downing Street press conference, the Prime Minister added: 'Let me end by looking forward to this weekend.' 'Tomorrow there will be a moment of remembrance for those whose lives have tragically been lost before their time. 'At 5PM on Sunday, the NHS's 72nd birthday, we can all come together to clap for those who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to help the nation get through this pandemic. Pictured: Neighbours of Annemarie Plas, a Dutch national living in south London who created the weekly 8pm Clap For Our Carers, in south London joining the applause to salute local heroes on the last clap on May 28 Pictured: NHS workers reacting to the final day of clapping during the Clap for our Carers campaign He then went on to encourage Britons to support business owners and their employees who prepare to reopen this weekend. Weekly claps were a staple of the first months of lockdown, with streets of neighbours heading out to their doorsteps to give thanks for the effort of healthcare workers during the Covid-19 crisis. The letter, published in The Telegraph, read: 'As businesses we will be part of that moment because we too have many people to thank. Our colleagues, our suppliers, our customers and our communities. These have been difficult times for us all and we have only survived because of them. For more than two months Brits applauded the hard work and sacrifice of health workers during the worst weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic 'But saying thanks is only the start. We know that this crisis will have long lasting and widespread ramifications with the potential impact on livelihoods as profound as the crisis itself.' It later added: 'Businesses have a key role to play and as business leaders we are committing ourselves to doing all that we can to be part of building closer communities to build broader prosperity for all.' The original Clap for Carers ended last month after 10 weeks of applause for frontline workers. Boris Johnson took part in the weekly clap outside Number 10 in solidarity with his fellow Brits Organiser Annemarie Plas told The Telegraph at the time: 'For me personally, on behalf of Clap For Our Carers, it will be the last clap I give. 'We want to maintain the positive impact it has had. Were really proud of our NHS workers and now want to turn it into something that lasts after coronavirus.' Following the success of the weekly Clap for Carers, people will be encouraged to reflect on the heroes of the coronavirus pandemic with family and friends at 5pm on July 5 - the 72nd anniversary of the NHS. Staff at Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool were moved to tears by the final clap for carers Broadcasters will also suspend transmissions for a moment as a mark of respect. On July 4, the evening before, people will be asked to put a light in their windows in remembrance of those lost to Covid-19. Public buildings will also be lit up in blue for the NHS including the Royal Albert Hall, Blackpool Tower, the Shard and the Wembley Arch. Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, Director General of the CBI said: 'Covid-19 has undoubtedly hit some in society much harder than others. 'As businesses we recognise that we have a responsibility to all the communities in which we operate. 'Which is why we are committed not just to joining this moment of thanks but being part of a vitally important process going forward.' NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said he hopes the public will use the anniversary as an opportunity to 'say a heartfelt thank you' to hospital staff. Sir Simon said: 'This year has been the most challenging in NHS history, with staff displaying extraordinary dedication, skill and compassion to care for the 100,000 patients with Covid-19 who needed specialist hospital treatment and many others besides. 'During this testing time, our nurses, doctors, physios, pharmacists and countless more colleagues were sustained by the support of the public, not least through the weekly applause for key workers. 'No health service, not even the NHS, could have coped alone with this coronavirus pandemic. 'From bus drivers and teachers to care staff and food retailers and, of course, the public who took action to stay at home to stop infection spreading, everyone played their part.' Elon Musk is once again placing distance between himself, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, claiming a 2014 photo of him and the alleged madam at a Vanity Fair party is the result of her photobombing. Musk took to Twitter to respond to someone's comment to a post he made on Thursday, showing what appears to be a photo of him and Maxwell smiling for a photo. 'Don't know Ghislaine at all,' he said in the late Thursday tweet. 'She photobombed me once at a Vanity Fair party several years ago. Real question is why VF invited her in the first place.' Musk took to Twitter to respond to someone's comment to a post he made on Thursday, showing a photo of him and Maxwell at the 2014 Vanity Fair Party in West Hollywood 'Don't know Ghislaine at all,' he said in the late Thursday tweet. 'She photobombed me once at a Vanity Fair party several years ago. Real question is why VF invited her in the first place' The sharp rebuke comes as Maxwell - Epstein's former girlfriend and alleged madam who is accused of procuring young girls for him - was arrested on charges of sex trafficking and perjury. The SpaceX CEO has been adamant on not knowing Epstein or Maxwell, last year releasing a statement rejecting the notion that he had introduced the disgraced pedophile to Mark Zuckerberg during a private dinner in 2015. The August 2015 dinner in Palo Alto was hosted by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. Hoffman invited Epstein - at the request of MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito, he explained to Axios - along with Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Thiel. The sharp rebuke comes as Maxwell - Epstein's former girlfriend and alleged madam who is accused of procuring young girls for him - was arrested on charges of sex trafficking and perjury In a 2019 statement to Vanity Fair, Musk denied having been the connecting link between Epstein and Zuckerberg. 'I don't recall introducing Epstein to anyone, as I don't know the guy well enough to do so, Epstein is obviously a creep and Zuckerberg is not a friend of mine,' he said in a statement. 'Several years ago, I was at his house in Manhattan for about 30 minutes in the middle of the afternoon with Talulah [Riley], as she was curious about meeting this strange person for a novel she was writing. We did not see anything inappropriate at all, apart from weird art. He tried repeatedly to get me to visit his island. I declined.' In a 2019 statement to Vanity Fair , Musk denied having been the connecting link between Epstein and Zuckerberg during a party hosted by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman Hoffman invited Epstein - at the request of MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito, he explained to Axios - along with Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Thiel. A spokesperson for Musk added in an emailed statement: 'Elon never introduced Jeffrey Epstein to Mark Zuckerberg and does not know either person well enough to do so. They simply happened to be guests at a neuroscience dinner organized by Reid Hoffman.' Maxwell's dramatic arrest on sex-trafficking charges has raised hopes among Epstein victims that prosecutors will untangle a 'spider web' of rich and powerful associates of the pair. The socialite and daughter of late British publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell was seized at a $1million home in New Hampshire and later appeared in court by video-link. She is now awaiting transfer to New York to face charges of procuring girls as young as 14 for Epstein to sexually abuse - and could even be held in the same Manhattan jail where Epstein died last year. If convicted on all counts, Maxwell faces 35 years behind bars at a maximum. It would mean she'd be 93 by the time she'd be released. The Home Depot has changed the way it displays rope for sale after nooses made from spooled rope were discovered in several of its stores, most recently last month in North Carolina. The home improvement giant has removed giant spools of rope from every one of its US locations and has switched to selling pre-cut rope in lengths that are most commonly sold, Home Depot spokesperson Margaret Smith told DailyMail.com 'Unfortunately, weve had some instances where spooled rope was used to create hate symbols and were not going to tolerate it,' Smith said in a statement. 'Out of an abundance of caution, we temporarily removed spooled rope from our aisles.' Home Depot has changed the way it displays rope for sale after a woman found these two nooses in a Charlotte, North Carolina, store in early June A Twitter user on June 23 shared this photo showing a note at a Home Depot store announcing the removal of rope spools Smith noted that if customers are unable find pre-cut rope in the length their specific project calls for, they can always ask an employee to cut the required length for them. The move comes a month after a woman shopping at a Home Depot in Charlotte, North Carolina, said she came across a pair of nooses that were fashioned from spooled rope. 'I was shocked,' Hattie Leonard told WCNC of her disturbing discovery on June 7. 'It's just one of those things you don't expect to see.' The store chain released a statement at the time addressing the incident in Charlotte. 'The Home Depot does not tolerate racism or discrimination, period,' it read in part. 'We're appalled and disturbed by this incident.' A year ago, two sisters reported finding nooses in a Wilmington, Delaware, Home Depot's rope aisle, reported CNN Business. And back in 2016, a worker at a Pittsburgh-area Home Depot filed a complaint after coming upon a noose inside the business. Smith told DailyMail.com on Friday that so far, she has not personally heard of any customers complaining about the removal of rope spools from store aisles. A hangman's noose has long been a symbol of racism and hatred directed at African-Americans. Since 2016, there have been multiple incidents where nooses were found at Home Depot stores, including in Delaware and Pennsylvania 'Its origins are connected to the history of lynching in America, particularly in the South after the Civil War, when violence or threat of violence replaced slavery as one of the main forms of social control that whites used on African-Americans,' according to the Anti-Defamation League. Home Depot's decision comes amid ongoing protests across the US against systemic racism and police brutality, which were sparked by the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer. Home Depot CEO Craig Meaner released a statement last month expressing support for the protesters and the African-American community at large, and pledging $1million to the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. 'We must stand with all who are committed to change that will bring us closer to realizing an end to discrimination and hatred,' he stated. Police have revealed the identity of a woman who died on her 59th birthday after being stabbed in south London. Dawn Bennett, 58, suffered fatal stab wounds to her chest on June 10 at her home in Lewisham. Ms Bennett was rushed to hospital by the London Ambulance Service but died on June 16, the day she turned 59. Metropolitian Police have identified a woman who died from fatal stab wounds following an attack in Lewisham as Dawn Bennett (pictured) A Metropolitan police statement read: 'A murder investigation was launched after Dawn died in hospital on Tuesday 16 June, from her injuries sustained in the incident. 'Officers were initially alerted to welfare concerns for the occupant of an address on Lewisham Way, Lewisham, on Wednesday, 10 June, at about 21:00hrs. 'They attended the address a short time later and found a woman suffering from stab wounds. 'A post-mortem examination found the cause of death was an incised wound to the chest.' Officers were called to Ms Bennett's home on Lewisham Way in Lewisham, south London where they found the victim suffering from stab wounds to the chest. A 31-year-old man has been charged with murder LONDON MURDERS 2020 Where the 56 murders across the capital this year have happened William Algar, 53, Jan-03, Barnes Takieddine Boudhane, 30, Jan-03, Finsbury Park Krasimir Kartikov, 60, Jan-13, Croydon Harinder Kumar, 22, Jan-19, Seven Kings Narinder Singh, 26, Jan-19, Seven Kings Baljit Singh, 34, Jan-19, Seven Kings Tahereh Pirali-Dashti, 40, Jan-20, Barnet Beverley Denahy, 61, Jan-22, Chingford Unnamed man, 60s, Jan-24, Clapton Louis Johnson, 16, Jan-27, Croydon Eraj Seifi, 46, Jan-29, Queens Park Unnamed man, 33, Feb-12, North Finchley James Dowdell, 54, Feb-17, Chelsea Sundeep Ghuman, 36, Feb-18, Thamesmead Lennox Nigel Alcendor, 42, Feb-21, Cricklewood Li-Qing Wang, 35, Feb-25, Waltham Forest Tyler Roye, 24, Feb-26, Croydon Archie Beston, 19, Feb-29, Kingston Asante Campbell, 24, Feb-29, Hendon Shanur Ahmed, 16, Mar-03, Newham Ricardo Fuller, 24, Mar-07, Ilford Vanita Nowell, 68, Mar-08, Southwark Damani Mauge, 17, Mar-08, Croydon Cameron Murfitt, 18, Mar-15, Greenwich Tracey Kidd, 57, Mar-17, Hackney Shadika Mohsin Patel, 40, Mar-19, Newham Abdullahi Mahmoud, 29, Mar-19, Enfield Stefan Melnyk, 54, Mar-22, Acton Kelly Stewart, 41, Mar-26, Barking Tomas Macionis, 35, Mar-31, Walthamstow Sonia Teresa Burton Calvi, 56, Apr-01, Stockwell Edgar Aguilera Daza, 59, Apr-01, Stockwell Maryan Ismail, 57, Apr-06, Edmonton Ralph Gibson, 42, Apr-15, Putney Denise Michelle Keane-Barnett-Simmons, 26, Apr-16, Brent Mark Baker, 62, Apr-19, Walthamstow Jay John, 27, Apr-25, Hackney Baljit Singh, 37, Apr-25, Hayes Pavinya Nithiyakumar, 1, Apr-26, Ilford Nigish Nithiyakumar, 3, Apr-26, Ilford David Gomoh, 24, Apr-26, Newham Anthony Rooks, 79, May-04, Holloway Yonas Haile, 32, May-05, Hammersmith Francois Kablan, 19, May-13, Southwark Jemal Ebrahim, 23, May-13, Haringey Chad Gordon, 27, May-18, Haringey Oluwamayowa Adeymi, 21, Jun-05, Hackney Nicole Smallman, 27, Jun-07, Wembley Bibaa Henry, 46, Jun-07, Wembley Alexander Kareem, 20, Jun-08, Shepherd's Bush Dawn Bennett, 58, Jun-10, Lewisham Mihai Gae, 48, Jun-13, Hornsey Kyle Kelson, 25, Jun-19, North Cheam Wayne Hoskyns, 41, Jun-19, Bexley Steve Morrison, 30, Jun-23, Epping Sayagi Sivanantham, 5, Jun-30, Mitcham A 31-year-old man was arrested on the day of the offence on suspicion of attempted murder. He was charged on Friday at Bromley Magistrates' Court and will appear at the Old Bailey on July 10. The man in question has been remanded in custody since the day of the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or contact via Twitter @MetCC quoting reference CAD 7081/10Jun, or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org. At least 12 members of a cartel were killed during a gun battle with the Mexican military in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas near the border with Texas on Friday. Local media outlets reported a convoy from the Mexican Army's 16th Motorized Cavalry was met with fire approximately at 3am local time by members of the Tropa del Infierno [Inferno Troop], a hit squad tied to the Cartel del Noreste [Northeast Cartel]. The gun battle took place on a road in the Nuevo Laredo neighborhood of Fresnos, a 10-mile drive from the JuarezLincoln International Bridge, which connects the United States and Mexico over the Rio Grande. The Mexican military killed 12 members of the Inferno Troop, a gang tied to the Northeast Cartel, Friday in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas. The incident occurred in a neighborhood in Nuevo Leon, a city located 10 miles from the border with Texas Pictured: members of the Inferno Troop, who died after they launched a war-like assault with military weapons against a convoy of the Mexican Army on Friday in Tamaulipas, Mexico. The Army did not report any casualties or injuries following a battle that left 12 cartel members dead The Mexican Army confiscated 12 military rifles, including eight AR-15's Images filtered on social media Friday afternoon showed the bodies of the cartel members lying on the back of a pickup truck, where they purportedly launched their assault. Several other Tropa del Infierno henchmen were also photographed lying on the side of the road. Army officials did not report any casualties or injuries on their part following the war-like battle. At least three military vehicles were damaged in the attack. Soldiers recovered 12 assault rifles, including two Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifles and eight AR-15 rifles. Mexican media outlets reported Friday that 12 members of the Inferno Troop, a gang tied to the Northeast Cartel, died after they attacked a military convoy in the Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, neighborhood of Fresnos, a 10-mile drive from the JuarezLincoln International Bridge, which connects the United States and Mexico over the Rio Grande. The Cartel del Noreste was founded in 2014 as a sub-division under the then-powerful Los Zetas criminal organization and is led by Juan Gerardo 'El Huevo' Trevino Chavez. The criminal organization has a presence in the northeast states of Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and the north-central states of San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas. The Tamaulipa's prosecutor's offices is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Hospitals are being strained as they near or push past capacity in states where cases of the novel coronavirus are surging. Doctors and nurses across the South and West, including Arizona, Mississippi and Texas, say they're running out of space and equipment as new patients are admitted. Rooms have double the normal amount of beds, elective surgeries have been put on hold and hospital administrators are asking healthcare workers from other states to come help. And, in the most dire cases, medical care professionals have to determine which patients get put on a ventilator and which don't. Hospitals in several states where coronavirus cases are surging such as Arizona, Mississippi and Texas are pushing capacity. Pictured: Healthcare workers move a patient in the COVID-19 Unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas, July 2 Texas Medical Center hospitals announced that their ICU capacity surpassed 100%, requiring new and converted beds to be opened. Pictured: Healthcare workers move a patient into a different unit from the COVID-19 Unit at United Memorial Medical Center, July 2 If Arizona hospitals push past capacity, patients will be given a score to determine who gets a ventilator. Pictured: Medical transports and ambulances are parked outside the emergency-room entrance at Banner Desert Medical Center, in Mesa, Arizona, June 16 On Thursday, more than 55,000 new COVID-19 infections were confirmed in the US, the highest single-day increase in cases. Deaths, which had been on the downward, rose with more than 700 fatalities recorded on Thursday. The Washington Post reports that number is a 25 percent increase compared to the most recent seven-day rolling average. Admiral Dr Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health for the US Department of Health and Human Services, said the jump in cases is due to new infections, not from a rise in testing. 'There is no question that the more testing you get, the more you will uncover - but we do believe this is a real increase in cases,' he told the House Select Committee on Coronavirus on Thursday. 'We are not flattening the curve right now. The curve is still going up.' In Arizona, one of the nation's new hotspots, hospitalizations and ICU capacity reached record-highs. The Arizona's Department of Health Services revealed that 3,031 people were hospitalized and that ICU capacity reached 91 percent. According to department data, 741 of those 1,520 patients are being treated for coronavirus. Gov Doug Ducey, who had been reluctant to go back into lockdown, earlier this week ordered several businesses included bars, gums and movie theaters to close for 30 days. Water parks and tubing also closed and events in the state weren't allowed to have more than 50 people. In Arizona, if hospitalizations go past capacity, patients will be given a score based on life expectancy and whether or not they have any underlying conditions to determine if they are put on a ventilator, reported The Post. In Arizona, 3,031 people are hospitalized and ICU capacity reached 91% (pictured) Hospitalizations are surging in Mississippi, where new cases topped more than 1,000 for the first time, and 70% of ICU beds are occupied 'You look at what happened in Lombardy, Italy, what happened in New York - that's what is about to happen here,' Will Humble, former director of the state's health department, told The Post. 'People are going to die because our system is overwhelmed. It's important for other states to learn from us. 'This wasn't bad luck. It was avoidable. Don't let this happen to you. You look back at the past few months and we're an example of what not to do.' Arizona's response to the coronavirus has been filled with stumbles. Last week, Ducey said attendees of President Donald Trump's Phoenix rally on June 23 wouldn't have to wear masks. However, he recently encouraged residents to 'mask up.' The health department also ordered Arizona State University to stop providing COVID-19 models to the public after it showed a rise in cases back in May. 'It was clear to anyone with any observational skills that this was coming,' Humble told The Post. 'You think back to Memorial Day, when bars and nightclubs were filled at capacity with zero mitigation. Clearly, the voluntary, honor system approach to mitigation was not working.' On Wednesday, Texas Medical Center hospitals announced that their ICU capacity surpassed 100 percent. Staff began covering and opening new intensive care and regular floor beds to accommodate COVID-19 patients, reported the Houston Chronicle. 'It's actually possible that we could become the next New York City,' Roberta Schwartz, president of Houston Methodist Hospital, told the newspaper. 'I can't believe we're now staring down the barrel of that gun.' Additionally, in Mississippi, some intensive care units are either already full or about to become full. For example, University of Mississippi Medical Center's ICU has been at capacity since February, reported the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. On Thursday, the state State Department of Health recored 1,092 cases, a record surpassing the previous record of 611 set just two days beforehand. Data from the Center for Disease Control and Preventions shows that about 70 percent of ICU beds in Mississippi are occupied - both with COVID and non-COVID patients. While the number of ICU beds has not dramatically jumped, health officials are preparing for the worst. 'There's a sequence from hospitalization and then ICU,' State Health Officer Dr Thomas Dobbs said at a news conference on Thursday. 'I'm absolutely terrified we're going to overwhelm the health care system and the hospitals and ICU, not in the fall, which is something I was worried about previously, but now I'm worried about next week or two weeks from now.' Black Lives Matter protests that have erupted across the United States may be the largest demonstrations in the country's history, with upwards of 26million people participating. The figures come from four recent polls - including one released by Civis Analytics - that found that 15 million people to 26 million people have been a part of demonstrations that spawned following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. 'I've never seen self-reports of protest participation that high for a specific issue over such a short period,' Neal Caren, associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, explained to the New York Times. The figures come from four recent polls that found that 15 million people to 26 million people have been a part of demonstrations that spawned following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd (protest in New York) The surveys suggest that at the minimum, seven million people participated in demonstrations over the last several weeks. In comparison, roughly three million to five million people came out for the Woman's March of 2017 on a single day. That event was highly organized in contrast with BLM demonstrations, which have been much more organic. 'Really, it's hard to overstate the scale of this movement,' said Deva Woodly, an associate professor of politics at the New School. Civil rights marches in the 1960s were not nearly as big, the professor added. 'If we added up all those protests during that period, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of people, but not millions,' she said. The surveys suggest that at the minimum, seven million people participated in demonstrations over the last several week (protests in Los Angeles) A review of international protests for independence by Erica Chenoweth, a professor at Harvard Kennedy School, found that roughly 3.5 per cent of a country's population protest to unseat government leadership. More than 4,700 demonstrations have happened in the United States since May 26, averaging out to roughly 140 per day. 'The geographic spread of protest is a really important characteristic and helps signal the depth and breadth of a movement's support,' said Kenneth Andrews, a sociology professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Professor Woodly explained that the protests are taking place in such vast numbers because activists are gaining guidance and framework for their demonstrations from Black Lives Matter. There does appear to be some correlation in activism and disdain for Trump and his administration. A poll from The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that one in five Americans said that they have participated in a protest since the start of Trump's administration. Some 19 per cent of Americans said they were new to protesting. More than 4,700 demonstrations have happened in the United States since May 26, averaging out to roughly 140 per day (protest in Minneapolis) At least 1,360 counties in the United States - roughly 40 per cent - have had some form of Black Lives Matter protests. Nearly 95 per cent of these counties are majority white and nearly three-quarters of the counties had populations of more than 75 per cent white. 'Without gainsaying the reality and significance of generalized white support for the movement in the early 1960s, the number of whites who were active in a sustained way in the struggle were comparatively few, and certainly nothing like the percentages we have seen taking part in recent weeks,' said Douglas McAdam, an emeritus professor at Stanford University who studies social movements. Younger and wealthier Americans are also participating in more of the demonstrations. The largest share of protesters have come from the age group for people under the age of 35. At least 1,360 counties in the United States - roughly 40 per cent - have had some form of Black Lives Matter protests (demonstrations in Washington D.C.) Recent videos of police violence towards protesters or toward the black community were a huge motivating factor as to why people participated for the first time. With the coronavirus pandemic also ravaging the United States, people are also having more time to engage in activism. 'With being home and not being able to do as much, that might be amplifying something that is already sort of critical, something that's already a powerful catalyst, and that is the video,' said Daniel Q. Gillion, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. 'If you aren't moved by the George Floyd video, you have nothing in you. And that catalyst can now be amplified by the fact that individuals probably have more time to engage in protest activity.' As Jeffrey Epsteins pimp Ghislaine Maxwell spends her first days behind bars, a lawyer for their alleged victims who predicted the pervert financier would die in jail says she will likely suffer the same fate. Spencer Kuvin told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview that Maxwell knows too much and that powerful people may want to silence her even as she is locked up. It may be that she cant handle the fear of whats going to happen to her and takes matters into her own hands or there will be people who are very afraid of what she has to say, Kuvin predicted. Maxwell has an astonishing international network of friends and acquaintances, some of whom have no doubt helped her lay low since Epstein's suicide. Kuvin said people laughed at him when he predicted that Epstein would die in prison but his gut is telling him the same thing about Maxwell. But one of her former confidantes has insisted Prince Andrew at least has nothing to fear, as she would never offer information about his links to the shamed millionaire. Ghislaine Maxwell, pictured in October 2016, in one of her final social appearances Ghislaine Maxwell is spending her first few nights in custody in the Merrimack County Jail in New Hampshire Laura Goldman, a New York stockbroker who has known Maxwell for several years, told the Telegraph: 'The only way she can walk is if she gives someone up, but that definitely wont be Andrew. 'She is so appreciative that when she first came to New York, the Duke helped to launch her into high society. She always talks about what a true friend he is. She doesnt see any reason to speak about him to the authorities.' Maxwell, 58, was arrested on Thursday on federal charges relating to her allegedly enticing underage girls for Epstein to abuse. She won the trust of girls as young as 14 and brought them to a trap she and Epstein set and in some cases took part in sex acts, the federal indictment states. Maxwell, who dated Epstein for at least three years in the 1990s, is spending the weekend in the relative comfort of Merrimack County Jail in Boscawen, New Hampshire, before being transferred to New York where she will be housed in a tough-as-nails federal lock-up as she awaits trial. The Merrimack lock-up houses both men and women from the area around the New Hampshire capital, Concord. Jail superintendent Ross Cunningham refused to reveal details of Maxwells day-to-day life inside when contacted by DailyMail.com. Its a security matter, he said. He said the jail, which was built in 2005, is holding Maxwell under contract to the US Marshals Service. Kuvin made his prediction after British socialite Maxwell was arrested at Tuckedaway, a mountaintop mansion in rural Bradford, New Hampshire, that she had anonymously bought for $1.07 million in December. Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein in 2005 She had hidden her identity by using an LLC and rarely if ever left the isolated house with its stunning views of Mount Sunapee. No-one in town knew she was living at the four-bed, four-bath property set on 156 acres. William Sweeney, assistant director in charge of the FBIs New York Field Office said she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims lived with the trauma inflicted on them years ago. Maxwell has not yet entered a plea but in depositions has strongly protested her innocence. Florida-based Kuvin represents several women who claim Epstein sexually assaulted and raped them when they were teens. He told DailyMail.com: I dont think she is going to get out of jail alive. I said the same thing about Jeffrey Epstein and people laughed at me. I think she knows way too much information I just have this gut feeling. Epstein, 66, was found hanged in his prison cell last August while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, sparking a raft of conspiracy theories. Among the powerful people who knew him and had visited him at his hoes in New York, New Mexico, Florida, London and the US Virgin Islands, were Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. Britains Prince Andrew, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Baruk and celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz. A pathologist hired by Epsteins brother Mark said that the fracture on his neck suggested he was killed, though the official autopsy said it was suicide. The apparent incompetence of the prison where he was being held played a part in his death. Guards at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan allegedly did not check on him and the cameras outside of his cell were not working on the night he died. Maxwell could very well be heading to the same prison meaning there will be intense scrutiny of her safety. Kuvin said that he was surprised by the way the Southern District of New York had handled the case because it was 'the opposite of the way you'd prosecute a mob case'. Rather than go for underlings and get them to flip, prosecutors have gone straight to the top; first Epstein and now Maxwell. But Kuvin said that 'maybe there are people who are higher up we don't know about'. Kuvin said: By charging Ghislaine with as many counts as they did, the US Attorneys office was probably looking for her to speak and will pressure her into giving more evidence. Epstein killed himself in is prison cell in August last year but some have speculated he was murdered I dont think they will bargain away all of these charges and you want her to serve some serious time for what she did. I think she will talk. Given who she is, her status and her lifestyle, I dont think she has the ability to support herself which is why she was suing Epsteins estate to pay her legal costs. She will be in panic mode and will want to do anything to get a lighter sentence. For anyone who has culpability for anything over the past 10-15 years, Id be nervous. After Epsteins death, Attorney General William Barr said he was appalled and ordered an FBI investigation. At the time Geoffrey Berman, then the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, vowed to continue the investigation into Epsteins co-conspirators, with Maxwell as the number one target. Berman was fired by Trump last month and the case is now under acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss. The charges against Maxwell, daughter of disgraced British press baron Robert Maxwell, who died in 1991 when he fell from his luxury yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, include two of perjury for claiming in a deposition that she did not know of Epsteins abuse and that she had never massaged any of the girls. She is also accused of helping her former boyfriend to recruit, groom and ultimately abuse victims knownto be under the age of 18. Some of the girls are said to have been as young as 14, the indictment states. Among those who have claimed that Epstein did not kill himself is his former lawyer David Schoen. He previously told DailyMail.com that Epstein was preparing a multi-layered legal and media strategy to fight his case. During a five-hour meeting with Epstein nine days before his death Schoen said Epstein was 'upbeat and excited' and looking forward to clearing his name But Epstein was in a 'dangerous situation' in jail and suggested other prisoners were considering blackmailing him. They would see him on TV inside the prison and tell Epstein: '$70m mansion, huh?' Schoen said. The California woman whose viral Facebook post seeking to shame a Starbucks barista for refusing to serve her because she was not wearing a mask has backfired and fueled a massive fundraising effort is now seeking to reap the rewards. Amber Lynn Gilles, a yoga instructor, photographer and self-proclaimed anti-vaxxer, took to Facebook on June 22 to blast the barista - identified as Lenin Gutierrez - for denying her service at a Starbucks in San Diego. 'Meet lenen [sic] from Starbucks who refused to serve me cause I'm not wearing a mask,' she said in the post, tagging the coffee shop off the 4200 block of Genesee Avenue. The woman who inspired this GoFundMe campaign by trying to shame San Diego barista Lenin Gutierrez in a spat over a face mask now demands at least half of the proceeds 'Meet lenen from Starbucks who refused to serve me cause I'm not wearing a mask,' she said in the post, tagging the coffee shop off the 4200 block of Genesee Avenue. 'Next time I will wait for cops and bring a medical exemption' Gilles took to Facebook to defend her actions and to clash with those who were blasting her on her post 'Next time I will wait for cops and bring a medical exemption.' The post, which has been deleted after drawing numerous negative comments directed at Gilles, inspired a stranger, Matt Cowan, from Irvine, to launch a GoFundMe campaign for Gutierrez as a way of tipping him for his work. In an interview with ABC10 this week, Cowan said when launching the campaign, titled 'Tips for Lenin Standing Up To A San Diego Karen,' he never expected the outpouring of support that followed. 'I set it at $1,000 thinking that was a reach but we would be lucky if we hit like $250 and when we hit $100 I was overwhelmed by that,' said Cowan. As of late Friday afternoon, the fundraiser has drawn more than $104,000 in donations. New York Times reported that in an interview last weekend, Gilles said she wants at least half of all the proceeds from the online campaign 'because theyre using me to get it.' She continued: 'theyre using my name, theyre using my face, and theyre slandering me.' Gilles also has threatened to sue Cowan, claiming defamation and slander. The post prompted Matt Cowan to establish the GoFundMe for Gutierrez, who he did not know. The two have been in communication and have plans to meet up, with the barista (pictured) sending Cowan multiple videos and posts where he thanked his supporters Amber Lynn Gilles, a yoga instructor and photographer, took to Facebook on June 22 to blast the barista for not serving her at a Starbucks in San Diego Meanwhile, Gutierrez told ABC10 that he plans to use the money to pursue a college degree in kinesiology - the study of movement - and to donate some to charity. 'Everything I wanted to do seemed very far away, but with all that's going on, it seems more within my reach,' he said. 'Everyone showed my kindness, so now I want to show it back.' The plan is for Gutierrez to receive the money from the fundraiser sometime next week. Under California Governor Gavin Newsom's mandate regarding face coverings, people can be exempt for wearing masks in public but must provide a medical reason. Gilles took to Facebook to defend her actions and to clash with those who were blasting her on her post. She claims to be an activist, posting conspiracies and memes suggesting Fauci has ties to Satan 'I am not scared or bothered by your ignorant fraud a**'s, not so sorry you losers got nothing better to do.,' she said last week. 'Thanks for the ratings you all act like the terrorist organization you are.' Speaking to NBC San Diego days later, Gilles denied ever threatening Gutierrez. 'I just called him out on his actions,' the 35-year-old mother-of-three said. 'I never threatened him and Ive received death threats, thousands, its very upsetting. Its very scary.' Gutierrez posted a video on his Facebook page offering his side of the story. He said after he asked Gilles to wear a mask, the woman began hurling profanities and calling people 'sheep' Gilles, who opposes vaccinations, argued that forcing people to wear masks is a slippery slope. 'It starts with coffee but it ends with mandatory digital certificates, the mark of the beast and all of that forced vaccination,' she said. Gutierrez posted a video on his Facebook page offering his side of the story. He said that he asked Gilles if she had a face mask, to which she allegedly replied that she did not need one. 'Before I could say anything she flipped me off and said I dont need one and she started cursing up a storm,' he said. 'She started calling people sheep and she left and within a few minutes came back and she asked for my name and took a photo.' Starbucks released a statement standing behind the need to wear masks inside stores. 'We want everyone to feel welcome in our stores,' they said in a statement to CBS 8. 'We respectfully request customers follow social distancing and safety protocols recommended by public health officials, including wearing a facial covering when visiting our stores. Ghislaine Maxwell was under Jeffrey Epstein's control and believed he would marry her, one of her closest confidantes has revealed. Laura Goldman, a New York stockbroker who has known Maxwell for several years, also said she would 'never' offer information about alleged links between Prince Andrew and the billionaire paedophile, as pressure mounts on the royal to speak to the FBI. The socialite could face up to 35 years in prison for six charges of grooming and trafficking after officers swooped on her New Hampshire bolthole on Thursday. However, Ms Goldman, who became close to Maxwell after meeting her at parties in the 1990s, told BBC Radio Four's Today programme her friend was 'also a victim of Jeffrey Epstein'. She said: 'I never saw him berate her but she always a little afraid of him, she'd say 'I have to go, he's going to yell at me'. 'I do [think she was totally under his control]. It doesn't mean what she did was okay. 'Almost every woman you meet in jail is there because of a man. Some women are much more susceptible because of society's pressures to do things to please a man. 'I think she thought if she found him one more girl, he would marry her. Is that okay? No. 'She honestly thought at the end of the day she was going to be Mrs Jeffrey Epstein and that was a prize she wanted.' Laura Goldman, who has been friends with Ghislaine Maxwell for several years said she would 'never sell out' Prince Andrew following her arrest on child sex charges 'She is so appreciative that when she first came to New York, the Duke helped to launch her into high society. She always talks about what a true friend he is. She doesn't see any reason to speak about him to the authorities,' said Ms Goldman Ms Goldman said she last spoke to Maxwell 'a couple of weeks ago', adding that the British socialite 'knew she was coming to the end of the road'. Ms Goldman said: 'Initially she felt she was going to be fine because of the immunity provision, but I think in recent months she saw the fuhrer had died. 'When Jeffrey initially died, she was relieved, she thought it was over.' Last night, it emerged that Maxwell was once photographed sitting in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace alongside actor Kevin Spacey in 2002, years before police began investigating Epstein's links to sex trafficking and abuse. The developments have brought renewed pressure on the Duke of York to speak to investigators about his relationship with the disgraced paedophile billionaire, following back-and-forth claims that both parties were being uncooperative. But Ms Goldman suggested Maxwell would be more likely to discuss Epstein's dealings with former US President Bill Clinton and his successor Donald Trump instead of Andrew. No allegations have been made about either man. 'The only way she can walk is if she gives someone up, but that definitely won't be Andrew,' Ms Goldman told The Telegraph, which published the picture of Ghislaine in Buckingham Palace with Spacey. 'She is so appreciative that when she first came to New York, the Duke helped to launch her into high society. She always talks about what a true friend he is. She doesn't see any reason to speak about him to the authorities.' There is concern among royal circles over what implications Ms Maxwell's arrest in New Hampshire on Thursday could have for the Duke, 60, who was reportedly introduced to the billionaire paedophile by her in 1999. Tonight's bombshell revelation comes as the Mail can reveal: Maxwell started legal moves to purchase her secluded New Hampshire bolthole the very day after Andrew's car crash TV interview; Victims urged the duke to speak to the FBI, saying 'more excuses, more delays' were 'torture' for them; The duke's immediate fate rests with Home Office officials who must judge if the US can quiz him in a court; Andrew's accuser Virginia Roberts branded Maxwell 'an evil monster' and said she cried tears of joy at her arrest; Ghislaine Maxwell's confidante Laura Goldman suggested the socialite would more likely discuss former US President Bill Clinton and Donald Trump's relationships with Epstein over the Duke of York. Maxwell posed with Kevin Spacey in the throne room A photo has emerged of Ghislane Maxwell sitting in the Buckingham Palace Throne Room alongside Kevin Spacey. It was reported that the pair were on a private tour of the palace organised by the Duke of York for former US president Bill Clinton. The image, from 2002, was obtained by the Daily Telegraph which reported it was not thought that Epstein was not on the tour. In the photograph the pair are seen smiling while sat in the throne room. In 2017 Spacey (above) was accused of sexual assault by the actor Anthony Rapp as the MeToo movement evolved. A string of other allegations of inappropriate behaviour followed and Spacey's career has struggled since. The Telegraph said it was not thought that Epstein was on the palace tour when the picture was taken. Buckingham Palace declined to comment. Advertisement Maxwell was this week discovered living quietly in Bradford, a small town in New Hampshire, by FBI and NYPD officers after evading them for a year. The socialite was awake and sitting in the living room wearing jogging bottoms and a t-shirt when the FBI swooped on her $1million hideaway. A source told The Times Maxwell did not say a word while she was being arrested. When asked if she was surprised to be found by police, the source said: 'What do you think?' The six charges filed against her include conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts and enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts. She is further charged with conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Yesterday one former associate of her late paedophile boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein predicted she would co-operate fully with the authorities in a bid to reduce any future jail time, adding: 'There's a lot of people very worried. She knows everything.' One lawyer representing Epstein victims, Gloria Allred, said: 'If Miss Maxwell decides that she is going to co-operate and talk about Prince Andrew... Prince Andrew might want to get to the prosecutors first.' The duke's allies insisted he wants to 'do his best', claiming he had tried unsuccessfully to break the deadlock with US prosecutors three times in the past month. The comments came as former Epstein associate Steven Hoffenberg, a convicted fraudster who worked with the financier in the 1980s, said of Maxwell: 'She's going to co-operate and be very important. There's a lot of people very worried. She knows everything. She'll totally co-operate.' Lawyer Lisa Bloom, who represents six of Epstein's victims, said it was 'highly likely' Maxwell, 58, would strike a plea deal with prosecutors. Another lawyer representing more Epstein victims, Spencer Kuvin, agreed. 'I think [Maxwell] will talk,' he said. 'She will be in panic mode, and will want to do anything to get a lighter sentence. For anyone who has culpability for anything over the past ten to 15 years, I'd be nervous.' Chillingly, he added: 'I don't think she is going to get out of jail alive. I said the same thing about Jeffrey Epstein and people laughed at me. I think she knows way too much... I just have this gut feeling.' Epstein hanged himself in his cell last August while awaiting trial on child sex charges. His guards were found to have faked records saying they had checked on him. Andrew's immediate fate is in the hands of Home Office officials, who must decide whether to grant US officials' request for 'mutual legal assistance' made in April. Under the terms of a 1994 treaty between the US and UK, this could see the duke forced to give evidence in a courtroom Conspiracy theories abound that Epstein was killed to stop him talking about his powerful friends. Prince Andrew stayed with Epstein at his mansions in New York, Florida and the Caribbean, where women have claimed they were abused. He also flew on Epstein's private jet, nicknamed the 'Lolita Express'. However, he insisted last year that he never saw, witnesses or suspected 'any behaviour of the sort' that led to Epstein's arrest and conviction for child sex offences. London mayor Sadiq Khan was among those urging the duke to talk to US officials, telling LBC: 'I think it's really important for those of us in positions of power and influence to lead by example. 'We shouldn't lose sight of... who the victims are. The victims were children at the time, vulnerable children, young women, and it's really important that anybody who's got information helps the FBI and that includes Prince Andrew as well.' Virginia Roberts, who claims she was Epstein's teenage sex slave and was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times, thanked the FBI for arresting 'an evil monster'. Pictured: The Prince with a 17-year-old Virginia Roberts as Ghislaine Maxwell stands in the background circa 2001 Mrs Allred, who represents five Epstein victims, told Good Morning Britain: 'I'm just so tired of the excuses. The victims want the truth. 'We know that Prince Andrew was at Epstein's home in London and in Manhattan and elsewhere, so he is an important person, and if Miss Maxwell decides that she is going to co-operate and talk about Prince Andrew and what he did there, Prince Andrew might want to get to the prosecutors first.' Yesterday sources close to the duke, 60, claimed he wants 'to do his best to offer his assistance as a witness'. They insisted his legal team had been proactive, sending three emails in the past month to the Americans to 'open negotiations' to discuss the terms under which he might give a witness statement. Maxwell was picked up by the FBI and NYPD detectives at 8.30am at the property in Bradford, New Hampshire, she had bought in December 2019 using a limited liability company called Granite Reality LLC to shield her name The last contact was made within the past few days but there has been no response, the sources said. The FBI has made no secret of its wish to meet Andrew face-to-face and question him under oath suggesting a statement drafted with his lawyers would not suffice. One insider said Andrew and his team were puzzled as to why other high-profile men linked to Epstein were not being pursued with the same vigour. 'It seems like the duke is a high-profile scalp for the Department of Justice and they are using his name to rattle cages and look like they are actively doing something,' they said. Andrew's immediate fate is in the hands of Home Office officials, who must decide whether to grant US officials' request for 'mutual legal assistance' made in April. THE ALLEGATIONS THE CHARGES Conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts (5 years max sentence) Enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts (20 years) Conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (20 years) Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (10 years minimum, life maximum) X 2 counts of Perjury (x 10 years) THE 'FACTS' Prosecutors say Maxwell groomed three girls between 1994 and 1997 for Epstein. They are not named in the indictment, but she allegedly targeted them in London, Florida, New York and New Mexico. Maxwell, it is alleged, would befriend the girls by asking them about their life and their schooling. She would put them at ease by taking them to the movies and taking them shopping, winning their trust to later deliver them to Epstein, it's alleged. To 'normalize' the abuse that would come later, prosecutors say she undressed in front of the girls herself and asked them sexual questions. She then not only facilitated Epstein abusing them, prosecutors say, but took part in some of it herself. The alleged sex abuse includes 'sexualized group massages'. The indictment also says Maxwell made the girl feel 'indebted' to Epstein by encouraging them to take money from him and let him pay for their education and travel. Advertisement Under the terms of a 1994 treaty between the US and UK, this could see the duke forced to give evidence in a courtroom. A specialist unit of civil servants within the Home Office is 'processing' the request 'via the normal channels', sources said. Once their recommendation has been made, the final ruling is expected to be made by Home Secretary Priti Patel. With no time limit attached to the request, officials may not wish to rush their decision. They may also hope the prince resolves the situation himself. British socialite Maxwell, the daughter of disgraced newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell, now faces six federal charges including child abuse, trafficking and perjury. She was said to have spent the first day following her arrest at Merrimack County Jail in Boscawen, New Hampshire. She will eventually be transferred to Manhattan, where she could end up in the jail where Epstein, 66, killed himself. She was arrested in a secluded property in the New Hampshire, fittingly called 'TuckedAway'. The Mail can reveal it was bought via limited company Granite Reality, which was established on November 18 last year. This was one day after Prince Andrew's Newsnight interview, intended to clear up his relationship with Epstein but which led to him quitting frontline royal duties. Maxwell has already made one brief court appearance in New Hampshire but has not entered any plea to allegations relating to three girls, one as young as 14 and another in London. She allegedly befriended schoolgirls and took them shopping before luring them into Epstein's clutches, as well as abusing them herself. She has previously denied all allegations of wrongdoing. Virginia Roberts, who claims she was Epstein's teenage sex slave and was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times, thanked the FBI for arresting 'an evil monster' after she was given the news by her lawyer in an early morning phone call. Miss Roberts whose claims the prince strenuously denies added: 'When I got the call, I was elated, crying tears of joy, laughing... finally, we got her. This woman found me, groomed me, abused me and handed me over to Jeffrey and his friends.' The mum-of-three who lives near Cairns in Queensland, said: 'When I got the call I was elated, crying tears of joy, laughing... finally we got her. 'It felt even better than when Jeffrey got arrested - he was a pedophile, they cannot be cured. They either belong in jail or six feet under. Ghislaine, on the other hand, is an evil monster. Ms Roberts claims it was Maxwell who first spotted her while she worked as a spa attendant at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, less than a mile away from Epstein's Palm Beach mansion. 'This woman found me, groomed me, abused me and handed me over to Jeffrey and his friends,' she added. She also vowed that Prince Andrew would be the next person arrested after the FBI found Ghislaine Maxwell, and pleaded with him to cooperate with US investigators. 'He knows what he has done. He is going to go to jail. He has already lost so much but that is not enough. Justice has to prevail. He has to be held accountable.' From Donald Trump to Naomi Campbell, why it's not just Prince Andrew feeling the heat after Jeffrey Epstein's ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested by the FBI ByGuy Adams for the Daily Mail He might not be able to sweat, but Prince Andrew won't be the only one feeling a little hot under the collar following Ghislaine Maxwell's arrest. The socialite ran almost every aspect of Jeffrey Epstein's seedy existence, from his homes and private jet to his colourful social calendar, which saw him rubbing shoulders with some of the most famous people in the world. Here are some of the figures who had connections to the late paedophile financier and may dread being dragged into the case as witnesses He might not be able to sweat, but Prince Andrew won't be the only one feeling a little hot under the collar following Ghislaine Maxwell's arrest Bill Clinton Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein first met in the early 1990s, when the financier made large donations to both his presidential campaign and to refurbish the White House following his election. Flight logs from Epstein's private jet, which was famously dubbed the 'Lolita Express', suggest that after leaving office the former US president took at least ten trips on it. Maxwell is seen above (circled) as Bill Clinton walks daughter Chelsea down the aisle at her wedding One was a jaunt to Africa when he was joined on board by the actor Kevin Spacey, who much like Mr Clinton, has faced a string of allegations of sexual misconduct. A book called A Convenient Death: The Mysterious Demise Of Jeffrey Epstein has alleged that during this period, Clinton and Ghislaine Maxwell were conducting an affair. The book also claims Epstein once took Mr Clinton to an orgy during an overseas jaunt. The ex-president allegedly walked in but immediately said 'No, no, no, this is not my thing,' before leaving. Even after Epstein's arrest, Clinton continued to give and receive hospitality. The financier made a $25,000 donation to his foundation in 2006, and in 2010 Maxwell was invited to the wedding of Chelsea Clinton. Clinton (whose appears 21 times in Maxwell's 'little black book' of contacts) has described claims of an affair as 'a total lie' and a spokesman has insisted that he 'knows nothing about the terrible crimes'. Donald Trump The most powerful man in the world was once proud to call himself a bosom buddy of Epstein. 'I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,' he told a New York magazine journalist in 2002. 'He's a lot of fun... It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.' Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell is pictured above with Donald Trump and his now-wife Melania Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida A now-notorious photo shows Trump and his future wife Melania posing with Epstein and Ghislaine at a tennis tournament in Palm Beach, where both men kept homes. Donald Trump is pictured above with future wife Melania and Ghislaine Maxwell Further insight into the pair's relationship comes courtesy of a video of the duo taken in 1992 at Mar-a-Lago in which they ogle young women on the dancefloor. The future president (then recently divorced) is seen grabbing a female guest's backside, saying: 'Look at her, back there... She's hot!' Epstein reacts with a smile and a nod. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Trump has lately changed his tune about his old wingman, saying last year: 'I haven't spoken to him in 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you.' Alan Dershowitz One of America's most famous lawyers, who represented Trump at his recent impeachment trial, headed up the legal 'dream team' which negotiated an extraordinary 2008 plea bargain that saw Epstein spend 13 months in an open prison after being accused of dozens of child sex crimes. The former attorney for everyone from OJ Simpson to Harvey Weinstein was dragged back into the Epstein affair in 2014 by Virginia Giuffre (formerly Roberts) perhaps the financier's most high-profile victim. In court papers, Giuffre claimed that she was routinely made 'available for sex to politically-connected and financially-powerful people', saying that Dershowitz had abused her as a minor 'not only in Florida but also on private planes, in New York, New Mexico, and the US Virgin Islands'. The former attorney for everyone from OJ Simpson to Harvey Weinstein was dragged back into the Epstein affair in 2014 by Virginia Giuffre (formerly Roberts) perhaps the financier's most high-profile victim In a 2018 court hearing, it emerged that a second alleged victim, Sarah Ransome, claimed to have been told by Maxwell 'to have sex with third parties, including Alan Dershowitz, for example'. Dershowitz vigorously denies all claims of impropriety. He admits having received a massage at Epstein's home but says it came from an 'old woman'. Woody Allen The film-maker didn't appear to have much in common with Jeffrey Epstein, aside from having been on the wrong end of abuse allegations, when he agreed to attend a dinner party at the convicted child sex offender's Manhattan home shortly before Christmas 2010. His dinner party invitation was extended by Maxwell, who assembled an array of stellar guests. The main draw, however, was Prince Andrew who, according to the New York gossip columns, waxed lyrical about Prince William's forthcoming wedding. 'Everyone at the table, including Woody Allen jokingly asked him for an invite,' read a report. 'But he just smiled.' Allen and Epstein's relationship blossomed. In 2013, the duo were spotted strolling around the city's Upper East Side together, with a US newspaper reporting: 'The former hedgefunder was 'hugging (Allen) and talking close to his ear' on Sunday.' The film-maker didn't appear to have much in common with Jeffrey Epstein, aside from having been on the wrong end of abuse allegations, when he agreed to attend a dinner party at the convicted child sex offender's Manhattan home shortly before Christmas 2010 Jean-Luc Brunel The French modelling agent made his name in the 1980s, claiming to have launched the careers of Jerry Hall and Sharon Stone. He became matey with Epstein during the late 1990s, growing to become his closest male friend, and has been widely accused of using a Florida agency they co-founded called MC2 to fly dozens of young girls to America on model visas. Court papers allege the women were 'farmed out' to have sex with the paedophile and his associates. Naomi Campbell The hot-tempered supermodel was dragged into the Epstein affair in 2010, when court papers revealed that she had once flown in the paedophile's private jet. In January, further controversy erupted when Virginia Giuffre used Twitter to share photographs of herself standing next to Maxwell and Campbell at the supermodel's 31st birthday party in St Tropez in the early 2000s. In January, further controversy erupted when Virginia Giuffre used Twitter to share photographs of herself standing next to Maxwell and Campbell at the supermodel's 31st birthday party in St Tropez in the early 2000s Ehud Barak The one-time Israeli prime minister featured prominently in Epstein's address book. It has emerged Epstein had invested in one of Barak's business ventures in 2015. Then US tax records revealed he had received $2million in grants from a foundation which counted the disgraced financier as a trustee. In July, the dispute went stratospheric when the Mail published photos from 2016 showing Barak wearing a huge coat and hat to enter the child sex offender's New York home. Several young women were photographed entering the property around the same time. Barak later confessed he'd met Epstein at least ten times, but denied ever seeing him 'in the company of women or young girls'. Five-star fugitive Ghislaine Maxwell: $20million from Jeffrey Epstein, a luxury hideaway bought in cash and a pampered life on the run a world away from the jail cell where she awaits her fate... ByTom Leonard In Bradford, New Hampshire For The Daily Mail Ghislaine Maxwell was never going to turn up shivering in a backwoods cabin or swatting away bugs in some grass hut on an uncharted tropical island. The public-school and Oxford-educated socialite was the spoilt favourite child of an indulgent tycoon father, and moneyed companion of billionaires and heads of state. The woman who was until this week the world's most famous fugitive hasn't let her standards slip. When the FBI and police finally caught up with her on Thursday morning, it was at the imposing entrance to a luxurious New England home worth more than $1million (860,000) which she'd bought in cash in December continuing what the FBI acidly described as her 'life of privilege'. The contrast with her former companion and alleged partner-in-crime Jeffrey Epstein, who spent his final days looking over his shoulder in a grim New York jail cell, couldn't have been more stark. A year ago this month, the paedophile financier was arrested in Manhattan for the sex trafficking of minors. The alleged 'madam' accused of procuring him underage girls and sometimes taking part in the abuse herself mysteriously slipped out of sight. Maxwell was photographed sitting in an outdoor Los Angeles burger bar (pictured) days after Epstein's death. However, it was revealed the picture had been staged, designed to throw pursuers off the scent Maxwell, the 58-year-old daughter of the late, disgraced newspaper tycoon Robert, was photographed sitting in an outdoor Los Angeles burger bar days after Epstein's death. However, it was revealed the picture had been staged, designed to throw pursuers off the scent. So where was she? The disappearing act, even as the FBI made clear it wanted to talk to her, was so impressive some concluded her bevy of rich and powerful friends must have been sheltering her. The sightings and rumours were appropriately glamorous and exciting she was reportedly staying at the 2million seafront home in Massachusetts of a rich boyfriend, Scott Borgerson, and later she was spotted at a ritzy resort in Brazil with a friend of Epstein, the boss of a model agency. Maxwell's mother Elisabeth was French and she has family in France, so it didn't seem too surprising when it was rumoured she was staying in a chateau in the south of that country; only a few days ago, we were confidently told she was staying in the Paris flat of a French millionaire. Jeffery Epstein's alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell was found by the FBI and police in a $1m luxury New England home, pictured above And given rumours that Epstein and Maxwell were Mossad spies, nor did it sound completely outrageous when she was reported to be living in an Israeli 'safe house'. In February, it was even claimed she was hiding on a submarine. The reality, it has now emerged, is less thrilling. According to US prosecutors, Maxwell spent the year 'hiding out in locations in New England', finally finding what she thought was the perfect bolthole, one so secure and secluded that nobody would find her. The large hillside home she bought in December in the isolated and deathly quiet New Hampshire town of Bradford, certainly lives up to its name Tuckedaway. Unfortunately, it wasn't tucked away enough. The FBI not only arrested her there on Thursday morning but then filed a court memo which laid bare how its investigators had known a lot more about what Maxwell has been up to than she probably realised. Ghislaine Maxwell, pictured in October 2016, in one of her final social appearances THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST MAXWELL THE CHARGES Conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts (5 years max sentence) Enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts (20 years) Conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (20 years) Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity (10 years minimum, life maximum) X 2 counts of Perjury (x 10 years) THE 'FACTS' Prosecutors say Maxwell groomed three girls between 1994 and 1997 for Epstein. They are not named in the indictment, but she allegedly targeted them in London, Florida, New York and New Mexico. Maxwell, it is alleged, would befriend the girls by asking them about their life and their schooling. She would put them at ease by taking them to the movies and taking them shopping, winning their trust to later deliver them to Epstein, it's alleged. To 'normalize' the abuse that would come later, prosecutors say she undressed in front of the girls herself and asked them sexual questions. She then not only facilitated Epstein abusing them, prosecutors say, but took part in some of it herself. The alleged sex abuse includes 'sexualized group massages'. The indictment also says Maxwell made the girl feel 'indebted' to Epstein by encouraging them to take money from him and let him pay for their education and travel. Advertisement Describing how she went to 'extreme lengths' to remain undetected over the past 12 months, they said she had moved at least twice in that time but remained in New England one of those locations could well have been the boyfriend's multi-million pound home in Massachusetts. Not only that, she switched her primary phone number, which she registered under the name 'G Max', and email address, ordering delivery packages under a pseudonym. Maxwell did all she could to move to Bradford without leaving a trace, say investigators and the estate agent who handled the deal. After the vendor of the house refused to let her buy it without her name being on purchase papers, Maxwell did it through what officials called a 'carefully anonymised LLC', a private company set up to conceal her identity. And she hasn't been alone in all these shenanigans. A mystery man with a posh English accent accompanied Maxwell twice to look at the property, presenting themselves to the estate agent as husband and wife. The agent concluded Maxwell must have been a film star as the man was so anxious to keep her identity a secret. He sounds like the same tall and bearded man who opened the door to police on Thursday morning. Maxwell reportedly ran into a bedroom but eventually came out, demanding her lawyer. The charges are extremely serious, carrying a risk of life imprisonment if she is found guilty. Prosecutors have further justified their insistence that Maxwell is denied bail by pointing to evidence of her huge wealth, arguing she poses a flight risk. She is currently held in a nearby jail. An American investigation of her finances found she had held 15 bank accounts since 2016 and that huge amounts have been transferred between them and between accounts associated with Epstein. In total, Maxwell is alleged to have received more than $20million from Epstein between 2007 and 2011. In addition, she admitted she has foreign bank accounts with more than $1million in them, said officials. She also received a large sum from the proceeds from a house she sold in Midtown Manhattan in 2016 for $15million (12.1million), and which may have been given to her by Epstein. At about the time she sold the mansion, and US authorities began examining hundreds of criminal complaints against Epstein, Maxwell once ubiquitous on the New York social scene started shunning the limelight. In 2017, her lawyers told a judge that they had no idea where she was. They thought she might be in London, but claimed to have no current address. And yet investigators now say she has taken at least 15 international flights, including to Britain, Qatar and Japan, in the past three years. She has three passports British, American and French. Audrey Strauss, acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, gestures as she speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Maxwell on Thursday While using the passports would have rung alarm bells, it appears she has been able to travel within the US. Henk van Ess, a respected Dutch investigator, claimed on Thursday that by working out Maxwell's computer address from emails she sent to an environmental charity she set up, he had been able to plot her locations, finding that she recently travelled from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire. Experts believe the FBI didn't act earlier because it was waiting until it believed it had a copper-bottomed case against her. Her closest neighbour in Bradford, who asked to be identified as 'John', said he had noticed an unusually higher number of helicopters and light planes flying overhead since she bought the house in December. Might she have been aware she was being watched? Interestingly, the agent who sold Maxwell the house said she had asked questions about how often planes flew over the property. As to what she has been doing in hiding, Vanity Fair yesterday cited friends who say her once-opulent life has been 'stripped down to the bare essentials' iPhone, iPad, laptop, casual clothing, and an inexpensive pressure cooker with which she emulated her Cordon Bleutrained mother's French recipes: Beef bourguignon, red cabbage and apples, and leek soup. She keeps fit obsessively, running and swimming. Before gyms closed down, she regularly boxed. She began to take extra precautions when she started receiving death threats, both online and by phone. The threats accelerated with Epstein's arrest and have become 'a routine part of her life'. Epstein was found dead of an apparent suicide in his jail cell at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center (pictured) last August while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges Every day she spoke with her lawyers about her defence, paying a team in New York, Colorado, the UK and the Virgin Islands rates of up to $1,500 an hour. A friend said: 'She speaks to lawyers and blood relatives. That is her universe. Defending all of these cases is a full-time job.' At night, she read including Boris Johnson's biography of Churchill and a book about Epstein by Bradley Edwards, the Florida lawyer who pursued him. Bradford is a classic pretty little New England town of 1,650 people with white clapboard houses and as every resident was happy to admit nothing going on. Hearty summer pursuits of hiking, camping and boating on the numerous local lakes are attractions, while amenities don't run beyond a takeaway pizza restaurant, a branch of Dunkin' Donuts, a petrol station, a small organic vegetables market and a restaurant offering 'casual country dining' which staff categorically confirmed Maxwell had never visited. Most of the neighbours are blue-collar types in modest homes. It is, for all these reasons, possibly the last place one would expect to find a jet-setting, networking, party-loving bon viveuse like Ghislaine Maxwell. But it's one great strength was its near-invisibility. The entrance is a heavily wooded track running off a remote hilly road, unsurfaced in places, on the outskirts of Bradford. The timber-frame house has four bedrooms, four bathrooms and sweeping views of the Mount Sunapee foothills. Built in 2002, it has a 'great room' with a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace and 'cathedral ceiling'. Many locals weren't even aware it existed and drove round looking for it after news of the arrest broke. 'We've been here 20 years and this is the most excitement we've ever had,' said neighbour Tricia Dunne. Dick Morris, who lives opposite her drive, wasn't fazed by her infamy. 'She was just trying to keep herself out of prison,' he said. Ghislaine Maxwell's 'bedtime reading in hiding was a book about Jeffrey Epstein victims as it's revealed she passed the time cooking, swimming and boxing' before being arrested by the FBI ByJennifer Smith For Dailymail.com Ghislaine Maxwell read a book about Jeffrey Epstein's victims before she went to sleep at night while in hiding, according to a source close to her. Maxwell, 58,is currently in custody awaiting her next court appearance - which will be in New York - on charges of child sex trafficking and perjury. If convicted, she faces 35 years behind bars. She was arrested on Thursday in a $1million property in New Hampshire which she paid for in cash in December using the name of a company she formed a month earlier to try to avoid detection. While hiding away from the world, she passed the time exercising and cooking, Vanity Fair reported on Friday, citing an unidentified source with 'knowledge' of Ghislaine's time in extended lock-down. She ran every day, swam and - before gyms closed - liked to box, the person said. Ghislaine Maxwell shown in 2013. She has not been pictured since her arrest She cooked using an 'inexpensive' pressure cooker and made dishes like red cabbage and apple, beef bourguignon and leek soup. She might watch the news but, the source said, in the evenings preferred to read. Among materials was a Winston Churchill biography and Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein, a book written by lawyer Bradley Edwards, who represents some of the women suing Epstein's estate. This is the book Maxwell's friends say she read at night Cut off from her old, high-flying friends, she used an iPhone and iPad to speak only to her 'blood relatives and lawyers'. Her 'work' was fending off lawsuits in which she was accused of procuring underage girls for Epstein or having sex with them herself. 'Her life is lawyers. She speaks to lawyers and blood relatives. 'That is her universe. Defending all of these cases is a full-time job,' the friend told the magazine, before she was arrested. Their comments were published on Friday. The friend also said that Maxwell saw no future for herself beyond what she was living in. Court documents have revealed that she has 15 bank accounts around the world which she regularly shifts money between. Between 2007 an 2011, Epstein - who killed himself in prison last August while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges - gave her at least $20million. Maxwell has spent at least some of her time in hiding at the property in New Hampshire where she was arrested on Thursday (shown) The kitchen in the NH house. Friends of Ghislaine say she spent much of her time in hiding cooking Why exactly is unclear. She, for a time, was paid to look after his homes and it has been suggested that she also looked after his social calendar. Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in August last year in prison In 2015, Maxwell used some of the money to buy an Upper East Side home for $16.9million. She sold the property a year later for $1million less. The six-bedroom, six-level townhouse is on East 65th Street. It boasts a roof terrace and ground level garden, and spans 6,900 sq ft. It's unclear why she sold it so promptly and for less. At the time she was in the thick of depositions as part of a lawsuit filed against her by Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Since then, Ghislaine's movements are murky. She was photographed in London last June, around a month before Epstein's arrest, and at the time she is believed to have still been meeting up with Prince Andrew, her long-time friend. By August, she was back in the US. She was last seen at an In-N-Out Burger in L.A., ten days after Epstein killed himself. Prosecutors say that she has been hiding out in New England in at least three locations since then. The allegations in the indictment that was unsealed yesterday rounds off a remarkable fall from grace for the international socialite. Jeffrey Epstein's Australian 'sex slave' Virginia Roberts 'cries tears of joy' at the arrest of his socialite alleged 'fixer' Ghislaine Maxwell ByAidan Wondracz For Daily Mail Australia Virginia Roberts Giuffre cried tears of joy following the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell after she accused the British socialite and late US billionaire Jeffrey Epstein of forcing her to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was a teenager. Maxwell was taken into custody at Bradford, New Hampshire on Thursday, following allegations she groomed three unnamed young girls for her former boyfriend Epstein and his friends. Ms Roberts, described as Epstein's teenage 'sex slave', told The Australian newspaper she was elated when her American lawyer phoned her with news of Maxwell's arrest this week. Ms Roberts has sensationally claimed Maxwell arranged for her to have sex with Britain's Prince Andrew at her London townhouse and shared a photograph of her, Andrew and Maxwell she said was taken at the time, in 2000. Andrew vehemently denied her story and Maxwell said in a deposition that Giuffre was 'totally lying.' Virginia Roberts Giuffre cried tears of joy following the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell after she accused the 59-year-old and late US billionaire Jeffrey Epstein of forcing her to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was a teenager Ms Giuffre claims she was only 17-years-old when the pair forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew in 2000 - an allegation the Duke of York has vehemently denied - while a photograph shows the then-teenager posing alongside her accused and Maxwell (pictured, Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell) Ms Roberts said on Saturday: 'When I got the call I was elated, crying tears of joy, laughing finally we got her.' In her Twitter feed, Ms Giuffre also posted a picture of a sunset along with the caption: 'As I take a moment of silence watching the sun go down I find myself supremely grateful for this day. '#GhislaineMaxwellArrested made this sunset even more glorious.' Ms Giuffre claims she met Maxwell when she was a 16-year-old spa attendant at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. She had expressed her desire to become a massage therapist when Ms Giuffre said Maxwell made it seem like she wanted to help her. 'This woman came off like Mary Poppins, like this really genuine nice lady, nicely dressed who wanted to help people get further in life,' she said. 'She said 'Oh, I know this guy looking for a massage therapist, you'll travel the world and make lots of money'.' Maxwell (pictured, with late Jeffrey Epstein) was taken into custody at Bradford, New Hampshire on Thursday, following allegations she procured young girls for her former boyfriend Epstein and his friends A source familiar with Maxwell's case said she is being held at the Merrimack County Jail, a medium-security facility 20 miles from the luxurious home where she was arrested A source familiar with Maxwell's case told Reuters she is being held at the Merrimack County Jail, a medium-security facility 20 miles from the luxurious home where she was arrested. Maxwell is expected to be transferred to New York for a court appearance next week, a spokesman for the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan said. Epstein was awaiting trial on federal charges of trafficking minors between 2002 and 2005 when he was found hanged in a New York City jail in August. Medical examiners concluded his death was a suicide. 'Given what happened to Epstein and the special attention to this case, I would imagine there are orders from pretty high up to keep a close eye on her,' said Andrew Winters, a New Hampshire defense lawyer not involved in Maxwell's defense who is familiar with the jail. Maxwell is likely in her own holding cell where she can be observed at all times, said Ted Lothstein, another New Hampshire criminal defense lawyer. 'They are going to have her on the tightest security imaginable,' said Lothstein, who frequently visits the jail but is not representing the British socialite. A jail attendant directed requests for comment to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Marshals Service, who declined to comment on Maxwell's conditions. Maxwell's lawyer, Larry Vogelman, also declined to comment on her conditions. The jail is a 'well-run' and 'low-key' facility, Lothstein said, and 'a vastly better jail than where she will be sent to in New York City.' Lothstein said new inmates at the Merrimack County Jail are generally held in a booking area for their first days there, where jail staff are able to keep a close eye on a few surrounding cells. 'There's nothing there,' Lothstein said of the booking area. 'You can't interact with anyone in any other cell.' After a psychological examination and risk assessment, inmates are moved into the general population. Women are held in a unit separated from the men. Given Maxwell's profile and imminent transfer to New York, she would likely never be moved to the New Hampshire jail's general population, Lothstein said. Despite the lack of company and television access in the central booking area, Maxwell is 'probably happy to be there' and not in the women's unit, where she would likely be threatened and insulted, Lothstein said. 'Anybody charged with child sex abuse is public enemy number one in terms of how other inmates perceive them,' Lothstein said. 'I would expect she would fall squarely into that category.' Winters said Maxwell also would be less likely to contract the coronavirus in the central booking area, away from the jail's general population. In March, a county official told the Concord Monitor that the jail was taking steps to mitigate spread of the virus, which at the time had about 170 inmates and 115 staff. That month, a correctional officer at the jail tested positive for the virus, the official told the newspaper. In general, the facility has a 'good reputation' for safety and professionalism on the part of staff and administrators, Winters said. 'If I had to do time, that's where I would want to do time,' Winters said. Pupils from private schools start drinking at a younger age, binge drink more frequently and take more drugs than state-educated ones, a study claims. And by the age of 21, they show no more signs of maturity than their non-fee-paying counterparts, it found. Researchers from York University said that while fees were often exorbitant we found, for the first time, that private and state school students do not differ in their wellbeing across adolescence. Girls from top schools were found to be three times more likely to suffer from drug and alcohol-related problems than their less privileged peers, researchers found [File photo] The study added: There is a growing body of evidence questioning the benefits of private over state education for childrens outcomes. Around 7 per cent of secondary school pupils are privately educated. Average day attendance fees are around 18,000 a year and for students who board this can rise to 35,000 a year. Studies show they achieve better average grades than pupils from state schools, are more likely to attend prestigious universities such as Oxford or Cambridge and earn more when they start working. The York team, led by psychologist Professor Sophie von Stumm from the universitys department of education, tracked 2,400 pupils from state schools and 269 from private schools through to the age of 21. They questioned each one on drink and drug use, their sex lives and criminal behaviour. The results, published in the British Journal of Psychology, showed those from fee-paying schools were younger when they first tried alcohol, engaged more often in binge drinking and were more likely to try cannabis or other illicit drugs. Pupils from private schools start drinking at a younger age, binge drink more frequently and take more drugs than state-educated ones, a study claims [File photo] They also tended to have more sexual partners. However, they were less likely to be in trouble with the police, indulge in anti-social behaviour or have unprotected sex than state school students. Professor von Stumm said: Our findings are particularly relevant for parents considering private education for their children. They may assume it will add value to childrens development and that this justifies the investment in exorbitant school fees. But our results suggest it adds little positive value to childrens social or emotional development and may even have a negative influence on it. Compared to state school students, private pupils were more likely to take risks and started drinking alcohol at a younger age. A previous study showed those who go to the best private schools are more likely to end up with drug and alcohol addictions in later life. Girls from top schools were found to be three times more likely to suffer from drug and alcohol-related problems than their less privileged peers, researchers found. Boys from the same well-off backgrounds were twice as likely as other male students to become addicted to drink or substances in early adulthood. The 2017 study by researchers at Arizona State University in the US assessed participants when they were at high school, then again annually across four college years, and from the age of 23 to 27. It was published in the journal Development and Psychopathology. Sydney's iconic Powerhouse Museum will not be sold off despite five years of controversy in a major last-minute backflip by Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Ms Berejiklian's office on Saturday confirmed that the museum's 400,000 piece collection will be shared across the existing Ultimo site and the new Parramatta building, when it is completed in 2024. The museum was expected to sell for $195million and sparked fears the building with views of the city's Darling Harbour would be hawked off to developers to build apartment blocks. Sydney's iconic Powerhouse Museum will not be sold off despite five years of controversy in a major last-minute backflip by Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured centre) The sale would have seen the historic collection broken up before moving west and dispersed across the state to various regional facilities. The tourist attraction showcases an array of industrial technology artifacts ranging from decorative arts, science, communication, transport, costume, furniture, media, computer technology, space technology and steam engines. But the logistics of where all the pieces would be sent and how they would be transported was something still being figured out. The Ultimo site only closed its heritage halls to the general public three days ago on Wednesday. The doors are now set to be thrown open again, with the state government saying said their big backflip will ensure 'several hundred' jobs are saved during the coronavirus crisis. 'Sydney is a global city of more than five million people and this will allow us to provide an outstanding visitor experience in the areas of technology, science, engineering and design at two major locations,' Premier Gladys Berejiklian told the Sydney Morning Herald. The Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo was expected to sell for $195million and sparked fears the building with views of the city's Darling Harbour would be hawked off to developers to build apartment blocks 'It will mean far more people have access to many more of the amazing exhibits held by the Powerhouse and importantly, help us create vibrant centres to inspire learning in the fields of sciences and applied arts for the next generation.' The about-face comes after another major change of tack since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. In early June, Ms Berejiklian pulled the pin on the divisive $800 million rebuild of ANZ Stadium. Police have branded a group of people attending an illegal block party in west London as 'disgusting inhuman thugs' after officers had bottles thrown at them and were threatened with a knife. Officers came under attack with bottles after they tried to clear a 'block party' in Havelock Close, White City. Taking to Twitter, the Southall Broadway Police account said: 'The team and @MPSDormers Wells were amongst these front line officers coming under attack from missiles as well as thugs trying to fight, one even brandishing a knife at us. 'Unfortunately some of us were injured during this incident. Disgusting inhuman behaviour from these thugs.' Riot police to to try to break up an illegal block party in White City, west London, last night which ended with a crowd hurling bricks and other objects at the officers Police officers work their way through boroughs in west London last night to deal with an unlicensed music event At one stage last night almost 200 riot police and two helicopters were at the scene trying to deal with the illegal block party Officers were forced to retreat after they were showered with glass as they tried to break up 'an unlicensed music event'. London Mayor Sadiq Khan also condemned the street party, calling it 'disgraceful'. He said: 'Violence against the police will not be tolerated and perpetrators will be caught and prosecuted. 'Extra police will be out today continuing to work hard to keep our city safe.' Video showed the police retreating while a group of young men pelted them with a variety of objects. Scotland Yard said they were 'engaging with those present and encouraging them to leave'. At one stage almost 200 riot police and two helicopters were at the scene. A group of people who attended an unlicensed run down a residential street as a wall of police officers advances on the crowd The block party took place just hours after Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to be sensible ahead of the reopening of bars at 6am. According to Scotland Yard: 'Officers attempted to engage the crowd in order to get them to leave the location but the group became hostile. A number of items were thrown at police, who retreated in order to regroup. 'Shortly after, specially trained public order officers entered the estate to disperse the group. They were met with further hostility and violence.' Seven officers were injured during the incident. A Dispersal Zone has been authorised and a section 60 order has been put in place allowing officers to stop and search anyone in the vicinity. DAC Laurence Taylor said: 'Officers have responded to residents complaining about a large gathering, noise, anti-social behaviour and violence. 'These gatherings are illegal and also pose a risk to public health. Police, arranged in a tight formation, march towards the block of flats to disperse a group of illegal ravers from a block of flats in White City The police move forwards last night towards the block of flats that was hosting an unlicensed music event 'The violence shown towards officers this evening was totally unacceptable and we will not tolerate it in any form. Officers encountered bricks and other missiles being thrown at them. Our robust police response demonstrated that we will police incidents like these firmly and stop those intent on causing harm or disruption to our communities.' Police said everyone in attendance at the event in White City had been dispersed by 1:15 a.m. this morning, a few hours after complaints were first received. Meanwhile, a few miles away in Hayes, police warned petrol heads from attending a car meet. The meet up took place at the Hayes Bridge Retail Park, however, police warned drivers that they face losing their licence and fines of up to 1,000 if they perform any stunts. During some car meets, drivers will drift their cars or perform doughnuts, burning or tyre smoke attempting handbrake turns to impress people in the crowd. Police officers were forced to call in back up after they were pelted with bottles while trying to break up an illegal block party in White City, west London Several police vans carrying back up were sent to the scene in White City, west London Police in Hillingdon said: 'A car meet causes noise nuisance issues for local residents. 'Not only is the manner of driving dangerous for other road users, but the stunts performed at these events are dangerous to all in attendance. 'You could receive an on the spot fine or 1,000 upon conviction.' Some videos of cars parading on their way to the meet were shown on social media. Many of the highly modified cars on show appeared to be VWs and BMWs. Some of the cars had modified exhaust systems with dump valves fitted to make extra noise while driving. Police stand off against ravers in White City last night as they try to close down an illegal block party Police equipped with riot gear were deployed after bottles were thrown by revellers at the event in White City, west London Last week, 22 police officers were slightly injured after a street party in the south London district of Brixton descended into violence. Another gathering in Notting Hill in west London also led to clashes. Following the most serious incident in Brixton on June 24, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said the number of police injuries is 'heading up to 140-odd officers' over the three weeks prior, including those hurt during protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd in the US. The commissioner vowed to shut down the 'appalling' raves and Home Secretary Priti Patel condemned the Brixton incident as 'utterly vile.' Three people who were arrested for violent disorder against police at the event have appeared in court and are awaiting sentencing or further trials. Under coronavirus restrictions in England, gatherings are limited to six people, even after Saturday when pubs and restaurants can reopen in the latest easing of the lockdown. The Boeing 747, the original jumbo jet that was the favorite American presidents and key to affordable mass market air travel in the United States, has passed into aviation history. Nearly 50 years after the its debut, the 747 took its final commercial flight with an American carrier on Delta Air Lines. It 'made flying available for everyone,' said Boeing chief company historian Michael Lombardi said of the iconic jet. 'The 747 gave wings to the world.' In November 2017, United Airlines flew its final 747 from San Francisco to Hawaii before retiring its entire Boeing 747 fleet Aerospace consultant Michel Merluzeau said the plane changed travel. 'All of a sudden, you could go from Singapore to London in less than 24 hours. It made everything more accessible.' Delta's sendoff for the storied aircraft includes special flights on Wednesday for employees and top customers. Ticket prices for these 'farewell tour' flights have soared owing to demand from nostalgic consumers. And Boeing also will still build the jet as a freight carrier and for a few unique clients, including the US president, who has used a specially-outfitted 747 as Air Force One since 1990. But the American aerospace giant has been shifting to more fuel-efficient models for commercial travel. Model of an Air France Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet interior with passengers seen in 1966 'The 747 was a major milestone in the history of flight,' said Bob Van der Linden, curator of the aeronautics department at the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. 'It's big, very comfortable, beautiful, it has a staircase on it,' Van der Linden added. 'It's a symbol of economic power.' Nicknamed the original 'jumbo jet' because of the huge hump, the plane is able to carry upwards of 600 passengers. Boeing will still build the 747 as a freight carrier and for select clients, including the US president, who has used a specially-outfitted 747 as Air Force One since 1990 Its origins date to the early 1960s when Boeing's then chief Bill Allen was approached by Juan Trippe, head of now-defunct Pan Am Airlines, to build a bigger plane to address the growing problem of airport crowding. Boeing originally considered a double-decker aircraft, but the companies concluded that it would be difficult to evacuate passengers in case of an emergency, opting instead for a twin-aisle 'wide body' design. Since its debut in February 1969, more than 1,500 of the 747s have been delivered, and 500 are still in service. As it began to phase out the 747, Boeing has downsized its aircraft. The 777, introduced in 1995, is smaller, seating up to 400 and requires less fuel because of its two engines. Delta is replacing its 747-400s with Airbus A350-900s and United with Boeing 777-300ERs. To date, neither have used these newer models to open routes, though both tout significant cost savings and benefits to their bottom lines. 'Frankly we really don't see much demand for really big airplanes,' Randy Tinseth, Boeing vice president of marketing, said in June. 'There will be just a handful moving forward. Things we do for VIPs, things we do for the president, military operations, but we don't see a significant demand for passenger 747s.' Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people have been hardest hit by the psychological impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, a study shows. An ongoing piece of research run by University College London (UCL) is monitoring the psychological side-effects of lockdown. It has found people from BAME backgrounds have experienced higher levels of depression and anxiety throughout the Covid-19 lockdown. The same people have also reported lower levels of happiness and life satisfaction as well as an increased likelihood of being lonely. BAME individuals have also been more worried about unemployment and financial stress than those from white ethnic groups, data suggests. Scroll down for video Ongoing piece of research run by University College London (UCL) is monitoring the psychological side-effects of lockdown. It found BAME individuals have experienced higher levels of depression and anxiety throughout the Covid-19 lockdown (stock) Lead author, Dr Daisy Fancourt said: 'Our study shows that people from BAME backgrounds are experiencing more negative effects of lockdown than those from white backgrounds. 'This is especially true around direct and indirect mental health issues. 'These findings may be due to ethnic inequalities in the UK, with people from BAME backgrounds being statistically more likely to be in risk categories for adverse experiences during the pandemic, such as having lower levels of household income and poorer baseline mental health. 'Differences in experiences and inequalities themselves may also be products of individual and systemic racism, an issue highlighted by the Black Lives Matter protests in recent weeks.' Thoughts about death and actual self-harm are all also plaguing the BAME communities more than white people, the UCL researchers found. Seventeen per cent of white people in the study of 70,000 people say they have been lonely at some point during the coronavirus lockdown. This figure soars to 23 per cent for individuals of BAME background. UCL is maintaining a social study throughout the course of the pandemic to chart how the people of the UK are coping. It is currently in its 15th week. There is a clear difference in how people from different backgrounds are coping with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, but some factors have remained consistent across demographics. BAME people have also reported lower levels of happiness and life satisfaction as well as an increased likelihood of being lonely. BAME individuals have also been more worried about unemployment and financial stress than those from white ethnic groups, data suggests (stock) Only one in three Britons are still worried about catching COVID-19 Britons are slowly becoming less concerned about catching the coronavirus, a study shows. One in three adults (35 per cent) admit to being currently worried about getting infected with COVID-19, while only 15 per cent say the are 'seriously worried'. This shows a marked shift in the public psyche, as at the start of lockdown almost three months ago half of Britons were worried they may contract the virus. Advertisement Worries around catching Covid-19 and access to food have not varied based on background, culture or skin colour. However, BAME groups are 14 per cent less confident in the Government than white people are. Meanwhile, BAME groups' faith in the NHS is also lower. This lack of confidence in those in charge of lockdown measures and treatment is far from surprising, considering recent statistics show BAME people are more likely to contract and die from Covid-19. A Public Health England (PHE) report published in June revealed Britons of Bangladeshi ethnicity had around twice the risk of white Brits of dying with the coronavirus. And it showed black people, as well as those of Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, other Asian, or Caribbean backgrounds had between a 10 and 50 per cent higher risk of death after testing positive for the disease. Cheryl Lloyd, Education Programme Head at the Nuffield Foundation said: 'We know that people from some ethnic minority groups have higher mortality and infection rates than those from white ethnic groups, and these findings show that is also true when it comes to reporting poor mental health, even though levels of anxiety about catching Covid-19 are similar between the ethnic groups compared in this report. 'In trying to understand the reasons for these differences, it is important to bear in mind the other ways in which people from minority ethnic groups are being disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, for example through being more likely to work in health and social care, and, particularly for men, being more likely to work in shut-down sectors. 'There will also be notable differences between different minority ethnic groups in relation to their experience of the pandemic.' Engineers at the Japanese satellite firm JSAT have announced a new plan to send a laser-equipped satellite into orbit to help remove space junk currently circling Earth. The company is planning to launch the satellite in 2026, where it will target small pieces of debris that scientists worry could one day collide with other active satellites. It will use a low-power laser designed to fire in short pulses, similar to a common technique used by dermatologists to eliminate skin blemishes. The Japanese satellite company JSAT will launch a satellite in 2026 with a low-power laser to shoot space junk out of orbit and make it burn up in the Earth's atmosphere on re-entry Rather than burn up entire pieces of space junk with the laser, the team is planning for it to melt a small targeted region of each piece of debris. The melted area will emit some amount of gas as it melts, producing what the researcher hope will be enough force to redirect the junk onto an orbital path that will send it back into Earth's atmosphere, where it will burn up completely. 'Space debris poses a large-scale problem,' JSAT's Tadanori Fukushima told the Asahi Shimbun. 'I want to bring this socially significant project to fruition at any cost.' The satellite will weigh between 600 and 700 pounds, pending final design considerations, and will likely be placed into orbit somewhere between 350 above 600 miles above the Earth. The JSAT satellite (right) will fire short laser pulses at pieces of space debris (left), which could be as big as entire decommissioned satellites. The pulses will release gas as a small part of the debris is melted, redirecting the junk downward into Earth's atmosphere JSAT believes the threat of space junk will only become more dire as space travel and satellites become more common. 'We can't avoid the problem of space debris, which will become a threat to our business in the future,' JSAT president President Eiichi Yonekura said That would put it within reach of most of the 170 million pieces of space junk currently believed to be orbiting Earth. Most space junk measures just a few inches or less, consisting largely of small components that have fallen off of other satellites or rockets. However, scientists estimate there are more than 34,000 pieces of debris larger than four inches, some as big as full-sized, decommissioned satellites, and could cause serious damage to other active satellites in orbit. 'We can't avoid the problem of space debris, which will become a threat to our business in the future,' JSAT president President Eiichi Yonekura said at a press conference announcing the project. In the past, researchers have suggested using satellites with large nets to collect debris and remove it from orbit, but the JSAT team believes a low powered laser could be more effective and efficient. Twitter has phased out insensitive programming terms that reference slavery after a petition by employees. According to a report from CNET, engineers successfully convinced Twitter to nix the terms 'master' and 'slave' which are commonly used in programming language to describe the interaction between different processes. The policy shift and subsequent call to change insensitive language was prompted by an email sent to employees titled, 'automatic slave rekick.' Twitter is changing policies on the use of insensitive programming langauge that references slavery after a petition by engineers (stock) Regynald Augustin, a Black programmer who works for Twitter, started the efforts at the company and told CNET, '...with 'rekick' - I was madder than I ever thought I'd be in the workplace.' Augstin began lobbying the company to shift its usage of racially charged terms in January, pre-dating the recent rise of Black Lives Matter protests against racial inequality. CNET reports that Augustin and fellow engineer Kevin Oliver have also advocated for transitioning out of using other terminology that might be considered racist or sexist as well. That includes changing from 'man hours' to 'person hours,' instead of 'blacklist' using the word 'denylist,' and changing 'grandfathered' to 'legacy status.' In a tweet, the company endorsed the engineers' efforts and said it had revised language in its code and documents as a result. 'Inclusive language plays a critical role in fostering an environment where everyone belongs,' Twitter said in a statement. 'At Twitter, the language we have been using in our code does not reflect our values as a company or represent the people we serve. We want to change that.' As noted by ZDNet, similar efforts have been launched at other tech companies like GitHub which replaced the term 'master' with more neutral language. That initiative was also spearheaded by Augustin. A British engineer has invented a unique way of cutting his own hair in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Dr Phil Green, 54, an assistant professor in the school of mechanical, aerospace and automotive engineering at Coventry University, fashioned a utensil that makes it easy for a person to cut their own hair. He glued a set of regular hair clippers to the nozzle of his vacuum cleaner, which allows him to cut his hair precisely with one hand. Dr Phil Green, 54, (pictured) an assistant professor in the school of mechanical, aerospace and automotive engineering at Coventry University, fashioned a utensil that makes it easy for a person to cut their own hair Dr Green, from Rugby, says he has been using his creation to keep his hair tidy during the coronavirus pandemic. 'I started off trying to do what other people were doing and emulate a hairdresser by using two hands,' he explains. 'Then I thought: "Well, I've got clippers - maybe they will be easier?"' 'But I had to work out how I could efficiently get my hair away from my head. It was difficult to coordinate. 'So I then thought: "If I can attach the clippers to the vacuum cleaner..." - and that's what I did!' Dr Green glued a set of regular hair clippers to the nozzle of his vacuum cleaner, which allows him to cut his hair precisely with just one hand Dr Green, from Rugby, says he has been using his creation to keep his hair tidy during the coronavirus pandemic The device is simple, he cut down an attachment that goes on the end of the vacuum nozzle, used a hot glue gun to fix the clippers to one side and added a tie wrap for additional security. pictured, a close-up of the device Barbers and salons hike their prices ahead of July 4 re-opening BY SCARLET HOWES FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY Britons desperate to tame their lockdown locks have been warned their next trip to the hairdressers is likely to be more expensive. In news thats enough to make your hair curl, three-quarters of salons are expected to increase prices by at least ten per cent when they reopen in England on Saturday. Some say its to cover the cost of corona-proofing their business while others say they need more hair dye because customers roots have not had touch-ups for at least 103 days. Catherine Handcock, Director of the British Beauty Council, warned there would be limited appointments and no waiting areas. Advertisement His device is simple, he cut down an attachment that goes on the end of the vacuum nozzle, used a hot glue gun to fix the clippers to one side and added a cable tie for additional security. Despite his ingenious invention, Dr Green said he will be going back to the barbers from July 4 to support local businesses. But he thinks the at-home creation could be of benefit to barbers, as well as people looking to cut their own hair. Dr Green says: 'A barber could use it if they were just cutting someone's hair with clippers. They wouldn't need to sweep up afterwards, either. 'I can't patent it now because it's public information. But that also means nobody else can patent it.' Dr Green was shortlisted for a European Inventor Award in 2019 alongside Richard Palmer after coming up with D3O, a flexible material which stiffens on impact. It has been used in many areas including protective clothing and mobile phone cases. 'It was an honour to be shortlisted. D3O has gone into lots of things, like body protection for snowboarders. I've even got a mobile phone case made from it, he says of his invention. 'I've always had an inventive mind, from an early age. I used to spend ages taking things apart. Over the years I have turned that around - and now I assemble things.' Despite his ingenious invention, Dr Green said he will be going back to the barbers from July 4 to support local businesses. But he thinks the at-home creation could be of benefit to barbers, as well as people looking to cut their own hair Reversing physical ageing could be as simple as giving people a treatment that encourages their body to burn fat and promote muscle growth, study finds. Researchers from the University of Bonn worked from the idea that a fatter stomach and shrinking muscles are common signs of ageing that 'could be reversed'. This treatment - which involves switching receptors that regulates weight and muscle growth - has so far only been tested on mice and in human cell cultures. The German research team found that by triggering these receptors on a fast-burning form of fat, older mice become much fitter and as healthy as younger mice. They then compared the fat cells and pathways in the mice with human cells and found they were essentially the same, meaning it should to do the same with people. Researchers from the University of Bonn worked from the idea that a fatter stomach and shrinking muscles are common signs of ageing that 'could be reversed'. Stock image Researchers have been studying ways of converting flabby 'white fat' to this 'brown fat' - which the body tends to burn as an energy source - for years. This new study is a breakthrough in the search to make that conversion possible and the team say brown fat has more A2B receptors than white fat. This is the key to burning fat as energy, rather than leaving it lying dormant around our bellies and thighs, according to the team behind the discovery. As they age, mice increasingly lose muscle mass - similar to humans and just like us, they also tend to gain a lot of fat around the hips over the years. However, if they receive the chemical that activates the A2B receptor, these ageing effects are inhibited, according to the German team. They then gave older mice treatment to activate their A2B receptors and found they did indeed start burning more fat similar to younger mice. However, the impact went further as they did not lose weight but instead gained muscle, and the scientists found that muscles were also high in A2B receptors. After four weeks of the treatment, the oxygen consumption of the mice had been boosted by almost 50 per cent, and they were found to have about as much muscle mass as young mice. 'A2B activation can therefore reverse both ageing effects to a certain extent,' said Thorsten Gnad, the lead author of the study. To check whether the results might carry across to people, the team then examined human cells and discovered the same mechanism appeared to be at work. The next stage will be to work out how to deliver such treatment safely to humans. Professor Alexander Pfeifer, from the study team, said it had implications for tackling the body's decline with age and battling health issues related to global obesity. 'Obesity is a growing problem worldwide,' said Pfeifer. The German research team found that by triggering these receptors on a fast-burning form of fat, older mice become much fitter and as healthy as younger mice. Stock image 'Every extra pound not only increases the risk of developing diabetes, but also the risk of high blood pressure, vascular damage and heart attacks and strokes. 'These problems are further exacerbated by muscles that shrink over the years, as they further reduce the body's energy requirements both at rest and in motion.' The pharmacologists explain that the prospect of having a receptor on hand that might be able to slow down both of these age-related phenomena is highly exciting. However, further research would first have to show to what extent the human mechanisms actually resemble those in mice. Additionally, there is currently no activator of A2B approved for use in humans so little is known about any side effects of such a treatment. 'We found no signs of adverse reactions in mice,' says Pfeifer. 'However, the meaningfulness of the results is, of course, also limited on this matter.' The research was published in the latest edition of the scientific journal Cell Metabolism. The UK government is entering the satellite broadband business after taking a 400 million stake in spacex Starlink competition OneWeb, as part of a joint venture. The startup has already put 74 broadband satellites into orbit, but filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in March after its primary backer, SoftBank, pulled funding. A government spokesperson said the deal will help put the UK among 'the first rank of space nations' and to develop its own sovereign space capabilities. The UK is part of a consortium with India's Bharti Global, which put up the other half of the 800 million required to win the auction for the failed space firm. Ministers hope the acquisition of OneWeb will compensate for the loss of access to the EU's Galileo GPS alternative programme in the wake of Brexit. OneWeb hopes to offer broadband internet from its satellite constellation to rural areas, maritime customers and aviation providers by the end of 2021 but the government needs to first secure additional funding to revive the firm OneWeb filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy at the end of March after its biggest investor SoftBank Group Corp pulled funding, with an auction held on Thursday The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the deal would see the UK acquire a 'significant equity stake' in the company. BHARTI GLOBAL TO PARTNER WITH THE UK GOVERNMENT ON ONEWEB Bharti Global is an Indian multinational conglomerate based in New Delhi. The firm was founded in 1976 and operates in industries ranging from manufacturing and telecom to real estate and food production. It owns Bharti Airtel which is the third largest mobile operator in the world with a subscriber base in 18 countries. The company already had a minority stake in OneWeb and has expanded that as part of this partnership. Advertisement Business Secretary Alok Sharma said the deal underlines the scale of Britain's ambitions on the global stage and as a pioneer in cutting-edge technology. 'Our access to a global fleet of satellites has the potential to connect millions of people worldwide to broadband, many for the first time,' he said. 'The deal presents the opportunity to further develop our strong advanced manufacturing base right here in the UK.' It will enable OneWeb - which has its headquarters in London - to complete the construction of a constellation of 650 low-Earth orbit satellites to provide universal internet. This is similar to the setup being launched by Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, with its Starlink constellation of satellites that will provide rural broadband from space. The UK is expected to hold around a 45 per cent stake in the satellite firm, with Bharti and other investors holding the remainder of the shares. OneWeb has been locked in a constant struggle to raise funds ever since entrepreneur Greg Wyler founded the company in 2014, as launching satellites is a costly process. One of the most valuable assets the company holds is spectrum - that is frequencies it can operate at when sending signals to Earth - and this will become increasingly valuable as the market for satellite broadband hots up. The company has not revealed whether its satellite manufacturing operation will be moved from Florida to the UK. The announcement follows the formation of the UKs first-ever National Space Council, chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to consider how space policy can enhance the countrys prosperity and place in the world. In a statement, OneWeb said the deal would enable the company to emerge from bankruptcy with a 'robust foundation' to continue its commercial operations. 'The commitment of HMG accelerates OneWeb's global access,' it said. 'OneWeb will contribute to the UK Government's ambition to join the first rank of space nations, along with its commitment to making the UK the world's leader in science and research and development.' A number of companies were considering a bid for the failed satellite firm - including Canada's Telesat - but eventually the British/Indian bid won out. The 11th hour bid to acquire a stake in the firm was reportedly signed off last week by Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak and confirmed at Thursday's auction. An early entrant in a sector with challengers including Elon Musk's SpaceX, the startup's spectrum and rights will become increasingly valuable in the long run as the space business heats up, one of the sources said The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The deal will support the UK to be a pioneer in the research, development, manufacturing and exploitation of novel satellite technologies, while boosting UK manufacturing. 'The deal will enable the company to develop technology to provide enhanced broadband and other services to mobile and fixed IT terminals in the UK and countries around the world. 'It will also allow the UK to explore other potential strategic opportunities working with our international allies.' Adrian Steckel, CEO of OneWeb said the deal will benefit not only OneWebs existing creditors, but also employees, vendors, commercial partners, and supporters worldwide who believe in the mission and in the promise of global connectivity. 'The combination of HMG and Bharti will bring immediate value as we develop as a global leader in low latency connectivity,' said Steckel. 'With differentiated and flexible technology, unique spectrum assets and a compelling market opportunity ahead of us, we are eager to conclude the process and get back to launching our satellites as soon as possible.' The deal remains subject to approval by the US Bankruptcy Court, as well as regulatory approvals. Music festivals near lakes or bodies of water could be putting the aquatic life at risk due to the loud music stressing out the fish, a new study has found. Researchers examined the impact the Ultra Music Festival, a dance music event in Miami, Florida, had on fish swimming in a nearby lagoon and on others in tanks. The team from the University of Miami found that high volume music caused fish to become more stressed as it reminds them of the sound of approaching predators. This year due to coronavirus lockdown measures, fish in lakes near events such as Latitude, Ultra and other waterside shows have been given a period of respite but the events are due to return to normal from 2021. For the study researchers analysed how toadfish reacted to the increased sounds of the three-day Ultra Music Festival - studying fish in tanks and a nearby lagoon. This year due to coronavirus lockdown measures, fish in lakes near events such as Latitude (a performance on the lake pictured), Ultra and other waterside shows have been given a period of respite but the events are due to return to normal from 2021 Researchers examined the impact the Ultra Music Festival, a dance music event in Miami, Florida, had on fish swimming in a nearby lagoon and on others in tanks The electronic music festival, held at the Miami Marine Stadium and Virginia Key Beach Park, from March 29 to 31, 2019, attracted over 170,000 revellers. The team discovered that when the toadfish heard loud music it caused a stress hormone to be released, similar to when they heard predators nearby. A 'significant stress response' was found in the fish on the first day of the festival when there were elevated noise levels, scientists said. The researchers' findings showed that the toadfish had a four to five-fold increase in blood cortisol - their main stress hormone - during the first night of Ultra, compared to two baseline samples taken before the festival began. As well as testing cortisol levels, the scientists put recording devices around the festival site to measure sound intensity in the air and underwater. Hydrophones were placed in the toadfish tanks and in the waters directly next to the Ultra stages in Bear Cut Inlet in the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park. They were also put in Lamar Lake - a shallow mangrove lagoon further north. For the study researchers analysed how toadfish reacted to the increased sounds of the three-day Ultra Music Festival - studying fish in tanks and a nearby lagoon Danielle McDonald, professor of marine biology and ecology at the UM Rosenstiel School and the study's co-investigator, said the stress responses were similar to what toadfish would experience when hearing bottlenose dolphins. These dolphins are one of the main toadfish predators, explained McDonald. Previous studies have shown that 'underwater noise pollution causes stress and various physiological and behavioural disruptions. This can happen on communication, hearing, spawning behavior and reproduction in aquatic organisms', said Maria Cartolano, lead postdoctoral scientist on the study. Gulf toadfish play an important ecological role in the local marine environment around the site of the Ultra Music Festival, the authors wrote. This species rely heavily on sound and their hearing for reproduction, social interactions and avoiding prey, scientists said. Claire Paris, professor of ocean sciences at the UM Rosenstiel School and co-investigator, said sound intensity increased by 7-9 decibels in the Toadfish tank. At Latitude the lank forms part of the festival site and is used for performances and for revellers to swim and cool down in the heat For the study researchers analysed how toadfish reacted to the increased sounds of the three-day Ultra Music Festival - studying fish in tanks and a nearby lagoon called Bear Cut It increased by slightly less - 2-3 decibels - in nearby waters but it was in the low frequency range where fish are most sensitive to changes in sound pressure. 'Variations in the sonic activity of marine organisms and additional noise from boat traffic may have contributed to the signal detected in Bear Cut during Ultra. 'In situ measurements, including long term acoustic recording, are necessary to evaluate the effect of Ultra on wild fish populations,' said Paris. This study could not determine if the raised cortisol levels will have any long-term effects on the fish, the authors said, as it was isolated to that one year. Martin Grosell, professor of marine biology and ecology and Maytag Chair of Ichthyology at the UM Rosenstiel School, said was also involved in the study. ''We conducted the study on the effects of the multi-day music concert due to the close proximity of the festival to our experimental hatchery and aquaculture facility. 'It provided us an opportunity to investigate the potential impacts a large music festival of this kind can have on fish,' said Grosell. The study was published in the Journal Environmental Pollution. Conservationists have slammed the Prime Minister's claims that newts are getting in the way of building new homes for Britons as 'ridiculous'. Speaking earlier this week, Boris Johnson said 'newt-counting' is responsible for his government's inability to deliver new housing and construction projects. The Premier was referring to requirements introduced by the EU to protect the threatened Great Crested Newt, as well as other vulnerable animals. Charity RSPB has furiously responded to the allegations that vital legislation designed to protect British wildlife is the cause of a stalled infrastructure push. The charity believes newts, and all environmental laws, are being used as a scapegoat to deflect scrutiny away from the failings of Mr Johnson's government. Scroll down fro video Conservationists have slammed the Prime Minster's claims that newts are getting in the way of building new homes for Britons as 'ridiculous'. Speaking earlier this week, Boris Johnson said 'newt-counting' is responsible for his government's inability to deliver new housing and construction projects (stock) Mr Johnson has made creating new homes across the UK a priority, this week standing behind a lectern labelled with 'build, build, build' in capital letters. However, he says red tape is interfering, citing laws which protect wildlife and natural spaces as being a hindrance to house building programmes. 'Covid-19 has taught us the cost of delay,' Mr Johnson said. 'Time is money. And the newt-counting delays in our system are a massive drag on the productivity and prosperity of this country.' RSPB, the UK's largest nature conservation charity, has been outraged by this unfounded assertion. It says the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands all operate with the same legislation. The Prime Minister specifically singled out these European nations as being adept builders. However, according to official statistics, in the UK less than nine per cent of land is protected by the laws he is blaming. This figure soars to 15 per cent in Germany and around 13 per cent in both France and the Netherlands. This means the countries Mr Johnson believes to be superior constructors have cultivated this reputation while having less relative area to build on than the UK does. Martin Harper, the RSPB's director for conservation said: 'We are absolutely right to compare ourselves with other European nations, but not for the reasons the Prime Minister thinks. Charity RSPB has furiously responded to the PM's allegations that vital legislation designed to protect British wildlife is the cause of a stalled infrastructure push. The charity says newts, and other environmental laws, are being used as a scapegoat to deflect scrutiny away from the failings of Mr Johnson's government Yes, build, build, build! But DON'T pave over paradise, urges GEOFFREY LEAN Boris is right to 'build, build, build', to kick-start the economy. But, I fear that, unless he is careful, he could be building an environmental disaster. Much of what the characteristically bullish Prime Minister announced in his well-trailed planning speech yesterday is thoroughly welcome. Much of the rest was unexceptional, focused on development of towns and cities. Yet I fear it may soon presage highly controversial concreting of the countryside. But first let's applaud Mr Johnson's promise to 'end the chronic failure of the British state... to build enough homes'. As he said, it is a scandal that we have been building half as many homes per head as France. It is an even greater one that the number of Britons in rented accommodation has more than doubled, to well over five million, since the turn of the millennium. The problem, however, is that we cannot be sure that Mr Johnson has given us the whole picture. Indeed we can be pretty certain he has not. Advertisement 'On the continent other countries are able to support their home builders and construction work without compromising their environmental standards. 'It sounds ridiculous to blame newts for the problems of our housing market, and that is because it is. 'This view is not consistent with the Government's 25 Year Plan for the Environment, it is not consistent with wanting to establish world leading environmental standards and it is not even consistent with the Government's own independent report on why the UK is slow at building new homes.' Instead of blaming newts and innocent animals, the charity instead suggests Mr Johnson should look at his Government's own reports. These found that it is, in fact, not the newt which is to blame for stalled infrastructure initiatives, but the fact contractors have been building the wrong homes. In October 2018, Sir Oliver Letwin published a Government commissioned report which concluded that too many similar types of home were being built in the same area, and this was not what the housing market wanted or needed. Martin Harper continued: 'Time and time again the public tells politicians that they do not want to see any weakening of our environmental legislation. 'And to reinforce this, in the last few months we have all gained a greater appreciation of how important it is to have easy access to our natural world. 'If the Prime Minister wants to help the housing market then it is time to look at how developers can work in harmony with nature, to make assets of streams, pools and woodland and the amazing species that rely on these important habitats. 'And, of course protecting those species like the great crested newt that, by the Government's own assessment, is in decline.' Humans living in what is now modern-day Mexico ventured into dangerous caves searching for ochre around 12,000 years ago, a study reveals. The red mineral was highly-prized in ancient civilisations as a pigment and it is also believed to have been used as an antiseptic, sunscreen and vermin repellent. A series of caves in the Yucatan Peninsula, Quintana Roo, Mexico, which are now underwater, have long been known to divers and they contain remains of Paleoindians, the first people to inhabit the Western hemisphere. But the origin of the people entombed here and why they perished in such a treacherous place had long been a mystery. Now, archaeologists believe the people who died in the caves were miners searching for the valuable ochre. Scroll down for video Pictured, a landmark of piled stone and broken speleothems left 10,000-12,000 years ago by the earliest inhabitants of the Western hemisphere to find their way in and out of the oldest ochre mine ever found in the A diver from Centro Investigador del Sistema Acuifero de Q Roo (CINDAQ A.C.) examines an ochre extraction pit in the oldest ochre mine ever found in the Americas According to researchers from the University of Missouri who led the study,physical artefacts found inside the caves prove it was mined for ochre. Items date back to between 11,400 and 10,700 years ago, the study found. The caves would have been accessible during the last ice age from around 21,000 years ago, the researchers say. However, when the ice age ended and sea levels surged around 8,000 years ago, they dropped below sea level. But when they were accessible without SCUBA diving equipment, Paleoindians scoured them for signs of ochre. Pictured, a hammer stone made from a piece of speleothem and used by the Paleoindians. The mine holds some the best-preserved evidence of the earliest inhabitants of the hemisphere and was found in a cave that is now underwater in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula Ochre was highly-prized in ancient civilisations as a pigment and it is also believed to have been used as an antiseptic, sunscreen and vermin repellent. A series of caves, which are now underwater, have long been known to divers and contain remains of ancient humans Pictured, a diver from Centro Investigador del Sistema Acuifero de Q Roo (CINDAQ A.C.) in the oldest ochre mine ever found in the Americas Oldest use of bows and arrows outside of Africa found in Sri Lanka Scientists have discovered evidence of the oldest use of bows and arrows by prehistoric humans outside of Africa, in a cave in Sri Lanka. Fragments of arrowheads, made from the bone of boar, deer, primates and other creatures, were used to hunt tree-dwelling animals at least 45,000 years ago. The preserved shards, found in the cave of Fa-Hien Lena to the southwest of the Asian island, helped hunters catch speedy rainforest monkeys and squirrels. An international team of archaeologists say the arrow fragments are older than any evidence of similar technology found in Europe. Advertisement 'Here, we announce the discovery of the first subterranean ochre mine of Paleoindian age found in the Americas, offering compelling evidence for mining in three cave systems on the eastern Yucatan over a ~2000-year period between ~12 and 10,000 years ago,' the researchers say in their study. Evidence of mining was dated using a combination of radiocarbon dating, calcite formations that form after mining and the documented sea-level rise record. 'The cave passages exhibit preserved evidence for ochre extraction pits,' the researchers add. 'The sophistication and extent of the activities demonstrate a readiness to venture into the dark zones of the caves to prospect and collect what was evidently a highly valued mineral resource.' Among the evidence of ancient ochre mining were digging tools, shattered and piled flowstone debris, navigational markers and charcoal made from wood burned by the miners to form torches. 'Now that we are alerted to underground ochre mining and its archaeological signatures, additional discoveries are certain to be made in the nearly 2000 km of known cave systems, which will clarify the process and chronology of Paleoindian ochre mining in Quintana Roo,' the researchers say in their study. The full findings are available in the journal Science Advances. Artefacts found in the cave date back to between 11,400 and 10,700 years ago. The caves would have been accessible during the last ice age from around 21,000 years ago, the researchers say A red glow at the centre of the Milky Way has been detected for the first time and it could help astronomers discover what powers the centre of our spiral galaxy. The red light shines out of an area known as the 'Tilted Disk' - named for its orientation - that sits in the central bar region of the Milky Way, astronomers said. A team from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida used the Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper (WHAM) telescope in Chile to make this dramatic discovery. The faint beacon is only just visible from Earth - peaking through a hole in the dust and is a telltale sign of ionised hydrogen gas - coming from newly forming stars. Being able to identify and measure this ionised gas allowed the astronomers to compare the centre of the Milky Way to other spiral galaxies more easily. The next stage is to find out the source of energy that is powering this newly discovered ionisation at the centre of the galaxy, according to the study authors. The faint red beacon (highlighted in this artist impression) is only just visible from Earth - peaking through a hole in the dust and is a telltale sign of ionised hydrogen gas - coming from newly forming stars at the centre of the Milky Way The team say the source of this red beacon of light was found by comparing other colours of visible light coming from ionised nitrogen and oxygen. Co author Dr Lawrence Haffner said that without an ongoing source of energy, free electrons usually find each other and recombine to return to a neutral state. The Embry-Riddle researcher said this happens in a relatively short amount of time. 'Being able to see ionised gas in new ways should help us discover the kinds of sources that could be responsible for keeping all that gas energised,' said Haffner. His colleague Professor Bob Benjamin, of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, was looking at two decades' worth of WHAM data when he spotted the 'red flag'. The peculiar shape poking out of the Milky Way's dark, dusty centre was ionised hydrogen gas which appears red - and was moving in the direction of Earth. Optical Milky Way image with an emission line associated with the Tilted Disk showing the location of the 'red light' discovered by the astronomers The position of the feature couldn't be explained by known physical phenomena such as galactic rotation, according to the research team. Dr Haffner said: 'Being able to make these measurements in optical light allowed us to compare the nucleus of the Milky Way to other galaxies much more easily. 'Many past studies have measured the quantity and quality of ionised gas from the centres of thousands of spiral galaxies throughout the universe. 'For the first time, we were able to directly compare measurements from our galaxy to that large population.' Lead author Dhanesh Krishnarao, a graduate student at University of Wisconsin-Madison, leveraged an existing model to predict how much gas there should be. Raw data from the WHAM telescope allowed him to refine his calculations until the team had an accurate 3-D picture of the structure. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, also found that around half of the hydrogen has been ionised by an unknown source. 'The Milky Way can now be used to better understand its nature,' Krishnarao said. 'Close to the nucleus of the Milky Way gas is ionised by newly forming stars, but as you move further away from the centre, things get more extreme,' he said. Further from the centre the gas becomes similar to a class of galaxies called LINERs, or low ionisation (nuclear) emission regions. The peculiar shape poking out of the Milky Way's dark, dusty centre was ionised hydrogen gas which appears red - and was moving in the direction of Earth. Artists impression The structure appeared to be moving toward Earth because it was on an elliptical orbit interior to the Milky Way's spiral arms, the researchers found. LINER-type galaxies such as the Milky Way make up roughly a third of all galaxies. They have centres with more radiation than galaxies that are only forming new stars, yet less radiation than those whose supermassive black holes are actively consuming a tremendous amount of material. 'Before this discovery by WHAM, the Andromeda Galaxy was the closest LINER spiral to us,' said Dr Haffner, adding that 'it's still millions of light-years away.' 'With the nucleus of the Milky Way only tens of thousands of light-years away, we can now study a LINER region in more detail. This is an optical image of the Milky Way galaxy and to the left of the central bright area is a red spark of light that is made of ionising (highly energetic) hydrogen gas that astronomers hope to be able to use to determine the source of energy that powers our galactic heart 'Studying this extended ionized gas should help us learn more about the current and past environment in the center of our Galaxy.' The researchers now plan to figure out the source of the energy at the centre of the Milky Way that is driving this newly discovered beacon. Being able to categorise the galaxy based on its level of radiation was an important first step toward that goal, according to Haffner. 'In the next few years, we hope to build WHAM's successor, which would give us a sharper view of the gas we study,' he said. 'Right now our map `pixels' are twice the size of the full moon. WHAM has been a great tool for producing the first all-sky survey of this gas, but we're hungry for more details now.' The findings have been published in the journal Science Advances. Facebook is investigating new charges that people are using private groups to sell and solicit human remains, including skulls, fetal remains and even a mummified six-year-old child dated to the 1700s. While Facebook has a policy that explicitly bans the 'buying or selling of human body parts or fluids,' some users appear to have gotten around the prohibition by taking advantage of the site's private groups feature. Many of the remains listed are claimed to have come from archeological or historical sites around the world, with one seller saying they looted a human skill from catacombs in Sousse, Tunisia, which was offered for $550. Facebook users have formed private groups to sell and solicit human remains, including skulls, fetal remains, and a mummified six-year-old child dating to the 1700s The private groups were discovered by LiveScience, which spent 10 months investigating the listings and cataloging the range of items offered for sale or requested by other users. Legal experts warn that these practices are also criminal under both US and international law, as well as a threat to governmental and academic efforts to preserve historical artifacts at archaeological sites around the world. 'It is doubtful that any person, even those donating their remains for science, ever wanted to be or expected to be a personal curio for an individual,' Ryan Seidemann and Christine Halling, from the Office of Louisiana's Attorney General in the Lands & Natural Resources Section Civil Division, jointly told LiveScience in an email. 'Even more clear are the human remains that derive from tombs or burials. Those people intended for their remains to stay in their burial space.' 'Violation of this intent for the purposes of seeking to privately own or possess the remains is both a legal and an ethical violation.' The investigation documented a wide range of different listings, including one user who was attempting to sell a mummified six-year-old child for around $12,247 (11,000 Euros), claiming they dated back to the 1700s. Facebook says it has opened an investigation into the groups, which violate the company's terms of service, which bans the 'buying or selling of human body parts or fluids' One seller listed a human skull for $1,300, claiming it had come from a 'young teen female,' but offered no other information on its origin. A separate listing described an elongated skull claimed to have come from Peru, on sale for $10,500. It appeared potentially similar to elongated skulls discovered in Peru in 2014, believed to have come from a 2,000 year-old group of hunter gatherers that practiced artificial cranial deformation. Though many listings don't specify the origin source for their listed items, some point to important archaeological sites, including a listing for a skull claiming to be from catacombs in Sousse, Tunisia Several users listed fetal remains preserved in jars, claiming they were 'retired medical specimens' The process typically involved tying cloths or wooden bracing devices around a young child's head to force it to grow into an elongated shape. Still another user listed fetal remains preserved in a jar for $2,350, which they claimed was a 'retired medical specimen.' Another seller listed an 'almost full-term' fetus for $6,495, claiming that its mother had 'wanted this specimen to live on via preservation and to stimulate curiosity and further education about the human body.' In recent years, similarly illicit markets for human organs and remains have quietly emerged on eBay and Instagram, prompting new fears that social media and online marketplaces might help popularize what was once an exceedingly rare practice. Facebook hasn't made any official announcements about its investigation into the private user groups, but three have already been shut down for undisclosed reasons. Lewis Hamilton believes winning a seventh world title to defy Covid-19 and honour his anti-racism campaign would rank as the greatest achievement of his career. But in a highly political press conference, he also risked annoying other teams by criticising them for not doing enough to tackle inequality. Ahead of the opening race in Austria on Sunday, Hamilton took to the Formula One stage for the first time since the virus pulled the curtains in Melbourne 112 days ago this morning, just before the scheduled practice session for what should have been the start of his title defence. Lewis Hamilton is keen to defy coronavirus and honour his anti-racism campaign this year The Brit is chasing down his seventh Formula 1 world title in the upcoming shortened season Stirred by the killing in America of George Floyd, he has launched himself into a new career as a high-profile anti-racism activist. Today the engine of his Mercedes specifically black liveried to match his words will take him out of the garage into the environment he has always understood most clearly. But he will not allow that to drown out his racial concerns. 'Winning a title this year would mean more, given the momentous size of this pandemic we are fighting,' he said. 'And on a personal level, the Black Lives Matter movement and battle against inequality and injustice is so important. 'It is not going to change for our generation, but for our kids' kids. Winning a world title will be even more significant than before.' Mercedes will be using an all-black base livery for the 2020 season to help highlight racism Part of Hamilton's method in the last few weeks has been to use his prolific social media posts to call out those who he has deemed not to have demonstrated their anti-racism credentials visibly enough. Although he has refrained from naming names saying instead 'I see you' the tactic has ruffled feathers. He continued in that vein on Thursday, saying: 'There are a lot of people who take a moment to, say, post Blackout Tuesday (an online campaign) but are not really doing much. I have not heard anything from any of the others teams. There are few opportunities for minorities in the sport, so more needs to be done. 'It is a shame that it has taken another death of a black man in the States to kick-start this all. I have spent a lot of time educating myself to make sure that I am fully up to date with everything. 'Formula One (a reference to owners Liberty Media) have been great. I have spent a lot of time with them on Zoom calls, talking about their plans and how we can move forward united. It is great to have Mercedes on board as part of this. 'I will not stop pushing until we really see change. Seeing one face of colour added to the paddock is not diversity.' Hamilton has become an anti-racism activist spending a lot of time trying to deal with the issue The drivers will meet today to discuss how to demonstrate their support for black lives. They are expected to choreograph a united display for television. Here in the Styrian mountains, the pandemic's toll on the sporting landscape was illustrated by the people who weren't here. A lone girl in a Ferrari cap kept vigil by the gates and waved to those of us who passed through. There were hugely more cows with bells than fans with caps in the verdant fields around the Red Bull Ring, 120 miles south-west of Vienna. At this venue for the first behind-closed-doors grand prix in the sport's 70-year history, bright sun gave way to horizontal rain of which more is expected in the next 72 hours. Apart from Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel was the only driver to say anything of note. Dropped by Ferrari for 2021, he confirmed Sportsmail's report that he had not even been offered new terms prior to the split. He also revealed he is open to offers from other competitive teams. 'If not,' said the quadruple world champion, 'it's probably time to do something else.' South Africa: Gauteng consults sectors on reinstating stringent measures Gauteng Premier David Makhura says the Provincial Coronavirus Command Council is consulting with various sectors about the need to reinstate some of the drastic measures that will ensure that the pandemic is contained. Makhura said that the province will also, among the key interventions, make a representation to the National Command Council on the need to re-introduce stringent measures, including possible intermittent localised lockdowns and slowing down of re-opening of sectors and schools. We have to do whatever it takes to contain the spread of the pandemic, Makhura said. Presenting the provinces interventions to curb the spread of Coronavirus at the Provincial Command Council weekly media update on COVID-19 held on Thursday, Makhura noted that the month of June has seen a sharp spike in the number of confirmed cases on a daily basis, and the province now has the largest number of active cases. Hospitalisation has also increased exponentially in the past 14 days. Although the mortality rate is still low but it is increasing. The COVID-19 storm has arrived. Health services and health workers are beginning to bear the brunt of COVID-19 as the case load increases. The pandemic is running ahead of the projected peak of September, Makhura said. As of 1 July 2020, Gauteng had 45 944 confirmed cases and 35 166 active cases of COVID-19. Makhura said that work is currently underway to increase bed capacity and staffing in the public sector, including field hospital beds at Nasrec and Tshwane Events Centre. Four thousand five hundred additional beds will be ready by the end of July, in preparation for the peak. Over the next four weeks, ward-based COVID-19 response teams will be active in localities to help get the message out to communities about the need to observe health and hygiene measures, social distancing and wearing of masks, Makhura said. Over 1 000 public servants tested positive According to the statistics presented by Makhura, out of 172 113 public servants in Gauteng, 1 641 have tested positive since March - this includes public health workers and educators. Like all other patients, affected staff and their family members are receiving care and treatment in line with the World Health Organisation protocols. All other staff members who were in contact with those that tested positive have been tested and will continue to follow all protocols to prevent the spread of the virus. There is ongoing decontamination of all public buildings regularly as part of the measures to combat the spread of COVID-19. As part of continuous medical surveillance protocol, frontline public servants undergo daily screening and some are referred for testing, Makhura said. Adequate PPE stock Based on the current patient load, the Premier said the province has adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in stock, but they continue to order more stock for the next phases of the pandemic. Food security Makhura said since the lockdown, 329 186 households have been provided with food relief, supporting a total of 1 432 650 people (at least five people per household). However, Makhura said the demand for food far outstrips the provinces capacity to meet the need. We continue to call for more support from business, foundations and civil society initiatives on food relief. However, such initiatives must be coordinated with government and the distribution should avoid breaching social distancing regulations, Makhura said. Shelters for homeless people The Premier said the provincial government is providing temporary shelter to the homeless in 47 shelters across the province, working with municipalities. He said that 2 825 homeless people are provided with three meals on a daily basis including psychosocial support, medical assessments and treatment for substance abuse. Five hundred and twenty seven homeless beneficiaries have absconded from shelters to return to the streets, 520 have self-discharged themselves, 346 people were re-united with families from April 5 June 2020, [and] 307 people have been sent to rehabilitation centres for substance use disorders, Makhura said. Makhura reiterated the call for people to adhere to the lockdown regulations and practise the rules of hand hygiene and good cough etiquette. We remind people once more that there is currently no cure for COVID-19. The only way to prevent transmission is to avoid physical contact. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-07-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. LONDON, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming said Wednesday that the newly enacted national security law for Hong Kong will target a very few criminals but protect the vast majority of Hong Kong people. He made the comments when meeting with Simon McDonald, permanent under-secretary to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, according to a statement from the Chinese embassy. The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) fulfills the aspirations of local residents for a safer, better and more prosperous Hong Kong, and answers their call for better security safeguards so that they can enjoy and exercise their statutory rights and freedoms, Liu said. The recent remarks by the UK side on the national security law for HKSAR are irresponsible and unwarranted, Liu said. They represent a gross interference in China's internal affairs and run counter to the important principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in each other's internal affairs endorsed by the UN Charter and the Joint Communique of the UK and China on exchange of ambassadors, he said, adding that the Chinese side expresses its grave concern and strong opposition. The ambassador said that the national security law for HKSAR, which is timely, necessary and reasonable, is the fundamental solution that will end the chaos and restore order in Hong Kong. It demonstrates the inherent requirements of "one country, two systems" and will ensure the steady and sustained implementation of this important policy, he said. Advertisement A tactical nuclear strike aircraft may not sound romantic - but with a few tweaks, it turns out that they actually make wonderful honeymoon suites. Behold one of Britain's quirkiest Airbnbs - a 1950s English Electric Canberra bomber, which has been converted into a cosy lodge for two, with incredible views over the Somerset countryside. It's called The Sky Cabin, and is described as 'the perfect spot for a romantic getaway'. This 1950s English Electric Canberra bomber is now a cosy lodge for two at Field 725 campsite in Frome, Somerset The rental can be found at the Field 725 campsite in Frome, where it has been welcoming guests for the past two years. Dan Hurring, the owner of the site, bought the front end of the plane from a scrapyard in Bristol in 2018 and at the time, it was painted in a badger design. He told MailOnline Travel: 'We knew we had to re-paint it as the badger wasn't really for us. 'We had to transport it to the site on a low-loader and then use a fork-lift truck to position it. 'It was quite challenging to try and get it in exactly the right spot among the trees.' After a paint-job and a conversion, the holiday rental now has a double bed in the cockpit, with guests able to 'gaze up at the night sky' through the cockpit window, which still opens. The converted plane has been at the campsite for two years. The owners bought it from a scrapyard in Bristol in 2018 The rental has a double bed in the cockpit, with guests able to 'gaze up at the night sky' through the cockpit window. Prices start from 105 per night The Sky Cabin has views out across the Somerset countryside. Owner Dan Hurring said it was challenging positioning the plane among the trees At the entrance of the rental is a decked seating area with a table and chairs, which are 'perfectly positioned for watching the sunset'. There is also a fire bowl complete with a grill for cooking or sitting around 'with a glass of your favourite tipple'. Prices start from 105 per night. Dan added: 'Some people are unsure about staying in it, but once they do, they love it. 'You can still open the cockpit window and watch the beautiful sunrise as you lie in bed. 'It's very popular with couples, especially when we hold weddings, with it often being used as the honeymoon suite.' A former Royal Air Force English Electric Canberra in July 2014. The plane came into service in 1951 as a tactical nuclear strike aircraft The English Electric Canberra was introduced into service with the Royal Air Force in 1951 as a tactical nuclear strike aircraft, though it needed to be modified before it was capable of carrying out this role. Today Airbnb revealed the 10 UK destinations that have seen the most significant growth in bookings, week on week, compared to the same week last year. At the top of the ranking is Warton in Lancashire, followed by Duns, Scotland (2nd); Snettisham, Norfolk (3rd); Glastonbury, Somerset (4th); Rothbury, Northumberland (5th); Chapel Saint Leonards, Lincolnshire (6th); Ross on Wye, Herefordshire (7th); Leiston, Suffolk (8th); Pickering, Yorkshire (9th); and Guildford, Surrey in tenth place. American Airlines' Heathrow flights will move from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5 from next Tuesday, the carrier announced. Terminal 5 is the home of its codeshare partners British Airways and Iberia. American, the world's biggest airline, says that co-locating with them will make connecting at Heathrow 'quicker and easier than ever'. It also means that qualifying American Airlines passengers will be able to use BA's swanky lounges. American Airlines' Heathrow flights will move from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5, pictured, from next Tuesday First-class passengers will be able to check-in at BA's exclusive 'First Wing' and use the incredible Concorde Room lounge beyond once it opens. There is a temporary Concorde Terrace within Galleries First that is currently unavailable to them. Business-class passengers and Admirals Club Members, including Citi/AAdvantage Executive Card Primary cardholders, meanwhile, will be able to access British Airways Club lounges. American's check-in desks will be located in Zone C for Flagship Business, priority and main cabin customers. American will be operating four daily flights from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, New York's John F Kennedy Airport, Chicago O'Hare and Miami International Airport. First-class passengers will be able to check-in at BA's exclusive 'First Wing' (pictured) American Airlines first-class passengers will be able to relax in the British Airways Concorde Room, pictured, once it fully reopens. There is a temporary Concorde Terrace within Galleries First that is currently unavailable to them Franco Tedeschi, American Airlines' Vice President, Chicago, Europe and Asia Pacific, told MailOnline Travel: 'The Terminal 5 move is being driven by terminal consolidation measures at Heathrow. 'American welcomes the move as it enables us to further enhance our close ties with our Atlantic joint business partners and fellow Oneworld members, British Airways and Iberia. Co-locating our flights into the home of British Airways will make connecting at Heathrow quicker and easier than ever before, which is great news for our customers. 'While our surroundings may have changed, the safety of our customers and team members remains of paramount importance. American is working tirelessly with our partners, local and international authorities, and Heathrow Airport, to ensure we continue to offer a safe travel experience for our customers and team members.' Franco Tedeschi, American Airlines' Vice President, Chicago, Europe and Asia Pacific, told MailOnline Travel that there was 'nothing wrong' with Terminal 3, but that the move was a 'consolidation measure' that would allow closer ties with BA and Iberia American will be operating four daily flights from Heathrow Terminal 5 He added: 'Nothing is wrong with Terminal 3. This move is due to airport consolidation measures. The operators of Heathrow Airport relocated all airlines from Terminals 3 and 4 to Terminals 2 and 5. 'As air traffic movements increase, American Airlines, British Airways and Heathrow Airport will seek to agree a bilateral future operational strategy for Terminal 5. 'We have no plans to open a lounge at Terminal 5 at this time.' Visit aa.com/travelalerts for information on American's travel policies and alerts. Dinner time at Fowey Hall Hotel, which sits above the pretty harbour town of Fowey on the south Cornwall coast, and I'm looking forward to a sumptuous feast in its critically acclaimed restaurant. Some seafood caught in the waters that lap against the shore below, perhaps. Maybe some samphire plucked from a nearby beach. And, of course, a glass or two of fine wine. But what follows is a dining experience the like of which I have never before experienced and it's going to take some getting used to. Caring: The Daily Mail's Mark Palmer settles in for dinner served by staff in masks or visors The waitress who greets me at the entrance to the room is wearing a face mask. She proceeds to escort me to a table with absolutely nothing on it. Glasses, cutlery, salt and pepper are brought only once I have sat down. Then comes the clever bit. Rather than menus, the hotel has introduced a QR [Quick Response] matrix barcode system. No, me neither. But my waitress explains: 'Point your mobile phone camera at the barcode and it should prompt you to tap a link to the hotel website where you'll see the menus.' And it does. As I peruse the fare on offer, my eyes wander to the next-door table. It is uncomfortably close to my own. But then I see that it has a note on it saying: 'Don't choose me, it may look like I'm free for you to take a seat, but we're following government advice about social distancing.' It's time to order: 'I'll have the salmon and beetroot followed by the rib-eye medium-rare, please.' Throughout the meal, my waitress variously asks before delivering any food or drinks: 'Can I now approach your table with . . .?' a glass of wine ('Rather!'), your first course ('Yes, please!'), another glass of wine ('You bet!'). Welcome to hotel life in the pandemic era. Mind you, demand has never been greater, with many establishments reporting a 400 per cent rise in bookings until the end of September. A bonanza, of sorts but what exactly will those guests experience when they check in? Will it be any fun? Fowey Hall Hotel, which is thought to have been the inspiration for Toad Hall in Kenneth Grahame's The Wind In The Willows, closed for a 3.5 million refurbishment six weeks before the national March 23 lockdown, which means it's been out of action for nearly five months. 'It's like a whole new beginning,' says Dulce Marques, the hotel's Portuguese general manager. 'The challenge will be to make it feel as unclinical as possible.' Quite a test given the circumstances. Prior to their arrival, guests receive two emails: one explaining how the hotel will implement official health guidelines; the other pointing out that once the spa and pool are allowed to open, guests will be asked to fill out a questionnaire asking if they have had any coronavirus symptoms. Guests have to scan barcodes in order to see menus on their phones When I turn up I am greeted by a large bottle of hand sanitiser at the front door, with a sign saying 'Keep your distance' and 'Wash your hands frequently'. I give my name at reception and am assigned the Sir Charles Hanson room on the first floor, which is named after the former MP for Bodmin and Lord Mayor of London, who built Fowey Hall in 1899. 'The door will be open and the sanitised key will be in an envelope on the chest of drawers,' says the receptionist. What's immediately striking is how many additional decisions you have to make in this brave new hospitality world. It starts with a member of staff asking whether he can carry my bag or if I would 'feel more confident' carrying it myself? 'We wash and sanitise our hands after helping each guest with their luggage,' he says in a suitably reassuring tone. I opt to take it myself not because I am corona-paranoid but because I could do with the exercise. A receptionist at Fowey Hall Hotel in Cornwall, which is re-opening after being closed for five months Once in my room I immediately spot an upside to the new health and safety regulations, at least for those of us who hate hotel rooms brimming with leaflets, tourist information, long-winded directories and pious notices about how not changing the towels will 'save the planet'. There's a total absence of clutter. Indeed, the only literature on display is a small card saying: 'Rest assured this room has been thoroughly deep-cleaned with antibacterial sanitiser, approved for use against Covid-19, for your safety and peace of mind.' No teddy bear sitting on the bed waiting to be bought for an absurd amount of money, no basket of fruit and (sadly, it must be said) no mini-bar waiting to be raided in the wee small hours. One of the great joys of staying in a hotel used to be the chance it afforded for spontaneity. But not at the moment. Instead, I'm asked what time I would like dinner and when I am hoping to have breakfast because, clearly, it would be impossible to abide by the one-metre rule if everyone ate at the same time. I go for 8pm and 8am respectively. The Fowey Hall Hotel sits above the pretty harbour town of Fowey, pictured, on the south Cornwall coast There's a silver lining here, too. Because of staggered eating times, the restaurant is now 'all-day dining' and open for breakfast until 11am rather than 10am. Lovers of lie-ins, take note. You can even elect to be served by a waiter or waitress (who have had their temperatures taken before starting their shifts) wearing either a visor or a mask. You can also ask for your room to be cleaned, or be supplied with the materials to do it yourself. The second option doesn't make much sense given that half the reason for paying to stay in a hotel is the privilege of avoiding domestic duties of any kind. In any case, if you do opt to have your room cleaned, the cleaner will be wearing full personal protective equipment and only goes into the room when you're out. After a night of restful slumber, it's off to breakfast in a room adjacent to where I'd had dinner. A different card on the table says, merrily: 'Rise and shine. Scan me for breakfast.' Which I do, while looking longingly at the huge empty table which in happier times would be the breakfast buffet, the demise of which is surely one of the saddest deprivations caused by Covid-19. At check-out, it's strictly cards only and I'm touched to be given a paper bag packed with a bottle of water, a sandwich, an apple and cake for the journey home. And, perhaps, that's the point. Staying in a hotel certainly will come with its inconveniencies in the next few weeks or months, so those in the hospitality sector will be trying extra hard to keep us happy and the tills trilling. As the veteran hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray puts it: 'We need to tempt back our wary customers. 'Wow!' they must say, 'that lobster souffle was worth risking my life for.' It turns out that Ralph Fiennes is the original 00 secret agent. The Oscar-nominated actor stars as Orlando Oxford in Matthew Vaughn's exhilarating new spy film The King's Man. Technically, it's an origin story/prequel to Vaughn's two successful Kingsman films, which starred Colin Firth and Taron Egerton as members of an elite British intelligence service. But in style and substance, The King's Man is leaps ahead of the cheeky-chappie Kingsman pictures. Of course, the 00 designation is the provenance of Ian Fleming's James Bond movies. And just to be clear, it isn't referred to in The King's Man. It turns out that Ralph Fiennes is the original 00 secret agent. The Oscar-nominated actor stars as Orlando Oxford in Matthew Vaughn's exhilarating new spy film The King's Man, BAZ BAMIGBOYE writes Director Matthew Vaughn has packed his cast with top names including Rhys Ifans as Rasputin But the symbolism of the Duke of Oxford's initials amused me because of Fiennes' connection to the Bond films, in which he plays M, and the fact that the Duke is a kick-ass action hero who uncovers a fictional plot to start World War I involving a diabolical figure known as The Shepherd (because he raises rare Angora goats). Vaughn laughed when I mentioned the 00 connection. 'It wasn't intentional!' he insisted. 'The penny only dropped when someone noticed OO sewn into a jacket Ralph wears in the film.' Gemma Arterton is another Bond link. The actress, who appeared alongside Daniel Craig in Quantum Of Solace, is great in The King's Man as Polly Watkins, who works as a nanny, caring for Oxford's son Conrad (played as an adult by star-in-the-making Harris Dickinson). Technically, it's an origin story/prequel to Vaughn's two successful Kingsman films, which starred Colin Firth and Taron Egerton as members of an elite British intelligence service. Pictured: Egerton and Firth in the first Kingsman film, which came out in 2014 Egerton also starred in Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the 2017 sequel to the first film Arterton's Polly doubles as an ace code-breaker, and controls a team of cooks, servants and valets who supply information to Oxford's fledgling service. 'She's sort of Mary Poppins but more rock 'n' roll,' Arterton told me when I was on the set last year. 'From the get-go, you see that she runs things in the house.' She's in charge in the field, too. The movie's a brilliant combination of epic WWI drama meets action thriller, with threads of Vaughn's trademark larkiness woven through it. When I saw Fiennes last year he described The Duke of Oxford (motto: 'We are Oxfords, not rogues') as a nobleman with no airs and graces 'who believes there's a better way of resolving global conflicts'. In style and substance, The King's Man is leaps ahead of the cheeky-chappie Kingsman pictures Of course, the 00 designation is the provenance of Ian Fleming's James Bond movies. And just to be clear, it isn't referred to in The King's Man I was lucky enough to sneak (as you do in a lockdown) into a screening of an unfinished version of The King's Man, due to open in cinemas on September 18. It was the first picture I'd watched on a big screen in over three months and I was thrilled to be genuinely knocked out by the unexpected scope of it. It's not all action, either. There are poignant moments between Fiennes and Dickinson, as Oxford pleads with his son not to sign up for the trenches; and something touchingly honourable in the way it never belittles the sacrifice of those who lost their lives in the Great War. Vaughn has packed his cast with top names including Rhys Ifans as Rasputin. In what I reckon will become a classic sequence, Ifans performs a Cossack folk dance atop a table as he fights Fiennes, Dickinson and Djimon Hounsou, who plays Shola, the Oxfords' protector. Gemma Arterton is another Bond link. The actress, who appeared alongside Daniel Craig in Quantum Of Solace, is great in The King's Man as Polly Watkins The film also features Daniel Bruhl and Stanley Tucci. But the terrific film belongs to Fiennes Tom Hollander portrays all three royal cousins George V, Wilhelm II and Nicholas II of Russia. Charles Dance is suitably imperious as General Kitchener. Alison Steadman plays one of Polly's secret agents. Matthew Goode and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (who starred in Vaughn's Kick-Ass film) have key roles as soldiers. The film also features Daniel Bruhl and Stanley Tucci. But the terrific film belongs to Fiennes. Vaughn's cinema influences are evident in the picture. He's a big fan of John Huston's The Man Who Would Be King, with Sean Connery and Michael Caine; and a student of David Lean's masterworks, particularly Lawrence Of Arabia. In what I reckon will become a classic sequence, Ifans (pictured as Rasputin) performs a Cossack folk dance atop a table as he fights Fiennes, Dickinson and Djimon Hounsou, who plays Shola, the Oxfords' protector He and cinematographer Ben Davis persuaded Panavision to sell them the 70mm lenses Freddie Young used to shoot scenes on the latter. The lenses kept cracking and had to be constantly fixed, but they add another dimension to the movie. As the credits rolled I spotted the name Claudia Vaughn aka the filmmaker's supermodel wife Claudia Schiffer, his partner in Marv Films. 'I wouldn't be making films if it wasn't for her,' Vaughn told me. 'She's the driving force behind all this. 'I don't worry too much about what the film reviewers say. My biggest, harshest critics are Claudia and the kids.' They should be proud of the old man now. Matthew Rhys suffers some pretty punishing pummelling as the title character in the whip-smart new take on the old Perry Mason television series which starred Raymond Burr as the dogged defence attorney. Rhys's Perry definitely does not give as good as he gets unlike his Russian spy Philip Jennings in The Americans, the seminal TV series about Cold War Soviet spooks posing as 'regular' citizens. Co-star Keri Russell is now his partner off-screen as well and the part won him an Emmy, the small screen's answer to an Oscar. Matthew Rhys suffers some pretty punishing pummelling as the title character in the whip-smart new take on the old Perry Mason television series, BAZ BAMIGBOYE writes 'The writers said they wanted Perry to be a physical and emotional punch-bag,' Rhys said of his battered World War I veteran. 'Thankfully, everyone who was doing the punching was incredibly skilled.' He noted that 'the beauty of The Americans was that by the time it ended, it was Keri who was doing all the fight scenes'. She's definitely a badass, I agreed. 'And in life!' he exclaimed, as I, for a split second, hoped he was out of earshot of his other half at the rented house in upstate New York they share with their son Sam and her two children Willa and River. The original starred Raymond Burr as the dogged defence attorney Rhys helps with chores, claiming to know how to load a washing machine and a dishwasher, though 'Keri has banned me from cooking during this time ... because I'm shocking at it'. He continued, sadly: 'Seemingly, as the whole world is perfecting banana bread, I couldn't even do that.' He is, though, a dab hand at peeling bananas in the dark. 'At any given moment between 9pm and possibly 4am, any number of small voices will cry out for a banana. 'I can not only find a banana in the dark , I can have it peeled and close to a small child's mouth within seconds. Rhys's Perry definitely does not give as good as he gets unlike his Russian spy Philip Jennings in The Americans, the seminal TV series about Cold War Soviet spooks posing as 'regular' citizens. Pictured: Rhys in The Americans alongside co-star Keri Russell Russell is now his partner off-screen as well and the part won him an Emmy, the small screen's answer to an Oscar. Pictured: The pair in The Americans 'It's the one small saving grace that might catch you a couple more hours of kip before dawn breaks.' He is good, too, at keeping the three children (aged four to 12) entertained. He's the 'designated Green Goblin' when youngest Sam watches Spider-Man cartoons. And he and Keri have introduced the kids to David Attenborough's documentaries. 'All three, for once, were not only quiet but gobsmacked,' he recalled. 'We're showing them the Blue Planets next.' The new Mason drama is set in Depression-era Los Angeles with its corrupt, racist police force and a host of grifters, drifters and femmes fatales; and there are touches of Double Indemnity, Chinatown and LA Confidential There are 'talks and whispers' of a second season, Rhys told me, tantalisingly Rhys's Perry Mason drama is whip-smart They're way too young for the gripping eight-part Perry Mason series now running on Sky Atlantic. I was lucky enough to view the entire season over a weekend. The screen writers have given Mason's partners in crime Della Street (Juliet Rylance, sublime) and Paul Drake (a fine Chris Chalk) some layers of contemporary sensibilities, too. The show is set in Depression-era Los Angeles with its corrupt, racist police force and a host of grifters, drifters and femmes fatales; and there are touches of Double Indemnity, Chinatown and LA Confidential. The original Perry Mason series was a huge hit. Pictured: Rhys as Mason in the remake 'When we first meet him, he's got the world on his shoulders,' Rhys said of Mason, explaining how, in this version, he just about gets by, with one foot in the gutter, taking illicit photographs of couples caught in flagrante for an attorney (John Lithgow). Soon, though, he winds up taking over the defence of a woman accused of murdering her child. I'm a huge fan, and hope HBO book a second season. 'There are talks and whispers,' Rhys told me, tantalisingly. Watch out for... Kelly O'Sullivan, who bestows on us the deeply felt film Saint Frances, which she wrote and stars in. She plays a 34-year-old who believes she's not 'an impressive person' because she's not as successful as her contemporaries, and she's childless. She nannies for a couple and their six-year-old daughter Franny the Frances of the title. Kelly O'Sullivan, who bestows on us the deeply felt film Saint Frances, which she wrote and stars in The kid's no saint, but as played by Ramone Edith Williams (above right with O'Sullivan), she's certainly captivating, as is the film. O'Sullivan, too! I often wonder where are the British equivalents of these sharply observed, socially aware and engaging, low-budget American independent movies? We have some; but they remain secrets, because for some reason, good, low-budget British films are kept hidden by our cinematic institutions. It drives me crazy. Saint Frances is in cinemas from July 17. Dozens of theatres up and down the country are turning passionately pink. London's National Theatre will lead the way today, when key parts of the building on the South Bank will be draped with pink tape, bearing the #MissingLiveTheatre hashtag, created by top-flight costume and set designers who have formed a coalition called SceneChange. Award-winning creatives Bunny Christie, Lizzie Clachan, Anna Fleischle and Soutra Gilmour are among those involved. Oscar winner Brie Larson recalled the time she accidentally appeared in Kylie Jenner's annual Met Gala selfie back in 2017 during Thursday's webisode of First We Feast's Hot Ones. The 32-year-old Santa Barbara native awkwardly grinned in the right-hand corner of the snap alongside the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Sean Combs, A$AP Rocky, and Paris Jackson. 'Oh my gosh! So, the Met Ball bathroom is pretty notorious. It's, like, where all the cool kids hang out. I had been to Met Ball like three times and I had never gone to the bathroom because sometimes people smoke in there,' Larson - an asthmatic - explained to host Sean Evans. 'I think it's pretty funny': Oscar winner Brie Larson recalled the time she accidentally appeared in Kylie Jenner's annual Met Gala selfie back in 2017 during Thursday's webisode of First We Feast's Hot Ones 'Annual bathroom selfie': The 32-year-old Santa Barbara native (2-R) awkwardly grinned in the right-hand corner of the snap alongside the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Sean Combs, A$AP Rocky, and Paris Jackson 'My goal was to get in and out as quick as possible. I was trying to hold my breath as much as I could in there because I didn't want to deal with the smoke.' As Brie (born Brianne Desaulniers) washed her hands, the star-studded gang swept in and started getting in position for the mirror selfie. The Captain Marvel action star was 'squished' and 'couldn't move,' and she started panicking about her publicist getting 'upset' if she was in the selfie with celeb strangers. 'One of the people from the photo turned to me and was like, "You need to chill and just be here,"' Larson recalled. Larson - an asthmatic - explained to host Sean Evans: 'The Met Ball bathroom is pretty notorious. It's, like, where all the cool kids hang out. I had been to Met Ball like three times and I had never gone to the bathroom because sometimes people smoke in there' She said: 'My goal was to get in and out as quick as possible. I was trying to hold my breath as much as I could in there because I didn't want to deal with the smoke' Caught in between: As Brie washed her hands, the star-studded gang swept in and started getting in position for the mirror selfie 'You need to chill and just be here': The Captain Marvel action star was 'squished' and 'couldn't move,' and she started panicking about her publicist getting 'upset' if she was in the selfie with celeb strangers Larson recalled: 'I'm panicked because I don't know if I'm in this or not. I am truly here only because I washed my hands...By the time I walked back to my chair it was done. It had happened and I don't hate it' 'And I was like, "Okay!" I smiled [for the selfie] in a way that was like, "I'm panicked because I don't know if I'm in this or not. I am truly here only because I washed my hands. 'Is my publicist going to be upset about this? Like, I don't know any of these people." By the time I walked back to my chair it was done. It had happened and I don't hate it. I think it's pretty funny.' Brie also discussed launching her new YouTube channel Thursday and breaking the fourth wall of anonymity in the process. 'I always felt like if I revealed too much about myself that then people wouldn't be able to believe me as other characters,' the former child star explained. Actress versus personality: Brie also discussed launching her new YouTube channel Thursday and breaking the fourth wall of anonymity in the process The former child star explained: 'I always felt like if I revealed too much about myself that then people wouldn't be able to believe me as other characters' Lot's of topics: Larson also discussed the changes in Hollywood during quarantine, the artistry of Bruce Lee movies, and her passion for mushroom foraging 'That's been something that I've always held really close to my chest. So, this is kind of a way of trying to break out of that line of thought. I guess, deep down I've been too scared to be so vulnerable on the Internet.' Larson also discussed the changes in Hollywood during quarantine, the artistry of Bruce Lee movies, and her passion for mushroom foraging. Throughout the 26-minute interview, Brie's face flushed as she braved eating 10 increasingly spicier chicken wings, which 'contorted' her body leaving her 'hugging' herself. The homeschooled millennial - who has 8.5M social media followers - later tweeted: 'I went through a full Pokemon evolution and Animorphed all at once.' 'The wings of death': Throughout the 26-minute interview, Brie's face flushed as she braved eating 10 increasingly spicier chicken wings, which 'contorted' her body Everyone remembers the 2005 advert for the Natural Confectionery Company in which a little blonde girl tells her father, 'Don't chop the dinosaur, daddy!' But the young actress who appeared in the famous lolly ad has stepped away from the spotlight and now follows a more spiritual path. Joanna Hunt-Prokhovnik, 24, from Melbourne, turned her back on fame to study integral energetics, a type of holistic therapy that reduces stress. Remember her? Joanna Hunt-Prokhovnik, the child star who appeared in the famous Natural Confectionery Company advert from 2005 (left), has stepped away from the spotlight and now follows a more spiritual path. Pictured right: Joanna's LinkedIn profile picture In the advertisement, Joanna tells her on-screen father not to cut up a dinosaur lolly, saying: 'Don't chop the dinosaur, daddy!' But she soon has a change of heart and tells him: 'Chop it!' Joanna was just 10 years old when she starred in the advert, according to her IMDb profile, and went on to appear in several films including 2005's Three Dollars. All grown up! In the advertisement, Joanna famously tells her on-screen father not to cut up a dinosaur lolly, saying: 'Don't chop the dinosaur, daddy!' New path: Joanna, 24, is now a student of integral energetics at Melbourne's Tree of Life Integral Centre, which offers therapeutic services and education. Pictured third from right Go girl! Joanna (left) also has a certificate in property services for real estate, has volunteered at Life Saving Victoria, and does administrative assignments for a recruitment company Despite being nominated for an AFI Award for Best Young Actor at the time, it seems that Joanna has since given up acting. She starred in a follow-up advert for the confectionery company in 2008, but now works in a completely different field. According to her LinkedIn profile, Joanna is a student of integral energetics at Melbourne's Tree of Life Integral Centre, which offers therapeutic services and education. She also has a certificate in property services for real estate, has volunteered at Life Saving Victoria, and does administrative assignments for a recruitment company. Remember her? Mia Agraviador, the little girl who became famous for saying 'porque no los dos?' in the Old El Paso adverts (left), is now 20 years old and working as a barista in Sydney. Pictured right: Mia in a recent advert for Koala mattresses On Thursday, Daily Mail Australia revealed the story of another child star from an iconic TV commercial. The little girl who became famous for saying 'porque no los dos?' in Old El Paso's adverts is now 20 and working as a barista in Sydney. Mia Agraviador was just six years old when the nation fell in love with her catchphrase - which is Spanish for 'why not both?' - and she's still proud to call herself 'that taco girl'. Iconic! Mia Agraviador was just six years old when the nation fell in love with her catchphrase - which is Spanish for 'why not both?' - and she's still proud to call herself 'that taco girl' 'Yes, I'm the "Porque No Los Dos?" taco girl,' Mia's Instagram bio states. The former actor appears to have a passion for dance, and regularly uploads videos of herself performing hip hop and urban routines. Mia is also quite the fashionista, and likes to wear edgy outfits and stylish swimwear in photos shared to social media. Transformed: Mia has grown out her short bob and fringe and works as a barista in Sydney Showing off: She is also quite the fashionista, and likes to wear edgy outfits and stylish swimwear in photos shared to social media Mia's one-liner in the Old El Paso commercial is now a popular meme, and has become a common saying people use when they can't decide between two things. 'Porque no los dos?' is Spanish for 'why not both?' and the advert was about a taco kit that included both soft and hard shell tacos. In recent years, she has had minor roles in other commercials in which she revisits her signature catchphrase. In March, she made an appearance in an advert for Australian furniture brand Koala. Move it: The former child star appears to have a passion for dance, and regularly uploads videos of herself performing hip hop and urban routines Last month, Pedestrian did a YouTube episode with Mia for their '15 Minutes' series. She revealed that fame had come at a price, and she often felt uncomfortable with the attention she received from the commercial. As a result, she attended three separate high schools. These days, Mia is a successful artist and one of her pieces from 2015 was a finalist for the Young Archibald Prize. Signing up their painfully shy daughter for acting lessons, Samara Weaving's parents would never have presumed she would grow up to have Hollywood at her feet. But at the age 28, the former Home and Away star has already won critical acclaim for her turn as a bride fighting for her survival in the horror Ready Or Not, and just recently worked with well-known director and producer, Ryan Murphy, on his Netflix hit Hollywood. Despite boasting a famous uncle, Lord Of The Rings' Hugo Weaving, the Canberra native has relied on her own skill-set to get ahead. However, the Australian actress' rise to the top hasn't come without comparisons to a fellow Aussie star - Margot Robbie. One to watch: Australian actress Samara Weaving, 28, has won critical acclaim for the horror, Ready Or Not - and has also worked with director Ryan Murphy on his Netflix's hit Hollywood Rite of passage: Samara got her start in Australia's hugely popular soap industry, playing the role of Indi Walker [Pictured] on the soap, Home and Away, from 2009 to 2013 With her long blonde locks, big blue eyes and megawatt smile, Samara's resemblance to Oscar-nominee Margot is uncanny. When asked by InStyle if she was sick of the constant comparisons, Samara quipped: 'No, never. She's gorgeous, keep them coming!' Following in Margot's footsteps, Samara got her start in Australia's hugely popular soap industry, playing the role of Indi Walker on the soap Home and Away for four years. After filming her final scenes for the series in 2013, Samara decided to take the plunge and move to Los Angeles. Seeing double! The actress' rise to the top hasn't come without comparisons to a fellow Aussie star - Margot Robbie (R) Famous pedigree: Despite boasting a famous uncle, Lord Of The Rings' Hugo Weaving [Pictured at the Hearts and Bones premiere in Toronto in 2019], the Canberra native has relied on her own skill-set to get ahead Accompanied by her father [film reviewer Simon Weaving], the budding star headed to the west coast of America - but she found herself unemployed for nearly two years. 'I don't think that my skill set was nearly as polished as some. I really had to go and relearn how to act a little bit,' she explained in an interview with the Newcastle Herald last month. Samara's ability to hone in on her craft led to parts in the TV series Ash vs Evil Dead - available to stream on Stan - and movie The Babysitter, which cemented her rising status as Hollywood's newest 'Scream Queen.' The beauty also nabbed an exciting role in the Oscar-winning film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in 2017. Making the move: After filming her final scenes for Home and Away in 2013, Samara decided to take the plunge and move to Los Angeles [Pictured at Paris Fashion Week in March] Despite the influx of exciting opportunities, Samara famously put her foot down while working on the now axed Showtime series, SMILF. She exited the show after claiming the conditions of her contract were violated when she took part in sex scenes which were 'inappropriately handled.' Samara briefly returned to Australia in 2018 to film the TV series Picnic at Hanging Rock - an adaptation of the Joan Lindsay's 1967 novel of the same name. Hollywood finally sat up and took note last year when Samara starred alongside the likes of Adam Brody and Andie MacDowell in horror Ready Or Not - a role for which she won acclaim. After waiting five months from the day of her audition to learn she had won the role, Samara also starred in Ryan Murphy's Hollywood this year - which was adored by audiences. Hitting the big time: The beauty also nabbed an exciting role in the Oscar-winning film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in 2017 [Pictured with co-star John Hawkes] Standing her ground: Samara put her foot down while working on the now axed Showtime series, SMILF, after the conditions of her contract were violated following the 'mishandling of sex scenes' With her acting CV to date boasting a range of roles, Samara recently revealed to The Daily Telegraph that channelling her emotions into characters helps alleviate her anxiety disorder. Samara's parents first pushed her towards drama classes as a child, hoping she'd come out of her shell, but she still feels 'terribly awkward' in everyday life. 'Oh, I am still terribly awkward. I have general anxiety disorder, so that's never really going to go away,' said Samara. 'But I am very grateful that I have an outlet for that, which is my job, so I can use these emotions. Sometimes it's a way to escape that, and it's very helpful for me. 'So that nervous, shy child I think is always there, but I have developed tools and methods to cope with it.' Scream queen: Hollywood finally sat up and took note last year and Samara starred alongside Adam Brody and Andie MacDowell in horror, Ready Or Not - a role for which she won acclaim Impressive: After waiting five months from the day of her audition to learn she had won the role, Samara also starred in Ryan Murphy's Hollywood this year - which was adored by audiences Samara previously discussed her battle with anxiety with Vulture in 2019. She said of taking on different roles: 'It's very therapeutic, because I am the most anxious introvert ever. I have terrible social anxiety. 'I can't confront anyone. I can't remember the last time I got mad at someone. It's way too scary, and I'm in such awe of people who can. 'It seems like such a nice thing to do. I'd just be filled with regret, like, immediately after. I'd probably say the wrong thing, and I'm one of the people who stands in the shower after talking to an annoying person and goes 'Oh, I should've said that!''' With Hollywood at her feet, the Adelaide-born talent is currently filming Snake Eyes, which is Paramount's G.I. Joe film series spin-off alongside Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding. Survivor host and executive producer Jeff Probst is opening up about the impact the Black Lives Matter movement will have on casting, and the show's future amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Probst, 58, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, where he discussed how they are moving forward with casting, and what safety precautions will be put in place. Filming is slated to take place in Fiji, which has recently declared itself 'free' of the COVID-19 virus. Opening up: Survivor host and executive producer Jeff Probst is opening up about the impact the Black Lives Matter movement will have on casting, and the show's future amid the COVID-19 pandemic When asked what the 'immediate future' of the show will be, Probst said he wants to use the show, 'to explore new ways to examine how we're behaving as people.' 'There are all kinds of things happening in the world right now certainly they impact the physical aspects of production, but they're also going to change the tone and subject matter of a lot of shows. I think Survivor's going to be one of those shows,' he added. Probst also said they are, 'still discussing' the safety measures that will be put in place when filming begins. Behaving: When asked what the 'immediate future' of the show will be, Probst said he wants to use the show, 'to explore new ways to examine how we're behaving as people' Safety measures: Probst also said they are, 'still discussing' the safety measures that will be put in place when filming begins 'I'm on the phone every couple of days, either with the government of Fiji or with our executive teams that are in charge of logistics and planning. We're continuing to lay out ideas. We don't have a plan yet,' Probst added. He also said that safety concerns are, 'what we're spending all our time doing because it's not like we're going to Atlanta to shoot a show.' The host and producer and praised Fiji for the 'incredible job' they've done controlling the virus. Fiji: 'I'm on the phone every couple of days, either with the government of Fiji or with our executive teams that are in charge of logistics and planning. We're continuing to lay out ideas. We don't have a plan yet,' Probst added 'They've had a total of only 15 cases in their entire country, and they've had no active cases for months. They have figured out how to handle it, and they just want to ensure that when we come shoot there, we don't change that,' Probst said. Survivor alum Ramona Gray Amaro accused the show of stereotyping Black contestants, and while Probst didn't address that specifically, he did say plans are in place to increase diversity. 'The entire culture is in a beautiful upheaval, and our job is to respond to it to make sure that Survivor continues to reflect our culture and our behavior and how we're interacting with each other. Everything that's happening is going to inform the future of Survivor,' Probst said. Back in May, Probst hosted the finale of Survivor's 40th season, dubbed Winners at War, comprised entirely of past winners of the show, adding hosting from his garage was, 'really fun.' 'It became a question of, "How are we going to do it?" And our art department threw out the idea, "What if we built a mini tribal council and just shipped it to you like a Lego set and you put it together in your garage?"' Probst said. 'That's exactly what they did. It would say, "Log A connects to Plant B." My son Michael, who's 16 and was a Lego kid, and I put it together in the garage. I loosely include myself. He did most of the work,' Probst added. Lin-Manuel Miranda discussed food insecurity with World Central Kitchen founder and chef Jose Andres on Thursday ahead of the premiere of the film version of his hit Broadway musical Hamilton on Disney Plus. The 40-year-old playwright and Andres, 50, talked about the power of food to bring people together as Coca-Cola kicked off a campaign to help feed minority communities disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic with a $1 million donation to World Central Kitchen. Andres said he's been trying to help restaurants nationwide hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, while working to provide the homeless and elderly with meals while also aiming to minimize waste. Food insecurity: Lin-Manuel Miranda discussed food insecurity with World Central Kitchen Founder and chef Jose Andres on Thursday ahead of the premiere of the film version of his hit Broadway musical Hamilton on Disney Plus 'When we think about food and we think about meals together, it brings back some of our warmest memories,' said Miranda who has been longtime friends with Andres after meeting on Twitter. World Central Kitchen was founded in 2010 by Andres to provide meals in the wake of natural disasters. 'Food is so important. We all have a connection. Your family and my family, we enjoy great times together going to the market, cooking, eating. But even in emergencies, the power of a plate of food that connects people with who they are, where they come from, where they belong,' Andres said. The renowned chef also heaped praise on the playwright for his activism. Hit play: Miranda is shown in a still from the film version of Hamilton that will debut Friday on Disney+ 'The Miranda family, you've been a great example to many of us, you're always committed to help the Latina community, the black community, anybody that can be using a hand. And for that, I don't like you because you're a great guy and now I'm proud to call you a friend, I really like you because you're really committed even when no one is watching,' said Andres, who admitted that he had a 'crush' on Miranda. The playwright in a statement urged people to work together to overcome the challenges of food insecurity. 'Food insecurity, especially among minority communities, continues to rise as Black, Indigenous and People of Color have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic,' Miranda said. 'It is essential we work together as individuals and with committed partners to end hunger and create meaningful change, which is why I'm proud to support Coca-Cola and its commitment to fighting food insecurity, alongside our partners at World Central Kitchen and Disney+.' Minority communities: 'Food insecurity, especially among minority communities, continues to rise as Black, Indigenous and People of Color have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic,' Miranda said in a statement High praise: 'The Miranda family, you've been a great example to many of us, you're always committed to help the Latina community, the black community, anybody that can be using a hand,' the chef said during their conversation The $1 million donation to World Central Kitchen from Coca-Cola will serve 100,000 meals in the United States and Mexico and also will help about 150 restaurant hit hardest by COVD-19 with rehiring up to 1,400 employees. Hamilton will premiere on Friday on Disney+ five years after it debuted in New York City to critical acclaim. The musical received a record 16 Tony Nominations and won 11 awards, including Best Musical. It also received the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Hemsworths proudly call Byron Bay home. And on Friday, the close-knit family stepped out together for a low-key lunch with their friends and spouses. Hollywood star Chris and his wife, Elsa Pataky, joined his brothers, Liam and Luke, and their father, Craig, for a bite to eat at a local restaurant. Lunch with the Hemsworths! Brothers Chris and Liam joined their partners, Elsa Pataky and Gabriella Brooks, for a bite to eat in Byron Bay on Friday. Pictured: Chris and Elsa Liam's girlfriend, Gabriella Brooks, was also present. The model showed off her trim pins in a pair of denim cut-offs, which she teamed with a grey T-shirt. Chris, 36, and Elsa, 43, wrapped up against the chilly weather in matching sweaters, while Liam, 30, wore a grey T-shirt and shorts. Westworld star Luke, 38, whose wife, Samantha, was missing from the outing, covered up in jeans and a grey jacket. Also missing from the family reunion was Craig's wife and family matriarch, Leonie. Stepping out: Liam and his girlfriend, model Gabriella Brooks, looked relaxed on the day In sync! The pair both wore shorts and T-shirts in coordinating colours Keeping it casual: Westworld star Luke covered up in jeans and a grey jacket. His wife, Samantha, was not present Close-knit clan: The Hemsworths all live in Byron Bay, a town on the NSW north coast. Pictured: family patriarch Craig Hemsworth and a female friend. Craig's wife, Leonie, was not present Chris and Elsa own a $20million mega-mansion in Broken Head, near Byron Bay. It was reported in November last year that the Hemsworth family had bought another estate nearby for $4.25million. Liam is rumoured to be living at the newly-purchased property. Luke and Samantha are also locals, having moved from Los Angeles to Byron with their children in 2019. Meanwhile, Craig and Leonie are believed to own a $4.3million house at Suffolk Park. Easy living: Chris and Elsa own a $20million mega-mansion in Broken Head, near Byron Bay Property moguls: It was reported in November last year that the Hemsworth family had bought another estate nearby for $4.25million, where Liam is rumoured to be living In January, Elsa spoke to Vogue Australia about living Down Under with Chris and their three children, saying their old life in Hollywood had been 'consuming'. 'I feel Hollywood consumes you in such a way that it feels like work all the time. I think when you're in it you don't even realise but when you get out, it changes everything,' Elsa said. She added that she had always dreamed of raising her children in nature, and relocating to the Australian coast allowed her to do that. Still going strong: Liam and Gabriella have been dating for about six months Gorgeous! Gabriella showed off her stunning figure in denim cut-offs and plain white T-shirt 'I wanted to pick my kids up, I wanted to take them to school, I wanted to be part of the school and be involved in what they do,' she said. Life in Byron Bay has also allowed Elsa to have a farm with horses, which she regularly rides with her daughter, India. She explained: 'When we were trying to find a property, I had to have a place where I could have horses and my kids could be with them and enjoy that, too.' Having lived in the quiet community since 2014, the Spanish actress now feels 'privileged' to enjoy such a beautiful life. Chris and Elsa share three children together, daughter India Rose, eight, and twin sons Tristan and Sasha, six. Jennifer Lopez knows how to fly out in style. And she flexed her fashion skills as she boarded a private jet with Alex Rodriguez, her kids and dogs on Thursday. The 50-year-old mega star flaunted her legs in a cream and black Chanel mini skirt and coat set, as they left Los Angeles. Leggy display: Jennifer Lopez flaunted her legs in a cream and black Chanel mini skirt and coat set, as she boarded a private jet in Los Angeles on Thursday The Hustlers actress teamed her high fashion look with knee-high white platform boots by Coach. She kept the Chanel trend going as she carried a large black tote bag, with gold chain detailing. Leaving her hair in a natural curly state, her bangs covered her forehead as the rest was tucked up in a clip. For accessories, she shielded her eyes in square black sunglasses and wore large gold hoop earrings. Go-Go JLo: The Hustlers actress teamed her high fashion look with knee-high white platform boots by Coach Casual comfort: Alex Rodriguez looked casual in a bright white Adidas tee, black slacks and white sneakers for the flight back to Miami While the former Yankee looked casual in a bright white Adidas tee, black slacks and white sneakers. They were joined by Jennifer's twins Max and Emme, 12, who she shared with ex Marc Anthony, as well as Alex's white lab and her son's new Goldendoodle puppy. Alex took to Instagram to share that his big pup was afraid to get on the plane, as he had to carry him on to the plane. 'One of our passengers was a lil afraid to fly,' he captioned an Instagram video on Thursday, as he took the dog in his arms and up the jet's stairs. Trouble: She was also joined by Alex's white lab as she was seen trying to corral the dog onto the plane Scared: Alex took to Instagram to share that his big pup was afraid to get on the plane, as he had to carry him on to the plane. 'One of our passengers was a lil afraid to fly,' he captioned an Instagram video on Thursday Carry on: Alex carried the dog up the plane's stairs The star's twins seem to opt for comfort when flying back home to Miami, as they helped their mom unload their car. Emme wore pink leggings, an oversized grey sweatshirt and white sneakers. While Max, who carried his small puppy that seemed much less afraid of the flight, wore a grey sweatsuit. Last month she shared that the couple surprised Max with a dog of his own and shared a family portrait, pups included. Family affair: Her twins Max and Emme, 12, who she shares with ex Marc Anthony also joined them Comfort: Emme wore pink leggings, an oversized grey sweatshirt and white sneakers And another pup: While Max, who carried his small puppy that seemed much less afraid of the flight, wore a grey sweatsuit 'We surprised Max yesterday with a new puppy, a Goldendoodle. So cute, but theres one thing left to decide ... his name!' A-Rod captioned an Instagram post at the time. Alex, who shares daughters Natasha, 15, and Ella, 12, with his ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis, added, 'We are having a family debate and would love your help. Its between these two names: Tyson or Yankee Doodle???' The couple had been quarantining in Miami during the pandemic but have been spending the last few weeks in Los Angeles as he couple looked at new homes. It has been nearly three decades since Dee Smart was catapulted to stardom on Home and Away. And the actress, who was 25 when she took on the role of tomboy Lucinda Croft in 1991, surprised longtime fans of the soap when she made a rare TV appearance on The Morning Show on Friday. Now a successful artist, Dee spoke candidly about her life after being diagnosed with cancer in December. Remember her? Former Home and Away star Dee Smart, 53, discussed her cancer battle during a rare TV appearance on Channel Seven's The Morning Show on Friday Stardom: It has been nearly three decades since Dee took on the role of tomboy Lucinda Croft on Home and Away. Pictured on the show in 1991 When asked if she had any regrets after her diagnosis, Dee explained: 'I have three kids, and I know they are very capable. I've brought them up to be very independent. Their father [Chris Hancock] is a beautiful dad. 'Actually, I have one regret! I want to be a better artist and I know I need more time.' After a lengthy acting career, Dee changed direction and became an artist. In 2017, she was announced as a finalist for the prestigious Archibald Prize. Dee rose to fame in Australia and Britain in the early '90s, when she was cast in Home and Away. 'I need more time for my art': Now a successful artist, Dee spoke candidly about her life after being diagnosed with cancer in December Her character, Lucinda, was involved in a romance with policeman Nick Parrish (Bruce Roberts), as well as a plot involving her estranged brother (Guy Pearce). Despite becoming a fan favourite, Dee demanded to be released from her two-year contract after just eight months. She famously told TV Week that she felt like she was serving a 'prison sentence'. The actress was also critical of the show's fast-paced production cycle, which didn't allow time for character development. Despite her criticism of the program, Dee was told she had to fulfill her contractual obligations. However, producers later back-flipped on this decision and Lucinda was written off less than a year later. Career change: After a lengthy acting career, Dee changed direction and became an artist. In 2017, she was announced as a finalist for the prestigious Archibald Prize After taking a break from acting, she returned to screens in 1994 for the critically acclaimed student film Audacious. As well as pursuing a singing career, Dee also acted in stage productions in Australia and Great Britain. On the personal front, she has been married to Chris Hancock since June 1998, and the couple share three children. In April 2003, they both became Scientologists - but later abandoned the religion after deeming the rules too strict. Couples around the world are having their relationships put to the test during the COVID-19 pandemic - and celebrities are no exception. Some of them have come out of lockdown stronger than ever, but there are others that weren't quite so lucky. Several high-profile pairings have called it quits lately, the most recent being The Bachelorette's Angie Kent and Carlin Sterritt, who confirmed their break-up on Wednesday after weeks of speculation. The COVID curse: Several high-profile couples have broken up during coronavirus lockdown, the most recent being The Bachelorette's Angie Kent (right) and Carlin Sterritt (left) Angie and Carlin took to their respective Instagram accounts to announce the news. 'We have not wanted to confirm until this point because there have been much bigger issues going on in the world and we've both been taking space to think about what we really want,' Angie wrote. She added: 'Matters of the heart are extremely difficult and I'm sad to say that Carlin and I have broken up.' End of the road: Angie and Carlin took to their respective Instagram accounts to announce the news on Wednesday, after weeks of speculation Of course, they aren't the only ones who have split up during the coronavirus lockdown. Noni Janur and Samuel Johnston In June, Daily Mail Australia reported that The Bachelor's Noni Janur and Samuel Johnston had called time on their relationship. Parting ways: In June, Daily Mail Australia reported that The Bachelor's Noni Janur (left) and Samuel Johnston (right) had called time on their relationship While the news surfaced during lockdown, the couple are believed to have actually split following Noni's trip to Los Angeles over Christmas. 'It's been a while, they were over before Valentine's Day,' a source said at the time. Jessika Power and James Brown Iso-woes: Last week Married At First Sight Star Jessika Power (right) confirmed she had split with James Brown (left), her boyfriend of four months Last week Married At First Sight Star Jessika Power confirmed she had split with James Brown, her boyfriend of four months. 'We were having some problems and they got worse when I left the Gold Coast to go visit my family in Perth,' she explained. 'Unfortunately, we were unable to sort through them and he's decided to move on.' The pair had gone into isolation together, but Jessika explained that once lockdown restrictions started to ease and life returned to normal, they realised they were better off going their separate ways. Harry Jowsey and Francesca Farago Love lost: Last month, Too Hot to Handle star Harry Jowsey (right) announced his split from Canadian model Francesca Farago (left) Last month, Too Hot to Handle star Harry Jowsey announced his split from Canadian model Francesca Farago. He posted a video to YouTube video detailing the break-up and revealed that he wanted to 'take ownership' of what had happened. 'I saw Francesca and I remember holding her... and I could feel how much she still loved me and I just didn't have that feeling anymore,' Harry said. Sam Frost and Dave Bashford Officially over: Home and Away's Sam Frost (right) confirmed her split from long-term boyfriend Dave Bashford (left) earlier this week Home and Away's Sam Frost confirmed her split from long-term boyfriend Dave Bashford earlier this week. While it's possible they ended things in lockdown, break-up rumours had first surfaced in January, two months before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. A representative for the actress announced the split on Thursday, saying: 'Sam and Dave are no longer in a relationship. They remain great mates.' Actress and fashionista Zoey Deutch took a break from LA quarantine with rugged but stylish road trip in a decked out luxury campervan. The 25-year-old actress was the epitome of boho glamour as she hit the California Coast for a drive through Northern California to reach the Redwood Forest, Big Sur and up into Oregon. Zoey rocked a flowy polka dot frock as she took to her Instagram to share pictures of her socially distant adventure in a fully decked out Outdoorsy campervan. Her own private paradise: Zoey Deutch was the epitome of bohemian glamour as she enjoyed a stunning Pacific coast road trip in a luxury Outdoorsy camper The Politician actress kept a fresh face while cozied up in the corner of the camper sipping on a glass of red wine and nibbling on cheese and crackers. Bare feet continued her carefree vibe. Zoey was definitely traveling in style with her digs provided by Outdoorsy, the largest and most trusted RV rental marketplace. Her home for her outdoor adventure was a 19 foot, brand new 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van which came fully equipped with a queen size bed, sink, microwave, refrigerator, ventilation and private shower. Views: Zoey rocked a flowy polka dot frock as she took to her Instagram to share pictures of her socially distant adventure Vroom: Zoey was definitely traveling in style with her digs provided by Outdoorsy, the largest and most trusted RV rental marketplace The rig came with tons of storage space as well as insulated/magnetic blackout curtains, full laminate counter tops & vinyl floors, USB & outlets throughout, LED recessed lighting and a built in roof rack for the ultimate viewing deck. Outdoorsy is the new face of outdoor travel making the outdoors accessible to everyone by connecting a community of RV owners with renters. Outdoorsy RV Rentals are available in over 4,800 cities and 14 countries ensuring guests all over the world enjoy the most unique and user-friendly experience in the space. Journey: The 25-year-old actress was the epitome of boho glamour as she hit the California Coast for a drive through Northern California to reach the Redwood Forest, Big Sur and up into Oregon Home away from home: Her home for her outdoor adventure was a 19 foot, brand new 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van which came fully equipped with a queen size bed, sink, microwave, refrigerator, ventilation and private shower The rising talent - who is the daughter of director Howard Deutch and actress-director Lea Thompson - has been enjoying time between projects. She recently turned heads as the wily Infinity Jackson on The Politician, which released its second season to Netflix last month. Zoey's next film Most Dangerous Game is currently in pre-production. MasterChef winner Larissa Takchi is heading to court after being charged with allegedly driving with a suspended licence. According to The Parramatta Advertiser, the 23-year-old was also charged with allegedly going 20km/h over the speed limit in Sydney's Dural on April 10. Ms Takchi, who won the Channel 10 cooking show last year, was allegedly caught speeding on the 60km/h Old Northern Road. Heading to court: MasterChef winner Larissa Takchi is heading to court after being charged with allegedly driving with a suspended licence and speeding in Sydney's Dural on April 10 Larissa, whose family run the Wild Pear Cafe in Dural, reportedly said outside court that the incident was a 'huge misunderstanding'. 'It's such a huge misunderstanding. That's why we're going to court,' she said. Ms Takchi's case was adjourned at Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday to July 22, when it's believed she will enter a plea. To be continued: s Takchi's case was adjourned at Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday to July 22, when it's believed she will enter a plea Court records obtained by Daily Mail Australia show that she faces a charge of allegedly driving over the speed limit and allegedly driving with a suspended licence. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Takchi's representative for comment. Last year, Ms Takchi won MasterChef Australia at just 22 years old, becoming the youngest winner in the franchise's history. Success: Last year, Ms Takchi won MasterChef Australia at just 22 years old, becoming the youngest winner in the franchise's history She took home the title after getting three perfect scores from the judges for her unusual take on pavlova. Larissa won a top-of-the-range Holden Equinox, a monthly column in Delicious magazine and $250,000 in cash. Shortly after her victory, Larissa announced her engagement to her boyfriend of six years, Luke Dominello. Kate Beckinsale has been in lockdown mode with boyfriend Goody Grace amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But on Thursday the Underworld star, 46, and her new musician beau, 23, decided to make a break outside to enjoy some of the Southern California sun during a shopping excursion. And with the number of confirmed cases in the Golden State currently on a dangerous spike in recent weeks, the loved-up couple both wore protective masks as they packed on the PDA during their stroll down the street. Break out: Kate Beckinsale, 46, and new beau Goody Grace, 23, took a reprieve from their COVID-19 quarantine to do a little shopping in Los Angeles on Thursday The pair, who were first spotted out in public together in April, put their affection for each other on display by holding hand almost the entire time. The London-born actress showed off her casual-cool look in tight black denim jeans and a black pinstripe blazer over a white t-shirt. She rounded out her ensemble with a pair of black-pointed boots and her brown tresses styled long with some soft and subtle waves. Grace, who's a native of Canada, strutted his rocker style in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles in all black that consisted of tight denim jeans, t-shirt, jacket and Converse sneakers. Loved-up: The couple packed on the PDA and held hands during their shopping excursion Can't keep my eyes off of you: The pair even shared google eyes with each other Eyes Without a face: The pair wore protective masks as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on Stylish: The London-born actress showed off her casual-cool look in tight black denim jeans, a black pinstripe blazer over a white t-shirt and pointed boots In another show of affection, the couple would often turn to each other and share some seductive looks, all while continuing to hold hands. Beckinsale kept her eyes hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, but Grace couldn't hide his obvious infatuation for his lady by not donning any eyeglass wear. The Canadian musician (born Garrett Charles Nash) carried a brown shopping bag all all the way until they reached their car, hopped in, and drove away. Chatty: The pair seemed to be engaged in a conversation the entire time of their walk Sleek: Grace strutted down the street in his rocker style in all black, consisting of tight denim jeans, t-shirt, jacket and Converse sneakers New item: The couple were first seen together holding hands in April On the go: The Canadian native carried a brown bag as he hold his lady's hand In recent days, the Van Helsing star clapped back at a troll who questioned her taste in younger men. When one Instagram follower asked, 'Why do you keep dating guys that could be your children?' she shot back with a heavy dose of attitude: 'every relationship I have had has been solely to annoy you.' The actress went on to target followers who asked if she was bored and 'had too much time on her hands.' 'Im rarely on other peoples Instagrams with unoriginal comments, so, no,' she responded. A source told People that Beckinsale 'enjoys Grace's company, and that she finds him 'very mature, smart and creative.' The source went on to reveal that the couple have been dating since the beginning of the new year. In recent days, the Van Helsing star clapped back at a troll who questioned her taste in younger men. When an Instagram follower asked, 'Why do you keep dating guys that could be your children?' the actress shot back: 'every relationship I have had has been solely to annoy you.' Defending her choice of men: The actress went on to target followers who asked if she was bored and 'had too much time on her hands' Safety first: The Underworld leading lady also wore protective gloves She is one of the world's top models. And Alessandra Ambrosio proved just why as she stepped out in LA for a meal with pals while wearing a stylish and safe face mask on Thursday. The 39-year-old showed off her sartorial flair in the fringed zebra print summer coat which she wore atop of a tropical leaf print co-ord. Fashion: Alessandra Ambrosio proved just why she is one of the world's top models as she stepped out in LA for a meal with pals while wearing a stylish and safe face mask on Thursday The green shirt and matching flared trousers sheathed over Alessandra's slender frame. The supermodel opted for comfort on her feet in white sandals and clashed her mixed prints with a leopard print face mask. Alessandra wore her brunette hair in soft waves and finished off her statement look with a gold pair of sunglasses. Walk on the wild side: The 39-year-old showed off her sartorial flair in the fringed zebra print summer coat which she wore atop of a tropical leaf print co-ord The fashionista appeared in high spirits as she headed with her pals to a Greek restaurant. It comes after Alessandra shared a slew of sultry bikini-clad naps during a boat trip in Malibu. The Victoria's Secret angel looked incredible as she lounged photo on a boat in a golden yellow bikini and sunglasses with the scenic Pacific Ocean as her backdrop. Fun in the sun: It comes after Alessandra shared a slew of sultry bikini-clad naps during a boat trip in Malibu Wow: The Victoria's Secret angel looked incredible as she lounged photo on a boat in a golden yellow bikini and sunglasses 'I'm sailing away ...' she gushed in the caption. Alessandra has been keeping busy with her children Anja and Noah, who she shares with her former fiance, businessman Jamie Mazur, 39. The former couple were together for 10 years until they called off their relationship in early 2018. The bombshell and Alanui founder Nicolo were first linked together in July 2018, when they were seen getting close at the HQ2 Nightclub in Atlantic City, New Jersey, according to Page Six. 'The two were very affectionate with each other, kissing and, when she wasn't dancing, they had their arms around each other,' a source said. She emerged as a fan favourite on this year's season of Big Brother, and now it seems Angela Clancy is looking to cash in on her popularity. The 38-year-old reality star was spotted leaving Wild Child Laboratories in Perth with her father, who is also her manager, on Thursday. The laboratory specialises in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, with Angela teasing an exciting new project. Taking care of business: Big Brother's Angela Clancy was spotted leaving Wild Child Laboratories in Perth with her manager father on Thursday Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the feisty Big Brother housemate revealed she's working on launching a lip gloss line. The business meeting seemed to have gone well, with Angela beaming as she left the laboratory. She looked chic in a pair of taupe leather-look pants with a belted paper bag waist and elasticated ankles. Coming soon: The laboratory specialises in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, with Angela teasing an exciting new project Lip service: Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the feisty Big Brother housemate revealed she's working on launching a lip gloss line Angela paired her pants with a mauve blouson top, completing the stylish ensemble with a pair of high-heeled taupe gladiator sandals. She carried a black handbag in the nook of her elbow, and wore her long braided hair in a high ponytail on top of her head. Meanwhile, her dad looked smart in a pair of black trousers, which he teamed with a light blue shirt and a grey blazer. On the production line: In a post on Instagram on Friday, Angela teased her visit to the laboratory, sharing photos from inside In a post on Instagram on Friday, Angela teased her visit to the laboratory, sharing photos from inside. 'Happy Fridayyyy! I wonder what's cooking? #makingmoneymoves,' she captioned a series of photos of herself inside. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Angela for additional comment. It has been one week since Channel Seven's The Daily Edition was axed after seven years on-air. And former host Sally Obermeder has revealed she has been 'adjusting' to her new life away from the afternoon talk show. On Friday, the 46-year-old stunned in a cheetah-print midi-dress and denim jacket, shooting her beaming smile to the camera. New normal: Sally Obermeder revealed this week was an 'adjustment' but she's 'settling into' it after the Daily Edition was axed 'All the feels on this Friday. It's been a week of adjusting, but I'm settling into it nicely. Happy Friday all,' Sally wrote in her Instagram caption. Last week, the brunette beauty broke down in tears as she presented the final episode of the show. Sally was very emotional as she thanked viewers for their support over the years, but there was no mention of her co-host Ryan Phelan, who was axed on Monday following domestic violence allegations. She said: 'Thank you so much you guys for your tireless dedication to the program, your energy and commitment. I cannot talk about the team without crying.' Time to say goodbye! Sally broke down in tears during the final episode of The Daily Edition last week 'You guys have been the heart and the soul of this show. And to you, our viewers, thank you again from all of us at The Daily Edition,' she said as she held back tears. Sally wrapped up her final week of hosting The Daily Edition with former co-host Tom Williams by her side. Tom, who hosted The Daily Edition from 2013 to 2018, returned to the show on Wednesday to replace Ryan Phelan, who was sacked on Monday after being charged over an alleged domestic violence incident. Case: Sally wrapped up her final week of hosting The Daily Edition with former co-host Tom Williams (pictured), who replaced Ryan Phelan, after he was sacked on Monday night after being charged over an alleged domestic violence incident Phelan, 45, was charged on Monday night over an alleged domestic violence incident with his girlfriend, 44-year-old ballet instructor Chelsea Franklin, at their home in Frenchs Forest in Sydney's northern beaches. Hours before he was charged with the alleged assault, the television presenter arrived for his final week at work as though nothing was amiss. Phelan presented alongside Obermeder for The Daily Edition, before filling in for Mel McLaughlin on the 6pm sport bulletin. Good Morning Britain star Andi Peters interrupted his segment on the show on Friday to make an emotional plea to viewers about Black Lives Matter. The show stalwart, 49, took a break from announcing a competition in his home garage to urge fans to continue discussing the movement and insisted he needed to make the plea as 'one of the only black people on the show'. He said: 'We've all started this conversation and one of the best things about Good Morning Britain is that we talk about it - we're not brushing it under the rug, we're not tip-toeing around, we are talking about it.' Reaching out: Good Morning Britain star Andi Peters interrupted his segment on the show on Friday to make an emotional plea to viewers about Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter protests erupted around the world last month after George Floyd was killed in police custody in May. Ex-police officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after a video surfaced of him crushing 46-year-old Floyd's neck with his knee in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the segment on Friday, Andi said: 'I just want to say something as I can, as one of the only black people on this show, it is so important that we all keep talking. It really is. People meet me in the street and ask me how I feel about it. 'We've all started this conversation and one of the best things about Good Morning Britain is that we talk about it - we're not brushing it under the rug, we're not tip-toeing around, we are talking about it. Reaching out: The show stalwart, 49, took a break from announcing a competition in his home garage to urge fans to continue discussing the movement and insisted he needed to make the plea as 'one of the only black people on the show' Killed: Black Lives Matter protests erupted around the world last month after George Floyd was killed in police custody in May 'Every day on this programme we are talking about it and it's really important that we do. Every black kid watching right now - you could do this job... 'Anyway, let me tell you about this prize Sorry, I felt that I needed to say it. I shouldn't apologise, I mustn't apologise - I just wanted to say it.' Last month, Andi's GMB co-star Alex Beresford spoke candidly about his personal experience with racism, as he insists the problems in the US and UK are 'similar'. Reaching out: Last month, Andi's GMB co-star Alex Beresford spoke candidly about his personal experience with racism, as he insists the problems in the US and UK are 'similar' The 39-year-old weather presenter penned an impassioned essay for The Sun, in which he wrote: 'There is a perception that racism which results in police brutality is "not as bad here as it is over there"... 'This perception is wrong, there are many similarities. Systemic racism has been proven to exist in these institutions.' Going on to state that the police have been 'proven to use excessive force disproportionately with people of colour', the Bristol native also said that things wouldn't unlikely improve until lawmen stopped 'stop policing stereotypes'. She returned to work after filming of Coronation Street resumed last month. And between her return to the cobbles and lockdown, Sally Dynevor was spotted running errands with her daughter Harriet, 16, in Alderley Edge, on Friday. The actress, 57, who has played Sally Metcalfe in the UK soap since 1986, stepped out to spend some quality time with her youngest child. Quality time: Coronation Street's Sally Dynevor was spotted running errands with her daughter Harriet, 16, on a day off on Friday Sally, who is also mother to Phoebe, 25, and Samuel, 23, with husband Tim Dynevor, cut a low-key figure as she emerged with the stylish teen. She opted for a casual look in some blue jeans and a puffy navy blouse, while finishing her look with a pair of black and white trainers and black sunglasses. Her daughter Harriet kept things simple in a pair of PrettyLittleThing white jogging bottoms and a black crop top that she paired with some white trainers. The pair were seen going to G Wienholt Bakery - famed for its pies and pastries. Running errands: The actress, 57, who plays Sally Metcalfe in the UK hit soap, stepped out to spend some quality time with her daughter, Harriet, in Alderley Edge, Cheshire Starring role: The actress has played Sally Metcalfe in the UK soap since 1986 The mother-daughter duo stuck to social distancing rules as they entered the bakery and linked arms as they left and crossed the road. Both Sally and Harriet seemed in high spirits as they beamed while on their jaunt. Sally returned to the set of Coronation Street last month after filming of the UK's most-watched soap was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. As the actors return to filming, the plan is to make enough shows to continue airing three episodes a week to ensure the soap remains on-screen in July. Casual: Her daughter Harriet kept things simple in a pair of PrettyLittleThing white jogging bottoms and a black crop top that she paired with some white trainers No kissing! Andrew Whyment, pictured as Kirk Sutherland, has revealed that kissing scenes will be banned in accordance with new social distancing measures ITV bosses previously confirmed that older cast members will be kept at home during the first few weeks of filming. Andy Whyment, who plays Kirk in the soap, also revealed that kissing scenes will be banned in accordance with new social distancing measures. The star also shared a picture of new soap scripts to his Instagram, he penned: 'New scripts EXCITED' with smiley faces and a thumbs up emoji. Secret: Andy shared a picture of new soap scripts to his Instagram on Tuesday, he penned: 'New scripts EXCITED' with smiley faces and a thumbs up emoji The new safety measures are in accordance with the recently issued TV production guidelines which will be observed whilst filming the top ITV soap. The new episodes will be scheduled following the instalments recorded earlier this year before the coronavirus pandemic halted production in March. Cast and crew over the age of 70, or with an underlying health condition, will be kept at home during the early stages. 'Too risky': Cast and crew over the age of 70, or with an underlying health condition, will be kept at home during the early stages (Ken Barlow's Bill Roache, 88, left, 88, and Audrey Roberts' Sue Nicholls, 76, right) This may be sad news for soap fans, as cast members who fall into that age bracket include William Roache (who plays Ken Barlow), Barbara Knox (Rita Tanner), Sue Nicholls (Audrey Roberts) and Maureen Lipman (Evelyn Plummer). It has been reported that older stars may still appear via video calls, with a source telling Talk TV according to The Sun: 'Bosses know just how important these characters are to their millions of fans. 'And who wouldn't love to see the likes of Ken, Evelyn and Roy taking part in a Zoom quiz night? 'Or Tracy calling her dad and telling him how much she misses him. There are good ways to do it and that's what they're looking into at the moment.' Marilyn Monroe made cinematic history in 1955, when she donned a billowing white dress in The Seven Year Itch while standing above a gusty subway crate in New York. And Ashley Roberts was borrowing from the past on Friday as she too donned a stunning white dress while falling victim to the elements. The Pussycat Dolls star, 38, looked incredible while heading to work at Global Studios in Leicester Square while enjoying her own Marilyn moment. Wow! Ashley Roberts looked incredible while heading to work at Global Studios in Leicester Square while enjoying her own Marilyn Monroe moment Ashley - who seldom puts a sartorial foot wrong - was again winning in the style stakes as she wowed in the sizzling white dress. Oozing elegance and sophistication, she showcased her lithe and lengthy legs while highlighting her waist with a thick black waist belt. Keeping the black accents worked throughout, she accessorised with a black handbag and sky-high black heels to boost her height. Ashley became something of an Anglophile when she relocated from Los Angeles to London seven years ago after the Pussycat Dolls went on hiatus in 2010. Oh my! The Pussycat Dolls star, 38, was borrowing from Marilyn's iconic 1955 moment on Friday as she too donned a stunning white dress while falling victim to the elements Radiant: Ashley - who seldom puts a sartorial foot wrong - was again winning in the style stakes as she wowed in the sizzling white dress She said in an interview with the Mail on Sunday's YOU magazine: 'If someone had told me 10 years ago that this would be my home and I'd be drinking builder's tea and saying Brit things like loo and rubbish, I'd have been, like, "No way!"' The TV and radio personality has been focusing her professional efforts on her Heart FM gig after the Pussycat Dolls were forced to postpone their reunion tour until October due to coronavirus. Confirming the news in March, she said: 'I know it's a bummer to postpone. We have all waited so long for this to happen. But it's everyone's health and safety that matters the most. That being said... I can't wait to see y'all in October!' Radiant: Oozing elegance and sophistication, she showcased her lithe and lengthy legs while highlighting her waist with a thick black waist belt All white? Keeping the black accents worked throughout, she accessorised with a black handbag and sky-high black heels to boost her height Aside from her work, in her love life, Ashley's most recent relationship was with Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice, 29. The couple called time on their year-long romance in January after meeting during Ashley's stint on the BBC One dance competition in late 2018. She reportedly been playing the field of late, as reports have alleged that David Walliams has set his sights on a romance with the star. Legs eleven! Aside from her work, in her love life, Ashley's most recent relationship was with Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice, 29 According to The Sun, the Britain's Got Talent star, 48, is believed to have split from celebrity make-up artist, Lou Teasdale, earlier this year following a brief romance. A source has claimed the comedian has since reached out to the presenter and hopes to date her once the coronavirus lockdown is lifted. An insider told the publication: 'David was really knocked after his painful split from Lara [Stone], but is very much looking for love now.' Way to go: The couple called time on their year-long romance in January after meeting during Ashley's stint on the BBC One dance competition in late 2018 BBC Two is set air all three series of the critically acclaimed period drama Harlots, acquired by the channel from ITV Studios. Samantha Morton, 43, Lesley Manville, 64, and Jessica Brown Findlay, 30, star in the series, which is produced by Monumental Pictures, part of ITV Studios. Liv Tyler, 43, joins the cast in series two and three. The show first aired in 2017. Raunchy: Period drama Harlots is set to air on BBC Two starring Samantha Morton, (left) as a brothel owner and mother alongside Liv Tyler and Lesley Manville, (right) Set against the backdrop of 18th century Georgian London, Harlots is a powerful family drama offering a brand new take on the citys most valuable commercial activity - sex. Inspired by the stories of real women, the series follows Margaret Wells (Morton) and her daughters, as she struggles to reconcile her roles as mother and brothel owner. When her business comes under attack from Lydia Quigley (Manville), a rival madam with a ruthless streak, Margaret fights back, even if it means putting her family at risk. Wild: Set in 18th century Georgian London, Harlots is a family drama offering a brand new take on the citys most valuable commercial activity - sex (Liv Tyler is pictured centre) Brown Findlay stars as Charlotte, Margarets eldest daughter and the citys most coveted courtesan who begins to grapple with her position in both society and her immediate family. Sue Deeks, BBC Head of Programme Acquisition said: 'Rided by a truly magnificent cast, HARLOTS brings 18th Century London to life with enormous style, wit, intelligence and humour. 'BBC viewers will become immersed in the gripping lives of business women Margaret Wells and Lydia Quigley, as they make their way in Londons grimy, decadent world.' Star: Downton's Jessica Brown Findlay, (left) stars as Charlotte, Margarets eldest daughter and the citys most coveted courtesan who begins to grapple with her position Series 1 and 2 will be aired back to back on BBC Two later this year. Series 3 is set to be aired at a later date. It's a busy time for Lesley who will be taking over the role of Princess Margaret from Helena Bonham Carter, 54, in The Crown, series five The star joins Imelda Staunton in the line-up, who has been cast as Queen Elizabeth II in the hit. Congrats! Lesley has just been cast as Princess Margaret (right in 1966) for the fifth and final season ofThe Crown Advertisement They flew out to Spain to celebrate their third wedding anniversary. And Duncan Bannatyne, 71, and his glamorous wife Nigora, 40, were certainly living it up as they headed out to sea on a friend's 865,000 luxury Sunseeker yacht on Thursday. The Uzbekistan beauty, who has maintained her workout regime during lockdown, showcased her incredible figure in a Barbie pink cut-out swimsuit. Wow: Duncan Bannatyne's glamorous wife Nigora showcased her incredible bikini body in a pink swimsuit as the couple headed out on a luxury yacht in Spain on Friday Nigora looked tanned and toned in the racy one-piece which highlighted her svelte waist. She strutted onto the yacht in her pink ra-ra skirt but later whipped it off as she took to the decking for a spot of sunbathing. Donning a pair of oversized shades, Nigora kept cool with a white fedora hat and accessorised her beachwear with statement blue earrings, a matching necklace and a straw bag. Celebrations: The couple flew out to Spain to celebrate their third wedding anniversary Feminine: Nigora looked tanned and toned in the racy one-piece which highlighted her svelte waist Fiesta! Duncan, meanwhile, looked in full holiday mode in a Hawaiian print shirt and blue shorts Happy anniversary! The couple marked their anniversary with a romantic shot of them sharing a kiss at their wedding on Instagram on Wednesday Duncan, meanwhile, looked in full holiday mode in a blue Hawaiian print shirt. The Dragon's Den star kept in line with safety precautions in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic by wearing a face mask as he made his way onto the yacht. The couple, who have a holiday home in Portugal, looked like they were staying the night as they carried a couple of Louis Vuitton suitcases on board. The Sunseeker yacht costs an eye-watering 865,000 and can sleep six, with a full beam midships master stateroom. Bronzed: The brunette beauty already sported a golden tan as she headed out for the day Stylish: Donning a pair of oversized shades, Nigora kept cool with a white fedora hat and accessorised her beachwear with statement blue earrings, a matching necklace and a straw bag Topping up her tan: While Duncan chatted to the boys, Nigora took to the decking for a spot of sunbathing Heading out to sea: Duncan needed a helping hand as he made his way onto the yacht Picturesque: Nigora appeared in high spirits while her friend snapped scenic pictures Nigora and Duncan marked their anniversary with a romantic shot of them sharing a kiss at their wedding on Instagram on Wednesday. Beside the image, Nigora wrote: 'Happy 3 years anniversary to us! @duncan.banntyne I love you so much [heart emojis]' Returning his wife's affections, Duncan wrote: 'Love you so much darling. Three years married today. Feels like forever. [heart emojis]' All eyes on her: Nigora cut a very glamorous figure in her pink beachwear which she teamed with a cute pom pom bag Impressive: The Sunseeker yacht costs an eye-watering 865,000 and can sleep six, with a full beam midships master stateroom Nigora is Duncan's third wife after previously tying the knot with Gail Brodie and Joanne McCue, in 1987 and 2006 respectively. Thrice-wed Duncan has four children with Gail and two with Joanna. Uzbekistan-born Nigora is also a parent to daughter Gabrielle from a former relationship. Giggly display: Nigora and her female friends shared a laugh as they soaked up the sun Happily married: Duncan and Nigora married in Portugal, where the couple share a home, after a two-year courtship Straight off the plane: The group arrived at the port via taxi Here come the boys! Duncan and a pal were assisted by a member of staff as they hauled their suitcases onto the yacht Love: Nigora wrote: 'Happy 3 years anniversary to us! @duncan.banntyne I love you so much [heart emojis]' in a gushing Instagram post to her husband on Wednesday Living it up: The couple looked like they were staying the night as they carried a couple of Louis Vuitton suitcases on board Speaking to This Morning shortly after exchanging vows, the billionaire businessman didn't rule out the possibility of having more children. 'Well be planning the future family,' he said. I would like to have at least two boys. I cant wait to be a dad again.' Nigora also conveyed why she wants to expand her family with Duncan, adding: 'Hes an amazing father. I'm proud of how he is with my daughter. She adores Duncan and couldnt ask for better stepfather. 'Hes going to be an amazing father to my future children.' Duncan and Nigora married in Portugal, where the couple share a home, after a two-year courtship. Grand day out: The couple were joined by a group of friends for the boat trip She has been keeping her followers up to date with her sizzling looks during lockdown. But Anais Gallagher sported a much more casual ensemble as she went out for a stroll in north London on Friday in jogging bottoms and a baggy T-shirt. The daughter of Oasis legend Noel Gallagher and Meg Mathews, 20, looked laid-back in her bright orange tracksuit bottoms. Laid back: Anais Gallagher sported a casual ensemble as she went out for a stroll in north London on Friday in jogging bottoms and a baggy t-shirt Anais proved she has inherited her parents' grunge style as she paired the baggy trousers with an equally loose-fitting lilac shirt with puffed sleeves. The blonde beauty, who is quite the fashionista, finished off her look with a blue bandana in her hair and a pair of black and white Vans trainers. The relaxed outfit marks quite a different look for Anais, who is no stranger to flaunting her svelte frame on social media. Casual: The daughter of Oasis legend Noel Gallagher and Meg Mathews, 20, looked laid back in her bright orange tracksuit bottoms She uploaded the snap for her 210,000 followers alongside the caption: 'I never really knew what my body type was. 'Some say apple, some say rectangle, some just say 12 year old boy. 'But alternatively I give you, sexy human anime version of Rupert the Bear.' Oh my! Anais has been keeping her followers up to date with her sizzling looks throughout lockdown And in May she set pulses racing again in a picture showing her just in her underpants and a cropped cardigan. Before then, she smouldered in a racy set of Agent Provocateur lingerie complete with suspenders and stockings. The model posed wearing an underwear set, including a suspender belt in her mother Meg Mathews's home on social media. Love: Anais with her beloved mother, pictured in 2016 together Looking incredible, she captioned the image with the words: 'Here I am once again caught looking 511 when Im subsequently 53.' Her father, Oasis songwriter Noel did not comment the picture. He has engaged in yet another feud with his brother Liam after releasing a previously unheard Oasis track in April. Noel had found the 15-year-old demo in a box of CDs he believed had been 'lost forever.' But Liam does not sing on the track and nor does guitarist Bonehead perform. Oh dear: The picture comes after her father Noel (right ) and uncle Liam (centre) had another row after the release of a 15-year-old previously unheard of Oasis track (pictured in 1997) Taking to Twitter some hours later, Liam had aired his disdain, writing: 'Oi tofu boy if your gonna release old demos make sure im singing on it and boneheads playing guitar on it if not its not worth a w*** as you were LG x.' His post comes after fans went wild for the release, lauding it for its positive tone, although many noticed that Liam had been left out as Noel sings and plays music. Anais had shown her support for the song by reposting her father's announcement tweet. She's best known for her photographs of iconic figures including Kate Moss and David Bowie, as well as a busty Claudia Schiffer posing on the back of a convertible. And now three of Ellen von Unwerths photographs will feature in Opera Gallerys first post-lockdown exhibition Masterpiece from this weekend until July 25. The exhibition will show that photo of Kate and Bowie, Heidi Klum flashing her bottom in suspenders and fashion models showing off their underwear. Superstars: Kate Moss and David Bowie hug in an iconic Ellen von Unwerth photograph which will feature at the Opera Gallery in Bond Street's new exhibition at the weekend (pictured in New York in 2003) Busty: Von Unwerth, 66, made her name launching the careers of models like Claudia Schiffer -this one does not feature in the show but can be bought from the gallery Some of Ellen's most famous photographs which do not feature in the exhibition, can still be bought from the gallery. Von Unwerth, 66, made her name launching the careers of Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, among others, turning them into modern icons. Her reputation for using the female gaze to celebrate the female form and womens sensuality has made her one of the most in-demand fashion photographers. A moment in time: Heidi Klum flashed her bottom in suspenders when she was photographed by Ellen in Kitbuhel in 2003 and this photo will feature in the exhibition Twinning: This cheeky model shoot, entitled Double Trouble and taken in New York in 2008, will also feature in the exhibition The three photos included in the exhibition feature a series of the artists most iconic images from the decade that were defined by the original It Girls of high fashion. She shot Kate Moss for Vogue wearing a silk chemise while posing in front of the fridge. Ellen also shot Claudia in a lace bustier as she smouldered in front of the camera as well as her famous sexy lingerie campaigns for Guess. Got milk? Other images show Kate Moss posing in front of a fridge for Vogue while wearing a silk chemise for Vogue US in 1991 Wow! Naomi Campbell looks iconic in this black and white snap of her in lingerie taken for Interview magazine in LA in 1991 Muse: And Claudia looks like a complete bombeshell in this black lace bustier for Guess, shot in Morrocco in 1989 She's got it: Ellen also photographed the model in her lingerie once again for a famous Guess campaign shot in Mykonos in 1990 The German photographer has previously said: 'Technique undoubtedly helps make photography magical, but I prefer to work with atmosphere. 'I think that the obsession with technique is a male thing. I would rather search for a new model or location.' Opera Gallerys post-lockdown Masterpiece Exhibition runs from 4th - 25th July 2020, at Opera Gallery, 134 New Bond Street, W1S 2TF, London. For more information visit www.operagallery.com Mysterious: She captured Nadja Auermann, for a picture called The Mask, for Vogue UK, in Paris in 1991 She was portrayed as a ruthless villain on the last season of The Bachelor. But Abbie Chatfield has revealed she has very specific goals in mind when it comes to her appearance on Bachelor in Paradise - and they don't involve Australian men. In a promotional video for the new season, the 25-year-old said that she has set her sights set on UK-born Ciarran Stott, or that she hopes to find romance with an American man. 'I'm praying for an American!' Abbie Chatfield is hoping to find love with an American man on Bachelor In Paradise 'Yeah I mean, I want to see Ciarran just because he's so comfortable in himself as a man but he does feminine things. I love it,' she explained. Abbie added: 'But other than that, I'm just praying for an American to come.' However, it appears Ciarran didn't want to limit himself to dating just one girl while on Bachelor in Paradise. 'Yeah I mean, I want to see Ciarran just because he's so comfortable in himself as a man but he does feminine things. I love it. But other than that, I'm just praying for an American to come,' Abbie explained The 26-year-old believes he will be seen as the villain on the upcoming season. He told the Manchester Evening News in April that while he doesn't regret his time on the show, his public image may well be tarnished when it goes to air. 'I think I'll go from the sweetheart of Australia to the bad boy of Australia so that won't be good,' he said. Enjoying himself! The English-born heartthrob explained that every girl in the villa took him out on a date, which he really enjoyed, claiming the show should be renamed 'Ciarran in Paradise' The English-born heartthrob explained that every girl in the villa took him out on a date, which he really enjoyed, claiming the show should be renamed 'Ciarran in Paradise'. 'I just thought I was on Love Island so [I] was trying to get with every bird possible,' he said. In a recent teaser for the upcoming season, ex-Bachelorette star Ciarran Stott arrives naked at the Fijian villa with only a bunch of red grapes covering his modesty. Coming soon! The third season of Bachelor in Paradise will premiere on Channel 10 on Wednesday, July 15 at 7:30pm. Pictured: Abbie Chatfield He confidently strides up to Abbie, who reveals she has a crush on him. 'I came here for Ciarran. He's hot and such a naughty boy. He's mine and I'm going to get him,' Abbie says in the trailer. The reality TV spin-off will launch on Channel 10 on Wednesday, July 15 at 7:30pm, the network announced on Friday. Padma Lakshmi is taking a stand about the issues impacting females and minorities in the 'male-dominated' American food industry. The star, 49, says the food sector needs to be more inclusive for women and people of color, and believes that change can begin with successful 'white male chefs.' 'The professional food industry is one of the most male-dominated sectors of our society,' she told Us Weekly. 'Probably the only place that's more male-dominated is the military and so I would like to see that change,' Padma told the website. Speaking up: Padma Lakshmi is taking a stand about the issues impacting the 'male-dominated' American food industry 'Most of the food in this world is actually made by women and yet the professional food world is taken over by men, so I would like to see that disparity decrease considerably.' Padma said this equality could be achieved by implementing paid maternity leave, equal pay, addressing sexual harassment and assigning everyone better hours. 'It will only happen with paid maternity leave, better hours, better accountability for sexual harassment, equal pay between men and women and between ethnicities,' she said. Padma believes it's up to 'white male chefs', who may have had more learning opportunities early in their career, to do the same for their female coworkers and colleagues of color. The hostess with the mostess! Padma, meanwhile, rose to stardom as the host of the hit Bravo competition show, Top Chef Eat all about it: Nowadays she is on Hulu as the host of yet another food-oriented show, Taste The Nation 'I would like to see big, white male chefs in our industry make a concerted effort to mentor and speak out for women and minorities to mentor them and give them the same richness of experience and privilege that white males have had. I think that would go a long way. 'We don't even teach African American food in culinary school in this country and we should. That is a rich part of our history here, and I think we need to expand and broaden what we consider important in modern gastronomy.' Padma, meanwhile, rose to stardom as the host of the hit Bravo competition show, Top Chef. Yum! Lakshmi explored El Paso, Texas on an episode of Taste The Nation Strike a pose: The Bravo star exuded cool in her forest green ensemble 'I wanted to find out about other immigrants': Taste The Nation was inspired by Padma's work in immigration rights Nowadays she is on Hulu as the host of yet another food-oriented show, Taste The Nation. 'The show was really just an extension of my advocacy work and I hope its a way to advocate for these communities, while being informative and teaching people something, but also just being entertaining,' she told Us Weekly. Taste The Nation was inspired by Padma's work in immigration rights. 'I started working together with the American Civil Liberties Union just after the election, shortly after the Muslim ban and the family separation at the border started,' she recently told NPR. 'And I'm an immigrant. I came to America when I was four from India. And so this is obviously an issue that's very personal to me. So I wanted to find out about other immigrants. 'And I started getting deeper and deeper involved. And it seemed to me food would be a great way to get into these communities ... I wanted to reflect my point of view as a woman, as a person of color, as a mother, but also be about more than just the food. The food is really just the excuse to embed myself.' He's never been shy of stepping out of his comfort zone. And Gordon Ramsay is set to wrangle with a live piranha in the latest episode of his Uncharted series. In a first look at Sunday's episode, the chef, 53, joked his cameraman 'nearly lost a toe' after pulling the live fish into his little boat while fishing in the Guyana rivers. Daring: Gordon Ramsay, 53, is set to wrangle with a live piranha as he braves the rivers of Guyana in the latest episode of his Uncharted series In the clip, Gordon casts his fishing rod into the murky waters before successfully pulling out a live piranha. Clearly shocked by the size of the fish, he screams: 'Oh s***t' before dropping the piranha in the boat, dangerously close to his cameraman, adding: 'It's in the f*****g boat man!' Narrating the hilarious moment, Gordon jokes: 'Ooops I panicked there but it's the biggest fish yet, luckily my cameraman was wearing shoes or he could have lost a toe.' Funny: The chef joked his cameraman 'nearly lost a toe' after pulling the live fish into his little boat while fishing in the Guyana rivers Careful they bite! In the clip, Gordon casts his fishing rod into the murky waters before successfully pulling out a live piranha After his guide manages to catch an even bigger fish they pretend to make the two animals kiss as the clip comes to an end. Sharing the preview with his fans on Instagram, Gordon captioned the post: 'I think the #piranhas knew I wanted to cook them.... it's not easy fishing in #Guyana this Sunday on #Uncharted at 10/9c on @natgeochannel!' Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted sees the star journey around the world where he meets people from different countries, tries exotic regional cuisines and learns about their food and culture. Close call: Narrating the hilarious moment, Gordon jokes: 'Ooops I panicked there but it's the biggest fish yet, luckily my cameraman was wearing shoes or he could have lost a toe' Cheeky smooch: After his guide manages to catch an even bigger fish they pretend to make the two animals kiss as the clip comes to an end A recent episode showed the star leaping from a helicopter into the sea below after the pilot informed him that he's unable to land at a nearby beach. In showstopping images, Gordon was seen edging towards the open door of the helicopter as he looked down below. After emerging unscathed, Gordon said: 'Jumping out of a helicopter into a ferocious sea, laced with sharks, to get to the beach. 'Trust me, after that jump, I hope those mussels are worth it, because I'm here to learn.' Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted airs in America on Sundays at 10/9c on National Geographic. It is not yet known if the series will be shown in the UK. Scheana Shay opened up about struggling to see her pregnant friends, after recently suffering a heartbreaking miscarriage. The 35-year-old Vanderpump Rules star, who has been leaning on her beau Brock Davies for support, detailed their devastating pregnancy loss on a lengthy YouTube on Wednesday. While sitting on her bed, she told fans that she miscarried at six weeks and had initially been shocked to learn she could even get pregnant without the help of IVF. Struggling: Scheana Shay, who has been leaning on her beau Brock Davies for support, shared the devastating details of their pregnancy loss on a lengthy YouTube 'Hey everyone, this is not how I was planning the vlog to go, but you guys have been following me on my fertility journey for the last year and a half,' she said, looking grief-stricken. She explained: 'I felt like I owed it to you, to tell what has been going on with me the last couple months.' At first, the raven-haired beauty spoke about quitting smoking and drinking before her birthday in May, to prepare for a round of IVF. Healthy: At first, the raven-haired beauty spoke about quitting smoking and drinking before her birthday in May, to prepare for a round of IVF 'Hey everyone, this is not how I was planning the vlog to go, but you guys have been following me on my fertility journey for the last year and a half,' she said, looking grief-stricken. Subsequently, she was overcome with joy to conceive naturally and called her pregnancy the 'best surprise ever for someone thinking it could never happen.' During one of her ultrasounds, however, her doctor expressed concern over her low HCG hormone levels, which were not 'doubling or tripling as it should.' Due to coronavirus restrictions, Shay reminded her viewers that nobody else was allowed in the room and she received the news alone. Pregnancy news: Subsequently, she shocked to learn she was already expecting naturally and called her pregnancy the 'best surprise ever for someone thinking it could never happen' Due to coronavirus restrictions, Shay reminded her viewers that nobody else was allowed in the room during her ultrasound In mid-June on a trip to San Diego to celebrate her beau's birthday, she discovered she was miscarrying. Ultimately, she learned 'there was no heartbeat' or anything 'progressing' or 'growing inside' her uterus. She, then, underwent a Dilation and curettage (D&C) to remove any remaining tissue from her uterus. Concern: During one of her ultrasounds, however, her doctor expressed concern over her low HCG hormone levels levels 'Seeing a few of my friends pregnant right now and knowing I was going to be there with them and now Im not,' she lamented 'Seeing a few of my friends pregnant right now and knowing I was going to be there with them and now Im not,' she lamented. 'Its just really, really hard.' Mourning: With grief in her voice, she said: 'I didnt know how bad I wanted this until I had a little taste of it and now its gone too soon' With grief in her voice, she said: 'I didnt know how bad I wanted this until I had a little taste of it and now its gone too soon.' Her former Vanderpump Rules co-star Stassi Schroeder is pregnant with fiance Beau Clark. Her video also shared some more light-heartened, including taking many positive pregnancy tests, telling her mom the pregnancy news and speculating she might be having a boy. She concluded the video with recordings of her and Brock cuddling. On Thursday she took to her Instagram Story to thank fans for their ongoing support and appeared in better spirits, as she enjoyed a day by the pool with her man. Late last month, Scheana first opened up about her loss on the new installment of her Scheananigans with Scheana Shay podcast. On Thursday she took to her Instagram Story to thank fans for their ongoing support and appeared in better spirits, as she enjoyed a day by the pool with her man 'A few weeks ago, we found out that I was pregnant, and for those of you who have followed my fertility journey and freezing my eggs the last year and a half, I didn't think I could get pregnant on my own,' 'My doctors told me that it would be close to impossible.' she added. After discovering she was pregnant the excited couple started dreaming about their future family and planned out how they were going to announce the happy news to family. Perfect pair: She beamed, while soaking in the sunshine with her man We were freaking out, but just so excited because we didn't know or think this was possible,' she said. However, things took a turn for the worse during a trip to San Diego earlier this month when Scheana said she felt 'off' and started to freak out after bleeding all weekend. The reality star said she tried to stay positive despite going to the doctor again and finding out that her progesterone levels had dropped significantly. Sunny: She wore a blank bikini top and white bottoms She was given progesterone pills but unfortunately it wasn't enough to save her pregnancy. 'My OB got me in early, they did an ultrasound and there was no heartbeat,' she said, voice cracking with emotion. 'There was just nothing progressing, nothing going on inside. There were parts that he could see were starting to form, and it just didn't. So obviously, [that was] just devastating. We were so excited. Gone so quickly. It's still been a lot to process. Lea Michele has returned to social media following weeks of backlash where her past bad on-set behaviour was exposed. In some Instagram posts on Friday the pregnant actress is seen while hiking in a bra top and leggings and her baby bump fully on show. Lea, 33, looked carefree as she walked down a woodland path, turning around to look at the camera. Business as usual: Lea Michele returned to Instagram on Friday with this snap of her hiking, with her bump on display The Scream Queens star also took precautions against the spread of COVID-19 and wore a face mask, despite it not being required if you are exercising outdoors with members of your household. Sharing three photos to her Instagram stories, the actress gave followers a glimpse of the lush green mountain terrain she was enjoying. The Bronx-born beauty is expecting her first child with husband Zandy Reich, who she married last year. Lea's last post on her main Instagram feed is the apology she issued last month after former castmates and co-workers spoke out about the way she treats people. She's been on the receiving end of criticism over her alleged on-set behavior on Glee, with claims she is rude, entitled and discriminatory. Natural beauty: Sharing three photos to her Instagram stories, the actress gave followers a glimpse of the lush green mountain terrain she was enjoying Broadway star Craig Ramsay slammed her for the way that she conducted herself on set even calling her 'a despicable, horrible human being' during an interview on Behind The Velvet Rope With David Yontef. He had worked with the actress on a Broadway production of Fiddler On The Roof from 2004 to 2005 along with Rosie O'Donnell. Ramsay was asked about the experience when he said: 'I know them all. I just didnt want to hear Lea Micheles name in this interview. At all! I think shes a despicable, horrible human being. I think she has lost touch with reality.' The troubled time has seemingly forced the actress to focus on the simple things as a source close to the star told People on Friday: 'She is close to giving birth, taking time to spend with family and reflecting.' Perhaps the negative publicity has turned into a positive for Lea as last month some friends and former co-workers of Michele's told The Post that the Glee alum has 'had a real wake-up call' and wants to 'responsibly' right her wrongs. Moving on: Friends and former co-workers of Michele's told The Post that the Glee alum has 'had a real wake-up call' and wants to 'responsibly' right her wrongs 'She is listening, she hears what everyone says and wants to apologize. This is her past and she wants to handle things responsibly,' claimed one insider. They added: 'It's never easy to hear people speak about you this way. It's a total shock.' One former co-worker of Lea's did not deny that Michele was notoriously difficult to work with, but insisted she was never purposely discriminatory. 'Lea was a b**ch to a lot of people who are now taking the opportunity to come forward. 'She may not be the nicest person, but she's not racist, sexist or transphobic. I would say she has behavioral issues that she's dealing with,' concluded the source. Issues: One former co-worker of Lea's did not deny that Michele was notoriously difficult to work with, but insisted she was never purposely discriminatory; Lea pictured on Glee in 2009 Accusations: Samantha Ware, 28, - pictured in August 2019 - who appeared as Jane Hayward on the show's sixth season in 2015, began the backlash against Michele, saying: 'Remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?!... ' 'George Floyd did not deserve this': The bullying allegations came to light after Michele took to social media in early June to pay tribute to George Floyd Remember me? The message was met with an acerbic response from former co-star Samantha Many of the stories shared of Michele stemmed from her time starring as Rachel Berry on Glee from 2009 until 2015. Michele apologized for her behavior days after the first allegations, and said she has 'never judged others by their background or color of their skin.' She also insisted she will learn from the mistakes she has made so she 'can be a real role model for my child' when she gives birth in a couple of months. The bullying allegations came to light after Michele took to social media in early June to pay tribute to George Floyd, writing: 'George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end' she wrote. Hitting out: The actress admitted her 'privileged position and immaturity' had contributed to causing pain to her former co-star in a statement posted to Instagram days later Samantha Ware, who appeared as Jane Hayward on the show's sixth season in 2015, scolded Michele days later, saying: 'Remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?!... 'Cause I'll never forget... I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity you would 's*** in my wig!' amongst other traumatic microaggressions that made me question a career in Hollywood.' Other stars including Amber Riley have also spoken out against Lea, who was recently dropped by the company Hello Fresh over the controversy. Her other co-stars including Heather Morris and Amber Riley spoke out against Michele for her behavior on set along with multiple other guest stars who were on Glee. However, Michele has also received support from Dean Geye - who played her boyfriend on Glee for one season saying she was always 'professional' and 'welcoming' Glee's Iqbal Theba said he was not mistreated by Michele and former Glee producer Marti Noxon has also stuck up for her. She was forced to postpone her wedding in the U.S. due to the coronavirus crisis. But Louisa Lytton looked to be in good spirits as she stepped out in London during a break from filming EastEnders on Friday. The soap star, 31, kept it casual in a black GymShark top and matching figure-hugging leggings which accentuated her toned physique. Beaming: Eastenders star Louisa Lytton looked to be in good spirits as she stepped out in London on Friday She finished the look with a multi-coloured clutch bag but held her phone and car keys tightly in her hand. Louisa styled her brunette tresses poker straight before they were buffeted by the wind. The soap star looked over her shoulder and beamed toward the camera as she clambered into her car. Low-key: The actress, 31, kept it casual in a black GymShark top and matching figure-hugging leggings which accentuated her toned physique Accessories: She finished the look with a multi-coloured clutch bag but held her phone and car keys tightly in her hand It comes after Louisa was forced to postpone her wedding in the U.S. due to the coronavirus crisis. But her spirits were recently lifted after her friends threw her a surprise hen do in the park on the day they should have been flying out to Croatia together. The actress revealed that she was tricked into believing she was going to Ikea with her fiance, before actually being surprised with a picnic. Surprise! It comes after Louisa was forced to postpone her wedding in the U.S. due to the coronavirus crisis - but her spirits were recently lifted after her friends threw her a surprise hen do in the park on the day they should have been flying out to Croatia together Louisa looked every inch the stunning bride-to-be as she donned a white veil with her stylish crop top and flowing orange maxi skirt. The soap star also wore a sweet headband which spelt out the word 'bride', while sipping on a glass of bubbly with her gal pals. Fully embracing the hen do spirit, Louisa also wore a sash which has the words 'bride to be', splashed across the front in metallic gold lettering. Love: The actress revealed that she was tricked into believing she was going to Ikea with her fiance, before actually being surprised with a picnic She captioned the snaps: 'Today we would have been jetting off for my hen do, instead I went to work, came home and argued with Ben as to why I didn't want to 'go to IKEA in 30 degree heat'. 'Little did I know it was all a ploy to get me to my surprise pre hen picnic. What a special day, social distance celebrations are fast becoming my fave. A picnic with my girls in the sun. All that was needed x love you all x Thank you.' Louisa is yet to reveal when he wedding, which should have been taking place in August, has been rescheduled for. Louisa and Ben got engaged on her 30th birthday while on holidays in the Maldives last year, just a year after being together. Glowing: Louisa looked every inch the stunning bride-to-be as she donned a white veil with her stylish crop top and flowing orange maxi skirt The soap star admitted during a recent interview on Loose Women that her fiance's proposal didn't go to plan. The actress revealed that Ben had planned music which didn't end up happening and instead of just the two of them being captured during romantic footage shot on his drone, a cleaner was filmed in the background. Talking about the moment to the Loose Women panellists, Louisa said: 'Obviously, I didnt know what was going on! 'It all happened in the Maldives, he has a drone, which is like a pet! He's filming, what I think is the island, I'm moaning like "Hurry up, I want to go sunbathe - naturally". Cheers: The soap star also wore a sweet headband which spelt out the word 'bride', while sipping on a glass of bubbly with her gal pals Exciting: Fully embracing the hen do spirit, Louisa also wore a sash which has the words 'bride to be', splashed across the front in metallic gold lettering 'He filmed the whole proposal on his drone, he planned to play music - it didn't happen. There's a cleaner in the back of the shot watching this drone, the whole video we have got the cleaner is there watching it.' Yet despite Ben's proposal not going to plan, Louisa gushed that she 'loved it', she sweetly added: 'For me, it was amazing, I was so shocked. I am still shocked now, I cant believe I am getting married.' The actress then teased some wedding details as she revealed that they are planning to get married in August in York adding: 'A summer wedding, in York. Beautiful, yeah, I can't wait!' Angelina Jolie and her 11-year-old daughter Vivienne were glimpsed out and about in Los Angeles this Friday. The 45-year-old film star and her little girl made sure to keep their masks on as they headed out to run an errand. Slipping her enviably trim figure into a chrome dress, Angelina wore her luxurious dark hair down and rounded off the look with flats. Out and about: Angelina Jolie and her 11-year-old daughter Vivienne were glimpsed out and about in Los Angeles this Friday Angelina shares Vivienne and five other children with her ex-husband Brad Pitt, who infamously left his first wife Jennifer Aniston for her. Vivienne has a twin brother called Knox as well as four older siblings - Maddox, 18, Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, and Shiloh, 14. Angelina had not been seen for months amid the coronavirus pandemic before she and Vivienne were seen on a shopping trip earlier this week. Last week Brad was spotted leaving Angelina's mansion in Los Feliz possibly signaling that their equation with each other was improving. Staying safe: The 45-year-old film star and her little girl made sure to keep their masks on as they headed out to run an errand Although they got together in 2005 they waited until 2014 to get married, only for Angelina to file for divorce in September 2016. Since then they have battled legally over custody and finances, with Angelina reportedly demanding more money than Brad wanted to give. Living arrangements also became a sticking point as Brad was allegedly preventing Angelina from moving out of the country with their children. 'I would love to live abroad and will do so as soon as my children are 18,' she told Harper's Bazaar late last year for their December/January issue. 'Right now Im having to base where their father chooses to live.' The look: Slipping her enviably trim figure into a chrome dress, Angelina wore her luxurious dark hair down and rounded off the look with flats Brad has confessed to having been an alcoholic before Angelina left him but he has since gotten sober, and last year a judge granted him more time with the children. The Maleficent star gave birth to Vivienne and Knox in Nice, less than 200km from her and Brad's Chateau Miraval in the South Of France. Angelina and Brad went to Namibia for Shiloh's birth and had the government enforce a no-fly zone over the area they were in. The way they were: Angelina shares Vivienne and five other children with her ex-husband Brad Pitt, who infamously left his first wife Jennifer Aniston for her; 'Brangelina' are pictured in 2015 An official at Namibia's Washington embassy dished at that time: 'The government has decided that it will issue visas to journalists to go to Namibia and cover Angelina and Brad if they have consent from the parties.' Near the start of this year's coronavirus lockdowns Angelina donated $1 million to No Kid Hungry, a organization to feed underprivileged children and their families. She has worked extensively with the United Nations and co-wrote a Time essay published in March plugging UNESCO's new Global Education Coalition, which was started to facilitate remote education as schools closed around the world. Angelina has jetted around the world in service of various causes and in 2012 got special envoy status from the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees. Chrissy Teigen publicly lambasted American Airlines on Friday, after Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) uploaded a photo of his packed flight to Twitter. 'Not to be dramatic but American Airlines only cares about money and doesn't care if you get sick and die,' tweeted the 34-year-old model, who shared Merkley's post with her 13.1million followers. American Airlines sparked controversy earlier this week by announcing they would resume booking 'flights to capacity starting July 1' amid reported COVID-19 spikes. Called out: Chrissy Teigen publicly lambasted American Airlines on Friday, after Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) uploaded a photo of his packed flight to Twitter 'How many Americans will die bc you fill middle seats, w/ your customers shoulder to shoulder, hour after hour,' began Merkley in his original tweet. Though everyone in his self-portrait appeared to be wearing face masks, Merkley criticized the lack of social-distancing and the leniencies in place regarding mask removal. 'This is incredibly irresponsible. People eat & drink on planes & must take off masks to do so. No way you aren't facilitating spread of COVID infections,' he concluded. During a Senate hearing this week, CDC virologist Dr. Robert Redfield declared American Airlines' decision as a 'substantial disappointment' and '[not the] right message' to be sending amid the pandemic. Not holding back: 'Not to be dramatic but American Airlines only cares about money and doesn't care if you get sick and die,' tweeted the 34-year-old model, who shared Merkley's post with her 13.1million followers; Teigen pictured in 2019 Dr. Anthony Fauci added that American Airlines' actions are 'something that is of concern' and that he 'would hope that there would be something to mitigate against that.' On Thursday, The United States recorded 'more than 52,291 new cases' of coronavirus, which marked 'a new all-time high for cases recorded in a single day,' according to the New York Daily News. Despite the backlash and criticism, American Airlines insisted in a statement released earlier this week that they are 'are unwavering in [their] commitment to the safety and well-being of [their] customers and team members.' Not doing enough: Though everyone in his self-portrait appeared to be wearing masks, Merkley criticized the lack of social-distancing and the leniencies in place regarding mask removal Disappointment: During a Senate hearing this week, CDC virologist Dr. Robert Redfield declared American Airlines' decision as a 'substantial disappointment' and '[not the] right message' to be sending The airline claims to have 'multiple layers of protection in place for those who fly with [them], including required face coverings, enhanced cleaning procedures, and a pre-flight COVID-19 symptom checklist.' American Airlines added: 'and we're providing additional flexibility for customers to change their travel plans, as well.' 'We know our customers are placing their trust in us to make every aspect of their journey safe, and we are committed to doing just that.' Brian Austin Green is setting the record straight on his love life, after being romantically linked to both Courtney Stodden and Tina Louise in the last month. The estranged husband of Megan Fox addressed romance rumors with Tina and expressed his frustration at Courtney's decision this week to post a clip of them in the hot tub together on her Instagram. 'Tina- Tina's really cool, I literally just met her that day, outside her restaurant, on the sidewalk' Brian, 46, said of photographs of him with the Australian beauty who he had lunch with on Tuesday. Disappointed: Brian Austin Green has slammed Courtney Stodden for sharing a video of them in the hot tub this week. The actor is pictured back in March He called Tina 'super nice' but denied they're dating. Then, when it came to Courtney, who the Beverly Hills 90210 actor was first pictured with last month, Brian wasn't so complimentary. 'Courtney, super nice... but disappointing,' He told a reporter in a video obtained by Dailymail.com. Referring to the bizarre hot tub video Courtney posted on Wednesday, Brian explained, 'I was just trying to be a nice guy, I shot a video for her friend Ashley, saying hello. 'That was a month-plus ago, that was back when the pictures of her and I came out,' he added, while loading up his car with groceries in Malibu. Referring to the bizarre hot tub video Courtney posted to her Instagram, Brian explained, 'I was just trying to be a nice guy, I shot a video for her friend Ashley, saying hello Brian said it was 'a little disappointing' that Courtney decided to post the video the day that Tina and he had lunch 'knowing that it would cause problems for Tina - and myself - having three kids, it kinda sucks,'. The actor insisted he didn't want to 'bash' Courtney, who rose to fame when she married Green Mile actor Doug Hutchison when she was just 16 and he was 51. 'I think she's a nice person, I just think she's making some bad choices' he added of the 25-year-old TV personality. Courtney puzzled her Instagram followers when she posted a video while in a hot tub with Brian, seemingly intoxicated, and rambling about someone named Ashley. Friendship: Brian and Courtney were first spotted hanging out on June 13 as they picked up Mexican takeout at a restaurant in LA 'I think she's a nice person, I just think she's making some bad choices' Brian said of the 25-year-old TV personality Brian and Courtney were first spotted hanging out on June 13 as they picked up Mexican takeout at a restaurant in LA. And soon after it was claimed they were just friends who connected on social media and are hoping to collaborate on music together. Then this week Brian sparked romance rumors with Tina, 38, as they put on a flirty display in LA on Tuesday. Tina is a successful glamour model, vegan foodie and a social media influencer who has graced the covers of magazines such as FHM, Maxim and Zoo Weekly. On her Instagram page, she bills herself as a Sugar Taco investor - the restaurant she was spotted at with the hunky actor. Brian's estranged wife is currently dating rapper Machine Gun Kelly following their split after 10 years of marriage. They share three sons together, Noah, seven, Bodhi, six and Journey, three. Ben Affleck has been beyond smitten with his Deep Water co-star Ana de Armas, 32, since going public with their relationship in March. And on Friday, the 47-year-old actor was clearly on caffeine duty as he arrived with Ana to a friend's home in Los Angeles with two iced coffee drinks in his hands. Affleck had his CDC-recommended mask on for the duration of their visit, while Ana waited until entering their pal's front gate to place hers on her face. Coffee run: On Friday, Ben Affleck was clearly on caffeine duty as he arrived with Ana to a friend's home in Los Angeles with two iced coffee drinks in hand The Cuban beauty flaunted her toned arms in a black spaghetti strap sundress that featured a slight ruffle at the hem. On her feet were a pair of sneakers that appeared to be the green variation of the one's her boyfriend also happened to be wearing during their outing. Ana's brunette hair was parted in the middle and flowed down to her chest in its natural wave. Though she a appeared to be wearing little to no makeup, Ana did not hesitate to deck out her neck, wrist, and ears with plenty of gold jewelry. Affleck donned a blue t-shirt with a lighting bolt printed on the front of it and an accidental condensation stain from one of the coffees in his hands. Different approach: Affleck had his CDC-recommended mask on for the duration of their visit, while Ana waited until entering their pal's front gate to place hers on her face Summer vibes: The Cuban beauty flaunted her toned arms in a black spaghetti strap sundress that featured a slight ruffle at the hem He paired the graphic tee with some black trousers and his go-to beige trainers. Ben debuted a darker beard in late May, and late last month he appeared to apply the same shade to his hair, which gave him a more youthful appearance. Ben and Ana first met during the filming of the Adrian Lynedirected erotic thriller Deep Water, which is based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith. The thriller stars Ben as a jealous husband who murders the men his adulterous wife gets close to. The film, a remake of the 1981 French thriller Eaux Profondes starring Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Louis Trintignant, is currently set for a November 13 release date. Meeting on set: Ben and Ana first met during the filming of the Adrian Lynedirected erotic thriller Deep Water, which is based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith Balancing act: Affleck donned a blue t-shirt with a lighting bolt printed on the front of it and an accidental condensation stain from one of the coffees in his hands When Ben is not spending time with Ana, he is usually with his three children, Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and Samuel, eight. He shares all three with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, 47, whom he was married to from 2005 until their separation in 2015. Despite the breakup of their marriage, both parents have managed to maintain a positive relationship, and they regularly come together to support their children at school events and special occasions. Ana was also previously married to the Spanish actor Marc Clotet from 20112013. The film on which they met: Depp and Heard at the premiere of The Rum Diary in 2011 Once he was the coolest anti-hero in Hollywood. Now, Johnny Depp is aiming to clear his name of allegations that he beat second wife Amber Heard in a sensational High Court case that starts in London next week. Depp, 57, who is understood to be in Paris with former partner Vanessa Paradis and their two children, Lily Rose, 21, and Jack, 18, is suing The Sun newspaper for libel after it described him as a 'wife beater' in April 2018. The three-week trial is due to start on Tuesday and will pitch him against bisexual actress Amber Heard. She is claiming that Depp hit and choked her while in the grip of addictions to drugs and alcohol. Depp's team, however, contend that she has simply made up all her accounts of assault. In fact, they say that she assaulted him. The pre-trial hearing has proved explosive with claims that Depp begged his assistant for 'happy pills' and 'whitey stuff' which lawyers claim meant ecstasy and cocaine days before he allegedly assaulted his wife. The legal documents, seen by this newspaper, make for compelling reading. In them, Amber, 34, is called a 'Gone Girl' a reference to the 2012 thriller by Gillian Flynn (and later movie) in which a wife goes missing and leaves a trail of faked evidence which frames her husband for her murder. So what are the allegations against Depp now filed in greater number and detail than ever before and how will he respond? Here is the story of the trial, which is set to be the showbiz sensation of the year. Stormy romance hits the rocks Depp and Heard met in 2011 when she was cast as his love interest in the film The Rum Diary. They were first romantically linked in June 2012, just as Depp was splitting from Vanessa Paradis, his partner of 14 years. They were married in February 2015 on Depp's private Caribbean island. The couple ran into trouble in April 2015 during the filming of Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales after being caught trying to smuggle their dogs, Pistol and Boo, illegally into Australia on a private jet. Heard filed a restraining order against Depp a month later, saying she was 'extremely afraid' of the star. Allegations surfaced that he had hit her, and she appeared in public with a bruised face. Their divorce became final in early 2017, Heard receiving a 5.3 million settlement paltry against Depp's reputed 400 million fortune. She also had to pay her own legal fees. A painting 'in flames' Amber Heard and Tasya Van Ree are pictured above She said: In March 2013, Depp was 'getting drunk and high on drugs' when he became angry as Heard had hung up a painting by female photographer Tasya van Ree whom she had dated. He tried to 'set fire to the painting', then allegedly hit Amber so hard 'that blood from her lip ended up on the wall'. He also shook her and shoved her into a wall. Depp later referred to what happened in a text as a 'disco bloodbath'. He said: The signed painting was hanging by her bed. 'The claimant asked Ms Heard, as a courtesy, if she would move the painting somewhere else.' He denies hitting, grabbing, shaking or shoving her or attempting to set fire to the painting. Advertisement That 'whitey stuff' text A pre-trial skirmish ended badly for Depp after a judge ruled that he had breached a High Court order by not disclosing text messages which showed that he was seeking to buy drugs. Mr Justice Nicol said that the texts dated from shortly before the alleged assault in Australia should have been disclosed. In the texts from 2015, Depp pleads with assistant Nathan Holmes to supply him with drugs. 'We should have more happy pills!!! Can you?' he asks. Subsequently he asks: 'Need more whitey stuff ASAP brotherman . . . and the e-business!!! Please I'm in a bad bad shape. Say NOTHING to NOBODY!!!!' A pre-trial skirmish ended badly for Depp after a judge ruled that he had breached a High Court order by not disclosing text messages which showed that he was seeking to buy drugs Drugs and 'the monster' She said: In documents filed at the High Court, it is said that Depp was 'controlling verbally and physically abusive towards Ms Heard, particularly when he was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs'. The document goes on: 'In early 2013, Ms Heard and the claimant (Depp) were in Los Angeles when he first hit her. During a conversation about a tattoo, Ms Heard laughed at something the claimant had said as she thought he had made a joke. The claimant responded by repeatedly slapping Ms Heard across the face. 'The third hit knocked Ms Heard to the floor . . .the claimant cried, apologised and tried to explain his behaviour saying he snaps sometimes into something he called 'the monster' and promised he would not do it again.' He said: In his witness statement for the trial, Depp said he and Heard 'took drugs together', including MDMA, magic mushrooms and cocaine but said: 'I never suffered with addiction from those drugs. Nor did any drug or alcohol ever make me undertake violence against anyone.' He denies hitting or slapping her, adding: 'The claimant confined himself to drinking wine and using marijuana, having been sober from around December 2011 to August 2012.' A set-to on a private plane She said: In May 2014, they were travelling from Boston to LA when he threw objects at her head, pushed a chair at her as she walked by, yelled at her, slapped her in the face and kicked her in the back. When she fell over, he threw his boot at her. 'The claimant continued to scream obscenities until he went to the bathroom of the plane and passed out.' He then sent her a text message explaining his 'shame and regret'. He said: Depp says he was sketching while she 'harangued' him before he went to sleep on the floor of the plane's locked bathroom. Trouble in rehab paradise She said: In the Bahamas in August 2014 they were trying to 'help the claimant reduce his dependency on prescription painkillers and drugs'. Depp kicked a door so hard it splintered. He pushed her to the ground, slapped her and grabbed her by the hair. He said: The trip was 'to cure his dependence on painkillers and not other drugs'. Depp says he was frequently sedated because of the 'physically painful process of withdrawal'. He says he did not assault her. He asked her to leave him alone and paid for her and her friends to stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The photograph of the splintered door was not, he says, taken in the Bahamas. 'Why be a fraud? All is such bull' She said: During a row in December 2015 at their penthouse apartment in Los Angeles, Depp threw a decanter at her, slapped her and dragged her by her hair, pulling 'large chunks of hair and scalp' out of her head. He then allegedly hit her repeatedly, knocking her to the floor, yelling, 'Oh you think you're a f***ing tough guy' when she stood up. He then headbutted her, and a few days later described this as giving her 'a little knock with my head'. She told him she would leave him and he again grabbed her by the hair and slapped her in the face, before punching her in the head 'with a closed fist' shouting that he hated her. He wrote a message on their kitchen counter-top which said: 'Why be a fraud? All is such bull****.' He said: Depp says, 'Ms Heard fabricated the alleged violence . . . the only violence committed on that date was by Ms Heard. She violently attacked the claimant leaving him with scratches and swelling on his face. The day after the alleged incident, Ms Heard had no visible injuries on her face.' Bruising? Marks that Heard claims Depp inflicted in December 2015 Advertisement Drugs, blood and a message in urine She said: In Australia in 2015, Heard outlines a 'three-day ordeal of physical assault'. She says her injuries included a broken lip, swollen nose and cuts all over her body. One argument began after Depp took out a bag of MDMA (ecstasy). She says he slapped and shoved her, and he stayed up all night taking drugs and boozing. The next day he 'grabbed her by the neck'. That night he repeatedly shoved her up against the refrigerator in the kitchen, grabbed her by the neck, 'slammed her against the counter-top and strangled her'. He also smashed a telephone, which led to the top of his finger being sliced off. The next morning she came down to find messages written 'in a combination of oil paint and the blood from his finger. He had also urinated all over the house'. He said: The argument began because Depp wanted to file a post-nuptial agreement which 'caused Ms Heard to go into a prolonged and extreme rage'. He was seeking refuge from her 'in locked bathrooms'. He had not had a drink in over a year and 'did not grab or hurt Ms Heard in any way'. He says she threw two bottles at him, one of which smashed against his finger, 'severing the top of his finger and fracturing multiple bones in it. Ms Heard then put a cigarette out on the claimant's right cheek'. He admits to writing on a mirror and walls in blood and oil paint but denies urinating. Shocking end to a birthday party She said: The couple argued in April 2016 after he arrived late to a birthday celebration she was having with friends. He threw a 'magnum-sized' bottle of champagne against her that missed and hit a wall before locking her in a bedroom and shoving her to the floor. Documents claim: 'The claimant left Ms Heard a note which said: 'Happy F*****g Birthday.' ' He said: Depp says she punched him twice in the face as he was reading a book in bed, and twice more after he stood up. He 'pushed her away from him and told her he was leaving'. The final fight She said: In May 2016, Depp arrived at their apartment in New York 'drunk and high' and 'very angry'. He threw a phone at her, 'striking her cheek and eye', and her friends took photographs of the injury and items which he had smashed in a rage. 'The claimant started to slap, shake and yank Ms Heard around the room while she continued to scream.' His security team arrived, and Depp allegedly carried on smashing items and kicked a hole in a door. He said: Depp's team deny that he was drunk or high when he arrived to fetch some of his belongings. He brought two of his security team 'because he was concerned about what Ms Heard might do'. He says he tossed the phone on a sofa '20 ft away' from her. 'Nor did he pull Ms Heard's hair or strike her, grab her face or touch her . . . Two police officers who attended the apartment directly after the alleged incident and interviewed Ms Heard twice in good light saw no injuries or bruising or swelling to Ms Heard's face.' After a landslide in a Mining area in Burma, the number of dead has risen to at least 166. The fire Department reported on Facebook. In the accident on Thursday, workers were looking for in a slag heap from the local Jade mines for the precious green stones, as they were buried by the mud masses. The strong monsoon rains had triggered the landslide, makes it difficult to work according to the authorities, information is now also the salvage. At least 70 people have so far can be injured out of the mud, rescued, said a member of Parliament of the ill-town of Hpakant. meanwhile, the authorities were far more than 200 deaths, as dozens were unaccounted for for more people still. Half of the deaths had not yet been identified. Unusually heavy rains had triggered Floods and mudslides on Thursday. The army of Burma is one of the world's largest supplier of green jewelry stones, especially in China popular. From the Region of the accident site in the North of the country, the majority of them. The industry is hardly regulated at all, fatal accidents happen repeatedly.In the mines, toil in low-paid workers, including many migrants. Hang live in deplorable conditions on the mountain and often also on good luck to Jade. The accident on Thursday, the worst for over five years. human rights activists accuse the Jade-business companies involved and the government, to have the protection for the workers failed. "The government has ignored the continued illegal and rapacious mining practices in Hpakant, although they had promised to reform the dangerous sector," said the raw materials in conflict specialized organization "Global Witness". The Multi-billion Dollar business dominated by powerful, with Burma's military-related companies, their cronies and armed groups. In 2014 alone, the value of the mined Jade was therefore up to 31 billion American dollars. Updated Date: 03 July 2020, 07:19 The Federal Ministry of the interior rejects a loosening of the corona-related EU-entry restrictions for non-officially securitised couples. This does not correspond to the agreements on the European level, the Ministry said on Friday in Berlin. "We will see, there is no room for Interpretation," said a spokesman. the EU Commissioner for Ylva Johansson had called the day before EU countries, and travel companies to grasp the concept of "partnership", as far as possible. The Partner or "Sweetheart", a EU-citizens or EU-residents have a long-lasting and proven relationship, should be excluded from the restrictions on admission, wrote Johansson under the Hashtags #love isessential to (love is indispensable), and #loveisnottourism (love is not tourism). To contain the Coronavirus pandemic had the middle of March, all EU States agreed with the exception of Ireland, as well as the Non-EU countries Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland to ban non-essential travel into the EU first. Since the beginning of July of this entry, the stop is loosened slowly and, initially, for 14 countries, in Germany, initially for only eleven countries. The number of Covid-19-new infections in the last 14 days is especially crucial. But also for the other countries from which citizens will not be allowed to enter the country again, exceptions are provided for EU citizens and their families. The relaxations include family reunification to German or EU-citizens living in Germany. This applies to spouses and registered partners and spouses and minor children. "This also corresponds to the proposal from the Commission," said a spokesman. For other relations of the special protection of the basic law does not apply, the question of how Visa and border authorities in a relationship should check the place. The EU Commission had given to this group of people, no recommendations. "If Commissioner Johansson calls in this respect, else, not you again, the attitude of the Commission as a College," the spokesman said. Updated Date: 03 July 2020, 15:20 Due to a false fire alarm indicator, Ryanair had to land the plane on the way from Berlin to Athens in Thessaloniki on Friday unscheduled. On Board were more than 160 people. Among the 157 passengers, a Baby was, according to the civil protection. All the passengers were safe, reported the Greek state radio (ERT). How and when passengers should be made to Athens brought, remained unclear. had The pilots of the flight, FR170, as the machine via the port city of Thessaloniki, flew, due to a fire alarm in the Cockpit immediately and an emergency landing is requested. In the airport of Thessaloniki Alarm had been signaled. The machine landed without problems, reported local news portals of Thessaloniki. The Irish airline Ryanair was the due to the Corona epidemic of longer time line continued flight operations from and to Germany on the 1. July resumed. Because of the travel restrictions, the Airline had hazards as well as the other airlines in your program since March to a Minimum. Europe's largest low-cost airline announced on Friday, to the outstanding refunds for the in the Corona-crisis cancelled flights faster. More than 90 percent of the between March and June, affected customers should receive their money until the end of July, promised Manager Eddie Wilson according to a notification by the Irish company, from Friday. Updated Date: 03 July 2020, 17:19 German and no longer have to go on a trip to England in the future, in a 14-day quarantine. The British government announced in the night of Friday, a corresponding easing of the due to the Corona pandemic, imposed restrictions on admission. The elimination of the quarantine requirement applies from the 10. July. Also Passengers from France, Italy and Spain do not have to go in Isolation. In other Parts of the United Kingdom will, however, continue to apply the quarantine rule. If you travel from Germany to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, must go there for two weeks in Isolation. Because of the mandatory quarantines, the Federal Foreign office in Berlin warns to date prior to travel to the whole of the UK. The British government expressed the expectation that the current partial abolition of the rule will lead to a corresponding relaxation in the benefiting States. "Today marks the next step in the cautious re-opening of our great Nation," said British transport Minister Grant shapp's. The elimination of quarantine-a duty he called a "good news" for the citizens and enterprises of his country. The General quarantine requirement for Passengers had the British government to the 8. June imposed. It was also the case for British citizens returning from abroad. Up to 75 countries, the exception could be It was expected that the British government would appoint in the course of the Friday, further States, from which, in future, an entry without a quarantine is allowed. According to media reports, up to 75 countries from this requirement could be exempted. The Ministry of foreign Affairs in London, also announced that it wants to pick up from Saturday on its travel warning for countries with low Coronavirus infection risk. the United Kingdom is the most affected by the pandemic-affected country in Europe. Around 44,000 deaths have been recorded there. The infection rates have recently dropped, however. To Germany are allowed to enter since Thursday, citizens from several Non-EU States without the Corona-related restrictions the UK is not one of them. Were these restrictions removed for Australia, Canada, Georgia, Montenegro, new Zealand, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The lifting of the restrictions for citizens from China, Japan and South Korea established the Federal government on the condition that such States grant themselves EU-citizens from entering the country. Updated Date: 03 July 2020, 06:19 In may 2008, Patrick Z'Brun with a Swiss Expedition to the summit of Mount Everest. Z'Brun, a native of Valais, was funded previously as a mountain guide the study, then a private company built on and 15 years later sold, and then a mountaineering Sabbatical indulged in. This led him, among other things, on the highest mountain in the world, 8848 meters high Mount Everest. Bernd Steinle editor in the Department "Germany and the world". F. A. Z. From the Expedition in 2008, a documentary for Swiss television came later, under the title: "Sherpas The true heroes at the Everest". The movie and the image band that appeared to showed the Events on Everest not as often from the point of view of Western summit aspirants, but from the perspective of the Sherpas, the Locals who work as guides, porters, cooks, or Route Builder for the expeditions on Everest. "So I was sensitized to this issue," says Z'Brun. a mountain climber mentality The Situation of the Sherpas in Nepal, the Swiss, was amazing Parallels to the development, which began 200 years ago in the valleys of his homeland. "Our mountain people in the Valais Alps, it would not come back in the sense, to go voluntarily into the mountains it was dangerous, it was tedious, and, above all, they had other things to Worry about than there in the area to wander." Before the first Englishman came to the Valais. The mountain pioneers needed for their trips, and local men carrying equipment and Material, the meadows, you find the right path through Rock and ice. They needed a mountain guide. "That was for the development of our Alps valleys is a very important Element," says Z'Brun. "The mountain guides were ambassadors of our Region." Just this Chance, to take the fate in their own hands, wanted to Z'Brun now also allow Sherpas in part out of gratitude for the support and closeness that he had experienced on the Everest Expedition in 2008. That was the impetus for the founding of the Swiss-Sherpa Foundation, which should help to make Sherpas less dependent on foreign expedition agencies that hired them as needed for their organised groups. Since 2009, the Foundation supports education programs in mountain regions, where outdoor activities contribute to the development of tourism and, thus, a basis of existence for the residents can create. The first step was the formal training of Sherpas as mountain guides advance. In 2012, Nepal was 25. A member of the International mountain guides Association incorporated. "A good 20 Nepalese mountain guides are now certified," says Z'Brun. Updated Date: 03 July 2020, 18:19 Surprise, surprise! We have none, but Narendra Modi offered one. This morning, he landed in Nimmoo in Ladakh to take stock of the situation. You can take stock of what is happening not just in Ladakh, but also London, by staying stationed in Delhi. But staying stationed in Delhi sends no message to your adversary across the border. Landing in Ladakh does. Speaking directly to the soldiers in Ladakh does some more. Echoing slogans of Vande Mataram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai does most of what remains to be done. Speaking in Nimu. India is proud of the courage of our armed forces. https://t.co/juUjqkAp6v Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 3, 2020 Modis landing and speaking must have bumped up the morale of the men in uniform who are stationed at a height of over 3,000 metres above sea level, where oxygen is so thin you got to work for every breath you take. In 1962, India fought a war at those heights and no one wants an encore of that year this year. The war that year was forced upon India by China. India was barely 15 then. We mean India is an old civilisation, but was struggling to find its feet after the British left, after plundering the country for over 200 years. So, when the 1962 war came, India lacked the resources to fight. The government under former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru requested people to donate warm clothes, money and gold. Estimates suggest over US $220 million were collected in cash for the Defence of India Fund. It is difficult to say how much gold was contributed, but much of that gold was not used. Wondering what happened to it? It still lies in the vaults of the Reserve Bank of India. The gold may have been forgotten but Chinas treachery hasnt been. To be honest, China has never allowed us to forget. It keeps doing something or the other at the border for us to remember that China is not to be trusted. Not just India, but the world realises the risk of keeping borders with China open. Where Xi Jinping cant send his men to occupy territories, he can send viruses. Most recent viruses have been traced back to China, including H1N1 and this coronavirus. US President Donald Trump has been attacking China pointedly for the outbreak in Chinas Wuhan wet market turning into a pandemic. Only, he called the pandemic a plague. It could have been metaphorical, you know. Plague from China, that is what it is, should have never happened but they did allow it to happen. We had just signed a brand new trade deal and the ink wasn't even dry when it came over, Trump said. Now, plague is a disease spread by rats. Covid-19 is one spread by bats, probably using an intermediary like pangolin. But plague is also any disease that spreads rapidly and kills a lot of people. Major population declines have happened after some of the worlds worst plague outbreaks. Plague, therefore, is our Word Of The Day. Plague traces its origin to Latin plaga meaning stroke or wound. It probably comes from Greek (Doric dialect) plaga, meaning strike. According to Oxford dictionary, plague is a disease spread by rats that causes a high temperature, swellings on the body and usually death. At least 7,50,00,000 are estimated to have died due to the Black Plague that peaked in Europe in 1346-53. Oxford also defines plague as any disease that spreads rapidly. At least 1,10,00,000 people in the world have so far been tested positive for Covid-19. Close to 5,24,406 have died. Amid the rising numbers, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in a letter has set an ambitious launch date of August 15 for the public use of the Coronavirus vaccine, Covaxin. Now, no official statement has been made regarding the vaccine. News reports say the letter was only meant for internal communication. So do not set your hopes too high. The higher the high, the sharper (and more painful) the fall. Forget the highs and lows, let us first talk about the demise of choreographer Saroj Khan. We told you a few days ago why Saroj Khan born as Nirmala Nagpal converted to Islam. If you missed that story, you can catch up with it here. She died today morning, after remaining in hospital for about two weeks. Khan suffered a cardiac arrest at about 1.52 am Friday. By 7 am, her family laid her to rest at a cemetery in Mumbai's Malad. Khan was 71 and had a career spanning about four decades. During those four decades, she choreographed about 2,000 songs. But towards the fag end of her career, Khan began to run out of work. Its then that another Khan reached out to her. That Khan is Salman Khan. Saroj told reporters that Salman called her to his home and promised to offer her work. She was sure that Salman would remain a man of his words. But many years ago, Salmans words had hurt Saroj. It so happened that during the shooting of Andaz Apna Apna (1994), when Saroj was choreographing the song Ye Raat Aur Ye Doori, Salman was miffed that Saroj was giving better steps to the third Khan in this story - Aamir. Salman broached his concern with Saroj who told him that she was only doing what the director wanted her to do, which meant giving steps that would suit the characters of the movie. Salman didnt buy the argument. A miffed Salman reportedly told Saroj that once he becomes a star, he wouldnt work with her. When he indeed became one and Saroj ran out of work, Salman stepped in to help. Today, she is no more. The best way to keep going on in life is to let bygones be bygones. We have no evidence to prove how this is the best way, so you will have to figure that out on your own. Now, while Saroj Khan died today, yesterday in Myanmar 162 people died while mining for jade. In 2015, 113 people had died in a similar incident. Yesterdays incident happened after a pile of mine waste collapsed into a lake. This waste triggered a wave of mud and water which buried hundreds of workers all caught on camera. A landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar killed at least 113 people, after a pile of mine waste collapsed into a lake, triggering a wave of mud and water that buried scores of workers. Read more https://t.co/SSP9L9XUTO pic.twitter.com/XcW2Dzwjy4 Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) July 2, 2020 The accident has left hundreds of families in pain, but do you know that the discovery of jade in Myanmar - then Burma - also happened by accident? The fact that fine-quality green jade existed in Burma wasnt known till the 13th century. This was when a Yunnanese trader was passing by an area in Northern Burma. Yunnan, by the way, is in southwestern China. The trader realised the weight on his mule wasnt balanced, so he picked up a piece of stone to balance the load. He realised later what he had chanced upon and then another party went in search of more jade. They came back empty-handed because they couldnt find the exact spot. Explorers much later could reach the jade mines. Today, unfortunately rescue efforts are on to reach all the bodies. That's all for today. See you Monday. Also Read: Why pressure is building on Xi Jinping to disclose Chinese military casualties Support local journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. LOVINGSTON A Roanoke man at the head of a drug trafficking operation in Nelson County that involved 11 other individuals pleading guilty, pleaded guilty this week in Nelson Circuit Court. Peter Jelf Porter, 53, who also is known as Christopher Gause Delroy and Semour Maxwell, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of racketeering and one count of distributing more than 100 grams of methamphetamine in Nelson from July 2017 until he was indicted in February 2019. A fourth charge was dropped per the terms of the plea agreement. Porter faces a minimum active sentence of 14 years of incarceration. The 11 others who have pleaded guilty are Porters son, Jafori Porter; Shawn Baker; D. Camm Ragland IV; Katina Wood; Jennifer Pearce; Michael Shawn Craig; William Sturm; Sandra Shifflett; Donny Sprouse Jr.; Josh Painter; and William Wood, according to a news release from Nelson County Commonwealths Attorney Daniel Rutherford. According to Rutherford, Porter trafficked more than 10 kilograms of meth into Nelson County from Roanoke. From there, he would sell the drug to three people: Painter, Ragland and Baker, who would then sell to those in the lower levels of the network. Mt. Calvary Baptist Church (Nasons) holds a Big Food Giveaway for those in need from noon to 2 p.m. July 11. Rain date is July 18. The event will be held in the church's parking lot. As cars drive up, bags or boxes of food will be placed in their trunks. Donations will be accepted, as well. mountcalvary-nasons.org. 11229 Kendall Road. (540) 672-2848. Overseas Students Mission hosts a Wednesday Night Bible Study Fellowship for University of Virginia students. Well House Cafe, 118 10-1/2 St. NW. For details and meeting time, call Bill Bray at (434) 227-0811. This calendar, published every Saturday, lists special events of a religious nature. Because of space constraints, notices about regular worship services cannot be included. Items intended for publication, including an address and phone number, should be faxed to (434) 978-7252; mailed to Worship Calendar, The Daily Progress, P.O. Box 9030, Charlottesville, VA 22906; or emailed to ewood@dailyprogress.com. Material must be received by 4 p.m. the Wednesday prior to publication. Ryan Hubbard said the last four months have been daily unpredictable. Hubbard, who owns the Dinsmore Inn, Farm Bell Kitchen and Red Hub Food Co., said hes focused on communicating with customers and employees about current operations, instead of worrying about possible future closures that are out of his control. The only word that I can think of to describe the last four months of my life is daily unpredictable, he said. Thats two words, daily unpredictable, so Im not gonna spend a whole lot of mental energy on trying to guess and what happens next. As the state is in its third phase of reopening, Central Virginia business owners are working to instill confidence in customers and staff about health and safety, and informing both groups about whats going on at their businesses. Letting customers know that whatever their situation is, that we want to support them in that, Hubbard said. If their situation is they dont want to leave their deck at their house, were going to make it possible for them to eat our food on their deck at their house.... Hand in hand with that is this over-communication with our staff about, Heres where we are, heres what we can bring back to work, heres what we cant bring back to work yet. In a response to the city of Charlottesvilles filing in Charlottesville Circuit Court, counsel for the plaintiffs in the statues case argued that the court decided years ago that it has jurisdiction to implement an injunction. The city objects to being told what it can and cannot legally do, the response reads. But that is what an injunction is for; the court construed the law and now the court can construe its amendment. Additionally, the response claims the plaintiffs motion does not intrude on the citys sole authority to determine the final disposition of the monuments and instead confirms it. It expedites its exercise, while not exceeding that authority by altering or destroying the monument, the response reads. Both the city and the plaintiffs have requested that a decision be made without a hearing. City officials previously have stated that as soon as the injunction is removed, they will begin the process to remove the statues. The City Councils next meeting is July 20; it is not clear if the issue of the statues removal or recontextualization will be on the agenda. The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors began the process for a potential removal Wednesday, setting a public hearing on Aug. 6 to discuss the Johnny Reb statue situated in front of the Albemarle County Circuit Courthouse. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. RICHMOND Joyce Barnes has become sick before by caring for someone who was carrying a communicable disease without anyone knowing it - a bacterial infection that put her in the hospital last year. The coronavirus pandemic has raised the stakes for Barnes, 61, who cares for Medicaid patients in their homes but doesn't have health insurance or paid sick leave or hazard pay to care for herself if she contracts COVID-19. Barnes, who lives in Sandston in eastern Henrico County, makes $9.40 an hour as a personal care attendant for people who otherwise would have to go to nursing homes. An elderly man incapacitated by stroke. Another who has lost both legs to diabetes. "I love the one-on-one work, but it's just sad that with predominantly Black women working in these jobs, we don't get what we deserve," she said. "I feel like we are the forgotten ones." Their plight has gotten the attention of Gov. Ralph Northam, who protected a 5% wage increase for personal care attendants in the two-year state budget that took effect on Wednesday. The increase represents an additional 47 cents an hour in the average wage for attendants in Virginia. 7. Ralph Tremblys lithograph of the Founding Fathers signing the declaration depicts a fictional event. The lithograph reproduced a painting by John Trumbull, which today hangs in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. The U.S. Congress commissioned Trumbull in 1817 to make the painting even though it does not include all of the signers together on July 4. 8. The signers knew what they were doing might cost them their lives. Benjamin Rush, representative of Pennsylvania, wrote their action was believed by many at the time to be our own death warrants. The British did target the Founding Fathers, destroying and looting many of their homes. Theres a story that John Hart of New Jersey, when he came out of hiding and returned home, never found all of his children. 9. The Marquis de Lafayette hung an official engraving of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in his bedroom suite. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned William J. Stone to make an official facsimile of the declaration in 1823, and 200 copies were printed, two of which the State Department gave to Lafayette. April 7, 1930 - June 28, 2020 Knut F. Olsen, of Palmyra, Va., died peacefully in the arms of his daughter, Ann-Louise and son-in-law, Joe Fisher on Sunday morning, June 28, 2020, after struggling with anemia and a weakened heart valve after open-heart surgery many years ago. Born in Horton, Norway, on April 7, 1930, to a large family, Knut grew up under Nazi occupation until he was 15, when he joined the Norwegian Merchant Marines and literally travelled the world, from the Northern Arctic to Cape Town S. Africa, to the Pacific Islands and oceans everywhere in between. Aboard ship, he developed careers as both a machinist and a cook. While home he met his future wife, Evelyn, an American of Norwegian descent who was visiting her family. He later immigrated to the United States and married Evelyn at the Norwegian Sailors Church in Brooklyn, N.Y. They settled in Brooklyn and Knut joined the United States Army. So, remarkably, Knut served both the Norwegian fleet services and the American ground forces. Later, they moved to New Jersey where Knut resumed his career as a machinist. They lived there until they retired and moved to Lake Monticello in Palmyra, Va. in 1987. Getting restless, in 1991 Knut began another career, joining the Lake Monticello maintenance team where he was often seen supporting the main club house and swimming pool. Knut was instantly recognizable around the Palmyra area from his variety of cowboy hats and his Norwegian accent. He received a 15 year certificate of appreciation from the Lake in 2006 and retired shortly thereafter. After his wife's passing in 2016 and a serious bout with pneumonia shortly thereafter, he moved in with his daughter, Ann-Louise in early 2017, where he passed away this past Sunday. He is survived by a younger sister in Norway; his son, Kenneth; his daughters, Ann-Louise and Lise; seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. A private family service is being held. Now, the existing arrangement might seem adequate: If a complaint process exists, why bother with other steps? But look at it another way: Why should parents not be able to resolve their problems with school programs in a less adversarial manner? Why force them to go to the extreme of filing formal complaints? One case cited in the report exemplifies that concern. Complaints against a particular school district ranged from a failure to conduct timely evaluations all the way up to allegations of falsified documentation regarding students individualized education programs. Parents tried to work with the school system to correct the problems they saw, the report indicated. When they finally gave up on that approach and filed a formal complaint, the state essentially said: Oops, too late. The statute of limitations for addressing claims has expired. A letter from the state disputes the claim that Virginia offers no other options for addressing complaints. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 319-283-2144 or email circ@oelweindailyregister.com. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 319-352-3334 or email legals@waverlynewspapers.com. In March, our world as we know it was completely upended due to the closure of much of the state to stop the spread of coronavirus. Quickly rising behind the initial tidal wave of fear for the health and safety of ourselves and our loved ones came the follow-up waves to further knock us down the impact of the pandemic on our jobs, our local businesses, and the ability for the vulnerable to eat. It was at this moment that Baywaters David Genovese, facing these challenges, called upon local businesses and other local nonprofits, to help come up with a solution to try to address all of them. How could the Town of Darien find a solution that would help feed health care workers on the front lines, food insecure families, and seniors advised to stay home, while also helping keep local eateries viable? The answer was Corbin Cares, which partnered with the Darien Foundation, the Community Fund of Darien, the Darien Lions Club and Food Rescue US, and after three hardworking months, comes to end this week. Kicked off with a generous grant from the Darien Foundation, Corbin Cares used a variety of creative fundraising techniques, including at home Zoom concerts, an auction of local artwork donated by Darien artist Nobu, and others. Restaurants working with Corbin Cares, including Bodega Taco Bar, Ten Twenty Post, Baldanza Bistro, Four Forks, Jakes Place and UCBC, provided hundreds of meals to local health care workers, families in need, and the senior center. Seniors were able to do a drive-thru bagged lunch program that was distributed by restaurant ownership, town hall staff and the hardworking staff of the senior center. Bagged drive-thru lunches will go back to being prepared by senior center staff after this week. Separately from Corbin Cares, Megan Ruppenstein of Four Forks was also kept extremely busy with donations of meals. Various neighborhoods on their own got together to donate nearly 3,000 meals in total to health care workers from her Tokeneke Road eatery. And Palmers Market, being the true community mainstay that it is, rapidly adjusted to the trying times by putting its staff to work to make sure the vulnerable still got their groceries. A curbside pickup and delivery service was put into effect staffers shopped via lists placed by phone, and often these deliveries were made by Darien emergency responders. Corbin Cares initiatives, along with town leaders and nonprofits, and other efforts like those above, not only kept many fed, and many restaurants busy and viable, it gave the community desperately in need of hope something to focus on. It gave so many in isolation the ability to still feel like a tight-knit community and connected to one another. It gave us a chance to think of better days and that we might get through this together. We are far from putting this pandemic behind us, but as Darien begins to slowly reopen, the light is beginning to emerge from the end of the tunnel. Regardless of what is to come, let us never forget the lessons learned in the darkness of the last few months no idea is too small, hope can never be underestimated, we are all stronger than we think, and that there can never be too many helping hands. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription and are still unable to access our content, please link your digital account to your print subscription If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Lucknow: At least eight Uttar Pradesh police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were killed in an encounter with criminals in Kanpur, officials said on Friday. The encounter took place when the police team was approaching to arrest Vikas Dubey, a history sheeter facing 60 criminal cases, in Dikru village under Chaubeypur police station on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, police said. As the police team was about to reach the hideout of the dreaded criminal, a hail of bullets was showered on them from a building rooftop, leaving Deputy SP Devendra Mishra, three sub-inspectors and four constables dead, officials said. Giving details of the incident, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police H C Awasthi said the notorious criminal might have got an inkling of the impending raid. He and his henchmen put up massive roadblocks to prevent the police personnel from proceeding towards their hideout. As the police team was caught unawares, the criminals fried at them from a building rooftop leading to the deaths, Awasthi said. On getting information about the incident, additional DG (Law and Order), IG (Kanpur) and the senior SP of Kanpur rushed to the spot, where a forensic team has started investigations. The forensic team will be joined by another team from Lucknow. The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh police has also been pressed into action, the DGP said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tributes to the slain policemen and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to their family members. According to a spokesperson, he directed the police chief to take stringent action against the culprits and collect detailed report from the spot immediately. Opposition hits back at Yogi government Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh, including the Congress and Samajwadi Party, lashed out at the Yogi Adityanath government over the killing of eight policemen, saying no one was safe in the state. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took to Twitter to condole the deaths. "Eight policemen were martyred while they went to nab criminals. I pay my condolence to the family of the martyrs. In UP, law and order has become very bad and criminals have no fear. From common man to policemen, no one is safe," she said. "The responsibility of law and order is with the chief minister. He should initiate strict action and there should be no laxity in it," she added. Her brother and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, too, attacked the Yogi government over the killings. He tweeted: "Another proof of 'Gundaraj' in UP. When the police are not safe, how will the public be? My heartfelt condolences are with the families of the slain martyrs and I wish the injured a speedy recovery," he said in a tweet in Hindi. Gandhi also expressed his condolence to the family of those dead and wished speedy recovery of the injured. The Samjwadi Party said Uttar Pradesh has become "hatya pradesh" (murder state). " In 'rogi sarkar' 'jungleraj', UP has become 'hatya pradesh', where in Kanpur criminals patronised by those in power attacked policemen killing eight of them," Samajwadi Party said in a tweet. While condoling the deaths, the SP has demanded an "immediate announcement of Rs 1 crore each for the martyred policemen's family". It also demanded that the alleged "connection (of criminals) with those in power should be exposed". Coal miners have been on strike against privatisation of coal mining. (PTI) Hyderabad/Kothagudem: Civil rights organisations have come out in support of the ongoing strike by India's coal workers including those of Singareni Collieries against the central governent's decision to auction 41 coal blocks to private companies. India's trade unions demanding cancellation of the bidding process for 41 coal blocks began a 72-hour strike on July 2, affecting coal production across the country. The unions are demanding cancellation of 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in coal mining and a stop to privatisation and commercial mining in the name of outsourcing. In Telangana, workers of Singareni Collieries went on a one-day strike opposing the central government decision. The strike hit production of one lakh tons of coal production in mines in Sattupalli, Kothagudem, Manuguru and Koyagudem in Khammam and Bhadradri-Kothagudem districts on Thursday. Above 2000 miners and workers of different trade unions participated in the strike and trade unions like Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham, CITU, AITUC, INTUC and IFTU staged a dharna in front of coal mines in Kothagudem. CPI leader Bagam Hemant Rao said the government wants to lay off workers in public sector units. The workforce of SCCL for instance has come down to 48,000 from 1.10 lakh. Privatisation of coal blocks will earn more profits for private companies at the cost of workers. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, I. Krishna, state secretary of the International Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), said, "If we really want to become self-reliant, then rather than privatising coal mines and allowing FDI, the government should re-think its strategy and strengthen the core public sector. Prime minister Narendra Modi launched the auction of 41 coal mines for commercial mining on June 19 saying the market for the commodity would help turn the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity. During the launch, Modi said that the auction process not only marks the beginning of the unlocking of the countrys coal sector from a lockdown of decades but aims at making India the largest exporter of coal. The Civil Liberties Committee has extended its support to the 72-hour strike. The Telangana Praja Front said that in the name of COVID-19, the government is trying to subvert labour laws, extending working hours and paying only half salary to workers. The TRS government came to power by wooing coal mine workers. Rather than opposing the central governments privatising of coal mines, in a way Chief Minister, Rao, is supporting it. We demand that he oppose it in the same manner he did with the electricity amendment bill, 2020, said K. Ravi Chander, president of Telangana Praja Front. New Delhi: In a major diplomatic boost to New Delhi amid the Sino-Indian border tensions in the Ladakh sector, Japan on Friday backed India by opposing any unilateral attempts by China to change the status quo at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This came after Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla briefed Japanese Ambassador Satoshi Suzuki on Friday, indicating how the Indian Government is building diplomatic support for its position. Japan itself has maritime territorial disputes with China. In a tweet put out without naming China, the Japanese envoy said, Had a good talk with FS Shringla. Appreciated his briefing on the situation along LAC, including GoIs policy to pursue peaceful resolution. Japan also hopes for peaceful resolution through dialogues. Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo. Last month, the Japanese Ambassador had also expressed his deep condolences to the families of the Indian soldiers who were killed in the border clash with Chinese troops at the Galwan valley in the Ladakh sector in mid-June. Ties between India and Japan have strengthened enormously in the past six years. India and Japan along with the United States and Australia are already part of the four-nation "Quad" arrangement that focuses on maintenance of a "rules-based order" in the Indo-Pacific region. The Quad is seen by observers as a crucial arrangement in the face of increasing Chinese military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region and South China Sea. Just a few days ago, the Japanese maritime self-defence forces had carried out a training exercise with the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean. BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- China will encourage veterans to obtain professional qualifications as seafarers to promote their employment, according to the Ministry of Transport (MOT). The Maritime Safety Administration of China, subordinate of the MOT and the Ministry of Veteran Affairs will jointly take preferential measures for veterans' maritime education and vocational skills training, said an agreement signed by the two departments. Meanwhile, the ministries will encourage shipping enterprises to give priority to the recruitment of veterans who have sailor's qualifications, and support them in joining maritime management agencies, the agreement said. Cooperation between the two ministries will be strengthened to reinforce the training of high-quality seafarers, and promote the employment of veterans, said Cao Desheng, director of the administration. Coronado, CA (92118) Today Mostly sunny. High 71F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low near 65F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. From left, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, then-Media Police Sgt. Robert 'Skippy' Carroll, and Wolf's Superior Sandwiches owner Dan Wolf posed for a photo after Carroll offered Wolf an apology for his Facebook posts. The Derry City and Strabane council area has recorded nine COVID-19 deaths in local care homes, the Derry News can reveal today. New statistics published by NISRA show that these deaths were registered between March 28 and May 1. Six of these deaths were recorded over a two week period from April 11 to April 24. Behind each of these deaths there is an individual story and a family grieving their tragic loss. These deaths are based on registrations, which normally take place within five days in Northern Ireland. Since May 1 no deaths have been recorded in Derry City and Strabane care homes. The facilities in which these deaths occurred is unknown. Owen Mor Care Centre did however confirm an outbreak at its facility on March 27 when six patients tested positive for the virus. A death was confirmed to the Derry News on April 1, believed to be the first Coronavirus death at a care home in the city. Owen Mor then expressed its wish to keep any further developments confidential. Belfast has the highest number of care home deaths with 117. Derry City and Strabane has the third lowest number of care home deaths, Mid Ulster had 4 and Fermanagh and Omagh 3. Latest figures published today by NISRA show that nine deaths involving COVID-19 occurred in the last week, from 20th to 26th June, bringing the total of COVID-19 related deaths to 826. Of this total, 427 (51.7%) took place in hospital, 343 (41.5%) in care homes, eight (1.0%) in hospices and 48 (5.8%) at residential addresses or other locations. The 351 deaths which occurred in care homes and hospices involved 79 separate establishments. DELAYS The Derry News has sought information regarding care home deaths for months. However, the government and health authorities in Northern Ireland said they were unable to provide that level of detail. On April 13 the Derry News lodged a Freedom of Information request with the PHA asking for a breakdown of outbreaks and deaths in local care homes. Under FOI legislation it has 20 working days to respond but nothing has been provided over two months later. The PHA says staff who would normally deal with such requests are involved in other duties because of COVID-19. It has since emerged that the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) is the official source for COVID-19 related deaths but it, nor any other organisation, is able to state how many deaths have occurred in care homes in each council area. NISRA, the PHA, the Department of Health (DoH), health watchdog RQIA and the Western Trust have all been asked to provide figures for the number of care home deaths in Derry but say the information is not available despite detailed collation throughout the pandemic. At a Western Trust media briefing on June 12 senior officials at the trust provided a comprehensive update on care home outbreaks but said details of care home deaths are not accessible. For more on this story see Monday's edition of the Derry News. Two bands have applied to march in Derry City to celebrate the Twelfth, according to the Parades Commission. The Commission revealed that it received a late notification from The Glendermott Valley Flute Band. It will march in the Waterside area of the city on the Tullyally Road and Ardmore Road on July 13. The Pride of Orange and Blue Flute Band from Newbuildings will also march with 30 members registered. Other bands from Coleraine and Limavady have also applied to march. It is anticipated that more could follow in the coming days. The Twelfth is the annual Protestant celebration held every year on July 12. However, it is being celebrated on July 13 this year because the twelfth falls on a Sunday. It dates back to a 1690 when the last British Catholic monarch King James II was defeated by Protestant King William, formerly Prince of Orange in Holland, at the Battle of the Boyne. Each year, members of the Orange Order - named after the victorious king and founded in 1795 - carry banners and flags in parades across Northern Ireland accompanied by marching bands. The Orange Order cancelled events in April due to the Coronavirus pandemic and asked bands not to parade this year. Harold Henning, Deputy Grand Master, said: "This year will be a different Twelfth; but just because our parades and gatherings are cancelled, does not mean that we cannot celebrate King Williams momentous victory. "Quite the opposite, our challenge is to ensure this Twelfth is marked in style; online, in your home, at your door, with families and neighbours. Together we can make it a fun-filled, extra-special - socially distanced 12th - that will be talked about for years." He added: "So begin by planning to suitably decorate your home, street, village or town - fly the flag, proudly and respectfully. Encourage children and grandchildren to watch our craft videos and create Orange Lilies and bunting or brush up your history by reading about Williams Generals. "However, during our celebrations let us be mindful that the priority in 2020 is to look after everyones health this Twelfth as we continue the battle against Coronavirus. Please ensure you comply with the lockdown regulations in existence over the period." But the Parades Commission has now received around 90 applications for marches to celebrate the Twelfth. The sudden influx has been attributed to the easing of restrictions on outdoor gatherings whereby up to 30 people are able to gather outdoors, provided social distancing can be observed. Among the areas where applications have been made are Belfast, Ballymena, Newtownards and Enniskillen. SOLDIER F BAND At this stage no applications have been submitted for the annual Relief of Londonderry parade which traditionally takes place on the second Saturday of August. On August 8 last year there was controversy in the city when a loyalist band wore parachute regiment insignia accompanied by a soldier F symbol. It was deemed to be an intentional act aimed at inciting the nationalist community in the city. The ex-paratrooper known as soldier F is being prosecuted for the murders of James Wray, 22, and William McKinney, 27. He is also facing four attempted murder charges, plus an additional support count in respect of the attempted murder of a person or persons unknown. The PSNI are appealing for witnesses and information after a report of a stabbing in Limavady in the early hours of Friday, July 3. A police spokesperson said: Police received a call at 4:30am that the victim was with another male at a property in the Glenlea area of the town when they disturbed two males at the back of the property. It was reported that some type of altercation occurred outside and spilled over towards a nearby grassy area, in the vicinity of Woodland Walk, at the junction of Ballyquin Road and Roe Mill Road. At some point during this altercation the victim was stabbed and sustained an injury to his back. Its believe this occurred at a round 4:20am. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service were called and transferred the male, aged in his twenties, to hospital for treatment of his injuries. Detective Inspector McKenna added: "We are conducting enquiries in the area to establish what exactly occurred and I would appeal to anyone who may have been in the area and witnessed what occurred to get in touch with detectives on 101, quoting reference number 226 of 03/06/20." A report can also be made online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/ makeareport/ Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/ Salman Khan Assured Saroj Khan Of Work After She Complained, 'Actresses Now Dont Like To Work With Me' Ace choreographer Saroj Khan breathed her last on Friday 3 June, after suffering a cardiac arrest. Bollywood is in mourning, condolence messages have been pouring ever since the news of her death went viral on social media. Many actors including Madhuri Dixit, Kareena Kapoor Khan paid their tribute to late Masterji. It was in a 2019 interview with Mid-Day, that Saroj Khan revealed she was not getting any film offers. After Salman Khan heard of her plight, he promised to sign her for one of his films. Mid-Day had quoted her as saying, When we met, Salman asked me what I was doing nowadays. So, I told him honestly that I dont have any work [film offers], and that I am teaching Indian classical dance to young actresses. Upon hearing that, he said, Now, you will work with me. I know he is a man of his word, so he will keep his promise. When Saroj Khan Revealed That It Was Her Mothers Doctor Who Saw Her Potential As A Dancer One of the biggest icons of Bollywood, late choreographer Saroj Khan began her journey in the Hindi film industry with the 1974 film Geeta Mera Naam and went on to choreograph over 2,000 songs in her 46 year long career. However, she had an experience of almost 67 years as a dancer, because she began working as a child artist at the age of 3. Masterjis family came to India from Pakistan after the partition in 1947. They were rich people but tragedy struck when their bags got exchanged while they were travelling as refugees. She was born in 1948, a year after they reached Mumbai. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Saroj Khan (@sarojkhanofficial) on Sep 13, 2019 at 9:23am PDT During her appearance on TEDx Talks, Saroj ji had revealed that when she was just three years old, her mother saw her making hands in shadow. The choreographer recalled, She was pregnant second time and the doctor who was looking after her, belonged to the film industry. So my mother took me to the doctor and said that I think this child of mines is retarded because she looks at the shadows and god knows, what she does with hands. So doctor said she might be wanting to dance. He played music and I did something like that and the doctor said this child is normal but only thing is she wants to dance and you all are poor people, why dont you put her in film industry. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vikas Guppta (@lostboyjourney) on Jul 2, 2020 at 9:52pm PDT Masterji had further shared, I will not say I had an ambition, I think God gave them this child because God wanted me to support my family and from there, my career started as a child star which lasted nine years, till then they had a good room on rent and we survived and I had two sisters more. Saroj Khan was admitted to the Guru Nanak Hospital in Mumbai a few weeks ago after she complained of difficulty in breathing. On 3rd July, the Mother of Dance/Choreography bid a final adieu to the world due to a sudden cardiac arrest. We hope Masterji finds peace. The Africa Communication and Information Platform (ACIP) for Health and Economic Action was launched last week by the UNs ECA (Economic Commission for Africa) in collaboration with local operator partners. The platform is aimed at enabling communication between mobile users and national authorities to help stem the spread of Covid-19. It is launching in 36 African markets and will extend further as more authorities sign up to the initiative. The platform will collate data submitted by over 600 million users, collecting health information and helping governments to identify any outbreaks of Covid-19. Additionally, it will offer health guidance to users. To understand the platforms mission, we spoke to Oliver Chinganya, a Director of the African Centre for Statistics at the UN Economic Commission for Africa. We needed to develop a mechanism on how we could respond to Covid, and realised that a lot of our citizens didnt have a way of receiving information about it, he explains. We reached out to telecommunications companies such as Orange, MTN and Airtel, to see how they could help citizens by providing a service for free. Chinganya explained that the launch required extensive coordination with national governments due to the unprecedented size of the dataset involved. The content is submitted via widely used services such as SMS and Facebook, and is used by Covid response teams to make informed decisions based on requirements. He noted that the data was processed and owned by the countries themselves, acknowledging that there were privacy and security concerns over how data was stored and accessed but that regulations had been developed in response to this around keeping data anonymous by creating digital IDs. Along with Airtel, MTN and Orange, other companies and organisations are involved in the initiative, including the African Union, Safaricom, Smart Africa, the World Bank, and the World Health Organisation. The operator partners have agreed to deliver the platform free of charge, with MTN CEO Rob Shuter noting that chances are that many people battling the pandemic in some rural areas may not have airtime and that battling Covid was an area for collaboration and cooperation. Chinganya concurred, praising the efforts of operators: Mobile companies have agreed to provide a service for free because they realise that the majority of the people who they can reach do not have the resources to buy anything on top of their bundles, and the only solution is to provide this for free. Intel has acquired a stake in Jio Platforms, becoming the latest in a long line of overseas investors in Reliance Industries digital unit. Reliance Industries has to date sold 25.09% of Jio Platforms, generating INR1.2 trillion enough to erase the parent companys debt. US-based Intel Capital paid INR18.9 billion ($253.6 million) for a 0.39% stake in the unit, which delivers broadband and eCommerce services in India as well as operating mobile unit Reliance Jio. Intel Capital president Wendell Brooks said: We believe digital access and data can transform business and society for the better. Through this investment, we are excited to help fuel digital transformation in India, where Intel maintains an important presence. The regulators of Senegal and Mauritania have both issued warnings to their respective nations operators over subpar Quality of Service (QoS). Senegals ARTP (Regulation Authority for Telecoms and Post) formalised its response after discovering failings which negatively impact the electronic communications sector and cause enormous disruption to consumers during its recent network quality assessment. The countrys three major operators Expresso, Free and Orange have been granted 30 days to bring their networks up to standard, in accordance with Article 177 of Senegals Code of Electronic Communications. If their voice and data services do not meet requirements after this time, they could be hit with sanctions. In Mauritania meanwhile, the punishments were more severe due to the severity of the offence. The ARE (Autorite de Regulation) has handed out fines of MRU95 million (USD2.5 million) to the countrys operators after they let their QoS levels slip. Chinguitel received the smallest fine of MRU6 million, but rival operators Mattel and Mauritel were issued charges of MRU27.3 million and MRU62 million respectively. These penalties mark the second time this year that the regulator has issued fines over QoS, having previously handed over a total of MRU143.7 million. Despite recent news that at least three South African operators have recently launched 5G services, much of the spectrum used is temporary and much remains to be awarded. However, that may be about to change. The telecommunications regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), now seems to be ready to make 5G spectrum available at auction. According to Reuters and local press reports, ICASA said on Thursday that it is preparing to issue what is called an invitation to apply (ITA) for high demand spectrum and the so-called wireless open access network (WOAN). The ITA, due in June but apparently slightly delayed, is for licences in the 700MHz, 800MHz, 2.3GHz, 2.6GHz and 3.5GHz bands. Mobile operators MTN and Vodacom have already started rolling out 5G networks in major South African cities using temporary spectrum assigned by the regulator during the coronavirus pandemic and consequent lockdown to meet increased demand. The spectrum is, however, only valid until November. Mobile data-only operator Rain also took advantage of the spectrum bonus, although it had already deployed a 5G wireless data network in certain parts of Johannesburg and Tshwane late last year, apparently by leveraging its 4G data networking infrastructure. ICASA has committed to holding an auction to issue permanent high-demand spectrum licences by December. However, it did not give an exact date for when it will publish the ITA. MTN South Africa reiterated its call for the auction of 5G spectrum as it launched its next-generation network earlier this week using temporary spectrum. MTN, Rain and Vodacom are no doubt eager for the regulator to auction the spectrum, which, it is argued, could help to bring down data prices and expand broadband services. PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia has chosen Vonage to enhance its customer communications and experience. The Vonage Messages API has been integrated into Telkom Indonesias five business divisions - IndiHome, a broadband retail service, wifi.id, a Wi-Fi and hotspot service, Telkom DBS, a digital business solutions, Telkom DWS, its wholesale segment portfolio and Telkom OCA, an omni-communication platform service. The API supports Telkom Indonesias multichannel customer notifications including billing updates and payment reminders. The Vonage Messages API also enables Telkom Indonesia to engage with millions of customers more effectively through WhatsApp and SMS. Vonage provides a simple way to integrate with the WhatsApp Business solution through which Telkom Indonesias chatbot responds to customers with commonly requested information including billing queries, product details and corporate information. With a population of more than 272 million, Indonesia has around 338 million mobile connections, 171 million mobile internet users and over 160 million active social media users. Rizki Primasakti, Head of Telkom OCA, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, said: With the Vonage Messages API embedded within our system, we are able to overcome the barrier of undelivered notifications. Using WhatsApp, we can now validate that customers have received and read important messages such as bill reminders, reducing delinquent payments. Sunny Rao, Vonage Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Asia Pacific region, added: The Vonage Messages API easily integrates with SMS, MMS, and popular social media applications, allowing businesses to communicate with customers through their preferred channels. This saves businesses the hassle of integrating each channel separately. Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. The Eufaula Police Department has arrested three individuals for their alleged involvement in several burglaries and thefts. In a press release dated July 1, it was noted that through an extensive investigation and community involvement, the three individuals have been arrested for several break-ins and thefts committed in Eufaula recently. Arrested and charged were: Jontravious S. Kimbrough, 22, of Dawson, Georgia was arrested and charged with four counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle, one case of burglary third degree, and receiving stolen property; Marjavious L. Calloway, 18, of Dawson, Georgia was arrested and charged with three counts breaking and entering a motor vehicle, one case of burglary third degree, and receiving stolen property; Quarmaine K. Johnson, 21, of Eufaula was arrested and charged with breaking and entering a motor vehicle. The arrests were a combined effort of citizen information, Patrol vigilance and a thorough investigation by the CID Division, Eufaula Police Chief Steve Watkins said. Many of the items stolen were seized and returned to the respective owners. We commend the reports supplied by observant citizens and applaud the work of our officers. We cannot emphasize enough for residents to secure their vehicles and valuables, as most of the vehicle entries were through unlocked doors. WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) today announced that 16 local airports across the state of Alabama will receive a total of $10,750,845 in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants for improvements to airport infrastructure. The grant funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), has been made available through annual appropriations measures, as well as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) of 2020. Improvements to infrastructure at the local level are important for economic development in our communities, said Senator Shelby. I am pleased that these 16 airports will receive nearly $11 million to enhance safety and boost aviation advancements. This is great news for each of these areas and will advance economic growth. I look forward to the positive impact this funding will have throughout Alabama. The FAA grants are administered through Fiscal Year 2020 Airport Improvement Program (AIP) annual and supplemental awards. Additionally, funds provided through the CARES Act serve as the local match for the infrastructure grants. A total of 16 grants were awarded to local airports in Alabama, amounting to $10,750,845 for the following airport projects: ENTERPRISE The police department here has made an arrest in the June 29 shooting at Untouchables Barber Shop. Enterprise police officers served a first-degree assault arrest warrant on Shawntareis Dakuan Thompson at 10 a.m. Friday. The arrest came after family members of Thompson made arrangements with Mayor Bill Cooper for Thompson to turn himself in. Thompson surrendered to the Police Department at City Hall with the mayor present. Thompson was transported to the Coffee County Jail after arrest. On June 29 at 3:15 p.m., police responded to a fight in progress at the barbershop, 913 Rucker Blvd. They found a shooting occurred during the fight and located a victim in a nearby business with two gunshot wounds. The victim was treated at a hospital and was in stable condition the next day. Get Breaking News Alerts Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. We havent seen any consistent pattern that explains the variation, but we know that cities across Connecticut and across the country have seen significant increases over the past few months, he said. Were obviously in the midst of an unprecedented public health crisis and economic crisis, with huge social disruption, and while we cant attribute specific shootings to that, the national trends suggest that there probably is some relationship. Duncan, OK (73533) Today Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 55F. NE winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 55F. NE winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. A total of 1,161,068 has been approved and paid out to Louth businesses under the Governments Restart Grant to aid reopening after COVID-19, a Fine Gael TD has said. ODowd said, The Governments Restart Grant involves direct grant aid to micro and small businesses of between 2,000 and 10,000, to help with the costs associated with reopening and re-employing workers following COVID-19 closures. Business owners and their staff have been through incredibly difficult times recently and it is so welcome that the Government is doing everything possible to support them to open up again. This work was begun by Fine Gael in the last government and it is welcome that the new Government is prioritising the recovery from the economic shock of Covid-19. They are working to repair the damage that has been done, and restore confidence and prosperity. Small businesses will play a huge role in that as they are the lifeblood of the local economy. These targeted supports that have been developed by the Department in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices, will be available to companies of including micro enterprises, SMEs, and sectors most exposed with a focus on food, manufacturing and internationally traded services including exporters and importers. This is in addition to a range of other supports for businesses to help them through the pandemic. The July Jobs Initiative, which will be announced in the coming weeks, will help to bolster our economy and get people back to work as quickly as possible. It will enhance and add to the existing measures totalling 12 billion in supports for Covid-19 impacted businesses already announced. For example this week Tanaiste Leo Varadkar announced that 183 retailers have been approved for 6.5 million in funding as part of the Online Retail Scheme, which is targeted at online retailers to strengthen their online offering and enable them to reach a wider customer base. Other measures include the Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS), liquidity supports such as 0% finance for 6 months from MicroFinance Ireland, rates waivers from local authorities and the warehousing of tax liabilities of SMEs by Revenue. The Restart Grant is being rolled out through the Local Authorities across the country so Louth County Council has a crucial role here. Impacted firms that are in rateable premises can apply to the council for grant support of between 2,000 and a maximum of 10,000 equivalent to their rates bill of 2019. The application form for the Restart Grant is available on the Councils website. I encourage all micro and small business owners in the county to take a look at the website and apply for the grant to help them get back on their feet after COVID-19. The usual birthday celebration would see Conor Byrne indulging in a shopping trip and a celebratory meal out, but this one was very different, but still got the thumbs up! Originally from Killanny, but now living with his sister Aisling and family, in Togher, the 37-year-old's birthday started off very excitedly last Thursday with an online art class on Zoom provided by the Louth Meath branch of Down's Syndrome Ireland in conjunction with LMETB. Conor has developed a liking for Zoom through music quizzes organised by his sister Caoimhe, chats with his friends and now his online Art class on the Zoom app on his laptop. Conor's two-year Latch-On programme in Computers and Literacy has held him in good stead throughout the lockdown as the switch to an online life became the norm. His new art teacher Debbie is "just the business" as Conor remarked and he's really looking forward to participating in this new art course in the weeks ahead. As the birthday lunch came to an end at home in Togher, Conor was whisked away to the town of Dundalk to collect his much-anticipated present of a pair of Olympus binoculars. After a quick alfresco cappuccino and the traditional '99 in town, it was out to Annagassan to do some birdwatching with the new binoculars. "Wow, this is amazing, I can see a Heron", exclaimed Conor as he tested out the new kit. Some Ring-billed gulls were also spotted at the harbour. A trip to the bird observatory in the Navvy bank is on the cards at some stage, but for now observing local birdlife of the bay will keep Conor fully entertained over the summer months. There's a wealth of birdlife to be seen and enjoyed in the bay, which is a special area of conservation. Conor can now combine his two new pastimes art and birdwatching and maybe create some drawings of his feathered friends. All in all, this year's birthday was definitely a hoot. A man has been spared a prison sentence for his part in a high-speed pursuit after a court heard he is now acting as a mentor to other prisoners. Lawyers for John Lawrence (29) told Judge Karen O'Connor at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he has completed a programme in addiction studies and social sciences and is now volunteering with a prison after care programme. The court heard testimonials from professionals that Lawrence's involvement with the prison peer led mentoring programme is inspiring. One referee said his experience as a mentor is invaluable in helping others remain crime free and not return to prison. Lawrence of St Laurence's Drive, Drogheda, Co Louth pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen caravan at Barberstown Road, Maynooth, Co Kildare on January 31, 2019. He also pleaded guilty to driving in a way that created a substantial risk of death or serious harm to others at various locations in Tallaght on the same date. The court heard that on that date, gardai identified Lawrence driving a Jeep which was towing a caravan. The caravan, worth 12,000, had been stolen from Hertfordshire in England some years earlier. Gardai stopped Lawrence and were carrying out checks when he unhitched the caravan and drove off at speed. During a high speed garda pursuit Lawrence drove at speeds over 140 kmph in a 100kmph zone which were busy with commuter traffic. He drove around roundabouts in the wrong direction and forced both gardai and members of the public to take action to avoid collisions. The chase came to a halt when gardai managed to box Lawrence's Jeep in. Lawrence's previous convictions include theft, deception and road traffic offences. Judge Karen O'Connor said that when she first heard the evidence she believed a prison sentence could not be avoided but said that subsequently she has heard extraordinary mitigation. Emer Ni Chuagain BL, defending, told the court that her client has taken steps to address the causes of his past criminal behaviour. She said that his acceptance on the degree programme at Trinity College, through the university's access programme, was a difficult placement to get. Testimonials provided to the court demonstrated his remorse and regret over certain life choices, she said. Judge O'Connor noted evidence that Lawrence is committed to becoming a leader in his own community which can only benefit from positive role models. She said he has taken full responsibility for his past actions. She suspended prison terms of two years on condition that Lawrence continue with his studies and continue his voluntary work with prisoners. Readers Survey As our valued readers, we want to hear from you. Please take a moment to fill out the survey below. - Thank you, Eastern Arizona Courier Click Here Claremont, NH (03743) Today Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. BICs case related to its trade dress -- the appearance of a product -- wasnt invincible and had issues should it go to trial, he said. Arrow, too, has U.S. design patent protection, which is another reason BICs case was not invincible, he said. North Andover, MA (01845) Today Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. He told colleagues at a recent Armed Services Committee meeting that its work reverses one of the most confounding elements of this years budget: the elimination of a Virginia-class submarine which would disrupt the two-a-year build rate for the first time in a decade. UMATILLA COUNTY As the gush of new COVID-19 cases continues, the state is identifying more Eastern Oregon businesses as workplace outbreaks. 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We investigated the resources described in the article and immediately removed the content that violated our Inappropriate Content Guidelines, the company said, in a statement. We take violations very seriously, and promptly review and remove these types of resources once they are brought to our attention. Last month, the lesson-sharing site Teachers Pay Teachers was one of the many education companies that put out a statement about combatting systemic racism, amid ongoing protests in response to police brutality against Black people. The statement, from TpT CEO Joe Holland, called for the organization to support educators teaching about racism and social justice. He pledged to highlight the work created by Black teachers on the site, provide free anti-racist professional development, and start a grant program to support the creation of anti-racist and social justice educational resources. But the statement didnt address one of the concerns that teachers have long raised about the site: TpTs content moderation policy doesnt catch racist or insensitive lessons. The site hosts third-party content, like a social media platform, rather than publishing content itself the way a curriculum company would. That means that any teacher-seller can post resources to the site without prior review by members of the companys team. TpT relies on user reports to flag inappropriate content. A search of lessons on the site in late June found at least two dozen lessons that discuss slavery that involve simulation or reenactment, which experts agree can minimize horrific events and cause emotional hurt to Black students. Among those lessons on the TpT site were: an activity designed to have students experience the conditions during the Middle Passage, a journaling exercise asking students to imagine why formerly enslaved people might be nostalgic for slavery, and an activity designed to have students create their own version of the Three-Fifths Compromise. These kinds of activities humanize enslavers and recreate racist power dynamics in the classroom, said LaGarrett King, an associate professor of social studies at the University of Missouris College of Education. Teachers believe that these games help facilitate learning, when all theyre doing is enacting psychological violence on your studentsboth white and Black, but particularly your Black students, because that history connects to who they are as people, he said. And while these lessons remain on the site, othersincluding at least one aimed at teaching about police brutalityhave been removed. Ashley Tucker, a Black special education teacher in New York City, had her lesson about the killing of George Floyd taken down after users filed reports saying that it violated the sites content guidelines. A back-and-forth with a moderator left Tucker, who has facilitated training on anti-racist pedagogy at her school, unsatisfied with the sites rationale for requiring changes to her lesson. The incident, she said, made her think more critically about sharing my resources that way. Lesson-sharing sites have their benefits, King said. If you have wonderful lessons, teachers can share their lessons and get paid, he said. But he added that there should probably be a broader vetting process on the site. Holland, TpTs CEO, said that the company is continuing to invest in content moderation, and that racist material and offensive content arent tolerated on the platform. The company provides an educational video series about their policies for teachers to consult, and a list of 3 Questions to Ask Yourself for teachers who arent sure if their resources follow the guidelines. But the company doesnt plan to start reviewing content ahead of publication on the site. For us to do that, we would essentially take on the role of a publisher, which the company is not equipped to do, said Holland. We have a huge volume of content on Teachers Pay Teachers, and we recognize that even with the best reporting tools, there is inappropriate content. And thats as frustrating to us as it is to our educators and our community, said Michelle Cummings, TpTs vice president of content. Curating Resources: Whose Role? Last month, TpT announced its three new initiatives , committing to speak up, take action, and partner with educators to work for change in the wake of recent tragedies and injustices against Black people in America. I think like most companies, we are reflecting and saying, how can we be part of change in this moment? How can we work towards a better place in our society? And we dont have all the answers, Holland said, in an interview with Education Week. In the past few weeks, the company has featured Black creators on its social media pages and blog and launched a free professional-development series. The first webinar convened sellers to discuss their experiences as Black teachers and strategies for anti-racist teaching. TpT also created a grant program, offering creators up to $1,000 each to develop resources related to anti-racism and social justice. The application process will be judged by a panel of TpT staff as well as outside experts, who are yet to be announced, and will take into account "[p]revious experience in teaching, facilitating, or creating content about anti-racism and/or social justice topics ... as well as lived experience. Tanya Marshall, an elementary multilingual teacher and a TpT author who spoke on the PD webinar last month, said she applauds the companys effort to highlight resources created by Black teachers. There are white teachers who undervalue the contributions of their Black colleagues, and they see our work as being of less quality, said Marshall, who is Black. She sees this dynamic play out in schools, and she has wondered whether it also exists on the lesson-sharing site. With our seller community, you notice some pockets of sellers collaborating and pushing their resources forward. But their collaborative groups are segregated, she said. Many white teachers who are new to anti-racist pedagogy are looking for resources now, and its important that they turn to educators with a background and experience in those topics, Marshall said. She would be wary, she said, of teacher-authors who are addressing race in their lessons for the first time this month. Alicia Discepola, a white educator from New Jersey, has seen a lot of this new content on TpT recently, and in other venues for lesson-sharing. All these edu-influencers are creating new content, but if you look before May 2020 you cant see anything [on anti-racist teaching] from these educators, she said. It makes her worry that teachers searching for resources might think theyve done enough to teach about racism by adding a worksheet. We have to hold ourselves accountable, and that includes companies that profit off of education. So there has to be more of an investment, she said, in curating resources. Hosting reenactment lessons on the site could make teachers think that this kind of activity is acceptable, said King, the University of Missouri professor. But he added that racist lessons are hardly a problem unique to TpT. Curriculum violence is everywhere, he said. These teachers are being taught in a system that enacts curriculum violence. They had curriculum violence enacted on them, so theyre regurgitating that. An Evolving Moderation Process Tucker, the New York City teacher whose lessons were removed, said she aimed to tell the human stories of Black people who had been killed by police. Tucker has created lessons over the past few months that memorialize Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and most recently, George Floyd. She taught the lessons with her students, who are teenagers with special needs, and then posted them to her TpT store. In late May, about a week after Floyd was killed, Tucker got a notice from the company that her lessons had been removed from the site after TpT had received a number of reports that her resources violated content guidelines. The guidelines prohibit discriminatory content, or content that trivializes traumatic experiences. After Tucker responded, asking why the resources were taken down, a member of TpTs Marketplace Integrity Team replied that upon further review, the lessons generally do not violate our Inappropriate Content Guidelines. The team member added that the decision was in part responding to concerns about allowing TpT Sellers to profit from the memory of murdered individuals. Tucker was told that she could put the lessons back up if she made some changes. She would need to remove a screen grab she had included in the original resource. The image, cropped from the video of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyds neck, showed Chauvin but not Floyd. Tucker was also asked to include detailed instructions for how the lessons should be used, and to add credits for the photos and art she had included. Tucker felt that the resources were appropriate as-is, and she worried that the reporting tool was too blunt an instrumentwhile TpT community members could use it to report racist resources, its also possible that some could try to censor work about difficult topics. TpTs moderators use rubrics developed by the Marketplace Integrity Team and a group of former K-12 teachers to evaluate reported content. Cummings, TpTs vice president of content, said that Tuckers experience highlights the complex dynamic involved in moderating, but also demonstrates that the company does take reports seriously. The company is constantly in dialogue with the community about the moderation process, said Holland, TpTs CEO. Were never going to get it perfect, but were constantly improving, he said. They Werent Doing This Before Though TpT gave her the option to put her resources back up on the site, Tucker decided not to do so. Instead, she bought the domain name for TeachersPayBlackTeachers.com, where she and a friend plan to host their lessons. She thinks the company should be revising how they review content on the site, perhaps in partnership with an organization that has expertise in anti-bias and anti-racist instruction. They werent doing this before. And now, of course they have to. There have been a lot of companies putting out statements, Tucker said. And [Teachers Pay Teachers] can make money by saying, Click here, this was made by a Black educator. Marshall hopes that the work TpT is doing helps teachers develop a deeper understanding of the systemic inequities facing students and teachers of color. And shes glad to be a part of that work. But she wants her fellow teachers to recognize her content-area expertise, too. Even though Im a Black woman who works in education, I dont want my colleagues to think, Well, for anything that has to do about race, well go to her, Marshall said. Yes, Im here, and Im willing to talk about race. Im willing to share anti-racist teaching ideas, she continued. But Im also a literacy expert. I hope going forward, we can collaborate on all efforts. Not just, lets go to the Black sellers when we need to talk about race." Stay up to date on COVID-19 Get Breaking News Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Sponsored By: St Anthony's Hospital Powell also said it was more likely than not that Trujillo made disparaging comments about the auditors and their work product. Among the examples Caruso gave in his complaint, he said Trujillo compared himself to staff by saying, Im up here, and gesturing near eye level, and that everyone else is below, gesturing around knee level. As cinemas in the UK prepared to reopen after lockdown, they promised Star Wars fans a treat. Disney and Vue planned to release a 4K version of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in theaters. That would have been the first time a UHD version of an original trilogy film appeared in theaters. But now, Disney and Vue are walking back on their promise. Instead, Vue theaters will show the original 2K version of the film, Variety reports. This isnt entirely surprising, as plans for reopening and release dates are still changing. According to Variety, exhibitors Vue and Cineworld have shifted their reopening dates from July 10th to July 31st. Apparently, Mouse House scrapped plans for the 4K release after talks with exhibitors broke down in the last few weeks. Some Star Wars fans may be disappointed. On the other hand, purists may be happy to see the 2K version on the big screen, as it originally appeared. Either way, fans can also find a 4K version of The Empire Strikes Back on Disney+, which also has 4K versions of the seven other Skywalker Saga films. Of course, streaming the 4K version from home is also less risky than venturing to a cinema, where you may pick up the coronavirus. Click for the latest, full-access Enid News & Eagle headlines | Text Alerts | app downloads Turner is an intern for the Enid News & Eagle. Have a question about this story? Do you see something we missed? Do you have a story idea for Cass? Send an email to jturner@enidnews.com The services celebrating and honoring the life of Loretta Ball, 91, of Enid are pending under the direction of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home. Condolences and special memories may be shared with the family online at WWW.Brown-Cummings.com. I am a retired Naval Officer and small business owner, outside of my work at the News & Eagle. My wife Tammy and I enjoy serving together at church and attending Gaslight and ESO. We have two daughters, three dogs and little free time. Follow James Neal | Religion/Health Reporter 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 When they shut us down, everyone had to go home of course. It was a matter of catching up in a safe manner, so we didnt want to rush anything, Thomas said. There was so much uncertainty. ... There were a few weeks, we call them the dark days, when we just werent sure what the state was going to do. Neal is health, military affairs and religion reporter and columnist for the Enid News & Eagle. Follow him on Twitter, @jamesnealwriter , and online at jamesrneal.com The News & Eagle has traditionally published personal opinions of writers and readers through editorials, columns and letters to the editor on its Opinion Page. The opinions shared are those of the writers and not the newspaper. Submit your opinion for publication to editor@enidnews.com. Find out more about submitting letters to the editor at https://www.enidnews.com/opinion/. 2020-07-02 Maeci Undersecretary Manlio Di Stefano spoke this morning at the first digital round table of the high-level Italy-ASEAN Economic Dialogue, organised by the Government of Malaysia, the Italy-ASEAN Association and The European House-Ambrosetti. "Today's event - began the Undersecretary - shows the importance that Italy gives to strengthening relations with ASEAN, a strategic hub for the whole Asia-Pacific region. It is an organisation whose member countries jointly constitute the 5th largest economy in the world, with a total GDP of about 3,000 billion euros. As a founding member of the European Union, Italy strongly believes in regional integration. It welcomes ASEAN's contribution to common economic prosperity, peace, and stability in South East Asia. Italy is also ready to play an increasing role in EU-ASEAN dynamics. As a Government we are intensifying our contacts with this industrious area of the world, to increase dialogue at all levels, starting from the economic-commercial one". The meeting was an opportunity to draw an overview of the many opportunities for the advancement of economic cooperation between Italy and ASEAN countries, from investments in sustainable infrastructure to energy, digital innovation, logistics and people mobility. "Italy is ready to cooperate with ASEAN in the fields of space technologies and earth observation, as well as in capacity building in all areas of cooperation with its member countries" - concluded the Undersecretary. Figuring out how much energy permeates the center of the Milky Way--a discovery reported in the July 3 edition of the journal Science Advances--could yield new clues to the fundamental source of our galaxy's power, said L. Matthew Haffner of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The Milky Way's nucleus thrums with hydrogen that has been ionized, or stripped of its electrons so that it is highly energized, said Haffner, assistant professor of physics & astronomy at Embry-Riddle and co-author of the Science Advances paper. "Without an ongoing source of energy, free electrons usually find each other and recombine to return to a neutral state in a relatively short amount of time," he explained. "Being able to see ionized gas in new ways should help us discover the kinds of sources that could be responsible for keeping all that gas energized." University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student Dhanesh Krishnarao ("DK"), lead author of the Science Advances paper, collaborated with Haffner and UW-Whitewater Professor Bob Benjamin--a leading expert on the structure of stars and gas in the Milky Way. Before joining Embry-Riddle in 2018, Haffner worked as a research scientist for 20 years at UW, and he continues to serve as principal investigator for the Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper, or WHAM, a telescope based in Chile that was used for the team's latest study. To determine the amount of energy or radiation at the center of the Milky Way, the researchers had to peer through a kind of tattered dust cover. Packed with more than 200 billion stars, the Milky Way also harbors dark patches of interstellar dust and gas. Benjamin was taking a look at two decades' worth of WHAM data when he spotted a scientific red flag--a peculiar shape poking out of the Milky Way's dark, dusty center. The oddity was ionized hydrogen gas, which appears red when captured through the sensitive WHAM telescope, and it was moving in the direction of Earth. The position of the feature--known to scientists as the "Tilted Disk" because it looks tilted compared with the rest of the Milky Way--couldn't be explained by known physical phenomena such as galactic rotation. The team had a rare opportunity to study the protruding Tilted Disk, liberated from its usual patchy dust cover, by using optical light. Usually, the Tilted Disk must be studied with infrared or radio light techniques, which allow researchers to make observations through the dust, but limit their ability to learn more about ionized gas. "Being able to make these measurements in optical light allowed us to compare the nucleus of the Milky Way to other galaxies much more easily," Haffner said. "Many past studies have measured the quantity and quality of ionized gas from the centers of thousands of spiral galaxies throughout the universe. For the first time, we were able to directly compare measurements from our Galaxy to that large population." Krishnarao leveraged an existing model to try and predict how much ionized gas should be in the emitting region that had caught Benjamin's eye. Raw data from the WHAM telescope allowed him to refine his predictions until the team had an accurate 3-D picture of the structure. Comparing other colors of visible light from hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen within the structure gave researchers further clues to its composition and properties. At least 48 percent of the hydrogen gas in the Tilted Disk at the center of the Milky Way has been ionized by an unknown source, the team reported. "The Milky Way can now be used to better understand its nature," Krishnarao said. The gaseous, ionized structure changes as it moves away from the Milky Way's center, researchers reported. Previously, scientists only knew about the neutral (non-ionized) gas located in that region. "Close to the nucleus of the Milky Way," Krishnarao explained, "gas is ionized by newly forming stars, but as you move further away from the center, things get more extreme, and the gas becomes similar to a class of galaxies called LINERs, or low ionization (nuclear) emission regions." The structure appeared to be moving toward Earth because it was on an elliptical orbit interior to the Milky Way's spiral arms, researchers found. LINER-type galaxies such as the Milky Way make up roughly a third of all galaxies. They have centers with more radiation than galaxies that are only forming new stars, yet less radiation than those whose supermassive black holes are actively consuming a tremendous amount of material. "Before this discovery by WHAM, the Andromeda Galaxy was the closest LINER spiral to us," said Haffner. "But it's still millions of light-years away. With the nucleus of the Milky Way only tens of thousands of light-years away, we can now study a LINER region in more detail. Studying this extended ionized gas should help us learn more about the current and past environment in the center of our Galaxy." Next up, researchers will need to figure out the source of the energy at the center of the Milky Way. Being able to categorize the galaxy based on its level of radiation was an important first step toward that goal. Now that Haffner has joined Embry-Riddle's growing Astronomy & Astrophysics program, he and his colleague Edwin Mierkiewicz, associate professor of physics, have big plans. "In the next few years, we hope to build WHAM's successor, which would give us a sharper view of the gas we study," Haffner said. "Right now our map `pixels' are twice the size of the full moon. WHAM has been a great tool for producing the first all-sky survey of this gas, but we're hungry for more details now." In separate research, Haffner and his colleagues earlier this month reported the first-ever visible-light measurements of "Fermi Bubbles" - mysterious plumes of light that bulge from the center of the Milky Way. That work was presented at the American Astronomical Society. ### MULTIMEDIA: A scientific animation is available, along with photos of the three researchers. Research described in the Science Advances paper, "Discovery of Diffuse Optical Emission Lines from the Inner Galaxy: Evidence for LI(N)ER-like Gas," was supported in part by the National Science Foundation for WHAM development, operations, and science activities including grants AST-0607512, AST-1108911, and AST-1714472/1715623; NASA grant NNX17AJ27G; and IDEX Paris-Saclay grant ANR-11-IDEX-0003-02. About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Reporters worldwide contact Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for content experts in all aspects of aviation, aviation business, aerospace, engineering and STEM-related fields. Our faculty experts specialize in unmanned and autonomous systems, security and intelligence, air traffic and airport management, astronomy, human factors psychology, meteorology, spaceflight operations, urban air mobility and much more. Visit the Embry-Riddle Newsroom for story ideas. Embry-Riddle educates 33,500+ students at its residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona, at approximately 125 Worldwide Campus locations and through online degree programs ranked by U.S. News & World Report as being among the Nation's Top Five. River water, lake water, and seawater contain DNA belonging to organisms such as animals and plants. Ecologists have begun to actively analyze such DNA molecules, called environmental DNA, to assess the distribution of macro-organisms. Challenges yet remain, however, in quantitative applications of environmental DNA. In a research article published online in Molecular Ecology, researchers from the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Shimane University, Kyoto University, Hokkaido University, and Kobe University, have reported a new method for estimating population abundance of fish species (or more generally, a target aquatic species), by means of measuring concentration of environmental DNA in the water. Their results suggest the potential of the proposed approach for quantitative, non-invasive monitoring of aquatic ecosystems. DNA molecules are released from organisms present, are transported by the flow of water, and are eventually degraded. In a natural environment, these processes can operate in a complex way. "This complicates and limits the traditional approach of population quantification based on environmental DNA where the presence of a definite relationship between the concentration of environmental DNA and population abundance has been critical, "explained Keiichi Fukaya, research associate at the National Institute for Environmental Studies and the lead author of the paper. "We thought that these fundamental processes of environmental DNA, the shedding, transport, and degradation, should be accounted for, when we estimate population abundance through environmental DNA," he said. The authors implemented this idea by adopting a numerical hydrodynamic model that explicitly accounts for the processes to simulate the distribution of environmental DNA concentrations within an aquatic area. "By solving this model in the 'inverse direction', we can estimate fish population abundance based on the observed distribution of environmental DNA concentrations," Fukaya explained. A case study conducted in Maizuru Bay, Japan, confirmed that the estimate of the population abundance of Japanese jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus), obtained by the proposed method, was comparable to that of a quantitative echo sounder method. "The idea and framework presented in this study forms a cornerstone towards quantitative monitoring of ecosystems through environmental DNA analysis. By combining field observation, techniques of molecular biology, and mathematical/statistical modeling, the scope of the environmental DNA analysis will be broadened beyond the determination of the presence or absence of target species," explained Professor Michio Kondoh from Tohoku University, who led the 5.5-year environmental DNA research project, funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (CREST). ### This work was supported by JST CREST Grant Number JPMJCR13A2, Japan. More than 700 people have been arrested in Britain and tens of millions of pounds have been seized after the police infiltrated a top secret communications system used by criminal gangs. China's foreign ministry said Britain would bear all consequences for any move it took to offer Hong Kong citizens a path to settlement in the UK. Job losses will jeopardise sustained gains in UK consumer confidence with strong pressure for further political action to underpin employment as job cuts continue. Short-term UK spending boost as consumer confidence improves According to July flash reading, the UK GfK consumer confidence index recovered to -27 from -30 the previous month and slightly above consensus forecasts of -29. This was the highest reading for 4 months, although still well below pre-covid readings and the figure of -9 for March. Four of the indicators posted a monthly improvement with a significant increase in expectations of the economic outlook over the next 12 months. The only indicator which recorded a decline was an assessment of the economic situation over the past 12 months. Joe Staton, GfKs Client Strategy Director, commented: Despite the backdrop of dire warnings about the state of the economy, large-scale job losses, the end of furlough with the prospect of further unemployment, and a possible second-wave of COVID-19, consumers appear to be slightly more confident as lockdown loosens across parts of the UK. Image: UK confidence "The seven-point jump in the Major Purchase Index could bode well for reopening day this Saturday as more shoppers hit the high streets after a trip to the pub and visit to the hairdresser. There will inevitably an important element of pent-up demand following the lockdown which will help underpin spending in the near term. There was still an important element of caution and Staton added: However, economic headwinds could easily blow any recovery off-course with confidence remaining fragile and volatile amid few signs of stability. There will be further concerns over the labour market as the announcement of heavy job losses continue within the economy. The Resolution Foundation has estimated that 1 million furloughed workers could lose their job when the scheme is wound down in October. There will also be stresses from August when employers have to bear a proportion of the costs. The survey also indicated that it will be difficult for workers to switch sectors and commented that 75% of workers who lost their jobs return to work in the same sector. Political agenda remains crucial for Pound Sterling The immediate focus will be on Chancellor Sunaks economic statement due on Tuesday. Labour-market specialists have called for a 3.0bn package of measures to help workers make career changes including training grants. There have also been calls for redundancy laws to be tightened. Stephen Evans, chief executive of Learning and Work Institute, said: Without urgent action, we risk a second spike in unemployment as the furlough scheme is withdrawn which could take unemployment to levels last seen after the Great Depression. Prime Minister Johnson commented on Friday; "You'll be hearing more about what we're going to do to support people next week from the chancellor Rishi Sunak. Trade developments remain extremely important for Sterling sentiment after the latest round of UK/EU talks ended early on Thursday. ING Bank commented; Ahead of a new round of [Brexit] talks next week, the two parties have reportedly softened their stances on a few issues and took steps towards a general compromise. Underlying political developments remained an important dimension for the talks with the resignation of the French Prime Minster while German Chancellor Merkel stating that Germany was preparing for a no-deal Brexit. Viraj Patel, FX and global macro strategist at Arkera commented; Were seeing some of the political uncertainties in Europe - around the French cabinet reshuffle - spilling over into the pound. Sterling stalled on Friday with Euro/Sterling holding above 0.9000. The Chicago art venue Woman Made Gallery has chosen a mixed media artwork by Anne Nordhaus-Bike for display in its latest juried show, Home, A Virtual Exhibition. Juror Jennifer Weigel selected Nordhaus-Bike's Broken Home mixed media piece to include in this exhibit, which opens today, July 3, 2020. "We are honored to include Anne's work in the exhibition," Weigel said. "It is very poignant and powerful." Nordhaus-Bike is pleased to return to exhibiting at Woman Made Gallery. "I'm delighted to return to Woman Made through this show about home and what it means to us," she said. "My Broken Home piece reflects the many changes in my life recently that have affected home, family, and my feelings about these critically important parts of human life." See The Show Immediately - Online The show is up online and runs Friday, July 3, through Thursday, July 30, 2020. It features work by 123 artists from around the world. Get complete details - and learn all about Nordhaus-Bike's unusual mixed media piece, here: https://artistanne.com/713/art-gallery-mixed-media-in-virtual-exhibit-opening-july-3/ Looking at whats happening elsewhere, we are lucky and we should be grateful that our trends continue to be positive, Bronin said after he and Murphy toured a COVID-19 rapid testing center at the Samuel Valentin Arroyo Recreation Center at Hartfords Pope Park. Please, please make sure that you are doing the basic things that dont just keep you safe, but they keep your loved ones safe, your coworkers safe, your friends safe. It really, really matters. Be cautious. Be careful. Wear your mask, wash your hands, stay apart. This is a critical time. With San Antonio emergency rooms and intensive care units overflowing with COVID-19 patients, hospital chiefs implored residents Thursday to take extra caution over the Fourth of July weekend to prevent a new wave of infections. The numbers are staggering, Ian Thompson, CEO of Christus Santa Rosa Hospital-Medical Center, said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. The disease is breathtaking. One after another, the heads of the citys four major hospital systems lined up and offered a series of grim assessments all warning that the virus threatens to crush hospitals in as little as two weeks. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients grew by 55 Thursday for a total of 1,074, pushing the hospital system to near capacity. Of those patients, 332 are in intensive care, up eight from Wednesday. The number of patients on ventilators to help them breathe grew to 180 from 175 the previous day. Area hospitals remained under high stress Thursday. Only 13 percent of Bexar Countys 4,302 staffed hospital beds are available. COVID-19 patients make up nearly 30 percent of the 3,728 people in the hospital. More than half of the countys ventilator stockpile of 703 is in use. But hospital leaders said those figures will get even worse within the next two weeks and warned residents in San Antonio and Bexar County to stay home instead of gathering with family members and friends for the Fourth of July. The die is cast probably for the next 11 days, Thompson said. Those folks are infected. They will be coming in. What you do today will determine what happens two weeks from now, whether youre in the emergency room with no beds. Nearly 3,200 people in the Bexar County area could be hospitalized with COVID-19 within the next two weeks, said Matthew Stone, the CEO of Baptist Health System. To handle that load, area hospitals need about 1,000 intensive care beds, quite a bit more than what we currently have, Stone said. Officials pointed to Memorial Day weekend when Gov. Greg Abbott allowed a slate of businesses to reopen and expand their operations, and revelers flocked to beaches and barbecues. Soon after that weekend, cases began to explode an outcome officials begged residents to try to avoid this weekend. The most patriotic thing you can do this Independence Day is heed the warnings and stay away from parties, away from cookouts and certainly away from large celebrations, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. We are depending on you. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff seconded that. We dont want another spike on top to the spike were getting already, Wolff said. Its not slowing down. Residents should assume that anyone who isnt a part of their household could be carrying the virus, said Colleen Bridger, assistant city manager and interim Metro Health director. Family is not a protection from the virus, Bridger said. Keep your distance and save your hugs and kisses. If you love your country, you will wear a mask, said Thompson, who was a combat trauma surgeon 20 years ago in the Persian Gulf War. And you will do what the mayor and the judge have told us to do. No hospital has been safe from the surge. Baptists San Antonio-area hospitals currently have 350 COVID-19 patients, 90 of which need intensive care, Stone said. Seventy-eight patients are on ventilators. Within the last five weeks, the number of COVID-19 patients in Baptists care has doubled every 7 to 10 days, he said. We see no signs of that stopping, Stone said. The number of COVID-19 patients at University Hospital has more than quintupled in the last two weeks from 25 to 144, University Health System CEO George Hernandez said. Two weeks ago, hospitals in the Methodist Health Care system had 75 positive COVID-19 patients, CEO Allen Harrison said. By Thursday, that number had more than quadrupled to 343. Thats unsustainable, Harrison said. Many have written off COVID-19 as no worse than the flu, Harrison said, but the coronavirus is 50 times more likely to kill you than the flu is. Hospital officials have scrambled to add more intensive care beds for patients showing severe symptoms. University Health System closed its physical rehabilitation unit and is sending patients to private rehabilitation facilities in order to free up about 27 beds, Hernandez said. Its also converted beds intended for pre- and post-operative patients for use by COVID-19 patients, he said. Baptist hospitals are also looking at converting space where post-operative patients recover, Stone said. Already, hospitals in that system are re-purposing pediatric intensive care units to become adult ICUs. That stress extends to the medical workforce. More than half of all nurses at Methodist hospitals have consistently worked overtime shifts in recent weeks, Harrison said. Our health care workers have stepped up, Harrison said. But we can only ask that of them for so long. Coronavirus continued its precipitous rise across the San Antonio region Thursday. Bexar County reported 374 more cases of COVID-19 Thursday, increasing the total number of infections to almost 12,900 since pandemic began in March. Four more people have died of the virus. The local death toll now stands at 115. Thursday afternoon, Abbott ordered nearly all Texans to begin wearing face masks in public, a move long pushed by city and county officials but one Abbott had resisted. First-time violators will receive a warning, but repeat offenders face fines of up to $250. Last month, Wolff and Nirenberg mandated that businesses require customers and employees to wear masks or face coverings on the premises or they would face fines of up to $1,000. Wolff, who spearheaded the local mask order, said Abbotts move would take a lot of pressure off of the businesses today where theyre not the last line of enforcement. We put a great deal of burden on our employers. I know first-hand how it can get out of hand, Wolff said, referring to a confrontation he had last week with a Lowes customer who refused to wear a mask. Nirenberg had a more curt response to Abbotts new directive. Its about time, Nirenberg said. In Comal County, officials reported 58 new COVID-19 cases 36 confirmed, 22 probable for a total of 836 since the outbreak began. The rate of Comal residents who test positive for the virus also continued to climb. That percentage reached an all-time high of 12.6 percent Thursday, up from 8.5 percent a week ago. Joshua Fechter is a staff writer covering San Antonio government and politics. To read more from Joshua, become a subscriber. jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreports July 3, 2020 Fired San Antonio police officers often win back their jobs in arbitration. Under Texas state law, police officers have the right to appeal to a qualified neutral arbitrator. It offers no limits to an arbitrators authority to re-evaluate disciplinary decisions. In the past decade, arbitrators have returned 10 fired San Antonio police officers to the force, reversing Chief William McManus judgment in about 14 percent of 71 terminations, city records show. Read the full investigative report: Arbitrators excuse allegations of racism in police You can sort this searchable database by year, officer name or category of offense. In that same period, arbitrators upheld 13 terminations. Under the threat of arbitration, McManus himself allowed 20 officers to return to the force after he fired them another 28 percent of terminations. New rules regulating police are rendered toothless when officers who break them are shielded from accountability by state law and union contracts, said Stephen Rushin, a law professor at Loyola University Chicago who specializes in police accountability. Nearly half of all the union contracts analyzed by Rushin including the one held by police in San Antonio allow officers to appeal to an arbitrator; give the union some power in selecting the arbitrator; allow the arbitrator to override previous decisions; and make the arbitrators decision final and binding. The union contract in San Antonio goes even further, barring the police chief from punishing officers for any misconduct that occurred more than six months earlier, or invoking any discipline handed down more than two years before any new allegations. Design by Joy-Marie Scott Subscribe Real news. Real trust. Real community. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism. Today's Paper A fellow soldier bludgeoned missing Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen to death with a hammer at Fort Hood in April and then dismembered and buried her body along the Leon River with the help of his girlfriend, the FBI alleged in court documents filed Thursday. Military officials identified Army Specialist Aaron David Robinson as the soldier suspected in the disappearance of Guillen, the 20-year-old Houston native who went missing April 22. Robinson shot and killed himself as law enforcement officers confronted him along a Killeen road after the discovery of human remains believed to be those of the missing 3rd Cavalry Regiment soldier. A news conference held at the Army post in Killeen revealed few details, but charging documents filed by the FBI lay out the lengths to which investigators believe Robinson and his girlfriend, Cecily Ann Aguilar, went to hide Guillens remains. Aguilar advised the female soldier never made it out of the Army alive, the FBI alleged in charging her with conspiracy to tamper with evidence. She was being held at the Bell County jail on the federal charge. The sudden flurry of developments follows months of calls by family members for answers as to what happened to Guillen, whom they believe had been sexually harassed at Fort Hood. The case has drawn national attention and criticism of the Army post for its handling of the case. A lawyer for Guillens family, Natalie Khawam, has said that she provided Robinsons name to authorities after learning he may have harassed Guillen before her disappearance. Khawam told reporters in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday that Robinson walked in on Guillen as she showered in a locker room and watched her. Investigators said they were unable to corroborate that report. Court documents filed in Western District Court provide the following account: A witness in the case said Guillen was working in an arms room on the day of her disappearance. She left to visit an arms room at another location at Ford Hood where Robinson worked in order to confirm serial numbers for weapons and equipment. Robinson was the last person whom Guillen texted and one of the last people known to have seen her alive, FBI Special Agent Jonathan Varga wrote in an affidavit. Of that encounter, Robinson told investigators that Guillen left the arms room and would have next gone to the motor pool. Workers there said Guillen never arrived, the special agent continued. Robinson told Army investigators he then went to the residence he shared with Aguilar. More than 12 hours after Guillen was last seen alive in the Fort Hood parking lot, Robinson was in the Belton Lake area, near where human remains were later found along the Leon River, the FBI said phone records revealed. The federal investigator believes Robinson spent at least two hours that night along the river, and later repeatedly returned to the area with Aguilar through April 26 to finish hiding the remains. The couple allegedly used hairnets and gloves. The couples return to the Leon River area coincided with the start of a desperate search to find Guillen by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. She was reported missing April 23 after a check of the barracks and unit area, where her keys and ID were found. Aguilar initially told investigators that she and Robinson went to a Belton-area park to stargaze on the night of April 22. But when interviewed on Tuesday, Aguilar revealed that Robinson had admitted hitting Guillen in the head repeatedly with a hammer on the day she vanished. According to court documents, Aguilar first saw Guillens body in a plastic box that Robinson had used to take the body off post. Two witnesses had earlier reported seeing Robinson carrying a large box out of the arms room and to his vehicle. On the night of April 22 and into the morning of April 23, Robinson picked Aguilar up at a gas station where she worked and the two drove out to a site near the Leon River and near a bridge. The box was already there, she said, and inside she saw a dead female. Aguilar then admitted helping him dismember Guillens body with a bladed weapon, such as a hatchet or ax and a machete type knife. The duo tried burning the body but did not succeed, charging documents state. Evidence of that apparent attempt was found June 21 at a burn site with disturbed earth, authorities allege. Court documents say the soil smelled of decomposition. No remains were found but a large plastic box was recovered. On June 30, construction workers working on a fence along the river found what appeared to be human remains. Investigators searched the area and confirmed scattered remains that appeared to have been placed into a concrete-like substance and buried. The remains have not been identified as belonging to Guillen, but Aguilar told investigators they belonged to the missing soldier. The couple later burned their clothes at their home, investigators said. During the investigation, authorities had Aguilar call Robinson to talk about Guillen and he never denied anything they did with her body during that controlled telephone call, documents state. Robinson later allegedly called Aguilar to say, Baby they found pieces, they found pieces. He was confined to his Fort Hood barracks room at the time. He fled his post on June 30 and law enforcement issued a be-on-the-lookout notice for him. Authorities found him walking along a Killeen road when he pulled out a weapon and killed himself, police said. An Army criminal investigator, Special Agent Damon Phelps, said Thursday that Robinson worked in a neighboring building of Guillens but was not her supervisor. The two soldiers knew each other, he said. Guillens family contends sexual harassment was at the heart of her death, alleging that a supervisor or Robinson had been targeting her for months. Investigators for the military branch have not found evidence that her disappearance was linked to sexual harassment or that she reported Robinson or anyone else for harassment. They indicated that they unearthed a statement of possible harassment from May but were still investigating it. There was also no evidence that she had been sexually assaulted, officials said. Army Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt said he asked an Army Forces Command inspection team to check the posts sexual harassment and assault response program for compliance. The inspection team will also determine whether the command staff is supportive of soldiers reporting incidents at Fort Hood and seek to identify potential systematic issues with lodging complaints. Phelps said he would not discuss the role of a second suspect who federal and county officials identified as Aguilar in Guillens disappearance because the arrest was handled by the Texas Rangers. He declined to elaborate on whether Guillen died on the Army post, fearing that such a detail could jeopardize the investigation. Federal charging papers detailing where Guillen likely died were filed soon after. nicole.hensley@chron.com sig@express-news.net olivia.tallet@chron.com These days hearing someone cough or sneeze in public can cause instant anxiety if youre nearby, especially in closed spaces. But how often do you think of the other major route for COVID-19 the simple act of talking to another person? Droplets spewed during speech are believed to be the key transmission vector for COVID-19 for asymptomatic and presymptomatic patients, says research scientist Jeremy P. Howard, co-founder of fast.ai, which promotes deep learning via artificial intelligence. Asymptomatic infections may account for 40-45 percent of all COVID-19 cases, according to a new Scripps Research Institute analysis published this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine. An additional percentage of cases, yet unknown, involve presymptomatic patients. "Our estimate of 40 to 45 percent asymptomatic means that, if you're unlucky enough to get infected, the probability is almost a flip of a coin on whether you're going to have symptoms. So to protect others, we think that wearing a mask makes a lot of sense," Scripps Research behavioral scientist Daniel Oran told Science News. COVID-19 results in viral shedding in the upper respiratory tract, where droplets can form. Every time people speak, they spray a cloud of droplets that vary widely in size. Large droplets fall quickly to the ground, but small ones can dehydrate and linger as droplet nuclei in the air, behaving like an aerosol, according to a National Institutes of Health and University of Pennsylvania study published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers measured droplets generated on a laser light sheet by a person speaking into a cardboard box. Video clips (see the tweet) showed a dramatic difference between speech with and without a cloth cover over the mouth. Young people infected at bars, clubs, parties and other indoor gatherings may not get seriously ill, but they can spread the virus to parents, grandparents and other vulnerable people. Systems biologist Dr. David States noted on Twitter that deaths of older family members infected by young people in the recent spike of cases in Texas, Arizona, Florida, California and other, mostly Southern, states wont show up in statistics for a month or more. At a press conference Monday in Columbus, Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine who has rejected the anti-mask arguments of the right held up a face covering for viewers to see. If we want to be able to go out and live our lives, this mask is a symbol of freedom, he said. Its a symbol of freedom because if you wear these, if we get 75-80 percent of the people who are out in public who are wearing this mask, we are going to see these numbers get better. Studies back him up. Modeling presented by Cambridge and Greenwich university scientists in Proceedings of the Royal Society indicated that 100% face mask use seriously diminishes disease spread. Wearing masks could also shore up the struggling economy, research shows. A new study from Goldman Sachs suggests a national mask mandate would slow the growth rate of new coronavirus infections and prevent a 5% GDP loss caused by additional lockdown measures, Forbes reported Monday. Hong Kong, a metropolitan area and special administrative region of 7.5 million, has had just six confirmed COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. The key to the Hong Kongs success is nearly universal mask compliance (97%) in the early morning rush hour, according to Hong Kong University Prof. Yuen Kwok-yung, one of the world's top coronavirus experts. Yuen said the 3% of people who dont wear masks are mainly Americans and Europeans. Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate Bob Owen /Staff photographer Meals on Wheels San Antonio officials say the nonprofit is in peril as more homebound residents are requesting food deliveries at the same time volunteers are returning to work or staying home due to a dramatic spike in COVID-19 infections. The food delivery service put out a call for more volunteers this week to bring meals to elderly and disabled folks. Since mid-March, Meals on Wheels has gained more than 1,000 new clients, for a total of about 4,550. A group of activists seeking to end racial injustice expanded their mission to help others Thursday afternoon not by protesting, but by feeding homeless people downtown. Antonio Lee, a leader of Young Ambitious Activists, was joined by about 26 other volunteers handing out pizza, vegetables and hygiene kits in a city parking lot in the 300 block of Austin Street. The city needs it, Lee said. A lot of people dont know about the resources available and I think as a city they need to do a better job of reaching out to the community. If theyre not going to do it then we gotta try. This year, the Point in Time count from South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless revealed 2,932 people were experiencing homelessness, with 1,274 living on the streets. Organizer Brandon Mowles, 36, said that after a Saturday protest with Women Against Injustice, the activists noticed the homeless population in the area. On Thursday, the group brought donations from different pizza restaurants and tables from Lowes. About 25 people lined up for the meal. The Friendly Spot, which had to shut because of the pandemic, donated food as well, Mowles said. The community continues to show up way more than we ever expect, he said. Keith Giambrone, 58 of Odessa, walked over from a spot he stays at nearby. He said he has been living in the streets for more than a year after he was hurt while working a job for a staffing agency. With his family in other states, he was worried about his siblings in New York. I heard they got hit pretty hard over there, Giambrone said of the COVID-19 spread in the state. The hygiene kits contained gloves and masks that businesses are now requiring people to wear just to go inside. The activist group quickly gained a social media following during protests in the wake of George Floyds death in May. Mowles said they have been using their following on social media to draw attention to local outreach organizations that may have gone unnoticed by residents. A lot of these social service groups they have great systems, great organizations, but they dont have the presence online for the city to know about, Mowles said. Organizer Lexi Qaiyyim said the group has done community cleanups, including one last week in Pittman-Sullivan Park. They also spray-painted Black Lives Matter on driveways at the request of residents. Pastor Gavin Rogers of Travis Park Church led the group in prayer before they began eating. Rogers said he met Lee during one of the marches at Travis Park. The night before, they talked about the Black Lives Matter movement during a podcast called Pub Theology. Theyre using their voice to lift up other marginalized communities, Rogers said. Their voice is going to create some really cool change. Lee said he is planning a bigger event with more locations to feed people throughout the city. Theyre a part of our community and we need to extend out and be there for people and not worry about our problems, he said. Everybody has problems, but lets dig deeper, because you can find happiness through serving. Jacob Beltran is a reporter covering San Antonio and Bexar County. To read more from Jacob, become a subscriber. jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA A wolf goes out and devours those that are weaker than him those that are defenseless because thats just what he is, hes a predator. So argued the prosecution in the capital murder trial of Billy Joe Wardlow in February 1995. Two summers earlier, in June 1993, a then-18-year-old Wardlow had shot and killed 82-year-old Carl Cole in his doorway with a .45 he had lifted from his mother. The murder was not part of Wardlows half-baked plan; desperate to escape his abusive home, he had hoped to steal Coles pickup truck and run away with his girlfriend. When Cole fought back, Wardlow panicked and pulled the fateful trigger that ended one mans life and destroyed his own. Despite his troubled home life, which included physical, sexual and emotional abuse, Wardlow had no history of serious misbehavior. Just months past his 18th birthday, Wardlow was a first-time offender charged with capital murder, a terrible crime proven during his trial. The more difficult question concerned the appropriate punishment, how best to balance justice with mercy. Since the reinstatement of capital punishment in the 1970s, Texas juries have wrestled with this difficult question hundreds of times. In Texas, capital murder sentences depend on the probability that the defendant would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing threat to society, otherwise known as the future dangerousness standard. This provision has put prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, juries and courtroom observers in the role of the police captain portrayed by Tom Cruise in the 2002 science fiction film Minority Report, in which a PreCrime unit jailed individuals based on the crimes a computer predicted they would commit in the future. Similarly, the Texas future dangerousness standard required the Wardlow jury to predict whether a teenager convicted of murder would kill again while serving a life sentence in prison. Real-world scientific experts repeatedly have exposed the science fiction quality of future dangerousness, most notably in cases involving youthful offenders such as Wardlow. We have known for over a century, since the founding of the nations first juvenile court in 1899, that young people are immature, unformed and more capable of rehabilitation than adults. In its 2005 decision banning the juvenile death penalty, the U.S. Supreme Court cited not only well-established psychological and psychiatric findings on adolescent development, but also then-new neuroscientific studies of the brain through adolescence and young adulthood. Citing this research, the court found that the so-called teenage brain was still maturing in critical regions governing long-term planning and decision-making. In ruling that the juvenile death penalty violated the Constitution, the court further suggested that predictions of future dangerousness were especially unreliable for young people under the age of 21. This science tells us that young people can make poor choices even under the best of circumstances. But youthful capital offenders rarely have experienced a stable and caring home life. Instead, they have experienced horrific abuse, neglect and trauma. Too often, prosecutors have downplayed or distorted these traumatic childhood experiences, while portraying youthful capital offenders as animal-like, even subhuman. In Wardlows case, the jury did not hear about his childhood experiences of physical, sexual and psychological abuse. It fielded no meaningful presentation of Wardlows youthful age as a possible mitigating factor in his sentencing. Instead, it listened to the prosecution portray Wardlow, an 18-year-old with no prior offenses, as a stone-cold killer and an animal out in the wild. In fact, in the 25 years since his conviction, Wardlow has become a model inmate, expressing deep remorse for his crime. The predictions turned out to be false. In Texas, the nations death penalty capital, the repeated use of skewed, misleading and inaccurate presentations of future dangerousness has led to over 100 executions of youthful offenders who were between the ages of 17 and 21 at the time of their crimes. This shameful history flies in the face of science and legal jurisprudence. More fundamentally, as the legal activist Bryan Stevenson reminds us, each of us is more than the worst thing weve ever done. No one is exonerating Wardlow or the many other youthful capital offenders who have passed through Texas death row. But, armed with a more complete record of their personal histories, we should find it within ourselves to temper justice with mercy. Wardlows final appeal for clemency is in the hands of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. The state has scheduled his execution for Wednesday. William S. Bush is a professor of history at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. The COVID-19 pandemic has shined a light on many things, from the heroism of our health care workers to the growing strains on our states health care systems. At a time when health care professionals are putting themselves at great risk to care for patients, we need to do everything we can to make it easier for them to do their jobs. A critical step: freeing providers from onerous and unnecessary regulations that stand in the way of patient care. Since the start of the crisis, Gov. Greg Abbott has waived a series of regulations to expedite and expand Texans access to health care. Over the past few months weve discovered not only that these waivers can work, but that quite a few of these regulations were never needed in the first place. Making these waivers permanent in the coming legislative session would make the workforce and our economy stronger in the long term. Earlier this month, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick released his Texans Back to Work Task Force report. One of the key recommendations through the duration of the pandemic was to waive the law requiring advanced practice registered nurses, or APRNs, to obtain a contract with a physician before they can provide care. The Coalition for Healthcare Access, comprised of 27 business, consumer and health care organizations, fully supports the removal of this red tape and barrier to practice, both during this emergency and after. In doing so, Texas would be joining 24 other states and territories, Veterans Affairs and all branches of the U.S. military that have already permanently eliminated this contractual requirement. Research from organizations, including the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institution and the Federal Trade Commission, has shown these kinds of restrictive policies result in higher health care costs and less competition, while providing no benefit to patients. Texas has some of the most restrictive regulations in the country, which ultimately results in poorer health care outcomes, higher mortality rates and less access to care for Texans many of whom live in rural and underserved areas. This unnecessary barrier to care only makes it harder for APRNs who undergo extensive postgraduate work and complete hundreds of hours of hands-on, clinical training to practice in Texas. States bordering Texas have seized on the uneven playing field, leveraging their competitive advantage in ad campaigns designed to attract Texas-educated APRNs, touting how much easier it is to practice in their states. Patricks report calls for this mandate to be thoroughly reviewed by the Texas Legislature next year. We encourage lawmakers to remove these antiquated and unnecessary contract requirements permanently, so we can better serve the health care needs of Texans not just during disasters but all the time. Health care, and the people who provide it, are fundamental to our lives, our families and our communities. That is more evident than ever during this pandemic, and we must do all we can to ensure health care providers can be there for us whenever we need them. Jaime Wesolowski is the president and CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas Inc., a faith-based, not-for-profit organization working to create access to care for low-income, uninsured families through services, strategic grant-making and community partnerships in 74 counties. After all these years, I still love her. Even if I havent told her in a while. Shes hurting right now, and she probably needs to hear it. Im lucky. Shes the whole package. Her beauty, strength, wisdom and compassion are second to none. Shes got a good heart. Shes not perfect. She has flaws. In fact, shell break your heart. Emotionally, there are times when she is a wreck. She has mood swings and outbursts. At times, she withholds her affection. But I cherish her because of her wrinkles, blemishes and shortcomings not in spite of them. Besides, most of the time, she recognizes when she does something wrong. Shell admit it, and shell make it right. I respect that. Its time to show her some affection, appreciation and gratitude. She earned it. And, like I said, these are hard days. This Fourth of July, in between cookouts and coronavirus, remember to give love to America even as some of your fellow Americans are getting on your last nerve. While I adore this nation, there were times over the last few months when I didnt recognize her. I thought: Where did my country go? Its tempting to say that America is broken. Shes not broken. Her institutions need to be overhauled. But shes got good bones. She also has checks and balances that are supposed to keep everyone honest. Our relationship is complicated. Ive often referred to myself as a Mexican American Yankee Doodle Dandy, a real-life nephew of my Tio Samuel. If you want to attack America, youll have to go through me. But love isnt always blind. My eyes are open. Nearly 50 years ago, in a kindergarten classroom in my dusty hometown in Central California, I pledged allegiance to one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Today, America is more divided than it has been at any time since the 1960s. And sadly, what divided us then race, police violence, rioting, alienated youth, unequal burdens divides us now. Our country is coming apart because millions of Americans are desperate to work, while millions of others seem happy being paid not to work. The coronavirus knocked down scores of people, and only some of them had the ingenuity and determination to lift themselves up. Our country is coming apart because freedom isnt just our greatest blessing but also our most dangerous curse. No sooner had Americans been informed that the main reason to wear masks is to keep others safe than many of them decided that keeping others safe wasnt a priority. Our country is coming apart because too many Americans think liberty and justice dont apply to them or those who look like them. Their cause is just, and we cant ignore it. But racial chauvinism, reverse bigotry and the cancel culture are just different brands of poisons. Does anyone believe the way to advance the message that Black Lives Matter is to deface a memorial to the Black soldiers who risked their lives fighting in the Union Army during the Civil War? Ask someone to put on a mask, and they may cough on you to be cruel. In Los Angeles, Hugos Tacos, a small chain of taco shops, recently closed because employees who asked customers to wear masks have been harassed, threatened and assaulted. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump recently retweeted a video of supporters where someone yelled out white power. On Twitter, you can also find instances of Black men acting violently, including recent footage of a 20-year-old African American who has since been arrested allegedly punching white elderly patients at the Westwood Nursing Center in Detroit. In Sacramento, Calif., a white woman got smacked in the face by a Black woman deservedly so when the former referred to the latter with the N-word. In Wilmington, N.C., three veteran white police officers were fired after they were heard on video spewing what the African American police chief called hate-filled speech that included one of them saying he was looking forward to slaughtering Black people in an upcoming civil war. I didnt see those stories covered extensively on Fox News. But the right-wing network devoted a whole segment on Fox News Sunday to comments by Hawk Newsome, president of the New York chapter of Black Lives Matter, who threatened to burn down this system. Clearly, a lot of Americans are behaving badly. Its enough to make you volunteer to wear a mask. Over your eyes. Yet, America is more than just an amazing country. Its an idea that has changed millions of lives for the better. That fact, no one can cover up. ruben@rubennavarrette.com This will be a birthday unlike any other. Will we forget our differences long enough to celebrate what binds us, the connective tissue that makes America a great but flawed nation? How long will this conflict last? When, if ever, will the greatness overcome the flaws? There may come a time when racism no longer prowls our psyche. That time is not now. Hostility inflames the streets, hardens the hearts of the oppressed. How could it not? Violence is unacceptable, and most demonstrators recognize the futility of looting and burning, but this cauldron has been boiling since 1619, when the first African slaves arrived on our shores, torn from their home to live in a land where they were treated like animals. The Fourth of July. Our 244th birthday. We can still celebrate what is good about our country. But we must also address what is bad. It is our duty. Millions will salute the flag today, and the sight of all those patriotic Americans will be inspiring, ennobling. But it will be an empty exercise it we do not also salute the values the flag represents justice and liberty. Justice and liberty for some is tyranny and darkness for others; we are all Americans. Coupled with the other great crisis of this moment, the pandemic, the protests are making this one of the most troubling eras in our history. Tension is the new normal. Tension and suffering. America is still a great nation, and with our commitment, it can continue being a great nation. Countries are defined not by their flaws, but by how they try to correct those flaws. We are trying, day by day, inch by inch. For all the violence on the streets, for all the trauma in our medical centers, we see remarkable compassion and solidarity, white policemen kneeling with black protesters. Health officials risking their own lives to save the lives of others. Our similarities are more profound than our differences And the problem of living as a Negro was cold and hard, Richard Wright wrote in his memoir, Black Boy. What was it that made the hate of whites for blacks so steady, seemingly so woven into the texture of things? What kind of life was possible under that hate? How had this hate come to be? A few weeks ago, we heard the message of love we have been longing to hear. Philonise Floyd called for peace on our streets and in our hearts, and he spoke from a platform of credibility, a platform he neither sought nor wanted. He is the brother of George Floyd, killed when a police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. Im tired, he said at the funeral of his brother. Im tired of pain, the pain you feel when you watch something like that. When you watch your big brother who you looked up to your whole entire life die, die begging for his mom. Im here to ask you to make it stop. Stop the pain. Stop us from being tired. Tired? The nation is exhausted, and yet the protests continue, the cries and pleas of a nation in despair. Philonise Floyd was talking about changes in law enforcement, reforms to erase systemic racism, but he was addressing changes in our own hearts, too changes in the way we treat each other. We have seen tough times before. The Vietnam War. 9/11. The atrocities against black people in the South during the 1960s, grotesque violence that led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As the protests rage, legislators are working to craft police reform bills. We will see the usual bickering, the partisan rhetoric and grandstanding. But there are decent people across the political spectrum conservative and liberal, Republican and Democrat, all Americans and if voters continue to demand answers, we will experience the breakthrough legislation we saw in 1964. If that seems like a pipe dream, then so is the dream Martin Luther King Jr. described in his famous speech on Aug. 28, 1963. King tapped into something profound the inner resolve of his people and his nation, the strength to walk a path of courage and righteousness. No, this nation is not ready to abandon the shimmering vision of the great civil rights leader. And that alone is reason to celebrate on this Fourth of July. I just cant understand how the state police wouldnt believe that other people would be in danger from this individual given what he had just done, said Willington resident Scott Anderson, who learned of the crime from a family friend who saw something on Facebook. I live ... a quarter to a half mile through the woods from where the incident on Mirtl Road happened. My daughter was in the front yard in a hammock doing her homework. Had he fled on foot he could have been at my house in less than 10 minutes. AUSTIN Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered nearly all Texans to begin wearing face masks in public, a measure meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 that is hotly contested among conservatives and has been resisted by the governor himself for months. The reversal comes as the state enters the Fourth of July weekend amid a dire stretch, with new infections and hospitalizations surging and deaths beginning to mount. Abbott has already closed bars, halted further reopenings and delayed elective surgeries in eight of the states hardest hit counties, to make way for COVID-19 patients. The governor has been hounded by Democrats and some health officials over his reluctance to require masks statewide. He previously stripped local officials of the ability to enforce their own mandates and has rebuffed calls for wider orders, falsely asserting that county judges jailed people in the past for not wearing face coverings. BEACH IS CLOSED: Galveston beaches to close for July 4th weekend On Thursday, though, he was emphatic that the mandate would help prevent the state from having to lock down again, as it did in April under his emergency order. Wearing a face covering in public is proven to be one of the most effective ways we have to slow the spread of COVID-19, the governor said in a statement. We have the ability to keep businesses open and move our economy forward so that Texans can continue to earn a paycheck, but it requires each of us to do our part to protect one another and that means wearing a face covering in public spaces. Abbott said first-time offenders will receive a warning and be subject to fines of no more than $250 for subsequent violations. The order does not apply to Texas counties that have fewer than 20 coronavirus cases or to children under 10 or anyone out exercising. Most enforcement will likely be up to local police, sheriffs deputies and state troopers; the order does not specify. Masks will not be required at voting booths or religious gatherings, though they are encouraged, according to the order. Texas is one of four states that have declined to expand mail-in voting amid the pandemic, despite legal pleas from Democrats. People are going to be scared to vote, state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, said in a virtual town hall Thursday night, expressing disappointment at the voting exclusion. VOTING IN THE PANDEMIC: Abbott leaves Texas polling places out of mask mandate Republicans remain intensely divided over the issue. Some openly criticized the governor last month when he allowed county judges to begin fining businesses that dont require masks, saying the move would unfairly punish employers who have already been financially pummeled by the crisis. State Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, blasted Abbott on Twitter, saying he is trampling on the Constitution. Abbotts mask order Requires Texans in counties with 20 or more COVID-19 cases to wear masks in public Includes fines of up to $250 for noncompliance Prohibits jail as a penalty for violations Applies to those attending a protest or demonstration Does not apply to children under the age of 10 Does not apply to those traveling in a vehicle with members of their family Does not apply to those attending a worship service Does not apply to those dining at a restaurant Does not apply to those exercising or swimming Does not apply to those voting, observing or administering elections Does not apply to those with a medical condition that prevents mask use See More Collapse Want a mask mandate? See if the people who were elected to write laws will pass one, he wrote, calling for a special session. I say let Texans decide for themselves. A spokesman for the Texas GOP did not respond to a request for comment. Health experts have said masking will help slow infections but may not go far enough to slow the spread now sweeping across Texas. More than 91 counties recorded their highest case counts in the past three days, Abbott said in a pre-recorded video from his office in Austin. On Thursday, the state reported nearly 7,700 new infections, according to a Houston Chronicle data analysis, and 7,382 people hospitalized with COVID-19. These numbers reveal a very stark reality, Abbott said. COVID-19 is not going away. In fact, it is getting worse. WERE NOT OUT OF ICU BEDS: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Dr. Fauci doesnt know what hes talking about Democrats welcomed the move, saying it was long overdue. The Texas Democratic Party called on the governor and state Republicans to go further by canceling their annual convention, slated to be in person later this month in Houston. Masks had not previously been required. It took Texas Democrats demanding that he issue this common-sense policy and record-breaking cases and hospitalizations to get Gov. Abbott to finally act, Democratic party spokesman Abhi Rahman said. This is unacceptable. Outgoing House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, an ally of the governor, dismissed the criticism in a Twitter post. Abbott continues to demonstrate fortitude and flexibility as he monitors and responds to an extremely dynamic situation based on fact-based data and scientific evidence, he said. I am grateful for his efforts to keep Texas unified and moving forward. Also on Thursday, Abbott restored the ability of mayors and county judges to restrict some outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people and mandated that most people gathered in groups larger than that maintain at least 6 feet between them. jeremy.blackman@chron.com Most Texans will now have to wear a mask to the grocery store, hair salon and bus stop but not to the voting booth during ongoing primary runoff elections. Gov. Greg Abbotts mask order exempts any person who is voting, assisting a voter, serving as a poll watcher, or actively administering an election, but he adds that wearing a face covering is strongly encouraged. The order appears to make Texas the only state in the country that exempts voting from a mask mandate. Twenty-one states require masks statewide, according to Masks4All, a volunteer organization that advocates for more mask-wearing. Abbotts spokesman did not immediately respond to a question about why polling places were not included. The only other locations exempt from the mandate are houses of worship. The issue of whether voters will feel safe enough to cast their ballots in person in the midst of the pandemic has been the subject of a monthslong legal battle that is before the U.S. Supreme Court. Texas is one of just four states that declined to drop restrictions on voting by mail during the pandemic. Elections officials across the state have instead spent the last three months buying personal protective equipment, disinfectants, hand sanitizer and other supplies to try to make voting in person as safe as possible. More Information Gov. Abbott's mask order Requires Texans in counties with 20 or more COVID-19 cases to wear masks in public Includes fines of up to $250 for noncompliance Prohibits jail as a penalty for violations Applies to those attending a protest or demonstration Does not apply to children under the age of 10 Does not apply to those traveling in a vehicle with members of their family Does not apply to those attending a worship service Does not apply to those dining at a restaurant Does not apply to those exercising or swimming Does not apply to those voting, observing or administering elections Does not apply to those with a medical condition that prevents mask use See More Collapse WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: A Texas guide to voting during the pandemic: BYO hand sanitizer. Masks optional, but appreciated Early voting in the primary runoffs is underway; election day is July 14. The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that voters can cast ballots by mail if they decide that they qualify as disabled based on their risk of contracting the virus in combination with other aspects of their health history. For the primary runoff at least, its too late for voters to make that call. Thursday is the deadline for applications for mail-in ballots to be received. Democrats and voting rights groups on Thursday condemned the mask exemption for polling places. Issuing the mandatory mask order and encouraging everyone to stay home is the right thing to do right now, considering the mess were in, said Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of the nonprofit Common Cause Texas. But the right thing to do months ago to avoid this very easily foreseeable mess was to allow all Texans to vote by mail so that no one would now find themselves having to choose between voting and endangering their health. Guiterrez added that its not too late for the governor to take actions to expand mail-in voting in November. Texas Democratic Party spokesman Abhi Rahman characterized the exemption as an act of voter suppression, intended to instill fear in voters. It shows exactly where his priorities lie, Rahman said. Abbott knows exactly what hes doing, and the fact of the matter is its going backfire on him. Texas Democrats are fired up and energized, and they know exactly whos trying to stop them from voting. And it isnt going to work. One possible explanation for the exemption could be a constitutional concern, said Scott Keller, former Texas Solicitor General and attorney at international law firm Baker Botts. In the same way that masks arent required while giving a speech for a broadcast or to an audience or while taking part in a religious service because the constitution protects the right to free speech and religion, a legal argument could be made that forcing voters to wear a mask would be a burden on the right to vote, he said. I think the governors order is trying to balance the exigencies of the COVID emergency with constitutional rights and also taking very seriously the COVID spike in Texas, Keller said. The idea that the order excepting out polling places would be something like voter suppression, I think, is completely off base. On the other hand, the executive order says that people are not exempt if they are attending a protest or demonstration involving more than 10 people and not practicing safe social distancing of six feet from others who are not in the same household. Trying to think and balance every single possible situation out in the world, thats just not something that is going to be expected of any official, and the courts dont expect that of any official, Keller said, adding that during an emergency, potentially, government officials are going to have a little more leeway than they otherwise would. Low cost carrier Ryanair will resume just two routes to both Banja Luka and Nis this summer season as it continues to rebuild its network. The low cost carrier, which celebrated its return to flying with over 1.000 daily flights all across Europe two days ago, will restore operations to the two markets next month. It has already recommenced services to Croatia and Montenegro. The carrier plans to resume flights to Banja Luka from Charleroi Airport and Memmingen on August 1. Its subsidiary Lauda, which was to commence new operations from Vienna this summer, has pushed back the service launch until the start of the 2020/2021 winter season in late October, when Ryanair is to restore the remainder of its destinations, as well as commence its planned new service from Bergamo to Bosnia and Herzegovinas second largest city, although changes remain highly likely. Ryanair will recommence flights to Nis on August 2 with a service from Malta. The airline has also said it would restore operations from Berlin to the south-east Serbian city next month, however, tickets for the route are only available for purchase from late October onwards, indicating flights will not begin as planned in a few weeks. In a statement, the carrier said, Ryanair is pleased to announce it will restore two routes to/from Nis, commencing from August 2, 2020, as part of our summer 2020 schedule. We look forward to reuniting friends and families and bringing thousands of tourists that will help boost regional economies and protect jobs. Serbs can now look forward to bagging a bargain holiday and enjoying sunshine and the stunning beaches in their favourite summer spot like Malta or discovering Berlin during city break. Both Banja Luka Airport and Nis, which have struggled for years to secure flights, have seen a partial resumption of operations following their reopening. Banja Luka Airport is currently served by two weekly services from Belgrade operated by Air Serbia, which will grow to three weekly from next week. Air Serbia will also run summer charters from Banja Luka to Antalya starting this Sunday. On the other hand, Wizz Air has restored its network out of Nis, while Air Serbia has resumed select destinations, including Hahn, Nuremberg, Salzburg and Hanover. 3 1 of 3 Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Two weeks after movie theaters were allowed to reopen in Connecticut, Bow Tie Cinemas has again temporarily closed its establishments in the state. The latest shutdown went into effect Wednesday. Ridgefield-based Bow Tie said it plans to reopen its theaters in Greenwich, New Canaan, New Haven, Stamford and Trumbull when new Hollywood films are again ready for theatrical releases, according to its website. MILFORD A 26-year-old Pennsylvania woman is accused of carjacking a Milford homeowner and assaulting another, according to police. Police said Selin Sakarcan, 26, of Villanova, Pennsylvania, walked down a residential driveway around 9 p.m. Sunday and demanded that the owner of the home get out of their car. STAMFORD The three men accused in the robbery that took the life of Stamford jewelry store owner Mark Vuono entered not guilty pleas to federal charges during an arraignment that was carried Thursday on a live video feed from the federal courthouse in Bridgeport. Assistant United States Attorney Rahul Kale, who is prosecuting the case with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis, said Robert Rallo, 56, of Brooklyn, and Thomas Liberatore, 62, of White Plains, walked into Vuonos Marco Jewelers on the afternoon of Saturday, March 28. While Liberatore was robbing the front of the store Rallo, who was armed with a gun, went to the safe in the rear of the store before getting into a struggle with Vuono, Kale said. After about a five minute struggle Mr. Rallo shot Mr. Vuono in the head and as a result Mr. Vuono is deceased, he said. Police say that Vuono was shot with his own gun that Rallo took out of the store safe during their fight. Federal authorities earlier this month announced that a grand jury in New Haven charged Rallo, aided and abetted by Liberatore, with using a firearm to kill Vuono, 69. The charges could end in life prison sentences or the death penalty for the pair, authorities have said. The indictment also charged Rallo, Liberatore, who is a native of Stamford, and Paul Prosano, of Brooklyn, with interference with commerce by robbery, an offense that carries a maximum prison term of 20 years, and interstate transportation of stolen property, which carries a maximum term of 10 years. In Thursdays proceeding, carried via Zoom video conferencing, each of the three men appeared, separately, on video inside a jail cell in the lockup at the Bridgeport federal courthouse. They were dressed in orange jumpsuits and surgical masks. Judge William Garfinkel asked each of the men if they would waive their appearances in court and have their arraignment take place on a video link and they each agreed. Well, we all appreciate everyones flexibility. We are trying to keep everyone as safe as possible for health reasons, Garfinkel said after Prosano, who was the last to be arraigned waived his right to a live appearance in court. Viewers of the arraignment were prohibited from recording the proceeding or taking pictures of it. Each of the men is being held in federal custody in New York. None of the men had much to say, except Prosano, who after being given the statute numbers of the crimes he was charged with said he did not understand what he was being asked to plead to. Garfinkle then instructed the court clerk to read a description. Prosano then pleaded not guilty. Liberatores Westport attorney Bruce Koffsky declined comment on the case, as did New Haven attorney Michael Sheehan, who is representing Rallo and Margaret Levy, who is representing Prosano. While the court clerk said a jury selection could begin as early as mid-August, Garfinkel said that date will probably change. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Vuono was killed by a gunshot to the head. Police and federal authorities have said video evidence reveals that Prosano drove Rallo and Liberatore in a black Jaguar to Marco Jewelers on the day in question. Rallo and Liberatore then entered the store, police said. The black Jaguar was soon found in Staten Island and was watched by authorities. Two days after the robbery, a black BMW driven by Prosano pulled up beside the Jaguar. Rallo got out of a rear door and got into the Jaguar and drove away, authorities said. Police gave chase, and after he crashed the Jaguar, apprehended Rallo on foot, authorities said. Authorities said they apprehended Prosano after he, too, crashed and tried to flee. A search of the BMW located 63 rings, eight bracelets, two tie pins, an earring and a cuff link, according to authorities. A search of Prosano's Brooklyn residence turned up 23 pairs of earrings and three rings, they said. It is alleged that those items were robbed from Vuono, law enforcement authorities said. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com But that will take hard work, some soul searching and setting aside some of the basic assumptions we carry with us from day to day. On July 4, the assumption we should question is that we are a nation that truly cherishes freedom and independence. If all are not free to enjoy the freedoms we celebrate with fireworks and cookouts, is anyone truly free? If the ideals of justice for all and of being one nation indivisible are truths worth pledging allegiance to, they are truths worth fighting for. Farmers using bird scaring devices as harvest season approaches are being reminded of good practice to minimise impact and disruption for those living nearby. Farmers use scarers and deterrents to protect crops including barley, wheat, fruits and vegetables from being damaged by birds during the busy harvest season. Although there is no specific legislation regarding the use of scarers, there are accepted industry guidelines. To reduce the impact of deterrents on the public and to ensure proper use, NFU Scotland has issued an information leaflet for farmers. It includes positioning scarers where they will have least impact on neighbours, and using baffles to direct noise away from neighbours or public paths. Farmers are also being urged to use signs to alert people that bangers are in us, and opt to not use the scarer on Sundays. To ensure proper use, the union is reminding farmers to only use auditory scarers where they are 'justified and most effective'. Birds quickly become used to auditory scarers and it is important to maximise their impact by using good practice, NFU Scotland added. This may include altering the timing of intervals between scarers being fired, working with neighbours to co-ordinate scarer use and only using them during the day. NFU Scotlands rural business policy advisor, Zoe Meldrum said farmers were being encouraged to ensure considerate use. The use of such deterrents is noisy but necessary at this time of year, and we would ask the general public to be patient and bear with our members who have to use this method of protection. "We want to ensure that the hard work that goes into growing crops helps put food and drink on the table rather than being wasted and lost to birds, she said. Kerry Foods stalwart Duncan Everett has been appointed the role of CEO of Noble Foods Group, the UK's largest egg producer. Duncan Everett joined Irish food firm Kerry Foods as part of its graduate programme in 1995 after studying economics. He quickly rose through the ranks in the business to hold a number of senior finance roles, including CFO. He took on leadership positions as MD of the meat technology business and in 2017 he became CEO. Sarah Dean, owner of Noble Foods said: Duncan brings his strong commercial acumen to Noble Foods along with invaluable experience driving business performance in both fruitful and difficult times. "He is committed to fostering a proud culture while also encouraging teams to take risks and challenging them to look for new ways to connect and build relationships with our partners, from farmers to retailers, consumers and our business customers. Commenting on his appointment, Mr Everett said: "I will always be thankful for the opportunities and confidence that the team had in me. "Im excited about the potential that Noble Foods holds and the role I can play in creating a sustainable future for the business and the brands under its wings. It almost doesnt bear saying - these are extraordinary times that has stress-tested the resilience of every person in the food industry," he added. "The stories that Ive heard from the team at Noble Foods fills me with the confidence and excitement that we can drive the business forward despite the turbulent times the UK is currently facing. Duncan Everett will join the business on 2 September 2020. Prince Charles has encouraged the public to return to farm attractions when they re-open on 4 July after he visited Adam Henson's Cotswold Farm Park. Having been closed for months due to Covid-19, farm parks have lost visitor income while still meeting the usual costs of housing, feeding and caring for animals. Across England, farm attractions are able to reopen from the Saturday 4 July. They opened on 29 June in Scotland and will open on 3 July in Northern Ireland. On his visit to the Cotswold park, the Prince of Wales also raised the work of Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST)-accredited farm parks in the survival of British rare breeds. RBST is the national charity that works to secure the future of rare breed livestock, and the Prince has been its patron since 1986. Cotswold Farm Park is one of the 21 RBST-accredited farm parks which look after the UKs rare and critically endangered breeds of farm animals. Adam Henson, BBC Countryfile host and owner of Cotswold Farm Park, said it was a 'great honour' to welcome Prince Charles before the park's re-opening on 4 July. "His Royal Highness is incredibly knowledgeable about farming, food production and rural tourism," Mr Henson explained. "He voiced his encouragement that multi generational families should get back out into the fresh air to enjoy everything that the countryside brings. "He was particularly impressed by our campsite and new sunset lodges and the importance of staycations to rural businesses. To ensure social distancing, visitors can expect a mix of measures including online tickets to control numbers and staggered arrival times to assist social distancing. Increased reminders to wash and sanitise hands throughout the visit will also be made, and for staff to carry out more regular cleaning and hygiene regimes. Christopher Price, chief executive of RBST, admitted that the coming few months were going to be 'very difficult' for farm attractions. "As they make plans to reopen safely, we can all support them and the conservation of rare breeds by visiting as soon as we can and going back regularly throughout the year." Police are appealing to the public after thieves rammed a farm gate in Hampshire and stole machinery from an outbuilding. The burglary occurred at around 3am in the early hours of Monday 30 June at the farm in Stoke, near Basingstoke. The suspects rammed a gate to gain entry to a field, then entered an outbuilding from which they stole a rough terrain vehicle and three ride-on lawnmowers. Two of the stolen items have been recovered, the rough terrain vehicle and a lawnmower. However, the other two, a Hayter ride-on mower and a Efco ride-on mower, remain outstanding. The recovered goods were found on a track beside a railway line in Whitchurch, along with a trailer stolen from another burglary in Windmill Hill, Andover, on the same night. Hampshire Police are appealing for witnesses: "If you have any information about these crimes, or have been offered ride-on lawnmowers in suspicious circumstances, please get in touch by calling 101 and quoting reference 44200238519. "Alternatively, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111," the force said in a statement. Claims figures from NFU Mutual reveal that rural crime cost the UK 50 million last year, an increase of 12% on the previous year. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. Oak Hill, WV (25901) Today Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. CHONGQING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has introduced a series of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into urban management, according to Thursday's Science and Technology Daily. These AI-techs were tailored to meet the urban needs of the mountainous big city, which is a national-level pilot city of China's new generation of AI-tech development, said the report. The series of 10 AI-techs focus on empowering Chongqing city to be "smart" in fields of city management, security systems, public legal services, parks, environmental protection, modern logistics and intelligent manufacturing. Moreover, these AI-techs are also applied in upgrading people's lifestyles including travel, health care, working environment and automatic drive. These AI technologies were introduced by Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau as a move to facilitate the municipality's innovation-oriented AI-tech development and better serve people's life. Some of these violent public disturbances included the New York City draft riots of 1863, which led to white mobs burning down the Colored Orphan Asylum, which housed 230 black children; the Atlanta race riot of 1906, which was motivated by white fear of losing political control to Black men who had the right to vote; the East St. Louis massacre in 1917 motivated by competition for jobs and a rumor that a Black man and a white woman were socializing; the Red Summer race riots of 1919, which occurred in more than 30 cities in the United States, beginning in Charleston, S.C. and continuing for the next six months across the South Sylvester, Georgia and Hobson City, Ala. and the North, including Scranton, Penn.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Chicago; and Washington, D.C. Four years later in 1923, the Rosewood massacre occurred in the state of Florida. David Eisler Ferris State University President David Eisler expressed his appreciation for the bipartisan 2019-20 budget agreement that eliminates the $2.2 billion shortfall in the 2019-2020 budget. The solution used $950 million in federal coronavirus relief funds and monies from the states rainy day fund. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state legislature reached this agreement on Monday, June 29. I want to thank Governor Whitmer, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, House Speaker Lee Chatfield and House Minority Leader Christine Greig for their leadership in reaching this budget agreement, Eisler said. This support from our legislators and governor is good news for higher education in Michigan. The budget agreement results in state universities being held harmless from overall funding reductions for this years budget. State funding for Michigans 15 public universities will be reduced by $164 million or approximately 11 percent for the current fiscal year. It will be replaced dollar-for-dollar with CARES Act monies that the state currently has in its possession. The CARES Act dollars Michigan has received will be assigned to the universities immediately by the State Budget Office. State financial aid programs are also being held harmless for the current fiscal year. This would have been a reduction of $6.2 million on our budget year which just ended on June 30. In these challenging times this makes a tremendous difference for our university, our people and the students we serve, added Eisler. The university looks forward to welcoming new and returning students to its campuses this fall. For more information on the Universitys re-entry planning visit ferris.edu/coronavirus. LONDON, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented global challenge of protecting lives while also safeguarding livelihoods and communities. Only a whole-of-society, united, and collaborative approach can deliver an effective global response. As custodians of some of the world's most iconic and popular beer, wine, and spirits brands, we are determined to play our part in supporting this global effort, while maintaining our commitment to the hundreds of thousands of people worldwide that we employ, and the many millions of businesses we support in the value chain across agriculture, production, distribution, retail, and hospitality sectors. The hospitality sector has been among those most severely impacted by shutdowns around the world, yet it has never been more valued or missed. The sudden closure of cafes, restaurants, and bars brought into sharp focus not just how many livelihoods depend on these venues, but also how vital they are to the social fabric and emotional wellbeing of communities. Socializing in bars and restaurants has been missed the most, second only to spending time with friends and family. To many of us, the two are intimately linked. Indeed, the sense of occasion and pleasure of being sociable is so valued that many are prepared to pay more to go out and enjoy food and drink within these settings, clearly showing that communities value their social wellbeing alongside their physical health. By working together, with all key partners, we can help rebuild a safe and thriving cafe, bar, and restaurant culture that can flourish despite the uncertain times we currently face. Through a whole-of-society response we can once again create the welcoming environment that has been missed by many. Although our individual companies are very different, we share many common values. We all take pride in the drinks we produce. We want to ensure our products are consumed responsibly so that, for those who chose to drink them, it is always a positive and memorable experience. Harmful drinking is not in our interests; it is bad for consumers, bad for the communities we serve, and ultimately bad for our businesses. Although there have been long-term declines in binge drinking, drink driving, and underage drinking in many parts of the world, there is more that we are determined to do. As governments allow venues to reopen, we will work alongside retailers and other business partners to support appropriate physical distancing measures. We will also use our marketing, promotion of responsible service, and server training programs to help prevent harmful drinking from threatening the safe and sociable atmosphere that communities want to enjoy. In addition - recognizing the rapid growth in online sales and home delivery of beer, wine, and spirits - we are accelerating the efforts that we announced in January to develop global e-commerce standards and safeguards for online marketing, sales, and delivery, and invite digital platforms and delivery agents to join us in doing this. As we emerge from this pandemic, we will continue constructive dialogue with national governments, international organizations, experts, and civil society to better understand what we can do to raise standards and protect lives, livelihoods, and communities. By working together, we can help communities rebuild the thriving and flourishing cafe, bar, and restaurant culture that is so valued and important to our social wellbeing. Signed: Anheuser-Busch InBev, Asahi Group Holdings, Bacardi, Beam Suntory, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg, Diageo, Heineken, Kirin Holdings Company, Molson Coors, Pernod Ricard, and William Grant & Sons PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1199694/International_Alliance_for_Responsible_Drinking.pdf Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/715226/IARD_Logo.jpg BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 3.45 am ET Friday, IHS Markit releases Italy's composite PMI data. Final PMI figures are due from France and Germany at 3.50 and 3.55 am ET, respectively. At 4.00 am ET, IHS Markit is slated to release euro area final PMI data. Ahead of the data, the euro traded mixed against its major rivals. While the euro rose against the franc, it dropped against the rest of major rivals. The euro was worth 1.1233 against the greenback, 120.74 against the yen, 1.0632 against the franc and 0.9016 against the pound as of 3:40 am ET. 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. SANTA CLARA (dpa-AFX) - Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Limited said Friday that Intel Capital will invest 1,894.50 crore Indian rupees or $253 million in Jio Platforms. According to Reliance Industries, the investment values Jio Platforms at an equity value of 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of 5.16 lakh crore. Intel Capital's investment represents a 0.39% equity stake in the Indian telecom operator Jio, which has more than 388 million subscribers. Intel Capital joins the list of marquee firms who have recently invested in Jio Platforms, taking the total investment amount to 117,588.45 crore, Reliance Industries said in a statement. 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. EP Global Opportunities Trust plc (the "Company") Total Voting Rights As a result of the purchase of 30,000 Ordinary 1p shares placed into Treasury on 2 July 2020 and in conformity with Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rule 5.6.1A, the issued share capital and voting rights of the Company are as follows: Class of share Total number of shares in circulation Number of voting rights attached to each share Total number of voting rights of shares in circulation Number of shares held in treasury (carrying no voting rights attached until issued) Total number of shares in issue Ordinary 1p Shares 39,907,725 1 39,907,725 24,601,917 64,509,642 The above total voting rights figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine whether they are required to notify their interest in EP Global Opportunities Trust plc under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules. 3 July 2020 LEI: 2138005T5CT5ITZ7ZX58 Enquiries: Kenneth Greig Edinburgh Partners AIFM Limited Tel: 0131 270 3800 The Company's registered office address is: 27-31 Melville Street Edinburgh EH3 7JF Imaweb/IDF Group ("The Group"), one of the largest developers of customer relationship management ("CRM") solutions and dealership management systems ("DMS") for the automotive industry in Europe, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Serinfer Servicios Informaticos S.L. ("Serinfer"), the computer software segment of the Alvarino Group, a Spanish developer, distributor and supplier of DMS for automobile dealers. The Group is backed by Providence Strategic Growth ("PSG"), the growth equity affiliate of premier asset management firm Providence Equity Partners ("Providence"). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200703005051/en/ Serinfer develops a range of sophisticated products to address the evolving needs of automobile dealers. Its flagship offering is SERAUTO, a complete DMS solution that works modularly and can also be integrated to the existing technology of any dealership or workshop. SERAUTO is comprised of functions geared towards inventory management, improved customer loyalty and service quality, and cloud computing. With more than 600 clients throughout the Iberian Peninsula, SERAUTO is an established brand and the exclusive DMS provider for Porsche dealers in Spain and Portugal. In addition to SERAUTO, Serinfer develops complementary commercial applications, including Active Reception and GTW3. Active Reception is a market-leading technology that enables the digitization of appointment booking, after-sales services, and vehicle receipt and delivery. GTW3 is Serinfer's cloud-based service designed to improve workshop management by providing detailed analyses of schedules, budgets, inventory, and invoicing among other factors with easy access from any connected device. Pedro Almeida, Imaweb Country Manager for Iberia, said: "This is a significant transaction for Imaweb and will accelerate the expansion of our presence in the region. Serinfer is an outstanding business whose products complement our world-class DMS solutions and we look forward to working together to serve our auto dealers and workshops in Spain and beyond." Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Imaweb/IDF Group Imaweb Datafirst-I'Car Systems group is a leading developer of CRM and DMS solutions for the automotive sector in Europe. The company grew out of the merger of Imaweb, a Spanish company dedicated to developing global customer management solutions for sales, marketing and after-sales, and DATAFIRST-I'Car Systems, a French software development company for car manufacturers, groups distribution and dealers. Alvarino Group Since its original activity in the automotive sector, the Alvarino Group has been consolidating a business strategy for 75 years that has gone through diversifying its presence in different areas of industry and services. The family group, now in the hands of the third generation, has companies positioned in activities as diverse as energy efficiency (Voltfer), the ICT industry (Serinfer, Demesix and Galvintec), insurance (Riescontrol), distribution (GlobalFer) or the real estate sector (Eurocasa), which have joined its original branch of activity in the automobile (Carfer). Providence Strategic Growth Providence Strategic Growth ("PSG") is an affiliate of Providence Equity Partners ("Providence"). Established in 2014, PSG focuses on growth equity investments in lower middle market software and technology-enabled service companies. Providence is a premier global asset management firm that pioneered a sector-focused approach to private equity investing with the vision that a dedicated team of industry experts could build exceptional companies of enduring value. Since the firm's inception in 1989, Providence has invested in more than 200 companies and is a leading equity investment firm focused on the media, communications, education and information industries. PSG is headquartered in Boston, MA, with offices in London and Kansas City. For more information on PSG, please visit https://www.provequity.com/private-equity/psg, and for more information on Providence, please visit https://www.provequity.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200703005051/en/ Contacts: Imaweb/IDF Group Alice Lafon +33 247 804 007/ +33 784 222 125 alice.lafon@icarsystems.fr Alvarino Group Omayra Lista Relaciones Publicas Galicia +34 981 596 612 +34 617 639 539 info@rpgalicia.es Providence Strategic Growth Conrad Harington/ Giles Bethule Sard Verbinnen Co. +44 7912 647 473/ +44 7761 385 365 Prov-SVC@sardverb.com BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks were moving lower on Friday after the U.S. notched more than 53,000 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours Thursday, marking a record single-jump in infections around the country. Hopes of more stimulus and upbeat data from the U.S. and China helped to limit the downside to some extent. The euro slipped after French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe tendered his resignation ahead of an expected government reshuffle by President Emmanuel Macron. The benchmark CAC 40 dropped 11 points, or 0.2 percent, to 5,038 after rallying 2.5 percent the previous day. Sanofi edged down slightly. The French pharmaceutical company and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the U.S. Phase 3 trial of arthritis drug Kevzara (sarilumab) 400 mg in Covid-19 patients requiring mechanical ventilation did not meet its primary and key secondary endpoints. Peugeot declined 1.2 percent after reports that the French automotive manufacturer and Fiat Chrysler are considering options to reduce a planned cash payout to FCA shareholders ahead of their merger. 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. HONG KONG, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Over 600 global partners participated in China Unicom's 15th International Partners Meeting online under the theme "Thrive in Unity. Connect the Future" that explored different ways to leverage the digital economy - the unique ecosystem for building a global collaborative platform under the pandemic. Focus on innovative cooperation for 5G digital transformation China Unicom introduced to its global partners that its journey to full digital transformation and its determination for a win-win co-operation under the threat of COVID-19 around the world. The outbreak has accelerated the digitalization of corporate services and online personal consumption, which brought challenges and opportunities for the telecommunication industry transformation. In his keynote speech "Accelerate the full digital transformation for the win-win 5G era", China Unicom vice president He Biao said the company's innovative eco-system offered a unique advantage to help customers achieve their success. He stressed the company's 5G focus would continue to open the door for 5G application and deeper collaboration among partners that will benefit thousands different industries. Leveraging on the position of customer trustworthy international information service value creator, He Biao said China Unicom is committed to providing continuous high quality end-to-end integrated services to its global customers. China Unicom currently has 32 branches outside China and over 300 international telecom operators with a long-term partnership, serving over 3,000 multinational corporates, thanks to its "going out" and "bringing in" growth strategy. At the same time, China Unicom also presented an online awards to its 28 partners for their long-term support. Introducing multiple killer apps that benefit thousands different industries In response to the changing societal needs, China Unicom proactively led the revolution by building an online, intelligent, cloud-enabled service network. In the conference, China Unicom showcased the customer highly-recognized smart city big data tools, cloud-based video conferencing for corporate and individual, AI facial recognition, robotics and other applications. For the commitment of smart city and data analysis, China Unicom and partners can conduct big data analysis to support the government and corporate decision and to enhance its efficiency and accuracy under the emergency situation. With the network of global partnership that covers over 190 countries, China Unicom is capable of providing safe and high-quality global video communication solutions tailored-made for telecommunication, conferencing, training and emergency command for higher efficiency. At the same time, China Unicom demonstrated the AI facial recognition and the application of robotics under the pandemic. Equipped with enhanced algorithm, the AI system replaced the traditional manual test for which it can recognize whether an individual with mask had abnormal temperature, as the AI system is embedded with a deep learning system. It enables auto petrol and examination under different scenarios to assist the preventive epidemic measures. Optimizing global network resources for product enhancement In the conference, China Unicom demonstrated its high-quality network resources, Internet of Things, cloud-based smart network solutions that covers the globe for 24/7. Based on its extensive and rich undersea cable resources, China Unicom provides its global partners and multinational corporates a professional and high-quality network service with a competitive cross-border product in a faster and more comprehensive global footprint. The Product of the year is China Unicom cloud-based network. As a high-quality MPLS-VPN provider, it provides highly-efficient and stable interconnection network that sufficiently protect the customer distribution network. To date, this product covers over 70 interconnection spots in China and over 30 spots outside China via 41 PoPs located outside China for its global customers. At the same time, China Unicom showed its global connectivity especially in its Asia Pacific capability via global partnership, integration of network resources, standardization of fee and procedures for a unified global internet of things structure. Its 7x24 global team and brand-new safety operating centre provide non-stop network continuity and protection for global customers. In the digital era, China Unicom will join hands with its global partners to build an open and co-sharing intelligent ecosystem that will thrive in unity and connect the future. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1200054/China_Unicom_15th_International_Partners_Meeting_He_Biao.jpg NANJING, China, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As a crucial part of "Global Peak on Cloud" section of Nanjing Tech Week 2020, China UK Innovation Cooperation Conference shall kick off on July 9th as scheduled in Jiangning District, Nanjing. In face of the current national and international situations, China and the United Kingdom call for deepened cooperation, which will be of far-reaching significance to both sides. Since Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping's visit to the United Kingdom in 2015, both sides have reached an agreement on building a global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st Century. China has always been open-minded towards the innovation cooperation with the United Kingdom in multiple sectors. Undoubtedly, the China UK Innovation Cooperation Conference organized by Nanjing Jiangning Economic and Technological Development Zone will serve as a strong demonstration. The Organizing Committee has invited a cloud-based delegation from the government, industries, universities and research institutions of the United Kingdom, led by Lord David Willetts, the Former Minister for Universities and Science of the United Kingdom, to deliver multiple keynote speeches and a round table forum involving several participants together with China. Speakers would deliver their opinions and advices from different aspects with respect to the innovation cooperation between China and the United Kingdom, and table constructive ideas and solutions. At this Conference, the inauguration ceremony for innovation centers and agreement signing ceremony for major cooperation projects with such famous overseas higher education institutions as Oxford University shall be performed, along with the agreement signing ceremony for international cooperation projects on new R&D institutions, international talents and international capitals. Drifting clouds cannot obscure our vision. Openness and sharing will help us win the future. This Conference marks the first and crucial step for China to rejuvenate its economy and get back on track with rapid economic development in post-pandemic era, which will certainly expedite the innovation cooperation between China and the United Kingdom. To learn more about China UK Innovation Cooperation Conference, watch the introductory video: https://youtu.be/9_nm8haXDmU. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1200000/China_UK_Innovation_Cooperation_Conference.jpg In the first week of June, comments, likes and shares of PizzaGate also spiked to more than 800,000 on Facebook and nearly 600,000 on Instagram, according to data from CrowdTangle, a Facebook-owned tool for analyzing social interactions. That compares with 512,000 interactions on Facebook and 93,000 on Instagram during the first week of December 2016. From the start of 2017 through January this year, the average number of weekly PizzaGate mentions, likes and shares on Facebook and Instagram was under 20,000, according to the Times analysis. BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks fell in cautious trade on Friday as investors weighed another record surge in U.S. coronavirus cases against encouraging service sector data from China and the U.K. The U.S. notched more than 53,000 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours Thursday, marking a record single-jump in infections around the country. Meanwhile, the German Parliament has passed a resolution saying that the European Central Bank (ECB) has met the requirements from a top German court concerning the bank's massive bond-buying program. The euro slipped after French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe tendered his resignation ahead of an expected government reshuffle by President Emmanuel Macron. The pan European Stoxx 600 dropped 0.3 percent to 367.29 after rallying 2 percent on Thursday. The German DAX slid marginally, France's CAC 40 index gave up 0.4 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was down 0.9 percent. Trading volumes were thinned by the Independence Day holiday in the U.S. Retailer Next lost 2.5 percent after Goldman Sachs downgraded its rating on the stock to 'sell'. Essentra, a supplier of plastic and fiber products, jumped 6 percent. The company reported that its like-for-like revenue trend improved as the second quarter progressed. For the third quarter, the company projected continued revenue progress on a stable operating base. Real estate investment trust Land Securities Group advanced 1.7 percent. The company said that 122 million pounds of rent was due on the 24 June rent payment date. Peugeot lost about 2 percent after reports that the French automotive manufacturer and Fiat Chrysler are considering options to reduce a planned cash payout to FCA shareholders ahead of their merger. Delivery Hero soared 6.4 percent after the online takeaway food company reported a near-doubling of orders in the second quarter. 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, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Professional Wealth Management (PWM) magazine, a publication from the Financial Times, released a new documentary on July 2nd. Part of the Spotlight Series, it features the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis and its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme, established in 1984. Split into five chapters, the documentary explains how this Caribbean country attracts high-quality foreign investors seeking second citizenship. Yuri Bender, the PWM Editor-in-Chief, focuses on the economic impact CBI has on the Federation's economy. In the first chapter, he suggests that St Kitts and Nevis has hidden treasures that garner great demand from foreign investors. Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris says that diversifying the agricultural sector is one of the new areas to benefit from CBI contributions. "We have come to St Kitts and Nevis to examine the role of Citizenship by Investment in helping the islands transform their economy and adapt to a changing world," says Bender. "As in the past, the hidden treasures of the Caribbean islands are once more in great demand from foreign visitors," he explains. "When the CBI Programme was first formulated, it was intended to provide our country a new pathway for economic development," PM Harris explains. "We have seen the benefits of that vision being realised, with significant job creation opportunities, high earnings for persons involved in the construction sector, the addition of some top-class hotel facilities [] We are looking at new areas of engagement for the CBI Programme and new areas in which we can target to invest CBI flows, and agriculture diversification would certainly be one of these," the Prime Minister added. As the country with the oldest CBI Programme in the world, St Kitts and Nevis is generally known as the 'Platinum Standard'. It offers foreign investors the fastest route to second citizenship through the fund option. To qualify, applicants must pass the due diligence checks, complete the necessary documentation and contribute at least US$150,000 to the Sustainable Growth Fund. In return, 'economic citizens' earn the right to live, work and study in St Kitts and Nevis. They can travel visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival to 156 countries and territories, a list that keeps growing thanks to Foreign Minister Mark Brantley's diplomatic efforts. Future generations could also inherit the citizenship. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1200075/PWM_Spotlight.jpg pr@csglobalpartners.com www.csglobalpartners.com VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 3, 2020 / Condor Resources Inc. - ("Condor" or the "Company") (TSXV:CN) is pleased to provide the following updates regarding its planned exploration activities on its four (4) highest priority exploration projects, with an initial update on COVID-19 impact to exploration. COVID-19 Update: Effective July 1st, Peru eased COVID-19 related lock down restrictions in all but seven of its regions. With the eased restrictions in Lima, Condor Exploration Peru's Lima office will reopen immediately with government approved health and safety protocols. In the interest of the health and safety of Condor's personnel, office attendance is expected to be staggered and alternated for the time being, complimented by continued work from home. On June 26th, the State of National Emergency in Peru was extended in certain cities within seven regions of the country until July 31, 2020. Although Condor has projects within these seven regions, the projects fall outside of restricted cities and towns. The Company is currently developing protocols and guidelines for staff to operate on its exploration tenure while adhering to national and local legal restrictions and guidelines. Project Updates: Soledad: The US$100,000 payment due from Chakana Copper on June 23, 2020 was received on schedule. Under the Soledad purchase agreement, Chakana must make three additional payments totalling US$4.975 million over the next 18 months to acquire the Soledad project, at which point the Company will retain a 1.0% NSR on Soledad and on a 2 kilometer Area of Interest. This payment, along with the recently completed private placement, provides funding to commence Condor's near-term activities on our priority projects. Pucamayo: Pucamayo is a highly prospective high sulfidation gold system located approximately 180 km southeast of Lima. Condor considers the project to be the highest priority among its portfolio of high-quality exploration properties. Condor has a valid drill permit, or "DIA," and a signed agreement with the local community of Liscay. The community is supportive of the Company's efforts to obtain a signed access agreement from the local land holder. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Condor assisted Liscay by coordinating distribution of hand sanitizer dispensers and fumigation bombs to the village. Condor has also made arrangements to deliver a shipment of food, masks and other personal protective equipment to meet the needs of the local population. Condor anticipates finalizing necessary access agreements once the COVID-19 lock down restrictions have eased within this region, and then commence its Phase I drilling program. The highest priority target is a sub-horizontal blanket-like body of vuggy silica mineralization approximately 800 m long, 500 m wide and 150 m thick associated with significantly elevated gold and silver values in an exposed breccia that is interpreted to source from this blanket-like body. Condor plans to drill a series of at least ten steeply inclined diamond drill holes scattered across the footprint of the target area. Each of these holes is expected to achieve a depth of at least 300 m, and some of these holes will be extended to depths of approximately 600 m to adequately test an underlying porphyry style target believe to be the hydrothermal driver of the high sulfidation system. Huinac Punta: Huinac Punta is located approximately 260 km north-east of Lima and host to a large, potentially high-grade sedimentary carbonate replacement style silver-rich mineralizing system with anomalous values of Cu, Zn, and Pb. Mineralization is both blanket-like and pipe-like in nature. Final documentation supporting a DIA application has been submitted to the Ministerio de Energia y Minas. In anticipation of receipt of its DIA approval, Condor is working on community consultation to secure access and water use permits that will allow it to diamond drill this important project. In the meantime, to better define drill targets, the Company will complete geophysical surveys, including an induced polarization and a ground based magnetic survey. Cobreorco: The company's newest project, Cobreorco, is a porphyry-skarn system situated approximately 460 km south-east of Lima, and was acquired through staking by Condor's exploration team. No prior drilling has been conducted on this intriguing new property although there are numerous small mine type workings in the skarn prospects. Recent exploration by the Company has included alteration mapping and sampling. This evaluation indicates the presence of a copper-gold porphyry system with roof-pendant style mineralized skarn, which itself is a potentially significant exploration target. Most encouraging surface rock sample results range between 0.57 and 4.4 g/t gold over 2 meter channels and between 0.12 and 1.8% copper over 2 meter channels collected from outcrops of leached porphyry-style mineralization. Given its strong potential, Condor plans to fast track Cobreorco to drill readiness. This includes aggressive field work as well as initiating the DIA application process and community consultation, and other related activity necessary for Phase I drilling. Andrea: Like Pucamayo, Andrea is a large, largely untested high sulfidation gold project. Situated approximately 480 km south-east of Lima and just 15 km north of the Breapampa high sulfidation gold mine, the property hosts an extensive alteration system measuring approximately 3 km in diameter. Spot rock chip samples of hydrothermal and vuggy silica mineralization returned values up to 4.19 gpt Au. Like Cobreorco, Condor sees Andrea as a new, high-priority project and we plan to fast track it to drill readiness. This includes aggressive field work as well the DIA application process, initiating community consultation and other related activity necessary for Phase I drilling. Condor is an active explorer focused exclusively on Peru, supplemented by a project generator and royalty model designed to generate exploration capital whilst minimizing shareholder dilution. Our objective in advancing our portfolio of projects is the discovery of a major new precious metals or base metals deposit in Peru. Project acquisition and exploration activities are managed by the Company's Lima based exploration team. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Lyle Davis, President & Chief Executive Officer For further information please contact the Company at 1-866-642-5707, or by email at info@condorresources.com Dr. Quinton Hennigh, P.Geo, is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 who has approved the scientific and technical content of this news release. 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. SOURCE: Condor Resources Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/596163/Condor-Provides-Project-and-COVID-19-Updates Costa Extends Pause For Its Cruises Until August 15th GENOA, Italy, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Costa announces a further pause for all its cruises until August 15th, 2020 and the cancellation of all cruises in Northern Europe for the remainder of the 2020 summer season. The decision is linked to the uncertainty on the gradual reopening of ports to cruise ships and the restrictions that may still be in place for the movements of people due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. In addition, the Company is also communicating the cancellation of all future cruises of Costa Victoria. Costa is taking steps to inform both travel agents and guests affected by these changes. They will be guaranteed a re-protection in accordance with the applicable legislation, which offers the highest guarantee in this contingency situation. In the meantime, Costa is working alongside all relevant Authorities to define health protocols for a potential restart of cruises as soon as possible. CONTACT: Costa Cruises Press Office: Tel. +39 010 5483523 / 010 5483068 - costapressoffice@costa.it PANAMA (dpa-AFX) - Costa said Friday it has extended pause for all its cruises until August 15th, 2020 and has cancelled all cruises in Northern Europe for the remainder of the 2020 summer season. The decision was taken due to the uncertainty on the gradual reopening of ports to cruise ships and the restrictions that may still be in place for the movements of people due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the company said in a statement. In addition, the company is also communicating the cancellation of all future cruises of Costa Victoria. Meanwhile, Costa said it is working alongside all relevant authorities to define health protocols for a potential restart of cruises as soon as possible. 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. FOSTER CITY (dpa-AFX) - Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD) said Friday that the European Commission has granted conditional marketing authorization for Veklury or remdesivir as a treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19. As per the authorization, Veklury is indicated for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults and adolescents, with pneumonia requiring supplemental oxygen. The company noted that the conditional marketing authorization for Veklury is supported by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' global Phase 3 trial of remdesivir. A conditional marketing authorization in Europe is initially valid for one year but can be extended or converted into an unconditional marketing authorization after the submission and assessment of additional confirmatory data. Remdesivir has been approved as a treatment for patients with severe COVID-19 in Japan, Taiwan, India, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union. Outside of these regions, remdesivir is an investigational, unapproved drug, the company said. Last month, Gilead Sciences said it decided to price remdesivir at $390 per vial for governments of developed countries. In the U.S. also, the same government price of $390 per vial will apply. Based on current treatment patterns, the vast majority of patients are anticipated to receive a 5-day treatment course using 6 vials of remdesivir, which equates to $2,340 per patient. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX GILEAD SCIENCES-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de CAPITAL GEARING TRUST P.L.C. To: PR Newswire From: Capital Gearing Trust P.l.c. (the "Company") LEI: 213800T2PJTPVF1UGW53 Date:3 July 2020 For immediate release Result of Annual General Meeting The Company announces that, at the Annual General Meeting held on 3 July 2020, all 16 resolutions proposed were duly passed. The full text of the resolutions can be found in the Notice of Annual General Meeting set out in the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 5 April 2020, copies of which have been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism which is located at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism. Details of proxy votes lodged before the meeting will be available shortly on the Company's website http://www.capitalgearingtrust.com/. In accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.2, copies of the special resolutions passed at the Annual General Meeting will shortly be available for inspection at the National Storage Mechanism which is located at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism. All enquiries PATAC Limited, Company Secretary Email: company.secretary@capitalgearingtrust.com Infiniti Research is the world's leading independent provider of strategic market intelligence solutions. Our market intelligence services are designed to connect your organization's goals with global opportunities. Today's competitive business environment demands in-depth, accurate, and reliable business information to ensure that companies gain a strong foothold in domestic or foreign markets. Our global industry specialist teams ensure the international consistency of our research, enabling powerful access to the real story behind market changes. Request a complimentary proposal for more insights into our solutions portfolio. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200703005003/en/ Market Intelligence Solutions for a US Semiconductor Company (Graphic: Business Wire) "In recent years, semiconductor manufacturing companies in USA have been exposed to several predicaments including economic recession, security threats, and growing competition. Therefore, partnering with a market intelligence firm is often helpful to navigate new challenges and explore new market opportunities," says a market research expert from Infiniti Research. Engagement Overview: The client is a well-known semiconductor manufacturing company. The client sought to understand the US semiconductor industry, and devise a commercialization strategy with an understanding of the potential for their products in this industry. They realized that with the lack of a detailed market assessment and competitor analysis, achieving a greater market share through effective market penetration would be difficult. Therefore, they approached the experts at Infiniti Research. Infiniti's research experts used market intelligence solutions to assist the US semiconductor industry client by providing critical insights into the market and competitive landscape, as well as to devise strategies for customer acquisition. Currently, for the US semiconductor industry the major challenges range from the declining labour pool to competition from new market entrants, but there is ample scope for improvement. Our market intelligence solutions help companies navigate challenges and explore growth opportunities. Contact us. Our Approach: Market opportunity assessment to help comprehend the potential challenges, and identify the needs of the customers to help comprehend the potential challenges, and identify the needs of the customers Market entry advisory solutions to help the client review macro and micro economic environments, identify barriers, compare offerings, and build strategies to help the client review macro and micro economic environments, identify barriers, compare offerings, and build strategies Market scanning and monitoring study to analyze the latest market trends and technological innovations in the US semiconductor industry to analyze the latest market trends and technological innovations in the US semiconductor industry Competitive intelligence and benchmarking to help evaluate the competitive landscape and analyze top companies in the US semiconductor industry. to help evaluate the competitive landscape and analyze top companies in the US semiconductor industry. Risk assessment study to help the client evaluate all risks and take risk mitigation approaches before they affect the company's growth. Business impact of the market intelligence solution for the US semiconductor industry client: Infiniti's market intelligence solution helped the client gain detailed insights into the US semiconductor industry's market demographics and develop an understanding of the attractiveness of market opportunities. The US semiconductor industry client was also able to: Devise an effective market entry plan and partnership structure Develop a robust product commercialization strategy and enhance brand awareness Set up their production center and establish their foothold in the US semiconductor industry Realize savings of over $4.3 million, and enhance sales rate by 23% The steadily growing US semiconductor industry poses several challenges that can hamper growth prospects. Request more info to learn how we can help US semiconductor industry companies identify potential barriers, compare competitor offerings, and review macro and microeconomic environments. About Infiniti Research Established in 2003, Infiniti Research, is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to help analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions, and develop intelligent business strategies. To know more, visit: https://www.infinitiresearch.com/about-us View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200703005003/en/ Contacts: Infiniti Research Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 844 778 0600 UK: +44 203 893 3400 https://www.infinitiresearch.com/contact-us The automotive power window switch market is expected to grow by 45.19 million units during 2020-2024. The report also provides the market impact and new opportunities created due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect the impact to be significant in the first quarter but gradually lessen in subsequent quarters with a limited impact on the full-year economic growth. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200703005197/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Automotive Power Window Switch Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Request challenges and opportunities influenced by COVID-19 pandemic Request a free sample report of automotive power window switch market Automotive manufacturers are continuously focusing on introducing advanced safety features in their vehicles owing to changing consumer preferences and the dynamic nature of the industry. Also, the ongoing trend of electrification in vehicles has increased the adoption of various safety sensors and switches in automobiles. With the growing demand for automobiles, global automakers are partnering with local players to gain access to potential markets. For instance, Ford Motor has partnered with Changan Automobile. BMW sells in China through Brilliance China Automotive. All these factors are positively influencing the growth of the global automotive power window switch market. To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR44026 As per Technavio, the increasing demand for automobiles in emerging countries will have a positive impact on the market and contribute to its growth significantly over the forecast period. This research report also analyzes other significant trends and market drivers that will influence market growth over 2020-2024. Automotive Power Window Switch Market: Increasing Demand for Automobiles in Emerging Countries Factors such as improved purchasing power of consumers and economic growth in countries such as Brazil, China, and India have significantly increased the adoption of automobiles. Hence, many automotive OEMs are increasing their focus toward these countries to tap the huge growth potential. For instance, the automotive sector in Mexico is attracting significant investments from prominent automotive OEMs and supplies. This is mainly driven by the strong domestic market and the country's free trade agreements with neighboring countries such as the US, Canada, and other South American countries. Similarly, many international automotive OEMs have set up their production facilities in Brazil to cater to the growing domestic demand for automobiles. These factors are fueling the growth of the global automotive power window switch market during the forecast period. "Rising popularity of gesture recognition system and the increasing integration of switches in a single panel will further boost market growth during the forecast period" says a senior analyst at Technavio. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Automotive Power Window Switch Market: Segmentation Analysis This market research report segments the automotive power window switch market by Application (Passenger vehicle and Commercial vehicle) and Geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and MEA). The APAC region led the automotive power window switch market in 2019, followed by Europe, North America, South America, and MEA respectively. During the forecast period, the APAC region is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to the growing volume sales of SUVs in emerging economies such as China and India. Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report Some of the key topics covered in the report include: Market Drivers Market Challenges Market Trends Vendor Landscape Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Competitive scenario About Technavio 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200703005197/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Update: Mary Trump book. Tuesday, a New York Supreme Court judge granted a temporary restraining order against her book. (Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the Worlds Most Dangerous Man is due July 28. She is a clinical psychologist; her father, Fred Trump Jr.) Wednesday, an appellate judge said Simon & Schuster can go ahead with the book. This judge said S&S wasnt a party to a confidentiality agreement that Mary Trump signed a couple decades ago in a struggle over the will of Fred Trump Sr. and thus cant be bound by it. However, as of Thursday the restraining order against Mary Trump herself remained, and Robert Trump her uncle, and President Trumps brother is expected to continue his effort against publication. The book is printed, and thousands have shipped. (Washington Post, New York Times) Article L. 238-8-II of the French commercial Code and article 223-16 of the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) general regulation Regulatory News: Corporate name of the issuer: Veolia Environnement (Paris:VIE) 21, rue La Boetie 75008 PARIS FRANCE (ISIN code: FR0000124141-VIE) Information closing date Total number of shares forming the share capital Total number of voting rights June 30, 2020 567,266,539 Total number of theoretical voting rights (1): 602,736,355 Total number of voting rights that may be exercised (2): 590,006,357 Inclusion in the Veolia Environnement Articles of Association of a clause requiring a reporting obligation of the declaration of crossing a shareholding threshold, complementary to the one relating to the thresholds provided by the French law and the regulations in force (article 8). (1) Number of theoretical voting rights after taking into account the number of shares with double voting rights as of June 30, 2020 (35,469,816 shares) and the number of treasury shares held as of June 30, 2020 (12,729,998 shares). (2) Number of voting rights that may be exercised number of theoretical voting rights (or total number of voting rights attached to shares) shares without voting rights (number of treasury shares held as of June 30, 2020). Veolia Environnement Siege social/head office: 21, rue La Boetie 75008 PARIS France Adresse postale/Correspondence address: 30, rue Madeleine Vionnet 93300 AUBERVILLIERS France tel.: +33 (0)1 85 57 70 00 Fax: +33 (0)1 71 75 10 45 www.veolia.com A Public Limited Company (Societe Anonyme) with a share capital of 2,836,332,695 euros 403 210 032 RCS PARIS View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200703005229/en/ Contacts: Veolia Environnement VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 3, 2020 / Zincore Metals Inc. (NEX:ZNC.H) ("Zincore" or the "Company") reports that it has amended its business combination agreement with Mines & Metals Trading (Peru) PLC ("MMTP") to further extend the deadline for completion of the reverse takeover of Zincore by MMTP (the "Transaction") to September 1, 2020. The Company had previously announced on April 21, 2020 that the two parties were extending the agreement to June 1, 2020. MMTP President and CEO, Jose Maria Garcia commented, "Although we are working as quickly as possible to close this transaction, the COVID-19 global pandemic is obviously making this process difficult and causing delays in our expected timelines. However, we remain committed to achieving a public listing through Zincore in order to better unlock the value of our producing Recuperada asset". Upon completion of the Transaction, it is anticipated that the Company (the "Resulting Issuer") will be listed as a Tier 2 issuer on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") and will continue the exploration and development of MMTP's Recuperada zinc-lead-silver project in Huancavelica, Peru, and the reactivation of Zincore's Accha Zinc Oxide District ("AZOD") Project. Zincore intends for trading in the Company's shares to remain halted until completion of the Transaction. Further details of the Transaction and any related aspects will be made available in subsequent press releases and in the disclosure documents (which will include business and financial information in respect of MMTP) to be filed by Zincore in connection with the Transaction. For further details on the Transaction, please see the Company's news releases dated January 21st, August 14th and December 24th of 2019 and March 12th and April 21, 2020. About MMTP MMTP, a company incorporated under the Companies Act (2006) (Isle of Man), is a young and dynamic mining company with a vision to extract full value from undervalued projects across Latin America. MMTP's primary asset is the Recuperada silver-lead-zinc property, located in Huancavelica, Peru, which consists of 178 concessions covering a total of 11,261.32 hectares hosting a network of mineral-bearing veins, advanced infrastructure from historical underground mining operations, and an ore processing plant with processing capacity of 600 tonnes of ore per day and 210,000 tonnes of ore per year. For more information on MMTP, please visit http://latitudebasemetals.com/ About Zincore Zincore is a Vancouver-based mineral exploration company focused on zinc and related base metal opportunities in Peru. The Company's common shares trade on the NEX Board of the TSX-V under the symbol ZNC.H. For more information please contact: Zincore Metals Inc. Adam Ho, CFO, Director (604) 669-6611 aho@zincoremetals.com Cautionary Notes Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSX-V acceptance and if applicable, disinterested shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Zincore should be considered highly speculative. The TSX-V has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Transaction and neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or does not expect", "is expected", anticipates" or "does not anticipate" "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking information". This forward-looking information contained in this news release includes, without limitation, information concerning the Transaction, the Financing, the Debt Settlement, expectations regarding whether the Transaction will be consummated, including whether conditions to the consummation of the Transaction will be satisfied, the timing for completing the Transaction, expectations for the effects of the Transaction or the ability of the Resulting Issuer to successfully achieve business objectives, expectations regarding whether the Financing will be consummated, and expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Zincore to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information contained in this press release, Zincore has made certain assumptions. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information are the following: the ability to consummate the Transaction and the Financing; the ability to obtain requisite regulatory and securityholder approvals and the satisfaction of other conditions to the consummation of the Transaction on the proposed terms and schedule; the ability to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the Financing; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial and commodities markets; changes in applicable laws; compliance with government regulation; and the diversion of management time on the Transaction and the Financing. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although Zincore believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Statements containing forward-looking information that are contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Zincore assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, except as required by law. SOURCE: Zincore Metals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/596204/Zincore-and-Mines-Metals-Trading-Peru-Continue-Working-Towards-Business-Combination Charles Tedeschi of Pacific Western Bank's Fund Finance Group discusses the use of capital call and subscription lines of credit during the pandemic. BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / July 3, 2020 / Chuck Tedeschi of Pacific Western Bank's Fund Finance Group, was recently interviewed to discuss current trends in the use of credit by private equity and venture funds during the COVID Pandemic. The article was published by Caldwalader's Fund Finance Friday July 2 edition and can be read in its entirety here: https://www.cadwalader.com/fund-finance-friday/index.php?eid=695&nid=92 Everyone anticipated a correction in the marketplace, but it's fair to say that no one expected it to come in the form of a global pandemic. But here we are. For GPs - especially emerging managers - using a capital call line is a very effective tool to manage capital calls. Let's explore how capital call lines (also known as subscription lines) can help and what to expect from a bank vis-a-vis capital call lines and a banking relationship in general. Use of a capital call line can be a best-practice cash management strategy for GPs in several situations. In today's climate, they help provide needed liquidity relief to LPs by delaying a capital call by 60-90 days (or longer depending on the LPA). Accessing a line between closes can avoid overcalling from early LPs, especially during fluid situations like the coronavirus pandemic. Under more ordinary circumstances, a line helps avoid too frequent capital calls (more than four to five times a year) from LPs. Lines also provide leeway to meet time-sensitive deals as it relates to the 10 days - or more - typically cited in LPAs for LPs to make capital calls. Lastly, capital call lines address overcalling capital due to inaccurate forecasting of near-term deal activity that causes increasing cash balances and creates IRR drag. Now, perhaps more than ever, these are all occasions when a capital call line can be used to make managing cash flows easier for GPs. A capital call line of credit can also be a boon to relationships with LPs. During these times, LPs are dealing with stressors of their own, and particularly small institutions, family offices, and HNWIs may need to generate liquidity to make a capital call by selling other assets at compromised values. ?Brad Smith, Executive Vice President and Head of Fund Finance at Pacific Western Bank, says, "We have not observed any abnormal borrowing patterns during the COVID crisis, as the majority of our clients have been drawing down and paying off their lines with a high degree of regularity. Further, we have not seen any LP defaults in our portfolio and hope that trend continues." Securing a capital call line is an effective strategy for managing capital call lines during ordinary and extraordinary times. Choosing a banking partner that can deliver during good times and bad is a decision that serves GPs, and by extension LPs, well. Read more - https://www.cadwalader.com/fund-finance-friday/index.php?eid=695&nid=92 Contact: Chuck Tedeschi ctedecshi@pacwest.com SOURCE: Pacific Western Bank View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/596217/Managing-Capital-Calls-During-Turbulent-Times--Chuck-Tedeschi-Pacific-Western-Bank Regulatory News: Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) ("PSH") today announced that it has purchased, through PSH's agent, Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), the following number of PSH's Public Shares of no par value (ISIN Code: GG00BPFJTF46) (the "Shares"): Trading Venue: London Stock Exchange Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 3 July 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 41,446 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 1,930 pence 24.02 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 1,916 pence 23.85 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 1,923 pence 23.93 USD Ticker: PSHD Date of Purchase: 3 July 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 11,492 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 24.05 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 23.95 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 24.00 USD Trading Venue: Euronext Amsterdam Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 3 July 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 37,199 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 24.05 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 23.90 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 23.98 USD PSH will hold these Public Shares in Treasury. The net asset value per Public Share related to this buyback is 34.52 USD 27.86 GBP which was calculated as of 30 June 2020 (the "Relevant NAV"). After giving effect to the above buyback, PSH has 195,382,571 Public Shares outstanding, or 201,314,857 Public Shares calculated on a fully diluted basis (assuming that all Management Shares had been converted into Public Shares at the Relevant NAV). Excluded from the shares outstanding are 15,574,179 Public Shares held in Treasury. The prices per Public Share were calculated by Jefferies. The number of PSH Management Shares and the one special voting share (held by PS Holdings Independent Voting Company Limited) have not been affected. About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200703005302/en/ Contacts: Media Contact Camarco Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk Fandry is a rigorous cinematic exercise for viewers to contemplate on: what kind of society we have become; what kind of cinema this society has produced; and what kind of society cinema has constructed, in which a man is denied love just because he is Dalit. Historically, Indian cinema exploited the labour of Dalits in its making, whilst erasing or appropriating their stories. This was not an accidental practice. When their stories were told on screen, it would be by savarnas who also played their characters with patriarchal, sexist and casteist undertones. The scenario has slowly changed, and the identity of Dalit characters in cinema directed by a Dalit (and a few non-Dalit) filmmakers has become explicit, transcending boundaries of caste and class. These filmmakers have helped shape visual storytelling that combines justice with aesthetics. Justice with aesthetics was rarely present in cinema made by savarnas, or it was seldom honest. Dalit-Bahujan filmmakers have filled this gap, while creating a new wave of cinema that is more appealing to a Dalit-Bahujan audience. In this series, we examine 10 Indian films that count not only among the finest cinema the country has produced, but are also intertwined with justice, politics, and aesthetic. *** When I was five or six, my father then a driver and a movie buff would take me to watch Bollywood films every Sunday at single screen theatres across Nagpur. For me, entering those darkened cinema halls was like entering a new world, one that seemed alien from my real world a Dalit basti and the harsh life there. That sense of alienation stayed with me for a long time. I came to Mumbai in 2013 to pursue an MA. The very next year was when Nagraj Manjules Fandry was released. I wasn't a fan of Marathi cinema, but having heard about the film from a few people, decided to watch it in the theatre. It was the most beautiful and nuanced cinematic imagination I had ever witnessed unfolding in a film hall. Did everyone feel the same after watching Fandry? Of course not. Why? Because, viewers in India watch cinema with the baggage of our caste, and our experience of a film depends on how our caste-conditioning makes us see the world. For me, after watching Fandry, the alienation I had felt for so long in relation to cinema came to an end. Fandry brought many Is on screen, giving them the confidence, personality and purpose that had been ripped from us by Bollywood movies. * In 1913, Dadasaheb Phalke, a Marathi Brahmin also known as the father of Indian cinema, made the first Indian feature film: Raja Harishchandra. It was a silent motion picture. Almost all of Phalkes movies are based on a Hindu-Brahminical mythological imagination of India and its society. The initiation of the Hindu-Brahmin myth into cinema technology was not accidental: Phalke being a Brahmin whose social position meant having very little contact with a vast swathe of society and its stories grew up alienated from the pains and virtues of the masses. This alienation reflected in nearly all Marathi directors and their movies. Only a handful of movies were truly sensible, in aesthetic and politics. However, all were products of the Brahminical imagination; caste as a cultural location in their cinema was subverted, manipulated and often appropriated as per convenience. Nothing changed on these lines for a hundred years in Marathi cinema. Then Fandry was released in 2014. Its frames, camera angles, screenplay, background music, storytelling, noises, even silence all broke rules Marathi cinema had followed thus far. As I got up from my seat in the theatre after the final scene as the stone pelted by the protagonist Jabya fills the entire screen I felt numb, speechless. It took me a while to realise just how enriching the experience of watching a work of art can be. Fandry is undisputedly among the masterpieces in the world cinema: Not because it has a Dalit protagonist or director, but for the way it translates social reality into cinematic imagination. Great cinema helps the masses to integrate in it, it appeals to their pain, virtues and aesthetics; it isnt servile to the tastes of a few bourgeoisie. It is these qualities that make Fandry a cinematic masterpiece. Interestingly, the early movies of Raj Kapoor had some Leftist or liberal undercurrents largely because those screenplays were written by Left-leaning screenwriters and their immortal songs were written by Shailendra, a Dalit, whose profound lyrics are unparalleled. In Fandry, the camera is neither sympathetic nor pitiful towards its protagonist, nor is it artificially rebellious. It is anxious; it is beautiful; it is in search of a dream; it aspires to be normal amid abnormal caste-realities. It is not larger than life, but it is life one paralysed by the society and cunningly defamed in cinema in India. This life, the life of Dalits, is revived and provided a meaning in the cinematic imagination for the first time in India. Fandry re-introduces a hero who is dead in history and erased by cinema from the lives of people. So far, Indian cinema had chosen to remain in ignorance when it comes to Dalit lives. Out of pity, in a few movies (from the parallel cinema movement) some facts or behaviour about Dalit lives were portrayed by savarna directors that too negatively. Frantz Fanon writes in his book Black Skin, White Mask: What is essential to us is not to accumulate facts and behaviour, but to bring out their meaning. Fandry brought out the meanings of Dalit life. It is beyond any political state ideology. Fandrys protagonist Jabya, or Jambuwant Kachru Mane, is a dreamer, a man of letters, a lover and more importantly, sensitive to the world around him. This does not mean he is submissive. He is smart, hardworking and aspires to follow his dreams, his love. But his caste-reality fractures the wheel of his aspirations. He has to respond to it. When Jabya is subjected to humiliation, he remains calm and tolerant. But he is, in the climax, humiliated in front of his love, school mates. Moreover, his sisters are too humiliated and despised for their smell. This is what he cannot tolerate and responds with aggression with a stone cast towards his upper caste harassers in the film. Jabya is an uncommon protagonist because no Indian filmmaker had previously put the centrality of a movie in a Dalit man. In Fandry, a Dalit man arrives at a vision of life, and through his eyes, the audience sees the world, now and thereafter. Herein lies the brilliance of Nagraj Manjule. Fandry revived Marathi cinema. Apart from its stellar cinematic language, Fandry speaks to us as an enigmatic poem whose purpose is to teach us about the value of life, make us feel the agonies that our ignorance about each other begets, and destroy the false consciousness that the cultural industry has created throughout so many years and decades. Fandry is also a rigorous cinematic exercise for us as viewers to contemplate on: what kind of society we have become; what kind of cinema this society has produced; and what kind of society cinema has constructed, in which a man is denied love just because he is Dalit. When I look back on the day I watched Fandry for the first time, I feel that something in me changed forever in relation to cinema. I knew then that no matter how small it may be, but I too have a space in the cinematic imagination of this country. I know that whenever people like me watch Fandry, they too feel that they are telling their story to a world which ignored them so far. * Yogesh Maitreya is a poet, translator and founder of Panther's Paw Publication, an anti-caste publishing house. He is pursuing a PhD at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's safety watchdog on Friday ordered NTEK, a power unit of mining giant Norilsk Nickel, to suspend operations at six facilities for 90 days for violating safety rules, following a fuel spill in the Arctic. A fuel tank lost pressure on May 29 and released 21,000 tonnes of diesel into rivers and subsoil near the city of Norilsk, an incident that Greenpeace has compared to the devastating 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska. Nornickel said the requested changes to improve safety by the Rostekhnadzor watchdog were already in its working plan to prepare for the winter season in the Norilsk region. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's safety watchdog on Friday ordered NTEK, a power unit of mining giant Norilsk Nickel, to suspend operations at six facilities for 90 days for violating safety rules, following a fuel spill in the Arctic. A fuel tank lost pressure on May 29 and released 21,000 tonnes of diesel into rivers and subsoil near the city of Norilsk, an incident that Greenpeace has compared to the devastating 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska. Nornickel said the requested changes to improve safety by the Rostekhnadzor watchdog were already in its working plan to prepare for the winter season in the Norilsk region. The watchdog's decision will not affect the power supply of the region, it added, meaning production should not be affected. Rostekhnadzor met with Norilsk Nickel management on Friday to discuss results of an unscheduled audit it had conducted after the fuel spill, the watchdog said in a statement. At the meeting it warned management of the potential for even worse accidents if comprehensive measures were not taken, and described accident rates at the site as "alarming", its statement said. The company and emergency specialists are collecting contaminated soil and fuel from local rivers, and President Vladimir Putin has said the scale of the clear-up operation is unprecedented for Russia. According to Nornickel's estimate, over 90% of spilt fuel has been collected and removed so far. It previously said the accident was caused by a thaw in the permafrost weakening the foundations of a storage tank and is now developing a system to monitor the condition of the permafrost. (Reporting by Maria Grabar and Anastasia Lyrchikova; Writing by Polina Devitt and Alexander Marrow; Editing by Maria Kiselyova, Mark Potter and David Evans) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. (Reuters) - Capitec Bank forecast a fall of at least 70% in first-half earnings on Friday due to a spike in bad loans from the coronavirus crisis, the first major South African lender to detail its full effect. Concerns over a jump in bad loans after a nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus have hit South African banks and Capitec's shares, which were already down 42% so far this year, were 2.5% lower at 1359 GMT. Capitec, which had forecast a drop of at least 20% in first-half profit in May, said it expects headline earnings per share, the main profit measure for South African firms, to fall by more than 1,782 cents from the 2,545 cents it reported for the six months to the end of August 2019 (Reuters) - Capitec Bank forecast a fall of at least 70% in first-half earnings on Friday due to a spike in bad loans from the coronavirus crisis, the first major South African lender to detail its full effect. Concerns over a jump in bad loans after a nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus have hit South African banks and Capitec's shares, which were already down 42% so far this year, were 2.5% lower at 1359 GMT. Capitec, which had forecast a drop of at least 20% in first-half profit in May, said it expects headline earnings per share, the main profit measure for South African firms, to fall by more than 1,782 cents from the 2,545 cents it reported for the six months to the end of August 2019. The bank said its credit impairment charge was 145% higher than forecast, mainly due to 5.75 billion rand ($338 million) and 236 million rand in retail and business credit balances being rescheduled or granted payment breaks due to the lockdown. Capitec said in a statement that it does not expect to return to pre-lockdown levels of credit sales before the start of its next financial year. "We do, however, believe that the results for the second half of the 2021 financial year could return to normal levels," it added. Major banks across the United States and Britain have set aside billions of dollars in provisions to handle loans that sour as customers become unable to make payments as a result of unemployment triggered by the coronavirus crisis. ($1 = 17.0275 rand) (Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru and Emma Rumney in Johannesburg; Editing by Susan Fenton and Alexander Smith) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. It is unfortunate that we are in this place in America that the civil unrest and the racial tensions are so high right now, Rouse said. It would be a misstep for our city to think that we are immune from that or that we cannot improve our policing. By Ezgi Erkoyun ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish jet executive on trial over Carlos Ghosn's dramatic escape from Japan told a court on Friday that the former Nissan boss spoke about Hollywood making a movie of his getaway as he flew in a private jet to Beirut. Ghosn, once a leading light of the global car industry, was arrested in Japan in late 2018 and charged with underreporting his salary and using company funds for personal purposes, charges he denies By Ezgi Erkoyun ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish jet executive on trial over Carlos Ghosn's dramatic escape from Japan told a court on Friday that the former Nissan boss spoke about Hollywood making a movie of his getaway as he flew in a private jet to Beirut. Ghosn, once a leading light of the global car industry, was arrested in Japan in late 2018 and charged with underreporting his salary and using company funds for personal purposes, charges he denies. The ousted chairman of the alliance of Renault, Nissan Motor Co and Mitsubishi Motors Corp had been awaiting his trial under house arrest in Japan when he escaped in December via Istanbul to Beirut, his childhood home. An executive from Turkish private jet operator MNG Jet and four pilots were detained in early January soon after Ghosn's escape and charged with migrant smuggling, a charge carrying a maximum sentence of eight years in jail. They appeared in white protective overalls, masks and gloves as a measure against the coronavirus , as the court in Istanbul began hearing their defence. Two flight attendants, charged with failing to report a crime - which could incur a sentence of up to one year - were also there. All seven defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. In their indictment, prosecutors had said MNG Jet operations manager Okan Kosemen - who is one of the seven on trial - knew before the flight left Osaka that Ghosn would be on board and would transfer to Beirut. Kosemen said in court on Friday he was only told via phone about Ghosn's presence on the plane during its flight to Istanbul and that he cooperated under duress, believing his family could be in danger. Kosemen said a Lebanese broker who had arranged the flight had told him by phone, from Beirut, that the ex-Nissan boss was on board. He added that he had heard "screams of joy" in the background. "I swore at him (the broker). I was very angry," he told the court. Kosemen later met the arriving plane at an Istanbul airport, and accompanied Ghosn on the Beirut-bound flight, he told the court. "Carlos asked me how much the plane cost ... and told me about Hollywood producers who want to make this escape a movie," he said. A lawyer for Ghosn did not immediately respond to a request to comment. At the end of Friday's session, the court ordered the release pending further proceedings of Kosemen and the four pilots, who had been in custody until now. "When you take into account the time they've served already we expected a release decision earlier. The court answered our calls for a release today. We think our client is innocent," Kosemen's lawyer Levent Yildiz told Reuters. SAGA SHAKES AUTO WORLD The prosecution said Kosemen used WhatsApp to communicate with pilots before, during and after the Osaka-Istanbul flight, using terms like "luggage" and "consignment" to refer to Ghosn. Kosemen told the court "consignment" referred to sake - rice wine - that he himself had ordered from Japan. According to the indictment, Kosemen told prosecutors a price of $175,000 was agreed for the flight with the Lebanese broker and paid into MNG Jet's bank account. In January, MNG Jet said he acted without the knowledge of the company and it had filed a criminal complaint for the illegal use of its aircraft. MNG declined to comment. The pilots have said they are only required to check headcount, not the identities of passengers, according to the indictment. Japan has formally asked the United States to extradite two Americans - a former Green Beret and his son - who also stand accused of helping Ghosn flee Japan. They were arrested in Massachusetts in May. The Ghosn saga has shaken the global auto industry, at one point jeopardising the Renault-Nissan alliance which he masterminded, and increased scrutiny of Japan's judicial system. Renault and Nissan have struggled to recover profitability following his tenure, during which both automakers say Ghosn focused too much on expanding sales and market share. (Additional reporting by Naomi Tajitsu in Tokyo; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer, Pravin Char and David Evans) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Manoj Bajpayee credits Satya for being the film that 'changed his life.' Actor Manoj Bajpayee is celebrating 22 years of his film Satya. The actor shared a still from the film on his Instagram handle and remembered the date that changed his life. Sharing an image of his character Bhiku Mhatre from the film, Bajpayee recalled how it was declared a flop in the beginning, but it went on to run for 25 weeks at the theatres. Check out the post below Satya is a gangster drama that cemented the careers of Manoj Bajpayee and Anurag Kashyap in Bollywood as an actor and writer, respectively. Hindustan Times reports the film won Manoj his first National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. Apurva Asrani too posted about the film, thanking director Ram Gopal Varma for "taking a chance on a gawky 19-year-old" as the film's editor. Read Asrani's post below The film follows the journey of the titular character played by JD Chakravarthy, an immigrant, who comes to Mumbai in search of work and becomes friends with Bajpayee's character. The two are soon sucked into the underbelly of the Bay city. Satya also starred Urmila Matondkar, Paresh Rawal, and Saurabh Shukla in pivotal roles. In the show On Becoming a God in Central Florida revolves, a single mother resolves to take down a marketing company responsible for her family's downfall. Language: English The American Dream, an amorphous collection of hopes, ideals and aspirations, has long been woven into the fabric of mainstream Hollywood movies, be it Death of a Salesman or Easy Rider. On Becoming a God in Central Florida, a 10-episode series now streaming on SonyLIV, is a portrait of how the capitalist mechanism is skewed to exploit the have-nots, raucously dismantling the sandcastle that is the American Dream, with its focus on the minimum wage-earning single mother. Set in Orlando circa 1992, On Becoming a God in Central Florida begins with a faceless man behind a microphone, his high-strung sermons booming through the cassette players and the earphones of future founders who could chart the heights of high living if they but religiously followed the words of the speaker, the mysterious Obie Garbeau II (Ted Levine), founder of the Founders American Merchandise (FAM). A pyramid scheme company, FAM runs on the quasi-religious devotion of its affiliates, believing the company be the one-stop destination to becoming the next rags-to-riches success story. It is a dream merchant that siphons off from those who cannot afford basic necessities by promising them eternal happiness. Travis Stubbs (Alexander Skarsgard), sporting a mullet and an oversized waistcoat, is a hopelessly ambitious insurance salesman striving to make ends meet. Frustrated with his financial stagnancy and bamboozled by the dream of a better life and his FAM upline Cody (Canadian Theodore Pellerin), he resolves to quit his job, and become a full-time leader. His wife Krystal (Kirsten Dunst) is a stinker thinker FAM skeptic, juggling her work at a water park, her marriage at the brink of divorce, and a newborn daughter. But all dreams of grand houses and yachts and helicopters (and divorce for Krystal) are truncated when Travis falls asleep at the wheels, drives the car into a swamp, survives the fall, and is then swallowed by an alligator. Krystal is left in a mountain of debt, unpaid mortgages, and a backyard full of FAM products toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, you name it. Her only playing card now is an inheritance, of her husbands job at FAM. The rest of the story is fairly predictable. Fuelled with rage over her familys downfall, for which she blames FAM, she resolves to avenge her husbands death by planning to destroy the company. But Krystal Stubbs (Kirsten Dunst) is hardly the messiah you would expect her to be, standing up against the wrongs meted out by FAM. In fact, On Becoming a God in Central Florida is careful to not paint Krystle in ethical colours in order to vilify the system she is thrust forcefully to be a part of. Hardened by the realities of her circumstances, and desperate to survive, Krystle often treads the fine line between amoral and moral, tweaking the lines, blurring them to suit her convenience. She manipulates her considerate Ernie (Mel Rodriguez), to join FAM when she understands that he is about to give up, knowing fully well that he is doomed for failure. She leads Cody into believing that she is romantically inclined towards him, brainwashing him to make her his aide, and then eventually besting him. In a particular scene where Cody warns her that Obie is not fond of those who are desperate, she quietly murmurs, But I am desperate. She knows the system is rigged, the odds are stacked against her, and she needs to collude with the system to get her way. Ernies quiet suffering then becomes the foil to Krystals seething anger. Ernie succumbs to the pressure to the promise of a better livelihood when he realises he will never be able to fulfill the desires of his loving wife Bets (Beth Ditto) and their tween son. To him, and the many characters of On Becoming a God in Central Florida, FAM is a platitute-fulled hallucination that sucks you in into believing in its assurance of success. Thus, an Ernie finds new recruits among poor immigrants in a Spanish-speaking church congregation; and Cody injures himself in his pursuit of killing a pelican and serve it up as an offering to his almighty, Obie. On first glance, On Becoming a God in Central Florida may appear to be just a critique of the idea that late 20th-century capitalism is an equitable and guaranteed path to success, but on closer inspection, you understand the show also an extended metaphor for sinister cults and religion and their self-serving nature. Interestingly, creators Robert Funke and Matt Lutsky once revealed that they were initially looking to write about religious cults, but soon figured there was a similar devotion in attendees at company conventions chanting inspiring quotes and followers of a televangelist. On Becoming a God in Central Florida is an acrid and relentlessly grim satire that does not let you off the tenterhooks throughout its 10-episode runtime. There is murder, poaching, plenty of gore, and tragedy for it to qualify as borderline dystopian. Like life, the bizarre makes it hilarious, but there is no escaping the bleak. It has been a long struggle with many ups and downs in my personal life, Saroj Khan told Nidhi Tuli. The dances I compose and direct do not show the tears and the heartbreaks in my life. Veteran Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan passed away on 3 July 2020 of cardiac arrest. She was 71. The three-time National Award winner had choreographed some of the most memorable songs in Hindi cinema, and her collaborations with actress Madhuri Dixit led to dance numbers that are considered iconic in the landscape of Hindi cinema. A documentary called 'The Saroj Khan Story', by filmmaker Nidhi Tuli, paid homage to Saroj Khan's many contributions to the cinema of India. The following excerpt is from 'Filming Reality: The Independent Documentary Movement in India' by freelance journalist, author and film scholar Shoma A Chatterji. It has been republished here with permission from SAGE India. *** Saroj Khan has broken every rule in the choreography book. She doesn't care about glamour... She is brazen, bold, uncompromising and often, quite rude and ruthless. She has been a single mother for most of her life. She is also famous, successful and rich in the cut-throat, male-dominated world of Indian cinema. A young woman decided to pick slices from her life and present these as a documentary tribute. Never before in Indian cinema has tribute been paid to an Indian film choreographer in the form of a documentary. The Saroj Khan Story is Nidhi Tulis 57-minute celluloid tribute to Saroj Khan. The film was screened in the documentary section of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. Saroj Khans career kicked off in the early 1950s. She began as a child artist, with dancing as the talent she was gifted in. The upward climb was difficult, but did happen ultimately. She started as a member of the background chorus and graduated as an assistant to the choreographer, which in turn brought her in contact with accomplished dancer-actresses like Vyjayanthimala. When she became an independent choreographer, she worked with the legendary Madhuri Dixit. Later, she continued to create, compose and choreograph dance numbers for Aishwarya Rai and Sonakshi Sinha. Says Nidhi about her motivation in choosing this subject, The Saroj Khan Story began as a search for the genius behind one of the greatest choreographers Indian cinema has ever produced. What remains is a deeply personal story of determination, passion, extraordinary skill and the sheer will to survive that is both intimate and inspiring. I was a fan of hers like most people who know about her choreography are, but it was during the making of the film that I discovered that she is a genius and she wears that so lightly; she is a perfectionist and a very passionate dancer. Nidhis camera focuses on Saroj Khan as she narrates her slow and rickety rise in filmdom from a dancer in the back row of the chorus to a top choreographer, who directed every other leading lady in Bollywood. The film opens on Saroj riding in her car, talking into her cell phone till it cuts to a close-up of her at home with walls filled with photographs and portraits of herself and family members. She looks back wistfully into her past, which includes the unceasing sickness of a daughter who passed away later. However, Saroj-ji refuses to be bogged down by or gather sympathy for her private grief. It has been a long struggle with many ups and downs in my personal life, she says. The dances I compose and direct do not show the tears and the heartbreaks in my life. She was betrayed in love by her mentor and guru who left her when she became pregnant. However, she carried the emotional, financial and professional burden singly. Her repertoire of having choreographed for more than 200 films ranges from the purely classical numbers in the Tamil film Sringaram Dance of Love (2005) and the graceful numbers executed by Aishwarya Rai in Subhash Ghais Taal (1999), to the sizzling duet performed by the lead pair in Rowdy Rathore (2012). Sringaram (2007) a period film set in the 19th century on the life of a devadasi was directed by a noted dancer, Saradha Ramanathan, and produced by classical dancer Padmini Ravi. Aditi Rao Hydari, a talented Bharatanatyam dancer, played the role of the devadasi. Though the producer and director were both celebrated dancers, they chose Saroj Khan for the choreography. She won the National Award for Best Choreography for her work in the film, one of her string of three. The Madhuri Dixit number Maar Dala in Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Devdas (2002) had the refrain maar dala four times in each stanza. I convinced and taught Madhuri to execute each refrain differently for each of the four times. This spread over to three or four stanzas and each time, she expressed this refrain differently, says Saroj Khan in the documentary. This choreography too got Saroj the National Award, following the ones shed received for her work in Ashutosh Gowarikers Lagaan (2001) alongside the Filmfare Award. Another milestone was Bhansalis Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). Saroj Khan the person however, reaches far beyond the documentary. *** Filming Reality: The Independent Documentary Movement in India by Shoma A Chatterji | 2015 | 320 pages | Hardcover | Rs 995 | (9789351502876) | SAGE India Deceptive marketing might have been partly forgiven if Sufiyum Sujatayum had something worthwhile to offer. Language: Malayalam This is not the first time star-obsessed India has witnessed such an occurrence, and it is unlikely to be the last. Back in 2008, Kuselan a Tamil remake of Mollywoods Katha Parayumpol was heavily marketed as a Rajinikanth-starrer though the iconic actor only had a cameo in it. Now in 2020, the promotions of Sufiyum Sujatayum have created the impression that Jayasurya, one of the leading lights of contemporary Mollywood, is the films male protagonist. Fact: Jayasurya plays a supporting part. He is not the lead. Such deceptive marketing might have been partly forgiven if Sufiyum Sujatayum had something worthwhile to offer. It does not. This story of a dance teacher called Sujata in love with a young Sufi at a Muslim shrine in her town is not just superficial in its treatment of inter-community romance and tensions, it is also pretentious and dull. Aditi Rao Hydari plays Sujata who happens to be mute. Jayasurya plays the man her father forces her to marry. And first-timer Dev Mohan has been cast as the Sufi. Writer-director Naranipuzha Shanavas uses silences, close-ups of Sujatas delicate face and feet, religious chants and mood cinematography as a substitute for writing depth. The first half of Sufiyum Sujatayum takes too long to establish the heroines love story. The second half wanders too long before taking us to an interesting twist involving a graveyard in the final half hour, but Shanavas squanders that plot development when he immediately circles back to the unexciting relationship between Sujata and the Sufi. Frankly, that pre-climactic twist by itself had the potential to be expanded into a brilliant socio-political satire on Hindu-Muslim strife in todays India, but Shanavas clearly failed to recognise his own clever idea. What he gives us then is a listless, unremarkable film. Although the credits feature a bunch of respected character artistes, no one stands out since no ones talent is put to great use. Dev Mohan is given little to do beyond look pretty and occasionally, briefly whirl as dervishes do. It is a measure of Jayasuryas charisma that although his character is mostly confined to the second half, he still manages to leave a stronger impression than the lead pair. As for Rao Hydari, she fails to live up to the hype generated around her in the run-up to this release. The marketing teams decision to tomtom Sufiyum Sujatayum as her return to Malayalam cinema after 14 years is almost embarrassing for two reasons: first, because her role (on debut) in the Mammootty-starrer Prajapathi in 2006 was minuscule, cliched, unmemorable and insignificant; and second, because since then she has spent most of her career in Bollywood where she has struggled to make an impact. Despite the promise she showed in Yeh Saali Zindagi (2011) and London, Paris, New York (2012), she has packed her CV largely with Hindi films in which she has barely had anything to do beyond look sweet and fragile on the sidelines while men go about their business. Dont get me wrong: Rao Hydari is good-looking, moves with dancerly grace, and if the aforementioned Hindi films are a barometer, is a capable actor. But the problematic marketing of Sufiyum Sujatayum has ended up drawing attention to the faults in her filmography that make it hard to assess this performance. You see, her characters in most of her Hindi films have hardly had any spoken lines (for one, watch Wazir); as a result and this is the harsh truth when she plays a mute woman in Sufiyum Sujatayum, in terms of acting she is not actually doing anything vastly different from her earlier work. Yes, Sujata sometimes resorts to sign language, but Shanavas uses that aspect of her more for the visual appeal of the actors attractive, fluid hand movements than as a building block in what could have been a complex character. Apart from its soulful music and overall prettiness, one of the nice touches in Sufiyum Sujatayum is the way languages other than Malayalam are woven into stray dialogues to indicate the somewhat cosmopolitan nature of the town in which the story is set; it is also nice that the subtitler lets us know when a character has spoken a non-Malayalam tongue. However, considering that the main characters all converse with each other in Malayalam, there is something odd about the way a couple of lines from a Hindi song run in the background out of the blue when Sujata experiences heartbreak, and Hindi lyrics pop up again with the end credits the switch in language makes no sense here, it has no contextual relevance, but it places Shanavas in an expanding club of Malayalam filmmakers who seem to think Hindi is a signifier of coolth, in the way Hindi filmmakers once viewed English. The only contemporary Malayalam director who has been able to pull this off without any logic to support his choice is Lijo Jose Pellissery when he slipped Do Naina into Angamaly Diaries it worked perhaps because the scene in question was overall so beautifully constructed. Not so in Sufiyum Sujatayum. Kerala may seem like an idyll of communal harmony when compared to the tattered social fabric of north India in 2020, but the troubling reality is that all is not well between communities in the state popularly described as Gods Own Country. Sufiyum Sujatayum was an opportunity to dwell on the opposition to Hindu-Muslim marriages in Malayali society, a theme that was so sensitively handled by another Shanavas director Shanavas K. Bavakutty in the terrific Kismath in 2016. Instead, Naranipuzha Shanavas devotes himself to the spectacle he is trying to create in Sufiyum Sujatayum, and just about skims the surface of his chosen theme. Sufiyum Sujatayum is streaming on Amazon Prime Video India. Rating: *1/2 The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Actors issued a do-not-work order to its members, saying the makers of Songbird have not signed proper safety agreements for the shoot. The union that represents film actors told its members on Thursday, 2 July, not to work on the upcoming pandemic thriller Songbird, saying the filmmakers have not been up-front about safety measures and had not signed the proper agreements for the movie that is among the first in production after coronavirus closures. (Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak) Actors had reportedly been rehearsing remotely for the film produced by Michael Bay and directed by Adam Mason. The films pre-production listing on IMDbPro.com says its stars include Demi Moore, Peter Stormare, and Craig Robinson, and gives the description, In a post-pandemic world, an even more serious virus continues to mutate. But the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Actors issued a do-not-work order to its members, saying the production company has failed to complete the signatory process, and working on the film could result in disciplinary action. Coronavirus Outbreak Union warns members against working in Michael Bays Songbird over safety protocol" width="1280" height="720" /> The producers have not been transparent about their safety protocols and that is something we obviously take very seriously, a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson said in a statement. Also, as noted in the Do Not Work order, the producers have not yet become signatory to our agreement. We have no further comment. The small film was among the first to attempt to resume production after the long closure. California Governor Gavin Newsom gave film and television productions the green light to resume shooting in the state starting 12 June, so long as strict coronavirus restrictions were in place. Messages seeking comment from the films production companies and representatives for Bay and Mason were not immediately returned. One of the companies, Invisible Narrative, told Deadline, We are actively working to resolve this paperwork issue with the guild. According to the revised COVID-19 norms, the health ministry has made allowances for asymptomatic patients to quarantine at home as long as they have the requisite self-isolation facilities. New Delhi: For a large number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 but showed no symptoms, the Union Health ministry has revised home isolation guidelines to include asymptomatic positive patients in the list of mild or pre-symptomatic coronavirus infection cases. However, immuno compromised patients (included HIV, transplant recipients, cancer therapy) are not eligible for home isolation, state the revised guidelines released on Thursday. Elderly patients aged above 60 years and those with co-morbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung/liver/kidney disease and cerebro-vascular disease among others shall only be allowed home isolation after proper evaluation by the treating medical officer. Patients under home isolation will stand discharged after 10 days of onset of symptoms and no fever for three days, the guidelines stated. "Thereafter, the patient will be advised to isolate at home and self-monitor their health for further seven days. There is no need for testing after the home isolation period is over," the 'Revised Guidelines for Home Isolation of Very mild/pre-symptomatic/asymptomatic COVID-19 cases' stated. According to the document, asymptomatic patients like the ones who are pre-symptomatic and have very mild symptoms can opt for home isolation if they have the requisite self-isolation facility at their residence so as to avoid contact with other family members. The guidelines come against India's rising COVID-19 tally to 6,04,641 on Thursday, with a single-day increase of 19,148 cases, just five days after it crossed the five lakh-mark. The toll due to the disease rose to 17,834 with 434 new fatalities, according to health ministry data updated at 8 am. According to the guidelines, a caregiver should be available to provide care on 24x7 basis and a communication link between the caregiver and a hospital is a prerequisite for the entire duration of home isolation. Besides, the guidelines reiterated that the caregiver and all close contacts of such cases should take hydroxychloroquine as a preventive medication as per the protocol and as prescribed by the treating medical officer. Besides, it called for downloading the Arogya Setu mobile application and that it should remain active at all times (through bluetooth and wi-fi). Patients should monitor their health and regularly inform the health status to the district surveillance officer, who will facilitate further follow up by the surveillance teams. The patient also has to give an undertaking stating that being diagnosed as a confirmed/suspect case of COVID-19 , he/she hereby voluntarily undertakes to maintain strict self-isolation at all times for the prescribed period, the guidelines said. Immediate medical attention must be sought if serious signs or symptoms, including difficulty in breathing, dip in oxygen saturation, persistent pain/pressure in the chest, mental confusion or inability to arouse, slurred speech/seizures, weakness or numbness in any limb or face and developing bluish discolorations of lips/face, it stated. As per the guidelines, the states and districts should monitor all such cases, and that the health status of those under home isolation should be monitored by the field staff/surveillance teams through personal visits along with a dedicated call centre to follow up on the patients on a daily basis. The clinical status (body temperature, pulse rate and oxygen saturation) of each case should be recorded by the field staff/call centre. The field staff will guide the patient on measuring these parameters and provide the instructions (for patients and their care givers), they said. Besides, details about patients under home isolation should also be updated on COVID-19 portal and facility app (with DSO as user). Mechanism to shift a patient in case of violation or need for treatment has to be established and implemented. All family members and close contacts shall be monitored and tested as per protocol by the field staff. These discharge guidelines shall be strictly adhered to along with an issuance of a fitness certificate by the field team, as per the guidelines. Besides salary, staff recruited via the Andhra Pradesh Corporation for Outsourced Services (APCOS) programme would be provided benefits like EPF and ESI The Andhra Pradesh Corporation for Outsourced Services (APCOS) has recruited the first batch of outsourced employees for various state government departments. The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh has launched APCOS to ensure transparency in recruiting outsourcing staff. According to Times of India, 47,000 staff members have been hired and they would be handed over appointment letters by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The Andhra Pradesh government has also decided to follow reservation policy for recruitments via APCOS 50 percent for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Class and minorities, while the remaining 50 percent would be for women, reported The New Indian Express. Out of the 50 percent for various categories, 15 percent seats is reserved for SCs, six percent for STs and 29 per cent for BCs and minorities. The APCOS is responsible for hiring outsourced employees such as housekeeping staff and security personnel, among others, for state government departments. Besides salary, such staff would be provided benefits like EPF and ESI. Last year in November, Reddy had launched the official website of APCOS during a review meeting on the Spandana programme. Unveiling the website, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister had said that all appointments made through APCOS would help check irregularities and ensure implementation of the government policy of reservations to SC, ST, BC, and minority communities and women, reported The Hindu. The minister in-charge takes the role of the approving authority and the collector is entrusted with the responsibility of the convenor at the district level. On the other hand, at the state level, the minister concerned and department secretary head the programme. Questions will be asked from subjects including Hindi, English, Maths, History, Geography, Political Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Economics. Candidates can check the complete syllabus at the official website of CBSC. The Central Selection Board of Constable or CSBC, has released a notification inviting online application for recruitment of Bihar Homeguard Sepoy. The recruitment is to fill a total of 551 sepoy posts. Willing and eligible candidates can apply online on the official website of Bihar Police at csbc.bih.nic.in. The last date for applying for the post is 3 August. According to a report by Hindustan Times, candidates applying for the post should have passed class 12th (intermediate) exam from a recognised board. Applicants will have to take OMR-based test. Those who clear the test will be called for a physical standard and efficiency test. The questions will be of intermediate level (as per Bihar Board syllabus), the report said. Questions will be asked from subjects including Hindi, English, Maths, History, Geography, Political Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Economics. Candidates can check the complete syllabus at the official website of CBSC. Click here for the direct link of the syllabus. As per a report by Times Now, of the total vacancies of Bihar Police Sepoy recruitment 2020, 301 posts are for home guard, while the remaining 250 posts are for freshers. Both male and female candidates can apply for the posts. Those who get selected for the post will be getting paid under pay scale Rs 5,200-20,200 + grade pay Rs 2000/- level 3. According to a report by Jagran Josh, the minimum age of candidates should be 18 years, while the maximum age should be 25 years. The minimum age limit for those applying for home guard posts should be 24 years while maximum age should not be above 50 years. Candidates can check the details about the post here csbc.bih.nic.in. Candidates will have to first register themselves and then fill the application form and pay the application fee. Here's direct link for registration apply-csbc.com. The decision taken by the syndicate, the highest decision-making body of the institution, is applicable for students of both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The Calcutta University has announced how it would assess its final-year students for cancelled exams. The varsity has adopted 80:20 method for awarding marks - 80 per cent from the best aggregate of previous semesters and the rest 20 per cent from internal assessment. The exams were scrapped in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The decision taken by the syndicate, the highest decision-making body of the institution, is applicable for students of both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Students who are BA, BSc and BCom under the annual system - Part-1, Part-2 and Part-3 will be awarded marks in their final exams by giving 80 per cent weightage to the best aggregate percentage of the previous two years and the 20 per cent to the scores in the tests, conducted before the finals. The colleges affiliated to the CU are required to send the internal marks to the university, paper-wise and course-wise, within 10 July. Those enrolled in BCom programme (final semester) under the choice-based credit system (CBCS) will be assessed giving 80 per cent weightage to the best aggregate percentage of previous five semesters and 20 percent to an internal evaluation of the best of five semesters. The marks in the subject in which a student did not get through will be taken from the best score obtained in the other qualified papers of that year or semester, reported The Telegraph Online. Students enrolled in PG programmes will be given 80 per cent of the marks on the basis of the best aggregate percentage of previous three semesters and 20 per cent on internal assessment. Those who are studying professional courses like Engineering, Management and Law will be awarded 80 per cent marks on the basis of internal assessment or mid semester examination or best of the aggregates of previous semesters and remaining 20 per cent from the assignment based evaluation. PG Diploma students will be given 100 per cent marks on the basis of scores obtained in previous semester and internal assessment (Project and Viva). Regarding back papers the marks will be awarded on the basis of the best score obtained in the remaining qualified papers of that semester, informed the university. Hahn said Fogarty needed to be sentenced for what she did, not who she is. He asked for 5 years and eight months to serve, or the high end of discretionary state sentencing guidelines that began at two years. According to the Delhi Police, the accused created a WhatsApp group on 25 February to coordinate with each other and provide men, arms and ammunition New Delhi: Some of the rioters used a WhatsApp group to coordinate with each other during the north east Delhi riots in February and killed nine Muslims after they refused to chant 'Jai Shri Ram', Delhi Police has alleged in its chargesheets filed in a court. The accused were part of a WhatsApp group Kattar Hindut Ekta that was created on 25 February to take revenge on Muslims, the chargesheets said, adding that they used it to coordinate with each other and provide, men, arms and ammunition to each other. The creator of the WhatsApp group is still absconding, police said in the chargesheets. 'Kattar Hindut Ekta' group was created on 25 February at 12.49 hours. Initially there were 125 members in this group, out of these 125; total 47 had exited the group by 8 March, it said. The chargesheets were filed before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Kumar Gautam on 29 June for the alleged bludgeoning of nine people Hamza, Aamin, Bhure Ali, Mursalin, Aas Mohd, Musharraf, Akil Ahmed, and Hashim Ali and his elder brother Aamir Khan to death. During the investigation, it has been established that a group of Hindus comprising of accused people Jatin Sharma, Rishabh Chaudhary, Vivek Panchal, Lokesh Solanki, Pankaj Sharma, Prince, Sumit Chaudhary, Ankit Chaudhary and Himanshu Thakur, along with other identified and unidentified rioters became active in Ganga Vihar/ Bhagirathi Vihar area since the morning of 25 to 26 February midnight and bludgeoned nine Muslim persons to death and injured several persons in Bhagirathi Vihar and other area, police said in the chargesheet. The final report further said that it shows that they were actively involved in rioting and attacking other community people belonging to different religions and during riots they killed many people by attacking them. Their modus operandi was, they used to catch the people and ascertain their religion by asking name, address and by their document, ie, Identity Card and they were forcing them to call 'Jai Shri Ram' many times. The person who was not calling 'Jai Shri Ram' and carrying the identity of Muslim identity, they were bluntly attacked and thrown into the Main Ganda Nala (dirty drain), Bhagirathi Vihar, Delhi, it said. The court has put up the matter for consideration on 13 July. According to the police report , one of the accused, Lokesh Solanki, on 25 February, messaged in the WhatsApp group: "Brother Lokesh Solanki this side from Ganga Vihar area if any Hindu need any back up then do contact. We have men, arms and ammunitions. I have just killed two Muslims in Bhagirathi Vihar area and thrown them in drain with the help of my team." In the first case, on 26 February, one Hamza was killed by the rioters while he was coming from Mustafabad to Bhagirathi Vihar about 9.15 pm, police said. His body was found near E Block Bhagirathi Vihar. An FIR was lodged in this regard at Gokalpuri police station, in North East Delhi on 3 March, it said. In the second case, one Aamin was killed on 25 February by the rioters near C Block Bhagirathi Vihar. In the third case, one Bhure Ali was killed near C block Bhagirathi Vihar on 26 February. On 25 February, between 4-4.30 pm, one Mursalin was killed near Johripuri puliya (bridge) and his scooter was set on fire. Police said on 25 February, at about 7 to 7.30 pm, deceased Aas Mohd was killed by the rioters and found near Bhagirathi Vihar/Johripur pulia (bridge). On the same day at about 8 pm, police said rioters cut the electricity and in the dark, they attacked the house of Musharraf, grabbed him and dragged him out into the street and they beat him to death. Later on 26 February, at about 9.30 pm, one Akil Ahmed was killed by the rioters, police said and added that on the same day, at about 9.40 pm, one Hashim Ali and his elder brother Aamir Khan was killed by the rioters. The incident occurred when the police attempted to arrest Vikas Dubey, a history-sheeter facing 60 criminal cases, in Dikru village under Chaubeypur Police Station on the intervening night of 2 and 3 July. At least eight Uttar Pradesh Police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were killed after they were fired upon during a raid in Kanpur, according to several media reports. The incident occurred when the police attempted to arrest Vikas Dubey, a history-sheeter facing 60 criminal cases, in Dikru village under Chaubeypur Police Station on the intervening night of 2 and 3 July, PTI reported. As the police team was about to reach Dubey's hideout, a hail of bullets rained down on them from a building rooftop, officials told PTI. As per India Today, Deputy Superintendent of Police and Circle Officer Bilhor Devendra Mishra, Station Officer Shivrajpur Mahesh Yadav, one sub-inspector and five constables lost their lives. Over a dozen other personnel were injured, sources told India Today. Uttar Pradesh director general of police H C Awasthi told PTI Dubey might have gotten an inkling of the impending raid. As per a report in Hindustan Times, as the police team approached they found the passage to the area blocked by a heavy earthmover. A case of attempt to murder had been filed against Dubey by one Rahul Tiwari, as per the newspaper. Dubey was also accused of killing Santosh Shukla a minister in BJP's Rajnath Singh government at the time in 2001 inside the Shivli Police Station. Dubey, who is in his 40s, was also named in the murder of Siddheshwar Pandey, the principal and assistant manager of Tarachand Inter College, in 2000, as per Hindustan Times. Dubey, who is in his 40s, was also named in the murder of Siddheshwar Pandey, the principal and assistant manager of Tarachand Inter College, in 2000. He was even elected as a member of the nagar panchayat, as per the newspaper. Senior superintendent of police and the inspector general are at the spot and forensics teams are examining the area, as per India Today. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has spoken to the additional chief secretary, home and director-general of police, sought a report in the matter and demanded strict action. With inputs from PTI According to the Indian Consulate in Dubai, Air India Express will operate these flights from Sharjah to various cities in south India Dubai: India will operate nine more flights on Friday to evacuate its citizens stranded in the UAE due to the travel restrictions imposed in view of the coronavirus pandemic. Air India Express will operate these flights as part of the Vande Bharat Mission to south Indian cities from Sharjah, according to the Indian Consulate in Dubai. All Indian nationals are advised to take note of direct sale of Air India Express flights from Sharjah. Following flights will be opened for sale effective 4pm UAE Time on 3 July. Make sure to book your tickets once the sale is live, the mission announced on Twitter. The flights scheduled to operate from 9 and 14 July are flying to Madurai, Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Kochi and Hyderabad, the Gulf News reported. Indian nationals registered with the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi or the Consulate-General of India in Dubai, fulfilling the required entry conditions can book through Air India Express booking offices or online or through authorised travel agents in the UAE, the statement with the flight details posted on Twitter said. Mentioning of correct passport number and contact number is important. Otherwise tickets can be cancelled or boarding pass may be denied, the Indian Consulate said. While 75 percent of tickets are open for sale, 25 per cent are reserved for those with emergency cases handled by the missions, the report said. "Over 1,25,000 Indians have already been safely repatriated home from #UAE since 7th May. We will continue the #VandeBharatMission till all those who want to go back are covered. Thank you all our partners," Indian Embassy in the UAE said in a tweet on Wednesday. The decision was taken by an expert panel set up by the HRD ministry and the National Testing Agency in view of the coronavirus pandemic Ending speculations around the postponement of JEE (Mains) and NEET, Union Human Resource Development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Friday announced that the entrance exams for engineering and medical UG courses have been postponed till September. The decision was taken by an expert panel set up by the HRD ministry and the National Testing Agency in view of the coronavirus pandemic. Pokhriyal tweeted, "Keeping in mind the safety of students and to ensure quality education we have decided to postpone JEE and NEET examinations. JEE Main examination will be held between 1-6 September, JEE advanced exam will be held on 27 Sept and NEET examination will be held on 13 September." The Union government had asked the NTA to submit recommendations on holding the engineering and medical entrance examination, JEE Mains and NEET by today evening. The NTA had also been asked to keep in view the prevailing COVID-19 situation as well as at requests received from students and parents appearing for JEE and NEET before arriving at a decision. Pokhriyal had also tweeted earlier, indicating that a final decision will be made today. Looking at the prevailing circumstances & requests received from students & parents appearing for #JEE & #NEET examinations, a committee consisting of @DG_NTA & other experts has been advised to review the situation & submit its recommendations to @HRDMinistry latest by tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/xByKLUqAIc Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) July 2, 2020 JEE Main and NEET exams were previously scheduled to be held on 18-23 July and 26 July, respectively. With COVID-19 cases still rising in India, to ensure health and safety of the candidates, the HRD Ministry had asked the NTA to make arrangements so that COVID-19 protocols are followed at all centres. Among other things, the number of exam centers have been doubled so that fewer students are required to sit in a single exam hall, wearing of masks has been made mandatory, a thermal check-up at entry points is also compulsory. Both ICSE and CBSE board examinations have been cancelled or made optional for students for when the situation stabilises. Students have been flooding Twitter with the "#RipNTA" to bring attention to the two major entrance exams scheduled for July. As per a report by India Today, Twitter has seen more than three lakhs tweets with the hashtag "#RIPNTA" and demanding answers regarding JEE and NEET. A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court by the parents of NEET 2020 candidates from the Middle East countries as well, reported Times Now. As per the report the parents had demanded that new centres be allotted to the students or to postpone the exams for the students from Doha, Qatar, Dubai, UAE and other middle east countries. The PIL states that it would be extremely difficult for candidates to come to India to appear for the exams. At least eight people were killed in lightning strikes in Bihar on Friday, a day after 26 died in similar incidents in eight districts of the state New Delhi: Lightning strikes killed eight people in Bihar on Friday and two minor boys drowned in a rainwater-filled lake in Maharashtra, even as the flood situation remained grim in Assam, claiming one more life and affecting over a million people in 20 districts. Mumbai, meanwhile, received heavy rains with the IMD predicting intermittent moderate to heavy rainfall and "possibility of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places" on Saturday. In Bihar, officials said in Patna that at least eight people were killed in in lightning strikes on Friday, a day after 26 died in similar incidents in eight districts of the state. Assam: 22 dists of the state continue to reel under floods. Visuals from Goalpara where river Brahmaputra is flowing above danger level. Locals say "No one from govt has come to inspect our area. State govt should help us & provide some relief. Situation is very bad here" (02.07) pic.twitter.com/Irx0qFgDNW ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2020 The latest fatalities were reported from five districts, with Samastipur accounting for the highest number of three deaths. Two deaths were reported from Lakhisarai, while one each died in Gaya, Banka and Jamui districts, sources in the Disaster Management Department said. More than 100 people have died due to lightning strikes in the state in the last one week. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the deaths and ordered a payment of Rs 4 lakh as ex-gratia to next of the kin of each deceased. Even though floodwaters are receding from a few districts of Assam, the overall situation remained grim with one more death being reported on Friday, while 13.3 lakh people remain affected across 20 districts, down from 22 on Thursday. The fresh death, reported from Dhubri district, took the toll to 35, officials said, adding the cumulative death figures in flood and landslides have risen to 59. The ASDMA said the affected districts are: Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Chirang, Darrang, Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts. The floodwaters have also killed 41 animals in Kaziranga National Park, a state bulletin said, quoting the DFO of the Eastern Assam Wildlife Division. The flood has also affected 19,14,001 domestic animals and poultry across the state during the last 24 hours, it added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured full support to Assam in fighting the COVID-19 and flood crises. "Modi has sanctioned ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for next of kin of persons who lost their lives due to floods in Assam, from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF)," the PMO tweeted. Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, two boys drowned in a rain-filled lake in Udgir tehsil of Latur district on Friday morning, police said. Indarjeet Machole and Govind Boyane, both 12 years old, entered the lake for a swim in Hanmantwadi area and drowned around 11 am after getting caught in silt accumulated at the bottom, an official said. The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall for Bhopal and Indore on Saturday. Showers were witnessed in several parts of Madhya Pradesh since Thursday evening. Up north, sultry weather conditions continued to prevail in Haryana and Punjab, with maximum temperatures hovering 3-7 notches above normal limits. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a maximum temperature of 39.1 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal limits, according to the Meteorological Department in Chandigarh. In Haryana, Hisar sweltered at a high of 44.1 degrees Celsius, five notches up against normal while Narnaul's maximum settled at 39.2 degrees Celsius. Ambala recorded a maximum of 39 degrees Celsius and Karnal 38.5 degrees Celsius, both four notches above the normal. In Punjab, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala recorded near similar maximum temperatures of 41.4, 41.7 and 41.3 degrees Celsius, which were four, five and seven notches above the normal, respectively. There has not been much rainfall activity in Haryana and Punjab during the past 4-5 days making the weather hot and humid. The south-west monsoon hit the two states including Chandigarh over a week ago. However, the Meteorological Department has forecast that monsoon rainfall activity is likely to improve in the two states including Chandigarh from 4 July. Hot and humid weather conditions also prevailed jn western region of Rajasthan as southwest monsoon weakened, a MeT department official said. Most parts of the state recorded an increase of two-three notches in maximum and minimum temperatures compared to Thursday, he said. Bikaner was the hottest city in the state with 45.1 degrees Celsius, followed by 45 in Sriganganagar, 43.8 in Churu, 43.5 in Jaisalmer. Major cities of the state recorded minimum temperature between 26.7 degree Celsius and 33.7 degree Celsius. The PTI building stands on land leased for pittance by the government, besides it getting a substantial taxpayers money over Rs 9 crore annually of its Rs 110 crore-odd revenue from subscriptions and services. Narrative-setting is a fine art, and luckily for its master exponents, not a scientific pursuit of facts and accuracy. So, on the ongoing row over public broadcaster Prasar Bharati (PB) deciding to review its engagement worth crores of rupees with news agency Press Trust of India (PTI), when the Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC) made a statement, accuracy was surely not on its mind. Its ironical that the government chose to crack down on the news agency just hours after marking the anniversary of Emergency, it said in a reported statement. IWPC is not the only one complaining about arm-twisting and suppression of press freedom. The entire anti-Narendra Modi ecosystem has been up in howls. There is, however, a small problem. During Emergency, Indira and Sanjay Gandhi shut down media outlets that criticised them and threw editors in jail. In this case, the government is not asking PTI to shut down or heckling editors. It is merely reviewing whether taxpayers money should be go into it. In fact, the government should be accused of not doing this review on PTI sooner. Also, why did the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting not send the notice directly to the agency instead of making Prasar Bharati do the unpleasant work? And this is the point at which PTI must answer some questions and come clean on matters of public importance. Why shouldnt PTI be a lot more transparent and come under the purview of RTI? In 2010, PTI denied a certain Anshu Kumar information about itself under the Right to Information (RTI). When Kumar complained to the Central Information Commission (CIC) in 2012 during the UPA years, the commission ruled that PTI was not a public authority and did not need to divulge information under RTI. But in 2019, the Supreme Court rightfully brought under RTI all trusts, societies, and non-government organisations which receive substantial government financing. The PTI building stands on land leased for pittance by the government, besides it getting a substantial taxpayers money over Rs 9 crore annually of its Rs 110 crore-odd revenue from subscriptions and services. The Prasar Bharati has in recent years been asking PTI to be transparent on the expenses break-up so that it can assess how much it should pay, if at all. It is time for PTI to come clean. Is Prasar Bharati obligated to pay PTI a fat fee or subscribe to its service? No. Nothing obligates the government to spend public funds on PTI. It is purely discretionary. And for the hefty subscription Prasar Bharati pays, it does not even have a seat on the PTI Board. Moreover, PTI says it is a private entity, and has been reluctant to come under RTI. PTIs desperation perhaps comes from the fact that in 2018-19, despite a total income of Rs 178 crore, it posted a Rs 26.9 crore loss. What is PTI doing with the prime real estate leased from the government? Has it rented out space to companies in breach of the deed? The PTI building stands on prime real estate on Parliament street with the imposing Transport Bhavan and Reserve Bank of India as its neighbours. It is leased by the government, that too at highly subsidised rates for public service post-Independence. Today, the government can earn a few hundred crores just renting it. For many years now, there have been several tenants including Tata Consultancy Services and apparently even foreign defence firms, which have nothing to do with journalism. Many media houses like The Week and Ananda Bazaar Patrika have moved out. The Second Press Commission report of 1982, dwelling on the lease agreement between newspapers and the government, says: The deed provides that the premises will not be used for any purpose other than the one for which the land has been allotted to the lessee. No portion of the building can be rented out by the lessee without prior permission of the government. It adds: In caseit is proved that the premises is ceased to be used for the purpose for which they were allotted, the government can re-enter the land and premises without paying any compensation to the lessee or returning any premium paid. So, who have the PTI rented out to over the years? Did it have the governments permission to do it? Lastly, should that prime piece of real estate be better utilised to raise money for public welfare? Where are the papers? It is fine to say kaagaz nahin dikhayenge at anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests. But with this controversy raging, will PTI make some of its documents available for the public? For instance, where is the original lease deed made with the government? Or, when was the last contract signed between the PTI and Prasar Bharati? Or, what kind of pay packages have PTIs chairpersons, editors-in-chief and top management guys been getting over the years? Where are the permissions for the renting out premises? What kind of editorial accountability does PTI demand from its editors and journalists? Questions on PTIs coverage is not new. The Second Press Commission cites coverage of the Vivian Bose Commission report presented in Parliament in 1963: There have been allegations of a concerted attempt to prevent a proper summary of the reportfrom being published in the press. There is a striking commission in the PTI story. While the Statesman story clearly mentions that five top industrialists belonging to the Dalmia-Jain group were held responsible for fraud, manipulation of accounts, personal gain at the expense of the investor as well as the exchequer and avoidance of taxes and gives their names (Ram Krishan Dalmia, Shanti Prasad Jain, J Dalmia, Shiryans Prasad Jain and Shital Prasad Jain), the PTI story says only that R Dalmia has been held responsible for every malpractice that the commission dealt with. In recent times, PTI has been repeatedly accused of carrying fake news and furthering a pro-Congress, anti-Modi narrative. From retracting after publishing a news item saying former defence minister Manohar Parrikar planned surgical strikes on Pakistan after watching an insulting question by a TV anchor, to writing a wrong report on Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath slashing education budget (which Rahul Gandhi used as ammo), to admitting that it erroneously reported that a Muslim boy was beaten to death over coronavirus , PTI has been consistently misreporting. What is worse, all those mistakes smell of a certain political bias. PTIs latest flashpoint with the government is over its interview with Chinese ambassador Sun Weidong. During the interview, the ambassador slammed India for the clash at Galwan Valley. There has been much outrage that in this time of national security crisis, PTI did not bother to counter-question the Chinese ambassador on his shady claims. What action and corrective steps have PTI taken to improve its quality of news? Finally, must the public broadcaster continue to spend taxpayers money on a platform that refuses to be transparent to public scrutiny, sits on super-prime government land, and slips up on its basic function of producing accurate and unbiased news? You say. Narendra Modi reached Ladakh early in the morning and is being given a joint briefing by the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at one of the forward locations in Nimu On Friday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Leh, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Indian Army chief General MM Naravane, to review the situation in the backdrop of the border stand-off with China, according to several media reports. Modi reached Ladakh early in the morning and is being given a joint briefing by the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at one of the forward locations in Nimu, News18 reported. Located at 11,000 feet, Nimu is among the toughest terrains, on the banks of river Indus and surrounded by the Zanskar range. Modi will also interact with troops and meet the injured soldiers at the military hospital, as per the report. Hindustan Times reported that defence minister Rajnath Singh is expected to visit the western sector later and Rawat will be briefed by the XIV Corps Commander Lt General Harinder Singh. The prime minister's visit comes just a day after Singh's visit to Ladakh was rescheduled. Sources said Singh will "soon" undertake the visit to Ladakh to take stock of India's military preparedness. Singh was to be accompanied by Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane. The army chief visited Ladakh on 23 and 24 June during which he held a series of meetings with senior Army officials and visited various forward areas in eastern Ladakh. The Indian and Chinese armies are locked in a bitter stand-off in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for the past seven weeks. The tension escalated manifold after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash in Galwan Valley on 15-16 June. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. With inputs from PTI The prime minister was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane Leh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed the soldiers in Nimmoo, Ladakh, saying that the bravery displayed by them and their compatriots have conveyed a message to the world about India's strength. "The bravery that you and your compatriots showed, a message has gone to the world about India's strength," said Modi while addressing the soldiers. "Your courage is higher than the heights where you are posted today," he added. #WATCH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi among soldiers after addressing them in Nimmoo, Ladakh. pic.twitter.com/YMqNs7DIEX ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2020 "Atmanirbhar Bharat ka sankalp aapke tyag, balidan, pursharth ke karan aur bhi mazbut hai,"(The determination of self-reliant India gets strengthened from your sacrifice and courage)," Modi said. The soldiers were observed maintaining social distancing while Modi's address. Modi on Friday made a surprise visit to Ladakh and was briefed by senior officers at Nimmoo amid ongoing tension with China. He was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. He reached Nimmoo early on Friday morning and interacted with Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel. Sources had earlier informed about CDS Rawat's visit to Leh on Friday. General Rawat's visit holds importance since it comes in the wake of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Ladakh being rescheduled. Earlier, the Defence Minister was scheduled to visit Ladakh to review the preparedness of the army amid the ongoing standoff with China. The situation at the India-China border remains tense after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in the Galwan valley on 15-16 June when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. India and China have been involved in talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month. The exams were originally slated to be conducted from 24 March, but were postponed due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has deferred the Class 10 and 12 exams scheduled from 17 to 13 August. The decision has been taken in light of the coronavirus pandemic. In continuation of notification number 14/ 2020 date June 1, 2020, the Public Examination of Secondary and Senior Secondary (Theory) March/ April 2020 rescheduled to commence from July 17 stands postponed till further orders due to COVID-19 pandemic situation, informed the NIOS via a notification. Students are advised to visit the official website of the NIOS at https://www.nios.ac.in/ for any information related to the exams. According to The Indian Express, more than one lakh students have registered for Class 10 and 12 exams. The exams were originally slated to be conducted from 24 March, but it was postponed due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and subsequent lockdown, reported Times Now. Later, it was rescheduled to be held in July-August. The Class 10 papers were to end on 11 August, while Class 12 exams on 13 August. The NIOS has announced that it would not hold exams for Divyang students who registered for Class 12 April-May 2020 examinations, reported Careers360. These students will be assessed on the basis of the project work or question answer based assessment (QABA). The theory exam comprises two modules of 40 marks each. Marks will be awarded based on the students performance in project work or QABA. The Board has taken this decision taking into consideration the problems Divyang students would face while travelling in the prevailing situations. It also said that some of the students may also need scribes, which is not possible with social distancing. The university has directed students to carry their own hand sanitizers to the examination centre The Rajasthan University has released the date sheet, or the time table, for the final year undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) examinations 2020 on its official website - uniraj.ac.in. The University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, final year UG and PG exam 2020 will be held from 15 July to 7 September. Rajasthan University UG final year examinations Arts and Commerce examinations will commence from 15 July, while the exam for Science stream will be held from 16 July. The duration of the examination will be three hours and will be held from 8 am to 11 am. Click here to check Rajasthan University UG exam 2020 schedule - https://www.uniraj.ac.in/examination/Exam-dec-2019/976-02july20.pdf The postgraduate exam will be held in evening session from 2 pm to 5 pm. Check Rajasthan University PG exam 2020 schedule - https://www.uniraj.ac.in/examination/Exam-dec-2019/PG-Annual-TT-2020-02july20.pdf According to a report by Times Now, the Rajasthan University examinations will be conducted as per the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines. The varsity will abide by the social distancing norms at all the examination centres. Apart from this, thermal screening of students will also be done before entering the examination hall. All students will have to cover their mouth and nose with face mask at the examination center and sanitize their hands. Students have been directed by the university to carry their own sanitizers in the examination centre. A report by Jagran Josh mentions that a total of 1 lakh 75 thousand UG and PG students will appear the examinations. While that is an obstacle the commonwealth must overcome, the rise in cases elsewhere poses a different threat. People from across the country pour into Virginia during the summer, and its no stretch to believe that some folks who come for a visit will be bringing more than a swimsuit when they arrive. In one of his Patriot Act episodes last year, American comic Hasan Minhaj succinctly summarised compassion fatigue as having '50 tabs open in our mental browser and were about to crash.' It's 8 am. You sleepily open your eyes and reach for your phone. You check if you have any missed calls, read your messages and emails. You then open Twitter and start scrolling. Slowly, your mind starts crowding with news from yesterday, and the weeks and months past: COVID-19 , #BlackLivesMatter, cyclones, celebrity suicides, activists in jail, police brutality. A sense of defeat sets in; you wish to go back to sleep and put your phone away, but alas! Theres work to do, so you slogger on robotically. As the day progresses, you keep mulling on the things you've read and watched. You tell yourself theres really no hope left, and that everything is going to the dogs. You are past being surprised at the ignorance and apathy of people. You are done outraging on social media, and you ignore racist, casteist, classist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic comments on WhatsApp groups. You bumble through the day in a daze. Your work takes a hit and you miss a couple of deadlines. The laundry piles up, and the vegetables in the fridge go bad. Sleep eludes you and your bedtime gets delayed indefinitely. At 2 am, you are still staring at your phone. Finally, you turn it off and the darkness envelopes you. You try to sleep, thinking and hoping that tomorrow will be a better day. It's 8 am the next day, and your life is on loop. Everything you did yesterday, you repeat today...and tomorrow...and the day after...and the day after that... Does this sound familiar? If it does, youre not alone. There's a name for this phenomenon 'compassion fatigue', or CF, is what experts have termed it. To put it simply, it means exhaustion from caring. According to Dr Kaustabh Joag, Consulting Psychiatrist and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy, Indian Law Society, "Compassion fatigue is the cost of caring with compassion. It has a two-fold effect: burnout and secondary traumatic stress. The burnout impacts a persons physical and mental abilities. It affects sleep and appetite, and causes fatigue. It reduces concentration, motivation, creativity, problem-solving skills and working memory. The secondary traumatic stress is more like PTSD where the person feels numbness, irritability, de-personalisation, detachment and difficulty in coping." Take for instance Swati, a 24-year-old student in Delhi, who says that she has stopped watching the news as it has become too triggering. "I was actively involved in the CAA-NRC protests. I saw friends being picked up and thrown in jail. Then the coronavirus outbreak happened and everything went south. Every day theres some terrible news or the other. Till March, I was managing, but now I cant handle it. Its just too overwhelming," she says. In one of his Patriot Act episodes last year, American comic Hasan Minhaj succinctly summarised the feeling by saying "its like we have 50 tabs open in our mental browser and were about to crash." Emphasising on this fact, Dr Joag goes on to warn that compassion fatigue makes a person more vulnerable to depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and increases the risk of suicide. Therefore, it must not be disregarded as trivial. But why is compassion fatigue on the rise? Ms Kamna Chhibber, Clinical Psychologist and Head, Department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare, says that we are more vulnerable to it at the moment due to a marked increase in stress caused by multiple factors, like the pandemic and civil uprisings. Dr Joag also adds that the scale of the pandemic combined with the lack of remedies and uncertainty about the future has created a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. "When you are constantly exposed to the news and are also up against social and systemic barriers, you are more likely to experience compassion fatigue," he explains. Here, he also points out that frontline workers like healthcare professionals, hospital cleaning and admin staff, media personnel, fire-fighters, police, lawyers, activists and volunteers are most likely to develop symptoms of compassion fatigue. "They have to display high levels of compassion and empathy under very challenging circumstances. Sometimes the effect might linger and be overwhelming." Anita, 38, corroborates this claim. On account of being a journalist who has to regularly talk to multiple people on her job, she often encounters heartbreaking and difficult stories. "Ive lost count of the number of times people have broken down while recounting their stories. I try to comfort them as best as I can. I try to help them with whatever resources I have. But I also have to go back and write those stories. Its not easy. Some days Im all over the place. I write, I cry, I edit, I cry," she says. The first step in the direction of managing compassion fatigue is creating awareness about the phenomenon and its symptoms. "Awareness brings preparedness and watchfulness towards the issue," says Dr Joag. "Be aware of your emotional experiences, and share your feelings with people you are close to. Consume information only up to the extent you can manage. If it starts to affect you emotionally and/or psychologically, avoid it. Spell out your boundaries with those around you. Let them know what you are okay with and what you are not. In short, be aware of what triggers you and keep your distance from such things," Ms Chhibber says. The second step entails building a reliable support system comprising family, friends and colleagues. "Having a strong support system at the personal and professional level can go a long way in coping with compassion fatigue, especially for high-risk groups as they cannot avoid taxing situations," explains Dr Joag. He also stresses on the fact that high-risk individuals should receive institutional training on resilience and capacity building. At an organisational level, strategy, planning and training to deal with the phenomenon is a must. Thirdly, one must devote time to self-care. According to Dr Joag, taking regular breaks to refresh ones mind is an imperative. "Spend some time by yourself. Exercise and meditate. Take part in recreational activities. Watch what you eat and try to sleep on time. If you can, do maintain an activity monitoring sheet or a thought diary," he says. Ms Chhibber stresses on being kind to oneself. "Try and find meaning in the things you do to support others who depend on you. Do not be harsh on yourself if you are unable to provide for them the way you are expected to. It is important to consciously remind yourself that you are doing the best that you can under the circumstances." She also mentions the importance of gratitude. "Being grateful for the good that you have in your life can help take your mind off of things (in your life) that you consider bad or things that you want but dont have at the moment." A Vipassana meditation teacher from the Vipassana International Academy mentioned, on condition of anonymity, that performing Anapana meditation, or the first step to Vipassana, an ancient technique of meditation rediscovered by Gautama Buddha around 2,500 years ago can help in controlling compassion fatigue. Anapana requires the meditator to concentrate on their natural breath without initiating any verbal or visual stimuli, or even counting. It helps one stay in the moment without reacting to any external prompt. "It will make your mind calm, peaceful and happy," says the teacher. "Do it for 10-15 minutes every day. The peace and happiness you will feel will benefit you and everyone around you." The Vipassana Research Institute website has detailed guidelines on doing Anapana meditation. One can also register for daily free live Anapana sessions conducted by SN Goenka, founder of the institute. The sessions are open to beginners and students who have completed one or more 10-day residential courses of Vipassana. Another useful resource is the Doing What Matters in Times of Stress illustrated guide published by The World Health Organisation in April 2020. It 'aims to equip people with practical skills to help cope with stress, and is accompanied by easy-to-follow audio exercises. In conclusion, anyone can be vulnerable to compassion fatigue, and therefore, it must not be ignored. Having a strong support system is crucial in these extraordinary times. "But if you experience severe anxiety, depression or ideas of suicide, reach out to a mental health professional," cautions Dr Joag. Illustration by Satwick Gade The intersection of crime and politics is perhaps nowhere more evident than in Uttar Pradesh, where one in four legislators have criminal cases, including rape and murder, against them. News of eight Uttar Pradesh policemen being killed during a raid on the hideout of a history-sheeter in Kanpur may come as a shock to many. But the fact that the history-sheeter in question, Vikas Dubey, is thought to be well connected with state netas and has even won a panchayat election will be much less of a surprise, or at least to avid followers of politics. In fact, the Election Commission of India, in January told the Supreme Court that its directive ordering political parties to publish the entire criminal history of their candidates for Assembly and Lok Sabha Elections (and their reasons for selecting them over candidates without criminal records) has not helped decriminalise politics. The ECI asked the apex court to direct parties not to give tickets to individuals with such records. The intersection of crime and politics is perhaps nowhere more evident than in Uttar Pradesh, where one in four legislators have criminal cases, including heinous crimes such as rape and murder, against them. So let's look at some 'bahubali' (strongmen) leaders from that state who have both rap sheets and political influence in spades: Mukhtar Ansari Mafia don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, started his career with the BSP and has repeatedly changed political allegiances. The founder of Qaumi Ekta Dal, who won five consecutive terms as MLA from Uttar Pradesh's Mau, has over 40 criminal cases lodged against him, including murder and kidnapping. He was the prime accused in the 2005 murder of BJP legislator Krishnanand Rai but was acquitted in July 2019 by a CBI court. However, he remains in jail in other cases. Ansari, a native of Ghazipur, has a long and proud political lineage and the family is even related to Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, who was president of the Indian National Congress in 1927. The antecedents of Ansari's criminal empire are not known but some accounts say he started by competing for municipal contracts, using the bullet to eliminate competitors. Ansari is accused of being involved in several murders in the 1990s, mostly of rivals, and was reportedly involved in building a large criminal network in the eastern region of the state with his associates involved in a wide range of ventures. Raghuraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiya Raghuraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiya,51, is the strongman of Kunda (Pratapgarh) where his word is thought to be the law. In somewhat of a irony, he also holds a law degree from Lucknow University, hails from an influential family and reportedly lives on a massive estate. Bhaiya has several criminal cases, including attempt to murder, abduction, corruption and dacoity, against him. Bhaiya has the distinction of having served in multiple governments: in the BJPs Kalyan Singh government of 1997, the Ram Prakash Gupta and Rajnath Singh cabinets in 1999 and 2000 and the Akhilesh Yadav government in 2012. He was jailed in 2002 under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) when Mayawati was chief minister. He was arrested on 2 November, 2002, with his father Uday Pratap Singh and cousin Akshay Pratap Singh, for kidnapping and issuing threats. He was even declared a terrorist by the state government, but the charges were dropped after Mulayam Singh Yadav took over as chief minister in 2003. Amanmani Tripathi Amanmani Tripathi, an Independent legislator from the Nautanwa Assembly seat, who is out on bail in the case of his late wife's murder, hit the headlines when he recently remarried. Tripathi is facing a CBI trial in the case of murder of his late wife Sara Singh, who was killed in July 2015. He also hit the headlines during the lockdown when he travelled to Uttarakhand, claiming that he had been assigned the task of offering prayers for the deceased father of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Badrinath. The shrine was closed at that time. The Adityanath government denied his claim and Amanmani and his six friends were quarantined for a fortnight in the hill state. A case was also registered against them. Incidentally, his father, Amar Mani Tripathi, a four-time MLA from Nautanwa, is serving a life term along with his wife Madhu Mani for murdering poetess Madhumita Shukla in 2003. Ateek Ahmed As per a report in Economic Times, no jail wants to keep the don-turned-politico Ateeq Ahmed, so much so, that the Supreme Court had to order him shifted to a Gujarat prison so that he could no longer run his extortion racket in Uttar Pradesh. A former Samajwadi Party MP, Ahmed served in the 14th Lok Sasbha from Uttar Pradesh's Phulpur from 2004 to 2009. Hailing from Deoria, the 60-year-old started his criminal career in 1979, at the mere age of 17 and for the next couple of decades, ran a gang in Prayagraj and neighbouring Phulpur and Chitrakoot districts, as per the report. Ahmed entered the political fray in 1989 as an Independent but quickly joined the Samajwadi Party with Mulayam Singh Yadav at the helm and later Apna Dal. He has enjoyed great success in politics. He won six elections, five times as MLA from Allahabad West and once from Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency, by 2004. In 2019, he was questioned by the CBI in a Gujarat jail in connection with a case of alleged abduction and assault of a businessman. The CBI had, at the direction of the Supreme Court, registered a case against Ahmed for allegedly assaulting and abducting real estate dealer Mohit Jaiswal in December 2018. Jaiswal was abducted from Lucknow and taken to Deoria jail, where he was allegedly assaulted by Ahmed and his aides who were lodged there and forced to transfer his business to them, the CBI FIR claimed. Harishankar Tiwari Once the most-senior mafia don in Uttar Pradesh, Harishankar Tiwari, now an octogenarian, has quietly slipped into retirement. Tiwari, a six-time MLA, served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Kalyan Singh, Mulayam Singh Yadav and also in the Mayawati government. Tiwari, whose career began in 1985, has the infamous claim of being the first jailed don to win polls from behind bars. He won six straight elections before losing in 2007. His exploits, and those of his compadres, earned Gorakhpur the sobriquet 'the Chicago of the east'. Tiwari has almost 26 cases registered against him for heinous crimes such as murder, attempt to murder and extortion. His son Vinay Shankar Tiwari is an MLA from the Bahujan Samaj Party. Why tainted candidates win Political scientist Milan Vaishnav told the BBC "a key factor motivating parties to select candidates with serious criminal records comes down to cold, hard cash". "Wealthy, self financing candidates are not only attractive to parties but they are also likely to be more electorally competitive. Contesting elections is an expensive proposition in most parts of the world, a candidate's wealth is a good proxy for his or her electoral vitality," says Vaishnav, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Which explains why political parties choose such candidates. But what of voters? Reasonably well-informed voters support criminal candidates in constituencies where social divisions driven by caste and/or religion are sharp and the government is failing to carry out its functions such as delivering services, dispensing justice, or providing security in an impartial manner, Vaishnav claimed. "There is space here for a criminal candidate to present himself as a Robin Hood-like figure," says Vaishnav. With inputs from PTI FP Trending Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has come up with a long-term prepaid plan voucher for Rs 2,399. The validity of this plan voucher is 600 days and it has been introduced in Chennai and Tamil Nadu circles. The voucher offers unlimited voice calls with a fair usage policy (FUP) of 250 minutes, besides 100 free SMS messages per day. However, customers will not get any data benefits under this plan. Those who buy this will also get access personalised ring back tones (PRBT) but only for the first 60 days from the date of recharge. BSNL Chennai on Monday announced on Twitter that it has withdrawn Rs 149 and Rs 725 plans in Chennai and Tamil Nadu circles under GSM postpaid mobile services. The telco in May launched the Rs 2,399 and Rs 699 prepaid plan voucher in Chhattisgarh circle. Under the Rs 699 plan, customers are given 250 minutes talktime per day and 100 daily SMS for 180 days. They also get 0.5GB data per day. On the other hand, the Rs 2,399 plan offers 250 minutes talktime daily and 100 SMS per day. The validity of this plan is 600 days and it does not provide any data benefit. BSNL revised unlimited voice calling and SMS benefits on select Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) and Plan Vouchers (PVs) around two months back. The Chennai division of the telco expanded voice calling benefits for the Rs 99, Rs 104, Rs 349, and Rs 447 recharge plans. It also 100 SMS per day for the MTNL roaming for existing as well as new customers using STVs including Rs 97, Rs 118, Rs 187, Rs 199, Rs 247, Rs 298, Rs 349, Rs 399, Rs 447, Rs 499 and Rs 1,098 plans. Asheeta Regidi The governments much-publicised ban this Monday of 59 Chinese apps is most significant (for the cyber lawyer) for the use made of Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 first, as a tool for geopolitical strategy (widely viewed as such given the Chinese focus despite several American and other apps facing several allegations, the unusual announcement via a press release and the growing anti-Chinese sentiment in the country). While not much prevents the government from using any tool at its disposal with an underlying geopolitical motive, compliance with the law is essential, and here issues arise with the use of S.69A. S.69A is a content regulation tool The second significant new use of S.69A here is its use as a tool for achieving data protection compliance. Meitys press release banning the apps lists broad concerns including national security and sovereignty concerns, arising from data security and privacy concerns, in particular from complaints of apps stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India. Illegal data harvesting is a concern for any app, Chinese or otherwise. S.69A, however, is not designed to deal with data harvesting, privacy, or even (technical) security concerns. It is essentially a content regulation tool, designed to deal with offending content via blocking access to it. The related Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009 reveal as much a request to block information, for instance, must be accompanied with printed sample content of the alleged offending information. Complaint formats therein prescribe a screenshot/printout of the offending content, and it is this sample content that must be evaluated for whether it violates security, sovereignty, and other reasons listed under S.69A. S.69A and the related procedural safeguards laid down do not deal with data privacy concerns (unless it arises specifically in relation to the content being examined). Range of apps banned S.69A is thus basically a law in exercise of the States power under Article 19(2), to restrict free speech which violates the sovereignty, integrity, etc., of the country. The press release lists several national security concerns and related complaints, but does not list if any content-related issues specifically were found with these apps. Among the few publicly known cases are the content related issues against TikTok which led to its brief ban by the Madras High Court last year. The range of apps that have been banned, further, make it harder to assess their content specific implications. For instance, apart from social networks, games, camera apps, image editors, etc. that are banned, the press release also bans mapping applications, video calling apps, document scanners and battery savers. It is primarily data harvesting and privacy concerns with these apps that is clear. Even looking at the ban from a geopolitcal lens, the selection of the apps appears random. For instance, it bans Chinese games Clash if Kings and Mobile Legends, but not PUBG, despite PUBGs tremendous popularity. Nor are the apps company-specific, for instance with TencentWeChat, QQ Music, QQ Mail, etc. are banned, but not Tencent Cloud, Call of Duty or again, PUBG. The implication would be that specific complaints were made against these 59 apps specifically. Addressing the lack of transparency The listed reasons for the ban and the selection of apps thus make for a press release that is difficult to understand. A reading of the actual order would make it easier to understand the legality of the order, in particular regarding whether actual content-specific issues arose in relation to the apps. A separate issue with the press release that has been highlighted is that S.69A is a law designed to address specific violations by individual apps, and not general violations by a collection of apps. Together, the ban of these 59 apps thus requires a separate, evidence-based evaluation of the alleged content violations by each of the 59 apps. Under the rules, however, the government is under no obligation to disclose the order. To the contrary, such orders are expressly protected, requiring the maintaining of confidentiality w.r.t to the requests and complaints received, and the action taken. Assuming that the purpose of the confidentiality clause is essentially to protect the identities of the persons making the complaints, the government should consider revealing more on the reasons behind the ban in the interest of transparency. Governmental actions, are after all, subject to the rule of law, and the press release makes it prima facie unclear as to how the ban is compliant with law. Bringing in a data protection law Setting aside the geopolitical angle to the ban, what stands out most is the sheer inadequacy of Indian laws to address data protection concerns. Section 43A of the IT Act, Indias primary data protection law, is very limited in its redressal it protects only a breach of sensitive personal data by a body corporate, which leads to wrongful loss on account of a lack of reasonable security practices. The government needs to bring in the Personal Data Protection Bill soon. The author is a lawyer specialising in tech, privacy and cyber laws. Views are personal. FP Trending Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., or QTIL, has collaborated with India's e-commerce company Flipkart for their maiden range of wireless audio devices for India under the HRX brand. Qualcomm powered products that form a part of the new HRX audio collection include - True Wireless Earbuds HRX X-Drops 9G, Neckband 1 HRX Wave 7R, and Neckband 2 HRX X-wave 14 R. True Wireless Earbuds HRX X-Drops 9G: Price and specifications Powered by the Qcc3020 Bluetooth Audio Soc, the HRX X-Drops 9G supports Qualcomm TrueWireless stereo technology. The earbuds are waterproof with IPX7 rating and offer a snug fit. The wearable is available in two colours Cosmic Black and Galaxy Blue and is priced at Rs 2,999 in India. The device comes with a mic and has wireless range of 10 meters. It has a battery capacity of 100 mAh. The wearable has a battery life of 27 hours with a charging time of two hours. Neckband 1 HRX Wave 7R: Price and specifications Based on the QCC3003 Bluetooth Audio SoC, HRX Wave 7R neckband is designed comes with features like button activated voice assistant. The device is available in two colours Mars Red and Mystic Black and is priced at Rs 1,499. It comes with a mic and has a battery capacity of 100 mAh. The charging time is 2 hours, while the playtime is 8 hours. The device is sweat proof and water-resistant. Neckband 2 HRX X-Wave 14R: Price and specifications Based on the QCC3005 Bluetooth Audio SoC, this neckband comes with a dedicated Bass Boost Mode. It supports a button activated voice assistant. The wearable is in three colours Space Gold, Supernova Blue and Comet Red. It is priced at Rs 1,799. According to Qualcomm, the devices come with the company's noise cancellation technology, support a superior voice call experience through noise and echo suppression. Commenting on the collaboration, Senior Director, Business Development, Qualcomm India Pvt. Ltd. Uday Dodla said, "Indian users are huge consumers of content, in both voice and music. Coupled with increasingly mobile and active lifestyles, the need for more affordable and reliable wireless audio offerings is rapidly growing." FP Trending Scientists recently observed a star that seems to have disappeared. Using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT), researchers have found that an unstable, massive star in a dwarf galaxy 75 million light-years away has vanished without a trace. Various team of astronomers between 2001 and 2011 studied the mysterious massive star, located in the Kinman Dwarf galaxy. They noticed that the star was in the late stages of its lifespan. They wanted to find out how very massive stars end their lives, and the object in the Kinman Dwarf seemed like the perfect target. However, things took an interesting turn when they pointed ESO's VLT to the distant galaxy in 2019. To their surprise, the astronomers discovered that the star had vanished. The study of the star was led by PhD student Andrew Allan of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and it was published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. According to the researchers, the star might have disappeared after becoming less bright and being partially obscured by dust. They also said that it might have collapsed into a black hole without producing a supernova. If true, this would be the first direct detection of such a monster star ending its life in this manner," said Allan. The Kinman Dwarf galaxy is located some 75 million light-years away in the constellation of Aquarius, making it too far way for astronomers to see its individual stars, but they can detect the signatures of some of them, reported Science Daily. During their observations of the galaxy between 2001 to 2011, scientists observed the light coming from the galaxy that showed evidence that it hosted a 'luminous blue variable' star some 2.5 million times brighter than the Sun. The study reports that stars of this type are unstable, showing occasional dramatic shifts in their spectra and brightness. Even so, luminous blue variables leave specific traces scientists can identify. But, such traces were absent from the data they collected in 2019. "It would be highly unusual for such a massive star to disappear without producing a bright supernova explosion," says Allan. The researchers will get a closer look at the stars fate once the ESOs Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) comes into operation in 2025. The ELT can capture images at high resolution, including very distant stars such as those in Kinman Dwarf, located more than 75 million light-years away. FP Trending The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) revealed that the Moon might be more metallic than researchers have earlier thought. Using the Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) instrument on NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft, researchers found evidence that the Moon's subsurface may contain vast amounts of iron and titanium. The findings of the study were published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters on 1 July. According to a report in Cosmos, study authors have found that the Moon is a product of a collision between a Mars-sized protoplanet and a young Earth. While the Moon's bulk composition is similar to that of Earth, the Mini-RF team has found a curious pattern on the Moon. The team found that for craters two to five kilometres in width, the dielectric constant of the material steadily increased as the craters grew larger, but for those between five and 20 kilometres, it remained constant. "The LRO mission and its radar instrument continue to surprise us with new insights about the origins and complexity of our nearest neighbour," said co-author Wes Patterson, who is the Mini-RF principal investigator from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. As per the report, since meteors that form larger craters also dig deeper into the Moon's subsurface, the team concluded that increasing dielectric constant of the dust in larger craters could indicate that the meteors excavated iron and titanium oxides that lie below the surface. Researchers compared the crater floor radar images from Mini-RF with LRO Wide-Angle Cameras metal oxide maps, Japan's Kaguya mission and NASA's Lunar Prospector spacecraft, to find that larger craters, with an increased dielectric material, were also richer in metals than on the lunar subsurface. ROME (Reuters) - The central Italian region of Lazio, fringing the capital Rome, has asked its large Bangladeshi community to undergo 'blanket testing' for the coronavirus following a recent increase in the number of infections. Lazio has reported some 8,000 cases since Italy's COVID-19 outbreak emerged at the end of February, far fewer than in Lombardy and other northern regions. However, the discovery of some recent infection clusters has authorities concerned, including among 10 Bangladeshis in the last few days, with the latest on Friday when a man returning from his South Asian homeland tested positive. COVID-19 after cases found" src="https://images.firstpost.com/wp-content/themes/firstpost/images/220x220_Watermark.jpg" alt="Italian region asks Bangladeshis to test for COVID19 after cases found" width="300" height="225" /> ROME (Reuters) - The central Italian region of Lazio, fringing the capital Rome, has asked its large Bangladeshi community to undergo "blanket testing" for the coronavirus following a recent increase in the number of infections. Lazio has reported some 8,000 cases since Italy's COVID-19 outbreak emerged at the end of February, far fewer than in Lombardy and other northern regions. However, the discovery of some recent infection clusters has authorities concerned, including among 10 Bangladeshis in the last few days, with the latest on Friday when a man returning from his South Asian homeland tested positive. Lazio health chief Alessio D'Amato said that from Monday the region will open a testing centre dedicated to Bangladeshis and urged them to show up in large numbers. All testing will be done on a voluntary basis, the region said. Lazio hosts around 37,000 of the 140,000 Bangladeshis in Italy, according to national statistics institute ISTAT. Around 32,000 of them live in the capital Rome. "Quarantine has to be certain for those coming from Bangladesh...We have asked the airport company and the doctors to tighten controls," D'Amato said in a statement. Cases are accelerating in Bangladesh, which has so far officially recorded some 156,000 infections and almost 2,000 deaths. However, some observers fear the contagion is under-reported in densely populated, impoverished Bangladesh. It has almost three times Italy's population but has done far fewer tests. Italy, one of the world's worst hit countries with almost 35,000 deaths from COVID-19 , ended a rigid lockdown two months ago and has reported fewer than 50 deaths per day for the last two weeks. (Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Gavin Jones and Mark Heinrich) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. A mini-bus carrying Sikh pilgrims, which was returning from Nankana Sahib Gurdwara in Punjab (in Pakistan), hit the Shah Hussain Express at Farooqababd At least 29 people, mostly Pakistani Sikh pilgrims, were killed when a mini-bus carrying them rammed into a train at an unmanned crossing in Pakistan's Punjab province on Friday. The mini-bus carrying Sikh pilgrims, who were returning from Nankana Sahib in Punjab, hit the Shah Hussain Express which was coming from Karachi to Lahore at Farooqababd, some 60 kilometres from Lahore, at 1.30 pm, officials said. Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) spokesperson Amir Hashmi told PTI that at least 29 people, most of them Pakistani Sikhs, were killed in the collision. "The coaster was carrying mostly Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad. They had come to Nankana Sahib from Peshawar. After staying in Nanakana Sahib, they were leaving for Peshawar. The ETPB security had escorted them till the limits of Nankana Sahib," Hashmi said. The rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the injured to the district headquarters hospital, a statement by the Railways Ministry said. The railways said a divisional engineer has been suspended from service and an inquiry has been launched. Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid has ordered authorities to take immediate action against those responsible for the accident. Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed grief over the accident and directed authorities to provide the best medical aid to the injured. Some Tesla workers say they have heard of COVID-19 cases among some at the Fremont factory, but claim that the company is being tight-lipped about the numbers. Detroit: Some Tesla workers and labor activists said the company was threatening to fire employees who haven't returned to the California factory since it reopened because they're afraid of catching the coronavirus . The group wants the practice to stop, and it also wants state and county officials to do a better job making sure proper safety procedures are followed at the factory in Fremont, in the San Francisco Bay Area. "There are people we are paying to keep us safe, and they're just turning the other cheek," said Tesla worker Carlos Gabriel, who is among the organizers of a rally scheduled for Thursday at the Alameda County Public Health Department in Oakland. "They should be holding (Tesla CEO) Elon Musk accountable," he said. A Tesla spokesman wouldn't immediately comment on Wednesday, but company officials said at a public hearing on tax incentives in Texas last week that claims of Fremont workers being fired are untrue. Tesla has released plans to maintain worker safety including temperature checks, the wearing of gloves and masks, installing barriers between workers and maintaining social distancing. In early May, Musk told workers that they didn't have to return to the plant if they werent comfortable with it. A message was left Wednesday seeking comment from the health department. Problems at the factory are among several that have flared up in the auto industry in recent weeks. Assembly lines at two Fiat Chrysler plants in the Detroit area were briefly shut down this week due to fears over viral spread, and local union officials want General Motors to close and clean an SUV factory in Arlington, Texas. Gabriel and another Tesla worker say they have heard of COVID-19 cases among workers at the Fremont factory, but dont know numbers because the company wouldn't tell them. They want the health department to release numbers and to trace whoever came in contact with sick workers rather than letting Tesla do it. Branton Phillips, a towmotor operator who has returned to work, said many workers don't wear masks covering their nose and mouth in the plant, and they remove them and don't keep proper social distance when they go outside. He's worried about getting sick and spreading it to his longtime girlfriend who is vulnerable to the virus, he said. "I had to go back. I need the (medical) insurance," Phillips said, adding that Tesla is trying to enforce mask requirements inside the factory. He said employees have been threatened with being fired, but then told they won't be fired, creating confusion. Musk reopened the Fremont plant on 11 May in defiance of Alameda County orders to stay closed. The county health department had deemed the factory a nonessential business that can't fully open under virus restrictions, but TTElsesla contended it was essential under federal guidelines. The next day, however, the health department announced that the plant could return to manufacturing as long as it delivers on worker safety precautions that it agreed to. Earlier this week, the United Auto Workers union sent teams to the two Fiat Chrysler plants and the Texas factory to investigate employee fears about other workers being infected, spokesman Brian Rothenberg said. He didnt know how many coronavirus cases there were at each of the plants. GM says its safety protocols in Arlington are working and it has not changed production plans. It says in a statement that some workers have tested positive at the plant because there is no vaccine or cure. I appreciate Gen. Milleys forthright apology and his unequivocal statements on this important issue, and I believe we can be reassured that he will do his best to prevent further politicization of the military. Unlimited website access 24/7 Unlimited e-Edition access 24/7 The best local, regional and national news in sports, politics, business and more! With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. Over the past few years, LG has been really struggling in the smartphone space, unable to compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple. However, that may change early next year as LG is reportedly working on releasing the worlds first rollable smartphone, codenamed Project B. The Project B is based on a patent filed by LG last year. The smartphone will extend sideways when unrolled and LG is currently in the prototype production stage at its factory in Pyeongtaek. This would be the second rollable product that LG has developed, the first being their LG Signature OLED TV R that was showcased in CES 2019. Interestingly, the flexible OLED panel in Project B will not be produced by LG, instead it will be provided by Chinese display maker, BOE. Project B is one of the few devices that LG is banking on to re-establish their position in the smartphone market. They are rumoured to be working on another unconventional design, where the smartphone swivels sideways, codenamed Wing. There is also a traditional flagship smartphone slated to release later this year, which is codenamed Rainbow. Source Samsung has launched two new programs in India that are aimed at enticing customers to own a Galaxy Smartphone, called Galaxy Assured and Galaxy Forever. The Galaxy Assured plan offers a buyback scheme for Galaxy smartphones, while the Galaxy Forever plan offers customers with affordable options to own a Galaxy smartphone. Starting with the Galaxy Assured plan, Samsung is offering assured buyback schemes for Galaxy smartphone owners, specifically for the Galaxy S20 Ultra, Galaxy S20+, Galaxy S20, Galaxy S10 Lite (512GB) and Galaxy Note 10 Lite. The various offers are: For Galaxy S20 series smartphones that are less three-months old, Samsung will offer up to 70% of original device price. For devices that are 6-months old, Samsung will offer up to 60% assured buyback value. For devices that are 9-months old, Samsung will offer up to 50% assured buyback value. For devices that are 12-months old, Samsung will offer up to 40% assured buyback value. The second plan, Galaxy Forever, will offer interested customers with an affordable scheme to purchase their Galaxy smartphone. With it, customers will need to avail the EMI facility with IDFC bank, after which they have to pay only 60% of the price at the time of purchase. The balance 40% of the price can be paid at the end of the first year. The customer can also choose to return the smartphone at the end of the year if they wish to do so. Both plans will be available across Samsung Exclusive Stores, leading retail outlets and Samsung.com. Commenting on the two offers, Aditya Babbar, Director, Mobile Business, Samsung India said: HMD Global has announced that it is acquiring assets of Valona Labs and launching a brand-new Centre of Excellence in Tampere, Finland. The new Centre of Excellence in Tampere will specialise in software, security, and services, accelerating HMD Globals transition from a pure hardware business, to a combined hardware and services company. A couple of months back, HMD Global launched HMD Connect, a new service category, which enables people around the world to benefit from a hassle-free data SIM. In the upcoming months, this new centre will concentrate on developing this service further and begin work on other services such as remote device locking, enterprise mobility management, mobile device software security, secure network communication, and black-box testing. Furthermore, the company planning to expand the scope of the centre to include imaging and audio technologies in the future. The centre will create an immediate need to hire new technical talent in the region and will be led by the former award-winning Head of Unit for Valona Labs, Ari Heikkinen. Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer, HMD Global, said: Redmi K30 Pro was announced back March, now the Redmi K30 Ultra has codenamed Cezanne has surfaced in the code of the latest MIUI 12 firmware. This also reveals 64-megapixel main rear cameras and a pop-up camera similar to the Redmi K30 Pro, so it could retain the same design. The Xiaomi smartphone with the model M2006J10C recently passed through 3C certification revealing support for 33w fast charging, so this could be the same smartphone. Popular leakers Digital Chat Station on weibo said that Xiaomi is working on a phone with Dimensity 1000 (MT6889), ultra-high refresh rate, which could be 120 Hz, high-pixel rear camera and a large battery, so this could be the same phone. The smartphone is rumoured to be introduced sometime later this month in China. We should know more details in the coming weeks. Source 1, 2, 3 Over the past several months, the coronavirus stock market has proven nerve-wracking for even the most seasoned of investors. We are living in unprecedented times. But the basic rules of investing haven't changed, and there are still worthwhile investment opportunities to be found. Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) is a veteran in the pharmaceutical community and has been in business for over 140 years. AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) is a relative newcomer and was established back in 2013 after spinning off parent organization Abbott Laboratories. Both companies have been resilient overall amid the tumult of the current recession. I would also add that each carries the possibility of strong returns for dividend investors with a long-term buying focus. But which is the better buy? The case for Eli Lilly Last year was a good one for Eli Lilly. The company experienced a 4% boost in revenue in 2019, amassing total earnings of $22.3 billion. Eli Lilly entered 2020 from a position of strength, fueled largely by booming sales of some of its anti-diabetic and immunologic drugs. The company's blockbuster type 2 diabetes medication Trulicity accumulated over $4 billion in sales in 2019. Taltz, a biologic injection medication for individuals suffering from mild to severe plaque psoriasis, accounted for more than $1 billion of Eli Lilly's revenue last year. Another key 2019 revenue driver was the company's chemotherapy medicine Cyramza. Global sales of the drug surpassed $925 million. In the first quarter of this year, the company's earnings were up by 15% compared to the prior-year period. Along with increased consumer and prescription demand due to the coronavirus, the company attributed much of its year-over-year growth to blockbuster drugs like Trulicity, Taltz, and Cyramza. Migraine medicine Emgality and diabetes drug Baqsimi were two other dependable revenue sources for Eli Lilly in Q1 2020. Emgality produced $74 million in global sales for Eli Lilly in the fist quarter, almost $8 million more than worldwide sales of the drug in the previous quarter. Eli Lilly closed its acquisition of biopharmaceutical company Dermira in Q1, which brought new immunologic and dermatology drugs into its ever-expanding portfolio. Eli Lilly has also made headlines for its continued efforts in the COVID-19 treatment space. The company is running phase 1 human trials of separate potential antibody treatments with its biotech partners Junshi Biosciences and AbCellera. On June 15, Eli Lilly announced that it had commenced a phase 3 clinical trial of its rheumatoid arthritis drug Baricitinib on hospitalized coronavirus patients. The company intends to conduct the study on 400 patients, with results to follow in a matter of months. The case for AbbVie AbbVie is one of those blue chip stocks that keeps investors coming back for more. Its ongoing strong performance is due in large part to its blockbuster arthritis drug Humira. In 2019, sales of Humira reached nearly $15 billion in the United States alone. Outside of the U.S., Humira sales were north of $4 billion in 2019. AbbVie's full-year 2019 revenue across all drug segments totaled approximately $33 billion, so Humira was responsible for roughly 60% of AbbVie's total net revenue last year. Two other key takeaways from AbbVie's 2019 earnings report regarded its recent launches of rheumatoid arthritis drug Rinvoq and plaque psoriasis medicine Skyrizi. Worldwide Rinvoq revenue totaled $47 million in 2019, while total net sales of Skyrizi were $355 million. The company projects that Rinvoq and Skyrizi revenue together could be close to $2 billion this year. AbbVie's Q1 2020 revenue was up about 10% from Q1 2019 at $8.6 billion. Domestic Humira revenue was up nearly 14% at $3.7 billion, while sales of the drug outside the U.S. were down nearly 15% at about $1 billion. Worldwide sales of Skyrizi and Rinvoq were $300 million and $86 million, respectively. The company updated its expected guidance for GAAP earnings-per-share for 2020 to hit somewhere between $7.60 and $7.70, as opposed to its previous projections of $7.66 to $7.76. The company's acquisition of Allergan, which concluded in May, and a new oncology collaboration with Danish biotech Genmab (NASDAQ:GMAB) announced in June are two key victories in AbbVie's ongoing diversification strategy. AbbVie anticipates that the combination of Allergan's product portfolio with its existing product lineup could propel 2020 revenue to reach $50 billion. AbbVie and Genmab will work together on three prospective antibody products, as well as potential antibody cancer therapies. AbbVie paid $750 million to Genmab right out of the gate, with additional installments of up to $3.15 billion to follow. AbbVie is also contributing to the battle against COVID-19. The company donated doses of its HIV drug Aluvia to the Chinese government as a prospective coronavirus treatment and is engaging in various research initiatives with organizations such as the CDC and FDA to analyze the drug's success in fighting the disease. To buy or not to buy In my opinion, both stocks have strong growth potential. Investors seeking higher dividend earnings may find AbbVie's nearly-5% payout much more attractive than Eli Lilly's modest 1.8% yield. The most obvious concern with AbbVie is its continued reliance on Humira to fuel future growth, although its collaboration with Genmab and the acquisition of Allergan are definitely good news that the company is seeking to diversify. On the other hand, Eli Lilly has a long and dependable history with a versatile portfolio of successful products to its name. While its dividend payout may be lower, risk-averse investors may find that this stock is the better buy. (CNN) -- President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump head to Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Friday to celebrate an early Fourth of July at a gathering of an estimated 7,500 people during a global pandemic. No social distancing is planned for the event despite the record-high new coronavirus cases in the United States. And the event takes place amid environmental concerns over the use of fireworks in the dry land and as the country engages in a reckoning over its own monuments and racist history. "We told those folks that have concerns that they can stay home, but those who want to come and join us, we'll be giving out free face masks if they choose to wear one. But we won't be social distancing," Republican Gov. Kristi Noem said during a Monday appearance on Fox News. There may be health screening for ticketed guests in one area, according to recreation.gov. A recording on the park's main telephone line Monday said: "There are no social distancing requirements in place at this time." The 7,500 tickets for Friday's event are lower than the typical visitor flow during the busy summer season. On normal days, 28,000 to 32,000 visitors come to Mount Rushmore during a 10-hour period. Amid the pandemic, the park never closed but visitation has been down to around 20,000 people, said Maureen McGee-Ballinger, Mount Rushmore's chief of interpretation and education. Coronavirus cases in South Dakota currently remain stable, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, with 6,893 confirmed cases and 97 deaths as of Thursday -- but it remains to be seen how many attendees will travel from other states. Thirty-six states are currently experiencing a rise in new cases. Culture war The dark history of Mount Rushmore's sculpture itself takes center stage with Trump's visit. The President, who has stoked racial animus since he first entered the political arena, has moved to defend racist monuments in the face of nationwide protests over the treatment of Black Americans. Friday's event, however, was planned before the nationwide unrest. Construction on Mount Rushmore, carved in the Black Hills of South Dakota, began during the Coolidge administration in the summer of 1927 and was completed on October 31, 1941. The iconic sculpture features the 60-foot-tall faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The Black Hills are a deeply sacred place of spiritual and cultural significance to the native peoples of the area, nearly 60 tribes. The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty established the Black Hills as part of the Great Sioux Reservation, according to the National Archives, but the lands were systematically taken by the US government after gold was discovered in the area in the 1870s. Almost 50 years later, the likenesses of four American presidents were carved into one of its mountains. And in 1980, the Supreme Court ruled that the Sioux Nation had not received just compensation for the land. Some tribal nations have approved symbolic bans on Trump visiting their lands ahead of the visit, and protests from Native American activists are expected in the area, amplifying calls to return Mount Rushmore to native people that come as communities across the country remove other symbols of the nation's racist past, including many Confederate memorials. Generations of Indigenous Lakota people have been opposed to Mount Rushmore since its construction, said Nick Tilsen, a citizen of Oglala Lakota nation and founder, CEO and president of the NDN Collective, a nonprofit organization supporting Indigenous people. "Indigenous people and my ancestors fought and died, and gave their lives to protect the sacred land, and to blow up a mountain and put the faces of four White men who were colonizers who committed genocide against Indigenous people -- the fact that we don't, as Americans, think of that as an absolute outrage is ridiculous," he told CNN in an interview Wednesday. In today's political climate, Tilsen said, there is an opportunity to question the monument's history and purpose. "What Indigenous people have been saying for generations, there's an appetite to have a conversation about symbols of White supremacy, structural racism, and now we have to tear down these systems if we want to tear down White supremacy and structural racism in this country," he said, calling for the monument to be closed and the lands to be returned to Indigenous people, who can then decide how to move forward. Presidential historian and Mount Rushmore Society board member Tom Griffith said getting rid of the nation's monuments isn't the right approach. "We can easily erase all of the symbols of our past, but we can't ignore the history. It will remain no matter what sculptures, what are torn down around the country. And that continues today. It's of great concern to historians who believe that it's not just the symbol, it's the history that you're trying to erase. And we can't rewrite -- we can't be revisionist," he told CNN on Thursday at Mount Rushmore. The President has latched on to the issue of protecting monuments as he seeks to rile support from his political base. Last week, he signed an executive order that "directs that those who incite violence and illegal activity are prosecuted to the fullest extent under the law." Activists point to other reasons to question Mount Rushmore's place in history: Gutzon Borglum, who created the sculpture, was aligned with the Ku Klux Klan. "Before Mount Rushmore was even considered, Borglum was working on Stone Mountain, Georgia, a Confederate memorial. I think more than the ideology, but more practically, he was affiliated with the Klan to raise money for this Confederate memorial," Griffith told CNN. Two of the four presidents carved into the mountain in South Dakota, Washington and Jefferson, were slave owners. And though Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Tilsen notes that his legacy, for Native Americans, is a dark one. He approved the executions of 38 Dakota natives in Mankato, Minnesota (though he commuted the sentences of hundreds of others in the same incident). Lincoln, Tilsen said, "was a mass murderer, a colonizer -- ordered the biggest mass hanging in the history of the nation. So he was not one of our heroes. He's not somebody -- he was an enemy of our people, of Indigenous people, and it's important that we have a reckoning with the true history of this nation." McGee-Ballinger, the park educator, said in an interview that local tribes had been consulted ahead of Friday's event. The official account of the Democratic National Committee took aim at Trump's trip in a tweet earlier this week that has since been removed. "Trump has disrespected Native communities time and again. He's attempted to limit their voting rights and blocked critical pandemic relief. Now he's holding a rally glorifying white supremacy at Mount Rushmore a region once sacred to tribal communities," the now-deleted tweet said. The President's reelection campaign sent an email to supporters on the tweet Wednesday evening, claiming that Democrats "HATE America." Donald Trump Jr., the President's eldest son and outspoken advocate, lambasted reports questioning the decision to visit. "OMG the woke police are going all in on Mount Rushmore. They're really doing it. These people are insane," he tweeted Wednesday. Environmental risk Friday's festivities also come with an environmental risk. There were July Fourth fireworks at Mount Rushmore for several years, but they were discontinued in 2009 over environmental concerns, including increased risk of fires. Pine beetle infestations in nearby forests were the cause of concern when the fireworks were discontinued. These infestations can kill trees, which increases their flammability risk and, in turn, poses a potential wildfire hazard. Fireworks increased the risk that a fire would ignite. "We're getting them at the great monument. We're getting them. I got fireworks. For 20 years or something it hasn't been allowed for environmental reasons. You believe that one? It's all stone. So I'm trying to say where's the environmental reason? Anyway, I got it approved, so I'm going to go there on July 3rd, and they're going to have the big fireworks," Trump said during a May appearance on the Dan Bongino podcast. Bill Gabbert, former fire management officer for Mount Rushmore and six other national parks in the region, warned against fireworks given abnormally dry conditions in the region in an interview with the Rapid City Journal. "Shooting fireworks over a ponderosa pine forest, or any flammable vegetation, is ill-advised and should not be done. Period," Gabbert told the publication. But the National Park Service prepared an environmental assessment ahead of the event and concluded the fireworks would have "no significant impact." Noem has said advancements in pyrotechnics and a strengthened forest led to the decision to have the fireworks return to the site. "We're very confident that we have been quite careful in analyzing the situation on how to have a safe and responsible event," McGee-Ballinger said, citing the environmental assessment. According to the National Park Service, the agency worked with the state of South Dakota, local communities, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the fireworks contractor and staff to develop a wildland fire response plan and a Unified Command incident management team. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Recently there was a letter in the Gazette regarding Congressman Rob Wittmans failure to reject the actions of President Trump, implying he is afraid to disagree with him publicly. The writer claimed he called the congressmans office three times and did not get a response, or did not like the response he got. Congressman Wittman does stand up for what is true and right, consistent with millions of Americans across the country as well as his constituents. The letter writer may feel otherwise, as is his right. GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina)- The Greenville City Police Department says they arrested a suspect after one person was killed during a fatal shooting on Saturday on Jenkins Street. Experts polled by Refinitiv predict that three million jobs were added in June, a new record high following May's addition of 2.5 million jobs. In this photo, a waiter wearing a mask serves customers at Via Carota's outdoor seating as the city moves into Phase 2 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic on June 24, 2020 in New York City. Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images Azaleo: A New Brand With an Esoteric Tinge New Fragrances Azaleo is a brand new house, recently unveiled on social media. Founded by Soraya Bakhtiar, a designer from the world of fashion, this young brand revolves around layering, offering three scents with an esoteric tinge that were designed by perfumer Stephanie Bakouche. Fascinated by perfume from childhood, Soraya, from a tender age, was immersed in a fusion of languages and cultures, between the Egyptian and Iranian origins of her parents. Raised in Switzerland, she then moved to London to evolve in the world of fashion as a press secretary and then a stylist. Her passion for perfume led her to Grasse, where she familiarized herself with this universe. This is where she met Stephanie Bakouche, to whom she entrusted the composing of her first fragrances. Azaleo clearly embodies the free and bohemian spirit of its founder, through an "olfactory and sensory destination." Soraya wanted to anchor her creations in an intuitive dimension, a universe where a perfume is a part of one's outfit, but also wraps the person who wears it in positive energies. A form of "meditation" in a way, which goes back to the old customs of "rituals and flower ceremonies." This vision was affirmed during the pandemic during which, in a quest for serenity and soothing, the azaleo_official account hosted "various workshops on astrology, natural healing and meditation, with key people from the industry." Azaleo's first collection reveals celestial inspirations, where the fragrances embody the four elements: water, earth, air and fire. Voile de Lune celebrates the "star of the night," which astrology links to water, Sun to Soul symbolizes the sun, and Bois Boheme Earth. Their form of fragrance, woven from tiny molecules that fly away to land on the skin, represents air. Deeply attached to the culture of layering, an ancient technique combining scented oils on the skin, Soraya wishes to bring a modern vision through her three perfumes "to wear alone or to intertwine as you wish." The first, Voile de Lune, is as much a full-fledged fragrance as it is a pretty base for nuancing and personalizing the wake of Sun to Soul or Bois Boheme. Imagined as a second skin with a caressing softness, Voile de Lune is built around musks and Iso E Super, a molecule with powdery and woody notes, which the perfumer has dressed with the light of citrus and magnolia. A "silky velvet", to which the hedione brings volume and sillage. Ambroxan adds a little of its "sun-heated skin" effect. Intimate and cozy. Used as a base, Voile de Lune gives body and a certain complexity to Sun to Soul, and nourishes the sensual soul of Bois Boheme. Floral and radiant, Sun to Soul celebrates the sweet charm of white flowers. It feels like a hymn to La Dolce Vita and the Mediterranean, and reveals itself under a floral and fruity accord, like a summer promise bursting with light. In the heart of the fragrance, a tiare flower accord steps forward, flanked with jasmine, orange blossom and tuberose and bordered with salicylates. The floral bouquet is refreshed with playful notes of blackcurrant bud and the greenness of petitgrain at the top, and based on a delicately woody background. A joyful and smiling composition like a sunny day, that layered with Voile de Lune receives a touch of sophisticated mystery to the floral bouquet. The last one, Bois Boheme, plays on a darker register. The sharpness of black pepper and juniper contrasts with the creamy nuances of sandalwood, a key element of the fragrance. The iris extends the softness of sandalwood with its velvety notes. It's a fragrance that oscillates between the dry verticality of the top notes and ambroxan, and the creaminess of the sandalwood, to which the musks bring a sensual roundness that's warm and deep. When layered, Voile de Lune highlights the enchanting charm of Bois Boheme. The entire range is not necessarily intended as yet another niche brand. The idea is rather to offer a collection in harmony with its creator, where the fragrance embodies a quest for well-being, a desire to transcend everyday life through an astral, esoteric approach. I have to emphasize the beautiful design of the bottles that fits the soul of the brand to a T. "Azaleo perfumes are vegan, cruelty free and not tested on animals. We used the finest ingredients and our products are made in Grasse, South of France." -Brand statement. Available through the Azaleo website in 100ml priced at 175 Eur. Discover more about this brand: https://www.instagram.com/azaleo_official/ We welcome your letters and columns! Use the button below to send us your thoughts. Remember: Letters must include your real name, town of residence and daytime phone number, which we use for verification. We do not accept anonymous letters or letters written under a pseudonym. Letters should be no more than about 400 words. Those of no more than 200 to 300 words are more likely to be published. Submit Keep the conversation about local news & events going by joining us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Recent updates from The News-Post and also from News-Post staff members are compiled below. The Northern Neck Vegetable Growers Association has awarded four scholarships. Amber Beasley of Spotsylvania County received $4,000 as the first place winner. A 2017 graduate of Massaponax High School, she is a senior at University of NebraskaLincoln. Beasley is majoring in animal science with a focus on business communication. Her passion is to help smaller farmers on the East Coast have a voice in agriculture, and she plans to manage her family farm after graduation. Jayson Gill of Lancaster received $3,000 as the second place winner. A 2018 graduate of Lancaster High School, Gill is a senior at Virginia Tech. He is double majoring in agribusiness and crop and soil environmental science. He plans to pursue a career in agribusiness and hopes to return to the family farm. JP Maupin of Callao received $2,000 as the third place winner. A 2019 grduate of Rappahannock High School, Maupin is a sophomore at Virginia Tech. He is majoring in agricultural sciences and plans to be an extension agent with Virginia Cooperative Extension. People mention the closures, but it hasnt been the primary motivation for people buying, said Khan. Theyre coming here to see if we have bottle rockets and when we tell them we dont, they buy something else. Khan said sales are already up 200 percent from the same period last year, and he expects sales to go even higher over the weekend. The biggest seller is the Shazam; its a fountain, said Evelyn Frields, 19, of Fredericksburg. It goes 10 to 12 feet. Its going to make it happen. Frields, who works as a sales associate at the Tri-State Fireworks stand in the 2000 block of Plank Road in Fredericksburg, said shes also sells large numbers of The Super Sword. This handheld fountain device shoots a white fountain with red and green sparklers. Kids love it and its safe for them, said Frields, who is also a linguistics major at the University of Virginia. After some shoppers examine the inventory at Khans sales stands, some occasionally inquire about a possible secret stash of more potent explosives. And the EPA, our national watchdog, has been on a very short leash the past few years. Much of the problem is about fertilizer. Excess nutrients, especially nitrogen, flow into the Bay and spur algae blooms. The blooms die and sink to the bottom, where they are decomposed by bacteria, which uses up oxygen. Some creatures, like striped bass, can save themselves by moving nearer the surface. Some, like mussels and clams, cant, and they die. Excessive rain can exacerbate the problem by washing the nutrients, coming from farms and industrial use but also from people over-fertilizing their lawns, into the Bay. Turning wetlands into housing developments means the nutrients arent filtered out as much as they once were. Draining the swamp is not always a good idea. And high temperatures make the oxygen situation worse. See climate change. One reason the numbers are at least temporarily encouraging: River flows into the Bay were below normal the first half of the year. The Clean Water Blueprint, implemented back in 2010, was designed to bring the Bay back to health. The goal was to reach acceptable limits by 2025. Pennsylvania and New York are far behind in reaching their marks, and the EPA seems hesitant to step in. Have any questions? Please give us a call at 907-352-2250 We're always interested in hearing about your Opinion. Let us know yours. Submit BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- At a time of global uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic and an economic recession, China is taking firm and steady steps to promote reform and opening-up. A high-level meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on deepening overall reform Tuesday reviewed and approved a series of reform plans and guidelines on state-owned enterprises, the integrated development of new generation information technology and the manufacturing industry, the rural homestead system, the integrated development of media, the evaluation system for education, and the state-owned art troupes. It further demonstrates China's resolve to comprehensively push forward reforms to tackle the changing situation and open up new prospects. On Wednesday, a State Council executive meeting stressed improving financial services to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. It also encouraged greater opening-up and cooperation to help high-tech national industrial development zones better integrate with international industrial and supply chains. All the measures adopted at these meetings are essential and imperative to both address the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus epidemic and drive long-term development. While some major economies have introduced huge stimulus and others even resorted to protectionism as a way out of the economic problems caused by the pandemic, China has focused more on optimizing the governance system, solving deep-seated institutional problems and expanding opening-up to stimulate social creativity and market vitality. Its reform emphasizes improving the market, policies, rule of law and business environment for both Chinese companies and enterprises with foreign-investment. China's commitment to reform and opening-up is based on a clear understanding of the current situation and the confidence to overcome difficulties. The policies have created market certainty, which is especially vital in these uncertain times around the world, and helped accelerate the restoration of production. This has been proved by a series of signs of increased economic momentum. China's official manufacturing purchasing managers index climbed to 50.9 in June from 50.6 in May. The separate nonmanufacturing PMI, a measure of services and construction activity, jumped to 54.4, from 53.6 in May, a rise for the fourth straight month. Most overseas enterprises are optimistic about China's development and the Chinese market. China remains one of the three top investment destinations for 63 percent of respondents in the European Business in China Business Confidence Survey 2020, which was released by the European Union (EU) Chamber of Commerce in China and global consultancy firm Roland Berger. "The Chinese market remains attractive to a majority of European companies, which remain firmly committed to China's development," said Joerg Wuttke, president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. China's experience shows that the greater the difficulty, the more important the need to stick to reform and opening-up. The world has reasons to believe that China will continue with its reform and opening-up to carry on a more sustainable and broad-based economic improvement and inject vitality into world economic recovery. Gainesville, TX (76240) Today Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 58F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 58F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Galveston, TX (77553) Today Thunderstorms. Low 78F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms. Low 78F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Hey Long Beach, Its me, Jesse! And today Id like you to come with me on a historical excursion across the city in search of fun and interesting historical landmarks. Join me as I explore the last remaining remnants of... FMCG major Hindustan Unilever (HUL) on Thursday said it has rebranded its popular skincare brand Fair & Lovely as 'Glow & Lovely' after dropping the word fair in its name. According to the company, it is taking a more inclusive vision of positive beauty while introducing Glow & Lovely -- the new name for the brand. Meanwhile, the men's range of its products will be called 'Glow & Handsome', HUL said in a statement. "Over the next few months, Glow & Lovely will be on the shelves, and future innovations will deliver on this new proposition," said HUL in a statement. Earlier on June, 25 HUL had announced dropping the word 'fair' from its popular skincare brand 'Fair & Lovely', citing its vision to adopt a holistic approach to beauty. The company had attributed the move to its rebranding exercise and said it would seek regulatory approvals. As part of the rebranding, HUL will also be announcing a new name for the Fair & Lovely Foundation, set up in 2003 to offer scholarships to women to help them pursue their education, the statement had said. HUL, a subsidiary of British-Dutch multinational company Unilever PLC, had approached the Controller General of Patent Design and Trademark to get the name 'Glow & Lovely' registered. Several Cosmetic brands have been under the scanner over their products that promote skin fairness for stereotyping racial types, which intensified further in the wake of 'Black Lives Matter' movement in the West. Recently the US healthcare and FMCG giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has stopped the sale of its skin-whitening creams globally, including India. French personal care maker the L'Oreal Group also last week said it will drop words such as "white/whitening, fair/fairness, light/lightening" from all its skincare products. Emami objects move to change name Home-grown FMCG firm Emami Ltd, however, strongly objected to Hindustan Unilever rebranding its men's range of skincare product as 'Glow & Handsome', claiming trademark rights over the name. Emami has also hinted at taking legal action as it has already changed its men's fairness cream's name to 'Emami Glow & Handsome'. "We are shocked to learn of HUL's decision to rename its men's range of Fair & Lovely as 'Glow & Handsome'. Emami Ltd, maker of 'Fair and Handsome' brand of men's grooming products, is the market leader in the men's fairness cream with legal ownership of the trademarks," said Emami in a statement. The Kolkata-based group has said it was "although shocked" but not surprised to note HUL's "unfair business practice which has been prevalent time and again to damage our brand image". The company will be consulting its legal experts to address this issues further, it added. How to help The YWCA Rock County, Janesville Immigrant Task Force and Faith Lutheran Church have teamed up to help Rock County immigrant families during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The goal is to provide 50 families with grocery and gas cards weekly. To contribute to the Love Thy Neighbor campaign online, go to http://bit.ly/FLCgive. Choose "immigrant family aid" from the pulldown menu. Or mail a check to Faith Lutheran Church, 2116 Mineral Point Ave., Janesville, WI 53548. Note that the check is for immigrant family aid. In addition, ECHO (Everyone Cooperating to Help Others) has agreed to take restricted donations to help with rent aid for local immigrant families. Donations can be mailed to ECHO, 65 S. High St., Janesville, WI 53548. Indicate the donation is for immigrant housing assistance. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. New Delhi: Power Minister R K Singh on Friday said that India will not import power equipment from China, amid border standoff with China. During a virtual press conference with state counterparts, he also asserted that the equipment import from China and Pakistan would not be permitted especially on the basis of inspection. He further said state discoms should not give orders for supply of equipment to Chinese firms. "We manufacture everything here. India imported Rs 71,000 crore worth power equipment including Rs 21,000 crore from China," Singh said in the state energy ministers conference chaired by him this morning in his opening remarks. He said: "This (huge import of power equipment) is something we cannot tolerate that a country will transgress into our territory....we will not take anything from China and Pakistan." He further said, "we will not give permission for import from Prior Reference countries. We are affected. There could be malware or trojen horse in those (imports from China) which they can activate remotely (to cripple our power systems)." Dressed in red, dozens of Litchfield Park and Waddell residents attended the Glendale City Council meeting to protest plans for a Loves Travel Stop. Despite the protests, city council approved a preliminary plan that would allow a truck stop near the Loop 303 and Bethany Home Road. U.S. Intelligence Officials To Hold Classified Briefing On Allegations Russia Offered Bounties To Taliban By RFE/RL July 02, 2020 A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is due to be briefed on July 2 by senior intelligence officials following reports alleging Russia paid the Taliban bounties to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The briefing comes amid mounting calls for new sanctions against Russia and as the president and administration officials step up their defense of the administration's response to the matter. The intelligence officials who will speak with the lawmakers in a classified briefing on Capitol Hill include CIA Director Gina Haspel and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe. U.S. President Donald Trump on July 1 reiterated that he was not told about the reported Russian effort to get the Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers because many U.S. intelligence officials doubted it was true. "We never heard about it because intelligence never found it to be of that level," he told Fox Business Network. "The intelligence peoplemany of them didn't believe it happened at all." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican-Kentucky), who is among the lawmakers to be briefed on July 2, said he didn't think Trump should be "subjected to every rumor." Democrats, however, have been upping the pressure on Trump over the report, which first appeared last week in The New York Times based on multiple unidentified sources with knowledge of the matter. They have questioned how the president could not have known about the intelligence and why he has not issued a stronger response. Lawmakers from both parties have demanded more information about the alleged bounty scheme and whether any bounties were paid for the death of U.S. troops. Many, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat-California), have called for sanctions against Russia, if the allegations are true. "We must institute sanctions against Russia and we must do it right away," she said on MSNBC on July 1. Senator Chuck Grassley (Republican-Iowa), speaking on the Senate floor, said the matter "demands a strong response, and I don't mean a diplomatic response," if the reports are true. 'We Took This Seriously' White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien told reporters that if the allegations are verified, "I can guarantee you the president will take strong action." He added that Washington may never know the truth of the matter because of leaks to the media. O'Brien provided a few specifics, saying Trump was not verbally briefed by his CIA briefer, and he defended that decision as "the right call." The briefer, a senior career civil servant, "didn't have confidence in the intelligence," O'Brien said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the situation was handled "incredibly well" to ensure the safety of U.S. troops. "We took this seriously, we handled it appropriately," Pompeo said at a briefing. He said the administration receives intelligence about threats to Americans every day and each is addressed. Pompeo added that Russian activity in Afghanistan is nothing new and when there is credible information suggesting Russians are putting American lives at risk, the United States responds "in a way that is serious." Russia and the Taliban have denied the existence of any offer of bounties to kill U.S. troops. But according to The New York Times and other media outlets unidentified U.S. and European government sources familiar with intelligence reporting say bounties were offered. They said that in recent weeks the United States had acquired fresh information backing up the allegations that Russia had encouraged Taliban-affiliated militants to kill U.S. and allied soldiers in Afghanistan, according to the news reports. At least two sources have said the U.S. intelligence community is confident Russia encouraged the Taliban to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan but there was internal debate over whether Moscow had actually paid bounties. Another person familiar with the matter said the CIA was sufficiently confident of the intelligence to include it in May in its daily publication, and its inclusion there undermines the administration's claim that it was not verified, the source said. A withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is a top agenda item for the president, who is up for reelection in November. The United States and the Taliban signed an agreement in February intended to pave the way for peace talks between the militant group and the U.S.-backed government in Kabul and bring an end to the long-running conflict. With reporting by AP and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-intelligence- officials-to-hold-classified-briefing-on-allegations-russia- offered-bounties-to-taliban/30701899.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Pelosi Accuses White House of Trying to 'Con' US Public on Intelligence By Jeff Seldin July 02, 2020 Leading Democratic lawmakers are slamming the White House, one of them accusing the president and his aides of trying to trick the American public into believing intelligence on an alleged Russian plot to pay for attacks on U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan is not serious. The criticism from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi followed a classified briefing Thursday by the directors of the CIA and the National Security Agency and the recently confirmed director of national intelligence. While Pelosi refused to comment on the intelligence itself, she said efforts by President Donald Trump and his staff to minimize the seriousness of the information were a disservice to U.S. forces in the region. "You got the con. The White House put on a con that if you don't have 100% consensus on intelligence, it shouldn't rise to a certain level," she told reporters. "Don't buy into that, and neither does the intelligence community," Pelosi added. "They have enough intelligence to know where we have to go next with it." Pointing to CIA briefer Top White House officials, including national security adviser Robert O'Brien, have repeatedly defended the decision not to brief the president on intelligence indicating Russian intelligence was paying bounties to Taliban-aligned militants for deadly attacks on U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan. O'Brien on Wednesday placed responsibility for that decision on Trump's CIA briefer, telling reporters, "She made that decision because she didn't have confidence in the intelligence that came out." Trump on Wednesday took to Twitter to dismiss the allegations as a hoax meant to harm his political fortunes, a charge he repeated during an interview with Fox Business News. "We never heard about it because intelligence never found it to be of that level," the president said. "The intelligence people, many of them didn't believe it happened at all," he added. "I think it's a hoax based on the newspapers and the Democrats." But Pelosi said not only was it clear to her that the president should have been briefed, but that intelligence officials were negligent for failing to keep Congress in the loop. "It was of a consequential level that the intelligence community should have brought it to us," Pelosi said. 'Not close to tough enough' Pelosi and fellow Democrat Chuck Schumer, the House minority leader, also called on Trump to take a tougher line on Russia and its leader, President Vladimir Putin. "I believe the president is not close to tough enough on Vladimir Putin," Schumer told reporters after leaving the briefing earlier. They also raised concerns about what they described as Trump's soft approach to Russia despite evidence of a threat to U.S. troops; his request for the removal of proposed sanctions on Russia's intelligence and defense sectors; and his suggestion that Russia should be invited to rejoin the G-7, a group of the world's top industrialized nations. Despite the assertions by the Trump administration and the Pentagon that the intelligence on the alleged Russian bounty plot remained uncorroborated, officials said the threat was not taken lightly. Officials from the White House and the CIA said the information was shared with U.S. intelligence agencies, the military and U.S. allies in Afghanistan, and that precautions were put in place. White House officials also said there was no evidence any U.S. troops were harmed. "We always act in the best interest of our troops," press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters late Wednesday. "The Defense Department has said they do not know of any Americans that have been killed in relation to this unverified intelligence that's currently being assessed," she added. Longtime concern U.S. defense and intelligence officials have long been concerned about Russian interference in Afghanistan, complaining repeatedly that Moscow has been providing the Taliban with weapons and training. A new Pentagon report released Wednesday, while making no mention of the alleged bounties, warned that Russian involvement was growing. "Russia has politically supported the Taliban to cultivate influence with the group, limit the Western military presence, and encourage counter-ISIS [Islamic State terror group] operations, although Russia publicly denies their involvement," the report said. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday tried to downplay concerns. "The fact that the Russians are engaged in Afghanistan in a way that's adverse to the United States is nothing new," he said. "The Russians have been selling small arms that have put Americans at risk there for 10 years. We have objected to it." "When we see credible information that suggests that the Russians are putting American lives at risk, we're responding in a way that is serious," he added. VOA's Katherine Gypson and Steve Herman contributed to this report. Top Intelligence Officials Brief Congress on Alleged Russian Bounties By Jeff Seldin July 02, 2020 Top U.S. intelligence officials briefed key members of Congress Thursday on what is known and what is not known about an alleged Russian plot to pay militants for attacks on American and coalition forces in Afghanistan. CIA Director Gina Haspel and National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone met with members of the so-called Gang of Eight. The meeting was the first chance for lawmakers to hear directly from veteran intelligence officials about reports that Russia was offering Taliban-linked militants bounties to target and kill U.S. and allied troops. Until now, briefings on the allegations have been led by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, a former U.S. representative who was sworn in just over a month ago, along with national security adviser Robert O'Brien and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, both of whom have served in their roles less than a year. The three have repeatedly told lawmakers that information on the alleged Russian bounty program could not be confirmed, defending the decision not to bring the intelligence to the attention of President Donald Trump. "The person who decided early on whether the president should be briefed on this in the Oval, in the Oval intelligence briefing, was a senior career civil servant," O'Brien told White House reporters earlier on Wednesday. "And she made that decision because she didn't have confidence in the intelligence that came out." O'Brien also said the White House was working on potential responses to Russia should additional intelligence lend credibility to the initial reports. "These are important allegations that, if they're verified, I can guarantee you the president will take strong action" he said. "We've been working for several months on options." But other officials, when pressed, refused to elaborate on what might come next. "I won't get ahead of the president on action. I also won't get ahead of the intelligence," press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a White House briefing, saying the intelligence remained unverified. And Trump himself on Wednesday continued to dismiss the alleged Russian plot as a hoax, first on Twitter and later during an interview with Fox Business News. "We never heard about it because intelligence never found it to be of that level," the president said. "The intelligence people, many of them didn't believe it happened at all," he added. "I think it's a hoax based on the newspapers and the Democrats." Credible reports New media reports, however, are challenging that assertion. The Reuters news agency, citing four U.S. and European government sources, reported Wednesday that the U.S. had acquired fresh intelligence in recent weeks that lent credibility to the claims Russia was offering Taliban-linked militants bounties to attack U.S. and coalition troops. Current and former Taliban officials have also come forward, claiming that the bounty program was real. "Individual commanders have been receiving money and weapons from Russian intelligence," Moulani Baghdadi, a Taliban commander from Ghazni, told Business Insider when asked about the bounties. "These are criminal groups that work alongside the mujahedeen and give us a bad reputation." Mullah Manan Niazi, a onetime spokesman for former Taliban leader Mullah Omar, told The Daily Beast such a program would not be unusual. "The Taliban have been paid by Russian intelligence for attacks on U.S. forces and on ISIS forces u in Afghanistan from 2014 up to the present," he said. U.S. defense and intelligence officials have long been concerned about Russian interference in Afghanistan, complaining repeatedly that Moscow has been providing the Taliban with weapons and training. A new Pentagon report released Wednesday, while making no mention of the alleged bounties, warned Russian involvement is growing. "Russia has politically supported the Taliban to cultivate influence with the group, limit the Western military presence, and encourage counter ISIS [Islamic State terror group] operations, although Russia publicly denies their involvement," the report said. Pompeo downplays concerns U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday tried to downplay concerns. "The fact that the Russians are engaged in Afghanistan in a way that's adverse to the United States is nothing new," he said. "The Russians have been selling small arms that have put Americans at risk there for 10 years. We have objected to it." "When we see credible information that suggests that the Russians are putting American lives at risk, we're responding in a way that is serious," he added. Still, Democratic lawmakers Wednesday continued to express dissatisfaction and frustration with the Trump administration's handling of the intelligence. "If true, these reports detail an astounding escalation by an already aggressive adversary and the President's dereliction of his most sacred responsibility to protect the lives of the American people," Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee wrote in a letter demanding Pompeo testify before Congress. Other Democrats were even more critical. "If this does not count as treason, I don't know what does," Democratic Representative Seth Moulton said during a call with reporters Wednesday. "If the most junior officer in the United States military ignores an intelligence report delivered to him or her, as we know this intelligence report was delivered to the commander in chief, then that junior officer would absolutely be in prison." Not taken lightly Despite the lack of agreement on the intelligence about the alleged Russian plot to pay Taliban-linked fighters to attack and kill U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, U.S. officials insist the threat was not taken lightly, and that precautions were put in place. And White House officials said there is no evidence any U.S. troops were harmed. "We always act in the best interest of our troops," McEnany told reporters late Wednesday. "The Defense Department has said they do not know of any Americans that have been killed in relation to this unverified intelligence that's currently being assessed," she added. VOA's Katherine Gypson and Steve Herman contributed to this story. China rejects US criticism of military drills in South China Sea Iran Press TV Friday, 03 July 2020 4:17 PM China has rejected the United States' criticism of its military exercises in the South China Sea, saying the maneuvers are within the scope of the Asian country's sovereignty. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the comment at a daily press briefing in the capital, Beijing, on Friday, after the US Defense Department expressed concern about Beijing's military exercises in the disputed South China Sea. The Pentagon said in a statement on Thursday that "conducting military exercises over disputed territory in the South China Sea is counterproductive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability." Zhao said certain "non-regional countries" travelled a long way to conduct large-scale military activities in the South China Sea, stressing that their actions were the root cause of instability in the region. The Chinese official did not mention any country by name, but his remarks were an obvious reference to the United States, which conducts multiple naval operations by sending its warships through the area every year. China kicked off five-day drills near the Xisha Islands on July 1. The islands are claimed by both Vietnam and China. Vietnam and the Philippines have also expressed concern about the Chinese drills. Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei have overlapping claims with China to parts of the sea, which serves as a gateway to global sea routes and through which about 3.4 trillion dollars of trade passes each year. The United States, which sides with Beijing's rival claimants in the maritime dispute, routinely sends warships and warplanes to the South China Sea to assert what it calls its "right" to "freedom of navigation," ratcheting up tensions with China. Beijing has constantly warned the US against its military activities in the sea, saying that potential close military encounters by the air and naval forces of the two countries in the region could easily trigger accidents. The exercises are taking place amid rising tensions between the United States and China over the new coronavirus pandemic. Hamas calls for 'armed struggle' to liberate West Bank from Israeli occupation Iran Press TV Friday, 03 July 2020 9:58 AM A senior Hamas leader has called on other Palestinian groups in the occupied West Bank to join hands and start an armed struggle against the Israeli occupation. Mahmoud al-Zahar, a co-founder of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas and a member of the group's leadership in the Gaza Strip, says all Palestinian groups must follow the successful model implemented in the liberation of the Gaza Strip, namely armed struggle, in order to counter Tel Aviv's expansionist policies in the West Bank. Speaking to the Lebanese TV channel Al Mayadeen on Thursday, al-Zahar said the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) must stop implementing its Oslo Accords with the Israeli regime, and take up arms against the occupiers. Hamas is going to ask for the cooperation of the Palestinian Authority and the Fatah movement in order to have new principles and mechanisms devised, he said. The top Hamas official said based on new principles, a plan must be developed for the real liberation of Palestine, similar to the plan that resulted in Gaza's liberation through armed resistance. On Thursday, in a show of unity, senior officials from Fatah and Hamas held a joint press conference that is the first of its kind in several years. Jibril Rajoub, Fatah Secretary General from Ramallah, and Saleh al-Arouri, Hamas deputy chief from Beirut, vowed in a video conference to unite efforts in fighting Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West bank, including parts of the strategic Jordan Valley. July 1 was set by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to start annexation of parts of the West Bank but Tel Aviv failed to launch the scheme on the set date amid differences between Netanyahu and key members of his cabinet, whose consent the White House says is needed for the annexation to go ahead. Netanyahu's office announced that he will continue to discuss the plan with the US administration. The announcement came shortly after Hamas fired a volley of rockets into the sea as a serious "warning" against the annexation plan. According to the Palestinian Samanews, a barrage of 20 rockets was launched within an hour. Palestinian resistance groups have declared their resolve to stand up to the Israeli occupation and the regime's expansionism. US President Donald Trump gave Tel Aviv the green light for the land grab in his self-proclaimed "deal of the century," which was unveiled in January with the aim of legitimizing Israel's occupation and re-drawing the Middle East map. New Delhi: More than eight years after two Italian marines on board a ship had allegedly fired at and killed two Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala on February 15, 2012, an international Arbitral Tribunal has held that the actions of the Italian military officers and their country Italy breached Indias freedom of navigation under international laws. However, the Tribunal ruled that Indian courts cannot judge the marines as they enjoy immunity as State officials. The Tribunal decided that India is entitled to payment of compensation in connection with the victims loss of life, physical harm and material damage to property and rejected Italys claim to compensation for the detention of the Marines. In its reaction, India said it has taken note of the Award and will be in touch with relevant entities on the matter. The Tribunal also held that the Parties to the case can consult with each other to reach an agreement on the amount of compensation due to India and also noted the commitment expressed by Italy to resume its criminal investigation into the events of 15 February 2012. The Arbitral Tribunal had been constituted under UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on June 26, 2015. The two Italian marines--Latorre Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone -- on board a ship named Enrica Lexie, had been arrested by Indian authorities for allegedly killing two Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala in 2012. Italy had claimed the ship was in international waters and that only the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) should apply following which moved the international tribunal. According to news agency reports of the time, while Latorre returned to Italy in September 2014 following an order of the Supreme Court issued on health grounds, Girone was allowed to go back to Italy in May, 2016. In a statement, the MEA said, The Arbitral Tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on 26 June 2015 on the request of Italy in respect of a dispute concerning the incident of 15 February 2012 involving Italian tanker Enrica Lexie and Indian fishing vessel St. Antony has transmitted its award. ... The Tribunal upheld the conduct of the Indian authorities with respect to the incident under the provisions of the UNCLOS. It held that the actions of the Italian military officers and, consequently, Italy breached Indias freedom of navigation under UNCLOS Article 87(1)(a) and 90. The MEA added, The Tribunal observed that India and Italy had concurrent jurisdiction over the incident and a valid legal basis to institute criminal proceedings against the Marines. The Tribunal rejected Italys claim to compensation for the detention of the Marines. However, it found that the immunities enjoyed by the Marines as State officials operate as an exception to the jurisdiction of the Indian courts and, hence, preclude them to judge the Marines. New Delhi further said, The Tribunal decided that India is entitled to payment of compensation in connection with loss of life, physical harm, material damage to property and moral harm suffered by the captain and other crew members of St. Antony". The Tribunal also held that the Parties are invited to consult with each other with a view to reaching agreement on the amount of compensation due to India. The Tribunal also decided that it shall retain jurisdiction should either Party or both Parties wish to apply for a ruling from the Arbitral Tribunal in respect of the quantification of compensation due to India. India-Italy diplomatic ties had taken a severe hit after that incident in 2012. But three years ago, both nations had decided that ties would not be held hostage to this tragic episode. Yemen to continue legitimate retaliatory attacks as long as Saudi war, siege persist: Army spox Iran Press TV Friday, 03 July 2020 5:54 AM The spokesman for Yemen's Armed Forces says Yemeni army troops and allied fighters from Popular Committees are capable enough to defend the country against the Saudi war, emphasizing their "legitimate" retaliatory attacks will continue as long as the Riyadh regime and its allies press ahead with their onslaught and blockade. "The discourse of threats and intimidation would not help. The [Saudi-led] aggression would not have continued up to the present if such a strategy had been effective. The enemy has only one option: Stop the aggression and lift the siege," Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in an exclusive interview with Arabic-language al-Masirah television network on Thursday night. He added, "Yemeni forces will continue to exercise their legitimate right to defend their compatriots. We will not stand idly by whilst our countrymen and women are being killed as a result of raids and siege. We have options that have not revealed yet." Saree further noted that the Yemeni forces have fairly developed defensive and offensive capabilities and that they have used not all their military prowess in battles against the Saudi-led coalition and its mercenaries, advising the other side to come to terms with the bitter reality. "We will continue to target military and sovereign institutions that are spearheading the [military] aggression against our people at the depths of Saudi Arabia. We will make sure that our designated targets are far away from Saudi people, who are being oppressed under the rule of the House of Saud," the senior Yemeni military figure pointed out. Commenting on the Fourth Deterrent Balance Operation, Saree said sensitive sites in the Saudi capital Riyadh were struck with great precision during the operation, leaving Saudis and Americans in a state of confusion. 'Saudis use high-powered cluster bombs in Sana'a, elsewhere' Separately, the Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights announced in a statement that Saudi-led military aircraft used high-powered cluster bombs in their Wednesday airstrikes against residential neighborhoods in the capital province of Sana'a and elsewhere in the country. The Sana'a attack claimed the lives of a child girl and an elderly woman and left six others injured, The statement noted that the Saudi-led warplanes deliberately bombarded the medical supply depot at Hospital 48 in al-Sabeen district of Sana'a province, which severely damaged the facility and terrorized patients receiving treatment there. "Such an attack represents a real threat to the lives of hundreds of sick citizens, who used to benefit from the hospital's services. It also indicates that member states of the coalition of aggression seek to destabilize the region, and their immoral and inhuman actions threaten both regional and international peace and security," the ministry highlighted. The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights also warned against the uptick in the number of attacks by the Saudi-led coalition and its mercenaries across Yemen, saying such acts constitute a blatant violation of the provisions and rules of the international humanitarian law. The ministry then held the UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres responsible for such criminality, noting that removal of the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen's war from an annual blacklist of parties violating children's rights emboldened the alliance to continue the massacre of women and children. "The decision to remove the Saudi-led coalition from the child-killer blacklist is a major cover-up for the continued murder of women and children, especially as there are no international monitors and accountability for the perpetrators of these crimes in Yemen," it underscored. The ministry finally renewed its call for an end to the all forms of aggression and blockade on Yemen, and formation of an independent and impartial international commission to investigate the massacres and crimes committed by the Saudi-led coalition and its mercenaries. Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating war on Yemen in March 2015 in order to bring former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crush the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement. The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than 100,000 lives over the past five years. More than half of Yemen's hospitals and clinics have been destroyed or closed during the war by the Saudi-led coalition, which is supported militarily by the UK, US and other Western nations. Biden Slams Trump on Russia Bounties in Foreign Policy Contrast By Brian Padden July 03, 2020 Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's rebuke of President Donald Trump's handling of allegations that Russians paid bounties for the killing of American soldiers reflects his longstanding criticism of the president on national security and foreign policy. However, on closer inspection the two presidential rivals are not that far apart on key issues, such as ending foreign wars, protecting American jobs, and countering China's aggression. On Tuesday, Biden slammed Trump's passive response to intelligence reports that Russians paid Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, claiming he was not briefed, and the reports were not credible. "The idea that somehow he didn't know or isn't being briefed, it is a dereliction of duty. If that's the case, and if he was briefed and nothing was done about this, that's a dereliction of duty," Biden said to reporters in Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday. The White House has disputed a New York Times report on Friday that a Russian military intelligence unit had offered bounties to Taliban fighters in Afghanistan for U.S. and allied soldiers, saying it has "not been verified, and there is no consensus among the intelligence community." Brink of war Biden, who served as President Barack Obama's vice president, has been highly critical of what he says is Trump's "deference" to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other authoritarian leaders, his "haphazard" handling of national security threats, and his "America First" foreign policy. In January, Biden said Trump put the U.S. on the brink of war, after the president authorized a U.S. airstrike that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, after deadly Iranian backed attacks on Americans in Iraq. "The failure to consult with our allies or Congress and the reckless disregard for the consequences that would surely follow was, in my view, dangerously incompetent," Biden said in New York Jan. 7. Calls for "harsh revenge" during Soleimani's massive funeral in Tehran raised concerns that military conflict with the United States could escalate, but tensions have eased after Iran retaliated with a non-lethal missile attack against a U.S. military base in Iraq. Biden agenda In contrast to Trump's reliance on personal diplomacy and unilateral action to confront U.S. security threats, the former vice president said he would organize a summit of democracies to strengthen alliances in the face of growing authoritarianism around the world, and would prioritize negotiation over confrontation. Biden wants to restore military ties with NATO in Europe after Trump strained relations by demanding increased defense spending. Trump recently ordered the military to withdraw about 10,000 U.S. troops from Germany, unless Berlin increases its NATO contributions. The Trump administration has also demanded steep cost sharing increases for basing U.S. troops in Germany, South Korea and Japan. However, the Democratic presidential candidate is closer to Trump's position on ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and Syria, continuing negotiations with North Korea to end its nuclear program, and confronting China's suppression of human rights in Hong Kong and military buildup in the South China Sea. On Thursday, Biden issued a statement denouncing China's crackdown on democracy protests in Hong Kong and as said as president he would prohibit U.S. companies from "abetting repression" in Hong Kong and impose sanctions on China for human rights abuses. Critics question how effective Biden can be in leading any international response, with the progressive wing of the Democratic party opposed to military interventions and with the country facing pressing domestic challenges including the coronavirus pandemic, growing unemployment and racial injustice protests. "He's got a huge and very expansive agenda that he's already signed up to. So, the likelihood of a sort of traditional revival of the American assertive leadership and critical intervention in crises, I'm a little bit skeptical of," said Giselle Donnelly, a defense and security analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. Biden touts his extensive international experience in foreign affairs as Obama's vice president and as a longtime U.S. senator serving on the Foreign Relations Committee. But Donnelly and many conservatives are critical of what they say are his changing and at times misguided national security positions over the years, in voting for the Iraq war, then opposing military surges in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in advising against the military raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. "It strikes me that he doesn't really have a coherent philosophy of international politics or internal vision," said Donnelly. Obama era Biden would likely rejoin the Iran nuclear deal, negotiated by the Obama administration, that Trump pulled out of because it did not limit ballistic missile development and support for Iranian backed militias. He would recommit the U.S. to the Paris climate accord, signed by nearly 200 countries and designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars and factories to counter global warming. But Biden said he would not rejoin the Obama-era Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact, which Trump pulled out of in early 2017, until stronger protections for labor and American jobs are added. "There is no going back to business as usual on trade," Biden said on his campaign website. But he also argues in favor multilateral trades agreements to improve fair trade practices and democratic values in the developing world. Haiti's New Penal Code Under Fire By Sandra Lemaire, Renan Toussaint July 03, 2020 Haitian President Jovenel Moise's new penal code, which legalizes abortion and lowers the legal age for consensual sex to 15, has drawn the ire of lawmakers. Former Senator Jean Renel Senatus said the presidential decree goes against Haitian family values. "Unfortunately, President Jovenel Moise has chosen to put forth a law that is much more liberal than the one we (senators) worked on," he told VOA Creole. Moise has been ruling by presidential decree since January 2020 because the parliament is out of session. The terms of two-thirds of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate expired months before the pandemic hit. Before the session ended, lawmakers had worked on a new penal code. The presidential decree, announced June 24, voids their work. According to officials, parliamentary elections have not been held because of the insecurity caused by a series of anti-corruption protests that sometimes turned deadly, roiling the nation, crippling the economy and creating a climate of insecurity during most of 2019. Presidential adviser Patrick Crispin announced on June 23 that legislative elections are planned for December 2020. In the meantime, there is no parliamentary check and balance on the president's decrees. Senatus, whose term expired in January, told VOA he is outraged by the statutes dealing with minors and bestiality. "Article 384 tacitly recognizes child prostitution. There's a reference to bestiality, which officials from five jurisdictions demanded be sanctioned," he said. "But President Jovenel (Moise) refused to remove the statute. The only concession he was willing to make was that if someone is apprehended for having (sexual relations) with a dog (for example) they would arrest the person who made him commit the act." Among other additions are six new statutes that mandate stricter punishment for homosexual acts. Senatus said part of the new code is a word-for-word copy of laws that exist in Canada, France and Belgium. He urged Haitian citizens who are equally outraged to voice their opposition publicly. Former Sen. Ricard Pierre of the Democratic and Popular Sector party also criticized the new penal code. "As Democrats, we don't believe we have the right to make choices for citizens, with regards to what is happening inside their homes, their bedrooms," he told VOA. "So to impose their restrictions without publicly debating them first, is a disaster waiting to happen." Pierre accused the president of protecting the interests of foreign countries rather than working for the good of the nation. "This (code) doesn't address any of the social issues Haiti is facing today," he said. Haiti's Evangelists voiced their opposition to the new code as well. On VOA Creole's Instagram page, people expressed sadness and disbelief. "Wow!! So they legalized sexual relationship with a 15 year old!!!! @beyond_flyyy commented. "This just makes me sad," @mjdaph commented, adding two crying emojis. "I really don't understand how this can happen." A newly elected parliament would have power to overturn the presidential decree. Haiti's penal code has not been modified in 185 years. Jean Robert Philippe contributed to this story. Dispelling Western lies about national security law for HK Global Times By Chen Qingqing, Zhang Hui and Wang Wenwen Source:Global Times Published: 2020/7/2 0:53:40 Freedoms of press, speech enjoyed with limits: expert How the West depicts and interprets the national security law for Hong Kong, which was enacted on Tuesday, fully underscores the bias and double standards of some Western politicians and media on Hong Kong affairs. The US media outlet Foreign Policy alleged that the law would end freedom in the city, which in reality has been enjoying a high degree of autonomy under the principle of "one country, two systems." CNN also noted that the law would change Hong Kong forever, with potentially massive ramifications for the city's political freedoms. Reuters said in a headline on Wednesday that "China passes sweeping HK security law, heralding authoritarian era" while western officials like US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo harshly criticized the move of enacting the law, claiming that "the US would not stand idly by while Beijing places Hong Kong into its 'authoritarian maw.'" Should the majority of Hongkongers be worried that their individual rights and freedom might be eroded by the law? Is it really the death sentence to Hong Kong and would it risk turning the city into a police state? Would the law really deprive Hong Kong people's rights under the Basic Law, including the right of assembly and strikes? Would the law really change the way Hong Kong people live? Here are some false claims and solid facts. Is the law ending the broader freedoms of a majority of Hongkongers? Human rights shall be respected and protected while safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the majority of Hong Kong people enjoy a number of rights and freedoms, including the freedoms of speech, of the press, of publication, of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration, according to the national security law for Hong Kong, which are all in line with the Basic Law and provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as applied to Hong Kong. Any legitimate right is clearly defined by the law, which has certain boundaries and scopes. Beyond such bottom lines and scopes, it should bear equivalent legal responsibilities, Shen Chunyao, director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, told a press conference on Wednesday. The law has clearly identified four types of offenses: secession, subversion, terrorist activities and collusion with a foreign country or with external forces to endanger national security. When it comes to subversion, in addition to those who organize, plan, commit or participate in any subversive act with or without force, those who incite and provide assistance to those acts shall be tried. Lawrence Ma, a barrister and chairman of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the national security law for Hong Kong is in line with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The law won't affect the freedom of speech or other individual rights of the Hong Kong majority as long as they are not involved in those four types of illegal acts, Ma noted. In many Western countries, including the US, France and Japan, lawmakers have been carefully seeking a balance between freedom of speech and national security or public order-relevant matters, some prohibiting extremist claims or speech with terrorism tendencies. Under the national security law for Hong Kong, as long as the ordinary residents' claims do not carry on the intention of subversion, terrorism, secession and collusion with foreign forces, some general criticism of the government or officials won't be affected, legal experts said. Freedom of speech has never been absolute. For instance, the Catalonia separatists in Spain have been harshly punished for instigating riots and chaos, which has also earned support from the international community. Is it the end to the high degree of autonomy the HKSAR has been enjoying? Some Western media claim the law could undermine Hong Kong's judicial independence. CNN reported on Wednesday that the law allows the government to pick judges that are potentially sympathetic to particular issues, and could undermine judicial independence. AFP noted that the law would give the central government unprecedented judicial powers in the HKSAR, with jurisdiction over cases, secret trials without jury and a national security agency. "There is no jury in national security-related trials in many countries, including Singapore. The members of the jury in Hong Kong are ordinary citizens selected by lottery from the jury pool, and the jury is necessary when they can consider a verdict based on common sense. But when it comes to national security-related knowledge, the jury may not provide any additional value," Witman Hung Wai-man, a Hong Kong deputy to the NPC, told the Global Times. National security affairs are essentially the duty of the central government toward which the HKSAR should fulfill its constitutional responsibilities, while the central government always enjoys fundamental rights, several legal experts told the Global Times. And the law states that "one country" always comes before "two systems." The law would allow the central government to set up a commissioner's office to safeguard national security in the HKSAR, which would only exercise jurisdiction if the case is complex, involves foreign forces, or if the HKSAR authorities are unable to effectively enforce the national security law, or an imminent threat to national security. It does not mean an "erosion" of Hong Kong authority. It can be interpreted as a division of responsibilities between central and local authorities to safeguard national security, Lau Siu-kai, a vice president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times. Has Hong Kong entered into an authoritarian era? Some media have also speculated that the law may threaten personal privacy. The Diplomat magazine reported in June that Chinese lawmakers will speed up drafting an amendment to the national security law for Hong Kong, which would facilitate wider law enforcement access to personal data in Hong Kong. It would have an immediate impact on internet companies and financial services providers in Hong Kong. Many Western countries have their own intelligence agencies and national security laws when it comes to riots and violence. They enforce the laws in a much more intense manner compared to what authorities have done in Hong Kong, Lau told the Global Times. "I think such a claim is double standard, which deliberately slanders the legislature," Lau said. They themselves know that every government has the power and the responsibility to safeguard its national security. Why can't the Chinese central government exercise such power over Hong Kong, which is part of China? Lau asked. Will "unjustified" law enforcement and the "secret police" turn HK into a police state? Extremists and pro-independence forces, including Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Nathan Law, announced their withdrawal from anti-government groups hours before the law took effect, with Wong saying that "with sweeping powers and an ill-defined law, the city will turn into a secret police state," media reported. Such claims were later referred to the special unit set up under the Hong Kong Police Force, upon approval of the Chief Executive of HKASR, carrying out interception of communications and conducting covert surveillance on a person who is suspected, on reasonable grounds, of having been involved in the commission of an offense which endangers national security, according to the law. There have been similar legal arrangements and means in other countries when it comes to national security-related matters. For example, in the US, the 9/11 attacks in 2001 brought the US government's fear of terrorism to a boiling point, leading to the Patriot Act. The law expanded the powers of US law enforcement agencies in monitoring citizens' information and in detaining and expelling expatriates suspected of having links to terrorism. The essence of the national security law is to use severe punishment as a deterrent to eliminate the crimes that might have occurred, Lau said, noting that it is not a truly effective national security law if raids and frequent prosecutions are needed. Pompeo ignorant on four areas on HK issues: FM Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/7/2 18:44:45 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo fabricates and disseminates rumors so frequently that it reveals his ignorance and prejudice against China, the spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, highlighting four things that embody Pompeo's ignorance. Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a Thursday press conference, when he was asked to comment on Pompeo's statement that Beijing treats Hong Kong as "one country, one system," and undermines the Hong Kong people's human rights and basic freedom. Zhao presented four things to explain Pompeo's ignorance. For one, he knows nothing about the national security law for Hong Kong, which clearly states that human rights should be respected and protected. "The law punishes the very few while protecting the majority. After the law was enacted, Hong Kong's social order will be stabilized and the business environment will be improved, which will benefit the majority of Hong Kong residents and international investors." Second, Pompeo also knows nothing about "one country, two systems," said Zhao, who stressed this is China's basic state policy, which China will unwaveringly implement. The national security law seeks to better protect "one country, two systems," ensure the principle won't be distorted and go bad, instead of changing the principle. Third, Pompeo also knows nothing about the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which states that all terms related to the UK have already been implemented. The declaration's stipulation on basic policies on Hong Kong is a declaration of China's policies, not promises to the UK, and not even relevant to the US, Zhao said. Last but not least, Pompeo knows nothing about the basic principles of international laws and basic norms governing international relations, which state that a country's sovereignty should be respected and its internal affairs should not be interfered upon, Zhao said. He said that what China is doing now is to create a law that protects national security in its own region, which is part of China's internal affairs. What gives the US the right to judge? Zhao asked. "People like Pompeo are so anxious about Hong Kong and the national security law because they could not do whatever they want, to sabotage China's sovereignty and national security," said Zhao, noting that the "national security law is like a burglar-proof door to Hong Kong, and bound to lead Hong Kong on the right track, lead Hong Kong to reclaim its reputation as the 'Pearl of the Orient.' We are confident about that." China 'prepared against military provocation from Australia' Global Times By Zhang Yichi and Liu Xuanzun Source:Global Times Published: 2020/7/2 23:58:40 Australia released two papers on Wednesday that define the country's future defense strategy and military development. According to the papers, Australia will invest heavily in the development and procurement of weapons and equipment, including aggressive, long-range items. These weapon procurement plans have been widely interpreted as being "aimed at China," and Chinese experts said on Thursday that while the Chinese military has no intention of provoking Australia, it is also not afraid of Australian provocations. Australia's Department of Defense released the 2020 Defense Strategic Update and 2020 Force Structure Plan on Wednesday, showing that the country will invest heavily in weapons for land, sea, air, space and cyberspace including warships, submarines, hypersonic missiles, stealth fighter jets and tanks. A factsheet released by the Australian Defense Department pointed out that Australia is in a "strategic competition primarily between the US and China." Judging from the specifics of the listed weapons and equipment, analysts noted that they are obviously not intended for homeland defense, but for long-range combat. Many of these weapons come from the US, so intelligence exchange with the US military will be easy, analysts said, noting that Australia's geographic location means it can become a key base for the US military in the direction of the South China Sea. Foreign media reports said the military expansion of Australia is aimed at China. Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie told the Global Times on Thursday that the US sees Australia and Japan as two horns in the West Pacific, and they form a triangle with Guam in controlling the South China Sea, Indian Ocean and West Pacific. Australia has easy access to these three sea regions, so it is in the frontline to support the US. Other military experts reached by the Global Times pointed out that China and Australia are thousands of kilometers away from each other and have no direct or essential interest conflicts such as territory disputes, and China has no intention of challenging Australia militarily. But If Australia wants to provoke China, China is also ready to defend itself. Australia is only a follower of the US and its capability in the South China Sea will be limited despite the new plans, they said. Li said that China may develop defense systems among other measures to deal with potential Australia-US collaboration against it, and China can also take countermeasures in terms of politics, diplomacy and economic measures. China's helicopter carrier expands capability with drone Global Times By Liu Xuanzun Source:Global Times Published: 2020/7/2 20:49:12 China's Type 075 amphibious assault ships, the largest warships second only to aircraft carriers, are receiving drone helicopters that can significantly expand their combat capability by providing strong situational awareness, reports suggest, after a full-scale model for an unknown type of drone helicopter was recently spotted on a Type 075 in Shanghai. According to a photo circulating on a social media platform, the drone helicopter model is seen parked on the flight deck of a Type 075 , which is undergoing outfitting work, Weihutang, a program on military affairs affiliated with China Central Television (CCTV), reported on Thursday. Compared with the model of a Z-8 or Z-18 helicopter right next to the drone helicopter in the photo, it is about half the size, making it approximately 10 meters long and three meters tall, a relatively large drone helicopter. The exact type of the drone helicopter model remains undetermined, but analysts speculate it could be an AR500C, China's first high-altitude unmanned helicopter that made its maiden flight in May, the Weihutang report said. Putting models on a warship's flight deck is a usual approach in outfitting and sea trials to test the compatibility between the aircraft and the ship, finding the best way to arrange the layout, a military expert who asked not to be named told the Global Times on Thursday. The US Navy also has similar drone helicopters, namely the MQ-8 Fire Scout, on its warships. Drone helicopters can conduct reconnaissance, aerial fire support and precision targeting support missions. Since drones are much smaller than manned helicopters, a warship can carry more of them, the expert said. With more helicopter platforms in the sky covering more areas, the warship can gain much better situational awareness with more real-time battlefield intelligence, giving it an edge in making combat decisions, the expert said, noting that when armed with guns or missiles, the drone helicopters can also conduct high-risk strike missions that might be too dangerous for a manned helicopter. China has already launched two Type 075 amphibious assault ships, one in September 2019 and the other in April 2020. They are undergoing outfitting work at the Shanghai-based Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard. Also dubbed as helicopter carriers since their main characteristic is the usage of helicopters in amphibious landing missions, they are expected to play a vital role in missions such as safeguarding of territorial integrity and national sovereignty in areas like Taiwan Island and the South China Sea, analysts said. HK autonomy bill points gun at UK, US banking giants Global Times By GT staff reporters Source:Global Times Published: 2020/7/2 21:13:40 Last Updated: 2020/7/3 0:04:25 Obsolete imperialists using HK to prove existence: observer The US House's passage of a bill sanctioning banks doing businesses with Chinese officials, the latest bluffing response to China's implementation of the national security law for Hong Kong, is only a piece of waste paper, and the US knows deeply that it can achieve nothing in shaking China's determination to push forward the law, Chinese analysts said. The US House of Representatives passed the Hong Kong Autonomy Bill on Wednesday by unanimous consent, which would impose sanctions on foreign individuals and entities that materially contribute to China's "failure to preserve Hong Kong's autonomy," and would allow the US president to impose property-blocking sanctions on an individual or entity, visa-blocking sanctions on a named individual and prohibit a financial institution from receiving loans from a US financial institution. China firmly opposed the US House's passage of the bill and urged the US to stop advancing the negative bill, otherwise, China will resolutely counter it, and the US should bear all the consequences, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday's routine press briefing. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, on Thursday voiced strong condemnation of and firm opposition to the passage of the bill, and said the US'move has grossly interfered in China's internal affairs. The US bill is merely "bluffing rather than biting," Chinese analysts said, with some comparing it to a piece of waste paper on the damage it could do to China. It is likely that the US will first publish the list of Chinese officials whom they claimed are involved in the national security law legislation, and only banks which continue to do business with those officials afterward would be "fined," Gao Lingyun, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday. An anonymous expert close to a central government agency predicted that less than 10 Chinese officials and entities may be put on the list, including prominent figures in pro-establishment camps in Hong Kong as well as senior officials from the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and officials from the newly established Office for Safeguarding National Security of the central government in the HKSAR. Also, executives of some Chinese mainland-based financial institutions and state-owned enterprises may also be on the list, the expert noted. "Most Chinese officials are not businessmen and their needs for financial services are very limited. So the effect of the restrictive US bill is very marginal," Mei Xinyun, an expert close to China's Ministry of Commerce, told the Global Times on Thursday. Instead of depositing savings in foreign financial institutions, Mei suggested those officials could open accounts in banks based in the Chinese mainland - which are more immune to US sanctions compared to their foreign counterparts. "Chinese banks will probably not yield to US bullying as they could complete fundraising in the Chinese mainland," Mei explained. Shen Yi, a professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Fudan University in Shanghai, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the US dares not to take concrete steps in sanctioning China, and the new bill and even their possible follow-up measures will only be a show to its domestic residents for the purpose of the presidential campaign. "If the US government was being real on the Hong Kong sanctions, it would be like putting a gun to its own head, and the US knows that," Shen said. Shen said if the US means what it said, it would have firmly revoked the special status of Hong Kong and withdrawn all of its firms from Hong Kong, but "it cannot even touch any of these." "The Trump administration is now facing a dilemma on Hong Kong issues: On the one hand, it needs to take actions to maintain its dignity on the global stage. But on the other, there is no such way to 'sanction' China without hurting itself. The White House is running out of cards except verbally attacking China," Gao noted. Foreign firms stuck in limbo Mei said that the US legislation could further sink the credibility of certain foreign financial institutions, in particular US ones. "In light of the detention of Meng Wanzhou during which the London-headquartered bank HSBC played an important role in the relentless US crackdown on the Chinese tech company Huawei, we learn how financial institutions could serve as attack dogs for US government plots. So the legislation is more like raising the alert for the world to be careful in doing business with US banks," Mei noted. In June, HSBC announced mass layoffs of 35,000 jobs and froze almost all external hiring, after it was exposed to have had colluded with the US in its crackdown on Huawei that led to the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's Chief Financial Officer. Analysts said US and UK corporate giants, including HSBC, are caught in the crossfire between China and several Western nations on a wide range of issues and it is likely that they could be "in the fire" for a prolonged period, which dents their business prospects. As Meng's case is subject to prolonged judicial procedures and hangs in limbo, the new US legislation could further ramp up pressure on the embattled British bank, a Beijing-based market watcher surnamed Shen told the Global Times on Thursday. "HSBC as well as other financial institutions should separate politics from business and think twice before taking action. Kneeling to US hegemony may only spell an end to their businesses in the Chinese market," Shen noted. Foreign banks and financial institutions will not be scared away, by the bill, from doing businesses in Hong Kong or the Chinese mainland, as what they really care about is profit rather than politics, Shen Yi said. Hong Kong's benchmark the Hang Seng Index was unshaken by the bill, showing that foreign financial institutions are confident about Hong Kong, he said. The Hang Seng Index closed 2.85 percent higher on Thursday, the first trading day after the national security law for Hong Kong took effect in the city. The UK is the other spearhead in attacking the national security law for Hong Kong. It has claimed several times to extend residency rights and a path to citizenship for up to 3 million people in Hong Kong. On Wednesday, the spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Britain will continue to have a constructive relationship with Chinese companies working and investing in the country, but the strong ties between London and Beijing do not come at any price. Britain frequently used the Sino-British Joint Declaration as an excuse to interfere in Hong Kong's internal affairs, but China has reiterated that the declaration does not contain any words or clauses that entrust the UK with any responsibility for Hong Kong after its return to China in 1997, and the UK has "no sovereignty, governance or supervision over Hong Kong". Britain just wants to save face and indulge itself in old imperial dreams of being the suzerainty over Hong Kong although it is fully aware that it cannot change anything, Shen said. To the UK, it seems that it believed what it said equals to what it did, Shen Yi said. The international status of this old imperial country has declined so much that it has to use the global headline of Hong Kong affairs to prove its existence, and this is so ridiculous, Chinese analysts said. "I don't think other countries have any right to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, which have nothing to do with them," NPC standing committee member Tam Yiu-chung told the Global Times. As countries like the US all have their own national security laws, why are they unsatisfied with the Chinese government coming up with its own law to protect the "one country, two systems," within which "one country" always comes first? the official noted. Experts said all these reactions from countries like the UK and US have been within China's anticipations and will not shake the nation's determination in safeguarding national security in Hong Kong. PLA garrison in Hong Kong says to firmly support implementation of national security law in HKSAR PLA Daily Source: Xinhuanet Editor: Huang Panyue 2020-07-02 09:13:44 HONG KONG, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) said on Wednesday it firmly supports the promulgation and implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Stressing that national security is the cornerstone for a country's stability and the guarantee for the people's well-being, the spokesperson of the PLA garrison in Hong Kong said in a statement that the enactment of the law meets the shared aspiration of all those who love the country and Hong Kong. The law, which helps curb and punish crimes including secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security, "demonstrates our solemn position and strong will in safeguarding national security," said the statement released on Wednesday night. Members of the PLA garrison in Hong Kong will resolutely carry out the decisions and plans by the central authorities, fully implement the principle of "one country, two systems" and perform the defense duties in accordance with the law, it said. "We have the resolve, confidence and capability to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, as well as Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability," it said. China 'reserves right to retaliate' UK residency plan for Hong Kong citizens Iran Press TV Thursday, 02 July 2020 9:56 AM China says it may take countermeasures against a plan by the United Kingdom to grant residency to the citizens of Hong Kong, which London has designed as a response to Beijing's application of uniform national security law to the semi-autonomous city. "We firmly oppose this and reserve the right to take corresponding measures," China's Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming said on Thursday, a day after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke of the plan. "[It is] clear that all Chinese compatriots residing in Hong Kong are Chinese nationals, whether or not they are holders of the British Dependent Territories Citizens passport or the British National (Overseas) passport," Liu said. "If the British side makes unilateral changes to the relevant practice, it will breach its own position and pledges as well as international law," he added. The UK and a number of other Western countries have harshly criticized the new national security law for Hong Kong, which was enacted on Tuesday and which they say harms the city's semi-autonomous status. Johnson said during a speech to the British parliament on Wednesday that London would "introduce a new route" for those Hong Kong citizens with BN(O) passports to resettle in the UK. Currently, there are some 350,000 holders of the BN(O) passports in Hong Kong, and 2.6 million others living there are eligible for receiving such passports. Under the new policy, which is said to be due for implementation in the coming months, BN(O) passport holders and their dependents would be allowed to move to the UK for five years, and after a further year, they would be able to apply for British citizenship. The Chinese envoy also denounced the UK's criticism of the national security legislation as "irresponsible and unwarranted." "The UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of 'supervision' over Hong Kong," Ambassador Liu said. The new security legislation criminalizes sedition, secession, and subversion against mainland China, and allows Chinese national security institutions to operate in the city for the first time since 1997, when Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule. Anti-government protests erupted in Hong Kong after the law was proposed on May 22. On Tuesday, the city saw another protest over the enactment of the legislation. Chinese and Hong Kong authorities insist that the law would only target a minority of people, and have vowed to restore business confidence after a year of unrest in the city. Hong Kong was rocked by violent protests over another bill that would have reformed its extradition law last year. Rioters vandalized the city, destroying public and private property and attacking individuals deemed to be pro-government. Hong Kong dropped that bill, but the acts of violence continued. Bengaluru: The Karnataka Model of managing COVID-19 bubble burst within weeks of getting acknowledged by Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi, as the State is struggling to manage the growing number of patients as well as cremation of dead. Worst is that the experts are predicting a rapid outbreak of COVID-19 in the State, especially in Bengaluru city and estimating that Bengaluru alone may contribute 40,000 cases by the end of July. On Wednesday, the government has issued notice to 18 private hospitals for not admitting a patient, who later died near government hospital. Besides, two more patients also breathed their last, after they were denied admission in hospitals. Meanwhile, harrowing procedures are being followed while the government agencies are burying the dead patients. In Yadgir, a body was being dragged in an agricultural land, in Hospet, a body was transported on bicycle. Even in Bengaluru, all the norms were thrown into the air and even the PPE kits were disposed of in burial grounds, surrounded by residential areas. After the media started airing the harrowing tales, the government is blaming the media for creating panic among the people. In some of the cases, where the patients died at home, the bodies wrapped in plastic sheets are kept on streets till the vehicles arrive for transportation. Though the government has spoken to all the private hospitals over starting COVID_19 treatments, most of the hospitals are not yet equipped to admit the patients. On June 30, one Mr Bhavarial was taken to many private hospitals by his son for ILI like symptoms. However, none of the hospitals admitted him and he died near Bowring hospital. The government has now issued notice to Fortis, Mahaveer Jain, Suguna, Manipal, Brindavan, Raghavendra, Vikram, Sakra and government run Bowring hospitals for not adhering to Sections 11 and 11 A of KPME Act, 2017. Though the government claims that Victoria hospital alone has over 1200 beds, it can actually accommodate only around 650 patients. Rest of the beds are required for staff, who work day and night as well as quarantining the staff. Same is the case of Bowring as well as Jayanagar hospitals. Now, the government has asked the private hospitals to reserve 50% of the beds for COVID-19 patients. Though the hospitals have agreed for the same, they need at least one week's time to equip their hospitals for handing Coronavirus. Meanwhile, the government handling the dead bodies also has come under severe criticism. In Bengaluru, most of the burial grounds are surrounded by residential areas. After coming under fire, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mr B Sriramulu assured that the government would make arrangements for burial of the deceased due to COVID-19, in the outskirts of Bengaluru. On Thursday, Bengaluru Urban DC Mr Shivamurthy tweeted that the government has identified over 35 acres of land around Bengaluru city, spreading across nine locations. These places would be converted exclusively to cremate the patients dying due to COVID-19. However, there are multiple problems in taking over these lands overnight, which include encroachment on these lands. The government needs at least one week time to clear all the problems and notify the land properly before starting to cremate bodies here. With experts predicting grim picture ahead and the pandemic fighting system on shaky grounds, the government has decided to put asymptomatic cases under home quarantine. China Hits Back at International Moves Sparked by Hong Kong Security Law 2020-07-02 -- China on Thursday hit back at international criticism of its draconian new security law for Hong Kong, saying that the city's residents are under its jurisdiction, indicating that may not be allowed to leave. After the U.K. announced it would extend residency rights and offer a pathway to citizenship for up to three million of the city's seven million residents, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in London said Beijing "firmly opposed" the move. "We firmly oppose this and reserve the right to take corresponding measures," it said in a statement. "We urge the British side to view objectively and fairly the national security legislation for Hong Kong, respect China's position and concerns, refrain from interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any way." The spokesman said the U.K. had broken its promise not to offer right of abode to Hongkongers made in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration governing the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to Chinese rule. "It is made clear in [an interpretation of China's nationality law by Beijing's National People's Congress (NPC) standing committee] that all Chinese compatriots residing in Hong Kong are Chinese nationals, whether or not they are holders of the British Dependent Territories Citizens passport or the British National (Overseas) passport," the spokesman said. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said no amount of pressure from external forces could "shake China's determination and will to safeguard national sovereignty and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability." His comments came after the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday joined the Senate in approving a bill to impose sanctions on groups that undermined the city's autonomy or restrict the freedoms promised to Hongkongers. "China will definitely take strong countermeasures [if the bill becomes law], and all consequences will be borne by the U.S. side," Zhao told a regular news briefing in Beijing. Pro-independence flag waver arrested U.K. foreign secretary Dominic Raab said there would be little his government could do if Chinese were to prevent Hong Kong residents from leaving the city. "Ultimately we need to be honest that we wouldn't be able to force China to allow BNOs to come to the UK," he said. Thousands of protesters marched against the security law on Wednesday in defiance of a protest ban by police, who arrested 10 people under the new law, one of whom was waving a pro-independence flag. The law takes aim at actions that occurred during anti-government protests last year. It says destruction of government facilities and utilities would be considered subversive, while damaging public transportation facilities and arson would constitute acts of terrorism. It brings a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for offenses that could include "causing the people of Hong Kong to have misgivings about [the government]," and theoretically applies to anyone on the planet, regardless of the legal jurisdiction they live under. Hong Kong police arrested a man on a London-bound flight on Thursday on suspicion of having stabbed a police officer in the arm during Wednesday's protests. The 24-year-old man, surnamed Wong, was arrested on a Cathay Pacific flight after police received an anonymous tip-off about his travel plans, government broadcaster RTHK reported. U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that imposition of the law was a "clear and serious breach" of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the treaty under which China promised Hong Kong could run its own affairs and enjoy its traditional freedoms of speech and association for at least 50 years after the handover. 'Irresponsible and unwarranted' The Foreign Office summoned Chinese Ambassador Liu Xiaoming on Wednesday to a meeting with Permanent Secretary Simon McDonald. Liu said the U.K.'s remarks were "irresponsible and unwarranted." "The Chinese side urges the UK side to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs, which are internal affairs of China," he said. The row escalated as the U.K. granted political asylum to former British consulate staff member Simon Cheng, who reported being tortured by mainland Chinese police in Shenzhen at the height of last year's protest movement in Hong Kong. Cheng said he believed he would be accused, under the new security law, of colluding with foreign forces and that he would be sent to the mainland for trial if he returned to Hong Kong. U.K. foreign minister Raab said on Wednesday that the U.K. would live up to its responsibilities to the people of Hong Kong. However, Hongkongers who were born after 1997 aren't eligible, leaving many of the city's young student activists left vulnerable to arrest and political prosecution. Around 2.9 million people are believed to be eligible for the BNO immigration pathway, as well as their immediate dependents. Australia said it could offer tens of thousands of 'safe haven' visas to Hong Kong residents who want to fleet he city, with prime minister Scott Morrison saying that his government is "very actively" considering such a plan. Reported by Wu Hoi-man and Fok Leung-kiu for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Copyright 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. US Senate Passes Bill to Sanction Banks Over Hong Kong Security Law Sputnik News 16:30 GMT 02.07.2020(updated 17:02 GMT 02.07.2020) The new national security bill that penalises secession, subversion and terrorism in the special administrative region was adopted by Chinese lawmakers and signed by President Xi Jinping on 30 June. The US Senate passed a bill on Tuesday sanctioning banks that do business with those Chinese officials who implement Beijing's new national security law on Hong Kong, sending it to the White House for President Donald Trump's signature. "The United States must stand with the people of Hong Kong and that's what this bill says. This bill says we stand with the people of Hong Kong," Senator Chris Van Hollen, one of the leading sponsors of the legislation, said ahead of the vote. Senator Pat Toomey stated that by passing the legislation, "the US Senate makes clear which side we are on". The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate a day after the House of Representatives also passed it without opposition. On 30 June, China's National People's Congress (NPC) voted unanimously in support of the new national security law for Hong Kong. The new law bans secessionist, subversive, and terrorist activities, as well as any form of foreign interference in Hong Kong, which previously received special accommodation from the US. The legislation has been criticised by a number of states. On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the recent enactment of China's National Security Law is a clear violation of the Joint Declaration on Hong Kong. The prime minister stated that the UK would introduce a new route for those with British National Overseas Status to enter the country, granting them limited leave to remain, with the ability to live and work in the UK and thereafter to apply for citizenship. Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated earlier on Thursday that the country is "actively considering" offering safe haven to Hong Kong residents following the enactment of the law on national security. A Sputnik US Senate Passes Bill Targeting Entities Over China's Hong Kong Security Law By VOA News July 02, 2020 The U.S. Senate approved a bill Thursday that would penalize individuals or companies for conducting business with Chinese officials responsible for implementing Beijing's new national security law on Hong Kong. The Republican-led Senate unanimously passed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act one day after the Democratic majority House approved the measure without opposition. The approvals were a rare display of bipartisan support in the face of an erosion of autonomy in Hong Kong, a former British colony that prospered as China's most democratic city and a global financial hub. The measure, which now goes to President Donald Trump to be signed into law, would impose mandatory sanctions on people or entities that materially contribute to China's failure to preserve Hong Kong's autonomy. The bill would also sanction financial institutions that do business with those individuals or entities. US Condemns New Chinese Security Law in Hong Kong U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that China's newly enacted Hong Kong national security law was "an affront to all nations" and that Washington was taking steps to end special permissions for the Chinese region. "The United States is deeply concerned about the law's sweeping provisions and the safety of everyone living in the territory, including Americans," Pompeo said. The Chinese legislature, the National People's Congress, adopted the national security law for Hong Kong on Tuesday, a day before the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule. The law recommends harsh penalties for vaguely defined crimes such as "collusion with foreign countries." Crimes such as damaging public transportation could be considered terrorist activity punishable by life in prison. Legal analysts say it effectively ends political freedoms that long allowed Hong Kong residents to publicly express their political views and helped transform the territory into an international business hub. "Article 38 of the new law also purports to apply to offenses committed outside of Hong Kong by nonresidents of Hong Kong, and this likely includes Americans. This is outrageous and an affront to all nations," Pompeo said. Nike Ching contributed to this report. Head of national security office in HK soon 'to be announced' Global Times By Yang Sheng and Chen Qingqing Source:Global Times Published: 2020/7/3 0:03:40 Central govt agency 'an intelligence and law enforcement body' Government agencies newly established in accordance with the national security law for Hong Kong will soon be activated, as the secretary-general for the national security committee in Hong Kong has been appointed, and observers said that the head of the central government's national security office in Hong Kong will also be announced very soon, as the need for law enforcement is urgent. The new office with high authority will work with existing central government institutions, including the central government liaison office and the foreign ministry commissioner's office, as well as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Garrison in Hong Kong, to jointly safeguard national security through intelligence sharing and analysis, experts said. The State Council, China's cabinet, on Thursday appointed Chan Kwok-ki as secretary-general of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Xinhua News Agency reported. In accordance with stipulations of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR, Chan was appointed upon nomination by HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam, as well as the chairperson of the new committee for national security affairs in Hong Kong. After unveiling the appointment of the secretary-general of the HKSAR committee for safeguarding national security, appointments for other officials in charge of relevant agencies would also be announced soon, as some cases have been identified as offenses under the national security law for Hong Kong, and authorities would also advance future work, Tam Yiu-chung, an NPC standing committee member from the HKSAR, told the Global Times on Thursday. Analysts from the Chinese mainland noted that since the law was enacted two days ago, personnel and relevant agencies should be prepared as soon as possible, and the head of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR and the National Security Adviser of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR would be announced on Friday or over the weekend. Under the law, the Department of Justice of the HKSAR shall also establish a specialized division to prosecute offenses endangering national security and other related legal work, while the Hong Kong Police Force shall establish a department to safeguard national security with law enforcement capacity. Tam noted that the working mechanism for the law will soon be established and finalized, which would help handle situations on a case-to-case basis. A more powerful office According to the new law, the central government national security office in Hong Kong shall establish a mechanism of coordinating with the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR, chaired by the chief executive, to oversee and provide guidance on the work of the HKSAR for safeguarding national security. Tian Feilong, a legal expert on Hong Kong affairs at Beihang University in Beijing, said on Thursday that as the representative of the central government for national security affairs in the city, the office will oversee the committee's operations, and no institution or individual in the HKSAR can oversee the office, which means the office has the highest authority in the field of national security affairs in the city. "Office staff shall abide by the laws of the HKSAR as well as national laws. They shall be subject to the supervision of national supervisory authorities in accordance with the law," the national security law for Hong Kong stipulates. Li Xiaobing, an expert on Hong Kong affairs at Nankai University in Tianjin, told the Global Times on Thursday that the committee chaired by the chief executive is a decision-making and policy-making body on national security affairs of the HKSAR government, while the central government's national security office is an intelligence and law enforcement agency. According to the law, the office staff shall be dispatched by relevant national security authorities under the central people's government. Observers noted that the staff could mainly come from the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and the Ministry of State Security (MSS). Coordination in HK According to the law, the new law shall strengthen working relations and cooperation with the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR, and the Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese PLA. Observers said the new office will fill the gap of safeguarding national security in the HKSAR and will make the central government's governance over the city more mature and comprehensive. Some Hong Kong media outlets predicted that the head of the office would likely be a vice minister from the MPS. Tian said the three offices and the PLA garrison are not subject to each other, but will all be led by the central government, so their relationship would be coordinative and cooperative in nature, and they will work together in information sharing, research and analysis over specific threats or situations. Li Xiaobing said, "Foreign affairs, national defense and national security are in the hands of the central government, and cooperation among these three central government offices in the HKSAR as well as the PLA garrison would be a nightmare for foreign forces." That's why some politicians and officials of Western countries, especially the US, are getting nervous, and Western media and some local Hong Kong media keep hyping the criticism of the law by saying that the central government is killing the "one country, two systems" and undermining the judicial independence of the HKSAR, Li noted. Tian said criticism from Western politicians and some media outlets are boring as they have nothing new to say. Most Hong Kong residents, as well as local and foreign elites doing business in the city, such as the real estate tycoons and foreign banks, do not share this criticism. They even welcome the law as it can create a stable environment for economic recovery, Tian said. Those who are getting nervous or being groundlessly critical of the law know that they have done or are doing something that could be punishable by the new law, and some of them might not be able to think independently because of their biased and senseless mind-set. "No need to refute them again and again," Tian said, "It's just wasting time." India Approves Purchase of 33 Fighter Jets, Including Su-30MKI, Worth $2.5 Billion From Russia Sputnik News 12:22 GMT 02.07.2020 New Delhi (Sputnik): As the Indian Air Force has faced a shortage of fighter jets since its old fleet of aircraft retired, the government has adopted a two-pronged strategy for a midlife overhaul of existing planes and the induction of new ones. Amid a rising military build-up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian Defence Ministry approved a long-pending procurement worth around $5.2 billion for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Army on Thursday. The Defence Acquisition Council under the chairmanship of minister Rajnath Singh accorded approval for the purchase of 21 MiG-29s along with the upgrade of 59 existing MiG-29 aircraft as well as the procurement of 12 Su-30 MKI aircraft. "Addressing the long felt need of the Indian Air Force to increase its fighter squadrons, the DAC also approved the proposal for procurement of 21 MIG-29 along with upgradation of existing 59 Mig-29 aircraft and procurement of 12 Su-30 MKI aircraft. While the MIG 29 procurement and upgradation from Russia is estimated to cost Rs 7418 Cr [$991 million], the Su-30 MKI will be procured from HAL [Hindustan Aeronautics Limited] at an estimated cost of Rs 10730 Cr [$1.43 billion]", the Defence Ministry said in a statement. The council also decided to induct more Pinaka multi-barrel rockets, a BMP armament upgrade, and Software-Defined Radios, which will cost around $2.7 billion. "These procurement include Pinaka ammunitions, BMP armament upgrades and Software Defined Radios for the Army, Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile Systems and Astra Missiles for Navy and Air Force. The cost of these Design and Development proposals is in the range of $2.7 billion", the ministry added. While the acquisition of Pinaka missile systems will enable raising additional regiments over and above the ones already inducted, the addition of Long Range Land Attack Missile Systems having a firing range of 1,000 km to the existing arsenal will bolster the attack capabilities of the Navy and the Air Force. Similarly, the induction of Astra Missiles, having a Beyond Visual Range capability, will serve as a force multiplier and immensely add to the strike capability of the Navy and Air Force, the Defence Ministry emphasised. India and Russia have been negotiating the purchase of MiG-29 and Su-30MKI aircraft since last year. In 2019, a top-level Indian Air Force (IAF) team visited a Russian facility to check the MiG-29 fighter jets; later, it submitted a favourable report to the IAF headquarters. IAF head Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria said in the past that the additional Sukhoi-30MKI fighters would be built by HAL at the Nasik facility in the southern Indian state of Maharashtra. The massive purchase plan was approved amid a border escalation with China, even though a series of high-level meetings have been conducted to resolve the issue in the Galwan Valley. At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a brutal clash with the People's Liberation Army on 15 June, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that his country would not forget their killing. A Sputnik Warrant and Complaint Seek Seizure of All Iranian Gasoil Aboard Four Tankers Headed to Venezuela Based on Connection to IRGC FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, July 2, 2020 A forfeiture complaint and warrant were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that all petroleum-product cargo aboard the Bella with international maritime organization (IMO) number 9208124, the Bering with IMO number 9149225, the Pandi with IMO number 9105073, and the Luna with IMO number 9208100 are subject to forfeiture based on the terrorism forfeiture statute. John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General, National Security Division; Michael R. Sherwin, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Steven W. Cagen, Special Agent in Charge, Denver, Colorado, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Rainer S. Drolshagen, Special Agent in Charge, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement today. The documents allege a scheme involving multiple parties affiliated with the IRGC to covertly ship Iranian gasoil, obtained via ship-to-ship transfers, to Venezuela. The shipments are alleged to be a "source of influence" for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organization. The documents allege that profits from petroleum sales support the IRGC's full range of nefarious activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism, and a variety of human rights abuses, at home and abroad. There are approximately 302,502 barrels of Iranian gasoline currently on board the Bella, approximately 302,522 barrels of Iranian gasoline currently on board the Bering, approximately 259,700 barrels of Iranian gasoline currently on board the Luna, and approximately 298,484 barrels of Iranian gasoline currently on board the Pandi. United States District Judge James E. Boasberg issued a warrant to seize all Iranian gasoline on these four vessels, based on a probable cause showing of forfeitability. The warrant commands the property to be brought to the sole jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. A warrant for arrest and civil forfeiture complaint are merely allegations. The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government. Funds successfully forfeited based on terrorism authorities are in part directed to the the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (http://www.usvsst.com/). In announcing the forfeiture complaint, Assistant Attorney General Demers, Acting U.S. Attorney Sherwin, Special Agent in Charge Cagen, and Special Agent in Charge Drolshagen commended the work of those who investigated the case from HSI and FBI. Finally, they acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia Faruqui, Brian Hudak, and Stuart Allen; National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, Deputy Chief Elizabeth Cannon and Trial Attorney David Lim; and U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia Paralegal Liz Swienc and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick. Attachment(s): Download ecf_1_filed_complaint.pdf Topic(s): Counterintelligence and Export Control National Security Component(s): National Security Division (NSD) USAO - District of Columbia Press Release Number: 20-617 Russia: US bid to extend Iran embargo compromises JCPOA Iran Press TV Thursday, 02 July 2020 8:57 PM Russia says the United States' controversial bid to extend an arms embargo on Iran that is expected to expire under Tehran's nuclear deal with world countries jeopardizes the prospect of the agreement's continued preservation. Speaking on Thursday, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the US push was "not only unjustified but also counterproductive in terms of the prospects of preserving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," Russia's Sputnik news agency reported. She was referring by official name to the landmark deal that was reached between Iran and the P5+1 group -- the US, Britain, France, Russia, and China plus Germany -- in 2015 in Vienna. In May 2018, US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of the JCPOA and later re-imposed the sanctions that had been lifted against Tehran on the back of the deal. The US's intransigence flew in the face of the fact that the deal has been ratified by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in the form of its Resolution 2231. Although it is no longer a party to the deal, Washington has recently launched a campaign to renew the embargo on the sales of conventional weapons to the Islamic Republic that will expire under the JCPOA in October. To try and rationalize its bid, the US says it is still "named" as a JCPOA partner in the Resolution. Tehran and other JCPOA partners say Washington, due to its unilateral withdrawal, has forfeited all rights to have any say in the agreement. The US recently served the UNSC with a draft resolution on extension of the arms embargo, with American Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft saying Washington will push the Council to vote on the draft as soon as mid-July. Washington has threatened to force a "snapback" of all sanctions against Iran if its drive to renew the arms embargo failed. Addressing a virtual UNSC meeting on Tuesday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the United States was an "outlaw bully" that the world body should not surrender to, warning that giving in to Washington's pressure threatens to restore the "law of the jungle." "The international community in general, and the United Nations Security Council, in particular, are facing an important decision," he said. "Do we maintain respect for the rule of law or do we return to the law of the jungle by surrendering to the whims of an outlaw bully?" the top diplomat asked. Russia and China's UN envoys also berated Washington, the former, Vasily Nebenzia, warning about an "uncontrollable escalation" as the United States kept up the push, and the latter, Zhang Jun, underlining that "having quit the JCPOA, the US is no longer a participant and has no right to trigger a snapback at the Security Council." AEOI: Natanz incident causing no work stoppage, slowdown at facility Iran Press TV Thursday, 02 July 2020 5:05 PM The spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says an incident hitting the country's Natanz nuclear facility early Thursday has caused no stoppage or slowdown of enrichment work at the facility, because the affected shed was actually under construction and not part of the enrichment process yet. Behrouz Kamalvandi made the remarks in an interview on Thursday evening regarding the incident that is currently under investigation for causing material damage to the inactive shed that is located in an open area of the Natanz site. His remarks came hours after an informed Iranian security official told Press TV that there was no evidence to show that the incident has been an act of intentional sabotage. Kamalvandi said, "The incident took place at about 02:00 local time this morning and caused no loss of life," adding, "We have many open-space sheds at Shahid Ahmadi Roshan enrichment complex. Our enrichment activities are mostly done underground." "Our open-space sheds do different things. This was one of those sheds, which was under construction. We have material damage, but no loss of life," he added. Kamalvandi refuted reports about possible radioactive contamination following the incident, saying, "Contrary to the false propaganda by enemy and counterrevolutionary media, no contamination has occurred because there has been no nuclear material in this shed." "Our [nuclear] activities are being carried out without stoppage and in the best possible form in this important facility and enrichment of [nuclear] material continues." Elsewhere in his interview, Kamalvandi emphasized that experts were investigating the cause of the incident and assessing the extent of the damage done to this shed. "Since our main enrichment work is not done here, we will face no problem and no work stoppage or slowdown," he concluded. The security official, who was speaking to Press TV on condition of anonymity earlier in the day, also affirmed that the incident is under thorough examination by expert teams from the AEOI. He likewise ruled out the notion of contamination, saying the affected site did not contain any radioactive material, adding that none of the AEOI's personnel were present there at the time of the incident. Natanz is a uranium enrichment center located in the city of the same name in Isfahan Province, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of the capital, Tehran. It is among the sites now being monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers. The IAEA, meanwhile, announced that it was aware of the incident, but did not foresee any change to the UN nuclear watchdog's regular verification of Iran's commitments to the body's Safeguards Agreement as a result of the development. The Safeguards Agreement between Iran and the IAEA ensures non-diversion of nuclear material declared by the Islamic Republic. Official: No evidence to show that Natanz incident was deliberate act Iran Press TV Thursday, 02 July 2020 12:46 PM An informed Iranian security official says there is no evidence to show that an incident earlier today at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility has been an act of intentional sabotage. The official, who spoke to Press TV on the condition of anonymity on Thursday, further added that a thorough investigation is currently underway to determine the exact cause of the incident at Natanz facility. The security official's remarks came after the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, said earlier the same day that the incident at Natanz facility had caused no damage to the main uranium enrichment facility. "One of the sheds under construction in the open area of the Natanz site suffered damage this morning following an incident that is being investigated," he noted. According to Kamalvandi, the incident caused no casualties and did not affect the activities at the complex. The Iranian official also ruled out the possibility of contamination in the aftermath of the incident, saying expert teams of the AEOI were present at the scene to investigate its causes. He emphasized that the damaged site was inactive and did not contain any radioactive material and none of the personnel of the AEOI were present there. "Of course, there has been material damage to the site and we are currently assessing the damage," Kamalvandi said. Natanz is a uranium enrichment center located in the city of the same name in Esfahan Province, some 250 kilometers south of the capital, Tehran. It is among the sites now being monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency under a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and five other countries. Iran investigating cause behind Natanz nuclear facility incident: Kamalvandi Iran Press TV Thursday, 02 July 2020 9:15 AM Iran has reported an incident at the Natanz nuclear complex in the central part of the country, but there has been no damage to the main uranium enrichment facility. The spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, said Thursday that "one of the sheds under construction in the open area of the Natanz site suffered damage this morning following an incident that is being investigated." This incident caused no casualties and did not affect the activities at the complex, said Kamalvandi, without elaborating on the nature of the incident. The Iranian official ruled out the possibility of contamination in the aftermath of the incident, saying expert teams of the AEOI were present at the scene to investigate its causes. Natanz is a uranium enrichment center located in the city of the same name in Esfahan Province, some 250 kilometers south of the capital, Tehran. It is among the sites now being monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency under a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and five other countries. BANGALORE: While the number of COVID positive cases keep rising across Karnataka, doctors at several hospitals are facing the brunt of governments apathy as they continue to work despite the shortage of protective gears. A doctor assigned to treat COVID-19 patients at the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) tested positive on July 3. According to sources, last week, she raised an alarm with the hospital administration about the shortage of N-95 masks and faulty PPE kits. However, the hospital authorities shunned and chastised the doctor, compelling her to buy N-95 masks to continue performing her duty. NON PAYMENT OF STIPEND FOR 16 MONTHS Due to non-payment of stipend for the last 16 months, over 133 postgraduate students at KCET and 97 medical interns at the privately-owned medical college JJMMC, Davangere, have gone on an indefinite hunger strike. Dr Nidhi, a junior resident doctor, said that the fees for junior doctors is Rs 85,000 per year while the postgraduate students pay between Rs 5 and Rs 7 lakh every year. We are asking for our right to be paid. There has been a hike in the stipend across the state but we have not even been paid. According to the old order, the government has to pay us Rs 20,000 every month. We have entered the fourth day of the strike, she said. The students stated that medical education minister, Dr Sudhakar, even on his visit to Davangere and during an interaction with the medical students in Bengaluru, only gave a verbal assurance and nothing else. On July 3, the Davangere branch of the Indian Medical Association extended its support to the protesting students but asked them not to refrain from COVID-19 duties. STATE INCHES CLOSE TO 20K MARK On July 3, 1,694 COVID-19 cases were identified, taking the total number of cases in the state to 19,710. Twenty new deaths were also reported. Henceforth, all asymptomatic COVID-19 patients admitted at COVID Care Centre must undergo temperature screening with thermal scanners. Their blood pressure and blood sugar levels would also be tested. All asymptomatic persons (with body temperature less than 37.5 degrees Celsius) shall be shifted directly to COVID Care Center (CCC), except patients with co-morbid conditions and who are above the age of 50. Pregnant women, lactating mothers and children below the age of 10 are also exempted. Breaking News: Iran Official Says No Casualties, Serious Damages In 'Accident' At Natanz Nuclear Facility Radio Farda July 02, 2020 Quoting the Spokesman of Iran's Atomic Energy Agency, Behrouz Kamalvandi, local news agencies on Thursday morning reported an "accident" in an "industrial shed" under construction within the grounds of Natanz nuclear facility". Kamalvandi said the "accident" had caused no disruption to the activities of the facility and had no casualties. The cause of the incident is under investigation, he said and added that there is no cause for concern about nuclear pollution because the site of the accident was not in active use. The nature and the cause of the accident is not clear at this time. The spokesman said that the accident occurred at a construction site and did not impact the uranium enrichment facility in operation. According to Kamalvandi the incident was under investigation and the chief of the Atomic Agency, Ali-Akbar Salehi, was present at the scene. In April, Ali-Akbar Salehi, Head of the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran, announced that a new generation of centrifuges was going to be unveiled at Natanz nuclear plant where uranium enrichment takes place. On Friday 26 June an explosion happened at Khojir region in the east of the capital close to Parchin military facilities where Iran's ballistic missiles are produced. The explosion at Khojir happened in the early morning hours and a massive orange light lit the skies which was seen by thousands and even captured on video and images. Iranian authorities claimed the explosion had occurred at Parchin, not Khojir. Satellite images later confirmed the location was Khojir. They also attributed the incident to the explosion of gas tanks at a gas storage facility in the "public area" of Parchin. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/breaking- news-iran-nuclear-official-says-no-casualtie s-serious-damages-in-accident-at- natanz-nuclear-facility-/30702023.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Iran Says Natanz Nuclear Facility Not Damaged Despite 'Incident' By RFE/RL July 02, 2020 Iran says there has been an "incident" at one of its nuclear facilities monitored by the UN's atomic agency, but there was no damage to the site. Iran's Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behruz Kamalvandi said the incident occurred early on July 2 at the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility in central Iran where a building under construction, described as an "industrial shed," was damaged, though there was no impact on its centrifuge facility. There was no previously announced construction work at Natanz, the Islamic republic's main uranium enrichment center located some 250 kilometers south of Tehran, which includes underground facilities built under some 7.6 meters of concrete to offer protection from air strikes. "The incident did not cause any casualties and did not damage the current activities of this complex," Kamalvandi was quoted as saying by several Iranian media outlets including the state-run IRNA news agency. The affected building was above ground and not part of the enrichment facility itself, Kamalvandi said, adding that there was "no need for concern" over the incident, which was being investigated by experts from the organization. Natanz is among the sites now monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in May 2018. Iran now is breaking all the production limits set by the deal, but still allows IAEA inspectors and cameras to watch its nuclear sites. Currently, the IAEA says Iran enriches uranium to about 4.5 percent purity, above the terms of the nuclear deal, but far below weapons-grade levels of 90 percent. Natanz was at the center of a dispute last year as Iranian officials refused to allow an IAEA inspector into the facility in October after allegedly testing positive for suspected traces of explosive nitrates. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, Tasnim, and IRNA Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-says-natanz-nuclear -facility-not-damaged-despite-early- morning-incident-/30702053.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Khamenei Assures Student That Criticism Is OK. But Later He's Sentenced For Criticizing The Iranian Leader By Golnaz Esfandiari July 02, 2020 Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei assured a doctoral student in a 2016 meeting that there was nothing wrong with criticizing the country's top official. "Speaking against me is neither [reprimandable] nor is it a crime, I've said it many times," Khamenei said at the July 2, 2016, meeting with a group of handpicked students, including Mohammad Ali Kamfiruzi. The young student had directly confronted Khamenei over rights abuses in the Islamic republic, including violating people's freedom of expression. Four years later, the former student who became a lawyer has been given a two-year suspended prison sentence for offering mild criticism of Khamenei in a 2018 speech. Kamfiruzi -- whose father was a Basij fighter killed in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War -- has also been ordered to make 60 trips to Shiraz, his hometown, within five years to report to the intelligence branch of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), whose commanders are appointed by Khamenei. Feared Unit Kamfiruzi thinks the feared unit is the one who pushed for his sentence. Kamfiruzi published details of his case earlier this week on Twitter. There he said the IRGC's feared intelligence branch had been pursuing him for the "last three or four years." The IRGC's intelligence unit has detained many activists, journalists, environmentalists, and dual citizens in recent years. Kamfiruzi said he was convicted by a Revolutionary Court in Shiraz of insulting Iran's highest authority based on two sentences in a speech he made in the south-central city two years ago to mark Students Day. "The performance of the leader can also be criticized when it comes to the rights and freedoms of citizens," is the first one and the second: "It is regrettable if the leader is not aware of the violations of citizen's rights [in some of the bodies under his supervision] and if he's aware and does not take action it is 100 times more unfortunate." The case highlights the high-level of state repression in Iran, where even those loyal to the Islamic republic -- which includes Kamifiruzi -- are being prosecuted for speaking their mind and criticizing the country's security apparatus. In his 2016 meeting with Khamenei, a video of which was posted on the leader's website, Kamifiruzi highlighted a long list of rights violations -- including pressure on the press and student publications -- and the state media's defamation of critics and former government officials, an apparent reference to opposition figures Mir Hossein Musavi and his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, as well as reformist cleric Mehdi Karrubi. All of them have been living under house arrest since 2011. 'My Father Was Martyred' Kamifiruzi concluded his remarks -- which have received so much attention -- by asking Khamenei how the establishment should deal with people like him who are "attached" to the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the establishment but are critical of some repressive policies and social ills. "I was three years old when my father was martyred. I have no doubt that if -- God forbid -- one day any foreign power has [bad intentions] towards Iran, I would be the first person to go to the front lines to defend this [Islamic] establishment and Iran's territorial integrity," he said. "Despite supporting you stances regarding hostility towards [the United States] and economic justice, I oppose some of your views regarding the domestic politics of the work of some of the bodies under your control," Kamirfiruzi added, calling on the supreme leader to "please tell me how the establishment should deal with me and people like me." In recent years, those criticizing Khamenei have been detained, pressured, tortured, and sent to jail. Some of them -- namely Musavi, Rahnavard, and Karrubi -- have been put under house arrest with limited contact with the outside world and amid reports of their deteriorating health. Despite the pressure, criticism of the leader who has the last say on all matters in Iran has been on the rise, with many chanting against him or calling him a dictator in recent street protests in the capital, Tehran, and other cities. In recent months a number of activists have also issued public letters calling on Khamenei to resign. Khamenei has not ever publicly reacted to the criticism. And despite what he told Kamifiruzi, it apparently will not be tolerated. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/khamenei-assures-student- that-criticism-is-ok-but-later-he-s-sentenced-for- criticizing-iranian-leader-/30703005.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Sweden Says Iran Agrees To Compensate Families From Downing Of Ukrainian Airliner By RFE/RL July 02, 2020 Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde says Iran has agreed that it will compensate the families of foreign victims who died when a Ukrainian airliner was shot down after taking off from Tehran's main airport in January, killing all 176 people on board. "We have signed an agreement of mutual understanding that we will now negotiate with Iran about amends, compensation to the victims' next of kin," Linde told the Swedish news agency TT, adding the agreement was reached following talks with ministers from the countries affected by the crash. It was unclear what sums would be paid out and when. Iran has said in the past that it wants to negotiate directly with the victims' families. Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was heading to Kyiv when it was shot down by Iran's air defenses on January 8 in what Iranian officials eventually acknowledged was a "mistake." Many of the 176 victims were Iranian-Canadians, but there were also nationals of Afghanistan, Britain, Sweden, and Ukraine on board. Iranian forces had been on high alert at the time of the tragedy, which came hours after Iran launched missile strikes on an Iraqi military base housing U.S. troops. The Iranian strikes were carried out in response to the killing of a top Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani, in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad airport. With reporting by dpa and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/sweden-says-iran -agrees-to-compensate-families-from-downing- of-ukrainian-airliner/30702991.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Iran Nuclear Spokesman Confirms 'Incident' Near Natanz Nuclear Site Sputnik News 07:28 GMT 02.07.2020(updated 08:10 GMT 02.07.2020) The facility in Natanz in the central Iranian province of Isfahan is the country's primary uranium enrichment facility. Iran began expanding its enrichment programme after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal, which curbed the Islamic Republic's nuclear ambitions in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. An under-construction building near the Natanz nuclear power plant was damaged in an "incident" on Thursday morning, state news agency IRNA reports, citing a spokesman for Iran's nuclear energy agency. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokersman for the Atomic Energy Organisation, said the plant's reactor wasn't damaged and there were no casualties. Kamalvandi said the damaged building was a "warehouse" but did not go into further detail. He said the nuclear plant is "operating as usual", as quoted by IRNA, while authorities are investigating. There has been no word of construction works at Natanz of late. The country's primary enrichment facility is located some 250 km south of Tehran and is monitored by international inspectors as part of Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers. Iran began gradually boosting uranium enrichment, including at Natanz, in response to the US quitting the landmark deal and reinstating crippling sanctions on the Islamic Republic. According to a June report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran's stockpile of low-enriched uranium the basic fuel for nuclear power reactors surpassed 1,570 kilograms, up from 1,020 kilograms in February and well above the 202.8-kg limit set in the nuclear deal. The report stated that Iran has also been enriching uranium to a purity of up 10 4.5 percent, above the allowed 3.67-cap. Iran maintains that is has no goal of developing nuclear weapons and its nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful in nature. Tehran frames the roll-back of its JCPOA commitments as a means to exert pressure on the European signatories to the deal, which it says failed to shield the country from US pressure. A Sputnik This Week in Iran Policy Fact Sheet Office of the Spokesperson July 2, 2020 "It is certainly a full-fledged diplomatic effort that we're engaged in to convince the world that this is the right outcome not just for the United States, but go talk to our partners in Saudi Arabia or the Emirates and Kuwait. They know, too, that if Iran is allowed to become an arms merchant again, instability in the Middle East will flow." Secretary Pompeo, Remarks to the Press, July 1, 2020 PLEASE SEE NEW VIDEO ON IRAN ARMS EMBARGO HERE. SECRETARY POMPEO'S REMARKS AT STATE DEPARTMENT PODIUM BRIEFING, JULY 1. I want to note three brutal honor killings that have taken place in Iran: 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi, 19-year-old Fatemeh Barhi, and 22-year-old Rayhaneh Ameri. Two were beheaded and one was beaten to death with an iron bar at the hands of relatives. For 40 years, corrupt Iranian leaders have condoned murder, dehumanized women, and ignored cries for justice. When will they stop this unspeakable wicked assault on human dignity? Staying on Iran: As many of you saw yesterday, I spoke to the UN Security Council, urging them to retain the 13-year-old arms embargo on Iran. These restrictions, as a result of the failed JCPOA, are set to expire in October. If Iran is allowed to buy weapons from the likes of China and Russia, more civilians in the Middle East will die at the hands of the regime and its proxies. It's that straightforward. Tehran will become an arms dealer for the Maduros and Assads of the world. Sworn enemies of Israel like Hamas and Hizballah will be better armed. European nations will be put at risk. Our team has put together a short video that explains why this is so important. I'd like to show it to you now. So when you all hear about legal niceties and complexities and intra international fighting about what the right course of action is, remind yourself about what happens to the world if this arms embargo is lifted. In the end, that's what matters. In the end, that's what the UN Security Council has the capacity to ensure does not take place. I remind you to go back and look at remarks from the previous administration about the fact that the United States has the unambiguous right, without the consent of any other nation, to ensure that this arms embargo stays in place. This administration is going to do everything we can to make sure that that happens to keep not only American people safe but to reduce instability in the Middle East. QUESTION: I have two for you on Iran if I may. One, on the arms embargo. I was curious if the U.S. is willing to accept a temporary extension to potentially get Russia and China to go along with it. I was hoping you could get into the specifics of what terms are acceptable. And on the larger nuclear violations that the U.S. and now the IAEA have identified, are we looking at a menu of options for repercussions for this, and specifically, might snapback be one of those options on the menu? I was hoping you could touch on that specifically, because it seems some are making the argument that snapback accounts for the arms embargo and of course all other restrictions. So I was hoping you could talk about that a bit. SECRETARY POMPEO: So, first of all, our objective is not to extend the arms embargo for another short period of time. That's how we got into this mess, right. The arms embargo should be lifted when the Islamic Republic of Iran begins to behave in a way that is consistent with the ability to move arms around the world, to purchase to act in a way that's consistent with the way normal nations act. So it's not a time-limited matter, it's a conditions-based matter, and our objective is to make sure that the lifting of that arms embargo is conditions-based. And when the time is right, happy to let it happen tomorrow, but extending it for six months or a year or two years fundamentally falls into the same trap that the previous administration fell into. I know this is a bit of a strawman argument: What if you got 20 years, what if you got 50 years, what if you got 100 years? I don't want to talk about anything specific. But our objective is very clearly to say that the lifting of that arms embargo is not appropriate until such time as the world can be assured that these folks won't use those weapon systems or the money that flows from the sale of those weapon systems are for malign purposes. As for the other provisions, what's happening at the IAEA, make sure everybody's up to speed. The IAEA filed a report that made very clear that the Iranians have failed to allow access to two sites that are suspected of potentially having engaged in nuclear activity related to their previous programs, programs that predate the JCPOA. The Iranians continue to deny access to the IAEA. This is not about the JCPOA, this is about the NPT framework, the safeguards provisions that every nuclear power signs up for and that the Iranians have agreed to. This is outside and separate from the JCPOA. It's never been the case before that a regime has denied access to the IAEA. And so, yes, in terms of how we're thinking about responding, we hope the world will see that this is a serious risk to the entire nonproliferation regime, and the United States is prepared to lead to come up with responses to this which would be appropriate and consistent with protecting and preserving that regime against Iranian intransigence that is entirely inappropriate. I hope the Iranians will change their mind to allow full IAEA unfettered, repeated, consistent access. To date, they've chosen not to do so. QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, yesterday following your speech at the Security Council, the German representative said the U.S. has no standing in this meeting to invoke UN sanctions, and by doing so you would be violating the international law. How do you comment on that? And to what extent would the snapback be efficient if it is not supported by your allies, by your European allies? SECRETARY POMPEO: So two things. I don't want to get into the legal analysis that you're suggesting. We have the full authority to go exercise that right. As a participant in UN Security Council Resolution 2231, we are highly confident that we have the right to exercise that. It is not our first objective. We hope that the UN Security Council, the Chinese, the Russians, every partner there, will see that it is in their best interest to deny Iran this benefit that comes when they have not changed their behavior one lick. And so we're hopeful that we'll be able to do this without having to go through a complex, difficult process at the UN. So that's our certainly our objective. And we think we think we'll prevail. We think as we get closer, the world will see if you are a citizen living in Brussels or you're someone in Athens, do you really want the Iranian regime to have Chinese fighter planes? I don't think so. I think I think the Government of Greece will conclude the same thing. If you're if you're sitting in Finland and you're trying to sort your way through about whether it's a good idea for the Russians to be able to have another partner who they sell weapons to, I think these I think each nation will conclude this is a bad idea, they will regret that the JCPOA allowed this to expire, and they'll join us in this. It is certainly a full-fledged diplomatic effort that we're engaged in to convince the world that this is the right outcome not just for the United States, but go talk to our partners in Saudi Arabia or the Emirates and Kuwait. They know, too, that if Iran is allowed to become an arms merchant again, instability in the Middle East will flow. UNITED STATES SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR IRAN AND SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE SECRETARY BRIAN HOOK VISITED VIENNA, AUSTRIA, ON JULY 1, 2020, FOR CONSULTATIONS ON IRAN. Special Representative Hook met with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg to discuss the expiration of the UN arms embargo on Iran. Hook also met with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi to discuss the IAEA's verification work in Iran and express full support for the Agency's professionalism and objectivity. The Iranian regime must comply with its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, and Additional Protocol by providing the IAEA with the information and access required under its agreements. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR IRAN AND SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE SECRETARY BRIAN HOOK VISITS ISRAEL FOR CONSULTATIONS ON IRAN, JULY 1. Special Representative for Iran and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State Brian Hook held discussions on Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi in Jerusalem, Israel on June 30, 2020. Special Representative Hook and Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed joint efforts to counter Iranian malign activity in the region and deny Iran the resources it needs to fuel terrorism and fund proxies. They also discussed the importance of extending the United Nations arms embargo on Iran, which is set to expire on October 18, 2020. The United States and Israel are committed to ensuring arms restrictions on Iran do not expire. Special Representative Hook and Foreign Minister Ashkenazi discussed the ongoing diplomatic cooperation between Israel and the United States across a range of areas and underscored our shared values and interests. Special Representative Hook reiterated the United States' steadfast commitment to Israel's security. FACTSHEET: UN REPORT EXPOSES IRAN'S DEFIANCE OF THE UNITED NATIONS, JUNE 30. This latest report on UNSCR 2231 implementation, published by the United Nations Secretary-General based on an impartial evaluation of the available evidence, confirms what the United States has said all along: Iran continues to use its arsenal of conventional weapons to destabilize the Middle East and foment sectarian violence and terrorism across the region. The report determines that the weapons used to attack Saudi Arabia in September 2019 were of Iranian origin. Iran intentionally misled the world by claiming that the Houthis were responsible for the attack last September. This new finding by the UN Secretary-General underscores Iran's connection to the brazen attack on Saudi Arabia. The UNSCR 2231 report also concludes that arms and related materiel seized off the coast of Yemen in November 2019 and February 2020 were of Iranian origin. The fact these items were seized outside of Iran is indicative of an arms embargo violation by Iran. The report also details troubling ballistic missile activity that defies calls the Security Council has made repeatedly on Iran, and it notes equally troubling nuclear activity by Iran, which has ceased performing key nuclear commitments under the JCPOA. Iran continues to defy the Security Council by providing arms to groups abroad in contravention of the arms embargo, including to proxy groups and terrorist organizations across the Middle East, such as in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Bahrain. These groups use Iranian weapons, training, and funding to destabilize the region and spread violence. Failing to extend the arms embargo in light of this activity will risk greater violence and instability in the region. With fewer arms restrictions, Iran will transfer even more weapons. In light of the report's findings and Iran's repeated violations of the arms embargo, the Security Council must act to exert greater pressure on Iran, not less. At no point in the last decade has Iran's behavior shown it would be appropriate to lift the arms embargo. The draft resolution circulated by the United States is consistent with United Nations precedent. The UN has maintained arms restrictions on Iran for 13 years. The resolution we have circulated would extend restrictions on Iran indefinitely, until its behavior changes. The embargo should never have been given an arbitrary end date under UNSCR 2231. The restrictions should not be removed until Iran demonstrates a credible change in its behavior. REMARKS BY SECRETARY MICHAEL R. POMPEO AT THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL ON THE IRAN ARMS EMBARGO, JUNE 30. SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you, Nicolas. Thanks for the couple words in English there. I appreciate that. Good morning, everyone. Good to see you, Secretary General. Rosemary, thank you for your comments this morning. I would like to say you made some comments about humanitarian assistance inside of Iran. The United States has tried to facilitate that, in light of the COVID issues inside of Iran. Indeed, we offered our own American assistance to the Iranians, which was rejected by them. So to suggest somehow that our sanctions have prevented humanitarian assistance to get into Iran I think is a misunderstanding of the situation on the ground. Because of the flawed nuclear deal negotiated by the previous American administration, the arms embargo on the world's most heinous terrorist regime is scheduled to expire on October 18th, a mere four months from now. Four months. This chamber has a choice: Stand for international peace and security, as the United Nations' founders intended, or let the arms embargo on the Islamic Republic of Iran expire, betraying the UN's mission and its finest ideals, which we have all pledged to uphold. If you fail to act, Iran will be free to purchase Russian-made fighter jets that can strike up to a 3,000 kilometer radius, putting cities like Riyadh, New Delhi, Rome, and Warsaw in Iranian crosshairs. Iran will be free to upgrade and expand its fleet of submarines to further threaten international shipping and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, and the Arabian Sea. Iran will be free to purchase new and advanced technologies for its proxies and partners throughout the Middle East, including Hamas, Hizballah, and the Houthis. Iran will hold a sword of Damocles over the economic stability of the Middle East, endangering nations like Russia and China that rely on stable energy prices. Iran will be free to become a rogue weapons dealer, supplying arms to fuel conflicts from Venezuela, to Syria, to the far reaches of Afghanistan. In November of last year, President Rouhani himself said, quote, "When the embargo . . . is lifted next year, we can easily buy and sell weapons," end of quote. We should take him at his word. Iran is not a responsible democracy like Australia or India. We already know that[1] Tehran will do, if given the ability to buy more weaponry. Just consider the secretary general's UNSCR 2231 report that we're discussing today. The report confirmed that weapons used to attack Saudi Arabia in September 2019 were of Iranian origin. The report has also confirmed the weapons interdicted off the coast of Yemen in November of 2019 and February 2020 were of Iranian origin. Iran is already violating the arms embargo, even before its expiration date. Imagine if Iranian activity were sanctioned, authorized by this group, if the restrictions were lifted. And we don't need the secretary general's report to see what else the regime is doing. In January, Iran launched an attack on the coalition forces in Iraq with its own advanced missiles. Iran, even as we sit here today, supplies Shia militia groups like Kata'ib Hizballah groups which have launched dozens of rocket attacks since the fall of last year against U.S. and coalition forces fighting the important continued important campaign against Daesh. Iran unleashes ship-mining attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf of Oman, as it did in May and June of last year. Nearly all countries have arms. Mature nations use them for defensive purposes and to promote stability. But not the Islamic Republic of Iran. Don't just take it from me or from the United States; listen to countries in the region. From Israel to the Gulf, countries in the Middle East who are most exposed to Iran's predations are speaking with a single voice: Extend the arms embargo. This council has a responsibility to listen to them. The United States' overwhelming preference is to work with this council to extend the arms embargo to protect human life, to protect our national security, and to protect yours. We've imposed arms restrictions on Tehran in various forms for 13 years, and with good reason, and to substantial effect. When we unanimously adopted UN Security Council Resolution 1747 back in 2007 which, among other actions, prohibited arms transfers from Iran the United Kingdom's representative to the council said, quote, "The path of proliferation by Iran is not one that the international community can accept," end of quote. I welcome the statement from the United Kingdom, from France and Germany, recently recognizing that lifting the embargo would have major implications for regional security and stability. I also welcome the support of almost 400 members of the United States Congress. For those of you not tracking, there's only 435. Those almost 400 members supported my diplomacy to extend this arms embargo. Our concern is a matter of national security, not partisan politics. We saw from Iran's actions while implementing the JCPOA that the regime doesn't moderate when we lift sanctions or weaken accountability. In fact, it does just the opposite. While still claiming to remain in the deal, Iran, by its own admission, and as confirmed by the IAEA, is showing no signs of slowing its destabilizing nuclear escalation. Iran is also accumulating dangerous knowledge. For example, late last year Iran announced that its scientists were working on a new centrifuge the IR-9 that would allow Tehran to enrich uranium up to 50 times faster than the IR-1 centrifuges allowed under the JCPOA. Even as Iran pursues research that could threaten its breakout time to a nuclear weapon, it's also denied IAEA inspections access to locations Iran is obligated to provide. This council cannot simply hope that Iran acts in good faith, given its indisputable fact pattern. The council must hold Iran accountable. And we all have the chance to do so. I'll close with this. I'll close with an appeal to our greater purpose. Article I of the UN Charter says the purpose of the UN is to "take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to peace." Consider the overwhelming evidence that I've detailed today. It's a fraction of the evidence available. If Iran isn't a threat to peace that demands a collective measure, I do not know what is. The council must reject extortion diplomacy. President Rouhani recently declared, quote, "Iran will give a crushing response if the arms embargo on Tehran is extended." End of quote. Given the Iranian regime's history of resorting to terrorism and violence, perhaps we should take this threat seriously. Iran's foreign minister will speak today. I hope he'll tell us I hope he'll tell us whom he intends to crush and how he will crush them. Renewing the embargo will exert more pressure on Tehran to start behaving like a normal nation. The world needs this to happen. The long-suffering Iranian people need this to happen. Seventy-five years ago, the founders of the UN came together after the devastation of World War II to ensure that the world would never again have to face such horrors. Let's not shrink from the challenge before us simply because the path ahead seems hard. Let's uphold the mission of this body to address the threats to international peace and security that the Islamic Republic of Iran presents. And let's take real action in the name of this council by extending the arms embargo. Thank you all for allowing me to be here today. THE UNITED STATES AND THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT ON IRAN ARMS EMBARGO FOLLOWING CONSULTATIONS Special Representative for Iran and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State of the United States, Brian Hook, held discussions on Iran with His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister and His Excellency Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani on June 29, 2020. At the conclusion of the consultations, the Governments of the United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain released the following joint statement: The United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain share a strong and enduring commitment to countering Iranian aggression. The Islamic Republic of Iran has sought to undermine the stability and security of Bahrain by fomenting sectarian tensions and providing arms to proxy groups and terrorists. Yet despite Iran's efforts, Bahrain has remained true to its values and continues to prioritize the peaceful coexistence and religious freedom of all its people. The United States remains committed to Bahrain's security and to our deep and effective partnerships to counter Iran-backed terror. In recognizing the grave threat posed by Iranian arms transfers in the region broadly and in Bahrain specifically, the United States and Bahrain call upon the United Nations Security Council to extend the arms embargo on Iran before it expires. The embargo is an important tool to counter Iran's proliferation of arms to proxies. It promotes greater regional stability and holds Iran accountable for its actions. We have seen what Iran is capable of in its attack on Saudi oil facilities in September 2019. If the international community fails to extend the embargo, the Kingdom of Bahrain and neighboring partners will suffer the consequences of a destabilizing arms race. The Security Council must uphold its responsibility to maintain international peace and security and extend the arms embargo on Iran. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR IRAN AND SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE SECRETARY BRIAN HOOK VISITS THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA FOR CONSULTATIONS ON IRAN, JUNE 29. Special Representative for Iran and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State, Brian Hook, held discussions on Iran with His Royal Highness Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, His Highness Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, His Excellency Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir, and His Excellency Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 29, 2020. Special Representative Hook and Saudi officials highlighted the importance of extending the United Nations arms embargo on Iran, which expires on October 18, 2020. They discussed joint diplomatic efforts at the UN and around the world to extend the embargo. Saudi officials briefed Special Representative Hook on their commitment to a political solution to the conflict in Yemen and de-escalating violence. Special Representative Hook reaffirmed the United States' support of a negotiated end to the conflict and condemned recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. He further reiterated the United States' unwavering commitment to the security and stability of Saudi Arabia. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR IRAN AND SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE SECRETARY BRIAN HOOK VISITS THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES FOR CONSULTATIONS ON IRAN, JUNE 28. United States Special Representative for Iran and Senior Advisor to the Secretary Brian Hook visited the United Arab Emirates June 27-28, 2020. During the visit, Special Representative Hook met with His Highness Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Excellency Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash, and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority Khaldoon Khalifa al-Mubarak. They discussed extending the UN arms embargo on Iran, which expires on October 18, 2020. Special Representative Hook updated Emirati officials on diplomatic efforts to extend the embargo and they discussed the risk of an arms race in the region if the embargo is not renewed. NOTABLE TWEETS @SecPompeo July 1 The Iranian regime doesn't deserve to have its arms embargo lifted- it hasn't abided by current restrictions and continues to commit violations. Iran cannot be trusted to act like a responsible nation when it continues threatening other nations and supporting terrorist activity. @statedeptspox July 1 The Iranian regime cannot be trusted to act like a normal nation without restrictions. @SecPompeo made it clear to the UN Security Council: The long-suffering Iranian people and the rest of the world need the arms embargo to be renewed to ensure peace and stability. @SecPompeo June 26 Iran's refusal to cooperate is separate from the JCPOA; this is all about whether Iran is honoring its own legally binding safeguards obligations. If Iran fails to cooperate with its IAEA obligations, the international community must be prepared to take further action. Explosion At Iran Nuclear Site: Accident, Sabotage Or Foreign Attack Radio Farda July 03, 2020 A mysterious explosion and fire in one of Iran's nuclear facilities has opened the flood gates to speculations and analysis as to whether it was an accident, sabotage or foreign attack. A spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) announced on Thursday, July 2, that an "accident" had occurred at the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility in Isfahan province at around 2 am local time. The state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA) cited Behrouz Kamalvandi as saying that the "accident" took place in one of the sheds in the "open area" of Natanz facilities. "One of the sheds under construction in the open area of Natanz Nuclear Facility was damaged this morning, and investigation on the case is underway," Kamalvandi maintained. The incident had no casualties and has not incurred any damage to the facility's current activities, Kamalvandi insisted and repeated his claim throughout the day. From photos and images released by Iran, the visible damage does not look like an airstrike - a possibility that many were quick to consider, as Israel has threatened many times not to allow Iran to build a nuclear bomb. However, Kamalvandi stopped short of referring to the cause of the "accident." He insisted that the incident did not cause the kind of damage to lead to any radioactive contamination. Hours later, news began to circulate that many current and former BBC Persian journalists had received an email by an unknown group claiming "an operation" against the Natanz facility hours before the government announced it, lending credibility to the authors of the statement that at least they had advance information. Kamalvandi also revealed that the head of AEOI, Ali Akbar Salehi, has rushed to Natanz to assist the investigation team. At the same time, Natanz Governor Ramazan Ali Ferdowsi also told Tasnim News Agency that "firefighters and rescue workers were dispatched to the scene as soon as the fire broke out." The Governor also stopped short of providing any details. Meanwhile, an expert on Iran's missile program at the Middlebury Institute in California, Fabian Hinz, tweeted, "The initial image released by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran shows that the site of the 'accident' was the Iranian centrifuge assembly center." "It would delay the advancement of the centrifuge technology quite a bit at Natanz," Hinz said. "Once you have done your research and development, you can't undo that research and development. Targeting them would be very useful" for Iran's adversaries, AP quoted Hinz as saying. The site of the fire and explosion corresponds to a newly inaugurated centrifuge production facility, reiterated Fabian Hinz, adding that his assessment was based on the geographical location of the photo published by AEOI and the images taken by Google satellites. Iranian nuclear officials did not respond to a request for comment about the analysts' remarks. However, any damage to the facility would be a major setback, said Hinz, who called the fire "very, very suspicious," AP reported. A few hours before the news of the Natanz incident broke out on Thursday morning, a mysterious group called "Homeland Panthers" claimed responsibility for the incident in an email sent to a seemingly older list of BBC Persian journalists. Some who stopped working at the BBC years ago also received the email. The "Homeland Panthers" claimed in their email that they are "active" and "present among the Islamic Republic's intelligence organs." In his tweets on Thursday, Jiyar Gol, a BBC Persian journalist, said he had been among the recipients of the email, which included some details about the attack. "The email claimed that there had been other attacks that the government had covered up," he wrote and added that the group said this time the government would not be able to cover up the attack because "it was not [at an] underground facility". Whether the people calling themselves Homeland Panthers are domestic opponents, internal regime dissidents or a foreign group who have infiltrated Iran is impossible to say at this point. But whoever sent the email had timely information about the incident. Natanz uranium enrichment facility covers an area of 100,000 square meters (ten hectares) and built eight meters (about 25 feet) underground. This site is the main uranium enrichment center in Iran. Iran announced last April that a new generation of centrifuges would soon be unveiled at Natanz's enrichment facility. The Natanz facility came to the fore in November last year when Iran fired an inspector from the International Atomic Energy Agency and then accused her of plotting "industrial sabotage" at the Natanz nuclear facility. At the time, Iran said that the woman triggered an alarm at the gate to the Natanz uranium enrichment plant, raising fears that she was carrying "suspicious material." The IAEA immediately dismissed the claim and said the inspector was also temporarily prevented from leaving Iran. Natanz's "accident" occurs less than a week after the sighting of a dazzling light, and what looked like an explosion in eastern Tehran became the headline across Iran. The explosion occurred at the Khojir area, near the village of Parchin, the site of an Iranian military complex with the same name, located about thirty kilometers (nineteen miles) southeast of the capital city, Tehran. Citing officials, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) news agency attributed the blast to an explosion at a natural gas storage, insisting that it occurred at a non-residential area, and left no casualties. While the Islamic Republic authorities have sought to downplay the fire, the New York Times reported, "A Middle Eastern intelligence official---said the blast was caused by an explosive device planted inside the facility. The explosion, he said, destroyed much of the aboveground parts of the facility." Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/explosion- at-iran-nuclear-site-accident-sabotage- or-foreign-attack/30703178.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Khamenei's Defiant Foreign Policy Chief Lashes Out At EU Trio, IAEA Radio Farda July 03, 2020 The top foreign policy aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has criticized UK, France and Germany for voting against Iran at the latest meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Kamal Kharrazi who is known for furthering Khamenei's policy on Europe, also accused IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi of behaving "suspiciously." Kharrazi's remarks appeared as an identical article in several major Iranian news agencies, meaning it was more of a statement meant to be published and not part of a speech. No mention was made that he spoke at any public event. The IAEA Board of governors on June 19 voted for a resolution suggested by the EU Trio calling on Iran to fulfil all its obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "without denial, deception, and wasting time." Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has also described Iran's uranium enrichment program as "unacceptable" and a threat to "world peace and security." Stressing its commitment to block Iran's access to nuclear weapons, the State Department said in its annual report that "Iran's efforts to retain files, documents, and personnel related to its pre-2004 nuclear weapons program as revealed in the atomic archives acquired by Israel in 2018 suggest that Iran may have kept this information at least in part to preserve technical expertise relevant to a nuclear weapons capability." Kharrazi, a former foreign minister, also said that the fact Grossi held a meeting with Brian Hook, U.S. Special Representative for Iran, showed Grossi's "lack of independence." Hook met Grossi on July 1 in Vienna. He further threatened that "the IAEA Chief's suspicious behaviour will undoubtedly lead to the collapse" of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Using the Islamic Republic's usual jargon, Kharrazi said the Islamic Republic will not submit to bullying by foreigners, adding that Iran's behaviour during the past decade has shown that increased pressures will make Tehran even more determined to follow the path it has chosen. Iran has gradually reduced its obligations under the JCPOA in breach of the agreement with world powers after the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 demanding a comprehensive agreement that would limit Iran's regional military ambitions and stop its destabilizing measures across the region and abandon its ballistic missile development plans that threatens US allies in the Middle East. Kharrazi said defiantly that "the unilateral policies of the United States and the three European member states of the JCPOA to stop Iran's peaceful nuclear activity has always led to adverse results," adding that Tehran is adamant to continue its efforts to develop nuclear technology with even more determination. He called the vote against Iran by the IAEA Board of Governors part of the United States plan to extend the arms embargo against Iran at the United Nations Security Council. To prove that measures against Iran may not be fruitful Kharrazi reiterated that Iran managed to increase the number of its centrifuges to 19,000 in the late 2000s despite opposition by the EU Trio and when the West refused to give Iran 20 percent enriched Uranium for the Tehran reactor, Iran went ahead and enriched Uranium at the 20 percent level. This sounds like a threat that if pressure increases on Iran it might increase both the quantity and the degree of its uranium enrichment. He also added that the Rouhani administration did not remain silent after the U.S. pull-out from the JCPOA and designed powerful new centrifuges 20 times more powerful than the early generations and suspended some of its other obligations under the nuclear deal. Kharrazi added that the centrifuges enable Iran to take more significant steps in reaction to the West's measures. A blast and fire on Thursday morning ruined part of a building in Natanz where the new centrifuges were being assembled and balanced, said Iran's nuclear energy organization chief Behrouz Kamalvandi on 2 July. Immediately after the event, Iran threatened on several media platforms that it "will change its policy in case the West crosses Iran's red lines." But it did not say exactly what Tehran will do and did not even clarify what it meant by red lines. The statement was attributed to the Supreme Council of National Security, but the Council did shy away from acknowledging it was the source of the vague statement. Despite the "incident" as Kamalvandi called it, Kharrazi said on Friday Iran can manufacture and operate many more centrifuges and boost its production of enriched uranium within a short period of time. He added that following the suspension of its obligations, Iran has produced more than 1,500 Kilograms of enriched uranium. However, he did not mention that this was in breach of the 300 Kilogram cap Iran is allowed to produce under the JCPOA. Using the defiant jargon once again, Kharrazi reiterated that "neither economic sanctions nor the arms embargo can stop Iran," adding that in spite of the U.S. maximum pressure policy Iran has had undeniable successes in producing weapons. He was probably referring to the overhauled 1970s F-5 aircraft and T-72 tanks Iran put on display last week as "modernized" weapons. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/khamenei-s- defiant-foreign-policy-chief-lashes-out- at-eu-trio-iaea-/30704655.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Iran To Compensate Ukrainian Plane Victims, Families Say Investigation First Radio Farda July 03, 2020 Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde on Thursday said Iran has agreed to compensate the families of the victims of the Ukrainian plane shot down near Tehran on January 8 by the Revolutionary Guard. Victims' families, however, say they want a full, independent investigation before accepting compensation. The Swedish Foreign Minister said the countries whose citizens lost their lives in the incident have signed an agreement of mutual understanding amongst themselves which will form the basis of their negotiations with Iran regarding amends and compensation to the victims' families. In a statement on Thursday, The International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752 which consists of Afghanistan, Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, said they have formalized a common approach to holding the Iranian regime accountable. According to the statement, the affected countries have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation regarding negotiations on reparations by Iran to pave the way for state-to-state negotiations. The member countries also discussed the downloading of the flight recorders in France, compensation from Ukraine International Airlines and the criminal investigation into the tragedy, the statement said and added that they continue to advocate for accountability, transparency, justice and compensation for the families and loved ones of the victims. Iran at first denied any involvement in the crash but after three days when overwhelming evidence emerged showing the plane had been shot down, Tehran claimed it was "an accident due to human error". Iran now claims that the operator of the missile shot down the plane without having orders from his superiors. All 176 people on board the Ukrainian flight including the crew were killed in the incident. Hamed Esmaeilion, the interim spokesperson of the victims' association, in a tweet on Thursday said the families of the victims have unanimously agreed that they will not accept any compensation from Iran before a full and fair independent investigation is made. In another tweet on Thursday Esmaeilion who lost his daughter and wife in the crash said he had received a call from the Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne who assured him that there was no agreement between the affected countries and Iran regarding compensation yet. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-to- compensate-ukrainian-plane-victims-families- say-investigation-first/30704201.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Iraqi prime minister hails Hashd al-Sha'abi counter-terrorism efforts Iran Press TV Thursday, 02 July 2020 10:09 AM Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has praised the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known as Hashd al-Sha'abi, for their key role in defeating the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the Arab country. An informed source told Iraqi Alsumaria television that Kadhimi held a meeting with commanders of PMU and Iraq's Counter-terrorism Service (CTS) on Wednesday night, highlighting their role in eradicating terrorism. The Iraqi prime minister said that he did not differentiate between the country's counter-terrorism forces, including the army, police, PMU and CTS. The meeting came after Iraq released a dozen members of PMU following an unprecedented raid on the headquarters of Kata'ib Hezbollah, which is said to have been dictated by the US. The PMU members were released on Monday and all charges against them were dropped, Kata'ib Hezbollah's military spokesman Jaafar al-Husseini told AFP. The arrests had been made last Thursday for allegedly planning a rocket attack on Baghdad's Green Zone, where the US and other embassies as well as state buildings are located. Despite Washington's accusations, Kata'ib has never claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Thursday raid on Kata'ib headquarters raised serious questions about Iraq's direction under the new government, as Iraqi leaders described it as an attempt dictated by the US occupiers. In November 2016, the Iraqi parliament recognized Hashd al-Sha'abi as an official force with similar rights as those of the regular army, therefore legally establishing it as part of the National Armed Forces. The PMU has long rejected Washington's military presence in the country as an obstacle impeding long-lasting security and stability in Iraq. In January, the Iraqi parliament unanimously approved a bill, demanding the withdrawal of all foreign military forces led by the United States from the country following the assassination of Iran's top military commander, Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, and the second-in-command of Iraq's PMU, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Iraqi resistance groups have vowed to take up arms against US forces if Washington fails to comply with a parliamentary order calling for the expulsion of US troops following the assassination. Iraq launches new anti-Daesh operation north of Baghdad Meanwhile, Iraqi forces began a large-scale security operation against the remnants of Daesh terrorist north of the capital Baghdad on Thursday. Citing a statement by Iraq's Security Media Cell, Mawazin news said that the prime minister, as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, ordered the operation under the supervision of the Joint Operations Command. The statement added that the new military operation is aimed at enhancing security and stability in those areas while chasing terrorists and arresting them. Daesh began a campaign of terror in Iraq in 2014, overrunning vast swathes in lightning attacks. Iraq declared victory over Daesh in December 2017 after a three-year counter-terrorism military campaign, which also had the support of neighboring Iran. Recently, however, Daesh has launched a string of terrorist attacks targeting civilians and Iraqi forces, among them Hashd al-Sha'abi fighters. Iraqi groups have warned of renewed US-Daesh collaboration to destabilize the region, saying Washington is transferring senior commanders of the terror outfit from eastern Syria to Iraq. Mysuru: Circle inspector of HDKote police station, who has tested positive for covid 19 has sent shock waves to his colleagues, staff of three hospitals where he was treated. With this first case reported at HDKote, Covid 19 has spread its wings to all taluks of Mysuru district. This HD Kote circle inspector is among two cops who tested positive for Covid 19 on Thursday including a woman police constable of Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) office of Mysuru city. Also 21 more Karnataka State Reserve police from Mysuru who had returned from Bengaluru after their duty at containment zones also tested positive for Covid 19 on Wednesday. So including all these cops a total of 50 cops are tested positive for covid 19 so far in Mysuru district including a total of 44 KSRP cops, a cop of Nanjangud rural police station and a head constable of TNarsipur police station. 59 year old circle inspector of HD Kote police station had travelled to his native in Mandya district twice. With the complaint of fever from 21 of June, he had visited a private clinic and a hospital in HDKote. On 30 June, his sample was drawn for testing. While he has hypertension and diabetes, since his blood sugar levels were fluctuating he was admitted at isolation ward in another private hospital. Once he was tested positive for covid 19, he has been shifted to designated hospital in Mysuru. Followed by this, HD Kote police station has been sealed down. And his 22 primary contacts including two sub inspectors, four police constables, few staff of a clinic and hospital he had visited in HDKote have all been quarantined. Also office of Acp (traffic) in Mysuru was sealed down since a woman police constable who worked there, is tested positive for Covid 19 on Thursday. ACP and staff of the office including, seven police constable and homeguards are quarantined. Meanwhile a fruit vendor at chikkapet in Bengaluru who had returned to Dallal Koppal village in Hunsur taluk on 18 June and has tested positive for covid 19 has become a head ache, as he has had a liqour party with 12 friends after giving his sample presuming he was fine. "He had thought that the patient would be informed results immediately after the swab was collected on 30 June and since nothing was told to him after his sample was collected, he has thought that he was fine," officers said. And now swabs of all his primary contacts including those 12 friends who participated in liqour party are being drawn for testing and they are quarantined too. And in another case, another man from Doddahejjur of Hunsur taluk who travelled to Kodagu for daily wage work, tested positive for Covid 19 when he was taken to hospital after he had fallen from a tree at Kodagu. Also since 13 year old barbar's daughter from Karimuddanahalli of Hunsur taluk who is tested positive on 28 June (after she visited a community health centre in HDKote), had also visited a private clinic at Gaddige, all those patients who have visited that clinic have been asked to report to taluk health officer. And also while her father had done hair cut at Gaddige, Aaswalu, Maadapura, Antharasanthe, all those who had got hair cut done by him in all these places have been asked to report themselves to Hunsur taluk health officer. Now, samples of all the primary contacts of all these three people from Hunsur taluk were drawn on Thursday. And while the 13 year old had visited place of her Uncle (a barbar too), and a community health care centre at HD Kote, the samples of her primary contacts there are drawn and the results are awaited. So far 321 people tested positive for Covid 19, and four deaths are reported in Mysuru district. And 127 cases are active and 126 people are treated at hospitals and one person is treated at home. Iraq threatens to sever trade ties with Turkey over cross-border operation Iran Press TV Friday, 03 July 2020 10:04 AM Iraq has threatened to cut off its trade ties with Turkey in protest at Ankara's ongoing cross-border operation in the country's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region against hideouts of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group. "Turkey has interests in Iraq as the annual trade balance between Baghdad and Ankara stands at more than 16 billion dollars annually. There are also hundreds of Turkish commercial insinuates operating inside Iraq. The Iraqi government will take actions against all these interests if urgent need arises," spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed al-Sahaf, said in an exclusive interview with local Kurdish-language Rudaw television news network on Thursday night. Sahaf further noted that the Iraqi government has a wide array of options to stop the Turkish offensive and demand compensation for the loss of civilian lives. "We enumerated such options when Turkish Ambassador Fatih Yildiz was summoned to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry [on June 18]. We have mentioned the possibility of resorting to the United Nations Security Council and calling for an emergency special session. We would also approach Arab foreign ministers and ask them to hold an emergency Arab League meeting Other options, especially with regard to economic relationship and trade exchange, are also on the table. All these options are being weighed, and the decision not to implement them depends on a sovereign and diplomatic action expected from Turkey. We have so far been coordinating to produce a political solution and adhering to the principles of good neighborliness," the senior Iraqi official pointed out. Sahaf underlined that unilateral actions, such as Turkey's military offensive, will not help the combat against terrorism and will only exacerbate border tensions, calling on Turkish authorities to stand committed to bilateral security and intelligence coordination. The Turkish military launched its ground campaign, dubbed Claw-Tiger Operation, against PKK positions in the Qandil Mountains as well as Sinjar and Makhmur districts of northern Iraq on June 17. Claw-Eagle Operation, the air campaign, had begun two days earlier. The PKK militants regularly clash with Turkish forces in the Kurdish-dominated southeast of Turkey attached to northern Iraq. A shaky ceasefire between the PKK and the Turkish government collapsed in July 2015. Attacks on Turkish security forces have soared ever since. Turkish ground and air forces frequently carry out operations against PKK positions in the country as well as in northern Iraq and neighboring Syria. More than 40,000 people have been killed during the three-decade conflict between Turkey and the autonomy-seeking militant group. Pakistan rules out Chinese military presence on its soil IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Islamabad, July 2, IRNA -- Pakistani military on Thursday dismissed reports about presence of Chinese troops in the country and their use of its air bases terming them irresponsible and baseless. Director General of Army media wing ISPR, Major General Babar Iftikhar in a tweet said news circulating in Indian electronic and social media claiming additional deployment of Pakistan Army troops along line of control in northern Gilgit Baltistan region and alleged use of Skardu Airbase by China is false, irresponsible and far from truth. "No such movement or induction of additional forces has taken place. We also vehemently deny presence of Chinese troops in Pakistan," he said. Last year Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had also rejected a Pentagon report that China is considering setting up military bases in Pakistan. The United States Defense Department had stated that Beijing was seeking to establish military bases around the world to protect its investments in its ambitious One Belt One Road global infrastructure program. Pakistan is watching the recent border tensions between India and China closely and is concerned that no untoward incident takes place on the Pak-India border. 272**1416 COVID Cooperation, Kashmir Approach Show Signs of Improving US-Pakistan Ties By Ayaz Gul July 03, 2020 The United States has donated 100 medical ventilators to support Pakistan in its fight against COVID-19. "This donation delivers on President Donald Trump's generous offer of these critically needed supplies and supports Pakistan's urgent response to the pandemic," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement Friday. The national tally of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan, a country of 220 million people, has surpassed 222,000, with nearly 4,600 patients dying since officials detected the outbreak four months ago. "The United States has been kind and generous particularly in the context of COVID where the U.S. has actually designated Pakistan as one of the 10 priority countries," Asad Majeed Khan, the Pakistani ambassador to the U.S., told an online forum in Washington on Thursday. The Trump administration has contributed nearly $27 million in new funding to help Islamabad build capacity and expand laboratory testing, disease monitoring and patient care, among other challenges to combat the pandemic. "We are also thankful for Pakistan's contribution of medical supplies to help fight coronavirus in the United States," noted the U.S. Embassy statement. In a rare move in May, the Pakistani government sent medical supplies to the U.S., in what officials said was a "token of friends and solidarity" with Washington. The shipment included 100,000 protective masks and 25,000 coveralls for donation to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Appreciate Pakistan's goodwill donation of surgical masks and protective suits to FEMA. This delivery is a symbol of U.S.-Pakistan solidarity in the fight against COVID-19," said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the time. Pakistan also donated the drug chloroquine to the U.S. when the drug was being explored as a treatment option against coronavirus. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has since cautioned against the treatment because of heart risks. COVID-19 has infected more than 2.7 million Americans, killing more than 130,000. US-Pakistan political ties Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan told parliament last week that his country's often uneasy and mistrusted relations with Trump's administration have seen significant improvement over the past two years. The apparent improvement in bilateral ties stems from Islamabad's close cooperation with Washington to help end two decades of war in neighboring Afghanistan, the scene of America's longest overseas military intervention. Trump has held three meetings with the Pakistani prime minister since their first interaction at the White House in July 2019. The U.S. president in those meetings repeatedly vowed to enhance bilateral trade and economic ties, and he also offered to mediate Pakistan's Kashmir territorial dispute with rival India. Pakistani ambassador Khan, while addressing the online forum arranged by the magazine Washington Diplomat, on Thursday said his government was hopeful that Trump in the lead up to the U.S. election will get himself involved in Kashmir diplomacy. "We are still convinced today that if any country that can make a difference and can perhaps convince India and basically inject some rationality into their (Indian) actions, it is the United States of America and it is the president of the U.S.," Khan asserted. India rejected Trump's offer of mediation in line with its stated policy that it is opposed to any third-party intervention and wants to settle the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan with bilateral talks. Security lockdown Military tensions between the two nuclear-armed rival nations have spiked particularly since last August, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government revoked Kashmir's partial autonomy and imposed a strict security lockdown in the Muslim-majority region to deter violent reaction to its controversial actions. Islamabad rejected the action as a violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution that recognizes Kashmir as disputed territory and prevents either side from altering its status. India controls two-thirds of the region and Pakistan the rest, with both claiming Kashmir in its totality. Prominent Russian Expert On Mercenary Groups Convicted Of Treason By RFE/RL's Russian Service July 02, 2020 The St. Petersburg City Court has sentenced military analyst Vladimir Neyelov to seven years in prison after convicting him of treason. "The court found that Neyelov, for money, gave a German consulting firm information about the process of training and preparing operative agents of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation," the court said in a statement on July 2 after a closed trial. The court added that Neyelov "partially" admitted his guilt by arguing that the information he provided was not classified. Neyelov, 30, was arrested in October 2018 and has been held in Moscow's Lefortovo remand prison. Neyelov worked with Moscow's Center for Strategic Forecasting and specialized in Russia's private security firms, some of which carry out mercenary activities abroad in cooperation with Russian security forces. He was often quoted in the media speaking about the Vagner security group, which is controlled by financier Yevgeny Prigozhin. The Vagner group has sent mercenaries to Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and other countries. He also is the author or co-author of several books on the activities of Russian private security firms in various conflicts in the former Soviet space and in Afghanistan. With reporting by the BBC Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/prominent -russian-expert-on-mercenary-groups- convicted-of-treason/30703006.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Nyet In Nenets: A Northern Russian Region Just Said No To Putin's Constitution July 02, 2020 The official returns on Russia's plebiscite on constitutional amendments showed a solid block of 'Yes' votes across the nation for a package of changes that, first and foremost, allow President Vladimir Putin to seek a 12-year extension of his reign. That is, except for the northwestern Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO) -- the littlest of all of Russia's regions in terms of population -- which stood out on electoral maps as the lone territorial voice of dissent. The numbers in the sparsely populated, oil-dependent territory -- where there is strong resistance to plans to merge with the Arkhangelsk Oblast and the Komi Republic, two neighboring regions in the Northwestern Federal District -- were not kind to the proposals. According to preliminary results of the weeklong vote reported on July 2, 55.25 percent of NAO voters checked "No" on their ballots, which gave the option only of approving or rejecting the package of amendments in its entirety. Turnout was relatively low, with fewer than 22,000 of the autonomous district's just under 37,500 eligible voters casting ballots. Of them, 12,074 voted against the proposed amendments, with 9,567 in favor. If there was a trend to be found it was that support for the measures was lowest in more remote areas. Second to Nenets Autonomous Okrug was the Far Northern and oil- and natural gas-rich region of Yakutia, where just over 40 percent of voters chose "No." In third place was Kamchatka in the Far East, with just over 37 percent voting against the package. The southern Far East subject of Khaborovsk came in at just under 37 percent opposed, as did Magadan Oblast. The Kremlin unofficially brushed off the results, with the Interfax news agency quoting an unnamed source close to Putin's administration as saying that it was not "dramatizing" the situation and noting that majorities in 17 regions voted against Russia's post-Soviet constitution when it was adopted in 1993. Nationwide, the package of amendments was supported by nearly 78 percent of voters, with turnout of 65 percent, according to the Central Election Commission, though opponents of Putin say the figure is not credible. Some areas -- such as Chechnya, headed by Kremlin-backed strongman and vocal Putin loyalist Ramzan Kadyrov, and the Siberian region of Tyva, where longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu comes from, both around 97 percent "Yes" -- were overwhelmingly in favor of the amendments, according to the official results. In addition to making it possible for Putin to remain in office for another two terms, until 2036, the package included constitutional changes defining marriage as between a man and a woman, describing "belief in God" as a core national value, and calling Russian "the language of the state-forming ethnicity." Central Election Commission head Ella Pamfilova declined to comment on why NAO residents might have been against the amendments, but told Interfax on July 2 that the results "speak to the accuracy of the vote count." Some observers in Russia, such as economics analyst Ivan Tkachyov, wondered if the negative result might be due to public discontent in the energy-dependent region following the recent crash of global oil prices. No Urge To Merge? However, to Valery Fedeyev, who is seen as a Putin loyalist and heads the presidential advisory council on civil society and human rights, the reason NAO voted against was "clear," "Apparently the residents of this district don't want to merge with anyone, so it became a protest vote," he told a meeting of the quasi-government Public Chamber on July 2. There has been strong resistance to plans to merge Nenets Autonomous Okrug with Arkhangelsk Oblast -- its relatively impoverished neighbor to the north and southwest that has administrative jurisdiction over the NAO -- and Komi, which lies to the south. The plan was announced by the governors of Arkhangelsk Oblast and the NAO in May, and shortly afterward a working group set up to oversee the merger proposed adding Komi, too. But public outcry in the NAO, which has a wealth of oil and natural gas and is one of Russia's richest regions per capita, put the idea of holding a vote on the issue in September on hold. The NAO is one of only four autonomous districts -- the others being Chukotka, Yamalo-Nenets, and Khanty-Mansi -- to have survived the government's effort to eliminate them through mergers during Putin's first two terms as president. Many in the 42,000-strong NAO want to preserve that autonomy, and among their reasons have cited concerns about the timing of the move amid the coronavirus pandemic, the loss of higher status compared to other regions, and fears that it could clear the way for indigenous languages to be watered down. Ethnic minorities have expressed concern that the new constitutional wording granting the Russian language special status will lead to the further marginalization of indigenous tongues. An online petition on Change.org had garnered more than 2,500 signatures in opposition to the merger plan as of July 2. In conceding just two weeks after announcing the merger plan that the idea needed more thought, NAO acting head Yury Bezdudny said in early June that "the general position is this: such a serious issue needs to be worked out, and there is no need to be hasty." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/nyet-in-nenets- northern-russian-region-said-no-to- putin-constitution/30702909.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Putin Thanks Russians for Taking Part in Vote on Constitutional Amendments Sputnik News 12:42 GMT 02.07.2020 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Russians on Thursday for taking part in the vote on constitutional amendments. "I want to express my gratitude to the Russian citizens, I want to say thank you very much for your support and trust," Putin said at a meeting of the Pobeda (Victory) organising committee. Russia's political system and the economy are still at the formative stage since not so much time has passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union, "by historical standards," the president added, stressing that time is needed to strengthen the national stability. "I understand the citizens who have voted against. Many problems remain unsolved, this is true. People often face injustice, unkindness and indifference. Many people face hardships, and we, the government, often think we are doing everything possible, while this is not exactly so ... We often fall short of our targets, we should more quickly, precisely and efficiently," Putin said. According to Russia's Central Election Commission, 77.92 percent of Russians supported the amendments, 21.27 percent voted against them, and the turnout totalled 67.97 percent. The nationwide vote on constitutional amendments was originally planned for April 22 but had to be postponed over the threat of COVID-19. It was later officially scheduled for July 1 with six additional voting days to avoid the spread of the disease. A Sputnik The Week In Russia: Landslide Leaves Putin And The People On Shaky Ground By Steve Gutterman July 03, 2020 The Kremlin has claimed victory after a landslide vote for constitutional changes that could enable Russian President Vladimir Putin to remain president until 2036. But the process leaves him on shakier ground than before, in terms of perceived legitimacy, and exposes the Russian people to the whims of the state and its security apparatus under a constitution one analyst said is now "meaningless." On the surface, a "yes" vote of nearly 78 percent sounds like a ringing endorsement of Putin and the constitutional amendments he advocated. But for millions of Russians who voted "no," something rings wrong. And observers say the landslide leaves Putin standing on shaky ground, at least in terms of his perceived legitimacy, and leaves the Russian people stranded on a more barren and brutal landscape than ever, exposed to the whims of the state and its security apparatus by a constitution one analyst said is now so contradictory it has "ceased to exist." Putin can claim victory, of course, and did so shortly after the full results were announced by the Central Electoral Commission on July 2, thanking voters for their "support and trust" two things opinion polls show have declined during his current term at a meeting of a Kremlin agency that handles veterans and the "patriotic upbringing of citizens" and happens to be called Victory. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov was less subtle, saying that "what took place was in essence a de facto triumphal referendum on trust in President Putin." And to hammer that narrative home, the Twitter account of state news agency RIA Novosti's Kremlin pool reporters, which often acts as more of a cheerleader for Putin than a source of unbiased reporting on his doings posted a list showing that the proportion of "yes" votes in the weeklong balloting was higher than Putin received in any of his four presidential elections -- in 2000, 2004, 2012, and 2018. The state news agency's tweet ended with "2024 - ?" a mischievous wink presumably meant to suggest that those close to Putin know that he will in fact do what he now has the legal right to do -- run for reelection when his current term runs out -- even though he insists he has not yet decided. Win Or Lose Amid the Kremlin celebrations of a triumph for Putin, after weeks during which state officials had studiously avoided casting the nationwide vote as being about the president or the amendment allowing him to seek two more six-year terms, critics citing evidence of fraud, among other things, called it a hollow victory or no victory at all. A result above 70 percent is a triumph "in an election, even a manipulated or unfair one, or in a referendum, even if it is forced upon voters," Gleb Pavlovsky, a political analyst who advised Putin for years and left the Kremlin in 2011, told Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. "But in a plebiscite on trust, one in which everything that could be faked was faked, it is a flop a deafening failure," Pavlovsky said. Delayed by the coronavirus, the vote still came less than six months after Putin proposed the constitutional amendments some of them, that is in a national address on January 15. It was not until March 10 that the amendment erasing Putin's four presidential terms and thus allowing him to seek two more without violating terms limits was added, in a closely choreographed parliament session. While there had been hints for a few months, the move came as a surprise for some of those who had looked on and listened as Putin had suggested repeatedly, over the years, that he would not alter the constitution to extend his time in the Kremlin. Once that proposal was out there, though, it because impossible to unsee it or to see much of anything else around it: the Cheshire cat's mocking grin against a background of empty air. Many observers maintain that the amendment allowing Putin to seek two more terms was the main -- if not the sole -- purpose of the constitutional changes, with the other 200-plus alterations serving as mere window-dressing. Peskov's remarks about the "referendum on trust" seemed to strengthen that argument, and so did Putin's first public comments after the vote. Time After Time "Thank you very much for your support and trust," Putin said, abruptly casting the vote as a sign of backing for him personally. Then he added what sounded like an argument after the fact -- for giving him a chance to seek six more years as president or 12. "We must not forgetin historical terms, very little time has passed since the downfall and collapse of the Soviet Union, and modern Russia is doubtless still in the formative stage. This applies to all aspects of our lives: the political system, the economy, and so forth," he said, adding: "We need internal stability and time to strengthen the country and all of its institutions." To critics, it sounded like an awfully strange argument, coming from someone who has held so much power for so long. "Putin demanded Russians give him 'time to strengthen the country'!" Kira Yarmysh, the spokeswoman for opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, wrote on Twitter. "20 years! This person has been in power 20 years. All these years he has been telling us how great things will be sometime later. In reality, everything has gone to ruin over this time, from roads to hospitals. People have become impoverished. The world is turning away from us," Yarmysh tweeted. "But Putin needs TIME." 'The Saddest Day' Other critics, meanwhile, maintain that the amendments Putin has pushed through gravely damage one of the bulwarks of post-Soviet Russia the constitution adopted in 1993, two years after the breakup of the U.S.S.R. -- rather than strengthening it. "The saddest day in modern Russian history," Irina Borogan, an investigative journalist and co-author of a book on the rise of the Russian security services under former KGB officer Putin, wrote on Twitter on July 1. "After the vote for the Constitution amendments Russia became China politically, and we lost all the legacy of the new democracy that had emerged in 1991." Georgy Satarov, a political analyst who helped create Russia's constitution, told Current Time that the amended version contains numerous contradictions that make it "a meaningless document." The contradictions stem in part from the fact that in order to avoid a far more onerous process, Putin's proposal left the fundamental first two sections of the constitution intact while making more than 200 changes in the subsequent chapters some of which seem to undermine, at the very least, the basic principles closer to the top. The first two sections of the constitution, for example, say that Russia is a secular state and guarantee freedom of religion, equality among faiths, and the right "to profess no religion at all." Wording in a new amendment describes "belief in God" as a core national value bequeathed to Russians today by their ancestors. And while the second section says that the state must guarantee equal rights and freedoms "regardless of sex, race, nationality, language" and other categories, the new version among other things -- seems to elevate ethnic Russians by stating that Russian is "the language of the state-forming" group and defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The constitution "is losing its logical force, and thus its legal force. And this means that the constitution in the normal sense simply no longer exists," said Satarov, director of the Moscow think tank INDEM. "And when the constitution ceases to exist, one thing remains: power." The "main result" of the vote securing adoption of the constitutional amendments is that proizvol a word that can be translated as lawlessness, excess, or arbitrary rule by those who hold power -- "will become limitless," Satarov said. "Proizvol will become the new main rule of existence of this regime." Soldiering On Other commentators also warned that there will be fewer protections for the people, whether opposed to Putin or politically neutral, and enhanced power for the "siloviki" the hard-liners in law enforcement, security, and intelligence whose clout has grown substantially under Putin. Before the weeklong vote, U.S.-based political analyst Andras Toth-Czifras wrote that while major protests may not erupt, "growing doubts about the acquiescence of public servants and civil leaders in Russia will almost certainly lead to a growing clout of the security elite." "The role of the super-loyal people around Putin and in the Kremlin, people who call themselves 'loyal soldiers,' will increase," Kirill Martynov, political editor at the independent newspaper Novaya gazeta, told Current Time. Martynov said that far from a triumph, the result was a "terrible blow" for the authorities. "Milllions of people spoke out decisively against the current political situation, against the course set by the current Russian authorities. And nobody will be able to say that this is a marginal group of enemies, agents of the West, and so forth," he said. But those surrounding Putin will be able to tell him that he scored an unprecedented win, Martynov said, predicting that "the rift between the president and the country will only grow wider." Red Lines Putin went with a nationwide vote on the constitutional amendments because he wanted legitimacy for a move that crossed "a red line that he has been reluctant to cross before," Aleksandr Baunov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center and editor in chief of its website, tweeted on July 1. "It is clear that he is violating both the letter and the spirit of the existing law" by pushing for the right to run for two more six-year terms," Baunov wrote. "Beyond this red line is a vacuum of legitimacy." In a July 2 article in The Spectator headlined "Putin's Referendum Rigging Is A Sign Of Weakness," analyst and author Mark Galeotti wrote that "Putin has his result" but that he damaged his legitimacy in obtaining it, and that he might come to regret the whole thing. Putin sought to secure the right to seek reelection because "he has become increasingly concerned that the idea he would leave office in 2024 generates an unwanted and to him, dangerous search for a successor, while making him a lame duck." "The constitutional changes give him options, as he can stay or go as he pleases, but all is intended to stop this obsession with 2024," Galeotti wrote. "Here's the other irony, though. To consolidate his position and stifle talk of succession, Putin has undermined his own legitimacy and alienated his own elite," Galeotti added. "Someday he may feel this was too big a price to pay." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/the-week-in- russia-landslide-leaves-putin-and-the-people-on- shaky-ground/30704678.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Election Monitors Find 'Unprecedented' Levels Of Fraud In Russian Vote On Extending Putin's Rule By Matthew Luxmoore July 03, 2020 MOSCOW -- The day President Vladimir Putin declared victory in a vote on constitutional changes that pave the way for him to rule Russia until 2036, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a "triumphal referendum on confidence" in the former KGB officer, who has already spent over two decades in power. Official results of the weeklong vote that ended July 1 showed that 77.92 percent of Russian voters endorsed the constitutional changes, with only 21.26 against. Turnout was 68 percent, the Central Election Commission said. "Such a high turnout and such a high level of support was very difficult to predict," Peskov said in a statement to reporters. Other officials quickly chimed in. "A plebiscite on trust in Putin ended with victory for the head of state," State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin was quoted as saying in the lower house of parliament's official newspaper. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin lauded "a plebiscite on the consolidation of society around the Russian president." Kremlin critics were struck by the retroactive portrayal of the vote as a plebiscite on support for Putin. His name was almost completely absent from promotional material and TV reports urging Russians to vote on a package of over 200 constitutional amendments -- despite the fact that a clause allowing Putin to reset term limits was among the most consequential of them. They also alleged that the high turnout and support reflected in official results were engineered to conform with targets set down well in advance by Putin's aides. "The updated 'results' are fake and a huge lie," said opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, who had called on his supporters to boycott the vote. "They have nothing in common with the opinion of Russia's citizens." Claims of fraud quickly began mounting. The most damning came from Sergei Shpilkin, a prominent electoral researcher who uses data from Russia's Central Election Commission during voting cycles to plot tallies reported at polling stations throughout the country and detect evidence of inflated turnout. During the presidential election of 2018, which Putin won handily, Shpilkin saw that the data showed numerous polling stations reporting turnout percentages ending in 0 or 5, suggesting, per his widely cited analysis, that almost 10 million votes were falsified at the ballot box. This time, Shpilkin said, that figure was an "unprecedented" 22.4 million. Adding to the murky picture, exit polls conducted by anti-government activists in Moscow and St. Petersburg showed that a small majority in the two cities -- both strongholds of the embattled opposition -- had voted against the proposed changes. But the activists could only record the views of voters who agreed to be interviewed, meaning they had few means of gauging the actual scale of ballot manipulation. The plebiscite was marred by inconsistencies from the start, not least because few official rules governed its execution. From the first day of voting, Russians could cast ballots in car trunks, parked buses and on tree stumps, as evidenced by various images posted to social media from across the country. By the afternoon of July 1, the election commission was already reporting preliminary results, apparently in violation of laws that usually apply to national votes. A Russian woman living in Israel reported that she'd been able to vote three times -- in Tel Aviv, in Haifa, and again online. At one Moscow polling station, a man was told that he and two of his children had already cast their votes -- despite insisting none of them had. A supervisor then seized the voter record, snapped it shut, and told the man, "Prove it!" Daily raffles offered prizes to all who cast their ballot. Posters with "YES" written across them hung in the basements of apartment blocks in major cities. And at least one journalist who tried to document events inside a polling station was violently apprehended by police. There was also plenty of evidence suggesting the vote had been a mere formality. At least two weeks before voting even began, bookshops across Moscow were selling copies of the Russian Constitution with the new amendments included. In a statement on July 2, the day after voting ended, election monitor Golos issued a scathing assessment of the vote, saying that much of the balloting had been falsified -- and results partly determined in advance. "The actual voting process had no significant meaning," the organization said. "An expression of the people's will was impossible from the start, because of the rules that were consciously put in place by the organizers." Calling the vote "unprecedented" in terms of the scale of fraud and manipulation, the organization concluded that it will "go down in the country's history as an attack on the people's sovereignty." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/election-monitors-find- unprecedented-levels-of-fraud-in-russian-vote-on- extending-putin-s-rule/30704791.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Putin Signs Decree On Constitutional Amendments, Changes Take Effect July 4 By RFE/RL's Russian Service July 03, 2020 MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that will bring into force a sweeping package of constitutional amendments that among other things open a path for him to stay in power until 2036, if he chooses to take part in two more presidential elections. According to the decree, signed on July 3, the amendments will take effect on July 4. "The citizens of Russia have made their choice, and in accordance with this decision, I have signed a decree to officially publish the constitution to include the amendments," Putin said during a televised meeting with officials. He also signaled further changes for Russia, saying that some of the proposed constitutional amendments that were not included in the package approved in the plebiscite should be considered as the basis for new laws. "It is practically impossible to squeeze everything into the constitution," he said. "And that is not necessary. Suggestions that came from people and could not be included in the constitution, but which are of value to society, must be put into action either as laws or bylaws." Although the final package included more than 200 amendments, more than 600 modifications were proposed during the brief discussion period between January and March. Putin signed the decree hours after the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced the final results of a national vote held between June 25 and July 1. The Kremlin has hailed the landslide victory that saw almost 78 percent of ballots approving the package of more than 200 changes to the constitution as "a triumphant referendum on trust in President Vladimir Putin." But reports of irregularities at some polling stations, and intimidation of activists and journalists seeking to monitor the vote, have prompted calls from the West for an immediate investigation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected Western concerns about the vote, saying that Russia "has been and will remain committed, first and foremost, to national sovereignty." "We are not ready to take these so-called concerns into account and will not do so," he told the state news agency TASS. The Kremlin has said the amendments are necessary for the country's stability and security, while Putin's critics charge they are a bid for the 67-year-old to secure power for life. The most-controversial among more than 200 amendments in the package is one that resets Putin's term-limit clock to zero, opening the way for him to run for reelection when his current six-year term expires in 2024, and again in 2030. In addition to enabling Putin to seek additional terms, the amendments broaden the powers of the parliament in the formation of the government and redistribute some authority among various government structures. They also explicitly state the priority of Russian law over international law, ban same-sex marriages, describe a "belief in God" as a core national value, define the Russian language as "the language of the state-forming ethnicity," and make it "impossible to alienate parts of the Russian Federation." The vote came amid growing discontent in Russia over the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, and as polls have shown a decline in Putin's popularity in recent years. His approval rating sank to a low of 59 percent during the spring, according to the independent Levada Center polling agency. Putin, a longtime KGB officer during the Soviet era, has been president or prime minister of Russia since 1999. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/30704684.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. Saudi Press: Saudi Arabia Announces New Armored Military Vehicle Production Saudi Press Agency Thursday 1441/11/11 - 2020/07/02 Riyadh, July 02, 2020, SPA -- Saudi newspapers highlighted in their editorials today a number of issues, at local, regional, and international arenas. Al-Yaum newspaper said in its editorial that the Security Council's discussion of the UN report on Iran's involvement in the sabotage attack, that targeted an oil installations in Saudi Arabia, confirms the need to take a firm stance from the international community towards Iran. The paper said that this attack strengthens the stance of Saudi Arabia that supports the continuing arms embargo on Iran and continuing to deal seriously with the nuclear and ballistic programs that Iran is developing. The paper concluded that Iranian regime is involved in crimes to destabilize the security and stability of the region, and the principle of goodwill has no way in dealing with this regime, which proves day after day its seriousness on the foundations of international peace. Okaz newspaper said in its editorial that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to achieve its military industrialization plans, that requires high readiness to maintain the security and safety of this country. The paper pointed to the announcement of the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) yesterday about signing of a contract to manufacture and localize of new armored military vehicles under the name "Ad-Dahna" between the General Directorate of Border Guard and the Military Industries Corporation. This announcement comes within the scope of GAMI's strategic direction to achieve more 50% of the Kingdom's spending on military equipment and services on national manufacturers. -- SPA 09:39 LOCAL TIME 06:39 GMT 0003 In what was, so far, the best baseball game of the week, the Jaguars pulled their 33rd win out of the fire and salvaged a gem of a start from their star pitcher. Syrian army forces in Syria's Hasakah stop US convoy, force it to return Iran Press TV Thursday, 02 July 2020 5:30 PM Syrian government forces have block a US military convoy in the country's northeastern province of Hasakah and forced it to turn back amid seething resentment of locals over the presence of American troops in the region. Syria's official news agency SANA reported that the US convoy was confronted by Syrian troops stationed at al-Dardara bridge as American forces were traveling along the road linking the small town of Tal Tamr to Abu Rasin town on Thursday. SANA added that government forces did not allow the US convoy to move ahead, and ordered it to "go back to the base it came from." No one was hurt in the confrontation and there was no immediate comment from the US military. A similar incident took place on June 25, when a US convoy of armored vehicles headed back to its base after residents of Khirbet Bunyan village, which lies in the al-Malikiyah district of the same Syrian province, did not allow it to move and pelted it with stones. There were no reports of injuries. Two days earlier, local people in Faris Kabir village in the same province had prevented a convoy of US military vehicles from passing through their village, and hurled stones at the foreign soldiers. Since late October 2019, the United States has been redeploying troops to the oil fields controlled by Kurdish forces in eastern Syria, in a reversal of President Donald Trump's earlier order to withdraw all troops from the Arab country. The Pentagon claims the move aims to "protect" the fields and facilities from possible attacks by Daesh. That claim came although Trump had earlier suggested that Washington sought economic interests in controlling the oil fields. The presence of US forces in eastern Syria has particularly irked the civilians, and local residents have on several occasions stopped American military convoys entering the region. Syria, which has not authorized the presence of the US military in its territory, says Washington is "plundering" the country's oil. Fresh US military convoy enters northeast Syria from western Iraq Iran Press TV Thursday, 02 July 2020 1:25 PM The US military has sent a new convoy of trucks loaded with military hardware and logistical gears to Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah as Washington seeks to control and loot crude resources in the war-torn country. Syria's official news agency SANA, citing unnamed local sources in al-Ya'rubiyah town, reported that a convoy of 30 vehicles, including trucks and armored personnel carriers, rumbled through the Waleed border crossing, located in the al-Rutba district of Iraq's western province of Anbar, into Syrian territories on Thursday. The sources added that the convoy drove by Tel Hamees town and headed toward the provincial capital city of Hasakah. According to SANA, the US forces have also built an airstrip in Geweran neighborhood of Hasakah province to allow their military aircraft to land and take off. They have also occupied a large number of state buildings in the area with the help of Kurdish-led members of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). This came only a day after the US military dispatched a convoy of dozens of tankers to the small Syrian city of al-Malikiyah in Hasakah province. The vehicles headed toward the Iraqi territory after being loaded with crude oil, according to SANA. Since late October 2019, the United States has been redeploying troops to the oil fields controlled by Kurdish forces in eastern Syria, in a reversal of President Donald Trump's earlier order to withdraw all troops from the Arab country. The Pentagon claims the move aims to "protect" the fields and facilities from possible attacks by Daesh. That claim came although Trump had earlier suggested that Washington sought economic interests in controlling the oil fields. Syria, which has not authorized the presence of the US military in its territory, says Washington is "plundering" the country's oil. The presence of US forces in eastern Syria has particularly irked the civilians, and local residents have on several occasions stopped American military convoys entering the region. Syrians protest deployment of US-backed SDF militants Separately on Wednesday, dozens of people in Tel Hamees town in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah staged a demonstration in protest at the deployment of US-sponsored SDF militants in the area and their arbitrary practices. SANA reported that the residents blocked the main road to the town with burning tires and blocks of stone, demanding the withdrawal of the militants from the region. Security conditions are reportedly deteriorating in the areas controlled by the SDF in Hasakah and Dayr al-Zawr provinces amid ongoing raids and arrests of civilians by the US-backed militants. Locals argue that the SDF's constant raids and arrest campaigns have generated a state of frustration and instability, severely affecting their businesses and livelihood. Residents accuse the militants of stealing crude oil and failing to spend money on service sectors. Local councils affiliated with the SDF have also been accused of financial corruption. They are said to be embezzling funds provided by donors, neglecting services and not meeting the people's basic needs. France should apologize over 'false claims' about naval incident in Mediterranean: Turkish FM Iran Press TV Thursday, 02 July 2020 5:48 PM Turkey says France should apologize for making "false claims" about a naval incident between the warships of the two NATO allies in the Mediterranean last month that prompted Paris to ask for a NATO investigation. Paris claimed last week that one of its military ships was harassed by Turkish frigates last month through radar targeting as the French ship purportedly sought to inspect a cargo vessel suspected of carrying arms to war-ravaged Libya. France has described the incident as an "extremely aggressive" behavior from the Turkish vessels while the French ship was allegedly participating in a NATO Mediterranean maritime security operation, known as Operation Sea Guardian. Paris on Wednesday said that it was suspending its participation in the Operation Sea Guardian until its concerns were addressed. The Turkish government has already strongly rejected the allegations as "groundless", insisting that its frigates just observed the French warship. Ankara, for its part, accused the French vessel of a "high-speed and dangerous maneuver." NATO has already launched an investigation into the maritime incident. Last month, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said NATO officials were looking into the incident, adding, "Those two NATO allies have totally different views on what actually happened." On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu demanded a formal apology from Paris over the allegations. "France did not tell the truth to both NATO and the EU. The claim that our ships locked is not true. We proved that and gave the documents to NATO. And NATO saw the reality," he said in a joint press conference with his German counterpart Heiko Maas in the German capital, Berlin. "Our expectation from France is to apologize to us for not providing the true information," the Turkish top diplomat further said. Since 2014, two rival seats of power have emerged in Libya, namely the internationally-recognized government, known as the Government of National Accord (GNA), and another group under the command of Libya's renegade General Khalifa Haftar and based in the eastern city of Tobruk, which is supported militarily by forces loyal to him and is collectively known as the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA). The strongman, supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan, launched a deadly offensive to capture Tripoli, the seat of the GNA, in April last year. His forces, however, failed to advance past the city's outskirts. Early last month, they even lost those areas to the advancing GNA forces. Turkey fully supports the GNA and for the past several months has sent arms and military equipment to Tripoli to help it defend itself against the LNA. Ankara has even sent Ankara-backed Syrian militants to Libya to further assist the GNA, a move that drew criticisms. France, for its part, is accused of supporting Haftar and hence, tensions between Ankara and Paris soared for the past couple of months. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Turkish foreign minister said the UN resolution stated that the GNA is the only legitimate government in the North African country. "The only and the best solution to the Libyan conflict is a political solution and permanent cease-fire," Cavusoglu further said, adding that Ankara was ready for dialogue to facilitate a political solution and maintain stability in Libya. However, French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said that Turkey had a "criminal responsibility" over its involvement in Libya. Turkey Wants France to Apologise Over Mediterranean Warships Incident That Led to NATO Probe Sputnik News Tim Korso. Sputnik International 10:27 GMT 02.07.2020(updated 13:23 GMT 02.07.2020) Turkish frigates confronted French naval forces in the Mediterranean Sea as they tried to inspect a ship, purportedly carrying weapons to Libya in violation of the UN ban. The incident took place amid Ankara's attempts to help the UN recognised government of national accord in its fight against the army of General Haftar. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has stated Ankara wants France to apologise over its statements regarding the incident that took place in the middle of June between the two countries' naval forces. At the time, Paris characterised the Turkish frigates' actions towards French ships operating in the Mediterranean Sea as "extremely aggressive" and requested NATO officials to probe the encounter between the members of the alliance. "When France makes false claims and works against Turkey, that should not be accepted. We expect France to apologise unconditionally", Cavusoglu said. Cavusoglu went on to dismiss France's claims that Turkish frigates targeted their ally's ship insisting that Ankara passed the reports of the incident to NATO investigators, proving such conduct never took place. Turkey actively supports the UN-recognised Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), which controls the capital of Tripoli and the northwestern part of the country. The GNA, in turn, accuses France of supporting another major power on the Libyan political landscape the Tobruk-based Libyan House of Representatives and the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by general Khalifa Haftar, which controls central and eastern Libya. France accused the Turkish frigates of intervening in the operations of navy forces observing the implementation of a UN arms embargo on war-torn Libya. The French frigate Courbet was trying to contact a Libya-bound cargo ship sailing under the Tanzanian flag, suspecting it of running a gun smuggling operation, but was unsuccessful in these attempts. Instead, two Turkish frigates escorting the vessel contacted the French warship explaining that the ship was carrying medical supplies. The Courbet still attempted to approach the "suspicious" Libya-bound ship, but was "lit up" three times by Turkish frigates' radars meaning they targeted their NATO ally without firing at it. The French vessel backed off after the confrontation, but Paris requested that NATO probe the incident. The bloc's investigation has returned inconclusive results. Following the standoff with Turkish ships, France announced that it would freeze its participation in the NATO naval mission aimed at preventing arms trafficking to Libya. Paris insists that its frigate acted according to NATO intelligence and argued that under the alliance's guidelines the Turkish warships' behaviour can be characterised as a hostile act. A Sputnik Gloucester, MA (01930) Today Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Groton, CT (06349) Today Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Goshen, IN (46526) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 45F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 45F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@skagitpublishing.com for help creating one. Accessible Health Care for Transgender Community Seeing Doctors Who Understand Finding Adequate Health Care Options Bringing Plume to North Carolina (TNS) When Aydian Dowling looked in the mirror as a teenager, he didnt relate to who he saw. He dreaded taking his high school graduation photo because he knew he was a different person. When thinking about the future, he couldnt picture himself as an adult based on the way he looked then. And it was painful.Dowling came out as a trans man in February of 2009 and tried to live a life without hormones for about nine months. He told people his pronouns and his name, but that wasnt enough, he said.I still didnt feel like myself, Dowling said. I felt closer, but I just was like dreaming of a beard, and dreaming of a more masculinized body.He started hormone replacement therapy, HRT, later that year and has been continuing that medical treatment for 10 years while living in four different states. HRT is when doctors prescribe medications, most commonly testosterone or estrogen, to transgender patients to affirm their gender.I dont even want to paint the trans narrative as being like always being depressed or always being suicidal, but I mean those are real things that really happened to me, Dowling said. I dont think I honestly would be conducting this interview with you if I hadnt found hormone replacement therapy because it truly alleviated my dysphoria, which was something I suffered with every single day of my life.Now, at 32, Dowling picks up his phone to direct message or video chat with his doctor, who is also transgender, through an app created by two University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill alumni.It just feels more comfortable talking to my doctor, Dowling said. Im communicating with them in the same way I communicate with my friends.Plume is the first health technology company dedicated to the trans community, co-founder and CEO Dr. Matthew Wetschler said.We provide immediate access to gender-affirming hormone therapy through the convenience of a smartphone, Wetschler said.Wetschler, 40, lives in Asheville and graduated from the UNC School of Medicine and Gillings School of Public Health.He said its safe, convenient and more accessible than most options in a brick and mortar setting. The doctors do medical examinations and provide care, including labs, for individuals to consider, start or continue hormone replacement therapy.So to bring them physically and emotionally in a line with how they identify, said Dr. Jerrica Kirkley, co-founder and chief medical officer at Plume. Kirkley, 36, lives in Denver, but met Wetschler while in medical school at UNC.She and Wetschler started the company in Colorado with their own money and a desire to improve the health care options for the transgender community.They, along with Soltan Bryce, are growing the company, which is now available in 11 states and expanding. Bryce, 30, is also a UNC graduate and Morehead-Cain Scholar whos now studying at Harvard Business School,This is work that comes from the heart, Bryce said. This is work that comes from immediate and intimate experience with the trans journey, especially seeking gender-affirming care.Plume offers patients a full clinical staff that is almost entirely trans, which is possible by using telemedicine to source providers from all over the country. They also provide letters of support, which are necessary to pursue gender-affirming surgery, and connect patients to resources for behavioral health and social support in their local community. Patients can communicate directly with their doctor via text or a video chat.A Plume membership costs $99 per month and does not require health insurance or accept health insurance for monthly fees. Plume has a pay it forward program to help alleviate the costs for some patients who cant afford care.For most trans people who do hormone replacement therapy its a lifelong journey. Moving to a new state, changing jobs or losing insurance coverage can create tension around how to continue treatment. And while there are some quality LGBTQ+ specific clinics, they arent on every corner of every city. Plume eliminates that reliance on location, insurance and employment for trans people to seek out and maintain gender-affirming care.This year, Plume became available in North Carolina, which is home to nearly 45,000 trans people. With all three co-founders as UNC alumni, bringing it to North Carolina is particularly meaningful to them.Plume is also available for people in California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas and Virginia, which represent nearly half of the trans community in the U.S. It takes patients 18 and older, some of whom are starting hormone replacement therapy in their 50s and 60s.They hope to launch Plume in other other states and provide this health care option for the 1.4 million transgender people in the U.S.Kirkley, a trans woman, grew up in Raleigh and went to N.C. State as well as UNC. She has been a primary care doctor in Colorado for the past seven years. She developed a protocol and an LGBTQ+ curriculum during her residency and incorporated that into community health care centers, free clinics and her own practice. But, she said, even at those places, which are the most accessible points of care, she was constantly running up against barriers.Whether that was because of geography, because of insurance issues, payment issues, just fear of discrimination of even entering into a healthcare facility, Kirkley said. It was hard to get folks care.It can also be intimidating, uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous, Wetschler said.When transgender people go to a doctors office, about 25 percent face discrimination or are refused care based on their gender identity, according to Wetschler. And up to 30 percent delay care entirely out of fear of discrimination, he said. If an individual does manage to find a clinic where theyre able to see a physician, often those physicians are unfamiliar with gender-affirming hormone therapy.When Dowling first started hormone replacement therapy, he had to take an hour and a half train ride into New York City to visit a clinic. He has had at least five different doctors while navigating his medical treatment, but had never seen one who was transgender before finding Kirkley through Plume.To have access to a trans person its like, I dont have to come out, which is always the scariest part honestly, Dowling said. Because you just dont know how a doctor is going to approach you.Some doctors had never seen a transgender patient and asked if a few other doctors could come in to examine him like he was a spectacle.Its just really degrading, Dowling said. Although I am a man, I was raised and lived as a woman for 22 years. And, to have these four male doctors looking at me ... inside of me ... can be scarring for you and can really make you feel disempowered in your body.And I dont think that any person, trans or not, should ever have to feel that way, he said.In June, the Trump Administration eliminated transgender protections in the Affordable Care Act, which was inclusive of gender identity and sexual orientation for medical services.And with that rolling back, it does make it possible in certain states for insurance companies or individual physicians to deny coverage or care based on gender identity, Wetschler said.Research shows that gender-affirming hormone therapy reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, lowers perceived and social distress, and improves quality of life and self-esteem in transgender children and adults.For me personally in my own transition, you know hormones were definitely something that made me feel so much better, Dowling said.Plume has helped me directly by just allowing me to have access, Dowling said. Especially right now, in the middle of a pandemic, when I cant get out to doctors offices and I cant just go and try this doctor or try that doctor. And also I cant access my community right now because I just moved here.Plume is also a resource for transgender individuals who arent sure if they want to start HRT. They do question and answer sessions with Kirkley and put out information on their website and Instagram to help people navigate the decision-making process.Bryce, who grew up in Rocky Mount, would often visit family in North Carolina during the controversial House Bill 2. Also known as the bathroom bill, it rolled back local anti-discrimination protections for transgender people by requiring them to use bathrooms that matched their birth certificates while in government facilities, including schools.The legacy of a bill like that looms large for the trans community, Bryce said. Seeking care, just being physically themselves anywhere, is a threat and a fear.Bryce said the team sees North Carolina as a place where people can be celebrated and hopes this service can be part of that.Being able to access care through your smartphone, through the safety of your home or wherever is safe for you can be the difference between life and death, Bryce said. It can be the difference between living authentically.Improving access to health care not only changes lives in the trans community, they say it can also create social change by reducing the stigma that transgender people face.You can change peoples minds by changing their hearts, Kirkley said. It wasnt widely known that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence until a quarter century later when he stood for the presidency of the United States. At the time when the 33-year-old Virginian sat down to write Americas birth certificate at his portable writing desk in a boarding house on Seventh and Market streets in Philadelphia in the third week of June 1776, he was a relatively unknown figure in national circles.He had a reputation for being a hard reader, a brilliant scholar, and a lucid crafter of English prose, but he did not take part in the sometimes-heated debates that were propelling the 13 American colonies toward independence. John Adams later reported that during the whole Time I sat with him in Congress, I never heard him utter three Sentences together.Jefferson was a shy man and a homebody, who had lingered so long at Monticello in the spring of 1776 that he nearly missed the opportunity to write the document that secured his immortality. He did not finally leave Virginia until early May. His wife Martha was never in robust health. She would die in 1782 at the age of 33. His mother Jane had died on the last day of March suddenly, of a stroke. He lingered at home for five weeks following her death, suffering from what he called his periodical headache, some sort of severe tension headache (possibly migraine) that forced him to sit alone in a darkened room for days, even weeks, at a time.By the time he reached Philadelphia in mid-May, the American Revolution was picking up speed. On May 15, the Congress passed a resolution the work of John Adams urging each colony to establish its own post-colonial government. On June 9, a committee of five was appointed to draw up a statement justifying American independence. Two members dropped away immediately. That left Jefferson, Dr. Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams. Franklin preferred not to undertake the assignment. Adams prevailed on Jefferson to write the first draft, citing three reasons. First, Adams believed that a Virginian should take the lead. Second, Adams acknowledged that many delegates to the Continental Congress found him obnoxious. Third, Adams said Jefferson wrote 10 times better than he did.Jefferson accepted the assignment reluctantly, but he brought genius to the project. As he later recalled, he consulted neither book nor pamphlet in writing it. His goal was to place before mankind the common sense of the subject in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent. Franklin and Adams enthusiastically endorsed Jeffersons draft and offered up a few minor suggestions. The committee submitted the finished document to the Congress on June 28. Congress debated and amended the Declaration on July 2nd, 3rd, and part of the 4th of July before unanimously voting to adopt it.Jefferson had a hard time concentrating on his work in Philadelphia because he was so concerned about the health of his wife Martha back in Virginia. He was desperate for any report of her condition from her own hand or that of a relative or friend. He found the silence terrifying and debilitating. Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson was a physically fragile woman whose many pregnancies (including miscarriages) broke her health and led to her death at 33 (Jefferson was just 39). Four of their six children died in early childhood. Jefferson would later write, I am born to lose everything I love.Today, he would of course have instantaneous contact with his wife, by phone, text, email and FaceTime. Today, Martha Jefferson would have excellent medical care. In fact, she would almost certainly survive the maladies that killed her in her early adulthood, and it is quite likely that all six of their children would have lived full lives in an age of antibiotics. Such are the profound advances of medicine between Jeffersons time and ours.We regard the 4th of July as the most important day on the secular American calendar. In 1776, July 4 (a Thursday) was a relatively undramatic day in Philadelphia. The Second Continental Congress had voted independence two days previously (July 2), after months of debate, dithering, diffidence, and hesitation. That was the critical moment. Its not that the delegates regarded the Declaration of Independence as unimportant. They debated every concept, every phrase, even points of punctuation for two and a half days before finally adopting a chastened version of Jeffersons draft.But they considered the fateful July 2 vote to break allegiance with the most powerful nation on earth as greatly more important than the document that would be promulgated to justify their action to the candid world. The delegates did not even sign the soon-to-be-famous document on the 4th of July. They sent it to a local printer so that it could be disseminated widely in the colonies (suddenly, states) as soon as possible. In fact, there never was a solemn signing ceremony of the sort we like to imagine in American mythology. The copy of the Declaration we revere as sacred (now in the National Archives) was not signed until August 1776 and then in a relatively casual ad hoc fashion, different delegates attaching their names at different moments as they came and went in what is now known as Independence Hall.The sense one gets from examining the available documents is that Thomas Jefferson lived through July 4, 1776, without fanfare. He was undoubtedly relieved that the Congressional deliberation over his Declaration was over. We know that he was a thin-skinned and sensitive man who did not enjoy being the focus of heated debate dominated by men of inflated egos who loved to quibble and nitpick and hear themselves talk. Such men (lawyers), he would later quip, are paid to talk by the hour.He probably brooded his way through the afternoon and evening of the 4th, because he felt strongly that Congress had mangled his document by toning down some of his language and removing a long paragraph denouncing George III and the British Parliament for perpetuating the slave trade. He almost certainly returned to his boarding house when Congress recessed, ate a light late afternoon dinner, tidied up his personal effects, made jottings in his diaries and account books, and perhaps played the violin as he relived the debate and attempted to evaluate the historical importance of what he and his compatriots had just accomplished.We have no evidence that Jefferson and other founders celebrated the revolutionary moment at a Philadelphia tavern. Jefferson was not the kind of man who spent much time in pubs. He was an exceedingly private person. His mind was already back in Virginia, where he believed the real work of the revolution was being undertaken.Jefferson was an obsessive keeper of records. His account book (i.e., financial log) for July 4, 1776, reports that he purchased an expensive thermometer that day, bought seven pair of womens gloves, and gave a small amount of money to charity (unspecified). In his usual meticulous way, Jefferson recorded the temperature at 6 a.m. as 68 degrees, skies clear, a light north wind; and again at 1 p.m., 76 degrees with increasing clouds. Jeffersons diaries and letters are sometimes maddening to historians. He seldom recorded his emotions or even impressions of the dramatic moments through which he lived. He belongs to the just the facts, maam school of recordkeeping.John Adams, as always, was more effusive. On July 3, 1776, well aware of the magnitude of the events unfolding in Philadelphia, he wrote a wonderfully prescient letter to his wife Abigail:Illuminations are fireworks. Adams was right about the American way of celebrating Independence Day, but wrong about the date. He had done more to bring about that fateful vote than any other of the 50-some delegates of the Continental Congress. He rightly believed that the vote to secede from the British empire was more important than the news release that announced that decision. This was a view that Adams held for the rest of his long life. He later asked his friend Benjamin Rush Was there ever a Coup de Theatre, that had So great an Effect as Jeffersons Penmanship of the Declaration of Independence? Penmanship? This is the very definition of sour grapes.And yet the proud, envious, insecure and irascible Adams died 50 years later, not on the day the resolution of independence passed, but on the anniversary of Jeffersons immortal Declaration. Jefferson and Adams died within a few hours of each other, 563 miles apart, on July 4, 1826. They had not seen each other since the first days of March 1801, but, beginning in 1812, they exchanged some of the finest letters in American history. Jeffersons last words in his bed at his beloved Monticello on the 4th of July 1826 were, Is it the fourth? He was trying to hang on to that anniversary moment of the greatest of his many great achievements. Adams last words in his bed in Quincy, Mass. a few hours later, were Thomas Jefferson still survives.There is a paradox in Jeffersons authorship of the Declaration of Independence. If the other founding fathers had known that the Declaration was going to become the most famous document in American history, Jefferson would not have gotten the assignment to draft it. That honor might have been appropriated by the president of the Continental Congress John Hancock or by John Adams or even the aging Benjamin Franklin, who in fact suggested that young Jefferson use the word self-evident rather than his draft formulation, we hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable.But if any one of those men great men, able with the pen had written the Declaration of Independence, it would almost certainly not be the most famous document in American history. Nobody else had Jeffersons magical capacity with the pen lucidity, a perfect balance of passion, reason and control, the delicate mingling of poetry and prose, idealism and hard data and Jeffersons magnificent cadence of confidence in articulating the cause of humankind. Many others could have written the memo, but only Jefferson had the genius to find the words to embody the universal aspiration of humanity to govern him- or herself. It was as if he had been preparing all of his life for this moment. And he was still only 33 years old.In the famous preamble, which at the time was regarded as mere preface (almost Enlightenment boilerplate) before the real business of the Declaration of Independence got underway, namely the long list of crimes and oppressions committed by King George III, his ministers, and the British parliament, Jefferson wrote the 35 most important words in the English language:Nobody in the Second Continental Congress could possibly have known how potent that sentence was going to be in the course of human events, from 1776 to today. And even if Jefferson himself is now regarded by many as a toxic historical figure, his words are as much a foundation of the Black Lives Matter movement as I cant breathe. Not even Jefferson could have known as he puttered about his boarding rooms on the evening of July 4, 1776, that he had written the one sentence that humankind can never live without.We can live without To be or not to be, that is the question, and It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife, or even, if absolutely necessary, the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice, but we cannot live without We hold these truths to be self-evident. As Abraham Lincoln put it, Jefferson offered the world an abstract truth, applicable to all men and all times, and so to embalm it there, that to-day, and in all coming days, it shall be a rebuke and a stumbling-block to the very harbingers of re-appearing tyranny and oppression.The preamble of the Declaration of Independence is the gold standard of human aspiration against which all governments and all social structures must be evaluated. Its amazing how so simple a principle that every human being has equal validity, equal rights, equal dignity is so very difficult to realize.As Lincoln rightly understood, the preamble of the Declaration of Independence no longer belongs to Thomas Jefferson, who was a complicated and perplexing man, a liberty-loving slave holder, a man who decried the mingling of black and white blood (miscegenation) but mingled for more than 30 years with his household slave Sally Hemings, a natural philosopher who celebrated the dignity and independence of Native Americans while doing all he could to dispossess them of their sovereign lands, a revolutionary who believed that men should govern themselves, but women should be content to preside over the nursery, a masterful record keeper who was publicly frugal and privately bankrupt and on and on.The words of the Declaration of Independence have long ceased to belong to Jefferson, who in some ways was a man far ahead of his time and in other ways well behind the most enlightened thinking of his era. They belong to humankind. The preamble does not lose any of its universal revolutionary validity just because the man who wrote it was highly imperfect. In fact, the great sentence, more than anything else in Jeffersons long and productive life, is the chief indictment against him. (TNS) A free mobile app designed to help with COVID-19 contact tracing will now be available in Wyoming, Gov. Mark Gordon announced Wednesday.The Care19 Diary app, which was launched in North Dakota and South Dakota in April, keeps record of a persons location for potential use in contact tracing if the user then tests positive for the coronavirus. The app only keeps track of location data, with users remaining otherwise anonymous, and histories can be deleted at any point.Here in Wyoming, the more citizens who choose to voluntarily participate, the more effective our fight against COVID-19 will be, Gordon said in a prepared statement. The information this app gathers can save lives. Embracing this technology is one more way we can show that were all in this together.The state entered a partnership with North Dakota-based ProudCrowd for the app, which is available on most cellphones. ProudCrowd CEO Tim Brookins, who also works for Microsoft, said in a statement that he was excited to see the app expand into Wyoming.We built these products with privacy as our primary design point wide-scale adoption is the ultimate goal! Brookins said in a prepared statement.The news release announcing the partnership states the app will help enhance the extensive contact tracing already occurring in the state. It also encourages people who download the app to review the tracking diary to ensure recorded locations are correct.The mobile app has drawn mixed reviews from users in the Dakotas, with many commenters on the Apple App Store and Google Play App Store complaining about its ability to log locations accurately. The Washington Post and other outlets have also reported on findings that show some data from the app has been shared with third-party companies in previous uses. More text messages have been going back and forth between Dr Helmut Marko and Cyril Abiteboul. Renault boss Abiteboul, who shared an acrimonious relationship in the past with Red Bull's chiefs, revealed that Marko texted him when the French team tested at the Red Bull Ring recently. "It got me some comments from Helmut, and even some text messages from Helmut, for whom I still have great affection," the Frenchman said. But now, Marko says he was on the receiving end of a further round of texting, this time with Abiteboul as the instigator. The text followed Marko's claim in the media that Renault had fitted 2020-spec engines to its two-year-old chassis at the pre-Austrian GP test. "I immediately received a text from Cyril Abiteboul," the Austrian told Osterreich newspaper. "I just reminded him that he still owes me five bottles of champagne and that he should concentrate on the essentials. Officially, they had a 2018 engine inside the car. Well, they should have." Marko said he will be glad when the engines are finally fired up on Friday. "There's a famous quote - 'When the flag drops, the bull**it stops'," he said. "It is high time that the racing starts again now. "Then we will finally have times and results to talk about, rather than every exaggerated sentence." (GMM) Fernando Alonso's deal to return to Formula 1 next year could now be done. That is the claim of Spanish radio Cadena SER, amid speculation the Spaniard might even replace the McLaren-bound Daniel Ricciardo at Renault within the 2020 season. According to other Spanish reports, the 38-year-old responded to the rumours of a return within the current season, declaring: "I have already said that I am going to do the Indy 500." As for the new reports about a signed 2021 Renault deal, he added: "At noon they were saying that a team had said no to Alonso. By the night I am racing in 2020 for the very same team. "I have already said months ago that my future plans were decided for a long time, and that I would share it shortly. And so it will be," said the two-time champion, who appears to have lost weight over the last months. Cadena SER said the Alonso news will be made official "in the coming days", adding that Renault wants to begin the partnership "as soon as possible". Current Renault driver Esteban Ocon said he would welcome Alonso to the French works team. "I don't know if he's going to join with us or not but definitely, if he could come back, I would be very happy," said the Frenchman. (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has played down rumours that a fault has been uncovered with Mercedes' new engine specification in Austria. It was already known that a tweaked engine spec had been sent from Mercedes' Brixworth base to the first 'ghost race' of 2020. But subsequent reports hinted that a problem had also been discovered, necessitating further engine changes for the works cars as well as customers Racing Point and Williams. "I haven't heard about any engine problems," works Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas told MTV Sport. "Mercedes has introduced an update that should only improve reliability, but I haven't heard anything about there being any problems with it," he added. (GMM) Antonio Giovinazzi has admitted he is under pressure as he bids to stay in Formula 1. The Italian has enjoyed strong support from Ferrari, but there is now speculation that Maranello may recommend a new junior for Alfa Romeo next year - Mick Schumacher. Blick newspaper quoted Giovinazzi as saying this week: "If my dreams are to continue, I have to beat Kimi (Raikkonen) this year." When asked if he is worried about losing his seat, the 26-year-old said in Austria: "Drivers feel the pressure every season, but for me the current situation is no different from last year. "Of course, I know that Ferrari has a lot of young drivers, but I am focused on my work and do not want to spend time thinking about Formula 2 drivers," he added, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher thinks stepping up from Formula 2 is a realistic hope for his nephew Mick Schumacher for 2021. "If Mick delivers a decent Formula 2 season this year, moving up to Formula 1 could be realistic. Why not?" the brother of Mick's father Michael Schumacher told Salzburger Nachrichten. "Kimi Raikkonen is no longer a young driver, and we will have to see how it develops with Antonio Giovinazzi. There could be opportunities," Ralf added. (GMM) Haas needs to up its game or team owner Gene Haas will pull out of Formula 1. That is the word from the small American team's Danish race driver, Kevin Magnussen. It follows hot on the heels of team boss Gunther Steiner announcing that, to cut costs amid the corona crisis, the new 2020 car will not be developed for now. "Gene won't bother to be in Formula 1 if he is last or second to last," Magnussen warned, according to the Danish newspaper BT. "I don't have to ask him that because I know it. But I don't think we'll be ninth again. If we deliver, Gene will continue," he said. Small teams like Haas are tipped to benefit once Formula 1 moves into its new budget cap era, with a $145 million limit set for 2021. "It's still more than Haas uses, but it will force many of the other teams to cut back," Magnussen said. He said Haas has the power to keep him at the team next year thanks to a contractual option. "I hope they redeem it," Magnussen said. "It's great to be at Haas where I can develop in an environment I know." (GMM) Mercedes vetoed the reverse grid experiment because it was afraid Max Verstappen would cope better than Lewis Hamilton. That is the latest provocative view of Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko, referring to the fact that F1's plans for qualifying sprint races and reverse grids in 2020 were scuppered by a single vote. "I think Verstappen is more used to that than Hamilton. That's why Mercedes was against it," Marko said. "Their strategy is to drive at the front. They have that under control. Fighting from behind would have been new territory for them," he added. Marko told Osterreich newspaper that Red Bull's back-to-back home races this weekend and next are the perfect way for Verstappen to open his campaign. "The chance to become the youngest world champion of all time is actually very big," he said. "These two races in Spielberg may give us a psychological advantage. "Mercedes has generally struggled a bit more here. They lose performance due to their turbo concept and general setup at high altitude. "But I assume they have learned a lot since the last time," Marko explained. The Austrian also thinks Hamilton remains the overall favourite to win the 2020 title. "He really wants the seventh title in a familiar environment," said Marko. "It is quite possible that in terms of the team structure, Mercedes will not be positioned in the same way after this season." However, he still thinks Verstappen could make the most of the strange 'corona calendar'. "He subordinates everything to his big goal," said Marko, although he denied suggesting recently that Hamilton's new focus on politics was a distraction for the Briton. (GMM) McLaren is at risk of being overtaken by two teams in 2020. That is the warning of Carlos Sainz, after the British team finished behind only the top three - Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull - last year. But now, the Spaniard says Racing Point and Renault are set to challenge. Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko was asked this week about what appeared to be Racing Point's pink-coloured 'copy' of the 2019 Mercedes car, and he answered: "That's not a copy. That's the original!" "They definitely have a very good car," Sainz agreed. "They have a very good opportunity to improve in the way that we did last year." And the Spaniard also said Renault has arrived in Austria "with a totally new package", adding that McLaren's first major development is scheduled for "around Silverstone" time. "Here we have practically the car from Australia with two or three minor details that you cannot really see," said Sainz. "That doesn't mean we don't have a good car, but I think it's going to be a tough year. My feeling is that Racing Point and Renault are going to make it very difficult for us," the Spaniard, who will move to Ferrari for 2021, added. (GMM) Max Verstappen says he will remain "very careful" about getting involved in Formula 1's new political moment. In Austria, Lewis Hamilton revealed he has added 'Black Lives Matter' branding to his all black 2020 helmet design, while the drivers are under pressure to 'take a knee' in support of the progressive movement on Sunday. "I was looking for an apolitical way to show our support and taking a knee is the best solution," Romain Grosjean told RMC Sport. However, Hamilton has gone a step further, advocating for the removal of some statues and even marching in a Black Lives Matter protest recently. And he also called on his fellow drivers to stop being silent about racism. "He meant the whole community, not just the drivers," Red Bull's Max Verstappen is quoted by De Telegraaf. "It's good to do something, but you also have to be very careful in these situations, and be careful what you write or post. "I can't decide for others, and I don't want to do that. I can only speak for myself. But I can't imagine anyone favouring racism. Everyone is equal in this world to me," the Dutch driver added. It is also an awkward moment for Formula 1 itself, as Chase Carey's wife is reportedly a Donald Trump supporter while Hamilton and Mercedes are linking their on-track hopes for 2020 with Black Lives Matter. "Winning the title this year would mean more than ever before being that it is such a momentous year in the sense of this pandemic and on a more personal level with Black Lives Matter fighting for injustice and equality," said the six-time world champion. Former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov says he supports Hamilton's right to bring politics into the paddock. "It seems to me that everyone has the right to express themselves as they see fit," he told Match TV. "Perhaps it could be done more quietly but I can't say anything bad about Lewis." Told that Hamilton may be unpopular among his rivals, though, Petrov added: "The drivers don't all like each other. Lewis is a champion and he has the right to speak out and maybe he is not bothered by any harsh words. "We need to wait for his explanation of exactly what he is calling for," he said. (GMM) Tests point to global circulation for months before first case confirmed Like mini time capsules, frozen sewage samples can provide a wealth of information about the health and habits of people living within the catchment areas of wastewater treatment plants. Levels of illicit drug use as well as pharmaceuticals and other chemical compounds are monitored in communities around the world through techniques in the field known as wastewater epidemiology. Experts are now calling for more rigorous detection of the novel coronavirus in sewage systems, as evidence mounts that the pathogen was already widely circulating the globe well before the first known cases of infection in China. Recent retrospective analysis of sewage from Spain, Italy and Brazil have returned positive tests for the novel coronavirus in samples taken as far back as March last year, well in advance of the first documented instance of COVID-19 in China in late December. On Monday, Brazilian researchers announced they had found fragments of genetic material from the virus in a sewage sample collected on Nov 27 in the city of Florianopolis. The finding predates the first case of COVID-19 in Brazil by 91 days and is also ahead of the initial confirmed infections in the United States which came in late January. Italian scientists announced similar results on Thursday for samples collected in Milan and Turin on Dec 18, and analysis of Barcelona sewage retrieved on March 12 also showed signs of the virus, according to a study published in mid-June. The findings have paradoxically shed light on and further complicated what we know about the origins of the novel coronavirus pandemic. They have also provoked calls for more project funding and increased international collaboration among researchers involved in the unglamorous yet valuable field of sewage science. Techniques to measure drugs and chemicals in sewage have been perfected over the last two decades, while those that monitor potential outbreaks of disease are more recent. Scientists in several countries began testing for the novel coronavirus in wastewater in the spring, after it was confirmed the virus could be detected in feces and urine. In March, researchers in the Netherlands found the virus in samples collected at a wastewater plant near Utrecht, weeks before the city's first confirmed case of COVID-19. "Even if people are in the early stage of infection, without symptoms, their stool can still contain virus particles," said Yang Zhugen, a lecturer in sensor technology at the Cranfield Water Science Institute in the United Kingdom. Yang has worked in wastewater epidemiology technology for a decade, and recently developed a device that can test for novel coronavirus on site at treatment plants. He is participating in a project launched on Thursday by the UK government that is monitoring the novel coronavirus in sewage across the country, so authorities can get ahead of potential localized outbreaks. Yang was not involved in the studies from Italy, Brazil or Spain. "This methodology is very promising," Yang said. "The findings from Italy and Spain are very interesting. I would be keen to see more to confirm the results and more strong evidence to conclude the origin of this virus, because I think everybody is interested to know where it is from and how it spread through the world." Yang says that if the findings from the University of Barcelona-led study are validated, it could be said with confidence that novel coronavirus was present in Europe more than nine months before the first confirmed case of human infection in China. He provides the caveat that there is no way of knowing if the virus particles found in the samples were excreted by humans or other animal species harboring the pathogen. He also said that in order to corroborate the findings, more robust testing needs to be done. Such studies initially use methods that analyze very small fragments of genetic material. Closely related organismsincluding viruses in the same familycan have similar segments of DNA and RNA, meaning researchers must run repeated and varied tests on several samples to reach clear conclusions. The study in Italy, which was led by the Italian National Institute of Health, used two separate methods of genetic analysis, and also tested more gene sequences from a larger number of samples than the Barcelona study. More research needed Yang said he finds the Italian study "quite convincing", and he would like to see more extensive testing of the Barcelona sewage samples. He said in both cases, whole sequencing of the virus would provide evidence of a higher standard. Davey Jones, a professor of soil and environmental science at Bangor University, agrees that more tests are needed. Jones has run extensive novel coronavirus testing in wastewater in Wales and is also part of the government-backed project launched in the UK on Thursday. "The Italy study looks more credible just in terms of timelines," Jones said. "The reports are interesting, but I think more research is needed to definitively say this is really the case for the Spanish dataset, specifically they need to rule out the possibility of laboratory contamination. They also need to sequence the strain of the virus before we can really say that their results are correct." Oliver Pybus, a professor of evolution and infectious disease at the University of Oxford, said that positive tests results from November onwards align with the majority of research undertaken into the origins of the pandemic. "The results of the Italy study are more consistent with all the other information we have about the epidemic history," Pybus said. Yang said that labs around the world need to collaborate closely and agree on standardized methods as they use this "exciting but emergent" way of tracking the spread of the novel coronavirus. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. In its narrative, the school system listed a number of steps it had taken before learning of the complaint, including some changes partially prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Guilford County Schools now provides a laptop or tablet to students in jails and has an agreement with the local jails related to the provision of those devices as well as services to students. The school system also is designing remote learning for students in the local jails, subject to any restrictions set by the sites. Carr said news of the complaint and investigation came as a special blow given the work Superintendent Sharon Contreras and her staff have done in recent months to champion education for incarcerated students during the pandemic, including pressing the state to allow schools to provide them with laptops and working to assign highly qualified teachers to work with them. She said Contreras planned to reach out to Legal Aid to discuss how it and Guilford County Schools could work togehter to improve school services. They would also like, she said, to get North Carolina thinking about how to possibly remove some of the root causes that lead to questions of how to educate students in jails. As a state we need to ask ourselves: why are we incarcerating so many children? Carr said. GREENSBORO No inmates in Guilford Countys two jails have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic hit the state in March, but the sheriffs office has a plan if there is an outbreak. Early in the pandemic, prisons and jails were considered likely hot spots for outbreaks of the contagious respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus. By mid-May, 11 prison facilities in North Carolina had reported outbreaks. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services defines an outbreak as at least two or more laboratory-confirmed cases. Neuse Correctional Center in Goldsboro reported the largest outbreak statewide with more than 460 confirmed cases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says detention and correctional facilities face challenges in controlling the spread of the virus because of crowded, shared spaces and potential introductions by staff members and new inmates. Sheriffs office spokesperson Lori Poag said the Guilford County Detention Center, which has jails in Greensboro and High Point, has had two scares, but so far, no inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. In the meantime, jail officials are taking precautions. We quarantine new inmates for two weeks, unless they bail out before the 14-day period is up, Poag said. The petition also calls for replacing the road names with those of Black historical figures, providing the suggestions of Harriet Tubman Drive and Nat Turner Lane. But some Facebook users seemed to be against the renewed push. People need to grow up, one person wrote in a comment on the Port City Daily page. Changing everything is ridiculous. Some residents dont support the figures behind the street names but want to avoid the hassle of updating their drivers license and other personal documents, Port City Daily reported. The main response from locals who live in the neighborhood is: (Northerners) dont have to live here and they can move out if they dont like the street names, Amanda Boomershine told the news site. Not everyone feels that way; some say it is time for change. The Pine Valley neighborhood surrounds a country club that opened in 1956, according to the Star News newspaper. Mayor Bill Saffo said he doesnt have a formal petition about the street names and said residents would have to ask for a change in a public process. The process would involve new addresses, which hasnt sat well with everyone, according to the mayor. Except that, apparently, somebody did. The New York Times reports that two American officials say the information was included in late February in the Presidents Daily Brief, a document summarizing national security concerns and assessments that is prepared by the intelligence community each morning for the president to read. In all fairness, that last word is problematic with this particular president, whose impatience with the printed word is legendary. And besides, hes a busy man. Indeed, according to one of the Times sources, the specific date the Russian intel was included was Feb. 27, a day Trump met with Diamond and Silk, two former Fox News personalities famed for being Black and loud while supporting him. Because, you know, priorities. Presumably, the PDB he received that day would have told him how three Marines were killed by a bomb last April. Presumably, it would have informed him that this tragedy has emerged as the focal point of a probe suggesting Russia put a bulls-eye on Americans. Whereupon a normal president would surely have raised the alarm, confronted the enemy or, at a minimum, acknowledged the crime. But again, Trump is a very busy man, what with coronavirus blame to dodge and Confederate statues to defend. I sincerely believe that our governor is a decent person and I sincerely believe he is a politician who will pander to his party and who has done so the past few months in a way that infuriates me as an independent. In my AP Government class on March 11, a day before the governor was to announce the shutdown because of the pandemic, four of my students were planning to attend the Billie Ellish concert in Raleigh the day before the shutdown. I told them that surely the governor would not allow that concert. But he did and I started to lose confidence in him thereafter. That appeared reckless to me. The governor called the spectators at the Ace Speedway reckless and they were, but he did not call the protesters in the streets of our big cities reckless. Our governor in essence sabotaged the GOP Convention in Charlotte. I wonder if a political agenda was behind that move. He closed churches, but allowed the lottery to be played, abortions to go on, ABC stores to thrive and statues to come down without the rule of law. Reckless and political in a time of crisis is our governor. John Primm McLeansville After bracing myself for a Supreme Court ruling that would undermine abortion rights, I celebrated when the ruling went the other way. For years, as theyve chipped away at reproductive rights and appointed anti-abortion judges, the GOP has made clear its mission to infect the Supreme Court with its partisan, anti-abortion agenda. Extreme, anti-abortion policies are out of touch with the public, especially young people like me: 70% of Americans aged 18-29 support abortion rights. Had the court ruled the other way, the outcome would have made basic reproductive health care less accessible and less safe, especially for low-income people and people of color. Support local journalism We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story. Stacker presents 2020's most popular dog breeds in America This article was first published on Stacker Herman Cain, the former pizza chain executive who ran in the Republican presidential primary in 2012, has been hospitalized with covid-19 less than two weeks after attending President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla. Cain, 74, learned that he tested positive for the virus Monday, and by Wednesday required hospitalization for his symptoms but is not on a ventilator, according to a statement on his Twitter account. "There is no way of knowing for sure how or where Mr. Cain contracted the coronavirus, but we do know he is a fighter who has beaten Stage 4 cancer," the statement says. While it is unclear where Cain contracted the disease or how long he had it, Cain was among the several thousand attendees at Trump's Tulsa rally, most of whom did not wear masks. Cain, whom Trump considered as his nominee for Federal Reserve chairman, wrote an opinion article about his experience in Tulsa. He described the rally as "electric" and derided media reports that characterized the rally as a bust. The Trump campaign shut down an outside overflow viewing party because of low attendance. The campaign had boasted of 1 million ticket requests, but a little more than 6,000 people partly filled the arena that can hold 19,000. "The atmosphere was electric, and the president's words were inspiring," Cain wrote in The Western Journal, a conservative news outlet. "He presented a vision for uniting the country, overcoming the remaining effects of the pandemic and reinvigorating an economy he had going strong before the coronavirus showed up." The coronavirus that ravaged the nation in the spring and forced almost all business and activity to a halt has flared again recently in many states. After the rally, dozens of Secret Service agents and officers who were there were ordered to self-quarantine for two weeks. Hours before Trump's rally, it was discovered that six advance staffers, including two Secret Service employees, had tested positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Two more advance staffers tested positive after returning to Washington. Realme unveiled the Realme 6i back in March and then brought it to the Indian market as the Narzo 10 in May. Now a new report claims the phone maker is set to announce a Realme 6i phone in India next week, which is not the original 6i but a rebranded Realme 6s. This information comes from the folks over at OnPhones who spotted a poster of the Realme 6i at a retail store in India. The poster includes a few specs of the smartphone and confirms two color options - Black and White. It doesn't include the launch date but the store employee told the publication that 6i will debut in India next week. The report also claims that Realme 6i, like the 6s, will arrive in a single memory configuration - 4GB RAM + 64GB storage. You can head this way to check out the detailed specs of the Realme 6s to get an idea of what the Indian 6i will come with. We don't know the pricing of the Indian Realme 6i yet, but it will be priced lower than the Realme 6 which starts at INR14,999 ($200/180) in India. Source The TV market gets more and more diverse, but Xiaomi reminded yesterday that it has big plans for the premium segment with the introduction of a 65 4K TV with an OLED panel, called Mi TV Master. The 120Hz 65 panel supports variable refresh rate too. There is also Automatic Low Latency Mode that puts latency down to 1ms response time, while other specs of the screen include 98.5% DCI-P3 color gamut, 1000 nits peak brightness, 178-degree viewing angle, and Dolby Vision. The body of the TV is also impressive - it has 4.6mm bezels from all sides, getting the screen-to-body ratio to 98.8%. There is dedicated gaming mode and Xiaomi offers MEMC motion compensation, as well as APU neural network for pixel-level dynamic picture quality adjustment. In theory, it should offer over 20 image quality enhancements and 5 major scene presets. The audio of the Mi TV Master is also impressive on paper - you get two 12.5W speakers for left and right along with two 10W "surround speakers" plus a 20W 50 Hz ultra-low frequency subwoofer. The speakers come with support for Dolby Audio, DTS Audio, and there are also 4 mics for Xiaomis own assistant called Xiao AI. The whole thing is driven by a Mediatek MT9650 chipset with a quad-core CPU and Mali-G52 MC1 GPU. Memory is 3/32 GB, and ports include three HDMI, two USB, S/PDIF, LAN, there is support for Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and Bluetooth 5.0. The Xiaomi Mi TV 65 4K OLED arrived for pre-order today, and it can be purchased from the company website in China. The price is CNY12,999, which is about $1,840. First sale is scheduled for July 8 at 10 AM local time. Source (in Chinese) OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Former Ocean Springs mayor Connie Moran issued a statement Thursday afternoon, announcing she has filed for divorce from her husband and accusing him of domestic violence after a recent incident in Orange Beach, Ala. The statement was issued by a Nashville, Tenn., public relations agency. In the statement, Moran claims a long history of verbal abuse and domestic violence by her husband, Arnold Walter Rosen, who goes by Jack. In recent months I have taken numerous steps to improve my health and wellness including significant counseling so that I can continue to make a positive difference in my community and across the Gulf Coast, Morans statement continued. That includes the difficult and painful, yet necessary, decision to file for divorce from my husband Jack Rosen after a long history of verbal abuse and domestic violence. This abuse culminated on a recent trip to Orange Beach, Alabama over Fathers Day weekend when my husband and I were involved in an altercation on June 20th in which he flung me and hit me in the face, Moran said in the statement. Orange Beach police were called to the scene and he was arrested for domestic violence, spent the night in jail and (was) issued a domestic abuse order and restraining order. Moran said Rosen has a hearing in Orange Beach set for Aug. 13, with additional charges set to be heard in Jackson County Chancery Court July 10. Moran, a Democrat and Ocean Springs native, served three terms as Ocean Springs mayor from 2005-2017, taking office roughly six weeks before Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi coast. She guided the city through the recovery process and would become the first Ocean Springs mayor to serve three consecutive terms before losing a bid for a fourth term to Republican Shea Dobson. In November 2019, she was defeated by then-Pascagoula mayor Dane Maxwell in a bid to gain a seat on the Public Service Commission. Moran and Rosen were wed in October 2014 in Fairhope, Ala. Rosen is a native of Mobile. Regretfully, I must take this action to maintain a better quality of life, health and well-being while preserving peace of mind, she said in her Thursday statement. This will allow me to move on with my life and embrace a positive future. Rosen was arrested near the couples Washington Avenue home in September 2016, charged with public drunk after police received a call of a man riding on, and falling off of, a vehicle on that street. He ultimately pleaded no contest in municipal court and paid a fine of $330. Moran is herself currently appealing a no contest plea to the same charge, having been arrested in January of this year near the Washington Avenue home. She entered the plea in municipal court last month, announcing she intended to appeal the case to Jackson County Court. Weather Alert ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR HALL...BANKS...NORTHWESTERN JACKSON...SOUTHEASTERN DAWSON...NORTH FULTON...NORTHWESTERN BARROW... EASTERN CHEROKEE...FORSYTH...NORTHERN GWINNETT AND SOUTHEASTERN LUMPKIN COUNTIES UNTIL 715 PM EDT... At 631 PM EDT...a strong thunderstorm was over Silver City, or near Dawsonville...moving northeast at 20 mph. HAZARD...Winds up to 40 mph...pea sized hail...frequent lightning and heavy rain. IMPACT...Expect minor damage to tree limbs and blowing around of light...unsecured objects. Heavy rain may cause temporary street flooding especially in poor drainage areas. Some locations in the path of this storm include Gainesville, Jefferson, Commerce, Cumming, Dahlonega, Dawsonville, Homer, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Duluth, Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Buford, Braselton, Flowery Branch, Oakwood, Lula, Maysville, Berkeley Lake and Hoschton. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... People outdoors should seek shelter immediately. If you can hear thunder...you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Motorists should slow down and be prepared for possible loss of control due to hydroplaning. HAIL...0.25IN WIND...40MPH Haiti - Politic : American Airlines one good news and two bad Tuesday American Airlines (AA) resumed service to Haiti almost four months after the borders closed due to the Covid-19 coronavirus. However, this good news comes with two bad news. American Airlines will have only one daily flight to Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince and the Miami-Cap-Haitian link is canceled... "Canceling the flight to Cap-Haitien was very painful but a necessary decision given the current economic circumstances as a result of the pandemic," declared Martha Pantin, spokeswoman with American. "We have had to make difficult decisions that affect many destinations around the world that we serve." This decision, leaving Cap Haitien and Northern Haiti without major US airlines. Remember that last year, Spirit Airlines had already suspended its Fort Lauderdale / Cap-Haitien flight, citing operational problems and problems. Note that on Wednesday, one day after the reopening of Haitis borders, a Spirit Airlines flight returned to Port-au-Prince from Fort Lauderdale. "Unfortunately, AA decided to suspend the flight due to financial issues related to COVID-19 pandemic. We are currently working with them to get the flight back as soon as possible," Haiti Tourism Minister Myriam Jean said. "In the meantime, we are working with local airlines to lower their costs during the summer season." HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... PNH : Summary report for June 0.772 kg of cocaine and more than 71 kg of marijuana were seized during the month of June by agents of the Anti-Drug Trafficking Brigade (BLTS). 7,000 cartridges, 12 12-gauge rifles, 4 9 mm pistols and 11 M4 magazines, among others, were seized by police during operations during this period. About 20 people were arrested for illicit drug trafficking, armed robbery, kidnapping and forcible confinement, homicides and vehicle theft. Divisional Inspector Gary Desrosiers Deputy Spokesperson for the National Police of Haiti (PNH) took the opportunity to present 2 individuals (Luckner Beaubrun and Raltho Anastil) arrested for simulated kidnapping, forcible confinement and vehicle theft. 19 Haitians stranded in Cuba back home The Haitian Embassy in Cuba reports that a group of Haitian nationals stranded in Cuba returned to Haiti on Wednesday July 1 on a humanitarian charter flight with Sunrise Airways. The 19 Haitians were stranded following the closure of the airports due to the spread of the Covid-19. PNH : another bandit arrested Thursday Junior Nicolas was arrested by the police of the town of Gressier as part of an operation which took place around 6:00 am. He is accused of criminal association and armed robbery. Prisoners pardoned, OPC revelations At least ten detainees sentenced to heavy sentences for kidnapping and forcible confinement, rape, assassinations are on the list of 415 detainees pardoned on June 19 by President Jovenel Moise. According to the Office for the Protection of the Citizen who cites several cases including those of Marie Claudelle Presumed sentenced to forced labor for life in 2009 for murder, Iclaunel Pierre sentenced in 2015 to 12 years in prison for rape and Marie Helene Dimanche sentenced to 15 years of prison for kidnapping and forcible confinement. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31187-haiti-justice-minisitre-delille-freezes-the-release-of-the-pardoned-prisoners-and-takes-sanctions.html New DG at the head of the National Council of Cooperatives Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe, also Minister of Planning, installed Lesly Alexandre as the new Director General at the head of the National Council of Cooperatives (CNC). HL/ HaitiLibre By William Schwartz | Published on 2020/07/02 "Into The Ring" had an auspicious premiere this week following criticism from the United Future Party on June 25th that the drama was political propaganda. The United Future Party based this judgment on the fact that a basic synopsis of the politically themed drama's premise appears to suggest that conservatives are the villains, while younger more presumably social justice oriented characters are innately heroic. Advertisement Efforts by the production company to deny any explicit link between real-world political parties have had limited success. And the decision of North Korean propaganda sources to weigh in on the matter has only complicated these efforts. Far from the high road taken by the United Future Party's domestic political opponents on the issue, North Korean propaganda is openly mocking the United Future Party for seeing itself in villainous characters who act as bandits and rapists with little apparent political philosophy. This is not the first time or even most recent time North Korean propaganda has expressed an interest in South Korean dramas, though previous criticism believed to concern "Crash Landing on You" was deliberately vague as to the drama's title. In the case of "Into The Ring" controversy over the drama began independently of North Korea. And indeed, as the controversy started before anyone had actually seen the drama, there was little to discuss in the way of actual content. "Into The Ring" follows in the vein of previous political dramas that tried to eschew making its characters obviously align with any real-life political party. But in an increasingly charged political environment such policy neutral stances are becoming difficult to maintain, as even the underemployed status of the heroine can be read as a political statement. "Into The Ring" had ratings of 3.5% in its first episode which aired on July 1st and ratings of 3.7% for its second episode on July 2nd. Written by William Schwartz ___________ "Into The Ring" is directed by Choi Yeon-soo, Hwang Seung-gi, written by Moon Hyun-kyung, and features Nana, Park Sung-hoon, Yoo Da-in, Han Joon-woo, Ahn Nae-sang, Ahn Kil-kang. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2020/07/01~Now airing, Wed, Thu 21:30 on KBS. Published on 2020/07/03 | Source Goo Ha-ra's ex-boyfriend Choi Jung-bum arrives at the Seoul Central District Court on Thursday. /Yonhap The ex-boyfriend of Goo Ha-ra of defunct girl band Kara was sentenced to a year in prison by an appeals court Thursday for assaulting and blackmailing the starlet. Advertisement The court upheld a lower court's ruling that cleared Choi Jung-bum of making a pornographic video of the couple without Gu's consent but increased the punishment for causing her physical harm. The scandal surfaced in September 2018 when Choi filed a police report claiming Gu assaulted him at her home. Gu filed a counter-complaint against Choi for blackmailing her with a sex tape after a gossip website reported the threat. The website said that Choi sent the video to her mobile phone saying, "I will end your career", and that Gu pleaded with him not to. The lower court in August last year found that the sex tape was not recorded against Gu's will although she did not explicitly consent but gave Choi a three-year suspended sentence for assault and blackmailing. Gu committed suicide in November 2019, three months after the ruling. The incident caused an uproar among fans, especially women, with a petition calling for more severe punishment for revenge porn, while women's rights groups called for the resignation of the judge who presided over the first trial. But the appeals court also found Choi innocent of making the sex tape without Gu's consent, but sentenced him to imprisonment saying the lower court's sentence was "too light". It said that he abused the fact that the victim is a celebrity and threatened to distribute the video to news media. America's (former) favorite talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her namesake program faced a massive fallout in the past few weeks leading to rumors that both could be canceled for good. It is after the 17-year-old program's ratings dropped by 14 percent in June. According to TVNewsCheck, it has been the lowest rating (1.2 percent) of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in its entire 27 seasons. While Ellen's program is at the brink of cancellation, several rival programs (including "The Kelly Clarkson Show") are gaining the benefits in the rating game. There are also whispers going on that the TV network's management is now looking to kick out Ellen and thinking of possible options like Kristen Bell, Kevin Hart, Neil Patrick Harris and Chrissy Teigen as her replacement. The show's viewership began to drop after the 62-year-old famous host became a subject of several accusations made by former employees, colleagues and guests. They claimed that Ellen is a different person off-cam and even labeled her as the "meanest" and rudest person alive. Because of the growing speculations about canceling Ellen's show, the production company finally spoke up to set the record straight. Speaking to the New York Post,bthe company shut down all the cancellation rumors and said: "Telepictures can confirm it's untrue." Twitter Cancel Culture Ever since the coronavirus lockdown restriction began, Ellen has been one of the main targets of Twitter's "cancel culture" for allegedly being the meanest person alive. It all started in April when her staff accused her of keeping their salary and job hanging after the show was put on hold due to COVID-19. It was followed by the negative experiences shared by a beauty vlogger while guesting on the show and Ellen's former bodyguard describing her as a "demeaning" person. This led comedian Kevin T. Porter to encourage his Twitter followers to share their "insane stories" about Ellen in exchange for a $2 donation to L.A. Food Bank. It gained thousands of replies, including one from T.V. writer Benjamin Siemon claiming that people are required to chew gum before talking to Ellen as she has a very sensitive sense of smell. "If she thinks you smell that day, you have to go home and shower," Siemon wrote. Meanwhile, a restaurant server claims that Ellen wrote a letter to the company's owner for complaining about her chipped nails. The complaint almost got her fired from the job. While Ellen has not addressed any of the issues and the accusers have failed to give substantial proof to support their claims, the internet immediately jumped on the "hate and cancel culture" against the host. DeGeneres was not even given a chance to redeem herself. Ellen's Struggle According to a source, Ellen has been struggling to deal with these negative criticisms and thought it would simply go away. "Ellen is at the end of her rope," a source told Us Weekly. "She thought this was all just sour grapes from a few haters. But it's not a passing thing - the hits just keep coming." The award-winning host is reportedly leaning on her wife, Portia de Rossi, and some trusted friends throughout this battle. READ MORE: Beyonce And Jay-Z's Daughter Makes Music HISTORY With THIS! See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles West Monroe, LA (71291) Today Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 68F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 68F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. A young person who wants to go into hotel management typically needs a bachelors Plan to re-open schools announced During a press conference Thursday, Gov. Steve Bullock encouraged Montanans to wear masks and Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney released the governors plan for Re-opening Safe and Healthy Schools in the state. Yesterday, on July 1, we surpassed over 1,000 cases of COVID-19 since the virus first came to Montana and was identified in mid-March, Bullock said. ... Montana still maintains the lowest number of positives, hospitalizations and deaths per capita in the continental United States. I say this not to de-emphazise the seriousness of new cases weve seen over these past few weeks, rather to underscore that we still can get a grasp on the spread of the virus in our state and we can if we do better as Montanans. Its clear that Montanans have let their guard down, he said. He said six weddings have had cases associated to them in the last two weeks. These cases have impacted at least seven Montana counties, he said, and at least two other states. Based on how quickly the virus can spread, we also expect many more cases will be linked to these weddings in the coming weeks, he said. ... Were also seeing cases directly attributed to bar settings, or crowd control and other guidelines arent consistently being followed. The state is also seeing cases from work settings, he said, including construction crews and office settings. He said the cases connected to out-of-state travel or out-of-state contacts has not changed significantly, comprising about 8 percent of the count of cases since June 1. Our biggest problem hasnt been out-of-staters visiting Montana, its Montanans not taking all the steps that we need to be doing to limit the transmission of COVID-19, Bullock said. ... Understanding where and how people become infected is vital to our efforts to prevent transmission. After we identify a risk we can take steps to address it and reduce, and it doesnt take a degree in infectious disease or epidemiology to understand that when you have large group sizes the more risk there is for everyone involved unless steps are taken to reduce that risk. The larger the group, the more likelihood someone has the virus and can pass it on, he said. He said the more people a person is around that person one doesnt normally associate with, the more likely one of those people could be COVID-positive. As Montanans are mingling in large groups without social distancing and without wearing a mask, he said, the state is seeing more outbreaks from group settings. We are going to see more cases in the next week as additional contact tracing and testing is conducted on the cases that were already aware of and thats not talking about any potential new clusters. Montanans should be prepared to continue to see high daily numbers, he said. As we head into this Fourth of July weekend, I caution that we have to act now to get our hands wrapped around this virus. Lets make sure that a couple weeks from now were actually starting to see a decline in cases or holding at where we are. He said in order to do that, Montanans need to be extremely cautious around large crowds or stay away from them. Be cautious if family or visitors are in town, he added. Wear a mask when in crowds or even indoors amongst people one is not normally around if social distancing cant happen, he said. The virus certainly poses less risk when outside there is still a risk and now is probably not the time for those huge, massive barbecues, and any event outside should still follow guidelines, Bullock said. I do have concern where Montana is headed, but I have greater optimism that Montanans know we have to continue to look out for one another during these times. Were certainly not in a position of some other states like Florida, Texas, Arizona and California, who have had to close some businesses back down. He said Montana doesnt have to be like these other states and take steps backward. One of the ways the state can raise its guard is to make wearing a mask a habit and normalized. It becomes increasingly clear that wearing a mask is an effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19, he said. Masking up is the responsible thing to do because another thing we know about coronavirus is that it spreads asymptomatically or it can spread even if someone isnt showing any symptoms of the disease. He added that it is important for Montanans older than age of 2 to mask it up when indoors and in crowds. COVID-19 spreads in respiratory droplets, he said, when people cough, sneeze, talk, laugh and breathe. Cloth masks are effective because it catches those droplets before it spreads to others. Your mask doesnt have to be a medical-grade filter, it just has to stop those droplets from landing on a counter or likely spreading from one human to another, Bullock said. There is no need to wear a mask when you are enjoying a hiking trail with your family; you should mask up when you go to the store or when you pick up your takeout, or hand over your keys when you go in for an oil change. Montana Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Todd OHair said the Chamber joined the Montana Restaurant Association, Montana Tavern Association, Montana Lodging and Hospitality Association, Montana Gaming Association and the Hospitality and Development Association of Montana Wednesday to call on its members and the businesses as a whole, and the public to increase their usage of face masks out in public. Department grants, low-interest loans, business bailout dollars cannot compare to healthy economic activity, he said. Businesses will not be able to survive in Montana without a healthy economic activity in the state. Healthy economic activity is founded on a healthy population a population that feels confident and secure that they can go about their day-to-day life, visit businesses and not have to be as concerned about contracting the COVID virus. Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney said he has led a working group to develop guidance on the planning for the safe and the healthy re-opening of K-12 schools. Our students and those responsible for educating them have faced immense disruption during this emergency, he said. ... For many children, school is the best place to be in a time of endless unknowns and constant flux schools can provide structure and familiarity. He said the plan for re-opening school districts has been categorized in three different phases that align with the phases Gov. Bullocks plan for re-opening the Big Sky. For example, he said, if the state is in Phase 2 school should follow Phase 2 of this plan. Nothing in this guidance prevents a school from taking additional precautions based on their unique needs, he said. Each phase has high level guidance for schools and includes specific protocols and considerations for individual plans. Some of the basic considerations for schools include accommodations for students who will engage in remote learning and accommodations for students, teachers and staff in at-risk groups, he said. He added that schools should consider occupancy limits that allow for social distancing, rules for traffic flow and congregational spaces and sanitation procedures. Schools should have a procedure for monitoring students and staff for symptoms and history of exposure, Cooney said. Produce guidelines on wearing masks, guidelines in relation to isolation and quarantine if needed and expectations on educating and posting information on how to mitigate exposure and spread. Schools are asked to think through serving meals, he said, adjusting transportation schedules and protocols for youth activities. The plan also includes best practices that schools can use when academics, extracurricular activities, transportation, physical and structural protocols to minimize interactions and crowding, and consider the social, emotional and behavioral health of students, he said. People interested in reading the full plan can visit https://covid19.mt.gov/Portals/223/Documents/Education%20Final.pdf?ver=2020-07-02-123418-013 . Ever hear of Rudy Stanko, well-known in Montana two-plus years ago? Rudy Stinko you say? Well, maybe. Heres the story. Rudy liked to speed, and it was easy for him to do so because from 1955-1974 and again from 1995-1999, the speed limit in our state was reasonable and prudent in the opinion of the arresting officer. This worked well enough when the spirit of the law was respected, but then along came Rudy. In one three-month period, he was clocked exceeding 100 mph three times. Our law enforcement and judicial systems had enough, so the Montana Legislature took up the issue. By imposing a specific numerical speed limit, any driver could be ticketed for exceeding it. And we no longer had to tolerate drivers like Stanko deliberately endangering public safety, tying up the court docket and wasting police officers time. The strict limits bill passed in Montana, but not without spirited debate. Wyoming had recently changed its undefined speed limit like Montanas to specific speeds, and our feedback was that they liked it. When the 70 mph limit came up in the Montana Senate, the wisecrack was made that the only time Sen. Allen Kolstad drove that slowly was when he was backing out of the garage. When the bill passed, Stanko was credited as the man responsible, though many prominent legislators had long been advocates for it. It took what amounted to a dangerous prankster to get it done. It seems we have another deadly prankster in 2020, but his name is Donald Trump. This time, the pranksters issue is the wearing of facemasks. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, is an ardent advocate for wearing face masks. With Faucis credibility and evidence mounting worldwide that masks are effective at mitigating the spread of the deadly virus that has already claimed over 125,000 American lives and decimated small businesses and social life, you might think that wearing one is a no-brainer. But Trumps strongest supporters seem to interpret his indifference as opposition to wearing masks. The Prankster-in-Chief can be counted on to show up in his MAGA hat, but almost never shows leadership by wearing a mask. His vehement fans now see wearing one as a gesture of disloyalty to Trump, or as caving to the whims of the experts or elites, and the president encourages this unreasonable and imprudent behavior. What about Sen. Daines and Rep. Gianforte? Will they remain seemingly un-persuaded by Dr. Faucis expert concerns for human lives at risk? Will they continue to look the other way as Americans careen around the country mask-less risking public safety much like Rudy Stanko with his foot on the accelerator? With an eye on their election prospects instead of COVID-19 data, only if they get the go-ahead from the president will they do anything but his disastrous bidding. Montana survived drivers with Rudy Stankos recklessness, but the country may not survive Trumps. For over 70 years, Ive considered myself a Republican. But after watching Trumps consistently ignorant and irresponsible leadership, Ive concluded that in good conscience, I cant remain a member of the party he has taken over. I wont vote for him, nor will I vote for his puppets, Gianforte and Daines, who know up-close and personal what a scoundrel he is and should certainly show the courage to stand up to him. They never have. I am declaring my independence from them and their Republican party. And Ill be wearing a mask, not blinders. Bob Brown is a former Republican Montana secretary of state and Montana state Senate president. Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov who has also been known to bust a move singing rap has written a poem to honor Turkmenistans wheat and the farmers who grow it. I wish success to the farmer, the whole world warms itself with wheat, read the poem attributed to Berdymukhamedov in a June 30 Agence France Presse article, which was picked up by news agencies all over the world. Berdymukhamedov, who parlayed his early dental career into a presidency, told Turkmenistan state television that the verses had been inspired by the sight of fields of waving wheat while traveling the country on official duties. Turkmenistan, which is bordered by the Caspian Sea in the west, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to the north and east, and Afghanistan and Iran to the south, has worked to find itself again after decades of rule under the old Soviet Union. Berdymukhamedov, a horse fanatic with perfect hair, often makes his public appearances astride an Akhal Teke Turkmenistans national breed of horse. He even rides in public horse races, but the wheat thing is salt-of-the-earth imagery that hearkens back to those old Soviet roots. Still, he does make it sound pretty: When you harvest wheat with your own hands or at the wheel of a combine harvester, special feelings awaken in your soul because bread is not just a food product, it is an invaluable gift from the Earth to man. And Berdymukhamedov knows value and pretty. He lives in the capitol of Ashgabat where it isnt just the capitol building thats made of white marble, its almost the entire city. Of course, much of that ostentation can be attributed to his predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov. After Niyazov died in 2006, Berdymukhamedov was appointed interim ruler and then he helped rewrite the laws so he could be elected president, and hes worked to reform the country. Berdymukhamedovs recently installed, government-commissioned, 69-foot tall, gold-plated statue of himself on horseback really subdues Niyazovs glitzy style as does Berdymukhamedovs classic car collection, his nights spent DJ-ing events, and his self-published music and books. He is a man of the people, a self-declared strongman for the people. He has proved this not just by pushing through legislation that would make him elected leader for life, but also by coming before his parliament to perform lifts with a solid gold bar in 2018, Business Insider reported March 14. The article also said this is just one of many parliament meetings in which he has helped by lightening the mood. Like pretty much all authoritarian leaders, he likes to control the performance around him, and that includes the news agencies. Turkmen news agencies are almost entirely state-owned. After the one independently owned Radio Azatlyk started speculating in 2019 that Berdymukhamedov might have died after he disappeared for several weeks without word or trace, he had his news stations run undated footage of himself to show proof of life. The 25-minute montage of proof, CNN reported Aug. 6, showed him reviewing pictures of bus shelters, riding horses, composing music with his grandson, bowling in the company of his clapping aides, who are all dressed in matching tracksuits, and racing a rally car across the countrys Karakum Desert. The rally car run ended with him spinning circles around the countrys Darvaza Crater, a national monument that is a 230-foot wide, flaming natural gas pit nicknamed the Gateway to Hell. Natural gas and oil are, in fact, one of the nations natural resources. Until about 2017, these reserves helped provide every household with free electricity and natural gas, along with a stipend for water and petroleum per person. This ended when a deal was struck to extend a pipeline to the country and sell the gas and oil, mainly to China. But the Turkmen people did get that gold statue out of the deal, and a bargain on their new utility meters. All sarcasm aside, Berdymukhamedov is doing something right. NPR reported that Turkmenistan has seen zero COVID-19 cases, and their leader even outlawed mask-wearing. It might be all that good living with the wheat harvesting and bread eating. It might also be because dentist-rapper-strongman-leader Berdymukhamedov actually banned the word coronavirus, forbidding state-controlled media from writing or uttering the word, and he ordered its removal from health brochures distributed at hospitals, schools and workplaces. Its really hard to get sick or die from something that you cant even say you had. You cannot beat that logic, maybe someone could match it, but you cant beat it at pam@viewfromthenorth40.com. George Eychner, current president of the Kerrville Christmas Lighting Corporation would like to see more shining decorations especially in downtown Kerrville; and will lead a July 2 meeting at 4 p.m. on Tranquility Island to discuss ideas. Bring a lawn chair. On April 25, 2015, Rednika Koirala returned home after a cooperative meeting and started eating lunch. And then the whole world started to shake. It was only a fraction of a second [I had] to save my father-in-law, Koirala said. We were somehow able to take him outside. Thankfully, Koiralas children werent inside when the earthquake hit; they had gone outside to play just before. But when they returned home, they found their house collapsed. The entire day, we were really scared, Koirala said. There [was a lot of] chaos. Rednika Koirala spent three and a half years in a temporary structure after Nepal's 2015 earthquake. Photo by Joe Tobiason. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake, with an epicenter about 50 miles northwest of Kathmandu, was the most destructive the country had seen in 80 years. It killed almost 9,000 people, and an estimated 1 million homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed. Hundreds of aftershocks followed, as well as a second, 7.3-magnitude earthquake on May 12. On the night of April 25, Koirala and her family needed protection from the elements, but materials were scarce. Somehow, we were able to create a temporary shelter comprised of jute bags, Koirala said. Under the jute-bag hut, it got crowded: Koiralas family shared the space with her brother-in-laws family, and each of them brought their goats. In total, [there were] 15 of us and 17 goats under the same shelter, she said. That night, everyone took a turn staying awake to keep the leopards away from the now-vulnerable goats. In a nearby community, Sovita Acharya also lost her home. Even if I remember this, it really scares me today, Acharya said. And what scared us the most is, where might be our family members? My house was already gone, so I kept thinking, Where might be my mother and father? Once the worst of the tremors subsided, Acharya said she and her neighbors gathered together and cried. There were lots of adverse effect. We used to be scared, and our bodies used to shake a lot. The next day, someone from Heifer Nepal, which had been working in the area since 2010, arrived to check on the community. Heifer was the first organization that came to our area with materials, Acharya said. There was a big shortage of these tarpaulins and blankets. We could not buy them in the market if we had money. [They] assured us [by saying], Please dont be scared well help you. (From left to right) Sarita Acharya, Pramila Pandit and Sovita Acharya feed dried corn to a goat in Thakre, Nepal. Photo by Joe Tobiason. Not far away, Koirala and her extended family lived in their makeshift shelter for about two months. But as the rainy season approached, changes had to be made. Heifer Nepal gave 15,000 rupees (about $132) each to 16,402 project participant families who were affected by the earthquake. Families then used the money to build new houses and revive their goat businesses. The money allowed Koiralas family to build a rustic, more permanent shelter without selling their six goats, which were not yet ready for market. If I had sold those small goats, Koirala said, then I would have sold them at just 15,000 or 20,000 rupees [$132-175]. But since I was able to grow them, I was able to sell them at 50,000 rupees each [$438]. The family stayed in the new structure for three and a half years. Koirala said, It felt as if we were staying inside a big palace after staying under the temporary shelter for so long. We were able to separate goats from human beings inside the cottage. With Heifers support, Koirala built her goat rearing business back up. Koirala is a part of a cooperative Heifer helped create, and it has been invaluable for people raising and selling goats in the area. Rednika Koirala walks between her new house and the temporary structure that sheltered her family after the earthquake. Photo by Joe Tobiason. We used to rear goats, but we did not know where to take them and sell them, Koirala said. But because of the cooperative, there is proper marketing of the goats. Thats why its easier for us to sell them. The cooperative carries out the coordination with the traders. Four years after the earthquake Koiralas family finally moved into a proper house, built with money earned primarily from selling goats. And theyre sleeping better at night, not just because theyre more comfortable but because they have peace of mind. This is an earthquake-resistant building, Koirala said, so were sure if [an earthquake] comes, nothing will happen. She has tentative plans to build a new animal shelter in place of the old building that housed her family, but she said its tough because she has a deep connection to the place. More than this reinforced house, I love my cottage, Koirala said. Because it saved so many lives, 15 human beings and 17 goats. Summer camps oppose asphalt plant Summer camps in Saluda, Flat Rock, Green River and across Henderson County are expressing their opposition to an asphalt plant in East Flat Rock, saying it could emit pollution that would harm the businesses, reduce revenues and cost jobs. For generations, summer camps have been a tradition in the lives of thousands of children. More than 70 camps in four counties of Western North Carolina represents the largest concentration of summer camps in the United States. Twelve of these camps are in close proximity to the proposed Southeastern Asphalt plant on Spartanburg Highway at the U.S. 25 connector, the North Carolina Youth Camp Association said. In 2010, the camp association retained N.C. State University to conduct an economic impact study of the camps in Henderson, Transylvania, Buncombe and Jackson counties. The total economic impact from residential summer camps in these counties and their operations was approximately $365 million, with more than 10,000 full-time equivalent jobs created beyond camp staff, and nearly $33 million in new tax revenues. The total economic impact on Henderson County from 17 residential summer camps and their operations was approximately $120 million, with 3,411 fulltime equivalent jobs created beyond camp staff, and nearly $10 million in tax revenue. A new economic impact study by NC State was conducted in 2019 with higher revenues. The results of this study will be available later this year. Risk management and safety are top priorities in the camp industry, the association said. The assurance given to parents by these camps builds trust and value in their family relationships. Here is the rest of the camp industry's statement: "The environmental pollutants that arise from an asphalt plant like this could cause harm to these businesses and reduce the revenues for the camps and the county as well as loss of jobs. Asphalt plants produce severe toxic air pollutants including arsenic, benzene formaldehyde and cadmium. Cancer, central nervous system problems, liver damage, and a myriad of respiratory health issues are known results of these toxins. The nearby Green River offers many summer camps activities such as fishing, hiking, paddling, biking, and camping. The Green River is also one of the most famous and scenic paddling rivers in the USA. Harm to this river and the surrounding Game Lands through asphalt plant pollutants could be detrimental to the revenues of Henderson County tourism, summer camps, and residing families. "On behalf of the Western North Carolina Youth Camp Association, our concerns are great. The promises our community makes to camp families are bound with the trust they have in us. What guarantees does the asphalt plant have that the use of the plant will not adversely affect the health and safety of these camps and those living in the camp communities? What guarantees does the asphalt plant have that the use of the plant will not be detrimental to public welfare? What guarantees does the asphalt plant have that the use of the plant will not be injurious to property or public improvement? Camper parents are depending on your word." The statement was submitted by Missy Schenck and Nancy Wilson. Missy Izard Schenck and her husband, Sandy, who live in Flat Rock and operate the Green River Preserve summer camp in the Green River Valley. Nancy Z. Wilson and her husband, Jim Bob, own and operate Camp Wayfarer in Flat Rock. Also supporting the statement were Camp Glen Arden, Camp Greystone, Camp Mondamin and Green Cove, Camp Pinnacle and Adventure Treks Camp, Rockbrook, Camp Ton-A-Wandah, Falling Creek Camp and Gwynn Valley Camp. Lax facemask enforcement frustrates those who wear them Steve Smith, Henderson Countys director of public health for Henderson County, has trouble understanding why some people view facemasks as a threat to freedom. You and I both wear a seatbelt every day because the government says we should to keep ourselves safe, he said. We dont drive a car when were intoxicated and have drunk a lot of alcohol. The government says we shouldnt do that, to keep others safe. I dont make much distinction between taking those kinds of precautions and the same kind of thing were talking about with a mask today. Smith was speaking about an hour before Gov. Roy Coopers order mandating face masks went into effect and then as now it was clear that enforcement of the facemask rule is a murky proposition. Sheriff Lowell Griffin announced the day after Cooper imposed the order that his officers would not charge people who go maskless. Griffin cited the order itself Law enforcement personnel are not authorized to criminally enforce the face covering requirements of this Executive Order against individual workers, customers or patrons. to reinforce his position. Simply put, the Henderson County Sheriffs Office will not be issuing citations or making arrests based on this order, he said, adding that law officers will make a trespassing arrest if a business owner reports a recalcitrant patron. Please understand that every business reserves the right to require customers and patrons to wear a facial covering, he said. Any person who fails to wear a facial covering after being asked to do so by a business can be asked to leave. If that person refuses to leave, then the business has the right to have that person charged with the crime of trespassing. For the mask order to work as intended, Smith said, individuals need to take responsibility. I am aware that law enforcement here and in other jurisdictions is not being anxious to step in and execute heavy-handed tactics about this. I understand a little bit of that perspective, he said. Even if they were willing to jump in, youve got 117,000 people in Henderson County. Its just going to be impossible to force everyone to wear a mask. I hope we can continue to promote the rationale and logic behind wearing masks and why thats important to protect people. Its literally one of our only tools. Even before the facemask mandate, people reporting violations of now-standard public health advice standing six feet apart, wearing masks, hand washing are among the most common complaints the health department receives. When we get calls coming in on our general information line, questions about masks and compliance, lack of compliance, are probably one of our most frequent topics, he said. People who refuse to wear masks, he said, put themselves and others at risk and reduce the effectiveness of the only low-cost universal defense that can curb the spread of covid-19. I would say today in Henderson County probably 30 percent of our cases, while positive cases, are people that are asymptomatic, he said. You may have convinced yourself that you dont need to wear a mask because youre not sick but I come in contact with people every day where that is not the case, and if you accept the fact that you could be transmitting that virus to other people unwittingly I think we all have an individual responsibility to not do that. People want to go back to work and want to get on with their lives and the best way for that to happen is for us to be somewhat responsible so were not besieged with a bunch of unnecessary cases, so that we can continue to ease restrictions in North Carolina and Henderson County. DMV flouts rules Four days into the order, people are spotting plenty of exceptions. At the DMV theyre queued up outside and the DMV employees let people in, said Gordon Smith, a retired engineer who visited the tag office Tuesday. Everybody in the line had masks on, those two employees didnt have masks on. I said, Youre kind of representing the government here and the governor mandated with an ordinance and you should be wearing masks. The employee responded that, Our DMV here is a contractor and our contractor told us we dont have to wear masks if we dont want to. When Smith called the sheriffs office, his staff told me he thinks the law is unconstitutional and hes not going to enforce it. Smith said he spent about two hours in line and never got his tag renewed because the system had crashed. Unfortunately, he has to go back. Its not like with the DMV we can boycott it, he said. He also reached someone at the office of Gov. Roy Cooper. She said she would pass that along that the Henderson County tag agency was refusing to enforce the mask requirement. The Hendersonville DMV agency operator, Donna Pryor, said Wednesday no one from the health department or police had contacted her. "There are health exemptions in there," she said. The employee who was allowing people in on Tuesday "for the longest time she's wore a mask every day and she was having trouble breathing and she wasn't wearing yesterday I don't think," she said. "According to the governor's order I'm not even supposed to question it" if someone claims a medical exemption. The facemask order lists 11 exceptions, including a broad medical one exempting anyone who "should not wear a face covering due to any medical or behavioral condition or disability," and goes on to say: "No proof or documentation is required if an individual falls into an exception category." After receiving a tip, the Lightning on Sunday visited Green River Eddys Taproom & Grill, a part of Saluda outfitters. Neither the bartender or a manager wore masks, although they said they welcome people who do. I dont think theres a hard and fast rule on that, Angela Nicholas, who said she was the public relations manager for the business, said of waitstaff or bartenders wearing masks. Maybe Ill call the health department just to verify. In an interview Monday, Nicholas went on to describe in detail everything Green River Eddys is doing to protect patrons and employees. We posted what everybody is supposed to post, reminding patrons to wash their hands, wear a mask and wait six feet apart, she said. Were doing our best to follow those rules and guidelines, but there is a statement that says if you can physical separate yourself (by six feet or more) you dont have to have a mask. Tables on the outdoor deck are spaced far apart. Theyre very very few that are eating inside and when they do they have plenty of space. We have face masks were handing out for free if they want one. Were doing everything we can to sanitize, were continuously spraying, were wiping down menus, were wiping down everything customers handle, were using all throw-away cups and food containers. I feel like were doing everything we can to ensure everybodys healthy. Obviously its a family run business and they dont want any of their family members or employees to get sick. Saluda police have not received a complaint about Green River Eddys nor has the Polk County Health Department. We do contact and educate them on the requirements, said Josh Kennedy, Polk Countys health and human services director. Enforcement falls to local law enforcement. Well end up forwarding this to the police chief of Saluda. We went around and notified all of our restaurant owners, advising them of the new executive order. The order says, "Restaurants must have all workers wear face coverings when they are or may be within six feet of another person. In addition, restaurants must have all customers wear Face Coverings when not at their table, unless the customer states that an exception applies." Smith appealed to restaurant diners to speak up if they see violations. We would ask for the assistance of restaurant patrons in this matter," he said. "Restaurants are very interested in getting their businesses back online today and public health supports that effort, but if patrons observe a lack of attention to face coverings in a particular establishment please share those concerns with the owner or manager. Customer satisfaction will be a significant motivating factor with most of these establishments. People have dropped their guard A face covering, public health officials say, protects others as much or more as protecting the mask wearer. My mother is 83 years old. I hope people around her are wearing masks, he said, adding that people should be just as respectful of other families whose grandmothers or grandparents may live here. Its not about what an individual may want. It really is about the common good and as corny as that may sound that really is an important concept here. I have to be honest, I dont understand some of the rhetoric in the objection to masks. The mask order comes as Henderson County records a steady rise in cases. In the early weeks of the pandemic, more than 80 percent of covid cases were associated with long-term care facilities. Now, just 40 percent of cases are linked to congregate care. Through contact tracing, health department nurses are tracking the cause of the infections. I think individuals have dropped their guard and convinced themselves theres not much of a threat now, Smith said. Theyre having birthday parties, theyre congregating in large groups like funerals, theyre going down to the beach and staying in a beach house with multiple people. So theyre doing these group settings and not using masks, not using any social distancing, so it only takes one person in that group to expose everyone else and you have an exponential spread cases. If people want to go back to the way things were in those relaxed days B.C. before covid they ought to cooperate with the mask order. Were not trying to hammer people. Were really just asking for their cooperation, Smith said. At the end of the day, we all have a choice about how bad we want this to be and how much we want to protect our community and Im asking people to be partners with this. Lets not be adversarial about it. Princess Beatrice's much-awaited royal wedding this 2020 has been postponed several times since announcing the event date last year. Initially, the 31-year-old Princess was set to walk down the aisle after getting engaged to fiance Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in September 2019. However, their wedding was pushed back after her father's involvement with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein blew up. The wedding, which was supposed to happen last May 29, 2020, has to be canceled once again after the coronavirus global pandemic hit the rest of the world, including the United Kingdom and Italy. As of now, Princess Beatrice and her 37-year-old husband-to-be have yet to announce their new wedding plans after the London celebration has been scrapped out. But according to reports, the couple is considering to make a big move after all the drama and scandal that happened. Princess Beatrice Running Away From Prince Andrew? However, based on the latest reports, it looks like Princess Beatrice wants to distance herself from Prince Andrew for the meantime as she and her fiance are considering moving to Italy. Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter allegedly wants to "start a new life" in Italy, away from the scandals brought by her father's association with Jeffrey Epstein. Speaking to New Idea, royal author Phil Dampier said: "it wouldn't surprise" him if the couple did relocate to Europe considering all the drama and stress his father's scandal has brought to the royal family and her upcoming wedding. "She has had to put up with a lot, having her wedding postponed, and also the furor over her father Prince Andrew and the Epstein scandal," Dampier explained. "She is not a working royal, and she deserves to be happy." Princess Beatrice has been spending her lockdown in a $1.8 million country house near Chipping Norton together with Edo and her future mother-in-law, Nikki Shale. Realistic Decision Furthermore, the royal expert believes that it is only practical for Princess Beatrice and her fiance to move to Italy. Dampier noted that Edoardo is a successful property developer who could "run his property empire from pretty much anywhere." Dampier also pointed out that Princess Beatrice will unlikely feel homesick in Italy as her family is just a short plane ride away from the country. "Italy is only a couple of hours away from the UK, and the Yorks use planes like buses, so it wouldn't be a problem," he explained. The year 2020 has been tough for Princess Beatrice. She had to throw away months of crucial wedding planning that coincided with her father's messy scandal and a global health crisis. The couple initially planned to host a big celebration before deciding to downsize their May 2020 event to 150 people. This time, however, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo are gearing up for a much bigger wedding once all of the issues are over. Reports said that they are looking forward to having a grand and televised wedding, just like what Beatrice's sister, Princess Eugenie, had in 2018. READ MORE: Royals At War: Meghan Markle's EXPLOSIVE Book Is A Bombshell See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles Jere Brittain: Sgt. Watkins was a WWII hero A few months ago, I was introduced to the story of Staff Sgt. Robert Joseph Watkins by his daughter, Eileen Watkins-Navarro. Sgt. Watkins was born June 21, 1920, and died Aug. 17, 2004. He was a World War II hero. Eileen loaned me a remarkable scrapbook compiled by her sister, Becky Watkins Custer. This meticulous collection of photographs, correspondence, news clippings, mission records, short autobiographies and eyewitness interviews reads like a page-turner novel. Joanne and I have a long-running discussion about our many serendipitous encounters with people whose life stories are fascinating. She says, It was meant to be. I maintain that these things happen randomly. This story makes me wonder if shes right again. Anyway, several months ago our retired Army son, Doug, was visiting us from Arizona. He invited his old Army buddy, Jim Hendricks, to come down from Pennsylvania for a short reunion here. Jim came with his friend, Eileen Watkins-Navarro, and we heard about her dad, Sgt. Robert Watkins. Sgt. Watkins was ball turret gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress, with a crew of ten, operating out of England on Aug. 17, 1943. This was the 21st mission for this highly decorated crew. Their primary target was a ball bearing plant near Schweinfurt, Germany. They were flying their second B-17, the Mary Jane II, named for the girlfriend of its pilot, Lt. Howard Koeppen. Their first plane had been disabled by enemy fire. Allied fighter escorts only had range enough to protect the bombers part of the way to the target. Flying at 27, 000 feet over the Rhine River near Mannheim, Germany, the B-17 formation was attacked by Luftwaffe fighters. The Mary Jane II was fatally damaged by a Luftwaffe fighter flown by Lt. Wolfgang Heinert. Lt. Koeppen ordered his crew to bail out while remaining at the controls of his plane, sacrificing his life to save the crew. As the plane spun earthward, Sgt. Watkins discovered his crewmate, Sgt. Eugene Shadick, severely injured and without a parachute. Placing his own life at risk, Watkins managed to get Shadick into a parachute as the plane began to break apart. They were thrown from the plane at about 7, 000 feet and landed in their chutes near the village of Abenheim. Sgt. Shadicks hand was mostly severed, dangling by a ribbon of skin. He borrowed Watkins knife to complete the amputation. They managed to apply a tourniquet and administer sulfa drug and morphine. Villagers soon arrived to take charge of the six surviving airmen. It appeared doubtful that Shadick would survive the walk to town for further treatment of his injury. Amazingly, Lt. Wolfgang Heinert, the Luftwaffe pilot arrived on the scene, having been forced to land nearby due to lack of fuel. He saluted the American airmen and insisted that Shadick be transported by a bystanders horse and wagon for medical attention, a memorable act of chivalry that would be remembered by the American airmen during and following their two years as prisoners of war. Heinert himself later became a casualty of the war. Pilot Koeppen and right waist gunner Jack Posemsky died in the crash. The entire crew was reported missing in action for several months before news of Watkins survival reached his family in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. In the meantime, the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster was presented to Sgt. Watkins mother, Mrs. Margaret Watkins, honoring her sons meritorious achievements, courage, coolness, and skill. Following several months in Stalag VIIB, the airmen were transferred to the infamous Stalag XVII in German-occupied Austria. Journeying on Thanks to Ms. Becky Custer for her personal assistance with this story about her remarkable father, who was born 100 years ago. Free access for current print subscribers As a home delivery subscriber, you get free unlimited digital access to premium content on HenryHerald.com, including local news, local sports, obituaries, legal notices, local features, and the e-edition. All you need is your print subscription account number and your last name. Don't know your subscription number? Email access@henryherald.com with your delivery address. Activate your account now. Huntington, WV (25701) Today Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. Low around 60F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. Low around 60F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Tom Hanks took a savage shot at people who refuse to wear masks and follow government restrictions amid the ongoing coronavirus health crisis. The four-time Golden Globe winner is the first high-profile actor who tested positive of COVID-19, as he contracted the virus along with his wife Rita during their visit in Australia. As cited by People magazine, the 63-year-old actor urged people to do their part by following government and health guidelines. "There's really only three things we can do in order to get to tomorrow: Wear a mask, social distance, wash our hands," Hanks mentioned at a press conference for his upcoming movie "Greyhound," which is set to debut on Apple TV+ on July 10. Tom Hanks To Hardheaded People: "Don't Be A Pussy" The "Forrest Gump" star also lashed out at people who ignore wearing face masks and practicing social distancing. "Those things are so simple, so easy, if anybody cannot find it in themselves to practice those three very basic things - I just think shame on you," he added. "Don't be a p----, get on with it, do your part. It's very basic. If you're driving a car, you don't go too fast, you use your turn signal and you avoid hitting pedestrians. My Lord, it's common sense." Coronavirus Update Hanks also went on to share updates about their health after surviving from the dreaded virus. The "Saving Private Ryan" actor mentioned that he and Rita were both "fine" after spending weeks in Queensland hospital due to the COVID-19 scare. He continued and detailed their terrifying experience, as they were isolated and monitored by the hospital staff. "We were isolated in order to keep an eye on ourselves because if our temperatures had spiked, if our lungs had filled, if any number of things had gone wrong with this, we would have needed expert medical care," Hanks narrated. To recall, fans were shocked when the couple revealed that they contracted the virus while in Australia last March for the shoot of an upcoming biographical film about Elvis Presley. The Academy Award winner will play the role of Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker, while the King of Rock and Roll will be portrayed by the "Carrie Diaries" actor Austin Butler. In their previous interview, Hanks confessed that they were "wiped" by the illness and had difficulty doing basic exercise. "I just had the weirdest thing. I just tried to do basic stretches and exercises on the floor and I couldn't even get halfway through.' And she looked at me through her glasses like she was talking to the dumbest human being. And she said, 'You have Covid-19,'" Hanks shared. He added that his wife "went through a tougher time," as she experienced high fever and even lost her sense of taste and sense of smell. Weeks after their recovery, the power couple decided to donate their blood plasma as part of COVID-19 vaccine development. According to Mayo Clinic, blood from coronavirus survivors contains antibodies that are being used by researchers in hopes that it "can be given to people with severe COVID-19 to boost their ability to fight the virus." READ MORE: Lili Reinhart Goes Topless For Breonna Taylor Advocacy -- Instantly REGRETS It! See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles Huntington, WV (25701) Today Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. A few storms may be severe. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. A few storms may be severe. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. The senior detective who oversaw the Adrian Donohoe murder investigation has described the accused's account of his movements on the night of the killing as "bunkum and lies", the Central Criminal Court heard. Retired Detective Inspector Pat Marry, who was the senior investigating officer (SIO) until 2018, was giving evidence in the trial of Aaron Brady who denies capital murder. Mr Marry told the jury that he did not ask the PSNI to search a diesel-laundering yard where the accused said he was on the night of the robbery. He said he had no confidence in what Mr Brady "was telling gardai because I believe he was involved in the murder of Adrian Donohoe and was in the car park of Lordship Credit Union". Mr Brady has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Donohoe (41), who was then a member of An Garda Siochana acting in the course of his duty, at the credit union in Bellurgan, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013. Mr Brady (29), of New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, also denies the robbery of approximately 7,000 in cash and assorted cheques from Pat Bellew at the same location on the same date. Yesterday Mr Marry was cross-examined in relation to a yard on the Concession Road, in Cullaville, Armagh, where Mr Brady said he arrived shortly after 8pm on the night of the murder before leaving 15 minutes later after failing to start a forklift. The court previously heard that he told two detectives this in an off-the-record account 10 days after the robbery, and that last December a formal alibi was served on the prosecution saying this was incorrect and that he was moving laundered diesel cubes at the yard for between 90 minutes and two hours. CCTV Mr Marry told defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC that CCTV footage from Concession Road was viewed and that a car belonging to Suspect A, who Mr Brady said he was with that night, did not show up. Mr Marry said the CCTV review was of "not great" footage. The court heard that cars were filmed outside the store on eight occasions but none could be identified. "So that was very evident to me that the story told by Aaron Brady was bunkum and lies," he said. Mr Marry told counsel that the PSNI was not asked to go to this site and that a sergeant was liaising with them in relation to this matter. He agreed that he had previously received permission from the PSNI to send gardai across the Border to examine a particular site in another investigation. Asked what was different about a diesel-laundering site, Mr Marry said: "Because as I said, that site had no relevance to me as SIO because I believe Aaron Brady was not there." It was also put to him that phone traffic between Mr Brady and a number of other people, including a known fuel launderer, in and around the week of the murder would appear to relate to fuel laundering. Mr Marry said this was the account given by one of the known fuel launderers to gardai, adding: "But do we believe him." The cross-examination will continue before the jury of six men and seven women this morning. A father-of-one accused of kicking and breaking a Luas window while irate on a phone call was threatened with contempt of court when he answered his mobile as he stood in the dock. Ross Behan (23) is alleged to have caused the damage when he took his "rage" out on the window as he sat in a tram carriage. He was spared custody for contempt when he apologised to Judge Grainne Malone for taking a call on his phone as she dealt with his case. He also said he was sorry for hiccupping in court. Judge Malone adjourned the case for Mr Behan to decide how he intends to plead. The accused, from Benmadigan Road, Drimnagh, is charged with causing criminal damage to the tram at the Drimnagh Red Line stop on April 24 last. The court heard it was alleged Mr Behan was on a Luas carriage when he kicked the window, which cracked and had to be replaced. rage A garda said it was not alleged the accused was intoxicated, but he was on the phone to someone and got irate and "took out his rage on the window". Judge Malone asked if anyone else was present, and the garda said there was no one else in the carriage but two people had just got off the tram. The accused's phone then rang as he stood in the dock and he proceeded to answer it. The judge told defence barrister Garrett Casey she wanted to hear why Mr Behan should not be held in contempt and held in custody overnight. "Clearly he doesn't know how to behave himself," she said. "I do apologise for answering the mobile phone," Mr Behan said. "I shouldn't have done it, I wasn't thinking. I just took it out to answer it. There's no reason my phone should be on loud in court. I apologise for hiccupping too." Mr Casey said the accused had a sick child in hospital and he was concerned. The judge felt this was "at odds" with what Mr Behan himself said. The judge did not place the accused in custody because he had apologised. She accepted jurisdiction to deal with the criminal damage charge and adjourned the case. Michael Brady was remanded on bail after his hearing A Dublin man trashed a motorist's car when he "lost his temper" in a dispute over a parking space near his home, a court heard. Michael Brady (68) "keyed" the man's Volvo and slashed the tyres, causing more than 3,000 of damage, after repeatedly asking the driver not to park in a designated space. He also stole the licence plates from the car. Adjourning the case, Judge Paula Murphy said she would consider leaving him without a criminal record if he stays out of trouble. Theft Brady, of Cuffe Lane, Dublin 2, admitted criminal damage to the car and the theft of two registration plates at nearby Ardilaun Court on September 24 and 25, last year. A garda sergeant told Dublin District Court that a report was taken of the theft of the plates from a Volvo S80. A subsequent report was then taken from the victim that his Volvo had also been damaged - the four tyres had been slashed and both sides of the car had paint damage consistent with "keying", the sergeant said. The windscreen wipers had also been pulled out of place. The damage was estimated at 3,210. Gardai viewed CCTV footage from the area and Brady was identified by a civilian witness, the court heard. He was arrested and detained, and made full admissions to both offences. The registration plates were not recovered. The injured party had since been fully compensated and did not wish to make a victim impact statement. The accused had been going through a very difficult period following the loss of his wife who had recently died, his barrister said. He had health difficulties and had also taken alcohol at the time, which impaired his judgement. Brady had taken slight to the fact that the victim had been parking in a particular designated parking space in a housing development, his barrister said. Remorse He was continuously asking the man not to do so and eventually lost his temper and decided to damage the vehicle. Brady co-operated fully with the garda investigation, expressed his remorse and paid full recompense, his barrister said. He was retired but heavily involved in charity. The incident was "entirely out of character for him", his barrister said, asking the judge to leave Brady without a conviction. Judge Murphy adjourned the case to a date in October and said she would deal with it in the manner suggested if the accused did not come to garda attention again. Brady was remanded on continuing bail. Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan is stepping aside from his duties for now to care for his wife Emer who has advanced cancer and is receiving palliative care. Dr Holohan, who has spearheaded the country's fight against Covid-19, made the announcement last night. His wife was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in recent years. He is to take time out to look after Emer and their two teenage children. Dr Holohan's wife has worked as a public health doctor in the HSE. In a statement after yesterday's briefing, he said Emer was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer in 2012. "She has had a number of difficult years and was admitted for palliative care last Saturday," Dr Holohan said. He said he will now look after his wife and their two children, Clodagh and Ronan. "I have spoken with the Taoiseach, Minister for Health and they have all kindly offered their support to us," he added. "A plan has been put in place for others to take responsibility for different aspects of my role." Dr Ronan Glynn will be acting chief medical officer. "As a husband and father and doctor, I am conscious we have been through tough times in recent months and many families have been affected by the course of covid, suffering pain and the loss of loved ones," Dr Holohan added. He said he hoped people would work together and take responsibility for their health while looking after family members, friends and those we care about the most. He thanked everyone for respecting his privacy and asked that it continue. In a statement, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he would like to thank Dr Holohan "on behalf of myself and the people of Ireland for helping to guide this country through the Covid-19 emergency". Gravity Dr Holohan's "work, experience and briefings helped people to understand the gravity of the situation facing us, while his calmness reassured us that if we followed the guidelines and advice we would overcome these great challenges together. "Every home in Ireland has come to know Dr Tony Holohan. "His leadership during the pandemic has given us all confidence that the decisions being made are based on solid public health advice. "As a country, we owe him and his family a great debt of gratitude." Health Minister Stephen Donnelly described Dr Holohan as "a rock" who has "provided stability and calm in a time of crisis." Earlier Dr Holohan said a green list of European countries with low levels of Covid-19, where tourists from Ireland can travel to without restrictions, will be published at the end of next week - but going abroad remains a major concern. He said the green list, which would be involve quarantine-free travel, is still being finalised. The advice remains not to go abroad for non-essential travel but people can decide for themselves whether to take a "calculated risk". The list of countries is set to change week on week. "We see travel-related cases making up an increasing number of cases," Dr Holohan said. "From a public health point of view, the only responsible thing we can do is to express caution." A cautious approach informed by evidence and science would allow people to take an informed decision. Earlier, Prof Philip Nolan, of Maynooth University, said the Covid-19 spread remains low and the situation "stable". "The reproductive number is now estimated to be closer to 1 than it has been in recent weeks," he said. "The R number is easily influenced by small changes to the transmission of the virus. "We have noticed an increase in the number of cases towards the end of last week. It is a trend that NPHET will continue to monitor closely." Prof Nolan said it appeared the increase was transient. Upturn However, there remains concern about the increase in the numbers of people who were abroad who are testing positive. The numbers have been in the "low teens" in the past week but it marks an upturn when there were very few such cases. There is also a higher proportion of younger people testing positive among the new cases, Prof Nolan added. Dr Vida Hamilton, national clinical adviser and group lead of acute operations at the HSE, said: "Due to the good practices of the public our ICUs were not overwhelmed. "Although they were busy, every patient got the care they deserved. "Some of us may have witnessed the reality of the front lines in our hospitals on recent television documentaries. "We should not lose sight of what is at risk and how fragile our systems are in the face of this pandemic. "Please continue to follow public health advice." Cash found as part of Operation Venetic in the UK thanks to the hacked server An encrypted communications server that was hacked by European police forces and led to millions of messages between criminals being intercepted was also used by the Kinahan cartel. Arrests have been carried out in the UK, the Netherlands and across Europe after the EncroChat server was hacked by police forces. In the UK alone, 746 arrests were made and 77 firearms seized under Operation Venetic after the company's encryption was cracked by law enforcement. Significant Gardai have been liaising with their European counterparts as part of the operations in an effort to target Irish crime groups using EncroChat. Sources said that the encrypted communication was widely used by associates of the Kinahan cartel both in Ireland and abroad. As a result, they are hopeful of further disrupting the international crime group. "The cartel has major ties in England and the Netherlands and obviously these developments are significant in targeting their interests there," one source said. By cracking the encrypted communications network, European police were able to covertly watch "over the shoulder" of criminals in real time as they planned drug trafficking, arms sales, assassinations and torture. Two months ago French and Dutch police managed to crack the server, used by over 60,000 people worldwide, which led to the unprecedented operations. "It was as though we were sitting at the table where criminals were chatting among themselves really," said Jannine van den Berg, chief of the Dutch National Police Force. European police and judicial authorities said they expect the investigation to send shockwaves through organized crime gangs across the continent. The encrypted platform was used by 60,000 people worldwide. The service pushed a message to all its users on June 13 alerting them that their systems had been breached and urging users to throw away their phones, European Union police agency Europol added. The agency said EncroChat sold its "cryptotelephones" for around 1,000 each and offered subscriptions with worldwide coverage for 1,500 for six months. Just last month, gardai seized a number of the encrypted devices after a major operation with Dutch police targeting an Irish crime group with links to Holland. A 40-year-old Meath man was arrested as part of a large-scale operation while cocaine worth more than 1m was also seized. Detectives also seized 70,000 in the operation, which was carried out as a result of the EncroChat hack. In the North, 25 searches yesterday resulted in the seizure of more than 365,000 (404,000) in cash, as well as drugs, high-value vehicles, laptops, jewellery and designer handbags. The PSNI said it had also "mitigated" more than 15 threats to life as part of the operation. Five people have so far been charged, four of whom have been remanded in custody while one is on High Court bail. Teachers' leaders have cast further doubt on a full reopening of post-primary schools in late August or September, saying it cannot happen on the basis of current public health guidance. There is more optimism about a return of all primary pupils together, although Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) general secretary John Boyle said it will only work if enough subs are employed to cover unexpected teacher absences. Schools reopening dominated discussion at a meeting of the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee yesterday, a day after Education Minister Norma Foley published public health advice underpinning the return to classrooms. The guidance covers the practical arrangements and practices to support a safe return of pupils and staff, but there is controversy over the key issue of social distancing. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) advises that there is no need for physical distancing for pupils up to and including those in second class, but that a minimum one metre should apply for older students. A one-metre rule would make it difficult for some schools to have all their pupils back in the classroom together. Asked by Sinn Fein's Donnchadh O'Laoghaire about the prospects for full return, Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) general secretary John MacGabhann replied: "I cannot answer as to when this will happen." Safety Mr MacGabhann said the union would engage with the Department of Education and other education partners "to ensure it can happen as safely as possible but it has to be done in a manner that guarantees safety for children, for parents and, I say without apology, for our members." Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland general secretary Kieran Christie said he could not predict when a full return would be possible because there were too many variables that it did not control, the key one of which was social distancing. He said under the public health advice published this week "many schools will not be fit to go back on full-time basis for all students". As planning for reopening continues, much will depend on whether public health experts relax social-distancing rules. The recommendation that no social distancing is required for half of primary pupils supports a fuller return in the primary sector, although the one-metre rule for older pupils may present challenges. The INTO's John Boyle felt a full return should be possible, but called for supports to schools. Mary Lynch on New Street in Malahide which is now closed off to traffic and bicycles There has been a mixed reaction in the popular north Dublin town of Malahide after Fingal County Council pedestrianised New Street and removed some parking spaces. As part of the 'Walk Bike Fingal initiative', the council pedestrianised New Street and the 32 Dublin Bus route has been diverted through Old Street, which has resulted in the loss of several parking spaces. The Walk Bike Fingal initiative "seeks to encourage and facilitate social distancing for citizens going about their daily business", according to the council. The pedestrianisation is currently being trialled for 10 weeks having been put in place in mid-June and will be reviewed by the council and local groups at the end of the trial period. The initiative aims to bring a "European-style" feel to the village, with clothing stores encouraged to bring out their rails and restaurants to set up tables outside. A resident of Old Street all her life, Mary Lynch (78) told the Herald she was advised to park her car at Malahide Castle, a 10-minute walk away. "They gave us no notice and took seven parking spaces from us. Do you expect me at nearly 79 years of age to park my car at the castle and walk back when I want it?" she asked. The council consulted with Malahide Chamber of Commerce, Shop Malahide, Malahide Tidy Towns and Malahide Community Forum prior to enacting the initiative. However, Mary said that nobody "knocked on my door". "Because we weren't in a residents' association, because we're all older on the street and didn't join, they didn't come near us." Fingal County Council said residents can apply for parking permits and use parking bays: "Four age-friendly parking spaces have been provided and installed in the centre of the town." Trish Bennet, who owns Kocoon ladies boutique on Strand Street, said her business has been affected by the removal of approximately 20 parking spaces on New Street. "A lot of my clients would be mature and get either a lift or are dropped off to the shop, but there's nowhere for them to park now," said Trish. "I can't see the logic in it and I feel it's had a devastating effect on businesses." Success Garry Duggan is chairman of the Malahide Community Forum and was consulted by Fingal County Council prior to the initiative being enacted. "The initiative will only be made permanent if the trial is deemed a success," he said. Patrick McNamara of Malahide Tidy Towns said of the pedestrianisation that there are "a lot of people for it and a lot of people against it". "We're seeing similar pedestrianisation happening in Cork. During consultations, we were shown examples of similar initiatives in Utrecht in Holland. "Fingal is a great council and does great work. It's a small village and people will be for it and against it." Tony Gibney is one of the owners of Gibney's Pub and is also a resident on New Street. "There was some consultation, but it doesn't appear to have been enough. A lot of people didn't know enough," he said. He said that while bars and restaurants can set up tables outside, they cannot serve any alcohol outside. "It's important for people to realise that...we can't sell intoxicating liquor on the street and that's what our licence is for. "We need to work together and see how it goes and I would ask people to have an open mind." A statement from the council said that an initial needs assessment was carried out to "temporarily repurpose Fingal streets, roads and public realm spaces" to keep in line with social and physical distancing requirements. The measures are being closely monitored and reviewed by council engineers and reviewed at intervals as the Government restrictions changed." Meghan Markle's bitter court battle against the British tabloids has also revealed controversial details about her experience with the royal family. After the former "Suits" star married Prince Harry in May 2018, she truggled to cope up with the royal lifestyle, most especially on how the British media scrutinized her and every move she made. For almost two years, she became the target of unfair and biased reporting, as well as the subject of online trolls who seemed to have went along the narrative that the media created around her. In an attempt to protect their family and their 1-year-old son Archie Harrison, Prince Harry and Meghan decided to step down as senior members of the Firm last January and opted to relocate to the U.S. to start a private and independent life. Royal Family Left Pregnant Meghan Markle "Unprotected" Now, in the latest royal family news, the 38-year-old duchess claimed that she was left "unprotected" by the monarchy during her pregnancy. With that said, she was unable to guard herself against "hundreds of thousands of inaccurate articles" that put her image and reputation under negative light. "As her friends had never seen her in this state before, they were rightly concerned for her welfare, specifically as she was pregnant, unprotected by the Institution, and prohibited from defending herself," read the court documents submitted by Meghan's camp, per The Mirror. Meghan Markle Suffered "Emotional Distress" In addition, the legal representative of the former actress pointed out that the issues being thrown at her had caused her "tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health'." This explosive revelation is part of Meghan's ongoing lawsuit battle with Associated Newspapers Limited over its publication of a "private and confidential" letter that she has written to estranged father Thomas Markle in August 2018. Furthermore, based on the court documents obtained by HuffPost, the Duchess of Sussex was able to identify five friends who gave an interview to People Magazine about the controversial letter. The outlet noted in their February 2019 article that an anonymous longtime friend of the Duchess opposed Thomas' claim that it's impossible to reach his daughter. "He knows how to get in touch with her. Her telephone number hasn't changed," her longtime friend mentioned. "He's never called; he's never texted. It's super painful because Meg was always so dutiful. I think she will always feel genuinely devastated by what he's done. And at the same time, because she's a daughter, she has a lot of sympathy for him." The former royal's camp also denied that Meghan was aware of the existence of the interview and that she never instructed them to intervene on her behalf. Shortly after the couple has officially left the monarchy, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle fought back against four British tabloids by saying that they would no longer deal with their outlets and would provide "zero engagement" moving forward. In addition, Meghan and her camp also accused the said tabloids of publishing stories that are "distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason." READS MORE: David Foster's Daughters Reveal One MAJOR Issue With Katharine McPhee See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email customercare@heraldandnews.com for help creating one. Following her embarrassing defeat during her first High Court battle, Meghan Markle carelessly made another blunder that caused disgrace to the royal family. Meghan and her legal team have been slammed for dropping names of royal family members in her newly released legal papers as part of her legal case against Mail on Sunday. In the said document, the Duchess of Sussex's legal team mentioned Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice and Prince Michael of Kent in response to a claim stating that royals do not work. Associated Newspapers described Meghan in their submission in January as a member of the royal family that "does not undertake paid work." Meghan's team tried hitting them back to debunk their idea and wrote, "Several member[s] of the Royal Family do 'undertake paid work' including, for example, Princess Beatrice of York, Princess Eugenie of York and Prince Michael of Kent." As a result, Meghan received massive criticisms from royal experts and watchers. Royal historian Marlene Koenig took her disappointment to her Twitter account, saying that the three royals Meghan mentioned are not even working royals and have to work hard to earn their own money. Currently, Princess Beatrice works as the Vice President of Partnerships and Strategy at Afiniti -- a data and software company -- while Princess Eugenie is presently the Associate Art Director at a London art gallery called Hauser & Wirth. Meanwhile, Prince Michael stated on his website that he does not receive taxpayers' funding. "It is a bit embarrassing that she brought the York princesses and Prince Michael into the case," Koenig went on. "She should have known that none are working Royals." Netizens seconded Koenig's statements and expressed their dissatisfaction towards the Duchess of Sussex. One royal watcher said, "Totally agree. If she didn't know that those three aren't working royals, and Prince Michael isn't a senior royal, she could have asked Harry." "Princesses Beatrice & Eugenie are not working royals paid by the public," another one wrote. "They work & support their chosen charities on a private basis." Meghan Is A FULL-TIME Royal Unlike the three royals she mentioned on her legal documents, Meghan has been a full-time working member of the royal family from the day she married Prince Harry on May 19, 2018 and until they stepped down on March 31 this year. The seniority of her position allowed her to be sustained by the Sovereign Grant. She also represented Queen Elizabeth II as well as the royal family's non-profitable projects and initiatives. Since Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice and Prince Michael are not like her, they can pursue private and profitable ventures. They are also allowed to have jobs since they are not full-time working royals. Meanwhile, Meghan has been a patron of several organizations. In fact, she received two patronages from Queen Elizabeth II last year -- The National Theatre and The Association of Commonwealth Universities. The aforementioned groups are important to the Queen, as she previously served as their patron for 45 and 33 years, respectively. Meghan has also been assigned to various organizations associated with arts, access to education, support for women, and animal welfare. With all the organizations she still has even after Megxit, Meghan triggered those royal watchers who have been supporting the monarchy for a long time. READ MORE: Prince Andrew's Heartbreak: Does Princess Beatrice HATE Her Father? See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles Shane Ragsdale, formerly of Greenville, beloved son of Sheila June Winters and father Sariah Vanderwal-Ragsdale, passed away May 31, 2021 in the ICU of Hilo Hawaii hospital of pneumonia. Hi memorial service was held June 12, in Makapala, Hawaii. His fellowship on Earth will be missed; antici Judge Keli Aiken with the 354th District Court joined with other members of the Hunt County Bar Association to join in the local reading of the Declaration of Independence. This years event will not be conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This differs from the original plan under which the land would have been transferred to the developer by the citys Industrial Development Board, but the developer would owe $225,000 to the city. That debt would be forgiven if A.G. Commercial hit certain performance based measures. Additionally, Tom Anderson, director of economic development for the city, said under the new purchase and sale agreement, the developer would also assume some of the work the city was originally supposed to do. The city has already completed demolition, which involved tearing down the former Coyne Textile and Bristol Products buildings, and is currently engaged in site preparation work. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} As part of the original development agreement though, the city would have built a 170-space parking lot where half the spaces would be public parking and the other half leased to A.G. Commercial for their tenants. However, under the new sale agreement, it would be up to A.G. Commercial to build the parking lot. J.J. Gillenwater, a partner of A.G. Commercial, did not respond to a request for more information about A.G. Commercials plans for the parking lot. Dennard, who is a Republican National Committee adviser for black media affairs, said he himself has not been tested for coronavirus since the Tulsa rally because he has "exhibited zero symptoms" and is regularly wearing a face covering. As a cancer survivor, Cain, age 74, is considered at an increased risk for coronavirus, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. In 2006, he was given a 30% chance of survival from stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to his liver. He underwent chemotherapy and surgery to remove the cancer from his liver and was declared cancer-free in 2007. The former Godfather's Pizza CEO announced his candidacy for president in 2011, and his 9-9-9 tax reform plan gained traction. After about seven months, he dropped his bid for the GOP nomination amid sexual harassment allegations, which he denied. Cain was named in April 2019 as one of Trump's picks for two open seats on the influential Federal Reserve Board. He withdrew from consideration within the same month after four Republican senators said publicly they would not vote to confirm him and amid concerns that his nomination hearing would resurface the harassment allegations. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. My Favorite Quotes Recent Quotes Portfolio Summary Your most recently viewed tickers will automatically show up here if you type a ticker in the Get Quotes box on the top of the page. Nick Cordero is still at the edge of his health after testing positive for coronavirus, but his wife, Amanda Kloots, assures that the Canadian actor is not giving up without a fight. In an interview with CBS This Morning, Kloots gave the fans an update on Cordero, who started getting ill after contracting COVID-19 last March 2020. The Broadway star has been in the intensive care unit for three months due to the complications he has suffered due to the novel virus. Kloots revealed that her husband might need a double lung transplant to recover and live a healthy life once again. "That is most likely the possibility," Kloots told host Gayle King. "A 99 percent chance that he would be needing that in order to live the kind of life that I know my husband would want to live. That is a long road away, and a lot of things would have to line up in order for Nick to be a candidate.' While Cordero has already tested negative from COVID-19 and emerged from a medically induced coma, Kloots said that the 41-year-old actor is still "extremely weak." Broadway star Nick Cordero is still fighting for his life, after being diagnosed with COVID-19. He's still critically ill, even though he's now COVID negative & no longer in a coma. @GayleKing spoke with Amanda Kloots about her husband's condition & why she's holding onto hope. pic.twitter.com/r1yhBuKpua CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) July 2, 2020 Staying Positive The 38-year-old celebrity fitness trainer also opened up about her daily hospital visits for the past three months. "(It is a) vicious circle or the ICU dance because you just feel like you're in this momentum of going around, around, around like a hamster wheel," she said. While the doctors have been brutally honest with her husband's condition and told her at least four times that her husband would not survive, Kloots said that she is trying to remain positive -- especially when he sees that Cordero is not giving up and continuously fighting for his life. "He's fighting. I see it every day. Nick's doctor sees it. And as long as he's in there and fighting, I'll continue to fight with him," she added. Kloots is also happy to share that her husband is now in a stable condition and making little progress every day. Apart from being out of coma and COVID-19, Cordero can now open his eyes and stay alert when he is awake. He also responds to a yes or no question by looking up and down. Moreover, Kloots is delighted to share that Cordero can now smile and move his jaw when communicating with her or the nurses. In order to keep the positive vibe alive around her husband, Kloots said that she has maintained a routine. She is also doing it so her husband could look forward to recovering and be with his family again. "I tell him every day before I leave, I say, 'Okay, here's what you have to focus on. The two of us sitting in our new house, Elvis is in bed," Kloots said, referring to their 1-year-old son. ' Kloots' interview came after a recent Instagram post asking her followers to continue praying for Nick's speedy recovery. She asked the "prayer warriors" to pray for Nick's body to be stronger, have a normal Ph level, and eventually get off blood pressure medicines. READ MORE: Ellen DeGeneres Show Canceled Forever? Here's The TRUTH! See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles The search for a Tennessee pair accused of luring a Bristol man to his death last week continues in the Mountain Empire. On Thursday, more than a week after Anthony Lynn Walker Hammonds, 39, was shot and killed at a Marys Chapel Road residence in Washington County, Virginia, authorities said theyre still looking for two people on murder charges. Terry Dwayne Linebaugh, 35, of Blountville, and Heather Lucille Jones, 32, had still not been arrested by late Thursday. Jones faces a conspiracy to commit murder charge while Linebaugh faces first-degree murder and several related charges. Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis said late Thursday that the pair is believed to be driving a 4-door blue Mitsubishi car with front-end damage. He said his office and the U.S. Marshals received credible information about the vehicle. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} In addition, Andis said a $5,000 monetary reward is being offered for information leads to the pairs arrest. He urged anyone with information to call the Sheriffs Office at 276-676-6000. The search for the pair has stretched into Tennessee and Virginia, where multiple agencies have assisted the Sheriffs Office, Andis said. The threat of violence went both ways, though. One group of deserters, led by David and James Sisson, eventually became bold enough to turn the tables on deserter-hunting Confederate forces. They ambushed and captured them instead. In at least one case, deserters shot and killed a Confederate recruiting officer on Bent Mountain and a witness found his home burned to the ground. An attempt to arrest one group of deserters turned up a fort and led to a battle in which two deserters and four members of the Confederate home guard were killed. When deserters were arrested and taken to the Floyd County jail, armed groups would often show up to free them which made local authorities reluctant to arrest others. In the fall of 1864, two Confederate detectives went undercover into Floyd County to infiltrate the Unionists there. One Unionist told the detectives that nearly all the people in the county were members of a not-so-secret society that called itself The Heroes of America. The nearly all claim was clearly not true, but the Heroes were strong enough that they openly organized their own home guard, 100 strong, and often clashed with the Confederate home guard. The Heroes were not above issuing threats of their own. When one man ratted them out to Confederate authorities, he received a note that called him you old Southern devil and warned your time is short if you dont quit supporting the guard when they are in your neighborhood. COVID-19 heralds some good news for this Independence Day. We wont be facing heavy traffic. And, the scarcity of meat will keep our outdoor grills safe. Folks who grill hamburgers and hot dogs face a nasty choice. The U.S. Meat and Poultry Hotline advises grilling at high temperature to avoid food poisoning by E. coli and salmonella bacteria. But the National Cancer Institute warns that high-temperature grilling of processed meats generates cancer-causing compounds. Fortunately, we no longer need to choose between food poisoning and cancer! A bunch of enterprising U.S. food processors have met this challenge head on by developing a rich variety of convenient, healthful, delicious plant-based veggie burgers, veggie dogs and soy nuggets. These products dont harbor nasty bugs or cancer-causing compounds. They are missing the cholesterol, saturated fats, drugs, hormones and pesticides of their animal-based alternatives. And, they are waiting for us in the frozen food section of our favorite supermarket, along with nut-based ice creams, and other dairy-free desserts. On this Independence Day, lets declare our independence from the meat industry, which exposes its workers to COVID infection. And, lets stay away from both the COVID and the barbecue bugs! In a phone interview Thursday, Venable said that the employee who tested positive had recently traveled outside the region. He said he couldnt recall where, but knew the travel destination wasnt one of the popular beaches that have been linked to the spread of the virus. Venable said the employee began to experience symptoms associated with COVID-19 after returning to work at the County Courthouse, where the Trustees office is located. He said that the employee got tested and began quarantining at home early this week, as soon as they exhibited those symptoms. Additionally, Venable said he thought the employee was a female, since there arent any men working in the Trustees office, and said the two other employees awaiting test results also work for the Trustees office. Venable added that the entire Sullivan County Courthouse will also be closed to the public on Monday until at least noon, and potentially the whole day, as the health department investigates the issue. We want to limit access to the public until we know exactly where we are, do we have any other folks ill in any other offices, Venable said. Julie E. Greene jgreene@herald-mail.com The Washington County Board of Commissioners will consider another extension for the Fort Ritchie sale contract next week after a Frederick County man filed a notice to appeal a suit regarding the sale. Craig Mahrle filed a notice earlier this month that he is appealing a Washington County Circuit Court judge's decision to dismiss his lawsuit challenging the county's sale of most of the property at the former Fort Ritchie Army base in Cascade to John W. Krumpotich. Mahrle is appealing to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. Mahrle's attorney, Edward Tolchin, has argued that the county didn't properly advertise its intent to sell the land and that the county changed the deal. The judge's dismissal order noted Mahrle hadn't met "his burden to plead facts in support of declaratory or injunctive relief" and the county had complied with the required legal steps to sell the property, according to a recent court filing by the county and the proposed buyer. Mahrle's appeal information filed with the court states several reasons for the appeal, including a question of whether the circuit court interpreted a statute incorrectly when dismissing his lawsuit. The county commissioners previously extended the deadline for closing the $1.85 million sale of approximately 500 acres to Krumpotich, a Cascade resident, from June 5 to June 30 because Mahrle had until June 11 to appeal the circuit court judge's ruling. Mahrle filed his notice of appeal on June 9. On Tuesday, the commissioners will consider a fifth contract amendment extending the closing deadline until Oct. 31 to allow time for the appeal to be resolved. Mahrle, of Sabillasville, Md., provided the county commissioners a written, $1.5 million offer for the land in March, when Krumpotich already was in the midst of a feasibility period regarding his purchase of the property. Last week, the county commissioners and Krumpotich filed a motion for expedited review of the appeal, citing ongoing costs to both parties. The county's "damages" include not being able to use the sale proceeds and the continuing cost to maintain the property, which is estimated at $75,000 a month, the filing states. Krumpotich's "damages" include having to stop "substantial discussions" with prospective tenants interested in leasing buildings on the site, the increase in closing costs due to the delay and the loss of an historic trust grant to restore a roof on one of the historic structures, the filing states. If the appeal is not expedited, Krumpotich also will have additional legal fees and "expects to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars of anticipated revenue," the filing states. Even with the delay, Krumpotich said Tuesday, he wants people to know he is "ready to go" in completing the purchase and moving forward with development plans. The court filing for the expedited hearing also states that several attempts were made to reach Mahrle to get his cooperation in expediting the appeal, but his attorney informed the appellees' attorneys that Mahrle "was not interested in providing such cooperation." On Wednesday, Tolchin said he filed a response in appeals court opposing the request for an expedited review of the appeal. Tolchin again argues in that filing that the county did not comply with legal obligations regarding the property's sale. He also refers again to the county changing the deal by agreeing to keep roadways, utilities and the lakes and dams. On March 3, the commissioners voted 3-2 to approve a second amendment to Krumpotich's contract in which the county agreed to changes involving various responsibilities for infrastructure such as utilities, roads and dams at two lakes. Tolchin said Tuesday he had no comment. Mahrle answered his phone Tuesday, but said he could not hear the other person on the line. He did not return phone or text messages. The federal government shut down Fort Ritchie in 1998 as part of a Base Realignment and Closure process. Since then, various attempts to redevelop the site have failed. In September 2016, the now-defunct PenMar Development Corp. transferred the land to the county. In November 2016, the county hired JG Business Link International as its master developer for Cascade Town Centre. That multi-use concept included residential, commercial, retail, educational and resort components. JGBLI and the county attempted to secure investors for the redevelopment, but those efforts had not resulted in development. In 2017, the county conveyed 63 of the 591 acres to Cascade Town Centre Development LLC for free to kick-start the project. Cascade Town Centre Development LLC and JGBLI are part of the JG Group. In late August, the county and JG Business Link International ended their master developer agreement for the proposed Cascade Town Centre at the former military base. As master developer, JGBLI had marketed the property on the countys behalf. Following the dissolution of that agreement, the Washington County Department of Business Development marketed the approximately 524 remaining acres. After months of searching and surveillance, authorities finally arrested Ghislaine Maxwell -- one of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged co-conspirators in his sexual abuse and child trafficking scheme. The 58-year-old British socialite is reportedly Epstein's former girlfriend and longtime confidante. She allegedly helped the late Billionaire pedophile lure underage girls to going to his residences and eventually perform sexual acts for him. Based on civil court filings, authorities accused Maxwell of facilitating Epstein's sex trafficking operation by bringing girls as young as 14 to Epstein's multiple residences, including the apartment in Manhattan, mansion in Palm Beach, New Mexico ranch and Maxwell's own house in London. According to prosecutors, from 1994 to 1997, Maxwell "assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims." How Ghislaine Maxwell Lure Minor Victims? Maxwell knew very well that Epstein preferred underage girls. As per the victims, Maxwell tried to befriend them by asking them about their lives, school, and family. She and Epstein would often take the girls out on a movie date or shopping to court them and eventually gain their trust. But things started to get alarming when the duo invited the victims to Epstein's house and encouraged them to massage him in exchange for money. She would often initiate the massage as if training or "grooming" the victims before finally leaving them alone with Epstein to perform sexualized massages as a kind of foreplay. Maxwell also tried to "normalize sexual abuse" among the girls by talking about sexual topics, undressing in front of them and being present during the girls' sexual encounter with Epstein. According to authorities, this strategy "helped put the victims at ease because an adult woman was present." In exchange, the duo enticed the girls with money, travel, and educational opportunities as incentives to sexual abuse The Madame Aside from pushing the girls to provide sexual pleasures to Epstein, the victims said that Maxwell also acted as the "madame" and exploited them to high-profile men to engage in sexual activities. One of the victims, Virginia Roberts, accused Maxwell of tricking her into traveling across the world and forcing her to have sex with Prince Andrew, son of Queen Elizabeth II of Britain. In November 2019, one of Epstein's accusers -- Maria Farmer -- said that she witnessed how Maxwell was directly involved in trafficking young women for Epstein and his big-time friends. "All day long, I saw Ghislaine going to get women. She went to places like Central Park. I was with her a couple of times in the car. ...She would say, 'Stop the car.' And she would dash out and get a child," Farmer told CBS This Morning. Another victim said Maxwell is the one controlling the girls in the whole operation. "She was like the madam," Sarah Ransome said. "She was like the nuts and bolts of the sex trafficking operation." Ghislaine Maxwell's Arrest On Thursday morning, Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire and is currently in custody for immediate transfer to New York. Maxwell is now facing multiple sex abuse charges, and if convicted, she will be facing 35 years in prison. READ MORE: David Foster's Daughters Reveal One MAJOR Issue With Katharine McPhee See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles Don Aines The Herald-Mail A Brooklyn, N.Y., man was charged last week with trying to pass counterfeit money orders at several post offices in Washington County, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Gabriel Jose Pichardo, 31, was charged with four counts of issuing a counterfeit order and one count of possession of a forged document, the charging document said. Arrested June 26, he originally was held without bond before bail was set at $2,000 at a bond hearing. A second man, Angel Cepeda Vasquez, 27, of Frostburg, was also charged with trying to pass the money orders, but was released on his own recognizance. A man, later identified as Pichardo, allegedly tried unsuccessfully to pass money orders for $500 and $300 at the Hancock Post Office, the charging document said. A postal employee there had already been notified by postal officials in Allegany County that two men in a car with New York tags had bought 10 $1 money orders and were suspected of trying to alter them for larger amounts. Other area post offices had also been warned of the possible scam, the document said, and the same men went to post offices in Clear Spring and Williamsport attempting to get cash. One postal employee said the money order she saw appeared to have been "washed and then re-dried." The suspect vehicle was pulled over by a deputy in the Hagerstown area, the document said. Vasquez told the deputy he was driving to Hagerstown to get a Sonic milkshake for his wife, the document said. The deputy asked him why he would drive an hour from Frostburg on a 90-degree day to get a milkshake. Pichardo told the deputy he was visiting Vasquez from New York, the document said. He also had an Illinois driver's license with his photo, but someone else's name, the document said. Deputies also found Pichardo had in his possession a money order for $500 made out to the same name as on the Illinois driver's license, the document said. When questioned later by a detective, Vasquez maintained he had driven to Hagerstown to buy a milkshake to take back to a woman, now referred to as his girlfriend, in Frostburg, the document said. He denied stopping at any post offices. After being told his vehicle was identified at the post offices, Vasquez admitted to stopping at them at Pichardo's request, but said he was unaware his cousin had bogus money orders. Dave McMillion davem@herald-mail.com A man was flown out after being injured in a 30-foot fall at the Dagmar Hotel Wednesday night, according to a Washington County 911 supervisor. Hagerstown Police Department Lt. Rebecca Fetchu said Thursday that police believe the fall, which was down a flight of stairs, was accidental. Fetchu said police responded to the 9:20 p.m. call at the hotel at Summit Avenue and West Antietam Street. She said the man was found by an employee of the hotel. The man was reported to be unconscious and possibly suffering from a spinal injury, the 911 supervisor said. Fetchu said the there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident. The man was flown from the former Washington County Hospital site off East Antietam Street. Community Rescue Service and the Hagerstown Police Department responded. More details, including the man's name and condition, were unavailable Thursday. Dave McMillion and Joyce F. Nowell Alexis Fitzpatrick afitzpatrick@herald-mail.com The Town of Boonsboro will hold a recount of its recent municipal election following the discovery of 163 uncounted ballots. According to a news release issued Thursday from the town, a carrier with theU.S. Postal Service delivered the ballots and "negligently" deposited them into a decommissioned book-return drop box in the back of town hall on June 1. The ballots were not found until June 26. The uncontested town election for mayor and two council seats was held June 9 after being rescheduled from its original March 12 date, and was mostly mail-in because of COVID-19 concerns. Of the 328 ballots received, 312 were sent by mail. Mayor Howard W. Long won his bid for re-election with 282 votes. Incumbents Marilee Kerns and Raymond Hanson, who was appointed to fill a council vacancy in 2018, both retained their council seats with Kerns earning 270 votes and Hanson 236. They were all sworn in on June 15. Town mail is typically put through a slot on the front of town hall, falling into a secure locking drop box checked periodically by town staff members. The recently discovered ballots had mistakenly been put into the book return drop box used by the Boonsboro Free Library until 2008, when the library moved to a new facility. The drop box is marked, Do Not Use. Please use the Drop Box on the Front Door," according to the release. A town employee found the ballots June 26 after noticing the exterior door of the book-return drop box was slightly ajar. The employee then informed the town election board, the Washington County Board of Elections, the mayor and town council, and consulted with an attorney for the town, the release said. "It was an honest mistake," Long said in a phone interview Thursday, adding the carrier was a substitute for the town's usual mail carrier and was unfamiliar with where to put the mail. Following proper chain of custody, the ballots were secured in the locked ballot box and security camera footage was reviewed to determine what happened. The mayor and town council will introduce and adopt an emergency ordinance ordering a full recount of all ballots on July 13. "It should be noted that this was an uncontested election and validating and tallying the uncounted ballots will not change the result," the release said. "However, this does not change the Towns recognition of the gravity of the situation, nor the Towns desire and obligation to ensure an accurate result." Long said the book-return drop box is scheduled for permanent removal from the the building and the release said the town Election Board has filed a report with the postmaster of the Boonsboro branch of the U.S. Postal Service to ensure similar incidents do not occur. A representative from the Boonsboro branch said Thursday that "confusion and a misunderstanding" led to the misplaced ballots. A call to the U.S. Postal Service media department was not returned by press time. The results of the recount will be published on the town website at town.boonsboro.md.us and in Herald-Mail Media. Long said he was unsure if he and council members Kerns and Hanson will have to be sworn in again following the results, but they would abide by the decision of the town election board. Popular Twitch streamer Byron "Reckful" Bernstein is dead at the age of 31. The Israeli-American online gamer is best known for his "Asheron's Call" and "World of Warcraft" streams and had over 936,000 followers on Twitch. Byron Bernstein's Death Confirmed By Brother And Ex-Girlfriend The devastating news was confirmed by his brother. "My baby brother Byron @reckful is gone. RIP," Gary wrote on Twitter. "He left in a similar way as my older brother Guy. I've no siblings left. If you have stories and pictures of him, please share them." His ex-girlfriend Becca Choo -- who is known in the online community as Blue Madrigal -- also paid tribute to Bernstein. "Byron, I wish I could have helped you. We all do," Blue tweeted alongside a clip of themselves with bunny filters. "I'm so sorry I couldn't. Thank you for being a part of my life. Love you always." Byron, I wish I could have helped you. We all do. Im so sorry I couldnt. Thank you for being a part of my life. Love you always. pic.twitter.com/S7UoNGwpmM Blue (@BlueGoesMew) July 2, 2020 In a separate post, she also thanked fans "who have reached out" and advised them to be mindful of the things that they post online. "Thank you to everyone who has reached out. I wish he could see how much he is loved and all of the sweet things people have said to honor his memory. Remember, your words/tweets affect people, even the famous people. Please be kind," Blue furthered. Famous Twitch Streamer Died Of Suicide Following his surprising death, Blue mentioned that the cause of Byron's death is suicide, as cited by Variety.com. This came after the Texas-based gamer posted a disturbing tweet about "insanity." "ahh, I feel bad for anyone who has to deal with my insanity," Bernstein wrote last July 2. He went on and posted another tweet saying: "Please just know in these situations the insane person does not feel in control of their actions." Byron Bernstein's Twitter Proposal Prior to his alarming posts online, Bernstein had taken it to Twitter to propose to his ex-girlfriend. "I know I'll always be a little too crazy... and this is proof... but at least you'll never be bored. Will you marry me, Becca?" he wrote followed by a series of candid photos of the couple. The famous Twitch streamer posted another tweet asking his followers not to pressure Blue into accepting his proposal. "DO NOT make her feel pressured to say yes, I am completely insane here," he added. Bernstein also explained the reason why he made the proposal public, citing that it's to prove to her that his "commitment is real." The 31-year-old gamer and content creator also recently created a video community called "Everland." It was set to be released later this year. Aside from his recognition in "World of Warcraft," Bernstein was also a former professional Esports player and a podcast host for his "Tea Time with Byron" show, which features long-form interviews with prominent personalities in the gaming and streaming communities. READ MORE: Meghan Markle Makes DEVASTATING Accusation Against Queen Elizabeth II, Monarchy See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles Hagerstown, MD (21740) Today Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low around 65F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low around 65F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Alexis Fitzpatrick afitzpatrick@herald-mail.com The Washington County Health Department reported two more deaths related toCOVID-19 Thursday, according to its website. There have been 28 deaths, up from 26 reported on Wednesday. But there were no reports of new infections; the number of cases remained at 677. The numbers at Sterling Health Care South Mountain in Boonsboro stayed steady with 17 resident deaths,23 staff cases and 67 resident cases stand at 67,according to the Maryland Department of Health. Cadia Healthcare in Hagerstown reported a total of one resident death, four staff cases and three resident cases on Thursday. Frederick County on Wednesday reported a total of 2,501 cases, up eight from the day before, according to the Frederick County Health Department. The number of deaths remained at 111. Across Maryland on Tuesday, another 505 coronavirus cases were identified and nine more people had died of the disease, according to the state health department. Total cases Thursday stood at 68,423; the number of deaths totaled 3,086. In Franklin County, Pa., cases rose from 912 to 950, and the number of deaths remained at 44, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Fulton County, Pa., reported two more cases to total 18, with one reported death. Across Pennsylvania, confirmed and probable cases rose from 87,242 to 88,074. The health department reported 63 more deaths, for a total of 6,712. Berkeley County, W.Va., added one more case for a total of 443. The number of deaths remained at 10, according to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Jefferson County, W.Va., saw two more coronavirus cases for a total of 229. The number of deaths remained at four. Morgan County, W.Va., still reported 19 cases and no deaths. Across West Virginia, cases increased from 2,979 to 3,053; the number of deaths remained at 93. Matthew Umstead mumstead@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.Va. A circuit judge on Thursday set trials this fall for two men charged in connection with fatal New Year's Eve and New Year's Day vehicle crashes in Berkeley County. In separate court appearances, attorneys for Cody Wade Braithwaite, 33, and Nicholas James Shackleford, 18, entered not guilty pleas on behalf of both defendants who appeared before 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge Steven Redding for arraignment proceedings. Braithwaite of Winchester, Va., is charged in connection with a New Year's Day crash that resulted in the death of Lisa D. Brooks, 60, of Gerrardstown, W.Va. Shackleford of Inwood, W.Va., is charged in connection with the death of Kristen Barron, 18, in a New Year's Eve crash. Redding set Braithwaite's trial for Sept. 24, and Shackleford's trial for Nov. 12. Barron died when she was thrown from a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse driven by Shackleford that crashed at Sulphur Springs Road and Phoebe Way, police have said. Brooks was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash on Interstate 81 near Exit 13 after the Jeep the defendant was driving crashed into the victim's Chevrolet and forced it into a guardrail, police have said. While both defendants are charged with DUI resulting in death, Braithwaite also is charged with fleeing from a law enforcement officer while DUI, fleeing from a law enforcement officer with reckless indifference, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in property damage, fleeing from law enforcement officer by means other than use of a vehicle and three counts of person prohibited from possession of a firearm, according to court records. Braithwaite was being held Thursday in Eastern Regional Jail, and Redding left bond terms imposed in Berkeley County Magistrate Court unchanged. Shackleford, who was previously released on bond, continues to participate in the Berkeley Day Report Center program as a condition of his pre-trial release, defense attorney S. Andrew Arnold advised the judge. In continuing that condition, the judge also imposed supervised bond on Thursday and is requiring Shackleford to call in to the 23rd Judicial Circuit probation office on a regular basis. Staff reports The Herald-Mail "Ask the 130,000 families if it's a hoax:" Trumps body count is approaching 130,000 in the last few months. Trump is holding indoor, super-spreading virus rallies. No mask, no distancing, could he be any more irresponsible? Just about everything he has said about the virus is not true or a lie, even calling it a hoax at one time. Ask the 130,000 families if its a hoax. Make America great. Mark Grim, Sharpsburg About the protests: I have a message for the protestors. If you dont like whats going on with this present administration, vote. Get out and vote. Dont burn the flag. Dont burn buildings. Vote. Walter Bowie, Hagerstown Thoughts on defunding police: Im an 80-year-old, relatively affluent senior citizen with of course no marketable skills. It would be great however, to somehow obtain additional funds for my obviously short but very expensive bucket list. Police defunding might give me a chance to have a second career as a criminal; knocking over a couple of banks will immediately achieve my last financial objective. On second thought, this occupation might still be too dangerous and certainly not very community spirited. I guess Ill just make sure to have sufficient fire power to protect myself against those who may think otherwise. Bill Wilder, Hagerstown Badmouthing Trump is tiresome: Im tired of people talking badly about the president like they do. If they dont like this country, then they should move out. Marie Hawbaker, Hagerstown "The Catholic church doesn't need donations:" If Kathleen Parker is worried about Catholic school funding, she should ask the Vatican, which is the wealthiest entity in the world. The Vatican Bank has at least $15 billion in assets, along with owning more real estate than any other organization on earth. The Catholic church doesn't need donations; they need to donate their wealth as Jesus would. Michael Kane, Hagerstown Include the Black national anthem: There is a Black national anthem: Lift every voice and sing which can be found on the internet, which could be sung along with the national anthem to show that Black lives do matter. These would complement each other, and it would not be a protest. George Bowden, Hagerstown About peacemakers and agitators: Jesus said, Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Matt 5:9) He could have stated the opposite truth. Cursed are the agitators: for they shall be called the children of the devil. In other words, Jesus told some hateful people that you are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own self: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44) Ben Haldeman, Greencastle, Pa. Waynesburg, PA (15370) Today Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Uniontown, PA (15401) Today Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. As if stepping down as a senior royal is not enough bombshell to rock the British monarchy to its core, Meghan Markle dropped another bomb against the royal family. This time, however, it could totally end her royal life. In the middle of Meghan's fight against the Mail on Sunday and its parent company Associated Newspapers, the Duchess of Sussex threw the entire royal family under the bus by saying that she felt unprotected by the institution during her earlier battle with British tabloids. It all started when the Mail on Sunday published the letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle, which she claims to be a confidential and private matter. The 38-year-old former "Suits" actress accused the newspaper of improper use of private information and violating the United Kingdom's data protection law. Felt Unprotected By The Firm In her bid to take down the publishing company, Meghan revealed several details showing how much she struggled as a royal, especially during her pregnancy. Based on the court documents, the Duchess' friends claimed that she was prohibited from speaking up and defending herselff, leading them to be concerned for her welfare as a first-time pregnant woman. The court record explained that while Meghan was being targeted by false and derogatory articles that caused her emotional stress, the Kensington Palace press team ordered her and her family and friends to say "no comment" in case the media approached them about the issue. Dragging Other Royals To Her Mess? Aside from revealing that the Palace did not give her a chance to defend herself, Meghan also dragged other members of the royal family into her messy court battle. In the court filings submitted in January, the Associated Newspaper described the Duchess as a member of the royal family who does not undertake paid work. In response, Meghan's lawyers claim that this statement is not valid, citing the names of three non-working royals. "Several member[s] of the Royal Family do 'undertake paid work,' including Princess Beatrice of York, Princess Eugenie of York and Prince Michael of Kent," the documents read. Meghan has been a full-time working royal since she married Prince Harry, which means that she was being sustained by the Sovereign Grant while representing Queen Elizabeth II and several non-profit organizations. Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Prince Michael, on the other hand, are not working royals and are earning on their own and supporting their charities privately. Royal Life Over It looks like the Duchess of Sussex no longer cares if she loses every bit of connection that she has with the royal family after throwing most of them under the bus with these recent court filings. Saying that she felt unprotected during the whole tabloid crisis while she was pregnant will surely upset and distress Queen Elizabeth II, who has been very lenient with them when they transition to a private and independet life. It is also worth noting that the Sussexes are currently in a 12-month transition period, but it does not look like Meghan has any plan to return. Shes burning bridges, after all. It also looks like Meghan is only getting started. Remember that she still has an upcoming biography that claims to detail the accounts that led her and Prince Harry to decide to quit the royal life. This will surely be more damaging and will totally lessen her chances to keep her royal status in the future. READ MORE: 3 Epic Royal Family Books That You Should Read Now! See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles The ongoing stand-off between the Indian and Chinese forces in eastern Ladakh is a fork in the road, fundamentally reshaping the direction of the bilateral relationship. Over the last few years, the architects of the gradual thaw and developing partnership between the two sides, which began in 1988, had been warning about the withering of old mechanisms that had kept the peace on the disputed boundary. Despite the pageantry of informal summitry, the strategic guidance provided by the leaders to their respective militaries has clearly not succeeded in stemming incidents. In November 2019, the minister of state for defence, Shripad Naik, told Parliament that the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) had transgressed into Indian territory 1,025 times between 2016 and 2018. Roughly a third of these incidents took place in 2018. In April that year, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping held the first of their two informal summits. Recent reports suggest that the number of transgressions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) increased significantly in 2019. In fact, over the past decade or so, both India and China had seemingly settled into a routine characterised by episodes of scuffles, transgressions and incursions at different locations along the boundary. Some of these, of course, drew greater attention and were more intense than others. This had become an uneasy pattern. The loss of life in the Galwan Valley, the first in 45 years, on June 15 presents a clear break in this pattern. The current scenario, therefore, throws up a new challenge for diplomats, military personnel and political leaders on both sides. While we cannot return to the ways of the past, it is important to arrive at a new normal. Doing so, however, will first require PLA to step back and the ground situation in eastern Ladakh to return to the April status quo. This will not be easy and will not happen quickly, if at all. It will likely require more than military-level engagement, which is largely what has taken place over the past month. In the interim, it is important for India not to let its guard down militarily. It must consider demonstrating asymmetric, low-intensity escalatory options in other sectors and theatres. Economic measures, on the other hand, need to be carefully calibrated, keeping in mind the costs to the Indian economy. Cutting off ones nose to spite ones face will be strategic folly. If and when de-escalation is achieved, it will need to be followed by sustained high-level engagement and significant political capital being spent. Given the differences in the governance systems of the two countries, the political cost is, of course, going to be far higher for any Indian leadership than for Chinas leaders. The fact that conflict doesnt serve either sides strategic interests is likely to encourage the two leaderships to consider bearing the cost of engagement. Does that mean that we should rule out the possibility of conflict? No, it doesnt. But it does mean that both sides will incur extremely heavy costs in case of conflict. For all its bluster, a conflict will seriously retard Beijings march towards its centenary goals. At the same time, even with significant political engagement, the structural fault lines between India and China imply that a new normal will not be any less volatile. This will complicate political decision-making going forward. There are tactical and strategic factors driving the current stand-off, which derive from these structural fault lines. While there is a significant power asymmetry between India and China, both are experiencing a simultaneous rise. Both sides have greater capacity today than at any point since the formation of the modern Republic of India and the Peoples Republic of China. This translates, for instance, into enhanced infrastructure development on the boundary, which can spark insecurity in itself. At the same time, both sides also have coinciding and expanding circles of interests, which lead to new sources of friction. This has been evident in the jostling for influence and crossing of old redlines in the broader Indian subcontinent. Now place all this in the context of the geopolitical flux that prevails in the world a flux characterised by not just China-United States (US) competition but also socio-political chaos in the US, the unpredictability in its foreign policy, and ambivalence with regard to alliance partners and global institutions. In such an environment, one can only expect increased volatility between India and China. Manoj Kewalramani is fellow, China Studies, The Takshashila Institution The views expressed are personal Covid-19 has crashed Americas Fourth of July party. As the country grapples with a resurgent wave of coronavirus cases, public health officials and local leaders are trying to tamp down festivities for a holiday known for carefree revelry. That means cancelling fireworks and parades, closing beaches and bars, and begging citizens not to invite the neighbourhood over for a backyard barbecue. In short, almost every Independence Day tradition suddenly looks like a potential super-spreader event. Normally, heading into the Fourth of July weekend, Id be talking about grill safety, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said at a press conference this week. Instead, he urged Bostonians to keep their celebrations small and avoid crowds. The citys annual July 4 blow-out -- fireworks over the Charles River, patriotic music from the Boston Pops on the Esplanade, picnicking crowds on the Common -- has been cancelled, replaced with virtual offerings. This is traditionally a weekend for gathering in large groups, for historic ceremonies and social events, Walsh said. This is not something that we can do this year here in Boston. Americas birthday arrives at a dangerous time. Virus cases -- and deaths -- are surging across much of the country, defying hopes this spring that the pandemic would retreat come summer. Public-health officials blame the new wave of infections both on efforts to restart the economy and on increased socialization, particularly among the young. It is, they say, hazardous to party in public -- no matter how much stir-crazy Americans want to. It hasnt escaped their notice that people nationwide have been setting off their own, often illegal fireworks for weeks, triggering a growing number of complaints to police departments. This is going to be a different July 4th holiday for all of us, said Barbara Ferrer, public health director for Los Angeles County. After a dramatic spike in virus cases over the past two weeks, the county will close its beaches for the long weekend. Take solace in the fact that were all going to do it this way, this July 4th, she said. That may be an overstatement. President Donald Trump will host Fourth of July fireworks in Washington, despite the misgivings of the mayor. Hes also attending an early Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore on Friday, complete with fireworks and optional face masks. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem told Fox News that attendees wont be required to stand six feet apart. Well be giving out free face masks, if they choose to wear one, Noem said, according to a transcript. But we wont be social distancing. Also not totally down with distancing was 1990s rapper Vanilla Ice, who had planned to perform Friday at something called the Independence Day Throwback Beach Party, held at a lakeside restaurant outside Austin, Texas. He had promoted with nostalgia for the 90s, a time before Covid-19, but called the gig off Thursday in the face of daunting numbers. Theres also the possibility that racial-justice protesters will return to the streets this weekend, using the holiday to highlight their demands. Some health officials, including Ferrer, say protests a month ago may be contributing to the current rise in infections, although they lack conclusive proof. But they dont want July 4th to turn into another mass experiment in epidemiology. It is a sacred right to be able to go out and to protest, use our First Amendment rights, and especially at this critical moment for racial justice, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said this week. I dont want to, in any way, discourage that. But I also want to give people good medical advice. California, which had been restarting its massive economy, took steps this week to pause the process, in part due to the looming holiday. Some beaches will be closed entirely, while at others, parking lots will be shut to limit access. In 19 of the states counties, indoor dining at restaurants will be banned, and bars will be shuttered. Governor Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that his states health officials were deeply worried about another cherished Independence Day tradition: big family gatherings. We may come with masks, Newsom said. Invariably, after a few hours, after a drink or two, after eating some food, the masks then are put aside. Red states as well as blue have curtailed their usual Fourth of July celebrations, if not ditched them outright. Boise, Idaho, wont enjoy its We the People, parade this year. Arlington, Texas, likewise canceled its patriotic parade. In Wyoming, organizers of the Cody Stampede rodeo added 1,000 seats in the bleachers for social distancing amid a fourfold pickup in Covid-19 cases in the community, the Casper Star-Tribune newspaper reported. Organizers also advised seniors and the infirm to skip this years event, which received state approval to operate with a limit of 40% of normal capacity, the newspaper said. Health officials urged fans to wear face-coverings to accompany their cowboy boots and 10-gallon hats. Some of the nations beach communities -- such as Galveston, Miami and Fort Lauderdale -- will close or limit access for the weekend. Carlos Gimenez, mayor of Miami-Dade County, said in a release that beach goers, and people patronizing nearby businesses, havent been wearing masks or keeping their distance. I have been seeing too many businesses and people ignoring these lifesaving rules, he said. If people are not going to be responsible and protect themselves and others from this pandemic, then the government is forced to step in and restore common sense to save lives. For all the canceled fireworks and parades, the pandemic has hurt smaller-scale Independence Day celebrations as well. Maines North Haven island typically holds a fun run, potato sack races and a water-balloon toss, said Christie Hallowell, who runs the community center. It also hosts a communal picnic for both year-round residents and the summer people. The American Legion steams mussels over an open fire, and people reconnect after not seeing one another for 10 months. Im very happy its not happening, because it would not be the right thing to do, Hallowell said. But to miss the tradition of it is a little disappointing. There remains a question of whether Americans, frustrated by months of restrictions and a strangled economy, will take Fourth of July partying into their own hands. In Californias Santa Cruz County, officials had hoped to keep the beaches closed through the Independence Day weekend, said County Health Officer Gail Newel. But it reopened the beaches anyway, simply because law enforcement officers were unable to keep people away. People are not willing to be governed anymore in that regard, Newel said. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A sea of shining grills stretches across the nation on the 4th of July, topped with sizzling burgers and hot dogs. Thats the story weve been reading and writing for decades, since way before I became part of the culinary journalism world. But throughout America, there is a rich tradition of celebration through shared meals that goes well beyond this story. On summer holidays, people draw upon a rainbow of dining and drinking cultures to gather and eat, and these less-shared stories highlight heritages so varied theyd make a dazzling picnic quilt. Theres no better place to find vibrant July 4th celebrations than Los Angeles. Its one of the most diverse cities in the country, set in the most diverse state. Locals are cookout experts. They also treat the 4th of July as one of the years big holidays, not necessarily to celebrate independence but because it is a day to hang out at the beach, cook out at home, and watch major firework displays. Few restaurants are open that day, so for the millions of kids whose parents work in dining rooms and kitchens, its one of the years few, true family days. Because of the Covid-19 coronavirus, most of this years fireworks are virtual, and home parties are socially distanced. They are still being planned. Basically, for us, the 4th of July is a time to celebrate what it means to be a non-Anglo-American, says Kim Luu-Ng, co-owner of the southeast Asian spot, Cassia, a restaurant that is especially active in supporting social justice causes. I dont have to just eat burgers and hot dogs on 4th of July. I can eat Vietnamese barbecue, too. Eating just one kind of food is deprivation, in my opinion. Cheyenne Nicholson, founder of Fun-Diggity Funnel cakes, a popular dessert place near South Central L.A., is looking forward to this years holiday specifically as a way to break from old traditions. Being African American, a lot of us are finding our history, she explains. We celebrate a lot of holidays with open arms, and we want people to celebrate what our ancestors went through and start to have conversations and change traditions: the way you eat, the things you talk about. Everything is changing and evolving, she adds, referring to the Black Lives Movement and other awareness campaigns. The 4th of July is a good place to start. Here, seven Angelenos talk about what they eat to celebrate Independence Day. Aishwarya Iyer, founder of Brightland Olive Oil Menu: Pav Bhaji (vegetarian vegetable stew) and kulfi (Indian ice cream) I was born in Chennai in south India, but I spent part of my childhood in Chicago, and thats where my earliest memory of the 4th of July is from, when I was around 6. We went to a couple cookouts, but my family was vegetarian; none of us could eat the burgers. I was bummed by the whole thing. At home, my Mom made pav bhajii to make up for it. Pav bhaji is a popular Indian street food, its a curry thats a little thicker than a stew, served with a roll. When you put it on a bun, it spills over the sides, like a sloppy joe. Mom added red onions and lime and cilantro on the side. It became our DIY 4th of July. Wed bring it to parties with idli [steamed rice cakes] tossed in gunpowder spice in Ziploc bags. For dessert, wed go to Baskin-Robbins and get ice cream. But sometimes wed buy kulfi. The ultimate was kulfi falooda, which is like a sundae, with rose syrup. I havent done pav bhaji for the 4th of July in a while. But now Im talking to my parents about it, and we have all the memories, and this is the year I want to bring it back. Kimberly Prince, owner of Hotville Chicken Menu: Fried chicken, corn on the cob, homemade pecan pie If youre part of the Prince family, the 4th of July means the Nashville hot chicken festival. For the last few years, I fly back home to Nashville and roll up my sleeves. The Hot Chicken Festival started in 2007 to pay homage to my aunt Andre Prince, who owns Princes Hot Chicken Shack. Its the hottest day of the year, literally. The line for the festival is over a mile long. I wish I was exaggerating. I have walked that line myself: People from everywhere sitting on blankets with their kids, the babies, the dogs. The park isnt that big, but thats no excuse. We dont have a hot chicken festival here in L.A. yet, but its on my mind, and Im talking to all the places here to have one for future July 4ths. This year, the 4th of July will be a work day for me. Its Hotvilles first 4th of July in our current space. Well break out the Kool-Aid, which is our summer drink. People ask what flavor is it, I say redor purple, if its grape. Well also have corn on the cob, banana pudding, pecan pie. But mostly, its fried chicken. Watch, Im going to make the 4th the hottest day of the year here. Bryant and Kim Luu-Ng, owners of Cassia restaurant Menu: Cantonese Roast suckling pig, Vietnamese pork rolls, and specialties from Dolan Uyghur, which features Asian Islamic food. Kim: Every year since weve opened Cassia five years ago, weve closed the restaurant for July 4th and had a party at our house for our employees. We decided: Lets give everyone a day off and get food from places in the San Gabriel Valley where we live. Well order from different restaurants, depending on which ones we think are really good that year, and introduce these flavors to our staff. This year were picking Uyghur food from Dolan Uyghur restaurant. We had minced lamb pie; its called goshnaan. And we had deep-fried naan, stir-fried with beef, seasoned with all kinds of spices. Whos seen that before? It was so unexpected. Our staff was, like, This is amazing. We have a lot of pride in expanding peoples understandings, it enhances the nuances of a culture. People say, Oh, youre Vietnamese, I love eating pho. But thats just scratching the surface. Its the same thing with Chinese food. When its just that single dimension, youll never understand how rich that other culture is, and how rich and nuanced you are as a person. The people that work at Cassia are Asians of so many ethnicities: Vietnamese, Taiwanese, other Chinese. There are Black Americans, so many different Hispanic groups. We have close to 100 employees from 20-plus different countries, so many languages, and were celebrating American independence with the best food the San Gabriel Valley has to offer. Thats what it means to celebrate the 4th in Los Angelesand who you are. We purposefully picked the 4th of July to do this. Growing up, my family and Bryants family adopted Anglo-American ways of celebrating the 4th. We had hamburgers and hot dogs, but wed also have Vietnamese barbecue. Cheyenne and Bernard Nicholson, founders of Fun Diggity Funnel Cakes Menu: Plant-based burger; funnel cake with ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream Cheyenne: The 4th of July is the day we started Fun Diggity, three years ago. Its always been a party day for usalso, because my mom is our business partner. Her birthday is on the 4th. We were used to making it a gathering, so we decided its the day Fun Diggity would be born. Were both from Compton; our store is in L.A. We get people from all over all the city. Most businesses are closed on the 4th, were open, and people have adopted us as their holiday dessert. Its one of our bestselling days: Last year, we sold 800 funnel cakes in one day. Our feeling is: Youve got to have a burger on the 4th, but its a tradition you can evolve. Weve been incorporating more plant-based meat into our party. And then we bring out our cakes when the sun is going down and everyone is outdoors, and its like fireworks. Its our party. Fernando Lopez, co-owner Guelaguetza and founder of the michelada party bus, Miche Mobile Menu: Michelada-marinated carne asada, chorizo, grilled vegetables, and lots of sides and beverages I came to the U.S. from Oaxaca when I was 7 years old. My parents had started the restaurant, Guelaguetza, and they were always working. Then they saw that no one came to the restaurant at night on July 4th, so theyd close and take us to the fireworks. You learn about Independence Day in school, but for me, the 4th of July was the one day of the year when I could see my family. Food wasnt always big for us, but eventually, when I was a teenager, we started barbecuing. But we werent hot dog and hamburger people. We had our traditional meats, like chorizo and carne asada with tortillas and plates of avocado, radishes, cheese, salsas, so many plates of toppings. My parents retired around eight years ago. They went bankrupt, had to close everything. My sisters and I took everything we had and bought them out. When we took over at the height of the recession for the Mexican community; it hit our world later and for a prolonged time, and there were entire days when we had zero customers. We had to come up with a revenue stream, so we started selling our michelada [a spiced-up combination of beer and tomato juice] mix. No one knew what it was then, but they knew we had a good one. I bought an old VW bus, and tricked it out. It has beer taps. Theres a TV, speakers, and a DJ booth. Our menu changes on the 4th of July. Sometimes we do our family mole, we import ingredients from Oaxaca. My family eats a lot of meat, so I make carne asada. Ive been throwing our michelada mix in with some steak, slice up some jalapenos and some onions, and then grill or saute it. Well grab big corn tortilla thats toasted, imported from Oaxaca (theyre called tlayuda), with pork spread, asiento, and a bunch of other good stuff. Usually, I have my friends over, and at least one of them will be a DJ, so they take over the booth in my truck and its a party. Jazz Singsanong, owner of Jitlada Thai restaurant Menu: Thai barbecued chicken and the chopped meat salad larb When my kids were little, wed do barbecue in the back yard. Ive been in America for 40 years; I came here from Thailand with $200 and one suitcase to go to school. Then I met my husbandI didnt leave. One of my most famous dishes at Jitlada [one of the countrys most revered Thai restaurants, with a reputation for incendiary dishes] is the Jazz burger; I dont put it on the menu. I use all Thai ingredients. Its not American at all. I started making it because I found out that my daughter was hiding the food I made for her at school. She worried that her friends would make fun of her for her Thai food. Thats why I tried to make a burger for her. And Thai spaghetti. And thats why I make Thai barbecue chicken, not American barbecue chicken for the 4th of July. The ingredients in the chicken are simple: Its whole cloves of garlic, cilantro stem, black pepper. You put it in the blender with coconut milk, fresh turmericif you can find it. Serve it with dried chile, as hot as you can stand it. When you throw all these ingredients in your barbecued chicken, the world is yours. My kids are grown up, but on 4th of July, I usually have kids from the Thai temple in Los Angeles. We have American flags outside, but the food isnt American. Its Thai. Wes Avila, founder of Guerilla Tacos Menu: Lobster, tortillas, potato salad, cocktail shrimp, and stiff Tiki drinks The 4th of July was a big part of growing up here in L.A. If we werent going to Baja lighting fireworks, we were in L.A. with fireworks. Burgers and hot dogs were traditional for me as a kid, but also carne asada and chicken, which were really tasty marinated Mexican Cornish game hens. Also enchiladas. My Mom always made potato salad and macaroni salad. Every Mexican house I know makes some kind of starch salad. Its not typical in Mexico, but its a staple here. I also serve lobster because a lot of my childhood was going to Baja. Its the place to get lobster, with flour tortillasthe good, stretchy ones. Also, tiki drinks are a thing for me. We do big big rum drinks, fruity ones like a Mai Tai, because usually its a beautiful day, along with a lot of beer. And we close the shop for the 4th of July; its one of the few days of the year that we do. Its a good reason to gather. People are upset with whats going on, some tradition or history thats not sitting well with people. Im taking the holiday to celebrate being together. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A month after it was vandalized, a statue of the Father of Our Nation in Washington DC has been refurbished. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Thursday morning (local time) along with the Indian envoy to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu. Sharing pictures of the statue on the Indian Embassy website, the Embassy wrote, Mahatmas message of truth and non-violence, peace and harmony continues to inspire people of India and United States and all across the world., The statue, in front of the Indian Embassy in Washington, was vandalised on June 3 during the George Floyd protests by unknown person. Post the desecration, an expert was called in to refurbish the Gandhi statue. Bapu was one of the few foreign leaders whose statue was on a federal land in Washington DC, and was dedicated by former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on September 16, 2000, during his state visit to the US, in the presence of the then US president Bill Clinton . Expressing disappointment on the incident, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun had earlier apologised for the incident. The matter was reported immediately to the State Department and Deputy Secretary of State had called the Indian ambassador to address the issue. United States: Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun along with the Indian envoy to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Washington today. The statue, situated at a park in Washington DC, was vandalised on June 3 during the George Floyd protests. pic.twitter.com/QjscFMMtxR ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2020 US Ambassador to India, Ken Juster expressed his disappointment and sadness regarding the vandalism in a tweet, writing, So sorry to see the desecration of the Gandhi statue in Washington DC. Please accept our sincere apologies. Appalled as well by the horrific death of George Floyd and the awful violence and vandalism. We stand against prejudice & discrimination of any type. We will recover and be better. The Indian Embassy in the US also registered cases with the Metropolitan Police and the National Park police, and the matter is being investigated. The US officials have also requested to be associated with the restoration of the statue. The statue was vandalised with graffiti and spray painting, prompting the mission to register a complaint with the local law enforcement agencies. The desecrated statue of Gandhi, the design of which was created by Gautam Pal, was later covered and the site has been cleaned up. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter I consider myself lucky to begin my career with the best dance guru, says actor Amrita Rao, while taking a trip down the memory lane about working with choreography legend Saroj Khan, while also sharing the golden compliments by her. The first flash of memory of master ji that comes to my mind is the dance rehearsal time for Ab Ke Baras (2002). She was very strict, I was scared of her and at the same time excited that the legend was choreographing me for my first movie. I remember she had complimented me during that time and said, Yeh ladki mujhe young Madhuri ki yaad dilati hai, she says. My first choreographer in Bollywood our "Master Ji" I was lucky to begin with the best dance Guru!! As petrified I was of Her strictness for perfection, Her golden compliments stay with me forever May She find greater happiness in the Higher World #SarojKhan AMRITA RAO (@AmritaRao) July 3, 2020 Reminiscing how Khan would keep an eye on her and would always point it out whenever a dance step would lack perfection. She would say ladki kya kar rahi hai. And I used be so petrified. On the last day of shoot in Switzerland, she held my hand and very warmly said, mujhe jab kisi pe pyaar aata hai na toh main pyar se ladki bulati hoon, these things always stay with you, she says, adding that she also had the pleasure of working with her again in Milan Luthrias Deewar (2004) for one song. Meeting Khan last year at an award show held in Mumbai brought back a lot of memories, reveals Rao. I touched her feet and she was so happy meeting me after so long. We couldnt speak much though, but had a brief conversation about how life and work, she says. Talking more about how the National award winning choreographer approached towards her art, Rao shares that Khan would never miss a single beat. Amrita Rao and Saroj Khan in Salzburg. They were shooting for the film Ab Ke Baras back then. She was so particular about catching every beat and having a step for it. She was very particular about expression and emoting to every dance move with equal elegance. Different choreographers have different approach, but these are particular aspects about Saroj ji, she says, adding that she and Khan would often exchange messages. There is this celebration called Micchami Dukkadam and master ji would send messages on that day and she would write that If Ive done anything wrong then I ask for forgiveness. It would be so touching coming from somebody of her age and stature, she adds. Rao says Bollywood would miss a choreographer like her. She had that old world charm. Dance was not just beats for her, it was an experience. It was romance for her, she says. Actor Kareena Kapoor has shared a heartfelt tribute for Saroj Khan after the ace Bollywood choreographer died on Friday. Kareena and Saroj worked on Jab We Met song Yeh Ishq Haaye. Kareena shared a picture with Saroj on the hit films sets and also a clip from the song itself. She wrote how Saroj would tell her to work with her expressions if she cannot dance too well. Master ji always told me... perrr nahin chala saktiii toh kam se kam face toh chalaaaaa (If you cant move your feet, at least move your face). Thats what she taught me... to enjoy dancing, smile and smile through the eyes.There can never be another... Dance and expression can never be the same for us actors and for everyone who loved her... Love you master ji. Till we dance again... RIP #SarojKhan, she wrote. Saroj, who was earlier admitted to a hospital in Mumbai last month for breathing issues, died on Friday. She was 71. She died due to a cardiac arrest in the ICU of Guru Nanak Hospital. ALSO WATCH | Bollywoods masterji Saroj Khan dies of cardiac arrest at 71 Also read: Saroj Khan laid to rest at Malad cemetery, Amitabh Bachchan condoles death Saroj Khan won the Best Choreography National Award in 2008 for Yeh Ishq Haaye. Kareena once talked about working with Saroj, during an appearance on a talent show. She said Saroj scolded her during a shoot and said, A ladki, kamar hila... Raat ke ek baj rahe hain, kya kar rahi hai? (Girl, move your waist. Its one in the night. What are your doing? Kareena added, It is very difficult to impress her ! During the shoot of Refugee, Master ji told me you dont know how to move your hands and legs, how did you choose to become an actress? You are Karismas sister. I told her but I dont know how to dance, Masterji. She then told me if you cant move your hands and legs you need to dance with your face. She used to ask me to observe her closely and watch her face when she used to perform an entire song with her expressions. This is the reason why every heroine has become a heroine today only because of Master Ji. Thats all!, Kareena said. I used to lock myself in the bathroom and practice all of Master Jis expressions because my mother always told me, if I want to be an actress, I must only watch Master Jis songs and see the close-ups of all the heroines. I used to really practice them and I think thats the reason why we have all become heroines today. It was only because Masterji used to show us every expression before the shot, she had said. Follow @htshowbiz for more Looks like life in the Rishi Kapoor household is slowly but surely limping back to normal. On Thursday, Neetu Kapoor and her daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni shared pictures of their Thursday dinner with friends. Riddhima wrote: Thursday night dinner with mommy #quarantinedinnerideas. She also shared a bunch of pictures as Instagram stories with her cousin Natasha and designer Manish Malhotra. The Kapoor household has had to battle twin troubles in the last couple of months. Ever since the death of her father, Riddhima has been posting pictures of her family members, so as to keep the concerned fans updated. She has been posting pictures with her daughter Samara, mother Neetu, cousin Natasha and even with brother Ranbirs girlfriend Alia Bhatt and her sister Shaheen. Neetu Kapoor understandably has been hardest hit by the death of her husband Rishi. Sharing a philosophical post of what happiness means, she had recently written: Big or small We all have a battle to fight in our heads you may have a huge house with all the luxuries and still be unhappy whereas have nothing n be the happiest its all a state of mind !! All one needs is a strong mind n hope for a better tmrw !!! Live with gratitude ,hope ,work hard !!!! Value your loved ones as thats your biggest wealth. She had posted a picture with Rishi too. Also read: Taapsee Pannu crunched some numbers and figured out her Rs 36,000 power bill was legit: The reading wasnt that approximate Sharing another throwback picture from the couples younger days, Neetu had quoted a poem which read: Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye, Cheerio, here I go on my way, With a cheer, not a tear, in your eye, Give me a smile, I can keep for a while, In my heart while Im away. Riddhima shared pictures as Instagram stories as well. Some time back, she had shared yet another throwback picture with her family including Rishi, Riddhima, Ranbir and Samara and had written: How I wish this picture could remain complete as is. Rishi passed away on April 30 in Mumbai, after battling blood cancer for close to two years. Follow @htshowbiz for more Sterling, VA (20165) Today Thunderstorms, some strong early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 67F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms, some strong early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 67F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Bollywood actors paid tribute to choreographer, Saroj Khan, who died at the age of 71 on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest. She was admitted to Mumbais Guru Nanak Hospital last month after complaining of breathing issues. Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar were among the Bollywood stars who paid tribute to the ace dance director. Actor Akshay Kumar wrote, Woke up to the sad news that legendary choreographer #SarojKhan ji is no more. She made dance look easy almost like anybody can dance, a huge loss for the industry. May her soul rest in peace. Also read: Saroj Khan laid to rest at Malad cemetery, Amitabh Bachchan condoles death Woke up to the sad news that legendary choreographer #SarojKhan ji is no more. She made dance look easy almost like anybody can dance, a huge loss for the industry. May her soul rest in peace Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 3, 2020 My first ever song was choreographed by Saroj ji. And then so many more. You taught me so much. I will miss you, Saroj ji. May you rest in peace. Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) July 3, 2020 Amitabh Bachchan wrote in Hindi, Prayers .. haath judien hain, mann ashant. Madhuri Dixit has tweeted, Im devastated by the loss of my friend and guru, Saroj Khan. Will always be grateful for her work in helping me reach my full potential in dance. The world has lost an amazingly talented person. I will miss you. My sincere condolences to the family. T 3582 - Prayers .. .. , Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) July 3, 2020 Actor Taapsee Pannu wrote, Atleast I had a chance to dance in your company. I am going to hold on to those memories tight.... real tight. we lose another star to the sky. Your songs will make every girl remember you for ever n ever. Actor Niel Nitin Mukesh wrote, Really sad to hear that Saroj Khan ji is no more between us. Her Grace , her simplicity her iconic moves and her legacy are immortalised. My condolences with Raju sir, and entire family. #RipSarojKhan. Sonu Sood wrote, Saroji you will be missed #RIPSarojKhan. Saroji you will be missed #RIPSarojKhan sonu sood (@SonuSood) July 3, 2020 Woke up to the heartbreaking news of the legendary choreographer #SarojKhans demise. Her iconic dance moves inspired me at a very young age. Rest in peace Saroj Ji You are truly irreplaceable. Tamannaah Bhatia (@tamannaahspeaks) July 3, 2020 Rest in peace Sarojji.. u were an inspiration to many, myself included. Thank you for the songs #SarojKhan Farah Khan (@TheFarahKhan) July 3, 2020 Director and choreographer Remo DSouza shared a picture of him hugging her. I had a close relationship with Sarojji. Usually most choreographers arent close but we were. I had dance under her and she danced in my film ABCD: Any Body Can Dance (2013). Both of us choreographed the Kalank song- Tabaah ho gaye- together, which was her last song. We were constantly in touch and she would even come home often. More than a professional rapport, we had a personal connect. Workwise, I feel there was no one like her and never will be. No one can choreograph an Indian song like her. She had been choreographing for 40 years and whenever, when she choreographed a song, it became a hit. She changed the way Indian dances were used in cinema. With her dance moves in a song, heroines would shine, even today, people remember a number of dance performances in films by Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi. Heroines would look forward to being choreographed by her because they knew, if you were in a Saroj Khan song, it would be a hit, he told Hindustan Times. Also Read: Ace Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan dies of cardiac arrest Actor Nimrat Kaur called her the genius who immortalised stars. Saroj jis name introduced the word choreographer to my life. A genius who immortalised stars and the music that defined an era with her iconic work. May her loved ones find strength and courage at this terrible hour. Therell never be another...#RIPSarojKhan #Legend #Masterji, she wrote and shared multiple pictures of her from her career. Saroj jis name introduced the word choreographer to my life. A genius who immortalised stars and the music that defined an era with her iconic work. May her loved ones find strength and courage at this terrible hour. Therell never be another...#RIPSarojKhan #Legend #Masterji pic.twitter.com/EffYUvX7Ca Nimrat Kaur (@NimratOfficial) July 3, 2020 Actor Manisha Koirala wrote, This is a sad news early in morning..since childhood I was trained in indian classical dance..it was she who taught me film dance once I joined films..(which I had zero knowlage of). A tough task master and a great one!! #RIPSarojKhan JI. Director Kunal Kohli called her his beloved Master Ji and remembered their long-standing association. #SarojKhan my beloved Masterji. #RIPSarojKhan From Music Videos to films we had a long journey together. Now youve left me & gone. I will do & make what we spoke about one day, my promise to you, he wrote. #SarojKhan #Masterji every song we did together whether Chui Mui Si Tum,Saanson ko saanson mein,Chand Sifarish,we argued,discussed. Ill miss her presence. Her voice on the mike. Her Adaa. I would tell the actors Male & Female,do 50% of how she does a shot & youll be a star, he added. Saroj Khan was behind some of the most iconic Bollywood songs and films. Her best-known partnership is said to be with actor Madhuri Dixit, whom she choreographed in multiple songs such as Ek Do Teen and Dhak Dhak Karne Laga. On her birthday last year, Madhuri had written, Happy birthday to one of my favorite people @sarojkhanofficial ji. Our journey together has been amazing and I will always be proud of the legacy you have created. You are my Guru and will always hold a very special place in my heart. The choreographer also won several awards for her work through the years. She won three National Awards for Devdas, Sringaram and Jab We Met and eight Filmfare Awards. Saroj Khan is survived by her husband, son Hamid Khan and two daughters. Follow @htshowbiz for more Nachle Ve with Saroj Khan, a dance show hosted by the deceased choreographer Saroj Khan had turned people with two left feet into lovely dancers. Today when the news of ace choreographers demise due to cardiac arrest broke, many who were regular viewers of her dance show, poured their heart out in Khans appreciation. Megha Aggarwal, a Gurugram-based teacher, says, I was in my class 12 when this dance show had started. And I always thought that all the actors are good dancers and a non-dancer cant try luck in the film industry. But Saroj jis dance show changed my perception. Once I started learning from her, virtually, I realised that anybody can dance! There was so much grace in her moves, and though I learnt a lot from her, that poise is still missing in my performance. I was telling my 9-year-old daughter about the dance show a few days ago, and this news today morning made me feel like I have lost my dance guru. The connect that everyone felt with Saroj Khan was quite unique. Madhurima Sharma, a homemaker from Delhi, recalls, Haath seedha rakhenge, ungliya nahi khulengi, ab iski ko dobara karenge... thats how she used to talk and teach us. Even though we used to learn from her virtually, there was something special about it. The bond that my sister, mother and I shared with her was very strong. I remember that we used to joke about her mannerisms like any other student mocking a teacher in the class. We had even started calling her masterji like the young girls who were part of the show and danced as students in the background. Those were the days... She was truly one of the best choreographers of the Hindi film industry and everyone will miss her charm and strictness, which could be felt even as we watched her on the TV screen. Many say they learnt dance from the virtual classes that Saroj Khan conducted on television. Some of Khans fans say that they will also go back to her dance classes and cherish those moments of learning from her, one more time. I have decided to learn once again from her, and this time my daughter will also accompany me. She doesnt know much about the legend that Saroj Khan was and I want her to know that, says Mamta Goel, a Delhi-based homemaker, adding, We will together attend classes on YouTube and if all goes well, we can then perform and create a dance video as a tribute to her. Im also asking my friends circle to learn from Khans dance classes. Author tweets @ruchikagarg271 Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Saroj Khan, who died on Friday after suffering a cardiac arrest, choreographed her first song - Nigahein Milane Ko Jee Chahta Hai from Dil Hi Toh Hai (1963) - when she was just 14. Over the decades, she established herself as one of the leading choreographers in the film industry, with three National Awards and several other accolades to her credit. On Friday morning, Saroj breathed her last, at the age of 71. She passed away due to cardiac arrest at around 2.30 am at the hospital, her nephew Manish Jagwani told PTI. In an interview with Mid-Day last year, Saroj revealed that the film offers had dried up. When actor Salman Khan heard of her plight, he promised to sign her for one of his films. When we met, Salman asked me what I was doing nowadays. So I told him honestly that I dont have any work [film offers], and that I am teaching Indian classical dance to young actresses. Upon hearing that, he said, Now, you will work with me. I know he is a man of his word, so he will keep his promise, she had said. Also read: Saroj Khan, Bollywoods masterji, dies of cardiac arrest at 72 In an interview with Rediff a few years ago, Saroj credited the 1988 film Tezaab with catapulting her into the big league. I became so popular that actresses started fighting over me. Now, the time has come when they dont want me. I have very sharp movements in my dancing which actresses nowadays find it hard to do, she had said. Saroj had also said that while no leading lady openly indicated their reluctance to work with her, the drying up offers seemed to confirm it. I feel actresses now dont like to work with me; they have never said it. I started getting less work, she had said. The last song choreographed by Saroj was Tabaah Ho Gaye from last years Kalank, picturised on Madhuri Dixit. The two of them collaborated for a number of iconic songs in the past, including Ek Do Teen from Tezaab (1988), Dhak Dhak Karne Laga from Beta (1992), Chane Ke Khet Mein from Anjaam (1994) and Dola Re Dola from Devdas (2002). Follow @htshowbiz for more Three-time National Award winning choreographer Saroj Khan died on Friday morning. She was laid to rest in a cemetery in Mumbais Malad by her family at 7am. Sarojs daughter Sukaina Khan told PTI that the family will hold a prayer meet soon. We buried her at around 7 am. The prayer meeting will be held after three days, she said. Also read: Saroj Khan laid to rest at Malad cemetery, Amitabh Bachchan condoles death Saroj died of cardiac arrest and was not keeping well for some time. She was admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra last Saturday after she complained of breathing issues. She had tested negative for Covid-19. She passed away due to cardiac arrest at around 2.30 am at the hospital, Khans nephew Manish Jagwani told PTI. In a career spanning over four decades, Khan, who was known as Masterji, choreographed more than 2,000 songs. Khans best work was with actors Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit, the prominent dancing stars of the 80s and 90s. Also read: Saroj Khan dead: Bollywood mourns the genius who immortalised stars Her parents migrated to India after the Partition. She started her career in the film industry as a child artiste at the age of three and later started working as a background dancer. The choreographer, who was born as Nirmala and later converted to Islam, learnt dance while working under film choreographer B Sohanlal. They got married when she was 13 and he was 41. Khan got her first break as an independent choreographer with Geeta Mera Naam in 1974 but it took Sridevis Hawa Hawai song in 1987 film Mr India for her to receive acclaim as a dance choreographer of repute. It was her work with Madhuri Dixit that made her famous. She last choreographed for Tabaah Hogaye, featuring Madhuri from filmmaker Karan Johars production Kalank in 2019. Follow @htshowbiz for more Actor Shekhar Suman, who is on a crusade to get the CBI to probe actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death, has said that while his own family is against him going down this path, he doesnt think Sushants family has any problems. Sushant died by suicide on June 14, at the age of 34. He was suffering from depression. The police has ruled out foul play. After visiting Sushants family home in Patna recently, Shekhar attracted criticism for meddling in matters that do not concern him. After reports of Sushants family being displeased with his agenda emerged, the actor told SpotboyE, I dont believe that his family is upset and its completely untrue. Somebody has just spread that. Because when you start with any such movement, there are people who try to stop it and here also the same has happened. I've no taste for politics,no inclination,no aptitude,no temperament.if given the choice i wdn't like to touch it with a ten feet barge pole.ppl are trying hard to stop me from going ahead with #justiceforSushantforum by insinuating ive political ambitions. Shekhar Suman (@shekharsuman7) July 2, 2020 The actor added, When I had gone to meet Sushants father in Patna, it was against my familys wish. They said if I want to take a stand and start something I could do it on social media due to the pandemic outside. But I decided to go and meet him personally and give my condolences. It was not because I wanted to discuss this movement and ask for support from them. But because I could understand how shattered that person must be who lost his son. I have seen my son in depression and I could feel that emotional connection. When I went there, I didnt even exchange much words. As all were dealing with their own pain. I sat there for 5-10 minutes and left. Shekhars son, actor Adhyayan Suman said in a recent interview to The Times of India that he understands why his father is taking these steps, as he knows the pain of losing a child. When I was young I lost my brother Aayush and I think thats where it is coming from. My father knows the pain of losing a son; I think it is the most difficult thing for a parent to go through, Adhyayan had said. Shekhars elder son Aayush died due to a heart disease at the age of 11. Also read: Adhyayan Suman says dad Shekhar Suman knows the pain of losing a son, is helping Sushant Singh Rajputs family on humanitarian grounds Appreciating his fathers efforts and slamming those whove written social media posts about Sushant without taking concrete action, Adhyayan said, It is outstanding for my father to go and help some unknown. He never personally knew Sushant, neither there is any personal agenda here; it is all on humanitarian ground. Follow @htshowbiz for more Choreographer Saroj Khan imparted an important lesson on actor Shah Rukh Khan, when he complained that he was too tired to work. Saroj died at the age of 71 on Friday, and Shah Rukh in a tribute tweet called her his first genuine teacher. In a 2018 interview to The Telegraph, Shah Rukh had recalled how the late choreographer had scolded him. I remember, in my early days, I was working with Sarojji. In those days, I would work three shifts and would be like this (leans back on his chair and sticks his tongue out). Also read: Saroj Khan, Bollywoods masterji, dies of cardiac arrest at 71 Shah Rukh continued, I told her, Sarojji, itna kaam hai, thak gaya hoon (Sarojji, I am too tired, there is too much work). She would be very motherly towards me and she slapped me on the cheek, pyaar se (lovingly), and said, Kabhi yeh mat kehna ki zyada kaam hai (Never complain about having too much work). In this area of work, there is never too much work. I just feel fortunate that I have so much to choose from. So, no pressure. Shah Rukh paid tribute to Saroj with a tweet. My first genuine teacher in the film industry. She taught me for hours how to do the dip for film dancing. One of the most caring, loving & inspiring persona i have ever met. Will miss you Sarojji. May Allah bless her soul. Thank u for looking after me, he wrote. My first genuine teacher in the film industry. She taught me for hours how to do the dip for film dancing. One of the most caring, loving & inspiring persona i have ever met. Will miss you Sarojji. May Allah bless her soul. Thank u for looking after me. Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) July 3, 2020 Ironically, in 2019, the choreographer had admitted that work had dried up. In an interview to Mid-Day, she said that when actor Salman Khan heard of her plight, he promised to work with her in a future project. When we met, Salman asked me what I was doing nowadays. So I told him honestly that I dont have any work, and that I am teaching Indian classical dance to young actresses. Upon hearing that, he said, Now, you will work with me. I know he is a man of his word, so he will keep his promise. Also read: Saroj Khan (1948-2020): The ace choreographer who created magic with Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi In an earlier interview to Rediff, she had said, I became so popular that actresses started fighting over me. Now, the time has come when they dont want me. I have very sharp movements in my dancing which actresses nowadays find it hard to do. Saroj was admitted to Mumbais Guru Nanak Hospital last month after she complained of trouble in breathing. She passed away due to cardiac arrest at around 2:30 am at the hospital, her nephew Manish Jagwani told news agency PTI. Her funeral took place on Friday morning in Malad, Mumbai. Follow @htshowbiz for more Intel Corps investment arm will pay some Rs 1,894.50 crore for a small stake in Reliance Industries Ltds digital unit Jio Platforms, in the latest share sales that have helped Mukesh Ambanis oil-to-retail conglomerate pare its debt. Reliance said in a statement Intel Capital will invest the amount in Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. Its investment will translate into a 0.39% equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis. Intel Capital is among the firms, including Facebook Inc and KKR, that have recently invested in Jio Platforms, taking the total investment amount to Rs 117,588.45 crore. This is the twelfth investment in Jio Platforms within eleven weeks since April 22, 2020. Heres a list of other companies that have invested in Jio Platforms: Facebook: The Mark Zuckerberg-led social media giant invested Rs 43,574 crore in Jio Platforms for a 9.9% stake in the company on. It was announced on April 22. Silver Lake: The American private equity firm bought about 1.15% stake in Jio Platforms for Rs 5,655.75 crore (about $746.8 million) in Jio Platforms on May 4, giving it a valuation of $65 billion, a 12.5% premium to the value implied by the Facebook investment. Vista: Vista Equity Partners invested Rs 11,367 crore in Jio Platform for a 2.3% stake in RILs digital unit. The US-based firms investment on May 8 gave Jio an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. General Atlantic: General Atlantic had agreed to take a 1.3% stake to set an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 trillion for Jio Platforms on May 17. KKR: On May 22, US equity firm KKR invested Rs 11,367 crore for a 2.32% stake in Jio Platforms, in the fifth major investment announced in Mukesh Ambanis oil-retail-to-telecom conglomerate in four weeks. In KKRs largest investment in Asia, the transaction valued Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. Mubadala: Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investor Mubadala Investment Company bought a 1.85% stake in Jio Platforms for Rs 9,093.6 crore on June 5. The investment from Mubadala came at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. Silver Lake: The company announced a second investment in Jio Platforms on June 5 for Rs 4,546.80 crore for a 0.93% stake. It valued Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. The additional investment translated into a 2.08% equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis. ADIA: Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) invested Rs 5,683.50 crore for 1.16% stake in Jio Platforms Ltd on June 7. The investment by an undisclosed wholly-owned subsidiary of ADIA valued Jio Platforms at Rs 4.91 lakh crore. TPG Capital: TPGs investment on June 13 in Jio was Rs 4,546.80 crore for a 0.93% stake assigning it an equity valuation of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise valuation of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. L Catterton: L Catterton invested Rs 1,894.50 crore on June 13, the same day as TPG, in exchange for a 0.39% stake in the tenth investment in RILs digital unit in seven weeks. Public Investment Fund: The Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund picked up a 2.32% stake in Jio Platforms for Rs 11,367 crore on June 18. It gave Jio Platforms an equity valuation of Rs 4.91 trillion and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 trillion. Two serving and three former Amritsar municipal corporation (MC) officials, who were chargesheeted in a departmental inquiry besides being indicted in a magisterial probe in the 2018 Amritsar Dussehra train tragedy, have now been indicted in the judicial inquiry report. The inquiry officer, a retired additional district and sessions judge, submitted the report to the department of local bodies and recommended punitive action against the five. Sixty one persons were killed at the Jaura Phatak railway crossing during a Dussehra function. The officials are estate officer Sushant Bhatia, superintendent Pushpinder Singh besides now retired additional divisional fire officer Kashmir Singh, superintendent Garish Kumar and inspector Kewal Krishan. After finding the replies of the five over the chargsheet against them unsatisfactory in the departmental inquiry, the inquiry was assigned to retired additional district and sessions judge Amarjit Singh Katari. MC commissioner Komal Mittal said, Now, the senior local bodies department officials have summoned the five to Chandigarh. The government will take a decision on punishing or acquitting these officials only after that. The department on June 30 wrote to the five giving them 15 days to present their side. There is ground for punishment on the basis the accusations proved by the inquiry officer against you. If you want to say something in self-defence, send it in written within 15 days, failing which it would be considered you have nothing to say, reads the departments letter. The magisterial probe that indicted the five was conducted by the then Jalandhar divisional commissioner B Purushartha. After a prolonged inaction in the case, the probe report was made public by the Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO), an NGO, in December last year. In the probe, Purushartha had concluded that Kashmir Singh provided a fire tender and a water tanker without the MCs permission while Bhatia and Krishan failed to ensure that no function was organised in the area without due approval. Also, the then superintendents of the MCs advertisement branch Pushpinder and Girish were held responsible as posters and banners of the event were put up without any nod. PHRO investigator Sarbjit Singh Verka said, It is good that the proceedings are going on against officials of the MC and police. But unfortunately, no proceedings have been initiated against the politicians responsible for the tragedy. Local Congress leader Sourabh Madaan Mitthoo, who is considered as close to Congress MLA and former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, was the main organiser of the Dussehra function. Paddy farmers in several parts of Haryana heaved a sigh of relief after migrant workers returned to the fields but their worries are far from over because of the increased prices of diesel, pesticides and labour. A farmer, Amit Narwal of Kathura village in Sonepat, was glad to see the group of 27 migrants that arrived from Bihars Araria and Purnia areas in a bus specially arranged by local farmers. This year the input cost for paddy cultivation has increased. The labourers are charging Rs 4,000-Rs 4,300 per acre for paddy sowing against last years Rs 2,700-Rs 2,800. After negotiation, the workers settled at Rs 4,000 per acre. We will also be providing them three meals a day and accommodation facility. Many workers are asking us to share the travel expense of Rs 4,000 per person, he said. Another farmer, Praveen Kumar of Kahlpa village, said though the labour shortage had been resolved, they were burdened because of the increasing prices of diesel. The government has increased the MSP of paddy to Rs 53 per quintal, claiming that it will provide relief to the farmers, but at the same time it has hiked diesel prices to Rs 11 per litre, he said. HAPPY HOMECOMING FOR MIGRANT WORKERS Migrant workers said that they were happy to be back in Haryana. 50-year-old migrant worker Sibu Singh of Bihars Araria said that he had been coming to Baroda and Gohana areas to work in the paddy fields for the last 13 years. I paid Rs 4,000 as bus fare to reach a village in Sonepat but I am happy to be back. It was very difficult to make ends meet in Bihar. Now, I am earning Rs 500 per day, the migrant worker said. Another worker from Bihar, Ram Avtar, said he had hardly earned Rs 8,000 at his native village in Bihar in April and May but he had earned over Rs 4,000 in the last 10 days alone by working in paddy fields. We have strong relations with the landowners in Haryana. We have been working in the fields for the last 10 years. We used to stay in Haryana for eight to nine months, Avtar said. Agriculture expert Ramandeep Singh Mann said a rise in diesel prices will cost farmers Rs 400 per acre. The increased MSP of paddy will benefit farmers. They will earn Rs 1,272 per acre but rise in diesel price (if farmers irrigate fields with pumps) will cost them Rs 860. Moreover, the cost of labour has increased by 40% and that of pesticides by 15%. The rise in paddys MSP will not increase farmers income this year, Mann said. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday alleged that the new home isolation guidelines issued by the Union Central government were a word-to-word copy of the Delhi governments guidelines on the same topic. AAPs national spokesperson and MLA Raghav Chadha said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre has advised implementation of telephonic consultancy to Covid-19 patients under home isolation, which will now be implemented across India. Significantly, the same BJP government scrapped the same telephonic consultancy provisions for home isolation patients in Delhi. Now the question arises, that if this system of the Kejriwal government can be applicable for the whole country, then why did the BJP government scrap it in the Capital? Chadha asked. The Union health ministry did not comment on the matter. Chadha said without any proper framework, the BJP-ruled Central government had passed arbitrary politically motivated orders through lieutenant-governor (L-G) Anil Baijal. I believe the BJP government has only one goal, which is to create trouble for the citizens of Delhi by passing orders through the L-G, who reports to the Union home ministry. The BJP government neither had any plan nor any kind of framework to pass these orders. But, it did so only to create hurdles for the people, he said. The L-G office did not comment on his charges. Last week, the L-G restored the Delhi governments old module of home isolation where teams of district surveillance officers (DSO) visit the homes of new Covid-19 patients for their medical assessment and to inspect if their homes are fit for isolation. The Delhi government had appointed a private firm to do the follow-up process with patients under home isolation through tele-consulting. But the contract of the company was cancelled by the L-G. The Delhi government opposed this, saying it was hampering patient care. I request the Union government to cooperate, and not create chaos in Delhi, Chadha said. The recovery rate of Covid-19 in Mumbai has jumped to 63% from 55% within a week. As of Friday, of the 82,074 total Covid-19 cases, 52,392 patients have recovered and have been discharged. On Thursday, over 5000 patients were discharged in Mumbai, the highest in a single day. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner IS Chahal said on Friday morning, Despite a cumulative figure of 80,600 positives in Mumbai today, our discharged patients are now 50,600 a staggering 63%. We have only 9,500 patients on hospital beds, including 874 suspected walk-in patients. Experts and doctors have posed questions about whether patients are being discharged early and need to continue with institutional quarantine or hospitalisation longer. On the other hand, they have stressed the need to keep hospital beds available at all times. Keeping mild or moderately symptomatic patients on beds in hospitals or Covid health centres longer than the present time prescribed by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) may lead to Mumbai facing a shortage of beds, according to public health experts. Chahal said, Mumbais discharge policy for Covid-19 patients is strictly as per ICMR guidelines, with zero exceptions. According to the current discharge policy of the state government, mild and very mild Covid-19 patients can be discharged on the 10th day, if they have not shown any fever for three days in a row. Moderate symptomatic patients can be discharged after 10 days provided they have oxygen saturation above 95% for four days; if not, such patients can be discharged after their symptoms have resolved and oxygen saturation is maintained for three days in a row. For severely ill patients, discharge is allowed after complete recovery and a negative result on a Covid-19 test. Asymptomatic patients can opt for home quarantine, or are discharged from institutional quarantine facilities on the 7th or 8th day. According to a member of the task force of doctors appointed by the state government in April to curb rising fatality, Covid-19 patients have died after being discharged too and health workers must follow up with patients for 14 days after discharge. However, IS Chahal denied that this holds true for Mumbai. Madhav Sathe, retired professor of microbiology at Nair Hospital,, said, It is better if a patient stays in a hospital for 14 days. After recovery, even though Covid-19 is cured, whatever immune modulation has taken place remains. Patients are hence afflicted by a phenomenon called cytokine storm that leads to formation of clots in blood vessels. This is called intra-vascular coagulation and can be fatal. In such cases, it is better to keep the patient in the hospital. Sathe said, When a patient is being discharged, it should be done after giving him medicines for 10 to 12 days, and follow up is needed for all patients because medicines have to be chosen with a lot of precision. Sanjay Pattiwar, a city-based public health consultant, said, Considering the work load and patient load, it is necessary to follow the guidelines for discharge. The criterion is whoever can manage at home with counselling for seven days can follow home quarantine. Those who do not show symptoms can be discharged, so that beds are made available for new patients. Mumbai on Friday registered 1,338 new Covid-19 cases and 73 deaths. The total number of cases in Mumbai is now 82,074 after adding 37 cases recorded earlier; and total deaths are 4,762. The growth rate of cases in Mumbai is 1.72%, and the doubling rate is 41 days. The city has 13,422 Covid-19 beds in hospitals for serious and critical patients with other health complications, of which 3,871 were vacant as of Friday morning. Civic officials said 127 ICU beds and 67 ventilator ICU beds are vacant. Punjab on Friday reported four deaths and 153 fresh Covid-19 cases. With this, the positive cases tally in the state has reached 5,937 and death toll 157. Three patients, including two from Ludhiana, died while, 60 people tested positive for Covid-19 in Ludhiana. A 62-year-old man of Field Gunj died at DMCH. He was suffering from the diabetes, hypertension and heart-related diseases. A 68-year-old woman of diesel shed area, succumbed to the virus today at Fortis Hospital in Mohali. Besides, a 63-year-old man of Lajpat Nagar in Delhi, who was undergoing treatment at SPS Hospital near Sherpur Chowk since June 24, died due to the virus. Six cases were reported from Sun City, Khanna. 50-YEAR-OLD AMRITSAR WOMAN DIES 50-year old woman, resident of the Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar area of Amritsar, died of Covid-19 at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on Friday, civil surgeon Dr Navdeep Singh said. Besides, eight more people of Gurdaspur district tested positive for Covid-19. Among them, 7 were tested from Dera Baba Nanak, which has been declared as containment zone. Also, a 20 year old man from Tarn Taran district was also tested positive. Twenty-two people tested positive of the novel coronavirus in Jalandhar district on Friday. Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar civil surgeon Dr Rajinder Prasad Bhatia said that 7 persons, including six who returned from Bihar, tested positive for the virus. Five persons tested positive for the virus in Bathinda. Ghaziabad: To bring down the rising number of deaths due to Covid-19, the divisional commissioner has asked the Ghaziabad health department to create at least 40 beds with ventilators in the district. During a Covid-19 review meeting held on Friday in Ghaziabad, Anita C Meshram, the divisional commissioner, also asked the health officials to ensure testing of all those who have influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) in containment zones across the district. At present, the district has a total of 28 beds with ventilators for Covid-19 patients, the officials said. The commissioner most importantly has directed to create 40 to 50 ventilator beds so that serious patients get timely treatment. For this, our officials are in talks with several private hospitals. It is proposed that the state government may acquire about 20% of their ventilator beds. For the acquired beds, prescribed payment will be made, said Dr NK Gupta, chief medical officer, Ghaziabad. The health department has given its nod for paid Covid-19 treatment to at least five private hospitals in Ghaziabad where there is availability of ventilator beds. Currently, in the government set-up, we have eight ventilators at our L2 hospital at Sanjay Nagar, while 20 more are available at our L3 hospital. Earlier, there have been several deaths when patients were getting referred to Meerut. The district administration and the health department have also been asked to work in close coordination so that patients are referred to appropriate hospitals -- L1, L2 or L3 -- as per their health conditions, CMO said. Apart from rising number of Covid-19 cases, which have seen a considerable spike in June, the death rate in Ghaziabad has also emerged as a main cause of concern for the district administration. According to the official data, Ghaziabad had a total of 59 Covid related deaths to its tally till July 3 and stood third after Agra and Meerut in terms of fatalities. At present, Ghaziabad has a share of 7.75% of total deaths in the state. Also, while Ghaziabad had witnessed 305 Covid-19 cases till May 31, the tally went up to 1,632 between June 1 and July 3 in the district. On directions of the Uttar Pradesh government, a massive surveillance drive has been initiated in the six districts of Meerut division where thousands of teams are conducting door-to-door survey in order to find out people with symptoms of ILI and SARI, besides those having co-morbid conditions. The health officials also said that they have made operational a 300-bed L1 category hospital at SRM University campus, Modinagar. The facility has been made operational with 300 L1 beds at present, and we are trying to get more beds in order to deal with rising cases. We are expecting that more cases will emerge after the surveillance drive has started on July 2 and we need to get more Covid beds for admission of patients. At present, we have to admit L1 patients to our L2 and L3 hospitals due to non-availability of L1 beds, CMO added. On the first day of the surveillance drive, 2,029 teams surveyed 135,460 houses in order to find out ILI and SARI cases. The other teams also took up 775 rapid antigen tests and 34 patients were found positive, the officials said. The health department has also got in touch with various residents welfare associations and other social groups in order to ramp up antigen testing. Last month the district received 8,000 antigen kits, while another set of 11,000 test kits were received on July 1. Under the surveillance drive, the Ghaziabad district has received a target of conducting 1,000 RT-PCR samples and 3,000 tests with the help of antigen kits. On July 2, the health teams collected 990 samples for RT-PCR test, the officials said. Meanwhile, state officials said that they had conducted random sampling of 5,508 persons in 75 districts of UP recently, in which vendors and those employed at dhabas were covered. Of 75 districts, 50 positive cases were found in 19 districts. The random sampling is being done for different vulnerable groups and this is also creating awareness among them about how to deal with Covid-19, said Amit Mohan Prasad, UPs principal secretary (health). Police on Friday arrested two women for their involvement in the killing of two policemen in Sonepats Butana village on June 29. The accused Sushila and Asha of Butana village were produced before a local court in Gohana, which has sent them in two-day police remand. Gohana assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Udai Singh Meena said the women, who had accompanied the four criminals, including a dead assailant Amit Kumar, were arrested for their involvement in the killing of two policemen near Butana checkpost. Sushila was Amits friend and he along with three aides had come to meet her at Butana village on Monday night. Sushilas friend Asha had also accompanied. The policemen were shot dead after they barred them from consuming liquor and saw one of the women in an objectionable position with Amit, the ASP said. A manhunt has been launched to nab two absconding criminals, Vikas Kumar and Neeraj of Jind, he added. A senior official privy to the development said they arrested the accused women after checking the call details of Amit Kumar. Amit Kumar had been calling Sushila for the last six months. He along with Neeraj had been visiting Butana village to meet Sushila and Asha, who later befriended Neeraj. During remand, the arrested accused Sandeep Kumar had told us that Amit and Neeraj had asked him and Vikas Kumar to accompany them in a marriage function. Later, they told Sandeep that they are going to meet their female friends, the official said. During initial questioning ,the women claimed that they had come to meet Amit and Neeraj after giving some sleeping pills to their family members, the official added. Earlier, the police had said that Amit was accused in at least six cases, including two attempts to murder in Jind in 2014 and 2015. Similarly, Sandeep was also booked in a case of murder bid in Jind. Dismissing reports of differences between the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray, state housing minister Jitendra Awhad said that the party will support the latter as per the orders of party supremo Sharad Pawar. I do not know about any differences. All the colleagues in the cabinet are with the CM on the steps that he is taking to control the Covid -19 outbreak situation. There are always some differences in every house. As per the instructions of our leader Sharad Pawar, it is our responsibility to extend full support to CM, Awhad said. He made the statement at Navi Mumbai on Friday, while reviewing the Covid-19 situation in the city. The minister also informed that two new testing labs will be set up in Navi Mumbai in a weeks time. Thane guardian minister Eknath Shinde informed that the testing facilities in the city need to be ramped up. So I issued instructions to increase swab and antigen testing facilities, procurement of more medicines and increase in the number of ventilator and oxygen beds. I asked NMMC civic commissioner Annasaheb Misal to ensure that at least two testing labs in the city are functional in by next week. The doubling rate is reducing and hopefully the spread of the virus will reduce in the region, he said. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) identified over 3,866 Covid-19 positive persons through random testing in the one-kilometre radius from where a positive person was traced who were not the first contact of the person but were either living in a nearby area or had come voluntarily to the flu clinic upon experiencing Covid-19 symptoms. As the number of cases kept rising, the civic body could not exactly trace the source of infection in these cases. However, despite repeated incidents wherein the source of infection could not be traced, the state insists that there is no community transmission in the state. Among the 18,105 positive Covid-19 cases reported as of July 1, a major chunk which is 78.45 per cent or 14,204 cases were first contact or index cases while 35 positive were foreign travellers. In these cases, it is confirmed that the source of infection could be foreign traveller or a high-risk contact of the positive case. While in the case of the remaining 3,866 cases, the positives could be detected only through random testing or when they voluntarily showed upon witnessing Covid-19 symptoms. PMC additional municipal commissioner Rubal Agarwal who is in charge of the health department said, It is not that the source of infection is not known in these cases. Most of the cases detected through home survey, mobile ambulances or flu clinics are those who come from containment zone. So they are most likely to have come in touch with any positive case. The essential services workers too or the PMC staff which was infected was either living in the containment zone or working in the containment zones. The health workers, policemen and such other categories are also included who interact with multiple people on a daily basis and so they might have come in contact with any positive person. In the 1,261 cases that were detected through mobile ambulances, 541 were detected by home surveys and 82 through flu clinics. While 194 were PMC employees and 254 were essential service providers working in essential services. In 1,534 cases, there were other reasons. While community transmission means that the exact source of infection is not known and is the third stage of the pandemic, the government is still maintaining that there is no community transmission in the country yet. The state health minister, Rajesh Tope while talking to the media on Thursday reiterated that there is no community transmission in the state and in most cases the source of infection for Covid-19 could be found. The PMC is currently tracing over eight close contacts for per positive patient, which were only three contacts at the beginning of April. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the response of the Delhi government and Tihar jail authorities on a plea that said inmates of the high-security wards are out of touch with the outside world as meetings, both legal and with family members, have been stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan issued notice to the authorities on an application seeking an early hearing and posted the matter till July 30. The plea, filed through advocates Aekta Vats and Harpreet Singh Hora, had said the high-security inmates are also not allowed to converse with their fellow inmates, because of which they are in a state of dejection, depression and solitude, which is affecting their mental health and psychological well-being. The present application has been filed in a pending PIL filed by the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee in 2018, highlighting the plight of the such prisoners. It had sought directions seeking quashing of some standing orders issued against the interest of these inmates. On Friday, appearing for the petitioner, advocate Maninder Singh told the court that the situation is appalling because the inmates have been denied access to television, radio, magazines and newspapers. He said the main petition should be decided as the mental health and psychological well-being of these inmates was in peril as the mulaqat, which was their only connection to the outside world, has been stopped for now. It is pertinent to mention that most of these prisoners do not qualify for interim bail .., the plea read. A 68-year-old woman and a 62-year-old man succumbed to Covid-19, while 60 more patients, including five inmates of central jail, tested positive for the virus on Friday, taking the district tally to 960. The deceased male patient, Ashok Kumar, a resident of Field Gunj, was rushed to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) on June 27, following complaints of shortness of breath and fever. He was also suffering from diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. His condition continued to deteriorate ever since he was admitted to the hospital and he died on Friday. The woman, identified as Gurmeet Kaur, a resident of Diesel Shed area, died at Fortis Hospital in Mohali. The district has so far confirmed 24 deaths due to the virus. Of the total 960 cases in the district, 433 have recovered and completed the post-discharge quarantine period, leaving 503 active cases. District epidemiologist Ramesh Kumar said currently 249 patients were in hospital, while 254 patients were in home quarantine. As per fresh central guidelines, only a patient, who has completed the mandatory 17-day quarantine is considered discharged, he added. 63-year-old Delhi man dies A 63-year-old man from Lajpat Nagar, Delhi, also succumbed to Covid-19 on Friday. The patient, identified as Manmohan Sokhi, was undergoing treatment at SPS Hospital near Sherpur Chowk since June 24. As many as 25 patients from other districts and states have died due to the virus in Ludhiana. Five inmates test positive Five inmates lodged at the Ludhiana Central Jail, aged, 58, 38, 27, 23 and 21, were confirmed positive for Covid-19 on Friday. Three healthcare workers at a private hospital, including two females, aged 26 and 43, and a 49-year-old man, were also found positive. Three women, aged 56, 30 and 18, were found positive in Urban Estate, Dugri. They are all contacts of a positive patient. Two cases each were confirmed in Basti Jodhewal; Islam Ganj; Jaswant Nagar; Ram Nagar, Dholewal; and Vikas Nagar, Pakhowal Road. Besides, one case each was reported from New Shimlapuri; Phagla village; Badi Haibowal; GTB Nagar and Sundar Nagar in Mundian Kalan; Dholewal; Giaspura; Shimlapuri; Passi Nagar, Pakhowal Road; Jamalpur; Anand Nagar, Haibowal Kalan; near police station Daba Road; Inder Nagar Jain Colony, Daba Road; Laxman Nagar; New Partap Nagar; Railway Colony and Manjit Nagar. Gurpal Nagar, Daba Road; GK Estate, Bhamian Road; Millerganj; Dhokan Mohalla; Tibba Road; Panj Peer Road; Gurdev Nagar; Bihari Colony; Sirthala village and Model Gram also confirmed one case each. As many as seven cases surfaced in Khanna, six in Sun City and one in Goslan tehsil. Besides, a 53-year-old Punjab home guard (PHG) jawan, hailing from Sangrur and posted in Ludhiana, also tested positive. Four persons, including a woman, were booked for abetment to suicide after a 29-year-old trader, who was also a Youth Congress worker, ended his life by consuming poison in New Tagore Nagar on Friday. The deceased left behind a suicide note stating that he had availed of a loan from the accused and returned the principal amount, but the accused were harassing him for more money. Taking note of the suicide note and statement of his father, police have booked Rajni of Kitchlu Nagar, and Ricky Bedi, Sonu Malhotra and Mintoo, all residents of Haibowal Kalan. According to the deceaseds father, his son owned a marble store and took a business loan of Rs 2.35 lakh from Rajni and Rs 75,000 from Ricky Bedi in 2018. Though his son had paid off the loan, Rajni had been harassing him to return Rs 15 lakh and Bedi was demanding Rs 5 lakh. On Thursday, he consumed some poisonous substance. After his family discovered him, he was rushed to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, where he died during treatment. Assistant sub-inspector Malkit Singh, who is investigating the case, said they had booked the accused under Sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 34 (acts done in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. The Haibowal police have launched a manhunt to arrest the accused. United States (US) President Donald Trumps re-election chances have dimmed in recent days. He himself acknowledged this, in a moment of self-pity, during an interview with a Fox News anchor, Sean Hannity, last week. He said that Joe Biden is going to be your president because some people dont love me. Trump is trailing Biden by 9.3 percentage points and 9.6 points in the RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight aggregates of polls respectively. He is also behind in swing states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida that he won in 2016. Georgia and Arizona, which almost always voted Republican in presidential elections, are in play and so is Texas, the reddest state of them all. Trump, whose approval ratings never crossed the 49% mark in the Gallup polls since he took office, is getting hammered for his handling, or the lack of it, of the two most significant crises of his presidency: The Covid-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 128,000 Americans and infected nearly 2.8 million so far; and the anti-racism unrest that has spread deep into the country. Trump has tended to treat the coronavirus as an interloper that stole his presidencys most prized accomplishment and his ticket to a second term: A booming economy. And he has used the protests to further polarise the country with the sole purpose of consolidating supporters for November. But there is time. Trump is known to have pulled back from the precipice before. Remember the Access Hollywood tapes of October 2016, with Trump bragging about forcing himself on women? Many in his campaign gave up. That was 2016s October Surprise, a phrase used in US elections for unforeseen events that tend to turn around the race irreversibly because the affected candidate does not have enough time to recover. Trump survived it, as we all know. India was hit by something similar the next month. It has no name but is begging to be called Indias November Surprise, when it was caught unawares by Trumps election on November 9, so convinced was it of Hillary Clintons victory. Indian diplomats had scrambled around in panic the morning after for a contact in the Trump campaign to set up a congratulatory phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They figured that out soon enough as Modi was among the first of world leaders to speak with the president-elect. This is not about a congratulatory phone call though, important as it may have seemed on the morning of November 10. New Delhi should have a line of communication with the Biden campaign, if it hasnt already. Just in case. The former vice-president is no stranger to India. He has a long record of backing India including on the civil nuclear deal as a senator. He visited India in 2013 as vice-president and spoke there for the first time of a relative in India with whom he shares his last name. Even better, Biden said earlier this week he will accord high priority to the relationship with India if elected and revoke the H-1B visa suspension. Biden has reached out. What will India do now? yashwant.raj@hindustantimes.com The views expressed are personal Everton Weekes was a prolific batsman and got runs wherever he played. Against India he batted at another levelseven centuries in 10 Tests. When I went to the West Indies in 1953 he played against us in all five Tests. His scores were 207, 47, 15, 161, 55no, 86, 109 and 36. He was a solid batsman. He particularly had a very good stroke through the covers when he used to bend his knee and hit. I used to always field in the covers. I had the best view. He was eager to take the first run (open his account). I knew he will try and take a single. He would take off after hitting and be half way by the time the ball was fielded. I used to try and hit the stumps at the bowlers end and when I missed the stumps, he would look at me and laugh. In the first Test, he started with a 207 at Port of Spain. Also Read | Everton Weekess passage to greatness, via India He was known for his square-cut, (but) it was not a square-cut, square-cut. Square-cut is played through point; he used to hit through covers because he used to bend on the knee and play it. He had mastery over the shot. AURA OF THREE Ws All the three Ws (Weekes, Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott) played in that series. They used to come in a line3, 4, 5. Worrell used to come at No.3 and Weekes at No 4. It was like they were having a healthy competition amongst themselves. Worrell failed almost every time in that series. He had trouble against our spinners, Subhash Gupte and Vinoo Mankad. Weekes used to come in and get his hundred and there would be a big partnership between him and Walcott. Worrells highest score was 56, in the fourth Test. Gupte had three types of deliverieshe used to bowl leg-spinners, googly and then a straighter one. He used to mix it up. He had good control over length and line, and good flightmay be Worrell couldnt read him. Every time he used to trouble Worrell. But Weekes was a good all-round batsman; he played our medium pacers as well as the spinners comfortably. He had all the patience to stay on the wicket. He wouldnt step out but read the spinners well, mainly relying on drives either sides of the wicket. Also Read | Dhoni mustve dome something in Ranchi: CSK spinner on MSDs batting Though Worrell failed in the first four Tests, he outshone the other two Ws by getting 237 in the fifth Test at Kingston. At the end of the series, their captain Jeff Stollmeyer said he expected all three Ws to score in all five Tests, but in the end Worrell was the highest individual scorer. DIFFERENT STYLES They were all different. Weekes was a steady batsman, very calm and never lost patience. Worrell was more stylish. Walcott was very hard-hitting. Weekes would never hit a six; even Worrell wouldnt, but Walcott would play the lofted shots. Weekes wouldnt talk much with the opposition but Worrell was a great friend. I remember one instance when Worrell was fielding in the slips and I was batting. Stollmeyer was bowling leg-spin, pitching outside off-stump, and I was trying to cutmy favourite stroke was also the square-cutbut I was missing it that day. Worrell told me let them go, they will come back home. He meant let those deliveries go and automatically they will try to bowl into the stumps. No one would give advice like that during a Test. The writer at 91, is Indias oldest living Test player and he played against Everton Weekes in the 1953 series in the West Indies. His son Anshuman Gaekwad was a former India batsman. (As told to Sanjjeev K Samyal) The Delhi government has asked all district magistrates in the city to start surveillance and tele-medicine hubs, so medical officials can check on all Covid-19 patients in home isolation as soon as they receive a call, and set up a centralised grievance redressal mechanism, Delhis chief secretary Vijay Dev said. Dev inaugurated the first such surveillance and tele-medicine hub in central Delhi on Friday. He later told HT that all districts have been asked to start one in their jurisdiction. Medical officials, who can attend to patients in home isolation at any time and save them from sinking into a severe or critical state, will be available at the surveillance hubs. It is a well-streamlined version of a system already in place, a senior government official said, requesting anonymity. The official further said that the hub will always have adequate staff to entertain calls related to medical help, sanitisation, the removal of biomedical waste, the delivery of essential commodities, and experts to help with mental health issues. The centralised system will help districts real-time management of Covid-19 databases, better their surveillance, tracking, tracing and monitoring of cases, and patient care, said another official in the revenue department, requesting anonymity. The Delhi government is likely to convert Charak Palika Hospital in Moti Bagh, run by the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), into a Covid-19 dedicated facility soon. The New Delhi district administration has convened meetings with NDMC officials to work out a plan to declare the hospital a Covid-only facility. The district administration has also sought details from the municipality about the health infrastructure available at the hospital. Officials from the government and NDMC confirmed that talks are on to covert the Charak Palika Hospital in south Delhi into a dedicated Covid hospital. We have held several meetings with the health department officials of NDMC and Charak Palika Hospital regarding its conversion into a Covid-19 dedicated facility. We have asked them to submit information about health infrastructure available at the hospital so we have an idea about additional logistical support required before converting it into a Covid-only facility. They are yet to submit details. We will make the declaration in a few days after completing the due process, a senior official of the New Delhi district, who is engaged in the procedure, said on the condition of anonymity. Civic body officials confirmed the development. The process is on. Even after a formal declaration, it takes 4-5 days to turn a hospital into a Covid-19 dedicated facility. So we hope that by next week, the hospital functions as a Covid-19 dedicated facility, an NDMC official said. Charak Palika Hospital is NDMCs largest healthcare facility in Moti Bagh area. The total bed strength of the hospital is 156. It has six ICU beds and three ventilators. It caters to the medical requirements of people, mostly government employees, living in neighbourhoods such as RK Puram, Moti Bagh, Sarojini Nagar, Laxmibai Nagar and parts of Chanakyapuri. Another official of the district administration said that since the number of Covid-19 cases is exploding, there is a need to create more healthcare facilities, apart from setting up beds in schools and community centres. In such a scenario, hospitals being run by municipalities can play a vital role as they have basic health infrastructure which can be augmented further for special treatment. Even though there is a less number of ICU beds, we are not worried because we can create temporary ICU units on simple beds with the help of additional machinery, he said. The official added that once a hospital is declared Covid-only facility then the state, as well as central government, provide it with logistical support. A senior official of NDMCs health department said that the hospital has around 27 doctors and provides around-the-clock emergency services. We have already created an isolation ward of six beds for any emergency. The condition of NDMC hospitals and dispensaries is better than other municipal hospitals in the city. The nearest hospitals treating Covid patients in the area are AIIMS and Safdarjung hospitals, and both remain crowded. If Charak Palika Hospital is converted into a Covid-19 dedicated facility, it will be of great service in the pandemic, the NDMC official mentioned above said. At present, only two municipal hospitals have been declared Covid-only facilitiesHindu Rao Hospital of North Delhi Municipal Corporation and Tilak Nagar Super Speciality Hospital of South Delhi Municipal Corporation. The Delhi High Court has directed the state government to not collect the present address of construction workers or the Aadhaar details of their family at the time of their registration with the welfare board. A bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar said that the Delhi governments Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare (BOCWW) Board was not justified in seeking these details. The court said that the workers were mostly migrants and, therefore, they may change their address every time they take up new jobs. The Board should, therefore, not require the applicants to provide their present address and, instead, should be satisfied by requiring the applicants to disclose the name, address and registration number of the establishment where the applicant is working, the bench said. The courts order comes while hearing a plea by social worker Sunil Kumar Aledia filed through his advocate Shiven Verma, seeking directions to the Delhi government to provide relief to workers and labourers, including cash transfers, to all who had registered in the last two years. On Thursday, advocate Shyel Trehan, who had also filed an application claiming that the benefits of various schemes for the construction workers was not being implemented, said that the registration forms have been asking for the Present address of the workers. She also said that the details sought also include the aadhaar card details of the family members. Appearing for the Delhi government , its additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghose, told the court that the move was taken in case the Board comes up with some scheme for the benefit of family members of the applicant. He submitted that there are schemes for providing benefits to the children of construction workers for their education, marriage, etc. However, the court said that the details when there is rush as well as urgency for grant of renewal of registrations due to the pandemic, the collection of information about the family members with their Aadhar Cards details should be suspended, at least, in respect of those applicants who are seeking renewal of their lapsed registration. Advocate Trehan told the court that in rural parts of India, dates of birth may not be correctly recorded and known to the applicants and quite often, the dates of birth are randomly filled by the applicants even while obtaining their Adhaar Cards. Hence there can be mismatch in the dates of birth as disclosed in the Adhaar Card, and in the application form. The court said that the officers, in such cases, should call the concerned person and resolve the problems. It asked the Board to make necessary changes in the application form and said that changes should also be brought in the website considering that it has to deal with lakhs of workmen. It said that the Board has sufficient funds and hence there should not be any difficulty in the updating the system. The bench said that the Board should make endeavour to reduce the requirement of uploading documents only to the bare minimum for the purpose of registration/ renewal of registration. For the purpose of renewal, the Board should not require submission of documents, which the applicants have submitted at the time of initial registration, the court said. It also asked Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) to look into the aspect of appointing volunteers for helping in the registration process after Secretary DSLSA Kanwaljeet Arora told the court that he can appoint 100 lawyers for the purpose. The matter would be now heard on July 9. A 51-year-old assistant sub-inspector(ASI) of Delhi Police was killed after a speeding car allegedly driven by an assistant professor of Rajasthan University hit him and rammed a wall near the United States embassy on Friday morning. Police said they have arrested the professor. Assistant sub inspector Lal Man Singh Sisodia was on duty near the US embassy where he was killed after the vehicle hit him. Senior police officers said that around 10 am, a speeding car, being driven by a 41-year-old assistant professor at Rajasthan University, hit Sisodia who was posted with the police control room van and was on duty near the embassy. The car then rammed a wall, police said. Deepak Yadav, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) said Sisodia was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. A case has been registered at Chanakyapuri police station for causing death due to negligence and rash driving. The assistant professor has been arrested and further investigation in this matter is on, Yadav said. Medical examination of the professor was also done and his reports are awaited. Police are also checking CCTV footages to ascertain the sequence of accident, police said. The car has been seized for inspection, they said. The Delhi government on Friday revised its guidelines to allow asymptomatic coronavirus disease (Covd-19) patients to remain in home isolation in line with the union health ministry revised guidelines a day ago. In supersession to the guidelines issued earlier on home isolation of very mild/ per-symptomatic Covid-19 cases, revised guidelines for home isolation of very mild/ pre-symptomatic/ asymptomatic Covid-19 cases, is enclosed, read the order from Delhis Director General of Health Services Dr Nutan Mundeja. The guidelines also state that the citys districts have to ensure that every Covid-19 patient who is under home isolation receives a pulse-oximeter. The records pertaining to the indent and distribution of pulse-oximeter is to be maintained by each and every district. The same is to be shared with the concerned authorities on a daily basis, the order read. The guidelines specify that immunocompromised patients such as persons with HIV, those who have undergone a transplant, or are receiving cancer therapy will not be eligible for home isolation. People over the age of 60 and those with co-morbid conditions like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, chronic lung, kidney and liver disease will also not be eligible. The revised Delhi guidelines also mention that mechanisms will have to be put in place to shift anyone who needs hospital-based treatment or violates isolation. Patients will be discharged after ten days. The union health ministry guidelines from a day ago read, In view of large number of asymptomatic cases being detected, the current guidelines have been extended to asymptomatic positive cases also besides very mild and pre-symptomatic cases. On the second day of the riots in North East Delhi on February 25, a group of men created a WhatsApp group Kattar Hindut Ekta and asked all Hindu residents to attack Muslims, according to Delhi Polices charge sheet filed in a city court on Tuesday. Police said the charge sheet is related to FIR No 102/20 registered at the Gokalpuri police station in connection with the murder of Hamza, who is referred to by a single name in the police records, who was among the nine Muslim men whose bodies were recovered from the Bhagirathi Vihar drain on February 25 and 26. Police arrested nine men, Lokesh Solanki, Pankaj Sharma, Sumit Chaudhary, Ankit Chaudhary, Prince, Jatin Sharma, Rishab Chaudhary, Vivek Panchal, and Himanshu Thakur. The nine are currently in jail. Police said that the administrator of the WhatsApp group -- initially there were 125 members -- brought together other rioters. The charge sheet also mentions that on February 26, at 11.39 pm, Solanki posted a message where he claimed that he and his team could come from Ganga Vihar and that they had arms and ammunition. Ganga Vihar adjoins Bagirathi Vihar. According to the charge sheet, Solankis second message at 11.44 pm claims that he and his team have killed two Muslims and thrown their bodies in the drain. The court is yet to take cognisance of the charge sheet and the arrested persons are yet to reply through the lawyer. The counsels for the accused persons will appear before the court and make the submission after the court takes cognisance. The charge sheet adds that the group murdered nine Muslims in all. The charge sheet also mentions how the men assaulted the Muslim residents. Their modus operandi was that they used to catch the people and ascertain their religion by asking name, address and identity card. They were forcing them to call out Jai Shri Ram many times. Those with a Muslim name in the ID card, and who refused to chant the slogan were bluntly attacked and thrown into the Bhagirathi Vihar drain, the charge sheet says. Delhi Police has filed at least 111 charge sheets thus far in connection with the riots, in which they have named 650 people. At least 53 persons died while around 400 were injured in the riots that broke out in parts of North East Delhi. Police in the charge sheets have alleged that the riots were planned by student activists, locals politicians, and some activists of the anti Citizenship Amendment Protests. Student leaders from Jamia Millia Islamia and JNU have been arrested in connection with the riots. The Delhi High Court has issued a slew of suggestions to a city court for speedy disposal of the cases related to the several foreign nationals connected to the Tabligihi Jamaat congregation. Over 120 Malaysian nationals and 11 Saudi Arabia nationals had moved the court seeking speedy disposal of the cases. Justice Anup J Bhambhani suggested that considering the large number of charge sheets and supplementary charge sheets -- 48 and 11, respectively -- and the number of accused, the Saket Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) should post all charge sheets for a case management hearing on the same day. The court said that the CMM may divide the cases into batches and sub-batches according to the nationality of the accused, and offences alleged, or on some other rational and useful basis. It also said that the CMM may also designate a specific date and time when exclusively these mattes would be taken-up, which could even be a non-working day, so that adequate time and resources could be devoted to facilitate expeditious disposal. According to the plea, the Malaysian nationals, who were arrested by the Delhi Police and charge sheeted, were being in the custody of the High Commission of Malaysia in a hotel in the city. It said the court was yet to take cognizance of the charge sheets. The cognisance of the charge sheet is slated for July 6 Justice Bhambhani, in an order passed on Wednesday, said that after cognizance is taken, the CMM may take up on its suggestions on segregating the cases following responses from the accused. It also added that cases where the accused are plead guilty or enter into plea bargains may be disposed of first. The court also said that the Embassy or High Commission concerned may be requested to arrange for the appearance of the accused via video-conferencing. It said that the CMM is also free to devise her methods for the speedy disposal of the cases. Appearing for the petitioners, senior counsel N Hari Haran had contended that while many of the accused would be willing to plead guilty or enter a plea bargain in order to seek early closure of the cases, the process may take a very long time if they are unguided. According to the charge sheets, all the foreign nationals have been booked for violating visa rules, violating government guidelines issued in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic and regulations regarding Epidemic diseases Act, Disaster Management Act and prohibitory orders under section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure. They have also been charged for disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant, negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life, malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life and disobedience to quarantine rule of the IPC and relevant sections of the Foreigners Act. The matter would be now heard on July 22. Delhi University has released the revised datesheet for its open book mode even semester/ final year examinations 2020. The exams were earlier scheduled to begin from July 1 which were postponed. Now, the DU OBE exams for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes will begin from July 10. The subject wise timetable can be downloaded from the official website. The duration for examination is two hours only and one hour can be taken in addition to two hours for downloading question papers and scanning, uploading Answer sheets. The Total duration shall be Three (03) hours. Information given only on the University website i.e. www.du.ac.in shall be considered official . DU students can also take the mock tests beginning from July 4 online to get the idea of answering the questions in the online exam mode. According to the official notice, Delhi University will conduct a mock test for undergraduate and postgraduate (regular, NCWEB, SOL) students in open book exam mode from July 4 to 8. The timetable for mock tests can be downloaded from the official website of DU at du.ac.in. In case of any discrepancy being noticed in the date sheets, the students may send their queries specifying all the relevant details to the Dean (Examinations) at dean_exam@du.ac.in or examviiconduct@gmail.com at the earliest so that the same may be corrected/incorporated accordingly, the official notice reads. Click here for DU OBE Revised Datesheet ICSE, ISC Board exams 2020: The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) has issued the revised assessment scheme for the evaluation of the remaining papers of ICSE 10th exam and ISC 12th exam which were cancelled after the Supreme Courts order on its official website. Important factors for CISCE new assessment scheme: 1. Average of a students best three papers marks in board examination 2. Subject internal assessment (for 10th class)/ Subject project and practical work 3. Percentage Subject Internal Assessment (for ICSE/ 10th Class) or Percentage subject Project and Practical Work (For 12th / ISC). The components used to arrive at the formula to award the marks in the papers which have an internal assessment component is limited to the internal assessment marks in the papers and the performance of the candidates in the board examination in the papers that they have already appeared for so far, measured through their average marks obtained in the best three papers. While the former measures the subject proficiency of the candidates, the latter is a measure of their general academic ability, reads the CISCE notification. The Council performed a detailed analysis of the data from the past board examinations from the years 2015 to 2019 as well as the year 2020 board examination. For a better understanding of the new assessment schemes, students are advised to read the CISCE notification on ICSE and ISC. MP board 10th result 2020: Madhya Pradesh Board for Secondary Education (MPBSE) will announce the result of the MP Board Class 10 exam on July 4 at 12 noon, said, board officials. The merit list will also be announced online. Around 11.5 lakh students had appeared in the MPBSE Class 10 exam. This year, the board result will be announced on the basis of the best of three papers because two papers had been cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic, said SK Chaurasia, public relations officer, MPBSE. Follow MP Board result 2020 live update Also Read: MP Board MPBSE 10th result 2020 on July 4, here is all you should know The passing marks will be declared on the basis of the highest marks received in three subjects. If a student fails in one subject, he/she would be declared a pass on the basis of marks of three subjects. Also Read: MP Board MPBSE 10th Result 2020 to be declared tomorrow at mpbse.nic.in Two years ago, Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education(MPBSE) had introduced a new system best of five-under which students have to pass only five subjects out of six. MP Board 10th 2020: How to check the results on hindustantimes.com after it is announced 1) Visit the official website of Hindustan Times at hindustantimes.com 2) On the home page, go to the Education section and click on the Exam Results section 3) Go to the MP Board tab 4) Click on the link that reads MP Board 10th Result 2020 5) Key in your roll number in the rectangular box provided for the purpose and submit 6) Your MP Board class 10 result will appear on the display screen How to check MP Board 10th Result 2020 after it is declared: 1. Students can visit the official website at mpbse.nic.in 2.C lick on the link that reads, MP Board 10th result 2020 available on the homepage 3. Key in your credentials like roll number, etc and login 4. The MPBSE 10th Result 2020 will appear on the display screen 5. Download the MP Board class 10 results and take its print out for future references. MP Board MPBSE 10th result 2020: Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) will declare the MP Board class 10 results on Saturday, July 4, on its official website. The results will be announced at 12 noon. After the results are announced, students who have appeared in the MP Board class 10 exam will be able to check their MPBSE Class 10th Results online at mpbse.nic.in or on our HT Result portal. This year, over 10 lakh students have appeared in the MPBSE class 10th board exam. Students can also check their results on the following websites: mpbseresults.nic.in, mbpse.mponline.gov.in, mpbse.nic.in, jagranjosh.com, fastresults.in, livehindustan.com, mp10.abplive.com, and hindi.news18.com. Students can also check their MP Board class 10 results on following Mobile apps: 1. MPBSE Mobile app, MP Mobile app, and Fastresults app available on Google Play Store. 2. MP Mobile App on Window App store How to check MP Board 10th Result 2020 after it is declared: 1. Visit the official website at mpbse.nic.in 2. On the homepage, click on the link that reads, MP Board 10th result 2020 3. Key in your credentials and login 4. Your MP Board 10th Result 2020 will appear on the display screen 5. Download the MP Board class 10 results and take its print out for future references. MP Board 10th 2020: How to check the results on hindustantimes.com after it is announced 1) Visit the official website of Hindustan Times at hindustantimes.com 2) On the home page, go to the Education section and click on the Exam Results section 3) Go to the MP Board tab 4) Click on the link that reads MP Board 10th Result 2020 5) Key in your roll number in the rectangular box provided for the purpose and submit 6) Your MP Board class 10 result will appear on the display screen MP Board 10th Result 2020: Last years pass percentage In 2019, MPBSE class 10 examinations were held from March 1 to March 27 in which 11.32 lakh students appeared. The pass percentage of students in the Class 10 MP board exams 2019 was 63.89%. The girls outshined boys with a pass percentage of 63.69%, while the pass percentage of boys was 59.15%. In the merit list, there were 69 girls and 75 boys. MP Board 10th Result 2020: Last years toppers In 2019, Gagan Dixit and Ayushman Tamrakar topped the Madhya Pradesh Board Class 10 exams with 499 marks out of 500. Dipayan Debnath has secured the first position in the Tripura Board Class 10 examinations (new syllabus), the results for which were announced on Friday. He has scored 488 marks. Dipayan, a student of Netaji Subhash Vidyaniketan in Agartala, wants to become a software engineer. I expected to get a place in the top ten, and cant express my happiness after knowing that I have topped this year. I want to thank my teachers, elder cousin brothers and parents (especially) for supporting me all the time, said Dipayan. I want to study software engineering after completing my school. Lets see what future has in store for me, he said. a Dipayan used to study for 12 to 13 hours a day. He used to study till late in the night, even though he fell ill twice before the board exams. He never demanded for any dress or cuisine, only needed books. We are happy about his achievement. But our financial condition is not sound and we want to appeal to the chief minister and education minister, through media, to support my son so that he continue his study, said Tapashi Debnath, mother of Dipayan. I got a house under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. I run my family by selling vegetables. I have another son too. I appeal to the government to support my elder son for his studies, said Dipayans father Nabakumar Debnath. Actor Asa Butterfield almost played Spider-Man. At one point during the casting process, he was considered the front-runner. But ultimately, the role went to Tom Holland, who has played the Marvel superhero in several films since. Butterfield, who stars in Netflixs Sex Education, said in a recent interview that he wouldnt have been able to do the show had he bagged the Spider-Man role, and so he considers it a blessing in disguise. He told Collider, Every so often theres a part [that you really want] and its a script you love, and you kind of put your heart and soul into it, and you dont get it. And it is tough and it is sh*t, but I often find that something even better comes out of it at the end. And so in the case of Spider-Man, I did Sex Ed, because I wouldnt have been able to do both of those at the same time. Also read: Did you know Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire had a poor childhood, has quietly made millions playing poker Butterfield and Holland were flown to Atlanta, where Captain America: Civil War was in production, to audition opposite Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. Butterfield said that in the end, his take on the character was perhaps not what the directors and producers were looking for. I think as an actor and going out for roles, theres only so much you can do and everyones gonna have a different take on a part and look at a character in different ways, have a different sort of performance, and you kind of have to stick with what you think, he said. And if that isnt necessary in line with what the director and the producers want, then its like, theres nothing you can do about that. You might just not be the right person, and thats out of your hands. And thats something Ive learned, something that I think is great to help me kind of get over it. Also read: When Andrew Garfield said playing Spider-Man left him heartbroken because story and character were not priority The actor was all praise for Holland, who will return for a third solo Spider-Man film soon. Tom did amazing things with Peter and he had an entirely different portrayal of him and I think its worked so well in the universe and in that part, and I dont think I could do it. So I think all things work out in the end, Butterfield said. Follow @htshowbiz for more Actor Tom Cruise has been known to be extremely kind to his friends and colleagues, from letting Jessica Chastain drop out of appearing in his film to pursue a lead role in Zero Dark Thirty to sending his War of the Worlds co-star Dakota Fanning a birthday present every year since she was 11. But theres one Tom Cruise story that takes the cake. According to filmmaker Cameron Crowe, before actor Jonathan Lipnicki was hired to play Renee Zellwegers son in Jerry Maguire, a different child actor was supposed to play the role. But Crowe said that after a few weeks of filming, the actor ran out of gas. What unfolded next was quintessential Tom Cruise. Also read: Tom Cruise will be 60 years old by the time Mission Impossible 8 is released, will have played Ethan Hunt for over quarter-century Crowe told Deadline in 2017, Weeks later, the mother of the first kid calls the office. I got on the phone and she says, Will you please tell Tom Cruise thank you for the way he has kept in touch with my son, sent him letters and gifts, and just let him know all is well? I thought, wow, I had no idea Tom Cruise was doing that. Crowe continued, She said, It really helped my son. Hes over it now, hes fine, and Tom did a beautiful job helping him transition back to his life. I went to Tom, later, and said, you quietly helped this kid through what could have been a terrible transition. Thank you, but why did you never tell any of us? Tom said, I just didnt want that first actor to go to the movies, look at the screen and think hed failed. I wanted him to love movies, his entire life. That is the quiet way Tom Cruise conducts his professional life. In fact, when Crowe was having second thoughts about returning to the directors chair after his 2005 film Elizabethtown bombed, it was Cruise who persuaded him to not give up. According to the New York Times, Cruise took Crowe out for a drive and the two ended up on the set of the 2007 film Knocked Up, directed by Judd Apatow. Cruise sidles up to me and goes: See? Get out of your house, man, its fun, Crowe recalled. And thats when it felt like, yeah, its time to direct again. Happy birthday, Tom Cruise. Follow @htshowbiz for more Several Indian actors have made their mark internationally, but one of the first Indian actors to appear in a globally successful Hollywood film was Amrish Puri, who played the villain Mola Ram in Steven Spielbergs controversial 1984 film, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. But Amrish initially turned the offer down. According to his autobiography, The Act of Life, Spielberg was denied permission to shoot Temple of Doom in India, and instead set up the film in Sri Lanka, Macau and London. After expressing disinterest in the part, the actor reconsidered after casting director Dolly Thakore sent stills of him from the horror film Gehrayee to Spielberg. When American casting agents came down to India to meet him, the actor refused to audition, and instead asked them to watch him perform on the sets of his new film. He also refused to read out a page of text in English. How does Spielberg know what language do I speak? He would know me as an actor, he told the casting agents. Also read: When Tom Hanks called Irrfan Khan coolest guy in the room, wrote him a personal note Amrish eventually agreed to the role, and found the production very impressive. He described Spielberg as very boyish, an unassuming kind of person. About the crew, he said, None of them had any ego, problems or reservations about my being an Indian. Unlike many of our actors in Indian films, there was expertise at all levels, and you couldnt just do anything and get away with it. The film ran into trouble in India, for its controversial portrayal of violent cults. Amrish was even labelled anti-national. He said, It was a chance of a lifetime working with Spielberg, and I dont regret it even for a moment. I dont think I did anything anti-national; its really foolish to take it so seriously and get worked up over it. Years later, Spielberg said, Amrish is my favourite villain. The best the world has ever produced and ever will. Follow @htshowbiz for more Eight policemen, including a deputy superintendent and three sub-inspectors, were killed during a raid to nab a criminal in Uttar Pradeshs Kanpur district early on Friday. The police team were out to look for Vikas Dubey, a dreaded gangster, accused of attempt to murder by a villager. They were about to conduct the raid on the basis of that first information report (FIR) in Bikru village under Chaubepur police station area of Kanpur district. They were also looking for hired shooters who killed a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader, Pintoo Sengar, and were hiding in Bikru. Sengar was killed in Kanpurs Chakeri on June 18. WATCH: Eight UP cops out to nab dreaded criminal killed in firing in Kanpur Kanpur Police had arrested three key accused in the case from Chindwara in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday. Deputy superintendent of police Devendra Mishra, sub-inspectors Mahesh Yadav, who was the station officer of Shivrajpur, Anup Kumar, Babulal and constables Sultan Singh, Rahul, Jitendra and Babloo died in the firing. Five other policemen were also injured in the firing. Vikas Dubey and his team had put blocks by parking a heavy earthmover on roads leading to the Bikru village. As the police team approached the spot, the criminals began indiscriminate firing from rooftops. The passage to the area was blocked by parking a heavy earthmover as the police team approached the spot and the criminals began indiscriminate firing from rooftops. There was retaliatory firing but criminals were at a height, so eight of our men died, HC Awasthi, the director general of police (DGP), said. Officials said police have recovered empty shells of AK 47 carbines from the rooftops. Two of Vikas Dubeys men have been gunned down in Nivada village, 3km from Bikru, they said. Police have also taken his brother-in-law, Dinesh Tiwari, into custody for questioning. Vikas Dubey, who has has been charged in 60 criminal cases, was involved in the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Santosh Shukla, who had been given the rank of a minister of state, inside the Shivli police station in 2001. He was later acquitted in the case. Prashant Kumar, the additional director general of police (law and order), is on the way to the village and Dinesh Kumar P, Kanpurs superintendent of police (SSP), and Mohit Agarwal, the inspector general of Kanpur range, are already on the spot. Officials said all borders of the Kanpur division, comprising six districts, have been sealed. A forensic team from Lucknow is also headed to the spot and the special task force (STF) has been given the charge of the case. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has paid his tributes to the eight police personnel and asked the director general of police (DGP) to take toughest of action against those responsible for the firing. Uttar Pradesh reported 982 new Covid-19 positive cases in the last 24 hours, taking the states coronavirus tally to 24,825, Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said on Friday. Till date, at least 749 patients have succumbed to the coronavirus infection in Uttar Pradesh. There are 7,451 active cases and 17,557 patients have been cured and discharged so far in the state, the official said. Over 35 per cent of all active Covid-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh are in the six districts of the Meerut administrative division, where chief minister Yogi Adityanath wants special attention to fight the pandemic, according to health ministry data. ALSO READ | Antibody tests may help detect Covid-19 infection if used at right time: Scientists Meerut division which comprises Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Meerut and Baghpat districts, has reported over 28 per cent of the total deaths recorded in the state due to the coronavirus. The maximum Covid-19 positive cases are in Ghaziabad (931) followed by Gautam Buddh Nagar (929), Meerut (272), Bulandshahr (141), Hapur (127) and Baghpat (56), the data showed. The maximum deaths too were reported in Meerut (87), followed by Ghaziabad (57), Gautam Buddh Nagar and Bulandshahr (22 each), Hapur (14) and Baghpat (five), according to the data. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had on Thursday directed state government officials to pay special attention to the Meerut division to tackle the outbreak of the infectious disease, according to officials. ALSO READ | Most of us wont need Covid-19 vaccine: Oxford expert explains how the pandemic is likely to end A special 10-day coronavirus screening campaign began on Thursday in these six districts, which are also part of the National Capital Region (NCR), which has seen a spurt in Covid-19 cases throughout June. According to the CMs orders, 2,375 surveillance teams in rural areas and 1,516 in urban areas have been set up by the Health Department in the division, which have been provided with 50,000 additional antigen testing kits to ramp up tests for the infection. Indias coronavirus tally soared by over 20,000 in a single day for the first time taking the countrys total count to 6,25,544 on Friday, while the death toll climbed to 18,213 with 379 new fatalities, according to Union Health Ministry data. The country recorded 20,903 coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours till Friday 8 am, with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Telangana and Karnataka being the major contributors to the single day rise. The criminal records of Vikas Dubey, one of the most dreaded gangsters in Uttar Pradesh, date back to 1993, according to a senior police official at the DGP headquarters in Lucknow. At 48, he faces 60 criminal cases. His crime record reads that he has had over 11 cases of attempt to murder and six cases of murder, the official said. He said Dubey, born in Bikru village of Kanpur Dehat district, was popular among criminals in the region who believed police could not act against them if they were under his protection. He recruited youngsters, invested on them by giving them a monthly payment and pushed them into crime... Dubey was an accused in the 2001 murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Santosh Shukla inside a police station. He was acquitted in the case after all witnesses, including police personnel, turned hostile during the court trial due to his fear, the official said. He said Dubeys name terrorised people in Shivli, a town near Bikru, and the region around Kanpur after four sensational murders that of Shukla, a college principal, and a cable operator and his cousin between 2000 and 2002. Dubey was arrested a couple of times in the past two years, but got bail. Also read| Wont be spared: Yogi Adityanath takes a vow to nab Kanpur gangsters The official said Dubeys clout increased so much in the region that he won the election of Zila Panchayat member in 2005 as an Independent while he was in the Kanpur jail. After Thursdays ambush, about 3,000 members were combing several districts to arrest Dubey, whose accomplices shot dead eight policemen in Bikru before escaping in the dark. The operation was being led by director general of police (DGP) HC Awasthy; additional DGP (law and order) Prashant Kumar; and UP special task force (STF) inspector general (IG) Amitabh Yash. The police sealed borders of all six districts in the Kanpur region, namely Kanpur, Kanpur Dehat, Auraiya, Kannauj, Etawah and Farrukhabad. Additional DGP Kumar said the attack was the deadliest targeting the police force in many years. In 2007, dacoit Ambika Prasad, alias Thokia, killed six policemen and an informer in Chitrakoot to avenge the death of brigand Shiv Kumar Dadua. Also read| Road blocked using earthmover, firing from rooftop: How 8 cops were killed in Kanpur gun fight In state capital Lucknow, a police force raided Dubeys house in Krishna Nagar area from where he was arrested by the special task force in October 2017. The police said Dubeys house was found locked, and his wife and two children, who lived there, were missing. The house was later sealed. Deepak Kumar Singh, assistant commissioner of police (ACP) of Sarojininagar, said a police team visited Dubeys brothers residence in the same locality, but he was not at home. ...I knew that one day the entire family would have to suffer for the wrongdoings of Vikas, Sarla Devi, 73, who stays with Dubeys younger brother, told reporters outside her residence. She said she would have no regrets if Dubey was gunned down. Devi said Dubeys relationship with the family was under strain, and added that Dubey did not come to Lucknow since the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed in March-end. Accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday landed in Leh on Friday morning on a closely-guarded visit to the union territory that has been at the center of the standoff with Chinas Peoples Liberation Army troops since early May. Top government officials had earlier only let it be known that CDS Rawat would visit Ladakh for a review of the tri-services preparedness and a first-hand understanding of the proposed de-escalation and disengagement process at the four stand-off points. It was only after PM Modi emerged from the plane that news of PM Modis surprise visit got out. PM Modis visit to the border area is high on symbolism, and a morale booster for the troops that are leading the stand-off in Ladakhs Galwan valley and around Pangong lake. Also Read: PM Modi flies to Leh in signal to China, gets briefing at 11,000 feet on standoffs He was briefed by the Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Y K Joshi and XIV Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh at Nimu Army headquarters near Leh. Located at 11,000 feet, this is among the tough terrains, surrounded by Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. PM Modi will also address soldiers at Thiksey near Leh and visit the soldiers injured in the June 15 violent scrap with Chinas Peoples Liberation Army. Although the Ministry of External Affairs spokesman on Thursday called for expeditious dis-engagement from the border, the de-escalation process will take time with the PLA not in the mood to walk the talk between the two governments on ground. Despite talking about peace and dis-engagement, the PLA troop withdrawal from Galwan, Gogra, Hot Springs and Pangong Tso will take a lot of time and serious persuasion. According to military commanders, the PLA continues to earmark its territory at all the stand-off points by physical deployment while undertaking superficial thinning in the rear by withdrawing a few vehicles and few men. The PLA stands amassed at Galwan River Valley and consolidated at Pangong Tso with massive infrastructure upgrade. Faced with a recalcitrant adversary, the Indian Army and Air Force are fully deployed to prevent any further aggression from the PLA. The morale of the forces appears to be very high particularly after the June 15 flare-up at Galwan. We have no intentions of initiating any skirmish but any aggression from the other side will be fully repelled, said a senior military commander. With temperatures in East Ladakh and Tibet well over 20 degree Celsius and high velocity winds sweeping the region, air operations in the area are a challenge with weight limits being imposed during take-offs particularly in Russian origin platforms. While IAF will use the air bases in the plains in the worst case scenario, the PLA Air Force will have serious difficulty in operating from Tibetan Plateau. The coming days will also be a test of unproven Chinese air platforms, missiles and land systems as their battle worthiness has never been challenged. On Saturday, each state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will make a presentation before Prime Minister Narendra Modi on their initiatives in line with the governments gareeb kalyan schemes for those in need in the aftermath of the corona pandemic. BJP general secretary Arun Singh said on Friday said that party units will put out the details of the work, such as, supply of cooked food and ration, masks and sanitisers during the lockdown that was imposed to check the spread of the virus in March. The party provided food to 22 crore people during the lockdown, and distributed 80 lakh sanitisers and 2.5 crore face covers, he said, addressing the media. Apart from PM Modi, the digital presentation will also be attended by party president J P Nadda, union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari. The party has also been organising virtual rallies to highlight the achievements of the governments first year in office during the second term at the Centre. The party organised over 61 virtual rallies to mark the first anniversary, and 11.49 crore people attended them. Party workers contacted over 5.41 crore people through door-to-door contact programmes, he said. To a separate question on PM Modis visit to Ladakh and the situation there, Singh said people have faith in the Prime Ministers leadership, and that he has already made it clear that those eyeing Indias territory will be given a befitting reply. The BJP leader also dismissed allegations that law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh had deteriorated under the Yogi Adityanath government. During the Samajwadi Partys regime, those in power were involved in crime. Now the BJP government has gone after criminals, he said, reacting to SPs criticism of the Yogi government. The Congress on Friday questioned when will India look Beijing in the eye while criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not naming China in his address to soldiers in Ladakh amid a military stand-off between the two countries in the region. In a tweet, Congresss chief spokesperson, Randeep Singh Surjewala, asked why is the Prime Minister of a strong India so weak? He referred to Modis June 28 monthly radio broadcast, address to the nation two days later, and Fridays speech in Ladakh and noted none of them mentioned China. How long will he desist from taking Chinas name? Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at Modi, asking who took our land along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border with China. Ladakhis say: China took our land. PM says: Nobody took our land. Obviously, someone is lying, he tweeted with a short video tagged to it. The Prime Ministers Office on June 20 clarified Modis remarks at an all-party meeting a day earlier that no intruder was on Indian territory across LAC with China and that no Indian military post had been captured were being given a mischievous interpretation. The clarification came after the Congress attacked Modi for surrendering Indian territory in the face of Chinese aggression. Modi, whose visit to Ladakh came days after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley on June 15, emphasised the time for expansionism is over. He added India is becoming stronger and its commitment to peace should not be seen as a sign of weakness. Another Congress leader, Manish Tewari, earlier referred to late former Prime Minister Indira Gandhis visit to Ladakh before the 1971 war that led to Bangladeshs creation and added China was also then massing troops along the border there to take the heat off Pakistan. After she [Indira Gandhi] visited Leh she sliced Pakistan into two. Let us see what he does? Tewari tweeted. He tagged a picture of Indira Gandhis address to soldiers in Leh in 1971. [Chinese] PLA [Peoples Liberation Army] was massing troops in Galwan Valley to take heat of their ally Pakistan. 4th July 1971 Leh visit was a message to them to lay off. Like she never blinked when [US president Richard] Nixon sent the Seventh Fleet into the Bay of Bengal, he said in another tweet. The Congress on Friday alleged that the government had not consulted any political parties, other than the ruling party, to amend the poll conduct rules ahead of the Bihar election. The ministry of law and justice amended the conduct rules on June 19, on the recommendation of the Election Commission (EC), to allow senior citizens over the age of 65 to vote using postal ballots in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The manner in which this decision has been taken demonstrates a complete non-application of mind and a shocking circumvention of any consultation process with the key stakeholders (i.e; any other political parties other than the ruling regime). Even upon a cursory examination, the numerous legal deficiencies in this decision become apparent, the party said in its representation. The move comes after CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury had said that extending the postal ballot would give the ruling party an edge. The EC had responded to Yechury on Wednesday, stating that the chief electoral officer of Bihar had held consultations with various political parties before the decision was taken. Senior leaders Ahmed Patel, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Kapil Sibal, KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala submitted the Congress representation. They have asked the EC to invoke its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution of India to withdraw the amendment. The party has argued that the government has failed to consider that the allowing the exercise of postal ballot will violate the basic tenet of secrecy of the vote, increase the risk of Covid-19 transmission and expose voters to administrative influence. This Commission has lent its support to an amendment which exposes a high percentage of voters to organized administrative influence or influence by the Government or the ruling party or their agents or any number of individuals who shall be able to identify these individuals in advance (with ease) and influence how they vote without the protection of the secret ballot. Endangering the integrity of the voting process and undermining its sanctity in this fashion on a potentially massive scale is simply unacceptable, states the representation. EC officials told Hindustan Times that they had heard the party representation with an open mind and will consider their representation. Everyone is entitled to a viewpoint, an official said on the condition of anonymity. State and district-level talks were held before the decision was taken. This is an enabling provision. The official further added that same practice had been tested in the Jharkhand and Delhi elections. No one opposed it, why now, said the official. Former chief election commissioner Vikram Sampath countered the Congress claim that extending the postal ballot will compromise the secrecy of the vote. The Commission will take adequate precautions to maintain the sanctity of the election, he told HT. There is nothing to fear. Sampath added that the EC visits a state that is going to polls three to four times before the elections are conducted. They take the feedback of the political parties and only then issue any directives. No decision is taken arbitrarily. BJP spokesperson Sanjay Mayukh said, The Congress has a habit of complaining. The EC is an independent body, they know what they are doing. The people of this country who have voted for Narendra Modi also have an independent view and have made an informed choice. Will the Congress complain against them too? A day after Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expanded his cabinet, the Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of violating the constitutional norm of capping the number of ministers under 15% of the state assembly strength and threatened to move the court. The Opposition party has also questioned Chouhans decision to induct Jagdish Devda as a minister in his cabinet even though it was not clear if he had resigned from the position of pro-tem speaker in the state assembly. In the second and major expansion of Chouhans cabinet that took place on Thursday, more than three months after he assumed office and two months after the first expansion, as many as 28 new ministers were sworn in to fill all the ministerial berths in the cabinet except one. For Coronavirus Live Updates In the 230-member state assembly, the number of ministers should not exceed 35. However, since the assembly strength has been reduced to 206 due to 24 vacant seats, the Congress claims the ministers number should be based on the existing strength and not the total number of assembly seats. Thus, they claim that the number of ministers shouldnt exceed 31. Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member, Vivek Tankha said, Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has violated the law once again. He ran the government without any minister for a month. When I complained to the President of India, he inducted five ministers whereas this number should have been 12. Now, he has inducted 28 ministers and the total number of ministers exceeds 15% of 206 lawmakers in the state assembly. Congress will move the court against this illegal cabinet. MP Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta said, Pro tem speaker of the state assembly is a constitutional post. A man cant hold two constitutional posts simultaneously. There is no notification from the governor about his resignation, if it was tendered from the pro tem speakers post. The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19 Reacting to the charges, home and health minister Narottam Mishra said, There is no illegality in the cabinet expansion. Its completely legal and I am saying this based on a study. However, if someone wants to challenge the same in the court, he is free to do it. Meanwhile, according to some BJP leaders, several followers of a few BJP lawmakers, who couldnt get ministerial berths, protested in their respective districts and a section of them even reached the state BJP office on Friday to lodge a protest. The reports of protests came from at least 7 districts including Indore, Mandsaur, Dewas, Sagar, Jabalpur etc. Supporters of BJP MLA from Sagar, Shailendra Jain, observed a Jal Satyagrah in Sagar by standing in knee-deep water. They raised slogans and demanded induction of their leader in the cabinet. On Thursday, while followers of senior BJP lawmaker Ramesh Mendola staged a protest in Indore, one of his followers doused himself in kerosene in an attempt to self-immolate. Biswajit Karak (34), a police constable deployed at Writers Building, the Bengal governments old secretariat building in the heart of Kolkata, was shot in the head by his own service rifle on Friday afternoon. The incident took place at around 3.30 pm. Karak was on duty at Gate No 6 which is meant for visitors. He was sitting on a bench near the gate and was close to the pavement outside the building. Policemen who were on duty at the spot said it was not clear whether he tried to commit suicide or got shot accidentally. He was taken to the Medical College and Hospital in a very critical condition. The bullet exited though the left side of his head. Sudheer Kumar Neelakantam, deputy commissioner (central division) of Kolkata Police said it appeared from circumstantial evidence that Karak may have tried to kill himself. He is under treatment, the DCP told reporters. A probe was initiated and security camera footage was being examined. Karak was attached to the fifth battalion of the Kolkata Armed Police. Although the chief ministers office and other important departments have shifted to Nabanna, the new secretariat building in Howrah district, some departments still operate from Writers Building. The heritage structure, which is undergoing renovation, was built by the British government. It was the seat of power of the Congress and the Left Front governments. The complex is located very close to Lalbazar, the headquarters of the city police. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Criminals owing allegiance to a dreaded gangster in Uttar Pradesh sprayed a volley of bullets on a team of policemen who went to raid their village in Kanpur Dehat district on Thursday night, killing eight including a deputy superintendent in a chilling 15-minute ambush, officials said. The killings prompted a massive hunt for 48-year-old Vikas Dubey, a hardened criminal who faces 60 cases and carries a reward of ~25,000, and his group after they escaped Bikru village in the dark. Hours later, security personnel gunned down two people suspected to be from the gang. Operations were underway to apprehend Dubey, who allegedly killed a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in 2001. None of those responsible for this heinous act will be spared, and the sacrifice of the slain policemen will not be allowed to go in vain, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, facing criticism from opposition leaders over the law and order situation in the state. Director general of police Hitesh Chandra Awasthi, who visited the ambush site along with other top officials, said the policemen fell victim to a conspiracy. An earthmover machine was put there deliberately to stop their way and in the darkness; they were attacked. This incident would not have happened without a well-planned conspiracy. The ambush on the 13-member police team began after they reached Bikru around 1:20am on Friday, a day after Rahul Tiwari, a resident of the village, filed an attempt to murder case against Dubey. Officials found the road leading to Dubeys fortified one-storey house blocked by an earthmover machine. They got off their vehicles and decided to walk, but criminals began firing at them from the roofs of Dubeys residence and the houses nearby, according to Dinesh Kumar P, Kanpur senior superintendent of police. The ambush continued for 15 minutes, killing the eight policemen and wounding seven people including a civilian. According to local police officials who did not want to be named, the team came under attack from three sides. Taken by surprise, as they ran for cover, criminals on the ground accosted them and snatched their weapons, they said. The four constables and a sub-inspector took shelter in a small toilet. They were the first to be killed. Devendra Mishra, a deputy superintendent of police and the officer leading the team, tried to hide in a house, which belonged to a relative of Dubey. He was attacked with an axe and then shot dead. Two police sub-inspectors were shot five times, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. By the time a wounded policeman escaped the site and raised an alarm, the criminals believed to be around 20 in number escaped, prompting a coordinated search operation involving about 3,000 personnel and the sealing of borders in all six districts in the Kanpur division. There was retaliatory firing, but criminals were at a height...eight of our men died, said Jai Narayan Singh, Kanpur additional director general of police (ADG). Around 7am on Friday, the police cornered two people Dubeys uncle, Prem Prakash Pandey, and his close aide, Atul Dubey in the jungles of Kaashi Ram Nivada village, about 3km from Bikru, and shot them dead in a gunfight. Two personnel were wounded and a pistol said to have been looted in Bikru was recovered in this operation. A police spokesperson said the weapons snatched in Bikru included an AK-47 rifle, an INSAS rifle, a Glock pistol and two .9mm pistols. Inspector general (special task force) Amitabh Yash said the weapon used in the initial attack was a rifle seized from Dubey by the police when they arrested him in Lucknows Krishna Nagar in 2017, according to news agency PTI. The automatic rifle was released into the custody of someone else by a court, PTI reported. Forensic teams from Kanpur and Lucknow visited the crime scene and collected samples. Late in the evening, police announced a Rs 50,000 reward for information leading to Dubeys arrest. A first information report (FIR) was filed against Dubey and 20 others. Dubey, whose criminal records date back to 1993, was linked to the killing of BJP leader Santosh Shukla inside a police station in 2001. He was acquitted in the case after witnesses turned hostile. Dubey, a former member of Kanpur Dehat zila panchayat, was last arrested in October 2017 for illegal possession of arms and sent to the Kanpur Dehat district jail. He got bail in May 2019, according to officials working in the case. CM Adityanath visited Kanpur to pay tributes to the slain policemen and offered condolences to their families. The government will provide an ex-gratia of ~1 crore to the kin of each deceased, he said, while also promising government job for a member of each of the eight families and pension. Opposition leaders criticised the government over law and order. Another proof of goonda raj in UP. When police are not safe how can the people be? Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi. Party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said criminals in the state did not have any fear. From the common man to policemen, no one is safe, she added. The Samajwadi Party called Uttar Pradesh Hatya Pradesh (land of murders), where criminals patronised by those in power killed policemen. It said this connection must be exposed. Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati termed the incident shameful and unfortunate. (With agency inputs) The national capital on Friday detected a fresh batch of 2,520 new Covid-19 cases taking Delhis total coronavirus tally to 94,695, the state health department said. Fifty nine more patients succumbed to the viral infection in Delhi in the last 24 hours. The death toll in the capital city which has been witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases over the past month has now risen to 2,923. There are at present 26,148 active coronavirus patients in Delhi, while 65,624 people have recovered from the infection and been discharged. ALSO READ | Plasma therapy has helped reduce Covid-19 deaths by more than 50% at LNJP Hospital: Kejriwal Delhi has once again slipped to the third spot in the list of states with the highest number of Covid-19 cases as Tamil Nadu on Friday crossed the grim milestone of one lakh Covid-19 cases with the state reporting 4,329 fresh infections and 64 fatalities, pushing the death toll in the southern state to 1,385. Early detection and timely clinical management of Covid-19 cases have resulted in better daily recoveries, with the recovery rate of coronavirus patients crossing 60 per cent in the country on Friday, the Union health ministry said. Indias recovery rate of Covid-19 patients has improved further and now stands at 60.73 per cent, as the tally of Indias coronavirus cases soared by over 20,000 in a single day for the first time, taking the countrys tally to 6,25,544. ALSO READ | Most of us wont need Covid-19 vaccine: Oxford expert explains how the pandemic is likely to end The death toll due to the coronavirus disease climbed to 18,213 with 379 new fatalities. Eight states, which include Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi have contributed 85.5 per cent of the active Covid-19 caseload in the country and 87 per cent of the total deaths due to the disease in India has occurred in these states. The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic will enter its post-peak period in Delhi in the first week of August if the Capital maintains a steady decline in cases which have averaged at 2,494 a day over the past week compared to 3,446 daily cases the week before according to public health experts. The experts said that the reduction marks a definite flattening in the new Covid-19 cases curve, but does not yet classify as a reversal of a peak because an untapped cluster or lack of precautions by people could still lead to a spike that pushes the daily cases higher than they have been so far. If the same trajectory continues, and new cases fall to about 1,500 a day for at least a week before falling further, then it can be said that the peak has passed, they added. Also read| Centre first opposed, then copied Delhis isolation rules: AAP Active Covid-19 cases, or the number of people currently infected in Delhi has averaged around 26,000 for the past three weeks despite testing going up three times from 6,130 tests on May 31, to 18,586 on June 30 -- which indicates an encouraging levelling off. Delhis current positivity rate is 15.9%, down from 37% on June 13, when one in three people being tested for Covid-19 were diagnosed with the infection, which has infected 94,695 and killed 2,923 since it was first reported in the Capital on March 2. There has been a flattening, no doubt, with Delhi recording less than half of the numbers projected by the state government three weeks ago. If containment measures stay at the same levels, we would see a reduction by the end of the month and we will be over the peak in beginning of August. We can say the peak is over only after new cases have more than halved over a sustained period, say, from 3,000 a day to 1,500 day for at least a week, said Dr Randeep Guleria, professor of pulmonology and director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Other public health experts and epidemiologists agreed that the number of cases will fall by July-end, and accounting for slip-ups in containment, Delhi may get over the peak in early August. With very energetic household surveillance and increased testing, case count will rise for a few weeks. If this is accompanied by effective contact tracing and isolation, the case count should start falling by late July or early August and daily death count a fortnight later, said Dr K Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India. Daily deaths on average declined marginally to 62 this week, from last weeks average of 66. Since corresponding reduction in deaths get reflected around two weeks days after a decline in infections, there is likely to be a fall in daily deaths in Deli in another week to 10 days, the experts said. A fall in daily deaths over 10 consecutive days is a more stable indicator of decline in new cases as it accounts for undiagnosed cases as well. Deaths should be assessed accurately, both in and out of hospital, through testing and symptom-based verbal autopsy, said Dr Reddy. Verbal autopsy is a public health tool relies on extensive interviews of health workers and caregivers to identify the cause of undiagnosed death symptomatically at the community or population level. Its difficult to predict peaks, whether it is in Delhi or Tamil Nadu, because a lot depends on human behaviour and the protective measures taken after opening up. Cases go up as restrictions lift, which makes it important to widen testing to detect and contain, said Dr Manoj Murhekar, director, Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai. Also read| Coronavirus: After govt nod, Delhi hospitals start antigen testing The average daily testing is at its peak in Delhi so far, with an average of 19,000 samples being tested a day over the past one week -- the highest per million population anywhere in India -- compared to 16,000 a week ago, and 7,000 a week before that. A post-peak period signifies that pandemic activity appears to be decreasing, but countries need to be prepared for additional waves, according to World Health Organisation (WHO). Pandemics have been characterised by waves of activity spread over months... Pandemic waves can be separated by months and an immediate at-ease signal may be premature. It is important to maintain surveillance and update pandemic preparedness and response plans accordingly, according to a WHO document on pandemic phases . Dr Guleria cited the United States, where authorities thought they had a hold on the pandemic when cases fell after the New York peak and opened up too soon, leading to a second wave of infection. The same happened in Bangalore, where cases rose after falling because the state opened up and people became complacent, he said. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also warned against complacency in a web briefing on Thursday. Experts are commenting on social media that Delhis peak has come and gone. Dont listen to them. Wear masks, maintain social distancing, wash hands regularly, dont make a mistake, he said. We have managed to bring the situation under control after a concerted effort. There is a saying, hope for the best, prepare for worst. Thats what we have to do. Cases continue to rise in the rest of the country, however. India crossed 20,000 cases in a day for the third time on July 3, for a total tally of 649,425 at a doubling rate of 20. Andhra Pradesh state assembly speaker Tammineni Sitaram has triggered a controversy by accusing the judiciary of interfering in the policy decisions of the popularly elected state government. If the court can decide as to what the state government should do, what is the purpose of elections, why should people elect MLAs and MPs, why should the chief minister be there to rule, why is there an assembly and a speaker? Do the judges want to directly run the government and rule the state from court halls? the assembly speaker told reporters after having darshan of Lord Venkateswara in Tiurupati. Sitarams comments come in the wake of a series of judgments by the state high court in the recent past that went against the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party government. The judgments range from ordering a CBI probe into the assault on a Dalit doctor, reinstatement of retired IAS officer Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar as state election commissioner, removal of YSRCP colours on the government buildings and striking down the suspension of former state intelligence chief AB Venkateshwar Rao. We have seen some judgments from the courts in the recent past. The Constitution of India has enunciated certain duties, responsibilities and powers to legislature, executive and judiciary and indicated that they should not interfere into each others functioning. Yet, the courts are directly trespassing the powers of the popularly elected government, Sitaram said. The state speaker questioned how the courts could direct the state government to take or not to take decisions. The authors of the Constitution would not have expected that such a situation would arise in future. Otherwise, they would have suggested some way out, he said, adding that the intellectuals should debate on the recent court decisions dictating terms to the government. If the governments did something wrong, the speaker continued, the people who voted a party to the power would defeat it in the next elections. We have to respect the peoples mandate. The governments will run in tune with the peoples aspirations, he said. Senior TDP leader and Rajya Sabha member Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar on Friday said it was not correct on the part of the assembly speaker to attack the courts just because they delivered judgments against the government. If power goes to ones head, one would only find fault with the judiciary and Constitution. Sitaram should make it clear whether he had made the comments in the capacity of the assembly speaker of the YSR Congress Party member, he said. Kumar said the Supreme Court had made it clear several times in the past that the governments, irrespective of the majority they have in the legislature, should function within the limits of the Constitution. The courts will definitely interfere, if the governments take decisions in violation of the Constitution. The judiciary has the powers to review the governments decisions, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday declared that the era of expansionism is over, sending a strong signal to China about Indias determination to defend its borders, on a surprise unscheduled visit to Ladakh, the theatre of the tension between the neighbours. In a speech to the troops, relayed live on television, the prime minister asserted that India has always wanted peace but this peace will come from strength; and paid glowing tributes to the bravery and courage of soldiers in the frontlines of the stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), with a particular reference to those who laid down their lives in the Galwan Valley clash on June 15. Analysts described the visit as a clear message to Beijing, and one that would motivate troops. Asserting that all of Ladakh was Indias pride and that people of Ladakh were patriots, and claiming that India had, for centuries, given a strong response to aggressors and had emerged stronger after each attack, Modi said that enemies had seen both the fire and fury of Indian soldiers. The PM also spoke of the raft of decisions that had been taken to strengthen Indias defence apparatus and border infrastructure in recent years; quoted a wide range of Sanskrit, Tamil, and Hindi sayings to convey determination and resolve; and highlighted Buddhas emphasis on courage as conviction and compassion. Fridays surprise visit came in the backdrop of the two-month long stand-off at the LAC, where China has attempted to change the status quo by intruding into Indian territory; engaged in a military build-up; and expanded its territorial claims, particularly over the Galwan Valley. India has matched the military build-up with additional deployment of troops and equipment. Three rounds of military-level talks have taken place between the two counties, besides dialogue at the diplomatic-level, but commitments on de-escalation have not yet resulted in tangible action on the ground with Chinese troops staying put. Accompanied by the chief of defence staff Bipin Rawat and army chief Manoj Mukund Naravane, Modi visited Nimu, surrounded by the Zanskar range, where he was briefed by military commanders on the situation. He also interacted with personnel of the army, the Indian Air Force, and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). HT learns that the decision on Modis visit was taken on Thursday evening with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval working out the details with Gen Rawat. PM stressed in his speech, without naming China, that the era of expansionism is over and this was the era of developmentalism, which is both an opportunity and will serve as the basis of the future. In centuries gone by, expansionism has tried to destroy humanity. Whenever an expansionist mindset has dominated someones worldview, it has posed a threat to world peace. But history is also witness that such powers have got destroyed, or have been forced to mend their ways. This has been the collective global experience. And on the basis of this experience, the world has made up its mind. Today, the world is committed to developmentalism and welcomes competition for development. Modi has called out expansionism as a threat in the past, but only once before in his official capacity as PM. During an election rally before the 2014 polls, while asserting that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India, Modi then a PM candidate had asked China to leave its mindset of expansion. As PM, during a visit to Japan another country which has faced Chinese aggression in recent years in 2014, he had warned of the dangers of 18th century style expansionist attitudes such as encroaching into other countries and intruding into seas. But given the current stand-off with China, his remarks assume renewed importance. They also come in the wake of Chinese projection of power in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and internal moves to push through repressive legislations, for instance in Hong Kong. Shyam Saran, former foreign secretary and senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, said that the PM adopted a more defiant posture in his speech. His remark about this not being an age of expansionism but of development is clearly directed at China though it has not been mentioned by name. This presages a tougher posture towards China and preparedness to confront its challenge for the long haul. Saran added that this may also reflect the fact that the diplomatic and military engagement between the two countries being undertaken to defuse the situation and return to status quo ante may not have made progress so far. His visit underlines the seriousness of the security threat India faces and conveys a sense of confidence that the country is more than capable of dealing with it. The PM spoke, repeatedly, of the bravery of Indian soldiers. Your courage, your bravery, and your commitment to protect the honour of India is incomparable...Till the security of the country is in your hands and strong intentions, not just me, but the whole country has complete faith. The message that you and your brave friends have just given has sent a signal to the whole world about Indias strength. Modi also visited those injured in the Galwan valley clash in a military hospital during the visit, where he told soldiers engaged in the clash that they gave a befitting reply and their valour and the blood they shed would inspire people for a long time to come. The world, he said, was eager to know about the young men, their sacrifice, their training and their excellent level of commitment. The bravehearts who left us, have not gone without a reason. Together, you all also gave a befitting reply (karara jawab bhi diya hai), he told the injured soldiers. In his address to the troops, Modi said that India recognised the value of peace and friendship for the progress of both the nation and humanity, but that peace cannot come from weakness. The weak cannot strive for peace. Strength is a precondition for peace. If India in land, air, seas, and space is increasing its strength, the objective is human welfare. India is now producing modern weapons. It is getting modern technologies for the army. The sentiment behind it is the same. If India is building modern infrastructure, the sentiment is the same...we have always worked to defend humanity. When it came to decisions on national security, Modi said he thought of two mothers Bharat Mata (Indian motherland) and the mothers of brave soldiers. On this basis, for your honour, for your familys honour, and for national honour, the country gives top priority to security. Commenting on the visit, Lieutenant General (retired) DS Hooda said it was a clear message to China that India was taking very serious note of what has happened at the LAC and that the continuing stalemate in de-escalation was unacceptable. The PM would also have got a firsthand account of the events that have happened and the operational readiness of the Indian Army. This is absolutely essential when India considers its future options. Commodore (retired) C Uday Bhaskar, director of the Society for Policy Studies, too said that the speech exuded a distinctive resolve in relation to China and the tensions at LAC. The speech is multi-layered and addresses different constituencies. While the domestic audience comprises the troops in Ladakh and the Indian army in general, it also seeks to assuage national sentiment which is bruised post-Galwan. In relation to China, it is firm about not blinking with the window of peace and diplomacy kept open. The speech, Bhaskar suggested, marks the beginning of the reset in Indias China policy. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, in a tweet, asked why the PM had not named China as the aggressor. For the third time in a week, PM did not name China as the aggressor, why? What is the purpose of talking about an unnamed enemy to the people of India and the jawans in Ladakh? PM has still not answered our questions about where the violent clashes took place on June 15-16 between Chinese and Indian troops and if the Chinese have intruded into Indian territory at several points, the former Union minister added. BJP president JP Nadda said the PMs speech will act as a morale booster for the forces. He tweeted: Hon PM @narendramodis words give words to the emotion of 130 crore Indians and acts a great morale booster for our armed forces! True leadership in action. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an unannounced visit to a forward post in Ladakh this morning days after a violent border clash with China, told troops that the age of expansionism is over and underlined that the countrys enemies have seen the fire and fury of its armed forces. In an address to troops, Modi paid tributes to those 20 Indian soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley clashes, and said tales of the bravery and valour of the armed forces are echoing in every part of the country. An unspecified number of Chinese soldiers also died in the clash. Bharat Matas enemies have seen your fire and fury, Modi said in an apparent reference to the military clashes between the Indian and Chinese troops. He stressed that bravery is a prerequisite for peace and that the weak can never accomplish it. The PMs visit to Ladakh is seen as a strong message against Chinas aggressive posturing along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the region. We are the same people who pray to the flute-playing Lord Krishna, but we are also those who idolise and pray to the same Lord Krishna who carries the Sudarshana Chakra, he said amid chants of Vande Mataram. Without naming China, the PM said history is proof that expansionists have either lost or perished. The era of expansionism has ended. This is the age of development. If someone becomes stubborn for expansionism, then it creates danger for world peace. History is witness that such forces have either been eliminated or forced to turn back.The entire world has made up its mind against expansionism, he said. The PM arrived in Ladakh accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and Army Chief Gen MM Naravane in the morning. Later, he interacted with personnel from the Army, Indian Air Force and the ITBP in Nimu. Located at 11,000 feet, Nimu is among the toughest terrains, on the banks of river Indus and surrounded by the Zanskar range. In the afternoon, Modi visited a military hospital in Leh where he interacted with soldiers, who were injured in the Galwan Valley clashes and are undergoing treatment. Whether during the world wars or peace, the world has seen the victory of our brave soldiers and their efforts towards peace, Modi said in his address. Several steps have been taken for the wellbeing of Indias armed forces and to further strengthen Indias security preparedness, said the PM. From ensuring availability of modern weaponry, increased border infrastructure, border area development and expanding the roads network, several steps have been taken for the well-being of Indias armed forces and to further strengthen Indias security preparedness, said the PM. Modi also underscored how virtues of peace, friendship and courage have been a part of Indias culture since time immemorial. He recalled that India has always given a befitting reply to anyone who has tried to disturb the prevailing atmosphere of peace and progress. (With agency inputs) The Jairam Ramesh-led science and technology committee will be the first parliamentary panel to debate Indias preparedness to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, when it meets on July 10. In its first meeting after the pandemic emerged, the standing committee will discuss the broad topic of Preparedness to deal with Covid and other pandemic in future. While the panel will briefly look back at how the country has tackled the disease, primarily to draw important lessons, we will also look at the post-Covid situation as well (future) preparedness for such pandemics, said a member of the panel who asked not to be named. The focus will sharply remain on boosting Indias research and technological capabilities to fight pandemics. After the budget session of Parliament abruptly came to an end on March 23, no department-related standing committee has met due to lockdown restrictions. India imposed a 68-day lockdown, in four phases , starting March 25. It ended on May 31. Some panels have consulted members through email for presenting reports and a few committee meetings have been scheduled in the next few days but their agenda is not directly related to Covid. The science and technology panel will look into various aspects related to the pandemic. It will take an overall look at the countrys capabilities to tackle a pandemic which will also include the research on vaccine and production of personal protection equipment, said the member cited above. The panel may also stress on the need to strengthen Indias vaccine programme so that the country might be in a better position if a new virus arrives at Indian shores.The panel will not focus so much on health, said the member, because Parliament has a separate committee on health affairs. Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha secretariat issued guidelines for committee meetings on Friday that said not more than five officials should be called for deposition and if more officers come, they will have to sit outside and wait for their turn. There will not be any verbatim reporting service and no papers will be circulated physically. The members have also been advised to use hand sanitizer and adhere to social distancing norms. Japan on Friday joined a list of countries that have backed India in its border stand-off with China in the wake of behind-the-scenes efforts by New Delhi to drum up support for its position opposing unilateral changes to the Line of Actual control (LAC). Heres the position adopted by key players in the world community: The US: The White House on Wednesday unequivocally blamed Chinese aggression for the confrontation. Quoting President Donald Trump at a briefing, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said, Chinas aggressive stance along the India-China border fits with a larger a pattern of Chinese aggression in other parts of the world and these actions only confirm the true nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The US also welcomed Indias ban on Chinese apps, with secretary of state Mike Pompeo saying these apps serve as appendages of the CCPs surveillance state. France: French defence minister Florence Parly conveyed steadfast and friendly support to her Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh in a letter on June 29, in which she also expressed deep solidarity over the death of 20 Indian soldiers in a violent-face-off with Chinese troops along the LAC on June 15. This was a hard blow against the soldiers, their families, and the nation. In these difficult circumstances, I wish to express my steadfast and friendly support, along with that of the French armed forces, Parly wrote, adding she was ready to meet Singh in India to follow up on their discussions. The move comes at a time when the French Navy is looking at ramping up joint exercises and patrols with the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean region. Also read: PM Modi meets soldiers injured in Galwan Valley clash, says they make 130 cr Indians proud Japan: Japan on Friday backed India in the border standoff with China, saying it opposes any unilateral attempt to change the status quo on the LAC. Japanese ambassador Satoshi Suzuki tweeted about his countrys support following a conversation with Indian foreign secretary Harsh Shringla. Japan also hopes for peaceful resolution through dialogues. Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, he said in the tweet. The move was akin to Japans support to India during the 2017 Doklam stand-off with China. It came at a time when Japan is engaged in a row with China over Chinese vessels intruding into its territorial waters around the disputed Senkaku Islands. Australia: Prime Minister Scott Morrison referred to the India-China standoff when he launched Australias 2020 Defence Strategic Update and 2024 Structure Plan on Wednesday. Tensions over territorial claims are rising across the Indo-Pacific region, as we have seen recently on the disputed border between India and China, and the South China Sea, and the East China Sea, he said. The Indo-Pacific area is the epicentre of strategic competition and the risk of miscalculation and even conflict is growing, he said. While hiking Australias defence budget to $270 billion for a 10-year period, Morrison said it wouldnt just be China and the US that will determine whether the region stays on path for free and open trade, investment and cooperation, but India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam too have choices to make and parts to play. The remarks came against the backdrop of Australia banning Chinas Huawei from its 5G sector and blaming a sophisticated state actor for extensive cyber-attacks on the government, essential service providers and critical infrastructure. Asean: Though members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)have been silent on the India-China standoff, the leaders of the 10 states in grouping recently rejected Chinas claim to almost the whole of the South China Sea. They said the 1982 UN oceans treaty should be the basis of sovereign rights and entitlements in the disputed waters. The leaders took the position in a statement issued by Vietnam on behalf of the bloc on Saturday. We reaffirmed that the 1982 UNCLOS is the basis for determining maritime entitlements, sovereign rights, jurisdiction and legitimate interests over maritime zones, the statement said, referring to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which defines rights of nations to the oceans and demarcates exclusive economic zones. The move came as two US aircraft carriers began joint exercises in the Philippine Sea. The UK: Britain, which is having its own problems with China over a tough new security law for Hong Kong, said in reference to the India-China stand-off that violence is in no ones interest. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said China had committed a clear and serious breach of the agreement under which Hong Kong was handed over to Chinese authorities. Earlier, a British high commission spokesperson expressed concern about the stand-off with China and said, We encourage China and India to engage in dialogue on issues relating to the border violence is in no ones interest. Several parts of Mumbai were waterlogged on Friday morning after the city received overnight rains. On Friday morning, social media was abuzz with visuals of waterlogging at Kings Circle, Hindmata, Parel, and parts of Dadar. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities also stated that waterlogging was reported at Bhulabhai Desai Road in Breach Candy, Worli Naka, Hindmata, Dhobi Ghat in Cuffe Parade, near Byculla police station and Chira Bazaar in Marine Lines. The BMC issued a set of dos and donts for the public, urging them not to stand or park their vehicles under a tree that is prone to be uprooted due to heavy rains. The civic body has appealed to Mumbaikars not to venture into waterlogged areas, steer clear of gutters, sewerage lines, and debris lying strewn on the streets. Mumbaikars have been advised to keep a close tab on the monsoon-related updates, ensure their mobile phones have adequate charge, store essential medicines at their homes, and eat home-cooked food. The BMC issued a nowcast warning at around 10.30am on Friday, stating incessant rains would lash Mumbai until 1 pm. Earlier, India Meteorological Department (IMD) authorities had issued an orange alert -- heavy to very heavy rainfall for Friday and Saturday. However, the intensity is likely to lessen on Sunday, the weather bureau added. First made-in-India vaccine against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) could be launched on Independence Day on August 15, according to a letter written by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to institutions involved in developing the vaccine for the viral infection. Dr. Balram Bhargava, director-general (D-G), ICMR, has written to the institutions that said: This is the first indigenous vaccine being developed by India and is one of the top priority projects, which is being monitored at the topmost level of the government... it is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by August 15 after completion of all clinical trials. ICMR is working in collaboration with pandemic vaccine leader, Bharat Biotech, to develop this vaccine against Covid-19. We have asked Bharat Biotech to expedite the process, said Rajnikant Srivastava, spokesperson, ICMR. On Monday, Bharat Biotech got the approval from the Drugs Controller General of India to conduct human trials of the vaccine candidate, Covaxin, which it has developed. The SARS-CoV-2 strain that causes Covid-19 was isolated in the ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, and transferred to Bharat Biotech in May. Coronavirus is a difficult virus to isolate. However, scientists at NIV, Pune, had managed to isolate and culture 11 strains, which is the basic requirement to develop a vaccine in the future or any research related to the viruses. Bhargava told the institutions that while the ICMR wanted the process to be expedited, the ultimate outcome would depend on the cooperation of the trial sites. ...non-compliance will be viewed very seriously..., he said in the letter. There are about 13 trial sites identified and working on the project. The indigenous, inactivated vaccine candidate was developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotechs BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level-3) high-containment facility located at Genome Valley in Hyderabad. The Drugs Controller General of India granted permission to initiate phase I & II human clinical trials after the company submitted results generated from preclinical studies, demonstrating safety and immune response. Human clinical trials are scheduled to start across India in July, Bharat Biotech said in a statement. Bharat Biotech completed comprehensive pre-clinical studies within two months after receiving all necessary regulatory approvals from the ICMR. Zydus has received approval from Indian regulators to begin human studies for its Covid-19 vaccine contender, the drugmaker said on Friday, as the novel coronavirus infections continue to surge in the worlds fourth worst-hit nation. The potential vaccine showed a strong immune response in animal studies, and the antibodies produced were able to completely neutralize the wild type virus, Zydus, part of Cadila Healthcare Ltd, said in a statement to Indian stock exchanges. Indias approval for Zydus comes days after privately held Bharat Biotech got a similar green light for human studies for its vaccine candidate. Zydus will begin human trials this month in over 1,000 subjects in multiple sites in India, it said. The company also plans to ramp up its production capacity for the vaccine contender to serve Indian and global demand, it added. There were no safety concerns for the vaccine candidate in repeat dose toxicology studies, Zydus said. In rabbits, up to three times the intended human dose was found to be safe, well tolerated and immunogenic. No vaccine has yet been approved for commercial use against Covid-19, but more than a dozen from over 100 candidates globally are currently being tested in humans, and some have shown potential in early-stage trials. The number of coronavirus infections in India surpassed 600,000 on Thursday, resulting in 17,834 deaths as authorities battled to contain the pandemic while easing lockdown rules. Only the United States, Brazil and Russia have reported more cases than India. India on Friday registered a strong protest with Pakistan over more than 2,400 unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces along the Line of Control (LoC) and the international boundary this year that have killed 14 Indians. People familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity that the Indian side, in its protest, said the ceasefire violations amounted to a contravention of the ceasefire put in place by the two sides in 2003. Till June this year, 14 Indian nationals have been killed and 88 more have been injured in more than 2,432 unprovoked ceasefire violations carried out by the Pakistan forces, said one of the people cited above. We have also conveyed our strong concerns at the continued support being extended by the Pakistan forces for cross-border infiltration of terrorists, including through covering fire, the person added. Despite these concerns being shared by the Indian side, including through the channel of the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs), the Pakistan forces have not ceased such activities, the people said. India has accused Pakistani forces of providing covering fire to assist terrorists attempting to sneak across the LoC to carry out attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. As relations worsened following the Indian governments decision to scrap Jammu and Kashmirs special status last August, troops along the LoC have repeatedly exchanged fire. New Delhi recently asked Islamabad to reduce the strength of its mission in the Indian capital by 50% on the ground that its officials were allegedly engaging in espionage and backing terror activities. India also carried out a similar reduction of its staff at the high commission in Pakistan. Diplomats and their family members returned home via the Wagah-Attari land border on June 30. Bilateral ties hit another low when Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan alleged on Tuesday that New Delhi was behind a terror attack on the Karachi stock exchange building this week that left four security personnel dead. All four attackers were also killed. India hit back on Thursday, dismissing Khans accusation as absurd and saying Pakistan cant shift the blame for its domestic problems. The Centre has asked the Supreme Court to dispose of the proceedings related to the 2012 killing of two Indian fishermen by Italian marines off the Kerala coast, saying it has agreed to accept a UN tribunals ruling in this regard. The five-member arbitral tribunal under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea has ruled India is entitled to compensation in the case but said the marines are entitled to immunity and that India is precluded from exercising its jurisdiction. The marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, moved the Supreme Court against a May 2012 judgment of the Kerala high court, which held the state government had the jurisdiction to try them. The high court ruled the marines enjoyed no state immunity since their act of shooting at the fishermen, Ajesh Binki and Valentine Jalastine, was neither in the defence of the vessel nor the state. The matter is pending before the Supreme Court, which granted the marines conditional bail and allowed them to return to Italy in 2016. The marines were guarding an oil tanker when they killed the two Indians on a fishing boat and took India-Italy ties to an all-time low. Also read| Kerala not in favour of withdrawing the case against Italian marines: CM Vijayan The Republic of India has taken a decision to accept and abide by the award passed by the Tribunal which would have the bearing on the continuance of present proceedings before this Honble Court. The applicant [central government) is, therefore, placing the award on record with a prayer that the proceedings with regard to the incident dated February 15, 2012, be disposed of in conformity with the Award passed by the Tribunal, the Centre said in its plea on Thursday. The tribunals ruling was uploaded online on Thursday. It said the marines enjoyed immunity since they were exercising official functions in their capacity as Italian state officials when the incident occurred. The tribunal, therefore, ordered India to stop criminal proceedings against them. The tribunal said Italy violated Indias right to navigation by firing at the fishing boat St Antony and will have to compensate for the loss of life and damage to property. The Parties are invited to consult with each other with a view to reaching agreement on the amount of compensation due to India, the order said. The row over the killing of the fishermen disrupted bilateral ties for years. HT on Thursday reported the two sides have decided to move on from the incident in view of their growing convergence. Japan on Friday backed India in its border standoff with China, saying it opposes any unilateral attempt to change the status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), even as New Delhi stepped up diplomatic efforts to gain support from its partners in the world community. Japanese ambassador Satoshi Suzuki tweeted about his countrys support following a conversation with Indias foreign secretary Harsh Shringla. People familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity that Shringla had also briefed either the envoys or his counterparts from the US, Russia, France and Germany earlier. Suzukis remarks came after several meetings at the diplomatic and military levels between India and China failed to break the impasse along the LAC and even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi toured the Ladakh sector to meet troops and to assess the situation. The Japanese envoy also backed the Indian governments efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution of the standoff that became public in May. Had a good talk with FS Shringla. Appreciated his briefing on the situation along LAC, including GOIs policy to pursue peaceful resolution. Japan also hopes for peaceful resolution through dialogues. Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, Suzuki tweeted. In recent weeks, Shringla has held virtual consultations with his Germany counterpart Miguel Berger on June 26 and with his French counterpart Francois Delattre on June 29. The situation along the LAC and the build-up of Chinese troops had figured in these discussions that focused on the regional and global situations, the people cited above said. Shringla has also briefed the US and Russia on the border standoff. Russia was among the first of Indias strategic partners to be taken into confidence when Shringla met Russian ambassador Nikolay Kudashev on June 2. Following the violent face-off with Chinese troops in Ladakh sector on June 15 that left 20 Indian soldiers dead, US ambassador Kenneth Juster conveyed his condolences to the families of the soldiers who were lost at Galwan and said their bravery and courage will not be forgotten. On June 19, the Japanese ambassador too had conveyed his countrys condolences to the Indian people and the families of the 20 Indian soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty at Galwan Valley. Amid the border tensions, training vessels of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force conducted a minor exercise with two Indian warships in the Indian Ocean on June 27. The deputy chief of the Japanese mission in New Delhi, Toshihide Ando, said this was the 15th exercise between the two sides in three years. This is a goodwill training to promote mutual understanding and trust with the Indian Navy, he said. The content of this exercise is tactical and communications training with no specific scenario. At the height of the 2017 India-China standoff at Doklam, Suzukis predecessor Kenji Hiramatsu had also strongly backed New Delhis position on the matter and said no country should use force to alter the status of Doklam, located at the tri-junction of India, Bhutan and Tibet. At the time, Japan was the first country to back Indias position on the standoff, which ended after 73 days. Japan too has been having its own problems with China over the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. On Friday, Japan strongly protested to China about the intrusion by two China Coast Guard ships into its territorial waters near the islands. The two Chinese vessels entered Japanese waters on Thursday evening and remained in the area, which is administered by Japan but claimed by China. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said, We will continue to deal with the matter calmly and resolutely. This was the first time since June 22 that a Chinese ship had entered Japanese territorial waters around the Islands. China sent its ships to waters around the islands for 80 days in a row, the longest streak since Japan put them under state control in September 2012. Experts said Indias diplomatic outreach to its partners in the world community was intended to send out a message to China that its behaviour wasnt acceptable. Nitin Pai, director of The Takshashila Institution, said: These conversations have followed the outcome of the military level talks with China. It was important to take the dialogue with the Chinese to this point and then bring in the international community, otherwise these diplomatic conversations would have been out of sync. These conversations convey a sense of solidarity and that Indias partners also accept that China is out of place. The HRD ministry on Friday postponed the medical entrance examination NEET and the engineering entrance test to September after an expert committee felt it was not feasible to hold these competitive exams amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Keeping in mind the safety of students and to ensure quality education we have decided to postpone the JEE and NEET examinations. The JEE-Main examination will be held between September 1 and 6, while the JEE-Advanced exam will be held on September 27. The NEET examination will be held on September 13, said Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. Following the announcement of a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the competitive exams for engineering and medical admissions were first postponed on May 5. The medical entrance exam National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) was scheduled for July 26, while the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE)-Mains for admission to engineering colleges was to be held from July 18-23. The JEE-Advanced, conducted for admission to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), was earlier scheduled for August 23. Parents and students have been signing online petitions and conducting social media campaigns, requesting the government to postpone the engineering and medical entrance exams as well. Parents of nearly 4,000 NRI students based in West Asia also filed a petition in the Supreme Court Wednesday demanding that NEET be postponement. Around nine lakh aspirants have registered for the JEE (main) exam, while 16 lakhs have registered for the NEET-Undergraduate exams. Raising concern over the worsening of the pandemic, candidates across the country have been demanding the postponement of the exams. According to HRD Ministry officials, the committee, headed by National Testing Agency (NTA) chief Vineet Joshi felt that delaying the exams was inevitable since many test centres were located in containment zones. The delay, however, is likely to impact the academic calendar. According to sources, the counselling for the two crucial exams will begin in October and freshers may begin classes by November end or December first week. However, a definite plan has not been drawn yet. Significantly, the move comes at a time when the HRD ministry is already deliberating moving the entire academic year further. The University Grants Commission (UGC) will soon examine the suggestion provided by an expert panel headed by Central University of Haryana Vice Chancellor RC Kuhad on the issue of exams and commencement of new academic session. The ministry is learnt to be considering using an averaging formula to ensure the last academic year can be closed in varsities where holding exams is difficult while it is also considering shifting the start of the academic year towards October. It all began with the cancellation of the 2020 editions of Watches & Wonders and Baselworld on 27 and 28 February, due to the health risks linked to the coronavirus. Switzerland was not yet really affected, but it was clear that Asian retailers and media were not going to travel, and Italy was also beginning to be seriously affected. If it was not possible to gather thousands of visitors around the major watch fairs, it still seemed conceivable, at the time, to organise calibrated meetings for a handful of brands wishing to present their new products in a more confidential manner to their most motivated customers and journalists, on the dates initially planned by Watches & Wonders at the end of April. This was the thinking behind Bulgari CEO, Jean-Christophe Babin, who immediately took up the idea. The Geneva hotels had been de facto deserted by the cancellation of the show, and were offering their suites at very attractive conditions in this context. So why not hold the planned presentations there without any major infrastructure and at a lower cost? It was still necessary to quickly convince a few strong brands to pull together and seize this opportunity to put together a sufficiently attractive programme of new products. Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO de Bulgari Bulgari Decided In A Weekend By Saturday 1 March, Jean-Christophe Babin had already rallied to his cause Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling, as well as Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin, who himself contacted Maximilian Busser (MB&F). This was the gist of his morning call, asking me on the one hand to organise the famous GMT evening ("the best evenings in watchmaking") for the occasion, and on the other hand to use my address book to spread the word to a few other emblematic players in fine watchmaking who could be likely to make up their minds within 24 hours. Indeed, the initiator of Geneva Watch Days would like to take advantage of the television interview scheduled for Monday evening on Television Suisse Romande to announce the event. The idea immediately appealed to Edouard Meylan (H. Moser & Cie), Felix Baumgartner (Urwerk) and Pierre Jacques (De Bethune), as well as a few other brands that needed a little more time to decide, including a very large brand but whose group to which it belongs would eventually prefer to decline. Edouard Meylan, CEO de H.Moser & Cie H.Moser & Cie Jean-Christophe Babin's vision was based on a dozen founding brands, united and motivated by this common and unique operation (there was never any question of replacing the exhibition organisers beyond the 2020 edition), and the round table was completed with the participation of Gerald Genta, belonging to the Bulgari group, as well as another major brand preferring to remain discreet. On Monday 3 March, throughout the morning, the communication managers of the eight brands worked hard to draw up a joint declaration, which was also validated by the State of Geneva, which supports the project. The media from all over the world then received the press release unveiling the launch of the Geneva Watch Days. The name is the one used in previous years for the presentations of LVMH watch brands on the fringes of the Geneva watch shows at the beginning of the year. All of this naturally followed the decisions of the Federal Council of February 28, 2020 on public gatherings and the future recommendations of the WHO and the Federal Council according to the evolution of the Covid-19 epidemic. Moreover, three weeks later, the founding brands decided to postpone the Geneva Watch Days to the end of August to take into account the health situation (Click here for more information). When Brands Reach Out What do Breitling, Bulgari, De Bethune, Gerald Genta, Girard-Perregaux, H. Moser & Cie, MB&F, Ulysse Nardin and Urwerk have in common, despite some of them belonging to groups (such as Kering and LVMH) and others being independent enterprises? Entrepreneurship is their common denominator, with the desire for movement and agility as a driving force. The four independent "niche" brands have already formed a relatively close-knit circle and are used to meeting at the various trade shows around the world, but this is not the case for those of the big brands who have nevertheless reached out to each other. Because once the principle was adopted, it was necessary to agree on the main lines of the event, the budgets, the functioning, the format, to study the applications of the other brands as well as a multitude of details. Patrick Pruniaux, CEO de Girard-Perregaux et Ulysse Nardin Gerrard Perregaux Invited to the steering committees of each founding brand, GMT has seen how transparency and caring have remained at the negotiating table. The first meeting was held at the beginning of March at Bulgari in Neuchatel in the presence of the CEOs. It was here that the format and budgets were defined. For three days, each brand will receive its guests in its own boutique or suite, according to its wishes, and the evenings will allow them to meet together in a common place to be defined (according to health constraints): welcome cocktail, official dinner, festive evening designated as the "GMT evening". The microsite www.gva-watch-days.com has been created for the occasion to manage the registrations, each one sharing the contact details of their retailers and journalists with the others (extremely rare!). The Geneva Watch Days association was founded to become the legal entity that manages the whole thing, with a representative of each founding brand on its board. A common fund will finance all its activities. A 5-digit amount is evoked as a down payment for each brand. The bigger brands quickly gave their affirmation, while the others hesitated. Felix Baumgartner, the spokesperson for this bloc, argued that this amount does not have the same value for a brand like Urwerk, compared to a brand like Breitling or Bulgari. In a video-conference, Georges Kern understood his position and proposed to reduce this amount for the relevant brands, a proposal which Jean-Christophe Babin and Patrick Pruniaux approved. The other brands awaiting registration will be limited to ten and will pay in proportion to their benefits. The independents then all validate the sum, and the budget is voted. The following week, the steering committee met at Ulysse Nardin in La Chaux-de-Fonds, this time in the presence of the marketing managers, to make progress on the operational side. These subsequent meetings were carried out with the same mutual respect. Bulgari-Kering forms a strong voice, supported by Breitling, and decisions are taken by majority vote. Because of the confinement situation, the other committee meetings are held via videoconference on a monthly basis. Georges Kern, CEO de Breitling Breitling An Example For Geneva? At the beginning of June, Switzerland continues its deconfinement and is ranked first among the safest countries in the face of the coronavirus epidemic according to the ranking of the Deep Knowledge Group, which analysed the situation in 200 countries. The founders of the Geneva Watch Days have also accepted the participation of brands as diverse as Artya, Bovet, Carl F. Bucherer, Czapek, Ferdinand Berthoud, Louis Moinet, Maurice Lacroix and Reuge. Geneva is proud to host the only multi-brand international watchmaking event of 2020, and the hotels are grateful to receive this essential infusion. Retailers and journalists able to travel (200 registered in mid-June, with a limit set at 300 to meet health standards) are delighted to finally be able to discover the new models and discuss them with brand representatives. These brands have managed to transcend the ego of their leaders, their sizes or their groups, agreeing quickly to speak with one voice and continue to promote fine watchmaking. At a time when the 2021 Geneva exhibition has yet to announce its date and composition, dozens of brands are afraid of being left behind. Why not open the doors to them? Some are planning to gather here and there at the same time, not necessarily in Geneva. As the cradle of watchmaking since the first watchmakers' guild was born there in 1601, Geneva has a legitimate card to play in order to position itself unquestionably as the watchmaking capital of the world. The major manufactures that make it famous also have a responsibility to strengthen this leadership. The halls of Palexpo are large enough to accommodate a few dozen additional stands, or even to dedicate one of them to the Swatch Group. Together, if only once a year, watchmaking will be stronger and go further. After experiencing the worst year in its history in 2020, watchmaking needs a new saviour to federate it and revive it in 2021. Will the solution come from Geneva? Opposition parties in the state launched a sharp attack on the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh (UP) government on Friday after the killing of eight police personnel by criminals in Kanpur district the previous night during a raid to nab Vikas Dubey, a dreaded gangster. Leaders the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), tweeted, hailing the slain police personnel for their bravery and demanded stringent action against the guilty. Akhilesh Yadav, national president, SP, described the incident as unfortunate, as he paid tributes to the police personnel, who were killed in the line of duty. This is the most shameful incident in UP, where duty-bound police personnel paid the price with their lives for the nexus between criminals and people in power. The criminals should be caught alive and the state government must be exposed, Yadav tweeted in Hindi. The SP leader also demanded Rs 1 crore compensation for the next of kin of each of the slain police personnel. Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra, Congresss general secretary and in-charge of UP, tweeted, urging stern action against the criminals. My condolences to the families of the martyred policemen. Law and order situation in UP has worsened, criminals have become fearless, while the public and the police are feeling unsafe. The chief minister himself holds the charge of the home department. He should take stern action after such a horrific incident, Priyanka Gandhi tweeted. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi and asked the UP government: Here is another evidence of Gunda Raj in UP. When police are unsafe, how can the public feel safe?BSP chief Mayawati, in her tweet, called the incident sad, shameful, and unfortunate. It is clear that the UP government needs to be more alert and prepared, especially in the matter of law and order, Mayawati tweeted in Hindi. The government must not spare the criminals, at any cost, in such a sensational incident even if it requires a special operation. The BSP demands that the state government must pay appropriate ex-gratia to the families of the policemen as well as a government job to a member of the family of slain cops, she tweeted. Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Devendra Mishra, sub-inspectors Mahesh Yadav, who was the station officer of Shivrajpur police station, Anup Kumar, Babulal and constables Sultan Singh, Rahul, Jitendra, and Babloo died in the firing during a raid to nab gangster Dubey late at night on Thursday. Chief Minister Pinayrai Vijayan on Friday said that Kerala was not in favour of withdrawing the case against Italian marines from Supreme Court on a day when the central government informed the apex court that it has agreed to accept and abide by the award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the case which relates to the killing of two Indian fishermen by Italian marines off the coast of Kerala in 2012. The chief minister also said that Kerala wants the Union government to explore the possibility of a review petition. India had accused the two marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone on board the vessel MV Enrica Lexie of killing two fishermen Jalastine and Ajesh Binki in February, 2012. The ship was intercepted by naval ships after the incident and brought back to Kochi waters. Though the marines were arrested, they were later granted conditional bail by the Supreme Court and allowed to return to Italy in 2014 and 2016. The case led to a new low in relations between India and Italy on the issue of jurisdiction. The tribunal began hearing the case after Italy contended in December 2015 that India violated the rights and immunity of the marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone by detaining them. Italy also argued that India violated its exclusive right to institute penal proceedings against the marines under UNCLOS. On Thursday, the tribunal ruled that India is entitled to compensation in the case but, at the same time, the five-member arbitral tribunal under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) decided by three votes to two that the marines are entitled to immunity in relation to their acts during the incident and that India is precluded from exercising its jurisdiction over them. Following the ruling, the Centre on Friday filed an application requesting the Supreme Court to dispose of the proceedings pending before the top court in relation to the incident. However, CM Vijayan said that Kerala will inform the Centre about its opposition to the withdrawal of the case. We are not in favour of withdrawing the case from the Supreme Court. We will inform the Centre about this, said the CM. Earlier state fisheries minister J Mercikutty Amma said the state has sought a copy of the verdict. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said his government is not in favour of India withdrawring its case against the Italian marines who in 2012 shot dead two Indian fisherman off the Kerala coast, after the the International Arbitration Tribunal on Thursday said that the two marines could not be prosecuted even as it aded that the fisherman were entitled to compensation. The state wants the Centre to explore the possibility of a review petition. The two fisherman were killed off the Kerala coast on Feb 12, 2012 after they were fired upon from an oil tanker M V Enrica Lexie. The ship was intercepted by the Indian Navy and brought back to Kochi . Police arrested two Italian marine commandos, Latore Massimiliano and Salvatore Gironi, and charged them with murder. The marines were on board to protect the ship from pirates. Also read: India to follow UN court order in Italian Marines case, Supreme Court told The case witnessed a fierce legal battle and the Supreme Court took it up. Later it was transferred to the Hague-headquartered International Arbitration Tribunal. The tribunal held that though fishermen were eligible for compensation two marines cant be prosecuted due to official immunity enjoyed by them. Other than media reports we are yet to hear about it from the union government. We are not in favour of withdrawing the case from the Supreme Court. We will inform the Centre about this, said Vijayan. Earlier state fisheries minister J Mercikutty Amma said the state has sought a copy of the verdict. The arrest of commandos had vitiated ties between India and Italy, with India insisted the firing took place in Indian waters, and the latter insisting it happened in international waters and India had no right to arrest its personnel. A 14-year-old girl died after she was allegedly set on fire by a man after she resisted his attempt to sexually assault her in Chhattisgarhs Mungeli district, police said on Thursday. Police said the crime took place on June 30 in a village under Kotwali police station of the district. The accused Bablu Bhaskar (30) was attested and we have booked him under section 302 (murder), 506 (criminal intimidation), 354 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, Dipanshu Kabra, inspector general of police of Bilaspur range, said while speaking to HT. D Shrawan, Mugelis superintendent of police (SP), said Bhaskar barged into the girls house because he had some tiff with her family. The accused first attempted to sexually assault her when she was alone in her house and later set her on fire by pouring kerosene on her, Shrawan said. The girl shouted for help and ran outside the house. The neighbours doused the fire and rushed her to the hospital where she died on Wednesday, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday saluted the soldiers of Indian Army who are deployed in Ladakh and are protecting Indias border. He also paid tribute to soldiers who were killed in the face-off with Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley on June 15. The bravery that you and your compatriots showed, a message has gone to the world about Indias strength. Nation rests peacefully because of your bravery, PM Modi said while addressing the soldiers. He also said that the resolve for self-reliant India is strengthened because of the bravery and sacrifice of our soldiers. #WATCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses soldiers in Nimoo, Ladakh https://t.co/LCa8oWxL39 ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2020 PM Modi underscored that India had always pursued the path of peace in the world but at the same time, those who are weak can never initiate steps for peace. Bravery and courage is a prerequisite for peace. He also said that the resolve for self-reliant India is strengthened because of the bravery and sacrifice of our soldiers. The enemies of Mother India have seen your fire and fury, said PM Modi. Without taking any names, the prime minister said that this is the age of development. Age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development. History is witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back, PM Modi said in his address. Accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane, PM Modi reached Leh on Friday morning. He went straight to XIV Corps headquarters at Nimu outside Leh to understand the Chinese belligerence in Ladakh with Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh briefing Narendra Modi in presence of Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Y K Joshi. Also Read: Japan opposes any unilateral attempt to change status quo on LAC The decision of PM Modi to go to Leh was kept under wraps till he landed at the airport with the entire coordination done by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Rawat and Naravane. Doval, who came out of self-imposed isolation after two weeks, chose to remain back in Delhi. Union ministers have hailed PM Modis visit, saying it has boosted the morale of the army. Among those who posted about the prime ministers visit were home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, and Union ministers Prakadh Jadavadekar and Smriti Irani. BJP leaders said that the visit also sends out a clear message to China. Goa Speaker Rajesh Patnekar has decided to curtail the upcoming monsoon session of the Goa Legislative Assembly to a single-day affair for a vote-on-account ordinance, which gives a government the permission to spend money to meet its expenditures, and a longer lawmaking proceeding could be planned later when the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak subsides. An all-party informal meeting was held on Friday to take a call in this regard.The Speaker had called a meeting seeking all the parties suggestions. It was decided that the monsoon session will be reduced to a one-day affair because of the Covid-19 outbreak. Business Advisory Committee (BAC) will decide on the days business in the House, said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant after the meeting. Digambar Kamat, Leader of Opposition and former CM, said his party (the Congress) has also concurred with Speaker Patnekar that the assembly session should be curtailed because of the spike in Covid-19 positive cases in the state. Fridays meeting was an informal meeting called by the Speaker. There were discussions on various aspects. It has been decided to curtail the monsoon session to a day after reviewing the prevailing situation regarding the Covid-19 outbreak in the state, Kamat said.Earlier, Goa Governor Satya Pal Malik on the advice of Speaker Patnekar had convened a two-week-long monsoon session of the assembly, starting July 27. However, there has been a growing consensus among political parties to reduce the monsoon session usually the longest after Goa reported around 1,500 Covid-19 positive cases within five weeks and also four deaths related to the viral infection. The deployment of police personnel, the involvement of government officials and several other department employees go into the holding an assembly session, where strict adherence to social distancing norms is not always possible.However, the opposition is wary that a curtailed monsoon session will come to the governments rescue, as it could escape from being grilled for the alleged mishandling of the Covid-19 outbreak. We have recommended a virtual monsoon session of the assembly. But we dont even have an infrastructure to hold an e-assembly, said Vijai Sardesai, a leader of the Goa Forward Party, a local opposition outfit.He alleged that the Goa government was slow on its uptake to recognise the health hazards posed by Covid-19. Nagaland government on Friday banned import, trading and sale of dog meat in the state. The move follows a similar decision taken by Mizoram government in March this year. The state government has decided to ban commercial import and trading of dogs and dog markets and also the sale of dog meat, both cooked and uncooked, Nagaland chief secretary Temjen Toy tweeted after the decision was taken at a cabinet meeting. While there was not much clarity on what prompted the decision, there has been a recent online campaign against sale of dogs and dog meat in Nagaland by several organizations including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisation (FIAPO). We are again hit by shock and horror at recent images that have emerged from animal bazaar markets in Dimapur (Nagaland) where dogs are seen in terrified conditions, tied up in sacks (gunny bags), waiting at a wet market, for their illegal slaughter, trade and consumption as meat, FAIPO had said in an appeal to Nagaland government on July 2 urging it to put a ban. In a statement issued on Friday, Humane Society International and People For Animals, two other organisations demanding end to dog meat sale in Nagaland, welcomed the Nagaland government move as a major turning point to end cruelty against dogs. The decision by the cabinet will end the import, trade and sale of live dogs and dog meat. We welcome this decision as a major turning point in ending cruelty of Indias hidden dog meat trade, the statement read. According to HSI and PFA estimates around 30,000 dogs are smuggled annually to Nagaland where they are sold in live markets and beaten to death with wooden clubs. Dog meat is consumed by some sections of Nagaland population. Stray dogs caught from neighbouring states and even West Bengal, are routinely smuggled to the state for sale as meat in Dimapur, the commercial hub of Nagaland, and other places. Since the trade is unregulated, there is no detail on how much dog meat is consumed annually in the state. This is a progressive move. In today age, positive social media activism and advocacy has enormous impact on policy makers. Congrats and thanks to all, Abu Metha, advisor to Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, tweeted. The government decision, however, has met with some opposition by civil society groups and eminent persons who termed the move as an infringement on food habits. Government may have some reasons on why they decided to impose the ban. But it will have an impact on food habit as dog meat is consumed by common people. I have no idea how government will restrict food habits and implement the ban, said Theja Therieh, secretary, Naga Tribes Council. I am a dog lover and dont consume dog meat. But consumption of dog meat has been part of our culture, so instead of taking a hurried decision based on a campaign, mostly from outside the state, the government could have talked to stakeholders first, said popular musician Alobo Naga. In March, the Mizoram assembly passed the Animal Slaughter Bill, 2020 removing dogs from the list of animals suitable for slaughter, effectively imposing a ban on sale and purchase of dog meat in the state. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Nagaland government has reacted to Governor RN Ravis recent letter to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, stating that his assessment of the prevailing law and order in the state being precarious is far from factual. The detailed 20-point statement released on Thursday through Nagalands Information and Public Relations (IPR) department comes after Ravi wrote to Rio on June 16 mentioning how half a dozen armed gangs are challenging the legitimacy of the state government. The state government is of the view that the assessment of the law and order being precarious and grim and having deteriorated and collapsed since August 2019 does not appear to be factual, the statement read. Ravi, who was appointed Governor in August 2019 and is also the Centres interlocutor for the Naga peace talks, in his letter, had stopped short of naming the Naga rebel groups, most of whom are engaged in peace talks with the Centre since 1997, when the ceasefire agreement in the state came into force. Nagaland has been under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act since 1958 when the legislation was promulgated and it was not even a separate state but a part of undivided Assam. Nalagand became the 16th state of India on December 1, 1963. The Rio-led government, a coalition of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has cited how despite the signing of the Framework Agreement in 2015 with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN (I-M), and the conclusion of peace talks with all pro-talks Naga rebel outfits last October, the intractable political imbroglio is far from being amicably resolved. Terming the organisations as armed gangs may not be in the interest of the peace process and may not be congenial to the achievement of lasting peace, which is the desire of both the Central and the state governments, the statement read. Overall law and order situation in the state continues to be normal and peaceful. All the wings of the law and order machinery of the state are working effectively in tandem to ensure a peaceful atmosphere, it added. The statement mentioned 893 criminal cases had been filed against various rebel factions in the past five years and 1,238 people arrested. A total of 713 cases of extortion have also been lodged in the same period and 1,007 people nabbed. The state government has said eviction drives have been initiated while reacting to Ravis charge on illegal encroachment of forest land by rebel outfits. It also refuted the claim that prices of essential commodities in Nagaland were exorbitant. In his letter, Ravi had proposed that under the provision of Article 371 (A) (1) (b) of the Constitution henceforth all key law and order decisions such as transfers and postings of all officers entrusted with the maintenance of law and order of and above the district level would be done after the Governors approval. I also propose to periodically review law and order in the state and issue required lawful decisions. In order to instill and ensure accountability, I also prefer to review the annual performance appraisal reports of all such officers, the letter read. But the Nagaland government pointed out that the procedure of taking approval from the Governor for transfer and posting of senior officers was done away through a resolution in the state assembly in December 2013. Any decision to put the clock back in contravention of such a resolution in the guise of discharging special responsibilities under Article 371 (A) (1) (b) would be against the principles of democracy and would be viewed as anti-people, the statement said. NSCN (I-M), the biggest of the Naga rebel outfits, has also reacted to Ravis letter, where he had cited armed gangs indulging in extortions, and issued a statement on June 27. It justified extortion as levying legitimate taxes from the people. If he (Ravi) finds pleasure to handle the Naga issue as a law and order problem, he is not the right person to solve the long-standing Indo-Naga problem. Such an interlocutor will rather complicate and prolong the process, the NSCN-IM statement read. Naga rebel groups have given up the demand for a sovereign Nagaland. However, a final agreement with the Centre is still pending on the inclusion of Naga-dominated areas in the north-east as an integral part of Nagaland in a bid to reflect the ethnic groups unique socio-cultural identity. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 1 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. PM Modi phones Russias Putin, congratulates him for constitutional reform vote Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on the successful completion of a vote on constitutional amendments even as the Russian side reiterated its commitment to strengthening the bilateral special strategic partnership. Read more India races to release first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine by August 15 The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has partnered with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) for clinical trials of indigenous vaccine for the coronavirus disease. Read more Odisha reports 77 fresh Covid-19 positive cases, including 18 cancer patients Odisha reported 77 fresh coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive cases on Thursday evening, including 18 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Read more Saroj Khan (1948-2020): The ace choreographer who created magic with Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan died in Mumbai on Friday of cardiac arrest. In her passing away, Hindi film industry has lost one of its most beloved and respected dance exponents. It would not be wrong to say that the magic of Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi would be incomplete without her. Read more 12 deals, 72 days, 117,588.45 crore: Reliance Jios investment spree so far With a 1,894.50 crore investment from Intel Capital today, the sum total of investments raked in by Reliance Jio has been pushed up to 117, 588.45 crores in exchange for 25.09% stake in Jio Platforms. Read more Heres how to maintain a loving relationship through the coronavirus lockdown Navigating relationships can seem complicated as you are dealing with a person just as complex and unique as you are. Love, however, is universal. No matter who you are or where you come from, we all understand what it is to love and be loved in return. Like all good things in life, love and relationships require that extra bit of effort. Read more Compare me with Pakistan greats Miandad, Inzamam instead of Virat Kohli: Babar Azam Reacting strongly to the ever-rising comparisons between him and India captain Virat Kohli, Pakistan batsman Babar Azam said he would rather want to be compared with Pakistan greats like Javed Miandad, Younis Khan, and, Inzamam-ul-Haq. Read more Covid deaths decrease globally and why mothers cant donate plasma Hindustan Times National Political Editor, Sunetra Choudhury brings you the top stories you need to know. Sunetra talks about the number of covid-19 cases in India and that the number globally has decreased. She speaks on why mothers cant donate plasma, Uttarakhands exemption from quarantine and more. Watch the full video for details. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Road blocked using earthmover, firing from rooftop: How 8 cops were killed in Kanpur gun fight Eight policemen, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), were killed when they were fired upon by criminals in Uttar Pradeshs Kanpur. The incident happened at 1:30 am on Friday. Read more CDS Bipin Rawat to review operational preparedness in Ladakh today Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat is expected to go to East Ladakh sector today to review the tri-services preparedness against the aggressive Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) as well as understand the proposed de-escalation and disengagement process at the four stand-off points. Read more Saroj Khan, Bollywoods masterji, dies of cardiac arrest at 71 Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 71 on Friday morning. She was admitted to Mumbais Guru Nanak Hospital last month after she complained of trouble in breathing. Read more Always a cover fielder, my job was to take on his famous square-cuts Everton Weekes was a prolific batsman and got runs wherever he played. Against India he batted at another levelseven centuries in 10 Tests. Read more Tiger abhi zinda hai: BJPs Jyotiraditya Scindia hits out at MP Congress BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia hit out at Madhya Pradesh Congress after Cabinet expansion. Watch to know more. Masks and make-up: Let your eyes do the talking The coronavirus pandemic has changed the demographic of the entire world. From the economy to day to day household activities, all things have been made to change to accommodate the new set of circumstances that the pandemic has brought on and the makeup industry is no exception. Read more Baby elephants fighting over delicious twig is the perfect dose of cuteness to start your day. Watch Netizens cant seem to have enough of videos of baby elephants. Their adorable ears and little trunks along with oodles of goofiness is something that most of us love, so why not start your day with an adorable clip of two baby elephants play fighting over an extremely precious object. Read more The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was planning a major action, including choking funding to top Maoist leadership, as part of an ongoing legal process when the Chhattisgarh government in May claimed jurisdiction in the probe into the 2013 Jheerum Ghati attack in which top leaders of the Congress (then the party in power in the state) were among 27 killed, the anti-terror agencys officials familiar with the matter said. Former Union minister Vidya Charan Shukla was among those killed when Maoists ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders in Jheerum Ghati. NIA took over the probe into the case two days after the attack . The officials said the state governments move has put the brakes on NIAs probe . They added the issue can be resolved when the Chhattisgarh police stops the parallel investigation. NIA has called the Chhattisgarh polices refusal to hand over a new First Information Report (FIR) registered in the case in May to the federal agency illegal. The two sides are staring at a long legal battle over the issue. The agency has told a Jabalpur NIA court that a charge sheet was filed in the case against nine people in September 2014 and has sought directions to the Chhattisgarh police to hand over the new FIR. It has said a trial was going on and 45 prosecution witnesses have been examined since a supplementary charge sheet was filed against 30 people in September 2015. NIA has told the court about searches at residential premises of 25 accused with the help of local police and the Central Reserve Police Force. HT has seen the court documents. The officials cited above said that they are working on taking the action against Tippiri Tirupati alias Devji, a Central Committee member of the Maoists and in charge of the South Regional Unified Command, Paka Hanumanthu alias Ganesh Uwike, head of ther South Regional Unified Committee, Soma Sodhi, secretary, Darbha Division, and Barse Sukka alias Deva, absconding since planning the attack. An NIA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the agency named all main perpetrators in the two charge sheets and efforts were going on to arrest them. We have information about their properties and their activities; our probe is in an advanced stage and we announced rewards on all absconding persons. It is a massive investigation which takes time and evidence. Our investigations are not on the basis of hearsay. The Chhattisgarh polices FIR has no legal basis. They should handover the FIR to us, the official said. The agency told the court the Chhattisgarh police were violating the NIA Acts Section 6 by not handing over the FIR. The section prohibits state governments from proceeding with investigations into cases entrusted to NIA. Chhattisgarh police inspector general (Bastar) P Sundarraj said the police have registered the case on the basis of a complaint from a local resident and they will be investigating it. We have already submitted our view in the court, added Sundarraj. Jitendra Mudaliyar, the son of Congress leader Uday Mudaliyar, who was killed in the attack, filed the fresh FIR in May. The state government has maintained NIA did not probe the conspiracy angle to the attack in which almost the entire state Congress leadership was wiped out. The Congress returned to power in Chhattisgarh in December 2018. The Shiv Sena on Friday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government over the status quo in the security situation in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The BJP ally-turned-rival questioned how the governments bid to bifurcate the erstwhile state into two union territories --- J&K and Ladakh -- last year following the scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution and demonetisation in 2016 to wipe out terror financing has backfired on it. The Sena took a dig at the strong government at the Centre for unabated terror activities in J&K. Its status quo, despite the scrapping of Article 370 (that gave special status to J&K) and bifurcation of the erstwhile state. There is blood on the streets every day and there is loss of innocent lives. Despite demonetisation, there is no respite from terror activities and circulation of fake currency notes, which was touted as a big challenge for the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), said an editorial in Senas mouthpiece Saamana, a Marathi daily. The editorial said civilians are being targeted by terrorists with impunity. Referring to an incident in Sopore, north Kashmir, on Wednesday where a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan and a civilian were killed by terrorists, the Sena said that the picture of a three-year-old infant sitting near the body of his slain grandfather is reminiscent of conflict-hit Syria and Afghanistan. It blamed the government for the spiralling violence in Kashmir Valley while claiming that the tragic picture has hurt the countrys image on the global stage. The little boy was trying to wake up his slain grandfather... Some Central ministers tweeted this picture. These ministers should understand that the picture underscores the Central governments failure. The onus is on the government regarding improving the security situation in the Kashmir Valley. Such pictures are similar to conflict-hit nations like Syria, Egypt, Somalia, and Afghanistan and are doing no good to the countrys image on a global stage, it said. The Sena slammed the government and Amit Shah, in particular, for his inability to rein in the violence in the Kashmir Valley, which the party claimed has spiked since he took charge of the MHA. Infiltration has increased in the last six months. Though our jawans have killed many terrorists in the past few months, the number of our jawans getting martyred is no less. It is said that there are about 170 active terrorists in the Valley, it added. The Sena reminded the government that despite repealing of Article 370, the ghar wapasi, or homecoming, of Kashmiri Pandits, remained a distant dream. It also cited the killing of a Kashmiri sarpanch, Ajay Pandita, in south Kashmirs Anantnag district in June, as a case in point. Complication of tension at the Sino-Indian border should be avoided, China said on Friday, within hours of Prime Minister Narendra Modis surprise visit to Ladakh in the backdrop of the ongoing hostile situation between the two Himalayan neighbours. The Chinese foreign ministry also said New Delhi should avoid strategic miscalculation on China. India and China are in communication and negotiations on lowering the temperatures through military and diplomatic channels. No party should engage in any action that may complicate the situation at this point, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, said at the regular ministry briefing on Friday. Modi, during his Ladakh visit, was accompanied by chief of defence staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. Watch: China responds to PM Narendra Modis Ladakh visit The PM toured one of the forward locations in Nimu where he interacted with personnel of the Army, Air Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Modis visit to the border is being closely monitored in China as New Delhi begins a calibrated response including economic steps - after 20 Indian army soldiers were killed in eastern Ladakh in a violent clash with Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) troops on June 15. An unspecified number of Chinese soldiers also died in the clash. Asked about India planning to ban Chinese companies from building roads in the country, Zhao said New Delhi should focus on common interests in bilateral relations. Certain politicians in India have been issuing remarks that are detrimental to our bilateral relations. Our bilateral relations need to be held with the concerted efforts, Indian side should work with us towards the same goal, to uphold the general picture of our common interests in bilateral relations, Zhao added. Setting artificial blocks to our concrete and practical cooperation will also harm Indias interest. We will take necessary measures to uphold legitimate rights of Chinese businesses in India, Zhao said. Zhao sidestepped a question about New Delhis security-related concerns that prompted it to ban 59 Chinese mobile apps on Monday. we should also be aware that India and China are major developing countries, accelerating the renewal and development are historical missions for both of us. To this end we have to respect and support each other. This is also in the long-term interest of both sides, he said. If we show misgiving and engage in conflicts, this is not the right way and also go against the shared aspiration of our people. So, we have to follow the consensus reached between the leaders of our two countries, and proceed from the overall picture of our bilateral relations. The Indian side should not have strategic miscalculation on China. We hope it will work with China to uphold the overall picture of our bilateral relations, Zhao added. Odisha reported its biggest single-day surge of 561 Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases past the 8,000-mark as the state government enforced weekend shutdowns in 18 of the 30 districts from July 4. Of the 561 new cases, 425 were from quarantine centres while 136 were local cases. Ganjam, the Covid-19 hotspot district reported 283 cases, followed by 81 in Cuttack and 76 in Rayagada. Two more Covid-19 positive persons with co-morbidity conditions, like diabetes and hypertension, also died of the disease taking the death toll to 29 in the state. Health and Family Welfare department sources said of the 561 cases, 77 cases were detected from three premier hospitals - 55 from Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer in Cuttack and 11 each from SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack and AIIMS-Bhubaneswar. In Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer, 18 patients tested coronavirus positive. In the southern district of Rayagada, 74 cases were detected from a village in Gunupur sub-division area. District collector Pramod Behera said the 74 in Bijaypur village who tested positive were infected by a 3-member family of superspreaders who had returned from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu last month. The family then infected 13 others taking the total infection in the village to 90. As cases continued to surge in the districts despite weekend shutdowns in 11 of the districts, including Ganjam and Khurda, in June, the state government has now decided to enforce it in 18 districts that now account for 84 per cent of the total cases. The districts where weekend shutdown will be enforced in July are Ganjam, Gajapati, Cuttack, Khordha, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Balasore, Rayagada, Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Bolangir, Koraput, Kendrapara, Bargarh and Dhenkanal. Any person violating the weekend shutdowns will be liable to be proceeded against as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Section 188 of the IPC and other legal provisions as applicable. In addition to the weekend shutdowns, some districts announced additional restrictions. In Dhenkanal district, known for its Shiva shrines, the collector banned entry of the devotees/Kaudias in various Shiv temples during the month of Shravan, The Koraput district allowed opening of shops and business establishments between 7 am and 2 pm. Ganjam has banned non-essential vehicular movement till July 31 as a precautionary measure to stem the rise in cases. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation prohibited labourers belonging to hotspot states or districts from working in the industrial, construction, hotels/hospitality sector till July 31. For Odisha, the surge of cases has been a major worry as they are peaking despite lockdown and shutdowns. In Odisha, the first 1000 cases were recorded in 65 days, while the last 1000 cases were reported in just four days. The weekend shutdowns have not led to any dramatic change in the Covid-19 cases count as the month of June saw cases double in the 11 districts where shutdown was in place. In the 11 districts, the cases doubled from 2142 to 4887 during the shutdown period. On Friday, the Ganjam district administration tweeted a photo of people congregating in a place without wearing masks following which Covid spokesperson Subroto Bagchi said if any citizen neglects his/her life or others life, the government will be forced to take tough and bold steps. When the night curfew started at 7 PM people used to crowd at the shops at 5 PM as if it was Bali Jatra, now even after the government relaxed the timing people are still crowding the shops in a similar manner at 7 PM. You and I, we all have a responsibility not to put life in peril. If we continue with our irresponsible behaviour, the government will be forced to take more stringent steps than earlier, there should be no doubt in that, said Bagchi. The Covid spokesperson said anyone with Covid-19 symptoms will be sent to Covid care centres where they will be tested, and if found positive, the persons would be shifted to Covid hospital. To find out the spread of the disease, the government has started a 45-day door-to-door surveillance programme with the help of ASHA workers. In case the person is found negative, but has symptoms, he or she will remain in home quarantine. Trace, test and treat is the principle of this survey. Be responsible citizens and cooperate with the government, he said on the day Odisha conducted 6851 tests. Odisha reported 77 fresh coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive cases on Thursday evening, including 18 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The state government is worried about the fresh cases of viral outbreak, especially among the frontline healthcare workers battling the pandemic. State government officials said of the 77 new Covid-19 positive cases, 55 were reported from Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre in Cuttack; 11 each from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar; and SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack. In Rourkelas Ispat General Hospital, a patient, who was undergoing treatment, tested Covid-19 positive after he passed away. Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centres 36 healthcare attendants have tested Covid-19 positive along with 18 patients undergoing chemotherapy.A staff nurse at the hospital also found to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19.Earlier, 16 people, including five patients at the cancer hospital, had tested Covid-19 positive after a patient from Ganjam district, who was admitted to the emergency ward of the hospital on June 15, found to be infected nine days later. On Thursday, the panic-stricken hospital authorities shut down the outpatient department (OPD) facility, much to the distress of hundreds of patients in dire need of chemotherapy sessions.Similarly, 11 people, including a mother and her 10-month-old son, tested Covid-19 positive at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack. A lady doctor, working as an intern at SCB Dental College, also found to be suffering from the viral infection on Tuesday.At AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, 11 patients in the pulmonary department have tested Covid-19 positive. Doctors at the hospital expressed concern over contracting the infection, as the authorities are yet to issue a standard operating procedure (SOP) for treating OPD patients.In June alone, 40 frontline doctors and nurses have tested Covid-19 positive amid a lack of SOP guidelines in the government-run healthcare facilities. However, the state government has issued an SOP for private hospitals following the detection of 40-odd Covid-19 positive cases from a Bhubaneswar-based private hospital. Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Olis anti-India policies are among the reasons why an Eminent Persons Group formed in 2016 to revisit the 1950 Nepal-India Treaty of Peace and Friendship is yet to submit its report to the governments of the two countries despite it being ready almost two years ago, peoplefamiliar with the matter said. The group was formed following Prime Minister Narendra Modis meeting with Oli in 2016 to suggest ways for consolidating and transforming the India-Nepal relationship. The treaty is the basis of the free cross-border movement between the two countries as well as their collaboration including on matters of defence. Also read: Under pressure to resign, PM Oli cabinet prorogues parliaments budget session It [the report] was supposed to be submitted to PM Modi first [in 2018] and then to the Nepalese side. But there were too many issues that cropped up, said a government functionary who spoke on condition of anonymity. A second person aware of the matter said, also on condition of anonymity, that the group suggested a revision of the treaty in line with the changed context and with more focus on the social and cultural linkages. Oli on Sunday accused India of conspiring to topple him for publishing Nepals new map that depicts Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura (all part of Indias Uttarakhand)as part of the Nepalese territory. The map has triggered tensions between the two countries with India calling the move an artificial enlargement of territorial claims. India has maintained the onus was on Nepal to create a positive atmosphere for talks to resolve the border row. Olis accusation came amid factional rivalry within the ruling Nepal Communist Party. Asked whether the group had specific recommendations about the border issue, the second person said the groups mandate did not cover it. The idea was to ensure that the borders are open, allowing for more people-to-people contact. The idea was to insulate ties from political vicissitudes. Also read: Imran Khan to join Xi Jinping to shore up Nepals PM Oli against India Jawaharlal Nehru University professor Mahendra P Lama, who was a member of the group, said the recommendations in the report were arrived at through consensus and there was no controversy. The report addresses the aspirations of both the nations and covered a gamut of aspects such as cross open border engagement, trade, transit, investment, climate change, natural resources, culture, institutions, financial cooperation, national security, migration, trafficking, water, energy, and even a pandemic situation, he said. It all aimed at consolidating and transforming the relationship to suit the requirements for the 21st century. Lama confirmed the report was finalised in July 2018. The other members of the group from India included former Uttarakhand chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who is now the Maharashtra governor, former ambassador Jayant Prasad, and the late B C Upreti, who was then a senior fellow with think-tank Vivekananda Foundation. Members from Nepal include Thapa, Nilambar Acharya, Suryanath Upadhyay and Rajan Bhattarai. V K Singh, the then minister of state for external affairs, told Parliament in July 2018 that the group was yet to submit its report to the two governments. He added it was to submit its recommendations at the end of its two-year term. Singh said the group had held nine meetings since July 2016 and last met in Kathmandu in June 2018. Singhs successor, V Muraleedharan, echoed the former in Parliament in December 2019. The external affairs ministry did not respond to questions on the status of the report. In a closely guarded move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief Gen M N Naravane landed at Leh on Friday morning to review the tri-services preparedness against the aggressive Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) as well as understand the proposed de-escalation and disengagement process at the four stand-off points. PM Modi will address Indian troops at Thiksey near Leh. He will also meet injured soldiers at the hospital in Nimu near Leh. The decision for PM Modi to visit Ladakh sector was taken last evening with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval handling the last minute detailing with Gen Rawat. PM Modi, Doval and Rawat stood together to face the Chinese aggression in Doklam plateau in 2017. PM Modi was briefed by the Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Y K Joshi and XIV Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh at Nimu Army headquarters. The visit of PM Modi and Army brass will be a huge morale booster for Indian troops deployed in East Ladakh. With NSA Ajit Doval coming out of self imposed isolation, the Leh visit is a huge signal to China as it conveys how seriously does India view the stand-off with PLA. Although the Ministry of External Affairs spokesman on Thursday called for expeditious dis-engagement from the border, the de-escalation process will take time with the PLA not in the mood to walk the talk between the two governments on ground. Despite talking about peace and dis-engagement, the PLA troop withdrawal from Galwan, Gogra, Hot Springs and Pangong Tso will take a lot of time and serious persuasion. According to military commanders, the PLA continues to earmark its territory at all the stand-off points by physical deployment while undertaking superficial thinning in the rear by withdrawing a few vehicles and few men. The PLA stands amassed at Galwan River Valley and consolidated at Pangong Tso with massive infrastructure upgrade. Faced with a recalcitrant adversary, the Indian Army and Air Force are fully deployed to prevent any further aggression from the PLA. The morale of the forces appears to be very high particularly after the June 15 flare-up at Galwan. We have no intentions of initiating any skirmish but any aggression from the other side will be fully repelled, said a senior military commander. With temperatures in East Ladakh and Tibet well over 20 degree Celsius and high velocity winds sweeping the region, air operations in the area are a challenge with weight limits being imposed during take-offs particularly in Russian origin platforms. While IAF will use the air bases in the plains in the worst case scenario, the PLA Air Force will have serious difficulty in operating from Tibetan Plateau. The coming days will also be a test of unproven Chinese air platforms, missiles and land systems as their battle worthiness has never been challenged. Jyotiraditya Scindia, Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member, on Friday said that Emergency was imposed in the country for the sake of sticking to power whereas the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre was working for welfare of people. The BJP leader made the comments while addressing the party workers through a virtual rally across the state to mark 100 days of Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh. Besides Scindia, union minister for agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar, chief minister Chouhan and state BJP president VD Sharma addressed the rally. When many countries shuddered to think how to control coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a firm decision on lockdown. On one side, there is a party which had imposed Emergency on the country to stick to power and on the other another partys leader made an appeal to people with folded hands to comply with lockdown and 130 crore people of the country responded to his request with a positive mindset, Scindia said comparing Congress with the NDA government at the Centre. Many people will say that Scindiaji since you have changed the party you are talking of Emergency, but I wish to tell them I always opposed Emergency and even when I was in the Congress. What is true is true and what is wrong is wrong. At the end of the day a human being has to live with himself. If you see yourself in the mirror and find yourself a liar you will not be able to sleep comfortably, said Scindia. The leader underscored how PM Modis early decision to go into lockdown proved right for the country, comparing it to other countries that witnessed heavy casualties due to coronavirus. He (Modi) saved thousands and lakhs of lives with the timely lockdown decision, said Scindia. Taking a dig at his former colleague, Kamal Nath, Scindia asked if the then Congress chief minister took any steps to help check the coronavirus situation in the state. Scindia then praised Shivraj Singh Chouhan for his single-handed fight against the epidemic. I wish to ask the then chief minister Kamal Nath if his government held any meeting on how to control the disease and did he visit any hospital or any poors house? Instead, what happened in the last 14 days of the then Congress government were appointments on various posts and he held a meeting on IIFA award function instead of Corona. He had no funds for fighting Covid-19 but had Rs 700 crore for the IIFA award function, Scindia alleged. Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar praised Scindia for backing Centres decision to scrap Jammu and Kashmirs special status even while he was in the Congress. Scindia ji appreciated the central governments decision on Article 370 even when he was in Opposition. He raised several issues concerning people in Madhya Pradesh but the then Congress government was arrogant enough not to address his concern. In 2018, BJP could have formed its government by causing a defection but our principles didnt allow us to do so, said Tomar. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan again targeted Kamal Nath for not taking any steps to control coronavirus in the state. The government has come to know that moneylenders fleeced people during Covid situation. A law would be enacted so that people from weaker sections of society and tribals dont have to repay loans taken from such moneylenders who dont have a licence for the business and are authorised to take back their valuables they have pledged with moneylenders, said Chouhan. Assam government, which has been battling perception regarding an ordinance that has allowed micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to set up industries by only submitting a self-declaration, on Friday clarified the move wouldnt hurt the land rights of the north-easts most-populous states diverse indigenous population. States industries minister Chandra Mohan Patowary stated that contrary to popular apprehensions, it wouldnt allow setting up of industries in all categories of lands and the conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes would be off-limits. On Monday, in a bid to fast track industrialisation amid the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic that has roiled the state economy like in other parts of the country, Assam cabinet had allowed setting up of MSME units by submitting a self-declaration without taking any permission or clearance for a period of three years.The ordinance also allowed land for setting up industries would be deemed converted. The move had led to apprehensions that industrialists from outside the state would make a beeline for Assam and purchase agricultural land, which would later be converted for industrial purposes without any checks and balances, hurting the land rights of the local indigenous population.Opposition parties and several organisations had sought repeal of the ordinance at the earliest. However, the ordinance is yet to be approved by Assam Governor, Jagdish Mukhi.This ordinance wont affect the land rights of the states indigenous population, as safeguarded under the Assam Agricultural Land (Regulations of Reclassifications and Transfer for Non-Agricultural Purpose) Act, 2015, Patowary said while addressing a press conference on Friday. The ordinance doesnt affect the restrictions on sale or transfer of agricultural land for non-agricultural purpose because it is protected under the Act. It wont allow any person to buy or sell any agricultural land for the non-agricultural purpose, he added. Patowary said the ordinance wouldnt allow setting up of industries in restricted land like grazing reserves, wetlands, eco-sensitive zones, heritage, historical and archaeological sites, those meant for religious institutions and those falling under tribal belts and blocks. An enterprise cant set up industry related to hazardous products without obtaining prior permission, as mandatory under the central government laws, Patowary said. While the ordinance allows setting up of industries without any permission, except for fire services and electricity, but on expiry of the three-year period, enterprises will be required to obtain all clearances within six months. No one would be able to sale or purchase agricultural land to set up industries, as genuine owner of agricultural land are allowed to set up MSME units in their own plots, the minister added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON More than 500,000 Indians stranded in countries across the world because of the Covid-19 pandemic have been repatriated under the Vande Bharat Mission since it began on May 7. In less than two months, a total of 503,990 stranded Indians have returned from 137 countries, including from remote areas, the external affairs ministry said on Friday. Considering that the initial target to bring stranded Indians with compelling reasons was only two lakh, this is a significant achievement, it said. Kerala received the largest number of stranded Indians (94,085), followed by Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. The largest number of stranded Indians returned by Vande Bharat Mission flights from the United Arab Emirates (57,305), followed by Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the US. Another 91,193 Indians returned from Nepal through land border check posts, while 95,220 returned through land border check posts with other neighbouring countries. Vande Bharat Mission has so far involved 860 Air India flights, 1,256 charter flights and repatriation missions by eight naval ships. The number of stranded Indians who have returned by Air India flights so far is 164,121, while Indian Navy repatriated another 3,987 Indians from the Maldives, Iran and Sri Lanka. Chartered flights brought back 230,832 people and foreign carriers brought back 3,969 people. About 60 people returned in air ambulances. This massive operation was carried out with the support and cooperation of Indian missions abroad, the civil aviation, home and health ministries and state governments. The external affairs ministry designated senior officers to coordinate with states to ensure the operations were carried out smoothly at all levels. The Monsoon session of Parliament may begin after August 15, be shorter than usual, and lawmakers may be spread across different buildings to attend hybrid a mix of physical and digital proceedings as lawmaking adjusts to the new normal inflicted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Officials familiar with the matter said that while some members may sit in the two houses on designated seats with social distancing, and in different galleries on the first floor others may attend the proceedings digitally from Parliaments library building, which is situated next to the main building. The online platform of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) can accommodate up to 600 visitors. The officials cited above said on condition of anonymity that the plan on who will be allocated space where is likely to be drawn based on the strength of different parties in the Upper and Lower houses. Also read: First House panel to discuss preparedness to tackle Covid-19 An earlier plan to shift the Lok Sabha to the larger Central Hall, and the Rajya Sabha to the Lok Sabha, was junked, the officials added, saying it was proving difficult to safely accommodate all the members . With a rise in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks the authorities are also considering a shorter session. Theres not much business to transact. The priority of the government is to clear the ordinances promulgated in the past few months and the Opposition might press for debates on Covid pandemic and Indo-China border conflict, said an official involved in the preparations. He said that the session may start only after Independence Day. Last year, the Monsoon session ran from June 17 to August 6. The Narendra Modi government has, in recent months, brought three ordinances to redefine the legal framework of Indias agricultural markets as a part of its Covid response. It amended the Essential Commodities Act, brought a new legislation on contract farming, and changed the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) laws to allow farmers sell their produce freely. The government also promulgated the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 to bring the large network of co-operative banks under the purview of the Reserve Bank of India. Even as the government will take a final call on the sessions schedule, Rajya Sabha chair, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla are busy preparing the ground for a session amid the risks posed by Covid-19. The broad position that emerged was to enable seating of members of Rajya Sabha in the chamber and the galleries of the House in conformity with the norm of physical distancing. And to enable virtual participation of other members from either the Central Hall or Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament House premises, said a second official. Naidu, the official added, wants to enable the participation of the members from within the House to the extent possible. The main chamber and the galleries of Rajya Sabha can accommodate 127 members (out of 245) if social distancing norms are adhered to. All the galleries except the media gallery will be utilised for MPs. And screens will be put up both inside and outside the House to help members virtually participate, said the official. The number of people who can be accommodated in the 543-member Lok Sabha while following the same norms was not immediately available. The budget session this year started on January 31 and ran till March 23. Parliamentary affairs minister Prahlad Joshi has said the Centre has enough time to decide because of the Covid outbreak. Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury has maintained that many Opposition leaders have written to presiding officers to hold the session to discuss urgent matters. Prime Minister Narenda Modi called Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday and assured all help to tackle the flood situation in the state. Spoke to Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and reviewed the situation in the wake of flooding and landslides in parts of the state. Assured all possible support from the Centre to help those affected, the prime minister said in a tweet. According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), over 1.3 million people in 20 of the states 33 districts are still affected by floods. One more death due to drowning was reported on Friday, taking to total deaths so far in this season to 35. While the flood situation eased a bit on Friday due to break in heavy rainfall in most parts of the state, a total of 11,741 persons uprooted by flooding are still taking shelter in 156 relief camps. According to Central Water Commission (CWC), Brahmaputra was flowing over the danger mark at Nematighat and Dhubri, Jia Bharali overflowing at Sonitpur, Kopili at Dharamtul and Beki at Barpeta. Nearly 70% of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve continued to remain submerged on Friday. According to the park authorities, 48 of the total 223 camps used by forest personnel have been inundated. A statement issued from CM Sonowals office said that besides floods, the PM also inquired about the prevailing Covid-19 scenario in Assam and the steps taken by the state government to control the pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met soldiers injured in the Galwan Valley clash with China and told them that 130 crore Indians were proud of their valour. The prime minister visited the injured soldiers in hospital in Leh, soon after he addressed soldiers deployed in Ladakh. Our country has never bowed down and will never bow down to any world power, and I am able to say this because of braves like you, PM Modi said while interacting with the soldiers, who were injured in the June 15 clash with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakhs Galwan Valley. ALSO READ | PM Modi wraps up Ladakh visit with a swipe at China, says times have changed In a veiled reference to China, the PM said that the country will never bow to any other power in the world. I have come here to thank each one of you. Our India is self-reliant. Our country has never bowed down and will never bow down to any world power. I pay my respects to you as well as to the mothers who gave birth to braves like you. Hope everyone gets well soon, he said. Earlier in the day, addressing soldiers in Nimu, Prime Minister Modi, in an apparent swipe at China said the age of expansionism was over and added that the new age of development was the one nations should focus on. From Leh, Ladakh to Siachen and Kargil...and Galwans icy waters...every mountain, every peak is witness to the valour of Indian soldiers. Age of expansionism is over; this is the age of development. History has witnessed that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back, PM Modi said. The Prime Minister also mentioned that the people of Ladakh had rejected every attempt to create separatism in the region. Praising the soldiers for their bravery on June 15, the Prime Minister said, The braves who left us, they did not depart without reason, all of you gave a befitting reply. Your bravery, the blood you shed will inspire our youth and countrymen for generations. ALSO READ | No party should complicate border tension: China after PMs Ladakh visit You are in a hospital thats why you may not know that 130 crore citizens are proud of you. A message has gone to the world about the valour shown by you bravehearts. The way you stood up to the powers, the world wishes to know who are these bravehearts? What is their training? What is their sacrifice? The world is analyzing your bravery. The blood you have shed is an inspiration to our country, PM Modi said. The India-China border situation continues to remain tense after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in the Galwan Valley on June 15-16 when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. India and China have been involved in talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month. Earlier today, the Prime Minister made a surprise visit to Ladakh and was briefed by senior officers at Nimu amid ongoing tensions with China. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. For an average healthy human, it takes at least two days to acclimatize to Lehs height of over 11,000 feet with rarefied atmosphere, dry air and ultra-violet rays from a blazing sun in cold desert Ladakh. But 69-year old Prime Minister Narendra Modi today defied physical odds when he landed up at Kushok Bakula Rimpochee airport at Leh to be briefed about operational preparedness of the Indian military against the aggressive Chinese Peoples Liberation Army. Accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane, Prime Minister went straight to XIV Corps headquarters at Nimu outside Leh to understand the Chinese belligerence in Ladakh with Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh briefing Narendra Modi in presence of Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Y K Joshi. Also Read: PM Modi wraps up Ladakh visit with a swipe at China, says times have changed The decision of PM Modi to go to Leh was kept under wraps till he landed at the airport with the entire coordination done by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Rawat and Naravane. Doval, who came out of self-imposed isolation after two weeks, chose to remain back in Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat arrives in Leh (PTI) The presence of PM Modi in the Ladakh region has not only sent a huge signal to China that India means business and will not surrender even an inch of its territory but also to the local population with the head of government coming down to reassure them. Also Read: PM Modi, President Putin vow to strengthen Indo-Russia ties, discuss Covid-19 crisis The PMs visit is also a very strong message to President Xi Jinping that either he gets his aggressive Western Theatre Commander Zhao Zongqi to restore status quo ante or accept the inevitable consequences of PLA escalation. The Indian Army and Chinese PLA are locked up at four points on the LAC in East Ladakh with the latter consolidating on ground while mouthing peace overtures. Flanked by Gen Rawat and Gen Naravane, the PM has also assured the country that India is quite capable of handling China, which has created both health and security problems for the globe with corona virus from Wuhan and pre-meditated confrontation with India, ASEAN and Australia. It is understood that PM Modi will give a clear message to the Ladakh commanders that they should not initiate any escalation from their side but also retaliate to any aggression. The same message was also given out during the 2017 Doklam crisis. Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat visited Ladakh on Friday morning on a closely-guarded trip to the Union Territory (UT) that has been at the centre of the stand-off with Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) troops since early May. Top government officials had earlier only let it be known that CDS Rawat would visit Ladakh for a review of the tri-services preparedness and a first-hand understanding of the proposed de-escalation and disengagement process at the four stand-off points. It was only after PM Modi emerged from the plane in Leh that the news of his surprise visit got out. The PM visited Nimu village, which is one of the forward bases in Ladakh. The Army base is located at an altitude of 1,100 feet and is surrounded by the breathtaking Zanskar mountain range and the fast-flowing Indus river. The senior Army commanders briefed the PM about the current situation on the red-hot Line of Actual Control (LAC) amid the backdrop of hand-to-hand combat between Indian Army and Chinas PLA troops on June 15 in eastern Ladakhs Galwan Valley that led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers. PM Modis visit to the border area is high on symbolism and a morale booster for the troops that are leading the stand-off in Galwan valley and around Pangong lake. Officials said that the PM would interact with Indian soldiers and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) jawans during his visit to the forward posts. The vigil along the LAC has intensified since the stand-off with PLA troops, which have been trying to make incursions at several places. Though senior Indian and PLA commanders have held several meetings in a bid to initiate a de-escalation and dis-engagement process, the talks have been inconclusive amid hopes of fresh rounds of parleys. PM Modi had last visited Ladakh in February, 2019, before it was carved out a separate UT on October 31, 2019 Earlier, defence minister Rajnath Singh was slated to visit Ladakh, but his trip was cancelled at the last moment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on the successful completion of a vote on constitutional amendments even as the Russian side reiterated its commitment to strengthening the bilateral special strategic partnership. Modi was the first world leader to speak to Putin after Russian voters approved changes to the constitution that will allow Putin to hold power until 2036. The telephonic conversation on Thursday came against the backdrop of the Indian government approving a move to acquire 33 new combat jets from Russia, including 12 Su-30MKIs and 21 MiG-29s. The PM congratulated Putin on the success of celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War-II and the successful completion of the vote on constitutional amendments. Modi pointed to an Indian tri-services contingents participation in the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on June 24 as a symbol of the abiding friendship between the people of India and Russia. Putin thanked Modi for the phone call and reiterated his commitment to further strengthen the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two countries in all spheres, according to Indian readout of the conversation. The leaders took note of effective measures put in place by the two sides to address the consequences of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic and agreed on the importance of closer bilateral ties for jointly addressing the challenges of the post-Covid-19 world. They agreed to maintain the momentum of bilateral contacts and consultations, leading up to the annual bilateral summit to be held in India this year, and Modi conveyed his keenness to welcome Putin for the meeting. Russia has played a key behind-the-scenes role in efforts to reduce tensions between India and China following the standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Its leadership has said the reduction of tensions is necessary for regional security and stability. Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who also participated in the Victory Day parade in Moscow last week, said after meetings with top Russian leaders that he had been assured that all ongoing contracts for military supplies would proceed as scheduled and be completed expeditiously, despite the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. People familiar with developments said this includes the $5.4-billion contract for five S-400 missile defence systems, which are expected to be delivered from the middle of next year. Russia accounts for more than 60% of the military hardware used by the Indian armed forces. On Thursday, the defence ministry approved a proposal to acquire 33 new combat jets, including 12 Su-30MKIs and 21 MiG-29s, and the upgrade of 59 MiG-29s at a total cost of Rs 18,148 crore. Addressing the long-felt need of the Indian Air Force to increase its fighter squadrons, the DAC [Defence Acquisition Council] also approved the proposal for procurement of 21 MiG-29 along with an upgrade of existing 59 MiG-29 aircraft and procurement of 12 Su-30 MKI aircraft, the defence ministry said in a statement. The constitutional changes in Russia will allow Putin to run two more times as president. Putin has been in power for more than two decades, longer than any other Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin. In an affidavit filed before the Bombay high court (HC), the Mumbai Police has refuted the allegations that a porter was stopped and assaulted by police personnel busy enforcing lockdown restrictions, which were imposed since end-March to contain the spread of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, in south Mumbai, and he later succumbed to the injuries. Iqbal Gani Avalkar, an inspector attached to south Mumbais JJ Marg police station, has filed the affidavit in reply to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate and human rights activist, Firdause Irani, who claimed that he himself, his wife and their two sons were assaulted by the local police personnel and civic officials outside their residence at Goregaon (West) on April 16 for no apparent reason. Irani claimed that there have been several instances of police excesses under the guise of enforcing lockdown restrictions and cited a report of a human rights organisation that estimated the death toll at 15, including two from Mumbai, in a bid to bolster his argument. The Mumbai victims were identified as Sameer Jamal Khan and Raju Velu Devendra. Khan and Devendra died after being allegedly assaulted by south Mumbai and Juhu police station personnel, respectively. Avalkar has claimed that Khan, who was carrying a refrigerator and two bundles of clothes on a handcart to Mumbais Null Bazaar neighbourhood, was not stopped by any police personnel while citing closed-circuit TV (CCTV) footage as evidence. Dattatray Bhargude, an assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Mumbai Police, filed an affidavit stating that the investigation into Devendras death has not proceeded further, as the family members of the deceased did not come forward to record their statements, despite repeated requests. The ACP also pleaded his inability to issue summons to eye-witnesses, as the spot, where the incident occurred, is still off-limits because it has been declared a containment zone for Covid-19 patients. A two-member division bench, comprising chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice NJ Jamadar, adjourned Iranis petition for two weeks in a bid to enable Mumbai Police to file an affidavit in reply to the petitioners allegations. On Tuesday, Irani pointed out to the court that after the April 16 incident he has received hundreds of complaints from people having faced similar police excesses during the lockdown restrictions. The Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan government changed its top bureaucrat three months before his retirement in a major bureaucratic rejig late Thursday night, according to the list posted on the website of the department of personnel. Rajeeva Swarup, a 1985-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has been named the new chief secretary, but is due to retire in October. The incumbent, DB Gupta, a 1983-batch IAS officer, who is due to retire in September, has not been given a posting. Speculations are rife that Gupta may opt for voluntary retirement. Swarup has been the additional chief secretary (ACS) of the state home department. He has been busy issuing guidelines for lockdown restrictions, which were enforced across the nation from March 25 in a bid to contain the spread of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. The latest transfers and postings of 103 officials will lead to major changes in other state government departments as well. Rohit Kumar Singh, who was heading the state health department amid the viral outbreak, has been moved to the home department to replace Swarup. Akhil Arora, principal secretary of social justice and empowerment department, has been named the new health principal secretary and a replacement for Singh. Subodh Agrawal, who was ACS (Industries) and coordinated the movement of stranded migrant workers from other states amid the easing of lockdown restrictions, has been made ACS (Mines & Petroleum). District collectors of 17 districts, including Jaipur, have been changed. Also, of the seven divisional commissioners, five have been changed. Jaipurs collector Joga Ram has been replaced by Antar Singh Nehra; divisional commissioner KC Verma replaced by Somnath Mishra; Zila Parishad chief executive officer (CEO) Bharti Dixit replaced by Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan. Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh launched a sharp attack on the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday after the killing of eight police personnel by criminals in Kanpur district late on Thursday. Top leaders of the Samajwadi Party, the Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), who took to Twitter, praised the police personnel for their bravery and called for action against those who killed the policemen. Akhilesh Yadav, the SPs national president, called the incident unfortunate as he paid tributes to the eight policemen. WATCH: Eight UP cops out to nab dreaded criminal killed in firing in Kanpur This is the most shameful incident in UPs crime world in which the duty-bound police personnel paid the price for the nexus between criminals and people in power. The criminals should be caught alive and the present government must be exposed, Akhilesh Yadav tweeted in Hindi. The Samajwadi Party also demanded Rs 1 crore compensation to each of the families of the policemen. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress general secretary and UP in-charge, also tweeted to call for action against the criminals. My condolences to the families of the martyred policemen. Law and order situation in UP has turned very bad, criminals are fearless, common people and police are not safe. The chief minister himself holds the charge of the home department. He should take stern action after such a horrific incident, Priyanka Gandhi posted on Twitter. The Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati in her tweet called the incident sad, shameful, and unfortunate. It is clear that the UP government needs to be more alert and prepared, especially in the matter of law and order, Mayawati tweeted in Hindi The government must not spare the criminals, at any cost, in such a sensational incident even if requires a special operation. The BSP demands that the government must pay appropriate ex gratia to the families of the policemen as well as a government job to a member, she said. Deputy superintendent of police Devendra Mishra, sub-inspectors Mahesh Yadav, who was the station officer of Shivrajpur, Anup Kumar, Babulal and constables Sultan Singh, Rahul, Jitendra and Babloo died in the firing during a raid to nab Vikas Dubey, a dreaded gangster. Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing concern over the denial of the reservation to candidates from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) under the All India Quota in state-run medical colleges. The quota is filled through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) in medical education institutions in states and union territories (UTs). Under the All India Quota, 15%, 7.5%, and 10% seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and economically weaker section (EWS) candidates, respectively, in both central and state-run medical colleges. However, at present, the reservation for OBC candidates under the quota is restricted only to central institutions. On May 11, a controversy erupted, when the All India Federation of Other Backward Classes Employees Welfare Association wrote to the National Commission of Backward Classes (NCBC), claiming that OBC candidates have been denied reservations under the All India Quota both in undergraduate and postgraduate courses since 2017. Gandhi quoted the data compiled by the federation to claim that OBC candidates lost over 11,000 seats, in All India Quota, due to non-implementation of OBC reservations in medical colleges in states and UTs. Denial of reservations to OBCs in state medical institutions in All India Quota, being administered by the central government, violates the very objective of the 93rd Constitutional Amendment and is a barrier to access medical education for deserving OBC candidates, the Congress chief wrote in the letter. The 93rd Constitutional Amendment has special provisions for the admission of socially and educationally backward classes, or for the SCs, or the STs in educational institutions, including private ones, whether aided or unaided by the state, other than the minority institutions. In the interest of equity and social justice, I strongly urge the Union government to extend the reservation for OBC candidates in All India Quota of medical and dental seats, even in medical education institutions in states and UTs, Gandhi said. The issue took a political turn when the Congress; the Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI (M), the Communist Party of India (CPI); the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) moved the Supreme Court (SC) in June, challenging the Centres decision not to grant 50% reservation to OBCs as per Tamil Nadu law in medical seats surrendered by the state in the All India Quota for undergraduate, postgraduate and dental courses for the academic session 2020-21. The SC had refused to entertain their pleas and instead asked them to approach the Madras high court in this regard. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Venture capital firm Acton Capital is selling its shares in momox, a Berlin, Germany-based re-commerce company for used books, media items and second-hand fashion, to the majority shareholder Verdane Capital X, a Northern European specialist growth equity investor. Verdane joined momox as an investor in the autumn of 2018, and became the majority shareholder at the end of 2019. With its acquisition of Acton Capitals shares, the Northern European growth investors stake now stands at 85 percent ownership. All other shareholders, including momox CEO Heiner Kroke, will remain shareholders. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. Founded in 2004, momox is an online re-commerce company for books, CDs, DVDs, computer/video games and clothing, providing a way to sell and purchase pre-owned consumer goods. The company has launched its online trade-in service www.momox.de and its app where consumers can sell their products at fixed prices and free of shipping costs. The company resells purchased goods on www.medimops.de (books, CDs, DVDs, computer/video games) and www.ubup.com (clothing). Founded in 2004, the company has grown to more than 1,900 employees at six locations in Germany and Poland. It also offers its service in the United Kingdom, France, and Austria. It had a turnover of EUR 250 million in 2019. FinSMEs 03/07/2020 Beijing on Friday asked New Delhi to avoid any strategic miscalculation on China, and complications of tensions along the India-China border hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ladakh amid a stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops there. Modis visit to Ladakh came days after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash there with Chinese troops on June 15. Speaking in Ladakh, Modi emphasised the time for expansionism is over. He added India is becoming stronger and its commitment to peace should not be seen as a sign of weakness. India and China are in communication and negotiations on lowering the temperatures through military and diplomatic channels. No party should engage in any action that may complicate the situation at this point, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, said at a regular briefing on Friday. Modis visit is being closely monitored in China as New Delhi begins a calibrated response, including economic measures, to the standoff. Also read| Expansionism era over, your fire and fury seen: PM to soldiers in Ladakh When asked about a possibility of a ban on Chinese companies from building roads in India, Zhao said New Delhi should focus on common interests in bilateral relations. Certain politicians in India have been issuing remarks that are detrimental to our bilateral relations... Our bilateral relations need to be held with concerted efforts. The Indian side should work with us towards the same goal, to uphold the general picture of our common interests in bilateral relations, Zhao said. Setting artificial blocks to our concrete and practical cooperation will also harm Indias interest. We will take the necessary measures to uphold the legitimate rights of Chinese businesses in India. Zhao sidestepped a question about Indias security-related concerns that prompted it to ban 59, mostly Chinese mobile applications, on Monday. we should also be aware that India and China are major developing countries; accelerating the renewal and development are historical missions for both of us. To this end, we have to respect and support each other. This is also in the long-term interest of both sides, he said. Also read: Why is PM Modi talking about unnamed enemy to Indians, jawans in Ladakh, asks Chidambaram If we show misgiving and engage in conflicts, this is not the right way and also goes against the shared aspiration of our people. He added India and China have to follow the consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries about bilateral relations. The Indian side should not have strategic miscalculation on China. We hope it will work with China to uphold the overall picture of our bilateral relations. Tamil Nadu on Friday became the second state in India to cross one lakh cases, with a total of 102,721 people infected with Covid-19 disease in the state where five districts, including Chennai, are under an intense lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. However its high case load must be seen in relation to another important figure: its testing numbers. As of Friday, a total of 1.27 million people have been tested in 91 testing facilities, which is the highest in the country in absolute numbers. Between June 19 and June 30, when the state announced a hard lockdown in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Thiruvallur, and Chengalpattu (Madurai was put under lockdown on June 23, and the lockdown was extended to July 5 earlier this week), 327,214 people were tested across the state. Since June 20, there has been a spike in testing, with over 30,000 people tested everyday on average. Health department officials say that high caseload shouldnt scare people as it is a result of Tamil Nadus strategy of aggressive and increased testing and that the states focus is to reduce its fatalities. The state has a case fatality rate of 1.3%, which is low when compared to the national average of 2.9%. Experts said the high numbers can also be attributed to the movement of people across the state post Unlock 1 which started on June 8. Also read: Delhi logs 2,520 fresh Covid-19 cases, capitals count swells to 94,695 We have a free hand in high testing which we will continue and allow cases to come down organically, TN health secretary J Radhakrishnan told Hindustan Times. Even if a person has a single symptom of fever, sore throat, cough or body pain, they can get tested now. The state government initially announced a 12-day intense lockdown in Chennai and three of its adjoining districts from June 19 allowing people to commute for only medical emergencies, airports, train stations and walk for essentials like groceries. On June 23, Madurai district also came under a lockdown to arrest the spike in cases in the district. On Monday, Tamil Nadu extended the lockdown, even though the expert health panel appointed to advice it in dealing with the pandemic felt that improved public health measures were the need of the hour rather than a lockdown. However, the state felt that the lockdown was warranted, as officials found that even symptomatic people were avoiding getting tested because they didnt want to be in quarantine. Besides this, people were also not following norms of social distancing or wearing masks while in public. The intense lockdown was meant to address all of this. Because of less movement we are able to identify people and test the same day very close to their homes through mobile and static sample testing facilities. Earlier they had to wait for 2-3 days to be tested even if they had symptoms, Radhakrishnan said. Experts agree that Tamil Nadu was able to scale up testing it had started sending samples to the National Institute of Virology in Pune in March itself -- owing to a robust public health infrastructure that had been in the making since the AIDS epidemic, and the H1N1 outbreak in 2010, when Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing facilities, widely used to test Covid-19 samples, came up across several districts. Chennai with 64,689 cases accounting for 62.9% of the total case load in the state had scaled up testing to 10,000 per day during the most recent lockdown period. Though the state health department hasnt shared district-wise testing data, health officials said that Chennai was testing in the range of 3,000 to 5,000 people per day in May and June respectively. Also read: Coming soon, women cops on bikes across Kerala on Covid-19 duty The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) increased fever camps from 300 in May to 520 camps currently across Chennais 200 wards. Between May 8 and July 2, a total of 29, 051 swabs haven taken at these fever camps and 33,090 people with detected with influenza like illness (ILI) symptoms. In June, the GCC also recruited over 4000 volunteers, called Friend of Covid Person Under Surveillance (FOCUS), to assist the existing Covid-19 network of health workers. The job of the volunteers was two-fold: watching families under home quarantine, and helping them with essential services. These volunteers are paid Rs 500 a day and have been recruited till September. The civic body came up with a new strategy pegged on home quarantining even those who were likely to be infected to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease. Called the home quarantine and isolation monitoring system (HQIMS), it focused on 18 categories of people include those awaiting Covid-19 test results, positive patients undergoing home treatment, discharged patients, international and domestic passengers coming via flights, trains, road or sea, family and extended contacts, and people with influenza-like illness.Most people in these categories were already mandated to be in 14-day isolation, but the strategy widened the net on who must undergo isolation. This new system was developed to keep up with the evolving situation of the pandemic. In April, all positive patients were treated at the hospital. The concept of home quarantine for treatment progressed at a later stage, GCC deputy commissioner for revenue and finance, Meghanathan Reddy who is overseeing this project, told HT. Surveyors had already been going door-to-door checking people for symptoms since May and during the lockdown they were armed with thermal scanners. Anyone with fever, cough or any other symptoms, would be asked to visit the nearest fever camp. We are in a better position now in terms of testing and surveillance compared to April. Corporation has also home quarantined a large number of people who are likely to infect others. All these measures and the current lockdown has reduced transmission in Chennai. We can reassess that in two weeks. But when we open up again transmission will increase which we can manage through mask compliance and continue surveillance, testing and isolation, a member of the expert panel said on condition of anonymity, adding that specific restrictions like suspending public transport and large gatherings in Chennai and other districts, should continue after the lockdown is lifted. Congress leaders from Uttar Pradesh (UP) on Friday urged party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra to shift base from the national capital to Lucknow in a bid to strengthen the organisation ahead of the assembly polls, due in another two years. The plea was made two days after the Centre asked Priyanka Gandhi to vacate her government accommodation in Delhi within a month. Pradeep Mathur, former Congress legislative party (CLP) leader in UP, said her presence in the state would not only help strengthen the party, but would also unnerve the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Our rivals are already afraid of her. She has rattled them. You can see that from the reactions of BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and also Mayawatiji. They are all suffering from Priyanka Gandhi phobia, Mathur added. UP, the key battleground state that sends the maximum number of lawmakers to Lok Sabha at 80, is also caught between an ongoing political slugfest between Priyanka Gandhi and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati. Last week, Priyanka Gandhi called Mayawati an undeclared BJP spokesperson. Earlier, the BSP had hit back at her over her offer to ferry stranded migrant workers by buses to their native places across UP as nothing but apolitical ploy. If Priyankaji comes to live in Lucknow, itll boost our party workersmorale and strengthen our organisation base, said Gaurav Kapoor, a party leader from UP. She has been working tirelessly for the uplift of marginalized sections in UP: whether her visit to Umbha village to arranging buses to ferry stranded migrant workers back to their native places. Personally, for young leaders like me, this will come as a big shot in the arm, as we get emboldened to challenge the ruling BJP in the run-up to the 2022 assembly elections, he added. Congress leaders, who are perceived to be close to Priyanka Gandhi, said she stays at close relative and former Union minister Sheila Kauls residence in Lucknow, whenever she visits UP. The house at Gokhale Marg in Lucknow was refurbished last October to enable her to stay there for a longer duration, said a leader familiar with the development. She doesnt need to look for a house in Lucknow. However, she needs to take a call whether she wants to shift her base to Lucknow permanently, he added. UP Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu also remained non-committal about her Lucknow plans. It would be too soon to say if she would stay in Lucknow permanently, he told media persons. UP Congress leaders have been urging Priyanka Gandhi to spend more time in the state for better management of organisational matters after she took charge as the party general secretary in January 2019. They have been pressing her, citing her easy accessibility helped in galvanising the party workers. Her aides, however, categorically said that she would stay on in Delhi because her family is based here. She is looking after eastern UP from Lucknow, and the states western part can be managed from Delhi, an aide said. Besides, she still has around a month to look for a house in Delhi since the eviction notice was served on her on Wednesday, the aide added. Congress functionaries also said they were expecting such a move from the government after the withdrawal of the Special Protection Group (SPG) cover to her and other members of the Gandhi family last year. This didnt come as a surprise to us, said a central leader. Earlier in March and ahead of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in the country, Congress leaders from Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh had proposed to send Priyanka Gandhi to the Rajya Sabha from their respective states, but she had declined the offer. Then, she had insisted on strengthening the party organisation in UP, added the central leader quoted above. The Congress is struggling to make headway in UP after its decimation in 2017 assembly polls and followed by a rout in the parliamentary elections last year. The Congress had always dominated UP politics till the BJP emerged as a potent force over the twin issues of Mandal Commission and Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in the late 1980s. The party has been relegated to the margins over the past three decades. It even lost its traditional bastion Amethi in last parliamentary elections, as contender BJPs Smriti Irani vanquished former party president Rahul Gandhi. Priyanka Gandhi, considered as a partys trump card in UP, has her work cut out, as she seeks to galvanise the party workers and also win back the support of the communities that have shifted their loyalties to other parties amid the Congresss dwindling fortunes through the years. Lok Sabha member Karti Chidambaram has demanded that Priyanka Gandhi be declared the partys CM candidate for UP for the 2022 polls and suggested that she should be primarily based in Lucknow to lead from the front. The path for a national revival of the Congress is via UP. The clearest statement of intent will be to declare Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra as the CM candidate of the Congress in UP. PGV must be primarily based in Lucknow and lead the charge, he has tweeted. Former finance minister P Chidambram on Friday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modis unwillingness to term China as the aggressor in the face of violent clashes that took place last month along Line of Actual Control in Ladakhs Galwan valley. For the third time in a week, PM did not name China as the aggressor, why? What is the purpose of talking about an unnamed enemy to the people of India and the jawans in Ladakh? Chidambaram asked in a series of tweets. Chidambaram also raised questions about PMs continued silence on where exactly the clashes between Indian and Chinese troops took place and whether China intruded into Indias territory. PM has still not answered our questions about where the violent clashes took place on June 15-16 between Chinese and Indian troops and if the Chinese have intruded into Indian territory at several points, he said in a tweet. Nor has the government answered our questions on the satellite images showing Chinese troops occupying key positions in places hitherto considered as undisputed Indian territory, Chidambaram said. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that those responsible for the death of eight policemen during the Kanpur encounter with gangsters last night wont be spared. He also announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs one crore for the next of kin of the deceased cops along with pension and a government job for a member of the family. UP chief minister added that the sacrifice of the policemen will not go in vain. His comments follow opposition criticism of the law and order situation in Indias largest state including allegations of alleged nexus between the criminals and the powerful in the state, made by Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Kanpur encounter: Opposition parties slam Yogi Adityanath govt over law and order situation In Kanpur encounter, our 8 policemen lost their lives and two criminals died. Sacrifice of our policemen wont go in vain. People responsible for this, wont be spared. The government will provide an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore each to kin of deceased, pension and a government job, Adityanath was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Eight policemen including deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Devendra Mishra, sub-inspectors Mahesh Yadav, Anup Kumar, Babulal and constables Sultan Singh, Rahul, Jitendra, and Babloo were killed in the firing during a raid to nab gangster Vikas Dubey late at night on Thursday. Two gangsters were also killed during the exchange of fire. Seven others, including a civilian, were injured in the attack. Yogi Adityanath had earlier today visited Kanpur to pay tributes to the slain policemen and offer condolences to their families. For Coronavirus Live Updates The police team heading to arrest Vikas Dubey, a history-sheeter with more than 60 criminal cases, was first attacked by goons stationed on a rooftop in Bikru village on Thursday midnight. The attackers snatched weapons from the dead and the wounded policemen after the ambush and fled. They were later engaged in an encounter with cops, who sealed the entire area and started a combing operation leading to the second encounter with Dubeys men in Nivada village. Two criminals, Prem Prakash and Atul Dubey, were killed here. Search continues for the other members of the gang and the rest of the weapons snatched from the cops. The snatched weapons included an AK-47 rifle, an INSAS rifle, a Glock pistol and two .9mm pistols, a police spokesman quoted by PTI said. The raid at Vikas Dubey was carried out following a complaint alleging his involvement in an attempt to murder case. Dubey is also suspected of involvement in murder of senior BJP leader-- Santosh Shukla-- inside a police station in 2001. Dubey already carries a reward of Rs 25,000 for his arrest. Andhra Pradeshs ruling YSR Congress party on Friday sought disqualification of party MP Kanumuru Raghurama Krishnam Raju from the Lok Sabha membership in the wake of his anti-party activities in the recent past. A memorandum to this effect was submitted by a delegation of YSRC MPs to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla in New Delhi this afternoon. The memorandum was signed by YSRC MP from Rajahmundry Margani Bharat on behalf of president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. Apart from Bharat, the delegation included parliamentary party leader V Vijay Sai Reddy, Rajampet MP P Mithun Reddy, Narsaraopet MP Lavu Krishna Devarayalu and Bapatla MP Nandigam Suresh. ALSO READ | YSRC MP revolts, seeks Centres security over threats to life from own party The MPs conveyed to the Speaker that Raghurama Krishnam Raju, representing Narasapuram parliamentary constituency in West Godavari district, had violated the party discipline by openly commenting against the party president, opposing the policy decisions of the government, making wild allegations against party MPs and even questioning the status of the party. We requested the Speaker to disqualify Raghurama Krishnam Raju who had indulged in gross violation of party discipline under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India, YSRC parliamentary party leader V Vijay Sai Reddy told reporters later. Sai Reddy alleged Raghurama Krishnan Raju had abused the party leaders in foul language. He joined hands with opposition party leaders and questioned the policies of the government. If he had any issues, he could have taken them up with the party president. Instead, he chose to speak to the media. It is pretty evident that he has been talking against the party for his political gains, Sai Reddy said. Another party MP, P Mithun Reddy said, Raju had not given a proper reply to the show-cause notice served on him. Jagan has given him a lot of importance in the party. Though there were senior MPs in the party, he made Raju a member in the parliamentary standing committee. He has misused the freedom and value given by the party, Reddy said. A YSRC leader familiar with the development said the party was adopting the strategy adopted by Janata Dal (U) president and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in getting senior politician and 10-time MP Sharad Yadav disqualified from his Rajya Sabha membership in December 2017. After the Election Commission recognized Nitish Kumars group as the real Janata Dal, Sharad Yadav was declared a rebel. The Nitish Kumar group submitted all the evidence to Rajya Sabha chairman and vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu to show that Sharad Yadav had resorted to anti-party activities. Venkaiah went by the rule book and disqualified Sharad Yadav from RS membership. Meanwhile, the Narsapuram MP moved the state high court seeking to stall the attempts of the YSRC to disqualify him from the Lok Sabha membership and suspend him from the party. I have not resorted to any anti-party activities. I was served show-cause notice on YSR Congress party letterhead, while my partys name as per the EC records is Yuvaja Shramik Rythu Congress party. I brought it to the notice of the Election Commission. Till there is a clarification from the EC, I request the court to stall my suspension from the party as well as any action on my disqualification, Raju appealed in his petition to the high court. The petition is expected to come up for hearing on Monday. Residents of a Belgian retirement home are able to soothe the pain of social distancing measures imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic by embracing their loved ones through a hug curtain. Staff at the Jardins de Picardie nursing home near the French border installed the large plastic curtain on June 14 and it has proven very popular with the residents, who had not been allowed any visitors for 11 weeks. Lili Hendrickx, an 86-year old resident of the home, said the curtain was the most beautiful invention she had ever seen. Lily Hendrickx, 83, a resident at Belgian nursing home "Le Jardin de Picardie" enjoys hugs and cuddles with Marie-Christine Desoer. (REUTERS) Its terribly emotional for me, she said, adding that she cried the first time she was able to hug her daughter again. The feeling you get when you are close to someone like that, I felt like the heat was passing through. Visitors were equally enthusiastic. The fact that you can meet your loved ones again, its a real pleasure, especially physically and emotionally, it feels good, said Amandine Josefiak, 35, who had come to visit her father at the home. The curtain, decorated with flowers and bright colours, is made of a big plastic sheet with two pockets on each side where residents and visitors or staff insert their arms. After each use, nurses carefully disinfect the plastic curtain. Luigia Pani, 89, a resident at Belgian nursing home "Le Jardin de Picardie" enjoy hugs and cuddles with her son Riccardo Vacca through a wall made with plastic sheets. (REUTERS) Due to the coronavirus and this social distancing we all suffered a lot from the lack of affection, Marie Christine Desoer, the director of the home, said. We know it will last for a while, we dont know where were going with this virus... Belgium imposed its lockdown on March 18 to halt the spread of COVID-19 but has now started to relax the restrictions. The disease has so far claimed 9,761 lives in Belgium, a country of 11 million, one of the highest fatality rates per capita in the world. Also Read | Anand Mahindra shares video of man hugging grandma through cuddle curtain, wins netizens hearts If you love dogs, this tale about a special visitor at an Airbnb may just make your day. Twitter user @raycont_ shared a tweet which details how an Airbnb they were staying at, left a little note about the neighbourhood dog Josie. The note mentions how Josie is well looked after by her owners and loves to pop over for a visit. It adds that shes friendly and super gentle doggo and should she visit, theyve left a few treats that can be given to her. While the note itself is adorable, what makes the tweet even more delightful is that it details how Josie did in fact visit the Airbnb. The Airbnb were staying at left a note about the neighborhood dog and look who pulled up today, says the tweet. There are also pictures of Josie and she looks adorable. The Airbnb were staying at left a note about the neighborhood dog and look who pulled up today pic.twitter.com/k8Lym4TYSd . (@raycont_) June 29, 2020 Shared on June 30, this tweet has collected over 2.7 lakh likes and more than 33,000 retweets - and still counting. Of course people havent held back while sharing their reactions to this tale about Josie. Ok not to be dramatic but I would die for Josie, posted a Twitter user. This is the best Airbnb ever. If you put in the property description friendly neighborhood dog will come visit during your stay there is a 100% chance Im booking, shared another. That 3rd picture shes like Oh heeeeeey, they mentioned me; you got treats? joked a third. Need the location just for the experience, shared a fourth. Some shared similar experiences theyve had: We stayed in a holiday home in France and there was a chocolate brown labrador which belonged to the owners and she would use the holiday home like her own. It was brilliant! They left a sign saying please dont feed her - shes a Labrador and will pretend she hasnt eaten!! Lunas Mum (@woowoo6401) June 30, 2020 Here she is pic.twitter.com/d9xYgf6tX0 Emma Pattison (@emma_pattison) June 30, 2020 we had something similar happen where a neighborhood cat kept slipping into the airbnb and walking around like she owned the place. her name was Lilu and she was precious. pic.twitter.com/9jHqhHZ73U ily (twitch art stream today!) (@ilypge) July 1, 2020 McGregor Lodge in Estes Park had a resident dog who would go to every cabin to say hi. 10 years later and my kids still say that was the favorite part of the trip. Lilly (@LillyBob93) July 1, 2020 Rocky :) Airbnb neighbour's dog :) big baby and attention whore. He did a lot of waiting right there for us to play with him. I miss him! He was a sweetie. pic.twitter.com/jq9DhH7Vig owolivia (@oliviaannekent) July 1, 2020 Well, Josie and all these other doggies have definitely got us beaming from ear to ear. What about you? SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday paid his tributes to the eight police personnel who were shot dead by criminals during a search operation in Kanpur district. Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Devendra Mishra, three sub-inspectors and four constables were killed in the firing in Kanpur districts Bikru village under Chaubepur police station. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath ji has paid homage to the eight police personnel who sacrificed their lives while performing their duties in Kanpur Nagar district, a statement from the chief ministers office said. WATCH: Eight UP cops out to nab dreaded criminal killed in firing in Kanpur While paying homage to the martyrdom of police personnel, the chief minister expressed his deepest condolences to their bereaved families. The chief minister has instructed the director general of police to take the strictest action against the culprits who have perpetrated this tragedy and provide an immediate report from the spot, it added. The eight police personnel were killed when they went to the area to search for a criminal, Vikas Dubey, over a complaint by a villager, the statement said. The additional director general of police (law and order) is on the way to the village and Kanpurs superintendent of police (SSP) and inspector general (IG), Kanpur, are already in Bikru. Eight policemen, including a deputy superintendent of police, were killed during an operation to nab gangster Vikas Dubey late on Thursday in Uttar Pradeshs Kanpur district. The police team was out to look for him after a villager, Rahul Tiwari, lodged a case of attempt to murder against Vikas Dubey recently. They had conducted raids on the basis of Tiwaris first information report (FIR) in Bikru village. Apart from this, there are 60 cases, including that of murder, robberies and kidnappings, against Vikas Dubey. Also Read: 8 police personnel killed in firing by criminals during raid in UPs Kanpur Vikas Dubey was the prime accused in the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Santosh Shukla, who had been given the rank of a minister of state, inside the Shivli police station in 2001. Two policemen were also killed in the attack. WATCH: Eight UP cops out to nab dreaded criminal killed in firing in Kanpur The Mom Project, a Chicago, IL-based career destination for moms, raised $25M in Series B funding. The round, which brings total funding to $36m since its founding in 2016, was led by growth investment firm 7GC with participation from Citi, Synchrony, High Alpha, and Silicon Valley Bank, alongside existing investors Initialized Capital, Grotech Ventures, OCA Ventures, Aspect Ventures, Wintrust Financial, IrishAngels, and Engage Ventures. The company intends to use the funds to expand its enterprise product offerings, deepen channel partnerships, and introduce new ways to support women throughout their motherhood journey beyond their job search. Led by Allison Robinson, Founder & CEO, The Mom Project is a career destination for moms connecting moms with small businesses and family-forward leading brands such as Apple, Nike, Gap Inc., Invesco, and BP especially as businesses and employees adapt to the future of working remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic. The company currently features a community of more than 275,000 professionals and more than 2,000 companies. To expedite support to both jobseekers and businesses, The Mom Project recently launched The Stronger Together Fund, Resume Rev, and Unity Program among other strategic initiatives. FinSMEs 03/07/2020 Officers from Mankhurd police station on Thursday arrested four people for allegedly raping a 44-year-old Dharavi resident last week. One of the accused Abdul Jillani Sattar Sheikh, 34, and the woman knew each other. On June 24, Sheikh called her to Rahims home under the pretext of attending his childs birthday party. He then allegedly laced her drink with sedatives, following which he, along with the other three accused Hyder Ali Sardar Sheikh alias Hira, 35; Murad Mehboob Sheikh alias Raj, 29; and Mohammed Mudashir Nabi Sheikh alias Rahim, 34, raped her when she was in a semi-conscious state, said police. The woman managed to flee and visited a civic hospital. After the woman narrated the incident, the police was informed. Our officers visited the hospital and recorded her statement and lodged a case of gang rape, said Lakhmi Gautam, additional commissioner of police (east region). In her complaint, she said that after reaching Sheikhs home, she tried to leave when she realised that there was no birthday party there. But the four convinced her to stay, said an officer from Mankhurd police station. The womans preliminary medical report confirmed that she was raped by more than one person and also revealed that she had injuries all over her body. The woman underwent treatment at the hospital for two days. We collected her clothes, and are in the process of collecting other evidence. On Wednesday, we registered a first information report under sections 376D (gang rape) and 328 (causing hurt by means of poison) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and arrested the four accused. A local court remanded them in police custody till July 8, inspector Kishore Kharat. Sheikh, Hyder and Murad are residents of Matunga Labour Camp, while Mohammed lives at Sathe Nagar in Mankhurd. Sheikh sells spices, Mohammed runs a sewing machine unit, while Hyder and Murad do odd jobs to earn a living. An 10-year-old tigress, rescued from Brahmapuri forest division in Chandrapur and taken to Gorewada rescue centre in Nagpur, died at the rescue centre on Friday. This takes the tally of tiger deaths in the state to 10, with six deaths reported over the past month. On June 21, the tigress was rescued by forest officials after she had entered a house in Bamani village, Nagbhid range. The animal was shifted to Gorewada Rescue Centre on June 22. The tigress was over 10 years old and unwell. She was brought in critical condition showing severe debilitation, anaemia, emaciation, dehydration with heavy tick infestation and blunt and broken canines, said Nandkishor Kale, divisional manager, Gorewada Project, Nagpur. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON State food and drug administration (FDA) minister Rajendra Shingne has warned Patanjali of strict action if it misled people saying its newly launched Coronil cures Covid-19. Shingne, in a press statement issued on Saturday, said the medicine launched by Patanjali does not cure Covid-19, though the company was claiming so. The advertisements are misleading and spreading misconceptions among the people. The tablets launched by the company are, in fact, useful in boosting immunity as it contains ashwagandha, tulsi and giloy. Such tablets do not cure coronavirus. If the company continues to mislead through its advertisements, action would be initiated against it under Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, he said. Citing that the name of the tablet Coronil and its advertisements are misleading and build up confusion about the drug among the people, the minister said people should understand that it is only an immunity booster and not a cure for Covid-19. He further added that FDA would initiate an action against the company with the help of the home department. SK Tijarawala, spokesperson, Patanajli Ayurveda, said, We have neither been making any advertising or propaganda nor we need it. We have launched our product with due permissions and registration from the government authorities concerned. Even Ayush ministry, in its letter to us, has praised us for the Covid-19 management Patanjali has done with its drug. We have launched the product for not any profit but in the service of the society. I do not know what action the Maharashtra government is talking about. State home minister Anil Deshmukh had last week warned that the government would not allow Coronils sale in Maharashtra. According to section 4 of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, If the advertisement of any drug contains false impression about the true characters of the drug or makes false claims for the drug the company manufacturing the drug is liable for the action. Patanjali launched Coronil on June 23 by saying that it has shown 100% favourable results during the trials on Covid-19 patients. Taking cognisance of the advertisement, Ayush ministry on June 24 said the companys claims were not known to the ministry and added that Patanjali can sell Coronil only as an immunity booster. Patanjali, on Wednesday (July 1), said that it never claimed that Coronil could cure Covid-19. State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Chandrakant Patil on Friday announced the new executive committee for Maharashtra, even as he clarified that former minister and Other Backward Class (OBC) leader Pankaja Munde would be given a national role in the party. The jumbo state executive includes 12 vice-presidents, five general secretaries, 12 secretaries, a treasurer, an organisational secretary and 68 executive committee members. Besides, there are another 139 invitees and 58 special invitees. Munde, daughter of senior BJP leader, the late Gopinath Munde, who lost the state Assembly polls last year, was said to be sulking and had post results pointed to internal factionalism and centralisation of powers within the state unit. Pankaja Munde is set to get a role at the national level soon. This was indicated to us by the Centre. She will also continue to be a part of our state core committee and work side by side with us, said Patil, at a press conference in Mumbai. The state executive has been formed after much deliberation and aims to ensure fair regional and community representation to all our party leaders. Munde, who congratulated the new executive on Twitter, also thanked Patil for announcing that she would have a role to play at the national level. The new organisational announcement has been pending since Patil was appointed the state chief last July. The new state executive committee is a bid to accommodate a majority of its established leadership, including those who had been sidelined last year ahead of the polls. But the key positions like appointments of general secretaries shows that leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis continues to call the shots in the party organisation. Chandrashekhar Bawankule, a former minister from Vidarbha, who had been denied state assembly ticket and is said to have cost the party vis-a-vis seats in the region, has been rehabilitated as one of the five general secretaries. The other general secretaries include two-time Nashik legislator Devyani Farande, Sujitsigh Thakur (second stint), former state minister Ravindra Chavan and former officer on special duty to chief minister, Shrikant Bharatiya. Other sidelined senior leaders like Vinod Tawde and Eknath Khadse who were also denied tickets have been accommodated, but only as special invitees to the executive committee. Khadses daughter-in-law Raksha Khadse has been named the state secretary, while Mundes sister Pritam Munde has been made a vice-president. The other vice-presidents include former ministers Ram Shinde (who lost polls), Jaykumar Rawal, former chief spokesperson Madhav Bhandari, Prasad Lad, Suresh Halwankar etc. The party has also given a leg-up to former media incharge and spokesperson Keshav Upadhayay as the chief spokesperson of the state BJP. BJP MLA from Mulund Mihir Kotecha is the new treasurer of the party, while the organisational secretary post continues to be with Vijay Puranik. An overall assessment of the state executive shows a clear imprint of Fadnavis, who has ensured people close to him are given relevant posts. But its also a balancing act to not alienate anyone, said a senior party leader and state functionary. The Bombay high court (HC) directed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Ashish Shelar to submit the details of other instances in which the bodies of Covid-19 patients were left unattended in the wards of civic and government-run hospitals. Referring to a video of Sion Hospital in which the bodies of Covid-19 victims were lying on beds or floor of the ward where patients infected with the virus were being treated, Shelar in his petition claimed that similar scenes were played out at other facilities too. As the court was informed by the state that the Supreme Court was already seized of petitions relating to management and disposal of bodies of Covid-19 victims, it posted the hearing of the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the BJP legislator to July 23, after the hearing in the Apex court was completed. On Friday, the division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice NJ Jamadar was informed by the state through advocate general Ashutosh Kumbhakoni that the HC did not have a propriety in the PIL as the SC was already hearing petitions related to issues similar to what was raised by Shelar in his PIL. The state also submitted that it was following the guidelines issued by the Centre over the disposal and management of bodies of Covid-19 patients. However, senior counsel Rajendra Pai, along with advocates Akshay Pai and Omkar Khanvilkar, who appeared for Shelar, submitted that as the bench widened the scope of the petition in light of the instances similar to that of Sion Hospital, they wanted to submit the same in the form of an affidavit and hence the hearing of the PIL should be deferred. After hearing the submissions, the court directed Shelar to submit videos and information of other instances in an affidavit and also directed the state to file a rejoinder, if any, before the next hearing. In the earlier hearing, the state and BMC submitted the report of the committee that was constituted to probe into the video of the Sion hospital incident. Shelars counsel then sought a probe by the committee into the other instances of the alleged mismanagement too that were mentioned in the PIL. Australias first underwater archaeological sites off its west coast dating to more than 7,000 years ago will help with the understanding of the cultural and technology development of its first peoples, scientists said Thursday. Archaeologists in Western Australia discovered hundreds of stone tools made by aboriginal people when the seabed was dry, at two ancient sites now submerged in the Dampier Archipelago. While the region is well known for its rich ancient history and its rock-art carvings, the two sites are the first confirmed underwater locations holding evidence of human civilization on Australias continental shelf. The future work that we will be doing is ... to look at the skill, the technology, how they made these tools, to see if they represent a different cultural approach to tool making that we havent yet identified in Australia, marine geoscientist Mick OLeary, a co-director of the project, told Reuters. Divers from Flinders University plunge into the water on the Pilbara Coast to retrieve the aboriginal objects from what was once dry land, at a depth of between 2.4 metres and 11 metres (8-36 feet). They have found cutting and grinding tools and hammer stones that date back thousands of years, said archaeologist Jonathan Benjamin, leader of the project. You can start to recreate what the people were doing and how they were making their life way in their economy, Benjamin said. Data from the find is being analysed for precise dating, however radiocarbon dating and analysis of sea-level changes show the site is at least 7,000 years old. Benjamin said the vast majority of artefacts remain on the seabed. The ones taken have been scanned for further research and then handed to the indigenous land owners, the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON With social distancing being the new norm in times of coronavirus, people all around the world are craving human touch. With some extremely tragic cases where people have passed away, alone in hospital beds with not a single loved one by their side. And although we may have become accustomed to keeping in touch with our loved ones over virtual calls, the lack of human contact is finally taking a toll on many. However, a Belgian retirement home has come up with an interesting way to soothe the pain of social distancing measures imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic for their residents, by letting them embrace their loved ones through a hug curtain. The staff at the Jardins de Picardie nursing home installed a large plastic curtain on June 14 and it has proven very popular with the residents, who had not been allowed any visitors for 11 weeks. Residents and visitors were equally enthusiastic. PHOTOS: Belgian retirement home offers hug curtain for safe embrace Lili Hendrix, an 86-year old resident of the home, said to Reuters that the curtain was the most beautiful invention she had ever seen. Its terribly emotional for me, she said, adding that she cried the first time she was able to hug her daughter again. The feeling you get when you are close to someone like that, I felt like the heat was passing through. Belgium imposed its lockdown on March 18 to halt the spread of COVID-19 but has now started to relax the restrictions. The disease has so far claimed 9,761 lives in Belgium, a country of 11 million, one of the highest fatality rates per capita in the world. 35 year-old Amandine Josefiak, who had come to visit her father at the home told Reuters that being able to meet your loved ones is a real pleasure, emotionally and physically too.. The curtain, decorated with flowers and bright colours, is made of a big plastic sheet with two pockets on each side where residents and visitors or staff insert their arms.After each use, nurses carefully disinfect the plastic curtain. Due to the coronavirus and this social distancing we all suffered a lot from the lack of affection, Marie Christine Desoer, the director of the home, said, adding, We know it will last for a while, we dont know where were going with this virus... However, this isnt the first time that hug curtains, hug tunnels or cuddle curtains have been used. Previously, the Tres Figueiras facility in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil, a care home for elderly people also created a hug tunnel which allowed visitors to hug their loved ones without the risk of contracting the virus. In May, a man from the UK created a similar cuddle curtain so that he could hug his grandmother but still protect her from the possibility of contracting the virus. The social media video of Antony Cauvin giving his grandmother a hug went viral. "It's a hug glove!" The world's best invention made Carolyn's wish come true: to hug her mom again. pic.twitter.com/64cH6JLjPz Humankind (@Humankindvideos) May 14, 2020 Another video of a Canadian national gifting her mother a Hug Glove for Mothers Day also went viral. Carolyn Ellis made the hug glove for her mother, Susan Watts with the help of her husband Andrew. Another video from the UK shows an essential worker mom who reportedly created a similar cuddle curtain so that she could hug her daughter who suffered from severe asthma and was staying with her grandmother during the lockdown. Thanks to the homemade contraption, 35 year-old Lara Green was able to hug her 13-year-old daughter, Katie for the first time in 9 weeks. Ss visit their teacher, Kelsey Pavelkas hug station for a sterile, social distancing-safe hug. Im not crying. You are. How are you supporting your Ss emotionally? pic.twitter.com/VS9Dl5g8bY Julia's #STEAMing Ahead! (@GiftedTawk) May 16, 2020 An Indiana teacher also created a hug station for her students to be able to get cuddles amid the pandemic. The idea has caught on and similar hug tunnels and cuddle curtains have been seen across the world, including Brazil and Spain. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Sufiyum Sujatayum Director: Naranipuzha Shanavas Cast: Aditi Rao Hydari, Dev Mohan, Jayasurya, Siddique, Hareesh Kanaran and Valsala Menon Sufiyum Sujatayum, the first mainstream Malayalam film to be released on Amazon Prime, is a story of forbidden love and redemption. While this is not a film without its shares of flaws, it still manages to charm us with its fairytale romance and as a musical drama. This story of a speech-impaired girl (Aditi Rao Hydari) from an upper caste Hindu family falling head over heels for a Sufi saint (Dev Mohan) is built on the concept of forbidden love but doesnt offer much of a conflict. As a musical love story, Sufiyum Sujatayum has a lot going for it from the first frame. M Jayachandrans soul-stirring music and Anu Moothedaths visuals work in tandem to create magic on screen, playing a very crucial part in making this fairytale romance come alive with some breathtaking moments. Unfortunately, their efforts dont make up for the bland writing, one that merely scratches the surface when it comes to dealing with the subject of forbidden love. Sufiyum Sujatayum just feels like a lot of potential where the surface has barely been scratched. Writer-director Naranipuzha Shanavas isnt quite interested in building up the romance, making it quite difficult for us to understand why Sujata cant get over Sufi even after a decade. We get that Sujata, who loves dancing, is charmed by the way Sufi sings and dances, and is smitten by his good looks. However, is that enough to make her fall for him blindly and cling on to him for so many years? Even the scenes between Sujata and Sufi dont deliver despite the promising music and visuals. Aditi Rao Hydari, in her comeback film to Malayalam cinema after a decade, does justice to the character of Sujata, a woman who expresses her emotions via sign language and gestures. Its her show all the way, and she makes a strong impression with a believable yet restrained performance. Dev Mohan as the Sufi saint not just looks his part but plays it quite convincingly but his character is underwritten. Wish some more time was invested in building the character arcs of both Sujata and Sufi. As the central characters on which the story is built, one wishes to spend more time with them to really understand what they feel for each other. Jayasurya, in an extended cameo, as Sujatas husband, initially comes across as someone who is insecure about his wifes past but his character gets more nuanced when he helps Sujata to get some closure. Also read: Taapsee Pannu crunched some numbers and figured out her Rs 36,000 power bill was legit: The reading wasnt that approximate It feels like Sufiyum Sujatayum takes an easy way out to tell a story of forbidden love. If only writer-director Naranipuzha Shanavas invested more time and effort in exploring greater depths, the film wouldve left a stronger impact. As audiences, we deserved some closure. Follow @htshowbiz for more Canadas real gross domestic product or GDP witnessed a historic contraction in April, dropping by nearly 12 per cent, due to restrictions imposed to counter the Covid-19 pandemic. But, there are already signs of revival as phased reopening has a positive effect on the economy. Statistics Canada or StatCan stated that real GDP dropped 11.6 per cent in April after a decline of 7.5 per cent in March. April was the first full month during which restrictive measures were in place and the data reflects its impact on the economy. As StatCan noted, All 20 industrial sectors of the Canadian economy were down, producing the largest monthly decline since the series started in 1961. Overall, the economy was 18.2 per cent below where it was in February this year, prior to the coronavirus crisis. Earlier, StatCan had estimated a decline of about 11 per cent for April and this final figure is in line with its forecast. At that time, it had also noted that March and April decreases are likely to be the largest consecutive monthly declines on record. While the economic low at the peak of the crisis was predictable, the number did fall short of the approximately 13 per cent others had indicated. However, a turnaround may be in the offing as StatCan said that preliminary information indicated a rise of about 3 per cent for May. Output across several industrial sectorsincluding manufacturing, retail and wholesale as well as the public sector (health, education and public administration)increased in May, as activities gradually resumed in phases depending on the type of activity and the geographic area, it said. The data for June could be even better since several provinces accelerated phased reopening during that month. Among the sectors hardest hit in April was manufacturing which fell by 22.5 per cent. StatCan has been providing an advanced aggregate indicator of the state of the Canadian economy due to the unprecedented situation precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Galt, CA (95632) Today Plentiful sunshine. High near 85F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight A few passing clouds. Low 56F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Canada on Friday suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong to protest the tough new national security law China has enacted in the financial hub. Canada is also halting exports of sensitive military gear to Hong Kong and updating its travel advisory for the city so Canadians will know how the law might affect them, the foreign ministry said. Canada is a firm believer in the one country, two systems framework, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, referring to the semi-autonomous model adopted after Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997. Were extremely concerned about the situation in Hong Kong, he told a press briefing. Trudeau said the one country, two systems principle was important not just for the citys 7.5 million people, but for the 300,000 Canadians who live there. That is why we are going to continue to look at steps we can take to ensure the safety of its citizens, he said, mentioning possible new immigration measures, without any specifics. The Chinese legislation enacted this week outlaws acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces. Beijing has faced a groundswell of criticism, primarily from Western nations, over the law, which radically increases Chinas control over Hong Kong. Chinas leaders say the suite of powers will restore stability after a year of sometimes violent protests and will not stifle freedoms. But police have already begun arresting people for possessing protest flags and banners, and the government in Hong Kong has made clear certain political views, especially calls for independence, are now outlawed. The law was enacted in a secretive process, without the participation of Hong Kongs legislature, judiciary or people, and in violation of international obligations, said Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. This process demonstrated disregard for Hong Kongs Basic Law and the high degree of autonomy promised for Hong Kong under the one country, two systems framework, the minister said. Hong Kongs role as a global hub was built on that foundation. Without it, Canada is forced to reassess existing arrangements. Relations between Canada and China have been tense because of extradition proceedings under way against an executive of the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, who is wanted in the US on suspicion of violating sanctions against Iran. Trudeau recently rejected calls for him to intervene and trade that executive, Meng Wanzhou, for two Canadians held in China on espionage charges. Meng was arrested in Canada in December 2018 at the request of US authorities. The two Canadians -- former diplomat Michael Kovrig, and Michael Spavor, a consultant and businessman -- were arrested in China just days later. Their detention is considered in the West as retaliation for Mengs arrest -- a claim Beijing has repeatedly denied. Quarantine rules for people arriving in England from around 50 countries will be lifted, transport minister Grant Shapps said on Friday. There will be a list of 50 plus countries and if you add in the overseas territories, 60 something or other that we will publish later today, he told Sky News. Under the existing rules, travellers must self-isolate for 14 days on entering the country. Scientists have found a possible explanation for why some Covid-19 patients experience extremely low, otherwise life-threatening levels of oxygen, known as happy hypoxia, but no signs of difficulty in breathing. The new understanding of the condition, also known as silent hypoxemia, could prevent unnecessary intubation and ventilation in patients during the current and expected second wave of coronavirus, according to the study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Intubation is the process of inserting a tube, called an endotracheal tube (ET), through the mouth and then into the airway. It is done so that a patient can be placed on a ventilator to assist with breathing. Happy hypoxia is especially bewildering to physicians as it defies basic biology, said Martin J. Tobin, a professor at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in the US. In some instances, the patient is comfortable and using a phone at a point when the physician is about to insert a breathing (endotracheal) tube and connect the patient to a mechanical ventilator which while potentially lifesaving carries its own set of risks, said Tobin. The study included 16 Covid-19 patients with very low levels of oxygen -- as low as 50 per cent compared to normal blood oxygen saturation between 95 and 100 per cent -- without shortness of breath or dyspnea. The researchers found that several pathophysiological mechanisms account for most, if not all, cases of silent hypoxemia. This includes the initial assessment of a patients oxygen level with a pulse oximeter, they said. While a pulse oximeter is remarkably accurate when oxygen readings are high, it markedly exaggerates the severity of low levels of oxygen when readings are low, said Tobin. He noted that another factor is how the brain responds to low levels of oxygen. As oxygen levels drop in patients with Covid-19, the brain does not respond until oxygen falls to very low levels -- at which point a patient typically becomes short of breath, said Tobin. In addition, more than half of the patients had low levels of carbon dioxide, which may diminish the impact of an extremely low oxygen level, the researchers said. It is also possible that the coronavirus is exerting a peculiar action on how the body senses low levels of oxygen, said Tobin, which could be linked to the lack of smell, experienced by two-thirds of Covid-19 patients. While acknowledging that further research is needed, the study concludes that features about Covid-19 that physicians find baffling become less strange when viewed in the light of long-established principles of respiratory physiology. This new information may help to avoid unnecessary endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation, which presents risks, when the ongoing and much anticipated second wave of Covid-19 emerges, said Tobin. Hong Kong police on Friday brought their first charges under a sweeping new national security law that Beijing imposed on the city earlier this week. A 24-year-old local man has been charged with one count of inciting others for secession and one count of terrorist activity, the police said in a brief statement. A police source said the charges were brought against a man who drove his motorbike into a group of police officers on Wednesday during protests against the security law. The source asked for anonymity on order to be able to speak freely. Video footage captured by local television showed a man on an orange motorbike with a flag that declared Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our Times on the back. He turned down a side street and drove into a group of riot police. Bystander footage shot on a mobile phone captured a scene moments later, where the man was swiftly detained after he fell to the ground. Police at the time said three officers were wounded. Beijings new security law was enacted on Tuesday and kept secret until it became law, sending shockwaves through the city both for how it was imposed and the strangling of free speech provisions it contains. It outlaws various acts viewed as subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces. But legal experts warn it proscribes even peaceful political views. Hong Kongs government, for example, have announced that using the phrase Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our times is illegal under the secession and subversion provisions. The terrorism offences are broad and include attacks on vehicles or transport networks and using dangerous methods to seriously endanger public health or safety. The most serious security law offences carry punishments of life imprisonment. An armed man, who intruded into grounds in the vicinity of the residences of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Julie Payette in Ottawa, was arrested on Thursday. He has been identified as a reservist with the countrys armed forces. Investigators have yet to attribute a motive for the incursion or name the person who is believed to a Canadian Ranger, which is tasked with patrolling the countrys vast Arctic north. While he is believed to be carrying multiple weapons, the outlet Global News citing anonymous sources in the police reported he told law enforcement he never intended to hurt anyone but wanted to express frustration to Trudeau over losing his job due to the Covid-19 pandemic and complain about the governments benefit scheme. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP stated that neither Trudeau nor Payette were present at the site at the time of the incident. The RCMP said the intrusion occurred early on Thursday morning as the mans vehicle breached the main pedestrian entrance to 1 Sussex Drive, where it was disabled on impact. He then proceeded on foot to a greenhouse in the Rideau Hall area where he was rapidly contained by patrolling RCMP officers. He was apprehended without any incident and brought into police custody for questioning. As the episode was unfolding, the RCMPs National Division Emergency Response Team was also called in. We can confirm that the individual arrested by the RCMP is a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. The RCMP is collaborating closely with the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP statement said. The outlet CBC News reported that the suspect was carrying a note, though its contents have not been made public yet. He is believed to have driven in from the province of Manitoba to the Canadian capital. Rideau Hall is the official residence of the Governor General, while the greenhouse where the suspect was arrested is close to Rideau Cottage, where Trudeau and his family reside. Payette tweeted her thanks to the RCMP for quickly resolving the situation adding that all staff on site were safe. A Briton who converted to Islam and later plotted to bomb three busy places in London of the kind carried out in a Sri Lanka church in 2019, was on Friday sentenced to life imprisonment, Scotland Yard said following a judgement in the widely-followed case. Safiyya Shaikh (born Michelle Ramsden), 37, will serve a minimum of 14 years before she is considered for parole for the plot to carry out terror attacks at a London train station, a hotel and the St Pauls Cathedral, besides disseminating terrorist material online. She had pleaded guilty in February. Commander Richard Smith of the Counter Terrorism Command said: This case is a stark reminder that the threat from terrorism remains as real as ever. As the lockdown restrictions ease and our public spaces start to open up again, it is vital that the public remains vigilant and reports anything suspicious to police - we need your help. Shaikh was arrested on October 10, 2019 following a joint Scotland Yard and and MI5 investigation. She believed one of the officers, with whom she spoke online, would be able to help her obtain explosives. She gave another undercover officer two bags, which she hoped would be converted into bombs. She told an undercover officer how she planned to leave one of these bombs inside St Pauls Cathedral and another in a nearby hotel. She talked about setting off the third in the form of a suicide vest at a train station. Shaikh told the undercover officer she wanted to carry out an attack like that in Sri Lanka in 2019, in which suicide bombers killed hundreds of people in hotels and at a church on Easter Sunday. Following her arrest, she admitted this plan in a police interview, the Yard said. The court was told that Shaikh converted to Islam in 2007 after being impressed by the kindness of a Muslim family, but later sought out people online who had extremist views. In one message to an undercover officer, Shaikh declared that she loved to watch graphic terrorist videos. Commander Smith added: Shaikh was dedicated to her extremist beliefs. In addition to wanting to carry out her own sickening attack on UK soil, she hoped to inspire others to implement attack plans even after she had died. Thanks to the hard work of officers from both the Met Police and MI5, she is instead in jail. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc and Sanofi said on Thursday their rheumatoid arthritis drug Kevzara failed to meet the main goals of a U.S. study testing it in the most critically ill Covid-19 patients. Previous trial results had shown that the drug did not help patients with less severe Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and shares of Regeneron fell about 3% in after hours trading. Kevzara belongs to a class of drugs called interleukin-6 inhibitors that are being tried to help regulate a dangerous overreaction to the virus by the bodys immune system called cytokine storm. Other drugs in the same class, including Roche Holding AGs Actemra, are also being studied as treatments for Covid-19. A separate Sanofi-led trial of Kevzara outside of the United States in hospitalized patients with severe and critical Covid-19 using a different dosing regimen is ongoing, the companies said. Patients who required mechanical ventilation or high-flow oxygen therapy or treatment in an intensive care unit were considered critically ill. Those who required oxygen without mechanical or high-flow oxygenation were considered severely ill. More than three dozen U.S. states were seeing a rise in Covid-19 cases, according to a Reuters analysis on Thursday, the latest grim sign that the coronavirus pandemic, once thought to be waning, was again spreading rapidly. Worldwide, the virus has infected 10.76 million people, resulting in 516,600 deaths. Shares of Regeneron were down $17.20 at $605.25 after hours. They are up about 67% so far this year. Several college students in an Alabama city organised Covid-19 parties as a contest to see who would get the virus first, officials said. Tuscaloosa City Councilor Sonya McKinstry said students hosted the parties to intentionally infect each other with the new coronavirus, news outlets reported. McKinstry said party organizers purposely invited guests who tested positive for Covid-19. She said the students put money in a pot and whoever got Covid first would get the cash. It makes no sense, McKinstry said. Theyre intentionally doing it. Tuscaloosa Fire Chief Randy Smith confirmed the incidents to the City Council on Tuesday. The department thought the parties were rumors, but Smith said after some research, officials discovered the parties were real. Not only do the doctors offices confirm it but the state confirmed they also had the same information, Smith said. Smith did not say whether actions would be taken against the students. He also did not say which schools the students attend. Tuscaloosa is home to The University of Alabama and several other colleges. Tuscaloosa City Council members unanimously approved a mask requirement during a meeting Tuesday. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and even be fatal. The British government said Friday it is scrapping a 14-day quarantine rule for arrivals from a number of countries deemed lower risk for the coronavirus, including France, Spain, Germany and Italy. The change takes effect July 10, just over a month after the UK began requiring international arrivals to self-isolate for two weeks. The full list of exempted countries will be announced later Friday, the government said. It is considered unlikely the United States, which has the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the world, will be among them. On Saturday, the government will also exempt several countries from its advice against overseas travel, meaning UK tourists can once again head abroad on vacation. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the changes are good news for British people and great news for British businesses. But he stressed that the government could re-impose quarantine restrictions in countries we are reconnecting with. The changes announced apply only to England, a sign of friction between Prime Minister Boris Johnsons central government and semi-autonomous administrations in the rest of the UK Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been particularly critical of Johnsons approach to easing coronavirus lockdown measures and has taken a more cautious approach. The British government also made the announcement without securing reciprocal agreements that British travelers will not face quarantines. The Department for Transport said its expectation is that a number of the exempted countries will also not require arrivals from the UK to self-isolate. Britain has the highest Covid-19 toll in Europe, with almost 44,000 confirmed deaths. The country is gradually emerging from a nationwide lockdown imposed in March, with bars, restaurants and hairdressers allowed to reopen in England on Saturday. The European Union re-opened its borders this week to people from 14 countries including Canada, Japan, South Korea and Morocco but not the US Britain left the EU on Jan. 31 but continues to be bound by its rules during a transition period that lasts until the end of the year. The United States reported more than 50,000 new Covid-19 infections on Thursday, a single-day rise not seen or, perhaps, in the world before as the worst affected states, mostly in the south and west, reinstated restrictions and ordered, as in Texas, mandatory use of face coverings in public places. New infections had gone up to 52,291 by the end of Thursday, according to the Johns Hopkins Universitys Covid-19 tracker, and 635 fatalities have been recorded. Public health officials have warned infections could go as high as 100,000 a day and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has forecast 148,000 deaths by July 25. The global count of cases, meanwhile, inched closer to 11 million and deaths climbed to 521,874. The United States is witnessing a second flare-up, mostly affecting southern states with the exception of California in the west that had either lifted their restrictions early or were reluctant to enforce them fully, such as Texas, whose governor Gregg Abbott, a Republican, had prevented his mayors and other city officials from making the use of masks mandatory. Abbott has since recanted, and brought back restrictions, fully. On Thursday, he issued an order making masks mandatory in public place, starting Friday We have the ability to keep businesses open and move our economy forward so that Texans can continue to earn a paycheck, but it requires each of us to do our part to protect one another and that means wearing a face covering in public spaces, Abbott said. At least eight states reported record single-day highs on Thursday, according to New York Times, which is keeping its own separate score: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Montana, South Carolina and Tennessee. Other states in the grip of this flare-up include Arizona. Around a dozen states in the north and the northeast have managed thus far to either flat-line their infections or push them down, but public officials have once again warned they may not be able to withstand the souther surge if the latter was not flattened soon, and the window for that is narrowing. What weve seen over the last several days is a spike in cases that is way beyond the worst spikes that weve seen. That is not good news, Anthony Fauci, a top US epidemiologist and member of the White House task force on Covid-19, told BBC Thursday. Weve got to get that under control, or we risk an even greater outbreak to the United States President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is scheduled to leave Friday for Mount Rushmore in South Dakota for July 4 Independence Day celebrations with fireworks.Talking about the firework celebrations, Trump said, Were going to have a tremendous evening. Its going to be a fireworks display like few people have seen. Its going to be very exciting. Its going to be beautiful. Public health experts worry social distancing norms will not be enforced there, as it has happened at recent public gatherings Trump has attended and addressed. Many members of his campaign staff and the Secret Service were infected at the rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and then again at his rally in Phoenix, Arizona. Among those from the second lot of infections was Herman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate. Gettysburg, PA (17325) Today Thunderstorms, some strong this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Damaging winds and large hail with some storms. Low 67F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms, some strong this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Damaging winds and large hail with some storms. Low 67F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Half Moon Bay, CA (94019) Today Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low near 55F. SSE winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low near 55F. SSE winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. C ool blue is the darling of internet interiors searchers, with hashtags for Hague Blue at an all-time high, according to research by bathroom brand Drench. This particular blue, so inky that its almost black, is made by Farrow & Ball the brand monopolising the top end of the paint trade with a huge range of quirkily named shades. With an equally impeccable paint pedigree, Little Greene did a capsule blue edit in 2015, setting the trend with a palette of 20 hues from ice to navy. And for 2020, American colour pundits Pantone named Classic Blue infused with hints of sea and sky their colour of the year. Dulux's Sapphire Salute, 29.16 for 2.5L You could pay pushing 50 for two-and-a-half litres of elite emulsion, for superior pigments and excellent coverage, says paint pundit Mel Adams of the all-encompassing designerpaint.com, where masses of shade cards are free. Happily Dulux is much cheaper at around 29 for the same size tin, including Ink Well, Sapphire Salute, and Midnight Teal. These are night sky backdrops, says colour consultant Marianne Shillingford. Inky blues are soothing in the bedroom, sophisticated in the living room and the most popular colour on revamped kitchen cabinets right now. They look best in a matt finish. At B&Q, blue is the most popular shade after neutrals and grey. And fashionably deep is their Antibes at only 12 for 2.5L. It might be best to get your skates on when ordering paint unprecedented lockdown DIY is rumoured to be causing some shortages. The best of blue textiles Indigo is the benchmark blue for textiles, redolent of Japanese crafts and African tribal weaves. In north London Rob Jones of Romor Designs is the patient master of shibori, making resist-dyed patterns with stitched, clamped and bound cloth. Check out his cushions, shades and Zoom videos on the website. Such ethnic dyes and prints are timeless and constantly inspire us all, says Mark Butcher, design manager at fabric brand Mark Alexander. Meanwhile, at cult label Mind The Gap an ambitious oeuvre has fabrics and paper redolent of Zulu and Kuba mudcloths, Navajo weaves and Ikat silks from Uzbekistan. Royal blue for linens The Queen of Blue Zoe Glencross, inspired by the massive skies surrounding her Cheshire home, is updating indigo for prints on linen even the cow parsley is blue. Whirlwind Inky Sky fabric, 65 per metre, Zoe Glencross Or take a tip from Instagram influencers and offset your muted wall of ink with the near-match of a navy velvet sofa, giving sheen and depth. Find lovely ones at Made.com from around 650. On the table For fresh blue-and-white china, try striped Cornishware by TG Green, Blue Italian by Spode, or a Chinese porcelain vase or lamp base from OKA, now open in Chelsea. Paolo Moschino has Canton platters at nicholashaslam.com. Or go for a blue glaze from studio potters Reiko Kaneko will paint you a wave mural on ceramic tiles. Explore budget blue china and glass at Habitat, Ikea and H&M, or smoky tumblers and goblets at Oliver Bonas and Graham & Green. Finish off your table setting at antiques-atlas.com for old Bristol Blue glass. Out of the Blue Blue has been a lifelong leitmotif for London interiors doyenne Tricia Guild, whose stunning Out of the Blue retrospective is set to reopen this month after being mothballed during lockdown. There will also be future extended dates to mid-February next year at the Fashion & Textile Museum in Bermondsey Street, SE1. Find inspiration at Designers Guild, Tricia Guilds shops for fabric, paint and furnishings at 265-277 Kings Road, SW3 and 76 Marylebone High Street, W1. Large Flower fabric (hanging) in cobalt, 133 per metre at Designers Guild B illed as the worlds first gold-plated hotel the new Dolce Hanoi Golden Lake has opened in the Vietnamese capital, as the countrys government eases selected coronavirus lockdown restrictions. Covered inside and out in 24-carat gold, the luxurious, contemporary five-star hotel offers design inspiration to anyone hoping to rival Donald Trumps New York penthouse in the interior bling stakes. Gold-plated ceramic tiles adorn the hotels 5,000sq m facade, making the 25-storey building a glowing presence on the city skyline. Inside, gold-lined arches lead off the entrance lobby to a bank of golden lifts. Guest rooms feature gold loos, sinks, towel rails, mirrors and golden free-standing baths. Even the door handles are gold plated. The golden toilet and bidet / REUTERS The roof terrace features a golden infinity pool and an outdoor shower area with gold bullion-effect walls and tiles. Cutlery and crockery in the hotel restaurants are also gold plated. A stay in the two-bedroom executive suite costs 800 per night, although the Vietnamese border is currently closed to travellers from the UK. Gold-plated interiors are not a new thing. Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, executed in 1989, had a gold-mosaic bathroom hidden away in his presidential palace in Bucharest. Donald Trump is another leader famed for his love of gold interiors. The penthouse at his 66-storey Trump Tower in NYC is littered with 24-carat gold accents, from the ceiling mouldings to the elevator. A 4 million solid 18-carat gold loo, a functioning sculpture by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, which made the news last year when it was stolen from Blenheim Palace in Oxon, had even been offered to the US President and his wife, Melania, by the Guggenheim Museum, after it declined the White Houses request to borrow Vincent van Goghs Landscape with Snow (1888) to hang in Mr Trumps private quarters. Copyright 2020 at Sun Newspapers/ APG Media of East Central Minnesota. Digital dissemination of this content without prior written consent is a violation of federal law and may be subject to legal action. Lima, OH (45805) Today Mostly cloudy. Isolated shower possible. High around 77F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become mostly clear late. Low 49F. Winds NW at 5 to 15 mph. Erica Irish TheStatehouseFile.com INDIANAPOLIS Indiana businesses have made little progress to recover from the economic downturn that began with a state shutdown in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Chamber leaders announced the results of the latest survey Wednesday, the second administered to Indiana businesses since a separate Indiana Chamber survey issued at the height of the pandemic in April. The new responses represent more than 634 company executives who were asked questions about employee layoffs, revenue loss and more in late June. Business executives rated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest level of impact. While cash flow concerns improved the most from the April survey, as around 68% of the executives shared their businesses benefited from emergency aid through federal programs like the Paycheck Protection Program, most areas remained the same. The survey found 79% of businesses listed revenue loss as having a high impact on their work, compared to 80% in April, for example. An additional 32% of businesses, compared to 34% in April, listed temporary suspensions on operations as a large consequence of the pandemic. Another 25% of the businesses surveyed listed employee layoffs as a major effect, down from 34% in the April survey. A positive spin is that we are starting to trend in the right direction during this reopening period, Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar said in a statement. The survey shows that and we are hearing that directly when we speak to our member businesses. On top of the individual consequences of the pandemic, 62% of those surveyed said they are considering changing their business models to adapt to the new reality of the pandemic, and 34% said remote work will likely continue for some or all of their employees. Additionally, nearly a quarter of employers surveyed said they are worried about an employee or customer suing their business on claims they contracted COVID-19 when interacting with the company, despite federal legislation that has been proposed to address this topic. Brinegar said the Indiana Chamber will seek state action to further clarify who is liable. Our push will be for the state to adopt its own policy in the 2021 General Assembly to ensure the best protections are in place, Brinegar said Indiana Chamber officials said the results make clear it will take time before businesses totally recover and can again operate in ways they did before the pandemic. The results also reinforce that this recovery is going to be a long haul not months, but likely a year or longer before things resemble normal levels of activity, Brinegar said. Fluxergy (Irvine, CA, USA) will work with Mass General Brigham (MGB Boston, MA, USA) to further evaluate the companys innovative Research Use Only (RUO) COVID-19 testing platform, designed to deliver accurate PCR test results in under one hour.Fluxergy has filed a request for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If granted, the EUA would permit medical sites with CLIA-certified high complexity laboratories, such as MGB, to use the Fluxergy system as a COVID-19 diagnostic tool in accordance with the FDA's authorization. Subject to confirming the performance of the Fluxergy system, and the potential receipt by Fluxergy of the EUA, MGB may utilize the new platform within its healthcare system. MGB also has plans to publish its findings for review by other medical institutions.Fluxergy is also working to develop additional validation data that may support a possible future EUA request to use its COVID-19 testing system at the point-of-care, such as at physician offices, urgent care centers, and outreach clinics. Fluxergy has also begun initial work developing a first-of-its-kind multimodal test that may be able to perform a combined PCR and immunoassay (antibody) COVID-19 analysis using a single Fluxergy test card."MGB is committed to working collaboratively with innovators in the medical field like Fluxergy to help assess new technologies that may enable our hospitals and other medical institutions to more quickly and accurately identify patients with COVID-19, and keep medical staff safely on the job," said Lauren Ritterhouse, MD, PhD, Associate Director for the Center for Integrated Diagnostics in the Department of Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School."Fluxergy is proud to work with Mass General Brigham, one of the nation's most respected healthcare systems, to assist in evaluating the efficacy of the Fluxergy COVID-19 PCR test," said Dr. Ali Tinazli, Fluxergy's Chief Commercialization Officer. Industry Update Appointment 3 July 2020 Kum Hong Siew Appointed Chief Operating Officer At Airbnb, Inc. China Airbnb's Chinese arm has hired a new chief operating officer, Siew Kum Hong, effective immediately. Hong had previously joined the company in 2012 serving as its APAC general counsel, before subsequently becoming regional director for the Asia-Pacific region. In the newly-created role, Hong will be responsible for the business operations and team management of Airbnb's China operations. He will be reporting directly to Airbnb chief strategy officer and co-founder, Nathan Blecharczyk. Hong's previous experience also includes serving as general counsel at Yahoo, and serving as a Singaporean member of parliament, advocating for social justice. Hong had previously joined the company in 2012 serving as its APAC general counsel, before subsequently becoming regional director for the Asia-Pacific region. In the newly-created role, Hong will be responsible for the business operations and team management of Airbnb's China operations. He will be reporting directly to Airbnb chief strategy officer and co-founder, Nathan Blecharczyk. Hong's previous experience also includes serving as general counsel at Yahoo, and serving as a Singaporean member of parliament, advocating for social justice. Airbnb, Inc. Founded in August of 2008 and based in San Francisco, California, Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world online or from a mobile phone or tablet. more information Recent Appointments at Airbnb, Inc. Brent Potts - Vice President of Community Support 3 March 2021 Building a loyal travel community starts with providing great service, and supporting our global community of hosts and guests is one of the most important things we do each day. No matter where you are in the world, you should rest assured that our Support team is standing by to help. read more Donald Hicks - VP of Trust Policy & Partnerships 23 February 2021 Donald's focus will be on building strong global partnerships with hosts, guests and our overall community. He will lead Airbnb's Community Policy, Ethics, and Crisis Management teams, including Airbnb's policies and support pertaining to important issues like safety, content moderation, host and guest standards, anti-discrimination, and more. read more External Article 3 July 2020 The European Union's temporary ban on American travelers due to the swelling coronavirus count in the U.S. will particularly hurt American-based chains and the upscale end of the European hotel industry. Nearly 18 million Americans traveled to EU countries in 2018, the most recent complete year of data provided by the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. More than a third of the annual volume went to Europe during the peak summer travel season. Americans traveling to Europe accounted for just over 20 percent of Marriott's European room nights in 2019, a company spokesperson said to Skift. A summer in Europe sans American tourists may not be a collective wipeout for hotel operators, but it will likely be further bad news for high-end properties already grappling with low occupancy from the pandemic. "The American chains will take a hit, but other brands in the midscale or budget segments won't be affected at all or only just a little," said Nicolas Graf, associate dean at New York University's Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. Press Release 3 July 2020 Melia Hotels International has created the Melia Pro Travel Labs community on Facebook, an exclusive community for travel agents with a programme of live events in which agents will have the chance to take part in webinars, workshops, round tables and virtual visits to company hotels. In parallel, the meliapro.com B2B booking site has also joined the major sales campaign launched by the group to reconnect with customers. Under the tagline "When you come back, trust your events to Melia", the company aims to stimulate activity in the MICE segment by offering maximum flexibility for group bookings, extra MeliaRewards points and the peace of mind of staying in a hotel and hosting an event in a place with the new health and safety standards from the Stay Safe with Melia programme, certified by Bureau Veritas. Advertisements The impact of COVID 19 on the travel industry has made the hotel company ramp up its digital transformation in response to the demands of the new environment. As its Chief Executive Officer, Gabriel Escarrer, has already indicated, "the companies that focus most on technology and digitalisation have a competitive advantage that will help them emerge from this crisis." In this context, the company intends to strengthen its direct relationship with B2B customers in a secure virtual environment using new digital communication tools to replace traditional face-to-face meetings. The Melia Pro website and booking engine launched for travel agents in 2014 is now joined by the new Melia Pro Travel Lab platform, a channel designed to provide relevant information on company hotels and destinations, training courses and exclusive benefits and incentives. This virtual community is already available in Spain and Latin America, and will soon be extended to other countries all around the world. With a weekly programme of live digital events through Facebook Live and Zoom, Melia will also share the latest company news in a very direct way, helping travel agents stay up to date on company brands and destinations and also having the chance to remotely visit hotels. In the first live session, Melia Hotels International brought together travel agents in a virtual meeting to present the reopening of its premium hotels Gran Melia Sancti Petri, Hotel Don Pepe and ME Sitges, with their General Managers sharing all the latest news as well as information on health and safety measures. Next Thursday, the second live event will present the reopening and news on the Melia Cala Galdana, Melia Villaitana, Melia Hacienda del Conde, Melia Atlantico Isla Canela and INNSiDE Ibiza hotels. As an additional incentive, the company is also offering a prize draw to win 50,000 MeliaRewards points to all the travel agents taking part in each session. "In these uncertain times for our industry, it is important we stand by our professional partners and strengthen our relationships with them. The key to our success is innovation in the way we connect with our partners," said Jose Miguel Moreno, Senior Global Director of B2B Sales & Marketing at Melia Hotels International. Webinar After the success of our first update webinar we are holding a second UK & UAE Business Update Webinar for those who could not attend our last or wish to catch up. This is a great opportunity for all our partners and hoteliers to find out what we are doing, and how we can help you succeed in a post Covid world. Please note that this event starts at 10.00am BST / 11.00am CET / 1.00pm Dubai TigerTMS Business Update Webinar Event is organized by Business at the Lucilles Fine Southern Foods, a Black-owned Houston restaurant, surged so much, so fast after social media campaigns to support Black-owned businesses took off that owner Chris Williams had to close for a few days to reconfigure operations to meet social distancing guidelines. Dr. Latisha Rowe hasnt had the same experience, even though her telemedicine-based practice in the Heights, Rowedocs, is listed in online directories of Black-owned businesses. While the hashtag #supportblackbusiness has racked up millions of posts on Instagram and Twitter, Rowedocs patient roster hasnt grown. For her practice, Rowe said, the online fervor for supporting Black-owned businesses is not translating action wise. Grassroots efforts to boost the economic fortunes of Black and minority communities in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd are meeting with uneven results. In Houston, home to more than 90,000 Black-owned businesses, customer-facing enterprises such as restaurants and retailers, are enjoying the bump, while less visible accounting, legal, consulting and other services languish. UNITY BANK: Texas' last Black-owned bank hasn't made a profit in 3 years. But there's hope. The disparities underscore the challenges ahead if the city, state and nation are to address historic economic injustices that have left the Black community with higher unemployment, higher poverty rates and fewer opportunities. In addition to addressing longstanding issues such as access to capital, markets and the institutions where business connections are forged, white America needs to expand its perception of Black-owned companies beyond the corner store or cafe, Black business leaders said. Carol Guess, the chair of the Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce, said that will require a conscious shift in the types of Black-owned businesses with which people are willing to interface. Clothing and food have been normalized, she said. When it comes to someone doing my taxes, someone being my banker like Unity National Bank, the only Black-owned bank in Texas when it comes to them handling money, those services have not been normalized in the larger culture. But we are capable of handling all that, too. Seeing a disconnect In 2018, Alysia Gradney founded the Gudz, a marketing agency that crafts brand campaigns to reach diverse cultures, genders and sexual orientations. When she watched the video of Floyds death, she said, a surge of emotions and memories swelled up in her, including the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police in 1991, when she was little older than her own six-year-old daughter today. The outrage and outpouring that followed Floyds killing showed that the time for change had finally come, Gradney said, and she saw an opportunity to help companies think about how they fit into that change. But when she reached out to 27 local businesses, she received mixed responses. One said she was race-baiting, she recalled. Another said it didnt feel it needed to be part of a political movement. Texas Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox She did receive a rush of inquiries from people asking asking how to become more inclusive, she said, but it has yet to turn into new business. I havent had anyone whos been really willing to change their marketing approach or who have the funds to do that. she said. #supportblackbusiness challenges One of the issues for service businesses is they have narrower customer bases. Its possible for someone to support several restaurants, but most people only need one lawyer or accountant. Customers of business service businesses have less room to try different options and often rely on recommendations from within their own communities. Black-owned businesses are also likely to have less access to capital than their white counterparts. Nearly half of Black people in the United States are underbanked or unbanked, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., meaning they do not regularly use or have access to traditional banking institutions. During the pandemic, that has made it more difficult for Black-owned businesses to get federal coronavirus relief funds. The small business loan initiative, the Paycheck Protection Program is administered through banks, many of which gave preference to established customers. Kea Hunt, owner of Wunofakind, which provides media, marketing and management for local entrepreneurs, said her application for Paycheck Protection Program funds is still pending after more than two months. She worries that without access to such programs, many Black-owned businesses will fold during the recession, social media campaigns notwithstanding. A lot of businesses will not be coming back, Hunt said. I hate to say that. Farrah Gafford Cambrice, an assistant professor of sociology at Prairie View A&M University, warned that widespread failures of Black-owned businesses would have effects that reach beyond the particular companies and immediate economic impact. When something like this happens and their businesses dont get the support, thats a devastating message to give to would-be entrepreneurs, she said. For generations. The power to change society But even the owners of businesses experiencing a surge in customers said they have mixed feelings about the campaign to support Black-owned companies. Williams said he started Lucilles to serve good food, but now people are rushing to his dining room because of the color of his skin. Thats the one kind of sad thing about it, he said. Now, everything has to be defined by that. BACK TO WORK: Throughgood Coffee returns to neighborhood rhythms Still, Williams said he understands the logic behind the movement. The Black community has $1.3 trillion in spending power, according to the data analytics company Nielsen. If more of that money, plus more from outside the Black community, were spent at Black-owned businesses, it could create a kind of self-sustaining economic cycle in which businesses prosper and hire more workers, who in turn spend their earnings at other Black businesses, which then also grow and hire. The goal, Williams said, is to increase the number of revolutions for Black dollars in their own communities. Cambrice, of Prairie View A&M, the Buy Black movement, which has a predecessor in the Civil Rights era, has the power to change communities by helping Black families build wealth. Wealth encompasses more than just income; it includes homes, businesses, stock holdings and other assets that can be passed down to generations to give them a head start. For example, students from wealthy families need to borrow less to pay for college, meaning they are able to save for homes and retirement sooner than those burdened with student loan payments. Wealthier parents can also help children get started building their own assets; about one third of first-time home buyers get help with down payments from family and friends, according to the National Association of Realtors. The wealth gap between white and Black families has remained stubbornly constant throughout the decades. For every $100 dollars of wealth a typical white family owns, a Black family only has $10, according to the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. Cambrice said she hopes the wave of support for Black businesses will help change that. If you support Black businesses, you support Black wealth, she said, And that has a long-term impact on Black families, Black communities and society as well. amanda.drane@chron.com rebecca.schuetz@chron.com gwendolyn.wu@chron.com Energy companies, facing a future of lower oil prices, are increasingly adopting drones to inspect offshore drilling rigs and other operations as they seek to increase efficiency, cut costs and improve worker safety. This development has provided a growing market for companies that provide drones and develop the software to collect and manage data gathered from inspections. Recently, Royal Dutch Shell awarded a five-year, multi-million-dollar contract to the Scottish company Cyberhawk, which has offices in Houston, to help the European oil major monitor both offshore and onshore operations. The U.S. market for drones has grown quickly since 2016, when the Federal Aviation Administration adopted rules to expand the use of drones beyond hobbyists to commercial applications. Cyberhawk and other drone companies have used the opportunities opened by the FAA to build their businesses, particularly in the energy industry, where drones are used to monitor drilling sites, pipelines and refineries. Drones and drone-based technology are becoming increasingly attractive to an oil and gas industry looking to lower costs and remain profitable in a time of tight budgets and persistently low oil prices. Last year alone, more than 108,000 commercial operators registered their drones with the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA projects the number of commercial drones flying in U.S. airspace will more than double to 828,000 by 2024 from 385,000 in 2019. Besides the oil and gas, drones are used in a variety of industries, including construction, agriculture, security and mining. Drones provide a quick and efficient way of performing aerial surveillance and asset inspection, said Ravindra Puranik, an analyst who studies the use of emerging technologies in the oil and gas industry for the London research firm GlobalData. They cost less than a manned aircraft, are easier to deploy, and can be fitted with different types of payload for data capture. Frickin lasers Drones employ technologies such as cameras that can capture multiple high-resolution photos used in mapping large areas, laser systems similar to radar and infrared camera and lasers, which can detect methane leaks along pipeline routes. In addition, different drone configurations -- including quadcopters with four rotary blades, octocopters with eight rotors, and fixed-wing aircraft -- have been developed to meet the needs of different companies and industries Cyberhawk, for example, teamed up with German drone company, Ascending Technologies, to develop a drone specifically designed to perform the close-up inspections of offshore drilling rigs and other large physical assets for the oil and gas industry. The drones take on dangerous jobs, such as inspecting interiors of storage tanks or the underside of an offshore production platform, that were once done by workers. In January 2016, Intel bought Ascending Technologies and developed the Intel Falcon 8, an octocopter whose V-shaped design is adapted for close inspections and mapping. The Falcon 8 has since become the workhorse of Cyberhawks drone fleet. Cyberhawk, meanwhile, developed its proprietary iHawk software to collect data from visual images collected by the drones cameras, and analyze it. For example, clients looking to get data about a valve on an offshore platform, can click an image to zoom in on the desired part. Cyberhawk was launched in 2008, led by Chris Fleming, a former offshore inspection engineer who worked in the North Sea oil fields. Over the past dozen years, Cyberhawk has grown rapidly, focusing on performing drone inspections for the energy industry. In addition to oil and gas facilities, Cyberhawk drones also monitor electric transmission towers and wind turbines. Cyberhawk, which maintains a fleet of about 40 drones, has expanded its operations into 37 countries and employs 18 full-time drone pilots, 30 engineers and 15 software developers. Houston presence In 2016, the company opened its Houston office, which has served at the hub of its U.S. operation. At any given time, about 20 of the companys approximately 75 employees work out of Houston. The U.S. market accounts for about half of Cyberhawks revenues, the company said. Cyberhawk has decided to establish a U.S. headquarters in Denver, from where it can oversee operations on both the East and West coasts as well as Texas and surrounding oil- and gas-producing states. The Houston utility CenterPoint Energy adopted new executive compensation rules this week so its newest chief executive officer and other executives can collect the yet-to-be vested stock awards if the utility is sold, according to regulatory filings. David J. Lesar, the former head of the oilfield services firm Halliburton, was named CenterPoint president and CEO Tuesday and started the job Wednesday, making him the utilitys third chief executive officer in four months. Lesar joined the CenterPoint board in May. CenterPoint, which distributes electricity and natural gas to the Houston area, has over the past several months sold assets to cut debt to return to its core utility business. The company was penalized in its most recent rate review for not providing adequate electricity reliability to the San Antonio grocery chain H-E-B and agreed to accept a $13 million rate hike, less than 10 percent it was seeking and a lower profit margin. CenterPoint shares were also the worst performing among utilities in the first quarter, recording a 43 percent loss, according to the research firm S&P Global. S&P cited a report by the credit market research firm CreditSights that CenterPoint could be a possible acquisition target. Lesar succeeded John W. Somerhalder II, who was asked by an analyst in May whether the company would consider putting itself up for sale. Somerhalder responded that CenterPoint, like all companies, must consider options, but was focused on running the company, according to a transcript of the call. RELATED: CenterPoint says CEO resigned, names interim chief CenterPoint said the new compensation arrangements do not signal a possible sale. We have a skilled and dedicated team to position us to create attractive value, building on a base of strong utility assets, said CenterPoint spokeswoman Alicia Dixon. Our utility-focused strategy, combined with our newly strengthened financial position, enables us to focus on how best to optimize and drive return on our assets. CenterPoint is paying Lesar, 67, an annual salary of nearly $1.4 million and $1 million in stock as a signing bonus, according to a regulatory filing. Proceeds from the signing bonus will be vested over a three-year period. In the event the company is sold, the vesting period would be waived, according to CenterPoints filing this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The CenterPoint board also approved incentive stock awards for Lesar that eliminate the vesting period in the event of a change of control of the company. The number of shares to be awarded was not disclosed. CenterPoint told regulators that the updated plan will allow the board to also give grants of stock to other executives that would pay out on a vesting schedule. The vesting period for those stock grants would also be waived if the company were sold. Somerhalder stepped in as interim CEO in February, after the sudden departure of Scott M. Prochazka. Somerhalder, who was a member of the CenterPoint board for four years, left his board seat on Tuesday. BATTLE OF THE TITANS: How H-E-B went head-to-head with Centerpoint CenterPoint told regulators that Somerhalders resignation was not the result of any disagreement he had with the company on any matter relating to the companys operations, policies or practices. The CenterPoint board paid Somerhalder $365,000 for his work as interim CEO. The CenterPoint board also agreed to buy Lesars house in Dallas for $1.2 million so he can relocate to Houston. The Public Utility Commission extended an emergency program for low-income and unemployed Texans that will subsidize a substantial portion of their power bills for another six weeks. The program, which was launched in March and was scheduled to stop taking applications on July 17, will be extended to Aug. 31 as the number of coronavirus cases continues to increase in Texas. I just feel like the state is a situation right now that would not warrant us taking action to close it in two weeks, Chairman DeAnn Walker said. The electricity relief program is designed as short-term assistance, a way for Texans to get back on their feet while much of the Texas economy is closed. It suspends disconnections for financially stressed Texans who buy electricity in the deregulated market, an area that includes Houston and Dallas. It is funded by a special charge of 0.033 cents per kilowatt hour added to electricity bills. That works out to about 40 cents for residential customers who use 1,200 kilowatt hours of electricity per month. Consumer advocates said theyre pleased the commission is extending the program. This is certainly a difficult time for many Texans and is important for those whove lost their jobs to have some certainty that they wont lose electricity in the middle of the summer, said R.A. Dyer, policy analyst for the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power, which represents cities in Texas that buy power. NO DEAL: Power companies can still reject you if you paid to find low price The program reimburses the energy portion of power bills at 4 cents per kilowatt hour and covers the cost of local delivery and transmission, which is about another 4 cents per kilowatt hour. Consumers will be credited for those amounts on their bills yet would still be responsible for reimbursing their power providers for any energy portion of a bill that exceeds 4 cents per kilowatt hour. But retail electric providers can require consumers who sign up for the program to agree to whats known as a "switch hold," which means that they can't change providers until they pay off their old bills. Consumers who miss a payment after the program ends face disconnection of their electricity. Only a fraction of Texans who have lost their jobs in the coronavirus pandemic have signed up for financial help to pay their electricity bills. Just 4 percent enrolled in the relief program during April and May, according to the most recent data available. CenterPoint, the regulated utility in the Houston area, reported just 26,000 participants signed up in April and May, according to the companys filing with the Public Utility Commission. Oncor, the regulated utility that provides power to Dallas, reported nearly 32,000 participants. Some 425,000 low-income Texans who receive Medicaid and food benefits were automatically enrolled in the program. Late last month, Jeff Nadalo, general counsel of Buc-ees, thought the future for the famed rest stop chain was looking up. The novel coronavirus had caused business to plummet in mid-March, but as things reopened, people hit the road again, making day trips to the beaches and Hill Country and stopping at Buc-ees, famous for its clean bathrooms, along their way. Then a surge in COVID-19 cases threw up a roadblock. Gov. Greg Abbott began rolling back his reopening plan, signaling the severity of the pandemic, which threatens to again fill the intensive care units of Houstons hospitals. People began canceling travel plans, meaning less of the traffic between major cities, which Buc-ees depends on. On Wednesday, Corpus Christi and Galveston announced that they were shutting down their beaches for the Fourth of July, one of the bigger travel weekends of the year. On HoustonChronicle.com: Dont make July 4 another Memorial Day, doctors urge Houstonians Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer If Houstonians heed Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgos call to stay home again and avoid further contagion, that could mean sales at area retailers also take a hit during what is normally a lucrative weekend. Venky Shankar, a professor of marketing and director of research at the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M, said coronavirus precautions will likely deal a blow to retail this weekend, though Buc-ees may fare better than the rest. Theyll still have plenty of motorists, he said. Bars are closed, but they still might be hitting the road to see places, maybe do some camping. It will be interesting to see how people approach Houston now that the virus is growing. As recently as late last month, the Independence Day outlook looked more positive. On HoustonChronicle.com: Coronavirus concerns prompt city of Galveston to close beaches for July 4th Nadalo said Lake Jackson-based Buc-ees installed plastic shields at its registers and required employees to undergo regular temperature screenings and to wear masks. Sales had nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, he said in late June. Before Memorial Day, they were more dramatically down, but the fiscal rebound looked healthy. Were seeing a lot more people taking road trips than perhaps in past years, he said. Buc-ees is a great place to enhance the summer vacation. Randy Pauly, the chains BBQ pitmaster, said the slowdown gave him time to retrain the team and perfect a new sandwich. In the middle of this, we launched a new pulled pork, he said. This will hopefully be a nice complement to our BBQ lineup. Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Things took a turn Before the coronavirus infections began to surge over the last two weeks, Shankar said the forecast called for more holiday traffic. Thats likely to change. I think we will feel the effects of it, especially in places like Houston, where its become a sort of hot spot, he said. New bans on large gatherings mean large holiday events will turn into small backyard affairs, leading people to spend less on supplies. And for clothing and furniture stores that normally bank on holiday sales, Shankar said much of that shopping will likely move online. They wont have a lot of shoppers coming in and browsing, which used to be very common, he said. Holly Clapham, chief marketing officer for Houston First Corp., said the organizations surveys suggest that much of the city hasnt given up on July outings. Houston First surveyed 181 residents and visitors between June 15 and June 21, and only 30 percent reported feeling unsafe in Houston. About 63 percent of respondents said they would have friends or family visiting Houston before the end of July. Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer On HoustonChronicle.com: TMC hospitals go into Phase 2 surge plans as ICU capacity exceeds 100 percent The surveyed population skewed toward the more adventurous, Clapham said, since respondents most frequently access the survey by heading to the website to scope out city event calendars. Its a very active segment of our population. Theyre wanting to know whats happening, whats new, where can I eat, what can I do, she said, noting interest in calendars hasnt waned in recent weeks. I really havent seen our numbers in terms of our website fall that dramatically over the course of the last two weeks. Just how much the pandemics resurgence will affect tourism and the citys economy remains to be seen, she said. The outcome of that is yet to be written. amanda.drane@chron.com Rabbi Adrienne Scott can attest to the power of Jewish summer camp, especially when it comes to building and strengthening religion. She was a camper and counselor herself. Camp is a very big part of my Jewish identity, she said. And I loved getting to know other Jewish kids. It really is a place for making lifelong friends. Now, as a rabbi at Bellaires Beth Israel, Scott spends part of each summer at Greene Family Camp in Bruceville. She knows the importance of being surrounded by other Jewish kids at the camp instead of being one of the few at school. Camp is a time for faith formation, which continues throughout the school year. Thats why Scott started taking her own children with her to camp even when they could barely walk. Now, 12-year-old Beryt and 9-year-old Ezra are lifelong campers. I knew with my kids that I wanted them to start young and go all the way through, Scott said. But summer camp came grinding to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic. Beryt and Ezra are part of a larger group children from religious minorities who eagerly anticipated attending summer camps where they are not outsiders. According to the Pew Research Center, in the Houston metropolitan area, in the faith population, only 2 percent are Jewish, 1 percent Muslim and 1 percent Hindu. But at summer camps, those numbers rise to 100 percent. Katy-resident Siddhi Bavare, 15, is relieved that the Hindu Heritage Youth Camp made the decision to go digital. When I saw on Instagram that everything was going to be virtual, I knew it wouldnt be the same, she said. But Ive been going to camp for so long, I wanted to support what they were doing. Theyve helped me find myself so much and connect to my religion. Before COVID-19, Bavare was counting down the days to return to the camp shes attended for the past five years, which is part of Hindus of Greater Houston and usually held at Camp Lantern Creek in Montgomery. I look forward to it every day, Bavare said. When I go to camp, I feel more at home. Camp director Abhi Aggarwal said organizers delayed the decision to go virtual, in hopes that larger gatherings could take place in the summer. Normally, we start planning in January, Aggarwal said. By February, everything still seemed normal in the U.S., so we kept on as planned. We wanted to wait it out. But as time passed, a physical camp seemed more and more impossible. Weve never done a virtual camp before, said executive committee member Bharat Pallod. Pallod, who started attending camp at 6 years old, explained that at first, he worried about the interest in virtual camp, but registration filled up right away. The camp starts July 6 and runs through Aug. 3. The format has changed. Instead of two, five-day sessions, there will be one-hour daily video conferences, spread out over five weeks. Each day will feature a different activity, from art and yoga to singing and spirituality. Campers will receive boxes in the mail with materials for activities and their annual camp shirts. Aggarwal said that even though the camp is virtual, students will still be able to see each other, interact and talk to counselors. He added that during camp, everyone is Hindu, and that can be comforting. When youre in school, youre one of the only Hindu kids, he said. We hear campers say, This is the first time I felt proud to be Hindu. Its definitely important to keep that going. Pallod said the camp provides students with a number of ways to learn about Hinduism. At school, he explained, children might face misinformation, misconceptions and prejudice about their religion. For a lot of kids, this is your chance, he said. Its five days to truly immerse yourself in tradition. Its really important for kids to truly understand their religion. Its critical, and thats why we wanted to move forward with this. Siddhi Bavares mother Bhakti agreed. I was born in India, where it was easy for me to learn about our culture and our community, she said. For kids born here, their parents worry. Its hard to share with them all of the heritage, the culture. This camp gives them a platform. Summer camp at the Tajweed Institute also moved online. Afreen Rangoonwala has led sessions for the past three summers, full of activities, field trips and spiritual lessons. Part of the camp is dedicated to helping students learn how to read and properly pronounce words in the Quran. Theres a whole process and science behind it, Rangoonwala said. Its a lifelong journey. Theres also an academic portion to camp. If anyone wants to polish their math or English skills over the summer, we want there to be an option to do that as well, Rangoonwala added. Due to the coronavirus, Tajweed Institute is offering Quran studies and academics in online, one-on-one sessions. Richmond resident Nazia Khan was glad to learn that there was still an option for her kindergartner to participate. Usually, she visits family in California during the summer, but this year, the coronavirus changed her travel plans. Khan recalled thinking, Well, were here, and were still home, lets try something. Her daughter was also able to attend a summer session at her school, the Muslim American Society Katy, as well as the Houston Quran Academy. I know its hard for the teachers and students to go online, Khan said. In a way, you miss the social element. Still, her children gain from the spiritual education at both centers. Its brought structure to our day and keeps them busy, but not too busy, Khan said with a laugh. Rangoonwala explained that every Saturday, the Tajweed Institute posts a free activity for children. Already, they have offered storytimes, science experiments and coding classes, with plans to add cooking classes, exercise sessions and filmmaking courses. We want to continue the element of fun, without charging people, as a free service to the community, she said. We always offer summer camp and we will not let COVID stop that. The Scott family is attending Greene Family Camp online this summer, participating in its at-home, offline challenges, as well as virtual Shabbat services. School in many ways can be replicated online, Scott said. Camp is really hard to re-create. Theyve gone above and beyond at Greene Family Camp. Still, she wanted to do more to capture the essence of summer camp at home. We decided to create, for our own kids, Scott Family Camp, Scott said. That means re-creating camp menus, tie-dying and playing board games. Instead of cleaning your room, its bunk inspection, Scott added. They are also taking time, as a family, to have in-depth conversations. Weve started to focus on what are your values, Scott said. We talk a lot about how do we celebrate with each other, how are we respectful and mindful, how are we still staying in touch with our friends. Instead of going to summer camp this year, Scotts children are finding ways to learn about Judaism and honor traditions from home. We want to create a sacred space for that in our home, Scott said. Our home has become everything now, an office, a school, a restaurant and a camp cabin. And that includes taking time to re-create what happens in summer camp in a new light. Were trying to infuse a bit of summer joy and happiness, Scott said. After all, summer is a great time to be a kid. Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-based freelance writer. ALBANY Before the pandemic, Anne Heim made the 40-mile trek north from her home in Greene County to visit her brother in a nursing home about once a week. Capistran Heim, a Franciscan friar who spent over 50 years working as a missionary in Brazil for the Holy Name Province, is a resident of the Teresian House nursing home in Albany. Hes 86, blind and struggles to retain memories and details of his life due to dementia. His sister's visits, consequently, had become a lifeline to both his past life as a youth and missionary, and to the outside world. That ended when the novel coronavirus hit, as nursing homes nationwide closed their doors to visitors in hopes of keeping the virus out. Now, she cant help but worry that her brother forced into isolation for over 100 days now is deteriorating. I think hes losing it more and more each day, Anne Heim said, describing their brief telephone calls. He cant watch television and he sleeps most of the day, so theres no stimulus at all anymore. Theres nobody to talk to him to give a few new thoughts, you know? Heim is hardly alone in feeling that way. Family members with loved ones in nursing homes are becoming more and more urgent in their pleas that some form of visitation resume, as they glimpse signs of both physical and psychological distress over phone calls, FaceTime and Skype sessions which are often arranged by staff who understand the importance of social connection in a time of prolonged isolation. As New York allows visitation in hospitals and group homes to resume under strict safety precautions those with family and friends in nursing homes and assisted living facilities wonder when their turn will come. The virus ripped through these facilities during the early stages of the pandemic, killing at least 6,400 long-term care residents in New York. But now that the virus has been brought under control or, in a growing number of homes, eliminated entirely, advocates say the prolonged ban on visitors is doing more harm than good. People are suffering and dying from loneliness, said Richard Mollot, executive director of the Long Term Care Community Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for safer nursing homes. Theyre emotionally wrought. Families are seeing the deterioration, whether its by phone or FaceTime or through a window, theyre seeing their loved one become more unresponsive, unable to respond to basic conversation. Visitation restrictions were implemented for a reason. Nursing home residents are at particular risk of complications from COVID-19 due to their age, underlying health conditions and congregate living situation. Recognizing this risk, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services directed facilities on March 13 to immediately restrict all visitors with exceptions for compassionate circumstances only, such as end of life. Unfortunately, Mollot said, nursing homes took that guidance to mean visits were only allowed at end of life, and never under other circumstances. Facilities did try to compensate, he notes, by setting residents up with video technology to see their loved ones. But many residents suffer from cognitive impairments, such as dementia and Alzheimers, which made such visits unrealistic, he said. Those are also the very same residents who benefit most from the mental stimulation that comes from conversing with friends and family people who know the persons history and are able to spark memories for them. Thats what Anne Heim and her brother did on their visits, she said. Theyd sit and talk about the old days, she said, and laugh over funny family memories. Weve always been very close, she said. People used to say, He starts a sentence and you finish it. Which is why I do believe hes deteriorating. I cant tell you exactly why because I cant see him. But I know him, and I know how he thinks, and I can just tell when somethings off. The benefit of visitation is not just psychological, but physical, she and Mollot said. Many nursing homes are understaffed, with aides and nurses in charge of more residents than they have time for. Such short-staffing leads to oversights in care, infection control precautions or worse outright neglect and abuse. It doesnt help that state and federal government relaxed oversight during the pandemic, Mollot said, restricting inspections to immediate jeopardy complaints and infection control surveys only, and granting legal shield to homes for most harm that might occur during an outbreak. Visitors be they family, friends or the local long term care ombudsman provide an extra layer of oversight and vigilance that helps to prevent such abuses and lapses from occurring, Mollot said. Three-quarters of facilities dont have enough staff to meet minimum clinical needs of residents, he said. So when family members are there, they have been filling that gap by helping with feeding, hydration, checking for proper toileting and bathing and hygiene. I did not realize until COVID came along the extent to which we rely on unpaid family members to provide these just basic levels of care. Heim pointed to two instances in which her visits prompted immediate improvements for her brother at Teresian House. In one instance, she noticed that he seemed to be losing weight and told the nurse that the last home he lived in gave him a nutritious drink every afternoon to compensate for his lack of appetite at mealtimes. They immediately jumped on that and took care of it, she said. Another time I told them hed been having trouble hearing and they got him hearing aids I just believe if you see a person face to face, you can determine better what their real condition is. I would know just looking at him if something was off. Heim emphasized that Teresian House always took exceptional care of her brother, and doesnt fault staff there for the deterioration he seems to be experiencing now. Paul Larrabee, a spokesman for Teresian House, said the facility has gone out of its way to maintain virtual lines of communication between residents and family. The facility which had one of the regions largest coronavirus outbreaks with over 120 confirmed cases among residents and staff also does an hourlong conference call each Wednesday with family to update them on the state of the virus (which is gone from the facility now), testing, personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies, and initiatives like fresh air therapy the staff undertakes to keep residents stimulated. The families want visitation to return but I think theres a split between those who want to ensure its done in as controlled a manner as possible and those who want it to be expedited and to reunite as soon as possible, he said. As cases of the virus began to let up in parts of the country, CMS modified its visitation ban to give states more discretion on resuming visits, but recommended allowing them only for facilities that have gone 28 days without a new case, are not experiencing staffing shortages, and have adequate PPE, cleaning supplies, and access to testing, as well as local hospital capacity. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo gave hospitals and group homes the green light to resume visitation in mid-June but held off on nursing homes, citing the high risk the virus poses to that population. Cuomo has come under considerable fire for his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic in particular, a now-rescinded directive instructing nursing homes not to turn away COVID-19 patients from hospitals. Critics say that unnecessarily introduced the virus into facilities where Cuomo himself said the virus could spread like fire through dry grass. State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said last month that the state Health Department would study the issue before making a decision on visitations. Asked about the status of that study, department spokesman Gary Holmes said guidance on resuming visitations is currently being finalized. The department has been surveying other states with low case counts, he said, and talking to providers about potentially safe visitation options. The Department of Health deeply understands the importance of reopening nursing homes to visitors and the impact the time apart has had on residents and their loved ones, and while New York has effectively flattened the curve, COVID-19 cases are peaking in the majority of the country," Holmes said. "As with all difficult decisions weve made throughout this pandemic, were developing a smart, methodical and data-driven approach to reopening these facilities to visitation. These parameters are in place to protect lives and can only change when we can ensure it can happen safely." Industry officials, meanwhile, said they have been in talks with the state on precautions they could take to protect resident safety and health should visits resume. Jim Clyne, president of LeadingAge New York, a statewide association representing the continuing care industrys nonprofit sector, said the discussions have covered precautions you might expect requiring masks, social distance, hand hygiene and symptom screening. He said a number of facilities are exploring outdoor visitation options, and pretty much everyone is discussing whether to make the visits supervised. Time limitations and visiting hours are also being discussed, given the strain supervised visits could pose on staffing levels, he said. The No. 1 issue right now is visitation, he said. Families and residents really want to see each other, and visitation is something that really benefits the mental health and wellbeing of residents. There is also concern that without some release valve soon when it comes to visitation, more and more family members will choose to take their loved ones off campus for a day or afternoon, Clyne said. While visitors arent allowed in, nothing can stop a guardian from checking a resident out for a day or afternoon (though the resident may need to self-isolate when they get back, he noted). We think its better to be in a controlled environment on the campus than it is for families to come and take their parent or grandparent out to the local (restaurant), he said. "We'd rather give them that connection here." Ashraf Rashad, secretary-general of the majority Mostaqbal Watan (The Future of Homeland) Party, told Al-Ahram Weekly that two rounds of meetings were held last week with leaders of political parties and forces to discuss the upcoming parliamentary elections. The first round included the Adl (Justice), the Peoples Republican, the Moatamer (Conference), Modern Egypt, and the Guardians of the Nation parties, while the second included the Ghad (Tomorrow), Wafd, and Tagammu. The meetings came after parliament passed election laws on 17 June in preparation for parliamentary elections scheduled for November. We have two parliamentary polls in the second half of 2020, to elect a 300-seat Senate and a new 596-seat House of Representatives, said Rashad. Fifty per cent of the seats will be elected via a closed party list system which Rashad says compels political parties to form coalitions to contest the elections. Amendments to the House law increased the number of elected MPs from 540 to 568. Half will be elected via the individual system, and half through the closed list system. Twenty-five per cent of the total number of seats (125 seats) will be reserved for women, and the president is authorised to appoint 28 MPs. The closed list system means that a party which wins 51 per cent of the votes in any district will take all that districts seats. This is different from the proportional list system in which each party list is allocated seats in proportion to the votes it wins per district, said Rashad. Many political parties will face an uphill battle to win more than 50 per cent of the vote and so will be forced to join forces and run on multi-party lists. We want the majority of political forces to be represented in parliament and this will not be possible without closing ranks. We want three or four strong coalitions that can contest the poll, said Rashad. Rashad revealed that parliament will discuss a new law on the redrawing of electoral districts within days. Mostaqbal Watan was able to win 57 seats (nine per cent) in the 2015 election running on a list that included seven political parties, Rashad explained. In preparing for the coming poll, we want more than seven political parties to join our list. Mostaqbal Watan trailed the Free Egyptians Party which won 65 seats (11 per cent). Bahaaeddin Abu Shoka, the chairman of Wafd, Egypts oldest political party, met with leaders of Mostaqbal Watan on 23 June. Though we would be able to contest the Senate and the House poll in all districts this does mean that we are against joining a strong coalition to contest the poll, said Abu Shoka. In 2015, the Wafd won 36 seats (six per cent). Galal Haridi, the former army colonel who chairs the Guardians of the Nation Party, told the Weekly that the party is open to dialogue ahead of the elections. I think it is better for our party to join a strong coalition to contest the poll, said Haridi. According to Rashad, nine political parties have expressed interest in joining the partys list, a number he expects to grow. By the time of the election he hopes to field a coalition list of 12 parties, possibly including the Egyptian Socialist Democratic Party. Al-Ahram political analyst Amr Hashem Rabie expects four major coalitions to contest the Senate and House elections: the Mostaqbal Watan list, the Free Egyptians list, the Wafd list, and the Salafist Nour list. Leftist political parties, including the Egyptian Socialist Democratic Party, the Nasserist, the Tagammu, and the Popular Socialist Alliance might choose to form their own coalition in which case we could see five competing lists, said Rabie. Rabie had hoped MPs would back a proportional rather than a closed list system. In the closed system, a party list which wins 51 per cent of the votes in a district will be entitled to all that districts seats even if another list won 49 per cent of the vote. This is a major drawback that could prevent some forces from gaining parliamentary representation. He noted that the 50 per cent of seats elected via the individual candidacy system could open the door to Islamist candidates with links to the Muslim Brotherhood. Speculation is rife whether the Senate and House elections will be held in November as scheduled. A recent report in Akhbar Al-Youm claimed that the Senate polls will be held in August, and only the elections to the House in November. Deputy Parliament Speaker Suleiman Wahdan said the timing of the polls will depend on the coronavirus pandemic. He, too, expects the Senate election will be held in August because the Senate districts are large enough to allow for socially distanced voting. Parliamentary Speaker Salah Hassaballah expects that parliamentary elections will be held on schedule. Its the Interior Ministry that has the final say on whether the polls are held simultaneously or not, he said. *A version of this article appears in print in the 2 July, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: The number of COVID-19 tests performed in Harris County increased by 81 percent in June, and some people are waiting more than two weeks for their results, according to state and county officials. In June alone, 138,470 tests were administered in the county, bringing the total since March to 308,064, per figures from Texas Health and Human Services. As more people seek testing, commercial laboratories doing the bulk of Houstons molecular diagnostic tests for the novel coronavirus are becoming more overwhelmed by requests for processing. We have been getting complaints about delays in getting results because there are just so many being processed, said Martha Marquez, public information officer for Harris County Public Health. The average wait for results from commercial labs, which are used by all the countys public testing sites as well as most private sites, is now 16 days, according to Harris County Public Health officials. The average was five days in March. For hospitals that process tests in-house, the average wait is currently seven days, compared to four in March. Because some of the countys testing sites are funded by FEMA, which contacts laboratories to process tests, Marquez said local officials dont have any control over which labs the tests go to. FEMA has contracted with a number of commercial labs, said Marquez, which is why people have been experiencing differing wait times. Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp, private firms with laboratories across the country, are experiencing a surging demand for COVID-19 molecular testing with orders outpacing capacity, according to the companies. This week, we expect to ramp up our capacity to reach 115,000 of these tests a day, said Kimberly Gorode, a spokesperson for Quest Diagnostics. There are enough supplies to meet its current target, Gorode said, but the company is working with industry partners to obtain enough to process 150,000 tests a day. LabCorp says it expects its capacity to increase from 130,000 to 150,000 tests per day by mid-July. The turnaround time not only varies by daily demand, but also by region, according to the labs, and results are expedited for priority patients. Quest Diagnostics, which operates around the globe, reports it has processed about 5.75 million COVID-19 diagnostic tests and about 2.2 million antibody tests. Testing options There are 52 COVID-19 testing sites listed by Harris County Public Healths community testing map. Of those, 13 are run by government agencies and 39 are operated by private entities such as hospitals and urgent care clinics. Patients may also be able to find testing through their private care providers. Both government-run and private testing sites in the Houston region report they have regularly reached testing capacity for the last two weeks. For public sites, there is a cap on how many tests can be performed. The Houston Health Department FEMA-affiliated sites administer a total of 1,300 tests each day they are open. The departments mobile unit is capped at 250 tests a day. The daily capacity for all of Harris County Public Healths sites is 2,300. By contrast, Harris Countys total population for 2019 was 4.7 million people, according to U.S. Census data. Chelsea Thomas, 31, said she was turned away from the public testing site at San Jacinto Community College last week after waiting hours, even though she had a scheduled appointment. Thomas, who lives in East Downtown and tested positive for the virus last month, said she traveled back to the site in Pasadena again the next day because it was the closest that had appointments available. That time, I waited five hours to get tested, even with an appointment, said Thomas. Eight days after getting the test, Thomas said she still hasnt received her results. At private testing sites, such as Legacy Community Healths clinics, there isnt a set cap for the number of tests that can be used in a day. But, the clinics are limited by their providers schedules. Each week the number of tests we do is different, said Jessica Michan, director of public relations for Legacy Community Health. We also have to make time for patients who are coming in for other medical needs. Many personal care providers require patients to see a doctor to screen for the virus before they will perform tests. Lesley Martin del Campo, 38, of Cypress, said she had three virtual visits with her doctor at Houston Methodist Hospital to talk about her symptoms before she could receive a COVID-19 test last week. Though she got her results fairly quickly, Martin del Campo said she isolated herself from her two young children and husband for nearly a week, in part because she was waiting to be authorized by a doctor to get the test. She said she did not have the virus. It definitely wasnt easy, Martin del Campo said of the days of isolation away from her family. Another private testing site option are pharmacy clinics, including those at a handful of Houston Walmart, Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy locations. Daniel Lopus, of Midtown, said getting tested at the CVS in Bellaire last week was an easy process. He said he set up an online appointment and waited in his car for 30 minutes. Lupus said he got his results within six days. Though Lopus didnt have any symptoms and wanted to be tested out of caution, he said the longer people have to wait for their results, the more time they must put their lives on hold. Its really inefficient, and the tests are not very useful if you cant get the results back within a couple of days, he said. hannah.dellinger@chron.com In Houston, the largest medical campus in the world has exceeded its base intensive care capacity. In the Rio Grande Valley, elected officials pleaded last week for military intervention to avoid a humanitarian crisis. And in several major cities, testing sites are overrun, with appointments disappearing in minutes and hundreds waiting in line for hours. Eight weeks ago, the White House lauded Texas as a model for containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Gov. Greg Abbotts plan to reopen the economy has unraveled as the state struggles to contain one of the worst outbreaks in the country. Were on the verge of a nightmarish catastrophe, said Vivian Ho, a health economist at Rice University and the Baylor College of Medicine. On May 1, I thought we actually had a chance to get this virus under control and get the economy opened up safely. Im not sure we can get it under control anymore. Public health experts say the worst of the crisis was avoidable in Texas, where Abbott stripped local officials of the ability to manage their own outbreaks and until Thursday refused to mandate masks and other basic mitigation practices. The governor reopened before the state could adequately monitor the virus, health experts said, then ignored signs in late May that infections were beginning to run rampant. That is the point at which you say, Hang on a sec, were staying where we are, and are probably taking a step back to understand the scale of the problem here, said Bill Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology at Harvards T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Without the tools in place to test quickly for infections and track those exposed, authorities believe the state was left blinded as the virus spread among younger Texans, who are less likely to develop symptoms. Spokesmen for Abbott and state Health Commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt did not respond to requests for comment. Asked at a televised town hall Thursday why he had not mandated masks sooner, the governor said the data was only recently bad. It was only in the past couple of weeks that we saw this spike in people testing positive, Abbott said. The state now lurches into the Fourth of July weekend worse off than at any point since the pandemic began, according to several measures. COVID-19 deaths remain low compared with other states, but health experts warn they likely will pick up as older Texans continue contracting the virus. Pressure to reopen By the end of April, nearly 2 million Texans had lost their jobs as coronavirus shutdowns pummeled the national economy. A historic oil bust darkened state revenue forecasts and placed additional pressure on Abbott especially from a vocal minority of hard-line conservatives to reopen businesses before Texas saw a sustained decline in cases. On April 27, Abbott said he would reopen the state in phases based on data and guidance from medical professionals, pledging not to simply open up and hope for the best. His advisers laid out four criteria to guide the reopening: a two-week reduction in cases, hospital capacity for all patients, the ability to conduct 30,000 daily viral tests and a goal to hire 4,000 contact tracers. Abbott, however, did not commit to following them. Only in mid-June would the state begin meeting its testing goal. It has yet to hire enough contact tracers or see a sustained drop in infections. He said the plan was designed to be applied regionally, with lighter restrictions imposed in areas with few cases, then overruled officials from large counties who tried to enact more restrictive edicts. Abbott punctuated that point by effectively gutting Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgos April 22 mask order when he stripped the ability of local governments to punish residents who violated such mandates. Several prominent Republicans, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, had condemned Hidalgos order and its potential $1,000 fine as an abuse of power. They have continued to argue that the severity of the virus is being embellished, and some have even questioned whether masks are effective at stopping it from spreading. The mask debate which took another turn Thursday when Abbott issued his own statewide mandate has sent mixed messages that may have left residents with the impression that face coverings are unimportant, said Dr. Gregory Tasian, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Without a clear direction from the state level, some of those masking policies become much less effective, Tasian said. The dispute has followed the contours of Texas long-running power struggle between conservative state leaders who prize individualism and liberty, and liberal local officials who have fought for more expansive authority to create regulations and mandates. Texans antipathy toward masks even as COVID-19 cases rise and businesses collapse reflects the deep-rooted anti-government mindset that remains prevalent here even amid the states shifting politics, said University of Houston political science professor Elizabeth Simas. That outlook permeates Texas political institutions, she said. This more independent, almost libertarian streak in Texans is reflected in a lot of the states political culture, Simas said. Texans tend to be very against state and government regulation of things. Abbott, who regularly touts the states business-friendly climate, cited the need to salvage Texas economy and unleash our entrepreneurs when he unveiled his reopening plan, which he developed with a team that included top lobbyists and business leaders. Shortly after, he amended his stay-at-home order to remove the threat of jail time after a Dallas businesswoman was booked for opening her salon in defiance of the governors restrictions. He also allowed barbers and hair salons to reopen May 8, a week earlier than his original timeline. By mid-May, as Abbott allowed bars and restaurants to resume with limited capacity, the reopening appeared to be a success. Leaders of the Texas Medical Center, many of whom had pushed for a longer stay-home period, approved of the expanded reopening. There were signs of potential trouble, however. Researchers from the Childrens Hospital of Pennsylvania predicted a spike in cases based on cellphone data showing that without stay-at-home restrictions, far fewer Texans were socially distancing. And testing continued to lag far behind Abbotts goal of 30,000 daily viral tests, averaging fewer than 20,000 for the first half of May If a surge in cases was looming, state leaders would have trouble seeing it. More visible warning signs appeared in late May and early June, when viral videos over the Memorial Day weekend showed crowded outdoor gatherings and protesters, including local Democratic leaders, filled the streets of cities and towns across the state to protest the police killing of George Floyd. Public health authorities expressed concern that the events including a 60,000-person rally in downtown Houston on June 2 would hasten the spread of the virus. Still, the situation appeared under control, with Texas positive test rate and hospitalizations remaining static. But the virus silently was spreading faster than the metrics could track. A disastrous month It was during the crucial 30-day period from Memorial Day until June 26, health experts said, that state leaders failed to halt the reopening amid a sustained surge in positive tests, new cases and hospitalizations. That inaction, they said, let the pandemic spiral out of control. By June 12, Abbott had allowed bars to expand to half capacity and restaurants to three-quarters. The same day, Texas set a record of more than 2,100 COVID-19 hospitalizations. Concerned about a spike in cases around San Antonio, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff asked for Abbotts permission to mandate mask wearing. The governor said no. Judge Wolff and I have a philosophical difference, Abbott told KSAT viewers in San Antonio. He believes in government mandates, I believe in individual responsibility. At a June 16 news conference, Abbott said he was concerned but not alarmed by the worsening pandemic, noting thousands of hospital beds remained available statewide. He said infections in residents under 30 were driving the surge, the age group that is going to bars a whole lot more. Ho, the health economist, said the governors decision to let bars, clubs and gyms reopen sent the wrong message to young Texans, who are largely driving the recent spike in cases. If the government tells us its safe to go, then they think, Well, it must be safe to go, Ho said. The governor stunned political observers when he gave his blessing on June 17 to a creative new proposal from Wolff that required businesses to make face coverings mandatory for their customers which he said local leaders had been empowered to do all along. Publicly, several other local officials followed with their own mask orders. Privately, some expressed frustration the governor had never communicated this was an option. When this recovery becomes a mystery and local leaders are required to solve riddles to come up with policies, then youre very easily going to lose everybodys attention, said state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio. Daily testing finally had met the governors goal, but now the states contact tracing program was flailing, at times falling more than 1,000 investigators short of Abbotts goal. An explosion of new cases, complicated by delays in processing test results, strained the ability of health workers to contact each patient. On June 25, Abbott suspended elective surgeries in hard-hit counties in a bid to free up ICU space. The following morning, he again closed bars across the state, conceding they were a key source of community spread. June 30 brought the end of a nightmarish month, a positive test rate above 13 percent and new records for cases and hospitalizations. July looks likewise bleak, experts say. A potentially brutal summer If Abbotts team does not quickly implement a new strategy to stanch the spread of the virus, the state could see a ghastly jump in deaths through the rest of the summer, warned Baylor College of Medicine immunologist Dr. Peter Hotez. He cited a new Childrens Hospital of Pennsylvania model predicting daily cases would more than triple in the largest Texas counties within the next four weeks, if there is no change in social distancing practices. If these projections are even halfway right, theres no health system in the country that can accommodate this, Hotez said. With this kind of dramatic acceleration, I dont see how you put this back unless you do a full lockdown as hard and as wrenching and as devastating as that is. Tom Pennington, Staff / Getty Images City and county leaders have asked Abbott for the power to reimpose restrictions, though the governor so far has not budged. Mayor Sylvester Turner warned Abbott in a letter Tuesday that Houston has perhaps two weeks to change our behaviors and physical interactions so hospitals do not become overwhelmed. We worked diligently and collectively to flatten the curve and slow the progression, but as we have opened up the way we have, we are moving very fast in the wrong direction, Turner said last week when announcing a record-setting amount of cases. The governor said Thursday if residents comply with his mask order, more extreme measures may be avoided. The chorus of conservatives who blasted Harris Countys April mask rules raised no public objection to the state orders potential $250 fine. That evening, the state announced 7,382 hospitalized COVID patients, a new record. zach.despart@chron.com jasper.scherer@chron.com jeremy.blackman@chron.com By the time Andrea Seboyon arrived at United Memorial Medical Center on June 6, she could no longer draw a full breath or speak in sentences. Her body had become so starved of oxygen her fingernails had turned purple. An X-ray showed the 34-year-old fast-food worker had less than 20 percent function left between two lungs. Dr. Joseph Varon, chief medical officer, quickly ordered two COVID-19 tests although he already knew the answer. Everything lit up like a Christmas tree, he said of the results. What troubled him, he said, was that Seboyon said she had gone to Memorial Hermann Greater Heights emergency room two days before with a fever, cough and shortness of breath all telltale signs of the virus that was just starting to spike in Houston again. Her blood was drawn, her chest X-rayed, and she said she was sent home with a pneumonia diagnosis and packet of antibiotics. What she said she didnt get was a test for COVID-19. How can you not test someone like her in the middle of a pandemic? Varon asked. Its dangerous. As the nations fourth-largest city shudders under the virus renewed fury, hundreds of emergency room patients at two of Houstons major health systems are often not tested even if they appear sick with COVID-19, according to multiple doctors at those hospitals, some speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from their institutions. Instead, at Memorial Hermann Health System and Harris Health System, COVID-19 tests are typically reserved for the small percentage of emergency patients who meet the criteria to be immediately hospitalized, such as unstable vital signs or needing oxygen, the doctors said. The exception is health care workers and first responders who are usually tested even if not admitted, the doctors said. Doctors at other health systems in the city told the Houston Chronicle that emergency patients with symptoms are generally tested whether hospitalized or not. Memorial Hermann disputed a lack of testing in its emergency rooms, while Harris Health acknowledged it limits emergency room testing to those who require hospitalization. Some health officials worry that such restrictions especially in emergency rooms that are often the default health care provider for the poor could leave an unknown swath of contagious patients who could infect others or, as in the case of Seboyon, may already be sick and quickly become critically ill. It also ultimately skews public health data and thwarts contact tracing efforts, setting up a potentially serious undercount as Texas becomes a national hot zone and the Houston medical community scrambles to keep up with an escalation that shows little signs of slowing, health officials warn. Across Texas, the number of new confirmed cases is shattering records daily. On Wednesday the statewide number shot up to more than 8,000 cases in a single day. Thursday was only slightly lower at 7,692. Friday saw 7,919. The new rolling statewide average is now more than 6,750 new cases per day, according to a Chronicle analysis of statewide data. The Houston region saw nearly 2,000 new cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 47,531, the analysis showed. That means more than 1 in 4 cases in the state are now in the Houston region. The numbers are now so high some local health experts are beginning to ask if testing is even necessary Hundreds missed daily But what if the true toll was even higher? A senior-level Memorial Hermann emergency physician estimated that hundreds of likely positive cases may be untested each day across the systems 17 hospitals emergency rooms. The doctor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job, said about 50 to 70 people now arrive every day at some Memorial Hermann emergency rooms with signs of COVID-19. Of those, maybe 10 meet the criteria for admission, which is consistent with the national average. Those who are hospitalized are most often tested. The others, typically, are not, he said. Many are, in fact, presumed to be positive. But if they dont meet the threshold to be admitted, they are sent home with instructions to self-isolate and self-monitor, the doctor said. During a private online discussion between Memorial Hermann emergency physicians shared with the Chronicle, one doctor lamented the lack of clear emergency room testing guidance and another senior-level emergency physician said testing of nonadmitted patients was rare. While there is no specific rule prohibiting such testing, and any Memorial Hermann emergency room physician could insist on a test, most dont push it as hospital culture remains focused on preserving supplies, one of the doctors in the group told the Chronicle. At smaller United Memorial, which sits in the middle of the Acres Homes neighborhood, one of the citys hardest-hit areas, Varon said he has treated several patients in his COVID-19 unit who first went to a Memorial Hermann emergency room and said they were not tested. Memorial Hermann leadership has pushed back against the reports, denying that presumed positive patients are not tested in its emergency rooms. There are no supply issues or policies preventing emergency room physicians from ordering COVID-19 tests when they believe it is medically necessary, the hospital said in a statement earlier in the week. The statement added, however, the health system encourages patients who suspect they have the virus and do not need immediate treatment to visit one of the many available testing locations across Greater Houston rather than come to the emergency room. The spokeswoman said she could not comment about Seboyons case due to patient privacy laws and because the woman did not give Memorial Hermann permission to discuss her medical records. At Harris Health, Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, CEO, confirmed that only those with serious respiratory conditions who are already hospitalized or need to be admitted get tests. While wanting to test broadly, testing capacity really drove most of our testing strategies. We were initially constrained by the number of swab kits and then by the amount of reagent for processing tests, Porsa said in a statement. We have prioritized hospitalized patients for the rapid testing because it is critical to helping us anticipate care needs and to appropriately isolate those patients. He added that Harris Health is now having ongoing conversation about expanded testing. We continue to have to balance supply chain realities in this decision making. It bothers me that we cant test everyone that wants to get tested, said Dr. Cedric Dark, a professor of emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. If people dont know they are positive, they might not be convinced to self-quarantine. They might still go to work. I fear the pandemic will just keep spreading. No point in testing now? From the very beginnings of the health crisis, testing has been fraught with confusion and spin as politics collided with public health. President Donald Trump has famously said both that anyone who needs a test can get one and, more recently, that testing needed to be slowed down because so many cases were being found. The latter remark was later characterized as sarcasm. Gov. Greg Abbott previously downplayed the sharp increase in cases following his order to begin reopening the state May 1, saying it was to be expected as a result of more robust testing. More recently, though, he has voiced alarm about the quickly filling hospital beds in Houston and elsewhere in Texas and hit pause on the states reopening, as well as required masks for most people in the state. There is little doubt that testing in Texas has substantially increased from the early days when critics said the state was slow out of the gate. The latest rolling daily average of tests given in the state is 38,597, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. But the state still dwells near the bottom of the nation in its rate of testing, ranking 43rd in tests per 100,000 people, based on a Chronicle analysis of data from by the COVID Tracking Project, which collects information nationwide on testing primarily from state health departments. How is this still happening? Emergency room doctors need access to testing for all patients with any symptoms of possible COVID-19, said Dr. Alison Haddock, a Houston-based board member for the American College of Emergency Physicians. She said her organization has been calling for increased testing since March. Currently in Harris County, the testing criteria have broadened significantly from the early days to now include anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, those over 60, people with underlying medical conditions and those who have been in contact with someone who has tested positive. Testing locations in Harris County have also greatly expanded to more than 50 overall sites, including government-run locations, schools, community clinics and about two dozen retail locations, although many are often packed and results can take days. But even with more testing, some health experts argue it is still inadequate to protect cities and understand the full scope of the crisis. They are especially concerned about a lack of testing in hospital emergency rooms. If that is truly what is going on, it is totally wrong, said Dr. Carlos del Rio, a professor at Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta and one of the nations leading epidemiologists.Youre violating every single principle of how you control an epidemic. He cites what he calls the three Is of a health crisis: information, identification, isolation. Without one there can be no two and three. Other experts, though, such as Dr. David Persse, health authority for the city of Houston, have concluded that such protocols may be unrealistic this far into the pandemic, especially given the high rate of false negatives that some types of test return. He conceded an undercount of actual cases should probably just be assumed. I think we are at the point where doctors can make the call of whether someone has COVID without a test, he said. He suggested that a better step now for emergency physicians to take is to make sure a presumed positive patient who is otherwise healthy knows to self-isolate, monitor their condition and make sure family and friends who may have been exposed also take needed precautions. But that is assuming compliance, said Jen Kates, director of global health and HIV health policy at Kaiser Family Foundation. She worries that if a patient is sick or frightened, they may have gone to the emergency room expecting to get a diagnosis. If a health care worker doesnt test them, they could take that as a sign they are not infected, she said. Or that the virus is not that bad. I couldnt breathe Seboyon, a mother of three, said she started getting sick in late May with a persistent cough and a tiredness that sleep did not heal. She has no idea how or when she became infected. When she arrived at Memorial Hermann, she said she asked for a COVID-19 test during her exam but never got one.I told them to do one because I couldnt breathe. It was very obvious, she said. Forty-eight hours later, her condition was quickly deteriorating. She first went to a walk-in clinic and she said the staff there became so alarmed they told her she must go to a hospital. When she arrived at United Memorial Medical Center, she was admitted and quickly given supplemental oxygen. She lay on her stomach so gravity would help push blood into her lungs. A healthy level of oxygen in the blood is above 95 percent. Prolonged levels under 80 are potentially fatal. Hers was 50. Varon started her on a mixture of steroids, vitamin C, thiamin and a blood thinner to combat the clots that had formed in her veins. He also began a course of an experimental antiviral medication. Its like having a constant pressure on your chest and at the same time you cant catch air, she said from her hospital bed on June 11 through an interpreter. She does not speak English. Im surprised she is still alive, Varon said after her release last week. Today she is home. Her chest still hurts and she feels weak. Even a few steps wear her out. My life has changed completely, she said, as she sat outside her small apartment .I know I was close to dying. But how could she leave her children, ages 16, 14 and 10, without a mother? They told me to keep going, she said. So she did. Matt Dempsey and Godofredo Vasquez contributed to this report. jenny.deam@chron.com twitter.com/jenny_deam Mayor Sylvester Turner said Friday that the city will step in and determine which safety precautions the Texas Republican convention will have to follow when it meets in downtown Houston this month. His remarks followed a Thursday night vote by the state partys executive committee to carry on with the partys plans to have thousands of members gather at the George R. Brown Convention Center from July 16 to 18 despite concern about a local spike in COVID-19 cases. After the vote, the GOP said it was prepared to implement safety precautions at the convention, including thermal checks at entryways and deep cleanings between meetings. And the convention will follow Gov. Greg Abbotts order requiring Texans to wear masks, said Chairman James Dickey, though the committee later voted down an amendment to require face coverings, creating some uncertainty. State and local party officials did not respond to requests for comment Friday. Turner has said he believes that the event should be virtual but had rejected calls to cancel it himself over concerns about politicizing the situation. He struck a more aggressive tone in a statement issued by his office Friday. Now that the executive committee has made the decision to move forward, the city will decide what steps must be taken to protect the health and safety of employees, visitors and the general public, Turner said. At the very minimum, masks will be a requirement for attendance and service. The mayor is considering other requirements, as well, but it was not immediately clear what those are. Turner said he still hopes party leadership will reconsider its plans amid a troubling rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. In late June, 1 in every 4 Houstonians who were tested for COVID-19 had the virus, a much higher rate than in the preceding months. Dickey said the party would meet again Sunday to vote on a rule change that would allow party officials to implement what Dickey called an emergency fallback contingency plan to move the convention online. Abbott, the states highest-elected Republican, declined to stake out a position on the convention during an interview on FOX 26 on Thursday. In a virtual meeting Thursday night, the GOP executive committee voted 40 to 20 to go forward with the in-person event. Several thousand people are expected to attend. The prospect of an in-person convention has stirred unrest among Houstonians worried that a three-day influx of thousands of delegates and party officials would exacerbate the spread of the coronavirus. Houston has experienced a spike in COVID-19 cases accompanied by a steady rise in hospitalizations since Abbott last month began lifting restrictions intended to contain the virus. The Texas Medical Association, a nonprofit medical society of about 53,000 physicians and students that was sponsoring the convention, urged party leaders earlier this week to call off the in-person event. The group pulled its sponsorship Thursday evening after the executive committee vote. Hospitality workers at the convention center and adjacent Hilton Americas-Houston hotel have expressed unease over their health insurance plan, which is set to cover workers during the convention but will expire at the end of the month, before they could be done paying hospital bills if they contract COVID-19 while working at the convention. Carolyn Campbell, spokeswoman for Houston First Corp., the citys convention arm, said Friday that any Hilton employee who is called back into work will have insurance for July and August, as long as Houstons disaster declaration does not end. Officials with Unite Here Local 23, the hotel workers union, were not available for comment Friday. The convention agency has said it lacks contractual authority to force the GOP to adopt new measures, and it deferred to the mayor for implementing new restrictions. Campbell said the agency is going to make precautions available and expects the party to do its part to keep people safe. There will be thermal cameras for temperatures checks installed at entries, though Houston First cannot require the GOP to use them on every attendee, according to Campbell. Other precautions include 60 permanent hand sanitizing stations, sneeze guards at all concession and concierge areas, more than 500 N95 masks for staff members and elevators capped at two people per ride. Some members of the Texas GOPs executive committee said during Thursdays virtual meeting that they are worried about attending the event and are aware of delegates who are planning to skip the convention over health concerns. Others pushed for the convention to continue as planned, with one committee member saying attendees would put on the armor of God and well go do our duty. Party officials will pick delegates for the national Republican convention and approve the state partys platform at the convention. Turner, a Democrat, issued an executive order last month that gave him the power to cancel the event, before removing that authority when he updated his order Monday. He has not responded to an inquiry about why he amended the order, and he criticized the Houston Chronicle for reporting on it. The Texas Democratic Party held a virtual convention in early June with guest speakers that included Joe Biden, the presumptive presidential nominee, and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. jasper.scherer@chron.com dylan.mcguinness@chron.com It didnt take long for fired San Antonio police Detective Daniel Pue accused of punching his ex-girlfriend in the face after an argument outside his home to get a new job in law enforcement. Eight months after he was arrested by Bexar County sheriffs deputies the criminal case later was dropped at the womans request Pue was hired as a reserve officer by the Leon Valley Police Department. As such, Pue can keep his peace officer license. Without an affiliation with a police department, Pue could have his license revoked after two years under state law. Pue, 36, also can work off-duty jobs in traffic control for private companies while he appeals his firing by the San Antonio Police Department, where he worked for 11 years. Pue is one of three SAPD officers hired as reserves by the Leon Valley police chief after being accused of serious wrongdoing, records obtained by the San Antonio Express-News show. While reserve officers dont work full-time or receive a regular paycheck, they can be called in to perform the same duties as police officers, such as patrolling or working during large events or emergencies. Courtesy /Bexar County Sheriffs Office The officers affiliation with Leon Valley highlights an issue lawmakers and criminal justice reformers have underscored for years: That police officers can be fired for or accused of serious wrongdoing by one agency and still maintain a career in law enforcement. Thats because the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, the state agency charged with licensing and training police, cant revoke an officers license short of two dishonorable discharges, a criminal conviction or a probationary sentence. Thats true even in the most egregious cases. For example, the commission (known as TCOLE) had no authority to revoke Matthew Luckhursts peace officer license, even after the San Antonio police chief fired him twice, for providing a feces sandwich to a homeless man and taking part in feces-related prank in the womens restroom at SAPDs downtown bike patrol station. Nor could the commission, which recently came under scrutiny for its failure to properly collect racial profiling data on traffic stops, investigate misconduct allegations against the two other officers hired in Leon Valley, as neither was charged with a crime. They are officer Elizabeth Montoya, who was fired from SAPD for striking a suspect who was six months pregnant, and officer Tim Garcia, a Hispanic officer fired for using a derogatory racial term to address a Black suspect. Garcia later got his job back at SAPD. Montoya is appealing her firing. Texas does not align with most other states that have decertification processes for police officers, said Roger Goldman, a professor at the Saint Louis University School of Law who has studied police licensing for more than 30 years. Around two-thirds of states permit decertification, even if the officer hasnt been convicted of anything, Goldman said. The action itself the commission of the conduct, rather than the conviction for the conduct would have led to an administrative hearing. Researchers say gaps in many state laws including those in Texas allow officers to bounce from job to job, even after theyve been accused of serious wrongdoing. Courtesy /San Antonio Police Department The issue has drawn renewed interest from lawmakers since George Floyd, an unarmed African American, died in Minneapolis police custody in May. President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. attorney general to create a database to track officers who have been terminated or had their licenses revoked for excessive use of force. Some researchers and criminal justice reformers have called for further change, including giving state licensing boards authority to investigate police misconduct even when there isnt a criminal case or conviction. But some police unions are concerned changes in licensing laws could interfere with an officers due-process rights. For example, if TCOLE had wider authority to investigate alleged misconduct, a police officer could end up facing three separate investigations: an internal departmental one, a criminal one and an administrative one by TCOLE. An officer could be found innocent by a jury, and then TCOLE would be able to take another bite of the apple, said Charley Wilkinson, executive director of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, the largest police officers union in Texas. More Information License suspension and revocation in Texas TCOLE can revoke or suspend the licenses of police officers who have been convicted of or placed on probation for a crime. The range of punishment is dictated by state law and administrative rules. Felony conviction: License revoked permanently Felony probation: 30-year license suspension Family violence conviction or probation: License revoked permanently Class A misdemeanor: Possible license suspension, at a minimum of 120 days and a maximum of 10 years Class B misdemeanor: Possible license suspension, at a minimum of 60 days and a maximum of 10 years Source: TCOLE Rules Handbook; Chapter 1701 of the Texas Occupations Code See More Collapse No person would want that, he said. Its essentially double jeopardy. Leon Valley Police Chief Joe Salvaggio, in an interview with the Express-News, defended his decision to hire Pue, Garcia and Montoya. All three appealed their firings through a lengthy arbitration process allowed under the citys collective bargaining agreement with the police union. Garcia won his appeal in November and is back on patrol at SAPD. Pues and Montoyas appeals are pending. Salvaggio said he conducted a background check on the three officers, as required by state law. He also reviewed evidence, including body-camera footage and police reports, provided by attorneys defending the officers. He said he believes the officers were wrongfully terminated, based on the evidence he reviewed. They are certified Texas peace officers that have nothing in their file or history that would preclude them from being hired by me or anyone else in the state of Texas, Salvaggio said. Efforts ebb, flow In the 1960s, New Mexico became the first state to authorize an agency to investigate officer conduct and determine whether officers should lose their license. The idea grew out of the licensing boards for lawyers, doctors and barbers, all of which have the authority to revoke the license of professionals within their jurisdiction. Over the years, most states have established licensing boards for police. But gaps remained. Officers could still move around from one state to another, said Ricardo Gomez, a criminal justice lecturer at Texas A&M San Antonio. None of these agencies reported to a national agency. In 1996, four years after the brutal beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers, members of Congress introduced legislation to create a national clearinghouse for law enforcement employment data. All applicants for law enforcement jobs would have to authorize the release of their personnel files during the hiring process. The bills never made it out of committee, due in part to concerns about due process rights of police officers. On ExpressNews.com: Proposed police registry would fail without changes in states Still, the push continued. In 1999, the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training, or IADLEST, created a national database to track officers whose licenses had been revoked. That helped tremendously, said Paul Reynolds, an assistant professor of criminal justice at the University of North Texas at Dallas. But there was still a problem. It was up to each agency to report their certifications, and there was no federal law requiring it. Also, there was little consistency in the criteria for revoking officers licenses. In some states, an officers license can be revoked only because of a felony or misdemeanor conviction. Thats similar to the standard in Texas, where TCOLE is required by law to revoke an officers license if the officer is convicted of a felony. In other states, though, the licensing board can revoke an officers license even if the conduct at issue doesnt result in criminal charges or a conviction. Another issue researchers identified: If an officer resigned under the threat of termination, it wouldnt necessarily be entered into the national database. That was in the case in Cleveland, where 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was black, was shot and killed by a white police officer on Nov. 22, 2014. Afterward, officials learned that the officer, Timothy Loehmann, had a history of emotional instability, immaturity, and an inability to follow basic instructions, according to a 2018 Case Western Reserve University Law Review article. Before the police chief fired him, Loehmann resigned. A grand jury declined to charge him. Barriers to change Efforts to toughen licensing laws face challenges, in part because police departments are largely decentralized in the U.S. Policing is fragmented because we did not trust the government, said Richard Helfers, a former police officer and an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Texas at Tyler. We wanted to believe that we could control ourselves, a lot better than a larger organization. Some law enforcement officials say that logic should be applied in terms of police conduct, too. They say the local police chief, not a state or national agency, should determine whether an officer is a good fit for the force. G.M. Cox, a former Texas police chief and a police management consultant, said he hired police officers who had been accused of misconduct on two or three occasions in his 33-year career as a chief. One was a female police officer was accused of mishandling a domestic violence call. He felt comfortable hiring her because she was upfront about the allegation. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio activists want to gut police unions power amid George Floyd protests I didnt know why the chief decided to fire her, Cox said. If it happened at my department, I wouldnt have terminated her for that. I would have given her a letter of reprimand at worst. Police officers are human beings that are asked to do superhuman stuff, he added. Does that mean she should never be a cop again? Some police officers say there are already sufficient safeguards to make sure bad cops arent rehired. In Texas, when a police officer resigns, retires or is fired, the agency head must send an F-5 Report to TCOLE. The report characterizes an officers discharge as either honorable, general, or dishonorable. If the officer applies for another police job in Texas, that department is required to request the F-5 report. The hiring process is really rigorous in most organizations, Helfers said. Its very hard to get hired as a police officer. New push in Texas Kim Vickers, executive director of TCOLE, said gaps persist. For example, Texas requires a hiring agency to request an officers personnel file. Similarly, it requires the former agency to make available the records. It does not state how. Because of privacy issues, many agencies do not feel comfortable sending those very personal records over fax or email, Vickers said. It could get hacked and the information could come out. As a result, he said, many agencies will provide the records only in person. A police department agency in the Panhandle, for example, may not have resources to send someone across the state to review a personnel file. They end up not hiring that officer. Or, Ive seen hiring departments ask if the officer was a good officer and leave it at that, he said. In an effort to address the issue, TCOLE is establishing a secure online platform to transfer personnel records between agencies. Further changes for example, expanding TCOLEs authority to investigate allegations of misconduct would be up to the Legislature. State law limits what type of allegations we can look into. We have made a number of changes, but we have moved about as far as we can, Vickers said. Any bigger change would require legislative movement. Vickers, a licensed peace officer, said hes open to that conversation. Since Floyds death in Minneapolis, hes had several discussions with legislators interested in reforming the licensing process. I think we will also see a number of bills in the next legislative session, Vickers said. Leon Valley hires Salvaggio, the Leon Valley police chief, was once a San Antonio police officer. Then, Police Chief William McManus accused him of cheating on a promotional exam and fired him. Billy Calzada /San Antonio Express-News Salvaggio denied the allegation, appealed and won his job back through arbitration. In the past decade, 10 officers, including Salvaggio, have done the same, city records show. Salvaggio was hired as Leon Valley chief in 2016 and oversees 61 full-time and reserve officers. Salvaggio said he obtained all the information he needed on the officers he hired from SAPD by conducting a criminal background check and requesting their personnel files, as required by law. We looked at all the evidence, Salvaggio said. I brought in three or four other people to review it with me. I had them leave and I brought in three or four other people. If any of them had said no, I wouldnt have hired these officers. Moreover, the officers had few, if any, disciplinary issues in the past, Salvaggio said. In Garcias case, Salvaggio said, body-camera footage showed a drawn-out exchange between the officer and the Black suspect. In the footage, the suspect often referred to himself by the racial slur, Salvaggio said. Finally, in a moment of frustration, Garcia used the word, too. It was straight up stupid, Salvaggio said. But it wasnt racist. It shouldnt cost him his job. And I guarantee hell never make that mistake again. On ExpressNews.com: Arbitrators excuse allegations of racism in police Pue, the officer accused of domestic violence, went to Salvaggio seeking a job immediately after he was fired from SAPD, the police chief said. Salvaggio told Pues attorney he would not consider hiring him unless the pending criminal case was dropped. It was only at that point that Pue was hired in Leon Valley, records show. I reviewed a waiver signed by the girl and video of her on the day of the alleged assault, saying it didnt happen, Salvaggio said. She told police that she went to his house drunk and ran into the door. She told my investigator the same thing. They have no witnesses, and they have her on video from day one saying nothing happened, Salvaggio added. When he goes to arbitration with no witnesses, and a girl that says she was the aggressor, what do you think is going to happen? In Montoyas case, Salvaggio said, body-camera footage showed that Montoya used a variety of techniques to get the suspect to comply first verbal commands and warnings, then what is called open-hand control. Billy Calzada /Staff photographer It was only after the suspect assaulted Montoya that the officer punched the suspect, Salvaggio said. That type of use-of-force is allowed under most departments guidelines. Although as reserve officers in Leon Valley Montoya and Pue are less likely to interact with the public, Salvaggio said their experience benefits the department. They come in with a certain expertise that we can call upon if we need it, Salvaggio said. That doesnt mean Im going to put them in a patrol car and have them working with the public, for their safety more than the citizens safety. So far, he has not had to make that call. Still, hes glad he made the hires. Were going to do our due diligence before we decide to take someone on, Salvaggio said. It really does depend on the circumstances and the evidence that we look at it. We take it very seriously. Emilie Eaton is a criminal justice reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Emilie, become a subscriber. eeaton@express-news.net | Twitter: @emilieeaton The fastest-exonerated person in Texas history. That was supposed to be Lydell Grant, according to a local TV report back in December, and according to just plain common sense. The 43-year-old Houstonian was released in November after spending eight years of a life sentence locked up for a murder he did not commit. His trial judge, George Powell, believes hes innocent. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg believes hes innocent. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo believes hes innocent. Most importantly: science shows hes innocent. DNA evidence excluded Grant as the suspect and identified the alleged killer who has since been arrested, has confessed and, according to basic laws of inference, believes Grant is innocent as well. Thats why Grant can be forgiven if he got his hopes up last week, thinking that perhaps, finally, eight months after his release, the states highest criminal court would get around to clearing his name. He can also be forgiven for breaking down crying in his car on Wednesday when the court inexplicably declined. Instead of issuing the awaited exoneration order, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals directed the trial court to produce affidavits from witnesses regarding Grants claim of innocence. The court also sought photographs of the man who is now charged with the murder and tasked the trial court with concluding whether Grant is entitled to a new trial. Loss for words, he told the editorial board moments after getting the news. Dont know what to say. Its pitiful. We concur. Its shameful treatment of a man who should have been freed from the cloud of suspicion many months ago and cleared to apply for $80,000 in state compensation for each year of his wrongful imprisonment. Instead, hes forced to languish in a legal purgatory while the black robes in Austin take their sweet time dotting Is and crossing Ts. Grant remains a convicted murderer free on a $100,000 bond, required to do weekly checks with his bondsman, unable to land a job. In an interview, Lydell put on a brave face, as seemed to be his nature, but his frustration and confusion were palpable. I didnt do it. What else can I say? What else can I do? he said. I dont know whats next. Do I wonder if Im going back to prison? He strained to understand how he can still be a suspect and why his DNA evidence isnt the holy grail of innocence that its been in countless other cases. They are taking witnesses statements over scientific evidence, Grant said. When did they start doing that? Good question. The testimony of six eyewitnesses was key in Grants 2012 conviction in the death of Aaron Scheerhoorn, who was fatally stabbed outside a bar in Montrose in 2010. Mike Ware, head of the Innocence Project of Texas and Grants lawyer, said investigators used faulty identification measures that have since been changed by Texas law. Lydell should have been fully exonerated based on the DNA exclusion alone, just like hundreds of others, Ware told the editorial board. The courts decision is particularly tone-deaf in the wake of mass protests calling for reforms to a justice system that unfairly targets Black men. While Black people make up 13 percent of the U.S. population, they represent 47 percent of known exonerations, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. On average, Black murder exonerees spend three years longer in prison before release than their white counterparts. In the seven months since he was released, Grant has found strength in his family and tried to get on with his life. He enrolled in online classes at American InterContinental University for a two-year degree in business, on his way to a career as an audio engineer. The trial court has up to 90 days to respond to the appellate courts order, after which it could be seven more months before Grant hears from them again. Even if it takes longer than that, Grant said he didnt give up during all those years in prison. He is not going to lose hope now. God did not bring me this far to leave me, he said. We wish we had similar faith in the Texas court system. The CCAs lack of urgency in clearing Grants name, and its apparent minimizing of conclusive DNA evidence only deepen our doubts. Such cases, especially those where the inmate is still imprisoned, should be prioritized and expedited. The state of Texas stole eight years of Lydell Grants life. Whats more worthy of the courts time than righting that grievous injustice? Surely, the fine judges of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals have nothing better to do. Today, our city faces an increasing threat from a virus that we have worked hard to mitigate for months. We are proud of the sacrifices we have all made during the lockdown and applaud you for the success we had. But now, as we have reopened, COVID-19 is beginning to surge throughout Houston at an alarming rate. As both Houstonians and your mayor and COVID-19 recovery leader, we must stress it is more important now than ever to do what we can to be safe. Our message to Houstonians is simple. Mask Up! The Houston area has experienced a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases since Memorial Day. Now, COVID-19 infections are three times greater than they were at the peak we experienced earlier this spring. We all remember the pictures and stories of devastation in New York City. Houston could become one of the most devastated cities in the entire country if we do not begin protecting each other this week by simply wearing a mask, washing hands and maintaining physical distancing. Our Fourth of July celebrations will be different this year but let us remember the freedom we celebrate came with sacrifices. This Fourth of July we must show our patriotism by avoiding large gatherings, wearing masks, washing hands and staying physically distant. There will still be plenty of food, family and fun. As we celebrate the weekend, we are united as a city in our efforts to change the trajectory of the virus. Enjoy the fireworks shows and virtual concerts across the city inside your home, from your balcony or patio. If you do venture out to see fireworks, we recommend you watch inside your cars with loved ones. Everyone should be alarmed by the current spread of the virus and the projections. However, we urge you to remember that we are Houstonians. We banded together during Hurricane Harvey and we will rise to the occasion again today. Together we can beat this virus and mitigate the harm caused by COVID-19. We are asking you to join us in protecting our city not only as your mayor and COVID-19 recovery leader, but as fathers and grandfathers. Houstonians must wear a mask or facial covering when in public and ensure a physical distance of at least 6 feet between themselves and other individuals. If you are somewhere and you cannot both wear a mask and engage in physical distancing, then you need to leave. Many restaurants and businesses have taken it upon themselves to provide the safety precautions necessary to protect their employees and customers and we applaud their efforts. These business owners stand out as leaders in the effort to help keep Houston safely open! We must face the current challenge with the same spirit of community for which Houston is known. Wearing a mask will protect you and your friends, family, co-workers and fellow Houstonians. Wear a mask and physical distance to protect your grandmother, grandfather, aunts and uncles. Mask up to protect those that are more vulnerable or at risk of dying or having debilitating conditions as a result of contracting the virus. While we know that there are people who are more vulnerable, one thing we have learned about this virus and disease is that it is unpredictable and often devasting. Our community needs our protection. We cannot afford to let them down. Wear a mask for our health care workers, who put themselves at risk every day treating COVID-19 patients in hospitals who are battling the disease without their families with them. We are counting on each other moving forward to stop the spread in Houston. Courtesy of the City of Tomball Wearing a mask is easy and will make a difference. A mask does not reflect a political view or change your character. The simple truth is that wearing a mask does mean reopening our economy and it does mean protecting our community. If you cannot afford a mask, we will get you one. We continue to work with partners in both the non-profit and business communities to ensure everyone has access to masks and other protective equipment. As a city, we have accomplished many great things, but we cannot allow our focus on COVID-19 to relax. We as a city and as individuals are at higher risk of the virus infecting us than we ever have been since the pandemic began. Now is not the time to let your guard down. Protect yourself this Fourth of July, protect your family and friends, and protect Houston. Let us come together once again to overcome the storm and rescue our family members and our neighbors. Lets continue to mask up and physical distance. Lets continue to remain Houston strong. Turner is the mayor of Houston and Odum is the COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Czar. The protests following the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor have sparked a national dialogue about the pervasiveness of racism in Americas police departments, and justifiably so. Unfortunately, this culture of cruelty extends well beyond local authorities. Immigration enforcement agencies, too, have militarized racism and share a nearly identical history of careless disregard for the lives of people of color. Take, for instance, the 2012 murder of Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, a 16-year-old boy shot 10 times in the back and head across the border by a Border Patrol agent in the United States. In criminal proceedings, a jury cleared the agent of all charges and he served no prison time. A civil suit following a similar cross-border killing of 15-year-old Sergio Hernandez Guereca also failed to hold his killer accountable; the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of tossing out litigation against the Texas border agent who ended the boys life. No criminal charges were ever pursued by authorities. The Guardian estimates that at least 97 people, both citizens and non-citizens, have been killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents since 2003: pedestrians run over by agents, deaths resulting from pepper-spray and Tasers, victims shot in the back. Our nation will not soon forget the tragic and unacceptable in-custody deaths of at least seven migrant children last year much like many domestic cases, no agent has suffered any repercussions for this gross negligence. Little needs to be said about Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose reputation for trampling the civil rights of Black and brown communities has earned it the status of Americas least popular government agency, according to polling by Pew Research Center . Its warrantless arrests, widespread detention abuses, and scores of in-custody deaths since its creation at least 14 made public this fiscal year have rightly drawn the ire of across the political spectrum. What should concern us all is the creeping militarization and jurisdiction of these immigration agencies. While ICE can already operate anywhere in the interior, the Border Patrols mandate now includes 100 miles within U.S borders, an area where 65 percent of Americans and 75 percent of Latinos live. This expanded jurisdiction dates back to 1953: a time when the agency boasted just 1,100 agents a far cry from the almost 20,000 agents today, thanks in large part to a 750 percent increase in spending since 1989. Within these border zones, constitutional rights for citizens and non-citizens alike need not apply. Border Patrol agents racially profile, set up checkpoints at will, ask for papers in buses, and stop travelers at train stations. As reported by CityLab , these tactics are far more successful at detecting legal residents in possession of marijuana than unauthorized immigrants. The Border Patrol also made headlines last year when a private Facebook group of thousands of current and former agents leaked, exposing a xenophobic culture fraught with glorification of violence and anti-immigrant slurs. For many years, agents referred to immigrants as tonks imitating the sound made by beating a person with a baton. This abhorrent and xenophobic philosophy has no place in America, whether it be applied to citizens or non-citizens. Sadly, the lines between domestic and immigration law enforcement have blurred, creating a militarized overlapping of mandates, to the detriment of all of our civil rights. Local authorities routinely engage in the arrest and detention of immigrants through the 287(g) program . A U.S. veteran of Puerto Rican descent was detained by ICE in New York City for his participation in protests. And the Border Patrol has been caught red-handed colluding with local law enforcement in the past, in violation of state and federal law. Local police departments and immigration agencies may wear different uniforms, but they are connected by the same systems of oppression that have subjugated minority communities and granted their ranks impunity from justice when it is so desperately needed. Regrettably, as lawmakers prepare to debate and vote on sweeping police reform bills in the days and weeks to come, accountability of immigration agencies is notably missing from legislation. This rampant disregard for the lives and well-being of immigrants is a federal problem and it demands federal action. Law enforcement must never threaten our core values of justice and equality, and we must seize this moment to reform ICE and CBP to ensure that all people are treated with dignity and humanity. OMara Vignarajah is the president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Moilan is a Texas-based nonprofit consultant and Board Chairman of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Houston, MO (65483) Today Clear skies. Low around 50F. NNW winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low around 50F. NNW winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Monique Grant speaks with the waiter as she and her friends (left to right) Fajr Al-Nurridin, Farrah Monroe and Cassandra Harding enjoy their first night out together with a drink at Pizza Capri, 1501 E. 53rd St. The city reopened outdoor dining on Wednesday after weeks of shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. Chicago, IL (60637) Today Partly cloudy skies. Low 54F. NNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low 54F. NNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Hudson, NY (12534) Today Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by a few showers overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by a few showers overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. CHESHIRE, Mass. A tenting site planned for hikers on the Appalachian Trail is nearing completion. The site is designed to give hikers a short one- or two-night respite and a place to charge their phones and get clean water. Hikers have been welcome to use an area at St. Mary's Church but will now be redirected very slightly down Church Street. "This past weekend there was some great progress made with 13 volunteers to get the campsite ready for opening. There were several poles installed for hammocks, there was a bike shed that was built, we placed a gravel pad for the upcoming porta potty, and a kiosk was built for information for the hikers," Appalachian Trail Committee Chairwoman Eileen Quinn told the Selectmen on Tuesday. Quinn said that although the site isn't officially open there have already been some hikers using it for a night. "Two weekends ago we had three or four tents, this last weekend there were six tents plus someone in a hammock so we feel like we're at the point where we should have a soft opening," she said, adding it was important to get a portable toilet immediate "so they do not use the woods near the stream. Also we need to get a trash can." Both the Boards of Selectmen and Health were supportive of the portable toilet and trash can eventually being placed on site but wanted to pump the brakes slightly because of the COVID-19 restrictions. "We haven't been able to officially allow the site to open based on the protocols and the phased reopening guidelines from the state and also for the Appalachian Trail. In terms of the soft opening I don't know if we necessarily are at the point of ... we really can't do a soft opening but basically it's just providing some sanitary objects there," Chairwoman Michelle Francesconi said. "Hikers are already camping even though we don't want to over encourage it, but they are camping and obviously they need to use a bathroom somewhere." The town will need to incorporate the tent site into its reopening plan before officially opening to hikers. Francesconi said the board will put the opening of the site on next week's agenda. The town had started looking more than a year ago to find a suitable replacement for the St. Mary's site, particularly in light of Cheshire becoming an Appalachian Trail Community in 2018. There are only 40 communities along the 2,200 mile trail from Georgia to Maine; Cheshire is one of four in Massachusetts with others being Great Barrington, Dalton and North Adams. Some 2 million people hike all or part of the trail each year. The Cheshire school grounds had initially been considered but the building's location in a residential area prohibited camping as a use. So the camping site was shifted toward the town garage with Planning Board approval last summer. The next meeting of the Board of Selectmen will be Tuesday, July 7 at 6:30 p.m. and will be held virtually. See the town's website for login information. 'The Remains of the Day': What the Butler Didn't See I wish that I were reviewing one of the half-dozen movies certain to be made when this pox upon our house is no more. But until that glorious return to normality has us resuming all the simple joys of life we take for granted, like going to the movies, I'll be retro-reviewing and thereby sharing with you the films that I've come to treasure over the years, most of which can probably be retrieved from one of the movie streaming services. It is my fondest hope that I've barely put a dent into this trove when they let the likes of me back into the Bijou. ............................................................. Director James Ivory's "The Remains of the Day" (1993), about a butler and housekeeper's relationship, a la "Downton Abbey," in pre-WWII England, came to mind as I fussed with the ridiculously skimpy napkins the food market sent me in these Pandemic times. While I chuckled with accompanying sigh at their seeming uselessness, in the wonder that comes of having immersed one's self in the movies, I for the moment became Anthony Hopkin's brilliantly portrayed Stevens, butler extraordinaire to James Fox's Lord Darlington. As such, and knowing in body and soul that my superior bred employer depended on there being properly representing napkins at table, especially with all the brahmins regularly visiting the estate in hopes of preserving world peace, I crafted a solution. In a blend of fastidiousness and patience that can only be properly achieved when totally dedicated to being in service, I found that by unfolding five of the flimsy yet surprisingly multilayered napkins, placing them atop each other and refolding, I created a proper serviette. Painstaking? Indeed. Worthwhile? It is not my place to speculate or philosophize, but to see that my master's stately position is accurately reflected. Such is the theme and mindset permeating the grand dramedy of manners Ruth Prawer Jhabvala adapted for the screen from Nobel Laureate Kazuo Ishiguro's novel for her 17th collaboration with filmmakers James Ivory and Ishmail Merchant. Done in recollection, harking back from the time Emma Thompson's sublimely realized Miss Kenton comes to manage housekeeping duties under the esteemed authority of Mr. Hopkins' head servant, it is, among several other delves into the human condition, a love story. There's no surprise there as the judiciously streamed exposition early on allows that Cupid, albeit in one his subtlest interventions, will have something to say about the professional demeanor expected and required of servants in high-ranking positions. It is among the first subjects broached in Mr. Stevens' interview of Miss Kenton. While her declaration of single-minded devotion to craft is assuredly accepted by her future boss, he nonetheless feels a need to impress his feelings on the matter by stating: "If two members of staff have to fall in love and decide to get married, there's nothing one can say. But what I do find a major irritation are those persons who are simply going from post to post looking for romance." So, OK. These two are going to wind up in each other's arms, or not, and it's for us to guess which it'll be, along the way making comparisons to our own romantic histories that hopefully don't evince John Greenleaf Whittier's "saddest words of tongue or pen It might have been." But no worries if you know the outcome. As with all superbly textured dramatizations, there's always another angle to discover, another hint to interpret or maybe even a complete re-evaluation of scenario and sentiments to consider. Otherwise, there's plenty else to chew on, including two full-bodied subplots one about the future of the world and one about Stevens' relationship with his Dad (Peter Vaughan), also a butler that only the most able decipherers could possibly assimilate in one viewing. Responsible history examples the universality of its theorems, and therefore its lessons. Here, the story's notes on Weltpolitik hauntingly weave their way through the mood and aura, inferring but never interfering with the illusory humdrum of the principals, yet there all the same. With the recent revelation that, during a private meeting with President Xi Jinping, Trump had expressed approval of concentration camps for Uighur Muslims in China, a scene in Lord Darlington's study is especially poignant. Although not up to the task per Christopher Reeves' visiting American envoy, Britishers of the upper crust sort have gathered to play at diplomacy. Sipping his brandy while the storm clouds of WWII form, one of the aristocrats nonchalantly opines: "My Lord, my Lord, you cannot run a country without a penal system. Here we call them prisons. Over there they call them concentration camps. What's the difference?" Well, we know how that worked out. The question that must follow then, with Mr. Stevens the embodiment of detachment from what may or may not affect the commonweal, is does he really believe that such matters are better left to swells like his employer, or is his personal acquiescence a form of cowardice? It's all in the title. As the rationalizations unspool, a road trip to the west of England, including a telling, democratizing layover at a pub where the welcoming regulars take him for a patrician, spurs Stevens' reflections on both his blind obeisance to authority and his hesitance in romantic matters. By now, we have come to like this gentleman's gentleman, an everyman beneath his tux, and cannot help but sympathize with these, his "Remains of the Day." "The Remains of the Day," rated PG, is a Columbia Pictures release directed by James Ivory and stars Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson and James Fox. Running time: 134 minutes 'The Sunshine Boys': 'All the Men & Women Merely Players' I wish that I were reviewing one of the half-dozen movies certain to be made when this pox upon our house is no more. But until that glorious return to normality has us resuming all the simple joys of life we take for granted, like going to the movies, I'll be retro-reviewing and thereby sharing with you the films that I've come to treasure over the years, most of which can probably be retrieved from one of the movie streaming services. It is my fondest hope that I've barely put a dent into this trove when they let the likes of me back into the Bijou. ............................................................. I can't review Herbert Ross' perfect film adaptation of Neil Simon's "The Sunshine Boys" (1975) without thinking about and acknowledging all that I learned about comedy from my college dormmate Tom Clinton Jr., now Dr. Thomas Clinton. Forever taking a comedy writer's correspondence course it seemed he was on the "Characterization" chapter for at least two semesters he would regularly pop into my room to regale me of the latest bit of shtick he had gleaned from his zealously dedicated study of what tickles the funny bone. "So, these two guys meet on the street. Guy One says to Guy Two, 'Didn't I meet you in Chicago?' Guy Two says, 'I've never been in Chicago.' Guy One says, 'Y'know, come to think of it, I've never been in Chicago, either.' 'Yeah,' concludes Guy Two, 'It must have been two other guys.'" Yes, it's funny. But Dr. Clinton, a student of what makes Sammy run and John Doe laugh, could tell you exactly why it's funny. We oft pondered the question deep into the evening, me glomming by cordial invite one of the several Variety Pack boxes of cereal adorning his windowsill that originally occasioned my entree. From the early roots of court-jestering to reaching up from your racial and/or immigrant background through standup comedy, and everything in between, we tried to cover it all, and in the bargain mulled the span of the human condition. Call it a friendship through the development of mutual admiration and interests. And happily, it has never been problematic. Not like the equally long-running relationship between Walter Matthau's Willy Clark and George Burns' Al Lewis, the famed Vaudevillian duo glued together by the provocative art and science of humor. Fact is, the central joke in the hilariously conceived "The Sunshine Boys," Simon's adulating homage to his progenitors, revolves around the question of whether or not Willy and Al, recognized as the best the Golden Age of comedy had to offer, were indeed friends. They certainly don't seem to be when first we make their acquaintance. They were teamed for 43 years before Al decided to call it a career. Willy never forgave him, and of late, through the efforts of his nephew/agent, Ben, has been trying to resuscitate his career by working in commercials Willy explains to Richard Benjamin's forever flustered Ben, who's trying to get the pair to reunite for a lucrative, one-shot revival on a network variety show, "We broke up 11 years ago; I haven't spoken to him in 12 years." He seethes with the afflictive bug of showbiz, still living in the midtown hotel he has occupied for decades, albeit in a smaller room, his digs flush with the memorabilia of one immersed in the smell of the greasepaint the roar of the crowd. "He retired in the middle of my career," wails Willy. Al isn't quite as vehement in his feelings, explaining to Ben when the latter visits him at his daughter's house in New Jersey, where he enjoys afternoon naps and treating his little niece and nephew to tales of the stage, "I don't hate Willy. I just can't stand him." Recently turned down to do a potato chip commercial for vociferously making it known he didn't think the name of the chips, Frumpies, was funny, Willy is willing to do the CBS special provided Al doesn't poke him in the chest, a sore point that has festered for years. And while Al isn't especially interested in a return to the boards, the thought of adding to the niece and nephew's college fund pleases him. The first powwow to discuss the classic Doctor's Sketch they'd recreate on TV takes place in Willy's hotel room. If there is a funnier, more lickety-split volley of adlibs, puns, double-entendres and every other comic mechanism that we are treated to here, I cannot call it to mind. It is the template for the thrust and parry of humorous thought, the holy grail of farcical repartee. I'd love to rattle off a few, but don't want to ruin it. But oh well, you twisted my arm just one: Willy: You know, Sol Burton died? Al: Go onWho's Sol Burton? Willy: You don't remember Sol Burton? Al: Oh yes. The manager from the Belasco. Willy: That was Sol Bernstein. Al: Not Sol Bernstein. Sol Burton was the manager from the Belasco. Willy: Sol Bernstein was the manager from the Belasco, and it wasn't the Belasco, it was the Morosco. Al: Sid Weinstein was the manager from the Morosco. Sol Burton was the manager from the Belasco. Sol Bernstein I don't know who the hell was. They go back and forth like that, and finally: Al: Oh, that Sol Burton he died? Willy: Last week. Al: Where? Willy: In "Variety." A nostalgic and loving peek into the whys, wherefores and wiles of a lifelong relationship, "The Sunshine Boys" imparts a golden glow that will have you rolling and sighing in the aisles. And if you don't have aisles, the couch will do. "The Sunshine Boys," rated PG, is an MGM release directed by Herbert Ross and stars George Burns, Walter Matthau and Richard Benjamin. Running time: 111 minutes US gives $56 mn to support Cambodia's development, including in agriculture by Sorn Sarath June 29,2020 | Source: Khmer Times The US government has provided a total of $56 million to support Cambodias social and economy development programme in 2020, including $18 million to promote the Kingdoms agriculture sector, according to a joint statement. The Cambodian government, through the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) and the US government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), signed a development objective grant agreement last week to provide approximately $18 million for agriculture and environment programmes through implementing organisations in Cambodia and $38 million for health and education programmes. Chin Bun Sean, vice-chairman of the Council for Development of Cambodia, said that the agreement shows commitment by two countries on cooperation. This continued bilateral development cooperation is an important pillar in promoting and strengthening the cooperation and partnership between the two countries, he said. In partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, USAID will fund programmes that reduce the number of people living in poverty, increase the production of important crops and improve nutrition among rural communities, according to the statement. Patrick Murphy, the US ambassador to Cambodia, said during the signing that the US government is committed to continuing its support to the Cambodian people towards sustainable, inclusive and equitable socio-economic development. Through collaboration with the Ministry of Health, programmes will aim to decrease maternal, infant and mortality rates in children aged under 5 years. The funds will also support programmes to decrease stunting and anaemia in children and women and reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Cambodia. In the education sector, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and USAID programmes will support efforts to improve reading comprehension among children, lower school dropout rates and equip Cambodians to enter the workforce. The funds will also support environmental programmes that reduce the vulnerability of people and landscapes to the effects of a changing climate and help Cambodia meet its international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially from deforestation and forest degradation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment. The signed amendment to the agreement bring the total obligation of US development assistance in these sectors to more than $253 million since March 2016, according to the statement. Since 1994, the US government has provided more than $1 billion in support of the Cambodian people. In response to the global pandemic, the US government has provided $11 million to support Cambodias COVID-19 response since March 2020. These funds will be used to help mitigate both the immediate medical response to COVID-19 within the Cambodian health system and the second-order effects resulting from the pandemic, with a particular focus on ensuring inclusive and equitable economic recovery, the statement read. 2020 Virtus Media Pte., Ltd. (Khmer Times) Theme(s): Fisheries Development and Aquaculture. We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@idahopress.com for help creating one. Description GIS 03 July 2020: The Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) informs the public that the Government Wage Assistance Scheme (GWAS) and the Self-Employed Assistance Scheme (SEAS) have been extended for the month of June 2020 to operators having the necessary licence/permit from the relevant authorities to operate the following activities: (a) Tourism sector 1. Hotels, guest houses, tourist residences and domains; 2. Tourist enterprises, except restaurants, pubs and tables dhote; 3. Pleasure crafts engaged in commercial nautical activities; 4. Travel agencies, tour operators, tourist guides or canvassers; 5. National airline including Air Mauritius Ltd and Airmate Ltd; 6. Businesses deriving at least 50% of their income from goods sold or services provided to persons engaged in tourism activities as listed at (a)(1) to (5) above*. 7. Restaurants, pubs, tables dhote holding a tourist enterprise licence**; 8. Contract car businesses, event management companies**; and 9. Attractions, amusement parks, natural sites and museums**. However a self-employed engaged in activities falling under item (6) above is entitled to GWAS only. **Items (7) to (9) are applicable to businesses whose turnover has fallen by more than 50% in June 2020 as compared to the corresponding turnover in June 2019. However, this condition does not apply to an enterprise which has been set up after June 2019. (b) Premises that remained closed or activities that were not allowed to be carried out under Covid-19 Regulations 2020 1. Fitness centres (gymnasium/sports complex); 2. Horse racing, bookmakers, casinos and gaming houses; 3. Leisure parks, amusement centres, including aquariums; 4. Multi-purpose halls, including wedding halls; 5. Nightclubs and private clubs licensed by the Tourism Authority; 6. Professional sports, and 7. Theatres and cinema halls. (c) Self-employed 1. Artists; 2. Haberdashers operating in a market fair; 3. Holders of a license, certificate or permit issued by the Tourism Authority or Beach Authority other than for skippers and non-commercial pleasure crafts; 4. Persons making handicrafts; 5. Persons working in school canteen, and 6. Taxi drivers operating at the airport, or based at a hotel. All employers and self-employed persons who satisfy the conditions for the Government Wage Assistance Scheme and the Self-Employed Assistance Scheme, as applicable, and who are engaged in the above mentioned activities, may submit their applications through the MRA website: www.mra.mu for financial support. For any additional information, applicants may phone MRA helpdesk during office hours on: 207 6000. The Idaho State Journal is offering free online access to all of our local coronavirus stories. Our ongoing coverage of our community relies on the generous support from our readers. To strengthen local journalism, please consider subscribing at apgidoffers.com. For daily updates in your inbox, sign up for our daily news headlines. Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation2@journalnet.com for help creating one. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) referred a brief of evidence relating to Dan Oakes and his investigation into the alleged war crimes committed by Australia to the commonwealth director of public prosecutions. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) calls on the Australian government to uphold their commitment to press freedom and end the investigation into the ABC journalists. The AFP published a statement on July 2, after having referred documents to the public prosecutor with evidence recommending charges against Dan Oakes, a journalist from Australias public broadcaster ABC. The evidence was obtained in the police raid on the ABCs headquarters in June 2019, using a broad search warrant allowing police to add, copy, delete or alter material in the ABCs computers. Oakes colleague, Sam Clark, who was also a target of the ABC raid was not mentioned in the brief of evidence. According to the MEAA, the potential prosecution of Dan Oakes rests with Australias attorney-general Christian Porter who expressed on June 19, 2019 he would be seriously disinclined to approve the criminal prosecution of journalists. On September 19, 2019 Porter issued a formal ministerial direction requiring his approval before any criminal prosecution against a journalist commenced. MEAA Media federal president Marcus Storm Said: The Attorney-General must drop any prosecution of Dan Oakes because the revelations in The Afghan Files have been proved to be in the public interest. And the Government must reform the bad laws it has introduced in the past seven years that fail to protect whistleblowers and that criminalise journalism. The IFJ said: The AFP raid on the ABC in 2019 and the legal intimidation of Dan Oakes reflects the true intentions of authorities attempting to undermine public interest journalism and suppress the truth. The Australian government must enact reforms reflecting principles of press freedom that protects media workers from retribution. The IFJ calls on the government to drop the prosecution of Dan Oakes and ensure there is no prosecution of Sam Clarke. One of the most deadly aircraft is the F-35 and the F-22, but their Achilles heel is their range. That can be remedied by having stealth tankers to gas them up to extend operational ranges, but it might come in with a huge price tag. Both the F-35 and F-22 as of now has limited range, and drop tanks cannot be taken without compromising stealth. Having these tankers for refueling will make them more effective with great range. One advantage of conventional craft is that it can be loaded with extra drop tanks, but a modern stealth fighter profile will be ruined by extra shapes on the fuselage. Enemy radar will detect the shape and warn enemies even before reaching way-point, reported in National Interest. Stealth fighters need a forward base or aircraft carriers that bring them within range of missiles. The need for staging bases place them on runways or a carrier deck that makes them sitting ducks. In missile barrage, there is no assurance that many airframes will survive, accoding to Yahoo News. Most US jet fighters are capable of mid-air refueling, but these tankers need to stay clear of enemy planes. Unfortunately, they can be struck by Russian R-37, which can target from 250 miles away. One other danger is that non-stealth and stealth capable craft that can get past tankers in their sights. With tankers destroyed, most fighters are a disadvantage and will have nowhere to go. Loss of refueling support will make it harder for F-35 to hurtle in, without the fuel gauge. Missiles like the SAM S-400m, another is the 40N6 missiles too. Also read: Italian Minister of Defense Declares Commitment to Acquire Advance F-35s After Others Call to Stop Purchase KC-Z Next gen air tanker Under procurement is the 179 units of KC-46A Pegasus tankers using the Boeing 767 airframe, which will take over the older fleet of 400 KC-135 and KC-10. Another tanker on the list is the conventional KC-Y due in 2024, and to follow is the KC-7 stealth tanker. Defense News reported that getting the KC-Y might be scrapped in favor of improved KC-46 and getting into the KC-7 stealth tankers, with acquisition that starts in 2035. It was mentioned by General Carlton Everthart in 2016. Initial designs for the stealth tanker (KC-7) is turning out to look like a 'Quinjet' from the avengers. One of the designs submitted by the Air Force Research Lab in 2018, that was called the 'Advanced Aerial Refueling' or a flying angled wing. Another design by Lockheed called the 'Advanced Tanker Concept', that has flying wings which are more stealthy than other designs. One of the ways to reduce detection is redirecting the exhaust over the wings, cited in The Drive. The Air Force is more interested in a 'Blended Wing Body'-type tanker with a triangular shape that merges the wings and fuselage seamlessly. Another aspect is a stealthy design that blunts detection by radar. Another is the C which means it can be cargo jets, it must be able to carry equipment. It would not be the pure stealth wing design but also insert troops into the enemy's back yard that includes airborne refueling. The think tank might want to put active protection systems for countering missiles that detect it. Adding next-generation radar jammers with AI to decide what to do. Less crew would be on board to let robots and automated systems do the tasks. Other options are using drones to refuel planes in the air. A mix of manned and drone craft is considered by the air force, but getting survivable air tankers is needed to get F-35s and F-22s into range attack enemy territory. Related article: Air Force to Send F-35s to Middle East to Blunt the Iranian Offensive @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. At least 29 journalists have been arrested in Hong Kong since June 2019, highlighting the severe deterioration in the special administrative region. In the wake of this weeks passing of a National Security Law, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) expresses its grave concern for journalists working in Hong Kong, in particular those documenting the citys ongoing protests. According to data gathered by IFJ affiliate the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), of the 29 journalists arrested since June 2019, all but one worked for private media companies. The majority of publications with arrested journalists are known in Hong Kong for strong, independent journalism, including Stand News, Hong Kong Free Press and Next Magazine. A string of incidents also involved student publications, including the arrest of 13 student journalists and online reporters during a blockade at the Polytechnic University Campus in November 2019. Chief executive Carrie Lam has since defended the actions of police, saying underage reporters are being poisoned by false and biased information on campus. In 2019, 65 per cent of the 327 journalists surveyed by HKJA had been subject to verbal and physical violence while reporting. Journalists also said it was difficult to write freely in Hong Kong due to the lack of legislative safeguards when accessing information as well as other threats such as intimidation or violence while working. The introduction of the controversial and heavy handed-national security law by the Chinese authorities this week has created major fears for journalists across Hong Kong, with 91 per cent of journalists surveyed by HKJA expressing concern for their safety if it passed. As of July 1, the day after the law passed Beijings National Peoples Congress unanimously, police made sweeping arrests across Hong Kong and openly fired water cannons and tear gas into crowds where journalists were reporting. The IFJ said: The familiarity of police intimidation of journalists in Hong Kong is incredibly disturbing and, despite widespread condemnation and calls for investigation into abuses, it continues. The high frequency of arrests of journalists documented in the past year is clearly a tactic designed to intimidate remaining media into silence and submission. The IFJ has considerable concerns for journalists safety following with the security law now in place. Malaysias Federal Court will hear the substantive contempt arguments against online news portal Malaysiakini and its editor-in-chief Steven Gan on July 13, after the court dismissed the application to set aside the proceedings. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is disappointed the attorney-general is continuing with the prosecution of Malaysiakini and Gan. The judgement delivered by Court of Appeal president justice Rohana Yusuf on July 2, on behalf of the seven member panel unanimously found attorney-general Idrus Harun had sufficiently established the facts to initiate the contempt proceedings against Malaysiakini and Gan, while confirming the federal courts jurisdiction over the case. Harun filed an ex-parte application on June 15 to start proceedings in relation to five readers comments in an article titled "CJ orders all courts to be fully operational from July 1." Idrus alleged the comments "clearly meant that the judiciary committed wrongdoings, is involved in corruption, does not uphold justice and compromised its integrity." Defence counsel Malik Imtiaz Sarwar representing Malaysiakini and Gan, yesterday emphasised the five comments were removed within minutes of police alerting the news portal, noting Malaysiakini readers post an average of 2,000 comments a day. With this huge volume, the newsroom relies on its readers to flag offensive comments as part of a moderation process. Malik argued it was not disputed that neither Malaysiakini or Gan were involved in posting the comments and Malaysiakini was not aware of the comments before the news portal was alerted. Malaysiakini is an IFJ and National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJM) project partner on a major European Union-funded Malaysian media reform project, Strengthening Malaysias Media for Change. The IFJ is one of a number of media rights organisations watching the hearing, with Malaysian lawyer New Sin Yew acting as the IFJs independent legal observer The IFJ said: Around the world it is standard practice for media companies to facilitate the discussion of citizens and journalists through enabling online discussion below articles. Modern journalism has expanded through the internet and the nuances of how people can interact with the news, democratising freedom of expression. The IFJ expresses its dismay with the attorney-general for continuing the prosecution against Malaysiakini and Steven Gan. Update on July 13, 2020: The Federal Court reserved the judgement in the proceedings against Malaysiakini and Steven Gan. No date has been set for the final determination to be delivered. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and dozens of press freedom, human rights, and privacy rights organizations across five continents have co-signed an open letter to the U.K. government, calling for the immediate release of imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The publisher, who turns 49 years old today in HMP Belmarsh, is facing extradition to the United States where he has been indicted under the Espionage Act for WikiLeaks 2010-11 publications of the Iraq War Logs, the Afghan War Diaries, and State Department cables. If convicted, Mr Assange would face up to 175 years in prison, tantamount to a death sentence. The co-signers write, This [indictment] is an unprecedented escalation of an already disturbing assault on journalism in the US, where President Donald Trump has referred to the news media as the enemy of the people. Whereas previous presidents have prosecuted whistleblowers and other journalistic sources under the Espionage Act for leaking classified information, the Trump Administration has taken the further step of going after the publisher. Seventeen of the 18 charges against Mr Assange are under the 1917 Espionage Act, marking the U.S.s first-ever attempt to prosecute the publication of truthful information in a fundamental test of the First Amendments protection of press freedoms. Mr Assange has also been charged with conspiring to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which uses language similar to the Espionage Act. Reporters without Borders, PEN International, ARTICLE19, the International Federation of Journalists, and the National Union of Journalists are among the 40 rights groups who have signed on to the letter, initiated by the Courage Foundation, a whistleblower support network which campaigns for Mr Assanges freedom and the publics right to know. On 24 June 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a second superseding indictment against Mr Assange, adding no new charges but expanding on the charge for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. The governments relentless pursuit of Julian Assange poses a grave threat to journalists everywhere and to the publics right to know, said Barry Pollack, an attorney for Mr Assange in the United States, calling the new indictment yet another chapter in the U.S. Governments effort to persuade the public that its pursuit of Julian Assange is based on something other than his publication of newsworthy truthful information. Press freedom groups have warned since his arrest and initial indictment in April 2019 that a U.S. conviction for Mr Assangean Australian citizen who operated in Europe and was granted asylum and citizenship by Ecuadorwould criminalise publishing around the world, allowing the United States to dictate what journalists can publish beyond its borders. The United Kingdom, which is detaining Mr Assange on the U.S.s behalf, has the power to stop the extradition process and let him walk free immediately. The letter concludes, We call on the UK government to release Mr Assange without further delay and block his extradition to the US a measure that could save Mr Assanges life and preserve the press freedom that the UK has committed to championing globally. Mr Assanges extradition proceedings, which commenced for one week in February 2020 in London, are scheduled to continue for three weeks beginning 7 September. The Courage Foundation hosts a defense campaign website for WikiLeaks and Mr Assange at defend.WikiLeaks.org. Imperial Valley News Center White House Regarding Tuesdays Supreme Court Ruling on Religious Schools Washington, DC - We celebrate todays Supreme Court decision on religious schools, which removes one of the biggest obstacles to better educational opportunities for all children. States may no longer hide behind rules motivated by insidious bias against Catholics, known as Blaine Amendments, to exclude religious schools from public benefits. Laws that condition public benefits, like need-based academic scholarships, on religious status demonstrate state-sanctioned hostility to religion, pressure people and institutions to censor their religious views, and stigmatize disfavored religions. The Trump Administration believes that school choice is a civil rights issue, and that no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing school. President Donald J. Trump will fight for school choice, and he will always defend our first freedom: the free exercise of religion. Imperial Valley News Center First Ladys Roundtable on Foster Care and Strengthening Americas Child Welfare System Washington, DC - Tuesday, First Lady Melania Trump held a virtual roundtable to discuss the foster care system in the United States and the Administrations ongoing efforts to support safe, stable and permanent families for children and youth. Those efforts include the June 24, 2020 Executive Order on Strengthening the Child Welfare System for Americas Children, which President Trump signed last week with the First Lady in attendance. The First Lady invited participants who are advocates for foster children and who have been impacted by the foster care system, including young adults who have spent time in foster care, foster parents, and representatives from foster care and adoption organizations. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar; Assistant Secretary Lynn Johnson of the Administration for Children and Families; Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President; and Emma Doyle, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy to the First Lady also participated in the roundtable. First Lady Melania Trump opened the event by highlighting that the first pillar of her Be Best initiative is well-being, including social, emotional, and physical health. Mrs. Trump emphasized the need to increase partnerships, resources, and transparency in the foster care system, particularly given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Americas foster children and families. Following introductions, the First Lady moderated a discussion with the roundtable participants. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine, Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, First Lady Donna Edwards of Louisiana and State Senator Doug Mastriano of Pennsylvania spoke about their ongoing work on primary prevention and permanent placement. Foster care advocates shared their personal experiences with the system and discussed lessons from the pandemic, innovations in the child placement system, the importance of trauma-informed training, and the intrinsic, lifelong need for each person to have the support of a loving family, both in childhood and beyond. The First Lady concluded the roundtable by thanking everyone for their advocacy and praising the strength and resilience of several of the participants, noting that children in America are safer today because of their efforts. Mrs. Trump emphasized her commitment to this vital issue and encouraged those in attendance to continue to work with the Administration to ensure all children are able to thrive. Participants: Governor Mike DeWine & First Lady Fran DeWine, Ohio Governor Chris Sununu, New Hampshire State Senator Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania First Lady Donna Edwards, Louisiana Rita Soronsen, CEO, Wendys Wonderful Kids Pam Parishes, Founder and Executive Director, Connection Homes Thea Ramirez, Founder & CEO of Adoption Share Lee Vasquez and Kaari Vasquez, Foster Parents Christina Meredith, Founder, Christina Meredith Foundation Joshua Christian, Student, Advocate, and Author Ruby Tucker, UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Children and Families This year's July 4 Independence Day celebration comes at an interesting time in the American story, when many of us are reassessing history and trying to see the Founding Fathers in context. Part of that context is just how different life was in the colonies in 1776 compared to now. It's the old saw: Even the most unlikely things seem inevitable in retrospect. Here are 10 facts about the new nation the Founding Fathers were building that demonstrate just how different it all was from ours today. I think they tell an inspiring story for anyone trying to take on a new challenge that seems impossible. 1. It was very small. The entire population of the United States at the time was about 2.5 million people, well under 1 percent of what it is today, according to the U.S. Census. That's about the size of the metro area around San Antonio now, or else halfway between the populations of Kansas and New Mexico. 2. It was only partially free. A massive number of people were enslaved. The Census Bureau source above doesn't break it out, but estimates run as high as between 500,000 and 700,000 of the 2.5 million were enslaved at the time of the revolution. Of course, most women were not allowed to vote (except in New Jersey, but that's another story). 3. People died young. Average life expectancy of a white male at the time was about 38 years, compared to about 78 now. Very high infant mortality back then affected this significantly. If white men like the Founders lived to age 60, odds were good they'd live to age 75; their average age at death turned out to be about 65. 4. Yet, they were healthier than you might think. Medicine was nothing compared to today, but as a proxy for health, Americans were fairly tall, with men averaging about 5 feet 8 inches in 1776, just an inch shorter than today. The most common explanation is that nutrition was actually better for average Americans then. 5. The economy was very different. You know of course that it was an agrarian economy, and the industrial and technological revolutions were far in the future. But as a result, almost everyone was an entrepreneur--including among the Founders. (However, there are two asterisks, in that many of them inherited immense wealth or were rich because of slavery.) Today, about 9 percent of Americans own a business. 6. Standards of living were high. The combined U.S. economy was about 30 percent the size of Great Britain's. However, the U.S. standard of living among free people was considerably higher because of a smaller population. 7. Families were big. This is both related and predictable. Families were big, an average of 5.79 people, according to the first census in 1790. Today, it's about 3.14. 8. Taxes were low. Surprising, right, given what we know about the Boston Tea Party? But the average effective total tax rates back then were between 1 and 1.5 percent total. At the same time, government services were very limited. 9. There were big sacrifices. During the Revolutionary War, about 50,000 Americans were killed, wounded, or died from noncombat conditions (disease, accidents). Combined, this adds up to about 1 percent of the total population. The comparable rate for the Civil War was 2.1 percent (counting both sides). For World War II, it was .39 percent. 10. But there was a surprising advantage to limited technology. Even as the pandemic wreaks havoc on jobs, many employers across the U.S. small and large are still hiring--and Covid-19 is pushing them to adopt new and creative recruiting strategies. Not long ago, the big hiring challenge often was finding enough job candidates, but with the U.S. unemployment rate at 11 percent, the focus for employers with jobs to fill has shifted to how to hire people given the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. Replacing in-person interviews with videoconferencing platforms like Zoom isn't as easy as you might think, according to hiring experts. And forget wooing job candidates with office perks when the workplace is remote. Here's a look at hiring practices that are working for employers in the Covid-19 era. A Warm Welcome Make job candidates feel valued, says Beth Kelly, president of HR Collaborative, a Grand Rapids, Michigan, human-resources management and consulting firm. The business, which ranked No. 3,659 on last year's Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private U.S. companies, found a new niche helping clients with Covid-era hiring. Kelly has seen an uptick in work assembling and mailing welcome packets for employers packed full of swag, employer information, and other reading material. Employers are also hiring her company to coordinate personalized videos, such as a greeting from the company's president or CEO, or a friendly hello from a prospective employee's post-pandemic desk-mate. "I've been doing HR work for 35-plus years," Kelly says. "This is the first time I've seen such quick acceptance of some pretty dramatic change in the way that we operate with each other." A Four-Hour Hiring Process Speed up your hiring process, says Travis Coates, the chief operating officer of the U.S. division of Teleperformance, a Paris-based business-process outsourcing firm that works with major U.S. health care companies. His company aims to hire 15,000 American customer-service representatives for clients in the next three months--a daunting figure, from a logistical standpoint. The company's recruiters have turned its virtual hiring process into a near science, says Coates. After group phone interviews, individual follow-ups, and final interviews with a potential manager--on average, Coates says--successful candidates can receive job offers just three or four hours after their first interview. The key, he notes, is to optimize your scheduling so a prospective boss can set aside specific blocks of time for final interviews--all dependent on who makes it through to that final stage. "Those individual interviews, because we've gotten so good at it, are probably only 20 to 30 minutes long, typically," Coates says. Dallas-based staffing firm Frontline Source Group has had an all-virtual hiring process for years, according to Bill Kasko, the company's CEO. It's now helping FEMA hire more than 750 workers to staff Covid-19 testing facilities throughout Texas, among other projects. Natural disasters aren't unusual in Texas, and while pandemics weren't in its playbook, he says, Frontline's experience with virtual hiring helped the staffing firm rebound from a drop-off in the spring. "This was pretty bad because it happened so quick," says Kasko, who founded Frontline, which ranked No. 3,363 on last year's Inc. 5000 list. "Within less than 30 days, our revenue dropped nearly 50 percent. Almost overnight." Long-distance hiring may become more common in the coming months. If you don't already have the technology to hire virtually, it's time to catch up. "There's more employer demand in the marketplace than what you're seeing on TV," Kasko says. "There are companies hiring. There's still opportunity out there. We may have 11 percent unemployment right now, but that means 89 percent are still working. Keep that in mind." EXPLORE MORE Inc. 5000 COMPANIES HarperCollins has dropped its author David Starkey, describing the historians racist comments as abhorrent. In a recent interview with Brexit campaigner Darren Grimes, while speaking about the Black Lives Matter protests, Starkey said: Slavery was not genocide otherwise there wouldnt be so many damn blacks in Africa or Britain, would there? An awful lot of them survived. Starkey was widely condemned for his comments, with former chancellor Sajid Javid saying his words were a reminder of the appalling views that still exist in Britain. Historian David Olusoga, meanwhile, said they were truly disgusting. Now HarperCollins UK has said it will not be publishing any more of Starkeys books. The views expressed by David Starkey in his recent interview are abhorrent and we unreservedly condemn them, said the publisher. Our last book with the author was in 2010, and we will not be publishing further books with him. We are reviewing his existing backlist in light of his comments and views. HarperCollins has published numerous Starkey titles including Monarchy: Behind the Royal Mask from the Tudors to the Present and Henry: Virtuous Prince. A spokesperson for Hodder & Stoughton, which published Starkeys 2015 book Magna Carta, also said it would not publish him again: We unequivocally condemn racism in any form. We published a book by David Starkey in 2015 as a one-off project to mark the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta to coincide with a TV documentary. We will not be publishing any further books by him. Fitzwilliam College at Cambridge University and Canterbury Christ Church University in Kent have also terminated Starkeys honorary fellowship and visiting professorship respectively. Unsolved Mysteries is spooking Netflix viewers with one particular episode centred on UFOs. The reboot of the popular documentary series focuses on creepy goings-on around the world, and its the fifth instalment that seems to have generated the most conversation. It focuses on the Berkshire UFO sightings, which have remained a mystery since 1 September, 1969. On that date, four families with no connection to each other claimed to have been picked up by a UFO and moved by a ray of light. Thomas Reed, who was six, insists to this day that he and his family lost three hours of their lives while driving in their car. Reed also claims he saw 14-year-old Melanie Kirchdorfer aboard the UFO. Kirchdorfer backs up his story, saying she had an instant connection with Reed when she saw him on the ship. Meanwhile, Tommy Warner claims that he was also abducted on that same evening. His babysitter, Debbie, corroborates this story, saying that she saw him vanish into a bright ray of light after Warner told her he was being advised to leave by Gods voice. The episode has left many viewers feeling on edge and claiming they will "never sleep again". Since the alleged "abductions", the people involved have been intent on finding proof of alien life so much so, that some of them drove members of their family, as well as work colleagues, away. Reed, who refuses to use the word abduction when telling his story, now works closely with New Mexicos International UFO Museum. In 2015, the mystery was officially declared a historical event by The Great Barrington Historical Society. Fans of the original Unsolved Mysteries were happy to see the shows former narrator, the actor Robert Stack, immortalised in the reboots title sequence. News is circulating that "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" will be canceled soon. Sources are whispering that the talk show could be canceled soon due to low ratings and accusations of the 62-year-old comedian host being unpleasant towards the staff. Producers behind "Ellen" have been set forth to address such rumors, reported Yahoo News. "Telepictures can confirm it's untrue," according to a statement issued to the New York Post. The long-running program dropped to a new record-low as the comedian is slammed for her alleged rude attitude. The show reportedly plummeted 14 percent to a low rating of 1.2 this season 17, reported TVNewsCheck. The dip in ratings is being blamed on the public boycotting the show due to her treatment of other people. Public opinion of Ellen DeGeneres seemingly has turned a 180 after her employees reportedly became "distressed and outraged over their treatment from top producers amid the coronavirus pandemic and her bodyguard describing her as "dehumanizing." She also caught the ire of netizens for depicting her mansion as much like a prison amid the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 86th Academy Awards, bodyguard Tom Majercak alleged DeGeneres' cold treatment, "It started going negatively when she introduced me to Ellen and Ellen pretty much just gave me a side glance out of her eye and didn't even say 'hello,' or 'thank you for protecting my mother, my wife and me." Other comedians and a TV writer also accused DeGeneres of being unpleasant to work with. Also Read: Ellen DeGeneres Criticized for Comparing Quarantine to Being in Jail According to a columnist, "Seriously, if a rule is 'Don't look Ellen in the eyes' then something is not right." The columnist said that "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" needs to go off-air if DeGeneres cannot make permanent changes to her onscreen and off-screen behavior. Staff members of "Ellen" were reportedly indignant over the treatment of the show's top producers amid the quarantine period. For over a month, the core crew of the talk show apparently were not conveyed written communication regarding the status of their salary, working hours, or inquiries on their health from the producers. Similar claims were narrated by a guest of "Ellen" and a beauty influencer Nikkie de Jager. "Call me naive, but I kind of expected to be welcomed with confetti cannons. But instead, I was greeted by an angry intern who was a bit overworked." De Jager was anticipating a Disney show, but she got Teletubbies after dark instead, she described. Adding to the party, a Twitter thread culminated in March by Kevin Porter was surged with stories of DeGeneres' alleged bad behavior after he asked his followers to share their accounts of the 62-year-old. Writer Ben Simeon wrote that a new crew member was informed that she picks someone different to hate daily. "It's not your fault, just suck it up for the day and she'll be mean to someone else the next day.'" After ranking in ratings behind "Dr. Phil," such allegations does not mean DeGeneres' show is planning to fold. Related Article: Reese Witherspoon And Ellen DeGeneres Imitate Sophia Vergara In Faux Skit On 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Katy Keene star Lucy Hale has posted an emotional video to fans after news broke that her Riverdale spin-off has been cancelled after one season. The actor, who played the teen comedys titular lead, addressed network The CWs decision to axe the show on Instagram. Hale tearfully told fans: I didnt just want to post a picture or a caption because nothing would do justice to how I feel about Katy Keene or how I feel about the people involved with it. Truly one of the highlights of my life. Just such a joy, from top to bottom. Hale, whose shows Life Sentence and Privileged were also cancelled by The CW after one season, added: Its happened a few times to me, and each time its just heartbreaking This is a bad one, itll take some time to get over but thats not why Im making this video. Mainly I wanted to make this video so you could hear it straight from me so nothing is misconstrued. She stated: Long story short, I am just grateful. Im grateful for the role of a lifetime, what a blast. Thanking her colleagues and the shows creators Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Michael Grassi, she said: Im so proud of what we made. I do believe its timeless. I think sometimes things just dont work out and maybe it was just not the right time for it. I dont know, Im a little confused. Katy Keene is a musical comedy-drama based on the Archie Comics character of the same name. It chronicles the origins and struggles of four aspiring artists trying to attain successful careers on Broadway, on the runway, and in the recording studio. Greenpeace UK has been fined 80,000 after being found guilty of contempt of court during a lengthy maritime confrontation last summer in which activists attempted to stop a BP oil rig from reaching a North Sea oil field. The environmental charitys executive director John Sauven narrowly avoided a suspended jail sentence, with Judge Lady Wolffe saying she had decided to exercise leniency in a virtual hearing at Scotlands highest civil court. The Court of Session heard that the BP rig was headed for the North Seas Vorlich oil field when it was occupied by activists in the Cromarty Firth, north of Inverness, on 9 June 2019. Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise shadowed the rig and prevented it from reaching the oil field for 12 days, defying an interim interdict or temporary ban secured by rig operators Transocean on anyone connected with Greenpeace either boarding the rig or coming within 500 metres of it. Lady Wolffe said on Friday that the charity admitted breaching the order twice once as two activists joined others onboard the rig on 14 June to unfurl a Climate emergency Greenpeace banner, and again by sending boats from the Arctic Sunrise after the rig two days later but being unable to put any protesters on the rig. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 9 June 2021 Adam Chamberlain, 45, general manager of Big Tree pub in Sheffield, has put up over 500 flags, taking 36 hours, in preparation for Euro 2020, which kicks off this weekend Tom Maddick / SWNS UK news in pictures 8 June 2021 REUTERS UK news in pictures 7 June 2021 A pedestrian wearing a face covering walks over Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 6 June 2021 Isobel Salamon, founder of the Edinburgh Cinema Club, poses alongside the Leith Trainspotting murals in Quality Yard, Leith, Edinburgh, for the programme launch of the Cinescapes Festival which starts on July 4 with a Trainspotting 1 and 2 double bill PA UK news in pictures 5 June 2021 A long exposure photograph captures the rotation of the earth as the stars blur into circles over Knowlton church ruins in Dorset Nick Lucas/SWNS UK news in pictures 4 June 2021 Balloonists take flight during the opening of the Midlands Air Festival in Alcester, Warwickshire PA UK news in pictures 3 June 2021 Members of the Household Cavalry during the Major General's annual inspection of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in Hyde Park, London PA UK news in pictures 2 June 2021 Hannah Vitos of the Blenheim Art Foundation, poses for a photograph next to artist Ai Weiwei's Gilded Cage (2017) sculpture in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 1 June 2021 People swim in the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool bridge across two exclusive residential blocks standing next to the US Embassy in Nine Elms, in London, Tuesday, June 1, 2021 AP UK news in pictures 31 May 2021 People enjoy the hot weather at Brighton beach Reuters UK news in pictures 30 May 2021 People venture into the sea as they enjoy themselves during a hot day on Brighton Beach AP UK news in pictures 29 May 2021 Swimmers at the Stonehaven Open Air Pool in Aberdeenshire, which reopens after lockdown restrictions were eased PA UK news in pictures 28 May 2021 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he meets Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Downing Street in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 27 May 2021 White Pelicans in the sunshine in St James's Park, London PA UK news in pictures 26 May 2021 Boats are seen at Southsea Moorings in Portsmouth Reuters UK news in pictures 25 May 2021 York Glaziers Trust employees Kieran Muir (left) and Emily Price (right) remove a stained glass window panel at the start of a new five year, 5m project to conserve York Minsters South East Transept and its medieval St Cuthbert Window PA UK news in pictures 24 May 2021 Dark rain clouds above an oast house at Bewl Water reservoir near Lamberhurst in Kent during one of the rainiest Mays on record, with the UK seeing 131 per cent of the usual months rainfall already PA UK news in pictures 23 May 2021 The Premier League trophy with the Manchester City club colour ribbons on, at Etihad Stadium, prior to the last Premier League match of the season. City will finally pick up the trophy after they won the league on 11 May Getty UK news in pictures 22 May 2021 Gary Kenny lifts the Buildbase FA Vase Trophy after Warrington Rylands won the FA Vase Final against Binfield at Wembley Stadium Getty UK news in pictures 21 May 2021 A family buffeted by the wind whilst crossing the the Millennium Bridge in London, with wind and rain forecast to ravage the UK on the first Friday that people have been allowed to meet in large groups outside in England PA UK news in pictures 20 May 2021 Devon And Cornwall Police Demonstrate Their Skills For Policing The G7 Summit Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 May 2021 An employee stands before a costume for the Queen of Hearts by Bob Crowley on display at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 17 May 2021 Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport after the ban on international leisure travel for people in England was lifted following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 16 May 2021 Emergency workers at the scene of a suspected gas explosion, in which a young child was killed and two people were seriously injured, on Mallowdale Ave Heysham which caused 2 houses to collapse and badly damaged another PA UK news in pictures 15 May 2021 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters let off smoke flares, wave flags and carry placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause as violence escalates in the ongoing conflict with Israel, in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 14 May 2021 Member of staffs tighten screws and paint a Marlin skeleton, before it goes on display at the Natural History Museum in London, as the museum prepares to reopen to the public on 17 May, following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 13 May 2021 A worshipper at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Mordon, south London, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan. PA UK news in pictures 12 May 2021 A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London Getty UK news in pictures 11 May 2021 The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2021 Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on Londons Southbank PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2021 People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2021 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales PA UK news in pictures 6 May 2021 A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart PA UK news in pictures 5 May 2021 Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail PA UK news in pictures 4 May 2021 Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London PA UK news in pictures 3 May 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6 PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Womens Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London. The Blues won the game 4-1, (and the tie 5-3 on aggregate) sending them through to their first Champions League final AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 1 May 2020 Demonstrators during a march through London during a 'Kill the Bill' protest Angela Christofilou UK news in pictures 30 April 2021 Shoppers queue outside Primark in Belfast as shops reopen and hospitality is able to open outdoors in Northern Ireland where lockdown restrictions have begun to gradually ease PA UK news in pictures 29 April 2021 Specialist operators at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, near Telford, Shropshire, clean the Hawker Hunter aircraft displayed within the museum's National Cold War Exhibition, during annual high-level aircraft cleaning and maintenance PA UK news in pictures 28 April 2021 Millions of tulips in flower near Kings Lynn in Norfolk, as Belmont Nurseries, the UK's largest commercial grower of outdoor tulips, offers socially-distanced visits to its tulip fields at Hillington to raise funds for local charity The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House PA UK news in pictures 27 April 2021 Paula Laughton checks one of the newly installed Lego models in the new Lego Mythica land at Legoland Windsor Resort PA UK news in pictures 26 April 2021 A red panda rests on a tree at Manor Wildlife park, which reopened its doors as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, in Tenby, Wales Reuters UK news in pictures 25 April 2021 Sheep climb the hillside as flames from a moor fire are seen on Marsden moor, near Huddersfield AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 24 April 2021 Supporters protest against Manchester United's owners, outside English Premier League club Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium in Manchester AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 23 April 2021 People enjoy the warm weather at City Hall near Tower Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 22 April 2021 Uyghurs during a demonstration in Parliament Square, London, which is being held ahead of a House of Commons debate, bought by backbench MP Nus Ghani, on whether Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang province are suffering crimes against humanity and genocide PA UK news in pictures 21 April 2021 People walk at the Taihaku Cherry Orchard in Alnwick REUTERS UK news in pictures 20 April 2021 People stand in front of anti Super League banners outside Anfield as twelve of Europe's top football clubs, including Liverpool, launch a breakaway league Reuters UK news in pictures 19 April 2021 Women enjoy sunny weather in Greenwich, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, Reuters A total of 14 arrests were made at the time, with BP branding the action irresponsible and reckless. Mr Sauven had said: BP are heading out to drill a new well giving them access to 30 million barrels of oil something we cant afford in the middle of a climate emergency. We cant give up and let oil giants carry on with business as usual because that means giving up on a habitable planet and our kids future. Lady Wolffe dismissed Greenpeaces argument that the breaches did not constitute contempt of court as the protesters were acting of their own choice, accusing the organisation of deflecting responsibility, in a ruling that could have profound implications for future organised protests. Without Greenpeaces active support and resources, none of those who attempted to board the rig would have been able to do so, the judge said. There is no doubt that John Sauven was acting in his capacity as executive director of Greenpeace. He retained overall control and could have ended the action at any point. Most critically, he could have ended the action at the point where it breached the order. Greenpeace have exhibited wilful defiance of the order and they are guilty of contempt of court. Lady Wolffe said those found guilty of contempt can be jailed for up to two years and a suspended sentence for Mr Sauven was in range when considering how tough a sanction to impose. It is fundamental to the rule of law that court orders are obeyed, she said. However I intend to exercise leniency and confine this courts sanction to a fine of Greenpeace. Transocean had argued that a lenient result may encourage organisations less safe than Greenpeace. Following the hearing, Mr Sauven said: We are disappointed that BPs rig operator Transocean has sought to punish us for trying to protect the planet. But our campaign does not end here and we will continue to fight to stop the oil industry from wrecking our climate. Additional reporting by PA Cosy textures in the bathroom dont stop at the towel bale. A plush bath rug underfoot is a must if youre after the full luxury bathing experience: its a product thats as practical as it is pretty, and one thats permanently on show, so it should offer both style and substance. If youre after a uniform look to rival the smartest hotel bathrooms, look out for bath mats that match your favourite towels. These are often sold separately as add-ons to your chosen bale. Otherwise go for a stand out statement piece for your bathroom floor the choice is endless. Some bath mats come complete with a non-slip underlay, which youll need if youre laying it down on shiny tiles. Others mimic our favourite on-trend living room rugs in miniature a playful touch. And some are superbly textured to give our feet a heavenly post-shower massage, so choose wisely. The bath mats in our round-up washed well when care instructions were followed correctly. We put our top ten to the test. You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Panda London bamboo bath rug Machine wash: Cold Tumble dry: Low heat This silky soft reversible bath mat is hand-woven from a blend of 60 per cent long staple cotton and 40 per cent organic bamboo. It feels luxuriously thick underfoot and has ultra-absorbent properties, as well as being naturally odour-resistant and antibacterial. We also love this mat for its its impressive eco-credentials: this is a brand that really cares about sustainability, right down to its commitment to plastic-free, biodegradable packaging. Choose from four neutral shades: pure white, urban grey, ink, and sand. Buy now 32.50 , Panda London {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Sage x Clare nudie rudie bath mats Machine wash: Cold Tumble dry: Low heat Cheeky statement bath mats are enjoying quite a moment in interior design so its easy for these made-for-Instagram pieces to scrimp on quality. But this is a brand that effortlessly mixes playfulness and craftsmanship with its range of colourful "nudie rudie" mats. Made from 100 per cent cotton, the large bath mat is tangibly high quality with its soft dense pile and raised lettering and it doesnt fail to bring a smile to our faces each morning. Choose from a range of enticing hues. Buy now 59 , Antipodream {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} La Redoute tineko tufted bath mats Machine wash: 30C Tumble dry: Not suitable Were suckers for bath mats that are, essentially, mini versions of our favourite living room rugs, and this plush, tufted number more than fits the bill. The mat, in super absorbent cotton, has a thread count of 1,700 GSM, which proved a delight to sink our feet into. We also loved its striking geometric design in contrasting pink and white. This one offers incredible value for money, looking much more expensive than it is. Buy now 15 , La Redoute {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Dusk Monaco bath mat Machine wash: 40C Tumble dry: Low heat Also offering excellent bang for our buck, this extra-large bath mat has the dimensions of a typical bath towel. Its crafted from top quality cotton and has a quilted texture thats both aesthetically pleasing and super absorbent with its soft, spongy makeup. In charcoal, it gives the bathroom a chic, contemporary feel especially when paired with the matching (and equally affordable) charcoal towels in the same range. Buy now 12 , Dusk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Christy fina bath mat, French grey Machine wash: 60C Tumble dry: Medium heat If youre after a bath mat that gives you refined elegance with a craft-driven aesthetic, Christys offering is a must-buy. With a 1,500 GSM thread count in 100 per cent cotton, the flat-woven mini rug is surprisingly silky to the touch. This is despite its bumpy, knotted texture, which is ideal for a quick foot massage. Equally elegant is the choice of colours: white, pearl or French grey a warm and homely biscuity shade. Buy now 25 , Christy {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Red Candy rainbow bath mat Machine wash: 30C Tumble dry: Not suitable Made from polyester microfibre, this affordable, retro rainbow mat isnt the finest carpet quality but its cheerful design more than makes up for that. The semi-circular mat, which sits flush along the bath edge, includes a non-slip rubber backing, ensuring it stays firmly fixed to the floor tiles. Absorbent and soft on the feet, this one proved a big impact statement piece in our otherwise white bathroom. Buy now 19 , Red Candy {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Urbanara osuna bath mat Machine wash: 40C Tumble dry: Low heat We love this brand for its beautiful hand-crafted textiles, all ethically produced in natural materials. This dark and textured bath mat is made from 100 per cent cotton in heavy looped weave, and offers an invigorating massage to the feet post-shower. Its slim in makeup but it proves surprisingly absorbent, while its intricate, inlaid diamond design gives it a pleasing craft-driven look. This ones available in three sizes including the unusually wide 50x150cm, which sits pretty along the length of the bath. Buy now 25 , Urbanara {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} The White Company Portobello bath mat Machine wash: 40C Tumble dry: Low heat Theres nothing like pure white textiles in the bathroom if youre after a look that screams hotel luxury. This large, fluffy bath mat was a dream to sink our wet feet into. Made in Portugal from 100 per cent cotton, it offers a luxuriously thick and super soft pile with a bumpy woven texture on the underside that has a little bit of grip. Perhaps best to avoid this one if you live with mucky kids or dogs, as youll want to keep it pristine. Team the bath mat with a matching snowy white towel bale for the full effect. Buy now 35 , The White Company {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Esprit Flair bath mat in pink Machine wash: 30C Tumble dry: Not suitable This acrylic pile bath mat from the international fashion brand known for its cool, preppy aesthetic, proved a fresh and modern addition to our shower room. The mat looks like a real quality carpet and feels suitably luxurious underfoot. We loved the juxtaposition of the soft pink and the sharp, geometric design. Its available in a choice of three sizes and comes complete with a reassuring anti-slip rubber backing. Buy now 39 , The Rug Seller {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Priya cotton elephant bath mat Machine wash: 40C Tumble dry: Medium heat Bringing a travel-inspired look to our bathing space is this plush bath mat from M&S. Its woven from recycled cotton and features a striking Indian elephant motif with its contrasting threads echoed in the pretty tassels. This is another bath mat that mimics a living room rug and we loved its global aesthetic, not least for its ability to inspire us to dream of warmer climes while we bathe. Buy now 19.50 , M&S {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} The verdict: Bath mats Panda Londons bamboo bath rug won us over for its eco credentials but it was also one of the plushest we tried. It is wonderfully thick and super absorbent, making it a pleasure to seek your feet into. We also loved La Redoutes Tineko tufted bath mat for a slice of affordable luxury. IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing. Britains favourite holiday destinations could become melting pots for coronavirus once the 14-day travel quarantine is lifted, a public health expert has warned. Professor Gabriel Scally, a member of the Independent Sage group, said he would not be surprised to see some really big flare ups in tourist resorts around the world over the next two months. The UK government has confirmed the 14-day self-isolation period would be lifted in England for arrivals from 59 low-risk countries including France, Spain, Italy and Greece from 10 July. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have not yet agreed to lift their own quarantines but are likely to follow suit. Two years ago, a wily detective on the cusp of retirement came up with a seemingly outrageous plan to catch a serial killer he had been hunting for 24 years he would secretly plunder the fruits of personal DNA profiles shared online by amateur genealogists. In the absence of a hit on any police DNA databases, the investigator went about creating a false ID on an open source genealogy website called GEDmatch.com, and uploaded information from DNA found at the scene of a double murder. And then he waited. Within 24 hours, the site had identified a list of people whose DNA shared some genetic markers with the killers, suggesting they must be related, no matter how remotely. Then followed four months of genealogy detective work as a team led by the detective, Paul Holes, a seasoned Californian investigator, created family trees dating back to 1840 and forward to the present day until one took them to the door of Joseph James DeAngelo, a former cop who, as the Golden State Killer, had murdered more than a dozen people in the 1970s and 1980s. This week DeAngelo, 74, pleaded guilty to 13 murders and dozens of rapes. It was the conclusion of a brilliant piece of detective work, all followed to the letter of the law without breaching anybodys legal rights to privacy. Its been around for so long that its almost gone out of fashion. Nuclear fusion has been and remains the holy grail of energy research and its about to take a giant leap forward. In Provence, the worlds largest and most exciting nuclear fusion research facility is finally taking shape. The cost overruns are almost as astonishing as the engineering itself. At the beginning of the century, it was suggested that Iter, the worlds largest fusion experiment, could be built for around 6bn. By the middle of this decade, when it is fully operational, total costs will be at least 10 times greater than that. Big science has a habit of overrunning its initial budget but Iter is in a league of its own. As long ago as the 1930s, nuclear fusion was demonstrated in a lab at the University of Cambridge. A team led by Ernest Rutherford achieved the impossible using equipment that would seem tiny and primitive to the modern physicist. Since then, over 100 fusion reactors have been built around the world. Not one of them has produced a single kilowatt of electricity. Neither will Iter. The option to generate electricity has not been engineered into the Iter project. Its purpose is to do something that no previous fusion reactor has ever done: gain. A sign outside a vintage shop is going viral for its strong stance on mask requirements amid the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, Sarah Bingham, from Arizona, shared a photo of the sign she placed outside her vintage clothing store Antique Sugar after encountering customers who argued about having to wear masks inside. If you choose not to wear a mask, we respectfully ask that you postpone your visit, the sign reads. Well be happy to debate the efficacy of masks with you when this is all over and you come in to sell your dead grandmother's clothes. Masks required, the notice concludes. Bingham shared the photo of the sign on Facebook, where she wrote: Too dark? Shortly after sharing the sign, it was reposted on other social media platforms, where it has since received thousands of responses. Awesome sign, good for the owners who are standing up and doing what they think is best for them and their employees! one person tweeted. Another said: This makes me want to go buy something I don't need. Love it. Recommended Scientist reveals how masks stop coronavirus from spreading While the sign is morbid, Bingham said the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with people reaching out to her from all over the world to share their support. "People from across the country are calling to thank us," she told ABC15, adding that she has also received messages from people in Europe and Asia. Somebody from Abu Dhabi even reached out to us yesterday and made a purchase from us. Not everyone agrees with Binghams tactic, however, as some have accused the store owner of being insensitive. Assume they want to go out of business. Just have a sign with store, local, state requirements, one person wrote. Did they consider the fact that a customer, complete with mask, might have just lost their grandmother? According to Bingham, she has been dealing with hate mail by adding the senders to mailing lists for the Human Rights Campaign, Black Lives Matters, Planned Parenthood and Joe Biden. "Wearing a mask is literally the easiest and best preventative tool we have right now, she told Today. Its a sign of intelligence and compassion. This isnt about you; this is about the people who arent going to be able to recover if they get infected." Prince Georges godmother, Julia Samuel, has joked that she only buys toys which are really noisy and require a lot of making for Prince William and Kate Middletons eldest son. Samuels, the founding patron of Child Bereavement UK and close friend of the former Princess of Wales, appeared on the podcast How to Fail with Elizabeth Day. She said her friendship with Princess Diana who was godmother to her own son inspires her choice of gifts for the six-year-old. She joked: So I do to George what she [Diana] did to us which is give impossible toys which are really noisy, take a lot of making. I come in slightly tipped by the size of the present that [Prince] William then has to spend days putting together, she said. And then put all the machinery together and it makes awful tooting noises and lights flashing and all of that. She added: That makes me laugh and it makes George laugh. Samuels added that she believes her friend would have loved Georges personality: He is amazing. Hes funny and feisty and cheeky and God [Diana] would have loved him so much. That is heartbreaking for all of them, the therapist and charity patron added. Samuels is godmother to the Cambridges oldest son, but his younger siblings, Charlotte and Louis, have their own godparents. Charlottes are Sophie Carter, James Meade, Adam Middleton, The Hon. Laura Fellowes and Thomas van Straubenzee. Louis has three godfathers: Nicholas van Cutsem, Harry Aubrey-Fletcher, and Guy Pelly. Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu Show all 13 1 /13 Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu Meghan holds four-month-old Archie as they and Prince Harry make the acquaintance of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter, Thandeka at the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa. REUTERS Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu The duchess and the duke gaze at their son as the baby looks at his mother. REUTERS Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu Archbishop Desmond Tutu beams at Archie as he meets the baby royal for the first time. REUTERS Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu Archie extends an arm towards the Archbishop. REUTERS Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu Prince Harry looks attentively at Meghan and Archie on the third day of their royal tour. REUTERS Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu The four-month-old eyes a selection of cupcakes. AFP/Getty Images Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu The Sussex family appear in high spirits. EPA Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu Prince Harry and Archbishop Desmond Tutu hold a pile of books, one of which is The Book of Joy, which was co-authored by the Archbishop and the Dalai Lama. AFP/Getty Images Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu Archie appears unperturbed by the attention he is receiving as the duchess holds him in one hand and a cloth in the other. AFP/Getty Images Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu Meghan laughs as she holds baby Archie on her lap. REUTERS Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu Prince Harry and Meghan engage in conversation with Archbishop Desmond Tutu as Archie appears distracted. REUTERS Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu The duchess cradles her son as Prince Harry embraces Archbishop Desmond Tutu. REUTERS Archie makes royal tour debut during visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu Meghan converses with the Archbishop as she holds Archie. REUTERS The Duke and Duchess of Sussex faced criticism after announcing they would be keeping the names of Archies godparents private. Samuels has previously spoken about Prince Harrys decision to step down as a senior member of the royal family and move to Los Angeles. She told The Telegraph: If we put Harrys experience to one side, any young man or woman who has a parent who dies, that injury is always there. Its not about fixing it because you cant fix it. Its about finding a way of accommodating it, finding a way of living that is meaningful and daring to love and trust again. Prosecutors have dropped terror charges against a former British army soldier who volunteered with Kurdish fighters in Syria. Ex-paratrooper Daniel Burke originally fought against Isis with the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) between late 2017 and June 2018. No action was taken at the time, but he was prosecuted after allegedly attempting to return to support the YPG against an invasion by Turkish-led forces last year. Mr Burke, of Wythenshawe, served in the elite Parachute Regiment between 2007 and 2009. Upon his arrest, he told police: Im not a terrorist, you know Im not a terrorist. Ive done nothing but fight for this country. This is a f**king joke. He was remanded in prison ahead of a trial that had been due to take place in October, amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Charges of preparing acts of terrorism by planning to travel to Syria and of funding terrorism were dropped on Friday. A barrister told the Old Bailey the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was presenting no evidence against Mr Burke, or two other men originally charged in a separate case. Paul and Sam Newey the father and brother of another man who fought with the YPG were prosecuted for terror offences in the first case of its kind. Paul Newey, 49, was accused of funding terrorism by sending 150 to his son, while his 19-year-old son was accused of helping his brother. Daniel Newey, who remains in Syria, joined the YPG while it was being backed by the US-led coalition to push Isis out of its Syrian territories in 2017. He returned to Britain in 2018 but travelled to Syria for a second time last year, after Turkey launched an offensive against Kurdish-held territory in October. Turkey launches offensive into Syria Show all 25 1 /25 Turkey launches offensive into Syria Turkey launches offensive into Syria Turkish soldiers with armored vehicles EPA Turkey launches offensive into Syria A woman flees with her children during Turkish bombardment on Syria's northeastern town of Ras al-Ain AFP/Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria AFP/Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria The first group of Turkish infantry prepare to enter Syria on the border Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria Civilians flee AFP/Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria Smoke billows from targets inside Syria AP Turkey launches offensive into Syria Turkish armoured vehicles enter Syria in Akcakale Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria Civilians leave as smoke rises from Ras al-Ain AFP Turkey launches offensive into Syria A multi-rocket launcher fires in an unknown location Turkish Defence Ministry via Reuters Turkey launches offensive into Syria People wave as Turkish soldiers prepare to cross the border Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria Girls stand together in Ras al Ain town Reuters Turkey launches offensive into Syria A woman walks as smoke billows following Turkish bombardment in Syria's northeastern town of Ras al-Ain AFP/Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria A Turkish army's tank drives down from a truck towards the border with Syria AFP/Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria Turkish jet taxis on tarmac after returning to a military base in southeast Diyarbakir Reuters Turkey launches offensive into Syria A Turkish armored vehicle drives down a road during a military operation in Kurdish areas of northern Syria EPA Turkey launches offensive into Syria People sit on belongings at a back of a truck as they flee Ras al Ain town Reuters Turkey launches offensive into Syria Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters enter Tel Abyad AFP/Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria Civilians flee AFP/Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria People flee Tal Abyad North Press Agency/Reuters TV Turkey launches offensive into Syria People wave as Turkish soldiers prepare to cross the border into Syria Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria Civilians flee with their belongings AFP/Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria AFP/Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, speaks with Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, left, as they watch the operation by Turkish forces in Kurdish areas EPA Turkey launches offensive into Syria Smoke rises from the Syrian town of Tal Abyad AFP/Getty Turkey launches offensive into Syria Turkey-backed members of Syrian National Army prepare for moving to Turkey with heavy armed vehicles EPA All charges against his father and brother were also dropped on Friday. Simon Davis, for the prosecution, said the case had been reviewed after defence lawyers served an expert report and documents alleging an abuse of process. In advance of this hearing, the prosecution notified all parties of their intention to offer no evidence against all the defendants, he added. It is the responsibility of the prosecution to review matters continuously and as the case has developed, the prosecution has concluded that there is now insufficient evidence to sustain a reasonable prospect of conviction. Recommended Former British soldier who fought against Isis attacks terror charge Asked for an explanation by the judge, Mr Davis said he was not instructed to give further detail but the decision had been made after careful thought and consideration. He added: The case has been assessed by prosecuting counsel in consultation with CPS lawyers and police, to ensure that the appropriate course of action is taken in the interests of justice. Mr Justice Sweeney formally entered not-guilty verdicts for every count against all three defendants and ordered that Paul and Sam Newey be paid 100 each for their travel costs. Andrew Hall QC, representing Mr Burke, said he had been detained since December 2019 and deserved a detailed explanation of why the case against him was dropped. The court is entitled to know, Mr Burke is entitled to know and the public who have funded these long and expensive proceedings would no doubt like to know, he added. Richard Thomas, representing Paul Newey, said the family had been vilified in this country, called terrorists and been threatened. In those circumstances we say he is entitled to an explanation, he added. These were very serious charges. Sam Newey, the brother of YPG volunteer Daniel Newey, outside Westminster Magistrates Court on 14 February (PA) Balbir Singh, representing Sam Newey, said: It is appropriate and proportionate for there to be a proper and detailed explanation for what has caused their lives to be turned upside down for a significant number of months, and all the anxiety they have had to suffer. Justice Sweeney called for submissions in writing from the prosecution and defence ahead of another hearing on 10 July. I would expect the prosecution to give further serious consideration to being more forthcoming, he added. Paul Newey told The Independent his life had been an absolute nightmare since he and his son were arrested by counterterror police in December. Its been a total farce, the police and CPS need to be ashamed for even bringing the case, he added. Were relieved but we havent had our day in court to exonerate ourselves. Not going through with the prosecution is different to someone finding you not guilty. The trial was originally scheduled to start in June but was delayed until October, leaving the family in limbo until Mr Newey received a letter from the CPS on Monday. It said that the case against all defendants had insufficient evidence to sustain a realistic prospect of conviction, but offered no further explanation. Turkey's operation in Syria causes suffering and displacement along border It would have been going ahead now but nothing has changed in the evidence, we havent bought anything new forward, Paul Newey said. Theyre just going by my statements when I got arrested, and I just told them the truth. He said police had seized 12 phones, two iPads and two laptops from the home he shares with his son, and that armed officers pulled them over while driving to see his father in hospital in September. The father described how he had been repeatedly questioned by police and people who he believed to be representatives of the security service. Recommended Student who fought against Isis in Syria cleared of terror charges Paul Newey said he had not been able to speak to his son for nine months because of his bail conditions. Hes still in Syria, he added. I havent been able to speak to him to see if hes OK and what hes going through. They are the latest in a string of failed prosecutions against people who supported the YPG. Paul Newey questioned why the CPS had attempted the charges when other cases had failed, calling the case a complete joke and a waste of everybodys time. He added: Nobody supporting the YPG is going to be a danger to the British public, theyre fighting for a cause they believe in to protect people. How are they terrorists? One former volunteer, Aidan James, was jailed in November for attending a training camp operated by the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Iraq but was acquitted by a jury for the same offence at a YPG camp. The CPS initially charged him with preparing acts of terrorism by travelling to Syria to join the YPG but a judge found that he had no case to answer. Mr Justice Edis noted the Kurdish group was supporting the policy of the UK and other allies by fighting Isis and was backed by RAF airstrikes. The judge told the Old Bailey last year that fighting alongside the YPG was not terrorism at all under current laws. Several other British people who joined the group have been arrested and questioned by counterterror police, with some having their passports and phones seized, but faced no further action. Eight British volunteers seven men and one woman were killed in action while fighting with the group. Prince Andrew is deliberately evading authorities, the lawyer for dozens of Jeffrey Epsteins alleged victims has said, as pressure grows on the Duke of York to make himself available to detectives for interview. Brad Edwards, who represents 55 women who claim they were abused by the disgraced financier, says he believes Andrew has information that could help US law enforcement with its investigation. In an interview with Sky News, Mr Edwards said he had contacted the prince at least three times but the 60-year-old had refused to share what he knows. Representatives for Andrew have previously denied claims that he has not made himself available to the FBI for interview. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has now been charged with several offences in relation to the investigation into convicted paedophile Epstein. Ms Maxwell, an associate of Epstein and a friend of the prince, was charged with a number of counts of sex exploitation and abuse of underage girls. Prosecutors allege that one of her victims was as young as 14. The net closed on Maxwell just days before the anniversary of Epsteins arrest last year on a litany of sex-trafficking charges. Epstein was found hanging in his Manhattan prison cell while awaiting trial. The New York medical examiner later ruled the death as a suicide. After months on the run, Maxwell was found hiding out in a New Hampshire property living a life of privilege. She later appeared in court via video link. Andrew has come under increasing pressure to give a statement to the FBI after a difficult interview with the BBC last year. A second lawyer representing several of Epsteins accusers has said that the dukes silence on the investigation amounted to a torture test for the victims. Gloria Allred also alleges that the prince has been evading US detectives. The question is, Prince Andrew, when is he going to tell what he knows? He needs to do that. He needs to do it without delay, she told ITVs Good Morning Britain. It is so traumatising and difficult for the victims not to know the truth. And this kind of torture test that Prince Andrew is subjecting the victims to, like will he or wont he give a statement, if he will, when? More excuses, more delays, it really is painful for many of the victims. Its just not fair. The ex-girlfriend and alleged accomplice of billionaire pedophile and sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein were arrested on July 2. According to the court documents, Ghislaine Maxwell was charged by New York federal prosecutors with six counts in connection with an ongoing federal investigation into Epstein's accomplices. Epstein's accomplice On July 2, a federal indictment for Maxwell was unsealed. She is charged with enticing minors to engage in illegal sexual acts, transporting minors with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity and two counts of perjury. The indictment stated that from 1994 to 1997, Maxwell assisted facilitated and contributed to Epstein's abuse of minors. She helped Epstein recruit, groom, and abuse girls under the age of 18. According to the indictment, the victims included girls as young as 14 years old, as reported by CNN. Maxwell and Epstein are accused of luring minors to his residences, including his Palm Beach estate, Upper East Side mansion and his Santa Fe ranch, Maxwell's London residence was used as well. Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire and according to court documents, she will make her appearance in court in the state. Jeffrey S. Pagliuca, an attorney for Maxwell, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about his client's arrest. Maxwell disappeared after Epstein was arrested in 2019, but the Manhattan US Attorney's office still investigated her for her role in Epstein's recruitment of minors. Maxwell has also been named in the lawsuits filed by the victims of Epstein. Before Epstein's alleged suicide in August 2019, he was charged for being the head of a massive sex trafficking ring that also involves politicians, millionaires, and celebrities. Epstein allegedly paid thousands of dollars in cash to his victims who were as young as 14 years old, only so that they will have sex with him. Also Read: 11-Month-Old Baby Dies Inside Hot SUV, While Father Run Errands Forgetting About His Child Epstein would usually bring the children to his Upper East Side home and his Palm Beach home. He also worked with accomplices so that he can lure more children into his residence and he also paid some of his victims so that they will recruit other girls, according to a report by The New York Times. After Epstein's death, the public demanded authorities to arrest everyone who assisted him, including Maxwell. The public wanted to hold everyone accountable for the years of child abuse and rape. Maxwell previously denied being an accomplice and called one of the victims who accused her of abuse a "liar." How Maxwell groomed children However, according to the document, Maxwell was Epstein's right-wing and the main recruiter. Three victims came forward and accused Maxwell of grooming and abuse. The victims said that Maxwell will take them out shopping and hang out with them, as reported by the BBC. As soon as they start to ease up to her, she would steer the conversation and slowly talk about sexual topics or would undress in front of them. Maxwell would encourage the minors to give Epstein massages, during with the girls were either fully or partially nude. The indictment also stated that Maxwell would participate in those massages and it would sometimes develop into sexual encounters. In both the indictment of Epstein and Maxwell, the massages would result in abuse as it would include touching the genitals of the girls, using a sex toy on them, or directing a girl to touch Epstein while he masturbated in front of them. From 1994 to 1997 the abuses happened in New York, Florida, New Mexico, and London. In charging Maxwell, federal prosecutors in New York may face a legal problem. In 2007, Epstein signed a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida that appeared to immunize four of his accomplices, although Maxwell is not listed, her lawyers may argue that she is covered by the phrase on the document that goes "but not limited to." Related Article: Hacker "Anonymous" Exposes Government Corruption and Crimes @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Pints were flowing in the pubs of Belfast on Friday afternoon after thirsty drinkers made the pilgrimage to their favourite watering holes following months of lockdown. Northern Irelands hotels, bars, restaurants and cafes were given the green light by Stormont to open from 3 July, days after the Republic eased its hospitality rules and just ahead of England on Saturday. In the Sunflower bar in Belfasts popular Cathedral Quarter, district manager Suzanne Magee was relieved to be back at work. Greeting customers as they arrived, and guiding them to their tables, she said she had some mixed feelings before returning. I was a wee bit nervous and apprehensive about reopening but with the social distancing in place I feel really good seeing other staff and regular faces. Its good to be back. I just feel bad about all the people in hospitality who have lost their jobs, so I feel quite lucky to be back here. Different business will operate different rules. There may be booking systems and, as fewer people are allowed in, people may face queues. Social distancing limits set at two metres were dropped to one metre with mitigations in place after the hospitality sector said it needed this flexibility to make businesses viable. Child maintenance worker Chloe Sayers, 19, who was drinking a honey liquor, said the Sunflower was a second home and that she felt very safe. The staff couldnt be better, she said. Its great. Eoghan Edwards, 22, from north Belfast, was with a friend, drinking a half pint just to set us off. The Sunflower pub in Belfast is fitted out with plastic screens for social distancing (@AmandaFBelfast) Its a strange feeling being back, he said. It doesnt feel as unsafe as supermarkets do because of the social distancing. It will take a while to get back to normal but for the meantime it will have to do. At the Sunflowers sister pub, The American Bar in the Sailortown area of Belfast, down by the docks, the doors were open at midday. Manager Ricky McCallion, who was serving drinks and hearty Irish stew and soup and bread to customers, said for now the pub will be open Thursday to Sunday. Im glad to be back after furlough, he said. Its been quiet but good so far, people seem relaxed. Tins of Guinness just arent the same, says American Bar regular Patrick Wilson (@AmandaFBelfast) Patrons are being encouraged to dress for inclement weather, while staff may take peoples temperature and ask for phone numbers to assist with any possible contact tracing. There may also be a time limit set by individual establishments, much like pre-Covid restaurant bookings. Ricky McCallion, manager of the American Bar, says hes glad to be back after being furloughed (@AmandaFBelfast) If you are sitting in a pub there is no propping up the bar. It has to be table service or via an app, and you must order a substantial meal. However, if the pub has outdoor seating you do not have to order food. American Bar regular Patrick Wilson said he was happy to be back at his favourite bar and after months of no pub time was looking forward to a Sunday session. Tins of Guinness just arent the same, he said. The owner of both The Sunflower and the American Bar, Pedro Donald, said time would tell if the businesses could stay open. Its great to be back again, he said. The initial few weeks will tell us whether the business is viable with the new and understandable rules and regulations. We stayed in touch with a lot of our regulars on social media, but it is great to see them in person again. Hopefully this new situation will be short-lived. Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland has fallen for the eighth week in a row. According to the latest figures from the Northern Ireland Research and Statistics Agency (NIRSA), up to 26 June there has been a total of 826 Covid-19-related deaths. Boris Johnson's father is undermining public compliance with lockdown measures by visiting Greece during lockdown, an independent scientific advisory group has warned. Experts on Independent Sage said high-profile figures close to the government like Dominic Cummings and Stanley Johnson were creating an impression that there was "one rule for them and one rule for us" and that this reduced public compliance and risked a second wave. Stanley Johnson, a former Tory MEP, was criticised this week for breaching Foreign Office advice and visiting his villa in Northern Greece. The prime minister has declined to denounce his actions, stating: "I am not going to get into details of family conversations." Professor Stephen Reicher, a leading expert in crowd psychology at the University of St Andrews who sits on the committee told a presentation on Friday that the trip would make it harder to rebuild trust. "Even in the Johnson family I think we can allow that the prime minister is not his father's keeper. I'm not sure he can control his behaviours," he said. "Nonetheless, the issue of trust is particularly important, and in fact the issue shows that in some ways trust is more important to compliance at this stage than under lockdown. The figures show that erosion of trust undermines people's willingness to use the test-trace-isolate and support system and in particular to give information about themselves to authorities. "One of the best ways of undermining trust is the notion that there's one rule for them and one rule for us. It divides us from the authorities and there's no doubt that this affects that perception in exactly the same way that the Cummings affair did, and at the very best it's not helpful. You need to rebuild trust and in such a volatile situation I think everybody's got a responsibility to make sure they don't undermine trust." The Independent Sage group was set up by leading experts after concerns about political interference in the government's own Sage (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies). It is chaired by Sir David Anthony King, a former Chief Scientific Advisor, and draws on experts across epidemiology, public health, computational modelling, and the social sciences. Professor Deenan Pillay, an expert in virology from University College London who also sits on the committee said: "I pity the Greek island, to be honest. Greece has done incredibly well at controlling the epidemic ... There remains the quarantine for UK visitors to Greece because of the higher infection rate. My understanding is that Stanley Johnson is going to make sure his property is Covid-free ... I think we have to be respectful of countries that have made huge efforts." Other members of the committee also urged caution ahead of the government's reopening of pubs on Saturday, warning that there were deficiencies in data that made it harder to track the pandemic and the the test and trace system was still not functioning as it should. Professor Reicher added: "Whether we have a second wave or increase in infections is critically dependent on behaviour and on compliance and I really don't think we're doing enough to address those questions. "There are three key factors if you want people to comply: the first is how we can build trust and a sense of equity, so that everybody does feel as a community involved in what's going on. Coronavirus: The global gap in education Show all 12 1 /12 Coronavirus: The global gap in education Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Photos Paddy Dowling/EAA "There are increasing sections of the population that feel there is an inequity and are beginning to feel alienated from the government and its measures, not least young people - because while young people might not be affected by the virus, young people are most likely to be affected by what comes next, by the recession. And if young people begin to feel that there is no future they are much less likely to take measures to look after their health and our public health. "The second issue is information: one of the things that has come through today is the number of areas where there isn't information ... the fact that the websites don't even tell you to get tested and most people don't know what the symptoms are, so we need a massive campaign of public information, something that's on every bus stop ,every time you open your social media - we really need that information because people don't have it. "The third thing is the support so people can do the right thing it's no good telling people to do things if it's impractical of impossible to do it." Stanley Johnson, who rents the Greek property out to holidaymakers, has said his trip was "essential business" to ensure it could be made Covid-proof before travel restarted. Close Boris Johnson says he would not take the knee: 'I don't believe in gestures' The UK government was accused of a shambolic response to the coronavirus pandemic as it lifted its travel quarantine for 59 countries and further eased lockdown restrictions. Scottish and Welsh leaders both described the new policy for arrivals in England as a mess as police forces braced for the perfect storm of pubs reopening for Super Saturday. However chief medical officer Chris Whitty said there was no perfect way to reopen Britains economy after the lockdown. Meanwhile Boris Johnson indicated he would not take the knee in support for Black Lives Matter saying he does not believe in such gestures. Boris Johnson has refused to comment on his father for flying to Greece and flouting Foreign Office guidance against all but essential international travel during the coronavirus pandemic. The prime ministers comments come after Stanley Johnson travelled to the country via Bulgaria earlier this week to prepare his second home as a holiday let provoking widespread criticism. Currently, the government advises British citizens against travelling abroad, but Mr Johnson posted on his public Instagram page wearing a face mask in an airport queue, boasting of his arrival into Athens to his 140,000 followers. The social media posts have since been deleted. Pressed on his fathers journey during an interview with LBC, the prime minister said you ought to raise that with him, adding he would not get into the detail of family conversations. Asked repeatedly whether he was disappointed, Mr Johnson replied: I think the overwhelming majority of the British people have understood what needs to be done and have been very prudent, and that is the right thing to do. Ahead of the government publishing a list of countries where British citizens can travel to without facing quarantine restrictions on their return, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, was also quizzed on Stanley Johnsons trip to grip. The advice says you have to to make your own decision about whether you want to travel, he said in reference to the Foreign Office advice against all but essential international travel. What he wont be able to ignore, and this applies to everybody, anyone returning to this country from a country not on the list has to quarantine for 14 days. He told Sky News: That would apply to him the same as anybody else who has left this country and is returning. Its advice, so everyone can decide what to do with the advice. The important thing is that the quarantine is in place. Due to Greeces ban on direct flights to the country from the UK being extended earlier this week, Mr Johnson was reported to have travelled to Athens via Bulgaria. Im in Pelion on essential business trying to Covid-proof my property in view of the upcoming letting season, he told the Daily Mail. I need to set up distancing measures at the property because theyre taking it very seriously here. He added: The Greeks are trying to stop bulk arrivals from the UK but they were quite happy to have me coming in. All they wanted to know where I was coming from and what I was doing. Then I had my temperature taken and was swabbed twice. We must get these air bridges set up as soon as possible. From what Ive seen the arrival of the British will not be a danger to the Greeks because theyre so careful here. His trip, however, drew criticism from MPs, including Labours Rosena Allin-Khan, who said: Most people have been following the guidelines and socially distancing not everyone will get a holiday this year.Those closest to the prime minister have different rules though. The Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael added: The Foreign Office currently advises British nationals against all but essential international travel yet here we see the prime ministers father flouting these very rules. This is simply further evidence that when it comes to following the rules, it is one rule for the Conservatives and one rule for everyone else. The prime minister's official spokesman declined to comment on Mr Johnson senior's trip, but said: "In relation to Foreign Office advice, it is advice and it's for individuals to make judgements themselves." Scotland's first minister has slammed the UK government "shambolic" handling of decision-making during the coronavirus crisis. Nicola Sturgeon criticised the "shifting sands" of UK policy and said there had been a lack of consultation on key issues. Spelling out her administration's policy on travel abroad, she told a press conference: "When so much is at stake as it is right now, we can't allow ourselves to be dragged along in the wake of, to be quite frank about it, another Government's shambolic decision process. Explaining her position on the latest issue of so-called "air bridges" to other countries, she added: "We want to welcome visitors again from around the world and we also want to allow our own citizens to travel. "We also want, if possible for obvious practical reasons, to have alignment on these matters with the rest of the UK." But she said: "Just to illustrate the point (on) the shifting sands of the UK Government's position - the list of countries that they were yesterday demanding that the Scottish Government sign up to, and suggesting we were a barrier to getting an agreement on, is not the same as the list they have shared with us today." Ms Sturgeon added that the Scottish Government had assessed the prevalence of coronavirus in Scotland as being five times lower than in England. She announced that one more person had died after testing positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 2,488. This compares with the UK-wide figure of 89 deaths on Thursday, and an official UK tally of 43,995. Further evidence of UK government incoherence came on Friday afternoon after Greece was included on a list of countries exempt from quaratine, despite transport secretary Grant Shapps saying in the morning that it would not be. Downing Street has been accused of a shambolic handling of the air bridges scheme after it finally unveiled a list of locations English holidaymakers can visit without having to quarantine for a fortnight when they return. Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, and her Welsh counterpart Mark Drakeford said the government has made a series of last-minute changes to its list of countries deemed safe to travel to after weeks of delays and warnings from travel firms facing mounting financial woes. The list published on Friday was released without a widely-trailed traffic light system, despite it being promised by Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, hours earlier during a radio interview. There was further confusion when Greece was included on the list of countries exempt from quarantine, despite Mr Shapps saying earlier that it would not be. Mr Shapps had said Greece would not feature as it had banned flights from the UK until 15 July due to Britains high rate of infections but the government appears to have backed down and unilaterally given it the green light despite restrictions on the Greek side. Recommended Government announces list of 59 countries exempt from quarantine The governments chief scientific adviser also hinted the 14-day quarantine imposed on travellers arriving in England was not supported by scientific evidence. Speaking at Fridays Downing Street press conference, Sir Patrick Vallance was asked if there was ever a scientific justification for the blanket quarantine imposed save for a handful of exceptions on 8 June. Sir Patrick replied: Our advice has been clear that quarantine makes most sense and can be used effectively when people are coming from countries with higher infection rates than the ones we have here. Thats where quarantine is a measure that would make a difference. Ms Sturgeon has criticised the shifting sands of UK government policy: When so much is at stake as it is right now, we cant allow ourselves to be dragged along in the wake of, to be quite frank about it, another governments shambolic decision process. Just to illustrate the point [on] the shifting sands of the UK governments position the list of countries that they were yesterday demanding that the Scottish government sign up to, and suggesting we were a barrier to getting an agreement on, is not the same as the list they have shared with us today. Mr Drakeford said it has been impossible to get a sensible answer from ministers about their approach. Day after day, we have attempted to get a sensible answer from the UK government on how they intend to make these changes, which countries they intend to extend the arrangements to, and I just have to say its been an impossible experience to follow, he said. A 14-day self-isolation policy for UK arrivals bar a handful of exemptions was introduced on 8 June, but this is now being relaxed for countries on the list. There are now 73 countries with exemptions, including popular short-haul destinations such as Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus, as well as long-haul locations including Australia, Barbados, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and Vietnam. China, Portugal, Thailand, the Maldives and the USA are among destinations notable by their absence. Labour attacked the governments handling of the situation as a mess. Jim McMahon, the shadow transport secretary, said: Labour like families and businesses up and down the country are keen for the governments quarantine measures to be lessened, but this a mess. First we had the quarantine that they were slow to implement, then they said theyd do air bridges. Now we see a plan to let residents of 60 or more countries into England without any reciprocal arrangements. The fact they have been unable to negotiate air bridges is an indictment of their failure to tackle the crisis at home. They were too slow to take lockdown, too slow to order PPE and too slow to protect our country. The Liberal Democrats called on ministers to publish the scientific basis for the so-called travel corridors. Lib Dem health, wellbeing and social care spokesperson Munira Wilson accused ministers of being all over the place on quarantine. People deserve better, she said To avoid yet further confusion, ministers must publish the scientific basis for their decisions. The US Department of Defence expressed concern on Thursday about China holding military exercises in the South China Sea, saying the move will further destabilise the situation in the disputed waters. Conducting military exercises over disputed territory in the South China Sea is counterproductive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability, the department said in a statement. China announced last week it had scheduled five days of drills starting 1 July near the Paracel Islands, which are claimed by both Vietnam and China. The military exercises are the latest in a long string of PRC actions to assert unlawful maritime claims and disadvantage its southeast Asian neighbours in the South China Sea, the statement said, referring to the People's Republic of China. Vietnam and the Philippines have also criticised the planned Chinese drills, warning it could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbours. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, asked about the Pentagon's comments during a daily briefing in Beijing, said the military exercises were within the scope of China's sovereignty and said that certain non-regional countries conducting military exercises in the South China Sea were affecting the region's stability. Mr Zhao did not name any countries, but the US has conducted multiple freedom of navigation operations by sending its warships through the area to assert the freedom of access to international waterways. The US accuses China of militarising the South China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian neighbours who might want to exploit its extensive oil and gas reserves. China claims 90 per cent of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea, but Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of it, through which about $3 trillion (2.4 trillion) of trade passes each year. Reuters A CNN journalist was mugged at knifepoint during a live broadcast in Brazil. Bruna Macedo and her team had set up near the Bandeiras Bridge in Sao Paulo on Saturday to report on rising water levels in the Tete River due to heavy rain. Footage of the incident shows the suspect lurking in the background, looking over the bridge while Ms Macedo speaks to her colleague, Rafael Colombo, who is in the stations studio. After a few minutes of the broadcast, a man wearing a hooded jumper and a beanie hat can be seen approaching Macedo. Macedo engages with the man while her colleague Mr Colombo continues to talk about the rising level of the river. Recommended Attacks on American journalists have become severe and dangerous The broadcaster appears to attempt reasoning with the man before he pulls out a knife. She then moves a few steps away before giving the man mobile phone. CNN cameras then pan away from the incident to focus on the street while Macedo hands the alleged mugger a second phone. He then flees the scene before the broadcast is ended. Colombo told Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo that Macedo was not injured and that she returned to the CNN centre after the incident. She had a terrible scare, but she is fine, Colombo said. The arrest of Jeffrey Epsteins confidante Ghislaine Maxwell has renewed questions over Prince Andrews potential cooperation with law enforcement or his extradition in connection with an alleged sex trafficking ring involving young girls. Ms Maxwell, a British socialite, was alleged to have recruited, groomed and travelled with young girls who were raped by Epstein and his associates, according to prosecutors in New York. She was arrested nearly a year after Epstein allegedly killed himself in jail while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The Duke of York has previously been targetted by former US attorney Geoffrey Berman who was recently and controversially removed from his post by US attorney general William Barr over allegations that Andrew has refused to cooperate in the case. On Thursday, acting US attorney Audrey Strauss appeared to seek his cooperation following Ms Maxwells arrest. We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk to us, Ms Strauss said. We would like to have the benefit of his statement. While under no legal obligation to testify, Andrew who has previously announced his willingness to cooperate, while the US attorneys office has said he has shut the door in cooperating with law enforcement could be deposed with the aid of legal officials in the UK. Asked whether Andrew intends to submit a statement following the US attorneys remarks, a source close to the Dukes working group told The Independent that the Dukes team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DOJ [Department of Justice] in the last month, and to date, we have had no response. But if a subpoena is issued for his testimony in the US, hes not legally obligated to comply, unless he happens to be in the US at the time. Last month, Justice Department officials sought a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the UK to coordinate Andrews deposition, although its status is unclear, following reports that British authorities have stymied legal assistance efforts with the US over concerns about the death penalty. The Evidence (Proceedings in Other Jurisdictions) Act 1975 also stipulates that a person shall not be compelled ... to give any evidence if his doing so would be prejudicial to the security of the United Kingdom. Public backlash following a BBC Newsnight interview last year in which Andrew defended his relationship to Epstein prompted his withdrawal from public duties. In January, prosecutors told The Independent that the office sought an interview with Andrew but he had not offered any cooperation, and that the office was working in close coordination with the FBI to get him to speak with authorities. The office could not comment about the timelines of their correspondence and when they last spoke with his representatives. Previously, the prince said he would cooperate if required. Andrew has repeatedly denied the accusations levelled at him, most powerfully by Virginia Giuffre, who has claimed she was trafficked by the disgraced late US financier, and forced to have sex with his friends including the British prince when she was 17 years old. She said the assaults took place in London, New York and Epsteins private island in the US Virgin Islands. In March, then-US attorney Berman said that contrary to Prince Andrews very public offer to cooperate with our investigation into Epsteins co-conspirators, an offer that was conveyed via press release, Prince Andrew has now completely shut the door on voluntary cooperation. The office was considering its options in pursuing the case. In June, Andrews lawyers said they offered to assist the Justice Department three times. Ms Maxwell has been charged with enticing a minor to travel to engage in criminal sexual activity, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, conspiracy to commit both of those offences, and perjury in connection with a sworn deposition, prosecutors with the US Attorneys office in New York announced. The Indictment alleges that Ms Maxwell conspired with Epstein in the 1990s to exploit girls as young as 14 by travelling with them for the purpose of engaging in illegal sex acts. Ms Maxwell played a critical role in the grooming and abuse of minor victims across the US, including New York, Florida and New Mexico, prosecutors allege. She also is accused ot making several false statements in sworn depositions in 2016. Ms Strauss alleges that Ms Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, and then delivered them into the trap that she and Jeffrey Epstein had set. She pretended to be a woman they could trust, she announced on Thursday. All the while, she was setting them up to be abused sexually by Epstein and, in some cases, Maxwell herself. Ms Maxwell faces up to 35 years in prison, if convicted. Atlanta, Georgia is facing renewed calls for the removal of the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial after activists expressed outrage over the monument's planned reopening on Independence Day weekend. The nine-storey-high bas-relief sculpture was temporarily closed after the ongoing coronavirus pandemic hit the US, but many activists have long demanded its permanent removal due to its controversial history. Recent demands for the monument to be expunged have been fuelled by national civil unrest caused by the death of George Floyd and subsequent calls for officials to tear down representations of slavery and colonial power across the US. A Black Lives Matter protest in front of the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial (Getty Images) The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) civil rights group staged a march last week insisting the carving should be scrapped from the mountainside. Here we are in Atlanta, the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement and still we have the largest Confederate monument in the world, said Gerald Griggs, a vice president of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP. It's time for our state to get on the right side of history. The over 100-metre monument, completed in 1972 on a rock face northeast of Atlanta, features the likenesses of Jefferson Davis, the president of the 11-state Confederacy, and two of its military leaders, Robert E Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson. All three men featured on the monument were slave owners. The whole of Stone Mountain was erected to show what some white Georgians revered, Maurice J Hobson, an associate professor of African American Studies at Georgia State University said. The mountain has also long held symbolism for white supremacists, with the Klu Klux Klan using it as the location of a rebirth ceremony in 1915 with flaming crosses. The extremist organisation is still reported to hold occasional gatherings near the monument, often met with protesters behind police tape. George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Show all 30 1 /30 George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Police spray mace at protestors to break up a gathering near the Minneapolis Police third precinct after a white police officer was caught on a bystander's video pressing his knee into the neck of African-American man George Floyd, who later died at a hospital, in Minneapolis Reuters George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A protester holds a sign with an image of George Floyd AP George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Protesters demonstrate against the death of George Floyd AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A protester throws a piece of wood on a fire in the street just north of the 3rd Police Precinct Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets People in other US cities also protested the murder, like Los Angeles AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets AP George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Reuters George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A police officer lobs a canister to break up crowds Reuters George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A protester is treated after inhaling tear gas Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Two police officers stand on the roof of the Third Police Precinct during a face off with a group of protesters Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Protesters outside a Minneapolis police precinct two days after George Floyd died EPA George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Protesters run from tear gas Reuters George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets AP George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Demonstrators gather to protest in Los Angeles AP George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Police remove barricades set by protesters AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A fire burns inside of an Auto Zone store near the Third Police Precinct Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Flowers, signs and balloons are left near a makeshift memorial to George Floyd near the spot where he died AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A policeman faces a protester holding a placard in downtown Los Angeles AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A couple poses with a sign in Los Angeles AFP via Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 27: A man is tended to after sustaining an injury from a projectile shot by police outside the 3rd Police Precinct building on May 27, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Four Minneapolis police officers have been fired after a video taken by a bystander was posted on social media showing Floyd's neck being pinned to the ground by an officer as he repeatedly said, "I cant breathe". Floyd was later pronounced dead while in police custody after being transported to Hennepin County Medical Center. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) Stephen Maturen Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets A protester reacts after inhaling tear gas Getty George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Getty Images George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Protesters use shopping carts as a barricade Getty Images George Floyd death: Minneapolis protests erupt in the streets Protesters clash with the police as they demonstrate against the death of George Floyd AFP via Getty Images The Sons of Confederate Veterans, defenders of the "Southern Cause", have argued that the removal of the carving is like an act of purging American history. The Southern Cause argues the civil war was fought to defend states' rights to withdraw from the Union in the face of Northern aggression, rather than the preservation of slavery. Prof Hobson described the Southern Cause as "a false history" that downplays slavery's role in the war. John Bankhead, a spokesman for the Stone Mountain Memorial Association said that the debate over the monument has been going on for years and that they are "sensitive to it. We want to tell history as it is, not as some say it is," he said. Prof Hobson has suggested more carvings should be added to the rock face, including African American historical figures and civil rights leaders. It needs to be put in a context that forces a conversation, a serious conversation, he said. The easiest way to rectify it, is surround it. However, Mr Griggs of the NAACP said that there is no question that the monument should be fully removed. Take it down, he said. Restore the mountain to its original condition. Additional reporting by Reuters. After sitting out an entire WNB season just to help overturn the 50-year-prison sentence conviction for Jonathan Irons, Maya Moore was the first person to embrace Irons as he first walked out as a free man, Wednesday. ' In her Instagram account, the four-time WNBA champion posted a video of Irons release where she wrote the caption "FREEDOM." In the video, Moore can be heard thanking God that the trials were over. Moore met iron when she was just 16 years old back in 1998 in a prison ministry. Irons was then convicted of assaulting a homeowner with a gun and burglary, the conviction that a judge overturned back in March. According to CNN, Iron was very thankful to everyone who supported him in this struggle especially Moore and her family. "I feel like I can live life now," he said. As Irons walked out of the prison, Moore could only clap her hands and fall on her knees upon seeing Irons as a freeman. Moore has been very active and hands-on in working on the release of Irons and fighting for her belief that he was wrongfully convicted of the charges he went to jail for. During a teleconference held on Thursday morning with members of the media, Moore said seeing Irons walk out the doors felt very surreal and that she just couldn't keep standing. She also explained that she has been used to visiting him and leaving him inside that seeing him walk free was a very emotional moment. Moreover, the WNBA star stated that she is very excited about the possibilities that Irons will encounter as he becomes free and also that the community is going to get a chance to enjoy and know this remarkable person she has known for years. Read also: Brooklyn Man Gunned Down Hours After Posting Facebook Status, "Plz don't kill me" Before his release, Irons was serving the 50-year sentence after he was convicted of the nonfatal shooting of St. Louis homeowner. The said incident happened when Irons was 16 years old, he is now 40 years old. However, after years of spending his life in jail, the convictions against him were overturned by a judge because of problems with the provided evidence for the case including a fingerprint report that was not made available to the defense team in the initial trials, The Washington Times reported. The office of the attorney general in Missouri tried to appeal the case but was unsuccessful in their attempt. While the office of the prosecutor in St. Charles County decided to not retry the case anymore. During an interview with Good Morning America on Thursday morning, Irons said that he was simply "thankful and elated" to be in the present at that moment. On the other hand, despite Irons' convictions having been thrown out back in March, Moore has still chosen to not return in playing with the WNBA this season and also to sit out the Tokyo Olympics which has been scheduled originally back in the summer but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Related article: NBA to Put Social Justice Messages on Jerseys in Place of Players' Last Name @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered residents to wear face coverings as the state sees a surge in coronavirus cases heading into the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Health officials reported more than 8,000 new cases on Wednesday, a record daily high number of cases in the state since the beginning of the outbreak. State health officials reported nearly 8,000 cases on Thursday. The order applies to residents in counties with 20 or more cases to wear a mask in public places or where physical distancing isn't possible. "Covid-19 is not going away," the governor said in a video statement. "It's getting worse. Now, more than ever, action by everyone is needed until treatments are available." The move marks a reversal of the Republican governor's resistance to issuing public guidance on wearing masks, even as the state lifted its stay-at-home order and began reopening weeks before others. Last week, he rolled back the state's reopening by closing bars and reducing restaurant capacity to 50 per cent occupancy. Governor Abbott said the state needs to "re-focus on slowing the spread" without "closing down Texas again". As the US sees a dramatic spike in new infections, health officials continue to urge Americans to wear masks in public to reduce transmission. Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert leading the federal response to the crisis, told a Senate committee this week that Americans "need to emphasise the responsibility that we have both as individuals and as part of a societal effort to end the epidemic." "We've got to get that message out, that we are all in this together," he said. "Anything that favours the use of masks whether it's giving out free masks or any other mechanism I am thoroughly in favour of." Donald Trump also appeared to support Americans wearing masks after saying he wouldn't do so despite federal guidance. "I don't know if you need mandatory," the president told Fox Business Network on Wednesday. "I'm all for masks. I think masks are good." He previously has mocked wearing masks as "politically correct", including a jab at his Democratic opponent Joe Biden for wearing one, inflaming tensions over masks as a political issue rather than a public health one. Governor Abbott said he doesn't intend the order to be punitive but has attached a penalty of $250 for those not wearing a mask after a warning, though he stressed no one would be jailed for not wearing one. "I know that wearing a face covering is not the convenient thing to do, but I also know that wearing a face covering will help to keep Texas open for business," he said. Texas health officials reported 44 new coronavirus-related deaths on Thursday. On Wednesday, the state recorded 57 deaths, the second-highest single-day spike in deaths amid the pandemic. The state joins a growing number of other states and cities that have mandated face coverings, including Arizona, which like Texas saw a massive spike in new cases last month. Arizona health officials reported nearly 4,000 cases on 28 June, the most reported in a single day in the state since the beginning of the outbreak. It also marked the seventh time within 10 days that daily cases broke past 3,000. More than 2.7 million cases of Covid-19 have been identified in the US over the last several months, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 128,000 people have died. Likely Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has released an ad mocking President Donald Trump's promise to Americans that they would get "tired of winning". The ad, which began circulating on social media on Thursday, shows a clip of Mr Trump making the boast to supporters at a campaign rally. As he speaks, an animated graph is superimposed showing a line graph forming to illustrate the number of coronavirus cases in several countries. Each of the lines is identified by a flag icon. While other nations Italy, UK, Canada, France and South Korea successfully manage to bend the curve on coronavirus cases, the line representing the US shoots up towards a second peak. Mr Biden's Twitter account shared the 2020 US election ad along with a quote from Mr Trump's speech: "Mr President, it's too much." It's been a record-setting week for new coronavirus cases in the US. On Wednesday, 50,655 new coronavirus cases were reported, marking the largest number of new infections recorded in a single day in the US. The surge comes just a month after many US states began re-opening their economies following a nearly three month shut-down due to the pandemic. The rise in infections has been most prevalent in the West and South, especially in Florida, Texas and Arizona. On Tuesday, Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, addressed Congress along with several other national health leaders to discuss the recent resurgence. "We are now having 40-plus thousand new cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around and so I am very concerned," Dr Fauci said. He warned that if people continue to congregate in large groups and refuse to wear masks, the pandemic will continue to worsen. "We're going to continue to be in a lot of trouble, and there's going to be a lot of hurt if that does not stop," he said. As the number of cases continue to climb and health officials warn Congress of dire consequences if the country stays its current course, Mr Trump has continued to suggest that the coronavirus will eventually just disappear. On Wednesday, he appeared on Fox Business and was asked if he believes the virus will still disappear. "I do. I do. Yeah sure. At some point. And I think we're going to have a vaccine very soon too." Despite maintaining his insistence that the pandemic will eventually just disappear, Mr Trump has somewhat changed his public stance on wearing masks. During the same interview, he was asked if he would wear a mask, and said he would. "Oh I would. I have. I mean people have seen me wearing one. If I'm in a group of people where we're not 10 feet away but usually I'm not in that position and everyone's tested," Mr Trump said. The president said he didn't think making mask wearing mandatory was necessary at the national level but did say he was "all for masks" and now thinks that they're good. Up until recently, Mr Trump has been characteristically obstinate about wearing masks, at times claiming people wore them to show this displeasure with him and during a trip to a Michigan Ford Motors plant refused to wear one to spite the press. Only weeks after Facebook removed a Donald Trump re-election ad for including a Nazi symbol, his campaign is now selling merchandise with symbols resembling other Third Reich imagery. A T-shirt being sold on the campaign website features an eagle perched on top of a circle that is strikingly similar to the official national insignia of Nazi Germany. The America First Tee is available for both men and women and sells for $30. It features a blue-outlined eagle, turning to its left, gripping a circular stars and stripes flag above a banner reading Trump 2020. The words America First appear in bold red above the image. While the bald eagle was chosen as the centre of the seal of the United States by the Founding Fathers in 1782, the design of the T-shirt is much more reminiscent of the Reichsadler, the imperial eagle adopted as Germanys national symbol after a decree from Adolf Hitler in 1935. In the Nazi symbol, a stylised, modernist, black eagle looks to its right, and the circle it clutches in its talons is a wreath with a swastika at its centre. Social media users were quick to react when the similarity was pointed out by Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, who said of the Trump/Pence campaign: Its not an accident. Bigotry is their entire brand. The incredulity that the campaign might even unwittingly use a symbol so close to Nazi iconography was palpable given the brevity of some responses. The Lincoln Project tweeted the images with the words: Come. On. General Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA, tweeted: Holy sh*t. The Trump campaign has dismissed the allegations as moronic according to the Daily Caller. The Anti-Defamation League lists the Nazi eagle as a hate symbol that was later appropriated by neo-Nazis and white supremacists after World War Two. Where the swastika is forbidden, it is replaced by SS bolts, a Celtic cross, or is left blank. A Twitter user appeared to track the graphic used by the Trump campaign to a stock image website that now appears to have removed it. Other eagle and flag images in a similar style with shields or banners remain. Facebook decided to remove dozens of Trump campaign ads citing the use of a banned hate groups symbol. The campaign used an upside-down red triangle which the Nazis had sewn onto the clothes of political prisoners in concentration camps in ads that referred to Antifa, the decentralised grouping of anti-fascist protesters that the president calls a terrorist organisation. The Washington Post reports that Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh called the red triangle an Antifa symbol. A more common symbol for anti-fascist groups is a circle containing red and black flags. President Donald Trump is scheming to retain power in the event of an electoral loss in November, according to a former Senator from Colorado. Tim Wirth published an op-ed in Newsweek where he lays out his theory, apparently inspired in-part by HBO's adaptation of the Philip Roth novel The Plot Against America. The former Democratic senator begins with an allegation that Mr Trump will attempt to retain power through voter suppression. Mr Wirth alleges there is a strategy to suppress voter turnout by purging voters - especially inner-city voters - from registration rolls and to suppress mail-in voting. He also believes physical polling locations will be limited, especially in urban areas, in an effort to create long lines on Election Day and discourage voting. Mr Wirth's allegations that there has been an effort in Republican-led states to remove people from the voter-roll is accurate. According to data compiled by Mother Jones, between 2016 and 2018, more than 17 million names have been removed from the voter rolls. While names are removed from voter rolls every year due to deaths or citizens leaving the state, the number of voters removed from the rolls since 2016 has significantly increased. Recommended Why Americans might not find out who won on election night Between 2016 and 2018, states on average removed 7.6 per cent of their voters from the rolls. However, the purge in some states went much further. Indiana purged the greatest number of voters, removing 22.3 per cent of the state's voters from its rolls. Both Virginia and Wisconsin removed 14 per cent, and Maine, Oklahoma and Massachusetts removed between 11 and 12.1 per cent. Mr Wirth's theory about Mr Trump trying to retain power following the 2020 US election doesn't end at the ballot box, however. He believes that - should the president lose - he will claim the vote was rigged and rely on a complicated gambit involving emergency powers and the compliance of Republican legislators to stay in the White House. According to Mr Wirth, should Mr Trump lose in a scenario where challenger Joe Biden beats him by "decent but not overwhelming" margins in the swing states of Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, Mr Trump will declare that the vote was rigged. He will supposedly blame mail-in ballots and Chinese election interference for the loss and invoke emergency powers to launch a Justice Department investigation into alleged "election hacking" in the swing states. From there, Mr Wirth claims Mr Trump will stall until 14 December, which is the date when states must appoint their US Electoral College electors. Because the swing states are each controlled by Republicans, Mr Wirth believes the state legislatures will refuse to certify their electors until the election hacking investigation is finished. He then claims the Democrats will challenge the investigation and the challenge to the election, which will eventually be taken to the US Supreme Court. Mr Wirth believes the Supreme Court will rule against the Republicans, but will concede that Mr Trump's emergency powers authorise him to continue his investigation. The Supreme Court will also maintain that should the swing states not be able to certify their selectors by 14 December - for any reason - then the Electoral College will have to meet and vote for the president without the swing states included. Under Mr Wirth's theory, the Electoral College will then meet without the swing states under investigation, and neither candidate will receive enough votes to secure the presidency. According to Mr Wirth, the contested election would then move to the House of Representatives, where each delegation gets to cast one vote towards the presidency. Since there are more Republican controlled House delegations than Democratic controlled delegations - 26 Republican to 23 Democrats - the Republicans will be the victors of the vote and Mr Trump will remain in office. Mr Wirth claims the plot is not far-fetched, and points to Mr Trump's threat to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 to use the US military against demonstrators at the George Floyd protests, but notes later on that the "recent resistance of our military establishment is an encouraging sign and necessary component of the 'people's firewall'". The president of the Oglala Sioux tribal council has said that Donald Trump should not attend Mount Rushmores fourth of July fireworks celebration in South Dakota on Friday. President Julian Bear Runner cited health fears over the coronavirus and also said that Mr Trump's attendance is an insult to Native Americans on whose stolen land it was built. Trump coming here is a safety concern not just for my people inside and outside the reservation, but for people in the Great Plains. We have such limited resources in Black Hills, and were already seeing infections rising, Mr Bear Runner said in an interview with The Guardian. Several Native American groups are planning to stage protests over the president's scheduled appearance, the newspaper reported. Its going to cause an uproar if he comes here. People are going to want to exercise their first amendment rights to protest and we do not want to see anyone get hurt or the lands be destroyed, Mr Bear Runner added. The fireworks event is set to go ahead at the monument on Friday evening as part of the state's Independence Day celebrations and is expected to be attended by around 7,500 participants despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Governor Kristi Noem confirmed that attendees will not be required to practise social distancing or wear masks during the event. The Sioux president said that the visit would violate historic treaties between the US government and Native Americans that permit them sovereignty over the sacred Black Hills that the site is carved into. The lands on which that mountain is carved and the lands hes about to visit belong to the Great Sioux nation under a treaty signed in 1851 and the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 and I have to tell him he doesnt have permission from its original sovereign owners to enter the territory at this time, Mr Bear Runner said. The US Supreme Court ruled in 1980 that the Black Hills, over which they held sovereignty in perpetuity under the 1868 treaty, had been seized from the Sioux illegally by the federal government after miners seeking gold in the area forced them to release the land. Mr Bear Runner added that Mr Trump should have asked permission for the trip from the seven Sioux tribal governments before planning to make the visit. As leader of the United States he has obligation to honour the treaties that are the supreme law of the land, the 34-year-old told the newspaper. Native American activists have argued for years that the memorial to four US presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt which was completed in 1941 should be removed due to being built on stolen lands and the figures' links to slavery and racial oppression. The rocks already had spiritual meaning before westerners came to squat on our territory, Mr Bear Runner said. The land is rightfully ours, and we didnt give the Black Hills over. It would be wrong for me as a tribal leader to remain diplomatic. We consider the carvings a symbol of trying to wipe us away and to say they had conquered us." The monument was designed and executed by Gutzon Borglum, an American sculptor and artist who himself had ties to white supremacy. Lincoln in particular functions as a symbol of offence to Native Americans as he ordered the hanging of 38 Sioux in Minnesota during the Dakota war of 1862. They dont tell the true story and its wrong. We hear only the highlighted story of the good things these men have done for this country but they dont tell that this land belongs to Native Americans, that the Black Hills belong to the Sioux nations, or the hanging of these Dakota men, Mr Bear Runner said. A whipping post in Delaware has finally been removed after historians and activists condemned the stone as a constant reminder of racial discrimination and the glorification of corporal punishment. The post, which has stood in a public plaza near the Old Sussex County Courthouse in Georgetown where it was placed in 1993, was torn down on Wednesday as a crowd of people cheered as it toppled. Delaware was the last state to abolish the use of whipping posts as state punishment and this particular one was used until 1952, according to the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs (HCA) The post was erected and used to bind people for beatings at the Sussex Correctional Institution some time after 1931. It was put on display outside the Courthouse two decades after Delaware formally removed whippings from its criminal justice laws in 1972. Finally, Delaware is removing its last Red Hannah, the whipping post, from the publics view, said Dr Reba Hollingsworth, vice-chair of the Delaware Heritage Commission. Such relics of the past should be placed in museums to be preserved and protected for those who want to remember the cruel, inhuman, barbarous acts perpetrated on our citizens. A disproportionate amount of black people were punished against the post throughout its use for crimes from petty theft upwards. It will be placed into storage and could be later placed in a museum where it can be properly contextualized and interpreted the HCA said in a statement. It is appropriate for an item like this to be preserved in the states collections, so that future generations may view it and attempt to understand the full context of its historical significance, said HCA Director Tim Slavin. Recommended Arguments break out by Abraham Lincoln statue in DC Its quite another thing to allow a whipping post to remain in place along a busy public street a cold, deadpan display that does not adequately account for the traumatic legacy it represents, and that still reverberates among communities of colour in our state. The post's removal comes after widespread national civil unrest following the death of George Floyd and subsequent calls to tear down representations of slavery and colonial power across the US. Leaders of the town are also under pressure to remove a 2007 monument dedicated to Confederate soldiers from Delaware and its Confederate flag. A man who allegedly drove a motorbike at police in Hong Kong during protests against Chinas new national security law has become the first person to be charged under the legislation. A 23-year-old local man has been charged with one count of inciting others for secession and one count of terrorist activity, police said in a statement on Friday. Officers said the suspect, who was carrying a sign saying Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times was charged for ramming into several police at the unauthorised protest on Wednesday, injuring some. He was initially arrested for dangerous driving, local media said. The United Nations, meanwhile, voiced concern that vague and overly broad provisions in the law may lead to activists being prosecuted in violation of fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression. Hong Kongs activists have vowed to set up a parliament in exile. A video circulating online showed the driver knocking over several officers with his motorbike on a narrow street, before falling off and getting arrested. The charge against him, as shown in a court document on Friday, comes less than 24 hours after the citys government said the protest slogan Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times is now illegal as its connotes separatism or subversion under the new law. The rallying cry appears on placards at most rallies, is printed on T-shirts and accessories, and scribbled on post-it notes on walls across the Chinese-ruled city. The governments ruling on the slogan will compound fears about the suppression of the global financial hubs freedoms. Chinas parliament adopted the security law in response to protests last year triggered by fears that Beijing was stifling freedoms, which were guaranteed by a one country, two systems formula, agreed when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Beijing denies the accusation. The new legislation was signed into law by president Xi Jinping and came into effect on Tuesday night. Police officers detain protesters during a rally against a new national security law (Miguel Candela/EPA) Despite the introduction of the legislation, which critics say will undermine the rights of Hongkongers to protest, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to oppose the law on the 1 July anniversary of the territory being handed over from British to Chinese rule. Hundreds were arrested as police used water cannons, pepper spray and rubber bullets in an attempt to subdue the protests. Most were arrested for illegal assembly but at least 10 have been detained under the new legislation banning secessionist activities and subversion of the Chinese state. Nathan Law, one of Hong Kongs most prominent young democracy activists, told the BBC he has fled the territory following the imposition of the law. Other activists are discussing plans to create an unofficial parliament-in-exile to preserve democracy in the territory and send a strong message to leaders in China that fundamental freedoms can not be crushed. Up to three million residents of the former British colony have been offered the right to settle in the UK and ultimately apply for citizenship after Beijing imposed the law. The UK government believes the law breaches the Sino-British Joint Declaration. But Dominic Raab said that if Beijing tried to stop people with British National (Overseas) status from leaving Hong Kong, there would be little that could be done by the UK. Mr Raab told ITVs Peston programme: Ultimately if they follow through on something like that there would be little that we could do to coercively force them. There is an issue around freedom and human rights in Hong Kong, and there is an issue around China keeping its word on an international obligation it made to the United Kingdom back in 1984. He added: I wouldnt want to be naive about this: I think we need to be realistic. But I do think that China as a rising, leading member of the international community is sensitive to the reputational risk in all of this but clearly not sufficiently that it hasnt proceeded anyway... There is diplomatic leverage, there are other ways that we can persuade China not to fully implement either the national security law or some of the reprisals you talk about. But ultimately we need to be honest that we wouldnt be able to force China to allow BN(O)s to come to the UK. In response, the Chinese Embassy in the UK said Beijing reserves the right to take corresponding measures and urged the UK against interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any way. A man is detained by riot police in Hong Kong during a demonstration against the new law earlier this month (Getty) A man is detained by riot police during the demonstrations (Getty) A statement said: We firmly oppose this and reserve the right to take corresponding measures. We urge the British side to view objectively and fairly the national security legislation for Hong Kong, respect Chinas position and concerns, refrain from interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any way. Downing Street stood firm despite the prospect of retaliatory measures from Beijing. We were very clear in the action we would take if China imposed this law, the prime ministers official spokesperson said. We will now do exactly what we said we would do. Final details of the scheme for BNO citizens will be set out by the Home Office in the coming months, the spokesperson added. Meanwhile, Australia is considering offering visas to Hongkongers now found to be in danger. Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters that safe haven arrangements were being looked at very actively, adding: Are we prepared to step up and provide support? The answer is, yes. As of February, there were nearly 350,000 BN(O) passport holders, while the government estimates there are around 2.9 million BN(O)s living in Hong Kong. Additional reporting by agencies Hong Kongers have said they feel torn between the life-changing decision to leave their homes and take up the UKs citizenship offer - or staying to fight for their freedom. Boris Johnson's government has offered almost three million residents eligible for British National Overseas (BNO) passports the chance to settle in the UK and ultimately apply for citizenship after China imposed a new security law on the former UK colony. But leaving behind homes, jobs and loved ones to move almost 6,000 miles across the world is not an easy decision to make, said some of those considering the move. Other Hong Kongers currently abroad said they were fearful of returning home after the law - which makes it easier to punish protesters and reduces the territory's autonomy from Beijing - came into effect on Tuesday. Theodore*, who did not want to give his real name for security reasons, is currently studying in Europe. His parents had already urged him not to return home after he became a vocal critic of the Beijing government last year, even appearing on local television. With the passing of the new security law, they are even more fearful for his safety. Its soul-crushing to think I cant return to Hong Kong, he told The Independent. I can't imagine not speaking out for Hong Kong, or against the very obvious threat the Chinese government poses to the entire world, he said. Even if I settled in the UK and went back to Hong Kong occasionally, I could still be arrested. And the idea of not going back for years, if not decades, is soul-crushing. The detail of the new law means that if he discussed the threat China poses to the UK while in Britain that would also be a crime in Hong Kong. Theodore says he has complicated feelings towards the British move to extend citizenship rights to Hong Kongers since the UK government took away our rights to live in the UK back in the 1970s-80s with a string of nationality laws". Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests Show all 20 1 /20 Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests An anti-extradition bill protester is detained by riot police during skirmishes between the police and protesters outside Mong Kok police station, 2 September, 2019 Photos by Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests Police fire tear gas and rubber bullets at anti-extradition bill protesters during clashes in the Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, 14 August, 2019 Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests A pro-China demonstrator films herself as an anti-government protester holds up a sign on her phone during skirmishes between the two opposing groups at Yuen Long station in Hong Kong, China, 12 September, 2019. The words on the phone read, "Seek an official reassessment of the June 4 crackdown," referring to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests A man sprays paint over the Regional Emblem of Hong Kong after anti-extradition bill protesters stormed the Legislative Council Complex on the 22nd anniversary of the handover from British to Chinese rule, destroying pictures and daubing walls with graffiti on 1 July, 2019 Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests An anti-government protester, who later identified himself as a university student, is chased by riot policemen after skirmishes at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on 12 November, 2019 Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests Hundreds of thousands protesters march through the streets of Hong Kong, demanding for it's leaders to step down and withdraw the proposed extradition bill on 16 June, 2019 Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests A masked anti-government protester, wielding a hammer, attacks a man who bystanders suspected of being a pro-Beijing activist from mainland China, during a protest in the Mong Kok area in Hong Kong on 11 November, 2019. The bloodied man, who suffered major facial and head trauma, was reported to have survived his injuries by local media Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests Passengers push their luggage past bricks and barriers after anti-government protesters blocked the roads leading to Hong Kong International Airport on 1 September, 2019 Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests Mall security personnel urges caution as he tries to extinguish a burning Christmas tree at the Festival Walk mall in Kowloon Tong on 12 November, 2019. The property suffered damage after anti-government protesters stormed the shopping centre Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests A woman looks out from the window of a residence as tens of thousands of demonstrators march through Hong Kong on 20 October, 2019, demanding autonomy and for its leaders to step down weeks after the formal withdrawal of an extradition bill Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests Hundreds of anti-government protesters gather after climbing to the peak of Lion Rock as a lighted sign is held high in the air, in Hong Kong on 13 September, 2019 Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests A child sits in carrier wearing a mask as anti-government protesters hold hands to form a human chain in a sign of solidarity in Kowloon Bay on 30 November, 2019 Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests Anti-government protesters are detained during skirmishes between the police and protesters in Admiralty district, Hong Kong on 29 September, 2019 Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam pauses while holding a news conference in Hong Kong on 27 August, 2019. On September 4, Lam announced the formal withdrawal of the extradition bill Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests Anti-extradition bill protesters use slingshots to hurl bricks as they clash with riot police during a demonstration to demand democracy and political reforms, in the market town of Tsuen Wan, located in Hong Kong on 25 August, 2019 Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests Customers cautiously exit an eyeglass store past a burning molotov cocktail as demonstrators clash with riot policemen during a march billed as a global "emergency call" for autonomy, in Hong Kong on 2 November, 2019 Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests Demonstrators protesting the proposed extradition bill aim their flashlights towards riot police as they are chased through the streets of Hong Kong on 25 August, 2019 Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests A restaurant worker receives help from volunteers as patrons cover their faces after riot police fired tear gas nearby to disperse anti-government protesters taking part in a march billed as a global "emergency call" for autonomy, in Hong Kong on 2 November, 2019 Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests Anti-government protesters stand in a cloud of tear gas unleashed during a stand off with riot police at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in Hong Kong on 12 November, 2019 Reuters Pulitzer-winning photographers look back on Hong Kongs protests A man clears debris following the clashes between police and anti-government protester after a two week campus siege of the Polytechnic University in Hong Kong on 16 November, 2019 Reuters English literature student Ben* dreams of one day becoming a journalist but he fears potential media censorship in Hong Kong could now make it more difficult. He said he would like to continue his studies in the UK but he was born in 1997 and his parents arent from Hong Kong so he doesnt qualify for a BNO passport. His older sister, on the other hand, is eligible - but has a four-year-old child and doesnt want to move across the world to an unfamiliar place. Ben said many Hong Kongers now fear China, or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), will send them to concentration camps in the future. Im afraid but Im still fighting for the freedom to the last minute, he said. Most of the young people in Hong Kong believe we can win this war. I have friends who have BNOs but Hong Kong is our home. For now, he said, they will stay and fight while preparing for the worst-case scenario. Anti-national security law protesters march at the anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China from Britain, in Hong Kong, China July 1, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) Sam* has campaigned for greater rights for BNO holders for years. While he welcomed the UKs offer, he never envisioned making such a big move during retirement. He said he would like to rent - and maybe one day even own - a house in a big city like Liverpool or Birmingham once he and his family learn the UK way of life. Its very sad about the changes in Hong Kong, he told The Independent. I was born in Hong Kong, I live in Hong Kong, I married and have a child in Hong Kong and Im feeling so sad that I have to make a decision during my retirement it's a big move. We really fear the CCP and we are very afraid that Hong Kong will be a second version of Xinjiang and will be made to be an open prison We see the Hong Kong police will be turned into something like the police state. We are very fearful walking on the streets now because they can stop and search anyone. Sam said if you ask people in Hong Kong for their status now I think they will say they are Hong Kongers. He added many will stay and fight to see who will be stronger, who will die first China or Hong Kong, but if he moves to the UK he doesnt plan on looking back. Hong Kong is our roots, said Eunice, who has just graduated from Imperial College London with a master's degree in science. She moved to the UK for boarding school as a child but her once-frequent trips home to see her parents have become less and less as she is fearful of returning. Its very difficult to know that you are not able at the moment to go back to your home, she said. The younger generation do get targeted so maybe that is something I have to be very careful about. A woman reacts after she was hit with pepper spray deployed by police as they cleared a street with protesters rallying against a new national security law in Hong Kong on July 1, 2020. (Dale De La Rey/AFP via Getty Images) Eunice, who hopes to stay in the UK and contribute back to society, said she noticed the changes in Hong Kong when she last visited more than a year ago. Just, like, casually going out on a Sunday to do some shopping in the tube station you see armed police standing there that's something shocking for me, she said. She added her parents have BNO passports but they are waiting for further details to be released by the Home Office before making such a big decision. Johnny Patterson, director of the Hong Kong Watch campaign group, said the security law has really terrified people. I had one message from a friend who works in a civil society group who said their daughter had been having nightmares about them getting arrested so she stepped back from working for the organisation, he told The Independent. Its a very sobering, serious change that we are seeing in Hong Kong. Its not yet clear how many people will move to the UK I think it will depend on what happens in terms of how China applies the law. "There probably is no going back to the Hong Kong we knew before but what the new Hong Kong looks like is an unknown. John Hu, founder of John Hu Migration Consulting, based in Hong Kong, said English-speaking countries are the top choices for Hong Kongers looking to move and that he has received 10 calls today, some from existing clients, applying to move to the UK. I think the Hong Kongers are more determined now, he told The Independent. They will see they will have less freedom of speech and democracy and values of Hong Kong people. *Some names have been changed to protect identities. French president Emmanuel Macron has named Jean Castex as the new prime minister after Edouard Phillipe resigned earlier on Friday. The new prime minister is a career public servant who has worked with multiple governments, and coordinated the countrys virus reopening strategy. The replacement comes as Mr Macron is reshuffling the government to focus on restarting the French economy after months of lockdown due to coronavirus. Mr Castex, 55, served for two years as the second-highest ranking official in the Elysee Palace during Nicolas Sarkozys presidency. He was described by an Elysee official as a senior civil servant hailing from the centre-right of French politics whose experience in local politics will help Mr Macron connect with provincial France. The move by Mr Macron to refashion his centrist government comes after voters punished him and his party En Marche! in nationwide municipal elections held from March to June, revealing a surge in support for the Green party. Recommended Macron becomes latest world leader to question China over coronavirus Mr Philippes own victory in the northern port city of Le Havre has been described as a rare bright spot by local reports for the French president, as his party was expected to perform poorly there. It was a political gamble for Mr Macron to replace the prime minister, who is more popular with the public than himself. Political analysts say Mr Philippe has shown steadfast loyalty during waves of unrest and could emerge as a presidential rival in 2022. But keeping Mr Philippe in office would have been problematic for Mr Macron as it would have suggested his young party lacked the depth to allow for a complete cabinet overhaul. In an interview given to several local newspapers, before Mr Philippes resignation, Mr Macron praised the now-former prime minister for his outstanding work in the past three years. He said he is seeking a new path to rebuild France for the two remaining years of his term. The return from summer holidays will be difficult, we must get ready, he was quoted as saying in regional newspapers. Mr Philippe said during his campaigning in Le Havre: If he the president thinks someone else would be more useful as prime minister, I will in complete loyalty respect his choice. Additional reporting by agencies One sergeant major suspected of far-right ties had a cache of weapons in a bunker at his home. Other officers were reported to have used the Hitler salute, listened to neo-Nazi music and played a game that involved tossing a pig's head. Meanwhile, no one knows what has happened to about 61kg of explosives and 48,000 rounds of ammunition that are missing. Defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer this week tried to draw a line under the scandals surrounding the extreme-right ties of Germany's elite Special Forces Command, known as the KSK, disbanding one of its combat units and announcing a restructuring. Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer talked of a toxic leadership culture and a wall of silence among its members. But experts say the problem runs deep, with wider efforts needed to tackle broader problems of racism and far-right activity in the German military. About 600 German soldiers are being investigated over allegations of extremist ties, according to Christof Gramm, head of the military intelligence service. There is an urgent need for action, said Eva Hogl, the German parliament's commissioner for defence. It has been trivialised. It wasn't taken seriously enough. The KSK was formed in 1996 with a focus on counterterrorism, its commandos serving in the Balkans and Afghanistan. Its operations are secret, but international missions have been paused while the restructure takes place. A total of 20 KSK commandos are under investigation over suspected far-right ties, according to Mr Gramm, a number that authorities deemed particularly concerning given that the elite force has just 1,400 soldiers. An independent commission was launched in May to look into ways to overhaul the KSK. That month, a search of the house of an officer in the eastern state of Saxony under investigation over alleged extremist ties unearthed ammunition, explosives, weapons and anti-constitutional material. The discovery added a new dimension to the suspicions surrounding the now-disbanded KSK company, Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer said. Members of the officer's unit were being investigated following a KSK party in 2017 where Nazi salutes are alleged to have been used, according to German media outlets. Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer said it remains unclear whether the explosives and ammunition that have been discovered to be missing from KSK stores have been stolen or are unaccounted for because of poor bookkeeping. Authorities have expressed concerns that extremist groups in the country appear to be increasing their preparedness for violence. The defence minister described the restructuring as a chance for a reset of the elite commando force. Germany needs the KSK, Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer said, but she would be going through it with an iron broom. Ms Hogl said the issues within the KSK are a reflection of the problem of right-wing extremism in the wider population. Since the Second World War, Germany has grappled to rid itself of far-right extremists, with neo-Nazi ideology gaining ground in the uncertainty of the 1990s following the fall of the Iron Curtain and Germany's reunification. Over the past five years, there has been a resurgence as far-right groups have capitalised on chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to allow in more than a million largely Middle Eastern refugees. Attacks linked to the far right have climbed, as has support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, or AfD. Last month, German intelligence said it was putting a branch of the AfD under surveillance over suspected ties to far-right groups. There is a basic problem with right-wing extremism in the entire society, and it has become especially apparent in the KSK, Ms Hogl said. But she pointed to wider cases within the German military. In 2017, a German soldier was arrested on suspicion of planning a false flag attack with the intention of blaming it on refugees. The same year, memorabilia linked to Hitler's army, the Wehrmacht, was found on display in army barracks. Brigadier General Markus Kreitmayr will remain head of the KSK, having openly and clearly addressed the issues, the Defence Ministry said. In a letter to his forces in May, Mr Kreitmayr called on those who sympathise with the far-right to leave. You are not one of us! he wrote. Those who do not leave will find that we will find you and remove you. Source: Washington Post Last June 15, the disappearance of the Chinese aircraft carrier hull type 003 has been noticed and since then a search to look for its whereabouts began. The Chinese Navy is attempting to build up its PLA Navy, with the construction of another aircraft carrier that will rival the Nimitz or Ford-class carriers of the US Navy. Because of this, the Chinese shipyard was getting built has periodic surveillance on the current state of its construction, when it disappeared on June 15. As an update to the disappearance of hull type 003, the ship in the building phase has moved from an initial shipyard to a dry dock. It is close to the place the shipyard it was getting built-in before this current location. Expectations of faster completions of the hulls and more intelligence inquiries will update the current intel according to the source article in Forbes. On Chinese social media, a photo surfaced that revealed the silhouette of a large hull section of the many segments placed in line located in an open dry dock. On inspection, the photograph was taken from a passing boat. Photos provide intelligence on the state of Chinese naval projects that are guarded by Beijing, who seeks dominion by arming up to match those it considers threats by the communist party, mentioned War News Updates. Based on the photograph, the carrier modules or hulls' probable location is determined by OSINT analysts that are open source intelligence. By utilizing satellite photography and deduction based on the photo, the place where it will be assembled and sent into the water has been identified. Getting the photo evidence where the hull of Type 003 took weeks of monitoring before getting the actual picture. Satellite surveillance has been hampered by cloud cover over Shanghai that made it hard to conduct surveillance. Also read: Three US Navy Aircraft Carriers Seen Patrolling Indo-Pacific Amidst Tensions in Three Years as a Pushback Aimed at Beijing In contrast to the Liaoning and Shandong, the Type-003 will be better than it ski-jump equipped sisters, which are essentially older Russian carriers. Both are operating now but are no match for US carriers. These ships are not getting attention because they are regarded as better than US Navy carriers. Instead, they are a threat to neighbors without carriers. China is touting the Type 003 with EMALS (Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System), which is said to be comparable to a nuclear-powered Ford Class carrier, cited Defense News. Replacing the ski jump will enable the type 003 to send up planes with more loadout. The Chinese aspire to reach the technical excellence of US Navy aircraft. Even deployment of stealth fighter planes and unmanned drones are planned to match the US Navy and Air Force which they are years behind. The Type 003 will be the centerpiece of the Communist Party to project power in the South China Sea. It will be the third carrier Type 003 in the Chinese Navy and might be a nuclear-powered carrier too. It will have a carrier strike group that is under construction in Shanghai, another is a rumored nuclear attack sub, the Type-095 Tang. The Chinese Navy regularly publishes such reports, but the J-20 is yet to be seen in active duty. OSINT is one way to monitor the Chinese who don't want the entire world to realize its overreaching ambitions. As the PLA Navy becomes more powerful, the Chinese Communist Party is hell-bent on dominating. Soon the Type 003 might be sailing in other seas, even in Europe and the Arctic. The US Navy is a policeman monitoring a possible felon, and felons are secretive like China attempting to hide hull type 003. Related article: China's Aircraft Carrier Under Construction Disappears From the Shipyard @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Bewildered and scared, Ife, an Ethiopian domestic worker, explains how a few hours ago she thought she was on her way to Beirut airport. So you can fly home, her cash-strapped employer had said while pushing her out of the car in front of the Ethiopian embassy. It was a lie, whispers the 24-year-old, clutching her belongings like a lifebuoy. I cried and cried because I havent been paid since January. I have no money. I have a son. Ife only has one option: sleep rough alongside a dozen other Ethiopian women also dumped by their employers in front of the consulate in Beirut, and beg to be repatriated home. They are among a growing number of migrant workers in Lebanon that have been abandoned by their bosses who, amid an unprecedented economic collapse, cannot afford to pay their salaries. Most of the workers interviewed by The Independent say they have not been paid since January when Lebanons financial woes began to bite, and so few have the resources to get home. Many also do not have their passports. Under the countrys abusive kafala system, which rights groups say traps them into forced labour and abuse, migrant workers in Lebanon cannot change jobs or leave without permission of their employer, who often withholds their documents. And so, without rights, funds, and passports, Lebanons quarter of a million migrant domestic workers are among the most vulnerable in the countrys economic crash. Protests erupt in Lebanon This Is Lebanon, an organisation that shames abusive employers, says its caseload has more than doubled over the last few months as the crisis deepened. It is so overwhelmed by calls for help that staff now have to turn away women who have been unpaid for less than seven months. Its awful but we have to tell them we cant help you any more, Patricia, a spokeswoman, tells The Independent. Were saying the only way is to cut their losses and try to get home. And so the group outside the embassy, sleeping amid their suitcases, wait each day for news of a flight home. Everything got so much worse these days. No one is getting paid, says Hayat, 21, who was dumped by her employer four days ago. Now Im sleeping here, I have no passport, no money, I have my pyjamas only. Lebanons embattled local and immigrant population has been sucker-punched by a staggering financial crisis that could become so severe, experts warn many may starve. Grounded in decades of chronic mismanagement and corruption, Lebanon saw its economic woes crescendo in October, sparking a revolution. The arrival of the coronavirus pandemic in March, which shuttered businesses and halted already dwindling remittances, only made matters worse. Recommended Nationwide protests erupt in Lebanon as currency plunges to record low For years, the central bank and successive governments have used the banking system to finance the state, in what critics say is a national equivalent to a Ponzi scheme. Amid a growing liquidity crisis, the government shut people out of their dollar accounts in the autumn, crippling households and businesses. Three-quarters of deposits to banks in the country are made in dollars. Blocks from accounts have driven up demand for the US currency and sent the lira into an unprecedented tailspin. The lira has lost nearly 85 per cent of its value since the start of May and is now trading at over 9,000 to the dollar despite being officially pegged at 1,500. In fact, the country is just weeks away from official hyperinflation, according to Steve H Hanke, an economics professor at Johns Hopkins University and a world expert on the subject. He says if this does happen, it will mark the first-time hyperinflation has ever occurred in the Middle East and only the 61st time it has happened in history. Right now, he says Lebanons inflation rate is more than 500 per cent year-on-year, and 124 per cent compared to last month. Lebanon is in a death spiral, Mr Hanke continues, warning of a situation like Venezuela, which he says is the only country in the world to be experiencing hyperinflation right now. The government must stop the raging inferno of the currency crisis. But little has been done. Food prices change so fast that most shops have stopped putting price tags on items. Supermarkets have started rationing key purchases, such as baby supplies, as the public has rushed to get supplies before prices rise too much. Hunger is setting in. Facebook posts have been shared online showing families trying to barter clothes and shoes for food and cooking oil. An unverified video shared online on Thursday purported to show a man in a surgical mask robbing a pharmacy at gunpoint for nappies in western Beirut. On Friday, two Lebanese men in different parts of the country committed suicide due to hunger and the economic crisis. One of them shot himself outside Dunkin Donuts in Beiruts busy shopping district of Hamra. He left a copy of his clean criminal record on his chest, with a note reading I am not a heretic, local media reported. The problem is that food items, particularly imported goods, are now too expensive. In one Beirut supermarket this week, a medium jar of Nescafe coffee was being sold for 70,000 lira which is $47 (38) on the official exchange rate. A large bag of low-quality processed pizza cheese there was 75,000 lira, which is pushing $50 (40). Even staples like sugar, cereals and beans have more than doubled, according to the Consultation and Research Institute. Martin Keulertz, assistant professor in the food security programme at the American University of Beirut, warned that amid soaring prices, three-quarters of Lebanons 6 million population will be relying on food handouts by the end of the year. People can barely afford one meal per day... There will be food riots Martin Keulertz, assistant professor at the American University of Beirut But even then, given the country imports 80 per cent of its food, therefore relying on the fast-disappearing dollars, there may be nothing to hand out. Already people can barely afford one meal per day and even then, its potatoes and lentils, he tells The Independent. The international community needs to step up now to avoid an all-out crisis. We are going to have a difficult winter. There will be food riots. An injection of foreign cash looks unlikely, as previous donors like France, the United States, Britain and the Gulf, are no longer willing to bail out the country without reforms. The Lebanese government is pinning some hope on a loan from the International Monetary Fund. But despite weeks of discussions, neither side has managed to agree to the size of the countrys losses, let alone how to recover them. In the meantime, the authorities have done little to firefight other burgeoning crises like fuel shortages which have sparked punishing days-long electricity cuts in many parts of the country. The power outages were so great in Bint Jbeil, in south Lebanon, they caused water shortages as the pumps stopped working. In response, Lebanons energy minister Raymond Ghajar urged citizens not to panic-buy candles. Medics in Beirut place the body of a 61-year-old man into a coffin, after he took his life due to the countrys deepening economic downturn (AFP/Getty) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images) Ensnared in the teeth of the tornado are the poorest and the most vulnerable, like the migrant workers. Rights groups expect many will try to leave as conditions worsen but also fear many more, who are being subjected to increasingly violent levels of abuse, will be locked up at home and made to work for free. Several women from Ghana messaged The Independent to say their employers had not paid their salaries, had banned them from leaving the house and were rationing their food. Vida, 27, says she is only fed once a day. Im dizzy. I dont have the strength to stand, I keep falling down, she whispers in a WhatsApp voice message, where she describes the sexual assault she suffers at the hands of her male employer. They owe me nearly $1,000 but will only give me my passport if I drop my demand to be paid. Alberta, also from Ghana, says her 26-year-old cousin Ruby, a domestic worker, passed away three months ago in Lebanon from hunger and neglect. She made one phone call in December and she said she was hungry and sick. She called on 15 April the day before she died and said the same thing, Alberta adds. Ethiopian domestic workers sleeping rough outside their embassy in Beirut say some havent been paid in a year (Bel Trew) This Is Lebanon says Rubys medical records show she was hospitalised for general fatigue and anorexia and eventually died from a heart attack due to septic shock. The family could not afford a post-mortem examination to determine exactly what had happened. Outside the Ethiopian embassy, meanwhile, desperation is turning to despair as the days go by. Additions to the group continue to arrive. Hawa, who is just 17 and so the youngest of the party, says she escaped her employment by climbing out the window. Sitting on a scrap of cardboard, she explains how as the finances of the family worsened the violence shown against her increased. My madam would hold me down as her son beat me, she says, showing a scar snarled across her stomach. She still has my passport, but I had to get out. My only hope is to go home. Its officially the 4th of July, Americas celebration of its independence from the British Crown. For days now, weve seen the flag, a symbol of the countrys liberty waving from flagpoles. Well see it more as the weekend unfolds. I wont be flying it outside my house. Im not unpatriotic, but it has been co-opted by the right, and thats wrong. As a liberal, mostly atheist gay 60-year-old baby boomer who lives in Los Angeles, Im ashamed of my fellow Caucasians. Theyve hijacked a patriotic icon. I noticed their abuse of it earlier this spring. Beaches in Southern California have always epitomized freedom. I get it. Still, I was appalled to see, at rallies to re-open Orange County beaches, a mostly white crowd waving their signs along with the US flag. Those stars and stripes appeared on caps, T-shirts, bandanas, and bikinis, too. There were plenty of MAGA hats and Trump re-election banners alongside them. Its a disturbing indication of how this political bloc will vote in November. These were people who wanted the world re-opened even if it led to more sickness and death. Their need to walk the sandy beaches trumped anything else. I was in disbelief at their lack of compassion. To me, it feels like the other side has stolen a symbol meant for all Americans. The flag has often appeared at right-wing rallies. An egregious use of it took place during the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. On that day, our rectangle of stars and stripes was unfurled as if all Americans believed in the racism and hate being promoted. (We most certainly do not.) Recently, it waved from Live Free or Die demonstrations. One Michigan protesters sign read, My constitutional rights are ESSENTIAL, a flag in the image. I take issue with the word my the individual versus the collective that pervades right now. Our rights, all of ours, are essential. Thats what America is supposed to be about. Theres not as much flag-waving at liberal protests. With the recent Black Lives Matter marches, the stars and stripes rarely appear. When they do, acts of dissent are more prevalent. One BLM protest image I saw showed a marcher carrying the flag upside-down to express opposition to President Trump. Another photo showed the words I Cant Breathe spelled out in large black letters across the fabric. Theyve also set it on fire. While I dont condone this act, I do support their freedom to protest in any way they choose. And if Id attended a BLM march myself, I would not have felt comfortable carrying the stars and stripes myself not with its current conception as a tool of the right. I dont believe the left is less patriotic. Protesting is a patriots right, an entitlement of all citizens. I havent waved a flag since 9/11. This doesnt mean I dont have patriotic feelings. I just dont want to be seen as one of them. The conservatives have sullied something sacred to me by using it to promote their hate and isolationism. When I see a flag outside a house in our Glendale, California neighborhood, I assume the occupants are on the other side. I shouldnt make those assumptions, but its the way it is in our country now us versus them. A disproportionate number of people of color are sick and dying from Covid-19. The flag belongs to them, too. News reports mentioned those spring anti-lockdown protesters in Orange County being almost entirely white. These dissenters stand up for their constitutional rights to leave their homes (and now, not to wear masks) our right not to get sick and die matters too. When I was growing up in California in the 60s, we said the pledge of allegiance in school. I may not have understood the significance of the act then. I did glean the importance of the symbol and how it stood for every American. Theres the poetic if utopian phrase at the end: with liberty and justice for all. In the late 80s, during the AIDS crisis, I marched down New Yorks Fifth Avenue, protesting Reagans non-response to that epidemic. I have walked in many protests since. The next time I do march, I guarantee Ill wave a US flag. It will be my attempt to take it back from the right but also to share it with them. Look for me Ill be holding it alongside a rainbow flag, my communitys symbol of inclusiveness. Charles G. Thompson is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter @cgregthompson New polling on a four-day working week shows that the British public are re-imagining their relationship to work. As a result of Covid-19, millions of people have already had a taste of flexible hours and returning back to a world characterised by stress and overwork seems an unattractive proposition. It certainly isn't the case for everyone but over the last few months, many have happily adjusted to their new lifestyle with more free time for doing the things they love; socialising, spending time with family and exercise. A society in which we work to live, rather than live to work, suddenly looks closer than ever before. But is a four-day week for everyone realistic? The 4 Day Week Campaign, working alongside the trade unions, are advocating for shorter working-times, including a four-day week, with no reduction in pay except for the highest earners who can clearly afford to take the option. With many businesses suffering from the impact of Covid-19, it's reasonable to wonder how this would be feasible. Firstly, studies show that when workers are on reduced hours they are more motivated and therefore more productive its not rocket science. Workers in the UK put in longer hours than other European countries and at the same time we lag behind on productivity - a four-day week would correct this. Secondly, the implementation of a four-day week must be both bottom-up and top-down. There is an opportunity right now for the government to explore using the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to subsidise a reduced working week and therefore tackle the unemployment crisis. In this way, a shorter working week would have the additional benefit of redistributing work to those who are going to need new jobs. It's important to say that there is no one-size-fits-all model for reducing working time. Working time reduction must be tailored to the individual job and sector in which it is applied. It must be done collectively, not individually. For this reason, trade unions should be at the heart of this transition, negotiating and collectively winning reductions to working hours workplace by workplace and in some instances, sector by sector. Across the world, from Canada to New Zealand to Scotland and Wales, a four-day week is no longer a pipe dream for radicals and is seriously being considered as one way of creating a better future post Covid-19. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty There have been some encouraging signs that employers are starting to get on with it themselves. Target Publishing, an independent publisher based in Essex, has just moved all their staff over to a four-day week, with no reduction in pay. David Cann, managing director of Target Publishing, explained the reasoning behind it: Covid-19 has changed how every business operates. Were determined to make the change a positive. Lockdown highlighted the importance of time with family. That's why we've started a new four-day working week without any reduction in pay to help support our employees mental health, wellbeing and give them a healthier work-life balance. More than half (57 per cent) of Conservative voters want the UK government to explore introducing a four-day week and if you dig down even further into the data there is significant support across all age brackets, income levels and regions of the country. Its about time the environmental movement started to take the proposal more seriously too because a four-day week would mean less commuting and less carbon emissions. With more free time available, it also opens up the potential to engage in more environmentally sustainable behaviours. Many things thought outlandish or impossible before this crisis are now part of a common sense response. Boris Johnsons government may well decide to dismiss the idea but they would be foolish too. With everything up in the air, people questioning their relationship with work and more automation on the way, the time has come for a four-day week. Joe Ryle is a campaigner with the 4 Day Week Campaign, a former advisor to John McDonnell MP and a former Labour Party press officer Ten years ago, on a visit to Afghanistan, I was told by senior Afghan officials that the Russians had returned to the war. They were training army units and counter-narcotics troops. Not only that but Moscow had also agreed to supply Nato forces in the country with helicopters. Western military officers in Kabul and Kandahar were guarded at first, but then confirmed that training had been agreed and a number of helicopters had already been sold by Russia to Poland, a member of the US-led coalition in the country, with former Warsaw Pact weaponry in its arsenal. It was confirmed later in Brussels that Nato had invited Moscow back into Afghanistan, 21 years after the west had been instrumental in driving Soviet forces out with its backing of the Mujahideen. Negotiations were under way for the use of Russias central Asian territories to transport supplies, including arms and ammunition, to the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in Kabul. Ten years on, US intelligence reports claim that Russia has been offering bounties to the Taliban and other insurgent groups to kill soldiers from the US and its allies, including the UK, which has about 1,000 troops still based in Afghanistan. The intelligence reports, first revealed by The New York Times, charted a lethal campaign by the GRU, Russias foreign military intelligence service. Donald Trump, it is claimed, was briefed by his security advisers about Moscows incitement to carry out lethal attacks, but he did not make it public and took no retaliatory measures against Vladimir Putins government. Recommended Families of US soldiers call for answers on Russia bounty plot The White House does not dispute that the intelligence exists, but it maintains that the president was never told. His latest press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, denied that Trump, who is notoriously poor at reading reports, may even have missed the information. The president does read, she insisted. The president is the most informed person on planet Earth when it comes to the threats that we face. However, a number of officials, including John Bolton, the recently departed national security adviser, have said that the president was informed of the Russian plot both verbally and in writing. The issue is not going to go away. Families of US servicemen killed in Afghanistan have demanded an investigation. A former Navy Seal, Dan Barkhuff, is appearing in a TV ad by the the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump Republican group, demanding to know whether he is just a coward or is complicit when it comes to Putin. The Democrats are demanding to see the record of what the president was told. It should be noted that Moscow has strongly denied the allegation, as have the Taliban. Nevertheless, the allegations are detailed and damning. Looking at the chronology of Russias return to Afghanistan may help to explain how relations between the Kremlin and the Taliban developed over the years, with the twists and turns both of the Afghan war and relations between Russia and the west. The request for Russian helicopters a decade ago was made by the then secretary-general of Nato, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, during a visit to Moscow. He was quite upbeat at the time, speaking to a group of journalists in Brussels, about the future of relations between the west and Russia in Afghanistan and other areas as well. The officials, military and civil, whom I spoke to in Afghanistan had mixed feelings about the Russians once again getting involved in their country. Some had fought in the Soviet war: many had grown up in refugee camps in Pakistan and Iran after their families had been forced out of the country by the conflict. But there were also those who had fought for the Russian-backed governments in the country. There was one common view: with the west withdrawing from the long and costly conflict, they would need all the help they could get against the expected offensive from the Taliban and other insurgent groups based in Pakistan. Natos request for the use of border territories to bring military supplies into Afghanistan was seen an imperative at the time because the existing route, through Pakistan, was becoming extremely hazardous. It had, in effect, become a bargaining chip for the Pakistani government in the face of US and western complaints that Pakistans intelligence service, the ISI, was feeding and watering the Taliban something Pakistan has repeatedly denied. Threats by Washington to cut aid to the Pakistani armed forces would often lead to attacks on the convoy a reminder of what could happen if the Pakistani forces stopped protecting the convoys altogether because of a lack of resources. Moscow expected some returns for its help in Afghanistan a decade before: the Kremlin wanted Nato to accept a fait accompli over Georgia, where Russian troops remained in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, territories seized in the war two years previously, in 2008; they also wanted a limit on the numbers of Nato troops being based in eastern European countries that had newly joined the alliance. But it was also in Moscows interest for the west to stay in Afghanistan. There was a rise in violent Islamist movements in Russias Asian republics, and letting Afghanistan once again become a training ground for international jihad was not something that Moscow wanted. The US-led Isaf protected Russias southern flank, while, at the same time, keeping the west occupied with a cost in blood and treasure. Anatoly Serdyukov, Russias defence minister, said: I hope that western peacemaking troops will not withdraw before they have fulfilled their mission. We are watching things in Afghanistan very closely and we are exchanging our experience with the Americans. Russia is ready to pass on to America the experience gained by our veterans of the war in Afghanistan. Withdrawal of the [western] troops would naturally affect the situation in central Asia; we currently cannot even imagine how. For this reason we want to help the west. Five years later, on another trip to Afghanistan, I found that the Russians had firmly established a working relationship with the Taliban. And it wasnt just the Russians the Chinese and the Iranians were also keen on getting alongside the group. For all of them, the reason was a common enemy. The Taliban were at the time engaged in a bitter struggle for jihadi supremacy against Isis, which had arrived in the country. Putin had just started airstrikes against Isis in Syria and, apart from helping out his ally Bashar al-Assad, the reason given by the Russian president was concern about jihadis returning to carry out attacks. China was alarmed by links between Isis and the East Turkestan independence movement, the latter popular among Chinas Uighur Muslims. Iran, battling Isis in Syria and Iraq, saw a serious threat in the groups growing presence across its eastern border. Zamir Kabulov, the Kremlins special envoy to Afghanistan, told us: Taliban interests objectively coincide with ours. The Taliban have said they dont recognise Isis and they dont recognise the Isis leader [Abu Bakr] alBaghdadi as the caliph; that is very important. We have communication channels with the Taliban to exchange information. There is no doubt that Isis is training militants from Russia in Afghanistan as part of its efforts to expand into central Asia. Lincoln Project advert featuring ex-Navy SEAL calls Trump 'coward or complicit' on Russia Kabulov had been specially chosen for Kabul. Not only was he a former KGB colleague of Putin, he was the services top ranking officer in the country during the Afghan war. He had met the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, in 1995 while negotiating the release of a Russian air crew after their plane had been forced to land in Kandahar. The Russians insisted that their liaison with the Taliban was limited to intelligence-sharing. Some Taliban commanders in the north of the country claimed, however, that they had received weapons through Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic with a pro-Moscow government. Dushanbe, the capital, is said to have been a venue for talks between the Russians and the Taliban. Relations between Russia and the west had plummeted by then. The Ukraine war, the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the resultant imposition of sanctions by the west, and the repeated criticism of Putins human rights record by Barack Obamas administration seemed to be heralding a new cold war. Isaf had officially finished its combat mission in 2013, although there were still western forces present in numbers in Afghanistan. However, there was no evidence at the time that the Russians had asked the Taliban or any other insurgent groups to carry out attacks against them. It may seem strange that the Russians would do so now, with the most pro-Russian president in American history in the White House, a waning appetite in the west for renewing Ukraine sanctions, and Moscow (thanks to Trump) heading back to the G7. Could it be, ask diplomats and the military, that Putin, who is known to want to redress historic reverses inflicted on Russia, sees the chance of payback for what the west did at the time of the Soviet war? And that the Russian president knows that he can get away with it while Trump is in the White House? Or is it the case that the GRU may have been carrying out the Afghan operation without orders to do so from Moscow? Its unit 29155, which is accused of carrying out the Novichok attack in Salisbury and a number of other covert missions in Europe, is said to have a degree of autonomy. General Sir David Richards, who commanded Isaf in Afghanistan, sees what has happened as an example of the sheer fracturing of the relationship between Moscow and the west. Times have certainly changed. When I was in Afghanistan I had quite good relations with the Russians. I remember discussing tactics they used in the 1980s and they were quite helpful for our mission. I got on quite well with the Russian ambassador in Kabul when I was head of Isaf there; there was no question then of collusion with the Taliban or anything like that. The Russians were more worried about Islamist extremists and the connections they had with their own extremists in the south than they were about Nato he said. The general, now Lord Richards, who later became head of the British military, said: Good relations continued when I was CDS [chief of defence staff]. This was when Putin was talking about cooperation with Nato. The relationship with the west was nowhere near the poisonous level it has reached now. Both sides, I think, are partly to blame for this state of affairs. Trump attacked by Pelosi for ignoring briefing on Russia placing bounties on US soldiers But Lord Richards also said it may be worth examining whether the Russian government was fully aware of what was going on. I wonder if the Russian deep state, so to speak, was at play here. The GRU loathe the west and one can see them trying to whip up trouble. It could also be them doing something they think Putin wants guessing the commanders intentions and going off at a tangent with such dangerous consequences. General Sir Richard Barrons, a former chief of joint operations, who also served in Afghanistan, did not think that the Russian security system would allow such autonomous action. If we look at Russian actions, it takes place at a strategic level with all the dots joined up. Putin wants to re-establish Russian influence internationally and he is doing so in a wide arc the Middle East, Asia, in places like Afghanistan, and even central Europe and weaken the west while doing so. Helping to ensure a defeat for the US in Afghanistan would be seen as a huge victory by the Russians. Would Putin fear the consequences? Well, we see that the intelligence was delivered in Washington. And nothing was done. Last autumn, in Kandahar, I met Maulvi Manzoor, a senior Taliban leader, who had returned to Afghanistan after an assassination attempt in Pakistan in which he was shot six times by a powerful organisation whose name he did not want published. Manzoor, who had once fought alongside Mullah Omar, was interviewed at a CIA base in Kandahar where he was asked to work for the Americans: an offer he refused (a US official confirmed the meeting had taken place but refused to say what was discussed). I left Pakistan because I did not want to be used by foreigners and I told the Americans that I did not want to work for them, said Manzoor. There are other countries who are trying to use us, we know, against each other. That has been our misfortune: other people want to fight their wars on our land, and we are left suffering. This fall, for the first time, my journalism students returning to New York University will be advised not to report on protests in person because its too dangerous. Yet covering citizens when they march in the streets is a basic tenet of reporting in a free society. Sadly, the caution for the safety of our young charges is well advised. Journalists in America are under attack by law enforcement breaking up peaceful protests with tear gas and rubber bullets who are intentionally and specifically targeting reporters. The dangers of coronavirus go without saying but all of the public is affected by this pandemic. The occupational hazard in America today is how police nationwide have arrested, tear-gassed, rubber-bulleted, chased and interfered with reporters covering Black Lives Matter marches and encampments to oppose the racist treatment and deaths of African Americans by police, most famously George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May. In 2020, more than 470 police aggressions have been recorded against journalists, according to the US Press Freedom Tracker. Were only halfway through this year, yet police have arrested a record 44 credentialed journalists, compared to nine in 2019, 11 in 2018 and 38 in 2017. A third of those journalists face criminal charges, as well as confiscation of their notes and photo equipment, which will prevent them from getting back to reporting on the streets. They include the Texas photojournalist Alan Pogue, a former Vietnam combat medic who was taken into custody while documenting police arresting marchers outside Donald Trumps campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on 20 June. The stories of police attacks on journalists are harrowing and unlike anything Ive seen or heard of in the US in three decades as a journalist since starting out at the Chicago Tribune in the late 1980s. Back then, old-timers lipped their cigarettes at the city desk and told war stories about their days getting head-bashed covering the protests outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Thats when I first heard the term flak jacket, from a gnarled veteran journo bragging that he always carried one in his car trunk. Just in case. I thought that was just a bit romantic too much of the old days. Not anymore. In Minneapolis, there were the Los Angeles Times reporters in their flak jackets marked PRESS who had to scramble over a wall to escape police gas and rubber bullets. Theres the Reuters team that escaped rubber bullets, and the unluckier freelance photojournalist Linda Tirado, who lost an eye. I was aiming my next shot, she recalled, then my face exploded. Her experience was documented by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, in a letter signed by 115 media and press organisations explicitly objecting to police targeting journalists in Minneapolis. In my own city, we at the Deadline Club the New York chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists have officially objected to police assaulting and harassing journalists, like the NYPD cluster who encircled, manhandled and cursed out two Associated Press reporters, yelling at them: Get the f**k out of here, you piece of s**t. Similar scenes of police are playing out nationwide and its no accident. The dog whistle to law enforcement on how to treat the press comes from the top. Expanding from the broader fake news derision, President Donald Trump has been dialling up his pitch to branding journalists the enemy of the people. Thats a tune historically heard from fascist and authoritarian leaders like Stalin, priming the public to turn on the Fourth Estate, long recognised as the publics watchdog. When these United States were founded to form a more perfect union separate from monarchal England, the very First Amendment to the US Constitution was passed to protect free speech and free assembly, specifically naming freedom of the press for safeguard. Since then, numerous court cases have upheld the right of journalists to report and record police in action and government activity. This November, Americans will vote in a momentous presidential election. Amid the pandemic, journalists will be needed on the ground more than ever, considering the fear, controversy and difficulties that plagued the recent election primaries with surging demand for mail-in ballots, long lines because of reduced numbers of polling places and a shortage of poll watchers and workers many of whom are older, so stayed home. Ive heard that nations from Ireland to Australia are pitying us. Dont send pity. Send poll watchers. Send more journalists. Jessica Seigel is an adjunct professor of journalism at New York Universitys Arthur L Carter Institute and a vice president of the Deadline Club-Society of Professional Journalists. Follow her on Twitter @jessicaseagull Green TD Neasa Hourigan said Irish parties need to do more to encourage women to enter politics (Niall Carson/PA) Irish political parties need to do more to encourage women to enter politics, a TD has said. Taoiseach Micheal Martin announced his ministerial line-up on Saturday, with female politicians taking just four of the 14 Cabinet roles, and five women receiving junior ministries. Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan missed out on a junior ministry despite being one of the partys negotiators on the programme for government deal. Ms Hourigan was a vocal critic of the programme and opposed her party going into coalition with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. She said she does not know if this was a reason for party leader Eamon Ryan not promoting her, and said the party needs to do more to encourage women to enter politics. Its actually pretty sexist that a finance position didn't go to the female finance spokesperson and was given to a man with a completely unrelated portfolio. Very dissapointed to see such overt sexism against women in politics from the Green Party - for all our talk of equality. Lorna Bogue (@LornaBogue) July 1, 2020 As a female TD, I dont think it is my role to explain away the decisions of other people, particularly if they are senior men, she told RTE radio. I think every single party has a job of work to do around attracting women into politics. When youre in one of the areas that has historically been male-dominated, you have a little more of a mountain to climb. I think the Green Party was the same as the other parties in that we have 12 TDs and only two of them are women. She added: I think there was more going on there than just the gender issue, but I definitely think we need to do work on attracting more women and people from diverse backgrounds into the party. We need to get better at that and do more. Meanwhile, Fianna Fail TD Christopher OSullivan criticised party colleagues who spoke out about missing out on Cabinet roles. Limerick Fianna Fail TD Willie ODea said he is bitterly disappointed for the people of Limerick that there is no senior or junior minister representing the county. Mr ODea said he had been inundated with messages from people who felt let down and grossly insulted over the issue. Now more than ever FF need unity and focus. Thereas so much work to do. Thereas no time to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves and being p*ssed off about being overlooked for certain positions. Letas get the job done. Christopher OaSullivan TD (@COSullivanTD) July 3, 2020 Mr OSullivan said TDs have to get on with their work and not feel sorry for themselves. He tweeted: Now, more than ever, FF need unity and focus. Theres so much work to do. Theres no time to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves and being pissed off about being overlooked for certain positions. Lets get the job done. Activity in the services sector continued to fall last month but the decline slowed from the record lows recorded in April, according to a survey from AIB. The purchasing managers index (PMI) recorded a reading of 39.7 for June. This is well under the 50 mark, anything above which is expansion and below is contraction. The fall reflected a sustained slump in incoming new work, with demand remaining subdued. Nonetheless, the survey, compiled by data analyst IHS Markit, shows improvement from the 23.4 PMI reading reported in May and the record low PMI of 13.9 in April, as the lockdown began to be lifted last month. The sector - which spans industries from bars and hotels to banking - is the country's most important. It has been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen thousands of shops, cafes and restaurants temporarily keep the shutters down. The report, based on data provided by 400 businesses nationwide, found three of the four sub-sectors monitored by the survey continued to record declining business activity in June. The transport, tourism and leisure sector again registered the steepest rate of contraction, followed by financial services and business services respectively. Activity in the technology, media and telecoms sector rose for the first time since February, albeit only marginally. Meanwhile, employment again fell sharply last month as companies continued to reduce the size of their workforce. "With large parts of the economy still in lockdown as a result of the measures taken to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the services PMI staged only a partial recovery in June," said Oliver Mangan, AIB chief economist. He said last month's reading for Ireland is below the flash services PMIs for the same month in the eurozone, UK and US of around 47. This reflects the more cautious approach of authorities here to lifting lockdown restrictions compared to elsewhere. Looking forward, firms are confident of experiencing an increase in business over the next 12 months, with half of businesses expecting growth in activity at their units by June next year, around double the proportion expecting a decline (24pc). The report comes after the manufacturing PMI for June posted a record one-month gain of 11.8 points, taking it into growth territory at 51. The four-star Radisson Blu hotel off South Great George's Street in Dublin Pre-tax profits at the company which operates the four-star Radisson Blu hotel off South Great George's Street in Dublin last year declined by 32pc to 1.15m. New accounts filed by Luxor Leisure show that the company recorded the pre-tax profits after revenues had declined by 4pc to 12.3m from 12.8m in the 12 months to October 31. The directors' report says at the date of approving the financial statements, Covid-19 has had a negative effect on activities since year end and has resulted in lower than expected activity since year end. The directors say that the effects of Covid-19 cannot be quantified at this time. A note says there is uncertainty regarding how the balance sheet may be affected based on events since year end. On the company's future, the directors say that they will seek to develop the company's activities "whilst managing the effects of the difficult operational period caused by this outbreak". The directors say that they consider the Covid-19 pandemic "to be a significant uncertainty at the time of approving the financial statements". Luxor Leisure is owned by Galway building group JJ Rhatigan and the business last year recorded a post-tax profit of 1m after paying corporation tax of 122,147. A breakdown of revenues shows that the business generated 8.39m from rooms; 2.19m from food; 776,252 from beverage; 822,557 from conferences and 127,432 from 'other'. Numbers employed by the hotel last year remained static at 150 with staff costs increasing to 3.37m from 3m. The firm operates a franchise Radisson Blu agreement with Rezidor Hotels and that deal runs for 25 years from June 2016. Last year, the company invested around 2.5m in the ground floor of the hotel, including upgrading of the bar, restaurant and foyer areas. The profit takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of 271,032 and lease payments of 3m to a connected entity, Luxor Investments Ltd. At the end of October last, shareholder funds at Luxor Leisure totalled 8.17m as the company's cash funds reduced to 2.8m from 4.8m. The book value of investment properties owned by Luxor Investment Ltd in 2018 increased to 112m from 86.35m. PRIVATE hospitals have been accused of appalling behaviour after it emerged they are imposing new charges for Covid tests for people before they can attend the hospitals. The fees being imposed are between 75 for those who have to have a day procedure in a private hospital, to 250 for in-patient procedures. The new fees are despite the private hospitals benefiting from a controversial deal where they were effectively taken over by the State for three months this year. Health insurers are currently not covering the new Covid-19 test charge. People with health insurance have been shocked to learn of the new charge. Wexford-based Jason Sheridan was told by the Beacon Hospital in Dublin that it was charging 250 for what it called Covid test. Vhi is not covering the cost. His seven-year-old daughter Clodagh is due to have grommets inserted next week. Mr Sheridan said the imposition of the charge was an absolute scandal particularly as the private hospitals had benefited from the State deal earlier this year. The details of that deal have not been revealed but it is understood bill for three months could be 338m. Claims were made that the private hospitals ended up being under-utilised. Chairman of the Consumers Association Michael Kilcoyne said: It is appalling to impose this charge given that the private hospitals got so much money from the HSE. It shows total disrespect to the taxpayer. Health insurance expert Dermot Goode said a number of private hospitals were imposing the new charges. He said they range from 75 for a day procedure, to between 150 and 250 for in-patient procedures. Talks have begun between insurers and the private hospitals but there is no agreement on insurers covering the new costs, he said. A spokesman for the Private Hospitals Association said private hospitals were forced to incur extra costs to meet stringent new public health guidelines, including deep cleaning, the use of PPE and testing patients for Covid before they can be treated. The Private Hospitals Association considers that any additional costs that may be incurred by individual private patients as a result of these new measures should in principle be absorbed by the health insurers, and its members are currently in discussion with the respective insurers to that end. The spokesman insisted the State deal only covered the costs incurred by the private hospitals for the deal that covered use of the hospitals in April, May and June. The Beacon, in Dublin, said that in line with national guidelines from the HSE, incoming surgical patients have to be tested for Covid-19 prior to admission to the hospital. Beacon Hospital said Laya has agreed to cover the cost of the Covid test. The hospital is engaging with Vhi and Irish Life to get them to cover the cost, it said. Vhi said private healthcare customers are facing economic uncertainty, in the same way as the rest of the population. There is an onus on us all to seek to contain costs where it is possible to do so in order to ensure that private health insurance remains affordable. Laya said it was in discussion with hospitals to understand all costs related to pre-admission Covid-19 testing for elective procedures with a view to understanding how best we can cover this cost. We are currently in discussion with our hospital partners and hope to come to an agreement directly with them shortly, the Laya spokeswoman said. Vodafone is aiming for a third of the population to be covered by its 5G service by March 2021. The operator says that the comparatively slow rollout might be speeded up through technology that "shares" spectrum between existing 4G and 5G. The Ericsson 'dynamic spectrum sharing' (DSS) technology, it says, will allow Vodafone "to deliver both 4G and 5G on the same spectrum band using existing antenna infrastructure, allowing for a smooth transition between the two technologies and a quicker, cost-effective rollout providing greater access to 5G services". Vodafone and Eir both began 5G mobile rollouts in Irish cities last Autumn. Three has yet to announce a 5G launch. Apple's iPhone 12 is expected to have 5G on board. The technology allows much faster mobile broadband speeds. By the end of this month, Vodafone says that it will have rolled this technology out to 57 sites across 11 counties - Cork, Cavan, Galway, Dublin, Roscommon, Kerry, Limerick, Meath, Mayo, Offaly and Wicklow. DSS technology, it claims, will allow speeds of up to 400Mbps, as well as a wider 5G coverage footprint and "deeper in-building 5G service coverage". "The last few months have highlighted the important role mobile technology plays in our society and DSS will help us to bring 5G to more people in a faster and more efficient manner," said Vodafone Ireland technology director, Didier Clavero. The move comes after it was revealed that the National Broadband Plan may triple its entry-level speed to rural citizens from 150Mbs to 500Mbs. The new higher speeds are understood to be related to a price cut from rival operator Eir, which now has over 300,000 premises 'passed' by fibre broadband and is aggressively trying to capture a fibre customer base. The government is also said to be preparing more resources for a 'front-loading' of the rollout, with a desire to bring the seven-year period down to five. An image is spreading that appears to show President Donald Trump with first lady Melania Trump posing for a picture with both Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The never-before-seen picture was captured during a 2000 Halloween party of German model Heidi Klum. Sexual abuse charges Snopes reported that Maxwell was arrested on July 2 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) charged her for allegedly working with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein to victimize young children. While in prison, Epstein was waiting for his trial in 2019 before authorities announced that he allegedly killed himself inside his cell. On Thursday morning, Maxwell was arrested for multiple charges including working with Epstein to lure minors into committing sexual activities. Prosecutors said they expect to request that Maxwell be kept inside a prison with her strong desire to escape, which they wrote in a memo. In the document, it was also revealed that the suspect was in possession of three passports, $20 million in assets, international ties, and being a severe flight risk. The FBI took Maxwell into custody at 8:30 a.m. in Bradford, New Hampshire and was allegedly avoiding authorities by hiding in Paris, France beforehand, as reported by Fox News. The head of the FBI New York office, William F. Sweeney Jr., announced that investigators were quietly monitoring Maxwell's whereabouts and travel history before they found that she transferred to a 156-acre property that had a mansion that she paid for with cash. Also Read: Fact Check: Are These Elijah McClain's Last Words Before His Deadly Encounter with Police? Audrey Strauss, the acting US attorney, revealed that prosecutors would be looking to put Maxwell in detention. Maxwell's partner, Epstein, was previously accused of operating a broad and expansive network of minors used for sexual activities. According to BBC, Epstein also socialized with Prince Andrew, Donald Trump and Bill Clinton in the past. Crimes against minors The couple committed sexual abuse of girls as young as 14 years old to feed Epstein's dark desires. Maxwell allegedly participated in the physical abuse herself as stated in a recent indictment. Epstein allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself inside his prison cell a month after his arrest in August 2019. Even after his death, prosecutors said they would be continuing investigations into his associates and colleagues. For the year after Epstein' arrest, Maxwell kept herself hidden and changed all her personal contact information including her email address and used a new phone number with the name "G Max" while taking orders under different names on shipping labels. According to The New York Times, the lawyer representing Maxwell, Lawrence A. Vogelman, refused to comment on the case. Vogelman had a history of denying wrongdoing in civil lawsuits. The indictment against Maxwell states she recruited three minors between 1994 and 1997 while prosecutors refused to identify the victims. According to federal laws, prosecutors can charge suspects at any point in their lifetime if they commit crimes against a minor. On Thursday, as Maxwell appeared before a federal court located in New Hampshire, the magistrate judge ordered her detention and transfer to New York to await further orders. Related Article: Jeffrey Epstein's Friend Ghislaine Maxwell Arrested by FBI in Sex Trafficking Probe @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Deutsche Bank is weighing the acquisition of all or part of disgraced Wirecard's bank, potentially throwing the business a lifeline after one of the biggest corporate scandals in recent years. The Frankfurt-based lender is in touch with German regulator BaFin, Wirecard Bank's management board and administrators on possible further steps to help Wirecard's finance unit, a Deutsche Bank spokesman said. Options include taking on pieces of Wirecard Bank or the unit in its entirety, sources said, adding that the lender is still debating other ways to help Wirecard Bank and hasn't made a final decision. Deutsche Bank had informal tie-up talks with the scandal-hit fintech last Spring. Wirecard Bank - which sat at the heart of the firm - could be valuable to a potential acquirer due to its relationship with credit card firms Visa, Mastercard and JCB International. Deutsche Bank may also be hit if Wirecard Bank were to file for insolvency. Germany's deposit insurance scheme for private banks would have to make depositors whole if the lender didn't have enough funds of its own to repay them. That could lead to higher contributions from the scheme members, of which Deutsche Bank is the biggest and highest paying. Wirecard filed for insolvency last week after saying that almost 2bn it previously reported as cash probably never existed. Bloomberg Crime stories, full of murder and sexual assault, are often harrowing. True-crime stories, where the reader knows that these horrors actually happened to real people, are a multiple of that. A Rip in Heaven is at times almost unreadable, which sounds bad but is in fact a compliment to Jeanine Cummins and how well she tells the tale. It's not unreadably bad, but unreadably real: painfully, awfully real. Cummins narrates the terrible fate that befell her brother and two cousins in 1991, without melodrama or editorialising (or not much of the latter, anyway). She lays out the facts, as dispassionately as might be expected of someone intimately and profoundly involved in the case - and those facts are very distressing. Cummins grew up in a suburb of Washington DC. She was known in the family since birth as Tink, which is how she refers to herself, in the third-person, in this book. In April 1991, aged 16, she travelled to St Louis with her parents, younger sister Kathy and 19-year-old brother Tom to visit relatives, the Kerry family. All the cousins became very close. At that time, Washington had just broken the US record for most homicides in one year. Incredibly, as Cummins points out, one in 1,200 residents had been murdered the previous year. Ireland's homicide rate, by comparison, is about one in 100,000. Young Jeanine assumed that St Louis, a smaller midwestern city, would be a lot safer than the shooting-riddled DC they had temporarily left behind. She was wrong, both on the macro level - St Louis is currently the homicide capital of America, and even back then had a significant problem with serious crime - and, tragically, on the personal level. The night before the Cummins family were due to return home, Tom snuck out to meet their cousins, 20-year-old Julie and 19-year-old Robin Kerry, for one last night of adventure. The trio went to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, where Julie wanted to show Tom an anti-racism poem she had written. There they were attacked by a gang of four adolescents and young men. The girls were raped and thrown into the river. Tom was forced to jump at gunpoint. Tom barely made it to the riverbank. Julie's body was found three weeks later while Robin's body was never found. Adding insult to injury, once Tom reported the crime, he found himself accused. Police bullied and harassed him, threatened him, alleged that he had wanted to sexually assault Julie and, when she fought back, killed his cousins to cover his tracks. It is not giving too much away to say that the book - subtitled 'A Memoir of a Murder and Its Aftermath' - follows this sorry story to its end. It's almost glib to describe this case as shocking, but that it genuinely is. Rape and murder are such unconscionable crimes that they never lose the power to disgust and baffle any normal-thinking person, even decades removed. Cummins herself has an interesting life story. Earlier this year she achieved global fame, then a sort of notoriety. Her novel American Dirt, about Mexican illegal immigrants, was a huge success, critically and commercially, but ran into a firestorm of faintly ridiculous criticism for supposed "cultural appropriation". Of Irish and Puerto Rican heritage, Cummins was born in Spain to an army dad, spent two years working in a bar and "writing bad poetry" in Belfast, married a Mayo man living illegally in the US, worked in publishing for 10 years and even took part in the Rose of Tralee in 1993. She has also written two novels with Irish themes - The Outside Boy (about Travellers) and The Crooked Branch (the Famine) - which will be reissued this year. Any or all of these stories could be explored in further works of memoir. For now, A Rip in Heaven - written in 2004 when Cummins was just 29, but published here for the first time - stands as a fine piece of autobiographical literature, and a moving testament to her family, especially her late cousins Julie and Robin. It is hard-going at times, even gruelling emotionally, but worth it. Darragh McManus's books include 'Shiver the Whole Night Through' and 'The Polka Dot Girl' Three series of the raunchy period drama Harlots will air on BBC Two, it has been announced. The show, which has previously been available on StarzPlay on Amazon Prime, stars Samantha Morton, Lesley Manville and Jessica Brown Findlay, with Liv Tyler joining in the second series. Set in Georgian London and inspired by the stories of real women, the series follows Mortons Margaret Wells and her daughters, as she struggles to reconcile her roles as mother and brothel owner. Expand Close Harlots (Hulu/BBC) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Harlots (Hulu/BBC) Manville plays Lydia Quigley, a rival madam with a ruthless streak who launches an attack on Margarets business. Brown Findlay stars as Charlotte, Margarets eldest daughter and the citys most coveted courtesan who begins to grapple with her position in both society and her immediate family. Sue Deeks, head of programme acquisition at the BBC, said: Aided by a truly magnificent cast, Harlots brings 18th century London to life with enormous style, wit, intelligence and humour. BBC viewers will become immersed in the gripping lives of businesswomen Margaret Wells and Lydia Quigley, as they make their way in Londons grimy, decadent world. The first two series will be aired back-to-back on BBC Two later this year and series three will air at a later date. In 1978, Im not sure what threatening scenarios garda recruits were trained to deal with before graduating from Templemore. But I suspect these dangers didnt include the amorous advances of naked gay Scotsmen. I base this having attended a rambunctious and Rabelaisian house party in Broadstone that year, which following complaints from neighbours was raided by a fresh-faced young guard who looked to be barely a week out of the college in Co. Tipperary. I was only 19 and didnt know that many people present on the night or what substances they possessed, but looks of alarm suggested that if his courage hadnt failed him the young guard could have been in line for instant promotion. However, as the young officer stood in the doorway, an apparition appeared on the stairs from the kitchen. Expand Close The Diceman with singer Gavin Friday at the Olympia Theatre in the early 90s / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Diceman with singer Gavin Friday at the Olympia Theatre in the early 90s It was Thom McGinty later famous as The Diceman. As was his wont at parties, Thom had stripped naked: his shaven head adding to the impression of lascivious abandon. Read More Thom took one look at the young guard and ran towards him, arms outstretched, proclaiming in a Glasgow accent: Men in uniform, I love them. The young guard took one look at Thom and ran off in panic, never to reappear. Expand Close A rare shot of The Diceman (Thom McGinty) out of costume / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A rare shot of The Diceman (Thom McGinty) out of costume I felt sorry for the guard because he might well have found a night in Thoms company enlightening in terms of new ways of seeing life. This was certainly my experience some months previously when Thom persuaded me to sit up with him all night on a Kilkenny riverbank just for the buzz that he said I would experience by witnessing dawn break around us. I recall a night of brilliant conversation, which revealed the importance and at times the price of following your dreams. Thom was only 26 back then but his life was already shaped by his resolute determination to be true to himself. As we watched dawn break, both of us penniless, I could never have imagined that, 17 years later, he would be so beloved in his adoptive city that all of Grafton Street stopped in 1995 to allow his friends and fellow street-performers to carry his coffin down that street which he graced so often in brilliantly daring costumes. Or that today, a quarter century after his death, a new exhibition celebrating his extraordinary life is running in the Little Museum of Dublin, which is now open to visitors again after the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. Although remembered as The Diceman, he did not adopt this nom de plume until asked to do street performances to advertise a shop of that name. Thom achieved some financial security by creating breath-taking living art street performances to advertise this and other shops. But it would do him a disservice to just remember him as a colourful billboard albeit one who pushed the boundaries so far that he was arrested for public indecency when advertising The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Thom was far more than that an outsider who arrived in 1976 to seek a new life in a Dublin not quite ready for him. I remember his freezing attic flat off Mountjoy Square, up long flights of crumbling stairs with parts of the banisters missing. Despite living in poverty at that time, he produced fabulous experimental mime theatre shows in an artistic collective, The Grapevine, in which I played a small part. I still recall how Thoms manic energy, mischievous humour and artistic intelligence lit up the grey conservative Dublin at a time. Whether performing in The Gate Theatre remaining utterly still as the menacing executioner in Steven Berkoffs production of Salome or performing on the street to highlight campaigns for gay rights or the Birmingham Six, Thoms magic was, in Brendan Kennellys words, his ability to mesmerise his audience, to lure them out of their busy city selves and to take them away into that land of perfect stillness. It was an art practised with courage, defying gurriers who tried to pinch him or set him alight as he stood still in Grafton Street. It was a gay life lived with courage too, challenges faced head on. I remember leaving a pub in an Irish town where local thugs, who sensed something different about Thom, were waiting. My Finglas instincts were to run. Thoms approach was braver. He walked towards them, proclaiming, Rough trade, I love it. They fled, shocked at being confronted. When my first son was born he sometimes helped me wheel the pram in our local park. One afternoon in 1994 I hailed him on College Green. He didnt hear me, walking with the slow gait of a sick man. But I only realised he had Aids when he made a brave appearance on The Late Late Show. Thom helped remove the stigma from Aids by not hiding. His honesty helped many sufferers. I last saw him at a farewell gig at the Olympia Theatre. His fellow street acts crowned him King of Dublin. As the crowd roared our approval, it seemed no idle boast. He was our king king of the misfits, drop-outs, artists and dreamers who dared to be different. Thom taught us that you only have one life and must be true to yourself. He enriched Dublin with his vitality and originality. Like many outsiders, he came to epitomise the city. A quarter century after his death, its lovely to celebrate a character who was truly larger than life. The Diceman exhibition is now running at the Little Museum of Dublin. See littlemuseum.ie for more information A SENIOR detective has rejected a claim that the Adrian Donohoe murder investigation was approached with tunnel vision and that lines of inquiry weren't followed up on, the trial heard. Pat Marry, who was the senior investigating officer prior to his retirement in 2018, also told the jury that he was investigating a capital murder which took precedence over issues relating to fuel laundering. The witness was being cross-examined in relation to inquiries carried out into the movements of a suspected fuel launderer who was in phone contact with Aaron Brady, who denies capital murder. The jury previously heard that the accused, in his formal alibi, said he was moving laundered diesel cubes in a yard in south Armagh at the time of the murder. Expand Close Aaron Brady denies killing Det-Gda Adrian Donohoe / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Aaron Brady denies killing Det-Gda Adrian Donohoe Aaron Brady has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Adrian Donohoe (41), who was then a member of An Garda Siochana acting in the course of his duty, at Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013. Mr Brady (29), of New Road in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, also denies the robbery of approximately 7,000 in cash and assorted cheques from Mr Pat Bellew at the same location on the same date. Defence counsel Michael O'Higgins put it to the retired detective inspector that there were a number of pieces of information relating to the movements of an alleged fuel launderer on the day of the robbery. This included phone traffic which showed he was in contact with Aaron Brady and another suspect in the robbery, the court heard. The jury were told that there was also information received that this individual traveled to Dublin with another man that day before returning across the Border with a trailer. Mr Marry said that the information about the trailer was not "factual" and that "maybe they were in Blanchardstown collecting something else connected to something else." Asked if this was ever followed up on, the retired investigator said it was and that gardai spoke to him at a PSNI station a month after the murder. "He was asked to account for his movements on the 25th (of January), he was asked in plain language and he declined to engage with the gardai in respect of that," Mr Marry said. The former detective added that the man gave an account up until a certain time "when it came to the nitty gritty" and then left the station having attended to give a statement on a voluntary basis. Mr O'Higgins also told the court that another person arrested as part of the investigation told gardai that the alleged diesel launderer was renting a yard on Concession Road in 2013. Asked if the individual was ever questioned about his connection to this suspected diesel laundering site, Pat Marry said he could not have been asked about this because this information was only brought to the fore in 2018 by the arrested person in a garda interview. He added the alleged diesel launderer made it "quite clear" that he would not be presenting himself to gardai again to be interviewed. Counsel put it to Mr Marry that there were "screamingly obvious lines of inquiry which ought to have been followed up in this case" that weren't. The retired officer said he disagreed with this and also rejected an assertion from Mr O'Higgins that the investigation was approached with tunnel vision. Mr O'Higgins put it to the witness that anybody with an understanding of the investigation would reach the same conclusion. "I totally disagree with that," Pat Marry said, describing it as an "unfair comment" put to him. "I was investigating a capital murder, I wasn't investigating a Revenue offence or diesel laundering," he added. Mr Marry added he did not believe diesel laundering was taking place at the yard on Concession Road that night and that he had "good reason to believe that." The trial continues before the jury of six men and seven women on Monday. Galway Clinic, a private hospital, has secured orders dismissing proceedings over a 2017 majority decision by its board to construct a new 17m medical facility, which did not proceed. Yesterday, Mr Justice Michael Quinn granted a pre-trial application to dismiss the High Court case by Blackrock Medical Partners (BMPL) and Dr Joseph Sheehan against Galway Clinic Doughiska (GCD) and Parma Investments (Parma) over the decision of February 2017. GCD is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marpole. At the time of the board decision, BMPL held 25pc and Parma held 75pc of Marpole. Dr Sheehan claimed to be the beneficial owner of BMPL and the action centred on a June 2004 shareholder agreement relating to Marpole. In a clause concerning "restricted transaction", it was agreed the companies would not do certain things without prior written consent of both Parma and BMPL, including incurring any borrowings or expenditure exceeding 250,000. The decision to construct a new 17m medical facility was approved by a majority of board members but opposed by BMPL. The core claim by BMPL and Dr Sheehan in their action, initiated in March 2017, was that the board decision breached the "restricted transactions" clause of the 2004 agreement. Other claims included the defendants had conspired against both plaintiffs and that Parma, a company with whom businessman Larry Goodman was alleged to be associated, had an interest in ensuring Dr Sheehan would not be in a position to redeem certain loans he held in Blackrock Hospital. The defendants denied all the claims and last February initiated a pre-trial application to have the case dismissed on grounds including it was moot or pointless and an abuse of court process. The plaintiffs did not attend and were not represented at the June 25 hearing of the application. In his judgment yesterday granting the application, Mr Justice Quinn noted a receiver was appointed in February 2019 over the assets of BMPL, including its shares in Marpole, and Parma had concluded an agreement last March to acquire BMPL's 25pc shareholding in Marpole. Solicitors on record for the plaintiffs had been discharged and Dr Sheehan had informed the defendants and court he had filed for a US Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an Illinois court and was "availing of the automatic worldwide stay associated with that filing". The judge said he had concluded it was appropriate to dismiss the plaintiffs' claims in the proceedings for reasons including that because Parma has acquired BMPL's shares in Marpole, a court cannot grant an injunction in favour of BMPL to restrain any breach of the 2004 agreement. The claims were also moot or pointless because the February 2017 decision was never implemented so there was no longer any "live controversy" between the sides. The claims of conspiracy were bound to fail, he also held. He noted, although the defendants deny the February 2017 board decision was in breach of the 2004 agreement, "very limited" submissions were made in this application on whether the decision amounted to a "restricted transaction" which would have required the written consent of BMPL. The defendants' submissions focussed on mootness, legal standing and other matters and the court was satisfied the claims are moot and can confer no benefit on the plaintiffs. Therefore, it would be an abuse of court process to permit further court time to be dedicated to the proceedings and he would dismiss them. The petition for court protection and an interim examiner was sought in relation to Compu b Retail Ltd. Stock image An interim examiner has been appointed by the High Court to the Irish-headquartered parent of Compub, a reseller of Apple premium computer products, and three related companies in the UK employing a total 395 people, of whom 110 are in Ireland. Compu b, founded in Limerick in 1992, has six stores here at Grafton Street, Dublin; Dundrum Town Centre; the Pavilions, Swords; Limerick, Cork and Galway and 24 stores in the UK. The petition for court protection and an interim examiner was sought in relation to Compu b Retail Ltd, with registered offices at Ballymount, Dublin, and three UK based companies, Compu b Ltd, StormfrontRetail Limited and Stormfront Technology Ltd. Compu b Ltd (CBL) acquired the two Stormfrontcompanies in late 2019 and owns Compu b Retail Ltd (CBRL). On the application of Declan Murphy BL, for the companies, Mr Justice Denis McDonald said on Friday he was satisfied there was sufficient evidence to appoint David OConnor of BDO as interim examiner. That evidence included a report from an independent expert expressing the view the companies had a reasonable prospect of survival as a going concern provided certain conditions are met. arrangement. He was also mindful the application concerned a significant trading entity with 395 employees, the judge said. In the petition, it was stated CBRL was incorporated to trade the groups Irish activities through a separate entity mainly to protect against concerns arising from Brexit and foreign exchange rate volatility. It undertakes similar activities to CBL and its corporate clients include Amazon, Ryanair, KPMG, AIB, Bank of Ireland, Munster Rugby and Eventbrite. The petition said CBL had acquired the loss making Stormfront group of 23 stores in late 2019 with a view to acquiring a more significant retail presence in the UK market and improve buying power. It said the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed planned integration synergies and a cost reduction programme with the result the Compu B group has incurred significant ongoing losses through the Stormfrontgroup in the period from January to May 2020. The Stormfront group was acquired for Stg2.4 million, comprising a Stg1m upfront payment and a deferred Stg 1.4m payment with a contracted contingent liability of a further Stg600,000, depending on future profitability derived from rebates from Apple under a recent contract called the Nd-8 contract. Those targets are now not likely to be reached due to the downturn resulting from Covid-19 and market contraction, it was stated. The petition said the Compu b business has historically bene profitable but a number of factors had come together which have had significant negative impacts on the companies and their cash flows including the Covid-19 pandemic, store closures resulting from that, underperforming stores and the acceleration of customer trends towards buying online. Unless court protection is secured, the companies will be unable to pay its debts as they fall due from July 2020 with a deficit of 3.3m by the end of July 2020, it was stated. An independent expert had provided a report expressing the view the companies could survive as a going concern on the basis they have a core business capable of operating on a going concern basis subject to implementation of a restructuring plan. The judge made directions for advertising the petition and returned the matter to next week. Earlier, having heard evidence from Andrew Victory, group financial director of the companies, the judge said he was satisfied the UK companies have their centre of main interests in Ireland. There was a clear commercial rationale for the change in centre of main interests from the UK to here, he said. A father-of-two who announced that his girlfriend has the coronavirus before attempting to steal handbags from two women has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. James McDonagh (33) later assaulted a man in a separate incident, during which he threw a traffic cone at the victim. McDonagh of Heatherview Close, Tallaght, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of attempted robbery at South Anne Street, Dublin 1, and assault causing harm at Parnell Street, Dublin 1, both on March 15, 2020. Garda Cillian Meyler told Monika Leech BL, prosecuting, that on the date in question, two women were returning from a trip to IKEA and were unloading items from a car when they were approached by the accused and two others. Gda Meyler said McDonagh, who was intoxicated, told the women that his girlfriend has the coronavirus. McDonagh then tried to take a handbag from one of the women, kicking and punching her when she refused to let go. The second woman intervened, leading McDonagh to attempt to steal her handbag. During the struggle, both women fell to the ground and the incident was recorded by a woman living in a nearby apartment. Later that day, Patrick Sylvester walked past McDonagh while he was grabbing a woman. McDonagh began shouting at Mr Sylvester and proceeded to punch him in the face. During this assault, McDonagh picked up a traffic cone and threw it at the victim. In interview with gardai, McDonagh said he accepted he had been drinking that day and that he had previous alcohol problems. McDonagh has 55 previous convictions, including convictions for assault causing harm, assault and public order offences. He has two children. Gda Meyler agreed with Marc Thompson BL, defending, that his client has difficulty with alcohol and while he was aggressive with gardai at the time of his arrest, he complied with the investigation once he sobered up. Judge Martin Nolan said that it seems this man shouldn't drink. He said that if McDonagh wanted to reform he can do one simple thing, which is stop drinking. Judge Nolan sentenced McDonagh to two-and-a-half years' imprisonment. The representative body for the insurance sector is warning fraudulent and exaggerated injury claims will continue as long as Ireland gives out substantially higher awards than other countries. Campaigners have urged the new government to make insurance reform a top priority. However, hopes of this received a blow after a dedicated subcommittee for insurance reform was dropped from the final programme for government at the last minute. Insurance Ireland said it welcomes any commitment to insurance reform, but fears high payouts for minor injuries and a lack of prosecution of fraudulent claimants may impact this. "In the last week alone, media have reported on a case in Limerick where two men pleaded guilty to staging a road accident," a spokesperson said. "While we have injury awards that are on average 4.4 times that of the UK, we can expect these cases to continue." When asked about some insurers settling whiplash claims after minor collisions for huge amounts, Insurance Ireland said companies vigorously contest misleading claims. "We make no apologies for this and will continue to do so in the interests of all policyholders," the spokesperson added. "Insurance Ireland believes that a dedicated full-time specialist insurance fraud unit in An Garda Siochana is needed so that the people who make false and exaggerated claims are identified and that they face the full rigours of the law for doing so. "The insurance industry will support this initiative to ensure An Garda Siochana have the necessary resources to operate effectively. "We would also call for the reform of perjury laws so that those making false or exaggerated claims in court will face prosecution." The Dail this week heard how insurance reform must be a top priority for the Government in order to prevent more businesses from closing. Casualties Fianna Fail TD Robert Troy stressed changes needed to be "seen by businesses early on in this government", accusing some insurers of behaving "appallingly". Fort Lucan Outdoor Adventureland in Dublin, one of the biggest adventure playgrounds in Ireland, is one of the latest casualties of the insurance crisis after it was forced to close its doors. Last year the company had to remove two trampolines from its premises to try to bring its insurance premium down as they were deemed "high-risk". Gillian Martin-Smith, manager of Fort Lucan, said the company's premium had doubled to more than 50,000 since 2015. Fort Lucan had been operating for 26 years and the news has upset customers. "We are devastated to announce due to Covid-19 restrictions and high insurance costs, Fort Lucan will be unable to open for 2020," the company said in a statement. However, the company said it will be back in 2021 with a "brand new attraction". Every day, Heba Rashed is inundated with as many as 200 calls and messages on her mobile phone, starting the moment she wakes up, from Egyptians pleading for help finding a hospital bed during the coronavirus pandemic. If I dont answer my phone, people may die. In a crisis like this, we cant retreat, the 40-year-old said after a typically exhausting work day that ended at midnight. Rashed is the founder and head of Mersal, a five-year-old health care charity whose name has done the rounds on social media in recent weeks for saving the lives of hundreds of coronavirus patients. Since May, she has been leading a nine-strong emergency team that has stepped forward to help in the gruelling battle against the highly contagious disease, as the rising caseload strains medical services in the country of over 100 million people. The charity has taken on the daunting task of securing hospital beds and expensive intensive care unit (ICU) spots for coronavirus cases or those suffering from severe pneumonia caused by COVID-19. As the epidemic accelerates and the disease progresses, these beds are in rising demand, especially because of the breathing problems the illness can bring. Mersals coronavirus team has direct round-the-clock access to an operation room designated by health authorities for the coronavirus crisis that has a helpline, and is working together with ten private hospitals in Greater Cairo. We first reach out to the 105 [room]; if they find us an available bed in a state hospital, we direct the patient to it. If there is pressure, we send them to a private hospital until they secure a place in a government hospital, or until they recover and are discharged, Rashed told Ahram Online. Every day, the organisation receives some 2,000-3,000 calls and social media messages. Of those, some 50 people are added daily to a waitlist for critical care beds -- now totalling around 300. The high numbers mean the team must perform triage to decide who deserves a place first, with priority usually given to those in serious condition, Rashed says. While concerns are rising about how the countrys already faltering and under-resourced health care system will handle the surge of an average of 1,400 new infections daily in recent weeks, authorities have repeatedly assured the public that the hospital system is not running out of beds. Last week, Egypts health minister said that the occupancy rate at quarantine hospitals was at 59 percent and intensive care beds were at 71 percent nationwide. Out of the 35,000 beds in the 376 Egyptian hospitals currently dealing with coronavirus patients, only 6,500 were occupied, minister Hala Zayed said last month. She stressed that beds were still available in Cairo despite its high rate of infections and that complaints about lack of beds had dropped recently. Until a couple of weeks ago, a lot of people were calling us saying they cannot find a place. We had a very long waiting list, said Ayman Soliman, an internist and critical care doctor at the Abbasiya fever hospital, the countrys first and major frontline facility in the battle against the virus. But he says things have changed significantly after the country designated over 300 general hospitals to receive coronavirus cases. There is a big difference now; the numbers [of those needing beds] are not as high, even with the steady rise in infections, and the waiting time is a lot shorter. Saving lives Over the past month, Mersal has offered more than 400 patients intensive care beds, mostly in private hospitals, while covering all or part of the cost. Marwa Refaats 66-year-old father was one such patient. He had spent nine days in isolation at home before he started having trouble breathing and his oxygen level deteriorated. He was being given oxygen at home as the family scrambled to hunt for a bed. They reached out to four state hospitals and special government helplines, but to no avail, with one hospital turning them down. Refaat posted a dire plea on social media at night, and the following afternoon, she was contacted by the Mersal team, who told her they had found her father a bed at a private hospital. Her father spent 11 days at hospital, five in the ICU. Mersal fully covered the cost without querying if the family could have afforded it or not. I would have lost him if it wasnt for them, Refaat said. Intensive care beds at private hospitals are expensive, costing between EGP10,000-50,000 (approx. $620-3,100) a day, Rashed and others say. There is an exaggeration in prices. But we have no other option. The alternative is that people will die, Rashed said, adding that some facilities had offered them a discount of up to 30 percent. Mersal has also helped around three dozen COVID-19 sufferers find beds at state hospitals strained by the rising influx of patients. It now has its own 20-bed ICU unit that came into operation in late May. The charity, which is entirely reliant on social media to draw donors, now runs a telemedicine Facebook group for suspected coronavirus cases and self-isolating patients which has drawn 350,000 followers and which helps hundreds of people every day. It has also given a number of life-saving ventilators and supplies of protective gear to several hospitals nationwide. But the team, who are working round-the-clock rotating shifts to make sure they are reachable 24/7, are grappling with another challenge. The unrelenting mental pressure of battling the pandemic on the frontline has exacted a toll on many of them, who have seen patients succumb to a disease that has killed more than 3,000 in the country. Sometimes I feel like I cannot handle that amount of calls, deaths, and cries. I just break down. Its a terrible mental pressure, Rashed says. When this happens, she opts to stay away from her phone for a bit and have more proper sleep, while having one of her colleagues take her place. But the following day Im back to the circuit. We cant take a break at such a time. There are, however, many victories that keep the staff going. For Rashed, one such moment was when a 10-year-old patient, already suffering from an autoimmune disease and in dire condition, was admitted to hospital. Not all hospitals accept such cases. We were a bundle of nerves until we found him a bed. It was a happy day. Short link: One of the most prominent young pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong has fled the city after the Beijing-backed law passed, restricting political freedom and threatening to extradite suspects to mainland China. Fleeing activist According to BBC, a one-time student leader and local legislator Nathan Law, who was imprisoned in 2014 after the "Umbrella Protests," fled the city of Hong Kong but would continue his advocacy activities internationally. Two days after China passed the controversial new security law, Law announced he had left the city and said Beijing's new legislation undermines freedoms. Still, the capital had since ignored the statements. Those who oppose the law, which punishes on secession, subversion, and terrorism with up to lifetime imprisonment, say the law erodes freedom of Hong Kong. On Tuesday after the new law was announced, Law revealed he was stepping down from Demosito Party that he co-founded along with Joshua Wong, a well-known activist in Hong Kong. Law noted the law would be the beginning of a "bloody cultural revolution." Law, on Wednesday, talked to a US Congressional hearing via videolink about Hong Kong. The activist told American officials he was concerned about returning to the city as he feared the Chinese capital would imprison him. The activist wrote a statement that said he had already fled the territory but would continue his pro-democracy overseas. He noted he would not be revealing too much information on his whereabouts and activities amid the risk of exposing himself to Beijing, as reported by NPR. Also Read: China's New Law Allows Life Imprisonment in Hong Kong, Multiple Protesters Arrested on First Day of Passing The National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), China's top legislative body, passed the new law that Beijing drafted for Hong Kong on Tuesday, which was immediately adopted by the city's officials. Experts consider the law to be the final step in ending Hong Kong's "one nation, two systems" agreement from 1997 when the British colony transferred control of the territory to China's jurisdiction. International refugee assistance According to The Guardian, there are nearly three million residents in Hong Kong. They possess British national overseas status (BNO) that Boris Johnson promised would be given the right to settle in the UK. One woman said she was contemplating between returning to Hong Kong or waiting for updates to the BNO status. The woman also noted her concerns over returning to the city as she fears she would not be allowed to come back to the UK. To assist fleeing refugees, the United States had proposed a specific refugee assistance plan. In contrast, Australia has revealed it would soon reveal an announcement. Taiwan dedicated an office to help Hong Kong citizens fleeing the city and announced it already had more than 180 inquiries. On the other hand, Taipei updated its travel advice, cautioning travelers who plan to go through the city of Hong Kong. Law's colleague, Wong, posted on social media expressing his gratitude to Law and all that he has done and shared he knew how difficult the decision to leave their beloved city was for his friend. When asked if he had plans to flee Hong Kong, Wong refused to answer about his plans, though actual plans of leaving the city are hampered by a bail pending a court case for allegedly assisting an official spread flyers. Related Article: China Unanimously Passes Restrictive Law Limiting Hong Kong's political Freedom @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Babies born before the Covid-19 lockdown could be missing out on crucial developmental checks because of the pandemic. New data from the HSE reveals health checks by public health nurses on new babies were down 36pc compared with the year before. After a baby is born, a public health nurse may call to visit within 72 hours of the mother being discharged from the maternity hospital. This visit is used to carry out key checks on the baby's health. They can be used to spot any disabilities or problems with the baby's hearing or eyesight. In 2019, there were around 18,119 developmental checks on newborn babies in the month of April. This is largely in line with the figure of 18,243 for the year before. However, in April 2020 the number of visits had reduced to 11,569, a reduction of 36pc. The HSE said that this was because "as all non-essential clinical work was suspended in March 2019 due to Covid-19". "This included all routine child developmental screening and surveillance," it said. A public health nurse will also call to check on the baby at around three months, then between seven and nine months and also between 18 and 24 months. Toddlers can also be visited around the age of three. The visits are to make sure that babies are growing properly and able to meet the same developmental goals as other children their age. Visits could help identify possible underlying problems which babies could have that could damage their ability to grow and learn, and help babies who may need further specialist examination. Figures were not available for the number of developmental checks for older babies that were carried out in 2020. "The HSE has developed a formal programme of work under the governance of the chief clinical officer and chief operations officer, namely the continuity of system wide healthcare services steering group," said Siobhan McArdle, the head of operations for primary care. "The focus is to plan the recommencement of the delivery of non-Covid services to address ongoing clinical demands while maintaining capacity for Covid-19 rapid response. "All service areas including baby developmental checks are considered as part of this planning process and it should be noted that child health is considered a strategic priority in considerations around service continuity and recovery." The figures were released by the HSE following a parliamentary question from Louise O'Reilly, Sinn Fein's spokeswoman for health. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (left) and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill during the funeral of senior Irish Republican Bobby Storey in west Belfast. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has apologised for the hurt caused by photographs of busy pathways at the funeral of Bobby Storey in west Belfast earlier this week. The party has been caught up in controversy over social distancing concerns at the funeral and photographs from the funeral in west Belfast showed hundreds lining streets. Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald, her predecessor Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein Vice-President Michelle O'Neill, the party's finance spokesman Pearse Doherty, and MLAs Conor Murphy and Gerry Kelly, were among the mourners. The PSNI is conducting an investigation over the social distancing concerns. Read More Can I firstly say that I am acutely conscious of everyone who has lost a loved one and buried them in the most difficult and heart-breaking and lonely of circumstances at the heart of the pandemic, the party leader said on Newstalk Breakfast. The very fact that people could not have church services if that is what they wished or even enter cemeteries or crematoriums was incredibly, incredibly hard. Expand Close Funeral: Senior members of Sinn Fein including Mary Lou McDonald, Gerry Adams, and Michelle ONeill at the funeral. Photo: Liam McBurney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Funeral: Senior members of Sinn Fein including Mary Lou McDonald, Gerry Adams, and Michelle ONeill at the funeral. Photo: Liam McBurney Can I also say that I do understand that looking at the images of very busy pathways in west Belfast and taking all of that in obviously has jolted and has caused some hurt among some of those families and for that I am very sorry. That certainly would never have been my intention or Michelles intention or, let it be said, the intention of the Storey family as they laid Bobby to rest." While the DUP has called on Sinn Fein Vice President and deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill to step down, in a statement this morning, she said that she kept to all regulations at the funeral, despite a photograph of her taking a selfie with supporters has circulated online. If the regulations had prevented me from attending his funeral I would have obeyed those regulations. At the funeral and mass I kept to the regulations as I have advised others to do. The PSNI will look into all of this, she said. She also said she was sorry for grieving families experiencing more hurt. Expand Close A crowd listens to former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams speak during the funeral of senior Irish Republican and former leading IRA figure Bobby Storey at Milltown Cemetery in west Belfast. PA Photo. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A crowd listens to former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams speak during the funeral of senior Irish Republican and former leading IRA figure Bobby Storey at Milltown Cemetery in west Belfast. PA Photo. I have listened carefully to the voices of those who have lost loved ones. No familys grief is more important than another. I am particularly concerned that grieving families, who have lost a loved one during the pandemic had their heartache compounded by the necessary restrictions which were in place at that time. Not being able to have their family and friends support to help them through was hugely difficult. I am also concerned that those grieving families are experiencing more hurt over recent days. I am sorry for that, she said. Stephen Donnelly with his fellow co-leaders in the Social Democrats in 2015. Photo by Gareth Chaney On the campaign trail: Stephen Donnelly talks to Marguerite Deegan while canvassing for Fianna Fail in Greystone, Co Wicklow during the general election this year. Picture by Gerry Mooney When Stephen Donnelly became a TD nine years ago as a complete unknown, he found the world of politics utterly bewildering. He said it felt like jumping on to a fast-moving train, blindfolded, while balancing a full tray of drinks and debating the speed and condition of the train with the driver. On his first day at Leinster House, the man who trained at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government was so unfamiliar with the surroundings that he turned up at the Natural History Museum next door by mistake. He was redirected from the stuffed elephants in the dead zoo to the stuffed shirts in Leinster House - and so began the career of a politician whose star has sometimes dazzled and at other times faded. Expand Close Stephen Donnelly with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin in 2018 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stephen Donnelly with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin in 2018 If Donnelly found the existence of a newly elected independent backbench TD precarious, what will he make of his new post in perhaps the most difficult job in government as Minister for Health? Hardly any minister has come out of the job with an enhanced reputation, and for most occupants it is an exercise in damage limitation before they move on to safer pastures. Read More In appointing Donnelly, Taoiseach Micheal Martin has placed his confidence and trust in a deputy who has never held any other political office. The 44-year-old will manage an annual budget of 20bn in a dysfunctional health service where some of the administrative systems are less efficient than the average corner shop. He will be responsible for steering the ship of State through the greatest health crisis in its history, and he takes on the role just three years after he joined a party that he only recently abhorred. When he first came into the Dail, he declared: "Take a look at Fianna Fail policies for the past 15 years and tell me you don't see serious incompetence." Expand Close Stephen Donnelly after getting elected as TD in 2011. Photo by Michael Kelly / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stephen Donnelly after getting elected as TD in 2011. Photo by Michael Kelly He suggested in 2013: "I don't think FF has coherent policies." A year later, he quoted approvingly a walking companion who referred to Fianna Fail's "culture of jobs for the boys, bonuses for the boys, lack of accountability and two fingers to the Dail". Now, Fianna Fail has a serious job for Donnelly, and many of the other boys and perhaps the odd girl in the party have their noses out of joint after the new ministerial appointments. They have not taken kindly to being supplanted by an arriviste who has clearly impressed Martin with his neat line in mid-Atlantic management consultant patter. "People who dedicated their lives to Fianna Fail have been overlooked for a f*****g Social Democrat," one TD told the Irish Independent this week, referring to the party Donnelly left three years ago before joining Fianna Fail. In February 2016, as a co-founder of the fledgling Social Democrats, Donnelly said: "We must challenge the stale cartel of Irish Civil War politics." That was then. Clearly, he has decided that the best way to challenge the cartel is from within. Expand Close Stephen Donnelly with his fellow co-leaders in the Social Democrats in 2015. Photo by Gareth Chaney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stephen Donnelly with his fellow co-leaders in the Social Democrats in 2015. Photo by Gareth Chaney The TD, who spent the early part of his career working for McKinsey, the US management consultancy firm, inspires sharply contrasting opinions among those who have encountered him in politics and elsewhere. There are plenty of admirers and friends who testify to his brilliance. According to friends, Donnelly is a policy wonk who likes nothing better than a graph, a pie chart or a Powerpoint display. Civil servants in his office can expect a whiteboard full of lists and diagrams. In a typical Donnelly scenario, he will ponder a complicated set of problems and then break them down into simple solutions in an accent that veers between Dublin 4 and Massachusetts: "We need to do three things..." Read More On Donnelly's appointment this week, the respected cancer specialist and former senator Professor John Crown gave him a ringing endorsement, describing him as the most impressive parliamentarian he had met during his time in the Oireachtas. The oncologist expressed delight that Donnelly is in cabinet as Minister for Health. He welcomed his technocratic training and told Review: "He is extremely bright with an analytical mind, and he is very good at getting to the core of a problem. "He brings an unusual curriculum vitae into Irish politics and scientific level of knowledge of problems that will be a breath of fresh air. It is very important that he doesn't let himself be pushed around by the civil servants. He will be less overawed going into the job than others might have been." Micheal Martin clearly rates him highly and, having overlooked more seasoned campaigners, the Taoiseach has a lot riding on the Wicklow TD's success. The party leader went out of his way to attract him to Fianna Fail after that stint in the Social Democrats, and placed him straight on the front bench as the spokesman on Brexit, the biggest issue of that period. Then in 2018, Martin appointed him as health spokesman, where he was able to highlight one of Fine Gael's weakest links in government. Long-time observers were impressed by the way he grilled officials and his opposite number Simon Harris, who also comes from Greystones and went to the same school, St David's. "He was very impressive in committees and he ensured that the hard questions were asked," said one seasoned health analyst. "He is good at highlighting the inadequacies of the health service." Civil servants will watch with interest his relationship with Jim Breslin, the secretary general of the Department of Health. They have had some tense encounters at Oireachtas committees. On one occasion, during the CervicalCheck controversy, Donnelly asked the top civil servant the same question five times: why were audits on a number of women's smear tests not brought to the attention of the Minister for Health? While he is one of the Dail's more fluent speakers, at times he has had a poor attendance record at committees. In 2015, he had one of the worst attendance rates at the Oireachtas finance committee, with official records showing he was present at only six out of 27 meetings. Others who have encountered Donnelly are much more sceptical. One official who worked with him in the Social Democrats, where there was an acrimonious parting of the ways, said: "Donnelly is all talk and hot air. He is the kind of guy who breezes in, gives a great interview and then vanishes, but what has he actually delivered? If he gets his teeth into something and he is obsessive about it, he will do quite well, but he doesn't put in the hard graft." Donnelly is given credit for highlighting the obscure tax loopholes that vulture funds could use to slash their tax bill by claiming charitable status. While he is one of the Dail's more fluent speakers, at times he has had a poor attendance record at committees. In 2015, he had one of the worst attendance rates at the Oireachtas finance committee, with official records showing he was present at only six out of 27 meetings. He said at the time that he had been busy setting up the Social Democrats, and complained that he was frustrated by the then government's rejection of opposition amendments. Taking a swipe at Donnelly in the Dail in 2016, the former minister Pat Rabbitte referred to his previous employment with McKinsey. Rabbitte said that all young deputies should do "a few months" there. "It does wonders for one's self-confidence, if not for one's economics or one's attendance at committee meetings," the former Labour leader added. Others who have worked with him said the work-shy image is misleading, and that he put in long hours. Rival politicians and commentators like to ridicule his high-powered education and experience at McKinsey. A friend of the minister says: "I heard him remarking one time that only in Ireland would an education in Harvard be held against you." There may be some envy among rivals that he did not have to serve the long and arduous apprenticeship of a conventional politician. He has weaved a narrative of his own life story as the man who gave up a lucrative management consultancy job to save the country. In the past, Donnelly has described himself as an "accidental politician". He defied expectations in 2011 by getting elected in Wicklow without any political experience. A close friend said: "He decided to run with just six weeks' notice and I would have expected him to get about 300 votes." The TD, who spent his early childhood in Dundrum, has highlighted different motivations for putting his name forward. Three years ago, he credited Boris Johnson for playing a role in inspiring him to be a politician. Before he entered the Dail, Donnelly worked for McKinsey in London, and his last assignment was for Johnson, who was London mayor. His team carried out a study for the future prime minister, figuring out how to target philanthropic money at disadvantaged parts of the British capital, and helped to set up a volunteering scheme. Donnelly reportedly thought to himself: "This is what politics should be." When he met Johnson in London three years ago as part of an Oireachtas Brexit delegation, he told him: "You are partly responsible for me being here today." While at McKinsey, he worked on other public administration projects and he had a stint at Transport for London. He was also motivated to take the plunge into Irish politics when the International Monetary Fund landed in Ireland as the country went bankrupt. Donnelly had studied the workings of the IMF at Harvard. In an interview with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Donnelly said another factor that motivated him to take an interest in public policy was watching news footage of the Ethiopian famine when he was a child. "Social justice, human rights and equality form part of my political identity, but it started with the horror of a nine-year-old seeing other children being allowed to starve and die in a world full of food," he said. Donnelly's mother worked in a reformatory for young girls and at Ballinteer Community School before starting a private career guidance practice. His father worked for Hickey's Fabrics in Dublin, and Donnelly helped him on school holidays. Although he broke his back in his 20s while out sailing, and that has limited his movement, he remains a fitness enthusiast. He does triathlons and likes to follow Joe Wicks' video exercises with his three boys. Donnelly was homeschooling the children during lockdown. Growing up, he enjoyed sailing, scouting and swimming and he has a black belt in taekwondo, which has come in useful on occasions. "When you're a young kid growing up in Ireland with a big red afro, you end up in a few fights," he said in an interview. "I nearly got killed in Australia at least once [and] to be honest, martial arts actually turned out to be really, really important. I didn't start any of them by the way, but sometimes you have to defend yourself." Donnelly will have to be able to defend himself in other ways as he tries to get to grips with the unwieldy health ministry. Now that he is at the top table in health, he can expect an avalanche of criticism and abuse online and elsewhere. Apart from the coronavirus, he will face the usual health problems: overcrowded hospitals, spiralling costs and shortages of doctors and nurses. His defection from the Social Democrats to Fianna Fail and the brickbats that followed might have prepared him for that. In a memorable interview with Vincent Browne, he was accused of being "utterly careerist and shameless". Browne said: "You excoriated Fianna Fail in your columns in the Sunday Independent on several occasions. You joined Fianna Fail obviously because you think your chance of getting a ministerial job is enhanced." Donnelly denied this, and at other times said there was no deal with Martin where he was promised a job. But one of the points of difference between him and the Social Democrats after the election of 2016 was that he was keen to go into government. A friend said he would never be content to sit on the backbenches forever and was keen to get into government to make changes: "He took a 40pc pay cut to be a TD, and if he was still in McKinsey, he'd probably be earning double the income he will be making as a minister." Now he faces the ultimate test. The time for talking is over. His priority will be to manage the Covid-19 pandemic. Anthony Staines, professor of health systems at Dublin City University, says: "He will have to decide if he wants to bring the virus down to zero or struggle on with it for the foreseeable future." Quite apart from the coronavirus, he will face the usual health problems: overcrowded hospitals, spiralling costs and shortages of doctors and nurses. Donnelly will not find it easy to deal with the health department, says Prof Staines. "It will be about making a culture where getting things done is valued," he says. "Their internal processes are archaic; they still pass everything around in little paper files. It's intensely hierarchical and intensely territorial and none of these things are conducive to effective working." As he tries to introduce the universal healthcare system known as Slaintecare, he has indicated that his aim is to ensure that the service is accessible, maintains high quality and is affordable. As one commentator remarked: "The task ahead of him is like trying to repair an airliner while it is in flight." If he succeeds, the results may not be known for four or five years. If he fails, he could be consigned to political oblivion, along with his patron Micheal Martin. Leo Varadkar is getting his own personal military aide as he beefs up his role as Tanaiste. Mr Varadkar is strengthening his presence in the coalition with an Office of the Tanaiste in Government Buildings, allied to his portfolio as Business Minister. Read More The move will see Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Mr Varadkar operate more akin to the first minister and deputy first minister in Northern Ireland. In a break with protocol, the Tanaiste will join the Taoiseach and President in having his own aide-de-camp (ADC) - an Army officer who accompanies him to official events. The move comes at a time when Defence Forces staffing is under intense pressure. The Fine Gael leader will retain many of the trappings of the Taoiseach's office he surrendered last weekend. The post was advertised internally this week by the Defence Forces, inviting applications for an "ADC type role with An Tanaiste". Officers are being told the posting will be for a minimum of two years. The officer selected will be reassigned from their existing duties. However, the Tanaiste won't be getting an officer at the same high rank as the President, whose ADC is a colonel, or the Taoiseach, who is attended by a commandant. The Tanaiste's ADC will be an Army captain or Naval service lieutenant. Mr Varadkar's new office sees the return of a structure in place during the 1990s. Then Tanaiste and Labour Party leader Dick Spring set up a formal Office of the Tanaiste, which gave an enhanced presence to the junior party in Government Buildings. Mr Varadkar will use it to liaise primarily with Fine Gael ministers. It will operate parallel to the Taoiseach's office. The Tanaiste's spokesman said yesterday: "Under the Partnership Government, the Taoiseach and Tanaiste will both be conducting a number of public roles including State occasions. "Consequently both the Taoiseach and Tanaiste will retain an ADC in order to fulfil the greater level of representation at public functions and other duties. The role will be filled by an existing officer at no extra expense to taxpayers." Last Sunday, Mr Varadkar's first official duty as Tanaiste was attending a commemoration for the 1920 India Mutiny, in which the Connaught Rangers mutinied in India in support of Irish independence. David McCullagh and Caitriona Perry who will begin presenting RTE's flagship Six One News in September 2020. RTE broadcaster and Prime Time presenter David McCullagh will join the Six One News from September as a permanent presenter from this September. Mr McCullagh, who also presents the This Week programme on Radio One, will join Caitriona Perry on the flagship programme from autumn. He has worked on Prime Time for seven years and is a former political correspondent. Director of RTE News & Current Affairs Jon Williams called Mr McCullagh one of Ireland's most formidable journalists." There could be no-one better equipped to join Caitriona on Six One as Ireland emerges from this emergency facing some difficult challenges, and heads towards the centenary of the foundation of the State, he said. Mr McCullagh said that he is looking forward to starting his new role. He takes over the role from Keelin Shanley, who sadly passed away earlier this year. After seven very enjoyable years on Prime Time, I'm really looking forward to joining Caitriona on the Six One News and continuing the work of our much loved colleague Keelin Shanley," he said. Expand Close Keelin Shanley and Caitriona Perry in the New RTE News Studio . / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Keelin Shanley and Caitriona Perry in the New RTE News Studio . Over the last few months the need for accurate information has never been greater, and viewers have turned to RTE News and Current Affairs in astonishing numbers. We aim to continue meeting that need, bringing viewers all the news of the day, as well as the big interviews that get to the heart of the issues." He graduated with a PhD in Politics from University College Dublin and began his career at the Evening Press from 1989. He joined RTE in 1993 as reporter and went on to be a Political Correspondent at the station for 12 years before joining Prime Time in 2013. In 2018, he rejoined the This Week team on RTE Radio 1 as a presenter of Ireland's longest running current affairs programme. Mr McCullagh has also authored four books: A Makeshift Majority: the first Inter-party Government (1998) The Reluctant Taoiseach: A biography of John A. Costello (2010) and a two volume biography of Eamon de Valera, Rise (2017) and Rule (2018). David has also researched and presented Behind Closed Doors, on the release of State Papers under the 30 year rule, Declaring the Republic and Election '18 recreating the results of the 1918 general election. He is author of four books: Co-presenter Caitriona Perry welcomed the news: "David brings vast experience as a presenter and as a correspondent to the Six One News. I'm very excited about our new partnership and look forward to working with him and the team to take the programme into the next phase." Expand Close Catriona Perry / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Catriona Perry She has been an anchor of the programme since 2018 and was a Washington Correspondent prior to her appointment, where she covered the Berkeley tragedy, US Presidential election and Inauguration. Ms Perry has also previously spent time as an editor and reporter on the News at One radio programme and as a newscaster for RTE Radio 1, RTE 2FM and RTE lyric fm, and occasional presenter of RTE News Specials, RTE Morning Ireland and several special Nationwide programmes on Canada, Australia and the Irish in the White House. A Ryanair flight en route from Berlin to Athens made an emergency landing at Thessaloniki airport on Friday with 164 people on board, Greek authorities said. The flight issued a distress signal and sought permission to make an emergency landing while flying over the Halkidiki region of Greece, the civil protection ministry said. The ministry said the crew had reported a fire, but a Ryanair spokeswoman said the emergency had been triggered by an "unidentified odour in the cockpit and cabin" and that there had been no fire. Emergency protocols were deployed and the aircraft landed safely at Thessaloniki's Macedonia airport, where 157 ticketed passengers, an infant and six members of the crew disembarked, the ministry said. In a statement, Ryanair apologised to passengers, who it said boarded a replacement aircraft to Athens within two hours. It is currently unknown if there were any Irish passengers on board. More to follow... Ryanair has promised a rapid progress in clearing the backlog and issuing refunds for flights cancelled from March to June as a result of government imposed flight restrictions. The airline has promised to clear 90pc of its backlog by the end of July with rapid progress in processing customer refunds for flights cancelled during the period from March to June as a result of Government imposed Covid-19 flight cancellations. Additional staff have been trained to deal with the backlog and according to Ryanair, since offices in Dublin reopened on June 1, all March cash refund requests were cleared and at the end of June, half of April cash refunds were complete. It aims to process the balance of April cash refunds by mid-July and by the end of the month, process all May and most of Junes cash refunds. These refunds also include passengers who have accepted travel vouchers and, or, changed flights operated by Ryanair in July, August and September. Over 90pc of passengers who booked directly with Ryanair and who requested a cash refund for travel between March and June will receive their refunds before the end of July, said the airlines CEO, Eddie Wilson. Ryanair has also called on screenscraping online travel agents to provide accurate details of their unauthorised bookings so Ryanair can also process these refunds. It is worrying however that a significant rump of our customers, who made bookings through unauthorised 3rd party screenscrapers or online travel agencies, have yet to receive their refunds because the OTAs gave Ryanair fake email addresses or virtual credit card details for these customers, added Mr Wilson. The airline has previously been involved in court cases involving online travel agents. Now, it claims that a significant minority of refunds are being blocked due to online travel agents using fake email addresses and virtual credit cards which cannot be traced back to the consumer. We are highlighting this fact to the regulators in Ireland (CAR) and in the UK (CAA) as this demonstrates yet again why urgent regulation of unauthorised screenscrapers is needed to ensure that these unauthorised intermediaries provide airlines with accurate email addresses and valid payment details for customers so we can process cash refunds to these customers promptly and efficiently, said Mr Wilson. We will continue to process these cash refunds as fast as we can, and would encourage any customers who havent yet requested a cash refund, to do so with our Customer Service team and we will process their request as quickly as possible, he added. Thousands of messages of thanks have poured in for the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Tony Holohan after he announced last night that he would be temporarily stepping aside from his role due to his wife Emers illness. Speaking at last nights press conference, Dr Holohan thanked the public for its support. "A plan has been put in place for others to take responsibility for different aspects of my role. "As a husband and father and doctor, I am conscious we have been through tough times in recent months and many families have been affected by the course of Covid-19 suffering pain and the loss of loved ones, he said. Expand Close Dr Tony Holohan. Picture: Colin Keegan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dr Tony Holohan. Picture: Colin Keegan I would like to thank everyone for their support, understanding and respect for my familys privacy and would wish that to continue. Read More Since then, the Irish public has taken to social media channels to pay its tributes and thank the health chief for his service. Calls have been made for Dublin's Freedom of the City to be bestowed to the CMO by Fine Gael Councillor Danny Byrne. "I have today called on Lord Mayor Chu to bestow the freedom of Dublin on Dr Tony Holohan," he said in a statement. "Dr Holohan has worked tirelessly for many months now and everyone in the country has been assured by his calm and professional demeanour. Originally from Dublin, this I am quite sure will be a very special honour for Dr Holohan," he added. The hashtag #ThankYouTony has been trending on Twitter since last night, including tributes from politicians and well-known figures. Thank you Tony Holohan for being our beacon in so many days of darkness. A gentleman, an amazing public servant and a hero, wrote newly-appointed Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu. Thank you Tony Holohan @CMOIreland for being our beacon in so many days of darkness. A gentleman, an amazing public servant and a hero. Wishing you and your family well and we hope you all have people to help lift your burdens the same way you lifted ours. #ThankYouTony https://t.co/rLcBKu3hRS Hazel Chu (@hazechu) July 2, 2020 Wishing you and your family well and we hope you all have people to help lift your burdens the same way you lifted ours. One mother, Niamh Slack shared a letter that Dr Holohan had sent to her daughter after she wrote to him, which encouraged her to keep washing her hands and urging her to look after her brothers. In the middle of everything, when things were at their worst, you took the time to write to our little girl, wrote Ms Slack. In the middle of everything, when things were at their worst, you took the time to write to our little girl.#ThankYouTony pic.twitter.com/So2dQ5Pl84 Niamh Slack (@NiamhCorrimbla) July 2, 2020 A patriot to his fingertips. A public servant, wrote Labour TD Aodhan ORiordain. Broadcaster Sile Seoige said she was struggling to find the words to express my gratitude and heartbreak over this. We never know what's going on in someone else's life. May he and his family find peace and be given privacy, she wrote. Virgin Media reporter Zara King said she would like to wish Dr Tony Holohan & his family well. None of us know what anyone else is going through. He remained a constant presence during this very difficult time for the country, answering questions from reporters every evening. Unbelievably tragic news, thank you for all you have done to keep the rest of us safe throughout this crisis, wrote barrister and Irish Independent columnist Colette Browne. Unbelievably tragic news, thank you for all you have done to keep the rest of us safe throughout this crisis. Colette Browne (@colettebrowne) July 2, 2020 Last night, Taoiseach Micheal Martin also thanked the CMO. His work, experience and briefings helped people to understand the gravity of the situation facing us, while his calmness reassured us that if we followed the guidelines and advice we would overcome these great challenges together. Every home in Ireland has come to know Dr. Tony Holohan. His leadership during the pandemic has given us all confidence that the decisions being made are based on solid public health advice. As a country we owe him and his family a great debt of gratitude. Tanaiste Leo Varadkar also expressed his gratitude: Thank you Tony. For months everyone in Ireland has felt safe because you were looking after our families. As you step back, know that all of us stand behind you and your wonderful family. Well meet again soon. Thank you Tony. For months everyone in Ireland has felt safe because you were looking after our families. As you step back, know that all of us stand behind you and your wonderful family. Weall meet again soon https://t.co/2a1FTkDVNI Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) July 2, 2020 Presenter Muireann OConnell sent her best wishes. Tony was in front of us, almost everyday, giving us the morbid & truly horrible news of how many people had died, patiently answering questions and managing to be a bit of craic & he had all this going on at home. Sending best wishes to his wife Emer & their family, she wrote. After the alleged suicide of child-abuser Jeffrey Epstein last year, his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been arrested for suspicions of conspiring with Epstein to entice young girls into committing sexual activities. Connections to the rich and powerful According to The New York Post, experts believe that her guilt and involvement in the crimes is undeniable and that the only question that remains is if the federal government keeps her alive to stand in the trial. Before his death, Epstein was considered to be the most high-value inmate in federal custody. The criminal had ties to powerful men who would lose nearly everything if they were to be exposed. In the chance that Maxwell dies while in federal custody, the government would take a hit that would scar its reputation forever. Maxwell believes she will be able to go free with how many hidden secrets she has on several influential individuals. The confidant of the billionaire pedophile remains convinced that she can eventually clear her name of all allegations with the power she has over the rich and powerful. While she was hiding from law enforcement, she confidently kept in touch with her friends as she was residing with wealthy associates, as previously reported by The Sun. Maxwell's friend, Laura Goldman, previously stated that the arrested woman believes she can get away with the crimes and clear her family name to return to high society once again after the dust has settled. Also Read: Fact Check: Photos of Donald Trump with Ghislaine Maxwell Following Sexual Abuse Charges Real? Forever hidden by accomplices Goldman also said Maxwell had rich connections that would keep her hidden from the public eye and take care of her legal fees for her. Adding she can hide for as long as she desires. The friend also claims that Maxwell must have some haunting secrets on several people to be so sure of herself and her apparent freedom from the accusations of involvement in the crimes. After Epstein's death, Maxwell was allegedly relieved to have been freed of potential backlashes of the crimes the couple committed. Maxwell previously bragged about being the one responsible for getting Donald Trump and Melania together. Trump is among the most powerful connections tied with Epstein before his death, meaning Maxwell would also have been close with the wealthy republican. They are also connected to Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, as reported by The Daily Beast. The former New York City stockbroker, Goldman, used to be in the same posse that included the couple but had a falling out with the group after the arrest of the financier in 2008. Since the case involving Epstein that led to his arrest, Maxwell has only been photographed once when she was seen in a Los Angeles burger joint. Several others have noted that Epstein took the easy way out with his suicide and urged the public to make sure that Maxwell does not continue feeling safe with all the crimes she has had a hand in. Related Article: Jeffrey Epstein's Friend Ghislaine Maxwell Arrested by FBI in Sex Trafficking Probe @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Plans to build a treetop sky-bridge, visitor centre and cafe at the historic Hellfire Club Dublin have been met with consternation. Here's why it's caused such controvery Q: Why is the site of Dublins notorious Hellfire Club getting some people hot under the collar again? Read More A: Because the area where a group of 18th-century Irish aristocrats allegedly gathered to worship Satan is in line for a makeover and many locals wish it wasnt. Last week An Bord Pleanala gave the green light to a new development at the forest lands around Montpelier Hill near Rathfarnham. South Dublin County Council is promising to create a vibrant tourist attraction for around 20m, but objectors claim it would be a white elephant instead and have indicated that they will fight the decision in court. Read More Q: Was the Hellfire Club as sinister as it sounds? A: Thats hard to say, since none of its members ever wrote anything about it. They certainly had a terrible reputation, with the famous satirist Jonathan Swift condemning them as monsters, blasphemers and bacchanalians. Inspired by similar societies in England, the Irish Hellfire Club was founded around 1735 by Richard Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse. Nicknamed the King of Hell, he apparently liked dressing up as the devil but also occasionally received visitors stark naked. Parsons and his friends would gather in various watering holes around Dublin and drink scaltheen, a mixture of whiskey and hot butter. Q: What else did these charming characters get up to? A: According to rumour at least, their meetings featured black magic, Satanic masses and the occasional human sacrifice. Stories about them include a priest being called in to exorcise a black cat and a young woman being rolled down the hill in a blazing oak barrel. Perhaps the most famous involves a stranger calling to the door on a stormy night and joining a game of cards. When one player bent down to pick up a dropped card, he noticed that the new arrival had a cloven hoof. Q: Doesnt this suggest the Hellfire Club has more to do with myths and legends than hard facts? A: Yes, many historians suspect that it was really just a front for riotous boozing and gambling sessions. However, at least one member is definitely known to have been a multiple murderer. Henry Barry, the fourth Baron Barry of Santry, once forced a servant to drink a bottle of brandy, then set his bed on fire and watched the man die in agony. Expand Close Main room inside the Hellfire Club / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Main room inside the Hellfire Club Lord Santry escaped justice on that occasion by bribing the authorities, but after fatally stabbing a pub doorman he had to flee Ireland and live the rest of his life in exile. Q: How long did the Hellfire Club keep going? A: By the early 1740s, it had more or less fizzled out. A couple of members drank themselves to death and another had his head blown off by a cannonball at the Battle of Fontenoy in Belgium. Around 1771 there was a revival led by the adventurer and politician Thomas Buck Whaley, who later gave his name to a nightclub on Leeson Street. Rebranded as the Holy Fathers, this new group supposedly once kidnapped, murdered and ate a farmers daughter. After Whaleys demise in 1800, the Hellfire Club effectively disappeared. Q: What exactly is the connection with Montpelier Hill? A: Although the Hellfire Clubs favourite spot was actually the Eagle Tavern on Cork Hill near Dublin Castle, they also held some gatherings in a stone hunting lodge outside the city. This had been built by William Connolly, Speaker of the Irish Parliament, who supposedly offended Satan by destroying an ancient burial in the process. Today the house on Montpelier Hill is a ruin where anyone can stand and enjoy panoramic views over Dublin Bay and the Wicklow Mountains. Q: What does South Dublin County Council have planned for the area? A: A 1,000 square metre visitor centre, designed with the State forestry company Coillte (which owns the land) and the Dublin Mountains Project. The blueprint includes a 75-seat cafe, shop, changing facilities and exhibition space. There would also be a treetop sky-bridge, allowing walkers to cross over Killakee Road into Massys Wood estate. One of the developments biggest fans is former agriculture minister Michael Creed, who believes it will bring the Dublin Mountains to life. Expand Close The Hellfire Club at Killakee, near Rathfarnham / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Hellfire Club at Killakee, near Rathfarnham Q: Why do some people not like the sound of this? A: Essentially, Save the Hellfire (an umbrella organisation of residents and community groups) believes it is too grand a design for such a relatively small place (152 hectares). Campaigners are worried about traffic jams, since the plan predicts a boost in visitor numbers from 100,000 a year to 300,000. There are also fears over the forests wildlife, which includes bats, red squirrels, pine martens and Merlin birds. A petition against the project has been signed by more than 22,000 people. I have been and I remain implacably opposed to this development, the Independent Firhouse councillor Alan Edge posted on Facebook last Monday. You dont need a 22m-plus building in order to enjoy a wood. Q: Finally, where does the Hellfire Club dispute go from here? A: Were shattered, campaigner Elizabeth Davidson from Save the Hellfire admitted earlier this week. There is so much opposition to this and we have been fighting it for four years, but it seems we just havent been heard. The organisation is now examining An Bord Pleanalas ruling and considering the possibility of a legal appeal. Objectors point out that one of the boards own inspectors warned about significant concerns over the projects effects on biodiversity, although she also supported the principle of a visitor centre. Even if Save the Hellfires challenge is successful, architect Paul Keogh has told councillors that visitor numbers to the Dublin Mountains will keep growing anyway and therefore a do-nothing scenario is not sustainable. When construction work does begin on Montpelier Hill, however, builders will need an important qualification they must not be superstitious. THE hosepipe ban could be lifted within days after recent heavy rainfall eased pressure on water supplies. Irish Water is to review the ban early next week and may lift it in full or at least in parts of the country, although it warned that the recovery of water levels was fragile. All non-essential use of water has been banned under a water conservation order since early June after months of almost zero rainfall, and the order was to run until July 21. Dramatically changed weather over the last fortnight means the ban could now be cut short. Read More June saw rainfall levels soar well above norms - with sunshine levels well below average for the early summer at between 72pc and 79pc of usual values. Finner in Donegal witnessed the highest amount of rainfall last month at 170.3mm - some 236pc of the monthly rainfall value. The lowest monthly rainfall total was at Oak Park in Carlow which registered 40.5mm, 67pc of its normal level. Newport in Mayo recorded the highest single day of rainfall with 53.6mm which fell on May 28. Despite the turnaround in weather, water levels remain very low in some rivers and lakes that are the sources of public water supplies, with 22 still classified as being in drought and 63 at risk of drought. A meeting is scheduled between Irish Water, Met Eireann, the Office of Public Works , the Environmental Protection Agency and other bodies to discuss the next move. Irish Water managing director, Niall Gleeson, said the situation was evolving. While some areas of the country have had significant rainfall, it has not been equally distributed in all of the areas that are most in need, he said. It is encouraging to see the improvement in so many of the water sources, but this recovery is fragile. Thats why input from Met Eireann on the forecast and the OPW and EPA who monitor the levels of lakes and rivers is so important. Mr Gleeson praised the response of the public and businesses to the hosepipe ban and the appeals for water conservation, but he said the message was still relevant. It is still essential that members of the public continue to conserve water and form good household habits at this time. Any non-essential use of water should be discouraged, whether we are in a drought or not. Read More Long-suffering householders and 'stay-cationers' are set for yet more rain over the next few days before the weather improves slightly from Wednesday. Met Eireann's Joanna Donnelly said conditions will remain unsettled into next week. "Saturday will be another mostly cloudy day with scattered outbreaks of rain and drizzle. However, longer drier spells will occur too, with the best of these during the afternoon, especially across the midlands and east with the highest temperatures of 15C to 20 C," she said. "However, a deterioration in the weather will occur during the evening as wet and windy weather arrives in the west and northwest." "Sunday will see outbreaks of rain in the west and northwest, with the south and southeast faring better with perhaps some sunny spells developing." "Temperatures will be on the low side in the west and northwest at around 13C and up to 17C in the southeast." "On Monday there will be showers in the northwest but elsewhere will become drier with some sunshine breaking through later." "Temperatures will recover to near normal for the time of year with light to moderate west to northwest winds. Tuesday currently looks dry and sunny with light westerly winds and temperatures around normal for the time of year." Let's play my new board game called "Spot the spurned backbencher". No, on second thoughts that's too tricky, given lockdown board-game traumas. It's too fraught to present such a crowded field for prospective players. So straight to the point: Jim O'Callaghan TD, heavy-hitting lawyer and ambitious Fianna Fail politician, has bluntly declined an offer to play with the junior team. It's senior or nothing for James, who notably did not make the first team of government announced last Saturday. Well, no, that's not entirely the story. He actually says he is not playing junior because he wants to devote his energies to party matters. Just hark at this explanation. "I want to devote more time to strengthening our great party by making it a more attractive option for young voters," Mr O'Callaghan said on Wednesday night. "I also believe Fianna Fail needs strong voices outside government who can ensure that our party's identity can be protected during the term of this coalition government." Just what is he saying here? Well, he could be telling Micheal Martin, his party leader and Taoiseach, that he hopes everything goes well. But if not, sure, he'll be there anyway to deliver a bit of help. Maybe even help out the door. It seems he is also saying something similar to what the party's most open coalition opponent, Eamon O Cuiv, has been saying for some weeks. It is that Fianna Fail will suffer for coalescing with its old foes in Fine Gael and the new rural anti-Christs in the Green Party. The quintessential O Cuiv message is that when borrowed money goes scarce, and the demonstrable results for this three-party coalition slow down, then Sinn Fein's proven ability to be right about all that's wrong, will trump any Fianna Fail efforts to show results in government. It has a depressing ring of realpolitik about it, given recent developments. O Cuiv and O'Callaghan are not alone among Fianna Fail TDs, senators, and MEPs in taking that view of the nation's political future. None - not even Jim O'Callaghan - has so bluntly gone public in voicing those fears. But those fears persist in Fianna Fail circles despite a three-in-four vote by members in favour of the three-party government as announced last Friday night. So the reality is Jim O'Callaghan has chosen to sit on the socially distanced bank and watch developments. Mr O'Callaghan was at one stage close to Mr Martin. But that dynamic changed, and while he was a coalition negotiator in 2016, he was not involved in the process this time. Now the small number of people in Fianna Fail who visibly opposed this coalition need a figure around whom they can rally. O'Callaghan could be the one. There is, of course ,precedent here. In 1970, amid the torrid events of the Arms Trial, Charlie Haughey was banished to the Fianna Fail backbenches. And, once he got over the initial loss of office and perks, he began a long-range plan to replace then party leader and taoiseach Jack Lynch. Could we be looking at something similar here - allowing for vastly changed times and differences in the way we do our politics these days? Well, we may well hear the comparison being made more and more in the next couple of years, bearing in mind that Mr Martin's term as Taoiseach ends in December 2022. People generally need heroes of one kind or another and dissidents need a rallying figure. But the first thought many people will have is that Jim O'Callaghan "ain't no Charlie Haughey". When Haughey set out on his storied "rubber-chicken circuit" in the early 1970s he was already a proven and considerable Fianna Fail and national politician. Haughey had been a TD since 1957, and he had already served variously as justice, agriculture and finance minister. He was the son-in-law of the iconic taoiseach and Fianna Fail leader Sean Lemass. He was a household name. Jim O'Callaghan was finally elected to the Dail in February 2016 after some previous unsuccessful attempts in adverse circumstances. He had been a Dublin city councillor since 2009 and a party activist for some time before that. It's a record of party service - but it's hardly Haugheyesque. Two days ago Dublin should have hosted a last-16 match in soccer's Euro 2020 finals. Fans thronging the capital would have added to the usual high-season influx of tourists, making the city a riot of colour and revelry. Pubs would have been packed, pints would have flowed and hotel rooms would have been impossible to find. Things turned out very differently. Europe's quadrennial football tournament was postponed months ago. Instead of millions of foreign visitors pouring on to the island and spending billions, the nation's airports have been more like echoey mausoleums than the bustling hubs of humanity of times past. Ferries have been empty, apart from truckers hauling essential supplies. The last time so few people arrived on these shores over a three-month period was probably during World War II, when people also risked their lives coming and going (Nazi submarines, not a virus, were what troubled travellers then). The challenge now facing the tourism industry is difficult to overstate, as the 99pc collapse in arrivals shows. In May 2019, 1.8 million people landed at Irish airports and washed up at Irish ports, according to the CSO. This year there were only 28,000. Lockdown and something akin to a sealed border have, among other things, deprived businesses of their local and visiting customers. The AIB's Purchasing Managers' Index of Services shows that travel, tourism and hospitality recorded the steepest fall in activity of any sector. About 90pc of workers in accommodation and food services are on Covid unemployment payments or are having their wages subsidised by the State - the highest rate of all the economy's big sectors. The collapse is hardly surprising. Tourism relies on the congregation and movement of people - two of the worst spreaders of coronavirus. The UN World Tourism Organisation reckons that the number of international tourists globally could fall by 60-80pc in 2020, depending on how long restrictions last (and the predictions will be even worse if global normality has not pertained in January and February). Major setbacks to tourism are not new. Health scares, terrorist attacks, volcanic ash clouds and recessions have clobbered the industry in the past. The fact that it has always rebounded (sooner or later) bodes well for the long term - our desire to travel appears to trump our fears, most of the time. But this time is different. For comparison, arrivals to Ireland fell by only 0.4pc after the Sars virus outbreak in 2003 and by 4pc after the financial crisis in 2009 - mere blips compared with recent months. Controls on cross-border travel will make tourism much more reliant on the domestic market. The existential question for many businesses will be whether 'staycations' can replace missing foreign tourists. Will swapping Benidorm for Bundoran save the Irish tourism industry? Based on previous years, there is some cause for optimism. In 2019, Irish tourists spent more abroad (7.1bn) than foreign tourists spent in Ireland (5.2bn), according to international balance of payments data. In many European countries, the balance was reversed, with incoming foreigners spending much more than departing nationals. The difference was biggest in the Mediterranean. Most countries in Europe's southern sunbelt have no hope of having domestic holidaymakers fill the gap created by northern Europeans staying home in colder and greyer climes. A caveat about last year's data is that it was based on last year's economy. Lost earnings and employment will make many less willing, or unable, to take a holiday, whether at home or abroad. That means that everyone loses, one way or the other. Indeed, even if Covid was cured tomorrow, it would probably take until next year before travel and tourism could get back to normal. Assuming that a miracle doesn't happen any time soon, people's holidaying preferences are going to change. There is likely to be a shift toward more remote areas over busier urban ones, making it possible - in a reversal of traditional fortunes - that businesses in the main cities will require more help than those in the sticks. On a positive note, Ireland's relatively low population density could be a good marketing tool as borders open up. Tourism features prominently in the Programme for Government of the newly installed coalition. Business support is promised and there will be a campaign to promote staycations. A Tourism Recovery Taskforce composed of stakeholders is to report soon. No new minister is faced with a more daunting task than Catherine Martin, the woman at the Cabinet table tasked with overseeing the survival of the sector, along with responsibility for media, arts, culture, sport and the Gaeltacht. One policy that has received some attention is a staycation voucher, which has been proposed by the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation. Such schemes have been introduced in several countries, with the aim of stimulating domestic demand. There is logic to the proposal - economists worry that the recession will be deeper if too many people save their money instead of spending it. Getting people who have it to spend some of it would be good for everyone. While the prospects for global tourism look bleak, proposed 'air bridges' or 'travel bubbles' between countries with low rates of new cases could be a way forward. Plans in the covid era are subject to change, but the current idea is that the Government will make a list of countries where people can travel to without 14-day quarantine on return. It will be co-ordinated on EU level. Yet the fact things can change quickly will make booking holidays riskier, and too risky for many. Last week, then Taoiseach, now Tanaiste, Leo Varadkar appeared to be cautiously optimistic about foreign travel. He suggested that opening travel to other countries would have similar risk to travel between Irish counties. Medics have been more cautious. Like so much else in the world today, all those involved in tourism - as both consumers and providers - face uncertainty now, and for the foreseeable future. At a time when thousands of people are losing their jobs, the wholesale closure of businesses looms large and living standards could crash, the behaviour of 'refuseniks' to take senior government positions as junior ministers appears petulant at the very least. Jim O'Callaghan TD of Fianna Fail has turned his back on high office. Read More Joe McHugh, a former education minister, and John Paul Whelan also refused to serve, saying they didn't get the jobs they wanted. Dara Calleary at least had the good grace to take a job he didn't appear to want. But he did let himself down by whingeing in public that the position of Chief Whip was a snub to his abilities. In doing so, he echoed Cromwell's "to Hell or to Connacht" slur, which seems a bit rich for a man walking into a 135,000 salary (plus expenses and pension entitlements) as well as a Cabinet seat. Somebody needs to remind them nobody has the divine right to sit at the top table, not even an eminent senior counsel such as Mr O'Callaghan. If anything, these senior politicians should know better because they are regarded as men of ability and a cut above bog-standard TDs. But their peevish behaviour in recent days reveals deep-seated arrogance in the face of the economic and social meltdown due to Covid-19. Public service is the main platform of political life - or at least it should be. In normal times, it might be perfectly acceptable for politicians passed over for high office to have a hissy fit. At this particular juncture in our history, facing the biggest crisis since the so-called 'Emergency' of 1939-1945, to have grown men throwing tantrums because they were left out of the three-cornered Cabinet or not offered their preferences, is a sad reflection on political life. As we look around us the country is beginning to awaken from a 12-week slumber that has decimated the economy, shattered the social fabric of Irish life and had a deep impact on many people regarding their expectations in life, their jobs and their security. And it is by no means over. After 140 days, a Government is rising from the ashes of the last election, faced with all of these problems and challenges. At this time, to echo Lord Kitchener's poster, when 'Your Country Needs You' these men have told their party leaders, their constituents and the wider public: We Will Not Serve. Of course, they will argue their perverse behaviour is justified because they were snubbed by their political masters, or the jobs they were allocated didn't suit them. They need to be reminded of a variation of a quote often attributed to Mary Harney: "The worst day in government is better than the best day on the back-benches." All cabinet appointments bring disappointments to somebody. History is littered with politicians who feel snubbed, either because their talents haven't been recognised or their loyalty to their leader was in question. The late Brian Lenihan Jr, a towering figure as finance minister when one was so badly needed, languished in the Dail for years because he wasn't loyal enough for Charlie Haughey. But he bided his time and when it came he was ready to serve and, if anything, the waiting sharpened the skills and the humanity he brought to the office. As the lights dim and disappear in so many corners of society, as the country grapples with the new and alien realities that have so suddenly and dramatically overtaken us, we need the best and the brightest to take us into the new dawn. It is somewhat sad to see that some have failed to realise that it isn't about them. It's about something far more important - the greater good. WE IRISH are a people enamoured by plucky underdog myths. Cuchulainn defending Ulster against Queen Maeves Connacht hordes. King Billy on his white horse saving Ireland from Rome Rule. Ulsters blood sacrifice at Gallipoli and the Somme. Modern Ireland rising like a phoenix from the death throes of the 1916 revolutionaries. A myth is open to a plethora of meanings, some paradoxical. A myth is like a gun for hire, a mercenary soldier: it can be made to fight for anyone, according to distinguished American scholar Wendy Doniger. In life, as with myths, some things simultaneously can be true and untrue. For example, someone might be a paramilitary leader and also take risks for peace. Lets consider Bobby Storeys funeral this week. It was always going to be contentious. But the jammed West Belfast streets and graveyard last Tuesday also raised legitimate concerns, on public health grounds, in an era of social distancing. We need to unpick some of the strands here. Those looking on from the Republic are often bewildered by events in the North, yet are ignorant about parallels in the Irish States history. Michael Collins had men killed on his orders, including former comrades. Today, hes an icon of the Irish State. Expand Close Michael Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michael Collins This reverence for dead provos seems anachronistic to people in the Republic another sign that they (Northerners) do things differently. Valedictory pomp is integral to Irish history, however. Padraig Pearse came to prominence delivering the oration at Fenian leader Jeremiah ODonovan Rossas graveside in 1915. Bobby Storey is one of those people about whom some things simultaneously can be true and untrue. He was what the IRA call a combatant. And he supported the peace. He spent more than 20 years in prison, but upon his release was as an enforcer of the Good Friday Agreement the muscle keeping in line republicans opposed to the peace process. He wasnt just brawn. Storey was said to be the IRAs director of intelligence. He is largely unknown outside the Republican movement, but without the active backing of people such as him the peace settlement would have floundered. Twenty-two years on since the Good Friday Agreement, theres a sense in the Republic that peace was inevitable. Read More Believe me, there is nothing predictable or preordained about conflict resolution. Its nothing short of a miracle that the Troubles ended key people took chances, a leap of faith. After all, the Middle East is still a mess despite multiple attempts to find a settlement. Storey was part of that drive towards peace. We cant minimise the things he did he was active during the years when the IRA engaged in a campaign of carnage, with abductions and deaths from shootings and bombings. And he rose through the ranks to become a senior provo, the movements director of intelligence. But during a pandemic, West Belfast turned out in force to mark his passing. Why? Some might say it was to shout Up the Ra. Many others say it was to acknowledge his contribution. The disconnect between Northern Ireland and the Republic is apparent in the mystification with which people south of the border view republican funerals. Is it deliberate blindness? Is ignorance a choice? Were a tiny island, after all. It seems that selective amnesia is widespread and wilful in relation to the North. Sinn Fein leaders have been attacked for flouting social-distancing guidelines. Undoubtedly, people were elbow to elbow. The leadership could have asked the public to stay at home or used its battalion of stewards to move among the crowd and separate them. Also, in excess of a hundred people were in the church. It was a mistake to suspend the rules for this funeral and implies that rules are for other people. Sinn Fein in government needs to lead by example. Many families were unable to see their loved ones laid to rest as they would have wished during lockdown. Expand Close Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (left) and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill during the funeral of senior Irish Republican Bobby Storey in west Belfast. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (left) and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill during the funeral of senior Irish Republican Bobby Storey in west Belfast. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Michelle ONeill said she was sorry for hurt caused and accepted that no familys grief mattered more than anothers. Its a start, but its not exactly an admission of error. Arlene Foster has called on her to step aside while police investigate whether lockdown breaches took place. Except for Sinn Fein, every other party in the power-sharing administration Alliance and SDLP included wants her to move aside temporarily. The Deputy First Minister ought to accept the principle of being held accountable and cannot dismiss valid criticism as political point-scoring. Even apart from the public health issue, unionists must feel dismayed, bitter and let down by such funeral trappings for people who, lets face it, were trying to kill them. Those thousands of deaths racked up during the Troubles were not inevitable and cannot be disregarded. Expand Close (left to right) Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill attending the funeral of senior Irish Republican and former leading IRA figure Bobby Storey in west Belfast. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (left to right) Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill attending the funeral of senior Irish Republican and former leading IRA figure Bobby Storey in west Belfast. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Why would such crowds choose to pay their respects to Storey at a time when the advice is not to congregate? Is it because he was behind the 2004 Northern Bank robbery, and was instrumental in helping 38 provos to escape from the escape-proof Maze Prison in 1983, the largest jailbreak in Irish or British history? Or is it that he lent his weight to the peace process? Or can both simultaneously be true? No need for peace if there was no violence, say some. Absolutely. But violence came from various directions during the Troubles. Storey pointed to Bloody Sunday among reasons why he volunteered at the age of 16: in Derry, 14 unarmed civilians, part of a demonstration protesting against internment without trial, were shot dead by British paratroopers running amok. It took until 2010 for the Savile Inquiry to expose official lies that the dead were gunmen and bombers. Expand Close Bobby Storey (left) and former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bobby Storey (left) and former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams Nevertheless, the IRA became fiendishly adept at violence and Sinn Fein remains reluctant to apologise for its part in the death toll. That said, leaders such as Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness were instrumental in delivering peace. There was no guarantee theyd carry the movement with them. Reflect on this. Collins didnt have as much success with the peace settlement he helped to negotiate. Lets go back to 1922. The treaty which ended the War of Independence was accepted narrowly by Dail Eireann but civil war ensued. Former comrades turned their guns on one another. Thats a bloodthirsty period in Irish history, a blot on our creation myth in which the spirited Irish cast off the mighty British empire and any wobbles in the Northern post-peace process pale by comparison. The republican leadership sold the idea of compromise to its rank and file in 1998. It cannot be taken as a given that the foot soldiers were automatically going to put their weapons beyond use and accept the political strategy. Republicans refused to do it in 1922, after all. In life, as with myths, sometimes most is won when something is lost. Republican funeral displays may be traditional, but in a post-conflict society the time has come to give them up. And lets go easy on the mythmaking. After a legal battle lasting nearly 12 years the High Court will order the extradition of Liam Campbell, who was found civilly liable for the Omagh bombing, to Lithuania where he is wanted on international weapons trafficking charges. Campbell (58) was arrested in Upper Faughart, Dundalk, Co Louth on December 2, 2016, on foot of the second European Arrest Warrant (EAW) issued by Lithuanian authorities to be endorsed by the High Court here. It was the third attempt overall by Lithuania to seek Campbell's surrender. The arrest warrant for Campbell stated that he allegedly organised the preparation for the smuggling of weapons in support of the 'terrorist grouping' the Real IRA (RIRA) between the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007. Campbell's legal team had objected to his surrender based on the length of time he had been subject to the warrant and had argued that he could be subjected to 'inhuman or degrading treatment' in prison there. Mr Remy Farrell SC said that the Lithuanian authorities were 'culpable, with a capital C' over the delay, which amounted to an 'abuse of process', and that they had been seeking his client's extradition for over ten years. Mr Farrell added that the remand prison of Lukiskes, in Vilnius, had closed in July of last year, that his client's bail was 'hanging over him for four years' and that the delay in proceedings was 'shameful'. In a judgement returned this afternoonon Friday, Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly, said she was satisfied that an order for the surrender of Campbell may be made. As the judgement was delivered electronically, Ms Justice Donnelly said she would formally make the order when Campbell next appears in person before the High Court on July 13th. In 2017, Campbell's legal team had raised concerns about prison conditions in Lithuania, while he had also objected to his surrender on the grounds that it was 'an abuse of process'. Campbell had previously spent four years in custody in Northern Ireland during a second attempt to extradite him and was released when he succeeded in his objection that to do so would be a breach of his rights. Campbell was to be incarcerated at Lukiskes prison, which had been held by the High Court in the past to have been in breach of the Convention of Human Rights. In her judgement, Ms Justice Donnelly said that 'virtually the entire legal argument prior to the hearing on 9 June, 2020, concerned Lukiskes prison, the conditions there and the undertakings that have been given by the Lithuanian authorities in respect of same. 'The position now is that Lukiskes prison has closed. I am satisfied that the point as regards prison conditions has no merit at this stage of the proceedings. 'There is simply no other evidence that demonstrates that there is a real risk that this respondent [Campbell] will be subjected to inhuman and degrading prison conditions. 'The respondent's own expert had no issue with the conditions in Kaunas Remand Prison, which was the alternative prison,' said Ms Justice Donnelly. The EAW had sought Campbell to prosecute him on three offences: preparation of a crime, illegal possession of firearms and terrorism. The maximum sentence for the offence of terrorism is 20 years. The warrant alleges that Campbell 'made arrangements, while acting in an organised terrorist group, the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA) to acquire a substantial number of firearms and explosives from Lithuania and smuggle them into Ireland'. It further alleges that during the end of 2006 to 2007 Campbell 'made arrangements with Seamus McGreevy, Michael Campbell (his brother), Brendan McGuigan and other unidentified persons to travel to Lithuania for the purposes of acquiring firearms and explosives, including, automatic rifles, sniper guns, projectors, detonators, timers and trotyl [TNT]'. It is also alleged that in 2007 Campbell held conspiracy meetings regarding the planning of logistics for the operation and supplied money for the purchase of the weapons. Addressing the delay in proceedings, Ms Justice Donnelly said: 'It must be said that Lithuania is not entirely to blame for the periods at stake. In the first place, the criminal offences were not complete until 2008 and it is difficult to see how time can be said to run against Lithuania - a period of 12 years. Allowing for investigation and internal decision-making with respect to proceedings, the [first] EAW was issued reasonably promptly against him - within 12 months from January 2008'. Lithuanian authorities had given an assurance that Campbell would not be held in Lukiskes prison but the respondent objected to the assurance. 'Lithuania were within their rights to issue the assurance and there can be no blame on them. It would not be appropriate to fix Lithuania with any responsibility for delaying human rights protections... I do not accept that it is mala fides [bad faith] for a judicial authority to seek surrender when prisons may subsequently be found to be defective,' said Ms Justice Donnelly, who noted that not all Lithuanian prisons were deemed to violate human rights due to conditions. Ms Justice Donnelly said she did not think Lithuania were engaging in a breach of process. The High Court previously heard that an issue had arisen over the independence, or otherwise, of the Lithuanian public prosecutor and this issue was referred to the European courts by the Supreme Court. In May 2019, the Court of Justice of the European Union found that the Prosecutor General of Lithuania can be considered a 'judicial authority' capable of issuing European Arrest Warrants. The CJEU found it was up to the referring court to determine whether the prosecutor's decisions are subject to court proceedings fully meeting the requirements for effective judicial protection. Campbell will have one week to apply for a certificate of appeal from the day of the order, July 13th. There was a broad welcome for the 5.6m in 'border funding' announced in the last week for four unique Louth projects. The Mill Enterprise Hub, Creative Spark, DKIT, and the LMETB were all successful applicants in the Border Enterprise Development Fund 2020. The most significant funding was for the new Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Training Centre of Excellence in Dundalk, which has been approved for 4.5m funding through the Border Enterprise Development Fund today. O'Dowd said "The North East will face significant uncertainty and economic challenges as we see the stark effects of the UKs withdrawal from EU at first-hand. The monies announced today will certainly help our local SMEs to become more resilient and face the many challenges that Covid and Brexit have presented including strengthening our Advanced Manufacturing skills which will be vital in the years ahead. 'I would like to congratulate all of the successful projects and look forward to seeing the plans advance over the coming months.' Louth Meath ETB was awarded 4,499,829 for the establishment of the Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Training Centre of Excellence. It is proposed that the Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Training Centre of Excellence will be located in Unit B, in the Xerox Technology Park, Dundalk. The premises will consist of 55,772 square feet and will have a flexible, technologically-oriented environment that is safe, healthy, comfortable, aesthetically-pleasing and accessible. The premises are owned by the IDA and LMETB will enter into a 20 year lease with a break at year 10 on a full repair and insuring basis (FRI). The annual rent will equate to 8.10 per sq ft per annum totalling 451,753.20 per annum excl VAT. The annual rent will be reviewed every five years and will be linked to the Consumer Price Index. A spokesman for the LMETB said: 'This project proposes to make a major positive economic and social impact on companies, in the border region. It is estimated that direct and indirect employment arising from the project will create 2,569 jobs, will see an additional direct expenditure of 14,895,496 in the border region and will provide relevant and effective advanced manufacturing skills training courses to 1,608, learners.' He added: 'The centre is expected to play a key role in developing curricula and innovative delivery models that address the skills needs in the high value manufacturing and technology sectors.' 'This project provides a key solution to develop the needs for advanced manufacturing technology implementation in industry, bringing them to world class industry standards. This project will enable industry to rethink their manufacturing support and develop new models to deliver them. The project has the potential to have a national as well as regional impact. The operational costs of the program on an ongoing basis will be covered by Solas. It is imperative that the solutions here are aligned to industry needs and establishment of a strong industry advisory panel is critical to driving the agenda. A total of 587,600 was awarded for The Mill Enterprise Hub, Drogheda. Louth County Council's primary partner in this project is Drogheda Enterprise Centre CLG t/a The Mill Enterprise Hub (The Mill). This project, titled Drogheda Digital Innovation Hub (DDIH) is designed to encourage high-potential future oriented tech projects seeking to start and grow, to locate in the greater Drogheda/ North East region. 'The project aims to foster an environment to facilitate these businesses, to succeed in the region, through the provision of a bespoke and affordable co-working space in Drogheda town centre complemented with tailored management and mentoring support to facilitate their growth and export potential.' This project is an opportunity to target 'post-Covid' commuters, those seeking a career change from employee (commuter) to entrepreneur (in the region) and the 'Brexit opportunity' to target UK businesses seeking an EU home will add to the project's success. It is also an opportunity to attract many technology start-ups located outside the region due to the lack of viable property solutions in the Border/NE/Dundalk region. Dundalk based writer Laurence McKeown has won first prize in a poetry competition hosted by the National Print Museum in association with Creative Ireland. Entries had to be within a maximum of 12 lines. Irish poet, Stephen James Smith judged the competition entries. Laurence says he is 'delighted' to have won the competition with his poem which was based on a conversation he had with a close friend whose sister, a nurse, had just been assigned to a ward to treat Covid-19 patients. One of her duties was to write a card to the family of those who had died while she was caring for them, inspiring him to write the following: I Couldn't Tell Her 'After he died I wrote to his wife about his final hours. Those hours he'd spent alone with me. I couldn't tell her it was her he loved her that he wanted so much to return to to hold, kiss, make love with. I just couldn't tell her that. I couldn't tell her because he couldn't speak. A stranger to me I just happened to witness his death. Staff nurse Williams, Covid-19 Ward, 13.04.2020.' Laurence says 'We all owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to nurses and all frontline workers who have day after day continued with their work regardless of the very real, and often fatal, dangers to their own lives and to that of their partners, children, and loved ones. I know that people may feel that they are expressing some solidarity to nurses by standing at their front doors and clapping but really we need to be on bended knee if not totally prostrate on the ground in admiration of what they have done and continue to do. As always, it is the 'ordinary', decent, selfless, working-class people who have risen to the moment. I can only hope that the sacrifice they have made, and continue to make on a daily basis, is forever etched in our memories once these dark days have gone. I measc laochra na h-Eireann go mbeidh siad le cuimhniu.' Laurence's first book of peotry 'Threads' received favourable reveiws when it was published by Salmon Press in 2018. Cold Stone worker who was fired after conflict with woman over face masks offered job back and thats not all Music Generation are taking their annual Sounds Like Summer music camp on-line this year. The popular music camp will take place from Tuesday July 7th to Thursday July 9th with tuition being provided through Zoom software. This pick 'n' mix course once again promises something for everybody with a focus, as in previous years, on popular music. Choices include Music Technology (Production, Creating Beats, Composition); Keyboard, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals and Song Writing. Children and young people aged 10 to 18 of all abilities, from beginner to advanced. Participants will be grouped with others in their age group and with similar skills and interests. The live online classes will be delivered daily using Zoom software. Children and teens taking part will need to have access to wifi and a smartphone/tablet/computer in order to be able to participate in the course. The course runs from Tuesday 7 July to Thursday 9 July inclusive and offers a range of workshops and activities from 10.30am to 2.30pm daily. Cost is 25 per child/young person. Music Generation Louth is a music education service that provides a range of opportunities throughout the county for children and young people to learn music. It is part of Music Generation - Ireland's National Music Education Programme, initiated by Music Network, co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds and the Department of Education and Skills. It is supported locally by Louth and Meath Education and Training Board, Create Louth and Dundalk Institute of Technology. To register go to www.musicgenerationlouth.ie A total of four Louth charities have received donations as part of Aldi's Community Grants Programme across the last 12 months. The programme has seen Aldi donate a total of 2000 to charities across Louth who provide vital services and make a huge difference within their community. Cara Cancer Support Centre, S.N.A.P, St. Ita's Special School and Drogheda Animal Rescue each benefitted from a 500 donation from one of Aldi's four Louth stores. Aldi's Community Grants programme helps fund local charities and organisations that contribute vital work and services in their local communities. Each local charity supported is chosen by Aldi employees, enabling them to help the local good causes they are passionate about. Over 250,000 has been donated to more than 340 different local charities across Ireland since the programme began four years ago. To mark its 20th anniversary in Ireland in 2019, Aldi staff across its Naas and Mitchelstown regions also voted for two charities, The Society of Saint Vincent De Paul and Pieta House Cork, to receive a further 5,000 in Aldi vouchers late last year. Commenting, John Curtin, Group Buying Director, Aldi Ireland said: 'At Aldi supporting the local communities that our stores serve is hugely important. Each charity selected as part of our Community Grants Programme offers fantastic services to those in need. Their dedicated staff and volunteers offer their time and care and it is vital that we support them.' 'Our local store staff are an integral part of the selection process for the donations, meaning they are passionate about the charities chosen in their local community.' Aldi's four Louth stores are deeply involved in their local community. Through its partnership with FoodCloud, its Louth stores have donated over 71,100 meals to local charities to date. Since 2015, Aldi has helped support initiatives including the Aldi Foroige Youth Citizenship Awards and the Aldi Foroige Junior Baking Competition. Dundalk St. Vincent De Paul have passed CCTV images to the Louth County Council litter wardens, after a number of items were left outside their Castletown Road store after it had been shut for the day. A baby seat, pram and home exercise equipment were among the donations left at the door of the shop on 11pm on Wednesday evening last. The opening of charity stores after the Covid-19 lockdown has been widely welcomed, with many homes undergoing a delayed spring clear out of clothes, household furniture and other equipment. As a result charity shops are now dealing with a deluge of donations. But, taking to their Facebook page, St.Vincent De Paul have warned that they cannot allow items to be dumped outside any of their shops, once they have been closed. 'We would kindly ask people not to leave donations outside the shop, we accept donations from 10.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. These items were left outside the shop at 11.00 p.m Wednesday night the CCTV images will be passed on to the Litter Warden.' Dundalk Mens Sheds, pictured here at a pre-lockdown event, are to resume next Monday after nearly four months of lockdown Following nearly four months in lockdown, Dundalk Men's Shed is getting ready to re-open its doors, albeit on a limited basis. On Monday next, 6 July members will head back to spick and span premises in Seatown for the first time since last March. 'We closed on 13 March as soon as the Taoiseach announced a partial closing down of the country,' explained secretary, Gene Yore. This was intended to be for a fortnight, but as the Covid-19 situation got worse a lockdown came into force. It meant the shed had to stay shut. 'To keep people in contact we use WhatsApp so they can stay in touch with those they socialise and work with in the shed,' Gene continued. Members also get together every week on Zoom which is still going on. 'We wanted to make sure no one was isolated, as the whole point of Men's Sheds is to keep people in social contact when they retire.' Dundalk Men's Shed was established in 2011, and is used by 50 people. It has an outdoor workspace. Indoors, there is a woodwork area, art room, and kitchen recreation area. Activities include music, arts and crafts, creative writing, exercise, social outings, fundraising, computer classes, health courses and cookery classes. However, a full programme will not initially be available from next Monday. Guidelines are in place and are being sent out to all fifty members. 'Everyone has to read and agree to follow them before they come back,' said Gene of the guidelines which have been compiled by the Irish Men's Shed Association (IMSA) and follow Government and HSE advice, including social distancing. The Seatown shed has been sanitized with new lights put in, as well as new seating and floor coverings. 'The kitchen will not be used, put people can bring in food. We will be using disposable cups and plates.' Face shields, gloves and sanitizer will be available. The shed is re-opening on a limited basis. The woodwork department, for example, remains closed until further notice. Nevertheless, it's good news that the Men's Shed is back in business. 'The IMSA has been a tremendous help in making all this happen, especially national organiser Eva Beirne, who is a former manager here,' Gene pointed out. He also had a special mention for the great work carried out by local officers, including chairman Peter O'Neill and treasurer Brian Byrne, as well as Thomas Grey, Joe McCrink, John Lally, Joe McGrath, John Freeman and Brendan Tuite. The bright sunshine and colourful flowers in the grounds of Dealgan House Nursing Home belie the tragedy which fell within its walls when 22 residents died during a cluster of COVID-19 cases. Many other residents fell ill, as did staff, and the emotional scars left by the traumatic time linger in the memories of those working in the privately run nursing home as well as the families of the victims of this cruel new disease. Visitors to the nursing home are welcomed by posters highlighting the new hygiene protocols and everyone entering must have their temperature checked. The 84 bed nursing home was founded in 2001 by sisters Nora Byrne and Catherine Farrelly, who were both experienced nurses, who wanted to provide a homely and caring facility for the elderly. They are still directors of the company which runs the home. Catherine's son Eoin, who has a background in the motor industry, has been Chief Executive Officer since 2015. The sisters brought with them an ethos which was centred on nursing and patient care, says Catriona Hande, Director of Nursing, who was one of the first members of staff to contract COVID-19. She was, she admits 'very ill', but doesn't want to dwell on herself. Instead she offers her sympathy to the families who lost loved ones. 'It was very sad and tragic for them.' 'It's like a family here and that's not a cliche.' Catriona, like Assistant Director of Nursing Dolores Conroy, worked in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. She remembers being on duty in Daisy Hill Hospital when 18 British soldiers were killed in the 1979 Warrenpoint bombing. But not even caring for patients with the most gruesome injuries prepared her for the devastation wrought by COVID-19. 'We were in a global pandemic, it's very sad and tragic but it's not as though we brought it in here in our pockets,' says Catriona, revealing that the publicity and abuse which members of staff have received have had a huge effect on them at a time when they are suffering from the psychological effect of seeing residents, whom they regarded as family, die. She fights back the tears as she describes how the nursing home struggled to cope as the novel coronavirus took hold, affecting both residents and staff. She had led the twice-daily briefings for staff before contracting COVID-19 at the beginning of later. Days later Eoin also fell ill, but managed to continue doing administrative work from his sick bed. Dolores was left as the senior member in charge, and Eoin pays tribute to her hard work and dedication in providing the best possible care to residents in difficult circumstances. Catriona points out that many of their residents have several underlying conditions, making them extremely vulnerable to illnesses such as COVID-19. Story continued on page 55 'We have patients with dementia in the Solas Unit and when we asked what we should do with them, we were told to continue as normal. We couldn't restrain them and confine them to their rooms.' The average age of residents who passed away was 88 and some were in their 90s. 'Some were receiving end of live care and couldn't take any infection on top of what was there,' she says. Dolores says that any residents who needed more care than could be provided in the nursing home were transferred to hospital. The impact of the outbreak on staff was such that Eoin says 'people were walking around with their faces shielded in floods of tears'. 'Our staff are human beings and these patients are loved ones that they are dealing with.' He continues that they had always prided themselves on the excellent end of life care which they had provided, affording dignity to families and their loved ones, but this had to change due to the COVID-19 protocols. 'It's very difficult for staff not to be able to give that to the best of their ability. There isn't that closure.' 'We would have grieving families here in the middle of the night and we miss being able to hug them, that human touch,' says Catriona. In the past, staff would have formed a guard of honour as the remains of a deceased resident was removed from the home, but now remains were being taken away in body bags by undertakers. Eoin accepts that there were problems with communications, due to staff absences, but says that regular updates were provided by email and through the post. As the virus spread through the nursing home, a large number of staff were also affected. This impacted on their ability to communicate with anxious relatives wanting to know how their loved ones were doing. 'We would normally get about 300 phone calls a week, but during mid-April we were getting 2,500 calls,' says Eoin, 'It was a huge struggle and completely understandable that families wanted updates about their relatives.' With office staff out sick and nursing staff concentrating on caring for residents, the management team pay special tribute to Clare Ward, a primary school teacher and granddaughter of a resident, who volunteered to go in and man the phones. 'Her granny was very unwell with COVID but she came in and managed the front office, answering calls, giving families updates and doing admin,' says Dolores.'She has been a tremendous support to Dealgan House and worked here for the past three months.' Eoin says that other nursing homes have been in contact with them to offer support and to give the message that they felt 'lucky' that they weren't in the same position. Although the deaths of 22 patients will never be forgotten, Eoin points out that other patients who contracted COVID-19 have recovered, including a 101 year old woman. While the level of publicity and abuse has taken its toll on staff, Catriona says that they are also getting much appreciated support from the relatives of past residents. 'We have got hundreds of handwritten cards saying how they appreciated the care their relatives got here.' Local businesses have been dropping off food and treats for the staff. 'Every Friday The Windsor delivered food for staff,'she says, adding that a local councillor also provided them with scrubs.' 'The psychological impact, whether you had COVID or were working with COVID patients, is enormous,' she continues. 'The staff are very tearful and emotional.' She adds that they hope to hold a religious service of commemoration for all the residents who died during the pandemic whenever it is possible. 'They were like family to us.' Back in March, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys T.D. outlined three key phases of how businesses would deal with the Corona virus. The first was to deal with the initial shock of lockdown and the impact it had on employment and enterprise. The next phase featured a range of measures to help stabilise businesses and maintain jobs. The third, that we are now entering, is the Re-boot phase. The Local Enterprise Office in Louth, part of Louth County Council, have been incredibly busy over the last few months. Head of Enterprise, Thomas McEvoy explains 'We've been actively working to support and stabilise local businesses through a range of practical measures. Now, as many businesses re-open, is the time for local businesses to make use of the latest supports. The Government has provided four key supports for Irish businesses and we want local companies to avail of them, to help re-boot their business.' He continues 'Firstly, if you are a rate payer, you should apply for the Restart Grant. This is a cash grant of between 2,000 and 10,000 to help offset some of the costs of re-opening. You apply for this grant by visiting www.Louthcoco.ie' In relation to staffing costs, Thomas explains 'Business owners should avail of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme. This pays up to 85% of staff wages. It allows you to free up cashflow for other vital parts of your business. You can apply for this by visiting www.Revenue.ie.' Thomas outlines the third measure available to business owners 'Take your business online. Trading online is a way of expanding the reach of your business. It enables you to access customers near and far and sell your products or services to them. Apply for a Trading online voucher that entitles you to up to 2,500 worth of financial support to bring your business online. Apply on www.Local Enterprise.ie/Louth.' Thomas concludes 'And finally in difficult times having access to good advice and support is critically important. Your Local Enterprise Office can assist you with mentoring, financial planning, training and expert advice. Visit www.LocalEnterprise.ie/Louth to discover our full range of supports and to apply for mentoring, book training or access a Trading Online Voucher. Now, as you reopen and rebuild your business, is the time to avail of the supports that are open to you. Your Local Enterprise Office should be your first port of call - we're in your corner.' It's been absolutely devastating both for the families and also for the staff, management and owners, says Eoin Farrelly, Chief Executive Officer of Dealgan House Nursing Home, of the COVID-19 outbreak which is believed to have claimed the lives of 22 residents. There is not one person in here who has not suffered trauma. It has been a horrendous time for us. Dealgan House had enjoyed an excellent reputation as a home from home for its elderly residents, with a long waiting list of people looking to have family members cared for there. The privately run nursing home received positive reports from Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) in the past, with the most recent one, from an unannounced inspection in February 2019, praising the facility for its infection control and how it had handled an outbreak of flu. So what happened for it to become one of the nursing homes with the unenviable reputation of having one of the highest number of deaths in the country? Eoin and Director of Nursing Catriona Hande, along with Assistant Director of Nursing Dolores Conroy, want to know the answers as much as anyone else. As they await the findings of a HIQA investigation, they say they have no regrets as to how they handled the situation, which saw them struggling to care for elderly patients, many with underlying health issues, in the midst of a global pandemic which had taken the world by surprise. They feel that the lack of testing in nursing homes from the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in Ireland led to the catastrophic cluster of cases which claimed the lives of almost a quarter of their residents. We had always coped incredibly well with infections and would have thought that our infection control was excellent, says Eoin. He followed the progress of the pandemic as reports emerged from China and Italy. It was around that time, when it started to hit Italy, that PPE started to become scarce. We applied the standard infection control precautions from the outset, says Catriona. Eoin points out that the normal stocks of PPE which they use comprise aprons and gloves, but never masks. Masks are not really a big thing in nursing homes - the standard precautions were aprons, gloves and good hand hygiene. Ive been nursing 20 years here and never had to put a mask on, adds Catriona. Eoin points out that while there was a lack of clear guidance about masks, they began to build up their supplies. There were, he says, huge difficulties in sourcing stock as the HSE was buying them up. We got them through pharmacies and medical suppliers but the maximum order which could be placed was 500. We had plenty of supplies, it was never an issue, he insists. Asked about a post which was widely shared on Facebook appealing for donations of PPE to the nursing home, he said that they hadnt posted it. We did have a post about a creche that donated PPE and it escalated from there. We were blown away by the generosity of the community. We had gowns and masks before the outbreak, insists Dolores. Plans were already in place to deal with COVID-19 when their first case was confirmed, says Catronia, who herself fell ill just days afterwards, followed by Eoin. However, the newness of this novel coronavirus, meant that they were at a disadvantage when it came to knowing what symptoms to look for, especially in their elderly residents. Everyone was keeping an eye out for a high temperature, a fever, a cough, but a lot of our residents that got the illness never had those symptoms. Dolores adds that some residents would have appeared well, but became ill, deteriorated rapidly and died. We now know that in the elderly, things like the loss of appetite, tiredness and lethargy are the symptoms in older people. Added to that, they point out, is the fact that a large number of people can be asymptomatic with the disease. They believe that the lack of testing for residents and staff was a big factor in how the lethal illness spread so quickly through the nursing home, as without it they didnt know who among staff and residents were infected. We were pleading for testing and help, all the way to the top, says Eoin. The only way they could get tests, or swabs, carried out was by asking a GP to request them, says Dolores. Nurses couldnt request them and we couldnt get them at the weekend, and even when they were carried out, we had to wait two or three days for results. Before he fell ill himself, Eoin oversaw the setting up of an isolation unit, as advised by the HSE, in the dining room, where patients with or suspected of having COVID were to be placed. Plans were put in place to keep the different units separate, with their own staff. There was no risk of cross contamination at any stage, says Dolores. Having imposed visitors restrictions on March 6 and banning all visiting from March 12, Eoin says they dont believe that the virus entered the nursing home though visitors. We have also investigated staff leave and absences so we dont believe it came in that route either. We are 95% sure it came from a resident, who was admitted to hospital and then discharged to us, with an apparently negative swab. We were told the patient was negative. Eoin says that as the nursing home began to experience staff shortages, due to staff being ill, self-isolating or not wanting to work because of family members cocooning, they started to recruit for carers, housekeepers and kitchen staff. While they were quite successful in getting these staff, the were not able to get nurses, due to the big drive by the HSE to get nurses back into hospitals. Even when he fell ill himself, he continue to work from his sick bed in an effort to recruit more nursing staff, to get more feet on the ground. He says they were happy with their level of staffing before the outbreak, but the level of the staff shortage once COVID hit was never expected. As their first COVID-19 case was confirmed on April 4, they moved patients suspected of having the illness to the isolation unit. During the course of the outbreak, a number of patients were transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, while others were cared for in the nursing home. I came up from Dublin and set up the unit, says Eoin. We had the beds separated, two metres apart to try to stop contamination, he explains. As well as sourcing extra PPE, he said they did everything they could to get oxygen supplies as they were aware that residents who were ill would need it. Even though they were unable to get as much as they wanted due to the fact that supplies were going to the HSE, he says I dont think we ever ran short although it wasnt the supply I wanted going into this. It was only when the first case was confirmed that they got the level of testing they had sought, says Eoin. Up until that point it was very difficult to get testing. It was the same for nursing homes countrywide. He says that the first thing the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI) team did when they moved into the nursing home on April 17 was to test all the residents. I had asked weeks previously for mass testing of residents and staff as naturally we want do know who had COVID-19 and who didnt. As testing was carried out, it then emerged that some people who had no symptoms tested positive, which they believe lies at the root of the lethal cluster in the home. We are inordinately grateful to the RCSI for everything they did, says Eoin. They turned the nursing home into a mini-hospital with a huge number of nurses. They brought tanks of oxygen, drip stands, drugs trolleys and clinical waste bins. The latter, he adds, were something which Dealgan had been trying to source for weeks but had been unable to purchases as the HSE had bought them all up before the outbreak. The RCSI team also gave specific training for dealing with COVID-19 including infection control and the correct use of PPE. It was scary seeing people in surgical gowns and boiler suits, recalls Eoin. It was a different world, we would never see them in a nursing home. As they await the findings of the HIQA inquiry, which is expected to be published later this summer, Catriona says what happened in their nursing home will be a test case as they were dealing with a virus which the medical world is still struggling to get to grips with. We tackled everything head on, says Eoin. We were never classed as high risk. He is confident that his staff did everything they could to care for their residents and they are committed to doing so in the future. On June 28th 1920, Soldiers of the Connaught Rangers, an Irish Infantry Regiment of the British Army, delivered the following Order to their British Army Commanding Officers within their Military Base stationed at Jalandhar, India, near the border with Pakistan. "We bring to your notice the recent trouble committed by British troops in Ireland. The Connaught Rangers are determined to stand by Sinn Fein. Our indignation will be shown by action and not by words. We cannot, as Irishmen, stand by and see our relations murdered. We demand the withdrawal of the military in Ireland until our orders are complied with." The soldiers of the Connaught Rangers at the Base had been receiving letters from family and friends back in Ireland telling of the Atrocities that was being carried out on the civilian population by Crown Forces stationed in Ireland and in particular, the beatings, shootings and lootings that had been conducted by the dreaded Black & Tans and the introduction of Martial Law. So, on June 28th 1920, a Company of the Connaught Rangers, under the leadership of a Co. Clare native, Joe Hawes, laid down their arms and refused to `Soldier` as a protest against what they regarded as the oppression of their friends in Ireland. The Company, numbering over 200, deposited their Arms & Ammunition in the Barracks under the charge of a couple of Guards and expressing regret to their superior Officers, they were willing to hand over the weapons to relieving British Army Troops as a means of a peaceful protest. Many members of the Connaught Rangers also wore, made-up, Sinn Fein badges and rosettes during the protest, along with displaying Sinn Feinn flags and on removing the Union Flag over their quarters, they replaced it with that of the Irish Tricolour; aptly renaming their Quarters `Liberty-Hall`. This particular mutiny lasted for less than three days before those responsible were rounded up, arrested and subsequently charged with mutinous behaviour. Meanwhile, two of the mutineers from Jalandhar had, on June 30th travelled to another British Army Barracks, at Solon, situated in the lower ranges of the Himalayas and had spread the word of their mutiny to another Company of the Connaught Rangers before they were promptly arrested. However, the `seed` had now been planted at Solon and on July 1st 1920, led by a 21-year-old Private James Joseph Daly of Tyrellspass, Co. Westmeath, the Company of the Connaught Rangers at this Barracks decided that they too would raise a similar mutiny and organised a strong contingent of fellow Irish mutineers, including two men from Drogheda. The soldiers, under Daly, then marched to their Commanding Officer`s Bungalow within the Barracks at Solon and repeated the demands delivered at Jalandhar that the British Military Forces should leave Ireland as a result of atrocities being carried out there. As at Jalandhar, the Company of the Connaught Rangers at Solon under the command of James Joseph Daly, hoisted the Irish Tricolour, displayed Sinn Fein flags, sang Irish Rebel songs and wore badges and rosettes and also renamed their Quarter/Billet `Liberty-Hall`. However, unlike the peaceful protest that had taken place at Jalandhar some days beforehand, a large number of Comrades, around 30 in number, joined with Daly and just before 10pm on Thursday July 1st 1920, armed with `naked-bayonets` they made an attack on the Magazine at Solon where the arms & ammunition was stored. Standing proud on that faithful evening alongside Private James Joseph Daly and their fellow Connaught Rangers mutineers were two young Drogheda men, Patrick Smith and James Fallon. Patrick Smith was 20 years old and had been born in the Cord Road in 1901, the son of James and Anne Smith. His father passed away in December 1901 and the family then moved to nearby Patrick St. His name was, afterwards, often referred to as Smyth and also recorded as Smythe. James Fallon was a 28 year old man who was born at Patrick Street in September 1892, before his family moved to St. Mary`s Cottages. He was the son of Michael and Bridget Fallon, who later moved to Francis Street. As James Joseph Daly and his Comrades advanced toward the Magazine, a couple of warning shots were fired over their heads in order to deter them from getting near the armoury. However, despite this, Daly and his men continued and the Soldiers guarding the Magazine then opened fire on the approaching mutineers resulting in the young Drogheda man, Private Patrick Smith, being fatally wounded with a bullet to his forehead, while another Connaught Ranger, Comrade, Peter Sears, from Co. Mayo, was also shot dead having received a bullet to the back of his head. A reinforcement of British Army Officers & Soldiers quickly rounded up the remainder of the mutineers including the second Drogheda mutineer, James Fallon and all were placed under arrest. An Inquiry into the deaths of both Patrick Smith of Drogheda and Peter Sears of Mayo was conducted on July 18th 1920 at the Barracks at Solon. The Enquiry concluded that: `Death was instantaneous with both Smith and Sears and that the shooting dead of both of these soldiers was justified on account of their mutinous behaviour in attacking the Barrack Magazine on July 1st 1920 with naked bayonets and in refusing to halt when challenged`. In the aftermath of the killings at Solon, it was also widely believed that the young Mayo man, Private Peter Sears was not involved in the mutiny but was returning to his billet at the time of the attack and was hit by a stray bullet. This suggestion may also be substantiated by the fact that Private Sears, according to the Army Medical Officer`s report to the Enquiry, `was shot in the right occipital region`, which is an area at the lower right-hand-side of the back of his head! A third mutineer was later to die from gunshot wounds received during the attack. He was John Miranda from Liverpool who had an Irish mother. Following a Court-Marshal Hearing, Private James Joseph Daly was executed at 6am at Solon on November 2nd 1920 for his part in orchestrating the attack on the Magazine depot at Solon; he was 22-years-old. Private Daly was the only member of the mutineers to be executed and he was also the last member of the British Armed Forces to be executed for mutiny. The bodies of Private Smith and Peter Sears were buried at Solon. In the aftermath of the events at both Jalandhar and Solon, around 70 mutinous Connaught Rangers were placed on trial; a number of which were given the Death Sentence but which was later commuted to various terms of imprisonment. The second Drogheda man that took part in the mutiny, Private James Fallon, received a sentence of two years. In 1936, after a long Dail Eireann Debate, which initially began in 1930, the Connaught Rangers (Pensions) Act was passed. It provided for the payment of pensions, allowances and gratuities in respect of certain former members of the 1st Battalion of the Company and this, in effect, was to give the mutineers parity of esteem with the veterans of the Irish War of Independence. On June 26th 1949, the Irish National Graves Association erected a memorial to the mutineers of the Connaught Rangers at Glasnevin Cemetery, while in November of that same year, Private James Fallon, who had subsequently returned to Drogheda after his release, passed away and was laid to rest in St. Peter`s Cemetery in Drogheda. In 1970, the National Graves Association finally received permission to take home the remains of James Joseph Daly, Patrick Smith and Peter Sears. The bodies were repatriated and a Memorial Service was held on the afternoon of Friday October 30th October 1970 at 4pm when the plane carrying the bodies of the men touched down at Dublin Airport. The following morning, Saturday October 31st 1970 (Halloween), a Full Funeral Mass was held and in attendance at this particular service was Patrick Smith`s nephew Thomas Powderly and his niece Theresa Lee, both of the Windmill Road in Drogheda. Patrick Smith`s older sister, Margaret Powderly, nee Smith, who was now in her late 80`s, unfortunately could not attend the repatriation of her brother`s remains to Glasnevin. Margaret was to pass away some two years later in 1972. Also in attendance at the repatriation on that faithful Saturday in 1970 was the then Mayor of Drogheda, Councillor Eugene Hughes and another Drogheda man, Mr. Larry Grogan, who was a member of the Sinn Fein Ard Comhairle. The Funeral Mass Service was held at Adam & Eve`s Church at Merchants Quay in Dublin, celebrated by Fr. Antonine Kelly O.F.M., after which the coffins, draped in the Irish Tricolour, were carried from the Church by members of the National Graves Association. The funeral cortege was then led to Glasnevin Cemetery by the Irish Transport & General Workers Union Brass & Reed Band. The President & Taoiseach were both represented at the Ceremony. The remains of James Joseph Daly were taken back to the family burial-plot at Tyrellspass Co. Westmeath for burial on Sunday November 1st 1970. In Remembrance of the Drogheda natives, James Fallon who, although was stationed within a British Army Barracks more than seven-thousand kilometres away from home, took part in the Mutiny in India with the Connaught Rangers in 1920 and to the Gallant Patrick Smith who took a leading stand against the oppression and atrocities being carried out on his fellow-countrymen back home and who bravely gave his life for Ireland at Solon in the Himalayas 100 years-ago this very week. A pub believed to be the smallest in the UK is among those gearing up for a grand reopening this weekend. The Little Prince in Margate, Kent, measures just 10ft (3m) by 6ft 6in (2m). Now, after being closed during lockdown, staff at the popular bar are looking forward to welcoming customers back from Saturday, when restrictions in England ease. Tracy Breen, who helps run the quirky establishment with her husband Mark, told the PA news agency: We are excited to see it open and running, we are just hesitant because of all the rules and regulations that have got to be abided by. We will be open from midday until possibly 10pm in the evening. The Little Prince, located in The Old Kent Market in the seaside town, is believed to be the smallest pub in the UK but is still waiting for recognition from Guinness World Records. Its tight space means people will not be able to drink inside because of social distancing, but there will be chairs outside the pub and drinks will be served through a hatch. Ms Breen added: We do not know how we are going to be able to manage profit-wise. So many people have lost so much money, especially the hospitality trade. New reality: A woman covers her mouth as police fire pepper balls during a rally against a new national security law in Hong Kong Days after China began to enforce a sweeping national security law over Hong Kong, several governments are moving to offer the territory's residents the opportunity to resettle abroad as they grapple with the new reality of a city fundamentally transformed by the legislation. Britain, Taiwan, Australia and the United States are among those that have proposed special measures that would absorb Hong Kongers as refugees. The immigration proposals remain tentative in some cases, but they are already opening a fresh rift with Beijing, which has lashed out at the prospect of other jurisdictions helping Hong Kong citizens to flee in droves. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the broadest offer on Wednesday to Britain's former colonial subjects as he announced a "bespoke" legal waiver to allow up to three million Hong Kongers to enter Britain and eventually apply for full citizenship. Yesterday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters he was "prepared to step up" and offer a "similar" deal, although he said he was still formulating the terms. In Taiwan, which does not have a refugee law and has historically treated mainland Chinese asylum seekers carefully and on a case-by-case basis, President Tsai Ing-wen's administration opened a new government office Wednesday to provide aid to dissidents and businesspeople in Hong Kong looking to emigrate. The office received 180 inquiries on its first day from Hong Kong, including many who were interested in an investment immigration programme, said Chiu Chui-Cheng, the deputy head of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council. Hong Kong police made 370 arrests on Wednesday as thousands of people poured onto its streets to protest the law that had come into effect at midnight. Some radical protesters fought police, blocked traffic, vandalised stores and chanted independence slogans - behaviour that have all been newly defined as terrorism and separatism. Police said they arrested 10 people on the first day under the new law, including a 15-year-old girl who waved a pro-independence flag and a 24-year-old man who was accused of stabbing a police officer. Police said the man was escorted off a flight yesterday, moments before it took off for London, where he presumably sought to flee. Under the new legislation, Chinese prosecutors could try suspects on the mainland or before special Hong Kong tribunals without juries. Hong Kong's Bar Association said Wednesday it was "gravely concerned" by the contents of the new law as well as its passage, which came after the measures were drafted in secret in Beijing. China's Foreign Ministry responded angrily yesterday to Mr Johnson's proposal to welcome Hong Kongers and warned Australia against moving down a "wrong path". Britain had explicitly promised it would not offer such a deal to the city's inhabitants - and would recognise them solely as Chinese subjects - as part of the agreement to hand over the territory in 1997, said ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. The offer would be a "breach of international law and basic norms governing international relations", Mr Zhao said, while also warning that China could take "countermeasures". It was not immediately clear whether China was threatening punitive visa measures against British citizens currently living in Hong Kong or mulling a ban on Hong Kongers seeking to move to Britain. The Hong Kong government issued a statement dismissing rumours that it would restrict outbound travel. British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab acknowledged in an interview with ITV there was little his government could do if China tried to bar Hong Kongers from flying out. "Ultimately we need to be honest that we wouldn't be able to force China to allow BNOs to come to the UK," Raab said, referring to the British National (Overseas) passport that roughly 350,000 Hong Kong residents obtained before 1997 when they were still colonial subjects. Washington Post Tony Holohan emerged from the Public Accounts Committee hearing in May 2018 to a blitzkrieg of flashbulbs. Having endured a day-long grilling on the CervicalCheck scandal, the Department of Health's chief medical officer (CMO) looked drained and older than his years. Read More One colleague said: "He was under immense pressure. It was all about who knew what and when in the department and the public furore over the scandal was huge. "Tony came under significant scrutiny and at one point there was an issue of confidence... In the end, Leo Varadkar came out and said he had full confidence in him." In March, as the coronavirus crisis deepened, Dr Holohan was front and centre of efforts to co-ordinate a response. The former public health doctor has appeared cool, calm and collected. To the untrained eye, he may seem like another senior health official, but to those who know him, his performance in the wake of the outbreak is being dubbed as the ultimate comeback. "Tony is no stranger to controversy, but CervicalCheck took its toll. He came in for a lot of criticism from various quarters, including the patient advocates," said one. "[But now] you are seeing a man who is very poised and collected and that's because this isn't his first big gig. "He has been very calm throughout this and that is very important. "There is no hysteria or panic and that's the outward image he projects, but also the way he would be dealing with the crisis behind closed doors. "Tony will be bringing a calm approach to this and not engaging in any hyperactivity." It came as no shock in 2008 when Dr Holohan was appointed CMO. In his previous role as deputy CMO, he had become the public face of the department, sent out by then health minister Mary Harney to do battle on 'Prime Time' and TV news during various cancer scandals. Since then, he has been the person trotted out to face scrutiny in the wake of every major health crisis and scandal. He presided over the government response to the swine flu outbreak in 2011. "Tony is extremely polished," said one former colleague. "He is the go-to guy relating to health issues at a national level, so he has the ear of the people at the very top levels of government. "Every time there is a public accounts committee he is sitting beside the minister. "He is at all the launches, all the campaigns - anti-smoking, alcohol misuse, you name it, Tony is there front and centre." Dr Holohan was born in Dublin but grew up in Limerick city where he was a pupil of the Christian Brothers School. He is married with two young children. A 1991 medical graduate of University College Dublin, who subsequently trained as a specialist in both general practice and public health medicine, Dr Holohan became deputy chief medical officer in 2001 and beat off stiff international competition to become chief seven years later. He was part of the 2004 steering group that put together the HSE and one of the prime architects of the successful national cancer and primary care strategies. In March 2014, insiders say Dr Holohan caused "quite a stir" when he published a report into perinatal deaths at Portlaoise Hospital. In more recent years, say those who know him, he has undergone a dramatic personal transformation. After a significant lifestyle overhaul, that included a commitment to being more active and healthier, Dr Holohan emerged as a notably leaner version of his former self. He works long hours and could never be accused of being workshy. Although he has become the man we see only during a crisis, usually he spends his time advising on various policy issues. "People sit up and take notice of what he says,"said an insider. In March, Dr Holohan was criticised for a decision not to name a school in the east of the country where one of its pupils was confirmed as the first case of Covid-19 here. Despite the criticism, Dr Holohan has been explicit in stating that authorities will continue to take this approach in the future if there are other cases. Patient privacy, he said, had to be protected and without trust people would not come forward. "Tony is no novice and people around him know that," said a former colleague. "There was a lead-in to this crisis. There was no lead-in to CervicalCheck and that's the key distinction. When you have a lead-in you can plan and prepare." *This profile was originally published in March 2020 You reap what you sow, we have been told. What will be the consequences of countries across the EU pumping trillions of euro into businesses because of the Covid crisis? What are the lessons which we should learn and apply? The aid injections to business are enormous in scale and scope. On March 12, the European Commission made its first state aid decision of the Covid crisis - to approve aid being paid by Denmark. In the 16 weeks since, the EU and the UK have provided over 2.6 trillion of State aid to businesses. That number is still growing. Moreover, that aid is in addition to an unquantifiable amount of assistance which does not constitute "state aid" in the technical sense and does not need Commission approval but is still supporting businesses. It is useful to put the value of Covid aid into context. During the last financial crisis, Ireland's Troika deal was worth 85bn. This now looks like small change. In the Covid crisis, on one day alone, March 21, France had a 300bn aid package - more than three times the Irish bailout approved by the Commission under the State aid laws. And it keeps growing. Last Tuesday, another 30bn of French aid was approved under the same laws. We do not know how long the Covid "Fire Brigade" will have to keep fighting fires across the economy, pumping more and more aid into stricken economies. Europe has had to craft a home-grown Marshall Plan that has been hatched on the hoof and implemented instantaneously. No one is pretending that the money is being spent after years of planning. This is emergency money and much - but not all - of it is genuine "life-support money". While in the throes of the financial crisis aid was given mainly to banks, this aid is destined for almost every sector. A huge proportion of the aid is much needed and well spent. But we need to understand both the background to, and the lessons from, this unprecedented priming of the economy. So far, the Commission has adopted over 182 Covid state aid decisions covering at least 227 measures. There are so many decisions that the Commission has been publishing a daily tally and update. The figures are staggering. 6bn to Lufthansa. 7bn to Air France. The UK got approval for an "umbrella" fund of 50bn - an umbrella fund is shorthand for a sort of blank cheque which is approved now but with the payees and purposes being decided later. Ireland has secured Commission approval for four aid schemes amounting to 850m. This is apart from assistance which did not constitute "State aid" - for example, so-called "general measures" - in the technical sense. As a proportion of their GDPs, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy and France have given the highest amount of aid. Cyprus, Holland, Latvia and Ireland are at the other end. Economists at Oxera Consulting believe that the German aid amounts to 45pc of German GDP but Irish aid amounts to less than 1pc of Ireland's GDP. This is not a criticism of Ireland but the lessons need to be understood. Those lessons are clear and the consequences of ignoring them are stark. First, as different states have given different levels of aid to their businesses, we have to avoid an uneven recovery across the EU and the UK. The value of the Covid aid given by some countries is clearly enormous. And so too is its breadth. The financial crisis mainly affected banks with a knock-on effect on the economy generally. The Covid crisis affects the whole of the economy with a potential knockout effect on the whole of the economy. Covid aid has therefore been spread across the economy with the Commission's decisions under EU state aid law reflecting that reality. Unless remedial action is taken by the EU and its member states, there will be an uneven recovery across the EU. This is because some countries have deployed steroid aid while others (like Ireland) have used less state aid. From Ireland's perspective, the remedial action is not for Ireland to pump in excessive State aid. Ireland could not compete with aid worth 45pc of Germany's GDP. Instead, Ireland should urge the Commission and the member states to use the EU's new Covid funds - for example, the 2.4 trillion Recovery Plan - to equalise the impact of the uneven aid. Otherwise, there will be an uneven recovery. For example, smoothing out the recovery will help German exporters by enabling Irish consumers to buy German goods. But it is equally important that Irish exporters can compete in the EU's internal market. No one should be left behind. Put simply, the state aid curve needs to be flattened. Secondly, due to the Brexit transition agreement, aid granted by the UK is still supervised by the Commission until the end of 2020 despite the UK having left the bloc on 31 January. If the UK is no longer subject to EU State aid law post-2020 then Britain could pump enormous amounts of aid into its economy - including into Northern Ireland. The Covid crisis proves that it is critical for those remaining EU states to have a "level playing field" otherwise there would be a serious distortion from a neighbour pumping and priming its economy. Thirdly, many businesses have had a "sugar rush" of enormous amounts of state aid. Experience shows that many aid recipients become less efficient. There is now a heightened risk that European businesses could become less competitive as a result. The EU must adopt a programme to ensure competitiveness and to facilitate the process of weaning businesses off this aid. The Commission made decisions at great speed. It cleared billions of aid in days. Some of that aid will now be challenged in the European Court and reviewed by national parliaments. The businesses which have been in receipt of aid need to be careful because if the aid is struck down then they will usually have to repay that aid with interest to the governments which gave it. Equally, businesses which have suffered because their competitors - wherever in the world - have received aid should consider whether they could challenge the aid before the European Court. We have to ensure that there is a flattening of the unequal curve of state aid across the EU otherwise economic recovery will be delayed by the unintended consequences of a relaxation of the usual tough regime. The rules on state aid law were tough rules for many decades and for good reason. We must hope their relaxation does not have adverse consequences. Dr Vincent Power is EU and competition partner at A&L Goodbody, Dublin. A judge has rejected an attempt by 'The Sun' to quash a libel suit from Hollywood star Johnny Depp over an article claiming he abused ex-wife Amber Heard. Judge Andrew Nicol said "in my view it would not be just to strike out the claim". The ruling means the pair will square off next week at the High Court in London. Depp (57) and Heard (34) met on the set of the 2011 comedy 'The Rum Diary' and married in Los Angeles in 2015. They divorced in 2017. Depp is suing 'The Sun's' publisher News Group Newspapers and executive editor Dan Wootton over a 2018 article claiming the actor was violent and abusive to Heard. He strongly denies the allegations. 'The Sun's' lawyers applied for the case to be dismissed on the grounds Depp failed to disclose text messages he exchanged with an assistant showing he tried to buy "MDMA and other narcotics" while he was in Australia with Heard in 2015. The newspaper's lawyer, Adam Wolanski, said withholding the texts was a breach of a previous court order requiring Depp to provide all documents from separate libel proceedings against Heard in the United States. He said the lapse endangered the defendants' ability to get a fair trial. The judge ruled Depp had breached the order, but granted him "relief from sanctions". He also rejected an attempt by Depp to force Heard to disclose evidence including communications with actor James Franco and Space-X founder Elon Musk, with whom she allegedly had affairs while involved with Depp. A list of 73 countries and territories where English tourists can visit without self-isolating on their return has been published by the Department for Transport. It features popular short-haul destinations such as Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus, as well as long-haul locations including Australia, Barbados, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and Vietnam. China, Portugal, Thailand, the Maldives and the US are among the notable absentees. But in a tweet the Portuguese foreign affairs minister branded it absurd that Portugal had been left off the exempt list despite the UK having 28 times more deaths due to coronavirus. Which is the safest place to stay? You are welcome to spend a safe holiday in Algarve!#UK #visitportugal pic.twitter.com/2xZzddlzVy AntAnio Costa (@antoniocostapm) July 3, 2020 The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) published a separate list of 67 countries and territories which will be exempt from its advisory against all non-essential travel from Saturday, making it easier for UK tourists to be covered by travel insurance while visiting. Although the FCO included most of the places named by the Department for Transport, among those missing are Fiji, Mauritius and the Seychelles. There are also some destinations which the FCO listed but the Department for Transport did not, such as Canada, Estonia, Malaysia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Singapore and the Portuguese regions of the Azores and Madeira. Read More Some of the countries on either or both lists continue to place restrictions on UK holidaymakers, including Canada and New Zealand. The quarantine requirement will be lifted for people returning to or visiting England from July 10. Passengers will still be required to provide contact information on arrival in England. But Labour branded the measures a mess and said the Governments failure to negotiate air bridges was an indictment of their failure to tackle the crisis at home. Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon added: Labour like families and businesses up and down the country are keen for the Governments quarantine measures to be lessened, but this a mess. First we had the quarantine that they were slow to implement, then they said theyd do air bridges. Now we see a plan to let residents of 60 or more countries into England without any reciprocal arrangements. The fact they have been unable to negotiate air bridges is an indictment of their failure to tackle the crisis at home. Exit: Meghan and Harry plan to reveal the reason behind their decision to step away from their royal lives in a biography called Finding Freedom. Picture: PA The Duchess of Sussex's privacy case could see Kensington Palace's inner workings laid before the courts. Documents filed this week place the behind-the-scenes mechanisms of the Sussexes' former London residence at the centre of Meghan's claim against 'The Mail on Sunday', her legal team say. They claim that her friends spoke out only to protect her after she felt "prohibited from defending herself". The revelations raise the prospect former or current staff could be called as witnesses at the High Court, along with friends of Meghan. The duchess herself will prepare a witness statement laying bare further details of a letter she wrote to her father, the arrangements she made for him to travel to Britain for her wedding to Prince Harry and the lengths she went to in trying to stop the media from speaking to him. Insiders fear the case will expose previously unknown details of Meghan's life in the Royal family. It will not, a source last night insisted, target individual members of the British royal family or their relationship with the Sussexes, but the "institutional processes" friends feel "let her down". The latest revelations, detailed in written answers provided to the newspaper's legal team by Meghan's lawyers, continue the ongoing public fallout of the Sussexes' departure from the UK. Next month, a biography of the couple promises to tell their "epic and true" story "finally revealing why they chose to pursue a more independent path and the reasons behind their unprecedented decision to step away from their royal lives". Entitled 'Finding Freedom', it has been predicted to make uncomfortable reading for the British royals. Meghan is suing 'The Mail on Sunday' on the grounds of breach of privacy, data protection and copyright, over the publication of parts of a handwritten letter to her father. The newspaper has argued her own friends first brought the letter to public attention with an anonymous interview in 'People' magazine, in which it was raised for the first time. On the question of why the five friends spoke, papers state that Meghan had been distressed by media reports, as well as an alleged Kensington Palace policy of responding "no comment" to allegations about her. That left her friends "rightly concerned for her welfare, specifically as she was pregnant, unprotected by the institution, and prohibited from defending herself", the papers say. Royal commentators yesterday speculated that the latest revelations would leave the family distressed, particularly by claims that Meghan felt unprotected during her pregnancy. But a source said her case would not focus on the Royal family itself. "It was the institutional process and culture, the operational behaviour, that let her down," the source said. "It is not targeted at individuals in the family at all. "People are missing the fact that at its heart, this is a case against a newspaper for breaching the privacy of a woman writing to her father. "This is not a case about the wider royal family or their relationships at all." No decision has yet been made on who to call as witnesses, but it is understood Palace staff familiar with its communications policy could be key to the case. Meghan's team has already promised further details about her relationship with her father to come. "The intention of the letter was to make him stop his actions," they noted in one section. "It was not an attempt at reconciliation. This will be amplified in the claimant's witness statement." In sections outlining how the then Meghan Markle took steps to make sure her father Thomas could safely attend her wedding, and tried to "protect him from media intrusion", they say: "The claimant will explain in further detail in her witness statement." Associated Newspapers has wholly denied all claims against it, particularly the suggestion that the letter was edited in any meaningful way. A date for the court case against 'The Mail on Sunday' has not yet been set but is unlikely to be before next year, with further written exchanges between legal teams still to come. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Holidaymakers could risk ending up out of pocket if they start developing coronavirus symptoms just before they were due to embark on a getaway, consumer rights expert Alex Neill from Resolver warned (PA) Holidaymakers could risk ending up out of pocket if they start developing coronavirus symptoms just before they were due to embark on a getaway, a consumer rights expert has warned. Alex Neill, chief executive of consumer resolution service Resolver, said UK tourists needed to be aware they were taking a risk. Ms Neill, who was previously a managing director at consumer group Which?, said: While the Government is focused on getting the travel industry and the economy moving again, its the consumer who is bearing all of the risk. It is likely that new travel insurance policies wont cover you if you develop symptoms before going on holiday and if the flight or packaged holiday isnt cancelled then you have no automatic right to compensation. If the Government is to get people travelling again successfully, it needs to restore confidence in the sector. Rory Boland, Which? Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: Holiday companies and airlines should ensure they continue to offer customers flexible rebooking options. If the Government is to get people travelling again successfully, it needs to restore confidence in the sector by providing support for the industry and working with the regulator to ensure companies are abiding by the law on refunds for cancelled travel. According to figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), in more normal times, insurers deal with around 1,300 travel claims typically every day. People can run up huge medical bills for conditions other than coronavirus. Large medical bills paid by insurers in recent years have included: 241,000 to cover heart problems suffered by a holidaymaker in the United States, 200,000 to treat a brain haemorrhage in China, 153,000 to treat a fractured arm in San Francisco, 89,000 following a heart attack suffered by a tourist in Turkey underlining the importance of having adequate travel insurance in place. People who are unsure what their insurance will cover should contact their insurer, as the terms of policies vary. A spokesman for the ABI said: Provided it is deemed by the Government safe to travel to your destination, you will be protected by your travel insurance, including cover for any emergency medical expenses. For current travel advice check on: www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors. Most policies taken out or renewed after the pandemic was officially declared are likely to exclude cancellation due to coronavirus as it is a known risk, and travel insurance is designed and priced to cover you against the unforeseen. Travel insurance is in fact quite complicated, and at this time it is more important than ever to make sure you get it right Graeme Trudgill, British Insurance Brokers Association Graeme Trudgill, executive director at the British Insurance Brokers Association (Biba), said: Travel insurance is in fact quite complicated, and at this time it is more important than ever to make sure you get it right. A specialist broker can help you get the right cover and Biba can help you find a broker at www.biba.org.uk. If you already have a policy, it would be a very good idea to check the wording to see what is and isnt covered and speak to a specialist broker about what cover is in place for Covid-19. Apart from the challenges of Covid-19, you may have specific requirements, such as making sure a particular medical condition or disability is catered for, or that suffering an injury because of a sport or activity while away is included. Many specialist brokers can help you make sure nothing is overlooked. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has made an unannounced visit to a military base in the remote Ladakh region bordering China where troops from the two countries have been facing off for nearly two months. Mr Modi, accompanied by Indias military leadership, interacted with soldiers as he sat in a camouflage tent at a military base, a photo uploaded on the PMs Instagram account showed. Interacting with our brave armed forces personnel, he wrote. Mr Modis visit comes in the backdrop of massive Indian army build-up in Ladakh region following hand-to-hand combat between Indian and Chinese soldiers on June 15 that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and dozens injured, the worst military confrontation in more than four decades between the Asian giants. Indian officials say there were casualties on the Chinese side as well, but there has been no confirmation by Beijing. No other details of Mr Modis visit were available. Expand Close Indian army officers walk past the funeral pyre of their colleague Colonel B. Santosh Babu, who was killed in clashes between Chinese and Indian soldiers in Ladakh (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Indian army officers walk past the funeral pyre of their colleague Colonel B. Santosh Babu, who was killed in clashes between Chinese and Indian soldiers in Ladakh (AP) Both India and China have provided little information officially, but media in the two countries have given large coverage to the escalating tensions, much of it replayed on television news channels and social media. The PMs Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party leader, BL Santhosh, tweeted that Mr Modi would also meet injured soldiers and called the visit a big, big booster to soldiers morale. He leads from front. Indian officials say the current stand-off began in early May when large contingents of Chinese soldiers entered deep inside Indian-controlled territory at three places in Ladakh, erecting tents. They say the soldiers ignored repeated verbal warnings, triggering a yelling match, stone-throwing and even fistfights in at least one place along Pangong Lake, the site of several such confrontations in the past. Expand Close A banner erected by the Indian army stands near Pangong Tso lake near the India China border in Indias Ladakh area (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A banner erected by the Indian army stands near Pangong Tso lake near the India China border in Indias Ladakh area (AP) But the situation turned deadly on June 15 when the rival soldiers engaged in a clash in Galwan Valley, where India is building a strategic road connecting the region to an airstrip close to China. According to Indian officials, Chinese troops on top of a ridge at the mouth of the narrow valley threw stones, punched and pushed Indian soldiers down a ridge at around 15,000 feet. Since the confrontation, India has sent in huge reinforcements of soldiers, military equipment and fighter jets into the already highly-militarised region. The disputed border covers nearly 2,175 miles of frontier that the two countries call the Line of Actual Control and that stretches from Ladakh in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim in the north-east. India and China fought a border war in 1962 that also spilled into Ladakh. The two countries have been trying to settle their border dispute since the early 1990s, without success. Since then, soldiers from the two sides have frequently faced off along the contested frontier. Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks to end the current crisis in Ladakh have been unsuccessful. India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory while separating it from disputed Kashmir in August 2019. China was among the handful of countries to strongly condemn the move, raising it at international forums including the UN Security Council. Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi, talks to members of the media (Emrah Gurel/AP) The fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi told a Turkish court that the Washington Post columnist was lured to his death at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul through a great betrayal and deception, and she asked that all persons responsible for his killing be brought to justice. Hatice Cengiz spoke at the opening of the trial in absentia of two former aides of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and 18 other Saudi nationals who were charged in Turkey for Khashoggis grisly slaying. The journalists 2018 killing at the consulate sparked international condemnation and cast a cloud of suspicion over the prince. The 20 Saudi defendants all left Turkey, and Saudi Arabia rejected Turkish demands for their extradition. Some of the men were put on trial in Riyadh behind closed doors. Expand Close A security guard walks in the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul (Lefteris Pitarakis/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A security guard walks in the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul (Lefteris Pitarakis/AP) The proceedings were widely criticised as a whitewash. Mr Khashoggis family members later announced they had forgiven his killers. The trial in Turkey is being closely watched for possible new information or evidence from the killing, including the whereabouts of Mr Khashoggis remains. Mr Khashoggi, who was a United States resident, had walked into his countrys consulate on October 2 2018, for an appointment to pick up documents that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancee. He never walked out. Expand Close Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi (Emrah Gurel/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi (Emrah Gurel/AP) He was called to that consulate with great betrayal and deception, the private DHA news agency quoted Ms Cengiz as telling the court during her evidence. I am making a complaint about everyone at the consulate. Everyone from the driver to the tea-maker, said Ms Cengiz, who waited for Mr Khashoggi outside the Istanbul consulate when he went there to obtain the documents and alerted authorities when he failed to come out. The trial was adjourned until November 24, DHA reported. Turkish prosecutors have demanded that the defendants be sentenced to life terms in prison, if convicted. The Turkish prosecutors have charged the princes former advisers, Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmed al-Asiri, with instigating a premeditated murder with the intent of (causing) torment through fiendish instinct. Prosecutors are also seeking life prison sentences for 18 other Saudi nationals charged with carrying out a premeditated murder with the intent of (causing) torment through fiendish instincts. A team of 15 Saudi agents had flown to Turkey to meet Khashoggi inside the consulate. Expand Close Jamal Khashoggi (Hassan Jamali/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jamal Khashoggi (Hassan Jamali/AP) They included a forensic doctor, intelligence and security officers and individuals who worked for the crown princes office. Turkish officials allege Mr Khashoggi was killed and then dismembered with a bone saw. Turkey, a rival of Saudi Arabia, apparently had the Saudi Consulate bugged and has shared audio of the killing with the CIA, among others. Prior to his killing, Mr Khashoggi had written critically of Saudi Arabias crown prince in columns for the Washington Post. Saudi Arabia had initially offered shifting accounts about Mr Khashoggis disappearance. As international pressure mounted because of the Turkish leaks, the kingdom eventually settled on the explanation that he was killed by rogue officials in a brawl. Turkish prosecutors say the suspects acted in consensus from the beginning in line with the decision of taking the victim back to Saudi Arabia and of killing him if he did not agree. Expand Close Members of the media work outside the court in Istanbul (Emrah Gurel/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Members of the media work outside the court in Istanbul (Emrah Gurel/AP) Riyadh had insisted that the kingdoms courts are the correct place for the suspects to be tried and put 11 people on trial over the killing. In December, five people were sentenced to death while three others were found guilty of covering up the crime and were sentenced to a combined 24 years in prison. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in May, Mr Khashoggis son announced that the family pardoned the killers, giving legal reprieve to the five government agents who were sentenced to death. Backers of Donald Trump and Joe Biden are donating massive amounts to support the presumptive presidential candidates, with Mr Biden outraising Mr Trump by $10m in June, latest figures show. The former vice-president's campaign, along with the Democratic Party committee and affiliated committees raised $141m in June, its biggest month by far, as both sides gear up in earnest for the general election. The Trump 2020 re-election campaign, the Republican National Committee and affiliated committees raised $131m, the RNC said. It meant Mr Biden out-raised Mr Trump for the second month in a row. His quarterly total of $282.1m was also higher than Mr Trump, who netted $266m. Both campaigns' fundraising vastly exceeds the amount of money raised in a corresponding stretch by Barack Obama, who drew $71.1m in June 2012, according to federal filings. The exploding contributions reflect the unusual intensity and passions generated by this campaign, as Trump's die-hard supporters face off against those who want desperately to unseat him. Trump, who raised and spent money for his re-election far earlier than other incumbent presidents, still has a large war chest. His fundraising committees and the RNC entered July with $295m in hand, more than double the $144m that Mr Obama's re-election effort had at the same point in 2012. Mr Biden's campaign has not revealed its up-to-date cash-in-hand figures. But as of May 31, his campaign, the Democratic National Committee and an affiliated committee had $130m. Mr Biden's big June haul came after he significantly expanded his fundraising capability to compete with Trump's big-money machine. He has held multiple virtual fundraising events each week, netting millions of dollars per event. He benefited in particular in June from big-ticket fundraisers, including one with Mr Obama and others with former Democratic presidential contenders Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Kamala Harris. The Obama event netted $7.6m, Warren $6m and Harris $3.5m, according to figures provided by the campaign. Mr Trump also raised large sums with high-profile events in June. The Trump campaign and the RNC made a major fundraising push around the president's June 14 birthday that raised $14m in a single day, the RNC said. The president also appeared last month at his first high-dollar, in-person fundraisers since coronavirus restrictions took effect, raising at least $13m through two events. He is set to hold another high-dollar dinner at a private residence in Florida next week, with tickets costing $580,600 per couple. On Wednesday, Mr Biden appeared at a fundraiser hosted by Alan Leventhal, chief executive of Beacon Capital Partners, and he lashed out at Mr Trump. "Our country is crying out for leadership - and maybe even more important, some healing," he said. On Tuesday night, Mr Biden held a conversation with actor Mark Hamill, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the 'Star Wars' movies. Hamill joked he had been invited because Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale compared the president's operation to the Death Star, the Empire's deadly weapon in the film franchise. Hamill's response was : "How perfectly tone deaf. "And yet, right on brand for him to cast their side as the evil empire and us as the valiant resistance fighting selflessly for freedom." Ghislaine Maxwell was being "discreetly" tracked by federal law enforcement as they collected the evidence needed to finally bring charges against her, investigators have revealed. Ms Maxwell, the 58-year-old former girlfriend of late accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested yesterday and charged with multiple crimes in relation to the investigation into Epstein's alleged abuse of minors. Her arrest could have significant implications for the many powerful figures who have been accused by Epstein's victims of having taken part in the abuse. Expand Close Accused: Ghislaine Maxwell has been charged with helping Jeffrey Epsteins sexual abuse. Photo: Getty / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Accused: Ghislaine Maxwell has been charged with helping Jeffrey Epsteins sexual abuse. Photo: Getty Maxwell's whereabouts have been the subject of intense speculation since Epstein's arrest and apparent suicide in custody last year. Media reports have alleged that she was living in Paris, London and Israel. But the FBI said they had been monitoring her movements as their investigation proceeded, before finally swooping on her latest location in a luxury mansion in New Hampshire. Expand Close William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks at a news conference announcing charges against Ghislaine Maxwell for her role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein in New York City, New York, U.S., July 2, 2020. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks at a news conference announcing charges against Ghislaine Maxwell for her role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein in New York City, New York, U.S., July 2, 2020. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson "We have been discreetly keeping tabs on Maxwell's whereabouts as we worked this investigation," said William Sweeney, assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York Field Office, at a press conference. "More recently, we learned she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims lived with the trauma inflicted on them years ago." Ms Maxwell's indictment was signed by acting Southern District of New York (SDNY) US attorney Audrey Strauss, who repeated a call for Prince Andrew -- who has been linked to the investigation by one of Epstein's alleged victims -- to come forward. "We would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk to us, we would like to have the benefit of his statement," Ms Strauss said. Expand Close Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York speaks alongside William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office, at a news conference announcing charges against Ghislaine Maxwell for her role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein in New York City, New York, U.S., July 2, 2020. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York speaks alongside William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office, at a news conference announcing charges against Ghislaine Maxwell for her role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein in New York City, New York, U.S., July 2, 2020. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson Investigators would like to speak to the prince about a claim by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein's alleged victims, that she was forced to have sex with Epstein and Prince Andrew, a claim that both Maxwell and the Duke of York have repeatedly denied. Expand Close Prince Andrew with Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Prince Andrew with Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell Asked whether Prince Andrew intends to submit a statement following the US attorney's remarks, a source close to the Duke's legal team told The Independent that "the Duke's team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DOJ in the last month, and to date, we have had no response". Ms Maxwell, a former British socialite, had seemingly disappeared into thin air last year, after Epstein was arrested and later killed himself in federal custody while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. She was detained in New Hampshire yesterday, and stands accused of being a knowing and willing facilitator of Epstein's abuse over a number of years, and of lying to about her actions under oath. Expand Close Investigated: Financier Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in jail. Image: New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Investigated: Financier Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in jail. Image: New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File "Maxwell assisted, facilitated and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18," the indictment reads. Prosecutors have now revealed more details about her movements during that time. According to the indictment filed in a Manhattan court, she has been hiding out in various locations in New England in the last year. More recently, she appears to have been living on a 156-acre property in Bradford, New Hampshire, which she bought last December in an all-cash purchase, using a limited liability company to shield her identity. The prosecutors did not reveal the source of the money used to purchase the property. Expand Close The property where Ghislaine Maxwell, former associate of late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is seen in an aerial photograph in Bradford, New Hampshire, U.S. July 2, 2020. REUTERS/Drone Base / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The property where Ghislaine Maxwell, former associate of late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is seen in an aerial photograph in Bradford, New Hampshire, U.S. July 2, 2020. REUTERS/Drone Base Her ability to move freely over the past year while the investigation progressed has frustrated Epstein's victims. In yesterday's press conference, Mr Sweeney praised those victims, and the investigators who worked to bring the charges against Ms Maxwell. "The example set by the women involved has been a powerful one. They persevered against the rich and connected, and they did so without a badge, a gun, or a subpoena -- and they stood together," he said. "I have no doubt the bravery exhibited by the women involved here has empowered others to speak up about the crimes of which they've been subjected." Acting US attorney Strauss said that Ms Maxwell, as well as facilitating Epstein's abuse, engaged in it herself. "As alleged, Ghislaine Maxwell facilitated, aided, and participated in acts of sexual abuse of minors. Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, and then delivered them into the trap that she and Jeffrey Epstein had set. She pretended to be a woman they could trust. All the while, she was setting them up to be abused sexually by Epstein and, in some cases, Maxwell herself." Prosecutors said Ms Maxwell faces up to 35 years in jail if convicted. US prosecutors last night said they would "welcome" the Duke of York's testimony after the FBI arrested Ghislaine Maxwell on sex-trafficking charges linked to Jeffrey Epstein. Ms Maxwell, a former girlfriend of the disgraced late financier, was picked up in a small town in New Hampshire yesterday morning and charged with helping entice underage girls to travel for sex and with lying to investigators. The arrest could have significant implications for the duke, who is reported to have been introduced to Epstein in 1999 by his friend Ms Maxwell, and could also affect other high-profile associates of the pair going back decades. Audrey Strauss, the acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said yesterday she "would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us". "We would like to have the benefit of his statement," she added, prompting speculation that the duke may be among those that the investigators will focus on next. Ms Strauss alleged that Ms Maxwell recruited, groomed and abused victims known to be minors as young as 14 and played a part in trafficking them across America, the UK and France. One of the girls was allegedly groomed and abused in London. Ms Maxwell appeared via video link at a court hearing in New Hampshire yesterday afternoon, where she was read the charges against her. Victims of Epstein last night said they were relieved. One claimed: "Now that the ring has been taken down, I know that I can't be hurt anymore." Ms Maxwell met Epstein in 1991. The couple dated briefly and she introduced him to her wide, influential circle of friends. Ms Maxwell (58) is central to allegations made by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has claimed she was trafficked from the US to London and forced to sleep with the duke when she was 17. The duke himself has always strongly denied the claims, maintaining that he has no recollection of meeting Ms Giuffre. She alleges she was introduced to the duke in Ms Maxwell's London home in March 2001, with a now-infamous photograph of the duke with his arm around the younger woman said to have been taken upstairs at the residence. The duke is last known to have met Ms Maxwell at Buckingham Palace in the summer of 2019, two weeks after US prosecutors announced they wanted to reopen their investigation into Epstein. In June, the duke's lawyers said he had offered to speak to investigators "on at least three occasions this year", accusing them of "seeking publicity rather than accepting the assistance proffered". A source close to the duke last night said: "The duke's team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DOJ [US Department of Justice] in the last month and to date, we have had no response." A former New York prosecutor told 'The Daily Telegraph' that Ms Maxwell may be offered a deal if she had information about the duke. "They could be putting pressure on," the former prosecutor said. "They knew where she was, they were just building a case." Ms Strauss hinted at such a scenario. "In the event that she were to become a co-operator, I think that we can deal with that," she said. According to the indictment at the Southern District Court of New York, Ms Maxwell is facing six charges, including enticement and conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and two counts of perjury. Federal prosecutors said Ms Maxwell would assist in the "grooming of minors for and subjection to sexual abuse". They alleged that Ms Maxwell was well aware of Epstein's preference for minor girls and that he intended to sexually abuse them. The indictment accuses Ms Maxwell of luring the girls from 1994 to 1997 by asking them about their lives, schools and families and taking them shopping or to the cinema. Ms Strauss, who took over the role of acting Manhattan US attorney last month after her predecessor was fired by US President Donald Trump, called Ms Maxwell's alleged acts "the prequel" to Epstein's abuse. After Ms Maxwell won the girls' trust, it is alleged, she would try to "normalise sexual abuse" by discussing sexual topics or by undressing in front of them or being present when they were undressed. The charges involve three unnamed victims, the youngest of whom was 14. She faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted of the charges against her. Ms Maxwell has previously denied knowledge of or involvement in any crimes. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Workers in sectors including retail, travel and hospitality could face a lifetime of playing catch-up with their retirement savings, according to Scottish Widows (Gareth Fuller/PA) Workers in sectors including retail, travel and hospitality could face a lifetime of playing catch-up with their retirement savings, an insurer has warned. Scottish Widows said many workers who are now taking a hit to their finances were already finding it difficult to save adequately for retirement before the coronavirus pandemic struck. They could now struggle with ever being able to afford to retire. Some are in sectors where businesses are feeling severe economic impacts from Covid-19, including the prospect of widespread job losses. Many individuals have taken a substantial hit to their finances and the fear is that the gap can't be closed, meaning they face a lifetime of work as they struggle to afford to retire Pete Glancy, Scottish Widows Scottish Widows annual retirement report, looking at more than 5,000 adults across the UK, found that: More than a quarter (27%) of people working in travel and the arts have not yet started saving into a pension. Two-thirds (67%) of retail workers are worried that if they ever did retire, they would quickly run out of money. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of construction workers feel they are not preparing adequately for retirement. Less than a fifth (18%) of restaurant workers are optimistic about their retirement. It is highly likely that these workers are now also facing new financial pressures that will make saving for the long term even more difficult, Scottish Widows said. It said one reason workers have historically been pessimistic about retirement, even before Covid-19, is when employers only contribute the legal minimum amounts into their pension. Pete Glancy, head of policy at Scottish Widows, said that, while around three in five people generally are estimated to be saving adequately for their retirement, long-term prospects are still to a large degree defined by the industry in which people work. Thats because, while auto-enrolment has transformed the retirement prospects of millions, minimum contributions are still far below what is needed to provide a good standard of living, he said. We recognise that the next 12 to 18 months is going to be about businesses getting back on their feet, but many individuals have taken a substantial hit to their finances and the fear is that the gap cant be closed, meaning they face a lifetime of work as they struggle to afford to retire. Scottish Widows also said hard-working multi-jobbers risk being left behind. For example, a quarter (24%) of people in travel and tourism and in the arts have more than one job. This rises to 27% of people who work in education, the report said. In total there are around 6.8 million multi-jobbers in the UK, Scottish Widows said. Its report warned they could miss out on pension contributions because their income is split across different employers, so they could fall short of the minimum earnings threshold for automatic enrolment for each of those jobs. Mr Glancy added: The pension system unfairly penalises those who are in low-paid work. Scrapping the minimum earnings threshold would allow millions of multi-jobbers to benefit from auto-enrolment like everyone else, and is long overdue. An ex-employee at the British consulate in Hong Kong has been granted political asylum in what he believes is the first successful case of its kind involving the former colony. Simon Cheng, who alleges that he was detained and tortured in China last year, said he hopes his successful application encourages other democracy activists from the semi-autonomous Chinese territory to seek protection in the UK as Beijing clamps down on the citys protest movement. Mr Cheng, 29, also said that while he is relieved asylum was granted, he remains worried China will take my family members hostage and send more agents to crush down the pro-democracy cause and activities outside of Hong Kong. Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the city this week, bypassing Hong Kongs legislature in a move that has been condemned by the UK, the US and the European Union, among others. Critics say the law effectively ends the one country, two systems framework that guaranteed the territory a high level of autonomy and civil liberties when it reverted from British to Chinese rule 23 years ago. Mr Cheng, who was a trade and investment officer at the British consulate tasked with attracting Chinese investment in Scotland, said he joined massive anti-government protests in the city last year to collect information for the consulate. Expand Close Police detain a protester during a demonstration in Causeway Bay (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police detain a protester during a demonstration in Causeway Bay (AP) He went missing on August 8 after being detained while returning to Hong Kong from a business trip to Shenzhen, a mainland Chinese city just across the border. Mr Cheng has said he was hooded, beaten and deprived of sleep during 15 days of detention as agents sought information on protesters. He said he was also questioned about Britains alleged role in supporting the demonstrations. China has not directly addressed Mr Chengs allegations, but the foreign ministry in Beijing has dismissed protests from the British government over the affair as so-called concerns or complaints. The ministry has cited a statement by Shenzhen police issued in August saying Mr Chengs legal rights had been protected and that he had admitted his offence completely, an apparent reference to a confession of soliciting prostitution. Expand Close Protests took place against the new laws this week (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Protests took place against the new laws this week (AP) Mr Cheng said he confessed to the offence in order to avoid harsher treatment. He said he applied for asylum in Britain late last year and received it on Tuesday. My case is about political persecution intrinsically, Mr Cheng said on Thursday in London. I hope my case could be a precedent for other Hong Kongers who are not protected by the British National Overseas lifeboat scheme. They can quote my case to apply for asylum and seek protection. He said several other asylum cases involving people from Hong Kong are pending. Expand Close Nathan Law (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Nathan Law (AP) Nathan Law, a leading member of Hong Kongs opposition movement, posted on Facebook that he had left Hong Kong for an undisclosed location out of concern for his personal safety and that of others. The UK Government said on Wednesday that amid widespread concern about the security law and Hong Kongs future, Britain would extend residency rights for Hong Kongers eligible for British National Overseas passports. The passports were introduced in the 1980s under colonial rule. British officials estimate some 2.9 million people are eligible. However, those born after 1997 cannot apply, leaving out many young student activists at the core of the pro-democracy movement. China condemned the British move, saying that holders of the BNO passports are Chinese citizens and that the UK had violated a commitment it had made not to grant them the right to stay in Britain. Australian officials are considering options to provide similar opportunities to those offered by Britain. Mr Cheng urged protesters not to give up and pledged to help their cause from abroad. He said: Were developing the alternative way, a pro-democracy cause overseas to reinforce those helpless people who have no choice or chose to stay in Hong Kong. I do believe in the future we have less and less legal ground to fight for democracy within the system, within Hong Kong, peacefully, safely and legally. Since 1963, The Independent has helped create a great community! Since our founding in September of 1963, The Independent has been dedicated to giving Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol readers the news they need to be in-the-know about what's going on in the Tri-Valley region. In about ten years, India will be as important to Brazil as China is today. This is because the South Asian country is a major consumer of agricultural products and Brazil is one of the main producers in the world. Added to this is the fact that per capita income in India has increased and the country has a huge population. The trend is for both regions to further strengthen their economic ties. The per capita income of Indians grew 4.2 percent in 2019 and there are signs that the growth notwithstanding COVID-19 in 2020 will continue to rise. All main trends indicate an ongoing increase for the next decade and during this time India will become increasingly important as a commercial partner to Brazil. At the beginning of the year, the Brazilian government committed to doubling bilateral trade by 2022. Studies indicate that this demand could be sustained for more than 30 years. India, in addition to having a huge area, is also very large in terms of population, and has significant economic growth potential, just like its neighbor, China. India is also a young country whereas China is aging. The consequence of this is that India will demonstrate increasingly higher purchasing power; food consumption too will increase as the country progresses and the spending power of its middle class increases. The phenomenon of what is happening in India today is the same that happened in China in the early 1990s. China, initially a marginal business partner, became the main destination for Brazilian exports. According to the Indian potential, something similar should happen India could very well become one of the main consumers of Brazilian agricultural commodities, such as soy, sugar, and coffee, among others. India still does not import soy from Brazil. Indias major Brazilian imports are oil, non-monetary gold, fats, vegetable oils, sugars, cotton, and raw wood. As the populations purchasing power improves, changes in consumption patterns will be inevitable and India could become an important buyer of soy from Brazil, just as it happened with China. Due to religious beliefs, Indians do not consume large amounts of meat. The low consumption of this product in the market has led to the population compensating for these protein needs by eating chickpeas, peas, and lentils etc. Brazil can present itself as a major exporter of these products. It is worth noting that India is the worlds largest producer of pulses, with a production of 19 million tons (Mt), but consumes 21 Mt, with a propensity to increase, indicating the need to import pulses as well. As the middle class expands in size, there will automatically be a need for the country to manufacture more or increase the import of more consumables this presents a positive point for Brazil, the fourth largest food producer in the world. Indias path towards sustainable and prolonged development will lead to the growth of demands similar to the Chinese experience; it is why the country is becoming a priority trade partner of Brazil. This began to show itself in 2017, when, for the first time, the percentage of Indian GDP growth exceeded that of China. Indias economy is the seventh largest in the world in GDP and is expected to be the third largest by 2030, reaching second place by 2050, representing 15 percent of world GDP. India and Mercosur Mercosur is the free trade area that includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It is also the only trade agreement that India currently has with a fellow member of the BRICS grouping (the bloc contains Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). While the preferential trade agreement (PTA) between India and Mercosur is presently limited to just 450 products, the two sides have raised their ambitions and are currently negotiating preferential access to about 3,000 items. India wants to export processed foods, more engineering goods, and a wider range of pharmaceuticals to the Mercosur. Under these circumstances, the India-Mercosur PTA can be considered a success. In terms of actual products, under the existing agreement signed in 2009, India has brought down duties in the range of 10 percent to 100 percent on 452 items. These include meat products, chemicals, raw hides and skins, leather articles, wool, cotton yarn, glass and glassware, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, optical, photographic, and cinematographic apparatus. India has preferential access in the Mercosur for organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, essential oils, plastics and articles, rubber and rubber products, tools and implements, machinery items, and electrical machinery and equipment. A full text of the India-Mercosur PTA can be found here. The advantage of Mercosur for India, and especially its wealthy, vested interest business connections, is that the Mercosur bloc is some distance away and is unlikely to pose much of a threat to domestic businesses in the Indian domestic market. Brazilian exporters should be looking to take advantage of this and examine the suitability of the Indian market for Brazilian exports. In summary, Brazilian export manufacturers have excellent opportunities to increase their production, as they have numerous options suitable to meet Indias consumer requirements. Related Reading Indiana, PA (15701) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight with light rain possible. A few storms may be severe. Low 56F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight with light rain possible. A few storms may be severe. Low 56F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. The once-bustling restaurant industry that was thriving in the pre-Covid era now stands at a crossroad. Restaurants are empty, most employees have been laid off and some restaurants have closed their shutters forever. In these unprecedented times, no one knows what the future holds and the thought is enough to run a chill down the spines of those who worked in the hospitality sector. Pexels Even as some normalcy slowly resumes to our daily life, there are thousands of restaurant owners and workers, who arent sure if they will survive this crisis. Some workers don't even know if they'll have a job at the end of this month. With a bleak and uncertain future, there is little that they can do to turn around the circumstances. Thankfully, some brands are coming out and helping these restaurant workers brave through the storm. One of the biggest brands to come forward for the marginalised restaurant workers is the soft drink giant Pepsi. To help the restaurant workers, they have recently launched the #SaveOurRestaurants initiative in association with Swiggy and National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI). As part of this initiative, whenever any consumer adds a soft drink to his/her meal order on Swiggy, Pepsi will contribute part of the proceeds in respect of each soft drink ordered to the NRAI COVID-19 Relief Corpus. This initiative will continue until July 19, 2020. The funds collected through this initiative would further be used to provide dry ration to restaurant workers who have tirelessly served us and are suffering due to the lack of work during these challenging times. Pushing business rivalries to the back seat, Pepsi pledges to contribute to this cause irrespective of the soft drink ordered it is not restricted to the purchase of Pepsi. This offer is valid on any packaged soft drinks ordered from restaurants listed on Swiggy which includes carbonated soft drinks, packaged iced tea, packaged juices and packaged juice-based drinks. As the frontrunners of this great initiative, Pepsi deserves our complete support. All you have to do to help Pepsi make this initiative a success is to order your favourite soft drink through Swiggy. Sounds simple enough? That's because it is. As Pepsi aims to help out to more and more restaurant workers, all they need is a little support from you. A number of celebrities like Tiger Shroff, Sidharth Shukla, Neha Kakkar, Shehnaaz Gill and Shafali Verma have also come out to express their support for this heartwarming initiative. With the #SaveOurRestaurants initiative, Pepsi aims to provide approximately 2.5 million meals to marginalized workers of the restaurant community and help them sail through this crisis. While we applaud this great initiative by Pepsi, lets not forget to do our bit for the restaurant workers who are out of work and face a bleak future. Remember to place an order for a soft drink on Swiggy and make this initiative a success. After all, our favourite restaurants have been a part of some of our most memorable stories. The Karnataka Government has allocated over 35 acres of land in nine villages on the outskirts of Bengaluru for the burial or cremation of bodies of COVID-19 victims. The decision was taken after some people raised safety concerns and objecting to burials of COVID-19 victims in burial grounds located near residential areas. BCCL The exclusive COVD-19 burial grounds will be in the villages under four Taluks of Bengaluru North, Bengaluru South, Anekal and Yelahanka. The order directed the respective Tahsildars to register these chunks of land as reserved for burial grounds and not to use for any purpose. Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu and Revenue Minister R Ashoka had directed the officials to identify places on the city outskirts to dispose of the bodies of COVID-19 victims. BCCL Sriramulu had on Wednesday said COVID-19 victims would not be laid to rest in burial grounds in the city and separate places will be earmarked on the outskirts in the backdrop of safety concerns raised by the public. In some places, people have also expressed concern over bodies of those who died of the coronavirus being buried in their neighbourhood. He had also warned against unscientific disposal of used Personal Protection Equipment kits worn by the kin of the dead for the final rites, referring to reports about such instances. "Strict action will be taken against those people," said Sriramulu, adding that innocent people should not become a victim of someone else's negligence. This comes as the COVID-19 death toll in Bengaluru rose to 100. BCCL As of Friday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka stood at 18,016 out of which 9,404 are active while 8,336 have recovered and 272 have died. Out of this, Bengaluru alone accounts for 6,179 COVID-19 cases of which 5,504 are active. With a sudden spike in the number of new infections, Bengaluru which was the only metro city that was not badly hit by COVID-19 had last week announced a partial lockdown and reintroduced full lockdown on Sundays. BCCL Additionally, the daily night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am is altered to 8 pm to 5 am with effect from June 29. It has also decided that all government offices will have a five-day week with Saturday as a holiday. It had reached a point where former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy demanded re-imposition of lockdown in the city warning that if not done "Bengaluru would be another Brazil." The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) has said that it has initiated legal action against US tech giant Cognizant over the alleged mass layoff of its employees in India. According to KITU, thousands of Cognizant employees across India are being laid off and they have been asked to submit their resignations, to make it look like they have quit on their own. BCCL The union claimed that several victimized employees approached KITU, and they have initiated a legal battle against the Cognizant management for this illegal action. "The reports on large scale layoffs are coming from Cognizant in the name of effectively managing workforce utilisation. Thousands of employees all over India are going to be the victims of this. Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) strongly condemns this illegal and inhuman decision taken by the management of Cognizant," KITU said in a Facebook post. The KITU has urged all the affected employees to refuse to resign if asked to do so by the company and called up on the company to respect the law of the land. BCCL "According to the Labour Laws, companies that employs more than 100 employees need to obtain approval from the Labour department in order to execute layoffs. Rebranding a layoff by arguing that employees voluntarily resigned when they were, in fact, forced to resign, is also against the law," KITU said. KITU has also demanded an urgent intervention from the government to this matter and request to take stricter actions against the management who violated the labour laws. The development comes at a time when several big and small IT companies in India are on the path of cutting down jobs in the name of restructuring amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March, when the lockdown began tech companies in India have seen thousands of layoffs, as most of them saw their revenues plummet. Unsplash According to a recent Nasscom survey published in May, nine out of ten Indian startups are bleeding. Nasscom conducted its survey with over 250 startups in India in April and found that around 62 percent are suffering revenue decline of over 40 percent, while 34 percent are facing revenue decline of over whopping 80 percent all due to the coronavirus pandemic in the country. In April, it was reported that HR experts and industry players see around 1.5 lakh employees in India's IT industry losing their jobs over the next three-to-six months. Brazil is one of the worst affected countries in the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic and more than 1.5 million cases and 61,884 deaths so far from the illness. On the one hand, while the country is grappling to save lives during the pandemic, Brazil is also facing another disaster, on the ecological front. The Amazon Rainforest, the largest green cover in the world, also known as the lungs of Brazil is experiencing a surge in wildfires there. Amazon forest fires in Brazil increased by 19.5 percent in June compared to the same month last year, making it the worst June in 13 years, authorities revealed on Wednesday. AFP/ FILE June marks the start of the dry period and there were 2,248 recorded fires, leaving analysts expecting a worse year for the rainforest than the devastating 2019, which provoked anger throughout the world. The National Institute for Space Research (INPE), which follows fire alerts in real time on its website, has not recorded as many fires in June since reporting more than 3,500 in 2007. AFP/ FILE The worst is expected in August. Last year there were more than 30,000 fires that month, a threefold increase on the same month in 2018. "It's a bad sign, but what really is going to count is what happens from now on," said Philip Fearnside, an ecologist at Brazil's National Institute of Amazonian Research. AFP/ FILE Fearnside said weaker environmental enforcement under right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro is to blame for rising destruction. Bolsonaro has called for more farming and mining in protected areas of the Amazon, while defending the country for still preserving the majority of the rainforest. Bolsonaro deployed the armed forces to protect the Amazon in May, as he did in August last year. Despite that initiative, deforestation rose 12% in May from a year earlier and increased in June. Most forest fires in the Amazon are caused by arson and are directly linked to deforestation, often caused by crop farmers for cultivation. Deforestation in Brazil was very high this year before the dry season even began, with more than 2,000 square kilometers lost between January and May, a 34 percent increase on the same period in 2019, according to INPE. AFP/ FILE The Amazon environmental research institute estimates that 9,000 square kilometers of jungle already cut down since last year could go up in flames before August begins. Specialists also believe an increase in forest fires could increase breathing difficulties in a population already badly hit by the novel coronavirus. Japan has debuted its latest bullet train model offering improved performance and upgraded cabin features. But the biggest enhancement is the fact that it's also able to transport passengers to safety in the event of an earthquake. The N700S bullet train entered service on July 1, departing Tokyo for Osaka on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line and traveling on to Hakata in southwestern Japan. Kyodo News It can run up to 360 kilometers per hour, a new record set during a test run in 2019, making it one of the fastest trains in the world. The operating speed, however, will be capped at 285 kilometers per hour. The new upgrade keeps in mind the Japan's history with earthquakes. The country is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is the most active earthquake belt in the world. Kyodo News Japan accounts for around 20 per cent of earthquakes around the world with of a magnitude 6.0 or more. Around 1,500 earthquakes strike the island nation every year and minor tremors occur nearly every day. Keeping that in consideration, the train has an upgraded automatic control and braking system that allows it to halt faster in case of an emergency. It's also fitted with lithium-ion battery self-propulsion system - the first of its kind in the world. This system allows the train to run for a short distance on its own during a power outage and will make it possible for it to move to a safer location at low speed if stranded in a high-risk area - on a bridge or in a tunnel, for example -during an earthquake. Kyodo News In light of a number of deaths and injuries on its bullet train system in recent years, JR Central has also installed more security cameras on N700S trains than on previous models. Passengers will find that every seat has improved reclining functions and its own electrical outlet. The overhead luggage space lights up as the train nears each station to remind passengers not to forget their belongings. The model change comes at a time when the number of passengers remains low amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. In the fight against COVID-19, researchers are trying hard to create a vaccine that could make us immune to the novel coronavirus, while simultaneously theyre constantly on the lookout for antibodies in people that can fight the coronavirus. Reuters And now, researchers at the Karolinska Institute have discovered (published in Biorxiv) that people who are testing negative for COVID-19 antibodies could still be immune to the novel coronavirus. Immunity through T-cells The Swedish institute tested 200 people for both antibodies and T-cells. In case you didnt know, T-cells are responsible for identifying and destroying cells infected with COVID-19. The test subjects included blood donors as well as the group of people that first got infected in Sweden after entering the country from infected nations like Italy. They found that for every person testing positive for antibodies, two were found to have specific T-cells which identify and destroy infected cells. Soo Aleman one of the researchers in the study explains, One interesting observation was that it wasn't just individuals with verified COVID-19 who showed T-cell immunity but also many of their exposed asymptomatic family members. Moreover, roughly 30 percent of the blood donors who'd given blood in May 2020 had COVID-19-specific T-cells, a figure that's much higher than previous antibody tests have shown." Reuters COVID-19 herd immunity isnt here yet However, according to Marcus Buggert, co-author of the study, this doesnt mean that were close to COVID-19 herd immunity. He emphasizes that more analysis is necessary to understand whether the COVID-19 destroying-T-cells are able to provide sterilising immunity, which basically means, whether they can completely shut down the virus or protect someone from getting sick while also disabling it to not get transmitted. Antibodies vs T-cells Whenever people have spoken about immunity from COVID-19, theyve spoken about antibodies which are essentially Y shaped proteins that in Buggerts words, are like missiles shooting down a target. They fuse to the virus before it gets a chance to enter our body. T-cells, on the other hand, attack the already infected cells in our body, destroying them and disabling them from multiplying and spreading further to the existing healthy cells. Moreover, it is a part of our immune system and also possesses a memory, so the moment it recognises a particular virus, it knows that it needs to destroy it. Reuters Are T-cells the final solution? The team claims that more research is needed to fully understand T-cells. Moreover, T-cells are more complex and harder to detect than antibodies, as they require special labs and only small batches of samples are tested for several days. Buggert explains, "Larger and more longitudinal studies must now be done on both T cells and antibodies to understand how long-lasting the immunity is and how these different components of COVID-19 immunity are related." In what is being described as a mysterious mass die-off more hundreds of elephants have died in northern Botswana. Scientists are calling it a conservation disaster. According to Guardian report, a cluster of elephant deaths was first reported in the Okavango Delta in early May, with 169 dead by the end of the month. By June, the number more than doubled. 70 per cent of the deaths were clustered around waterholes. The number of death now stands at 350, according to reports. Guardian This is a mass die-off on a level that hasnt been seen in a very, very long time. Outside of drought, I dont know of a die-off that has been this significant, Guardian quoted Dr Niall McCann, the director of conservation at UK-based charity National Park Rescue as saying. According to the report, two main possible causes of deaths could be poisoning or an unknown pathogen. Cyanide poisoning, often used by poachers in Zimbabwe could be a possibility but scavenging animals do not seem to be dying at the carcasses. The government of Botswana has not yet tested any samples therefore there is no information on what is causing the death and if there is a risk to human health. When weve got a mass die-off of elephants near human habitation at a time when wildlife disease is very much at the forefront of everyones minds, it seems extraordinary that the government has not sent the samples to a reputable lab, McCann said. Guardian Locals say that they saw some elephants walking around in circles, which could be an indication of neurological impairment. If you look at the carcasses, some of them have fallen straight on their face, indicating they died very quickly. Others are obviously dying more slowly, like the ones that are wandering around. So its very difficult to say what this toxin is, said McCann. Elephants of all ages and both sexes have been dying. According to the report elephants that are alive appear weak and emaciated, suggesting more will die in the coming weeks. Also Read: 537 Endangered Vultures Die After Eating Poisoned Elephants Killed By Poachers In Botswana Guardian Its a conservation disaster, it speaks of a country that is failing to protect its most valuable resource, McCann reportedly said. Last year, Botswana legalised the hunting of elephants because the country had too many of them post which 70 elephants were legally killed there. Conservationists believe that the government needs to get samples immediately to rule out any risk to human health. In the course of two decades, white-throated sparrows across western and central Canada have changed one of their songs. New research published in Current Biology explains that birds rarely change their tune and when they do it's mostly limited to the local environment and turns into what they call a 'regional dialect'. The Guardian But with the Canadian Sparrows, researchers have noticed something unusual, the new chirpy tune sung by the birds is 'viral' among thousands of birds of the same species across Canada. Also Read: Climate Change Is Affecting Where Birds Breed And Their Population, Reveals Study The new song appears to be replacing the pre-existing melody, which dates as far back as the 1960s. Ken Otter, a biology professor at the University of Northern British Columbia told The Guardian that it's the first time researchers are witnessing a cultural evolution of a bird song. Otter and his team used 18,000 recordings of male songs gathered by citizen scientist birders across North America to track the new doublet-ending song. Their study, published in Current Biology, found that in 2004, the two-note dialect stopped halfway through Alberta. The old melody, with its highly musical triplet outro, is now at risk of going extinct. Winter in the U.S. is a good time to learn sparrows. Listen to this White-throated Sparrow sing "Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada" or "Old-sam-peabody-peabody" Suzanne Labbe/Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab (ML118545241) Matthew Medler/Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab (ML169021) pic.twitter.com/cXZbkxL4Au Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab (@MacaulayLibrary) January 14, 2019 Citizen scientists played a key role, as the songs they recorded and made available expanded the spatial scope of the study. We never would have been able to cover this kind of distance if it was just us collecting songs, Otter said in an Interview with Gizmodo. The song libraries have massively expanded in the last five years, with eBird allowing people to upload recordings, not just observations. New Scientist "The bird was acclaimed for its patriotism in Canada, with its triplet-ending song popularly described as Oh My Sweet Can-a-Da, Can-a-Da, Can-a-Da. Unfortunately, this is being replaced with our western variant that sounds like the birds are stuttering Oh My Sweet Can-a, Can-a, Can-a, Can-a-Da, Otter told The Guardian Otter and his team found that the new song didn't give male birds a territorial advantage over male counterparts, but still want to study whether female birds have a preference between the two songs. Also Read: Population Of Birds In India Is Declining Catastrophically And It Should Worry Us All KT Haroon Kareem, a visually challenged student became the first in the state of Kerala to take the SSLC examination using assistive technology. The student who is from Mankada, created history by writing the exam using a computer and the latest software, without the help of a scribe. He has passed with A plus grades. ANI During the announcement of the SSLC results on Tuesday, Education Minister C Raveendranath specifically mentioned Haroon's name and congratulated him on his achievement, reports TNIE. After the announcement, Haroon received a flurry of wishes from people across the state. The special mention from the education minister made me extremely happy. After the results came out, Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan, education department officials, teachers, friends and relatives called me. The appreciation from the people makes me more responsible to achieve my goals, TNIE quoted him as saying. Also Read: Niket Dalal Creates History By Becoming First Visually Impaired Athlete To Finish Ironman 70.3 Triathlon State Vice President Shefeeq Kallayi , along with state committee member Ismail K and Malappuram East District President Mishab, congratulated Haroon Kareem, the only differently abled student in the state who wrote SSLC EXAM with the help of computer and scored full A+ . pic.twitter.com/px8NVQH3ln Campus Front of India-Kerala (@CFIKerala) July 2, 2020 The 15-year-old, a student of Government Higher Secondary School, Mankada, proved that it is possible for a visually challenged student to give an exam without the help of a scribe. The software used by him to write the examinations was In-Spy and he took the print out of the answer sheets. Also Read: Visually Impaired Boy Swims Across Periyar River, Wins Hearts All Over I want to be an inspiration for the visually challenged students in the world to use assistive technology to take examinations, he reportedly said. Haroon wants to become a software engineer and graduate from Stanford University, US. We hope that the young mans dream is fulfilled and he continues to inspire many. Locusts have reportedly descended on East Africa, devouring crops, trees, and pastures as they move in swarms that look like storm clouds. Locusts have been around for a long time, and are mostly associated with the deserts of Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Horn of Africa region. Image For Representation/AP Now, as the second wave of locusts threatens to invade East Africa, scientists are looking for some environmentally-friendly ways to get rid of them. And they suggest eating them, poising them or driving them to cannibalism with a peculiar scent. According to a Reuters report, swarms are the worst for three generations, encouraged by unseasonably wet weather and dispersed by a record number of cyclones. The destructive pests could cost East Africa and Yemen $8.5 billion this year, the World Bank has said. Also Read: How Loud Music From A DJ Vehicle' Apparently Helped Scare Away Army Of Locusts Image For Representation/Harvard University Locusts are usually controlled by spraying pesticides but the chemicals can damage other insects and the environment. So scientists at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) are experimenting with biopesticides and the use of locusts as human and animal food as they look for environmentally-friendly extermination methods. ICIPE researchers were part of a group that discovered an isolate from a fungus, Metharizium acridum, could kill locusts without harming other creatures. The isolate is now being used across East Africa. Reuters Now researchers are pouring through 500 other fungi and microbes in their biobank in the hope of discovering another locust poison. A one-kilometre-long swarm can consume as much food as 35,000 people in a single day. To fight the locust menace in India, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has indigenously designed and developed a pesticide spraying tool for Mi-17 choppers- the Airborne Locust Control System (ALCS) to fight repeated locust attacks. The Chandigarh Base Repair Depot has developed the ALCS for Mi-17 helicopters, informed a top Air Force officer to ANI. Also Read: Swarms Of Locusts Attack Areas In Gurgaon And Locals Bang Utensils To Scare Them Away Source: Reuters Congressman Ro Khanna will serve as a co-chair, along with Rep. Barbara Lee and LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, of the California Democratic delegation to the Democratic National Convention. The Indian American U.S. representative is seen above in an April 4, 2019 photo with Sen. Bernie Sanders. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Technology is changing quickly and it is important for everyone to be prepared. While technology is making the world more connected and efficient than ever before, technology can also leave people vulnerable. This includes not only individuals but companies as well. While finding the right software and protecting the business with a BSD license is important, it is also critical to think about other protections that are available. These can protect businesses against some of the biggest threats out there today. Without a doubt, one of the biggest threats in the technology world today is the growth of something called ransomware. For those who might not know, a ransomware attack is a serious attack that could have the potential to take down an entire company. When it comes to ransomware, this is a virus that locks up an entire network, completely prohibiting the company from using it. While some people might think that they can call IT professionals to simply remove the virus, this can take a long time. In industries that are time-sensitive, such as healthcare, this type of remedy might not be possible. Ransomware attacks are not removed until a ransom is paid. The best way to handle these attacks is to prevent them from happening in the first place. There is another major cybersecurity threat that everyone should note called a rogue access point. This is one of the most common cybersecurity attacks out there. This is an access point that has been installed on a secure network that does not have the specific authorization of a network administrator. This could be done accidentally by an employee or installed intentionally by a hacker. The biggest danger of this attack is that the user could run vulnerability scanners and can attack remotely without having to be physically inside the organization. For this reason, companies need to take steps to prevent these access points from being set up. Similar to a rogue access point, a rogue client is another common threat in the world of cybersecurity. A rogue client is a device that has been found to be communicating with a network without specific authorization. This is a serious security risk because users are able to connect them to a network from outside of the organization. In this manner, a rogue client might gain access to the internal workings of the company and steal information. For this reason, this is a cybersecurity threat that must be prevented. Another major type of cybersecurity threat out there today is called a phishing attack. This is an attack where someone is fooled into surrounding his or her credentials. For example, someone might send an email to someone posing as a manager in the company. Then, that employee might share his or her login information, providing a criminal with access to the internal workings of the company. Often, these are called spear phishing attacks, where a single person is targeted. There might be social engineering involved in this attack, where someone seeks to learn more about the company based on its social media platforms. This makes the attack look more believable. Companies should consider using advanced software protections and multi-factor authentication to try to prevent these attacks from getting through. It only takes one attack to place the company at risk. These are just a few of the most common threats that exist in the world of technology today. As technology becomes a more important part of daily business operations, it is important for everyone to take steps to protect themselves and their companies from harm. This includes relying on the help of trained professionals who can protect companies, their data, and the people who work there. The Wolf administration shocked hospital executives and others last month when it canceled its just-renewed contract for health-care emergency management with the Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, the industry advocacy group that has been griping for months about Wolf and state legislators not doing more to help hospitals financially during the pandemic. Instead, the Pennsylvania Department of Health chose Public Health Management Corp., a human services nonprofit in Philadelphia, to manage the states preparations for health-care emergencies. PHMC was picked under the states emergency declaration, which means the state did not have to solicit bids. And while PHMC has expanded steadily through acquisitions that have taken it further into mental-health services, community health, and family services, it will start Wednesday in a new area. The change in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic came as a surprise, not just to the hospital association, which said it was shocked and dismayed by the loss of the work, worth about $5 million a year from a federal grant, but also to many in the health-care industry. One executive said he was stunned. Another called it criminal. A common understanding is that the Wolf administration grew tired of HAPs banging the drum for more state financial help, asserting that the states hospitals were going to take a $10 billion hit because of COVID-19, without providing details. There has also been talk of HAP, which sometimes plays a central and secretive role as an interface between hospitals and state government, being too hospital-centric in its emergency preparedness role a criticism that has been leveled at many public health officials all over when the scope of COVID-19 losses in nursing homes became clear. The hospital association declined to comment beyond a statement on its web site describing the work of its emergency preparedness team in training and preparation for emergencies that range from small-scale flooding, to hurricanes, mass transit accidents, pandemic illness, and large-scale events. PHMC, which already does a significant amount of work for state and local government, did not make anyone available to discuss its new role, which includes not just organizing training exercises and disaster planning, but also information exchange among health-care providers and coordination of supplies. PHMC is actively working in partnership with the state, existing regional directors, and the existing health-care coalition infrastructure to prioritize a seamless transition, the nonprofit said in a statement July 1, adding that the PHMCs chief operating officer will oversee the emergency preparedness work. READ MORE: These intellectually disabled twenty-somethings begin to venture out during the pandemic That person, Lauren Lambrugo, has experience with emergency management through her previous role in Montgomery County, PHMC said. Lambrugo was the countys chief operating officer and also has experience in politics. PHMC said it is seeking to hire a new program director to supervise seven regional managers, whom it hopes to hire from HAP, where they have been overseen by vice president Mark Ross. PHMC did not respond this week to a request for an update on whether it had been able to hire the seven regional managers. Asked about the personnel transition, Nate Wardle, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health, said: The expectation is that PHMC will hire qualified personnel to complete the work under the agreement. The emergency preparedness program that PHMC is taking over originated in the early 2000s, when the federal government decided to help states prepare for a potential terrorist attack like 9/11. The Pennsylvania Department of Health first contracted with the hospital association in 2012, according to 2017 testimony by a health department official. Long before COVID-19, the hospital associations emergency preparedness group helped coordinate responses to events like the 2015 Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia that killed eight and injured 200. The same year, they worked on emergency preparedness for the visit to the city by Pope Francis. During the coronavirus pandemic, sharing information quickly has been key, said Jessica Caum, program manager in the Philadelphia Department of Public Health for the Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness Program. READ MORE: The COVID-19 rush never came to rural Pennsylvania, and empty hospitals are feeling the losses Caum said Brian Barth, the hospital associations regional manager for Southeastern Pennsylvania, is very good at providing very timely information that gives you a better picture of the entire landscape of the health care community, rather than just trying to get information from individual facilities. Barth also helped with resource coordination, particularly with long-term care facilities, Caum said. HAP is very tuned in, she said. As to why Pennsylvania would change its emergency preparedness agency in the middle of a pandemic, Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said in a news release that PHMC is well-positioned to help move the commonwealth forward in its preparation efforts for future emergencies, including preparations in the case that coronavirus resurges in the fall or winter. She also said the department is looking forward to the opportunity to expand our existing hospital preparedness program, as well as creating an inclusive environment for all members of our health-care system through our health-care coalitions. Who is winning this years fight over the U.S. military budget? Is it Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Trump appointees, who say the nation spends too much on 20th-century-style tanks, trucks, and helicopters when it should invest in automated, cyber, and space systems made by such firms as Microsoft for possible use against China and Russia? Or Congress, where members work hard to defend constituents and contributors at familiar factories run by Boeing and other industrial employers? Theres money for both. Even though the $732 billion National Defense Authorization Act that sailed through the House Armed Services Committee with a bipartisan 56-0 vote late Wednesday is only about as big as last years budget (the Pentagon wanted $800 billion). As U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D., N.J.), who heads the committees Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, said Thursday, the bill would keep some of the Philadelphia areas biggest employers rolling through the coronavirus recession. The bill, which differs modestly from a Senate version, includes: $136 million for five more Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter upgrades at the companys Ridley Park factory, which employs 4,600, making it the areas largest industrial employer. The spillover work will keep staff busy at contractors such as L3Harris Technologies in Camden. Funds for four more V-2 Ospreys, whose missions the military doesnt like to detail. Also made by Boeing at Ridley. $88 million for the high-energy laser with integrated optical-dazzler and surveillance (HELIOS) weapons system under development at Lockheed Martin in Moorestown. The company employs about 8,000 at a string of Pennsylvania and New Jersey facilities, including 400 at its Coatesville Sikorsky helicopter factory. A reprieve for aging KC-10 refueling planes the Air Force hoped to retire this year. Those planes are based at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Burlington and Ocean Counties, which employs 40,000, one of New Jerseys biggest job centers. More military research money so Rowan University engineers can keep developing asphalt that doesnt freeze in the Arctic, New Jersey Institute of Technology professors can improve cardboard ammunition cartridges to replace familiar brass, and Penn State researchers and others can keep working on new energy systems at the old Philadelphia Naval Base. A 3% raise for all military personnel. Plus a provision giving military families bigger apartments if they run small day-care centers to ease the shortage at U.S. bases. Protections for the American Federation of Government Employees and other labor unions representing more than 675,000 civilian defense workers, who President Donald Trump had hoped could be excluded from federal bargaining laws. A tougher Buy American requirement so major defense acquisition programs use at least 75% American parts, up from the current 50%. Among the foreign manufacturers likely to lose business are engine-makers in NATO ally countries such as Italy. Build union? Construction labor unions see pension plans for other union workers as friendly investors in building projects that typically use union contractors. One of the biggest, the $240 billion-asset California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS), is extra sensitive that its taxpayer-funded investments arent used to undercut union labor. Its policy calls for considering prevailing wages typically union wages and promises to pay fair wages through responsible contractors using competitive bidding. But the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council complained to CalSTRS last month that the systems near-wholly owned affiliate, LCOR, based in Berwyn, has been cutting union contractors out of recent jobs, such as a new apartment complex in Conshohocken. Union employers were not even invited to bid on the job, says council spokesman Frank Keel. Among the subcontractors for the site is Florida-based Power Design Inc. The union noted that last winter, Power agreed to pay $2.75 million to the District of Columbia to settle what prosecutors called a wage theft complaint for failing to document minimum wages for workers wrongly classified as independent contractors or to pay required unemployment insurance. The company did not admit to wrongdoing, as part of the settlement. Keel said the union is giving CalSTRS the benefit of the doubt that it didnt check too closely whom LCOR was hiring. But it has also put the pension plan on notice that its labor policies are being watched. We did receive the complaint, and we are in the process of reviewing and analyzing the information, CalSTRS spokesman Thomas Lawrence told me. Masked TE Connectivity, a Berwyn-based maker of electronic connectors and digital sensors with nearly 100 factories worldwide, had its Pennsylvania plants make anti-coronavirus face shields to donate to medical staff. The company molded visors at its Lickdale works, and assembled shields in Middletown, where it also made small parts through its 3D printers, says TE spokesman Jeff Cronin. In all, more than half the 120,000 shields it has given away were made in Pennsylvania, then given to staff at Abington, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, Doylestown, Einstein-Montgomery, Lehigh Valley-Schuylkill, the University of Pennsylvania, Penn State-Hershey hospitals, and others picked by TE workers, Cronin said. Theres an old saying, You should never meet your heroes, because they wont live up to your expectations. But when actress Erika Alexander met her hero, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, that didnt happen. If anything, he exceeded my expectations, she said. Alexander is best known for role as Maxine Shaw on the 90s sitcom Living Single but got her first major television role as Cousin Pam on The Cosby Show. Shes racked up hundreds of TV and film credits, including roles in Get Out, Queen Sugar, Black Lightning, and Law & Order SVU. Her latest gig is helping produce John Lewis: Good Trouble, a biographical documentary about the Georgia congressmans journey to becoming one of the countrys most storied leaders. The documentary, which will be available to stream on Friday, chronicles Lewis 60-plus-year career of community organizing and legislative activism. It features interviews with U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D., Mass.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), the late Elijah Cummings (D., Md.), politician Stacey Abrams, and others. The film was directed by Dawn Porter for Magnolia Pictures, Participant Media, CNN Films, and Alexanders Color Farm Media. The Inquirer talked with Alexander about the documentary and why she connects with Lewis. This interview has been edited and condensed. How did you become involved with the documentary? I have a background in campaigning and [political] surrogate work, and in 2016, I had the chance to campaign with Congressman Lewis and Stacey Abrams and Ayanna Pressley in Georgia. It was really a lesson on how to be young, gifted, and Black, and in the South, and in American politics. I know his constituent services representative, shes a friend, and she brought me in as a [strategist] for the congressman. Then, my [business] partner Ben Arnon and I were introduced to Dawn Porter, and Dawn Porter happened to be working on a documentary for John Lewis, and we just decided right then and there that we would partner up. How will this documentary be different from other biographical works on Congressman Lewis? John Lewis has been in our lives for so long, we think we know him, but I dont think most people do. He is a young man that decided he wanted to be part of the Civil Rights struggle. He didnt know then that he was on his way to becoming an American icon, and so Dawn Porter directed the documentary and puts the spotlight on him. Good Trouble is his show. Hes not next to Martin Luther King Jr. or Bobby Kennedy telling their story. So we get to learn what it was like growing up as a Black sharecropper. We get to see how he honed his fiery oratory skills by preaching to the chickens. And he tells us about that fateful day on the Edmund Pettus Bridge [in Selma, Ala.] when white policemen stormed that peaceful protest and cracked his skull open, which nearly killed him. The timing of this documentary seems to coincide with the national unrest and resistance to racism and police brutality. Its ironic that its the worst time to put out a film [because of coronavirus closures] and the best time for this film. Although were talking about staying healthy and being grateful to be alive, we still have to do our work. Here in Los Angeles where I live, the whole town is shut down in terms of production and its hard to get anything in theaters, and even if you do, will people show up? But because Congressman Lewis is so significant, this is a unifying film a reason for people to come together. There are so many institutions and traditional theatrical outlets that want to innovate new ways to release this film. How will people be able to see it, with theaters closed? It will be on multiple streaming platforms. Itll also be in theaters that are open, like drive-ins. Also, later on, CNN will show it on Sept. 27 on their channel and then it will live on HBO Max indefinitely. But thats after its theater run. Whats something you learned about John Lewis that you didnt know before working on this doc? He is an art connoisseur and he has very sophisticated tastes. Here we are thinking that if you come from the country, you like simple things, and he does like a simple life. Hes living a life of peace, and if youre around him, you actually adopt that feeling. Why do you look up to John Lewis? Everybody tries to see themselves in their heroes that they fall in love with, and Im no different. I see a lot of my lifes story in him that strength of character and wanting to learn. He was an outsider, even inside of his family. He really had a Dickensian background to the first part of his life. And early in my life, up in the mountains of Arizona, my family was very poor. We werent sharecroppers [like Lewis], but we were certainly suffering from the effects of systemic racism. I got a chance to break out of that when I auditioned for a film in Philadelphia. And at Freedom Theater, [where Alexander had early roles that attracted attention], my life changed. Suddenly I was on a national stage and having to deal with impostor syndrome. So this boy from Troy, Ala., reminded me of the girl from Flagstaff, Ariz. Our annual trip to the Jersey Shore was in question until the last minute. And the pandemic that had kept us homebound in Philadelphia for months had certainly given us serious pause. How would these beach towns handle the crush of tourists who view crossing the bridge to a barrier island as some sort of magic portal that evaporates their real-world coronavirus concerns? Where and how would we eat? The call of the ocean was ultimately too powerful to resist and Im glad we went, if anything, to feel the waves as one reassuring pulse of normalcy. But eating at the Shore in 2020 is anything but normal. Outdoor dining began in mid-June, and our early attempts showed a steep learning curve with safety protocols for restaurants to master, not to mention too many mask-resistant customers. It would take several days before I began to find outdoor venues we felt comfortable with. (See next weeks installment!) Meanwhile, takeout remains a safe and satisfying approach. We began with several favorites near our rental in Ocean City, like Cinco de Mayo (1039 West Ave., Ocean City, 609-399-0199) and Smittys Clam Bar (910 Bay Ave., Somers Point, 609-927-8783), whose efficiency as a call-ahead, credit card-accepting to-go operation now is in some ways an improvement over the hour-plus parking lot waits that were a given at this seafood classic. Then we grew our takeout radius to restaurants on Seven Mile Island and the mainland, expanding our menu with a welcome infusion of international flavors. Afghan lamb shanks? Jerk-spiced whole branzino? Legit dim sum? A new pizza star? Indeed. Here are six restaurants that are worth the round-trip. 701 Mosaic The plant-fringed corner of 701 Mosaic in Ocean City would appear to be a natural destination for outdoor dining. But co-owner Pamela Womble decided to keep the restaurant takeout-only this summer due to health concerns. It wasnt an easy call for a restaurant thats become known as one of the islands best over the last 12 years in part because of its warm hospitality. But the shift has also put a fresh spotlight on the Caribbean cooking of Wombles husband, Hilbert Herbie Allwood. The Jamaican-born Allwood, who cooked for decades in New York before moving here with Womble under the guise of a retirement plan, has dialed back the Scotch bonnet heat since I first tasted his food in 2009. But his jerk chicken still resonates with enough chile heat, grill smoke, allspice, and molasses to conjure his St. Elizabeth roots. The pickled tang of chayote escoveitch perks a whole branzino whose head is perfumed with dry jerk spice. And ginger sings through almost every dish, even the Mediterranean-inspired chicken Byzantine and maple-glazed salmon. My favorite dish, though, was the shrimp in golden curry, a turmeric-tinted blend of Chinese and Middle Eastern spices whose cumin, allspice, and ginger bloom when Allwood toasts them first like a roux. Mosaics longevity in a seasonal dining scene is a testament to consistency and the broad appeal of its distinctive menu. But the fact its one of the few Black-owned restaurants at the Shore is also timely, given the national social justice protests following the killing of George Floyd. Womble says young white customers have recently visited the restaurant specifically to support it as a Black-owned business: Its the first time in 12 years a white customer has mentioned that, so I do think the climate of early spring 2020 has made our allies more aware. Ive appreciated Mosaics virtues for years. But this very different kind of summer is the perfect moment to be reminded this standby is as fresh as ever. 701 Mosaic, 701 E. 4th St., Ocean City, 609-398-2700; 701mosaic.com. READ MORE: Outdoor dining returns to Philly. Heres how it will work. Bakeria 1010 The last time I encountered Mike Fitzick in 2016, hed become an Instagram sensation as the Pizza_Jew, posting hunger-inducing photos of the wood-fired Neapolitan pies he cooked at Valentinas in Northfield. For this one-time sauce hose technician at Mack & Mancos, achieving pizza notoriety with this revered Italian style realized a personal passion and was good for my ego. But as he wandered between seasons of mercenary pizza work with pop-ups and various line-cook jobs, he knew he wanted to tackle something different. And the hefty Detroit-style pan pizzas hes now making at his solo debut, Bakeria 1010, have turned out to be ideal to meet the takeout demands of the pandemic. Whereas delicate Neapolitan pies are best within their first few minutes, these deep-crusted beauties, ideally bordered with a crispy frico of caramelized cheese around the sides, are perfect to travel. The crusts may be thick, but Fitzick still gives them a deceptive lightness. He ferments his dough for 56 hours with a bit of sourdough for an airy crust full of stretchy holes, a recipe that also works well for panini and crusty sourdough loaves. But as a canvas for pizza, that puffy crust acts like a springboard for bright tomato sauce, heat-blistered cheese, and array of quality toppings. Thick-cut pepperoni dusted with Pecorino. Mushrooms with brandy-caramelized onions and Gruyere. Espositos sausage with fried peppers. Smoked prosciutto with rosemaried potatoes. These 17-by-13-inch big boys are a commitment, so try the Pizzaiolos Surprise for a chefs choice combo of four toppings because, really, youll want to taste them all. Bakeria 1010, 2110 New Rd., Linwood, 609-927-5812; bakeria1010.com. Setaara Abdullah Panah and his aunt, chef Homa Bazyar, bill their Atlantic City restaurant Setaara as the worlds first French Afghan fusion. But for the time being, the escargots and pate maison recipes that Bazyar brought from Denver, where she owned Cafe Monet, have been packed away to ride out the crisis. Bazyar has instead turned to the menus traditional Afghan dishes as those most likely to survive a takeout order intact. And I can attest they do. The billow of aromatic steam that wafted above our table when I uncovered a tender lamb shank buried in fragrant rice jeweled with raisins, shredded carrots, and sweet onions was simply transporting. But so were the ashak scallion dumplings, the ghormeh lubia red beans simmered in the cinnamon-tomato sauce, the moist chicken kebabs, and pyramid-shaped mantu dumplings filled with oniony ground beef beneath drizzles of yogurt and peas. The year-old Setaara is a unique architectural and culinary addition to the Ducktown landscape, and has given new life to a building across from the legendary White House Sub shop. Panah, a 22-year-old med student at Rowan College, added minarets to the facade and turned the interior into an evocative Middle Eastern montage of Moroccan alcoves for booths, a mirrored hall based on a palace in Tehran, a mini-replica of the historic Buddhas that were destroyed during the conflict in Afghanistan, and a double-floored rear courtyard still under construction. That elaborate ambiance will have to wait until New Jersey allows inside dining to return. Meanwhile, Bazyars takeout kebabs and sweet firni custard ably bring that magic to you. Setaara, 2322 Arctic Ave., Atlantic City, 609-246-7704; setaaraac.com. READ MORE: What to eat on July 4th weekend, whether youre eating out or staying in Dim Sum and Then Some! Great Chinese food isnt easy to find at the Jersey Shore outside of the casinos, where noodle bars have been reliable best bets. But with casinos down for months, Ventnor lucked out with a project from Andrew Leung, who persuaded his brother, Michael Leung, the chef at Zhen Bang Noodle & Sushi in Oceans Casino Resort, to partner and consult on a Cantonese concept. The menu overseen on a daily basis by Ki Gaw Zhengze, another veteran casino chef, offers an impressive range of Cantonese standbys that could sate any homesick Philadelphians cravings for Chinatown. As Then Some! implies, the menu roams wide into the Hong Kong-style canon of BBQ meats, soups, and stir-fries, plus Americanized classics I didnt try. The Singapore noodles and wok-singed chow fun were good. But the dumplings are the reason to put this newcomer on speed dial. The pork dumplings come in several subtle variations, moist and tender with cabbage and ginger in the standard, with the oniony zing of Chinese chives for another version, or bolstered with earthy shiitakes and shrimp for the sui mei. A pale white dough of tapioca and rice starch is flaky on its pan-fried bottom when wrapped around sweet shrimp and bamboo shoots for the shrimp-chive buns. The same dough turns nearly translucent when steamed into pleated har gao dumplings, which come with shrimp, but also a delicious vegetarian variation touched with green and filled with mushrooms, bamboo, and broccoli. Theyre so good, Ill likely be craving those when Im back in Philadelphia. Dim Sum and Then Some! 7317 Ventnor Ave., Ventnor, 609-271-9303; dimsumventnor.com. Water Dog Smoke House Theres a lot going at Water Dog, the orange-lidded black box of a former bank where the smoker now at its heart ranges from deli-style fish and sandwich meats to pit-style barbecue, and you can also order lobster rolls and poke. We call ourselves a Millenial deli, says co-owner Steve Marchel, who also owns Northfields Chido Burrito. We make everything I like to eat. The catch-all concept has been popular, even if theres too much going on with this menu for my taste. The poke bowl rice was cold and hard. The lobster roll was ample, but artlessly dressed. The brisket burnt ends were chewy. But what still makes Water Dog an essential new addition to the Shore is some of the best smoked fish anywhere, thanks to pit-master and partner Dan Greenberg. I could eat his pastrami-rubbed salmon and smoked whitefish spread with capers on a bagel every morning before the beach. His smoke only amplifies the natural Jersey sweetness of big Cape May scallops. Water Dog also happens to roast a beautifully plain turkey breast, perfect for the O.J.M.V.P. with house-smoked bacon and melted cheddar on grilled brioche. But the Dr. Dan pastrami sandwich is what most exemplifies Water Dogs progress status a worthy work-in-progress. The meats texture still needs tweaking its too taught, whereas great pastrami should tenderly melt. But theres already a depth of smoky savor that cant be faked and is impossible to resist. As I polished mine off for lunch, I knew for certain this ambitious smoke house hybrid was at least headed in the right direction. Water Dog Smoke House, 7319 Ventnor Ave., Ventnor; 609-727-0603; 609-727-0603; waterdogsmokehouse.com The Nizams Heres a food lovers wish: Can all bland suburban chain restaurants eventually be replaced by the full-hearted flavors of an independent restaurant as tasty as the Nizams? Yes, Im sure many people still miss the Egg Harbor Township location of Carrabbas Italian Grill. But there are more of those. Theres only one Nizams, and New Delhi-born chef Syed Abbas, who moved his 12-year-old restaurant from the Black Horse Pike to this larger location last year, is cooking some of the most vibrant Indian food in the region, braced with the uncompromising heat and complexity of fresh-ground spices. You can smell that spice story unfold when you stir the onion-laced rice of Abbas fragrant chicken biryani. I taste the deep smoke and fruitiness of roasted eggplant mashed into the cumin-scented bhurta. The tender lamb achari resonates with fennel and black onion seeds, while bright green kale patties, crisped for chaat salad striped with tamarind chutney, is one of my new favorites. Also, for a worthy alternative to the usual tandoori chicken, try one of Abbas signatures, the Tangri kebab of chicken-thigh lollipops that are marinated in turmeric, saffron, coriander, and yogurt before roasting in the clay oven. Ill need to return at Thanksgiving, when Abbas cooks another original specialty an Indian-ized turducken stuffed with cranberry rice, masala spice, and quail. You cant get that at any other restaurant I know. So now I have a good excuse to return to the Shore for takeout in November.The Nizams, 6725 US-40, Egg Harbor Township, 609-677-8829; nizamsauthenticindian.com. A few weeks after his 4th birthday, Fenton McEvoy came down with what seemed to be an ordinary cold, except that his neck and right hand started to feel weak. Within 24 hours, he could not move his arms or legs. That was 2018, when the Georgia boy and more than 200 other children in the United States were diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, a debilitating disease that seems to surge every two years in late summer and fall. In 2016, 153 such cases were confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two years before that, the number was 120. If the pattern holds, dozens of preschool-age children will be afflicted this year, starting in August. Like COVID-19, the condition is blamed on a virus in this case, one related to the virus that causes polio. Unlike COVID, which rarely causes severe symptoms in the young, this one hits children almost exclusively. Its the same effect of someone that suffered a traumatic spinal injury, said Fentons father, Brian, a lawyer in Atlanta. Except in his case, there was no trauma. He caught a cold, and the next day he ended up in the ICU. If there is a hint of hope this year, physicians say the social distancing restrictions aimed at limiting the coronavirus also could limit EV-D68, the virus linked to acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). And on Friday, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center said they had taken a big step toward a possible treatment for AFM. Mice were protected from the disease after being injected with antibodies that had been isolated from human patients, the researchers reported in Science Immunology. When given antibodies before being exposed to the virus, the mice developed no muscle weakness or other symptoms. Even when treated up to three days after being exposed, animals experienced fewer symptoms than those that were not treated. What happens next, as with so much else in science, depends on money. With the coronavirus, research has proceeded at unprecedented speed, with billions pledged to the cause so far by the U.S. and other governments. Several vaccines are being tested in humans just months after the microbes genetic code was deciphered, though how well they will work remains uncertain. For AFM, which strikes a small fraction of the number infected with COVID, $10 million to $15 million would be needed to test the antibody in human patients and scale up production for clinical use, said James E. Crowe Jr., director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center and senior author of the new study. That is a pittance compared with the spending on COVID, yet the funds remain elusive. We cannot seem to put together everything we need, he said. The antibody study was conducted in mice, and such results often do not translate to humans. Still, the results are really encouraging, said Sarah E. Hopkins, a neurologist at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia who was not involved in the research. Even when they gave it to mice after they had the infection for a day or two, they still seem to have benefited, she said. One hurdle in administering such a treatment would be identifying which children have the disease. In the first few years after AFM was identified, the CDC was slow to label the virus EV-D68 as the cause, in part because it is not detected in some patients. But the microbe a type of virus called an enterovirus is now generally considered the prime culprit, Hopkins and Crowe agreed. (Some milder cases may be caused by another enterovirus called A71.) Still, children can go days before being diagnosed if physicians are not on the lookout for the condition. Levels of the virus are highest during the first day of infection and may be hard to detect later, Hopkins said. Thats what happened with Fenton McEvoy, who is now 6. He never tested positive for the virus but was diagnosed with the disease based on clinical findings. He has regained some function in both legs, but uses a motorized chair and relies on a breathing machine, his father said. In 2019, the boy underwent a surgery called nerve transfer at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Philadelphia. Physicians attempted to reactivate his paralyzed diaphragm, the muscle used in breathing, by rerouting a healthy nerve from elsewhere in the body, but it was not successful. Other patients at Shriners and CHOP have benefited from such procedures, however. READ MORE: This polio-like illness surges every two years, but why? As many as one-third of AFM patients need mechanical breathing support, said Hopkins, the neurologist. Most have paralysis or weakness in just the upper extremities, sometimes in just one arm, she said. The weakness may affect the shoulder more than the hands. Often these kids can hold on to your hand, but they cant lift their hand up above their heads to give you a high-five, she said. Though the virus is respiratory, it somehow leads to weakness or paralysis by inducing the formation of lesions on the spinal cord. Yet a big mystery remains: The virus strikes nearly everyone at some point, but in most cases, it results in nothing more than a cold. Genetic studies are underway to find out why. In addition to surgery, treatments for the paralysis can include steroids and other drugs to minimize inflammation. For the antibody treatment studied at Vanderbilt, several scenarios are possible, said Crowe, who collaborated with researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Purdue University. One option is to treat any child with a cold who tests positive for the virus. But because the vast majority of children do not develop paralysis, that would mean giving a drug that is likely to be pricey to many who do not need it. Alternatively, doctors could wait and give the drug to those who start to develop muscle weakness except that might be too late. Another option: If one child in a preschool class develops the disease, the antibody could be given to others in the class who were exposed. Again, most would not need it, though that would be a more targeted approach, Crowe said. In the event of a big outbreak in a community, Crowe envisions that the drug could be given on a more widespread, preventive basis, almost like a vaccine. That seems unlikely for now, as the disease is rare. But Crowe worries that the number of cases could keep growing, as it did with polio. Its pretty tricky to figure out what we need to do, he said. The viruss two-year cycle also remains something of a mystery, though such multiyear cycles are not unheard of in infectious disease. In simplest terms, viruses spread when enough people are susceptible. So last year and in other odd-numbered years, most preschool-age children may already have been infected. This fall, a new population of susceptible children will start preschool, though pediatricians are hopeful that reduced hours and other forms of COVID-related social distancing may hamper the spread of the enterovirus. But Hopkins, the CHOP neurologist, worries that it might simply come back stronger next year. If that is the case, Crowe and his colleagues studying the antibody plan to be ready if they can get enough support. Jeff Sipos wasnt used to feeling wiped out. At 31, the California elementary school principal was an endurance athlete in exceptional condition. Even though he had asthma, Sipos had climbed Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, completed a rim-to-rim hike in the Grand Canyon in a mere 10 hours at least two hours less than average and thought nothing of clocking 100-mile bike rides on weekends. But in May 2001, his energy was flagging. Sipos, who lived in Riverside, consulted his longtime family physician. The doctor told Sipos his fatigue was the result of anemia and could be easily treated with an over-the-counter iron supplement that he should take when he felt unusually tired. For the next 10 years I would pop iron pills every so often and notice a bump in energy, Sipos said. In 2007 a new problem arose: The soles of his feet ached and burned. He consulted a podiatrist, who told Sipos he had fallen arches flat feet that develop in adulthood. The doctor prescribed orthotics. By 2015, the foot pain was considerably worse and had engulfed his ankles, putting an end to his participation in extreme sports. Sipos hands felt tingly and numb and he was referred to a neurologist and a rheumatologist. The neurologist told Sipos he was suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome numbness or tingling in the hands caused by a compressed nerve as well as peripheral neuropathy, damage to the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. The rheumatologist ordered blood tests and diagnosed seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. Although testing did not show antibodies to the disease, his joint pain, the doctor said, strongly suggested it. The rheumatologist prescribed two drugs: methotrexate, a chemotherapy drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, and when that didnt help, hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug used to treat autoimmune disorders. Neither worked. At that point, Sipos recalled, the pain was so intense that the weight of the [bed] sheets would feel like my feet were being crushed. He took the opioid pain killer hydrocodone to make it through the day. In 2016, Sipos consulted a second rheumatologist. She ordered a test for immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies, which can assess immune function. The test showed an m spike, an indication that Sipos might have a precancerous condition or possibly multiple myeloma, an uncommon cancer. In early 2017 she referred Sipos to a hematologist, who immediately ordered urine and blood tests. On the basis of those, Sipos said, she decided he had a precancerous condition called MGUS, short for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. MGUS must be watched closely because in about 1% of patients annually it can progress to multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells, or another malignancy. If there is no progression, treatment is usually not required. In early 2018, he confronted the doctor about the unrelenting burning pain in his hands and feet. Im getting worse, he remembered saying. Her reply was stark. She said, Yes, you may be in a wheelchair, but we would never treat this. At his wifes urging, Sipos decided it was time for another expert to weigh in. Solution Sipos and his wife waited six weeks for a consultation with Muhammad Omair Kamal, an assistant professor of medical oncology at Loma Linda University Cancer Center. Both Jeff and Tami Sipos say that details of the May 14, 2018, meeting are seared into their memories. I remember Dr. Kamal leaned forward and in his soft, sweet voice full of concern said, Mr. Sipos, has anyone told you you have cancer? How come youre not getting treated for this? Sipos recalled. The stunned couple repeated what the hematologist had been saying for more than a year: that Sipos did not have cancer and that monitoring was the best course of action. Kamal strenuously disagreed. You have cancer, Sipos remembers him saying. If you were my patient, youd be started on chemotherapy tomorrow. Kamal said he strongly suspected the patient had a rare, slow-growing form of B cell lymphoma called Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, also known as Waldenstroms or lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. Kamal had seen four other cases in his career. MGUS can be a precursor of multiple myeloma or Waldenstroms. Sipos later learned that a January 2017 pathology report mentioned it as a possible cause of his symptoms. About 1,500 cases are diagnosed annually in the United States, compared with about 32,000 cases of multiple myeloma. Waldenstroms occurs mostly in men over 60 when lymphoma cells in bone marrow proliferate, crowding out normal red and white blood cells. Anemia is common and symptoms include fatigue, neuropathy and night sweats, all of which he had. There is no cure. Treatment typically consists of chemotherapy. The disease is diagnosed through blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy and can be confirmed by a test for a genetic mutation. Kamal said he cannot fathom why Sipos went undiagnosed for so long. When he he finally received Sipos complete records after considerable effort, Kamal said, lab after lab after lab showed results that warranted treatment. There are not many diseases [other than Waldenstroms] where you see high IgM and neuropathy. Most patients are diagnosed within a year or two. Sipos said that when he told the first hematologist what Kamal had recommended, she balked and insisted that her diagnosis was correct. Switching doctors was problematic; Kamal was outside his insurance network. So another month elapsed while Sipos obtained another opinion. The third cancer specialist strongly sided with Kamal. If you dont have chemo, youre going to expire, Sipos remembers her saying. Sipos called his insurance company and requested a transfer to Kamal; it was quickly approved. He then underwent another bone marrow biopsy. A positive test for the MYD88 L265P mutation linked to Waldenstroms clinched the diagnosis. (The mutation is not passed on to offspring.) In mid-August 2018, Sipos began a grueling chemotherapy regimen. He wore a Superman T-shirt that one of his kindergarten students had given him to every session as a sort of talisman. By January 2019, his cancer was in remission. But the agonizing nerve damage to his hands and feet continues to plague him. Kamal said the damage is probably irreversible and may have occurred because his cancer went untreated for so long. Sipos, who sees a pain specialist, said he has been prescribed methadone, which takes the zing out of it. He said he has learned through bitter experience to ask questions. No healthy adult male should be anemic, he said. I wish Id had the foresight to ask, What would cause this? Sipos also wishes he had sought a second opinion sooner. I was afraid I was going to offend her, he said, referring to the first hematologist. To Kamal, Sipos case illustrates the necessity for doctors to keep looking and not brush off what patients tell them. Dont just ignore neuropathy, or any symptoms, in young patients. Even if theyre young, they can have cancer. Like many other airline passengers flying during the pandemic, Kevin Garvey thought that masks were mandatory on planes. So when two women seated in front of him on a recent flight from Fort Myers, Fla., to Chicago dropped their face coverings, he assumed that a flight attendant would quickly remedy the situation. It didn't happen. A crew member didn't even seem to notice that they were unmasked, he says. "At no time did they wear their masks while talking to the flight attendant. Nor did she remind them to put on their masks," says Garvey, a retired lawyer from Chicago. "The flight attendants did nothing to enforce their own directives." When it comes to air travel, mask rules are complicated. While airlines require face coverings, at least on paper, the rules arent uniformly enforced if enforced at all. Whats more, the legal basis for requiring a mask is debatable. There are also numerous exceptions to the policies. As airlines start filling their middle seats again, these issues are deepening passenger concerns about the safety of air travel this summer. Recently, Airlines for America (A4A), the trade group for the major U.S. airlines, announced voluntary health-related policies. The policies included an industrywide requirement that every passenger bring a face covering and wear it at the airport, on the jet bridge, and onboard the aircraft. Passengers who fail to comply may be grounded, although A4A said it will leave it to each carrier to resolve the matter according to its own policies. "We want passengers to know that they should expect to see this added layer of protection the next time they check in for a flight," A4A chief executive Nicholas Calio said. No federal law requires airline passengers to wear masks. Instead, airlines set their own rules, say experts. An airline can post warning signs and deny a passenger boarding or impose other penalties. As a legal basis for enforcing mask requirements, airlines cite Federal Aviation Administration regulations that say "no person may assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember's duties aboard an aircraft being operated." But the law has its limits. "The crew can only invoke their authority when an unruly passenger presents a threat to the safe operation of the flight," says David Gitman, president of Monarch Air Group, a private jet charter company based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. So are masks required by law? Strictly speaking, no. "There is no statute, so the FAA technically can't enforce wearing masks," says Petro Kostiv, a Los Angeles lawyer and pilot. "However, airlines that require masks would more than likely win any lawsuit, because coronavirus, and how hard it has hit aviation, was not something the FAA was able to predict." The rules, such as they are, don't apply to all passengers. For example, Delta Air Lines' list of exceptions includes: * Passengers with a cognitive or physical disability that renders them unable to wear a mask safely. * Travelers for whom a mask would interfere with hearing aids or implants. * People who use self-contained oxygen. * Children under the age of 8 who can't keep a mask on by themselves. What's more, because of health privacy laws, Delta doesn't require passengers to disclose their medical conditions. Delta's policy, outlined May 1 in an internal memo to its crew members, also recognizes that there may be challenges to enforcing its mask policy. "It will not be possible for everyone to wear a face covering at all times," the airline notes. "You are not expected to police these specific situations on board, but rather to diffuse and de-escalate to the best of your ability, relying on your hospitality skills and training to achieve a positive outcome." Delta tightened its policy on June 22, saying customers are not allowed to board an aircraft without wearing a mask. However, the current exceptions remain in place. "Wearing a mask or face covering is one of the most important ways customers and employees stay safe while flying," says Delta spokesperson Adrian Gee. "That's why we're doubling down on our efforts to ensure customers are aware of, acknowledge, and comply with the requirement to wear a mask during boarding and throughout their flight." Now that many airlines have stopped blocking the middle seats to help passengers maintain social distancing, conflicts are inevitable. In mid-June, American Airlines banned a passenger who refused to wear a mask. A few days later, Frontier Airlines removed a passenger from a flight for the same reason. Expect more bannings. At least that's what you might conclude if you were a passenger on Judy Williams' recent flight from Billings, Mont., to Seattle. "Masks were required," says Williams, a lawyer who lives in Billings. "But as soon as people were seated, I'd estimate at least 50% took them off or pulled them down." That's also what I experienced when I flew from Los Angeles to Seattle a few weeks ago. Masks were mandatory, but on the three-hour flight, many passengers peeled them off after the seat belt light went dark. Shortly before landing, as the flight attendants came through the cabin, they hastily put their masks back on. This policy-based and ultimately unenforceable approach to preventing the spread of covid-19 is minimally effective, industry observers say. But fixing it isn't up to the airlines. "The real problem is the lack of federal government mandates and guidelines for minimum standards for airlines and airports to implement," says Eduardo Angeles, a former FAA associate administrator for airports who now works for the Los Angeles law firm Clark Hill. He says a piecemeal approach to mask requirements such as the ones now in place won't work. "But, more importantly, it will not regain the confidence of passengers to return to flying," he adds. Until then, you may not have to wear a mask on a plane. But you should. Christopher Elliott is a consumer advocate, journalist, and co-founder of the advocacy group Travelers United. Contact him at chris@elliott.org. 07/02/2020 Chandni Khadka-Walsh was sworn in as a citizen on June 19, 2020. Dreams do come true, even if a pandemic demands those dreams be fulfilled via drive-thru. Chandni Khadka-Walsh, director of JSUs International House and Programs, began the process of becoming a US citizen more than a year ago. She successfully passed all the tests naturalization, speaking, reading, writing, civics and completed the interview. Its been a very long journey since coming to the United States 16 years ago, said Khadka-Walsh, a native of Kathmandu, Nepal. But it was very much worth it. All that remained was the Naturalization Oath Ceremony. Until you take that oath and go to the ceremony, even if youve passed the tests, she said, youre still not a US citizen. Khadka-Walsh received notice back in February that she was scheduled in Birmingham for the final step in the process. Then COVID-19 struck and everything shut down, including all the naturalization offices. All I could do was wait, she said. It was frustrating, being so close. The wait ended on June 19, when she and her husband traveled to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services field office in Montgomery. Normally, the swearing-in ceremony is a celebration filled with joyful tears and applause. Friends and family watch as applicants, waving tiny American flags, sing the Star Spangled Banner before swearing their allegiance to the United States of America. But in the age of COVID-19, none of that was possible. Khadka-Walsh arrived to discover that all celebrations had effectively been cancelled. I had no idea what was going on, she said. A security guard directed them to the other side of the lot. They parked. Eventually, an immigration officer came out, motioned for her to roll down her window, and swore her in as a US citizen all while sitting in the comfort of her car. No cheering friends and family. No national anthem. No video-taped message from President Donald Trump. Khadka-Walsh was given a small packet with a pocket-sized copy of the US Constitution and her certificate of citizenship. I read over the certificate to make sure everything was correct, she said. I signed it. The officer said, Congratulations, and that was it. To make it worse, I was all dressed up. Had I known Id just have to roll down my window, I wouldve worn pajamas. It wasnt at all what I was hoping for. At least she got the tiny American flag to twirl on the way back to Jacksonville. But before heading home, she went to the state capitol building and took some pictures commemorating a momentous occasion somewhat dulled by the reality of a global pandemic. I was disappointed, but it was already hard because I couldnt have all my friends and family with me, she said. Without that support system, it felt like something was missing. Khadka-Walsh has been living, studying and working in the United States for 16 years. Born into poverty in Nepal, she and her brother and sister watched as their father who was progressive in contrast to Nepalese culture and its strict view of a daughters role in society worked hard every day so that his children could get a proper education. Khadka-Walsh had long set her sights on one day traveling to America. I dont know why, but I always wanted to come to America, she said. I just wanted to be away. We were so protected growing up. I wanted to be independent, to be on my own, to find out just what I was capable of. After graduating from high school, she expressed her desire to leave, but her father refused, believing she was too young. I made a pact with dad, that when I finished my bachelors degree, Im going, she said. Khadka-Walsh received her Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from Nepal College of Management, in her hometown of Kathmandu. She then received a Visa allowing her to travel to Alabama, where she completed a Master of Business Administration in management from the University of North Alabama. It was there that she discovered a career in international education. It just offered so many options for learning, Khadka-Walsh said. I enjoyed helping students like myself learn what it means to be a student in the US. I was in a happy place by doing what I was doing. She initially hesitated about declaring US Citizenship because Nepal doesnt recognize dual citizenship, meaning shed have to choose. It was difficult, due to the strong connection she has with her family. Im like a son to my father, said Khadka-Walsh, who also has a younger sister living in the US. We are a very paternal society. Sons are expected to take care of their family and a daughter is expected to get married off. But my father considers me a son because Im helping to take care of my family. Ultimately, the draw to the Land of Opportunity was too enticing. There are so many things I love about this country, Khadka-Walsh said. Feeling safe is a big one. If I am ever wronged, I have the right to seek justice, which is a great thing. Its something people dont always understand. She has used this personal perspective to aid others on their journey to study abroad in the US. After earning her MBA from the University of North Alabama, she became director of International Student Services at Arkansas State University. In 2016, she was named director of the JSU International House and Programs, where she provides leadership for the International House, acting as an advisor for international students. Shes also responsible for International Programs at JSU, providing campus-wide support and activities to promote cultural diversity, assessing program needs, implementing and administering appropriate services for students and managing staff. The motto for the International House is Know one another, and you will love one another, a mantra that speaks volumes to Khadka-Walsh and the students she advises who aspire to carry a message of inclusion beyond campus with speaking engagements in churches and community organizations. We want to teach future generations to open their minds to learning from each other, she said. The more you understand about different backgrounds, different cultures, different languages and different perspective, the more you learn to respect those differences while finding common ground. Khadka-Walsh is the first International House director to be an immigrant, which provides her unique insight into the struggles international students face. Because I was an international student and have been through the process, she said, I think I bring an understanding that most simply wouldnt have. International students have to follow special rules and regulations that American students do not. Not only are they far away from family and friends, have to learn this new education system and have the pressure of understanding instructors in the classroom, she said. They also have to remember all these extra rules other students dont. Thats a lot of pressure. For her service to students and the positive example she sets on campus, Khadka-Walsh was name JSU Woman of the Year during Womens History Month in March. After years of community complaints and a national reckoning over racism, the whipping post is now gone from the Old Sussex County Courthouse in Georgetown, Del., where it stood for decades. The Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs extracted the post with a jackhammer Wednesday, when News Journal reporters captured dozens of residents celebrating its long-awaited removal. Delaware was the last state to outlaw whipping posts, in 1972, and this was the states last public whipping post still standing. Before the whipping post was installed near the historic courthouses grounds in 1993, it came from the Sussex Correctional Institution. The warden had donated it to the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. The correctional facility opened in 1931, but when the whipping post was erected remains unknown. As protests continue across the country, authorities have taken down statues honoring colonizers, enslavers, and Confederate leaders. In Center City, the Frank Rizzo statue was removed because it evoked police brutality. In Georgetown, when the cultural affairs agency moved the whipping post to a storage facility, it was the removal of a different kind of monument to corporal punishment. According to the oft-cited 1947 book Red Hannah: Delawares Whipping Post, 1,600 people were whipped at posts in Delaware between 1900 and 1945. As the News Journal points out, lashes were given even for petty offenses. The practice included the use of cat o nine tails on bare backs, a gruesome multi-pronged whip that was also used during enslavement. Two-thirds of those punished were Black, although fewer than one-sixth of Delaware residents were Black. The Inquirer spoke with Stephanie Lampkin, director of the Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage in Wilmington for background on the Delaware whipping posts, and how this moment fits into the states history. This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. READ MORE: Gettysburg, home to Americas most hallowed battlefield, reckons with symbols of the Confederacy How would you explain this whipping post and why Delawareans pushed for its removal? The whipping post is one of those symbols that has had a history tied to unequal criminal punishment toward Black men and women in disproportionate numbers. Even now, given the timeline for which it was used, there are people in the community who will remember seeing people punished on the whipping post. And so it instills, again, that excessive violence that racial violence is ingrained in our national history, which includes Delaware. And it very much speaks to many of the issues behind these international social uprisings that we are experiencing at this moment. Its been written that whipping posts in Delaware reflect a history of colonial corporal punishment. What is the relationship between these whipping posts and Delaware history, including enslavement? Even after Emancipation and moving into the Reconstruction period, whipping was one form of a campaign of racial terrorism. So you also had mob violence, lynching; you had the destruction of Black homes and churches and businesses. And then there was also this whipping post that, again, was in use until it was formally [banned] in the 20th century in 1972. One of the important themes that we share in our exhibitions and through our programs is that within these moments Black Delawareans have always continued and consistently have been persistent in rebuilding families, creating social and political organizations, pursuing education. So all of these forms to continue this type of violent oppression has been met with protest, and resilience and consistently fighting for survival. READ MORE: Penn to remove statue of slavery supporter, forms group to look at campus iconography What do you make of the removal of the whipping post during this moment when so many monuments that people associate with racial violence are coming down? When you think about the statues and monuments, as symbols of different ideologies, and the fact that they served as rallying points for bigotry, you would read some of the inscriptions on some and it would be in celebration of Confederate soldiers. What do these say about our values today? When youre looking at these elements, you have to consider the fact that they do not reflect or, in fact, fly directly in the face of our values for equality and justice. There have been shocked reactions that the whipping post was still standing, and also that the practice went on for so long. Why do you think so few people know about this brutality that Black Delawareans experienced? Thats actually what is driving a project that is under development through the Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage, along with our partners so that more people are aware of Delawares role and Delawares history in regards to Black political activism, Black protests and racial violence. Part of it is also documentation. Delaware was not required to record lynchings that happened in the state. Whereas there were Southern states that did. That also contributes to, again, this question of How are those stories being preserved? What are some aspects of Black history in Delaware that might not always be understood? So, the center just had a great Juneteenth program. But I think one thing that we have to keep in mind is the delay in the [ratifying] of the Reconstruction amendments the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments which happened in 1901. It only kind of reinforces that there was no sense of urgency. What do you think this moment means for healing from racial trauma for Black Delawareans? I think thats why its so important to tell these stories. These moments happened. In some cases they continue to happen. People will remember these moments, or experienced these moments. I think when that happens, when you can truly have those moments of truth telling in history, that can lead to healing because its not ignored, its not swept under the rug. Its there. And people will have to grapple with it. And through that, there can be healing. Its Independence Day; one that comes at a very unusual time. This year, everything feels a little different, from hanging out with people, to fireworks, to this particular moment in this countrys history. This week, we have some ways to celebrate and relax this weekend. Stay healthy, stay safe, and, as much as possible, its still a good idea to stay home. thingstodo@inquirer.com Your reopening questions, answered: SEARCH OUR FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered Do this Forget the Fourth of July, fireworks seem to be the soundtrack of the summer. If youre annoyed by the constant cacophony, here are what the actual rules are and what you can do. And if your pet is super freaked out by all the pyrotechnics, heres how to calm them down. Weve got the best online events this week , including Fourth of July concerts galore and more: inquirer.com/calendar. And our kids calendar is updated every Sunday with ways to keep the kids occupied while you work: inquirer.com/kidscalendar. How to do summer better this year: Everything you need to know about making the most of this summer is all here in one place: inquirer.com/summer, and were adding more stories every week. Watch this: We still have movie night. And even though we cant go to a movie theater right now, there are lots of ways to get your cinema fix. Nick Vadala rounded up some options: Go to a drive in. There are a dozen old-school drive-ins close to Philly. Think: old school screens; classics from the snack bar; making out in the car is also definitely an option. Plenty of nearby screens show movies new and old, including old-school classics like Jaws , Beetlejuice and Footloose , and newer hits like The Avengers and Zootopia . Others have special events, like recent fearfest Zombiefest IV. Make your own outdoor cinema. Want to move movie night outside? Its not that hard. We have a rundown of the gear you need and how to set it up. It can be done cheap and simple with your TV or a projector, some speakers (or headphones) and an improvised screen, or, if you want a ready-made solution, some companies rent all the gear you need for your own backyard film festival. Then all you have to do is make popcorn. READ MORE: How to set up an outdoor movie theater READ MORE: 12 drive-in movie theaters near Philly Make this: There are lots of ways to make it festive, and stay cool this year, Philly. Here are the Fourth of July recipes that are on our lists this weekend: Make a popsicle. Jamila Robinson has cool advice on how to make fruit pops, layered pops, creamy pops, with recipes. Make them pretty with fresh fruit or flower petals, and theyre the perfect snack for outdoor, socially distanced backyard hangs in the heat. Our favorite tip: Dont store the pops in the molds because youll have a hard time removing them. Instead, put them in zipper bags where they will keep about two weeks. Make your own slushies. Whether youre looking for frozen cocktails or mocktails, its actually pretty easy to make these summery drinks. Grace Dickinson has some thirst-inducing recipes, including for a pineapple-ginger slushie, watermelon spritz and, of course, frose. Our favorite tip: Make the crushed ice first, by blitzing cubes in a food processor or blender and then draining the excess water before you make your drink: You want to keep your drink blending time to a minimum, because the blades heat up and will spoil that frozen goodness. Hungry? We can help. From farmers markets to delivery to everything-you-need meal kits, the city is here for you if you dont want to make it all up yourself. And weve got a roundup of the best. Whether youre planning a picnic, a barbecue or just want to feast on your own, there are options, my friends. Those lobster roll kits are going to be in our dreams for sure. READ MORE: Ice pops and cream pops make an easy, cool summer snack READ MORE: Easy frozen cocktails and mocktails youll want to make this summer, from frose to slushies to icy spritzes Between the cancellation of Philadelphias annual fireworks show, and health officials urging the public to skip the beaches, July Fourth festivities will be dimmer than in years past. And amid global protests against systemic racism, some Black Americans struggle to see what is worth celebrating, given the countrys deep-rooted history of slavery and segregation. But Philadelphia groups are still trying to celebrate freedom. At 2 p.m. Saturday, Independence National Historical Park, the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of Revolution, and the Descendants of the Declaration of Independence will co-host the annual tapping of the Liberty Bell. In light of the coronavirus, this years ceremony will be livestreamed globally for the first time, as people around the world are invited to join U.S. naval ships, fire departments, churches, and other institutions in showing their own expression of freedom through tapping a glass, ringing a bell, or banging on a pot or pan. In the recent weeks, with the pandemic and rightful indignation of racial and religious inequalities, everyone is in need of demonstrating a positive way to proclaim the rights and freedoms represented by the Liberty Bell, Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of Revolution president Ben Wolf said in a statement, calling the event a show of solidarity for everyones liberties. Fred Stein, executive producer for the Creative Group, a special events planning firm that will oversee the event, said he expects participation to extend far beyond Philadelphia. He added that the livestream will be repeated in coming years. Amid movements to tear down statues of people with racist histories, Stein emphasized that the Liberty Bell is rooted in anti-slavery, womens rights, gender equality, and religious freedom. He added, however, that many are unaware of its full history. The bell was originally just called the State House Bell, and was renamed the Liberty Bell in the 1830s by an abolitionist group. Following the Civil War, the bell traveled around the country to help reunite a divided nation before settling in Philadelphia for good in 1915. It was also used as a symbol of religious freedom and a symbol of suffragists for the right of women to vote. The in-person tapping will be administered by several descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence donning masks and gloves and maintaining six feet apart including Lucy Duke Tonacci, a descendant of Richard Henry Lee, and the Rev. W. Douglas Banks, fifth-generation grandson of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. Banks said he wanted to speak at the event to acknowledge the complicated nature of his heritage. Freedom was not at all a part of our reality on July 4, 1776, he said. Even in this time of uprising, with people acknowledging things that they may not have acknowledged before, it gives opportunity to bring clarity to some of those issues and speak to them in a different way. He noted that although the bell might not have an overtly racist connection, it still has connotations to race and power, and the dichotomy between those who are free and those who are not. I think it is a great representation of what freedom really is in this country, he said of the bell. Its cracked, its fragile, everybody cannot handle it, its only for a select few. That crack means a whole lot symbolically. Banks will be accompanied by his wife and three of his children. Theyre looking forward to it, and we will have our Black Lives Matter shirts on. The statement were making will be clear, he said. Also in attendance will be 100-year-old Lt. John Edward James Jr., a longtime member of the society who, after being denied his promotion in World War II due to his race, is celebrating his second year as a U.S. Army officer. READ MORE: At age 100, this retired WWII vet lives alone, walks the stairs, and shops for his disabled neighbor James daughter, Marion Lane, said her father is excited about the event, a symbol of what everyone wants liberty and equality. Participants are encouraged to post their version to social media, using the hashtag #LetFreedomRing2020. After a woman in Rockland County, N.Y., admitted to throwing her daughter a party while showing coronavirus symptoms, contact tracers sprung into action. They phoned dozens of guests, hoping to get the partygoers tested and isolated and stop an emerging coronavirus cluster in its tracks. But many of the attendees hung up, handed the calls to their parents or flat-out lied, saying they never made it to the event on June 17. Others never picked up at all. So this week, county health officials tried a much more drastic approach. They issued subpoenas to eight of the partygoers, ordering them to speak up to the disease detectives or face a fine of up to $2,000 a day and it worked. Its amazing how smart some people got, Ed Day, the county executive, told CNN on Thursday. Everybody is complying and helping us, which is all that were trying to have happen Were not looking to be punitive here. After people across the country rose up against lockdown measures, ignored social distancing requirements and declared war on face masks, Rockland Countys unapologetic legal strategy shows just how difficult it may be to get the country to comply with another crucial piece of the governments response to a pandemic that has surged in recent weeks. As The Washington Post has reported, many officials say the most effective way to curb the spread of the virus short of another economic shutdown is to conduct extensive contact tracing. Informing people who may have been exposed, getting them tested and quarantining those who are sick can curb emerging outbreaks without putting even more Americans out of work. But this kind of detective work comes with a heavy logistical burden. State and local governments have to hire and train tens of thousands of tracers, act fast to keep up with the highly contagious virus, overcome government mistrust and privacy concerns and find money in their already cash-strapped budgets to fund it all. READ MORE: Coronavirus hospitalization rise across U.S. is cause for concern It may become even harder and paradoxically, even more essential as Americans increasingly get fed up with quarantining, flaunt social distancing rules or act in plain defiance of public health guidelines. In Tuscaloosa, Ala., for example, officials said this week that college students have been organizing covid parties, where the attendees compete to see who can catch the virus first from a sick partygoer. After officials found out about the get-together in the hamlet of West Nyack, which involved between 50 and 100 people, nine guests tested positive for the virus. More large gatherings followed in a nearby town, and local officials have not publicly identified anyone involved. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, Rockland Countys health commissioner, said contact tracers could not get most of the partygoers, many of them young adults in their 20s, to answer even the most basic questions on the phone. My staff has been told that a person does not wish to, or have to, speak to my disease investigators, Ruppert said at a news conference Wednesday. They hang up. They deny being at the party even though we have their names from another party attendee. As he threatened to issue the subpoenas, Day, the county executive, added that he would not allow ignorance, stupidity, or obstinance to get in the way of the countys coronavirus response. READ MORE: Pennsylvania coronavirus cases are trending up, with worries about bars, young people, and the Jersey Shore The area, about 30 miles north of hard-hit New York City, was struck early on by the pandemic. More than 13,600 people in Rockland County tested positive for the virus, according to county data, and nearly 670 have died. Only a handful of residents remain hospitalized as of Thursday, and the number of new infections reported each day had dropped to the single digits, the data shows. But as that figure started to increase this week, worried authorities offered a stern warning. If you get in the way of a health department investigation, we will take every step necessary to ensure we respond appropriately, Day said, and were talking a serious response. Rockland County also issued subpoenas to contain a measles outbreak two years ago, when some residents resisted vaccinations, got sick and refused to quarantine. Contact tracing, which can also be used to identify when likely patients may have been exposed, has also been highly successful outside the U.S. In Germany and South Korea, the tactic has been used to isolate the sick and allow others to go back to their schools and workplaces. An NPR analysis last month found that while the number of contact tracers tripled over a period of six weeks, the United States is still far from the estimated 100,000-plus workers needed to fight the virus nationwide. According to estimates from one virus model, only 12 states including New York and the District currently employ teams large enough to contain any flare-ups of the virus. Last week, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) said his states robust contact-tracing system was able to identify emerging clusters at a graduation in Westchester County, and at an aluminum factory and apple packaging facility further upstate. With its 9,600 contact tracers, New York state appears to be in position to trace any new infections within 48 hours. Ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Day hopes they wont be needed at all. If you are in a situation [where] you could get people sick or kill them, he said, you would think you would cooperate. KEYSTONE, S.D. President Donald Trump planned a fiery Mount Rushmore speech Friday night including denunciations of protesters he says are trying to tear down the nations history. Hes adding the condemnation of those who pull down statues to a big fireworks show and his more traditional July Fourth praise of Americas past and values. Hours before the event, protesters blocked a road leading to the monument. Authorities worked to move the demonstrators, mostly Native Americans protesting that South Dakota's Black Hills were taken from the Lakota people against treaty agreements. One group parked three vans across the road and took the tires from two of them to make it more difficult to remove them. Several demonstrators climbed on top of the vans chanting Land back! Police warned the protesters to disperse but didnt take any immediate action against them. The sheriff's office said attendees had been told to arrive early so should have been past the roadblock. The president has spoken forcefully against other protesters in Washington, D.C., and other cities who have tried to topple Confederate monuments and statues honoring those who have benefited from slavery, planned to target the left wing mob and those practicing cancel culture, said a person familiar with his remarks and describing them only on condition of anonymity. The president was to preside over a fireworks display at an event expected to draw thousands, even as coronavirus cases spike across the country. Trump was expecting a South Dakota show of support, with the state Republican Party selling T-shirts that feature Trump on the memorial alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. But concern about the coronavirus risk and wildfire danger from the fireworks, along with the Native American groups' protests were also present. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, a Trump ally, has said social distancing won't be required during the event and masks will be optional. Event organizers were to provide masks to anyone who wanted them and plannedto screen attendees for symptoms of COVID-19. The Republican mayor of the largest city near the monument, Rapid City, said he would be watching for an increase in cases after the event, the Rapid City Journal reported. Enthusiastic attendees were unlikely to disqualify themselves because they developed a cough the day of or the day before, Mayor Steve Allender said. The small town of Keystone, which lies a couple of miles from the monument, was buzzing with people Friday hoping to catch a glimpse of the fireworks and the president. Many wore pro-Trump T-shirts and hats. Few wore masks. This is going to rank up in the top Fourth of Julys that I talk about, said Mike Stewhr, who brought his family from Nebraska. FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered. Mike Harris of Rapid City said he was a Republican but wore a mask and waved an anti-Trump flag. He also was sporting a handgun on each hip. He said he was worried the event would spark a COVID-19 outbreak. I think its a bad example being set by our president and our governor, Harris said. Robin Pladsen, director of the Keystone Chamber of Commerce, handed out face masks and hand sanitizer from a tent. She said the tourist influx would help businesses pay back loans they had taken out to survive the economic downtown but acknowledged the health risk for the town. Leaders of several Native American tribes in the region also raised concerns that the event could lead to virus outbreaks among their members, who they say are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because of an underfunded health care system and chronic health conditions. The president is putting our tribal members at risk to stage a photo op at one of our most sacred sites, said Harold Frazier, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. READ MORE: National parks hope visitors comply with virus measures Some Native American groups used Trump's visit to protest the Mount Rushmore memorial itself, pointing out that the Black Hills were taken from the Lakota people. More than 100 protesters, many Lakota, lined the road leading from Keystone to the monument holding signs and playing Lakota music in 95-degree heat. Some held their fists in the air as cars loaded with event attendees passed by. Others held signs that read Protect SoDaks First People, You Are On Stolen Land and Dismantle White Supremacy. The president needs to open his eyes. Were people, too, and it was our land first, said Hehakaho Waste, a spiritual elder with the Oglala Sioux tribe. Security for the event itself was tight. The governor's spokesperson, Maggie Seidel, would not say whether the South Dakota National Guard was being deployed, but said organizers are making sure it is a safe event. Several people who once oversaw fire danger at the national memorial have said setting off fireworks over the forest was a bad idea that could lead to a large wildfire. Fireworks were called off after 2009 because a mountain pine beetle infestation increased the fire risks. Noem pushed to get the fireworks resumed soon after she was elected, and enlisted Trumps help. The president brushed aside fire concerns earlier this year, saying, What can burn? Its stone. Trump made no mention of the fire danger in fresh comments Thursday. They used to do it many years ago, and for some reason they were unable or unallowed to do it, he said. They just werent allowed to do it, and I opened it up and were going to have a tremendous July 3 and then were coming back here, celebrating the Fourth of July in Washington, D.C. READ MORE: Washington NFL team to conduct a "thorough review" of controversial name used as slur against Native Americans Trump has presided over a several large-crowd events in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and at an Arizona megachurch even as health officials warn against large gatherings and recommend face masks and social distancing. He plans a July Fourth celebration on the National Mall in Washington despite health concerns from D.C.s mayor. Trump and first lady Melania Trump plan to host events from the White House South Lawn and from the Ellipse. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in Washington and Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this article. On June 1, after watching a South Philadelphia militia assemble to defend a Pennsport Target store from would-be looters, a small group of neighbors decided they could not allow what they saw as a symbol of white supremacy to stand unchecked. To see those people represented in our neighborhood as protecting the neighborhood is not the image other white people in Pennsport want, said Danny Burke, 33. So they made signs and went to Target to stand in protest. They remained silent in video clips, even when one Target defender repeatedly approached to yell threats and graphic insults. But when they complained to police on the scene, they were told to leave. Carla Wertz, 34, said an officer, Capt. John Przepiorka, said: If you say one more thing to me, youre under arrest.' And I said, Will you be asking them to leave as well? And he said, Youre under arrest. (A police spokesperson said the incident is under review. Attempts to reach Przepiorka were not successful.) Wertz and Burke were handcuffed with zip ties, placed in police cars, and taken to the 22nd District, five miles away in North Philadelphia, to receive code-violation notices civil citations of the type given for high weeds or off-leash dogs, but in their case for violating curfew. Mayor Jim Kenney led a push to decriminalize protest-related violations like this in 2016, ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The idea was to prevent a repeat of the 2000 Republican National Convention, when 400 people were jailed on criminal charges but most cases were thrown out and civil rights lawsuits followed. The process of arresting protesters and giving them civil citations has been used widely during the month of civil unrest that began May 30. More than 750 people have been arrested, cited, and released, while criminal charges have been largely reserved for looting or violence. Many people are glad to avoid the criminal-legal system. But civil rights lawyers say the citation process is being used to make illegal arrests and stifle free speech in Wertzs and Burkes case quite literally and is being used inequitably. This was a means of breaking up the protest and interfering with peoples right to peacefully assemble and protest police brutality, said Taylor Pacheco, a lawyer with Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity (PLSE), which is contesting more than 40 code-violation notices from the past month. READ MORE: Why arent you arresting them? Philly officials investigate police after assaults against Fishtown protesters. Some citations, she said, were issued to people arrested at 5:30 p.m. for emergency curfews that did not take effect until 6. Others were arrested for failure to disperse even though they were trying to leave at the time. And some protesters say they were kept on hot buses for six or seven hours, causing those around them to urinate on themselves, to plead for water that was never distributed, and in one case to demand an ambulance after complaining of numbness for hours in metal handcuffs. A police spokesperson, Sgt. Eric Gripp, said in an email that current practices are in line with police directives and with protocol established in 2016, when the PPD won national recognition for its fair treatment of protesters. We support and defend the right to protest, he said. The departments own directive, dated a month before the DNC on June 27, 2016, says people should not be arrested for code violations except in exceptional circumstances. NOTE: It is the intent of this policy to ensure that individual/offender(s) receive a CVN and are released on the street, it says. It dictates that when extraordinary circumstances require an arrest, the individual is to be brought to the police district where the incident occurred. Yet, many people in the past month were transported miles away to different, faraway police districts. Gripp said the processing of multiple offenders is generally considered to create an exceptional circumstance. It was decided in advance [of the 2016 DNC] that we would transport offenders to a facility close enough for them to be safely processed and still allow them to reengage in lawful protests. This policy has been used countless times since 2016 and, most important of all, not one individual who was issued a CVN now has a criminal record as a result of the encounter. READ MORE: Protest observers say police allowed South Philly Columbus defenders to assault them Several citations reviewed by The Inquirer were for $100, though on others police failed to select a fine amount. Lawyers expect many contested citations to be tossed out, because few contain detailed information providing probable cause to find a violation. Gripp disagreed, noting arresting officers will be available to testify to the facts. Either way, that likely will not be the end of the matter, according to Paul Hetznecker, a civil-rights lawyer, who said the practice infringes on not only First Amendment-protected free speech, but also the Fourth Amendments protection against unjust arrest. Youre taking [protesters] off the street for one reason and one reason only, and thats to eliminate their right to protest, and that clearly infringes on their civil rights, he said. I anticipate that will be the basis of civil rights actions. Yet, since it was instituted in 2016, the arrest-cite-release practice has become normalized in Philadelphia. For instance, several people who demonstrated in support of workers rights at the airport last year understood in advance that they would be arrested and cited. What Rick Krajewski was not counting on, he recalled, was that all the protesters would have their flex-cuffs removed as they sat waiting to be processed all except him and the one other Black man on the bus. Krajewski, who recently ran a successful primary campaign for state representative in the 188th District, said he was disturbed to hear of a similar pattern after protesters were arrested at the Municipal Services Building on June 23. In a car holding four men, three were left in flexible cuffs while the lone Black person in the car, Steph Drain, was placed in metal handcuffs, two people in the car said. When you give people absolute power with no kind of accountability for their implicit bias or racism, this is what happens, Krajewski said. I end up on a bus with restraints when all of my white counterparts are released, and Steph has his handcuffs replaced with metal handcuffs. READ MORE: West Philly calls for investigation of police use of tear gas after officials apologize for using it on I-676 Gripp said any allegations of disparate treatment are of concern and would be investigated. In the larger context, several protesters questioned why no curfew-violation arrests were made among the self-described vigilantes at the Target or in Fishtown, even though some were threatening and assaulting people. Around Marconi Plaza, where armed crowds supporting the preservation of the Christopher Columbus statue repeatedly boiled over into violence, only eight disorderly conduct arrests were made in the past month, according to police statistics. There is a perception that the handling here has not been even-handed, that the handling has favored people in Fishtown or South Philadelphia who claim they are defending the police station, which they are not, who claim they are defending the statue, when they are not, said District Attorney Larry Krasner. In contrast, 490 curfew or failure-to-disperse arrests were made citywide from May 30 to June 3 often sweeping up people who said they had received no warning or who were actively trying to get home. Bennett Glace, 26, recalled standing in the midst of protests on May 30 when peoples phones began blaring a curfew alert. He said police immediately began kettling protesters and making arrests. Glace would spend about seven hours on a bus, he said, before being released about 3:30 a.m. with a citation for failure to disperse and violating curfew. Two days later, Chelsea Chamroeun, 22, said she was walking home, pushing her bike, about 6:30 p.m. when a police officer threw her friend to the ground. When she tried to film the arrest, she said, police pushed her down and handcuffed her, too, forcing her to leave her bike unlocked. She waited on a bus for three hours, so long that at least two detainees urinated on themselves, she said. Eventually, she was photographed at a North Philadelphia police station, cited for breaking curfew, and released. When she returned for her bicycle, it was gone. Asked about claims of harsh treatment, Gripp said arrests are made according to department directives for arresting anyone in connection with a summary, misdemeanor, or felony charge. He added that anyone who believes they were mistreated should file a formal complaint. Some wondered why, if its a civil offense, they were being treated like criminals. One was William Chip Sinton, 29, who took part in the protest at the Municipal Services Building and was arrested and brought to a police district in South Philadelphia, where protesters waited in hot vans for a few hours. Then police took him to a bike shed to question him. He said he asked four times if he was free to go before he was permitted to leave. I truly think it was part of the processing plan, Sinton said, to be a method of punishment. Staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article. Defenders of the controversial statues of former Mayor Frank L. Rizzo and explorer Christopher Columbus have gone back to court to challenge how the city covered up a memorial to Columbus and to demand that it return to them the now-removed statue of Rizzo. On Thursday, George Bochetto, lawyer for South Philadelphia residents who support keeping an 1876 stone statue of Columbus in Marconi Plaza, filed a legal motion asking a judge to order that the city replace the new protective plywood sheathing the statue with acyrlic glass. The wood was put up last month after the statue became the scene of heated clashes between protesters and supporters of Columbus. Bochetto, representing a group called the Friends of Marconi Plaza, a park at Broad Street and Oregon Avenue, filed the motion with Common Pleas Court Judge Paula Patrick. The judge had brokered an agreement between Bochetto and the city two weeks ago in which the city reaffirmed that it would hold a public process to debate the future of the statue. A few days after that, Mayor Jim Kenney publicly called for removing the statue from city land. The city Art Commission is to review the fate of the Columbus statue during a hearing July 22. Bochetto is arguing that the city Historical Commission must also vote on the statues future. On Wednesday, Bochetto filed a separate legal motion regarding the Rizzo statue. This sought a judicial order returning the Rizzo statue to a group that the lawyer said originally donated it to the city. Kenney has been outspoken in his criticism of the Rizzo memorial, which city crews removed in the middle of the night on June 3 from its perch across from City Hall. Spokesperson Mike Dunn said Wednesday in an email regarding Bochettos filing: They are bitter and disgruntled because we took it down and the statue will never stand on city property again. This emergency lawsuit is a frivolous cry for public attention. The city has more pressing things to worry about like dismantling the structural racism that the statue stood for. Bochetto represented the Frank L. Rizzo Monument Committee in his filing. A leader of the group is Jody Della Barba, a South Philadelphia activist and former secretary to Rizzo. At the citys request, jurisdiction over the motion was moved Thursday from Common Pleas Court to the federal courts. The city contends that federal judges must resolve constitutional due process issues. The dispute is now before U.S. District Judge Darnell Jones, Bochetto said. In another development, State Rep. Martina White, a Republican from a district in Northeast Philadelphia, has written Kenney to say city park officials must review the removal of any city statues. Bochetto provided a copy of the letter to The Inquirer. People Weve Lost Barbara Myers 82 years old Lived in Woodcrest Warm and outgoing, she made friends everywhere More Memorials Barbara Myers was a star. Thats what her family said. She was famous, daughter Jaymie Spencer said. Not like a celebrity, but someone who everybody knew. Spencer said she got on a plane in 1986 to fly to Portugal and someone asked her, Are you Barbara Myers daughter? At the Western Wall in Jerusalem, someone approached Mrs. Myers and said, Barbara Myers, is that you? I was never me, Spencer said with a chuckle. I was always Barbaras daughter. My family has large personalities. Mrs. Myers, 82, died Thursday, May 28, of complications of the coronavirus at Lions Gate retirement community in Voorhees. She had been living there for seven years. Mrs. Myers grew up on Florence Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia and later lived on Park Avenue in East Oak Lane. Her older brother, Joe Ball, said he recalls their father carrying his newborn sister into the house swaddled in a hospital blanket. She graduated from Olney High School. With younger sisters Dana and Jayne, she was known around town as one of the popular Ball sisters. They called each other every day for years, Joe Ball said. Ball and his three younger sisters were close. He even went to Mrs. Myers first job interview to make sure the company was respectable. He washed the dishes after family dinners, and Mrs. Myers dried. Later, the family moved to Emerald Avenue in Haddon Township, and Mrs. Myers parents, Milton and Beatrice, hosted her wedding to Gary Myers in their home. She walked down the stairs to meet her future husband and family guests, and the newlyweds hopped a bus to New York for the honeymoon. The couple settled in Cherry Hill, and daughters Jaymie and Barrie came along. Atlantic City was a favorite summer spot for the family, and they still talk about times at Tonys Baltimore Grill on Atlantic Avenue, and Lous in Ventnor. Mrs. Myers home became a meeting place for the family, and she was known for her holiday buffets. One year at Thanksgiving, her oven broke down, so the hungry diners whiled away three hours on penny poker as Mrs. Myers cooked the bird at a neighbors house. Warm and outgoing, Mrs. Myers made friends everywhere. She served as president of Temple Emanuel Sisterhood in Cherry Hill, and worked for many years as a manager in a womens boutique. She especially liked tongue and liverwurst sandwiches from Hymies Deli in Merion. She was so active and so vibrant, said sister-in-law Sandy Ball. Everybody loved her. Sandy met Mrs. Myers for the first time when Joe brought Sandy home to meet the family. She was so welcoming. She said, Youre now one of my sisters, Sandy said. Mrs. Myers was married for 55 years until her husbands death in 2013. He worked for Radio Corp. of America in Camden and later opened a business in building management services. In addition to her daughters and siblings, Mrs. Myers is survived by two grandchildren and other relatives. She was buried at Crescent Memorial Park in Pennsauken. Gary Miles, gmiles@inquirer.com Anthony Fauci said it about as clearly as anyone could: Stop going to bars. A new surge of coronavirus cases has quickly overtaken the country, and even caused previously declining case counts in Pennsylvania to reverse course. Things have gotten so bad in Allegheny County that officials ordered the closure of bars, restaurants, and casino for one week, starting July 3. While there are likely many factors fueling this new spike in cases, public health officials have specifically pointed to bars, nightclubs, and college-town taverns as likely breeding grounds for the recent spike in cases. The evidence seems overwhelming. Delaware closed down bars indefinitely in beach towns after seeing a spike in cases. At least 152 people contracted coronavirus after spending time in a bar in East Lansing, Mich. Another 100 or so cases are linked to Tigerland bars in Baton Rouge, Lou. Minnesota has traced at least 328 recent cases to bars all across the state. Bars: really not good, really not good. Congregation at a bar, inside, is bad news. We really have got to stop that, Fauci, the nations leading infectious disease expert, told Congress earlier this week. Its as if bars and nightclubs were perfectly designed to spread the virus to as many people as possible. You cant socially distance at a bar or wear a mask while you drink, and alcohol lowers inhibitions, making it easy for people to nudge closer to one another. Plus, bars are usually very noisy, which means a lout of yelling and laughing loudly a perfect way to transmit the virus. And unlike restaurants, people tend to linger in bars for hours. Yet that didnt stop leader after leader in states across the country from reopening their local watering holes, in most cases before daily coronavirus counts even started to come down. Now many states including Texas, Florida, California, Colorado, and Arizona have been forced to shut down bars again as COVID-19 cases overtake their cities and counties. I feel bad for bar owners and employees, who tried to play by the rules only to have frenzied patrons run wild. But at this point, it should be obvious to everyone wed be much better off if people traded tequila shots at the club for mixed drinks at home. Bars may be closed nearly everywhere soon, but at least liquor stores remain open. More cartoons from The Inquirer Heres a roundup of recent cartoons from me and my colleague, Signe Wilkinson. For more editorial cartoons, visit inquirer.com/opinion/cartoons/: Its not fashionable these days to remember the birth of the United States some 244 years ago in Philadelphia. Instead, we fixate on mobs laying waste to statues, blameworthy Confederates and praiseworthy abolitionists alike. Getting all the facts straight doesnt seem to matter anymore. Those too genteel to topple statues busy themselves with the intellectual equivalent: passing judgment from behind their keyboards over who should be expunged from American history, and who is clean enough by 21st-century standards to remain in the publics good graces. Given the publics recent trouble with the finer points of American history, a refresher course on the document that birthed a nation is in order. The story begins on June 11, 1776, when the Continental Congress appointed a committee of five, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Roger Livingston, to draft a declaration of independence. The committee appointed Jefferson, 33 years old at the time, to produce the first draft. Jefferson retired to the house of Jacob Graff on the southwest corner of Seventh and Market Streets in Philadelphia, where he rented the second floor and produced the first draft of the Declaration of Independence. The committee, and then Congress, altered the draft 86 times. But the declaration remained Jeffersons creation. And with Jeffersons document at the center of the debate, independence from Great Britain was approved on July 4, 1776. The occasion was so momentous that, four score and seven years later in his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln would date the birth of the nation to it. Other dates might have been better: Sept. 3, 1783, the date the Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the Revolutionary War; or Sept. 17, 1787, the date the Constitution was signed at the Federal Convention, creating the constitutional republic under which we still live. But Lincoln chose the aspirational date, the date that independence was declared and the reasons for it laid out in clear argument. He was right to do so. READ MORE: The 1619 anniversary: Where does the American story begin? | Opinion The Declaration of Independence was without question a perfect statement of principle in 1776. But to conclude that the document applied only to that time is to risk misunderstanding the declaration and the country that flowed from it. It has become fashionable in our day to dismiss not only the man but the words of the man in one fell swoop. So as statues of Jefferson come down, either by mob action or by more deliberative efforts, his words come under attack, too. But hypocrisy even the rank hypocrisy of Jefferson having enslaved people is no reason to dismiss something we know to be true. The message, as is often the case, is stronger than the messenger. Thomas Jefferson did not offer an 18th-century truth in the declaration. He offered timeless truth. His thinking remains far more powerful than his present-day detractors would admit. Indeed, that truth is so powerful that it has arguably animated every revolutionary movement from his day to ours. That message? Jefferson wrote: We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. These were brave words indeed, from a blameworthy slaveholder. And because of the truth contained in those words, just four score and seven years later, slavery was finished in the United States. READ MORE: The Philly home where the Declaration of Independence was born The message, as is often the case, is stronger than the messenger. All men are created equal. The United States was and remains the only nation in the world founded on a principle. And we rise and fall by our fidelity to that principle. It is not enough that human equality requires us to be tolerant of each other. Human equality also requires that we be decent toward one another. It requires all of us to acquiesce to the rule of law. It requires us to play by the rules and to abide by elections, seeing the best in our opponents, safe in the knowledge that they will see the best in us when they emerge victorious in the next election, or the one after that. Human equality requires that we treat others as we would have them treat us. And in this, we have failed. There can be no better time than now for people on all sides to take a long, hard look at themselves and to aspire to be better. The birth of our nation was itself an aspiration, and there is still time to live up to it. On the 244th anniversary of American independence, we can pledge this to each other, just as the signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged to each other their lives, fortune, and sacred honor. Its only fitting. Antony Davies is an associate professor of economics at Duquesne University. James R. Harrigan is the managing director of the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom at the University of Arizona. They host the weekly podcast, Words & Numbers. Subscribe to our podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you get podcasts. Our public spaces have been put under extreme pressure in the last few months. Since the pandemic lockdown, people have headed for open spaces to revive their mental and physical health. More recently, public spaces across the city and the country have played a key role in protests and demonstrations, reminding us how important they are for democracys health, too. In June, the Senate met this moment by passing the Great American Outdoors Act, providing critical funding for a popular environmental conservation program, and putting billions toward the upkeep of public lands. Expected to pass in the House, it is a rare feat of bipartisan cooperation in an uneasy moment. Most Americans, hiker or hunter, support environmental conservation. Tourists flock to public lands, which protect nature and drive local economies. Independence Day is an occasion to think about American unity. This bill should remind us that we can still find points of agreement, and our leaders should work these patches of common ground. The Great American Outdoors Act secures $900 million a year for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and would put $1.9 billion annually for five years toward a backlog of deferred maintenance at national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and recreation areas. Both are overdue but welcome investments in our public lands. READ MORE: Independence Park, Valley Forge, Pinelands could benefit from bill with billions for conservation The fund was established in 1965 and has been used nationwide to invest in city and state parks, protect watersheds and working farms, preserve battlefields, and critical habitat. The program has never had stable funding. LWCF is funded not through tax dollars, but revenue from federal leases to companies drilling for oil and gas, largely offshore. It is a compromise balancing energy needs with environmental priorities, where the dirty hand washes the other clean. But pinning this conservation programs dependence on a fossil fuel future is not sustainable. And given the risks of offshore drilling, future administrations may limit new leases (as candidate Joe Biden has proposed), diminishing this revenue source as old ones expire. While the Great American Outdoors Act provides $9.5 billion to fix and repair our aged national park infrastructure and we fervently hope that Independence National Historical Park is near the top of the list the National Park Service recently estimated its deferred maintenance at $12 billion. Our public lands are already underresourced and overused. If travel restrictions and the threat of contagion curb far-flung travel, we can expect even more people trying to enjoy Americas parks. That extra burden may mean this $9.5 billion may not stretch far enough. The bills bipartisan support was in part due to its potential to create jobs, particularly in rural economies hurt by pandemic-related unemployment. Congress could do one better by advancing legislation to pair this funding with a conservation jobs program, putting people back to work rebuilding park infrastructure. By reinvesting in the public places that we share, Congress is supporting what we the people have loved all along. Besides being places where we can reset our too-wired brains, they are places of deep memory; before this land was our land, belonging to Indigenous forebears. Our public lands are a powerful inheritance and a wise bet on the future. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will celebrate American independence Friday in his signature self-aggrandizing style, staging a fireworks show that frames him before a granite mountain carved with four of the nations most celebrated presidents. But Democrats are hoping that the latest display of self-flattery by Trump at Mount Rushmore will have a different effect than similar efforts in the past, following a shift in public sentiment that suggests the 2020 presidential race is being fought on different terrain than Trumps first campaign for the White House. In 2016, Trumps buffoonery was held up by some as a refreshing rejection of an ineffectual status quo. He would step up to the plate eventually, they thought, said former Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook, explaining the thinking that now dominates his partys strategists. Today, its the same buffoonery, except it is killing people. About 7,500 guests are expected to gather to see Trump. In keeping with the presidents preferences, the rally will occur without any mandates from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, to socially distance or wear masks, despite federal health guidelines that suggest them and overwhelming public opinion against such events. A recent Fox News poll found 8 in 10 Americans favored mask wearers and less than one in four thought it was a good idea for presidential candidates to hold large political events or rallies right now. This contradiction has become a central target for former vice president Joe Bidens presidential campaign, which has been drawing on Democratic polling and focus groups that find enormous new vulnerabilities for Trump that have contributed to his recent slide in the polls. Mr. President, this is not about you, Biden said Tuesday, in a succinct summary of his message. Its about the health and well-being of the American public. A gut political player, Trump has for years dismissed criticism of his narcissistic public style and proved his naysayers wrong when they predicted it would lead to his downfall. He boasted his way to the top of the Republican nomination fight in 2015 and won the White House with a great-man theory of governance summed up with his convention declaration: I alone can fix it. Since then, Trump has repeatedly declared himself the best, the most knowledgeable and the most righteous as president. Nobodys ever done a better job than Im doing as president, he said in 2018. But he has struggled this year, as a pandemic and economic shutdown took hold, to wield that self-regard against national fears about crises that have impacted nearly every American in painful ways. In the last two weeks, Trump has pushed for largely maskless mass gatherings in Arizona and Oklahoma, two states that have seen recent spikes in coronavirus cases. He also pushed for the relocation of his nominating convention to Florida, another state battling an outbreak, to increase the odds that he is greeted by roaring crowds in late August. Doug Heye, a Republican strategist and former spokesman for the Republican National Committee who did not vote for Trump, said voters took note when Secret Service agents and campaign officials had to self-quarantine after a rally Trump staged in Tulsa last month over the objections of public health experts. Two agents and at least six campaign staffers tested positive for the virus. READ MORE: Coronavirus hospitalization rise across U.S. is cause for concern The challenge for Trump here is that all of the risks that are being taken are done solely for his own benefit, he said. That is, without question, going to cause some voters who would otherwise approve of things that his administration does to turn away from him. So by acting in his own very immediate self-interested interest, hes hurting himself in the longer term, which is reelection. Democratic pollster Jefrey Pollock conducted focus groups on Trump in 2016 that found many Americans who disliked both presidential candidates were still attracted to Trumps self-important declarations, because they felt economically secure enough to take a chance on someone new. That same category of voters those with a favorable view of neither candidate now favors Biden over Trump by a margin of 55 to 21 percent, according to a Monmouth Poll released Thursday. Three years later, it is the voters who need attention, Pollock said of Trump. Voters are looking at an individual who has a sense of entitlement, when they need more attention to their own needs. Other polling by Navigator Research, a coalition meant to inform Democratic strategy up and down the ballot, has noted an uptick in recent weeks in the number of people who describe Trump as self-absorbed, according to Nick Gourevitch, a pollster on the project. Of a long list of negative attributes that the Democrats regularly test against Trump including incompetent, chaotic and divisive the poll has found self-absorbed raises the most concerns among self-described independent voters. A lot of the concerns throughout the pandemic ignoring experts, not following precautions, can all be tied back to this trait, Gourevitch said. National polling shows Trumps ratings on empathy have not shifted much during his four years in office. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found 41 percent believed he cares about the needs of ordinary people, compared with 40 percent who told Gallup pollsters in September 2016 that he cares about the needs of people like you. READ MORE: Trump tweets video with white power chant, then deletes it But the candidate he is running against has changed, and so has the political dynamic. While 48 percent of voters gave Democrat Hillary Clinton positive marks for empathy in Gallup polling four years ago, 54 percent in the Pew poll now credit Biden with caring about ordinary people. The problem with Trumps self-referential worldview appeared this April in focus groups by the pro-Biden SuperPAC Unite The Country. Memos produced by the group afterward identified a big opportunity for Biden to lean into his reputation for empathy. What is striking is that much of the criticism of Trumps response to the virus is about his personality (he always makes it about himself) than setting in place policies that could have made a difference, one pollster wrote. The conclusion, which has become a driving theme of the $1.4 million in recent television advertising by the group, was that many voters believe Trumps ego is getting in the way of progress on Covid-19. Since then, Biden has draped himself in constant demonstrations of empathy and concern for others, consistently wearing a mask and often leaving it dangling from an ear when he speaks on camera to demonstrate its importance. At the age of 77, he would find himself at high risk for serious complications were he to contract the coronavirus, and his travel and security detail puts him in touch with a large number of possible carriers. But he has so far refused to test himself for the disease, he said, so it would not look like he was moving to the front of the line. I havent wanted to take anybody elses place in the process, Biden said. The presidents defenders say voters appreciate Trumps straightforwardness more than symbolic gestures that smack of politics. The president is who he is hes going to push, said Bryan Lanza, an adviser on Trumps 2016 campaign and transition. Hes not a typical politician who listens to you, tells you one thing and does something else behind your back. With Donald Trump, you know exactly what youre getting, and you know exactly what hes going to do. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. READ MORE: Trump doesnt know how to run against Joe Biden, a Democrat who is not a nasty woman | Will Bunch But a growing number of the presidents former advisers have spoken out in recent weeks, offering at times blistering critiques of his leadership skills and personal character. Much of the criticism has taken Trump to task for being selfish or narcissistic, putting his own needs ahead of those of the country. The list of aides-turned-detractors includes former defense secretary Jim Mattis, former White House chief of staff John Kelly and former national security adviser John Bolton. In his book published last month, Bolton describes Trump as obsessed with his own press coverage and more interested in his reelection than any broader foreign policy objectives. I am hard-pressed to identify any significant Trump decision during my tenure that wasnt driven by reelection calculations, Bolton wrote in the book. Trump, who has blasted Bolton as an idiot, has claimed that his memoir is full of falsehoods. Several Republicans have publicly and privately pushed Trump to focus less on himself as he prepares to face voters. Trumps rambling answer to a question about his top priority items for a second term during a Fox News town hall last month set off alarm bells among allies who hoped the president would offer a more detailed vision for the next four years. In his answer, Trump used the word I 13 times, as he talked up his outsider experience in Washington and the great people in his administration. I always say talent is more important than experience, he said, offering little on his second-term plans. Five days later, Biden offered a rejoinder at an event near his Delaware home, where he spoke to a mostly empty room of socially-distanced journalists. If you have noticed, the president puts everything in terms of him, Biden said. Its not about I. Its about us. For years, the fight for congressional seats in Pennsylvania centered on the moderate Philadelphia suburbs. But now, in the wake of a broad political realignment turbocharged by President Donald Trumps election in 2016, attention has shifted to newly contested regions of the state. Democrats, who captured almost every suburban seat in 2018, believe their next best shot lies in a changing south-central Pennsylvania district. Some Harrisburg suburbs there are gradually trending blue, while Republican Rep. Scott Perry is sticking to his staunchly conservative stances. Republicans, meanwhile, are targeting a working-class Northeast Pennsylvania district breaking from its Democratic roots. And a perennial battleground in Bucks County is still competitive but less of a priority than in the past, as Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick tries to hang on to the one Philadelphia-area district still in Republican hands. Much hinges on the candidates: Members of both parties believe Perry is more vulnerable than Fitzpatrick and has a far stronger opponent. Brians shown he can win in that district consistently through headwinds in every situation, said Josh Novotney, a Philadelphia-based lobbyist who once worked for House Republicans campaign arm. Congressman Perry is a great guy, but he just hasnt adapted that well to that district. Most political watchers consider Democrats a strong favorite to retain control of the House. But the races may still offer clues about the parties relative appeal in these new battlegrounds though the outcome of the presidential race and views on Trump could ultimately overwhelm other factors. Here are the Pennsylvania races to watch. An old swing district and a new one The high-profile House vote in late June on Democrats police reform bill illustrated the divergent approaches of Fitzpatrick and Perry and why Democrats see Perry as their top target. Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent who represents the 1st Congressional District in Bucks County, was one of just three Republicans who broke ranks to support the sweeping measure. Perry, a member of the right-wing Freedom Caucus from the 10th District, joined almost every other Republican in voting no. READ MORE: Democrats used to fear being called soft on crime. After George Floyd, that dynamic has changed entirely. Democrats argue that Perrys record is now out of step with a more moderate district. And they think theyve hit a recruiting home run in state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, who has held statewide office for 7 years. Portraying himself as a pragmatist willing to work with Republicans, DePasquale carried the district in his 2016 reelection campaign even as Trump won it by nine percentage points. Scott wants to represent an ideology, DePasquale said. I want to represent a district. He pointed to health care as a top issue, and said his brothers death from a disease for which insurance companies denied coverage when he was growing up shows the importance of the Affordable Care Acts protection of those with preexisting conditions. Playing up his bipartisan bona fides, DePasquale rated Gov. Tom Wolfs response to the coronavirus as a B-plus or A-minus, but noted he is investigating the way Wolf approved waivers to certain businesses to remain open. I wouldnt be auditing it if I didnt have concerns about it, DePasquale said. He said he supports congressional Democrats police reform bill and opposes calls to defund the police. READ MORE: Coronavirus isnt scaring Trumps Pa. supporters away from his Republican convention in Florida The district, which includes all or parts of Cumberland, Dauphin, and York Counties, still leans right, but parts are shifting. It has become more diverse, with people moving from around Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore to a less expensive region, said Rogette Harris, the Dauphin County Democratic Party chair. Jobs at local hospitals have also drawn new residents, many of them younger. And a new congressional map imposed by the Democratic-led state Supreme Court in 2018 added Democratic and moderate voters to what was once a staunchly Republican district. Perry, elected under the more conservative district map, has been a die-hard Trump ally, sitting in the front row at his impeachment hearings and defending the president at news conferences. Vote Perry. Help Trump, read one recent digital ad. In an interview, he criticized Wolfs response to the coronavirus while praising Trump. The president has handled this as well as anybody could, as a matter of fact better in some cases than anybody could, Perry said. An Iraq War veteran and retired Army colonel, Perry also saw partisan politics in recent criticism of Trump over reports that Russia offered bounties for the Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. American investigators are examining the death of a Marine from York, in the district, as potentially linked to the scheme, according to the New York Times. Echoing Trump, Perry described the intelligence as uncorroborated, and said its disclosure jeopardized any possible way of proving Russia might have been doing this. The information reportedly appeared in the presidents daily written intelligence brief earlier this year. Perry said it was the height of arrogance and profoundly disrespectful to drag this community through this. READ MORE: Pennsylvanias primary election results are finally in. Heres what they mean for November. While Democrats say hes too far right for his district, Perry said he simply doesnt like to see government waste and supports American traditions: If that makes me conservative, then I guess Im conservative. Perry faced a tougher race than expected in 2018, winning by less than three points. This year, he has already spent more than $867,000 on such things as mail, polling, and digital advertising, records show, even though he ran uncontested in the GOP primary. His allies say the district still favors Republicans. They plan to paint DePasquale as too liberal, and a potential part of House Speaker Nancy Pelosis majority. Was there slippage two years ago? Sure, there was a little bit of a transition in the district, said David Feidt, chairman of the Dauphin County Republicans. Has it somehow transitioned dramatically since the last time Scott was on the ballot a year and a half ago? I dont think it has. On the other hand, the evenly balanced 1st District is always a top national target. Fitzpatrick is one of just two Republicans nationwide seeking reelection in a district carried by Hillary Clinton, and hes the last House Republican in Philadelphias collar counties. Perry sees his path to victory as simply turning out the Republican base, whereas Fitzpatrick knows he needs a few Democrats and independents to vote for him to win, said Dave Wasserman, an elections analyst at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. The conservative Heritage Foundation gives Perry a 98% voting score, but just 23% for Fitzpatrick, the highest and lowest among Pennsylvania House Republicans. Democrats have struggled for years to beat either Brian Fitzpatrick or, before him, his brother Mike, who also held the seat and who is now deceased. The longer the Fitzpatrick winning streak goes, Democrats worry, the harder it becomes to persuade top-tier candidates to run. READ MORE: A slice of America Bucks County district should be a battleground. But Democrats need a perfect storm to win. Many in the party fear they face an uphill battle again this year, though they hope that a Trump wipeout could carry them to victory. As of May 13, Democrat Christina Finello, an Ivyland Borough council member, had $82,500 in her campaign account, though her campaign said it raised $200,000 more in June alone. Fitzpatrick, however, had $1.8 million in his campaign fund as of June 30. Finello argues that Fitzpatrick has sided with Trump on the most important votes, including impeachment. But the congressman established enough of an independent image to survive in the 2018 Democratic wave. An emerging Trump Country? The GOP sees its best opportunity to flip a Pennsylvania seat in the 8th District, which includes historically Democratic urban centers like Scranton and Wilkes-Barre but also more rural areas. Trump carried the district by almost 10 points in 2016 as the region, like many other predominantly white, working-class areas, saw a dramatic realignment. Republicans say that spells trouble for Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright, especially after his vote in favor of impeachment. Republican nominee Jim Bognet grew up in Hazleton, and his father owns a small business there. Democrats plan to highlight another part of Bognets biography: his career as a traveling political operative before he moved back to the state to run for office. Meanwhile, Republicans are hoping to hit back in two more traditional suburban battlegrounds they lost in 2018. Theyre targeting Susan Wild, who won the Lehigh Valley-based 7th District by 10 points in 2018, and Conor Lamb, who represents a right-leaning district outside Pittsburgh. The Barchart Chart of the Day belongs to the plastic products company Deswell (NASDAQ: DSWL ). Readers are always asking me how to find stocks that are just beginning to trend before everyone else discovers them. One of the best ways is to look at Barchart's Strong Volume Gains preformatted screener. It identifies stocks... Read More Possessing small amounts of marijuana is still illegal in Virginia, but as of July 1 the maximum penalty for people caught with an ounce or less of the drug has been reduced to a $25 civil fine. Its a significant shift in a state where police reported a record 29,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2018 and a study the prior year found 127 people were being held in jail solely on a marijuana charge enforcement that disproportionately targeted Black Virginians. But lawmakers and advocates warned that long lasting personal and professional repercussions could still follow a charge or conviction under the new law. It's important to remember that just because its now a civil infraction doesnt mean youre immune from bad things happening if you get charged or convicted, said Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax. Im worried the bill will give a lot of people a false sense of security. What decriminalization is (and isnt) Until today, possession of a half-ounce or less of the drug was punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, though drivers license suspensions were more common than jail time. A second conviction carried the threat of up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. And people found with hash and other commercially concentrated versions of the product which are increasingly common with the drugs legalization in states around the country faced felony charges. Under bi-partisan legislation signed by Gov. Ralph Northam in May, possession of up to an ounce of the drug in any form is a $25 fine issued in the form of a ticket, ending the possibility of arrest but still allowing police to search peoples cars and possessions if they say they smell the drug. There are no escalating penalties for multiple violations. Other serious punishments surrounding the drug are unchanged. Growing the plant, possessing more than an ounce of it and distributing it to people (even as a gift) remain a felony, with potential sentences ranging from one to 40 years in prison depending on the circumstances and quantities involved. Likewise, people caught with less than an ounce could still be charged with felony distribution, which police usually link to the presence of paraphernalia like baggies and scales. Some records sealed, others remain public The law also includes protections aimed at lessening the lingering impact of past and future convictions for simple possession. Lawmakers instructed the Virginia State Police, which maintains the states Central Criminal Records Exchange, to seal past charges and convictions. New charges wouldnt be sent to the records exchange. The law also makes it a misdemeanor for most employers and educational institutes to ask applicants to disclose past convictions on applications. But lawmakers say the effects of those restrictions are likely to be limited in practice, noting that the use of the state criminal records exchange is largely limited to law enforcement but court records, where most private background check services obtain criminal history information, will remain public. That means that even though applicants wont be required to disclose past convictions, it will still be easy for employers and schools to find out about them, said Surovell, who backed legislation allowing defendants to get past charges expunged in some circumstances. The bill passed the Senate but failed in the House of Delegates, where lawmakers said they wanted more time to study the issue. Under current Virginia law, if you get a marijuana possession charge deferred and dismissed on your 18th birthday, it still follows you around until youre dead 80 years from now like a bad memory, he said. Will aggressive police enforcement continue? The degree to which decriminalization will change the way police departments around the state approach the drug and potential violations remains to be seen. Police arrested 26,470 people for marijuana possession last year, according to the annual Crime in Virginia report. Thats down from a two-decade high of nearly 29,000 arrests in 2018. With a lessened penalty, will officers continue to aggressively pursue the drug? Will they issue warnings? Will they bother to confiscate small amounts of marijuana when they find them? Dana Schrad, the executive director of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, says those are questions police departments are weighing around the state, and some might determine its not worth pursuing potential infractions. She noted that officers will still have to prove the substance the person is caught with is indeed marijuana using a field test a process made more complicated with the legalization of hemp, which can look identical to its contraband cousin and delivers false positives on police field tests. It currently takes a second field test and between one and two lab tests to affirmatively differentiate the two substances. You may not waste your time writing someone a civil citation to spend 10 bucks on a test plus officer time on something that nets a $25 fine, Schrad said. The Virginia State Police say their troopers will approach infractions on a case-by-case basis and, as with other violations, use their discretion to decide whether a warning or ticket is warranted. Theres no one-size-fits-all enforcement that can be applied to all traffic stops or investigations related to marijuana possession, said department spokeswoman Corinne Geller. The same goes for the necessity of testing. In the rural town of Pulaski, Police Chief Gary Roche said he didnt expect the new law would affect the way his officers do business. Its still basically the same, except for the fact that its illegal but its not a crime, he said. Its a civil violation and you just write a summons for it. Weve been writing summonses for possession of marijuana for years, so that doesnt change anything. Rethinking drug dogs Another area in which departments are weighing changes surrounds the use and training of drug-sniffing dogs, which are typically taught to detect a variety of drugs, including marijuana skills that cant be unlearned when laws change. Tazewell County sold its two drug dogs to an agency in a state where marijuana possession is still criminal shortly after lawmakers passed the decriminalization legislation in March, saying they planned to get new dogs that werent trained to detect marijuana. If what he was hitting on was marijuana, and you may search the car and find illegal guns, but because there was a small amount of marijuana in there, then the question comes up, since it is not a criminal offense now, it is a civil matter, did we have a right to search that car? Sheriff Brian Hieatt told WDMV. The Virginia State Police say new dogs entering their narcotic detection programs will no longer be trained to detect marijuana, but Geller said K9s currently in the field will continue to serve and will continue to train to the scent because possession of marijuana will still be illegal in Virginia. Steve Benjamin, a Richmond lawyer who serves as special counsel to the Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee, said Tazewell might have jumped the gun in offloading their drug dogs, but called it a smart move regardless. He said its clear that law enforcement can continue to conduct searches based on the smell of marijuana under the new law, but that questions about differentiating between marijuana and hemp have gone largely untested in court. Law enforcement agencies across the country have been reassessing the sufficiency and wisdom of basing searches on the odor of marijuana alone, he said. Drug dogs cannot distinguish between hemp and marijuana, and the smell of burning CBD is said to be the same as burning marijuana. Because the possession and use of hemp and CBD products is lawful, a serious question exists whether a person should be subjected to a detention and search based on lawful conduct. Likewise, lawmakers continue to debate whether police should be allowed to initiate searches based on the smell of marijuana. A proposal to prohibit police from initiating searches based on the smell of marijuana alone was considered but rejected during the 2020 session. Democrats in the Virginia Senate said last week that they will revive their push to stop smell-based searches as part of a broad criminal-justice reform package they plan to pursue during a special session tentatively planned for August. Legalization likely at least a year off Virginia lawmakers voted not to pursue marijuana legalization this year, instead opting to study the issue and potential regulatory models for legal, recreational sales with a plan to revisit the issue next year. For now, the only legal way to obtain the drug in Virginia will be through the states medical marijuana program, which will roll out in earnest later this summer when the first of five licensed dispensaries opens. Until there is a framework for legal, recreational use of the drug in place, advocates say they expect enforcement of marijuana laws will continue to vary dramatically depending on circumstances and that disproportionate enforcement in communities of color will likely continue. We are likely to continue to see confiscation, paraphernalia charges and stern warnings depending on the municipality and the individual law enforcement officer, said Jenn Michelle Pedini, executive director of Virginia NORML, the state chapter of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws. This article originally appeared in the Virginia Mercury. Woodbridge, VA (22192) Today Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Even if Tucsons residential real estate market wasnt booming, the sale of a 10,000+ square foot estate in the Catalina Foothills would still be newsworthy in the real estate world. But a strong sellers market in Tucson and throughout the nation means the estate of Tucson land developer Do The movie "Peninsula," directed by Yeon Sang Ho, released tension-filled still cuts. On July 2, the newly-released stills of the "Peninsula" depicted the moments of those who returned to the ruins, those who survived, and those who went crazy. The sidewalk still contains all of the survivors of the unprecedented disaster. The space still cut contains the post-apocalyptic world from Incheon Port to Seoul and the action that catches the eye. Returning to the land from which they had escaped, Jeongsuk (Gang Dong Won) and Cheol Min (Kim Do Yoon) return to their homeland after four years, meeting other survivors. Minjung (Lee Jung Hyun), her family members Juni (Lee Re), Yujin (Lee Ye Won), and Kim Noin (Kwon Hae Hyo), who have long endured their lives in an isolated land, faced the danger of instantaneous attack with their own know-how even in the middle of a city full of zombies. Minjung's family is not the only one who survived. Initially, on a mission to protect survivors, Unit 631 troop, who have become more threatening than zombies, endanger both Jeongseok and Minjung's family. The story flows with greater urgency as Lieutenant Seo (Koo Kyo Hwan), who lost the hope and is going insane, and Sergeant Hwang (Kim Min Jae) set up a confrontation with both the Minjung's family who survived and Jeongseok who returned. In addition, in the urgent confrontation of survivors, the abandoned city is fresh since it has never been seen in Korean films. Guro Digital Complex, Incheon Port, and other cities that are familiar to Korean, but the space that has been transformed into an unimaginable form, highlight the urgency of the survivors living there. Viewers can also see various action scenes full of excitement of survivors confronting zombies against the backdrop of the space, created by director Yeon Sang Ho and over 250 local top-ranking VFX producers for almost a year. It's expected that the feast of hot action, which attracts light and sound-sensitive zombies with a gorgeous RC car, sweeps away with various weapons at once, and sweeps away with speedy car chasing, will bring immersion. "Peninsula" will be released on July 15. Insurance Company Limited is a 50:50 joint venture between Standard Life Aberdeen and Chinese state-owned Tianjin TEDA International Holding (Group) Company. Following the completion of the transaction, Standard Life Asia will be led be led by chairman Zhenyu Liu and CEO Olivia Liu, who are both senior executives with HASL, with immediate effect. Liu will be based in Hong Kong. The companys new brand identity will be revealed soon, it said in a statement. The deal was first announced in March 2017, and was later completed on June 30, following approvals from the Insurance Authority in Hong Kong and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission in mainland China. The completion of the transaction marks a major milestone for Standard Life Asia and HASL in building a stronger, single base for our insurance business in mainland China and Hong Kong, said Zhenyu Liu. We are in a unique position as part of a Sino-foreign joint venture insurance business to expand further in the region, to better serve our customers and build a sustainable business with a long-term commitment. Establishment of an industry taskforce that will identify and address emerging issues; Activation of disaster hotline 1800 734 621 to help policyholders with their insurance-related questions; and Mobilisation of ICA staff to work directly with local services and affected policyholders in the region. The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared the severe hailstorm that hit the Mildura region of northwest Victoria, and nearby parts of New South Wales and South Australia, last Friday, as an insurance catastrophe.Insurers have received some 9,000 claims, with estimated insured losses of over $20 million. ICA said its expecting more claims over the coming weeks.Rob Whelan, ICA CEO, said the industry heightened its response to aid the storm-affected policyholders, liaising with state governments, local councils, emergency services, and other agencies.In addition to the building and vehicle damage these storms typically bring, the storm has caused significant agricultural losses, he said. The timing could barely be worse for many producers, coming so close to harvest time. Fortunately, a substantial proportion of the damaged crops, trees, and vines, will be covered by insurance.By declaring the Mildura storm a catastrophe, the ICA has enabled the:Whelan urged affected policyholders to contact their insurer or insurance broker as soon as possible to commence the claims process.Representatives of several insurance companies have already arrived in the area to assist their policyholders, he said.Insurers recognise how serious this situation is for a region so dependent on agriculture, and are responding with appropriate urgency. For Kelly Butler (pictured), leader of Marshs cyber practice, the statistics arent a surprise and she concedes Australians still need to work on cyber education and training, especially in the present COVID-19 environment. Its obvious that we still have some work to do theres no doubt that the scammers will continue to evolve, and they will get more sophisticated, she said. Cybercriminals are becoming a lot more targeted, which is something that weve noticed of late. COVID-19 is a really good example of that, where they really looked at what the situation was, understood people were working remotely and came after the workforce in a very targeted way. For Butler, the report demonstrates that businesses should invest in the best possible technology available to protect themselves and to also understand that the key focus for boosting cybersecurity is cutting out human error. Every aspect of cyber security, from protecting to defending, has that human element and it guarantees that there can be no silver bullet here other than really robust and ongoing safety and awareness training, she explained. A scammer has to trick someone thats what it comes down to at the end so its really training the workforce and individuals from a personal I.D. perspective to ensure that they know what to look for to keep themselves safe online. Gone are the days of poorly designed email and digital scams for Butler, cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated in not only their attacks, but also their target research. The old frazzled BEC attacks are still happening, and I still receive an odd Australian Post click on this link, youve got a parcel scam every now and then. But it really has become more sophisticated, she said. Its not just a capsule anymore, they really are targeting a particular region, they look at whats happening within that region, where there may be some vulnerabilities and targeting their attacks all around that. Theyre also going after individuals theyre profiling, theyre understanding what they do from a social media perspective - and high-profile executives are being targeted as well. They will look at their Facebook, Instagram and public speaking to then start really levelling and targeting their scams. However, despite the reports damning findings, Butler says Australian businesses have adapted quickly to deal with what is becoming one of the most profitable crimes. Ive actually been really impressed with how Australian businesses have so quickly adapted to moving their entire workforces from corporate facilities into that virtual environment during this COVID-19 period and lockdown, she added. I think thats a real testament to the amount of work thats been done over the last couple of years and the government has been very proactive in helping businesses understand that they cant just sit back there needs to be a lot more work done to make sure theyre safe. Changing the mindset of not if but when a cybercrime will occur is paramount for businesses. Butler says they need to focus on how resilient they are because its all about getting back up and running as soon as possible. Not only is cyber insurance there to protect your balance sheet, it also provides immediate access to expert cyber vendors to assist you to remediate the situation and it gets you back up and running as soon as possible. Thats what you need to do from a reputational point of view, you cant be down for long, you need to get back up and running, she said. Its hard to imagine that cyber is now not a top exposure for each and every business in Australia. Opinion Policies Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level. Editorials are research-based. The purpose of the Editorial Board is to promote discussion concerning relevant issues in the community while advising on possible solutions. Topics are chosen via relevancy and interests of the members, which are then discussed by the Editorial Board in order to reach a general consensus concerning the topic or issue. Feedback policy If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or the Editorial Board as a whole (editorialboard@iowastatedaily.com). Those wanting to respond to editorials can also submit a letter to the editor through the Iowa State Daily website or by emailing the letter to Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or Editor-in-Chief Sage Smith (sage.smith@iowastatedaily.com). Column Policy Columns are hyper-specific to opinion and are written by only columnists employed by the Iowa State Daily. Columnists are unique because they have a specific writing day and only publish on those writing days. Each column undergoes a thorough editing process ensuring the integrity of the writer, and their claim is maintained while remaining research-based and respectful. Columns may be submitted from community members. These are labelled as Guest Columns. These contain similar research-based content and need to be at least 400 words in length. The following requirements should be met: first and last name, email and relation or position to Iowa State. Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions. Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020 Egypts National Council for Women (NCW) called on women to come forward officially after reports that a young man had committed multiple sexual assaults and rapes went viral on social media. A group of girls created an Instagram account a few days ago, collecting evidence against a young man that includes testimonies of numerous rape incidents committed by him, incidents of sexual harassment, and inappropriate text and voice messages that he sent to several girls, read a statement by the state body on Thursday. The council said it was carefully following the case and called for all concerned entities to investigate the incident and to take the necessary measures. The council also calls on all the girls to file official reports about the young man so that he gets the punishment he deserves per the law and becomes an example for whomever touches or harasses girls, read the statement, the first comment by a state body in Egypt on the string of reports. On Wednesday, posts began to surface on Twitter and Instagram from women who said they had been sexually harassed, assaulted, raped or blackmailed by the man, who was formerly a student at the countrys elite private American University in Cairo (AUC) and who is currently studying abroad in Spain. Ahram Online is declining to name the man. Soon an Instagram account called @assaultpolice was set up, calling on women to send their experiences, and in 24 hours the account received more than 150 messages, including some that contained screenshots of messages and recordings of apparent calls with the man. The Instagram account also revealed that in 2018, a woman wrote in a Facebook group for AUC students that the man had stalked her and her friends, but the young man had claimed to suffer from psychological issues and announced that he would commit suicide if the girls did not back off. He left the University in 2018. AUC has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment and is committed to upholding a safe environment for all members of the community, said the AUC in a statement issued on Thursday. In 2018, the young man moved to Barcelona, Spain where he enrolled in that citys EU Business School. The Instagram account has also received reports from women who are currently in Spain who said they had experienced unacceptable behaviour from him and as a result the Spanish institution had suspended him. The Instagram account stated that it hopes to make him face legal consequences for his actions. A petition has also been added on Change.org calling for justice for the alleged victims, and had attracted more than 20,000 signatures. For two days in a row, a hashtag including the name of the suspect in Arabic has been trending on Twitter in Egypt. The office of MP Mohamed Fouad has issued a statement calling on the prosecutor-general listen to the voices of women complaining online and to be the voice of the voiceless. The MP also asked the National Council for Women to support all sexual assault survivors with all needed legal and psychological means. Short link: It seems like zombie-themed films and shows are clawing their way to claim worldwide attention. Following the success of the series "Kingdom," Netflix has a new show with the same genre to release soon! Upcoming zombie thriller "All Of Us Are Dead" will have a different plot, wherein a group of high school students is trapped in school when the outbreak took place like wildfire. It will highlight the method of survival and the creativity of these youngsters to survive. And the people trying to save them have the same predicament. "All Of Us Are Dead" is based on the Naver webtoon "Now at Our School." If you loved watching "Beethoven Virus" and "The King 2 Hearts" as well as the film "The Fatal Encounter," then you should watch this series as the same director will be helming this! The series will be coupled by screenwriter Chun Sung Il, famous for his well-received dramas and films "The Pirates," "The Slave "Hunters," "The Package," and "Your Honor," with upcoming projects "Luca" and all-start cast film, "The Pirates 2." The main cast is relatively a bunch of young actors. The main lead of Cheong-sak will be played by Yoon Chan Young. His role is just an ordinary student, who is willing to make a special effort for his one-sided love at his campus, Hyosan High School. Yoon Chan Young, 19, debuted as a child actor in the drama "When a Man Falls in Love." He has been the younger counterpart for his many roles in different series. He recently starred in SBS's "Nobody Knows" and "Doctor John." The young actor has been nominated and won the award for Best Young Actor. The popular schoolgirl, On-jo, will be played by Park Ji Hoo. The actress debuted in the short film "Home Without Me," and landed minor roles in "Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned," "Fabricated City," and "The Witness." She showed her prowess as an actress when she starred in the independent film "House of Hummingbird" and won her Best Actress on the 7th Wildflower Film Awards. Nam-ra is the top student who is also the class leader, and rising actress Cho Yi Hyun will play the role. Cho Yi Hyun plays the role of the school's top student and leader of the class she belongs to. Streaking projects, the actress appeared in five dramas in the last two years, including "Hospital Playlist" and "My Country." "Bad Papa" was her first drama, followed by "Less than Evil," "My Country: The New Age," "Hospital Playlist," and "How to Buy a Friend." Su-hyuk is another student who dreams of becoming a student one day and is played by Park Solomon. "Bride of the Century" was his first drama. He was known for his role in the web drama "Sweet Revenge" and "Lookout." The returning student Gwi-nam will be played by In Soo, who will disrupt those who got trapped as he becoming worse than the zombies. The actor debuted in "Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon." After that, he appeared in minor roles, such as in "My ID is Gangnam Beauty," "At Eighteen," and "Chocolate." This original Netflix series will be streamed in over 190 countries worldwide via Netflix. Burma Myanmars NLD Distances Itself From Senior Members Comment on Presidency for Military Chief NLD Vice Chairman Dr. Zaw Myint Maung / Thiha Lwin / The Irrawaddy NAYPYITAWNational League for Democracy (NLD) vice chairman Dr. Zaw Myint Maung said party patron U Win Hteins recent comment on the possibility of the Myanmar military commander-in-chief being elected to the Union presidency does not represent the stance of the party. In an interview with the BBC on June 20, U Win Htein said Myanmar military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing had a good chance of becoming the countrys President if he were to lead constitutional reforms. If [Snr-Gen] Min Aung Hlaing leads the charter reforms, [he] is very likely to become the President in the next election, U Win Htein said. Myanmars President is elected by Union Parliament lawmakers from among three vice presidents also chosen by them. One of the three vice presidents is nominated by the military-appointed lawmakers in Parliament. Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, when asked by The Irrawaddy about U Win Hteins remark, said after the partys Central Executive Committee meeting in Naypyitaw on Thursday, It is not the stance of the NLD. Not the stance of the NLD. I dont even know it. I can assure you of that. You asked me if it is the NLDs policy. It is not. That is obvious. He said the NLD had never considered such a political give and takepresenting the Myanmar military chief with the presidency in exchange for charter reforms. The NLD pledged to reform the Constitution during campaigning ahead of the 2015 election. It took steps last year to amend the charter, but failed due to opposition from the unelected military-appointed lawmakers, who hold 25 percent of seats in the national legislature. The party would continue its attempt to amend the Constitution during the term of the next government, Dr. Zaw Myint Maung told The Irrawaddy. In an exclusive interview with Russia-based news agency Arguments and Facts during his visit to the country last month, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing hinted that he might enter politics. I have a lot of administrative experience, the senior general said. When asked by the Russian news agency what role he would play in the coming general election, the military chief said the top priority of the Myanmar military is to make sure the election is free and fair. There are parties that will contest the election. And there are different organizations. And there are people. They have different wishes. Based on their wishes and the election results, I will consider [my role], he said. Many political observers believe the 64-year-old senior general is eyeing the presidency following the 2020 election. He turned 60, the retirement age for civil servants in Myanmar, in July 2016, but extended his retirement age for five years as permissible under military law. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko You may also like these stories: Beijings Long Game: Where is China Headed in 2020? Myanmar to Go to the Polls on Nov. 8, Election Commission Announces Myanmar Military Chief Hints at Political Role in Interview With Russian Media Analysis Despite Myanmar Ethnic Parties Bold Election Strategy, NLD Insists on Going It Alone Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi attends a commemoration of the 70th annual Union Day in 2017. / The Irrawaddy YANGONWith Myanmars general election set to take place on Nov. 8, the biggest question is whether the ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), will secure another landslide victory. Some observers say that a significant decline in the partys popularity in ethnic areas means it will need to forge alliances with ethnic parties in order to form a government after the 2020 election. Myanmar is an ethnically diverse country. Of its 14 states and regions, half are ethnic states. Furthermore, there are millions of ethnic people living in the Burmese-dominated regions as well. Ethnic people are disappointed with the NLD for failing to implement its key promises, such as amending the 2008 military-drafted Constitution, forming a federal Union and achieving peace. They are also discouraged by the governments failure to speak out on behalf of ethnic rights, and the poor performances of the cabinet and Parliament. This dissatisfaction with the current administration among ethnic people has encouraged many of the countrys numerous homegrown ethnic parties to merge with each other, with the aim of defeating the NLD, as they believe the party has failed to bring satisfactory development or improvements in their respective ethnic states. Most parties within ethnic groups in Karen, Kachin, Kayah, Mon and Chin states have merged ahead of the upcoming election, putting on a united front in the hope of winning majorities in their state parliaments, and of claiming most of the national Parliament seats in their states in order to achieve their goals of self-determination, securing equal rights and forming a federal Union. Based on the current sentiments among ethnic people, ethnic parties are highly likely to win majorities in state parliaments. They also have a high chance of winning [more] seats in the Union Parliament as well, U Yan Myo Thein, a political analyst, told The Irrawaddy. Given these circumstances, the NLD will need to form alliances with ethnic parties if they do not win enough seats to form a government, U Yan Myo Thein said. Ethnic parties have estimated they will win at least 20 percent of the seats in the upcoming election, while the NLD will win around 40 percent of seats in the national legislature. The ruling party will need to win more than 50 percent of seatsmore than two thirds of the total seatsto form a government, because the 2008 military-drafted Constitution reserves 25 percent of the seats for the military-appointed lawmakers in the Union and state and regional parliaments. In the 2015 election, the NLD won in a landslidetaking 59.4 percent of seats in the Lower and Upper houses of Parliament, while ethnic parties won only 8.7 percent. The party won more than 50 percent of seats in each of the ethnic dominated state parliaments in Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin and Mon states. However, it only won around 16.2 percent in Shan State, where the military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won 23.2 percent of seats. Moreover, the Rakhine ethnic party, the Arakan National Party (ANP), holds 48.9 percent of seats in the Rakhine State parliament, while the NLD holds only 19.1 percent. After the NLD had been in office for three years, the result of a by-election in 2018 set off alarm bells for the ruling party, indicating it would face difficulties winning another landslide in the upcoming election. The NLD won only seven of 13 seats in the by-election. The result was far below its expectations of winning a resounding majority of the seats, and the ruling party conceded it needed to do more for voters from ethnic minorities. To make matter worse, the USDP succeeded in winning three seats previously held by NLD stalwarts. The NLD also lost in Chins Matupi Township, which was won by a candidate from an ethnic party, the Chin League for Democracy. Another two seats in Shan States Lechar Township and Rakhine States Rathedaung Township were won by the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) and independent candidate U Tin Maung Winthe son of former Rakhine MP U Aye Maungrespectively. Moreover, many ethnic parties in 2015 were focused on contesting elections in their states. But almost all of the ethnic parties are prepared to contest all the available constituencies in the 2020 election, from the state to the Union level and the ethnic affairs minister positions, in other states and regions. Unlike the 2015 election, many speculate that ethnic parties will win majorities in Kachin, Shan, Karen, Rakhine and Chin states in this years election. Ethnic parties have great confidence they will win majorities this year, and have already formed a coalition board in the expectation of forming a coalition government involving multiple ethnic parties, and any groups that can guarantee ethnic rights and that seek to form federal states in 2020. Their major goals are to form a federal Union, to achieve self-determination and to guarantee equal rights. However, the question is whether the NLD would be willing to form an alliance with the ethnic parties. Our stand is strong. We are well prepared to form a coalition government. Looking at the major partiesthe possible alliances for forming a coalition government would be with the NLD or the USDP. We have no other options, Gumgrawng Awng Hkam, vice chair of the Kachin State Peoples Party (KSPP), told The Irrawaddy. The KSPP was formed from the merger of six major Kachin parties in 2018. The move was supported by the Kachin people as a way of avoiding splitting their votes and forming a party that could be a strong contender in the 2020 election. The NLD recently confirmed that they have no intention to make alliances with the ethnic parties. They will contest in all the constituencies. This means we will have to compete with them, Awng Hkam said. We know what our people want. After the election results come out, they will surely have to negotiate with us. Our door will always be open to them [the NLD], he said. Before the 2015 general election, ethnic parties expected to form alliances with the NLD through negotiations on sharing some seats in ethnic areas. However, the NLD neglected the alliances and contested all the seats itself. Moreover, when it formed governments in states and regions, the NLD refused to appoint elected candidates from ethnic parties to ministerial positions. In a recent interview with the media, NLD vice chairman and Mandalay Region Chief Minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung insisted that the party had given priority to ethnic issues. Moreover, he said, it had appointed ethnic people as chief ministers in ethnic states. They all are from the NLD, however. Moreover, Dr. Zaw Myint Maung said the NLD still had no intention of negotiating with the ethnic parties. While acknowledging that the ethnic parties had formed alliances and become stronger, he said the NLD would try to win enough seats to form a government by maintaining constituencies in the regions where it won in the past. However, U Ngwe Thein, vice chair of the Mon Unity Party (MUP)formed from a merger between two ethnic Mon parties that sought to boost their performance in the 2020 electiontold The Irrawaddy that the NLD had little hope of forming a government without seeking an alliance with ethnic parties. People are running out of patience with the NLD, as they failed to represent us. In particular, they have rarely talked about ethnic rights during their term, U Ngwe Thein said. I am sure they will also choose candidates from among Mon people, but many of us already know that those are people who only listen to their superiors. They have to listen to the central level first, before they do anything. They can carry out something only after the higher level instructs them to do so, he added. The NLD seems to be drifting away from the people, so the people are starting not to trust them, he stressed. U Sai Nyunt Lwin, vice secretary 1 of the SNLD, told The Irrawaddy that despite the NLDs strong insistence that it would not seek alliances, he believed NLD leaders would make up their minds later. Things have changed lately. We think the NLD will discuss the potential for an alliance [later], U Sai Nyunt Lwin said. The SNLD, an ally of the NLD since the 1990 election, was among several parties to boycott the 2010 elections, considering them to be neither credible nor fair. However, relations between the SNLD and NLD soured somewhat after the SNLD rejected the NLDs offer to take a newly created ethnic affairs minister position. The SNLD declined the position believing it had nothing to do with the countrys peace process, a focus of the partys agenda. Chin National League for Democracy (CNLD) Vice Chair U Ngai Sak told The Irrawaddy that the broad coalition of ethnic parties, including Kachin, Karen, Kayah, Chin and Mon parties, had agreed to form alliances with any major parties that can guarantee ethnic rights, self-determination and a federal Union. The veteran politician was involved in alliance negotiations between the NLD and ethnic parties in 1988 and 1989. We have an attachment to the NLD, since we had close relations in the past. I want them to join hands with ethnic parties. But they have neglected us. They won a landslide in 2015, and still insist they dont need any allies, U Ngai Sak said. So, we have no choice. We ethnic parties have already united with each other. And we will make alliances with other major parties who will allow us to fulfill our goals, he said. The CLND formed from a merger between three popular Chin parties in 2018. In 2015, a total of 91 political parties contested seats, of which 64 percent, or 59 parties, represented ethnic minorities. In the upcoming general election, a total of 94 parties will run for parliamentary seats nationwide, including more than 50 parties representing ethnic minorities. Moreover, some ethnic party leaders have pointed out that the NLD needs to hold discussions with the ethnic parties to avoid possible vote splitting. Experts say the USDP won the most seats in Shan State in 2015 due to the splitting of votes between the NLD and SNLD. In the 2018 by-election, Awng Hkam ran for an Upper House seat representing a constituency in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State. He thought his main rival would be an NLD candidate. But when the result came out, the USDP candidate won the seat and Awng Hkam finished second. We both lost that seatthe NLD and the Kachin party. It eventually went to the USDP. It was a bitter experience. I dont want to go through that kind of experience again, he said. If there are no negotiations [between the NLD and ethnic parties], we could face that situation again. It is not good for either of us. That is the main reason we need to hold discussions as soon as we can, he added. He stressed, The NLD needs to consider this carefully for the sake of the country. We must work together to form a federal Union. I believe that we can make it together. Representatives from the USDP in Kachin recently invited the KSPP to discuss issues relating to the upcoming election. But the KSPP leaders declined to meet them, as they dont believe the military-aligned party would grant them their rights. In terms of policy, the NLD is far better than the USDP. But it takes two hands to clap. No matter how many times we say that we want to ally with them [the NLD], if they dont need us, we cant do anything, U Ngai Sak said. The NLD needs to consider not only losing seats to the ethnic parties, but also vote splitting, which is another problem due to the disunity between us. If we want to see the development of the country, the NLD and ethnic parities need to be united, he said. For the NLD, it is time to open the door to discussions with ethnic parties, he stressed. However, some ethnic parties also see the USDP as a possible alliance partner who could allow them to make their voices heard, given that the NLD is still reluctant to talk with them. Karen National Democratic Party (KNDP) Vice Chair Mann Aung Pyi Soe said a coalition government is highly likely after the election, as the ethnic parties are getting stronger. Mann Aung Pyi Soe said that by forming a coalition government, the ethnic parties will have a chance to set their own goals and have their voices heard. For example, if the USDP wins 20 percent of seatsand they [their military allies] already have 25 percent held by army appointeesthey will need more seats to form a government. So, we will invite them. to compromise and work with us and form a coalition government, he said. We could decide to work with them, because our only goal is to make Myanmar a federal Union, he stressed. Experts point out that the NLD needs to negotiate with the ethnic parties before the elections, especially to assure them they can work together for the country. They have failed to negotiate with ethnic parties since they took office. But it is time to sit together and negotiate on what both sides want. The NLD needs to listen to the ethnic parties, as they are representing their people, U Yan Myo Thein said. The collaboration with ethnic parities would also reinforce the NLDs ability to form a strong administration. Our countrys goal is to form a federal Union. So, we cant ignore ethnic parties, which represent their own people, U Yan Myo Thein said. In January, the NLD expanded its ethnic affairs committee with members from each state and region across the country, in an effort to revamp its poor image among ethnic people. Lower House lawmaker Nhtung Hka Naw Sam from Kachin State serves as chairman of the committee. Nhtung Hka Naw Sam said the main responsibility of the committee is to convey the NLDs policies to ethnic people. So far, we dont plan to negotiate with the ethnic parties for the 2020 election. As we did in 2015, we will contest all the constituencies, Nhtung Hka Naw Sam said. Meanwhile, many ethnic parties have already begun choosing candidates for the upcoming election. As the NLD still refuses to ally with them, they will have to choose other big parties as possible coalition government partners, should they see electoral success. U Ngai Sak said, If the NLD keeps ignoring ethnic parties, they will possibly ally with another group. What if the NLD does not win enough seats in the 2020 election? They need to negotiate with ethnic parties before its too late. Ignoring ethnic parties will hurt the NLD; they wont get any benefit from it. They need to consider the long term. They cant neglect the role of ethnic parties if they want to form a federal Union. If they neglect [ethnic parties], it will be their loss, U Ngai Sak said. However, the NLD seems not to be paying heed to the collective calls. On Thursday, after the partys Central Executive Committee meeting in Naypyitaw, NLD vice chairman Dr. Zaw Myint Maung told the media that forming a coalition government hadnt even crossed the party leaders minds, as nationwide reform could only be possible when the NLD is able to form a government. We havent thought about it, he said. We will try fairly to form a government to make democracy strong again. Thats what our contest means. You may also like these stories: One Year on, Still No Justice in Myanmars Victoria Toddler Rape Case In Myanmar, Concerns That Chinas Help on COVID-19 Comes With Strings Attached Editorial Myanmars Generals Arent Happy With Chinaand Its No Longer a Secret Myanmar security forces remove the bodies of those killed when a police outpost in Naung Cho, northern Shan State, was attacked by Northern Alliance Forces in August 2019. / MPA As the daily fighting against ethnic Rakhine insurgents in northern Rakhine State grinds on, the generals in Naypyitaw have implicitly pointed the finger at a powerful neighbor, accusing it of providing support to certain insurgent groups in the country. Of course, they do not dare to name the country publicly. Speaking to the media in Russia last week, Myanmar military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing called for international cooperation in the fight against terrorism and claimed that terrorist groups exist because of the strong forces that support them. So who, exactly, are these strong forces? Many believe Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaings comment was targeted at China, which the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) suspects is continuing to provide arms to rebel groups on the Myanmar-China border and to the Arakan Army (AA), which is now operating in northern Rakhine State. In the staged interview, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing did not name the terrorist organizations, nor did the interviewer ask. But a military spokesperson told The Irrawaddy that the senior general was referring to the AA and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), both of which are based in northern Rakhine. ARSAwhich has an entirely separate agenda from the AAhas established links with several overseas radical Islamist armed groups and insurgents in neighboring Bangladesh, as well as in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Rohingya movement has received funding and political support from countries and sympathizers in the Middle East and from some countries in the West. According to military insiders and observers, the sustained heavy frontline fighting against the AA is taking a toll at military headquarters in Naypyitaw, with rational planning sometimes giving way to more emotional responses. The Rakhine rebels have no shortage of arms and ammunition, and have been trained in the use of sophisticated explosives. They engage in hit-and-run guerilla warfare, and their frequent attacks on military outposts are reminiscent of the tactics used by the now defunct Communist Party of Burma (CPB), which was known for its ability to launch offensives in large numbers. It is important to note that in the past, the CPB also received political and military support from China. While China has offered to play the role of peace broker in Myanmars ongoing ethnic conflicts, senior Tatmadaw leaders now say confidentially that China is not to be trusted, and in fact continues to support some ethnic insurgent groups in Myanmar, while at the same time meddling in the peace process. In 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping told State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi that China would continue to help Myanmar achieve peace, and called for all sides to maintain stability on the countries shared border. Since then, however, Rakhine State has become even less stable and armed conflict in Myanmar has only intensified. In August 2019, the ethnic rebel alliance known as the Northern Alliance-Burma (NAB) staged one of the most audacious attacks seen in years, assaulting the garrison town of Pyin Oo Lwin, also known as Maymyo, near Mandalay, Myanmars second-largest city. The insurgent operations targeted a military academy and later attacked trade routes with China. Unsurprisingly, three rebel groupsthe Palaung Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the ethnic Chinese Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) based in the Kokang region, and the AAwere behind the attacks. All three of these groups are known to be close to the Chinese, and their leaders often visit or stay in Yunnan province and other places in the Chinese border area. In November 2019 and January 2020, the Myanmar military seized several caches of weapons and other military hardware in northern Shan State. According to a military statement and photos, among the seized weapons were 39 M-22 assault rifles, 29 medium machine guns, 69 M-21 assault rifles, nine M-16 assault rifles, 16 RPG-7s, five RPG-2s, two 12-volt spotlights and one FN-6 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile, plus 77 bags of TNLA uniforms, flags and military equipment. The military spokesman said at the time that most of the seized weapons were Chinese made, and that rebel groups had illegally acquired them from China. Then, in a meeting with Chinese Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Sun Guoxiang, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing reportedly told the envoy that rebels based in the north were buying weapons from China. Soon after the meeting, in an exclusive interview with Japans Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing mentioned that rebels in Myanmar received arms from China indirectly, but didnt elaborate. Military insiders also say the AA has modern technologies that allow its fighters to trigger landmines via mobile phones, walkie-talkies, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Indeed, the training and equipment needed to set up such explosives is likely to come from a neighboring country. During Xis visit to Myanmar in January, both Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing mentioned the need for stability on the bordersending a coded message to China that Myanmar doesnt want to see it arming and supporting insurgents on the frontier. In Russia last week, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing held talks with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed ways of promoting ties between their countries armed forces, as well as border security and counterinsurgency operations along the border. One of the more interesting regional developments to watch of late has been the cultivation of a closer friendship between Naypyitaw and New Delhi. In May, the Myanmar government handed 22 ethnic Assam and Meitei rebels over to the Indian government. The rebels belonged to groups fighting New Delhi from bases along the border in Myanmars Sagaing Region. Myanmar received its first submarine from India last year, a Russian-made Kilo-class diesel-electric attack submarine, and India continues to provide technical support for the vessel, according to a Myanmar military spokesman. Most importantly, New Delhi has also agreed to train Myanmar army officers and allow them to study at military academies in India. (In a decision with clear political implications, Myanmar opted not to buy submarines from China.) To demonstrate their seriousness about denying Indian insurgents the ability to operate on Myanmars soil, last year the two countries security forces cooperated to clamp down on the groups, with Myanmar troops driving insurgents hailing from Nagaland and other states in northeastern India out of their main base in Taga, in northern Sagaing Region. These insurgent groups, which are fighting for autonomy, have large networks in Myanmar, Thailand and India. They are involved in various forms of illicit trade, including arms smuggling, and some have established regular contact with radical Islamist insurgent groups. Rooting out such groups is not an easy task, and it is expected that the Indian and Myanmar armed forces will have to coordinate even more closely if they are to effectively clamp down on these insurgents. Meanwhile, inside Myanmar the resourceful Indian rebels continue to operate, opening bases and training camps and establishing contacts with insurgents and terrorist organizations overseas. Interestingly, the AA Rakhine rebels have made efforts to disrupt the movement of materials along the Kaladan River for a joint infrastructure project with India, even kidnapping Indian project workers traveling in the area. One Indian man died while being detained by the AA. The Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project aims to open sea routes and a highway transport system linking the eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with the countrys landlocked northeastern state of Mizoram through Myanmars Rakhine and Chin states. At their meeting, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing and the Indian defense minister discussed ways of cooperating on security to ensure the successful implementation of the Kaladan project across the Mizoram border. This means we can expect more offensives against the AA. New Delhi will support the Myanmar army in the form of intelligence and surveillance. Importantly, this strengthening of relations with India comes against the backdrop of a recent violent confrontation between the two Asian giants in the Himalayan region of Ladakha new geopolitical flashpoint in South Asia. Myanmars geostrategically important location in Southeast Asia, sitting between the two giants China and India (not to mention its natural resources), has long been a constant theme of comment among experts and scholars. Today, that position feels more like a geopolitical curse for Myanmar, and the country will have to tread carefully as it balances its relations with its two powerful neighbors. Needless to say, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaings recent remark about strong forces supporting terrorists inside Myanmar broadly reflects the sentiment among the top military leadership of the armed forces in Naypyitaw. It also demonstrates that Myanmar is ready to balance Chinese influence and diversify its alliances in the region to include partners both old and new. Myanmars leaders are no longer in the pocket of the Chinese, as some media have suggested, and never will be. You may also like these stories: Remembering Kraisak Choonhavana Friend to Myanmar Laborers and Refugees in Thailand Myanmars Ruling NLD Must Address Its Achilles Heel: Choosing the Wrong People What Do We Want a Post-Pandemic Myanmar to Look Like? On This Day The Day Myanmars First Prime Minister U Nu Met Eisenhower in Washington U Nu hands his cheque and gifts to US President Dwight Eisenhower. Yangon On this day in 1955 in Washington, the then prime minister U Nu presented US$5,000 (around 25,000 kyats at the time) to then US president Dwight Eisenhower for the widows of US servicemen killed fighting Japanese forces in Myanmar (then Burma) and disabled veterans. The prime minister also presented gifts an ivory gong and a silver tobacco box to the former Allied war commander, who returned one of his own paintings of a rural landscape, during their meeting at the White House. The newly independent state was looking to establish itself on the world stage in the 1950s. U Nu visited the UK, Israel, Japan, the USA and Yugoslavia. He was welcomed by then vice-president Richard Nixon upon arrival in the US. During his 3 week trip, U Nu visited famous sites, met well-known figures and lectured on peace in Southeast Asia, his non-aligned diplomatic policy and the potential for Chinese-US friendship. U Nu was accompanied by his secretary U Thant, who became the countrys permanent representative to the United Nations two years later before eventually becoming the third UN secretary-general. In his autobiography, Saturdays Son, U Nu wrote that he was invited to make a speech at the National Press Club by its president, Lucian Warren, during his US visit. Warren reportedly said government leaders usually asked for financial help and other types of assistance when they visited Washington and their visits, therefore, provided little of interest to US newspapers. But unlike them, rather than asking for help, U Nu made donations to the veterans association and thus provided news for US newspapers. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko You may also like these stories: The Day Myanmars First Prime Minister Met Winston Churchill Places in History Myanmars Destroyed Heritage: Rangoon University Student Union Rangoon University Student Union. Established in 1929 to promote campus life for students, the Rangoon University Student Union (RUSU) played a central role in the struggle for independence and in the fight against the military dictatorship. Today, the building is a vacant site as the military regime led by General Ne Win dynamited it in 1962. The RUSU was built in 1929, nine years after the establishment of Rangoon University, with 170,000 rupees funded by rice merchant U Nyo. The British governor, Sir Harcourt Butler, laid the foundation stone. Two years later, the two-story white building complete with a thick iron gate reading, The Student Union Gift of U Nyo, emerged near Inya Lake, the Thitpok Tree, Convocation Hall, University Library and University Hospital. On the ground floor of the RUSU were a canteen, book shop and barber. On the upper floor were a meeting hall and library with book cabinets to the ceiling. There was also a hall where students could play billiards, ping-pong and lift weights. Among the early members of the RUSU were those keen to impress the British rector to secure jobs in the Indian Civil Service (ICS) or British companies and those hoping to secure independence. The election of the student union chair inside at the RUSU helped developed democratic practices. Social gatherings, fresher welcome, English-language debate and talks by legal experts, writers and politicians also helped widen the horizons of social and political knowledge of students. Graduates became well-known figures in literature, education, business, international relations, politics and military circles after independence in 1948. The election of Ko Nu as the RUSU president in 1935 marked the beginning of its radical phase with Ko Nu, Ko Aung San, the then editor of the RUSU magazine Oway, and other student leaders taking charge of the RUSU executive committee. Anti-colonialism became the main topic for discussion in the library, barbers and canteen. Students began to take part in politics outside the university and the building drew the attention of the colonial government. When Ko Nu and Ko Aung San were expelled from the university in 1936 for opposing the universitys British authorities there was a second large-scale student protest which attracted support from members of the public. Ko Nu, Ko Aung San and Ko Kyaw Nyein left the university and engaged in politics. Ko Ba Hein and Ko Ba Swe succeeded them and continued anti-colonial agitation from the RUSU. Student leader Ko Aung Kyaw was fatally injured when police carried out violent crackdowns on students who marched from the RUSU to the Secretariat to condemn the colonial education system. A monument built for him by students in front of the RUSU building still stands today. As nationalism rose, secret meetings were held at the RUSU to push for armed struggle. However, World War II broke out and the RUSU was also occupied by British troops along with other Rangoon University buildings. The RUSU fell to Japanese forces until the Allied forces returned in 1945 and students came back in 1947. At the time, General Aung San, who was the chairman of RUSU, was the national leader. After his assassination, Ko Nu, who was also a chairman of the RUSU, became the independent countrys first prime minister. Despite political factions during the era of Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League, the RUSU continued to speak up for student rights, peace, democracy and human rights. Students expressed strong opposition when the caretaker government of Gen. Ne Win took power in 1958 and staged a coup in 1962. On July 7, four months after the coup, a meeting was held to oppose the tighter hostel rules imposed by the military regime. No one thought it would be the last meeting to be held in the 32-year-old building. After the meeting, students staged a protest march inside the campus and were having refreshments at the RUSU canteen. A fresher welcoming was being held on the upper floor. Police came in three cars and started to arrest students, resulting in clashes. In the evening, soldiers led by Lieutenant-Colonel Sein Lwin, who would become the president in 1988 and was internationally dubbed as the Butcher of Rangoon for his involvement in violently suppressing the pro-democracy movement, carried out a ruthless clampdown on students. The government announced that around 20 students were killed and 86 injured. Soldiers blew up the building in the early hours of July 8 even before the blood dried. Dictator Ne Win and his deputy Major General Aung Gyi traded blame for dynamiting the RUSU until they died. President Dr. Maung Maung during the pro-democracy uprising in 1988 called for the RUSU to be rebuilt. There were also discussions about rebuilding the RUSU under the National League for Democracy government but it is yet to be realized. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko You may also like these stories: Standing for Nearly 170 Years, This Yangon Monastery Has Been a Key Site for Two Religions in Myanmar The Site Thats Still Publishing Myanmars Official Documents After More Than a Century The Building That Exploited Myanmars Oil Wealth Two Easy Ways To Subscribe! The Kodiak Daily Mirror offers full-service, five-day a week subscriptions with home delivery in addition to unlimited access to our online services (including our e-Edition). Online-access-only subscriptions include unlimited access to the Mirror's online services without delivery of the printed newspaper. (Note: New users: You must register and login before purchasing a subscription. Friday, July 3rd, 2020 (12:01 am) - Score 7,391 Residents in the rural Pembrokeshire (Wales) village of Nolton Haven were last week left with a smelly problem after a team of Openreach (BT) engineers, which have been busy deploying Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband in the area, managed to install one of their telegraph poles through a mains sewer. Sometimes even the best civil engineers make a stinky mistake, although its rarely quite as literal as this one. Nolton Haven itself is a typically picturesque hamlet that sits along the coast of St Brides Bay and as such its rather lucky to be getting a full fibre broadband ISP network. We assume this is part of BTs latest contract with the Welsh Government (here and here). However the deployment has not been without its problems. For example, locals have complained that the newly installed poles and fibre are unsightly against the cliffs and beach. The work has also damaged some existing copper lines, which briefly left two elderly people without the ability to contact anybody (no mobile signal where they live). The latest mishap, which occurred last week, is that Openreach seemingly managed to install one of their new poles directly through the mains sewer. Residents who tried to complain about this then found it difficult to contact the operators Project Manager, who they say always seemed to be unavailable. Comment from Local Resident to ISPreview.co.uk: During their work they have installed 6 new poles without planning permission from the national park. They have spanned a large amount of new fibre after spanning fibre 2 years prior, but running out of time to connect it (they apparently cant use it as it has the wrong date on it!). They have then installed one of the new poles straight through the mains sewer pipe, which is now causing raw sewerage to contaminate the water way and sea. The good news is that the engineers came around last Friday to fix the damage (as pictured below). An Openreach Spokesperson said: Were in the process of installing, new full fibre broadband in Nolton Haven, which will provide around 100 homes in this remote village with not only some of the fastest speeds in the UK, but also a more reliable future-proof service that will serve their needs for decades to come. Sometimes as is the case here the only viable option to deliver full fibre is to install new equipment. Our engineers installed several new poles, having followed the correct planning process and gained council permission. As the poles cross park land we consulted with Natural Resources Wales to ensure theyre placed as sensitively as possible. We do our best to carry out work with great care but on this rare occasion the installation of one of our new poles did cause a small crack to a nearby sewer pipe and disrupted service to two local phone lines. Both issues were resolved on the day, with the phone lines reconnected within an hour. Were sorry for any inconvenience this might have caused. In the long run wed hope that the ability to order a gigabit-capable broadband connection in such a small rural location should help to balance against any initial difficulties during the deployment. Huntsville, TX (77320) Today Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 73F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 73F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Ithaca, NY (14850) Today Cloudy skies with a few showers after midnight. Low 57F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Cloudy skies with a few showers after midnight. Low 57F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Jacksonville, TX (75766) Today Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 68F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 68F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Tom Hallberg covers a little bit of everything, from skiing to long-form feature stories. A Teton Valley, Idaho, transplant by way of Portland and Bend, Oregon, he spends his time outside work writing fiction, splitboarding and climbing. Page Content There's been a surge in the number of daily Covid-19 cases among City employees, raising concerns about the workers' health and service delivery. Several City buildings, including depots and offices, have had to temporarily shut down and be disinfected on a few occasions amid rising infections in as many weeks. Pikitup, the City's waste management company, has had to close two of its depots, Roodepoort and Marlboro, from 1 July 2020 after coronavirus cases surged to 45. The latest figures were recorded at the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC), which had three confirmed Covid-19 cases at its Braampark offices in the first week of July. An employee in the office of the Ombudsman has also tested positive for coronavirus, alongside two other officials in the Department of Economic Development. Three more employees within Group Human Capital management tested positive for Covid-19 this week. Two licensing staff members at the Roodepoort and Dube centres also tested positive for Covid-19 earlier in the week. Another employee in the Transport Finance unit tested positive for Covid-19 and has since been hospitalised. In the wake of two positive Covid-19 cases two weeks ago, the Department of Housing has also been rocked by yet another infection, with the latest case being recorded at its Region D offices. I urge residents and employees of the City to pay special attention to hygiene measures to curb the spread of coronavirus. Many residents don't fully comply with the World Health Organisation's safety standards and this is disturbing when we take into consideration that we have yet to reach the peak in South Africa," says Mlungisi Mabaso, the MMC for Housing. All infected employees are in self-isolation as required by law. Those who have been in contact with infected officials have been advised to monitor their symptoms and undergo testing. The City has called for calm as measures are being implemented to prevent the virus from spreading. This is not the time to panic. Calm heads will see us through the pandemic. Please take care and be safe," says Lloyd Phillips, the MMC for Economic Development. In the meantime, all employees, except for those in essential services, have been informed to work from home and have been equipped to do so until further notice. Recent data from health authorities reveals that the number of Covid-19 cases is expected to increase in Gauteng, with Joburg as a hotspot. We encourage all staff to observe public health protocols by continuing to wash hands regularly, practice social distancing and wear the necessary personal protective equipment to curb the spread of the virus," Phillips emphasises. Mabaso has urged residents and employees of the City not to take the easing of the lockdown lightly. We should still be applying the same rules and regulations to curb the spread of the virus," he says. Page Content The Executive Mayor, Geoff Makhubo has described 13-year-old Gontse Dube as a burgeoning tree whose life was cut short ahead of its prime. Makhubo visited the Dube family to pay respects following their son's tragic death in a road accident that involved a JMPD officer in Soweto, on Saturday, 27 June. Details surrounding the accident are subject to an internal JMPD probe but it's believed Dube was with four other children when he was knocked dead by a car driven by an off-duty JMPD officer. His friends sustained minor injuries during the crash and are recovering at home. Makhubo visited the Dube family alongside Members of the Mayoral Committee for Public Safety (Mally Mokoena), Transport (Nonhlanhla Makhuba) and Community Development (Margaret Arnolds). The Mayor and MMCs were accompanied by senior members of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD). Tshidisehang lelapa la Dube (be comforted). The law will take its course," said the mayor in a poignant address to the family. Makhubo says he's saddened by the death of Dube, who like any child, would've shown great potential to become a responsible adult. Words fail to describe the harrowing pain you're feeling and to comfort you during this time, but we are truly sorry for your loss," said Makhubo. He told the Dube family that his is a caring government. As the government of local unity we wish to assure residents of our most genuine commitment to delivering services and extending support to the vulnerable and affected during this difficult period exacerbated by the pandemic," he said. Page Content Council Speaker, Nonceba Molwele has issued a Notice of Cancellation following the municipality's inability to adopt a budget by the end of the preceding financial year. Joburg's 2019/2020 fiscal cycle ended on 30 June, and the municipality is mandated by section 24(2) of the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) 2003 (Act 56 of 2003) to adopt an approved budget by the first day of the subsequent month. However, this has not been achieved. The decision to issue a Notice of Cancellation is based on legal advice received on the peculiar circumstances that confront Council," says Molwele. She adds that in terms of the law, the Executive Mayor, Geoffrey Makhubo is obliged to inform the provincial MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Lebogang Maile, and the Gauteng executive of the failure of Council to approve a budget before the commencement of the new financial year. Mayor Makhubo has requested the provincial executive to intervene through appropriate measures in terms of Section 139(4) of the South African Constitution. The City will await the directive and guidance of the provincial executive council before convening any Council meeting for the consideration and adoption of the 2020/21 Budget, Draft Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and other tariffs and matters which ought to have been considered by Council," Molwele explains. The Speaker says the legislature is committed to serving the best interests of the people of Johannesburg and upholding a responsive government. I am mindful of the concerns that the current state has caused and would like to assure everyone that everything is being done within the ambit of the law to address the situation," she says. Register with JOC.com and receive 5 free pieces of content for the first thirty days. After thirty days, you will receive 3 pieces of content and after sixty days you will receive 1 piece of content. To receive full access, Subscribe Today . You can also subscribe to our daily newsletter. Register Author and historian Steve Cottrell speaks about Marvin VanGilder, who led the charge in 1988 with Cottrell and others to have the small park on west Chestnut Avenue dedicated as the Battle of Carthage State Historic Site. The park was part of the campsite where the Union forces under Col. Franz Sigel camped on July 4, 1861. It was also the site where the final shots of that battle were fired on the evening of July 5, 1861, and the place where Missouri State Guard troops camped that night. A ceremony will be streamed live at 5 p.m. Sunday on The Carthage Press Facebook page in connection with the anniversary of the battle..COURTESY | JOHN HACKER Pictured, from left, Lt. Cmdr. LaShanda Holmes, Lt. Cmdr. Jeanine Menze, Lt. Angel Hughes, Lt. Cmdr. Chanel Lee and Lt. Cmdr. Ronaqua Russell are currently the only Black female aviators in the U.S. Coast Guard. They shared their experiences as pilots virtually on Wednesday, which was seen by many in the Eastern Panhandle with the help of the Jefferson County NAACP. The upcoming action drama "Steel Rain 2: Summit" is intended to give a clear window into geopolitics on the Korean Peninsula through the fictional setting of tripartite summit talks in a closed space, the film's director said Thursday. "Since the end of the Cold War, the Korean Peninsula has been in danger for about 30 years," director Yang Woo-seok said in a press conference streamed online. "The setting of this film will show us that the two Koreas can neither end this state of war nor build a peace regime by themselves." "Steel Rain 2" features a fictional kidnapping of leaders of South Korea, North Korea and the United States in a North Korean nuclear-powered submarine after a coup by a North Korean general (Kwan Do-won). Star actor Jung Woo-sung plays the South Korean president, and Yoo Yeon-seok takes the role of the North Korean leader, while Scottish actor Angus Macfadyen portrays the U.S. president. It is a sequel to Yang's 2017 political action thriller "Steel Rain," about a North Korean spy agent who defects to the South after becoming a target of an attack from opposing forces in the North's military leadership. But "Steel Rain 2" does not continue the storyline and characters of its predecessor, even though its lead actors of Jung and Kwak star in both films. Jung was a North Korean agent in the 2017 film, and Kwak played a South Korean official. Director Yang, who worked on the original web comic trilogy "Steel Rain" from 2011, said the two films share their universe and main ideas, calling the latter a complementary sequel. "I've cast the same actors, but they changed their roles, especially their sides. But there were few changes in the other cast members for China, Japan and the U.S.," said Yang, who directed the hit biographical movie "The Attorney" (2013), which attracted 11 million admissions. "It suggests that the current regional dynamics will remain the same even though South and North Korea change their approaches, as external factors decide geopolitics in the region," he noted. As the leaders of three countries are confined in a small cabin in a submarine, the real tripartite summit begins there. "There have been several inter-Korean and North Korea-U.S. summits so far, and news reports have only shown us preparations before the summits and press conferences after them. We've never seen the actual talks," Yang said. "Our film streams the summit talks of three countries from the beginning to end." The actor Jung said he needed time to determine to join "Steel Rain 2" as a South Korean president who participates in the unprecedented tripartite summit. "The second movie sees the Korean Peninsula from a cool-headed point of view," the 47-year-old actor said. "I studied a lot about the history of inter-Korean summits and presidents. I had to imagine what the leaders thought of the future and the Korean Peninsula and how they led the summits." Yoo, whose character looks far different from the North Korean leader in the real world in appearance, said he tried to create a leader who feels great pressure to retain the regime against regional superpowers. "I was first reluctant to take the role because I couldn't imagine playing a North Korean leader," he said. "The film features geopolitical situations in a realistic way, but it's fiction so I can create my own character." "Steel Rain 2" will hit local screens on July 29. (Yonhap) Governor Cooper supports Vice President Joe Biden for president and looks forward to campaigning with and for him over the coming months, said a statement from Liz Doherty, spokeswoman for Coopers re-election campaign. On Friday, the state hit a record high single-day increase in COVID-19 cases at about 2,100 confirmed cases. The number of people now hospitalized also hit a new high of around 950. Adding to concern among public health officials is the high rate of tests coming back positive, which hit a high of 11% on Friday. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said in a Thursday news conference that the state has the personal protective equipment it needs to meet the current demand but worries it doesnt have enough testing supplies, such as reagents, to process COVID tests quickly. As the November election nears, reopening restrictions continue to limit Trumps ability to hold large rallies in North Carolina, a key swing state. Trump would be unable to host large campaign events in North Carolina for at least another two weeks under health guidelines from the states Department of Health and Human Services. Demonstrators chanted variations of those chants made popular during national protests after the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. Things like No justice, no rent, and Hey hey, ho ho, these slumlords have to go. Another resident, Janice Davis, said in an interview she had lived at LaDeara for 15 years. Davis said she personally has had no issues with her landlord or management company, but she wanted to stand with her neighbors who did. Another demonstrator, former resident Yolanda Pinckney, said when she lived at LaDeara her apartment had mold in the walls, and she was forced out by management when she raised concerns. They did me and my daughter dirty, Pinckney said into a megaphone. The leasing office was closed Friday as the company was observing the federal July 4 holiday. A sign posted on the door notified tenants rent would start being due again "June 1," and any rents not collected by the fifth would be subject to a late fee. Several residents and former residents said the only way to pay rent at LaDeara is to drop payment through a slot, and that it is rare to get a receipt. North Carolina reported Friday its largest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases as people across the state get set to celebrate Independence Day. The 2,099 reported cases breaks the previous daily record for new cases set Wednesday, when the state reported 1,843 cases. While the state is reporting record increases, Forsyth County has seen the number of new cases stagnate. The county reported 53 new cases Friday, a decrease from the 55 reported Thursday and the 81 reported Wednesday. For the last seven days, Forsyth County has averaged about 57 new cases a day, according to available data. In a press conference Thursday, Forsyth County Health Director Joshua Swift said he expects the number of new cases to continue to rise as people celebrate the July 4 holiday weekend. I think people are hearing the message but a lot of people are restless, Swift said. They want to get out, they want to get together, they want to be social. Were encouraging people to limit gatherings to 25 or less outdoors and still limit it to 10 people indoors. While the state allows gatherings of up to 25 people, Dr. Christopher Ohl, an infectious disease expert at Wake Forest Baptist Health, said Thursday any celebrations should be kept to less than 10 people and be held outdoors. Johnson said she participated in the demonstration "because I care about black lives, and I want our systems involving housing, transportation, criminal justice, policing and education to be just systems." Six protesters standing on the sidewalk in front of the Truist bank branch on Stratford Road held banners that said, "Hate Out of Winston" and "Repeal The Stand Ground Law - Justice 4 Julius." Julius Randolph Sampson Jr., 32, was shot and killed on Aug. 6, 2019 outside BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse at Hanes Mall. Robert Anthony Granato, 23, is charged with first-degree murder and misdemeanor carrying a concealed gun while or after consuming alcohol in connection with Sampson's death. Granato was being held Thursday night in the Forsyth County Jail with his bond set at $503,000, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said. At Granato's bond hearing in January, Paul James, Granato's attorney, said that his client acted in self-defense when he shot Sampson as the two men were fighting. Prosecutors have argued that Granato's actions were not self-defense. Granato is trying to use the state's "Stand Your Ground" law as his defense in Sampson's death, Sampson's supporters say. It's not a case of gentrification, Danubio said. The apartments are still for lower income residents, he said, although they will be upgraded. Rents would rise from about $425 per month to the $650 to $675 range, he said. "I do know that it is difficult for those tenants to move and find new places to live," Danubio said. "I gave them May for free and nobody has paid for this month either, which is fine. We just want the property back so we can fix it up." Because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, evictions were put on hold earlier this year through a combination of judicial and state administrative orders. Those orders essentially froze eviction proceedings until June 21, but even after that date the federal CARES Act extends the eviction moratorium for properties that get federal rent assistance or which have federally backed mortgages. Handy lives with her daughter Shalonda Handy, who holds the apartment in her name. The landlord filed eviction proceedings on June 16, which will be heard on July 14. Marilyn Handy said the landlord should have given people more time to look for a new place to live, given the difficulties caused by the coronavirus and the lack of computer access that many people at the complex experience. By Lee Min-hyung Samsung SDS headquarters in Seoul / Courtesy of Samsung SDS And for me, I was extremely afraid, she said. I told her that we didnt want any trouble, that we were checking out anyway, that there was no reason to call the police, but when you talk about that fear, its something that is hard to describe. But it is something that is at the deepest core of your being. When police officers arrived, they asked the Hampton Inn employee if the Corbetts had paid for their rooms. According to the lawsuit, she acknowledged that the rooms were paid. Officers escorted the family from the hotel and suggested they call the corporate office, the lawsuit says. As the family left, the lawsuit says, police followed them closely to a restaurant parking lot and circled their car several times as the family waited for other family members who were still at the hotel. Corbett told a Hilton representative in December 2018 of the incident, the lawsuit says, noting that the representative recommended that she just move on. Nigel Glennie, a spokesman for Hilton, the Hampton Inns parent company, said the company has zero tolerance for racism and discrimination, but he declined to comment on the lawsuit. Glennie said Hiltons records indicated its representatives worked to resolve the complaint. Most of the 2.1 million people on Medicaid will start hearing from the state within the next few months about what the changes will mean for them, said Dave Richard, the deputy secretary for NC Medicaid. The first wave of changes will include everyone except those in more specialized situations, like disabled adults, children with severe health issues and elderly people who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare. Richard said the new system is intended to improve peoples long-term outlook by focusing more on their personal situation, as well as broader issues like how race, gender and poverty relate to health. Well have much more aggressive work around care management, and how that helps the patient, he said, adding, We hear people across the country say once its implemented, well be best in class. Not everyone is as enthusiastic, however. Democratic state Rep. Verla Insko of Chapel Hill who previously worked in health care and has been involved in much health care legislation in her 25 years at the General Assembly said she likes the general theory behind Medicaid transformation but is worried by some of the specifics planned for North Carolina. Any state oversight? RALEIGH Archaeologists and conservators carefully cracked open a time capsule Thursday that had been buried in the cornerstone of the Confederate Soldiers Monument at the State Capitol grounds since 1894. But being buried more than 125 years showed its toll, and rust damaged the metal box that housed the items. The contents of the box were severely damaged by the elements, according to the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. So far, they have recovered a wooden box, a stone believed to be from Gettysburg, two buttons attached to a textile and a strand of what they believe to be horse hair. The department opened the capsule in a lab setting and is doing preservation work on the objects that have been discovered, the department said in a news release. Gov. Roy Cooper ordered the statues removal, along with the removal of two other Confederate monuments on Capitol grounds. The governor cited public safety in issuing his order June 20, hours after protesters toppled two bronze statues of soldiers from the base of the tallest Confederate statue. The time capsule was discovered Monday as the remainder of the base was removed. Whats inside? Yes, we enjoy personal freedoms, but with most rights come responsibilities. We abide by rules and regulations all the time: wear seatbelts, wear helmets, wear shirts and shoes in restaurants. We are fined when we exceed the speed limit or throw litter out the car window. Make the decision to wear a mask not just for yourself but for your family members and everyone else around you. Some people in our government are tired of hearing about COVID-19 and are trying to move on, but the virus is not done with us. Sometimes we have to make personal sacrifices for the good of others. Listen to the scientists. Study the data. Think of others. Wear a mask. Keep your distance. This will not last forever if we all work together. Carol Ashley Winston-Salem Expressing gratitude Thanks to the officers wife who wrote the June 25 letter Serving is an honor. We also want to express gratitude to our law enforcement officers who serve and protect all of us. May God bless and protect you and your families. Charles King Winston-Salem Please submit letters online, with full name, address and telephone number, to Letters@wsjournal.com. Letters are subject to editing and are limited to 250 words. For more guidelines and advice on writing letters, go to journalnow.com/site/forms/online_services/letter/ A French court will decide Friday whether to reopen an investigation into the assassination 26 years ago of Rwandas president in a plane downing that triggered the countrys 100-day genocide. The appeals court in Paris has been asked to revisit a 2018 decision to throw out the probe against nine members and former members of incumbent President Paul Kagames entourage in a case that has poisoned relations between the two countries. A plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana, from Rwandas Hutu majority, was shot down in Kigali on April 6, 1994, unleashing a killing spree that would leave 800,000 people, mainly Tutsis but also moderate Hutus, dead. The plane was struck by at least one missile as it came in to land at Kigali, also killing Burundis president Cyprien Ntaryamira, another Hutu, on board. A probe was opened in France in 1998 after a complaint by families of the French plane crew. Ties broken The investigation initially focused on allies of Kagame, a Tutsi who led the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) rebel movement that came to power after defeating the extremist Hutu regime. Kagame, who became Rwandas president in 2000, broke diplomatic ties with Paris between 2006 and 2009 after France issued arrest warrants for his allies. Then in 2012, a report by French experts pinpointed the camp of Kanombe, controlled by Habyarimanas army, as the missile launch site shifting the investigations focus. Kigali said that finding vindicated its belief that the attack was carried out by Hutu extremists who believed Habyarimana was too moderate and who opposed the Arusha peace process then under way. As investigations dragged on, Kagame accused France ahead of the genocides 20th anniversary in 2014, of having played a direct role in the killing. And in November 2016, Kigali launched an inquiry into the alleged role of 20 French officials in the genocide that began hours after the plane was brought down. Past is behind us France has always denied the allegations and last year, President Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of a panel of historians and researchers to look into the claims. In December 2018, French judges dropped their probe for lack of evidence. Families of the victims of the missile attack, including Habyarimanas widow Agathe, lodged an appeal against that ruling. If the appeals judges agree Friday, the investigation can be reopened, or some or all of the suspects directed to appear before a criminal court for trial. At a January hearing, however, prosecutors urged the court to confirm the 2018 decision to abandon the case. Kagame agreed. I believe that the past is behind us, he told the Jeune Afrique weekly news magazine this week. Reopening a classified file is to invite problems, he said. If things are not definitively clarified, our relations are likely to suffer one way or another. Hundreds of Sudanese held a protest Friday in the Central Darfur state calling on the government to secure their properties following recent incidents of killings and looting, witnesses said. Last week, unidentified armed men killed three farmers near the town of Nertiti in Central Darfur, triggering the ire of residents who long complained of lack of security in the area. We have been here for four days and we will continue our protest until our demands are met, protester Adam Haroun told AFP on Friday at a sit-in outside a government office in Nertiti. Mohamed Eissa, another protester, slammed the inaction of security forces saying they are not carrying out their role to protect the area from gangs. Later on Friday, Sudans Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said a government delegation from Khartoum will visit the region to address the demands of the protesters. The demands of our people in Nertiti in Central Darfur are fair and well deserved, the premier wrote on Twitter. Darfur was the scene of a bitter conflict that broke out in 2003 between African minority rebels, complaining of marginalisation, and government forces under ousted president Omar al-Bashir. The fighting killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million others, according to the United Nations. Bashir was ousted in April 2019 by the military following months of mass protests against his rule, triggered mainly by economic hardship. He is wanted by The Hague-based International Criminal Court over charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur. The final straight of the race has officially been reached. In less than six months, the name of the new prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will be known. This is arguably the most important job in international criminal justice and it is filled every nine years only. On July 1 the Assembly of State Parties to the ICC (ASP, the governing body of the court) opened the period for member states to nominate candidates. To bolster the usual process of relevant states caucusing in UN corridors and meeting rooms to arrange it all nicely behind the scenes, the ASP had decided that a new committee would help them prepare the election in December. For a year now, five representatives of the different geographical areas of the court have called for applications and re-issued it when a scant 55 names rolled in upping the total to a mere 89 completed. Theyve provided breakdowns on candidates by gender, geography and law system. Last February, they declared that 16 suitable potentials (of whom 2 dropped out for personal reasons) were on their long list. Despite the Covid-19 crisis, they interviewed all. They promised a list of 3-6 potential candidates by end of June 2020. And on June 30 they delivered. But the names of the four people who made it through from Nigeria, Morris Anyah; Ireland, Fergal Gaynor; Uganda, the only woman, Susan Okalany; and Canada, Richard Roy came as a shock to the majority of international criminal law observers. Consider that the courts reach on accountability for atrocities can extend well beyond the nationalities and territories of its more than 120 members; think about the fact that the next prosecutor will face substantial challenges from the United States, which objects to the ICCs investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, and from U.S. client Israel, whose neighbour Palestine may or may not have standing to ask the prosecutor to intervene; add into the mix the continued issues of alleged U.K. war crimes in Iraq, Russian ones in neighbouring Georgia and an attempt to deal with crimes against Rohingya muslims in Myanmar, or against African migrants trafficked from Libya; top it off with a continued supply of complex cases prosecuting rebels and Islamicists from a variety of African states then you know that whoever the next person to take over from Fatou Bensouda may be, they will need to be highly skilled at both prosecution of complex cases and diplomatic manoeuvring. At the least they will need to be robustly independent. The selection process The selection committee added in two layers of consideration. On legal competence, a separate assessment was conducted by respected experts. Simultaneously, they set up a new vetting system, using the ICCs own Security and Safety Section to conduct background checks on all candidates. This was to ensure, specifically, not only that the next ICC prosecutor have high moral character but also quoting the vacancy notice that they should have high commitment to the values and guiding principles of the ICC as well as impeccable personal and professional integrity. This, says the committee in its June 30 report, implies that the person should not have engaged in harassment, whether sexual or not, bullying, discriminatory behaviour or other forms of abuse of power or malfeasance. In the end, no one whose name had been apparently circulating in the corridors of The Hague as front runners like Belgian Serge Brammertz, current prosecutor at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, and British Karim Khan, currently leading the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL was on the short-list, except Fergal Gaynor who has appeared in several cases at the ICC. It is not business as usual I think its very surprising that there are no heavyweights on the list with the omission of Serge Brammertz and Karim Khan particularly notable, because both men have more international criminal law experience than any of the four shortlisted candidates, particularly in terms of managing large international organisations, said Kevin Jon Heller of Amsterdam university. its difficult to judge a selection process that we dont have full internal knowledge of. But I do think that it is at least legitimate to raise some surprise at the fact that two of the four candidates seem to have virtually no international criminal law experience, either substantial or institutional, concurs Dov Jacobs of Leiden university on Twitter. Did the committee deliberately exclude some candidates? Heller believes so: I am also surprised and disappointed that the Committee only included four people on the shortlist. They could have included two more. Its impossible to believe that they could not find six qualified candidates, which leads me to believe the Committee is trying to steer the Assembly of States Parties in a particular direction. I cant help but think the Committee was afraid the Assembly would choose Brammertz or Khan if given the chance. Sarah Kasande of the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), an NGO, watched from Uganda the surprise among Twitter commentators and suggests that there is a misguided assumption that only a select group of individuals are qualified for the position. Liz Evenson of Human Rights Watch has also felt encouraged by the real emphasis on transparency by the committee. For others these new names are in fact a breath of much needed fresh air. It is not business as usual, declared Sharon Nakandha of the Africa regional office of Open Society Foundations. New individuals offer an opportunity to introduce fresh ideas and perspectives to the Office of the Prosecutor and the international criminal law space itself. Each of the candidates has excellent credentials and experience, which I believe, can contribute to enabling the ICC to realize its mission. The very fact that a simple list of four names has reignited an important debate on what makes a good Prosecutor and the implications of new leadership on the ongoing ICC reform conversation is itself positive, she said. Protecting the court from misconduct and harassment Some have focused on getting the new selection committee and maybe by proxy much of the international criminal justice world to really take on board the continued complaints about harassment. In a podcast by Asymmetrical Haircuts [a partner with Justice Info] international lawyer Danya Chaikel, who had worked on the issue with the women-led organisation ATLAS, said she knew of at least three people on the longlist who had allegations against them. Now shes really impressed with the way the committee operated. Its a surprising historic first, she points out. Unbelievably, elected officials at the ICC havent had their backgrounds scrutinised like the rest of us. Chaikel is now working to get a fair, transparent and safe system made permanent for complaints before all candidates are selected judges included alongside prosecutors. This is more necessary now than ever she says, as we learn about the high levels of misconduct at the Court. Recommended reading Election of the new ICC Prosecutor - what can be expected? Best candidates? There is no doubt in anyones mind that this is a crucial year for reform of the ICC. The dam of complaints and frustrations with an underperforming court has burst. The pent-up critiques from states and experts has been channelled into a massive expert review. Various sharp critiques and analyses have triggered storms of finger-pointing debate online. Some of these issues can be dealt with, but the courts trajectory is a massive oil tanker to turn around in a short space of time. So, can we take it as read that this four-person list does in fact represent the strongest possible potential people to guide the office of the prosecutor the courts engine room? Take Susan Okalany for example: Nakandha points to her prosecuting some of the most complex criminal cases including the Kampala 2010 bombings case in which she has confirmed that over 300 witnesses were interviewed, over 500 pieces of physical evidence recovered from the bombing scenes and analysed and over 500 pieces of documents prepared. In 2017 Okalany won an international accolade as Prosecutor of the Year by the International Association of Prosecutors. Kasande thinks her extensive experience had not been counted because simply she doesnt belong to that predetermined list of qualified candidates. Heller agrees that this is a strong line up, despite his caveats. There is no question that the four shortlisted candidates all have impressive backgrounds in criminal law, which is very encouraging. Im not someone who thinks knowledge of international criminal law specifically is that important give me a great domestic prosecutor over an adequate international one any day. Its also refreshing to see so many outsiders on the list including one, Anyah, whose criminal law experience has been overwhelmingly on the defence side. But doubts still occur, even among those who like the outsiders. Even though there was plenty of attention to rooting out harassment, women still didnt apply in large numbers. Out of 89 applications that were completed, there were 63 male candidates to only 26 female candidates. That in and on itself is disturbing why are so few women applying for these types of prestigious jobs? The pipeline itself has to be diversified, argues U.S. law professor Milena Sterio on Twitter. Defence counsel Kate Gibson points out that its already looking a top-heavy male court right now. If 1 of the 3 male candidates for #Prosecutor is chosen, the @IntlCrimCourt in 2020 will have a male President, 2 male Vice-Presidents, a male Registrar and a male incoming Prosecutor. 2/3 of #ICC Judges are male. Youre welcome from the female Defence lawyers balancing it out, she wrote on Twitter. The geographical factor The job advert made it clear that states were looking, not just at strong moral character, but also for someone who had a proven record of independence and impartiality and commitment to upholding justice, accountability and human rights. Its an insanely difficult job, admits Evenson. The moment things go well the court attract[s] politicized opposition from those who fear judicial scrutiny. Thats what makes the commitment to independence so important. The courts officials need to resolutely guard and act on their independence to realize the ICCs full ambitions, even as ICC member countries should also push back on efforts to undermine the courts mandate. So, what happens next? The Bureau of the ICC Assembly of State Parties has strongly encouraged States Parties to refrain from submitting nominations in its missives, until the committee completed its work. It has issued the same admonition again that states should identify, through open and transparent consultations, a consensus candidate. Expect loads of speculation with little substance. Theres the rotation between geographical groups school of thought was this the turn maybe of western European and other (known as WEOG) candidates? If so, Canada and Ireland look favourite. But the next ICC president from among the judges may be from that WEOG group of countries. So should the prosecutor be from Africa even though the outgoing Bensouda is from The Gambia? Are Nigeria and Uganda favourites? Expect more twists In fact, Heller expects a twist: It is important to note that the Assembly does not have to choose one of the four shortlisted candidates. It would not surprise me if states nominated heavy hitters who did not make the list. And I would not be surprised if consensus was not achievable in this election. The selection committee itself points out that there is no such thing as a perfect candidate, and cautions anyone to judge on curriculum vitae alone. All those selected showed genuine interest in justice and the rule of law, the ICC and the cause of international criminal accountability without fear or favour nor desire for personal advancement, beyond the wish to seek out new challenges, they say. Each of them will bring their own, unique and fresh professional perspective to the work of the Court. Likewise, all communicated clearly their appreciation for an organization and a managerial philosophy that value integrity, professionalism, teamwork, diverse and new perspectives, responsible stewardship and accountability. Cant say fairer than that. President Moon Jae-in, left, walks past Land Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee in this file photo taken at Cheong Wa Dae, Feb.27. Korea Times file Backfiring real estate policy fuels public uproar By Lee Kyung-min The government's headstrong push to continue its failed real estate policies will only disorient the market, drawing backlash from the public whose prospects of affordable housing are deteriorating, market watchers and economists said Friday. Haphazard policies demonizing speculation lack consideration for the housing conditions of most people, and will only lead to an even more rapid jump of already high prices, leaving prospective buyers further demoralized. The top priority should be instilling confidence in the availability of affordable housing in the market, which in turn will prevent anxiety-driven panic buying, thereby stabilizing prices, they added. Misplaced anger at land minister Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee was called in, Thursday, by President Moon Jae-in whose approval rating has fallen below 50 percent, partly due to debates over Cheong Wa Dae's real estate policy. The sudden debriefing was to scold her into drafting more "effective" policies to win back key young and middle-aged voters frustrated by the decreased prospects of owning a home as housing prices jumped further despite stronger measures announced June 17. President Moon's rare face-to-face meeting with the land minister came less than a day after the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ), a left-leaning civic group, said eight senior Cheong Wa Dae officials owning two homes or more have seen their asset value jump over 700 million won ($582,000) since Moon took power in 2017. Their combined assets averaged 1.98 billion won as of June, up 730 million won from 1.17 billion in May 2017. Similarly, of the country's 18 ministers, seven have at least two homes. The group's data released in June showed the median price of apartments in Seoul soared 314 million won, or 52 percent, over the past three years. Wednesday's report immediately drew heavy backlash from tenants who were asked by landlords to pay a higher deposit to avoid eviction, amid the supply shortage driven by the government's measure tightening mortgage rules. Korea has a unique rent system, whereby tenants pay a lump sum deposit known as 'jeonse' instead of monthly rent. Raising the deposit is also a convenient way for landlords to offset the heavier property tax the government seeks to impose to curb real estate speculation. The disparity between supply and demand has led to a steady increase in jeonse prices. Data from KB Kookmin Bank showed the average jeonse price of an apartment in Seoul has jumped 30 million won, or 6.3 percent, to 491 million won in June from a year earlier, continuing the upward trend for the 14th consecutive month since May 2019. The price jumped 9.2 percent from two years ago and 20 percent from four years ago, reporting a 20 million won year-on-year increase since 2016. Also illustrating the supply shortage is the declining trade volume of homes put up for jeonse and monthly rent transaction. Data from Seoul Metropolitan Government showed their trading volume dropped to 6,085 in June from 18,999 in February. May was the first time the city government saw the figure drop below 10,000 in its time compiling related data which it began in 2011. More concerning is the expected further price hike in 2021, due to the reduced volume of new apartment construction. Real Estate 114, a real estate market data provider, said only about 136,000 new homes will be available in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, down by 52,000 from 188,000 in 2020. Stronger rules in vain The "strengthened" measure ordered by Moon in that sense will only compound the situation, given the lack of ways to factor in market principles and people's expectations, experts said. Included among the four-pronged measure is a revision pending at the National Assembly to swiftly impose a capital gains tax of 4 percent on owners of multiple homes, up from 3.2 percent. Moon asked for a tailored measure devised to give tax incentives to people buying a home for the first time as well as help to ensure stable housing for jeonse tenants. More apartments will be made available and the government will implement additional measures at any sign of further price hikes. Yet, the heavier tax on multiple home owners will be paid by jeonse tenants in the form of higher deposits, exacerbating the vicious cycle that the government seeks to break, according to Myongji University professor of real estate Kwon Dae-jung. "The government said it will devise a plan to help jeonse tenants, but a heavier tax is pointless considering it will end up only hurting the tenants," he said. The government should let the property market boom which would inevitably result in some failed investments, Seoul National University economist Lee In-ho said. Some investors may sell off properties if they experience an unmanageable plunge after a market peak. Then, in his view, other market participants will learn that buying property does not always guarantee a windfall, driving down the explosive demand. "This is how markets should and could work, without the current frantic government efforts becoming ever more desperate," Lee said. KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) More local and state governments are mandating the use of masks, and while that argument continues, there is one concern that can be put to rest for gun owners. Posts on social media are claiming that wearing a face mask may impact someones right to carry a gun or use a conceal and carry permit. The claim is that those permits dont allow a person to conceal their identity. Gun laws vary from state to state, and when gun laws were written, no one was planning on a global pandemic. However, a number of sources have pushed back against this claim. According to the website factcheck.org, sheriffs across the country have issued statements debunking the claim. KCTV5 News specifically checked laws in Missouri and Kansas, and neither state has requirements about concealing identity regarding conceal and carry. IN KANSAS Neither the concealed carry statutes (K.S.A. 75-7c01 et seq) nor the open carry statutes (K.S.A. 75-7c24) prohibit or penalize the carrying of a firearm while wearing a face mask. At least one criminal statute, the assault statute (K.S.A. 21-5412), makes it a more severe crime if the assault is committed while the person is disguised in any manner designed to conceal identity. But that statute only applies in circumstances when the underlying crime of assault is being committed, not in cases where law-abiding citizens are exercising their second-amendment rights. IN MISSOURI The governors office is not aware of any specific provision that would restrict an individual who lawfully conceals and carries from doing so in public while simultaneously wearing a protective facial mask. Have a question youd like the KCTV5 News Investigative Team to check out? Call the team at 816-576-7555 or 913-576-7555, or email them at investigate@KCTV5.com. KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - A Kansas City police officer continues to fight for his life after being shot in the head Thursday afternoon. The officer underwent emergency surgery and has been surrounded by family, friends and colleagues. This officer, who has not yet been named, has only been on the force for two and a half years, with his colleagues describing him by saying hes a good kid. According to the Kansas City Police Department, the officer and his partner arrived to the McDonalds near 31st and Van Brunt around 4:30 p.m. after a call about a man with a gun. Missouri Highway Patrol investigators said that when the suspect ran away, he turned around and fired at the officers, hitting the one officer. The other officer shot and killed that suspect. Friday morning investigators with the MSHP identified the suspect as 31-year-old Ky Johnson of Grandview. In addition to this incident, another KCPD officer was shot while responding to a robbery earlier in the day Thursday. A RideKC bus driver saw the incident and called police before the suspect in that incident boarded her bus. She then drove slowly, allowing the police to catch up to the bus. As police boarded, the suspect fired multiple gunshots, hitting the officer as well as the bus driver. Another officer shot the suspect, who was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. The officer was treated and released, and the bus driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Could we see more sick children as a side effect of the pandemic? Learn how to decide whats best for you and your family when it comes to keeping up with childhood vaccinations in the time of COVID-19. Rhonda Tribue was a married mother of six. Her body was found along a lonely stretch of road between KCK and Edwardsville back in 1998. She had been beaten to death and run over by a car. After hours of searching, rescuers were not able to find a person who went missing at Smithville Lake. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says they started looking about 4 p.m. but couldn't find them A violent day in Kansas City ended with a KCPD officer having to have surgery after a suspect shot him in the head. Now, that officer is in stable condition and in the ICU as of 10 p.m. tonight. A version of this article first appeared in the "Reliable Sources" newsletter. You can sign up for free right here. Nearly a week has passed since The New York Times published a story titled "Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops, Intelligence Says." The fallout has been coming ever since. Congressional leaders were briefed by intelligence leaders on Thursday. Afterward, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer said "our Armed Forces would be better served if President Trump spent more time reading his daily briefing and less time planning military parades and defending relics of the Confederacy." In the past week this scandal has inspired the famous Kayleigh McEnany line "the president does read;" sparked criticism from all manner of intelligence professionals about the president's ignorance; and renewed questions about why he seems so soft on Russia. Trump and McEnany and their media allies have denounced the leaks to The Times (which have been matched by numerous other outlets including CNN). So let's take a closer look at the leaks. What can we discern? Here is a possibility: The internal government system for whistleblowers is so broken that concerned officials went to The Times to blow the whistle instead. Times national security correspondent and CNN contributor David Sanger says that's a valid theory. "If there was a whistleblower/Inspector General system that intelligence and Pentagon officials trusted, this story might well have not leaked," Sanger told me. "But because President Trump has dismantled or politicized much of that system, those who want to make clear that the President has ignored the intelligence may have felt they had no choice but to come to the press." Sanger said that the president's determination to ax the "deep state" -- driven in part by pro-Trump media's daily attacks against the bureaucracy, I might add -- has potentially accelerated the leaking that's going on. Many government officials would argue that the leaks are damaging to national security. Many reporters, myself included, would argue that the leaks are a net positive -- because the bounty story has a lot more legs this way. Three key points I want to flag three points from Sanger and Eric Schmitt's followup story for The Times: "The nature of intelligence always incomplete and not always definitive gives Mr. Trump an opening to dismiss anything that challenges his worldview." "It doesn't require a top-secret clearance and access to the government's most classified information to see that the list of Russian aggressions in recent weeks rivals some of the worst days of the Cold War." "Even Russian state television now regularly mocks Mr. Trump as a buffoon, very different from its gushing tone during the 2016 presidential election." "The real Russia hoax" Peter Bergen is out with a brand new column for CNN Opinion. He writes: "Trump has termed the richly reported stories that the Russians paid Afghan militants bounties to kill US soldiers based in Afghanistan a 'hoax.' But the real hoax is how White House officials are covering up for Trump's incompetence as commander in chief..." The PDB problem A few days ago AdWeek reporter Scott Nover observed that "all things come back to the 'Trump doesn't read anything' storyline we established early in Season 1." The White House's denials notwithstanding, he has a point. "I didn't see, in 17 months, any evidence the president read the PDB itself," John Bolton told Jake Tapper on CNN Thursday afternoon, referring to the President's Daily Brief. So Trump should have been verbally told about the information, even if there was uncertainty. Yes but can anyone possibly defend the president's choice not to read the CIA's daily assessment? In the interview with Tapper, Bolton also said he had been on the receiving end of Trump's anger about Russia-related intel. "I think I have enough scars from bringing up things about Russia that he probably didn't want to hear, that I can say I agree with" others' accounts of that dynamic, Bolton said. Lego announced a new line of "Lego Art" -- a higher-end building set geared towards adult fans. The line, available for purchase September 1st, will launch with four themes: Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe, Marvel Studios Iron Man, Star Wars "The Sith" and The Beatles. The pieces, once they are completed, form beautiful mosaics worthy of permanent display. "Reconnect with your creative side, channel your inner artist and create a beautiful art display you'll love. Give your personal space or office a touch of the iconic with your own version of your favorite pop art," the Lego website said of the series. Each Lego Art canvas set will allow builders to choose one of three or four pieces to create, depending on which set you're building. Two of them, the Iron Man and Star Wars sets, will offer the builder a chance to create one larger, "ultimate" piece if they're feeling up for the challenge and willing to buy extra sets, the company says. The Lego line is showcased alongside the mantra "Listen-Build-Relax", encouraging builders to work on their respective projects while listening to curated "soundtracks" (also referred to as "Audio Building podcasts") paired with their specific work of art. Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe page, for example, features a preview of "The Factory", an audio piece about Warhol's backstory, his work and how it made its way into Lego Art. The track fashions this as "a completely new Lego building experience that lets you recreate four different versions of one the most recognized works of the twentieth century." For Beatles fans, it's a chance to create lasting pieces of art while reengaging with their favorite albums and songs of all time. "Emulate the vibes of the transcendental meditation retreat that inspired 'The White Album.' Tap into your creativity, surrender to the moment and build at your own pace, tile by tile," the site says. The Iron Man set offers a chance for builders to assemble three different portraits of the superhero. And the Star Wars Sith showcases various faces of "the dark side". The Lego Art canvas sets themselves are all recommended for builders 18 years of age and older and can range from 2,933 to 3,406 pieces depending on the set. Park Si-soo's book "Winning English" is on display at Kyobo Books near Gwanghawmun Square. Korea Times 'Winning English' asks what kind of English you'd like to learn By Kang Hyun-kyung Park Si-soo's "Winning English" is a witty, informative guidebook for Koreans who are eager to improve their English skills to a level at which they can freely use it for work. With his practical, realistic advice drawn from his 13 years of experience as an English newspaper reporter, "Winning English" will be useful particularly for those who have invested a lot of time, money and energy only to find little progress made in usable skills. The author revisits how Koreans learn English and analyzes why the time and money investments they've made haven't paid off. He uses a real-world case study to help readers understand what's wrong with the traditional way of learning English and how learners can hone their language skills to reach the level they desire. The author tells the story of a mid-career employee, Mr. Kim, who has been working with an unnamed established construction and manufacturing company. Mr. Kim has a good educational background and scored highly in English proficiency tests. His coworkers believe Mr. Kim's English is pretty good. He himself also had a certain level of confidence in his English skill, although he lacked opportunities to put it to use. Eager to improve his English, Mr. Kim invested his spare time in watching U.S. TV dramas. With the help of Korean and English subtitles, he tried to catch up with more sophisticated, trendy expressions. After about six months, his boss called upon him to serve as an interpreter in a business meeting with a foreign client. The hour-long meeting turned out to be a nightmare. Despite his half-year personal endeavor to improve his English, Kim found himself struggling throughout the hour-long meeting to translate highly technical terms used by both sides. After the meeting, his boss said he was embarrassed, blaming himself for his overconfidence in Kim's untested English skills. "The reason his English failed him was because of the mismatch between what he learned and where he had to use it," Park said. Learning English through U.S. TV dramas is a good way to improve one's English fluency, he said. "But the problem was that the English that Mr. Kim needed was not daily conversational English but the kind he could use in his workplace. So what he should have done was prioritize vocabulary specifically related to his work, such as construction, business management and finance terms rather than watching TV dramas to learn English for daily conversation," the author said. If learners clarify what kind of English they want to learn before putting their energy into studying the foreign language, Park said, they will learn more effectively. "Winning English" is not a one-size-fits-all type of guidebook. It's about the why and how why learning English the way we Koreans did doesn't work and how we can fix it. The author points his readers toward several websites and resources where they can find tailor-made information about learning English. "Winning English" is a unique piece amid a flood of English learning guidebooks that are almost identical in terms of format and advice. Unlike other English book authors who give the same old technical advice repetitively, Park keeps entertaining his readers with self-deprecating humor. In the foreword, the author said the English proficiency test score he earned when he was a college student was as bad as 300 (the maximum score is 990). But he said he learned by himself how to improve English through various experiments and now he wants to share his secrets with readers. "Winning English" published by Seoul-based publishing house UI Books hit the shelves of local bookstores earlier this week. Follow Kang Hyun-kyung on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hyunkyungkangkt CORVALLIS, Ore. The owners of an Oregon coffee company are responding after Oregon State Police officers refused a request to wear masks after entering one of their shops on Wednesday an incident that has since been condemned by both Governor Kate Brown and OSP Superintendent Travis Hampton. The incident was first reported by the Oregonian/OregonLive on Thursday morning after interviewing workers at Allan's Coffee and Tea in Corvallis. This conduct is embarrassing and indefensible, especially in the wake of thousands of Oregonians taking to the streets each day to rightfully demand police accountability. Oregon State Police (@ORStatePolice) July 2, 2020 Governor Brown's statewide mandate for use of face coverings in indoor public spaces went into effect on Wednesday. Businesses are largely responsible for enforcing the requirement, under penalty from OSHA for failing to comply. According to a statement from Allan's owners Robert and Kathryn Morgan, they were prepared to follow the new mandate and had filled employees in on the policy, including signs hung in their locations asking patrons to use face coverings. "We were aware of the divisive climate during this time and the fact that face coverings have become a politicized issue so we expected that our employees may receive some backlash from customers regarding this new policy," the Morgans said. "We were fully prepared to support our employees. However, we did not expect that within the first hour of the state mandate four uniformed State Police Officers would defy the orders, enter our cafe without wearing a face mask and refuse requests to wear one." The Morgans said that one of the officers "used profanity to disparage the Governor," claiming that she could not infringe on his civil liberties. The officer reportedly told employees that they didn't have to worry about complying with the order, because police would not be enforcing it. After the officer ordered, the Morgans said that at least one other customer stated that they shouldn't have to wear face coverings either. "The four Oregon State Police Officers put our small business in a terrible position yesterday by openly defying the orders which we as a business are responsible for upholding," the Morgans said. The Allan's owners said that they fully support the law enforcement community and do not see face coverings as a political or divisive issue. They decided to go public with the incident after Oregon State Police initially seemed to have taken the issue "too lightly." On Thursday, OSP chief Travis Hampton put out a statement on social media, calling the officers' conduct "embarrassing and indefensible." "Let me be clear, Oregon State Police Troopers are not above the law and this conduct is being immediately addressed," Hampton said. "As the leader of the Oregon State Police, I would like to offer my apology to the coffee shop employees and the community." Governor Brown followed up with a statement of her own a few hours later, echoing Hampton's sentiments and saying that they both expect OSP officers to lead by example. "This virus threatens us all, regardless of our job title. Oregonians are wearing face coverings to protect ourselves, our families and our community," Brown said. "If you want your favorite restaurants and shops to stay open, wear a face covering and practice physical distancing to reduce the spread of the disease." The Oregonian reported that one of the officers had been placed on administrative leave and the incident is under investigation, according to an OSP spokesman. "We are saddened that the issue of face coverings has seemed to further divide a community and a state that is already divided and that the backlash from this issue will ultimately fall on the backs of small businesses," the Morgans said. "We hope that Oregon can peacefully comply with the Governors mandate and work towards getting our state back to where it was." SALEM, Ore. Governor Kate Brown on Friday announced that Oregon will be stepping up efforts to enforce coronavirus restrictions on businesses beginning with the Fourth of July weekend, in addition to a new county "watch list" for areas seeing a spike in cases. Brown's office said that eight counties had been added to the COVID-19 watch list: Jefferson, Lake, Lincoln, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, and Wasco. "The spread of COVID-19 in these counties has risen to alarming levels in recent weeks," Brown's office said. "Analysis by the Oregon Health Authority showed alarmingly high per capita rates of case increases and community spread cases where the infections are not attributable to a specific location or event. This community spread is a serious warning sign for health experts." RELATED: Oregon reports new record single-day increase of 375 COVID-19 cases Counties on the watch list will be monitored in the days ahead while the OHA and local public health officials work on controlling the spread. Brown's office said that these counties could see business closures or a smaller gathering size limit. I am asking Oregonians this holiday weekend to take urgent steps to stop the spread of COVID-19 by wearing face coverings, avoiding large gatherings, and physically distancing, said Governor Kate Brown. And state enforcement agencies will be out in force to ensure businesses are in compliance. Those businesses not complying with gathering size limits, face covering requirements, physical distancing rules, and other standards face stiff penalties. Meanwhile, Brown has enlisted the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) and OSHA to begin "spot checks" on restaurants, bars, and other businesses throughout the state starting with the holiday weekend. Officials will be enforcing the face covering, physical distancing, and occupancy requirements under Oregon's coronavirus restrictions. RELATED: Oregon face covering requirement goes into effect statewide Brown's office said that OSHA and OLCC staff may issue citations, fines, or "Red Warning Notices" if they encounter violations the latter of which applies to businesses in willful violation of the Governor's orders and who refuse to make corrections. Those businesses could be closed, accompanied by stiff penalties. We stand at a crossroads this weekend we can either stop the spread of COVID-19, or infections and hospitalizations will rise across Oregon and I will reinstate restrictive measures in impacted counties and business sectors," Brown said. MT. SHASTA, Calif. Officers arrested a man at City Park in Mt. Shasta after he barricaded himself inside a building and made bomb threats, according to the city police department. Mt. Shasta Police said it received a call about a man screaming at City Park just before 6 a.m. on Thursday. When officers arrived, the man immediately barricaded himself inside of a building at the park claiming to have a bomb and saying multiple times that "everyone was going to die," the agency said. The man was later identified as 49-year-old Stephen Bouw, Mt. Shasta Police said. Officers from multiple agencies surrounded the building and made sure that no one else was in the area. Attempted negotiations were met with defiance from Bouw, according to police. During the standoff, Bouw allegedly caused between $10,000 and $20,000 in damage to the park building. "After making entry into the building, Bouw continued to not comply with orders. A Taser was deployed, and officers were able to physically subdue Bouw," Mt. Shasta Police said. Bouw was brought to Mercy Medical Center for an evaluation before being transported to the Siskiyou County Jail. He was booked for felony vandalism and obstructing or delaying a peace officer. GRANTS PASS, Ore. Detectives with Oregon State Police are searching for the suspect in a fatal shooting that happened west of Grants Pass last Wednesday. The agency first released initial details about the investigation on Thursday morning, saying that it did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community. OSP later identified the victim as 55-year-old Theodore Homer Robison of Josephine County. Officers responded to the area of Pinecrest Drive and Tiffany Way around 4 p.m. on Wednesday to investigate a reported shooting. According to OSP, Robison had been shot several times. Now the agency has identified a suspect in the killing as 56-year-old Bret Alan Hagenno. He is believed to be armed and dangerous. Hagenno is described as six-foot tall, about 250 pounds, and balding. He may or may not have a beard and is known to frequent Josephine and Jackson Counties. OSP Major Crimes Section Detectives are asking for the publics help in locating Hagenno, now wanted for Murder II in Josephine County. If anyone has seen Hagenno or knows his whereabouts, they are asked to contact the OSP Southern Command Center at 541-664-4600 and reference case SP-20-173329. Because Hagenno may be dangerous, police advised not to contact him directly and call 911 immediately if he is spotted. On Thursday, appearing for sentencing by video from the jail, Ironshell turned down a chance to say something first. But Chapin said there is a juvenile court case and an effort to correct the teen's behavior so he can be reunited with his daughter. He said it was in the best interests of Ironshell, his daughter and the state. He asked the judge to consider a lengthy probation sentence with mental health counseling and anger management. "I don't know what benefit the state is going to get by locking him up for a substantial period of time," Chapin said. Then, Lavene said the injured child is doing well now. But "what he did here was very serous, life-threatening for this child," he said. If the judge decided to give Ironshell probation, Lavene asked for the maximum five-year term and 90-day jail sentence. Otherwise, he said, the facts here certainly warrant a prison sentence. In the end, Lancaster County District Judge Robert Otte said his first instinct clearly was to put him in prison. Upon the completion of the analysis, Johnson informed Carlson he had determined between July 2014-December 2018, approximately $58,678.28 in cash was missing from the WYUSER account, and approximately $150,550.28 was missing from the Quick Books account. Bringing to total missing cash of $209,228.86. Carlson interviewed Rickard at a Scottsbluff hospital on Jan. 24, 2019, as she was a patient there. During that interview, Rickard initially denied knowing how the funds were missing, but eventually admitted to taking some money from the bank deposits. She allegedly said she was sorry and admitted the money was used to pay bills, rent and a cell phone for a relative. She said her family, which also owned Wyoming Theatre, was living from paycheck to paycheck. She also said she knew she was not authorized to use the money and had every intention to pay it back, and that she had paid some of it back, according to court documents. Charges against Rickard were filed in July 2019. Rickard has been ordered to pay $125,400.15 of the funds. If Rickard pays full restitution before sentencing, she faces a sentence of two years imprisonment for each count. If she doesnt pay the full restitution, she may get up to five years confinement, with terms to run concurrently. HOLLYWOOD, Fla. Reynold Renny G. Barnes, 71, of Hollywood died Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, at his home. Memorial service is 11 a.m. Wednesday at Doniphan (Neb.) United Methodist Church with military honors and the Rev. Scott Evans officiating. Apfel Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Reynold Guy Barnes was born Jan. 11, 1949, to Reynold and Kathryn (Roberts) Barnes. Renny grew up in Doniphan where he attended Doniphan Public School and graduated with the class of 1967. Following graduation, Renny attended Kearney State College for two semesters and helped his father with construction until he was inducted into the U.S. Army on May 13, 1969. He was honorably discharged on Nov. 21, 1970, serving during the Vietnam era. He was in the 101st Airborne Division and received the Bronze Star, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with three Bronze Stars, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon with Device in 1960, and the sharpshooter badge with rifle bar. 33 Shares Share In the wake of George Floyds death and the rush of similar stories from around the country, many have called to defund the police. While critics paint this as a reactionary response to high-profile incidents, the phrase deserves deeper consideration than that. The killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a systemic flaw in our criminal justice system. Rather than a radical cry to abolish the police force, the defund movement seeks to review the role of law enforcement in our society. It asks us to look at what we ask our police to do, compared to what the purpose of the police should be. Police exist to investigate crimes and keep our communities safe. Yet we ask them to respond to mental health crises, homelessness, and countless other social issues they are not equipped to handle. Municipal budgets for police increase dramatically while spending on other agencies that can respond to these issues stagnate. Police are increasingly asked to pick up the slack for these deficits. For example, police are more likely to respond to someone experiencing a mental health crisis than medical personnel. And yet, someone with a mental illness is sixteen times more likely to die in an encounter with police than the average person. While crisis intervention training seeks to address this, it is an imperfect solution to train police for something they were never intended for. Cases like that of Charles Kinsey and Wallace Wilder highlight the consequences of such undertrained police. Given this trend, it is worth taking a closer look at these issues. In the 60s and 70s, the deinstitutionalization movement closed many mental health institutions and brought patients back into the community. While the goal was noble, the consequences have been anything but. Moving patients out of institutions and back into the streets only works if the necessary resources are in place. If not, a worse, far less appropriate, institution will take its place. This is exactly what happened: while the prevalence of serious mental illness in the United States is estimated to be 4.5%, it is estimated to be 15% in state prison populations and 20% in jail. It took me only two weeks of clerkship before I learned that prison is an abysmal place for health care. It is even worse for mental health care. Heartbreaking stories like that of Andrew Holland, Kimberly Stringer, and Michael Tyree highlight a glaring truth: jail and prison are no place for people suffering a mental health crisis. Individuals with severe mental illness are likely to have longer stays, experience more solitary confinement, and are far more likely to attempt suicide than other inmates. Stories and statistics like these have a chilling effect: patients and loved ones are discouraged from seeking help when faced with a mental health crisis, a fear that can have serious consequences. We are failing our patients with mental illness by expecting the current resources available to them to be sufficient. The aim of the defund movement isnt to eliminate the police. It seeks to reallocate funding for issues like mental illness away from police departments and towards community resources with experts capable of responding to such situations. Instead of taking people to jail, response teams like CAHOOTS in Eugene, Oregon are equipped with a medic and a mental health professional to assess, inform, and refer individuals in a crisis. Such a system avoids the necessity of encountering law enforcement, circumventing the potential for escalation and incarceration. It connects patients with care and support that can truly help them. Mental health crises are not the only thing we ask police to respond to. Law enforcement is frequently asked to address homelessness. Like mental illness, homelessness is best addressed with health care and other resources, not jail time. While estimations vary, one study shows that 85% of people experiencing homelessness have a chronic health condition. In many cases, the illness is a major factor in their homelessness. Criminalization is not health care, yet that is the response we have chosen. Police are also the sole resource for many experiencing domestic violence, stalking, and other gender-based offenses. Unfortunately, victims of such crimes are often afraid to contact the police. Reasons include fear of escalation, fear of getting arrested, and a belief that the police cant do anything if a crime hasnt been committed. Police have a definite role to play in arresting offenders. However, specialized community resources could better respond to domestic events in a non-escalatory manner; and be better equipped to connect victims to resources that can help them. These varied issues often intersect. The study mentioned above found that 50% of individuals who are homeless have a mental illness, and other data finds that 92% of women who are homeless have experienced violence in their lifetime. These complex societal issues require a more nuanced response than police departments can provide on their own. CAHOOTS has inspired many other programs, such as Denvers DASHR, Portland Street Response, and Oaklands MACRO. These organizations aim to respond to the underlying issue, rather than criminalizing it and contributing to the societal factors that perpetuate it. Police departments are not barred from the table: Dallass RIGHT Care is a partnership between fire department paramedics, hospital social workers, and the police. One may read this article and believe I am arguing against police. I am not. I am arguing against the system that has given them responsibilities they were never meant or prepared to have. If you asked a radiologist to remove an appendix, the outcome would be poor. A surgeon should not administer psychotherapy. It is not the fault of law enforcement that they are underprepared to respond to the social issues we ask them to address. However, it is clear their inadequate response puts the most vulnerable of our patients at significant risk of harm. This harm is no longer an urgency; it is an emergency. We owe it to our patients, and our communities, to respond emergently. We must advocate for change that will work and endure, for the health and safety of everyone. Redirecting funds to community resources that can treat, and not punish, people for their conditions is a necessary first step in addressing this crisis. Justin Coley is a medical student. Image credit: Shutterstock.com North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks at a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang, Thursday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Friday. Yonhap North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for "maximum alert" against the coronavirus as he presided over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, warning that premature easing of anti-virus measures will lead to "unimaginable and irretrievable crisis," state media reported Friday. It was the second time in three months that the North has convened a politburo meeting to discuss the coronavirus pandemic. That suggests the North's COVID-19 situation could be serious, though Pyongyang claims there has not been a single case. The meeting held Thursday made no mention of inter-Korean relations. "He stressed the need to maintain maximum alert without a slight self-complacence or relaxation on the anti-epidemic front, and rearrange and practice stricter anti-epidemic effort," the Korean Central News Agency said. CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Oregon State University will continue to have state troopers on campus through the end of the year, the university's president announced, delaying the creation of a new campus police department. "The extension of OSP services will disappoint and concern some members of our university community," Ed Ray, the outgoing president of the university, said. But, he added, the campus cannot go without a police presence for six months. RELATED: OREGON STATE POLICE ENDING CONTRACT WITH OSU Earlier this year, Ray announced the creation of a campus police force to begin operations on July 1. That was put on hold two weeks ago so that the campus could engage in "community dialogue" following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. "The killing of George Floyd by police elevated the requirements for Oregon State and all communities to reevaluate public safety. So we are taking a pause on how we proceed," said OSU spokesperson Steve Clark. The university will be holding town-hall-style virtual meetings throughout July to gather community input. CAUGHT ON CAMERA: VIRAL ARREST NEAR OSU CAUSES STIR OVER ALLEGED RACIAL BIAS Troopers on campus have been a bone of contention since the viral-video arrest of Genesis Hansen, a Black student, last October. Hansen was forcibly detained by officers after she allegedly rode her bicycle on the wrong side of the road near campus. Charges were later dismissed. At the time, Ray called Hansen's arrest "troubling." "The bottom line, to me, a student was riding her bicycle on the wrong side of the street, and it ends up with the student in handcuffs on the ground," Ray said. KEZI talked to graduate student Joseph Bohlinger about the delay. "In the wake of the incident that happened this fall there seemed to be a lot of community engagement at the student level about trying to get those changes made. So I'm skeptical about why it's taking so long," Bohlinger said. MORE: OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY NAMES INTERM POLICE CHIEF While OSU's Department of Public Safety will need to wait until the end of the year to take charge of law enforcement, officials are beginning to describe what measures will be taken to align the police force with the university's values. According to officials, up to 50 percent or more of the public safety force will be unarmed. The recruiting process will include extensive background checks, including previous internal investigations or disciplinary complaints. Training will emphasize crisis intervention, deescalation and ethics. Officials also said that all officers, armed or unarmed, will wear body cameras, and all use of force incidents will be investigated extensively. OSP has been the primary provider of law enforcement at the OSU campus since the 1980s. EUGENE, Ore. Amid new record high daily coronavirus case counts, Gov. Kate Brown announced Friday shes upping enforcement on the new statewide face covering requirement for the Fourth of July holiday. This is specifically centered around restaurants, bars and other businesses to ensure they comply with state rules over the Fourth of July weekend and beyond. Several community members told KEZI 9 News that the added enforcement is much needed, as many people have started to disregard the guidelines in place. "With the increase in cases, I feel like more people have become more lax and we kind of tend to forget about it a little bit. So I feel like this is kind of a necessity, especially if people are gathering this weekend," Fall Creek resident Kim Good said. One local teacher said celebrating the holiday isn't worth the risk of taking a step backwards in the reopening process. She told KEZI 9 News the long term effects of disregarding the guidelines are far worse than changing your holiday plans. "Ultimately it's just going to make the virus last longer and its going to impact our school year. I'm an educator so thinking about going back to school and if we aren't able to open back up, its going to affect me personally, but then all the parents who have children are going to have to teach them at home," Eugene teacher Beth Brex said. Eight counties will be on a COVID-19 watch list: Jefferson, Lake, Lincoln, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union and Wasco. The governors announcement said the spread of coronavirus in these counties has risen to an alarming level, and they are seeing high levels of community spread, which means cases cannot be traced to a specific location or event. Health officials will watch the counties closely in the coming days. If they dont see a decrease in cases soon, business closures and smaller gathering limits may be ordered, Brown said. I am asking Oregonians this holiday weekend to take urgent steps to stop the spread of COVID-19 by wearing face coverings, avoiding large gatherings, and physically distancing, said Brown. And state enforcement agencies will be out in force to ensure businesses are in compliance. Those businesses not complying with gathering size limits, face covering requirements, physical distancing rules, and other standards face stiff penalties. Oregon Occupation Safety and Health and Oregon Liquor Control Commission are leading the effort. They will be conducting spot checks and inspections over the holiday weekend. Those that refuse to comply could face citations, fines, and Red Warning Notices, meaning the busines would be closed until the hazardous condition is remedied. We stand at a crossroads this weekendwe can either stop the spread of COVID-19, or infections and hospitalizations will rise across Oregon and I will reinstate restrictive measures in impacted counties and business sectors," Brown said. On Thursday, Oregon Health Authority reported a record 375 new confirmed and presumptive cases for the state. In this file photo taken on Feb. 27, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un following a meeting at the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi. AFP U.S. President Donald Trump could meet again with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if he believes a summit would help his reelection chances, Trump's former National Security Adviser John Bolton said Thursday. Bolton's comment comes after President Moon Jae-in renewed his resolve to enable a fourth Trump-Kim meeting before the U.S. presidential election in November. While Trump and Kim last met in the Demilitarized Zone on the inter-Korean border in June 2019, efforts to reach a nuclear deal have stalled due to differences over the scope of North Korea's denuclearization and sanctions relief from the U.S. "I think President Trump everybody can read the public opinion polls. He's way behind," Bolton said during a press conference with foreign reporters in New York. "That doesn't mean the election is over by any stretch of the imagination, but you know we have a phrase in the United States called the 'October surprise' just before an election," he said. "If the president felt he was in deep, deep trouble, another meeting with his friend Kim Jong-un might look like something that could turn things upside down again." Economic recovery post-coronavirus will depend on us all doing our part, is the message from Kilkenny business and community leaders. Local businesses really went above and beyond in order to protect all of us. It is now our job to protect them by shopping local, said Kilkenny County Council Chairman, Andrew McGuinness. As more Kilkenny businesses reopened with Phase 3 of the countrys reopening plan, he wished local businesses every success in safely reopening and welcoming us all back through their doors. Tough Time The County Council Chairman said: Its been a tough time for everyone and there is no doubt that this lockdown has taken its toll on all of us, financially and mentally. Not only have we greatly missed the everyday things that we may have taken for granted, but we also missed that human interaction from going to shops, cafes and restaurants and meeting people. I have visited many premises in town and I have to say I was hugely impressed with the safety measures they have all taken from perspex screens, gloves and sanitiser and queue management outside their doors. Shopping local is more important now than ever. By shopping local, not only do we protect our local businesses, we also protect the jobs they create, Cllr McGuinness said. New President of Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce Colin Ahern echoed the call: We all have a part to play in enabling that recovery to happen and if I can assist through my role as President of Kilkenny Chamber, I certainly will. Mr Ahern, general manager of the Ormonde Hotel, has extensive experience in the hospitality sector, an industry which he said has been decimated recently by the Covid-19 pandemic and it is going to be a long and very difficult road to recovery. Another leader of the hospitality industry in Kilkenny city is Pat Crotty, of Irish Pub of the Year winner, Paris Texas. After a closure of three months, Pat was looking forward to welcoming back customers this week. He was happy to report that Paris Texas had seen strong bookings as locals were eager to return to their favourite restaurants, and bars serving food. Cllr McGuinness also reminded people to take account of new measures in businesses and public spaces. It is up to each one of us to take personal responsibility for our own actions and ensure we maintain good hand hygiene, social distance and respect others when entering shops and walking our narrow streets. Everyone has done such a good job to this point so lets continue like that until we see the back of this virus. Irish Water are considering lifting the hosepipe ban - but warn that some water supplies in Kilkenny have not recovered, despite recent heavy rain. "Thankfully from a water supply perspective over the past couple of weeks there has been above average rainfall in many areas of the country. This has resulted in the recovery of some of the water supplies that were in drought or at risk of drought," according to an Irish Water spokesperson. "Currently only 22 schemes remain in drought and whereas a further 63 are at risk, the overall numbers are trending downwards, however the situation is not uniform across the country. In counties Kilkenny and Carlow, 7 schemes are either in drought or potential drought. "In Kilkenny, the Gorteen water treatment plant is in drought, with Radestown water treatment plant which serves Poulgour, Drakeland, Mortgage Fields, Clonmoran, Shellumsrath, Dermidus, Goslingstown, Archerslea, Smithlands, Loughboy, Joinersfolly, Danville, Archersgrove, Leggetsrath, Blanchfieldsland, Newpark, Bishops Demense, Seixclough is in potential drought. "The Jamestown water treatment plant which serves Pill-Fiddown, Brenar, Tinnakilly, Sandpits, Ballygown, Templeorum, Old Court, Kilmanamin, Fanningstown, Owning, Ballynacronny, Castletown, Whitechurch, Graigue, Killonemy, Belline & Rogerstown, Ardclone, Ballylynch as well as Graignamanagh/Coolroe which serves Tinnahinch, Coolfarnamanagh, Bohermore, Brandondale is also in potential drought." Irish Water is continuing to monitor these water sources as their recovery is fragile and subject to change. Early next week Irish Water will again meet with Met Eireann, the OPW, the EPA and other key stakeholders to discuss the impact of the recent rainfall with consideration to lifting or partially lifting the Water Conservation Order. Following the recent heavy rainfall, and improving river and ground water conditions, Irish Water is reviewing the need for the Water Conservation Order, more commonly known as the hosepipe ban. The National Water Conservation Order was put in place on 9 June and was expected to remain in place until 21 July . It was issued in a bid to safeguard water supplies for essential purposes, in particular water needed for sanitation purposes during the COVID-19 crisis. Met Eireann confirmed that May 2020 was the driest since 1850 and continued dry weather was forecast. When the Water Conservation Order was issued 27 of Irish Waters 900 drinking water schemes, were in drought with another 50 at risk of going into drought. Thereafter the situation deteriorated rapidly with the number of schemes in drought or at risk of drought peaking at 98. MASON CITY, Iowa - In a special session on Thursday afternoon, the Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors voted to mandate the wearing of masks in county facilities. "We're not trying to put regulations in place that prohibit them from doing business here, but it really is a safety issue and that's how we look at it," said Tom Meyer, director of administrative services for Cerro Gordo County. The new rule goes into effect at 8 a.m. on Monday. "The public has to have it on as soon as they walk in the door and until they leave. All employees then will have to wear them outside their designated work areas," Meyer said. There is no set date for the mask rule to end. According to Meyer, county officials are constantly reviewing the latest pandemic data. "Right now it's spiking still. So I guess when it starts to level off or the rates are decreasing day to day from 10 a day to 12 a day, down to maybe one or two, we'll have that discussion. Of course, ultimately it's the supervisors' decision." While planting flags in Central Park for the Fourth of July, Missy Nicholson says she supports the supervisors' decision. "I think it's a good thing. I think people should have to wear them when they're going in there," said Nicholson. Missy and her family have been taking precautions and limiting their time in crowded places. "Now that the numbers have been rising even more, we're trying to be even more careful," she said. When it comes to bathrooms at county campgrounds, the county conservation board will decide what measures will be taken to keep people safe and if masks will need to be worn. DULUTH, Minn. (AP) First responders have pulled a naked man out of the downtown Duluth sewer system. The rescue came Thursday evening after authorities got a report Wednesday that a person had entered a manhole in downtown. A city spokeswoman says his clothes were found near that manhole. Authorities searched for several hours Wednesday but could not find him. But a passerby heard someone calling for help from a manhole outside the Wells Fargo building Thursday evening. First responders pulled him out. Officials said the man was visibly in distress and was taken to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia. HARMONY, Minn. A Fillmore County motorcyclist is injured in a two-vehicle collision late Thursday afternoon. The Minnesota State Patrol says it took place around 5:30 pm at the intersection of Highway 139 and 6th Street SE in Harmony. Phillip John Whitacre, 50 of Preston, was riding his motorcycle north when a southbound car driven by Alan Walter Bahler, 52 of Harmony, turned east and the two crashed into each other. Whitacre suffered what is described as a non-life threatening injury and was taken to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester for treatment. The State Patrol says he was not wearing a helmet. Bahler suffered no injury. The Fillmore County Sheriffs Office and Harmony Fire Department assisted with this accident. CLEAR LAKE, Iowa - It's a clear cut message for boaters this weekend from law enforcement: don't operate a boat while intoxicated. According to statistics from the U.S. Coast Guard, alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in recreational boater deaths, and a leading factor in accidents. To cut down on incidents and fatalities, extra enforcement will be out on lakes nationwide as part of Operation Dry Water. And if you get caught drunk while operating a boat, it will cost you: in Iowa on the first offense, you can face a $1,000 fine, be locked up in jail for at least 48 hours, and a loss of boating privileges for a year. Iowa DNR conservation officer Benjamin Bergman is stressing that combining alcohol and boating don't mix well, no matter what weekend it is. "The emphasis is still the same, and that is to educate, and enforce the boating while intoxicated laws, and understanding that boating while intoxicated will not be tolerated." If you are planning to head out on the water this weekend, Bergman heavily encourages to designate a sober driver, just like you would for a car. "Have a designated driver for sure, have that safety equipment and life jackets on board, fire extinguisher if needed. Your throwable device if needed. Make sure the boat's in working order too." During last year's 4th of July weekend, officials nationwide issued more than 9,500 citations, 25,000 safety warnings, and issued over 500 total BUI's (boating under the influence). South Korean national flags are placed near the gravestones of soldiers who died during the 1950-1953 Korean War at the National Cemetery in Seoul, Thursday, June 25, 2020. AP When Shin Han-yong crossed the inter-Korean border into the North Korean city of Kaesong in 2018, he thought the opening of an inter-Korean liaison office could eventually lead to the resumption of a joint factory park. The liaison office in the western border city was a follow-up on an agreement that South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reached in their second summit in April 2018. "I thought that the office could improve inter-Korean relations, and the joint factory park in Kaesong could resume in the not-too-distant future," Shin said in a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency at an office in Seoul about his trip to Kaesong. He was a handful of businessmen invited to the opening ceremony of the liaison office. But the euphoria is long gone. North Korea blew up the liaison office last month amid heightened tensions with South Korea over anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent via balloons by North Korean defectors in Seoul. The joint economic enclave opened in 2004 had been hailed as a symbol of economic cooperation between the rival Koreas. It combined South Korean capital and technology with cheap North Korean labor to produce clothes, shoes, watches, auto parts and other labor-intensive goods. About 55,000 North Koreans were employed there by 125 South Korean firms. Cumulative production of the factory park came to US$3.23 billion at the end of 2015. In 2016, South Korea shuttered the factory park the last remaining economic cooperation project with North Korea to punish Pyongyang for its fourth nuclear test and long-range rocket launch in 2016. The factory park had also served as a major legitimate revenue source for cash-strapped North Korea. South Korean firms have so far paid US$550 million to North Korea for North Korean workers' wages, according to the unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs. Now, the fate of the factory park hangs in the balance amid fresh tensions between the two Koreas, and U.N. sanctions that ban, among other things, transfers of bulk cash to Pyongyang. "The footage of the destruction of the liaison office was devastating," Shin said. Shin had invested 3 billion won (US$2.5 million) in a factory in Kaesong that produced fishing nets. Annual sales at his factory reached 15 billion won in its heyday. For Shin, Kaesong was a perfect destination for investment due to its cheap labor, good logistics and no language barriers. Shin set up a plant in South Korea following the shutdown of the factory park in Kaesong, but his business conditions have worsened. Several companies moved to foreign countries to seek new business opportunities, but they ended in failure, according to Shin. The South Korean firms that operated in the inter-Korean industrial complex claim that the shutdown has caused about 1.5 trillion won in losses, but the South Korean government estimated their losses to be 786 billion won. Shin is still holding out hope that the two Koreas can put aside differences and reach a deal to resume the factory park. Shin's view is shared by Kim Ki-chang, who had invested nearly $3 million in Kaesong to produce leather steering wheel cover products for Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest carmaker. Kim also almost built a shop near the customs, immigration and quarantine office in the western South Korean border city of Paju to sell goods for businessmen who travel to and from Kaesong. The shop Kim's joint venture with North Korea has since been in limbo amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Kim's fortunes went down with the closure of the factory park, though he later set up a factory in South Korea. The 71-year-old went to a bank to demand a rollover of his loan worth 2 billion won, one day after North Korea destroyed the liaison office in Kaesong. The case illustrated the troubles facing the South Korean businessmen who invested in Kaesong. "My last hope is to go back to Kaesong," Kim said in a recent interview at his office in Seoul against the backdrop of a framed photo of a historic handshake between then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the late father of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in the first inter-Korean summit in 2000. As things stand, the resumption of the factory park is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Lee Seong-hyon, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute, an independent think tank, said North Korea's recent move to de-escalate tensions with South Korea should not be taken as a reason for optimism, noting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un suspended military action against South Korea, not "terminated" it. "North Korea's provocations are now a matter of time," Lee said. "At any rate, there is no ground to place optimism on Kaesong. Doing so would be irresponsible." (Yonhap) * Rio completes updated feasibility plan * Plan confirms capital cost estimates of $6.5 bln to $7.2 bln * Project now expected to come on line Oct 2022-Jun 2023 (Recasts, adds detail, analyst comment) MELBOURNE, July 3 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto on Friday cut estimated reserves at its underground copper mine extension in Mongolia and confirmed it would face delays and higher costs after ground instability forced it to redesign its mine plan. Oyu Tolgoi (OT) is Rio's biggest copper growth project but has faced geological challenges. In July last year, Rio estimated the project's capital cost at $6.5 billion to $7.2 billion, as much as $1.9 billion more than its initial estimate in 2016. Analysts at Citi estimated the changes in the mine plan reduce total production and copper tonnes by 11%. "OT gets a lot of investor air time for RIO but the reality is it is small in valuation terms," Citi said, estimating a 3%contribution to Rio's total valuation. In a statement, Rio said the new design for the underground mine confirmed its caving method remains valid, and "will unlock the most valuable part of Oyu Tolgoi". The Oyu Tolgoi deposit in south Mongolia is one of the world's largest known copper and gold deposits, with the open pit at the project contributing about 9% of Rio's total mined copper in the first quarter of fiscal 2020. It is jointly owned by the Mongolian government and Rio's majority-owned Turquoise Hill Resources. Last month, the miner entered an agreement for Mongolia to build a coal-fired plant to supply power to the Oyu Tolgoi mine. (Reporting by Melanie Burton in Melbourne and Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Pullin and Lincoln Feast) * Canadian dollar trades near flat against the greenback * For the week, the loonie is on track to rise 0.9% * Price of U.S. oil decreases 1.2% * Canadian bond yields dip across much of a flatter curve By Fergal Smith TORONTO, July 3 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar was little changed against its U.S. counterpart on Friday, holding on to this week's rally as it kept to a narrow trading range with U.S. markets closed in observance of Independence Day. The loonie was trading nearly unchanged at 1.3567 to the greenback, or 73.71 U.S. cents. It traded in a range of 1.3553 to 1.3577. For the week, it was on track to rise 0.9%. "The CAD appears to be stuck in a range ... in the absence of any major domestic developments," strategists at Scotiabank, including Shaun Osborne, said in a note. It is "supported near 1.37 but better offered near 1.35," the strategists said. The loonie has been supported this week by evidence that the economy is recovering from the coronavirus crisis, including data on Thursday showing that exports climbed 6.7% in May. But investors are wary of a surge of new coronavirus infections that has prompted U.S. states to delay and in some cases reverse plans to let stores reopen and activities resume. Canada sends about 75% of its exports to the United States, including oil. U.S. crude prices were down 1.2% at $40.18 a barrel as a resurgence of coronavirus cases raised concern that fuel demand growth could stall. Canadian government bond yields were lower across much of a flatter curve, with the 10-year down 1.6 basis points at 0.545%. Canada's employment report for June is due next week, while the Bank of Canada will release its Business Outlook Survey and Finance Minister Bill Morneau will present an economic and fiscal snapshot. (Reporting by Fergal Smith Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) The bronze statue at the Jasper County Courthouse wearing an N-95 medical mask, and he was properly social distancing with no one else around. We don't know who masked him up, but we think that was pretty clever! Five people were taken to the hospital after a car reportedly crashed into a light pole on I-25. The crash happened southbound I-25 near the Abriendo exit, just south of downtown. Pueblo police tell 11 News a car somehow took out a light pole around 3 a.m. Friday morning. Police say five people were extracted from the car, and taken to the hospital. I-25 at exit 97B shutdown around 4:45 a.m as the traffic unit investigates. Crews will be out for a few hours. Pueblo police tells 11 News as of 5:54 a.m., one person is in critical condition and 2 people are in serious condition. The other 2 victims have non-life threatening injuries. Check back for more updates. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Mainly clear skies. Low around 55F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear skies. Low around 55F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. South Africa: Companies fined for COVID-19 price fixing The Competition Tribunal has been clamping down on companies that have been hiking prices of sanitisers and masks since the COVID-19 outbreak. On Friday, the Tribunal said it had confirmed two consent agreements relating to COVID-19 exorbitant pricing complaints, bringing the total to 20 since April. All of these agreements relate to the alleged excessive pricing of goods, such as sanitisers and face masks, used by consumers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tribunal said. After investigating complaints from the public, the Tribunal found a Bloemfontein based company, Vasilis Supermarket T/A Vasilis Cleaning Supplies, has contravened the Competition Act. The store sells products online for nationwide distribution and does not manufacture its products but sources these locally and internationally, the Tribunal said. The Tribunal received information about the alleged excessive prices charged by Vasilis for different types of surgical gloves, surgical masks and dust masks. The Commission concluded that Vasilis conduct of significantly escalating margins on surgical gloves and face masks without any corresponding increases in costs during the period February to April 2020, is a contravention of section 8(1)(a) of the Competition Act read together with Regulation 4 of the Consumer Protection Regulations, the statement said. Vasilis does not admit that its conduct constitutes a contravention of the Competition Act. However, they have agreed to desist from pricing excessively by reducing its gross profit margins applicable to the sale of surgical gloves and facemasks to an agreed maximum percentage with immediate effect for the duration of the State of National Disaster. The company says it will also donate essential goods amounting to R243 148.70 to three charities, Mangaung Society for Care of the Aged, Boiketlong Old Age Home and the Hearts2Hand Foundation. The company will also contribute R44 128.51 to the Solidarity Fund and develop and implement a competition law compliance programme. Meanwhile, Sanitech, a division of Waco Africa, has also been accused of inflating prices. Sanitech is a supplier of sanitation facilities and offers professional washroom hygiene services through several branches nationwide. The Commission accuses the company of charging excessive prices for five-litre hand sanitisers during March and April 2020, the Tribunal said. In addition, while the company does not admit to any wrongdoing, Sanitech agrees to resolve the complaint through several remedies set out in the consent agreement. Sanitech has also agreed to donate R65 028 to the Solidarity Fund; stop the excessive pricing; reduce its gross profit margin on hand sanitisers for the duration of the State of National Disaster. They will also develop and implement a competition law compliance programme. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-07-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. North Korean students stage a rally in Pyongyang to criticize anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by North Korean defectors in the South, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency, June 6. / Yonhap By Kang Seung-woo North Korean defectors are seemingly becoming "enemies of the state" in both South and North Korea due to their harshly denounced distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets over the border from the South. In the North, they are considered "human scum" working to damage the prestige of its "supreme leader" with the leaflets, while in the South, they are viewed as the cause of the current frayed inter-Korean relations. Since Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement, June 4, criticizing the propaganda campaigns by North Korean defectors and calling them "mongrel dogs," North Korean authorities have created an anti-defector atmosphere by staging mass rallies against them. As a result, the public sentiment regarding defectors' families remaining in the North is sharply turning negative, according to North Korea watchers. "While most people are poverty-stricken amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has hit the national economy hard, relatives of those who fled the regime are more affluent thanks to money sent from their family members in the South. As a result, there were growing complaints from North Korean people that families of those who betrayed the country are better off, which was reported to the ruling party," Kim Heung-kwang, chief of the Seoul-based North Korea Intellectual Solidarity, told The Korea Times. He was a computer science professor at Hamhung Computer Technology University in the North before coming to the South. "In order to shatter the envy toward those who defected to the South and are living well, the leader's sister released the fiery statement, followed by other senior officials," he added. The North Korean regime has also tightened its monitoring of those who are left behind, with them put under the watchful scrutiny of an agency from the central government instead of a local organization. Kim Heung-kwang said the enhanced inspection has prevented some defectors from sending money to their families still in the North. Usually, they send money home through brokers, who are mostly overseas?Chinese. According to the Seoul-based Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, 264 out of 431 polled defectors had sent money to their families in the North as of last year, with the amount ranging from 250,000 won ($208) to 23 million won a year. "Due to the strengthened surveillance in the North, the brokers also had to shrink away and the exiles were not able to forward money for a time," Kim said. However, given that the defector-sent money is used to finance market and factory operations in North Korea, the remittance is getting back on track, he added. Angered by the anti-North leaflets that criticize its leader over his nuclear ambitions and human rights abuses, the North demolished the South-North joint liaison office in Gaeseong last month, a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation, sharply heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula and intensifying public criticism against defectors. In response, the South Korean government is in the process of dismantling two major defectors' groups which have been leading the propaganda campaigns, while filing a complaint with police against them for violating the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act that bans the sending of goods to North Korea without government permission. If their licenses are annulled, they will not be able to hold official fundraisers. Currently, donors for activist groups are eligible for various tax benefits. Many believe the government's tough stance may hinder defectors' anti-North campaigns such as sending propaganda leaflets across the border tethered to balloons or broadcasting diatribes over shortwave radio. "Since the beginning of the Moon Jae-in administration in May 2017, government support has nearly stopped for defectors' groups that are critical of the Kim regime. The leaflet campaign seems to be the government's main target, but Free North Korea Radio that airs shortwave transmissions of information critical of the Kim regime is also likely to be affected," An Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who heads the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told The Korea Times. "As organizations involved in improving the human rights situation of the North Korean people face many restrictions, other than groups focusing on reunification, anti-North campaigns may die out." MOUNT VERNON Judge John Thatcher found 31 people guilty and sentenced one person after arraignments and hearings in Mount Vernon Municipal Court this week. -- Michael Hayes, 49 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Criminal Trespassing. The Court sentenced him to serve 30 days in jail, with credit for three days served, and placed him on one year of probation. -- Beau Ashley, 38 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Driving without a Valid License. The Court sentenced him to pay a $200 fine. -- Joshua Senter, 31 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Driving Under an FRA Suspension. The Court sentenced him to pay a $250 fine. -- Sarah Wells, 20 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Disorderly Conduct. The Court sentenced her to pay a $150 fine. -- Austin Daugherty, 24 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Assault. The Court sentenced him to pay a $200 fine, serve 180 days in jail, with all time suspended, and placed him on two years of probation with the following conditions: complete the Courts Hands Down program and complete a drug and alcohol assessment within 60 days. -- Matthew Cartier, 63 of Howard, was found guilty of Operating a Vehicle While Under the Influence of Alcohol. The Court sentenced him to pay a $500 fine, serve 180 days in jail, with 177 days suspended, and placed him on two years of community control with the following conditions: attend and complete a 72-hour driver intervention program and complete an alcohol and drug assessment within 60 days. -- Donald Randall, 84 of Howard, was found guilty of Failing to Stop After an Accident. The Court sentenced him to pay a $200 fine and suspended his operators license for 180 days. -- James Stimpert, 23 of Bladensburg, was found guilty of Selling a Wild Animal. The Court sentenced him to pay a $250 fine and pay $100 in restitution to the State of Ohio. -- Alex Carter, 18 of Homer, was found guilty of Operating a Vehicle While Under the Influence of Alcohol and Failure to Control. The Court sentenced him to pay a $500 fine, serve 180 days in jail, with 174 days suspended, placed him on two years of community control with the following condition: attend and complete a 72-hour driver intervention program, and suspended his operators license for one year for the OVI charge and sentenced him to pay a $50 fine for the Failure to Control charge. -- Sara Banks, 29 of Marion, was found guilty of Failing to Stop at a Stop Sign. The Court sentenced her to pay a $25 fine. -- Avery Price, 21 of Howard, was found guilty of Speeding. The Court sentenced him to pay a $50 fine. -- Charity Neibarger, 19 of Newark, was found guilty of Driving Under an FRA Suspension. The Court sentenced her to pay a $200 fine. -- Shemesha Posey, 41 of Danville, was found guilty of Wrongful Entrustment of a Motor Vehicle. The Court sentenced her to pay a $200 fine. -- Tyler Renner, 29 of Danville, was found guilty of Failing to Stop at a Stop Light. The Court sentenced him to pay a $15 fine. -- Avery Price, 21 of Howard, was found guilty of Speeding. The Court sentenced him to pay a $50 fine. -- William Hobbs, 45 of Columbus, was found guilty of Not Wearing a Seatbelt. The Court sentenced him to pay a $30 fine. -- Weston Cline, 20 of Danville, was found guilty Operating a Vehicle with Fictitious Plates. The Court sentenced him to pay a $15 fine. -- Mykayla Marshall, 19 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Operating a Vehicle with Fictitious Plates. The Court sentenced her to pay a $35 fine. -- Terrance Wohlever, 43 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Disorderly Conduct with Persisting Behavior. The Court sentenced him to serve five days in jail. -- Gregory Hyatt, 36 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Operating a Vehicle While Under the Influence of Alcohol. The Court sentenced him to pay a $500 fine, serve 180 days in jail, with 155 days suspended, placed him on two years of community control with the following condition: complete a drug and alcohol assessment within 60 days, and suspended his operators license for one year. -- Makayla Clawson-Harper, 21 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The Court sentenced her to serve 30 days in jail, with all time suspended, and placed her on two years of probation with the following condition: complete a drug and alcohol assessment within 60 days. -- Keith Williams, 50 of Delaware, was found guilty of Having Physical Control Over a Vehicle While Under the Influence of Alcohol. The Court sentenced him to pay a $500 fine, serve 180 days in jail, with all time suspended, and placed him on two years of community control with the following condition: complete a drug and alcohol assessment within 60 days. -- Valerie Donaldson, 42 of Mansfield, was found guilty of Criminal Damaging. She will be sentenced on August 4, 2020 following a pre-sentence investigation. -- Geoffrey Hinkle, 33 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Telecommunication Harassment. He will be sentenced on August 4, 2020 following a pre-sentence investigation. -- Dustin Doughman, 31 of Mount Vernon, pled guilty to Assault on May 26, 2020. Today he was sentenced to serve 180 days in jail, with 165 days suspended, and was placed on two years of probation. -- Alisa Reinhart, 44 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Failing to Stop at a Stop Light. The Court sentenced her to pay a $35 fine. -- Krystal Fisher, 27 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Driving Under Suspension. The Court sentenced her to serve five days in jail, which are stayed until a sentence review hearing on November 3, 2020. -- Bristyl Hunter, 33 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Driving Under an FRA Suspension and Shortcutting to Avoid a Traffic Control Signal. The Court sentenced her to pay a $250 fine for the DUS charge and a $25 fine for Shortcutting. -- Mollie McCament De Rojas, 48 of Fredericktown, was found guilty of Improperly Backing Up her Vehicle. The Court sentenced her to pay a $35 fine. -- William Dilger, 36 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Driving Under Suspension. The Court sentenced him to pay a $200 fine. -- Jesse Richard, 33 of Fredericktown, was found guilty of Failing to Use Reasonable Control. The Court sentenced him to pay a $25 fine. -- Christopher Ballard, 34 of Mount Vernon, was found guilty of Driving Under an FRA Suspension. The Court sentenced her to pay a $300 fine. Director of Law Rob Broeren represented the City of Mount Vernon and the State of Ohio in these cases. Wearing masks amid concerns of the spread of COVID-19, volunteers Karen Cooperstein, right, and Edwin Chinchilla, left, prepare food for the pubic during a drive through food pantry distribution by Catholic Charities in Dallas, Thursday, July 2, 2020. (AP Photo/LM Otero) A protester is detained by police during a rally against the national security law in Hong Kong, Wednesday. EPA-Yonhap Hong Kong unrest to have limited impact on Korean stock market By Lee Min-hyung Korea's commercial and state-run lenders are keeping a close eye on a possible mass capital outflow from Hong Kong, as political and trade disputes between the United States and China appear to be worsening. With China's top legislature imposing a national security law on Hong Kong, tensions between the world's top two economies are showing signs of developing into a full-blown financial war. The law took effect Wednesday. Korean banks operating in Hong Kong are expressing concerns over the conflict. However, they said they have no choice but to maintain a "wait and see" mode for now, as it is hard to predict how the ongoing situations will deepen down the road. They also said all available options are under review for a worst-case scenario. "Our view is that Hong Kong's financial status in Asia will not change in the short term, but disputes are expected to weaken the city-state's medium- to long-term competitiveness," a spokesman at KB Kookmin Bank said. "Social unrest and unceasing reports over disputes taking place there will be negative economic factors." The main fear has already been reflected in the region's capital market, and Hong Kong's stock and currency markets are showing no signs of fluctuation now, he said. South Korea will closely monitor prices of beef and pork amid soaring demand, Vice Finance Minister Kim Yong-beom said Friday. Consumer prices of beef and pork jumped 16.4 percent and 10.5 percent on-year, respectively, in June, according to data released by Statistics Korea. Demand for beef and pork has risen in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Kim told a meeting with senior ministry officials. The government will "pre-emptively cope with key items that have a possibility of widening fluctuations in prices and supply," Kim said. Financial institutions have rolled over 56.8 trillion won (US$47.2 billion) worth of loans to ease the pains of small and medium-sized firms hit by the pandemic, Kim said. The government will continue to encourage financial institutions to roll over debts owed by small and medium-sized firms, Kim said. With the National Assembly set to approve a third extra budget this week, the government will swiftly push for plans to support virus-hit firms, Kim said. Earlier last month, South Korea proposed the extra budget of 35.3 trillion won, the third batch meant to help key industries cushion the economic blow from the pandemic and protect jobs. (Yonhap) From left are Park Jie-won, Suh Hoon and Lee In-young. / Yonhap NIS chief named as national security adviser, ruling party lawmaker as unification minister By Kang Seung-woo Park Jie-won, a former chief of staff of President Kim Dae-jung, has been nominated to lead the nation's spy agency, replacing Suh Hoon, who has been named as director of the National Security Office (NSO), Cheong Wa Dae announced, Friday. Rep. Lee In-young, a former floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has been nominated for unification minister, while Im Jong-seok, a former chief of staff to President Moon Jae-in, will be a special adviser for diplomatic and security affairs. Chung Eui-yong, the outgoing NSO chief, will also remain as a key security adviser to Moon. Analysts said the reshuffle of the diplomatic and national security team means the Moon administration will push harder for its North Korea policy amid soured inter-Korean relations, given that the key posts have been filled with pro-Pyongyang figures. Park, a veteran politician who failed to win his fifth term as a lawmaker in the April 15 general election, is known for his role in arranging the first inter-Korean summit in 2000 between Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, father of the current leader. In March 2000, Park was a special envoy for discussion about a meeting in Singapore with Song Ho-gyong, vice chairman of the North's Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee. Given that the 78-year-old is not a close aide to President Moon and is not a member of the DPK, the unexpected choice of Park is seen as the President's determination to get stalled inter-Korean ties back on track with the high-profile politician, who has a wealth of knowhow on policy toward the North. "Along with his contributions to the historic first South-North summit in 2000, Park has served as an adviser on inter-Korean affairs with the current government, which helped him gain recognition for his expertise on the North," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said at a briefing, adding that Park was the right fit for reforming the National Intelligence Service (NIS). The new NSO chief Suh stressed he would make strong efforts to gain international support for the South's policy toward the North. "I plan to hold strong talks with neighboring countries and particularly with our ally, the United States," he told reporters at the presidential office following the announcement. A four-term lawmaker, Lee was highly expected to fill in for former Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who stepped down over the worsened inter-Korean relations, highlighted by the demolition of the inter-Korean liaison office in the North Korean city of Gaeseong last month. "President Moon believes Lee is the best fit to normalize the frayed inter-Korean relations with his legislative experience and restore trust between the two Koreas en route to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Kang said. The NIS head and unification minister nominees need to be confirmed at the National Assembly, while the national security adviser position does not require such a process. Moon plans to officially appoint Suh as early as Monday. Im, who had been expected to either take over as chief of the spy agency or become a presidential national security adviser, will give Moon advice on diplomatic affairs together with Chung. "Im has a wealth of expertise in diplomatic affairs," the spokesman said. Park Won-gon, a professor of international politics at Handong Global University, said the latest reshuffle would pave the way for the Moon administration to adopt a harder drive for independent inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation with the North, separate from the North's halted denuclearization talks with the United States. "President Moon made it clear that the South Korean government will tighten its policy of more engagement with the North," he said. "As for the outgoing NSO chief Chung, he was a career diplomat who considered diplomatic ties with the U.S. and others as well as the North, but the key figures of the new diplomatic and national security team are specialized in the North." Bang Sang-hyok, vice president of the Korean Medical Association, speaks during a recent interview at the organization's office in Seoul. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min By Jung Min-ho U.S. President Donald Trump is calling for a speedy reopening of businesses closed by COVID-19 shutdowns while Democratic governors are seeking to maintain their restrictions. But can America's economy reopen safely? According to Bang Sang-hyok, vice president of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), it can only if almost everyone wears a face mask in public. After a surge in the number of patients three months ago, Korea has brought the coronavirus under control without imposing nationwide lockdowns. If there was one critical thing Korea did differently from the United States and other hard-hit countries, Bang said it was encouraging everyone, including healthy-looking people, to cover their faces during the early phases of the pandemic long before the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did. "Lockdown cannot last forever," Bang said. "If mask-wearing cannot be done voluntarily, the government should consider making it mandatory." The following are the questions and answers from a recent interview with him. Question: Korea is one of the few countries to have succeeded in flattening the coronavirus curve. Many businesses have remained open, while churches and schools are now reopening. What did the country do differently to achieve this? Answer: Three factors played a key role in Korea's success. First, the country has experienced other coronaviruses, such as the 2002-2004 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and, especially, the 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) over the past 20 years. Thus, when policymakers, doctors and the public heard the news of the new coronavirus, they all understood how dire the situation was. Meanwhile, those in the United States and countries in Europe did not seem alert until it started hitting them hard. From experience, Koreans also knew wearing a mask would be effective in slowing the spread of the virus. So the government, which advised the public to wear masks during the MERS outbreak here, responded quickly according to previous guidelines. Furthermore, fine dust from China over the past several years has created demand for masks and a culture of wearing them on the streets. With many factories already in place, Korea could produce enough masks for everyone in a short time. Q: Despite the prompt efforts to contain the virus, there was a surge of cases in Daegu. How did Korea manage to bring the situation under control? A: After the cluster of infections in Daegu, the government did not take excessive measures, yet everyone there acted as if it had done so wearing masks, avoiding physical contact with other people and voluntarily isolating themselves if they felt it necessary. To this day, members of the public have been very cooperative in terms of following public health measures, which played a large role in containing the virus in the area. Before the situation became worse, many medical workers from other parts of the country volunteered to go there to help. Their bravery and sacrifice should not be forgotten. Q: Do you believe Korea's strategy would be applicable to other countries such as the United States? A: Yes, but the success of the strategy depends on how cooperative their citizens would be. If they wear masks, wash their hands frequently and follow health measures strictly, I think it is possible. But of course, all states are different; there may be cultural differences, which may play a part. The number of hospitals, medical workers and equipment, these are among the factors to be considered before making a decision for each state or country. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 43F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 43F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Oregon teams with Portland ad agency to launch awareness campaign: 'A mask is just a mask' State trooper on leave after Corvallis coffee shop says he refused to wear a mask A woman wearing a face mask to help protect against the spread of the new coronavirus walks by an advertisement of a hair shop, left, at a shopping district in Seoul, Thursday, July 2, 2020. AP South Korea's daily new virus cases hit the highest level in two weeks on Friday as infections outside the Seoul metropolitan area showed a sustained increase, raising concerns that the country's infections may get back on an upward trajectory. The country added 63 cases, including 52 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,967, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The tally marked the highest since 67 cases reported on June 20 and a rise from 54 reported a day earlier. It was the first time that the number of local infections hovered above the threshold of 50 since June 18. Of the locally transmitted infections, six cases were newly identified in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul, where double-digit numbers of new virus cases had been reported for the previous two days. The increase from the city was mainly attributable to a Buddhist temple. The number of cases linked to the facility rose by a whopping 30 to reach 49 on Thursday. The greater Seoul area reported 12 new cases, with its surrounding Gyeonggi Province adding 16 new infections. Daegu, once the hotbed of the country's virus outbreak, added 13 new cases. The city accounts for more than half of the country's COVID-19 cases here, due to thousands of virus infections traced to a religious sect in the city. "We are going to be running at just about full capacity again this year after the pandemic last year," said Director of Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation PJ Holm. Read more Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun speaks during a meeting at Gwangju City Hall in South Jeolla Province, Friday. Yonhap Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun voiced alarm over the recent "unusual" spike in virus infections in the southwestern city of Gwangju Friday, presiding over the central government's regular COVID-19 response meeting there. "The pace of COVID-19's spread in Gwangju has taken a serious turn. ... (The city) must wisely overcome the crisis to become a model case," Chung said during the meeting held at Gwangju's city hall. The regular virus-response meeting chaired by the PM has been mostly held in Seoul so far, but the Friday session was convened unusually in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul, after the city reported an alarming increase in virus infections in recent days. Daily new infections in Gwangju with 1.5 million population soared to 22 out of the nation's total of 54 on Thursday after the city reported its first double-digit daily tally the previous day, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The number dropped to six on Friday, but the Thursday figure accounted for the biggest regional outbreaks for the day, surpassing those reported in the Seoul metropolitan area. "Cases in Gwangju originated in door-to-door retail companies and religious institutions where close contact (between people) is frequent. The virus is now spreading through various channels mainly because of failure to abide by quarantine guidelines," Chung told the meeting. Students at Daegu Yedam School go through COVID-19 testing on the playground, Friday, as one of the students there tested positive for the virus. / Yonhap Wednesday rally for 'comfort women' prohibited amid virus concerns By Jun Ji-hye The southern city of Daegu, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Korea, has been hit by another infection cluster, while the greater Seoul area, Daejeon and Gwangju have continued to report consistent increases in the number of virus patients, according to health authorities Friday. The worsening community transmission is raising fears that the virus is spreading across the nation again, after the country showed clear signs of a slowdown in new virus cases at the end of April. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) detected 63 new infections Thursday 52 local and 11 imported cases bringing the nation's total to 12,967. The death toll remained unchanged at 282. The daily number of infections marked a rise from 54 the previous day, and bounced back to over 60 for the first time in five days. By regions, 31 were from Seoul and nearby areas including Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, while infections outside the Seoul metropolitan area also showed a sustained increase. Daegu reported 13 additional cases it marked the first time for the city to report more than 10 cases since April 7 when the number of new cases in the city began to plateau. The new infection cluster in Daegu, which involved at least 10 patients, was traced to an acting academy, the authorities said, noting that ongoing epidemiological investigations could lead to the confirmation of more patients. "We are carrying out COVID-19 testing on 1,560 teachers and students of four schools attended by newly confirmed patients, including Kyeongmyeong Girls' High School," KCDC Director Jung Eun-kyeong said during a briefing. Daegu was once the hotbed of the nation's virus outbreak, and still accounts for more than half of the nation's COVID-19 cases due to previous infection clusters involving the Daegu branch of Shincheonji Church of Jesus. Authorities are also paying keen attention to the southwestern city of Gwangju that was hit by an infection cluster traced to a Buddhist temple. The KCDC said a total of 57 patients have been traced to the temple as of noon Friday, noting that infections at the temple have spread to a number of other places, including a church and a nursing home. Meanwhile, a civic advocacy group for Korean victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery will not be able to hold its weekly Wednesday rally for the time being as Seoul's central district of Jongno-gu designated streets near the Japanese embassy as a no-rally zone amid renewed fears over the spread of COVID-19. The affected areas include an iconic girl statue symbolizing the victims that sits in front of the former Japanese Embassy compound, where the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Korea Council) has held the weekly rally for the past 28 years to protest Japan's sex slavery of Korean women during World War II. The designation of the no-rally zone also prohibited rallies organized by the conservative civic group Freedom Solidarity to oppose the Korean Council's activities. Jongno-gu Office said the designation will be valid until the government lowers the country's alert level for COVID-19. The government raised the alert level to its highest in the four-tier system, Feb. 23, amid the confirmation of hundreds of new cases at the time. Rally organizers and participants who contravene the measures could face fines of up to 3 million won ($2,500) in accordance with laws governing prevention of infectious diseases. "The number of new cases has increased rapidly in Seoul and nearby areas, and sporadic group infections have occurred in other parts of the country," said Kim Young-jong who heads Jongno-gu Office. "We will restrict rallies in central Seoul to contain the spread of the contagious disease and respond strictly to any violations." Regarding the office's announcement, Han Kyung-hee, secretary-general of the Korea Council, said "discussion is underway to find a way" to continue the weekly rally. HELENA- Montanas senators have introduced a bill that will provide $25 billion to the U.S. Postal Service. The $25 billion would go towards helping the USPS stay afloat and assist them in recouping pandemic related losses and other operational costs. The Postal Service Emergency Assistance Act would: Extend $25 billion for financial relief and PPE Enable USPS to use the $10 billion in borrowing authority provided in the CARES Act without restriction Require the Postmaster General (PMG) to deliver a financial recovery strategy to Congress nine months after enactment Specify that the USPS and Federal Financing Bank will revert to negotiating the terms of USPS loans once a year instead of every 90 days Require the PMG and the Board of Governors certify to the Senate Homeland Security Committee that such funds are necessary to cover losses resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak For USPS to receive the funds, they must certify the funds are necessary to cover losses or expenses resulting from COVID-19 and prioritize the purchase of personal protective equipment for employees as well as additional cleaning and sanitizing of USPS facilities and vehicles. BILLINGS, Mont. -- The Yellowstone County Economic Response and Recovery Team wants to remind everyone to do their part during this pandemic. John Brewer, CEO of the Billings Chamber of Commerce and Co-Chair of the Restart Committee, says wearing a mask can help keep employees and customers protected, which could translate into more foot traffic, potentially keeping many local businesses afloat during the pandemic. Not only do health officials say mask-wearing can keep you and others around you safe, but Brewer says mask-wearing can also give businesses a competitive advantage. Brewer says the Chamber of Commerce sent out a poll a few weeks ago, asking people if they felt more safe going into a business if employees were wearing masks. Results of the poll show those entering a restaurant felt 53% more safe if employees are masked-up, and consumers felt 47% safer entering a retail store when employees were wearing masks. He also says consumers can do their part by putting on a mask in public. "I don't look at it as hampering people's freedoms, because I know some people are concerned that they're getting their freedoms taken away if they wear masks. And I see it as an opportunity for us to -- every time we step out of our house -- or step into a business -- we have the freedom to do so. And we have that freedom, and the ability to keep our neighbors and our fellow Montanans safe by just simply masking up," says Brewer. Brewer says the Yellowstone County Economic Response and Recovery Team is also monitoring hard-hit states like California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida, that have had to increase restrictions. He says a roll back to Phase 1 in Montana could be devastating to many businesses. For more information about the Yellowstone County Economic Response and Recovery Team, click here: https://yceconomicrecovery.org/ BOZEMAN-With the Fourth of July weekend coming up, families are deciding on whether to fly or drive to their holiday destinations during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport is taking measures to make sure flying will be as safe as possible for those worried about traveling through the air this summer during a pandemic. It will be an enjoyable experience, its a fairly empty terminal right now, Scott Humphrey, the airports deputy director said. Itll be less stressful as in previous years as people come through here, through the airport, and get on the aircraft. The busiest times for the airport come during the July and August summer months. In the peak of summer, we generally have 5,000 to 6,000 in and out, were looking at about 2,000 to 2,500 folks right now in and out on a busy afternoon, Humphrey said. The plan is to condense flight times to eliminate crowding around the airport. It is a little strange seeing how empty we are, but the surprising fact is in the next couple of months between the hours of 11 to 1 well be as busy as we were last year, Humphrey said. The flights are just condensed so during that time period it will feel like summer of last year but only during that time period. Sanitizing stations are placed throughout the airport and airlines have stickers on the ground to remind passengers waiting in lines to keep their distance throughout the airport. Were asking folks when they come here to have their masks ready, they dont need to have it when theyre going through the checkpoint, but theyll need to have it inside the terminal and when they ready to board, Humphrey added. Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, and United Airlines all have similar but different mask policies along with touchless check-in. Alaska Airlines announced in a tweet that their flight attendants will issue a yellow card to any passenger who refuses to wear a mask. Once issued, the next steps would be to file a report that may result in a passenger being suspended from future flights with the airline. Humphrey also mentioned that seasonal flight destinations will start to come back later in the summer. In August well have about 17 of the 19 destinations that we had last summer, but we wont have the frequency that we had last year, Humphrey explained. The Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport announced on July 1, 2020 that a first ever non-stop flight from Boston to Montana will be operated by JetBlue on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the summer and winter seasons. By Bahk Eun-ji Lee Gil-ya, president of Gachon University has been chosen as the recipient of The Lions Club Humanitarian Award, according to a school official. The Lions Club presented the award to Lee, who devoted herself to medical practice, education, social justice and humanitarian service throughout her life. The award ceremony held at the Namsan J. Gran House in Seoul. Previous recipients of the reward include Mother Teresa and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Lee Gil-ya /Korea Times file Byun Hee-soo / Korea Times file The Army decided not to allow a former noncommissioned officer, who was forcibly discharged after sex reassignment surgery, to return to the military, officials said Friday. Byun Hee-soo, 22, filed the petition with the Army in February after a military committee ruled the previous month, based on a medical examination, that the staff sergeant is unable to continue to serve. Byun underwent the transition surgery late last year in Thailand and has expressed a desire to keep serving in the military as a female soldier. The Army held a personnel affairs committee session on the petition Monday, and Byun was notified of the result Friday. "The discharge decision in January 2020 was legitimately made according to the medical examination standard and discharge procedures based on the current Military Personnel Management Act. No illegality was found with the discharge decision," the Army said in a statement. In January, the Army said this case "constitutes a reason for being unable to continue service" due to mental and physical disabilities. Byun earlier said if the petition is rejected, she will bring her case to court, saying she will challenge the decision "to the end." She was the first South Korean active-duty officer to have sex reassignment surgery while in service. Currently, no specific regulations exist on how to handle cases of soldiers who have sex reassignment operations while in service. Under South Korea's conscription system, all able-bodied men must carry out compulsory service for about two years in a country that faces North Korea across a heavily fortified border. Those who change their gender are automatically exempted from this service. Noncommissioned officers are volunteers, and the country has no rules prohibiting transgender people from entering the military. But chances are high that such individuals would be eliminated through a physical exam, according to officers. South Korea has no transgender soldiers, and the decision on the unprecedented case is expected to have an effect on the overall rights of transgender South Koreans. (Yonhap) Now that things have loosened up with regard to the pandemic, are there precautions you are still practicing? Which have you relaxed? Human rights activists express their support for the move to establish a law banning all kinds of discrimination based on gender, disability, age, country of origin or other reasons, during a press conference in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Earlier in the week, six lawmakers of the minor opposition Justice Party, together with other four lawmakers of the country's liberal bloc, proposed a relevant bill. Yonhap By Jung Da-min The minor liberal Justice Party has proposed a bill to ban all kinds of discrimination based on gender, disability, age, language, country of origin, sexual orientation, physical condition, academic background and any other reason. This is the seventh attempt by the government or a political party to submit a bill to the National Assembly to establish a law that comprehensively bans discrimination. Previous attempts for such a law, long-cherished by rights groups, have fallen afoul of "conservative" Christian groups that oppose homosexuality. However, this time the mood may be quite different from the past, as people have become more sensitive toward discrimination and equality, and after Korean society has experienced various hate crimes resulting from discrimination. All six lawmakers of the Justice Party were joined by two lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), one from the minor liberal Open Minjoo Party and another from the minor liberal Basic Income Party to submit the bill, June 29. However, they barely met the minimum threshold of 10 lawmakers to propose a bill in the National Assembly. Members of the Justice Party, who represent various groups among the socially vulnerable, held a press conference on the day they submitted the bill, to call on fellow lawmakers of the 21st National Assembly to respond to calls for the passage of an anti-discrimination law. Justice Party Rep. Jang Hye-young, who spoke for the 10 lawmakers who proposed the bill, said it was needed now more than ever, especially in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world when inequality striking the socially vulnerable will loom even larger. "A law banning comprehensive discrimination will be a means to keep our dignity and safety. There are people who are discriminated against without reason in political, economic, social and cultural life. Discrimination leads to hate and violence that denies human dignity. Nobody deserves to be discriminated against because they are weak or a social minority," Jang said during the press conference. "Passing the anti-discrimination bill will show people why the 21st National Assembly exists to protect individuals from worsening inequality." Jang also said the 21st Assembly should be different from the 20th Assembly which did not bring the bill to the table for legislative discussions due to its fear of some extreme conservative camps. Although the bill has been submitted, it remains to be seen whether the 21st Assembly will pass it within its term. The country's liberal bloc has proposed similar bills six times since 2007, but previous Assemblies all failed to even properly discuss them within their terms, and they were discarded automatically when the Assembly was dissolved. The repeated failure of anti-discrimination bills is mainly due to strong resistance by some so-called Christian conservative groups, centering on protestant churches that oppose homosexuality. Not only the conservative main opposition United Future Party (UFP) but also the liberal ruling DPK remains hesitant to support the bill for fear of losing support from such groups. Minor opposition Justice Party leader Rep. Sim Sang-jeung speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly, June 29, on the proposal of a bill to ban all kinds of discrimination. Six lawmakers of the Justice Party and four other lawmakers from the country's liberal bloc proposed the bill the same day. Yonhap Rep. Bae Jin-gyo, floor leader of the Justice Party, urged the UFP to join the move, citing some of its members' earlier tributes to George Floyd, a black man killed by police in the U.S. Nine UFP members observed a moment of silence in front of the main chamber at the Assembly last month, holding messages to express their opposition to all types of discrimination. "After the death of George Floyd, newly elected first-term lawmakers of the UFP announced their opposition to all types of discrimination," Bae said. "We understand the UFP is hesitant on the issue of sexual orientation but we want to tell them that there is no next time when it comes to matters of survival. They should remember that the anti-discrimination law is a matter of survival for the socially vulnerable." Justice Party leader Rep. Sim Sang-jeung also called for the DPK's participation in the move to pass the anti-discrimination bill, saying the ruling party should do its duty by responding to the growing public calls for the law, referring to a recent survey by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) in which 88 percent of respondents said they support the move. Ruling party's hesitance But while the conservative UFP members widely remained silent on the anti-discrimination law, the situation is not that different among liberal DPK lawmakers. Although two of the DPK's proportional representation lawmakers Rep. Kwon In-sook and Rep. Lee Dong-ju participated in proposing the bill, none of the DPK's 162 constituency lawmakers have responded to the Justice Party's call. In fact, the DPK has been attacked for hesitating on the anti-discrimination issue. Although the first article of the party's manifesto is about ensuring a fair and just society through the abolishment of discrimination and inequality, the party has yet to acknowledge this in terms of the human rights of sexual minorities. Political watchers attribute the DPK's equivocal stance to President Moon Jae-in. In a televised debate for the 2017 presidential election, then DPK candidate Moon said he opposed discrimination against sexual minorities but, at the same time, he was against homosexuality. DPK Rep. Ko Min-jung also received criticism for "cowardly" echoing Moon's stance during a televised debate with former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon when they were competing for a Seoul constituency in the April 15 general election. At the time, Ko said, "The matter of homosexuality requires a national-level consensus," replying to Oh who said he opposed homosexuality and asked for Ko's view on the matter. Growing calls from civic society Conservative activists and members of protestant churches have strongly opposed the anti-discrimination bill. Justice Party members have received a flood of protesting calls since its proposal of the bill. Such people say that the law, once established, will "threaten" the freedom of religion and expression in the name of equality. According to the proposed bill, those violating any anti-discrimination law enacted can be fined up to 10 million won ($8,327) or sentenced to jail for up to a year. But the bill does not call for criminal punishment in all cases, instead recommending corrective action. During a meeting with Justice Party leader Sim at the Assembly, Thursday, National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) Chairwoman Choi Young-ae noted that was aware of the concerns raised by some Christian groups and she had talked with pastors opposing the discrimination ban to explain its full intention. National Human Rights Commission of Korea Chairwoman Choi Young-ae speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday, to officially call on the National Assembly to establish a law banning discrimination. The commission suggested it be called the "Equality Law" to prevent people from misunderstanding it. Yonhap Simple Solutions is hosting Weed Walks July 3 at 11:30 a.m. at Four Seasons Nature Preserve, N1898 County Road H, Lake Geneva. Three different types of plants will be discussed during the walk, which lasts 75 minutes. Cost is $15 per person. Visit the Simple Solutions Facebook page for details. Learn about Abraham Lincoln and the U.S. during Lincoln as a Storyteller Tuesday, July 7, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Register to participate via Zoom by emailing rstrehlow@lakegeneva.lib.wi.us. Every Sunday through November is the Lake Path Hike Season Series, which began last week on the Geneva Lake Shore Path. The series is starting with sections of the path, then covering more territory with each hike. The final hike will be the entire 26-mile path. The next series installments are Sundays, July 5 and 12, from 7 to 10 a.m. each day. Visit the Lake Path Hike Season Series Facebook page for details. Also starting recently is Clear Water Outdoors Sunday Morning Social Paddle, which begins every Sunday at 8 a.m. at 744 W. Main St., Lake Geneva. A ruling party lawmaker who had contact with a COVID-19 patient earlier this week tested negative for the coronavirus Friday, prompting the National Assembly to move forward with a plenary session to review the government's extra budget as planned. "I was notified that my test result came back negative. I apologize for causing concerns today," Rep. Oh Yeong-hwan of the Democratic Party told reporters through a text message. Oh underwent testing and quarantined himself earlier in the day after learning that he shook hands with a person who had COVID-19 at an event in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday. Regardless of the negative result, the freshman legislator, a former firefighter, said he plans to remain in isolation for two weeks. Amid the news of Oh's contact with the patient, the National Assembly was placed under heightened alert earlier in the day, with the Democratic Party ordering its lawmakers who met Oh to remain inside their offices. Oh was believed to have had contact with some 100 people, including lawmakers, parliamentary aides and National Assembly staff. The news also prompted the National Assembly to reschedule a slated plenary session to approve the government's third extra budget to 10 p.m. The session could have been postponed to a later date had Oh's test result returned positive. The plenary session was convened to review the government's third extra budget of 35.3 trillion won (US$29 billion), meant to help key industries cushion the economic blow from the pandemic and protect jobs. Ahead of the plenary session, the parliament's budget subcommittee passed a revised budget of 35.1 trillion won, slashing 200 billion won from the government's proposal. Rep. Lee Nak-yon, former prime minister and the front-runner in polls among potential presidential candidates, had suspended public activities and went into quarantine at home. Lee returned to the National Assembly to attend the plenary session after learning of Oh's test results. (Yonhap) The density of the boating traffic is greatly increased," he said, "and when you add alcohol to that mixture, it can be catastrophic. Operation Dry Water is promoted nationally by the National Association of State Boating Law, which compiles data on drunken boating incidents. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Last year, 736 agencies nationally participated in the campaign, including the Wisconsin Department of Natural Services and the U.S. Coast Guard. Taylor Matsko, a spokeswoman for the National Association of State Boating Law, said the campaign started in 2009 has involved new agencies each year, expanding the reach for educating boaters. Because of the coronavirus pandemic and a need for social distancing, Matsko said officers may focus more on educating boaters rather than confronting them for violations. But if patrolmen see intoxicated boaters," she added, "they will step in to remove them. The coronavirus public health crisis also could be contributing to increased boat traffic, as families increasingly look for ways to spend time outside while avoiding crowds and the risk of spreading the virus. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} After reading the letter meant for Burlington Area School District Superintendent Stephen Plank, Garbade said the letter to the school district was right up her alley and every word is exactly what I have been fighting for. We write to respectfully insist that the School District of Burlington (i) craft a comprehensive Elementary, Middle and High School curricula plan inclusive of Black history, the letter stated. Melissa Statz, a 2008 Burlington High School graduate who went on to teach in Chicago before moving back to Burlington with her husband and children, is putting the letter together for the Burlington district. But, Statz said variations of the letter have been fashioned for other nearby school districts as well. And when I got to Burlington, I was feeling a little lost with that, Statz said. Just hearing a little bit about some of the students of color in our district, some of the experiences theyve had it just really hurt my heart to hear. Plank said the district has already made some moves in faculty training on the issue in the past year, including a leadership retreat during last summer and an in-service day in October for all staff. Imagine being able to cruise around Lake Geneva in a classic car with the top down and a cool breeze in the air. A new Lake Geneva business is looking to offer residents and tourists just such an experience. Scoot Jockeys, located at 529 W. Main St. in Lake Geneva, is scheduled to open July 1 offering classic car rentals, including a 1969 Rolls Royce and a 1965 Ford Mustang. The business, which also offers scooter sales, is partnering with American Classic Rides in Fox River Grove, Illinois, to provide the classic cars. Patrick Hurst, owner of American Classic Rides, said he initially plans to make six to eight classic cars available for rent, but may add more if the service receives a positive response. Several of the cars also may be stationed at area hotels and resorts. Tammie Carstensen, general manager for the Harbor Shores hotel in Lake Geneva, said Hurst approached her about the classic car rental concept last fall, and she felt it would be a unique service. I thought to myself, Oh my gosh, what a cool concept, Carstensen said. I think its going to be a good amenity for the city. The First Congregational United Church of Christ of Lake Geneva opened its doors for in-person worship for the first time in over 3 months on Sunday, June 21 at 10:30 a.m. It was done carefully with masks and social distancing. The service was quieter and more meditative, but it was a celebration none the less. While the doors have been closed, the church never was. The congregation has continued to meet online and has continued its work in the community. Our church is home to United Child Care, The Lake Geneva Food Pantry and a partner in Side by Side. We are home of an annual Cookie Walk donating proceeds to our community including the Tree House of Walworth County and the Lake Geneva Fire Department. Our youth help lead Vacation Bible School and take part in an annual mission trip, serving and giving, and always gaining and learning in the process. With Jesus as our example, we want to take the opportunity to make it clear that we welcome everyone. We welcome you regardless of age, ethnicity, race, nation of origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, economic circumstance, faith history or church experience. In the United States, trains collide with vehicles 3,000 times a year, killing more than 300 people. On Sept. 16, Benjamin Martinez of Orange became the sixth Southern California resident killed in such a crash this year when his Acura Legend was struck by a Metrolink train traveling at 90 mph through Santa Ana. According to some witnesses, Martinez, 29, speeded up just as the arm of the trains warning gate came down. No one will ever know what Martinez was thinking in the seconds before the train slammed into him. But in almost every case, grade-crossing accidents such as Martinezs are blamed on driver carelessness. In fact, it is a lot more complicated than that. Advertisement Scientists say that many of these accidents are caused by deadly misperceptions, the visual and behavioral quirks known to science but not to ordinary drivers. And making rail-crossing encounters even more treacherous are train and crossing designs that fail to take into account how people perceive and behave. Its not enough to stop, look and listen at railroad crossings, these experts warn, because what you think you see can kill you. The attitude of the Federal Railroad Administration is that almost every accident that ever happened at a railroad crossing is the drivers fault, said cognitive psychologist Marc Green, a partner in the Toronto consulting firm Visual Expert. One peculiarity of human perception is that large objects in motion appear to be moving more slowly than they really are. We can observe this phenomenon at any airport, said Herschel Liebowitz, emeritus professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University. Jumbo jets appear to drift down to the tarmac during landings, while smaller jets seem to race toward the runway, even when the larger plane is going faster. Liebowitz, who first described the size/speed effect and other grade-crossing perils in 1985, field-tested his theories by riding in the cab of a locomotive and questioning railroad personnel: It was almost immediately obvious what the problem was.... People misestimated the speed of trains. The problem is compounded by perspective. When we look down a railroad track, we dont see the rails, or the telephone poles running along the tracks, as parallel. We see them converging in the distance at what artists and scientists call the vanishing point. As Liebowitz explains, we have learned to associate that apparent convergence with distance, and so we are likely to assume that the train is farther away than it really is. Collisions also have what Liebowitz calls a deceptive geometry that can prove fatal. Advertisement Green explains the problem: Typically, you glimpse the train with your peripheral vision. Never as clear as central vision, peripheral vision is especially poor at gauging velocity. Even as the train moves toward you, and you move toward it, the trains image maintains a relatively constant position on your retina, at the edge of your visual field. The result: You dont see it moving, Green said, and you assume it is still a safe distance away. Then, when you are about to collide, the trains image on your retina suddenly expands in all directions -- a condition called looming. But at that point, you probably cant stop in time, and neither can the train. By Greens estimate, perception -- or misperception -- is a factor in more than 80% of highway accidents, including those involving trains. Many public officials charged with train-related safety are aware of the science of rail accidents but continue to take a Darwinian view of them. Advertisement We know that the problem is there are just too many impatient drivers who fail to obey traffic regulations at either active or passive crossings, said Warren Flatau, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration. The tendency to blame the victim in grade-crossing accidents exasperates cognitive psychologist Green: That lets the authorities off the hook. Then they dont have to redesign the system. The United States has made progress in train safety, experts say. Railroad crossing deaths in the U.S. have come down from 786 in 1975 to 315 in 2001. Thats a pretty good achievement, " said Eric Wigglesworth, an Australian accident researcher who won the Order of Australia -- comparable to British knighthood -- for his contributions to Australian public health and safety. Advertisement I think this was largely due to the U.S. governments rail-highway crossings program which since 1978 has injected $4 billion into crossings improvements, Wigglesworth said. The elimination of thousands of grade crossings and the increase in so-called active crossings, especially in heavily populated areas, have been important advances. Twenty years ago, only about 50,000 of the countrys 225,000 public grade crossings were protected by flashing lights, bells and/or gates that drop down when a train is about to pass. Today, there are about 62,000 of these active crossings out of 154,000. Such active warning systems are expensive -- even simple ones can cost $150,000 to install. And active crossings have human-factors problems of their own, which may help explain why they account for half of all grade-crossing collisions. Advertisement Liebowitz described one major problem 20 years ago. The low-tech gates then in use at active crossings dropped at a fixed time, whether the passing train was traveling quickly or slowly. As a result, drivers often had to wait long after the gates had dropped for a train to arrive. But drivers are impatient, and those who have had to wait time after time for the train may decide that they can safely ignore the warnings. Its called the cry wolf phenomenon, Green said. Research published in the early 1990s convinced the Federal Railroad Administration that some motorists who had to wait more than 40 to 50 seconds at an active crossing would try to drive around the gates. Now, most active crossings are equipped with electronic predictors that gauge an approaching trains speed and lower the gates as little as 20 seconds before the train arrives. Advertisement Still, unless rail safety experts determine what makes some grade crossings so dangerous, the Southlands rail lines could become killing fields, said Najmedin Meshkati, a professor of industrial and systems engineering at USC. Meshkati is especially fearful about what will happen on the Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys new 13.7-mile Gold Line between Los Angeles and Pasadena, and the planned Exposition light rail in downtown Los Angeles. Both lines are designed to serve busy, multicultural and multigenerational neighborhoods. Meshkatis fears are understandable. Until the Gold Line opened July 26, MTAs Blue Line was the only one of its three routes to have grade crossings. The tracks of the others are elevated, underground or run along the median of freeways, a safe, but costly-to-achieve condition called grade separation. Since opening in 1990, the 22-mile Blue Line has accounted for 62 of the MTAs 65 fatalities. Educating the public is one way to prevent accidents. Advertisement Operation Lifesaver, which coordinates rail safety messages throughout the United States, includes the larger-looks-slower phenomenon and the perspective illusion in its literature and also reminds drivers and those tempted to take their chances on railroad tracks that trains need a long time to stop. Local transportation agencies also work hard at public education. So far this year, Metrolink, which has 443 at-grade crossings, made safety presentations to some 35,000 people. And the MTA spoke to 50,000 schoolchildren to prepare them for the Gold Line, which had no serious accidents before the MTA mechanics strike shut it down. (The strike was resolved Monday and service has resumed.) But grade crossings claimed another victim Nov. 6 when Dana Santos, 46, of Oxnard was struck by a Metrolink train as she waited in her SUV between Oxnard and Camarillo. Santos apparently did not try to beat the train, but was caught on the tracks when the crossing arms came down. She died two days later. Critics point out that most safety programs fail, in part, because most drivers who try to beat a train across the tracks believe they are safe. It is only recently, according to Meshkati and others, that the rail industry has begun looking at driver behavior as it is, rather than as it should be. Meshkatis own work focuses on how decision-making styles and crossing complexity may contribute to collisions. Advertisement Among the rarely recognized dangers: the difficulty of hearing warning bells when sitting in a modern soundproofed car and the likelihood that new immigrants wont recognize the traditional American crossbuck, the simple X-shaped railroad sign that warns drivers to yield to an oncoming train. And decision-making at grade crossings is even tougher at night. The demands that are placed on the driver at a railroad crossing are extraordinary, said c Wigglesworth, the Australian researcher who successfully campaigned for improved warning systems there. Its not surprising there are so many accidents. Ten years ago, Wigglesworth persuaded Australian lawmakers to address the danger of putting the same warning signs at both passive and active crossings. The mix of active and passive systems kills people, he said, and explained why: Say you are a driver approaching an active crossing, marked with a crossbuck, warning bells, lights and gates. If the lights dont flash and the gates are up, you know it is safe to cross the tracks. Then you come to a passive crossing. It too is marked with a crossbuck. But, this time, the lack of red lights and lowered gates doesnt mean Go ahead. It means just the opposite. The crossbuck tells you to stop and look because a train may indeed be racing your way. Advertisement Using the same traffic signs when different actions are desired breaks one of the Ten Commandments of human-factors engineering, Wigglesworth explains: If you use the same stimulus, you must expect the same response. Australias 3,400 active crossings continue to be marked by a crossbuck and other warning devices. But its 6,000 passive crossings now have two unique signs of their own, thanks to Wigglesworth. The first sign shows the silhouette of a train puffing smoke. The second sign is a diagram that shows the angle at which the tracks cross the road. This directional sign tells the driver exactly where to look for the train, an enormous help in making a complex, life-or-death decision quickly. Like many other experts, Wigglesworth believes systems are easier to change than peoples behavior. He would like to see greater use of such potential lifesavers as signals inside cars that warn of an imminent collision with a train (now under study by the Federal Railroad Administration). The agency is examining why drivers behave dangerously at grade crossings, an important first step. And it is studying so-called intelligent transportation systems that would warn train personnel, even stop the train, when a vehicle or person is on the tracks. Advertisement For now, gates that effectively keep cars from driving across the tracks are a good interim solution. But until grade crossings are eliminated or futuristic systems are in place, human-factors experts say crossings could be made safer with: * Better signs and warning devices. Drivers should be warned early and often that theyre approaching tracks. Also, people understand active, affirmative statements (Stop for train) more readily than negative ones (Dont block tracks). Signs also should address specific dangers. Many Blue Line collisions resulted from drivers making illegal left turns, apparently unaware that a train was approaching from behind. An overhead fiber-optic sign that shows a picture of a train labeled train (better than the innocuous trolley) has cut left-turn incidents in half. * More education. Department of Motor Vehicles materials, billboards, public-service spots and other avenues could be used more effectively to warn of optical illusions and other crossing dangers. Advertisement * Increased law enforcement. Drivers who think they can race around crossing gates may not do so if threatened with a ticket. Signs warning of $321 fines for those who cross illegally seem to encourage compliance, as does a highly visible police presence. People tend to behave in predictable ways, and grade crossings will continue to claim lives until their designers recognize that. Green puts it this way, repeating the mantra he learned as a graduate student, doing experiments with lab animals: The rat is always right. Green explained: If you set up an experiment and the rat doesnt do what you want it to do, its not because the rat is stupid, but because you set up the experiment wrong. Its the same with humans.... I think if we took that into consideration, we might design grade crossings differently. By Jason Lim North Koreans of the "arduous march" generation those who starved to death in mid-1990s in quiet desperation while waiting in their homes for the public distribution system to deliver rations that never came are forever gone. Today's North Koreans are market-savvy burgeoning capitalists. There is now a moneyed class consisting mostly of party and military officials who have profited from the trade between North Korea and China. There is conspicuous wealth, from new high-rises and department stores filled with modern electronics to pricey restaurants and amusement parks. North Koreans have found a taste for money and are not happy that the current sanctions are cramping their style. More importantly, the sanctions are cramping the style of Kim's core power base, the Pyongyang-living, inner-circle bureaucracy that Kim depends on to keep his regime afloat. The bitter rhetoric in recent pronouncements allows us to glimpse into the economic pain that the COVID-19 pandemic and the attendant shutdown of North Korea's border with China has had, and Kim's real concern over his ability to deliver the goods again. Kim sold them the inter-Korean rapprochement and the Hanoi summit only to come home empty-handed, and things have progressively gotten worse. Kim's legitimacy depends on presenting the Kim dynasty as a patriotic house who kept Korea's people intact and pure from foreign invaders and is transitioning the country to prosperity after heroically securing the nation through nukes. But nukes were just half the bargain. The other half was prosperity. This was the "white rice and beef soup" promise that was made originally by Kim Il-sung at the founding of the country and echoed endlessly by his son and, now, his grandson. If the grandfather liberated them from the Japanese and the father developed nukes for self-defense, then today's Kim is expected to deliver the economic goods. The North Korean people feel entitled to some prosperity after decades of sacrifice. Another exhortation to tighten their belts and prepare for a second arduous march won't go over too well. Kim's heavenly mandate will be seriously questioned by those in a position to do something about it. Sanctions relief and economic development are not just nice-to-have anymore; they are a must-have. Once people have tasted money, there is no going back. Democratization might not be too outlandish a price to pay for not ending up like Libya's Gaddafi or, more similarly, Romania's Nicolae Ceausescu. They were loved by their people, too, once. But it's not just democratization. It's unification that really speaks to legitimacy. To understand how important unification is to all Koreans, you have to realize modern Korea's rebirth as a reaction against the brutal occupation in early 20th century by Imperial Japan that sought to eradicate Korean culture outright this conversely ignited an ethnocentric form of nationalism that continues to drive Korean people's both North and South self-identity to a large extent. In North Korea, Kim Il-sung skillfully transformed this national narrative into the Juche principle in which the Korean people will no longer be dependent on outside forces and be fully autonomous in all things, especially national security and people's welfare. It's essentially the Korean version of, "We will never be slaves again!" Kim created both a social identity based on the Korean ethnicity and the associated purpose of independence and autonomy, rising out of self-mastery of their own wellbeing. Unification is the live wire of Korean ethnicity. It is the foundational story that calls all Koreans to a higher purpose and meaning as a people gives them a provenance along which they can trace backwards to a glorious and righteous past that could be reimagined for a brighter future. Being elected the inaugural president of a unified Korea would be the ultimate good that the Kim dynasty can deliver to cement its place in Korean history and guarantee itself a lasting legitimacy. This would also feed naturally into Kim Jong-un's inevitable sense of personal grandiosity and legacy. His manifest destiny. All this probably seems like pie in the sky and even a dangerous distraction from the difficult work of finding the right sequencing formula that both North Korea and the U.S. can live with. But doing the same thing and expecting different results is outright insane. Perhaps it's worth a try to go into a different kind of crazy, one that attempts to resonate with the pathos of the enemy you are dealing with, not just his logos. After all, it's the emotions that ultimately drive our decisions. It just might be crazy enough to work. What do we have to lose? Throw the offer over the fence and see how Kim reacts. Let it sink in and work itself into the North Korea's thought space. Ultimately, everyone agrees that denuclearization is not a problem you can solve without a regime change in North Korea. Just do it through an election, rather than a war. After all, delivering not just on denuclearization but also democratization and unification to the Korean Peninsula in one fell swoop would certainly be some kind of a legacy for everyone involved. Jason Lim (jasonlim@msn.com) is a Washington, D.C.-based expert on innovation, leadership and organizational culture. An 11-year-old boy from Miami-Dade, Florida, died Tuesday after contracting COVID-19. He became the state's youngest coronavirus victim to date. Daequan, the victim, was a sickly boy who suffered from deformities and other constant health issues. At the age of four, Miami Bishop Jerry Lee Wimberly adopted the boy who immediately became a smiling presence at the Ambassadors of Christ church. As a toddler, the boy encountered problems sitting up due to a condition that made his bones weak. He took treatments that allowed him to walk and live a stable life. According to the article by Miami Herald, Gladys Brown, a church member, described Daequan as a happy person who shook everyone's hand. Things took a fatal turn after he tested positive for the novel coronavirus, which has already killed over 1,000 people in the county alone. He died at the Jackson Memorial Hospital. The boy's death, which was included in Florida's coronavirus tally reported Thursday, marks the third coronavirus-related death involving a minor in the state. The other two deaths involved a 17-year-old girl from Lee County, and a 17-year-old boy in Pasco County. Florida's New Cases Since the pandemic began in March, more than 7,000 children under 18 have contracted the virus in Florida, with at least 2,800 confirmed in South Florida. On Thursday, state officials reported over 10,000 new cases, setting another single-day record that surpassed Saturday's record of 9,585 cases. The numbers bring Florida total confirmed cases tally to nearly 170,000. Health officials have also recorded 3,617 death since March, 67 of which were reported on Thursday, NPR reported. The new record continues a sudden surge in cases that began last month as Florida began reopening its economy, allowing businesses to continue operating. Governor Ron DeSantis defended his decision, noting that the number of new virus cases remained low for most of April and May. The governor attributed the recent rise in cases to Floridians' complacency following Memorial Day celebrations. Coronavirus Hotspots Three of Florida's cities are becoming hotspots for the coronavirus. Jacksonville, followed by Orlando and Tampa, is now considered the fastest-growing metro area for COVID-19 cases. During a press conference in Tampa, Governor DeSantis dismissed questions on the state's skyrocketing coronavirus numbers. Instead, he cited the state's low death rate, the Orlando Sentinel reported. DeSantis has continuously resisted calls for a statewide mandate requiring Floridians to wear face masks or coverings when going out in public places. As the number of cases rose, county and city officials have imposed rules making masks mandatory. Florida began rolling back its reopening last week at the governor's direction. All bars across the state were ordered to suspend operations as an increasing number of young people became infected with the virus. Local governments also ordered beaches to close through the July Fourth weekend to prevent large gatherings. Want to read more? The government's top infectious disease expert on Thursday said during the Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing that there is no guarantee that the country will have a safe and effective coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. At the hearing, Senators grilled federal health officials, questioning them about the logistics, cost, as well as safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, admitted that there is no guarantee that the country will have a safe and effective vaccine. He added that the same statement will also be given by anyone, who is involved in developing vaccines. However, Fauci said they are very optimistic to see the extent of efficacy of the vaccine in the early part of next year. He noted that they will be seeing early preliminary data as well as animal model to determine vaccines' efficacy. Half of Americans Reluctant to be Vaccinated During the hearing, Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri raised concerns over the reluctant of the Americans to be vaccinated. He noted that roughly half of Americans were reluctant to get the COVID-19 vaccine, while 20 percent would not try to get vaccinated at all, even if the vaccine is widely available. In a published article in USA Today, Blunt assured that the research on potential COVID-19 vaccine would not be too fast or cut corners. He asserted that he intends to get vaccinated once the vaccine is available. Meanwhile, Democrat Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania raised two questions to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). First, is how the FDA can earn the trust of reluctant Americans that the vaccines are safe and effective. Lastly, Casey questioned the steps on how the FDA commissioner would bolster the confidence of people. In reply, Stephen Hahn, FDA Commissioner, said the FDA follows strict regulations for vaccines either for authorization or approval. He noted that this is to make sure that the vaccine is safe and effective. Hahn also added that the agency is independent and will not pre-judge the vaccine. He emphasized that they will use science and data. The FDA Commissioner further noted that he will continue to be a voice emphasizing regulatory independence. A Vaccine is Not About Doing it Fast, But Doing it Right Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington said just like other individuals, she is also eager to have the vaccine. However, she said that developing and producing vaccines are "not just about doing it fast but doing it right." Murray asserted that this is why they need to know its process. She firmly believed that developing a vaccine is rigorous, inclusive, transparent, and science-driven. The senator also demanded a very serious oversight. Operation Warp Speed The federal government has allocated an amount of more than $9 billion for Operation Warp Speed. This program aims to deliver 300 million safe and effective vaccines by January 2021. However, it was found that they will manufacture candidate vaccines even before it's clear whether they will work or not. This is to ensure that the country gets first the vaccine if one or more will be proven to be safe and effective. Survey Question: Do you want to get the COVID-19 vaccine? Why? Check these out! A recently released body camera footage showed law enforcement officers celebrating after shooting at protesters during a demonstration on May 31. The rubber bullets used at the incident gravely injured a Black woman, who was shot in the face. The Fort Lauderdale police department posted the video on its official YouTube channel on Wednesday. The footage was taken from the body camera of Detective Zachary Baro. At one point, an officer can be heard in the video saying, "Beat it, little f---er," after shooting the less-lethal projectiles at a protester. Baro, who led the department's SWAT team, was also heard using profanity as his officers fired at demonstrators, the Los Angeles Times reports. Later, one officer was also captured asking if Baro's camera was off, to which he incorrectly said it was. Injuries at the Protest LaToya Ratlieff, a 34-year-old Black woman, suffered a fractured skull and required 20 stitches after she was hit in the face with a rubber bullet. In a report by the Associated Press, Ratlieff said she still has trouble seeing out of one eye following the incident during the peaceful demonstration. In a witness video, Ratlieff, who was, at the time, wearing a bright pink backpack, was seen bending over and coughing after officers deployed tear gas. As she was walking away, the officers began firing rubber bullets. As another protester tried to help her away, a second shot rang out. The video showed the victim falling to the concrete with a shrill cry, her hand clutching her head. A stranger, who was also at the scene, quickly tore off his shirt and applied pressure to the woman's head before rushing her to a nearby hospital. She has asked for an opportunity to sit down with the city's law enforcement to discuss reform and accountability. However, she has yet to receive a response. Ratlieff has yet to file a lawsuit. She testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The committee tackled government violence against peaceful civil rights protesters. A video from the same protest showed a Fort Lauderdale police officer pushing a kneeling woman on the ground. Witnesses say the gathering turned violent following the incident. The officer's colleagues pushed him away from the woman. He was later charged with battery. Exhaustive Investigation Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione said it was reviewing over 8,000 minutes of body-camera footage, including those taken from the protest on May 31. The report may be completed in the coming month. However, in a separate statement, Maglione also defended the officers involved in the video. He claimed the entire video showed the officers were under attack by a group of demonstrators. "Although the language is extreme and offensive to some, our officers were dealing with the chaos of a developing situation," Maglione said. Want to read more? Nonprofit organization American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is urging U.S. Congress to include millions of undocumented immigrants in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) test under emergency coverage of Medicaid. The ACLU released a series of advertisements to call the attention of Congress to look into unrestricted COVID-19 tests. The group wanted all immigrants, regardless of status, to be included in the coronavirus testing across the country under emergency Medicaid. To carry out their message, they wrote on their five still-image ads on Facebook and Instagram, "Tell Congress: Make COVID-19 testing available to everyone;" "Tell Congress: Until all of us are covered, all of us are at risk;" and "Tell [member]: Everyone, including immigrants, needs access to COVID-19 testing and treatment." According to Yesenia Chavez, the immigrants' rights policy analyst at the ACLU who led the campaign, emergency Medicaid does not have immigrant eligibility restrictions that Medicaid does. This means it can include undocumented immigrants. Chavez said there are more than 1.7 million immigrant healthcare workers in the country. They are taking care of COVID-19 patients. Some of the immigrants also work as grocery store employees, farmers, caregivers, and more. The Hill news outlet reported that many of the country's immigrants, either documented or undocumented, are having essential jobs in the country. They are most of the time exposed to the public. Thus, they can easily catch the virus. It is not surprising anymore why Latinos in the country are disproportionately infected. There have been many reports, where Latinos have the highest numbers of infections in a county, and sometimes within the state. Chavez added that millions of immigrants are risking their lives without enough protection against COVID-19. Now, they are also left out of access for COVID-19 testing and treatment. Immigrants without legal status including certain green card holders and visas holders are barred from using regular Medicaid services. This is where the COVID-19 testing and treatment were placed in the new coronavirus response bills passed last April. The immigrants' rights groups noted that the exclusion could make the immigrants more susceptible to the virus. This also places at risk the fight of the government to flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections. The Congress is now divided on the new coronavirus response bill, partly because of the growing infections in various states like Arizona. The Democrat lawmakers passed a bill in May titled "HEROES Act" that aims to extend the unemployment aid. However, this was opposed by the Republican lawmakers and offered instead a "back-to-work bonus." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will not approve the Democrat-led bill, but they will likely look into a Republican-led bill this month. Chavez said McConnell has made it clear that the HEROES Act will no longer be approved. However, Chavez still hoped that all immigrants, regardless of status, will be included in the Republican-led bill for the next coronavirus response. "It is important that the senators that we're targeting that day become the advocates of including an immigration provision in this Senate federal relief package," Chavez said. With millions of immigrants working in the country, most especially the Latino and Hispanic farmworkers, there should be an assurance that they will be treated once they get infected. They sustain the food chain in the country and hence they deserved to be protected. A credible source from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told a news outlet that the White House has repeatedly denied the agency to hold briefings about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). reported that the White House denied the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to hold public briefings about COVID-19. It can be remembered in the previous report of Latin Post, White House Press Secretary McEnany noted that the White House COVID-19 Task Force will no longer brief the public. McEnany said the reason behind this was due to the state reopenings. The country is heading towards the reopening of economic activities. Even though the country is in its economic reopening, the public must still be given information about COVID-19, most especially that the number of infections in the country continues to swell. The CDC frequently briefs the public during the early days of the global pandemic. However, the COVID-19 task force was put into silence since March 9. A reliable source from CDC told the Yahoo News that they continued to ask approval from the White House to hold briefings. However, they were not given permission. And because of this, they decided to stop asking White House officials. For McEnany, he said there is no need to hold briefings because there are no big decisions to be announced, unlike the early days when the task force needs to make big announcements related to COVID-19. But McEnany stressed that the task force is regularly reviewing the data and is in communication with different state governors. She also explained that she is always in contact with Dr. Deborah Birx, the task force coordinator, and she would be the one to brief the public. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the administration's spokesman on the pandemic, has been seen in public for more than two months already. Originally, the coronavirus task force briefings were led by Vice President Mike Pence, together with Fauci. However, U.S. President Donald Trump previously appeared in the briefings and then eventually stopped, after he was criticized for touting injecting disinfectant as a treatment. This is the time when the country's leading specialist and experts should brief the public on COVID-19 updates, including the vaccine, treatment, number of infections, and how to control the virus in the wake of economic reopening. The minorities, Latino and African-American communities, must also be informed about the global pandemic. There have been calls from different Latino and Hispanic organizations to translate COVID-19 information into Spanish language. This is the best way that members of the Latino and Hispanic communities in the country can easily understand the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, Latino and African-Americans remain to be disproportionately impacted by global pandemic because of their jobs. Most of them work as helpers, grocery store employees, farmers, and more. However, they remain more susceptible to the virus due to a lack of personal protective equipment. In this time of global pandemic, where there is no guarantee for a safe and effective vaccine, the CDC and other experts must inform and educate everyone across the country on COVID-19 pandemic based on science-driven data. Check these out! Negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on the operation and filling of the under-construction Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam began via video conference on Friday afternoon, the Sudanese government said in a statement. The talks are being held under the auspices of the African Union, which is currently headed by South Africa. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the current AU chairman, said that he hoped this round of talks will reach an acceptable solution that will safeguard the interests of the three countries. The previous round of negotiations between the three countries, held from 9-17 June, failed to produce an accord due to Ethiopia's refusal to enter into a legally binding agreement and its announcement that it will begin filling the dam in July even without approval from the two downstream countries. The leaders of the three countries, along with Ramaphosa, held an online mini-summit on last Friday. At the summit, Ethiopia agreed to delay the filling of the hydropower dam until a final binding deal is reached. The summit also agreed to form a committee of legal and technical experts to draft a final deal. The technical committee will try to strike a deal within two weeks, as suggested by Ethiopia, Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said following the summit. Short link: When economy contracts, workers should tighten belts, too Negotiations on next year's minimum wage have already missed the legal deadline, and the chances of a breakdown are increasing. At the second meeting of the Minimum Wage Commission last week, Chairman Park Jun-shik asked representatives of employers and employees to submit their demands in the next session. But both labor and management have failed to come up with unified proposals ahead of the legal deadline on Tuesday. Behind the rough going in the minimum wage bargaining is the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic. Korean businesses now stand at the crossroads of life and death. New orders have been cut off for many of them, forcing some to lay off employees. If the minimum wage rises in this situation, some firms will have to close. The labor circles' position can hardly be more different, however. Union leaders say the minimum wage should go up further now that the coronavirus pandemic has made low-wage workers' livelihoods harder than ever. There is some sense in labor's argument that COVID-19 has made workers' lives more difficult. However, if companies have to close or lay off employees as a result of higher minimum wages, what good would it be for the labor community as a whole? According to a Korea Federation of SMEs survey of 600 member firms, 58.8 percent said they would reduce recruitment or trim existing payrolls if the minimum wage rises next year. Even without the pandemic, small and midsize enterprises have suffered from minimum wage hikes of 33 percent over the past three years. This year, many economists forecast that the Korean economy will shrink because of the coronavirus shock. If so, it will be the first economic contraction since the 1998 Asian financial crisis. This is time for all industrial players to tighten their belts, and the minimum wage cannot be an exception. Now that Korea Inc. faces an unheard-of crisis because of the coronavirus outbreak, the labor side also needs to refrain from excessive demands. - The Niger state government is doing all it can to stay afloat as the economic implications of COVID-19 bite harder - Governor Abubakar Bello has ordered a 30% slash in the salaries and allowances of all political office holders in the state - The governor and his deputy are also affected by the new initiative PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! The governor of Niger, Abubakar Bello, on Tuesday, June 30 ordered a 30 per cent slash in the salaries and allowances of all political officers in the state. Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Matane, made the announced in a statement in Minna, the state capital. Those to be affected by the order include the governor, his deputy, commissioners, special advisers, and all other political appointees, the statement said. Governor Bello's experience in finance, economy and corporate management comes in handy for Niger state. Photo credit: Niger state govt Source: UGC PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! It said that the temporary slash was in view of the economic situation occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic. Government will transparently resume full payment of salaries and allowances when the economic situation improves, the statement revealed. Recall that the Niger government recently approved the reduction of tax payments in the state as part of measures to cushion the economic impact of coronavirus on residents. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown period, Nigeria's economy has been affected by adding fuel to the fire of rising unemployment and fiscal deficit. The Niger state government is doing all it can to stay afloat as the country copes with the economic implications of the lockdown. Experts say state governments in Nigeria need to renew their efforts to strengthen small businesses as a way to navigate their way out of the COVID-19 economic implications. Small businesses are crucial for Nigerias economy as many Nigerians are dependent on it for their livelihood. Economic experts also urged state governments to initiate partnerships that will be an opportunity to lead a sustainable and new kind of economy as Nigeria recovers from COVID-19. Meanwhile, Governor Bello on Tuesday, June 30 joined President Muhammadu Buhari in a virtual flag-off of the construction phase of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project. Governors of Kano, Kaduna and Kogi also participated in the event which took place through video conferencing. The pipeline, which is expected to be completed within 24 months, is a section of the Trans-Nigeria Gas Pipeline (TNGP) with the capacity to transport 2.2 billion cubic feet of gas per day. Governor Bello commended the president for awarding the project, noting that it will be of immense benefit to the people of Nigeria and to residents of Niger state. Yaba trader has a message for the government | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng News A new report by Senate Democrats says the federal governments disjointed response to the COVID-19 pandemic was deadly for nursing home and long-term care facilities across the country, but there is some disagreement over whos actually to blame for a situation that hit the Lehigh Valley hard. Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey said the report, titled COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: How the Trump Administration Failed Residents and Workers, is a chronicle of deadly delay, including hindered access to personal protective equipment and testing, failure to collect data in the beginning of the pandemic and failing to release the data it has in a timely manner. More than 54,000 deaths during COVID-19 are residents and workers in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. In Pennsylvania, 68% of its COVID-related deaths are in that category, he said. The numbers dont tell the whole story, but they are staggering, he said during a recent Facebook town hall. The administration has no strategy. No credible, substantial strategy that the American people know about. Seema Verma, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, called the report disingenuous. I think the agency has had a historic and unprecedented response and should be commended for its efforts, she told the Associated Press. In the Lehigh Valley, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure has repeatedly said the federal government dropped the ball during the pandemic. There was no national plan to deal with this pandemic. It was an epic failure of competence in government, said McClure, a Democrat. They let us down. The state, and county and municipal governments stepped up. McClure said the state Department of Health provided a great deal of guidance to Gracedale, the county-owned nursing home. Did we make every perfect move? No. But it was a total failure at the top to deal with a global pandemic, he said. Pennsylvania began releasing nursing home data in May, but nationally, we dont even begin to know how bad its been in long-term care facilities, he said. Zach Shamberg, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, said members have reported that the federal response has been pretty good, but they are seeing delays on the state side. The Pennsylvania Health Care Association represents 200 nursing homes and 150 personal care and assisted living facilities, including for-profit, nonprofit and government-affiliated facilities. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has done a great job with guidance, publishing guidance and getting it out, he said. But the state Department of Health is taking weeks, sometimes a month, to implement things in Pennsylvania. CMS announced 1,135 waivers for healthcare providers, which addresses issues ranging from telemedicine to physicians privileges to three-day hospitalization requirements during the pandemic. Shamberg said members fought with the state Department of Health for a month before the same waiver was implemented in Pennsylvania. CMS came out with testing guidance in mid-May. Pennsylvania is requiring all of its 693 nursing homes to test every resident and employee by July 24. There is still a concern for many providers that theyre not going to be able to meet that deadline, based on testing supplies, Shamberg said. Some have even gone out of state for supplies. On Wednesday, the state Department of Health announced a new partnership with CVS Health to offer free COVID-19 testing services to skilled nursing facilities to meet the July 24 deadline. Thats a great step in the right direction, noting it will offer about 50,000 tests, but there are more than 200,000 residents and employees in Pennsylvania, Shamberg said. Fifty thousand is not going to cut it, he said. To test everyone once, though, doesnt make any sense, either, Shamberg added. Its snapshot of that moment in time and seems more like a political statement than a way of helping staff and residents. Looking forward, as the last Pennsylvania county moves to the green phase, providers are still worried about PPE and a resurgence in COVID-19 cases. With equipment, first it was shortages in N95 masks, then gowns, and now gloves, Shamberg said. With the states new mask directive issued Thursday, people will be flocking to buy masks. That worries me, that were going to have a mask shortage, he said. As cases climb in Florida, California and Texas, facilities are concerned about seeing a resurgence before Pennsylvania moves completely out of the first wave. We are advocating heavily, that the summer months are not to be used for kicking back and breathing a sigh of relief, or waiting for a phase two, he said. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. The swimming beach at Beltzville State Park didnt even open for Memorial Day, and capacity is being limited for the Fourth of July weekend. As a result, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is warning of the potential for capacity-forced closures at popular draws like Beltzville; French Creek State Park in Berks and Chester counties; Marsh Creek; and Neshaminy and Nockamixon in Bucks County. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, state park swimming beaches and pools are limited to 75 percent capacity. When parking lots reach that capacity, both will be closed to would-be swimmers until crowds lessen. Fair weather forecast and the holiday weekend bring the potential for crowded conditions, DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. Weather, of course, is the determining factor in turnout at all our state parks and last weekend saw all our parks heavily visited, Dunn says in a news release, noting that crowding already forced one-day closings at Beltzville and Marsh Creek. Dunn said recent Bureau of State Park attendance figures show people turning to the outdoors in record numbers. May 2020 attendance reports show 5.8 million visitors compared to 4.2 million last year. The parks system increased by over 1.5 million visitors, a 36 percent increase, and 18 parks experienced more than a 100 percent increase. We fully understand the value of the outdoors experience during these trying times, and we encourage park visitors to spread out to other less popular state parks and consider off-times or days other than the weekend, Dunn says in the release. For would-be campers on this eve of a holiday weekend, all park campsites are booked, but so-called primitive camping possibilities still exist in many of our state forests. State forests also provide excellent avenues to hiking, picnicking and other outdoors activities. Due to anticipated crowded conditions, Dunn said its a good idea to have several locations in mind for outdoor activities so people can move on if the first spot is crowded or closed. Dunn also noted visitors can help keep state parks and forest lands safe by following these other practices: Avoid crowded parking lots and trailheads. Bring a bag and either carry out your trash or dispose of it properly. Clean up after pets. Avoid activities that put you at greater risk of injury, so you dont require a trip to the emergency room. Dont hike or recreate in groups go with those under the same roof, and adhere to social distancing. Take hand sanitizer with you and use regularly. Avoid touching your face, eyes, and nose. Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing with a tissue or flexed elbow. If you are sick, stay home. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania climbed toward 89,000 with 667 new cases reported Friday. One quarter of the new cases were in Allegheny County, which has seen a spike of 808 cases over the last week. Pennsylvania on Thursday saw its highest amount of new cases -- 832 -- in one day since May. The states COVID-19 case count now stands at 88,741, according to the daily report from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Thirty-four more deaths were reported, raising the death toll to 6,746. The health department is weighing steps to mitigate the steep rise in cases, which it says can be traced to community spread and localized outbreaks, not increased testing. (Cant see the map? Click here.) As we dive into the July Fourth holiday weekend, Gov. Tom Wolfs administration is reminding residents to wear masks in all public places and avoid large holiday gatherings. Pennsylvania has been a model for the country on how to reopen effectively using a careful, measured approach, state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said. However, the virus has not gone away and we are seeing cases rise, especially in Southwest Pennsylvania. These are your Pennsylvania coronavirus updates for July 3, 2020. Pa. coronavirus outbreak (Cant see the chart? Click here.) The states new cases have been rising since mid-month. Officials have said the uptick may be related to young people gathering in bars and restaurants that just reopened. The outbreak is so far focused in the southwest region of the state with Pittsburghs Allegheny County alone reporting 399 new cases in the last two days, according to the states figures. This prompted the countys health department to order a one-week closure of bars, restaurants and casinos and the cancellation of activities or events of 25 people or more to stem the spread of new cases. The order went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday. Dr. Debra L. Bogen, director of the Allegheny County Health Department, also suggested a voluntary stay-at-home measure for Allegheny County residents. For comparison, Philadelphias added 161 cases in the past 48 hours. Philadelphias Health Department this week put the brakes on its own green phase reopening. The city plans to keep indoor dining at restaurants and gyms closed until at least Aug. 1. Starting today, museums and libraries, indoor shopping malls and small indoor and outdoor gatherings can resume. Casinos are allowed to open with strict restrictions. City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said data show 99 teenagers tested positive the week of June 14, more than double over the last two weeks, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Farley said many of the cases can be traced back to people heading to beach houses at the Jersey Shore, hitting bars and restaurants and house parties. Pennsylvania is now advising that anyone who travels to 14 states -- including the hotspots of Arizona, Florida, and the Carolinas -- quarantine for 14 days after they get back home. New Jerseys issued a similar advisory, but no one has tackled the throngs of people that flock to the Shore every weekend. Coronavirus in the Lehigh Valley (Cant see this chart? Click here.) The Lehigh Valley Lehigh and Northampton counties combined had 29 new cases and four deaths in the last day, bringing the local total to 7,750 cases and 579 deaths. Average Lehigh Valley case rates have been in the teens or 20s for more than a month. The state health department estimates that 78% of Pennsylvania coronavirus patients have recovered. To date, 715,403 tests have come back negative. Testing has increased statewide. The 13,871 reported tests is Pennsylvanias second highest one-day total. Over the last week, Pennsylvania averaged about 12,150 tests a day statewide, about double the test rate when daily case counts peaked in April, as tests are conducted on people without symptoms and those in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, where residents account for about 20% of Pennsylvanias cases and 68% of COVID-19 deaths. The health department told lehighvalleylive.com that the most recent spike in cases is not just from testing. Theyre primarily from the virus spreading in the community. (Cant see this chart? Click here.) Gracedale COVID-19 testing results are in The state health department mandated universal testing of all long-term care facilities by July 24. Northampton County conducted a testing program at the county-owned nursing home last weekend with the help of the National Guard. The Upper Nazareth Township facilitys been hit hard by the virus. Seventy-four residents have died from COVID-19. At the testing event, 296 residents were tested and three came back positive. A total of 425 residents were tested prior to universal testing and 143 came back positive. Currently, six residents are positive for the virus, 12 are awaiting lab results. And 162 have recovered, according to a county news release. A total of 568 employees have been tested with 57 positives. Six were detected during the universal testing. Ten samples were rejected or inconclusive and four results are pending. Fifty employees are back at work and six are in quarantine. The best thing the general public can do for Gracedale during these perilous times for nursing home residents is wear a mask, said county Executive Lamont McClure. Wear a mask Face coverings are now required in all public places in Pennsylvania, under an order expanded Wednesday by Wolf and Levine. Especially as we are beginning a long Fourth of July weekend, its critical that everyone remember that masks are mandatory and must be worn when leaving your home, Wolf said Friday. This virus is not gone, and mask-wearing is a required mitigation effort that we know works to stop its spread. If you do head out to celebrate Independence Day. Keep your distance, avoid large crowds and, of course, bring your mask. Here are the mask order details: When outdoors and unable to consistently maintain six feet from anyone who is not an immediate member of the household. Any indoor location that is generally accessible to the public. While waiting for or using any public transportation or ride-sharing service. When being served at a health care facility like a hospital, pharmacy, doctors office, veterinarians office or blood bank. While at work when engaging with customers or coworkers, preparing food, in common areas or any space where people are unable to distance themselves. There are some exceptions, like for those whose have medical conditions or whose work would be hindered by wearing a mask. But the governors office says that anyone unsure if their situation requires a mask should err on the side of caution and wear one. Cloth face coverings may not protect the person wearing them but they will protect others by catching droplets potentially carrying the coronavirus, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also says a significant portion of individuals with COVID-19 lack symptoms. (Cant see the table? Click here.) Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Two Republicans are vying in Tuesdays primary election to be the nominee for Warren County freeholder. Voters also face contested races for U.S. Senate, in New Jersey's 5th and 7th congressional districts covering Warren County communities and at the municipal level in Alpha, Franklin Township, Hardwick Township, Oxford Township, Washington Borough and White Township. Because of the coronavirus, New Jersey has encouraged voters to cast mail-in ballots, and about 12,700 Warren County residents had done so as of Wednesday, county Clerk Holly Mackey told WRNJs Local Impact. A total of 20,594 ballots were cast in the 2016 presidential election year primary in Warren County. Voters can also cast provisional ballots at the clerk's office in the Warren County Courthouse, 413 Second St. in Belvidere, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday or 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday and on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at either the clerk's office or their polling place, according to Mackey. Vote-by-mail ballots that are sent through the mail must be postmarked by Election Day, July 7, and received by the county Board of Elections on or before July 14. Vote-by-mail ballots that are placed in a drop box or delivered in-person to the county Board of Elections must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, July 7. There will be no election results posted by the county Tuesday night, Mackey said, with the first unofficial returns scheduled to go up on the county website at noon Wednesday. In the freeholder race, Republican candidates Lori Ciesla and Ted Tomaszewski are on the primary ballot, hoping to succeed Freeholder Director Richard Gardner. First elected to the office in 2002, Gardner decided against seeking a seventh three-year term. No one besides Gardner has served more than four terms since the three-member board was established in 1917. Ciesla or Tomaszewski will face in Novembers general election Blairstown Township resident Steven J. Hamburger, who does not have an opponent on the Democratic ballot Tuesday. Ciesla is a married mother of two from Lopatcong Township, where she was elected in 2012 to township council and became the first-ever female president. She did not seek re-election in 2015. She is an information technology consultant, working as a software developer and business analyst. Tomaszewski, of Mansfield Township, is married with two stepchildren. He served as the township's mayor from 2009 through 2014, when he lost a re-election bid, and works as a heavy equipment hauler for a construction company in South Plainfield. On one of the more controversial issues facing Warren County, both candidates oppose Jaindl Land Co.s 2.6 million-square-foot warehouse proposal in White Township. "I don't think it's the right place for it," Tomaszewski said, noting that when it comes to the county's open space, "once it's gone it's gone forever." Both candidates agree the location is too far from Interstate 80, Route 22 or Interstate 78 for the project to work without putting undue strain on the area's roads. Tomaszewski pointed to increased response times for police, fire and ambulance having to share the road with trucks and to safety issues with school buses. Ciesla said costly road improvements could end up falling primarily on Warren County taxpayers. "I just don't feel that the infrastructure is there," she said. "I feel that warehouses belong where they can easily get on a highway and off a highway." Thats the situation with the warehouses being built or proposed in Phillipsburg and Lopatcong Township, Tomaszewski pointed out. Ciesla noted that the White Township land is zoned for the use Jaindl wants, and she wants to see municipalities proactively plan for developments like this and to communicate on how projects in one town might impact others. So we need to decide, do we want to be the warehouse county, or do we want to have some diversity which I would prefer because I would like to see our kids grow up, go to school here, local, in New Jersey, but come back, have jobs, and if were only going to have one type, its not good, she said. I just dont want to have truck after truck after truck lined up on (Route) 519 because whats going to happen. The county is going to have to expand the roadways, and thats going to be a cost to us. Both candidates credited the current freeholder board with being good stewards of county finances. "I want to continue to keep doing the great work that our freeholder board has done," Ciesla said. Finances are something Tomaszewski said will be even more critical as the coronavirus shutdown continues to have far-reaching effects. "I'm not saying that the county is not being run properly, but right now is a time to really pay attention to everything we're doing and not to spend loosely," he said. "Under the situation that we have right now with the COVID-19, the amount of people that are unemployed throughout the county, with small businesses, people are hurting," he also said. Tomaszewski pointed to his record in Mansfield of inheriting a $269,000 budget surplus and working to build that to over $1 million. Ciesla, on finances, called for county leaders to be vocal in securing federal funding in the coronavirus crisis, after none of the initial stimulus money came to Warren County government. I think we just have to continue to be advocates for our county, she said. We, I do and the other freeholders do, have very strong relationships with our legislators here in New Jersey. Again we are a heavily Democratic state but I think were all in the same boat and on these kind of issues, theyll help us. Tomaszewski said he would approach the freeholder position with no agenda, other than looking out for the taxpayer. "My main concern in Mansfield Township was to give them the best bang for their dollar, " he said. "It was all to me about the taxpayers, making sure the taxpayer is taken care of with good services for the community but making sure we got value for every dollar we spent." Ciesla said her goals in office would include expanding online payment options for county taxes and permits. Shed also like to follow Lopatcongs lead on a more robust social media presence and airing meetings on YouTube to improve citizen participation. Your government should be accessible to everybody, she said. You shouldnt have to drive down to Belvidere to know whats going on. Toward that end, she was appointed to the Warren County Technology and Transparency Task Force, and has also served on the Warren County Addiction Task Force. Ciesla also wants to work on improving internet service for the county's northern tier, a vital link for people working from home and students learning from home amid the coronavirus pandemic. Looking further into education, she also wants to build on the work Warren County Community College is doing and support Warren County's students, including expanding opportunities for four-year degrees and adding more certification programs. Following is a chart listing the races in Tuesdays primary election in Warren County, according to the sample ballots provided by the county. You can click here if its not displaying. EDITORS NOTE: This article was updated to correct the deadline to have a mail-in ballot postmarked for the July 7, 2020, primary election. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Hamilton,' the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play that took the world by storm in 2016, will soon be available to watch from your own home on the Disney Plus streaming service. The musical originally was supposed to hit theaters in October 2021 before being released online, but in the wake of the coronavirus, Disney decided to stream it instead. Heres what you need to know to watch Hamilton when it becomes available. How to watch Hamilton on Disney Plus Hamilton is streaming on Disney Plus beginning July 3. Disney Plus costs $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year. There also is a $12.99-per-month option to bundle the service together with Hulu and ESPN+. The streaming service offers unlimited access to almost all of Disneys extensive history of shows and movies, as well as most content from Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. You can sign up for a subscription to Disney Plus by going to their website at any time. Once subscribed, you can watch online, on your smart phone, or on a smart TV/streaming service compatible with Disney Plus, such as Roku. What time will Hamilton be released and available to stream? Hamilton will be available to stream on Disney Plus beginning at 3 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, July 3. In this June 12, 2016 photo, Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of "Hamilton" perform at the Tony Awards in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)Evan Agostini/Invision/AP Will Hamilton on Disney Plus feature the original Broadway cast? The recording of Hamilton that will stream on Disney Plus will feature the original 2016 Broadway cast, including Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr, Renee Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, Daveed Diggs as Thomas Jefferson and more. What is Hamilton about? According to the official description of the play from StageAgent: At the center of this groundbreaking multi-award-winning musical is the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton, whose ambition drove him from the position of Caribbean outsider and bastard child to American war hero and George Washingtons right-hand man. In the process, Alexander Hamilton powerfully shaped America as we have come to know it -- and gave us all a template for what it means to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and realize the American Dream. Lin-Manuel Miranda with Phillipa Soo, at left, Christopher Jackson and Anthony Ramos at his final performance of "Hamilton" on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in July 2016. Nicholas Hunt | Getty Images Related stories and articles about Hamilton and Disney Plus Here are some additional stories and articles about Hamilton, including a look at some of the casts reactions to seeing their performances recorded for the first time: Hamilton star explains why they are terrified of Disney+ streaming the musical Free streaming to watch: How to get free trials from Hulu, CBS All Access, Disney+, Shudder and others Disney Plus has finally fixed an issue that angered fans of The Simpsons Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Joseph Rejent may be reached at jrejent@njadvancemedia.com. Every July 4th we celebrate the birth of our democracy. Not so much this year. It has been four years of research, creating presentations, giving presentations, holding meetings, lobbying local legislators, writing hundreds of letters to the editor and op-ed articles, visiting legislators in Harrisburg, and attending a rally of more than 800 people on a cold, rainy day in Harrisburg. And our results are completely amazing. More than 100,000 citizens signed petitions to end gerrymandering. More than 354 municipalities created resolutions in support of our bills, representing nearly 70% of our population. Our bills in two consecutive sessions have had the most support of any other proposed bills. Yet we received one hearing and no votes this session. A survey by Franklin & Marshall revealed that 67% of citizens want to end gerrymandering and replace it with an independent redistricting commission. This is to replace the legislators who consistently gerrymander congressional and state legislative districts to protect parties and incumbents. And we wonder why Pennsylvania has one of the most inefficient legislatures in the nation. After all this civic action, it came down to two men Rep. Garth Everett and Sen. John DiSanto, respective chairmen of the State Government Committees. Because of archaic and ridiculous procedural rules (that need to be changed), these two men told each of us citizens and legislators alike that ending gerrymandering was never on their radar! So our question to each of them this July 4th is, what more can we possibly do to be heard in this democracy? Mary Erdman Fair Districts PA public speaker Vice president/programs & action, League of Women Voters, Lehigh County Upper Macungie Township From the Jersey Shore to Downtown Easton, the effort to contain the growth of COVID-19 suffered a setback last weekend, as thousands of people cast their coronavirus worries to the wind. Three and a half months of self-isolation will do that to a person especially young people still on the celebratory side of middle age, accustomed to eating, drinking and carousing with friends and family. Enjoying life, in other words. The people who have come down hard on unprotected partying including Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. and Govs. Phil Murphy and Tom Wolf get that. This outpouring of once-customary behavior drinking within spitting range, without masks, thumbing noses at social distancing guidelines isnt part of the recent green-lighting of society and business conduct in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It is, in fact, a renewal of the existential pandemic threat that got us into this mess in the first place. Last weekend one section of Eastons Downtown, centered around the bars and restaurants in Lehns Court, turned into an open-air festival. Several hundred people were seen partying in crowded conditions, some illegally carrying alcoholic drinks outside of designated dining-drinking areas. Easton and other towns have cordoned off outdoor spaces on sidewalks and in streets to help restaurants and bars maximize the number of people they can serve within social-distance guidelines. We didnt want it to be an open, Mardi Gras-type atmosphere, Panto said. Its unfortunate. Its only a few people who ruin it all for the masses. We dont want the spread of COVID and we certainly dont want violence. Panto said he met with the owners of the establishments in that part of Centre Square to go over the rules and let them know a repeat of last weekend wont happen. He said they responded well, committing to self-enforcement. Still, the city is warning that police will enforce the rules. On top of all that, Easton police dealt with a homicide near Centre Square early Sunday morning, in which a 22-year-old Palmer Township man was killed. It was the citys second homicide in a just over a week, after a four-year span without one. Gun violence is always lurking in the Lehigh Valleys cities, and the suburbs as well. News of shots fired instills fear among neighbors. It can threaten local economies that depend on shopping, tourism and dining. And yet ... strange times. In the overall scheme of things, in terms of the threat of illness and death and economic collapse, we have more to fear from mindless beer drinkers than thugs with guns. Venturing into crowds maskless, breathing on each other, letting good times roll and alcohol rule, is wittingly playing into the hands of contagion. (And in the reported cases of young people throwing COVID drinking parties to see wholl be the first to become infected, its unforgivably reckless.) Its clear now that green doesnt mean clean not without a lot of business and behavioral changes. We fully support Panto and other leaders, who having seen that we can get a grip on COVID-19 growth and numbers arent willing to slide back into danger on the clinking glasses of revelers. Please: It is time to have fun again. Have it sensibly, or stay home. One Slate Belt township is considering changing its zoning laws at the request of a developer. Upper Mount Bethel Township supervisors voted unanimously in a special meeting Thursday to advance amendments to its zoning laws. The proposed changes now go to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and the townships planning commission for review. Planners will have 30 days to review and comment on the amendments before the township can schedule a hearing on whether to adopt them. The amendments focus on the townships industrial districts bordered by River Road, the Delaware River, Route 611 and Pine Tree Lane. The amendments are the result of discussions between township officials and developers of the proposed River Pointe Logistics Park (RPL). The development group purchased a 725-acre tract in the I-2 industrial district and has indicated it would like to build several buildings for industrial and manufacturing use. Under current zoning laws, much of the development would require conditional use applications to go before the townships zoning hearing board. The amendment removes conditional use stipulations for projects that will have a major traffic impact or be in environmentally sensitive protection areas. The amendment would also ease restrictions for developments in areas with steep slopes. However, the amendment still requires developments to adhere to all state and county environmental regulations. The amendment adds a category for Planned Industrial Parks which requires developments to adhere to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection regulations for erosion and sediment control. DEP permits for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and Stormwater Discharges Associated with Construction Activities would be required along with Post Construction Storm Water Management Plans. Developments would be required to follow DEP and federal regulations regarding wetlands and waters. Township supervisors Chairman John Bermingham said the overarching state and federal regulations will provide the township with protections, while the amendments also eliminate time-consuming zoning hearing board meetings. Bermingham said the prospect of drawn-out township hearings may convince the developers to build permitted warehouses on the property. Many residents in the township have expressed objections to warehouses being built, Bermingham said. Bermingham said he believes, after discussions with the developers, amending the zoning laws and creating a Planned Industrial Park with streamlined processes may bring higher paying and lower traffic manufacturing businesses to the development. The developers indicated that some prospective businesses for the industrial park would not be able to wait for lengthy development plans to take place, Bermingham said. Theyre under strict timelines with the businesses that want to come in, he said. Several people who wrote letters and spoke at the Thursday supervisors meeting expressed concern about the negatives of industrial development in the township. Supervisors should not be paving the way for development, some said. They have the right to develop but supervisors have a duty to uphold existing zoning, resident Loren Rabbat said. It appears your interest regarding RPL is greater to the developer, resident Charles Cole said. The township has already given him a massive tax relief. Dont give him anything more. Several supervisors said that the development will be a tax revenue boon for the township and the Bangor Area School District. Working with the developer to help build manufacturing plants rather than warehouses both helps the township and maintains the townships character, according to Supervisor Robert Teel. This is what they wanted. No warehousing, Teel said. We are keeping our town very, very rural. A copy of the text amendments is on the townships website, umbt.org. Supervisors will likely schedule a date in August for a hearing on the zoning amendments. John Best is a freelance contributor to lehighvalleylive.com. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Justice minister should not try to tame prosecution No one can overemphasize the importance of the prosecution's neutrality and independence from political power. This explains why the government and the ruling party should refrain from interfering with investigations conducted by the law enforcement agency. Yet, the Moon Jae-in administration is doing the opposite to undermine the agency's neutrality. At the forefront of the government's prosecution bashing is Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae. Since taking the helm of the Ministry of Justice in January, she has served as President Moon's sniper to fire salvos against Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. Her aim is certainly to stop him from investigating high-ranking government officials, including Moon's confidants, over corruption suspicions. Yoon, an anti-corruption crusader, seemed to have been Moon's trusted prosecution chief until the President appointed his close aide Cho Kuk, former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, as justice minister last September. But Yoon invited the ire of Moon due to the investigation into corruption allegations surrounding Cho and his family. At last Cho stepped down as justice minister only 35 days in office, and later was indicted for admissions fraud and other wrongdoings. Minister Choo's attack on Yoon culminated Thursday when she ordered Yoon to suspend the convening of an expert advisory panel to review a case in which a prosecutor, a close associate of Yoon, is suspected of colluding with a cable channel reporter in pressuring a jailed financier to divulge misdeeds by a prominent pro-government figure. She has become the second justice minister to invoke the authority to directly command the prosecution in its investigations. The first was Chun Jung-bae who ordered the prosecutor general in 2005 to investigate a professor over his controversial remarks about the nature of the 1950-53 Korean War without physical detention. Then-top prosecutor Kim Jong-bin accepted the order, but immediately resigned in protest against what was seen as the minister's interference in the case. The 2005 episode demonstrated how important it was to ensure the prosecution's political neutrality and independence. It was a clear reminder that the justice minister, whose mission is to oversee law enforcement, should not directly command the investigation of a specific case, in order to guarantee the prosecution's autonomous decisions and fair investigations. For this reason, Minister Choo should have been more cautious in exercising her authority over the prosecution. Her action is now seen as tremendous pressure on Yoon to step down. Many lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) have already made verbal attacks on Yoon in a thinly veiled attempt to force Yoon out of the agency because he has refused to stop investigating the inner circle of the incumbent power. It is wrong for the government to try to tame the prosecution chief and his agency. This also runs counter to President Moon's much-avowed prosecution reform. The core part of this reform is to promote the neutrality and independence of the prosecution in order to firmly establish the rule of law. Hundreds of thousands of Euro in public money has made its way to businesses in Laois to help them reboot after the Covid-19 pandemic crash. With many firms availing of the employment assistance fund and other schemes, a total of 633,402 extra has been approved and paid out to Laois businesses under the Governments Restart Grant to aid reopening after COVID-19, Laois/Offaly TD Charlie Flanagan has said. Dep Flanagan said the Governments Restart Grant involves direct grant aid to micro and small businesses of between 2,000 and 10,000, to help with the costs associated with reopening and re-employing workers following COVID-19 closures. Business owners and their staff have been through incredibly difficult times recently and it is so welcome that the Government is doing everything possible to support them to open up again. This work was begun by Fine Gael in the last government and it is welcome that the new Government is prioritising the recovery from the economic shock of Covid-19. They are working to repair the damage that has been done, and restore confidence and prosperity. Small businesses will play a huge role in that as they are the lifeblood of the local economy," he said. He said the Council has had an important role to play. The Restart Grant is being rolled out through the Local Authorities across the country so Laois County Council has a crucial role here. Impacted firms that are in rateable premises can apply to Laois County Council for grant support of between 2,000 and a maximum of 10,000 equivalent to their rates bill of 2019. The application form for the Restart Grant is available on the Councils website. I encourage all micro and small business owners in Laois to take a look at the website and apply for the grant to help them get back on their feet after COVID-19, he said. The former minister said the targeted supports that have been developed by the Department in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices, will be available to companies of including micro-enterprises, SMEs, and sectors most exposed with a focus on food, manufacturing and internationally traded services including exporters and importers. He said the money comes on top of a range of other supports for businesses to help them through the pandemic. He said the July Jobs Initiative, which will be announced in the coming weeks, will help to bolster our economy and get people back to work as quickly as possible. He said it would enhance and add to the existing measures totalling 12 billion in supports for Covid-19 impacted businesses already announced. He added that Tanaiste Leo Varadkar announced that 183 retailers have been approved for 6.5 million in funding as part of the Online Retail Scheme, which is targeted at online retailers to strengthen their online offering and enable them to reach a wider customer base. Other measures listed by Minister Flanagan include the Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS), liquidity supports such as 0% finance for 6 months from MicroFinance Ireland, rates waivers from local authorities and the warehousing of tax liabilities of SMEs by Revenue. The doctor who is taking up the baton from Dr Tony Holohan in the fight against Covid-19 has urged the public not to become complacent about the disease. Dr Ronan Glynn called out complacency in a statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team which confirmed that the virus remains suppressed but that more people have died and been infected. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSPC) has today been informed that a total of 2 people with COVID-19 have died. There has now been a total of 1,740 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of midnight Thursday, July 2, the HPSC has been notified of 9 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 25,498 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread. The COVID-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of COVID-19 in the community. Dr Ronan Glynn, is Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, following Dr Holohan's decision to step aside due to his wife's illness. Irelands 14-day incidence of COVID-19 is now less than 3 cases per 100,000. This is amongst the lowest in Europe and demonstrates that the disease remains suppressed in our communities. The key to maintaining this status is responsible for individual behaviours and avoiding any complacency. HIQAs report on mortality today demonstrates that we have comprehensively recorded deaths relating to COVID-19 in Ireland by following the recommended WHO approach. We have consistently recorded and published data on all deaths where a person had COVID-19 or was suspected to have COVID-19. This reporting gives us a robust understanding of the impact of the disease in Ireland and continues to inform our response, he said. The position of Laois on the political backbenches nationally has been sealed by Sinn Fein despite the fact their candidate here topped the poll in the Laois Offaly constituency. Mary Lou McDonald has demoted Sinn Fein TD Laois Offaly TD Brian Stanely from the party's front bench. The decision is a major blow to the poll-topping Laois Offaly TD in February's General Election. The former Portlaoise town and county councillor was first elected to the Dail in 2011 taking a seat from Fianna Fail. He retained his seat in Laois 2016 and topped the poll in the reunited Laois Offaly constituency in 2020. He was previously the party's spokesman on agriculture and housing. Despite Sinn Fein's stated claim that 'there is strong representation from across the regions' on its front bench, none of its new spokespeople are based in the Midlands. "New government Ministers will have to be on their toes and on top of their briefs because they will be matched by a very energetic, very determined Sinn Fein leading the opposition," said Ms McDonald in her statement. Dep Stanley said he looked forward to filling another, as yet, unspecified role. "The party is working towards a plan in the 33rd Dail which Mary Lou and I discussed months ago. I will have a key role in that which I am more than happy with," he said. Dep Stanley's Laois colleagues were also relegated last week. Micheal Martin overlooked Sean Fleming for both senior and junior ministries. After six years at the cabinet, the new Taoiseach also chose not to appoint Charlie Flanagan as a senior or junior minister. Laois voters must now depend on Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen of Fianna Fail and Pippa Hackett of the Green Party who is a super junior Minister of State Pippa Hackett. Both are Laois Offaly TDs. Meanwhile, up to 12,000 people living in Laois and Offaly will have to call on the services of Fine Gael TD for Kildare South, Martin Heydon who has been appointed as Minister of State also in the Department of Agriculture. Portarlington and its hinterland was moved into South Kildare at the 2020 General Election. Sinn Fein and an Independent took the other two seats on offer alongside Mr Heydon. Fianna Fail lost a seat. Sean O Fearghaill was returned automatically because he was Ceann Comhairle. Leitrim's county councillors have unanimously backed a motion calling on all political parties and Independents to immediately begin work on drafting a new National Plan to replace the existing 2020-2040 plan, in light of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Cllr Des Guckian brought forward the proposal at last Friday's council meeting noting the pandemic had significantly changed the economic and social landscape of the country. Since the arrival of Covid, the country is all turned on its head, he said. The current National Plan 2020-2040 had an urban hierarchy at its core. It was a European model (for development) and not the right national model for Ireland. The Independent councillor said that you cannot compare the urban and rural environments of Ireland and said it was vital that the current National Plan be revised to take into account the impact of Covid-19. He noted that more people are working remotely and said the focus should be to ensure the provision of high speed fibre broadband to all rural areas in an emergency situation. He said that it is also crucial that planning issues for rural Ireland be addressed in light of the fact that more people are now considering the move out of urban areas. Let's get to it an give (planning) permissions which are widely needed, he said. We have got to use the Covid situation as an opportunity to renew rural Ireland and the West of Ireland in particular. He said at local level councillors will need a new national blueprint for the next County Development Plan as the old one is now totally obsolete. Cathaoirleach Cllr Mary Bohan said that she was happy to second the motion and said that it was something that all members could support. Cllr Guckian asked that the motion be forwarded to all the parties and the Independents in the Dail. The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA), the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), and the Ibec representative group Drinks Ireland is calling for a temporary reduction in the hospitality VAT rate; and extending it to apply to alcohol sales in the on-trade (pubs and bars), until 31 December 2020 and as part of the July stimulus programme promised. The group, which collectively represents over 5,000 pubs in Ireland, has today launched Protect our Pubs a public campaign to highlight the important social and cultural role that the drinks and hospitality industry play in our communities and to demonstrate the loss that would be felt should some pubs not reopen due to Covid-19. Approximately two in three Dublin pubs have reopened this week. Outside of Dublin, more than 60% of pubs remain closed. For the pubs that have, or intend to reopen, Government guidelines will mean a significant change in how they operate and how consumers experience the Irish pub. Reduced capacity - with some operating at 50% capacity or less with time-limits on customer visits and zero tourism will leave many vulnerable, struggling to meet costs and trading at a loss. The outlook for pubs and hospitality businesses for 2020 and 2021 is harrowing. Over 70 percent of Irelands tourism revenue comes from overseas visitors this is currently lost as the country is effectively closed to tourists. This is exacerbating the situation for our drinks and hospitality industry which rely on tourism for custom in many parts of the country. Equally, our pubs drive and promote our tourism product as one of the most popular experiences for tourists, so need to be protected. A reduction in the VAT rate on alcohol would support the reopening of pubs and the call comes following comments from Failte Ireland chief executive who said the pandemics impact on tourism has been catastrophic and dwarfs all previous crises, ahead of the Covid Committee today. An important community hub The majority of Irelands pubs are small, family-owned businesses. In many communities, they act as social hubs, community centres and the only place to meet and socialise in rural communities. However, without significant financial supports to trade under these exceptional circumstances in the short-term, some of these businesses are at risk of permanent closure. A reduction in the hospitality VAT rate, and extending it to apply to alcohol sales in the on-trade will provide pubs with immediate and tangible support to deal with the increased costs of re-opening and to maintain jobs until trade picks up again. According to DCU Economist, Anthony Foley, such a measure would cost 143 million to implement, and would bring Ireland in line with other EU countries, which are using temporary reductions in VAT to provide immediate support to their drinks, hospitality, and tourism businesses in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. A detailed report on the VAT rate on on-trade alcohol, authored by Economist Anthony Foley, is due to be published in the coming days. Protect Our Pubs is calling on the new Government to protect these businesses and on the public to get behind this campaign to protect pubs throughout the country at #NewGovProtectOurPubs. Launching the campaign today, Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) Chief Executive, Padraig Cribben said: The Covid-19 crisis has had a devastating impact on Irelands drinks and hospitality industry. The financial burden on pubs as they adapt to the new measures of social distancing, reduced capacity, expenditure on perspex screens and PPE, is significant. For many, it will be too much, and they wont be in a position to re-open on 20 July. Irelands pubs are part of the vibrant social and cultural fabric of our cities, towns and villages. They are where many of us convene to see friends, enjoy music or celebrate a significant milestone something we have missed over the past three and a half months. Protect our Pubs is a reminder to us all of the value of our local pub and a direct call to the new Government to support them to get back on their feet. CEO of the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA), Donall OKeeffe added: As our sector reopens over the coming months, it will do so under new and unique circumstances, completely at odds with what it previously meant to enjoy our culture and heritage in the pub. We have had to completely change our business model and the VAT model should change to reflect our new reality. Public support for our campaign to protect Irelands pubs is crucial to ensure that the Government understands the gravity of the situation our industry is in. Director of Drinks Ireland, Patricia Callan said: Our new Taoiseach has vowed to reboot the economy with urgency and ambition the drinks and hospitality industry is one which requires urgent support and ambitious policy. A reduction and extension of the hospitality VAT rate to on-trade alcohol sales would tangibly deliver for the industry. Equally, it is in line the Minister for Finances ambition for measures in the July stimulus programme to have an immediate impact and effect in 2020. The doctor who has led Ireland's fight against Covid-19 is to step away from his role to spend time with his family and care for his wife who has cancer and is receiving palliative care. Dr Tony Holohan, Ireland's Chief Medical Officer, made a personal statement at the end the media briefing at the Department of Health where he urged every Irish person to make the fight against Covid-19 an individual mission. "From today I'll be taking time out from all of my work commitments to be with my family. My wife Emer was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, in 2012. She's had a number of difficult years with her disease and was admitted for palliative care last Saturday and I now want to give my energy and attention and all of my time to Emer and to our two teenage children Clodagh and Ronan," he said. He urged everyone in Ireland to make the fight against the virus an individual challenge. What has been a collective and effective national effort to suppress COVID-19 in Ireland, now also becomes an individual mission. Every person must risk assess their own environments, make appropriate decisions about where they will go and who they will meet, and how they can ensure their safety and the safety of those around them. Continue to follow public health advice, understand the risks of your actions and environments and stay safe, he said. Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan says he is taking time out from work commitments to be with his family. A plan has been put in place for others to take over responsibility for different aspects of his role. Dr Ronan Glynn will take over as acting Chief Medical Officer pic.twitter.com/XBthm9ll9f July 2, 2020 An Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, thanked Dr Holohan for helping to guide this country through the Covid-19 emergency. "His work, experience and briefings helped people to understand the gravity of the situation facing us, while his calmness reassured us that if we followed the guidelines and advice we would overcome these great challenges together. Every home in Ireland has come to know Dr Tony Holohan. His leadership during the pandemic has given us all confidence that the decisions being made are based on solid public health advice. As a country we owe him and his family a great debt of gratitude," he said. Dr Ronan Glynn, who has been at Dr Holohan's side, has been appointed acting chief medical officer. Broadband provision in the village of Drumkeeran has split the community with half the village able to access high speed broadband and the other half unable to do so. The matter was raised at the June Manorhamilton Municipal District meeting and was also raised again at last Friday's main Council meeting. Speaking at the Manorhamilton Municipal meeting, Cllr Mary Bohan said that the people of Drumkeeran have been left waiting years for broadband and now there is high speed fibre broadband for some of the village and part of the village has no access. This is simply unacceptable after so many years of promises and waiting, said Cllr Bohan. She said she could not understand why, when Eir was upgrading broadband services, they failed to cover the entire village. Not to cover the whole village when they did this work, well the mind boggles, said Cllr Bohan. She said the situation was even more appalling when you consider the number of people who are now having to work from home as a result of Covid-19 restrictions. Cllr Bohan pointed out that in some houses she was aware of parents who were having to get up at 5am in order to complete work on the internet before the rest of the family had to log on for schoolwork. It is difficult enough to try and work from home. People shouldn't have to face challenges with broadband as well, especially when some parts of the village have better services than others. That's simply unfair, she said. Cllr Padraig Fallon said his family had been waiting for fixed line broadband to be provided by Eir for years and had recently went with a private company because they needed access to some form of broadband. He was aware of many other families who were in a similar position. Now the cables are running past some houses (in Drumkeeran) and yet families can't get access to high speed broadband, he pointed out. I would have imagined it would be in the best interest of a company, financially, to provide connections to as many households as possible. What has happened in Drumkeeran just doesn't make sense. Cllr Justin Warnock said the shortcomings in broadband provision have become very obvious as a result of Covid-19. People need proper broadband to work and do schoolwork from home and it is clear that many households don't have access to proper broadband here in Leitrim, he observed. His comments were echoed by Cllr Sean McDermott who suggested that, at the very least, broadband connections should be provided at community centres to allow them to be used as hubs for those working remotely. This would allow community centres to make a little bit of money and it would also help those who simply can't get good broadband at home, he said. New Minister must fast-track rollout of broadband At the main Council meeting last Friday, Cathaoirleach Cllr Bohan again raised the need for fast-tracking of high speed broadband provision throughout the county and again highlighted the situation in Drumkeeran. Although a spokesperson for the Council said they had received an update stating that fibre broadband was available to homes in the village of Drumkeeran, Cllr Bohan said this is clearly not the case and (the Council) isn't being given the full facts. As I said at the Municipal District meeting, part of the village is unable to access this service. It is unacceptable, she said. With so many people now working remotely it is more important than ever that people have access to high speed broadband. She asked that the Council write to the Minister for Communications asking that measures to speed up the provision of broadband be implemented as a matter of urgency. Her motion received unanimous support and Cllr Des Guckian suggested that broadband provision should be rolled out in an emergency procedure as part of a nationalised operation similar to that undertaken during the electrification of rural Ireland in the 40s, 50s and 60s. Cllr Guckian described the rollout of broadband in rural Ireland as a joke and said it was clear that rural communities were suffering as a result. A NEW youth-friendly mental health service is set to open in OConnell Street in Limerick shortly. Jigsaw, which offers free and confidential mental health supports for young people aged up to 25, is already recruiting for a handful of positions. It comes after more than 700,000 was assigned for the service by the previous government for the service, which can provide up to six free counselling sessions for youngsters. Labours former Education Minister Jan OSullivan has welcomed the announcement, saying the recruitment process is taking place through co-operation between the HSE and the Limerick Youth Service. Limerick Youth Service has also received additional resources to help manage and support these young people who find themselves trying to cope personally with these difficult situations, Ms OSullivan confirmed. Far too often, we encounter people when they are in crisis, none more so than those who experience mental health pressures and as such the services that will soon be provided by trained staff in Jigsaw will hopefully help those suffering before they reach a crisis point, she said. Ms OSullivan says the new service is about ensuring youngsters have access to youth-friendly health services. It is not just about professionals, but also building capacity in communities to support young people and challenging all of us to become engaged in our young peoples wellbeing, she said. Once the centre has been set up, young people experiencing anxiety, anger, stress, social isolation will be able to avail of the counselling sessions, Ms OSullivan added. It is anticipated Jigsaw would be able to provide 1,500 face-to-face sessions with young people each year. The service is already in place in ten places across Ireland including Kerry, a number in Dublin, Donegal, Offaly and Kerry. A PROTEST will take place this Thursday following the decision of Bank of Ireland to withdraw counter services at its Caherdavin branch. The bank, which recently announced the closure of its branch at the Parkway Shopping Centre, has defended the changes, which are due to take effect next week. Bank of Ireland is re-configuring services at its Caherdavin branch to reflect changes in how consumers are conducting their banking business and to enable us maintain services to our customers in these branches on a sustainable basis into the future, said the company in a statement. Mags Brown, vice chairperson of the Caherdavin Residents Association, is urging people to attend the protest to show their opposition to the plans. The protest, which has been organised in association with the ICA, takes place at 11.15am at the Caherdavin Branch of Bank of Ireland at the Jetland Shopping Centre. The elderly will have a problem using machines, they are not used to using them and they are taking away all of the tellers so there are going to be no tellers in there and our issues are to do with security and technology, said Mags who has dismissed the banks assertions that the new system will meet the needs of customers. It just feels like it is discrimination against the elderly, we bailed out the banks and all we are asking for is one teller over there but they are saying we have to move on with the times, she added. Bank or Ireland says the self-service and advice model, which is being extended to Caherdavin will provide customers with a range of products and services including access to online and 365 phone services. They will also be able to lodge and withdraw cash from self-service machines. THE Courts Service of Ireland has been criticised over its decision not to include any public parking spaces within Limericks new multi-million euro criminal courts complex. When it opens in twelve months time, the complex will incorporate six court rooms, custody facilities and a number of offices. The facility, which will be 7,350 square metres in size, is being built at a site, known locally as Costellos Yard - which is adjacent to Limerick Prison. Construction work began last year after BAM Building (formerly Rohcon) was awarded the contract for the project by the National Development Finance Agency. Concerns have been expressed by a number of stakeholders about the lack of parking within the new development and the impact this may have on traffic in the immediate vicinity of the complex. A spokesperson for the Courts Service has confirmed there will be no facility for members of the public including witnesses and jurors to park when attending court. There will be car parking for staff, An Garda Siochana, the Prison Service and the judiciary. There will be no public parking in this or in any new court facility we build, he said. Solicitor Darach McCarthy, who is a committee member with the BAR Association in Limerick, has accused the Courts Service of ignoring the real concerns of court users. The attitude has been frightening there has been no consultation and I have grave concerns. There has been a gross disregard for the needs of court users particularly jurors and potential witnesses, he said. The Limerick Leader understands that concerns in relation to parking and traffic management at the new courts complex were first raised more than a year ago and at a number of high-level meetings since. We have a policy of locating court facilities near public transport, or central to a town, or near publicly available parking facilities. In Limerick there is plentiful public parking in nearby facilities," said the Courts Service spokesman. Limerick City and County Council has echoed this view with a spokesperson insisting there is sufficient parking in the immediate vicinity of the new complex to cater for demand. On-street parking operates on all streets adjacent to the development, while adequate off-street parking is available to sustain the development in nearby Summer Street and Cornmarket Square, which include pre-booking provisions and late night parking, said the spokesperson. He added the provision of traffic and parking provisions in respect to staff and public users of the new courthouse have been addressed by the planning process. By Kwon Yule-jung There were two very sad stories involving Korea in the last century: one was of the country's colonzation; and the other, the tragic fratricidal Korean War (1950-1953), just less than five years after independence had been gained. The Korean Peninsula was divided into two along the 38th Parallel as soon as the harsh colonial rule of nearly 35 years ended. During the extreme turmoil following independence in 1945, the Korean Peninsula was actually governed by the two superpowers, the United States and the then Soviet Union, which stood respectively for the South and the North. I had once read that the dividing line at the 38th parallel had been decided by an American army colonel in consultation with his Soviet counterpart in reference to a World Atlas published by National Geographic. They might have concluded that the peninsula could be roughly divided into half along the 38th line. It showed that when a nation lacks power, it lies vulnerable to being taken advantage of by superpowers. Many historic incidents or events like the commencement of general elections, the proclamation of the Constitution and the launch of new governments took place. With so many political parties with different ideologies, there seemed to be no end to the extreme confusion on this peninsula. Then, on June 25, 1950, the North invaded the South. As widely known, Seoul was conquered by North Korean forces in just three days. The South's forces were lacking in arms, outnumbered and unprepared; it had no other options but to retreat to the line of Daegu until Aug. 1. Even Task Force Smith under the 24th Infantry Division of the United States Army was defeated in the first battle in Osan on July 5. The commanding general of the division, William Dean, went missing in Daejeon on July 20 and was eventually captured by a North Korean sympathizer about one month later and imprisoned by the North Korean authorities for the next three years. All these occurrences are well documented. But we should not forget that without the Battle of the Korea Straits and the decisive victory by the southern sailors of the warship Baekdu Mountain, the war would have likely ended in less than one month and in the North's favor. Then we all might have lived under the last three generations of North Korean dictatorship. The battle broke out in the strait lying between Busan and Japan's Tsushima around midnight of June 26, less than a day after, or more exactly, 20 hours into the Korean War. The southern warship sailed into the Sea of Japan after embarking from the port of Jinhae early June 25. About 60 Navy officers and sailors were on board. They detected a mysterious ship without ensign, flag or specific number shown in large block numbers on the ship's starboard and port sides. The courageous sailors fired massive quantities of rounds into it. The North Korean warship was completely wrecked and sunk with some 600 enemy combatants aboard. If the North's specialized forces had landed in Busan, they could have taken over the city which was not ready for any battle, and began the push north, maybe up to Daegu, without meeting any resistance as their forces descended from the north. The war might have ended right there. We should show our utmost respect and gratitude to those great southern sailors for their defense of our country's permanent freedom and peace on the 70th anniversary of the great Battle of Korea Strait. Kwon Yule-jung is chief director of Busan Regional Office of Patriots and Veterans Affairs A DROP of Baileys liqueur in her coffee every night could be the secret to the longevity of Bridie MacNeil, who has celebrated her 105th birthday. The fierce will, good humour and strongly held principles of the Glin lady could be other reasons, as she is among the few to have turned down a gift of 2,540 the centenary bounty from President Michael D. Higgins upon reaching her milestone birthday. She is one of just fifteen 105 year-olds in the State, according to the office of the President, which awards the centenarian bounty for those aged over 100. Bridie MacNeil (nee McNamara) was surrounded by close friends and family in the Oaklands nursing home, just outside Listowel in north Kerry, as she celebrated her 105th on St Valentines day, February 14 last toasting the occasion with her tipple of choice Baileys. The third eldest in a family of nine, she has now outlived her fellow eight siblings. She loves a drop of Baileys, her niece Breda Culhane told the Limerick Leader. She has it in her coffee at night. She says it helps her sleep. She never smoked, has a great appetite, isnt fussy about food, and loves her dinner. She has always loved reading Maeve Binchys novels, but has given up on watching the soaps on TV, she added. Having lived in America and Canada for over 80 years, Bridie felt that she wasnt entitled to or deserving of the once-off gift bestowed on all Irish citizens aged 100 and over, she explained. While her family submitted the relevant documentation for her to receive the bounty, Bridie declined to accept it, even when a clerical officer travelled to west Limerick to confirm she was still alive and had reached 100. Instead, Breda said Bridie adored her American passport, and cherished receiving a letter on her birthday from the American Embassy in Dublin. She said Bridie grew up in an era when people werent entitled to things for free, which was especially ingrained in her when her mother was widowed when her youngest child was nine months old. She often speaks about meeting Rose Kennedy in Boston, and she has great to mollycoddle the young Irish priests when she met them in the big houses. Even at 103 she kept saying she wanted to go back to America, but when she was there she always spoke about coming home to Ireland. She always described herself as an Irish-American, she said. After working in factories in Boston, and as a chaperone to wealthy families, she married in her 50s, had no children, and moved the 660 miles away to Nova Scotia, where her husband, Don MacNeil, had a farm. Born in Cahara, Glin, in 1912, Bridie returned home to west Limerick after the death of her husband in 2002. Aged 17, she boarded the RMS Carinthia in 1928 a British Cunard Line passenger ship which was later sunk in 1940 along with her sister Anne, as they sought to find a better life in America. After spending 30 years in Boston, where she met her husband, they moved to Nova Scotia in Canada, and lived there until his death 15 years ago. Her sister Anne, who made the life-changing voyage with her, married an Italian and lived in Boston all her life. When she moved home, Bridie lived with her niece Breda and her husband Jack Culhane at Cahara until four years ago. A spokesperson for the Presidents office confirmed that as of May last, their most recent available figures, there were three 108 year-olds living in Ireland, four 107 year-olds, and fifteen 105 year-olds. In 2016 the office awarded bounties to 241 people in Ireland aged 100 or over, and a further 176 Irish born nationals living outside the State, totalling 417 Irish people aged over 100. In 2015, there were 404 Irish people aged 100 or over awarded the once-off bounty of 2,540 once they reach the centenary landmark. They included 214 people living in Ireland, and 190 living outside the State, predominantly in the UK and the US. The oldest known living Irish person was 113-year-old Kathleen Snavely, from Feakle in Clare, who passed away in New York in 2015. There are currently no reported living supercentenarians those aged 110 or over -from Ireland. PHOTOGRAPHER Gerry Andrews has found that the generosity of people he has met around the world during his travels can pose unexpected and unique difficulties. But after travelling the globe he has come up with an easy get-out clause, without causing offence. How can you say No when someone offers you a tarantula and its a delicacy in the Amazon rainforest, and you dont want to cause offence? Or how do you say no to intestines with fresh blood, or a feast of raw snake? he asked the audience who gathered at the opening of his travel photography exhibition, Faces and Places: A Photographers Journey, in the Hunt Museum on Friday last. He developed a bit of a fail safe position, a little white lie, and now his default mechanism when offered some rare treat is to say its the month of St Patrick at home in Ireland and my religion prevents me from eating anything other than rice and cereal bars. That gets me out of a lot of difficulty, he laughed. As he opened his first major photographic show in four years, he felt the same sense of anticipation as he did when he first showed his now iconic collection of black and white images of the forgotten faces of Limerick, from the Milk Market, to a worldwide audience. The subject matter of both run in the same vein people, their life stories and struggles, and capturing the essence of human dignity irrespective of the hardships they have borne. The context and the location may differ on this occasion, but his minds eye remains focused on one undisputable quality. Mr Andrews, who hails from Wolfe Tone Street in the city but who has lived in Dublin for decades, said a certain sense of deja vu came over him on Friday night. When he opened the last collection, he was very apprehensive in case people felt I was depicting people as Frank McCourt did in Angelas Ashes. But nothing could be further from the truth. Worries washed over him again at the weekend, as he feared he may not do his subjects justice. How can a photograph capture the smells, the sounds, and the assault on the senses when you travel through south east Asia and India? Its just not possible for a camera to capture that. How can a camera do justice to a sunrise over the Himalayas? Or capture the tranquility and the reverence of a monk as hes meditating in Burma? Its just not possible. Equally, its not possible for a camera to capture the generosity and sheer willingness of people to share what little they have with a traveller in impoverished communities. Theres a similarity between the Milk Market and some of the places Ive been to, because people are fundamentally the same the world over, and in many respects those from an impoverished environment tend to be the most generous and Ive been astonished and amazed by the generosity of people as Ive travelled, said Mr Andrews. Professor Vincent Cunnane, president of Limerick Institute of Technology, who opened the exhibition, which runs for the month, said the large attendance was testament to Gerry and his enduring appeal. Prof Cunnane praised his body of compelling images, through his tremendous range of technical skills and his engagement with humanity, the combination of which has produced a form of high art. He brought his iconic images of Limerick people to a worldwide audience, and now he has brought his worldwide images to a local audience. The connection is still people; its still real. Taking in scenes from across Europe, south east Asia, Ethiopia, Cuba, and north America, it runs until Sunday, March 26. P 14 city edition for pictures A HIGH-PROFILE councillor has revealed shes had to beg her teenage children not to respond to the horrific abuse shes received on the Internet. Fine Gael City East member Sarah Kiely, who is the metropolitan district leader uses the social media network Twitter to communicate with her constituents. But in an interview with the Limerick Leader, she has outlined some of the unpleasant interactions she has had, and urged people to think before they type. The minute I put councillor in front of my name, people changed towards me on Twitter in particular. Ive had some horrible stuff. People calling me incompetent and underqualified. But Im not engaging with these kind of people. Dont give these people the oxygen, dont let them rent space in your head as they are not paying rent, she said. Cllr Kiely who lost her partner and childhood sweetheart Damien to cancer in 2018 said a number of her other local authority colleagues had also endured rotten experiences on Twitter. Its not good enough. We are public representatives yes, but we are also people. My kids will see it, and its there forever. Other people will see it, she said. It got so bad at one point last week, she took a break from Twitter for a few days. You have to take a step back to protect yourself. If youre not feeling okay, Twitter is not the place to be. I got very upset. But you have to understand the number of people who use Twitter is not a reflective demographic at all, she added. The single mum-of-two said if she started answering everyone on Twitter, she could spend up to 10 hours a day behind a computer screen. In a lot of cases, it doesnt matter what I say, they are still going to criticise me. So I am not saying anything, she added. These same people when tragedy happens, theres an outpouring. They tell us to be kind. My kids have been upset about whats been said to me on social media. Ive had to tell them that I dont want you to answer them, I dont want you to defend me. When you have to say that to your kids, thats wrong, said Cllr Kiely mum to Tiernan, 15, and Emily, 19. In recent weeks, the row over the pedestrianisation of Catherine Street has sparked a huge debate on Twitter, with Cllr Kiely taking criticism over her stance. It led her to write on Twitter: We all have choices, I choose to stay positive, if you abuse me or get personal on social media you need to cop on. Independent councillor Emmett OBrien, who has also been targeted, wrote: Trolls and bullies on social media seem to think public reps are fair game. THE care Amy Hinchy witnessed her aunt Kathleen receive in the final weeks of her life inspired her to take up a career in cancer nursing. Amy, from Castletroy, wanted to do all she could to help other cancer patients in similar situations. A staff nurse at University Hospital Limerick, Amy is hoping her story will raise awareness of a new Irish Cancer Society fundraising event to replace the Colour Dash fun runs which usually take place in Limerick and across the country around this time of year. I think you know more about what people are going through when you have been on the other side yourself, said Amy of her decision to pursue a career in cancer nursing. Im working in 4B at the moment which is the oncology services in UHL. Im qualified since last year and Ive been working there since December. Amy was incredibly close to her aunt Kathleen Hinchy from Pallasgreen, who was a long-time volunteer at Limerick Animal Welfare. Amy saw her bravely battle a number of cancer diagnoses before she passed away at the care centre in Milford. I was like a daughter to her. She was a very nice person, very friendly. She had a great love for animals, Amy recalled. Amy was a nursing student in university at the time of Kathleens passing in 2017. Amy has fundraised a lot of money for both the Irish Cancer Society and Milford Care Centre through a number of events, including donating some of her hair to the Little Princess Fund. The month after Kathleen passed away, Amy took part in the Colour Dash. The first one I did was in Phoenix Park and when I came home I did the Limerick one last year. One of the most popular and fun fundraisers for cancer care, after each kilometre during the Colour Dash, a different colour representing a different cancer of powder paint is thrown at participants, creating a kaleidoscope of colour. Unfortunately as with Daffodil Day, The Irish Cancer Society had to cancel this years Colour Dash races due to Covid-19. However, Amy is doing all she can to support the upcoming replacement event called the Colour Dash Family 5k which people are encouraged to do from home this Sunday, July 5. People can bike, scoot, skip or jog the 5k dressed in their favourite bright colours. Why not get creative and decorate your bikes and scooters too! I think everybody knows somebody who has had cancer. For people going through it, there are great services such as counselling, night nurses, and there are people who volunteer as well. Funding is so important for these people to do what they do, said Amy. For more details about the Family 5k see www.Cancer.ie/ColourDash GARDAI have launched an investigation after a tree on the Hyde Road was cut down and removed overnight. It is believed that it was the tree struck by a car being driven by Patrick Pio O'Reilly, of Kilmurry, Castletroy in the early hours of last Friday morning, June 26. Mr O'Reilly and a cyclist Saad Al Werfally both died. Almost exactly a week later to the minute, the tree was cut down and taken away last night. All that is left this morning is earth - the hole has been filled in. Burst balloons and scattered flowers are the only clue that it was a shrine. A garda spokesperson said: "Gardai are investigating a criminal damage incidents in which a tree was cut down on Hyde Road at around 11.30pm on July 2, 2020. The road was closed for a short time and reopened." A Limerick City and County Council spokesperson said they were "unaware" of the removal of the tree. The Leader believes that the perpetrators blocked traffic on the Hyde Road around midnight while it was cut down with a chainsaw. A tribute on the next tree by Analog Devices "in loving memory of our colleague Saad El Werfally" was untouched. There were emotional scenes at Shannon Airport this Friday evening as almost 150 children arrived from Belarus as part of the Chernobyl Children Internationals (CCI) Rest and Recuperation Programme. The programme sees children being taken out of the Chernobyl-affected regions for much needed respite care in Ireland with an extensive network of host families. You can feel the love at Shannon today - here's a hug compilation as the @Chernobyl Children arrive for a month-long stay @Limerick_Leader pic.twitter.com/1JTNaW9J3l Maria Flannery (@mariaflan) June 23, 2017 Several of the children who arrived this Friday will be staying with host families in County Limerick over the summer. Since the disaster in 1986, more than 25,000 children from Belarus and Western Russia have come to Ireland on Rest and Recuperation programmes. This is the manifestation of real love and action and the power of Irish generosity and compassion to keep going 31 years after Chernobyl. These (children) are the living embodiment of that disaster which happened in 1986 and in a sense they are the ones that show us that Chernobyl remains an unfolding disaster, said Adi Roche, founder of CCI. Mikhail, who is going to Mayo, is ready with his cap pic.twitter.com/kZP7OmBUsN Maria Flannery (@mariaflan) June 23, 2017 Host families from 13 counties all over Ireland welcomed the children at Shannon Airport for the start of their month-long, life-prolonging respite holiday, during which time radiation levels in the children drop by nearly 50 per cent and up to two years is added to their life expectancy. NEW DELHI : Power Minister R K Singh on Friday said that India will import power equipment from China, amid border standoff with China. During a virtual press conference with state counterparts, he also asserted that the equipment import from China and Pakistan would not be permitted especially on the basis of inspection. He further said state discoms should not give orders for supply of equipment to Chinese firms. "We manufacture everything here. India imported 71,000 crore worth power equipment including 21,000 crore from China," Singh said in the state energy ministers conference chaired by him this morning in his opening remarks. He said: "This (huge import of power equipment) is something we cannot tolerate that a country will transgress into our territory....we will not take anything from China and Pakistan." He further said, "we will not give permission for import from Prior Reference countries. We are affected. There could be malware or trojen horse in those (imports from China) which they can activate remotely (to cripple our power systems)." Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Many believe that the early to mid-1970s were probably the Canadian-born rock musician Neil Youngs best years. It was during those years that Young produced some of his best studio albums, notably the much acclaimed Harvest, which came out in 1972, but also On The Beach (1974) and Tonights The Night (1975). So when Young announced that he would release in late June an album he had recorded during that period but one that he had kept under wraps for 46 years, anticipation among his fans worldwide ran high. They werent disappointed. Homegrown, a studio album of a set of 10 songs, was recorded in 1974-75. Chronologically, Homegrown ought to have come probably after Harvest but before Tonights The Night but for some reason (and theories about that abound), Young, now 74, kept it in abeyance. Sometimes, such lost" recordings by well-known artists can turn out to be bummerswhen they come out years later, they leave fans disappointed. Homegrown, however, is such a refreshing blast from Youngs past that it deserves to be counted as one of his best studio albums. Young has been an incredibly prolific musician. He has released 40 studio albums in a career that began in the early 1960s and is still flourishing. Last year, with his old band Crazy Horse, he released Colorado, a passionate set of songs on which Young touches on themes related to the continuing degradation of the environment, issues that he, as an activist, has been especially concerned about. It was a stunningly fresh album of original songs from the septuagenarian and can be counted as one of his classics. Homegrown is different. It is a set of bittersweet love songs, recorded when Young was around 30 and going through a difficult emotional phase in his life. He was breaking up with the actor Carrie Snodgress, with whom he had had a son, and the albums songs reflect the mixture of emotions that he might have been undergoinghope, regret, sorrow and fond remembrance. In his website-cum-vault, Neil Young Archives, a treasure trove of his work and a compulsory destination for his fans, he wrote: Its the sad side of a love affair. The damage done. The heartache. I just couldnt listen to it. I wanted to move on. So I kept it to myself, hidden away in the vault, on the shelf, in the back of my mind." There are other theories too about why Young did not release that album. One of them is that perhaps he was not happy about the way the recording had shaped up. But as it happens, Homegrown is a fans delight. The stripped-down, predominantly acoustic-sounding songs on the album fit so neatly between Harvest and Tonights The Night that listening to it now can seem uncanny. And once you know the backstory, the songs provide an intimate insight into what he was going throughand you can sense the contrast between his earlier album, Harvest, and Homegrown. On Harvest, in the song A Man Needs A Maid, which he recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, Young was inspired after watching Snodgress in a film and falling in love with her. Homegrowns song are, obviously, quite different. The opening track on it, Separate Ways, is a poignant, bittersweet song about breaking up. Young sings: I wont apologize/ The light shone from in your eyes/ It isnt gone/ And it will soon come back again. That is followed by Try, a song with the fragile hope of reuniting with his lost love. Later in the album comes White Line, another bittersweet song, and Vacancy, where he yearns for his lost love. Young has performed some of Homegrowns songs in his live shows through the years but on the album, played together as part of one set, they sound stunningly confessional and intimate. There are a few weird tracks too on Homegrown. Florida, a spoken-word riff on gliders crashing into buildings; and a stoner ode, We Dont Smoke it No More, are two examples. Yet the rest of the album makes up in heaps for such aberrations. Star Of Bethlehem and Little Wing are among the songs that he has performed or released on other albums recorded much later but their early versions on Homegrown are superb. There are additional bonuses for fans of 1970s rock. On two tracks, The Bands drummer, the late Levon Helm, is featured, while The Bands Robbie Robertson plays guitar on another, and the country and folk singer Emmylou Harris provides backing vocals on two songs. Young has been an evergreen musician. After nearly 60 years as a professional musician, he still turns out albums with a passion that is exceptional among rocks surviving old stars. His albums even in recent years have been largely consistent in terms of quality. And his voice, with its trademark nasal twinge, has aged well. But for his fans, Homegrown, a surprise flashback from the 1970s, will be a much-cherished album, fitting like a missing link into the artists phenomenal legacy. On his archives, Young regularly releases old, forgotten recordings. And there is talk that two more yet-unreleased albums from the 1970sone of them titled Chrome Dreams, recorded towards the end of that decademay soon see the light of day. If Homegrown is a preview of what could come, his fans may be in for a treat. First Beat is a column on whats new and groovy in the world of music. @sanjoynarayan Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics The Indian military has been talking about a two-front war with neighbors Pakistan and China for decades to keep politicians focused on defense spending. Now that scenario is looking ever more realistic, with conflicts flaring on both its disputed borders. Talks earlier this week between top Chinese and Indian army commanders in the Ladakh region ended without a major breakthrough, the second such attempt to cool things down since 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops were killed on June 15 in their worst clash in four decades. Around the same time, weapons and explosives were recovered and two suspected terrorists were killed after a 15-hour gun battle some 660 kilometers (410 miles) away in south Kashmir, officials said. India has fought four wars with China and Pakistan since it gained freedom from British rule in 1947, but it has never had to defend both borders at the same time. Indian military officials are growing concerned that China and Pakistan might gang up on New Delhi at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modis government is faced with surging coronavirus infections. New Delhi is clearly under great pressure, whether from Covid-19, along the Line of Control in Kashmir, or from China," said Ian Hall, professor of international relations at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, and author of Modi and the Reinvention of Indian Foreign Policy. We have seen relations with both Islamabad and Beijing worsen over the past few years, and the result is that both have decided to escalate things during the pandemic, when the Modi government is stretched and distracted." The Indian military is huge and contingencies are always kept in mind, said a senior security official who wasnt authorized to speak to the press. But despite the planning, the need to commit resources to two fronts at the same time would stretch the armed forces. Its an eventuality Indias army chief has warned of, urging the government -- including its diplomatic corps -- to be prepared to step in to avoid it. Stretched Resources As far as two front war is concerned it is a possibility," General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Indias Chief of Army Staff, said in May. A country does not go to war with its armed forces alone. It has other pillars like diplomatic corp and other organs of government which will come into play to make sure that we are not forced into a corner where we will have to deal with two adversaries at the same time and in full strength." Indian and Chinese troops remain deployed eyeball-to-eyeball along the countrys northern boundary, the unmarked and contested Line of Actual Control, which saw tensions rise in early May. Both sides have amassed thousands of troops, artillery guns and tanks at multiple locations. The army said Wednesday more diplomatic and military talks were planned to ensure peace and tranquility" after military level negotiations ended without a clear outcome. In Beijing Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters China hoped the two sides would keep up close communication through military and diplomatic channels, and ease the situation and lower the temperature along the border." At the same time, Indias 742-kilometer (460 miles) Line of Control with Pakistan has become equally active and tense. Indian troops have faced regular cross-border firing and engaged in counter-terror operations in the hinterland. Indias army said it killed 127 terrorists" in the first six months of the year, about 30% higher from a year ago, according to a senior security official who asked not to be identified, citing rules for speaking with reporters. The incidents of cross-border firing recorded by the Indian military also doubled in 2020 compared to 2019, the official said. Pakistans foreign ministry in a statement Wednesday blamed India for more than 1,500 cease-fire violations" including deaths and injuries of civilians on their side of the Kashmir frontier this year. Some military formations which normally move to Jammu & Kashmir to bolster the counter-insurgency operations along the Pakistan border in the summer months have now moved to the India-China border. The Indian Army is a well-led professional force organized, equipped, trained, experienced and motivated to take on any commitments that it may be called for, be it internal or external," Indian Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand said in response to questions. Under Pressure Collusion between Pakistan and China to keep Indias western and northern borders on simmer at the same time is difficult to prove but cannot be ruled out, said Vipin Narang, associate professor of political science at MIT and author of Nuclear Strategy in the Modern Era: Regional Powers and International Conflict. But my general sense is that Pakistan may feel like it needs to show resolve at home and to India in Jammu & Kashmir" after India changed the provinces constitutional status in August last year, Narang said. Islamabad may also be opportunistically taking advantage of Indias distraction and focus on the LAC." The clash with China is obviously a major embarrassment for India. What are Indias choices? It cant attack China and throw them out and they know it," said Mahmud Durrani, a retired lieutenant general and national security adviser in Pakistan. The fallout of that can be that to prove their strength and muscles, they are going to do something with Pakistan -- the smaller partner of China. They will do something to prove to its people that we are still strong." Durrani said a connection between the strategic movements between China and Pakistan" could also be a possibility." Whichever way it plays out, it could be a very tense and bloody summer for India on both of its disputed borders," Narang said. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics India is seeking to accelerate the development of its own vaccines for covid-19 with two local companies set to commence clinical trials for their indigenously developed vaccine candidates. State-run vaccine maker Bharat Biotech India Ltd has been asked by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to fast track" clinical trials of its covid-19 vaccine Covaxin, setting it a launch deadline of 15 August. The ambitious six-week deadline leading up to Independence Day, which became known on Friday from an internal communication reviewed by Mint, has surprised medical scientists, who fear it may prompt a rush job. The order by Balram Bhargava, ICMR director general and health research secretary, came in a letter to Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director Krishna Ella and senior vice-president Krishna vice-president Krishna Mohan on Thursday. It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15 August 2020 after completion of all clinical trials. BBIL (Bharat Biotech) is working expeditiously to meet the target; however, the final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved," said Bhargava. He directed the company to start the trials latest by Tuesday. In view of the public health emergency and urgency to launch the vaccine, you are strictly advised to fast-track all approvals related to initiation of the clinical trial and ensure that the subject enrolment is initiated no later than 7 July 2020," Bhargava said. He said the vaccine is the biggest priority for the government and is being monitored at the highest level. Kindly note that non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. Therefore, you are advised to treat this project on highest priority and meet the given timelines without any lapse," Bhargava wrote to the Bharat Biotech officials. A spokesperson for ICMR confirmed the authenticity of the letter but declined to elaborate. Bharat Biotech declined to comment on the letter. Calls to Krishna Ellas mobile phone went unanswered. Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd on Thursday became the second company to receive the nod from the Drugs Controller General of India ( DCGI) to start human clinical trials for its indigenously developed vaccine candidate. Zydus said in a statement on Friday that its vaccine contender, ZyCoV-D, showed a strong immune response" in animal studies, and the antibodies produced were able to completely neutralise the wild type virus, according to a PTI report. Over seven vaccines are currently being researched in India with two receiving the nod for human trials. DCGI had on Monday approved Bharat Biotechs application to conduct a phase I and II clinical trials of its vaccine candidate, Covaxin, which it has developed in collaboration with the ICMRs National Institute of Virology (NIV). The vaccine candidate was the first to get the DCGIs approval for clinical trials. The indigenous, inactivated vaccine was developed in Bharat Biotechs facility in Genome Valley in Hyderabad and human clinical trials are scheduled to start across India this month, the company had said on Monday. In order to speed up things, they have to provide all kinds of facilities and support but they cant threaten them (Bharat Biotech) with dire consequences," Amar Jesani, an independent bioethics consultant, said. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics By Dr. Nehginpao Kipgen and Mohanasakthivel Dr. Nehginpao Kipgen Mohanasakthivel The Pentagon said Thursday it was "concerned" about Chinese military exercises around a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea, noting the maneuvers will "further destabilize" the region. "The Department of Defense is concerned about the People's Republic of China (PRC) decision to conduct military exercises around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on July 1-5," the Pentagon said in a statement. The activities "further destabilize the situation" in the area claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan, it said. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics WASHINGTON/BEIJING : China on Friday rejected criticism by the US Defense Department of its plan to hold military exercises in the South China Sea, and suggested that Washington was to blame for increased tensions in the region. The Pentagon said in a statement on Thursday that conducting military exercises over disputed territory in the South China Sea was "counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability". China announced last week it had scheduled five days of drills starting July 1 near the Paracel Islands, which are claimed by both Vietnam and China. "The military exercises are the latest in a long string of PRC actions to assert unlawful maritime claims and disadvantage its Southeast Asian neighbors in the South China Sea," the Pentagon statement said, referring to the People's Republic of China. Vietnam and the Philippines have also criticized the planned Chinese drills, warning it could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbors. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin warned China on Friday "it will be met with the severest response, diplomatic and whatever else is appropriate" should the exercises spill over to Philippine territory. "To be sure, China is just as entitled, as any other power, to invoke freedom of navigation in its military exercises. But that freedom, it bears reminding, requires a straight and uninterrupted voyage," Locsin said. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, asked about the Pentagon's comments during a daily briefing in Beijing, said the military exercises are within the scope of China's sovereignty and said that certain "non-regional countries" conducting military exercises in the South China Sea are affecting the region's stability. Zhao did not name any countries, but the United States has conducted multiple freedom of navigation operations by sending its warships through the area to assert the freedom of access to international waterways. The United States accuses China of militarizing the South China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian neighbors who might want to exploit its extensive oil and gas reserves. China claims 90% of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea, but Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of it, through which about $3 trillion of trade passes each year. (Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington and Gabriel Crossley in Beijing; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Kim Coghill) This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. WASHINGTON : The US State Department has warned top American companies including Walmart Inc, Apple Incand Amazon.com Inc over risks faced from maintaining supply chains associated with human rights abuses in China's western Xinjiang region, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. "It is critical that US companies and individuals be aware of the large-scale human rights abuses perpetrated by the PRC government in Xinjiang," Keith Krach, Undersecretary of State for economic growth, energy and the environment wrote on July 1. "Businesses should evaluate their exposure to the risks that result from partnering with, investing in, and otherwise providing support to companies that operate in or are linked to Xinjiang," he said in the letter which was sent to trade groups. The United States is seeking to ratchet up pressure on China at a time of heightened tensions over that country's treatment of Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang and Beijing's new national security law for Hong Kong. On Wednesday, the US government issued an advisory saying companies doing business in Xinjiang or with entities using Xinjiang labor could be exposed to "reputational, economic, and legal risks". The United Nations estimates that more than a million Muslims have been detained in camps in Xinjiang. China has denied mistreatment and says the camps provide vocational training and help fight extremism. When asked about US government warnings over supply chain risks linked to Xinjiang, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday that allegations of forced labour were fabrications. "Some people in the US keep on saying they care about ethnic minorities in Xinjiang while also taking all kinds of measures to oppress Xinjiang companies," he said at a daily news conference in Beijing. He said this showed their hypocrisy and desire to suppress Xinjiang's development. In a call with reporters, Krach said the complex nature of supply chains was making companies vulnerable to potential risks and urged them to be more vigilant. He did not say how many US companies might have been entangled in such supply chains. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. MELBOURNE/BEIJING : The most prevalent strain of influenza spreading among pigs in China has sparked concern among scientists, who say it has certain properties that give it pandemic potential. Chief among them: The virus has infected humans. So far it isnt known to spread from person to person, but the worry is that with further mutations, it could start to do so. Populations still battling the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which also emerged in China and is believed to have originated in animals, could be vulnerable again. 1. Whats the problem? Pigs are routinely catching variations of the flu and mostly its not a big deal, because the viruses usually dont spread to people. But thats not the case with the most-common strain infecting pigs in China since 2016, dubbed the G4 EA H1N1 virus. In past years it jumped the species barrier to infect possibly dozens of humans, according to so-called serosurveys that look for the presence of antibodies in a persons blood, which indicates prior exposure to the virus. New research published June 29 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed the virus can replicate in cells lining the human airway, and can be efficiently transmitted among ferrets, an animal used to study flu viruses. Those features led that research team to declare that it possesses all of the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus" and poses a serious threat to human health." 2. How worried should we be? Its hard to say. Influenza pandemics occur when a virus, against which there is little or no existing immunity, emerges in the human population and efficiently transmits from person to person. Most people lack immunity to this strain, which has a novel variant of hemagglutinin, the surface protein flu viruses use to grip onto cells targeted for invasion. There are also no vaccines available. Michael Ryan, executive director of health emergencies at the World Health Organization noted that many novel flu viruses, including ones circulating in birds, have pandemic potential, and that G4 EA H1N1 has been closely watched by scientists in China and around the world. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the U.S., said its not an immediate threat, but bears watching. 3. How prevalent is it? Researchers say that it gradually spread across the 10 Chinese provinces with the highest swine density from 2011 to 2018. (China has almost half the planets pigs.) Numbers have declined since 2018, when African swine fever began ravaging hog farms. That virus, however, isnt related to influenza and isnt known to infect people, so it doesnt pose a pandemic risk. Among humans, the serosurveys conducted from 2016 to 2018 in China found that, of 338 people working on hog farms who were tested, as many as 10% might have been infected. Prevalence of antibodies fell to 4.4% among 230 people who were not connected to farms. Liu Jinhua, the studys lead author and a professor of veterinary medicine at the China Agricultural University in Beijing, told local media that the study results may have overestimated the number of people exposed. 4. Did anyone get sick? It isnt known if anyone in the serosurveys developed an illness or symptoms. But related strains caused at least two cases described in scientific studies: a 46-year-old man in Fujian province who developed severe pneumonia in October 2016 and died from multiple organ failure; and a 9-year-old boy in northern China, who experienced mild flu-like symptoms in December 2018 and recovered days later. It appears to cause little illness in pigs. 5. What can be done to mitigate the threat? Biosecurity measures aimed at preventing the spread of the virus from farm to farm is key, along with surveillance. The more the virus spreads, the more chance it has to mutate. The WHO recommended in 2016 that seed strains" be produced and stockpiled from which vaccines could be made to protect people. China hasnt announced any plans on how to nip this virus in the bud, but it has managed to do so with other zoonotic diseases those that can infect both animals and human. In 2017, China launched a program to vaccinate chickens against the H7N9 avian flu virus to prevent it from spilling over to humans. The poultry inoculation significantly reduced the number of human infections to just three in the year through September 2018, indicating success. 6. Where did the virus come from? G4 EA H1N1 is a Eurasian, avian-like virus with genetic material from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic strain, dubbed swine flu" because of genetic similarities with viruses known to circulate in pigs. That strain circulated worldwide in humans and is estimated to have caused 12,469 deaths in the US and as many as 575,400 globally. (Unusually for a flu virus, the vast majority of fatalities were under 65 years old.) People then passed the virus back to swine, which are considered to be mixing vessels for influenza viruses. Scientists believe G4 EA H1N1 is the result of the H1N1 flu virus mixing with one or more other influenza strains circulating in hogs. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. The child-care crunch triggered by the pandemic has rapidly become a crisis for many workers and companies that is hindering the economic recovery, disproportionately harming women, and threatening to leave deep scars for years to come. A consensus is emerging among top economists and business leaders that getting kids back into day cares and schools is critical to getting the economy back to normal. And the American Academy of Pediatrics warned this week that keeping children out of school in the fall would threaten a degree of "social isolation" for children that could lead to mental and physical harm. Yet many school systems are discussing only a partial reopening in the fall or remaining virtual, and up to half of America's child care centers may shut permanently since they can't survive financially, industry leaders warn, leaving families with even fewer options. As parents struggle with this new reality, some employers are not showing much flexibility. Florida State University announced that effective Aug. 7, employees can no longer care for children while working remotely. The impact of the lack of child care won't be evenly distributed, say economists and other experts. While big companies might be able to provide white-collar workers with generous work-at-home flexibility, blue-collar and "essential" industries often can't. That's expected to disproportionately affect low-income women - who have already been hardest hit by the crisis - as well as smaller businesses. If schools and child-care centers remain closed, German researchers estimate 8.4 percent of economic activity in Europe won't happen, a substantial loss that could hit the United States similarly, researchers say. Small business owner Bridget McGinty made the painful decision to close her restaurant in May, partially because she and many of her staff have small children they couldn't find care for. "I'm a single mom, and my son won't be in school. It was just impossible to take on that much work physically and mentally of reopening," said McGinty, who ran Tastebuds in downtown Cleveland for two decades. McGinty is not alone. Eleven percent of the U.S. workforce - 17.5 million workers - are taking care of young kids on their own and will be unlikely to return to work full time until schools and day cares fully reopen according to an analysis by the University of Chicago's Becker Friedman Institute. Large companies like Microsoft, Google, Medtronic and Evergy have expanded paid leave to make it easier on families struggling to find child care during this pandemic, but not all businesses have the resources to help. "If schools don't open, a lot of people can't go back to work," Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, said in an interview. Eliza Navarro was forced to quit her nursing job at a hospital in San Benito, Texas, when she couldn't find child care for her two children. It's been a devastating financial blow, but she felt out of options. "I want to work, but because of everything that happened with schools and day cares closed, I wasn't able to," said Navarro, 33, a single mom who is the custodial parent. "I've been working since I was 17. I love working. I love my patients and my job." Thirteen percent of U.S. parents had to quit a job or reduce their working hours due to a lack of child care, according to survey of 2,557 working parents conducted by Northeastern University from May 10 to June 22. The survey found parents were losing an average of eight hours of work a week - the equivalent of a full day - because they had to address their kids' needs. Economics professor Alicia Sasser Modestino, who led the study that has not been made public yet, said even she was surprised how much of an effect child-care challenges are having on America's workforce. Parents who can work from home are struggling to produce the same amount of work while balancing child-care. As the mom of two boys under 6, Karin Brownawell has come to dread videoconferences. In late March, on her first video chat with her top bosses, she told her sons to play in the backyard and not come inside unless it was an emergency. Ten minutes into the call, her 3-year-old burst into the kitchen and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Mom, I have to poop!" She had to leave the video chat to deal with it. "I'm way more productive when my kids aren't there," said Brownawell, 38, a licensed clinical social worker in Mechanicsburg, Pa. "It's an anxiety roller coaster. You are trying to prioritize not just your workday, but your kids' schedule." As stressful as it's been, Brownawell is thankful she can work from the desk that's wedged between her kitchen and living room. Her husband is an essential worker for the U.S. Postal Service and can't alter his schedule. Relief for parents like Navarro and the Brownawells looks unlikely until there is a vaccine. Tom Wyatt, chief executive of KinderCare Learning Centers, said in an interview that his inbox is filled with parents begging him to find a place for their children. All 1,500 KinderCare centers are open now, but most classrooms are restricted to 10 children, down from 24 before the pandemic. With costs up and enrollment limited, the company isn't making money. "Obviously, that is not sustainable," he said. "The child-care industry is going through a gut-wrenching challenge right now," Wyatt said. "We literally have waiting lists at this point." Already, there were not enough day-care spots, and quarter of child-care workers - 258,000 people - have lost their jobs. Wyatt says without aid from Congress in the coming months, thousands of day cares could close, exacerbating the crunch. Industry groups are urging Congress and the Trump administration to approve $50 billion in federal aid to ensure child-care centers don't go out of business and families, especially those looking for work, can afford to send their kids. Business leaders and economists have joined that call. "The child-care industry supports all others. Without it, a lot of these other industries are not able to get back to where they need to be," said Cheryl Oldham, vice president for education policy and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The burden is falling heavily on women. Research shows that in "child-care deserts" where there aren't enough day-care spots for kids, there's a 12 percentage point drop in mothers' labor force participation. There is no detectable impact on fathers. During this pandemic, more women have lost their jobs than men, Labor Department data show. Economists are deeply worried the pandemic will set American women's job prospects back for years. So far, Congress has allotted $3.5 billion for child-care help during the pandemic. That's less than the emergency aid for Delta Air Lines, notes Haley Swenson, deputy director of Better Life Lab, a left-leaning think tank. Congress is also debating heavily whether to extend unemployment benefits beyond July 31, but many economists think child care is a bigger issue. "It's amazing to me how many people are worried that Americans won't go back to work because unemployment pays too darn much," said Betsey Stevenson, a University of Michigan economics professor. "I'm way more worried about people not going back to work because they have no child care." Almost a third of the U.S. workers have children under 18 at home. It's hard to put an exact dollar figure on how much kids interrupting their parents' workdays is hampering the economy, but Nicholas Bloom believes the productivity loss is substantial. Most parents of young kids are ages 30 to 45, census data show, which are prime working years. "You can't run an economy with so many people aged 30 to 45 missing. It's like the doughnut economy. You just have younger and older workers and none of the middle-aged people working," said Bloom, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Bloom is known for a study he did that found working from home makes workers way more productive, but he says that is not true during the pandemic. His study looked at 1,000 Chinese workers who did not have kids at home during working hours, a complete contrast to the situation now. Bloom himself has been attempting to work from home lately with four kids. (During a phone call with The Washington Post, he had to bribe his 4-year-old with TV and candy to be able to talk to a reporter.) He's also concerned about a drop in research and high-level thinking that tend to lead to breakthrough ideas. A study of 4,500 top scientists in the United States and Europe found a "sharp decline" in research during the pandemic. Child-care problems were the biggest factor. In an early warning sign, new patent applications to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office fell 9 percent this May vs. May 2019, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation found. Finding affordable child care has long been a problem in the United States, but the pandemic has caused a unique challenge: Families can no longer rely on grandparents for help. Erin Palmer, 37, is an emergency room nurse in Salt Lake City. She works the 6 p.m.-to-6 a.m. shift and used to leave her 7-year-old daughter with her parents, but she the risks are too high to do that now. Palmer nearly quit her job as she struggled to find another option. An overnight babysitter on Care.com cost $30 an hour - more than she makes as an ER nurse. In the end, Palmer's younger brother and his girlfriend scaled back their work hours to help out, but it isn't sustainable, she said. "If schools don't reopen in the fall, I don't know what I am going to do. Mentally, emotionally, financially, I'm not prepared for that," Palmer said. Congress passed a law in March that was supposed to help parents who had no choice but to stay home to care for - and educate - their children get unemployment aid while schools and day cares are closed. Getting that money has not been easy for Navarro, the nurse who had to quit her job in Texas. Navarro says she filed her first unemployment claim ever in April and received one payment. Then the money stopped. After days of calling, she learned Texas keeps marking her case as "under review." She's been saying a daily prayer to Saint Jude, the Catholic patron saint of desperate cases, that she can get another payment before July rent is due. "Until this spring I was always able to pay all my bills. This pandemic has totally changed my life," Navarro said. "My son just told me what he wants for his birthday, and for the first time, I might not be able to get it." This article will be updated throughout the week with coronavirus case counts and other need-to-know information about the pandemic in San Antonio. Highest single day death count since pandemic began: The coronavirus continued its unabated spread through the area Sunday as Bexar County reported 198 new cases and eight new deaths. July 4 High death count on Fourth of July: The coronavirus continued to exact a deadly toll in San Antonio on the Fourth of July as city official reported five new deaths and 341 new cases of COVID-19. Saturdays death count was the highest for a single day in Bexar County since mid-April. In all, 122 people have died of COVID-19 in Bexar County since the start of the pandemic in March. July 3 San Antonio reported another record-high number of new coronavirus cases Friday a 1,334-case increase after sending an emergency alert to area residents cellphones, urging them heed the state's new face covering mandate. It was a 4,000-case jump since Sunday, bringing the total number of cases in Bexar County to 14,212. July 2 Gov. Greg Abbott issues new order: On Thursday, the governor issued an executive order requiring Texans to wear a face mask in public spaces in counties with more 20 or more positive cases. The order also gives mayors and county judges the ability to impose restrictions on some outdoor gatherings of over 10 people. With certain exceptions, people cannot be in groups larger than 10 and must maintain 6 feet of social distancing from others. The face mask requirement comes during a statewide rise in COVID-19 cases. Big Bend closes: The Big Bend National Park was ordered closed again Thursday after a park resident turned up positive for COVID-19. After being largely spared during the early stages of the pandemic, the Big Bend area is now being hit with a wave of positive COVID-19 cases. July 1 Coronavirus cases: The novel coronavirus continued its unchecked spread through the San Antonio region as Bexar County reported 439 more cases of COVID-19 and 53 new hospitalized patients Wednesday. One more person has died of COVID-19, an Hispanic man in his 80s, bringing the toll to 111. The number of people are now hospitalized with the virus stands at 1,019. UTSA laying off more than 300 employees: The University of Texas at San Antonio is notifying 312 employees today that their positions are being eliminated to help close a $36 million shortfall caused by COVID-19. Laid-off employees will be released from their responsibilities immediately but will maintain their pay and benefits through August. JUNE 30 Coronavirus updates: San Antonio reported its largest one-day increase in coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, reporting 1,268 new infections. That represent a 60 percent increase from the previous one-day high of 795, which was set Saturday. CPS employees: As the coronavirus races through San Antonio, 32 CPS Energy employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and an additional 246 workers are quarantined at home, utility officials said Monday. In other words, 8 percent of CPS Energys 3,083 employees are under quarantine. JUNE 29 Coronavirus updates: San Antonio officials reported 650 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday as the virus rapid spread continued to put pressure on area hospitals. The confirmed new cases brought the countys total to 10,797. San Antonio-area hospitals were treating 881 COVID-19 patients, an increase of 79 since Sunday. Half of S.A.'s COVID-19 cases confirmed in June: "Good Morning America" pointed out that more than half of the city's cases were reported in June. Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the current situation is a "stark difference" from previous months, when he said the city had one of the lowest infection rates per capita. USAA delaying office reopening: The San Antonio insurance and financial services company informed employees last week that the bulk of its 35,000-person workforce will continue to work from home through Dec. 31, instead of Sept. 1 as originally planned. USAA employs 19,000 people in San Antonio. H-E-B employees positive: Twenty-four H-E-B employees in San Antonio tested positive for COVID-19 last weekend. In June alone, more than 100 S.A. grocery employees had been infected with COVID-19, including the 24 cases this past weekend. Cases surpass 10,000: San Antonio coronavirus cases continued to rise exponentially Sunday, topping 10,000 as local hospitals scramble to find enough hospital beds and nurses to care for the wave of new patients in the last two weeks. JUNE 28 Pence in Dallas: This is all hands on deck, Vice President Mike Pence said during a June 28 meeting with Abbott and White House coronavirus expert Dr. Deborah Birx at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. President Trump wanted us to be here today with the developments over the last two weeks with the rising positivity and the rising number of cases with a very simple message that is to you and the people of Texas: Were with you and were going to stay with you. TRACKING COVID-19: Maps and graphics show the spread of the virus through San Antonio and Texas. It was the Thursday night before Memorial Day weekend when Rebecca Drobis, a 43-year-old mother of an infant daughter in Northwest Washington was suddenly awakened by a faint feeling of chills and wondered if she might be getting sick. Drobis, a freelance photographer (she has previously worked for The Washington Post), had done everything she could think of to avoid the coronavirus. Her experience, recounted in a recent interview, captures how even a mild case of covid-19 can still be a harrowing ordeal - and how the myriad unknowns of the illness leave its victims without a clear sense of closure or control. The following account has been edited for length and clarity. We took the pandemic very seriously right from the outset. My husband's brother was stationed with the Navy in Beijing, so we'd been following the pandemic very closely since January. My daughter, Rosie, was 7 months old in March. Babies under the age of 1 are considered in the high risk category. My parents are in their 70s, and we're very close with them. They used to watch my daughter once a week, and we decided right away to have them stop coming over. My father is a retired doctor, so we've always been hyper-aware of germs and washing our hands, and after you have a newborn, you're just crazy about wiping everything down. I ordered masks right away. We stopped going to the grocery store. We had everything delivered. We took the stay-at-home orders very seriously. More for you News Coronavirus mutation has taken over the world. Scientists... We were only leaving our house to go for a walk. Sometimes, to maintain distance, I would push Rosie's stroller into the bike lane or the street. You make these decisions every time you go out: Is the danger from an oncoming car or from all the people around us walking their dogs who aren't wearing masks? We do our best, but you can't always stay six feet apart on the sidewalk. I remember going to bed on Thursday night, May 21, feeling a little more tired than usual, and I had a little bit of an upset stomach, but nothing significant. And then I woke up in the middle of the night and I definitely felt a little bit of chills, but not so much that I even got out of bed. When I got up in the morning, I was positive I had a fever. So I took my temperature and it was 100.5 - low, but definitely a fever. I was immediately terrified. I called my health-care provider at 7 a.m. Because I had the fever and I was also breast-feeding, I was able to get scheduled for a test at noon that day. The test was really scary. It was pouring rain, and there was this person approaching the car wearing full PPE. It really hit me in that moment: This is what a global pandemic is. There are sick people, this woman is testing covid-positive people all day long, and she's putting herself at risk. On every level, it suddenly felt really real. They give you this piece of paper when you leave the test that says, "Based on your history, we suspect that you are covid-positive." After the test, I pulled over, and I just started hysterically crying. I was so scared. How did this happen? They recommend that you self-isolate. By that night, my fever was gone. But I stayed in my room. I began to think, "This was just a fluky thing, just bad timing to have a fever." When I woke up in the morning, I felt fine, I had no fever. I never had symptoms again after that. But then I got a call from the Kaiser covid care team, and they said, "You tested positive for covid-19." My husband was shocked. We both cried. I'm thinking that I don't know if I can live with myself if I gave it to my daughter. My husband immediately disinfected every single thing in the house, washing all of Rosie's clothes, every one of her toys, everything I could have touched. We figured of course my husband had it, of course I'd given it to my daughter. It was just a matter of - are we both going to get really sick? If we both get really sick, who is going to take care of Rosie? You start thinking about your life insurance. You're thinking, "Thank God I did my will." My thoughts were oscillating between complete panic to helplessness, a lack of control. I also felt really dirty. I got in the shower and just was scrubbing myself. The idea of having a deadly virus in your body that could kill other people - that felt like a psychological nightmare. It was also really surreal because it was Memorial Day weekend and the weather was so beautiful and there were so many parties. That Saturday night, from my vantage point in my bedroom, I could see three different parties on rooftops across the street from me. They were playing beer pong. I wanted to scream out the window: "What the hell are you doing? I have covid! Go home!" My husband obviously had to get tested, so that was the only time I did come downstairs, because I had to watch Rosie. They told him to not take her in the car seat, because when you take the test, it can release the virus into the car. So that was the worst. I changed my clothes. I washed my hands a thousand times. I put on gloves. I'm trying to stay six feet away from her as she's on the floor playing and looking at me very curiously. She took a tumble because she wasn't a good crawler yet, and I was not sure what to do. Do I go pick her up? Should I let her cry? Nothing felt right. My husband tested negative. He was so certain that he got a false negative that he insisted on getting tested again. He tested negative twice. My brother and sister-in-law got tested, too, because we'd seen them outside in that socially distant way. No one spreads this intentionally. But the total lack of control is probably the thing that is the most humbling. You can do every single thing right and still wind up on the wrong side of the virus. For days I was just stuck in my room, waiting. It was a dark time. My daughter and I shared a wall. I'd hear her crying. I felt so torn. Especially when you're nursing, your body is screaming, "Go get the baby!" And your mind is like, "Stay here, stay here." I was so stressed out that my milk started drying up, which was really sad. I would pump, but get so little, and I felt so badly. It was the only thing I could give my daughter, and I couldn't even give her that. The first question everyone would ask is, "How do you think you got it?" The doctors asked, too. The inability to answer that question became paramount. All I did was try to figure out the answer, so that all of this could get tied up in a neat little bow, so we'd know what behavior to avoid going forward, what the lesson is. I explained every single thing we did: We disinfected our UPS packages. We quarantined our mail for four days before we touched it. The doctors said they were seeing this all the time - other people who had been completely isolated like we were and still wound up covid-positive. I didn't tell many people because I was surprised at how people rush to judge you : "Oh, you made different choices than I did." That's human nature. You try to separate yourself to figure out how you could not be that person. Some people would ask, "Was it a false positive?" But my antibody test results just came back positive. After a week apart, I could finally be reunited with my husband and daughter. That morning on the eighth day, Rosie woke up and I ran in there, and she smiled at me, and it felt like such a relief. I felt so overwhelmed with pure joy. I was worried that she wouldn't be interested in breast-feeding anymore, but she picked it right back up. Where I've landed is that I'm OK with not knowing how this happened. This virus doesn't fit neatly into any kind of system of order that makes sense. The whole experience has left me with just a tremendous amount of just pure gratitude and relief. I understand why all of the sacrifices, small and big, are so crucial. It's not the most vibrant life that we've been living - but to me, what's important is that I didn't infect anyone else that I know of, and we are healthy, and we are doing what we need to do to keep other people safe. In the Gateway City, Independence Day is typically celebrated with family cookouts and pool parties. However, to curb the spread of the coronavirus this year, city officials are recommending locals to rethink any traveling plans and instead stay home. Laredo Police Department Spokesperson Joe Baeza said that LPD has received several inquiries regarding get-togethers and house party rentals, a perplexing notion considering Laredo is in the middle of its worst stretch so far of the coronavirus locally. The biggest concern we have at this point is the safeguarding over this long holiday weekend that were about to embark on, Baeza said. Weve received requests for inquiries regarding get togethers. We don't understand why people are even considering getting together under the circumstances we currently face. Its hard to grasp why anybody would be making plans for pool parties and renting homes with pools; were getting phone calls from mariachi groups who have plans for birthday parties. These are very concerning indications that nobody is taking these warnings and advisories seriously. Laredo has had its four worst single-day totals of new cases within the past seven days and has seen its hospitalizations skyrocket from 16 people to 100 in that time. Since June 1, city officials confirmed a total of 1,155 positives, accounting for 67.8% of the citys 1,703 total cases since the pandemic first hit locally. The virus also took off for the first time just a little more than a week after the three-day weekend many enjoyed for Memorial Day in late May. READ MORE: State order to close retailers on weekend in Nuevo Laredo Officials have also confirmed Thursday the 27th death related to COVID-19 in the Gateway City. The death is the seventh reported in Laredo since the start of June and the second in as many days. City officials issued a travel advisory to Laredo citizens, warning of non-essential travel in advance of the Fourth of July weekend. With the spread of coronavirus throughout major Texas cities, citizens are susceptible to getting infected or possibly infecting others in enclosed areas such as trains, planes and buses. We understand that this year has been nothing but an interruption of normal planning and operation for everyone involved, Baeza said. For us, we cannot convey more sincerely and respectfully to you, that if youre planning anything over this long holiday weekend, you need to seriously reconsider it. This year, the City of Laredo will continue their annual tradition of fireworks on Independence Day, but because of the emergency order in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, city officials are asking locals to observe the lights from the comfort of their home. To dissuade the public from driving out to get a better view, city officials will start the fireworks at 10 p.m., after the city's curfew restricting non-essential travel goes into effect. Due to the city's emergency order, gatherings of six or more people outside of members of the same household are also restricted. Citizens who violate the statue are subject to a fine of up to $1,000. Officials will also close the parking lots at Independence Hills Park and the Sames Auto Arena, where the two fireworks shows will be launched. In this file photo taken on July 01, 2020, police detain people on a bus after they cleared protesters taking part in a rally against a new national security law in Hong Kong on the 23rd anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to China. The U.S. Congress on July 2 passed tough new sanctions that target banks over violations of Hong Kong's autonomy, dialing up the pressure on China over the harsh security law it imposed on the financial hub. AFP The US Congress on Thursday passed tough new sanctions that target banks over violations of Hong Kong's autonomy, dialing up the pressure on China over the harsh security law it imposed on the financial hub. Beijing has threatened "strong countermeasures" if the act becomes law. President Donald Trump has not said if he will sign it, although a member of his Republican Party voiced confidence that he would and lawmakers likely could override a veto. "Our timing could not be more critical," said Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat who helped shepherd through the bipartisan measure. "We will not stand still and silent and do nothing while they crack down on freedom in Hong Kong," he said on the Senate floor. In a legislative fast-track move that does not require a full vote, the Senate unanimously approved the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, a day after the House of Representatives did likewise. The Senate already passed the act last week, but it needed to vote once more due to technical changes made by the House. The Hong Kong Autonomy Act goes significantly further than a sanctions law last year, which Trump reluctantly signed in the face of protests from Beijing. The new legislation targets Chinese officials as well as the Hong Kong police, making US sanctions against them mandatory if they are identified in two consecutive government reports as working to restrict Hong Kong's freedoms. Trump would still be able to waive sanctions but Congress could overrule him. Senator Pat Toomey, a Republican who teamed up with Van Hollen on the legislation, acknowledged that some members of the administration opposed curbs on presidential power but said he had kept in close touch with the White House. "I have no doubt that the president will sign it and I'm confident that it will be properly enforced," he told reporters. U.S. Border Patrol agents have arrested an immigrant illegally present in the country who was convicted of a sex crime, authorities said. Early Thursday, agents arrested Marco Antonio Vanegas-Cruz, 34, of Mexico, in the Santa Rita neighborhood. Courtesy photo A truck driver tried to smuggle 66 immigrants illegally present in the country through the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 35, states an arrest affidavit filed on Wednesday. Ricky Antonio Morgan was charged with transport, attempt to transport and conspire to transport immigrants who had crossed the border illegally. There were six arrests for sex crimes in Fort Bend County from June 21-27. Listed below are the names of the suspects and the currently known details of their alleged crimes. All defendants on this list are innocent until proven guilty. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: 'An operation completely out of control': Damning HPD narcotics audit reveals hundreds of errors Jose Antonio Argueta-Santos, age 32, from Stafford, was arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. He is being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement without bail. In 2013, Argueta-Santos was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to two years in prison. Rex Allen Caine, age 59, was arrested for allegedly failing to comply as a sex offender. In 1998, Caine was found guilty of sexual assault and served five years probation. He was also given a requirement to register as a sex offender until 2024. Robert Charles Clark, age 64, from Alvin, was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of indecency with a child. Court documents allege that in 2004, Clark sexually assaulted a child under the age of 15. Cameron Everett Green, age 20, was arrested for alleged indecency with a child by exposure. Green is a registered sex offender. In September of 2019, Green was found guilty of indecency with a child by exposure. He was sentenced to five years probation and given a required sex offender registration until 2034. MORE BY CLAIRE GOODMAN: We feel like were being targeted: Katy bar owners suffer under governors shutdown order Malcolm Dewayne Hall, age 20, from Houston, was arrested and charged with two counts of felony aggravated sexual assault of a child. Hall is a registered sex offender. In 2017, he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 14. Brandon David Michalik, age 18, was arrested and charged with sexual assault. claire.goodman@chron.com Nuevo Laredo awoke early Friday to a shooting that left 13 suspected gunmen dead, authorities confirmed. The shootout took place in Colonia Los Fresnos in southwest Nuevo Laredo. Suspected gunmen dressed in tactical gear allegedly shot at military personnel. Mexican troops fought back in self-defense and killed 12 suspects. The suspected gunmen are believed to be part of Tropa Del Infierno, a group that belongs to Cartel Del Noreste and operates in the Sister City. Another suspect in relation with the incident was found dead later on, according to authorities. Motorists in the area encountered soldiers blocking roads in the surrounding area where the shooting had occurred. This caused a traffic headache for some in their morning commute. Mexican troops seized eight AR-15s, one AK-47, two .50 caliber Barretts, magazines and ammo. Authorities also confiscated two vehicles that were reported stolen in the United States. An investigation is underway. Rescue workers use poles to carry a body shrouded in blue and red plastic sheet Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Hpakant, Kachin State, Myanmar. At least 162 people were killed Thursday in a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar, the worst in a series of deadly accidents at such sites in recent years that critics blame on the government's failure to take action against unsafe conditions. AP At least 162 people were killed Thursday in a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar, the worst in a series of deadly accidents at such sites in recent years that critics blame on the government's failure to take action against unsafe conditions. The Myanmar Fire Service Department, which coordinates rescues and other emergency services, announced about 12 hours after the morning disaster that 162 bodies had been recovered from the landslide in Hpakant, the center of the world's biggest and most lucrative jade mining industry. The most detailed estimate of Myanmar's jade industry said it generated about $31 billion in 2014. Hpakant is a rough and remote area in Kachin state, 950 kilometers (600 miles) north of Myanmar's biggest city, Yangon. ''The jade miners were smothered by a wave of mud,'' the Fire Service said. It said 54 injured people were taken to hospitals. The tolls announced by other state agencies and media lagged behind the fire agency, which was most closely involved. An unknown number of people are feared missing. Those taking part in the recovery operations, which were suspended after dark, included the army and other government units and local volunteers. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep sadness at the deaths, sent condolences to families of the victims and Myanmar's government and people. Gutteres reiterated ''the readiness of the United Nations to contribute to ongoing efforts to address the needs of the affected population,'' said his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric. The London-based environmental watchdog Global Witness said the accident ''is a damning indictment of the government''s failure to curb reckless and irresponsible mining practices in Kachin state's jade mines.'' ''The government should immediately suspend large-scale, illegal and dangerous mining in Hpakant and ensure companies that engage in these practices are no longer able to operate,'' Global Witness said in a statement. At the site of the tragedy, a crowd gathered in the rain around corpses shrouded in blue and red plastic sheets placed in a row on the ground. Emergency workers had to slog through heavy mud to retrieve bodies by wrapping them in the plastic sheets, which were then hung on crossed wooden poles shouldered by the recovery teams. Social activists have complained that the profitability of jade mining has led businesses and the government to neglect enforcement of already very weak regulations in the jade mining industry. ''The multi-billion dollar sector is dominated by powerful military-linked companies, armed groups and cronies that have been allowed to operate without effective social and environmental controls for years,'' Global Witness said. Although the military is no longer directly in power in Myanmar, it is still a major force in government and exercises authority in remote regions. Thursday's death toll surpasses that of a November 2015 accident that left 113 dead and was previously considered the country's worst. In that case, the victims died when a 60-meter (200-foot) -high mountain of earth and waste discarded by several mines tumbled in the middle of the night, covering more than 70 huts where miners slept. Those killed in such accidents are usually freelance miners who settle near giant mounds of discarded earth that has been excavated by heavy machinery. The freelancers who scavenge for bits of jade usually work and live in abandoned mining pits at the base of the mounds of earth, which become particularly unstable during the rainy season. Most scavengers are unregistered migrants from other areas, making it hard to determine exactly how many people are actually missing after such accidents and in many cases leaving the relatives of the dead in their home villages unaware of their fate. Global Witness, which investigates misuse of revenues from natural resources, documented the $31 billion estimate for Myanmar's jade industry in a 2015 report that said most of the wealth went to individuals and companies tied to the country's former military rulers. More recent reliable figures are not readily available. It said at the time the report was released that the legacy to local people of such business arrangements ''is a dystopian wasteland in which scores of people at a time are buried alive in landslides.'' In its statement Thursday, Global Witness blamed the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, which came to power in 2016, for failing ''to implement desperately needed reforms, allowing deadly mining practices to continue and gambling the lives of vulnerable workers in the country's jade mines.'' Jade mining also plays a role in the decades-old struggle of ethnic minority groups in Myanmar's borderlands to take more control of their own destiny. The area where members of the Kachin minority are dominant is poverty stricken despite hosting lucrative deposits of rubies as well as jade. The Kachin believe they are not getting a fair share of the profits from deals that the central government makes with mining companies. Kachin guerrillas have engaged in intermittent but occasionally heavy combat with government troops. (AP) SAN ANTONIO - When Clay Johnston, dean of the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, saw a model of how the coronavirus might ravage the state after stay-at-home orders were lifted, he was incredulous. "I didn't believe it," Johnston said. Now health-care workers across Texas are seeing those alarming predictions come true, with overwhelmed testing centers, lines at emergency rooms and crowded intensive care units, where it is difficult to maintain adequate numbers of specialized staff. Many hospitals in the state are dealing with a mounting influx of coronavirus patients and, in some places, shortages of the drug known to be effective in those who are critically ill with covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, plus staffing shortages. Case numbers in Texas are three times as high as they were in April, and now the curve that the state flattened with its stay-at-home order is more of an upward arrow. The state saw record-high case counts over the past week, averaging nearly 6,300 a day. More than 175,000 Texans have tested positive for covid-19 and 2,525 have died. "This is actually what the model predicted for a pretty open society," Johnston said. "It goes up. It continues to go up," he said. Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, who was among the first governors to reopen businesses on May 1, again closed bars and limited restaurant capacity last week. Abbott prohibited municipalities from implementing mandates on mask wearing and social distancing, but on Friday he required all people in counties with more than 20 coronavirus cases to wear masks while in public. With the virus showing no signs of abating, some hospitals have to look elsewhere for beds for coronavirus patients. Harris Health System, which serves many uninsured patients in Houston and Harris County, has been transferring patients to other hospitals for days. Some are being sent as far as Conroe and Galveston. "We're pretty full," said Harris Health spokesman Bryan McLeod. The system had transferred 33 patients in the previous 24 hours and was planning to relocate 15 more, he said. Ricardo Cigarroa, an internist and cardiologist at Laredo Medical Center, said Thursday that the hospital has run out of remdesivir, the antiviral medication used to treat seriously ill patients. The drug "helped tremendously," he said. "For all of our sick patients who were close to being intubated, and the ones who were already intubated, it was helpful." Cigarroa said the hospital has asked the state for more of the drug. He was told another shipment is coming to Texas, but there are no guarantees that the hospital will receive more. The Department of Health and Human Services said in an email that it will distribute more of the drug in mid-July. Priority goes to the states with the highest proportion of cases. "We await further allocations," said Roberta Schwartz, executive vice president of Houston Methodist, where there were just 250 cases in the first surge. Today, the hospital has 520 coronavirus cases and is planning for 800 to 1,000. "We did not expect numbers to go beyond 600," said Schwartz, who said other hospitals in the Texas Medical Center system are facing similar crunches. Over the past four months, hospitals in Texas tried to control for everything in their power. Public health leaders warned about inadequacies with testing, contact tracing, public policy and inconsistent messaging. But they could not control what might have prevented this moment: the behavior of individual Texans. The surge of cases - reflecting the activity of recent weeks, including Memorial Day gatherings - has awakened concerns about hospital capacity, particularly in intensive care units. Most Texas hospitals "are probably at about 75, encroaching on that 80 percent capacity level," said Serena Bumpus, director of practice for the Texas Nurses Association and a nurse in Austin. Hospitals can convert space in their buildings for additional covid-19 patient beds. The more urgent problem is whether Texas facilities can staff those new wards, she said - a problem that could worsen if more health-care workers fall sick even as cases increase. "You've got nurses who are bracing themselves - they are bracing for impact. They are scared," Bumpus said. "When this is all said and done - will there be more layoffs? Will there be furloughs? Because we've already experienced that without the surge." Although some hospitals are overwhelmed and expect the situation to worsen, many doctors across the state are cautiously optimistic because they are able to draw on lessons learned during the first six months of the pandemic. Texas had time to bolster its health-care infrastructure, placing some hospitals and doctors in a confident, if wary, position to fight back, experts said. "The good news is this is within our control," said James McDeavitt, dean of clinical affairs at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston who heads Baylor's Incident Command Center. Pat Herlihy recalled transforming one of Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center's units in Houston into one that could receive coronavirus patients when he received the advice he needed. Herlihy got a call from a doctor at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center who had seen the worst of the novel coronavirus as it swamped New York's health-care system with tragic consequences. The first three words out of the New York doctor's mouth stuck with Herlihy: "Prepare. Prepare. Prepare." The reopening of the state worried public health officials who believed it was too fast, prompting medical directors to plan for a possible wave of cases. Texas doctors including Herlihy communicated in real time with colleagues elsewhere, scoured social media, studied YouTube videos from around the world and reviewed articles for anything that could help them get ready. The state and municipalities had time to streamline supply chains for personal protective equipment (PPE) and scale up staff numbers. State officials used their robust emergency management apparatus to deliver ventilators, medicine and test kits. Abbott restricted elective surgeries to help conserve PPE, and he ordered health-care institutions to reserve beds for covid-19 patients. Doctors in New York passed on what they had learned then and now. "It was very important to communicate in real time because we were learning in real time," said David Greenwald, director of clinical gastroenterology and endoscopy at Mount Sinai in New York. "We are hearing from people in Texas," he said. "All of that information that we created in March, we memorialized and we have been offering all those resources back out." Health-care workers in Texas have been trying to stay abreast of a flood of information on phone calls, Zoom lectures, in published papers and through medical societies. "It's impossible, impossible," said Carol Wu, a radiologist at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, describing the tsunami of research coming not only from hard-hit U.S. cities such as New York, but also from China, other Asian countries and Europe. In Texas, many coronavirus patients are significantly younger and a higher proportion are Hispanic, said David Lakey, a former Texas health commissioner. The severity of their illness is not as great as those hospitalized in New York three months earlier, he said. Sam Bagchi, chief clinical officer at Christus Health, which has 30 hospitals in Texas including in Corpus Christi and San Antonio, said watching patients in other places have poor outcomes while on ventilators pushed Christus to try therapies that would keep patients off breathing machines or avoid them for as long as possible. The system cut its coronavirus mortality rate by more than half by May 31. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which provides guidance on public health functions like contact tracing and infection prevention, seemed behind the learning curve, he said. "Because the CDC has been so challenged, and maybe even politicized, at times we've had to look beyond the CDC," he said. "We've moved things faster." At St. Luke's in Houston, Herlihy and his team paid close attention to their staffing needs to determine the right ratio for the volume of patients. They monitored their health-care workers for burnout and fatigue. They set up protocols when patients showed signs of renal failure and cardiac arrest. Each new promising treatment option - from steroids to remdesivir to convalescent plasma - were used in intensive care units. Hospitals normally update their protocols after medical journals publish the results of randomized clinical trials and expert groups provide recommendations. But the coronavirus has not allowed a great deal of time for that. Each week, medical chiefs are changing the strategy for how best to take care of their covid-19 patients. Herlihy recently came across international reports of a fungal infection, Aspergillosis, found in covid-19 patients and adjusted protocols to get ahead of any fatal consequences. "When this thing first happened, there was a lot of fear because it was new," Herlihy said. "Three months later, we feel more confident. It's not new, and we know what it does." St. Luke's is pushing past capacity, shifting beds and making space for more covid-19 patients. The virus is unpredictable, but Herlihy said he is grateful Texas had some time to draw from the experiences of his colleagues to feel secure. "We have the attitude that failure is not an option," he said. - - - The Washington Post's Laurie McGinley contributed to this report. Patients suffering from covid-19 are rapidly filling hospitals across the South and West, with Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Nevada and Arizona setting records for hospitalizations Thursday, a sign that the coronavirus pandemic is entering a dangerous new phase. In Arizona, where the virus appears to be spreading out of control, hospitals rushed to expand capacity and adopted practices similar to those employed at the height of the outbreak in New York City and Italy, including doubling up hospital beds in rooms, pausing elective surgeries and bringing in health-care workers from other states. Perhaps most chillingly, at the urging of doctors and advisers, state officials this week activated "crisis standards of care" protocols, which determine for hospitals which patients get ventilators and care as the system becomes overwhelmed under the crush of patients. "I think it's pretty obvious that we are not going in the right direction," Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious-disease expert, said during a YouTube live stream. The coronavirus continued its recent surge across swaths of the United States, with more than 55,000 new cases reported Thursday, eclipsing the record for the largest single-day total that was set on Wednesday. Deaths, which had declined steadily for several months, also are rising. States reported that 700 people died Thursday of covid-19 - an increase of more than 25 percent compared to the previous seven-day average. "We are not flattening the curve right now," Brett Giroir, the U.S. government's coronavirus testing coordinator, said during a House hearing. "The curve is still going up." Not all states report on the number of current covid-19 hospitalizations, but even with incomplete data the increases are alarming, since they may presage a rise in deaths following the documented explosion in cases in the South and West and increases in scattered states elsewhere. "There's a lag between confirmed case and hospitalization, and between hospitalization and death. So you look at the numbers and you can see how hospital capacity could quickly become strained in coming weeks," said Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist at University of Arizona. As hospitals have become overwhelmed, deaths have risen - not just among covid patients who get insufficient care, but among those facing other medical crises who don't seek care from an overwhelmed system because they think they won't receive it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that since Feb. 1, about 20,000 to 49,000 more people have died of all non-covid-19 causes than would have been expected. The fear is the same will soon happen in states such as Arizona, Texas and Florida as their health-care systems are strained to capacity. In Arizona, if hospitalizations push past capacity, patients will be given a score based on life expectancy and underlying conditions. "You look at what happened in Lombardy, Italy. What happened in New York. That's what is about to happen here. People are going to die because our system is overwhelmed," said Will Humble, who was director of Arizona Department of Health Services for six years under its previous Republican governor. "It's important for other states to learn from us. This wasn't bad luck. It was avoidable. Don't let this happen to you. You look back at the past few months and we're an example of what not to do." In a pair of public appearances at the White House on Thursday, President Donald Trump downplayed the danger, saying: "We have some areas where we're putting out the flames or the fires, and that's working out well." Trump also hailed a stronger than expected jobs report Thursday, and promised a robust economic rebound in the third quarter, even though numerous states are moving to slow the reopening of their economies or shut down bars and other businesses in a desperate attempt to bring the outbreak under control. "Today's announcement proves that our economy is roaring back. It's coming back extremely strong," Trump said during a news conference in the White House press room, after receiving word that the U.S. economy added 4.8 million new jobs in June. The new jobs sent the June unemployment rate down to 11.1 percent, from a high of 14.7 percent at the height of the coronavirus lockdown in April. But new data also released by the Labor Department showed that 1.4 million people filed unemployment claims for the first time last week, marking the 15th straight week of claims that exceeded 1 million. With new infections surging, economists are growing increasingly concerned that temporary layoffs are turning into permanent job losses. Earlier this week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned Congress that unless the virus is brought under control, the nation's economic outlook is "extraordinarily uncertain." Florida on Thursday reported 10,109 new cases, marking a new single-day record for the state. There were 68 new deaths, for a total of 3,718. Thursday marked the 25th consecutive day that Florida has set a record high in its seven-day rolling average, and Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said Thursday that perhaps Floridians had been a bit too lax in recent weeks. "I think the end of May, beginning of June, coronavirus kind of fell off the headlines a little bit and people said, 'Hey, it seems good.' And I think that some of the behaviors that have been preached, I think some of that eroded a little bit," DeSantis said. Hosting Vice President Mike Pence in Tampa for an emergency visit to discuss the pandemic, DeSantis did not, however, second-guess his own decisions to lift stay-at-home restrictions beginning in May. Pence endorsed Florida's moves to reimpose some restrictions and urged caution over the July 4 holiday weekend. It was a similar message to one he had delivered Wednesday in Arizona as part of a public show of support for hard-hit states. Asked whether he would advise older or potentially vulnerable Republicans to skip the planned Republican National Convention next month in Jacksonville, Fla., Pence avoided a direct answer. "We're excited about coming to Jacksonville," he said, adding that Florida and the rest of the country are well-equipped to handle the current rise in cases. "No one wants to see these numbers where they are or no one wants to see them go up," Pence said. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, reversed course Thursday and ordered masks be worn in public. The order applies in counties with 20 or more positive covid-19 cases. "Wearing a face covering in public is proven to be one of the most effective ways we have to slow the spread of COVID-19," Abbott said in a news release. In Texas, the number of hospitalizations was 60 percent higher this week over last week. Fauci attributed rising case numbers in the United States at least partially to American lockdown measures being more lenient than those in some European countries. "If you look at the different curves between the European Union, the U.K. and others, how they've handled the outbreak, they've had big spikes and then they've brought it down almost or even to baseline in some countries," Fauci said in an interview the BBC released Thursday. "The situation in the United States has been more problematic." Fauci said while some countries in Europe locked down around 97 percent of activity to control the virus, even the strictest U.S. lockdowns only shut down about 50 percent. "That allowed the perpetuation of the outbreak that we never did get under very good control," he said. The United States has been hit worse than any other country in terms of case numbers and deaths, he noted. In few places is that more evident than in Arizona, where bars were packed before some restrictions went back into effect and where Trump held a crowded indoor political rally last week where very few people wore protective masks. After insisting for weeks that hospitals had adequate capacity, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, said for the first time last week that hospitals could reach surge capacity "very soon." Banner Health - the largest health-care delivery system in Arizona with 17 hospitals across the state - said Thursday they are exploring "all options" to increase beds, including repurposing pediatric beds, using spaces in their hospitals not usually used for care. Other hospital systems said they are enacting similar surge plans. And state leaders are now preparing to reopen a shuttered Phoenix hospital - St. Luke's Medical Center - as a field hospital. "We would like to continue to remind the community that we cannot fight this virus alone," said Banner Health spokeswoman Becky Armendariz, who pleaded for residents to avoid gatherings, wash hands and wear masks. For months, missteps marred Arizona's response, experts say. Health officials abruptly cut off data access from a university modeling team when its projections showed a rising caseload. Even as the state moved aggressively to reopen businesses, few restrictions were put in place and almost none enforced. Until recent days, cities and counties were forbidden from passing local ordinances requiring masks. "It was clear to anyone with any observational skills that this was coming," said Humble, the former Arizona health official. "You think back to Memorial Day, when bars and night clubs were filled at capacity with zero mitigation. Clearly the voluntary, honor system approach to mitigation was not working." In this handout photo provided by the Press Information Bureau, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walks with soldiers during a visit to the Ladakh area, India, Friday, July 3, 2020. AP SRINAGAR, India _ Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unannounced visit Friday to a military base in a remote region bordering China where troops from the two countries have been facing off for nearly two months. Modi, accompanied by India's military leadership, interacted with troops in Ladakh region. A photo on his Instagram account showed him sitting in a camouflage tent at the base. ''Interacting with our brave armed forces personnel,'' he wrote. Modi's visit comes in the backdrop of a massive Indian army buildup in Ladakh following hand-to-hand combat between Indian and Chinese soldiers on June 15 that left 20 Indians dead and dozens injured in the Galwan Valley, the worst confrontation in over four decades between the Asian giants. Indian officials say there were casualties on the Chinese side as well, but there has been no confirmation by Beijing. Modi chanted ''Long live mother India!'' while addressing troops at the Nimu military base, insisting that ''after every crisis, India has emerged stronger.'' He praised the valor of Indian soldiers and said: ''Enemies of India have seen your fire and fury.'' ''Days of expansionism are over. Expansionism creates danger for world peace. This is an era of development. Expansionist force have either lost or forced to turn back,'' he said in an oblique reference to China. Modi's speech, which lasted for 26 minutes, was punctuated by nationalist fervor and praise for Indian soldiers. He said the bravery shown by troops was ''a message of India's prowess'' to the world. ''The weak can never accomplish peace, the brave do. The world is praising the bravery shown by Indian soldiers in Galwan Valley.'' Later Friday, Modi also visited a military hospital where he met injured soldiers. Both India and China have provided little information officially, but media in the two countries have given large coverage to the escalating tensions, much of it replayed on television news channels and social media. The leader of Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, B.L. Santhosh, tweeted Friday that the visit was a ''big, big booster to soldiers morale. He leads from front.'' Modi has faced public pressure for a stern response to Chinese actions along the contested frontier. Indian protesters have been calling for a boycott of Chinese goods. On Monday, the government banned 59 Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok, citing privacy concerns that it said pose a threat to India's sovereignty and security. The ban was largely symbolic since the apps can't be automatically erased from devices where they are already downloaded. China has insisted that Indian forces provoked the border incident and the blame lies entirely with New Delhi. On Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the countries need to maintain their relations while seeking to de-escalate tensions through military and diplomatic channels. ''Against such a backdrop, no party should take any actions that may complicate the border situation,'' he said. Zhao called it ''the evil way that two sides are suspicious of each other and engaged in friction continuously.'' ''The Indian side should get along with China to jointly safeguard the overall situation of bilateral relations. The pragmatic cooperation between China and India is in nature mutually beneficial and win-win,'' he said. ''To deliberately set obstacles for pragmatic cooperation between the two countries violates the relevant WTO rules and will harm the interests of India itself.'' Indian officials say the current standoff began in early May when large contingents of Chinese soldiers entered deep inside Indian-controlled territory at three places in Ladakh, erecting tents. They say the soldiers ignored repeated verbal warnings, triggering a yelling match, stone-throwing and even fistfights in at least one place along the Pangong Lake, the site of several such confrontations in the past. But the situation turned deadly when the rival troops engaged in a nightly medieval clash in the Galwan Valley, where India is building a strategic road connecting the region to an airstrip close to China. According to Indian officials, Chinese troops atop a ridge at the mouth of the narrow valley threw stones, punched and pushed Indian soldiers down a ridge at around 4,500 meters (15,000 feet.) Since then, India has sent huge reinforcements of soldiers, military equipment and fighter jets into the already highly militarized area. The disputed border covers nearly 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) of frontier that the two countries call the Line of Actual Control and that stretches from Ladakh in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim in the northeast. India and China fought a border war in 1962 that also spilled into Ladakh. The two countries have been trying to settle their border dispute since the early 1990s, without success. India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory while separating it from disputed Kashmir in August 2019, ending the territory's semi-autonomous status and straining the already prickly relationship between New Delhi and Beijing. China was among the countries to strongly condemn the move, raising it at international forums including the U.N. Security Council. Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks to end the current crisis in Ladakh have been unsuccessful. (AP) MEXICO CITY - For years, officials in northern Mexico watched as a border wall rose just north of the Rio Grande, and as the White House threatened repeatedly to freeze cross-border traffic. Now, with coronavirus cases soaring in the southwestern United States, it's Mexican leaders asking for tighter border enforcement to keep their communities safe. "The situation is very bad in Texas and [cross-border travel] would only bring us problems in northern Tamaulipas," said Javier Garcia Cabeza de Vaca, the governor of Tamaulipas state who tested positive for the virus this week. Garcia Cabeza de Vaca and other border governors have pleaded with Mexico's central government to better vet people entering Mexico from the United States, to ensure that their trips qualify as "essential travel." While the United States has applied that designation relatively strictly since March - allowing entry only to noncitizens and nonresidents whose jobs are deemed critical - Mexican border officials rarely question travelers entering the country. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Americans have continued crossing the border into Mexico for recreational purposes - including visiting relatives and going shopping. Mexican officials are worried such visits will surge during the Fourth of July weekend, a dangerous vector for the virus to enter the country from the United States. As cases have increased in Southern California, Arizona and Texas, Mexican border states have increasingly come to see the outbreak in the United States as their biggest threat in controlling the epidemic. Citing no evidence, President Donald Trump has said that the border wall would keep infections from entering the United States from Mexico. But given the soaring U.S. caseload, it is Mexico that has more reason to fear the virus coming across the border. On Thursday, the Mexican government said it would be installing "sanitary filters," where travelers from the United States will have their temperatures checked at several border crossings. Those checkpoints have "the goal of protecting the health of the Mexican population, particularly those in the border states," said a statement from the country's foreign ministry. Mexican officials in border states have gone further, pleading for people not to cross the border at all. Enrique Clausen, Sonora state's health minister, said he would seek to apply more stringent controls on border crossings than those mandated by Mexico's federal government. "It's so important to implement the necessary measures to protect the health of Sonorans. And one of them, at this moment, has to be reducing the border crossings from the United States toward Mexico," Clausen said during a news briefing Tuesday. Two days later, he too tested positive for the virus. On Thursday, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Christopher Landau, echoed that message in Spanish, addressing U.S. citizens living along the border in a video posted on Twitter. He advised Americans to avoid cross-border travel during the Fourth of July weekend. "In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have crossed the land border every day and 90 percent of them are U.S. citizens or green-card holders," he said. "If this traffic doesn't decline, there will be an increase, not a decrease, in travel restrictions." The U.S. government has continued deportations to Mexico throughout the pandemic. In many cases, deportees have tested positive for the coronavirus after entering Mexican territory. Those deportations have further infuriated Mexican officials who have tried to restrict Americans from visiting the country. "Why are they continuing these deportations in the middle of a deadly pandemic, including people who are already sick and who knows how many asymptomatic people," Maki Ortiz, the mayor of the Mexican city Reynosa, told The Washington Post in May. U.S. border states have a significantly higher rate of infection than Mexican border states, although with limited testing in Mexico, it is difficult to compare the numbers. Tamaulipas, with a population of 3.5 million, has had 5,712 confirmed coronavirus cases. Sonora, with a population of 2.85 million, has had 7,064 Texas has a population of 29 million and more than 175,000 confirmed coronavirus cases. Arizona has a population of 7.3 million people and more than 90,000 confirmed coronavirus cases. In June, President Trump said at a rally in Phoenix that the Mexican city of Tijuana was "heavily infected with covid" and that the border wall was preventing cross-border transmission. In fact, San Diego had more cases of the virus per 100,000 residents. Some U.S. citizens and permanent residents who live in Mexico are crossing the border to be treated in American hospitals, placing a disproportionate stress on small community hospitals in places like Imperial County, Calif. U.S. border restrictions still allow Americans to cross the border into their own country without citing a reason. An increasing number of U.S. covid-19 patients are surviving after they are placed on mechanical ventilators, a last-resort measure that was perceived as a signal of impending death during the terrifying early days of the pandemic. Early reports out of Wuhan, China, and Italy cemented the impression that the vast majority of patients who required the breathing devices ultimately succumbed to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. But as the pandemic has continued, U.S. hospitals are reporting much lower mortality rates, results on par with death rates for patients with similar severe lung problems caused by other diseases. Experts say that's because clinicians have become more skilled and are deploying new tactics as they learn more about the course of covid-19; some are using ventilators more selectively; many hospitals are less overwhelmed than when the virus first inundated Wuhan, parts of Italy and New York City; and early data on ventilation and death did not present a true picture. "Being on a ventilator right now in our hands is no different than it would be any day of the year," said Greg Martin, a professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and president-elect of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. In a May 26 study in the journal Critical Care Medicine, Martin and a group of colleagues found that 35.7 percent of covid-19 patients who required ventilators died - a significant percentage but much lower than early reports that put the figure in the upper 80 percent range. Use of drugs such as remdesivir, which shortens the recovery time for some of the sickest patients, and the steroid dexamethasone have helped as well. "We've learned a lot about covid since the beginning of the year," said Russell G. Buhr, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. "That means we have a significantly better understanding of how to diagnose, recognize and manage this." Buhr's hospital is still putting together data, but he said the mortality rate for ventilated patients is in the 30 percent to 50 percent range. That is about the same as the rate for people who develop acute respiratory distress syndrome, the dangerous buildup of fluid in the tiny air sacs of the lungs caused by diseases such as pneumonia, or injuries such as those suffered in car accidents. Before the pandemic, about 200,000 people developed acute respiratory distress each year and about 60 percent survived. Roughly 20 percent of symptomatic covid-19 patients require hospitalization and about 5 percent end up in the ICU. Most of those in intensive care require ventilators. The devices essentially breathe for the patient, who is sedated with a long plastic tube placed down the throat and into the windpipe. Severely ill covid-19 patients tend to linger on ventilators longer than other intubated patients, some for weeks. The tube inflames tissue, which can interfere with breathing, so later in the course of convalescence it may be removed and replaced by a smaller tube inserted through an incision in the windpipe. While there is widespread agreement that ventilators have saved many lives during the pandemic, clinicians debate whether doctors turned to ventilators too often and too soon, especially at the beginning of the pandemic. "This is a brand new disease we'd never seen before," said Leora Horwitz, an associate professor of population health and medicine at NYU Langone Health. "We're generally learning to recognize who needs to be intubated and who doesn't. We're avoiding intubation where we can. We're learning proning," the technique of placing patients on their stomachs to help them breathe. "We're learning about blood clots." At the NYU hospital, 60 percent of patients placed on ventilators between March 1 and May 5 died, according to a paper Horwitz and others published in the BMJ medical journal. "It's never going to be 10 to 20 percent. Let's not kid ourselves," Horwitz said. "The people who are sick enough to be put on a ventilators, they're really sick." Managing a patient on a ventilator is a time-consuming, delicate task that requires caregivers to monitor and adjust the amount of oxygen a patient is receiving, the pressure in his or her lungs and the time between breaths, among other factors. Buhr said he can spend 30 to 45 minutes perfecting the ventilator settings for a single patient. When hospitals in China, Italy and New York City were swamped with patients early in the pandemic, that simply wasn't possible. Some patients were intubated in the emergency room instead of the ICU, where nurses can pay closer attention. Some New York hospitals were using older or backup equipment designed for anesthesia. Others relied on staff who were less familiar with the devices or who came from other places. Italy has fewer ICU beds per capita than the United States and a large elderly population. Martin, of Emory, said there is no doubt all those factors boosted mortality rates, especially because hospitals saw older and more vulnerable patients when the pandemic first hit their countries. In addition to age, underlying conditions such as heart disease and diabetes sharply increase the odds of dying of covid-19. "The number of cases in New York exceeded the capacity for normal, conventional care," Martin said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it has no data on the number of covid-19 patients who have required ventilators, or the proportion who survive. But health-care personnel have been listing outcomes on national and international registries, including one maintained by the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC). When a team of researchers led by Annemarie Docherty, academic critical care consultant at the University of Edinburgh, looked at more than 20,000 United Kingdom patients on the ISARIC registry, they found 1,658 who required ventilators. Of those, 17 percent were discharged alive, 37 percent died and 46 percent were still in the hospital as of May 3. In contrast, early studies that showed higher mortality rates may have presented a skewed view of the data. An early report in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine out of Wuhan put the fatality rate at 86 percent, but it included only 22 ventilated patients. And when Northwell Health, one of the two largest medical systems in New York, first reported the results of a review of its patients in April, it put the death rate for those who needed ventilators at 88 percent. The study received widespread coverage in the U.S. media. But several days later, when researchers corrected their work to account for the large number of patients on ventilators who were still in hospitals, they reduced the mortality rate to 25 percent. A new effort to tackle the long-standing social isolation and loneliness problems that older adults, people with disabilities and veterans often experience, which has worsened during the coronavirus pandemic, has been launched. It's called the MENTAL Health Challenge, being started by the federal Administration for Community Living, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. The goal is to develop a software platform allowing individuals to access the right solutions for them, after discovering that few seem to know what local programs are available to help them. More people are suffering because more people are homebound, said Kelly Cronin, the deputy administrator of Center for Innovation and Partnership at ACL. It has more to do with the guidelines that are being reinforced at a federal, state and community level about social distancing. Its those guidelines that are further isolating people. The MENTAL Health Challenge seeks an easy-to-use online system to aggregate different technology, as well as low-tech and no-tech options, that can help users connect to others and engage in the community. The winning system will be announced and demonstrated in January 2021 at CES, an annual trade show produced by the Consumer Technology Association. More than 40 percent of seniors regularly experience loneliness, according to a study by the University of California, San Francisco. Loneliness increases the likelihood of mortality by 26 percent and lacking social connections is as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to a PLOS Medicine study. The Administration for Community Living has been working to combat these problems long before the pandemic. There are many community-based programs and local efforts underway to address senior social isolation. St. Peters Health Partners has launched Eddy SeniorCare, the Capital Regions only Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly(PACE), to support seniors, offering medical care, home health care, therapy and other support service. The day center has been closed since March because of the pandemic, but clients are still trying to accompany older adults by doing visits, checking in, giving them activity sheets, trying to do activities over there broadcast channels and having the conference calls, said Susan Conlon, the Day Center Manager of Eddy SeniorCare. One of the activities they offer now is bingo through conference calls. They mailed everyone a bingo card and set up a conference line for them to call and play twice a day. They also arrange group or individual phone conversations with the seniors, talking about the latest current events including COVID-19 and the protest marches. They are anxious. If theyre not talking about it, its kind of stuck in their head, said Karen Bona, day center manager. Having the opportunity to express their reactions to the world around them alleviates some of their negative emotions, like anxiety. However, the ACL research found out that not many people know about the solutions offered by their local hospitals or communities, Cronin said. The purpose of this challenge is to create sort of a one-stop shop, Cronin said. Conlon said they must consider the seniors suffering from age-related hearing loss or vision loss when using technology. Online is something that we can definitely look into in the future, said Conlon. For right now, I think the phone has been working pretty good. The key element of the MENTAL Health Challenge is individual. Cronin clarified that they will not develop a technology-driven system, but a person-centered one. No one can get a solution that is right for everybody because every older adult has different needs, interests and capabilities. Thus, they will apply technology to understand the users and match their profile to the right solution. I think this is about customizing to what matters most for the individual, making sure that they do get connected, Cronin said. Xurui Tan is a reporter for the Medill News Service and a journalism masters student at Northwestern University. Mary L. Trump, the author of an explosive book about her uncle President Donald Trump, asked a court to lift a restraining order against her, saying in an affidavit filed Thursday that she was misled by the family into signing a confidentiality agreement in an inheritance case two decades ago. Her request, filed with the New York Supreme Court, follows a decision by the court's appellate division on Wednesday to lift a restraining order against Simon & Schuster, allowing publication of the book to go forward. That court left in place a restraining order against Mary Trump. The affidavit marks the first time Mary Trump has commented publicly about her book, as well as her allegation that she was misled when signing the confidentiality agreement. In her affidavit, Mary Trump said she "never believed" the confidentiality agreement in the inheritance case could restrict from writing a book about "the conduct and character of my uncle, the sitting President of the United States, during his campaign for reelection." She said she decided that writing a book was necessary after her uncle was elected president. The book, "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man," has climbed to the top of bestseller lists based on preorders and is slated to be published July 28. The publisher, which said it has already distributed thousands of copies to retailers, has said the book will reveal the "nightmare of traumas" that shaped the man who is now president. Mary Trump said in her affidavit that, in agreeing to the inheritance settlement, she relied on asset valuations of the family estate provided to her by Donald Trump and his siblings that she said have since been proven to be inaccurate. "I relied on false valuations provided to me by my uncles and aunt, and would never have entered into the Agreement had I known the true value of the assets involved," she said. She said the inaccuracy of the valuations were revealed in a 2018 investigation by the New York Times of family finances. Simon & Schuster said in a filing with the court that Mary Trump told the publishing company she was a source for the Times investigation. Mary Trump did not mention that role in her affidavit. Mary Trump said that President Trump and his brother, Robert - who filed the petition to stop the book's publication - have made multiple public comments about the family without asking her permission. "My uncle, President Trump, has spoken out about our family and the will dispute on numerous occasions," she said. Robert Trump's attorney, Charles Harder, did not respond to a request for comment. A key element of the book is expected to be the impact of the death of Mary Trump's father, Fred Jr. - President Trump's older brother - from an alcohol-related illness when she was 16 years old in 1981. President Trump told The Washington Post in an interview last year that he regretted pushing his brother to go into the family business. Mary Trump, 55, and her brother Fred III, argued during an inheritance dispute two decades ago that they did not receive the amount they expected upon the death of their grandfather, Fred Trump Sr. They were allocated a significantly lesser amount than what would have gone to their father, if he had lived, according to court papers. Mary Trump is a clinical psychologist, providing her with a background in disorders that she uses in the book to dissect President Trump, the publisher said. K-pop superstars BLACKPINK released their long-awaited comeback for "How You Like That" on June 26 and broke world records with the track. One scene, in particular, gained lots of interest - the ending scene, where the girls are seen dancing in modified hanboks. Many people reacted favorably to the outfits, saying that they found it pretty and also saw it an opportunity to promote hanbok on the international stage. Others, however, did not have the same reaction and claimed that the modification of it took away the beauty of the traditional clothing. Some critics thought that the wearing of the hanboks could put the girls on cold water, with people having divided opinions over the use of traditional clothing. BLACKPINK first unveiled the song on stage on NBC's flagship program "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on June 27 at 7:00 p.m. The premiere of the stage recorded 210,000 unique users, further proving BLACKPINK's global presence. Since then, BLACKPINK has topped the iTunes songs chart in 64 counties and surpassed 100 million views on the music video in just 32 hours. Many foreign media outlets reported all of the group's achievements in real-time. BLACKPINK is drawing lots of attention for not only wearing the hanbok in the music video but also wearing it when they performed on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," which has caused global interest in hanbok, A representative of the company gave context to the type of hanbok BLACKPINK is wearing, saying, "It's a hanbok called Cheollik that was worn by military officials as uniforms during the Joseon Dynasty. We reduced the length of the hanbok to make it easier for the girls to dance in." Jennie was seen wearing a pink hanbok, which caught the eyes of viewers all around the world. The representative further explained that specific piece, saying, "It's part of the daily clothes worn by scholars back in the day. Because they are dancing, I cut it a little bit and made it in the form of a jeogori." The representative also commented on the rise of interest in hanbok. "Foreign fan's interest in hanbok has increased a lot, and we received many inquiries from people wanting to buy hanbok. With this new opportunity, we hope to see new possibilities for hanbok." Some people brought up that during the Miss Korea contest in 2019, the previous year's winners wore hanbok. In comparison to BLACKPINK's hanbok, however, people reacted negatively to the outfits. They said that their hanboks were more reminiscent of lingerie or swimwear rather than traditional garments. At the time, Park Sul Nyeo, a researcher on hanbok, commented on the controversy, saying, "Even if we were to modify it to fit modern styles, we should not break down the traditional aspect too much. The times are changing. As we all know, hanbok has its own uniqueness. It's a modern hanbok, but I think it's a bit sad to see id remade into such a way. It's our traditional clothes we have to protect, so I think it'd be good if we put more thought into how we modernize it." Dubbed as fusion hanbok, the clothing sparked controversy over how it was commercialized to show their sex appeal rather than to appreciate the culture. While many questioned why BLACKPINK could wear modernized hanboks, a wide majority defended the girls. Many agreed that they still respected the traditional aspect of the outfits, while Miss Korea did not. Fans and netizens alike are saying that BLACKPINK did it tastefully, while Miss Korea did theirs in a way that makes Koreans uncomfortable. The Bexar County Emergency Manager issued an emergency alert Friday, informing residents of the state's new mandates to require all residents to wear face masks amid rising concerns of increased cases of COVID-19 over the Fourth of July weekend. Gov. Greg Abbott announced the two new executive state orders Thursday to require all residents to wear face masks as well as prohibiting gatherings of 10 people or more. The new mandates take effect immediately throughout the state of Texas. This also follows Abbott's order to re-close bars and reduce restaurant capacity after state sees rapidly growing numbers of positive cases. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox City and state officials have expressed great concern about another massive spike in cases that will overwhelm the hospitals. Currently, there are more than 1,000 people with COVID-19 in San Antonio's hospitals. With our local hospitals nearing capacity, it is critical that everybody gets this message, especially younger people, who we know are often glued to their cell phones, said Mayor Ron Nirenberg. The message is simple: Stay home if you can. Wear a mask if you cant its an order from the Governor. We simply cant withstand another spike in COVID-19 cases as we saw after Memorial Day weekend. Nirenberg has been urging residents to stay inside during the holiday weekend Abbott's mandate also says that anyone not following the mandatory mask rule will be fined $250. The emergency alert was issued at noon. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway Mercedes Cordero Midland Memorial Hospital is scaling back on elective surgeries that require multiple days of inpatient post-surgery recovery in response to a spike in the number of coronavirus patients requiring hospitalization, CEO Russell Meyers said Thursday. Surgeons have been asked not to schedule elective surgeries that need multiple days of recovery in an inpatient environment, Meyers said. He said some of those surgeries will begin being scheduled again next week, but they will be evaluating what number of surgeries is appropriate to do. In light of rapidly growing numbers for positive COVID-19 cases in San Antonio, Mayor Ron Nirenberg took to social media to plead with the public to be extra cautious during the holiday weekend. Nirenberg posted a video on Reddit, telling users that hospital capacity has dropped another 13 percent overnight and officials are worried about increasing numbers. He also thanked the "science-minded" users on Reddit for "being so diligent during this pandemic" "I know our Loop 1604 typically protects us from most natural disasters, but obviously COVID-19 knows no boundaries including our outer loop," Nirenberg said in the minute-long video. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox Bexar County, along with the rest of Texas, has seen large spikes in positive cases over the last several weeks following Gov. Greg Abbott's orders to reopen bars, restaurants and retail. On Tuesday, San Antonio recorded the largest number of new cases in a single day with 1,268 positive cases. By Thursday, there were more than 1,000 COVID-19 patients in the city's area hospitals, pushing the facilities to near-capacity. Most Fourth of July celebrations have been cancelled because of COVID-19 and many city spaces such as pools and parks have all been closed in an effort to keep residents safe over the holiday weekend. "If you can, remind your friends, remind your family to take it easy this holiday weekend," Nirenberg said. "Stay home to the greatest extent possible and wear your face masks when you are out in public and stay safe San Antonio." Many of the Reddit users on the thread applauded Nirenberg for his leadership during the pandemic, with quite a few asking for Nirenberg to replace Abbott in the governor's seat. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway Ricardo B. Brazziell, MBR / Associated Press Gov. Greg Abbott did a 180 on more than one major policy position this week: He's now shut down bars across the state again and is requiring that the vast majority of Texans wear a mask when in public. Plus, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he and the State of Texas will no longer listen to the counsel of the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Join the conversation featuring Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum Report, and Houston Chronicle political writer Jeremy Wallace. 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 subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Ireland will for the first time host an annual seminar that brings together experts and people with lived experience of mental health challenges and recovery from across Europe. Mental Health Ireland was nominated by Mental Health Europe to host the annual Empowerment Seminar, which aims to promote mental health literacy and equip participants with the knowledge and skills to look after their own health and wellbeing, including how to interact with mental health services and advocate for their rights and for others. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 European Empowerment Seminar originally due to take place in Kilkenny will go digital. Entitled Lets Talk Empowering Recovery in Europe, the 2020 European Empowerment Seminar will take place online via Zoom on July 24. This years event will bring together European experts in the field of mental health, including people with lived experience of mental health challenges, family members and service providers to learn, participate and contribute to the discussion of empowering recovery. The seminar has been co-produced by people from backgrounds in lived experience of mental health challenges, family members and carers, and service providers. It will focus on how empowering recovery through co-production provides better outcomes for everyone. The seminar will explore the key concepts of CHIME (Connection, Hope, Identity, Meaning and Empowerment) through a variety of interactive and creative means. Panel discussions and interactive workshops will explore themes such as personal and family recovery, human rights, peer working, and empowerment through education. Martin Rogan, CEO with Mental Health Ireland, says the seminar will spark a new and more hopeful conversation about recovery. He adds: This seminar is about having a new and more hopeful conversation about empowering recovery and what that now means for citizens right across Europe. At last we dispel the myth that recovery is a rare event in mental health. We must change the public expectation to one where recovery from a mental health challenge is recognised as a fundamental human right and how this can be achieved through empowerment. By working through co-production, we can bring together all perspectives and look towards a more positive future. Belinda Coyle is a family peer educator with Mental Health Ireland. Belinda and her siblings grew up with both parents having mental health and addiction challenges. My siblings and I lived through this difficult period in our young lives and we are now all living well in recovery and wellness. I became a recovery facilitator and have grown with confidence and strength to learn about family recovery and to accept that caring for myself was equally important for my loved one, says Belinda. By using my personal knowledge and skills, I can support families and individuals through challenges and advocate for them in their recovery. Mental Health Ireland recovery education facilitator Billy Clarke calls the seminar a celebration of empowerment and hope. "For me, the Empowering Recovery Seminar is a celebration of everything that makes true empowerment possible - connection, hope, identity and having a meaningful role in life. It is also an opportunity for me to learn new ways of empowering recovery through education, creativity and human rights discourse," he adds. The free seminar is now open for registration. Leesburg, VA (20175) Today An isolated thunderstorm possible this evening, then occasional showers overnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight An isolated thunderstorm possible this evening, then occasional showers overnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. (Alliance News) - Capital & Regional PLC on Friday said it has received just over a third of its rent due late June, and added that footfall at its assets bounced last week. Capital & Regional said it has received, or expects to "imminently receive", 34% of its rent due in the third quarter. It added that it has received 40% of rent due since late-March. Back in March, it said it had received 50% of rent due for the second quarter, compared to 80% in the equivalent period a year ago. Capital & Regional owns seven shopping centres in the UK and they remained opened during the stricter lockdown as some tenants provide essential services. As restrictions eased, non-essential retailers were allowed to lift shutters and Capital & Regional said 470 of its stores are open again, about 74% of its units. Footfall for the week ended June 28 was about 55% of the levels seen a year ago, though up 97% from the week before, as UK virus restrictions eased. "We are working closely with the remaining retailers to re-open as soon as possible noting only 5% of our retailers are currently not authorised to open," the company said. "It remains too early to quantify the medium and longer term impacts of Covid-19 on the group's operations. Whilst it is clear that Covid-19 is rapidly accelerating a number of structural trends that were already under way in retail industry, we continue to believe the group's focus on local community centres providing non-discretionary and essential goods and services will help mitigate the group on a relative basis and provides the business with a sound base in these unprecedented times." The company plans to release its results for the six months to June 30, on September 4. By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Grit Real Estate Income Group Ltd on Friday hailed its "strong rent collections" and affirmed its dividend target. In June, the Africa-focused real estate firm received 73% of contracted rent and for the period between March and June, which was mired by Covid-19 lockdowns, it received 91% of its rent. Chief Executive Officer Bronwyn Corbett said: "The group continues to focus on further strengthening and defending its current position and delivering effectively on its investment strategy over the short and longer term. Although the full impact of Covid-19 remains uncertain, the company has successfully focused on strong rent collections and tenant initiatives." The company said it still plans to press on with a full-year payout of 8.75 US cents per share, though this will be down 28% from 12.20 cents the prior year. In June, Grit plotted an escape route from the JSE, due to the "cost and administrative burden" of being listed on three exchanges. As well as London and Johannesburg, Grit also is listed in Mauritius. Grit said Botswana Development Corp Ltd and Zep-Re will acquire shares held by investors on its JSE register for ZAR14.90 each. On Friday, Grit said: "The group is intending to move to the premium listing segment on the LSE in the second half of 2020, following the completion of the proposed JSE de-listing. To facilitate the group's eligibility for inclusion in the FTSE UK Index Series, the group is further exploring the possibility of redomiciling its corporate seat to Guernsey." Grit Real Estate shares were untraded in London on Friday morning, last quoted at USD0.81 each. In Johannesburg, they were also untraded, last seen at ZAR14.01. By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Ireland's services moved closer to growth in June, numbers on Friday showed, with activity declining at its slowest pace since March. The AIB business activity index rose to 39.7 in June, from 23.4 in May, still below the 50.0 mark which separates growth from decline, but much-improved from April's record low of 13.9. "The index continued to signal falling activity in June, albeit at a much slower rate than in March, April and May as the lockdown began to be lifted," IHS Markit said. "Activity and new business continued to decline overall, but at the slowest rates since the downturn began in March. Employment continued to fall sharply, but expectations with regards to activity over the year ahead turned positive." AIB's composite output PMI, which is compiled using Friday's services data and Wednesday's manufacturing print, posted a record gain in June. It rose to 44.3, from 25.7 in May. May's rise of 8.4 points was a record at the time. "The overall drop in output reflected a further decline in services activity, albeit at the weakest rate in the current four-month sequence. Manufacturing output rose for the first time since February, although the increase was only modest," IHS Markit noted. Numbers on Wednesday showed AIB's manufacturing PMI rose to 51.0 in June, back into growth, from 39.2 in May. During June, production and new work rose for the first time since February. Several firms noted that factories had started to reopen as government lockdown measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 began to be lifted. AIB Chief Economist Oliver Mangan said on Friday: "The June PMI report, though, did see good month-on-month gains for all sub-components, suggesting the most severe phase of the contraction in business activity is behind us. Encouragingly also, there was a marked improvement in the 12-month outlook, which turned decisively positive, having being at subdued levels over the previous three months. We expect stronger PMI data from July onwards as the economy re-opens following the lifting of most lockdown restrictions." By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Travellers from more than 50 countries including France, Italy and Spain a but not the US a can stop self-isolating on arrival in England from July 10, the UK government said Friday. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will each announce their own separate rules depending on how they work in England. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the change, which reverses a two-week quarantine policy imposed in June, would lead to the "reopening of the nation". Shapps told the BBC that a full list of "50-plus" countries would be published later on Friday. Under the new rules, a traffic-light system a red, amber and green a would be used for different countries depending on their prevalence of the coronavirus. Travellers from the green and amber countries will no longer have to self-isolate on arrival. The amber countries will have reciprocal arrangements in place with England, while the green countries are deemed to be safer than England, such as New Zealand. The amber countries include France, Italy and Spain, which are among the most popular summer holiday destinations for Britons. But the US and Greece, another popular travel destination, will be designated with a red light, which requires 14 days of self-isolation. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's father Stanley created a UK media scandal this week by flying to his Greek holiday home via Bulgaria to avoid the restrictions. Johnson refused to comment on the trip when asked about it during a radio interview Friday. "I really think you ought to raise that with him," Johnson said of his father. "I am not going to get into the details of family conversation." - Airlines cheer - The government had hoped to introduce the system across all four UK nations, but a political row has left England going it alone. "Today marks the next step in carefully reopening our great nation," said Shapps.A "Whether you are a holidaymaker ready to travel abroad or a business eager to open your doors again, this is good news for British people and great news for British businesses." People arriving in England would still have to fill out a locator form, he added. The reaction to the new system from beleaguered tourism and aviation industries, which had been critical of the 14-day rule, has been largely positive. In a statement, budget airline EasyJet said: "This would be an important move in the reopening of aviation, to support the wider UK recovery." A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said it was waiting for further details in the government's announcement and said it was "continually reviewing our flying programme". VisitBritain Director Patricia Yates said allowing easier entry for overseas visitors would provide "a timely boost". dmh/zak/achA source: AFP Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Rio Tinto PLC on Friday said it is expecting delays of potentially more than two years at Oyu Tolgoi and downgraded reserves after changing the mine design. Regulations in Mongolia require that mining companies submit an updated feasibility study every five years. This latest Oyu Tolgoi study includes a new mine design for panel 0 of the Hugo Dummett North underground mine, which confirms that the caving method of mining is still valid and that underground schedule costs are still within expected ranges. The ranges, which have previously been disclosed, include a delay of between 21 and 29 months for first sustainable production compared to the feasibility study guidance from 2016 and a USD1.3 billion to USD1.8 billion increase in development capital from the original USD5.3 billion. After drilling and mapping at depth suggested some stability risks associated with the original mine design, changes have been made. The new design will keep two in-situ rock pillars at either side of panel 0 to retain stability. Due to leaving the pillars in place, material contained in these has been reclassified as mineral resources from ore reserves. Part of the material from the pillars is expected to be recoverable at a later stage after more studies. Probable ore reserves at Hugo Dummett North have been reduced to 400 million tonnes from 447 million tonnes while probable ore reserves at the Hugo Dummett North Extension have fallen to 40 million tonnes from 32 million. Rio Tinto said the feasibility study is complete and in the process of being submitted to the Mongolian government. The company owns a 33.4% stake in Hugo Dummett North and 29.5% stake in the Hugo Dummett North Extension. Arnaud Soirat, chief executive of Copper & Diamonds at Rio Tinto, said: "This amended mine design is another positive step in the development of the underground mine which will unlock the most valuable part of Oyu Tolgoi. We remain focused on delivering the underground project safely and within the guidance ranges we have announced on both cost and schedule." By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - The following is a summary of top news stories Friday. COMPANIES Land Securities Group said following the reopening of most of its properties after the easing of lockdown measures, it has continued to make progress on the collection of rent. All of LandSec's office properties have remained open, and following the easing of restrictions on non-essential retail in the UK in mid-June, all shopping centres, outlets and retail parks have now open. By the end of June, 79% of the the real estate investment trust's retail units were trading, while 16 out of 18 leisure parks were open. Accor-managed hotels remain closed, but will go through a phased reopening over the next three months. Looking ahead, LandSec said it intends to reinstate dividend payments following the announcement of its interim results on November 10. As at June 30 the group's adjusted net debt was GBP3.92 billion compared to GBP3.93 billion at the end of March. Rio Tinto's Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia is expected to see a 21 to 29 month delay for first production, which will increase the development capital needed for the project by between USD1.3 billion to USD1.8 billion from the original USD5.3 billion. The updated mine design is the result of the review announced by Rio Tinto in July 2019 when enhanced geotechnical and geological information obtained from drilling and mapping at depth suggested there may be "some stability risks" associated with the original mine design. Rio Tinto's ownership share is 33.5% of Hugo Dummett North and 29.5% of Hugo Dummett North Extension - both at Oyu Tolgoi in Mongolia. The probable ore reserves for Hugo Dummett North have been revised down to 400 million tonnes from 447 million at the end of 2019, while the North Extension seen its reserves revised upwards to 40 million tonnes from 32 million tonnes. Ryanair Holdings said its Irish pilots have accepted a four-year agreement including a 20% pay cut restored over four years, while its UK and Ireland cabin crew have accepted a 10% cut. The agreement also includes "productivity improvements on rosters" as well as "flexible working patterns and annual leave" with the aim of minimising job losses for Irish pilots. Budget airline Ryanair, which has its headquarters in Swords near Dublin said the deal gives the company "a framework to flex its operation" while the Covid-19 pandemic remains ongoing as well as offering "a pathway to recovery" once normality returns. BALPA and Ryanair UK agreed a similar deal earlier in the week that also included a 20% pay cut and improvements to productivity. Alongside this, Ryanair also signed agreements with the Forsa union concerning Irish based cabin crew and the UNITE union for its UK cabin crew including pay reductions of up to 10%. These cuts are also to be fully restored over four years with the agreement also including productivity improvements. Online trading platform CMC Markets said its "entire business has continued to perform very well" in its first quarter. Client trading activity remains around double that of the same period the year before, CMC added, with client income retention "materially" higher than the 82% reported in the first half of the previous financial year. Stockbroking net trading revenue also continues to benefit from the market conditions, the company added. As a result, net operating income for the first quarter of financial 2021 is in excess of that reported for the first half of financial 2020 of GBP102.3 million. "The board is confident that, even in the event that more normalised client trading activity returns, with the strong underlying performance of the business, 2021 net operating income will exceed the upper end of current market consensus," CMC added. SoftBank and an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund are in talks to back a UK government-led bid for collapsed satellite firm OneWeb, Sky News reported. Sky News said Japanese tech investor SoftBank and Mubadala, an investment arm of the Gulf state, have been holding talks with government officials about contributing hundreds of millions of pounds to a newly comprised shareholders group. The UK-led bidding team consists currently only of the government and existing OneWeb shareholder Bharti Enterprises, Sky News said, according to a person "close to the situation". Rival bidders for OneWeb are thought to include Telesat, a Canadian company. London-headquartered OneWeb filed for bankruptcy in March in the US, where most of its operations are located, after failing to secure new funding. It has 74 satellites and already counted Softbank as an investor. MARKETS Stock trading was lacklustre on Friday with markets in the US closed. Momentum in Asia overnight failed to flow through to Europe, where stocks were mostly lower, as Covid-19 cases in the US continue to grow, despite improvement in service sector activity across Europe and Asia. Financial markets in the US are shut Friday for the Independence Day holiday. FTSE 100: down 50.63 points, or 0.8% at 6,189.73 FTSE 250: down 0.1% at 17,350.34 AIM ALL-SHARE: up 0.2% at 894.01 GBP: soft at USD1.2447 (USD1.2465) EUR: soft at USD1.1227 (USD1.1236) GOLD: down at USD1,774.70 per ounce (USD1,775.75) OIL (Brent): firm at USD42.60 a barrel (USD42.30) (changes since previous London equities close) ECONOMICS AND GENERAL The UK's private sector saw a sharp improvement in business conditions in June, according to the results of a survey by IHS Markit released on Friday, though activity continued to contract. The composite purchasing managers' index - which is a weighted average of the UK manufacturing output index and the UK services business activity index - improved to 47.7 in June from 30.0 in May. The index hit a record-low of 12.9 in April. June's reading is the highest in four months but still remains below the no-change mark of 50. The flash figure for June was 47.6. Manufacturing production - 50.7 in June - once again fared better than service sector output - 47.1 - IHS Markit said, with the latter hit by a sustained drag from business closures across vast swathes of the consumer services and leisure activity. "June data continued to signal a turnaround in business conditions across the UK service sector," IHS Markit said. The eurozone's private sector saw a sharp improvement in conditions in June, according to IHS Markit, though activity continued to contract. The composite output index for June surged to 48.5 points from May's 31.9, hitting its best level in four months and exceeding the flash reading of 47.5 by a full point. However, with the reading remaining below the no-change mark of 50, the latest data indicate business conditions in the eurozone remain tough. France was the top performing country in terms of composite purchasing managers' index while Ireland was the worst. All those covered, though, recorded four-month highs in June. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is ruling out any concessions in the "difficult" negotiation over the EU's post-coronavirus recovery fund. In a Friday interview with Sette, a weekly linked to Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Rutte said talks "will be difficult, but a compromise is possible." Yet, when the interviewer told him the Netherlands had to be prepared to make concessions, he replied: "That is your interpretation. And that's fine. But it is not our position." "Our position is that aid must come in the form of loans and not grants," Rutte said, also stressing that countries receiving aid must in return improve their "competitiveness and resilience." "Italy and Spain must answer the question: 'what can we do to be able to tackle on our own the next crisis?'" the Dutch premier said. The European Commission has made a proposal for a EUR750 billion recovery fund, including EUR500 billion in grants and EUR250 billion in loans. The US posted a record 53,000 new coronavirus cases as the deadly pandemic accelerated across the Americas, but its slowdown in Europe led Britain to announce Friday the first exemptions to its quarantine rules. With Europe looking to turn the page on the biggest public health crisis in modern history, travellers arriving into Britain from Germany, France, Spain and Italy will no longer be required to self-isolate starting July 10. The US soared past 50,000 new infections Thursday for the second time in two days, casting a grim pall over its upcoming Independence Day celebrations. Now the epicentre of the pandemic, the US has recorded nearly 129,000 deaths out of more than 2.7 million cases. It's expected to record its three millionth infection next week. Florida, which now has more than 169,000 cases, is a key focus of public health experts who worry about a surge in southern and western US states. In Texas, where more than 2,500 people have died, Governor Greg Abbott ordered people in counties with 20 or more cases to wear masks and banned gatherings of more than 10. China's services sector grew at its quickest pace in over a decade as Covid-19 lockdown measures continued to ease, IHS Markit said. Caixin's seasonally adjusted headline business activity index came in at 58.4 in June, not only comfortably above the 50.0 no-change mark but also surging from 55.0 in May. IHS Markit noted it was the fastest rate of expansion since April 2010, with new order jumping at the fastest pace since August 2010. The composite PMI - compiled using the services and also manufacturing data from earlier in the week - rose to 55.7 in June from 54.5 in May, the fastest rate of growth since November 2010. Japan's services sector reached a four-month high in June but numbers on Friday showed it remained in decline. The Jibun Bank services purchasing managers' index jumped to 45.0 in June from 26.5 in May, helped by the state of emergency due to Covid-19 being lifted. It was still below the 50.0 marker which separates growth from decline and IHS Markit noted that "conditions remained fragile amid low customer numbers and operating rates" amid Covid-19. Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Manchester, IA (52057) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 46F. WNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 46F. WNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Mankato, MN (56001) Today Some clouds. Low 49F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph, becoming SSW and decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 49F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph, becoming SSW and decreasing to less than 5 mph. State environmental and public safety officials spoke to the citizens of Massachusetts over safety concerns and informed the public of enforcement of safe practices while boating, driving or celebrating at home. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides and Undersecretary Terrence Reidy introduced Massachusetts State Police Col. Christopher Mason, Environmental Police Col. Shaun Santos and Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey at Constitutional Beach in Boston. Fireworks illuminate the sky as the Springfield skyline is seen in the background during the Star Spangled Springfield annual fireworks display from the Memorial Bridge. (Frederick Gore Photo) Fireworks Ostroskey highlighted the dangers of using fireworks and pointed out that there have been roughly 700 bush fires this year. Ostroskey said the fires on many occasions were a result of illegal fireworks. Fireworks continue to be a royal pain in the you-know-where, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said on June 22. Sarno, at his weekly COVID-19 update, said he will file home-rule legislation with the state legislature that, if approved, would automatically affix any fine for setting off fireworks onto the renewal fee for a drivers license or vehicle registration, a city excise tax bill, and even a business license. We encourage people to leave the fireworks in the hands of the professionals, said Santos. Massachusetts law prohibits private citizens from using, selling, or possessing fireworks. Additionally, fireworks purchased legally elsewhere and then transported into the state are strictly prohibited. The penalty for being found with fireworks in Massachusetts is between $100 and $1,000. The Mass Pike runs through the heart of the Bay State. (Douglas Hook / MassLive) Driving The state police will be working throughout the weekend to ensure that the commonwealths roads, waterways and beaches are safe for all communities, said Mason. The MSP will have additional staff employed this weekend and will continue to focus on impaired, distracted and aggressive driving practices. Mason encourages those that will be drinking alcohol over the weekend to use a designated driver or rideshare service. Because the roads have been relatively empty throughout the pandemic, Mason said his troopers have been seeing vehicles traveling at high speeds in excess of 90 to 100 mph. Over the last five years, the state police have had to respond to at least two fatal car crashes on July 3 and 4. The number of non-fatal crashes during that same period has increased, said Mason. These numbers represent a very, very real danger to the operators of those vehicles and passengers of both cars and motorcycles. Behind these statistics are grieving families. Tourists walk on Commercial Street eating at restaurants and shopping at stores in Provincetown, Cape Cod. (Douglas Hook / MassLive) Boating During the summer months, the MSP dive teams and state police detective units respond to a number of accidental drowning deaths in the waterways around the state. Many of these deaths are preventable and some even involve children, said Mason. I would like to remind all to plan and supervise, to prevent these needless deaths. Santos, of the environmental police, announced Operation Dry Water that will remove impaired boat drivers from the waterways by teaming up with the local law enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard to patrol inland waterways and coastal waterways throughout the commonwealth. I cannot say enough how important personal flotation devices are, said Santos. Unfortunately, in the recent past, there has been an uptick in incidents and accidents. All I can say statistically is that rates of survival are much higher with PFDs. Like on land driving a car, operating a boat a person must not be under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or other substances. Got a news tip or want to contact MassLive about this story? Email newstips@masslive.com or message us on Facebook orTwitter. You can also call our news tips line at 413-776-1364. Massachusetts health officials on Friday announced 17 new coronavirus deaths, bringing the statewide death count to 8,149. Officials also confirmed another 290 cases of the virus, 78 which are considered probable, bringing the total in Massachusetts to at least 109,628. Thats based on 872,380 molecular tests and 74,598 antibody tests reported on Friday, according to the states Department of Public Health. Patients with a positive serology from an antibody test that are showing symptoms of the virus or were likely exposed to it, are counted as probable cases, DPH notes. State environmental and public safety officials spoke to the citizens of Massachusetts over safety concerns and informed the public of enforcement of safe practices while boating, driving, or celebrating at home during the holidays at Constitutional Beach in Boston on Friday. The latest data comes the day Gov. Charlie Baker announced that the state will be moving on to Phase 3 of its reopening plan beginning on Monday, July 6. Casinos, gyms and museums can open as early as Monday in Massachusetts as part of Phase 3 of the plan. Like Phase 2, Phase 3 will proceed in two parts, Baker said on Thursday during his daily press briefing. This phase will last significantly longer than the other phases so that we can closely monitor the impact to our public health data, he said. Here are the cases listed by county: Barnstable County: 1,553 Berkshire County: 602 Bristol County: 8,295 Dukes County: 50 Essex County: 16,210 Franklin County: 372 Hampden County: 6,834 Hampshire County: 976 Middlesex County: 24,083 Nantucket County: 18 Norfolk County: 9,242 Plymouth County: 8,722 Suffolk County: 19,936 Worcester County: 12,443 Unknown location: 292 Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Egypt has condemned the continuing Turkish violations of Iraq's sovereignty under the pretext of preserving its national security, the foreign minister said on Friday. The foreign ministry said that the continuation of this unacceptable approach could undermine regional peace and security, as those aggressive practices expose the status quo that Ankara seeks to impose on all. This proves what Egypt has repeatedly said, that Turkey is a major source of instability in the region, read the statement. The statement asserted that Egypt stands in solidarity with Iraq in the face of these provocative acts and it calls on all parties to respect Iraqi sovereignty and avoid tangling the country in any harmful regional conflicts. Turkish forces have advanced deeper into Iraqi territory in the past couple of days after two weeks of airstrikes, as Ankara continues to target Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. Short link: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that staff of the federal immigration services agency are likely to face furloughs for at least 30 days and up to three months starting Aug. 3. Without congressional action before August 3, USCIS will need to furlough over 13,000 staff members, which will have tremendous negative impacts on our mission administering our nations lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity, and protecting the American people, said USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow in a statement. We urge Congress to provide the funding needed to pay our dedicated staff and ensure our operations continue uninterrupted during these unprecedented times. On May 15, USCIS notified Congress of a projected budget shortfall of $1.2 billion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and requested emergency funding. The USCIS, which has offices in Boston and Lawrence, is a federal agency that oversees lawful immigration to the U.S. and is a component of the Department of Homeland Security. The majority of USCIS funding comes from fees paid by applicants and petitioners that are looking to stay in the U.S., and not funds from taxpayers. President Donald J. Trump on April 19 that he will temporarily suspend all immigration into the country amid the coronavirus pandemic. In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States, Trump wrote in a late-night tweet in April. The USCIS has seen a 50% drop in incoming fees and estimates that application and petition receipts will stay well below plan through the end of Fiscal Year 2020. In the past few months, USCIS has taken action to avert a fiscal crisis, including limiting spending to salary and mission-critical activities. The effects of the coronavirus pandemic are long-reaching and pervasive, leaving few unscathed in its wake. USCIS is still experiencing those very effects, which began with an alarming drop in applications at the end of March, said Edlow. Forecasts predict a crippling budget shortfall that requires assistance from Congress to allow USCIS to maintain current operations. Got a news tip or want to contact MassLive about this story? Email newstips@masslive.com or message us on Facebook orTwitter. You can also call our news tips line at 413-776-1364. HOLYOKE Canna Provisions will open Holyokes first recreational marijuana store Sunday with a grand opening and media day Monday in a former paper mill at 380 Dwight St. Canna Privisons said Thursday it has created 30 jobs by opening the Holyoke location, and several of the candidates are on track for long-term management and senior-level roles. Marcos Marrero, Holyokes director of planning and economic development, said Holyoke has approved eight marijuana businesses, including Canna Provisions. Four of those will also be either cultivators or manufacturers, not purely retail operations. Canna Provisions will not grow in Holyoke, and is instead building a growing and processing operation Lee. The company already has a retail location in Lee, and it opened one in Easthampton over Memorial Day weekend as the state loosened coronavirus restrictions on the cannabis industry. It calls the Holyoke store its flagship. The Holyoke location totals 4,000 square feet of vaulted space. Canna Provisions has extensively remodeled the former Hampden Paper Co. mill in the last year. Adult-use marijuana shops in Massachusetts are open only for curbside sales due to the pandemic. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu announced visitors from other New England states no longer have to quarantine for 14 days. Today, in following with announcements made in nearby New England states, we are removing the quarantine requirement for New England residents who travel to New Hampshire for leisurely purposes, effective immediately, tweeted Sununu on Thursday. However, visitors from states outside of New England are still urged to follow the quarantine advisory. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker instructed out-of-state travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days with the exception of seven Northeastern states. Baker said his updated guidance, which took effect on Wednesday, does not apply to travelers coming from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York or New Jersey. Workers who are considered critical infrastructure employees are also exempt. Anyone from Massachusetts heading to Maine will still have to quarantine for 14 days or show proof of a recent negative coronavirus test. Gov. Baker said Thursday he would be calling Maines governor to find out why that is the case. Got a news tip or want to contact MassLive about this story? Email newstips@masslive.com or message us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also call our news tips line at 413-776-1364. The Massachusetts House and Senate formed a special oversight committee to further examine the actions that led to a coronavirus outbreak which killed at least 76 residents at the Holyoke Soldiers Home this spring. House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo announced that legislators passed the order in a letter to members that was obtained by The Republican and MassLive. It was filed by DeLeo and Rep. Linda Dean Campbell, the House chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Veterans Affairs and Federal Affairs. The findings of the independent investigation conducted for the governor into the COVID-19 outbreak at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke were shocking, he said. Between about March 21 and early June the outbreak infected more than 71% of the 210 veterans at the home. At least 76 died of COVID-19, 84 infected veterans have recovered and one test is pending. After hearing about the dire situation, officials for the Department of Health and Human Services sent a team of medical specialists to the home on March 30. The situation was so bad, officials placed Superintendent Bennett Walsh on paid administrative leave before noon and brought in Val Liptak, a registered nurse and CEO of Western Massachusetts Hospital to take over management. A team of medical experts was formed to deal with the crisis and the Massachusetts National Guard was called in to augment the depleted staff. In the following days, Gov. Charlie Baker called for an investigation to learn how so many people had been infected so quickly. Attorney General Maura Healey, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling and Inspector General Glenn Cunha are also conducting independent investigations into the outbreak. The governors report, released last week, called early decisions made by Walsh catastrophic and baffling. As employees infected with the rapidly-spreading coronavirus started calling in sick, two locked dementia wards were combined into one cramming together residents who were infected with those who were not yet sick. Walsh was summarily fired after the report was released and Director of Veterans Services Francisco Urena, who oversaw the Soldiers Home, was forced to resign the day before the report was released. Through his lawyer and uncle, retired Hampden District Attorney William Bennett, Walsh has called many of the assertions in the report baseless and continues to fight his dismissal. The Special Joint Oversight Committee will help provide us with the further answers we, as a legislature and the public, deserve to what occurred at the Soldiers Home and enable us to devise the best legislative solutions, DeLeo said in the letter. The decision to form an oversight committee was not a surprise. In the days after the outbreak was made public, Western Massachusetts legislators led by now-Sen. John Velis pledged to conduct a joint investigation into the matter. Others involved were Aaron Vega, D-Holyoke, Joseph Wagner, D-Chicopee and Sen. James Welch, D-West Springfield. While it is the Holyoke Soldiers Home, it is all of our Soldiers Home, Vega said. It is very special to the Western Mass delegation. Related Content: When is a second stimulus check coming? How much will you get? President Donald Trump told Fox Business on Wednesday that another round of direct payments to Americans will be included in Congress next coronavirus relief package, and it may be even more than $1,200 per American. I support actually larger numbers than the Democrats, but its got to be done properly, Trump said. I want the money getting to people to be larger so they can spend it. I want the money to get there quickly and in a non-complicated fashion. Trump didnt specify how much larger the payments could be, but the $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES Act), already passed by the Democrat-led House, would again distribute $1,200 per person, via paper checks, direct deposit or debit cards, to help Americans whove lost income due to the Covid-19 pandemic. People with taxable income under $75,000 (or $150,000 for couples filing jointly) would be eligible, similar to the first round, and dependents would also qualify for $1,200 this time, regardless of age. The first round of stimulus checks, which gave qualifying American adults a one-time direct payment of $1,200 plus $500 for each child under the age of 17, was part of Congress $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed in March. A family of four could receive $3,400, while the second package would potentially send them $4,800. Senate Majority Leader and Republican Mitch McConnell said last month that the HEROES legislation will likely be the last round of direct payments. McConnell said Tuesday the bill is expected to be tweaked and approved this month. According to Fortune, Trump said Wednesday that he doesnt want Congress to extend jobless benefits with an extra $600 per week in unemployment insurance, currently set to expire at the end of July. We had something where it gave you a disincentive to work last time, he told Fox Business. Youd make more money if you dont go to work. Thats not what this country is all about ... We want to create a tremendous incentive for people to want to go back to work. When will I get my second stimulus check? McConnell said in late May that Congress would need about a month to negotiate a deal that includes the new payments; debates still havent started but if approved by the end of July, Americans could start seeing payments in late August or early fall. We dont want to rush into that because we want to be both careful at this point in seeing how the money is in the economy, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship last month. A lot of the money is still not in it, he said, referring to unclaimed Paycheck Protection Program funds and stimulus checks that still havent reached millions of people. The good news is checks would likely be delivered faster this time after millions verified their information on the IRS Get My Payment site. The IRS recently said it has paid all eligible Americans that it had enough information on for checks from the first round, for a total of $267 billion. The first round of payments took about a month to begin arriving in peoples bank accounts after Trump signed the CARES economic relief package in March. How much would I get? Under the current HEROES Act, each American would receive $1,200; married couples would receive $2,400; and parents would receive $1,200 per child, regardless of the dependents age. You can find out how much you would be eligible for by using the free Omni Calculator tool embedded below. Its also located on their site here. The Worcester Police Department announced it will conduct its own investigation into the actions taken by officers in the arrest of four Clark University students during a protest on June 1. The decision comes after the law firm Bowditch & Dewey, LLP, which was hired by Clark University, released a report regarding its investigation into the happenings of the protest on June 1 where 19 people were arrested, including four Clark University students. The report from Bowditch, determined the four Clark students arrested did not act violently or destructively and that the actions taken by the Worcester Police Department did not meet the standard that should be afforded to the public. The report recalls a night of protest in the Main South neighborhood, hours after a protest held downtown decried the murder of unarmed Black man George Floyd, who was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer. The report details a crowd being led through the Main South neighborhood before surrounding a police cruiser near the Hammond and Main Streets area. At approximately 10 p.m. the crowd gathered in the vicinity of Hammond, May and Main Streets and a WPD cruiser parked on Hammond Street and occupied by a police officer was surrounded by a large group of protesters, the report reads. The WPD officer became concerned about his safety, called for assistance and escaped from the vehicle. In response, it was decided to activate the Tactical Unit. The report goes on to detail protesters assailing police with flares, fireworks, rocks, concrete, bottles and other debris. In response, the WPD stated, This report accurately paints a picture of the behavior by some protesters that led to 19 arrests by Worcester Police much later in the evening after the rally. Bowditch claims their findings came after extensive examination of videos, photographs and interviews. The report goes on to detail the arrest of students Sarah Drapeau, Oliva Crum, Lynsday deManbey, who, according to the report, had left their apartment to observe and record the protest. Jay Verchin is the fourth Clark student referenced in the report who was also arrested, and seen live-streaming the protest with his cell phone. The report provides claims from Drapeau that an officer pinned his knee into her back during her arrest and that she informed the officer she had lung issues, and that she was in pain. According to the report, the arresting officer acknowledged her appeal, but did not budge and another officer remarked that she could lie on her side. Drapeau says while she was being arrested police called her a a fat b**** and said welcome to the real world. According to the report, Crum and deManbey were on the sidewalk at the corner of Louden and Main Streets observing Drapeau being arrested when they were ordered to get on the ground. Crum says deManbey was on the ground when she saw police punching him in the back. The report cites a video where Crum can be heard stating this. The report also contains claims from Crum that an officer broke the screen of her cell phone. The report states a video on the phone confirms the claim. According to the report, deManbey suffered abrasions on his left cheek and bruising on his body as a result of the arrest. The abrasion was noticeable on June 17, more than two weeks after the protest on June 1. Based on contemporaneous recordings, their injuries, the consistency of their testimony and on our interviews, the claims of the Clark students regarding their arrests are credible, the report said. The report, however, also states at least two of the students should have been aware of the dangerousness of the situation. Video recordings and other information reflect that at least two of the Clark students were or should have been aware of the seriousness of what was underway and the risk of arrest, the report said. After reviewing the report from Bowditch, the WPD announced, We are conducting our own investigation into the night of June 1, and are looking into allegations made by some students regarding actions taken by police during their arrests. This type of investigation takes place anytime we receive allegations of questionable actions, whether through a formal complaint or media reports. We look forward to completing this process, and remain committed to full and complete accountability. Related Content: The Australian Government will support the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Mauritius to implement projects in collaboration with Stakeholders to strengthen responses to gender-based violence, promote gender equality and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The new partnership was signed by HE Ms Jenny Dee, Australian High Commissioner and Ms Amanda Serumaga, UNDP Resident Representative at a ceremony held on 01 July 2020, in the presence of the Hon Mrs Kalpana Devi Koonjoo-Shah, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, and Hon. MLP Anjela Speville, Chairperson of the Rodrigues Regional Assembly]. Under the agreement, the Australian High Commission through its Direct Aid Program will provide funding towards the implementation of Pillar 1 (Component 2) of the UNDP Country Programme 2017-2020 on Addressing Challenges to Gender Equality with programmes aligned in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Hon. Mrs Kalpana Devi Koonjoo-Shah, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare laid emphasis on her firm belief that women and girls, everywhere, must have equal rights and opportunity, and be able to live free of violence and discrimination. She stressed on her unflinching determination as Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare to reduce all forms of discrimination towards women. In that context, she welcomed the sustained collaboration of International Partners, namely the UNDP and the Australian Embassy, to support her Ministry in its initiatives to achieving gender equality, especially at a juncture where financing of projects is really difficult due to budget limitations. She announced that she will be coming up shortly with a National Gender Policy to engender an all-inclusive legal, policy and administrative framework that will help promote gender equality and equity as an integral dimension of inclusive and sustainable development. Mrs Speville stated that the funding being allocated to the Rodrigues Regional Assembly is timely as it will contribute to launching the work of the SDG Committee. It is especially even more timely in the post Covid-19 context, where the strict lock-down measures have impacted in one way or the other on different socio-economic sectors, including tourism. She states, In Rodrigues, we are proud of our local resources and aspire to building resilience as well as safeguarding our natural resources, livelihoods and empowering our social capital. We will calibrate our Covid-19 Responses to achieve the SDGs. Having baseline data, through the research to be conducted with the support of the UNDP and the Australian High Commission will, therefore, be of utmost importance in this endeavour. High Commissioner Dee said the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the challenges women face across economic, security, health and safety spheres. Australia is pleased to partner with UNDP working closely with the Mauritian Government at a time when there are increasing risks of gender-based violence as a result of the pandemic. Ms. Serumaga mentioned that UNDP engages itself to sustain its actions in Mauritius and Rodrigues to speed up Gender Equality and Womens Empowerment initiatives as the cornerstone of Sustainable Development. She states, We need to speed-up our actions and align our resources towards targeted programmes for womens empowerment and gender equality. This is especially significant in the post COVID-19 situation whereby our in-country analysis reveals that women will bear the brunt of the pandemic in a more disproportionate manner within the overall socio-economic landscape. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Les membres du cabinet ont pris note de laintroduction au parlement du Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020, de la promulgatpon du Data Protection (Fees) Regulations 2020, de la liste des conges de 2021, de laccord du Ministere de lEducation et que la situation retourne a la normale au Champs de Mars le 11 juillet 2020 entre autres 1. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction of the Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020 into the National Assembly. The object of the Bill is to provide for the implementation of measures announced in the Budget Speech 2020-2021 and for matters connected, consequential or incidental thereto. 2. Cabinet has taken note that the Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation would promulgate the Data Protection (Fees) Regulations 2020. The new Regulations provide for a revised structure for the levying of fees for the registration/ renewal of registration certificates of controllers and processors on a three-year validity period. With a view to facilitating business and alleviating the burden on small and medium enterprises, the amount of fees payable has been reduced compared to the amounts that companies had to pay annually under the former Regulations. 3. Cabinet has agreed to the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology signing an Agreement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Port Louis to provide for the renewal of the grant formula for financial years 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 for the financing of 46 private-aided primary schools of the Roman Catholic Education Authority (RCEA). The Agreement spells out the various components for which grants are paid by the Ministry for the financing of the RCEA schools. 4. Cabinet has taken note of the list of Public Holidays for the Year 2021 which is as follows: New Year Friday 01 January New Year Saturday 02 January Thaipoosam Cavadee Thursday 28 January Abolition of Slavery Monday 01 February Chinese Spring Festival Friday 12 February Maha Shivaratree Thursday 11 March Independence and Republic Day Friday 12 March Ugaadi Tuesday 13 April Labour Day Saturday 01 May Eid-Ul-Fitr** Friday 14 May Ganesh Chaturthi Saturday 11 September All Saints Day Monday 01 November Arrival of Indentured Labourers Tuesday 02 November Divali Thursday 04 November Christmas Saturday 25 December ** The exact date of this festival is subject to confirmation as its celebration depends on the visibility of the moon. 5. Cabinet has taken note that the Mauritius Turf Club (MTC) would reopen race meetings to the public as from 11 July 2020, under strict sanitary measures. There would be no restriction of access to Champ de Mars on horse race days and betting activities would return to normal. However, the wearing of face masks would still be applicable and the MTC would ensure strict compliance thereto in collaboration with the Police. 6. Cabinet has agreed to amendments being made to the Consumer Protection (Scrap Metal) Regulations 2019 so as to ban the export of scrap copper. 7. Cabinet has taken note that following abusive practices by unscrupulous traders during the curfew period, some commodities were put under price control. In the light of feedback received after the lifting of the curfew, Cabinet has taken note that the number of cases of abusive prices has decreased and the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Protection would remove butter, spreads and margarine, breakfast cereals, processed cheese, pasta, pulses, and baby and adult diapers from price control. 8. Cabinet has taken note of the introduction of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) through the Management Information System operated by the Ministry of Public Service, Administrative and Institutional Reforms to support the Public Sector Business Transformation Strategy. The KPIs for Financial Year 2020/2021 for Ministries and Departments are as follows: (a) E- procurement a KPI for 100% adoption of the e-procurement platform of the Public Procurement Office by Ministries/ Departments; (b) Corruption Risk Assessment a KPI for two Corruption Risk Assessments to be conducted per year by Ministries/Departments; and (c) Training Budget a KPI for the utilisation of 90% of the Training Budget allocated to Ministries/Departments. The implementation of the above-mentioned KPIs by Ministries/Departments would be closely monitored by the Public Sector Business Transformation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Service, Administrative and Institutional Reforms. 9. Cabinet has taken note of the names to be used in the south-west Indian Ocean for storms and cyclones during the 2020-2021 cyclone season. 10. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Board of Directors of the National Empowerment Foundation with Dr Mohamud Raffick Sorefan as the Chairperson. 11. Cabinet has taken note that the Committee of Ambassadors of the Organisation of African, Carribean and Pacific States (OACPS) has appointed Mr Ashvin Jain Gokhool to the Board of Directors of the Endowment and Trust Fund (ETF) of the OACPS. The ETF would enable the OACPS to access diverse sources for funding and reduce its financial dependence on the European Union. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn McAlester, OK (74501) Today Evening clouds will give way to clearing overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. NNE winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Evening clouds will give way to clearing overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. NNE winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Atlanta, GA (30342) Today Thunderstorms likely. Low 69F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Low 69F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Marietta, GA (30060) Today Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 69F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 69F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. This content is being provided for free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. Please support local journalism by subscribing to The Meadville Tribune. SHANGHAI, China COPENHAGEN, Denmark July 2, 2020 China Denmark China China says, China Denmark's For more information, please contact: Polaris Biology Email: service@polaris.bio Office line: +86 21 5089 5313 https://www.polarisbiology.com/ Tetramer Shop Email: info@tetramer-shop.com Office line: +45 6018 3764 https://tetramer-shop.com/ and/PRNewswire/ -- Today two MedTech companies, Polaris Biology ofand Tetramer Shop of, announce a strategic partnership to co-develop and distribute technologies that accelerate T cell science. First on the agenda is to commercialize metal-labelled MHC tetramers for distribution inConventional fluorophore labelled tetramers are restricted by spectral overlap and compensation issues. With quick, easy access to metal-labelled tetramers, researchers will be able to detect hundreds of T cell specificities in a single sample, accelerating therapeutic development."Our partnership with Tetramer Shop will allow us to extend our immunophenotyping capability to antigen specificity analysis," says Shuangwu Sun, partner of Polaris Biology. "And our co-development of metal-labelled tetramers will enable us to accelerate our high-throughput single-cell analysis capacity. This has positive implications for the development of personalized therapeutic modalities here in."Founder and CEO of Tetramer Shop, Sren N. Jakobsen,"Since our first contact, we have been impressed by the expertise and diligence of the Polaris team, Dr. Shuangwu Sun and colleagues, within state-of-the-art single-cell analysis technologies. We could not have found a better partner and we are looking forward to a fruitful endeavour."Tetramer Shop is applying its proprietary empty loadable MHC technology to the development of the metal-labelled tetramer. This technology holds the potential to develop a new generation of MHC tetramers for the analysis of T cell immune monitoring.While algorithms are becoming a key tool for predicting neoantigens/neoepitopes in the context of MHC, verifying existing or raised T cells against weak self-antigens remains a bottleneck. Empty loadable MHC tetramers are an effective tool for exploring existing and raised T cells against neoantigens in immuno-oncology as well as in the development of cancer vaccines and T cell therapy."Empty loadable MHC tetramers offer the researcher the possibility of testing hundreds of peptide antigens in parallel," says Jakobsen. "Our MHC tetramer solution offers fast, easy detection of antigen-specific T cells, extreme stability and specificity, excellent value, and ease of use."Under the agreement, Polaris commences the sale and distribution of MHC tetramer reagents from Tetramer Shop on the rapidly expanding Chinese market for T cell immune monitoring and antigen specificity profiling."We are excited to partner with Tetramer Shop and to help bring their expertise and game-changing MHC tetramer products to the market," says Shuangwu Sun. "The collaboration will significantly benefit the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases by accelerating the development of personalized therapeutic modalities, including vaccines, T cells and T cell engagers."Polaris Biology is committed to providing accurate, safe and reliable high-throughput single-cell precision diagnostic solutions. Polaris Biology have developed single-cell technology platforms and related assays to monitor pharmacodynamic effect and to predict response for a wide spectrum of therapeutics. The solutions have been developed and deployed in multiple clinical practices, supporting smarter treatments.Tetramer Shop serves a range of global customers from academic research institutions to therapeutic development labs including cancer vaccine and T cell therapy development. Based inMedicon Valley, Tetramer Shop is driven by the unique capabilities of their technology and aims to democratize high-performance MHC tetramers to make the testing and monitoring of antigen-specific T cells faster, more efficient and affordable for any lab. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-strategic-partnership-to-develop-next-generation-t-cell-detection-reagents-301087514.html SOURCE Polaris Biology; Tetramer Shop 2020 is doomed and its not wrong to say as we have lost many gems from the Bollywood industry. In the morning, we woke up to the sad news of the tragic demise of Saroj Khan, the legendary choreographer. In the wee hours of Friday, Khan suffered a cardiac arrest and she has left a legacy behind her. With a career of over 40 years, Saroj Khan has choreographed 2000 songs. Its very heart wrenching to see such maestros of crafts are bidding us final farewells. To pay our respects to the legendary choreographer, we decided to do a story on who she really was, when she started working and when fame started to come to Saroj Khan. 1. Born As Nirmala Nagpal And Started As A Child Artist She was born in a Hindu household on 22 November 1948 as Nirmala Nagpal. She came from a well-to-do background as her family was one of the richest families in Pakistan but they had to move to India when partition happened in the year of 1947 and a year after Nirmala aka Saroj was born. Things changed for the family when they moved to India as all the wealth that they had was left in Pakistan. Saroj started working as a child artist to help her family survive. She started her career at the age of three with the film Nazarana and became a background dancer in the late 1950s. She helped her family survive for a good 9 years. 2. An Early Marriage She got married at the age of 13 to B Sohanlal who was twice her age. He was 43 when the two got married. In an earlier interview, an interview, Saroj Khan had also revealed how she got married to Sohanlal. "I used to study in school those days, then one day my dance master Sohanlal tied a black thread around my neck and I got married", she had said. Their marriage didnt last as she was deceived by Sohanlal who was already married. In 1975, she got married to businessman Sardar Roshan Khan. 3. The Big Breakthrough Her career as an individual choreographer began with 1974's Geeta Mera Naam but was the 1986 film Nagina that made Saroj Khan a sensation overnight because of Sridevi's iconic dance number, Main Naagin Tu Sapera. And then, came the iconic number, Hawa Hawaii. Gulf News 4. Connection With Madhuri Dixit Time and again, Madhuri has said it was Saroj Khan who helped her gain the recognition. Saroj gave Madhuri her most iconic hits including Ek Do Teen and Dhak Dhak among numerous others. In fact, her last choreography venture was also with Madhuri Dixit for Kalank. Gulf News 5. When Saroj Khan Was Honoured With National Awards Not many know that Saroj Khan was honoured with the National Award thrice in her career. In 2003, she received the National Award for the Best Choreography for Dola Re Dola from the movie Devdas. In 2007, Sringaram, a Tamil-period drama fetched her second National Award for the Best Choreography and in 2008, it was the song Ye Ishq Haaye from Jab We Met that got her third National Award. *WINNER* Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema: Saroj Khan Congratulations! @IIFA pic.twitter.com/kx1SOaGeSs Rebecca Memsaab (@voiceswriter) September 19, 2019 Its years of struggle that made Saroj khan who she was and will always be celebrated for her work. It was in the 2019 IIFA ceremony that Madhuri gave her a tribute and Saroj thanked the platform for recognizing the work of a choreographer as many dont even acknowledge. Its hard to say goodbye to such a legendary person but we bid you a farewell with a heavy heart and hope her soul rests in peace. There is one beach getaway which is everyones favorite and we make endless plans but never actually go there. Yes, we are talking about Goa! We all have made several plans to go to Goa and ended up canceling it for bizarre reasons. However, now that we are stuck amid a pandemic and cant go on any vacation, we cant deny that we miss our Goa plans. Unsplash Recently, Goas Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar announced that it has re-opened for tourism. This is big news and around 250 hotels in Goa have been permitted to resume operations and take tourist bookings. Manohar Ajgaonkar said, "We have decided to allow domestic travelers to enter Goa from July 2 onwards provided they comply with certain norms. The decision was taken by the Goa CM Pramod Sawant in a cabinet meeting. Unsplash So, all you need to do is follow a certain set of rules or you wont be allowed to enter the state. Here you go- 1. You need a COVID-19 certificate that tells you are coronavirus negative and should be of only the past 48 hours or youll have to get tested for the same in Goa. 2. Anyone who tests Coronavirus positive would either be sent back or stay in quarantine until their test result is declared negative. 3. Travelers need to pre-book their stay at hotels that are approved by the government to operate amid pandemic. 4. If in case you booked a non-approved hotel, youll be sent back and the same would be deemed illegal. This news made people on the internet excited to travel but at the same time, the dismally increasing number of Coronavirus cases in India is making people think that this is not a wise step taken by the government. Unsplash Heres what people on the internet have to say about the decision- 2 din phle bol rhethe community transmission going on ....sab milkar pagal bna rhe h public ko sam (@sam48408142) July 1, 2020 kon karega itna drama.. goa hai america nhi Ashu (@AshuGain) July 1, 2020 Tbh at the moment no one wants to travel any where (@Spartan_201) July 1, 2020 Lol ground reality is completely different bro. Huge number of people are already travelling inter district and inter states ROHIT (@TheRohitGulati) July 1, 2020 Ab politicians hi jane padega holiday karne udhar Shashi (@Shashi352) July 2, 2020 So, will you like to travel amid a pandemic? Let us know in the comments section below. Meridian, MS (39302) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 69F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 69F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. With four months to go until divided America decides the presidential race, voters in the heartland are focused on an economy in trouble, the unending coronavirus pandemic and protests over racial injustice. That triad of concerns emerged as top of the mind issues in CNHIs periodic Pulse of the Voters project that features conversations with people from that broad north-south swath of the country that played a pivotal role in electing Republican President Donald Trump in 2016. Voter sentiment during April, May and June ranged from continued hard loyalty to Trump in traditional red states to some shifting of support to Democrat Joe Biden in battleground Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Iowa. CNHI newspapers have recorded voter moods in Rust Belt, Midwest and Southern states since early in Trumps term. Theyve talked to local people about their concerns, how they feel about the direction of the country, and what issues will matter most when they cast their ballots on Nov. 3. Russian election interference, impeachment, health care, immigration, gun laws, abortion, tariffs and other contentious issues framed the conversation until this year. Now, in general, voters who embrace Trump point to his economic accomplishments prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Those who dislike the president criticize his handling of the pandemic and the nationwide protests in response to the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. Lacey Vilandry Lacey Vilandry, of Princeton, West Virginia, doesn't have a high opinion of either presidential candidate. Interviews also turned up voters who are not comfortable with either Trump or former Vice President Biden. I dont have a high opinion of either one of them, said Lacey Vilandry, 25, of Princeton, West Virginia. They dont really have the best track record for people of color. She described as dreadful Trumps response to protests for police reform. Kathryn King, 19, who will vote for the first time, feels similarly. As a Black woman, she actively participated in the Black Lives Matter protests in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. But shes not all that excited about Biden, citing concern with a former Senate staffers accusation he sexually assaulted her 30 years ago. Kathryn King Kathryn King, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is an active participant in Black Lives Matter protests. Its important that we have a leader who is on the right side of history, said King. Not sold on Biden Despite state polls showing native son Biden with a comfortable lead among registered voters in Pennsylvania, Bonnie Feaster of Sunbury isnt buying the findings with more than 120 days left in the campaign. She gets upset when people blame Trump for the spread of coronavirus in the United States, saying the rebuke results from public panic. She said the H1N1 virus pandemic in 2009 was similar in nature and no frenzy of fear occurred then. It is mass hysteria now, said Feaster. Why? Because they (Democrats) are trying to get Trump out of office and its not going to work. Other voters found the presidents management of the COVID-19 virus problematic. State polls in Michigan, Ohio and Iowa also show Trump losing ground to Biden, mainly because of the presidents mixed messages on the virus and his response to the growing outcry for criminal justice reform. All three states went for Trump in 2016. Pollsters agree it is too early to count on Biden holding a big lead in states like Wisconsin and Michigan. Both campaigns are impeded by the pandemic, and undecided voters normally dont settle on a candidate until after Labor Day, when they begin to pay closer attention to policies and promises. Law enforcement Donald Bailey of Traverse City, Michigan said hes uneasy about the long-term effects of proposals to defund police departments as a remedy for bad apple cops. He spent 31 years with the Michigan State Police before retiring three years ago, and fears gutting police budgets will deter good apples from becoming officers. A better answer, he added, is improving hiring and training processes, cautioning even that wont totally eliminate misconduct. Every law enforcement agency is made up of human beings, and there are going to be some people who do the wrong thing, said Bailey. Youre never going to get away from that. Charles Comber, 32, is a transgender voter and owner of a tattoo studio in Traverse City. He doesnt belong to a political party but expects to support Biden based on issues of equality and civil rights. Charles Comber Charles Comber poses for a portrait at his home in Traverse City. Comber, who is transgender, owns Pinups & Needles, a tattoo, piercing an I just got my drivers license the other day, said Comber. I have been Charlie for years and yet they said I have an invalid license. The unemployment office couldnt identify me. Its everyday things like that. In Iowa, Joel Butz paused his lunch at a picnic table beside the Mississippi River to inform the Clinton Herald hes a registered Democrat but votes independently in major elections. He didnt say who he voted for in 2016 when Iowa went big for Trump. He did express displeasure with the presidents response to the virus pandemic, saying the country was very poorly prepared to deal with it at the outset. He also objects to police using deadly force. In neighboring Minnesota, Shannon Helget of New Ulm speaks candidly about her dislike of Trump, describing his presidency as a train wreck. Even so, she added, Biden and the Democrats need to press their case for change throughout the heartland if they expect to win. Trumps 2016 election victory, she said, revealed what percentage of the population is unhappy. Thats important. It is like the underbelly of America. That has to be addressed. Kentucky went big for Trump Few states had more unhappy residents than Kentucky in 2016. Trump won more than 62 percent of the vote, much of it from rural communities. Will it be different in 2020? Not if Jimmy Paul in Greenup County along the Ohio River in northeast Kentucky is representative of rural voters. He said hes a registered Democrat and also a Trump fan through thick and thin. Theres no way Im voting for Biden, said Paul. Trump is good for the country. Sheila Lambert also resides in rural Kentucky. A resident of Catlettsburg (population 1,856) shes voting for Biden because she believes he can best deal with the coronavirus and tensions over race relations. As for Trump, he was given a chance. Now give somebody else a chance. Oklahoma hasnt voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon Johnson 56 years ago. And chances are slim to none that Biden can upend Trump, who won more than 65 percent of the states vote in 2016. But Ken Siedel, 78, of Claremore, a suburb of Tulsa, said hes voting against Trump in November. He fears Oklahomans will cast their ballots on emotions and propaganda instead of evidence-based facts. People are being duped into a false narrative, said Siedel, retired chief executive officer of Claremores hospital. As a result, theyre going to continue to play out that false narrative and vote it. Levi Peckenpaugh, 21, of Stillwater, Oklahoma, said he voted for Trump in 2016 but is switching to Biden in November. He questioned Trumps character, his intelligence in the aftermath of George Floyds death in Minneapolis and the subsequent protests. Its very frustrating to see because the guy who should be leading the country just comes off like a jerk the majority of the time -- and not as a president should, he said. Michael Cummings, a resident of Tahlequah in rural eastern Oklahoma, said the pandemic and racial divisions have overshadowed other campaign issues but they have not shaken the faith of Trump supporters. The 53-year-old businessman, who isnt registered with either party, said he will vote for Trump again because the Democrats are not offering a better alternative. Bidens been around for years, with nothing getting fixed, said Cummings. Plus, I honestly think he has the start of dementia. Indiana dissenters Indiana is another Trump stronghold with dissenters. Lauryn Hill said she lost her grandmother to COVID-19 in April and believes she might still be alive if the Trump administration had acted quicker to combat the virus. I just feel like theres a bunch of people that lost their lives that didnt need to, said Hill, 20, of Anderson, Indiana. Marti Coffey, 28, a Black resident of New Albany in southern Indiana, said she votes for Democratic candidates and will cast a ballot for Biden even though shes not especially enthusiastic about him. She strongly opposes Trumps re-election, citing his remarks about minorities and his administrations efforts to decrease benefits, including food stamps, to low income families. His rhetoric has contributed to whats happening right now, said Coffey. On an international level, were not respected as we used to be, and its due to (Trumps) rhetoric. Thats not the view of Joan Caldwell, who leaves no doubt shes a Trump loyalist. The sign in her front yard in Terre Haute, Indiana, urges voters to Say No to Socialism, which the president accuses the Democrats of advocating. Joan Caldwell Tribune-Star/Austen Leake Earned her vote: While Terre Haute resident Joan Caldwell initially had doubts about President Trump, she fully supp A retired educator, Caldwell said prior to the 2016 election she had doubts about sexist statements attributed to candidate Trump. But now, she has no misgivings based on his performance in office. And that includes responding intelligently and appropriately to the virus pandemic. Caldwell endorsed Trumps dismissive remarks about protest efforts to defund the police. She said the idea is nonsense. Beyond ridiculous. Are you going to send a social worker out in the middle of the night to a domestic disturbance or to a meth lab? Possible changes in the South In the south, Trump remains popular, though not without critics. Democrat strategists believe Biden and congressional candidates could break through in Texas and Georgia if Black and Hispanic voters turn out in record numbers. They can count on D Angelo Colter, a 20-year-old Black resident of Grapeland, Texas, voting in his first presidential election. As a student of politics, he eschews bitter partisanship by both major parties but expects to vote for Biden because hes trying to better himself and the economy. Colter reacted viscerally to George Floyds death. It elevated law enforcement to his top issue for the fall election. I am saddened and angered that a police force that is supposed to protect us is actually harming us, said Colter. And some people are still making every excuse to cover the police. Rev. Billy Wright is pastor of the Emmanuel Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cleburne, Texas. In September of 1967, he was one of four Black students to integrate Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas. Now 72, he believes too many police officers treat Black people as criminals for no other reason than the color of their skin. Im a very firm believer that as a community and as police officers we should come together, sit down and have a conversation about what is taking place today, he said. Wright supports Biden and Democratic congressional candidates, urging them to pursue racial unity. To gain control of the Senate, Democrats need to net four seats in November. Or three if they win the White House as the vice president can break a tie vote. Republicans, however, are banking on Trumps pre-pandemic economic record as the key to bringing back good times and his re-election. The disruption caused by the virus, they argue, can only be fixed by the presidents job-creation policies. The contrast between Donald Trump and Joseph Biden on the economy is night and day, said 80-year-old Dolores Fort of Smoke Rise, Alabama. Youre either going to go ahead and vote for Trump and were going to continue with our economic recovery, she said. Or you can put Joe Biden in there and put the Democrats back in power, and I predict that by the end of that first four years, there will no longer be a United States of America. Tim and Donna Ben of Philadelphia, Mississippi, dont think the countrys existence is at stake. They are amicably divided over who should be the president. Donna believes Trump deserves four more years, but husband Tim says Trump is a poor fit for the office. I say, Yes, but he says, No, said Donna. But hey, we still love each other. Bill Ketter is the senior vice president of news for CNHI. Contact him at wketter@cnhi.com. Aalayah Eastmond, a Parkland, Fla. activist, holding megaphone, leads the crowd in a call-and-response at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on Wednesday, June 10, 2020, during protests over the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. I unapologetically speak out for Black people and I no longer bite my tongue. ... I found myself doing that a lot at (Stoneman Douglas), being the only Black girl in my classes. NEW MILFORD Police are asking for the publics help identifying a potential suspect in a motor vehicle theft investigation. Two vehicles were stolen from the Willow Springs condo complex last Thursday, police said. DANBURY Employees will return to City Hall in shifts beginning Monday, with plans to allow the public into the building toward the end of the month. Staff will be separated into two groups, with one group working in the office Monday through Thursday while the other group is at home. The next week, the groups will switch. This model can potentially keep infectious employees out of the workplace while reducing occupancy by 50% as indicated in the State guidelines, Mayor Mark Boughton wrote in a letter to City Council. Shifts will be staggered between 7:30 a.m. to 6 or 6:30 p.m. Employees over the age of 65 or employees with high-risk health conditions may continue to work from home if possible. Offices outside of City Hall may or may not follow the alternating week or staggered schedule based on the employee and visitor occupancy of the department, Boughton said. Staff members had been working from home throughout the pandemic, although some employees still came into City Hall. Beginning the week of July 27, visitors will be allowed back by appointment only from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. Visitors must wear masks and will be signed in by the security guard in the lobby. No more than two to three visitors will be permitted in a department at one time, depending on the space available. Mail, deliveries and packages will be left with the security guard. The city is also taking precautions such as masks and sanitation. As we are all aware, these are unprecedented times that are continually evolving and changing, Boughton wrote. Therefore, as any local, state and/or federal guidance, laws, regulations, executive orders, policies, emergency health plans and/or guidelines are updated, discontinued and/or modified, the City reserves the right to update, discontinue, and/or modify its guidance, policies and practices. The Air Force Knew It Had an Ejection Seat Problem, But Didn't Speed Up a Fix. Then a Pilot Died And his widow fears that another pilot may suffer the same fate. A sailor assigned to a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet squadron embarked aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt died Thursday after experiencing a medical emergency, officials said. The sailor, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 146, the Blue Diamonds, out of Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, first received "immediate medical care" onboard the carrier before being taken in an MH-60S Seahawk attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 8 to a military medical treatment facility ashore. Read Next: Military Hazardous Duty Pay Could Increase by 10% Under New Proposal The carrier has been operating in the Eastern Pacific, and was in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor as of June 2, according to a release from U.S. 3rd Fleet. The sailor was declared dead around 5 a.m. local time. It remains unclear what the nature of the medical emergency was or if it was in any way related to a large outbreak of COVID-19 aboard the carrier earlier in its deployment that left more than 1,200 sailors sick and one dead. "The Sailor, like all personnel embarked aboard Theodore Roosevelt, had been tested for COVID-19 multiple times during the outbreak of the virus aboard the ship earlier this year and those results were consistently negative for COVID-19 throughout the entire deployment," officials said in a release. The identity of the sailor was withheld pending next-of-kin notification. The carrier deployed in late January from its San Diego homeport for a routine deployment in the Indo-Pacific. In late March, after a port stop in Da Nang, Vietnam, sailors began to test positive for COVID-19, despite efforts to quarantine and sanitize aboard the carrier. Ultimately, the Roosevelt was forced to stop over in Guam to address the growing outbreak. In a complex controversy over a plea for help from carrier commanding officer Capt. Brett Crozier that became public and the blowback that followed, Crozier would be fired and acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly would resign. The carrier did not depart Guam to complete the remainder of its deployment until June 4. Since then it has been transiting through the Pacific, and in late June, it met up with the carrier Nimitz Strike Group in the Philippine Sea to complete dual-carrier flight operations. A chaplain team and medical psychologist are assisting the crew following the sailor's death, officials said. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. Related: More Than Half the Navy's Coronavirus Cases Are on the Carrier Roosevelt Key Under this title are included a number of mines upon some 10,000 acres of land, including several old Spanish and French grants. Mining was begun here in 1798 by Moses Austin on the well-known Mine a Burton tract, and since then has been carried on with greater or less diligence to the present day. The Castleman, Citadel and other old historic shafts are included in this property. One of the openings is described as follows by Mr. Robertson: The Curtis and Hall shaft was formerly the old Willeke property. It is very near Potosi. The shaft was 32 ft. deep, in a close-grained , earthy, dove-colored limestone, containing cavities with small quartz crystals. The ore (galena) occurs in a succession of pockets in a stratum of limestone, at a depth of 30 to 32 ft.; the mineralized portions or channels are from 2 to 8 ft. in width and about a foot thick, sometimes increasing to 6 ft. This portion contains pockets filled with barite enclosing the lead ore, although the lead may occur in the limestone direct, with no barite gangue, but in this case in much smaller bodies. The usual occurrence is a body of barite lying horizontally about 4 feet wide and 6 inches to 1 foot in thickness, heavily mineralized with galena, which occurs both as more or less perfect crystals and as irregularly shaped masses. This ore body has generally a course about N. 20 W, but branches off in directions S. 60 E and S. 60 W. It is significant that these are the general directions of the jointage planes of the limestone. The galena is found in masses weighing from a few ounces to several hundred pounds. The barite occurs as the white opaque variety, often in masses stained yellow and black on the surface by iron and manganese, and covered with small tabular crystals. Calcite is often associated with the barite, crystalizing on it in compound scalenohedra. In a shaft which was being sunk about one mile from the latter property, a distinct crevice was observed. The strike was nearly N.-S., and the crevice was about vertical. In was 2 to 6 inches wide, filled with barite and galena, lying in irregular masses in the barite. The wall rock was heavily bedded, siliceous magnesian limestone, and was apparently absolutely unaltered. No movement in the wall was perceptible. The crevice had been followed for about 60 feet in depth. Austin, in writing of Mine a Burton in 1804, described the ore as found within 2 ft. of the surface. He separated it into two kinds: 1) "gravel mineral," found immediately under the soil, mixed with gravel and coated with cerussite, and extending into sand rock below; 2) mineral in a bed of red clay under the sand rock, in pieces from 10 to 500 lbs. in weight, associated with barite. Schoolcraft, in 1819, described the ore as found in detached pieces and solid masses, in velns and beds, in red clay, accompanied by barite, calcite, pyrite and quartz. In the clay near the surface radiated quartz was found. The gravel ore occurred under 4 or 5 ft. of red clay, and consisted of fragments or pebbles" of siliceous rock mixed with galena, the whole about a foot thick. At the New Diggings he reported that the most flattering velns were in view when water caused their abandonment. In the Austin shaft he speaks of large quantities of ore filling crevices in the rock. Broadhead, describing this lead district in 1876 [31, p. 105], refers to the occurrence of galena in red clay at Mineral Point, and also of barite and galena in horizontal bands in limestone. He also mentions the finding of specimens of barite which had replaced galena, as is proven by the presence of right-angular galeniferous lines. Select Mineral List Type Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Dana Chemical Elements Gallery: List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts Chalcopyrite 2.CB.10a CuFeS 2 Galena 2.CD.10 PbS Pyrite 2.EB.05a FeS 2 Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides Quartz 4.DA.05 SiO 2 Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates Calcite 5.AB.05 CaCO 3 Cerussite 5.AB.15 PbCO 3 Dolomite 5.AB.10 CaMg(CO 3 ) 2 Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates Anglesite 7.AD.35 PbSO 4 Baryte 7.AD.35 BaSO 4 Group 9 - Silicates Pyrophyllite 9.EC.10 Al 2 Si 4 O 10 (OH) 2 List of minerals arranged by Dana 8th Edition classification Group 2 - SULFIDES A m X p , with m:p = 1:1 Galena 2.8.1.1 PbS A m B n X p , with (m+n):p = 1:1 Chalcopyrite 2.9.1.1 CuFeS 2 A m B n X p , with (m+n):p = 1:2 Pyrite 2.12.1.1 FeS 2 Group 14 - ANHYDROUS NORMAL CARBONATES A(XO 3 ) Calcite 14.1.1.1 CaCO 3 Cerussite 14.1.3.4 PbCO 3 AB(XO 3 ) 2 Dolomite 14.2.1.1 CaMg(CO 3 ) 2 Group 28 - ANHYDROUS ACID AND NORMAL SULFATES AXO 4 Anglesite 28.3.1.3 PbSO 4 Baryte 28.3.1.1 BaSO 4 Group 71 - PHYLLOSILICATES Sheets of Six-Membered Rings Sheets of 6-membered rings with 2:1 layers Pyrophyllite 71.2.1.1 Al 2 Si 4 O 10 (OH) 2 Group 75 - TECTOSILICATES Si Tetrahedral Frameworks Si Tetrahedral Frameworks - SiO 2 with [4] coordinated Si Quartz 75.1.3.1 SiO 2 List of minerals for each chemical element H Hydrogen H Pyrophyllite Al 2 Si 4 O 10 (OH) 2 C Carbon C Calcite CaCO 3 C Cerussite PbCO 3 C Dolomite CaMg(CO 3 ) 2 O Oxygen O Anglesite PbSO 4 O Baryte BaSO 4 O Calcite CaCO 3 O Cerussite PbCO 3 O Pyrophyllite Al 2 Si 4 O 10 (OH) 2 O Dolomite CaMg(CO 3 ) 2 O Quartz SiO 2 Mg Magnesium Mg Dolomite CaMg(CO 3 ) 2 Al Aluminium Al Pyrophyllite Al 2 Si 4 O 10 (OH) 2 Si Silicon Si Pyrophyllite Al 2 Si 4 O 10 (OH) 2 Si Quartz SiO 2 S Sulfur S Anglesite PbSO 4 S Baryte BaSO 4 S Galena PbS S Chalcopyrite CuFeS 2 S Pyrite FeS 2 Ca Calcium Ca Calcite CaCO 3 Ca Dolomite CaMg(CO 3 ) 2 Fe Iron Fe Chalcopyrite CuFeS 2 Fe Pyrite FeS 2 Cu Copper Cu Chalcopyrite CuFeS 2 Ba Barium Ba Baryte BaSO 4 Pb Lead Pb Anglesite PbSO 4 Pb Cerussite PbCO 3 Pb Galena PbS References Sort by Year (asc) Year (desc) Author (A-Z) Author (Z-A) In-text Citation No. Winslow, Arthur (1894) Lead and Zinc Deposits (Section 2). Missouri Geological Survey, Volume VII: 678-679. Localities in this Region How to use the mindat.org media viewer Click/touch this help panel to close it. Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image) Controls - all media types Zoom in and out of media using your mousewheel or with a two-finger 'resize' action on a touch device. Use the mouse or your finger to drag the image or the view area of the image around the screen. < and > at the left and right hand side of the screen move forwards and backwards for the other images associated with the media you selected. Usually this is used for previous/next photo in a gallery, in an article or in search results. Keyboard shortcuts: use shift + the left and right arrow keys. < and > in the bottom center are used for switching between the photos of the same specimen. 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Summary of all keyboard shortcuts The Blue Jays have received authorization to hold Summer Camp in Toronto. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca first reported the news on Twitter; his colleague Ben Nicholson-Smith has further details (Twitter link). They broke things down in a chat with Hazel Mae (video link). This was the anticipated outcome, but it didnt come easily. The relevant Canadian authorities waited until the last moment to give the nod of approval to a quarantine plan that the team will utilize. For the July training period, the Jays will only bring players that have tested negative for COVID-19 infection. The whole team and key personnel is presently gathered at the organizations spring facility in Dunedin, Florida. Once the club is brought by charter up to Toronto, itll be limited to Rogers Centre grounds. Theyll stay in the adjacent hotel, with food and other necessities brought into the facility. In addition to regular testing of players and personnel, theyll be isolated even from hotel staff to the extent possible. As the Sportsnet crew discusses, this is in many respects a dry run for the forthcoming regular season. The Jays are hoping to utilize their usual home park to host games, but convincing the relevant authorities that its wise could represent a significant challenge. That would require comfort with the idea of the Blue Jays and their competitors criss-crossing the border. EAST LANSING, MI Coronavirus cases linked to East Lansing bar Harpers Restaurant and Brew Pub have soared to 152. The surge in cases was reported on July 2. The infections spread to 13 counties around the state, according to the Detroit Free Press. Some of the cases reported are considered secondary cases, meaning people who were not at the pub contracted the virus from being in close contact with those who were, according the Free Press. Of the new number of cases, 128 people said they directly visited the bar with the rest being secondary cases, according to the Free Press. First-hand cases range from people aged 18-28, with secondary cases ranging from 16-63, according to an article from the Detroit News The number sprung up from the reported 138 cases on Wednesday, according to the Detroit News. The Free Press article reported the following counties where these cases have popped up: Berrien Calhoun Clinton Eaton Ingham Livingston Macomb Manistee Oakland Ottawa Shiawassee St. Clair Wayne Anyone who visited Harpers during June 12-20 may have been exposed to the virus and are asked to self-quarantine and get tested, according to the Detroit News. In response to high-profile outbreaks from bars like Harpers, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer closed most indoor bar services in the state. Following recent outbreaks tied to bars, I am taking this action today to slow the spread of the virus and keep people safe, Whitmer said. If we want to be in a strong position to reopen schools for in-person classroom instruction this fall, then we need to take aggressive action right now to ensure we dont wipe out all the progress we have made. Whitmer shuts down indoor bar service in most of Michigan County Health Officer Linda Vail told the Free Press that the crowd at Harpers were mainly young college students living in East Lansing or those who had friends there and were coming up to visit. While the bar was set at a capacity of 45%, there were as many as 225 people inside the bar, according to the Free Press. The Detroit News reported that a Facebook post was made by Harpers saying that they were working on eliminating lines and installing air purifying technology. Its Facebook page has since gone private. COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued an executive order requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while inside enclosed, public spaces. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP, MI - Two DNR officers are being lauded for their ingenuity during a water rescue this week on the Huron River in southeastern Wayne County. The incident began Monday while Keven Luther and Danielle Zubek, both conservation officers with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, were using kayaks to patrol a portion of the Huron River near the Hulls Trace Boat Launch. They heard screaming and paddled downriver to find a woman, teenage boy and a girl - all metro Detroit residents - clinging to a downed tree as water flowed by them quickly in the rivers strong current. The trio had lost their inner tubes after hitting an obstacle in the water, while the rest of their group floated safely on, DNR staff said. After handing the stranded group personal flotation devices, the officers used a rope from one of their throw bags to create a zip line to help the trio reach the shore safely. Luther kept the group calm and tied the rope to the tree, while Zubek kayaked to shore, secured her end of the rope on land and then returned to the tubers. One at a time, each person held onto the rope and moved toward the shore while Zubek swam beside them. No one was injured. People on the shoreline stopped to help, assisted the tubers while they climbed the steep bank. Police and firefighters from nearby Flat Rock were also on scene. The department is proud of Luthers and Zubeks efforts in this water rescue, said Assistant Chief Steven Burton of the DNR Law Enforcement Division. While this situation had a positive outcome, it is a good reminder to use caution on the water always be prepared with a life jacket. Conservation officers will patrol the waterways throughout the holiday weekend to ensure everyone is safely enjoying the water. Both Luther and Zubek have been with the DNRs enforcement group since 2017. Luther typically patrols in Wayne County, while Zubek patrols in Oakland County. ALLENDALE, MI Activists gathered underneath a pavilion at an Allendale Township park Friday, sharing experiences, pizza and bottles of water in 90-degree heat Friday while formulating strategies to legally remove or relocate a controversial statue. The meeting on Friday, July 3, comes after the township boards unanimous vote Tuesday, June 30, to keep the monument depicting Union and Confederate soldiers where it currently stands in Allendale Community Park. After the boards decision, those advocating for the statues removal met with founders of Justice for Black Lives, a Grand Rapids based activist group, to discuss their options to legally remove it. Now, a group of residents are organizing in an attempt to not only remove the statue, but to create lasting change regarding the race dynamics in their community. Joel Paauwe, who grew up in Allendale, told the group that movements happening around the country, like Black Lives Matter, have spurred him to remain an Allendale resident and become an agent of change in the community where he was raised. Paauwe said he plans to run for the township board as a write-in candidate. Right now, were focused on getting on the ballot so we can have a place at the table, he said. There is no place at the table right now, and that was evident from Tuesdays meeting. Related: Call for removal of Confederate statue in West Michigan sparks debates, anger, frustration Since the filing for candidates to appear on August primary ballots has passed, Pauuwe said he intends to run as a write-in candidate on Aug. 4. Not including Paauwe and any other write-in candidates who might file before the deadline, there are eight Republicans and one Democrat who filed to run for four seats on the townships Board of Trustees. I think were all ready, to sit down and talk, Paauwe said. Were sitting down and having discussions every other day so even if the elections dont turn out the way we want them to, the movement will continue. Joel Paauwe, of Allendale, speaks during an Allendale Township board meeting held to determine the fate of a Civil War statue at Allendale Community Park on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. The statue depicts Confederate and Union soldiers with an enslaved child at their feet. (Cory Morse | MLive.com)Cory Morse | MLive.com At the meeting on Friday, multiple Allendale Township residents shared instances of racism within their community and talked about ways to hold those with racist views accountable. Sadly, as Ive mentioned to people, Ive been an Allendale community member for 27 years and, sadly, I have to tell you, I was not surprised to hear certain things from certain people, Paauwe said. Were a small town trying to fight racism. This is not going to change tomorrow or in a year. Resident Michelle Lentz said she has also questioned raising her family in Allendale due to the racist attitudes she has experienced from neighbors and the community as a whole. The removal of a statue will be a stepping stone, people have to more active in local elections and be aware of what they can do here to make it a more inclusive community, Lentz said. We need to learn how to relate to people we dont agree with, being hostile isnt going to be effective, we need to be calm and patient, but also, persevere. During Fridays meeting, Allendale Township leaders exchanged ideas with members of Justice for Black Lives about how the local group use the support of the Grand Rapids activists to further residents ability to enact substantial change. Its not just a statue, said Mathew Smith, a member of Justice for Black Lives. The fact that were here in this park today, its obviously a clear symbol of racism, but its about the symbols that we dont see. In addition to being about much more than a statue, the issue is also not specific to one community, Smith said. Allendale is not unique, he said. This idea that racism is localized is crap because there are Allendales all over the country. Its not just about addressing local issues of racism, what its telling you is that the answer seems to be addressing the fundamental issue of racism. Also on MLive: Activists continue push to remove Civil War statue from Allendale park Controversial Civil War statue will remain at township park in West Michigan Hundreds gather in Ottawa County to protest Confederate statue in park, demand removal ALBION, MI The Lisa and James Wilson Institute for Medicine at Albion College is working to help students, staff, faculty and community members address the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. James Wilson, a 1977 graduate of Albion College, launched a comprehensive public health initiative to advance community conversation and understanding of the social, political, economic and public health effects COVID-19 has had, a college news release said. Academic components for students include training in contact tracing and expanded nursing opportunities, and public health training will be available to all members of the Albion College community. Students will work directly with the Calhoun County Health Department to identify people most at risk for COVID-19, said Brad Rabquer, director of the Wilson Institute director and Albion College associate professor of biology. The public health concentration in the Wilson Institute is a unique program. It gives students the flexibility to focus on the science of public health initiatives, like vaccine design, or global and community health concepts, Rabquer said. And importantly, our program gives students the chance to apply what theyre learning in the real world, via community engagement programming and research opportunities. There are several opportunities for community engagement, including the Kids Cardiac Care program, which provides elementary-aged children in the Albion community with critical lifesaving skills, Rabquer said. Within the institute, which was founded in 2018, new public health programs including expanded nursing opportunities, a post-baccalaureate, pre-medical studies program and one-on-one advising will help students build unique experiences to fit their interests and needs, Rabquer said. Our concentration will give students a strong foundation in public health, allow them to focus in global and community health or public health sciences and participate in robust experiential learning opportunities, Rabquer said. James Wilson also has developed a multifaceted online seminar that will feature world-recognized experts in public health and policy, including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Each seminar will be streamed on the colleges YouTube page and feature Albion College students. The seminars are set to begin Sept. 10, the release states. Higher educations role, broadly, in this pandemic is to discover and provide access to new information related to coronavirus and its public health implications, James Wilson said. We believe that Albion College and the Wilson Institutes role is to provide access to cutting-edge thinking from leading experts in public health to our students, faculty, staff and the greater community. More information about the initiative can be found here. READ MORE: Albion College splitting semester into two parts, will have in-person instruction in fall Albion College announces 17th president in school history Am I still going to get the full experience? Students facing uncertainty at Michigans small colleges JACKSON COUNTY, MI After last years outbreak of deadly mosquito-borne illness Eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, Jackson County officials are reminding residents to be cautious as they head outside this summer and fall. The Jackson County Health Department issued a warning Friday, July 3, ahead of what is usually one of Michigans busiest weekends for gatherings and outdoor activities, even as the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic remains. The department is advising Jackson County residents take necessary precautions: using bug spray, wearing long sleeve shirts and pants, tightly covering water storage containers such as buckets, cisterns or rain barrels and making sure to have screens repaired in their homes. We do not have any disease reports as of yet, said Don Hayduk, director of the departments environmental health division. Hayduk reiterated that there is no cause for concern, and said no cases have come up recently, but that the department wants Jackson County residents to be careful. 3 more Jackson County horses test positive for mosquito-borne EEE Hayduk said that, with mosquito season ramping up, the department wants residents to be informed of the risks, and of precautions they can take against illnesses like EEE, St. Louis encephalitis (SLE), West Nile virus (WNV) and other California encephalitis (CE) viruses. The county health department is once again conducting surveillance for mosquito-borne diseases, , department officials said in a release. This years efforts to track and manage the spread of the various mosquito-borne illnesses comes after the 2019 season, when the state experienced an outbreak of Eastern equine encephalitis. It was the worst outbreak at least since the 1980s, and resulted in insecticide being deployed over large areas throughout the state, including in Jackson County. The state started spraying late last September 2019 and covered 128,000 acres, beginning in Southwest Michigan. More zones were sprayed later in the fall. Michigan teen fighting deadly EEE virus beating the odds By November, six Michigan residents had died from the rare EEE virus, which can be transmitted through mosquito bites. Health officials called the 2019 outbreak of EEE the worst in the states history. There were no human cases in Jackson County, Hayduk said. More on Triple EEE, other illnesses: Sixth Michigan resident dies from rare mosquito-borne illness Deadly mosquito-borne virus confirmed in Jackson County deer Spraying for EEE mosquito virus may start tonight in Jackson County Michigan advises against outdoor activity due to deadly mosquito-borne virus KALAMAZOO, MI -- A Kalamazoo man will saddle up his lawnmower this month to travel across the country at a mere 5.5 mph for a reality television show. Andrej Sensnovis, 53, is a contestant on The Great Grass Race, where pairs of riders race from Los Angeles to New York on a Craftsman T110 lawnmower, according to a news release from the shows creators. The contestants will choose their own courses across the country, and must ask strangers to provide them with food, water and gasoline. It is expected they will travel the 3,000 miles in about three months, beginning with a launch party Thursday, July 9, in Tarzana, California. Sensnovis, a Chicago native who attended Western Michigan University, describes himself as a jack-of-all-trades, the release said. He is an amateur beekeeper, inventor, handyman, landlord and free spirit, Sensnovis said. Ill try anything once, he said Friday in an interview with MLive. The show was created during a time when a crippling pandemic slowed down everything, said show creator and executive producer Denis Oliver, a native of Neuville-les-Dames in France. I wanted a show that everyone could relate to while also forcing people, including strangers, to work together toward a common objective, Oliver said in the release. This long lawnmower ride is a metaphor for our longing to bridge the tremendous distance we feel between each other right now. Oliver was inspired by others who have conquered great hurdles to see loved ones during the pandemic. We have super-fast cars slumbering in the garage with dying batteries as we lament that we cant visit our loved ones, he said. But the human spirit can triumph over all things. Contestants will stay with strangers during their trip, but are encouraged to practice social distancing and wear masks when needed, Oliver said. In addition to Kalamazoos Sensnovis, other contestants include a hairstylist and pre-law student from Newark, a martial artist from San Francisco and a mom of three boys from Oklahoma, the release said. The show will be available on streaming services including Amazon Fire TV, Apple App Store and Google Play. Oliver also created his own streaming service, Menace Vision, to generate revenue for charity and other shows in development. Also on MLive: Beer of the Week: This cherry explosion is perfect for your Fourth of July party Free take-out parking at Grand Rapids businesses extended Coast Guard rescues 5 people, dog from sinking 52-foot boat in Saginaw Bay MUSKEGON, MI - A local swim instructor will swim 10 miles around Muskegon Lake next week in order to raise money for environmental restoration. Accompanied by kayakers, Michelle Rogalski will swim 10 miles to and from Grand Trunk Park, 2090 Lakeshore Dr., beginning at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, July 8. The event will raise money for the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership (MLWP), which works to clean up Muskegon-area waterways, including Muskegon Lake, the lower portion of the Muskegon River, and their tributaries, in order to make them accessible to a diverse public. By swimming around the lake, starting and ending at Grand Trunk, I would like to highlight all (the MLWPs) efforts over the years in restoring the shoreline habitat for community use, Rogalski wrote in a statement about the event, shared on social media. No one should live miles away from a natural body of water and not be able to use it. Grand Trunk Park, home to the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper, is itself a beneficiary of MLWP restoration work. A portion of funds raised will go towards replacing the west dock at the park, which was destroyed during winter storms. Volunteers are encouraged to come out and cheer on Rogalski, or to join in the event by kayak. The swim will include checkpoints near places that the MLWP has restored over the years, according to a social media post advertising the event. Having access to clean water to swim in is something that everyone deserves, Rogalski wrote in the same statement. I am using my love for swimming long distances to make my voice heard. Due to Muskegons industrial past, Muskegon Lake has been on the federal Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) areas of concern list for 32 years. For decades, it was contaminated with excessive nutrients, heavy metals, petrochemicals, pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls from municipal and industrial discharges, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy website. Local and national resources over the years have gone towards cleaning up the body and its tributaries, and establishing it as a site for fishing, swimming and sailing, and its shoreline as a recreational and residential attraction. In 2018, the city of Muskegon released an Imagine Muskegon Lake plan, in order to plan for increased public access, including residential and mixed-use development, along the lake shoreline, according to Jake Eckholm, the citys director of economic development. A $6.6 million project announced last fall to restore Ryerson Creek, which empties into the lake, will be the last step towards officially de-listing the lake as an area of concern. The volunteer-run MLWP was founded in 1992, and has restored more than 20 sites around Muskegons waterways, including Veterans Memorial Park, the Ruddiman Lagoon, Heritage Landing Circle, and Bear Creek in North Muskegon. Read more on MLive: EPA administrator announces Great Lakes Advisory Board during visit to Muskegon New owners of former power plant property on Muskegon Lake look to expand shipping Work begins on first $600K condo at Hartshorn Village on Muskegon Lake BAY COUNTY, MI - The Bay County Health Department announced emergency procedures for workers Thursday afternoon in hopes of limiting the spread of COVID-19 through proactive measures. Businesses in essential fields such as healthcare, first response and infrastructure -- as well as any business that provides a service from less than 6 feet of distance for more than 15 minutes at a time -- must implement a daily screening process for their employees, according to a news release. If a worker has traveled to an area with a significant outbreak, had contact with someone who has or may test positive, or has any new symptoms associated with the disease, they must self-isolate from their work space. The hiatus varies depending on which box on the list the employee checks - one should stay home for 14 days after traveling unless the travel was commuting from the affected area, 14 days after contact with the possible case, 10 days after the start of the workers symptoms, and at least three after the symptoms go away. Healthcare workers who are asymptomatic do not have to isolate after contact with a positive case, according to the release. Workplaces are also required to post the emergency order where its visible to all workers. The order became effective at noon on Tuesday, June 30. The order comes after a high-profile case of super-spreading at a Michigan bar, and another mass exposure reported at a Bay City hair salon. Harpers Brewpub in East Lansing is reportedly linked to more than 150 COVID-19 diagnoses as of Thursday, June 2, according to the Detroit News. The health department announced Wednesday, July 1 that a hairstylist at Great American Man Cave in Bay City tested positive for COVID-19, and had worked at the salon for five days over two weeks while experiencing very mild symptoms. Its unclear whether the stylist or customers consistently wore masks, according to a news release, but up to 75 individuals were potentially exposed to the virus. Read more: Hairstylist tests positive for COVID-19 in Bay City, up to 75 people exposed Coast Guard rescues 5 people, dog from sinking 52-foot boat in Saginaw Bay Frankenmuth cancels July 3 fireworks show SAGINAW, MI -- The State of Michigan reported 460 new cases of the novel coronavirus Friday, July 3, a number lower than Thursdays spike but still higher than the recent daily average. The state reported 543 new cases of the respiratory disease COVID-19 Thursday, a high unseen since May and more than double the 260 cases reported Wednesday. Fridays total is the second-highest since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lifted the states stay-at-home order Monday, June 1. Michigan began to average fewer than 300 new cases per day in June, reaching a low of 74 cases on Monday, June 15. The rate has crept back up amid rising infection numbers across the United States, reaching a seven-day average of 338 daily cases on Monday, Jun 29. The state reported only three new deaths Friday. Barring some intermittent spikes, the daily death toll has steadily declined since it peaked on April 16 with 167 deaths. According to the states data, fewer than 10 Michiganders have reportedly died each day for more than a week. Deaths have not yet risen to match the recent spike in cases, with the state reporting only two for each of Wednesday and Thursday. However, MLive reported Thursday that 13 additional daily deaths were found retroactively through a records search. The state now has 65,135 confirmed cases and 5,960 deaths total since March. The state reported that 51,099 have recovered from the disease thus far. The virus fatality rate in the state is at 9.2%, according to the states website. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. Though Whitmer lifted the stay-at-home-order Monday, June 1, some businesses remain closed, including gyms. Bars and restaurants could reopen with conditions starting June 8, but after a recent outbreak of more than 150 cases tied to Harpers Restaurant & Brewpub in East Lansing, Whitmer limited bars that make more than 70% of their income from alcohol to outdoor service only. To find a testing site, check out the states online test finder, send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued an executive order requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while inside enclosed, public spaces. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. For more information, visit MLives coronavirus data page. Read more: Coronavirus cases traced to East Lansing Harpers Brew Pub rise to 152 Hairstylist tests positive for COVID-19 in Bay City, up to 75 people exposed Friday, July 3: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan BAY CITY, MI - Bay City is known for hosting one of the largest fireworks displays in the state of Michigan each year on the Fourth of July. In fact, the fireworks typically run for three nights. COVID-19 has changed that for 2020 and canceled the annual celebration. But hey, Bay City is still a cool town with lots to do on a summer holiday weekend. Situated on the Saginaw River and surrounded by natural resources, Bay City has plenty of activities to offer, and allow for safe social distancing as well. Here are 10 things to do: Bay City's City Market at 401 Center Avenue has been taking advantage of the Feet on the Street seasonal closure at Adams Street to create a family friendly space. 1. Check out downtowns new sidewalk cafes Downtown Bay City is looking a bit different after the city recently launched its Feet on the Street program, which allows businesses to expand their seating areas outdoors into selected streets while redirecting vehicle traffic. The goal is to help boost business since restaurants are still limited to a 50% seating capacity to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Those looking for some outdoor family fun can head over to Adams Street at Center Avenue. City Market at 401 Center Ave. has been providing a playful and family oriented atmosphere outside by setting up numerous tables and chairs for outdoor seating while also offering family games and activities such as cornhole, giant Jenga and sidewalk chalk. A look at a 1959 pinball machine Gottlieb's Universe at the new business Crazy Quarters Arcade in downtown Bay City on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020.Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com 2. Play some retro games Crazy Quarters Arcade at 521 Washington Ave. is a new business that opened in Bay City in February. The arcade is open over the holiday weekend and families can beat the heat and have some old-school fun. The arcade boasts a collection of new and vintage pinball machines and digital games. Crazy Quarters Arcade will be open over the 4th of July weekend on Friday and Saturday noon - 10 p.m. and Sunday noon- 9 p.m. Water levels are increasingly higher at Bay City State Park on Monday, June 3, 2019.Rachel Ellis | MLive 3. Visit Bay City State Park Bay City State Park is located at 3582 State Park Drive, and is home to a large day-use area with a groomed beach for swimming, nature trails, a fishing lagoon, picnic areas, large public-use fire pits and a playground. The park also has a modern campground for overnight stays. For those who like to hike, the park boasts three scenic trails - the Bay City-Andersen Nature Trail which clocks in at a length of 2.5 miles, the Bay City-Tobico Lagoon Trail at 1.35 miles, and the Bay City-Tobico Marsh Trail at 3.3 miles. The parks splash park is currently closed due to COVID-19 and the lagoons floating dock closed due to a hinge breaking from high water levels, according to the Department of Natural Resources. As a side note, visitors to all Michigan state parks will need to have a state-issued recreation pass or pay cash to enter the grounds as of June 22. James St. John loads some boats onto a trailer in front of the new Float Paddle Center in Bay City, Wednesday, July 17, 2019.Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com 4. Paddle down the Saginaw River A new business in Bay City is offering a fun way to cool off and get some exercise at the same time. The Float Paddle Center at 110 Salzburg Ave. rents single kayaks, tandems and paddle boards for pleasure rides down the Saginaw River. The Float Paddle Center is open for kayak and paddle board rentals over the weekend from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., including on the Fourth of July. Reservations can be made online. Mike Kostka holds up his large scoop of s'mores ice cream on a waffle cone that he was enjoying at Buddy's Ice Cream Shop on Columbus Avenue on Monday, Aug. 19, 2019, Bay City, MI.Rachel Ellis | MLive.com 5. Take an ice cream break Bay City has its fair share of ice cream shops to visit to help beat the summer heat such as Mama Lupos Homemade Ice Cream at 200 N. Henry St., Mussel Beach at 3540 State Park Drive and Buddys Columbus Cone at 801 Columbus Ave. For those looking for a unique ice cream experience, Cream & Sugar at 160 Uptown Drive sells house made ice cream that uses Michigan-sourced milk and sugar. The USS Edson is pictured along the Saginaw River on June 19. The Edson Museum recently had an earthen berm installed to help alleviate the high water levels that have been plaguing the property. Caitlyn French | MLive.com 6. Tour a piece of US history The Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museums USS Edson is open for tours over the weekend, including special extended hours from 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 4. The museum is open 7 days a week throughout the summer and normal hours for tours aside from the Fourth of July, running from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., with 4 p.m. being the last call to board the ship. Last call will be at 7 p.m. for the 4th of Julys extended hours. A special Fourth of July ceremony will also be held at the museum grounds at 11 a.m. where a saluting battery will be fired. Rates are $10 for adults and $8 for children for normal tours and $8 for adults and $6 for children in group tours. The USS Edson naval destroyer was deployed to Vietnam and saw service during the Cold War, according to previous MLive reporting. The Edson was launched in January 1958 and first deployed in January 1960. The museum worked to bring the ship to the area from 2004 until its move to its current resting place was approved in 2012. The Princess Wenonah glides under Veterans Memorial Bridge. Jesse Dockett | Times Photo 7. Take a mini-cruise Bay City Boat Lines runs two boats - the Islander and Princess Wenonah up and down the Saginaw River throughout the summer for private and public events and historical tours. On Saturdays, including July 4th, special Saturdays On The Saginaw tours are offered. Tickets are required for the cruise. The cost is $20 for an adult and $10 for a child and the tour runs approximately 2.5 hours. Click here for Bay City Boat Lines calendar of events and ticket booking. Books are on display at Putz Hardware in Bay City on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com 8. Go antique shopping Bay Citys is an antique shoppers dream, especially since its home to the self-proclaimed largest antique shop in Michigan. The Bay Antique Center at 1010 N. Water St. is a block-sized building that is connected with the separate but similar Bay City Antiques Center at 1020 N. Water Street. Both stores will both open over the 4th of July holiday on Friday from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., with Sundays hours set at noon - 5 p.m. to cap off the weekend. For those looking to shop outdoors, Chuckies Flea Market is an open air venue that will be open over the 4th of July. This will most likely be the last season for this annual Bay City tradition. On March 10, the Bay County Board of Commissioners approved the sale of the Bay County Market and Chuckies Market Restaurant sites to the Bay City Housing Commission. The sale is still currently in process. The flea market will be open over the weekend from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. at 108 Adams St. George Babcock of Bay City casts his line into the Saginaw River at the Cass Avenue Boat Launch on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com 9. Try some Saginaw River fishing The Saginaw River is an active fishing area that is home to a variety of fishing spots for anglers of all ages to try, regardless if they have a boat or not. Walleye, perch, catfish, bass and more are caught in the river. Shore fishermen are able to cast from locations such as the riverbanks along Uptown, Wenonah Park, the Middle Grounds, and Veterans Memorial Park. For those with boats, the Bay City also has numerous boat launches for fishermen to launch from such as: - Cass Ave. Boat Launch, 620 Harrison St. - Golson Boat Launch 1598 N. Johnson St. - DNR Launch, 1 Shady Shore Rd. - Smith Park Boat Launch. A view of the memorial in Veterans Park in Bay City on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com) 10. Visit one of the areas numerous parks According to the City of Bay City, the Parks Division manages and maintains 238 acres of parkland and related facilities and twenty-five individual park areas. The city also boasts 10 miles of Railtrail & Riverwalk trails throughout the city. Click here to view the locations of the parks that Bay City has to offer. Listen to article The tyrant dies and his rule is over; the martyr dies and his rule begins - Soren Kierkegaard A MARTYR is said to be a person who suffers persecution and death for renouncing or refusing to renounce or advocating or refusing to advocate a religious or political belief or cause as demanded by an external party. The title 'martyr' will only be posthumous, given by the living to celebrate the one who demonstrated steadfastness and defiance while living. The death of a martyr or its value is called 'martyrdom'. With Jesus Christ's death on the cross, there have been many Christians who have suffered martyrdom. Stephen was the first Christian to be martyred in AD 34. The schism that erupted between Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England led to the public burning of 288 Christians by the Catholic Queen Mary between 1553 and 1558. In 1597, Anna Utenhoven (Anabaptist) was buried alive for refusing to recant her faith and revert to Catholicism, and in 1535, Thomas More had already been beheaded for refusing to acknowledge Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Meanwhile, Saint Agnes of Rome had been beheaded for refusing to forsake her devotion to Christ for Roman paganism. In 1835, Madagascar's (Malagasy) Queen Ranavolana had 60 Christians burnt at the stakes. Ordering Christian proselytizing to cease, she ordered, To the English and French strangers Do not worry yourselves I will not change the customs and rites of our ancestor. Nevertheless, whoever breaks the laws of my kingdom will be put to death For political martyrs, Socrates' name pops up first. In 399 BC, Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth. He chose death over escape, and he was made to drink hemlock (a poisonous concoction) which killed him instantly. In 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was assassinated by a Confederate sympathizer after the end of the American Civil War (won by the Unionists). Patrice Lumumba became a martyr in the struggle for independence in the Congo when he was assassinated in Mwadingusha, Katanga in 1961. Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965 on account of his leadership role in Black nationalism, and Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968 for his role in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1977, Steve Biko, a South African activist, was killed in police custody for his role in anti-apartheid movement, and in 1995, Ken Saro Wiwa was killed in Nigeria for speaking against the destruction of Odoni land for petroleum. But for judicial martyrdom, Ghana is perhaps the first country in the world to have had three judges (and a military officer) murdered on June 30th 1982. Mr. Justice Fred Poku Sarkodee, Mrs. Justice Koranteng-Addow and Mr. Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyapong with the military man, Major Sam Acquah. These three men and one woman were kidnapped by armed men from their houses at Ridge, Accra at night and driven from Accra to Bundase near Afienya and callously murdered. The murderers did not even have sympathy for the woman-judge as a nursing mother! They burnt the bodies to obliterate traces, but a god-sent shower quenched the fire. A special investigation committee was set up and its report showed that on the night of 30th June. 1982, Amartey Kwei drove L/Cpl Amedeka and L/Cpl Senyah from Broadcasting House to the town and showed them the various houses in which the three High Court judges and the retired Army major lived; on their way back to Broadcasting House, Amartey Kwei passed through a house along the Independence Avenue, described as the residence of Mrs. Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings, for a Fiat Compagnola Jeep filled with petrol. Amartey Kwei, the hub around which the 'wheel of conspiracy revolved' had recruited also L/ Cpl Gordon Kwowu, Ransford Johnny Dzandu, Evans Tekpor Hekli, alias Tonny, L/Cpl Nsurowuo and L/Cpl Victor Gomeleshie for the dastardly act. This was in the heat of the so-called 'Revolution' of 31st December 1981, led by Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings, and the PNDC had instituted a curfew from 6:00pm to 6:00am, and Amartey Kwei was a member of the PNDC. Amartey Kwei described Capt. Kojo Tsikata (Rtd.), Special Adviser to the PNDC, as the architect of the plot. The special investigation board was chaired by Mr. Justice S. Azu Crabbe and the members were C. E, Quist, T.O. Lindsay, Rt. Rev. Professor N. K. Dzobo and J. O. Amui. The June 4 movement and the New Democratic Movement issued a joint statement which noted that the act had been orchestrated by counter-revolutionaries to discredit the Revolution by trying to create the impression that the country is in a state of anarchy. The statement added that although it was true that the judicial system did not favour the advancement of the Revolution, the answer to the problem did not lie in the abduction of individual judges. Then, in a special radio and television broadcast to the nation on 4th July 1982, the Chairman of the PNDC, Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings, in a mournful mood announced, We condemn these acts from the depths of our hearts he was confident that a high-powered investigation team would trace the criminals and deal with them whoever they are and whatever their motives in accordance with the democratic laws of this country. The Association of Professional Bodies, the National Union of Ghana Students, the Ghana Medical Association, the Law Students joined the demonstrating workers of the Judicial service to condemn the act: we further condemn the mutilation by burning of their corpses. The perpetration of these acts is singularly un-Ghanaian and we abhor any introduction of such alien and atrocious practices into our society. And the Trade Union Congress issued a statement condemning the acts of terrorism on people who could never replace the mass struggle for social change; the statement noted further that the T.U.C, endorsed the PNDC's determination to spare no effort in searching for those responsible for this barbaric act and to punish them accordingly. On July 13, 1982, the Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting at Wa issued a statement in which they said, among other things: The utter senselessness of this atrocity has once more laid bare the tragedy of a decadent social situation against which the Church must raise its voice. On 17th July 1982, a memorial service was held for Mrs. Justice Koranteng-Addow and the Chairman of the National Council on Women and Development said, It is such a woman, whose life held so much promise, a woman who would have made Ghana truly proud, whose life has been so wantonly destroyed, and the women of Ghana are justifiably angry and horrified. This should never have happened in Ghana. This should never happen again. Amartey Kwei was sent to the gallows; several players, apart from L/Cpl who escaped from prison, were imprisoned. It is in commemoration of these acts that the Ghana Bar Association has instituted the annual Martyrs' Day celebration in Ghana. It is to remind ourselves the atrocities of the 'dark days' in Ghana and to give ourselves the opportunity to say 'NEVER AGAIN'. You could bet Sam Okudzeto would be at the 38th anniversary with the President, Nana Addo; the Vice President, Dr. Bawumia; the Chief Justice, Justice Anin Yeboah; the Attorney General, Ms. Gloria Akuffo, and the President of the Ghana Bar Association, Anthony Forson, at the Ridge Church. [email protected] From Africanus Owusu-Ansah Listen to article The NPP-Finland is shocked with the news of the sudden death of former national secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and current CEO of Ghana Forestry Commission, lawyer John Owusu Afriyie, popularly known in political circles as Sir John, on this day, 2 July 2020. Sir Johns dedicated services to the NPP and his country is highly commended among his contemporaries and majority of Ghanaians. His inspiring leadership and organizational skills at the Forestry Commission has received much applause across the lengths and breaths of the country. We have lost a great patriotic son of Ghana who is always excited to serve God and country. Our condolences to his family, and to the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, the NPP family and all Ghanaians home and abroad. May the departed soul of the only SIR in Ghanaian politics rest in perfect peace. ...Signed... Kwasi Owusu-Afriyie (NPP-Finland Communications Director) Africa's travel and tourism industry has lost $55-billion due to the closure of borders to limit the spread of coronavirus, the African Union said Thursday. On a continent where safaris are a powerful tourist magnet, the sector has been badly hit by lockdowns that shuttered air, land and sea borders. "The impact is really severe," African Union commissioner Amani Abou-Zeid said at a virtual briefing organised by the World Economic Forum and the World Health Organisation (WHO). "We are talking here about $55 billion (49 billion euros) lost within three months in a year when we were supposed to see an increase in travel and air transport," she warned. "There are airlines that may not survive COVID-19." "In Africa tourism is not luxury," she said. "This is our livelihood." Despite a steady rise in coronavirus cases, countries across Africa are forging ahead with plans to resume air traffic. A handful of states reopened their borders last week, including Zambia and Sierra Leone. Senegal has announced the resumption of international air travel from July 15. "As we are going to open... we are also now pushing for intra-African tourism," Abou-Zeid said, calling for lower taxes, reduced ticket fees and visa facilitation to encourage "Africans to see Africa". She hoped the reopening of the skies would "cushion some of the serious impacts on ...air transport and tourism". Africa has recorded more than 420,000 coronavirus cases and over 10,000 deaths. South Africa is the hardest-hit country in sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for around a third of total cumulative numbers in the region. WHO regional chief Matshidiso Moeti has warned of a "certain underestimation of cases" due to test kit shortages and the tendency to test only symptomatic patients Prosper Zo'o Minto'o of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) described the virus' impact on the African airline industry as "alarming". Aircrafts flew 60 million less passengers on international routes over the past three months, and 30 million less for domestic travel. Zo'o Minto'o estimated that airlines would require at least $20 billion (18 billion euros) in stimulus aid for them to take back to the skies. Algeria on Thursday provisionally released a key protest movement leader, Karim Tabbou, and three other jailed activists ahead of the country's independence day. Tabbou, 47, is one of the most prominent if not best-known figure of "Hirak" -- a movement that forced the downfall last April of longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. He walked out of Kolea jail, west of Algiers in the afternoon, an AFP correspondent said. Activists Amira Bouraoui and Samir Benlarbi were seen leaving the same prison after also being granted provisional releases. A fourth activist Slimane Hamitouche "has already gone home", said one of his lawyers, Abderahmane Salah. Tabbou, jailed in September 2019, was serving a one-year sentence for an "attack on the integrity of national territory". He also faces a charge of "damaging the morale of the army", in a trial which has been postponed to September 14. Amnesty International, which lobbied for Tabbou's release, welcomed the "good news" and called for the "immediate and unconditional" release of all other "prisoners of opinion" held in Algeria. Said Salhi, vice president of Algeria's League of Human Rights, echoed the watchdog. "Huge relief as we wait for the others" to be released, Salhi said in a tweet. Abdellah Benadouda, founder of the US-based pro-Hirak Radio Corona Internationale, said the next step would be to "liberate the justice" system in Algeria. Amira Bouraoui was sentenced on a one-year jail term for a string of charges including offending the president and Islam. By RYAD KRAMDI (AFP) Bouraoui's lawyer said Bouraoui was also freed provisionally, pending another appeal hearing on September 24. She was sentenced to a one-year jail term on June 21 for a string of charges, including "offending" the president and Islam as well as for "incitement" to violate coronavirus confinement regulations. Sosiane Djilali, head of an opposition party, said a month ago that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had told him in a meeting he would "ensure that Karim Tabbou and Samir Benlarbi regain their freedom". Benlarbi, a media personality, had been held in preventive detention. Also ahead of the July 5 anniversary of Algeria's 1962 independence from France, Tebboune on Wednesday pardoned six prisoners, including three linked to Hirak. Samir Benlarbi is a media personality who had been held in preventive detention. By RYAD KRAMDI (AFP) Weekly anti-government protests rocked Algeria for more than a year and only came to a halt in March due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, with the authorities banning marches -- although the opposition had already stopped gathering, due to concerns about the virus. But the Algerian government continues to target opponents, journalists, independent media and internet users. According to the National Committee for the Release of Detainees (CNLD), almost 70 people are currently detained on charges linked to the protest movement, mostly over Facebook posts. Listen to article Anger, sorrow and frustration were boldly inscribed on the faces of disgruntled customers of collapsed banks in the Upper East Region who converged to mourn collectively, swearing thunder and lightning to besiege the seat of Government in the coming days if their hard-earned deposits are not fully paid by the government. At a press conference in Bolgatanga, the displeased depositors noted that not only will they storm the jubilee house, but they will also boycott the upcoming elections. Taking turns to speak their hearts out over how the collapsed of the financial institutions is fostering and breeding uncontrollable hardship and hunger, the customers described the government actions leading to the collapse of the banks as well as its style of handling the issue as cruel, wickedness that can only be perpetrated by heartless leadership. They described the move by the government to hoard their investment for five years without interest as cruelty, witchcraft and greed adding that we are not in normal time if anyone attempts to mess up with us, we will also mess up with the person too as the presser ground echo a chant no pay, no vote They fumed over the governments announcement that they [customers] of collapsed banks should forfeit 50% of their deposits if they want their deposits paid back to them. They passionately called on their colleagues across the country to massively vote out the Nana Addo led New Patriotic Partys government, accusing government of visiting innocent citizens with unjustified hardship. Below is the press statement read by Achana Justina on behalf of the aggrieved customers. PRESS CONFERENCE BY COALITION OF AGGRIEVED CUSTOMERS OF COLLAPSED BANKS Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen from the Media, you are welcome to today's Press conference by the Coalition of Aggrieved Customers of Collapsed Banks. We thank you for making yourselves available at very short notice for this all-important presser. Ladies and Gentlemen, you may recall that Government in 2017-2018 decided to undertake some reforms in the banking and financial services sector. Government through various press communiques assured us, depositors, that our monies would be safe and that we should not panic because the cardinal objective of the financial sector reforms was to clean-up the system and make banks and allied financial institutions stronger. Many of us who entrusted our money and lifetime savings in these banks and financial institutions held on to Governments promise that our monies would be safe. We never anticipated that Governments so-called clean-up of the banking and financial sector would take-down so many banks and financial institutions, especially on the basis that Government itself indicated that it required between GHC 9 billion to GHC13 billion Cedis to solve the crises in the banking and financial sector. Considering that most of these banks that were taken down were indigenous banks, owned and operated by Ghanaians, we believe it was most cruel on the part of this and any Government to do this to its own people and turn around to advocate local content and private sector participation as the engine of economic growth. This also flies against governments own Ghana Beyond Aid agenda. After cruelly collapsing these banks and financial institutions, thereby rendering our children jobless, and denying our SMEs (Small Medium Enterprises) and Micro-businesses access to credit because these indigenous banks and locally-owned financial institutions were and are the only source of financing for SMEs, Microbusinesses, traders etc. in the country. So in one stroke Government by collapsing local banks and financial institutions thus forcing the owners of these banks and financial institutions to lose their capital investments, has also collapsed many SMEs, Microbusinesses, and Ghanaian owned businesses who depended on these banks and financial institutions for financing and as a result, many local businesses have folded up or wound their businesses for lack of credit financing and working capital finance to support and keep their businesses operating and afloat. The cumulative effect of Governments collapse of banking and financial institutions is that liquidity or circulation of money (i.e. flow of money) in the real sectors of the economy from which banks and financial institutions used to mobilise deposits and honour customer withdrawals has dried up. Worse still through this action Government has rendered us depositors impotent, useless and redundant. Many of our businesses have collapsed, we lost our loved ones who died from the shock and pain of losing their lifetime investments and savings, and many could not pay their medical bills for surgeries that could have otherwise saved their lives. A good number of us with underlying debilitating health conditions could not cope with the financial pressures associated with healthcare costs and many have lost their lives. Our wives have deserted us and have taken our children to other men because we could not properly take care of them and our marital responsibilities with dignity as fathers and husbands anymore. Most women among us are facing wretched lives as well. With these developments how can we wake up at night to go and queue and vote for a Government only for the Government to come into power and do this us? Today Government is saying it cannot pay us, so they have issued a 5-year bond for our locked up deposits (i.e. savings and investments). Five (5) years paper (IOU) ooh! With zero coupon rate, that is zero or no interest paid on our deposits and investments. We have to wait for the 5 years to receive our money (deposits, savings and investments) back! What sort of wickedness is this? How can you take someone's money for 5 good years and say you would not add interest to the money? When many of us depositors agitated by refusing to wait for 5 years but want our money now, the Government tells us to take the 5-year bonds to CBG (Consolidated Bank of Ghana) who will discount the bonds by 50% of the face value amount of the bond and pay that to us immediately (now) whilst we forfeit or forgo the remaining 50% of the bond value which CBG will keep. So if you have Gh100,000 deposit locked up and converted into the 5-year bond and you want your money now and cannot wait for 5 years, CBG will discount and only pay you Gh50,000 and take away the remaining Gh50,000 of your money which you will forfeit and forever! God! This Government is not only wicked but they are recklessly cruel as well. How can you say we forfeit 50% of our own hard-earned money if we want our money now? If you don't have money to pay us now, where are you getting the money to pay for the discounted 50% at CBG? We want to use this medium to serve a two weeks ultimatum to Government, to initiate alternative plans to pay all depositors our monies as soon as possible! Certainly, we cannot wait for 5 years to be short-changed when the value of our deposits will lose value because no interest is accruing on it. We want Government to understand that we didn't force them to collapse any bank or financial institution, they took the decision on their own perhaps borne out of cruelty, witchcraft and greed; or better still grand deception! If after two weeks we don't receive any favourable revised payment plan from Government to refund and pay us all our monies, we shall besiege the Jubilee House and Occupy it till they pay us our money. We shall not leave the Jubilee House until every single one of us is paid. We have duly served our notice, may the officials who have ears listen. This is not a threat, we are not in normal times. If anyone attempts to mess with us, we will also mess with the person too. Ladies and gentlemen of the media, as a result of our disappointment, we are by this press conference here in Bolgatanga encouraging all our over 2500 members in Upper East and by extension, all depositors in the country who have their monies locked up in these collapsed banks, microfinance and savings and loans companies to defy the consequences of covid19 and join the queues, no matter the restrictions you may encounter, get registered to be able to vote against the government who have decided to make our lives miserable by withholding our hard-earned money for God knows how long without any justified cause. Nobody should expect us, victims of this government's wickedness in the financial sector to turn around and praise the same government that have rendered our lives miserable. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media we thank you for honouring our invitation. Please carry our message across to reach them. We are serious; we mean what we say! Thank you, God bless you and may he bless our homeland Ghana. Listen to article The first deputy speaker of Parliament Joseph Osei-Owusu is demanding investigations into the phenomenon of legislators marking their absentee colleagues present in the chamber. It comes after Majority MPs William Quaittoo and Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah questioned the basis for marking minority MPs for Cape Coast South Ricket Hagan and Asunafo South Collins Dauda present when both were absent on Wednesday. The move generated heated debate prompting the first deputy Speaker to ask for those who marked the absent MPs present to be fished out and dealt with. Speaker Prof. Mike Oquaye warned MPs and officials of Parliament who engage in the practice to desist or face sanctions. He demanded the deployment of clock-in devices to curb the practice. Meanwhile, the Leadership of parliament has admonished the public to take a cue from the sudden demise of Forestry Commission CEO, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, alias Sir John vis a vis the covid-19 scare. According to the Majority leader, the death of the former General Secretary of the ruling NPP must be a reminder of the existence and threat of Coronavirus. Mr Speaker on this occasion I think its important to remind all of us that this ailment is indeed real, very devastating Mr Kyei Mensah-Bonsu advised. The former General Secretary of the NPP lost his life yesterday to Covid-19 at Korle Bu. Speaking on the floor of parliament, the leadership of both sides, as well as the Speaker took turns to mourn with the family of the late Sir John. All three leaders of the legislature paid glowing tribute to the deceased politician and made some fond memories of his political life. Sir John died Wednesday at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after he reportedly contracted COVID-19. Until his demise, Sir John was the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission. ---Starrfm.com.gh The Communications team of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Atebubu Amantin constituency has rubbished allegations against Member of Parliament, Mr. Kofi Amoakohene accusing him of hiring thugs to attack Executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Constituency. In an earlier statement issued by the NDC in the Constituency, it accused the Bono East Regional Minister who doubles as the MP for Atebubu Amantin Constituency of hiring some party thugs to unleash violence on two of their constituency executive members, Usif Alhassan and Francis Nando who ended up sustaining series of injuries. Reacting to the accusation, the group noted that the Member of Parliament has not hired any group of people to engage in such acts. We wish to make it known to the general public that Regional Minister/MP has not contracted any group of party thugs to be involved in the said allegation, a press statement signed by Eric Koranteng who is the Communications Director of the NPP in Atebubu Amantin has said. The NPP in the Atebubu Amantin Constituency says they are law-abiding and will not do anything to destabilize the voter registration process. They are calling on the security agencies to allow the laws to take its course to ensure the perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others. Read the full NPP statement below: RE - BONO EAST REGIONAL MINISTER/MP, ATEBUBU AMANTIN CONSTITUENCY BOYS ATTACK TWO NDC CONSTITUENCY EXECUTIVES. ..................... The Communication desk of NPP, Atebubu Amantin constituency, wishes to react to a press release which came from the Atebubu Amantin constituency, NDC. Their press release accused the Bono East Regional Minister/MP, Atebubu Amantin of hiring some party thugs to unleash violence on two of their constituency executive members, namely; Usif Alhassan(NDC Constituency Organizer) and Francis Nando(Constituency Secretary, NDC). In their statement, the NDC, Atebubu Amantin accused the member of parliament of engaging his thugs to attack the mentioned executives, who have sustained some series of injuries. We wish to make it known to the general public that Regional Minister/MP has not contracted any group of party thugs to be involved in the said allegation. The general public is hereby informed to treat all these frivolous allegations being perpetrated by the NDC to tarnish the hard won reputation of our adorable Regional Minister/MP as blatant, orchestrated and untrue. The NDC on Wednesday 1st July, 2020 on their mission to monitor the various polling stations, specifically at Presby Primary 'A' school observed that the NPP agent was challenging some registrants. The NDC executives led by their organizer protested vehemently and vent their anger on the NPP agent, sparked an attack on him. The NPP Constituency Youth Organizer, Tawfic Adam questioned the NDC organizer on his attitude. The NDC Organizer, Mr. Usif Alhassan, alias U - PHONES, at that moment slapped Mr. Tawfic Adam on the face and the unsuing made him step back in which he fell down together with the NDC Constituency Secretary, Mr Francis Nando, who was also standing without knowing he was falling in his direction. In the said struggle, the NDC supporters around, attacked the NPP party agent, Danjumah Mustapha and the Constituency youth organizer, Tawfic Adam. They sustained some injuries and went to the Atebubu Municipal Police Command Office to Lodge a report, after which they were handed a police report form to seek medical care at the Atebubu Government Hospital. The NDC Constituency executives upon hearing the victims were at the police station,hurriedly,followed in same issue and wrote their side of the case. They were equally given police medical report form for medical care. At the hospital, one of the NDC hoodlums insulted Dr. Boateng one of the medical doctors at the hospital of being a foolish man, various forms of abusive words and threats was meted on the medical Doctor, it took a quick intervention of one of the medical staff who prevented the NDC thug from striking the Doctor, the Doctor in question quickly got to his heels and locked himself in the theater room. To these NDC boys, still not satisfied in their agenda for the day went to the Municipal Police station and destroyed windows /Louvre blades. The assailant is currently at large. It will be recalled that the Bono East Regional Secretary of NDC and once a personal aid to Sanja Nanja, Shamsudeen Ali, in March this year came out with a video, in which he was seen fuming that even if the voter registration happens, they will stop the exercise in Bono East Region of which Atebubu Amantin cannot be exempted. We hereby attach the video as part of our press release. The NPP in Atebubu Amantin constituency, likewise the entire nation, believe in the rule of law and cannot do anything to derail the registration process. It is rather the agenda of the NDC to denigrate the Hon. Kofi Amoakohene. The NPP, Atebubu Amantin is a law-abiding political party and will not do anything to destabilize the registration process. In conclusion, we want to humbly call on the security agencies to allow the laws to take it's course, arrest the perpetrators to serve as a deterrent . Thank you for your attention. Signed Eric Koranteng Communications Director NPP, Atebubu Amantin 0244059536 At a restaurant in Chad's capital N'Djamena, the last remaining employee cuts a lonely figure as he goes about jobs usually done by an entire crew, from cooking to staffing the bar. The eatery with its large paved courtyard has been all but abandoned by customers since the central African country imposed coronavirus restrictions in mid-March. Owner Ndjiya-Gali Ramses says he'd hoped patrons would switch to takeaway after the authorities banned in-house eating, but the clientele never really warmed to meals to go. "I've had to furlough seven of my staff," he says. Civil servants and office staff used to flock to his place, Petit Bassam aka "Chez Ramses", located on one of the capital's main arteries, or to the many other restaurants in the Gassi business neighbourhood. But now it's just Ramses, battling boredom with his mobile phone, and his chef-turned-factotum, whiling away the empty days. Landlocked Chad imposed some restrictions immediately after its first coronavirus case was detected on March 19. The government has reported just under 900 virus cases since then, and 74 deaths, for a total of 15 million inhabitants. The measures, including the closure of universities, schools, places of worship and some businesses, were never as strict as in other countries. But they still shook the economy, already one of the weakest in the region even after two decades of oil production, to the core. What makes the economic situation of N'Djamena's middle class, made up mostly of shopowners and employees, so perilous is the absence of any social safety net or personal savings. 'Can't afford three meals' Ramses now finds it difficult to feed his four children. "I was OK for the first two weeks of the crisis," he said. "But now we can't afford three meals a day like before. We're surviving thanks to the solidarity of others." Few Chadians have steady jobs. By ISSOUF SANOGO (AFP) Some of the people out for a stroll in Gassi wear face masks, which are mandatory, others simply pull their kadamoul, a traditional turban worn by men, further down to cover their mouth. Few bother with social distancing, saying they have bigger problems to deal with. "It's tough to pay the bills, it's tough to make ends meet," said Gervais Leonard Mbaidanem, who manages a cyber cafe in Gassi that has been deserted by its regular customers, students, since their university courses were suspended. Further down the street, 35-year-old Saleh Idriss Moussa, who owns a stationery store near the courthouse, used to be relatively well off. But that was before COVID-19. Now, daily turnover has slumped from 1.5 million francs CFA ($2,570) to just 35,000 francs. "With my takings I can't even pay for a single employee," he says. Poverty rising Established businesses may find survival a challenge now, but for Chad's poorest inhabitants, dependent on odd jobs, it's become close to impossible. Halil is a "clando", a motorcycle taxi operator who, before the virus, would make 4,500 francs CFA ($7.70) on a good day. "Now that's become difficult. I can hardly earn the 2,000 francs CFA I need to cover the cost of renting my bike," he says. The president's help package 'hasn't yielded the expected results'. By Steeve Jordan (AFP) Like everyone here, Halil hopes for an early relaxation of lockdown measures, but much economic damage has already been done. The World Bank now predicts the country's GDP will fall 3.1 percent this year, reversing a forecast of 2.9 percent growth made last year before the pandemic. Chad's poverty rate is projected to rise to 43 percent of the population from 40 percent. The government has promised to help, with President Idriss Deby Itno pledging 943 billion francs CFA to boost the economy. But the project "hasn't yielded the expected results", said Kebir Mahamat Abdoulaye, an economist. On 31st December 2019, the Chinese city of Wuhan, located in the eastern province of Hubei, woke up to a new strain of coronavirus. The virus is believed to have originated from a popular seafood market in Wuhan and was said to be behind some severe pneumonia and respiratory problems in the city. Upon its discovery, the Chinese Public Health authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) through its country office of this previously unknown novel coronavirus which later became known as Covid-19. In a bid to contain the spread of the virus, the Chinese government, through the advice of its public health officials, imposed restrictions on all forms of human movement including travel bans in and out of Wuhan and the larger Hubei province. In addition, all business activities were brought to a complete halt on January 23, 2020. Despite all these containment measures, the virus continued to spread in the Hubei province and would go on to become a global pandemic as it ravaged through mainland China and outside its borders. Six months down the lane, the virus has hit every continent and almost every corner of the world. According to John Hopkins Universitys Covid-19 Resource Center, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases worldwide crossed the ten million mark on June 28, 2020, of which the virus has claimed over half a million lives. This is how devasting the virus has been since it was first detected. Prior to the present situation, governments around the world resorted to lockdowns and stringent measures between March and April 2020 to contain the spread of the virus. This was largely because, no known vaccine exists to combat the virus. Though these measures were intended for good purposes, they rather compounded the plight of the vulnerable populations of the world and further exerted excessive pressure on the national purse of governments globally. One question which lingers on the minds of many public health experts is whether the WHO, entrusted with the global governance of public health, acted swiftly enough and showed leadership to contain the spread of the virus. To provide any plausible answers, we focus on three key areas in this piece. They include: 1) the trajectory of events after the virus was first detected; 2) the mandate of the of the WHO; and 3) the responses taken by the WHO to alert the world and contain the ensuing threat of the virus. Trajectory of events (December 31, 2019 - January 30, 2020) As previously noted, China alerted the WHO of the novel coronavirus on December 31, 2020. From that time to January 3, 2020, Chinese Health Officials reported 44 such cases to the WHO. On January 5, a lab based in Shanghai detects a new strain of coronavirus similar to SARS. Through further investigation, Chinese Health Officials identifies the pathogen of this new strain as coronavirus on January 7. Then on January 11, the first death related to the virus is confirmed by public health officials in Wuhan City. Following the death, Chinese health authorities share the genetic sequence of the novel corona virus with the WHO and other countries on January 12 for further diagnostic purposes. However, before any such diagnostics could be completed, Thailand reported its first case on January 13. This was followed by Japan and South Korea confirming their maiden cases on January 15 and 20 respectively. All these new confirmed cases were imported from Wuhan. Then on January 20, the WHO began its series of daily briefing and situational reporting on the virus. The first report indicated that, a total of 282 confirmed cases had been reported by China, Thailand, Japan and South Korea. In addition, six deaths were also confirmed by China in Hubei province. On January 21, Officials in Washington also confirmed the first case in the United States of America. Based on the maiden situation report, the Director General of WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus convened an Emergency Committee (EC) meeting in accordance with the International Health Regulation (IHR, 2005) on January 22 and 23. This was to discuss the emerging threat posed by the virus and to assess whether the outbreak constitute Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) or otherwise. At the meeting, varying opinions were expressed on the threats of the virus. However, it was agreed that, the situation falls short of an PHEIC due to its restrictive and binary nature. Members of the committee however acknowledged that, the situation was serious and made the following recommendations. They recommended that efforts should be focused on mitigation and containment measures, investigating the source of the outbreak, the extent of human to human transmission and information sharing to increase understanding of the virus as well as the situation. Whiles these meetings were ongoing, the virus continued to navigate its way across the world. Between January 20 and 25, the global confirmed cases had risen from 282 to 1320 with 41 confirmed deaths all in China. Twenty-three of the cases were reported outside China. This included Europes firsts confirmed case in France on January 24 and other new cases coming from Vietnam, Australia, Singapore and Nepal. By January 29 the number of cases globally had escalated to 6065 of which 68 cases were confirmed in 15 countries outside China. Owing to this, the Director General of the WHO, reconvened the EC to meet on January 30 to further discuss the seriousness of the situation. At this second meeting, members of the committee agreed that the situation now constitutes an PHEIC and went ahead to declare same on January 30. Furthermore, an advice was issued to all countries to control and mitigate onward transmission of the virus. As at January 30, when the WHO declared the virus as PHEIC, the number of confirmed cases had jumped to 7818 with 170 deaths globally of which 82 of the cases were confirmed in 18 countries outside China. Following the trajectory of events and the time the WHO declared PHEIC, some experts argue that, the WHO underrated the threats of the virus and hence reneged on its mandate in the global governance of public health. Mandate of the WHO The WHO is a body under the United Nations System with its head office based in Geneva, Switzerland. The Organization has the broad responsibility of directing and coordinating matters of health in the world. Since its inception in 1948, the Organization has had shifted goals. However, the present core goals of the Organization are set out in the Twelfth General Program of Work, which includes among others; 1. providing leadership on matters critical to health and engaging in partnerships where joint action is needed; 2. shaping the research agenda and stimulating the generation, translation and dissemination of valuable knowledge; 3. setting norms and standards, and promoting and monitoring their implementation; 4. articulating ethical and evidence-based policy options; 5. providing technical support, catalyzing change, and building sustainable institutional capacity; and 6. monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends Beside these core goals of the WHO, the IHR (2005) that was adopted by the Fifty-eighth World Health Assembly on 23 May 2005 and came into force on 15 June 2007 confers additional responsibilities on the Organization. Under the purpose and scope of the IHR (2005), the WHO has a mandate to prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease in ways that are commensurate with and restricted to public health risks, and which avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade. Having familiarized ourselves with the fundamental goals of the WHO, we now turn our attention to the measures and responses the Organization has taken since the outbreak of the virus. WHOs preparedness and response to the coronavirus Following the first reported case by China in late December and the subsequent cases by South Korea, Japan and Thailand in early January 2020, the WHO began regular and direct engagement with the health officials of these countries. After obtaining first-hand information on the virus, the WHO went ahead and shared the available information at the time with other countries in accordance with the IHR (2005). Furthermore, the Organization, on January 2, activated its incident management systems at the country, regional and the world level to deal with the threats of the virus. Following this, the Organization proceeded to develop surveillance and case definitions for covid-19. In addition, guidelines for laboratory and clinical diagnostics as well as measures for mitigating onward-transmission of the virus, especially at health care centers and the community level were also developed. On January 20, the Organization also began a series of daily briefing on the virus. In its maiden briefing, the Organization issued an international travel advice to all travelers and countries worldwide and further collaborated with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to jointly develop guidelines for flight crew, airport staff and travelers. In the area of research and development, the WHO also commenced work on a blueprint for diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics. In addition, the Organization began collaborating with global experts and researchers in the field of public health to coordinate surveillance, epidemiology, mathematical modelling, diagnostics and virology of the virus. This collaborative work was to increase knowledge and understanding of the virus to make informed decisions on early preventive and control measures as well as case management to contain further transmission. Moreover, the WHO also launched two channels on its online portal (OpenWHO) to offer free courses on proper responses and case management for Covid-19. These courses are available in all the official languages of the Organization as well other languages to expedite information sharing and knowledge transfer among all nations in the fight against Covid-19. Despite all these measures and other preparedness that were activated by the WHO, the virus thrived in spreading around the world and therefore puts the role of the Organization under scrutiny. Has the WHO lived up to its mandate in the Covid-19 pandemic fight? Since the global outbreak of the coronavirus, which has succeeded in bringing the entire global economy on its knees, keeping millions of the worlds population indoors for weeks, causing unprecedented levels of job losses and potentially setting the tone for the biggest global recession of our time, many public health experts and critics have questioned the role of the WHO. Critics argue that, the WHO failed the good people of the world and in living up to its mandate in the global health arena. Thus, the Organization reneged on its mandate as conferred on it by the IHR (2005) to prevent what started as a virus infection in a small seafood market in Wuhan, to escalate into a global public health crisis. Hence, given the dire state of the health of the world today, the thousands of lives lost, coupled with the unprecedented economic hardship the vulnerable populations of the world are facing, it can be said in no uncertain terms that the Organization has failed the world. Another area that received much attention was the complete break-down in the global supply chain of essential medical supplies particularly personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators. In the heat of the pandemic, there was mass shortage of essential medical supplies worldwide. The lack of these supplies further raised the risk exposure of millions of the illustrious frontline workers across the globe which eventually led to hundreds of them losing their lives in the line of duty. In addition, there were reports of some countries hijacking essential supplies bound to other countries, which was unacceptable by all standards in a world governed by rules and laws. Considering the lead role of the WHO in directing and coordinating matters of health in the world, one therefore wonders what kind of leadership the Organization demonstrated in the global supply chain of essential medical supplies to have avoided these mass shortages and countries sabotaging others. Furthermore, there were reports of many holidaymakers on cruise ships who were left stranded in deep seas for weeks. This was because no country was willing to allow these ships to dock at their ports for fear of importation of the virus by passengers onboard. What was more disturbing was that some passengers onboard the cruise ships were said to be visibly showing symptoms of Covid-19, but their plights were ignored. Since all lives are equally important, there should be clear guidelines, allowing cruise ships to dock at the nearest port on the grounds of humanitarian health emergencies. This will help save lives and offer timely medical assistance to passengers onboard when and where needed. However, the WHO failed to collaborate with its member states to assist these stranded cruise ships and their passengers. This is clearly at variance with the Organizations core goals as the initiator of norms and standards regarding matters of health in the world, particularly, where joint action and partnership is required to save lives. Finally, there is also a great deal of debate and finger-pointing ongoing worldwide as to the source and origin of the coronavirus. Whiles Chinese authorities continuously insist that the virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan, many countries including the USA, France, Australia and Britain have raised concerns about the authenticity of this assertion. It is therefore unclear where the virus emerged from. However, some media publications have linked the origin of the virus to a Lab in Wuhan. Furthermore, there are concerns that Chinese officials are concealing vital information on the coronavirus outbreak. This concern is buttressed by the fact that, Dr. Li Wenliang who first discovered and shared information on the virus with his colleague doctors was summoned by Chinese security officials for questioning, causing fear and spreading false information. Unfortunately, Dr. Li would go on to contract the virus and subsequently died of it. Ten days after Dr. Lis death, on January 20, China went on to declare the virus as an outbreak and apologized to the family of Dr. Li. In another purported attempt by China to suppress research into the origin of the virus, the Chinese ministry of education on March 25, issued a directive regarding research and publication on Covid-19. According to the directive, all Covid-19 articles would have to be vetted by the academic committees of their respective universities to determine whether they should be published or otherwise, a practice that was not in-force in the early weeks of Covid-19 outbreak. In the wake of all these, the WHO has remained calm over the conduct of Chinese officials, in their supposed attempt to cover-up and cramp-down research into the origin of the virus. The loud silence of the WHO on the behavior of Chinese officials is a slap in the face of the organization and its role in shaping the research agenda to increase understanding, information sharing, finding the sources of the emerging and reemerging diseases like Covid-19. Conclusion Given the scale and the scope of the Covid-19 outbreak as well as the devastating consequences on the global economy, the WHO cannot be said to have delivered on its mandate on global health governance. However, these shortcomings of the WHO, should rather be an opportunity for the world to redesign the world health body to make it more relevant and fit-for-purpose. The Tema West Constituency Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dennis Amfo-Sefah, has sought to cure rumours that the Member of Parliament for the Constituency has fallen ill with the novel coronavirus. I can assure you that Mr Carlos Ahenkorah is quite hale and hearty and is actually grateful that people are so concerned about him that his short absence from the busy frontlines of his campaign has generated concern. In a statement released to the Ghana news agency in Accra on Thursday, Mr. Amfo-Sefah said the rumours are nothing but assumptions and suppositions couched in mischief by our detractors. Mr Carlos Ahenkorah, who is also a Deputy Minister of Trade became a news item when reports emerged that he had fallen ill with the dreaded coronavirus and is in intensive care. As he is also the 2020 Parliamentary Candidate for Tema West, followers of the party have become worried. But according to the statement by the Constituency Chairman, the claim is just a rumour that was cooked by opponents to disorient the NPP in the Constituency. Our detractors see defeat in the future and so in their desperation, they have resorted to spreading rumours about our candidate to disorient us in Tema West NPP and I am unhappy to say some of us have fallen for the lie and are panicking. Please do not panic, our candidate is as fit as a fiddle. If you think that rumours and half-truths are what will win you power, you are gravely mistaken because at the end of it all, truth will prevail. My office as constituency chairman has not responded to the rumours, but the panic that it has created in the NPP within this Constituency is unacceptable hence the need to deodorize the atmosphere. Meanwhile, he called on all well-meaning Ghanaians, especially Moral Society to rise and condemn what he calls, a new trend which is sickening to the heart. How can anybody openly wish illness on others to start baseless rumours in order to gain political capital?. It is a well-known cultural taboo in Ghana to attack people with their sicknesses and so even if you think your opponent is sick, the proper thing to do is to wish him well, the fact that our parliamentary candidate has admitted fallen sick immediately after the primary doesn't mean he has contracted the virus. An allegation may be true or false, but the question is, what evidence do we have and is it an official fact from doctors?. ---GNA Listen to article The Electoral Commission (EC) says the voter ID card with a date of 1702 was a typing error. According to the Commission, the said ID card bears the name of one Abukari Osumanu with the date of 1702. The Commission says in a statement signed by its Acting Director of Public Affairs, Sylvia Annoh, that the Commission has traced the said card to the polling station with the code M133502 in Tamale. The EC says its Northern Regional Director has confirmed that the problem was a typo. The card has since been corrected and re-issued to the applicant, the EC statement indicated. It says it has been the practice at registration centres for applicants to be provided with the typed-out forms to check and verify their details before the cards are finally issued. ---Daily Guide Large quantities of newly printed Senior High Schools text books have been torn into pieces to be used to produce toilet rolls, tissue papers and other products by a Chinese company at Awutu Senya. The books were in sacks and boxes at the Everyday Tissue Manufacturing Ghana factory premises at Kwame Wetei in Awutu Breku, Central region. The textbooks had Government of Ghana Property and Strictly Not for Sale boldly embossed on them. Some of them also had schools stamps like, Apam Secondary School Property, Winneba Secondary School, and Wesley Girls High School in them. Operatives of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Informant and Counter Intelligence Unit questioned the factory workers why they were shredding textbooks meant for Schools. The managers of the company could not provided documents to support the books. The GRA is charging the Chinese company, Everyday Tissue Manufacturing, for evading tax and failure to issue the GRA's Value Added Tax Invoice. The company, was charged for using books sponsored by government for the junior high schools and senior high schools, which were strictly not for sale to produce toilet rolls. The police have, therefore, arrested three officials of the company for using state textbooks as raw material to produce toilet roll for sale. They are Ma Fui Jiuming, Manager of the company, Ma Mang, sales manager, all Chinese and Prince Andoh, company's interpreter, assisting the police in investigations. The exercise forms part of an enforcement tour carried out by the GRA Special Revenue Mobilisation Taskforce at Awutu Breku to clampdown on tax defaulters. Coordinator, of the Taskforce, Henry Sam, briefing the press, said the exercise was instigated by GRA Informant and Counter Intelligence Unit. He said: "The books, instead of going to the classroom to help the students with their studies, are rather recycled as raw materials, even though they are not outdated, to manufacture toilet rolls". The Taskforce did not find any tangible records by the company such as books of account and this is against section 27 of the Revenue Administration Act, which mandates businesses to keep and maintain proper records. Mr Sam said the Taskforce had retrieved some of the books as exhibits and confiscated some property of the company including four vehicles covered with the Commissioner General of GRA seal. Listen to article Former Deputy Minister of Information, Hon. James Agyenim -Boateng has been appointed by the opposition National Democratic Congress to head the communication aspect of the partys campaign. The former Deputy Minister who has undoubtedly become an expert in communication will be assisted by the immediate past Municipal Chief Executive of Suhum Madam Margaret Ansei and Mrs. Mawuena Trebarh, former Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Investment Promotions Center. What makes James Agyenim-Boatengs appointment unique is his track record of how well he managed the Communications department of the late former Vice President His Excellency Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur which enhanced the former Veeps image as a fine politician against all odds. Again, his role as a Spokesperson for His Excellency John Dramani Mahama during the NDCs internal flagbearership contest which led to his election as the presidential candidate won the admiration of many Ghanaians especially NDC members. James Agyenim-Boateng has portrayed the ability to manage various brands gently with a positive effect. It is worth noting that James Agyenim-Boateng has demonstrated over the years his understanding of Media Relations with regards to political issues and is easily accessible to most media men which makes his appointment very commendable. Also, one cannot take out the fact that James Agyenim-Boateng is very knowledgeable, conversant with NDC issues, and the John Dramani Mahama brand which he has been entrusted to market to Ghanaians. Reactions from the rank and file of the party since the announcement is welcoming as supporters of the party believe that the two deputies together with their leader are a perfect combination of what the party needs currently for effective communication at the campaign front. Mrs Mawuena Trebarh is experienced in corporate affairs. She is a communication expert and has worked with many reputable institutions in the country. Mrs Mawuena Trebarh was the Communication Manager for Newmont Ghana Limited between 2003-2007. She worked with MTN Ghana as the Corporate Services Executive for four years afterwards. She is currently a Board Member of the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel. Madam Margaret Ansei, affectionately known in political circles as Magoo has impeccable communication skills as evidently seen through her delivery on various political platforms. She speaks both English and the Akan language fluently. She has exhibited stout-heartedness to face all manner of politicians from the opposing side on any given topic. Madam Margaret Ansei is admired by people across Ghanas political landscape including neutrals for her confidence and intellectual reasoning during political debates. Madam Margaret Ansei was the TEIN-NDC president for the University of Professional Studies- Accra (UPSA) in 2008 known then as Institute of Professional Studies. She became the Ashanti Regional Coordinator for the Ministry of Local Governments social intervention programme dubbed Local Entrepreneur Skill Development and Educational Programme(LESDEP). She later served as the Municipal Chief Executive of Suhum and contested the 2016 Parliamentary elections on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress but lost to Hon Frederick Opare Ansah. The trio have a heavy task ahead, especially because their party is in opposition. But many people believe the flagbearer is liked by Ghanaians which will somehow lessen their burden due to his historical achievements as former president given the huge infrastructural development in all sectors of the economy as compared to the ruling Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo who has ruled for three and half years. A French court will decide Friday whether to reopen an investigation into the assassination 26 years ago of Rwanda's president in a plane downing that triggered the country's 100-day genocide. The appeals court in Paris has been asked to revisit a 2018 decision to throw out the probe against nine members and former members of incumbent President Paul Kagame's entourage in a case that has poisoned relations between the two countries. A plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana, from Rwanda's Hutu majority, was shot down in Kigali on April 6, 1994, unleashing a killing spree that would leave 800,000 people, mainly Tutsis but also moderate Hutus, dead. The plane was struck by at least one missile as it came in to land at Kigali, also killing Burundi's president Cyprien Ntaryamira, another Hutu, on board. A probe was opened in France in 1998 after a complaint by families of the French plane crew. Ties broken The investigation initially focused on allies of Kagame, a Tutsi who led the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) rebel movement that came to power after defeating the extremist Hutu regime. Kagame, who became Rwanda's president in 2000, broke diplomatic ties with Paris between 2006 and 2009 after France issued arrest warrants for his allies. Kigali insists Habyarimana was killed by members of his own camp for being too moderate. By PIERRE GUILLAUD (AFP/File) Then in 2012, a report by French experts pinpointed the camp of Kanombe, controlled by Habyarimana's army, as the missile launch site -- shifting the investigation's focus. Kigali said that finding vindicated its belief that the attack was carried out by Hutu extremists who believed Habyarimana was too moderate and who opposed the Arusha peace process then under way. As investigations dragged on, Kagame accused France ahead of the genocide's 20th anniversary in 2014, of having played a "direct role" in the killing. And in November 2016, Kigali launched an inquiry into the alleged role of 20 French officials in the genocide that began hours after the plane was brought down. 'Past is behind us' France has always denied the allegations and last year, President Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of a panel of historians and researchers to look into the claims. In December 2018, French judges dropped their probe for lack of evidence. Families of the victims of the missile attack, including Habyarimana's widow Agathe, lodged an appeal against that ruling. If the appeals judges agree Friday, the investigation can be reopened, or some or all of the suspects directed to appear before a criminal court for trial. Timeline with maps of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. By Paz PIZARRO, Alain BOMMENEL (AFP) At a January hearing, however, prosecutors urged the court to confirm the 2018 decision to abandon the case. Kagame agreed. "I believe that the past is behind us," he told the Jeune Afrique weekly news magazine this week. "Reopening a classified file is to invite problems," he said. "If things are not definitively clarified, our relations are likely to suffer one way or another." Listen to article The National Organizer of the biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Hon. Joshua Hamidu Akamba has urged all Ghanaians who fall within the voting age to come out in their numbers and get involved in the new voter registration exercise. He made this known to the public on his Facebook wall on the 27th of June,2020 and assured the public that he himself will be taking part since it is a constitutional right. This Facebook post was attached with a hashtag #KickNanaOut #PossibleTogether #RescueMission Mr. Akamba is of the view that it is only through this process that Ghanaians can be sure of kicking President Akufo-Addo and the NPP out from the seat of government. He also took the opportunity to meet the MP and the constituency executives of Asawase for a brief meeting. He proceeded to Bono East Region where he met the Regional Organizer to pay a visit to the party agent who was severely brutalized by the NPP goons at the Electoral Commission's registration centre. Meanwhile, the registration exercise which began on 30th June 2020 will as according to the electoral commission end on 6th August 2020. Dear Hon. Baah, Let me begin by pointing it out to you, that President Akufo-Addo (God Almighty bless and protect him from his own treacherous crowd of party-insiders), admonished Ghanaians - who are already citizens, please note - to be active citizens, not spectators. In one's humble view, it is important that Ghanaians get that inspirational-phrase right - for there actually is a world of difference, between being 'citizens not spectators' and being 'active citizens, not spectators ', wai, Massa. Haaba. We must learn to write and speak English properly in a globalised world - if we are to be competitive as a people in the Ghana beyond aid, which we are all working towards. Hopefully. But I digress. It is one's prayer - as a patriotic citizen, who loves Mother Ghana passionately - that the gung-ho Bryan Acheampongs that you lot fawn over, will come to understand, clearly, before it is too late, that the vital job of ensuring the safety of our Republic, is a professional one, for principled individuals, who understand that the national interest, not party advantage, is what will always secure our nation and ensure its stability. Yooooo... Packing our secret services with myrmidon-thugs, from the private militias, of ruthless party hardliners, is one of the most egregious and unfortunate acts of disloyalty, by any elected politician, to his or her nation, when appointed by the President. Truth be told, it is undermining our nation's security, terribly, sadly. Pity. Is it any surprise, therefore, Hon. Baah, that what was a massive intelligence failure, the recent demolition of a property belonging to the Nigerian High Commission, happened under the noses of those appointed, in good faith, by President Akufo-Addo, to ministerial positions, supposedly empowering them to prevent such relationship-destroying negative-events (with the potential to permanently damage our relationship, with a key West African ally), from ever occurring? Massa, the time has now come for someone, in this nation full of hypocrites and sycophants, to tell Bryan Acheampong (who might, or might not be, an American agent, in the heart of our national security apparatus), to the face, that he needs to sit up, and do the job that hapless taxpayers pay him so handsomely, to do, daily, professionally. Haaba. Thanks. Yours in the service of Mother Ghana, Kofi. Ghana is bordered by Cote dIvoire to the West at a distance of 668km, Togo to the east at 877km, Burkina Faso to the north at 549km and the southern shore washed by the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean. There are three main types of borders, (land, sea and air). These borders have their unique characteristics and require different modes of control by specialized security agencies. I will restrict myself to the issues pertaining to Ghanas land borders. Ghana has three main legal custom entry points (Aflao, Elubo and Paga). However, there are dozens of unapproved entry points from our neighbouring countries to Ghana. Aflao is the main border crossing between Ghana and Togo to the East though other remote crossings are possible. Elubo is the main border crossing between Ghana and Ivory Coast to the west. There are many informal points of crossing along Ghanas northern border with Burkina Faso. There are only two recognized customs entry posts. The main post is at Paga and a less used entry point at Hamale in the northwestern corner of Ghana. Ghanas borders, especially the land borders, have been patrolled since the 18th Century, with its attendant challenges and weaknesses. However, in the 4th Republic of Ghana, the issue of Ghanas land borders, continue to rear its head into our politics, especially during elections and voter registration exercises. This is usually a game of suspicion, which is played by the two dominant political parties; National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party during almost all elections in the 4th Republic. The irony of the above situation is that all the two main political parties, admit the porosity of our land borders yet havent adopted any lasting solution to this national security lapse, which drains the nation, a chunk of its income. So I ask, is the politics pertaining to Ghanas land borders needless? During voter registration exercises and elections in Ghana, we hear the two main political parties, accusing each other of compromising our sovereignty by bussing foreigners to partake in such civil exercises. I do not seek to single out any political party for blame or praise. The NPP has always accused the NDC of bringing Togolese through unapproved routes in the Volta Region to vote especially at Ketu South. The NDC on its part has always rubbished the NPPs allegations and has also attributed their (NPPs) allegation to sheer hatred for the people of the Volta Region. Personally, I am not in the position to admit or rubbish such allegations of political parties compromising our land disputes during such processes. I leave it to the good determination of independent and politically neutral institutions like the CSOs, Electoral Commission and others. Currently, in Ghana, there is an ongoing process to make an entirely new voters register. In the knowledge of the Electoral Commission, the old voter's register is fraught with challenges and foreigners who found their way into our electoral books. They attribute this same issue of foreigners being made to register as their main basis for their overhauling of the voters register. Na who cause am?. As a political scientist, I believe totally in the sanctity of the Ghanaian election. Also, I condemn any action that will cause foreigners to take a major political decision for Ghanaians, but my major concern is whether new voters register, but not dealing with or checking strictly the entry of foreigners into our country, is a lasting solution to this recurring blame game. One will argue that both are being done presently by the government. I have no cause to disagree with such an argument, haven heard from the president and the sector minister. Will politicians not come back to Ghanaians after this voter registration process and still raise the old issue of foreigners being on this new voters register? This question is apt in the wake of several allegations being made on radio about local people vouching for foreigners to still register. Will we ever take out politics and deal with this issue of foreigners sneaking to register, in a dispassionate and a lasting manner? What can be done? First of all, I will say without any equivocation that successive governments only took cosmetic measures to help avert this looming border politics in Ghana. To me, it is certainly not just about changing the voter's register. Changing the register is one way. Changing the register cannot block or close our unapproved entry routes from our neighbouring countries into Ghana. I am advocating for a real permanent and lasting solution to this issue. The demarcations of Ghanas land borders till today, are concrete pillars and wire mesh. For a serious country, this should be a cause for worry. How can we not have people destroy or force their way into our country to perpetuate illegality?. It is time for Ghana to wall its land boundaries. This will provide a lasting solution to this recipe for disaster. Elsewhere, governments have adopted this approach to avert smuggling, illegal entry, money laundering, child trafficking and more, with their attendant effects on the nation. The politicians have always argued that it is expensive. I disagree with their view. Can the cost of building walls progressively, be compared to the million tonnes of cocoa and other produce lost illegally through our borders?. I strongly believe that walling our land boundaries and fixing entry gates; the work of our security forces at the borders will be streamlined and their burden reduced drastically. Ghanaians must insist on this. I think it is long overdue. We can do it, with a sense of determination and a political commitment. I have not heard anything like this yet in any partys manifesto. I do not think walling our borders will have security or legal ramifications for Ghana and its neighbours. I am ready to be educated by the experts. Furthermore, to deal with our land border politics, our border security forces must be resourced in monetary and logistic terms. They should undergo stringent training physically, mentally and in character. This is necessary because it is only disciplined officers who can patrol even the tightest borders in the world. Also on the issue of who can register or vote in Ghana, I believe the constitution of Ghana is very clear on that. The fact that a person is blonde or white-skinned does not always mean he/she is a non- Ghanaian. Citizenship is a legal issue but not tribal, ethnic, geographic or religious. We should make citizens aware of the fact that people can go through certain legal processes to acquire citizenship. If this is done, this blame game of people coming from Togo or elsewhere to Ghana to vote can be dealt with. I hear that in border towns in the Volta Region, most people either stay in Ghana and work or school in Togo or otherwise. Therefore, using the law can let us know the real Ghanaians in order not to disenfranchise eligible citizens. Ghana belongs to Ghanaians but not political parties Let us insist on the things which will, in the end, preserve the sovereignty of Ghana and its people at all time. Let us act now. Nana Osei Boateng (Political Scientist, Broadcaster, Writer, Educator) Abuja, July 2, 2020 Authorities in Ghana should investigate the recent threats to and harassment of journalists Emmanuel Ohene-Gyan, Rebecca Ashley Amarh, and Philip Akutey Azu and ensure their safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 12, Ohene-Gyan, an editor with the privately-owned radio broadcaster Empire FM, reported that Kobina Kurentsir Sam, the mayor of Ghanas western Sekondi-Takoradi city, had died of COVID-19, the journalist told CPJ in conversations on the phone and via messaging app. Ohene-Gyang said that within hours the story had been shared widely on various media platforms and he began receiving threatening calls from multiple members of Sams family, including his son, Jonathan Sam. Ohene-Gyang said that Jonathan Sam and other family members whose names he did not know demanded that he remove the story or face their anger. He said he insisted he had sourced his information credibly and would not comply with their demands. According to Ohene-Gyang, the family members did not want news of Sams death to be made public. Ohene-Gyang told CPJ that the threats continued for two days and he feared for his life, but he did not report the threats to the police because he doubted the police would protect him. The threats only subsided when President Nana Akufo-Addo confirmed the death in a broadcast on national television on June 14, Ohene-Gyang said. Jonathan Sam did not respond to calls and text messages from CPJ on June 30. In a separate incident, on June 20, Amarh, a reporter with the privately-owned Kingdom FM radio broadcaster, and Azu, a regional correspondent for the privately-owned Atinka TV broadcaster, were covering an intra-party election at a polling station in Ghanas eastern Homowo electoral district when they began documenting police officers slapping a party delegate, the journalists told CPJ via the phone and messaging apps. Upon seeing the journalists filming and taking photographs, a group of eight officers briefly handcuffed Amarh and seized her phone for about 15 minutes, Amarh said. Azu told CPJ that one of the officers tried to scare him by removing his gun from its holster while demanding his phone. According to Azu, other journalists and police officers intervened to prevent his phone from being seized. Amarh and Azu said that they were then questioned by police, and forced to delete the footage and photographs of the officers slapping the delegate from their phones. The incident was also reported by News Ghana. Authorities in Ghana must investigate the threats to journalist Emmanuel Ohene-Gyan and ensure his safety, said Angela Quintal, CPJ Africa program coordinator, from New York. Separately, the fact that officers harassed journalists Rebecca Ashley Amarh and Philip Akutey Azu for recording instances of alleged police brutality reflects the contempt for accountability in crimes against journalists that have plagued Ghanas law enforcement. Its a pattern that must end. CPJs calls and text messages on June 30 to Edward Johnson Oyifiri-Akrofi, the head of Tema regional police command, which covers Homowo district, went unanswered. Tree Aid Ghana in partnership with Action Aid Ghana and URBANET has distributed COVID 19 relief package to about 40 communities in the Builsa South and Kassena Municipal in the Upper East Region. Action Aid being the lead applicant sourced funding from the European Commission (EU) to implement the four-year project under the Northern Ghana Integrated Development Project (NGIDP) in 20 communities each in 15 Districts in the five regions of northern Ghana. As part of saving the environment approach, Tree Aid Ghana promotes the use of energy-efficient stoves to reduce fuelwood use and reduce carbon emissions. The organization also supports communities to establish communities woodlots for an agreed and sustainable use. Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the Country Programmes Manager for Tree Aid Ghana (TAGH), Jonathan Anechan Naaba, disclosed that the donation is to complement government effort to support vulnerable groups in the country. He urged key stakeholders to direct the food and non-food items to the beneficiaries to reduce the spread of the virus and improve the food security situation during this time of need. Mr. Naaba stated that in Ghana, Tree Aid is working in five regions of the north, their operations include; forest governance where community people jointly establish their forest manage and share the benefits amicably, natural resources management, and agroforestry where exiting are protected among others. Receiving the donation, the Builsa South District Chief Executive, Daniel Kwame Gariba, was full of praise for Tree Aid Ghana (TAGH) and Action Aid Ghana (AAGH) for implementing the Northern Ghana Integrated Development Project in the two Districts. He indicated that, since the outbreak of COVID-19, the government has made a lot of interventions to make sure that, citizens within this country are protected. Mr. Gariba noted that Ghana managed the disease well compared to other countries In the Kassena Nankana Municipality; the story was not different as the Municipal Chief Executive Williams Aduum was full of praise for the gesture. He commended Tree Aid for operating in 20 communities in his jurisdiction adding that, the timely intervention of the relief package will go a long way in complementing governments tireless of handling the pandemic New York, July 2, 2020 Mozambican authorities should not contest journalist Omardine Omars appeal and should allow him and all members of the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 30, the Ka Mpfumo court in Maputo, the capital, convicted Omar, a reporter for the privately-owned news website Carta de Mocambique, on charges of civil disobedience, the journalist told CPJ via messaging app. A fixer and another individual who were with Omar at the time were also convicted, he told CPJ. Judge Francisca Antonio ignored the prosecutors request that charges be dropped and sentenced Omar to 15 days in jail for allegedly violating the countrys COVID-19 lockdown, but then converted that sentence to a fine of 13,734 meticais (US$200), according to the journalist and an article in Carta de Mocambique. He is appealing the fine, according to Omar and his editor, Marcelo Mosse, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. Police detained Omar on June 25 while he was investigating a complaint about police harassment and extortion of street vendors who were evicted two weeks earlier from the citys Estrela Vermelha market, he told CPJ. Police held Omar at the Machava Central Prison until June 28, when he was released following his lawyers intervention, according to news reports and Mosse. Omardine Omar was detained by the very police force he was investigating for alleged corruption, and it is disturbing that the judge proceeded despite a prosecutor asking that the charges be dropped. His conviction must be reversed on appeal, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator. Mozambican authorities must send an unequivocal message that wearing a uniform is not a license to abuse journalists and citizens under the guise of enforcing COVID-19 regulations. Omar told CPJ that he was on his way to meet a source when heavily armed police surrounded his vehicle. He told his fixer, Luis Nhampossa, to film the officers, because it was the type of conduct that the traders had complained about. Omar said he identified himself as a journalist and asked the police which emergency regulations allowed then to act in this way. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Omar said police took exception to the question, and he, Nhampossa, and Omars cousin, Joao Rachide Andre, were hit, kicked, and trampled upon, and then detained at a police station. Omar told CPJ he was beaten on the buttocks, legs, and fingers, and continues to feel pain in both legs. Nhampossa was not badly injured, while blood had accumulated under the skin of Andres thigh. The officers did not allow Omar access to his lawyer and ordered him to delete the video that was taken when they surrounded his vehicle, he said. When he refused, the officers falsely accused him of not wearing a mask and drinking in public, he said. Omar told CPJ that he, Nhampossa, and Andre were held in a stinking cell, a dark cell, full of mosquitoes until they were released on June 28. At Mondays summary trial, police produced two bottles and one can of beer that they alleged Omar had been drinking, Mosse said. The journalist said he was extremely shocked that the judge accepted the police version of events. Nhampossa and Andre were also convicted and each received the same fine he did, said Omar. Omar told CPJ he believes the government is trying to silence him, because of his reporting about corruption, drug-trafficking, poaching, human rights violations and the conflict in the restive northern Cabo Delgado province. Government spokesman Arsenio Henriques did not respond to request for comment via email and messaging app. Police spokesman Orlando Mudumane did not immediately reply to a request for comment via messaging app. In a Facebook post, Mosse described Omar as one of the boldest of Mozambiques new generation of journalists, while Zitamar News editor, Tom Bokwer, said on Twitter that Omar was one of the countrys top reporters on the war in northern Cabo Delgado province. "Arise Ghana Youth for your country, the nation demands your devotion now, more than ever. Our country is sinking and needs salvaging from this NPP, NDC duopoly," An Independent Presidential Aspirant, Mr. Samuel Ofori Ampofo has admonished Ghanaians. Ahead of the December 7th Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ghana, Mr. Samuel Ofori Ampofo, wants Ghanaians to tell the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that 'Enough is Enough' by voting them out of parliament and the presidency. He stated without mincing words that it is high time Ghanaians opened their eyes and come to terms with the truth that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the past three decades have pulled "grand divisive and deceptive political tricks" on them for far too long. Our forefathers survived before we became westernized and we can survive if we manage our resources well and are honest with our people. I know of all the negatives and loopholes within our economic system and set up, that discredit our financial administration leaving most of our people poor and behind. It is my intention and duty to boldly plug all these loopholes as urgent as may be required for our economic survival. ...Ghana at this point of our history needs dedicated and selfless individuals who would sacrifice to work under a merit oriented administrative condition. Conditions that would help us never again to go under harsh economic dictates of the IMF and the WORLD BANK." Mr. Ofori Ampofo was addressing a section of the Ghana media at the Osu Presby on Republic Day Wednesday 1st July 2020 when he performed the official launch of his manifesto for the 2020 electioneering campaign. His Manifesto document is dubbed 'Moving Ghana Away From Economic Slavery: A Gift For The People Of Ghana' According to Mr. Ofori Ampofo, renewing the mandate of President Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP or voting back John Mahama's NDC at this year's elections will be a disaster throughout another four years. He said NPP, NDC have always created avenues to steal money from the state any time they find themselves in power, and the useless 1992 constitution of the 4th Republic of Ghana which protects them has failed to punish them. These two parties are always voted into power only to supervise a CREATE, LOOT and SHARE and INCOMPETENT governments. The development of Ghana depends on each one of us but the framework requires the clear vision and determination of a selfless president including the executive team. I dedicate this Independent Presidential Campaign for Change to the suffering people of Ghana. Kwame Nkrumah did so much for Ghana but we were ungrateful to him. I believe God has given me the best recipe for Ghana's Economic Salvation and I also dedicate this to Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah whose vision saw Ghana develop under just a period of 9-years, Mr. Ofori Ampofo underscored. He said fast-forward 54 years after the overthrow of Dr. Nkrumah, Ghanaians are still groping in the dark for the right prescription while people continue to live under deplorable conditions. "I also challenge all other Ghanaians to have an unwavering change of mind towards those who have run this country down, making economic conditions very harsh and life unbearable. If NPP, NDC have not made any impact in your lives after 28 years what will you lose voting against their Presidential and Parliamentary Candidates for change in 2020". Mr. Samuel Ofori Ampofo is a native of Asuom in the Eastern region of Ghana and Kubease in the Ashanti region. He is the son of a peasant farmer trained as an Engineer, a Manager and a Farmer, and an astute Businessman. He co-founded the Ghana National Party (GNP) in 2008, as a potential alternative to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). It is troubling that issues on national security and defence usually attract heated politicization among leading political figures and political parties in Ghana. Particularly, the deployment of the Ghana Armed Forces within the territorial borders of Ghana generates controversies and reignite memories of brutalities that were unleashed on Ghanaians during the period of military rule. Recent examples of controversies of the deployment of the military are the military-police joint task force codenamed, Operation Vanguard to combat galamsey, the joint police-military deployment to enforce lockdown rules as part of measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 a few months ago, and the continuous joint deployment of the military and immigration service to defend and enforce the lockdown of the national borders. The heated debates in the past week on the joint deployment of the military and the immigration service in the Volta Region, in particular, is the most recent example of the persistent national problem of the everyday politicization of national security. The NDC has criticized the government and led the politicization of the deployment ostensibly to energize its own political base in the region. It is unfortunate that in spite of the transition to democratic governance and the relative political stability it has engendered as compared to some African states and years of rigorous activities to improve civil-military relations, the Ghanaian military, particularly the army is still perceived by some Ghanaian publics as an object of brute force, or if you will, a suppressor and abuser of human rights. Even more worrying is what appears to be the public perception of the military as a tool of the ruling government to further its own agenda. This state of affairs does not only tarnish the image of the men and women in uniform but constitute a threat to human and national security. It can likely undermine the morale of the military to defend the state as much as the lack of trust of the military in itself is a threat to the civil liberties of Ghanaians. This, to a very large extent, is a self-inflicted wound which if not treated would fester and threaten the very existence of the Ghanaian state. To be sure, the root of the problem is not the existence of the military itself but rather the disinterest of any government since independence to develop a Comprehensive and Coherent National Defence Policy document that clearly identifies potential national security threats and articulate the indispensable role of the military in protecting and defending the territorial borders and international security interests of Ghana. In other words, a defence policy document provides the basis for meaningful discussions and understanding of security issues of the state and the role of the military to combat threats. I must add that a defence policy document can separately be developed but must be linked to a countrys foreign policy document which provides the overall policy direction and strategic focus of the state in the global arena. Sadly, no Ghanaian government since independence has ever developed and made public a foreign policy document. This state of affairs is particularly worrying given that the existence of the military has been taken for granted and the good people of Ghana are invited to only assume its role without any clear reference to publicized policy documents on why the military exists and the role it plays in the governance of the state. This lacuna in the governance system is partly responsible for persistent politicization of security issues in Ghana. A national defence policy document provides both short-term and long-term strategic vision of the state. It identifies persistent security challenges and emerging threats to the interests of the state and the investments that the state will make to building the capabilities of the military and other security agencies to combat the threats at the domestic and international levels. To be more precise, we can categorize these threats into conventional threats such as military aggression from other states, and non-conventional threats including acts of terrorism, pandemics, environmental disasters, and illicit trafficking of weapons and human beings. Moreover, a national defence policy document must clearly articulate existing domestic and foreign partnerships and what the military will likely develop to secure the state, and uphold its international responsibilities. Given that Ghana is an active member of the international society one would have expected that subsequent governments will make it a priority to develop comprehensive and coherent policy documents that are revised periodically to reflect the security needs of the state and the role the military will play. This is not the first time I am raising the issue of the lack thereof and the need to craft a comprehensive national defence policy document and make it public to Ghanaians. Some readers may recall that at the height of the debate about the leaked Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Ghana on Defence Cooperation, the status of United States Forces, and Access to and Use of Agreed Facilities and Areas in the Republic of Ghana in March 2018, I wrote an article which was published by several media houses and drew the attention of the government and the public to this matter. In fact, JoyNews took my arguments seriously when Samson Lardy Anyenini discussed it on the widely respected Newsfile programme on March 24, 2018. In this particular episode the Minister of Defence, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul admitted that Ghana doesnt have a comprehensive defence policy document but assured the public that one was being developed. It is very surprising that the document has not been publicized after two years. We do not even known whether such a policy document has indeed been developed or finalized. A cursory look at the website of the Ministry of Defence reveals the lack of seriousness that this service agency the state gives to the idea of a defence policy document. Although the ministry does not rank its functions in terms of priority, it is surprising that its policy-making role, which is the bedrock of the functioning of the Ghana Armed Forces, is listed second on a haphazard list of functions on its website. According to the website, the Ministry of Defence works in close collaboration with the National Security Council and the Armed Forces Council to formulate National Defence Policies relating to peace-keeping, internal and external security and the total defence of the nation. None of these sub-policies, in the form of a document, is available on the ministrys website. The government cannot assume that the public should know what Ghanas defence policy is and be able to make an informed analysis of same and whenever there is military deployment in the state or foreign lands when they cannot make reference to existing comprehensive defence policy documents. I must state unequivocally that a national defence policy document is not a secret document. In principle, it is different from intelligence gathering which for the most part occurs in secrecy. To be sure, intelligence informs the states execution of defence policy goals. Using the current controversy of the deployment of soldiers on the borders as an example, keen observers of national security and defence will have little difficulty in assuming correctly that the deployment is premised on good and actionable intelligence. Yet, they would be right to raise concerns due to the lack of clearly defined and articulated national defence policy. The crafting of a comprehensive national defence policy document will go a long way to limit the overt politicization of national security issues and the deployment of the Ghana Armed Forces to combat domestic and international security threats. Among other things, it will provide information and inform discussions of the threats Ghana face. The existence of a document and the information therein, first, will provide certainty and some level of predictability of the deployment of the military to combat threats. Second, it will provide assurances of the civilian control of the military in Ghanas fledgeling democracy and the pursuit of national interests. Indeed, Article 57(1) of the 1992 Constitution makes the president the commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. Third, a defence policy document will provide transparency in the operations of the military as the public will have foreknowledge of the basis of their deployment. Finally, a defence policy document is an important education material for the training of students and the general public on the role of the military, and more importantly why the idea of national security must be taken seriously as a matter of high politics and above everyday politicking. A national security policy document will help researchers to make meaningful contributions to its continuous reform to meet the security needs of the country. In short, as public education material, it will help to limit the needless and persistent politicization of national security issues. In the run-up to the 2020 general elections, I strongly encourage all the contesting political parties as a matter of urgency to come out with clear plans of crafting and publicizing a national defence policy document. This document must be an integral part of Ghanas foreign policy document. Let this become one of the serious issues of debate and provide the Ghanaian voter with an opportunity to assess the plans and determine which of the political parties can be trusted as a good custodian of the military to defend the territorial integrity and security of Ghanaians. Edward Akuffo is an associate professor of international security and international relations at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. These are his views and do not represent the view of his affiliated institution. Listen to article In what appears like calling for a reckoning and stewardship ahead of the much anticipated 2020 general election, Constituency Executives of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Garu in the Upper East Region have taken lead in calling on the Nana Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to not only avail itself for scrutiny but to be ready to hand over power to a developmental oriented and hardworking. In a release jointly signed by three constituency executives, the NDC asserted that the Garu constituency has been neglected and dragged backward during these four years of President Akufo Addos government. We envisage it will take us many years to fill the developmental gap and retrogression that has been created by President Akufo Addo and his NPP government in the Garu constituency. President Akufo Addo and his Kyebi mafia gang have hijacked everything, leaving virtually nothing for others to benefit. The release described Nana Addo as an oppressor and a suppressor The Ghanaian has come under oppression, suppression, and state of fear and insecurity under President Akufo Addo. Freedom of speech is no longer guaranteed under this regime. We are witnessing nothing but autocratic and tyrant leadership by Nana Addo. It noted. Describing the first term of President Akuffo Addo as a total fiasco, full of lies and deceit, the Chairman Laari led executives indicated that the good people of Garu have been denied the government unfulfilled promises widely talked about prior to the 2016 elections, Pinpointing that of: ONE DISTRICT-ONE FACTORY, ONE MILLION DOLLAR PER CONSTITUENCY PER YEAR, EXPANSION OF SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE, EXPANSION OF HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE, EXTENTION OF ELECTRICITY, RESHAPING AND CUTTING OF FEEDER ROADS, BOREHOLE FOR EVERY COMMUNITY, TWO BULLOCKS FOR EACH HOUSEHOLD (GARU CONSTITUENCY SPECIFIC) slogan. Below is the press release: NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (NDC), GARU CONSTITUENCY: 28TH JUNE, 2020. THEME: EXPOSING THE ABYSMAL PERFORMANCE AND NEGLECT OF THE GARU CONSTITUENCY BY THE NPP GOVERNMENT. The Chairman and members of the Council of elders of our great NDC, Garu Constituency, the Executive Committee of the NDC Garu constituency, the Executive Committee of the NDC Tempane constituency, Opinion Leaders and Stakeholders of Garu district, the Press, Ladies and Gentlemen; good morning all of you, and you are well come to this mornings press briefing. We are most grateful to you for your swift response to our invitation, in spite of the short notice. We shall endeavour to make this engagement a short one so that we can go back to our respective engagements to continue to cope with the harsh living conditions visited on us by this hostile government of President Akufo Addo. We wish to also advise that we continue to work hard while we count on God to rescue us from the wicket hands of President Akufo Addo. Ladies and Gentlemen; we have decided to provide this platform to enable us expose the deceitful nature of the NPP government, and to as well let you know the extent to which the good people of Garu constituency have been let down by same. And so we shall concern the content of our discussion with happenings within the Garu constituency. It would be recalled that then-candidate Nana Addo in 2016 made a lot of lofty and mouth-watering promises to the people of Ghana, and presented himself as a better alternative to then-President John Dramani Mahama. The people of Garu thus voted the NPP, believing that they would get their fair share of the national cake if the same (NPP) came to power. But most regrettably, ladies and gentlemen; to say that Garu constituency has been denied its fair share of the national cake is even an understatement. Rather, the Garu constituency has been neglected and dragged backward during these four years of President Akufo Addos government. We envisage it will take us many years to fill the developmental gap and retrogression that has been created by President Akufo Addo and his NPP government in the Garu constituency. President Akufo Addo and his Kyebi mafia gang have hijacked everything, leaving virtually nothing for others to benefit. The Ghanaian has come under oppression, suppression, and state of fear and insecurity under President Akufo Addo. Freedom of speech is no longer guaranteed under this regime. We are witnessing nothing but autocratic and tyrant leadership by Nana Addo. We are also of the strongest conviction that the government of President Akufo Addo has woefully failed, and for that matter, disappointed the people of the Garu constituency almost four years in power. The governments performance in the Garu constituency has been one of abysmal, smacks of neglect, and characterized by perpetual deceit. Ladies and gentlemen of the media; we shall proceed to scrutinize the stewardship of the NPP administration, particularly their performance in the Garu constituency since 2017. Our assessment will focus on eleven key areas of our economy, taking cognizance of the promises they (NPP) made in 2016. ONE VILLAGE-ONE DAM It will interest you to realize that in spite of the huge fortune the NPP made out their ONE VILLAGE-ONE DAM mantra, the outcome of same in our constituency has been a massive failure. Out of the over 100 communities in the Garu constituency, the government has only attempted to build their so-called dams in mere nine communities (Napaad, Salug, Ninsbulig, Suamvuus, Farfar, Bantanfarug, Denugu,), but ended up constructing what can best be described as open ponds instead; most of which got dried up completely even before end of January 2020. Some have been washed away (e.g. Farfar open pond). In fact the only ponds, in the name of one village one dam which narrowly survived the dry season are those of Bantanfarug and Denugu. Even those ones stand to be washed away if their embankments are not reinforced and granted heavy downpours later this year. ONE DISTRICT-ONE FACTORY: Ladies and gentlemen; the ONE DISTRICT-ONE FACTORY promise of the NPP government has also become a mirage. The Nana Addos government has delivered a zero factory in the whole of the Upper East Region, of which our district is a part. The last time, our Hon. DCE, Hon. Emmanuel Asore Avoka ridiculously told the Garu District Assembly that they were considering upgrading the Garu Rural Technology Facility (RTF) into a factory of metal fabrication. We argued that a factory of metal fabrication was not going to be feasible since we do not have metal raw material in the area. Remember the main idea behind the ONE D-ONE F policy is to make use of local raw material and local labour force. They pledged an alternative urgently, but that has not also materialized. ONE MILLION DOLLAR PER CONSTITUENCY PER YEAR: Ladies and gentlemen; this mouth-watering promise has equally yielded a zero outcome. Not even a single project has been delivered under this policy. You can imagine the amazing transformation that a one million dollar could bring to our district, let alone talking about the effect of four million dollars on our district in four years. But we have sadly not seen anything in respect of One Million Dollar per Constituency Each Year. We dare them to come out and show us tangibles if indeed they have transformed our district with 3.5 million dollars in their three and half years in office. EXPANSION OF SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE: Ladies and gentlemen of the press, it is understood globally that education is the backbone of every economy. It would therefore be expected of our government to among areas invest in school infrastructure such us classroom blocks. It will however amaze you to notice that the NPP government has not been able to initiate and fully execute a single school infrastructure project in the Garu district in almost four years of their mandate. Is this not shocking? We are not even talking about the fact that most of basic school pupils in the district sits on the bare floor to attend lessons, no classroom furniture. Yet the agents of the government in Garu would shout on rooftops that they have performed better. What a deceptive government! What a 419 government! An exception can be made of the Aloko primary school, but that is a rollover project from the NDC government when the visionary Hon. Albert A. Alalzuuga was at post as DCE. We dare them to come out and deny this. EXPANSION OF HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE: Just quite synonymous to school infrastructure, the Nana Addo government has gravely failed to initiate and deliver a single health infrastructure project in the Garu district in almost four years in government. They may again attempt to take credit of the Siisi CHPS compound, but let it be established that that is another rollover project from the NDC government and we challenge them again to come out and refute. The people of the beneficiary community (Siisi) are aware that their CHPS project was initiated by the NDC government, also under the great leadership of Hon. Albert Akuka Alalzuuga, then DCE and H. E. John Dramani Mahama. It is however regrettable to note that all health infrastructural projects that were initiated by the NDC government have painfully been abandoned by the government of the day. A mention can be made of the Garu/Tempane Districts Hospital, the Pialugu/Avuusum CHPS compound, the Wadug CHPS compound and the Yizidug CHPS compound as the key health infrastructural projects within the Garu district that have been abandoned by the government of Nana Addo. Yet our president intends to build 94 Regional and District Hospitals in one year. What a comic relief? EXTENTION OF ELECTRICITY: Ladies and gentlemen; it will be recalled that the John Dramani Mahamas government embarked on a massive rural electrification program in the Garu constituency. This initiative saw many communities in the Garu district connected to the national grid by end 2016 (e.g. Songo, Melgabougo, Siyuah-Kugri, Nomboko, Siguuri, Duuri, Kuerr, Tizerr, Gbeliginvuus, Damamteega, Kpatia, Kparinboak, Saadabog, Meliga/Ziseri Bulpelisi, Namoar, etc). Many other communities that were at various stages of completion before the NDC lost power have been left unattended to. Ladies and gentlemen, it is exceedingly shocking to discover that the following communities that were fully or partly wired and some even provided with Transformers and left with the last stage of connecting them to the grid have been deserted by the NPP government since they took power in 2017. Such communities include: Siisi, Avuusum/Tankpasi, Abilatega, Kolsuuga, Kugraug, Bantanfarug, Sinakwan and Yizidug. Also, the numerous communities that were at the planting of poles stage have since not been attended to. Dusbuliga, Kukparigo, Dudankpikpalig, Kpatua No.1, Kpatua No.2, Denugu, Kokbulig, Namankwan, Ankatir, Yambakwan, Tubong, Mangol, Bogrikwan, Wakuan, Senebaga, Takore, Bugwia, Kugpella, Suamvuus, Kukparibuliga, Atamidabood, Menatenga, Aloko, Vambara, Kugri Natinga, etc are examples of such communities. Ladies and gentlemen of the media, our attention has been drawn to yet another massive scam embarked upon by the NPP people in our communities. Barely five months to election 2020, we have the NPP people invade our communities with fake rural electrification projects and deceiving our people to plant poles without compensation. To give credence to the above allegation, permit us to seek answers to the following begging questions: Is it true that most of the contracts signed under H.E. John Mahama in respect of rural electrification have been abrogated by the Akufo Addos government? Is it true that an NPP party official in Garu has been awarded a whopping GHC 700,000.00 just to ensure that electricity poles are transported to and planted in our communities to appear as if the government is giving them electricity, for the sole objective of deceiving the voter? Shall we know the contractors who are working on these electricity projects in our communities since we do not know them? Why is the government not completing the stalled work on rural electrification in the various communities but rather planting poles haphazardly in many new communities within Garu? When shall an NPP government connect electricity to a second community in the Garu constituency aside Zaari? RESHAPING AND CUTTING OF FEEDER ROADS: Ladies and gentlemen of the media; we are outraged and feel seriously neglected by the government of President Akufo Addo, considering the fact that in almost four years in government, the Akufo Addo regime has not found it necessary to reshape the feeder roads in our district side; neither would they see it useful to cut new ones. In the time past (NDC regime), our feeder roads were reshaped twice in a year, and new ones occasionally cut. What has changed under NPP government? BOREHOLE FOR EVERY COMMUNITY: Ladies and gentlemen; water, they say is life. This means that without water, no form of life can be sustained. Notwithstanding the foregoing reality, coupled with the passionate vow by Dr. Bawumia that in the first two years of the NPP administration, there should be no village or community with water or toilet problem, the government of Dr. Bawumia and his boss President Akufo Addo is yet to complete a single borehole for the people Garu district to drink water. Is this not painful and smacks of neglect? In spite of the laud populace noises by President Akufo Addos appointees and disciples in Garu here, they have not been able to complete a single borehole for us to drink water, in four years of managing Ghana. That is the sad reality in Garu. TAMNE MULTIPURPOSE DAM PROJECT: We are extremely saddened to announce to you that the Tamne Multipurpose Dam Project which was started by H. E. John Dramani Mahamas government in 2015, and primarily meant to alleviate the poverty levels of our people has also been abandoned. This project which is very dear to our hearts was supposed to be delivered in about three years but which sadly, has been left to deteriorate since 2018. Where did we go wrong? TWO BULLOCKS FOR EACH HOUSEHOLD (GARU CONSTITUENCY SPECIFIC): Quite ridiculously, the two bullocks per a household agenda was well articulated by the NPP Garu constituency campaign team for the 2016 general elections. When we challenged them that that was not a feasible promise, they vowed tooth and nail to deliver it, perhaps to ostensibly outwit the unsuspecting voter. They explained with delight how that initiative would help our farmers plough their farm lands with ease to help boost agricultural activities in this part of the country. Today, they are running away from their own shadows. They have failed big-time to fulfill such a weird campaign promise. NIA REGISTRATION: Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot conclude our discussion without touching on the over politicization of public offices and the extreme partisanship that has engulfed the Akufo Addos administration. Classical example is the politicization of the office of the National Identification Authority (NIA) where party cronies have hijacked its operations. So obsessed with the second term bid of President talk much and do little, these party sycophants have devised cunning ways of deliberately frustrating and delaying the process of registration, especially in perceived NDC strongholds like Garu. The last time the NIA was in the district to register our people; the process was deliberately made extremely stressful and also openly skewed to favour NPP supporters. Our people, including the aged and PWDs had to queue for days and weeks without getting access to register, while registration forms were filled for NPP supporters during the night who showed up at the centers the following day just to register with ease. Ladies and gentlemen, the NIA is in town again and they are repeating their bad deeds. How could the NPP government be that wicket to our people? How could President Akufo Addo allow political partisanship take precedence over nationality? We are therefore bringing it to the attention of the general public that all the toil they go through at the registration centers are deliberate, and it is being prosecuted by Nana Addo and his disciples around. They want to deliberately deny you the Ghana card so that you are unable to partake in the forthcoming voter registration exercise. So beware. CONCLUSION: Ladies and gentlemen, this is the sad but real story we have just recounted about Garu. That is the extent to which the NPP government has let us down. That is the level of deceit and neglect meted out to us by the Akufo Addos government. That, in approximately four years in power the NPP government has virtually paid only a lip service to its mandate as far as the Garu constituency is concered. Yet they are courageous and shameless enough to return to you asking for a renewal of mandate. Yes we are aware President Akufo Addo and his local agents have started the scam again. They have started formulating more mouth-watering promises to ones again deceive the unsuspecting voter. But let the point be made clear that ones biting, twice shy. Never again shall the people of this district fall victims to the dishonest and deceitful politics of the NPP. Their cup is full, and it is just a matter months and former President John Mahama shall be President of this republic again; by the Grace of God. In three and half years, the NPP government could not even connect a single already wired community to the national grid, yet they now claim they can provide electricity to almost every community in Garu district in less than six months to general elections. Is this not laughable? A government that is unable to complete a single borehole in Garu district in almost four years in government is now vowing to provide water to almost every community, five months to elections. A government that is unable to complete already constructed Pialugo/Avuusum, Wadug and Yizidug CHPS compounds in three and half years is now pledging to build us a District Hospital, five months to general elections. Ladies and gentlemen, granted that the government is able to provide us with all above before the general election; could it be that the government had been wicket to us, letting us to suffer for so long and only for them to come on the eleventh hour to salvage the situation? Could it be that, but for the general elections at hand, the government would not have listened to our cry? What about if we vote them again and they turn around to subject us to yet another four years of hostile leadership as we are currently being subjected to? Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have all taking enough of our harsh lessons from the NPP government, and we arent going to listen to their 419 political gimmicks this time around. H. E. John Dramani Mahama is coming back; Hon. Albert Akuka Alalzuuga is coming again. Let us vote the visionary and development-oriented leader, H. E. John Mahama Back to the Flag Staff House, let us vote our affable and hardworking MP, Hon. Alalzuuga back to parliament. NDC; AYE ZU AYE ZA! Thank you very much for your attention and God bless us all. Signed THOMAS MARTEY LAARI (CONSTITUENCY CHAIRMAN) The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has attributed the long delay in testing samples of suspected COVID-19 cases to logistical constraints. Over the past few days, persons who have had their samples taken have agitated over the delay in the release of test results. Speaking at the Information Minister's press briefing on Thursday, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Kuma-Aboagye said preparations are underway to salvage the situation. We have experienced some delays in the lab. That is because we have a few logistical challenges. The laboratory requires for PCR, reagents, test kits and all manner of things. There is a global scramble for them so even sometimes when you have money, you arent able to get one, but we know by the end of this weekend, we are having a consignment arriving and hopefully, next week, well start wrapping up the tests and reduce the delay. But our idea is that if theres a cause to take your sample, you are supposed to isolate yourself. If there is any reason to take your sample, it means that you are potentially positive, so until you get your results, please try as much as possible to self-isolate, he cautioned. At the same briefing, the GHS said it has embarked on an expansion of COVID-19 treatment centres across the country. This, according to Dr. Kuma-Aboagye, is to make available more beds and logistics for COVID-19 case management. He listed some facilities which have the capacity for COVID-19 cases. For the isolation centres in Greater Accra, we have Pentecost Convention Centre and Prampram. Pentecost has a capacity of 600. Currently, we have 207 cases there and so we have space for about 393 people. Prampram Isolation Centre has nobody there now. It is today that well be moving people there so the 160 beds are still empty as far as isolation spaces are concerned. Ga East has a capacity of 85 beds, he said. Currently, we have 30 patients there so we have space for 55 more cases should they come up. The military hospital, which is the Debrah Ward has 34 which is empty. Police Hospital has 12 beds. Currently, they have only two empty spaces. Ridge hospital is full. The UGMC has 36 beds with 31 full so we have space for 5. We are hoping that therell be few more discharges at UGMC so that more space can be created there. Dr. Kuma-Abaogye also listed the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions as COVID-19 hotspots. Accra with 10,292 positive cases contributing about 52% of all the cases in the country. Ashanti is contributing 20.6% in total confirmed cases. Western Region has 8.4% and the other regions take up less than 1000; a total of about 15.7%. So the two main hotspots are Ashanti and Greater Accra and greater efforts would have to be put in there and we are hoping our traditional rulers will participate in ensuring that people follow the protocols to curtail the spread of the virus. If you look at Greater Accra, you can see where the greatest challenge really is; Ayawaso East and North, Accra Metro, and Weija. As of Thursday, July 2, 2020, Ghana had recorded 496 new cases of COVID-19, pushing the national tally to 18,630. The country has also recorded 14,046 clinical recoveries. 117 persons have succumbed to the disease. Ghana currently has 4,467 active cases. ---citinewsroom Egypt condemned Friday the Houthi attempt to launch four explosive-laden drones towards the Saudi Kingdom. The Arab Coalition intercepted and destroyed four explosive-laden drones launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia towards Saudi Arabia, the coalitions spokesperson Colonel Turki al-Maliki said on Friday. The drones were destroyed in the Yemeni airspace, he added. In its statement, the Foreign Ministry reiterated its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia in its actions and measures, which aimed at protecting its national security. Such practices will only lead to further escalations, which will foment tensions, and drive Yemen into a vicious cycle of chaos, the statement added. Egypt stressed the importance of responding to all the ceasefire calls, to pave the way for political settlement to the Yemeni crisis. Short link: Magnolia, AR (71754) Today Thunderstorms this evening followed by a few showers overnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low around 65F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening followed by a few showers overnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low around 65F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Planning and Urban Development Consultant, Bernard Arthur, has called on political parties to consider a comprehensive housing programme as they craft their manifestoes to address the issue of access to housing for the majority of Ghanaians. He blamed the lack of a comprehensive housing policy as well as a financial strategy for implementation of projects for the plethora of challenges confronting Ghana's housing sector. He was speaking on housing as a critical sector for economic development at the launch of the Manifesto Project organized by the Center for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD Ghana). The Report launched by CDD-Ghana was titled 'A compilation of issues and Evidence on Key sectors in Ghana', Promoting responsive and responsible Manifestoes for national development. Ghana's 2010 Population and Housing Census report states that almost 44% of Ghanaians do not have adequate housing. According to Mr. Arthur, This is serious. And within that same population dynamics, you find out that we have outdoor sleepers and it has been compounded with the slum issues. Accra alone has over 217 slums and that is not even the slum pockets but slum settlements. When you get into East-Legon and other peri-urban areas you find a lot of slum pockets and this is not because the people chose to be there, but because there is an absence of a comprehensive program within national planning and by and large a lot are driven from the manifestos, he said. He also stated that lack of policy has created some gaps where individuals and households adopt various informal strategies including self-financing and incremental building to be able to provide housing for themselves. Government's responsibility essentially for housing has hovered basically around the civil service. But if you talk about the larger population, often housing is not considered as the government's key responsibility. If you look at some of the projects that were implemented including sites and services, the government tried to just link up settlements with electricity, water and all that, but left the development to individuals to do. This opens a very big gap where you get land guards and all sorts of things emerging. The fact that the government does not concern itself with providing housing for the larger population opens up this kind of situation. Apart from the land guard issue, is the issue of multiple sales of lands by traditional landowners or families and that compounds the issue of housing, he said. If you want to see why a large population of Ghanaians live in slums or live in housing situations which are not proper, it is because the government is not meeting this particular issue, he added. He further stated that the performance of the housing sector provides good indications of the performance of other sectors of society. It is the foundation of a society that does not only help to provide homes for people but also solves issues of sanitation and crime, he said. Housing in Ghana is challenged in it all aspects from land acquisition through to construction of the physical structure and access to basic services and infrastructure as well as financing. Ghana's housing deficit stands at 2 million units, but industry players believe the deficit could be more as the country's population increases. By this, government would have to build 190,000 to 200,000 units of houses each year for the next 10 years to bridge the gap. This is expected to cost around US$3.4 billion for the 200,000 units. ---citinewsroom France is to receive a new prime minister within the coming hours after Edouard Philippe and his government resigned on Friday. The Council of Ministers was also dissolved ahead of a ministerial reshuffle that will see a new team navigate France through the challenges ahead. The news was announced in a statement from the Elysee Palace. There was no indication whether Philippe, the new Mayor of the northern city of Le Havre, would be included in the new government. After meeting on Thursday night, Philippe and President Emmanuel Macron established a shared view on the need for a new team to take on the next stage of the government's five-year mandate, the Elysee said, adding Philippe would continue to handle government affairs until a new cabinet was named. The reshuffle is seen as an attempt to bolster Macron's environmental credentials after his LReM party was battered in municipal elections last week - losing all major cities to the greens, leaving him without a local power base ahead of his re-election bid in 2022. More to come Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Marrer Ghana Limited and Susatgad Boat Building and Fishing Industries, Mr Novihoho Afaglo Listen to article Residents of Ketu South in the Volta Region are appealing to President Akufo-Addo to immediately withdraw military men stationed in the district to end the daily intimidation, harassment and beatings. According to them, the only language the military men understand is beatings, intimidation and all manner of inhumane treatment. They indicated that the presence of military men is causing fear and panic among the people and temporarily halting farming and trading activities in the district. We cannot go out because we fear that the military men will beat us, sometimes with the slightest provocation or in other times not at all, the residents stated. They added that the atmosphere in the District is clouded with fear such that residents who have their genuine businesses in Togo cannot move because when you fail to answer their questions in the way they want, they will whip you with canes. So we are calling on the government, the Ministry of Defense and the military hierarchy to monitor activities of these military men and immediately call them to order or withdraw them outrightly." The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Marrer Ghana Limited and Susatgad Boat Building and Fishing Industries, Mr Novihoho Afaglo adding his voice to the many calls said there are records of military brutalities in the area. He cited that a young student who crossed the border to Togo for schooling and on her return was whip by these men in uniform. My people in the Volta Region precisely Ketu South District are asking me to find a way to plead with the government to recall the military brutality from its surroundings, he stated. Mr Afaglo stated, its is about time we free ourselves from the pondered thoughts of Volta Region been the headquarters of the opposition National Democratic Congress and Ashanti Region also the bank of the New Patriotic Party. I would want to correct these thoughts as years go by and education has revealed that times have changed and citizens have their own individual opinions about the works of a sitting government and their benefits. Align ten people in the Volta and the Ashanti Regions discussing politics and there you will be amazed at changes that have taken place as in time in memorial when there-were no tribal marriages, the CEO stated. He stressed that currently seven out of every 10 Ashantes are marrying the ewes and this should enlighten us of the moment and do away with the old mentality and thinking pattern. Mr Afaglo emphasised that the activities of the military men in the area are going overboard forgetting that we are all citizens of Ghana and if care is not taken could pose a bad image for the government and affect the sitting President. The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has honoured its promise to the chiefs and people of the Gwira Traditional Area in the Nzema East Municipality of the Western Region by elevating the area to a cocoa district status as a result of the large tonnes of cocoa produced there. The Gwira enclave, which forms part of the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Constituency of the region, is arguably the main bread basket of the Nzema East Municipality and produces tonnes of cocoa to augment national production annually. Farmers in the area hitherto travelled to Ellembelle, Ahanta West, Prestea Huni Valley and Amenfi East to buy farming inputs which affected their farming activities. Some spent weeks in these locations before they were served. In the run-up to the 2016 elections, the NPP promised that when voted into power, its government would work hard to elevate the Gwira area to a cocoa district. Upon assumption of office in 2017, the MP for the area, Catherine Abelema Afeku, and some officials from COCOBOD visited the Gwira enclave to make an assessment and commenced the approval process. Late last year, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, joined the MP for the area and the Municipal Chief Executive, Frank Okpeyen, to officially declare the Nzema East Municipality as a cocoa district in a colourful event which was also attended by the chiefs and people of Gwira. The MP bemoaned that the previous National Democratic Congress (NCD) administration which enjoyed majority of votes in the Gwira area in general election reneged on its promise of giving the farmers a cocoa district. Meanwhile, some traditional rulers of Gwira have said they are supporting the government to continue to implement policies and programmes that will impact positively on the lives of their people. At a press conference at Gwira Sentum, the Adontenhene of Gwira Traditional Area, Nana Kpolley Akoanah VI, said, As chiefs in this traditional area, we don't do partisan politics so whether you are NPP, CPP or NDC, we don't care but we will support any government that will bring development to change the living standards of our people. ---Daily Guide THREE MEMBERS of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) were on Wednesday put behind bars overnight at the Central Police Station in Kumasi over alleged irregularities in the ongoing voters' registration exercise. The trio, whose identities are being kept by the police, were in the Asawase Constituency, and they were arrested at the Mamponghene Polling Station whilst filling Electoral Commission (EC) registration forms for some people. Eyewitnesses said the three NDC members were in possession of quantities of EC registration forms which they were filling for prospective registrants. Some people that spotted the illegal action quickly alerted the police, who sent men to the registration centre and apprehended them. Police Interrogation A police source told DAILY GUIDE that the NDC members, during interrogations, said some of the registrants were illiterate so they were helping them to fill the forms. The source, who demanded anonymity, said the NDC members also said they copied the registration forms from EC website so they had not erred in anyway. Police Write To EC Meanwhile, the police have written and attached copies of the registration forms that were found on the NDC members to the EC to check its authenticity. Police Grant Bail In a related development, the three NDC members were granted bail yesterday in the afternoon and would be reporting themselves to the police daily to assist in investigations. MCE Jabs NDC The MCE for Asokore Mampong, Alhaji Alidu Seidu, reacting to the arrest, stated that the NDC was busing people from other areas to register at Asawase. The NDC is clearly busing people to register at Asawase in a bid to increase its votes, yet it turns around to accuse the NPP of that charge, he pointed out. According to him, the arrest of the three NDC members at Asawase was an example of the numerous 'dirty' tricks being employed by the NDC to get upper hand in the 2020 polls. Alhaji Alidu Seidu stated that the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC), which he is the head, was ever ready to arrest anyone or group that would indulge in illegality. Muntaka Angry Meanwhile, the sitting NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Asawase, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, is reported to have accused the NPP of trying to use what he claims to be foul means to register aliens at Asawase. The Asawase lawmaker has vowed to 'spill blood' if the ruling NPP tries to use 'diabolical' means to bloat the Asawase register to its advantage. ---Daily Guide Western North NPP Chairman Listen to article The Western North Regional branch of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has vowed to block foreigners from taking part in the voters' registration exercise which will soon commence in the area. The party has, therefore, warned the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament (MPs) for Aowin, Suaman, Juabeso, Bia East and West constituencies to desist from the act of bringing foreigners to register whenever there was registration exercise in those areas. Felix Foster Ackah, the Regional Communication Director of the NPP, gave the warning at a press conference organized by the party at Sefwi-Juaboso in the region. He alleged that some communities like Pillar 34, Ahimakrom, Sewum, Tepakrom Brebre, Africa, Toryafie, Gyato, Akatiso and Bongoso were some of the unapproved routes usually used by foreigners to enter the country to register and vote subsequently. He said that some unscrupulous persons and politicians had consistently been helping foreigners through unapproved routes to register and vote in Ghana, stressing that the NPP would resist the move this time around. He called on the security agencies to effectively monitor approved and unapproved routes in the region in order to ensure that only Ghanaians participated in the upcoming voters' registration exercise in the area. Besides, he cautioned the Ivoirians who reside along Ghana's borders located in the region to stay away from the registration exercise. He called on the residents to participate fully in the exercise in order to give President Akufo-Addo another term to bring more developmental projects and pro-poor policies to the area. He mentioned the construction of a model school at Sefwi-Awaso, Enchi-Elubo road, Benchema-Adjoafua road and Waiwso-Akontombra road as well as the construction of warehouses across the region. He said the construction of a rice factory at Sefwi-Akontombra would go a long way to improve upon the living conditions of rice farmers in the region, adding that this government deserves commendation for such remarkable achievements. He stressed that the free senior high school policy and the awarding of government scholarships to over 900 tertiary students from the region and were highly commendable. ---Daily Guide The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD), Senyo Hosi Listen to article The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) Senyo Hosi is cautioning decision-makers in Africas oil and gas space against the continuous abandonment of fossil fuel reserves. The oil guru said African leaders must rethink the premature devaluing of viable resources that would not be in the interest of the development of the continent. He calls for exploitation to pursue heavy investments into renewable energy like western nations are doing. "Stranded Assets: Resources that once had value or produced income but no longer does often because of changes in technology and other external factors" Mr. Hosi was speaking at the UNU-INRA webinar series on the theme Covid-19 and fossil fuels in Ghana What is the future of hydrocarbon resources sector, post-pandemic? on Wednesday, July 1. Senyo Hosi stressed that while youth unemployment is one of Africas biggest problems, the continent can maximise industrialisation which would create jobs among others, by expanding usage of fossil fuels and other natural resources to improve socio-economic development and improve lives. Africa is consuming about 15GJ/h [i.e. energy consumption per person] and the whole of North America is [consuming] about 240GJ/h, it really tells you the gap we need to cover to really give our people a real future. Trying to diversify from fossil fuels may not necessarily be the answer. I don't think when the key input for what you really need as energy has the price dropping, it's time for you to run away from that input. It's rather a time to embrace the input. We need cheaper fuels, so cheaper oils will actually give us cheaper fuels. Our effort shouldn't be on managing stranded assets, it should actually be on AVOIDING stranded assets. Hosi, an oil and gas expert said Africa cannot abandon its significant fossil fuel reserves and follow western nations' prognosis to problems associated with climate change and stranded assets. If you look at our reserves-to-production ratio as Africa we are in our 40s, Europe is 11, 11 years more and they're practically done with all their fossil fuel reserves. Why do you think they would actually want to promote fossil fuels? We have about 42 years more to utilize our fossil fuel reserves. If we don't utilize them in time and they become stranded we would have made big fools of ourselves and we would have missed a major economic transition opportunity. Senyo Hosi charges African leaders to pursue solutions that fit the continent with regard to the usage of natural resources and refrain from imitating European solutions that may be costly and make no socio-economic sense. It's time for Africa to look within. Europe is investing heavily in renewable energy, but it's not time for Africa to start thinking about that. Let them [western countries] carry on with the technology but Africa must optimize its resources, not focus on resource diversification. Other speakers at the webinar were Antonio Pedro - SRO-EA Director, Fatima Denton UNU INRA Director), Rose Mwebaza - Climate Technology Centre & Network (CTCN), Director Daria Ivleva - Adelphi, Project Manager, Selam Kidane - African Group of Negotiators, Legal Advisor, James Murombedzi- United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) ACPC, Chief and Stephen Yeboah, African Development Bank (AfDB) - African Energy Portal, Policy and Research Analyst. The fossil fuel webinar series was organized by the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa. Ignoring the geo-political overtones from Deutsche Welle (see link below), the article does discuss Russias role in helping Africa to build nuclear energy plants, which are vital for the continent. Over 600 million Africans lack access to electricity. Over 1,000 gigawatts of additional power is urgently required. Nuclear power is the most efficient energy to perform work and power an industrialized economy, as well as an optimal energy source to desalinize water. Without abundant accessible electricity, Africa will not develop, and poverty and food shortages will continue. Production of energy and the elimination of poverty are essential for fighting COVID-19 and reducing all diseases in Africa, including cholera. Excerpts below: Rwandas parliament has just approved a plan for Russias state-owned Rosatom nuclear conglomerate to build it a nuclear research center and reactor in the capital, Kigali. The Center of Nuclear Science and Technologies, planned for completion by 2024, will include nuclear research labs as well as a small research reactor with up to 10 MW capacity. Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zambia have signed similar deals with Rosatom, while countries such as Ghana, Uganda, Sudan and DRC have less expansive cooperation agreements Rwandas planned research reactor will also be used to manufacture radioisotopes, according to Rosatom. Radioisotopes have many applications from irradiating food to increase its shelf life to helping diagnose tumors or heart disease. Such research reactors have definite advantages in fields such as nuclear medicine, nuclear scientist Michael Gatari, a professor at the University of Nairobi, told DW. In addition, on a continent where more than half of the population lack access to electricity, there is immense potential for nuclear to provide a clean source of energy to meet Africas large energy deficit, the Center for Global Development study, Atoms for Africa, found. In the long term, a nuclear reactor generates electricity cheaper than we are paying now. It is also stable and produces no carbon emissions, Gatari said in a phone interview from Nairobi. In my interview with PressTV, Watch: Ending Conflict in Libya Requires New Thinking, I discussed the necessity for a new approach to end the war in Libya. The West turned Libya into a failed state in 2011. Armies on the ground competing for territorial control will not be able to restore Libyas sovereignty. Listen to article For cheap and dirty politics, some power-drunk politicians or opportunists in Ghana, have always made issues with the recognised international demarcations separating lands into nations of people. This madness of the Ghanaian becomes too conspicuous, especially, during the registration of the Ghanaian electorate on to a Voter roll and during general elections. Some tribes of people at the border areas who unfortunately find their kindred in both countries, e.g. the Ewes, Ayigbes or Anlos in Ghana and Togo, have often raised issues with their nationality when it comes to the exercise of national electoral registration or exercising one's franchise in general elections. Once a tribe has unfortunately been separated into two distinct countries by virtue of the internationally recognised border demarcations, each section bears the nationality of the country in which it finds itself. The members of the tribe cannot claim to have automatic right to dual citizenship, thus, being a national of say, Togo and Ghana, at the same time, should we consider the Ewes/Anlos/Ayibges. Those in Ghana are Ghanaians with those in Togo being Togolese. Period. Therefore, it is just insanity on the part of anyone to seek to court the support of, and to irrationally agitate for the voting rights for, their kin found on the other side of the border, just to enhance their political chances of winning general election in the country where they (those seeking the support of the other) live. Some of the Ghanaian Voltarians (Ewes/Anlos) as selfish and power-drunk as they are, always incite their fellows to demand for the registration of their kinfolk on the other side of the border, thus in Togo, to be allowed to register on to the Ghana electoral register to vote in Ghana general elections. I have never understood their reason for doing that and will never understand them, regardless of the history of the Trans-Volta Togoland. The UN supervised a plebiscite in British Togoland (Western Togoland) on May 9, 1956, and 58 percent of the voters supported integration with British Gold Coast, now Ghana. The Eastern Togoland, now Togo, became a French territory. Why then is it that the Western Togoland (Volta Region) people now feel that the Togolese are their kin so they should be allowed to have dual nationality to be able to vote in Ghana elections and Togo elections at the same time? Are the Voltarians accorded the same voting rights in Togo? No, as far as I am aware of. I do not have to spend my precious time discussing this madness that keeps recurring when Ghana is compiling a voter register or going to general elections. Let me cite examples in the civilized whiteman's land where similar tribes may find themselves in two separate countries but neither part of the tribe claims voting rights in both countries unlike how a few selfish Voltarians are vehemently but insanely agitating to see happen in Ghana for their kindred in Togo, nor claim dual nationality. " The majority of Belgians, however, belong to two distinct ethnic groups or communities (Dutch: gemeenschap or French: communaute) native to the country, i.e. its historical regions: Flemings in Flanders, who speak Dutch and Walloons in Wallonia who speak French or Walloon" However, the native French in Belgium along the borders of both countries (France and Belgium), do not claim voting rights in other's country. Similarly, the Flemish in Belgium do not claim voting rights in the Netherlands. When you go to Switzerland, the French-speaking Swiss or the Swiss Germans do not seek to vote in France or Germany, respectively. Same as in Austria where the Austrian Germans do not seek to vote in Germany elections. A little narrative here will help us a lot. " Historically, Austrians were regarded as ethnic Germans and viewed themselves as such. Austria was part of the Holy Roman Empire and the German Confederation until the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 which resulted in Prussia expelling Austria from the Confederation. Thus, when Germany was founded as a nation-state in 1871, Austria was not a part of it" Wikipedia. The Austrian Germans do not claim dual nationality nor seek to vote in Germany elections and vice versa. They respect the recognised international nation-border demarcations. Why is it only in Ghana that some particular tribes persistently refuse to accept the reality as to their division into separate countries and nationalities? When you go to the border towns and villages along Ghana-Ivory Coast border around Dormaa-Ahenkro, almost all the people there speak Bono or Akan. However, those in Ghana do not go to vote in Ivorian elections nor do the Ivorians aspire to vote in Ghana elections unlike what goes on in the Volta region. Why, why and why only in the Volta region? The political parties seeking to set Ghana ablaze by their insanity should please give me a clean break from their madness! I have a lot more important things to write about concerning the safety, protection, and prosperity of the black person in this racially-filled world of today so the Ghana politicians must please spare me their selfishness, insatiable greed and politics of propaganda of lies. Rockson Adofo Friday, 3 July 2020 Listen to article There has been a lot of noise made in Australia about the need for broader protections when it comes to the fourth estate and the way it covers national security matters. In a country lacking a backbone in terms of constitutional free speech, journalists are left at the mercy of authorities when it comes to exposing egregious abuses of power. Consider, for instance, the exposure of war crimes committed by Australian forces via what has come to be known as the Afghan Files. As Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, the two ABC journalists involved in putting together the file material wrote in July 2017, Hundreds of pages of secret defence force documents leaked to the ABC give an unprecedented insight into the clandestine operations in Australias elite special forces in Afghanistan, including incidents of troops killing unarmed men and children. The material, published in seven parts, should not surprise students of war. In the brutality of the Afghan conflict, the killing of civilians became a casual, cruel matter. In September 2013, a man and his six-year-old child were killed during the raid on a house. This incident, along with another involving the killing of a detainee who had allegedly attempted to seize the weapon of an Australian soldier whilst in his custody, formed part of an investigation by the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force. In 2013, an Afghan man was slain by Australian troops while riding his motorcycle. The female passenger was injured. The report in question noted the increasingly parlous state of Afghan-Australian relations in light of such incidents, involving the wanton killing of civilians by special forces. Much of this stemmed from the sloppiness of Australian military protocol on the battlefield, shown to be hopelessly, and lethally inadequate. There nomenklatura of the defence establishment spoke to the need of only targeting Afghans directly participating in hostilities, a distinction that was lazily made if and when it was made at all. These are but a few highlights that this cache of files revealed. But at the core of these revelations was a failed pseudo-colonial mission that was ignoble, misguided and, for all the fanfare of salvation, a dismal failure. It did little in terms of shoring up either Australian security or those of the Afghan population. It failed in defeating the insurgent Taliban forces. It had taken place on impulse, to assist a grieving US still licking its wounds after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. As with other empires, Afghanistan was reaffirmed as a graveyard for failed powers. The Taliban, far from being defeated, showed their resoluteness and staying power. The exposure of such defence documents should have sent policy makers and reformers into the corridors of the ADF. Oakes and Clark deserved, at the very least, a modest acknowledgment of merit. Instead, they and the ABC attracted the keen eye of the Australian Federal Police. On June 5, 2019, AFP officers swanned in and cheerfully raided the offices of the national broadcaster in Sydney. The home of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst was also raided for reporting on a separate matter touching on a proposed expansion of surveillance powers held by the Australian Signals Directorate. Both raids were motivated by alleged breaches of official secrecy under the old version of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth). These furnished the Australian public a chilling spectacle, and did something nothing else could have done: bring unity to a fractious field. Journalists from Fairfax, News Corp and The Guardian Australia chorused in concern and consternation. The Right to Know campaign was born, though remains, to date, an incipient venture. In the words of the coalition, You have a right to know what the government you elect are doing in your name. But in Australia today, the media is prevented from informing you, people who speak out are penalised and journalism that shines a light on matters you deserve to know about is criminalised. The reason why the campaign has failed to yield rewards can be gathered by the continued investigation of Oakes and Clark and the mixed results of the campaign in the courts. The ABC failed to invalidate the warrants executed to search their Sydney offices, with Federal Court Justice Wendy Abraham issuing a pointed reminder in February that the implied constitutional right to political subjects is not a personal right but one designed to restrict power. Smethurst and News Corp did modestly better in the High Court on April 15, but only in terms of result. In invalidating the search AFP search warrant, the judges found against the police purely on the basis of vague drafting. The warrant in question failed to identify any offence under section 79(3)[of the Crimes Act] and substantially misstated the nature of an offence arising under it. Had the warrant been prescribed with greater clarity, they would still have stood as valid exercises of state power. Smethurst and her colleagues probably kept the champagne on ice. In September 2019, Attorney-General Christian Porter issued a direction under the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions Act requiring the Director of Public Prosecutions to seek the approval of the AG in instances where a journalist is to be prosecuted. When it was issued, weak pronouncements were made that this was a warning to the AFP not to pursue the scribblers of the fourth estate. Porter brandished his credentials as a democrat, arguing that a free press was significant as a principle of democracy. Given Porters insistence on prosecuting former ASIS officer Witness K and his lawyer, Bernard Collaery, for exposing a blatant wrong against a friendly country, such credentials can be dismissed as surplus baubles. Little wonder, then, that the AFP has now confirmed submitting a brief of evidence to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, acting on the July 11, 2017 referral received from the Chief of the Defence Force and then acting-secretary of defence. Charges are recommended. Oddly enough, the police have decided to single out Oakes and spare Clark. Power, in the absence of restraint, is coldly arbitrary. The final say on whether such charges will be laid resides with Porter, and we have every reason to be troubled by a discretion that is executive, political and non-judicial. Oakes sees the higher principle at stake. Whether or not we are ever charged or convicted over our stories, the most important thing is that those who broke our laws and the laws of armed conflict are held to account. Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: [email protected] A group calling itself Bring Back Mahama has called on President Akufo-Addo to arrest and prosecute the Member of Parliament for Tema-East, Hon Carlos Ahenkorah if he is really serious about fighting Covid-19 and respects the rule of law. The Member of Parliament for Tema East who doubles as a deputy minister of trade and industry yesterday in an interview mentioned that he visited some voters registration centers after testing positive for COVID-19 a clear breach of the Covid-19 protocols. Today Friday 3rd June, 2020, the deputy minister has resigned after Social Media users bashed him for been irresponsible. In a related development, the Bring Back Mahama group in a post on Facebook has stated that resignation is not enough and demands that the MP be arrested and prosecuted for such callous misconduct. The president only cautioned his party members not too long ago for breaching some aspect of the covid-19 protocols during their primaries by asking them to go and sin no more. Below is the Facebook post: The Member of Parliament for Tema-East Carlos Ahenkorahs resignation is not enough, the president should prove to Ghanaians that he is serious with the fight against Covid-19, he should bare in mind that many people have been prosecuted and jailed for breaching the protocols and we will want his Government to arrest the Member of Parliament and also jail him to set a good example #ArrestandprosecuteCarlos Listen to article There is a whole lot of lies being thrown at Ghanaians by some of our selfish, greedy and power-drunk politicians and journalists. Some videos I have been sent on my WhatsApp wall are so shocking to watch. I can't believe my eyes and ears listening and viewing the contents of the videos. In one of them, there is this former President of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, acknowledging that politicians with himself included, often tell lies to people. They tell their audience lies according to what the audience want to hear in order to turn the hearts of the audience to the politicians for the politicians to get what they want from the audience. There, you see his listeners happily listening to, and solidarizing with, him. All the while, he was drawing their attention to the fact he tells them lies as a politician. In another video, you will see one Kwaku Skirt, an NDC activist residing in the USA, showing a great number of nicely arranged and parked V8 cars. He was passing a commentary to the effect that all the cars have been purchased and brought into Ghana by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to be distributed to the NPP for their political campaign towards election 2020. However, it has turned out that the cars he was showing were the very cars imported into the country in year 2013 by former President John Dramani Mahama for distribution to the various Government Ministries and other bodies as well as to dish out to his favourites. Why should Kwaku Skirt, looking into the face of whoever and whatever he believes in, either God or Satan, tell such a great lie? He did that to deliberately incite Ghanaians against President Nana Akufo-Addo and his NPP government. For what he stands to gain from former President John Dramani Mahama, Kwaku Skirt finds it convenient to throw such huge amount of dust into people's eyes. In another video, there is one Docta Kay of a certain media house in his live streaming of Nkran Kwanso programme making commentaries that some politicians were packing GHS200 and GHS100 notes to steal. He was showing huge bundles of such Ghana currency notes on allegation that the NPP politicians are stealing them. Without proof, he was happily making such wild injurious allegations. Does he seek the peace, prosperity and good of Ghana by making or promoting such an unfounded allegation? Is he a credible journalist? Anyway, he was inviting the President to look into it but the way he was going about it, he could be seen to share the views of whoever posted the video on the social media. Any good journalist worth his salt would have raised some doubt about it amid requesting the President to look into it. How does he justify that those faceless persons found arranging the Cedis notes on the video are politicians let alone, NPP politicians? How can he conclude that they were stealing the money? How could he prove that what he was seeing were not fake currency notes videoed to discredit the government? Where was the money being stolen from? What a poor journalistic work by that Docta Kay! Does he expect serious persons like Rockson Adofo to swallow his assertion hook, line and sinker? Finally, there is this journalist at Okay FM in Accra, Mr Kwame Nkrumah Tikese. He is such a crafty guy who is noted for mischievously encouraging his NDC guests he calls during his programmes to expatiate their diabolic agenda against the NPP government. The questions he asks and the clues he gives to them give him away as such a diabolic partisan journalist. I shall be publishing a full article about him in the coming days. However, it should not be anything strange to discerning Ghanaians the way he behaves because it is established that he profited from the largess of former President Mahama in his time as Ghana President. Kwame Nkrumah Tikese in an authentic video is said to have been dashed a V8 car by the Mahama administration. Why was he gifted the car? Was it not for the dirty journalistic work he does for them? Shame on him! He does not seek the collective interests of Ghanaians but how best to selfishly satisfy his insatiable greed for wealth and fame. What a stomach politician disguised as a journalist! These cited personalities and their dubious work have the potential to set Ghana aflame one day. Therefore, they had better stop before it is too late. Rockson Adofo Friday, 3 July 2020 Prosecutors on Friday called for the maximum life sentence for French jihadist Tyler Vilus, who is on trial for crimes that were allegedly committed in Syria. The son of a radicalised woman known as 'Jihadi Gran,' he is believed to have climbed the Islamic State hierarchy to become an 'emir'. Prosecutors depicted Tyler Vilus as a "jihadist through and through," and argued that an "exceptional case" required punitive measures. Thirty-year-old Vilus went on trial last Thursday on charges of belonging to a terrorist group, heading a unit of Islamic State group fighters and "aggravated murder" in Syria between 2013 and 2015. He is accused of supervising numerous executions as a senior figure in the extremist group. In April 2015, he was captured in a video by IS showing two members of the Syrian Free Army being executed. A man alleged to be Vilus is seen standing two metres away as the execution happens. Paris attacks Arrested in July 2015 in Turkey and now imprisoned in France, Vilus is also suspected of having links to the network that planned and carried out the November 2015 attacks in Paris in which 130 people were killed. He admitted to being in contact with the mastermind of those attacks but denied any involvement. Vilus is one of the first in a generation of French jihadists to have travelled to Syria, and one of the rare individuals to have returned alive. Very close to his mother, Christine Riviere, he invited her frequently to Syria and received financial support from her. Nicknamed 'Jihadi Gran', Riviere was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2018 for her 'firm commitment' to Islamic State. Intertwined with ISIS Throughout the trial, investigators tried to prove that her son was equally as committed. They showed evidence displaying Vilus' many ties to the terror group, at once as a "recruter," "fighter," "police officer" and "emir." "Every stage of the suspect's life is intertwined with the construction of the caliphate," insisted lead prosecutor Guillaume Michelin, describing an "extraordinary" man who used his intelligence to serve terrorism. "When you remove the smoke curtains surrounding Tyler Vilus, all you see are corpses. It is up to you to put an end to this carnage," he told the Paris criminal court in his closing argument. Mother's grief In one dramatic scene of the trial, the mother of the suspect's second wife was called to testify and pleaded with judges to tell her where her daughter was. "Since 2017, I have not had any news, she said. The president of the court replied: "Your daughter is believed to have died in 2017 in a bomb attack in Mosul, including her child." The mother broke down in tears. Prosecutors have called for Vilus to be put away for life, with a minimum period of 22 years behind bars. The verdict is expected later on Friday after the defence's closing speech. The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) says the Electoral Commission (EC) should be held liable if there is a spike in Coronavirus cases as a result of failure to adhere to safety protocols in all the various registration centres. The Commission began its voter registration exercise on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, despite criticisms of a possible spike in COVID-19 cases in Ghana. It assured that the necessary safety protocols will be put in place during the exercise. But lack of social distancing at the various registration centres has been the major concern from stakeholders. Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday, July 3, 2020, the General Secretary of GMA, Dr Justice Yankson said the Association can only advise the Electoral Commission but cant force it to implement the recommendations. We were very clear in our minds that as an association, we didnt have the power to stop them (EC) because the Supreme Court that is actually clothed with the powers with all the issues that came up had actually given the EC the go-ahead so on that basis we dont have any problem at all. Our issue with the EC is that, in the process of executing that constitutionally given mandate, people are not made worse off in terms of the public health pandemic we have now. That is where our focus is because, now, we dont have the power to stop them, but we will continue to advocate and point out the wrongsand also ensure that where they [EC] refuses to respond to these things, they should be faced with the liability and where the law allows, they should be punished as well. The Association further urged Ghanaians to take their destinies into their hands and adhere to the laid down preventive measures to ensure their safety at the registration centres. We will keep urging the people of Ghana to also take their destinies into their own hands and ensure they obey these rules as spelt out. The preventive etiquette is to save their own lives and the rest of us. ---citinewsroom Algeria on Friday received the skulls of 24 resistance fighters decapitated during colonial France's conquest of the North African country that had been lying in storage in a Paris museum. The return of the remains, viewed as war trophies by French colonial officers, comes amid a worldwide reexamination of the legacy of colonialism since the May 25 killing of 46-year-old African American George Floyd by a white police officer in the United States. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has urged countries to make amends for "centuries of violence and discrimination". The skulls were flown into Algiers airport from France on a Hercules C-130 transport plane, escorted on arrival by Algerian fighter jets, an AFP correspondent said. To a 21-gun salute, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and a military guard of honour gave the war "heroes" an official welcome. The remains, in coffin draped with the Algerian flag, were brought out of the aircraft and carried shoulder high by soldiers as a military band played a funeral march. Tebboune bowed in front of each coffin and a Muslim cleric recited a prayer for the dead. "The city is incredibly silent as the sirens of boats echo across the port of Algiers," in tribute to the resistance fighters, an Algerian tweeted. The coffins will be taken to the Palace of Culture in Algiers where they will be on display Saturday for the public to pay their respects. On Sunday, Algeria's 58th anniversary of independence, the skulls will finally be laid to rest in the martyrs' section of the capital's El Alia cemetery, local media reported. France's 132 years of colonial rule, and the brutal eight-year war that ended it, have left a lasting legacy of often prickly relations between the two governments and peoples. The French presidency, in a statement to AFP, said the return of the remains was a gesture of "friendship" as part of efforts to "reconcile the memories of the French and Algerian people". Announcing the repatriations on Thursday, Tebboune said the decapitated fighters "had been deprived of their natural and human right to be buried for more than 170 years". 'Heroes' The return of the remains comes amid a worldwide debate of the legacy of colonialism following the May killing of George Floyd in the US. By - (Algerian TV/AFP) He paid tribute to them as "heroes who confronted the brutal French occupation between 1838 and 1865". "The savage enemy decapitated them in reprisals before transferring their skulls overseas so that their graves would not become a symbol of the resistance," Tebboune added. One of the leaders whose remains were returned is Sheikh Bouzian, a revolt leader who was captured in 1849 by the French, shot and decapitated. The skull of prominent resistance leader Mohammed Lamjad ben Abdelmalek, also known as "Cherif Boubaghla" (or the man with the mule), was also among those to be returned. Historian Malika Rahal welcomed the news. "The martyrs are returning home," she said in a tweet. "The body parts of those who fought the conquest of their country are returning home after a very long stay in cardboard boxes at the Musee de l'Homme in Paris." Emmanuel Macron, the first French president to be born after the 1954-62 independence war in which 1.5 million Algerian died, made his first official visit to the country in December 2017, saying he came as a "friend". At the time, he told news website Tout sur l'Algerie that he was "ready" to see his country hand back the skulls. 'Cardboard boxes' Algeria had officially asked for their return in 2018, as well as requesting the handover of colonial archives. Algerian and French academics have long campaigned for the return of the skulls. Algerian historian Ali-Farid Belkadi was the first to call for their return in 2011 after undertaking research work at the Musee de l'Homme. At the time, he said the skulls were kept in "vulgar cardboard boxes that resemble shoe boxes". In December 2019, Macron said that "colonialism was a grave mistake" and called for turning the page on the past. During his presidential election campaign, he had created a storm by calling France's colonisation of Algeria a "crime against humanity". The General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia wants former Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Carlos Ahenkorah to face prosecution for flouting COVID-19 protocols. Mr. Nketia says the resignation of the Member of Parliament for Tema West is not punitive enough for the harm he allegedly caused. Carlos Ahenkorah resigned from his deputy ministerial position after admitting breaching COVID-19 protocols by visiting a registration centre despite being aware that he has tested positive for the virus. In a Citi News interview during his tour of Voter Registration Exercise in the Volta Region, Johnson Asiedu Nketia said the prosecution of the former Deputy Minister is the only way to show the governments commitment to evenhandedly deal with offenders of the Coronavirus safety rules. There are positive cases identified at the Presidency, but nothing is happening. There have been positive cases identified in the house of Parliament, but Parliament is still sitting. Even when one case was identified in a factory, they close the factory down. You go to the hospitals, and when one case is identified, they close the ward down. Now in the House of Parliament where all these laws are made, they identified more than 13 cases in Parliament, and they are still sitting because they have to wait to pass laws to make Nana Akufo-Addo continue as President. And with Ministers having tested positive, some of them are going round registration centres spreading COVID-19 and they are not being prosecuted. So we are calling for the prosection of Carlos Ahenkorah. Resignation is not part of our laws for the COVID-19 protocols. If they have taken that administrative step, we agree but we are waiting to see that they are prosecuted the same way as the ordinary men on the street. They must prosecute Carlos Ahenkorah, he stressed. Carlos justification On Eyewitness News on Thursday, Mr. Ahenkorah defended his decision for stepping out and monitoring the ongoing voter registration exercise despite testing positive for COVID-19. He admitted that his doctor had told him to self-isolate but he had to visit a registration centre to resolve some issues that had come up. Following his remarks, many Ghanaians took to social media to criticize the legislator for moving into a public place when he was supposed to isolate himself due to his COVID-19 status. Some of his critics urged the president to sack him , while others said he must resign for his conduct. ---citinewsroom The Ghana Commodity Exchange (GCX) has announced plans to trade locally produced Ghana Rice on the exchange. Mr. Robert Dowuona Owoo who is Chief Operations Officer at the GCX announced the plan at a National Rice Value Chain engagement organized by the John A. Kufuor Foundation and the Ghana Rice Interprofessional Body (GRIB) in Accra. The Ghana Commodity Exchange, a government entity has the mandate of establishing linkages between farmers and buyers so the producers can get competitive prices for their produce. Maize, sorghum and soya bean are some of the commodities currently being traded on the exchange. But Mr. Owoo says paddy rice, milled rice and parboiled rice will soon be added to the list of commodities being traded on the exchange. He says warehouse acquisitions and equipping is ongoing in Bolgatanga, Walewale and Juabeng so there will be space to store the produce from farmers before they are bought by buyers. We have given regulatory approvals to rice contracts, warehouses and warehouse staff. Launching of trading will be done in the course the year, he said. President of GRIB, Nana Adjei Ayeh is excited by the latest development. He says GRIB is expecting that before the end of the year, various companies will come in and mop up harvested paddy rice into the warehouses ahead of late harvesting. The National Rice Value Chain Engagement organized by the John A. Kufuor Foundation and the Ghana Rice Interprofessional Body (GRIB) discussed how farmers across the country will grow quality rice and get good market and prices for the farmer. The meeting was attended by newly elected regional executives of GRIB. Nana Ama Oppong Duah, Policy Advisor of the John A. Kufuor Foundation says the engagement was part of the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) support for rice farmers implemented by the John A. Kufuor Foundation and other partners including MOFA, Intervalle and Hopeline, Sparx and Volta City Farms. The project supports advocacy, production, processing, and marketing in the rice value chain. General Manager of Alluvial Agricultural Limited Hylton Baker said his company's recently signed agreement with the foundation and GRIB, will provide comprehensive value chain support to smallholder farmers to increase both their production volumes and the market value of their crops. Listen to article Enterprise Life, a subsidiary of the Enterprise Group has entered into a partnership with the Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives, Ghana (UPNMG) for a comprehensive insurance cover for all nurses and midwives registered with the Union. The General Manager, Operations of Enterprise Life, Solace Odamtten-Sowah, expressed gratitude to the UPNMG for reaching out to Enterprise Life and promised that they will work tirelessly to meet the expectations of the Union. According to her, over the years, we have focused on providing innovative and affordable products for our clients. This year our strategic direction was to partner with health workers and this was reflected in the premium holiday for all frontline health workers among others when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country. While speaking at the signing out ceremony at the Advantage Place at Ridge in Accra, President of the UPNMG, Maxwell Oduro-Yeboah, said the decision to enter into a partnership with Enterprise Life was borne out of the desire of the Union to seek the welfare of its members coupled with Enterprise Lifes credibility and competence in providing that welfare. Nurses and midwives make up about 70 per cent of all health workers in Ghana and as the mother union in Ghana, we are in constant search in finding innovative ways of ensuring that their welfare is secure. The related hazards of our work, especially in this era of the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitated the need to partner the best insurance company in Ghana to help promote the interest of nurses and midwives. We have been witnesses to the good work Enterprise Trustees, a sister company of Enterprise Life,is doing with our tier two pensions so it was a very easy decision to make after receiving several proposals, Mr. Oduro Yeboah said. Mr. Oduro Yeboah encouraged all nurses and midwives in the country to register with the Union in order to enjoy benefits such as; A) Funeral benefits: 1. Member - 5000 2. Spouse - 1000 3. Parents (2) - 500 each B) Total Permanent Disability- member only - 5000 C) Hospitalization (member-only) -20 per day and capped at 30 days in a year (600) He said registered members are not required to pay any premiums because the premiums are taken from the dues they pay as members. Commuters in major cities have been left stranded over the strike by Metro Mass Transit Limited staff which is in force. Drivers are on a sit-down strike over issues of unpaid salaries. They say they have not been paid salaries for May and June 2020 after taking half their salaries in April. They have vowed to continue their strike until they are paid what is owed them. The Chairman of the Junior Staff Union of MMT, Samuel Kwesi Quaye complained that their situation was dire as some drivers have resorted to sleeping in some buses at the companys premises because they cannot afford to go home. In Takoradi, in the Western Region, all buses were stationary at the Metro Mass main terminal leaving several travellers stranded. The drivers there voiced the same concerns highlighted by their union. I am a young man who has been with this company for seven years now and I am married with children, how do they expect me to cater for my family? one driver said. The passengers expressed their frustrations with the situation, but some were sympathetic to the drivers plight. I came here for a bus to Sefwi but I was told no car would go because the workers are on strike. I would like to plead with the government to listen to their pleas and do the needful so they can resume work as soon as possible, one passenger said. Workers at the Kumasi Depot of the Metro Mass Transit also partook in the strike. Drivers there had parked their buses while security officers and mechanics at the depot had also abandoned their posts to comply with the directive from their union leaders. Some of the aggrieved workers tied red bands and displayed placards with inscriptions calling for the Managing Director of the Company to be sacked. Passengers who were stranded noting that alternatives to Metro Mass buses were They [other commercial drivers] have increased the price from here [Kumasi] to Cape Coast because for Metro Mass, the price is lower than different cars so that is the problem I have now, one traveller noted. citinewsroom The Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye has asked the Electoral Commission (EC) to appear before the House to answer questions on the ongoing voter registration exercise. The directive gives the EC two weeks after the exercise to appear before the House. Two weeks after the registration exercise has come to an end, the Electoral Commission must send relevant representatives to this honourable House and give the House a briefing, Prof Oquaye said in Parliament. This would be in line with precedence in Ghana's electoral history, the Speaker noted. The voter registration exercise commenced on June 30. The exercise will run until the end of July. The Commission will use three days for a mopping-up exercise which will be done at the end of the main Registration Exercise. One of the main points of interest has been the lack of social distancing at the registration centres. There have also been minor challenges with logistics recorded. citinewsroom A journalist has been shot to death in Nicaragua during his Facebook Live coverage of the anti-government protest. Angel Gahona, reports say, was reporting on the vandalization at a bank in the town of Bluefields when a bullet hit him during his Facebook Live newscast. In a video from the scene, he is then seen slumping to the ground, as people scream his name and try to help. Over 10 people have died and a 100 person injured in days of protests against pension changes that was implemented Wednesday, June 24th. The government of President Daniel Ortega made the move to increase pension contributions for workers and employers and reduced overall benefits by 5%. Protest in Nicaragua President Ortega has offered talks but protest leaders have refused, saying police violence must stop first. Protesters have been destroying government buildings and troops have been deployed in several cities. The Paris appeals court on Friday rejected a request to reopen a long-running probe into the plane crash that sparked Rwanda's 1994 genocide. The case targeting several people close to Rwanda's current president, Paul Kagame, was dismissed a first time in 2018. The families of those who died in the crash have said they will appeal. After six months of deliberations, magistrates at Paris' appeal court ruled out the prospect of a trial into the plane crash that sparked Rwanda's 1994 genocide, upholding an earlier ruling to have the case dismissed. Judges had been asked to reopen the case by the families of those who died when the plane carrying former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundi's president Cyprien Ntaryamira, was shot down. The death of Habyarimana--a Hutu--on 6 April, 1994, triggered a 100-day killing spree targeting mainly Tutsis but also moderate Hutus. Four years later, the widows of the French airplane crew filed a complaint that would launch the start of a long-running investigation. The probe has been a major source of tension between France and Rwanda. For years, it has pitted those who argue current Rwandan President Paul Kagame was responsible for the downing of the plane and those who blame hardline Hutu extremists, said to be upset with Habyarimana for being too moderate and who opposed the Arusha peace process then under way. Case timeline 1998 The enquiry is launched at the request of the French widows and taken up by Judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere. He concludes that Kagame--a Tutsi, and leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) rebel movement in 1994, ordered the attack 2006 Bruguiere issues arrest warrants against several of Kagame's allies 2012 Bruguiere's successor, Judge Marc Trevedic challenges the theory that Kagame's RPF rebels shot down the plane and shifts the focus on Hutu extremists. In a report, he shows that the missile that struck the plane was fired from the Kanombe military camp, controlled by Habyarimana's army. 2016 French investigators reopen the investigation after Rwanda's former chief of army staff Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, now in exile, said he had evidence that Kagame ordered the plane shot down, which Kagame denies 2017 Trevedic's successor, Judge Jean-Marc Herbaut decides to close the case, citing lack of evidence 2018 The case is dismissed, based on a request from prosecutors 'Justice a failure' By appealing that decision, the civil parties hoped Friday's verdict would lead to a new inquiry, that would include a 2003 report by the former International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), blaming Kagame's aides for the plane crash. "It is an incomprehensible situation that a court hangs on to documents, keeps them buried and does not transmit them to the French justice system," deplored Emmanuel Bidanda, a lawyer for the family of one of the French crewmembers. For Bidanda, the verdict is a sign of the "failure of the French justice system," because "after more than 20 years of investigation, it is still incapable of telling us who carried out and ordered this attack." Lawyer for Agathe Habyarimana, Philippe Meilhac, denounced "omnipresent political" pressure on the case and a "lead blanket" that had shrouded the truth. Kigali reaction In an interview this week to magazine Jeune Afrique, President Paul Kagame expressed a wish for a definitive end to what he has always described a politically motivated investigation. "I believe that the past is behind us," he said. "Reopening a classified file is to invite problems." Rwanda has long accused France of complicity in the genocide that killed 800,000 people by its support for the previous Hutu regime. Paris has launched several investigations in recent years into the genocide in an effort to come to terms with its role. In Kigali, Rwandan Justice Minister Johnston Busigye praised the decision by French judges to throw out a new inquiry. Busigye tweeted the case was "a travesty of justice, a total and complete farce that should not have happened in the first place." The long-running case is however likely to continue. The victims' families are to lodge a final appeal with France's Supreme Court, their lawyers announced. The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Michael Oquaye, has said as politicians mourn Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, alias Sir John, they should adopt the warm rivalry, with which he engaged his political opponents. Sir John related well with his opponent and counterpart, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, when they were both General Secretaries of their parties, he said. And their relationship to me should be an example for us that we should not be fighting or hating each other because we belong to different parties; such examples should continue to inspire the political atmosphere. He urged politicians to avoid hostilities in their own internal fights, saying, Sometimes, our own internal fights show a lot of hostilities and I wish we wouldn't do it; and we shouldn't do so on the national plane. The Speaker gave the advice when Members of Parliament paid glowing tributes, extolling the multi-faceted life of Sir John. The renowned politician and lawyer's passing, on Wednesday, at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, has generally been received with shock, sorrow and tributes across the nation. Mr Owusu-Afriyie, until his death, was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Forestry Commission. He was the General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) from between 2010 and 2014. After the correction of the Votes and Proceedings, on Thursday, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, made an application to give an announcement, which was granted by Speaker Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye. Dressed in a mourning apparel of brown, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu described his receipt of the news of the death of the politician and lawyer as a torpedo that hit his mast on Wednesday. He described him as a good friend, a brother, and somebody who affected positively the people he came into contact with. Thus, the news about his transition spread like wildfire, Mr Kyei-Mensah Bonsu. His presence was strongly felt in the political space of the country. He said Sir John was an affable personality who really affected everyone that he came into contact with; emphasising that, he was shell-shocked to learn about his sudden demise. He made no enemies, yet death, the sworn enemy to mankind, laid its icy hands on him yesterday, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said. He was also a man of immense ability, a devoted citizen who cherished the work he was doing for the People of Ghana, he said. He urged the citizenry to be reminded of the reality and devastating and rampaging effects of Covid-19, which reportedly took Sir John's life. I think it is appropriate for all of us at this stage to pray for the protection of the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislative arm of this country, and, indeed, all public servants who are in various ways discharging their responsibilities towards the development of this country, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said. Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu extended his condolences to the NPP and the family of Sir John, and eulogised him for mixing his political jabs with humour. His sudden departure has taken away from Ghanaian politics his high sense of humour accompanied with his smile, even as he jabbed. He recalled the statement Fear Delegates, attributed to Sir John, after he lost his re-election bid to Mr Kwabena Agyepong, pointing out that delegates were really to be feared since no one could predict their choices. Mr. Speaker, when he lost his second bid for the NPP General Secretary to Kwabena Agyei Agyapong he said that we should fear delegates. I am sure many of our colleagues here will now appreciate his admonishment. And indeed, delegates are to be feared. GNA The Sandema District Hospital in the Builsa North District of the Upper East Region is appealing to individuals, philanthropists and organisations to support the facility with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), to protect health professionals in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Even though the District has not recorded any case of the virus, management of the facility deems it necessary to protect its staff, especially nurses and midwives who are critical front liners in the fight against the virus, by reducing Out-Patient attendance to curb any possible spread of the virus among staff. Mr Prosper Asandem, the Health Service Administrator of the Hospital, made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during a brief ceremony to present medical and non-medical consumables to the hospital by Mrs Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia, a former Member of Parliament (MP) for the area. The hospital received its share of 100 pieces of disposable face masks, 200 pieces of examination gloves, 'Veronica Buckets,' two gallons of liquid soap, four rolls of tissue papers and 50 pieces of reusable face masks from part of the items which would also be shared among other health facilities, religious groups and schools across the District. The Administrator acknowledged the support of government in the fight against the virus as the facility equally received some items from government, to support service delivery in the era of the pandemic. He said some organisations and individuals have also donated PPE to the facility in the past months, We continue to plead with generous members of the public and citizens to donate more to protect our staff and patients so that we do not record any case. He said, Ever since the pandemic started, our people have been very helpful to us as a district hospital, a number of them visited us and gave us some protective items. Mr Asandem attributed the success of the District in the fight against the virus to hard work and vigilance of staff and other stakeholders in the area, saying, Our partners are actually more serious than we think, by supporting us with the PPE that are necessary for us to protect ourselves. Mr Asandem expressed gratitude to the former MP for the support saying, We are grateful to the former Member of Parliament for a gesture like this. Mrs Chigabatia, who is also a former Upper East Deputy Regional Minister, said the gesture was devoid of politics and only a demonstration of love to her people as a mother. When the people understand that it is pure love you have for them, then we can come back to the drawing table and talk politics. GNA The registration of vulnerable groups under a special dispensation by the Electoral Commission as part of the registration exercise is yet to begin in the Hohoe Municipality. This is due to the malfunctioning Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) machine. A special arrangement was to start on July 02 for the aged, people with disability, pregnant and lactating women to register for their voter identity cards at the office instead of the polling stations. Mr Enoch Danso Agyekum, Hohoe Municipal Electoral Officer, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), in said his office is yet to register any eligible voter under the special registration arrangement due to faulty BVR machine. He said the registration machines which were purposely designed to capture registration details of eligible voters who fell under the special exercise were sent to the regional office of the Commission in Ho and are expected to be brought back by end of Friday. Mr Agyekum said details of eligible voters in that category were taken and would be invited, when the machines are ready. He said the voter registration in Alavanyo communities of the Municipality has been smooth without any challenges. GNA Turkey's defence minister and military chief visited war-torn Libya's capital on Friday, the country's UN-recognised government said, the second visit in weeks by a minister from its main international backer. Defence Minister Hulusi Akar and Chief of General Staff Yasar Guler discussed "military and security cooperation" with the head of the Government of National Accord Fayez al-Sarraj and military officials, the GNA said. The visit comes a month after GNA forces declared they were back in full control of Tripoli and its suburbs following a year-long offensive by eastern military strongman Khalifa Haftar to seize the capital. While the GNA has received extensive military backing from Ankara and is also supported by Qatar, Haftar is backed by Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Libya's eastern neighbour Egypt. On June 17, Turkeys' foreign and finance ministers Mevlut Cavusoglu and Berat Albayrak, along with intelligence chief Hakan Fidan, visited Tripoli for talks with Sarraj. Friday's talks covered defence and security training programmes under a deal signed by Tripoli and Ankara in November last year, a statement said. "Turkish support for (the GNA) continues in the areas of military and security cooperation," said GNA deputy defence minister Salah Namrush. Libya has been torn apart by bloodshed since the NATO-backed uprising which toppled the regime of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with two rival administrations now vying for power and control of the country's vast oil wealth. Former President John Dramani Mahama has extended his condolences to the family of Dr. Richard Kisser, a Consultant Surgeon of The Trust Hospital who passed away after battling COVID-19. A notice from the hospital said Dr. Kisser died on Thursday, July 2, 2020, while receiving treatment at the University of Ghana Medical Centre. We regret to inform all staff of the passing of our consultant surgeon, Dr. Richard Kisser. The sad event occurred on Thursday 2nd of July 2020 at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) where he was receiving treatment for COV1D-19 complications. May his soul rest in perfect peace, the facility noted. Mr. Mahama in joining many Ghanaians to mourn the late Surgeon said the government needs to ensure greater protection of the health workers. We need to ensure greater protection for all our citizens especially the health workers because, without them, the already struggling fight to contain the spread of COVID-19 will be a failure, John Mahama noted in a Facebook post. Below is the full post from Mr. Mahama I have received the sad news of the passing of Dr. Richard Kisser, a Consultant Surgeon, many may have encountered at the Trust Hospital in Osu, Accra. A few weeks earlier, we lost another great physician, Professor Plange-Rhule. The demise of Dr. Harry Owusu Boateng is still not lost on us. My condolences to the Kisser family, the management and staff of the Trust Hospital, the Ghana Medical Association and to the many patients he was attending to. On behalf of the National Democratic Congress, I also extend our sympathy to all others who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. citinewsroom Communication Team Member of the ruling New Patriotic Party Nana Kwadwo Agyei Yeboah(Nana Kay) has said the Board Chairman of Ghana Revenue Authority, Professor Stephen Adei is not showing a good example as a leader hence he has failed as the Board Chairman of the institution. According to him, Professor Stephen Adei is not addressing issues related to his position but rather supervising corruption scandals under his watch. Custom Officers in the country are engaging in corruption and other activities but, Professor Stephen Adei is just silent about that,what he knows is going around and engaging in unnecessary activities that will not help the course of the country,'' Nana Kwadwo Agyei Yeboah told Reynold Agyemang on 'Pae Mu Ka' on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7 He has failed as a leader and doesn't have any leadership qualities.'' The man is not a good leader and not showing any good signs of leadership ever since he took over as the Board Chairman of Ghana Revenue Authority. Greetings everyone. Im Stephanie Sullivan, the United States Ambassador to Ghana. Before I talk about American independence, I want to start by commending the government and people of Ghana for your resiliency throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States has been honored to partner with you in our common effort to combat this disease. Together, we will achieve the shared goal of emerging healthier, stronger, and more united. Today, we observe the signing of the Declaration of Independence by a group of American patriots 244 years ago. However, what we celebrate today is not independence, per se, but rather freedom. The freedom to think independently, the freedom to speak our mind without fear, the freedom to assemble peacefully, and the freedom to worship as we wish. Declaring independence from the British crown was a means to an end, not an end in itself. It was a bold action. And it represented an ideal, thought radical at the time, that we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. The American founders charted a new course for human history through a great experiment in self-governance that continues to this day. Many countries over the past two centuries have found in the American experience the inspiration to free their own people from oppression and tyranny. Our nation has much to celebrate. Yet we must also recognize that we have far to go to transform our ideals into the daily reality of better lives for all Americans. I grew up reciting the pledge of allegiance at school every day, which ends with liberty and justice for all." Throughout our history, we, as a country, have had to confront our shortcomings in living up to our ideals. We expanded our young nation westward at the cost of countless lives of Native Americans and injury to indigenous cultures that long predated the founding of our Republic. We countenanced a culture of slavery and, when slavery was ended, we saw new legal structures emerge that denied African Americans those inalienable rights with which they should have been endowed. And it was only 100 years ago that women gained the right to participate fully in our political life. At each of these moments, we have faced a reckoning as to what exactly we mean by all people and by unalienable rights. In previous times, we fought a bloody civil war to end slavery. We struck down old laws that created separate, and unequal, Americas depending on the color of ones skin. And we amended our Constitution to enshrine the right of women to vote. Today, once again, we face such a reckoning. The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis five weeks ago, the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many similar unjust deaths over the years, have filled the hearts of Americans, Ghanaians, and people across the globe with grief. It falls to us this generation to recognize the pervasiveness of systemic racism. And it falls to this generation to summon the will to make racism a relic of history. We have faced existential challenges before and summoned that will. On the eve of our Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln foresaw the day when the nation would be touched by what he called the better angels of our nature. Little more than a decade after declaring independence, our founders recognized that our loose confederation of states was sliding into chaos and tore up their original plan for governing the country. They responded to the moment and drafted our Constitution, which remains the oldest such written document in the world. They did so in order to form a more perfect union. The words resonate because they recognize that this experiment in freedom is a continuing struggle to translate the ideals of 1776 into the reality of today. Now it is our turn to respond to the moment. Times change, and what was accepted yesterday is abhorrent today as we wipe our eyes to see with greater clarity. For African Americans and others who have been denied justice and access to the American dream, change comes slowly. We must do better. The arc of the moral universe is long, Martin Luther King Jr. said, but it bends toward justice. However, it does not bend on its own accord. It bends by the collective will of a nation, acting in unity of purpose. It calls for a diverse people working together. Inscribed on the Great Seal of the United States is our national motto, E pluribus unum (out of many, one). Here in Accra, I can see that this is a sentiment that Ghanaians appreciate as well. Ghana has known its own divisions, yet time and again it has summoned the will to work together across ethnic lines, religious faiths, and political affiliation for the common good. We hear that message in the second stanza of Ghanas national anthem: To thee, we make our solemn vow: Steadfast to build together/A nation strong in unity. To all of you hearing this message today, I wish for you those three pillars of a democratic society: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. And let me add a fourth wish: That all of you will be champions for justice, active participants in your democracy, and unwavering voices in your commitment to the fullness of freedom for all people everywhere. God bless America. God bless Ghana. And a very Happy Fourth of July to you all. Artificial intelligence (AI) startup Inspektlabs has raised $600,000 in a pre-Series A round of funding from Better Capital, Titan Capital and the investment office of Snapdeal founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal along with a few angel investors. The US and New Delhi-based startup will utilise this funding for product development and to increase its offerings for insurance and automotive players across the globe. Founded by former McKinsey and Zomato employees, Devesh Trivedi and Sanchit in 2019, Inspektlabs solution is based on an inspection AI technology allowing firms to perform damage assessment, claim estimation, asset valuation, and fraud detection of physical assets using photos or videos. Customers can capture a 360 video of any asset (such as a car) using a smartphone and Inspektlabs API gets back with an inspection report. Currently, companies rely on a manual inspection process for insurance claims and renewals. These processes are expensive and also prone to frauds. With the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown, companies may find it difficult to get physical checks done. Inspektlabs has, so far, inspected a lakh cars in Japan, UK and India. As a response to COVID, Inspektlabs has also recently launched a new inspection product to ensure hygiene within cars. While the company is focusing on car inspections for now, its technology is also applicable for cellphone, hotel, property, bike, truck and ship inspections. Inspektlabs products have been designed and built from the ground-up to plug into this evolving paradigm of enterprise solutions. Our products currently reduce the cost of inspection by 98 percent and reduce the time required for inspections by 95 percent, co-Founder Trivedi said. Inspektlabs has built a library of five million damaged asset photos and videos that has universal applicability. The company has filed international patents for select damage categories and has already signed contracts with two major players, and has four other pilots running with automotive and insurance companies globally. In Allegheny County, where the state Health Department flagged an alarming spike in cases this week, 166 more positive cases of the virus were reported Saturday, 67 fewer than on the previous day. The spike prompted Allegheny County Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen to call for a one-week closure of bars, restaurants and casinos and the cancellation of activities involving more than 25 people. The order took effect Friday. Bogen also asked Allegheny County residents to stay home. Gold, the so-called safe haven, has seen tremendous demand globally as novel coronavirus hit economies hard and forced them to shut down for couple of months. As a result, monies or focus has been shifted to yellow metal from risky assets like equity. The gold prices gained 25 percent in the domestic market in the first half of CY20, the highest since 2011, which was much better compared to equity markets. The BSE Sensex and Nifty50 rose over 15 percent in 1HCY20. In fact, MCX Gold continued to rally for 7th consecutive month and the commodity hit an all-time high of Rs 48,982 per 10 gram. Can the yellow metal cross Rs 50,000? Gold has strength to cross Rs 50,000 per 10 gram, only if the second wave of coronavirus gets stronger, economies opt for another major lockdown and geo-political tensions spike, but given the further progress in vaccine, countries restricting lockdown to containment zones only instead of nationwides and the rally in equity markets, the yellow metal is unlikely to see Rs 50,000 mark in the short term, instead it may consolidate for some more time, experts feel. Gold & Silver Rates Jun 20, 2021 Gold Rate in Mumbai Jun 20, 2021 10g of 24K gold in Mumbai 47,220 47,220 10g of 22K gold in Mumbai 46,220 46,220 View more Silver Rate in Mumbai Jun 20, 2021 10g silver in Mumbai 740 740 1kg silver in Mumbai 74,000 74,000 View more Show "No, we dont expect it rally towards Rs 50,000/10 gram, instead we see a small reversal and some profit-booking may take place as risk appetite is picking up with nations easing the lockdown and governments and central banks providing stimulus to support economies," Rahul Gupta, Head of Research- Currency at Emkay Global Financial Services told Moneycontrol. He feels currently the recent high is acting as a crucial resistance and we may see small correction in prices till Rs 47,500/47,000. "RSI indicator is also hovering at around 88.8 which is in overbought position also indicates that there is space for gold prices to come down." Catch All Live Updates On Commodities Here According to him, if the ongoing geopolitical tensions around the globe or any negative news regarding coronavirus turn bad, then it will boost safe-haven demand for gold. "Once it crosses and sustains above Rs 49,000 then only Rs 49,750-50,600 is expected." Ravindra Rao, VP - Head Commodity Research at Kotak Securities also said currently, countries were imposing restrictive measures which are more localized in nature and this has kept market players hopeful that lockdowns may not take place. "However, this situation could change soon if the virus outbreak intensifies further. Overall, gold has enough ammunition to test fresh all-time highs but it may not come if equity markets continue to outperform." What are triggers to watch out for second half of CY20? Experts feel coronavirus will remain a big trigger behind the investors' focus which has slowly been shifting from risky assets to risk free assets as global economy is expected to shrink further in 2020, relations between US and China has not been seeing any chance of improvement etc. In addition, countries are expected to pump in more money to support economies which may ultimately drive the rally in gold only, they said. "COVID-19 will remain a major trigger as it is becoming difficult to curb its spread, so a quick vaccine news may change the whole scenario or the delay may further add pressure on the economies. Additional stimulus measures by central banks in coming days and months may devalue the currency and may support the gold prices. Riskier asset classes performance will also remain a major trigger in the next six months," Sunilkumar Katke, Head - Currency and Commodity at Axis Securities said. Rahul Gupta said especially during unprecedented times, investors around the world are seen shifting their investments to risk free assets such as government bonds, gold and so on, from riskier assets. "And the recent time is not different, there is a lot of uncertainty in the global economies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 has made the markets even more unpredictable and volatile in many respects. The coronavirus widespread has put global growth is in doldrums," he added. IMF has downgraded its global economic forecasts for 2020, and predicted a much deeper recession and slower recovery than originally expected. The fund forecast that global GDP will contract by 4.9 percent this year, from its previous estimate in April when it projected GDP to shrink by 3 percent. Meanwhile, the relations between US and China have soured badly in the months since the 'Phase one' trade deal was signed in January. "Other topics to be highly considered are the ongoing Brexit talks, which has yielded no progress. If the UK cannot agree an extension this month, or agree a trade deal with the European Union (EU) by the end of the year, the UK and EU will be facing the no-deal which has so badly influenced the pound in recent years, often triggering weakness and the sale of riskier assets," Rahul Gupta said. "Also, markets will start to pay more attention to the rapidly approaching US election," he added. : The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on Moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Gunapati Venkata Krishna Reddy, chairman of GVK Group. (Image: Forbes) In todays polarised world one regimes hero could turn out to be another regimes villain. Earlier this week, an FIR was filed against Gunapati Venkata Krishna Reddy, chairman of GVK Group, and his son Sanjay Reddy by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). GVK Reddy was awarded a Padma Bhushan by the previous government in 2011. This award is given for distinguished service of a high order by the President of India. The charges against GVK who runs Mumbai international airport through his company (and minority shareholder Airport Authority of India) is that he allegedly siphoned off funds through a variety of ways. This includes allegedly misusing the reserve funds of Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) of Rs 395 crore to finance GVK group companies. The expenditure of MIAL was also inflated by paying employees of other GVK companies not involved in the running of the airport. The total scam is alleged to be worth Rs 705 crore. It is too early to say whether the CBI FIR will get converted to a charge sheet; and even if it does, whether it will be enough to convict GVK and his son in a trial. But from where he had started GVK, 83, has had a sharp ascent in life. Dams to Airports A product of an agriculturist family from Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, GVK began his life as a small time contractor. It was the time when many including those from GVKs closely knit Reddy community were migrating to Hyderabad in search of more opportunities. Most of them were landowners and after earning money in farming had diversified to become small time contractors. Why to be contractors? This was because being a contractor involved handling the workers which was similar to supervising farm labour. It was the first decades after Independence and following Nehrus diktat that dams were the temples of modern India the Government of Andhra Pradesh began constructing the Nagarjunsagar dam, 150 km away from Hyderabad. GVK became a contractor in the construction of the huge dam where worked started in 1956 and completed only in 1970. He is said to have a made a fortune. Soon he settled in Hyderabad, which was then virtually taken over by migrants (rich, poor and middle class) from coastal Andhra. With considerable foresight, he bought large swathes of land in Hyderabad, which would become very valuable in the years to come. He also built a house for himself in Road Number 1 in Hyderabads Banjara Hills. He bought land and set up plush five star hotels and leased them first to the Oberoi group and then to the Taj group of hotels. GVK today owns four five -star hotels in Hyderabad; three of them are in Banjara Hills, an upscale neighbourhood. After the economy was opened up in the 1990s, he diversified into biosciences and set up power plants. None of these companies are in fine fettle. Power base for the Reddys Andhra Pradesh had for long been a Congress bastion and the main power base was the Reddy community. GVKs close relative T Subbarami Reddy (the latters daughter is married to Sanjay Reddy) was a minister in the Manmohan Singh government. When the Mumbai and Bengaluru airports were opened for modernisation and privatisation, GVK landed the contracts. The Delhi and Hyderabad airports were awarded to the GMR group, whose owners too are from Andhra Pradesh. When all the four airports were handed over to companies originating in Andhra Pradesh, there was a lot of consternation all around. Things came to a head many years later as the power equations changed in New Delhi and a new government came to power. GVK Group, whose experience before coming into airports was limited, eventually sold its stakes to the Toronto based Fairfax group, which incidentally is run by a Hyderabadi Prem Watsa. When contacted, a GVK spokesperson said when airports were privatised in 2006 no one had any experience of running an airport and yet GVK proved its mettle by building a world class facility at Mumbai airport. Even before its tango with CBI, the GVK was said to be facing problems in Mumbai airport. Conglomerate Adani Group purchased equity held by two South African companies named Bidvest and ACSA. However, Bidvest has now been barred from selling its stake by the Arbitral Tribunal. The Adanis, who have recently bought into the Ahmedabad Airport, are said to be keenly interested to buy into the controlling interest in Mumbai airport. GVK Group seems to be hemmed in for the time being. Thus the CBI FIR has come at an absolutely wrong time for them with none to bail them out for the time being. Though the CBI case has nothing to do with this directly, GVKs new project to build a new international airport in Navi Mumbai could also be adversely affected by this move. The group was awarded this project through its Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) in early 2018. CIDCO, the Maharashtra government agency partner that holds 26 percent of the equity in the new airport company, is to provide land for the project (1160 hectares). However, the land is yet to be handed. CIDCO, according to people familiar with the matter, is dragging its feet because it feels that GVK is in financial problem. There is no official confirmation of this. However, the financial closure of the project has happened and the EPC contract awarded to L&T Construction. Kingshuk Nag is a senior journalist based in Hyderabad. The views are personal. Moneycontrol News Intel Corp will invest Rs 1,894.5 crore in Jio Platforms in exchange for a 0.39 percent stake, the latest big-ticket investment in the digital unit of Reliance Industries (RIL). The American semiconductor giant is the second strategic investor after Facebook Inc in Jio, which runs movie, news and music apps as well as the telecom enterprise Jio Infocomm. The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals. The deal with Intel the 12th such investment in 11 weeks takes the total stake that Reliance sold in Jio Platforms to 25.09 percent. Mumbai-based RIL has now raised a combined Rs 117,588.45 crore from some of the worlds leading tech investors led by Facebook, which bought a 9.99 percent stake for Rs 43,574 crore on April 22. Also Read: Facebook buys 9.9% stake in Reliance Jio for Rs 43,574 crore in largest tech FDI The oil-to-telecom conglomerate has since sold stakes in Jio to global investors such as General Atlantic, KKR, Saudi sovereign wealth fund, Abu Dhabi state fund and Saudi Arabias PIF, one of the worlds largest sovereign wealth funds. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said, We are extremely delighted to deepen our ties with technology leaders that embody our vision of transforming India into a leading Digital Society in the world. Intel is a true industry leader, working towards creating world-changing technology and innovations. Intel Capital has an outstanding record of being a valuable partner for leading technology companies globally. We are therefore excited to work together with Intel to advance Indias capabilities in cutting-edge technologies that will empower all sectors of our economy and improve the quality of life of 1.3 billion Indians. Wendell Brooks, Intel Capital President, said, Jio Platforms focus on applying its impressive engineering capabilities to bring the power of low-cost digital services to India aligns with Intels purpose of delivering breakthrough technology that enriches lives. We believe digital access and data can transform business and society for the better. Through this investment, we are excited to help fuel digital transformation in India, where Intel maintains an important presence. PIFs investment on June 18 marked the end of Jio Platforms current phase of induction of financial partners, RIL then said.Intels investment through its investment arm Intel Capital comes at an equity valuation of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and enterprise valuation of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. Intel is the leader in the semiconductor industry, shaping the data-centric future with computing and communications technology that is the foundation of global innovations. Intel has operated in India for more than two decades and today employs thousands of employees there with state-of-the-art design facilities in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Intel Capital invests in innovative startups targeting artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, datacenter and cloud, 5G, next-generation compute and a wide range of other disruptive technologies. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested $12.9 billion in more than 1,582 companies worldwide, and 692 portfolio companies have gone public or participated in a merger. Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. Intel Corp has said that it will invest Rs 1,894.5 crore in Jio Platforms in exchange for a 0.39 percent stake, the latest big-ticket investment in the digital unit of Reliance Industries (RIL). The deal with Intel the 12th such investment in 11 weeks takes the total stake that Reliance sold in Jio Platforms to 25.09 percent. Mumbai-based RIL has now raised a combined Rs 117,588.45 crore from some of the worlds leading tech investors led by Facebook, which bought a 9.99 percent stake for Rs 43,574 crore on April 22. Also Read: Facebook buys 9.9% stake in Reliance Jio for Rs 43,574 crore in largest tech FDI It comes just a fortnight after an investments by PIF, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund announced an investment. PIFs investment on June 18 marked the end of Jio Platforms current phase of induction of financial partners, RIL then said. Intels investment through its investment arm Intel Capital comes at an equity valuation of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and enterprise valuation of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. This is Jio's twelfth deal in 11 weeks, following investments from Facebook Inc, General Atlantic, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, KKR and Mubadala Investment Company, ADIA, TPG Capital, L Catterton and PIF. Here's a summary of the twelve deals: Jio-Intel Deal Facebook-Jio deal The California-based company invested $5.7 billion (Rs 43,574 crore) into Jio Platforms for a 9.9 percent stake in the company. The transaction, announced on April 22, is the largest of the six investments. It was also Facebook's biggest bet since it acquired messaging platform WhatsApp in 2014. The deal also made Facebook the largest minority shareholder in Jio Platforms. Jio-Silver Lake deal Silver Lake Partners acquired a 1.15 percent stake in Jio Platforms for Rs 5,655.75 crore ($750 million). Jio-Vista deal Vista Equity Partners bought a 2.32 percent stake in Jio Platforms for Rs 11,367 crore. Jio-General Atlantic deal Private equity firm General Atlantic picked up a 1.34 percent stake in Jio Platforms for 6,598.38 crore. Jio-KKR deal KKR acquired a 2.32 percent stake in Jio Platforms for Rs 11,367 crore, similar to the deal made with Vista Equity Partners. Jio-Mubadala deal The deal with the Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investor, announced on June 5, valued Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. Facebook 's investment had valued Jio Platforms at a pre-money enterprise value of Rs 4.62 lakh crore ($65.95 billion). Jio-Silver Lake deal 2.0 Silver Lake will invest an additional Rs 4,546.8 crore in Jio Platforms for 0.93 percent stake. The aggregate investment by Silver Lake is now Rs 10,202.55 crore for a 2.08 percent stake in Jio Platforms. Jio-ADIA deal Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) will pump Rs 5,683.5 crore into Jio Platforms. ADIAs investment at an equity valuation of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and enterprise valuation of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. Jio-TPG Capital deal TPGs investment in Jio is Rs 4,546.80 crore for a 0.93 percent stake assigning it an equity valuation of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise valuation of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. Jio-L Catterton deal L Catterton will invest Rs 1,894.50 crore in exchange for a 0.39 percent stake in Jio Platforms, a record tenth investment in the Reliance Industries (RIL) digital unit in seven weeks. Jio-PIF deal Saudi Arabias PIF, one of the worlds largest sovereign wealth funds, will invest Rs 11,367 crore for 2.32 percent of Jio Platforms. The American semiconductor giant, Intel, said that it will invest Rs 1,894.5 crore in Jio Platforms for a 0.39 percent stake.Reliance Industries (RIL) is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has called a second meeting with e-commerce players such as Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal to discuss the modalities of displaying the origin of a product available for sale on these websites. The move comes in the wake of rising anti-China sentiments in the country. The meeting will again be chaired by joint secretary Ravinder, DPIIT said in an email to e-commerce companies. It will be held through a video conference on July 8, said the email, a copy of which was seen by Moneycontrol. Calls for the boycott of products made in China, Indias biggest trading partner, have only grown louder after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese troops in Ladakhs Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control. In the first meeting which was held on June 24, the e-commerce companies sought time to make the necessary technological changes needed to cater to this requirement. The e-tailers demanded the inclusion of some sellers in these meetings as they are the ones who list their products on e-commerce sites. So, the onus to display the origin will fall upon them. The government has already mandated its own online marketplace, GeM, to enter the country of origin while registering new products. Power Minister R K Singh on Friday said that India will not import power equipment from China, amid border standoff with China. During a virtual press conference with state counterparts, he also asserted that the equipment import from China and Pakistan would not be permitted especially on the basis of inspection. He further said state discoms should not give orders for supply of equipment to Chinese firms. "We manufacture everything here. India imported Rs 71,000 crore worth power equipment including Rs 21,000 crore from China," Singh said in the state energy ministers conference chaired by him this morning in his opening remarks. He said: "This (huge import of power equipment) is something we cannot tolerate that a country will transgress into our territory....we will not take anything from China and Pakistan." He further said, "we will not give permission for import from Prior Reference countries. We are affected. There could be malware or trojen horse in those (imports from China) which they can activate remotely (to cripple our power systems)." Representative Image The garment industry could suffer severe repercussions if Indias unofficial ban on Chinese imports continues. Items such as machines parts, buttons, sewing machines, metal accessories and spares are largely imported from the neighbour and manufacturers are awaiting consignments. Case in point: Garment hub Tirupur is dependent on China for 90 percent of crucial accessories such as sewing machines, fasteners, needle lapel pins, buttons and textiles, Raja Shanmugam, President of the Tirupur Exporter Association told The Economic Times. Shanmugam pointed out that tonnes of goods are stuck at entry points such as ports, and unless manufacturers are able to source alternatives from other markets within time and at a similar cost, the logjam could hurt the industry. "Pre-paid orders of around 500-600 containers are stuck at ports. Close to 15-20 percent of our export clients prefer procuring those accessories from China, for the sake of uniformity and price," Raja added. As per insiders, while alternatives for some items are available, others are made only in China. For example, textiles can be alternatively sourced from Turkey, Vietnam, Thailand or Taiwan; but machine spares are available only from China. The apparel sector, which exports for foreign brands are also up in arms as orders are being delayed sue to hold up of accessories at ports. One manufacturer said branding tags and materials, zippers and special buttons for international brands are among the items produced and shipped in from China, but these are now being held up. Pricing is also among the major factors. RK Hosiery's Roop Kumar told the paper, China is the cheapest. We are dependent on China from a small needle to fabric glues. He however, added that these materials can be produced in India with enormous support from the government." India launched an unofficial import ban on Chinese goods and products after soldiers from both countries clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, leading to the death of 20 Indian Army personnel. All items coming in from China are now subject to 100 percent manual checks by the Customs Department at points of entry such as ports and airports the exception being goods ordered by US and South Korean companies. Intel Corp has announced that it will invest Rs 1,894.5 crore in Jio Platforms for a 0.39 percent stake. This is the latest in a string of big-ticket investment in the digital unit of Reliance Industries (RIL). The deal with Intel the 12th such investment in 11 weeks takes the total stake that Reliance sold in Jio Platforms to 25.09 percent. Mumbai-based RIL has now raised a combined Rs 1,17,588.45 crore from some of the worlds leading tech investors led by Facebook, which bought a 9.99 percent stake for Rs 43,574 crore on April 22. Here is everything you need to know about Jio's latest investor Intel: > Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, in Silicon Valley. > It was founded on July 18, 1968, by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore (of Moore's law) both semiconductor pioneers. > The company's name is a combination of int from integrated and el from electronics. > It is the world's largest and highest valued semiconductor chip manufacturer based on revenue, and is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most personal computers (PCs). > Intel is the leader in the semiconductor industry, shaping the data-centric future with computing and communications technology that is the foundation of global innovations. > Bob Swan took over as the seventh CEO of the company on January 31, 2019. > Intel has operated in India for more than two decades and today employs thousands of employees there with state-of-the-art design facilities in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. > Intel Capital invests in innovative startups targeting artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, datacenter and cloud, 5G, next-generation compute and a wide range of other disruptive technologies. > Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested $12.9 billion in more than 1,582 companies worldwide, and 692 portfolio companies have gone public or participated in a merger. > The American semiconductor giant is the second strategic investor after Facebook Inc in Jio, which runs movie, news and music apps as well as the telecom enterprise Jio Infocomm. > The deal with Intel the 12th such investment in 11 weeks takes the total stake that Reliance sold in Jio Platforms to 25.09 percent. RIL is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments. Representative Image Though the Centre has allowed Indian companies to list directly in overseas markets, there are still many hurdles to be crossed. For one, the government will have to amend Section 23 of the Companies Act, 2013, and various approvals from the regulator and ministries are pending. Currently, Indian companies can list their shares through American Depository Receipts (ADR) and Global Depository Receipts (GDRs). While Depositary receipts allow investors to hold equity shares of foreign companies without the need to trade directly on a foreign market, under direct listing, companies incorporated in India can offer its ordinary shares to the foreign public without listing in Indian bourses. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has identified specific exchanges which are part of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). Some of them are the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. This can prove to be a thorn now. The government will now have to do a rethink, given the standoff between India and China at the border, a source told Moneycontrol. Lalit Kumar, Partner, J Sagar Associates, wonders why Singapore has been left out. It is a bit of a surprise why the regulator has not considered Singapore stock exchange, which is a significant market for both equity and debt, he told Moneycontrol. Two other issues that need to be sorted out are the investment options for Indian residents and listing at the International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) in Gujarat International Finance-Tec City (GIFT City) in Ahmedabad. If Indian residents are allowed to invest in shares sold overseas by Indian companies, people will be able to use the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), which allows $250,000 for investments, Arka Mookerjee, another Partner at J Sagar Associates, told Moneycontrol However, there is no clarity on whether Indian residents can invest in overseas exchanges. Also, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allows LRS only for individuals and not corporates. So regulations for corporates on this front will have to be addressed, he said. The IFSC has approached the Union finance ministry and Sebi for being considered as a foreign exchange. A source close to the development told Moneycontrol: The government treat IFSC as a foreign exchange in terms of the regulation framework laid by Sebi, RBI and the Ministry of Finance. Still, Sebi, in expert committee report, did not mention us as a foreign exchange. Anil Choudhary, Partner, Finsec Law Advisors, said: The authorities should make express rules to permit Indian companies to directly list on IFSC exchanges. The exchanges at GIFT are offshore exchanges and should be treated on a par with foreign exchanges and Indian companies should be able to access them. Divakar Vijayasarathy, founder & Managing Partner, DVS Advisors LLP, is hopeful. We expect new-age businesses, especially growth-stage tech companies, to lap up the opportunity. However, clarity is needed in Income Tax exemptions, FEMA compliances and Companies Act. The Indian stock exchanges will be up against tough competition from stock exchanges abroad and Sebi would be forced to reform exchange operations, he said. Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) regulations will need to be specifically amended, if resident shareholders are to be allowed to hold shares in offshore-listed Indian companies. NRIs, Persons of Indian Origin and Overseas Citizens of India are allowed to trade in and hold shares of offshore-listed Indian companies, he said. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More L&T Finance Holdings (LTFH) plans to raise up to Rs 2,000 crore by issuing preference shares through public offer or private placement, the non-banking finance company said in its annual report for FY2019-20. The company will seek shareholders' approval to the proposal at the annual general meeting (AGM) scheduled to take place on July 28 through audio/visual mode, the report said. The company said it will create, issue and allot 20 crore cumulative compulsorily redeemable non-convertible preference shares (preference shares), in one or more tranches, of the face value of Rs 100 each for cash at par or at premium aggregating to Rs 2,000 crore. The preference shares will allotted to various persons either through public offer or private placement, in one or more tranches. In an explanatory note on the fund mop-up plan, LTFH said the steady growth in the operations of the subsidiaries of the company has necessitated regular infusion of equity and tier I or tier II debt in its subsidiaries. "Being the holding company, the company would need to raise funds for such infusion. The company would also need funds for its working capital requirements including redemption of preference shares from time to time," the company said. In connection with this, approval of the members (shareholders) is sought for the issue of preference shares, it added. The company in its board meeting held in March this year had proposed amalgamation of L&T Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (LTIFC), L&T Housing Finance (LTHFC) and L&T Finance (LTFL) to create a single unified leading entity with appointed date of April 1, 2020, requisite regulatory approvals, it said in the report. The company is engaged in the business of rural finance (farm equipment, two-wheeler, micro-loans and consumer loans), housing finance and infrastructure finance through its various subsidiaries. It is also engaged in the non-lending business of investment management. LTFH Chairman Shailesh Haribhakti in his message to shareholders said that the key lesson from the coronavirus pandemic has been the need to re-strategise and adapt --at the organisation as well as individual levels. Acknowledging challenging times, he said the company was able to remain strong because of its robust business model. On the business post COVID-19, he said FY2021 will experience the impact of the contagious disease in the areas of demand pick-up, credit culture, repayment capacity and willingness to pay. "While we anticipate strong recoveries in rural India, there may be a slow pick-up in the real estate and infrastructure financing segment. Your company is further leveraging its technology infrastructure to strengthen its data analytics and increase collections," he said. Apart from doing stringent project monitoring, he said the company has also introduced tighter credit norms for fresh business disbursements and undertaken several cost-rationalisation measures for the overall enhancement of its business efficiencies. On company's preparation and safeguards against the pandemic impact, in line with the prudent provisioning norms, he said the "company created additional Covid-19 provisions of Rs 209 crore and also created enhanced expected credit loss provisions of Rs 105 crore". These provisions are in addition of Rs 350 crore which highlight the underlying strength of balance sheet, Haribhakti said. During 2019-20, the company posted a consolidated net profit Rs 1,700.17 crore as against Rs 2,226.30 crore in year ago fiscal. Total income was up at Rs 14,548.13 crore from Rs 13,301.52 crore in FY19. At Brookdale, the independent hospital, three doctors said that many patients on ventilators had to remain for days or weeks in understaffed wards because the intensive-care unit was full. Amid shortages in sedatives, some patients awoke from comas alone and, in a reflexive response, removed the tubes in their airways that were keeping them breathing. Alarms rang, and staff rushed to reintubate the patients. But they all eventually died, the doctors said. Strong companies across sectors will keep getting stronger. They will be able to gain market share and attract capital, Ashutosh Bhargava, Head Equity Research and Fund Manager, Nippon India Mutual Fund, says in an interview to MoneycontrolsKshitij Anand. Edited excerpts A) After the recent rally, the market looks fairly priced on an aggregate basis. As the economy opens up, we should continue to see a gradual recovery going into the year-end. As we move closer to FY21-end, the potential for more upside will open up as the market would start to see recovery beyond FY22. Post the sharp rebound, the market has priced in possible positives. Therefore, one cant rule out that the market cant consolidate hereon for a brief period after such strong recovery. A) Unprecedented. What we have witnessed in 1H20 is unprecedented. We saw a very sharp fall of around 40 percent and since then we have recovered 40 percent. This has been a truly humbling experience-- you were either a bull or a bear. This crisis is unique as its a bottom-up crisis. A health crisis morphed into a full-blown recession. This has never happened at this scale in such a short time. Then, the response from governments and central banks has not only been swift but gigantic. This monumental easing has led to unprecedented sharp recovery, which has equally caught everyone by surprise. As we move towards 2HCY20 the uncertainty remains high and the rest of the year should continue to be eventful. A) The easy money has been made in the last three months. Initially, the recovery was led by defensive like pharma but now in the last four to five weeks, it has broadened into beaten-down cyclical names. Some hope is back and positives are getting priced in after this sharp rebound. Hereon, investors would see more in terms of rotation between stocks and sectors rather than similar aggregate gains like we saw in the last three months. A lot will depend on what happens globally in terms of the second wave of infections, US elections, and the general pace of macro recovery. India has recovered in line with the US and other markets and the correlation is at all-time high this year. Therefore, the 2HCY20 outlook remains dependent as much on global factors as it will be on domestic factors. A) What we are witnessing is a combination of both large scale equity raising as well as buybacks/delisting by the corporates. There is more precautionary fund-raising by sector leaders than buybacks by others. It seems Corporate India wants to prepare itself for the contingency where the current crisis takes time to resolve and recovery remains more gradual than expected. Overall, the signals which we are getting from corporate actions are not consistent and slightly confusing. A) Strong companies across sectors will keep becoming stronger. They will be able to gain market share and attract capital. So, leaders in every small or big sector should be looked at for the next six months and even beyond. From the medium-term perspective, investors can keep in mind themes like import substitution, privatisation along with strong balance sheets companies. A) New investors should understand that returns come with risks. One should not get carried away with initial success in markets. Eventually, returns are a function of buying good growing businesses at a reasonable price. One should have proper long-term goals and diversify investments across asset classes and sectors, depending on the risk profile. A very strong emotional quotient and long-term orientation are key ingredients for success in the stock market. Young investors should have their expectations right and avoid short cuts. A) Given the uncertainties around the world and the kind of expansion of the global monetary base, it wont be a surprise if gold continues its dream run in the coming months. A) In terms of sectors, telecom, utilities, large financials, and pharma may continue to do well in the current environment. A) Since alpha generation, particularly in the large-cap space is getting difficult, a quant fund offers an interesting diversification option to investors. Typically, portfolios of quant funds tend to be different from average diversified funds in the market. Since investor awareness has significantly improved, the time may be right for such funds to attract informed investors. That said, its very early days for such funds in India. A) The rationale is to provide reasonable long-term returns with much-reduced volatility. It is a system driven approach where a model based on objective parameters like valuations and trend following performs asset allocation job. Since asset allocation is critical but not easy due to emotional factors, balanced advantage funds come as a good alternative. Particularly for conservative investors, balance advantage funds offer good potential for reasonable risk-adjusted returns. : The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Fabrics and garment major Raymond on Friday said it has appointed Amit Agarwal as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), replacing Sanjay Bahl who has relinquished his position. Agarwal, who was the CEO of Jindal Coated Steel Products Ltd prior to joining Raymond, assumed the new role with effect from July 2, the company said in a regulatory filing. He is a veteran CFO having worked with large corporations like Arcelor Mittal, Essar Steel, Suzlon and Jet Airways where he was the CFO and Acting CEO, it added. Agarwal joins Raymond at a crucial juncture when the business is witnessing tough market conditions due to COVID-19 impact and the group is also in the process of de-merger that would lead to two separate listed entities, the filing added. On the other hand, Bahl, who was the Raymond CFO for about five years will continue to be associated with the company as an advisor for six months to support the leadership team through the transition period, the company said. During his tenure Bahl was instrumental in steering the group through GST implementation, demonetisation and now COVID-19, it added. He also had significant contributions in facilitating the sale of a part of the company's Thane land and also strategising the demerger of the group's lifestyle business into a separate legal entity, the company said. PTI RKLANS . The Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has ruled that if a homebuyer decides not to take possession of an apartment, the builder can at best retain the earnest money but will have to refund the rest of the amount paid by the buyer. It also said that a one-year delay in completion of a housing project is reasonable and a buyer cannot seek refund on that ground. The NCDRC bench of Justice V K Jain was hearing a matter that concerned two senior citizens who had booked a flat for their son with Emaar MGF Land Limited worth Rs 1.68 crore and paid Rs 10 lakh at the time of booking it in 2013. They paid the builder an amount of over Rs 1 crore by taking a loan from HDFC but asked for a refund after the builder offered possession after a delay of 14 months in 2018. A provisional allotment letter dated February 27, 2013 was issued to the buyers followed by execution of agreement on April 15, 2013. As per the agreement the possession was to be delivered within 42 months from the start of construction and grace period of three months was also available to the builder. The payment was to be made in installments linked with the progress of the construction. Homebuyers had alleged that the terms of the buyers agreement were wholly one sided and they had taken a loan of Rs 1 crore from HDFC Bank for making payment to the builder for which tripartite agreement was also executed on March 30, 2015. The complainants paid an initial amount of Rs. 10 lacs to the builder for booking a residential flat allotted to them. The said amount being the initial deposit made by them would constitute earnest money despite definition to the contrary given in the buyer agreement executed between the parties. The builder, in my opinion, should deduct only a sum of Rs 10 lakh out of the total amount received by it in the complainants either directly or through OP number 2 and the balance amount be refunded along with interest with effect from 25.06.2017, the bench ruled. The complainants have taken substantial loans from HDFC Bank. The amount with the complainants had raised by way of loan from HDFC Bank should be refunded by the builder along with same interest which the complainants had paid to the said bank, the NCDRC order said. The interest on the balance amount if any contributed by the complainants, considering all the facts and circumstances of the case should carry interest at the rate of 10 per cent per annum, the order said. The homebuyers had said in their complaint that they were not interested in taking possession of the flat and had approached the consumer court to seek a refund of the amount paid by them to the builder along with interest and compensation. The flat was booked by them for their son, who seeing the failure of the builder to complete the timely construction, had left for overseas and they therefore did not require the flat any more. The builder had responded saying that possession had been offered to the buyers even before the institution of the consumer complaint and that the complainants had defaulted in taking possession by paying the balance amount due from them. The counsel appearing for the builder had submitted that the flat allotted to the complainants is still available with them and its possession can be given to the complainants on payment of the balance amount due from them. The builder also said that the occupancy certificate was obtained by him before offering possession to the buyers. The developer said that it was ready and willing to give possession on payment of the balance dues. The ground taken by the complainants for refusing to take possession of the flat does not seem to be justified, considering that the possession as per the agreement could be delivered by 11.08.2017, whereas the complainant number 3, according to the complainants number 1 and 2, left India way back in the year 2014. Therefore, the ground given by them for refusing to take possession does not seem to be justified, the consumer court ruled. As per the terms of the agreement, in a case where the buyer does not take possession after making the balance payment, the builder is entitled to deduct the earnest money as defined in the agreement as well as non-refundable advances and is liable to pay the balance amount, if any, without any interest, after selling the allotted flat, the court ruled. The Punjab government on Thursday said it would carry out drone-based mapping of 'abadi' (habitation) area in the rural parts of the state. Rural Development Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa said under this initiative, a detailed inventory of all kinds of properties within the 'Lal Dora' area of villages will be prepared. He said it will pave the way for giving ownership rights of properties falling under the 'Lal Dora' area of villages. 'Lal Dora' refers to land that is part of the village 'abadi' (habitation) and is used for non-agriculture purposes only. This will provide rural people with the right to document their residential properties so that they can use their property for economic purposes such as applying for loans, the minister said in an official statement here. This will also help in resolving property-related disputes, he further said. Once the inventory is completed, documents of ownership will be prepared and based on these documents, owners can take loans and other benefits. Seema Jain, Financial Commissioner (Rural Development), Punjab said this scheme SVAMITVA (Survey of villages and mapping with improvised technology in village areas) is a highly ambitious scheme which is being implemented in Punjab in collaboration with the Survey of India and the Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, the Government of India. SVAMITVA aims at providing an integrated property validation solution for rural India, engaging the latest drone surveying technology, for demarcating the inhabited land in rural areas, Jain said. A memorandum of understanding in this regard was signed by the Rural Development and Panchayats department, Punjab with the Survey of India here. US-based ride-hailing firm Uber is planning to cut costs by shifting engineering jobs to India, a report in The Information website has said. The news comes a few days after the company laid off more than 600 employees in the country as the coronavirus pandemic hit the business. During his first visit to India in 2018, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced the company's plans to boost its engineering presence, which has been reiterated on several occasions by the company. The sudden departure of Ubers chief technology officer Thuan Pham, who resisted Khosrowshahis push to move jobs to India, has revived the CEOs efforts, the report said, citing two employees of the firm. ALSO READ: Uber to double techies headcount in India to 1,000 COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Pham, who left in May, had on an earlier occasion told Khosrowshahi that if he wanted to go ahead with the plan, he could have to do to so with a different CTO, the report said. According to the report, Pham said hiring more engineers in India would mean accepting lower-quality candidates. Uber didn't immediately respond to Moneycontrols email seeking its comments. In 2018, Uber's tech team grew by 150 percent and the plan was to double it 2019, Apurva Dalal, head of engineering, Uber India, had said. The company, at that time, was believed to have more than 500 engineers in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. In India, Uber engineers work across areas such as customer engagement, rider access, Uber Eats, maps, marketplace and data platforms. The company also debuted Uber Lite in India for users with low internet bandwidth. This application was designed and built in India. "These teams can really look at the local requirements, understand and empathise with the users. It is an absolutely important investment for us and like Dara said, we are focussed heavily on growing the size of our teams over here because our model is working," Peter Deng, head of rider experience and Manik Gupta, vice president product, maps and marketplace, Uber, had told Moneycontrol. ByteDance, the parent company of short-video platform TikTok, might lose $6 billion after India banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, citing threats to national security. China's ByteDance owns three of the apps - TikTok, Helo and Vigo Video - on the list of 59 banned apps released by the Centre on June 29. Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) made the statement after rising border tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Also read: TikTok banned | Here's how the platform has fared in the country so far A source told China-based English daily Global Times that ByteDance has invested over $1 billion in the Indian market in the past few years, and might lose as much as $6 billion once business is halted in the country. This amount would exceed the potential losses of all the other apps combined. TikTok recorded 323 million downloads in India in 2019, and the country accounted for 44 percent of total TikTok app downloads. The app currently has 145 million monthly active users and a total of 200 million users in India. TikTok India might challenge the ban in court, a media report suggested. In a statement on June 30, the company said it will meet the government stakeholders to submit clarifications. Representative Image With each passing day, India's COVID-19 case tally continues to soar with over 6.25 cases of the infection recorded across the country till date. 18,213 people have lost their lives to the infection across India, which is the fourth most affected in the world. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Gujarat have reported the highest number of cases in India. Globally, over 1.07 crore cases of coronavirus infection have been recorded, with the death toll at over 5 lakh. Here are the top developments of the day: # The number of COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu has breached the 1-lakh mark, the state health department has said. After Maharashtra, it is the second state to have reported over lakh cases of the infection. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show # The United States reported more than 55,000 new COVID-19 cases on July 2, the largest daily increase any country has ever reported. A surge in coronavirus cases across the country over the past week has put President Donald Trump's handling of the crisis under the scanner. # Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd has reportedly received a nod from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for human clinical trials for its indigenously developed potential novel coronavirus vaccine. # An ICMR spokesperson confirmed the authenticity of a letter by ICMR Head that said the vaccine trials for Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin have been fast-tracked and that it could be launched latest by August 15. # Maharashtra is inching towards the 2-lakh mark as its coronavirus case count stands at 1,92,990 with the addition of 6,364 new patients, a fresh single-day high, the state health department said. # Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has further extended the suspension of international flights to and from India until July 31. # The European Commission said it had given conditional approval for the use of antiviral remdesivir in severe COVID-19 patients following an accelerated review process, making it the region's first therapy to be authorised to treat the virus. # Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi announced that he has tested positive for the coronavirus disease and quarantined himself. Taking to Twitter, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader said that this afternoon, he felt a slight fever and immediately quarantined himself at home. # Medical entrance exam NEET has been postponed to September 13 in view of COVID-19 pandemic, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal has announced. Besides, JEE-Mains is set to be conducted from September 1 to 6, while JEE-Advance has been postponed to September 27. 3 | NHS England in talks on rollout of potential COVID vaccine from December, says report: The National Health Service (NHS) is in talks with the British Medical Association (BMA) and others around mobilising the rollout of a potential COVID-19 vaccine from December, Pulse website for health professionals reported. >There is optimism around the first cohorts being given a vaccine in December but there is a 50/50 chance of the vaccine being available by that time, Pulse reported, citing a person close to the discussions. The India Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex medical research body, on July 2 wrote to 12 leading medical institutions instructing them to fast-track clinical trials of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine. The government has set a deadline of August 15 to launch the vaccine for public health use. ICMR and Bharat Biotech are jointly working on the preclinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine. "You have been chosen as clinical trial site of the BBV152 COVID Vaccine. In view of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic and urgency to launch the vaccine, you are strictly advised to fast track all approvals related to initiation of the clinical trial and ensure that the subject enrollment is initiated not later than July 7, 2020," ICMR Director-General Balram Bhargava said. Bhargava warned that non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show "Therefore, you are advised to treat this project on highest priority and meet the given timelines without a lapse," the letter added. The 12 clinical trial sites include some of India's premier public institutions such as All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS-New Delhi), AIIMS-Patna, Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) - Hyderabad, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) - Rohtak, King George Hospital (KGH) - Visakhapatnam, among others. This is the first indigenous vaccine being developed by India against COVID-19. As one of the top priority projects, the vaccine development programme is being monitored by the topmost level of the government. The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology in Pune. What is Bharat Biotech's role in COVID-19 vaccine development? The National Institute of Virology, which is part of ICMR, had isolated the SARS-CoV-2 strain from a patient and transferred it to Bharat Biotech for developing it into a vaccine. Bharat Biotech has grown the virus and inactivated it through a chemical process. The company started testing the vaccine on animals for safety and efficacy as part of pre-clinical studies. The company said it was able to accelerate the whole process of pre-clinical studies through expedited regulatory approvals. According to sources, ICMR had closely monitored the pre-clinical work. The results from these studies have been promising and showed extensive safety and effective immune responses, the company claims. The data hasn't been published yet. Bharat Biotech also announced early this week that it got the Drug Controller General of India's approval to test the vaccine on humans on Phase I and II human clinical trials. The clinical trial will be the responsibility of principal investigators appointed by the government and the protocols and data will be audited by independent agencies. The company's primary role is to supply the vaccine for clinical trials and prepare to roll out billions of doses once the vaccine is approved for public use. The company said it has the capacity to supply enough vaccine doses to meet the country's demand. Why did the government choose Bharat Biotech? There are several Indian vaccine makers, but what made the government to chose Bharat Biotech as the partner is intriguing. ICMR has been working closely with Bharat Biotech for years. It had earlier partnered with Bharat Biotech for Rotavirus and H1N1 vaccines. But that's not the only reason; what had prompted ICMR to choose Bharat Biotech could be that the vaccine would be manufactured at the firm's Bio-Safety Level-3 (BSL-3) containment facility located in Genome Valley in Hyderabad, say sources. Bharat Biotech had built India's biggest BSL-3 high-containment facility for manufacturing inactivated polio vaccine, which will now be used for COVID-19 vaccine. BSL-3 is appropriate for work involving microbes that can cause serious and potentially lethal diseases via the inhalation route. Experts say that an inactivated vaccine involving live SARS-CoV-2 should be produced only in a BSL-3 containment facility due to a high risk of contamination or inadvertent release. Other vaccine companies too can approach ICMR for the strain, if they are interested in developing the vaccine. Is the August 15 launch plan realistic? In normal circumstances, it isn't possible. The pre-clinical studies alone take a minimum of six months. But in view of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic, the government is fast-tracking approvals related to clinical trials. In fact, ICMR's letter says the subject enrollment has to be initiated no later than July 7. But experts told Moneycontrol that it is a difficult deadline despite the government's strong backing. Why the government is confident that the vaccine will work Clinical trial data is a critical factor in determining whether a vaccine works or not. Though experts say that inactivated vaccine is the established approach, some doubts were raised in March about the safety and efficacy of inactivated whole virus vaccine. Inactivated vaccines used against SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndromme) had led to poorly regulated inflammatory responses or cytokine storms where the immune system overreacts. Many vaccine companies have been adopting other safer approaches such as live-attenuated vaccine (that uses live but weakened virus), DNA and RNA-based vaccines, recombinant virus subunits (portions) and vaccines based on vectors. An inactivated vaccine requires booster doses because they offer protection for only a limited period. The data coming from animal and early human studies from Chinese vaccine companies Sinovac Biotech and Sinopharma that developed inactivated vaccines has been promising. Sinovac has tied up with Brazil's Instituto Butantan to run the vaccines phase 3. Brazil is the second-worst affected country with 1.5 million reported COVID-19 cases and close to 62,000 deaths. Maybe that data may have given the government confidence to fast-track the vaccine development programme. Representative image Bank unions have written to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to let employees of private, foreign and co-operative lenders commute by suburban trains, officials said on Friday. Official notifications had included only employees of nationalised banks to take the local train to work from July 1, excluding their other colleagues. In normal times, the local trains ply over 80 lakh passengers a day in crammed rakes, earning praise as 'lifeline of Mumbai'. The network, however, is allowing only limited passengers to board the trains due to the social distancing restrictions. "The rains have started in Mumbai from today and it is very necessary to allow employees to take the trains as commuting by vehicles becomes difficult," said an employee working for a private sector lender. There are limitations on carrying capacity for the buses run by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) and it takes a lot of time to wait for an empty bus, the employee said, adding there are many who stay over 50 kms away in places like Kalyan or Virar for whom private transport is expensive. Devidas Tuljapurkar, the convenor of the United Forum of Bank Unions said a distinction cannot be made between bank employees once a decision has been taken to allow the bank employees after duly recognising banking as an emergency service. He said employees of state-run lenders like Andhra Bank or Corporation Bank, which have got merged with bigger state-run lenders, are also facing problems. The mergers happened during the lockdown and the employees' i-cards are yet to be replaced, resulting in the problem. Tuljapurkar estimated that over 30,000 bank employees are left out because of the distinction and need to be accommodated. The UFBU has written to Thackeray to ensure that all the bank employees are allowed to board the trains without any distinction, stressing that services of all the bank employees are at par from a societal benefit perspective. It can be noted that the railways is running over 700 services a day on the suburban rail network and each of the trains is expected to carry 700 people as against an estimated 5,000 it transports during usual times. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The finance ministry on Friday said banks have disbursed Rs 52,255.53 crore loans under the Rs 3-lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for the MSME sector reeling under economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this is against the sanction of Rs 1.10 lakh crore under the 100 percent ECLGS for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) till July 1. The scheme is the biggest fiscal component of the Rs 20-lakh crore Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in May. The latest number on ECLGS, as released by the finance ministry, comprises disbursements by all 12 public sector banks (PSBs), 20 private sector banks and 9 non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). "As of July 1, the total amount sanctioned under the 100 percent Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme by #PSBs and private banks stands at Rs 1,10,343.77 crore, of which Rs 52,255.53 crore has already been disbursed," the finance minister said in a tweet. Under the 100 per cent ECLGS, the loan amounts sanctioned by PSBs increased to Rs 63,234.94 crore, of which Rs 33,349.13 crore has been disbursed as of July 1, she said. At the same time, private sector banks have sanctioned Rs 47,108.83 crore, while disbursed Rs 18,906.40 crore. "The June 30 update of the 100 percent ECLGS loans to #MSME hubs marks a substantial increase over the June 24 update in terms of the amounts sanctioned and disbursed, and the number of accounts benefiting from the Scheme," Sitharaman said. In another tweet, she said: "As of 30 June, #PSBs have sanctioned loans worth Rs 15,674.74 crore for 71 #MSME hubs in 27 States/UTs under the 100% Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme, of which Rs 9,074.04 crore has already been disbursed." Ahemdabad clustor has the highest sanction of Rs 1,910 crore, followed by Surat Rs 1,602 crore as on June 30. Market leader SBI has sanctioned Rs 20,281 crore and disbursed Rs 12,885 crore as on June 26. It is followed by Punjab National Bank with a sanction of Rs 7,957 crore, but disbursement was at Rs 2,404 crore as of July 1. Leading the state tally, business units of Maharashtra have got the highest cumulative sanction of Rs 6,578 crore from banks, while disbursement was to the tune of Rs 3,310 crore at the end of July 1. It is followed by Tamil Nadu with a sanction of Rs 6,390 crore, with disbursement of Rs 3,695 crore. On May 21, the Cabinet approved additional funding of up to Rs 3 lakh crore at a concessional rate of 9.25 per cent through ECLGS for the MSME sector. Under the scheme, 100 per cent guarantee coverage will be provided by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) for additional funding of up to Rs 3 lakh crore to eligible MSMEs and interested Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) borrowers, in the form of a guaranteed emergency credit line (GECL) facility. For this purpose, a corpus of Rs 41,600 crore was set up by the government, spread over the current and next three financial years. The scheme will be applicable to all loans sanctioned under GECL facility during the period from the date of announcement of the scheme to October 31 or till an amount of Rs 3 lakh crore is sanctioned under GECL, whichever is earlier. All MSME borrower accounts with an outstanding credit of up to Rs 25 crore as on February 29, which were less than or equal to 60 days past due as on that date, i.e., regular, SMA-0 and SMA-1 accounts, and with an annual turnover of up to Rs 100 crore, are eligible for GECL funding under the scheme. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here To ensure the sanctity of the ballots, observers from both parties would be allowed and the workers would be filmed. The work of preparing the ballots to be scanned slowed down operations during the primary and could prove disastrous in November if not corrected. Moul also wants to add a bar code to the ballot to make it easier for election officials to determine if someone voted. Alibaba (Source: Reuters) Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has since last week begun offering Indian traders signed with the platform discounts as a way to bring back engagement after India launched an informal ban on all Chinese goods and products and amid #BoycottChineseProducts calls on social media. The development was brought to notice by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). It seems like a policy to counter the Chinese products' ban in India, traders told The Economic Times. According to Nitin Kedia, national convener of CAIT and general secretary of the All India Jewellers and Goldsmiths Federation, Chinese suppliers have sent at least three to four mail daily since the last week, offering good discounts. If we do not reply to the emails then the discount is increased up to even 15 percent, he added. CAIT has rolled out a list of 500 Chinese goods and products that it will ban in a phased manner. The industry body also declared support for Made in India goods and urged government action on the same. Praveen Khandelwal, general secretary of CAIT, however, noted that an effective ban would only be possible if e-commerce platforms also comply. He added that e-commerce companies would very soon be unable to sell Chinese products as the government is working on a new e-commerce policy which will be out within a month. This new policy will create a level playing field for the whole retail ecosystem in the country," he added. Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ladakh amidst the ongoing stand-off between the Indian Army and China's PLA (People's Liberation Army), Beijing said negotiations are on between the two countries and no party should engage in any activity that could escalate the matter. India & China are in communication and negotiations on lowering the temperatures through military & diplomatic channels. No party should engage in any action that may escalate the situation at this point:Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on PM Modi's Ladakh visit pic.twitter.com/ZYGjGGIdt9 ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2020 Days after a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in East Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reached Leh where he interacted with personnel of the Army, Air Force and ITBP. Modi, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, reached Leh around 9.30 am. China also said artificial blocks to bilateral cooperation would harm India's interests and that the two countries should work together to uphold peace in the border region. "Beijing will take necessary measures to uphold the rights of Chinese businesses in India," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news briefing. Also Read | PM Modi in Ladakh: Here are the key highlights of his speech Paying tributes to the 20 Army men killed in a violent face-off with Chinese troops in east Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the bravery of the soldiers has sent a message about the strength of India. Addressing Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel during his surprise visit to Ladakh, he said India's resolve for 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) becomes stronger because their strong resolve. He told the personnel that their will power is as strong and firm as the Himalayas and the whole country is proud of them. (With agency inputs) Representative image The recommencement of commercial passenger flight services in a graded manner is unlikely to help the domestic aviation industry recover in the current financial year with domestic air traffic expected to shrink by 41-46 percent and international travel demand by a negative 67-72 percent YoY owing to COVID-19, a report said on Friday. The domestic passenger flight services restarted from May 25 after a two months hiatus due to the lockdown in the wake of coronavirus pandemic. The international operations, however, remained suspended since March 22 for similar reasons. The government on Friday extended the suspension of scheduled international flights till July 30. Coronavirus India News LIVE Updates It, however, said that some international scheduled routes may be permitted on a case-to-case basis. "As per our study, though restricted recommencement of domestic air traffic has begun, this will in no case help the industry to recover the lost ground in FY2021. However, H2 FY2021 will witness some recovery, with Q4 FY2021 witnessing a degrowth of just 3-14 percent YoY in domestic with improved passenger load factors (PLFs)," ratings agency ICRA said in the report. ICRA said it expects the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak to be more profound and long lasting on international travel compared to domestic travel, and "overall FY21 is expected to witness around 41-46 percent de-growth in domestic passenger traffic while the international passenger volume are likely to witness a significant de-growth of about 67-72 percent YoY." The international traffic may improve sequentially, with the March quarter of the fiscal likely to witness a de-growth of 30-40 percent YoY, it added. The domestic passenger traffic has gradually increased from 30,550 on Day 1 (of recommencement) with a peak of 72,583 on Day 21. Since then, the same has remained above 58,000 (till Day 37, which was June 30, 2020). "In the similar period, the number of flights departing has also gradually increased from 416 on Day 1 to 723 on Day 37, with a peak of 826 flights on June 22, 2020. However, this is significantly lower than the average daily departures of 2,882 flights in June 2019," said Kinjal Shah, Vice President, ICRA. According to Shah, the domestic airlines are operating at a lower capacity total 21,696 departures in June 2020, as against 86,456 departures in June 2019, resulting in a 74.9 percent reduction YoY in capacity deployment. For June, the domestic passenger traffic was 19.5 lakh, as against 119.9 lakh in June 2019, a de-growth of 83.7 percent over the year-ago period. The average number of passengers per flight during June was 90, as against an average of 139 passengers per flight in June last year, ICRA said. "Thus, it is estimated that the domestic aviation industry operated at a PLF of about 58 percent in June, as against 89.3 percent in June 2019, that too on a very low capacity. For May (25th to 31st), the first week domestic passenger traffic was 2.6 lakh, as against 115.6 lakh in May 2019, resulting in a YoY de-growth of 97.7 percent," she said. However, under the Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) for evacuation of Indian citizens from foreign shores, which started from May 7, the international passenger traffic (in-bound and outbound) has been 2,26,675 for the period between May 7 and June 30, which is a de-growth of 93.7 percent over May and June 2019, ICRA said. As for aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, following the pandemic outbreak, crude oil prices declined materially reached a low of around USD 19/ barrel in April, thereby leading to a decline in ATF prices, as per the ratings agency. However, crude oil prices have increased gradually since then, and currently ranges around USD 41/ barrel. Consequently, the ATF prices have also increased sequentially by 13.3 percent in June, and by 24.1 percent in July, it said. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here Representative image It felt like a dam breaking, or the changing of a guard. Within a 48-hour period this week, many of the worlds internet giants took steps that would have been unthinkable for them even months earlier. Reddit, which spent most of its life as a lawless free-for-all, banned thousands of forums for hate speech, including the largest pro-Trump forum on the internet. Twitch an Amazon-owned video-gaming platform not known for its political courage suspended President Donald Trumps official account for hateful conduct, while YouTube purged a handful of notorious racists and punished a popular creator with a history of problematic videos. Facebook, under pressure from a growing advertiser boycott, took down a network of violent anti-government insurrectionists who had set up shop on its platform. Taken independently, these changes might have felt incremental and isolated the kind of refereeing and line-drawing that happens every day on social media. But arriving all at once, it felt like something much bigger: a sign that the Wild Wild Web the tech industrys decade-long experiment in unregulated growth and laissez-faire platform governance is coming to an end. In its place, a new culture is taking shape that is more accountable, more self-aware and less wilfully naive than the one that came before it. You can glimpse this shift in the words of technologists like Steve Huffman, the Chief Executive of Reddit. He said he recently rejected one of the Wild Wild Webs core values the idea that private internet platforms exist to provide a forum for all ideas, no matter how toxic. When we started Reddit 15 years ago, we didnt ban things, Huffman told me in an interview this week. And it was easy, as it is for many young people, to make statements like that because, one, I had more rigid political beliefs and, two, I lacked perspective and real-world experience. Now, Huffman says he understands that some speech hate, harassment, bullying prevents others from speaking, and that a no-limits platform culture often empowers those least committed to civil conversation. Its a position that reflects a more mature understanding of the dynamics of online communities, and the many ways a powerful platforms inaction can be weaponised. I dont mean to suggest that Reddit, or any other tech company, has fully matured, or fixed its problems overnight. (Some companies may be beyond reform, in fact.) But the world is changing, and the tech industry is being forced to change along with it. A tech monoculture that once celebrated its recklessness and irreverence move fast and break things! is being pushed aside by a younger and more politically conscious generation of tech workers who actually want their companies products to reflect their values. Lawmakers and activists have realised the tech industrys influence, and they are finding points of leverage to force much-needed reforms. Users are savvier, too, and a generation of young people who grew up on the Wild Wild Web are demanding new rules and more attentive referees. Its hard to define the Wild Wild Web exactly, or say precisely when it began. I usually mark it as starting in September 2006, when Facebook opened its doors beyond college students and introduced a new feature called the News Feed a home screen that showed each user a personalised, dynamic list of their friends activities. That kind of feed curated by an algorithm and designed for virality and addiction coupled with Facebooks increasingly unmanageable scale created the perfect environment for misbehaviour, and became the template for nearly every successful internet company of the 2010s. More recently, the hallmark of the Wild Wild Web became a kind of shoot-first, aim-later approach to corporate strategy. Terms like permissionless innovation and blitzscaling entered the tech lexicon, and companies used lofty mission statements to paper over their more craven aspirations for dominance and profit. When things went wrong privacy scandals, legal missteps, the occasional genocide an apology and a five-point plan to do better next time usually sufficed. The Wild Wild Web hasnt been all bad. Expanded access to information and convenience, the dismantling of problematic and exclusionary gatekeepers and a decade-plus of economic growth have all been all positive results. But every benefit has come with costs. The same tools that produced personalised recommendations, engagement-optimised feeds and the Internet of Things also produced political polarisation, viral misinformation and pervasive surveillance. The internet giants unwillingness to make rules (and then, later, their inability to enforce them) empowered a generation of bigots and media manipulators who are now among our most influential public figures. Just like the California gold rush, the Wild Wild Web started an enormous accumulation of personal and corporate power, transforming our social order overnight. Power shifted from the czars of government and the creaky moguls of the Fortune 500 to the engineers who built the machines and the executives who gave them their marching orders. These people were not prepared to run empires, and most of them deflected their newfound responsibility, or pretended to be less powerful than they were. Few were willing to question the 2010s Silicon Valley orthodoxy that connection was a de facto good, even as counter-evidence piled up. There are still some stubborn holdouts. (Facebook, in particular, still appears attached to the narrative that social media simply reflects offline society, rather than driving it.) But among the public, there is no more mistaking Goliaths for Davids. The secret of the tech industrys influence is out, and the critics who have been begging tech leaders to take more responsibility for their creations are finally being heard. Its hard to say what caused this change. Joan Donovan, a research director at Harvard Kennedy Schools Shorenstein Centre, wrote in Wired that the coronavirus pandemic had helped platform leaders locate their spines by raising the stakes of inaction. Not so long ago, before the pandemic hit, each platform would only tend to its specific user base, keeping up with a triple bottom line by balancing profits with social and environmental impact, Donovan wrote. Now, having witnessed the terrifying results of unchecked medical misinformation, the same companies understand the importance of ensuring access to timely, local, and relevant facts. The nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, and the calls for racial justice they have inspired, also helped empower rank-and-file tech employees to demand more from their bosses. Two weeks ago, after I wrote that Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were undermining the fight for racial justice, even as their leaders publicly proclaimed support for it, I got dozens of messages from tech employees who were frustrated with their own companies hypocrisy. Other motivations may be more practical. Regulators and lawmakers, especially Democrats, are eager to cut Silicon Valley down to size, and some US tech companies may be hedging their bets in case Trump loses his re-election bid in November. The end of the Wild Wild Web may not be all positive, either. The next phase of the internet is likely to be more Balkanised, as countries like China and India tighten their digital borders. Increased scrutiny of social media platforms in the United States may cause them to splinter along ideological lines, in ways that will increase polarisation and civic unrest. There is no guarantee that the new rules will be fairly applied, or that the new algorithms wont end up supporting some other form of anti-social behaviour. But there is no turning back. The people who build transformative technologies can no longer credibly claim that their creations are just tools, any more than Supreme Court justices can claim that their opinions are just words. Governments that once embraced innovation as an unalloyed good like India, which this week banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese-owned apps to protect its sovereignty and integrity now recognise, correctly, that letting someone else build your apps is tantamount to letting them shape your society. Users, too, are ready to live in a more responsible internet. They understand that there are drawbacks to lawlessness, and that scale is no excuse for negligence. To the people who loved the Wild Wild Web and, for a time, I was one of them the coming wave of change may feel like the bittersweet end of an era. There was something romantic and thrilling about the idea of a digital realm that carried none of the baggage of the physical world, that played by different rules and obeyed different authorities. But the internet is no longer a world distinct and apart from the physical world. We all live online, and its long past time for the world on our screens to be managed as thoughtfully, and with as much accountability, as our roads and schools and hospitals. The Wild Wild Web may be over, but the real building has just begun. c.2020 The New York Times Company Representative image The death of a father and son, due to alleged police brutalities, led to massive public outcry in Tamil Nadu and across India this week. News of P Jayaraj (62) and J Fenix (32)s death in police custody in Tamil Nadus Thoothukudi district spread like wildfire on social media and was quickly picked up by national media. This soon evolved into a national conversation not only about their death, but also about the larger issues of police brutality and custodial deaths in the country. Their death triggered a furore demanding justice for the father-son duo. Several politicians and celebrities also came forward and spoke against police brutality. Referring to the case, the Indian Police Service (IPS) Association condemned "acts of violence against citizens in police custody". "We exhort the investigation agencies to investigate the case of Tuticorin district expeditiously and fairly," the association's handle tweeted. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said: Police brutality is a terrible crime. Its a tragedy when our protectors turn into oppressors. I offer my condolences to the family of the victims and appeal to the government to ensure justice. Striking a visibly angry pose, actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth described the incident as "brutal killing" and expressed shock over the 'inappropriate behaviour' of some police officers. "#sathyama vidave koodathu (this should not be spared at any cost,)," the actor said in a tweet in Tamil. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on July 1, said it has issued notices to the DGP of Tamil Nadu and SP of Thoothukudi district regarding the matter. NHRC also said in a tweet that it has sought a report from the police officers, which has to "include inquest report, post-mortem examination report, medical treatment record, magisterial inquiry report and health screening report of both victims, within six weeks". The case On June 19, Fenix was in his mobile phone shop near the Kamarajar statue in Sathankulam town, Thoothukudi (erstwhile Tuticorin) when his friend informed him that his father Jayaraj had been picked up by the police. The 32-year-old rushed to the Sathankulam police station where he was called in by police officers for an inquiry. On June 21, they were remanded in judicial custody and lodged in Kovilpatti jail in the town. According to initial claims by the police, Jayaraj had allegedly made critical remarks against the cops for insisting that shops should shut in accordance with lockdown rules in place to help curb the novel coronavirus outbreak. The two were booked under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 353 (use of force to deter public servant from duty) 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 506(2) (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). On June 23, Fenixs family and friends were informed by the police that the father and son had died at the Kovilpatti Government Hospital. The hospital is around 100 kilometres from Sathankulam. The victims' family members claimed that they had no knowledge of their arrests until then. Their family claimed that the father and son were brutally thrashed and subjected to extreme torture by police personnel while in custody. Due to continuous bleeding and severe external and internal injuries from alleged police torture, Fenix had died late evening on June 22. His father had died in the early hours of June 23. A government doctors report also confirmed that the two had suffered multiple injuries. The doctor, who was attached to the Kovilpatti Government Hospital, was summoned to examine the detainees on June 20; he reported that both the father and the son had sustained injuries in the gluteal region. The doctor added that Fenix had also suffered an injury on his right knee. Witnessed claimed that they were bleeding and were also sodomised. Amid rising public furore, the police registered cases of suspicious deaths. On June 25, a Madurai bench of the Madras High Court instructed Tamil Nadu police to inform the public about the suo motu cognisance the court had taken over the matter. The Judicial Magistrate probing the deaths had earlier informed the High Court bench that police personnel at the Sathankulam station did not cooperate with him, even as one of the constables made disparaging remarks against him. Another policeman had allegedly displayed "intimidating, macho body language". On June 30, the High Court directed Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID)s Tirunelveli DSP Anil Kumar to probe the matter although the state government had transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Subsequently, Inspector Sridhar, sub Inspectors Raghu Ganesh and Balakrishnan and constable Murugan were arrested by the CB-CID. The case is now being pegged as Indias own George Floyd moment. Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American, was handcuffed and pinned to the ground in Minneapolis, United States by a white police officer who kneeled on his neck as he gasped for breath. His death on May 25 had triggered violent protests across the US, leading to the death of at least five persons, arrest of over 4,000 people and damage to property worth billions of dollars. Jayaraj and Fenixs custodial death is not the first incident of its kind in India. Thousands of cases have been reported in the last decade alone. Yet, the conviction rate remains low. Indias history with custodial death and police brutality In March 2018, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) while replying to a question informed the Rajya Sabha that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had registered total 1,674 cases of custodial deaths between April 1, 2017 and February 28, 2018. This included 1,530 deaths in judicial custody and 144 deaths in police custody. As many as 1,674 deaths in 334 days would translate to more than five deaths in custody per day. The highest number of custodial deaths during the above mentioned period took place in Uttar Pradesh (374), followed by Maharashtra (137), West Bengal (132), Punjab (128), Madhya Pradesh (113), Bihar (109), Rajasthan (89) and Tamil Nadu (76). As many as 61 such deaths were reported in Gujarat, followed by Odisha (56), Jharkhand (55), Chhattisgarh (54), Haryana (48), Delhi (47), Assam (37), Andhra Pradesh (35), Uttarakhand and Telangana (17 each), Karnataka (15), Himachal Pradesh (8), Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura (6 each), Jammu & Kashmir and Meghalaya (4 each) and Mizoram (3). Two such deaths were reported each in Manipur, Chandigarh, Sikkim and Nagaland. According to MHAs response, there were no custodial deaths reported in Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Andaman & Nicobar, Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep and Puducherry during this period. However, there is seemingly another layer to police brutality in India. According to the Status of Policing in India report published by Common Cause and CSDS in 2019, 50 percent police personnel have a bias against Muslims and think they are more likely to committing acts of violence. How often are the accused punished? (Image: News18 Creative) The report adds that of the 1,731 people killed in custody in year 2019, 60 percent of the victims belonged to marginalised communities such as Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis/tribals, non-literate and the poor. Moreover, India has not ratified the United Nations' Convention against Torture which aims to prevent torture and other acts of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. What the law says According to the law, the police must take those arrested for medical examination. A doctor is required to list any pre-existing injuries as new wounds are evidence of custodial abuse. Any person who gets arrested must be produced before a Magistrate within 24 hours. The magistrate needs to inspect documents and ensure the suspects well-being by questioning them. According to a Live Law report, the magistrate did not notice Jayaraj and Fenixs wounds as the Magistrate reportedly examined the duo in dim light inside the police vehicle. Further, the Magistrate reportedly transferred them to judicial custody even though the law states that people should only be detained for offenses punishable by up to seven years in prison, when it is necessary. The way forward In 2006, the Supreme Court of India, in the Prakash Singh vs Union of India case, had directed states to establish Police Complaints Authorities at both the state and the district levels. According to the apex court, recommendations of these authorities against police personnel would be binding. The court also said the National Police Commission (NPC) had dealt with modalities for inquiries into complaints of police misconduct in its first report in 1979. However, the recommendations made across multiple NPC reports had not been implemented. The top court said that this had forced it to issue binding directions till required legislations were passed by states. Convictions in such cases (Image: News18 Creative) A study by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) published in 2018 had showed that only 18 states had passed new Police Acts since SCs 2006 directive. While others had issued orders or notifications, none of them had incorporated them in full conformity with the Courts scheme. Human Rights Watch, international non-governmental organization which conducts research and advocacy on human rights, has recommended stricter enforce existing laws regarding arrest and detention. The organisation also recommends implementation of Supreme Courts DK Basu judgements which pertain particularly to recording detentions, informing families, producing suspects before magistrates and carrying out medical examinations. HRW has urged that police officers found guilty of torture and other ill-treatments should be disciplined or prosecuted when required, ratification of the Convention against Torture and incorporation of its provisions into Indias law. Parliament had earlier considered The Prevention of Torture Bill (2017) to provide punishment for torture inflicted by public servants or by any person inflicting torture with the consent or acquiescence of any public servant and related matters. According to the draft bill suggested that punishment for such offences would be imprisonment for a term not less than three years, but extendable to 10 years and a penalty. However, the Bill lapsed with the 16th Lok Sabha dissolved in 2019. Since the Jayaraj-Fenix case came to light, the Tamil Nadu Police removed over 80 police officers in the Trichy range for want of "interpersonal skills" while dealing with the public. "We are removing 80 police personnel in Trichy police range who need behavioural correction to improve their interpersonal skills. They are taken off duties involving direct public contact as their track record in that aspect is found wanting," Deputy Inspector General of Police (Trichy Range) V Balakrishnan said in a Facebook post. The DIG added that they would be gradually reintegrated into regular duties only after completing a specially designed course with CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) that would involve a component to improve the way they deal with the public". Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a veiled swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 3 over Chinese intrusions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), saying that while Ladakhis claim that China has taken their land, the PM states otherwise and someone is 'lying'. Ladakhis say: China took our land. PM says: Nobody took our land. Obviously, someone is lying. pic.twitter.com/kWNQQhjlY7 Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 3, 2020 "Ladakhis say: China took our land. PM says: Nobody took our land. Obviously, someone is lying," he wrote on a Twitter. Gandhi also shared the voices of some Ladakhis in a video alleging that the Chinese have occupied Indian territory in Ladakh. The former Congress chief's dig came on a day when Modi visited Nimu, a forward location in Leh to interact with the personnel of the Army, Air Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), days after a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh. Accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, the prime minister reached Leh around 9.30 am, sources said, adding that Modi was briefed by senior Army officers. Gandhi has accused the prime minister of "surrendering" Indian land to China and "lying" on the border standoff issue. Indian Parliament The Lok Sabha Secretariat on Friday issued guidelines on holding meetings of parliamentary standing committees with the physical presence of members in Parliament House with some restrictions, as the government explores the possibility of convening the monsson session in August-end or September amid the coronavirus pandemic. In view of the COVID-19 outbreak, chairpersons of various panels had requested both Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu for holding virtual meetings, but were not granted permission. In its guidelines, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said, "With further relaxations in the lockdown made with effect from July 1, the sittings of the parliamentary committees can now be held while observing some restrictions." The secretariat has instructed that seating arrangement in the committee room may be made strictly adhering to the social distancing norm of six feet. Arrangements should be made for sanitiser at the entrance of the committee room. No printed material should be used for the purpose of sitting and all documents related to the sitting should be sent to the members in soft form, the Lok Sabha secretariat said, adding that the ministry/department appearing for the evidence before the panel is advised against bringing any material, including annual reports or bags for the members. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show "Ministry/Departments appearing before the committee may be advised to restrict the number of officials to a maximum of five," the notification reads. In case a ministry is compelled to bring more officials, arrangements may be made for their sitting in the lobby, it said. The secretariat has also restricted the entry of its officials for verbatim recording of the standing committees meetings and has rather instructed to make arrangements for audio recording of the meetings. Sources said meetings of parliamentary committee is an exercise to make Parliament ready for holding the monsoon session with physical presence of members. They further said both Birla and Naidu have held several rounds of discussions on how to hold the monsoon session amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The government is exploring the possibility of holding the monsoon session of parliament starting from last week of August or first week of September with the physical presence of members during proceedings, sources said on Wednesday. However, sources said in the wake of rising cases of coronavirus nothing has been finalised yet and it is will be difficult to specify how the session will be held while adhering to social distancing norms. Parliament stopped functioning on March 23 after the budget session was adjourned sine die prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It resumed functioning this week with a meeting of the Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Parliament Annexe. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP president Sharad Pawar on Friday held a meeting here over the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the state and others issues. The hour-long meeting took place amid reports that some ministers from the NCP and the Congress, constituents of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) dispensation, being unhappy over the chief minister taking decisions without taking them into confidence. The three parties with different ideologies had joined hands to form the government after the Assembly election held last year. "The two leaders keep meeting to discuss the current affairs relating to the state, particularly the situation triggered by COVID-19. They held a meeting today. There is no bickering within the MVA," sources in the NCP said. On June 29, the Maharashtra government had extended the coronavirus-triggered lockdown till July 31 without providing any further relaxations amid mounting cases of COVID-19 in the state. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show The NCP has been insisting that economic activities be resumed in a staggered manner in those parts of the state that have not been affected much by the COVID-19 crisis, to bring the economy back on track. Maharashtra has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country till now. Some of the municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, like Thane and Mira Bhayandar, have even announced lockdown in their jurisdictions due to the rising cases. File image JEE Main 2020 and NEET 2020 exam dates have been postponed, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokriyal has said ending the suspense for lakhs of aspirants. JEE Main 2020 examination will now be held between September 1 to 6, while JEE advanced exam will be held on September 27. NEET 2020 exam date has been fixed for September 13, Pokhriyal announced. Keeping in mind the safety of students and to ensure quality education we have decided to postpone #JEE & #NEET examinations. JEE Main examination will be held between 1st-6th Sept, JEE advanced exam will be held on 27th Sept & NEET examination will be held on 13th Sept. pic.twitter.com/klTjtBxvuw Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) July 3, 2020 The postponement is keeping in mind the safety of the students, he said, adding, this will relieve students and give them a chance to be more at ease while preparing for the exams. The revision in JEE Main 2020, NEET 2020 exam dates is based on recommendations of a panel set up on July 2 to review the situation for conducting the examinations, Pokhriyal said. Also Read: JEE Main 2020, NEET 2020 postponed: New dates The National Testing Academy (NTA) has been flooded with requests from aspirants and their parents seeking clarity on NEET exam date 2020 and for JEE Main 2020 news. As of now, the medical National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test exam NEET 2020 is scheduled for July 26 and engineering Joint Entrance Examination JEE Main 2020 is slated to be held from July 18 to 23. Meanwhile, many have started speculating on the ministry's decision and started posting messages across social media platforms suggesting the JEE Main 2020 and NEET 2020 exam dates have been postponed. However, there is no such official confirmation yet. It is advisable that students and parents await an official confirmation from the HRD Ministry on the matter later today. Students have been signing online petitions and holding Twitter campaigns requesting the government to postpone the engineering and medical entrance exams after CBSE, ICSE and many other exams got cancelled. There have been reports about parents of aspiring doctors and engineers writing to the examination council seeking to postpone NEET 2020 and JEE Mains 2020 in the wake of lockdown extension in several states. India Wide Parents Association reportedly even wrote to the HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank citing reasons why they believe the examinations should be postponed. This doesnt affect the lives of only students, it will have a direct impact on the health and safety of the whole nation considering the nature of the Coronavirus, the letter reportedly read. "Assuming that they (the students) have seats in Vande Bharat Mission flights, the students will be exposed to COVID-19 risks as also they would have to undergo quarantine on their arrival in India," the petition filed by the parents said. The postponement of the JEE Main 2020 and NEET 2020 exam dates then students could mean delays in admissions into higher education institutions and the onset of the first-year classes. Also, students aspiring to get entry into the Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) will be particularly impacted as JEE Main 2020 postponement will push back the dates of JEE Advanced. Students need to clear both the exams to get into the IITs. Also Read: JEE Main 2020, NEET 2020: All you need to know There were also reports suggesting nearly 4,000 JEE, NEET 2020 aspirants from the Gulf moved the Supreme Court on July 2 seeking either postponement of NEET 2020 exam date or set up of direct National Test centres in the Gulf. Over 15 lakh applications have reportedly been received for NEET 2020 examinations held to shortlist undergraduate medical and BDS courses. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing soldiers in Nimmoo, Ladakh, said their bravery has sent a message to the world about Indias strength. "The bravery that you and your compatriots showed, a message has gone to the world about Indias strength," the prime minister said. "Your courage is higher than the heights where you are posted today," PM Modi added. "Age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development. History is witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back," the prime minister said during his address. "We are the same people who pray to the flute-playing Lord Krishna but we are also the same people who idolise and follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the 'Sudarshana Chakra'," PM Modi said. Paying tributes to the soldiers killed in action during the face-off with China in Galwan Valley on June 15, the prime minister said that the bravery of "14 Corps will be talked about everywhere". "Tales of your bravery and valour are echoing in every house in the country," PM Modi said, adding that the enemies of 'Bharat Mata' have seen the soldiers' "fire and fury". "Those who are weak can never initiate peace, bravery is a pre-requisite for peace," PM Modi said, adding irrespective of World Wars or peace, "the world has seen the victory of our braves and their efforts towards peace" whenever the need arises. "We have worked for the betterment of humanity," PM Modi said. Earlier today, PM Modi reached Leh early morning to review security situation and meet soldiers serving at the LAC. The prime minister's visit comes amid India's growing tensions with China and Chinese troops movement at the LAC in the past few months that led to a clash between the two countries' armies leading to fatalities on both sides. Residents who participated in a Wednesday planning commission meeting via Zoom said they are vehemently opposed to the proposal, and expressed concerns over potential health impacts of dust particle transmission, draw-downs on their wells, and depreciation of the value of their homes. Representative image Dharavi, long and unfairly condemned as one of Mumbais sore spots, has thrown a surprise during this extremely challenging COVID-19 time. At the end of a difficult and tense April-to-June quarter, the number of positive cases declined, doubling rate of infections vastly improved, and the dreaded Coronavirus curve flattened. For once, Dharavi found itself in the good news section. On April 1, when Dharavi recorded its first COVID-19 case and death, it seemed that cases would explode given its lack of sanitary facilities and super-high density which made social distancing impossible. The grim scenario of rapidly rising cases and deaths each day since then turned last month leaving Dharavi better off than most of Mumbai, though the battle against the virus is far from over. On July 1, there were 2,282 cases barely three percent of Mumbais total and nearly 80 deaths here in the worlds most dense urban settlement of nearly a million people packed into a maze of tiny, tightly-packed tenements, commercial spaces, narrow alleys and common washrooms. Its worthwhile to unpack the strategies that succeeded in Dharavi. They not only reveal much about the settlement, but also hold lessons for rest of Mumbai, indeed the country. Like Dharavi, Worli too beat back the virus, but Dharavi stands out given its accentuating conditions. What worked here was a combination of strategies which turned its worst liabilities high population density, lack of space into allies in the battle against COVID-19. This was done by testing maximum people in shortest time, laying emphasis on test-trace-isolate cycle at the micro level, and the unlikely partnerships between State and non-State agencies. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show It began with the approach, that Assistant Municipal Commissioner Kiran Dighavkar told the media, was to chase down the virus rather than wait for people to report it. Area officials divided this COVID-19 hotspot into zones that would allow for micro-management, and marked out clusters within each zone. First, teams of doctors and health workers drawn from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and state government identified local influential leaders, community organisations, and NGOs they could work with to access the area and residents. General practitioners were persuaded to open their clinics unlike in rest of Mumbai where most remained shut through summer. These partnerships paid off. The official COVID-warrior teams were not seen as outsiders enforcing impossible rules and restrictions. Second, the teams were assigned clusters and zones to assiduously and aggressively conduct the testing-and-tracing drill. Residents with symptoms were isolated or quarantined, and subjected to a rigorous follow-up. This drew heavily from the Kerala model of tackling COVID-19, but had to be adapted to Dharavi on three counts higher density, urban lower-class setting, and poorer public health infrastructure. Week after week, nearly 2,500 doctors and healthcare workers of Mumbais over-burdened public health system made their way across Dharavis narrow alleys in their stuffy PPE suits knocking on door after door, paying particular attention to houses or workspaces in the vicinity of positive cases. It was test-trace-isolate-repeat. Third, the BMC set up makeshift fever clinics and medical camps, the latter often a table covered with a garish table-cloth and a few chairs. Nervous or diffident residents were persuaded to head there. They were checked and re-checked with thermal scanners and oximeters. Anyone with even a hint of symptoms would be sent for lab tests and quarantined. Fourth, even as LTMG or Sion Hospital, among Mumbais largest but packed public hospitals, made space for patients from nearby Dharavi, the BMC converted large community centres, schools and colleges, wedding venues into quarantine centres where nearly 10,000 people were placed. Additionally, some were in home quarantine and supplied food rations. Dharavis biggest asset is peoples confidence to tackle any situation, Bhau Korde, among the areas oldest community leader, always says. The fear of the virus was greater than its threat and this was addressed through ground-level collaboration between officials and local leaders. Along with the health crisis, a humanitarian crisis was unfolding as multiple businesses across Dharavi came to a standstill leaving tens of thousands without work and wage. The battle against COVID-19 had to factor in this too and reach food or dry ration to them. Eventually, nearly 100,000 migrant workers left. The battle has extracted its price. More than 30 officials criss-crossing the area have tested positive for COVID-19. The coming months of monsoon and possible flooding could make things worse, but for now theres reprieve. Dharavi has shown that irrespective of aggravating circumstances, its possible to considerably slow down or pause the virus transmission by literally chasing it down, with micro-mapping and local collaborations. Call it the Dharavi Model. In this Corporate Buzz episode, host Keerthana Tiwari and Moneycontrol's Corporate Bureau Chief Prince Thomas discuss the top news from India Inc this week. Bharat Biotech may emerge a winner in the COVID-19 vaccine race, as its 'COVAXIN' goes into clinical trials. However, the Indian Council of Medical Research hopes that the vaccine would be ready by August 15. Thomas talks about whether the pharma company would be able to meet the deadline. Indian-born British businessman Sanjeev Gupta extends another offer to buy Tata Steel's Port Talbot plant in the UK. Should Tata Group take the offer? Thomas answers. He also talks about Emami and Hindustan Unilever as they tussle over the rebranding of their fairness creams. This is happening against the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter issue in the US. Lastly, he explains how many Indian IT companies that were hoping to expand in China would face another roadblock due to the standoff between the two countries. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday hit out at the UP government over the killing of eight policemen in Kanpur, saying if the police is not safe, how can the people be. His swipe at the UP administration came after at least eight Uttar Pradesh Police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were killed and seven others injured in an encounter with criminals in Kanpur. Gandhi also expressed his condolence to the family of those dead and wished speedy recovery of the injured. "Another proof of 'Gundaraj' in UP. When the police are not safe, how will the public be? My heartfelt condolences are with the families of the slain martyrs and I wish the injured a speedy recovery," he said in a tweet in Hindi. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra highlighted another killing of four members of a family in Prayagraj and alleged that it is unusual for criminals to rule the roost in such a way in Uttar Pradesh. She also demanded that accountability be fixed keeping in view the 'jungle raj' in UP. "Soon after the dreadful incident in Kanpur, four persons of a family were killed in Prayagraj. A father-daughter was murdered in Ghaziabad. In UP, it is unusual in Uttar Pradesh for criminals to rule the roost like this. In the light of such anarchy, accountability must be fixed," she said in a tweet in Hindi. The encounter took place when a police team was approaching to arrest Vikas Dubey, a history-sheeter facing 60 criminal cases, in Dikru village under the Chaubeypur police station on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, police said. As the police team was about to reach the hideout of the dreaded criminal, a hail of bullets was showered on them from a building rooftop, leaving Deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Mishra, three sub-inspectors and four constables dead, the officials said. With the expansion of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Bharatiya Janata Party Cabinet in Madhya Pradesh, a chunk of the berths went to new joinee Jyotiraditya Scindias camp. Of the 28 new ministers who became a part of the Cabinet, nine were the former Congress leaders main supporters. In the process, several ministry hopefuls were excluded, including supporters of senior BJP leader Uma Bharati and Indore MLA Ramesh Mendola. The former even claimed that her suggestions were completely ignored, while one of Mendolas supporters reportedly tried to immolate himself. Meanwhile, in Mandsaur, the supporters of MLA Yashpal Singh Sisodiya sat on dharna, demanding their leader be absorbed in the MP Cabinet. Bharati, a former chief minister, also complained that the ministers list is not inclusive and does not adequately represent all castes and regions. She had pitched for the inclusion of MLAs from Bundelkhand and from Lodhi OBC caste, yet none were incorporated. The MP Cabinet now has maximum representation from upper castes such as Thakurs and Brahmins. This led to widespread protests within hours of the expansion, probably exposing the first fissures within Madhya Pradesh BJP. Notably, the BJP government would not have succeeded in toppling the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in the state had the Scindia scion not defected with 22 other MLAs. To reward the newcomers, 14 of them were inducted into the MP Cabinet, which was not taken well by the MP BJP old guard and the Chief Ministers loyalists. File Photo 2016 -- Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli (REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar) Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has prorogued the House of Representatives and is considering splitting the party via an ordinance if co-members continue to press for his resignation. He has also reportedly approached the main opposition the Nepali Congress Party for support. Oli plans to reintroduce a shelved ordinance the Ordinance to Political Parties Act, to ease the way for him to split the party, sources told the Kathmandu Post. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. Faced with calls to resign from his post as Prime Minister and Party Chair of the Nepal Communist Party, Oli recommended prorogation of Parliament, which was approved by the President. A majority of the Standing Committee members 30 out of 44, had demanded resignation. This will allow him time to regroup and postpone any moves for no-confidence motion from detractors, the report noted. The ordinance he now plans to reintroduce will allow him to split the party if further pressured. The faction most vocal against Oli included co-Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and senior leaders Bamdev Gautam, Jhala Nath Khanal and Madhav Kumar Nepal. Now the ball is in the Dahal-Nepal groups court. Oli has managed to put the pressure back on the Dahal-Nepal faction, as any move they make will be seen to be responsible for the party split, Standing Committee member Mani Thapa told the paper. Oli is firm on splitting the party if pressured, Thapa added. If they go ahead with the split, Oli would require 138 lawmakers to prove majority. With 53 of his own party members (174 in total) on Dahals side and another 43 on Nepals side, he is banking on Congress 63 seats to push through. Congress Vice-President Bimalendra Nidhi said, the Congress will support Oli if he so desires. But we wont join the government. Passing the ordinance would require only a 30 percent central committee members or the parliamentary party members in support. Oli easily commands 40 percent, it said. Many in the party are apprehensive about the split but doubt a cease-fire. I dont think our party will remain intact now. Saturdays meeting of the Standing Committee will take a decision on Oli. I dont think the party will tolerate his autocratic style of functioning anymore, said Matrika Yadav, a Standing Committee member who is close to Dahal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ladakh will boost the morale of "our valorous soldiers", said Union Home Minister Amit Shah on July 3. Modi's visit to Ladakh came amidst the ongoing stand-off between the Indian Army and China's PLA (People's Liberation Army) in the forward areas of the high altitude region. Tensions had escalated between the two countries after 20 Indian Army personnel were killed in a fierce clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh last month. Also Read | Your bravery has sent a message to the world, PM Modi tells soldiers in Ladakh "Leading from the front. Prime Minister Shri @NarendraModi Ji with our brave and courageous personnel of Army, Air Force & ITBP at a forward location in Ladakh. Leading from the front. Prime Minister Shri @NarendraModi Ji with our brave and courageous personnel of Army, Air Force & ITBP at a forward location in Ladakh. This visit of honourable PM will surely boost the morale of our valorous soldiers. #ModiInLeh pic.twitter.com/UCvqyXdwtu Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 3, 2020 "This visit of honourable PM will surely boost the morale of our valorous soldiers," he tweeted along with multiple pictures of Modi with the soldiers. Shah also used the hashtag '#ModiInLeh' in his Twitter post. Modi, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, reached Leh around 9.30 am and then proceeded to Nimu post, sources said. In Pics | PM Narendra Modi visits Ladakh, reviews ground situation at LAC Modi was also briefed by senior Army officers, they said. Located at 11,000 feet, Nimu is among the toughest terrains on the banks of river Indus and is surrounded by the Zanskar range. Representative image In the backdrop of COVID-19 induced economic slowdown and slow decision making by occupiers, office gross absorption across the top seven cities touched 16.7 million square feet, plunging 36 percent year-on-year, Colliers International said in a report. While leasing during 2020 is likely to be affected by a wait-and-watch approach by occupiers, NCR is likely to overtake Hyderabad to rise to the second position by end of 2020, the report stated. Majority of the deals expected to take place in Q2 2020 were pushed to subsequent quarters, or are being reconsidered, as occupiers focus on business continuity plans during the lockdown and workplace readiness and gradually look towards reopening offices. On the supply front, the first half of the year saw about 24.1 million sq feet of project completions, a 2 percent increase, led by project completions in Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR and Hyderabad, Colliers International said in the report. Office market has been the flag bearer of consistent and highest returns amongst all real estate asset classes in India for quite some time; the market today needs to read the occupiers challenges and customise solutions for a win-win coexistence, said Sangram Tanwar, Managing Director, mid- India at Colliers International. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show In Bengaluru, gross absorption drops by 33 percent as occupiers hold on to leasing decisions. Leasing during H1 2020 dropped about 33 percent year-on-year to 5.4 million sq feet, from the corresponding period last year. A majority was due to the loss of activity in Q2 2020, led by the government-imposed lockdown that affected the city, the report said. While some deals in the pipeline have been postponed, the city continued to see some large deals, as planned. On the supply front, about 6.9 million sq feet became operational during H1 2020, a drop of 13 percent year-on-year, the report said. Market fundamentals in markets with low vacancy levels have not changed much in terms of rentals and it continues to be developer-centric, however, we have started witnessing some flexibility from developers. In the short run, delayed decision making, contract re-negotiations, measurement and effectiveness of work from home seems to be the underlying trends. Market fundamentals look positive and we do not foresee much change in the long run, said Arpit Mehrotra, Managing Director, South India (Office Services) at Colliers International. In Hyderabad, leasing plunged by 62 percent year-on-year during the first half of 2020 on account of slower uptake of office space. However, the prospects of the city remain strong, especially since 3.9 million sq feet of pre-commitments have been recorded in H1 2020. Supply during H1 2020 was about 4 million sq feet, a drop of almost half. Gross leasing down by 27 percent to 3.2 mn sq ft in Delhi-NCR. During H1 2020, gross absorption fell 27 percent year-on-year to 3.2 million sq feet. Majority of the leasing activity was led by Noida that accounted for 56 percent of the total leasing in the region. "We foresee the current slowdown in the office market as a temporary setback due to the pandemic. We foresee the markets to pick up in H2, 2020 as most transactions for Q2 have been pushed to the second half and majority of occupiers have now started taking decisions about their real estate portfolios, said Sanjay Chatrath, Managing Director, North India at Colliers International. In Mumbai, leasing fell by 53 percent year-on-year to 1.9 mn sq ft as occupiers postpone decision making. Mumbai witnessed the second-steepest fall in leasing during H1 2020 as the city witnessed an extended lockdown due to a high number of COVID-19 cases. The leasing fell 53 percent year-on-year to about 1.9 million sq feet, as a majority of the workplaces in Mumbai continue to remain closed. Accordingly, supply during H1 2020 fell 37 percent year-on-year to 1.5 million sq feet in the city. The pandemic has made a short to mid-term impact that is leading occupiers to adopt measures like work from home, working in shifts at office, de-densification of workplaces. We see large MNCs already gearing up, strategizing for the future workplaces to make them more advanced in terms of health and safety standards. Developers who have been thinking ahead have incorporated such features or wellness certifications in their projects, bound to be preferred by occupiers, said Animesh Tripathi, Senior Director, Office Services (Pune) at Colliers India. TikTok on July 3 said it will not contest the ban imposed by the government of India on 59 Chinese apps. The company will instead, work with government authorities and get suggestions and directives with regards to data protection and security. Some reports had suggested TikTok was considering taking the legal route against the government ban. The company has denied such reports. There have been statements in the press concerning the possibility that TikTok might pursue legal action regarding the directive by the Government of India. We have no plans to pursue such action. We are committed to working with the government to address its concerns. We comply with the laws and regulations of the Government of India. Ensuring the data sovereignty, security and privacy of our users has always been and will continue to be a top priority for us, a company spokesperson told News18. The Ministry of Information Technology, on June 29, banned 59 mobile apps , saying they are engaged in activities which are "prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order. The ministry had said that it had received many complaints from various sources including several reports about the misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India. TikTok is now completely offline in India. Soon after the ban was announced, the company issued a statement saying it continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under India law and has not shared any information of users under India law with any foreign government, including the Chinese government. Several banned apps have since been delisted from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store Days after the Indian government banned Chinese video-sharing app TikTok, Instagram has started testing Reels in India. Similar to TikTok, Instagram Reels allows users to create 15-second engaging videos using a catalogue of music and user-generated audio clips, which can be posted to Instagram Stories or shared via direct message (DM). Instagram Reels is currently being tested in India, sources told Business Insider, adding that some users have started receiving the update from Instagram, which includes Reels. "We are planning to start testing an updated version of Reels in more countries," a Facebook spokesperson said. Interestingly, Facebook is also shutting its TikTok-inspired video app Lasso, which was launched last year. It has started sending notifications to users telling them that the app won't be usable after July 10 and advising them to download any videos they want to keep, The Verge reported on July 2. ByteDance, the parent company of short-video platform TikTok, may lose $6 billion after India banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, citing threats to national security. China's ByteDance owns three of the apps - TikTok, Helo and Vigo Video - on the list of 59 banned apps released by the Centre on June 29. TikTok recorded 323 million downloads in India in 2019, and the country accounted for 44 percent of total TikTok app downloads. On June 29, India banned 59 apps with Chinese links, including the hugely popular TikTok and UC Browser, for engaging in "activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order." The ban also comes in the backdrop of the current stand-off along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh with Chinese troops. LinkedIn has been caught snooping on iOS clipboard. A user of iOS 14 Developer beta has caught the Microsoft app copying contents of the MacBook Pros clipboard, courtesy of the Universal Clipboard feature. LinkedIn has acknowledged the issue and has assured a fix soon. A Twitter user, @DonCubed, posted a video to highlight the snooping issue. He claims that while he was using LinkedIn on his iPad Pro, the app was copying each keystroke of the clipboard. The developer was able to catch hold of the snooping, thanks to Apples new iOS 14 feature, which notifies the user when an app is accessing the clipboard. The developer further stated that LinkedIn was copying contents from his MacBook Pro while he was accessing the app on his iPad Pro. You may be wondering how is it possible? Apple devices come with support for Universal Clipboard, a feature that allows users with multiple Apple devices to copy and paste content from one device to another. The feature clubbed with iOS 14s new feature, helped the developer know about the snooping activity. iPadOS 14, iOS 14 features: App library, widgets, better privacy and more Hi @DonCubed. Appreciate you raising this. We've traced this to a code path that only does an equality check between the clipboard contents and the currently typed content in a text box. We don't store or transmit the clipboard contents. Erran Berger (@eberger45) July 3, 2020 Erran Berger, who is the VP Engineering, consumer products at LinkedIn, acknowledged the issue and said that the team has traced this activity to a path of the code that does an equality check between the clipboard contents and the currently typed content in a text box. He further stated that the data is neither stored nor transmitted anywhere. Berger, in the following tweet, assured that the company has found a fix which will be live soon in the LinkedIn app. iOS 14s enhanced privacy feature also exposed video-making app TikTok snooping on the iPhones clipboard without the users knowledge. The Chinese app reportedly told Apple that it will stop accessing the clipboard henceforth. To live in a progressive city where we celebrate all diversity is a promise of hope for our children. I am very proud to celebrate the naming of Ramos Elementary School and the Andre Reed Park, named after people of color. Well done to all those who served on this important committee. French consumer electronics brand Thomson has forayed into 4k bezel-less Android smart television category. These products will be sold exclusively on Flipkart from July 5 onwards. The televisions will be available in three variants, 43-inches, 55-inches and 65-inches, with prices starting from Rs 24,999. The company said in a statement that the television comes in a rose gold screen with features such as MEMC (motion estimation, motion compensation), Dolby digital plus, Dolby vision, HDR10, Bluetooth 5.0, with shortcut keys for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Google Play store. It also comes with inbuilt Wi-Fi, and is wireless ready, which allows hassle-free connectivity. Thomson also said that the multiple screen casting options in the OATH Pro television series makes work from home and online classes convenient and befits the current pandemic situation. Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, Super Plastronics (exclusive brand Licensee of Thomson TVs in India) said that in a time span of two years, Thomson has a 5 percent market share in the smart television space. "There will be a definite shift in market share of the premium segment and the next three years we plan to achieve 15 percent in this segment," Marwah said. On June 19, Thomson had announced that it has entered the washing machine category in the country. The brand began selling semi-automatic washing machines from June 23 through Flipkart. The 6.5 kg semi-automatic washing machine range comes at a starting price of Rs 6,999. Marwah had then told Moneycontrol that the brand will be making a Rs 1,000 crore investment in the next five years. Consumer electronics brand Thomson had made a re-entry into the Indian market in FY19 through its television business and purely sells online. In addition to Thomson, brands like Vu, Sony and Samsung already offer bezel-less television sets. 2 | Next crop of COVID-19 vaccine developers take more traditional route: The handful of drugmakers dominating the global coronavirus vaccine race are pushing the boundaries of vaccine technology. The next crop under development feature more conventional, proven designs. The world will need several different vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, given the sheer size of global need, variations in effects on different populations, and possible limits of effectiveness in the first crop. Many leading candidates now in final-stage testing are based on new, largely unproven technology platforms designed to produce vaccines at speed. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday said that it aims to launch the Coronavirus vaccine being developed in partnership with Hydereabad-based Bharat Biotech for public health use by August 15. This is as per a letter written as internal communication by ICMR to Bharat Biotech asking for fast-tracking of the indigenous vaccine with an aim to launch by August 15. "It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15th August 2020 after completion of all clinical trials. BBIL is working expeditiously to meet the target, however, final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project," the letter says. Reviewed preparations relating to a vaccine to cure COVID-19. An important subject that was discussed was the creation of a tech platform that would complement vaccination at scale across the nation. https://t.co/42hKO0YBof Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 30, 2020 PM Modi had recently held a high-level meeting to take stock on the indigenous vaccine efforts. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Bharat Biotech, the company to whom the letter is addressed, has refused to comment on the matter. ICMR sources confirm authenticity of the letter but say it was meant for internal communication. Moneycontrol couldn't independently verify the letter. The indigenous vaccine being developed in India is one of the top-priority projects which is being monitored at the top-most level of the government, the statement further read. "You have been chosen as a clinical trial site of the BBV152 COVID Vaccine. In view of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic and urgency to launch the vaccine, you are strictly advised to fast track all approvals related to the initiation of the clinical trial and ensure that the subject enrollment is initiated no later than 7th July 2020, ICMRs statement read. India has over 6 lakh reported cases of coronavirus with over 19,000 deaths until July 2. United States presidential candidate Joe Biden has named Indian-American Medha Raj as his digital chief of staff, a key role in his election campaigns which are entirely going virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Raj will work across all facets of the digital department to streamline and coordinate how to maximise the impact of its digital outputs. Excited to share that I've joined Joe Biden's campaign as the Digital Chief of Staff. 130 days to the election and we're not going to waste a minute, Raj posted on LinkedIn. Raj was previously associated with the presidential campaign of Pete Buttigieg before joining Joe Bidens team. She was a part of Buttigiegs team for eight months from August 2019 to March 2020. Before Buttigieg, Raj served the office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and was also involved in California Governor Gavin Newsom's campaign in 2018. A graduate in international politics from Georgetown University, Raj earned her MBA from Stanford University in 2019. She was also a research assistant for Real Institute Elcano in Spain, and a consultant at Deloitte. Raj was also a part of the strategy team and the investment team at Flippable and Higher Ground Labs, respectively. Boeing (Representative image: Reuters) Boeing Co is pulling the plug on its 747 jumbo jet, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. The 747 democratized global air travel in the 1970s but fell behind modern twin-engine passenger jets. The last 747-8 will roll out of a Seattle area factory in about two years, according to the Bloomberg report. When contacted by Reuters, Boeing did not confirm the Bloomberg report. "At a build rate of 0.5 airplanes per month, the 747-8 program has more than two years of production ahead of it in order to fulfill our current customer commitments, a Boeing spokesman told Reuters. "We will continue to make the right decisions to keep the production line healthy and meet customer needs." Boeing's 747 plane is enjoying a second life as a cargo mule for companies like United Parcel Service Inc due to a freight market boom fueled by online shopping. In 2016, Boeing said it could end 747 production amid falling orders and pricing pressure. Major U.S. carriers like United Continental Holdings Inc and Delta Air Lines Inc have already said goodbye to the 747. In a strong support to India over its border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh, Japan on Friday said it opposed "any unilateral" attempts to change the status quo in the region. After a meeting with Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Japanese Ambassador Satoshi Suzuki said Japan hoped for peaceful resolution of the row through dialogues. "Had a good talk with FS Shringla. Appreciated his briefing on the situation along LAC, including GOI's policy to pursue peaceful resolution. Japan also hopes for peaceful resolution through dialogues. Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo," he said on Twitter. The Indian and Chinese armies are locked in a bitter standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for the last seven weeks. The tension escalated manifold after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash in Galwan Valley on June 15. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. India has been insisting on restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh to restore peace and tranquillity in the region. In the meeting, Shringla is learnt to have briefed the Japanese envoy about the overall situation in eastern Ladakh and India's position on the issue. India and China have held several rounds of diplomatic and military talks in the last few weeks to ease tension in the region. However, there was no visible sign of end to the standoff though the two sides agreed to initiate disengagement of the forces from the region. India on Thursday said it expected China to ensure expeditious restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas in sync with provisions of relevant bilateral pacts. Following the Galwan Valley clashes, the Army has sent thousands of additional troops to forward locations along the border besides moving in heavy weapons. The IAF has also moved air defence systems as well as a sizeable number of its frontline combat jets and attack helicopters to several key air bases. The Philippine foreign secretary warned China on Friday of the severest response if ongoing Chinese military exercises in the disputed South China Sea spill over to Philippine territory. Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr said China's People's Liberation Army has been staging exercises off the Paracel Islands since July 1 and Chinese maritime officials have prohibited all vessels from navigating within the area of the maneuvers. After checking the coordinates of the no-entry zone, where the Chinese military maneuvers are being staged, Locsin said the waters off the Paracels, which are also claimed by Vietnam, do not impinge on Philippine territory although he raised some concern. Should the exercises spill over to Philippine territory, then China is forewarned that it will be met with the severest response, diplomatic and whatever else is appropriate, Locsin said in a statement without elaborating. The Philippine warning to China over their territorial conflicts is the strongest so far this year and comes despite an improvement in relations since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016. Vietnam protested in April after a Chinese coast guard ship rammed and sank a boat with eight fishermen off the Paracel Islands. The Philippines backed Vietnam and protested two new territorial districts announced by China in large swaths of the sea, adding that China's assertive actions were taking place while the region was preoccupied with the coronavirus pandemic. Locsin said those territorial districts in the disputed waters were null and void for being devoid of basis in international law. This is the problem with playing fast and loose with historical narratives and historical names, Locsin said. They open themselves to error; unless the real purpose is to excuse unchallenged mistakes that may over time harden into rights. China, like any other power, can invoke freedom of navigation while carrying out military exercises, Locsin said, but added that such passages should be done in a straight and uninterrupted voyage. We continue to look to China, as our nearest and biggest trading partner, Locsin said, adding that its participation is essential to the success of any post-coronavirus economic recovery. But he called on the erring parties to refrain from escalating tension and abide by the responsibilities under international law and exercise self-restraint in taking actions that could escalate disputes, especially during the pandemic. Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of the late accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested in the United States on Thursday on charges of helping to lure underage girls who were then sexually abused by Epstein. Maxwell has kept a low profile since the death in August of Epstein, a financier who was accused of raping and trafficking underage girls over nearly two decades. Some of Epstein's alleged victims have said Maxwell lured them into his circle, where they were sexually abused by him and powerful friends. Here are some facts about her. - Maxwell, 58, has been accused in court filings of facilitating a sex-trafficking operation that brought girls to Epstein's opulent Manhattan home, but she had not been accused of criminal wrongdoing. Her lawyers did not respond to a request for comment. - Maxwell was an ex-girlfriend of Epstein who became a longtime member of his inner circle. In a 2003 Vanity Fair article, Epstein was quoted as saying Maxwell was his best friend. - She is the daughter of late British media magnate Robert Maxwell, who founded a publishing house and owned tabloids including the Daily Mirror. It emerged after Robert Maxwell's mysterious death in 1991 that he had looted hundreds of millions of dollars from employee pension funds to prop up his crumbling business empire. - In the early 1990s, Ghislaine Maxwell moved to New York, where she worked selling real estate. Around that time she began her romantic relationship with Epstein, a financier who lived in a lavish style and attended high society parties. - Some of Epstein's alleged victims have said Maxwell lured them into his circle, where they were sexually abused by him and powerful friends. - In 2013 and 2014, Maxwell spoke at the United Nations in her capacity as the founder of the TerraMar Project, an oceanic conservation group. - Maxwell largely disappeared from public view in 2016 and was particularly elusive after Epstein was charged with sex trafficking. - The Washington Post reported in August that neighbors said Maxwell had been living in a secluded oceanfront mansion in Massachusetts owned by a technology entrepreneur, Scott Borgerson, who declined to tell the newspaper whether Maxwell had lived there with him. - A British tabloid, The Sun, said in November that it was offering a 10,000 pounds reward for information on Maxwell's whereabouts. There are currently 18 candidate vaccines in key clinical trials globally but despite encouraging preliminary data coming from some research labs, a Covid-19 vaccine is nowhere near while new corona cases are mounting in several countries including in India. No vaccines have yet started their large and critical Phase-III trials in the US. Drug maker Moderna's Phase-III trial which was supposed to start from July 7 "will likely start at the end of the month or the beginning of August," reports the CNN, citing an investigator working on the Moderna vaccine candidate. Researchers at University of Oxford, however, said this week they have vaccinated 8,000 people in the UK as part of a Phase-III trial. Another Covid-19 vaccine candidate called BNT162b1, being developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech, has delivered some early positive data. "These clinical findings for the BNT162b1 RNA-based vaccine candidate are encouraging and strongly support accelerated clinical development and at-risk manufacturing to maximize the opportunity for the rapid production of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to prevent COVID-19 disease," the researchers wrote in a pre-print paper repository which is yet to be peer-reviewed. US vaccine maker Inovio also said this week that it's vaccine candidate already has shown some positive early data in a Phase 1 trial. After saying that the world may have a Covid-19 vaccine within one year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said late last month that UK-based AstraZeneca is leading the vaccine race while US-based pharmaceutical major Moderan is not far behind. WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine candidate is currently the most advanced vaccine in terms of development. AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine candidate, developed by researchers from the Oxford University, will likely provide protection against the disease for one year, the British drug maker's CEO told Belgian radio station Bel RTL. The vaccine developed at the Oxford Jenner Institute is currently on trial in the UK, where over 4,000 participants have enrolled and additional enrollment of 10,000 participants is planned for the clinical trial. The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine has been licenced to AstraZeneca. The sudden surge in corona cases has left the scientific community gasping for fresh answers. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday reported a new single-day record of COVID-19 cases in the US at 54,357. More than 2.7 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in the US with the fatalities surpassing 128,400, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Anthony Fauci, the top US expert in infectious diseases, has expressed his concern over the sudden spike of COVID-19 cases in the country, warning of the risk of a greater outbreak if the latest surge is not controlled. India on Friday recorded the highest single-day spike of 20,903 cases, pushing the total tally to 6,25,544. The death count rose to 18,213. In China, the military has received approval for using a Covid-19 vaccine jointly developed by its research unit and CanSino Biologics Inc. The phase-I and phase-II clinical trials of the Ad5-nCoV were conducted in China. However, the critical phase-III trials are yet to bear positive results. The US, however, remains hopeful to have a Covid-19 vaccine available by the end of the year or early next year. "FDA has given authorisation to proceed with clinical trials for four separate vaccines and we've seen a number of vaccine developers come forward -- double digit numbers -- so we have a lot of different, if you will, shots on goal with respect to vaccines. That's good news," US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Dr Stephen Hahn said on Thursday. Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article. Read: IRMA Cannot Take New Admission for 1 Year Due to Unqualified Director? ) Gujarat-based Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), a premier, national level institute for education, training, research and consultancy in rural management, is looking to replace its incumbent director who was appointed even though he did not fulfil the mandatory requirement of having a doctorate degree (as declared by All India Council for Technical Education -AICTE and Standing Complaints Scrutiny Committee -SCSC). Moneylife had written about this in September 2019. ( In an advertisement published on its website , IRMA says the Institute has sought applications from qualified candidates for the post of director on or before 31 July 2020. This time the advertisement is very categorical. It says, 1. Ph.D. degree and First Class or equivalent at the preceding degree in business and management (all fields)/ humanities/ social sciences; 2. At least two successful Ph.D. guided as Supervisor/ Co-Supervisor and minimum 8 research publication in SCI journals / UGC / AICTE approved list of journals; 3. Minimum 15 years of experience in teaching / research / industry, out of which at least 5 years shall be at the post equivalent to that of Professor. Prof Hitesh Bhat was appointed as director of IRMA by a search committee headed by NDDB chairman Dilip Rath, IRMAs professor emeritus Dr Tushar Shah and RS Sodhi, managing director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (Amul). Sources had told us that he was considered, despite the committee being fully aware of his inadequate qualifications because Prof Bhat was a very popular teacher with vast industry experience. Read: IRMA Reported for Deficiency in Director Qualifications by AICTE, Twice ) Unfortunately, this only triggered a controversy. The Application Deficiency Report (ADR) of AICTE for 2018-19 generated on 7 February 2018 mentions Prof Bhatts lack of appropriate degree ( Read: IRMA Director Prof Hitesh Bhatt Does Not Fulfil Eligibility Criteria, Reiterates Committee Headed by Retired HC Judge ) In its proceedings for the meeting held on 25 September 2019, the SCSC states "...on re-examination, the appointment of the principal or director Prof HV Bhatt, the Committee is of the view that on the date of his appointment, he was not qualified as principal or director as he was not having Ph D or equivalence of Ph D, which was relaxed by the Institute without having any authority." ( In October 2019, responding to our email on AICTE deficiency reports, Prof Bhatt had replied, The matter in question is under the purview of AICTE and we will be able to provide more information post their decision on the same. Commenting on the ADR for 2018-19, Prof Bhatt had said, there was no overall deficiency of IRMA. We also received extension of approval EoA along with this ADR to run our three programmes, namely, the 'Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Rural Management)', 'Fellowship Programme in Management', and 'Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Executive)'. Within this ADR, there are deficiencies at a few places and some of them are on account of the questionnaire itself. IRMA was founded in 1979 at the initiative of NDDB and the support of government of India, government of Gujarat and Swiss Development Co-operation. Talking about IRMA in his biography, "I Too Had a Dream", Dr Kurien had said, My reasoning was even if only a handful of students each year from such an institute (IRMA) could grow, evolve, stride out into the world and, perhaps build some more Amuls, what a boon it would be for our rural people and for the nation. Even as some of us, in states like Maharashtra, begin the fourth month in lock-down, the rest of the country seems determined to put COVID-19 behind it. This has two significant financial implications for all of us. First, several concessions offered during the lock-down have been rolled back from 1st July. So, it is business as usual. Although things are not yet normal, the minimum balance requirements as well as charges for ATM withdrawals, beyond a threshold, are back. Moreover, financial intermediaries are back to hustling investment opportunities that will fetch them the highest commission but may not be in your best interest. Meanwhile, the ordinary saver is battered and anxious about her health in times of COVID and the impact of the economic downturn on her own savings. This makes her a perfect target to hard-selling investment products. Savers fears are completely understandable. A string of high-profile failures of banks, finance companies, the debacle at Franklin Templeton and the manner in which Tier-1 bonds of Yes Bank were wiped out, have made people jittery. During the lock-down, many non-finance professionals have spent time devouring webinars offering investment advice to improve returns on their savings. Even Standard & Poors (S&Ps) poorly drafted headline in a press release led to a wrong interpretation about Axis Bank which was further magnified by social media chatter. What should a smart saver do in times like these? Think about Urvashi and follow a take it easy policy, as in the hit song that broke language barriers! Give yourself time to think, and rethink, before taking decisions because the first focus should be to keep your savings safe from people working overtime to make you part from your money. Online Transactions: On 19th April, I wrote On 19th April, I wrote Beware of COVID Scams, Fraud, Profiteering and Corruption . We saw this play out in a big way over the past two months. On 29th June, the media reported how Dr Sanjaya Baru was duped of Rs24,000 because he tried to buy liquor through an unknown website called La Cave Wines and Spirits. Since he was a former adviser to prime minister Manmohan Singh and a well-known editor, the police sprang into action and nabbed the culprits at Kaman town in Rajasthan. Moneylife Foundation has frequently warned that the simple rule about online shopping is to stick to large, well-known companies. Not every online company is an Amazon or Flipkart, even if it offers similar terms and promises quick delivery and returns. If you want to buy liquor online, there may be safer options like Natures Basket which used to be owned by the Godrej group and is now an RP-Sanjeev Goenka group company. It is important to remember that fraudsters are very well organised and not everyone gets the quick attention that Dr Baru did. In fact, the scale of phishing attacks can be so huge, that on 22nd June, the government issued public warnings about a large-scale cyber attack that would use COVID-19 as a bait and an email ID that was spoofed to look like an official government email ( [email protected] ). While online shopping and payments are an amazing convenience in a lock-down, there is no alternative to being extremely vigilant. Financial Products: The first worry people have is about the safety of their banks. Again, the bigger the bank, the safer it is, because it is more likely to be bailed out. Senior citizens and retirees are perturbed at the steady decline in interest on term deposits. At the same time, newer private banks are offering as much as 7% even on savings accounts (conditions attached). Should you risk it? The good news is that deposit insurance for banking deposits has been raised to Rs5 lakh. So you have some room for taking a risk and earning more. If your money is already in a safe place, don't move more than Rs5 lakh until things settle down and there is clarity on which way the economy is headed. A big hustle in times of COVID is to sell COVID insurance. As Moneylife has pointed out , if you have a good health insurance, it already covers COVID. This is important to remember when a Yes Bank tempts you with a Rs25,000 COVID cover on opening a new bank account (only for those below 60 and only for the first year, but with a higher interest of 7.25% ). If you are really faced with COVID infection, a Rs25,000-insurance payout will not be a good substitute for a good health policy offering a cover of at least Rs5 lakh-Rs6 lakh. For those who have no insurance, it may make sense to buy one of the many COVID policies launched by the insurance industry; but pay attention to the waiting period and other conditions. This is also the time when savers are urged to move money from fixed deposits (FDs) and mutual funds (MFs). The Franklin fiasco has led to the realisation that mutual funds sahi hai is just a slogan, not a guarantee on safety of principal or returns. So choosing the right MF schemes from the hundreds on offer needs expert advice or serious research. Similarly, enough fingers have been burnt in the past three years (DHFL, DS Kulkarni, the builder who boasted about his integrity but was raising deposits in multiple firms without regulatory clearance) by investing in bonds and debentures of companies. Here, again, there is value in sticking to the most reputed names or public sector entities. One used to advise savers to study credit ratings; but there is no sanctity to ratings anymore when rating agencies can drop debt instruments or companies from investment grade to default overnight, with absolutely no consequences to themselves. You cannot depend on the regulator to protect you. Grievance redress mechanisms rarely work because dubious companies know how to trap savers with hidden clauses or sign-offs. The only safety is in a flight to quality. Only four or five highly reputed housing finance companies and non-banking finance companies fit this category. Most often, higher returns are a red flag. Way Forward What does one do when faced with a job loss or businesses shutdown, coupled with massive loans that are accumulating interest, when there is no income? The answer is to work at reducing liabilities and finding ways to boost income. This is easier said than done; many have, indeed, managed to change track, lower expectations and find ways to keep earning. We have heard of a jeweller who took to selling vegetables, a doctor couple has taken to distribution of COVID protective gear and people offering online tuitions. For those who have large outstanding loans, this may also be a time to look at cashing the gold you have squirreled away for a rainy day. Gold prices are at an all-time high and have breached the Rs50,000 mark (for 10gm). This may not be the right time to buy more, but to use it judiciously if you are in deep debt. Moneylife Foundation receives many queries from people looking to consolidate multiple loans (credit card outstanding, app loans, car loans, etc) and pay a single EMI (equated monthly instalment). But few lenders offer a bigger loan when the borrower is already struggling to pay. A significant reduction in outstanding may help persuade a lender and your gold can help tide over a crisis. But even distressed borrowers tend to forget this asset or remain emotionally attached to it; even worse, some compound their problem by opting for a gold loan instead of selling to reduce debt. Each persons financial situation is different; but those who can, must cash in their gold reserves to reduce loans. Finally, the real estate industry is putting out surveys to show that interest in buying a home has not dampened. Can this be true or is it just a sales pitch disguised as a survey? Only those in very secure jobs or who do not need a home loan should consider buying at this time. All others would be smart to wait until the economy looks better. All in all, the best action to safeguard your savings is to focus on reducing liability and playing safe. Now is not the time for risk-taking, especially for non-finance savvy persons. Keokuk, IA (52632) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 50F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph, becoming WSW and decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 50F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph, becoming WSW and decreasing to less than 5 mph. BUTTE, Mont. - A Butte mother charged with negligent homicide in the death of her 5-month-old daughter pleaded not guilty in district court Thursday, July 2. According to Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement, Audria Nickerson was arrested in Strong, Maine in December 2019. In September 2019, officers allegedly found Nickerson slumped over the steering wheel of her car, on top of her infant daughter just a few hundred yards from the Butte Police Station. Officers were able to break the window of the car to remove Nickerson and immediately began CPR on the infant. Both the 5-month-old girl and a young boy who was in the backseat of the car were taken to the hospital. The infant was pronounced dead. The boy was turned over to the Department of Family Services. Police say the cause of death for the infant was determined to be suffocation. After months of investigation, Butte-Silver Bow authorities say Nickerson tested positive for meth back in September 2019. According to court documents, an omnibus hearing has been set for August, 6. at 10 a.m. HELENA- Governor Steve Bullock is urging Montanans to be cautious in large crowds after several counties in Montana have reported community spread of the virus. During a press conference Thursday, Bullock stated Big Horn, Cascade, Flathead, Yellowstone, Gallatin, Lewis and Clark, Missoula and Ravalli Counties indicated they are seeing some community spread, and that we anticipate other counties to be added to that list in coming weeks. Governor Bullock also said 70 recent confirmed COVID-19 cases include group settings, and that we are anticipating more counties to report the same in the coming weeks. Its clear from analyzing recent new cases that Montanans have let their guard down, Bullock said. At least 24 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been linked back to six weddings in the last two weeks, the cases impacting at least seven counties and at least two other states, and more cases linked to the weddings in the coming weeks are expected as well. It doesnt appear that the wedding its self is the problem, where measures are put into place to stress social distancing and other precautions, Bullock said. It seems to be the pre and post-wedding events where guidelines arent being followed, and groups are mingling without necessary measures being taken. Bullock went on to add that it doesnt appear that out of state guests to the weddings brought the virus to Montana, and that in some instances, the virus may have been exported out of the state. Other cases are also being seen in bar settings, the governor using Gallatin and Yellowstone Counties, who have identified and traced at least 15 recent cases to interactions at three different establishments, as an example. The clusters of cases are also being reported in work settings including construction and offices as well. As for cases directly connected to out of state travel or contacts, Bullock says they have not changed significantly, and count for 8% of cases since June 1. Our biggest problem hasnt been out of staters visiting Montanans, its Montanans not taking all the steps that we need to be doing to limit the spread of COVID-19, Bullock said. As additional contract tracing and testing is conducted on cases we are already aware of, Bullock says we are going to see an increase of positive coronavirus cases being reported, and that Montanans will continue to see high daily reported numbers As we head into the Fourth of July weekend, I caution that we have to act now to get our hands around this virus, Bullock said. Lets make sure that a couple weeks from now were actually starting to see a decline in cases, or holding of where we are. In order to do that, we need Montanans to be extremely cautious if theyre around large crowds, or stay away from them. Bullock went on to say that one of the ways we can raise our guard and prevent taking steps backward is to make wearing a mask a habit. Todd O'Hair, the president and CEO of the Montana Chamber of Commerce voiced his support for the governor during the press conference, saying that the Montana Chamber of Commerce has joined several associations to increase usage of masks in public. OHair announced the Montana Chamber of Commerce joined the Montana Restaurant Association, the Montana Tavern Association, the Montana Lodging and Hospitality Association, the Montana Gaming Association and the Hospitality and Development Association of Montana to call on members and the business community as a whole to increase their usage of facemasks in public. One thing that I think is clear is that Montana, after having gone through a rough several months economically associated with COVID, we cannot afford to go back and experience that sort of a rollback in any shape, way, or form in Montana, OHair said. Businesses will not be able to survive in Montana without healthy economic activity in the state, and healthy economic activity is founded on a healthy population. A population that feels confident and secure that they can go about their day to day life, visit business and not have to be as concerned about contracting the COVID virus, and so the best sav for the Montana economy is going to be a healthy population, OHare said. This is an important step that we think is necessary to not only protect our employees and customers, but also the Montana economy. As the state continues to look forward to reopening, Bullock brought up schools reopening in the fall and introduced Lieutenant Governor, Mike Coony, who spoke about The Governors Plan for Reopening Safe and Healthy Schools. The plan provides guidance for the reopening of Montanas K-12 schools. Cooney was tasked with getting together experts, including superintendents, principals, teachers, union representatives and public health officials, to develop a plan to reopen our K-12 schools based on insight and first-hand knowledge of challenges schools are facing. Schools are being encouraged by the Governor and Lieutenant Governor to consider the guidance provided and develop their own plans to reopen as well. While every district is unique, school districts should consult their local public health officials to address the specific needs of each school and take every possible safety measure to keep students, educators, and staff healthy and safe, a release from the Office of the Governor says. The plan will align with the Governors Reopening the Big Sky phased plan, however, schools are allowed to take additional precautions based on their needs. You can read more about the governors plan for reopening schools in Montana here. Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Its about pride and paycheck, pride and paycheck. A hundred years ago, thats what this place was. "It was pride in building some of the biggest, best freighters in the world. Attorney Anthony Giradini Pull Quote This undated photo provided by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, in Ohio, shows Sgt. Jesse Franklin. Franklin was indicted Thursday, July 2, 2020, and charged with kicking a restrained man in the head as the offender was being admitted into the county jail. Federal financial assistance programs might have been a boon for household budgets, but Dominion Lending Centres has argued that government aid is producing an undesirable side effect: many on-site employees in the commercial sector are finding no incentive to work during these dangerous times. Sherry Cooper, chief economist at Dominion Lending Centres, said that Canadians purchasing power has recovered significantly since early April. The reopening of the economy, along with federal government income support, has boosted consumer confidence and spending, Cooper said in her recent analysis. Consumer confidence has climbed for nine straight weeks according to the Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index. Despite these optimistic tidbits, however, the sustained risk presented by the pandemic is doing more harm than good to commercial enterprises. The CERB is becoming a disincentive to work. If a recipient earns more than $1,000 per month, he or she loses the full $2,000 payment. Also, for some, the CERB allotment is more than they earned at their previous job, so they are reluctant to return to work when their businesses open, Cooper said. Cooper said that this is a grave development considering that the commercial segment, especially retail, is already labouring under multiple stresses. The stipend is now making it difficult for restaurants, retail stores, cleaning services and trades to get their workers back, Cooper said. The government needs to start winding down direct cash support, but instead, it extended the payments until the end of August. A fixed-rate mortgage today can go for as low as 1.64%, but the current rate environment is introducing significant industry risks as prospective borrowers are constantly on the hunt for ever-lower rates, according to RateSpy data. As of July 2, intelliMortgage and Butler Mortgage posted 1.64% for their one-year fixed-rate products, and a similar record low of 1.68% for their five-year variable-rate offerings. These trends will likely last for the foreseeable future considering the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, observers said. Canadians can expect fixed and variable rates to stay at their current historic low until the Canadian and world economy is close to fully recovered, said James Laird, co-founder of Ratehub.ca and president of CanWise Financial. When we start seeing good economic news and good news related to COVID-19 consumers should expect mortgage rates to start to rise at that point. This came with the increasing usage of rate comparison sites over the last few months. Pre-COVID, Canadians were already shifting to online sources to research mortgage rates and educate themselves. However, many still preferred in-person interaction before closing their mortgage, Laird said. COVID-19 has forced Canadians to complete the process without that in-person appointment. Most have been surprised and impressed with the efficiency and level of service available without requiring an in-person meeting. Members of the band The Confederate Knotz practice in front of Nazi and Confederate flags in one of several videos the band posted to their Facebook page. (James Neal / Enid News & Eagle) Among the reported 22 men Montgomery County law enforcement has arrested this year for charges related to the sexual exploitation of children online, one has already received a prison sentence. The multi-agency Montgomery County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force helped net charges for mostly either online solicitation of a minor or promotion of pornography, both second-degree felonies. One man was reportedly charged with super aggravated assault of a child, a first-degree felony, according to the District Attorneys Office. ICAC took in alleged offenders from within the Houston area and as far away as Ohio and Nebraska. The accused include two registered sex offenders and range in ages between 26 and at least 66. Law enforcement agencies involved were the Conroe Police Department, county constable precincts 1, 2 and 3, the District Attorneys Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety, according to the DAs Office. The District Attorneys Office, according to a statement, conducted proactive investigations during the effort. BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: Get your Houston breaking news alerts delivered to your Inbox In short, the devotion and commitment displayed by the ICAC task force is highly commendable, and we should all be thankful for their work. They really are making a difference in keeping our children safe, said Assistant District Attorney Laura Bond in a statement. On May 12, 45-year-old Jarrell, Texas resident David Shawn Reed pleaded guilty on two counts of promotion of child pornography, a second-degree felony, committed April 2. Reed was sentenced to 12 years in the 221st District by presiding Judge Lisa Michalk. The Courier confirmed through court records the charges for all but four of the alleged offenders listed by the District Attorneys Office. Of those confirmed, three are Montgomery County residents and most of the others live in Harris County. In total, 12 men were charged with solicitation and another nine were charged with child pornography. The super aggravated assault charge means the alleged victim is younger than 6 years old. CHARGES DISMISSED: Federal lawsuit alleges man suffered coma while jailed in Montgomery County A man from Idaho allegedly sent more than 260 child pornography videos via a social media app. Another two men from Nebraska and Ohio allegedly sent child pornography videos as well. All three are accused of sending the criminal content to the same undercover detective working decoy at the Precinct 1 Constables Office. A 51-year-old accused of trying to meet a 14-year-old was previously convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Meanwhile, another man also accused of trying to meet a 14-year-old was himself previously convicted in Montgomery County of indecency with a child by exposure. The bulk of the alleged offenses occurred outside the period that state and local stay-at-home orders were in effect in Montgomery County. Only four reported offenses confirmed through court records were allegedly committed during the states stay-at-home orders issued in April. Those who prey on our children never take a day off, and neither do we. As long as there are criminals attempting to harm our children, we will be there to find them and bring them to justice, District Attorney Brett Ligon said in a statement. Montgomery County has a record of working to deter child victimization on the internet. During April and May of 2019, Montgomery County led the Houston-area Operation Broken Heart in nabbing adults allegedly preying on children online. In that eight-county effort, Montgomery County law enforcement arrested 25 individuals within the two-month time frame. jose.gonzalez@chron.com twitter.com/jrgzztx The Egyptian irrigation ministry said on Friday evening that fundamental differences over the technical and legal aspects of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) are still in place between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. The ministry's short statement was released on the first day of the new round of tripartite talks. Talks will continue via video conference on Saturday, the statement added. Sudan said the new round of talks resumed on Friday under the auspices of the African Union, which is headed by South Africa. The United States, the EU, South Africa, representatives of the AU office and AU Commission as well as AU legal experts attended the session as observers, stated the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation. The previous round of negotiations between the three countries, held from 9 to 17 June, failed to produce an accord due to Ethiopia's refusal to enter into a legally binding agreement and its announcement that it will begin filling the dam in July with or without the approval of the two downstream countries. Short link: We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order having to do with face-coverings Thursday calls for a verbal or written warning for a first-time violator of this face-covering requirement. A persons second violation shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $250. Each subsequent violation shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $250 per violation. The executive order hereby prohibits confinement in jail as a penalty for the violation of any face-covering order by any jurisdiction Though disappointed in the ongoing Executive overreach of Governor Abbott into local matters dealing with community health, one can also respect and appreciate the nearly impossible nature of dealing with unprecedented events in the daily lives of Texans. Bearing in mind that community health concerns surrounding COVID-19 seem to change on a daily basis, we must once again adjust to new executive mandates at the local level. Pursuant to the Governors most recent executive order, the following directives taken directly from the Governors order - will be in effect throughout Midland until we have 20 or fewer cases within Midland County: Every person in Texas shall wear a face covering over the nose and mouth when inside a commercial entity or other building or space open to the public, or when in an outdoor public space, wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household; provided, however, that this face-covering requirement does not apply to the following: any person younger than 10 years of age; any person with a medical condition or disability that prevents wearing a face covering; any person while the person is consuming food or drink, or is seated at a restaurant to eat or drink; any person while the person is (a) exercising outdoors or engaging in physical activity outdoors, and (b) maintaining a safe distance from other people not in the same household; any person while the person is driving alone or with passengers who are part of the same household as the driver; any person obtaining a service that requires temporary removal of the face covering for security surveillance, screening, or a need for specific access to the face, such as while visiting a bank or while obtaining a personal- care service involving the face, but only to the extent necessary for the temporary removal; any person while the person is in a swimming pool, lake, or similar body of water; any person who is voting, assisting a voter, serving as a poll watcher, or actively administering an election, but wearing a face covering is strongly encouraged; any person who is actively providing or obtaining access to religious worship, but wearing a face covering is strongly encouraged; or any person while the person is giving a speech for a broadcast or to an audience. Not excepted from this face-covering requirement is any person attending a protest or demonstration involving more than 10 people and who is not practicing safe social distancing of six feet from other people not in the same household. Enforcement: The Governors order states the following related to enforcement of this mask mandate: Following a verbal or written warning for a first-time violator of this face-covering requirement, a persons second violation shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $250. Each subsequent violation shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $250 per violation. Local law enforcement and other local officials, as appropriate, can and should enforce this executive order, Executive Order GA-28, and other effective executive orders, as well as local restrictions that are consistent with this executive order and other effective executive orders. But no law enforcement or other official may detain, arrest, or confine in jail any person for a violation of this executive order or for related non-violent, non-felony offenses that are predicated on a violation of this executive order; provided, however, that any official with authority to enforce this executive order may act to enforce trespassing laws and remove violators at the request of a business establishment or other property owner. I will not be asking our police department to respond to calls reporting individuals in violation of this executive order. We cannot, and I will not, have our police chasing reports of people in violation of the mask requirement knowing that there will not only be multiple unenforceable scenarios, but also exceptions and circumstances that make this mask mandate unenforceable throughout the city. I will fully expect our police to pursue any calls related to a threatening or violent situation towards any individual arising out of the application of the Governors mask mandate. As always, police will continue to address matters of public safety through prioritized assessment. Each and every one of us know what we can, and should, do in this moment of health crisis, and we should do our best to honor the lives and health of all those around us through personal application of masks in public places for the next few weeks. This is not new to us and I have already requested these actions from our great city and her residents. I do not believe that we as a state should continue in this pattern of executive fiat over the entire state without legislative checks and balances. Until such a time when the Texas Legislature finally engages this unprecedented season, we at the local level are the only check and balance to statewide mandates being applied to a fluid and varied situation throughout a radically diverse state. I firmly believe the residents of Midland were already prepared and actually applying the needed actions of masking headed into the Fourth of July weekend. Now, with the added weight of the Governors order, we will continue in what we have already begun but with a few more restrictions on crowd sizes and events. Moving forward lets continue to do what we have all seen as the necessary path to attempted control of a virus. As I have stated before, until we have a vaccine or herd immunity we will continue to trampoline back and forth between behaviors. Moving forward there must be local control and self-governance until the active engagement of the legislative branch of Texas if we are going to uphold the principles of self-governance, freedom and democracy this country and state are founded uponprinciples not to be easily forgotten during a weekend in which we celebrate our historic independence. Midland Mayor Patrick Payton was quick to call Gov. Greg Abbotts mask mandate executive overreach into matters dealing with community health, in a statement that was provided to the media on Friday. Payton also said he was disappointed with the Texas governor, although one can also respect and appreciate the nearly impossible nature of dealing with unprecedented events in the daily lives of Texans. Bearing in mind that community health concerns surrounding COVID-19 seem to change on a daily basis, we must once again adjust to new executive mandates at the local level, Payton said in the statement. He continued with a populist tone set earlier in the week when he referenced politically motivated body-of-values light-weights who sought to violate Midlanders civil liberties. He told residents earlier in the week he had no interest in mask mandates that were full of exceptions and basically unenforceable. Abbott on Thursday announced a mandate that requires all Texans to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases, with few exceptions. I will not become party to a city that is policing and citing the general public for not wearing a mask, Payton said Wednesday. We have already come too close to trampling civil liberties in the ways we have treated businesses and the way we have treated a free people. The governors executive order went into effect at 12:01 p.m. Friday. Abbotts order gives mayors and county judges the ability to impose restrictions on some outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people, and making it mandatory that, with certain exceptions, people cannot be in groups larger than 10 and must maintain 6 feet of social distancing from others. County Judge Terry Johnson wrote Thursday, as the Midland County Judge, I am sworn to uphold the laws of the state and the governors executive orders. I would encourage all residents of Midland County to be responsible this holiday weekend by maintaining the proper protocols as prescribed by this order. Payton said Friday that he will not ask the police department to respond to calls reporting individuals in violation of this executive order. We cannot, and I will not, have our police chasing reports of people in violation of the mask requirement knowing that there will not only be multiple unenforceable scenarios, but also exceptions and circumstances that make this mask mandate unenforceable throughout the city, Payton wrote. I will fully expect our police to pursue any calls related to a threatening or violent situation towards any individual arising out of the application of the Governors mask mandate. As always, police will continue to address matters of public safety through prioritized assessment. *** Mayor Patrick Paytons statement on Gov. Greg Abbotts mask mandate: Though disappointed in the ongoing Executive overreach of Governor Abbott into local matters dealing with community health, one can also respect and appreciate the nearly impossible nature of dealing with unprecedented events in the daily lives of Texans. Bearing in mind that community health concerns surrounding COVID-19 seem to change on a daily basis, we must once again adjust to new executive mandates at the local level. I will not be asking our police department to respond to calls reporting individuals in violation of this executive order. We cannot, and I will not, have our police chasing reports of people in violation of the mask requirement knowing that there will not only be multiple unenforceable scenarios, but also exceptions and circumstances that make this mask mandate unenforceable throughout the city. I will fully expect our police to pursue any calls related to a threatening or violent situation towards any individual arising out of the application of the Governors mask mandate. As always, police will continue to address matters of public safety through prioritized assessment. Each and every one of us know what we can, and should, do in this moment of health crisis, and we should do our best to honor the lives and health of all those around us through personal application of masks in public places for the next few weeks. This is not new to us and I have already requested these actions from our great city and her residents. I do not believe that we as a state should continue in this pattern of executive fiat over the entire state without legislative checks and balances. Until such a time when the Texas Legislature finally engages this unprecedented season, we at the local level are the only check and balance to statewide mandates being applied to a fluid and varied situation throughout a radically diverse state. I firmly believe the residents of Midland were already prepared and actually applying the needed actions of masking headed into the Fourth of July weekend. Now, with the added weight of the Governors order, we will continue in what we have already begun but with a few more restrictions on crowd sizes and events. Moving forward lets continue to do what we have all seen as the necessary path to attempted control of a virus. As I have stated before, until we have a vaccine or herd immunity we will continue to trampoline back and forth between behaviors. Moving forward there must be local control and self-governance until the active engagement of the legislative branch of Texas if we are going to uphold the principles of self-governance, freedom and democracy this country and state are founded upon principles not to be easily forgotten during a weekend in which we celebrate our historic independence. We'll keep you connected to all the updated local news and information about what's happening in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County! Click Here to Subscribe! Jeff McCullough (left, with red mohawk) of Murfreesboro poses for a group photo with children at a Samaritans Purse orphanage in the Philippines. Some of the children are deaf, so his music videos use sign language. SUBMITTED We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Contact us Emmanuel Smith relaxes on the couch with his children Nora, seated in Smiths lap, Tajryan, center and Tyler French, far right, along with Smiths wife Bailey at their home on Thursday. Smith received a phone call from Oklahoma Department of Human Services Director Justin Brown on Thursday apologizing for the conduct of a case worker in January. Jamison Jaron Weeden, 28, Okmulgee resident, left us June 5, 2021. Service of Remembrance will be Friday, 11:00 AM, The Chapel of Peace of the Keith D. Biglow Funeral Directors, Inc., of Okmulgee. biglowfunerals.com Discuss this article with your neighbors or join the community conversation. Click here to get access The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control on Friday announced 237 new cases of COVID-19 in Horry County, bringing our cumulative case total up to 3,963 with 49 deaths related to the viral disease. It's the biggest single-day jump in Horry County cases since the pandemic began. Myrtle Beach leaders approve face mask mandate Myrtle Beach became the second coastal community in Horry County this week to approve a mandate that directs people in the city to wear face masks in certain settings. DHEC announced 1,558 cases throughout the entire state, and 10 more deaths related to the disease, bringing South Carolina's total up to 41,413 cases with 787 deaths. Almost 21 percent of the 7,514 test performed in the state on Thursday came back positive. As of Friday morning, Horry County's hospital bed capacity was at 83.5 percent, with 110 beds still open and 557 beds occupied. South Carolina had a 72.7 percent hospital bed utilization rate, with COVID-19 patient taking up 1,148 of the state's 7,781 occupied hospital beds. State health officials have grown concerned over the past month about the rising number of COVID-19 cases among younger people, especially those in their teens and 20s, and have attributed the spike in cases to a widespread failure to follow mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines. This week, both Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach passed ordinances mandating the use of masks in certain public areas. Conway is considering an ordinance. While some have blamed the spike in COVID-19 tests on increasing testing, the rising number of hospitalizations and percent of tests coming back positive are evidence of a sicker population. Health officials say wearing a mask in public, practicing social distancing, avoiding large public gatherings, staying home when sick and practicing good hygiene are critical to slowing the spread of the virus. DHEC is holding mobile testing clinics around the state that are free to residents without pre-screening. [Click here for a list of mobile testing events] Tidelands Health has four events in our area scheduled for July. They all start at 10 a.m. and last until supplies run out. July 10, Georgetown High School July 17, Myrtle Beach Pelicans Stadium July 24, Coastal Carolina University July 31, Myrtle Beach Pelicans Stadium SUPPORT THIS INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM The article youre about to read is from our reporters doing their important work investigating, researching, and writing their stories. We want to provide informative and inspirational stories that connect you to the people, issues and opportunities within our community. Journalism takes a lot of resources. Today, our business model has been interrupted by the pandemic; the vast majority of our advertisers businesses have been impacted. Thats why the Weekly is now turning to you for financial support. Learn more about our new Insiders program here. Thank you. JOIN NOW Members of a commission dedicated to human relations in Jacksonville discussed racial profiling in policing and other racial issues on Thursday. Jacksonville Police Chief Adam Mefford was supposed to give a presentation to the citys Commission on Disabilities and Human Relations, but commission chair Alan Bradish said a last-minute conflict kept Mefford away from the meeting. Bradish instead read from a statement from Mefford in which the chief addressed the work his department has done to improve its relationship with the community, concerns about racial discrimination in policing in the wake of the death of George Floyd while in police custody, and the ensuing protests against police brutality. I, like the rest of the country, was horrified and disgusted with the events surrounding the death of George Floyd, Meffords statement read. This was unacceptable and we need to assure the public that we are doing everything we can to prevent senseless behavior like this from happening not only locally, but as a nation. Meffords statement noted that Jacksonville Police Department several years ago banned the use of chokeholds and similar techniques that restricts ones airway unless in deadly force scenarios. Mefford said the police department and Mayor Andy Ezard were happy to work with the organizers of a Black Lives Matter protest in June to ensure the attendees could exercise their right to protest and to continue a conversation with residents about racial justice and police reforms. The Jacksonville police outsourced their policy manual to an independent firm that makes recommendations for local departments to assure guidelines are within the boundaries of state law and best practice, Mefford said in his statement. The firm continues to monitor the departments policy and officers must review and sign off on all policy. Officers also must complete 40 hours of critical incident training to emphasize de-escalation. Mefford said he signed off on the 10 Shared Principles agreement designed to build trust between law enforcement and communities of color in April 2019. The principles are an agreement between the states NAACP and Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police that includes rejecting all forms of discrimination, endorsing the values of community policing and supporting diversity in police departments. Through police procedure and training, Mefford said Jacksonville police already had adopted the policies championed by the 8 Cant Wait campaign, a campaign founded after Floyds death calling for the adoption of eight police reforms that advocates believe would drastically reduce police killings. The reforms include a ban on chokeholds and strangleholds, and require de-escalation, a mandated warning before shooting, exhausting all alternatives before shooting, a mandate for officers to intervene if others officers are using excessive force, a ban on shooting at moving vehicles, restrictions on the use of force and comprehensive reporting. Bradish added that Mefford disbanded the citys street crime task force, a unit Bradish said was a major police presence on the citys streets. Commission members Ruth Linear and Jaime Filio-Cruz both recounted moments when they or members of their family experienced what they felt was racial profiling from police officers. Linear said her son recorded several times when officers accosted him. Filio-Cruz said there were times when his husband had been pulled over by police when it seemed like he was being profiled and he wanted to check with the citys Latino community about profiling. Linear also recalled a 1991 incident in which two Black men were harmed by officers after they were stopped and two months of meeting between the Jacksonville branch of the NAACP and city officials that followed. She said police behavior towards Black residents has calmed down in recent years , following the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. I think they cooled down some since Ferguson, Linear said. Lately things have cooled down with police stopping you because of this Black Lives Matter. Linear also brought up concerns about diversity in the police department, other city departments and in the Jacksonville school district. Bradish said Mefford now is scheduled to address the commission at its September meeting. Since 2012, MacMurray Colleges nursing program has helped upward of 80 students earn a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN). This week the programs last saw 10 students graduate and prepare to move on, either to start their careers or take the next step toward earning a masters degree. Jill Parsons, professor of nursing at MacMurray College, said she was honored to be part of the nursing program during its final days. I feel satisfied, Parsons said of how she has helped shaped nursing students over the years. MacMurray College announced in March that the institution would close its doors after 174 years. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, MacMurray students had to switch to online classes but, for the final nursing class, the final online course was already in full swing. There were not a lot of changes, Parsons said of the pandemic-related statewide shutdown. It was business as usual. To graduate, however, nursing students are required to do their practicums shadowing nurses in the field and drawing connections between course learning and professional competencies. That did take a bit of adjustment. We overcame it by being flexible, Parsons said. They were able to complete their practicums, just not the ones they wanted to do. The registered nurse-to-BSN program was founded at MacMurray by Dr. Joellen Brannan, who since has retired. Parson was coordinator of the program, working with Brannan. We filled a need that the community wanted, Parsons said of the program and its intent. It started after Passavant Area Hospital reached out to MacMurray, explaining its need for nurses with higher credentials. Passavant had a need for students to have the BSN, Parsons said. After nursing students earn their associates degree, earning their BSN allows them to take more managerial roles. If you wanted to move up, the BSN will help, Parsons said. Theres a greater emphasis on research, public health and management. The nursing class now is part of MacMurrays final graduating class, the Class of 2020. The schools closure means Parsons also will be moving on to McKendree University in Lebanon. There was a need for a professor its a wonderful opportunity, she said. Sayre, PA (18840) Today Thunderstorms, some strong early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 58F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Thunderstorms, some strong early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 58F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Tuolumne County Travel Message View Photo Sonora, CA With a recent increase in COVID-19 cases, Tuolumne County leaders are asking everyone to do their part to help slow the spread of the virus. We reported yesterday that Tuolumne County now has 43 confirmed coronavirus cases. The Tuolumne County Office of Emergency Services put out a statement from Board Chair Sherri Brennan, CAO Tracie Riggs and OES Coordinator Liz Peterson. It reads, While it may be tempting to celebrate our countrys independence with friends and family this weekend, gatherings with people outside of your immediate household are still not permitted, per state and local health orders. It continues by noting that the past few months have been challenging, but everyone must remain diligent. Adding, Lets protect our vulnerable populations, reduce the impact to our rural healthcare system and help contain this disease. People are asked to avoid gatherings with people of different households, to wear a face-covering in public, maintain six feet of physical distancing, and stay home if sick. The public health department also yesterday released an image on social media aimed at residents who live outside of the county, stating, Staying Home Saves Lives: Please limit all non-essential travel to Tuolumne County. We are experiencing community transmission of COVID-19. Well see you again soon. Its now required to wear face coverings in public. Governor Greg Abbotts office issued a news release Thursday afternoon regarding this latest executive order, which makes it mandatory for Texans to wear a face cover over their nose and mouth in public spaces. The order applies to counties with 20 or more positive cases of COVID-19, according to the news release. The latest report from the Plainview/Hale County Health Department (which reflects data as of 5 p.m. Tuesday) showed Hale County had a total of 185 active cases. There have been a total of 369 reported around the county since the first case was announced on March 24. The latest executive order also gives more power to mayors and county judges to impose restrictions on outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people. The order mandates that there cannot be groups larger than 10 people and individuals must maintain six feet of social distance between each other. Wearing a face covering in public is proven to be one of the most effective ways we have to slow the spread of COVID-19, said Abbott in the news release. We have the ability to keep businesses open and move our economy forward so that Texans can continue to earn a paycheck, but it requires each of us to do our part to protect one another and that means wearing a face covering in public spaces. Plainview and Hale County leaders have been encouraging citizens to wear face coverings in public. Back in April, the city shared links on its Coronavirus Information webpage that include details on how to make face masks from common household items. Those links can be found at https://www.plainviewtx.org/455/COVID-19-Information. Dr. Sergio Lara, Hale County Health Authority, reiterated to The Herald last week that face masks help decrease chances of the wearer spreading coronavirus. The virus can be spread from as little as a droplet of saliva inadvertently passed on by a seemingly harmless act like having a conversation. He also encourages citizens to continue to practice social distancing in public and practice good hand hygiene. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not present. Taking those precautions, Lara noted, will help slow the spread. Abbotts statement echoed what Lara said. I urge all Texans to wear a face covering in public, not just for their own health, but for the health of their families, friends and for all our fellow Texans, Abbotts statement reads. Well, that was quick. Just one day after a judge temporarily blocked the publication of Mary Trumps forthcoming tell-all book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the Worlds Most Dangerous Man, a New York appellate judge has overturned that decision. The publisher Simon & Schuster can move ahead with its plans to release the book from President Trumps niece on July 28. Justice Alan D. Scheinkman ruled that Simon & Schuster was not a party to (and thus not bound by) Mary Trumps confidentiality agreement, writing, Unlike Ms. Trump, S&S has not agreed to surrender or relinquish any of its First Amendment rights. However, as The New York Times points out, the ruling put off addressing a central aspect of the bitter spat about the manuscript that has been roiling all month in the Trump family: whether, by writing the book, Ms. Trump violated a confidentiality agreement put in place nearly 20 years ago after a struggle over the will of her grandfather, Fred Trump Sr., Donald Trumps father. STUTTGART, Germany - While much of the world is aching for a coronavirus vaccine, Lilia Loffler is adamant that her three children won't be getting any jabs. Shrugging off light rain to join a two-hour bike protest shutdown restrictions, Loffler said that previously she vaccinated all her kids. But she changed her mind after what she's been hearing at demonstrations and reading on the Internet during the pandemic. She noted that her 6-year-old son is supposed to get a shot for measles ahead of school in the fall. "But he won't get that," she said. Or any other vaccination. The possibility that Germany's anti-vaccination movement may gain new adherents like Loffler has been a concern for health authorities, as the coronavirus unites a mishmash of groups resistant to the prospect of a vaccine, from far-right conspiracy theorists to hippie moms. Germany already had a fervent anti-vaxx movement, reflecting a historic skepticism of government control and an affinity for alternative medicine. Now, health experts have warned that even if a coronavirus vaccine gets approval, refusals could open the way to a resurgence while threatening efforts to keep other preventable diseases in check. "With such a bad pandemic, there were people that said it would make anti-vaxxers wake up and see that vaccines are important," said Heidi Larson, director of the London-based Vaccine Confidence Project. "But it's actually done the opposite." Anti-vaxx groups have become highly "active and aggressive," she said. "I think we are in a vulnerable spot right now." In Germany, conspiracy theories over a vaccine abound. Attila Hildmann, a vegan chef, has become one of the leading voices of the resistance, accusing the health minister of promoting a surveillance state and forced-vaccination program at the behest of Bill Gates. Amid the fervor, the German government has assured the public that any coronavirus vaccine would be voluntary. "The government is accused of secretly plotting to introduce mandatory vaccination," representative Ulrike Demmer said. "There will be no obligatory vaccination against the coronavirus." That's different from the approach Germany has taken with measles. To address what health officials warned was one of the worst efforts to combat measles in Europe, Germany last year made the measles vaccine mandatory for children entering preschools or kindergarten. Parents who do not follow the rules face fines of 2,500 euros, about $2,800. Isolde Piechotowski is an infectious-disease expert with the health ministry in Baden-Wurttemberg, a southwest German state known for a particularly strong anti-vaxx community. She said her office was inundated with calls and emails after the measles announcement. Since the coronavirus pandemic began, there has been another deluge. "The messages from these people - they suppose that there will be a mandatory vaccination. That's the contents of a lot of emails and letters right now," she said. "They are trying to influence those decisions, even though there is no such decision to be made right now." Surveys of Germany conducted by the University of Erfurt found that in late June, 64 percent of respondents said they would be willing to get a hypothetical coronavirus vaccine - down from 79 percent in mid-April. The notion of mandatory vaccination was rejected by 38 percent of respondents. "Even with a perfectly functioning vaccine, this might not be enough for herd immunity," said lead researcher Cornelia Betsch. That echoes a warning for the United States by Anthony S. Fauci, the government's top infectious-disease specialist. On Sunday, Fauci told CNN that while he'd "settle" for a vaccine that is 70 to 75 percent effective, if a third of Americans are reluctant to get vaccinated, as some opinion polls suggest, achieving herd immunity would be "unlikely." Germany's vaccination rates for childhood diseases appear to be somewhat higher than those for the United States, according to comparative data compiled by the OECD. But Germany's reported figures may overstate vaccination rates - and underestimate anti-vaxx sentiment. German health insurer Barmer calculated that, based on its patient databases, 89 percent of 6-year-olds were adequately immunized against measles in 2017, before the measles mandate. That's far lower than Germany's reported measles vaccination rate of 97 percent for that year and falls short of the 95 percent target for population herd immunity. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's federal agency for disease control, acknowledges that its official data reflects only what families indicate on vaccination cards at school entry and excludes those who don't present a card. Assuming all those without cards are not fully vaccinated would mean a "worst case" rate of 81 percent, health officials said. RKI says its data from a wider range of health insurance companies estimates full measles coverage at 93 percent at school age - still below the 95 percent target. Health authorities single out late vaccinations as a particular problem, with only 74 percent of children receiving their second measles dose in the recommended time period. One of the hubs of Germany's anti-vaxx movement is Baden-Wurttemberg, a wealthy region bordering France and Switzerland and home to auto giants Daimler and Porsche. During the peak of Germany's anti-shutdown protests in May, the largest crowds congregated in the regional capital of Stuttgart. More than 5,000 people marched through the streets, bolstered by a contingent of anti-vaxxers. Those tracking growing resistance to a hypothetical vaccine say people may feel a vaccine has become less urgent since Germany managed to flatten its coronavirus curve. But vaccine attitudes in Germany are complicated by the country's political history, with the Third Reich leaving behind a legacy of unease over government mandates. Resistance is also tied up with the country's alternative and holistic medicine traditions. Samuel Hahnemann, the father of homeopathy - whose statue sits on Washington's Scott Circle - was a German from the eastern state of Saxony. And it was in Stuttgart that Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian who devised anthroposophical medicine, opened his first Waldorf School 100 years ago. While the Waldorf institution has distanced itself from anti-vaxxers, the Steiner philosophy is rooted in free will and independence of thought, and some of his followers are vaccine skeptics. In Baden-Wurttemberg, infectious-disease specialist Piechotowski said, low vaccination rates can be attributed, in part, to "quite a high number of people who are following the anthroposophic philosophy." "It's become very common, in the past 20 years, to think that typical child illnesses are good for healthy development," said Natalie Grams, formerly a practicing homeopathic doctor who now speaks out against what she sees as pseudoscience. "People are trying to avoid early vaccinations, and this comes from homeopathic and anthroposophic thinking, very much. There's a common thought that early vaccinations harm little babies." Grams said she is concerned how the movement appears to have expanded in just the past few months. "The movement is getting far more political influence," she said. It's no longer just 2 to 4 percent of the population against vaccines, she added. "It's far more people. The situation is much more intense than if it was just the anti-vaxx movement spreading disinformation about a coronavirus vaccine." The government needs to build support for a coronavirus vaccine even before one exists, she added, so people wary of a hastily developed medical intervention don't turn to conspiracy theorists or hardcore anti-vaxxers to fill the knowledge gap. In an interview at Steiner House, Christoph Hueck, a Waldorf educator who has spoken at anti-shutdown demonstrations, said he sees a chance to get his message out and doesn't mind who is in the audience as long as he speaks his "truth." "The only thing is to make my point of view as clear as possible," he said. "As spread out as possible. I don't feel like I'm a conspiracy theorist." But his talking points touch on conspiracy theories involving Bill Gates, the World Health Organization and vaccine tattoos. The risk of the coronavirus is overblown, he said. He said he hopes people will start to demonstrate and take off their masks. He said he's not anti-vaccine but against compulsory vaccination. "You cannot send your kid to school anymore unless they are vaccinated," he said. "The state wants to control its citizens. This is the dictatorship of health, which sets itself above the value of freedom." Nadine Schmid, 37, who runs a "natural medicine" practice just outside Stuttgart, said she thought carefully about vaccines for her 3- and 7-year-old. The eldest has had a measles shot, the youngest only tetanus. She said there has been tense discussion in her community since the measles vaccine became mandatory. "Corona has accelerated that debate," she said. For a vaccine, everyone should be able to choose, she said, but it's "not for me or my children." - - - Glucroft reported from Stuttgart. The Washington Post's Luisa Beck in Berlin contributed to this report. There remain more than 1,500 Confederate monuments in the U.S., according to the Whose Heritage? data project by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Stacker mined the SPLCs research and ranked states according to which have the most Confederate memorials. This article was first published on Stacker Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Memorial Hermann is seeking help to locate a patient's family. The patient, named Simon Jesus Mendez de Lopez, is a Guatemalan male and is believed to be 56-57 years old. He is approximately 5 foot 3 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds, according to a Memorial Hermann media release. Anyone who believes they have knowledge of this patient is encouraged to contact TIRR Memorial Hermann at 1-800-477-3422. A 32-year-old man was arrested for shooting his former, elderly roommate with a paintball gun, an arrest affidavit said. Pierre Ashton Miller was charged with injury to an elderly person with bodily injury. Police said the victim was sitting in his living room on May 24, when Miller entered the Zarzamora Street residence uninvited, the affidavit said. Miller then fired at least eight paintballs at the 66-year-old man, hitting him in the face, arm and torso. There was also pink paintball splatters on the coffee table and walls around the victim. Miller told the victim "I am going to get you f-- Mexican for locking me up and throwing me out of your house and firing my wife," the affidavit said. Police believe the attack was in retaliation for Miller getting arrested for a previous attack on the victim and his sister in April. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox During that incident, Miller allegedly punched the victim in the face after the victim's sister asked Miller to move out of the apartment. Miller had allegedly become angry and gotten in the 67-year-old woman's face so the victim stepped between them to prevent a fight. Miller then punched the man in the face, giving him a black eye and causing him to fall. Both the victim and his sister are elderly and use canes to walk. When police arrived to arrest Miller, he escaped by jumping over the balcony railing and wasn't located by police. Miller was finally arrested Thursday for both incidents, charged with three counts of injury to an elderly person and one count of retaliation. He is being held at the Bexar County Jail on a $90,000 bond. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway Yves here. You have to read a fair bit into the post to encounter a bombshell: an analysis that finds that charter school economics have a lot in common with Enron By Jeff Bryant, a writing fellow and chief correspondent for Our Schools, a project of the Independent Media Institute. He is a communications consultant, freelance writer, advocacy journalist, and director of the Education Opportunity Network, a strategy and messaging center for progressive education policy. His award-winning commentary and reporting routinely appear in prominent online news outlets, and he speaks frequently at national events about public education policy. Follow him on Twitter @jeffbcdm. Produced by Our Schools, a project of the Independent Media Institute. While sheltering with her family during the pandemic, dealing with the challenges of remote learning, Michelle Tomlinson couldnt help but notice in her social media channels the growing frequency of charter school advertising. She was annoyed that the schools were targeting public school parents where she lived in the suburban northeast corner of Wake County, North Carolina, the sixth-wealthiest zip code in North Carolina, with some of the states top-performing public schools. One ad led to a video of Jonathan Hage, CEO of Charter Schools USA, a national charter school chain with numerous schools in North Carolina. The ad claimed the companys facilities are ready and will be open for the new school year without referring to North Carolina state guidelines for reopening schools safely in the wake of COVID-19. Tomlinson questioned how Hage and his staff could have developed a plan to reopen all of their schools, and Hage could be ready to promote that plan and his video on Twitter on June 9, when the state guidelines had not been issued until June 8. She was further annoyed by a local news outlet reporting a positive story about local charter schools successfully pivoting from in-person teaching to online instruction without mentioning charter schools often enroll more well-off students whose parents are more likely to own laptops, tablets, and computers and have high-speed Wi-Fi connections to the internet. Many North Carolina charter schools serve so few high-poverty students they were in danger of being disqualified to receive emergency aid from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. However, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced new guidelines in May that would ensure new charter schools and charter schools that claim they are going to take in more high-poverty students would qualify to receive CARES money. Tomlinson also knew well the financial impact the new charter schools would have at a time when public schools in North Carolina, and all other states, are bracing for deep cuts in funding due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus. North Carolina state funding levels face a potential $1.6 billion shortfall in the coming year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Tomlinson was not alone among Wake County parents who have been worried about new charters opening in their communities during a time of crisis. Well before the coronavirus struck, she helped organize a petition campaign among the parents to demand the North Carolina State Board of Education halt approvals of new charter schools in their communities. The parents concerns included weak demand for the charters and the likelihood that the influx of charters will cause traffic problems, inject profiteers into the school community, and exacerbate racial and economic segregation in the school system. The campaign has generated more than 875 signatures, as of this writing. Wake County is not an isolated case; across the country, parents are concerned about charter schools taking a bigger bite out of a public education pie that will likely be smaller due to the economic impact of COVID-19. Public education advocates in Dallas, Texas, issued a statement on May 15 expressing their concerns about two new charter schools scheduled to open in the district when financial impacts of COVID-19 are just starting to be estimated, according to the Dallas Weekly. This is not the time for reduced resources to our public school district that serves the vast majority of students who also have the greatest needs, a local school official is quoted. In Los Angeles, public school teachers during the pandemic have reasserted their demands, first made during a systemwide strike the previous year, for the district to enact a moratorium on new charter approvals and expansions. And some state governing boards that oversee charters are deciding during the current crisis to not renewcontracts with low-performing charters. Because reopening public schools in the coming school year will be fraught with unprecedented challenges, experts say, and education budgets may get cut to the bone, news of charter school startups and expansions will undoubtedly spark heated opposition from public school parents and teachers, even in well-to-do suburban communities, like Wake County, that may have been insulated from the financial costs of school choice in the past. This Fiscal Impact Is Concerning [These parents and public school advocates] should expect charter schools to drain financial resources from their communities public schools, Preston Green told me in a phone call. Green, a University of Connecticut professor, is the author of numerous critical studies of charter schools, including one in which he argued that the charter industrys operations resemble the business practices of Enron, the mammoth energy corporation that collapsed under a weight of debt and scandal. As evidence, Green sent me an email citing a 2018 study of five non-urban, North Carolina school districts. The study determined that these non-urban districts lost about $4,000 to $6,000 for every student enrolled in a charter school. Green said that because controversial charter schools have so far been less widespread in the suburbs compared to inner-city communities such as Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit, its likely that many suburban parents who previously were unfamiliar with the fiscal impacts of charter schools will increasingly express concerns about seeing new charter schools popping up in their communities. This fiscal impact is concerning, Green explained, because public schools have fixed costs, such as facilities and administration, that cannot be cut very easily. Even if school districts close and consolidate buildings in response to enrollment losses from charters, the presence of charters will continue to drain the district, Green explained, because charters can and often do open schools in the same location of the closed school or intensely recruit that schools newly dislocated students. In addition, because charter schools often close, school districts have to maintain sufficient space in their remaining schools. These fixed costs will not go away if schools cant reopen due to the persistence of the coronavirus, and they will certainly worsen if schools have to reopen under social distancing guidelines that necessitate smaller class sizes and adding new buses and bus routes. Also, in North Carolina, and most states, public school districts must reenroll students who live in their attendance zones, even if the students have left a charter school in midyear. Yet charters that shed students midyear are allowed to retain the funding that followed the child to the school at the beginning of the year. Greens troubling predictions about charter expansions into the suburbs have already been happening in Wake County. Nearly Impossible to Plan For The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) student enrollment grew a paltry 42 new students in 2018-2019, ABC local Channel 11 reported, while parents choosing homeschooling increased 77 percent and families opting for charter schools jumped 90 percent. Enrollment growth in district schools rebounded to 1,436 new students in 2019-2020, according to local news outlet WRAL, but an enrollment forecast issued by the district predicted only 33 new students in 2020-2021. The WCPSS report quoted by WRAL noted, Non-WCPSS systems, including charter schools, continue to grow and capture a larger share of the K-12 population in Wake County. These projections, issued prior to the move to remote learning under the pandemic, are now likely up in the air, but charter school marketing campaigns could make under-enrollment problems in the districts public schools worse. Tomlinson pointed me to district data showing that a number of the WCPSS schools that are near where charters have been located or are planning to locate were under-enrolled as recently as 2018-2019. Two new charters proposed to be built in Wake ForestWake Preparatory Academy and North Raleigh Charter Academyare scheduled to open within three miles from each other. Within a five-mile radius of the new charters, there are six other charters. In the meantime, a number of WCPSS schools within a five-mile radius of the new charters are under-enrolled, including Richland Creek Elementary, at 60 percent capacity; Wake Forest Elementary, 79 percent; Rolesville Middle, 68 percent; and Wakefield Middle, 83 percent. Enrollment swings caused by charter expansions are nearly impossible to plan for in competitive school districts like Wake County, and district financial officers have a difficult time making revenue forecasts when students and their parents decide to transfer schools. Other factors affecting district enrollment, such as shifts in housing, demographics, and employment, are more predictable, according to a February article in Education Week. But parent transfers are much more difficult to anticipate, and budget cuts that schools make midyear to respond to enrollment drops can add to the exodus of students. The presence of charter schools will place further financial strain on Wake County schools as they face the mounting costs of reopening. Wake County school board members tallying up the price of reopening schools faced a long list of new costs, the News and Observer, a Raleigh-based newspaper, reported. Reopening would require new bus schedules and increased numbers of bus runs; new supplies and personnel to provide daily symptom screening and temperature checks of all students, staff, and visitors; and new purchases of face masks, cleaning supplies, and other sanitary measures. A cost estimate by the School Superintendents Association and the Association of School Business Officials International pegged the average expense of reopening schools according to recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at approximately $490 per student. Further, because a survey of Wake County parents and students found only 43 percent were comfortable with going back to campus next school year, the board voted to require district administrators to plan for an online learning program even if campuses reopen for in-person learningthus, essentially running two parallel systems of instruction. School Choice or Schools Choice? As charter expansions cause enrollment attrition in public schools, its important to note which parents are leaving public schools and enrolling in charters, particularly when the issue of race is considered. Some suburban parents might see charter schools as a tool for escaping from Wake Countys efforts to maintain a racially diverse school system, Green surmised. Studies conducted in 2015 and 2018 have found that the states charter schools are more segregated than their traditional public school counterparts. What Green expects is indeed playing out on the ground in northeast Wake County. In an email Tomlinson sent to the North Carolina State Board of Education in January, she drew from student enrollment data from stateand county websites to show how charter schools in the Tar Heel State are increasing racial segregation in her community. In Wake districts 1 and 3, the numbers are staggering, she wrote. (Districts 1 and 3 of WCPSS comprise the schools in the northeast corner of the county.) Among these Wake County public schools, Tomlinson found 40 percent of students are white, 30 percent are Black, and 23 percent are Hispanic. She pointed out the contrast to charter schools in the area where 72 of the students are white, 10 percent are Black, and 9 percent are Hispanic. Tomlinsons email also expressed concern with whether new charter schools would enroll students who would be eligible for the federal governments free or reduced-price lunch program (FRL), a common measure of poverty. Some of the schools in the vicinity of new charters have high percentages of these students, including Richland Creek Elementary, which enrolls 43.5 percent FRL, and Wake Forest Elementary, which has 49.5 percent FRL. In contrast, many new charters planning to move into her neighborhoodsuch as North Raleigh Charter Academy, Wake Preparatory Academy, and Wendell Falls Charter Academyplan to enroll only 31-33 percent FRL students, according to their applications. This target would match districtwide percentages but is not always comparable to the closest neighborhood public schools they will be competing against. When Wake Preparatorys application was approved, it wasnt clear how the school would achieve its declared FRL percentage because it wasnt planning to enroll students by using a lottery process that is weighted favorably toward students from low-income households. After parents pointed that out to state officials, the school issued an addendum stating it would use a weighted lottery. Applications for North Raleigh Charter Academy and Wendell Falls Charter Academy, which are both managed by Charter Schools USA, pledge to use a weighted lottery, but the goal they stated would achieve a pretty low barat least 15 percent of students who are economically disadvantaged. Parents Concerns What many signers of the Wake County charter school petition share is an evolving understanding of what these schools represent in the education system and the disruption the schools bring to communities. Initially, Tomlinson and her husband were supportive of charter schools, and they were for lifting the cap on the number of charters allowed in the state. Tomlinsons wariness of charters started when she noticed more families from her neighborhood leaving public schools to attend new charters. Northeast Wake Countywhich includes Rolesville, Wake Forest, Wakefield, Zebulon, and other rapidly growing bedroom communitiesis now home to 11 out of the 24 Wake County charter schools. When she examined these new charter schools more closely, she found details that concerned her. For instance, one of the new charters approved to locate near her, Wake Preparatory Academy, stated in its application that starting in its third year, the school planned to earn a $2.6 million surplus every year and pay over $2.6 million annually to its out-of-state for-profit management company. The school also expected to spend almost $200,000 a year on marketing. Another fact about the school that disturbed her: The schools management company, Charter One, is owned by Glenn Way, who oversees a chain of charter schools based mostly in Arizona that, according to an in-depth investigation by the Arizona Republic, over a nine-year period funneled about $37 million in real estate deals, paid for largely by public funds meant for education, into companies owned by or associated with Way. I went from being a supporter of charter schools to now being against them, Tomlinson told me. Julie Raftery, a Wakefield parent who signed the petition, told me, I first learned of charters right after we moved here. She considered the schools to be an option only in areas of need, where the kids who struggle the most live. Initially, she applied to enroll her child in a charter, but decided against following through and chose a district school instead. When we first moved to Wakefield, the only charter in our immediate area was Franklin Academy, she told me. In the last five years, they have built five more charters [in her area] Now, more are slated to be built. So what happens to the public schools? Brad Saunders, another parent who signed the petition, told me, At first, I didnt know very much about charter schools and thought charters were publicly funded private schools. He and his wife also have a special needs child and were concerned about how charters served, or didnt, special needs students. Its wonderful what public schools do for special needs children, he said, and expressed surprise that charters would be locating in a place where, in his mind, they arent needed. If a parent is convinced the charter school is for the benefit of their own child, Im okay with that, Saunders told me. But when you have [a new charter opening] on practically every other block with each catering to its own special population you disperse the resources wider. My tax money is being spread more thinly. Why the Charter School Debate Matters Charter school proponents are quick to counter the concerns these parents have by arguing that if charters arent needed, then parents wouldnt be choosing them. They claim that when parents sign up for these schools, that alone is enough proof that the schools are needed. And they maintain that charter schools dont hurt public schools because when parents transfer students to charters, the money follows the child, and the public school can lower its costs in proportion to the number of students leaving. But the Wake County parents arent persuaded by these arguments when they see firsthand the adverse effects of under-enrollment in their childrens schools, increased segregation of students, and the growing presence of predatory, for-profit operators. Some charter proponents would counter these parents by ignoring their message and attacking the messengers, in this case, mostly white, relatively affluent, parents of privilegecharacteristics many of the Wake County parents who signed the petition readily acknowledge could be used to describe themselves. But what the Wake County parents are demanding is reminiscent of statements made by the NAACP and the Movement for Black Lives in 2016 calling for a moratorium on charter school expansions. Heeding the complaints of parents, Wake County school board members sent a letter to the North Carolina State Board of Education saying, the thrust of the parents comments are accurate. Charter schools are having a destabilizing effect on traditional schools. Wake County school board members asked the state to consider delaying or denying the new charter school applications, but the state board approved the new schools anyway. But so far, theres little evidence that state officials in North Carolina are paying any attention to the parents petition. Tomlinson said none of the state board members have responded substantively to her email. When a required annual report to the state legislature on the state of charter schools happened to include information showing that a majority of charter schools in the state dont reflect the racial makeup of their surrounding communities, the states charter advisory board, which approves new charter school applications, requested that section be removed. The State Board of Education complied. The states charter advisory board did not respond to a request for comment about the parent petition, which I emailed to their chair on March 4. There isnt a lack of people wanting to be in a segregated school, said Raftery, so the waiting lists [at charters] are long. It is time for more regulation [of charters], said Tomlinson. In a generally conservative state like North Carolina where government regulation is often discouraged, and the charter school industry benefits from having powerful proponents in high places, the pleas of these parents seem unlikely to generate immediate action from state lawmakers. But as schools prepare to reopen in a landscape populated with a pandemic, huge budgetary pressures, and growing competitive entities siphoning off funds, the stakes are higher than ever. Experiences elsewhere have shown that many charter school operators are not working in the best interests of the school districts where they are located, said Green. Therefore, these parents must become more vocal about the possible negative impacts of charter school expansion on their public schools. Yves here. We are on a holiday schedule through Monday. I nevertheless am busy with eldercare matters (interviewing new agencies, gah) which is why no original posts today. Hope your 4th is fun or at least restful. A Viral New Bird Song in Canada Is Causing Sparrows to Change Their Tune Gizmodo (David L) Elk Return to Kentucky, Bringing Economic Life New York Times (resilc) 5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Mozart New York Times Worlds Pile of Electronic Waste Grows Ever Higher: Study Associated Press Climate change threat to tropical plants PhysOrg (Kevin W) Scientists make light flow like a river in incredible breakthrough experiment RT (Kevin W) #COVID-19 Czech Republic scraps face mask rule as Prague hosts outdoor party Guardian (resilc). Hope vlade will pipe up. China? Hong Kong Security Law Stuns International Business Wall Street Journal China sterilising ethnic minority women in Xinjiang, report says Guardian (resilc) It's incredibly creepy Germany lost control of part of its military. The nation foiled a coup by disbanding its neo-Nazi sympathizing special forces. https://t.co/YRYUYxt3H9 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) July 2, 2020 Petrol sold to Nigeria from Europe dirtier than black market bush fuel Guardian (resilc) Syraqistan Big Brother is Watching You Watch Trump Transition Thousands of U.S. judges who broke laws or oaths remained on the bench Reuters (resilc) Americas Two Right-Wing Parties Keep Accusing Each Other Of Being Far-Left Caitlin Johnstone (Kevin W) 2020 Biden Outraises Trump Again, With $141 Million June Haul New York Times (resilc) Laffaire Jeffrey Epstein Black Lives Matter Dr Disrespect: Mystery surrounds Twitch suddenly banning one of the worlds most popular gamers 9news.com.au. Kevin W: Dr Disrespect was in a Water Cooler link once. Article interesting for the details of the gaming scene. Why the Fed thinks Goldman is Americas riskiest bank Financial Times Boeing Quietly Pulls Plug on the 747, Closing Era of Jumbo Jets Bloomberg. I know they are terrible fuel hogs, but I loved flying on 747s. Have many good memories of flights to the coast, the UK, and Australia on them. Driving Older Cars: Light on Tech, Heavy on Fun DNyuz. Moi: I dont need the fun, just the tech avoidance. Resilc confirms: Tech is bad. Heat cooks all the connectors and electronics. Quicker fails and more limited life. The amount of tech on my 38hp John Deere tractor is bad enough, yet alone the Toyota. Here Come the 4 Horsemen of the Techopolypse New York Times (David L) The Neoliberal Looting of America The New York Times https://t.co/vLvTQx0QQ0 Ann Pettifor (@AnnPettifor) July 3, 2020 Class Warfare Antidote du jour. From LaRuse in VA: Offering a story and a photo. Last Friday, an animal control officer turned up on my porch said my neighbor had called regarding a kitten on her deck. The kitten had fled under my deck. The officer couldnt really take the kitten forcefully because it didnt appear injured, but said we could call to have it collected if it came out. He didnt know that I am a desperate cat lover married to a person that has allergies so bad he gets 4 immunotherapy shots a week. So I instantly put out a can of tuna by the deck. It was all I had. That evening, the food had been hit so I walked the yard. The kitten was in my shed, so weak and near to death she couldnt get away from me. She kept blacking out in my hands as I inspected her. She never bit or scratched me. I put more tuna and water out and put her back where I found her since she could not come in the house and if she was there in the morning, I would go get kibble and such for her. Well, she was there. And she was more lively. And friendly. Not feral at all. She was nothing but bones under all her fluff. So kibble and dewormer was achieved and she began recovering from near death. This photo was taken last night, 5 days after her discovery. We think she is at least part Maine Coon and she is absolutely smitten with my family. Even Allergic Husband cannot resist offering her a few scritches now and then (followed immediately with handwashing and maybe a benedryl). She is going to be a stunningly beautiful cat. We have several people interested in offering her a forever home but no one has committed quite yet. Today, she is zooming around the back yard tackling acorn caps and hunting grasshoppers. I named her Purrmengarde (after Ermengarde, the grandmother of Henry Plantagenet because I am a super 12th century history nerd). Anyway, that is a long story for a tiny 5 ounce kitten, but I thought the Blog might find her Antidote-worthy. See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. (Natural News) Much of corporate America is beginning to feel duped by the Black Lives Matter movement. As BLMs violence spreads, attacking innocent people in the streets, extorting business, and killing cops, they become more popular with celebrities and leftists who are fighting hard to start a race war in the US. Each week, as BLM thugs have pillaged cities, corporations are kowtowing to the mob to show their support for the movement. But now that the BLM is clarifying their racist position toward Israel and the Jewish people, corporations that once praised the mob are now trying to dissociate from it. The official Twitter account for the Black Lives Matter movement in the United Kingdom, declared: As Israel moves forward with the annexation of the West Bank, and mainstream British politics is gagged of the right to critique Zionism, and Israels settler colonial pursuits, we loudly and clearly stand beside our Palestinian comrades. FREE PALESTINE. BLM demonstrators go full anti-Jew, denouncing Israel and American capitalism It didnt take long for the most recent Black Lives Matter march in Washington DC to become anti-Semitic as protestors began accusing the Jews and shouting them out. The march, led by Harvard student Christian Tabash, reveals that there is more to the BLM than meets the eye. They are a destabilizing force operating outside the rule of law, manipulated by bad actors and governments, to be used as a paramilitary operation against the American republic and the rule of law. Tabash revealed that Palestinian liberation is intrinsically tied to Black Lives Matter. One woman at the DC protest waved a sign that had the Palestinian flag on one side, and, on the other, the phrase Black Lives Matter. Approximately two hundred demonstrators gathered in DC, marching from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol building as they shouted anti-Semitic remarks against the Jewish people. The protests referred to Israel as the puppet master of continents and called on US leaders to denounce Israel and the Jewish state. The BLMs anti-Jew, racist manifesto also includes disdain for American capitalism, which they claim is founded on the repression of minorities. In other words, the BLM is a tool for foreign government to destabilize America from within, pushing Americans to denounce Israel and forcing socialism and communist control onto America. The Republican Jewish Coalition called on Democratic nominee Joe Biden to condemn the anti-Semitism chanted by the protestors, but with no resolve. We are horrified by this vicious hate-mongering by Black Lives Matter protesters. The Black Lives Matter charter is filled with anti-Israel and anti-Semitic lies. It is deeply disturbing, but not surprising, to hear those sentiments chanted in the streets of Washington, DC, they said in a statement. As corporations begin to withdraw their support from BLM, will the democratic party denounce the violence and racism of the BLM or will they continue to cater to this domestic terrorist group and use their violence to leverage and push their anti-American, anti-Israel agendas? Sources include: FreeBeacon.com InformationLiberation.com Telegraph.co.uk NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Scientists have found a chemical compound that can help the immune system fight pancreatic cancer. A recent study by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) in St. Louis and Rush University in Chicago promises new hope for people who are fighting this deadly disease. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most challenging cancers to treat. Traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy provide little benefit, and even immunotherapy is largely ineffective against it. As such, only eight percent of pancreatic cancer patients are still alive five years after their diagnosis. Certain immune cells actually stop immune action against pancreatic tumors Pancreatic cancer is hard to treat because the immune systems assault on tumors is somehow stifled. In immunotherapy, specialized immune cells called T-cells are prodded to attack cancer cells. Healthcare professionals use substances, either made by the body or in a lab, to boost the activity of cancer-killing T-cells. However, immunotherapy has been largely ineffective against pancreatic cancer due to another kind of immune cell called myeloid cells. These cells release immune molecules that affect how many T-cells are recruited to the tumor, as well as whether these T-cells arrive ready to kill or inclined to ignore tumor cells. While the exact reason why myeloid cells do this is still unknown, these cells tend to suppress the activity of T-cells, causing immunotherapy to fail against pancreatic cancer. New compound prevents myeloid cells from suppressing immune response In a study published in Science Translational Medicine, American researchers found an immune-boosting compound that can make pancreatic cancers more susceptible to immunotherapy. Called ADH-503, this compound interferes with the migration of myeloid cells. Normally, a large number of myeloid cells can be found in and around pancreatic tumors. But when mice with pancreatic cancer were given ADH-503, the researchers found that the number of myeloid cells near pancreatic tumors dropped. In addition, the myeloid cells that remained were the kind that promoted immune response. (Related: So-called cancer vaccine isnt a vaccine at all; its actually immunotherapy that boosts the bodys own immune function.) Seeing how ADH-503 reduced the number of immune-suppressing myeloid cells, the researchers conducted another experiment to determine if the compound can help make pancreatic tumors more susceptible to standard immunotherapy. First, they treated mice with a PD-1 inhibitor, a drug used in standard immunotherapy. As expected, the treatment was not effective. But when the researchers gave mice ADH-503 in conjunction with standard immunotherapy, the mices tumors shrank and they survived for much longer. In some cases, the tumors disappeared within a month of ADH-503 treatment and the mice survived for four months. Untreated mice, on the other hand, died within six weeks. Pancreatic cancer is a highly lethal disease, and we are in desperate need of new therapeutic approaches, said co-senior author Dr. David DeNardo, an associate professor of medicine and of pathology and immunology at WUSM. In animal studies, this small molecule led to very marked improvements and was even curative in some cases. We are hopeful that this approach could help pancreatic cancer patients. These findings can also boost studies on the use of immunotherapy as a treatment for pancreatic cancer. As co-author Dr. Vineeth Gupta notes, only a third of clinical trials for immunotherapy target this deadly disease. Unlocking the promise of immunotherapies for pancreatic cancer requires a new approach, said Gupta. We believe these data demonstrate that targeting myeloid cells can help overcome resistance to immunotherapies. Visit Cancer.news to get the latest news on cancer therapy research. Sources include: NewsWise.com Cancer.net STM.ScienceMag.org (Natural News) A federal judge has blocked the state of New York from enforcing coronavirus restrictions that limit indoor religious gatherings. According to U.S. District Judge Gary Sharpe, the restrictions, imposed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Attorney General Letitia James last March as part of the states plan to slow the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Sharpe, in his preliminary injunction, noted that the states regulations discriminated against religious individuals by limiting their opportunities to gather and worship, in stark contrast to the relative freedom enjoyed by those who engaged in protests and riots within the state. (Related: New Yorks response to the coronavirus made the pandemic worse.) The challenged regulations treat the class or subclass of people who exercise freedom of religion by gathering with others for that purpose, including plaintiffs, differently from the similarly situated class of people who gather with others for secular purposes, including the mass demonstrations defendants have exempted from their regulatory regime, Sharpe, who is a George W. Bush appointee, said. Sharpes ruling, which basically upends the guidelines imposed by the state regarding indoor gatherings, now allows indoor religious services to be as large as 50 percent of their full capacity, provided that other state guidelines such as social distancing are followed. The injunction, as reported by FOX News, was issued on behalf of two Catholic priests, Steven Soos and Nicholas Stamos, as well as a trio of Orthodox Jewish congregants, Elchanan Perr, Daniel Schonborn and Mayer Mayerfeld. The plaintiffs, represented by the Thomas More Society, previously said that the restrictions enacted by Cuomo forced Rev. Soos and Rev. Stamos to choose between turning away parishioners who wished to attend Mass and receive Communion or to hold more Masses than are possible in a single day. The three Orthodox Jewish congregants from Brooklyn, meanwhile, alleged that the restrictions have effectively prohibited them from worshiping. We are pleased that Judge Sharpe was able to see through the sham of Governor Cuomos Social Distancing Protocol which went right out the window as soon as he and Mayor de Blasio saw a mass protest movement they favored taking to the streets by the thousands, Christopher Ferrara the plaintiffs lawyer, said in an interview with FOX News. Ferrera, who previously described the unequal restrictions levied by New York authorities as an irrational targeting of houses of worship, noted that the courts decision is an important step toward inhibiting what looks to be the telltale signs of draconian authoritarianism in the state. The Justice Department, meanwhile, called Sharpes decision a win for religious freedom and the civil liberties of New Yorkers. Government cannot discriminate by protecting free speech and the right to assemble while threatening or limiting religious exercise it must protect all rights guaranteed under the First Amendment, Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband said in a statement. According to Dreiband, the courts decision is consistent with positions and arguments made by the U.S. Department of Justice in similar filings and letters, including in New York City and elsewhere around the country. The Department of Justice will continue to support people of faith who seek equal treatment against threats and actions by public officials who discriminate against them because of their religion. The Constitution and our oath to defend and protect it require nothing less, Dreiband said. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com ABCNews.go.com Syracuse.com AVPress.com NBCNewYork.com FoxNews.com (Natural News) Its a familiar trope: some privileged white or non-black BLM ally says or posts some shocking denouncement of white people, goes viral, faces a huge backlash, then whines about how theyre being victimized by the evil, corrupt white supremacist system. (Article by Tyler Durden republished from ZeroHedge.com) In the latest almost laughably egregious example of this trend, a Harvard graduate who grew up in a wealthy Connecticut enclave is blaming Trump supporters for being fired from a high-paying job at Deloitte, where she was set to begin work after graduating from Harvard. In a video published yesterday, a teary-eyed Claira Janover whines that she lost her job for standing up for Black Lives. In reality, Janover posted an unhinged video where she threatened to assault any white person who dared say all lives matter in her presence. Ima stab you, she said. Ima stab you, and while youre struggling and bleeding out, Ima show you my paper cut and say, My cut matters, too.' While everyone has skeletons in their past they wish could be wiped from the Internet, Ms. Janover, an adult who was educated at Harvard, posted this just the other day. To claim that the post was somehow standing up for black lives borders on delusional. But nevertheless, Janover claims her video put me a place online to be seen by millions of people, as if she was compelled to post it by some otherworldly force, not via her own free will. Janovers LinkedIn account reportedly listed her as an incoming government and public business service analyst at Deloitte, per the NYPost. The Harvard graduate who threatened to slit the throats and watch them bleed out to anyone who says all lives matter to her is blaming Trump supporters for ruining her life. Pretty sure she ruined her own life by being a psychopath!pic.twitter.com/HFwrCywWdw Michael James Coudrey (@MichaelCoudrey) July 2, 2020 Progressives and leftists have gotten hundreds of people fired for expressing relatively innocuous conservative political views on the internet. At least now it looks like the pendulum does occasionally swing the other way. But with a Harvard degree in hand, we suspect Ms. Janover will bounce back from this. But throwing a public tantrum probably isnt going to convince Deloitte to give you another shot. Read more at: ZeroHedge.com (Natural News) Officials in Floridas Miami-Dade County took drastic action Wednesday, issuing an emergency order requiring people to wear masks in public spaces, in response to rising numbers of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the state. I want to once again reiterate that if everyone follows the New Normal rules of social distancing of at least six feet, wear facial coverings (which can be homemade) and stay safer at home unless they need to go to work or to a store, we can get back to opening up our economy, said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in a statement. Under Miami-Dades new rules, masks must now be used outdoors, with exceptions for joggers, people with certain respiratory conditions and children under the age of 12. In addition, the neighboring county of Broward also issued its own orders in coordination with Miami-Dade also mandating the use of masks in all public spaces where social distancing cannot be met. Mask rules imposed in anticipation of the Fourth of July weekend The mask orders are coming in advance of the upcoming Fourth of July weekend. In addition to making masks mandatory, both Miami-Dade and Broward are also pursuing other measures aimed at preventing an outbreak during the holidays. In Miami-Dade, establishments that seat more than eight people will be closed from 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. nightly until further notice. Meanwhile, Browards emergency order also requires businesses to remain closed between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m., though take out, delivery and drive-thru will remain permitted. In addition, beaches in both counties will remain closed for the holidays in an effort to avoid huge crowds and slow the spread of the virus. Mayor Gimenez said that he hoped residents would follow the rules and stay home if possible. However, he also said that he wouldnt stand idle if behaviors dont change. If people continue to flaunt the rules, we will be forced to close non-essential businesses and all other activities that we began opening up in May, Gimenez said. Talking to CBS, Broward Vice Mayor Steve Geller said that the new rules were necessary as people werent wearing masks without them. When we relaxed the rules people got complacent, Geller said. The vice mayor also pointed to the increasing number of hospitalizations as well as the alarming number of intensive-care unit beds in use in the county. The latter has gone from 76 percent to 83 percent in just two weeks. I hope the numbers are scary enough to scare people out of complacency, Geller stated. Measures come as Floridas caseload continues to grow The counties are issuing the orders in the wake of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis leaving it up to local communities to implement policies. DeSantis had previously dismissed the idea of making the wearing of masks mandatory across the state. According to DeSantis, the state would continue to reopen, adding that returning to a lockdown is not an option. Were not shutting down. Were going to go forward Were not rolling back, DeSantis stated. You have to have society function. Even as state leaders try to cautiously try to keep its economy open, its caseload continues to rise. On June 24, the states total caseload surpassed 100,000, making it the seventh state to do so, joining New York, New Jersey, Illinois, California, Texas and Massachusetts. In addition to this, data from the states health department noted that an increased percentage of tests were coming back positive. This is an indication that new cases were not the result of ramped-up testing. With this in mind, its no surprise that local leaders, such as those in Miami-Dade and Broward, are now taking their own steps to try to slow the disease. Learn more about the coronavirus over at Pandemic.news. Sources include: Bloomberg.com NBCMiami.com Miami.CBSLocal.com HeraldTribune.com (Natural News) Some of the people who participated in violent anti-police riots throughout the country are finally being held accountable for their actions. Earlier this week, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater announced that three anti-police rioters were being charged with terrorism, assault and rioting. The charges are related to a riot that took place in Oklahoma City on May 30, and Prater wants to send a strong message to those who act this way. He said: When you act like a terrorist, you will be treated like a terrorist. This is not Seattle. Were not putting up with this lawlessness here. Among those being charged is: 21-year-old Isael Antonio Ortiz, who was charged with burning an Oklahoma County sheriffs van and attempting to burn down the office of a bail bondsman. If he is convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison. 26-year-old is being charged with calling for wanton destruction related to the burned sheriffs van; he was caught trying to incite the crowd on Facebook Live. 18-year-old Malachai Davis was charged with terrorism in relation to the damage done to the bail bonds office; he was caught on video with bloody brass knuckles. Other charges soon followed, with 26-year-old Saxon Weber being charged with assault and battery of a police officer; a dozen others have also been charged with rioting. Aaron James Snyder, 35, was charged with rioting after being accused of punching a police officer in the head multiple times while officers were trying to detain him after he assaulted someone, a court affidavit shows. 22-year-old Adion Mallett reportedly hit an officer in the shoulder with a rock during a violent protest on May 31. He was found with a loaded pistol on him at the time of his arrest. He later admitted to throwing the rocks but claimed he did not intend to hit the officers with them. Many of the suspects who are being brought up on charges were caught thanks to videos that were posted on social media. According to court briefings, several of the people participating in these riots were carrying flags of groups such as antifa, the Oklahoma Socialists, and various other communist groups. Civil rights activists upset about terrorism charges and want them dropped Perhaps not surprisingly, civil rights activists are upset with the DA for filing charges against the protesters, particularly the terrorism charges. The ACLU of Oklahoma claims that the charges are politically motivated, calling them an abuse of power and alleging that they are potentially unconstitutional. The Oklahoma City Black Lives Matter chapter insists that the property damage was not violent, nor was it an act of terrorism. Instead, they say this is merely an example of the racial inequality seen in the criminal justice system. In fact, they believe the perpetrators of these violent crimes shouldnt even be charged. The ACLU said: We continue to join with our partners in the community in following the lead of Black Lives Matter OKC in asking that all charges against protesters be dropped. A protest is expected this week over the charges, with Black Lives Matter Oklahoma City saying in social media posts that This cannot stand! and describing the defendants as political prisoners. An undeterred Prater has said that he will not be intimidated by people or organizations from protecting those we serve by aggressively enforcing and prosecuting the law. Leaders cannot allow their cities to be overrun by rioters, and taking a hard stance could help to deter such behavior in the future. Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com Oklahoman.com (Natural News) Apparently, if you dont like certain facts, you can just declare them false. That seems to be the thinking behind a USA Today fact check pretending that Democrats didnt start the Civil War and found the KKK. But, they did. In a June 30 assertion USA Today rated false, the paper began, Claim: The Democratic Party started the Civil War to preserve slavery and later the KKK. (Article by Scott Whitlock republished from NewsBusters.org) The entire article essentially conceded that the Confederacy was run by Democrats, made up by Democrats, as was the KKK. But dont blame the Democratic Party for that! USA Today writer Devon Link calls the claim an oversimplified trope about the Democratic Party. The article is made up of yes, but concessions. Link squirmed, Historians agree that although factions of the Democratic Party did majorly contribute to the Civil Wars start and KKKs founding, it is inaccurate to say the party is responsible for either. She cites Princeton University Professor Tera Hunter to argue: At the core of the effort to discredit the current Democratic Party is the refusal to accept the realignment of the party structure in the mid-20th century, Hunt said. Hunter is a Barack Obama donor. So USA Today gets a Democratic donor to defend the party against its true, racist past. She then claimed: However, historians say the party is not to blame. The short answer is that the Democratic Party did not start the Civil War, Hunter said. The war was initiated by Southern slaveholding states seceding from the United States. In 1860, every future Confederate state but Virginia and Tennessee voted Democrat. (None voted Republican.) Heres a map: So, this is a flimsy distinction. Yes, the Democratic Party may not have officially started the Civil War, but the Confederacy was made up of strident Democrats. Then theres this spin: Smithsonians National Museum of American History Curator of Political and Military History, Jon Grinspan agreed with Hunter. A splinter of a splinter of a Democratic Party really contributed to the secession and the coming of the war, he told USA TODAY. It would be wrong to say the Democratic Party started the Civil War. It would be right to say some Democrats really contributed to the start of the Civil War. The Democratic Party didnt push secession? Just Democrats in general. The KKK gets the same treatment: Experts agree the KKK attracted many ex-Confederate soldiers and Southerners who opposed Reconstruction, most of whom were Democrats. Link cited: The KKK is almost a paramilitary organization thats trying to benefit one party. It syncs up with the Democratic Party, which really was a racist party openly at the time, Grinspan said. But the KKK isnt the Democratic Party, and the Democratic Party isnt the KKK. So, to summarize, the Confederates were Democrats and the KKK was mostly Democratic. But, again, dont judge the Democrats. One of the KKKs founding members was Confederate veteran Nathaniel Bedford Forrest. And he was a Democrat. Heres how prominent 19th century writer Robert G. Ingersoll put it in a speech in 1876: Every man that loved slavery better than liberty was a Democrat. The man that assassinated Abraham Lincoln was a Democrat. Every man that sympathized with the assassin every man glad that the noblest President ever elected was assassinated, was a Democrat. Every man that wanted the privilege of whipping another man to make him work for him for nothing and pay him with lashes on his naked back, was a Democrat. Every man that raised bloodhounds to pursue human beings was a Democrat. (For more on the speech, go here.) Dont tell that to the fact checkers at USA Today though. Apparently real history is false to them. No wonder many Americans dismiss liberal media fact checks as nothing more than Democratic Party propaganda. Read more at: NewsBusters.org (Natural News) We have bombshell new intel to share with you today that connects some recent dots on the emerging violence (and civil war attempt) from Black Lives Matter, the militant terrorism wing of the Democrat party. Summary of what youll find in this article: Communist China is supplying full auto AR-15 mods to Black Lives Matter militants in America, and a shipment was recently interdicted by Customer and Border Protection (CBP). California Gov. Newsom is involved in a trillion-dollar money laundering operation with communist China to keep him in power. Hes funneling taxpayer money to China, and they are laundering it and funneling money back to him. (See Los Angeles Times link below.) Using the laundered money, Gov. Newsom is stockpiling automatic weapons, ammunition and gold in the underground storage complex at 1616 Capitol Ave. in Sacramento, the East End Complex building block 174. (Sourced from a former employee who worked there.) Gov. Newsom is plotting with China to have communist troops invade America (via California and other states) and to overrun and occupy the United States, turning it over to communist Chinese rule. Chinas EMP weapons, developed using technology stolen from the USA, are planned to be the first wave Pearl Harbor event that sets it all off. (Official report to the White House, see link below, or visit https://emptaskforce.us ). Obama helped set up a civilian military force using Operation Fast and Furious gun smuggling to arm the narcos. (Full timeline link below.) Those same narcos are now trained by communist Chinese military instructors and are prepared to invade America with the aid of heavy weapons. (DHS sources via Hodges, link below.) The civil war America is facing wont be lightly-armed soy boys, but rather heavily armed, full-auto wielding Black Lives Matter militants, Mexican narco gangs and communist Chinese troops operating under the protection of Gov. Newsom. Hundreds of companies across corporate America are now directly funding or overtly supporting Black Lives Matter terrorists as part of this civil war effort to destroy America. See the full list of 269 companies here. We begin with the recent news that China was caught attempting to smuggle 10,800 assault weapons parts into Louisville, Kentucky. This news was announced by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on June 26, 2020: At the Express Consignment Operations hubs in Louisville U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized a shipment from China that contained over 10,000 Assault Weapons parts being smuggled into the country. The shipment was seized on May 22. Officers inspected the item, which was arriving from Shenzhen, China, destined for a residence in Melbourne, Florida. The parcel was manifested as containing 100 Steel Pin Samples. This is a common practice of smugglers manifesting the contraband as a harmless or a legitimate commodity in hopes of eluding further examination. The official CBP announcement did not offer any specifics on what exactly the assault weapons parts were, but we have since learned from another source that the parts were drop-in full-auto mods for AR-15 rifles. Full auto drop-in parts are very simple but highly illegal parts which turn a semi-auto AR-15 into a full-auto AR-15, which is illegal for civilians to own. Such parts replace a small number of existing parts in the AR-15 trigger mechanism and safety selector. Because the parts are very small, a high number of them such as 10,800 can be hidden in shipments that claim to be other things such as machinery parts or samples. This means China was sending 10,800 full-auto rifle mods to Melbourne, Florida, which no doubt serves as a distribution hub for moving those pieces nationwide. You might reasonably wonder, then, why China would be sending full-auto rifle mods to the USA. The answer is that China supports the civil war attempt by Black Lives Matter, and China is coordinating with BLM terrorists to arm up their militant troops across the country, upgrading their legally-acquired AR-15 weapons to full auto status, which makes them far more formidable in a kinetic assault. Melbourne, Florida, is known as a human trafficking, drug trafficking and weapons trafficking mecca, with smuggling routes that are well established across both land and water. With easy access to both Orlando and Miami airports, contraband that comes into Melbourne is easy to distribute across the USA within days. The human trafficking is so bad in Melbourne that every law enforcement officer working the area has had contact with human trafficking operations there. We now believe that some of these full-auto weapons mods end up under the control of Democrat governors like Newsom, the California Governor who actively seeks to see America destroyed. Weapons, ammo and gold storage: East End Complex Block 174 Capitol building, Sacramento, California Several weeks ago, we learned from a source in California that the East End Complex Block 174 of the Capitol building in Sacramento, California, has a vast underground storage complex that consists of multiple floors, much like a giant underground parking garage. The construction alone cost a quarter of a billion dollars: From JohnsonFain.com, the firm that designed the facility: this project is an ambitious multi-block mixed-use development to consolidate the headquarters operations of three major departments of California State government. 6,400 employees of the Departments of Health Services, Education and General Services are housed in the five-building, 1.5 million square foot development, along with 1,500 parking spaces The Department of Health Services and General Services are housed in the second portion of the Capitol Area East End Complex, known as Blocks 171-174. This design-build team is made up of Clark Construction and Gruen Architects who completed this $225.6 million complex. Heres a link to the official web page for this building. And heres a satellite map of its location: Our source, who served as an employee inside the building complex for several years, tells us that the underground storage facility in this building houses vehicles, firearms, ammunition and gold bullion. Youll hear more from this source below Governor Newsom send half a billion dollars to China for completely fabricated covid-19 mask deal Governor Newsom is fully aware of this operation and has been bought off by China, which is covertly providing loans to Newsom to keep him in power and prevent California from defaulting in an epic financial collapse. As Paul Preston reported on Agenda21Radio.news: (Washington DC)-Sources in Washington DC speaking under condition of anonymity have revealed to AENN that California Governor Gavin Newsom has entered into discussions with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) to loan the state of California $1 trillion dollars by way of a collateralized loan. Newsom is making payments on the loans from China by funneling money to China through other corrupt means, such as this recent bombshell that finds Newsom helping communist China receive $1 billion in coronavirus aid. Via WesternJournal.com: California announced a $1,000,000,000 outlay to purchase N95 respirator masks The governors advisors have so far declined requests for information about the agreement with BYD, the Chinese electric car manufacturer hired to produce the masks, though the state has already wired the company the first installment of $495 million, the Times reported. Newsom, who has been praised for his efforts to slow the spread of the disease, bristled on Saturday at suggestions that his administration has been too slow to explain a deal that will cost California taxpayers 30% more than his January budget would spend on infectious disease prevention for an entire fiscal year. Furthermore, he hasnt bothered to brief the California Legislature on what, exactly, he agreed to. Thats because this isnt a billion dollars for masks. Its part of a massive money laundering operation to funnel money to China, so that China can funnel money and weapons back to Newsom in preparation for the civil war that theyre launching. (Nobody believes Gov. Newsom is spending a billion dollars on N95 masks its absurd. Just a cover story.) Even the Los Angeles Times was shocked by Gov. Newsom agreeing to send a billion dollars to China for N95 masks. As reported by the LA Times: Gov. Gavin Newsoms decision to spend almost $1 billion in taxpayer funds to buy protective masks drew national attention as an aggressive move by California to solve one of the most nagging problems of the coronavirus crisis. But almost two weeks after he announced the deal during a cable TV interview, very few details have been disclosed. The governors advisors have so far declined requests for information about the agreement with BYD, the Chinese electric car manufacturer hired to produce the masks, though the state has already wired the company the first installment of $495 million. Seriously? An electric car company in China? Folks, this is as corrupt and dirty as it gets. But its all part of the money laundering operation that sends money to China, so that Chine can send clean money back to Newsom, which he diverts and uses to buy weapons, ammunition and gold. Gov. Newsom is stockpiling weapons, ammunition and gold at the Capitol building in Sacramento Back to the Easy End Complex in Sacramento, our source says they personally witnessed insane amounts of ammunition pallets at a time being delivered and stored there, harkening back to the DOJ purchases of 2 billion rounds of ammunition under President Barack Obama, who also said that he wanted to build a civilian army that was just as powerful as the U.S. military, by the way. Obama called this his, Civilian National Security Force, as AmericanThinker.com explains, Barack Obama said: We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that weve set Weve got to have a civilian national security force thats just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded. One pallet of 5.56 ammo is well over 50,000 rounds, by the way. So the ammo stockpiling by Gov. Newsom is off the charts, and it appears he got ammo from the DOJ under Obama as well as new ammo funded by communist China. Essentially, Gov. Newsom has been stockpiling weapons and ammo in preparation for a civil war that hes been helping to make reality. Back to Obama, how do you create a civilian military force? You stockpile weapons in Democrat-controlled cities like Sacramento. You work with communist China to import full-auto weapon mod parts to upgrade your civilian forces to military-grade automatic weapons. And you put more weapons into the hands of your loyalists through legalized gun-running operations like Operation Fast and Furious. Listen to this bombshell interview between Dave Hodges and Bob Griswold, start playing at 17:15 Brighteon.com/f4dc71c2-944b-4bc0-a719-e3858607469f Griswold: If you look closely at CHAZ, they were passing out AR-15s, where did they get those AR-15s from? They were in a closed area where did all these AR-15s just miraculously appear from? Hodges: Well I can tell you what my intelligence sources tell me: Pre-stashed weaponry suspected courtesy of communist Chinese money and backing. Griswold: Of course! Weve mentioned this many times, that Long Beach, California was the Chinese way of bringing it into the country, the Southern border was [also] the way of bringing it in, and they funded these people I was wondering why the FBI and the ATF didnt go in when they were passing out AR-15s to minors [in CHAZ]. Obamas Fast and Furious gun-running operation Barack Obama, a sleeper cell president who had been meticulously plotting to see American overthrown and destroyed, launched Operation Fast and Furious in 2009, under the control of DOJ AG Eric Holder, a treasonous criminal who continues to work to undermine America today. Under operation Fast and Furious, the ATF was ordered to allow Mexican drug gangs to purchase high-caliber weapons from U.S. gun dealers in Arizona. These guns, Obama and Holder knew, would later be used in gun crimes in the United States, allowing President Obama to decry gun violence and call for new restrictions on the Second Amendment. CNS News publishes the full timeline of Operations Fast and Furious at this link. In essence, this operation was a way for Barack Obama to put heavy weapons into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. We have since learned that the narcos are being trained by communist Chinese military instructors, completing the circle of anti-America warfare tactics that involve both China and Mexico. Remember that China has, for many years, been engaged in chemical warfare against the United States of America through the manufacture and distribution of fentanyl, a highly toxic drug that is right now killing over 60,000 Americans a year (thats more than all the U.S. casualties of the Vietnam War combined). But how is fentanyl brought into the United States? Mexican drug cartels and smuggling routes which are protected by Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Gavin Newsom as part of their open borders policies. (The narcos pay tens of millions of dollars each year to California Democrats to maintain the open borders policy for drug smuggling and human trafficking.) Importantly, these same routes will be used by the communist Chinese to invade the United States of America once the civil war achieves sufficient destabilization. Thats why China is dumping full-auto weapon mods into the continental United States because its a destabilizing vector that will lead to mass chaos, death and blood in the streets. This will set the stage for Chinese-trained narcos to invade Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, aided by the guns they acquired via Obamas Operation Fast and Furious. At the same time, Democrat-controlled areas like Sacramento will activate their stored weapons and ammunition, handing out guns and ammo to left-wing loyalists like Antifa and Black Lives Matter, urging them to kill conservatives, Christians, Whites and Trump supporters. The multi-faceted attack thats about to hit the United States while 99% of Americans are totally oblivious to reality Dave Hodges at TheCommonsenseShow.com has extensively documented the interactions between Mexican drug cartels and Chinese military troops. See some of his analysis in stories like, Mexican Oil Official Says UN-Mexican Cartels and Chinese Are Provoking a Border War or, Leaked Document Shows Chinese Intent to Commit Mass American Genocide Followed the Occupation of America. In effect, America is about to be hit with a multi-faceted attack that has been largely funded by communist China, consisting of: A domestic civil war uprising of Black Lives Matter militants who have been heavily armed with automatic weapons and are intent on killing Whites, Christians, conservatives and Trump supporters. In addition, Black Lives Matter is already receiving enormous funding through U.S. corporations such as McDonalds, Netflix, Google and others who have pledged almost half a billion dollars so far. A border invasion consisting of armed Mexican narcos who have been trained by Chinese military instructions and given heavy weapons paid for by China. The release of financial weapons against America, including China selling off U.S. Treasury debt and announcing its own gold-backed currency. The unleashing of emotionally charged, drooling left-wing zombies who have been whipped up into a frenzy by the treasonous left-wing media pushing deliberately fake news such as claiming that America is a racist nation or that Trump himself is racist. The continued chemical warfare against America via fentanyl, heroin and other drugs that are devastating Americas young males who might otherwise be capable of serving in a military draft, if not for the fact that they are now trembling drug addicts. The likely deployment of EMP weapons against America, using stolen technology, unleashing a Pearl Harbor attack that could kill 90% of the American population. This was the subject of a recent bombshell authored by Dr. Peter Vincent Pry and filed under the EMP Task Force on National and Homeland Security. You can read my coverage of this at this link on NationalSecurity.news. See the official website of this task force at https://emptaskforce.us from that article: The EMP weapons that China is perfecting would destroy the power grid, collapsing the United States of America into mass starvation, chaos and economic collapse. Although this seems to be exactly what Democrats want for America, its obviously a very dangerous scenario. This achieves Chinas goal of eliminating the American people without destroying the natural resources and farmland through the use of nuclear weapons, which contaminate soils for three centuries with radioisotopes. As Pry explains in the report, a highly computerized open society like the United States is extremely vulnerable to electronic attacks from all sides. This is because the U.S. economy, from banks to telephone systems and from power plants to iron and steel works, relies entirely on computer network. Once the American people begin to die off in large numbers, China will stage a military invasion to occupy America and kill any remaining resistance. At that point, China will claim America for itself and begin a mass migration effort to colonize America with communist Chinese. All this has been meticulously documented by people like J.R. Nyquist (JYquist.blog) and Dave Hodges (TheCommonsenseShow.com), both of whom I have interviewed about these critical issues: And heres a recent interview with Hodges about the coming invasion of America by Chinese troops: Ive also just posted an interview with Scout from BrushBeater, who warns of the coming civil war and makes specific recommendations about communications gear, night vision, training protocols and much more. If you have any desire at all to survive the civil war that has already begun, you need to listen to this interview: Now you know why this website is blacklisted by Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter: Because Big Tech is in on the plan to destroy America, and they are all working with communist China to achieve this end game. Thats why you need to immediately move to alternative platforms such as Parler.com, Spreely.com, Gab.com, Brighteon.com, etc., where you can share critical stories without censorship. Also, subscribe to our email newsletter at this link to be alerted via email to breaking stories. My channel on Parler.com is: https://parler.com/profile/HealthRanger/posts My channel on Brighteon.com is: https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport Share this important story everywhere you can, and get geared up for the coming war, because you will literally be fighting for your own survival. (Natural News) Just days after the George Floyd incident occurred, failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton lost her appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, during which she tried, but failed, to avoid having to testify under oath about her emails and the Benghazi case. But much of the world failed to notice because the mainstream media was too busy broadcasting all the riots and looting in response to racism. Judicial Watch, the same group that is now suing Anthony Fauci and the World Health Organization (WHO) over the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, had filed a lawsuit against Clinton demanding that the State Department release documents and communication associated with the 2012 terror attack at the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. As many of our readers well know, U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, along with three other Americans, were killed in the attack. Clinton was Secretary of State at the time, and has been accused of illegally using a private email server during her time in office. Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against Clinton to examine any potential misconduct in which she may have been engaged. Some of Clintons private emails have been retrieved from her unsecured server, but evidence emerged to suggest that Clinton had tried to delete or destroy all of the most incriminating ones. It was also revealed that Clinton had asked former United Kingdom prime minister Tony Blair to keep communicating with her via her private email server after her confirmation. This earned Clinton the descriptor of being extremely careless in her handling of classified information, though she was never actually charged by the FBI under then-director James Comey. Your crimes are finally catching up with you, Hillary Our readers probably know the rest of the story up until June 2 when Clintons lawyers challenged a March 2 order from U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ordering her to testify. This order stated: The Court is not confident that State currently possesses every Clinton email recovered by the FBI; even years after the FBI investigation, the slow trickle of new emails has yet to be explained. For this reason, the Court believes the subpoena would be worthwhile and may even uncover additional previously undisclosed emails. Accordingly, the Court GRANTS this request, referring to the request from Judicial Watch. It went on to indicate that Clinton would, in fact, be deposed on matters related to her use of a private email server, as well as her understanding of the States record management obligations. While Clinton and her cohorts cannot be questioned about any actions they took after the Benghazi attack, they can be questioned about their knowledge of the existence of any emails, documents, or text messages related to the Benghazi attack. When the time comes on September 9, Clinton will have to answer for why she deleted 33,000 emails from her private email server, and what they contained. Despite repeated claims that these emails were personal, the FBI has already recovered more than 17,000 of them that were, in fact, work-related. Clinton will also have to answer for why senior Obama administration officials knowingly misled the country about what actually happened during the Benghazi attack. Did they contain any classified information, Dr. Veronika Kyrylenko asks about Clintons emails, writing for American Thinker. Did they contain human intel? Did [Clinton] know about the upcoming terrorist attack? What measures did she use to prevent the Benghazi attack? What measures did she use to save the American lives? And now, despite all the effort to avoid testimony, Madam Secretary will have to answer questions from Judicial Watch, as the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals submitted the case, which will now be heard on September 9. Stock up on your popcorn, America. For more related news, check out Clinton.news. Sources for this article include: AmericanThinker.com NaturalNews.com Weather Alert ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Temperatures 98 to 102. * WHERE...In Washington, Lower Columbia Basin of Washington and Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Washington. In Oregon, Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon and Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Oregon. * WHEN...Until 9 PM PDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. && Editor, Advertiser: Do we really want all our students (even K-4) to wear a mask all day in school? I am encouraged that the State of Connecticut has decided to reopen schools in full in the fall. Those of us with kids in school have been doing our best to do what is right for them since March 12 but nothing replaces real school for the kids. I encourage all parents and residents to look at the state guidance released on June 29 https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/COVID-19/CTReopeningSchools.pdf with regards to expectations for how to deliver a safe school experience in the fall. I had actually thought more mandates would come from the state, such as daily temperature checks, limitations on number of kids on busses, class sizes limits, sewage testing to trace Covid presence, and transparent predetermined criteria for what would result in either a classroom or school being closed (in terms of community or in-school spread since we have very few present cases in New Canaan any uptick, no matter the size could result in closings) none of those items appear to be mandated. One area that was clear was the expectations that all children in all grades would wear masks that completely cover the nose and mouth at all times when they are inside (exceptions appear to exist for medical reasons). This mask requirement appears to be expected to continue until a vaccine or effective treatment is available (only the busing section appears to talk about when requirements will go away) i.e. the end point for this may take some time. We are still learning a great deal about Covid-19, but one area that appears to have been holding up for months is that children are mercifully better able to deal with this disease than adults, and that significant questions remain surrounding children spreading this disease to adults. Information from Europe, where many countries have reopened (or never closed) schools and few children used masks, looks promising with regards to limited disease spread from kids to adults. We also have a good deal of promising information from daycares (and now will have information from summer camps) that have been open in Connecticut and around the country (and world) during the pandemic (most of those locations did not require young kids to wear masks) about containing the virus. The question should then be why not just have all kids mask up all day just to be safe? I would turn it around a bit ask yourself to wear a mask all day every day indoors as you learn new subjects - including how to read and write for smaller kids, meet new friends, go to a public bathroom, and ride in the bus. Lets think what that does to the ability of kids to learn, teachers to understand if their teaching is effective (no more facial feedback just looking at the eyes and now muffled talking), and ensure that kids make important social connections. Do we really think it is medically healthy for kids to wear a mask all day every day? Will it be kept clean, will the recycled air they breathe in be good for them, what are the masks even made of and are they really designed for daily child use? After you have tried that experiment of wearing the mask for a day or two and learning a new subject do you think wearing a mask made learning easier and did you keep from moving the mask around with your hands or touching your eyes? Now think about being a kid, perhaps 4 to 8 years old and do that for 180 days in all weather conditions. You may even be a 4- or 5-year-old child going into kindergarten and this is how you experience school for the first time, and think this is what life there is really like. We often talk about following the science regarding this disease. If we are going require masks for all of our kids the State owes it to its students, families and residents to transparently demonstrate the science behind this mandate, and how it outweighs the learning, social and psychological impacts on the kids and the families (and schools) that will have to deal with the consequences. The science needs to be related to kids, not just extrapolating adult material (which is pretty clear) regarding masks. If the science/data does not exist to back up the mandate scrap or modify it, or compile the data to prove (or disprove) the mandate we have two months until school starts to get this right, which is plenty of time. Giacomo Landi A possibility of a landslide that would compromise the safety of Three Gorges Dam has sparked fears among residents as an earthquake struck Sichuan early Thursday (July 2) morning. Southern China has been experiencing torrential rains for 31 straight days, and the event of earthquake has raised speculations among citizens on the integrity of the dam to withstand such weather events. (Photo : Wikimedia Commons) The possibility of a landslide that would compromise the safety of Three Gorges Dam has sparked fears among residents as an earthquake struck Sichuan early Thursday (July 2) morning. Southern China has been experiencing torrential rains for 31 straight days, and the event of an earthquake has raised speculations among citizens on the integrity of the dam to withstand such weather events. Chinese seismologist known as Feng Tian Lao Wang () in YouTube made predictions on June 26 that the flooding in Yangtze River Basin will peak on July 2, and an earthquake will also happen on the said day. He raised concerns that this will worsen the situation in the Three Gorges Dam, and a "catastrophe" may strike the river basin on the same day. He also advised residents living near the dam and the basin to make the necessary preparations in anticipation of flooding. A heavy warning was raised across China for the 31 straight days by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). On July 2, a magnitude 3.2 earthquake also struck at 4:07 AM on the same day. The quake shook Zoige County in Sichuan Province at 8-kilometer depth, the China Earthquake Network Center announced. Despite the relatively weak earthquake magnitude, depth of the earthquake, and the month-long torrential rains in southwest China sparked fears of an increased landslide. The Zoige County, the site of the quake, is upper areas of the Three Gorges Dam. It was also on July 2 that an urgent warning from Changjiang Water Resources Commission (CWRC) announced that the upper areas of Yangtze River could experience the "Yangtze River's No. 1 flood of 2020" (20201). As of 10 AM on July 2, the water in the Three Gorges Reservoir reached 47,000 cubic meters per second. CWRC also issued a "blue alert" for Wujiang River as it reached 191.7 meters on July 2. Wujiang River is the region where the Three Gorges Reservoir is located. Heavy rains are expected on Thursday (July 2, 8 AM) to Friday (July 3, 8 AM) in southern Jianghan, western and south Jianghuai, northern Jiangnan, central Yunnan, south Guizhou, southern Hubei, north of Hunan, south Anhui, and northeastern Jiangxi. Since June, 250 rivers across China have witnessed floods above warning levels, primarily in the regions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, and Anhui, Ministry of Water Resources (MWR) official Wang Zhangli said Another Chinese You Tuber named Li Yiping () said on June 30 that the floods this year are worst than that in 1998. He also said that if an earthquake occurred in the upper areas of the Yangtze River, smaller dams might collapse, leading to a domino effect where one dam will fall after another. Should this happen, Li said that the Three Gorges Dam would have a tremendous strain from the floodwaters that it would eventually collapse. Li emphasized that Three Gorges Dam sits on two major fault lines, the Jiuwanxi and Zigui-Badong. Three Gorges Dam is also vulnerable to reservoir-induced seismicity, a phenomenon that leads to earthquakes due to tremendous changes in water pressure from flooding. This may trigger landslides that would worsen the flooding in the area and threaten the integrity of the dam. Chinese officials have repeatedly allayed that the dam would collapse, saying these are "non-sense." North Norfolk Catholics return to worship The Catholic churches in Cromer and Sheringham will be re-opening for Mass from Sunday July 4, although most other churches in the area will be continuing with their on-line and other at home acts of worship. Tony Rothe reports. In common with other Roman Catholic churches across Norfolk, St Josephs on Cromer Road in Sheringham and Our Lady of Refuge on Overstrand Road in Cromer will resume regular Mass from Sunday, whilst maintaining social distancing and other Covid-safe practices. Mass will be held at the following times: Sheringham: Sunday at 11am, Tuesday at 7pm, Thursday at 10am (until Holt meetings resume), Saturday at 10am. Cromer: Sunday at 9am, Wednesday at 10am (followed by Exposition until 11am), Friday at 10am, Saturday at 6pm. Father James Fyfe, from Sheringham and Cromer Catholic churches said It is important to stress that numbers will be limited so that we can observe Social Distancing - the guidance is 1 metre plus - and that face masks must be worn (we can supply these) and that hand gel should be used on entering and leaving church. For Roman Catholics, the 'Sunday Obligation' remains dispensed for the time being and people can attend Mass on weekdays instead. We hope that this will help to reassure everyone that we are able to welcome them back to Church. Other North Norfolk churches will not be resuming their services yet, although many have on-line acts of worship and will be continuing their community support activities. Ian Savory from Lighthouse Community Church in Sheringham said Our church building is closed, but the church itself isnt we have simply left the building! They will keep the situation under review, but do not expect to open the premises before September. The churchs Sunday services are streamed on-line on You Tube , and regular updates can be obtained from the Lighthouse Facebook page . Alex Bishop from Sheringham Salvation Army also said that they were unlikely to reopen before September, although they were keeping the situation under review. Janet Hann, from Cromer Baptist Church, gave a similar message: We have no immediate plans for reopening for services but is keeping the situation under review. We will inform Network Norfolk when there is more definite information. Richard Allen from Life Church in Sheringham said Currently, because of vague government guidelines we are not looking to have services for a while yet, although we are looking at doing prayer services later. The Sheringham Churches Facebook page gives regular updates on what is happening. The image above of St Josephs in Sheringham is courtesy of http://www.ourladyandstjoseph.info/ Do you have a news story or forthcoming event relating to Christians or a church in North Norfolk? Anthony Sinibaldi District: 3 Age: 57 Address: 810 Lehigh Road Occupation: Education specialist and mediator at the VA hospital in Elsmere Civic experience: Three years as a Navy Seabee, followed by service in the Delaware National Guard Family: Wife, Wanda; adult son Website: sinibaldiforcouncildistrict3.com Brian Anderson District: 5 Age: 78 Address: 309 Meriden Drive Occupation: Retired school administrator Civic experience: Worked in the White House with the National Commission on the International Year of the Child during the Carter administration; served on the City of Newark revenue sharing committee Family: Widower Website: none Newburyport, MA (01950) Today Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Sunitha Natti By Express News Service HYDERABAD: It could all come crashing for infrastructure major GVK Group and industrialist G V Krishna Reddy. The 83-year-old Padma Bhushan awardee was caught in the CBIs crosshairs for alleged fraud, forgery, cheating and criminal misconduct. Reddys son and managing director G V Sanjay Reddy was also named in the FIR along with nine other companies and unnamed officials of Airports Authority of India. The blow comes amid the father-son duos pitched ownership battle in Indias busiest airport Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL). GVKs subsidiary GVK Airport Developers is already the majority owner with 50.5% stake in MIAL, but Reddys are on the edge as fellow businessman Gautam Adani is one step away from usurping 23.5% stake from MIALs two foreign stakeholders. Allowing Adani in simply isnt an option for Reddy as airports business is the holy grail of GVK empire spanning six subsidiaries and 18 step-down subsidiaries. It single-handedly contributed 90% of the holding entity GVK Power & Infrastructures consolidated income of Rs 4,098 crore in FY19. With GVK offloading complete stake in Bangalore International Airport last year and Navi Mumbai airport still under development, MIAL is now its sole cash cow. In contrast, GVKs many other businesses are facing challenging times and even defaulted principal and interest payments worth over Rs 1,570 crore during FY18 and FY19. GVKs flagship power business has turned in repeated losses and defaulted repayments, while lenders have recalled entire credit facilities extended to some subsidiaries. Trouble has been brewing for some time for MIAL. It found itself in the thick of a storm last year with the MCA inspecting its books following a whistle-blower complaint alleging misappropriation of funds. Lenders conducted a forensic audit of the holding entity, but found no deviations, a senior official said. GVK risks losing cash cow airport unit in fraud case Price Waterhouse, independent auditors for the holding entity, also raised red flags on the companys internal financial controls in the FY19 annual report. They cited material weakness, where GVKs internal financial controls pertaining to asset impairments werent operating effectively, and could potentially result in the company not recognising possible impairment losses. Its in this weak moment that Adani signed separate stake buyout deals with MIALs South African stakeholders Bidvest and ACSA. Predictably, GVK challenged and the matter eventually reached the Supreme Court. Further reinforcing its commitment not to part with MIAL, GVK even decided to sell 79.1 per cent stake in its airports subsidiaries for Rs 7,614 crore. Last October, it signed definitive agreements with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and the National Investment & Infrastructure Fund to sell stake, though there has been update on the the since the initial announcement. While its unclear how the deal was structured, its interesting to note that 68 per cent of its stake in GVK Airport Holdings was already pledged. The proceeds from the above transaction were to be used to retire debt worth Rs 5,750 crore and acquire additional share in MIAL taking GVKs stake to 74 per cent. Meanwhile, MIALs debt as of March 2019 stood at Rs 7,706 crore. Anaya's niece, Belinda Henry, said the celebrated author died Sunday at his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home after suffering from a long illness. Literary critics say Anaya's World War II-era novel about a young Mexican-American boy's relationship with an older curandera, or healer, influenced a generation of Latino writers because of its imagery and cultural references that were rare at the time of its 1972 publication. In a 2013 interview on C-SPAN, Anaya said the idea of the novel came after he had a vision of a woman at the doorway of a room where he was writing. ``She said, `You'll never get it right unless you put me in it','' Anaya said. ``I said, `Who are you?' She said, `Ultima' ... And there it was.'' The book's release coincided with the growing and militant Chicano movement that stressed cultural pride over assimilation. It also came as Mexican-American college students were demanding more literature by Latino authors. From activists circles to community centers, the novel was shared along with Tomas Rivera's novel ``... and the Earth Did Not Devour Him'' and later the poetry of Lorna Dee Cervantes. ``I was completely transported the first time I picked up `Bless Me, Ultima','' said novelist and poet Rigoberto Gonzalez, who was mentored by Anaya. ``He was somehow able to capture the backdrop of our community and make us proud.'' Anaya would go on to write a number of novels, including a mystery series featuring Mexican-American detective Sonny Baca. Anaya used his fame to start a creative writing program at the University of New Mexico and opened up a retreat in Jemez Spring, New Mexico, for aspiring Latino writers. Despite the popularity of ``Bless Me, Ultima'' on college campuses throughout the years, the novel was banned in some Arizona schools after a campaign by some conservatives who said the book promoted the overthrow of the federal government. Latino literary critics called those claims outrageous and launched a counter campaign to get Anaya's work and others by Latino authors into Arizona for community libraries near schools where the book was banned. Anaya hosted a group of book smugglers lead by Houston, Texas, novelist Tony Diaz at his Albuquerque home in 2012. He donated some of his own books and gave activists traveling on a bus his blessing. The novel was made into a feature film in 2013. The National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque announced in 2016 it was working to make ``Bless Me, Ultima'' into an opera. Born in the small central New Mexico railroad town of Pastura, Anaya came from a Hispanic family with deep roots in a region once colonized by Spain. He was one of seven siblings and the only male in his family to attend primary school. Years later he would say Spanish-speaking oral storytellers of his youth remained an influence in his writing as an adult. Anaya graduated from Albuquerque High School and later abandoned his studies to become an accountant after enrolling in a liberal arts program at the University of New Mexico. While working on a master's degree, he met and married Patricia Lawless, a guidance counselor from Lyons, Indiana. ``I already had a couple of drafts of `Bless Me, Ultima','' Anaya said in an interview with the Albuquerque Journal in 2010. ``And again she just saw that there was something of literary importance there and encouraged me to keep going, to keep writing.'' Lawless died in 2010. In September 2016, Anaya was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama. Frail and in poor health, Anaya agreed to make the trip to Washington at the last moment and accepted his medal while in a wheelchair. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called Anaya one of the state's greatest artists and a seminal figure in literature. ``Through his indelible stories, Rudolfo Anaya, perhaps better than any other author, truly captured what it means to be a New Mexican, what it means to be born here, grow up here and live here,'' she said in a statement. In Northern Myanmar a collapsing jade mine claimed the lives of at least 162 freelance jade miners. Authorities said the landslide likely killed more. A heap of waste from a mine cascaded towards a lake, burying workers in water and mud. (Photo : Reuters Connect ) In Northern Myanmar, a collapsing jade mine claimed the lives of at least 162 freelance jade miners. Authorities said the landslide likely killed more. A heap of waste from a mine cascaded towards a lake, burying workers in water and mud. According to a Facebook post by Myanmar's fire service department, miners were in the process of collecting stones at Hpakant when a wave of mud buried them. The recent heavy rain loosened the dirt and caused the landslide. Hpakant is an area rich in jade; it is Myanmar's center of its secretive jade mining industry. Many others are missing, and rescue workers feared they are dead. Information ministry local official Tar Lin Maung informed Reuters through the phone that the mud still holds other bodies and that the number of dead will again increase. Landslides, among other accidents, routinely cause accidents at the Hpakant mines. These mines are poorly regulated and attract poor and hungry workers from all over the country to find jade and gems that are mostly exported to mainland China. Last Thursday's landslide was the deadliest within the previous half-decade. In 2015, around 100 people died from a collapse that spurred louder calls for regulating the jade mining industry. In 2019, another accident claimed 50. The majority of the victims are jade pickers, freelance workers who look for the precious gem in the residue tailings of large miners. These are the ones that are overlooked by the more prominent mining operators. A good jade piece can command a high price - tens of thousands in US dollars - and can change the lives of the lucky ones who find them. Social media video footage has been uploaded where frantic miners race uphill in a desperate move to run away from the towering pile of cascading black waste into the adjacent lake, which churned up a wave of deadly mud similar to a tsunami. There are now rows of bodies lining a hill, which rescuers covered with tarpaulin. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of Myanmar's armed forces, said that military personnel would not cease rescue efforts. Maung Khaing is a freelance local miner 38 years of age, who saw the accident unfold. He reported that he saw the mound of waste precariously teetering and ready to collapse when he heard people shout at others to run. He informed Reuters by phone that within that same minute, everyone at the foot of the hill simply disappeared. He said he felt an emptiness in his heart, and he still has goosebumps. He said that those who were stuck in the mud shouted for help, but no help could come to them. Local civil society member Than Hlaing helped in the rescue efforts. Hlaing said that those who died were freelance scavengers of the leftover wastes of a large mining company. She said that around 100 are still missing, while at least 54 were hospitalized. She said that because of the bad weather, an official in the area warned the people last Thursday to stay away from the mine. There is no hope for compensation for the families of the victims because they were freelancers. By PTI NEW DELHI: Reliance Jio has opened JioMeet app for general public, which can support up to 100 users in a session, according to its website. The application has now been made available for public after increase in usage of web conferencing apps like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, Google Meet, among others, in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. "As a host of the call/meeting, you can invite up to 100 participants including yourself," JioMeet website said. While prevalent web conferencing apps have been charging fees for getting a large number of users in a session, Jio is neither charging any fee nor has put any time limit on the sessions at present. According to the company sources, the app was being used by Jio employees earlier, but now it has been opened for the public. Jonathan Ananda By Express News Service NEW DELHI: India has decided to shut the door on power equipment imports from countries like China, which feature in its Prior Reference Category (PRC) list. While supporting the move, industry executives also warn that it will lead to delays in complying with emission-reduction norms. Over three-quarters of India's thermal power plants (TPP) are likely to miss the December 31, 2020, deadline, since most emission-reducing gear is sourced from China, the Association of Power Producers observed. India's power sector has been dependent on its northern neighbour for a large variety of equipment so far, especially in the solar and emissions-control segments. According to Power Minister RK Singh, India imported nearly Rs 71,000 crore worth of power sector equipment in fiscal year 2018-19, of which China alone contributed Rs 21,000 crore. ALSO READ | CBI case could crush GVK Group as airport vertical is its holy grail "This is something we cannot tolerate... (from) a country (that) transgressing into our territory.... we will not take anything from China and Pakistan," Singh said while speaking at a virtual conference with state power ministers on Friday. "We will not give permission for imports from Prior Reference Countries," he added. The PRC list currently comprises several countries from which threats to Indian interests may originate, such as China, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Sudan. Singh also asked his state-level counterparts to stop any procurement orders from China for power distribution companies under their control. A constant concern with such imported equipment -- highly advanced electronics goods, in particular -- is that they may contain software which could be weaponised by enemy actors. "There could be malware or trojan horse in those... which they can activate remotely," Singh warned. Orders passed The Ministry of Power has already passed relevant orders to ensure that roadblocks to such imports are in place. In an order dated July 2, the ministry made the import of equipment from PRC countries will "require prior permission of the Government of lndia". Even if such imports are allowed in special cases, officials say, the order also mandates that all such gear will be tested in India to weed out any embedded cyber threats. "The protocol for testing in certified and designated laboratories shall be approved by the Ministry of Power," it added. Since the power supply network is "sensitive and critical infrastructure", officials said the ministry has decided to weed out vulnerabilities which mainly arise from "possibilities of cyberattacks" through embedded malware. The Finance Ministry had, last week, also raised import barriers in the solar segment by imposing a new basics customs duty on solar modules and panels. Industry seeks more time for emission reduction Apex industry body Association of Power Producers (APP), while hailing the move, is seeking an extension in deadlines for compliance with emissions norms. All Thermal power plants (TPP) are mandated to upgrade their emissions controls systems with flue gas de-sulphurisation (FGD) units and electrostatic precipitators (ESP) before December 31, 2022. As per the phase plan, 37.61 GW of TPP capacity should have installed FGDs by December 2020, of which 1.7 GW have managed to do so so far. The Covid-19 pandemic has also thrown a spanner in the works. In a letter to power minister Singh, APP director-general Ashok Khurana wrote that the ban on using Chinese equipment will impact the installation of pollution-control devices in power plants. Industry executives say that only about 20-30 per cent of such components are made locally, with 70-80 per cent imported from China. At present, a large majority of TPPs havent even awarded tenders for these works yet, APP noted. "It is evident that as many as 77% of the total TPP units for whom FGD is planned... have not yet awarded the EPC contracts. These are highly likely to miss their timelines... Around 36 GW of TPPs will miss their target deadline of December 31, 2020, thereby further loading the already strained FGD supply chain," Khurana wrote. The APP is consequently seeking an extension of the timelines for compliance. 'A push back by 2-3 years would provide an excellent opportunity for implementing... 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' by opening a manufacturing order book of Rs 48,000 crore for the domestic industry," he said, since tenders have still not been awarded for capacity worth 120.72 GW. ALSO SEE: Ranjani Madhavan By Express News Service BENGALURU: A 43-year-old man from Bengaluru, suffering from chest pain and cough was denied treatment from around 9 hospitals and died on Wednesday morning. His family took him around in the ambulance all night on Tuesday but none of the hospitals accepted him. "My wife's uncle was a car driver by profession and he suffered from chest congestion and lung problems previously. On Tuesday night at 11 pm he developed chest pain and coughing. We tried calling for an ambulance but it took a lot of time to get one," said a male relative of the deceased, who did not wish to be identified. "By midnight, we got an ambulance and went to around 9 government and private hospitals but they all either said, their beds were full or the ICUs were full. We even fought at some places with the hospital authorities but they did not admit even then," the man said, further adding," While his wife, my father-in-law and brother-in-law were in the ambulance with him, I was at home due to a fracture. I was calling several other hospitals asking them to admit him but they did not agree." "Finally around 6.30 am he passed away in the ambulance while on the way to a hospital which we had already visited the previous night. As we did not want people to be at risk when they come for the funeral, we got a corona test done at the hospital and it turned out to be negative," he added. The family made two rounds of the same hospitals, hoping one of them would take the patient in. The relative lamented that perhaps ventilator or oxygen support may have saved the man. It appears that importance is given to the treatment of corona patients but patients with other health issues are ignored, he added. Recently, 2 other cases were reported by TNIE of patients who were denied treatment and passed away due to negligence of hospital authorities. In one of the cases, a 52-year-old man knocked on the doors of 50 hospitals in Bengaluru but not one of them took him in leading to his demise. By Express News Service CHENNAI: The coronavirus pandemic may have stopped international flights to Chennai airport but there seems to be no let-up in drugs being smuggled in from abroad. Rajan Chaudhary, Chennai Air Customs Commissioner, told The New Indian Express on Thursday that a parcel containing narcotics from the Netherlands was seized by Chennai Air Customs at the foreign post office here. "This is the fourth time we have foiled the smuggling of narcotics using the parcel service," said Chaudhary. "After international alerts, we have been scanning all the parcels and have been successful in foiling bids to smuggle the drugs," he said. He said the parcel from The Netherlands contained 100 pills of MDMA, a synthetic drug popularly known as Ecstasy, worth Rs 3 lakh. These hexagonal pills commonly known as Red Buli have a bull stamp on one side and contain around 250 mg of MDMA, which is a very high dose. Recently, in February 2020, a man died and a woman got seriously ill after taking this pill in Warwickshire, England, said Chaudhary. The parcel was destined for a residential locality in Ambattur. On reaching the locality, it was found that the address was incomplete and inquiries were made and it was found out that no person with the consignee's name was living there. Efforts are being made to apprehend the accused. Earlier, Chennai Air Customs seized a parcel from the United Kingdom addressed to a person in Thiruvallur containing ecstasy pills. The parcel, from Wolverhampton near Birmingham, which was seized from the foreign post office in Chennai contained 270 pills suspected to be MDMA valued at Rs 8 lakh. While rave parties during the lockdown may not be happening, addicts book parcels online through the dark web, the World Wide Web content that exists on darknets -- overlay networks that use the Internet but require specific software, configurations, or authorization to access. The dark web forms a small part of the deep web, the part of the web not indexed by search engines. Earlier, in April, postal intelligence of Air Customs foiled a bid to smuggle cannabis from the US through a parcel containing sleeping bags at foreign post office. The parcel was despatched from Washington state to a person based in Annavaram in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. In June, a parcel containing green-yellow colour pills commonly known as Brazuca (CBF) from Haarlem in The Netherlands sent to an engineering dropout based in Bhimavaram in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh about 550 km from Chennai was seized. Harish Murali By Express News Service CHENNAI: Madras High Court on Friday decided to continue with the virtual court proceedings with its full strength. All the judges will carry out the hearings either in their court chamber or their residences. The decision was taken by the administrative committee of the High Court and will come into effect from Monday. Since the lockdown, the court was functioning with only two division benches and four single judges hearing urgent matters through video conference. Even with these restrictions, at least six judges of the high court have tested positive for Covid 19 and are under treatment. Members of the Bar sent a detailed representation on Wednesday to the Chief Justice for resuming the physical functioning of the courts. However, the administrative committee, headed by Chief Justice AP Sahi, decided to proceed with virtual court. It has been decided to function in full strength as the cases pending before the courts have increased. The bar council in its letter sought for the opening of courts in a phased manner. The members said cases can be heard in a two-phased manner with physical hearing in the morning and video conference in the afternoon after obtaining the consent of both side advocates. Court sources also said that after a few of the judges raised objections on the present video calling software, the court is set to explore other programmes for the effective functioning of the virtual courts. During the last meeting held on June 22, the committee ordered for the physical functioning of district courts and also in the taluk level in 25 districts of the state where COVID-19 spread was comparatively less. The high court registry also in an internal circular to all its subordinate courts permitted the installation of a transparent screen in between the dais and advocates. The aim was to prevent the spread of Covid 19. By Express News Service CHENNAI: The pandemic may have stopped international flights from arriving at Chennai airport, but there seems no let up in drugs being smuggled into the city through parcels. Rajan Chaudhary, Chennai Air Customs (CAC) Commissioner, told Express on Thursday that a parcel containing narcotics from The Netherlands was seized by Air Customs at the foreign post office. This is the fourth time we have foiled smuggling of narcotics using parcel service, said Chaudhary. After international alerts, we have been scanning all parcels, he said. He said the parcel contained 100 pills of MDMA (also known as ecstasy) worth Rs 3 lakh. These hexagonal pills commonly known as Red Buli have a bull stamp on one side and contain around 250 mg of MDMA, which is a very high dose. In February, a man died and a woman got seriously ill after taking this pill in Warwickshire, England, said Chaudhary. The parcel was destined to a residential locality in Ambattur. On reaching the locality, it was found that the address was incomplete and inquiries revealed that no person with the consignee name lived there. Efforts are being made to apprehend the accused. Earlier, CAC seized a parcel from the United Kingdom addressed to a person in Thiruvallur containing ecstasy pills. The parcel contained 270 pills valued at `8 Lakh.While rave parties may not be happening during the lockdown, addicts book parcels online through Dark Web, which forms a small part of the deep web not indexed by web search engines. Other instances Sinduja Jane By Express News Service CHENNAI: Doctor, Im sure you will save me. Those were the last few words spoken by Kiran (name changed) to his doctor before he succumbed to Covid. In his thirties, Kirans death has been one of the most unforgettable incidents in Dr Raja Lakshmis life, for she was the one whom he spoke to before breathing his last. Even as his condition deteriorated, he remained confident that we would save him, recalls the doctor, who heads General Medicine at KMCH. Those words still flash through my mind, she says, adding she couldnt guarantee him of anything as she knew his chances of survival were close to none. As State tally inches towards the 1 lakh mark, over 1,300 people have become victims of the viral infection till date. Doctors in Chennai say they are weary and traumatised seeing the patients, including youngsters, dying alone. With no drug of choice or a targeted treatment, the people in white say they feel helpless. Everyday I declare at least six deaths in my hospital, says an anaesthesiologist posted at a private hospital. I cannot bear to see the emotional trauma that the families have to undergo. The doctor admitted to allowing family members into the ward, so that the patient can say their goodbyes for one last time. Recently I allowed a young man to see his critically ill father. He stood next to his fathers bed and cried inconsolably for a long time, before quietly walking out. I was reduced to tears. A senior doctor at the RGGGH says the most upsetting thing is when a patient, who is conscious and aware of his surroundings, dies. Witnessing death up close In another instance, a couple was admitted in the same ICU ward, the doctor said. The husband was struggling a lot in his last moments, and we were desperately trying to save him. But the man died. That was when I realised the curtains had not been drawn and the woman just witnessed her husbands distressing last moments, the doctor recalled, adding the wife also succumbed to her illness the very next day. Another senior doctor, posted at the critical care unit for Covid patients at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital says the most upsetting thing is when a patient in ICU is conscious and aware of his/her surroundings. He adds, Covid patients unlike others, are able to converse coherently even when their oxygen levels fall below 60. They know theyre going to die, and their only request is to go home. 4,343 new cases in TN Breaking yet another record, Tamil Nadu on Thursday registered 4,343 new cases and 57 deaths, of which 2,027 cases were in Chennai. As the State continues its march towards 1 lakh total cases, two more AIADMK legislators -- N Sathan Prabhakar (Paramakudi) and R Kumaraguru (Ulundurpet) -- tested positive on Thursday. Madurai is witnessing a steady spike with 273 fresh cases being reported, followed by Tiruvannamalai (170), Kallakurichi (133), Ranipet (127), and Ramanathapuram (117). Puliyur Nagarajan (64), a popular farmer leader from Tiruchy, succumbed to the virus while undergoing treatment at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital here on Thursday. In a televised briefing, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said 750 beds were kept ready at the Kings Institute, and will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami soon. The Minister also said that the State has tested 12,35,692 samples so far, the highest in the country and that the CM has issued orders to procure 10 lakh testing kits through Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation. He went on to say that the State is caring for both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in the same way and the recovery rate in TN is 57 per cent. He denied community transmission in the State. Responding to Opposition party leader MK Stalins query about the State entering into Stage-III, he said, Only ICMR has to declare if there is a community transmission, but their recent surveys show that the State hasnt entered into the third stage yet. Vijayabaskar also said the State has procured life saving drugs, such as Remdisivir (10,000 vials), Tocillizumab (1,200 vials), and Enoxaparin (1.52 lakh vials) and has distributed them to all government hospitals. The city has 50,000 beds ready to accommodate those in population dense areas, who would not be able to be home quarantined, Municipal Administration Minister SP Velumani announced after a review meeting on Thursday. The statement issued said, there are 51 facilities available set up by the Corporation, for those who cant be in home quarantine. Omjasvin MD By Express News Service CHENNAI: From about 500 fever camps to screen people for COVID-19 symptoms, the Chennai Corporation now aims to increase them to 680 in the coming weeks due to a very large turnout. We have been conducting between 500 and 550 camps but our ultimate aim is to reach 680. We will be increasing it soon, Corporation Commissioner G Prakash told The New Indian Express. The fever camps have been a big success for the Corporation, especially since June. When the civic body held about 120 camps in May, around 6000 people had attended. But since then, camps have increased to 514 as of July 2, and now close to 30,000 people attend daily. So far, 11,376 fever camps were held till July 2 and 7.41 lakh people have attended them. A total of 33,090 cases of Influenza like Illnesses were recorded and 29,051 swabs were taken for RT-PCR tests. While two camps are set up for every ward, hotspots have up to 4 camps and the civic body announces the camp details from an auto as well. According to corporation data, out of the 37,574 people who have attended the camps, 6390 (17 percent) had ILI symptoms and in Royapuram, where a whopping 61,109 people have attended, 9 percent had ILI symptoms. The Corporation Commissioner said that the camps help in bringing out more Influenza like Illnesses like cases. The volunteers identify symptoms like fever by going door-to-door using thermal guns. Symptomatic cases are brought to the fever camps and are checked by doctors. If needed, swabs are taken and they are directed to the hospitals, said Prakash. Simultaneously, the active cases too have fallen largely in the city to 36 percent, while the recovery rate has increased to 62 percent. Micro level containment has been successfully rolled out in the field and is gaining strength. With more additions of homes under surveillance, the net results will be good in terms of controlled spread, added Prakash. Currently, the city has 158 containment zones of which 50 are from Tondiarpet and 43 from Anna Nagar corporation zones. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: A senior employee in Telangana's Industries department, who was recently found to be COVID-19 positive and had developed pneumonia, has found a plasma donor after his daughter sought help on social media on June 30. The official, who has served in the State government for 32 years, complained of acute chest pain on June 26. He was admitted to KIMS Begumpet in the early hours of Saturday. "Upon reaching KIMS Begumpet, his oxygen levels dropped and he was shifted to ICU immediately and was put on a ventilator," his daughter said on Twitter. ALSO READ | 39.6 per cent families don't have smartphones, reveals Telangana survey on online classes The family was informed by doctors that the official had tested positive for COVID-19. He has continued to remain on a ventilator since. "We are currently in a helpless situation. My mother is also showing symptoms and is severely ill. Her COVID-19 reports are yet to come," the daughter said, while requesting Industries minister KT Rama Rao to help her in arranging for a blood donor for plasma therapy. On Friday, the issue was taken up by principal secretary Jayesh Ranjan who tweeted, "One of our employees has been tested pneumonia covid positive and is critical. In urgent need of Plasma donor with B +Ve blood group. Donor should be a COVID recovered person and should have COVID negative report tested before 28 days." An hour later, he informed that a plasma donor had been identified. In COVID-19 pneumonia, people develop acute respiratory distress syndrome, a progressive type of respiratory failure that happens when air sacs in lungs gets filled up with fluid. This necessitates mechanical ventilation for helping the patient breathe. ALSO SEE: By Express News Service KOCHI: 66 contacts of the worker, who is the primary source of infection, placed under observation; 10 people from the market have tested positive already The Covid situation in the district seems to be turning serious, with three out of the nine positive cases reported on Thursday, being the immediate contacts of the electrical shop worker at Ernakulam Market. The three, who tested positive, are also the staff of the electric shop. Currently, 10 persons from the market are Covid positive. Around 66, who have been identified as the possible contacts of the primary source, too have been placed under observation. Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar said, If any of those persons under observation tests positive, we will have to assume the possibility that local transmission is happening. Also, we will have to find out if it is only cluster transmission that has happened, said the minister. The electrical shop worker who is the primary source had a fever and cough. But he didnt take it seriously and consult a doctor. It should be understood that people with symptoms are the ones who spread the disease. The virus infection in asymptomatic people is comparatively less and the disease can spread only if there is close physical contact, said the minister. If you have fever, cough and difficulty in breathing please stay home and notify the health department over the phone. The family members too need to adopt measures like wearing masks and maintain physical distance, added Sunilkumar. According to the minister, since 10 people from the market have already tested positive, the district administration has started testing the staff and owners of the other commercial establishments there. On Wednesday, swabs of 20 people were taken. On Thursday, samples for the rapid anti-body test was taken from 57 persons, said Sunil Kumar. According to G Karthikeyan, president, Kerala Merchants Chamber of Commerce, a list of 200 people has been submitted. The government of Botswana identified three laboratories in Canada, South Africa and Zimbabwe to study the samples taken from the dead elephants as elephant deaths in Okavango Delta rose to more than 350. (Photo : Reuters Connect ) Africa and Zimbabwe to study the samples taken from the dead elephants as elephant deaths in Okavango Delta rose to more than 350. The cause of the elephants' death in Botswana is still unknown. On May 25, Elephant Without Borders (EWB), a conservation organization, first alerted the government of the mysterious elephant deaths when they spotted 169 dead elephants in a three-hour flight, according to Dr. Niall McCann, of the UK-based charity National Park Rescue. After further investigation, carcasses rose to over 350 as the aerial survey on June 14 recorded 187 more corpses. EWB also noted that the elephant's mysterious death comes across all ages. "This is unprecedented in terms of numbers of elephants dying in a single event unrelated to drought," McCann said. Possible Causes of Death Botswana government has ruled out poaching as causes of death as tusks had not been removed. Dr. McCann also expressed that if poachers used cyanide to kill the elephants, there should be other deaths. Still, the investigation noted that it is only elephants that are dying and nothing else. Poisoning or disease has not been ruled out, however. Some farmers see elephants as a nuisance because it can destroy property and crops. Animals appear to be dropping on their faces, and some are walking in circles point that the cause may have something that is potentially attacking their neurological systems, Dr. McCann said. Last year, 100 elephant deaths were reported due to natural anthrax poisoning, which Dr. McCann has temporarily ruled out at the cause this year. Other than elephants falling flat on their faces, carcasses are found clustered around waterholes. An elephant was observed to be "walking in circles, unable to change direction despite the encouragement of other herd members." EWB Director Mike Chase said that several elephants appear to be weak, lethargic, and emancipated. Difficulty in walking and symptoms or paralysis or limb was also observed among the live elephants. Urgent action is needed to know if the cause of death is by disease or poisoning, Chase said. Botswana government has taken samples from the dead elephants. Samples were sent to various laboratories all over the world. As early as May, samples have been sent to South Africa, but authorities say that the results are taking longer than expected because of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. McCann describes the incident as appalling and added that as far as he can remember, this is the first time that an enormous number of elephants died from a mystery cause. Successful conservation practices have caused the African Elephant population in Botswana to rise from 80,000 to more than 130,000. Ten percent of these elephants are in Okavango Delta, where the carcasses are found. Dr. McCann thinks that elephant-specific parasite or even the pandemic COVID-19 are also possible causes of death, emphasizing that despite being a conservation matter, the massive deaths have the potential to be a public health crisis. Thus, it is crucial to get to the bottom of this concern as the lives of the lost elephant was "significant globally." By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state capital is in heightened vigil after four more cases without any known source of Covid-19 infection were reported among the total of nine cases on Thursday. Saphalyam Shopping Complex in Palayam will remain shut for the next seven days after one of the staff tested positive.A 25-year-old Assam native, whos reportedly working with one of the shops at Saphalyam, a lottery vendor from Vanchiyoor and a VSSC staff from Neyyattinkara are among the growing number of patients with no known source of Covid-19. There are 20 such cases reported in the district. Mayor K Sreekumar said the situation was dangerous thereby echoing the concerns raised by Health Minister K K Shailaja on the worrying trend in the district a few days ago. The number of Covid-19 patients in the district is comparatively less. However the situation is dangerous as the cases with no known sources are increasing, said Sreekumar. The Vanchiyoor ward is likely to be a containment zone after a destitute lottery seller turned Covid-19 positive. The 45-year-old has no travel history and was admitted in hospital due to fever on June 29. It is going to be a tough task to trace the travel history of lottery seller. He loiters around the court complex in the morning and sleeps at Vasantha building near the court in the night, said ward councillor and development standing committee chairperson, Vanchiyoor Babu. According to him, several people in the area had developed viral fever recently. A 25-year-old trainee at VSSC from Vazhuthoor in Neyyattinkara was also tested positive for Covid-19. He is the second employee from VSSC to contract the infection. In both cases the sources are not known. A 47-year-old native of Balaramapuram also tested positive even though he has no travel history and the source was not known. The other five positive cases reported on Thursday have come from outside the state. It included a two year-old from Vettuthara. Four more locations under Thiruvananthapuram corporation were declared containment zones after a fisherman from Poonthura was tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday. Ambalathara, Puthanpalli, Manikyavilakom and Beemapalli are the new locations. We have converted the Beemapalli hospital as a centre for institutional quarantine. We will add five more centres in the coastal area, the mayor said. Stringent curbs in markets The corporation has enforced strict restriction in all super markets in the city limit as a containment strategy. The shops will have to restrict crowding and follow other measures to break the chain of infection. The Connemara market near Saphalyam complex will restrict the number of visitors. Only the front gate of the market will be opened and the other two gates will be shut. There will be health officers in uniform at the gates to manage the crowd. We will also think about restricting the time of market, said health standing committee chairperson, I P Binu. There is already restriction on the number of shops that can be opened at a time in the markets of Chalai and Palayam. The corporation will enforce the restrictions in other markets as well, the mayor said. The corporation will press the enforcement agencies to restrict crowding at bus stops and at protest venues in the city. The corporation will also ask department heads on restricting the functioning of offices in the city to prevent crowding, said Sreekumar. Rajkumari Sharma Tankha By Express News Service Unlocked is a set of five short films, intertwined together, shot from home. Written and directed by Abhijit Das, the films have actors from India, USA, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sweden and the UK telling their stories, unravelling a secret trapped in the lockdown. Das has released two of these short films, The Stranger and The Seeker, on his YouTube channel, Netanki. Excerpts: Why did you release Unlocked on your YouTube channel? These short films have been shot across seven countries with actors from there. It is minus frills no lights, no recording equipment, no cameras, no make-up, no catering, no vanity vans. Just stories. I guess the media industry still loves the frills because no platform or channel took these. Hence, the decision. writer & director Abhijit Das When did the idea of Unlocked strike you and how did you go about making it? A month into the lockdown and we were all frustrated. There was no new work. Actor friends were going crazy sitting at home. Then it struck me the true fight isnt just a medical war, it is a fight with our minds. Art knows no boundaries, just like COVID-19. If a virus can unite the world, it can unite us artistes. We just needed to unlock our minds. So, I started thinking about unreal situations that could arise due to the lockdown. How did you connect with the actors from different nations and create the stories? There is just six pixels of separation between nations these days. Each actor recommended the next actor. A small character in a film becomes the protagonist in the next film. My message in the first Unlocked film is my inspiration for this series there are no strangers in this world. Just friends we havent met. I found the stories as I found my actors. Nothing was pre-decided. It was as organic as life. What challenges did you face during shooting? All the scenes were shot on mobile phone cameras, either by the actors themselves or by their friends or family members. It took about three days for actors to film their part. Each film is unique because it is a 15-minute incident narrated in a 15-minute film. I asked the actors to tread a path blindly, and they did. They performed scenes with other actors as if they were in the same room. The actors would shoot a scene and send me the file. I would either make changes or approve, and then move forward. I had never met the editor or the music director. But we shared one vision, one voice, one dream. I had never tried this format, which is a difficult craft because each word has to have a meaning, has to resonate with the audiences. However, for those 45 days, we forgot the virus completely. Your future plans and projects in hand? My YouTube channel, Netanki, will see much more content. I have created some interactive content that I believe will be the future of entertainment. I also co-produced and directed a series based on relationships evolving during the lockdown. My pet project is a social experiment documentary that I am working on involving juvenile criminals and stray dogs. And a new web series for ALT Balaji will go on floors as soon as the lockdown opens completely. By ANI NEW DELHI: Hollywood heartthrob Tom Cruise is celebrating his 58th birthday today and his fans made sure to make it memorable for the icon by pouring in tons of lovely birthday wishes on Twitter. From recalling his stellar action performance in 'Top Gun' to crediting him as a person with a "golden heart," Cruise's fans left no stone unturned to make his birthday special. "Happy Birthday to the legendary actor @TomCruise "The Man Of Stunts," wrote a Twitter user. Addressing him as the "superstar, legend, icon, and achiever", another fan of the actor wrote: "We idolized you since adolescence & your worldwide fan following is unparalleled. Wish you a long, happier, healthier & more joyful life........ #HappyBirthdayTomCruise" ALSO READ | Happy birthday Tom Cruise: The action hero we envy and born-actor we miss Tom Cruise, who has an impressive array of roles under his belt, has contributed several box-office hits including 'Mission: Impossible' franchise, 'The Firm,' 'Risky Business' to name a few, from a slew of other movies. "#HappyBirthdayTomCruise The Greatest Action Hero of all time and The Greatest Movie star of all time and One More thing The Dude Still Doesn't Age......," tweeted a fan while posting a video of Cruise doing a stunt scene. Many of his fans called them their favourite 'stuntman' while extending their birthday wishes. The 'Jerry Maguire' actor has a history of doing his own stunts in movies. According to reports, he has done a lot of risky, dramatic shots by himself over the years, including submerging himself in water for six minutes to film an underwater scene, being flung around an airplane cabin in zero-gravity for 'The Mummy' and many high-speed car chases. One of his admirers wrote: "Happy Birthday to my favorite greatest Action Hero of all time @TomCruise!! when I think about action and stunts first thing in my mind comes you I love your all mission impossible movies God bless you hope we can see you in next mission impossible 6 #Tomcruise" "On 3rd July 1963, a legend was born who was destined to become the biggest movie star of all time. The reason why I started watching Hollywood films. Happy birthday 'King of Hollywood'. #HappyBirthdayTomCruise" another fan tweeted. Scores of wishes poured in dubbing him as the "Icon of Hollywood", to "most handsome actor" to "ever-youthful actor." He has received several accolades for his work, including three Golden Globe Awards and three nominations for Academy Awards. By PTI She was admitted to the ICU at Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra on June 20 after she complained of breathing issues. Veteran choreographer Saroj Khan died of a cardiac arrest in Mumbai on Friday. She was 71. She was admitted to the ICU at Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra on June 20 after she complained of breathing issues. According to reports, the choreographer had diabetes and age-related illness. She had tested negative for COVID-19 at the hospital. Saroj Khan had started her career as a child artist and background dancer. Over four decades, she had choreographed more than 2000 Bollywood songs. Her notable films include Geetaa Mera Naam, Mr. India, Nagina, Chandni, Tezaab, Baazigar, Lagaan, Devdas and others. She had worked closely with Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit on their hit songs. For her work, Saroj was awarded the National Film Award thrice. In 2019, she choreographed Madhuri Dixit for Tabha Ho Gaye in Kalank. Saroj Khan is survived by her husband B. Sohanlal, son Hamid Khan and daughters Hina Khan and Sukanya Khan. By Express News Service We had recently reported that Omar Lulu will be doing a full-fledged action film starring Babu Antony, titled Powerstar. This is the first time that the director, who is known for making youth-friendly entertainers, is trying his hand at action. A graphical rendering of Babu Antonys look in the film has been revealed by the makers. Powerstar is being billed as a mass action entertainer with no songs, no heroine, only fights. It will also see the comeback of noted screenwriter Dennis Joseph (Rajavinte Makan, Nair Saab). Babu Antonys last major appearance was in 2018s Kayamkulam Kochunni starring Nivin Pauly and Mohanlal. He had a small part in the Nivin Pauly-starrer Mikhael. Ratheesh Anedath is producing Powerstar under the banner of Virtual Films. Baburaj, Riyaz Khan, Abu Salim, and Bineesh Bastin are part of the cast aside from a few names from Hollywood and Kannada cinema. Omar said the big-budget film will aim for a realistic tone while keeping its mass appeal intact. Mangaluru, Kasaragod, and Kochi will be the primary locations of the film, which will be released in both Malayalam and Kannada.Powerstar is expected to be the biggest film of both Omar Lulu and Babu Antonys careers. The team is currently engaged in the pre-production process with a plan to start filming in October provided the lockdown restrictions are eased by then. By Online Desk On Friday, ICMR DG Balram Bhargava wrote a letter to Bharat Biotech and principal investigators of medical colleges to complete the trial procedure of indigenous COVID-19 vaccine in a fast track method, so that results of clinical trial can be launched by 15th August. The development came on a day when India's daily highest COVID-19 tally reached a new height as the country reported 20,903 new positive cases in the last 24 hours. It also registered 379 deaths in last 24 hours. Positive cases stand at 6,25,544 including 2,27,439 active cases, 3,79,892 cured/discharged/migrated and 18213 deaths, as per the latest Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data. Meanwhile, a potential COVID-19 vaccine indigenously developed by the Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd has got nod from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for human clinical trials, according to a government source. Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: Even though dog meat is a delicacy in Nagaland and considered a cure for pain-related ailments, The Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) has urged the state government to immediately ban its slaughter and enforce the stringent animal welfare laws. We are writing with deep concern, shock and horror at recent images that have emerged from animal bazaar markets in Dimapur where dogs are seen in terrified conditions, tied up in sacks, waiting at a wet market, for their illegal slaughter, trade and consumption as meat, FIAPO legal manager Varnika Singh wrote to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in a letter. Dogs are regularly smuggled from Assam and West Bengal into Nagaland. In Assam, the dog catchers, who work for smugglers, get about Rs 50 for a single dog and the same dog when sold at a wholesale market in the state costs approximately Rs 1,000. In the streets of Nagaland, dog meat sells for Rs 200 per kg which is roughly Rs 2,000 per dog or 40-50 times increase from the catchers price, the FIAPO wrote. The animal protection organisation said the trade of dog meat in Nagaland was utterly illegal and in complete violation of various laws such as the Indian Penal Code 1860. It also said that Section 429 of the IPC makes the killing of animals a punishable offence with up to five years of imprisonment. The trade of dog meat involves packaging dogs in gunny bags with their mouths either tied with a string or sewn shut which is a complete violation of this Act. The consumption of dog meat is a violation of the laws and hence, illegal. This calls for an immediate and stringent implementation of the laws. In a rapidly-developing country like ours, it is imperative that we accord equal rights to animals, the FIAPO letter read. It added that capturing and transporting dogs and preparing and consuming their meat put individuals directly at the risk of contracting rabies as the disease can spread not only through dog bites but also by handling and consuming infected meat. In Vietnam, 30% of human deaths due to rabies were linked to exposure to the virus during slaughter of the dogs. In addition to this, dogs are notoriously traded in wet markets, where they are slaughtered on demand in front of the customers, exponentially increasing health and epidemiological risks of infections as we are already witnessing with the global rise of Covid-19 pandemic, it said. By PTI KOLKATA: BJP MP Locket Chatterjee on Friday said she has tested positive for COVID-19. In a tweet, the general secretary of the BJP's West Bengal unit said she has a mild fever. "I have tested positive for Covid19 this morning, having mild fever and was in self-isolation for the past one week. I will keep everyone posted. All is well," she said. Chatterjee, who left her acting career to join politics, is the Lok Sabha MP from Hooghly in West Bengal. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the state crossed the 6,000-mark on Thursday to reach 6,083. So far, 699 people have died of the disease and 13,037 have recovered from it in the state. By PTI NEW DELHI: State units of the BJP will make a presentation before Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday about the various welfare works they carried out during the nationwide lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing a press conference, BJP general secretary Arun Singh said on Friday that other top party leaders, including its president J P Nadda and Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari among others, will join the exercise, which will be virtual and broadcast live on the party's digital platforms. Singh said the party organised over 61 virtual rallies to mark the first anniversary, which fell on May 30, of the Modi government''s second term, and over 11.49 crore people attended them. As part of the BJP's door-to-door campaign to publicise the highlights of the government''s first year, its workers contacted over 5.41 crore people, he said. The party also fed over 22 crore people during the lockdown, and distributed 80 lakh sanitisers and 2.5 crore face covers, he claimed. The party also worked to spread awareness about Aarogya Setu app and donation to the PM Cares fund, he added. Asked about Modi's visit to Ladakh and the situation there, Singh said people have faith in the prime minister's leadership, and that he has already made it clear that those eyeing India''s territory will be given a befitting reply. To a question about the killing of several police personnel in an encounter in Uttar Pradesh, he said the Yogi Adityanath government will not spare the accused. He also brushed aside opposition's criticism of the law and order situation in the state, alleging that earlier those in power were involved in crime. Now the BJP government has gone hard after criminals, he said. Our South Pole is currently warming at almost thrice the rate more than the worldwide average, according to a new study, and it is mostly due to climate cycles that is occurring in the Earths tropical regions. (Photo : Reuters Connect ) The South Pole is currently warming at almost thrice the rate more than the worldwide average, according to a new study, and it is mostly due to climate cycles that are occurring in the Earth's tropical regions. The study was published in the Nature Climate Change journal. Study author and New Zealand Victoria University of Wellington researcher Kyle Clem and his colleagues examined air temperatures of the surface at Amundsen-Scott station, the weather observatory at the southernmost part of the world, found almost on the very top of South Pole. Here, winter temperatures can reach -100F. Temperatures in the area are rising at a rate of one degree every ten years since the beginning of 1990. Since at least half of the past century, the South Pole has been cooling down, but now, it has reversed, probably due to shifting patterns in tropical climates. The study utilized model simulations and observations in its investigation. Their findings say that shifting ocean temperatures in the western Pacific tropical region largely influenced South Pole's warming. The temperatures are primarily regulated by the climate cycle called IPO or Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation. This phenomenon shifts the temperatures in the western Pacific between cool and warm phases approximately every two decades. A warmer ocean adds more warm air to Antarctica. According to the researchers, the influence of the IPO could be strengthened further by the so-called Southern Annular Mode. This cycle helps to regulate westerly winds that flow around Antarctica, cause winds to weaken or strengthen periodically. Stronger winds help push warm air to Antarctica. The study speculates that these two cycles actively contributed to Antarctica's warming in the past decades. The simulations are suggesting that recent warming may have occurred entirely happened without human influence. The researchers say that human-induced warming could have warmed Antarctica recently, but it is not the leading cause. The study's findings demonstrate the complexity of Antarctica's climate as well as the strong influence of climate cycles from other far-flung regions on Earth. While the Arctic is warming very quickly, the climate of the Antarctic is notoriously hard to determine. Various regions in the continent have vastly different climates within the same period. The South Pole has generally cooled in the past decades, but most of West Antarctica, as well as the Antarctic Peninsula, warmed and melted. Conversely, now that the South Pole began heating up, warming declined at the peninsula. Antarctica's sea ice also showed puzzling trends. In the past 35 years, the Southern Ocean's sea ice expanded, but in 2014, the trend turned around. Now, the last few years have seen its rapid decline, with scientists still not in agreement as of the reasons behind it. University of Colorado scientists Ted Scambos and Sharon Stammerjohn say Antarctica's climate is filled with changes. Scientists blame the shifting, complex patterns on El Nino, IPO, and other natural climate cycles, as well as the effects of global climate change. The influence of the natural variability of the climate is so pervasive that no pattern can be clearly linked to human-induced global warming. Scambos and Stammerjohn note that the high occurrence of intrinsic variability usually obscures the anthropogenic role in climate change. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Friday said 47 of its personnel, who were cured of COVID-19, were ready to donate their blood plasma to patients suffering from the disease in Delhi and Mumbai. A spokesperson for the paramilitary force said CISF Director General (DG) Rajesh Ranjan has also made an appeal to the recovered troops to come forward for the noble cause that may help save many lives. "Forty-seven CISF personnel, including an officer, who have recovered from COVID-19 have volunteered to donate blood plasma to save precious lives of critically ill patients suffering from coronavirus and are in need of plasma therapy. "Services of these CISF personnel are available for the noble cause at Delhi and Mumbai," the spokesperson said. He said constables Shrikant Dabral and R Narendra Kumar, posted with the unit that guards Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, donated their blood plasma recently. The 1.62 lakh personnel force is the national civil aviation security force and it also protects vital installations in the nuclear and aerospace domain. The force, as per latest data, has recorded over 960 COVID-19 cases till now out of which more than 430 personnel are under treatment while over 530 have been cured. Eight CISF personnel have succumbed to the disease. Plasma therapy is a minor medical procedure where the blood of a person who has recovered from the disease is taken as they develop antibodies against the virus and it is donated to the patient to better fight COVID-19 by developing enhanced levels of immunity. By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday gave the go-ahead for launching a pilot project for Covid-19 rapid antigen testing from the coming week, as well as e-registration for people entering the state to ensure strict monitoring of those coming from the high-risk NCR region. On successful completion of the pilot rapid antigen project, which will cover a minimum of 1,000 tests, such testing would be done on the migrants coming back to the state in the wake of reopening of industries and for work in the paddy fields. Amarinder Singh was reviewing the Covid situation and preparedness in the state with senior government and health officials, through video conference. The state will procure rapid antigen testing kits to scale up its Covid testing capacity, which is even now higher than the Central government's mandate of 140 tests per million per day in regions with positivity factor of less than 10 per cent. With positivity rate of just two per cent, Punjab is already conducting 242 tests per million a day as part of its strategy to check further spread of the pandemic. Notwithstanding the Union Governments revised guidelines replacing home quarantine for domestic travellers with self-monitoring, he ruled out any such move in Punjab in view of the large number of people coming to the state every day from Delhi and NCR, where cases were currently spiralling. Punjab Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan said that all entrants to the state would be required to mandatorily register themselves either on the COVA app or the government web portal, and the registration certificate, with bar code, will have to be pasted on the windscreen of the vehicle. Those without the certificate print-out on their car screens would be stopped and made to register on the spot, at the border, before proceeding, she said. (With agency inputs) Sumi Sukanya dutta By Express News Service If the clinical trials of Covaxin go well and meet the highest safety and efficacy standards, and if the regulators approve of them, it can be available for mass use by early 2021, Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing director, Bharat Biotech, told Sumi Sukanya Dutta in an interview. This development of Covaxin entering human trials has raised hopes of the countrymen in the middle of a massive pandemic. Please share details on the origin of the vaccine. The vaccine candidate was developed by Bharat Biotech India Ltd in collaboration with the National Institute of Virology. NIV isolated a strain of the novel coronavirus from an asymptomatic patient and transferred it to BBIL early in May. We then used it to work on developing an inactivated vaccine a vaccine that uses the dead virus at our high-containment facility in Hyderabad. Can you share some details related to safety and immune response seen during the pre-clinical phase studies using this vaccine candidate in animals so far? The trials resulted in a safe and immunogenic response from all the animals that were tested. We are now commencing towards human trials. Can you please tell us about the timeline of this vaccine? For instance, when do you think phase 1 and 2 trials will get over and when could it enter the next phase, depending on the results? At the moment, we are not sure how the vaccine is going to perform in humans, as clinical trials are about to start. Based on the successful results of phase 1 and phase 2, we will progress to the larger clinical trials. How soon do you think the vaccine can be available for mass usage if everything goes well? As I said earlier, at the moment we are not sure how the vaccine is going to perform in humans, as clinical trials are about to commence. Based on the successful results of phase 1 and phase 2, we will progress to the larger clinical trials. We are hoping all the studies meet the highest safety and efficacy standards, and if the regulators approve of them, we can expect the vaccine to be available early 2021. Its too early to ask anything about its costing yet but can you please share a tentative price range that this vaccine, when commercially available, could have? As a socially inclined organisation and a company that is focused on public health, we endeavour to deliver world-class vaccines at affordable prices. We have done this earlier and we hope to achieve the same even for Covaxin. We must say that it is too early to make any statement. What are your views about the mass distribution of the vaccine once its available for usage? The demand for Covid-19 vaccine is enormous and we believe one company cant serve the entire demand. However, we have built capacities to deliver 300 million doses per year. We need more companies to create manufacturing facilities to serve the world. Corona cure: Vaccine candidates leading the race There are nearly 140 Covid-19 vaccine candidates globally in different stages of trial with 16 having entered clinical trials in humans, as per the WHO. Of these, five are being developed in China, three in the US, two in the UK and one each in Germany, Russia and Australia. India is hoping to join the league as an indigenously developed vaccine candidate got the drug regulators approval for phase 1 and 2 trials this week. Heres a snapshot of the leading vaccine trials that have raised hopes. BioNTech-Pfizer Vaccine candidate: BNT162b1 German biotech firm BioNTech and US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer are developing this RNA-based vaccine. Status of progress: First stage showed promising results. Those who received it were reported to have higher levels of Covid-19 antibodies than infected individuals. Oxford University Vaccine candidate: AZD1222 Potential vaccine has been prepared using adenovirus, a virus that causes mild upper respiratory tract infections Status of progress: Is the only potential vaccine in the third stage. Its safety and efficacy is being studied on 8,000 volunteers in Brazil, UK and South Africa. On Wednesday, a scientist associated with the project said the vaccine shot has been found to be safe even for people with weak immunity. CanSino Biologics Vaccine candidate: Ad5-nCoV One of the eight vaccine candidates developed by China. In May, CanSino became the worlds first company to publish a full scientific study on the vaccines early human trials. Status of progress: China approved its use by the military on June 25 for a period of one year after phase 1 and 2 clinical trials showed it was safe and also effective to some extent. It has also been approved for human testing in Canada. Bharat Biotech Vaccine candidate: Covaxin Hyderabad based company is working on three vaccine candidates, two of which are with the international collaborators. Covaxin, on which it is working with the National Institute of Virology, has received permission for human trials. Status of progress: Pre-clinical studies of the inactivated vaccine demonstrated its safety and immune response figures after which approval for human trials was given. Inovio Pharmaceuticals Vaccine candidate: INO-4800 It has been designed to match the DNA sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. US biotech firm Inovio Pharmaceutical claims vaccine recipients will have very specific antibodies against Covid-19. Status of progress: Recently it was announced that preliminary clinical trials showed encouraging results by triggering strong immune response in 94 per cent of the 40 volunteers. The firm plans to have 1 million doses of the vaccine by the end of 2020 and is set to enter phase 2 and 3 trials. The trials resulted in safe and immunogenic response from animals that were tested. We are now moving towards human trials Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRINAGAR: A paramilitary head constable and a militant of ISJK, who according to police was involved in killing of CRPF jawan and minor in Anantnag, were killed in an overnight encounter in Malabagh area in Srinagar. A police official said a joint contingent of police and CRPF men laid siege around Malabagh area near Hazratbal, Srinagar late last evening after receiving inputs about presence of militants there. He said as security personnel launched a search operation, they came under gunfire from militants hiding in the area. The fire was returned by the troops and in the ensuing gunfight, a militant was killed and a CRPF head constable Kuldeep Urwan, 38, critically injured. The injured CRPF jawan was evacuated to army hospital in Srinagar, where he succumbed to injuries. The security personnel conducted search operations in the area during the night to look for militants, if any, who might have escaped during the gunfight. A police spokesman identified the deceased militant as Zahid Dass of ISJK. Terming his killing as big success for police and CRPF, he said the deceased militant was involved in June 26 attack on CRPF patrol party in Bijbehara, Anantnag in which a CRPF jawan and a 6-year-old boy were killed. It was the third gunfight in Srinagar in the last three months. Sumi Sukanaya Dutta By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted permission for human trials of a Covid-19 vaccine candidate developed by pharmaceutical major Zydus Cadilla, within days of issuing a similar approval to Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotechs Covaxin. In a statement released on Friday, the Ahmedabad based company said that it received permission from the DCGI- Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation for phase I and II trials of the potential plasmid DNA vaccine after successfully completing preclinical phase. The development comes even as the Indian Council of Medical Research wrote to directors of 12 hospitals and research institutions in 10 states asking them to fast track the clinical trial approvals for Covaxin developed from SARS CoV 2 strain isolated at the National Institute of Virology, Pune. In the letter, the ICMR DG Dr. Balram Bhargava, while warning the hospitals against any delays, said that the subject enrollment should be completed by July 7 as the government is looking to launch the vaccine by August 15. Zydus meanwhile said that its vaccine candidate for ZyCoV-D has been developed indigenously at the firms Vaccine Technology Centre and was found to elicit a strong immune response in multiple animal species such as mice, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits. The antibodies produced by the vaccine were able to completely neutralize the wild type virus in virus neutralization assay indicating the protective potential of the vaccine candidate, said the pharma company. No safety concerns were observed for the vaccine candidate in repeat dose toxicology studies by both intramuscular and intradermal routes of administration. In rabbits, up to three times the intended human dose was found to be safe, well tolerated and immunogenic. It added that clinical GMP batches of the vaccine candidate have already been prepared and the clinical trials will begin this month in over 1000 subjects. With ZyCoV-D, the company has successfully established the DNA vaccine platform in the country using non-replicating and non-integrating plasmid carrying the gene of interest making it very safe, Zydus said. It also added that due to absence of any infectious agent, the platform provides ease of manufacturing the vaccine with minimal biosafety requirements (BSL-1). The platform is also known to show much improved vaccine stability and lower cold chain requirements making it easy for transportation to remote regions of the country. Furthermore, the platform can be rapidly used to modify the vaccine in a couple of weeks in case the virus mutates to ensure that the vaccine still elicits protection, said the firm. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: The massive door-to-door screening drive across six districts including Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad was kicked off by the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday to track the spread of the virulent disease. The other four districts which are to be covered during the 13-day drive include Hapur, Baghpat, Meerut and Bulandshar. Notably, Meerut division, especially the two NCR districts, has witnessed a surge in Covid-19 cases in the recent past contributing majorly to the state tally of total infected patients. According to Additional Chief Secretary, home, Awanish Awasthi, CM Adityanath has issued clear directives to the district administrations, police authorities, medical authorities and revenue department of Meerut division to concentrate on the campaign with special focus on Noida and Ghaziabad. The drive aims to track symptomatic cases early and extend early treatment to them to reduce the fatality rate in UP said Awasthi. Sharing further details of the drive, the ACS said that in all 7,485 teams were constituted to conduct door-to-door screening across Meerut division. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: In all eight police personnel including a circle officer in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, three sub-inspectors and four constables were martyred during a post midnight operation against a history-sheeter Vikas Dubey in Bikru village under Chaubepur police station area in Kanpur on late Thursday night. Dubey has around 60 criminal cases lodged against him. Besides, seven police personnel were left injured with one being critical in the operation which was launched to nab the dreaded criminal in connection with a case of attempt to murder lodged by one Rahul Tiwari. However, hours after the initial face-off, in a second encounter, a police team led by Kanpur IG Mohit Agarwal eliminated two of the closest aides of Dubey, inside the forest area near Kashiram Niwada village, some 6 km away from Bikru village. Later, both the neutralised criminals were identified as Atul Dubey, a close relative of Vikas Dubey and Prem Prakash Pandey, his maternal uncle. The police also recovered a pistol from the criminals killed in the second encounter. The criminals had snatched the weapons from the police team during the operation in Bikru village. A rifle was also recovered from the dead criminals. IG Agarwal said that two cops were injured in the second face off. As per the sources, the operation was being carried out by the police team comprising around 50 cops on the tip off given by one of the villagers. History sheeter Dubey is still absconding. However, talking to media persons, Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar accepted the intelligence failure which resulted in loss of so many lives. He said a high-level probe was ordered to ascertain the reason for the botched up mission to nab the criminal. The police sources claimed that initially, Shivrajpur Station House Officer Mahesh Chandra Yadav along with five cops had gone to round up Vikas Dubey from his house in Bikru village past Thursday midnight around 1:30 am. Yadav had a verbal dual with Dubey and his henchmen snatched the weapons of SHO Yadav and his subordinates. Consequently, Yadav sent an wireless SOS to Billahuar CO Devendra Mishra who rushed to the spot along with a team of 50 cops from the adjoining police stations to join the operation. CO Mishra had constituted three teams of police personnel. "It was when the criminals opened indiscriminate fire at the cops, two teams came in the front while the third one was being used as a backup, said a senior police official. As soon as Billhaur CO Devendra Kumar Mishra alighted from the vehicle and started approaching the criminals hideout, there was a massive firepower unleashed on the police party by the criminals from the rooftops. The CO tried to take position by entering a neighbouring house which belonged to Prem Prakash Pandey, but Dubeys aides dragged him outside and shot him in his head point blank leaving him dead on the spot, said a police source. Other personnel were also caught in the cross fire and lost life. As per the local police sources, around 100 rounds of bullets were fired at the police party from the roof tops. However, the villagers were tight-lipped about the incident. UP DGP HC Awasthi claimed that intense combing operation was on to nab the criminals. He said that the way criminals had put up massive roadblocks in the passage of the police party with a virtual black out in the village and use of sophisticated weapons from roof tops reflected that the criminals had got a wind of the approaching police party. The DGP said that special task force of the UP police was also pressed into action to round up the criminals. ADG (L&O) Prashant Kumar along with SSP Dinesh Kumar Prabhu and IG Mohit Agarwal, were camping in the village supervising the investigations. Officials said borders of the Kanpur division with six districts were sealed. A forensic team from Lucknow was also roped in. ADG (L&O) Prashant Kumar said that intense combing operation was on in Kanpur and also adjoining districts to nab Vikas Dubey. Force from adjoining districts has also been called in to continue the operation. Meanwhile, taking cognizance of the issue, UP CM Yogi Adityanath expressed grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of the cops. He paid his tributes to the martyrs and issued directives to the DGP to bring the criminals to books at the earliest and produce a comprehensive report of the incident to him. Later in the day, the CM visited all the injured cops at Regency hospital in Kanpur where they all are undergoing the treatment. Those cops who lost their life in the operation included, Circle officer, Bilhaur, Devendra Mishra, Shivrajpur Station House Officer Mahesh Chandra Yadav, Police Mandhan station incharge Anoop Kumar Singh, Sub-Inspector Nebu Lal, constables Sultan Singh, Rahul, Babloo and Jitendra. Mayank Singh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: In a big message to the Armed Forces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on early Friday morning reached Leh. This surprise visit of PM Modi is important as it is the first visit of a political leader since the tension along the Eastern Ladakh border increased due to the Chinese army positioning its soldiers at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). "The Prime Minister is expected to stay in the area till evening and will be briefed about the current operational situation along the LAC," said an officer. After landing in Leh, the Prime Minister reached Nimu and was briefed by senior officers. He also interacted with the personnel of the Army, Air Force and the ITBP. He is expected to meet soldiers, who were injured during the clashes at Galwan Valley on June 15. ALSO READ | China's CPC acting 'aggressively' in neighbourhood, essentially 'invaded' India: US Senator The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General MM Naravane. PM Narendra Modi's visit is seen as visit to boost the morale of the soldiers on ground. Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with personnel of the security forces. (Photo | PTI) Till Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was slated to visit Leh but in a sudden change of plan, his visit was postponed. Situated at 11,000 feet, Nimu is an important location of Army in the banks of the river Indus and is surrounded by the Zanskar Range. ALSO READ | India banning Chinese apps effective way to impose costs on China for its actions at border: Expert The armies of India and China are in a standoff position since two months at various locations in the Eastern Ladakh area since the intervening night of May 5 and 6 when Chinese soldiers clashed with Indian army troops at Finger 4 on the northern flank of Pangong Tso. Prime Minister Narendra Modi being briefed by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat in Leh. (Photo | PTI) After this incident the Chinese had moved their soldiers in Galwan Valley (Patrolling Points 14 and 15), Hot Spring Sector (Patrolling Point 17A) including the Finger 4 and at Y-Junction in Depsang Bulge. Apart from the standoff position all along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army has also taken precautionary deployment along the 3488 km-long border. There have been three Corps Commander meeting between India and China to resolve the issues. The last Corps Commanders meet was one on June 30 when the two sides decided to disengage troops in a phased manner. Sumi Sukanya dutta By Express News Service NEW DELHI: In a massive development, Indian Council of Medical Research has written to 12 hospitals across 10 states asking them to fast track clinical trials approvals for a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Bharat Biotech in order to launch the vaccine for public use by August 15. The apex health research body also asked hospitals to enrol volunteers for the trials by July 7. Sources told this newspaper that nearly 1300 patients will be enrolled for the project in AIIMS, Delhi alone pointing out that early human trials are usually held with much smaller numbers to test for efficacy and safety of a potential vaccine. The development comes just days after Hyderabad based BBIL received permission from the Drug Controller General of India to begin phase 1 and 2 trials in humans for its vaccine candidate Covaxin after pre-clinical trials in three animals showed encouraging results. The vaccine candidate has been prepared from SARS CoV 2 strain isolated at the ICMRs National Institute of Virology and is inactivated virus. The results of the pre-clinical trials however have not been published yet. In the letter sent out to hospitals-some of them are major likes AIIMS, New Delhi with the best research credentials but also small set ups with no established track record of major research- ICMR director general Dr Balram Bhargava said that Covaxin is one of the top priority projects which is being monitored at the topmost level of the government. ALSO READ | Bhubaneswar's IMS and SUM Hospital to undertake human trials for COVID-19 vaccine It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by August 15, 2020 after completion of all clinical trials, said the letter issued on Thursday adding that BBIL is working expeditiously to meet the target, however final outcome will depend on the co-operation of all clinical trial sites. ICMR issued a brief statement saying that "the letter has been sent out to request fast-tracking of the vaccine trials." The target set by the government however was dubbed as next to impossible by many including some principal investigators chosen for the project. You have been chosen as a clinical trial site of BBV152 Covid vaccine. In view of the public health emergency due to Covid 19 pandemic and urgency to launch the vaccine, you are strictly advised to fast track all the approvals related to initiation of the clinical trial and ensure that the subject enrolment is initiated no later than 7th July 2020, the directive said. ALSO READ | DCGI permits human clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccine of Zydus Cadila It warned that non-compliance will be taken very seriously. Therefore you are advised to treat this project on highest priority and meet the given timeline without any lapse. A query seeking a response from the ICMR on the warning tone of the letter has remained unanswered but health policy experts questioned the near arm-twisting of hospitals for fast tracking. I dont know how is it possible to launch a vaccine in little over a month which has not even entered phase 1 and 2 trials, said Anant Bhan, a specialist in global health and bioethics. Also, I think that many sites chosen for the project wont even have ethics committees approved by the drug regulator and have no prior experience of carrying out a clinical trial for vaccines. Meanwhile, in an interview given to this paper on Thursday, BBIL CMD Dr Krishna Ella had said: At the moment we are not sure how the vaccine is going to perform in humans, as clinical trials are about to start. Based on the successful results of phase 1 and phase 2, we will progress to the larger clinical trials, he had said. Express News Service NEW DELHI: The order issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to 12 hospitals to prepare Covid-19 vaccine by August 15 could be the first instance of a deadline being set for a vaccine launch globally. Several virologists, epidemiologists, and health experts this reporter spoke to compared the letter to a military diktat. The letter, sent by ICMR director-general Dr. Balram Bhargava on Thursday, to 12 hospitals in 10 states said that subject enrolment for the vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech, in collaboration with the National Institute of Virology, should be completed by July 7 as the government is looking to launch it for the public by Independence Day. It also said that ethical committees of the hospitals should grant immediate permission to the trials and non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. Experts said this letter could cause unprecedented dent to ICMRs reputation of conducting, promoting and monitoring high-quality medical research built over decades. Science is about the pursuit of truth and researchers cannot be forced to produce biased evidence in order to please their political masters but that is exactly what this diktat is asking them to do, said one of the countrys most well-known virologists Dr. T Jacob John who has been associated with Christian Medical College, Vellore, for long. It means the government agency has passed the judgment that the vaccine is safe and effective even without a single human being has got the jab yet. Dr. John also stressed that the move will make India a laughing stock worldwide. Researcher and senior doctor at MGIMS, Wardha, Dr. S P Kalantri pointed out that vaccine development takes months to years. It's simply not possible to judge a vaccine in weeks as safety and efficacy of a formulation can be assessed only over a period of time, he said. I do not understand how the ICMR is expecting hospitals to enroll subjects within 3-4 days when there is so much concern and anxiety about the disease. It could even lead to unethical practices under enormous pressures by researchers at chosen sites. And it's not only independent researchers who seem worried, some of the principal investigators chosen for the project too are uncomfortable with the timeline and language in the letter. I found the content and language of the directive beyond bizarre, said a principal investigator named in the letter. There is an established scientific protocol to carry out clinical trials of drugs and vaccinesI am shocked how ICMR has side-lined its own guidelines so brazenly, he said. A senior virologist attached with the government said that the pace of the development is impossible and the whole approach to research is unethical. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 574-583-5121 or email cgrace@thehj.com. By PTI NEW DELHI: Power Minister R K Singh on Friday said that India will not import power equipment from China, amid border standoff with China. During a virtual press conference with state counterparts, he also asserted that the equipment import from China and Pakistan would not be permitted especially on the basis of inspection. He further said state discoms should not give orders for supply of equipment to Chinese firms. "We manufacture everything here. India imported Rs 71,000 crore worth power equipment including Rs 21,000 crore from China," Singh said in the state energy ministers conference chaired by him this morning in his opening remarks. He said: "This (huge import of power equipment) is something we cannot tolerate that a country will transgress into our territory. We will not take anything from China and Pakistan." He further said, "we will not give permission for import from Prior Reference countries. We are affected. There could be malware or trojen horse in those (imports from China) which they can activate remotely (to cripple our power systems)." Prior reference counties share land borders with us. Sharma further said that it is a pitty that tower elements, conductors, transformers and parts of meters are imported, which are manufactured and available here. He further stated, "your discoms order equipment from Chinese companies. We request you not to order from Chinese companies." He stressed that under Atamnirbhar India mission India will not import any equipment from China which is available here and will go for inspection of imported equipment. Under inspection, the government can deny import of equipment. The senior minister's assertions assume significance against the backdrop of border standoff between India and China in Ladakh that also saw the death of 20 Indian Army personnel last month. The minister also annouced about a new scheme for funding discoms which would subsume three schemes-UDAY, DDUGJY and IPDS. Under the new schemes states would have to give a plan for reducing losses of discoms. The Minister said funds under the scheme would not be released as loan or grants to those discoms which would not adhere to loss reduction trajectory. "We have to make discoms viable. You have to do it through a PSU or a private player like Delhi did," he noted. He said the period of outstanding dues would be extended till May, 2020 as against March, 2020 under the liquidity infusion scheme for the ailing power distribution sector, through which the government is looking to infuse around Rs 90,000 crore in the distribution companies (discoms). The Minister further noted that states have asked for Rs 93,000 crore loans under the package and Rs 20,000 crore has been sanctioned so far. He also told the that states would get five more year to bring down the cross subsidy to 20 per cent level. "We have asked NITI Aayog that achiving the 20 per cent cross subsidy level as per Power Tariff Policy 2016, will not happen now," he noted. Pushkar Banakar By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The two Italian marines accused of shooting two Indian fishermen to death off the coast of Kerala in 2012, violated international law and India is entitled to compensation for the loss of life, a tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled on Thursday. However, the tribunal, constituted in 2015 on Italys request, rejected New Delhis demand that the two marinesSalvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorrebe tried in India. It ruled that both countries had concurrent jurisdiction and legal basis to try the case. However, since the marines, like diplomats, enjoyed immunity from prosecution in foreign courts, India cannot try this case. The issue of jurisdiction had become a big dispute between the two countries. India maintained that the incident happened in Indian waters, and hence the case must be tried in India. Italy claimed that the shooting took place outside Indian territorial waters and its marines were on-board the ship with the Italian flag. While upholding the conduct of the Indian authorities over the incident, the tribunal observed that the actions of the marines breached Indias freedom of navigation in international waters under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The tribunal has invited India and Italy to consult with each other and reach a settlement on compensation. It rejected Italys demand for compensation over the detention marines by the India. India cant try the marines: International court By PTI LUCKNOW: The Yogi Adityanath government in UP faced opposition onslaught on Friday over the killing of policemen in an encounter in Kanpur, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying it was another proof of "hooliganism", while the Samajwadi Party said the state has become "Hatya Pradesh". Eight Uttar Pradesh Police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were killed and seven others injured in an encounter with criminals in Kanpur, officials said on Friday. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the UP government over the incident "Another proof of ''goondaraj'' (hooliganism) in UP. When police is not safe how can people be?. My condolences are with family of martyrs and I wish speedy recovery of injured," he said in a tweet. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also condole the deaths. ALSO READ: Two close aides of criminal Vikas Dubey killed in second face-off with UP Police "Eight policemen were martyred while they went to nab criminals. I pay my condolence to the family of the martyrs. In UP, law and order has become very bad and criminals have no fear. From common man to policemen, no one is safe," she said on Twitter. "The responsibility of law and order is with the chief minister. He should initiate strict action and there should be no laxity in it," she added. Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav said, "The BJP government in UP is doing ''natak'' (drama) of small encounters in fear that it stands exposed. This will affect morale of the force and their anger will increase." "Government should immediately announce compensation and secure family members (of martyrs)," he said. Earlier the Samajwadi Party said Uttar Pradesh has become "hatya pradesh" (murder state). "In ''rogi sarkar'' ''jungleraj'', UP has become ''hatya pradesh'', wherein Kanpur criminals patronised by those in power attacked policemen killing eight of them," the Samajwadi Party said in a tweet. While condoling the deaths, the SP has demanded an "immediate announcement of Rs 1 crore each for the martyred policemen''s family". It also demanded that the alleged "connection (of criminals) with those in power should be exposed". BSP Supremo Mayawati termed the incident as "shameful and unfortunate", and added that "it is clear that the UP government needs to be more alert on law and order issue." "Those involved should not be spared by the government at any cost even if a special campaign is needed for that. The family of those who died should be given financial help and job should be given to one member of their family. This is demand of the BSP," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said in a tweet. Richa Sharma By Express News Service CNEW DELHI: With reports of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shifting base to Lucknow, some leaders believe that she should be declared partys CM candidate in Uttar Pradesh. The reports of Priyankas expected move emerged after Centre asked her to vacate a bungalow at Lodhi Estate in Delhi within a month. Priyanka, the general secretary in charge of Eastern UP, has been quite vocal on social media against the Yogi Adityanath-led government. She has been targeting the BJP government over various issues including poor law and order, rising crime against women and misgovernance. She has also attacked the state government over the handling of the coronavirus crisis. The path for a national revival of the Congress is via Uttar Pradesh. The clearest statement of intent will be to declare Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the Chief Ministerial candidate of the Congress in UP, tweeted Congress MP Karti P Chidamabaram. Rajya Sabha MP Vivek K Tankha said that Yogi government will now know what it means to have a strong opposition. UP party chief Ajay Kumar Lallu said that the state unit would want her to stay in Lucknow but the final decision will be taken by her. According to her team members, Priyanka was already thinking of shifting base to Lucknow ahead of the 2022 UP elections. The house of party leader Sheila Kaul has already been renovated for her. She has stayed there during her previous visits to Lucknow, they said. When asked about the possibility of her shifting base, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: She will take appropriate steps. The powers in UP are unnerved at her persistent and fearless crusading for matters concerning the common man. If they think she will be deterred by this, they have completely misjudged her and the Congress party. By PTI KOLKATA: Calling China a "modern day devil", Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ladakh visit will "invigorate" the armed forces but demanded that the government acknowledge Chinese intrusion into Indian territory. The Bengal Congress leader said the Modi government should not be in "denial" over the incursion by the Chinese military into Indian territory. Sending a strong message to China, Modi on Friday said the era of expansionism is over and that India's enemies have seen the "fire and fury" of its armed forces. His assertion came during his surprise visit to Ladakh region amid the tense border standoff between the militaries of the two countries in the frozen heights of the cold desert. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in armed combat in the Galwan Valley during the violent face-off last month on the normally peaceful border. There were military casualties on the Chinese side as well. "Sh@narendramodi Ji your surprise visit to Leh will certainly invigorate our army-men in Ladakh, now you will also appreciate the largescale Chinese intrusions in our side of LOAC unlike all-party meeting's statement," Chowdhury said in a tweet. "Chinese are the modern devils; they should be evicted lock stock and barrel from the strategic/tactical heights occupied after the transgression. No amount of homilies /'Probachan' by you will inspire them to dismount from those heights," he wrote on Twitter. "Just kick them out, till then India will not take rest@narendramodi," he said in a series of tweets. Later, while speaking to reporters in Kolkata, the five-time Congress MP from Murshidabad district, said the prime minister should accept that there has been large-scale intrusion by the Chinese army into Indian territory. "Every day we are seeing satellite images of Chinese army occupying our territory. I think the prime minister should accept that there has been large-scale intrusion by the Chinese army," he told reporters. By PTI PATNA: Pardon sought from the people by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for "mistakes" that might have been committed during the 15 years when his parents ruled Bihar as successive chief ministers drew snide remarks from the ruling JD(U)-BJP combine on Friday. Yadav, who is now leading his party as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the assembly polls due in a few months, made the charm offensive at a party function here on the previous day. "I was young when the party was in power. Still, if there were any mistakes, I apologize for that," Yadav, a former deputy chief minister, who is now the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, had said. The 30-year-old made the remarks in response to the "15 years versus 15 years" narrative being built by the NDA, which has ruled the state since 2005 barring a four-year-long period when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who heads the JD (U) had remained out of the BJP-led coalition. The younger son of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi also sought to rouse public sympathy by asserting "no wrongdoings took place under my watch" referring to the less than two years long period when he served as the deputy to Kumar, with many plum portfolios. Kumar had snapped ties with the RJD-Congress combine and returned to the NDA expressing disgust over stout refusal of Tejashwi Yadav's party to the demand that the young deputy chief minister tender his resignation till his name was cleared in money laundering cases for which the government was coming under relentless attacks. In his speech on Thursday, Yadav had also mounted an attack on his former boss for his failure to rein in large- scale exodus of workforce from the state because of abject lack of employment opportunities back home. "The claims of good governance lay exposed before the whole country during the recent lockdown. Migrants were moving back to their homes in all states. But if one state stood out for very large number of such displaced people, it was Bihar," Yadav had said. JD(U) spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad rebutted Yadavs allegations against the Nitish Kumar government and asserted that the people of Bihar would not be taken in by "attempts at an image makeover in the election season". "People still shudder at the memories of the dark age when caste wars and kidnappings for ransom committed by anti- social elements patronized by those in power were the norm. Not just ordinary labourers but even doctors, engineers and professionals of all hues had to flee for their safety," Prasad alleged. BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand, whose party likes to give Lalu Prasad no quarters, said the RJD "will never be forgiven by the people of Bihar, just like the people of the country will never forgive China and Pakistan, for their anti-India stance, and the Congress for the massacre of Sikhs and messing up Jammu and Kashmir". Anand pointed out that Yadav's antics came "15 years after the 15-year-long misrule of his party came to an end" and wondered why no regret has ever been expressed by the RJD supremo, now in Ranchi serving sentences in fodder scam cases, himself. By Express News Service BHOPAL: The smile on the face of Jyotiraditya Scindia said it all. Out of the 28 ministers added to Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government on Thursday, a dozen were from 22 erstwhile Congress MLAs whose resignation from the Assembly had ousted the Kamal Nath government on March 20. The inductees include 20 Cabinet and eight ministers. The 12 ministers from the splintered Congress camp included Imarti Devi, Mahendra Singh Sisodiya, Prabhuram Chaudhary, Pradumn Singh Tomar, Rajvardhan Singh Dattigaon, Suresh Dhakad, OPS Bhadoria, Brijendra Singh Yadav and Giriraj Dandotiya. It also included Aidal Singh Kansana, Bisahulal Singh and HS Dang the three other Congress MLAs who too joined the BJP over not being made ministers in the Nath government. With Scindia loyalists Govind Singh Rajput and Tulsi Silawat already a part of the six-member Cabinet, the number of Scindia loyalists in the expanded 34-member Council of Ministers has grown to 11, while the number of breakaway former Congress MLAs in the new team is 14. For the last two months sustained character assassination efforts are going on Let me tell them, its time for them to get what they deserve. Tiger abhi zinda hai, said Scindia. The expansion also reflects the influence of the Gwalior-Chambal region from where Scindia comes. Out of the 12 inductees in the new team from the area, three are core BJP MLAs Bharat Singh Kushwah, Yashodhara Raje Scindia and Arvind Bhadoria. Only seven ministers of the previous Chouhan and BJP governments managed to get place in the team. There is more for Chouhan to worry about: only three of the ministers inducted Bhupendra Singh, Arvind Bhadoria and Jagdish Devra can be counted among his loyalists. The second expansion of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan team on Thursday has made it clear what BJP would like to do first: focus on 24 Assembly by-elections. The reason why BJP has inducted a dozen ministers from the Gwalior-Chambal region is clear. Sixteen of the 24 Assembly by-elections due to be held on seats are from this region. The party performed its worst in the region in the 2018 Assembly polls. The by-elections are necessitated by the resignation of erstwhile Congress MLAs in March. Most of them would now be BJP candidates. Making 14 of them ministers is a clear signal that they are being readied to work for the people ahead of the polls, a BJP leader told TNIE. Inducting nine ministers (including fresh faces) from Malwa-Nimar region, too, is a message that the BJP wants to regain its ground in the belt which has long been BJP-RSS nucleus. Five of the 24 assembly by-polls are to be held in that region. Former CM Uma Bharti, meanwhile, is reportedly not happy with the cabinet expansion as her suggestions to include MLAs from Bundelkhand and MLAs from Lodhi OBC caste were ignored. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: Hours after the police operation against dreaded criminal Vikas Dubey in which eight personnel lost their lives in Bikru village of Chaubepur, Kanpur Thursday midnight, two criminals who were related to Dubey, were killed in a second encounter. The neutralised criminals were later identified as Atul Dubey and Prem Prakash Pandey. However, three others fled the spot, which is some six kilometers away from the previous encounter area. ALSO READ | Eight UP cops, including DSP, killed in encounter with criminals in Kanpur Two cops were injured in the face-off. As per local sources, Atul is claimed to be a close relative of Dubey, and Prem Prakash Pandey is said to be Dubey's maternal uncle. According to IG Kanpur Mohti Agarwal, the police recovered a pistol from the criminals killed after the second encounter. A rifle was also recovered. Meanwhile, ADG, Law & Order, Prashant Kumar, who arrived at the spot on Friday morning, was supervising the operations and investigation into the incident which claimed the lives of eight police officials. STF has laid a seize in the Bikru village and intense combing operation was on in Kanpur district and those adjoining it. While the authorities accepted failure of police intelligence system, a high-level probe was ordered into the botched up encounter of Dubey. Sources also claimed tha Dubey had been earlier associated with the Samajwadi Party and his wife Richa had won the election of Zila Panchayat as SP candidate in 2015. By PTI SAILANA (MP): Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath on Friday took a veiled swipe at Jyotiraditya Scindia, his one-time rival in the party and now a BJP MP, over his statement that 'Tiger is still alive'. Speaking after the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government's expansion on Thursday, Scindia, whose exit from the Congress with 22 MLAs toppled the Nath government in March, said he wanted to tell Congress leaders that "Tiger abhi zinda hai." Speaking at a function in Ratlam district, Nath referred to the remark, and asked, "Which tiger is alive, paper tiger or a circus one? Nath also took digs at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "I am neither a maharaja nor a 'Mama'," he said. Scindia, who belongs to a former royal family, is sometimes called `Maharaja' in state politics, while Chouhan's popular nickname is `Mama' (uncle). ALSO READ: Only one tiger lives in a forest: Digvijaya roars back at Jyotiraditya Scindia "I have not even sold tea, I am just Kamal Nath," he said, in a jibe at the prime minister. "Some people say they are tigers. I am not even a tiger, but I am also not a paper tiger. Now the people of the state will decide who is who," the Congress veteran added. , , , , , , ? pic.twitter.com/vv4Ldg1iDE Office Of Kamal Nath (@OfficeOfKNath) July 3, 2020 "Wherever Chouhan goes, he makes tall announcements... He will say we have given this much money to laboureres, but during lockdown all of us have seen that they are just wandering here and there. None of them have got any money," Nath said. Earlier, commenting on reports of resentment within the BJP over the expansion of Chouhan ministry on Thursday during which many former Congress MLAs were inducted, Nath said it was the BJP's internal matter. But the Chouhan government was a "government of bargain and the ministry of bargaining", he said, speaking to reporters. "Out of 33 ministers, 14 are not MLAs. Is it bargaining or not? They are bringing disrespect to Madhya Pradesh and its people in the entire country....We are feeling ashamed of the kind of politics that is going on in Madhya Pradesh," he said. "This kind of politics never took place in the state before," the former chief minister added. Nath visited Ratlam on Friday to unveil a statue of late social worker Prabhudayal Gehlot. "He always worked for protecting values. His work is still an example for all," Nath said during the function. By PTI LEH: On a surprise visit to Ladakh in the midst of heightened tension between India and China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday told soldiers that modernisation of the armed forces is a priority and that the spending on border infrastructure has almost tripled. In an address to troops, Modi said India is manufacturing critical weapons and bringing modern technology from around the world for the armed forces as the government is paying lot of attention for their requirement. "If India is enhancing its powers on land, air and water, then it is for the welfare of mankind," he said. "India is manufacturing modern weapons today. We are bringing modern technology from around the world for the armed forces. The spirit behind it is the same. If India is building modern infrastructure at a fast pace, then the message behind it is the same," he added. Modi said the government is paying a lot of attention to bring modern weapons for the armed forces. "Now the spending on border infrastructure in the country has almost tripled. This has also led to speedy development of border areas including construction of bridges and laying of roads," he said. "One of the biggest advantages of this is that now the goods reach you in a short time. The country is strengthening its armed forces at every level today," he added. The prime minister also heaped praise on soldiers for their bravery and courage and said they are serving the country under challenging circumstances. "Your courage is higher than the heights where you are serving today. When the safety of the country is in your hands, then there is a belief. Not only me, but the entire nation believes in you. We all are proud of you," he said. In the midst of the border standoff with China, the defence ministry on Thursday approved procurement of 33 frontline fighter jets, a number of missile systems and other military hardware at a cost of Rs 38,900 crore. The government has also approved procurement of 248 ASTRA beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile systems and a significant number of long range land attack cruise missile systems. The prime minister also mentioned about efforts to strengthen the national security apparatus. He highlighted recent initiatives of the government such as creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff, construction of a grand national war memorial, implementation of the one rank one pension scheme and steps to ensure the well-being of the families of the armed forces personnel. By PTI NEW DELHI: India needed proper implementation of existing laws to curb custodial torture before enacting another in consonance with international covenants, former Supreme Court judge, Justice Deepak Gupta, said on Friday. Justice Gupta, who was speaking in a webinar on the topic of 'Custodial Deaths: Need For An-Anti-Torture Law', said "there can be no doubt that we require an anti-torture law. But, it must be done by Parliament." "The court only decides what is legal and not legal," he added. The former judge said the investigations and the prosecutions are not fair, which must be rectified first and spoke about the recent incident of death of father and son due to torture in police custody in Tamil Nadu. He said "there were rules that were violated". "Even during COVID times, we see cases of police brutality and the police being helpful. But, the former is more and it's against the poor. In the Tamil Nadu case, they had kept the shop open for 15 extra minutes? Was it that serious an offence?" Police does not attack the privileged. "Let's first implement the law as we have it. The investigations, the prosecutions are not fair; these must be rectified first," Justice Gupta said and added that the change in mindset is also required before bringing in an anti-torture law. "If the police are trained in a better manner, then even our existing police can do better," he said at the webinar in which former union law minister and Congress leader Ashwani Kumar, also participated and stressed that the human dignity, which is the core value, cannot co-exist with torture. Kumar said that India is yet to enact a law which is a prerequisite for us to become a responsible member of the international legal regime against torture. "If human dignity is the core value, how can torture co-exist...The happenings in Tamil Nadu have once again shocked the conscience of the nation. How can we not have a law on anti-torture," he asked. Kumar had filed a PIL before the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to frame a law on custodial torture and inhuman treatment as India was a signatory to the United Nations' convention on torture. The apex court later disposed of the PIL after the Attorney General submitted that the plea against torture was discussed by the Law Commission and its has made certain recommendations and the same were being "seriously considered" by the central government. Journalist Sunetra Choudhury said that the cases of police torture were always there but for a long time, people thought that those who were in custody deserved to be there. "It's problem of mindset which has been perpetuated by the society, by the government, by our policy-makers. Until and unless this is tackled, there's no point in bringing an anti-torture law," she said. By PTI NEW DELHI: Over 5.03 lakh Indians have returned home from 137 countries after the government launched the "Vande Bharat" evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday. "Considering that the initial target to bring stranded Indians with compelling reasons was only 2 lakh, this is a significant achievement," it said. The first phase of the mission was carried out from May 7 to 15. The second phase of the evacuation mission was scheduled from May 17 to 22. However, the government had extended it till June 10. The third phase of the evacuation exercise was scheduled from June 11 to July 2. According to the government's policy for evacuation, Indians having "compelling reasons" to return like pregnant women, elderly people, students and those facing the prospect of deportation were being brought back home. In a statement, the MEA said a total of 5,03,990 stranded Indians from 137 countries have returned to India after commencement of the mega evacuation mission. It said Kerala received a maximum of 94,085 stranded Indians, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. "The largest number of stranded Indians returned by Vande Bharat Mission flights are from UAE (57,305), followed by Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the US and from Nepal (91,193) have returned through land border check posts," the MEA said. It said the evacuation mission involved 860 Air India flights, 1,256 chartered flights and eight naval ships. Out of the total returnees, 95,220 came back through land border check-posts from neighbouring countries. By PTI JAMMU: Security forces launched a search operation on Friday following reports of "suspected movement" in the riverine areas along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua-Samba sector, officials said. Some people informed the police about suspected movement of two persons near the Ujjah nallah in Kote Panu and Pundori hamlets, and they swung into action and launched the operation in the area, they said. The entire area was cordoned off and searches conducted for several hours, the officials said. In the last few years, terrorists have infiltrated into India through Hiranagar and Samba and carried out attacks on Army camps and police stations in Samba, Kathua, Jammu and Nagrota areas. Vineet Upadhyay By Express News Service DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand state tourism department has decided to reconsider all its contracts with Chinese companies, if any, across tourism development projects amid calls to boycott China. State Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj has directed the tourism department officials to make a list of all the projects in which China is involved in any manner. "I have issued instructions to senior officials of the department to make a list of projects involving Chinese companies or firms. We are going to review and reconsider their involvement in those projects," said the tourism minister. This comes in the backdrop of the brutal Ladakh face-off with China wherein 20 Indian soldiers were killed last month. Sources from the department told The New Indian Express that many Chinese firms have stakes in various projects in the state including ropeways, tourist destinations and other projects where raw materials are imported from China. Replying to the queries on whether the state government or the state tourism department is mulling to put a blanket ban on all Chinese firms, products or imports, he said, "Once we get the list of projects then only we can decide what to do further." Commenting on the border tussle between the two countries which resulted in bloody skirmish resulting martyrdom of 20 Indian Army soldiers and officers, the ministers, "Our Army is one of the bravest and mightiest armies in the world. If the Chinese think we can be subdued or bullied, they are living in a bubble. Our soldiers taught them a good lesson." Hailing the Centres recent move of banning 59 Chinese mobile applications (apps) he said that the government of India took the right step. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday questioned why the prime minister was still "silent" on Chinese "incursions" into Indian territory and wondered why he has not named China even once in his recent speeches. The opposition party also launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked why is he "so kind" to Chinese President Xi Jinping and "not showing loyalty towards the country". It further asked whether he named China as "the intruder" during his talks with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at Modi, saying while people of Ladakh claim that China has taken their land, the prime minister says otherwise. "Ladakhis say: China took our land. PM says: Nobody took our land. Obviously, someone is lying," he wrote on Twitter. Gandhi also shared the voices of some Ladakhis in a video alleging that the Chinese troops have occupied Indian territory in Ladakh. The former Congress chief's dig came on a day when Modi visited Nimu in Leh to interact with the personnel of the Army, Air Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), days after a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also said that Modi did not name China in his "MannKiBaat", his address to the nation last Sunday and even in his address to soldiers in Leh on Friday. "June 28 - He did not name China in his 'MannKiBaat'. June 30 - He did not name China in his address to the nation and on July 3 in his address to soldiers, he did not name China too. "Why is the Prime Minister of a strong India so weak? Why is he hesitating to name China? When will he talk to China looking into their eyes?" Surjewala asked in a tweet in Hindi. On its official Twitter handle, the Congress also questioned the prime minister's silence. "Living in denial doesn't help anyone, least of all our soldiers. Can the PM clarify on new incursions by the Chinese." Demanding answers from Modi, the Congress also asked why is the prime minister keeping his friend above the nation. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi instead of being loyal to the nation, has displayed his friendship with China by not even naming it. Why is PM Modi so kind to Xi Jinping," it asked. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram asked, "For the third time in a week, PM did not name China as the aggressor, why." "When Narendra Modi spoke to Mr Trump and Mr Putin, did he name China as the intruder or not? I just wonder," he said. "What is the purpose of talking about an unnamed enemy' to the people of India and the jawans in Ladakh," he further asked on Twitter. The former union minister said the prime minister has still not answered the party's questions about where the violent clashes took place on June 15-16 between Chinese and Indian troops and if the Chinese have intruded into Indian territory at several points. "Nor has the government answered our questions on the satellite images showing Chinese troops occupying key positions in places hitherto considered as undisputed Indian territory," he said. Sharing a video of residents of Ladakh claiming that China has taken over land, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "We need answers and we need action." By IANS AMARAVATI: Telugu Desam Party President and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday vowed to continue the fight against the YSRCP government's move for trifurcation of the state capital. The Leader of Opposition said the three capitals idea was flawed and seemed entrenched in the whims and fancies of Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy. On the eve of completion of 200 days of protest by farmers of Amaravati against shifting the state capital, Naidu ran a hashtag campaign under the title '200DaysOfAmaravatiProtests'. He said that with the outbreak of coronavirus, the shifting move will only seem inappropriate and ill-timed considering the plunging industrial and agricultural output. Also, there were problems of rapidly rising unemployment, and failing healthcare systems. With Saturday marking the completion of 200 days of protests, Naidu said he would like to salute the indomitable spirit of thousands of farmers who have chosen the path of protest to not let the "authoritarian" government put the future of the state at risk. "The fight will continue and the Telugu Desam will march shoulder to shoulder with the protesting farmers until Amaravati is reinstated as the only capital just as the Chief Minister promised in the assembly when he was in the opposition," said the TDP chief. He recalled that Amaravati farmers voluntarily contributed their hard-earned 33,000 acres of land and their gesture was lauded by many as a one-of-its-kind initiative in the country. Naidu said history would be proof that no country or state ever prospered by dividing regions or people. Stating that the idea of Amaravati was born out of the pangs of an unjust bifurcation, he said it was envisioned to unite Telugus and be the building block of a powerful Andhra Pradesh. "We only had our will, our manpower and the intellectual capital of our people, and we worked hard to build a self-financing capital that generated jobs for the residents and strengthened the economy with generous tax contributions owing to economic activity," he said. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: TDP supremo and Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu has alleged that the State government has miserably failed in taking preventive measures to check the spread of coronavirus and accused it of using the crisis for looting public wealth. Accusing the ruling YSRC of torturing Opposition leaders, he alleged that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy would not have had a chance to even step out of his house had the previous TDP regime taken similar vindictive measures. Addressing a virtual press conference on Thursday, Naidu said, False cases are being filed and arrests are being made in utter disregard of human rights, despite COVID-19 threat. Atchannaidu was shifted to jail from hospital in a wheelchair even though he is yet to recover from his second surgery. An Opposition activist was called from Hyderabad to appear before the police, but when he arrived, he was murdered, he alleged. Notices worth `2,000 crore were issued to intimidate and lure TDP leaders. Former minister Sidda Raghava Rao was issued a notice for `800 crore, which led to him eventually joining the YSRC. Amaraja Raja Batteries is the highest tax paying group in AP, but it is now facing oppression and political victimisation, he alleged. The YSRC accorded priority to its greedy mafia activities in sand, liquor, mining, bleaching powder, testing kits and ambulances, he alleged. By Express News Service ONGOLE: Ministers K Kanna Babu, Balineni Srinivasa Reddy and Audimulapu Suresh formally inaugurated tobacco purchase through AP Markfed here on Thursday. Speaking on the occasion, Agriculture Minister Kanna Babu said after the announcement of the cooperative entering the tobacco market, buyers increased the offering price by 15 per cent. Assuring farmers not to panic, he added, We are committed to see the welfare of farmers in the region, especially those who grow tobacco. We ask the farmers not to panic as the government is ready to support them. Ministers Balineni and Audimulapu also praised the decision taken by the chief minister to offer better pricing to the farmers in the auction. Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, union leaders and agriculture officials also took part in the programme. Later, the ministers interacted with the farmers and took part in another programme organised by the Agriculture department. By Express News Service BENGALURU: Patients who are asymptomatic or have mild case of coronavirus, aged below 50 years and having oxygen saturation equal or above 95 percent shall be considered for home isolation, as per new guidelines issued by Karnataka's Health and Family Welfare department. The patient shall report everyday to the physician or health authorities and shall have pulse oximeter, digital thermometer and PPE. A caregiver should be available 24/7, with regular communication links between caregiver and hospital. An e-tag band shall be put on the left wrist to alert authorities of violation of home isolation. The health staff shall assess health factors using thermal scanning for fever, pulse oximetry for oxygen saturation levels, glucometer for random blood sugar and BP apparatus for blood pressure recording. Those under home quarantine shall not have comorbid conditions such as kidney disease requiring dialysis, heart disease, stroke, tuberculosis, cancer, HIV, should not be immune-compromised, on steroids or immune-suppresants. The patients must have a separate well-ventilated room for isolation with an attached toilet. The caregivers must also wear N95 masks when in the same room with the ill person. Utensils used by the patient shall be cleaned while wearing gloves. Home isolation will go on for 17 days after onset of symptoms, or date of sampling and no fever for 10 days. They can be released once there are no symptoms, fever, maintains saturation above 95 percent and respiratory rate less than 24 per minute. The health team from district health authority or BBMP shall visit the house and assess suitability for home isolation, with teleconsultation link established. When you are in a quarantine centre, you are not in prison, you are placed in a holding facility for your safety and that of your family as well as the community. Once you are cleared of Covid-19 you then join your family without endangering their lives. The measure is meant to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission from those coming from outside the country, she said. Pramodkumar Vaidya By Express News Service HUBBALLI: Its been one-and-a-half months since the Karnataka government lifted lockdown restrictions for industries, but less than half of the total micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in Hubballi-Dharwad are functional. It is feared that if the situation continues in this manner for a few months, 35-40% of these may shut down operations. Some of them are looking to diversify into sectors which are still in demand. Covid-19 and the lockdown have dealt a severe blow to MSMEs in the district, which are facing challenges on multiple fronts. The demand and supply chain is broken. As larger industries are not yet functioning to their full capacity, ancillary units are not getting enough orders.With migrant labourers having returned to their native states, the sector is also facing shortage of labour. Supply of raw material and transportation of finished products are other problems. North Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association president N S Biradar told TNIE that the majority of industries are dependent on Mumbai and Chennai for raw materials. As these cities are caught severely in the Covid crisis, supply of raw materials has almost stopped. Some of them began sourcing their material from Bengaluru, but here too, the situation is turning grim. My own companys consignment is stuck in Bengaluru as the area is sealed down, he added. Ramesh Patil of Patil Electric Works said that with stock of raw material fast depleting, firms have no option but to cut down production. Earlier, production in his firm was in three shifts of eight hours, through 24 hours, but this has now been cut to a single shift. With availability of skilled workforce also a challenge, the show is being run with limited talent, he added. The automobile industry was hit hard even before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and has collapsed after the lockdown. As none of the auto giants are utilising their capacity, the large number of auto ancillary units in the twin cities are in deep crisis. Last year, we were hit by recession and now, Covid-19 has rubbed salt into our wounds. It may take years to recover, said Nagaraj Divate of Advance Die Cast. Both the Central and State governments have announced a few measures for their revival, but none of these will benefit this sector. Under the Aatm Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, a package of Rs 2 lakh crore was announced for MSMEs, but entrepreneurs have a moot point: where is the need for money when we are not getting orders. Since there is no demand in the market, the industries that are operational are reluctant to function to their full capacity. While the government claimed that new loans under the Aatm Nirbhar Bharat scheme would not need any guarantee, banks are asking for security, said Biradar. Though the State government has ordered a fixed charge for April, May and June for MSMEs, the Hubballi Electricity Supply Company is not ready to consider it. So, none of the concessions announced are benefitting MSMEs, he said. Amid all these uncertainties, only those industries engaged in products related to agriculture, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and food are getting orders, and operating to their full capacity. Since these sectors will be always in demand, some of the industries involved in engineering, auto ancillary and electrical are looking for diversification. Ramesh Patil is planning to venture into the pharma sector. However, Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Mahendra Laddad is hopeful of revival of MSMEs in the district in the next few months. He said the chamber, along with government agencies and large industries like Tata Motors, are mapping existing skilled workforce to make them available for needy firms. They are also holding meetings with bankers to extend financial help to entrepreneurs. While only 35-40 per cent of the industries are functional, the number might increase in the coming weeks, he added. Naushad Bijapur By Express News Service BELAGAVI: The Camp police station in the heart of Belagavi city had to be abruptly sealed and all station personnel including the station's police inspector and constables were put in quarantine after a burglar tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday. The burglar was in the custody of Camp police for a few days before he was shifted to Hindalga Central Prison, Belagavi on Monday. A habitual offender, the accused was caught by the locals at Vijaya Nagar, Belagavi, when he made a vain bid to loot a jewellery store on June 27. The locals had beaten him up badly before the Camp police personnel rounded him up and took him into custody at the station the same day. Several top police officials of Belagavi including several personnel and the circle inspector of Camp held a press conference at the same station to brief the media about the arrest of the burglar and the recovery of stolen valuables from him. Incidentally, the burglar had been produced before mediapersons at the press conference. Sources said many of the station's personnel were in close proximity to the burglar when he stayed in custody at the Camp police station before being taken to Hindalga prison on Monday. ALSO READ | COVID-19: Visitors forced to 'jump' to ensure social distancing at Karnataka govt office ends Santosh Kumar, circle police inspector, Camp police station said, he and at least 10 police and other personnel from the station have been placed under quarantine starting Friday. He said the station had been sealed soon after the burglar tested positive. A senior official from Hindalga prison told The New Indian Express that the burglar who was a Covid-19 suspect when he was brought on Monday to the jail was placed in an isolated cell since then. "We have set up several separate cells to quarantine the accused and other criminals who are Covid-19 suspects. None of them are allowed to roam or mingle with other inmates in the jail," he said. Currently, the prison has about 850 inmates including many facing capital punishment and life sentences. Nurse tests positive in Covid ward Meanwhile, a staff nurse working in the Covid Wards of Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) has been tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, creating panic among the healthcare staff. The nurse, residing at a residential locality adjacent to the hospital, was regularly shuttling between her home and the hospital. The entire area surrounding her house has been sealed. Her husband and two children including a 10-month-old child were quarantined soon after she tested positive. So far, 337 positive Covid-19 cases have been detected in Belagavi of whom 306 were discharged after total recovery. The district has 15 containment zones after 86 zones were denotified in the last few weeks. ALSO SEE: By PTI THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said it was unfortunate that the trial of the Italian marines, accused of killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast in 2012, was not taking place in India and said the state was not in favour of withdrawing the case from the Supreme Court. The Hague-headquartered Permanent Court of Arbitration Tribunal has upheld the conduct of the Indian authorities in the Enrica Lexie case in which the marines were accused of killing the two Indian fishermen and said New Delhi was entitled to get compensation in the case. But the tribunal also stated that the marines cannot be prosecuted due to the official immunity enjoyed by them. "It's unfortunate that the trial is not taking place in our country. Some media reports suggested that we were unable to pose our arguments well with the Tribunal. However, about the compensation, ourcountry needsto take strong steps to ensure it," Vijayan said. When asked about the Centre's decision to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court to withdraw the case, Vijayan said Kerala was not in favour of it. "If the centre is planning to withdraw the case, Kerala is not in favour of it and will inform the centre," Vijayan said. The international tribunal had held that the two marines violated the international law, and as a result Italy breached India's freedom of navigation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during an online media briefing on Thursday. In February 2012, India accused two Italian marines, Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre, on board the MV Enrica Lexie --an Italian flagged oil tanker-- of killing two Indian fishermen who were on a fishing vessel off Kerala coast in India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The issue of jurisdiction over the case became a big argument between the two countries. While India maintained that the incident happened in Indian waters and also the fishermen killed were Indian, and hence the case must be tried as per its laws, Italy claimed that the shooting took place outside Indian territorial waters and its marines were on-board the ship with the Italian flag. India had detained the two marines after the shooting incident but later allowed them to return to Italy on specific conditions following separate orders by the Supreme Court. Italy maintained that the two marines aboard the tanker mistook the 'St Anthony' for a pirate vessel. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala on Thursday demanded more flights to be operated from Saudi Arabia as part of the Vande Bharat Mission. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, of the 270 flights operated as part of the mission, only 20 were from Saudi. On Thursday, leaders of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre met the chief minister, demanding operation of more flights from Saudi Arabia. Of the 87,391 Keralites who registered to return to Kerala from Saudi, only 13,535 could return so far. Pinarayi pointed out that a majority of those who wish to return from Saudi are either those who lost their jobs or with expired visas or pregnant women or aged people suffering from various illnesses. Taking these into consideration, more flights should be operated, he said. The state government has been giving clearance to those who wish to return by private chartered flights. Leaders of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre met the chief minister, urging him to put pressure on the Centre to operate more flights. The KMCC leaders had 12 major demands, including a special Covid package for the expats. The KMCC urged the government to provide financial assistance to Keralites who died abroad due to Covid. The CM entrusted Norka principal secretary K Ellangovan to pursue the matter. 87,391 NRKs registered to return from Saudi Arabia By PTI KOLLAM: The wife of one of the two fishermen killed in firing by Italian marines onboard Enrica Lexie off Kerala on Friday expressed happiness over the verdict of the International tribunal in the case and said steps should be taken to ensure such incidents do not recur. Dora, wife of Valentine Jalastine, also thanked the Central government for pursuing the case all these years. Jalastine of Kollam and Ajesh Binki, a fisherman from Colachel in Kanyakumari, were killed when two Italian marines on board'Enrica Lexie oil tanker fired at them on February 15, 2012. ALSO READ: Not in favour of withdrawing case against Italian marines from SC, says Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan The Hague-headquartered Permanent Court of Arbitration Tribunal had on Thursday also upheld the conduct of the Indian authorities in the Enrica Lexie case in which the marines were accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012 and said New Delhi was entitled to get compensation in the case. But the tribunal also ruled the marines cannot be prosecuted due to the official immunity enjoyed by them. Dora said she was happy with the verdict, though it has come after eight long years. Steps need to be taken to protect the life of fishermen when they put out to sea and ensure such incidents do not recur, she told PTI. ALSO READ: Centre moves SC for closure of case against Italian marines' after International tribunal decision Jalastine was the sole breadwinner of the family, when he was killed, Dora said adding she had to face immense hardships to bring up her two sons -- Derrick and Jeen as a single mother. Derrick was 18 then and Jeen in the fourth standard. She also had to take care of her aged parents. Fortunately, the state government gave her a job in the Fisheries department and she managed to bring them up and provide good education to them, Dora said. Twentysix-year-old Derrick, who has completed his Mechanical Engineering, is appearing for various Public Service examinations, hoping to give relief to his mother. Jeen is awaiting his higher secondary examination results on July 15. "With a lot of difficulties I gave them education. My responsibilities are not yet over", Dora said. She had bought a piece of land utilising the compensation amount given soon after the incident and construction of a house will soon commence. The Tribunal had also held that the marines had violated the international law and as a result Italy breached India's freedom of navigation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). India had accused the marines-- Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre of killing the two fishermen who were on a fishing vessel off Kerala coast in India's Exclusive Economic Zone. Though detained after the shooting incident, they were later allowed to return to Italy on specific conditions following separate orders by the Supreme Court. Italy had maintained that the marines aboard the tanker mistook the fishermen on board 'St Antony' to be pirates. Harish Murali By Express News Service CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday directed the state government to file a detailed report on the plea challenging the legality of certain sections in the Tamil Nadu police reforms act of 2013, which are not in adherence with the orders passed by the Supreme Court. A division bench comprising justices R Subbiah and Krishnan Ramasamy issued the notice to the state on the plea filed by AG Maurya, a retired IPS officer and General Secretary, Organization (North & East) of Makkal Neethi Maiam. According to the petitioner, the recent incidents of custodial deaths highlight the need for institutional measures to curb further incidents of this nature. The petition sought to curb the increase in cases of police excess and to take a proactive stance in addressing the issue. As per the Supreme Court orders, only a retired High Court judge chosen by the state government should be appointed as the chairman of the Tamil Nadu Police Complaints Authority in order to ensure impartiality. The authority will hear complaints against conduct of police personnel and officers. However, the Act passed by the Tamil Nadu government enables the presence of police officers in huge numbers as members of the board and this defeats the very purpose of setting up of such an authority, the petitioner argued. The petitioner said that the action team set up here and its members do not conform to the guidelines given by the SC. He added in his petition that an impartial third party group should inquire into complaints on the gross misconduct by police personnel or officers. However, the state act of 2013 violates it as it is only police officers who probe their colleagues. Most of the sections in the Tamil Nadu police reforms act 2013 grossly violates the Supreme Court directions. The entire act strips all powers of the Police Complaints Authority, said the petitioner. The court recording the submissions directed the state to file a detailed report and adjourned the plea by two weeks. Sinduja Jane By Express News Service CHENNAI: A 53-year-old government doctor succumbed to COVID-19 at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on Friday. He is the first government doctor to die due to the viral infection in the State. According to a health department official, Dr Sukumaran, Chief Medical Officer (in-charge), Maduranthakam Government Hospital had tested positive for COVID-19 on June 19. "He was initially taking treatment at a private hospital. He was shifted to RGGGH on June 30 after his condition deteriorated. He had diabetes and high blood pressure," the official said. The official said the doctor was on duty in the Maduranthakam government hospital till June 17, before he developed symptoms. Though this government hospital does not provide treatment for COVID-19 patients, it is suspected the doctor might have got the infection from some patient who came for some other treatment. Condoling the death of Dr Sukumaran, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday said, "Relief assistance will be given to the bereaved family as per the announcement already made by the government. Besides, government employment will be given to one of the family members. I have also directed the Health Department to extend all possible help to the family of Dr Sukumaran. Meanwhile, opposition leader M K Stalin and PMK leader S Ramadoss condoled the death of the doctor. In his Facebook post, MK Stalin urged the State Government to provide proper PPE and other safety gears to the frontline workers and make sure such incidents do not happen in future. He also expressed his condolences to the family members of the doctor. The Federation of Government Doctors Association requested the State Government to grant Rs 50 lakh compensation as announced by the state government earlier in case of deaths of frontline workers due to COVID 19. The association has also requested Rs 50 lakhs be given to the doctor's family from the corpus insurance announced by the Union government. The association said the doctor's body should be buried with state honours. The government doctors also requested the government to ensure safety of the doctors and expressed concern over the large number of healthcare workers getting infected by the virus. C Shivakumar By Express News Service CHENNAI: Uncertainty over customs clearance of consignments from China has hit exporters in the state after raw materials from there were stuck at the airport and sea ports. Sources told The New Indian Express that the brief unofficial ban on customs clearance for imports from China has now been lifted. Raja M Shanmugham, President, Tiruppur Exporters Association, told Express that the Tiruppur cluster which exports goods worth almost Rs 2500 crore of knitwear and ready-mades on an average every month has been hit by the clampdown on Chinese goods. "Ninety per cent of accessories are imported from China which include buttons, zips and chains and without clearing these goods, production will be hit," he said. This comes after an unofficial restriction from June 26 on customs clearance to imports from China. Later, clearance was granted to goods that arrived till June 30 as imported goods were piling up in the Chennai airport and sea ports. Officials said now the central government has given clearance to goods that arrived after July 1 also. However, it is learnt that the quantum of import orders for Chinese goods has come down of late. Earlier, Chinese companies would not stress on payment before delivery. Now, they want payments to be made prior to delivery. This is ever since the tensions along the border between the two countries in Ladakh, sources said. Sources told Express that customs officials had been insisting on 100 percent inspection of shipments from China which they feared would lead to disruptions in the supply chain. Welcoming the decision to give customs clearance to goods imported from China, Shanmugham said the government should prepare a roadmap for the next 10 years rather than taking impulsive decisions to outwit China. A customs official said, "Initially, the government agreed to clear Chinese consignments from June 26 to June 30. Now, we just received instructions that air cargo can be cleared from July 1. The backlog will take time to be cleared." This is also a huge relief for auto, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electronics and mobile equipment industries. It is learnt that a total of 17,000 consignments from China were held up across India since June 26 since they were not granted customs clearance. Now, following the verbal orders, 4,000 consignments have been cleared since July 2 evening, sources told Express. Chinese consignments for those under the Accredited Clients Programme (ACP) which include Hewlett Packard, Samsung, Cisco and Dell were allowed to be cleared, Customs department sources said. The Accredited Clients Programme (ACP) was introduced in 2005 to give assured facilitation at all the EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)-enabled Customs stations to importers who are assessed as highly compliant. Meanwhile, Chennai Port sources told Express that there has been no disruption in the movement of cargo ships. "Ships are regularly coming to Chennai from China," he said. By Express News Service THOOTHUKUDI/MADURAI: After days of unrest, agitation, and anger, Sathankulam residents heaved a sigh of relief on Thursday following the predawn arrest of two police officials allegedly involved in the custodial torture and death of the father-son duo P Jeyaraj and J Beniks. Sweets were distributed, crackers were burst, and statements were made welcoming the move. Jeyarajs daughter Persis thanked the judiciary, government, and the CB-CID for the swift action. On behalf of my family I think magistrate Baratidasan, who uncovered the mystery over the death of my father and brother, she said while addressing a press meet. I thank all those who raised their voices against this injustice, cutting across caste and religious lines. I thank all those who considered this as an injustice done to their own family members. We believe the State government and the High Court will ensure that maximum punishment is delivered to the accused. Such incidents must not happen again. As the news of the arrests spread, celebrations spilled out on streets across Nedunkulam, Kombankulam, Peikulam, and Udangudi areas of the district. Meanwhile, S Murugan assumed charge as the south zone inspector general in Madurai on Thursday, and immediately visited Thoothukudi. He assured to extend full cooperation to the CB-CID, which is investigating the case. So far four policemen have been picked up by the CB-CID. Our investigation patterns have changed to include scientific methods, he said, adding that the real culprits would not be able to escape. However, he refused to comment on the deletion of CCTV visuals. Murugan also assured to look into the role of volunteers associated with the Friends of Police. The Thoothukudi SP said the woman police officer who has become a witness in this case has been given one-month leave with pay and provided security. In an interesting turn of events, activists in Coonoor have started protesting against the transfer of additional SP Kumar after the Sathankulam incident to their district. A petition has been submitted to the superintendent of police in Coonoor opposing the transfer. Cops need counselling The Madurai bench of Madras High Court on Thursday observed that the State cannot afford to lose anymore people to violence like Jeyaraj and Beniks. It directed the State government to continue its police wellbeing programme, launched to give psychological counselling to personnel and their family members, for at least the next five years and ensure there is sufficient funds for it. Public security can be ensured only if the police force is physically, mentally, and morally strong, observed the bench comprising justices PN Prakash and B Pugalendhi. They also observed that any form of violence is a product of a sick mind. Deputy Superintendent of Police of CB-CID Anil Kumar, through video communication, briefed the judges on the developments in the inquiry and the arrests made so far. He stated that the FIR registered against the accused over the duos death has been altered to Section 302 (Murder) IPC. Recording the same, the judges granted liberty to DSP to proceed with the examination of clues found in the Sathankulam police station with the help of Forensic Science experts. Recalling a previous direction issued by them to the CJM to inquire into the injuries sustained by one S Raja Singh, an inmate of Kovilpatti Sub-jail, the judges said that the CJM may order police inquiry if required. Earlier, the judges spoke to the eye-witness, a woman head constable of Sathankulam, through audio call and inquired whether she was given adequate police protection. By Express News Service THOOTHUKUDI: After a three-day long search, police have managed to arrest head constable Muthuraj - one of the accused in the case related to Sathankulam custodial deaths - late Friday evening. Thoothukudi SP S Jeyakumar confirmed the arrest of Muthuraj and informed that he has been handed over to CB-CID immediately. Police sources said that Muthuraj was hiding in a remote village called Poosanur near Kulathur here. Vilathikulam DSP Peer Mohideen and Kulathur inspector Ramalakshmi nabbed him, he added. Muthuraj has been named in the case filed by the CB-CID in connection to the custodial death of Sathankulam traders. CB-CID had already altered the cases registered in Kovilpatti regarding the death of P Jeyaraj and J Beniks and booked five cops - inspector Srithar, sub inspectors Ragu Ganesh and Balakrishnan, head constables S Murugan and M Muthuraj for murder, tampering with evidence and wrongful confinement. Chief Judicial Magistrate S Hema recorded statements from head constable Revathy as per the provisions granted under section 164 CrPC here on Friday. The inquiry went for three hours until 6 pm. Meanwhile, the CB-CID Inspector General Of Police K Shankar told media that the CB-CID inquired the woman head constable to recording her statements. The policewoman had given statements to Judicial Magistrate Barathidasan, appointment by the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court earlier this week. Her statements regarding the custodial death of two traders P Jeyaraj and J Beniks, had proved to be a turning point for the probe mooted by Madurai Bench of Madras High Court which led to the arrest of the police men. Court directed the district administration to post police men to ensure her safety. She was granted one month leave without loss of pay. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has recently received various reports of individuals fishing for northern pike at Harding Lake. The public is reminded that the taking of Northern Pike, even for catch-and-release, is not allowed. Courtesy Alaska Department of Fish and Game By PTI LAHORE: At least 21 Pakistani Sikh pilgrims returning from Nankana Sahib were killed on Friday when the driver of the mini-bus they were travelling in reportedly tried to take a shortcut to avoid a railway crossing and rammed the vehicle into a passenger train in the country's Punjab province, officials said. According to the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), which looks after the minority affairs, said that 22 people, including 21 Sikhs -- 11 men, nine women and a child from Peshawar -- lost their lives in the fatal coach-train collision in Shjiekhupura. A Muslim man has also been killed in the incident. The mini-bus carrying around 26 Sikh pilgrims, all from Peshawar, hit the Lahore-bound Shah Hussain Express which was coming from Karachi at a crossing near Sheikhupura district at around 1.30 pm, the police said. According to the rescue officials, at least five people were injured in the accident, all of whom were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital, Sheikhupura, Dawn newspaper reported. The gate at the crossing was closed and the driver apparently tried to take a shortcut instead of waiting for the gate to open, senior police officer Ghazi Salahuddin told reporters at the crash site. ETPB spokesperson Amir Hashmi said the bus was carrying mostly Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad in the district. "They had come to Nankana Sahib from Peshawar. After staying in Nanakana Sahib, they were leaving for Peshawar. The ETPB security had escorted them till the limits of Nankana Sahib," he said. Pained by the tragic demise of Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan. My thoughts are with their families and friends in this hour of grief. I pray that those pilgrims injured recover at the earliest. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 3, 2020 The police have denied reports that the crossing was unmanned. Pakistan Railways Chief Executive Officer Dost Ali Laghari has set up a committee comprising three senior officers to investigate the incident. It will present its initial report by Saturday "so that it can be determined which side was at fault". "Action will be taken in accordance with the law against whomever is held responsible for this accident," the railways said, adding that a divisional engineer has been suspended from service and an inquiry launched. Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid has ordered authorities to take immediate action against those responsible for the accident. Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed grief over the accident and directed authorities to provide the best medical aid to the injured. "My condolences and prayers go to the families of the deceased. [I] have directed relevant authorities to ensure facilitation and care for all the families," he said. The premier announced that the Railways' "operational safety SOPs will be reviewed immediately". Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar expressed sorrow at the loss of lives and conveyed condolences to the families of the deceased. According to a statement, the chief minister directed the health department to provide all facilities possible to the injured. Opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shehbaz Sharif said the news of the Sikh pilgrims' death in the accident was "saddening". "I extend my most sincere sympathies to the bereaved families on their irreparable loss," a tweet by his office quoted Sharif as saying. Friday's accident comes after a series of recent fatal railway accidents in Pakistan. Over 70 people died when a Karachi-Rawalpindi train caught fire during its journey in November last year. By PTI BEIJING: Days after India banned 59 Chinese apps for engaging in activities "prejudicial" to the sovereignty and integrity of the country, Beijing on Thursday issued a predictable reaction, describing New Delhi's actions as "discriminatory" while calling for the reversal of the ban. India on Monday banned 59 apps with Chinese links, including the hugely popular TikTok and UC Browser, for engaging in "activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order". The ban also comes in the backdrop of the current stand-off along the Line of Actual control in eastern Ladakh with Chinese troops. Responding to reports that both countries are strengthening import regulations and suppressing each other's export goods amid the tense border situation and its impact on China's foreign trade enterprises exports to India, Chinese Commerce Ministry Spokesman Gao Feng said that China has not taken any restrictive measures against Indian products and services. "First of all, I want to clarify that China has not taken any restrictive and discriminatory measures against Indian products and services," he said, according to the transcript posted on the ministry's website. "India's relevant practices violate relevant World Trade Organization rules," Gao said. The spokesman also expressed hope that "India would immediately correct the discriminatory practices against China and Chinese enterprises." Announcing its decision to ban 59 apps in view of information available that they are "engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order", India's Information Technology Ministry said the move will "safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace." The IT ministry statement also said that it has received many complaints from various sources, including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for "stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India". "The success of China-India economic and trade cooperation is the result of the joint efforts of the governments and enterprises of the two sides and serves the fundamental interests of the two people", he said. Gao said, "China attaches great importance to strengthening practical cooperation with India in all fields and hopes that the two sides will meet each other halfway, earnestly implement the economic and trade consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries." He said the two sides should promote the sound and stable development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation and make efforts for the common prosperity of the two countries and the region at large. On Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that it was "strongly concerned" over India's move banning 59 Chinese apps. By PTI PESHAWAR: Unknown assailants opened fire on a car in northwest Pakistan's restive tribal district on Friday, killing four persons including a tribal elder. The accused ambushed the car in Birman in South Waziristan tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Tribal elder Malak Sarmar Jan, his nephew Malak Aslam and two labourers were killed in the attack. The accused fled from the scene after the incident. The police have launched a search operation to nab the culprits. By Associated Press SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged officials to maintain "maximum alert" against the coronavirus pandemic, criticising unspecified complacencies in the country's anti-virus campaign that he said risked "unimaginable and irretrievable crisis." Despite the warnings, state media said Friday that Kim reaffirmed government claims that there hasn't been a single case of COVID-19 in North Korea. Kim told a ruling party meeting that the country has "thoroughly prevented the inroad of the malignant virus and maintained stable anti-epidemic situation despite the worldwide health crisis." The North's claim of being COVID-19 free has been questioned by outside experts, who say a major outbreak in the country could possibly have dire consequences because of its chronic lack of medical supplies and poor health care infrastructure. Describing its anti-virus efforts as a "matter of national existence," the country has shut down nearly all cross-border traffic, banned tourists, intensified screening at entry points and mobilized tens of thousands of health workers to monitor residents and isolate those with symptoms. Experts say the country's self-imposed lockdown is also hurting an economy already battered by stringent US-led sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programme. Whippany, NJ (07981) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, mainly cloudy late with a few showers. A few storms may be severe. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, mainly cloudy late with a few showers. A few storms may be severe. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Help support your local hometown newspaper/website. Independent local news reporting matters. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, for as little as $3, so we can continue to provide independent local reporting on our communities. Tevyn Alonza Davis at his murder trial Wednesday, November 28, 2018. Davis is accused of shooting Michael Hodges and Jesse Anderson during an early morning fight outside the former Bojangles nightclub on Sept.4, 2016. Hodges, who was Anderson's cousin, died of his injuries. Anderson survived. BRIDGEPORT After more than two decades, city police announced an arrest in a cold case homicide dating back to the early 90s. It was a crime that shocked the city. Theodore Teddy Edwards, 77, a man who was well-liked in the community was found dead on in the early morning hours of Dec. 6, 1993, lying in a pool of blood on the floor of the Duchess Diner on Boston Avenue where he worked as a night custodian. For decades police had chased rumors that Edwards had been killed by four unknown men during a robbery of the diner. But on Thursday evening, Bridgeport Police Lt. Christopher LaMaine said with the cooperation of States Attorney Joseph Corradino, Senior Assistant States Attorney David Applegate and federal prosecutor Rahul Kale, they were finally able to make a case against 44-year-old Danarius Dukes, of Stamford. Its taken 27 years but Im happy we have finally been able to bring some sense of closure to Mr. Edwards family, LaMaine said. Corradino declined to comment on a pending case. The States Ottorneys Office enjoys an excellent relationship with the office of the U.S. Attorney and we are co-operating for the benefit of the residents of this area, Corradino said. Dukes, who had served more than 20 years for an unrelated shooting, was taken into custody without incident, LaMaine said. He was charged with murder and felony murder and was being held in lieu of $2 million bond pending arraignment in Superior Court in Bridgeport on Monday. LaMaine said they believe Dukes was the one who shot Edwards and he said they anticipate making another arrest. The plan had been to steal the days receipts from the popular restaurant, according to police. Dukes had hidden in the bathroom at closing time and the plan, police said, was he would confront the manager after everyone had left and force him to open the safe. He and his three partners, who were waiting outside, would then steal the money. But LaMaine said Dukes waited too long and when he finally emerged from the bathroom the manager had already left. Instead, he faced Edwards who was in the midst of mopping the floor and had no access to the safe. LaMaine said Dukes shot Edwards in the chest and the head and left the victim dying on the floor as he and his co-conspirators managed to force the safe open and make off with the case, estimated to be between $1,000 and $2,000. Edwards body was discovered early that morning by a deliveryman, LaMaine said. Over the years police have reported new leads leading to a renewed investigation into the case but each time it ended in a dead end. Police said they had been working for a year on the investigation that led to Dukes arrest. Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community. Submit here Pikeville, KY (41501) Today Scattered thunderstorms this evening. A steady rain arriving overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening. A steady rain arriving overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 50F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 50F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Geauga County More than $2M in Coronavirus Relief Fund money coming to county Lake County Commissioner Jerry Cirino has announced that he will be hosting a Business Recovery Roundtable on July 13. Lake County Auditor Christopher Galloway this week announced that the county has received $13.336 million in COVID-19 aid authorized by Ohio H Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. To subscribe, click here. Already a subscriber? Click here. What did the very first proteins those that appeared on Earth around 3.7 billion years ago look like? Prof. Dan Tawfik of the Weizmann Institute of Science and Prof. Norman Metanis of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have reconstructed protein sequences that may well resemble those ancestors of modern proteins, and their research suggests a way that these primitive proteins could have progressed to forming living cells. Their findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The proteins encoded in a cell's genetic material are the screws, springs, and cogs of a living cell all of its moving parts. But the first proteins, it is assumed, appeared well before cells and, thus, before life as we know it. Modern proteins are made of 20 different amino acids, all of them essential to protein-building, and all arranged in the form of a polymer a long, chain-like molecule in which the placement of each amino acid is crucial to the protein's function. But there is a paradox in thinking about how the earliest proteins arose: the amino acids needed to make proteins are themselves produced by other proteins enzymes. It's a chicken-and-egg kind of question, and it has only been partially answered until now. Scientists believe that the very first true proteins materialized from shorter protein segments called peptides. The peptides would have been sticky assemblies of the amino acids that were spontaneously created in the primeval chemical soup; the short peptides would then have bound to one another, over time producing a protein capable of some sort of action. The spontaneous generation of amino acids was demonstrated in 1952, in the famous experiment by Miller and Urey, in which they replicated the conditions thought to exist on Earth prior to life and added the kinds of energy that could come from lightning or volcanoes. Showing that amino acids could, under the right conditions, form without help from enzymes or any other mechanism in a living organism suggested that amino acids were the "egg" that preceded the enzyme "chicken." But one vital type of amino acid has been missing from that experiment and every experiment that followed in its wake: amino acids like arginine and lysine that carry a positive electric charge." Dan Tawfik, Professor, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science These amino acids are particularly important to modern proteins, as they interact with DNA and RNA, both of which carry net negative charges. RNA is today presumed to be the original molecule that could both carry information and make copies of itself, so contact with positively charged amino acids would theoretically be necessary for further steps in the development of living cells to occur. There was, however, one positively charged amino acid that appeared in the Miller-Urey experiments: ornithine. This amino acid is today found as an intermediate step in arginine production, but is not, itself, used to build proteins. The research team asked: What if ornithine was the missing amino acid in those ancestral proteins? They designed an original experiment to test this hypothesis. The scientists began with a relatively simple protein from a family that binds to DNA and RNA, applying phylogenetic methods (in which information on the historical relationships of lineages is used to test evolutionary hypotheses) to infer the sequence of the ancestral protein. This protein would have been rich in positive charges, with 14 of the 64 amino acids being either arginine or lysine. Next, the scientists created synthetic proteins in which ornithine replaced these as the positive charge carrier. The ornithine-based proteins did bind to DNA, but weakly. Prof. Metanis' lab, however, found that simple chemical reactions could convert ornithine to arginine and these chemical reactions occurred under conditions assumed to be prevalent on Earth at the time the first proteins would have appeared. As more and more of the ornithine was converted to arginine, the proteins came to resemble modern proteins, and to bind to DNA in a way that was stronger and more selective. The scientists also discovered that, in the presence of RNA, the ancient form of the peptide engaged in phase separation (like drops of oil in water) a step that can then lead to self-assembly and "departmentalization." And this, says Prof. Tawfik, suggests that such proteins, together with RNA, could form proto-cells from which true living cells might have evolved. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still spreading across the globe, nearly 11 million cases, and more than 519,000 deaths so far. In the absence of any effective pharmaceutical interventions, such as a vaccine or antiviral, measures such as lockdowns, social distancing, and the mandatory use of face masks and careful hand hygiene govern the response to the pandemic. These are collectively called non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI). Study: Quantifying the impact of US state non-pharmaceutical interventions on COVID-19 transmission . Image Credit: PowerUp / Shutterstock Quantifying NPI Impact on Transmission Now, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* looks at how the effects of these NPIs can be quantified in order to keep the public health response to COVID-19 at an adequate level. While NPIs are known to reduce the peak of the infections, in general, the researchers wanted to quantify different components separately. There is a considerable difference in the way that different regions and governments have applied various NPIs, which makes it difficult to predict the separate benefit of each by itself. However, these differences do allow the impact of measures applied in the past to be assessed on the basis of the already observable impact. The researchers used statistical methods along with the mortality data to arrive at insights about the changes in the rate of transmission over time subsequent to the NPI applied. Early epidemic estimates of R0 with 95% quantile bars against population density and population size. Panel A plot R0 against population density with the best fit segmented linear regression line and 95% confidence bands. We fit the linear model allowing for one breakpoint in population density. The best-fit cut point is around population density just under 1,000. The association between density and R0 is not significantly below this cut point but is statistically significant for densities above 1,000 people per square kilometer. Additionally, to account for commuter effects, we extracted the primary county per major metropolitan area across a number of states and the relationship between population density and R0 is statistically significant for these counties. Panel B plots R0 against population size with a linear fit through the association was not significant. The subset of primary metropolitan counties is plotted as well, with the (not significant) best-fit line. We found a positive relationship between population density and R0. In contrast, we found no relationship between population size and R0, indicating that highly dense areas are at greater risk of rapid spread, while less dense areas may require comparatively fewer interventions to slow the spread of the virus. Classifying NPIs by Severity The study is based on the use of response ranking criteria to provide a more convenient structure for the data, with responses being classified as pre-NPI, or no response, and low, medium, and high response depending on how many contacts were reduced with each change in policy. Low-level responses included emergency states and mild restrictions on public gatherings of 500-1,000 people; medium-level responses include restrictions to 25-100 people, closing down schools, and certain limitations on dining and retail shopping; high-level responses include shelter in place orders in a region or a state, closure of restaurants, bars and shops, and restrictions on public gatherings of 10 people or more. The researchers estimated the basic reproductive value R0, at the beginning, and the time-dependent transmission rate in over 670 people. They also examined the impact of population density, which differs in each situation, on the early exponential growth of the pandemic. After adjusting for biases and confounding factors, they found that R0 is positively correlated with a higher density once the threshold is crossed, and the stricter the interventions, the more the magnitude of reduction in transmission. Population Density Increases Transmission Rate They examined 65 counties with early exponential growth and a sufficient number of deaths to allow a reliable R0 calculation using the mortality data. These were spread over 24 states. The population density was also calculated in terms of the actual density, leaving out thick woods and water bodies. They also adjusted for commuters into a very densely populated county from a less dense neighboring county. They found a strong relationship between the density of population and R0, with a significantly more rapid transmission in higher density areas. This means that in such areas, quick and firm action must be taken to enforce NPIs to reduce viral spread effectively. This relationship is significant at a threshold of just below 1,000 people per square kilometer. Stronger NPIs Reduce Transmission Secondly, they found that with more intensive NPIs, R0 declines, and viral spread is reduced as well. In other words, they say, These results suggest that proactive state-wide measures are a highly effective way to limit the spread of COVID-19 and that stronger measures are associated with significantly reduced disease spread. Interestingly, the Southern and Western states currently showing a rapid or even record increase in daily case counts are those which did not show a marked reduction in Re even under the most intensive restrictions. This suggests that this surge was perhaps operating even before the current relaxations were granted. Again, comparing different counties showed that the most significant gain in the reduction of viral spread comes from moving from no NPI to the lowest level of NPI, that is, restricting large gatherings, which are considered superspreader events. However, it does not stop the outbreak. With higher time-varying values of transmission, the reduction is steeper following the application of an NPI. Implications and Importance The researchers also point out that these findings indicate the U.S. never actually experienced an arrest of the outbreak, with the R0 less than one. This is probably, they write, a result of rolling back social distancing guidelines and comparative leniency and inconsistency in both U.S. policy and policy enforcement at the state level. There has been considerable public agitation and state resistance against social distancing and even the wearing of masks, which has hampered the aggressive implementation of NPIs, unlike the events in South Korea and New Zealand, for instance. The findings could help evaluate control measures in place, as well as provide a longer-range lens to discover how such strategies can be tuned over time to allow adaptive restrictions as and when transmission crosses a threshold. The researchers sum up: These results shed light on the effective role of rapid and robust state-level NPIs, crucial in the absence of widely available therapies or vaccines. *Important Notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. Bradley Spieler, MD, Vice Chairman of Radiology Research at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, is the lead author of a Radiology Research Alliance paper examining the usefulness of social media in Radiology. It is published online as an Article in Press online in Academic Radiology. As a visual discipline, Radiology lends itself to social media. The authors examine the advantages and challenges of various social media platforms -- Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and ResearchGate among others -- for different purposes in Radiology. Social media can be a valuable educational and communication tool that medical professionals can use to enhance career development, specifically as it relates to the dissemination of knowledge, brand development, collaboration, mentorship and recruitment." Dr. Bradley Spieler, Associate Professor of Radiology, Internal Medicine, Urology, & Cell Biology and Anatomy at LSU Health New Orleans The authors found that LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are well suited to education. They write, "Radiologists can post educational content, cases, videos, and articles for rapid dissemination to a broad audience across the globe." They cite Facebook posts of weekly case material as well as Tweet chats on Twitter. These platforms also facilitate building a global community around topics through the use of hashtags by organizing content across multiple accounts. They highlighted YouTube as a rich platform to disseminate educational content including lecture series, case conferences, short educational videos on various imaging modalities, radiographic anatomy, and specific clinical radiology cases, among other content. Challenges include maintaining patient privacy by de-identifying patient images and data to conform to HIPPA regulations. The authors explore how social media can be used for professional development, from creating personal accounts with specialized content to building a profile on LinkedIn. Being recognized as a topic authority or expert can be important to promotions and academic advancement. While these powerful tools offer great opportunity, a potential downside of this professional networking and branding via social media is the potential to project oneself in an unprofessional manner, now known as e-professionalism, particularly when accounts also include personal and social activities. Social media interaction can facilitate mentoring as well. Social media connections can serve as a possible avenue to access radiology leaders when they are not physically present within one's radiology department or professional group. The authors also note opportunities for greater networking and collaboration. Social media can connect people who have never met but who may have a mutual interest in a project or research as a collaborator or sponsor. ResearchGate offers the ability to share information with others in the research community and easily find relevant information. Users are cautioned to check copyrights for shared material. They advise radiologists and students to use social media with the knowledge that colleagues, mentors, current and future employers, supervised trainees, patients, and lawyers involved in litigation may view content posted on social media. They caution users to be mindful that the information disseminated is within an individual's scope of expertise and that material be verified to avoid perpetuating misinformation. The paper contains examples of professional and non-professional posts. "This manuscript, prepared by the Association of University Radiologists Radiology Research Alliance's 2019-2020 Social Media Task Force, including members of the rising senior medical student class and faculty from the LSU Health New Orleans Department of Radiology, concludes that the diversity of social media platforms available affords an opportunity for radiologists and radiology programs to connect with and influence a larger number of individuals than was possible with traditional methods of communication in the past," says Dr. Spieler. "Social media can be a valuable educational and communication tool that medical professionals can use to enhance career development." Physicians at the Complete Med Care clinic in Dallas, Texas, have conducted a study showing that the prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency is strongly correlated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality rate in European countries. The researchers say the correlation also strengthened over time, making it even less likely to be a random effect. Dr. Isaac Pugach and Dr. Sofya Pugach recommend that physicians perform universal screening for Vitamin D deficiency. They also say vitamin D supplementation should be tested in randomized controlled trials as a potential new treatment or preventative approach to COVID-19. A pre-print version of the paper is available in the server medRxiv*, while the article undergoes peer review. Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (red) infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (yellow), isolated from a patient sample. Image captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID Assessing Vitamin D and COVID-19 population data The severity of disease in cases of COVID-19 ranges significantly, from asymptomatic to fatal, and the reasons for this are often unclear. The researchers say that since some evidence suggests that vitamin D may play a protective role, they decided to assess European country-wide data to establish whether there is any link between levels of vitamin D and COVID-19 mortality rate. The team assessed vitamin D population data that had been compiled by the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) Statement on Vitamin D Status and published in the European Journal of Endocrinology. Data was only used if it had been published within the last ten years and included information on the general adult population for both males and females aged between at least 40 and 65 years. Data also needed to include breakdowns for the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, rather than mean values. The number of deaths due to COVID-19 was ascertained using data from the John Hopkins University of Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center. Data on 2020 demographics were determined using country data from the CIA World Factbook. The researchers retrieved the data between May 11th and June 14th, 2020, and then performed a Pearson correlation analysis. Regression analysis was also conducted to ensure the age structure of each countrys population was adjusted for. Prevalence of Severe Vitamin D deficiency vs. COVID-19 Deaths per Million in Europe Severe vitamin D deficiency strongly correlated with COVID-19 mortality rate Overall, ten countries met data inclusion criteria, namely the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Estonia. The researchers report that the prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency (defined as 25(OH)D less than 25 nmol/L) strongly and significantly correlated with the COVID-19 death rate per million people. The correlation coefficient of 0.76 indicates that approximately 58% of COVID-19 mortality can be explained by severe deficiency in vitamin D, says the team. After adjustment for the population age structure of each country, the correlation remained strong and significant. Moreover, over time, the correlation is increasing asymptotically, making this correlation even less likely to be caused by a random chance, writes the team. Correlation between COVID-19 Deaths and Vitamin D Deficiency over Time Previous studies support the finding According to the authors, the results are supported by other studies demonstrating potential associations between low vitamin D and the severity of COVID-19. In the United States, for example, the COVID-19 mortality rate among blacks and Hispanic Americans is higher than among the general population, and it is well established that these groups have lower levels of vitamin D, compared with other groups. The researchers say the study findings do not necessarily mean low levels of vitamin D increase the COVID-19 mortality rate or that normalizing the vitamin D level would bring this rate down. Other variables could account for both a higher prevalence of vitamin deficiency and a higher COVID-19 mortality rate, such as unknown genetic factors or inadequate healthcare services, they write. However, studies have indicated that vitamin D deficiency is linked to an increased risk for and severity of various infections, writes the team, and one randomized controlled trial supported the use of supplementation to prevent influenza among school children. Furthermore, studies have also provided evidence supporting the use of vitamin D supplementation to prevent COVID-19 infection, say the researchers. What do the authors advise? Taken together, it is very likely that vitamin D supplements have a large role in prevention and possibly treatment of COVID-19 disease, they write. In conclusion, the authors say they recommend universal screening for vitamin D deficiency, and further investigation of Vitamin D supplementation in randomized control studies, which may lead to possible treatment or prevention of COVID19. *Important Notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. A collaboration between the University of Toronto's Faculty of Dentistry and the National Jewish Health in Denver -- the top-ranked respiratory research hospital in the U.S. -- has yielded a new drug discovery that could be useful to combat inflammation of all varieties and shows promise in fighting acute respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19. Called TAT CARMIL1, the "drug" is actually a combination of two naturally occurring peptides that, when combined, work together to penetrate a cell's membrane in order to dampen an acute inflammatory response. In this first ex vivo study, the peptide reduced collagen degradation by up to 43 per cent. If deployed early enough, the researchers say, the peptide could allay some of the worst damage caused by acute inflammatory responses. Dousing cytokine storms Acute infections can cause inflammatory responses known as "cytokine storms," a term that has gained in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. This storm is a natural defense response to an acute infection. Cytokines are a type of immune response cell, but when the body becomes overwhelmed by infections such as those caused by influenza, H1N1 or COVID-19, it can release an unregulated flood of cytokines into the body. In those instances, infection-busting cytokines can cause severe damage in the body -- everything from holes in the lung tissue to vascular damage and blot clots, with the most acute cases causing death. Targeted pathways, precision medicine Dr. Greg Downey, pulmonologist, professor and executive vice president, academic affairs in the Department of Medicine at the National Jewish Hospital, who co-authored the study, calls the peptide discovery "exciting." Here's how it works: the peptide combines a segment of a naturally occurring protein, CARMIL1, with a peptide "vehicle," TAT, that brings the CARMIL1 directly into the cell. That enables the CARMIL1 to calm the inflammatory storm. The CARMIL peptide effectively blocks a family of cytokines, called interleukin1, from signalling and reproducing in vast quantities. There are a lot of people looking at these areas, but this study gives the first indication of how these CARMIL proteins are involved with this pathway." Dr. Greg Downey, pulmonologist, professor and executive vice president, academic affairs in the Department of Medicine at the National Jewish Hospital But what makes the discovery so unique is how precise it is. The TAT CARMIL1 peptide targets two receptors, sticking to both the cell's surface and its cell substrate, where it adheres to other cells. "The two receptors necessary for it to work supplies an unusual level of specificity," explains Chris McCulloch, professor at the Faculty of Dentistry and a co-lead of the study. "We think the unusual nature of this pathway might restrict its side effects." That could make the peptide an unusually strong candidate as a potential drug. Drugs designed to work in conjunction with this peptide would need to target cells at both receptors, narrowing the potential field of candidates from tens of thousands to hundreds. "This is a precise pathway to deal with a precise issue," says Downey. The future is CARMIL Next, the team hope to track the peptide's success in in vitro models. Given the broad applicability of the peptide, which can be combined with other drugs, such as cancer or arthritis drugs, the discovery could one day become a useful ally in the fight against all types of inflammation. Still, Downey cautions, more work needs to be done. The initial study shows that the storm- stopping peptide is most effective when it is applied as an early intervention. That, says Downey, is impractical: "In the clinical world the reality is that you don't have that luxury." The study, published in Cell Reports, was funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant. The trial in absentia of 20 Saudi suspects accused in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, including two former aides to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, began in Istanbul Friday, Khashoggi was an insider-turned-critic who wrote for The Washington Post before he was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018 to obtain documents necessary for his wedding to Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz. The suspects were charged with "deliberately and monstrously killing, causing torment," and prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for them. Turkish prosecutors claim Saudi deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Assiri and the royal court's media czar Saud al-Qahtani led the operation and gave orders to a Saudi hit team. Cengiz was attending the trial alongside the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, who has directly linked the crown prince to the killing, an AFP correspondent said. Yasin Aktay, a close friend of Khashoggi and advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party, was also in the courtroom. Cengiz said she hoped the trial "brings to light the whereabouts of Jamal's body, the evidence against the killers and the evidence of those behind the gruesome murder." "I will continue to pursue all legal avenues to hold Jamal's killers accountable and I will not rest until we get justice for Jamal," she told AFP before the trial. Khashoggi was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in a case that damaged the reputation of the crown prince despite his strenuous denial of any involvement. Khashoggi's remains have never been found. Saudi Arabia describes the murder as a "rogue" operation. A closed-door trial in Saudi Arabia ended in December with five unnamed people sentenced to death. The crown prince's former aides, Assiri and Qahtani, were exonerated. The sons of Khashoggi said they forgave his killers in May this year, a moved expected to allow the government to grant clemency for the five convicts on death row. Short link: The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. Community Perspective Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer. Letters to the editor Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer. A new technique could help reduce antibiotic prescribing by predicting which drugs could be effective in fighting bacteria within minutes. Scientists at the University of Exeter have developed the method, which allows users to see whether a bacterium is likely to respond to antibiotics. The research is currently in early stages of development, and the team hope the miniaturized devices they use for this research could one day be based in clinics, reducing the number of different antibiotics prescribed to patients. The technique works by examining whether fluorescent qualities of the antibiotics are taken up by bacteria. If so, the bacteria glow brighter under the microscope, revealing that the antibiotic has infiltrated the membrane and could be effective. The research, published in the journal Lab on a Chip, could contribute to efforts to reduce prescribing, and also enable the development of more effective antibiotics, to help fight the global threat of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is recognized as a major global threat. As these drugs increasingly fail to work, around 10 million people are predicted to die annually of infections by 2050. The new technique uses a special microscope and a miniaturized device into which a sample of the bacteria is injected, along with the antibiotic. To date, the team has used the antibiotic ofloxacin, which glows fluorescent under ultraviolet light. Bacteria also glow when the antibiotic is taken up. However, if they remain dark, the antibiotic has no chance of working and killing the bacteria. We're really excited about the potential for this technique to make a meaningful reduction in prescribing, helping to fight the global threat of antibiotic resistance. At the moment, it can take days for clinicians to get a lab result, which involves growing bacteria, but there is still some guess work involved. Our technique could reduce the use of multiple antibiotics to try and fight a bacterial infection." Dr Stefano Pagliara, Biophysicist in the Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter Dr Jehangir Cama, an industry research fellow at the Living Systems Institute, who performed the experimental work of this research, said: "Our next step is to further develop this exciting new method by combining it with more advanced microscopy techniques, to see where exactly the antibiotics go when they enter the bacteria." The team is now working on expanding the technique, by manipulating the fluorescent qualities of other forms of antibiotics so they can work in the same way. Further research in this area has been funded by QUEX, a partnership between the University of Exeter and The University of Queensland in Australia. The Queensland team, led by Dr Mark Blaskovich, Director of the Centre for Superbug Solutions at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, is developing fluorescent versions of other antibiotics so they can be tested in a similar manner. Blaskovich adds "I am enthused about the opportunities to improve our fundamental understanding of the interactions between antibiotics and bacteria and how this leads to antimicrobial resistance, by combining our novel antibiotic-derived probes with the cutting edge single cell analysis capabilities of the Exeter group". This work will be carried out in collaboration with Prof Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova, a mathematician at the University of Exeter. The combined teams are currently seeking a jointly-supervised PhD student, funded by a Queensland-Exeter (QUEX) PhD scholarship. Researchers at Center for BrainHealth, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, recently examined underlying brain networks in long-term cannabis users to identify patterns of brain connectivity when the users crave or have a desire to consume cannabis. While regional brain activation and static connectivity in response to cravings have been studied before, fluctuations in brain network connectivity had not yet been examined in cannabis users. The findings from this study will help support the development of better treatment strategies for cannabis dependence. The study was published in the journal of Human Brain Mapping (May 2020) by researchers Francesca Filbey, PhD, professor and director of cognitive neuroscience research of addictive disorders at Center for BrainHealth, Hye Bin Yoo, PhD and Blake Edward Moya. The findings add to the understanding that regions of the brain do not perform in isolation, but through connectivity of multiple brain networks that signal to each other depending on need and state. It further identifies that brain connectivity during craving is not static, but rather, has fluctuations in connection patterns between reward-related regions such as the central executive network and the nucleus accumbens, areas rich in dopamine. It also highlighted the need to better understand the impact of these dynamic patterns as it relates to cannabis use. Participants were examined with a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner for these findings. These findings further extend an earlier study published by Filbey et al in PNAS (August 2009), wherein the Filbey Lab described the first evidence of underlying neural mechanisms during cravings of cannabis users. The findings showed that chronic users not only have increased neural response in reward-related brain regions when there is a desire to consume cannabis, but that the magnitude of the response is associated with the severity of cannabis-related problems. Now that we have identified there are differences in large-scale brain network patterns in long-term cannabis users when there is craving, we can use these as biomarkers of cannabis use disorder to aid treatment strategies. Future studies are needed to determine how these brain network patterns might change over the course of treatment and recovery." Dr. Francesca Filbey, Professor and Director of Cognitive Neuroscience Research of Addictive Disorders at Center for BrainHealth A third of people with Parkinson's have experienced increased symptoms during lockdown, according to a survey by Lancaster University and the charity Parkinson's UK. The survey asked more than 2,000 people with Parkinson's and their family members, friends and carers about their experience of lockdown. Responses showed that: more than a third experienced either more slowness of movement or stiffness or fatigue more than a quarter experienced increased tremor or anxiety or sleep problems Around 10 per cent also reported an increase in hallucinations, which can be caused by a number of reasons but most usually from the side-effects of Parkinson's medication, especially when not well controlled. Parkinson's is a neurological condition causing muscle tremors, slowness of movement and muscle stiffness, and people with the condition may also experience anxiety and depression. It is known that stress can exacerbate both the movement symptoms and other difficulties, such as sleep, that can be associated with the condition There are around 145,000 people diagnosed with the condition in the UK, with more than one million people affected as family members, friends or colleagues. Professor Jane Simpson and Dr Fiona Eccles from Lancaster University analysed the survey findings which also revealed that: Around a third (34 percent) said reduced access to exercise had a big impact on their lives Around a third (34 percent) had appointments with their Parkinson's Nurse or consultant cancelled and more than half were not offered a phone or online appointment Of those who received social care and support at home before lockdown, almost half (48 percent) received less care during restrictions Many people with Parkinson's have an increased risk of severe illness if they get coronavirus and are in the clinically vulnerable category. While some people with Parkinson's are choosing to shield, they are not classed as extremely vulnerable and are therefore not eligible for the increased level of support. The survey found that as well as concerns about loneliness and isolation, people reported an increase in stress levels, particularly around access to food for those with advanced symptoms if there were no neighbours or family to help, and this stress exacerbated their physical symptoms. Coronavirus has also impacted on the mental health of the respondents. Measured with a validated scale, the average mental health and wellbeing score of people with Parkinson's responding to the survey was more than 5 points lower than the average score for the general population in non-lockdown times, with many saying they needed emotional support at this time. Beverley Lucas, 64, was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2014. She lives alone and prior to lockdown was in the process of moving house to be closer to her children. Beverley started to self-isolate on the 18th March. She said: "My Parkinson's symptoms have absolutely been flaring up in lockdown. I know from past experience that stress seems to accentuate reactions in my body, and my tremor has been much worse. "The problem is, I know that Parkinson's is a degenerative condition - so, in lockdown I try to stay calm and chalk my worsening symptoms up to stress, but it's impossible to know: Is it just my Parkinson's developing? "Living alone, I don't have anyone to bounce those thoughts off of, who can reassure me or say, 'Actually, you have seemed worse lately.' I don't have that second set of eyes on my condition. It's scary. "I feel more isolated than ever. As far back as early February, I started to worry about COVID and decided to stop dancing. I stopped swimming later that month. That's been very hard, because it's a social activity as well as a physical one. "When I dance, it takes me away from everything. I still love music and it's a wonderful mood booster for me. I'll have a little dance around the house, but the dancing I was doing was partner dancing - a mop or a chair just isn't the same. I'm a very social person, so that's been incredibly difficult. "As a person with Parkinson's, I'm not on the official NHS list of high risk individuals, but I am more vulnerable. I'm so fortunate to have a lady who lives up the street who has been getting shopping in for me. It's incredibly kind and means I'm not exposing myself more than I want to. "A big source of stress for me is what the 'new normal' will be after this, and what the risks for people with Parkinson's will be. Some people are saying COVID will become like the flu, something we all live with or get annual jabs for. But what does that mean for people with Parkinson's?" Increased caring responsibilities for family, friends and carers also had a negative impact. 68 per cent had taken on more caring responsibilities since the coronavirus restrictions started, 42 per cent said the restrictions were negatively affecting their mental health and 34 per cent their physical health. Professor Jane Simpson of Lancaster University said: We will be continuing this survey with the same questions to find out what effect the easing of lockdown restrictions has on the Parkinson's community. We are concerned that the changes people have had to make have been so severe and so disruptive of their usual, well-planned routines that it may be difficult for people to bounce back. Consequently, we are concerned about the long term effects of this period of lockdown. "We think the increase in symptoms is a result of lots of factors - lack of access to health professionals, loss of established regimes for medication, physical exercise and other social activities and the general stress that this period is causing." During the pandemic, Parkinson's UK has been adapting to reach their community in new ways, including moving exercise classes online, and providing up-to-date, tailored information for everyone affected by the condition. Katherine Crawford, Director of Services at Parkinson's UK, said: "Unfortunately these results show just how hard the Parkinson's community has been hit by the Corona crisis, both physically and emotionally. "We know that over a million people with Parkinson's, family members, friends and carers have needed Parkinson's UK more than ever during the pandemic. In response, we have boosted our helpline capacity, built the online Parkinson's community and made sure people who normally receive face-to-face support continue to do so in new ways. "As we start to move out of lockdown into a 'new normal', it is vital that we can continue to support everyone affected by Parkinson's, so together, we can move towards everyone with the condition feeling empowered to take back control of their life with Parkinson's." Treating male urethral stricture with the patients own buccal mucosal cells, encapsulated in a polymer scaffold as carrier, has been granted a patent in Japan. A longer duration of relief to patients who had recurrence of the disease after earlier conventional treatments, has been reported by this method called Bees-Haus (Buccal epithelium Expanded and Encapsulated in ScaffoldHybrid Approach to Urethral Stricture; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/iju.13852). Biomaterial research facility of JBM in Tokyo, where improvised scaffolds for regenerative medicine applications like Bees-haus, implants and medical devices are developed. (Photo: Business Wire) Male urethra, a tubular passage to let the urine out from urinary bladder, when affected with narrowing or stricture of the lumen, causes difficulty in voiding urine, urinary retention, and pain during micturition. Treatments include dilatation with balloon or urethrotomy under endoscopy at early stages and surgical urethroplasty under general anesthesia using patients autologous oral/buccal tissue graft in severe disease or long segment stricture. After surgery, for a while, patients pass urine through catheter drainage and complications such as stricture recurrence, urinary tract infection, impotence, sexual dysfunction, and incontinence, have been reported (Gallegos & Santucci F1000Res. 2016;5-2913 & Barbagli et al. European Urology Supplements 2016;15-1). Bees-Haus method of cell therapy could be performed in two-steps, both as day care procedure. A small bit of patients oral tissue is taken, cells cultured in lab, and transplanted through endoscopy. Very simple and convenient for urologist and relatively painless to patients with shorter hospital stay reducing healthcare cost and burden, because of lesser complications, making Bees-Haus easy to adopt. A larger multicentric study is under proposal by JBM Inc, to validate its efficacy to make this a routine procedure to benefit many patients with better quality of life. Urethral stricture disease occurs mainly in men and its incidence climbs sharply after 55 years in western population. An estimated 0.6% in susceptible populations are affected in which 4% of male patients require interventional procedure. Annually 200 million USD is spent in USA for urethral stricture treatment, which doesnt include cost of medication. The Americas hold the largest share in the global urethral stricture market, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. JBM has applied for patents worldwide including USA, EU, United Kingdom and are looking for country-wise partners for technology licensing out. JBM also established a biomaterial laboratory to develop novel scaffolds for various applications in regenerative medicine, implants, and medical devices in Tokyo. A clinical viscosity diagnostic instrument is proving to be valuable in the research and treatment of coronavirus after laboratory scientists have identified its ability to provide meaningful data for medical teams treating Covid-19 patients. Benson Viscometers designs and manufactures clinical viscometers to measure the viscosity (or thickness) of bodily fluids, notably blood plasma, serum, blood and synovial fluid. They are in use in UK NHS, Ireland and USA pathology laboratories. The clinical viscosity test measures the thickness or resistance to flow of biological fluids, enabling clinicians to identify where a patients viscosity values are not within the recognized normal range. The plasma viscosity test looks for abnormal concentrations of proteins in the blood plasma and is highly regarded as an important aid to diagnosis for a range of conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, myeloma and Waldenstrom macroglobuinaemia. Plasma hyperviscosity is a known risk-factor for thrombosis and can be caused by increased levels of plasma proteins, such as fibrinogen or immunoglobulins. The serum viscosity test is used to monitor patients and assess hyperviscosity syndrome including polycythemia, macroglobulinemia, multiple myeloma, and leukemia. Increased blood viscosity is an indicator for potential stroke and heart attack induced by a low flow of blood in the capillaries leading to an inadequate delivery of vital oxygen and nutrients to body tissues. Physicians in California are researching blood viscosity and its effects on cardiovascular disease. Clinical viscosity testing, particularly plasma and blood, has now been identified by scientists as important in monitoring critically ill Covid-19 patients. A paper in The Lancet on May 25 associated very high plasma viscosity in critically ill Covid-19 patients with thrombotic complications and abnormal blood coagulation. In Covid-19 patients a rise in plasma viscosity is due to an increased concentration of a clotting (coagulation) protein called fibrinogen. This raised level of fibrinogen increases the risk of a blood clot forming (thrombosis) and could explain why a large proportion of the deaths from Covid-19 are from thrombotic episodes and not from pulmonary disorders, which would be expected from a virus that infects the respiratory tract. Emory University researchers in Atlanta, Georgia, found that patients had substantially increased fibrinogen concentrations (an average of 708 mg/dL versus a normal reference range of 200-393 mg/dL). An article in Newsweek on May 28 further explored this study and the links between an increased abnormal plasma viscosity and Covid-19. Critically ill Covid-19 patients being given drugs to reduce the likelihood of unwanted clot formation, had plasma viscosity levels 95 percent higher than normal, and more than 25 percent had blood clot-related complications. The researchers also found a strong correlation between plasma viscosity levels and the severity of the patients illness, using the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score. This revealed substantially increased fibrinogen levels in the blood plasma. Several UK hospitals at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19, including Addenbrooke's Hospital Cambridge, University College London Hospital and St Thomas's in London, are currently conducting research to scientifically document the benefits of measuring plasma viscosity in Covid-19 patients. Research is being carried out to explore the potential for plasma viscosity results to aid early identification of Covid-19 patients who are likely to develop more severe symptoms. Some UK hospitals have reported that early indications show a statistical difference between the Covid and non-Covid groups and the plasma viscosity test is routinely being performed to monitor Covid-19 patients. We are in the process of establishing the diagnostic and prognostic value of measuring the plasma viscosity of patients, with a cohort of around 500 patients, following patients progress through the condition, regularly monitoring their plasma viscosity level. Daniel Gleghorn, a senior scientist at Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Paul Woods, a former pathology laboratory manager at Nobles Hospital in the Isle of Man, said: "Some laboratory tests are being utilized by the emergency department in relation to Covid-19 particularly d-dimer and ferritin. These tests are also being used to monitor patients who appear to be deteriorating and may be in need of more intensive care. The laboratory also facilitated plasma viscosity availability 24/7 in relevant Covid-19 cases, which is notable, given it is not normally an out of hours test." We are running plasma viscosity now to monitor inflammatory status in the following patient groups: Those with high risk TIA (transient ischaemic attack) commenced on DAPT (dual antiplatelet therapy) Those with treatment failure on antiplatelet therapy Those with high risk carotid/vertebral or intracranial stenosis. This is to ensure antiplatelet drug therapy efficacy. Deepak Singh, Head of Department, Haematosis, at Health Service Laboratories (a partnership between The Doctors Laboratory, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) Discussions are taking place with laboratories all around the world about how the role of routine plasma, blood and serum viscosity monitoring contributes to the understanding of Covid-19 progression. It is believed this will help to develop a more scientifically targeted treatment for patients producing improved recovery outcomes as a result. Benson Viscometers is the UK market leader for clinical viscometers. Their viscometers are considered safe to use with high risk samples and incorporate closed vial sampling in their operation. When laboratory staff are processing high risk samples, such as Covid-19, direct exposure to the biological fluid is minimized as the sample tube cap does not need to be removed for the sample to be tested. Clinical viscosity diagnostic tests are efficient as they can be carried out using the residue from the full blood count analysis. Plasma viscosity results are rapid, precise, and are not affected by variations such as gender, age, early pregnancy, or the presence of other conditions, such as anemia. An advantage of the plasma viscosity test is that it will continue to give clinically significant results up to 7 days after the sample has been taken. More importantly, the results are not altered or interfered with by the patient having taken medication such as high dose steroids, cytotoxic drugs and aspirin. The creator of the Benson clinical viscometers, Bernie Benson, said: "I am extremely excited and encouraged by the passion and enthusiasm of so many scientists around the world as they work together to determine an understanding of the mysteries of Covid-19. We have always believed that clinical viscosity testing, and plasma viscosity testing in particular, has so much more to offer our healthcare system. I am confident pathology laboratories will invest the time and energy in this research and find the significant breakthrough in outcomes for critically ill patients and that the world is now waking up to the huge value of this clinical viscosity testing in general." Researchers have shown that a variation in the viral genome of Covid-19 improved its ability to infect human cells and helped it become the dominant strain circulating around the world today. The study, published today in the journal Cell, shows the variation is more infectious in cell cultures under laboratory conditions. The variant, named 'D614G', makes a small but effective change in the 'spike' glycoprotein that protrudes from the surface of the virus, which it uses to enter and infect human cells. The D614G variant of Covid-19 quickly took over as the dominant strain soon after it first appeared, with geographic samples showing a significant shift in viral population from the original, to the new strain of the virus. Researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and Duke University in North Carolina, partnered with the University of Sheffield's Covid-19 Genomics UK research group to analyse genome samples published on GISAID, an international resource for sharing genome sequences among researchers worldwide. Dr Thushan de Silva, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Infectious Diseases at the University of Sheffield, led analysis of data from Sheffield. He said: "We have been sequencing SARS-CoV-2 strains in Sheffield since early in the pandemic and this allowed us to partner with our collaborators to show this mutation had become dominant in circulating strains." " The full peer-reviewed study published today confirms this, and also that the new D614G genome mutation variant is also more infectious under laboratory conditions." Data provided by our team in Sheffield suggested that the new strain was associated with higher viral loads in the upper respiratory tract of patients with Covid-19, meaning the virus's ability to infect people could be increased." Thushan de Silva, Senior Clinical Lecturer, University of Sheffield "Fortunately at this stage, it does not seem that viruses with D614G cause more severe disease." Dr Bette Korber, from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, was the lead author of the study. She said: "It is possible to track SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) evolution globally because researchers worldwide are rapidly making their viral sequence data available through the GISAID viral sequence database." "Currently tens of thousands of sequences are available through this project, and this enabled us to identify the emergence of a variant that has rapidly become the globally dominant form." New supporting experiments, more extensive sequencing and clinical data, and improved statistical models have been published today in full at Cell, however the researchers are keen to stress that further laboratory analysis in live cells needs to be done to determine the full implications of the mutation. "It's remarkable to me," commented Dr Will Fischer, from Los Alamos National Laboratory and an author on the study. "That this increase in infectivity was detected by careful observation of sequence data alone, and that our experimental colleagues could confirm it with live virus in such a short time." A decreasing proportion of Swedes think that the media's reporting on the coronavirus provides them with the information they need. Politicians who comment on the virus are perceived to be less in agreement than previously. These are the latest findings of a study being conducted by the Swedish non-profit organization VA (Public & Science). In collaboration with researchers from the Karolinska Institute and Sodertorn University, VA (Public & Science) is conducting a study of how people are receiving and interpreting information about the coronavirus and the ongoing pandemic. Here, we present the findings from the sixth wave of the survey, which was undertaken between 17-21 June 2020. Unchanged confidence in professional groups The Swedish public's confidence in various professional groups who comment on the coronavirus in the news media has remained largely unchanged since this was last measured at the end of May/beginning of June. Taking into consideration the six surveys that we have done to date, confidence in all professional groups is now back at around the same level as when the first survey was conducted in early March. In the second wave, in early April, we saw an overall increase in confidence, which then, during the month of May, has dropped back - first for journalists, then for politicians and lastly for government officials. When it comes to confidence in politicians who comment on the coronavirus, we see a clear polarization depending on which political party the respondents support. Supporters of the parties in government have a much greater confidence in politicians, compared to people who support the opposition parties. The proportion of Swedes that have fairly or very high confidence in politicians is greatest among supporters of the Social Democrats (46 percent) and supporters of the Centre Party and the Green Party respectively (both 43 percent). The lowest confidence can be seen among supporters of the Sweden Democrats (6 percent), Christian Democrats (10 percent) and the Moderates (16 percent). Reduced agreement among politicians Agreement among politicians has been perceived as steadily declining since the beginning of April, when we first asked the question. Now, four out of ten Swedes (40 percent) believe that politicians are fairly or very in agreement with each other when they talk about the coronavirus, compared to 64 percent in early April and 54 percent in mid-May. For other professional groups, no significant changes can be seen since this was last measured in May. Researchers are perceived to be less in agreement compared to the first survey in early April, but no significant difference can be seen between May and June. People with a higher education perceive researchers as less in agreement compared to people that don't have a higher education- Fewer believe the media provides the information they need Six out of ten (61 percent) feel, to a fairly or very large extent, that they receive the information they need about the coronavirus from the Swedish news media. This is a decrease of ten percentage points compared to when this was measured at the end of April. Men to a lesser extent than women consider that they receive the information they need (56 percent among men and 65 percent among women). Roughly half (52 percent) of Swedes, to a fairly or very large extent, perceive the news reporting to be transparent and, for example, publish the sources of statistics. On the other hand, almost one in five (18 percent) considers that reporting is transparent to a fairly or very small extent. These respondents are predominantly men and supporters of the Swedish Democrats. Just less than half of the Swedish public (45 percent) believes that the reporting accommodates different perspectives/points of view to a fairly or very large extent. Among Swedes who do not feel that different perspectives are accommodated, there is a greater proportion of men, supporters of the Christian Democrats and the Swedish Democrats, as well as people whose monthly salary is 42,000 SEK or more. Confidence in the media remains unchanged As seen in previous waves of the survey, Swedish Television (SVT) and Swedish Radio are the media in which citizens have the greatest confidence. Three out of four Swedes have fairly or very high confidence in the reporting on the coronavirus from SVT (75 percent) and Swedish Radio (74 percent). Almost half have fairly or very high confidence in the reporting from TV4 (47 percent), the newspaper Dagens Nyheter (46 percent), local morning newspapers (42 percent) and the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet (41 percent). Fewer have high confidence in the tabloids Aftonbladet (18 percent) and Expressen (14 percent). Twenty percent have high confidence in foreign media but international press also has the highest proportion of persons responding don't know (26 percent). We do not see any statistically significant changes in the level of confidence in different media compared to the previous survey conducted in early April. India is in talks with the US and Canada and the countries in European and Gulf regions on establishing individual bilateral bubbles which will allow airlines of each country in the pact to operate international flights, said Arvind Singh, Chairman, Airports Authority of India (AAI), on Thursday. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) had on June 23 said India is considering establishing "individual bilateral bubbles" with the US, the UK, Germany and France. Singh said, "This morning, I took a brief from the key point person (from the MOCA) who is negotiating with the countries, and he said that we are in constant touch. We are working on a consensus to restart the international flights. This is going to be through air bubbles." "Talks are mainly going on between India and the US, India and Canada, India and Europe and India and the Gulf countries to start flights in these bubbles," he said at a webinar called "Reposing the faith in flying" organised by the GMR group. Scheduled international passenger flights remain suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Singh said the MOCA official has informed him that the discussion with the countries is at a "very advanced" level and the effort is to restart international flights at the earliest. "I am sure there would be a positive outcome of the talks with the US, Canada and with the Gulf countries and the negotiations are going on," he noted. The EU has presently banned the flights from India as the number of coronavirus cases is rising in the country, Singh said. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had on June 20 said the government will start thinking on the resumption of scheduled international passenger flights in mid-July when it expects the domestic air traffic to reach 50-55 per cent of the levels before the coronavirus. After nearly two months of suspension to combat the coronavirus outbreak, the government resumed scheduled domestic passenger flights on May 25. However, it had then allowed the airlines to operate the maximum 33 per cent of their pre-COVID flights. The MOCA increased the limits on June 26 from 33 per cent to 45 per cent. The MOCA on June 23 had said, "As we contemplate further opening up in response to demands, we are looking at the prospect of establishing individual bilateral bubbles, India-US, India-France, India-Germany, India-UK. These are all destinations where demand for travel has not diminished. Final decisions pursuant to negotiations are expected to be taken soon." Also Watch: "We have received requests from authorities in several countries including the US, France, Germany among others requesting that their air carriers be allowed to participate in the transportation of passengers along the line being conducted by Air India under Vande Bharat Mission. These requests are being examined," it added. Air India started international chartered flights under the Vande Bharat Mission from May 6 to help people stranded due to the pandemic reach their destinations. The MOCA's June 23 statement had come after the US Department of Transport (DOT) said on June 22 that it appears that Air India may be using its passenger repatriation charter flights as a way of circumventing the government of India-imposed prohibition of all scheduled international services. "We are taking this action (of allowing only those Air India flights from July 22 that have DOT's approval) because the Government of India has impaired the operating rights of the US carriers and has engaged in discriminatory and restrictive practices with respect to the US carrier services to and from India," the DOT had said. The aviation regulator DGCA has said that it is extending the suspension of scheduled international passenger flights in the country till July 31. However, it added that some international scheduled services on selected routes may be permitted on a case to case basis. Scheduled international passenger flights were suspended in India on March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Modifying its June 26 circular that stated that scheduled international passenger flights will remain suspended till July 15, 2020, the regulator said on Friday it has decided to extend the deadline to July 31, 2020. "However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis," said the circular by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). India is in talks with the US, Canada and countries in the European and Gulf regions to establish "individual bilateral bubbles" which will allow airlines of each country in the pact to operate international flights, said Airports Authority of India chairperson Arvind Singh on Thursday. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) said on June 23 that India is considering establishing "individual bilateral bubbles" with the US, the UK, Germany and France. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on June 20 that the government will start thinking on the resumption of scheduled international passenger flights in mid-July when it expects the domestic air traffic to reach 50-55 per cent of the levels before the coronavirus. After nearly two months of suspension to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the government resumed scheduled domestic passenger flights on May 25. However, it had allowed airlines to operate a maximum of 33 per cent of their pre-COVID flights. The MOCA increased the limits on June 26 from 33 per cent to 45 per cent. Also Watch: Air India and other private domestic airlines have been operating unscheduled international repatriation flights under the Vande Bharat Mission, which was started on May 6 by the Central government. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had on June 20 said the government will start thinking on the resumption of scheduled international passenger flights in mid-July when it expects the domestic air traffic to reach 50-55 per cent of the levels before the coronavirus. The government recently permitted airlines in India to increase their number of domestic passenger flights to 45 per cent of their pre-COVID capacity, according to an official order. The airlines were earlier operating at 1/3rd the capacity after resumption of scheduled domestic flight services in India. The Ministry of Civil Aviation had restarted domestic passenger services from May 25, after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown. Modifying its previous order of May 21 where it had put the limit on the number of domestic flights, the ministry issued an order on Friday stating that, "One Third (1/3) capacity may be read as 45 per cent capacity." International flights were banned from operating in India as government announced lockdown starting March 23, 2020. However, non-scheduled international flights were operated under Mission Vande Bharat to repatriate Indians stuck abroad. As the Mission Vande Bharat reaches phase 4 of operation that is scheduled from July 3 to July 31, speculations are that government, instead of entering 5th phase of VBM, will restart international flights with capped capacity and under bilateral agreement with various countries. India is in talks with the US and Canada and the countries in European and Gulf regions on establishing individual bilateral bubbles which will allow airlines of each country in the pact to operate international flights, said Arvind Singh, Chairman, Airports Authority of India (AAI). The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) had on June 23 said India is considering establishing "individual bilateral bubbles" with the US, the UK, Germany and France. Singh said, "This morning, I took a brief from the key point person (from the MOCA) who is negotiating with the countries, and he said that we are in constant touch. We are working on a consensus to restart the international flights. This is going to be through air bubbles." "Talks are mainly going on between India and the US, India and Canada, India and Europe and India and the Gulf countries to start flights in these bubbles," he said at a webinar called "Reposing the faith in flying" organised by the GMR group. With Inputs fro PTI The Japanese government on Friday unveiled a draft growth strategy that promotes cashless payments and diverse workstyles, responding to the needs of the post-coronavirus era. One pillar of the strategy is to cut long-fixed interbank transfer fees, seen as a bottleneck for businesses to use cashless transactions. Interbank transfer fees have not changed for four decades in Japan, according to the government. Reduced fees between banks would translate into lower costs for businesses that use cashless settlements. The government has used a point-based rebate system to encourage consumers to use cashless payments, partly to mitigate the negative impact of a consumption tax hike from 8 percent to 10 percent last October before the coronavirus crisis deepened. "We will take appropriate steps swiftly," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said during a meeting of a government panel tasked with drawing up the strategy. After details are worked out, the draft plan is expected to be approved by the Cabinet in mid-July. To help provide diverse workstyles such as teleworking and working multiple jobs, the government also plans to make it easier for companies to know what their employees do. Customs preventive officials here are investigating 18 cases of commercial frauds, booked during the COVID-induced lockdown period, involving goods worth Rs 170 crore being exported to Pakistan, UAE and African nations among others, officials said on Friday. They said the consignments are under investigation for alleged over-valuation and mis-declaration of goods. The officials said specific interventions have been made during the lockdown period through booking commercial fraud cases in exports to safeguard government revenue by preventing its leakage. "Around 18 such cases are being investigated covering goods valued at around Rs 170 crore," a senior customs preventive official said. Explaining the modus operandi, the official said "fly-by-night" operators (who export or import goods once and then vanish) are found to be engaged in these commercial frauds which are part of trade-based money laundering. These operators register their companies in congested areas like Seelampur and Uttam Nagar in Delhi to get into illegal export in order to avoid their easy tracing by the customs authorities, he said. The goods being exported through these consignments under probe by the customs preventive officials were mainly ready-made garments and automobile parts, the official said. In all these cases, the consignments were destined for Karachi (Pakistan), Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and different African countries, the officials said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on March 24 announced a nationwide lockdown in an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease. Giving details of action taken by the customs (preventive) Delhi commissionerate, the officials said revenue of Rs 143 crore was garnered during financial year 2019-20, which was 116 per cent more than Rs 66 crore earned during 2018-19. Of these Rs 143 crore, Rs 45 crore was through preventive action, i.e. by checking cases of outright smuggling of gold, import frauds and undervaluation of goods among others, the officials said. Further, revenue of over Rs 8 crore has been garnered by Delhi customs preventive commissionerate, by way of preventive activities during April-June, 2020, they said. Mentioning cases booked by the customs preventive officials during the lockdown, the officials said three cases of drug seizures were made last month and a juvenile was apprehended for his involvement. The drugs, being illegally brought in from the US, were worth more than Rs 50 lakh. In addition to this, the department had also seized 1.7 kg of cocaine in two cases booked during December and January this year, they said. The officials said seized around 69 lakh sticks of foreign-origin cigarettes, valued at around Rs 9.87 crore, was effected during the financial year 2019-20 from Foreign Post Office and railway stations among others. Further, 4,835 kgs of seized cigarettes of foreign-origin, valued at Rs 2.28 crore, were destructed in the last financial year, they said. The officials said disposal of valuable seized goods resulted into realisation of Rs 61.37 crore of revenue during 2019-20. Besides this, foreign currency worth Rs 3.86 crore, which was seized in smuggling cases, was deposited with the State Bank of India (SBI). Seeking intervention of the commerce ministry, exporters on Friday raised serious concerns over halting of consignments at the West Bengal-Bangladesh land border saying if the stalemate continues, it would impact bilateral trade. The issue was raised by Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President S K Saraf in a meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal through video-conferencing. All the export promotion councils participated in the deliberations through video-conferencing. After the meeting, Saraf said that as the West Bengal government is demanding that truck drivers coming from Bangladesh have to undergo a 14-day quarantine, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, before entering the state with goods, consignments are halted at land borders. "Due to this, import consignments are stuck at India-Bangladesh border ports at Petrapole and Ghojadanga (India) and Benapole and Bhomra (Bangladesh) ports. We have requested the minister to take up the matter and resolve it as early as possible. Due to this, Bangladesh too have stopped our consignments. Bangladesh is our key trading partner and such move would impact relations," he told PTI. FIEO Director General Ajay Sahai said trade was hindered at the land borders since the lockdown was started due to the COVID-19 pandemic despite the fact that the central government earmarking port and port-related activities and movement of goods to and from ports through CFS (container freight stations)/ICD (inland container depot) under essential category with adequate health safety protocols in place. He said that cross border trade with Bangladesh through the land borders/ports in West Bengal remained a major and serious bone of contention for the trading fraternity and other stakeholders in the state and other parts of the country. After relentless persuasion by FIEO, he said exports and imports finally resumed at these land ports from June onwards as per orders issued by the district administration. "Though, the Petrapole-Benapole and the Ghojadanga-Bhomra international land borders continue to stay as exceptions with not a single Bangladesh truck, vehicles entering Indian territory for completion of imports. "The situation at the ground has worsened over the last couple of days since the Kalitala Parking authorities at Bongaon, which is near the Petrapole border has completely stopped allowing entry of new export trucks with current date of registration," Sahai said. Currently, around 500 and 550 trucks and tankers, including perishable items, are waiting at the Benapole and Bhomra borders, respectively, he said adding that if such a cross-border stalemate continues, it will impact bilateral trade relations between India and Bangladesh with traders on either side encountering the same disastrous fate. Apart from the loss of jobs, livelihood, it implies failures on the part of the Indian exporters and importers to abide by their international trade obligations and significant loss of markets for Indian exporters to other major South Asian countries, Sahai said. The bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh has increased to USD 10.25 billion in 2018-19 from USD 9.3 billion in the previous year. About 60 per cent of exports and imports between the two countries take place through the land routes. India's major export commodities to Bangladesh include raw cotton; cotton yarns, fabrics; iron and steel; petroleum products; auto and vehicle components; spices. While the major items imported by India include ready made garments; vegetable oils; raw jute; jute yarns; inorganic chemicals. This issue has cropped up at a time when the trader community faces similar issues at ports for containers coming from China. According to the FIEO president, now the issue has been resolved and customs authorities are clearing the consignments at a faster pace. In a heartwrenching incident, a pet dog in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, jumped from a fourth-floor window and died after it found that the woman who had raised him had passed away. The woman, Dr Anita Raj Singh, had rescued the dog from a road 12 years ago, as per a report in Times of India. The abandoned puppy was in a nasty condition and infested with maggots. A resident of Malikpuram, Dr Singh reared the dog back to health, adopted it and named it Jaya. As per the report, Dr Singh had been fighting a kidney ailment and had been receiving treatment for it for a few days at a local city hospital. She had also been admitted a local city hospital for treatment where she passed away on Wednesday. As soon as the doctor's body was brought back home, Jaya started frantically barking, Dr Singh's son Tejas told TOI. The dog had not been eating well ever since had been hospitalised. Watching her body being brought back home, the dog seemingly could not take it and jumped from the fourth floor to its death. This is not the first time that a dog passed away following the death of its human. In 2019, a French bulldog by the name of Nero in died within 15 minutes after his young owner, Stuart Hutchison, lost his life to brain cancer in Scotland. Early on Friday morning, ace Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan, fondly known as Masterji, passed away. She was 71. She died after suffering a cardiac arrest in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra, Mumbai. She is survived by her husband B Sohanlal and three kids, 2 daughters and a son. Her last rites will be performed at Malvani in Malad later in the day Earlier, on June 20, Khan was rushed to Guru Nanak Hospital after she complained of breathing problems. She was later discharged after she was kept under observation and was doing fine. She also tested negative for Covid-19 when she was admitted to the hospital. Now, we hear the sad news of her passing. In a career spanning over four decades, Khan is credited with choreographing more than 2,000 songs. Khan shot to fame in the late eighties, choreographing Sridevi superhits such as Main Naagin Tu Sapera (Nagina) and Hawaa Hawaai (Mr India). The three-time National Award winner has choreographed for some of the most memorable tracks, including Dola Re Dola from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas, Ek Do Teen from Madhuri Dixit-starrer Tezaab and Ye Ishq Haaye from Jab We Met in 2007. As news of her demise broke, many Netizens remembered the ace choreographer fondly for being the woman behind some of Bollywood's most iconic dance numbers. #SarojKhan ji who played a huge part in moulding some of the most iconic dance numbers of bollywood and the name behind many stars spectacular stardom is no more ..may her soul rest in peace #RIPSarojKhan pic.twitter.com/Emd7rFyH8f Drspeaks (@being_eyedolls) July 3, 2020 Even after leaving us devastated and heartbroken, she'll be still alive in our lives through dance. Its like the end of an era. Rest in peace gorgeous soul. #SarojKhan pic.twitter.com/vYX12kTj3Q Chelsy Parmar (@chelsy_parmar) July 3, 2020 Bollywood loses one more gem. Ace choreographer Saroj Khan breathed her last in the wee hours of morning due to cardiac arrest. She was admitted to the hospital due to breathing difficulties. Sarojji last choreographed @MadhuriDixit in the movie Kalank. RIP Mam #SarojKhan pic.twitter.com/96qOnPVrdy Shubham Mishra (@itsshubham07) July 3, 2020 Can we cancel 2020? Legendary choreographer #SarojKhan passes away. Ek Do Teen, Dhak Dhak Karne Laga, Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai, Nimbooda, Barso Re And the most Iconic #DolaRe A huge loss of a creative mind that contributed so much with her art form. RIP pic.twitter.com/WQtucYLLBV ANMOL JAMWAL (@jammypants4) July 3, 2020 #SarojKhan ji was the one of the most talented and magical choreographer in history. Rest in peace pic.twitter.com/fy4NZgFkEL Anjali Bhardwaj (@bhardwajdharini) July 3, 2020 While it would be unfair to say she was wholly responsible I think everyone would agree that she played a huge part in moulding Madhuri Dixit's most iconic songs that in turn shot her stardom more earlier and more spectacular than otherwise. #SarojKhan pic.twitter.com/V1XRgf3HMK FreudWithBenefits (@cityslicker20) July 3, 2020 End of an Era, true pioneer of Indian Choreography!! RIP #SarojKhan pic.twitter.com/eenTVUB5QU Meera45 (@immeera45) July 3, 2020 #SarojKhan Being somewhat into Dancing I can say that the contribution she has given to Bollywood Industry is priceless.#RIP #2020worstyear pic.twitter.com/gUiflN0yop Mr. Critic (@ChiragAmritkar) July 3, 2020 Lately, Khan had been selective with signing new projects. Her recent works include choreographing Kangana Ranaut in Manikarnika last year and Tanu Weds Manu Returns in 2015. She last choreographed for Tabaah Hogaye, featuring Madhuri from filmmaker Karan Johar's production Kalank in 2019. In an unfortunate incident, a white hotel employee called police after she saw a black woman along with her children using the pool in the hotel premises. According to a report published on CNN, Missy Williams-Wright, her 11-year-old son, and 7-year-old daughter were staying at the Hampton Inn in Williamston, North Carolina, where this incident took place. As per the police, the employee of the hotel had called them to complain about trespassing. The hotel, however, told CNN, Hilton has zero-tolerance for racism or discrimination of any kind. Through our extensive Diversity & Inclusion training program, we have made diversity and unconscious bias training mandatory for Team Members at all properties and corporate offices globally. Further, the hotel has also claimed that the employee is no longer associated with them. Vimal Kolappa, CEO, Washington Hospitality, LLC and Owner, Hampton Inn by Hilton Williamston said that the hotel does involve police in case it is unable to verify or confirm an individual as a guest. He also mentioned that this practice of the hotel could have possibly caused the situation to escalate. What he has confirmed, is that the hotel is working with the concerned guest and will be sorting this out. Missy Williams-Wright has also shared her ordeal on social media. She recorded a live video on Facebook in which one can see her accuse the employee of racial discrimination. In the video she has asked repeatedly, "What did I do wrong"? Till now, her live video has been viewed over a million times on Facebook and netizens are more than furious on the hotel staff for doing such an act. Members of a Canadian sparrow species famous for their jaunty signature song are changing their tune, a curious example of a "viral phenomenon" in the animal kingdom, a study showed Thursday. Bird enthusiasts first recorded the white-throated sparrow's original song, with its distinctive triplet hook, in the 1950s. Canadians even invented lyrics to accompany the ditty: "Oh my sweet, Ca-na-da, Ca-na-da, Ca-na-da." But starting from the late 20th century, biologists began noticing that members of the species in western Canada were innovating. Instead of a triplet, the new song ended in a doublet and a new syncopation pattern. The new ending sounded like "Ca-na, Ca-na, Ca-na." Over the course of the next two decades, this new cadence became a big hit, moving eastward and conquering Alberta, then Ontario. It began entering Quebec last year. It's now the dominant version across more than 2,000 miles (3,000 kilometers) of territory, in an extremely rare example of the total replacement of historic bird dialect by another. Scientist Ken Otter at the University of Northern British Columbia, and his colleague Scott Ramsay from Wilfrid Laurier University, described the dizzying pace of this transformation in the journal Current Biology. "What we're seeing is like somebody moving from Quebec to Paris, and all the people around them saying, 'Wow, that's a cool accent' and start adopting a Quebec accent," Otter told AFP. Their work was based on 1,785 recordings between 2000 and 2019, the majority made by them but with contributions from citizen-scientists, who posted the files on specialist sites like xeno-canto.org. In the western province of Alberta, about half of the recorded songs ended with the triplet in 2004; ten years later, all the males had adopted the doublet. In 2015, half of western Canada had converted to the doublet version, and by last year, the new song had been well established on the western tip of eastern Quebec province. At this rate, the historic triplet version may soon exist only in tape recordings. Bird influencers The males of the species sing to mark their territory, and their songs all share a common structure. Usually, if a variation appears, it remains regional and doesn't make headway in neighboring territories. The study represents the first time scientists have been able to show this kind spread at huge geographic scale, said Otter. So how did it happen? Probably in the same way that children return from summer camp humming new tunes: songbirds from different parts of Canada winter in the same parts of the United States, then return to their own homes in spring. The researchers verified this theory by tagging a few of the birds. So it was that in the plains of Texas and Kansas, the new song's first adopters from western Canada -- avian influencers, if you will -- popularized the trend among their eastern brethren. Previous work has shown that young birds can pick up a foreign song after listening to a recording. But to truly understand why the males were willing to abandon the old song that had once served them well, the scientists have to rely on theories. Otter believes it may be because females were more attracted to the new song, so young males rushed to adopt it. "There seems to be some advantage to adding novel elements into your song that make the song, not necessarily more attractive, but increases people's attention to it," said Otter. Going back to the human example, it would be akin to "if all the French women in Paris thought that a Quebec accent sounded much more interesting than a Parisian accent, and so everybody starts adopting a Quebec accent." The hypothesis remains unverified. Eight Uttar Pradesh police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were shot dead by the members of a gang in Kanpur on Friday. At least seven others, including a civilian, were also injured in the incident. The police team was ambushed around 1 am on Friday when they had gone to raid a house in search of notorious gangster Vikas Dubey, after an attempt to murder case was filed against him. Dubey has over 60 cases against him, including a murder charge for the killing of Santosh Shukla, a former UP minister in the Rajnath Singh government, inside a police station in 2001. As the police party reached the Bikru village under Kanpur Dehat's Shivli Police Station area to make the arrest, at least eight to 10 criminals opened indiscriminate fire from the rooftops. DSP Devendra Mishra, Shivrajpur Station Officer Mahesh Yadav, a sub-inspector and five constables were killed in the attack. Giving details of the incident, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police HC Awasthi said the notorious criminal might have got an inkling of the impending raid. He and his henchmen put up massive roadblocks to prevent the police from proceeding towards their hideout. As the police team was caught unawares, the criminals rained bullets at them from a building rooftop leading to the deaths, Awasthi said. "Eight police personnel died, four were injured. They are being treated at the hospital. Police from neighbouring districts Kannauj and Kanpur Dehat have also been called," Kanpur ADG JN Singh said, adding that a combing operation is underway. A source said AK-47 cartridges were recovered from the spot, though police are yet to confirm whether the assault rifle was used by the gang. Speaking to News18, ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said, "Investigation is underway and nothing can be confirmed at the moment. It seems the criminals used a semi-automatic weapon. Police also resorted to retaliatory fire. So at the moment, it can't be confirmed whether an AK-47 was used by the criminals." The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Inspector General of Police have reached the spot and forensics teams carried out an examination of the area. The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh police has also been pressed into action, the DGP said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tributes to the slain policemen and conveyed condolence to their family members. According to a spokesperson, he directed the police chief to take stringent action against the culprits and collect detailed report from the spot. As the total Covid-19 case count in India surpassed the 6.25 lakh-mark on Friday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) set an ambitious launch date of August 15 for the public use of the Coronavirus vaccine being developed in partnership with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech. ICMR sources have confirmed the authenticity of the letter, but say it was only meant for internal communication. Bharat Biotech has refused to comment on the letter. The date set for the launch of the vaccine is just a month and a half away. It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15th August 2020 after completion of all clinical trials. BBIL is working expeditiously to meet the target, however, final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project," a letter by ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava, accessed by News18, said. Globally, more than 150 potential vaccines across several categories are under development with some of them already in the second and third phases of clinical trials. Vaccine development takes time. It is a long process that involves research, extensive trials, and manufacturing all with high chances of failure and sometimes spans over decades. But with an urgent need to fight against the novel coronavirus, these timelines have been compressed in order to provide a vaccine by early next year. A majority of the vaccines in use today were developed over the last century. Some of them took several years to come into existence to tackle critical public health crises while some are still under development decades after the research first began. News18 studied the time it took to develop some of the major vaccines around the world. Polio The poliovirus was first identified in 1908 by Karl Landsteiner and Erwin Popper. After a few epidemic-grade outbreaks in the late 19th century, the contagious nature of poliovirus was discovered at the beginning of the 20th century even as polio outbreaks became more severe and frequent. Two separate early attempts at developing a vaccine for polio met disastrous ends in 1935 with several subjects involved in the trials losing their lives while many others were paralysed, made ill, or suffered allergic reactions to the vaccines. In 1949, almost two decades after it was proposed that there was more than one type of poliovirus, two researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine published a paper identifying three types of poliovirus, an important breakthrough for the purpose vaccine development. In 1952, the same year when the United States reported more than 57,000 cases of polio, American virologist Jonas Salk began initial human trials of the first inactivated (killed virus) polio vaccine (IPV). The trials were encouraging and it found that recipients produced antibodies to the virus type in the vaccine they were given. Field tests of Salks polio vaccine were approved and held in April 1954 where 1.3 million children participated in it. The results, which found that the vaccine was 80-90 per cent effective against paralytic polio, were announced a year later and the vaccine was licensed and approved for widespread use. However, a controversy erupted when thousands of vaccinated children developed paralytic polio and the vaccination campaign had to be suspended. It was later found out that it was due to a defective vaccine developed by a particular laboratory. Another live-attenuated vaccine developed by Polish-American medical researcher Albert Sabin, which produced a faster response than Salks IPV, was later licensed in 1960. Salks IPV was phased out by the late 1960s only to make a comeback in the 1990s with an improved version. Ebola The virus was first identified in 1976. The same year, two related strains of the virus were found Ebola Zaire and Ebola Sudan. Three other strains are now known to exist. Vaccine development first began in the late 1970s. Since the outbreaks were rare and had been controlled quickly, commercial vaccine manufacturers demonstrated little urgency in advancing vaccines through clinical trials. However, the process had to be fast-tracked in 2014 after the West Africa outbreak. The World Health Organisation termed the outbreak as a global health emergency in August 2014. Presently, there is no licensed vaccine for Ebola but "an investigational vaccine called rVSV-ZEBOV, which has shown to be safe and protective against the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus, is recommended by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) for use in Ebola outbreaks caused by the Zaire strain of the virus, in the event where there is no licensed vaccine." Even the Ervebo vaccine (the common name for rVSV-ZEBOV), developed by Merck, came into existence after many years of research and some fortunate breakthroughs spanning over more than a decade. It was also tested during the West African outbreak. HIV The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) was identified as the cause of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) in 1984. At the time, the US Department of Health and Human Services had said that a vaccine would be available for testing within two years. Initial clinical trials for the vaccine began in 1987 at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Yet, more than three decades and several different trials later, a safe and truly effective vaccine is not available for HIV and there are a bunch of reasons behind this. The issues range from lack of immune system response to the virus to the inability of using a killed or weakened HIV virus, which is the most often used approach for vaccine development, for the process. A successful HIV vaccine may take more time and may not be available until 2020 or later. Measles Measles virus was first isolated by American physician Thomas Peebles on February 8, 1954, at a Boston lab headed by Nobel Laureate John Enders. Four years later, the first vaccine was tested. While each of the 11 vaccinated children developed antibodies, all but two children also developed a mild rash and measles-like symptoms. In 1960, researchers again tested the vaccine on 23 children at a New York school and once again, it caused too many side effects. However, in a measles outbreak at the school six weeks later, none of the vaccinated children caught the disease. Witnessing the side-effects, "doctors at Merck Sharp & Dohme laboratories worked with Enderss Edmonston measles strain, hoping to develop a killed-virus vaccine that would result in fewer side effects than the live vaccine. Unfortunately, the study found no evidence that the killed-virus vaccine could offer protection against measles." Eventually, in 1963, John Enders and his team, after proving its safety and efficiency, declared that their vaccine was capable of preventing the infection. The vaccine was licensed the same year for widespread use. A Mumps vaccine was licensed in 1967 while a vaccine Rubella was licensed a year later. Thus, building on the three studies, a combined trivalent measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, developed by Merck, was licensed by the US government in 1971. A 44-year-old labourer was allegedly beaten to death by the medical staff of a private hospital following an argument over paying Rs 4,000 bill in Uttar Pradeshs Aligarh on Thursday. The victim was identified as Sultan Khan, who was attacked on the city's Quarsi bypass. Accompanied by his nephew Chaman, Khan had come to the hospital to get himself treated as he was facing difficulty in urinating from the past few days. The brazen attack was caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera installed nearby, reported The Times of India. We had asked for the treatment cost, to which hospital authorities said they would let us know only after an ultrasound was done. But without conducting an ultrasound, they charged us Rs 5,000 for medicines- which we paid, Chaman narrated. Hours later, the hospital authorities informed them that Rs 4,000-Rs 5,000 will be charged for hospital bed per day. We were unable to pay the amount, so we asked the authorities to discharge him. However, while leaving the hospital, a staff member followed us and demanded Rs 4,000 hospital charges, Chaman said. My uncles condition wasnt good, so I pleaded with the staffers to let us go, but they began thrashing my uncle, he added. Denying the allegation, Dr Danish Ali of the hospital management stated, that the patient did not pay Rs 2,000 hospital charges when the staffers demanded the pending amount. The patient then attacked the hospital staff. However, the CCTV footage revealed, following a brief argument with the patient's relative, the hospital staff member went inside the premises and came out with other colleagues armed with sticks. They were seen mercilessly attacking khan with sticks after which he succumbed to injuries. No FIR has been lodged as of now, we are probing the case, said Inspector Chote Lal, Kwarsi Police Station. However, no FIR has been lodged in the case as of now. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday met the family members of doctor Aseem Gupta who died fighting COVID-19 and handed over a cheque of Rs 1 crore as an ex-gratia to them. The chief minister termed late Gupta as a "people's doctor' and said it was a duty of the government to support the families of those people who sacrificed their lives for others. "Met with the family of Late Dr Aseem Gupta ji who lost his life to Corona. We cannot do anything to bring back the "People's Doctor", but it is our duty to support families of those who lay down their lives for us. An ex-gratia of ?1 crore was given to the family today," Kejriwal tweeted. Met with the family of Late Dr Aseem Gupta ji who lost his life to Corona.We cannot do anything to bring back the "People's Doctor", but it is our duty to support families of those who lay down their lives for us.An ex gratia of 1 crore was given to the family today. pic.twitter.com/YlYCKZ9siy Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 3, 2020 The ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore is being given by the Delhi government to all its employees who succumb to coronavirus while discharging their duties as frontline warriors in the fight against the pandemic. Gupta, a consultant anaesthesiologist at the state-run LNJP hospital, had contracted COVID-19 while on duty. He tested positive on June 6 when he had mild symptoms and was shifted to a quarantine facility. His symptoms aggravated on June 7 and he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the LNJP hospital. Later he succumbed to the virus at Max Smart Hospital in Saket in south Delhi. The 52-year-old doctor was remembered for going out of his way to serve his patients. The United States has said over N16bn ($41.3m) has been donated to assist Nigerias fight against the coronavirus pandemic. This was con... This was contained in a statement by the US Department of State on Thursday.The statement partly read, More than $41.3 million in assistance, which includes more than $3.3 million for health assistance and $34 million in IDA humanitarian funding for risk-communications, water and sanitation, infection-prevention, coordination, and emergency food assistance; and nearly $4.1 million in MRA humanitarian assistance for vulnerable people.This assistance joins more than $8.1 billion in total assistance for Nigeria over the past 20 years, including more than $5.2 billion for health.The US said over $12.5bn has been allocated globally in COVID-19 response, including commitments for the development of vaccines and therapeutics, amongst others.We are achieving real results, helping nations around the world respond to COVID-19 and thereby protecting the homeland. We continue to ensure that the substantial U.S. funding and scientific efforts on this front remain a central and coordinated part of the worldwide effort against the disease, it added. After Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, another potential COVID-19 vaccine indigenously developed by Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd got nod from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Thursday for human clinical trials, government sources said. The approval process was fast-tracked following recommendation by the subject expert committee on COVID-19, considering the emergency and unmet medical need during the pandemic. "DCGI Dr V G Somani has given approval for the phase I and II clinical trials (on humans) of the potential novel coronavirus vaccine developed by Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd on Thursday after its animal studies was found to be successful," a official source in the know of the developments told PTI. The assent for human trials was given after the company submitted data of clinical trial on animals to the DCGI, in which the vaccine candidate was found to be successful with respect to safety and immunogenicity, sources said. The company is likely to start enrolment of subjects soon. "The phase I and II trials will take around three months to be completed," the source said. A couple of days earlier, the country's 'first' indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin, developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indican Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology (NIV), had got the nod for human clinical trials from the DCGI. India's COVID-19 tally rose to 6,04,641 on Thursday with a single-day increase of 19,148 cases, just five days after it crossed the five-lakh mark, while the death toll rose to 17,834 with 434 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry. The Centre has moved the Supreme Court seeking closure of judicial proceedings against two Italian marines' accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast, saying it has accepted the recent ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at the Hague which held that India is entitled to get compensation in the case but can't prosecute the marines due to official immunity enjoyed by them. In February 2012, India had accused two Italian marines, Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre, on board the MV Enrica Lexie -- an Italian flagged oil tanker -- of killing two Indian fishermen who were on a fishing. In its application filed in the pending case, the Centre told the top court, "The applicant states and submits that the Republic of India has taken a decision to accept and abide by the Award passed by the said tribunal which would have the bearing on the continuance of present proceedings before this Court." The Centre said that the arbitration under United Nation Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS), which was instituted on a request from the Republic of Italy has delivered its Award on May 21, 2020. It said that the tribunal upheld the conduct of Indian authorities with respect to the incident and highlighted the material and moral harm suffered by the Indian fishermen on board the St. Antony on February 15, 2012. "It held that the actions of the Italian Marines breached India's freedom and right of navigation under UNCLOS Article 87(1)(a) and 90," the application said, adding, as argued by India, the tribunal observed that, in principle, India and Italy had concurrent jurisdiction over the incident and a valid legal basis to institute criminal proceedings against the Marines. The Centre said "However, it found that the immunities enjoyed by the Marines operate as an exception to the jurisdiction of the Indian courts and, hence, preclude India from exercising its jurisdiction over the Marines. The tribunal also rejected Italy's claim to compensation for the detention of the Marines." It said that the tribunal took note of the commitment expressed by Italy to resume its criminal investigation into the events of February 15, 2012 and decided that India must take necessary steps to cease to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over the marines. The tribunal decided that India is entitled to payment of compensation in connection with loss of life, physical harm, material damage to property and moral harm suffered by the captain and other crew members of "St. Antony". The tribunal also held that the Parties are invited to consult with each other with a view to reaching agreement on the amount of compensation due to India, the Centre said in its application. The Centre said that the tribunal also decided that it shall retain jurisdiction should either Party or both Parties wish to apply for a ruling from the Arbitral Tribunal in respect of the quantification of compensation due to India, and that, should no such application be received within one year after the date of the present Award, the proceedings shall be closed. "India being a Party to the UNCLOS, in accordance with the provisions of the UNCLOS and the Rules of Procedure agreed by the Parties, the Award is final and without appeal and shall be complied with by the parties to the dispute (Article 11, Annex VII, UNCLOS)," it added. The Centre placed the award on record with a prayer that the proceedings with regard to the incident dated February 15, 2012 be disposed of in conformity with the Award passed by the aforesaid tribunal on May 21, 2020. It sought disposal of the pending case before the top court in conformity with the award dated May 21, 2020. Latorre, who had suffered a brain stroke on August 31, 2014, was first granted bail and allowed by the apex court on September 12, 2014 to go to Italy for four months and after that, extensions for his stay have been granted to him. In Italy, Latorre had to undergo a heart surgery after which the top court had granted him extension of his stay in his native country. On September 28, 2016, the apex court had allowed Latorre to remain in his country till the international arbitral tribunal decided the jurisdictional issue. On May 26, 2016, Girone was also granted bail with conditions and allowed by the top court to go to his country till the jurisdictional issue was decided. The complaint against the marines was lodged by Freddy, the owner of fishing boat 'St Antony' in which the two Kerala fishermen were killed when the marines opened fire on them allegedly under the misconception that they were pirates. The top court was earlier informed by the Centre that the international arbitral proceedings would be completed by December 2018 before the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Germany. The apex court had earlier stayed all criminal proceedings, including the trial of the two marines. While allowing the joint request of India and Italy, the apex court had said the proceedings would remain stalled till the jurisdictional issue about which country has the right to conduct trial was decided through international arbitration. The Patna district administration registered an FIR against Ambika Chaudhary, the father of the groom, who passed away due to Covid-19 two days after his wedding in Bihar. More than 100 attendees contracted the infection as guests threw caution to the wind by flouting social distancing rules and not wearing masks. A total of 113 guests tested positive for Covid-19. The wedding was held in rural Patna's Deehpali village on June 15. The groom, who was running a high fever and wanted the ceremony to be deferred, gave in after the insistence of his relatives. However, his condition deteriorated two days after his wedding and he succumbed while being taken to AIIMS, Patna. The kin of the deceased man performed the last rites before the Patna administration was intimated. Subsequently, Patna district administration conducted coronavirus tests on all those who had attended the wedding function. Results revealed that 113 guests had tested positive for the infection. As a measure to check the spread of the disease, a special camp was established at the village where the marriage was held on June 24-26 during which samples of 364 people were taken, according to news agency PTI. The sudden explosion of novel coronavirus caused panic in the locality. Patna District Magistrate Kumar Ravi initiated an inquiry into the incident by the sub-divisional magistrate of Paliganj whose report indicated that the groom's father was guilty of not following the Covid-19 guidelines while organising his son's wedding. On Thursday, after the sub-divisional magistrate of Paliganj presented his report, Patna DM instructed that an FIR be lodged against the groom's father. After hours of grilling by Enforcement Directorate (ED) on links with fugitive Sterling Biotech promoters, Congress treasurer Ahmed Patel said the financial probe agency is working under some pressure as no proof has been found against him despite answering 128 questions. This is the third time the ED questioned Patel under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 . Earlier he was first questioned on June 27 and then on June 30. "I was asked 128 questions based on allegations but yet no proof was found against me. The agency was satisfied by my replies but the questioning is a result of political vendetta. I don't know under whose pressure they are working," Patel told media persons. Patel said he is ready to answer more questions. A team of ED on Thursday grilled Ahmed Patel at his residence for the third time in less than a week's time in connection with its probe into multi-crore bank fraud case by the Gujarat-based Sterling Biotech. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday saluted the soldiers who are deployed in Ladakh and are protecting Indias border, as he addressed the troops after flying to the Himalayan region for a surprise visit. The Prime Minister's visit, which served as a morale booster for the forces, contained a powerful message for China as he warned that its expansionist designs will cause it to perish. Modi, who was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief MM Naravane, described the bravery of the Indian soldiers as unparalleled and said the world has now seen their "fire and fury". He reached Ladakh around 9.30 am and interacted with soldiers at the military hospital in Leh and was also briefed about the on-ground situation at the Line of Actual Control. Here are the top quotes from the PM's speech: - "In these difficult circumstances, you are the shield of the motherland. The enemies of Mother India have seen your fire and fury" - "Your courage is higher than the heights where you all are stationed. Your arms are as strong as the mountains that surround you. Your confidence, determination and belief is as immovable as the peaks here." - "You have proven time and again that the Indian armed force is mightier and better than everyone else in the world. From Leh to Ladakh, from Kargil to Siachen, all regions have witnessed the bravery of our army. Tales of your courage echoes in every home". - "India has always pursued the path of peace in the world but at the same time, those who are weak can never initiate steps for peace. Bravery and courage is a prerequisite for peace." - Every corner, every stone, every river and every pebble here in Ladakh knows it is an integral part of India. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has set an ambitious launch date of August 15 for the public use of the Coronavirus vaccine being developed in partnership with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech. It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15th August 2020 after completion of all clinical trials. BBIL (Bharat Biotech International Limited) is working expeditiously to meet the target, however, final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project," a letter by ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava to the sites that will conduct the clinical tests, read. The letter, accessed by News18, was also marked to Bharat Biotech. ICMR sources have confirmed the authenticity of the letter, but say it was only meant for internal communication. Bharat Biotech has refused to comment on the letter. The date set for the launch of the vaccine is just a month and a half away. The letter by the premier research institute also comes attached with a warning: deliver or face consequences. Kindly note the non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. Therefore, you are advised to treat the project on highest priority and meet the given timelines without any lapse, it reads. Bharat Biotech is the first Indian pharmaceutical company that on June 30 got clearance from the Drugs Controller General of India to launch human trials of their inactivated vaccine COVAXIN. Experts have questioned the accelerated timeline for the vaccine launch, and warned of consequences if it is rushed. Speaking to News18, Dr Anant Bhan, researcher global health, bioethics and health policy, said. Such an accelerated development pathway has not been done ever for any vaccine, even for the ones being tried out in other countries. Even with accelerated timelines, this seems really rushed and hence with potential risks. The trial of this vaccine was registered on July 1, 2020, and the Ethics committee approval has also not come through so far. Bhan pointed out that the tone of the letter sounds more like a 'threat'. Non-compliance will be reviewed seriously - under what power?' he asked. WHO scientists have previously predicted that a safe and effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could take at least 12-18 months to develop. Vaccine development for a new pathogen traditionally takes many years or even decades. The ICMR has selected 12 institutes for clinical trial of the country's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine. "The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the pre-clinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine," an official said. Bhubaneswar-based Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital under the SOA Deemed to be University, has been chosen by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for undertaking human clinical trials of India's first coronavirus vaccine, an official of the institute said. The 12 institutes have been asked by the ICMR to fast track clinical trials of the vaccine as it is being considered as one of the top priority projects which are being monitored at the topmost level of the government. Dr Krishna Ella, the Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech, had given a bit more conservative but still aggressive timeline for the vaccine launch when he spoke to News18 on July 1. I hope like in other countries, some processes would be skipped to ensure quicker delivery of the vaccine. I can't give a timeline, but hope the vaccine is only a few months away, he said. Dr Sumaiya Shaikh, a neuroscientist, also questioned the need for the fast-tracked procedure by skipping steps. Without due processes, there are concerns of safety and efficacy. Also science is teamwork. Since Biotech is already working on two vaccines in collaboration with American universities, why is there a need to develop a new vaccine using a shortcut? the doctor asked. It is more about the national pride to be the first. Which is understandable but safety and efficacy of a vaccine during a deadly pandemic comes before nation and politics, Dr Shaikh added. Can a vaccine, whose development began just over two months ago, be rolled out in a span of three months? This question has been on the minds of many ever since Friday morning after Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava said the government has envisaged launching the coronavirus vaccine being developed with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech by August 15 after completion of clinical trials. BBIL is working expeditiously to meet the target. However, final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project, read Dr Bhargavas letter to 13 hospitals chosen for the clinical trials. The letters contents and tone have left the scientific community puzzled. Experts with experience of clinical trials said there seems to be an unusual hurry in the way institutes have been asked to speed up decisions related to approvals for trials. In view of the public health emergency due to Covid-19 pandemic and urgency to launch the vaccine, you are strictly advised to fast track all approvals related to initiation of the clinical trial and ensure that the subject enrollment is initiated no later than 7th July, 2020, the letter read. Kindly note that non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. Therefore, you are advised to treat this project on highest priority and meet the given timelines without any lapse, it further said. Experts have also questioned the accelerated timeline for launch of the vaccine, , named COVAXIN, and warned of consequences if it is rushed. Why are they in such a tearing hurry? asked Dr Shri Prakash Kalantri, director professor (medicine) of Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences and Medical Superintendent of Kasturba Hospital, Wardha. The tone of the letter suggests that they want the institutional ethics committees to sign on the dotted line immediately. Curiously, the institutes chosen as trial sites are not even academic institutions as is the usual practice, Dr Kalantri said. Raising questions on a potential conflict of interest, Dr Kalantri said, ICMR is involved in the trial and it is also supervising and issuing a diktat to the sites of clinical trials. While refusing to comment on the specific directions issued in Dr Bhargavas letter, former ICMR DG Dr Nirmal Kumar Ganguly said that each stage of clinical trial of a vaccine, if followed as per protocol, consumes months even after fast-tracking approvals. The vaccine development pathways are very clear. After preclinical stage that involves animal studies, if there are no adverse effects seen, the trials move to human trials phase. In human trials phase, we check for safety, side effects, dosage, immunogenicity and efficacy. Each phase is a time-consuming process and needs participants who have given full consent. What has Bharat Biotech claimed so far? The Hyderabad-based company, which has developed vaccines for H1N1, Rotavirus, Japanese Encephalitis, Rabies and Zika among others, said earlier this week that the Drug Controller General of India has granted it permission to initiate Phase I and II human clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccine. This came after it submitted results generated from preclinical studies, demonstrating safety and immune response. Expedited through national regulatory protocols, the company accelerated its objective in completing the comprehensive pre-clinical studies. Results from these studies have been promising and show extensive safety and effective immune responses, the company said in a press note earlier this week. When contacted for a response on the ICMR DGs letter, the companys media relations personnel Sheela Panicker declined to comment. The ICMR, meanwhile, just said that the letter requests the institutes to fast track the vaccine trials and did not comment on queries on whether the vaccine or vaccine data will be launched by August 15. The coronavirus case count in Maharashtra rose to 1,92,990 on Friday with addition of 6,364 new patients, a fresh single-day high, the state health department said. Death toll due to the pandemic rose to 8,376 with 198 fatalities being reported. On the other hand, 3,515 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the number of recovered cases to 1,04, 687, said an official release. So far 10,49,277 people have been tested in the state while there are 79,927 active cases. The CBI has booked one Anirudh Singh for allegedly posing as someone working for a staff member of a PMO official and asking the Boeing executives to meet top government officers and a minister over a defence deal bids submitted by the company, officials said on Friday. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) complained to the CBI to probe the matter after a top Boeing official had forwarded an e-mail, allegedly written by Singh, to it. Nearly six months after receiving the complaint, the CBI registered an FIR against Singh. Boeing India Chief of Staff Praveena Yagnambhat wrote to the PMO detailing activities of Singh, they said. In its communication to the CBI, the PMO has attached the letter and termed it as a prima facie act of impersonation. Yagnambhat alleged that Singh called Boeing executives from a mobile phone claiming that he works for one Jitendra Kumar who is special assistant to PK Mishra, the principal secretary to the prime minister. In the complaint to the PMO, Yagnambhat said Singh kept referring to "some defence bids that we have submitted in MoD (Ministry of Defence) and that he has orders from some higher-ups for us to meet with PK Mishra and Amit Shah". Yagnambhat said the company has advised its executives to not respond to his calls. The agency in its discreet verification has found that Singh had made calls to Boeing India office on two numbers from his mobile phone in November last year, making the claims of working for Jitendra Kumar who he said was the special assistant to Mishra. The special crime unit of the probe agency found that no one with the name of Jitendra Kumar worked for Mishra, they said. Mumbai and its suburbs woke up to a heavy spell of rain on Friday, causing waterlogging in several low-lying areas as the weather bureau declared active monsoon conditions over north Konkan, including Mumbai, on Friday. Mumbai and its suburbs received overnight rains -- recorded over 12 hours since 8:30 pm on Thursday -- of 54.1 millimetres (mm) and 11.4 mm, respectively. Intense showers are expected to continue through the weekend. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had on Thursday predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Mumbai and adjoining coastal districts, and issued an orange alert for the next two days. Visuals of Gandhi Market near Sion, Mumbai. (Image: News18) An orange alert implies that authorities should be prepared to handle any situation arising out of severe weather conditions. Ratnagiri district, which bore the brunt of cyclonic storm Nisarga last month, is likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places on Friday, while Raigad will receive similar downpour on Saturday, senior director of IMD Mumbai, Shubhangi Bhute, said. As per the IMD's calculations, a rainfall between 64.5 mm and 115.5 mm in 24 hours is considered as heavy rainfall, while a downpour between 115.5 and 204.5 mm is very heavy rainfall. Rainfall above 204.5 mm in 24 hours is categorised as extremely heavy rainfall. "An orange alert has been issued for Friday and Saturday for areas that are likely to witness heavy showers and citizens and authorities in these places will have to stay vigilant," another IMD official said. In view of the IMD alert, Mumbai Police advised citizens not to venture out of their homes. "#HeavyRainfallAlert. The @Indiametdept has forecasted "heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places" for Fri & Sat for Mumbai. All citizens are advised to remain indoors, not venture out unnecessarily and take necessary precautions. #MumbaiRains," the city police said on its official Twitter handle. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated its commitment to collaborate with bodies like The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCO... The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated its commitment to collaborate with bodies like The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) to advance the war against COVID-19(coronavirus). The decision was revealed after a Cameroonian medical doctor Kameni Pierre claimed to have been healed of COVID-19 by Pastor TB Joshua via his church channel Emmanuel TV. In a video released, Dr Pierre, a gynecologist, and obstetrician said he was suffering from COVID-19 and was in isolation in a hospital ward when he called in via video to receive prayer during an interactive program on Emmanuel TV. He displayed his COVID-19 positive medical report and while receiving prayer from Joshua, he vomited out the disease. Days later, he held up a medical report confirming that he was diagnosed negative to COVID-19. However, WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Executive Director of Health Emergencies, Dr Michael Ryan and other WHO officials were questioned about the miracle by a Cameroonian journalist Simon Ateba during an interactive media session on Wednesday, July 1. On Monday, a very popular pastor in Nigeria, T.B Joshua, released a video of a medical doctor in Cameroon who was said to have been cured of the virus through prayer, Ateba said before the panelists for their reaction. Responding, Dr Ryan affirmed the readiness of WHO to work with faith-based organizations like SCOAN to eradicate COVID-19. Certainly, spiritual leadership is very important in a time like this, Ryan said praising the role of faith-based organizations in providing accurate information to communities. Reacting, WHO DG, Dr. Ghebreyesus, added that faith and science should go together. He said: We know many religious leaders who would really advise their followers to follow their faith and at the same time use science. The two do not contradict; they go together We will call on all religious leaders to be in this fight and save lives. China on Friday voiced its disapproval as Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Ladakh to take a stock of the situation at forward posts along the Line of Actual Control and interact with personnel of the Army, Air Force and ITBP. India and China are in communication and negotiations on lowering the temperatures through military and diplomatic channels. No party should engage in any action that may escalate the situation at this point, Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said on the PMs Ladakh visit. The Prime Minister's visit served as a morale booster for the armed forces and a powerful message to China, which has shown unrelenting aggression at the border with incursions spotted in satellite images. The PMs visit was the first by a member of the Cabinet Committee on Security since the June 15 clash in Ladakh where 20 soldiers were killed in line of duty in a face-off with Chinese troops. He was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General MM Naravane for the unannounced visit. PM Modi is expected to return from Ladakh in the afternoon and is expected to hold a meeting with the home minister and defence minister in the evening. In a strong gesture of support to India amid the standoff in Ladakh, Japanese ambassador to India Satoshi Suzuki on Friday said Japan was opposed to any unilateral action to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control between India and China. Had a good talk with FS Shringla. Appreciated his briefing on the situation along LAC, including GOIs policy to pursue peaceful resolution. Japan also hopes for peaceful resolution through dialogues. Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo," Suzuki said in a Twitter post after a conversation with Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. India and China have been involved in a border face-off since 5 May when tensions arose between the two neigbours over differing perceptions of the LAC that has not been formally demarcated since their 1962 war. Tensions spilled over on June 15 when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash with their Chinese counterparts in Galwan Valley. India has reinforced its troops presence in Ladakh as well as along the LAC since the tension rose in May, and has also taken a series of steps to mount an economic offense. The Japanese government has earlier, too, said that it hopes that the border conflict will be resolved peacefully. The Government of Japans position is that it is closely monitoring the situation, as it may have an impact on regional stability. The Government of Japan hopes that this situation will be resolved peacefully through dialogue between the concerned parties, the countrys foreign ministry had said in a statement. Japan is one of the members of the Quad" a group which also includes India, the US and Australia - that was formed to counter Chinas growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region and to ensure it remains free from any kind of dispute. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday held a telephonic conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on ways to step up bilateral ties and also exchanged views on the Kashmir issue and the situation in Afghanistan. Qureshi, during his telephonic conversation with Wang, underscored that the regional security situation was deteriorating and that India's "belligerent posture" was imperiling peace in the region, the Pakistan Foreign Office said. "In the face of Indian provocations, Pakistan was exercising restraint," he said. He also accused India of committing ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC). According to India's Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian forces exercise maximum restraint and respond to unprovoked violations and attempts at cross border terrorist infiltration. India has repeatedly called upon Pakistan to ask its forces to adhere to 2003 ceasefire understanding and maintain peace and tranquillity along the LoC and International Border. Qureshi also told Wang that India intends to alter the demographic ratio in Kashmir by changing the domicile laws in clear violation of UN and international laws, the state-run Radio Pakistan reported. India abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5 last year and bifurcated it into two Union territories -- Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir. India has defended its move, saying the special status provisions only gave rise to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. It has asserted that the abrogation of Article 370 is its "internal matter". Underscoring that Pakistan and China are 'all-weather strategic cooperative partners', Qureshi said that disputes in the region should be resolved through peaceful means and agreed mechanisms rather than resorting to "unilateral, illegal and coercive measures," the statement said. The telephonic talk between Qureshi and Wang took place in the backdrop of the violent border face-off between Indian and Chinese armies in eastern Ladakh last month. Qureshi said that the recent attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi was supported by "anti-Pakistan elements" seeking to undermine the country's economic development and stability. Both sides also reaffirmed their resolve to support each other at the multilateral institutions and hoped that those institutions would foster a spirit of objectivity and coherence in advancing their goals. The two leaders expressed hope that the next meeting of China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers Dialogue will take place at the earliest to facilitate peace and reconciliation efforts in war-torn Afghanistan. Both sides also reaffirmed the resolve to take measures aimed at the earliest possible economic recovery in the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic. Qureshi underlined that the Belt and Road Initiative and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would become the hub of trade and economic activity, sustainable development and greater people-to-people exchanges. He also reiterated that Pakistan is committed to the 'One-China policy' and firmly supports China on its core interests including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang, the Foreign Office said. Wang thanked Pakistan for supporting Beijing's idea of 'Health Silk Road' which, he believed, would play a major role in addressing the region's social and economic needs. The Chinese Foreign Minister commended Pakistan's efforts for peace in the region and thanked for extending cooperation to China in every testing time. Wang said China and Pakistan should work together to jointly tackle challenges and defend common interests and regional peace and stability. Wang called for the two countries to speed up projects under the CPEC and expand cooperation in health and medical care, training the workforce, poverty alleviation and agriculture to help with the economic recovery in Pakistan, according to reports in the Chinese media. On the terrorist attack in Karachi, Wang said China firmly supports the Pakistan government's effort to fight against terrorism and he hopes the Pakistani government will provide more protection for Chinese companies and citizens working in the country, the reports said. The Punjab government on Friday issued an advisory for people coming from other states, asking them to register either on the state government's portal or the COVA app. Besides, people entering Punjab by road, rail or air, will also be medically screened, as per an advisory. Barring frequent travellers, people will also have to follow home quarantine guidelines, it said. The advisory was issued for incoming persons to Punjab in view of the rising number of COVID cases. The advisory will be applicable from July 7. "Any person whether major or minor coming to Punjab via any mode road, rail or air shall henceforth, and till further orders, be medically examined when he/she enters Punjab and will be required to e-register himself/herself before starting his/her journey to Punjab," as per the advisory. People will have to get registered either on the state government''s portal or the COVA app, it said. "Except for frequent travellers, all inbound persons after reaching Punjab will have to undertake a self-quarantine of 14 days and during this period they will have to update their health status daily on COVA app or would have to call 112 daily. "For international travellers, the quarantine would be institutional for the first seven days and home for the next seven days," the advisory by the state''s COVID-19 control room said. Deputy Commissioners and district police chiefs have been asked to ensure border check posts at important road entry points, as per standard operating procedure for the management of inward people to Punjab, it said. In case any vehicle is to pass through Punjab for another state like Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Haryana, Rajasthan etc, and does not have an e-registration slip, it will be allowed to go after noting the contact number of driver, as per the SOP. All goods vehicles and inbound vehicles in transit to other states with proof of destination shall be allowed to pass, it said. Similarly, check posts will be set up at railway stations and in Mohali, Amritsar and other airports, officials said. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has given his approval for e-registration of people coming to the state through the Shambhu border to ensure strict monitoring of domestic travellers, an official statement said. The decision has been taken in view of thousands of people coming to the state every day from Delhi-NCR, where COVID-19 cases are spiralling, it said. Singh also made it clear that no vehicle should be allowed to enter Punjab without a stringent monitoring mechanism in place. He was reviewing the state''s preparedness to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic with senior government and health officials through a video conference, according to the government release. Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan assured the chief minister that people entering the state will be strictly monitored. She said private players are being roped in to ensure implementation of home quarantine with phone-based monitoring and regular visits of medical teams. People coming to the state will be required to mandatorily register themselves either on COVA app or the government web portal, and a registration certificate with bar code should be carried on the vehicle windscreen. Those without the certificate printout on their car screens would be stopped and made to register on the spot, the chief secretary said. The COVA Punjab (Corona Virus Alert) app has been developed by the state government to provide people with preventive care information and other advisories. The chief minister also gave a go-ahead to a pilot project for COVID-19 rapid antigen testing that will begin next week. Under the pilot project, a minimum of 1,000 rapid antigen tests will be done in the state. After it is successfully completed, such tests will be done on migrants returning to the state in the wake of reopening of industries and for work in paddy fields. History-sheeter Vikas Dubey and his associates killed eight police personnel on Friday by attacking a police team that went to arrest him in Kanpur. Dubey was keen on making a name for himself in the world of crime since his childhood days. He had formed a gang and started conducting robbery and murders. Almost 19 years ago, Dubey had murdered a Minister of State inside a police station, post which he even tried to enter politics. Dubey has been arrested many times and was also caught by UPSTF once in Lucknow. Hailing from Vikru village in Chaubeypur police station area of Kanpur Dehat district, Dubey is said to have established an army of youths loyal to him. He has been committing crimes like robbery, dacoity, murder in various parts of Kanpur. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder of Siddheshwar Pandey, a retired principal in Kanpur. Besides this, Dubey has worked for several political leaders during panchayat and civic elections and has connections in all major political parties in the state. In 2001, Vikas Dubey killed state minister Santosh Shukla. After committing this high-profile murder, Dubey who was also known as 'Shivli's don' had surrendered before the court. However, he was granted bail after a few months. He then entered the world of politics and went on to win the Nagar Panchayat elections. According to sources, more than 52 cases against Vikas Dubey are presently going on in several districts of UP. The police had also announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for information on Dubey. The police were looking for Vikas Dubey in a case of murder and attempt to murder. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ladakh visit on Friday introduced many Indians to a new location -- Nimu. The small village, located about 50 km from Leh, has been on the tourist map of Ladakh but it now has a new identity -- as the location visited by Modi at the height of the border tensions between India and China. The quaint little village, with a population of 1,100 people as per the 2011 Census, is at the confluence of rivers Indus and Zanskar. It has a hydroelectric power plant known as the Nimu-Bazgo dam and is also used by tourists for rafting. "Nimu is surrounded by the Zanskar range and is on bank of the river Indus," detailed the statement released by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Modi's visit. But natural beauty aside, Nimu is also of strategic value. Situated at 11,000 feet, Nimu, near Kargil, proved its worth during the 1999 war. It served the Indian Army well when Pakistan attacked Kargil and resources at the highest level had to be mobilised at very short notice. The experience meant that this brigade headquarter of 14 Corps of the Army was equipped with infrastructure. According to officials, this was a consideration when Modi's visit was finalised at short notice. "Nimu has helicopter landing facilities. Up to four choppers can land there. It is also equipped to host an event like the PM's visit. These would have been considered before Nimu was finalised as a destination for his Ladakh visit," an ITBP official told CNN-News18 on condition of anonymity. Former Northern Army Commander General DS Hooda said, "Nimu is a good place to go where you can brief the PM. Geographically, it is ideal to get a good idea of the location." During his visit, Modi met personnel of the Army and ITBP posted in Ladakh and was briefed by the military engineering service about the equipment used along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Modi later visited the Military Hospital where he met the soldiers who were injured in the Galwan Valley clashes with China. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was earlier scheduled to visit Ladakh, said in a tweet that Modi's visit will definitely boost the morale of the forces. @narendramodi Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 3, 2020 Officials a said choice of Nimu is interesting because Modi gave a geo-political message by landing in Ladakh amid the border tension with China, yet stayed at least 250 km away from the disputed site where regular talks are underway to defuse the situation. "A VIP visit should not obstruct operational movements or engagements," said a defence ministry official when asked why Nimu was chosen despite it not being anywhere close to the LAC. Nimu is the reserve brigade headquarter of the Indian Army. Its significance can also be ascertained from the fact that the Border Road Organisation (BRO) is constructing a road from Padum in the Zanskar Valley to Nimu. Once ready, the road will connect Ladakh to Manali via the Lahaul Valley. The 251-km stretch will be a huge boost for Ladakh's connectivity issues. After the Kargil war, one of the suggestions was to come up with an alternative to the National Highway 1A -- the umbilical chord between Ladakh and India via Srinagar. Modi's visit to Nimu, at a time when China reportedly is objecting to border infrastructure construction, will also be a boost for the place and the roads connecting it and the rest of Ladakh to mainland india. A US court has ordered the continued detention of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who has been declared a fugitive by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case. Rana, 59, a childhood friend of David Coleman Headley, was recently re-arrested on June 10 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed. He is a declared fugitive in India. A federal district court on Thursday scheduled his next day of bail hearing on August 21. In his extradition case held before Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian, the US District Court of Los Angeles ordered that Tahawwur Hussain Rana be "temporarily detained" till his next hearing on August 21. "Court orders defendant temporarily detained pending further briefing and issuance of decision on detention motion," it said. Describing Rana a flight risk, the US has opposed his release on bail, arguing that if he were to flee to Canada, he may escape the possibility of a death sentence in India. "Given the stakes, allowance of bail in any amount would not guarantee Rana's presence in court. Granting bail would invite the possibility of embarrassing the United States in the conduct of its foreign affairs, straining its relationship with India," Assistant US Attorney John J Lulejian said. According to the federal prosecutors, between 2006 and November 2008, Rana conspired with Headley, also known as "Daood Gilani", and others in Pakistan to assist Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harakat ul-Jihad-e-Islami, both US-designated terrorist organisations, to plan and carry out the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Pakistani-American LeT terrorist Headley was involved in plotting the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. He was made an approver in the case, and is currently serving a 35-year prison term in the US for his role in the attack. India seeks his arrest on a number of offences, including the conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit forgery for the purpose of cheating, and murder under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He is sought for his role in 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The 2008 Mumbai attack was one of India's most horrific terrorist attacks in which 166 people were killed and over 300 injured as 10 heavily-armed terrorists from Pakistan created mayhem. Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive, was hanged to death on November 21, 2012. In a strong message to China delivered from the heights of Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that age of expansion is now over, and expansionists must learn to mend their ways or perish. "The age of expansion is over. This is the age of progress, progress is future. The age of expansion is where humanity has suffered," the PM said in his 26-minute address at Nimu in Leh district of Ladakh. "History is proof that expansionists have always perished," he added. Describing the bravery of Indian troops as unparalleled, the Prime Minister saluted the soldiers facing Chinese troops in Ladakh during his surprise visit. In these difficult circumstances, you are the shield of the motherland, the Prime Minister told the soldiers from the Army, Air Force and the ITBP. "Your courage is higher than the heights where you all are stationed. Your arms are as strong as the mountains that surround you. Your confidence, determination and belief is as immovable as the peaks here," he said. PM Modi, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, and Army Chief General MM Naravane, was flown by chopper to Nimu, 11,000 feet up in the Himalayas and on the banks of the river Indus. Modi said his visit had shown him that the will of the Indian soldiers was as strong as the mountains, and this gives the people an unshakeable belief in them. "Every single Indian across the world, especially in India, has the belief that you all can deliver and keep the nation strong and safe. No can compete with that in the world," he added. This was the first visit by a member of the Cabinet Committee on Security since the June 15 clash in Ladakh where 20 soldiers were killed in line of duty in a face-off with Chinese troops, and will serve as a big morale booster for the troops. The PM said that the conditions in which Indian soldiers deliver their best are among the toughest in the world, and assured that modern weapons and infrastructure or equipment will reach them. "You have proven time and again that the Indian armed force is mightier and better than everyone else in the world. From Leh to Ladakh, from Kargil to Siachen, all regions have witnessed the bravery of our army. Tales of your courage echoes in every home," he said. Modi had reached Ladakh around 9.30 am and he earlier interacted with soldiers at the military hospital in Leh and was also briefed about the on-ground situation at the Line of Actual Control. Actor Rahul Bhat has lashed out at trolls for mistaking him as Alia Bhatt's half-brother Rahul Bhatt, and subsequently dragging him in nepotism row. Ever since the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput earlier this month, Alia has been at the receiving end of heavy criticism on social media, like many Bollywood celebrities who accused of promoting nepotism and scuttling the chances of outsiders. Taking to Twitter, Rahul wrote, If u call @aliaa08 a product of #Nepotism then you are harming the entire debate. She is a brilliant, gifted actor, she is here because she is capable of Carrying a film on her shoulders. Ps- I aint her brother so dont tag me nonsense without verifying who it is u r referring to. (sic) If u call @aliaa08 a product of #Nepotism then you are harming the entire debate.She is a brilliant ,gifted actor,she is here because she is capable of Carrying a film on her shoulders Ps- I aint her brother so dont tag me nonsense without verifying who it is u r referring to Rahul Bhat (@RahulBhatActor) July 2, 2020 Alias mother Soni Razdan came forward in support of Rahul and retweeted his post. On Monday, netizens slammed Mahesh Bhatt, holding him responsible for demeaning Sushant's mental condition and threatening to boycott his upcoming directorial Sadak 2. Sadak 2 is a follow-up of Mahesh Bhatt's 1991 hit Sadak and is produced by his brother Mukesh Bhatt. The sequel reunites the original film's lead pair of Sanjay Dutt and Pooja Bhatt, and also stars Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur. Sadak 2 marks Mahesh Bhatt's return to filmmaking after 20 years. Ace Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan, fondly known as Masterji, has passed away during the wee hours on Friday. She was 71. She died after suffering a cardiac arrest in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra, Mumbai. She is survived by her husband B Sohanlal, son Raju Khan and daughter Sukaina Khan. Her funeral was held on Friday morning at a cemetery in suburban Malad. "We buried her at around 7 am. The prayer meeting will be held after three days," Sukaina told PTI. Read: Saroj Khan (1948-2020): Nobody Captured a Bollywood Heroine's Sensuality Better Than Her Earlier, on June 17, Khan was rushed to Guru Nanak Hospital after she complained of breathing problems. She also tested negative for Covid-19 when she was admitted to the hospital. Now, we hear the sad news of her passing. In a career spanning over four decades, Khan is credited with choreographing more than 2,000 songs. Khan shot to fame in the late eighties, choreographing Sridevi superhits such as Main Naagin Tu Sapera (Nagina) and Hawaa Hawaai (Mr India). Read: Saroj Khan's Last Instagram Post Was Emotional Tribute To Sushant Singh Rajput: I'll Always Love You The three-time National Award winner has choreographed for some of the most memorable tracks, including Dola Re Dola from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas, Ek Do Teen from Madhuri Dixit-starrer Tezaab and Ye Ishq Haaye from Jab We Met in 2007. Lately, Khan had been selective with signing new projects. Her recent works include choreographing Kangana Ranaut in Manikarnika last year and Tanu Weds Manu Returns in 2015. She last choreographed for Tabaah Hogaye, featuring Madhuri from filmmaker Karan Johar's production Kalank in 2019. Follow @News18Movies for more On average, about one in three seniors who contracted coronavirus in an assisted living facility died from it, according to the investigation. When applying the same rates to facilities nationwide, researchers were able to determine that about 7,000 people have likely died from COVID-19 at such facilities. Legendary choreographer Saroj Khan has passed away at the age of 71 due to cardiac arrest, media reports suggest. Saroj Khan was struggling with ill health since the past few days. She was admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital in Mumbai on June 20 after complaining of breathlessness. Actors Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher and Nimrat Kaur and filmmaker Kunal Kohli are among the first in Bollywood to pay tributes to Khan. Akshay tweeted, "Woke up to the sad news that legendary choreographer #SarojKhan ji is no more. She made dance look easy almost like anybody can dance, a huge loss for the industry. May her soul rest in peace." Woke up to the sad news that legendary choreographer #SarojKhan ji is no more. She made dance look easy almost like anybody can dance, a huge loss for the industry. May her soul rest in peace Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 3, 2020 Nimrat took to Twitter to share a series of behind-the-scenes pictures of Khan along with Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi. Both Madhuri and Sridevi considered Khan as their dance guru. "Saroj jis name introduced the word choreographer to my life. A genius who immortalised stars and the music that defined an era with her iconic work. May her loved ones find strength and courage at this terrible hour. Therell never be another...#RIPSarojKhan #Legend #Masterji," Nimrat tweeted. Saroj jis name introduced the word choreographer to my life. A genius who immortalised stars and the music that defined an era with her iconic work. May her loved ones find strength and courage at this terrible hour. Therell never be another...#RIPSarojKhan #Legend #Masterji pic.twitter.com/EffYUvX7Ca Nimrat Kaur (@NimratOfficial) July 3, 2020 Kunal Kohli tweeted, "#SarojKhan my beloved Masterji. #RIPSarojKhan From Music Videos to films we had a long journey together. Now youve left me & gone. I will do & make what we spoke about one day, my promise to you." #SarojKhan #Masterji every song we did together whether Chui Mui Si Tum,Saanson ko saanson mein,Chand Sifarish,we argued,discussed. Ill miss her presence. Her voice on the mike. Her Adaa. I would tell the actors Male & Female,do 50% of how she does a shot & youll be a star." #SarojKhan my beloved Masterji. #RIPSarojKhan From Music Videos to films we had a long journey together. Now youve left me & gone. I will do & make what we spoke about one day, my promise to you. kunal kohli (@kunalkohli) July 3, 2020 She stood up for the rights of people. Never bothered who was a star or not. She said her bit Unadulterated & from the heart. Bought biryani on every song and fed the whole crew so lovingly. We gossiped. We worked. Thank you for the memories #masterji #SarojKhan love you always. kunal kohli (@kunalkohli) July 3, 2020 I lovingly called her HumarePyaareMasterji.Her loud seeti on set.I would find the shot with the most adaa & make sure she showed that herself,many actors on seeing it would say now how can we match that? She had Adaa like no one else. #SarojKhan Hindi Cinema has lost its Adaa kunal kohli (@kunalkohli) July 3, 2020 Here's what other celebs posted to express grief over the demise of Bollywood's most celebrated choreographer: # , Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) July 3, 2020 Really sad to hear that Saroj Khan ji is no more between us. Her Grace , her simplicity her iconic moves and her legacy are immortalised. My condolences with Raju sir, and entire family. #RipSarojKhan Neil Nitin Mukesh (@NeilNMukesh) July 3, 2020 RIP Saroji ... I thank God I got a chance to be choreographed by you.. Prayers and Strength to the Family..#SarojKhan Genelia Deshmukh (@geneliad) July 3, 2020 Shocked to know the sad demise of Saroj khan ji. An era comes to an end with her. Rest in peace. Sunil Grover (@WhoSunilGrover) July 3, 2020 This is a sad news early in morning..since childhood I was trained in indian classical dance..it was she who taught me film dance once I joined films..(which I had zero knowlage of). A tough task master and a great one!! #RIPSarojKhan JI https://t.co/UxRDUwFbrH Manisha Koirala (@mkoirala) July 3, 2020 Her work spoke .. her collaborative creativity esp with Madhuri Ji had set a trend .. A huge loss indeed .. My sincere condolences and prayers to her family .. #SarojKhan #legend #Masterji Rahul Dev (@RahulDevRising) July 3, 2020 Rest in peace Saroj ji manoj bajpayee (@BajpayeeManoj) July 3, 2020 When the Covid-19 pandemic hit India, many policymakers initially thought it is not going to affect us badly. Some even ventured into pseudo-scientific theories --with no backing by data -- that the virus will be destroyed by the tropical heat of the Indian summer. However, the virus hit us, and hit us hard. Megacities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai were hit the hardest, though some like Bengaluru were comparatively spared. As the epidemic progresses, south Indian states except Tamil Nadu, though affected badly, have the semblance of an organised effort at containment. And of all the states in India, Kerala has stood out with an exemplary performance in terms of containing the epidemic and restricting the death toll. This has won accolades from all over the world. Once non-resident citizens started coming back from parts of the world ravaged by the novel coronavirus, there has been a partial resurgence of the pandemic in the state, with new cases being reported in hundreds every day. However, even now, its performance stands out compared to the rest of India. This again was the outcome of a solid foundation of investment in healthcare. Both Travancore and Kochi, princely states in colonial India that later became part of Kerala, had strong public health traditions. These states also developed departments of modern medicine as early as the 19th century. Dr Mary Punnen Lukose, the Durbar Physician in Travancore in early 20th century, adorned one of the highest posts under princely rule. The Rockefeller Foundation, the American charity, initiated extensive health surveys in Travancore in the 1930s which reported that worm infestation was rampant among both adults and children in the state. Dr Krishnan Thampi was deputed to the Johns Hopkins University to study public health. He returned with a doctorate in public health and started a primary health centre in Neyyattinkara, near Trivandrum. This was probably the first primary health centre in India. Development in education paralleled development in health. Providing access to primary and secondary education to people was a hard-won right in Travancore and Kochi, and to a certain extent, Malabar. This was promoted by religious reformers, missionaries and the state. There were struggles to promote the entry of women and lower castes in schools. All social reform movements in the state emphasised education. This would later prove beneficial for acceptance of good healthcare. State Performance in Healthcare By 1957, when Kerala was formed, it already had better statistics with regard to education, health, birth and death. Over the years, successive state governments spent a large proportion of their expenditure on these service sectors. The share of public spending on health in Kerala was one of the largest among Indian states in the early 60s and 70s. By 1975, the state had modern medical institutions such as PHCs or government dispensaries in almost every one of its nearly 1,000 panchayats. The network of roads and easy transportation which also resulted from government investment made sure that these health institutions were easily accessible. There was great demand for healthcare from the common people, especially from women and children. Childbirths were happening more and more in healthcare institutions rather than homes. The strides in womens education helped as the taboos against women stepping out of homes were fast disappearing. International scholars commented on the fact that absence of a doctor in a primary health centre elicits public protests in Kerala, a situation hardly imaginable in other states in India even now. Thus, the great edifice of public healthcare in Kerala was built by public action. Growth of the Private Sector By 1985, the growth of revenue-expenditure by the state, largely going to salaries of staff, squeezed the spending on infrastructure and consumables, affecting the quality of care. This affected the secondary tier of taluk and district hospitals the worst, since PHCs were supported through family welfare funds from the Government of India, and the tertiary tier of medical colleges received priority from the state government. Since the public continued to demand hospital care, the situation provided ample scope for the growth of a thriving private sector in health. By the latter half of the 90s, the facilities in private institutions had outgrown those in government institutions; a larger proportion of the public also preferred private care. Around this time, the government started approaching external agencies for loans to develop the health system, and the World Bank in its philosophy of encouraging private initiative put pressure to restructure the government health system, significantly for introduction of user fees. This happened in many Indian states; however, in Kerala, this was resisted by a strong coalition of civil society organisations. Decentralisation of Healthcare and Emergence of the Panchayats One important piece of legislation in Kerala was instrumental in changing the face of healthcare once again: the decentralisation of power to the panchayats and other local bodies. This brought the health institutions under the direct administration of the local bodies, and also provided more funds for them. Many local bodies utilised this opportunity to improve the facilities in hospitals. This was the beginning of a revival of the public sector in health in Kerala. There was initial resistance to the idea of working with local politicians on the side of the medical professionals; this gave way to strong partnerships between the local health administration and the local political administration in many panchayats and municipalities, raising their health institutions in terms of facilities to a level rarely seen in public hospitals in India. Many central government funding channels such as the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the RSBY, the insurance scheme for the poor, were much better utilised in Kerala compared to other states, because of this effective partnership. In recent years, 10-20% of people have moved back to the public sector for their healthcare. The government has taken the initiative to make healthcare much more accessible at the local level through the Ardram mission. More sophisticated care is available at taluk and district hospitals as well as government medical colleges. Successive governments have provided improved funding for care at different tiers of government institutions. This has been facilitated in recent years by committed political leadership in the health sector, supported by competent bureaucracy, helping the state to weather repeated challenges posed in recent years by two devastating floods as well as the threat of the Nipah virus. These have provided the run-up to the strong containment of the Covid-19 epidemic that the world has noticed. (The author is an epidemiologist and data science consultant. Views are personal) The Congress on Friday petitioned the Election Commission (EC) against the government's move to extend postal ballot facility to electors aged 65 and above, and demanded its reversal. The party, in a meeting held through video-conferencing, urged the commission to utilise its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution and direct an immediate withdrawal of the decision. Elections to the 243-member Bihar assembly are due before November 2020. The Law Ministry on Thursday amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 to extend the postal ballot facility to electors aged 65 and above, as also COVID-19-positive patients under home or institutional quarantine. "The manner in which this decision has been taken demonstrates a complete non-application of mind and a shocking circumvention of any consultation process with the key stakeholders (i.e. any other political parties other than the ruling regime)," the Congress memorandum to the EC said. Party leaders Ahmed Patel, Randeep Surjewala, Abhishek Singhvi and Pranav Jha said even upon a cursory examination, the numerous legal deficiencies in this decision become apparent. "In our considered opinion, the present amendment is a brazen attack on not only the democratic structure of our nation but also represents an abdication of duty by this commission of its powers and responsibility enshrined under Article 324 of the Constitution of India," they said. "In fact, this amendment directly offends and violates Article 324 by reducing the scope for the conduct of 'free and fair elections', the protection of which is the heart and soul of this Constitutional protection," the memorandum said. The Congress said the secrecy clause in voting, which is intrinsic to constitutional democracy, will stand violated if this rule is implemented in the upcoming elections in Bihar. Since a large number of voters in India are uneducated, they might utilise the services of others at numerous stages and end up disclosing their preferred candidate, which will completely give up the aspect of maintaining secrecy in their voting, the party said. The Congress said the commission could not overlook the Supreme Court rulings in this regard and that no political party was consulted before taking this decision. It also demanded setting up of a separate booth for senior citizens to minimise the risk of infection during the Bihar elections. The Congress highlighted that there has been a very high rejection rate of postal ballots in the last Lok Sabha election and this option is not suggested. "Yet, in a surprising departure from this tradition, this commission has lent its support to an amendment which exposes a high percentage of voters to organised administrative influence or influence by the government or the ruling party or their agents, who shall be able to identify these individuals in advance (with ease) and influence how they vote without the protection of the secret ballot," the memorandum said. Endangering the integrity of the voting process and undermining its sanctity in this fashion on a potentially massive scale is simply unacceptable, the Congress said. Pardon sought from the people by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for "mistakes" that might have been committed during the 15 years when his parents ruled Bihar as successive chief ministers drew snide remarks from the ruling JD(U)-BJP combine on Friday. Yadav, who is now leading his party as its chief ministerial candidate for the Assembly polls due in a few months, made the charm offensive at a party function in Patna on the previous day. "I was young when the party was in power. Still, if there were any mistakes, I apologise for that," Yadav, a former deputy chief minister, who is now the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, had said. The 30-year-old made the remarks in response to the "15 years versus 15 years" narrative being built by the NDA, which has ruled the state since 2005 barring a four-year-long period when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who heads the JD (U) had remained out of the BJP-led coalition. The younger son of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi also sought to rouse public sympathy by asserting "no wrongdoings took place under my watch" referring to the less than two-year period when he served as the deputy to Kumar, with many plum portfolios. Kumar had snapped ties with the RJD-Congress combine and returned to the NDA expressing disgust over stout refusal of Tejashwi Yadav's party to the demand that the young deputy chief minister tender his resignation till his name was cleared in money laundering cases for which the government was coming under relentless attacks. In his speech on Thursday, Yadav had also mounted an attack on his former boss for his failure to rein in large-scale exodus of work force from the state because of abject lack of employment opportunities back home. "The claims of good governance lay exposed before the whole country during the recent lockdown. Migrants were moving back to their homes in all states. But if one state stood out for very large number of such displaced people, it was Bihar," Yadav had said. JD(U) spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad rebutted Yadav's allegations against the Nitish Kumar government and asserted that the people of Bihar would not be taken in by "attempts at an image makeover in the election season". "People still shudder at the memories of the dark age when caste wars and kidnappings for ransom committed by anti-social elements patronized by those in power were the norm. Not just ordinary labourers but even doctors, engineers and professionals of all hues had to flee for their safety," Prasad alleged. BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand, whose party likes to give Lalu Prasad no quarters, said the RJD "will never be forgiven by the people of Bihar, just like the people of the country will never forgive China and Pakistan, for their anti-India stance, and the Congress for the massacre of Sikhs and messing up Jammu and Kashmir". Anand said Yadav's antics came "15 years after the 15-year-long misrule of his party came to an end" and wondered why no regret has ever been expressed by the RJD supremo, now in Ranchi serving sentences in fodder scam cases, himself. Madhya Pradesh minister Kamal Patel has demanded a CBI probe against Congress leader Kamal Nath for allegedly favouring imports from China when he was the Union commerce minister. The state agriculture and farmers welfare minister told reporters on Friday that he has written a letter in this regard to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The Congress has denied the allegation made by the BJP leader against Nath, who was the commerce and industry minister in the party-led UPA government. As per media reports, People's Republic of China had given assistance to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi amounting to crores. "And the way the then commerce minister (Nath) gave relaxation to China in imports, it appears it was done in lieu of granting assistance to the foundation, Patel has said in the June 30 letter to Shah. Therefore, it would be proper if a CBI probe is ordered in this matter against Nath, Patel said. Patel said when financial assistance of any kind from the Pakistani High Commission to any person or institute is considered as being used for terror-related activities, the same yardstick should be applied in context of China also as both the neighbours are creating problems at India's borders. Reacting to Patels demand, state Congress spokesman and media coordinator of Nath, Narendra Singh Saluja, termed the letter as misleading" and an attempt to "fool people". If they have any proof against Nath, they should come forward and get it probed from the CBI. It is just a gimmick to mislead and fool people, Saluja said. Asked by reporters about the ongoing politics over the Tiger abhi zinda hai remark by BJP MP and former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, Patel described himself as Satpuda tiger and Maa Narmadas son". A day after BJP Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia took a dig at the Congress with his "Tiger abhi zinda hai" remark, his adversary Digvijaya Singh shot back saying that there can be only one tiger in the forest. Without naming anyone, Scindia accused his adversaries of trying to malign his image in the last two months and said, Tiger Abhi Zindaa Hai. However, it was no secret that the jibe was directed at his old adversary Digvijaya Singh who wasted no time in responding to the comment. "Do you know the exact character of the tiger? Only one tiger lives in a forest," he wrote in a tweet. In another tweet on Friday morning, Singh said: "When poaching wasnt prohibited, I and Madhav Rao Scindia (Jyotiradityas father) used to hunt tiger. After Indira ji (Gandhi) introduced Wildlife Protection Act, I have started shooting tigers with cameras. , digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) July 3, 2020 Singh, known for his stinging remarks, also tweeted a compilation of old videos where CM Chouhan and Jyotiraditya Scindia are attacking each other in political rallies. Both leaders can also be heard using the 'Tiger Zindaa Hai' phrase. The video was posted with a caption: BJPs future! No one knows how many tigers this cabinet (Shivraj) has revived. Keep watching." Despite being in the same party for almost two decades, Singh and Scindia were never known for being in the best of terms. Scindias exit from Congress is widely believed to be a result of this fallout between the two former royals from Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile, Singh also took a potshot at the oath-taking ceremony of the Shivraj cabinet, sharing a picture of the cabinet ministers posing for a photograph with the governor in-charge Anadiben Patel without following social distancing norms. Whether an FIR will be lodged? If not, whether its an insult to the oath they took on the Constitution and the law? he asked. "One tiger (Shivraj) was already present and second (Scindia) is born now. Are you people public servants or man-eaters?", former MPCC president Arun Yadav said. On being asked about Digvijaya Singh's quip, Scindia said: Let him say whatever he says." VD Sharma, the state president of BJP, alleged that hunting was in Singh's nature. Hunting is in his nature and it reflected in his statement. Recently, he hunted down Kamal Nath and his government and I wonder whether he now aims at hunting down his partys top leadership, said Sharma. Scindia, while not naming anyone in his statement before the media on Thursday, decided to take his former party colleagues head-on during an event at BJP's headquarters. In the last two months, I have been seeing concerted attempts of character assassination and I wish to say to them (Congress) that Tiger abhi zinda hai, the Scindia family scion had said. Scindia had borrowed this famous one-liner from his former adversary and now senior party colleague Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who had used this phrase to caution the then Kamal Nath government. The exchange comes ahead of 24 Assembly by-polls in Madhya Pradesh. The BJP launched its virtual poll campaign on in Bhopal on Friday with an event highlighting the achievements of the Shivraj government during its first 100 days. The Congress has also started preparations by organising a pre-poll event in Dhars Badnavar on Friday which will be attended by Kamal Nath. With 16 of the 24 by-polls due in Scindias stronghold Gwalior-Chambal, the verbal duel between Scindia and his former partymen is expected to only intensify in the days to come. There has been a growing clamour for holding a session of Parliament soon, alongside spiralling fears about the rising number of Covid-19 cases and concerns among MPs about travelling to Delhi. A series of meetings have already been held with officials by the Vice President who is the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha Speaker. Top sources in the government who have been in touch with the custodians of both Houses have indicated that the upcoming monsoon session would be held in the Parliament complex and not at other external locations like Vigyan Bhawan. Space constraints for staff and security arrangements for so many people including the Prime Minister could be major challenges. Officials tell us that in Parliament there is a dedicated gate for arrival and departure for the Prime Minister, Vice President and Lok Sabha Speaker, which may not be possible at Vigyan Bhawan that has just a couple of exits for all. Also, staff, ministers' offices, availability of other technical equipment including inbuilt translation systems in both Houses may be difficult to arrange at another location. Another meeting was conducted on Friday by Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu. He took feedback from the presiding officers of the House secretariat. Secretary-general and other senior officials of the Rajya Sabha secretariat discussed with Naidu the best possible way to conduct the session in the Upper House. The broad position that emerged was to enable seating of members of the Rajya Sabha in the chamber and the galleries of the House in conformity with the norms of physical distancing and to enable virtual participation of other members from either the Central Hall or Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament premises. It was suggested by the chairman that since the chamber and the galleries of the Rajya Sabha can accommodate 127 members while adhering to the physical distancing norm, galleries, except the media gallery, should be utilised for seating the members. Seating of journalists in the media gallery would also be in conformity with the physical distancing norms for which guidelines would be issued separately. It has has been felt that screens need to be arranged both within the chamber of the House and outside as required for viewing of member participation in debates, etc. The Vice President has directed the secretariat to draw up appropriate plans for seating based on the strength of various parties in the House or any other effective criteria like preparing a list of the participants in the proceedings of the House for the day who would be accommodated accordingly. Other important discussions also involved working out how question hour, voting on bills, oath-taking of newly elected members of the Rajya Sabha would happen keeping golden rules of social distancing, sanitising, etc, in mind. Officers have been asked to frame an effective and workable plan including how members can be brought to the House and various sanitising points. It is also to be considered if the Parliament canteens, where many members, visitors and even Parliament staff eat, can be kept open with set Covid-19 protocol in mind. Top sources in the government have been contemplating on the possibility of the session. Although the session dates have to be decided by the Cabinet Committee for Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA), that meeting hasn't happened so far. A short or curtailed session, however, is being ruled out. The government has important legislative business including a few ordinances that must be passed in the upcoming session. As per the rules, any session must be held within six months of the previous one. This means that the monsoon session must take place before September 23. The government may think of holding a two-week-long session, starting from the end of August till mid-September. This, however, will depend on the decision taken by the CCPA and final approval by the Prime Minister. While officers in the Rajya Sabha secretariat have been asked to firm up their plans, in a bid to be ready to hold the session whenever it's decided, the final nod is awaited from the government as calling of the session is its prerogative. The state Congress unit on Friday launched an attack on the Karnataka government, alleging misappropriation of funds in purchase of equipment for COVID-19 treatment and demanded an inquiry into it, a charge denied by the medical education minister. Accusing the government of "irresponsibility" in handling the coronavirus crisis, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah demanded transparency. Further accusing the government of negligence, lack of commitment and responsibility in handling COVID-19 crisis, Siddaramaiah said Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is not in a position to do anything. "I'm not sure whether the ministers listen to him," he said. Claiming that there was a squabble for supremacy among the ministers, including Health Minister B Sriramulu, Medical Education Minister Sudhakar and Revenue Minister R Ashoka, he said, "Barring one or two ministers there is no coordination in the government." "The government has purchased corona related equipment (medical), worth more than Rs 3,000 crore. Prima facie it looks the government has paid more price than the market price," Siddaramaiah said, adding that everything from basic masks and gloves to ventilators, oxygen cylinders and covid test kits at a premium. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, according information available with him the government has paid two-three times more than market price during the purchase. He felt strongly that there was 'misappropriation.' "I demand the government come out with a white paper regarding the purchase and price paid. I also demand for an inquiry into the purchase. I don't know who is involved, but there is a clear case of misappropriation and corruption. It appears prima facie," he added. Citing data furnished by the government to the Karnataka High Court, the Congress said the government claims to have spent Rs 120 crore to buy 1,000 ventilators, which should have just cost Rs 40 crore at market rate of Rs 4 lakh each. Similarly, 5,000 oxygen cylinders were bought at Rs 80 crore, when it should not have cost more than Rs 43 crore, he said. "The BS Yediyurappa government has also spent Rs 150 crore on buying almost 5 lakh PPE kits, when it should have just cost Rs 48 crore, while 10 lakh sets of masks and surgical gloves have been purchased at Rs 80 crore, when it should have just been bought at half the cost given the prevailing rates," Siddaramaiah said. "Overall, the government has spent Rs 3,392 crore of which nearly Rs 2,229 crore is unaccounted for," said the Congress leader, who is also a former finance minister. The same equipment and accessories could have been bought at just Rs 1163.65 crore had the government had made the purchases at market rates, he added. Reacting to the allegation, Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said all purchases have been made in the most transparent way by senior officials under the supervision of the chief secretary. "It is wrong on part of a former chief minister to allege corruption. I'm pained, it is unfortunate. If he had doubts he could have asked the chief secretary or us ministers, we would have clarified. This will not send the right message. "There were equipment like PPE kits which were not available in the beginning. At that time, it was costing more than Rs 2,000 each. Now, it is available for Rs 800. There is no irregularity, we are open for any inquiry," Sudhakar said. Hitting out at the government over the incident in Ballari, where COVID-19 bodies were thrown into a single pit, Siddaramaiah said Health Minister Sriramulu should own up responsibility. "Certain acts on part of the government are inhuman and disrespectful to humanity... this was done by the officials, where is the government?," he asked highlighting the incident. Sriramulu too hails from Ballari district and the incident shows the respect the state government has towards the dead, he said. "Shouldn't Sriramulu own up responsibility? Is suspending six people and saying such things will not happen in the future a solution? What were you doin all these days?" he asked. Noting that there are reports and complaints regarding lack of beds, food and quality of treatment, Siddaramaiah sought to know how despite experts warning earlier itself the cases will increase. "Is there a government in the state? In spite of me writing letters seeking information, officials are not sharing. It amounts to breach of privilege," he said. Claiming that Rs 290 crore has come to the chief minister's fund, Siddaramiah said let Yediyurappa come out with a statement and let him tell how much money has come from the PM Cares fund to the state. "The Government of India and the government of Karnataka should come out with a white paper regarding the availability of beds, ventilators, ambulances, patients admitted, patients in ICU," he added. Responding to Siddaramaiah's charge that the government was not sharing information, Sudhakar said, "The administration was facing challenges every day, despite being in a troubled situation we are all working together to fight the virus, so there might have been some delay in sharing information." "Will we run away somewhere? We will share an account of every rupee spent... if someone has made money illegally in this Covid-19 situation they are unfit to be in a democracy," he added. (With inputs from PTI) The Congress on Friday questioned the prime minister's silence on Chinese "incursions" into Indian territory and asked why he did not name China even once in his recent speeches. The opposition party also launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked why is he "so kind" to Chinese President Xi Jinping and "not showing loyalty towards the country". Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a veiled swipe at Modi, saying while people of Ladakh claim that China has taken their land, the prime minister says otherwise. "Ladakhis say: China took our land. PM says: Nobody took our land. Obviously, someone is lying," he wrote on a Twitter. Gandhi also shared the voices of some Ladakhis in a video alleging that the Chinese troops have occupied Indian territory in Ladakh. The former Congress chief's dig came on a day when Modi visited Nimu in Leh to interact with the personnel of the Army, Air Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), days after a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also said that the prime minister did not name China in his "MannKiBaat", his address to the nation and even in his address to soldiers in Leh on Friday. "June 28 - He did not name China in his 'MannKiBaat'. June 30 - He did not name China in his address to the nation and on July 3 in his address to soldiers, he did not name China too. "Why is the Prime Minister of a strong India so weak? Why is he hesitating to name China? When will he talk to China looking into their eyes?" Surjewala asked in a tweet in Hindi. The Congress also questioned the prime minister's silence on its official Twitter handle, asking "Living in denial doesn't help anyone, least of all our soldiers. Can the PM clarify on new incursions by the Chinese." Demanding answers from the prime minister, the Congress also asked why is the prime minister keeping his friend above the nation. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi instead of being loyal to the nation, has displayed his friendship with China by not even naming it. Why is PM Modi so kind to Xi Jinping,"it asked. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram asked, "For the third time in a week, PM did not name China as the aggressor, why." "What is the purpose of talking about an unnamed enemy' to the people of India and the jawans in Ladakh," he asked on Twitter. The former union minister said the PM has still not answered the party's questions about where the violent clashes took place on June 15-16 between Chinese and Indian troops and if the Chinese have intruded into Indian territory at several points. "Nor has the government answered our questions on the satellite images showing Chinese troops occupying key positions in places hitherto considered as undisputed Indian territory," he said. Sharing a video of residents of Ladakh claiming that China has taken over land, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "We need answers and we need action." The Realme Narzo 10A will be going on sale today for consumers in India. The companys budget offering was launched alongside the Narzo 10 back in May. The smartphone features triple-cameras at the back and a big 5,000mAh battery. Notably, the handset is a rebranded version of the Realme C3 that was launched in Thailand back in the month of February. The Narzo 10A will be going on sale today at 12PM via Flipkart and the Realme India website. The Realme Narzo 10A is priced at Rs 8,499 for the single 3GB RAM + 32GB storage variant while the 4GB + 64GB model comes at Rs 9,999. As for the offers, customers buying the phone from Flipkart can avail 5 percent cashback via Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card and 10 percent instant discount with Axis Bank Buzz Credit Card as well as no-cost EMI options. If you plan to buy the phone from Realme's website, you get the option of exchanging your old smartphone. REALME NARZO 10A SPECIFICATIONS The Narzo 10A comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ (1600x720 pixels) resolution display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G70 SoC, paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage which will be expandable using a dedicated microSD card slot. There is a triple rear camera setup at the back with a 12-megapixel primary sensor and an f/1.8 lens. There is also a 2-megapixel portrait camera with an f/2.4 aperture and a 2-megapixel macro camera with a similar f/2.4 aperture lens. At the front, the Narzo 10A features a 5-megapixel selfie camera. According to the company, the cameras offer features such as AI Beautification, HDR, Panorama, and Timelapse and full-HD (1080p) video recording support with 30fps frame rate. The phone runs on the companys Realme UI based on Android 10. Connectivity options on the phone include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, and a Micro-USB port. The battery is similar on the device rated at 5,000mAh battery. If you choose not to wear a mask, we respectfully ask that you postpone your visit, Binghams sign said. Well be happy to debate the efficacy of masks with you when this is all over and you come in to sell your dead grandmothers clothes. A series of large explosions shook a fireworks factory in northwest Turkey's Sakarya province on Friday, killing two people and wounding 73, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. There were an estimated 150 workers at the factory outside the town of Hendek, in Sakarya province, Gov. Cetin Oktay Kaldirim told state-run Anadolu Agency. The injured have been hospitalized, Kaldirim said on Twitter. Some 85 ambulances and two helicopters were among emergency vehicles sent to the complex, Koca wrote on Twitter, adding President Tayyip Erdogan had instructed him to go to the scene. The cause of the blast wasn't immediately known. Earlier, television video showed a large, mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke rising from the factory. HaberTurk television said authorities blocked roads leading to the factory. Families rushed to the site for news of their loved ones. (With inputs from Reuters) Almost 30% of genome sequencing data from samples of the COVID-19 virus collected by the World Health Organisation (WHO) have shown signs of mutation, but there is no evidence this has led to more severe disease, a top WHO official said on Friday. "I think it's quite widespread," Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist, told Reuters on the sidelines of a briefing held by the UN journalists' association ACANU in Geneva. The UN agency has so far collected 60,000 samples of the disease, she said. Scientists at Scripps Research this month found that by April the mutated virus accounted for some 65% of cases submitted from around the world to a major database. The genetic mutation in the new coronavirus, designated D614G, significantly increases its ability to infect cells and may explain why outbreaks in northern Italy and New York were larger than ones seen earlier in the pandemic, they found in a study. Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead on the COVID-19 pandemic at the WHO, said at Friday's briefing the mutated strain had been identified as early as February and had been circulating in Europe and the Americas. "So far, there is no evidence it leads to more severe disease," she said. At least 29 people, mostly Pakistani Sikhs, were killed when a mini-bus collided with a train in Pakistan's Punjab province on Friday. Officials said the Shah Hussain Express, which was coming from Karachi to Lahore, hit the mini-bus carrying the Sikh pilgrims at an unmanned level crossing at Farooqabad, some 60 km from Lahore, at 1.30 pm. Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) spokesperson Amir Hashmi said at least 29 people, most of them Pakistani Sikhs, were killed in the collision. The pilgrims were reportedly returning from Nankana Sahib. A report in Pakistan's Dawn newspaper report said rescue officials have arrived at the site of the accident and are shifting the injured and the dead to nearby hospitals. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the accident. "Pained by the tragic demise of Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan. My thoughts are with their families and friends in this hour of grief," he said in a tweet. Canada on Friday suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong to protest the sweeping new national security law China has enacted in the financial hub. Canada is also halting exports of sensitive military gear to Hong Kong and updating its travel advisory so Canadians traveling there will know how the law might affect them, the foreign ministry said. "Canada is a firm believer in the one-country, two-system framework," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, referring to the semi-autonomous model adopted after Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997. China on Friday rejected criticism by the US Defense Department of its plan to hold military exercises in the South China Sea, and suggested that Washington was to blame for increased tensions in the region. The Pentagon said in a statement on Thursday that conducting military exercises over disputed territory in the South China Sea was "counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability". China announced last week it had scheduled five days of drills starting July 1 near the Paracel Islands, which are claimed by both Vietnam and China. "The military exercises are the latest in a long string of PRC actions to assert unlawful maritime claims and disadvantage its Southeast Asian neighbors in the South China Sea," the Pentagon statement said, referring to the People's Republic of China. Vietnam and the Philippines have also criticized the planned Chinese drills, warning it could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbors. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin warned China on Friday "it will be met with the severest response, diplomatic and whatever else is appropriate" should the exercises spill over to Philippine territory. "To be sure, China is just as entitled, as any other power, to invoke freedom of navigation in its military exercises. But that freedom, it bears reminding, requires a straight and uninterrupted voyage," Locsin said. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, asked about the Pentagon's comments during a daily briefing in Beijing, said the military exercises are within the scope of China's sovereignty and said that certain "non-regional countries" conducting military exercises in the South China Sea are affecting the region's stability. Zhao did not name any countries, but the United States has conducted multiple freedom of navigation operations by sending its warships through the area to assert the freedom of access to international waterways. The United States accuses China of militarizing the South China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian neighbors who might want to exploit its extensive oil and gas reserves. China claims 90% of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea, but Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of it, through which about $3 trillion of trade passes each year. China under President Xi Jinping has stepped up its "aggressive" foreign policy toward India and "resisted" efforts to clarify the Line of Actual Control that prevented a lasting peace from being realised, according to a report released by a US Congress appointed commission. The armies of India and China have been locked in a bitter standoff at multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for the last seven weeks, and the tension escalated after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash in the Galwan Valley on June 15. Under General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Xi Jinping, Beijing has stepped up its aggressive foreign policy toward New Delhi. Since 2013, China has engaged in five major altercations with India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), said a brief issued by US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Under General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Xi Jinping, Beijing has stepped up its aggressive foreign policy toward New Delhi. Since 2013, China has engaged in five major altercations with India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), said a brief issued by US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. "Beijing and New Delhi have signed a series of agreements and committed to confidence-building measures to stabilise their border, but China has resisted efforts to clarify the LAC, preventing a lasting peace from being realised, said the report and was prepared at the request of the Commission to support its deliberations. Authored by Will Green, a Policy Analyst on the Security and Foreign Affairs Team at the Commission, the report says that the Chinese government is particularly fearful of India's growing relationship with the United States and its allies and partners. Authored by Will Green, a Policy Analyst on the Security and Foreign Affairs Team at the Commission, the report says that the Chinese government is particularly fearful of India's growing relationship with the United States and its allies and partners. The latest border clash is part of a broader pattern in which Beijing seeks to warn New Delhi against aligning with Washington, it said. After Xi assumed power in 2012, there was a significant increase in clashes, despite the fact that he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi several times and Beijing and New Delhi have agreed to a series of confidence-building mechanisms designed to mitigate tensions. After Xi assumed power in 2012, there was a significant increase in clashes, despite the fact that he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi several times and Beijing and New Delhi have agreed to a series of confidence-building mechanisms designed to mitigate tensions. Prior to 2013, the last major border clash was in 1987. The 1950s and 1960s were a particularly tense period, culminating in 1962 with a war that left thousands of soldiers dead on both sides, according to the records of China's People's Liberation Army, the report said. The 2020 skirmish is in line with Beijing's increasingly assertive foreign policy. The clash came as Beijing was aggressively pressing its other expansive sovereignty claims in the Indo-Pacific region, such as over Taiwan and in the South and East China seas, it said. The 2020 skirmish is in line with Beijing's increasingly assertive foreign policy. The clash came as Beijing was aggressively pressing its other expansive sovereignty claims in the Indo-Pacific region, such as over Taiwan and in the South and East China seas, it said. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region. Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources and are vital to global trade. China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the area. China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the area. Several weeks before the clash in the Galwan Valley, Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe called on Beijing to use fighting to promote stability as the country's external security environment worsened, a potential indication of China's intent to proactively initiate military tensions with its neighbours to project an image of strength, the report said. A female Islamic State (ISIS) supporter was on Friday sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to terrorism charges, including a plot to bomb London's famous St. Paul's Cathedral. Safiyya Amira Shaikh, a 37-year-old Muslim convert who was born Michelle Ramsden, was arrested in October last year following an undercover operation by counter-terrorism officers. At a hearing at the Old Bailey court in London, she admitted to terrorism offences earlier this year and was sentenced this week to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 14 years behind bars before being considered for parole. "Safiyya Shaikh chose to live her life as a violent extremist with a murderous hatred of those who did not share her twisted version of Islam," said Jenny Hopkins, Head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division at the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). "She hoped to inspire others by sharing terrorist images on social media but wanted to go much further. The damning evidence presented by the CPS of her planned suicide mission to St. Paul's Cathedral left her with no room to talk her way out of the charges," said Hopkins. Shaikh planned to collect two bags containing bombs from someone she had been talking to online and who she thought shared her support for ISIS but was in fact an undercover officer. The court heard that her plan was to detonate one bomb at the London cathedral in order to kill herself and visitors and planned to use the second device at the hotel where she would have stayed ahead of the act in attacks planned for Easter in April this year. Police passed evidence to the CPS of Shaikh going into St. Paul's Cathedral last September and sending photos and videos from inside the building to the undercover contact. She also described the security at the cathedral. She was secretly filmed handing over two bags to a woman at a park in west London. The plan was for the bags to be returned to her at a later date with working bombs inside. The police raided her flat and arrested her in October 2019. Richard Smith, Head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said: "This case is a stark reminder that the threat from terrorism remains as real as ever. "Shaikh was dedicated to her extremist beliefs. In addition to wanting to carry out her own sickening attack on UK soil, she hoped to inspire others to implement attack plans even after she had died. Thanks to the hard work of officers from both the Met Police and MI5, she is instead in jail. Shaikh, from Hayes in west London, pleaded guilty to sharing terrorist material with others via the Telegram messenger application with the intention of encouraging others to commit terrorist acts. This included images of a bomb exploding on Tower Bridge and of a Tube platform with a message to Muslims to fight non-believers. Shaikh was prosecuted by the Counter Terrorism Division of the CPS, which presented evidence of Shaikh's contact with the undercover officers from August last year. On that day she told them: "I rather die young and get Jannah [paradise] quickest way possible, we love death they love life, I always knows [sic] I wanted do something big killing one kafir [unbeliever] is not enough for me." On Telegram, at the same time, she praised ISIS, encouraged the killing of civilians throughout the world, and provided suggestions on different ways to carry out an attack. Using evidence gathered by the police, the CPS was able to prove that Shaikh personally created, or instructed others to create violent images, and then circulated them. During police interviews, Shaikh claimed that she "reverted" to Islam in 2007 after being impressed by the kindness of a Muslim family, but became disillusioned by what she saw as the moderate version of Islam she found at local mosques. She began to read, follow and talk to extremists online. By around 2015, she had come to accept their extremist beliefs. Hong Kong pro-democracy activists are discussing a plan to create an unofficial parliament-in-exile to keep the flame of democracy alive and send a message to China that freedom cannot be crushed, campaigner Simon Cheng told Reuters. Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, was convulsed by months of often violent pro-democracy, anti-China protests last year against Chinese interference in its promised freedoms, the biggest political crisis for Beijing since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Hong Kong police fired water cannon and tear gas and arrested more than 300 people on Wednesday as protesters took to the streets again in defiance of new, sweeping security legislation introduced by China to snuff out dissent. The law pushes China's freest city and one of the world's most glittering financial hubs on to a more authoritarian path. China, which denies interfering in Hong Kong, has warned foreign powers not to meddle in its affairs. Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen, worked for the British consulate in the territory for almost two years until he fled after he said he was beaten and tortured by China's secret police. Cheng, who has since been granted asylum by Britain, describes himself as pro-democracy campaigner. "A shadow parliament can send a very clear signal to Beijing and the Hong Kong authorities that democracy need not be at the mercy of Beijing," he told Reuters in London. "We want to set up non-official civic groups that surely reflect the views of the Hong Kong people." He said that while the idea was still at an early stage, such a parliament-in-exile would support the people of Hong Kong and the pro-democracy movement there. He declined to say where the parliament might sit. "We are developing an alternative way to fight for democracy," Cheng said. "We need to be clever to deal with the expanding totalitarianism: they are showing more powerful muscle to suppress so we need to be more subtle and agile." He said more and more people were "losing hope that it is effective to go out on to the streets or run for election" to Hong Kong's Legislative Council, or mini-parliament. "We should stand with the Hong Kong people and support those staying in Hong Kong," he said. Asked about HSBC's support for the sweeping national security law, Cheng said the British government should speak to senior British capitalists to make them understand the importance of democracy. After Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered millions of Hong Kong residents the path to British citizenship following China's imposition of the law, hundreds of thousands of people would come to the United Kingdom, Cheng said. "The UK has given a very good signal," Cheng said. "At least hundreds of thousands of people will come." Almost 3 million Hong Kong residents are eligible for the so called British National (Overseas) passport. There were 349,881 holders of the passports as of February, Britain said. "One day we will be back in Hong Kong," Cheng said. Hong Kong returned to China 23 years ago with the guarantee of freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland, including its independent legal system and rights to gather and protest, under a "one country, two systems" formula. Huge protests calling for democracy, especially on the anniversaries of the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen crackdown, were common and brought major streets to a standstill for 79 days in the Umbrella movement of 2014. The national security law punishes crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, will see mainland security agencies in Hong Kong for the first time and allows extradition to the mainland for trial. Iran will retaliate against any country that carries out cyber attacks on its nuclear sites, the head of civilian defence said, after a fire at its Natanz plant which some Iranian officials said may have been caused by cyber sabotage. The underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) is one of several Iranian facilities monitored by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog. Iran's top security body said on Friday that the cause of the "incident" at the nuclear site had been determined, but "due to security considerations" it would be announced at a convenient time. Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation (AEOI) initially reported an "incident" had occurred early on Thursday at Natanz, located in the desert in the central province of Isfahan. It later published a photo of a one-storey brick building with its roof and walls partly burned. A door hanging off its hinges in the photo suggested that there had been an explosion inside the building. "Responding to cyber attacks is part of the country's defence might. If it is proven that our country has been targeted by a cyber attack, we will respond," civil defence chief Gholamreza Jalali told state TV late on Thursday. An article issued on Thursday by state news agency IRNA addressed what it called the possibility of sabotage by enemies such as Israel and the United States, although it stopped short of accusing either directly. "So far Iran has tried to prevent intensifying crises and the formation of unpredictable conditions and situations," IRNA said. "But the crossing of red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran by hostile countries, especially the Zionist regime and the U.S., means that strategy...should be revised." Suspicions Three Iranian officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said they believed the fire was the result of a cyber attack, but did not cite any evidence. One of the officials said the attack had targeted the centrifuge assembly building, referring to the delicate cylindrical machines that enrich uranium, and said Iran's enemies had carried out similar acts in the past. Two of the officials said Israel could have been behind the Natanz incident, but offered no evidence. Asked on Thursday evening about recent incidents reported at strategic Iranian sites, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters: Clearly we cant get into that." The Israeli military and Netanyahu's office, which oversees Israel's foreign intelligence service Mossad, did not immediately respond to Reuters queries on Friday. In 2010, Stuxnet computer virus, which is widely believed to have been developed by the United States and Israel, was discovered after it was used to attack Natanz facility. Natanz was built in secret without the IAEA's knowledge but was exposed by an Iranian opposition group in 2002. Iran acknowledged the sites existence in 2003. The underground Natanz site remains the centrepiece of Iran's enrichment programme, though Tehran denies ever seeking nuclear weapons, saying its atomic programme is only for peaceful purposes. Iran curbed its nuclear work in exchange for the removal of most global sanctions under an accord reached with six world powers in 2015, but has reduced compliance with the deal's restrictions since the United States withdrew in 2018. The central Italian region of Lazio, fringing the capital Rome, has asked its large Bangladeshi community to undergo "blanket testing" for the coronavirus following a recent increase in the number of infections. Lazio has reported some 8,000 cases since Italy's COVID-19 outbreak emerged at the end of February, far fewer than in Lombardy and other northern regions. However, the discovery of some recent infection clusters has authorities concerned, including among 10 Bangladeshis in the last few days, with the latest on Friday when a man returning from his South Asian homeland tested positive. Lazio health chief Alessio D'Amato said that from Monday the region will open a testing centre dedicated to Bangladeshis and urged them to show up in large numbers. All testing will be done on a voluntary basis, the region said. Lazio hosts around 37,000 of the 140,000 Bangladeshis in Italy, according to national statistics institute ISTAT. Around 32,000 of them live in the capital Rome. "Quarantine has to be certain for those coming from Bangladesh...We have asked the airport company and the doctors to tighten controls," D'Amato said in a statement. Cases are accelerating in Bangladesh, which has so far officially recorded some 156,000 infections and almost 2,000 deaths. However, some observers fear the contagion is under-reported in densely populated, impoverished Bangladesh. It has almost three times Italy's population but has done far fewer tests. Italy, one of the world's worst hit countries with almost 35,000 deaths from COVID-19, ended a rigid lockdown two months ago and has reported fewer than 50 deaths per day for the last two weeks. British historian David Starkey surrendered his honorary fellowship at the University of Cambridge, the school announced Friday, after he said that the enslavement of black people wasnt a genocide because otherwise there wouldnt be so many damn blacks in Africa or in Britain. A day after India slammed Pakistan's decision to hold general elections in Gilgit-Baltistan on August 18, Islamabad said New Delhi has no locus standi to comment on the polls. India on Thursday slammed Pakistan for its decision to hold general elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and said such cosmetic exercises are intended to "camouflage" Islamabad's "illegal" occupation of Indian territories. Last week, Pakistan announced that general elections in Gilgit-Baltistan will be held on August 18. "We completely reject attempts by Pakistan to bring material changes to the Indian territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Such cosmetic exercises are intended to camouflage Pakistan's illegal occupation of Indian territories," Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava said on Thursday. "We call upon Pakistan to vacate all Indian territories that are under their illegal occupation." Reacting to India's reaction, Pakistan's Foreign Office said New Delhi has no locus standi to comment on elections in Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan also alleged that India remained in "illegal occupation" of parts of Jammu and Kashmir. Baseless Indian contentions about elections in Gilgit-Baltistan cannot cover up the violations of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir, the FO statement said. India also clearly conveyed to Pakistan that the entire union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of the country. The US Senate unanimously approved legislation on Thursday to penalise banks doing business with Chinese officials who implement Beijing's draconian new national security law on Hong Kong, sending it to the White House for President Donald Trump's signature. The House of Representatives on Wednesday also passed the bill without opposition, a rare example of overwhelming bipartisan support reflecting concern over the erosion of the autonomy that had allowed the former British colony to thrive as China's freest city and an international financial center. The United States and China have been at loggerheads for months over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and Beijing's harsh response to protests in Hong Kong. Washington has also sought to put more pressure on China over mistreatment of Muslim Uighurs in the Xinjiang region. "This is an urgent moment. Our timing could not be more critical," said Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, a lead sponsor of the "Hong Kong Autonomy Act," in a Senate speech urging support for the legislation. "Through this bill, the US Senate makes clear which side we are on," said Republican Senator Pat Toomey, a co-sponsor. The bill calls for sanctions on Chinese officials and others who help violate Hong Kong's autonomy, and financial institutions that do business with those who are found to have participated in any crackdown on the city. Lawmakers said it raced through Congress this week because of China's recent actions, and to show support for protesters in Hong Kong. Thousands gathered in Hong Kong on Wednesday to demand independence, risking steep prison terms as China said Washington should stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs. 'UPPING THEIR GAME' Elizabeth Rosenberg, a sanctions expert at the Center for a New American Security, called the bill "a very strong step," adding, "They're really upping their game and trying out some very powerful new economic tools." Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula that protected its freedoms, including wide-ranging autonomy. But China on Tuesday introduced sweeping national security legislation for the city, condemned by the United States, Britain and other Western countries. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab reprimanded HSBC and other firms on Wednesday for supporting the law, saying the rights of Hong Kong should not be sacrificed for bankers' bonuses. Senior British and US politicians criticized HSBC and Standard Chartered last month after the banks backed the new law. The Chinese security law, which punishes crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, will see mainland security agencies in Hong Kong for the first time and allows extradition to the mainland for trial. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, speaking in Beijing, warned the United States against signing or implementing the bill approved Thursday. "Otherwise China will resolutely and forcefully resist," he said. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on whether Trump would sign the bill. Fellow Republican Toomey said he had "no doubt" Trump would sign it and that it would be properly enforced. Although the measure allows the president not to impose the mandatory sanctions for national security reasons, it also allows Congress to vote to disapprove if lawmakers feel Trump is misusing the waiver provision. The United States has already begun eliminating Hong Kong's special status, halting defense exports and restricting the territory's access to high-technology products. Vietnam and the Philippines on Thursday criticised China's holding of military drills in a disputed part of the South China, warning it could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbours. Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said China's exercises in the waters near the Paracel Islands were "highly provocative", while Vietnam's Foreign Ministry called them a violation of sovereignty that could be "detrimental" to Beijing's relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). China scheduled five days of drills from Wednesday near the Paracels according to a June 27 announcement by the Hainan's Maritime Safety Administration. Vietnam has overlapping claims with China over the Paracels. Vietnam and the Philippines have been the most vocal regional opponents to what they see as Chinese overreach in the South China Sea and its disregard for boundaries outlined in international maritime law. China claims historical jurisdiction over about 80% of the sea. Hanoi and Manila warned of growing insecurity in Southeast Asia at an ASEAN summit last Friday, amid concern, including from the United States, that China was using the cover of the coronavirus pandemic to step up naval activities and advance its territorial claims. Even though the Philippines has no claim to the Paracels, Lorenzana said China holding exercises beyond its own waters was not acceptable. "That is very concerning, we view that with alarm," he told a security forum. "Doing it in the contested areas then that will, you know, sound the alarm bells for all the claimants," he said. "That's highly provocative," he added. Vietnam's Foreign Ministry sent a diplomatic note to China to oppose exercises that "seriously violate Vietnam's sovereignty", spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said at a regular briefing. The drills "further complicate the situation, and are detrimental to the relationship between China and ASEAN", she said. Vietnam said in April that one of its fishing boats was sunk by a Chinese maritime surveillance vessel. China called Vietnam's maritime claims illegal and "doomed to fail". Workers at Tata Steel's main plant in the Netherlands ended a three-week strike on Friday after the company said there would be no compulsory layoffs under a planned reorganisation of its Dutch operations. "We are pleased to announce we have reached an agreement with all unions involved," Tata Steel's Dutch division said in a statement. "The transformation programme will not lead to forced redundancies at Tata Steel Netherlands." The company did not say whether there would be a voluntary redundancy programme but said it would now extend its current jobs pact for IJmuiden, which stipulates no forced layoffs, by five years until October 2026. Workers at the IJmuiden plant went on strike on June 10 after unions said the company had outlined plans to scrap around 1,000 of the 9,000 jobs at the site as part of a reorganisation of its European operations. Tata Steel Europe last year announced a major overhaul of its British and Dutch activities, at the cost of around 3,000 jobs in total. Tata Steel Europe has said IJmuiden needs to become more profitable as the steel sector grappled with the effects of overcapacity, cheap Chinese imports and U.S. trade tariffs, even before the global coronavirus recession hit. "This agreement offers a counterweight against the risks we see coming from Tata Steel Europe," Roel Berghuis, spokesman for the FNV union, said on Friday, adding that workers would now return to work on Friday. Under the agreement reached with unions, Tata also promised to invest in innovation and cleaner production technologies and not to quickly divest any part of its Dutch activities or to outsource work done in the Netherlands. Tata is expected to present detailed plans for the future of IJmuiden by the end of September. Knox County in the US state of Tennessee has voted to make wearing a mask mandatory for anyone inside certain buildings amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Board of Health Officials for Knox County voted 7-1 in favour of the mandate. It is interesting to note, however, that singular vote against making the wearing of masks compulsory was from the county's Mayor, Glenn Jacobs, who is known to professional wrestling fans, and most of the world in general, as WWE Superstar Kane. Jacobs, who rose to fame as the masked figure Kane in the world of professional wrestling, was one of two individuals on the board who were not medical professionals, the other being a representative for Knox County schools, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. The order will require most people to wear face masks while they are within 6 feet of others in most public indoor places in Knox County. Excluded are places of worship as well as state and federal government facilities. "While I realise the importance of mitigating the damage that this pandemic is causing in our community, I worry that one-size-fits-all mandates such as this set a terrible precedent for government overreach," Jacobs, who has rarely been seen wearing a mask during the pandemic, said in a video posted Thursday. "They're difficult to enforce, and they can cause conflict between the authorities and the public when enforced." A relative wails over the body of Bashir Ahmed Khan inside an ambulance as the body arrives at his residence in Srinagar. (Image: AP) Gilbert F. Kraemer, 74 years of age, passed away on Monday, May 31, 2021. He was born on November 9, 1946 in New Albany, Indiana to the late Edward and Henrietta (Renn) Kraemer. Gilbert was an Army Veteran serving in the 24th Infantry and was a 1965 graduate of Providence High School. Along (Newser) Hundreds of elephants have been found dead of unknown cause in Botswana in what's being called a "conservation disaster." Some 169 carcasses were spotted in the Okavango Deltahome to 15,000 of the country's 135,000 elephantsduring a single three-hour flight in early May, reports the BBC. The number of dead elephants had more than doubled by mid-June. Some 356 elephants of all ages, with ivory tusks intact, have now been found dead along with emaciated elephants that look on the verge of death, per Bloomberg and the Guardian. "Some of them have fallen straight on their face, indicating they died very quickly," Niall McCann of National Park Rescue tells the Guardian. Locals note 70% of the deaths occurred around waterholes. Anthrax has been ruled out, but samples from the animals have yet to be tested. story continues below "Repeated offers of help from private stakeholders to facilitate urgent testing appear to have fallen on deaf ears," says Mary Rice of the Environmental Investigation Agency. McCann sees this as "extraordinary" considering "we've got a mass die-off of elephants near human habitation at a time when wildlife disease is very much at the forefront of everyone's minds." Cyril Taolo, acting director of Botswana's wildlife department, blames the coronavirus for delays in the movement of samples, but "we're now beginning to emerge from that," he tells the Guardian. Botswana's environment ministry says samples will be sent to three labs in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Canada. Results are expected within a couple of weeks. (Elephant hunting only just resumed.) Saying kung flu is in some ways similar to someone sticking their fingers in the corners of their eyes and pulling them out to represent an Asian person, Shannon Lee, the daughter of martial arts master Bruce Lee told NBC Asian American. Its a joke at the expense of a culture and of people. It is very much a racist comment . . . in particular in the context of the times because it is making people unsafe. (Newser) A potentially life-threatening heat wave is about to hit large swathes of the USand forecasters warn that it could linger for weeks. Experts say higher than average temperatures will affect a huge area from Colorado and eastern New Mexico across the Plains and into the Northeast, NBC reports. "The first half of July looks to have well-above-normal temperatures, at pretty high probabilities, beginning around the Fourth of July or slightly before," says Jon Gottschalck at the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center. He warns that powerful thunderstorms could form around the edges of the heat dome in a "ring of fire" pattern likely to be most severe in the northern Plains. story continues below "Our models indicate that this is going to be somewhat persistent through the first two weeks of July, and potentially longer. With temperatures set to feel hotter in Dallas than in Death Valley, heat warnings are already in effect for 22 million Americans in states from Missouri to Texas, CNN reports. Experts say the humidity will be so high in cities including New Orleans, Tulsa ,and Wichita that sweat won't evaporate effectively, putting people at severe risk of heat stroke. National Center for Atmospheric Research climate scientist Julie Caron tells NBC that the pandemic will make it harder for cities to provide relief, and vulnerable people may have to choose to "either stay home and risk the heat or go to a cooling center and risk exposure to the virus." (Read more heat wave stories.) (Newser) Vanessa Guillen was on duty in an armory room at Texas' Fort Hood on April 22, the last day anyone saw her alive, when she was killed by fellow soldier Aaron David Robinson, Guillen's family says through an attorney. The lawyer, who says officials from Army Criminal Investigation Command provided her with the information, says Robinson, 20, attacked Guillen, also 20, with a hammer, the Army Times reports. The attack, which included strikes to the head, was so vicious that Guillen's blood was "splashed all over the armory room," the attorney says. After she was dead, the lawyer says, Robinson allegedly moved Guillen's body off the base and called his 22-year-old girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, to help him dispose of the it, CBS Austin reports. KTRK identifies Aguilar as the estranged wife of another, former Fort Hood soldier. She allegedly recognized Guillen when she saw the body. story continues below The lawyer says Robinson and Aguilar first tried to burn the body but couldn't, so they dismembered Guillen with a machete before burying her. Robinson fled the post Tuesday after remains were found in the search for Guillen (which have still not been identified), and when law enforcement officers tracked him down, he fatally shot himself. One federal charge of conspiracy to tamper with evidence has been filed against Aguilar. Guillen's family says she had told them about sexual harassment from a supervisor before her death, and the attorney has previously said they believed the same person killed her. But army officials, who have not yet commented on the lawyer's timeline for Guillen's final moments, say Robinson was a "coworker" of Guillen's, not a supervisor, and that he was not the subject of the harassment complaints. (Read more Vanessa Guillen stories.) (Newser) Some of the service members who were mobilized to Washington, DC, last month in response to civil unrest over the killing of George Floyd were issued bayonets. Defense documents obtained by the AP show some were not trained in riot response. Members of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and the 3rd US Infantry Regiment, which is based in DC and typically guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, were mobilized last month to respond to massive protests over the treatment of Black Americans and systemic issues of police brutality. But the troops were never actually sent to the protests after they arrived. The soldiers were issued bayonets for their June 2 deploymentbut told they were to remain in their scabbards and not attached to their service rifles, Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Mark A. Milley wrote to two US representatives in a letter that was obtained by the AP. story continues below The soldiers were also told no weapons were to enter the capital without clear orders and only after nonlethal options were first reviewed, he said. Milley said the order to mobilize the troops came from Army Maj. Gen. Omar Jones, who serves as commander of the military district of Washington. Milley's letter, dated June 26, was sent to Democratic Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Rep. Ted Lieu of California, who demanded an explanation after the AP first reported on the use of bayonets on June 2. Roughly 700 members of the 82nd Airborne Division were sent on that day to two military bases near the District Capitol Area. The AP previously reported soldiers were armed with live rounds, bayonets, and riot gear. Bloomberg reported on June 11 that the 3rd US Infantry Regiment, nicknamed The Old Guard," was also issued bayonets. Upon arrival, neither the 82nd nor The Old Guard were ever called off base and into the city to respond to protests. Division paratroopers were sent back to Fort Bragg on June 4. But the reports led to sharp condemnation and outrage on social media platforms. (Much more here, including on the lack of training for dealing with civil unrest.) (Newser) A white husband and wife were arrested in Michigan after they were caught on video allegedly pulling guns on a black woman and her daughters in a Chipotle parking lot Wednesday night. Takelia Hill says the incident started when Jillian Wuestenberg, 32, bumped into Hill's 15-year-old daughter, Makayla Green, as Green was trying to enter the restaurant and moved to get out of the way of Wuestenberg, who was exiting. "I said, 'Excuse you'" after being bumped, Green tells the Detroit News. "And then she started cussing me out and saying things like I was invading her personal space." Hill says she then approached and saw Wuestenberg "in my daughter's face." Then, in the parking lot, things escalated, and Wuestenberg's husband Eric, 42, got involved as the couple exchanged angry words with the family story continues below At least one member of the family called Jillian Wuestenberg "racist" and Wuestenberg replied, "You cannot just walk around calling white people racist. ... White people aren't racist." As the couple started to drive away, Hill says she thought they were going to hit the family as they backed out, so she hit the back window. That's when Jillian Wuestenberg allegedly got back out of the car and pulled a gun, yelling, "Get the [expletive] back!" and "Back the [expletive] up!" Her husband also allegedly got out of the car holding a gun. They ultimately drove off, and were detained later that night, the AP reports. He lost his job at Oakland University after video of the incident taken by Green went viral, CBS Detroit reports. The couple has been charged with felonious assault, and a county executive said in a statement, "I am deeply disturbed by an incident last night where a woman pointed a cocked gun at another woman during an argument. This behavior is unacceptable." (Read more Michigan stories.) (Newser) Ghislaine Maxwell appears to have made "intentional efforts to avoid detection" before her arrest Thursday, from jetting off to Qatar and Japan to changing her phone number, according to authorities. Maxwellwho reportedly holds citizenship in the UK, US, and Francetook "at least 15 international flights in the last three years," federal prosecutors wrote in a document urging a judge to detain her ahead of a trial. They argue she's a serious flight risk, with at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in more than 15 bank accounts, per the Guardian. She took to "hiding out in locations in New England" following Jeffrey Epstein's July 2019 arrest, and as reports surfaced that the FBI was investigating her in December, Maxwell bought a 156-acre estate in Bradford, NH, in a $1 million all-cash deal arranged "through a carefully anonymized LLC," prosecutors wrote. story continues below The property, surrounded by a "padlocked metal fence" and "No Trespassing" signs, sits at the end of a "half-mile dirt driveway," per Reuters. William Sweeney, assistant director in charge of the New York FBI office, said Maxwell lived a "life of privilege" there until her arrest on charges that she "assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls." If convicted, the 58-year-old faces up to 35 years in federal prison. "In short, Maxwell has three passports, large sums of money, extensive international connections, and absolutely no reason to stay in the United States and face the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence," prosecutors wrote. They note she also switched her email address, registered a new phone number under the name "G Max," and ordered "packages for delivery with a different person listed on the shipping label." (Read more Ghislaine Maxwell stories.) (Newser) Twenty Saudi nationals are on trial in absentia in Turkey for the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, including two former aides of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Ahmed al-Asiri, the former deputy head of Saudi Arabia's general intelligence, and Saud al-Qahtani, an ex-royal court adviser, are charged with instigating "premeditated murder with monstrous intent," alongside 18 others who could be sentenced to life in prison, reports the Guardian. Saudi Arabia has refused Turkey's calls that the suspects return to face trial. The country held its own secretive trial, concluding the Washington Post columnist was killed by rogue agents during what should have been a repatriation mission. Al-Asiri and al-Qahtani were acquitted. Five suspects were sentenced to death but have since been pardoned by Khashoggi's family. story continues below Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, called the Saudi trial a mockery of justice and implicated the crown prince. She was present alongside Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, as the trial kicked off Friday with consulate employees saying they were told not to come to work on the day of the killing, per the Washington Post. Both women hope the trial will reveal the full circumstances around Khashoggi's death and perhaps point to his undiscovered remains, per the Guardian. However, Turkish prosecutors believe Khashoggia fierce critic of bin Salmanwas strangled inside the consulate before his body was dismembered with a bone saw and dissolved in acid on the premises. Per CBS News, they say the suspects had the goal of "taking the victim back to Saudi Arabia and of killing him if he did not agree." (Read more Jamal Khashoggi stories.) (Newser) Two Oklahoma police officers are charged with second-degree murder after allegedly using a Taser on a man more than 50 times. Jared Lakey, 28, died on July 6, 2019, two days after he confronted officers Joshua Taylor and Brandon Dingman in Wilson, per the Frontier. Taylor had responded to a call about a naked man running down the street and screaming shortly before midnight on July 4. Radio logs show he fired his Taser within minutes. Dingman arrived soon after and did the same, according to a civil lawsuit filed by Lakey's family members. They accuse Taylor of lying in his report, which claimed Lakey was on drugs and only held at "Taser point." The family say a toxicology report showed no drugs in Lakey's system. And investigators say unreleased body camera footage shows Lakey was tased "numerous times while merely lying naked in the ditch," per the Daily Ardmoreite. story continues below Taylor suggested the Taser was ineffective on Lakey, whom he described as noncompliant and aggressive. But the family says actions Taylor described, including Lakey pushing on his squad car, would've only happened after Lakey was tased. The family claims a third officer choked Lakey from behind. Charging documents make no mention of this, though Lakey's cause of death was given, in part, as "law enforcement use of electrical weapon and restraint." When medics arrived, the officers said Lakey had been stunned only four times, per the suit. Carter County District Attorney Craig Ladd said Wednesday that it was actually more than 50 times. The officers "greatly exceeded what would have been necessary or warranted" given the circumstances, he said. Taylor, 25, and Dingman, 34, surrendered to the Carter County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, per KOKH. They've since posted bail. (Read more murder stories.) (Newser) Taking a photo under a woman's skirt until now has brought only a small fine in Germany, which hasn't been much of a deterrent. "That is why we are closing a major criminal liability gap," said a spokesman for the ruling legislative coalition. The offense will now fall under criminal law; in addition to a fine, conviction can bring up to two years in prison, DW reports. The crime often happens in crowds. "There are people who distribute tiny cameras in public toilets to watch and film women," often putting the images online, an activist said. The law applies to photos of bustlines, as well. A person on an escalator could be acting as if they're on a cellphone, he said, while they instead are "photographing or filming your breasts." England, France, and some US states have approved similar laws in recent years. story continues below A 28-year-old woman who's been a victim of "upskirting" launched a drive to change Germany's law. The second time it happened to her was more than a decade ago, per Reuters, when she was at a festival at age 16. "The perpetrator told me that it was my fault because I wore a skirt, so I would have wanted him to do it," Hanna Seidel said. Feeling unsafe, she didn't wear dresses or skirts for years. Legislators cited the impact on victims in announcing the new law. Seidel said teachers often tell young girls to avoid wearing skirts. "It's a double trauma: first something horrible happens to you and then additionallyyou're blamed for it," she said. Another activist said that the offense should be classified as an act of sexual violence and that "this must also be reflected in the punishment." (It's happened to Miley Cyrus.) (Newser) An armed member of the Canadian military smashed a truck through gates blocking access to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's residence in Ottawa on Thursday before being taken into custody, according to police. The man, identified by CBC News as Corey Hurren of Manitoba, breached a pedestrian entrance outside Rideau Hall around 6:30am, disabling his vehicle, the RCMP said in a statement. Police said the man then made his way on foot to the greenhouse at the back of Rideau Hall, the official residence of Governor General Julie Payette and a major tourist attraction, which has been closed during the coronavirus pandemic. Payette wasn't there, nor were Trudeau and his family, who live a short distance away in Rideau Cottage, on the same 88-acre grounds. The RCMP said the intruder was "rapidly contained" by RCMP members on patrol. story continues below The man allegedly had a rifle and two shotguns with him, as well as a note. A source tells Global News that he was apprehended with a gun in hand, but said he didn't intend to hurt anyone and only wanted to speak to Trudeau. Hurren, a veteran of the Royal Canadian Artillery, recently rejoined the military as a Canadian Ranger within the Canadian Army Reserve and was on call as part of the military's COVID-19 response, per CBC. On Facebook, he'd described the toll the pandemic had taken on his business, which makes meat products. "I'm not sure what will be left of our economy, industries and businesses when this all ends," he wrote on May 26, per CBC. Hurren reportedly drove more than 1,600 miles from his home in Bowsman, northwest of Winnipeg, to Ottawa. Per CTV News, a robot was seen searching a black pickup truck with Manitoba plates at the scene. (Read more Canada stories.) (Newser) A Zen Buddhist priest, who is a spiritual adviser to one of three federal death row inmates scheduled to be executed this month, filed a lawsuit Thursday arguing the Bureau of Prisons is putting him at risk for the coronavirus by moving forward with executions during a nationwide pandemic. Dale Hartkemeyer, who goes by the religious name Seigen, argues that he would be putting his life at risk if the federal government proceeds to execute Wesley Ira Purkey, as scheduled on July 15, because of his prior medical conditions including respiratory issues, the AP reports. The 68-year-old is asking a federal judge to delay Purkeys execution until a coronavirus vaccine is available or theres a widespread effective treatment. story continues below Hartkemeyer said in court papers he has visited Purkey monthly as his priest since January 2009 to provide him with spiritual guidance and counseling. "Im being asked to make an impossible decisionviolate my religious beliefs or risk my health and life by attending an execution that could become a 'super-spreader' event for COVID-19," Hartkemeyer wrote in a blog post. As of Wednesday, there were five confirmed coronavirus cases at USP Terre Haute, the prison where the executions are scheduled to take place. One inmate there has died. Purkey, of Lansing, Kansas, was sentenced to death for the 1998 rape and murder of 16-year-old Jennifer Long. Two days before his execution date, another inmate will become the first federal prisoner to be executed since 2003. (Read more execution stories.) The Centers for Disease Control insists face masks and social distancing are the easiest ways to help control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The only people the CDC says should not wear cloth face coverings are children under age 2, or anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance. (Newser) Sen. Tammy Duckworth is drawing the line. The Illinois Democrat announced Thursday she'll hold up over 1,100 military promotions unless the Pentagon promises it won't block the promotion of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who testified in in the House impeachment inquiry of President Trump, USA Today reports. "It is simply unprecedented and wrong for any Commander in Chief to meddle in routine military matters at all, whether or not he has a personal vendetta against a Soldier who did his patriotic duty and told the trutha soldier who has been recommended for promotion by his superiors because of his performance," Duckworth said. Her stand follows reports that Trump might retaliate against Vindman, who was ousted from his White House job in February. story continues below "The president said it was a 'total disgrace' what he did," an official told the Washington Post in June, while the New York Times reported that Vindman's promotion was "imperiled" in what could be "another flash point between the president and the military." Trump also called Vindman "very insubordinate" around the time Fox ran a segment suggesting the Army officer was engaged in "espionage." Now Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran who lost both legs in combat, wants Defense Secretary Mark Esper to confirm he "will not block" Vindman's "expected and deserved" promotion to colonel. Duckworth can hold up Senate confirmation of 1,123 senior military promotions in a maneuver typically reserved for filibusters, Newsweek reports. No response yet from the Pentagon. (Read more Alexander Vindman stories.) Organiser Cyndi Christensen started the challenge in Lower Hutt six years ago and has seen it grow in size over the years, with more locals wanting a taste of liquid gold. She said it's a great way to bring small businesses back to life. "It raises a profile of the CBD hospitality businesses and brings more people into the city centre, especially during winter. I think the most unique one this year is an apple pie white spiced chocolate, which is really good." Fifteen cafes have entered the competition this year, which means 15 exciting new flavours for everyone to try - from decadent desserts to artistic creations, like earl grey hot chocolate. Even the biggest chocoholics are in for a treat. Atrium Cafe has created an orange chocolate concoction topped with fresh brownie and a flaming meringue. "We wanted it to look amazing and taste amazing and have that 'wow' effect," head chef Anja Hajdarvic said. Right now New Zealand businesses will have noticed significant changes resulting from COVID-19. Technology and innovation seem to be the driving forces for resilience amid the pandemic. While online sales and services were already growing rapidly, the pandemic has catapulted them into overdrive. While it feels like the 'future' is already here, its important for businesses to keep planning ahead. A group of ten industry experts, including advisors from online platform Shopify, have been helping business.govt.nz create new resources to make it easier for Kiwi businesses to successfully adopt digital commerce practices. Newshub spoke to Talia Richardson, Strategic Partnerships Manager, Australia and New Zealand for Shopify about how Kiwi businesses can succeed in a post-COVID environment. "2020 is the year that brought 2030 forward in terms of the acceleration of online commerce. Businesses need to pivot and be flexible to where and how their customers shop, for example providing services like in-store pickup and local delivery," Richardson said. She suggests brick-and-mortar stores will remain as just one part of a broader commerce strategy, hence business owners need to 'embrace an multi channel presence in order to survive and thrive'. "Online has proven increasingly important, so investing in your digital strategy now will help future-proof your business. The great thing about digital is you can experiment at a relatively low cost, and change and adapt quickly," she said. 1. Transformation for Kiwi businesses Richardson said Shopify is currently seeing fundamental shifts in the way brands and consumers interact, and major changes in purchasing behaviour. A huge number of businesses are adopting e-commerce practices, and more and more consumers are shopping online. "Consumers are increasingly looking to support local merchants and buy local." "There is also an increased awareness of the importance of having an multi strategy and selling wherever your customers are (whether that's in-store, online, through marketplaces, social media etc). We've also seen diversification of delivery options including local delivery and in-store pick up," she says. 2. Have a plan How you adapt your business to online opportunities will depend on your objectives and the nature of your business. "Having a plan for doing business online is key to success," Director of business.govt.nz Matt Kennedy-Good said. "For some businesses a website is a great idea. For others, it may make more sense to use an online marketplace instead. The key is understanding what will work best for your business." With help from industry partners and experts, business.govt.nz has created a tool that customises guidance to the needs of different businesses. "Digital is a huge opportunity for small businesses, but we know it can be hard for them to find the time to figure it out. This is why the resources we created make it easy for Kiwi businesses to figure out what will work for them." UPDATE: This story has been updated due to incorrect information provided by Pharmac, for which it apologises. The earlier version said Apotex was pulling out this year when it is in fact next year. More than a million Kiwis may need to change to different medications before the end of next year due to a major pharmaceutical company pulling out of the New Zealand market, leaving Pharmac looking for new suppliers for dozens of medications. You may know the name Apotex, the founder of the Canadian pharmaceutical giant was murdered in 2017. Billionaire Barry Sherman and his wife were discovered in the basement of their Canada home. Their deaths remain a mystery. What you may not know is that hundreds of thousands of Kiwis use their medications. From antibiotics to B vitamins and treatments for blood pressure, arthritis, cholesterol, and depression. Patient Voice Aotearoa Chair, Malcolm Mulholland, is concerned it could result in supply problems. "This move could potentially affect a million New Zealanders or more," Mulholland said. Apotex's diabetes medication, Metformin, alone is used by 200,00 Kiwis. There are no new cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand, the Ministry of Health says. The country continues to have 18 active cases of the illness, all of which are in managed isolation or quarantine facilities, meaning there are none in the community. We have recorded 1180 confirmed cases overall. One person remains in Auckland Hospital in a stable condition. On Thursday, 3703 tests were completed, taking the total to 409,032. The seven-day rolling average is 4396. Of the 2159 people who left managed isolation between June 9 and 16, 277 continue to not respond to efforts to contact them. There are 161 people who won't be tested for various reasons, including being a child, being overseas or are refusing a test (97). "A high number of tests around New Zealand during this period has not detected any case of community transmission and any risk from this group can be regarded as very low." Over 60 percent of those who have left the facilities (1326) have been contacted and tested negative. A further 395 people have been spoken to and have been referred for testing. The NZ COVID Tracer application has had 587,000 registrations and the Ministry of Health is encouraging as many people as possible to download and use the app. "It continues to provide us with up to date contact information to support our contact tracing efforts in Level 1. This remains key to New Zealand's elimination strategy," it says. "Please sign up for the app if you havent already done so and when you have it, keep using it." There have now been 76,251 posters created by businesses, with 1,322,431 scans so far. The greyhound training rules in New Zealand are clear: "Only artificial materials are permitted for use as a lure". Using animals, either dead or alive, is forbidden - but the practice of using live animals as bait is believed to make dogs run faster. SPCA head of inspectorate Tracy Phillips says they're frustrated but will remain focused. "When we've got evidence that animals are being ill-treated and abused, we will absolutely continue to investigate and lay charges, where appropriate." She has concerns with the greyhound industry as a whole. "At the end of the day we've got to look at what our purpose is, and there is no doubt animals used in live-baiting would have suffered incalculable harm and terror." Cole had denied the charges. The SPCA said it stood by its decision to charge him in the first place. Newshub spoke to multiple former workers of Cole's last year who claimed he regularly used live bait as part of his training regime. One said he saw it happen weekly. "Quite simply, I never saw live animals being tortured by anyone until I worked for Brendon." Newshub was unable to reach Cole for his side of the story. While protests in the US began primarily against police brutality, wider systematic racism is now under scrutiny worldwide, including in New Zealand. Kiwi cities saw mass demonstrations and the appropriateness of statues of individuals symbolising colonialism has been put into question. Appearing on The AM Show on Friday, US Ambassador to New Zealand Scott Brown said a lot is changing in the States. "You have the Black Lives Matter, of which I support. We do have a strong social fabric it seems sometimes we need to be shocked to go and make changes and I think that is a good thing," he said. US President Donald Trump's response to the death of Floyd and wider protests has been met with mixed reviews. While he showed sympathy for Floyd's family and has supported some level of police reform, Trump has also threatened serious force against particular protesters, stirred up conspiracy theories and has been accused of being tone-deaf. "He is going to react however he reacts. I know how I reacted and how others have reacted. Publicly, I am here talking about it with you. I went on record saying I support the effort and I support peaceful protests." On June 1, when protests took place in New Zealand, Ambassador Brown thanked Kiwis for showing solidarity with those in the US. "The response of my fellow citizens - & those around the world - standing up for the rights of George Floyd, refusing to avert our eyes to the horrors of injustice, & peacefully demanding change in the face of tragedy- demonstrates the values of the country I know and love. "I look forward, along with all those outraged by this tragedy, to seeing justice served. I thank my Kiwi neighbours for their show of solidarity, and share your commitment to change." Ardern said New Zealand is in a "unique position" compared to other regions where COVID-19 cases are continuing to grow. The Australia state of Victoria recorded 75 new cases on Monday, the largest case increase since 70 were recorded on March 31. "The fact we have been able to manage as a team COVID as successfully as we have means we haven't had the economic impacts right now of things like social distancing, not being able to have bars and restaurants open," Ardern said. "That's an advantage." But New Zealand has not come of lockdown unscathed. The Ministry of Social Development confirmed on Friday that almost 200,000 New Zealanders are on an unemployment benefit - that's about the population of Wellington City. Ardern acknowledged that the "disadvantage" for New Zealanders is border controls. "Will they be with us forever? Well, when we have development of vaccine, treatment, reliable quick turnaround testing - all of that will change the future scenario for our borders," she said. "Those are technologies that would all make a difference to New Zealand's borders." She said in the meantime the Government is working on a potential trans-Tasman travel bubble, a smart borders project with Singapore, and options to bring back international students in the 2021 education year. "All of that work is underway but we have to make sure it's safe." Opening up the border to non-Kiwis and residents has implications because every returnee is currently required to undergo two weeks of managed isolation in Government-funded facilities. Since June 9, people in managed isolation and quarantine facilities need to be tested at days three and 12, and a negative result is required for the day 12 test before being allowed to leave. The latest figures on Friday show there are currently 5202 people in managed isolation facilities across Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Wellington and Christchurch. The total people capacity at the moment is 6188. The Government is looking at opening facilities in Queenstown and Dunedin. Nearly $300 million has been budgeted by Cabinet for the rest of the year to fund the facilities, and the minister in charge Megan Woods is exploring co-payment options - but there are implications with that because Kiwis have a legal right to return home. New Zealand's community-transmission-free status hasn't gone unnoticed. The European Union has included us in a list of countries it considers "safe", and Kiwis will be able to travel there without having to spend two weeks in isolation. But the Prime Minister confirmed earlier this week that New Zealand will not be returning the favour, and that Kiwis will have to plan for two weeks of managed isolation when they return. Dr Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health at the University of Southampton has written that COVID-19 is likely to be around for some time. "Many countries are experiencing big increases in their daily COVID-19 cases. Whether or not these are second waves, or the first wave only now really starting to accelerate, it's clear that COVID-19 is here to stay for some considerable time yet." The Ministry of Health reported no new cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand on Friday, so the number of active cases remains at 18 - all of which are in managed isolation or quarantine facilities. There are no cases of COVID-19 in the community. "If it was the former, it is unconscionable and absolutely beggars belief why anyone would feel it was an acceptable action to take, given the trauma it is likely to cause those whose information is involved," Hipkins said in a statement. "It would, quite frankly, be abhorrent, and potentially criminal. Either way, it cannot happen again." In a document seen by media outlets including RNZ, names of quarantine hotels, ages, addresses, and full names of the patients were reportedly revealed. Hipkins, meanwhile, has only been in the Health Minister role since Thursday after David Clark's resignation. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appointed Hipkins to the role temporarily until September's election. Dr Clark announced his resignation following weeks of controversy, including breaking New Zealand's COVID-19 lockdown rules and blaming Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield for a blunder at the border, where two women were allowed out of managed isolation on compassionate grounds without a COVID-19 test. The pair later tested positive for coronavirus. At least 105 people living across 15 different fraternity houses have self-reported positive test results to the student-run Interfraternity Council, according to an update provided by UW officials Thursday evening. The University of Washington noted it has so far independently verified 62 of those cases, and another four were confirmed in students who had close contacts but did not live at the properties. Labour has sacked a candidate from its list after it emerged he once praised a column describing Islam as a "Stone Age religion" and its followers as a "sorry pack of misogynist troglodytes from Wogistan". Kurt Taogaga was ranked 68th on the party's 84-strong list to contest the election in September - on recent polling an outside chance of making it into Parliament. Taogaga stood in Helensville in 2017 but lost to National's Chris Penk. In 2013 - before entering politics - Taogaga said on Twitter "we need to see Islam for what it truly is". He linked to a news article about what he called a "brave" column by then-New Zealand First MP Richard Prosser in Investigate magazine. In the article - written after he had a pocketknife confiscated by airport security - Prosser said Muslims threaten New Zealanders' way of life and said young men who "look like a Muslim" should be banned from flying. "Go ride a camel instead," he added. In his tweets, Taogaga said 'Wogistan' was "an unfortunate choice of words" and he wasn't sure he agreed "wholeheartedly", but called the column "brave". "Some kernels of truth," he added. With the Greens polling close to the 5 percent party vote threshold required to enter Parliament without a seat, winning Auckland Central would guarantee the party makes it back in - improving the chances of a left coalition forming the next Government, perhaps without New Zealand First. And New Zealand First - Labour's current coalition partner - are languishing below the threshold, also at risk of failing to get back into Parliament. But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told Newshub Nation on Saturday there are no plans to cut a deal with anyone. "We haven't done those in the past, and I see no reason to change that position," she told host Tova O'Brien. "We run in seats in order to give choices to voters, and we also run in seats because we think that representation locally and holding seats, working on the ground alongside constituents is really important to us as a party. And so that's why we take that approach." National runs candidates in Epsom, despite encouraging voters to give their candidate vote to ACT, hoping to bring in more MPs on the right. In 2011 National candidate, now finance spokesperson Paul Goldsmith, was seen removing unofficial signs urging voters to give him the tick. Goldsmith told Newshub Nation last year he was fine with not winning the electorate. "That's how MMP works. It's a funny system. "I never voted for it. I don't like it, but that's what we've got... I've always, of course, lived in the electorate and made sure that the people there actually end up with two MPs, and I'm as out-and-about and as active as I can be." William Beetham, Federated Farmers' meat and wool chairperson, said it was a positive sign there had been acknowledgement that plantings could be problematic but he had doubts over whether the proposed revisions would be effective. "Were really pleased there is now acknowledgement theres an issue with large-scale exotic plantings - particularly those grown just for carbon credits - swallowing up land used for food and fibre production. The result of this trend is loss of export income, employment and the undermining of rural district social cohesion." The issue of carbon credits has been in the headlines recently, since amendments were made to the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) last month. With New Zealand's goal to be carbon neutral by 2050, the ETS has effectively turned carbon into a currency. People receive credits for planting trees which can then be sold to companies to offset their emissions. Climate Change Minister James Shaw said at the time the scheme is one of the most effective tools the country has for reducing climate-polluting emissions, but industry groups have expressed concern at some of the reforms. The main fear for many is that it incentivises the acceleration of productive farmland being converted to pines planted for carbon credits. Beetham said Labour's pledge to revise the National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry was "one potential solution". The revision would mean resource consent from the local district council would be required to plant forestry blocks larger than 50 hectares on "elite soils" - those classified as land use capability (LUC) classes 1-5, which means they are more suitable for agricultural production. Beetham said Federated Farmers "still had question marks" over whether the revision would stop sheep and beef farms on the East Coast, which are more likely to be LUC 6 or higher, being taken over by blanket afforestation. "We'd much rather Labour had taken on board the strong opposition on the topic expressed for many months now by the wider agricultural sector and some environmental NGOs, and not rushed through policy changes that have led to this issue," Beethan said. However, he said it was a "welcome sign" the party was "demonstrating a commitment to protecting productive farmland" for the food and fibre industry. Beef + Lamb New Zealand also said it was "not convinced" by the party's announcement. Chief executive Sam McIvor said he didn't think the RMA was the appropriate vehicle. "Consents can still be approved and will not necessarily restrict conversions," he said. "We want to work with political parties on what the best policy approach is for limiting wholesale conversion is and for the wider issue of emissions reductions." The ETS has been highly controversial with opponents saying rural communities will suffer if productive land is used for planting pines. Industry groups say around 70,000 hectares have already gone to planting trees, though the Government says that number is only around 22,000. The Australian state of New South Wales has slapped restrictions on the number of international travellers arriving in Sydney due to "significant pressure" on quarantine capacity. NSW, Australia's most populous state, said that from Saturday a passenger limit of 50 people per flight and 450 people per day will be imposed at Sydney Airport, due to international flights into Melbourne being suspended. Foreign flights into Melbourne were canned for two weeks following a spike in COVID-19 cases, which has seen several of the city's suburbs go back into lockdown. Britain will end coronavirus quarantines for people arriving in England from more than 50 countries, including Germany, France, Spain, New Zealand and Italy - but not the United States - the government said on Friday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government had debated for days how to ease the quarantine rules. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which set their own health policies within the United Kingdom, have not announced plans to lift the measures. "Today marks the next step in carefully reopening our great nation," Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said. As the spread of the novel coronavirus slows in Europe, countries are reopening travel after more than three months of lockdown. The full list of countries was published here. Please purchase a subscription read this premium content. If you have a subscription, please sign up for a digital website account or log in. The Saudi-led military coalition battling the Houthis in Yemen said on Friday it had destroyed four explosive-laden drones launched by the Iran-aligned group in the direction of Saudi Arabia, the official Saudi news agency reported. The drones were intercepted over territory controlled by the Houthis in Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency said, citing a statement from the command of the coalition, which is made up mainly of Saudi and United Arab Emirates forces. The coalition announced on Wednesday the launch of a new military operation against the Houthis after they stepped up cross-border missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. Last week, Houthi fighters fired missiles that reached the Saudi capital Riyadh in the first such assault since a six-week ceasefire prompted by the novel coronavirus epidemic expired in late May. The coalition said it intercepted the attack. The coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the Saudi-backed, internationally-recognised government from the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014. The Houthis say they are fighting a corrupt system. The conflict is largely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Short link: We have the ability to keep businesses open and move our economy forward so that Texans can continue to earn a paycheck, said Abbott. But it requires each of us to do our part to protect one another and that means wearing a face covering in public spaces. Health authorities said 71 new cases of coronavirus had been reported across the state of Connecticut late this week. According to the office of Gov. Ned Lamont, another nine fatalities were attributed to coronavirus or complications from the viral infection in the latest reporting period, released Friday afternoon. The death toll was updated to 4,335 fatalities. DANBURY State police are trying to track down the driver of an SUV involved in a Tuesday morning hit-and-run. A 2019 Honda Passport stopped at a red light on the Interstate 84 westbound Exit 8 off-ramp was rear-ended by an SUV around 10:45 a.m., according to police. Four U.S. states Arizona, California, Florida and Texas reported a combined 25,000, or half of all new confirmed American coronavirus cases, on Thursday. According to data compiled by the volunteer COVID Tracking Project, the infection curve also rose in 40 out of 50 states going into the July 4th holiday weekend. Fast-moving consumer products will now be known as Glow & Lovely by Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) leading skin care brand for women Fair & Lovely. Fast-moving consumer goods major Hindustan Unilever Ltds (HULs) flagship skin care brand for women Fair & Lovely will now be known as Glow & Lovely. Over the next few months, Glow & Lovely will be on the shelves and future innovations will deliver on this new proposition, the company said on Thursday. The mens range of Fair & Lovely will be called Glow & Handsome. HUL said the next step in evolution of its skin care portfolio is to have a more inclusive vision of positive beauty. A week ago, the company had said it will stop using the word Fair in the brand name Fair & Lovely. We are making our skin care portfolio more inclusive and want to lead the celebration of a more diverse portrayal of beauty, said HUL Chairman and Managing Director Sanjiv Mehta. Earlier, Johnson & Johnson announced that it will exit the fairness cream category in India and the Middle East as protests have grown over the issue of gender discrimination and stereotyping following the death of George Floyd in the United States. Also Read: FWICE urges Bollywood actors against promoting Chinese brands For all the latest Business News, download NewsX App Class XII board exams in India are most crucial and critical for Indian high school students, deciding their future and the institutions they will go to eventually. Some call it an unnecessary hype, while others actively participate in making it one. This event of a lifetime, which every student had assiduously prepared for has been cancelled by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in light of the global pandemic. After the examinations comfortably commenced in March, the growing threat of Coronavirus, which reached India mid-March 2020, forced all Indian Boards to defer the exams for classes X and XII, till April 2020. Amidst all-night studies, continuous tuitions and hours spent on practice papers, the Indian students were abruptly left in the lurch, bleakly viewing their future careers with trepidation, during the looming threat of the pandemic. Lockdown 1 by the Indian Government started on 23rd March 2020 with India standing at nearly five hundred cases of COVID-19. This 21-day strict lockdown was declared with a promise for a better situation and a flatter curve thereof. Unfortunately, cause and effect did not progress in a linear way as planned and the country witnessed an increase in cases due to which lockdowns in various forms followed. With every passing week, anxiety in students who were in the middle of most crucial examination of their school lives mounted and multiplied. While the apprehensions of those who had secured admissions abroad were somewhat assuaged, those who aimed at Indias top educational institutions were battling two situations at once, the pandemic and their futures. After the unlock strategies were announced, CBSE declared that the Board examination would be conducted between 1st July-15th July. With the growing number of cases in India and concerns regarding the safety of students, the decision was opposed, and the Supreme Court of India was moved by a Public Interest Litigation. On 25th June 2020, keeping in mind the importance of a stress-free and conducive environment for examinations and safety of students amidst the health threat caused by the global pandemic, CBSE declared that the Board examinations for class X and XII would be cancelled and an alternative mode of evaluation was announced. The Apex Court on 26th June 2020 approved the same and held that the ICSE would follow the same pattern. The new evaluation scheme: A respite for some, a nightmare for others Under the new scheme of evaluation, students who had completed all their examinations, would get their results based on their performance in the examination. As for students who have appeared in more than three subjects, the average of the marks obtained in the best three exams will be awarded for the rest of the subjects. For students who have appeared for examinations in only three subjects, an average of the best two will be taken for the rest of the subjects, and for students who have appeared in the examination for less than three subjects, the results will be based on the performance in the appeared subjects and internal/practical/project assessment. CBSE has stated in its notification that there are very few students of Class XII who have appeared in the category of less than three exams. These students would be graded based on performance in the appeared subjects and internal/practical/project assessment, which obviously has become a significant cause of concern and worry. It is a general norm among students to take pre-board examinations as an opportunity to evaluate how much more work is still required to be put in, keeping the focus on the final board exams. Again, all schools set varying difficulty level question papers for their pre-board exams, and their evaluation pattern also varies depending upon the schools general practices and systems. Some might believe in checking leniently to boost confidence, and some might do otherwise. There are also cases wherein students have missed their pre-boards, to either prepare for the main exams or due to illness and other reasons. Keeping all these factors in mind, announcing results which include internal performance can cause great discrepancy and is extremely unfair to students. To be fair, CBSE has tried to reduce the uncertainty to an extent by committing to declare the results by 15th July 2020. However, there still exists a great deal of confusion and anxiety among students regarding their path ahead. Option for re-examination at a later date: A cliff-hanger again? The primary reason for anxiety in students was the uncertainty of exams per se and the timing. Even during the first lockdown, students continued to focus on their studies in anticipation of the examinations to be conducted in April. The same happened when the notification was released regarding the conduct of examinations from 1st July, which was subsequently cancelled. Though CBSE has declared that no re-examinations will be conducted for Class X students, a provision of optional re-examination for Class XII students is included in the notification approved by the Supreme Court. A somewhat uncertain provision reads inter alia to the effect that the re-examination dates will be decided when the situation becomes conducive. Keeping in mind the current situation in India, with around five lakh positive COVID-19 cases and approximately more than fifteen thousand deaths any expectation of a downward spiral in cases is a distant dream for now. In these circumstances, although the provision for re-examination may offer some reprieve for students who may not be happy with the results to be declared on 15th July, the fact that CBSE at a later date may and can cancel the examinations is a cliff-hanger and remains a suspenseful situation for students. Further, even though Class XII students are being offered the option to appeal their grades or to take an exam as soon as possible if they are not satisfied with what they have been awarded, the entire process will be cumbersome, disconcerting and convoluted as many of their peers are likely to have embarked on the next chapter of their educational lives by then. The prime question that follows is whether Universities will consider the subsequent marks of the re-examinations in their admission process. Most students rely upon their Board results for admissions in Indias premier academic institutions such as the Delhi University, which in all probability, will announce its cut-offs by August 2020, going as high as 97% for a few courses. A re-examination provision would be futile if the same bears no importance and relevance for the admissions. ICSE has declared that it will be following the footsteps of CBSE in cancellation of exams. However, the evaluation scheme would be different. These students are yet to receive clarification regarding the procedure that will follow. Viewing this situation at a micro level does reveal some gaps and flaws. However, with the unprecedented uncertainties that 2020 has brought with it, we all need to adjust, adapt, and overcome, and only this mindset will allow us to move forward positively. Therefore, if one views the decision of CBSE with a macro perspective, the cancellation of the examinations was the need of the hour. This situation should be seen as a chance and opportunity for schools, colleges, and universities to carefully examine the fairness and transparency of their admissions and evaluation procedures, so that post the pandemic, practices are more equitable and just. They can embrace a more simplified system with new and creative ways to assess students. In every crisis, there is an opportunity and going forward college admissions are going to look a lot different. Adityaraj Patodia and Ramayni Sood are students at Amity Law School, Delhi (GGSIPU). For all the latest Education and Jobs News, download NewsX App Delhi University (DU) has released the date sheets for open-book examinations (OBE) for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs for School of Open Learning (SOL) and Non-Collegiate Women's Education Board (NCWEB) on their official website du.ac.in Delhi University (DU) has announced the date sheets for BA and BCom (honours and general) final examinations on its official website du.ac.in. The university has also released the date sheet for different postgraduate programmes MA in Political Science and Hindi, MCom for School of Open Learning (SOL) and Non-Collegiate Womens Education Board (NCWEB) students. This final years open-book exams (OBE) will start on July 10. Previously, DU open-book exam 2020 was planned to begin from July 1 but the University postponed it by 10 days due to the coronavirus outbreak. Delhi University will also conduct mock tests for both, regular and open school students to aid them in better understanding the new method of examination. Students will be given an hour to download question papers, scan and upload answer sheets while time allotted to write the exam is 2 hours. DU SOL Date Sheet 2020: Undergraduate Examinations for BA (general) programmes will be held from 10th July to 23rd July. Exams of different courses language, core, application, discipline and foundation are to be conducted on different dates and during time slots. Examinations for BA (Hons) programmes will be conducted from July 10 to July 24. Exams have been scheduled for two days in discipline courses of regular and honours programs. Also read: Decision on JEE, NEET likely by tomorrow: HRD Minister Also read: Microsoft to help 25 million people acquire new digital skills An official statement from the university stated that the candidates have to appear in the alphabetical order of the subjects offered. For example, the candidate who has opted for History and Economics should appear in Economics on the first day and History on the second day. Also, for B.Com General students, exams will be held from July 10 to July 25 while the same for the honours students will commence from July 10 and end on July 27. DU SOL 2020 Date Sheet: Postgraduate Exams for MA Political Science students of 4th semester are scheduled to be held from July 11 to August 4 while the exams for 2nd-semester students will begin on July 29 and end on August 5. Also, the exams for M.Com and MA(Hindi) courses will be held from July 10 to July 21. Also read: TBSE Madhyamik Result 2020: Tripura 10th result announced @ tbresults.tripura.gov.in: How to check and other details For all the latest Education and Jobs News, download NewsX App TBSE Madhyamik result 2020 has been announced @ tbresults.tripura.gov.in by the Tripura Board. Here's how you can check your Tripura 10th results online and via sms on mobile. TBSE Madhyamik Result 2020, Tripura 10th result, tbresults.tripura.gov.in: TBSE Madhyamik result 2020 has been announced by the Tripura Board. A total of 69.49 percent of students have passed the exams. Ratan Lal Nath, the State Education Minister, announced the result in a press conference. The result for Tripura 10th Board has been released on the official website and is now accessible to the students. An earlier notice had been sent out by the Board, naming the websites students could visit in order to check their results. The mark schedule sheet and certificate distribution have also been released by the Board. Students may receive their certificates according to the schedule given on the Boards website. TBSE Madhyamik Result 2020: Steps to check Tripura 10th result online Step 1. Visit one of the official websites, tbresults.tripura.gov.in, tbse.in, tripura.nic.in, tripurainfo.com, or, tripuraresults.nic.in Step 2. Click on a link that says, Tripura Madhyamik result link Step 3. Enter login credentials Step 4. Click on submit button Step 5. Your subjectwise scorecard will open. TBSE Madhyamik Result 2020: Check Tripura 10th result via SMS Since the websites will be accessed by almost all the students at the same time, it might crash. So the students can also get their results through SMS. An SMS has to be sent to 7738299899. The format in which the SMS has to be sent is TBSE10 (space) Registration Number and Roll Number (please note that there should be no space between registration number and roll number). Also read: Decision on JEE, NEET likely by tomorrow: HRD Minister Also read: Microsoft to help 25 million people acquire new digital skills Students who would want re-evaluation or re-checking will be given the chance. The board will declare the schedule for re-evaluation and rechecking in some time on its official website. Also, students who fail to pass any exam, will also be given a chance to improve their grades. The information and schedule for compartment and improvement exams will also be announced later. Also read: MPBSE to reveal Class 10th result date today For all the latest Education and Jobs News, download NewsX App Saroj Khan death news: Bollywood actor Madhuri Dixit has shared that she is devastated by the loss of her friend and guru Saroj Khan. Some of the popular songs that they have done together include Ek Do Teen, Dhak Dhak Karne Laga, Dola Re Dola and Humko Aaj Kal Hai. Saroj Khan death news: Saroj Khan has passed away at the age of 71. She died of cardiac arrest at the ICU of Mumbais Guru Nanak Hospital on Friday, July 3. Her demise has left a void in the hearts and lives of not just her friends and family but the entire country. A three-time national award winner, Saroj Khan has many popular songs to her account. These include Ek Do Teen, Dhak Dhak Karne Laga, Hawa Hawai, Dola Re Dola, Humko Aajkal Hai Intezaar and many more. Amid reports that Saroj Khans last rites will be performed later in the day today, her daughter Sukaina Khan told PTI that they buried her around 7 am. She added that her prayer meet would be held after three days. Filmmaker Kunal Kohli confirmed the demise of Saroj Khan on Twitter. Extending condolences to his beloved masterji, He wrote that they have had long journey together-from music videos to films. Now that she is gone, he will fulfil his promise to her. Expressing how she stood for the rights of people, said what was in her heart in an unadulterated manner, bought biryani for the whole crew, Kunal thanked her all the memories. #SarojKhan my beloved Masterji. #RIPSarojKhan From Music Videos to films we had a long journey together. Now youve left me & gone. I will do & make what we spoke about one day, my promise to you. kunal kohli (@kunalkohli) July 3, 2020 Also Read: Saroj Khan passes away at 71 Also Read: Alia Bhatt thanks Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for invitation Madhuri Dixit, who has worked extensively with Saroj Khan and delivered some of the biggest blockbusters, wrote on Twitter that she is devastated by the loss of her friend and guru Saroj Khan. The actor further expressed that she will always be grateful for her work in teach her to reach to her full potential as a dancer. I'm devastated by the loss of my friend and guru, Saroj Khan. Will always be grateful for her work in helping me reach my full potential in dance. The world has lost an amazingly talented person. I will miss you My sincere condolences to the family. #RIPSarojji Madhuri Dixit Nene (@MadhuriDixit) July 3, 2020 Also Read: Sanjay Leela Bhansali to be questioned over Sushant Singh Rajputs death Heres how Bollywood is paying tribute to legendary choreographer Saroj Khan: T 3582 Prayers .. .. , Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) July 3, 2020 Atleast I had a chance to dance in your company. I am going to hold on to those memories tight. real tight. we lose another star to the sky. Your songs will make every girl remember you for ever n ever. https://t.co/QWiG0FaP6j taapsee pannu (@taapsee) July 3, 2020 Another legend leaves us. I never had the pleasure of seeing the magician at work but her work mesmerised and made so many look so graceful on screen. #SarojKhan masterji you will be missed. Prayers and Strength to the family kunal kemmu (@kunalkemmu) July 3, 2020 Rest in peace Saroj ji manoj bajpayee (@BajpayeeManoj) July 3, 2020 For all the latest Entertainment News, download NewsX App Reliance Jio has released its own video conferencing app called 'JioMeet'. The app has been launched with the ambition of replacing Zoom, not only in India but hopefully, globally as well. JioMeet has been released by Reliance Jio, as an alternative to Zoom. The telecom company, led and owned by Mukesh Ambani, has launched its own video conference app on Google Play and App Store. After a plethora of updates on the funding, Reliance Jio has finally released its first product and its entering the tech arena to give a stiff competition to Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and other popular video conferencing tools. JioMeet features direct calls (1:1 calling), meetings and can handle up to 100 participants. Reliance Jio says that the app also has enterprise-grade host controls. You can register with your phone number or email ID, and then experience meetings in HD quality. JioMeet is completely free to download and you can create as many meetings as you want per day, which can be password protected. It also has a waiting room like Zoom. Unlike Zoom, which has a 40-minute time limit, you can host a meeting for as long as required with no interruptions. The app also supports multi-device login up to 5 devices. The app supports screen sharing and has a safe driving mode feature as well. The user interface of this app has been reviewed to be good and it works just like other leading video conferencing apps. Also read: One Plus launches 2 new smart TVs in India, know price and specifications Also read: Pakistan bans PUBG stating negative impact JioMeet resembles Zoom in terms of its layout. Jio has been testing this app for a few months and this app is now available to the users. During this pandemic, Mukesh Ambani has constantly been in news for investments coming in from around the world. Reliance Jio recently cracked a huge deal with Facebook. Facebook now owns 9.99 percent of Jio. Also read: Google News to partner with local news publishers to widen coverage on Covid-19 For all the latest Gadgets News, download NewsX App As investigation continues with civilians injured and several policemen missing, UP CM, Yogi Adityanath, orders officials to take strict action against the culprits and submit report. A total of eight police personnel including Deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Mishra have lost their lives after they were fired upon by criminals in the early hours of Friday. The incident took place when a police team had gone to raid history-sheeter Vikas Dubeys house. Senior Superintendent of Police and Inspector General of Police have reached the spot and forensics team is examining the area. Also read: Amid India-China standoff, PM Modi visits Leh Also read: Amid tensions with China, India to acquire fighter aircraft missiles with Rs 38,900 Cr Additional Director General (ADG) Law and Order Prashant Kumar on Friday visited the encounter spot in Bikaru village stated that if there has been any lapse on the part of the police, it will be investigated. Seven other persons including a civilian were also injured in the incident. Few police weapons are also missing. Those responsible for the act will be caught and produced before the law. If there has been any lapse on the part of the police, it will be investigated, said ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP), HC Awasthi said that the operation is still underway to nab the criminals who had fled after shooting at the police. A case under Section 307 was lodged against history-sheeter Vikas Dubey by a man named Rahul Tiwari and the police had gone to arrest him in a village called Bikaru. JCBs were put up there which obstructed our vehicles. When the force got down, criminals opened fire. We retaliated but since the criminals were at a height, eight of our men died. the DGP told ANI. The Inspector General (IG), Additional Director General (ADG) and Director General (DG) (Law & Order) have been sent there to supervise the operation. The forensic team from Kanpur was at the spot, an expert team from Lucknow is also being sent. The Kanpur Special Task Force (STF) is already at work. A large scale operation is being carried out. This is in continuation with the operation for which the team had gone there in the first place, he added. JN Singh, ADG Kanpur zone told ANI Police from the neighbouring districts of Kannauj and Kanpur Dehat has also been called. The eight policemen who lost their lives in the encounter are CO Devendra Kumar Mishra, SO Mahesh Yadav, Chowki Incharge Anup Kumar, Sub-Inspector Nebulal, Constables Sultan Singh, Rahul, Jitendra and Bablu. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed condolences to the families of the eight police personnel who lost their lives in the incident. He has directed Director General of Police to take strict action against criminals and sought a report of the incident. Also read: Digital strike: Ravi Shankar Prasad hails Centres move to ban 59 Chinese apps For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Speaking to media, the victim's wife said that her husband was murdered for being a people's man. She demands immediate arrest of former TDP minister Kollu Ravindra, whom she finds responsible for the brutal murder. The murder of an OBC leader from the fishermen community in broad daylight has become a major flashpoint in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Former Machilipatnam market yard chairman, M.Bhaskar Rao was brutally stabbed to death on the 29th of June while he was touring the fish market. This incident has led to widespread protests being carried out by the fishermen community, demanding the arrest of former TDP minister Kollu Ravindra who is the alleged mastermind behind the alleged criminal conspiracy. While the family and the community as a whole is struggling to cope with the loss , former CM Chandrababu Naidu and other TDP leaders are seen trrying to give the whole episode a caste-twist. Chandra Babu Naidu himself took to Twitter to say , After ACB cases, SC/ST atrocities cases, Nirbhaya cases, now they are filing murder cases against TDP leaders, Why are BC leaders being attacked? Why this hatred towards the BC leaders? . Speaking to media , the victims wife said , My husband was murdered for being a peoples man. Kollu Ravindra, the man responsible for the brutal murder of my husband. He should be arrested immediately. We want justice. He was murdered only because he was a nice man and served the people . Scores of women from the community have been protesting for the past 5 days demanding the arrest of those responsible. In a major development in the case, the local police arrested 3 men for the barbaric crime committed in broad daylight . The police identified the accused as Chinta Chinni, a resident of Ulangipalem, Chinta Nancharaiah alias Puligadu and a minor boy. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Nine of the top 10 hotspots for COVID-19 are in prisons. Asking hundreds of people from around the country to go to Indiana right now to attend this execution is like asking them to run into a burning building. We havent had a federal execution in 17 years: There is absolutely no reason for the government to rush forward with such a reckless and dangerous plan. India has raised strong objections to Pak's continuous violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, support to terrorists which has killed several Indian soldiers over the years, said sources. India has registered strong protest, through diplomatic channels, at the continued unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistan forces along the Line of Control and the International Boundary which has killed over 14 Indians, wounded 88 in 2020 so far, sources said on Friday. Sources said that Pakistani forces have carried out 2432 unprovoked ceasefire violations carried out by Pakistan forces this year till now. Despite these concerns having been shared, sources said that the Pakistan forces have not ceased such activities. Also read: India briefs Japan on LAC situation amid tensions with China Also read: 8 Policemen shot dead in deadly UP encounter We have registered our strong protest at the continued unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistan forces along the Line of Control and the International Boundary which are in contravention to the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, the sources said. They said New Delhi has also conveyed strong concerns at the continued support being extended by the Pakistan forces for cross border infiltration of terrorists, including through covering fire. Despite these concerns having been shared, including through the channel of Director Generals Military Operations, the Pakistan forces have not ceased such activities, the sources said. Also read: Amid tensions with China, India to acquire fighter aircraft missiles with Rs 38,900 Cr For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Leh on Friday morning to review the situation on the ground at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). He was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday made a surprise visit to Ladakh and was briefed by senior officers at a forward position in Nimu amid ongoing tension with China. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. He reached Nimu, early morning today and he is presently interacting with Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel. Located at 11,000 feet, this is among the tough terrains, surrounded by Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. Sources had earlier informed about CDS Rawats visit to Leh today. General Rawats visit holds importance since it comes in the wake of Defence Minister Rajnath Singhs visit to Ladakh being rescheduled. Earlier, the Defence Minister was scheduled to visit Ladakh today to review the preparedness of the army amid the ongoing standoff with China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Leh in Ladakh on Friday morning so as to review the situation developing on the ground due to high-tensions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the negotiations going on between the two militaries. Bharat Mata's enemies have seen your fire and fury: PM Modi addressing soldiers in Ladakh https://t.co/TDYIwulXMY ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2020 Also read: Covid-19 tests in India to soon touch 1 crore mark: Dr Harsh Vardhan Also read: After losing Lodhi road bungalow, Priyanka to establish camp in Lucknow The situation at the India-China border remains tense after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in the Galwan valley on June 15-16 when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. India and China have been involved in talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month. Also read: Amid tensions with China, India to acquire fighter aircraft missiles with Rs 38,900 Cr For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Addressing the soldiers in Ladakh on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that they have sent a strong message about India's strength with their bravery and their compatriots. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday while addressing the soldiers at Nimmoo in Leh said that whether it is about World Wars or peace, whenever the need arises, the world has seen the victory of our braves and their efforts towards peace.Those who are weak can never initiate peace, bravery is a pre-requisite for peace. Whether World Wars or peace, whenever the need arises, the world has seen the victory of our braves and their efforts towards peace. We have worked for the betterment of humanity, the Prime Minister said. I once again pay my tributes to the brave soldiers martyred in Galwan valley. Atmanirbhar Bharat ka sankalp aapke tyaag, balidaan, pursharth ke karan aur bhi mazboot hota hai (The resolve of a self-reliant India becomes stronger because of your sacrifice, sacrifice, charitable work), he added. The Prime Minister stated that the bravery that soldiers and their compatriots showed, a message has gone to the world about Indias strength. Your courage is higher than the heights where you are posted today. The bravery of 14 Corps will be talked about everywhere. Tales of your bravery and valour are echoing in every house in the country. Bharat Matas enemies have seen your fire and fury, he added. Age of expantionism is over, this is the age of development. History is witness that expantionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back: PM Modi in Ladakh pic.twitter.com/UGbch73D2p ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2020 Bharat Mata's enemies have seen your fire and fury: PM Modi addressing soldiers in Ladakh https://t.co/TDYIwulXMY ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2020 Also Read: Amid India-China standoff, PM Modi visits Leh Also Read: 8 Policemen shot dead in deadly UP encounter We are the same people who pray to the flute playing Lord Krishna but we are also the same people who idolise and follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the Sudarshana Chakra, he added. He further added that the age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development. History is witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back. We have increased expenditure on development on infrastructure in the border area by three times, he said. The soldiers were seen maintaining social distancing while the Prime Minister addressed them. The Prime Minister on Friday made a surprise visit to Ladakh and was briefed by senior officers at Nimmoo amid ongoing tension with China. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. He reached Nimmoo, early morning today and interacted with Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel. Located at 11,000 feet, this is among the tough terrains, surrounded by Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. The situation at the India-China border remains tense after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in the Galwan valley on June 15-16 when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. India and China have been involved in talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month. Also Read: Highest one day spike, over 20,000 Covid-19 cases reported in a day For all the latest National News, download NewsX App A committee headed by President Vijay Sai Reddy of the Parliamentary Party of the YSR Congress met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Delhi to demand dismissal of MP Raghu Ram KrishnamRaju who regularly goes to the media and talks against the party and its leader Jagan Mohan Reddy. A delegation under the leadership of YSR Congress Party Parliamentary party Chief Vijay Sai Reddy has met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Delhi to seek disqualification of partys MP Raghu Ram Krishnamraju, who often goes to media and speaks against party and its chief. The delegation is said to have discussed the matter of Narasapuram MP Raghurama Krishnamraju of the same party with the speaker of Lok Sabha. Earlier, a show-cause notice was issued against Raju by the party general secretary Vijayasai Reddy for his anti-party activities, but he denied it on technical grounds and questioned the party again. Raghuram Krishnam Raju replied The notice has been sent to me by YSR Congress Party. Thats not the party that I contested elections for. In fact, in my papers including my election certificate, the party is mentioned as Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party. Once I get the notice on the appropriate letterhead, I will respond. The delegation consisted of MPs Vijayasai Reddy, Nandigam Suresh, Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu, Margani Bharat, PV Mithun Reddy, V Balashouri met the speaker and sought his disqualification. Parliamentary party Chief Vijay Sai Reddy said after meeting speaker, Raghuram Krishnam Rajus actions and words are anti party on which symbol and ticket he has been elected. He used unparliamentary and filthy language against party and its chief Jagan Mohan Reddy. He undermined party by his words and action. He mingles with opposition and acts against own party so we have sought the speaker to disqualify him. We filed a disqualification petition with the speaker. He tries to demolish the very foundation of democracy. It comes under voluntarily giving up membership. He gave up morals and behaves against party and abuses party men and created awkward situation in the party. He stoops down very low. If he has any problem or objection, he can raise in the party platforms or with its chief. Raghuram Krishnam Raju created trust deficit with ulterior and selfish motive. Due to legal cases on him, he colluded with other political parties. Everyone in the party has freedom of speech but it should not be misused. His violation of that freedom attracts the anti defection law. He openly defied the party discipline. He went to press and said partys leadership is useless (Bochulo Nayaktwam Evadiki Kavali in Telugu). A member of the party should keep his heart and soul in the party. The party is like a mother for any member, not only for MP. The party has already given show-cause notice to him. His political and personal conduct invoke the rules under 10th schedule of anti defection law. He violated all party and constitutional norms. I hope the speaker takes a decision of disqualification like Vice President took instantly in disqualification of Rajya Sabha Member. He set a precedence in Rajya Sabha that disqualification decision should be taken within three months, he added. But the rebel MP Raghuram Krishnam Raju said he never behaved against the party and no one can disqualify him. He defends himself by saying he raised only peoples issue never spoke against the party chief. Raju had earlier sought protection from the central forces after complaining to Om Birla that he was receiving threats from his own party leaders. Vijay Sai Reddy challenges him to contest on his own if he has got that much of charisma. Also Read: Twitter turns battleground as YSRCP MP Vijay Sai Reddy tears into TDP For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Journalist opines China is flexing muscles in the South-East Asian region as a part of a new strategy to dominate, looks at India as an Asian giant to rival. The confrontation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China is the result of Beijing wanting to punish New Delhi for rejecting the multinational infrastructure programme Belt and Road Initiative and has nothing to do with the border dispute between the two countries, according to a veteran Swedish journalist. In an interview to The Irrawaddy, Bertil Lintner said that China is taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic, flexing its muscles in the Indo-Pacific region with a new security law in Hong Kong, Chinese fighter jets entering Taiwans airspace, the ramming of Vietnamese and Philippine fishing boats in the disputed South China Sea, a month-long standoff between a Malaysian oil exploration vessel and a Chinese survey ship in the same waters, and an open confrontation with the Indians along the LAC. First of all, the confrontation along the LAC between India and China has nothing to do with the border as such, if it should be on this or that barren rock in an uninhabited area, he said. It is a question of strategic rivalries between Asias two giants and, more specifically, Chinas wanting to punish India for rejecting its multinational infrastructure programme, the BRI, and show the neighbours who rule the roost in the region, he added. Also read: After Pompeo, Haley backs Indias decision to ban Chinese apps Also read: US calls Chinas stance along India-China border a larger pattern of its aggression China wants to become the worlds leading superpower, and those aggressive postures and the more benign BRI are part of that long-term strategy, he said. Tensions have been escalating along the LAC since May. The Chinese and Indian troops had engaged in a number of confrontations along the LAC. The border tensions between India and China heightened after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in Galwan Valley on June 15-16 after an attempt by the Chinese troops to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. Indian intercepts revealed that the Chinese side suffered 43 casualties including dead and seriously injured in the face-off. When asked about Myanmar China Economic Corridor (MCEC), Litner said that the passage holds more importance to China because it can help Beijing in controlling the insurgents in Myanmar as well as playing a role in domestic politics. CPEC is also located in westernmost China, far from the countrys industrial centres. Therefore, the Myanmar-China Economic Corridor is far more important to China. There, they can control the insurgents as well as playing a role in domestic politics. The Ruili-Muse border crossing is much closer to Chinas industrial centres and major cities than CPEC, Litner said. On the importance of the ASEAN grouping at the time when China is flexing its muscles in the region, the journalist is of the view that the group has no common policies and there is actually minimal cooperation between its member states. This divergence of political systems and views makes it impossible for ASEAN to agree on its most fundamental principle consensus, he said. Also read: Australian PM launches billion dollar defence plan to counter China in Indo-Pacific region For all the latest World News, download NewsX App Japanese envoy expressed hope for peaceful resolution, opposed China's attempts to change status quo disregarding the prior agreement to disengage at the LAC. Japan on Friday expressed hope for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops and asserted that it opposed any attempts to change the status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). New Delhi has briefed Tokyo regarding the situation on LAC following a major showdown between Indian and Chinese troops last month in Galwan Valley area. Following the face-off, India had said that Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. Had a good talk with Foreign Secretary (Harsh Vardhan) Shringla. Appreciated his briefing on the situation along LAC, including GOIs policy to pursue peaceful resolution. Japan also hopes for peaceful resolution through dialogues. Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, Japenese envoy Satoshi Suzuki tweeted on Friday. Also read: Chinas belligerence at LAC linked to Indias rejection of BRI: Swedish Scribe Also read: After Pompeo, Haley backs Indias decision to ban Chinese apps Tensions have been escalating along the LAC since May. The Chinese and Indian troops got engaged in a number of confrontations along the LAC. The border tensions between India and China heightened after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in Galwan Valley on June 15-16 after an attempt by the Chinese troops to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. Indian intercepts revealed that the Chinese side suffered 43 casualties including dead and seriously injured in the face-off. India and China have been involved in talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month. Also read: Heinous, cowardly: UNSC condemns Karachi stock exchange terror attack For all the latest World News, download NewsX App As Gov. Ned Lamont urged Connecticut families on Thursday to avoid traveling more than 10 miles for any diversions during the holiday weekend, the state tourism office revealed a trio of videos that promote safety measures being undertaken at attractions, restaurants and hotels from Norwalk to Mystic. The So Good to See You, Connecticut campaign is being underwritten with $1.2 million in funding that had been previously announced. Featured attractions include Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport and Silvermans Farm in Easton, with testimonials and imagery from restaurants including Anchor Spa in New Haven, La Fortuna Bar & Restaurant in Stratford, Oak & Almond in Norwalk and West Street Grill in Litchfield. Most people do cooperate with us, but for the smaller number that do not, they have hung up on us, given us very small amounts of information and then refused to give anything further, Ruppert told CNN. [They] have told us they do not want to nor need to provide information. (We are saying) to the whole world (that) Black lives matter. And to say it in Harlem which is to the world the example of the greatness in Black America this is the place where the message of Black America was spread all over the country (and) all over the world, de Blasio said Friday at the uptown unveiling. So this is the place where we must have this mural. Niagara Falls, NY (14301) Today Mostly cloudy skies. Low 52F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. Low 52F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph. When the paramedics came, Edward Schanck knew it was the end. He knew it was the last time he would see his home, his wife and his daughter. The virus had won. His lungs were being crushed under the weight of pneumonia. The fatigue was debilitating. The novel coronavirus had stolen his energy and it was about to take his life. He said to me, Im not coming back, said Michele Schanck White of her last conversation with her father on the day he was taken to hospital. I said, Dad, dont say that, but he said he was tired of fighting. That was April 7, one day after the 87-year-old was tested for COVID-19 at his residence at the Lundy Manor long retirement home in Niagara Falls. He died on April 8. The next day his wife Barbara Schanck, 83, was also taken to hospital. COVID-19 had a lethal grip on her too. Her family was not allowed in the home to comfort their dying and grieving mother because of the pandemic lockdown. She died on April 10. We couldnt be with her, said Schanck White. She lost her husband, my father, and no one could be with her. Schanck White and her family were gripped with fear for weeks before Edward and Barbara died. COVID-19 was hitting long term care and retirement homes across Ontario like a grenade. Lundy Manor was locked down on March 30, which prevented anyone from visiting the residents to limit the spread of the potentially deadly virus. But it was too late. The virus was already in the home, likely travelling in with staff who also worked at other long term care and retirement facilities, according to Niagaras public health department. On April 2, Schanck White said her familys fears were realized when Lundy Manors executive director sent a letter to the family of residents to inform them of the homes first COVID-19 related death. We are in the fight of our lifetimes here and our staff, and managers are doing absolutely everything in our powers to prevent this horrible outcome, wrote Greg Fortier. I, as the leader, feel deeply responsible and guilty for this loss. Fortier wrote there were other infected residents, but could not provide an exact number. He outlines the cleaning measures the home was taking and make a plea for donations of protective equipment. By the time the outbreak was declared over on June 1, 41 of Lundy Manors 91 residents contracted COVID-19. Nineteen of them, including Schanck Whites parents, died. The home made headlines across Ontario when it was revealed it held a pub night for residents after the provincial government issued emergency orders to fight the pandemic on March 17. It is now the subject of a $20-million class-action lawsuit by the families of residents which alleges the operators of Lundy Manor failed to take all reasonable, necessary and protective measures to ensure the residents and staff of Lundy Manor were safe. Since the lawsuit was filed, the homes spokesman said the home would no longer provide public comment about COVID-19s impact on the facility. The suits allegations have not been proven in court. Fortiers admission of remorse did little to stem Schanck Whites fears at the time. It does less to salve her grief now. Her family has yet to join the suit against Lundy Manor for fear of losing money from Barbara and Edwards estate if the suit fails. But she agreed with the actions characterization of Lundy Manor. I think it was mismanagement. They failed terribly, Schanck White said. They should have done more to keep the residents safe ... We have to live every day with the loss of our parents, who were beautiful people, beautiful parents and grandparents. When Edward and Barbara moved into Lundy Manor in November 2018, it was supposed to be a safe place to spend their twilight years together. Although four years older, Edward was in better health than his wife. But helping her and taking care of their Niagara Falls home had become too much. Schanck White said their first choice was to move to Seasons retirement home in nearby Welland which would also suffer a deadly COVID-19 outbreak around the same time as Lundy Manor but a unit at Lundy Manor came up first. Although not their first choice, it seemed like the best decision for them at the time, Schanck White said. Her parents were comfortable. They remained active and made regular use of Lundy Manors common areas to play Bingo and euchre. The idyllic times would not last. On March 10, a British Columbia man in his 80s became Canadas first recorded COVID-19 death. The next day the World Health Organization declared a COVID-19 a global pandemic. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The virus spread and Schanck Whites concern for her parents deepened. She visited Lundy Manor to see her parents on March 14. She did not know it, but it would be the last time she would see them in person. Three days later, the Ontario government declared a state emergency. Lundy Manor would not enact physical distancing rules until March 26 and imposed its lockdown on March 30. After the lockdown I went there to drop a package off, but I couldnt see them, Schanck White said. I had to wave at them through a window. In that time span, life continued in Lundy Manor much as it always had. The Schancks still enjoyed their euchre games. March 28 was the date of the pub night which earned the home the wrath of Premier Doug Ford. Niagaras public health has told the St. Catharines Standard eight people attended the pub night. The Schancks did not attend, but their daughter said she was worried the virus could strike Lundy Manor, putting them in the pandemics firing line. We were scared. We were nervous. But we were hoping and praying (Lundy Manor) was equipped to handle it and were following all the health ministrys guidelines, Schanck White said. Then came the April 2 letter from Fortier. Today is a tragic day for Lundy Manor and I feel the need to report to everyone that we have lost a resident to this pandemic, he wrote. Everyone within the Lundy Manor family feels this loss and is devastated. Fortier, who wrote he would be forever changed by the homes first COVID-19 death, urged the family to support the home if its staff recommends a resident be sent to hospital. We plead that you agree with our opinion, he wrote. We respect and appreciate everyones reluctance to leave their homes and at any other time we would respect those wishes. But due to the limitations we now face in terms of staff we cannot promise the amount of care your loved one may need until we get some relief. Within days, Edward felt the first signs of his novel coronavirus infection. He was tested for COVID-19 on April 6, but his oxygen levels were crashing and he was sent to the St. Catharines hospital the next day. As he predicted, Edward never returned home. Schanck White called her mother on April 8 to tell her that her husband was gone. It was their final conversation. Barbaras fever was spiking. Schanck White said her mother was a little delirious. Like her husband, Barbara had severe pneumonia. With her oxygen levels declining, she was also was brought to the hospital, where she tested positive for COVID-19. In the space of two days, Schanck Whites world crumbled. Were devastated, she said. Elderly people move into retirement homes and think they will be safe. They werent safe. Correction July 8, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly referred to Lundy Manor Retirement Home as a long-term care home. A report from the Niagara Region aimed at filling health service gaps for Indigenous people while improving collaboration with local organizations is a good place to start, the executive director at Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre said. Turning it into action is what needs to happen, Jennifer Dockstader said. For that, there has to be a fundamental shift in how society sees itself, and how microaggressions and the privilege that exists in Niagara interact on a professional level with the care they give to Indigenous people. The Regions public health department and Niagara Emergency Services issued the 65-page document, titled Creating Our Way Forward. It is based on the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions health-related calls to action and backstopped by research with local Indigenous consultant Kelly Fran Davis, using Indigenous methodologies. The Region consulted staff, community partners and local Indigenous organizations, a press release said. It also conducted an online survey. Dockstader said there is a tendency to dismiss or not acknowledge historical and systemic racist beliefs in Canada, which makes the problems more difficult to solve. For public health to do this sort of report is critically important, she said. There absolutely needs to be across-the-board teaching and a deep dive into how Canadians view someone who is disadvantaged. Dockstader gave an example. If someone who is a paramedic has an attitude that Indigenous people are alcoholics and drug addicts but in actual fact is dealing with a diabetic emergency it can lead to life-threatening treatment. Thats when it becomes critical. The recommendations from the report include 22 immediate, short, and long-term actions. They include supplying Indigenous-related resources to all Region employees and board of health members. Dr. Mustafa Hirji, the Regions acting medical officer of health, said events in the past month are a reminder that systemic racism and inequity persist in society. Combatting this is core to our values, and weve resolved that our first step should be to look inwards and correct where we fall short ourselves, he said. This report is part of our effort to do that. Hirji said sharing the report will help the public hold Public Health and Emergency Services accountable for continued improvement. Other recommendations include: hiring an Indigenous liaison to develop a Niagara-specific action plan, ensuring staff resources include an Indigenous context, and conducting further research into the cultural determinants of health that affect Indigenous residents. The next logical step is to look at the diversity of public health, Dockstader said. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... What is the demographic of need. How is that reflected in the workforce? I am always going to push for more diversity in Niagara. Niagarans often dont see a problem. There is a tendency to say, Oh, thats one bad EMS worker, or one bad nurse, or one bad doctor. You need to look deeper instead of the one-off. Donoghues prosecutors have also focused on bringing cases against MS-13 gang members in Queens and Long Island. The outspoken Donoghue recently waded into more political waters issuing veiled criticisms against New York States bail reform laws while charging numerous people who had been released without bail on state charges. Just as British pubs reopen, the worlds biggest brewer is shutting the taps in the bar at its London offices. Thats just one of the changes in store as Anheuser-Busch InBev NV prepares to welcome employees back to its U.K. headquarters site. The move makes the brewer of Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona one of the first major employers aside from banks to repopulate Londons financial district more than three months after coronavirus lockdowns began. AB InBev will reopen its doors on Monday, two days after pubs. The beer giant worked with social norms professors to refurbish its offices, providing a window into what to expect from big companies elsewhere if and when their headquarters get back to business under the new normal. About 100 workers in AB InBevs advance guard one-third of the London sites total staff will be greeted by posters featuring cartoon characters thanking them for being beer-making heroes and encouraging them to keep two meters apart. Taps in the penthouse bar, which used to serve up Camden Town lager, Goose Island ales and other beers, have been closed. Employees will still be able to help themselves to bottled and canned beers from fridges and socialize at a distance. Employees temperatures will be checked before they enter the building, near St. Pauls Cathedral. The brewer has stockpiled thousands of gallons of hand sanitizer at its breweries, and batches will be periodically shipped to the head office. Only every second desk will be available to use. Frugal culture Staying shut and broadly embracing remote working as some tech companies have said theyll do in the wake of COVID-19 was never an option for AB InBev, which is known for a frugal, hard-working culture thats made it the most profitable player in the industry. Chief executive officer Carlos Brito has lectured business students about how workplace pressure can yield outsized productivity and how hed rather not hear about his employees having fun, something hes said is more appropriate for the beach. Nurturing that zeal has become especially important after beer sales plunging amid the closure of many of the worlds bars and nightclubs. It would be harder to do from home than within the confines of an office, the company says. It would be a real loss to us if we were to be a fully remote business, Cara Sargeantson, who works in human resources and is one of 15 employees managing the return to the London office, said in an interview. A massive part of it for us is our culture. If this went on for any degree of time, we would lose that. The company, which has a brewery in the former virus epicentre of Wuhan, China, was one of the first employers to reopen its Shanghai building. The windows are opened three times a day for ventilation, the canteen is disinfected twice a day, packages are sanitized with alcohol spray, and employees are asked to clean their mobile phones and keys with disinfectant wipes once home. Asian sites Almost all of AB InBevs offices in Asia have reopened in a limited capacity, as have sites in Mexico and Colombia. AB InBev has also been one of the driving forces funding the nightlife industrys return to a sense of normalcy, providing thousands of bars with financial support and reopening kits packed with protective equipment and suggested layouts that comply with social-distancing guidelines. We really followed China and Korea closely, Lindsay King, the vice president for people continuity, said in a video interview from the companys New York office as she took a break from laying arrows on the floor for a one-way system to prepare for reopening this month. Weve got stacks and stacks of masks and sanitization products. Were actually in our ripped jeans and running shoes right now, ready to do the dirty work and get everything up and going. OTTAWA - Canada is suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong as part of a package of responses to the new security law China has imposed on the territory, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday. Canada will also treat sensitive goods being exported to Hong Kong as if they were being sent to mainland China. Effective immediately, Canada will not permit the export of sensitive military items to Hong Kong, Trudeau said in a news conference. China imposed strict new controls on Hong Kong this week, meant to give Beijing more power to police anti-government protests and other activities it considers the work of hostile foreign powers. Trudeau suggested the new law is a threat to the one country, two systems philosophy that was supposed to last 50 years after Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997. Canadas relationship with Hong Kong, including freer trade and travel than is allowed between Canada and mainland China, depends on that principle, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a separate statement. We will continue to support the many connections between Canada and Hong Kong while also standing up for its people, Trudeau said. Canadas moves follow measures taken by the United States earlier this week to tighten trade with Hong Kong and stop selling it military equipment. Britain announced that up to 2.6 million Hong Kong residents will be able to move to the United Kingdom for up to five years and ultimately seek citizenship. Those are holders of special overseas British passports that have had much more limited rights attached to them until now. Trudeau hinted that something similar might be in the works in Canada. In the days and weeks to come, were also looking at additional measures, including around immigration, he said. The relationship between Canada and China remains extremely strained. China is holding two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, on national-security charges that Canada considers retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver in 2018 on a U.S. extradition warrant. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2020. VANCOUVERWhite-throated sparrows are changing their tune an unprecedented development scientists say has caused them to sit up and take note. Ken Otter, a biology professor at the University of Northern British Columbia, whose paper on the phenomenon was published on Thursday, said most bird species are slow to change their songs, preferring to stick with tried-and-true tunes to defend territories and attract females. But the shift to this new tune went viral across Canada, travelling over 3,000 kilometres between 2000 and 2019 and wiping out a historic song ending in the process, he said. The song is always described as being Oh My Sweet Canada Canada Canada Canada so that Canada is three syllables. Its a da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da sound. Thats the traditional description of the song going back into early 1900s, Otter said in an interview Wednesday. But now, the song has changed. The doublet sounds like Oh My Sweet Cana-Cana-Cana-da. They are stuttering and repeating the first two syllables and they are doing it very rapidly. It sounds very different. From British Columbia to central Ontario, these native birds have ditched their traditional three-note-ending song for a two-note-ending variant, he said, adding researchers still dont know what has made the new tune so compelling. Otter drew a comparison to people picking up the accent, phrases and pneumonics of a new area they move into. This is actually the opposite, he said. Male sparrows are showing up singing atypical songs but then others are starting to adopt that, and over time the dialect is actually changing within that site to the new type and replacing the old tune, he said. So its like somebody from Australia arriving in Toronto and people saying, hey, that sounds really cool, mimicking an Australian accent and then after 10 years everybody in Toronto has an Australian accent, he said. Thats why, at least within the scientific community, its getting so much interest. It is completely atypical to what you would predict around all the theories that you have about dialects. Otter and a team of citizen scientists have found that the new tune is not just more popular west of the Rocky Mountains, but was also spreading rapidly across Canada. Originally, we measured the dialect boundaries in 2004 and it stopped about halfway through Alberta, he said in a news release. By 2014, every bird we recorded in Alberta was singing this western dialect, and we started to see it appearing in populations as far away as Ontario, which is 3,000 kilometres from us. The scientists predicted that the sparrows overwintering grounds were playing a role in the rapid spread of the two-note ending, he said. Scientists believed that juvenile males may be able to pick up new song types if they overwinter with birds from other dialect areas, and take them to new locations when they return to breeding grounds, which could explain the spread, he said. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... So they fitted the birds with geolocators what Otter called tiny backpacks to see if western sparrows that knew the new song might share overwintering grounds with eastern populations that would later adopt it. They found that they did, he said in the release. Otter said he does not know what has caused the change, and his team found that the new song didnt give male birds a territorial advantage over others. In many previous studies, the females tend to prefer whatever the local song type is, he said. But in white-throated sparrows, we might find a situation in which the females actually like songs that arent typical in their environment. If thats the case, theres a big advantage to any male who can sing a new song type. The new song can be chalked up to evolution, he said in the interview. Otter said he prefers the two-note song because it sounds smoother. But Im not a sparrow so it doesnt really matter which one I prefer, he said with a laugh. But the tune may be continuing to change, he said adding scientists were supposed to study it this year but COVID-19 has put a damper on the field season. The two note is not the be all and end all because in the last five years we noticed a male that was singing something slightly different than the standard two note doublet song, Otter said. And when we recorded it we noticed he was modifying the amplitude of the first note. And more of them are doing it now. We could be seeing waves of these things that we just never noticed before. Emotions were still raw when the civilian investigator from B.C.s police watchdog showed up at Miranda Thomass door. Thomass cousin, Everett Patrick, had died weeks earlier in the hospital. Prince George RCMP had arrested him in connection with a commercial break-in. Somehow, while he was in lockup at the detachment, he suffered severe head trauma and other injuries. The 42-year-old tradesman and member of the Lake Babine Nation had lived a hard life exposure to drugs, alcohol and violence as a child paved the way to an entrenched criminal lifestyle, according to court records but he had a kind heart, his family says. Its really hard on us. Were constantly breaking down, Thomas says. The pair had been close; she called him her brother. I was with Everett when he died. So even though the suit-wearing Independent Investigations Office (IIO) investigator sitting in Thomass living room that day in May was attentive and courteous, she didnt hesitate to give him a piece of her mind when he implored her and other relatives who were gathered not to rush to judgment. I got mad at him because he was basically saying, Dont put any judgment on the cops because we dont know anything, she recalls. I started yelling at him. Standing up for the cops already. I was, like, shaking. Since the rocky first meeting, IIO officials, who characterized the meeting as nothing but civil, say theyve made progress in their investigation, which is trying to determine whether there was any police wrongdoing in Patricks death. Theyve collected surveillance video and interviewed witnesses. The watchdog denies it implied any bias for the police, saying its investigator quite correctly indicated that it is best not to reach any conclusions until the investigation is completed. This is an important and critical principle in all IIO investigations, says Ron MacDonald, the IIOs chief civilian director. Start every new file without any preconceived notions about the person injured or killed by police or about the police themselves. (A) conclusion will only be reached once all the evidence has been gathered, at which time a decision will be made based on those facts and the law. But Thomas remains unconvinced. Asked what faith she has in the IIO to get to the bottom of what happened, she blurts out: Zero. As law-enforcement agencies face growing calls to reform and chants of defund the police! persist following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minnesota, another question is emerging: What to do about Canadas civilian oversight bodies that are supposed to hold police to account? Police watchdogs have come under scrutiny over delays in starting or completing investigations, concerns theyre stacked with police-friendly and mostly white investigators, and over the fact that only a small percentage of cases result in charges. Skepticism is particularly high within some racialized communities. A recent University of Toronto study found that while most residents in Canadas largest city would file a formal complaint if they were subjected to police verbal abuse or brutality, Black respondents were significantly more cynical about the likely outcome. Sixty-nine per cent of white people said they believed their complaint of police brutality would be treated fairly versus 46 per cent of Black people. Certainly a lot of African-Canadians and, I would expect, Indigenous people in Canada, do not have a whole lot of faith or trust in the oversight agencies, says Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, a U of T sociology professor. We would like to see more of what these oversight agencies are doing. In line with calls for police transparency should be calls for oversight transparency. Currently, theres a patchwork of civilian-led oversight bodies investigating serious incidents between the police and the public across Canada. Such bodies exist in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. The remaining provinces and territories rely on investigators from one of the existing oversight bodies or from external police forces. The Ottawa Police Service, for instance, is routinely called to investigate RCMP-related incidents in Nunavut. At their core, these watchdogs have a mandate to investigate police-related incidents that see a member of the public seriously injured or die, even if there isnt a complaint. Some have additional responsibilities, including responding to allegations of sexual offences against officers. Most of the time, investigations begin when a police agency notifies a watchdog about an incident. In Ontario, members of the public be they coroners, doctors or lawyers can advise the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) of a situation they think needs to be investigated. In Alberta, files get assigned to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) by the provinces director of law enforcement. Observers say relying on police can lead to cases falling through the cracks. Look at the violent arrest by RCMP of Allan Adam, chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, outside a casino in Fort McMurray, they say. The arrest happened March 10. But it wasnt until June 6 that ASIRT was assigned to investigate after Adam held a news conference and released images of his injuries. If you use the example of Chief Allan Adam, ASIRT was never notified until it became public and he went to the media, says Erick Laming, a Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation member and PhD candidate in criminology at U of T. Where does that leave us with any trust in oversight? Recently, investigators with Quebecs Bureau des enquetes independantes (BEI) were called in to review the fatal shootings of two Indigenous people Chantel Moore and Rodney Levi in separate incidents in New Brunswick. Six chiefs from that provinces Wolastoqey Nation came forward to question how impartial the investigators could be. It is wrong to call these investigations unbiased, they said in a June 16 public statement. Police investigating other police is inherently biased. Laming says their concern is a valid one. Roughly half of investigators in B.C.s IIO and Quebecs BEI are former officers. About 65 per cent of Ontarios SIU investigators have a police background (though the majority of its 14 full-time investigators do not). In Alberta, one-third of ASIRTs investigators are active officers seconded from local police forces and the remainder are former officers. It doesnt matter how many years youre removed from being a police officer. You still have that empathy maybe for the institution, he says. But directors of oversight bodies say retired officers familiarity with police procedures and interviewing skills make them well-suited for the job, especially if investigations become complex, involving wiretaps or surveillance. It would be extremely difficult for amateurs not to get burned, says Sue Hughson, ASIRTs executive director. If you were the family of a person who died during an encounter with police, you would want the best homicide investigators with the most knowledge and experience to handle that case. Case files are reviewed by multiple sets of eyes to prevent tunnel vision, officials add. And there are restrictions on ex-police officers investigating their former agencies, an SIU spokesperson says. The statement from the six Wolastoqey chiefs went on to point out the lack of diversity among investigators. Where are the Indigenous members of the investigation team? it asked. Non-Indigenous people simply do not have the lived experience to conduct an unbiased investigation of such matters. In Quebec, four out of 45 BEI investigators are people of colour; no investigators are Indigenous. The oversight body does plan to put the extra effort into finding Indigenous candidates during the next round of hiring, a spokesperson says. They also have an Indigenous liaison who helps investigators connect with family members and community leaders. Out of Ontarios 52 SIU investigators, seven are people of colour, three of whom are Black. Two other investigators are Indigenous. In Manitobas Independent Investigation Unit (IIU), two of their 11 investigators are people of colour, and another investigator is Indigenous. Four out of 25 ASIRT investigators in Alberta are not white, including two who are Indigenous. B.C.s IIO declined to provide a breakdown, citing privacy reasons, but a spokesperson says they are re-evaluating that position. Tom Hewitt is one of two Alberta investigators who carry the unique title of civilian investigator and Indigenous liaison. That means whenever a case involves someone from the Indigenous community, they may be brought in to answer questions or concerns from family members and to explain ASIRTs role. Hewitt, who is Metis, retired from the Calgary Police Service in 2012. He says he joined ASIRT six years ago, in part, because he felt he could be a community bridge builder. He says one of the biggest lessons he learned from an elder was that when going into an Indigenous community for the first time, dont go in there believing I know everything. I go in there with an attitude of asking what I need to know and what theyd like to share. Its a process where I share personally of myself and Im asking them personally what theyve experienced and what their expectations are and how we can best serve them. Its a process that takes time, something he says he told his management team when he started. In our western culture, we have timelines and deadlines that we need to set. The first priority is to take the time to listen. Sometimes, hell let family members choose a respected person from the community, such as an elder, to be their liaison with investigators. Those liaisons are then invited to view all aspects of the investigation, including case files, and are welcome to ask questions. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... He recalls once asking a family what their expectations were of ASIRT. Good news, they replied. Hewitt says he understands the desire for people who are mourning to want to see charges laid against police. But, he says, Good news isnt necessarily whether someone was or will be charged. Its about finding the truth of the incident. The only good news in a tragic incident is when a truthful investigation has been completed. Im a truth-seeker. Im here to find those answers. And when Ive found those answers, Ill be a truth-speaker. But watchdogs truth-seeking efforts result in few criminal charges. Last year, Ontarios SIU closed 363 cases, filing charges in 13 or 3.6 per cent. That same year, Albertas ASIRT investigators were assigned 68 investigations and filed charges against three officers. (Five additional officers were charged in cases stemming from previous years). Over 2018-19, B.C.s IIO was notified of 177 incidents and determined 127 met the criteria for investigation. Three of those cases were referred to Crown for consideration of charges. Six additional referrals were made to Crown stemming from cases opened in previous years. Since it formed in June 2016, Quebecs BEI has carried out 170 investigations into police incidents involving death or serious injury. Of those, 117 are complete and none has resulted in charges against police. With respect to its other mandate investigating criminal allegations against police that are sexual in nature and all criminal allegations against police where the complainant is Indigenous the BEI opened 69 investigations last year and sent 12 cases to prosecutors, resulting in three charges. Watchdog directors say the public should not assume the infrequency of charges indicates lax or biased investigations. Also, not all investigations stem from a complaint. I would suggest people should feel good about the fact so few result in a referral for charges, because that means, in general, police are doing what theyre supposed to do, says MacDonald, the IIOs chief civilian director. Hughson, the ASIRT executive director in Alberta, adds, There is no mathematical formula that predicts how many cases should result in charges. It is not a numbers game. The directors may have a point, observers say. If theyre making transparent their findings, and they determine that in the circumstances the officer was justified, then its a proper investigation, Laming says. Kate Puddister, a University of Guelph political science professor specializing in criminal justice, notes there is a high threshold to substantiate criminal charges. The fact that the number of complaints made to oversight bodies remains high could be an indication of public confidence in the system or it could mean the system is not deterring police misconduct, she adds. Meanwhile, as public attention returns to questions of systemic racism within law enforcement, some of Canadas oversight bodies are beginning to collect more demographic information about the civilians whose encounters with police lead to investigations. In B.C., IIO officials say they are now tracking the ethnicity of so-called affected persons as well as whether they were mentally unwell. Ontarios SIU expects to begin collecting data regarding the race, ethnicity, religion and Indigenous identity of complainants and subject officers in October. Its something observers say all oversight bodies should be doing. You have this accountability to the public to do proper investigations, Laming says. This is how you understand if systemic racism is happening. For Everett Patricks family, the wait for answers continues. After the death of George Floyd in the U.S., the family took part in a protest outside the Burns Lake RCMP detachment. Patricks mother, Sandra, held a bright yellow poster that simply said: Justice for Everett Patrick. In the eyes of some relatives, justice can only come in the form of charges. Darlene Patrick says she communicated with her nephew over FaceTime shortly before he died. Even though he couldnt talk, we told him, If you can hear us and understand us, blink with your eyes, and he did. I prayed over him, she says. I pray to God justice will be done. Official information about the case has been limited. The IIO says RCMP responded to an alarm at a sporting goods store in Prince George in the early hours of April 12. Following several hours of negotiation, Mr. Patrick was apprehended by police, medically cleared at the hospital and taken to the Prince George RCMP detachment cells. Hours later while still in custody, Mr. Patrick went into medical distress and was transported back to the hospital where he was found to be suffering serious injury. He died in hospital on April 20. According to his family, his first visit to the hospital was for treatment of dog bites stemming from his arrest at the store. When he was taken from the police lockup to the hospital a second time, he had a brain injury. Court records from 2016 say Patrick was the father of 10 children and had 74 convictions, including for assault on a peace officer, theft, resisting arrest and obstructing justice. MacDonald, the IIO director, says investigators are still waiting for autopsy results. In the meantime, they have secured video from the scene of the arrest, the jail and the hospital. They are also looking to find someone who can serve as a liaison between investigators and the Indigenous community in northern B.C. something theyve never done before. Doris Louis, Patricks great aunt, says she is encouraged by these developments and is working with the IIO to identify elders who can take on the role. Some witnesses are fearful of retribution. Having an elder nearby might make them more willing to talk. Im hopeful, she says. Thomas admits her relationship with the IIO remains tense. During a conference call with investigators recently, Thomas says, she vented yet again. I was pretty pissed off. I was having a bad day. And I told them I want justice for Everett, she says. I told them I want these cops charged. With files from Jeremy Nuttall and Steve McKinley UPDATE July 8, 2020 This story has been updated to include the B.C. Independent Investigations Offices response to the account of its interaction with Everett Patricks family. Read more about: VANCOUVERHeavy rainfall has caused rivers to surge across much of British Columbia, washing out roads and putting many communities on alert. The River Forecast Centre has issued flood warnings, its highest alert, for the areas around the upper Fraser River and Quesnel River, including an area near Prince George. It says significant rainfall has fallen across the Interior and the northeast, with more unsettled weather in the long-term forecast. Rapidly rising river levels in headwater areas were expected to continue, with larger rivers rising into the weekend. Flood watches were also in place for the Peace region, Chilcotin River and its tributaries, the Fraser mainstem from Prince George to Boston Bar, and the middle Fraser and its tributaries, including in the areas around Williams Lake and 100 Mile House. The River Forecast Centre says larger river systems in the Thompson region reached up to 10-year and 20-year flows last weekend due to snowmelt and rainfall. Since then, most flows have dropped but were rising again and a flood watch remained in place for the Thompson River, including the area near Kamloops. Environment Canada has issued rainfall warnings for the Peace River, Fort Nelson and the area of Muncho Lake Park and Stone Mountain Park. An additional 20 to 40 millimetres of rain was expected to fall Friday over those regions, it says. A persistent low pressure system over Alberta has led to several days of heavy rain and 40 to 80 millimetres have already fallen there since Wednesday morning. After a brief break in Thursday afternoon, widespread showers redeveloped overnight and were expected to continue into Saturday until the low pressure system weakened, Environment Canada says. It says heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads, and warns of possible washouts near rivers, creeks and culverts. DriveBC says the Trans Canada Highway was closed in both directions near Revelstoke, while mudslides and washouts have closed several other roads including the Heritage Highway 68 kilometres north of Tumbler Ridge and North Bonaparte Road near 70 Mile House. Many inland ferries were also out of service due to high water, including the Lytton ferry and Big Bar Reaction ferry. The B.C. government issued a statement early Thursday evening that says in addition to the areas subject to flood warnings and watches, there were high lake level conditions and high streamflows throughout much of the province. Water levels rising in these areas are high and very fast moving, so people need to take extra caution right now and be prepared, said Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... I want to stress that any sort of recreation on these waters is highly dangerous right now, so lets make sure were not taking any unnecessary risks. Communities should be prepared for possible evacuation orders and alerts, it says. Read more about: HALIFAXWith an increasing number of Nova Scotians complaining on social media about seeing cars with American plates entering the province, Premier Stephen McNeil has pledged to keep a closer watch on those showing up at the border from outside Atlantic Canada. However, McNeil also warned Nova Scotians not to jump to conclusions about the people in those cars, saying most of them are probably Canadian citizens coming home after living or working abroad. The premier made the comments today as the four Atlantic provinces lifted travel restrictions for residents to reflect the regions relatively low and stable COVID-19 infection rates. Residents of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador can now travel to any of the other three provinces without self-isolating for 14 days after arriving but isolation remains the rule for anyone arriving from outside the region. Even though the Canada-U.S. border is closed to non-essential travel, Canadians citizens living in the United States are allowed to enter Canada, as long as they have a passport. McNeil says Nova Scotians growing concerns about people coming from the United States has prompted his government to ramp up its efforts to keep track of those entering the province who are not coming from another part of Atlantic Canada. Read more about: Alvin Cheung spent July 1 scrambling to figure out how to safeguard his rights as a Canadian. Did not plan on spending Canada Day drafting an affidavit declaring that I am a Canadian citizen and would never renounce Canadian citizenship of my own free will, but here we are, the legal expert wrote wryly on Facebook. The focus of concern for the Hong Kong-born Cheung, who became a citizen of Canada as a child in 1992, is the new security law the Chinese government has imposed on Hong Kong. The law, which bans activities that Beijing deems to endanger its national security, has drawn widespread astonishment and condemnation from observers for the fact that it purports to apply not just to the actions of everyone in Hong Kong, but to the actions of anyone outside the region as well. Actions taken by individuals of any nationality outside China are liable to be considered violations of this law, experts say. The maximum sentence for its long list of vaguely defined offences is life imprisonment. Hong Kongs first day under the new law saw more than 370 people arrested. On Friday, Ottawa announced it will suspend Canadas extradition treaty with Hong Kong and block sensitive military exports, while issuing a grim travel warning to Canadians. National security legislation for Hong Kong came into effect on July 1, 2020. You may be at increased risk of arbitrary detention on national security grounds and possible extradition to mainland China, Global Affairs advised Canadians. Cheung told the Star that international dual citizens of Chinese descent had already been more at risk, since Chinese authorities have coerced prisoners in the past to denounce their second citizenships to deny them consular assistance from foreign countries. Now with the sweeping national security legislation, there are myriad ways people of any background could find themselves at the mercy of the black bag brigades, said Cheung. Cheung, a former Hong Kong barrister, is now based in Ontario as a non-resident affiliated scholar of the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at New York University. The Star contacted Canadian and international experts to answer questions about the national security law. How can a law from the Chinese government apply to people around the world? Article 38 of the national security law says it applies to offences perpetrated outside the (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) by a person who is not a permanent resident of the Region. The global reach is clear, and many international legal experts quickly sounded the alarm to advise people who ever said anything critical of Chinese or Hong Kong authorities to avoid travelling to greater China. Cheung pointed out that people should also avoid boarding flights by Cathay Pacific and other vessels registered in Hong Kong, since the law also states that it applies to those who commit crimes aboard ships or aircraft registered in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. While Hong Kong previously boasted a highly professional common law justice system, the national security legislation emboldens Chinese authorities to force suspects arrested in Hong Kong to face trial on the mainland. In 2019, mainland Chinese courts recorded a conviction rate of more than 99.9 per cent. What precautions are people taking, given the national security law? The Canadian government has yet to provide detailed advice. For Canadian activist Jody Chan of the Canadian solidarity group, Alliance Canada Hong Kong (ACHK), the idea of visiting the greater China region is already out of the question for her. Now she is researching which countries in the world have extradition treaties with China or Hong Kong, to avoid booking flights with connections in those places. I would fear for my safety now even travelling to France or Italy, since they have extradition treaties with Hong Kong, she told the Star. In Hong Kong and elsewhere, others who have been outspoken in the past are scrubbing their social media histories, and on the eve of the laws enactment, the leading Hong Kong pro-democracy group Demosisto disbanded out of safety concerns. While the law does not specifically say it applies to activities or statements before July 1, Chinese authorities could almost certainly find ways to frame conduct as a series of ongoing acts, Cheung said. For those with dual citizenship including Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) citizenship, there are two options to explore: to officially declare a change of nationality and to apply to renounce Chinese nationality. However, doing either would not guarantee that Chinese authorities would honour the foreign citizenship of someone of Chinese descent, Cheung warns. And Chinese nationality law makes it much more difficult for someone born in mainland China to renounce their Peoples Republic of China (PRC) citizenship. Cheung advises consulting with a lawyer for advice, including on whether to prepare affidavits declaring that you will not renounce your Canadian or other citizenship. What will international companies do to protect their employees? Organizations that have employees that must engage in potentially sensitive work, such as media, educational organizations and research and advisory firms, will likely seek legal advice on how the organization can achieve its aims without running afoul of the law. Amy Sommers, a retired international lawyer who advised Fortune 500 companies in China, expects there will be an immediate reaction from many companies to pressure employees to conduct social media audits to delete potentially problematic posts and references. For purely domestic companies, they may claim they are doing something beneficial for their employees, but for international companies, especially those with visible brands (and business interests in China or Hong Kong), adopting such an approach is likely to result in tremendous blowback for chivvying its Hong Kong subsidiary employees to purge their social media accounts of demands for justice in Hong Kong, Sommers told the Star. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... A lot of self-censorship and avoidance of potentially controversial areas is to be expected. What does this law mean for open dissent against the Chinese Communist Party in Canada? The law doesnt just attempt to thrust a free-speech chill upon Hong Kong, which is home to 300,000 Canadian citizens, it also aims to stifle criticism about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) outside of mainland China. Cheuk Kwan of the Toronto Association for Democracy in China called the new law ominous and said its reminiscent of George Orwells book Nineteen Eighty-Four, the story of a dystopian future under a totalitarian government. China is now bullying its way through the world and thinking they can control everybody else and prosecute anyone who badmouths China, Kwan said. They are actually criminalizing the kind of free speech we enjoy in Canada. Kwan said die-hard opponents of the CCP would not let the law stop them from speaking their minds online, but the average person of any background who travels to Hong Kong often may think twice before posting criticism of Beijing on social media. He said those who have been vocally critical of the CCP may avoid simply transiting through Hong Kong if they feel they have a target on their back. Kwan said, nobody is safe, including those holding Canadian passports who are not Hong Kong residents. We are resigned to the fact that since about last year were not going to be able to go back to Hong Kong anytime soon, Kwan said. And this cements the deal. Why is Canada suspending its extradition agreement with Hong Kong? One of the few Canadian lawyers to have practised law in China said Ottawas suspension of its extradition treaty with Hong Kong is a no-brainer. Clive Ansley, who recently retired from law and now works as a consultant on legal issues related to China, said under the new law, extraditing someone to Hong Kong would effectively be the same as extraditing them to mainland China. The reason we dont have an extradition treaty with China, Ansley said, is because China has no legitimate legal system and no legal process and practises torture, and all the other violations of the international covenant on civil and pollical rights. I certainly hope we wouldnt contemplate sending anybody back to Hong Kong under an extradition treaty now. He said the law also raises questions about how easy it will be to send people from the region to mainland China to face trial, and which judges will oversee those trials. Other questions about Canadas reaction to the new law remain unanswered. Earlier this week democracy advocates for Hong Kong asked the federal government to streamline the granting of asylum to those fearing arrest who want to flee the region. Champagnes statement Friday made no mention of any plans by Ottawa to do so, but prime minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would be looking at immigration issues related to Hong Kong in the coming weeks. Other western nations, including Australia and the United Kingdom, have outlined support they will be granted to Hong Kong emigres. Are there any free resources to help people interpret the law? The non-profit website China Law Translate has published a bilingual translation of the law, and legal experts including Jerome Cohen have shared initial interpretations of the law. It's very early days, but over time, I expect that we will see some organizations (perhaps more niche bar associations, law school professors working with alumni and students) devising guidance and perhaps offering services, Sommers said. With files from Tonda MacCharles Joanna Chiu is a Vancouver-based reporter covering both Canada-China relations and current affairs on the West Coast for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @joannachiu Read more about: LAHORE, Pakistan - A passenger train crashed into a bus carrying Sikh pilgrims at an unmanned railway crossing in eastern Pakistan on Friday, killing 22 people, including seven women, officials said. At least six pilgrims were injured. The accident happened in the district of Sheikhupura in Punjab province, according to Raja Ijaz, an official at the state-run emergency service. Ghazi Salahuddin, the district police chief, said the dead and injured were taken to a nearby hospital. The Sikh pilgrims were from the northwestern city of Peshawar and were returning home from a visit to the shrine of Nankana Sahib in Sheikhupura. Officials said the injured were later transported to a hospital in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, where two critically injured died, increasing the death toll to 22. Asghar Joya, a government official in Sheikhupura, said an initial assessment indicated the bus driver tried to cross the railway tracks as the train neared but the bus skidded and got stuck. He said, however, that officials were still investigating. He said authorities will provide a plane to take the bodies to Peshawar, where dozens of relatives of the victims had gathered to mourn their loved ones. TV footage showed the train and the badly destroyed bus on the railway tracks. Sheikhupura resident Dilbir Singh said the pilgrims, after visiting the shrine and before leaving for Peshawar, had also visited the home of a relative whose family member had recently died. Pakistans President Arif Ali and Prime Minister Imran Khan issued statements expressing their sorrow and ordering local authorities provide the best possible treatment for the injured. Sikhs have several shrines of their religious leaders in Pakistan. One, of Sikh founder Guru Nanak, built after he died in the 16th century, is located in the Punjab village of Kartarpur, on the border with India. Many Sikh holy sites became part of Pakistan after the British partitioned the subcontinent into India and Pakistan in 1947 following two centuries of colonial rule. Ties between the rival nuclear-armed neighbours deteriorated sharply after India revoked the disputed Kashmir regions semi-autonomous status in early August. Train accidents are common in Pakistan, mainly due to lack of enforcement of safety standards, a poorly kept railroad system and negligence of drivers. In February, a train crashed into a bus carrying passengers at an unmanned railway crossing in the district of Rohri in southern Pakistan, killing 19 people and injuring 28 others. Last November, a fire caused by a cooking gas stove swept through a train in Punjab, killing 74 people. Survivors at the time said it took nearly 20 minutes for the train to stop; there were also contradictory reports about the condition of the trains brakes. ____ Associated Press writer Asim Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan, contributed to this story. HONG KONG - Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law has left the city for an undisclosed location after testifying in a U.S. congressional hearing about a tough new security law imposed by mainland China on the semi-autonomous territory. Law, who declined to disclose his whereabouts for safety, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday that he left because Hong Kong needs an advocate for democracy who can work internationally. Under the new security law, activists and politicians in Hong Kong who speak to foreign media or testify in foreign hearings can be arrested for secessionism or colluding with foreign forces, Law said. For me leaving the place that I love, that I grew up in, that I spent most of my life in, its definitely a really difficult decision, but this is more than a personal choice, he said. I miss everything from it. The security law, which took effect Tuesday night, targets secessionist, subversive or terrorist acts, as well as collusion with foreign forces intervening in the citys affairs. Under Beijings direction, local authorities have moved swiftly to implement the laws sweeping conditions, with police arresting about 370 people Wednesday, including 10 on suspicion of directly violating the law, as thousands took to the streets in protest. In some cases, suspects were carrying items advocating Hong Kongs independence, police said. Chinas Cabinet on Friday appointed a veteran Communist Party cadre who rose to prominence during a crackdown on villagers seeking land rights in 2011 as head of a new central government national security office in Hong Kong. Zheng Yanxiong and his department will report directly to Beijing without oversight from Hong Kongs courts or any requirement that they answer to local authorities. Law, 26, rose to prominence in Hong Kong as one of the student leaders of the pro-democracy Umbrella Revolution in 2014. In 2016, he became the youngest lawmaker elected to the citys legislature but was later disqualified after he raised his tone while swearing allegiance to China during the oath, making it sound like a question. He was a leader of pro-democracy group Demosisto with fellow activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow. All three resigned Tuesday ahead of the security law coming into effect. With the loss of its top members, Demosisto dissolved. The Hong Kong government announced Thursday night that the popular protest slogan Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Time connotes a call for Hong Kongs independence or its separation from China, and those using it or displaying it on flags or signs could be in violation of the new law. Critics including Law say the legislation effectively ends the one country, two systems framework under which the city was promised a high degree of autonomy when it reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997. That is blatantly eradicating one country, two systems, its blatantly putting the last nail in the coffin, Law said. He urged the international community to prioritize human rights over trade interests, and to present a united front to combat or contain the authoritarian expansion of China. Under the security legislation, the maximum punishment for serious offences is life imprisonment, and suspects in certain cases may be sent to the mainland for trial if Beijing deems it has jurisdiction. A 24-year-old man who was arrested for allegedly stabbing a police officer during the protests on Wednesday has been charged with wounding with intent, police said Friday. He was arrested on board a plane to London, apparently trying to flee the territory. Police wouldnt say if the man would face additional charges under the security law. Separately, police charged a 23-year-old man with incitement to secession and terrorist activities on Friday, making him the first person to be prosecuted under the new law. Tong Ying-kit is accused of crashing a motorcycle into a group of police during Wednesdays protests while possessing a flag with the newly banned slogan. ___ Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Associated Press video journalist Alice Fung contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the Hong Kong government statement outlawing the protest slogan was issued Thursday. MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine president on Friday signed a widely opposed anti-terror law which critics fear could be used against human rights defenders and to muzzle dissent. President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Anti-Terrorism Act after weighing the concerns of different groups, demonstrating the governments commitment to stamping out terrorism, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said. Opponents say they will question the constitutionality of the law in the Supreme Court. The law, which Congress sent to the president for signing last month, allows the detention of suspects for up to 24 days without charge and empowers a government anti-terrorism council to designate suspects or groups as suspected terrorists who could then be subject to arrest and surveillance. Military officials have cited the threat of terrorism, including from Islamic State group-linked Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippines, as a reason why the country needs the law. It replaces a 2007 anti-terror law called the Human Security Act that has been rarely used, largely because law enforcers can be fined 500,000 pesos ($9,800) for each day they wrongfully detain a terrorism suspect. Lawmakers removed such safeguards in the new legislation, which increases the number of days that suspects can be detained without warrants from three to 24. Opposition to the law has been mounting, with Catholic bishops saying the definition of terrorism under the law is so broad it could threaten legitimate dissent and civil liberties. The Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the largest group of lawyers in the country, and U.N. rights officials have also expressed concern along with nationalist groups and media watchdogs. Opponents said the law violates the constitution, which restricts detention beyond three days without specific charges. This administration has effectively crafted a new weapon to brand and hound any perceived enemies of the state, said Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty Internationals Asia-Pacific regional director. In the prevailing climate of impunity, a law so vague on the definition of terrorism can only worsen attacks against human rights defenders. Under Dutertes presidency, even the mildest government critics can be labeled terrorists, Bequelin said. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and other security officials have played down fears the law could be misused, saying it wont be used against government opponents. The legislation states that terrorism excludes advocacy, protest, dissent, stoppage of work, industrial or mass action and other similar exercises of civil and political rights. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... For years, government troops have been battling Abu Sayyaf militants who have been listed as terrorists by both the United States and the Philippines for ransom kidnappings, beheadings and bombings in the restive south. In 2017, hundreds of militants affiliated with the Islamic State group laid siege to Marawi city in the south. Troops quelled the siege after five months in a massive offensive backed by the United States and Australia that left more than 1,000 people dead, mostly militants, and the mosque-studded city in ruins. I think its a forerunner of something else to come, he warned. Its an invasion for sure, and its widespread, but biblical? You mean like some kind of warning sign for people to repent of their wrongdoings? That would imply that the world is in line for some sort of divine punishment ... Maybe we are on the eve of destruction. LONDON - A former employee at the British consulate in Hong Kong has been granted political asylum in what he believes is the first successful U.K. asylum case from the former British colony. Simon Cheng, who alleges that he was detained and tortured in China last year, told The Associated Press that he hopes his successful application encourages other democracy activists from the semi-autonomous Chinese territory to seek protection in the U.K. as Beijing clamps down on the citys protest movement. Cheng, 29, also said that while he is relieved asylum was granted, he remains worried they will take my family members as hostage and send more agents to crush down the pro-democracy cause and activities outside of Hong Kong. Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the city this week, bypassing Hong Kongs legislature in a move that has been condemned by the U.S., the European Union and Britain, among others. Critics say the law effectively ends the one country, two systems framework that guaranteed the territory a high level of autonomy and civil liberties when it reverted from British to Chinese rule 23 years ago. Cheng, who was a trade and investment officer at the British consulate tasked with attracting Chinese investment in Scotland, said he joined massive anti-government protests in the city last year to collect information for the consulate. He went missing on Aug. 8 after being detained while returning to Hong Kong from a business trip to Shenzhen, a mainland Chinese city just across the border. Cheng has said he was hooded, beaten and deprived of sleep during 15 days of detention as agents sought information on protesters. He said he was also questioned about Britains alleged role in supporting the demonstrations. China has not directly addressed Chengs allegations, but the Foreign Ministry has dismissed protests from the British government over the affair as so-called concerns or complaints. The ministry has cited a statement by Shenzhen police issued in August saying Chengs legal rights had been protected and that he had admitted his offence completely, an apparent reference to a confession of soliciting prostitution. Cheng said he confessed to the offence of soliciting prostitution in order to avoid harsher treatment. He said he applied for asylum in Britain late last year and received it Tuesday. My case is about political persecution intrinsically, Cheng said Thursday in London. I hope my case could be a precedent for other Hong Kongers who are not protected by the British National Overseas lifeboat scheme. They can quote my case to apply for asylum and seek protection. Several other asylum cases involving people from Hong Kong are pending, he said. Nathan Law, a leading member of Hong Kongs opposition movement, posted on Facebook that he had left Hong Kong for an undisclosed location out of concern for his personal safety and that of others. Britain announced Wednesday that amid widespread concern about the security law and Hong Kongs future, the U.K. would extend residency rights for Hong Kongers eligible for British National Overseas passports. The passports were introduced in the 1980s under colonial rule. British officials estimate some 2.9 million people are eligible. But those born after 1997 cannot apply, leaving out many young student activists at the core of the pro-democracy movement. China condemned the British move, saying that holders of the BNO passports are Chinese citizens and that the U.K. had violated a commitment it had made not to grant them the right to stay in Britain. The British side disregarded Chinas solemn position and insisted on changing the policy, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Thursday. The Chinese side strongly condemns this and reserves the right to make further responses. All resulting consequences will be borne by the British side. Australia has said it is considering options to provide similar opportunities to those offered by Britain. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters Thursday that a final decision has not been made, but if youre asking: are we prepared to step up and provide support, the answer is: yes. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Zhao, asked about the comments, said Australia should immediately stop interfering in Chinas internal affairs with the so-called Hong Kong issue and avoid going further down the wrong path. Cheng urged protesters not to give up and pledged to help their cause from abroad. Were developing the alternative way, a pro-democracy cause overseas to reinforce those helpless people who have no choice or chose to stay in Hong Kong, he said. I do believe in the future we have less and less legal ground to fight for democracy within the system, within Hong Kong, peacefully, safely and legally. RIO RANCHO, N.M. - About 150 preachers, rabbis and imams are promising to invoke Black abolitionist Frederick Douglass on July 4th as they call for the U.S. to tackle racism and poverty. The religious leaders are scheduled this weekend to frame their sermons around What to the Slave is the Fourth of July on the 168th anniversary of that speech by Douglass. The former slave gave his speech at an Independence Day celebration on July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York. The address challenged the Founding Fathers and the hypocrisy of their ideals with the existence of slavery on American soil. The initiative to remember Douglass is led by the Poor Peoples Campaign, a coalition of religious leaders seeking to push the U.S. to address issues of poverty modeled after Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.s last crusade. (The Declaration of Independence) was written mostly by Thomas Jefferson. Yet he owned hundreds of human beings, and enslaved them, Rabbi Arthur Waskow plans to tell The Shalom Center in Philadelphia, according to prepared remarks. The contradiction between his words and his actions has been repeated through all American history. Frederick D. Haynes III, senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, said hes joining the effort because the nation needs a moral vaccine against racism and the pandemic. I am participating this weekend in the tradition of Frederick Douglass who eloquently put a moral mirror to America offering her a chance to change by facing what she needs to fix, he said. Sunita Viswanath, co-founder of Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus, said their group also will take part in solidarity. Both Pandita Pratima Doobay, Sadhanas resident priestess, and Pandit Sanjai Doobay, a member of our spiritual counsel, will be sharing video messages and prayers (July 4th) morning, reflecting from a Hindu perspective on the speech delivered by Frederick Douglass. The clergy also will urge their congressional representatives and senators to listen to their sermons and address systemic racism and issue a call to support the Poor Peoples Moral Justice Jubilee Policy Platform. That platform seeks more attention to poverty and police reforms. Last month, the Poor Peoples Campaign held a virtual march that attracted more than 2.5 million viewers on Facebook. The gathering came two years after Rev. William Barber, of Goldsboro, North Carolina, and Rev. Liz Theoharis of New York City encouraged activists in 40 states to take part in acts of civil disobedience, teach-ins, and demonstrations to force communities to address poverty on the anniversary of Kings 1968 planned event, which was held after he was killed in Memphis, Tennessee. The coalition is operating in 45 states, Barber said. Organizers have visited impoverished colonias along the U.S.-Mexico border and met with poor white farmers in Kansas. ___ Associated Press writer Russell Contreras is a member of the APs Race and Ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/russcontreras MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. - At the foot of Mount Rushmore on the eve of Independence Day, President Donald Trump made a direct appeal to disaffected white voters four months before Election Day, accusing protesters who have pushed for racial justice of engaging in a merciless campaign to wipe out our history. The president dug further into American divisions Friday, offering a discordant tone to an electorate battered by a pandemic and wounded by racial injustice following the high-profile killings of Black people. He zeroed in on the desecration by some protesters of monuments and statues across the country that honour those who have benefited from slavery, including some past presidents. This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore, Trump said. He lamented cancel culture and charged that some on the political left hope to defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children. He said Americans should speak proudly of their heritage and shouldnt have to apologize for its history. We will not be terrorized, we will not be demeaned, and we will not be intimidated by bad, evil people, Trump added. It will not happen. The speech and fireworks at Mount Rushmore came against the backdrop of a pandemic that has killed over 125,000 Americans. The president flew across the nation to gather a big crowd of supporters, most of them maskless and all of them flouting public health guidelines that recommend not gathering in large groups. The discord was heightened as the Trump campaign confirmed during the presidents speech that Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top fundraiser for the campaign and the girlfriend of Trumps eldest son Donald Trump Jr., had tested positive for the coronavirus while in South Dakota. Both Guilfoyle and Trump Jr., who serves as a top surrogate for the president, are isolating themselves and have cancelled public events, according to Sergio Gor, chief of staff to the Trump campaigns finance committee. During the speech, the president announced he was signing an executive order to establish the National Garden of American Heroes, a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans to ever live. Amid the campaign headwinds, the president has sharpened his focus on his most ardent base of supporters as concern grows inside his campaign that his poll numbers in the battleground states that will decide the 2020 election are slipping. Trump in recent weeks has increasingly lashed out at left-wing mobs, used a racist epithet to refer to the coronavirus and visited the nations southern border to spotlight progress on his 2016 campaign promise to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall. The event, while not a campaign rally, had the feel of one as the friendly crowd greeted Trump with chants of Four more years! and cheered enthusiastically as he and first lady Melania Trump took the stage. They think the American people are weak and soft and submissive, Trump said. But no, the American people are strong and proud, and they will not allow our country and all of its values, history and culture to be taken from them. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem echoed Trumps attacks against his opponents who are trying to wipe away the lessons of history. Make no mistake: This is being done deliberately to discredit Americas founding principles by discrediting the individuals who formed them, she said. The small town of Keystone, which lies a couple of miles from the monument, was buzzing with people Friday hoping to catch a glimpse of the fireworks and the president. Many wore pro-Trump T-shirts and hats. Few wore masks. This is going to rank up in the top Fourth of Julys that I talk about, said Mike Stewhr, who brought his family from Nebraska. Mike Harris of Rapid City, who said he was a Republican, wore a mask and waved an anti-Trump flag. He also was sporting a handgun on each hip. He said he was worried the event would spark a COVID-19 outbreak. I think its a bad example being set by our president and our governor, Harris said. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Leaders of several Native American tribes in the region raised concerns that the event could lead to virus outbreaks among their members, who they say are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because of an underfunded health care system and chronic health conditions. The president is putting our tribal members at risk to stage a photo op at one of our most sacred sites, said Harold Frazier, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Some Native American groups used Trumps visit to protest the Mount Rushmore memorial itself, pointing out that the Black Hills were taken from the Lakota people. More than 100 protesters, many Lakota, lined the road leading from Keystone to the monument holding signs and playing Lakota music in 95-degree heat. Some held their fists in the air as cars loaded with event attendees passed by. Others held signs that read Protect SoDaks First People, You Are On Stolen Land and Dismantle White Supremacy. The president needs to open his eyes. Were people, too, and it was our land first, said Hehakaho Waste, a spiritual elder with the Oglala Sioux tribe. About 15 protesters were arrested after blocking a road and missing a police-imposed deadline to leave. Several people who once oversaw fire danger at the national memorial had said setting off fireworks over the forest was a bad idea that could lead to a large wildfire. Fireworks were called off after 2009 because a mountain pine beetle infestation increased the fire risks. Noem pushed to get the fireworks resumed soon after she was elected, and enlisted Trumps help. The president brushed aside fire concerns earlier this year, saying: What can burn? Its stone. Trump has presided over a several large-crowd events in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and at an Arizona megachurch even as health officials warn against large gatherings and recommend face masks and social distancing. He plans a July Fourth celebration on the National Mall in Washington despite health concerns from D.C.s mayor. Trump and Melania Trump plan to host events from the White House South Lawn and from the Ellipse. ___ Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Aamer Madhani in Washington and Todd Richmond in Madison, Wis., contributed to this report. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com OTTAWA The Canadian government moved Friday to censure China over a drastic national security law it imposed on Hong Kong, and says a new framework for Canada-China relations is in the works. Two days after Beijing passed a new law that gives it more powers to crack down on political dissidents, foreign governments, non-governmental agencies and the media in Hong Kong, the federal government suspended a Canada-Hong Kong extradition treaty in protest. Ottawa also suspended exports to Hong Kong of sensitive military and dual-use goods, such as rubber bullets and pepper spray, and is examining other steps including immigration measures to protect Hong Kong residents, said Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. Ottawa also changed travel advice for Hong Kong, warning that the new law puts Canadians at increased risk of arbitrary detention on national security grounds and possible extradition to mainland China. In an interview with the Star, Champagne said he has heard calls for a change to Canadas approach to China but said he moved to draft new rules of engagement before the latest aggressive actions by Beijing, and that work continues as the situation evolves. China enacted the national security law in a secretive process, without the participation of Hong Kongs legislature, judiciary or people, and in violation of its international obligations, Champagne said. This is a significant step back from the freedom and liberty that people have enjoyed and that made Hong Kong what it is today as a global trading and financial hub, he said. Champagne said 300,000 Canadians living in Hong Kong will have to make individual assessments about their situations there, adding it is not for me to tell them to leave but that they are welcome to return to Canada. Champagne said it remains to be seen how the Hong Kong security law will be applied and interpreted, but he noted police are already using it to make arrests. He declined to elaborate on what it all might mean for trade and diplomatic relations with Beijing, other than to set out what he said are three cornerstones for a new framework: very clear rules and standards that will frame that relationship; Canadian interests to frame that relationship; and values and principles including human rights. Canadian diplomats are protected under the Vienna Convention, he said, and there would be no reason for Canada to change our policy in terms of engaging with civil society or opposition legislators and lawmakers. Still, Canada is discussing with other embassies how diplomats should operate under the new law, Champagne said, adding it is important that Canada speak up for the people of Hong Kong but certainly not to endanger their safety. Champagne said it is clear that, despite international criticism, Chinas central government has refused to change course on Hong Kong, or in its dealings with countries who dare to cross it. China arrested Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in 2018 in what Canada views as retaliation for the RCMP arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. extradition request. Weve seen them (Chinese authorities) employ some coercive diplomacy, arbitrary detention. We need a new framework, said Champagne. What were facing as Canada, on the other hand, is not unlike what a number of countries in Europe are facing, whether the E.U. as a whole or even a number of countries, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, said Champagne. A lot of people had to rethink their relationship. What the minister is saying clearly reflects that thinking is evolving in Ottawa, said Guy St-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China from 2012 to 2016, who called the new measures significant. I think its a positive change, he said. I think the status of Hong Kong has changed forever. Hong Kong has to be considered now as a full part of China, and he predicted the Trudeau governments moves would lead down the road to broader trade and commercial implications. St-Jacques said any overhaul of how Canada engages with China should reassess government investment in feel good projects, as well as co-operation in the scientific and technology sectors including artificial intelligence. St-Jacques said clearly China is eager to steal as much as possible and a lot of that technology can be used for the control of people. St-Jacques said a new framework should also see Canada redirect federal trade resources that were increased in last years budget for China, and move them to other growing markets in the Asia-Pacific; increase inspection on Chinese goods coming into the country; efforts to do more business with Taiwan; and to look ahead to the next Olympic ceremonies in China and co-ordinate with allies to send a message to Chinas central governing authorities that its actions will no longer be tolerated. China on Friday replied to its critics such as Australia, saying Hong Kong is a matter of Chinas internal affairs and warned of possible countermeasures. Champagne, however, turned aside a question about whether he fears consequences for Kovrig and Spavor in the wake of Canadas measures, saying Ottawas actions come as no surprise to Beijing. You cannot make a link between the fact that Canada is standing up and speaking up for human rights and reviewing arrangements that were in place at the time when Hong Kong was in a place of freedom and liberty, he said. The two Michaels are detained arbitrarily. Their arrest has become an issue of international concern, he said, and is seen by other countries as two citizens of liberal democracies being arbitrarily detained. Theyre concerned because today they are Canadians, tomorrow they could be from another nationality. Although the value of Canadian military exports to Hong Kong is relatively small just $20,580 in 2018 Champagne said the export ban covers sensitive and dual-use goods and exports that have been going to the Hong Kong police for, as far as I know, a number of years. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... It is not a symbolic gesture, but a protective measure, he said. The Canadian government is still weighing whether to accept or facilitate asylum requests by Hong Kong democracy activists. At least 46 Hong Kong citizens have already filed refugee claims here in the past year. In addition, Canada could extend the allowable stays and create a new route for Hong Kong visitors to seek citizenship in Canada, as the U.K. and Australia have said they will try to do for Hong Kong emigres, but there was no announcement on that front yet. Read more about: Premier Doug Ford has apologized for accusing farm workers in Leamington of hiding from COVID-19 tests, and has deployed Emergency Management Ontario to help quell a major outbreak at a massive greenhouse farm there. Its all hands on deck in an effort to control the spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus and keep area farms open so produce like tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers can be harvested before spoiling, Ford said Friday. There are at least 8,000 migrant farm workers in Essex County, supplemented by local hires, and hundreds have tested positive in the last few months, putting their health and the food supply at risk. Ford blamed misinformation for his error which raised the ire of groups representing migrant farm workers and said almost 200 people who tested positive at the unnamed Leamington operation are being retested. When theres misinformation, you stand up here, you apologize and you move forward and you work with people, Ford told his daily news conference at Queens Park, declining to specify where the wrong details originated. The greenhouse operation was effectively shuttered on Wednesday when Dr. Wajid Ahmend, chief medical officer of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit ordered the owner to isolate workers until further notice and barred the hiring of replacements. Ford said Thursday that all the workers went and hid when retesting was attempted and questioned the wisdom of the shutdown, which he said could discourage farmers from getting their staff tested. That prompted the advocacy group Justice For Migrant Workers to note some farm workers say they have been denied access to testing by employers who fear the revelation of more cases of COVID-19 could hurt their ability to plant, harvest, package and ship produce to grocery stores. First, Doug Ford blamed our local medical officer of health, then he blamed the farmers, and yesterday he even tried to shift the blame on migrant workers for hiding from tests, said New Democrat MPP Taras Natyshak (Essex), who urged Ford to visit the area this weekend to see the situation for himself. Today, Doug Ford is blaming misinformation for his failures. Ford never takes responsibility, the MPP added. He called on Ford to deploy the full resources of the provincial government to southern Essex County, where Leamington and nearby Kingsville on the north shore of Lake Erie have been prevented from wider business openings because of lingering outbreaks at farms. Experts have been warning for weeks that people living and working in close quarters would be a high risk of contracting COVID-19. If Ford had listened and taken action, we could have prevented these outbreaks that have led to avoidable deaths and hundreds of infections, Natyshak said. Two migrant workers from Mexico have died after working on Essex County farms. Emergency Management Ontario is working with the Red Cross, local health officials and Spanish translators house, feed and arrange medical care for the almost 200 workers who tested positive at the greenhouse operation or others deemed to have close contact requiring isolation. The EMO is helping to co-ordinate, to make sure the workers have the best care, the best housing, the best accommodation, food and support, both from a psychosocial point of view and a physical point of view, said Ontarios chief coroner, Dr. Dirk Huyer, who is leading the testing program and assisting with the response. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Some workers are being placed in isolation in hotels and others are in bunkhouses on farms, he added. All of them are being carefully monitored. The deaths of hundreds of fish found floating in the Hudson River near New Jersey since Wednesday is a natural phenomenon and nothing to be concerned about, environmentalists said. The exact cause has not yet been determined, but during the summer months as water temperatures warm, water is less able to hold dissolved oxygen than cool water, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said in a statement. The DEC said the fish are Atlantic menhaden also known as bunker fish and were first spotted between 79th Street and the George Washington Bridge. Several people in New Jersey also spotted the fish floating in the area of Edgewater in Bergen County and posted photos and video to social media. Low oxygen, or hypoxia, can often be fatal to these large schools while other fishes and marine organisms are stressed but will ultimately survive, the DEC said. Hypoxia is often triggered by large numbers of fish in confined bodies of water, excessive algal growth, and warm water temperatures, the DEC said. This is a natural phenomenon, and fish kills of this type can be expected during the warm months of the year and generally have little impact on region-wide fish population numbers, the DEC said. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Frank Di Lollo, owner of Sweet Waters Steakhouse in Westfield, did something this week he has never done before freeze steaks. I ordered $3,500-$4,000 in steaks, $1,000 in salmon, about $2,000 in liquor, $250 in tablecloths, Di Lollo said. If the steaks are (in the freezer) over a couple days, well throw them out. We never freeze steaks, it takes away the flavor. We dont serve s--- steaks. Di Lollo paused a moment. The guy destroyed us. The guy'' was Gov. Phil Murphy, who changed his mind this week about the resumption of indoor dining as other coronavirus restrictions are being eased across the state. Indoor dining was originally scheduled to start Thursday. Now, there is no word of a restart date, causing anxiety among restaurant owners around the state. Indefinitely? what the hell does that mean? Di Lollo said. What do I do with that? Give me a date. We cant give away fish; we have to dispose of it when it comes tomorrow, Joe Lautato, owner of Cafe 2825 in Atlantic City, said earlier in the week. Cafe 2825 was the winner of our N.J.s best Italian restaurant showdown in 2016. Fresh cheese and meats had to be given away to the church. Fortunately there are four churches in Atlantic City. Lautato described last weekend as a monumental effort to get his restaurant ready for inside dining. Traveling back and forth from Atlantic City to New York City, then Atlantic City to Philly for whatever provisions were available to me. My days were endless. He spent $5,000 in all on food. Lautato told his waitstaff to report Thursday, when the Italian restaurant could finally seat patrons. Then at 3 p.m. (Monday) my wife tells me he (Murphy) is shutting down inside dining, Lautato said. I thought she was teasing. Murphy said he made his decision based on recent scenes from expanded outdoor bars and restaurants showing packed knucklehead crowds not wearing masks and ignoring social distancing guidelines in place to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. We have seen spikes in other states driven, in part, by the return of patrons to indoor dining establishments, where they are seated, and without face coverings, for significant periods of time, the governor said at one of his daily coronavirus briefings. We are also moved to take this step because of what we have seen in some establishments across the state of late. That comes as no consolation to restaurant owners such as Di Lollo, who says he has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars so far this year, compared to the same period in 2019. The governor should have punished the individual violators, not punish the whole state, Lautato said. If he would have given fines and suspended liquor licenses to those places, you would see how fast others would have complied. But, several restaurant owners we spoke to supported Murphys decision. We have even had customers walk away because they dont want to wear a mask or follow our safety guidelines of social distance,' said Uzziel C. Arias, president of Charritos, which has restaurants in Weehawken and Hoboken. As a restaurant owner it is embarrassing and sad to see how many restaurants are not following the 6 feet rule between tables and tons of people are being completely careless about the virus. This is a major concern to us. If people cant follow these safety guidelines outside, inside will be much worse. As a result I am happy about his decision, no money is worth the safety of our staff and customers.' Assemblyman Jon Bramnick (R-21st Dist.) said he and New Jersey Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney will introduce legislation next week to create a fund to reimburse restaurant owners for losses due to the indoor dining postponement. Bramnick said he was shocked by Murphys decision. I thought it was a joke at first, said Christian Graciano, chef and co-owner of Salt Seafood & Oyster Bar in New Brunswick. It was a shock to me. Were past the point of surprises. Luckily, Graciano said, he did not place a big order last week in anticipation of indoor dining. He said the restaurant has suffered a 75-90% decrease in revenue this year. If indoor dining does not resume in the coming months, hes going to start worrying, but added, We didnt put all this energy into this to walk away. Maura Flood, manager at Hailey's Harp and Pub waits at the empty bar during lunch hour.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Vinnie Brand, owner of The Stress Factory, a comedy club/restaurant in New Brunswick, said Murphys decision was hard to understand. The venues that broke the rules were not indoor venues,' he explained. The ones that broke the rules are still operating. We, he said of restaurant owners in general, are good players. We should be rewarded for being good players. Brand, though, said he is not in the camp that wants to attack the governor. Its hard to be the governor these days. The Stress Factory owner is worried that the longer the ban on indoor dining remains, the tougher it will be for many restaurants to survive. Outdoor dining is now allowed, but once October and cooler weather rolls around, outdoor dining will become much less attractive. We all are going to be hammered, he said. Another fallout from Murphys decision is that restaurants who told staffers to report this week then had to tell them not to show up. Asking staff to come back to work when you think you will have work for them and then abruptly finding out that the work will not be there is tough, both for employer and employee, said Moshe Mo Atzbi, owner of Haileys Harp & Pub in Metuchen. Many restaurant owners still dont understand why they have not been allowed to open in the past three months at even 25% capacity when retail, convenience stores and other businesses, often thronged with customers, have stayed open. What we have been put through in the last three months has been truly insulting and hurtful, Lautato said. Di Lollo has one parting shot for Murphy. I never want him to set foot in this restaurant, he said. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Millions of Americans are still waiting for their coronavirus stimulus payments. Some were sent the payments, which are also known as Economic Impact Payments (EIPs), on a debit card even though the IRS Get My Payment tool said the payments would be sent via check. NJ Advance Media has reported that some people threw out the cards, thinking they were junk mail or a scam. On Thursday, the IRS started sending letters to people who may have a debit card that hasnt yet been activated, the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) said in a press release. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage The new letters, like the prepaid cards, are not a scam, the group said, noting that people should be aware of what they look like in case scammers try to impersonate them. The envelope can be viewed here and a sample letter is here. If youre not sure if you should have received a card, you can call Money Network Services, the company that handles the debit cards, at (800) 240-8100. The EIP card can be cashed or used in numerous ways without incurring fees, including by transferring the funds to your bank account, using network ATMs, asking for cash back at a grocer or big box store, and by going inside to the teller window at virtually any bank or credit union, said Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center. The group also published this brief to help consumers learn how to use the cards without paying fees. The IRS said Thursday that you can help yourself get a stimulus payment by filing a 2019 tax return. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Lynn Smith is among the many thousands of New Jerseyans who have been waiting to hear from the Department of Labor on an unemployment claim. Shes waited since March 22 103 days to learn if shes eligible for benefits. Hard times are nothing new for Smith. When she was 26 years old, her first husband, Sgt. 1st Class Scott R. Smith, a bomb-squad technician, was killed in Iraq in 2006 when he stepped on a pressure-triggered explosive device that was buried in the ground. He was 34. She learned that some of her husbands body parts were cremated along with the rest of the medical waste from the hospital and thrown in the trash and dumped at a landfill in Virginia, The Star-Ledger reported at the time. The incident led to several investigations by The Washington Post, which found remains of military personnel, including Smiths husband, were cremated, incinerated and disposed of at the landfill between 2004 and 2008. She tried to move on with her life. She remarried 13 years ago and has three children, 10, 8 and 3. But challenges remained. Her youngest child was born with a rare, life-threatening scoliosis. He needs several surgeries to correct his spine, and the first will cost Smith a minimum of $65,000 out-of-pocket, she said. Smith said shes grateful that her current husband is still working so they have insurance and some income, but unemployment benefits would make a big difference to the family, she said. Thats where it gets complicated. Her work history is causing the issues with her current unemployment claim. In 2017, Lynn Smith transferred a kiss to a plaque honoring her husband, who was killed in Iraq on July 17, 2006. The plaque was placed on Building 91 at Picatinny Arsenal, which was renamed the Sergeant First Class Scott Smith Building. Smith worked several Defense Department jobs, but she said her involvement in her first husbands case led to retaliation. She won a wrongful termination suit against the department, was awarded five years of back pay and was reinstated in her position. But the government appealed and Smiths case, and thousands of others, have been in limbo for three years because the board cant operate until the Senate votes on new members. I had been moved approximately four times in a matter of a few weeks, she said. I received a letter at my desk with a picture of a rat inside the envelope. In 2018, Smith fell at work and was diagnosed with a concussion and went on workers compensation. While she was recovering from the concussion, in October 2018, she was diagnosed with cancer and needed surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage When her workers compensation benefits ended, Smith said, she wasnt allowed to work from home during her treatment. The government offered a package for me to leave and I accepted it, she said, noting she was told to file for unemployment benefits. I was so stressed and emotionally worn I had no option but to leave and focus on my health. She applied for unemployment in December 2018. They continued to lose my paperwork and I eventually gave up. I began chemotherapy and radiation in February 2019 and was very sick, she said. I was unable to work for about a year. By January 2020, Smith said, she was well enough to get back to work. She started taking college classes while looking for a job. And then the coronavirus hit, making the job search near impossible. Even if she found a job, working out of the home could have been dangerous for the health of Smith and her son, she said. And someone would have to take care of her kids when school was canceled. Smith applied for unemployment again on March 22, and she submitted additional documentation on April 8. She said she has sent emails, regular mail and even registered mail to the Labor Department to try to get a response. When I attempt to certify for weekly benefits it says Im not accessing it at my scheduled time despite that not being true, she said. I have repeatedly called and have not been able to get through. Smith says even if she doesnt qualify for traditional unemployment benefits, she should qualify for the federal benefits that include payments if youre unemployed because of the virus. I shouldnt be sitting for three-plus months now without any answer, she said Smith said she had a small nest egg, but that quickly dwindled during her cancer. She and her husband have missed mortgage payments and theyve been hit with unexpected bills for car repairs and other costs. My entire savings has been chewed up. We are trying to stay afloat, she said. Theres no doubt that Smiths case is one of the more complicated ones that Labor needs to examine, and she certainly needed to speak to an agent. I have been unable to certify for weekly benefits, have not had my benefit eligibility decision, and I have sent all documents and required information, Smith said. At minimum, I should have received the decision. Before this story was published, NJ Advance Media alerted the Labor Department that we were looking at Smiths case. Several hours later, Smith received a phone call from an agent. The agent said workers compensation doesnt count as wages so Smith didnt qualify for regular unemployment, but she could get the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). Her case was escalated to a supervisor, she said, and it was determined that she would get 14 weeks of back benefits with the $231 minimum payment plus the $600 federal benefit. She said I shouldnt have any issues now with certifying either, Smith said. It wont be as much as I hoped but it is something and will definitely help me tremendously. Success after 103 days. Well take it. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. The New York Timess detailed analysis and investigation revealed for the first time that the valuations on which I had relied in entering into the Settlement Agreement, and which were used to determine my compensation under the Agreement, were fraudulent. I relied on the false valuations provided to me by my uncles and aunt, and would never have entered into the Agreement had I known the true value of the assets involved, Mary Trump says. The 1,200 nurses and other employees at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune reached a tentative contractual agreement with management on Thursday, according to an announcement from Health Professionals and Allied Employees. Just last week, HPAEs 300 members at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Stafford Township ratified a three-year contract. Both hospitals are operated by Hackensack Meridian Health, the largest hospital network in New Jersey. The pandemic added a sense of urgency and tension around contract negotiations between HPAE and Hackensack Meridian. Union officials went public with their demands that nurses play a larger rule in how the hospitals respond to the pandemic, after filing complaints that alleged Hackensack Meridian did not equip the staff with enough protective gear and train them on how to use it. The hospital chain has denied the claim. According to a statement from the union Thursday night, HPAE got its wish. Notable improvements include an improved presence in nurse involvement for pandemic planning and response and increases in wages, the announcement said. We applaud the resolve of our hard-working members in staying in this fight for the long haul, HPAE President Debbie White said. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage The agreement between Jersey Shore and the union was reached Tuesday. Members will vote to accept or reject the deal Monday and Tuesday, according to the announcement. HPAE declined to reveal details of the contract before ratification. A Hackensack Meridian Health spokeswoman Nancy Radwin also confirmed the tentative agreement. The new agreement will enable Hackensack Meridian Health to continue to deliver safe, high quality care for patients and provide a comprehensive, generous and affordable wage and benefits package that helps us retain and recruit team members across our network, Radwin said in a statement Friday. Southern Ocean Medical Centers members ratified their contract on June 27. The contract will provide better pay, greater tuition reimbursement and bonuses for achieving national accrediting standards, a statement from Hackensack Meridian Health said. Michelle Morrison, SOMCs chief hospital executive, praised Micki Patrick, SOMCs chief nursing officer, and Anna Pona, Local 5138 president and a registered nurse, for helping reach the deal. The contract talks with the union started off with both hospitals, but last week, South Ocean took the unprecedented step of parting ways with Jersey Shore after reaching an agreement, according to the hospitals statement. The contract takes effect July 12. Anna and I both strongly believe in putting patients first while keeping nurses safe and providing them with competitive pay and benefits, Patrick said. I have seen SOMC nurses, including Anna, do amazing things during the pandemic and during the normal times we had before COVID-19. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. A publicly traded New Jersey company that received millions of dollars in small-business relief funding has repaid the money. Orbcomm Inc., which is based in Rochelle Park and did $272 million in revenue in 2019, got nearly $7.6 million in April from the Paycheck Protection Program, a forgivable loan program administered by the Small Business Administration to help small businesses keep their employees during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Orbcomm is among 10 publicly traded companies in New Jersey to return the money. NJ Advance Media reported in May about Orbcomm receiving the loan, and CEO Marc Eisenberg said at the time that it was appropriate for his company to get the relief money since the federal government technically considers it a small business. Eisenberg said Thursday that Orbcomm decided to repay the loan because business had been better than feared during the coronavirus crisis and that the company was able to free up other sources of capital. COVID is something different in that it is really hard to predict how your customers are doing, Eisenberg said about why Orbcomm initially accepted millions in small-business money. We applied to PPP not knowing if were going to need it or not. We were able to experience a quarters worth of business in the COVID environment. The loan program was designed specifically for small business, broadly meaning companies with fewer than 500 employees. But the Small Business Administration makes a range of exceptions through which larger companies can still qualify as a small business and claim money available for coronavirus relief. The $659 billion program is part of the $2.2 billion CARES stimulus package passed by Congress in March. The government will forgive the PPP loans, made by approved banks, if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and if the money is used for things like payroll, rent and utilities, according to the Small Business Administration, which is running the program. The SBA considers Orbcomm to be a wireless communications equipment manufacturing company. Documents from the Small Business Administration show that Orbcomms industry classification allows companies with fewer than 1,250 employees to qualify as a small business, regardless of revenue. Eisenberg said his company accepted the PPP money so it wouldnt have to lay off any employees, and added that even though the company repaid the loan, it still did not have to let anyone go. Thirty-seven publicly traded companies based in New Jersey got money from the Payment Protection Program, totaling more than $60 million, according to data collected by Covid Stimulus Watch, a watchdog effort created by Good Jobs First. So far, 10 of those companies have returned nearly $37 million in PPP money. In total, 124,489 businesses in New Jersey received loans as part of the Payment Protection Program, according to the federal government, getting on average $140,959 in loans. Despite apparent widespread need for relief for small businesses across the country, more than $130 billion in PPP loans were left on the table and Congress this week voted to extend the program beyond its June 30 expiration. President Donald Trump still must sign the bill for the program to be extended. While publicly traded companies have been scrutinized for taking advantage of PPP, the vast majority of companies that got help remains unknown, as the federal government for months declined to reveal those firms. In May, several major news organizations sued the federal government to get it to release the names of all businesses receiving loans. The Small Business Administration and the Treasury Department said two weeks ago that it will soon identify most companies that received small business loans. Businesses that received more than $150,000 will be identified by name, but those that got less will not be named. Further complicating the programs transparency, the feds say they wont disclose the precise dollar figures borrowed by businesses, instead sharing a range. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Payton Guion may be reached at pguion@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaytonGuion. The organization working to enhance the Bergen Arches natural space in Jersey City now has the backing of a network founded by the creator of New York Citys High Line. The Bergen Arches Preservation Coalition announced Thursday that it is a new member of the High Line Network, a community of projects working to transform old infrastructure into productive community spaces. The partnership bolsters the preservation coalition, which is working to turn the NJ Transit property with an abandoned rail line in the middle of Jersey City into a recreational trail. It kind of opens up a lot of new opportunities for us to learn from the High Line and also opens up our ability to also use their resources, whether its funding or some other organizational events that we could learn from, said Rahid Cornejo of the Bergen Arches Preservation Coalition. They really want to push our kind of organization because were not the only ones. Theres a bunch that exist that are very similar to what were doing. The urban greenery runs a mile along Route 139. The arches themselves are old train tunnels and the rail line has been abandoned since the 1950s. The preservation coalition wants to both preserve the space and make it more accessible for walkers and bikers. It hopes to connect it to the East Coast Greenway, a developing walkable and bikeable route running from Florida to Maine. Now plans to create a nearby path to Montclair are progressing, which would also create an opportunity to connect people to a trail at the Bergen Arches, Cornejo said. To create more interest in activating this 650-acre plot of open space in Jersey City ... I think that alone will be a success, he said. The preservation coalition's goals have always conflicted with those of transportation gurus who want the space once again used for mass transit. There has also been a proposal for a highway. Asima Jansveld, vice president of the High Line Network, said that the location of available spaces and how they are transformed has the potential to undermine historically racist systems. Im particularly thrilled that our new members bring exceptional experience on equity and equitable development, she said. They will contribute greatly at this critical time to our collective ability to address health, social, and other inequities in the Black and Brown communities many of us serve. The Bergen Arches Preservation Coalition was one of 15 new members that the network selected this year in its first open call. The North Bergen student who posted a commonly known white supremacist symbol in the High Tech High School yearbook had no ill intentions, the superintendent of the county school district announced Friday morning, in spite of complaints from the student body. In announcing the findings of a thorough investigation, Superintendent Amy Lin-Rodriguez said the 17-year-old student who wrote 88 in the yearbook on a page of quotes that students chose to represent themselves was referring to 88th Street Park, which is three blocks from his home. The Anti-Defamation League calls the number one of the most common white supremacist symbols. The group says its a numerical code 8 standing for H, the eighth letter in the alphabet for Heil Hitler. We take the concerns of our community members seriously, Lin-Rodriguez wrote. While we believe the evidence and testimony in this case shows it to be an extremely unfortunate matter and not a malicious act; as a school district we nevertheless recognize that this situation has been offensive and hurtful to members of our community. The superintendent said the student was interviewed and was unaware that the the number was used as a symbol of anti-Semitism. A letter from the districts law firm went as far as saying that the student who posted the symbol is the victim. This unfortunate event has produced division in the community and more regrettably scarred the young man associated with the event,according to a letter from Nechert, Dineen and Hillman to the superintendent. A group of students had demanded that the school district issue a new page for the yearbook. Instead, the district is offering to refund the purchase price to any students who want to turn in their yearbooks. An online petition that also demanded an apology from the administration has garnered more than 800 signatures. Im an alumnus of High Tech and this just isnt the school that I knew and loved, Christina Sanchez- Abreu wrote. For the amount of diversity in this school, its extremely disturbing that the administration didnt think twice about letting hate speech into their students yearbooks. JERSEY CITY Normally, thousands would be preparing to gather Downtown during the Fourth of July weekend to celebrate the countrys independence with food, activities and, of course fireworks. But, due to the pandemic and concerns of the surge of coronavirus-related cases in some states, those festivities have been canceled. Still, some families and couples figured they can still be outdoors at Lincoln Park to kick off the holiday weekend. I feel like were being restricted, but its for our own good, Dulcelina Pena said on Friday. Pena and her husband were sitting on a bench by the parks lake Friday afternoon as many others jogged and biked by. The Jersey City resident said her family does a barbecue and head to the beach every July 4. But due to the circumstances, she said theyre just going to stay home this year with their 16-and 13-year-old. On June 22, Gov. Phil Murphy said up to 100 people can gather indoors and up to 250 for outdoors. Murphy opened beaches on May 22 in time for Memorial Day weekend, and many people have been flocking to the boardwalks ever since. But, as for Independence Day, there wont be any big public celebrations like Jersey Citys annual Fourth of July show, which has headlined music sensations like Pitbull, Snoop Dogg and Akon. For Ammarritta Simpson, she said she doesnt mind missing out on the festival because shes with loved ones regardless. Im with my family right now, she said as her and relatives sat on a blanket close to the lake. Simpson is originally from Montana, and this weekend is her first Fourth of July in Jersey City, she said. And though there wont be a 50 Star Fire Show, she said shes going with her family to Liberty State Park and watch fireworks as close as possible, which peeks into New York. Felicia Modeste was sitting with her 5-year-old daughter beside Simpson. Modeste said the family was kicking off the holiday with some fishing. There are no scheduled firework shows for Saturday in Hudson County. A Jersey City man has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after police say he stabbed his wife in the abdomen. Police say the incident occurred before midnight on June 25 on Woodlawn Avenue. According to the criminal complaint, the man, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the victim, was drunk when he grabbed a decorative knife in the bedroom and stabbed the woman. When police arrived, the womans daughter, an off-duty Hudson County sheriffs officer, was applying pressure to the wound, the criminal complaint said. The victim was taken to a local hospital to be treated. Her husband, who had fled after the stabbing, was arrested a short time later by Woodbridge police. The man, who turned 65 years old a day earlier, was also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon. He had a detention hearing Wednesday, where he was released through the prosecution of the case. A screen shot from a police body camera shows people trying to pull a man from Jersey City police officers as an officer was trying to arrest the man on Bostwick Avenue on May 5.EJA JERSEY CITY Newly released police body camera footage from a chaotic confrontation between officers and civilians in May shows a violent scene but offers little clarity about the cause of the incident. On Thursday afternoon, the Hudson County Prosecutors Office released footage from 23 body cameras, footage that runs up to 30 minutes in length. A cursory review of the videos shows a chaotic and violent scene play out on Bostwick Avenue. Officers can be seen at first attempting to break up a heated but apparently nonviolent dispute outside a house. The situation quickly escalates, spilling out into the street. The action is hard to follow; especially as several of the body cameras seem to fall off partway through the melee and show little of substance. What the videos show clearly is roughly 10 officers attempting to pin several people on the ground. The police deploy pepper spray and one officer can be seen striking a man repeatedly with a baton. Men and women can be heard screaming. A man can be seen pouring milk into the eyes of a handcuffed man, who was presumably pepper sprayed. Later, two officers haul him into the back of a police car. One section, from a fallen camera placed on the hood of a police car, shows officers pinning someone to the ground. Outside the frame of the shot, a woman can be heard yelling, Hes a teenager! It dont matter! an officer shouts back. Another man can be heard saying repeatedly, I cant breathe. Jersey City Public Safety Director James Shea said last month that police officers called for backup after a man attempted to grab a police officers gun. But in the shaky, chaotic footage, that moment is difficult to identify. The Hudson County Prosecutors Office continues to investigate the May 5 incident, which took place weeks before national protests against police brutality erupted in the aftermath of George Floyds death in Minneapolis. At the Hudson County Prosecutors Office in Jersey City on Thursday, City Council members and community activists viewed the videos, which were released following an Open Public Records Act request by The Jersey Journal. Jersey City activist Chris Gadsden, who attended the viewing, said he believed the footage did not show any attempt to grab an officers gun. Instead, he said, it showed that the police department needed to discipline the officer who used the baton because it constituted excessive force. There was no de-escalation at all from start to finish, Gadsden said. Officer (Bryant) Rowan has to be disciplined for his excessive use of that baton on May 5. Frank Educational Gilmore, another activist who viewed the footage, disputed Sheas narrative. At best you can make the argument that he assaulted the officer, Gilmore said. (The) new narrative is these officers need better training. That new narrative has to be this officer got to go. Videos taken by bystanders that day appear to show a police officer being assaulted by three or four people while trying to arrest one of the people there. At least two of the people can be seen throwing a punch at the officer. As the melee continued, an officer can be seen striking at least two people with his baton. City Council members who viewed the footage could not be reached for comment. City officials have declined to discuss the incident in the past, citing the ongoing investigation by Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarezs office. JERSEY CITY Teachers and parents at The Ethical Community Charter School said they were blindsided after what they described as the sudden and unexpected termination of the schools principal. At a hastily organized protest Thursday morning, parents and staff rallied in support of the Jersey City schools former principal, Marta Bergamini. Adults hefted signs bearing slogans in support of Bergamini, while young students wrote on the sidewalk and walls in chalk. Roseangela Mendoza, a middle school social studies teacher, said parents and staff were angry at the loss of Bergamini, who she described as a beloved figure in the community. The fact that the board is not rehiring her during such unsettling times makes no sense, said Mendoza, tearing up. Its leaving our kids and us without our leader. Mendoza, who helped organize the protest, described Bergamini as a beloved and respected leader of the K-8 school. Marta Bergamini, the former principal at The Ethical Community Charter School in Jersey City. (EJA)New Jersey Advance Media for NJ. When we have uncertain times such as these, we look to Marta to be the strong one and she always is, she added. We want answers and we want her to come back. The schools vice principal, Elisha Abelaal, resigned in protest of the decision, and one parent said they planned to pull their children out of the school in solidarity. Bergamini, a founding member of the school, had been its principal since it opened in 2009. She could not immediately be reached for comment. Emails sent to her TECCS email address could not be delivered. Parents and staff members said the news of Bergaminis departure came in an email to community members sent from the school Wednesday. We are ending our year by announcing the departure of our Head of School, Marta Bergamini, the email read. We thank Marta for her passion and dedication to the development of TECCS over the past 11 years, and despite moving forward into a new era of education, we aspire to build on her accomplishments as we continue to foster the warm, inclusive environment at TECCS. We wish Marta nothing but the best in her future endeavors. The letter also said that over the next few months, the board would be searching for the strongest possible leader to be the next principal. Yearly contracts for the schools faculty and staff expired July 1, staff members said. But the community had expected Bergaminis contract to be renewed. Sonya Still, the chairperson of the schools board of trustees, blamed Bergaminis departure on a breakdown in contract negotiations. The principal was not fired, she said. Her contract expired and we were unable to negotiate a new contract with her. Still declined to provide any more information, but said the board had not intended for Bergamini to leave the school. We did our very best to do our very best, she said. This was not a result that we intended or wanted. But other school staff and community members said they were confused by the move. Dan Ackman, a TECCS trustee, said there had been no discussion among board members about Bergaminis termination. Its not clear to me that there was ever a proper vote, he said. I had not heard one word as a board member that anyone was considering firing Marta at any time. Ann Wallace, a parent and one of the schools co-founders, called the decision disturbing. Theres something very fishy and unsettling about it, she said, noting that Bergamini had already been working on planning events for the reopening of the school in the fall. It doesnt feel right and it doesnt feel ethical, she said. An instructor at New Jerseys only womens prison was arrested Wednesday and charged with witness tampering, the Hunterdon County Prosecutors Office announced Thursday. Devon E. Vassell, 54, of East Orange, was arrested following a joint investigation by the office and the New Jersey Department of Corrections Special Investigations Division, but the details of what he allegedly did were not disclosed by investigators Thursday evening. Vassell worked as institutional trade instructor at the prison since March 19, 2016 and his alleged crime took place in 2018 at the facility. Institutional trade instructors train and supervise inmates in various trades including cooking, painting, tailoring and carpentry. Vassell was scheduled for his first court appearance on July 6. Anyone with information was asked to call the Hunterdon County Prosecutors Offices Special Victims Unit at 908-788-1129. The charges were announced one day after six former inmates from the womens prison, which is located in Union Township in Hunterdon County, testified at a public forum of the Workgroup on Harassment, Sexual Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey Politics. The former inmates shared emotional accounts of alleged sexual abuse and corruption in Edna Mahan. Edna Mahan Correctional Facility has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. A series of NJ Advance Media reports have detailed the harrowing conditions in the prison, including sexual, emotional and physical abuse of the female prisoners. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Dawn Masino of Budd Lake leased a car from Route 46 Hyundai in Hackettstown in June 2017. At the end of February, she decided to buy the car. She was approved for a loan for $15,000 from Fifth Third Bank, gave the dealership a down payment of $2,500 and got her temporary license plate, documents show. Masino said she didnt worry about getting her permanent plates because of the coronavirus pandemic, and she started her car payments to Fifth Third Bank on April 10. In mid-April, she said, she drove to the dealership to get her plates, she said. There were a sign on the door saying they would reopen in May, she said. At the end of May, I got a call from Hyundai Motor Finance about delinquent payments. I told them I no longer have a lease, that I purchased the car. But Hyundais records showed she still had a lease. And she was behind on the payments. Unable to reach the dealership by phone or email, Masino visited the dealership again, but it was still closed. She checked with Fifth Third Bank, which confirmed her loan was in good standing and it confirmed the lease buyout amount was sent by wire to Route 46 Hyundai as instructed. No one could figure out what happened to the money. In the first week of June, Masino returned to the dealership again. There was not one car on the lot or one desk in the showroom, she said. They had left, and I still had expired temporary plates on my car. She escalated the case with Hyundai, and eventually spoke to a case manager who requested she check again with Fifth Third about the payment. In a conference call on June 17 with the bank and Hyundai Motor Finance, the bank confirmed the wire transfer to Route 46 Hyundai went through on March 4, Masino said. (The Hyundai representative) said it didnt matter because they didnt have the money and they needed to be paid, Masino said. I said it seemed to me they needed to go after the dealership. We asked to speak to one of his supervisors. He put us on hold and never came back. Next she tried Comfort Auto Group, which owns Route 46 Hyundai. The gentleman wouldnt give me his name but told me that they no longer have anything to do with Route 46 Hyundai of course, because theyre out of business and hes heard other stories like mine and `its really too bad. The next day, she filed a police report with Washington Township and spoke to an officer about her case. He was not even surprised, she said. He told me I am not the only person he knows of who had an issue with this dealership and now things are a mess. Masino called Hyundai again. From where they stand, I owe them money, she said. They suggested I ask Fifth Third Bank if they would pay the money again and this time send it to Hyundai Motor Finance, and then if there is a settlement, the bank can get their money back. That wasnt likely to happen. Masino uses her car for work, and shes afraid it could be repossessed and her credit rating will be trashed. She filed a complaint with the Division of Consumer Affairs, and then she asked Bamboozled for help. TRACKING IT DOWN The dealership has a history. Comfort Auto Group L.L.C., doing business as Route 46 Hyundai, agreed to a $55,286 settlement with the Division of Consumer Affairs in August 2019 to resolve allegations that the dealership violated the Consumer Fraud Act, the Used Car Lemon Law and other regulations. As part of the agreement, Comfort agreed to enter binding arbitration to resolve any additional consumer complaints received by the agency for a period of one year. Consumer Affairs said since the order, its received 12 complaints not including the one filed by Masino. Two of the complaints were resolved by the dealership, two were closed as unjustified or unsupported, and the remaining eight complaints are open, a spokeswoman said. For the past several months, Comfort Auto Group has not responded to communications from the division, the spokeswoman said. Nor has Comfort Auto Group satisfied all amounts owed under the order. We didnt have luck reaching the company, either. Multiple calls to Comforts number were disconnected but while navigating the voicemail system we were able to leave one message that was not returned. The phone number for Route 46 Hyundai was never answered. The company also didnt answer messages on Facebook and Twitter. According to public records, Comfort Auto Group is owned by Heshy Gottdiener of New York. Public records show he also owns Route 206 Auto Group, which owns Kia of Sussex. Gottdiener didnt respond to phone messages or emails about the case, and messages and emails left for him at Kia of Sussex were not returned. One email sent to Gottdiener did get an auto-reply saying he was out of the office and that people could contact his assistant at a different email address. But the person at the other end said he is an automotive consultant, and he didnt respond to a request for help reaching Gottdiener. We took the case to Hyundai Motor Finance to see if could help, and we suggested it could at the very least call off the collections dogs while this gets sorted out. Understanding these are difficult times and after learning about this customers situation, weve taken steps to ensure the customer has been contacted by our teams, the company said. We are working with the customer to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. We cannot discuss any further details at this time. Masino may have been contacted, but her issue is far from resolved. She said the representative who called her asked why Masino went to the dealership for the lease buyout, and Masino responded thats how she did it for her two prior lease buyouts and thats what the dealer instructed. She asked if the bank can recall the wire to get their money back, Masino said, noting the bank said it was too late for that. She told me that there is really nothing that Hyundai Finance can do for me. The representative did tell her Hyundai put a freeze on sending anything to the credit bureaus and its stopping collections calls temporarily. But the next business day, Masino checked her credit report and yes, Hyundai Finance reported three late payments. So much for good faith. Weve gotten nowhere, Masino said. I am worried about the expired temporary plates on my car. Long term, Im worried that the VIN number associated with this car will always be wrapped up in some sort of shenanigans because of this mess. Masino has decided to retain an attorney but shes hoping she wont have to go to court and spend more money she doesnt have. Maybe there will be a miracle today and theyll call me and tell me they fixed it, she said. Im still hoping. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. NJ Advance Media Research Editor Vinessa Erminio contributed to this report. Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Theres not a lot of people on the street right now, so theres not congestion, so I think that adds to it, she said. Theres less people on the street, theres more ease, access, in the streets and out of the streets. 2012 GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain is being treated for the coronavirus at an Atlanta-area hospital, according to a statement posted on his Twitter account Thursday. Its not clear when or where Cain was infected, but he was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending President Donald Trumps campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He did not meet with Trump there, according to the campaign. Cain, 74, was hospitalized after developing serious symptoms but is awake and alert, according to the statement. The former pizza company executive has been an outspoken backer of the president and was named by the campaign as a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. I realize people will speculate about the Tulsa rally, but Herman did a lot of traveling the past week, including to Arizona where cases are spiking, Dan Calabrese, who has been editor of HermanCain.com, wrote on the website. I dont think theres any way to trace this to the one specific contact that caused him to be infected. Well never know. Cain took part in a Trump campaign livestream before the rally with campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson and Texas state Rep. James White. Asked whether Cain met at the rally with other senior campaign or administration officials, Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh responded that contact tracing was conducted after the Tulsa rally but we do not comment regarding the medical information of individuals. Regardless, Mr. Cain did not meet with the President, Murtaugh added. At least six campaign staffers and two members of the Secret Service working in advance of the Tulsa rally tested positive for COVID-19. An Oklahoma-based journalist has also confirmed testing positive soon after attending the rally. Trump faced criticism for holding the big-arena event despite warnings from public health experts that it is not yet safe to hold mass gatherings. More than 6,000 people attended the rally at the BOK Center, an arena that can seat more than 19,000. Cains official Twitter account on Wednesday included a posting of an article about South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem declining to impose mask-wearing or social distancing rules at Fridays fireworks display at Mount Rushmore, an Independence Day weekend event that Trump is scheduled to attend. The Twitter posting included the addendum, Masks will not be mandatory for the event, which will be attended by President Trump. PEOPLE ARE FED UP! For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. Cain briefly rose to the top of polls during the 2012 race for the Republican presidential nomination by highlighting a plan to simplify the tax code with what he called the 9-9-9 plan. On the campaign trail, he spoke about being diagnosed in 2006 with stage 4 liver cancer and his doctors giving him slim hope for long-term survival. More recently, he has kept involved in conservative politics as a commentator on Newsmax. A 73-year-old man died while body surfing Thursday evening in Avalon after a wave crashed over him causing him to strike his head, according to Avalon Police. The man, who was not identified, was from York, Pennsylvania, Capt. John Roscoe said. Witnesses saw the man hit his head and saw him floating on the beach near 21st Street. They pulled him from the water and administered CPR. He was transported to Cape Regional Medical Center in Cape May Court House, where he was pronounced dead, Roscoe said. Lt. Erich Wolf with Avalon Beach Patrol told NJ Advance Media the incident occurred at about 6:21 p.m., more than an hour after lifeguards went off duty. Wolf said the swimming conditions were not good then. And Im sure later on they only got worse, he said. The north end of the beach, where the incident happened, has a nasty shore break, Wolf said. Which is why its very important that people only swim in front of the lifeguards and while the lifeguards are on duty. A shore break is when the wave breaks right onto the shore line, Wolf said. If you get caught in it, it can send you right onto the sand, he said. And theyre often very powerful. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. A Bergen County school board member resigned this week after a picture of him in blackface was made public. Dan Eller, 30, stepped down from the Northern Valley Regional High School Board of Education under pressure from other board members and the community, according to Northjersey.com. A Change.org petition calling for Ellers resignation gained more than 2,500 signatures. It says the photo became public on June 29 and was from when Eller was a student at Northern Valley Old Tappan High School. He graduated in 2008. The picture was found on Facebook, according to the petition, and shared with local officials and the media by an anonymous source. Eller was the chairman of the boards finance committee and was a Bergen County representative for the New Jersey School Boards Association. In a statement obtained by Northjersey.com, Eller said, I heard the pain in many peoples voices as they recounted their experiences through the years at Northern Valley. The statement was made many times that I did not adequately own up to the situation. I dont know how else to do it so I will again claim full responsibility for those actions and apologize to every person who has been hurt by them. The district will form a task force to combat racism, according to a statement obtained by Northjersey.com. The board believes that Mr. Ellers resignation demonstrates that there are serious and profound consequences for ones actions and unacceptable behavior and will be a first step to begin healing the pain expressed by many of the students, the statement says. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Protests against police brutality following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis are planned throughout New Jersey over the weekend celebrating the anniversary of the birth of the United States. There have been hundreds of protests against police brutality in New Jersey and throughout the nation in the wake of Floyds death in police custody on May 25. The four police officers at the scene of Floyds death have been fired, and one, Derek Chauvin, is charged with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree murder in the case. Three other officers were charged with aiding and abetting. In New Jersey, all 21 N.J. county prosecutors offices have called images of Floyds death deeply disturbing and said police are not exempt from law. State PBA President Pat Colligan also condemned Chauvin and the four officers at the scene, saying nobody in law enforcement can look at that video and justify the actions of those officers. Among the protests, marches and rallies planned in New Jersey for this holiday weekend: Friday, July 3 Dover at 5 p.m. on Friday. March Against Racial Injustice will be held at Crescent Field inat 5 p.m. on Friday. Saturday, July 4 Maplewood Memorial Park from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday. violin vigil for Elijah McClain , a 23 year old Black man who was killed after an encounter with police while walking home on the evening of August 24, 2019, will be held inMemorial Park from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Newark that will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday. Participants will meet at the Lincoln Statue, located at the intersection of West Market Street and Springfield Avenue, and march to the Wars of America monument in Military Park. The Young Professionals For Justice are planning a march and rally inthat will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday. Participants will meet at the Lincoln Statue, located at the intersection of West Market Street and Springfield Avenue, and march to the Wars of America monument in Military Park. A protest will be held in Plainfield from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday. Participants are planning to meet at 215 West Front St. Atlantic City in front of the Public Safety Building on Atlantic Avenue at 1 p.m. Saturday. Steve Young, a city activist and organizer of the event, said he intends to shut Atlantic City down through the protest. It has also been rumored that A protest is scheduled to take place inin front of the Public Safety Building on Atlantic Avenue at 1 p.m. Saturday. Steve Young, a city activist and organizer of the event, said he intends to shut Atlantic City down through the protest. It has also been rumored that Pagans Motorcycle Club will arrive to counter the protest and support the police. Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. held a meeting with Young on Wednesday in hopes that it would deter the protest, but their discussions broke down and the event is expected to take place as scheduled. Sunday, July 5 A Sisters in Solidarity rally will take place at Military Park in Newark from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Mario Tagliabues recent letter, Worthy Italians deserve monuments misses the point about Christopher Columbus, in asking that others of Italian heritage who accomplished more significant achievements be honored instead. I firmly believe that the voyages of Columbus represent a tremendous human achievement. His voyages bridged the Eastern and Western hemispheres. For that reason, statues of Columbus should remain in place. Columbus has become a controversial figure and that controversy many times fanned by political winds has tarnished the seafarers reputation. Many state that Columbus was a visionary who opened up a new land of opportunity for the oppressed masses of Europe. Others see him as an opportunist who massacred and spread disease among indigenous people, and institutionalized the slave trade in the Western Hemisphere. Columbus operated under a different set of beliefs, principles, convictions and societal norms that would be offensive by modern standards. Consequently, society should be very careful about applying 21st century thinking to the prevailing morality of the 15th century. Columbus has been an inspiration to all immigrants; people from faraway lands who possess the courage and determination to take a chance by coming to the New World with only a glimmer of hope and a strong desire for a better future for themselves and their posterity. Columbus persistence to obtain support for a risky enterprise yielded results that went well beyond anyones imagination. He opened a New World with unlimited potential and possibilities. For those reasons, we commemorate Columbus. His ingenuity, imagination, and inspiration have fostered a period of discovery that is still very much alive today. John Di Genio, Jersey City Name virus for the spreader-in-chief Rather than concentrating his efforts on supporting the efforts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to contain the ravages of COVID-19, and getting his administration in order, President Donald Trump exerts his energy protecting the names of Confederate generals, creating racist nicknames for the virus, and silly nicknames for his opponents. He does this while encouraging mass gatherings and stubbornly touting a premature financial recovery and a non-existent, quick, magical end to the coronavirus. Coronavirus cases confirmed in the United States have now reached a staggering 50,000 per day, far surpassing the total growth throughout Europe. For this reason, we should rename the coronavirus Trump Flu in honor of the leader who buried his head in the sand and most effectively advocated for behavior that rapidly fosters its transmission throughout the country. Joseph Gervasi, Denville Remove failed temporary classrooms At an October 2016 press conference, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise took a recommendation from community members suggesting that the North Bergen school district buy the old High Tech High School from Hudson County, an idea that DeGise said fell from Heaven. This would have added much needed classrooms to the overcrowded North Bergen schools, and it would have allowed preschool students to go classrooms in real school buildings with their siblings, not in temporary classroom units (TCUs) that are illegally situated in Hudson Countys Braddock Park. Hudson County and North Bergen have failed to follow through on this idea, as promised. Now, North Bergen is refusing to honor a state Department of Environmental Protection demand that the preschool leave Braddock Park no later than Aug. 31, 2021. As a former school teacher, DeGise should know that these TCUs are not considered safe for long-term use. And, 20-year-old TCUs are no place for children and teachers to go in the the fall under normal circumstances. Due to the pandemic situation, it would be negligent to continue to use them. North Bergen admitted in 2016 that TCUs are typically leased for five years and these units have aged beyond their useful life. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has noted that poorly functioning systems in portable classrooms units provide minimal ventilation with outside air. Do the right thing. Immediately allow North Bergen to rent the High Tech classrooms and remodel them for preschool use in the fall. Dont continue to jeopardize health or lives, and dont continue to disregard DEP regulations that protect Braddock Park from non-recreational development. Robert Walden, North Bergen Reparations a short-term salve At the risk of being branded a racist, I feel I must comment negatively on the recent guest column that appeared in the Star-Ledger headlined Reparations are good for everyone. I agree there are huge gaps in income, assets, education, housing, health care, justice, etc. But a $60,000 payment to either all or a select group of African Americans is not going to address any of those issues in a long-term way. It is a short-term salve that will have little, if any, benefit for future generations and will not significantly address any of the aforementioned gaps. I believe permanent, well-funded programs would be a more effective way to address those issues, and I would be more than happy to support well-thought-out programs created by African Americans as they see fit, which might include cash payments in some cases but not as the bulk of the program. Elena Egan, Metuchen Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. By Alan L. Moss I had been in my new job at the Department of Labor for a year when Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. As word spread, mobs formed and before long, violence took over the streets of Washington, D.C. We were told to evacuate the building and go home. Ill never forget driving along the Virginia side of the Potomac, seeing black smoke cover the Capital with the heartbreak of loss. Since that day in 1968 there have been too many instances when frustration and violence against Black Americans have turned into legitimate demonstrations. Sadly, the one characteristic that follows this pattern is the absence of real change. The destruction of businesses, often minority-owned, remains for extended periods and inner-city populations return to their deficient socio-economic environments. How do we honor those who have lost their lives to police prejudice and brutality? Of course, officers who demonstrate hatred for minorities and exercise excessive force need to be removed from their positions and, if appropriate, prosecuted for violations of the law. A national initiative of sensitivity training and the provision of reasonable enforcement guidelines should be helpful. At the same time, those who use demonstrations for destructiveness and looting must face the law. They injure innocent bystanders and destroy property while providing some with an excuse to ignore legitimate grievances However, even if these initiatives are successfully implemented, without additional action, the dearth of opportunities for minorities, especially those in inner cities, will likely continue to be victims of discrimination and possible abuse. Therefore, its time for the nation to recognize this fundamental issue and do something concrete about it. For over a year, as a congressional fellow, I handled labor and education issues for New Jerseys late U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg. During that time, I prepared a bill to transform poor inner-city high schools into Community Education Employment Centers (CEECs). They would provide students with the education, skills, support services and enrichment necessary to ensure graduation and successful transition to a broad range of postsecondary institutions and employment. The CEECs would be located in first-rate buildings with exceptional staff and the latest online tools to facilitate learning. They would have small class sizes, a quiet study environment over extended hours and days of the year, and an onsite Job Service office for job placement and career/guidance counseling. A parent/community coordinator would provide for the active and informed participation of parents and appropriate community representatives. Offerings would include a broad array of academic secondary school coursework, a comprehensive vocational-technical program, courses in health, nutrition, and parenting, and a wide range of extracurricular activities. The CEEC proposal gained the support of the American Vocational Association, the National Association of State Directors of Vocational Education, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Association for Counseling and Development, the National Urban League, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. However, the program failed to receive adequate funding and was never established. I remain convinced that CEECs could make a significant, positive difference in the lives of disadvantaged city students, especially minority youth who suffer low graduation rates and low proficiency in mathematics and English. Added benefits that may accrue are safer inner-city neighborhoods as students visualize their enhanced futures. Gun use should decline as young people reject gangs and crime for the promise of a CEEC education and career. At the same time, as graduation rates rise, incarceration expenditures will fall, recognizing that close to 80 percent of those in prison have no high school diploma. In the long run, achievements in reduced crime and unemployment and increased tax receipts should more than compensate for initial expenditures. Finally, safer streets could attract industries to invest in these areas and offer jobs to newly skilled residents. The CEECs could be a shining symbol of Americas concern for and investment in minority communities, a path to equality and economic well-being. Perhaps, they would be a fitting response to the prejudice and brutality suffered in recent days, honoring those who have lost their lives. Alan L Moss, Ph. D. is the former U.S. Wage and Hour Division Chief Economist and Congressional Fellow to the late Senator Frank R Lautenberg of New Jersey. He is the author of six books, including four novels and two nonfiction offerings and consults as an expert witness on labor issues, including prevailing wages. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Congress is poised to support more funding for New Jerseys second-largest employer. The National Defense Authorization Act would fund new construction at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and protect its fleet of refueling tankers from being retired early. The bill, which will set U.S. defense policy for the 12 months beginning Oct. 1, still must pass the full House and the Senate and be signed into law by President Donald Trump. It passed the House Armed Services Committee unanimously Wednesday. The version approved by the House Armed Services Committee guarantees that the projects benefitting the joint base will be on the table when the final measure is drafted. The bill prevents the Air Force from retiring 16 KC-10 refueling tankers now stationed at the base, limiting it to taking only six as it prepares for the eventual deployment of 24 new KC-46 aircraft. Keeping the KC-10 fleet at our Joint Base isnt just good for New Jersey, its good for Americas military readiness, said Rep. Andy Kim, D-3rd Dist., a member of the House Armed Services Committee whose district includes McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The provision is designed to ensure the KC-10 aircraft refueling tanker fleet is not retired prematurely, so the service men and women at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst can continue carrying out their critical missions as planned, while preparing for delivery of the new KC-46s, said Rep. Donald Norcross, D-1st Dist., another member of the committee. Heres what else is in the legislation: -- A new National Guard readiness center and Air Force munitions storage area would be built at the joint base. -- $107 million for missile-delivered long-range munitions, $10 million hypervelocity projectiles, or supersonic artillery rounds, and $5 million for research into new casings to reduce the weight of ammunition. Much of the research will be done at Picatinny Arsenal in Wharton. Picatinny Arsenal is the center of cutting-edge research and development for our Armed Forces, said Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist., who also sits on the Armed Services panel. Picatinny contributes more than $1 billion to our economy in the state and is a critical piece of New Jerseys thriving research community. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Would you go? If the Yankees said they were going to allow fans to buy tickets to a game this season, would you feel comfortable doing it? Or would worries over the coronavirus keep you watching from home? On Thursday, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner told the YES Networks Meredith Marakovits he hoped that fans would be in the stands at Yankee Stadium at some point this season. I do expect to see fans in our Stadium at some point to some degree, and thats going to be a great day as well, Steinbrenner said. Steinbrenner said the team has spoken with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and that those talks have been great. Weve done a lot of work, Steinbrenner said. Ticketmaster has been great helping us out, really putting a diagram together which would keep everybody at least 6 feet apart, and it would be limited. Im sure itll be in the 20-30% (capacity) range, hopefully, at first. Its definitely possible in the stadium to keep people at a safe distance, wearing masks at those capacities. Still, would you go? Or would you skip it and wait until 2021, when it might be safer? Vote in the poll below. Steinbrenner also talked about the decision to move spring training 2.0 from Tampa to the Bronx. Well, it was difficult, he said. We had spent weeks and weeks and weeks really perfecting, you know, sanitization techniques and products and (we) got a lot of outside advice and we had both facilities down there (in Florida) ready to go, safe as any facilities anywhere in the country. But, as you said, things did heat up, so, you know, we made the decision. Things were calming down up here (in New York), to move back, even though the facilities were probably better for that amount of people down in Tampa. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Anthony Gonzalez, 35, who lived just blocks away from the Morningside Heights attack, is facing assault and weapons-possession charges for slicing the tot above his eye during a bizarre exchange on W. 110th St. and Morningside Drive on Wednesday, cops said. I'm concerned about possible side effects I'm not sure how or where to get the vaccine I'm not concerned about getting sick from COVID I don't trust the government I just haven't gotten around to it yet I have been vaccinated Vote View Results This page contains all of The Nogales Internationals coverage of the novel coronavirus outbreak, and the illness it causes, called COVID-19. Because this outbreak impacts public health, our coverage of the coronavirus is available to all readers. Our journalists are working hard to bring you the verified information below. Please consider supporting important local journalism with a subscription. (Click Here) Are you a Nogales resident whos been affected by the illness? Send us an email: editorial@nogalesinternational.com. Some sheriffs are always trying to talk about a crisis and about fear. I want to be the opposite. I want to be upbeat and optimistic about our community," he said. After 19 years, the war in Afghanistan is still going. The conflict isnt in the headlines every day, though intelligence reports alleging Russia paid bounties to the Taliban to kill American soldiers made news in recent weeks. American soldiers left exposed to enemies in remote regions of Afghanistan is what drives The Outpost, which arrived at theaters and online just before the July Fourth weekend. It's a dramatized account of the Battle of Kamdesh, in which just more than 50 soldiers were attacked by hundreds of Taliban fighters in October 2009. When soldiers arrive at Combat Outpost Keating in the opening scenes, they immediately recognize the camps vulnerability. The outpost is at the bottom of a valley surrounded by three steep mountains near the border of Pakistan. The location invites attack and shots are fired at the base on a regular basis. The Outpost has all the elements of a Hollywood war movie, including a riveting, prolonged battle sequence and a cast of budding young male stars. But the overwhelming odds faced by the American soldiers is not a Rambo-style man-versus-an-army exaggeration. The Battle of Kamdesh made Bravo Troop 3 of the 61st Cavalry Regiment one of the most decorated units in history, including two Medal of Honor recipients (Clinton Romesha and Ty Michael Carter) and numerous Purple Hearts. In the movie, one soldier warns a camp newcomer not to call his wife, because itll just make it harder to endure the conditions of their isolated location and exposure to the enemy. Identifying their enemy is part of the hopelessness of the situation. The camp commander meets with local village leaders to try to build some sort of peace and stability, offering to fund schools and employment in exchange for the locals not cooperating with the Taliban. At best its a complicated arrangement, as the country has been beset by civil war and occupying forces for much of the time since the Soviet Union invaded in 1979. Some villagers sympathize and work with the insurgents. The film is based on a book by CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who also is an executive producer. It adheres to the basic facts, including the number of casualties and estimates of the size of the attacking forces. The soldiers real names are used, and theres a rush of introductions before the film narrows to a smaller set. Jon Stewart's political comedy 'Irresistible' is no 'Daily Show' From the anchor desk of "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart, the comedian and host, delivered rapid fire jokes and withering takedowns of politician Director Rod Lurie gets solid performances from his ensemble cast, including Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood and, especially, Caleb Landry Jones as Specialist Ty Carter, who raced munitions across open ground to save pinned down soldiers and carry a wounded man, Stephan Mace, to medical help. Theres plenty of gruff and vulgar talk as the men cope with the isolation and threats at the isolated camp, separated from their families and homes. A few made-for-the-trailer lines are clunky and seem unconnected to the otherwise well-constructed tension. But in many scenes during battle, Lurie finds compellingly raw emotions as the soldiers fight to support each other. The film is narrowly focused on the battle, after the situation is set up with early skirmishes, ambushes and harbingers of an inevitable assault. The firefight is a barrage of heavy machine gunfire, mortars and clouds of dust as the camp is upended. Lurie crafted a thriller, and its impossible not to marvel at how the soldiers dealt with a situation that might otherwise seem unbelievable. "The Outpost" opens July 3 at Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge. Richard's Disposal, one of the three firms that collect residential garbage in New Orleans, has agreed to bonus payments and other concessions for the workers it contracts to pick up curbside trash, settling one of several labor issues that have recently disrupted garbage collection in the city amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Richard's "hoppers" workers -- so called because they hop on and off the back of the trucks as they empty bins -- had demanded extra pay to reflect the additional hazards they face because of the disease outbreak, as well as the fact that fewer of their colleagues are willing to show up to work because of those risks. +14 Labor agency investigating New Orleans garbage contractor Metro Services as workers move to unionize A federal labor agency has started an investigation into Metro Services Group over a dispute with a group of its sanitation workers who have b The settlement comes as a group of hoppers working for one of the other city contractors, Metro Services Group, have been on strike for the past three months similarly seeking hazard pay and improved conditions. While hoppers at Richard's and the third contractor, Empire Services, have not formally been on strike, there has been a spike in complaints to City Hall over the last six weeks about missed trash collection in areas covered by all three contractors, according to city data. Typical complaint calls of 10-20 a day had doubled on average from late May and rose to a peak of 123 in early June. There has also been a swell of anecdotal evidence on neighborhood websites and social media that trash collection has been disrupted during the pandemic and labor action. Sarah Smith, who has lived three decades in the uptown Carrollton area, which is covered by Richard's Disposal, said she previously has had few complaints. "There was no problem until about three weeks ago," Smith said via email. "This stretch has been the longest we have gone without pickup; it's been over a week." She said the trucks finally turned up on Thursday. David Graber, the union organizer at United Labor Unions Local 100, which has been representing the Richard's hoppers, said the company agreed last week to start paying the workers an additional $22 hazard pay per shift, bringing their day rate to $125. It has also agreed to clock hoppers onto shifts when they're picked up by the truck, rather than wait till they're at the company's yard, which can mean an hour or so extra per shift plus any weekly overtime rates, Graber said. Alvin Richard Jr. and Alvin Richard III, who run Richard's Disposal, weren't available for comment on the deal. However, Daniel Davillier, an attorney representing the firm, said he disputed Graber's characterization of the pay deal. "The company is having problems getting union labor to show up and because they had a shortage of labor it is making it difficult to keep up with their collection schedule during the pandemic," Davillier said. He said the extra $22 per shift is a "short-term discretionary bonus" that will not be permanent. He echoed Metro Services Group's answer on hazard pay, saying Richard's believes any hazard pay for front-line workers should be covered by the government. The Richard's hoppers are technically employed by a contracting firm called Creative Vision Resources, though that company is owned by Alvin Richard III and has the same address as Richard's Disposal on Almonaster Avenue. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Typically, New Orleans area garbage contractors employ hoppers via outside contracting firms, though federal labor law generally recognizes both the contractor and the sub-contractor as "joint employers" in any dispute. That was the case last year when Metro agreed to pay hoppers $411,000 to settle a Fair Labor Standards Act case that alleged the company broke federal labor law by not paying its hoppers overtime over a period of several years. While Richard's/Creative Vision Resources immediate dispute has been settled, it has still not resolved a nearly decade-old federal labor case. In that case, which was brought initially in 2011 by the National Labor Relations Board, an independent federal agency which sues on behalf of workers over unfair labor practices, the court ultimately found in Feb 2018 that Richard's/Creative Vision Resources could not throw out a union deal that was in place with the previous sub-contracting firm before Richard replaced it with his own company, Creative Visions Resources. Edwin Egee, a spokesman for the National Labor Relations Board, said that even two years after the court found against Richard's/Creative Vision Resrouces, resolving the case and compensating workers still hasn't taken place because it is complicated, among other things, by the fact the hopper workforce is fairly fluid and seasonable, and paperwork by the companies is often shoddy, making it difficult to in pin down who is owed what. +4 New Orleans sanitation worker protest enters second week; dispute centers on pay, conditions Striking sanitation workers on Monday renewed demands for hazard pay during the coronavirus pandemic as a major city vendor acknowledged that "They're trying to work out the actual monetary liability and this is a bit of a process," Egee said. "The who and how much has not yet been determined so no payments have been made at this time." He said the NLRB is hopeful the company and the workers' representatives can reach a deal to speed things along. The labor issues between garbage contractors and workers have been rumbling along for years but the unrest during the virus outbreak has raised concerns at City Hall. Mayor Latoya Cantrell's office said only that it is evaluating and "will respond appropriately." But Graber, the union rep, said supervisors at Richard's sub-contracting firm said they are worried that the city is considering pulling the long-standing garbage contracts. The striking Metro Service Group hoppers, which informally call themselves the City Waste Union, have said they are looking to organize formally and considering their options about union affiliation in an effort to pressure the companies -- and City Hall -- into addressing long-standing grievances over pay and conditions. Graber said he is reaching out to the City Waste Union to see if it will join United Labor Unions, which used to represent hoppers at several of the city's garbage contracting firms. "I want to combine efforts to unionize and hope to have Local 100 come to represent the Metro striking workers, so that we can get the best pay, working conditions, safety and dignity for all the hoppers," he said. The Turkish defence minister chief of staff arrived in Tripoli on Friday, Al-Arabiya correspondent reported. According to Turkish media, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar and the Chief of the General Staff Yasar Guler are in Libya to discuss activities carried out within the scope of the "memorandum of understanding on security and military cooperation, which was signed last year. The African Intelligence website, which specialises in intelligence and strategic affairs, revealed Turkey's intention to impose its candidate, Khaled Al-Sharif, to take over as head of intelligence in the Fayez Al-Sarraj government. Ankara is pushing hard for the appointment of Al-Sharif, a leader in what is known as "the fighting group" close to Al Qaeda, as the intelligence chief. Extremist groups are also trying to field candidates for the post, including special operations commander in Zintan, Emad Trabelsi, and Misurata businessman Mohamed Al-Issawi. Short link: The footage shows Eric Wuestenberg, 42, helping his wife get into an SUV as the teen and her mom appeared to be in their way while shouting at them. After she finally got into the car and sat on the passengers seat, the woman tried to defend herself from the accusations. Chicago has issued an emergency travel order directing anyone who enters the city from states with new surges of coronavirus cases to quarantine upon arrival. And yes, that includes Louisiana. The order goes into effect on Monday, July 6 at midnight. Louisiana residents who plan on going to Chicago starting next week will be asked to quarantine for 14 days from the time of last contact within the state (Louisiana). +2 New Orleans residents urged to avoid large July 4 crowds amid coronavirus resurgence Citing troubling signs of a coronavirus resurgence and a local testing supply plagued by national shortages, New Orleans officials urged resid Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up City officials in Chicago released the following statement: In response to increased and high rates of COVID-19 transmission in certain states within the United States, and to add to Chicagos efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the City is issuing an order applicable to anyone coming into the City from designated states that have a significant degree of community-wide spread of COVID-19. This includes both Chicago residents returning from travel to a designated state, and travelers arriving in Chicago from a designated state. Anyone traveling from a designated state is directed to self-quarantine for a 14-day period or the duration of their time in Chicago, whichever is shorter, from the time of last contact within the designated state. Other states included in the travel order are: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. Read more about the travel order here. A federal judge in Baton Rouge has rejected a request from advocates who asked him to free or furlough youths because Louisianas juvenile prisons faced a coronavirus outbreak. U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles said he wouldnt issue a temporary restraining order against the state Office of Juvenile Justice because attorneys who brought a lawsuit on behalf of youth prisoners failed to show Constitutional violations had taken place. On the whole, the court finds that OJJs job in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic has been commendable, deGravelles said in a June 24 order. However, youth advocates cast the case as a partial victory because the state has changed some practices that motivated the May 14 lawsuit, including abandoning the use of pepper spray and resuming in-person instruction. Twenty-eight youths out of the 30 tested at the states secure care facilities were positive for coronavirus, according to the judges order. The state says no youths out of the roughly 220 that it holds have experienced symptoms since April 12. Free youths from prisons during coronavirus pandemic, advocates say in lawsuit Advocates filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on Thursday seeking better conditions or outright release for the children and teenagers locked In the lawsuit, youth prisoners alleged that testing inside the facilities was spotty and the measures the state took to control the spread of the virus -- such as using isolation cells to quarantine kids, and cutting off in-person instruction and rehabilitation opportunities -- threatened long-term harm. Even asymptomatic coronavirus carriers could be at serious risk from a rare inflammatory condition linked to the virus, they said. As an alternative to the youth prisons, advocates suggested releasing youths near the end of their sentences, with coronavirus risk factors or who posed a low danger to the public. Their concerns about conditions inside the facilities were underscored by a riot at the Bridge City Center for Youth on April 20 and repeated escapes from the Swanson Center for Youth in Monroe since the coronavirus outbreak began. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up However, the state said none of the youths who tested positive for coronavirus experienced serious symptoms. OJJ chief Edward Dusty Bickham had prepared a plan to release more youths to free up space inside the youth prisons -- but he never acted on it. That was reasonable, deGravelles said, given Bickham's "analysis of the limited and controlled clinical impact of COVID-19. The Barack Obama appointee also noted that some of the complaints raised by the plaintiffs have since been addressed. The juvenile prisons resumed in-person instruction on June 6 and rescinded an order allowing guards to carry pepper-spray on April 27. A group that represented youths in juvenile court, but wasnt directly involved in the lawsuit, said it welcomed those changes. Although we are disappointed in the ruling, we are glad to see that OJJ started making some improvements after the lawsuit was filed, said Rachel Gassert, a spokeswoman for the Louisiana Center for Childrens Rights. We remain concerned, however, about how the agency will respond to a new wave of infections as we see cases rising significantly across Louisiana. The judge said he would allow the plaintiffs to seek another injunction but cautioned that they would need fresh evidence. The youths were represented by the Juvenile Law Center, OMelveny & Myers, the Promise of Justice Initiative and New Orleans attorney John Adcock. The Office of Juvenile Justice declined comment. Editor's Note: This article was updated on July 6, 2020 to clarify when the prison system resumed in-person instruction and abandoned the authorization for pepper spray. Citing troubling signs of a coronavirus resurgence and a local testing supply plagued by national shortages, New Orleans officials urged residents Thursday to avoid gathering in large crowds over the long Independence Day weekend. Mayor LaToya Cantrell and city Health Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno said at an afternoon press conference that the rolling average of new coronavirus cases ticked above the city's threshold of 50 on Thursday for the first time since April. +8 For Black New Orleans residents, coronavirus death toll more alarming than previously thought The racial disparities in New Orleans' coronavirus death toll are even more alarming when excluding nursing homes and other "congregant" settings where the disease is likely to run rampant, according to a study released this week. That increase comes as a national shortage of coronavirus test kit materials has begun to threaten the city's own supply. To preserve kits, the city will cut the number of tests offered at each of its community sites to 150 per day starting next week. The city had tested 250 people a day at each site. If current trends hold, Cantrell said, schools could remain closed in the fall, a possibility she said should inspire all residents to avoid large groups and wear masks when in public over the July Fourth weekend. "Our actions over the weekend will have an impact on whether our kids are back in schools in August," Cantrell said. "There is no guarantee, because it all depends on how we follow the mandates of the city of New Orleans." The data suggests that a recent spate of graduation parties, a second line and other non-compliance with local rules has given the disease a playground, a trend that is playing out in other parts of the state. Cases have been surging statewide to levels not seen since early April, when Louisiana was in the middle of the worst of the outbreak. Five of the top 10 days since the start of the outbreak have occurred in the past week and a half, including Thursday when the state reported 1,383 new cases. +2 Coronavirus in Louisiana: Nearly 1,400 coronavirus cases reported statewide; here's new data The Louisiana Dept. of Health reported 1,383 more coronavirus cases, 17 more deaths and 41 more hospitalizations in its daily noon update Thursday. Overall, the states cases over the past week are 70% higher than the week before. There have been 61,561 people sickened by the virus across the state, and 3,147 of them have died. In New Orleans, Avegno said the rolling average of new cases reached 50 on Thursday for the first time since April 5, when the city was under a total shutdown to prevent the disease's spread. The city's percentage of positive tests is also up, another worrisome sign. The rolling average is 90% higher than where the city was a week ago. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "Uncontrolled social gatherings continue to drive the spikes in cases," Avegno said. "These are all signs that the virus is spreading at a rate that could put us back on the track of increased hospitalizations and increased deaths." Even with the increase, however, the new cases in the city are just a fraction of the hundreds of infections being reported each day when New Orleans was the center of the pandemic in the state. Avegno said the city is working with federal officials to try to increase the number of tests that the city has on hand. +4 Study: 7.8% of Orleans, Jefferson were infected with coronavirus; nearly half were asymptomatic A widely anticipated study on the spread of the coronavirus showed that about 7% of the population in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish has ant Thursday's dire warnings quashed any hope any resident might have had that the city would further loosen existing restrictions on businesses and residents, a step the state shied away from last month. In fact, Cantrell appeared poised earlier this week to tighten restrictions further ahead of the holiday, though she apparently decided against that move. To help contain the disease, the city will continue to close popular gathering areas to vehicles over the weekend, such as Lakeshore Drive near Lake Pontchartrain. Cantrell said she has seen increased compliance from a handful of businesses that she called out on Monday for failing to follow current restrictions, such as Rouses and Walmart. City Councilman Jason Williams added that controlling the disease's spread should be everyone's responsibility, and that now is not the time to be lax in following local rules. A few months ago, "We had the highest rate of spread, and we crushed that curve like no other city," he said. "But just because you're in the lead in a race doesn't mean you're going to win that race, unless you keep that pace up." John Bel Edwards office staff member positive for coronavirus; 12 others self quarantining Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Thursday that one of his State Capitol staffers tested positive for COVID-19. A New Orleans Police officer has been arrested and fired after he allegedly drunkenly struck a Slidell police officer on Tuesday night, according to a WWL-TV report. Officer Daniel Frazher was arrested at 1303 Town Center Parkway, Slidell Police confirmed to WWL-TV. When Slidell police officers arrived at an apartment complex at Town Center Parkway, the report said, Frazher became aggressive and struck a Slidell officer in the head as officers tried to detain him. It's unclear why police were called to the apartment complex. In addition to battery of the officer, the report said Frazher was arrested and booked on counts of disturbing the peace and resisting an officer. Frazher was promptly fired by New Orleans Police, according to a statement from an NOPD spokesman Friday morning. Frahzer had been assigned to the 8th District, which covers downtown and the French Quarter. Another man has come forward and added to claims of child molestation decades ago by janitors at Jesuit High Schools Mid-City campus. The plaintiff, under a pseudonym, filed a lawsuit Thursday at Civil District Court demanding damages from Jesuit and the religious order that runs the school over abuse that he claims to have suffered at the hands of Gary Sanchez and the late Peter Modica. The case comes about five months after the school and the order reached financial settlements with two other plaintiffs, one who claimed abuse by Modica and the other who alleged that both Modica and Sanchez molested him. Jesuit High, plaintiffs reach settlements in 2 lawsuits claiming long-ago molestation by janitors Two men who filed lawsuits claiming they were raped as children by janitors at Jesuit High Schools Mid-City campus have moved to dismiss thei A Jesuit spokesman declined comment, citing a school policy against discussing pending litigation. He said the school is saddened by any stories of abuse and is committed to a process by which claimants can come forward. Echoing earlier filings, the new suit said Modica and Sanchez used their campus access to prey on their victims. Modica worked at Jesuit even though he had pleaded guilty in 1963 to molesting boys at a Metairie playground he supervised. Sanchez had been charged with sexually abusing a girl around 1976 in a case whose outcome remains unknown. Like prior plaintiffs, the new claimant says he didnt attend Jesuit but lived nearby and would play in the schools yard. The plaintiff says he was a preteen in about the mid-1970s when Modica approached him, bearing treats. Eventually, Modica fondled the boys genitals and performed oral sex on him, the lawsuit said. Sanchez introduced himself as a Modica co-worker a couple years later, ingratiating himself to the plaintiff through marijuana, beer and pornography. Sanchez eventually abused the boy as well. New Orleans police detectives at one point did question him while investigating Sanchez. The plaintiff said he told a friend of Sanchez's abuse but denied it to the cops out of fear. Sanchez ended that case by pleading guilty to simple rape of another victim and received probation. The plaintiff also found it odd he was never asked about Modica. The lawsuit claims that Modica was being protected by and was friends with the cases lead investigator: Stanley Burkhardt, who has since been unmasked as a child abuser himself. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up +3 Ex-NOPD child abuse investigator admits molesting victim of infamous Boy Scout pedophile ring A former New Orleans Police Department detective who led the NOPDs pedophile investigations unit for years before he was unmasked as a child Last August, a news article about an abusive priest at the plaintiffs high school stirred up memories, according to the suit. The next month, a newspaper article about the plaintiff who accused Modica and Sanchez of abusing him in the 1970s also caught his attention. Though Modica had died, Sanchez was alive, the plaintiff realized. Sanchez was serving a 30-year prison sentence he received in 2003 after pleading guilty to attempting to rape a 5-year-old boy. +2 Second Jesuit High janitor accused of sex abuse in 1970s comes into focus in new lawsuit Two janitors who were employed by Jesuit High School despite prior charges of child sexual abuse used their access to molest a young boy f That convinced the plaintiff to come forward, and he hired attorneys John Denenea and Soren Gisleson, who represent numerous church abuse claimants. Louisianas statutes of limitation generally prohibit plaintiffs from pursuing damages for long-ago harm. But the plaintiffs lawsuit contends those should not apply because it wasnt until September 2018 that Jesuit acknowledged settling sex abuse claims involving the schools personnel. Thats when Richard Windmann spoke out about how while growing up near Jesuit he was abused on campus in the mid-1970s by Modica and priest Neil Carr. The order ultimately acknowledged that Carr was one of a number of priests, teachers studying to become clergy, and religious brothers who faced credible child molestation allegations at the school. Had Jesuit been transparent earlier, the plaintiff would have been able to come forward much sooner, the lawsuit argued. Jesuit is not run by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which on May 1 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections, halting several lawsuits against it. Thousands of dollars in campaign expenditures by Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy on membership dues at a pair of social clubs could run afoul of federal campaign finance rules, according to a report in Roll Call newspaper. Cassidy spent more than $5,500 on membership fees at the elite Penn Club of New York City, a private Manhattan club associated with the University of Pennsylvania, and another $650 on dues for the Petroleum Club in Morgan City, a social club founded by oil and gas industry businessmen, according to an analysis of federal campaign finance filings by Roll Call, a D.C.-based newspaper that closely covers Congress and federal politics. Federal Election Commission rules prohibit spending campaign donations on membership fees at country clubs, health clubs or "other nonpolitical organization" because those costs are considered personal expenses. The rules include an exception for spending at those types of clubs "made in connection with a specific fundraising event that takes place on the organizations premises" but even then they explicitly bar using campaign funds on membership fees. Cassidy campaign spokesman Ty Bofferding denied any wrongdoing in a statement sent to Roll Call and The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate. Cassidy, who's currently running for re-election in November, "uses the Penn Club for campaign events and we believe everything was done appropriately." Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Such spending would be legal under Louisiana's campaign finance rules. But because Cassidy is running for re-election to federal office, federal campaign finance regulations govern fundraising and spending by his campaign. According to Roll Call, Cassidy has been paying dues at the swanky Penn Club since 2014. While Cassidy didn't attend Penn, the Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Cassidy's son attended. Roll Call found that Cassidy's Senate campaign has spent more than $12,400 at the club since 2013, including on food, drinks, fundraising events and hotel rooms at the club on top of the membership dues. Erin Chlopak, a former FEC attorney who now serves as campaign finance strategy director at the Campaign Legal Center, told Roll Call that federal rules strictly prohibit using campaign funds for membership dues to a social club, even if the campaign also held fundraising events at the club. "Using campaign money for a social club membership, regardless of the amount, would be personal use and not legal," Chlopak told the newspaper. Norman, OK (73070) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Royta Giles, 8, was at the mall with his mother and siblings when he was shot in the head, AL.com reported. Royta, who was set to enter third grade in the fall, was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a local childrens hospital. In a reminder as the holiday weekend approaches, Gov. Wolf and Sec. of Health Dr. Levine reinforced the recommendation that residents avoid large gatherings this fourth of July and wear masks when in public. The recommendations are in line with Gov. Tom Wolf's order, signed by Secretary of Health Dr. Levine, requiring masks to be worn whenever anyone leaves home. As all counties in the Commonwealth are now in "green," the Secretary of Health said that the green phase is not a green light to stop exercising caution in large groups. Although it is the holiday weekend, Pennsylvanians should refrain from attending large gatherings, and if you do go out and interact with others, wear a mask, Dr. Levine said. My mask protects you, and your mask protects me. Wearing a mask shows that you care about others, and that you are committed to protecting the lives of those around you. Additionally, If you have traveled, or plan to travel, to an area where there are high amounts of COVID-19 cases, it is recommended that you stay at home for 14 days upon return to Pennsylvania. The secretary outlined the following states that have reported high COVID-19 counts, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. Pennsylvanians are encouraged to continue to practice social distancing and other preventive measures, including washing your hands frequently, covering coughs and sneezes, cleaning surfaces often, wearing a mask and staying home if you are sick to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. As of 12:00 a.m., July 2, there were 88,074 positive cases of COVID-19 statewide. Hospitalizations have not risen in Pennsylvania, however, according to Spotlight PA, which reports 631 people in Pennsylvania hospitalized due to the coronavirus as of July 2. This week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court sided with Gov. Tom Wolf, issuing an order nullifying legislative Republicans attempt to overturn his COVID-19 disaster declaration. The states highest court agreed that House Resolution 836 does not end the governors emergency order first issued on March 6 and renewed on June 3 because it was never physically presented to him for a signature. Related reading: Pennsylvania Supreme Court upholds governors disaster declaration COVID-19 Data for Pennsylvania The PA Dept. of Health COVID-19 Dashboard reports 84,130 cases as of June 30, 2020. The state reports 2,476 probable cases, 677,581 negative cases, and 6,649 deaths attributed to the virus. The Department of Health's Dashboard provides up-to-date statistics on confirmed, probable, and negative cases, and deaths, as well as a county-by-county breakdown. Also find graphics that represent number of cases and testing. The website also offers a weekly report for deaths attributed to COVID-19. Looking for all statistics on the state's COVID-19 situation? Visit the Department of Health website. Also find updated information on the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) in Pennsylvania. You can play a role in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19 Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands. Clean surfaces frequently. Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell. Harrisburg - State Reps. Mike Jones (R-York), Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), Russ Diamond (R-Lebanon), Stephanie Borowicz (R-Centre), and David Rowe (R-Snyder/Union) joined together to condemn the state Supreme Courts July 1 ruling striking down House Resolution 836, sponsored by Diamond, which would terminate Gov. Tom Wolfs COVID-19 emergency declaration. Calling it a "political calculation," the lawmakers said, this ruling should shake every liberty-loving Pennsylvanian to their core. This is an affront to their civil liberties and rights as American citizens. These two branches of our state government are not only out-of-step with Pennsylvanians, but they are reaching out of bounds for a ball that should never have left the field," the legislators said. 'This is an unprecedented power grab that puts enormous power into the hands of one person -- Gov. Tom Wolf -- and which disregards science and our state Constitution." The legislators say they are left with "few options" combat the governors authority. "We will be exploring these options and have sought the help of U.S. Attorney General William Barr, who has pledged to ensure state governments do not overstep their constitutional authority during public emergencies." Lawmakers recommend that their constituents contact their elected officials, including the governor, to voice their opinion. Suggesting the governor has created a heated, unrestful and uncivil public environment," lawmakers say he has used "bullying rhetoric" toward counties and civilians who disagree and say he isnegatively impacting their livelihoods. Its time for the governor to listen to not just the people of Pennsylvania but to a diverse range of scientific and medical advisors, and to local officials who have experienced a number of ill-fated side-effects in their communities due to his edicts, lawmakers said. The Supreme Court has sided with Wolf who has refused to end the emergency declaration after the concurrent resolution passed with bipartisan support in the General Assembly on June 9. Wolfs refusal to abide by the law prompted the administration to take the matter to court. Due to the courts ruling, the emergency declaration put in place by Wolf in March and extended in June for another 90 days will remain in place, as well as the governors color-coded reopening process. The state representatives also voiced concern over the Wolf administrations new mask regulations. Health Secretary Rachel Levine announced a mask mandate this week, requiring residents to wear masks any time they are in public. "The Wolf administration, after going back and forth on the issue, and after jokingly declaring they are unsure of the legality of requiring mask usage, has finally -- months after the emergency declaration was established -- decided to officially make masks mandatory." For the sake of the health and safety of Pennsylvanians and their civil liberties, we will work to see the governors edicts evaporate, just like COVID-19 by all indications is on a trajectory to do so, as soon as possible. Pennsylvania State Police in Montoursville investigated a number of recent incidents in Lycoming County: Harassment Physical Contact, 7:26 p.m. June 27, Funston Rd., Franklin Township. Police said two men got into an argument. The argument turned into a physical altercation. Robert Little, 24, of Muncy, was cited with harassment. Harassment Physical Contact, 4:37 p.m. June 25, Westminster Dr., Loyalsock Township. Police said two women were arguing when Vesta Jones, 34, of Lock Haven, scratched the victims hand by grabbing her. Possession Drug Paraphernalia, 12:01 a.m. June 23, Pearson Ave. and E. Third St., Loyalsock Township. Police pulled over a vehicle for a traffic violation. The driver. Chase Lynch, 20, of Coal Township, was determined to be in possession of drug paraphernalia. Charges were filed. Harassment No Legitimate Purpose, Between 8:41 p.m. and 8:43 p.m. June 22, Spring Creek Rd., Washington Township. Police said Matthew Walker, 34, of Millmont, made multiple phone calls to the victim in a short period of time via a restricted number, despite being asked to stop calling. Theft Crime by Deception, 1 p.m. June 22, Pinchtown Rd., Clinton Township. Police said a victim provided an unknown suspect $400 of Google Play gift cards via phone. The unknown suspect claimed to be from Apple security and told the victim that his phone would not work unless he pays $400 to upgrade his account. Criminal Mischief Under $1,000, 12:15 p.m. June 20, Heilman United Methodist Church, 2792 Kehrer Hill Rd., Upper Fairfield Township. Police responded to a report of criminal mischief at the church parking lot. After an investigation, a 17-year-old girl was charged with a summary of criminal mischief. Public Drunkenness, 1:06 a.m. June 19, area of 199 Williams St., Muncy Creek Township. Police said Brent E. Lebarron, 25, of Muncy, was charged with public drunkenness Harassment Physical Contact, 7:06 p.m. June 18, Randall Circle, Loyalsock Township. Police said a 15-year-old girl punched another girl with a closed first multiple times. Criminal Mischief Under $1,000, 11:20 a.m. June 18, Engle Run Dr., Plunketts Creek Township. Police said an unknown suspect threw a hit, striking the door and breaking the glass. An unknown make/model gray SUV was observed in the area fleeing east on Wallis Run Road. Burglary Commercial Force, 10:30 p.m. June 15, Shaheen Auto Sales, U.S. Route 15, Clinton Township. Police said a suspect entered the managers office and stole several items. The investigation is ongoing. Criminal Mischief Under $1,000, Between 5:05 p.m. June 15 and 3:32 p.m. June 16, State Route 54, Clinton Township. Police were notified that an individual entered an unoccupied vehicle and caused approximately $150 worth of damage. The victim advised no one was allowed to be on the property where the vehicle was located. The vehicle is a 2005 Mercury Mountaineer SUV. Anyone with information is asked to call PSP Montoursville. Harassment Threaten Physical Contact, 1:23 p.m. June 14, 528 Ruben Kehrer Rd., Fairfield Township. Police were dispatched to a disturbance/noise complaint. Investigation indicated that a verbal altercation included threats of violence that occurred between multiple individuals. Shawn Morrill, 38, of Williamsport, Krystal Bailey, 30, of Williamsport, and Matthew Kennedy, 33, of Montoursville, were charged. Harassment Communication, Between June 8 and June 18, Four Mile Dr., Loyalsock Township. Police said a victim reported receiving harassing emails from an unknown suspect. Unauthorized Use of Motor Vehicle, Between June 7 and June 14, Carpenter St., Muncy Creek Township. Police said Joshua Feigles, 36, of Muncy, borrowed a vehicle and failed to return it to its owner after being asked to do so. Through further investigation Feigles was charged with unauthorized use of motor vehicle. DUI on View Alcohol, 2:27 a.m. May 27, W. Southern Ave. and Market St., South Williamsport Borough. Police pulled over a vehicle for speeding. The driver, Pamela Esaias, 41, of Montoursville, was allegedly under the influence of alcohol and was charged. Theft All other, Between May 16 and June 16, State Route 864, Mill Creek Township. Police said an unknown suspect opened a fraudulent unemployment claim in the victims name, resulting in the victim receiving two unemployment checks in the mail. Anyone with additional information on these incidents may contact PSP Montoursville at 570-368-5700 Instant unlimited access to all of our content on www.northcoastcitizen.com. The North Coast Citizen E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street! This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers. The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement. Thank you! You've reported this item as a violation of our terms of use. This content was contributed by a user of the site. If you believe this content may be in violation of the terms of use, you may report it. All major U.S. airlines previously accepted financial support from the government to help make payroll through the end of September, but this second round of loans goes to some of the airlines in the weakest financial positions amid the pandemic. American Airlines had the largest amount of debt of all major U.S. carriers at the start of the year, while budget airlines like Spirit, Frontier, and Hawaiian are feeling the damage done by a massive halt to leisure and vacation travel. Rome, GA (30161) Today Thunderstorms likely. Low 69F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Low 69F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Rome, GA (30161) Today Showers and thunderstorms likely. Low 69F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Showers and thunderstorms likely. Low 69F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Prosecutors say Rosenblatt tried to use a chokehold known as a carotid hold on the 23-year-old black man but couldnt because of his position, so another officer performed the dangerous maneuver that has since been banned. Lonie Adcock of Rome is a retired Rome Police Department lieutenant. His latest book is Fact or Fiction. While hes on a leave of absence we are reprinting some of his early columns. This one ran on July 2, 2015. A PlayStation 5 Black Edition concept design video has been posted on YouTube by Snoreyn (Giuseppe Spinelli), and it shows exactly what many fans would like Sony to deliver in time for Christmas this year. Its already been mentioned that there will be custom PS5 consoles, but Sony could do little wrong by also mass-producing a black edition. 4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 5G , Accessory , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker PS5 Black Edition anyone? Its likely the answer to that question, especially among PS5 fan community forums, would be an overwhelming yes. There have already been many calls for Sony to produce a black version of the PS5, and if the white wings of the console are removable, then it wouldnt be too much of a job to replace them with black ones. The current black-and-white console has been adopted well by the fanbase, regardless of the frequent it looks like a router comments, but as this new concept design video by Snoreyn (in association with LetsGoDigital) proves, a PS5 Black Edition needs to be in the works. The excellent and surprisingly dramatic clip by Snoreyn is clearly copied from the official Sony reveal of the PS5 hardware from a couple of weeks ago, with the talented designer adding his own personal touches. So now everything is beautifully clad in black: Both the Blu-ray PS5 console and the PS5 Digital Edition console, and the accompanying DualSense controllers. There have already been some fan-made attempts at creating a black version of the next-gen console, but as is frequently the case, Snoreyn has come along and shown almost everyone how it should really be done. Releasing a PlayStation 5 Black Edition for the masses seems like a no-brainer decision for Sony, and it would be surprising if the company did not issue such hardware at some point, possibly even in time for Christmas. Sony still has some surprises in store for PS5 fans, and custom editions and a black variant of the console could feature as part of any upcoming official revelations. Snoreyn has even sneaked in a Max Payne game for the PS5 in his concept design video, which many gamers would welcome as a long-delayed sequel to 2012s Max Payne 3. Buy Playstation 4 Slim now on Amazon Hailey, a physical therapist who lives in Hastings, said her wedding plans had already been disrupted several times because of the coronavirus pandemic. Theyd planned an outdoor wedding on family-owned pasture ground by the lake but the guest list had shrunk by more than half. Then guidelines loosened and they found out a few weeks ago that they could have a dance and dinner. We threw together a last-minute receptions at the lake, Hailey said. I hadnt slept in weeks and dont think my mom did either. Although she was the one who took charge at the scene, Damrow said daughter Sadie actually had a harder time with what happened. She had narrowly avoided being part of the accident and after helping had to rush home and get three kids under age 6 dressed and off to the wedding, where she acted as the matron of honor. Dawmrow showed up, not a hair out of place, and told Hailey, Im sorry Im late. I had to save a life. Hailey, one of three girls, all in the medical field, drafted her mom to walk her down the aisle because her father, Marty, died of cancer nine years ago. After years of telling him that she had just one more IV or baby delivery to do before coming home, Damrow said he would have understood why she stopped, too. Andy Schmookler is a prize-winning author. Many of his works can be found at www.ABetterHumanStory.org. The resolute reptile, dubbed Lego Turtle by zookeepers, was brought to the facility in 2018 with multiple fractures of its plastron, which is the bottom part of his shell, explained Dr. Ellen Bronson, the zoos senior director of animal health, conservation and research. MUNSTER A new subdivision the first since construction on West Lakes started 26 years ago is coming to Munster. Katona Development plans to develop a 25-lot subdivision called Castle Estates located just north of Fairway Avenue by Wicker Park Estates in north Munster. Now a vacant field, it was a rare undeveloped tract of land in Munster, a mature established suburb that's one of the hottest housing markets in Northwest Indiana but that rarely sees new housing projects because it's landlocked and largely built out. It had long been undeveloped because it was in the Little Calumet River flood plain before a $200 million flood control project removed the risk of flooding in the area. "People have been waiting for almost 20 years for this area to be developed," said Vickie Wilson at Re/Max Realty Associates. "The subdivision has been approved by the town of Munster and the developer's goal is to get the roads in by the end of the year. Folks are leaving Illinois and coming to Indiana, and Munster schools are so desirable, along with the new South Shore Line train coming and all of the developing that is occurring along Calumet Avenue, making the community even more desirable." With West Lakes nearly 90% built out, it's a rare addition of new housing inventory in Munster, Wilson said. One of my favorite destinations for an overnight or weekend getaway is Kenosha, Wisconsin. I initially fell in love with it on a visit close to 20 years ago. We had a young child and a baby and made a short visit that included the Jelly Belly Center, some outlet mall shopping, a ride on one of the citys trolleys, a meal in the historic streetcar diner, Franks, and a visit to the Brat Stop for a meal and foodie souvenirs. (If you go to Wisconsin and dont stock up on cheese, did you even really go?) Weve been back many times since then, and have added in other attractions to our trips the nearby Bristol Renaissance Faire, Wilmot Mountain Ski Resort, the Kenosha Public Museum, the Dinosaur Discovery Center, the Civil War Museum, the Kenosha History Center, the Kemper Center, the Southport Lighthouse, the Mars Cheese Castle, several restaurants and breweries and beaches and parks and more. My favorite part of every visit is spending time near the lake. My world just feels so many levels calmer when I am near the water. And although our region shares the very same large lake with Kenosha, its amazing how different the landscape changes as you follow the shore from state to state. MERRILLVILLE Merrillville High School is offering a new way for students to tap their artistic talents and interests in preparing for their futures. The Indiana Department of Education recently approved the schools application to utilize the Civic Arts Pathway, giving its students the opportunity to earn their diplomas through a combination of fine and performing arts classes. Students will use this locally created pathway to fulfill the employable skills and the postsecondary-ready competencies for the Indiana State graduation requirements. Although career fields within the Civic Arts Pathway cannot be defined by high wage or high demand, administrators with the Merrillville Community School Corp. believe they are of high value and high passion in the Region. Our teachers conviction that arts should play a fundamental role in boosting the opportunities of all populations throughout our public school curriculum was the driving force of this application to the state, said Marnita Taylor, executive director of curriculum and instruction. By connecting students to civic arts programs, their talents are further developed, maintained and supported which leads to future successes in civic arts fields of study and careers. After restarting its automotive plants in late May, Ford has finally revved up back to full production in a boon for ailing steelmakers, including the mills in Northwest Indiana that make a lot of metal for Detroit's Big Three automakers. "Ford returned to our normal operating pattern in the U.S. last week two weeks ahead of schedule," spokesman Kelli Felker said. The Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker shut down the Chicago Assembly Plant in Hegewisch and Chicago Stamping Plant in Chicago Heights in mid-March at the urging of the United Auto Workers union after workers fell ill with coronavirus in automotive plants around the country. Among those affected was the Lear seat-making factory in Hammond, a major supplier to the Chicago Assembly Plant. Ford resumed production two months later, but at a scaled-back volume with added safeguards, such as temperature checks and face shields. The Chicago Assembly Plant had to shut down twice the first week back after workers tested positive for COVID-19 at the Hegewisch and the Chicago Heights plants. But now the Hegewisch plant is back up to its full production volume. It's running around the clock to make Explorer SUVs, Police Interceptor Utilities and Lincoln Aviators. 4th of July Blast 5K & Litl Firecrakcer 2K run/walk JULY 4, 7:30, 68 Lafayette St., Valparaiso. runsignup.com. The annual race with have a new layout through downtown Valparaiso. Because of COVID-19, there will be a rolling start for the 5K race allowing runners to start individually or in small groups at designated times between 7:30-9 a.m. Select a 15-minute start time when registering. Race course remains open until 10 a.m. and a new parade will follow at 10 a.m. The Firecracker 2K fun run/walk will start and finish at the starting line of the 5K and begin at 9:10 a.m. Participants can start between 9:10-9:20 a.m. The 2K is non-competitive and not timed. There will be no on-site registration. All registration will be done online and online registration will remain open on race day until 8:30 a.m. or until the cap of 400 participants has been reached. Pre-race packet pick-up will be available today until 6 p.m. at Extra Mile Fitness Company, 1330 Lincolnway in Valparaiso. Investigators were called back to the scene this week when a man working in the area reported a foul odor. Miller said it appeared the suspect buried her, put lime on her, mixed up concrete, put that over her, put dirt over her, rocks and stuff. The family had said they believe Guillen was sexually harassed by the military suspect and is calling for a congressional investigation, Khawam said Wednesday. Guillens older sister, Mayra Guillen, told The Associated Press on Thursday that her family was distraught after learning details about her sisters disappearance. The family had previously said they believe the Army was covering up details of Vanessa Guillens disappearance. There are a lot of horrifying things that happened that day, said Mayra Guillen, 22. There are just no words. Mayra Guillen said her sister had spoken with their mother about experiencing sexual harassment, but that her mother has been to devastated to talk about it. From their text conversations, Mayra Guillen said she believed her sister was afraid during her time at Fort Hood. Army investigators said Thursday that they had no credible evidence that Vanessa Guillen had been sexually harassed or assaulted. Im very much cheering on from afar, said Jacksons great-great-grandson Jack Christian, a college professor living in Texas, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. I think removing racist imagery and symbols whether its statues or a Confederate flag or school names is a first step toward addressing a racist past and hopefully enacting a more just future. A person who identified herself as a representative of the essays writers, contacted through the Black Female Anonymous Instagram account, declined to be interviewed for this article. Long a touchstone of Black culture, Essence celebrated its 50th anniversary with its May issue, which featured the model Naomi Campbell on the cover. The magazine has a circulation of more than one million and its website attracts nearly seven million unique visitors each month. The company also runs the annual Essence Festival in New Orleans, a celebration of Black culture that has drawn headliners like Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige and John Legend. (The festival was canceled this year and replaced with a digital event because of the coronavirus pandemic.) The anonymous essay was published at a time when many other media companies have wrestled with race and discrimination against Black employees and other workers of color. The top editor of Bon Appetit, Adam Rapoport, resigned last month after a photo of him costumed in stereotypical Puerto Rican attire resurfaced on social media. His departure was part of a larger revolt at the magazines parent company, Conde Nast. Similar uprisings have taken place at The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the womens lifestyle website Refinery29. In the essay, Black Female Anonymous tied their efforts to the larger social protest movement that has swept the country. The demand for a new America calls for the complete accountability of all Americans, even those of us in Black America and our cultural institutions, the writers said. Black women deserve to feel safe both in white America and Black America. In a Wednesday letter to Ms. Wanga, Black Female Anonymous asked for a guarantee that Mr. Dennis would not have a role in running Essence and that the three other executives they had identified leave the company by the close of business on Friday. The letter, which was posted on social media, also demanded that Essence be transparent about the law firms it will hire for the planned review, adding that they must not have ties to Mr. Dennis or others in leadership roles. In an Instagram post on Thursday, Ms. Wanga sounded optimistic about the future of Essence. I dont believe in losses, she wrote. You win and you learn. The conversations @richelieudennis and I started a few months ago about his strategic vision for @Essence and the opportunity to be on a team furthering the health/wealth of the global black diaspora, across a portfolio of businesses including @essence, was a win. A win stitched together by a 50-year legacy of black creatives, businesses, and community that I would be honored to be a part of. Ms. Wanga noted that she had learned there are things that need to be better for our team and culture and Im ready to begin that work, adding, Im committed to flourishing while fixing and fastening what needs to work to be in service to our teams, communities and partners. So lets GOOOOOOOOOO!!!! She ended her statement with the hashtag #BlackWomenRiseTogether. Black Female Anonymous replied to Ms. Wanga on social media. We dont want @Essence to fold, the group said. But we must fix the systemic brokenness of any Black cultural institution that devalues Black women. Were counting on you, Caroline. Fix it or fold. Adenike Olanrewaju contributed reporting. Alden Global Capital seemed in position this week to take control of Tribune Publishing, a move that would have enabled the New York hedge fund to merge the parent company of The Chicago Tribune and The Baltimore Sun with MediaNews Group, an Alden-owned newspaper chain, to create a new media giant. Instead, after negotiations this week, Alden settled, for now, on something less ambitious: a Tribune Publishing board seat for one of its founders, Randall D. Smith, a onetime Bear Stearns partner who runs Alden with Heath Freeman. As part of the deal that gives the investment firm more say in the company, Alden and Tribune Publishing extended a so-called standstill agreement, struck last year, that could prevent Alden from pursuing ownership of the Tribune chain for up to another year. Aldens designs on Tribune Publishing, a publicly traded company that owns nearly a dozen prominent metro dailies across the country, became clear in November, when it revealed that it had taken a 32-percent stake in the chain. That news led to an outcry from Tribune Publishing reporters, many of whom have denounced the hedge funds habit of slashing newsroom costs at its MediaNews Group papers. The speech could also double as a prompt for a full-throated debate on the left about the complex interplay between representation-based identity politics and other political goals. Many activists would agree with the young speaker and say that a movement on behalf of Black lives should be led by Black voices and focus on the issues facing Black people. Elected politicians might cringe at being sidelined and argue that a member of the City Council, especially one as far left as Sawant, belongs in the movement. Indelicate Marxists might argue that the identity of speakers should not matter and that the only meaningful action would be to leverage the movement to tax Amazon. They might point out that it has driven up Seattle rents, which in turn has led to rapid gentrification of Black neighborhoods; action against Amazon could secure universal victory. The relevance of such debates, and even more so their resolution, is unclear. These sorts of deliberations are not new. They were on the minds of the Combahee River Collective, a coalition of Black queer feminist radicals who first coined the term identity politics in 1974. The C.R.C., whose origins have been revisited recently in Asad Haiders Mistaken Identity and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylors How We Got Free, grew out of dissatisfaction with the narrow focus of the National Black Feminist Organization, which in turn had left the broader, white-led feminist movement. The C.R.C. believed that what set it apart from those two groups was its economic analysis, which called for an end to bourgeois-feminist politics. Solidarity, as Taylor points out, was not subsuming your struggles to help someone else but rather strengthening the political commitments from other groups by getting them to recognize how the different struggles were related to each other and connected under capitalism. The C.R.C.s vision of identity politics bears little resemblance to the modern version that tends to value representation over economic and racial justice and at times, ritual over action. Representative Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat and former presidential candidate, recently challenged his Republican colleagues in Congress to unequivocally say that Black lives matter. Swalwells heart might have been in the right place, but his stunt was pure ritual: checking to see who will say the right words to show they care and who will not. Its easy to hear the protesters address in Seattles City Hall and look at the public flagellations of white privilege and conclude that the speakers demands might result only in more Swalwell-like pandering. But perhaps the most telling and wrenching parts of the young protesters monologue were the constant, exhausted apologies. They didnt sound like pleadings to be heard so much as weary incantations from someone who understands the way things go in Seattle. If white people keep coming to the protests, how do you prevent this Black protest movement from becoming a vehicle for white progressives to try to advance all their other hobbyhorses? If every action turns into a voter-registration party, the movement will have failed to secure the bare minimum of what it set out to accomplish: a radical change in policing. This is a bizarre way to talk about people who are guided by facts, science and reason. Its not about making a political point or asserting moral superiority; its about saving lives and protecting one another which should be a basic element of citizenship in any democracy. And yet, like so many seemingly nonpolitical topics, donning a mask has become partisanized to the point that people are brawling in supermarkets over their right to infect others. Its a free country; I can do what I want sounds charming when it comes from a child. It can be far worse when it is shouted from the mouth of a possibly infected adult. Its a strange sort of freedom that includes exposing other people to a potentially deadly virus. Whats to resist about showing respect to your fellow Americans? Why turn a straightforward public health issue into a political one? The virus doesnt care whether youre a Republican or a Democrat. It ravaged blue states in the spring, and now its plowing through red ones. All it cares about is finding open mouths and nostrils. Its crazy that we are having this debate after all. Dozens of countries have already mandated mask-wearing in public. Its not a coincidence that the United States remains the worlds coronavirus hot spot. Only recently as the virus descends on the places where their political supporters live have some top Republicans come to their senses. On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, whose state is currently being overwhelmed with new cases, issued a statewide mask mandate. (Indoor churchgoers are exempted, but outdoor protesters arent.) There have been encouraging words from the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, Vice President Mike Pence, even Sean Hannity. Earlier this week, Steve Doocy, a host of Fox & Friends, which has as direct a line to President Trumps brain as any top White House adviser, pleaded with the president to set an example and wear a mask. MAGA should now stand for Masks Are Great Again, he said. Were not holding our breath. Even with records being set daily, the White House refuses to issue a nationwide face mask mandate. Some resisters are still sore about the contradictory or incorrect messages about masks that came from health officials in early days of the pandemic. In late February, Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams tweeted: Seriously people STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus. Anthony Fauci said a version of this a few days later. Theres no reason to be walking around with a mask, he told CBS. When youre in the middle of an outbreak, wearing a mask might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet, but its not providing the perfect protection that people think that it is. These were missteps, without question. But remember the context in which those pleas were made. In early March, hospitals across the country were preparing for a massive surge of patients, and masks were in perilously short supply. Considering the significant risks to front-line health care workers, and the lack of sufficient protective gear, it was understandable even if misguided in retrospect to want to ensure that masks were available to those who needed them most. More recently, the hallmark of the Wild Wild Web became a kind of shoot-first, aim-later approach to corporate strategy. Terms like permissionless innovation and blitzscaling entered the tech lexicon, and companies used lofty mission statements to paper over their more craven aspirations for dominance and profit. When things went wrong privacy scandals, legal missteps, the occasional genocide an apology and a five-point plan to do better next time usually sufficed. The Wild Wild Web hasnt been all bad. Expanded access to information and convenience, the dismantling of problematic and exclusionary gatekeepers and a decade-plus of economic growth have all been all positive results. But every benefit has come with costs. The same tools that produced personalized recommendations, engagement-optimized feeds and the Internet of Things also produced political polarization, viral misinformation and pervasive surveillance. The internet giants unwillingness to make rules (and then, later, their inability to enforce them) empowered a generation of bigots and media manipulators who are now among our most influential public figures. Just like the California gold rush, the Wild Wild Web started an enormous accumulation of personal and corporate power, transforming our social order overnight. Power shifted from the czars of government and the creaky moguls of the Fortune 500 to the engineers who built the machines and the executives who gave them their marching orders. These people were not prepared to run empires, and most of them deflected their newfound responsibility, or pretended to be less powerful than they were. Few were willing to question the 2010s Silicon Valley orthodoxy that connection was a de facto good, even as counter-evidence piled up. There are still some stubborn holdouts. (Facebook, in particular, still appears attached to the narrative that social media simply reflects offline society, rather than driving it.) But among the public, there is no more mistaking Goliaths for Davids. The secret of the tech industrys influence is out, and the critics who have been begging tech leaders to take more responsibility for their creations are finally being heard. Its hard to say what caused this change. Joan Donovan, a research director at the Harvard Kennedy Schools Shorenstein Center, wrote in Wired that the coronavirus pandemic had helped platform leaders locate their spines by raising the stakes of inaction. Not so long ago, before the pandemic hit, each platform would only tend to its specific user base, keeping up with a triple bottom line by balancing profits with social and environmental impact, Ms. Donovan wrote. Now, having witnessed the terrifying results of unchecked medical misinformation, the same companies understand the importance of ensuring access to timely, local, and relevant facts. Lina Hidalgo, the top executive in Harris County, which includes Houston, said in a statement that she welcomed the governors move. Ms. Hidalgo had attempted in April to adopt a general requirement for mask-wearing in her county not just in businesses that would be enforceable with a fine. But the governor had pre-empted her, and other local officials, from taking such actions. Ms. Hidalgo said Mr. Abbotts new order would not be enough to stop the spread of the virus. I continue to advocate for an enforceable stay-home order in Harris County, she said in a statement. Im afraid that waiting will only lead to more lives lost. In San Antonio, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the new statewide requirement was overdue. Its about time, said Mr. Nirenberg, who describes himself as a progressive independent. Unfortunately it has been heavily politicized by state and federal leaders in Texas and across the country, he said. I hope its effectiveness is not blunted by the severity of the surge that were seeing. The governors order also authorized mayors and county executives to impose restrictions on some outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people, and required six feet of social distancing in any large gatherings. Large gatherings are a clear contributor to the rise in Covid-19 cases, he said, adding that restricting the size of group gatherings will strengthen Texas ability to corral this virus and keep Texans safe. Help is on the way, Mr. Pence said at a news conference with Mr. Ducey at the airport, after descending the steps of Air Force Two wearing a mask, the latest sign of the administrations evolving stance on face coverings. But the positive tests and symptoms of Secret Service agents expected to be in proximity to the man who is next in line for the presidency were some of the factors that prompted his change of schedule, the officials said. The news of the agents who showed symptoms of Covid-19, or tested positive, was first reported by The Washington Post. A spokeswoman for Mr. Pence did not respond to a request for comment. Catherine Milhoan, the director of communications for the Secret Service, said late Thursday that the agency does not comment on how it protects principals in government. But she added that the health and safety of our work force, their families, and that of our protectees remains the agencys highest priority. Still, the latest illnesses among the small circle of individuals who interact directly with the vice president were a reminder of the dangers of carrying on with campaign and official government travel as the pandemic rages on. At least eight campaign staff members who helped plan President Trumps indoor rally last month in Tulsa, Okla., have tested positive for the virus, either before the rally or after attending, the campaign said. On Thursday, after Herman Cain, a former presidential candidate who had been at the presidents rally in Tulsa, said he had been hospitalized for the coronavirus, a Trump campaign spokesman, Tim Murtaugh, made it clear that Mr. Cain had not seen the president in person while at the event. Mr. Cain did not meet with the president, Mr. Murtaugh said. What remains to be seen is whether, and how, the episode might affect Mr. Trumps future plans. The military recently finished drawing down troops in Afghanistan from about 14,000 last fall to roughly 8,600. That is the minimum level that military commanders say allows them to prevent the Taliban and other radical fighters from overrunning the shaky, American-backed Afghan government in Kabul. But with the November election coming, military officials say they are braced for Mr. Trump to announce at any time his intention to pull thousands more troops from the country before then. One person familiar with the presidents thinking said he had repeatedly spoken of having all American soldiers out of the country by the end of the year. That prospect may become even more likely now that the United States continuing presence in Afghanistan has badly stung a president who lost patience with the American mission there long ago, but for years has found himself pressured to stay by congressional and military leaders invoking the specter of another attack in the mold of Sept. 11. The debate over what Trump officials knew about the intelligence on Russian bounties and when is ignoring the bigger picture here, said Dan Caldwell, senior adviser of Concerned Veterans for America, a conservative group that opposes American troop deployments overseas. The bigger problem, he added, is that by leaving our troops not only in places like Afghanistan but also in Iraq and Syria, we make it easier for our adversaries like Russia, Iran and nonstate actors like Al Qaeda to bleed us on the cheap. Mr. Trump has called stories about the bounties a made up Fake News Media Hoax and studiously avoided commenting on the substance of the intelligence, including how it could change his policies toward either Russia or Afghanistan. But however willing he may be to overlook or downplay Russian aggression worldwide as he seeks to thaw relations with Moscow, it seems likely that the political grief he has suffered will only fuel his desire to withdraw troops from the country. CASSILS The urgency of In Plain Sight has become paramount as people began to die from Covid-19 in detention camps. We had initially planned for this project to occur without any press, but when the pandemic hit, we launched our Instagram page that features short interviews with our artists and calls to action. Its been a great opportunity to take action. In recent months, Ive had 11 exhibitions canceled or paused. Almost every artist I know has, too. There is a rich history of artists looking toward the sky for inspiration. Yves Klein used it as inspiration for his conceptual blue paintings. Recently, the artist Jammie Holmes flew George Floyds final words above five cities across the country. What other works have inspired your skytyping project? ESPARZA Repellent Fence (2015) by the art collective Postcommodity was particularly important for us. They created a metaphorical suture along the migration path between the United States and Mexico with tethered balloons to speak about land art in relation to permanence and shifting landscapes. In the same way that they used the land to talk about the divisive power of colonial structures, we are hoping to index the sky as a symbol of inspiration and hope. And the sky is able to migrate messages across borders. When our message is skytyped above San Diego, the words will likely drift into Tijuana. And when our words are written above Los Angeles, they will have a shared orbital path, allowing phrases like Abolition Now and Stop Crimigration Now to coalesce into a circular message. CASSILS We are also thinking of artists who have used the language of advertisement to get their points across. Artists like Lynda Benglis and Barbara Hammer. The AIDS Memorial Quilt was another important reference because it demonstrates how people can come together through a patchwork of activism. Many artists involved with the project are also queer, which may or may not be a coincidence. We are thinking about the words of Jose Esteban Munoz, who wrote in 2009 that queerness exists for us as an ideality that can be distilled from the past and used to imagine a future. We see a liberation for queer, migrant and Black communities as deeply bound together because they are all rooted in the issues of white supremacy and colonization. Our jobs as queer artists is to imagine the future. ESPARZA And we are putting the proposal of care, which is central to many queer communities, at the forefront of this project. We want to imagine what care looks like for people who are impacted by migrant detention and Covid-19. CASSILS Bringing the skytypers into the fold has also been a unique experience. And with some messages being written in Cree, Farsi and Urdu, this will likely be the first time many people will see their own languages in the sky. There has also been a challenge to imagine how to write languages in the sky that dont use the Roman alphabet. Skytypers usually work in fleets of five planes each, so any image or letter must exist along a five-point matrix. For artists on the project, that means experimenting with the grid and drawing out words like freedom in Farsi or Urdu. Its interesting to note the challenges of what we can put into the sky, and how we might overcome those barriers. In Plain Sight Find out how to see the art at: instagram.com/inplainsightmap/ These works took the sonata genre to a new dimension: multi-movement, episodic and often fitful, yet also ingeniously integrated. The pieces abound in challenges that were unprecedented for their time and remain daunting. So much the better, Beethoven believed. He once told a publisher, What is difficult is also beautiful and good. He wanted pianists to sweat. The coronavirus pandemic silenced the burst of many Beethoven performances that had been scheduled this year, the 250th anniversary of his birth. But while live concerts may be few, the sonatas have been well served in the recording studio. Numerous pianists including Alfred Brendel, Daniel Barenboim, Maurizio Pollini, Annie Fischer, Andras Schiff, Richard Goode and, more recently Paul Lewis have released distinguished cycles. The best performances bring out not just the structural designs of the sonatas, but also their wildness and fearsome intensity. Whole movements exude wry, sometimes downright silly humor. And yet Beethoven also touches mystical sublimity, as in the final minutes of the last sonata. In recent years, Ive been drawn to performances by younger pianists who cut through the masterpiece trappings and dare to make personal statements. The latest is Igor Levit, whose nine-disc survey was released last fall by Sony Classical. He was only 25 when he recorded the five late sonatas in 2013 for his Sony debut. Over the past few years, he filled in the other 27. Its an extraordinary achievement. His accounts abound in vitality, clarity and a visceral feeling for drama. In reflective passages, his playing can be raptly restrained and tender, as in the opening movement of the Sonata No. 28 in A (Op. 101). Below the bittersweet, undulant surface of this music, as Mr. Levit reveals, Beethoven compresses an expansive sonata structure into less than four and a half minutes. Pettus name has ironically come to also symbolize black freedom and shouldnt be painted over, some say. Others oppose the move because Lewis was an outsider who followed in the footsteps of locals who had worked to end segregation for years before he arrived. Still others fear a change would hurt tourism in a poor town with little going for it other than its civil rights history. A cone of silence hangs over the work of Black composers from Africa and its diaspora. It is not that Black men and women have not written music, but too often it has been ignored and thus assumed not to exist at all. The work of Black composers is more often heard if they are working in forms thought to exemplify the Black experience: jazz, blues, rap. However, as the composer and pianist Muhal Richard Abrams once said, We know that there are different types of Black life, and therefore we know that there are different kinds of Black music. Because Black music comes forth from Black life. In the late 1980s, the Caribbean writers Jean Bernabe, Patrick Chamoiseau and Raphael Confiant proclaimed themselves Creoles: torn between several languages, several histories, caught in the torrential ambiguity of a mosaic identity. In that light, as we contemplate an Independence Day unlike any in my memory, I want to highlight some of the ways African-American composers have explored what it means and could mean to be American, helping to foster a creolized, cosmopolitan new music for the 21st century. If Black lives matter now more than ever, hearing Black liveness in classical music also matters. The alternative is an addiction to exclusion that ends, as addictions often do, in impoverishment. Rudolfo Anaya, a writer whose trailblazing explorations of the folkways of the Southwest helped define the Latino experience in the United States, died on Sunday at his home in Albuquerque. He was 82. His niece Belinda Henry said his death followed a long illness. Mr. Anaya burst onto the American literary scene in 1972 with his novel Bless Me, Ultima, about a Chicano boy growing up just after World War II in the llano, or plains, of hardscrabble eastern New Mexico. Published when Chicano scholars and activists were questioning Anglo dominance of the Southwest, the book describes the guidance provided by Ultima, an elderly healer who uses herbal remedies and other Native American traditions incorporated over centuries into New Mexicos Hispanic culture. A major theme in the book is the tension between Roman Catholicism and the spiritual practices embodied by Ultima. The novel reframed the way many in New Mexico viewed their own history, prioritizing the blending of mythologies, bloodlines and religious practices over simplistic attempts to characterize the culture in which Mr. Anaya was raised as Spanish. He studied economics at Yale, where he was in his own estimation an indifferent student but an enthusiastic bridge player. Still, his winnings did not cover his tailors debts or his club dues. It took a year of Navy pay to do that. When he had made his fortune, he sent his parents a Cadillac. His father, although he came from a prosperous tobacco family, disdained displays of wealth and refused the gift, telling his son that lawyers could be seen in Buicks but not Cadillacs. In the 1960s, Mr. Sherwood met Shirley Cross, an Oxford-educated botanist. A widow with two young sons, Charles and Simon, she was working for Smith, Kline & French, the pharmaceutical company (now GlaxoSmithKline), on the development of Tagamet, the wildly successful drug that soothes stomach ulcers. They married on New Years Eve 1977. Charles gave his mother away, and Simon was best man. Afterward, the boys changed their last name by deed poll to Sherwood, as a gift to their parents. But they werent formally adopted until two years ago at ages 58 and 57 when Mr. Sherwood discovered that the adoption of adults was legal under Kentucky law. Although he was a devoted Anglophile, Mr. Sherwood never became a British citizen. The Sherwoods spent the better part of each year traveling, scouting hotels for Mr. Sherwoods company and amassing a collection of 50 properties that spanned Brazil, Laos, Russia and South Africa. It was Mr. Sherwoods practice to type up lengthy reviews after each stay on a manual typewriter he brought with him for that purpose. Among his pet peeves were soap wrapped in plastic, which he found difficult to open with wet hands, and room safes below eye level. Image Mr. Sherwood had many stories to tell in his memoir, published in 2012 and written with the British journalist Ivan Fallon. He did not always succeed in his bids. He was thwarted in an attempt to buy the Carlyle in New York. His overture to Mohamed al-Fayed, the owner of the Ritz in Paris, was met with laughter. Youre reading this weeks At War newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every Friday. Email us at atwar@nytimes.com. When I learned that my U.S. Army cavalry troops war story was being made into a major motion picture, I worried that a Hollywood account of the battle would be inaccurate. My soldiers and I had been sharing stories since Oct. 3, 2009, when our 53 cavalry scouts fought off more than 300 Taliban fighters bent on overrunning Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan, Afghanistan. By all quantifiable metrics, my unit won the fight, but at a devastating cost: Eight soldiers died, 22 were wounded and our camp burned to the ground. Over the years, I have learned that sharing the experience allowed many of us to put our emotions into words. That process helped us heal, but a bad rendering of the battle would leave us talking about what the movie got wrong instead of what actually happened. I reached out to the films director, Rod Lurie, to vent my concerns. Lurie, a West Point graduate and Army veteran, listened to what I had to say and agreed to let me visit the set. In 2018, I flew on my own dime to Sofia, Bulgaria, to witness the making of the film based on Jake Tappers book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor. Chris Cordova, an old friend and another veteran of the battle, came with me. ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. Terril Tate left his house an hour before dawn on Thursday to be one of the first players at a craps table when the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino reopened at 6 a.m. He was hoping for a win, and maybe a date. But Mr. Tate, 41, said he was also on a mission to pave the way for people who dont yet feel safe enough he called them worry bots to venture into indoor recreational and leisure spaces. Theres got to be someone who goes into the fire first, said Mr. Tate, a truck driver from Toms River, N.J. Once enough people see its OK, theyll come back. As cases of the coronavirus surge in states that reopened earliest, New Jersey forged ahead Thursday with its plan to allow casinos in Atlantic City to begin operating for the first time since March 16. After more than a month of closed beaches and pitched battles over access to the ocean Rachel Thompson, a schoolteacher, finally frolicked in the surf at Rockaway Beach in Queens. Yay! she said. It feels fantastic to have Rockaway open, to have lifeguards so kids can swim safe. New York, transformed by the coronavirus and the protests in support of Black Lives Matter, has been cooped up, and a good, old-fashioned swim takes the edge off, Ms. Thompson, 45, said. She was at Rockaway on Wednesday as New York City opened its beaches for swimming just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, when even more people are expected to pack the sand. Still, several beachgoers that morning, Ms. Thompson included, were feeling a bit jittery about the citys gradual reopening. An hour after the ban on swimming was lifted, the mayor announced that indoor dining at restaurants would not resume on Monday as anticipated, citing the viruss rapid spread in other large states. TRANSPARENCY ON BOTH SIDES All our calls are recorded. They last about 20 minutes. Throughout the calls, we inform people who we are, and that the call is not to cause any more stress. Our goal is to provide information about Covid-19 and to let them know about the resources we can provide. We also want to obtain information about who theyve been in contact with so we can stop the spread. Its extremely important to be patient and compassionate. Allowing cases to vent is important, too, so that they feel theyre in a safe environment and can be transparent with us. FRESH AIR I am proud of and love the work that I do. However, this work is hard because of the communal sense of loss, grief, and trauma, and its essential for me to be self-aware and attend to my own needs and mental health. I dont necessarily have a set time for breaks, but I do take them. Its important to go outside, get some fresh air. When Im outside with the sun on my skin it changes my mood. Especially after sitting at the computer. Ill take some water and a snack. THE TOUGH PART Its not easy telling someone theyve tested positive for Covid-19, especially if they were not aware or informed of their test results before receiving a call from the NYC Health and Hospitals Test and Trace Corps. I have not experienced getting yelled at or hung up on. However, I have been on calls where cases disclosed feeling confused and distressed. Its important not to take difficult calls personally, because the case may have experienced trauma before and during the pandemic. With challenging calls, I inform supervisees of the importance of being genuine and meeting the cases where they are. The response was unambiguous: Reporters and producers sought a person of color, someone who deeply understood New York and who had experience in public radio. So it was with great consternation that the staff greeted the news, delivered on June 11, when the rest of the world would hear it as well and 45 minutes or so before they met their new boss on Zoom that the editor in chief of WNYC was going to be a white woman who lived in California, grew up in Kansas and was not from the world of audio. We were blindsided, Richard Yeh, a supervising senior producer, told me, really befuddled by the fact that our leaders chose someone who didnt meet any of our qualifications. The anointed, Audrey Cooper, has had a distinguished career in print journalism, having become the first female editor of The San Francisco Chronicle five years ago, when she was still in her 30s. But her radio experience is notably tenuous. In her first memo to the WNYC staff, she explained that she had worked the phones for pledge drives at her local public-radio station in college and enjoyed Car Talk. She credited public radio with introducing her to the awesome power of fact-based storytelling to confront wrongdoing. Her appointment quickly sparked a second revolution built on the laments that were never sufficiently addressed during the first. In a letter delivered to top management and the board of trustees on July 1, which has since amassed more than 145 signatures including those of high-profile figures like Brian Lehrer staff members expressed a sense of betrayal. They had listened to rhetoric about the need for greater diversity for years. Some of us for decades," the letter stated. Now the signatories were demanding more than the incremental change they had witnessed for so long an expansion of the team of reporters and producers to reflect the city WNYC serves, one that has not had a racially monolithic population in more than a century. The letter did not call for WNYC to rescind the offer to Ms. Cooper, but it seems clear the staff hopes she takes the hint. As Congress plans another round of economic rescue, it will have to take a step that lawmakers from both parties have found distasteful for four decades: federal operating aid for mass transit. The pandemic is an existential crisis for transit. Patrick Foye, chairman of New Yorks Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the nations largest provider, said the entitys fiscal situation was a four-alarm fire. The threat is far greater than after Sept. 11 and the 2008 recession. Even as ridership has plummeted by double-digit percentages, transit agencies like the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and Bostons Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority must resume full service as economies reopen. Otherwise, they risk overcrowded trains and buses that do not allow for minimal social distancing. Transit agencies have never before faced a situation where they must pay to run full service with a fraction of revenue. This is devastating to budgets. The New York M.T.A. faces a shortfall of $14.3 billion over two years on a $34.5 billion budget. Washingtons and Bostons transit authorities and San Franciscos Bay Area Rapid Transit face commensurate shortfalls, adjusted for size. Supporters pointed out that cash bail allows the wealthy to avoid jail while awaiting charges and hoped the reform would prevent others from repeating the fate of Bronx resident Kalief Browder, who was 16 when he was sent to Rikers after being accused of stealing a backpack. He spent three years there, nearly two in solitary confinement, before eventually being released without facing a trial. He later killed himself. As baffling as it is to find statues of traitors, slaveholders and killers of Union soldiers ensconced in many a prominent square, consider the historical discordance of Custer County, S.D. The hard beauty of the Black Hills, sacred land to Native Americans, overshadows the county, the main town and the state park, all named for George Armstrong Custer. The hard history was shaped by the slayer of those Native people. Custers willful trespass into territory promised by treaty to the Sioux set the stage for the last violent encounters between New World and Old. Just under 20 miles from Custer is Mount Rushmore, which President Trump plans to visit this Fourth of July weekend. A mere seven miles from Custer is the Native American Rushmore a still unfinished carving of the Oglala Sioux leader Crazy Horse, 641 feet long and 563 feet high. Here is the American paradox in a grid of stark geology. No country can last long without a shared narrative. You wonder, on an Independence Day when the mood of the country is more angry and fearful than it has been in a long time, if this nation can ever have such a thing again. Trump may have privately praised Xi Jinping for building concentration camps for Uighurs. Congress still passed legislation to impose sanctions on China for them. He may want to bring Russia back to the G7. The other six wont let him. He may have sought to abolish DACA for the Dreamers. John Roberts decided otherwise. He may call the press an enemy of the American people. That enemy still operates without restraint when it comes to slamming him. To adapt the Lloyd Bentsen line, Donald John Trump, youre no Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The more serious problem today comes from the left: from liberal elites who, when tested, lack the courage of their liberal convictions; from so-called progressives whose core convictions were never liberal to begin with; from administrative types at nonprofits and corporations who, with only vague convictions of their own, dont want to be on the wrong side of a P.R. headache. This has been the great cultural story of the last few years. It is typified by incidents such as The New Yorkers David Remnick thinking it would be a good idea to interview Steve Bannon for the magazines annual festival until a Twitter mob and some members of his own staff decided otherwise. Or by The Washington Post devoting 3,000 words to destroying the life of a private person of no particular note because in 2018 she wore blackface, with ironic intent, at a Halloween party. Or by big corporations pulling ads from Facebook while demanding the company do more to censor forms of speech they deem impermissible. These stories matter because an idea is at risk. Thats the idea that people who cannot speak freely will not be able to think clearly, and that no society can long flourish when contrarians are treated as heretics. That idea, old as Socrates, formerly had powerful institutional defenders, especially in the form of universities, news media, book publishers, free-speech groups and major philanthropies. MIAMI Every weeknight, I sit down next to my co-anchor Ilia Calderon to host the Spanish-language news program Noticiero Univision. Although our many viewers have come to know Ms. Calderons face, not many know how much she has had to overcome to sit in that chair. Her story, like that of many Latinos with African ancestry in the United States, is one of tremendous personal achievement, as well as astonishing perseverance in the face of deep-seated racism. Ms. Calderon was born in the Choco region of Colombia, a place she describes as our little Black paradise. When Ilia was 10, she left home to study in a Catholic school in Medellin, where one of the white students was so disgusted by the color of Ilias skin and so proud of her own fair complexion that she told Ilia, Youre Black? Not even my horse is black! That first encounter with racism in Latin America left a mark on Ilia one she never forgot. When she moved to Miami in 2001 to pursue a career in journalism, things werent much different. I had to endure racism in Colombia, she told me recently, and it turns out that here I have to face the same thing. Its how they look at you, how they behave when you are around. Its like you have to go through that experience twice: For being Hispanic and also for being Black. According to a 2014 survey by the Pew Research Center, 24 percent of the roughly 54 million Hispanics living in the United States at the time self-identified as Afro-Latino, Afro-Caribbean or as another, more specific Afro-Latino identity, such as Afro-Colombian. At the same time, 34 percent identified as mestizo, mulatto or some other mixed race. My husband and I moved to Michigan in January a decision that opens us up for all kinds of questions about our judgment. A part-time job, though, is still a job. And the welcome from the congregation was warm, sort of. We received a beautiful gift basket with local delicacies and information on the area. One member delivered a huge pot of homemade Italian wedding soup, which sustained us as we unpacked. Others wouldnt even greet us after Sunday service. One of this congregations appeals was its theological and political diversity. Some members proudly wear the evangelical label, and others have run as far from it as possible. Some members are hard-core Trump supporters, others are the bluest of progressives, and Id say the majority are somewhere in between. Yet, for the most part, theyve hung together as a family of faith and theres something beautiful, if difficult, about that. This congregation is in many ways a microcosm of the broader Reformed Church in America, and indeed of the wider church. The difference is that folks in the broader denomination typically dont belong to such varied congregations. They dont have to worship every Sunday, come face to face in Bible study every week, and share the bread and the cup of Holy Communion every month with people who hold such divergent views. A few days ago, I got an email from a member whose convictions on homosexuality differ significantly from mine. She wrote to thank me for a sermon I preached recently about Gods unconditional love. Thank you for being at Central, she said. I hope you know you are appreciated. In the austere Dutch culture of West Michigan, this is what passes for gushing, and I was surprised and gratified. When I arrived in January, she was among those who didnt greet me. Emails like hers remind me of the power of presence. Our bodies and stories can accomplish what no court can. Even if she never changes her views on sexuality, perhaps Ive been able to complicate her narrative and to instigate a pause, into which a thought might emerge: Maybe things werent as simple as I thought. But that line of thinking applies equally to me. Perhaps she has complicated my narrative, too. She has reminded me that the law that governs my faith doesnt discriminate, even and especially when it comes to those who might discriminate against me. The ultimate question is: At what point does the job market recover? said Nancy Packes, the principal of Nancy Packes Data Services, a real estate consultancy and database provider. If not for the pandemic, the new condos in Long Island City would have sold in due time, she said, while a number of slow-selling condos could potentially be listed as rentals, since the apartments there are generally smaller and less expensive than the ones in Manhattan. Despite unemployment numbers soaring, the buyers and renters targeted in these new developments tend to have more job security, she said. Market observers are looking for answers at the 802-unit Skyline Tower, which has more than four times as many condos as the next largest building in the neighborhood. Since the quarantine began in March, there have been just six new contracts signed, for a total of about 30 percent of units sold, said Eric Benaim, the chief executive of Modern Spaces, which is leading sales at the project. But he says there is pent-up demand, much of it from local buyers, who have been waiting for a chance to see the sales gallery in person. Prices at the tower range from about $680,000 for studios as small as 450 square feet to $4 million for a high-floor three-bedroom; the penthouse prices have not been revealed. More than half of the units are two-bedrooms or larger. Occupancy was going to begin around October, but may now be pushed to January. Stella Liu, the head of sales and marketing for Risland U.S. Holdings, one of the Skyline developers, said the prices were warranted because of the unmatched views of Manhattan, subway access, and amenities, including a 75-foot indoor pool. But use of the shared amenities will depend on state guidance for at least the next several months, if not longer. The lasting impact of Covid-19 is not lost on buyers. Gary Hirshfield, a 58-year-old ophthalmologist who works in Queens, moved with his wife, Stacey Kruger, also an ophthalmologist, into a three-bedroom penthouse at Galerie, a nearby condo project, at the end of 2019. Now he is having second thoughts. Today, if I could get my money out, Id consider it, Mr. Hirshfield said. For the cost of his 1,690-square-foot apartment, he said he could have bought a 5,000-square-foot house with some land in the suburbs. But Long Island City appealed to him because of the restaurant scene, its proximity to Manhattan, and the high-end fitness center in the building (now closed to residents). He still believes in the value of the project, but doesnt know when hell feel safe enough to use the gym again. Some buildings are already sweetening the pot to entice new buyers. At the Neighborly, where prices range from $585,000 for a roughly 440-square-foot studio to $2 million for a three-bedroom penthouse, the developer, New Empire Corp., is offering to pay residents taxes and common charges for the first full year, almost $10,000 for a one-bedroom. Another project, Corte, offered a number of rent-to-own plans, in which a renter would pay toward ownership a tactic more commonly seen during the last recession. On the drive over, he had smoked a cannoli-sized blunt. At the bar he sipped his way through five shots of mezcal, one of them seasoned with a scorpion. Then he ordered a beer. Will they let you on the plane? a publicist asked. Leaning back into a banquette with his feet on the table, his eyes went sleepy and his voice slurred. He talked about his forthcoming album, Tickets to My Downfall, due out in July, which hurtles away from rap and toward pop-punk, which he regarded as progress. It took me 10 years to evolve into this sound, he said. He then talked about robots (Dude, robots cant feel and feeling is all we have left) and dreams (I dont have dreams when I sleep, but when I wake up all I do is dream). He also discussed his career, which he saw as a breathless sprint from single to single, persona to persona, film to film. He said he found it hard to take pleasure in his success. Is it everything I thought itd be? It should be, he said. But it wasnt. He has realized that he does not want to be Machine Gun Kelly anymore, at least not everywhere or all the time. In 2016, the director Cameron Crowe encouraged him to use his birth name for Roadies, a Showtime drama series in which he plays a roadie and occasional barista for touring rock band. And in the past year, he started asking friends to call him Colson. [Sign up for Love Letter, our weekly email about Modern Love, weddings and relationships.] Humor was the only way I knew how to make myself feel appreciated. Thats what happens when youre too scared to be yourself. I only talk to two of my high school friends now. When I was 21, I studied in Sydney, Australia, for a semester, where the whole experience felt like an extension of the extroverted version of myself that I had mastered. It was a sprint along a path that wasnt really mine, filled with adventure seeking, bar hopping, beach time, writing a deeply offensive short story in my creative writing class for the sake of laughter and shock (masking any real thoughts or feelings). On that same sprint, I jumped headfirst into a relationship, my first, as the wrong version of me. Then, in the midst of my act, I stumbled into a moment where I didnt have to pretend. It was at a wildlife sanctuary, of all places. While everyone else was gawking at kangaroos and koalas, I was staring at a caged bird, an emu. It stared at me with its big eyes. And kept staring. I stared back. For a long time. In silence. I could not relieve the silence with a joke or a selfie and felt no need to. I felt clarity for the first time in maybe forever. But I did not know how to make it last. Three years later (two years too late), the girlfriend I met in Australia and I broke up. The ghost of a broken heart wove in and out of my life for a year, teasing me at bars when I had no one to buy a drink for and no one to walk home with, lingering in my phone as I searched my contacts for someone to share my good and bad news with, staring at me in restaurants from the empty seat across the table. Until, slowly, the pain started to fade, and I realized that my broken heart was not actually mine but belonged to the person I had tried to convince myself I was. So I mourned the loss of my false self and celebrated the possibility of a new beginning. I went on new adventures: going to the movies by myself, walking around the city at night, unconcerned with having any social plans. Sitting in cafes alone and reading. The old me, the brokenhearted me, could not tag along as I leaned into the person she never wanted: my introverted and sensitive self. But the shaman also treats all sorts of non-famous people too, many of them women, who find him through some combination of his Instagram account, his podcast, his online shaman school where one can learn to optimize their spiritual powers and his book, Spirit Hacking, which came out late last year. One of these clients was a music agent in Los Angeles, who allowed me to observe her session a few months back but requested that her name not be used because of the personal nature of the session. As instructed, she had abstained from meat, alcohol and smoking for 24 hours before. Her intention was, as she put it, to level up before her 40th birthday. (Leveling up is a what Mr. Verrett describes as going to another level in your evolution.) I followed her into the dimly lit room, where she lay on a mat, closed her eyes and, over the course of the next hour, went through cycles of sobbing, gagging, shaking and laughing the shaman at one point beckoning me to pass the tissues so he could wipe her nose as she heaved into a trash can. He said she was releasing deep pain from inside her; she said shed never experienced anything like it. At one point he asked me to stand up. He said Were going to ground you. And I felt this pull from the ground anchor me to the floor like a magnet, she said later. I was just like What?! Will this last?! This is crazy. A Messenger and a Janitor To be clear, there are no drugs or herbs involved in these sessions. Rather, Mr. Verrett engages in what he calls spirit shamanism, an ancient practice in which a shaman, with a subjects permission, purports to receive messages from spirits while working through the frequencies, energy, even the colors supposedly emanated by a persons body, with the goal of alleviating negativity or pain. In May, Uber began to require masks for drivers and passengers in the United States, but the simple act of asking people to put on a mask has become contentious. In Australia, public health officials did not recommend masks, so Uber did not require them there. Because of its history of dealing with virus outbreaks, including the SARS outbreak in 2003, residents of Hong Kong are acutely aware of the risks. Gary Yau, an Uber driver in Hong Kong, stopped accepting passengers in January because he was worried about catching the coronavirus and infecting his wife and infant son. Now he picks up four or five passengers a day. He finally felt comfortable reopening his Uber app after offices reopened, while some social distancing regulations and border closures remained in effect. Riders are starting to come back, too. In addition to the return during commute hours, Uber has seen an uptick in local tourism, Ms Anderson said. A lot more people on weekends use Uber to go out to the hiking trails and the beaches in the outskirts of Hong Kong, she said. But in some ways, Hong Kong has always been an anomaly for Uber. The city has efficient subway and bus systems, which have become full again in recent weeks. Its widely used taxi service, which has its own app with card payment and bilingual features, costs less than Uber. The city has also seen sustained pro-democracy protests. Those who use Uber are often looking for a more comfortable alternative to standard taxis. Ride sharing is not legal in Hong Kong, and 28 Uber drivers were arrested in sting operations in 2017 and fined for driving without limousine permits in 2018. My colleagues in New York City reported on the uptick in illegal firework use there, where the number of complaints increased from 21 in 2019 to over 1,700 so far this year. Conspiracy theories have surfaced to try to explain the increase, but experts say its more likely that fireworks provide a release for millions of people who are bored and frustrated after months of sheltering in place. Shutdowns have also led to less noise pollution overall, so cacophonous booms may be more pronounced. Others say widespread cancellation of fireworks displays have caused the black market to be flooded with professional-grade inventory. This year, Californians frustration over illegal fireworks arrive in the midst of rapidly rising Covid-19 cases and a robust fire season. Shane Brown, the public information officer for the Fresno Fire Department, told me he sees aerial fireworks shooting off every evening from his balcony in downtown Fresno. During his shifts driving a fire engine, he said he has responded to dozens of fires in the last few weeks that he says were likely caused by fireworks. We are anticipating an incredibly busy Fourth of July here, said Mr. Brown. The 80 firefighters on duty each day are already stretched thin, adding pressure to what he describes as an unusually busy season. The total fire response for his department has been up 60 percent from last year, he said. State-approved fireworks are legal in some parts of California. The State Fire Marshal deems certain types safe and sane and some cities permit sales during specific time periods. If it projects off the ground or creates an explosion, however, it is most likely illegal, he said. According to the Journal, hes riding out the pandemic at his Hawaii estate, but should he feel the need to travel, he could always use his New Zealand citizenship and visit the country that has nearly eradicated coronavirus. LOS ANGELES Fireworks have been lighting up night skies across America, despite normally being set off almost exclusively on July 4. Red, white, blue and bright, these low-impact pyrotechnics are to Americas birthday as quickly melting candles on a cake are to yours or mine. With coronavirus cases steadily climbing in states across the country, though, the holiday and the public, community-oriented traditions that honor it is being compromised this year. Los Angeles, like many cities, is figuring out how to celebrate Independence Day at a distance. Californias virus cases have been steadily climbing since March, and more than 100,000 of the states infections have been detected in Los Angeles County. (Hospitalizations in the Golden State recently swelled by 51 percent in two weeks after the reopening of bars and restaurants.) Local holiday traditions, many of them being redesigned for the first time in their history, are moving online. Its a concession to safety that may sacrifice a bit of the explosive fraternity bursting from a day that is reserved for American patriotism for some, and backyard bonding and good food for others. Mary L. Trump, whose pending tell-all memoir about her uncle President Trump has incited a court fight on the eve of publication, spoke out for the first time publicly about the battle, saying that her book has deep national relevance and that the legal contract the family has sought to use this month to stop its release was based on fraud. Nearly 20 years ago, Ms. Trump, 55, signed a complicated settlement agreement with Mr. Trump and his two siblings that put an end to a bitter yearlong spat about the will of the family patriarch, the presidents father, Fred Trump Sr. Among the agreements provisions was a confidentiality clause that shielded the details of the pact and allowed Ms. Trump to keep her share of her inheritance. But in an affidavit filed Thursday night in New York in the fight over the book, Ms. Trump claimed that she consented to the agreement and signed away her interests in several family properties only because Donald J. Trump and his siblings lied to her about how much they were worth. I relied on the false valuations provided to me by my uncles and aunt and would never have entered into the agreement had I known the true value of the assets involved, she wrote. I never believed that the settlement agreement resolving discrete financial disputes could possibly restrict me from telling the story of my life or publishing a book. A memo produced in recent days by the office of the nations top intelligence official acknowledged that the C.I.A. and top counterterrorism officials have assessed that Russia appears to have offered bounties to kill American and coalition troops in Afghanistan, but emphasized uncertainties and gaps in evidence, according to three officials. The memo is said to contain no new information, and both its timing and its stressing of doubts suggested that it was intended to bolster the Trump administrations attempts to justify its inaction on the months-old assessment, the officials said. Some former national security officials said the account of the memo indicated that politics may have influenced its production. The National Intelligence Council, which reports to the director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, produced the two-and-a-half page document, a so-called sense of the community memorandum. Dated July 1, it appears to have been commissioned after The New York Times reported on June 26 that intelligence officials had assessed months ago that Russia had offered bounties, but the White House had yet to authorize a response. The memo said that the C.I.A. and the National Counterterrorism Center had assessed with medium confidence meaning credibly sourced and plausible, but falling short of near certainty that a unit of the Russian military intelligence service, known as the G.R.U., offered the bounties, according to two of the officials briefed on its contents. Over all, support for the protests against racial injustice continues to run high. In various recent national surveys, roughly six in 10 respondents have expressed favorable views of the protesters. And Americans generally express support for overhauling police practices. The Kaiser poll found that two-thirds supported banning chokeholds, while roughly three-quarters supported increasing transparency around police misconduct and making it easier for victims of excessive force to sue departments. But protesters central demand has to do with more than reform. They are arguing for undoing and rethinking the way crime is approached in America. And their demands show little sign of going away. Defund calls have forced legislative movement. Councils in cities across the country have committed over the past month to reducing funding for police departments, or even restructuring them entirely. In New York, the City Council passed a budget this week that shifts $1 billion away from the Police Department. Activists criticized it for using a budgetary maneuver to shift around rather than eliminate some funding, but it does require the city to abandon plans to hire over 1,000 new officers. And the very fact that city leaders felt compelled to say they were removing funding from the department marked a huge political shift, grounded in public opinion. Jawanza James Williams, the director of organizing for Vocal-NY, which has been instrumental in the push to defund the New York Police Department, said organizers were seeking to ensure that calls to defund the police were always understood in tandem with calls to reinvest in other aspects of city government. Im sure abolishing slavery was toxic at the time, for most people in the country, Mr. Williams said. The work is to help people understand the depth of the defund framework, and to inform that with other factors. She was rushing through what passes for a typical campaign day in these most atypical of campaign days. Ms. Sanders has not been on an airplane or attended a presidential campaign rally in nearly four months. This can cause serious withdrawal for a self-described habitual campaign staffer, who has declared herself officially done with this work-from-home charade. On a recent Friday afternoon, Ms. Sanders was fresh off a morning spent hopping on and hopping off calls along with a pileup of Zoom and Skype meetings from the condo she shares with her partner in all things, Shawn Townsend, who runs the Washington, D.C., mayors Office of Nightlife and Culture. Ms. Sanders had a hard out at 2:30 p.m. and a prep call for a Fox News interview she was doing with Chris Wallace, one of the many conversations she seems to be juggling at all times, some of which tend to place her in fiery viral scenarios. Ms. Sanders is also promoting her new memoir, No, You Shut Up, which takes its title from one of those viral moments, a televised word-brawl she waged on CNN, where she had worked as a political analyst before signing on with the Biden campaign last year. Her fellow combatant, Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, a former attorney general of Virginia and future immigration official in the Trump administration, uttered the offending phrase to her during an on-air contretemps in 2017. He wouldnt be telling me to shut up, in my opinion, if I wasnt a young woman, Ms. Sanders said, and if I wasnt a young Black woman. (Mr. Cuccinelli later called to apologize, Ms. Sanders said; she described that phone call as appreciated and brief.) Ive been given the proverbial shut up multiple times, Ms. Sanders said. While she happened to receive a literal shut up on live television, the sentiment comes in many everyday forms. Sometimes its you have to pay your dues and let the adults handle this, she said, pairing her fingers into air quotes to accompany each phrase. Sometimes youre told to just wait your turn. If you socialize outdoors, its important to keep the guest list small. Socializing with just one additional household is safer than mixing multiple households. Make sure that the rate of Covid-19 in your community is low and falling. Its safest to socialize when the test positivity rate is at 5 percent or lower a level that reduces your chances of inviting an infected person to the party. Recent clusters of cases have been linked to home gatherings that appear to have broken those rules. After an estimated 100 people gathered for a party in Rockland County, N.Y., public health officials tracked nine cases to the event. In Washington D.C., a June 18 backyard fund-raiser with about two dozen guests made headlines when the host and a few guests were reportedly diagnosed with Covid-19. In Texas, a May 30 surprise party infected 18 family members. But adding to the confusion about outdoor gatherings is the fact that the continuing protests over police brutality and the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis have not been associated with spikes in cases. The reason the protests havent caused a surge may be because protesters were often moving, lowering the risk of spending extended time with an infected person. Many marchers were also wearing masks. I can tell you from our own testing in Minnesota, which has been substantial, we have seen no evidence of any kind of measurable impact of protests on cases, said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. There could have been cases, surely, but it was not a major amplifying event. Julia Marcus, an infectious disease epidemiologist and assistant professor in the department of population medicine at Harvard Medical School, said the data collected from protesters so far, along with studies suggesting that outdoors is lower risk for transmission, should reassure public health officials about the safety of masked outdoor gatherings and prompt them to open beaches and public outdoor spaces to help people gather more safely during the pandemic. NAIROBI, Kenya Kenyan and American protesters knelt outside the United States Embassy in Nairobi one morning last month, outraged at George Floyds killing and the racism and brutality they saw across the Atlantic. But they were also furious about police abuses at home, in Kenya. Protests sprang up all over town. In the large slum of Kibera, in front of a large mural of Mr. Floyd, residents chanted, Stop killing us. In front of Parliament, youths carried caskets to protest extrajudicial killings. The image of George Floyds death was so visceral, so violent, said Lilly Bekele-Piper, an Ethiopian-American who lives in Kenya and brought her four children to the protests. People came out because they recognize that violence in their own communities. Outrage over Mr. Floyds death has rippled throughout the continent, with Africans invoking the Black Lives Matter movement to call attention to abuses in their own countries and demand that the police be held to account. In the inland Chinese city of Yichang, the murky water ran waist-high, stranding people in their cars and turning streets into canals. Near the metropolis of Chongqing, angry torrents of water swept away country roads. The tourist town of Yangshuo experienced a cloudburst that an official called a once-in-two-centuries event. Weeks of abnormally intense rains have wrought destruction across southern China, leaving at least 106 people dead or missing and affecting 15 million residents in the worst flooding that parts of the region have seen in decades. One of the hardest-hit provinces has been Hubei, whose capital, Wuhan, also had the first emergence of the coronavirus last year. Late last month, rescuers smashed car windows to free passengers trapped by floodwater in Yichang, a city in Hubei down the Yangtze River from the Three Gorges Dam, one of the worlds largest. Saroj Khan was born Nirmala Nagpal on Nov. 22, 1948, in Mumbai. Her father, Kishanchand Sadhu Singh, had been a prosperous businessman in Karachi, in what is now Pakistan, but lost everything in the violent partition that divided the two countries in 1947. He and his wife, Noni, moved to Mumbai, where they started over in a tiny room in a slum. Ms. Khan was born in that room, the first of six children. She recalled dancing with shadows there as a toddler, fascinated even then by what would become her calling. To supplement the familys income, her father managed to get her work in Mumbais booming film industry as an actress at the age of 3, under the name Saroj. She had small roles in a number of films before becoming a background dancer at age 10, appearing in the 1958 classic Howrah Bridge, starring the actress Madhubala. Soon afterward, Ms. Khans father died suddenly. In a 2012 documentary, The Saroj Khan Story, Ms. Khan described how her mother struggled to feed her and her siblings, and how they often went to bed hungry. On the eve of the Diwali holiday, Ms. Khan worked up the courage to ask the matinee star Shashi Kapoor for help. I had just finished one song with him, I was the group dancer, she said. I went to him and told him, Tomorrow is Diwali and I have nothing at home. I will get paid only after a week. He said, I have 200 rupees right now, please take it. Ill never forget it, that money helped me so much. Ms. Khan never formally trained as a dancer. Most classical dancers spend years studying under a teacher before they ever perform in public, but with a family to help support, that was not an option for Ms. Khan. While still a young girl, she became an assistant to the choreographer B. Sohanlal, working with him on some of the biggest films of the time. He taught her the basics of kathak, a classical Indian dance. Trump has presided over a several large-crowd events in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and at an Arizona megachurch even as health officials warn against large gatherings and recommend face masks and social distancing. He plans a July Fourth celebration on the National Mall in Washington despite health concerns from D.C.s mayor. Trump and Melania Trump plan to host events from the White House South Lawn and from the Ellipse. LONDON England will drop its mandatory 14-day quarantine for visitors from more than 50 countries but leave the restrictions in place for travelers coming from the United States, deepening the isolation of America and delivering another rebuke to President Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The European Union recently upheld a ban on travelers from the United States, even as it opened its borders to visitors from Canada, Rwanda, Thailand and 15 other countries. Englands policy, announced on Friday, is not as draconian. Visitors from America can still enter the country so long as they agree to isolate themselves for two weeks. But those from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and dozens of other countries will be able to travel to England with no restrictions an arrangement intended to bolster the languishing tourism industry in time for the summer vacation season. The regulations will take effect on July 10. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland apply their own travel policies and may not follow Englands lead in easing restrictions. Andrei Serenko, an expert at the Center for the Study of Contemporary Afghanistan in Moscow, said Russia has no real desire to see the United States leave Afghanistan and revels in Americas agonies from an endless conflict he described as a sore blister for the United States. All the same, he said, Russia has been preparing for an eventual pullout by cultivating ties to the Taliban as well as to various Afghan warlords. It has done this with money and other inducements in the hope of shaping future Afghan events and securing a useful instrument to poke Washington. The Taliban, like many other Afghan groups, he added, has a long record of running protection rackets and taking cash from foreigners, including Russians, Americans and Chinese. This is what they do, he said. They are Afghanistans most successful business. Russia, he said, decided that if we can create lots of problems for Americans in Afghanistan, they will create fewer problems for us in Ukraine and Syria. Moscow has been reaching out to the Taliban for years, starting in 1995 when Mr. Kabulov traveled to Kandahar, a Taliban stronghold in the south, to negotiate the release of Russian pilots who had been taken hostage. The pilots eventually got away with their aircraft in what was described at the time as a daring escape. But what really happened is unclear. One thing that seems certain, however, is that this first Russian negotiation with the Taliban revolved around money. Everything was based on money, Vasily Kravtsov, a former K.G.B. officer during the Soviet war and until 2018 a Russian diplomat in Kabul, recalled of the hostage talks. A Turkish court on Friday convicted four human rights activists of terrorism charges, including two former leaders of Amnesty International, as part of a broader crackdown on opposition voices in the country. One defendant, Taner Kilic, who once led Amnesty Turkey, a top human rights watchdog, was convicted on charges of being a member of a terrorist organization and sentenced to six years and three months in prison. Three others Ozlem Dalkiran, Idil Eser and Gunal Kursun were convicted of assisting a terrorist organization and each sentenced to 25 months in jail. Their cases are the latest in a widespread crackdown on dissent in Turkey in the wake of a failed 2016 coup attempt. The crackdown has seen hundreds put on trial and deepened political divisions within the country. While the government accused the group of terrorism, critics say the trials are part of an arbitrary system under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that has targeted human rights defenders with baseless accusations and used the justice system to close down civil society activism. ISTANBUL Turkey opened a trial into the death of the Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul on Friday, accusing 20 Saudi citizens in absentia, in a case that friends and human rights officials welcomed as an important step in advancing the search for justice in his killing. None of the accused were present for the trial Saudi Arabia has declined to extradite them and it was unclear whether the court could legally pursue the case without defendants. Nonetheless, the start of the proceedings was seen as a sign that Turkey and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan who personally knew Mr. Khashoggi and was outraged that the killing took place in Istanbul are determined to pursue those responsible and even implicate the Saudi kingdoms day-to-day ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Mr. Khashoggi was killed when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018, to obtain papers that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz. He never emerged from the meeting. His body was dismembered, and his remains have never been found. 5 of 11 A new strain of a virus that passes from animals to humans has been spreading in China. What type of virus is the new strain? Black Lives Matter protests on June 6 Sources: Crowd Counting Consortium, Edwin Chow and New York Times analysis | Note: The Times partnered with Edwin Chow, an associate professor at Texas State University, to count the protesters based on available aerial images from June 6 and added those estimates to data from the Crowd Counting Consortium. Counting efforts are still ongoing, so the map is not comprehensive and totals shown are an average of high and low estimates. The recent Black Lives Matter protests peaked on June 6, when half a million people turned out in nearly 550 places across the United States. That was a single day in more than a month of protests that still continue to today. Four recent polls including one released this week by Civis Analytics, a data science firm that works with businesses and Democratic campaigns suggest that about 15 million to 26 million people in the United States have participated in demonstrations over the death of George Floyd and others in recent weeks. These figures would make the recent protests the largest movement in the countrys history, according to interviews with scholars and crowd-counting experts. Number of people in U.S. who said they protested, according to polls Poll Pct. who protested Implied population Polling period Kaiser Family Foundation (n = 1296) 10% 26 million June 8-14 Civis Analytics (4446) 9% 23 million June 12-22 N.O.R.C. (1310) 7% 18 million June 11-15 Pew (9654) 6% 15 million June 4-10 Note: Surveys are of the adult population in the United States Ive never seen self-reports of protest participation that high for a specific issue over such a short period, said Neal Caren, associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who studies social movements in the United States. While its possible that more people said they protested than actually did, even if only half told the truth, the surveys suggest more than seven million people participated in recent demonstrations. The Womens March of 2017 had a turnout of about three million to five million people on a single day, but that was a highly organized event. Collectively, the recent Black Lives Matter protests more organic in nature appear to have far surpassed those numbers, according to polls. Really, its hard to overstate the scale of this movement, said Deva Woodly, an associate professor of politics at the New School. Professor Woodly said that the civil rights marches in the 1960s were considerably smaller in number. If we added up all those protests during that period, were talking about hundreds of thousands of people, but not millions, she said. Even protests to unseat government leadership or for independence typically succeed when they involve 3.5 percent of the population at their peak, according to a review of international protests by Erica Chenoweth, a professor at Harvard Kennedy School who co-directs the Crowd Counting Consortium, which collects data on crowd sizes of political protests. Why this movement is different Precise turnout at protests is difficult to count and has led to some famous disputes. An amalgam of estimates from organizers, the police and local news reports often make up the official total. But tallies by teams of crowd counters are revealing numbers of extraordinary scale. On June 6, for example, at least 50,000 people turned out in Philadelphia, 20,000 in Chicagos Union Park and up to 10,000 on the Golden Gate Bridge, according to estimates by Edwin Chow, an associate professor at Texas State University, and researchers at the Crowd Counting Consortium. Philadelphia on June 6, 2020, when 50,000 to 80,000 people protested. Source: EarthCam Across the United States, there have been more than 4,700 demonstrations, or an average of 140 per day, since the first protests began in Minneapolis on May 26, according to a Times analysis. Turnout has ranged from dozens to tens of thousands in about 2,500 small towns and large cities. 500 protests Protests against racism and police violence per day 400 June 6 Juneteenth 300 200 100 0 May 31 Jun 7 Jun 14 Jun 21 Jun 28 500 protests Protests against racism and police violence per day June 6 400 Juneteenth 300 200 100 0 May 31 Jun 7 Jun 14 Jun 21 Jun 28 Protests against racism and police violence per day 500 protests 400 June 6 Juneteenth 300 200 100 May 31 Jun 7 Jun 14 Jun 21 Jun 28 Source: Crowd Counting Consortium The geographic spread of protest is a really important characteristic and helps signal the depth and breadth of a movements support, said Kenneth Andrews, a sociology professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. One of the reasons there have been protests in so many places in the United States is the backing of organizations like Black Lives Matter. While the group isnt necessarily directing each protest, it provides materials, guidance and a framework for new activists, Professor Woodly said. Those activists are taking to social media to quickly share protest details to a wide audience. Black Lives Matter has been around since 2013, but theres been a big shift in public opinion about the movement as well as broader support for recent protests. A deluge of public support from organizations like the N.F.L. and NASCAR for Black Lives Matter may have also encouraged supporters who typically would sit on the sidelines to get involved. The protests may also be benefitting from a country that is more conditioned to protesting. The adversarial stance that the Trump administration has taken on issues like guns, climate change and immigration has led to more protests than under any other presidency since the Cold War. According to a poll from The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation, one in five Americans said that they had participated in a protest since the start of the Trump administration, and 19 percent said they were new to protesting. Who is protesting More than 40 percent of counties in the United States at least 1,360 have had a protest. Unlike with past Black Lives Matter protests, nearly 95 percent of counties that had a protest recently are majority white, and nearly three-quarters of the counties are more than 75 percent white. Percentage of population that is white in counties that had protests Wash. 0 50 75 90 100% Me. Mont. N.D. Vt. Ore. Minn. N.H. Idaho Mass. S.D. N.Y. Wis. Mich. R.I. Wyo. Conn. Iowa Pa. N.J. Neb. Nev. Ohio Md. Del. Ill. Ind. Utah W.Va. Colo. Va. Calif. Kan. Mo. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ariz. N.M. S.C. ARK. Ga. MISS. ALA. TEX. LA. Alaska FLA. HAWAII Percentage of population that is white in counties that had protests Wash. 0 50 75 90 100% Me. Mont. N.D. Vt. Ore. Minn. N.H. Idaho Mass. S.D. N.Y. Wis. Mich. R.I. Wyo. Conn. Iowa Pa. N.J. Neb. Nev. Ohio Md. Del. Ill. Ind. Utah W.Va. Colo. Va. Calif. Kan. Mo. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ariz. N.M. S.C. ARK. Ga. MISS. ALA. TEX. LA. Alaska FLA. HAWAII Percentage of population that is white in counties that had protests 0 50 75 90 100% Wash. Me. Mont. N.D. Vt. Ore. Minn. N.H. Idaho Mass. S.D. N.Y. Wis. Mich. R.I. Wyo. Conn. Iowa Pa. N.J. Neb. Nev. Ohio Md. Del. Ill. Ind. Utah W.Va. Colo. Va. Calif. Kan. Mo. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ariz. N.M. S.C. ARK. Ga. MISS. ALA. TEX. LA. Alaska FLA. HAWAII Percentage of population that is white in counties that had protests 0 50 75 90 100% The New York Times Source: 2018 Census via Social Explorer; Crowd Counting Consortium protests database; New York Times protests database Without gainsaying the reality and significance of generalized white support for the movement in the early 1960s, the number of whites who were active in a sustained way in the struggle were comparatively few, and certainly nothing like the percentages we have seen taking part in recent weeks, said Douglas McAdam, an emeritus professor at Stanford University who studies social movements. According to the Civis Analytics poll, the movement appears to have attracted protesters who are younger and wealthier. The age group with the largest share of protesters was people under 35 and the income group with the largest share of protesters was those earning more than $150,000. Half of those who said they protested said that this was their first time getting involved with a form of activism or demonstration. A majority said that they watched a video of police violence toward protesters or the Black community within the last year. And of those people, half said that it made them more supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement. The protests are colliding with another watershed moment: the countrys most devastating pandemic in modern history. With being home and not being able to do as much, that might be amplifying something that is already sort of critical, something thats already a powerful catalyst, and that is the video, said Daniel Q. Gillion, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has written several books on protests and politics. If you arent moved by the George Floyd video, you have nothing in you, he said. And that catalyst can now be amplified by the fact that individuals probably have more time to engage in protest activity. Besides the spike in demonstrations on Juneteeth, the number of protests has fallen considerably over the last two weeks according to the Crowd Counting Consortium. But the amount of change that the protests have been able to produce in such a short period of time is significant. In Minneapolis, the City Council pledged to dismantle its police department. In New York, lawmakers repealed a law that kept police disciplinary records secret. Cities and states across the country passed new laws banning chokeholds. Mississippi lawmakers voted to retire their state flag, which prominently includes a Confederate battle emblem. It looks, for all the world, like these protests are achieving what very few do: setting in motion a period of significant, sustained, and widespread social, political change, Professor McAdam said. We appear to be experiencing a social change tipping point that is as rare in society as it is potentially consequential. Azerbaijan on Friday deployed troops to help police ensure a tight coronavirus lockdown in the capital Baku and several major cities as infections rise. The troop deployment came as the virus situation was deteriorating in the oil-rich Caucasus nation of some 10 million people. "Army units are taking part in patrols which oversee the implementation of a special quarantine regime," defence ministry spokesman Vagif Dargyahly told AFP. On June 21, Azerbaijan reinstated in Baku and several other major cities a coronavirus lockdown to contain the spread of the disease as infections surged weeks after the country eased restrictions. Despite the strict measures, the number of infections has increased by nearly 70 percent to 18,684 cases. Azerbaijan has also reported 228 deaths. The new restrictions are set to last until August 1. Azerbaijanis are allowed to leave home only after receiving permission via text message from the authorities. The ex-Soviet republic imposed a state of emergency to contain the outbreak in late March. It was then lifted at the end of May, with most restrictions relaxed. Short link: The percentage of New Yorkers who have tested positive for COVID-19 each day has hovered around 1-2% in the past week, despite concern about protests over the last month fueling a potential surge. The southern African nation said Thursday that all of the animals were found in its Okavango Delta region, where conservationists had previously reported more than 350 deaths. An investigation by the countrys Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism confirmed 275 mysterious deaths since March. The Community Foundation of East Alabama has kept up with its philanthropic efforts throughout area, having recently completed a successful Opelika Giving Day, its leaders report. Now, the Community Foundation is looking to help recent high school graduates, announcing that it has awarded $25,000 in scholarship funds to 11 local students. The Community Foundation of East Alabama is thankful to our generous donors who make these scholarship awards possible, said Barbara Patton, the organizations president. Their investment in the education of our young people has impacted each students future. The 11 scholarship recipients were selected by a committee of volunteer leaders. They are: Johnny Adrian Memorial Scholarship Harper McGowan (Auburn High School) Kelleigh McConnel Meredith Memorial Scholarship Julia Bush (Opelika High School) The National Village Ladies Club Scholarship Kaitlyn Goodman (Opelika High School) The Peggy & Bill Memorial Lazenby Scholarship Alex Rice (Opelika High School) 1936 - 2020 Roy Hall, beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully Monday morning June 29, 2020, at the age of 83. Roy will be remembered for his love of life, impish smile, and devotion to family. In recent years, he was happy to attend church at St. Paul's and spend Wednesday lunches with the ROMEOs (really old men eating out). Born in Opelika, Alabama in 1936, Roy enjoyed childhood activities seldom seen today, such as riding clay roads in his wooden cart pulled by a pet goat. As a teenager, he was a scout and was proud to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. Roy started working at age 13 for his father's business in the greenhouses where Mr. Finney taught him carpentry and repair skills that helped make him the dependable "fix-it Dad" the family relied on. In 1959, Roy married Annette, the love of his life. He served in the U.S. army for two years in the Panama Canal and then served in the National Guard for two additional years. During this time, he and his young family were stationed in Georgia, Maryland, and Virginia. After his military service, Roy joined the Hall family business as a wholesale florist store manager in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1966, Roy and his family moved to Mobile, Alabama to establish an import business. Founded 100 years ago in 1920 by his father, Hugh Barnett Hall, in Opelika, Roy helped his father build Hall's Wholesale Florist, Hall's Greenhouses, and Hall International Traders into a substantial business with 12 stores located in cities throughout the Southeast. Roy spent more than 25 years traveling to Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand twice a year on buying trips for the import business. He enjoyed bringing exotic gifts of "100-year-old-eggs", jade jewelry, and colorful kimonos back to his three daughters who grew up enchanted by his travels. In 1997, Roy (Papa) and Annette (Nini) purchased a home in St. John, USVI as a place where their grandchildren would be able to visit and experience the peace and beauty of the natural world while sailing, snorkeling and hiking. Roy was always happy to welcome family and friends to their island retreat. A successful businessman, Roy was known as fair and honorable. He treated people well and left a legacy that is admired by those who worked with him. Roy had a self-deprecating sense of humor and laughed at himself for his discovered enthusiasm for ballet when his youngest daughter, Suzanne, studied dance in Birmingham. He loved a cold beer, plenty of ice in his tea, good (Southern) food, being with friends, and listening to the laughter of his family. He is survived by his wife, Annette, daughters Catherine (Will) Kiser, Lisa (Hunter) Compton, grandchildren Genevieve Pate and Banks Compton, and his sister Sarah Scheufler. He is predeceased by his daughter Suzanne Hall Galloney as well as his brothers, Hugh Hall and Harry Hall. A celebration of life service will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Daphne, Alabama, Monday, July 6 at 11:00 in the morning to be followed by a reception at the Hall residence, 6378 Jackson's Oak Drive, Daphne, Alabama 36526. Kim, believed to be 36, did not appear in public for weeks during the pandemic but resurfaced on May 1. During his absence, rumors abounded that he was sick or had died. A huge farm near Edenderry in Offaly is going under the hammer next month with a guide price of between 9 and 10 million. The property, Ballinla Farm, is one of the largest farm sales to come on the Irish market, and features a Georgian house and a lake, as well as a family home. It will be up for auction at 3pm on August 11 in the Johnstown House Estate in Enfield. The land features 720 acres of tillage, 190 acres of grassland and 180 acres under forestry, mostly Sitka and Norway Spruce. The farm is laid out in a single block, bounded by the Grand Canal and over 5km of public road frontage, and has around 8km of internal roadways. The farm is highly commercially productive, according to the selling agent, and has been in three generations of the Tong family for over 100 years. Ballinla House Ballinla House itself is a listed Georgian residence built in 1842. It has been unoccupied but structurally maintained for a number of years, although it requires complete refurbishment. The estate's family home is the five-bedroom Penny Lodge, which is in immaculate walk-in condition. The property also comprises a farmyard with extensive sheds and stores, and a lake stocked for coarse fishing. Penny Lodge The farmyard The selling agent is Raymond Potterton and Company. The property will be sold either as an entire unit, or in four lots. Two Limerick men charged in connection with a 3.9m cannabis seizure in Laois have been remanded in custody. Gerard O'Brien, 42, Clarina Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick and John Ryan, 41, Oisin Drive, O'Malley Park, Limerick, appeared before a sitting of Tullamore District Court this morning. Both are accused of the possession of cannabis herb on July 1 at Raheen, Co Laois, and possession of cannabis herb for sale or supply. Applications for bail were refused by Judge Bernadette Owens. Detective Sergeant William Delaney, Portlaoise garda station, opposed bail because of the nature and seriousness of the charges and that if admitted to bail he believed the men would fail to turn up in court. Det Sgt Delaney said the evidence would be that Gerard O'Brien and John Ryan travelled together from Limerick to a location in the north-east of the country to collect a consignment of drugs. It is alleged that on arrival they loaded up to 10 cardboard boxes into their vehicle and travelled back to Raheen in Co Laois where they met another individual. Det Sgt Delaney said the evidence would be they handed their vehicle to the other person and left in a different one. Gardai then intercepted both vehicles. The court was told it would be alleged that over 7kg of cannabis herb and 377kg of cannabis-infused products were found. The 7kg of cannabis had been analysed and its estimated street value was 140,000. The other items were awaiting analysis in the forensic science laboratory and were believed to have a street value in excess of 3.7m. In a bail application for Mr O'Brien, Philip Meagher, solicitor, said his client was a father of one who would comply with any bail conditions the court would impose. Suzanne Dooner, BL, for Mr Ryan, made a similar application and said an independent surety was prepared to lodge 5,000 cash. Ms Dooner also said Mr Ryan, a father of four children, had been told a 250 drug debt he had would be wiped out if he engaged in the drug transport and he would also be paid 500. Judge Owens refused the applications and remanded both men in custody to Cloverhill District Court on July 10 next. She also directed that Mr Ryan receive all appropriate medical treatment. The court was told two other males remain in custody in connection with the seizure and there may be another court appearance later today. Offaly senator and Minister Pippa Hackett, Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for land use and biodiversity, today welcomed the international recognition achieved by the Irish Farming for Nature initiative amongst its international peers. The Farming for Nature initiative developed by Burren Beo in 2018 aims to help acknowledge and support farmers who farm, or wish to farm in a way that improves the natural health of the countryside. A global search was recently completed to find innovators capable of bringing key players together who preserve and restore biodiversity. The Farming for Nature initiative highlights the positive roles farmers play in looking after nature on their land, narrowly missed out on claiming the top prize, finishing in second place in Vittel and Ashoka's Act for Biodiversity Challenge. More than 200 projects were evaluated in the challenge. The judges of the competitions offered high praise to Farming for Nature for making an impactful and innovative contribution, noting that the Farming for Nature, which is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, along with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), is delivering change among farmers to care for nature. Farming for Nature will be awarded 40,000 and will also have access to an Accelerator programme with the view of sharing what has worked so well in Ireland with other European countries. Minister Hackett praised Farming for Nature saying, I congratulate Farming for Nature on receiving this highly prestigious award. The Farming for Nature initiative deserves great recognition for its fantastic work in improving farmland biodiversity in Ireland through supporting farming practices and by identifying, promoting and assisting farmers that improve farmland biodiversity. I am delighted to be providing financial resources, along with NPWS, to the Farming for Nature initiative. The brains behind the scent itself is Steve Pearce, founder of Omega Ingredients, a fragrance and flavor manufacturer who worked on the initial smell for NASA, according to Eau de Space. He has now teamed up with Eau de Space to create what product manager Matt Richmond described to CNN as a mix of gunpowder, seared steak, raspberries and rum, as he said astronauts have told him. Yes. I would be the first in line. No. I don't trust that a vaccine will be safe. I plan to, but I want to wait to see effects of first doses. Not sure. Vote View Results As the number of dog adoptions have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, so have dog bite injuries, according to an Omaha hospital. Childrens Hospital & Medical Center saw 20 dog bite injuries in May, four of which required hospitalization, compared to 13 bites in May or last year, according to a press release from the hospital. The hospital and the Nebraska Humane Society have partnered to advocate for child safety and educate families on dog ownership. Always have your child ask permission from the owner of the dog before approaching or petting it, said Travis Hedlund, trauma injury prevention coordinator at Childrens. Even when the owner gives permission, the child should proceed with caution and respect. Parental supervision is one of the No. 1 ways to prevent injury. Never leave your child unattended with an animal. Childrens Hospital and the Nebraska Humane Society shared these tips to help prevent dog bites: Police are investigating a stabbing that occurred Wednesday night in York, Nebraska. York police officers responded to a home about 7:30 p.m. after a 911 hang-up call was made from the residence. They found a man appearing to strangle a woman, according to a press release from the Nebraska State Patrol. An officer pulled 60-year-old Mario Reyes off the woman and saw that the woman had been stabbed multiple times. The victim is being treated for life-threatening injuries, the patrol said. For her safety, officers arent releasing her identity. She remained hospitalized as of Thursday afternoon. Reyes was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, strangulation and domestic assault. The State Patrol is assisting the York Police Department in the investigation, which is ongoing. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Vandals recently spray-painted racist and violent images and slurs in a grass field at Zorinsky Lake Park. The graffiti, sprayed near a parking lot in blue paint, included a racist word, a crude drawing of a stick-figure person being hanged and a swastika. City of Omaha park maintenance workers removed the graffiti Tuesday, as soon as they learned about it, said Mayor Jean Stothert in a statement. The racist writings and symbols painted on the grass at Zorinsky Park are not indicative of what Omaha is or what Omaha citizens believe, she said. We do not tolerate acts of hate. Stothert said the Omaha Police Department is investigating the act as a hate crime. Even with all the cancellations, people can still purchase their own fireworks to shoot off. Under Nebraska law, Wednesday was the first day that fireworks could be sold or purchased in the state. However, local ordinances can be more restrictive. Fireworks stands will open Thursday in the suburban communities of Bellevue, Papillion, Ralston and Gretna. An Omaha city ordinance does not allow for the sale or purchase of fireworks until Sunday. Legally, fireworks can only be shot off in Omaha from noon to 11 p.m., Thursday, July 2, through Saturday, July 4. Omaha residents with fireworks complaints should call 402-444-5802, which is a nonemergency number, the Omaha Police Department said in a press release. Youths between the ages of 12 and 16 can set off fireworks, but only with an adult present, according to Nebraska law. In Iowa, the dates for fireworks sales are dictated by state law. A fireworks vendor that is based in a building can sell from June 1 through July 8. A fireworks vendor that sells in a temporary tent can sell from June 13 through July 8. The chairman of the Omaha Public Power District board said Thursday that the utilitys decision to fly the rainbow flag during June for LGBTQ Pride Month elicited an overwhelmingly positive response, despite some criticism. From a board members perspective, there was a little bit of an organized effort to push back on it, Craig Moody said. My understanding, however, is that by and large, there has been overwhelmingly positive feedback. OPPD joined the City of Omaha, Mutual of Omaha, Union Pacific Railroad and Bank of the West as some of the major local entities showing support for the LGBTQ community in June by displaying the flag. Rainbow flags were displayed at multiple OPPD locations, Moody said. Carrie Murphy, a spokeswoman for Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, said a few calls about the citys display of the flag came into the Mayors Hotline, most against. The hotline staff estimated that they received fewer than 10 calls on the topic, she said. Earlier this week on his Twitter account, Moody responded to some of the negative criticism he had been receiving. Twenty-eight members of the Guard have been diagnosed with COVID-19, but not all of those cases are duty-related. No Guard members have been hospitalized. Thirteen have tested positive while on duty, all but one after activation associated with law enforcement during recent civil unrest. No one who was involved in Guard activities related to COVID-19 testing of Nebraskans at sites throughout the state or on duty at food banks has tested positive. Camp Ashland is available for quarantine of Guard members if needed, Bohac noted. The concerns expressed in the letter appear to be overstated, the general suggested. Knowing soldiers, there always are some that dont want to comply, Bohac said. Sometimes, its up to the commanders and sergeants to get people back in line. But sometimes its sergeants and officers who ignore the need to wear masks and practice social distancing, the letter writer stated. I am a combat veteran who has served more than 15 years in the Nebraska National Guard and I am doing something I never thought I would have to do, the Guard member wrote. Our findings show that, both as embryos in eggs and as spawning adults, fish are far more sensitive to heat than in their larval stage or as adults outside the spawning season, said lead author and Wegener institute marine biologist Dr. Flemming Dahlke in a statement. On the global average, for example, adults outside the mating season can survive in water thats up to 10 degrees Celsius warmer than spawners or fish eggs can tolerate. LINCOLN Gov. Pete Ricketts made no apology Thursday for negative attack mailings aimed at a Republican campaign opponent of one of his appointees, State Sen. Julie Slama of Peru. The mailings against candidate Janet Palmtag of Nebraska City which a state GOP leader said crossed the line and former Govs. Dave Heineman and Bob Kerrey labeled racist were absolutely appropriate, Ricketts said in response to reporters question. I wanted to make sure that Julie Slama did very well in that primary, and I wanted to make sure she wins reelection because shes the right person for District 1, said the governor, who has been an activist in funding legislative candidates he likes and taking down those he opposes. Janet Palmtag is not conservative and she is wrong on the issues on a number of different things, he said, mentioning gun control and providing food stamp benefits for felons. Dozens of journalists jailed in Turkey. Reporters forbidden from questioning the ruling political party in China. Government intimidation of reporters in India. The murder of journalists in Russia. In those countries and many more, freedom of the press is under siege, if its allowed to exist at all. Regimes currently imprison 248 journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists reports. The highest numbers are in China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Such abuses underscore the enduring importance of principles anchored in our federal Constitution: In our country, the law blocks the government from using the arbitrary jailing and harassment employed in much of the world against reporters and editors. Commentators, as well as the public, can speak their mind openly, critical of public officials and agencies, without fear of government reprisal. Matthew Fleischer, a senior editor in the Los Angeles Times Opinion section, points out that putting the world economy on life support isnt going to even begin to solve the climate crisis. The knock-on effects of the economic disaster prompted by world governments reactions to the coronavirus pandemic are ironic, yes, but not a solution, hardly. Reuters published an account in April asserting that world carbon dioxide production might fall 5% this year because of the economys pandemic lockdowns the most since 1946. This figure does little except indicate just how much, and how consistently, greenhouse gas production has gone up since 1880. Doing the math, one discovers that these emissions would have to fall 7 to 8% per year for several decades to get us back to 300 to 350 parts per million required to bend the curve down to a survivable level. No one wants to subject anyone to 50 years of pandemics to escape the climate apocalypse, not to mention a future without sporting events, concerts or trips to the zoo and shopping malls. The worst pandemic in a century wont solve climate change, wrote Fleischer. We have to do that for ourselves. All of the supporters of Ed Poindexter and Mondos innocence grieve with you for the Minard family. We grieve that they do not know who the real killer of their father was. There is a piece of evidence pointing to his identity: the 911 call, which is not the voice of Ed Poindexter, Mondo or Duane Peak, the 16-year old boy who falsely confessed to calling. I have always wanted to speak to the police officers who were involved in the horrible explosion that took Mr. Minards life. I believe they are also victims of a criminal justice system that was intent on getting a conviction, even if that meant convicting two innocent men. Kietryn Zychal, Lincoln Major police problems in Omaha Mayor Stothert and Chief Schmaderer took aim at the problems residents of Omaha brought forth, and they completely missed the mark. It is telling that two city leaders consistently say they are listening, then make multiple tone-deaf remarks. 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Generation V caters to both the novice and experienced vaper with the largest selection of vaporizers and e-liquid in the state. All of the e-liquids are American-made and produced in a GMP-certified lab, ensuring they consistently deliver safe, high-quality products, Linden says. Providing friendly, personalized customer service is our main goal, Linden says. Whether you are hearing about e-cigarettes for the first time or looking for a better-performing device, we want your experience to be relaxing, informative and fun. Most disturbingly, even with the info now public, the president is not inclined to do or say anything to hold Russia accountable. Whatever the explanation for his earlier ignorance, why is there no denunciation now? Because this is the same president who, out of perverse fondness for Vladimir Putin, voices skepticism that Russia interfered in 2016. Who in Helsinki said he believed Putin over U.S. intelligence services. Bronx: Reading Mitchell Moss and Benjamin Hellers article, Kids have to go back to school (op-ed, July 1), it occurred to me that the COVID-19 crisis may have one unexpected benefit. Teachers (UFT), parents and the general public should seize this sad opportunity and demand that teachers are given their due in terms of respect, better working conditions and salaries. A backlash from parents is coming against remote learning. After months of being shut in, who now doesnt want to see kids learning the old-fashioned way? Pushing digital fixes for K to 12 education will come at the expense of teachers, and children, who need social interaction, and will increase the odds that our most vulnerable students already face. Fred Smith At the extreme, these lies have sent innocent people to prison, which is what Detective Joseph E. Franco from the NYPD did when he lied about drug sales that never happened. Police lies may also involve the most grotesque of violations of the body and emotional manipulation. Giovanni Macias, a Contra Costa public defender, shared how his client did not agree to a blood test, which the police alleged he did. But the officers forgot about the mic in their squad car, which recorded, My sobbing client said no over and over. They said hed be deported, never see his kids, that he could only use a bathroom if he agreed. Sky News 21 Jun 2021 New Zealand's Laurel Hubbard will become the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympic Games after being selected for her.. Governors of U.S. states hit hardest by the resurgent coronavirus halted or reversed steps to reopen their economies on Wednesday, led by California, the nation's most populous state and a new epicentre of the pandemic. By RNZ Three influential New Zealand figures are urging the government to consider reopening the borders, and abandon a strategy of totally eliminating the Covid-19 virus.The former chief science advisor Sir Peter Gluckman,... Al Jazeera STUDIO 04 Jul 2020 The French president has tasked Jean Castex with forming a new government after Philippe's resignation, the Elysee says. The un-ordinary bar and grill. Village Box Cafe Bar & Grill or The Box, is the ultimate dining experience. A full-service restaurant, bar, grill and events venue space sure to delight. A new way to dine and entertain, consisting of an in-house branded bar & grill, themed events, lounges and bars, comedy and dance nights. We offer such events as our highly anticipated Food Bar, held nightly on the Box patio from 5-9 LA GRANDE The Oregon Health Authority reported two more La Grande workplaces are the sites of COVID-19 outbreaks. Grande Ronde Hospital has 11 employees with COVID-19, according to the Oregon Health Authoritys latest weekly report on the coronavirus, and New Day Enterprises has nine. OHA reports only workplace outbreaks with five or more cases and only for workplaces where there are at least 30 employees. The case counts include anyone linked to the outbreak, per the report, which may include household members and other close contacts. Grande Ronde in a press release Wednesday morning announced the Oregon Health Authority notified hospital President and CEO Jeremy Davis on Tuesday about the outbreak. Given the current outbreak in our community, an increase in testing and contact tracing; and given the fact that Grande Ronde is the largest private employer in Union County, we had anticipated this announcement could come, Davis said in the press release. The hospital employs 750 people, nearly 5% of Union Countys workforce, and reported in March it implemented new screening procedures for each worker and each shift at all of its facilities. Employees who do not pass initial screening questions or a temperature check have to immediately go to the Employee Health Center for further evaluation. Davis also said while it is not the news the hospital hoped to hear, it has been preparing for any potential outbreaks. He said employees who tested positive have been asked to stay home and quarantine per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. New Day Enterprises is a nonprofit that supports adults with developmental disabilities, according to its website, and has about a hundred people on staff. Executive Director Christy Slack was unavailable for comment Wednesday afternoon. Grande Ronde Retirement Residence, La Grande, which last week reported it had four cases among its staff, added one more. And Outdoors RV, which along with Northwood Manufacturing makes up the plants within Northwood Investments, has two more cases, bumping its total to seven. A week ago, Northwood reported Outdoors had five confirmed cases. Union County added five more cases Wednesday, raising its total to 342, according to the Center for Human Development. The center continued to report 13 recovered cases and is now listing 328 active cases. One individual has died with COVID-19 in the county. The county also had 121 more negative test results, according to data from the Oregon Health Authority, raising the overall count to 1,674 and dropping the positive test rate to 17%. Baker County added three new cases, moving its total to four. Wallowa County, meanwhile, is up to 10 cases. Tuesday night revelation Davis participated Tuesday evening in a virtual meeting with Northeast Oregon Joint Information Center to address key questions about the COVID-19 outbreak in the county, but during that meeting he did not bring up the outbreak at the hospital. Union County Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen also participated in the livestream and revealed the sheriffs office knew about the Lighthouse Pentecostal Churchs violations of Gov. Kate Browns executive order preventing large gatherings prior to the early June outbreak. Rasmussen said the sheriffs office received a complaint one Sunday about the church continuing to gather and discussed the matter with Lighthouse pastor James Parker, who Rasmussen said acknowledged the dangers and stated the church would shut down. More noise complaints followed when the church began to meet outside. Rasmussen said he was not in contact with the church for a period of time after the initial complaint, and as far as he knew other officers handled the situation. When this most recent event happened I was unaware of any of the types of meetings that were going on out there, Rasmussen said. I was aware of it when it hit the media. The Union County Sheriffs Office provides law enforcement services for Island City, but Rasmussen went on to say the sheriffs office will not cite the church for the gatherings. He said it is important for the community to work together and not create divisive situations. He said the focus has been on moving forward and preventing it from happening again. Protecting privacy a priority Locals have been clamoring for more information about the COVID-19 cases in the county, including the number of hospitalizations, whether individuals confirmed to have the virus are isolating and more. Carrie Brogoitti, public health director for the Center for Human Development, during the livestream addressed those matters. About a month ago we had a small number of cases, so we were hesitant to share the information people are asking about because we wanted to protect the privacy of the person, she said. In a small community it can be pretty easy to figure out who we are talking about by giving a small amount of details. But, at this time things have changed pretty dramatically so we are really in a different situation. We are asking the community to understand we received over 300 positive cases from over 1,000 tests in a matter of weeks, so this is a significant volume of work (and) we are working around the clock to get accurate information. While getting out the information is important, she continued, there is greater importance on ensure the information is accurate. Brogoitti urged people to use the Oregon Health Authoritys website to find answers to questions CHD has not answered. She also explained health authorities do not release specific locations due to how the virus is spread. In the case of this disease, it doesnt really make a lot of sense for us to release locations, Brogoitti said. Our best tool for identifying people who are at risk for contracting the virus is through contact investigations and contact tracing. Some of the information the center does not have includes the number of asymptomatic cases and hospitalization statuses. In regard to the hospital, she said during the livestream, it is up to Grande Ronde Hospital to share that information. Grande Ronde Hospitals Davis said the hospital does not share the number of COVID-19 patients it treats due to privacy concerns. He said while some hospitals may be reporting numbers, others are not, and not reporting is the approach the hospital plans to continue taking. In a larger urban area where folks may have more anonymity I could see hospitals being a bit more open to sharing some of this data, Davis said. But we live in a very small community, a tight-knit community, and we have never really shared census data around patient diagnosis before. Out of an abundance of caution we want to preserve that policy even during this time of COVID. The Oregon Health Authoritys weekly report showed Grande Ronde Hospital has between one and nine COVID-19 patients. The OHA, however, has been providing age ranges of COVID-19 patients in Wallowa County with a population near 7,200 as compared to almost 27,000 in Union County and reporting patients are isolating. The OHA has not provided that information in Union County. Davis said as the situation develops it is possible the hospitals policy will change. He also said the hospital continues to run and has capacity for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 cases as they come in. Sheriff ready to keep church safe During the livestream, Rasmussen said the sheriffs office will respond to any types of problems Pentecostal Lighthouse Church has with safety. He said he has received texts and seen posts in the community attacking the church and has spoken with Parker to assure church members the sheriffs office will provide protection if needed. We are going to be there for them as we would with any member of the community to stamp threats down and ensure people are safe, property is safe and there is no damage, Rasmussen said. He also said the focus should not be on Union County having one of the highest cases of COVID-19 cases per capita in the nation. People are calling in. The New York Times sent an email today and I didnt respond, Rasmussen said. My focus is dealing with this community and we dont want media outlets to make it look like we are not a connected community, (like) we are not a responsible community, because we are. La Grande Police Chief Gary Bell also participated in the livestream and talked about Gov. Kate Brown ordering people to wear face masks inside public spaces statewide beginning July 1. He said some people may not be able to wear a mask, such as those with underlying conditions and children younger than 12. Business can require customers to wear masks, but Bell said if a person claims they cannot wear a mask due to underlying conditions the business should not ask any additional questions. He also said that a business can ask the person to leave. He compared this to the no shoes, no shirt, no service rule. Bell asked people to avoid confrontations and said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration could sanction businesses for not following guidelines. But the police department, he said, will not arrest or cite people for not wearing a mask. Dont call the police department or 911 center to report violations of people not wearing face coverings, Bell said. We simply dont have the resources or the capacity to handle the number of calls that this could create. Observer reporter Ronald Bond contributed to this feature. When Gov. Kate Brown this week started requiring the public to wear face coverings statewide, Oregon joined a list thats now 21 states long. But Oregon has one of the least stringent mandates aimed at beating back the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are two reasons why: Masks required only indoors Seventeen of the 20 other states require masks in all public settings or whenever people are within six feet of non-household members. The mandates apply to indoors and outdoors, such as in parks, on sidewalks and at farmers markets. Brown requires masks only in Oregons public indoor settings, including grocery stores, retail stores, public transportation, gyms and restaurants. There are some exceptions, including while exercising at the gym or eating at a restaurant, as long as patrons are at least six feet from others. On Friday, Texas and Kansas became the latest states to require face coverings indoors and out. Texas exempts counties with less than 20 active infections, which is expected to be about 5% of counties. Pennsylvanias governor, who in April only mandated masks inside businesses, expanded his order Wednesday to include outdoor spaces, too. He explained his original order wasnt enough to slow the novel coronavirus spread. Exemption for elementary-aged children Oregons governor exempted children younger than 12 from her requirement. Twelve of the 20 other states with statewide mask orders set the age of exemption at 2 or younger -- or have set no age threshold at all. Only Delaware sets the exemption higher than Oregon: Children younger than 13. The American Academy of Pediatrics hasnt set an age when children should absolutely wear masks, but says its dangerous for children under 2 to wear masks and that children in general should wear them. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says anyone age 2 and older should wear a face covering while in a public setting. Coronavirus infections in Oregon have been surging since late May, and children are no exception. In June, new infections in kids under 10 grew five-fold, the fastest growing of any age group in the state. When The Oregonian/OregonLive asked Brown during a news conference Wednesday why she set the age threshold at 12, the governor deferred the question to state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger. Sidelinger said the Oregon Health Authority recommends masks on children ages 2-11, but doesnt believe in a requirement because different children have different abilities to wear the mask and wear the mask safely. Sidelingers view has gained support from some pediatricians, including Dr. Hayes Bakken, who leads the outpatient coronavirus response at Doernbecher Childrens Hospital in Portland. Bakken told The Oregonian/OregonLive that she and her colleagues hand out kid-sized masks to parents of children ages 2 and older. Some toddlers -- 2, 3 year olds -- are happily wearing masks and actually look a little nervous when we tell them to take them down to, for example, look in their mouth or examine their nose, Bakken said. But some older children or children with developmental challenges have difficulties covering their faces. They melt down, they have total tantrums, Bakken said. Or kids just cant stop touching their face, pulling on the mask. Oregon is similar to other states, too In authorizing Oregons mask requirement, Brown has fallen in line with most Democratic governors. Two dozen U.S. governors are Democrats, and 18 of them -- including Brown -- have announced statewide mask orders. On the flip side, only three of the countrys 26 Republican governors have imposed statewide face covering mandates. Some governors started requiring masks more than two months ago, before they reopened their states economies, saying they wanted to stem the spread of the virus before it had a chance to regain a hold. In April, the nations hard-hit states of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut were the first to establish border-to-border mask requirements -- weeks before they started reopening. They acted shortly after the CDC, which previously had urged the general public not to wear masks, reversed its position by stating masks reduce the spread of the virus. In Oregon, however, Brown held back on imposing a mask requirement statewide for months, as new infections continued but at a significantly lower rate than most other states in the nation. When Oregon started reopening May 15, Brown again declined to issue an order saying she hoped residents would do the right thing by covering their faces voluntarily. But by June 24, with new infections reaching unprecedented levels, Brown ordered masks in seven counties, including those in the Portland area. Just seven days later, with the situation worsening, she expanded that order statewide. The all-volunteer organization Masks4All tracks states with mask decrees. If you dont like wearing a mask, youre not going to like wearing a ventilator.#Masks4All pic.twitter.com/XArS49jVs4 Rasu Shrestha MD MBA (@RasuShrestha) June 26, 2020 A lack of enforcement Violating Browns order is a misdemeanor, but Brown said Wednesday she doesnt want businesses or the public calling police when they spot maskless customers. She said she doesnt plan to prosecute violators. She said enforcement is up to the businesses, which should call Oregons Occupational Safety and Health agency if they are struggling with customers who wont wear masks. While that doesnt sit well with some business owners, Browns stance isnt all that unusual. Nationally, many governors appear reluctant to prosecute violators. Some officials in Florida, however, have been very vocal about the possibility of fines for maskless members of the public. In Miami, city leaders pondered this week whether fining violators $250 would be enough, or if they should up that amount to $500. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said first-time offenders would get a warning, while second-time offenders would be fined $250. In Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee said he hopes prosecutions wont be necessary. Yet the sheriffs of Lewis and Klickitat counties have publicly objected to the mask order and dont seem likely to enforce it. Inslee said Thursday that a new order requiring businesses to refuse service to maskless customers will take effect next Tuesday. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter -- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Gov. Kate Brown on Friday announced increased enforcement of the states face covering, physical distancing and occupancy standards for businesses at the start of the three-day Fourth of July holiday weekend. The move comes as Oregons number of new daily coronavirus cases soared Thursday to record-breaking heights for the second consecutive day with 375 cases, topping Wednesdays 281. Browns office said Oregon Liquor Control Commission staff, with support from the state Occupational Safety and Health division, will do spot checks and inspections throughout the state over the weekend. The workers will ensure restaurants, bars and other businesses, as well as their customers, are following regulations. State workers have the power to issue citations, fines and red warning notices to businesses that refuse to comply, Browns office said. The notices close businesses until a hazardous condition is remedied and results in stiff penalties, according to the governors office. I am asking Oregonians this holiday weekend to take urgent steps to stop the spread of COVID-19 by wearing face coverings, avoiding large gatherings, and physically distancing, Brown said in a statement. And state enforcement agencies will be out in force to ensure businesses are in compliance. Those businesses not complying with gathering size limits, face covering requirements, physical distancing rules, and other standards face stiff penalties. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter Brown also added eight counties Jefferson, Lake, Lincoln, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union and Wasco to a COVID-19 watch list. The spread of the coronavirus in those counties has risen to alarming levels in recent weeks, the statement said. The counties will be monitored in the coming days while officials deploy additional capacity to control the spread of the disease, according to the governors office, though it did not release any details of what help it would offer. If the counties do not see a downturn quickly, restrictive measures such as business closures or tighter gathering size limits will ensue, the governors office said in the statement. Thursdays record case count underscores the need for Oregonians to continue practicing physical distancing and wear masks as infections spread in rural and urban areas alike, the Oregon Health Authority said. The increase becomes even more problematic heading into the Fourth of July weekend, when social gatherings and travel could increase the spread of infection. We stand at a crossroads this weekend we can either stop the spread of COVID-19, or infections and hospitalizations will rise across Oregon and I will reinstate restrictive measures in impacted counties and business sectors, Brown said. -- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 Bryce Dole of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report. Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Sharon McGovern had a hard birth and a hard death. Different from others, she lived in the shadows, finding her way the best she could. Only at 75 did she achieve a grim measure of distinction. In April she became a statistic, an Oregonian who died from COVID-19. *** She was born in 1945 with the umbilical cord wrapped tight around her neck, cutting off oxygen and leaving her with brain damage. Severe scoliosis caused her spine to curve like the rail on a rocking chair. I ended up in plenty of fist fights defending her from cruel kids, William McGovern, the middle of three children, said of his sister Sharon. She was an easy target. The family lived in Southeast Portland, and the parents divorced when Sharon McGovern was 10. She was sent to live with her mothers parents at a farm in Gresham. My mother felt she just couldnt take care of her, said William McGovern. My other sister and I lived with my mother. McGovern said his sister grew up in an era where there were few opportunities for someone like her. If Sharon was a young student now, it would be a different story, said McGovern. Back then were no special education classes for her. She was on her own. She struggled with a lot of things because she had trouble connecting the dots. Even after she graduated from Gresham High School in 1963, people continued to judge her. They either assumed she was incapable, McGovern said, or they pitied her. That makes it worse, he said. You have to tell people like Sharon they can do things. You have to believe in them. I did. It took her a little longer, but she could do it. Her older brother and sister led independent lives, and McGovern said his sister wanted that, too. She told her brother she wanted to drive a car. It seemed, he said, an absurd wish. Nevertheless, he picked up his sister in his 1978 Chevrolet Camaro and took her to the massive parking lot at Multnomah Greyhound racing track in Fairview. He let her sit behind the wheel. He took his time explaining every knob, handle and switch, repeating it as if he were in a classroom. You had to have patience with Sharon, McGovern said. Things came to her a little differently. The problem was not many people in the world have patience. When McGovern realized his sister was serious about this goal, he arranged to get her a small used car from a friend. He began daily lessons, hours at a time, for three months. His sister learned how to put the car in gear and use the gas and brake pedals. She learned to steer, signaling and then circling parking lot light poles. After she gained skills and confidence, McGovern drove his sister to an isolated spot near the farm and let her drive the car on empty road. What strangers didnt realize about Sharon was that she would do whatever it took, McGovern said. She just needed a bit of help, and it took time for her to grasp it all. One day, the lesson over, his sister said she was ready to take the test. On the appointed day, McGovern drove her to the motor vehicle site and explained the situation to the examiner. She passed the test. She was 34. And she was thrilled to hold the license in her hand and tell people what she had accomplished. As she grew older, Sharon McGovern was able to lead a life of independence. She died of COVID-19 in April. And with that, she set off to explore the world. She drove herself to doctors appointments, to the store and to just go for a drive, excursions that her brother said made her feel free and a part of the world that had earlier had little use for her. She wanted more. She wanted to work. Through a family connection, she was hired to work at a small Gresham business. She filed papers, said McGovern. If a person told her to do something a certain way, shed do it that way forever. The most reliable person I have ever known. She never veered right or left. She enjoyed going to rock and country-western concerts and traveling with her sister. When the Gresham business closed, she still wanted to work, telling her brother it made her feel good to earn her own money. Her brother got her a job with a man he knew who had a crew cleaning banks and office buildings in downtown Portland. She did that work until she reached the age where she could retire, her brother said. She never married and lived with my mother and uncle in that old house. In 2014, she suffered a mild stroke. The years were catching up with her, said McGovern. She had a tough life. I could tell she wasnt doing well. The spirit kind of went out of her. She kind of gave up. We moved her from the home to assisted living. Her body failed her, her back no longer able to support her. If she leaned over, she had no balance and had to use a walker. Even so, she fell. An X-ray at the hospital revealed her bones were so brittle the doctor said theyd shatter if a surgeon tried to repair them. A woman who had craved independence and found it late in life was now dependent. Her brother, by then his sisters legal guardian, moved her to a foster home. When she became bed-ridden there, he moved her to Healthcare at Foster Creek in Southeast Portland. In late February, McGovern said he received a call from an official at the home saying no visitors were allowed because the facility was under quarantine. He said he was told it was because of a virus. He said he never asked for an explanation, but given what was happening in the world, McGovern said he assumed it was for COVID-19. Foster Creek would become the site of the biggest outbreak of the novel coronavirus among long-term care facilities in the state. According to the Oregon Health Authority, 119 people associated with Foster Creek were infected with COVID-19 and 30 of them have died. Her birthday was on March 12, McGovern said. I had gifts for her, but I had to leave them outside the facility. They took them to her. I never saw her again. On April 3, Sharon McGovern fell ill. Terribly sick and in pain, she was taken by ambulance from the nursing home. At the hospital, she tested positive for COVID-19. I got a call from a nurse, said William McGovern. I learned it was unlikely my sister would make it. I called my sister and half-brother in California. We decided to make sure she wasnt in any pain. She died on April 7 and was buried in a Gresham cemetery. Her official obit was only three short paragraphs. A 75-year-old life wrapped up in just 60 words, noting she liked watching game shows, sitcoms and westerns on TV. I loved her, said her brother. I miss her. --Tom Hallman Jr; thallman@oregonian.com; 503-221-8224; @thallmanjr Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Journalists with professional or authorized press passes and legal observers will be exempt from Portland police orders requiring protesters to disperse during declared unlawful assemblies or riots under a 14-day order issued late Thursday by a federal judge. Police also cannot arrest, threaten to arrest or use force against a person who they know or reasonably should know is a journalist or legal observer. Officers arent to seize their cameras, audio or videotaping equipment or press passes unless they have probable cause to believe a crime has been committed, the order says. Journalists should carry a professional or authorized press pass or wear such a press badge or distinctive clothing that identifies them as a member of the press. Legal observers with the National Lawyers Guild typically wear a green hat and those with the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon wear blue hats. U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon issued the order after holding two hearings this week on a lawsuit brought by six people against the city. Simon cited case law that recognizes the media are surrogates for the public and that the U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized a qualified right of access for the press and public to observe government activities. Although the First Amendment does not enumerate special rights for observing government activities, (t)he Supreme Court has recognized that newsgathering is an activity protected by the First Amendment, the judge wrote in his 10-page ruling. He also cited a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision in 2012 that said: Open government has been a hallmark of our democracy since our nations founding. Portland police or other officers working with the Police Bureau wont be liable if any of the journalists or legal observers who dont leave an area are exposed to tear gas or crowd control munitions, the order says. Plaintiffs named in the lawsuit are journalist Tuck Woodstock, photojournalists John Rudoff, Mathieu Lewis-Rolland and Sam Gehrke and legal observers Doug Brown and Kat Mahoney. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon Foundation and attorneys from a San Francisco-based law firm filed the suit. They sought a temporary restraining order that restricted police from targeting journalists or legal observers when they make a declaration of unlawful assembly or a riot and take steps to break up a crowd. Rudoff wears a National Press Photographers Association press ID around his neck, a helmet that says press'' on it and carries heavy camera equipment. At a June 19 demonstration, he was outside the Justice Center in downtown Portland when he said a line of police began pushing the crowd down the street. He showed police his press pass and camera equipment and an officer responded move, move, move, we dont care if youre media, Rudoff said in a sworn declaration filed in court. Attorney Matthew Borden, representing the plaintiffs, told the judge that a press pass is meaningful. This is what people in the media carry around for protection. But in circumstances here, theyve become a target. The judge asked for input from city attorneys on how he could craft a temporary order for the upcoming holiday weekend if the concern by journalists and legal observers is they want to remain to see how police treat everyone else who doesnt disperse. While the city must adhere to the court order, it isnt conceding that journalists and legal observers have a constitutional right to remain after a police dispersal order, city attorneys said. Deputy City Attorney Dennis Vannier argued the city doesnt believe journalists have any greater legal protections than the public. Citing a 1972 U.S. Supreme Court case, Vannier said the First Amendment doesnt guarantee the press a constitutional right of special access not available to the public generally. Borden said that case doesnt apply to protests. The order runs for 14 days unless the judge extends it. The plaintiffs have also filed a motion for a more long-lasting preliminary injunction. We are very pleased that the court granted some relief prior to the long holiday weekend, Borden said in a statement Thursday night. We hope that this creates a needed shield for members of the press and legal observers documenting how police are treating protesters. Juan Chavez, the Northwest vice president of the National Lawyers Guild, applauded the judges order. In this moment when the community is demanding the dismantling of oppressive systems like policing, legal observers and journalists are an important part of this truth and reckoning, Chavez said. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Subscribe to Facebook page Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. To destroy an illusion, one must learn that it is an illusion. One foundational resource that was largely denied to enslaved blacks is education. Seven of the 11 states that eventually joined the Confederacy passed laws preventing slaves from reading, writing or both. Illiteracy prevented slaves from forging free papers or travel passes and made it difficult for them to communicate with one another across plantations. A suspect has been arrested after an injured woman earlier this week was dropped off at a Eugene hospital where she later died, police said Thursday. Police said investigators believe the woman, Kiari Tasha Danielle Holland, a 31-year-old Eugene resident, was hit by a vehicle near River Road, then picked up by a truck and taken to Sacred Heart University Hospital about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. The driver of the truck and a passenger left before additional information could be obtained, police said. A camera near where Holland was picked up caught pictures of a gray Toyota Tundra in the area, and police asked residents to keep a lookout for the vehicle, which was found Wednesday. The same day, Christopher Samuel Lee was taken into custody on charges of manslaughter, hit and run, as well as possession of heroin and methamphetamine, according to the Lane County Sheriffs Office. No other details about how Holland was injured were released. -- Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. A 63-year-old man has been hospitalized with serious burns after he and his car caught fire Thursday evening in what Vancouver police are investigating as a possible arson and assault case. Police said witnesses told investigators that a man approached the victims car, doused him and his car in gasoline and set both on fire. Emergency workers responded at 10:24 p.m. to the car fire in a parking lot near 2901 NE St. Johns Blvd. and a gas station. Were looking at both of those as an arson of the vehicle and an assault on the victim, Vancouver police spokesperson Kim Kapp said. Police ask anyone with more information to call their tip line at 360-487-7399. Ryan Nguyen; rnguyen@oregonian.com; @ryanjjnguyen A Portland man was charged Thursday with 24 counts of promoting prostitution, according to Multnomah County prosecutors. Police arrested Tracy Steven Rasberry, 55, Wednesday in connection with charges that stem from January and February 2019. A judge sealed the indictment in the case. Rasberry already faced promoting and compelling prostitution charges in two open cases, filed in February 2019 and April 2019. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges in all cases. Court documents show he was arrested in February 2019 after the first round of charges were filed. His bail was set at more than $8 million after an officer said Rasberry threatened to stomp on the victims head if she left or didnt do as told, documents say. Court documents show he was evaluated for pretrial release in April 2019, but county officials recommended against it because of the nature of the charges he was facing, his criminal history and for victim safety. His bail was lowered to $1,800,000 in May 2019. Court filings say the victim in the April case met Rasberry through Facebook, was forced to sign a loyalty contract and work for him. She eventually escaped. Rasberry was granted supervised pretrial release in April after his attorney argued that pretrial confinement during the pandemic was a serious health hazard. But an affidavit filed by the case manager of the pretrial release supervisor program on Wednesday said Rasberry repeatedly violated the terms of his release. Rasberry has been convicted of failing to report as a sex offender twice, according to court documents. He was convicted in 1999 of having sex with a minor in California. Hes scheduled to appear in court August 14 in the latest case. -- Celina Tebor ctebor@oregonian.com @CelinaTebor A Salem man was arrested and accused of killing an 18-year-old man whose body was found underneath a duplex. Alexander Mosqueda Rivera-Burdette, 18, was charged with murder and booked Friday into the Marion County Jail, according to the county sheriffs department. Detectives said they believe the victim, Josiah Bagnall was killed in early 2020 at an apartment in Northeast Salem. Court documents say Mosqueda Rivera-Burdette was charged in early June for allegedly breaking into a vehicle, interfering with an officer and unlawful possession of a firearm in April. Deputies first discovered the human remains on June 11 after a family reported a foul odor coming from underneath their home. When Marion County deputies went to investigate the smell, they discovered a body beneath the duplex, the sheriffs office said. Mosqueda Rivera-Burdettes arraignment is scheduled for Monday afternoon. -- Celina Tebor ctebor@oregonian.com @CelinaTebor The Multnomah County Sheriffs Office will not disclose any details about use of force by deputies at recent protests outside the downtown jail, or even say how many deputies are staged there every night. Protests have occurred nightly near the jail for more than a month in response to the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, whose death sparked global calls for police reform and abolition. Use of force by law enforcement agencies has been commonplace at the Portland protests. Police deployed riot munitions, tear gas and stun grenades, resulting in serious injuries to Portlanders, including at least one protester being hospitalized. Multiple protesters and civil rights groups have filed lawsuits in response to these uses of force, and politicians have called for immediate change. Judges in at least two cases said law enforcement must use force more sparingly, though advocates say the decisions are not being followed. The sheriffs office says use of force by deputies is under review, and information about the incidents cannot be released to the public. The explanation mirrors the reason Portland police explanation for withholding details about use of force during protests. The sheriffs office also contends an exemption under Oregon public records statutes prevents it from disclosing how many deputies have been policing the protests since they began. The sheriffs office has said demonstrators put deputies and inmates at the jail at risk by directing laser pointers at deputies and throwing rocks and bottles, thereby necessitating use of force. Demonstrators broke into a Multnomah County Sheriffs Office administrative space in the building and lit fires that were quickly extinguished on May 29. The Multnomah County Sheriffs Office has previously confirmed deputies have indeed used force on protesters near the jail, which is housed in the Justice Center building. The sheriffs office headquarters, courtrooms and a Portland police precinct are also located inside. However, it remains unknowable how frequently deputies have used munitions, chemical weapons or other forms of force, and whether they did so at the direction of sheriffs department officials or Portland police. Portland police have previously said its officers are coordinating the protest response with the help of several agencies, including the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office. A regional mutual aid contract, obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive through a public records request, dictates how the agencies are supposed to work together. But without details about use of force by Portland police or the sheriffs office, it is impossible to discern when either agency is acting under that agreement. The Oregonian/OregonLive filed a formal records request June 8 for that information from the sheriffs office. The sheriffs office denied that request in an official response sent via email June 30. Reports related to the demonstrations are open and under review, and therefore cannot be released the office said. After Portland police gave a similar explanation to The Oregonian/OregonLive, a city oversight official confirmed police had, in fact, been providing reports about use of force to the Independent Police Review. Multnomah County Sheriffs Office directives list no timeline for which reviews of use of force must be completed. The sheriffs office provided no indication of when they would release information. Chris Liedle, a spokesperson for the agency, has not responded to questions about whether a single use of force incident had been fully reviewed in the month since the protests began. Although the sheriffs office would not provide personnel counts at recent protests, it did provide a breakdown of the number of deputies who responded to each unrelated call for Portland police since May 30. In the agencys official response to records request filed by The Oregonian/OregonLive, it pointed to an exemption that addresses police tactics. Specific operational plans in connection with an anticipated threat to individual or public safety for deployment and use of personnel and equipment, prepared or used by a public body, if public disclosure of the plans would endanger an individuals life or physical safety or jeopardize a law enforcement activity, reads the exemption listed under ORS 192.345 (18). The agency did not explain why that exemption only applied to personnel counts at protests, but not for personnel counts away from protests. The Oregonian/OregonLive also did not request any information pertaining to future or anticipated law enforcement actions. Portland attorney Charles Hinkle, who frequently represents The Oregonian/OregonLive on public access issues, said the sheriffs office could try to argue past information would serve as an indication for future actions, and considers the protests more prone to violence than service calls. However, it is hard to see how public disclosure of the number of police who were present in previous situations would endanger anyones life, or jeopardize a law enforcement activity', Hinkle said in an email Thursday. Liedle has not responded to questions about the countys decision to withhold public information under that exemption. -- K. Rambo krambo@oregonian.com @k_rambo_ Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. I am moved to write because of an urgent situation regarding children held in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. On June 26, Judge Dolly Gee ordered ICE to release all children from detention by July 15 because of the dangers of COVID-19. Since this mandate is based on the Flores Agreement, which protects children in government custody, it applies only to minors. Unless ICE agrees to release adults along with their children, many boys and girls will be taken away from their parents under duress, a replay of the cruel family separation policy that caused such outrage in 2018 that President Trump signed an executive order to end it at the border. Please, we cannot allow a policy of family separation to be implemented by our government again it is no less cruel to take children from their parents in detention centers than it is at the border, and perhaps even more dangerous for parents and children given the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge Gees order does give ICE the discretion to release the children with their families. We should demand that option be implemented, a more humane and fair alternative to cruel and unnecessary family separation that almost all Americans oppose. Holly Yasui, Denver Yasui, whose family is from Hood River, is the daughter of the late Minoru Yasui, an Oregon lawyer recognized for fighting internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. One in five Portland Police Bureau employees took bereavement leave in the two weeks after Mayor Ted Wheeler encouraged city workers take paid time off to grieve the deaths of Black people killed by law enforcement. In all, 249 police bureau employees requested bereavement leave, a level and rate unmatched by all other city bureaus, according data released by the city late Thursday. The data shows 52% of the 483 city employees who requested leave between June 8 and June 25 work for the police bureau. The police agency employs around 1,200 people and more than 910 are sworn officers. [Review the data] The next largest groups were the 79 employees from the Portland Bureau of Transportation, then 33 from the Bureau of Environmental Services. At the Bureau of Emergency Communications, 24 workers requested leave, or one in six employees, a rate that appears to rank second to the police bureau. The citys 911 dispatchers work in the emergency communications department. The city didnt disclose exact numbers for bureaus where 10 or fewer employees took bereavement leave. Those bureaus ranged from fire, finance and housing to the offices of Commissioners Jo Ann Hardesty, Chloe Eudaly and late Nick Fish. The bereavement leave data was provided by the city through a public records request. The city bureau bereavement leave numbers were first reported by Willamette Week. The Bureau of Human Resources said last week that its unclear if all employees whove requested the time off since Wheelers June 8 email did so because of the mayors message. The city doesnt track why staff request bereavement leave. The city also said demographic information of employees who take bereavement leave isnt tracked, although the city maintains a public database of the racial breakdown of its workforce. In Wheelers email to all city employees, the mayor announced the city was temporarily expanding its rules on funeral and bereavement leave, because the city acknowledged Black employees were experiencing grief and trauma that has compounded over centuries. He said he ordered managers and supervisors to approve requests without questioning any employees who request leave. A follow-up email sent June 23 by the citys human resources office said the reasoning behind the leave centered on Black employees and other employees of color, as well as white employees who have immediate relatives who are people of color. We are asking particularly white employees to reflect on why and how they are taking this time if they so choose, and we ask white employees to consider how they can support BIPOC colleagues, the email said. BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous and people of color. The majority of city employees work for Parks and Recreation, the Police Bureau and Bureau of Transportation. According to city data current through Thursday, the police bureau employs 224 people who identify as people of color, 46 of whom identify as Black. The data shows 82% of police bureau employees are white, compared to 73.5% of the overall city workforce. The city employs more than 7,600 people and about 2,000 are people of color, according to city data as of Thursday. Of the people of color employed by the city: 7.1% are Latinx; 7% Asian; 6.8% Black; 1.1% Native American and 0.5% Pacific Islander. Another 3.9% identify as multi-racial and 0.1% of employees have declined to tell the city their ethnicity. -- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Speakers continued a call for defunding police and making other changes to the criminal justice system before a crowd of about 200 people marched Friday afternoon from Pioneer Courthouse Square through downtown on the 37th consecutive day of protests in Portland. It was among several Black Lives Matter gatherings advertised throughout the city to kick off the long July Fourth holiday and remained peaceful over several hours after a separate protest hours earlier was declared a riot by police and led to 10 arrests and damage to the federal courthouse and Justice Center. The collection of rallies, demonstrations and marches began in late May after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who pleaded for air while a white officer knelt on his neck. Since then, thousands of people in Portland and across the state have met en masse to decry police violence and broader racism. People at Pioneer Courthouse Square took turns demanding police accountability, reopening investigations into the killings of Black Oregonians, changes in city government and housing policy and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. After the speeches concluded, people took to the streets. They knelt for nearly 10 minutes at the corner of Southwest Fourth Avenue and Harvey Milk Street. The crowd also stood beneath a bridge for several minutes, chanting Black lives matter that echoed down the block. Its so important to get our future generations to try and speak out, said demonstrator Mary Gach, 18. My generation is that pivotal generation that I know is going to change the world. And its so important to hear young Black voices because its young Black voices that are not being heard. Gach, who is Black, said she feels empowered by her friends who helped lead the protest Friday and many other protests over the past several weeks. But there have been moments where she feels despair, too. George Floyd and Breonna Taylor were not the first and they wont be the last, she said. It gets frustrating to still see injustice happening even though weve been so vocal about what we want basic human rights. Carolina Nascinento, 31, who works as a case manager for several organizations that help immigrants, said she comes out to be educated on how her cause intersects with those of Black citizens. Any free time I have to be supporting these causes that other leaders have been fighting years and years for this isnt a new thing I just want to help push that momentum forward as best I can, Nascinento said. She became inspired to help others while growing up in Chicago, where she witnessed injustice and gang violence, she said. Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala and Brazil. For Nascinento, discussing social inequalities in spaces like the protests can be both an enlightening and traumatic experience. What Im doing here is bringing that rage and confusion and anger and sadness and grief out, she said. Its both sad and amazing at the same time. Other protests scheduled for Friday included an evening demonstration outside the downtown Multnomah County Justice Center, which has long been a hub for protests. A musical vigil for Elijah McClain, a Black man who died in 2019 after police in Colorado restrained him with a since-banned chokehold, was also scheduled at North Portlands Peninsula Park. In the morning, demonstrators with a different message met in Northeast Portland. The Taxpayers Association of Oregon organized a flash-rally at the corner of Sandy Boulevard and Alameda Street to celebrate George Washington, whose statue was torn down amid protests on June 18. Statues of historical figures have become frequent targets during the nationwide protests. Washington was an active slaveholder for 56 years, and hundreds of slaves worked his Mount Vernon plantation. Washington depended on them to construct and maintain his household and plantation. Hes said to have struggled with slavery and spoke of his desire to end the practice, and he left instructions in his will to set free his slaves upon the death of his wife. About 20 people, some clad in colonial attire, waved flags toward the street as cars honked when they passed. Executive Director Jason Williams, 50, said the Fourth of July matters more this year because some traditional symbols of freedom are being attacked, such as the statue of Washington. We get reminded that we have rights that other people dont have around the world, Williams said. Our job of taking the message of oppression and justice is not just for America, its for the whole world. -- Bryce Dole. bdole@oregonian.com. 541-660-9844. @DoleBryce. -- Jim Ryan and Ty Vinson of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report. Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Software company New Relic, one of Portlands largest technology employers, is lagging behind rivals and needs more from its employees to catch up, the companys CEO warned his staff in an all-company memo last month. The blunt letter exhorts employees to work harder and rejects their calls for the company to take a more active role in the nations resurgent civil rights movement. We are a company with an urgent need to get back on track, CEO Lew Cirne wrote in a June 19 memo to all employees. The Oregonian/OregonLive obtained a copy of the memo, which describes a company at a critical juncture after a year of disappointing financial results. Cirne writes that New Relic is in dire need of a turnaround and he puts the onus on employees to deliver. Our growth rate is far behind that of our competitors, and also behind the growth rates of the cloud providers, Cirne wrote. History has not been kind to technology companies who do not continue to grow. Technology companies either grow or they die. There is no middle option. New Relics headquarters are in San Francisco, where Cirne works, but it employs more than 600 in Portland on the upper floors of the U.S. Bancorp Tower (Big Pink) downtown. New Relics software enables organizations to track activity on their own websites to monitor the performance of their online products and services. Cirne, 50, started the company in 2008 New Relic is an anagram of his name, Lew Cirne. He previously worked as an engineer at Apple and Hummingbird and founded Wily Technology, which sold to CA Technologies in 2006 for $375 million. A decade ago, New Relic made the unusual decision to put its software engineering team in Oregon at a time when old-line computer hardware still dominated the states technology sector. The office grew quickly and played a key role in the transition of Oregon tech to contemporary software and web services. New Relic raised $114 million in its 2014 initial public offering. The company reported sales of nearly $600 million last year and a loss of $91 million. New Relics growth has slowed considerably in recent years, though, and it forecasts sales will increase just 13% in the current quarter compared to the same period a year ago. The stock has lost about a quarter of its value in the past year. Cirnes letter begins by acknowledging the strains employees face during the pandemic and the horrors conveyed through new awareness of systemic racism. As if that werent enough, things are also particularly difficult for our business at New Relic, Cirne wrote. He quotes two stock analysts who have sell ratings on the company, one of whom groups New Relic among industry laggards. Reading reports like these feels like a punch in the gut, Cirne wrote. But it also inspires me and hopefully all of you to prove these doubters wrong. New Relic shook up its executive ranks during a downturn last year, replacing chief technology officer Jim Gochee, the companys top Portland executive, and another senior leader. And earlier this week New Relic laid off less than 20 engineering staff in a modest restructuring. Employees describe declining morale and say last months memo and last weeks layoffs exacerbated the situation. Some workers first learned of their pending layoffs from email notifications that they were losing their access to their work accounts. In a note to remaining employees, New Relic said it had intended to notify all laid-off workers individually where the news could be communicated with the dignity and respect these employees deserve. The company blamed the premature emails on an unspecified internal systems issue. In his June memo, Cirne wrote that the company is preparing to launch a new product this summer, codenamed Hercules. He didnt detail the products features but indicated it is key to New Relics revival. He said Hercules release will begin the turnaround this company urgently needs. Like other large companies, New Relic has tweeted its support for the Black Lives Matter movement and pledged donations to support civil rights and the fight against racism. Yet Cirnes memo indicates a degree of internal dissension within New Relic over how the company is responding to the movement. Cirne wrote that employees are pushing New Relic to stop doing business with some clients, but he said there is disagreement about exactly how we attack systemic racism. New Relic is a public software company, not a political organization, Cirne wrote. While Cirne wrote that Racism is evil, real and cannot be tolerated under any circumstances, he then added Any public stance we take on sensitive political issues (may) alienate major constituents. Many employees wish New Relic would take a more public stance on these matters, Cirne acknowledged, but he then added that its not the companys job to be the moral arbiters of who deserves to use our software. If employees choose to leave for another company more driven by social issues, we respect that, Cirne wrote. But from now on, he scolded, this matter is off the table for further discussion. Switching topics, Cirne said the company needs more from its staff in the weeks leading up to the Hercules product launch this summer. While employees are the companys top priority, and New Relic encourages a healthy work-life balance, Cirne said that policy has become increasingly misinterpreted. For example, he cites an online message board post that describes a manager working late and having someone else suggest that might set a bad example for the managers employees. Cirne said the company never intended someone to be chastised for working harder or longer. In this sense, we are not a lifestyle company, Cirne wrote. We are a growth company. Asked for comment on Cirnes letter, New Relic said Portland continues to be an important location for the company and said it is committed to societal issues. From the beginning Lew founded the company with a values-driven culture, wanting to be supportive of employees and a place where they can do the best work of their careers, New Relic said in a written statement. New Relic said company matching programs helped employees raise $70,000 for civil rights organizations and $155,000 for COVID-19 relief. We have always empowered employees to be their authentic selves because we believe you are at your best when you are your true self, the company said. This means employees are encouraged and supported in putting their energies toward the causes that they personally care about through our volunteer and donation programs. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. She doesnt get to do that. Not with her record. She doesnt get to jail black and brown parents when poverty affects their childrens school attendance, then trade in the political currency of being bused to an integrated school as a child. She doesnt get to defend capital punishment in California that condemns black people to death row at six times the rate of white people, then tout her moral opposition to the death penalty. She doesnt get to slow-walk the release of prisoners from jails so overcrowded that the U.S. Supreme Court called them inhumane, then brag about her leadership fighting against mass incarceration. Ottumwa, IA (52501) Today A clear sky. Low 49F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph, becoming SSW and decreasing to 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A clear sky. Low 49F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph, becoming SSW and decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Traverse City is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state, and for good reason. I have spent summer days up there at several points during my life, and I hope to continue making more memories in the area for a long time. The city has long been a destination for my extended familys annual camping trip, with dozens of us caravanning up to camp, swim, and of course, climb the incredible Sleeping Bear Dunes. No matter how many times we make that climb, its thrilling each time (especially the sprint back down to the bottom). Another highlight of those trips was found at the campground we stayed at, Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort. My many young cousins would head over to the famous Candy Cannon in the afternoon, joining hundreds of others and waiting patiently. Then the countdown begins, and before you know it, pieces of candy rain down from an observation tower, and the children shriek in delight. As a teenager, I headed back up to Traverse with groups of friends to camp a couple times. It was just far enough away from our hometown of Flushing to feel like we were really on our own, but close enough to home to not worry our parents too much. However, we did give my parents quite a scare one year, when the car keys to their car, which I drove up north, went missing on the beach after a long day of swimming. But Traverse City had our backs we headed into town in my friends car, and rented a metal detector. And it worked! We found the keys and the day was saved. One of the most treasured summers of my life took place about 15 miles southwest of Traverse City, at Interlochen Center for the Arts. I was a college student studying photojournalism at CMU at the time. I was hired as a photography intern for the Summer Arts Camp, which draws young musicians, artists, dancers and thespians from across the country and globe to study their craft for six weeks. My job was to roam the beautiful campus every day, taking photos that capture the magic of Interlochen. I met so many amazing and hilarious kids whose talent blew me away. I remember strolling through the forest, hearing the most beautiful music emanating from the small rehearsal cabins. I could hear pianos, horns, cellos, and even harps. On one of our days off, my fellow Interlochen interns and I took a trip past Traverse City and down the Old Mission Peninsula, all the way north until we reached the beach right next to the Mission Point Lighthouse. We swam, played frisbee, and laughed a lot, and it felt like we were in a world of our own, far away from the hustle and bustle. Those are just a few of the countless cherished memories Ive made during those trips, and I feel lucky to live in a state that offers such gorgeous summer destinations. I truly cant wait for the next time I can enjoy a perfect summer day in Traverse City. Check out more columns by Daily News staffers about their favorite Michigan vacation spots: Mitchell Kukulka: Explore Michigan's upper limits Tony Lascari: Ludington is summer perfection Victoria Ritter: A grand getaway in Grand Rapids Michael Livingston: Lake Isabella's beauty is just an hour away Ashley Schafer: Get lost in Gaylord Lori Qualls: Seeing the Mackinac Bridge never gets old Dan Chalk: Saginaw Children's Zoo a fun day trip Katy Kildee is a photographer with the Midland Daily News. Though I spent the first 18 years of my life with my roots firmly planted in my hometown of Jackson, Michigan's Upper Peninsula still held a significant, and constant, place in my heart. After my sister, who is five years my senior, decided to pursue her undergraduate ambitions at Michigan Technological University, the college town of Houghton became my family's go-to destination during spring breaks and long weekends. While Houghton itself and its surrounding area is endlessly scenic and a joy to explore, the 10-plus hour car ride to the upper half of Michigan's upper half is definitely an attraction of its own. Even when staying on the highway and traveling through other U.P. staple cities like Marquette, Munising and Ishpeming, it's hard to miss the bounty of beautiful natural scenery native to the state's upper peninsula. About 80 miles west of Houghton is the Porcupine Mountains, a small range spanning into both Ontonagon and Gogebic counties the near the Lake Superior shore. In addition to being another natural wonder among many in the U.P., it also sticks out in my mind as the place I shot my first bear. I hunted quite a bit before I moved to mid-Michigan for college, but that U.P. wilderness, with its tall trees amidst vast and deep forests, still reigns supreme in my memory. As studious as I tried to be in my younger years, I still missed my very first week of high school to journey into those woods and come out with 200+ pound black bear to my name as a huntsman, and I didn't regret it for a second. Check out more columns by Daily News staffers about their favorite Michigan vacation spots: Katy Kildee: There's good reason why Traverse City is a popular Michigan spot Tony Lascari: Ludington is summer perfection Victoria Ritter: A grand getaway in Grand Rapids Michael Livingston: Lake Isabella's beauty is just an hour away Ashley Schafer: Get lost in Gaylord Lori Qualls: Seeing the Mackinac Bridge never gets old Dan Chalk: Saginaw Children's Zoo a fun day trip - Mitchell Kulkulka is a Midland Daily News staff writer. He can be reached at Mitchell.Kukulka@mdn.net. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net) Heres a beautiful stay-cation spot thats relatively close to Midland. Lake Isabella is about an hour west of Midland practically a straight shot down M-20. The lake has been my personal home-away-from-home for the past six or seven years The lake itself is a square mile lined with beaches and stunning mansions some are up for rent. This is where my grandpa taught me to reel in blue gill, perch and other fish to cook up later that night. We used my aunts speedboat for tubing while my grandparents pontoon was used for fishing. Joe Settineri, formerly of Midland, is using his musical talents to spread messages of inner courage and perseverance. This summer Settineri has collaborated with Electropoint to produce and release two brand new songs, "I Believe" and "Better." "He and I just clicked and started collaborating on different songs," Settineri said. "It's nice to work with people who get you." Settineri grew up in Midland, graduating from Bullock Creek High School, and pursued a finance degree from the University of Michigan, but eventually worked his way into the music industry. He married his husband Dan in 2005 and they live in Hollywood. They welcomed a set of twins in 2009. Settineri's journey has not always been a smooth one. On a personal level, he has faced prejudice as a gay man. Professionally, he dealt with several denials as he made a place for himself in the music industry. What got him through was confidence in himself and that his work makes difference in other's lives. "You have to believe in yourself because sometimes no one else will be there for you," he said. Earlier this year Settineri met Roman Molino Dunn, known as Electropoint, who is based in New York. After listening to one of Electropoint's musical numbers, Settineri impulsively shouted out "Better," which became the song's title. The two of them had the song written in two weeks and it premiered April 24. "Better" is a positive message about deliverance, said Settineri, understanding your worth and knowing how to embrace the life you deserve. "I Believe" follows along the same line, encouraging listeners to find their voice and appreciate their inner strength. The song was released June 12, just a few days before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 for extending protections against workplace discrimination of gay, lesbian and transgender employees. Settineri said he was encouraged by the ruling and is hopeful about future generations. "It's one step forward. We still have so much to do, but it's time to pause and celebrate," Settineri said. "There is always, always, help. Things have gotten better of the years, and they'll continue to get better. We have to have faith and never stop demanding equality, which is a basic human right." As with all of his songs, there is a small piece of Settineri's life reflected behind the lyrics. He had the concept for "I Believe" in the back of his head for a long time. He explained how he thought about how people tend to not to believe their self-worth and don't know how to cheer for themselves. "We have to look out for other people who might not be able to believe in themselves," Settineri said. Settineri is looking forward to the release of his third song with Electropoint, "Don't Know How." The song will be a piano ballad, which is more along the lines of what Settineri tends to feature in his music, and is planned for premiere sometime this autumn. For more information about Settineri, visit www.joesettineri.com. For more information about Electropoint, visit www.electropointmusic.com. Ernie Dinninger didnt know what to do. The floors of his home were buckling. The basement held over two feet of water. The bathrooms, the living room, the utility roomall damaged. Ernie had purchased the house along Wixom Lake six years ago. It was the getaway spot for him and his wife, Joan. They had a driveway and neighbors. They had string lights on the porch. They had a view of water. But within 48 hours, everything changed. The flood devastation due to the Edenville and Sanford dam failures left the Dinninger home and hundreds of others in disarray. The waterfront view became dry and brittle as bones. Ernie felt overwhelmed by the damage. Joan felt frightened. With 46 years of marriage under their belt, the couple had seen a lot but they had never experienced a 500-year flooding event. No one had. I wanted to walk away, Joan said. Until they heard a knock at the door. Enter Steve Gerard and his crew of five guys from New Sharon Fire & Rescue based out of New Sharon, Iowa nearly 575 miles away from where they now stood on Ernies porch. Steve knocked on our door and said, Were here to help. What can we do? It was like the angels had arrived, Joan Dinninger said. My husband almost cried. Steve leads a group of seven firefighters trained in disaster relief and recovery. The fire rescue squad takes vacation time from their day jobs to go across the nation to help those facing disaster. Theyre unbelievable, Ernie said. The most professional people. It was so overwhelming. I wouldnt have known who to get a hold of, but these guys did more in two and a half days than we could have done in a month. When they came to the door, I almost cried. New Sharon Fire & Rescue group is one of many National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOADs) who came to Midland County to assist with flood damage assessment and cleanup for free. When the crews arrive in Michigan, United Way worked with the State of Michigan and the countys Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to get the VOAD groups the addresses of homes that needed help. United Way also collaborated with the EOC, Dow and the faith community to ensure each VOAD group had what they need. When I try to get set up when I come to an area, I need two things: a roof over my head, and a place to shower and clean up, Steve said. I dont want to be part of the burden on these homeowners; I want to be a part of the solution. United Way and the Midland County community.bless them. They gave me a place to stay and lined up dinner for us every night. They get us set up so we can go out and do what we need to do. At Joan and Ernies house, Steve and his crew helped tear our insulation and remedy the demolished bathrooms, floor and walls. Thank you, Ernie said. Words cant express how it happened. We know these people care, and when they came, it was unbelievable. Steve said he and his crew help communities because they know what it feels like to be at the mercy of disaster. Its about paying ahead, Steve said. Weve had tornadoes in Iowa and in our vicinity. We know what its like. So we like to see our work now as paying it forward. Residents across the county and region have benefited from numerous VOAD teams. These volunteers have traveled from across the country to lend helping hand and to help our community put the pieces back together. If you have significant flood damage to your home and have yet to receive volunteer support or have not reported damage through the self-assessment, call the Midland Long Term Disaster Recovery hotline at 989-374-8000. Editors note: Heroes and Hand Raisers is a new series created by United Way of Midland County in partnership with Midland Daily News. Each week, snapshots of volunteerism and human generosity via quotes, photos, snippets and stories will shine a spotlight on those who are impacting our community by raising their hand to help meet the needs of their neighbors. 211 Northeast Michigan is there when someone needs food, shelter, transportation and more. For those in need of mental health resources, 211 has something more suited to their needs. 211s Hope Portal website came from recognizing the lack of places to go for mental health resources in the nonprofit sector. In 2016, a group mental health professionals and stakeholders from Midland came together to address the problem. Since 211 already had an expansive list of resources, Executive Director Sarah Kile was invited to the table. The goal was to create an easier way for people to connect with mental health resources in the for-profit and non-profit sector. This was new territory for 211, which mainly specializes in nonprofit organizations. We started providing for-profit mental health providers because we know all over our country and now with during COVID and the flood more than ever, we need a place for people to go to find those mental health resources, Kile said. In 2018, the Hope Portal started as a project in Midland and eventually evolved to include communities across the state. The Hope Portal is governed by an advisory committee led by Kathy Dollard, director of behavioral health at MidMichigan Health. She said an important responsibility was networking with her colleagues to get them added to the Hope Portal database. We know there are not enough providers to dispatch a nationwide problem, but if we can open some doors for people to help them to more easily access care, that was one of the main goals were hoping to provide, Dollard said. The site is designed to help anyone seeking resources related to depression, anxiety, physical and mental abuse, eating disorders, suicide, elder care and more. How to use http://www.mihopeportal.com/: 1. Upon entering the site, you will see an info box that asks to call 9-1-1 if there is a medical or mental health emergency or if you are involved in or have witnessed a situation that requires immediate assistance. 2. You can be connected to mental health resources by clicking on the Find a Provider tab and selecting your age demographic. (Users can contact a 211 operator or visit 211s resource directory at any stage by scrolling to the bottom of the page and choosing one of the options) 3. Select one of the resource categories that best fits your needs. 4. Enter your zip code to find offices and organizations closest to you. 5. Browse the list of resources and reach out to the one that best suits your needs. 6. 211 has notes on insurance and employee assistance programs under the Paying for Care tab. Another 211 hotline offers emotional distress counseling specifically due to the coronavirus pandemic. Visit the Michigan Stay Well Counseling via the COVID-19 Hotline by calling 1-888-535-6136. Press "8" to talk to a Michigan Stay Well counselor. We had something missing, there was a missing component and in the City of Modern Explorers, we find a way to make it work and not just work for Midland, we make it work here so it can work everywhere, Kile said. To get connected to 211 Northeast Michigan, dial 2-1-1, text your zip code to 211, or visit https://www.211nemichigan.org/ to chat with someone online or browse local resources. Editor's note: This article is the latest installment of a weekly, local impact campaign the Daily News launched in partnership with 211 Northeast Michigan to raise awareness and provide continuing education about this vital service. South Africa: Labour centres closed in Gauteng and North West The Department of Employment and Labour has provisionally closed the biggest Labour Centre in Pretoria situated at 239 Concilium Building at Nana Sita Street and the Brits Labour Centre in the North West. The Pretoria Labour Centre is among the two Labour Centres in Gauteng to provisionally shut doors on Thursday after one of the supervisors tested positive for COVID-19. The second office is Alberton Labour Centre. Members of the community serviced by these two centres are advised to utilize the nearby offices to access services. The department says all contacts will be traced and managed according to COVID-19 guidelines and protocols. Our fundamental priority is the health and safety of all our employees. As part of our precautionary measures, the two centres will not be servicing clients while the deep cleaning process is carried out. Those who came into contact with the infected official were advised to self isolate for a period of 14 days as per COVID-19 regulations, the Department of Labour and Employment said in a statement. Director-General of the Department Thobile Lamati has previously stated that the safety of staff remain paramount. Our officials are an important cog of the working South African economy and as such, we will ensure that they are as safe as possible, he said. The centres are expected to reopen on Monday, 6 July, and will function under a reduced capacity as some employees will be in isolation. The department is deeply concerned by the growing number of infected officials and the burden it puts to nearby offices. We are painfully aware that the closure of some of our offices means overcrowding and long queues at the neighboring ones hence, we apologise in advance for the inconvenience and ask our esteemed clients to be patient while they visits those centres. While we mention the long waiting times, as brought by the high demand for service, we also confident in the capabilities of our dedicated staff members, the department said. The Nearest Labour Centres in Pretoria are: Atteridgeville Labour Centre at WF Nkomo and Kalafong Road Mamelodi Labour Centre situated at Mini Munitoria in Mamelodi West Bronkhorstspruit Labour Centre at 40 Botha Street in Bronkhorstspruit Garankuwa Labour Centre at Setlalentoa Street in Zone 5 in Garankuwa Soshanguve Labour Centre at 2322 Block F Neat &Fast building next to NAFCOC in Soshanguve Alberton clients can visit the following offices: Brakpan Labour Centre situated at Cnr Voortrekker and High Street Boksburg is at Lakeside building, Bank Street, Benoni Labour Centre is at 10 Woburn Avenue and Kempton park Labour Centre is at Trust bank building, Cnr Voortrekker Rd and Wolf Street. Clients are encouraged to use the departments online services on www.labour.gov.za. Brits Labour Centre The Brits Labour Centre in the North West has also been temporarily closed following a confirmed COVID-19 case. This, according to the department, is in order to allow employees who had been in contact with the affected employee to self-isolate and for the necessary cleaning protocols for the office to be carried out. According to Andile Makapela, the Chief Director: Provincial Operations in the North West, the affected employee is one of the officials who have been in office since the department opened officially for the public on 8 June 2020. He is one of the key officials who were in office since we opened, therefore the necessary protocols are being followed to ensure that all the affected employees receive the necessary support which would include psychosocial counselling, Makapela said. For the Brits Labour Centre, the department has very good working relations with the local Department of Health office, whereby they have been on site on a daily basis carrying out the required screenings. They are onboard and the tracking and tracing process is being carried out to ensure that all the people that were in contact with the employee are found and that the necessary health protocols are followed. Though the department is concerned about the backlog on service delivery as a result of temporary closure of offices, of paramount importance is the health and safety of its clients and employees. The temporary closure of the Brits Labour Centre brings a total number of offices closed in the North West this week to two, Klerksdorp Labour Centre was closed on the 02 July 2020. An announcement would be made with regard to the opening of these offices which is expected to be some time next week. Clients are encouraged to use the departments online services found on www.labour.gov.za. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-07-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Social media app TikTok distanced itself from Beijing after India banned 59 Chinese apps in the country, according to a correspondence seen by Reuters. In a letter to the Indian government dated June 28th and seen by Reuters on Friday, TikTok Chief Executive Kevin Mayer said the Chinese government has never requested user data, nor would the company turn it over if asked. TikTok, which is not available in China, is owned by China's ByteDance but has sought to distance itself from its Chinese roots to appeal to a global audience. Along with 58 other Chinese apps, including Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's UC Browser, it was banned in India this week following a border clash with China. "I can confirm that the Chinese government has never made a request to us for the TikTok data of Indian users," Mayer wrote, adding that data for Indian users is stored in servers in Singapore. "If we do ever receive such a request in the future, we would not comply." The letter was sent ahead of a likely meeting next week between the company and the government, one source familiar with the matter told Reuters. One Indian government source told Reuters this week the ban was unlikely to be revoked soon. Lawyers have said a legal challenge was unlikely to be successful, given India has cited national security concerns for the ban. The ban, which upset India's growing legion of TikTok stars, has also given a lift to local rivals such as Roposo, which added 22 million new users in the 48 hours after the ban took effect. TikTok has committed to spend $1 billion in the region. Since its launch in 2017, it has become one of the fastest- growing social media apps. India is its largest market by user, followed by the United States. In the letter, Mayer played up the company's investment in the region, highlighting more than 3,500 direct and indirect employees and content available in 14 languages. "The privacy of our users, and the security and sovereignty of India, are of utmost importance to us," Mayer wrote. "We have already announced our plans to build a data centre in India." The correspondence was first reported by the Wall Street Journal and other media. Short link: For many of Trumps supporters, the economy was the killer app. For suburban voters in the classes generally insulated from economic shocks, the rising stock market, juiced by the Federal Reserve, gave Trump a simple, salable metric. It was the one thing even his followers who felt a sense of discomfort about his behavior could point to and feel comforted (well, maybe judges). Trump himself understood it quite well, which is why he wanted to rush to reopen the economy to get the one signifier he cared about perking up in the right direction. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Ashley Schafer. Tuesday, June 30 1:38 a.m. A 13-year-old Hope Township boy reported he was assaulted by his 52-year-old mother. Investigation revealed the 13-year-old was upset over having the internet turned off and his Playstation taken away. The mother alleged that her son grabbed her prior to her touching him. A report is being sent over to the prosecuting attorneys office for review and a Child Protective Serivces referral was completed. 1:46 a.m. Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Lincoln Township. 9:58 a.m. A deputy was dispatched to an Ingersoll Township residence to speak with a 52-year-old woman regarding a general assist. The woman said she lives out of town and that her 62-year-old sister was in the hospital. The 52-year-old had her sister on the phone and wanted a local locksmith to unlock the door to her sister's residence so she could access her medical paperwork. The locksmith wanted permission from the Sheriff's Office. The 62-year-old home owner was on the telephone giving permission. 11:02 a.m. Officers responded to a report of a traffic hazard in the road on US-10 near Eastman Avenue. 11:05 a.m. A deputy made contact with an 81-year-old Jerome Township man in reference to Consumers Energy working on his property. The 81-year-old requested that the deputy inform Consumers that they could not do work on his property. The deputy made contact with Consumers Energy who informed the deputy that they had contacted their attorney and were legally allowed to complete their work. The deputy informed the 81-year-old that the issue was civil. 11:29 a.m. Officers responded to a report of counterfeit money in the 1500 block of Saginaw Road. 12:21 p.m. Officers responded to a report of animal bites in the 4500 block of Cruz Drive. 12:40 p.m. A deputy checked the area of W. Chippewa River Road and S. Magruder Road for a black dog running in the roadway. The area was checked and the dog was gone on arrival and was unable to be located. 12:49 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to the area of E. Stewart Road near S. Grey road for the report of a two-vehicle personal injury traffic crash. The at-fault driver was issued a citation for failing to yield. 1:14 p.m. Officers responded to a suspect obstructing justice in the 4800 block of Monteray Drive. 1:19 p.m. Officers responded to a crash on private property in the 2800 block of Ashman Street. 1:40 p.m. A garbage truck struck a low hanging powerline on E. Prairie Road just west of E. Pine River Road causing the driver to be temporarily trapped until Consumers Energy arrived to remove the wire. The driver was uninjured. A crash report was completed and no citations were issued. 2:29 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to an Ingersoll Township residence in reference to a possible suicidal/homicidal 52-year-old man. The man had called a VA crisis line stating that he was homicidal, and had several thoughts of killing someone. Deputies arrived on scene and spoke with the man, convincing him to seek mental health treatment. The man agreed that he needed help, and was transported to the ER for a mental health evaluation. 3:05 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a traffic hazard in the area near Norwood Drive and Eastman Avenue. 3:10 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to the Law Enforcement Center for a report of a civil disagreement between a 55-year-old tree service worker and a 46-year-old City of Midland man. The 46-year-old was reportedly not following through on a contractual agreement with the tree service, and threatening to damage the 55-year-old's logging equipment in Jerome Township. The 55-year-old requested a civil stand by in the future to oversee a possible payment to resolve the issue, and was advised to call ahead to set it up. 3:19 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a traffic hazard in the area near N. Saginaw Road and W. Meadowbrook Drive. 3:23 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 500 block of Crescent Drive. 3:25 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 2500 block of Abbott Road. 3:47 p.m. Officers responded to a be-on-the-lookout report in the area near West US-10 and Waldo Road. 3:52 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to an Edenville Township residence in reference to a report of domestic altercation between a mom and son, however, prior to the deputy's arrival it was discovered that the address was a Gladwin County address, not Midland. The call was turned over to Gladwin. 4:09 p.m. A deputy completed a VIN inspection at a Homer Township business. 4:25 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 3700 block of Blarney Drive. 4:38 p.m. Officers responded to an injury crash in the area near E. Gordonville Road and S. Sasse Road. 5:40 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a traffic hazard in the area near Poseyville and St. Charles roads. 6:06 p.m. Deputies responded to a property-damage accident on private property in Lee Township. 6:32 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to speak with a 23-year-old woman in reference to a possible larceny. The woman reported that her 64-year-old ex-landlord of Mt. Haley Township possibly stole a package she had delivered to her old house. The 64-year-old was contacted and said he didn't steal it, but rather he sent it back with the postal carrier because the complainant no longer lived there. The woman was advised of the situation and advised to call back if her package was not at the post office. 6:50 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Lee Township roadway location for a report of a vehicle in the ditch. Upon the deputy's arrival, the 66-year-old female driver had been pulled out of the ditch. The driver stated she tried to turn around, and slipped too far into the ditch to back out. There was no damage to her vehicle. 7:32 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Porter Township residence for a report of a missing 12-year-old boy. The boy had ran away from home after his mother found cigarettes in his room, but was later located in Gratiot County. The boy was returned to his 41-year-old Porter Township mother. The deputy spoke to the boy about underage tobacco usage. 7:42 p.m. Officers responded to a property-damage crash in the area near Highridge Court and Sylvan Lane. 8:41 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to Mt Haley Township in reference to two unknown motorcycles racing down the roadway. The deputy checked the surrounding area but the drivers were gone upon arrival and unable to be located. 9:38 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to Jerome Township in reference to a suspicious message written in chalk on the rail trail near a Jerome Township residence. The suspect is unknown and the message was removed with water. 10:01 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Jerome Township building/vacant garage in reference to a suspicious noise heard on a surveillance camera. The deputy checked the building and found it to be secure. 10:20 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 200 block of Sinclair Street. 10:48 p.m. A deputy responded to an Edenville Township residence in reference to a 64-year-old man who reported his 35-year-old male neighbor was yelling at him for lighting off fireworks. The 35-year-old was advised to stop yelling and the caller agreed to stop lighting off fireworks for the night. 11:29 p.m. Officers responded to a fireworks complaint in the 800 block of W. Chapel Lane. 11:42 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 3700 block of Robinhood Terrace. Wednesday, July 1 12:23 a.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 4900 block of Foster Road. 12:41 a.m. Officers responded to a property-damage crash and issued an operating-while-intoxicated citation in the area near Eastman Avenue and Hubbard Street. 12:44 a.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation int the area near Grove Street and George Street. 1:08 a.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the area near E. Patrick and Lincoln roads. 1:56 a.m. A deputy was sent to a Jerome Township home for a report of a verbal argument between an 86-year-old mother and her 54-year-old son. There was no assault. Both the mom and son agreed to leave each other alone for the night so they mother could sleep. 2:30 a.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Homer Township residence in reference to a residential alarm. The deputy checked the residence and found no one was home. The home was unlocked, but did not appear to be vandalized or broken into. There was no key holder information from the alarm company. Central Dispatch left a voicemail with a possible resident of the home asking to call back. 7:07 a.m. Officers responded to a crash in the area near Eastman Avenue and St. Andrews Road. 7:54 a.m. Officers responded to a report of a larceny in the 400 block of Richard Court. 8:31 a.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Lee Township residence to speak with a 57-year-old man regarding his wife not returning home from her morning jog. The deputy was canceled after a Michigan State Police Trooper located the woman still jogging on M-20 near Meridian Road. 9:13 a.m. A deputy was dispatched to the area of S. 8 Mile Road near W. Isabella Road for the report of three loose horses. The deputy arrived on scene and spoke with the horse owner who already had the horses contained. 9:13 a.m. A deputy was dispatched to a suspicious vehicle off the roadway in Jerome Township. The deputy made contact with the occupant, a 33-year-old Jasper Township man who informed the deputy that his vehicle had broken down and he was waiting for a ride. 9:44 a.m. Officers responded to a drug overdose in the 1300 block of Maryland Street. 10:30 a.m. Officers responded to a fraud report in the 300 block of Sinclair Street. 10:37 a.m. Officers responded to a suspect obstructing justice in the 1500 block of Renee Drive. 10:45 a.m. Deputies were dispatched to a Greendale Township residence in reference to an unknown woman calling 911 and saying she needed to report somebody. When the deputies arrived they made contact with a 17-year-old Coleman woman who informed the deputies that her sister, who has warrants, was at the Greendale Township location earlier and she wanted her arrested. The sister had since left. 11:12 a.m. A deputy was dispatched to eastbound US-10 near W. Shaffer Road in Warren Township in regard to a man in a pickup truck that appeared to be slumped over the steering wheel while parked on the shoulder of the highway. A Coleman-area firefighter checked on the man who was fine. The man advised that his truck broke down and he was waiting for a tow truck. 11:34 a.m. A deputy was dispatched to a two-vehicle property damage accident in Midland Township. A UD-10 crash report was completed and an Improper-Lane-Use citation was issued. 11:40 a.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 6100 lock of Jefferson Avenue. 11:40 a.m. A deputy was dispatched to the area of E. Saginaw Road near N. Meridian Road for the report of a two-vehicle property damage accident. The at-fault driver was issued a citation for violation of the basic speed law, no proof of insurance, and no proof of registration. 11:54 a.m. officers responded to a report of a traffic hazard in the area near E. Carpenter Street and Ashman Street. 12:20 p.m. Officers responded to an injury crash in the 900 block of Joe Mann Boulevard. 1:07 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 500 block of Apollo Drive. 1:50 p.m. A deputy completed a salvage inspection at a Greendale Township business. 3:39 p.m. Deputies conducted a salvage inspection in the City of Midland. 5:01 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 6800 block of Eastman Avenue. 5:08 p.m. Officers responded to a property-damage crash in the area near W. Buttles Street and Eastman Avenue. 7:19 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to an Ingersoll Township residence for a report of a 9-year-old autistic boy who was being violent and suicidal, and threatening to run away. The boy was calmed down and eventually transported to a Saginaw Hospital by EMS at his 32-year-old mother's request. 7:37 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Porter Township residence for a report of an assault, and some yelling heard on the phone. The venue is an adult care home. The deputy spoke with a 26-year-old employee, who stated there was a disagreement, but it has been handled. 7:39 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 2200 block of Cleveland Avenue. 7:57 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 300 block of Hubbard Street. 8:44 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 4300 block of Swede Avenue. 9:28 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 2900 block of Ronan Steet. 9:46 p.m. A deputy responded to a loose dog complaint in Warren Township. The deputy discovered the dog was secured and spoke with the 26-year-old woman owner in reference to the issue. 10:02 p.m. A deputy responded to a traffic hazard complaint in Geneva Township. The deputy located a hole in the roadway caused by water erosion underneath the asphalt. Midland County Road Commission was contacted and responded to take care of the issue. 10:11 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Sanford residence in reference to a third-party complaint of a possible verbal argument. The deputy made contact with a 56-year-old man at the home, who stated he was yelling because his dog was chasing his cat. 10:49 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Jerome Township residence in reference to a neighbor setting off fireworks. The neighbor was done prior to the deputy's arrival. The complainant didn't want the neighbor contacted at this time due to the fear that he would cause more issues. The complainant was going to make contact with her township supervisor reference the ongoing issues. 11 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious situation in the 5200 block of Hedgewood Drive. 11:12 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to Lee Township in reference to a fireworks complaint. Editors note: This piece originally was published Oct. 4, 2018. The Daily News is running it as part of an ongoing series to celebrate the Sanford areas sesquicentennial. (Harold and Ollie Leigeb are sons of Michael and Mary (Winter) Leigeb. Moving to the Midland area in 1920, the Leigeb family first lived on Vance Road, then on Waldo Road and at last made their permanent home in Averill. Rich in history, the story of lumbering in the area captured the imagination of their youngest son, Harold. The story continues of growing up in a family of 10 boys and two girls: Mike, Tony, Matt, Paul, Frank, Ed, Elmer, Adeline, Ollie, Joanne, Joe and Harold. ) Mike Leigeb had dairy cows while living on Waldo Road. Milk cans were put in the water trough to keep the milk cool until it was picked up. Fred Behling was the guy who picked the milk cans up. Ollie said, "He was a little guy but he could heave those milk cans up into that Model T truck without any help." Eventually Mike got a job at The Dow Chemical Co. and was content to have a small vineyard and an orchard when the family moved to Averill. Ollie remembers how his mother would use a scrub brush and Fels Naptha soap on the feet of his sister Adeline and his feet before they got in a tub of grapes, stomping them to get the juice out. Sugar and yeast were added to the grape juice and put in a 55-gallon barrel where it would ferment. The wine was kept in the cellar. The wine was for their dad and when company came but the older boys found a knot in the board and knocked it out making an opening to the cellar. Then they took a coat hanger, straightened it out and taped a short water hose to it. With great patience, the water hose was threaded into the barrel where they managed to siphon some of the wine off into a glass fruit jar. When the boys came in from doing chores their mother would say, "Well, I don't know why you boys come in from doing chores so happy?" Ollie said, "They had been drinking wine while doing chores." Carl Siechert not only carried groceries; he also carried coal and periodically two coal cars would be left on the siding to be unloaded. Carl hired Ollie and Paul, and Harley Draves, to unload the two coal cars. Ollie said, "We unloaded the coal cars a piece at a time by throwing the coal out of the cars. We could unload the two cars in two days." They were paid 15 cents an hour and a candy bar and a bottle of pop. When a new girl came to the one room country school, Harold had a crush on her. He sat near enough to Gloria Abby that he could whisper to her. One day he whispered loud enough that the teacher heard him and asked him to stop. He did momentarily and then began whispering again. He was so intent on making an impression on Gloria that he didn't see the teacher come up behind him. Harold said, "The next thing I knew a green metal wastebasket hit me on the side of my head. It hurt but the waste basket got a dent in it. Years later I visited the school and there was the green metal wastebasket with the dent still in it." The Leigeb family was living on Waldo Road when Harold was born. Ollie said, "Dad told us to go outside and stay there." Mike Leigeb delivered Harold because Dr. Towsley had been delayed in town. When Harold was 2 years old, their mom Mary had a nervous breakdown and lived with Anna Furst in a little trailer beside the old Homer Grange Hall to recover. During that six weeks, Adeline, who was now in school, carried 2-year-old Harold each day to school with her where he spent the entire school day sitting in a corner of the school room. Harold has a vague memory of being carried to school by his sister and sitting in a corner with nothing much to do the entire school day. Joe and Harold did a lot of things together, being the two youngest. The Tittabawassee River was shallow enough to wade in but there were some spots that were deep where logs had been dumped into the river and gouged out large holes. Joe and Harold were wading in the river when they hit one of those holes. Neither could swim. Harold said, "Joe and I were grabbing each other, pushing our heads under water, trying to find a place shallow enough for us to wade back to shore." In 1925 Mike Leigeb bought a Blue Bird Overland car. (Overland became Pontiac.) He added a spotlight on the front of the car doing the wiring himself. After the spotlight was added, he decided to take the car for a drive. He started pulling out of the driveway when the wire to the spotlight "grounded out" and the car began smoking. Everyone jumped out of the car and stood there helplessly watching the car burn up. They had no insurance. A whole year of crops had gone into buying that car. Some of the family were going to town and Ollie remembers being little enough that he was standing up in the back seat. Adeline was whining because she wanted to go, too. Her dad got out of the car. He got a long piece of twine and a washtub, tied the washtub with the twine to the back bumper and put Adeline in the tub. Mike Leigeb pulled out of the driveway. The twine broke. And Adeline sat there, crying, because she wasn't going to go to town after all. The children became teenagers, then adults, married and left to establish their own homes. Five sons were in the service during World War II. Eventually only Joe and Harold were still home. Harold remembers when his dad came home from work. Mike would take his work jacket off, wash his hands and sit down at the table. Harold said, "You had better be sitting at the table when he came in." Mary died at the age of 79. Mike died when he was 83. Still the 12 children kept in close contact through the years. Memories of their mother loom large when they talk about what it was like growing up. Her Hungarian goulash. Her strudel with the dough stretched so thin you could see through it. Saturdays saw her baking a dozen pies. The early Greeks and Romans had temples with a perpetual flame burning to honor the deceased. The one who tended the flame was called Keeper of the Flame. Today Keeper of the Flame still means keeping a legacy alive. Ollie and Harold Leigeb have become the keeper of the flame for the Michael and Mary Leigeb descendants. We are all keepers of the flame when we remember those we loved. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka. Monday, June 29 9:17 p.m. A deputy responded to a single-vehicle property damage accident in Porter Township. 7:27 p.m. A deputy made contact with a 49-year-old Ingersoll Township woman who reported her 53-year-old Lee Township ex-boyfriend violated a personal protection order she had against him. The woman said the man came into her house without permission and tried to have a conversation with her. The deputy attempted contact with the man, but was unsuccessful. 4:58 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Porter Township assisted-living home for a report of an assault. The deputy learned that a 31-year-old woman had assaulted a 26-year-old employee of the home. The suspect was on conditional bond at the time of the offense, and was to not display any assaultive behavior. The woman was arrested for bond violation/simple assault. The victim did not sustain any injuries. 2:44 p.m. A deputy completed a crash report after a 16-year-old girl fell off of a quad while riding it in her backyard. She suffered a leg injury and was transported by EMS to MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland for treatment. 1:42 p.m. Deputies were requested to check a Porter Township residence in search of a 29-year-old man wanted in a domestic violence assault that occurred in Saginaw County. Deputies checked the residence, but did not locate the man. 1:01 p.m. A deputy assisted Midland Police officers with a building search of a defunct motel complex in the City of Midland after an open door was discovered. 11:53 a.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Ashman Street and East Buttles Street. 11:25 a.m. Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Homer Township. 5:39 a.m. A deputy was dispatched to the Law Enforcement Center lobby to complete a car-deer crash report that occurred in Mills Township earlier in the morning. 4:15 a.m. Deputies were dispatched to a vehicle collision with farm equipment on a Jasper Township roadway. The 21-year-old Breckenridge male driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead on-scene. The 29-year-old Porter Township male driver of the farm equipment sustained no injuries. This accident is under investigation. 3:05 a.m. Officers responded to a report of a missing person in the 1200 block of Baldwin Street. 12:54 a.m. A deputy assisted a Michigan State Police trooper with the investigation of a vehicle crash involving an intoxicated driver in Ingersoll Township. To the editor: The U.S. Department of Labor recently reported over 1.4 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week. In total, officially, over 47 million Americans have lost their jobs over the past 14 weeks. That is, 14 weeks in a row, a million or more Americans, have either been fired or laid-off by their employers. In Mount Pleasant, and I imagine the same is occurring in Midland, we are witnessing the steady dismantling of businesses on our own versions of "Main Street." To be more specific, the two main streets of commerce in Mount Pleasant are Mission Street and Pickard Road. Local unemployment is estimated at around 20%. Of course, this figure is probably higher because one of our main employers, Central Michigan University, is currently in the process of dismissing perhaps a couple of hundred employees. Why? Ten years ago, total enrollments at CMU stood at around 27,000. Recently, there are an increasing number of reports, provided by faculty and administrative sources at CMU, that they are bracing themselves for only 13,000, maybe 14,000, students to attend the university in the fall. With the real prospect of CMU enduring the loss of thousands of students, the local business community will be even further traumatized economically. Over the past two years, Mount Pleasant residents, like myself, have witnessed the closing of the following establishments: Kmart, Kroger, JC Penney, Italian Oven, Ruby Tuesday, Ponderosa, Crankers Restaurant and Brewery, Lone Star Steak House and Payless Shoes. Plus, employees from other smaller local businesses, have been quietly dismissed without so much as a mention in the local newspaper. Put simply, Mount Pleasant (pop. 25,000), is just beginning to recognize and adjust to its new economic reality. Street traffic has noticeably diminished. The town seems quieter and slower. One, however, does sense a palpable and rising anxiety throughout the town. But, today, a stubborn acceptance and acknowledgment has emerged that this uninvited transformation of this once congenial small university community is just beginning. RANDALL DOYLE Mount Pleasant To the editor: On June 27, the Daily News posed five questions to the three candidates running to represent Michigans 99th District in the state house. I read all three candidates responses with interest, but was surprised and unhappy to read one response for our current State Representative Roger Hauck. When asked for an example of working with lawmakers across the aisle, he noted his pride in passing legislation on so-called surprise billing. The true surprise here is that Rep. Hauck believes this will protect patients. It is legislation written by health insurance companies that puts gives insurance companies the upper hand over every physician in the state. If passed, it would have a devastating impact on local medical practices and patients will lose access to the physician they know and love. Its an election year, so maybe I shouldnt be surprised by what happens in the course of a campaign. On this, though, I am surprised Rep. Hauck picked insurance companies over patients and actually thinks its a reason he should be re-elected. THOMAS VEVERKA, MD, FACS Midland Gary Wayne Starr age 42, passed away Tuesday June 15, 2021 at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas. He is survived by his wife Wilma Starr, his mother Paula Fountain of Tennessee Colony, his brother Andy Starr of Tennessee Colony, plus numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. He was proceeded in death Palestine Toyota owner Chuck Eldridge, second from left, presents Seth Sheeley (far left) and Jeff Rentera (second from right) with a scholarship for $500 each after completing their T-Ten automotive internship. At far right is General Manager Michael Berry. Log on if you are already subscribed or Subscribe... Conakry, Guinea (PANA) - The Guinean president, Alpha Conde, on Thursday asked his Minister of Transport to establish a protocol and timetable for the resumption of international and local flights in the country, PANA learned on Friday from official sources His daughter Annie and I became friends and have been close for decades. In recent years, she and I would visit her father at his home. He always gifted me with his most recent book. A few years ago, I recall saying to him, I bet you didnt think youd still be writing at 97. Then again, I bet you didnt think youd be doing anything at 97. A man whod worked on a manual typewriter adapted to the computer age, regularly tweeting about Trump. He was looking forward to voting him out of office in the next election. A few days ago, his daughter sent me a picture of her with Carl and Mel, each wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt as they celebrated Mels 94th birthday. Two days later, she emailed with the sad news. Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The Convergence of the Republican Forces (CFR), a pro-presidential majority movement, has expressed "surprise and great disappointment" at the proposals of the 5 June Movement-Rally of the Patriotic Forces (M5-RFP), which is challenging the regime of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, whom it accuses of "poor governance" and "mismanagement" of multiple crises in Mali NASHVILLE, Tenn. A Bloomington man was arrested Thursday in Nashville on an attempted murder charge, police said Friday. Joseph R. Thornton III, 49, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force for several McLean County warrants, including his involvement in a shooting in early June, according to a statement from Bloomington police. A warrant for his arrest was issued June 3 after Bloomington officers were called to the 800 block of East Washington Street for a man who had been shot. The victim suffered life-threatening injuries from a gunshot fired outside during an argument, police said. Further details about his condition were not available Friday. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. His arrest warrant includes charges of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated battery with discharge of a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and unlawful use of weapons. Thornton is being held in the Davidson County Jail in Nashville and will be returned to McLean County. When the warrant was issued, his bond was set at $750,000 with 10% to apply, meaning he would have to pay $75,035 to be released from the McLean County Jail. The latest Crime Stoppers of McLean County cases Contact Kelsey Watznauer at (309) 820-3254. Follow her on Twitter: @kwatznauer. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BLOOMINGTON Watching an excavating crane start demolishing the former Red Fox food store in West Bloomington brought a sense of closure for Denise Perry. Her son, Antonio Perry, was fatally shot as he was shopping at the store on Oct. 31, 2002. He was 25 years old. "Having to drive past and see that it's such an eyesore ... to know it's going to be gone, there's closure now," Denise Perry said. "He's smiling down. That gives me peace." She was among a hundred people who attended a ceremony Thursday morning to usher in the demolition of the former store and other buildings in the Fox Plaza West strip mall and celebrate its redevelopment. The West Market Street Council plans to take ownership of the property at the intersection of West Market and Howard streets and turn it into a home for several retail businesses, community service agencies and a not-for-profit grocery store that would anchor the plaza. Project advocates also see the development of a neighborhood grocery store as ending the food desert in west Bloomington, formally designated by the City of Bloomington, McLean County, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There has been a building at the site since 1892, and a grocery store has been located there since at least the 1930s, said Lea Cline, who chairs the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission. But the former grocery store has sat vacant and is in a state of dilapidation and decay. Preserving the site's history is a major component of the project and is being incorporated into the new plaza's design, said Laurie Bell and Arthur Haynes, who started the redevelopment initiative two years ago. "This used to be the place where the community gathered. This was the place where you could give your kid a couple of bucks and send them to the store safely to pick up some things," said Bell, recalling the plaza's heyday. "This was a place that you didn't need to get on a bus to go get your groceries. You didn't have to leave your neighborhood. You could spend your money in the neighborhood. And also you could get a job and make money here." Redevelopment of the site into the West Market Street Plaza is a way of re-creating a local economy "where money is being spent and earned right here in West Bloomington," Bell said. "So we honor the people of the heyday." Bell said she also had to talk about what she called the area's "Mayday" years. "We've been through a couple of decades now of some really hard years here in this plaza and on this corner, and some very difficult things have happened during these years not only economically, not only more than 100 children are estimated to go hungry every night in West in Bloomington, which is unacceptable," Bell said. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} "I've got a lot of good and bad memories in this plaza," Haynes said. "This was one of our hangout spots where we would gather and meet ... but over 25 years there's been a lot of negative things that have happened in this lot." The killing of his friend, Antonio Perry, at the store was among the worst, said Haynes. "To be able to ride down market street and not have to look at that building and remember all those bad nights, that's a good thing," said Haynes. "But all of those good memories are going to be removed from this plaza, too." "Our kids could come to the store and we didn't have to worry about them. Everybody knew everybody and everybody took care of everybody," Denise Perry told those gathered. "We need to get back to that. Let's end the violence, guys. "We've got COVID killing us. We've got police taking lives. Not all police; the bad police. Let's stop taking each other's lives. Let's love on each other." Linda Foster, president of the local NAACP chapter, and Mayor Tari Renner praised efforts by Bell and Haynes to move the project forward. "It's been a long time coming. They saw what we needed," Foster said. "The efforts these folks have put it, it's about doing right." "It's not just that we see under-utilized or now an un-utilized area in a strip mall abandoned, but thousands of people come from the interstate to our downtown, the core of our city, and drive by and see this abandoned area," said Renner, who was joined by Bloomington City Council members Julie Emig of Ward 4, Jenn Carrillo of Ward 6 and Jeff Crabill of Ward 8 at the ceremony. "We are going to make ... this area once again an area of economic growth, a source of jobs, a community center, a place to be proud of, not a place to avoid, not to have bad memories for, but have another generation or more of good positive memories," the mayor said. Fundraising efforts are underway. The West Market Street Council Fund, a nonprofit account, has been opened at Illinois Prairie Community Foundation for donations to fund the project. The West Market Street Council is working with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a community economic development financier, to work out financing to pay for the construction, said Bell. "When the property is done, the grocery store and other businesses and community resource center will buy their own unit," said Bell. PHOTOS: Demolition ceremony marks beginning of West Market Street Plaza Contact Maria Nagle at (309) 820-3244. Follow her on Twitter: @Pg_Nagle Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 LEROY With pandemic precautions still in effect, Fridays grand opening of the Living Well United senior center in LeRoy wont be as grand as Barb Whiteman wanted it to be. After all, this is a person who organizes proms for senior citizens and helped inspire food videos for kids at Ridgeview Elementary School. Its going to be the most un-grand grand opening ever, said Whiteman, executive director of Living Well United. Its grand in the fact that its going to be open. But even though the 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting will be greeted with pre-wrapped cookies and bottled water, and a one-way walk through the building, better things are ahead. The first exercise class will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday. Cards and other activities also are planned, including Legos with April for the Young and Young at Heart at 3 p.m. July 28. The grand opening celebration will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday. After that, the center will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursdays. It took a lot of work, most of it volunteer, to convert the former Caseys store at 209 W. Washington St., into the LeRoy Living Well Center. At first, many seniors were pitching in, but that had to be set limited when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Work was limited to just a few people at a time and the workers kept their distance. Whiteman learned a lot about carpentry and Kevin Pfoff of Saybrook put in hundreds of hours, said Whiteman. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. They were still able to hit their target of opening the Fourth of July weekend. A list of donors and supporters who helped with the project is posted inside near the entrance. Theres so much love in every little piece in here, said Whiteman. One of those pieces is a Quarantine 2020 Quilt with individual squares made by seniors involved in the project then stitched together. One square shows seniors exercising the same logo on the T-shirts for Silver Sneakers, the exercise group Whiteman leads at the LeRoy RePlex. Another shows seniors dancing. A third says, simply, LOVE. An item expected to get a lot of use is an old-fashioned juke box donated by Jim and Lynne Harnsberger. Its filled with 45s, including recordings of Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary along with tunes from Elvis Presley to Elton John even Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf. Bev Beecher of LeRoy said having a place to meet friends, have lunch and talk or play cards is among the benefits of the center. There is really no place in LeRoy to go, she said. Its going to be lots of fun, said Evelyn Johnson of LeRoy, who is looking forward to playing cards with friends. We owe such a huge amount to Barb and Kevin. PHOTOS: See after-and-before photos of a new senior center in LeRoy Contact Lenore Sobota at (309) 820-3240. Follow her on Twitter: @Pg_Sobota Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SPRINGFIELD All of Gov. J.B. Pritzkers executive orders since April 8 pertaining to the novel coronavirus pandemic are void because he exceeded his authority when he used his emergency powers for more than 30 days, a Clay County judge ruled Thursday. The Illinois Department of Public Health instead has supreme authority to close businesses and restrict residents activities in a public health crisis, Circuit Court Judge Michael McHaney added. His decision, which he expanded to apply to all Illinoisans, is the latest ruling in Xenia Republican Rep. Darren Baileys lawsuit. He argued in his April 23 filing that the governor could not issue successive disaster proclamations to manage COVID-19. The attorney generals office is likely to ask a higher court to reconsider the order. Thomas DeVore, Baileys attorney, said business occupancy limitations and other restrictions can no longer be enforced. An official in the governors office, though, said the judges ruling is one contradicted by multiple other judges. She added it is not a final judgement and has no injunction. Phase 4 of the reopening plan is in effect, she said. McHaney did not agree with all of the points Bailey alleged, however. He rejected the argument that COVID-19 did not satisfy the definition of a disaster, as outlined in the law Pritzker cited in his executive orders. COVID-19 has wrecked Illinois state finances even more. How bad will it get? The person in charge of managing the states bank accounts said she fears it could be one of the most difficult years in modern memory. One problem with the governors approach was that he acted as though he knew better how people should behave, Bailey said in a statement. Instead of presenting facts and calling on people to respond in a collaborative way, hard and fast rules were imposed. Bailey entered the court Thursday afternoon and walked out to applause from a group of supporters who, the representative said, came from across Illinois. Several were wearing grey shirts that said, My governor is an idiot. The ruling in his lawsuit, he told reporters after the hearing, is beneficial for all Americans governors COVID-19 responses should not be unilateral. Instead, he suggested, local departments of health should make determinations county by county. Every other court both state and federal that has considered these exact issues has agreed with the administration that executive orders protecting Illinoisans health and safety are well within the governors constitutional authority, a Pritzker spokesperson said in an email. ...While this one county circuit court has gone a different direction from all of the other cases, the administration will ultimately seek to appeal this ruling, and the governor will continue to urge the people of Illinois to exercise constant vigilance and keep doing what has worked: wash your hands, watch your distance and wear your face covering. DeVore said the attorney generals office, which represented Pritzker in this case, could have asked the judge to suspend enforcement of his order but did not. Unless a higher court overturns McHaneys order, it will stand, he said. A spokesperson for Attorney General Kwame Raoul said officials are reviewing McHaneys order and evaluating our options. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} DeVore said the attorney general is supposed to be representing the people of Illinois, and he is disappointed that Raoul has been fighting 13 million people that hes supposed to have a duty to protect. Baileys case was in Clay County court because a federal district court judge returned it there Monday, denying a request for it to be heard in federal court made in late May by the attorney generals office. Accepting jurisdiction of the lawsuit would amount to judicial overreach, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gilbert Sison wrote. He noted in his 16-page ruling he was analyzing only whether Bailey alleged his U.S. constitutional rights were violated and therefore his case could be decided by a federal judge, not whether the enormity of the issues raised in the case had merit. The stakes are high on both sides of this litigation, the judge wrote. There is no easy balance between protecting the public from a silent, fast-spreading, novel virus and preventing great social upheaval and the heavy strain of economic and financial uncertainty. When the attorney generals office moved Baileys case from Clay County to a federal court, it argued the representative claimed his freedoms of religion, due process, interstate travel and a Republican form of government were violated by Pritzkers successive disaster proclamations. Baileys attorney responded in a court document that the venue shift was a delay tactic that was not supported by the lawsuits facts. Sison, in his opinion, wrote that while at first blush the representative did not explicitly cite the U.S. Constitution in his case, the states lawyers could infer that to a certain degree. He also admonished Baileys attorney for writing an ambiguous argument. The representative seems to acknowledge Pritzkers actions violated his constitutionally-protected rights, but did not specify whether he was referring to the U.S. or Illinois constitutions. Baileys argument that this is a case that clearly raises no federal claims is too confidently stated, the judge wrote. Ultimately, Sison decided that the crux of the representatives lawsuit clearly...is the scope of the governors power under the statutory scheme established by the Illinois Legislature. He also denied Baileys request that the state pay reasonable fees and costs associated with its venue shift. 10 ways Illinois schools could look different this fall Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 3 100 years ago July 3, 1920: The Leroy Journal has published large pictures of how the new library and church building will look. The J. T. Crumbaugh estate is financing the project. The exterior will be Green River stone; and the footprint will be 124 by 75 feet. A. L. Pillsbury is the architect. 75 years ago Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. July 3, 1945: Another sign of the coming peacetime economy: Ford began producing its 1946 model cars today. Theyll be available to civilians who have essential transportation needs. But it may take two years before the new cars are available to civilians without priority ratings. 50 years ago July 3, 1970: An overnight storm rolled into Illinois with high winds and rain. In its wake were downed trees and power lines. The storm snapped a heat wave that included 98-degree temperatures. Now the sound of chainsaws pervades the cool air as cleanup crews do their work. 25 years ago July 3, 1995: The ISU faculty expressed no confidence in President Thomas Wallace by a nonbinding vote of 249-219. The vote attracted further attention of the Board of Regents, some of whom were concerned with Wallaces conduct. A meeting is likely in the near future. Compiled by Jack Keefe; jkeefe@coldwellhomes.com. 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 Man proposes and God disposes, of course, but no one is seriously proposing much here. The federal government hasnt given any real guidance to the states. New York State hasnt given any real guidance to local governments. (As Errol Louis noted: New Jersey has a 104-page plan for reopening schools. New York has the usual petty power-play BS from Albany. And no plan.) The city hasnt offered any guidance to parents that they have any reason to trust. Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or contributing today. .@AmericanAir: how many Americans will die bc you fill middle seats, w/ your customers shoulder to shoulder, hour after hour. This is incredibly irresponsible, Merkley wrote. People eat & drink on planes & must take off masks to do so. No way you arent facilitating spread of COVID infections. Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and lenders have welcomed the first disbursement of $200 million of a syndicated loan facility to boost cocoa productivity in the worlds second-largest producer. The occasion was marked by a ceremony held in Accra, Ghana on Tuesday 23 June, followed online by hundreds of observers across the globe. In attendance were COCOBOD and government representatives and participating lenders, which included development finance institutions: the African Development Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Development Bank of Southern Africa and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Spa. Commercial lenders were represented by Credit Suisse AG, and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, London Branch. The $600 million syndicated loan agreement was signed in November last year at the Africa Investment Forum in Johannesburg. JICA and the African Development Bank agreed to provide $3.5 billion in joint financing under the fourth phase of the Enhanced Private Sector Assistance for Africa Initiative. There are challenges with productivity in the countrys cocoa production, as well as with the systems in place for processing and the distribution of cocoa. By strengthening the cocoa bean-centric agricultural value chain and related industries, the facility will help COCOBOD to contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals, said COCOBOD CEO Joseph Boahen Aidoo. COCOBOD will use the facility to raise cocoa yields per hectare and increase Ghanas overall production. Activities under the facility will include the allocation of financing to sustainably increase cocoa plant fertility, improve irrigation systems, and rehabilitate aged and disease-infected farms. The funds will also help increase warehouse capacity and provide support to local cocoa-processing companies. African countries like Ghana and Cote dIvoire produce nearly three quarters of the global supply of cocoa. This significant Bank-facilitated loan to COCOBOD aims to improve the quantity and quality of local processing, boosting incomes of local farmers and their communities and generating new and better jobs, said African Development Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Dr. Jennifer Blanke, ahead of the event. In March of this year, after the close of the syndication process, an amended agreement brought on board the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Development Bank of Southern Africa and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Spa, and other commercial lenders. This loan marks the first time JICA and the African Development Bank will be providing direct cofinancing under the Enhanced Private Sector Assistance for Africa initiative (EPSA4) as well as being the first non-sovereign project, said Chief Representative of JICA Ghana, Yasumichi Araki. JICA will continue to commit to the cocoa industry in Ghana through innovative interventions to COCOBOD. JICA has supported COCOBOD to build capacity to quality-test cocoa beans. Ghana supplies 70% of all cocoa beans imported into Japan and cocoa is seen as one of the nations most essential import commodities. The Development Bank of Southern Africa is also partnering with COCOBOD to further enhance Ghanas position as one of the leading producers of cocoa in the world. Source: Daily Graphic 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 newly introduced Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), which began a month ago at the Terminal Three of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), has yielded a total revenue of 55,497,303.65 (55.4) million Ghana cedis. This represents a 20 per cent increment over last years revenue performance for June, which was about GHC46 million. Mr Festus Mensah, the Chief Revenue Officer in-charge of General Duties at the KIA, disclosed this to stakeholders at a forum in Accra. The forum, which was organised by the Accra Airport sector of the Custom Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, at the Terminal Three, revealed that revenue mobilization under the new system was doing quite well. The Forum, convened at the instance of the Sector Commander, Thomas Daniel Williams, and attended by the Accra Commander, Emmanuel Ohene, also the Head of the ICUMS Implementation Task force, deliberated how best the current delays being experienced in processing documents could be avoided. Mr Mensah stated that all the suggestions made by the various stakeholders at the forum, would be taken into consideration. Effective June 1, 2020, all transactions related to the import and export of goods at the various ports started to be conducted through ICUMS, ending the operations of GCNet and West Blue Consulting. The system, deployed by Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), replaced the Ghana Customs Management System (GCMS). ICUMS is a system built by Universal Pass (UNI-PASS), specially tailored to Ghanas situation and provides an end-to-end supply chain solution that incorporates and consolidates existing systems currently in operation. Ghana Link Services Limited, which has a 10-year contract with the Government, as a technical partner, contracted CUPIA of Korea to deploy its electronic customs management system, called Universal Pass (UNI-PASS) now known as the Integrated Customs Management System ICUMS, for Ghanas trade facilitation. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former President Jerry John Rawlings is chronicling the shocking death of Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (Sir John), the hospitalization of Messrs Mac Manu and Carlos Ahenkorah, among others, as a sharp reminder of the deadly risk the society faces in underestimating the new coronavirus disease. In a tweet Thursday, Rawlings said it does not appear that we can afford the comfort of thinking the Covid-19 virus has gone weak or lessened its grip. It is there and very much around waiting to infect and claim the lives of those of us who will underestimate its danger. According to him, a senior medical doctor at 37 barely survived Covid-19 several weeks ago after the wife had passed on from contracting the virus, saying that may have been the first shocking wake-up call that the virus is real and deadly. Yesterday Sir John passed on and Peter Mac Manu and Carlos Ahenkorah are in ICU. Another minister, Dan Botwe has barely survived the icy claws of the virus. A foreign doctor based in Ashaiman has also recently succumbed to the disease. Rawlings said there's a limit to what those in authority can do and that a lot more depends on our very personal discipline and mindfulness. Let us wake up! There are too many gatherings that ignore Covid-19 preventive protocols. As we go through the process of voter registration, let us not let down our guard. It may be our last mistake. Let's wear our masks, maintain appropriate social distancing, basic cough etiquettes and proper hand and general hygiene protocols. He also urged Stay safe! Stay alive! Sir John died Wednesday evening reportedly from Covid-19 at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital where he was on admission after reporting sick. In tearful tributes, many including President Akufo-Addo have described the passing of the affable politician as shocking. Meanwhile reports indicate that Mr. Mac Manu, New Patriotic Party campaign manager for Election 2020, as well as Deputy Trade Minister Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, are responding to treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of the Korle Bu Hospital. Source: Daily Graphic 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 pandemic has sickened many people, claimed many lives across the globe, crippled economies as activities come to a standstill. The fear of contracting the disease and putting lives under threat has led to the introduction, enforcement, and observance of some safety protocols. Nonetheless, the narrative has been the same. Like many other countries, some health practitioners, public officials, high profile government officials, politicians have not been exceptions as far as contracting the disease is concerned. Clearly, the specific time and venue one contracts the disease is unknown but some of the undermentioned are said to have been infected in line of duty. 1. Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, Minister of Health On June 13, news of Health Minister testing positive for the virus spread like an inferno. He was said to be on treatment at the University of Ghana Medical Center. His status came as a surprise due to his regular caution to Ghanaians in his bi-weekly press briefings on COVID-19 by the Information Ministry. There were controversies surrounding the news as Afia Pokuaa, a journalist with Okay FM said the minister in an interaction with her denied ever contracting the disease. Her Facebook post read: "Spoke to the Minister of Health. He says hes fine and doesnt have COVID but only needed rest and his usual medication. President Akufo-Addo in his regular updates however confirmed the minister was receiving treatment after contracting the virus and wished him well. Mr. Agyemang-Manu has recovered 2. Papa Owusu Ankomah, Ghana's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland On April 10, Papa Owusu Ankomah who has been the head of Ghanas Mission in the UK and Ireland since June 2017 was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. He was sent to the Intensive Care Unit in a London Hospital for treatment. In a press statement issued on May 12, Mr. Owusu Ankomah announced he had recovered from the virus. "I count myself blessed to be counted among the living today based on my recovery from the horrific effects of the virus, part of the statement read. The 61-year-old urged all to abide by the protocols since it was in the best interest of everyone. "I entreat all compared to abide by laid down protocols and regulations issued by the U.K. authorities to stem the tide of the pandemic. Let us all stay safe and we shall overcome!," the statement said. 3. Dr. Lydia Dsane-Selby, CEO of NHIA The CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority, Dr. Lydia Dsane-Selby announced on June 16 that she had tested positive for Coronavirus. She said in an interview that tests conducted on her by health professionals came out positive. Since then, she reached out to family and friends and appealed to them to isolate and contact appropriate health professionals. Dr. Lydia Dsane-Selby in the same breath cautioned Ghanaians to continue adhering to safety precautionary measures to avert the dire consequences of contracting the disease. 4. Dr. Daniel Asare, Korle Bu CEO Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Daniel Asare was reported to have contracted the virus on June 24. Reports suggested that the CEO had been out of the office for the past 10 days as a result of the positive test. Three staff of Dr. Asare's office went into isolation as a result of his status. 5. Dan Botwe, Minister of Regional Reorganisation On June 24, the Regional Reorganisation Minister was reported to be on admission at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) in Accra after being suspected of contracting coronavirus. According to media reports, Dan Botwe reported at the hospital on Saturday, June 20, 2020, and was at a place called the Red zone where only coronavirus positive are kept. 6. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Education Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh was also reported to have been infected with the virus. On June 24, the medical doctor was said to have been in isolation at the University of Ghana Medical Center (UGMC) after a voluntary test, having had symptoms of coronavirus such as headache. Confirming the news on Onua TV, the Public Relations Officer for the Education Ministry, Kwasi Obeng-Fosu explained that, the minister returned from his constituency after his acclamation as the New Patriotic Party parliamentary candidate for Manhyia South constituency. 7. Peter Mac Manu, NPP Campaign Manager The Campaign Manager of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming December polls, Peter Mac Manu is also on admission at the Intensive Care Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after allegedly testing positive for the virus. The news was reported on July 2. It comes after he won the NPP parliamentary primaries. The political party was criticised by a number of Ghanaians for failing to adhere to preventive protocols during the primaries. 8. Carlos Ahenkorah, Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry Member of Parliament for Tema West, Carlos Ahenkorah who doubles as the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industries has confirmed he has the virus. Earlier there were reports he had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital but he denied. I was admitted for an overnight review on my Covid status at the ISOLATION CENTER in Korle Bu yesterday around 5 PM and discharged at 11 am this morning," a statement he issued read. The lawmaker has however been vehemently criticized after saying he toured some registration centres to see how the process was going despite knowing he has the virus. Some have said the legislator should have been in isolation, knowing his status instead of being callous. But he maintains he was careful. 9. Dr. Elikem Tamaklo, Managing Director, Nyaho Medical Centre A statement issued by Nyaho Medical Centre on Friday, June 5, said Dr. ELikem Tamaklo tested positive on Thursday, June 4. The statement mentioned that he has since been in self-isolation. In adherence to the stipulated protocols, Dr. Tamaklo and his family are currently under quarantine and will be compliant with all the necessary guidance from the District Health team who have worked closely with Nyaho Medical Centre in the follow-up and treatment of patients, the statement said. Dr. Tamaklo corroborated the report and entreated all to eschew stigmatization. The stigma that some have had to endure is unfair, unfounded, and has no basis. Through no fault of their own, they have been exposed to an invisible threat, a virus, and now have to keep focused on their journey to recovery, for themselves, their families and their wider community, he said in a short video clip. His decision to make his status public was to educate people on the need to stop stigmatizing people with the virus. The sudden passing While some officials recovered, others succumbed to the virus. 10. Nana Osei Boansi Kuffour, father of musician Obour Former President of the Musicians Union of Ghana, Bice Osei Kuffuor aka Obuor, lost his father to coronavirus in March. Nana Osei Boansi Kuffour died at the Ridge Hospital in Accra after showing symptoms. His death came with controversies as it was reported that the family kept his status from health officials, a claim the family vehemently refuted. 11. Dr. Harry Boateng, Medical Director of Kwadaso SDA Hospital Dr. Harry Boateng died on June 13; a few days after he complained of being unwell. Director of the Ghana Adventist Health Services Dr. Paul Amo Kyeremeh confirmed that the 48-year-old had the virus. When the news was reported to us, a team was dispatched to take a sample to test to establish what might have let to the demise and when the results came, it was established that it was due to COVID-19 yet with underlying health or medical conditions, he told the media. About 200 staff of the hospital were reportedly being tested as there were suspicions, they could have come into contact with the deceased. 12. William Kwabena Boateng, Presiding Member of Oforikrom Municipal Assembly A week after the demise of Dr. Harry Boateng, his elder brother, William Kwabena Boateng who was the Presiding Member of Oforikrom Municipal Assembly also died. The Assemblyman for Ayigya-Ahenbronum reportedly collapsed. He was subsequently rushed to a private hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. 13. Albert K.K. Sam, Mayor of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Area The Chief Executive of the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Anthony Kobina Kurentsir Sam died after contracting the disease. He was said to have died whilst receiving treatment at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC). In his 11th address on governments fight against coronavirus, President Akufo-Addo said: Sadly, he passed away on Friday, June 12, as a result of COVID-19 related death. He should find rest in the bosom of the Lord. 14. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (Sir John), CEO of the Forestry Commission Former General Secretary of the NPP, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John died on July 1 at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after a short illness. The renowned lawyer-cum-politician died after testing positive for coronavirus. Sir John reportedly succumbed to complications of the disease while undergoing treatment at the ICU of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. GhanaWeb wishes the living a speedy recovery; condolences to families of the bereaved. To the general public, coronavirus is real and it is imperative to adhere to all the preventive protocols. Avoid stigmatizing people with the virus. Source: Ghanaweb 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 As African countries begin to reopen borders and air spaces, it is crucial that governments take effective measures to mitigate the risk of a surge in infections due to the resumption of commercial flights and airport operations, the World Health Organization has said. Many African governments acted swiftly, implementing confinement and travel restrictions in the early days of the pandemic. In the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region, 36 countries closed their borders to international travel, eight suspended flights from countries with high COVID-19 transmission and others had partial or no restrictions. So far, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Tanzania and Zambia have resumed commercial flights. The 15-member Economic Community of West African States is expected to open their airspace on 21 July. While open borders are vital for the free flow of goods and people, initial analysis by WHO found that lockdowns along with public health measures reduced the spread of COVID-19. Even with border restrictions, imported cases have sometimes brought back COVID-19 to countries which had not reported cases for a length of time. For example, Seychelles had not had a locally transmitted case since 6 April 2020, but in the last week 66 new cases all crew members of an international fishing vessel have been recorded. Air travel is vital to the economic health of countries, said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. But as we take to the skies again, we cannot let our guard down. Our new normal still requires stringent measures to stem the spread of COVID-19. To resume international air travel, WHO recommends that countries assess the epidemiological situation to determine whether maintaining restrictions outweighs the economic costs of reopening borders if, for instance, there is widespread transmission of the virus. It is also crucial to determine whether the health system can cope with a spike in imported cases and whether the surveillance and contact tracing system can reliably detect and monitor cases. It is important that countries have systems in place at points of entry including airports. Comprehensive entry and exit screening should be considered based on risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis, and as part of the overall national response strategy. Such screening may target, as a priority, direct flights from areas with community transmission. In addition, observance of preventive measures such as personal hygiene, cough etiquette, physical distancing remains crucial. Passengers should be registered and followed up, and if they develop symptoms be advised to inform health authorities. The resumption of commercial flights in Africa will facilitate the delivery of crucial supplies such as testing kits, personal protective equipment and other essential health commodities to areas which need them most, Dr Moeti said. It will also ensure that experts, who can support the response can finally get on the ground and work. The impact of COVID-19 on airlines is likely to be severe. African airlines could lose US$ 6 billion of passenger revenue compared to 2019 and job losses in aviation and related industries could grow to 3.1 million, half of the regions 6.2 million aviation-related employment, according to the International Air Transport Association. In the worst-case scenario, international air traffic in Africa could see a 69% drop in international traffic capacity and 59% decline in domestic capacity, according to an analysis by the International Civil Aviation Organization. Together with the World Economic Forum, WHO held a virtual press conference today with Dr Moeti, Dr Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission and Prosper Zo'o Minto'o, Regional Director, Western and Central African Office, International Civil Aviation Organization. Source: WHO 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 Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has said a total of 12 health system infrastructure are being upgraded nationwide to enhance delivery of quality healthcare. Dr Aboagye, who was providing an update on the state of hospitalisation and infrastructure, especially the bed capacity for the treatment of COVID-19 patients at the Ministry of Informations press conference, said government was making every effort to expand both testing, isolation and treatment facilities across the country. He said progress of work on these new projects have been very impressive, adding that the 40-bed Dodowa facility with an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), to house the Centre for Disease Control, was 80 per cent complete and expressed the hope that it would be handed over by the middle of July, 2020. He said the remodeling of the Ho Centre was also 30 per cent completed, while other projects in the Greater Accra Region including the Pantang, the Ga East District Hospital, the new Debrah Ward at the 37 Military Hospital and Korle-Bu respectively, were all on course and near completion, to ensure additional bed capacity to accommodate and treat COVID-19 patients. He said similar projects are ongoing in other regions across the country and were expected to be completed in the coming months. Dr Aboagye also gave some statistics on the existing bed capacities in some isolation and treatment centres, including the fact that places such as the Toase Centre in the Ashanti Region was currently empty whiles all the 14 beds at the Okomfo-Anokye Teaching Hospital were full; but then there were also some free bed spaces at the Kumasi South Centre among others. He said presently, the Pentecost Isolation Centre with a 600-bed capacity was holding only 207 people, leaving spaces for 393; and out of the 85 spaces at the Ga East District Hospital only 30 were currently occupied by patients, leaving a space for 55 patients; while all the 160 beds at the Prampram center were also empty. The Director-General urged the public to strictly observe the social distancing, hand washing and mandatory wearing of face masks regulations, as the only proven way to slow down the record of COVID-19 infections and prevent the needless deaths. He called on religious and traditional leaders to join in the educational campaign on COVID-19, to drum home the need for all to remain alert and exhibit responsible behaviour. The 496 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, has pushed Ghana's cumulative count to 18,630 as at July 02, 2020, with 14,046 recoveries and 117 deaths. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Across Africa, less than half the population who have been interviewed about the deadly Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic believed they faced the risk of contracting the virus. More than 60 per cent believed that COVID-19 could be prevented by drinking lemon or taking vitamin C. And just over 40 per cent believed that Africans could not get COVID-19. These are some of the findings from a survey report released by the Partnership for Evidence-Based Response to Covid-19 (PERC) Consortium. The consortium is made up of public health organizations such as the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies, the World Health Organization, the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team, and the World Economic Forum and private sector firms such as market research company, Ipsos. The survey, conducted in March and April in 28 cities across 20 African Union (AU) member states gathered real-time information about the dynamics of the pandemic, governments responses to it, and peoples perceptions of both, to help governments implement the best public health and social measures to contain the virus. Copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the findings of the survey were discussed in a webinar hosted by the African Centre for Diseases Control and public strategy firm, Gatefield, to help journalists improve their reporting around the COVID-19 pandemic. It particularly focused on reporting on the public health and social measures around the virus, the report jointly signed by James Ayodele, Principal Communication Officer, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and Collins Boakye-Agyemang, Communications Officer, Wealth Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa said. In Africa currently, there are 418, 002 cases, 10,404 deaths and close to 200,000 recoveries. Dr. Emmanuel Agogo from Resolve to Save Lives said even though Africas COVID-19 numbers have been lower than the rest of the world, it was important to identify the common trends, issues and attitudes across the phases of the outbreak. Outbreaks and pandemics come in various phases. We need to keep vigilant. COVID-19 will hit rural areas and villages later than urban centres, he said. The study found four in five respondents anticipated that COVID-19 would be a big problem in their states. But, their risk perception for contracting the virus was low. Also, about 73 per cent thought that a hot climate prevented the spread of the virus and 61 per cent believed that avoiding a person who has recovered from COVID-19 prevents them from getting it. This, according to Dr Agogo was dangerous because it meant they were less likely to follow public health measures and advice since they did not think they would be affected. He advised journalists to focus on four lenses when they reported on the pandemic. These lenses are lives, livelihoods, liberties and the long term. These were the lives that were affected, the impact on peoples livelihoods, the liberties of people as well as the long-term effects that it would have. Mr. Ayodele of the Africa CDC said the continent had adopted a continental operations strategy that hoped to conduct 10 million COVID-19 tests in Africa, deploy one million community health workers, train 100,000 health care workers by the end of 2020 and set up a procurement platform on the CDCs site to help supply member states with the necessary health equipment. An expert panel of journalists including Eromo Egbejule, Africa Editor, OZY; Joan Van Dyk, Senior Health Journalist, Bhekisisa; Dr. Mercy Korir, Medical Journalist, KTN News and Aisha Salaudeen, Features Producer, CNN Africa, shared their experiences covering the pandemic at the event and advocated for more ethical and principled reporting. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has granted amnesty to 794 prisoners as part of efforts to decongest the countrys prisons in the midst of CONVID-19 pandemic. The President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo in consultation with the Council of State in Commemoration of Workers Day, May 1st, 2020 and in bid to mitigate the dangers posed by congestion in the prisons, especially in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, has in accordance with Article 72(1) of the 1992 Constitution granted amnesty to Seven Hundred and Ninety-four (794) deserving prisoners. A statement signed by Patrick Darko Missah, Director General of Prisons which gave the breakdown said 772 constituted first offenders while 16 were old prisoners (70 years and above) four were seriously ill. Two prisoners who were sentenced to death have been commuted to life imprisonment, the statement added. The statement said The first offenders totaling 772 who have served at least half of their sentences, 16 very old prisoners and four seriously ill are to be released outright. However, two prisoners on death row will have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. This is the second time that the President has granted amnesty in this year. On March 26, this year the President in consultation with the Council of State and Ghana Prison Service Council and in accordance with the exercise of Executive Powers per Article 72(1) of the 1992 Constitution granted 808 prisoners. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghana has signed a pact with the Japanese government to commence phase two of the Tema Motorway Interchange project at an estimated cost of one million dollars. The project, expected to take off in September, this year, would see the transformation of the parallel two-tier interchange into a three-tier to further hasten turnaround time at the interchange. Forming part of governments international corridor road improvement project to facilitate trade within the West African sub-region, the project is to be undertaken by Messrs Shimizu Dai-Nippon, a Japanese construction firm. At a brief ceremony in Accra yesterday, Ambassador of Japan to Ghana, Mr Himeno Tsutomu and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Charles Owiredu, both signed the document to that effect. Two other agreements, for the supply of medical equipment to some selected health facilities and a scholarship programme for government human resource officials, were also signed at the event to the tune of 4.5 million dollars and 2.4 million respectively. The Deputy Minister in a remark, recounted the various development assistance Ghana had benefitted from Japan through its Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in areas of maternal and child health, transportation, energy, agriculture and human resource development, among others. According to him, besides the Tema Motorway roundabout project, the Japanese government was also supporting Ghana in the construction of a new bridge across the Volta River on the Eastern Corridor road. This is in line with the Presidents vision to improve the capacity, safety and efficiency of transport and freight on the Tema Motorway roundabout, as well as facilitate trade and transit in the West African sub-region. It is my hope that the projects when completed would ensure safe, efficient road transportation and contribute to the efficient flow of goods and services, he said. Mr Owiredu expressed appreciation to Japan for being a key partner in Ghanas development, expressing hope that the bilateral relations between Ghana and Japan would continue to grow from strength to strength. Commenting, Mr Tsutomu indicated that the grant assistance to Ghana are to showcase the strong Japan-Ghana friendship and partnership and it is our wish that these projects will make valuable contribution in your countrys development. The ambassador used the occasion to commend Ghana for efforts made so far in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, expressing optimism that with measures put in place by the government, the disease could be better controlled as Japan has done. On his part, Deputy Roads and Highways Minister, Anthony Karbo, stressed that government was focused on improving the countrys road infrastructure in line with its Year of Roads declaration. He lauded the Japanese contractors for executing the first phase of the interchange project on schedule and hoped the phase two will bring more discipline and traffic ease on the stretch. Source: The Ghanaian Times Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Office of Government Machinery last year spent a total of GHC3.5 billion for the implementation of its various programmes and activities. Employee Compensation took GHC140.8 million; Goods and Services - GHC3.3 billion, while GHC55.49 million was spent on assets. Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah, Chairman of the Finance Committee, made the disclosure when he presented the Committees Report for the adoption of the Budget Performance Report of the Office of Government Machinery for the 2019 January to December Financial Year. The presentation is in accordance with the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act 2016 (Act 921) and the Standing Orders of the House. The Office of Government Machinery comprises the Office of the President, Scholarship Secretariat, Ghana AIDS Commission, Commissions and Councils, State Protocol Department, National Population Council and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre. The rest are Internal Audit Agency, Nation Builders Corps (NABCO), Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Office of the Administrator-General, Millennium Development Authority, State Interests and Governance Authority and the Office of the Senior Minister. Dr Assibey-Yeboah stated that the purpose of the report was to comply with section 27 of Act 921, which provided that each Principal Account Holder shall, within the first quarter of the ensuing year, after the Minister has submitted the Annual Budget to Parliament, submit to Parliament, a performance report on Budget Implementation for the proceeding financial year. He said the Government Machinery embraced the constitutional view of the Office of the President as the seat of Government, those organisations whose operations fell outside traditional areas of sectoral responsibilities for which the Office of the President (core Government Machinery) existed to provide administrative, managerial and technical services. Mr Ras Mubarak, Member of Parliament (MP) for Kumbungu, in his contribution, called for new funding sources for the Ghana AIDS Commission, explaining that the traditional funding sources from donor agencies were drying up. The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, however, stated that the NABCO was at present, not a creature of law, adding he wondered if there was any justification for the State in funding its operations or not. Mr Iddrisu complained that there were delays in the payment of allowances for employees under the NABCO Scheme, thus making it difficult for workers the under the Scheme to discharge the financial obligations to their dependents. They have also suffered the usual delays in salaries and even some of them arrears, he said. Mr Speaker, when you work for the month, theres a reason why you are paid at the end of the month; so that you can pay for water bills, electricity bills, and childrens breakfast, so that, you can, at your level, start something with it. But when salaries are deferred for four months, five months, or income, its not the best way to go in terms of wanting to support the person in terms of sustenance. Ive repeatedly said that employment is the best means of sustenance. The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, urged the MASLOC officials to up their game by increasing the rate of loan recoveries, which he said, went to 64 per cent in 2017 and fell to 55 percent in 2019. He, therefore, urged the institution to up its performance to enable others in the cue to benefit. If you are not able to retrieve the loans advanced, the people in the cue cannot benefit, he added. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The reclusive royals quickly grew wary of the crush of British press that followed their every move. In January, they stunned Britain and the world, announcing they would step back from the royal family. After surrendering their loftiest titles, Markle and the Prince relocated to Canada and then to Southern California. Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has bid farewell to Mr Giovanni Favilli, the Italian Ambassador to Ghana. The Minister congratulated Mr Favilli on the successful completion of his term of office as an Ambassador of Italy to Ghana (from October 4, 2016 to July 2020). She expressed her profound gratitude to the outgoing Ambassador for his active engagement and personal contribution to the enhancement of bilateral relations between the two countries. Madam Ayorkor Botchwey, who said relations between Ghana and Italy goes many years back; recalled the involvement of Italian companies in the construction of the Akosombo and the Kpone dams, as well as the Tema Oil Refinery. She also recalled the historic state visits to Italy in 2006 and 2015 by former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and John Dramani Mahama respectively; and the reciprocal visits of both the former and current Italian Prime Ministers Paolo Gentiloni and Giuseppe Conte in 2017 and 2019 respectively and stated that the implementation of the Bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement signed during Prime Minister Contes visit would further strengthen cooperation between their two countries. She commended the Government of Italy for the establishment of the Okuafo Pa Agribusiness Centre to train farmers in modern agricultural techniques and support agricultural development and entrepreneurship in Ghana, which was launched during the visit of Prime Minister Conte. She said the visits, which reflect the growing bonds of friendship between Ghana and Italy, also offered the platforms to explore business and investment opportunities as well as cooperation in the economic, agricultural and industrial sectors. Madam Ayorkor Botchwey acknowledged that under the Ambassadors tenure, the two countries experienced increased engagement in economic relations, agriculture, defence and security cooperation as well as an increase in technical and development assistance to Ghana. Whilst commiserating with the Government of Italy over the huge loss of lives in Italy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, she expressed her happiness at how the Italian Government had managed to bring the pandemic under control, leading to the rapid easing of restrictions and also underline the measures put in place by the Government of Ghana to prevent the spread of the virus. The Minister said the COVID-19 pandemic is a global challenge that requires concerted efforts by the international community to combat and in the wake of that applaud Italy for being part of the inclusive vaccine alliance, an initiative that supports the European Commission's call for global leaders to cooperate and buy bulk quantities of potential COVID-19 vaccines for European countries and the rest of the world, in order to avoid harmful competition for vaccines by individual advanced countries, an action that could raise the prices of vaccines and create difficulties in developing countries also obtaining supply. She assured the Ambassador of the Government of Ghana's commitment to working closely with friendly countries like Italy to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Madam Botchwey said although the COVID-19 crisis has imposed a lot of restrictions on countries all over the world, the Government of Ghana maintains the desire to put in place concrete measures to facilitate cooperation with Italy in areas of common interest such as in education, culture, science and technology as well as agriculture in line with Government's aspirations to move relations beyond the usual aid to trade. She again expressed her appreciation to the Ambassador for his immense contribution to the sustained growth of Ghana-Italy relations during his tenure of office and expressed her preparedness to work closely with his successor to strengthen the already existing cordial relations between the two countries. She urged the outgoing Ambassador to be a voice for Ghana on his return to Italy and to continue promoting the excellent bilateral relations between their two countries. Madam Botchwey expressed the desire to witness more dynamic engagements between Ghana and Italy for the mutual benefit of the two countries and also wished the outgoing Ambassador a safe journey back home. On his part, Mr Favilli, who recounted some major events that occurred during his tenure such as state visits between the two nations, also expressed gratitude to their Ministry of Foreign and Regional Integration for the support during his tenure of office. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Volta Regional Directorate of the Electoral Commission has issued a total of 72, 257 new voter cards to citizens after three days of registration, which started on June, 30. The third day had 27,832 people being issued with cards with the second and first days recording 24,912 and 19,513 respectively. Mr Dogbey Adukpo Selormey, Volta Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency. He said the daily activities at each centre from the districts and regional offices are uploaded to the national data centre, which makes it possible to know the figures accordingly. He said the increasing daily output means there is positive action on the ground adding that if this momentum is maintained the exercise would be deemed to be successful. I am exceptionally grateful to the people for the peaceful nature of the exercise in the region. I commend the people for their buy-in, which should be applauded, he said. He said apart from a few registration centres, who reported malfunctioning Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits on the first day of the exercise, the situation has improved drastically, as its technical officers are at arms length to address all challenges. Mr Selormey said Hohoe Municipal had a shortage of a BVR machine resulting from a breakdown but promised the lost days would be accounted and appealed to the residents to stay calm. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Dr Frederick Yao Mac Palm, the leader of the Take Action Ghana, and the other nine persons charged with treason, have denied the charge. The others are Donyo Kafui, Bright Alan Debrah, Johannes Zikpi, Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Esther Saan, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Corporal Sylvester Akanpewu, Lance Airforce Corporal (LAC) Ali Solomon, Colonel Kojo Gameli and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Benjamin Agordzo. Mac Palm, Kafui, Debrah, Zikpi, WO2 Saan, Corporal Abubakar, LAC Solomon and Corporal Sylvester. The accused persons are reported to be members of the Non Governmental Organisation, incorporated by Mac-Palm in 2018. They allegedly planned to demonstrate against the Government and eventually overthrow it. Consequently, Mac-Palm contacted Kafui, a resident of Alavanyo, to manufacture arms for that purpose and he produced them. Later, the others were also contacted including; Zikpi, a signaler, thus they held meetings to facilitate the process and drew a map covering the Flagstaff House, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, the 37 area and Burma Camp to facilitate their movements. Colonel Gameli, promised to give his support before, during and after the planned event, whilst Kafui brought 22 explosives, six pistols, three grenades and five ammunitions. Mac-Palm allegedly accommodated him, adding that, all these took place between June 2018 and September 2019. Mac-Palm was said to have also provided a quantity of substance, which when inhaled, would make one sleep for an hour. However, the Police upon a tip-off, arrested Mac-Palm on September 19 and the rest, subsequently. They have since been held for conspiracy to commit crime and treason felony. Mac Palm and Kafui are also facing the charges of conspiracy to manufacture arms and ammunition, production of arms and ammunition as well as possession of arms and ammunition. On the other hand, Colonel Gameli and ACP Agordzo have been charged for abetment of crime to wit treason felony. The High Court, presided over by Justice Samuel K. Asiedu, an Appeal Court Judge sitting as an additional High Court Judge, had earlier granted a GH6 Million bail with three sureties to be justified to Mac Palm, Kafui, Debrah, Zikpi, Colonel Gameli, LAC Solomon Corporals; Abubakar and Sylvester but they have since not met the bail bond. It was the first time Mac Palm, Kafui, Debrah, Zikpi, LAC Solomon Corporals; Abubakar and Sylvester had made their appearance before the Court after they were committed by the District Court to stand trial at the High Court. Meanwhile ACP Agordzo and WO2 Esther were on bail before appearing before the High Court, as well as Colonel Gameli, who was remanded into the custody of the military by the District Court due to his rank in the force. Whilst counsels for Colonel Gameli and Zipki asked for review of the GH6 million with three sureties of the already reviewed bail bond of GH10 million with sureties, each to be justified, WO2 Esthers counsel pleaded with the Court to ease some restrictions on her bail conditions whilst in the custody of the military. However, the Court refused the applications of Colonel Gameli and Zikpi with the reason that it was not satisfied with the effort they had put in to get the bail bond executed whereas it asked WO2 to come return on October 15, 2020, the next adjourned date, if the restrictions were not eased. The Court ordered the Attorney General (AG) to get its prosecution witnesses statements ready in order not to delay the process. It again ordered the registrar to serve the Prisons Authority with a warrant to bring the accused persons instead of the BNI. Ms Hilda Craig, Principal State Attorney did not give the facts of the case, but told the Court that the Prosecution would do so when the jury was empanelled. By the next adjourned date, the AG would have also served the accused persons with a copy of a motion for additional evidence to be added to the exhibits already in the Courts custody, she said, adding that at the committal stage, some of them were left out. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A shooting incident at the Ecole Jean Registration Centre at Kotobabi in Accra yesterday marred the second day of the voters registration exercise at the centre. Three unidentified gunmen on motorbikes fired indiscriminately from some 100 metres away from the centre, sending prospective registrants running helter-skelter. Kotobabi shooting Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Accra Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mrs Effia Tenge, said about 9.30 a.m. yesterday, there was indiscriminate discharge of firearms about 100 metres from the Ecole Jean Registration Centre at Kotobabi. She said police investigations established that the shooting was done by three men on two unregistered motorbikes but they were yet to be identified. She said the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso North, Mr Yussif Jajah, later handed over three empty shells allegedly found at the scene of the shooting. Mrs Tenge said the police were investigating the case, while efforts were being made to arrest the young men behind the shooting. COVID-19 protocols Adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols was still a challenge at some registration centres the Daily Graphic visited in Accra and Wa. In Accra, Kester Aburam Korankye reports that prospective registrants who had gathered at the various centres ignored the wearing of nose masks and keeping the one-metre distance from one another. At the Tankase Line Centre in the Ablekuma Central Constituency, the registration officer, Mr Rapheal Lamptey, said many of the registrants had refused to observe the safety protocols, citing varied reasons for the state of affairs. Some of them dont understand that they have to observe physical distancing, so when you tell them to go back or space out, they say the virus is not deadly, he said. Asked why he was not relying on the police to enforce the protocols, he said the police were not stationed at the centre and, therefore, could not be around any time there was an incident. The situation was not different at the City Engineers Centre at James Town, where many of the about 200 prospective registrants gathered did not wear nose masks nor observe the social distancing protocols. We want to just register and go home. This is my sister; we stay in the same house and so why cant I touch her or talk to her? a woman who gave her name as Naa Borley told the Daily Graphic at the centre. The registration officer, Ms Munira Tagoe, said beyond the total disregard for the safety protocols, the process had been a bit slow because the registration machines had frozen twice and had to be restarted. At the Additrom Centre in the Klottey Korle Constituency, there was a Veronica bucket at the entrance for washing hands and only a few people, many of whom were wearing nose masks, were still seated, waiting for their turn to register. In Wa in the Upper West Region, Emmanuel Modey reports that many people still did not observe the COVID-19 physical distancing protocol when the exercise entered the second day . In the Wa municipality, a visit to the Limanyiri and Kpongu Clusters showed that safety protocols, such as physical distancing, were still non-existent. The large number of people who had formed queues did not adhere to the necessary protocols such as avoiding overcrowding and covering the mouth and the nose with masks. Those who were in possession of nose masks rather kept them in their pockets. Slow pace From Kumasi, Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor writes that prospective registrants at Asuoyeboa SSNIT Flats and its environs in the Kwadaso Constituency were left frustrated with the slow nature of the exercise. At the SSNIT Post Office Centre, as of 1 p.m. yesterday, the officers were still attending to those who had come there the previous day but had not been able to register. That group of people, who were given numbers to report yesterday, were not made to join the queue but allowed to go through the process. That led to a long queue of those who had come on the second day to register, with some abandoning the queue because they had to go to work. There was only one machine for taking pictures and it was working at a very slow pace. Aside from the few hitches, the process was orderly, with the people observing the physical distancing and wearing of nose masks protocols. There was a queue dedicated to the aged, nursing mothers and pregnant women and they were attended to. Meanwhile, there was no canopy to provide shade for the prospective registrants. Source: graphic.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 United States Senate has approved a final version of legislation that would punish China for imposing a new security law on Hong Kong, a move by China that aims to destroy democratic freedoms and government accountability in Hong Kong. The legislation termed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act would impose sanctions on businesses and individuals that help China restrict Hong Kong's autonomy. The Senate initially passed the bill last week, according to Sen. Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican, and Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, who authored the legislation, but on Thursday July 1, it was approved by unanimous consent and it will now go to President Donald Trump's desk for signing. The move by US lawmakers comes as China has passed a controversial national security law for Hong Kong that grants China almost total control over the affairs of semi-autonomous city Hong Kong, going against the deal signed between Britain and China in 1997 when Hong Kong was handed over to China under the One country Two systems principle. The West believes the new law ends the city's precious civil and political freedoms but China claims the law was created to uphold the sovereignty of the Chinese mainland. The US believes the new law could be used to target political dissidents, activists, human rights lawyers and journalists who speak up against the government. 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 Deputy Minister of Trade and Industries, Mr Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, has said despite being COIVD-19 positive, he toured some registration centres to see how the process was going when the Electoral Commission began registering Ghanaians for a new voter ID card ahead of the 7 December 2020 polls. The Tema West MP admitted to Asempa FM on Thursday, 2 July 2020 in an interview that he toured the centres on the first day of the exercise Tuesday, 30 June 2020. I decided to see how some of the centres were just operating. So, I stepped out into town a bit. It didnt mean I couldnt go out. My test results had shown I was positive a week ago and after one week, my doctors said I could step out, he told Asempa FM. They [doctors] said I could go out, except that I needed to wear my mask and observe social distancing, the lawmaker added. He said he was very careful and very mature about it. Meanwhile, Mr Ahenkorah has denied media reports that he has been rushed to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19. In a short statement on Thursday, 2 July 2020, Mr Ahenkorah said: My attention has been drawn to messages circulating on social media to the effect that I am in ICU after testing positive for COVID-19 sending worrying signals and misinformation to my well-wishers and party faithful. I must categorically state that I am not in ICU, Mr Ahenkorah noted, adding: Neither am I in Korle Bu at the moment. I was admitted for an overnight review on my COVID status at the isolation centre in Korle Bu yesterday around 5 pm and discharged at 11 am this morning. I have not, in any way, been taken ill or suffer any serious break down to send me into ICU. I ask all and sundry to disregard this hollow speculation and confirm I'm as fit as I used to be. Thank you! Source: classfmonline.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 Fish farmers in the Kwahu area are looking for market for their produce, following the negative impact of the coronavirus on their businesses. This came to light when the Fisheries Commission visited selected fish farms in the Kwahu area to assess the impact of the coronavirus on their business. At the fish farm of Mr Yaw Sarpong at Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region, he told the Ghana News Agency(GNA) that he could not get market for his fish over four tons of tilapia and catfish produced by his farm early this year because of coronavirus. Mr Sarpong said he stocked the fish to meet the Kwahu Easter festival but the festival was called off because of Covid-19 and expressed his frustrations and appealed to people to come and buy the fish. Mr Sarpong explained that he started the venture less than a year ago and was hoping for things to go smoothly but now the opposite had happened. He currently employs one permanent worker and four casual workers and said he spend Gh100.00 a day to feed the over grown fishes and appealed to private entities and government to buy the fish. At the Family and Friends Fish Farm, the Farm Manager, Mr Omari Evans said they could not get customers for the fish produce by the farm because of the coronavirus and the drive in restaurant attached to the farm for selling of the processed fish is also out of operations because of the virus. The farm employs four workers and is still maintaining all of them. Ms Linda Bana, the New Juaben Zonal Director, who led the team on the visit to find out the impact of Covid-19 on aquaculture in the Eastern Region thanked the farmers for their hard work and dedication in feeding Mother Ghana. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service(GIS) stationed at the Bunkpurugu border have arrested 10 Togolese nationals with 16 bags of planting for food and jobs fertilizers. Two of the Togolese were intercepted on their way out of Ghana on motorbikes and were carrying eight bags of fertilizer each meant for planting for food and jobs. The GIS personnel also confiscated two motorbikes belonging to the Togolese nationals. The Togolese were arrested for illegal entry and out through some unapproved routes on motorbikes. The Ghana Immigration Service in the North East Region deployed personnel in six(6) different unapproved routes in the region to help curb the smuggling of fertilizers in the area. The District Immigration Officer Edwin Adjetey Doku, told journalists that the Togolese have been handed over to the Togo Immigration. According to him, the seized motorbikes and fertilizers, however, were confiscated and reported to the District Chief Executive for the necessary action to be taken. Source: daily guide 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 Crime Check Foundation (CCF), a non-governmental organisation, has presented GHC52,000 to Ms Memuna Malik, who had her face, chest and parts of her left hand disfigured, after a substance believed to be acid, was poured on her. As part of the Foundations Health Check Series, the amount was presented to Ms Malik to bear the cost of the first phase of her surgery. The Foundation had already given her GHC4,000 to help her start the medical process. Mr Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, the Executive Director of CCF, told the Ghana News Agency that the operation would involve the lifting of her nose and straightening of her eye lids. He said the second and third phases of her surgery would take off when "we are able to raise additional funds." Earlier, the Executive Director, who is also a Broadcast Journalist with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, encouraged the victim to keep up the faith in God and believe that all would be well. The Foundation has, meanwhile, launched an appeal, pleading with all benevolent individuals and organisations to support her to access quality medical care to save her life. Ms Malik, 29, said a lady poured the substance on her face at Riyadh, the Capital City of Saudi Arabia, where she was working. She said she returned to Ghana about three months ago and now resided in Accra. She expressed gratitude to all partners and donors of the Foundation for the support. Ms Malik explained that the incident happened on December 24, 2018, at Rabis Hair Salon, where she had gone to braid her hair. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A 29-year-old motorcycle rider in Uganda, Hussein Walugembe, has died after setting himself on fire inside a police station where he had gone to demand the release of his impounded bike. According to the Ugandan press, Walugembes motorbike was confiscated in the South-Western district of Masaka, about 134km (83 miles) from the capital, Kampala, on Monday, June 29. As part of the measures to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus, the Ugandan government banned the use of motorcycles popularly known as Boda bodas, as a means of transportation for humans. They are able to operate between 06:30 and 17:00 local time but must only transport cargo. According to the police, Mr Walugembe had lent his bike to a friend, who was apprehended while using it to carry a passenger. Walugembe reportedly became frustrated with the police after visiting the station several times to demand its release. On Thursday, July 2, he visited the station and locked himself in a room before setting himself ablaze using petrol concealed in a water bottle and match sticks. An officer who was with him at the time suffered minor injuries and several files and computers were destroyed. Commenting on the incident, the regional police spokesperson, Paul Kangave, said it is investigating the allegation that some of its officers were asking for a $40 (32) bribe to release the bike. 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 Municipal Chief Executive for Ejisu-Juaben in the Ashanti Region under erstwhile Mahama Administration, Hon Yamoah Ponkoh has blamed the demise of the late lawyer Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, CEO of Forestry Commission squarely on the shoulders of President Akufo-Addo. According to him, the unbridled desire for power by President Akufo-Addo at the expense of the lives of Ghanaians caused the death of the NPP stalwart as he failed to comply with the World Health Organization (WHO) safety protocols. Fellow Ghanaians? In what was billed to be a eulogy of the demise of Sir John as the deceased was affectionately called on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Yamoah Ponkoh went off tangent and rather launched a blistering verbal attack on President Akufo-Addo, describing him as power-drunk. He opined that in a few month's time, the president will have no one to address as "fellow Ghanaians". When I heard that Sir John has died it didnt come to me as a surprise at all because we are not in normal times and with this COVID-19, even the WHO has outlined safety measures, but the ordinary African says they will not adhere to it. The ordinary African President, the ordinary African Head of State due to his desire for power will not work with the safety protocols. He is so full of lies. If Sir John died of COVID-19, then his family and loved ones should blame Akufo-Addo; yes, they should blame him. Nana Akufo-Addo has killed Sir John. This is because he is not complying with the safety protocols. He has turned the measures upside down," he accused the President of Ghana. Henceforth, anyone who will contract the COVID-19 and dies of it, we should blame Nana Akufo-Addo; it is as simple as that. A time will come he will not find anybody to address them as fellow Ghanaians, he declared. Lawless State The NDC stalwart pointed out that despite the World Health Organisation (WHO's) appeal to all on the need to observe safety protocols by practising social distancing, President Akufo-Addo has turned the country into a lawless state by flouting these recommendations, following the ruling party recent Parliamentary primaries with the call on Ghanaians to fully participate in the on-going voter registration exercise. . . cant we see that the country is becoming lawless? Are we going to sit down for a serious calamity to befall the entire country before we realize that we're heading in the wrong direction? Everybody has seen what is going on that Nana Akufo-Addo and his Ministers are destroying the country. Akufo-Addo does not care about anybody else; he even told us 'your own destiny is in your own hands . . . I wonder why he (President Akufo-Addo) will allow Ghanaians to go out to register their names, knowing how deadly coronavirus is when there is an existing voters register that could have been used for the election, he fumed. Breach of Protocols There was a clear flouting of Covid-19 protocols at the recently held primaries by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to elect Parliamentary candidates for the upcoming elections. This was after videos from voting centres showed complete disregard for social distancing and other protocols that have been implemented to stem the spread of the coronavirus. It was no wonder that at his acclamation as the NPPs presidential candidate for the 2020 presidential election, President Akufo-Addo apologised to Ghanaians for the partys breach of protocols which he described as regrettable. Watch Video Below COVID-19 Loans Needlessly Spent? Hon Yamoah Ponkoh further accused the President of lying to Ghanaians after contracting loans in the name of the country from the World Bank and IMF with the sole purpose of putting measures in place to protect the citizens but has rather spent the money on needless ventures. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, look at the money that Nana Akufo-Addo and Ofori-Atta have gone for in the name of the country to protect Ghanaians? Because he wants to retain power, he has asked everybody to go out to join in the queue and the social distancing protocol is non-existent. We have a government that has gone in for huge monies from the World Bank and IMF to protect Ghanaians but it is all a lie... Sir John is gone and some are also in the hospitals; have you seen how Jehovah God does things? Nana Akufo-Addo will collapse this countryif someone has predicted that Sir John will die in this manner, would have believed that prediction? We even heard that Dan Botwe and Matthew Opoku Prempeh are also suffering from the COVID-19 and we dont know their current status; but you see, the ordinary Ghanaians that we politicians dont have any regard for and take them for granted are rather alive...Because of power that Nana Akufo-Addo wants the entire population to perish, he slammed. Negligence & Irresponsible To him, even as Ghanaians mourn the death of Sir John, it is equally important to bear in mind the negligence of duty and irresponsibility on the part of the President in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that the unfortunate demise of Sir John and the state of other leading figures of the ruling party currently in isolation at health facilities as a result of COVID-19, is a testament of President Akufo-Addo's desire to be retained in power at all cost. Nana Akufo-Addo wants to retain power and so doesn't care if you lose your life and has allowed stupid things to go unchecked....God has given you the power to run the affairs of the country but if you take the people for granted and maltreat them, this is what happens. So even as we lament the departure of Sir John, we should think of ourselves, he charged. Source: Daniel Adu Darko/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 Atik Mohammed has called on political figures and Ghanaians to stop worrying the Electoral Commission (EC) to give them nose masks at the registration centres. The EC's registration exercise began on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, and is aimed at compiling a new voters' register for the upcoming general elections and all other national elections. The ongoing exercise is taking place in over 33,000 polling stations across the country. Some participants have expressed their displeasure with the EC's inability to provide them with nose masks despite assuring Ghanaians that they will take all COVID-19 health protocols into account. Addressing the issue on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Atik Mohammed stated emphatically that sharing nose or face masks to attendees to the registration centres shouldn't be the responsibility of the Electoral Commission. "It's not their job," he stated and wondered how people even go to the registration centres unmasked when President Nana Akufo-Addo has ordered a mandatory wearing of masks by every citizen. " . . the E.I states that you can't leave your home without wearing the face or nose mask. So, by law, it is even criminal or it's an offence to step out of your home without wearing the mask. So, how do you get to the registration centre in the first place?'' 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 Celebrated broadcaster and host of Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Kwami Sefa Kayi, affectionately called Chairman General has advised the youth in politics to draw lessons from the character and personality of the late NPP bigwig, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John, passed away on Wednesday at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. According to sources, the CEO of the Forestry Commission tested positive for Covid-19 and succumbed to complications of the disease while undergoing treatment at the ICU of the hospital. Two politicians, different parties but best friends NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia and Sir John are bosom friends despite their political affiliations. Mr. Asiedu Nketia, also called General Mosquito, overwhelmed with grief, shared a touching revealing story about his late friend. . . I was deeply touched when he (Sir John) came to stay with me for 3 days after the death of my mother . . . he could have stayed in a hotel when everyone else had left but he came to live in my house. We ate the same food and did a lot of things together. The Pentecostal pastor who presided over the funeral, as well as sympathisers who were present were amazed by his gesture that General Secretaries of the two rival parties would get along so well," he wrote. Kwami Sefa Kayi scolds arrogant youth Chairman General reprimanded the young people, who in the name of politics, disrespect and insult elderly people. According to him, the relationship between Sir John and General Mosquito is what politics is supposed to mean, that you have political differences but act in decorum. He advised the youth to stop the politics of insult and wipe off their arrogant disposition saying "Ghanaians will attest that one person who has lost his brother is General Mosquito. I am sure that we remember their political fight. They will fight but immediately come back together after their arguments. These are two leaders with one in NDC and the other in NPP. There is no way General Mosquito would vote for Nana Addo and there's no way Sir John would ever vote for Mahama but still, it is not even the close friends that I am looking; I'm looking at the maturity to agree that I like this and you like that but we don't hate each other," he said. "This should serve as a lesson to the youth who disrespect and insult adults because they're following politicians. It should be a lesson to show them that life is short . . . With some of them, it is some adults who are behind and stimulating them. That is what creates the tension. At the end of the day, it is all about political power. That's all it is," he accentuated. 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 National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammi Awuku says even though they are confident of winning the 2020 election, they will not downplay what the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) can do. In an interaction on Peace FM's The Platform programme, Mr. Awuku said he "expected Nana Addo to perform but he has overperformed" and because of that Ghanaians will give them a second term. However, "the NPP will not underestimate the NDC and former President Mahama because when you're eating with the devil, you use a long spoon". Listen to him in the video below 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 Members of Parliament (MPs), colleagues, friends and political adversaries have paid tribute to former General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, after his sudden death aged 71. Popularly known as Sir John, the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission was said to have succumbed to complications of the coronavirus on Wednesday night while undergoing treatment at the ICU of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Parliament took about 15 minutes to remember Mr. Owusu-Afriyie, who was described as a perfect affable personality by his peers. Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the Ghanaian body politics had lost a man of immense ability, who paid his dues to the country through his services and sacrifices He was a good friend, a brother and represented his presence strongly in the political space of the country, he stated and added that the former NPP Chief Scribe was an affable personality who really affected everyone that he came into contact with, pointing out that he was shell-shocked to learn about his sudden demise. Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who is also the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, said the exit of Owusu-Afriyie should urge Ghanaians on to be conscious of the existence of Covid-19 (coronavirus) and get convinced that the disease is indeed real. At this moment, Mr. Speaker, it is proper and appropriate to pray for the protection of the government of this country, the judiciary, the legislative arm and indeed all public servants who are in various ways discharging their responsibilities towards the development of this country. The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, who expressed his profound sympathies to the family of Sir John and the NPP fraternity, said the country was devastated to lose a fine man with a good sense of humour, which was always accompanied with a smile even as he jabbed. Mr. Speaker, when he lost his second bid for the NPP General Secretary to Kwabena Agyapong he said that we should fear delegates. I am sure many of our colleagues here will now appreciate his admonishment. And indeed, delegates are to be feared. I am sure we will have another opportunity to eulogize him and his contributions to mother Ghana. Please do accept our sympathies and condolences. The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye said Sir John and the NDC General Secretary were the best of friends even though they belonged to different political parties. According to him, the confluence and relationship of the two men should be an example to all politicians not to hate each other because of belonging to different political persuasions. Sometimes our own internal fights show a lot of hostilities and I wish we wouldnt do it and so dont on the national plane. That is worthy to say about him (Sir John) and colleague Asiedu Nketia. And may these examples continue to inspire the political hemisphere, the Speaker said and called for a moment of silence to be observed for the soul of Sir John. Source: Daily Guide 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 Ayawaso West Wuogon arm of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the incumbent MP, Lydia Seyram Alhassan of bussing some residents from different constituencies to partake in the ongoing voter registration exercise. Constituency Chairman, Bismark Abuobi Aryettey has cautioned that his youth will take the law into their own hands after their complaint to the police on the happenings in the area has been swept under the carpet. He told NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie in an interview that they have been able to stop few aliens by themselves after the police refused to address the issues. We will not allow any alien here. The law state clearly that if you dont belong to an area you cannot register there. So, we will prevent such people. If they disagree, we will use force, he told host Mac Jerry Osei Agyeman. But the NPP constituency Secretary in the area has debunked the claims after describing it as rubbish. Alhaji Issah Sawado was empathic on NEAT FM that the accusation leveled against the incumbent MP was meant to disrupt the smooth process of the registration in the area. Whos bussing people to register in Ayawaso? he questioned. 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 More tributes keep pouring in celebration of the life of the Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie popularly known as Sir John. Sir John passed away on Wednesday evening after a short illness. Kwesi Pratt Jnr. adding his voice to the tributes said the former General Secretary of the NPP was an all weatherman who had a good sense of humour. He disclosed a conversation he had with the late CEO of the Forestry Commission in which he (Sir John) divulged his intention to contest for the Chairmanship position of the NPP. "I knew Sir John from the first year of the University. He was an all weatherman and he will be deeply remembered. He told me he wanted to contest for the chairmanship position of the party and I even volunteered to campaign for him, and he jokingly added that no if you campaign for me, you will reduce my votes'," Kwesi Pratt told Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'kokrokoo' programme. Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah also paid tribute to Sir John. According to him, he campaigned for me in 2004 and stood by me until I won and he didnt even know me. He has urged Ghanaians to learn from the death of Sir John and abide by the safety protocols of COVID-19. Both were speaking on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Friday. Watch video below Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/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 Those pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters are far more precious due to a national coin shortage brought on by the coronavirus and resulting shut down. As a result, the Giant supermarkets chain is the newest member of a growing list of retailers limiting cash transactions and/or demanding exact change. Due to the national coin shortage, select Giant registers can only accept credit, debit, and electronic payments at this time, company spokesman Christopher Brand said in response to PennLive questions about coin shortages on Friday. MORE PA NEWS: After teen dies jumping into quarry, Pa. police look to stop this deadly recreation As the New York Post reports, Lowes home improvement stores have posted signs urging shoppers to pay with exact change or use other forms of payment, as have convenience stores such as 7-Eleven, Pilot and Circle K, according to news reports and social media posts. The reason for pinching those pennies along with quarters, nickels and dimes? Its yet another thing to blame on the coronavirus and the resulting national lockdown of businesses across the country. The Post writes the pandemic significantly disrupted the supply chain and circulation patterns for Americas metal money. On one hand, the US Mint slowed production of coins to protect workers amid the crisis, the Post writes. On the other, coin deposits from banks also plunged these past few months, bringing the normal circulation to a near standstill that still hasnt thawed. Stores have been closed. The whole system of flow had come to a stop, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell recently told House Financial Services Committee. As the economy reopens, were seeing coins begin to move around again, he added, according to the Post. But the customary coinage circulation hasnt come back just yet. In fact, the Fed on June 15 started limiting how many pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters it distributed to banks as part of its efforts to mitigate the effects of low coin inventories, the Post reported. So until further notice, either pinch those pennies or expect to use credit or debit when you checkout. READ MORE: 4 people struck by lightning, 2 killed in violent Pa. storm Accused burglar, 16, beats homeowner with his own cane: cops Womans body pulled from Pa. lake after boating accident Pa. teen dies jumping into quarry with friends: He was the happiest person alive 1 dead after car slams head-on into Pa. ambulance Penn State football player with red, glassy eyes charged with drug possession after campus traffic stop Pa. man, 22, faces homicide charges in triple-fatal crash while street-racing his Ford Mustang 2-year-old drowns in home swimming pool: Pa. coroner Fired Pa. cop and sniper accused of threatening his sniper team: Just a heads up. I am planning to take it to your team Officials at Hagerstown Speedway have decided to postpone its 2020 racing season. A Friday press release stated that the popular Speedway cannot properly practice safe social distancing procedures within the grounds, forcing officials to shut down. It is with deep regret and sadness due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with local and state mandates of adherence to the CDC guidelines for crowd gatherings and social distancing that the officials and management of Hagerstown Speedway are postponing the 2020 racing season effective immediately for the foreseeable future, the press release stated. The announcement comes during Pennsylvania Speedweek, which features nine consecutive days of sprint car races, with points leader Kyle Larson winning Thursdays Johnny Grum Memorial at Hagerstown. We rely on racers to put on a great show, and we rely on our great fans to come and watch and enjoy a night at the races. However, at this time, we can no longer accommodate the masses due to the restrictions set forth by local municipalities of the Washington County Health Department and the orders from the Maryland Secretary of Health. Earlier this week, the prestigious Knoxville Nationals, celebrating its 60th year, at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa was canceled and rescheduled for Aug. 11-14, 2021. Closer to home, the 32nd annual Mitch Smith Memorial for 410 spring cars at Williams Grove Speedway, dubbed the Crown Jewel of Pa. Speedweek, begins at 7:30 Friday. Follow Eric Epler on Twitter -- @threejacker Between President Trump supporting a second stimulus package and other Washington lawmakers unsure if another rescue package for Americans is needed, important questions like when and how much remain unanswered. Ed Mills, a Washington policy analyst at Raymond James, recently told CNBC that a combination of options will be thoroughly discussed when lawmakers enter serious negotiations, presumably later this month. Theres going to be a pot of money, and it is going to go toward a combination of round two stimulus checks, continued unemployment and back-to-work bonuses, Mills told CNBC. With the number of coronavirus cases surging across the country, and the added benefits of the initial CARES Act set to expire at the end of the month, most agree that more financial aid is needed. Congress will return from its holiday recess on July 20, so there could be pressure to push through another round of relief based on the economy and rising unemployment rates. So, what might a second stimulus package look like? Heres the latest based off of the three items mentioned by Mills. Checks Trump has supported a very generous package that could send more checks to individuals and families, similar to the $1,200 payment issued with the CARES Act. The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act passed the Democratic-led House in May and would again distribute a $1,200 payment to individuals who qualify, with $2,400 to couples who file their taxes jointly. PennLives complete coronavirus coverage An additional benefit is an extra $1,200 for up to three dependents, meaning a family of five could receive a maximum of $6,000 depending on combined income. The CARES Act afforded eligible families $500 for each child, but only for kids under 17. Americans who are married to immigrants without a social security number would also qualify for payment under the proposed HEROES Act. Added or extended unemployment benefits Outlined in the HEROES Act is a plan to extend the additional unemployment benefits ($600) through January, although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday said extending the federal insurance incentivizes people not to go back to work. On Wednesday, Senate Democrats introduced a bill to extend the federal unemployment benefit and then eliminate it when each states unemployment rate drops under a predetermined level. According to an NBC report, Republicans are not in favor of extending the program. Back-to-work bonuses Ohio Senator Rob Portmans has advocated giving Americans who return to work a $450 weekly bonus. The CNBC report also lists a proposed one-time payment of $1,200 to individuals who return to work. Some form of back-to-work bonuses is backed by President Trump, needing to bolster the economy with the November election looming, and other White House officials. The president is looking at a reform measure that would still provide some kind of bonus for returning to work, White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow told CNN on June 14. RELATED NEWS U.S. jobs surge, President Trump sees sunshine Stocks rise on jobs data, S&P ends week with solid gain Coronavirus cases are rising in 40 of 50 U.S. States Travelers without a qualifying negative COVID-19 test can refuse to be tested at the airport, according to the release, but they will be required to quarantine for two weeks or the duration of their stay in Puerto Rico, whichever is shorter, the release said. LOS ANGELES Amid the alarming surge in coronavirus spread, the University of Southern California announced it will no longer bring all undergraduates back to campus for the fall semester and will move to mainly online classes, reversing an earlier decision to welcome students back for a hybrid model. The decision, announced by Provost Charles Zukoski late Wednesday night, came the same day Gov. Gavin Newsom announced tougher restrictions on indoor activities. Zukoski recommended that students not return to campus for the semester and instead continue their education online. The once-in-a-century COVID-19 pandemic has altered every aspect of our lives the way we interact, work, and socialize and with each new permutation of the pandemic, we must find ways to thrive, Zukoski wrote. Given the continuing safety restrictions and limited densities permissible on campus, our undergraduate students primarily or exclusively will be taking their courses online in the fall term, he said. On-campus housing and activities will be limited. Only 10% to 20% of courses during the fall semester will be conducted in person and on campus. These courses include certain labs, studios and performance classes and research studies that require hands-on work. The new USC decision echoes the University of California, Los Angeles plan for the fall to only offer 15% to 20% of courses on campus, and reflects how colleges throughout the state and nation are moving to severely limit in-person courses, continue with online learning and dramatically alter student life during the pandemic. Both the California State University system the largest four-year university system in the nation and the Los Angeles Community College District have also moved the vast majority of their classes online in the fall. Students who struggle to connect off campus will also be able to apply for a one-time scholarship providing up to two free classes for the 2021 summer session to help ensure academic progress. USC said it will also expand its financial and technical support for students with connectivity issues. Students with on-campus housing contracts will be allowed to cancel them through July 15. For students who need to live on campus, only one student will be permitted per bedroom. Those living near campus will be required to make an appointment to use library spaces or dining facilities, the email read. Whether students are here on campus or pursuing their studies and activities online, we want everyone to feel safe and supported, Zukoski wrote. We are in this together and together we will make this fall a rich and rewarding experience. The new decision comes just a month after USC President Carol L. Folt said students would be able to return to campus for the semester, and just three days after the universitys chief health officer revealed a plan to reduce the number of students in campus housing and check for symptoms on a daily basis, according to the Daily Trojan. Tomas Mier of the Los Angeles Times wrote this story. 2020 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Disney + will air the Broadway hit Hamilton on July 3. The Lin-Manuel Miranda mega-hit looks at Alexander Hamiltons life and formative role in American history. STREAM HAMILTON: Disney + Hamilton debuted on Broadway in 2015. In 2016, the show swept the Tony Awards, picking up 11 prizes, including the statue for best musical, and the show won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for drama. The rights to a filmed rendition of Mirandas award-winning musical cost Disney $75 million, with plans to do a fully mounted big-screen version of the work in the distant future, according to Variety. The film version of the original Broadway production was scheduled to be released in 2021 but was then slated for earlier release on Disney +. According to Variety, the original Broadway cast was featured in three live performances of Hamilton, shot by Thomas Kail, the shows director. Miranda said in a statement, Im so proud of how beautifully Tommy Kail has brought Hamilton to the screen. Hes given everyone who watches this film the best seat in the house, reports Variety. Im so grateful to Disney and Disney Plus for reimagining and moving up our release to July 4 weekend of this year, in light of the world turning upside down. Im so grateful to all the fans who asked for this, and Im so glad that were able to make it happen. Im so proud of this show. I cant wait for you to see it. The cost for Disney + is $6.99 a month. Fans have been unable to see live Broadway shows since the coronavirus pandemic started in March. The Broadway League announced yesterday that Broadway will suspend all productions through the end of 2020. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Chris Hopkinson, born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland, will attempt an ambitious, 240-mile journey on the Chesapeake Bay. What makes this trip so unusual is he plans to do so via a 14-foot paddleboard over the course of nine days. And why would he do such a thing? His goal is to raise $200,000 for oyster restoration that, in turn, helps the health of the bay. The Bay Paddle event will take place Sept. 18-26. It will launch from Concord Point Lighthouse in Havre de Grace, Maryland, and end at Cape Henry Lighthouse, Virginia Beach with daily stops along the way. Hopkinson will follow a route that mirrors that of Captain John Smith when he set out to explore the Chesapeake Bay in 1608. The route and timeline can be viewed here. Hopkinson said he didnt really understand the connection between oysters and water quality until he watched an oyster filtering video while helping his daughter with a science fair project. Id always been concerned about the health of the Chesapeake Bay, but the challenge was figuring out what I could do to help, he said. After learning that the oyster population is down to a fraction of historical levels, and that they once filtered the entire bay in a matter of days, I realized that bringing them back is the single most important thing we can do to help the bay and every species in its ecosystem. Hopkinson contacted the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP), the organization that produced the video to see how he could help. ORP is a Maryland-based 501-c3 nonprofit and one of its goals is to produce spat (seed oysters) on shells and relocate the resulting juvenile oysters onto scientifically-selected sites in the Chesapeake Bay. A single oyster can filter 50 gallons of water daily. The goal is to put 100 million oysters to work, filtering more than 5 billion gallons of water per day. Of course, this takes funds. Hopkinson came up with a goal to paddle the Chesapeake Bay, and raise awareness and $200,000 to plant oysters in the bay. Although initially taken aback by Hopkinsons goal to paddle the bay, ORP decided to jump on board. Paddling 240 miles in varying currents and conditions of Bay waters is extremely difficult, and a true testament to Chris passion for oyster restoration, said ORP executive director Ward Slacum. . . . Its wonderful to see what can happen when a group of conservation-minded partners join together toward a common goal. In addition to ongoing support from ORP including hosting educational water quality monitoring activities and awareness and fundraising events throughout the summer Flying Dog Brewery has signed on as the events title sponsor. The brewery has been a longtime supporter of ORP, creating special beers and events to support the organizations mission. A $10 donation supports the planting of up to 1,000 juvenile oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. People interested in learning more about the September event, and the importance of oysters to the health of the Chesapeake Bay, can visit the Bay Paddle website. To donate, visit the website or text BAYPADDLE to 44-321. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Read more: Winemaker Bob Green at Presque Isle Wine Cellars in North East, Erie County, mentioned Pennsylvania Libations a month and a half ago during a phone interview for a story on how the winery was faring during the pandemic. Asked about its distribution outside Erie amid the debilitating impact of the coronavirus on business, he mentioned the Pittsburgh sales company and how much wine it was moving through them. Green checked in again a couple of weeks ago to say he had heard that the 5-year-old company was going to be hiring reps in Harrisburg, Lancaster and the Philadelphia area. That prompted a note to founder and president Christian G. Simmons, who began the business in the spring of 2015, according to the website, as a broker company with one distillery and quickly grew to a full-blown sales and representation company with a retail location. Family-owned, it sells only Pennsylvania-made wine, spirits, ciders, mead and beer out of its location in Pittsburghs Strip District. Its pushing to open a new spot several blocks away in a 6,000-square-foot building that will house a wine store and taproom. Simmons not only provided some details on the operation in Pittsburgh but dropped some news on whats hes planning to bring east. Q, I hear you are hiring. What are you looking for specifically? A, You have heard correctly. We are currently hiring for a multitude of positions. We are hiring sales representatives across the state of Pa., focusing on centralized areas like the State College area, Harrisburg/Lancaster area and the Greater Philadelphia area. I am planning with the leadership role that my Vice President Jeremy Noah has taken on, that PA Libations can grow a sales team that can be a stronghold for Pa.-made libations statewide. The position would allow a rep to support local and have a heavy portfolio of the wine, spirits and beer. We are also hiring a taproom manager for the newest venture at 1700 Penn Ave, in the Strip District (across the street from Wholeys Fish Market). At 1700 Penn Ave., there will be a split space (6,000 sq. ft total), the one half is the taproom for Helltown Brewing. Pennsylvania Libations is the management company for Helltown Brewing taproom in Pittsburgh. We operate the space, and all employees are a PA Libations team member. The taproom will be a 40-tap bar with an in-depth cocktail and wine program with only Pa.made products. Seating will be upwards of 80 inside with an outdoor area that fit 200+ seats. The food concept will be that of a newer but standout restaurant Con Alma. They are bringing their Latin Asian food to 1700 Penn Ave. as well as the best curated live jazz music in Pittsburgh. The other half of the space is the Pennsylvania Libations Wine Shop, where we represent 24 different brands of wine, cider and mead. This will be a fully educational and tasting retail shop, just like the spirits store only four blocks away. (We currently have the manager position filled here but will be looking for wine enthusiasts that are looking to do the retail positions). Plus there is a new project in the very early stages but we will be looking for an assistant brewer for my new brewery called Bonafide Beer Company. This brewery will be in the Strip District as well and will be a small production brewery during Phase 1. The brewery will be an evening spot with a high focus on beer and Pa.-made whiskeys and bourbons (we have over 35 now and growing). My business partner, Travis Tuttle, head brewer and co-owner of Butler Brew Works, will be the head brewer and we share ownership at 50/50. We are working on Phase 2, which will be a much bigger system as well as partnerships with other breweries to contract large batches so we can start building the brand equity. With Travis award-winning brewing ability and my infrastructure of sales and distribution, Bonafide is going to be a brand that people will see and trust is of the highest quality. I look forward to selling this beer all over western Pa. Q, Are you mostly wine or beer or distilled, or a pretty healthy mix of all three made by Pa. producers? A, I would say we are heaviest in spirits as that has been the base of the company since I started it five years ago selling to bars only. I did have a few wineries in my portfolio back then but nothing like we do now. Right now, we have 17 producers of spirits, 14 wineries that hold 23 brands and two breweries (Strange Roots Experimental Ales and Voodoo Brewery) and coming soon, Bonafide Beer Company. We are looking for a few more beer brands to represent and be a line of sales for them, whether in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia or statewide. We can even be a sales consultant for breweries that have their territory rights with a distributor. Pennsylvania Libations currently carries 17 producers of spirits, 14 wineries that hold 23 brands and two breweries (Strange Roots Experimental Ales and Voodoo Brewery) and coming soon, Bonafide Beer Company. Q, When did you open and what prompted the idea? A, C.G. Simmons LLC DBA Pennsylvania Libations started in the spring of 2015 after I was forced out of my role at a brewery that I owned 49% of. Before that happened, I fell in love with creating relationships in this industry and the sales that came along with it. Thats what prompted me to start the sales broker company, C.G. Simmons. I focused on distilleries, as it was an industry that I saw rising as fast as the brewery industry. With new laws being added in 2016, I saw an opening to be able to start the first and still only privately operated spirits store in Pennsylvanias history. That venture started in the fall of 2016 and I opened June 2017. I started with one brand, CJ Spirits of Kane, [McKean County], and now we carry the largest distilleries in Pa. such as Philadelphia Distilling and New Liberty Spirits, Maggies Farm Rum and Liberty Pole Spirits. Q, What impact has COVID and the quarantines and the reaction of the state stores had on business? The impact has been unfathomable. We were in a way blessed as I was able to keep on staff that chose to stay on as well as hiring eight more new staff who lost their jobs due to COVID-19. The shutdown forced us to adapt and overcome on a daily occurrence, one being online sales for the distilleries and wineries. That was a huge undertaking and we had thousands of orders online. It was mind-blowing. Myself and two of my managers worked about 50 days straight. We had employees working from 8 a.m. to midnight in shifts to facilitate online orders at storage. Everyone at my company stepped it up and really showed how versatile they are and that I have the best team any boss could ever dream of. I am a very lucky business owner. Q, I know the Pa. wine industry has been working hard to raise its profile. Pa. beer, on the other hand, has a national profile. Not sure where distilled products are. Anyway, I was interested in your observations on the three. A, I agree with you on the Pa. wine profile. Not only are they working hard on educating the new up-and-coming wine enthusiasts but are also surprising the more educated wine drinkers too. Pa. wines are working through the stereotype that all Pa wine is sweet, well some are and some are far from that genre. Presque Isle, for example, has a plethora of really good dry whites and reds as well as Flickerwood Winerys award-winning Riesling. Actually, people would be surprised by how many Pa.-made wines are nationally awarded and sought out after. That is why at PA Libations wine shop, we will have a 32-tap argon gas wine dispensing machine to keep the wines in proper quality. We will also have 16 taps of cider and mead to try and fill growlers. The beer industry is a huge ball of genius. These breweries in Pa. are doing some amazing beers and I feel lead the industry in many ways on a national level. I feel the craft beer industry is a huge plus for small-town commerce and communities. It brings tourism and gives small towns a name, even helps bring in other businesses that wouldn't likely succeed without the foot traffic from the breweries. They create jobs as well. The distillery industry has been growing exponentially. A lot of my clients have ramped up production by purchasing larger stills and more fermenters as well as storage for barrels. There are a lot of distilleries that are looking to be a statewide brand and even more so. Most of my distillery clients are international award-winning producers and more so for multiple products in their portfolio. I have always said that it is best to saturate your local area before trying to spread yourself thin all over the country. The cost is less and you get a following that is irreplaceable in your local city/state. This has prompted my company to explore opening our second location in Philadelphia soon. I have wanted to do this for two years now but with all the positive feedback from clients, we have enough to open in Philadelphia as soon as we can find the perfect spot. We are looking for a retail space to house both wine and spirits as well as a pub area. So, fingers crossed on finding that perfect space. With expanding toward Philadelphia and our current status in Pittsburgh, I hope that we accomplish a goal of mine, that Pennsylvania Libations can bring local libations to every corner of the state by this time next year. -- Other recent wine stories on PennLive New tropical lines heat up sales for winery on Marylands Eastern Shore North Carolina winery friends, neighbors roll out 4th vintage of their red blend collaboration Atomic Dog owner excited about what were going to do as restaurant, production areas near completion Pa. winery comes up with a lite version of its well-known summer concert series East Coast wineries planted a mix of vines this spring, from Chardonnay to Petit Verdot La Crema Monterey rose expresses aroma, flavors of cool-climate Pinot Noir Briar Valley Winery sold to owners of a Westmoreland County producer Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. BY Nicolette Accardi | NJ Advance Media Group, Edison, N.J. (TNS) The brick-and-mortar retail industry has had a rough few years, and now the in coronavirus pandemic is causing even more turmoil. Over the last several weeks, many major retail chains have announced permanent store closings and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Others have reported significant financial losses. Heres a look at all the retailers that have had the coronavirus pandemic take a toll on its stores. 24 Hour Fitness Gym chain 24 Hour Fitness announced in June it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will permanently close more than 130 gyms, including seven in New Jersey. The company says the bankruptcy filing is due to the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. AT&T Wireless carrier AT&T is planning to permanently close more than 250 of its stores and cut at least 3,400 jobs nationwide. AT&T cited the economic impact and change in customer behavior due to the coronavirus pandemic as reasons for the store closures, according to a report by Business Insider. Bath & Body Works The beauty brands parent, L Brands, announced in May that 51 stores in the U.S. and Canada will shutter this year. There are currently 1,635 Bath & Body Works stores in the U.S., according to companys website. Gap The clothing company indefinitely suspended rent payments in May (about $115 million per month in North America) and said some stores may permanently close. The company has told its vendors to stop shipping items for its summer and fall seasons. Items for the summer season will only be accepted if they are for online sales. GNC The nutrition supplement retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June and plans to close up to 1,200 stores. Gordmans Gordmans parent, Stage Stores, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May with plans to liquidate its stores. JCPenney The department store chain plans to permanently close 168 stores after filing for bankruptcy amid the coronavirus pandemic. See the list of stores that will permanently close here. Liquidation sales began June 17, while others were scheduled to start in time for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. JCPenney is currently offering up to 85% off on clearance items online, but it appears to be a Fourth of July promotion and not related to any liquidation sales. Microsoft Computer and technology giant Microsoft announced plans to permanently close almost all of its 82 retail stores. Neiman Marcus High-end department store Neiman Marcus filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May and will continue to assess store closure decisions, according to a statement. In March, Neiman Marcus announced it would close most of its Last Call stores to focus on full-priced luxury sales instead of discount offerings. Nordstrom Nordstrom announced in May plans to permanently close 16 of its department stores, including its Freehold Raceway Mall location. Nordstrom is currently offering clearance items for up to 60% off online. Party City Party City has plans to permanently close 21 stores this year. The company said in a statement it is part of a store optimization plan that began in 2019 with 55 store closures. Pier 1 Imports The home decor retailer announced in June it has received approval from bankruptcy court to shutter and liquidate all of its roughly 540 stores, including its e-commerce operations. All store closings and liquidation sales will conclude by the end of October. Pier 1 Imports also is shutting down its online store. The Childrens Place Kids clothing retailer The Childrens Place announced in June plans to close 300 stores over the next 20 months to dramatically reduce its brick-and-mortar portfolio. The Childrens Place stores will mostly be leaving malls, with about 200 stores closing this year and 100 in 2021. The company is currently holding an online sale with clearance items over 75% off. Tilton Fitness Gym chain Tilton Fitness announced in June it has permanently closed due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Sears The struggling company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2018 and has experienced many store closures since then. Signet Jewelers Signet Jewelers, the parent company of the brands Kay Jewelers, Piercing Pagoda and Zales, revealed in June that about 380 U.S. and Europe stores will permanently close. Stores in declining malls will be impacted the most. Starbucks Coffee giant Starbucks announced in June it will close up to 400 company-operated stores over the next 18 months. Victorias Secret Victorias Secret announced in May it will permanently close about 250 stores in the U.S. and Canada this year. There are more than 1,000 Victorias Secret stores in the U.S. L Brands, Victorias Secret parent, said it is closely evaluating all locations, especially more vulnerable centers for risk of closure, according to the companys quarterly earnings report. Last year, Victorias Secret shuttered dozens of stores nationwide. Zara Inditex, the parent company of fashion brand Zara, announced in June plans to close up to 1,200 stores worldwide by the end of 2021. The closings will be stores at the end of their useful life and whose sales can be recovered in nearby stores and online, the company said. About 100 stores in North and South America will close. More coverage: The University of Alabama had known for weeks of rumors that Tuscaloosa County students who knew they had COVID-19 attended parties in the county, but a thorough investigation by the university did not identify any UA students who took part in the parties, the school said Thursday. Tuscaloosa City Fire Chief Randy Smith told a pre-meeting of the Tuscaloosa City Council earlier this week that he confirmed rumors of students in the county attending parties while they were aware that they had COVID-19. Smith said he was able to confirm the reports through local doctors offices and the state Health Department. While Smith did not specify which students were attending so-called COVID-19 parties, where partygoers were allegedly trying to infect their peers for fun, UA conducted its own investigation into the rumors, the school said. We have been aware for weeks of the rumors about COVID parties. We conducted a thorough investigation, and although we have been unable to identify any students who may have participated in these types of activities, we will continue to follow up on any information we receive and educate our students about essential precautions, the university said in a statement. Our students want a return to on-campus instruction and the extracurricular opportunities they enjoy, and we fully expect them to safeguard their personal health and safety and that of everyone at the university and in our city. The university said it would implement extra precautions when school is scheduled to reopen in August, including no-cost COVID-19 testing for all students, faculty and staff; enhanced cleaning; and social distancing and mask rules. It is essential that students cooperate and comply with these guidelines to allow for the safe return and continued operations of our campus, UA said. The universitys Student Government Association on Thursday said it has been working with the school to enact safety measures to keep students safe. THREAD: a statement from @uasga Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, UA SGA has worked tirelessly with the University to strongly encourage social distancing, the wearing of face masks and robust hand washing to stem the spread of Coronavirus. (1/5) Alabama SGA (@uasga) July 2, 2020 The association also urged students to adhere to the city of Tuscaloosas mask ordinance, which goes into effect Monday. We recognize that many students have already sacrificed so much to stop the spread of COVID-19, but in order to ensure a safe return to campus in the fall, we must continue to socially distance for our neighbors and ourselves, the group said. As controversy swirls around Confederate monuments nationwide another one has fallen, this time on the West Shore. The casualty is a small, probably little-noticed monument that for nearly 15 years stood outside the historic Rupp House along East Trindle Road in Hampden Township. Only the concrete base remains of the pillar that once commemorated the troops of Confederate Brigadier General Albert Gallatin Jenkins, who came within a few miles of Harrisburg during a sideshow to the climactic July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The Camp Curtin Historical Society, which installed the monument in 2005 at the privately-owned Rupp House, confirmed its removal Friday morning. The society said in an email that the Jenkins monument was taken down by the buildings owner. Attempts to get comment on the removal from James O. Bower Jr., whose insurance agency occupies the Rupp House, were unsuccessful. Mechanicsburg-area resident John Quist told Pennlive he visited the agency and was told the monument was removed last week. The Rupp House is where Jenkins stayed briefly while his troops threatened to invade Harrisburg during the Gettysburg campaign. A companion marker the society installed at the same time in Lemoyne commemorates the Union troops of his opponent, Major General Darius Nash Couch. Couch commanded a scratch force of regular troops and militia that occupied two hastily-built forts constructed by local civilian and African-American railroad crews on the west bank of the Susquehanna River to keep the Confederates from seizing Harrisburg. The Couch monument, an impressive dark granite slab, is much larger than the one commemorating Jenkins and his men. Camp Curtin officials said both monuments were intended as educational tools to show how close the battle lines came to Pennsylvanias capitol. Both markers included etched images of the generals and brief biographies. Yet controversy has dogged the Jenkins monument, one of the few dedicated to Confederates north of the Mason-Dixon Line, from the start. Multiple letters criticizing the Jenkins pillar were sent to The Patriot-News soon after its dedication. Quist isnt a fan, either. Aside from Jenkinss act of treason in embracing armed rebellion against the very government he had sworn to uphold as a member of the U.S. Congress, Jenkinss cavalrymen became notorious for kidnapping every African American in Pennsylvania they could overtake--all of whom were free--and forcibly removing them to the Confederacy where they became enslaved, he wrote in an email to PennLive this week. Contemporary estimates numbered the Confederates newly made slaves at 250, which have been further documented by historians. In an August 2017 story, former PennLive reporter Wesley Robinson noted the 10-foot-tall Jenkins monument had apparently been overlooked when the Southern Poverty Law Center, a prominent civil rights group, compiled a list of Confederate monuments nationwide. The removal of the Jenkins pillar came on the eve of the 157th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, one of the Civil Wars bloodiest battles and a key Union victory that thwarted the slave-holding Souths hope for independence. Quist said Friday that he welcomes the removal of the monument, although he said he understands the need to preserve and teach the history of the War Between the States It struck me as just an inappropriate way to remember the Civil War, he said. While other Confederate monuments across the U.S have come under attack as perceived icons to racism, officials at Gettysburg National Military Park have said they have no intention of removing the numerous statues and markers throughout the battlefield that commemorate the Confederate troops and commanders who fought and often died there. Officers from the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement (BLCE) will continue visiting licensed liquor establishments over the holiday weekend to ensure licensees are doing what they can to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In June, the Wolf Administration issued updated guidance that mandates establishments in the restaurant and food-service industries to require all customers to wear masks when entering, exiting, or otherwise traveling throughout the restaurant, according to a press release. Employees are required to wear masks at all times as noted in the worker safety order . The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has also issued guidance to licensed liquor establishments choosing to resume on-premises service of alcohol that incorporated and reinforced the governors mandates, the release said. Sec. of Health Dr. Rachel Levine on Wednesday issued an order that requires everyone wear a mask when out in a public setting, including in bars and restaurants. This year, in addition to never driving while under the influence of alcohol, we must all do our part by wearing a mask at bars and restaurants and whenever social distancing is not possible, Major Jeffrey Fisher, director of the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, said in the press release. Since June 10, state police liquor control enforcement officers have averaged approximately 1,565 compliance checks each day and issued 18 warnings to licensees for violating the guidance, according to the release. Five waves of military planes will fly over the city of Philadelphia at approximately 5:15 p.m. Saturday, as part of the 2020 Salute to America. The flyover is part of an Independence Day aerial salute to four cities that played roles in the American Revolution. The Department of Defense announced Friday that the flyovers would begin at approximately 4 p.m. with the aircraft flying at 1,000 feet over Boston, proceeding to overfly the U.S.S. Constitution and Fenway Park before departing the city. They then will fly down the Hudson River around 5 p.m., passing just east of the Statue of Liberty in New York City. At 5:15, the aircraft will overfly center city Philadelphia, approaching from the northeast at 1,000 feet above the ground. Multiple aircraft will fly over Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell and proced southwest. At about 5:30 p.m., the aircraft will fly over Fort McHenry, approaching from the northeast at 1,000 feet before turning south out of Baltimore. U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps jets will fly over in five waves. The flyovers will be led by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, followed by B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers, F-15 and F-22 fighters and U.S. Marine Corps F-35 fighters. The Department of Defense support for the July Fourth celebration also will include a flyover of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, where President Donald Trump will marking the holiday on July 3. On Saturday, the president is expected to watch military displays and fireworks from the White House, and give an address. A pediatrics practice is moving to a brand new building in Hampden Township. JDC Pediatrics is relocating its office on Technology Parkway in Hampden Township to a space in a brand new 30,000-square-foot medical building located in the Good Hope Business Complex at 1822-24 Good Hope Road. The practice will take up 8,900 square feet of the new building and the remainder will be occupied by a general family practice. Construction on the new building began in March. The practice expects to move into the new location in December, according to JDCs website. The building is being developed by Good Hope Ventures. It is being constructed by Cor Construction and has been fully leased by Campbell Commercial Real Estate, which is also representing the owner in leasing a 10,000 square foot building to be constructed in the park. JDC Pediatrics has been in the Fredricksen Outpatient Center for 20 years. The practice has been around since the 1960s and also has an office in Lower Allen Township. --Business Buzz --Sign up for PennLives newsletters Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. You can follow Daniel Urie on twitter @DanielUrie2018 and you can like PennLives business page on Facebook at @PennLiveBusiness David James Poissant was really excited for 2020. The Oviedo authors debut novel, Lake Life, was being released by Simon & Schuster, and he was gearing up for his first major book tour. It was going to be like 20 cities with indie bookstores, and then in the fall it was going to be a bunch of colleges and universities, he said. A Republican Ohio state official is claiming in a video shared to Facebook Thursday that she was asked to leave the Gettysburg Visitor Center and Museum for refusing to wear a mask. In a Facebook video, first reported by The Hill, Rep. Candice Keller, after reading Lincolns Gettysburg Address in front of the Soldiers National Monument, said she and her husband were asked to leave the Gettysburg Welcome Center on Thursday because they would not wear face masks. "This is not a law in Pennsylvania or in Ohio, where I come from, and it is an unconstitutional idea that our leaders have come up with," she said. She said they chose not to argue, were refunded the cost of their tickets and left. We are losing our rights in this country and until you stand up to those who would diminish your freedom and liberty, its going to continue to happen, she said, vowing that she would not wear a face mask when she is not sick. Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine this week issued an order that everyone wear masks in any situations, inside or out, where they are unable to maintain a six-foot social distance. Keller made headlines in May when she refused to have her temperature taken at the Ohio Statehouse, calling it an invasion of privacy. According to the Columbus Dispatch, she recently lost an Ohio Senate bid to Republican Rep. George Lang. Her House term expires at the end of 2020. A 70-year-old Hellam Township woman died as a result of the injuries she sustained from being in a two-vehicle crash in York County Thursday morning. Patricia Fisher was pronounced dead at Wellspan York Hospital, where she was taken after the crash occurred. The crash happened on the on-ramp to US 30 westbound off of Kreutz Creek Road in Hellam Township around 8:58 a.m., according to the York County Coroners office. When emergency responders arrived at the scene, Fisher was unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at 9:49 a.m. by hospital staff. Fishers car was reportedly rear-ended by another vehicle on the on-ramp. She was wearing a seatbelt and airbags did deploy, the coroners office reported. An autopsy has been scheduled for Saturday at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown. The cause and manner of death will be announced pending the autopsy results. READ MORE FBI releases composite picture of missing Amish girl Convicted family killer deserves no break on his 3 consecutive life prison sentences, Pa. court decides Car with sleeping children inside stolen as mom picked up food to go: police Man killed at barbershop moved to Harrisburg from Puerto Rico for a better life The work that has been underway in recent years to redesign Pennsylvanias 14 state universities got a significant boost on Wednesday when Gov. Tom Wolf signed a law unleashing the possibility of mergers, consolidations and shared services. The law, Act 50 of 2020, is aimed at putting the State System of Higher Education universities on a more sustainable path given the considerable financial and enrollment pressures that existed at many of them even before the COVID-19. The pandemic which forced the closing of campuses and shifting classes to remote learning only served to worsen those problems. The changes allowed under this law opens the door for the systems chancellor and governing board to create, expand, consolidate, transfer or affiliate an institution or college. Further, it bars any closing of a university and shields the systems two largest universities, West Chester and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, from being further affiliated or consolidated with another institution than current exists. This new law promotes the long-term viability of all schools in the system, protects access to an affordable education for Pennsylvania students, and ensures any changes to the system are completed with full transparency and accountability, said Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster County, in a statement. Martin, who serves on the systems 20-member governing board, added, PASSHE schools have shown a strong willingness to work toward transforming the system to meet the educational needs of students and fill gaps in the workforce. This bill clears the way to transform the PASSHE system to better meet the evolving needs of students and employers. System officials have been pushing for this reform law to allow them to make changes that previously would have required legislative approval. Any change to a university is required to be thoroughly vetted under this law which takes effect immediately. The process starts with the creation of a proposed implementation plan that is shared with lawmakers. It then requires a 60-day public comment period, at least two public hearing, and consultation with stakeholders. Feedback gathered would be used to alter the plan before it is presented to the system board where it must gain the support of two-thirds of its members for it to be approved. Implementation of a plan couldnt commence until at least a year from the date of that approval to allow students, faculty and staff time to adjust. Quarterly reports to the General Assembly would be required during the implementation. The law requires all 14 universities to share services when the system can show it would produce savings and efficiencies although a university may opt out of such arrangements by a two-thirds vote of its council of trustees. The license to make changes permitted under this law expires in three years although Martin earlier indicated changes still in progress when the law expires would still be permitted to be completed. Besides West Chester and IUP, the system of universities affected by this law also includes Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, and Slippery Rock universities. Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday signed into law legislation that will require insurers to cover breast magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasounds for women at increased risk of breast cancer. This makes Pennsylvania one of few states mandating insurance companies pay the bulk of the high cost that can run into the hundreds and thousands of dollars associated with these supplemental screenings for women with the following criteria: A personal or family history of breast cancer or genetic predisposition to it; Extremely dense breast tissue; or Heterogeneously dense breast tissue with one other high-risk factor for breast cancer. Under the law, the patient still may be responsible for co-pays, co-insurance and/or deductibles based on the individuals health insurance policy. This is a great victory for the women of Pennsylvania and the families that love them. We salute Governor Tom Wolf for signing SB 595, legislation we know will save womens lives or greatly improve womens lives by providing affordable access to the early detection of breast cancer, said PA Breast Cancer Coalition President and founder Pat Halpin-Murphy, who shepherded the bill through the legislative process. She also credited Sen. Bob Mensch, R-Montgomery County, who sponsored the legislation through several legislative sessions. Medical advancements have brought greater peace of mind to many women suffering from breast cancer, Mensch said in a statement. Over the years, insurance coverages have been working to keep pace with these advancements to ensure the best possible outcomes for breast cancer victims. Senate Bill 595 brings the medical community and the insurance community even closer together to provide better coverage, and to hopefully provide greater health, comfort and peace of mind to those suffering with this disease. The new law applies only to insurance companies that issue policies covered under Pennsylvania law. tes vary depending on a patients insurance plan. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that MRIs can detect 2.5 times more breast cancers than 3D mammograms in women with dense breasts. It will help women who need MRI or ultrasound find their breast cancer at an earlier treatable stage, Halpin-Murphy told PennLive in an earlier interview. When we say its important to diagnose at an earlier stage, it means you have a better chance of reduced severity of the treatment side effects and after effects. The new law applies only to insurance companies that issue policies covered under Pennsylvania law. Implementation dates vary depending upon the patients particular insurance p Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Pennsylvania National Guard Black Hawk helicopters and aircrews departed today for the first leg of their journey to the Middle East for a nine-month-long deployment. National Guard officials say the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade left Fort Indiantown Gap for a deployment to serve with the U.S. Central Command. Officials could not yet release where in the Middle East the brigade will be serving but said they will likely be in various parts of Central Command. About 900 Pennsylvania National Guard members, based in Lebanon and Cambria counties, are part of the deployment, though not all of them left with the helicopters today. Soldiers from the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade depart from Fort Indiantown Gap, July 3, 2020, on the next step of their deployment to the Middle East. (Sgt. First Class Matthew Keeler). They did not get the usual sendoff because they are deploying during the coronavirus pandemic. In order to protect the health of the soldiers and families, Governor Tom Wolf, Pennsylvania adjutant general and head of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Maj. Gen. Anthony Carrelli, and other senior leaders provided video messages last week, instead. About 500 soldiers from other states will join them in the deployment. They have endured so much to get ready for this deployment, but they are some of the finest, well-trained, resilient, professional soldiers that I have ever experienced in my 37 years as an enlisted soldier and officer, brigade commander Col. Howard Lloyd said. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. By Susan Snyder, The Philadelphia Inquirer The University of Pennsylvania on Thursday announced that it would remove the statue of a supporter of slavery from its quad and form a group to review all campus iconography. This group will engage in broad outreach across our community and advise us on further steps to ensure that the placement and presence of statues and other prominent iconography better reflects our achievements and aspirations to increase the diversity of the Penn community, Penn president Amy Gutmann, provost Wendell Pritchett, and executive vice president Craig Carnaroli said in a campus message. Colleges across the country are reviewing campus symbolism in the wake of George Floyds killing at the hands of Minneapolis police. Princeton University on Saturday announced that it would remove President Woodrow Wilsons name from its public policy school and one of its residential colleges. Monmouth University, also in New Jersey, last month announced that it would take Wilsons name off a prominent building. Hofstra University on Long Island last month moved a statue of President Thomas Jefferson to a less prominent place. And some Southern colleges are relocating or removing statues of Confederates. At Penn, the statue of George Whitefield, a mid-18th century preacher who led the campaign to allow slavery in Georgia, will be removed. It was erected in the early 20th-century, Penn said. Whitefields connection to Penn stems from the universitys earliest days. He owned a meetinghouse at Fourth and Arch Streets that was purchased by Benjamin Franklin, Penns founder, to house the Academy of Philadelphia, a predecessor of Penn. Like other universities around the country dating from the colonial era, Penn has been examining its ties to slavery for several years. In 2018, a committee found that at least 75 of Penns earliest trustees had owned enslaved people. The work of the enslaved was used to support Penn faculty and students, and some of its faculty and alumni advocated for slavery and supported the Confederacy, the committee found. The work was rooted in research by a Penn professor and undergraduate students. Franklin also owned enslaved people. A statue of Franklin stands outside College Hall, Penns main administration building. Penns leaders noted Franklins slavery tie in their message but said, Importantly, Franklin changed course in his life and went on to become a leading abolitionist. The university said it plans to enact recommendations from the committee later this year. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) With a spike in coronavirus cases expected to grow Thursday, Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh and 1.2 million residents, imposed a one-week shutdown of bars, restaurants and casinos and all gatherings of more than 25 people. The order is to take effect after midnight Thursday, the county's health director, Dr. Debra Bogen, said in a statement. The move comes as Pennsylvania on Thursday reported its highest one-day total of confirmed coronavirus cases since May, and Allegheny County reported its highest one-day total of positive tests that officials called a larger increase than expected. Bogen also asked Allegheny County residents to follow a voluntary stay-at-home protocol, limiting travel outside the home to necessities. Health officials in Philadelphia and Allegheny County say they are finding that many of the people testing positive are describing socializing in bars and returning from beach vacations and travel to coronavirus hot spots in other parts of the U.S. While Pennsylvania's hospitalizations for the virus are below where they were a week ago, according to state statistics, an Associated Press analysis shows the percentage of people testing positive has risen in the past week. Allegheny County reported more than 230 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, a day after it reported a single-day high of 110. "While an increase in the number of cases was expected this is larger than expected," county officials said in a statement. "The expectation is that the numbers will also significantly increase again tomorrow." The county's percentage of positive tests and hospitalizations are also on the rise. On Twitter, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who lives in Allegheny County, called Thursday's figure "truly alarming." In an interview on KDKA-AM radio in Pittsburgh on Thursday, Gov. Tom Wolf's top health adviser, Health Secretary Rachel Levine, was asked if now is the time is try herd immunity. She said no, warning that the disease can make even younger adults very sick. "We know that significant numbers of people get very sick from the virus, not just seniors, but younger adults as well, in their 20s, 30s and 40s, and that would overwhelm the hospitals," Levine said. It also would lead to more cases in nursing homes, Levine said, citing academic researchers who found that outbreaks in nursing homes are driven most by how widespread the virus is in the community around it. What the state needs to do is contain the virus using prevention measures, such as mask-wearing, and targeted efforts to tamp down outbreaks until further treatment methods or a vaccine is developed, Levine said. Allegheny County health authorities say the median age of the people testing positive is 29. The county, Pennsylvania's second-most populous after Philadelphia, had avoided the higher case counts that hit Philadelphia and much of eastern Pennsylvania in the spring. But over the weekend, Allegheny County officials ordered a halt to drinking alcohol in bars and restaurants in response to a spike in positive tests. They also asked residents to consider postponing plans to travel to a coronavirus hot spot, and to self-quarantine for 14 days and get tested when returning. Statewide, officials reported more than 830 people newly testing positive for COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to above 88,000. The state last recorded more than 800 new positive tests in May. It also reported another 25 coronavirus-related deaths for a statewide total of 6,712 since early March. More from PennLive Kids should wear masks for youth sports, Pa. health secretary Rachel Levine says in further explaining expanded order Penn State student, 21, dies from coronavirus complications, university says Coronavirus cases are rising in 40 of 50 US states RIVERSIDE The search continues for a mother and her two young children who disappeared three weeks ago. Riverside police in Northumberland County on Thursday said there was nothing new in the effort to find Sawsan Hadidi, 39, and her children Danny, 4, and Dana, then 3 months. The last report of anyone seeing them was June 12 in Shamokin. Im very worried for the welfare of the children, Katrina Gownley, director of the Northumberland County Children and Youth Services, said. An arrest warrant has been issued for Hadidi charging her with interference with the custody of children, endangering the welfare of children and concealment of the whereabouts of children. The children had been removed from Hadidi at her Shamokin home on May 29 but a June 11 court order gave her physical custody if she resided at a specified location in the 600 block of 11th Street in Riverside. Later on June 11, according to the affidavit used to obtain the arrest warrant, Hadidi told the woman with whom she was approved to live she was going to meet her caseworker. Hadidi never returned and was seen the next afternoon taking items from her home in Shamokin. Police said she had left by the time they were notified. When last seen Hadidi was driving a purple 2012 Toyota Scion with Virginia registration UUA4239. Police said she turned off her cell phone but when it was turned on briefly later on June 12 it was tracked through southern Pennsylvania and into Maryland. Little is known about Hadidi including information about the childrens father, they said. Privacy laws prevent disclosing why the children had been removed from their mother, Gownley said. Riverside police have enlisted the assistance of federal marshals and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in an effort to locate Hadidi and her children. Anyone with information is asked to call Riverside police at 570-275-4305. Callers who get the answering machine may either leave a message or call the communications center at 570-784-6300. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. MIAMI Nachem Gross stood his ground against possible coronavirus infection. So says the attorney for the 72-year-old Gross, who was with his wife inside an elevator at the 44-story Portofino Tower in South Beach. The condo association had mandated only two persons per ride, to safeguard against the spread of COVID-19, but a fellow resident tried entering the elevator. Gross held up two fingers, trying to explain. The masked man walked in anyway. Gross pushed him. The man stumbled backward. For that push captured on elevator surveillance video Gross is now being charged with aggravated battery on an elderly person. Gross is scheduled to surrender at Miami Beach police headquarters on Thursday morning. His attorney, Michael Grieco, called the arrest outrageous because Gross and his wife both have health issues that make them at risk of succumbing to the highly contagious respiratory disease. Under Floridas controversial Stand Your Ground law, people have no duty to retreat before using force to counter a threat. Miami Beach police is not taking into account the fact that we live in the time of COVID and immunocompromised people, and all people, should be able to protect themselves from anyone invading their space, said Grieco. This is a straight-up Stand Your Ground self-defense case. His arrest comes as the number of people catching the coronavirus across Florida have skyrocketed, with over 158,000 confirmed cases and 1,000 deaths in Miami-Dade County. The surge of cases has put a pause on government plans to reopen public spaces, schools and businesses against the backdrop of a tanking worldwide economy. The man who was pushed has not been identified. He suffered only a bruise when he hit a hallway table, Grieco said. The MBPD was contacted by the victim and a subsequent investigation was launched. After conferring with the State Attorneys Office, it was determined an arrest should be made and is pending, said Miami Beach Police Officer Ernesto Rodriguez, a spokesman. As interactions in public spaces are rising, so are clashes associated with the novel coronavirus the Internet is replete with videos of mask-shaming, or people confronting others for their lack of masks. designed to cut down on saliva droplets in the air. Last week, in Fernandina Beach, a woman intentionally coughed on a cancer patient after she was called out for not wearing a mask. Across the country, those clashes over invading one anothers personal spaces have led to a handful of arrests, but most for coughing on people or threatening to spread the coronavirus. Condo buildings in South Florida, in particular, have struggled to enforce social-distancing guidelines for residents living in packed complexes with many shared spaces. It isnt always possible to enforce social distancing. You cant tell people to wait for the next elevator, Mia Patch, a board member of the Brickell Alliance, an organization of condo managers representing about 40 buildings, told the Miami Herald last month. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is planning to soon weigh in on guidance for how to manage social distancing in elevators, according to the New York Times. Measures will include recommending a limit on the number of riders, arrows marking paths, and urging people to not talk to avoid droplets of saliva, a CDC industrial hygienist told the newspaper. Most South Florida condo buildings have already issued rules designed to cut down on crowds. At the Continuum on South Beach, which is next door to the Portofino, the condo association has posted fliers and sent out repeated emails explaining only one family is allowed per elevator ride. Still, in a building that is 40 stories tall, the extra wait to go up and down can be grating. Peoples nerves are frayed. Neighbors who are normally cordial with each other are becoming hostile, said Kenneth Weisman, a lawyer who lives in the building. Ive personally witnessed these interactions in the elevators and common areas. In Gross case, he and his wife both wearing masks entered the elevator from their unit at the Portofino on the 39th floor on June 22. Surveillance video shows the elevator stopped and a young woman tried to get on. Gross waved her off and she immediately backed away to wait for another ride. Moments later, on another floor, the doors opened again. Gross held up two fingers to signal only two people were allowed but the unidentified man put his forearm up and tried to walk in. Gross held his forearm up too and extended it when the man moved forward. The push does not appear to be particularly forceful, but the man stumbled backward. Concerned, Gross peeked into the hallway, then walked out to see if the man was okay. Grieco, his lawyer, said the man did not fall but hit a table in the hallway. He suffered nothing but a bruise, Grieco said. Because Gross is facing a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, he must be booked into a Miami-Dade jail. Prosecutors, defense lawyers and judges have worked for months to lower the population of the jails, which have been hard hit by the spread of the coronavirus. Said Grieco: The irony is that my client is now going to be placed in one of the most dangerous buildings in the county. David Ovalle of the Miami Herald wrote this story. 2020 Miami Herald Visit Miami Herald at www.miamiherald.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey said fentanyl from China and other countries contributes to the deaths of thousands of Pennsylvanians. The Republican senator from the Lehigh Valley sees a way to stop it: he wants to withhold foreign aid from countries that arent doing enough to curb distribution of the deadly drug. Toomey has been pushing a bill that would penalize other countries for failing to stop exports of fentanyl. Its a bipartisan effort; U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., is the bills co-sponsor. Toomey has been working on winning support for the bill for more four years. The bill has been inserted into the annual defense policy bill before Congress. Now, Toomey thinks the bill will be passed and signed by President Donald Trump. I think were going to get it over the goal line, Toomey said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday. He said Congress has largely been focused on the coronavirus pandemic in recent months. But the importing of fentanyl is driving opioid deaths in Pennsylvania and nationwide. I dont want us to lose sight of the appalling consequences of the ravages of the opioid epidemic, Toomey said. Jones said the bill represents a common-sense effort to reduce the sales of fentanyl. We need to hold accountable countries like China that manufacture this dangerous substance of which even the smallest amount can prove deadly and save more American lives, Jones said in a statement. The bill would require the federal government to identify countries that are big producers of fentanyl. The lawmakers note the government does not take this step with fentanyl; the government does name the major producers of heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Most of the fentanyl in the United States is imported and Toomey said some nations are doing their best to try and crack down. Other countries dont do as much as they should, Toomey said. Toomey said there has been some resistance from lawmakers wary of holding back foreign aid, citing concerns that it could hurt non-governmental organizations in countries that are providing needed relief. Due to those concerns, the bill now includes a safety valve, Toomey said. The bill includes a provision that allows the president to continue aid if it is in the nations best interests. In 2018, federal authorities seized 110 pounds of fentanyl at the Port of Philadelphia, with an estimated street value of $1.7 million. The drug had been hidden in a shipment of iron oxide that arrived from China. Nationwide, more than 28,000 deaths were tied to synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, in 2018, according to the National Institutes of Health. In Pennsylvania, more than 2,800 drug overdose deaths involved opioids, the NIH reported. More from PennLive Pittsburgh area shuts down restaurants, bars and casinos for a week due to spike in coronavirus cases Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf signs into law state universities reform bill that opens the door to dramatic changes Penn State student, 21, dies from coronavirus complications, university says If we had been this passive in 1776, we would still be part of Britain. Yet even as we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July, we dont seem willing to assert independence from a virus that in four months has killed more Americans than the Korean, Vietnam, Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq wars did over 70 years. U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey will meet with central Pennsylvania business leaders on Tuesday during two forums on the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The sessions will the GOP legislator are set for 10:20 a.m. at the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry at 417 Walnut St., Harrisburg, and at 1:50 p.m. at the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce, 115 E. King St., Lancaster. Toomeys aim is to speak about how we can continue to safely reopen the economy and take questions from attendees. Attendees are asked to wear protective face masks and to practice social distancing. Having people look at you, knowing they consider you a lawbreaker and a health threat. Looking at yourself, knowing you risked passing a disease that could kill someones grandparent or chronically-ill spouse. Those apparently are the harshest punishments Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine hope to impose on violators of their new order to wear face masks in most indoor and outdoor public settings to help block the spread of COVID-19. They were pressed this week on exactly what penalties apply to those who violate the order, such as someone entering a store without a mask and refusing to put one on if asked to do so by management. Wolf stated repeatedly he has no expectations that state police or local police or anyone else will enforce the order. Neither he nor Levine even knew the exact penalty if someone were prosecuted. We just need to make it socially unacceptable to do that, because you are putting everyone else at risk, Levine said. Wolf steadfastly insisted that people will do the right thing for the right reason just as they do when they stop for stop signs, refrain from smoking inside buildings or abide by rules to wear a shirt and shoes inside establishments. I think theres been much too great a focus on whats the law enforcement mechanism and not enough on whats in my self-interest, he said, likening it to the safety reasons that cause people to wear seatbelts. Pennsylvanians have lived for months under an order to wear face masks in most public settings. With COVID-19 cases rising in the state, Wolf and Levine toughened the rule this week with a new order requiring a mask in most outdoor settings when its impossible to consistently stay at least six feet from others. There are exceptions for things such as breathing conditions or work that would be hazardous while wearing a mask. The new order to wear masks raises assorted questions, such as how far businesses are expected to go in enforcing the order within their premises, and whether they could be held responsible for violators. Michael Dimino, a law professor at Widener Law Commonweath, said there are good arguments on both sides regarding whether Wolf truly has authority to impose the order, and whether a prosecution would hold up in court. It would take a court case to know for certain, he said. Dimino likened Wolfs order to what he called a soft law that conveys the idea that something is wrong but offers little in the way of punishment. The governor is trying to encourage people to behave in a certain way and hes hoping the public will pressure each other to conform, he said. Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesnt. With Wolf saying he doesnt plan to enforce the law, he risks being accused of selective prosecution if he ever does, said Dr. Robert Lennon, a Penn State College of Medicine associate professor who also has a law degree. I appreciate that the governor is in a tight spot, Lennon said. If he tries to enforce it, people will be up in arms. But if he doesnt enforce it, its just kind of a nothing burger. According to Dimino, a business owner has no reason to fear being held responsible if a customer refuses to wear a mask. A more plausible fear, he said, would involve a non-mask wearing customer coughing on people, and another customer saying they became infected at the business and suing the owner. Dimino noted it would be a tall task to prove an infection took place at a specific time and location. Interestingly, a business could easily have someone arrested for not wearing a mask, according to Dimino. If a store owner said all customers must wear a mask, and someone refused, the owner could order the person to leave the store, which is private property. If the person refused to leave, the owner could call police and have the customer arrested. But the crime would be trespassing -- not violating the face mask order, he said. Meanwhile, businesses are stressing over how to support the law while avoiding confrontations with defiant customers while at the same time doing right by customers who wear a mask and expect to be kept safe. I dream about masks at night because it has become such a pressure source on our society, said Andrea Karns, vice president of sales and marketing for Karns Foods. Signs at the entrances of Karns stores tell shoppers they must wear a mask. People who cant wear a mask because of a health reason or some other exception arent expected to wear one, she said. Those who dont wear a mask are offered a free one and asked to put it on. People who refuse are asked to leave. The company wants only managers to deal with people who dont wear a mask, Karns said. She said, confrontations are a very real fear. They have occurred over the past few months when team members have asked shoppers to wear a mask. I have to imagine that it will happen in the future not just to us but to any business that makes that request. Karns said its frustrating that the governor is saying everyone must wear a mask while at the same time saying there are no plans to enforce the order. We are working harder today then we were yesterday on putting mask enforcement in place but our team members are put in a trying situation. Very bold statements are being made regarding the requirement of wearing masks and support in enforcing those would be welcome, she said. The medical schools Lennon and a colleague, Dr. Lauren Van Scoy, are involved in research looking at the willingness of people across the county to follow the various public health recommendations related to COVID-19. They are finding it varies according to things like geography and ethnic community. Looking at survey results from thousands of Pennsylvanians in March, Van Scoy was shocked by how political the responses were regarding even things like hand washing and social distancing. Since then it has grown considerably more political, with masks becoming the newest partisan flashpoint. Both researchers stressed that elected officials such as President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who sometimes seem supportive of masks but are often seen without them, send a mixed message that undermines the scientific and public health reasons for wearing masks. Asked whether, in times such as these, sound and necessary public health strategy can still prevail in the United States, Lennon said, It doesnt help that were in a federal election cycle. Thank you for reading the Philadelphia Tribune. You have exhausted your free article views for this month. Please press the "subscribe" button below and see our introductory price of $0.25 per week for 13 weeks. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you next month. Timothy Thomas was found dead in a cell at the Reception and Medical Center in Lake Butler, a Florida Department of Corrections facility, in April 2018. After more than two years, and probes by both the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FDCs Inspector General, the family still has no official explanation for how he was killed. WASHINGTON U.S. unemployment fell to 11.1% in June as the economy added a solid 4.8 million jobs, the government reported Thursday. But the job-market recovery may already be faltering because of a new round of closings and layoffs triggered by a resurgence of the coronavirus. While the jobless rate was down from 13.3% in May, it is still at a Depression-era level. And the data was gathered during the second week of June, just before a number of states began to reverse or suspend the reopenings of their economies to try to beat back the virus. This is a bit of a dated snapshot at this point, said Jesse Edgerton, an economist at J.P. Morgan Chase. Support The Philadelphia Tribune Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support the nation's longest continuously published newspaper serving the African American community by making a contribution. Contribute The news came as the number of confirmed infections per day in the U.S. soared to an all-time high of 50,700, more than doubling over the past month, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University. The spike, centered primarily in the South and West, has led states such as California, Texas, Arizona and Florida to re-close or otherwise clamp down again on bars, restaurants, movie theaters, beaches and swimming pools, throwing some workers out of a job for a second time. President Donald Trump said the jobs report shows the economy is roaring back, though he acknowledged there are still areas where were putting out the flames of the virus. Economists expect the recovery to take longer than Trumps optimistic projections, with the unemployment rate likely to be near double-digit levels by years end. The shutdowns over the past two weeks will be reflected in the July unemployment report, to be released in early August. While the job market improved for a second straight month, the Labor Department report showed that the U.S. remains far short of regaining the colossal losses it suffered this spring. It has recouped roughly one-third of the 22 million jobs lost. The re-closings are keeping layoffs elevated: The number of Americans who sought unemployment benefits fell only slightly last week to 1.4 million, according to another report. Though the weekly figure has declined steadily since peaking in March, it is still extraordinarily high by historic standards. And the total number of people who are drawing jobless benefits remains at a sizable 19 million. U.S. job growth in June was driven mainly by companies recalling workers who had been laid off during the widespread business shutdowns across the country in the spring. In an ominous trend contained in the Labor Department report, the number of Americans who said they had lost their jobs permanently rose by 600,000 last month to nearly 2.9 million. Even as we move into the second half of the year, a large number of people will still be looking for work, said Eric Winograd, senior U.S. economist at asset manager AllianceBernstein. Hotels, restaurants, bars and casinos added 2.1 million jobs last month, the most of any industry. Retailers gained 740,000. The solid job gains of the past two months have partly resulted from unprecedented levels of government spending, including $1,200 stimulus checks, more than $500 billion in grants to small businesses, and an extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits. Those payments enabled millions of Americans to cover the rent and other bills. Yet those programs are expiring or tailing off. The additional $600 in unemployment ends July 31. We could see a huge cliff, said Julia Pollak, labor economist at ZipRecruiter. Those expanded benefits will expire before new hiring has really picked up. Congress is debating another relief package. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he supports something that is much more targeted to businesses that need it. While unemployment fell in June for all groups, it dropped faster for whites than for Blacks or Latinos. The rate among white people was 10.1%. Black unemployment fell to 15.4% from 16.8%. Among Latinos, unemployment dropped to 14.5% from 17.6%. The number of laid-off workers seeking jobless benefits rose last week in Texas, Arizona and Tennessee. It fell in California, but was near 280,000. Thats more than the number of people who were seeking unemployment benefits in the entire country before the outbreak took hold in March. Credit and debit card data tracked by JPMorgan Chase shows that consumers reduced their spending last week after having increased it steadily in late April and May. Economists have long warned that the economic benefits of allowing businesses to reopen would prove short-lived if the virus wasnt brought under control and people didnt feel confident enough to dine out, travel and shop. U.S. tourists must wait at least two more weeks to see the Eiffel tower in Paris, as the European Union has lifted travel bans for 14 countries but not for the United States because of its soaring coronarvirus cases. AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File PRESS RELEASE: Aegean Trails No dig, no ride! - You get, what you give! Dream with us: An Epic Trail on Mount Olympus How to be part of it? Take part, build and ride with us in Greece! There is almost no place in Greece that is more legendary then Mt. Olympus. The highest peak in the country, former stomping grounds of the ancient gods and today a protected national park. A true paradise for hikers and mountain bikers, a towering stairway to heaven and in close proximity of the sea!It is in this epic location, that the 4th International Trail Building Week in Greece will take place from the 07.-13. September 2020.Year after year, enthusiastic mountain bikers from around the world meet up for a week in Greece and together with the locals they revive and maintain a century-old network of trails for the ultimate riding experience. Every year we bare witness that trails do not just connect places, but also people! The international team spirit gives the event its unique character and is valued as a highlight each year!By shaping and maintaining the trails as well as the construction of new lines sometimes flowy, sometimes more technical a true bikers paradise is taking shape in Greece. With appropriate signposting and marketing of the trails via the Aegean Trails website, the Aegean is rapidly becoming an attractive travel destination for bike fanatics.Part of the team behind the project is a group of professional trail builders from the Trail Brothers Tuscany , who pass on their know-how to the participants involved. The whole project is also supported with great engagement by the Tourism Association of Central Macedonia and the Tour Operator Outline Adventures There is no better time than 2020 to unite and create an epic new trail on Mt. Olympus! Greece has opened its borders and Thessaloniki Airport is fully operational. Taking part in the event could possibly be the best thing youve done all year: An incredibly dynamic week spent with like-minded people Accommodation in a charming hotel in the picturesque mountain village of Litochoro Trails dont just fall from the sky, not even at Mt. Olympus so be prepared for a full-body workout work in the morning, play in the afternoon! You earned it: dive into the summer waters of the Mediterranean after a hard days work; only a few kilometers from your accommodation Connect with others from the bike scene about the latest trends and be inspired for new bike adventures Take the experience of the week with you and inspire your local bike community with your newly acquired knowledge in trail constructionOnly a limited number of spaces are still available. First in, first serves so be quick to secure yourself a spot. Detailed information to the event and participation can be found here: Moritz Ablinger (for all pictures used in this blog post) KAMPALA As Uganda continues to battle with the effects of COVID-19 crisis, experts say that the answer to revamp the struggling economy lies in urgent reforms. Our economy was flourishing until we were hit by the coronavirus. This means that government has to quickly institute urgent reforms such as the education system which is urgent now more than ever. The challenge before us is the youth and unemployment. This is a result of the education system since its not practical. Education in Uganda is about cramming and passing for exams which deprive a student of the skill to propel intellectual thinking, Mr. Walter Atiko a Ugandan Economist based in the UK told PML Daily on Friday. He said that Ugandan economy depended on three key aspects namely; coffee, tourism and remittances from diaspora. Previously every year, coffee fetched Uganda 1.3 billion dollars, with tourism at 1.5 billion dollars and diaspora remittance stood at 1.9 billion dollars. All these are key components of Ugandas economy before we were hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. He added that one thing that African governments ought to know is the fact that the Western World will never come to change their countries they only do if they have an interest and the interest is not for the benefit of an African government. For instance, he says if the economy of an African country is in shambles, they will not offer any help but just watch in silence as things go bad. According to him, there is need for government to come up with a stimulus package to save the country as this will enable the population to contribute to the revival of the economy instead of leaving all the responsibility to only government. Currently, Ugandans dont have money in their pockets because the impact of the pandemic has really hit them hard and they have been unemployed so they have no money to spend at their own leisure like travelling, shopping, hanging out etc. The other thing that government can also is to stimulate the economy the aggregate demand especially at the lower end of the economy. When the people have money they are able to apportion it into different sectors and hence contributing to the economy, he notes. Recently I heard from one gentleman called Mukiibi who was advising government to give a 10 year tax holiday but this is very dangerous because how do you guarantee that an investor may not run away and never return to pay the accrued taxes, he noted adding that Ugandans should stop panicking and start working to help restore the economy. Such advice is not valid because if taxes are not paid then how will government provide services to the people and where will Uganda Revenue Authority realize its revenue as they may be rendered redundant, said Atiko. Comments JUBA President Salva Kiir has been sharply criticized for violating a provision of the peace agreement by not appointing women among the six state governors from his camp. Kiir issued a decree Monday appointing governors for eight of the countrys 10 states under the state power-sharing arrangement. Of the newly named state governors, only one Sarah Cleto Rial of Western Ghar el Ghazal state is a woman. Sarah was nominated by Riek Machars party, the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), which got three states. All the six governors nominated by Kiirs camp are male. The peace agreement says 35 percent of posts in the new transitional government are to be allocated to women. Betty Sunday, a renowned womens rights activist, said the president Kiirs side violated the provision that grants 35% of all public offices to women by only appointing male governors. Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Betty urged Kiir to dismiss two male governors from his camp and replace them with women. It came as a surprise because President Kiir has always been praising the capabilities of women. But now he has excluded women, even though the agreement demands that they should be represented, she said. The woman activist commended Machars SPLM-IO party for appointing a woman as the new governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal State. Ameer Deng, head of the womens bloc, urged the presidents camp to respect the terms of the peace deal, which stipulate that 35 percent of posts are allocated to women. In March, Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior vowed to ensure that at least three women are appointed as state governors to fulfill the 35 percent share of women provided for in the peace agreement. Comments China on Thursday launched a level IV emergency response for flood control as the country entered the main flood season, said the Ministry of Emergency Management. The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has dispatched work teams to the provinces of Hunan, Hubei, and Anhui to guide relief work, the ministry said. The ministry added that the work of flood control, emergency rescue, and disaster relief is at a crucial stage at the moment. Local authorities were urged to step up the monitoring of weather, remain alert for possible disasters caused by rainstorms, and guarantee the safety of the public, according to the ministry. The Three Gorges Dam on Thursday saw the arrival of the Yangtze River's first flood of the year, with a flow rate of 50,000 cubic meters of water per second. The water level in Taihu, the country's second-largest freshwater lake, has risen above the warning level, while water levels in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Dongting Lake, and Poyang Lake are higher than usual. Hart, who has a Ph.d from the University of Wyoming, is a professor in the psychology department at Columbia. His research focuses on the effects of drugs. He has received Columbias Presidential Teaching Award and the Humanitarian Award from Mothers Against Teen Violence. He also has testified as an expert witness on the effects of psychoactive drugs before Congress and in state and federal courts. WASHINGTON The U.S. intelligence chiefs conducted classified briefings Thursday for congressional leaders who have demanded more answers about intelligence assessments that Russia offered bounties for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan. President Donald Trump has called news reports about the assessments a "hoax," but hasn't directly addressed their substance or whether the U.S. has or will respond to Russia. Top intelligence officials, including CIA chief Director Gina Haspel and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, conducted the closed-door briefing for a group of lawmakers dubbed the "gang of eight" Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the top Republicans and Democrats on the two intelligence committees. The group regularly receives classified briefings at the highest levels. Pelosi said ahead of the meeting that she hopes Republicans in the briefing are "open to the truth," and she called for additional sanctions on Russia. The White House has insisted that Trump wasn't briefed on the assessments because they hadn't been verified, even though it's rare for intelligence to be confirmed without a shadow of doubt before it is presented to senior government decision-makers. "The White House has done a con, saying that because all of the agencies of intelligence have not signed off on this, it wasn't worthy of the president's attention," Pelosi said on MSNBC. "You know the death of our young people in Afghanistan or any place is worthy of the president's attention." The House intelligence committee will also receive a briefing on the matter Thursday afternoon, according to a person familiar with that meeting who requested anonymity because the briefing was not publicly disclosed. The Capitol Hill meetings come as Trump has been under increasing pressure to provide answers about the U.S. response to Russia or the lack of one. The intelligence assessments that Russia offered bounties were first reported by The New York Times, then confirmed to The Associated Press by American intelligence officials and others with knowledge of the matter. Administration officials have insisted they have taken intelligence seriously. National security adviser Robert O'Brien said Wednesday that CIA and the Pentagon pursued the leads and briefed international allies. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the situation was handled "incredibly well" to ensure the safety of U.S. troops. "We took this seriously, we handled it appropriately," Pompeo said, without giving additional details. He said the administration receives intelligence about threats to Americans "every single day" and each is addressed. Texas Rep. Mac Thornberry, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said the panel would "leave no stone unturned" in seeking further information. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., called on the administration to provide a briefing to all senators after he reviewed some of the intelligence in a secure room in the Capitol. "If it is concluded that Russia offered bounties to murder American soldiers, a firm American response is required in short order," Toomey said. Other Republicans defended the president, saying they had confidence in the administration's response. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he didn't think Trump should be "subjected to every rumor." White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday pointed to an individual who she said made the decision not to brief Trump, identifying the person as a female CIA officer with more than 30 years of experience. O'Brien, the national security adviser, said the person was a "career CIA briefer." O'Brien said the intelligence wasn't brought to Trump's attention initially because it was unverified and there was no consensus among the intelligence community. While Russian meddling in Afghanistan isn't new, officials said Russian operatives had become more aggressive in their desire to contract with the Taliban and members of the Haqqani Network, a militant group aligned with the Taliban in Afghanistan and designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2012. The intelligence community has been investigating an April 2019 attack on an American convoy that killed three U.S. Marines when a car rigged with explosives detonated near their armored vehicles as they traveled back to Bagram Airfield, the largest U.S. military installation in Afghanistan, officials told the AP. Three other U.S. service members were wounded in the attack, along with an Afghan contractor. The Taliban claimed responsibility. The officials the AP spoke to also said they were looking closely at insider attacks from 2019 to determine if they were linked to Russian bounties. Intelligence officials told the AP that the White House first became aware of alleged Russian bounties in early 2019 a year earlier than had been previously reported. The assessments were included in one of Trump's written daily briefings at the time, and then-national security adviser John Bolton had told colleagues he had briefed Trump on the matter. More than a year after a University of South Carolina senior was murdered after getting into a car she thought was her Uber ride, her parents' foundation and the company say they are teaming up to make the widely used ride-hailing app safer for students. Samantha Josephson was kidnapped and killed in March 2019 after trying to catch a ride in Columbia's Five Points district. A judge denied bond for Nathaniel Rowland, the Clarendon County man charged in her death, in June. A push for safety reforms followed the 21-year-old New Jersey native's death. After debating several possible safety laws targeted to ride-hailing services, South Carolina passed a law requiring drivers for ride-hailing services to post a sticker to their windshields showing their license plate numbers. Passengers can confirm the license plate number in the app. Sign up for our new business newsletter We're starting a weekly newsletter about the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it's free. Email Sign Up! Josephson's parents, Seymour and Marci Josephson, began the Whats My Name Foundation based on a question riders should ask drivers before getting into vehicles. Later in 2019, Uber introduced a feature where riders and drivers have to verify a four-digit pin in order to ensure they are paired correctly. What's My Name has also urged colleges, businesses and local governments to create "safety zones" designated for pickups. Uber says the partnership with the foundation will bring renewed focus to the topic of campus safety. Given the unimaginable loss of our daughter, Samantha Josephson, the mission of educating the public on rideshare safety has always started with college students, Josephson's father said in a statement. We are proud to announce this partnership with Uber, an organization that has already demonstrated its commitment to rideshare safety that includes existing alliances with colleges and universities around the world. COLUMBIA About 50 protesters gathered Thursday outside the Columbia Police Departments downtown headquarters to demand the firing of an officer who shot a Black man in the back of the head last year after a traffic stop that devolved into a crash. "Fire Officer Rollins," they chanted in the sweltering heat, referencing Sean Rollins by name and holding signs that read, "Stop racist police terror!" The August 2019 shooting has gained renewed attention amid nationwide protests of police brutality and last weeks news that Sir Brandon Legette, 29, who survived the incident, has filed a lawsuit against Rollins and the police department. That complaint alleges Rollins, who joined the department in July 2018, used excessive force in shooting Legette after the pair struggled over control of Legettes SUV before it skidded down an embankment near a Columbia Food Lion. Legettes attorney, Marc Brown, held a press conference last week labelling the shooting an attempted execution and calling for Rollins firing. Columbia police countered by blasting Browns press conference as inaccurate, incomplete, and irresponsible. Chief Skip Holbrook in a statement said he understands some people distrust law enforcement and is committed to accountability and transparency. We stand at a defining moment in history and each of us must work through meaningful and thoughtful processes to effect positive change and reform, he wrote. We cannot do this if individuals choose to misrepresent facts and provide false narratives in an effort to divide our community. The dispute, coupled with Thursdays protest, highlights the heightened scrutiny on police treatment of Black people, especially after George Floyd was killed when a Minnesota policeman knelt on his neck. Local protests over the past month outside the S.C. Statehouse and Columbia police headquarters also have highlighted the case of Joshua Ruffin, a Black teenager who was fatally shot in April by a white officer who said Ruffin pulled a gun during a foot chase through a north Columbia neighborhood. Columbias top prosecutor, Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson, declined to charge that officer, Kevin Davis, last week. Protesters Thursday called for Davis to be fired, as well as Rollins, during a demonstration that lasted less than an hour and remained peaceful throughout. Gipson decided not to charge Rollins, ruling that the officers shooting of Legette was justified. Rollins pulled over Legette around 2:45 a.m. on Aug. 24, 2019, in the parking lot of a Food Lion on Broad River Road after Legette flashed his lights and passed him with an illegible paper tag. Rollins body camera footage of the incident shows Legette pleading with officers to leave him alone. He said he had just gotten off work at Owen Steel and planned to sleep in his car before starting a shift at the Food Lion at 6 a.m. Questioned by officers, Legette also admitted he had been driving the Dodge Journey with a suspended license, fake tag and no insurance. The footage shows Legette refused orders from officers to exit his SUV. Legette later said he stayed in the car because he was afraid of the officers surrounding him. Rollins body camera captured him trying to pull Legette out of the SUV, then getting into the vehicle with Legette as the SUV sped forward through the grocery store parking lot. Columbia police previously said Legette dragged Rollins through the parking lot, but dash cam footage shows Rollins was at least partially in the vehicle with his feet off the ground. Rollins was grabbing Leggette and the steering wheel as the SUV sped forward. Rollins pleaded with Legette to stop as the SUVs engine revved before the crash. The body camera fell into the floorboard at some point during the struggle. Collins said Legette continued to resist after the crash, grabbing one of Rollins' arms and appearing to reach for something underneath himself, which Rollins said he assumed was a weapon. He said Legette "was still actively resisting" and that Collins feared for his life. He tried to shoot Legette, but the gun misfired, so he hit Legette with the pistol before shooting him once in the back of the head, Rollins told investigators. The body camera video shows Legettes head jolting forward as Rollins hits him and shoots him from behind. Legette then can be heard moaning in pain and telling Rollins, I quit, I give up, as the officer pleads with him to stop moving. Solicitor Gipson said last year Rollins was justified in shooting Legette to protect himself and others. Legettes attorney, Brown, strongly disagrees. He said Rollins couldnt control himself and doesnt belong in the police department. Brown also called the State Law Enforcement Divisions investigation of the shooting a sham. SLED has defended its investigation. The investigation noted that after the incident, police found a stolen handgun near Legette's driver's-side door. Legette is facing a handful of charges from the incident, including assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, possession of a stolen pistol, driving under suspension, operating a vehicle without insurance and using a false license plate. At the time of the situation, I was just terrified, Legette said at last weeks press conference. Im just appreciative and thankful to be here today. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing late. Low 76F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing late. Low 76F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Georgetown, SC (29440) Today Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%. For Kim Katalinich, her foreign exchange students have become family. Since the Myrtle Beach mother lost her 14-year-old daughter to a drunken driver and her son moved away, she has filled her home and the homes of many South Carolinians with students from all over the globe. Shes hosted more than 20 children over the years and shes helped other families bond with dozens of international students from a variety of cultures. But, amid the global pandemic, everything has changed. She said her school district has put a ban on foreign exchange students as they figure out the best way to grapple with life amid the novel coronavirus. Its been devastating, Katalinich said. The more we learn about other cultures, the more accepting we become of others. People are going to miss out on that opportunity. School districts across South Carolina, including those in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties, have banned international students from participating in foreign exchange programs next school year. In early March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance to consider postponing or canceling student international travel programs. Since then, school districts nationwide have slowly started canceling opportunities for foreign exchange students. Many have said the decision to block these students was a necessary and difficult one, made as a result of the enormous uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that shuttered schools statewide in March. But prohibiting foreign exchange students from entire school districts has meant some students and families, as well as the service providers who help facilitate the transition, are now in limbo. Student American International is a foreign exchange service provider with a satellite office in Horry County. The organization usually places somewhere around 30 to 50 international students in South Carolina schools each year, said founder and CEO Melissa Polos. This year, due to the complications caused by the pandemic, the applications she's received from interested international students are only between 25 percent and 30 percent of what they would normally be, Polos said. Some countries abroad have also opted to pull their students out of American school placements, she said. But even with these obstacles, Polos expected she would at least be able to place 15 students in the Palmetto State next school year. But with recent policy changes aimed at blocking international students from entire school districts, it doesn't look like that's going to happen, she said. Now, her agency and others like it are scrambling to find new host families and establish school partnerships for those students whove been turned away. With so many public school districts across the state prohibiting these programs entirely, Polos' team is now looking to private institutions or independent charter schools for help. Katalinich managed to arrange two students, one from Brazil and one from Germany, to stay with her. But only because an area charter school is keeping the program going. But it will be different from the traditional experience shes provided in the past. Shell have to drive the students herself or arrange transportation for them because the charter school doesnt have a bus system. She now plans to take them to another schools pep rally because she doesnt want them to miss out on the culture of youth sports. She plans to socialize the students with people in the neighborhood so she can introduce them to diverse groups of people. Once students are paired with a school, which can happen as early as January, they often begin communicating with their host family virtually or via social media. A lot of times, these emotional bonds are formed long before a student even sets foot in the United States. Just to have it ripped right out from underneath them, that was just devastating, Polos said. Minimizing the risk School and district leaders across the Lowcountry have pointed to the health and safety of students as a major factor when deciding to suspend exchange programs next school year. We want to minimize any potential risk of spreading the virus and as well to make sure no student (including those from other countries) gets held up far away from home for an extended amount of time, said Charleston County School District spokesman Andy Pruitt in an email, adding that the district will revisit its decision next summer. In Mount Pleasant, Wando High School usually accepts two foreign exchange students each year, said Principal Sherry Eppelsheimer. I certainly wouldnt want a child coming to us and basically being stuck here and not going to get back home, she said. It is strictly for the safety of my students as well as the safety of the students who would be coming here. These concerns were echoed by Greg Harrison, executive director of middle and high schools in Dorchester District 2. Not really understanding or knowing what next school year would look like for all students, it just felt like it was in the best interest not maybe bringing in additional folks into our schools at this time, Harrison said. Sign up for our new health newsletter The best of health, hospital and science coverage in South Carolina, delivered to your inbox weekly. Email Sign Up! Typically, the district hosts 12 exchange students across its high schools each year, he said. The administration made the decision last month, he said, sparked by the actions of other school districts across the state. But international student program facilitators argue that foreign exchange students dont have any more risk of bringing the COVID-19 virus into a school setting than a traditional student would. In fact, most exchange programs already had rigorous health screenings in place before the pandemic started, said Amanda Corey, marketing manager for International Student Exchange, a New York-based foreign exchange program facilitator that places international students across South Carolina. Many agencies, including ISE, have added additional safety precautions this year, such as requiring a negative COVID-19 test result to be submitted prior to arrival. Berkeley County School District voted in late May to deny foreign exchange students. David Barrow, who was the lone no vote on the proposal, was disappointed by the school boards decision. He doesnt understand why students couldnt come to Berkeley County and just quarantine for two weeks with a host family before starting school. I feel like the foreign exchange process is beneficial for everyone, Barrow said. I dont think it should be a blanket statement. I feel like it was an overreach. Many districts also point to the looming uncertainties still surrounding what schools will look like in the fall, and few, if any, have released concrete plans for instruction so far. Field trips in Dorchester 2 will likely be canceled, Harrison said, and extracurricular activities will also probably be restricted. Such activities are important parts of a well-rounded foreign exchange program, said Bethany Britton, a Charleston-based hosting coordinator and liaison for AFS Intercultural Programs. She's also served as a host parent for two international students. Many international students come to the U.S. with the hope of improving their English language skills, she said. Even if schools are forced to operate in an entirely virtual setting, these students likely will still be able to develop these skills, since theyll be living with an English-speaking host family. Still, she said, Youre not going to get just a lot of those American high school experiences. I think there would be benefits as far as learning the language, but I just feel like they would also be missing out on so much more, Britton said. Lasting impacts New policies and procedures limiting foreign exchange students in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic has also had a profound impact on the service providers themselves. In the past, AFS has placed up to 2,000 students across the country each year, Britton said. Now, she expects the organization will be lucky if it's able to place between 300 and 500 kids. It's had a huge impact on the company. They've had to lay off the majority of their staff, she said. Polos, the CEO of Student American International, said her organization has also been forced to cut staff, and those who are still employed have had to take pay cuts. If we're unable to substantiate placements for these students, after 25 years of dedicating myself to this I will no longer have a business, she said. Still, many in the industry say theyre most concerned for the students and families who might not have the opportunity to participate in an exchange program this school year. International student exchange programs were largely born out of the world wars in an effort to promote public diplomacy, Polos said. For many students, these types of programs are often the only times during their educational careers theyll have the opportunity to regularly interact one on one with someone from another part of the world. Although we may eat different foods and speak different languages, the bottom line is, we're all very similar, in our feelings, our goals, our ambitions, Polos said. Students bring that back, and it really does foster peace and a positive interpretation of what the American culture and environment is like. Mask requirements went into effect in North Charleston and Charleston County and Horry County officials approved their own ordinance on Friday as the number of positive coronavirus tests in the state grew by over 1,500. State public health officials also revised upward by 16 percent the number of infections reported on Thursday and by 9 percent the number of cases reported Wednesday. Horry County Council, in a 6 p.m. emergency meeting, approved a mask requirement. The Horry County ordinance declared a state of emergency and requires people wear face coverings in retail businesses, such as grocery stores, pharmacies and hair salons. Employees must also cover their faces in areas open to the public. Violating the ordinance could lead to a $25 fine and higher penalties for additional offenses. It went into effect Friday and will last 60 days unless the council decides to end it sooner. Roughly 1 in 3 South Carolinians are now covered by mask requirements, with over 40 South Carolina cities and counties approving new rules in recent days as coronavirus cases reached record highs. Horry was just the latest. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said it was working to update how it pulls data to prevent the high upward revisions seen in recent days. Ten more people died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, DHEC said. Statewide numbers Number of new cases reported: 1,558 Total number of cases in S.C.: 41,413 Number of new deaths reported: 10 Total number of deaths in S.C.: 787 Number of hospitalized patients: 1,148 Percent of tests that were positive: 20.7 percent Total number of tests in S.C.: 450,482 Which areas are hardest-hit? Sign up for our new health newsletter The best of health, hospital and science coverage in South Carolina, delivered to your inbox weekly. Email Sign Up! Charleston County led the state in new confirmed infections on Friday with 267. Horry County followed with 237. Whats happening in the tri-county region? The tri-county area continued to see high coronavirus case numbers on Friday. In addition to the 267 new cases in Charleston County, Berkeley County logged 77 and Dorchester had 69. Currently, the tri-county area has more than 7,300 confirmed positive cases. Deaths Six of the new deaths were of people who were older than 65 living in Anderson, Beaufort, Georgetown, Greenville, Laurens and Marion counties. Two deaths were of people between the ages of 35 and 65 from Greenville and Kershaw counties. Two deaths were from younger adults in Greenville and Kershaw counties. How to stop the spread Medical experts and government officials have urged people to wear masks as cases spike. Cities and counties started to enact their own ordinances after Gov. Henry McMaster declined to issue a statewide mask-wearing mandate. State public officials have asked that South Carolinians avoid crowds, stay 6 feet away from others outside their homes and regularly wash their hands. What do experts say? State public health officials cautioned residents to stay away from big gatherings over the Fourth of July weekend and celebrate responsibly, preferably by staying home and watching fireworks from their vehicles. Weve all given so much for so long, and we all want to be at our beautiful beaches, at our parks, our friends houses, our block parties and community events, but Im asking all of us to stay vigilant in the fight against this deadly virus, Dr. Joan Duwve, the states public health director, said Tuesday. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, the South Carolina Hospital Association and the South Carolina Medical Association announced a television and social media campaign to urge people to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Matt Rasnic and Andy Shain contributed to this report. Close to 1 in 3 South Carolinians are now covered by mask requirements, with at least 40 South Carolina cities and counties approving new rules in recent days as coronavirus cases reach record highs. Nearly 1.6 million residents, along with the thousands of tourists visiting for the busy July Fourth weekend, must wear face coverings in businesses and stores. Here are some answers about the mask requirements across South Carolina: Why are local governments passing mask ordinances? South Carolina had three times the number of COVID-19 cases in June than the three previous months combined. While increased testing accounted for part of the spike in cases, there were signs COVID-19 is spreading after shopping, dining and travel restrictions were lifted. Cases rose at nearly triple the rate of tests last month. Despite the rise in cases, Gov. Henry McMaster said he is not going to issue a statewide mask order. The former U.S. attorney and state attorney general has said it is impossible to enforce and could open the state to lawsuits. He prefers that South Carolinians take the proper precautions themselves to slow spread of the virus that has stricken nearly 40,000 in the Palmetto State and killed more than 775. Greenville and Columbia began the wave of local mask rules that opened farther when state Attorney General Alan Wilson said the rules were legal and he would not try to stop them. What cities and counties are passing mask ordinances? Cities of all sizes have imposed mask rules from Charleston (population 137,566) to Winnsboro in Fairfield County (3,280). Nine of the state's 10 largest cities have mask rules, with the exception of Rock Hill. Several counties including Charleston, Beaufort and Richland have passed mask mandates. Many communities along the coast, which expect to have their busiest weekend of the year with the Fourth, have made face coverings mandatory. Myrtle Beach, the target of governors who blamed case clusters in their states on residents coming back for South Carolina's top tourist spot, adopted a rule on Thursday. Sign up for our new health newsletter The best of health, hospital and science coverage in South Carolina, delivered to your inbox weekly. Email Sign Up! Some cities and counties have rejected mask rules, including Goose Creek and Hardeeville, while others, like Anderson, have passed resolutions encouraging mask wearing. Where must masks be worn? Most of the ordinances apply to going inside stores and businesses that deal with the public. Some cities, including Mount Pleasant and Spartanburg, require face coverings only in grocery stores and pharmacies. Masks are not required for young children, while eating and drinking, or visiting the beach. Most ordinances do not address wearing masks while walking along a public sidewalk, but they are recommended if people cannot social distance 6 feet apart. What is the penalty for refusing to wear a mask? Most cities and counties have $25 or $50 fines for violators, but government leaders have stressed they want people to receive warnings before officers hand out citations. Some communities don't have a penalty, while saying face coverings are mandatory, but non-mask wearers face arrest for refusing to leave a store or businesses. How long will mask requirements last? In most cases, they last until the end of August. A few go through the end of July. But local governments are reserving the right to extend the rules as needed. How can people find a list cities and counties requiring masks and find out specific rules? The Post and Courier has complied a list and a map of communities with mask ordinances that can be found here. But people also can visit the official websites for local city and county governments where many have posted the ordinances. Upstate automaker BMW is asking the U.S. government for tariff relief on parts that are made in China not for its popular X-model vehicles but for face masks to keep workers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMW executives have asked Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative, to exclude tariffs on three Chinese-made components needed for the face masks: nose clip wires, ear loop bands, and the engineered fabric that covers the mouth and nose. The parts are subject to tariffs ranging from 7.5 percent to 25 percent. The automaker wants the exclusion because it's installing an automated disposable face mask production line at its Spartanburg County campus. "The face masks will be distributed to BMW employees and are intended for use by BMW employees who cannot otherwise maintain social distancing while they work," BMW managers said in a letter to Lighthizer. The June 21 letter was signed by Ryan Pratt, data manager for the automaker's customs and export control department, and Ramona Dienel, manager of that department. The two said face masks will "help prevent transmission from infected individuals who may or may not have symptoms of COVID-19." No decision on the exclusion request has been made. Sign up for our new health newsletter The best of health, hospital and science coverage in South Carolina, delivered to your inbox weekly. Email Sign Up! According to the letter, the non-woven fabric will be fed into the production line's machinery, which will cut and shape it to form a mask. Once the mask is formed, bands are stamped onto them in order to let users secure the masks onto their face. BMW said it needs the exclusion "due to the limited availability and price of these materials in the United States and elsewhere in the world." The U.S. trade office previously exempted Chinese-made face masks from tariffs but not the individual components BMW wants to use. The previous exemption, which also includes dozens of other medical supplies, expires on Sept. 1 and BMW has asked for an extension. Volvo Cars, which builds the S60 sedan at a plant near Ridgeville, has had no trouble obtaining face masks for its production line workers, said spokeswoman Stephanie Mangini. The automaker does not make its own masks but gets them from various suppliers of safety equipment. BMW's $10.6 billion plant in the Upstate is the German automaker's largest, at 7 million square feet and an annual capacity of 450,000 vehicles. The site, which employs more than 11,000 people, builds X-model SUVs that are sold in the U.S. and exported through the Port of Charleston to foreign markets. The site, which opened in 1994, recently completed production of its 5 millionth vehicle. Zweifel, who is 83, says he wants to carry on. As he walks among the presidents figures, tiny models of the Oval Offices of different presidents and even a wax figure of himself about 30 years younger, Zweifel keeps up an endless patter explaining where the attraction was and where it will be. Bars. Bars are really not good. That was the expert opinion Dr. Anthony Fauci recently gave, urging Americans to stop congregating in bars, which pose a particular environmental risk for spreading the novel coronavirus because they are typically loud, closely packed and require patrons to stand near one another indoors in large groups and project their voices to be heard. Recent Black Lives Matter protests, by contrast, pose a lower risk for spreading the disease because they have been largely held outdoors where air circulation is better. Fauci, who serves as director of the federal National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was speaking to lawmakers on the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee during a hearing on "COVID-19: Update on Progress Toward Safely Getting Back to Work and Back to School." But his words were very likely geared toward younger Americans ahead of the three-day holiday weekend. Teenagers and young adults have been increasingly diagnosed with COVID-19 in recent weeks and have played a large role in the viruss exponential growth since Memorial Day. In Oxford, Miss., summer fraternity parties have sparked outbreaks. In Oklahoma City, church activities, fitness classes, weddings and funerals seeded infections among people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. In Iowa college towns, surges followed the reopening of bars. A cluster of hangouts near Louisiana State University led to at least 100 customers and employees testing positive. In East Lansing, Mich., an outbreak tied to a brewpub spread to 34 people ages 18 to 23. In the South Carolina Lowcountry, Roper St. Francis tests thousands of patients for COVID-19 every week and the latest numbers show more than 50 percent of those testing positive are younger than 40 and 27 percent are younger than 30 compared to only 18 percent who are over 60. On one recent weekday, Roper St. Francis hospitals recorded a 65 percent spike in patients treated for COVID-19 in a single day. Seventeen percent of the hospital systems inpatients who have been admitted to a facility for COVID-19 treatment are under the age of 40. At the Medical University of South Carolina, 43 percent of all patients admitted to the Charleston County hospital for COVID-19 treatment have been younger than 50, according to a data provided by a spokeswoman. Dr. Chris McLain, chief physician officer with Roper St. Francis Healthcare, said these numbers speak to the fact that younger patients are not impervious to this disease. He emphasized that the health care system is ready to help the community, but the community at large also plays an important role in helping to contain the spread. That includes wearing masks, washing hands and practicing social distancing, he said. Its very concerning. Anyone who is looking at these numbers ought to be very concerned. You can easily see a point where we will outpace our resources in the entire tri-county area, McLain said. Sign up for our new health newsletter The best of health, hospital and science coverage in South Carolina, delivered to your inbox weekly. Email Sign Up! Were not at that point yet, but if we dont have some meaningful intervention, theres no reason to expect that it wont continue as it is, he said. The upside is that younger patients with fewer preexisting or chronic conditions are less likely to die from COVID-19 or suffer from long-term effects. This explains why cases of the virus have increased dramatically in South Carolina in recent weeks, but the number of deaths has not. Young patients who contract the virus, however, do pose a dangerous threat to older, more vulnerable patients who may contract the disease from a child or grandchild. People between the ages 18 and 50 dont live in some sort of a bubble, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt recently told The Associated Press. They are the children and grandchildren of vulnerable people. They may be standing next to you at a wedding. They might be serving you a meal in a restaurant. The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control sounded a similar warning last week. Of more than 20,000 COVID-19 cases recorded in South Carolina since March, more than 25 percent have been diagnosed among patients who are teenagers or adults under 30. Since April 4, data from the agency shows that there has been a 413.9 percent increase in newly reported COVID-19 cases among the 21-30 age group, and a 966.1 percent increase in newly reported COVID-19 cases among the 11-20 age group. The increases that were seeing serve as a warning that young adults and youth are not immune to COVID-19, said Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC physician consultant, in a press release. They also tell us that younger South Carolinians are not taking social distancing seriously. That could have serious implications for older adults in this state, and younger ones, too. DHEC data shows more than 30 adults in their teens, 20s, 30s and 40s have died from COVID-19 this year. McLain, with Roper St. Francis, said several hospital inpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 have fallen in younger age ranges and include patients with no preexisting conditions. Not all of them have the traditional risk factors, he said. Some of them were previously healthy and are still presenting with these findings. A small, beat-up newspaper kiosk painted red, white and blue sits against the wall at the First Citizens Bank on Daniel Island. But there aren't copies of the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal or The Post and Courier inside. In the refurbished box are U.S. flags too worn, tattered and weathered to be flown. It's a final resting place for the folded banners before they are retired. South Carolina was just named one of the top 10 most patriotic states in America, according to a survey done by WalletHub and is cited for it's large amount of active-duty and military retirees, volunteer hours and civic engagement. And Daniel Island, the neighborhood in the Charleston city limits and nestled in Berkeley County, is aiming to be the most patriotic city in the Palmetto State by celebrating the American flag. This involves not only seemingly covering the island in red, white and blue each year but also making sure flags at the end of their life are properly disposed of. It's not a small task. Year after year, patriotism has been declining, according to surveys. And 2020 has tested America's morale. Political divisiveness has led to intense internet mud-slinging and polarization. Debates and dialogue on systemic racism have led to clashes between police and protesters in U.S. cities. A deadly virus has halted Fourth of July celebrations and dampened fuses on fireworks. A Gallup poll released last month showed how the current social and political climate has caused patriotism to take a hit. While a majority of adults in the U.S. surveyed said they are "extremely proud" (42 percent) or "very proud" (21 percent) to be American, both readings were the lowest of all time since Gallup's initial measurement in 2001. It is in these trying times that Jim Herzog, president of the Daniel Island Exchange Club, said it is important to remind residents what America stands for. "We got tremendous support for our projects this year," Herzog said. "We had a lot of people from the community come out and say they wanted to help." The Daniel Island Exchange Club has spearheaded a "Field of Honor" each July Fourth. It involves putting hundreds of American flags out by River Landing Drive. Herzog said 650 flags were put out this year, an all time record and their largest display yet. The club raises money by selling flags for Daniel Island residents for $30 as well as offering families a chance to buy "honor banners" hung from light poles to remember first responders and service members for $250. So far, Herzog said the organization has raised $10,000 to donate to various causes. But it's more than just celebrating the flag. The group also wants to educate people on the protocol and ethics of caring for the Star-Spangled Banner. Flag etiquette facts The U.S. Flag Code sets guidelines and protocol for how to respect the American flag. Here's a quick primer on what not to do, according to the law. Dont dip the U.S. flag for anyone. Dont let the flag touch the ground. Dont fly flag upside down unless there is an emergency. Dont carry the flag flat or carry things in it. Dont use the flag as clothing. Dont store the flag where it can get dirty or weathered. Dont use it as a cover. Dont fasten it or tie it, allow it to fall free. Dont draw on or mark the flag. Dont use the flag for decoration. That's where the boxes come in. The U.S. Flag Code, introduced in 1923 and becoming law in 1942, covers all the rules related to proper etiquette with the banner. It covers proper storage, display and care for Old Glory. But perhaps the most important rule, and the one that is often ignored, is making sure a worn flag isn't displayed. If it's beyond repair, it must also be disposed of properly. Wayne Fanning, a member of the Daniel Island Exchange Club, noticed it firsthand. About five years ago he decided he would come up with an idea to make flag disposal easy on residents. He purchased an old newspaper kiosk from a scrap dealer in Atlanta and modified it to hold retired flags. So far, he estimated more than 150 flags have been dropped off at the spot. He then takes them to be ceremoniously burned at a crematorium. "There was no outlet for flag disposal, and we wanted to make it easy for residents," Fanning said. It was a simple project but one that meant a lot to him. Fanning is a Navy veteran. His brother was killed in Vietnam. He knows America isn't perfect. But when he can take those American flags from the box and properly make sure they are retired, he feels like he's paying it back to those who paid the ultimate price. A new nationwide model of flood risk finds that, across the country, almost 70 percent more properties are at risk of flooding than the Federal Emergency Management Agency's maps show. In South Carolina, the model asserts that 40 percent more properties are at risk of a 100-year flood or a 1 percent annual chance that water will cover a property than projected by FEMA. The disparities with FEMA's maps are largest in the state's northwest swath, including Spartanburg County, the fifth most populous. The model is the work of New York-based nonprofit First Street Foundation, which is devoted to calculating the effects of climate-change-driven sea level rise and stronger storms. The work was performed in conjunction with academics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University and the University of Bristol, and reviewed by an independent panel. It has not been peer-reviewed, but two academic papers are pending, First Street's Director of Research and Development Jeremy Porter said. The foundation has also mapped its results on a website called floodfactor.com, where anyone can look up their home and get a score out of ten indicating their flood risk and probabilities of various floods. To floodplain managers and many flood survivors, the model's conclusions come as little surprise. FEMA's maps have long been known to not include areas prone to flooding. The agency has closely mapped coastal areas like the Lowcountry but has failed to map more than 2 million miles of smaller inland streams, said Chad Berginnis, president of the Association of State Floodplain Managers. In some cases, the existing maps are years out of date. Charleston County is an extreme example. FEMA released draft maps for South Carolina in early 2016, but two lengthy appeals stemming from Kiawah Island and a government slowdown from the coronavirus pandemic mean the county still hasn't adopted the new drawings. Thus, the maps that determine who pays for flood insurance, dictate how high houses must be built and influence where lenders offer credit date back almost 20 years in Charleston County. Porter said the foundation's model avoids some of the challenges of FEMA mapping precisely because the government has to field complaints from local jurisdictions which may argue for certain areas to be excluded from flood zones. Berginnis and the city of Charleston's floodplain manager, Stephen Julka, both said the model was useful in spreading awareness of flooding. But they also expressed worries about how the Flood Factor website may be drawing conclusions on a house-by-house basis. "I'm just a little bit concerned about the implied precision of the tool, which says basically you have flood risk down to a tenth of a foot," Berginnis said. "You just can't downscale a national model like that." Julka also wondered whether the website was taking into account details on the ground, like a road that might serve to stop water from flowing and drainage issues or flood-control structures. Porter said that modelers did include major flood-control projects. Still Julka said, Flood Factor does not have the problems attached to many other sites about flood risk, which may be pushing researchers to buy private flood insurance or another product. The website replaces First Street's former Flood IQ site, a popular tool that showed tidal inundation and potential hurricane surge levels for storms of different strengths. That website, said Norm Levine of the College of Charleston, "pushed water a lot farther and a lot harder" than other modelers. But the new model appears to correct somewhat for previous overzealous estimates, said Levine, who runs C of C's Lowcountry Hazards Institute. He has meticulously mapped flooding in Charleston and verified it with local residents. It also doesn't specify whether water will actually enter a house, only whether it will make it to the footprint of a building. That's led to some curious results. Berginnis said he entered the addresses of two adjacent houses in an Ohio neighborhood he had worked in previously and knew had flooding problems. One house was elevated to avoid flooding and the other was not, but both houses got identical Flood Factor scores. Porter said the risk shown on the site is still a valuable metric. A previous study by First Street showed that flooding could impact property values simply if water was covering roads, not just reaching inside homes, he said. "If the neighborhood gets branded as a flooded neighborhood, people tend to abandon that neighborhood at some point in time," he said. But in the Horry County neighborhood of Rosewood Estates, people are still buying, said resident Terri Wilson. The neighborhood has been swamped by hurricanes in 2016 and 2018, and had less-severe flooding earlier this year. It has not been included on FEMA's flood maps, even though it abuts the Intracoastal Waterway. "I don't understand how (buyers are) not seeing this," Wilson said. Flooding in the neighborhood has been highly covered by the media, including the Post and Courier. "The information is out there even if someone was trying to hide it or conceal it." She said the Flood Factor website could prove a valuable tool for future homebuyers there and elsewhere in Horry County if it continues to raise awareness. The county at the north end of the coast is one of the places that First Street says FEMA has low-balled flood risk. The search engine not without its quirks, however: only one home address in Wilson's subdivision actually shows up on the website. The June 23 Post and Courier article on efforts to amend state standards on law enforcement policies implied that the state has been unable to fully fund bodycams. This notion is disingenuous at best. Most law enforcement agencies in South Carolina willingly participate in the federal civil asset forfeiture program, the keystone to the war on drugs started by President Richard Nixon to attack and neutralize white anti-war protesters and Black Panthers. During this long overdue reckoning with law enforcement culture, policy and tactics, the elephant in the room is that even the most vocal activists have failed to effectively speak out against what has been a reprehensible and unconstitutional practice. Briefly, the law allows the seizure of any and all assets linked to an individual charged with a violation of drug laws. The seizures can and do occur before trials. Even those acquitted or those for whom charges are dropped do not automatically have their assets returned. The innocent parties must jump through expensive legal hoops to recover the assets taken from them. Many dont even try. Some try and fail, and a handful get their property returned. So what do these departments do with the assets? The property is auctioned. Departments do not receive all of the money, but they do get a substantial portion. This money has been used to buy surplus military equipment. Part of the reason theres a lack of funding for bodycams is tied up in the allocation of forfeiture funds. Three actions must occur: 1. The state must fully fund bodycams for all law enforcement departments, and state law must be changed to require officers to activate cameras on every call. 2. Asset forfeiture laws must be repealed. 3. And the militarization of law enforcement departments must be reversed. GARY BROWN Coker Avenue Charleston Court decision Some headlines reported the Supreme Courts ruling on abortion rights as a victory for those advocating abortion. Such a headline with such a term makes all cringe and conjures images of women excited to go to a clinic. Any woman who has had to make a decision that includes abortion would not celebrate it. Instead, the headlines should have said the decision was a victory for womens rights, the right to choose, to control their bodies, health and futures. Although the nations male politicians have long controlled the rhetoric and decisions that affect women, often fueling fury and division by framing the options for women as pro-life or pro-choice, an individuals reproductive rights should never be controlled by a government. I believe in both pro-life and in pro-choice, not one or the other, and I believe the majority of women share this. Because I believe so strongly, I support prenatal care through delivery and through early childhood. I also support paid maternity leave. Of course, I also support adoption and social services that advocate for and protect children, as would anyone who values the lives of our most vulnerable. Whether women choose to transform their bodies, risking their lives or altering their futures should be a choice that women make, not government. Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email Sign Up! SHARON LEFF Travers Drive Charleston Mask rule is limp The town of Mount Pleasant has dropped the ball with its mask ordinance. Requiring masks in grocery stores (but not convenience stores), drug stores and town buildings does not address the areas where the virus is spreading at incredible rates. Officials need to require masks be worn by everyone in all public buildings, including bars and restaurants, gyms and convenience stores. Bars and such, along with private gatherings, are where the virus is spreading rampantly. Now, those who want to avoid more restrictive places in downtown Charleston will further crowd Shem Creek businesses. With the virus having increased 78% in the past week in the county and Mount Pleasant being a hotbed of the disease, more must be done. Mayor Will Haynie and the council have failed us with a limp rule that cannot be enforced. Please, for the sake of all of us in Mount Pleasant, meet again and make this a rule that covers every public place. MARK PALASEK Stamby Place Mount Pleasant Statue suggestions I offer two suggestions for replacing the Calhoun statue atop the pedestal on Marion Square: 1. To reflect the new reality and honor two true Charleston heroines, the Grimke sisters sheltering a black child. 2. If a military subject is desired, the most underrated American of the 20th century: Gen. George C. Marshall. RICH BENNETT Fernandina Street Mount Pleasant Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@postregister.com for help creating one. Sadly, theyre not here physically to share this victory with us, said Bostock, who has recovered from cancer. I never had the opportunity to meet Don. but luckily I did have the honor and privilege to meet Aimee and her wife in Washington [at the Supreme Court hearing of the case], and I got to hear her story from her. And I got to know her. And she was such an amazing woman. Thatll be a memory that I cherish for the rest of my life. New Berks County coronavirus cases up by 4 as state records 832, most since May 22 I dont try to keep up with the daily cascade of insanity from the Left. Even if you did nothing else, it would be impossible to catalog a fraction of it, let alone try to respond intelligently. I take it, though, that Democratic politicians if pressed might disassociate themselves from the wildest excesses of the Twitter mob, while at the same time never parting company in any important way with the nihilist, anti-American Left. Here is an instance, however, where deniability is impossible, because the lunatic is the Democrats nominee for New Yorks 27th Congressional District, Nate McMurraythe same man they nominated in 2018. He says that Trump supporters should be reported. Far left Democratic candidate for Congress calls for people to report "support" for Trump. The same candidate said if you support Trump you are a traitor, and hence guilty of treason. This is a dangerous chill of 1st Amendment freedoms. #1A Mark my words he is not an outlier. pic.twitter.com/aQJjqhg1O5 Matthew Kolken (@mkolken) July 2, 2020 This is a good example of the incipient fascism that has taken control of the Democratic Party. And it is incipient only because the Democrats do not yet wield unfettered power. If Joe Biden wins in November, and especially if the Democrats take the Senate, it will be unleashed. McMurray wants Trump supporters to be reported. To whom? The authorities, presumably. (Maybe as of 2021 we will be glad that the Democrats have defunded and disbanded the police.) Or perhaps he just means the far-left Twitter mob. But the objective is obvious: Democrats yearn for the day when they wont have to tolerate opposition. This totalitarian instinct is completely absent on the right. We conservatives are so old-fashioned that we try to win by proving we are right. Meanwhile, the Democrats are content for the moment with trying to get Republicans fired and ruining their lives and careers. Such restraint will disappear if Joe Biden wins the election. Prepare to be reported. Todays jobs report was good and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is predicting a V-shaped recovery, with GDP growth topping 12 percent for rest of 2020. However, the economic outlook for the coming years is less than rosy. In January, the CBO predicted that unemployment would average 4.2 percent for the decade. Now it predicts that the average will be 6.1 percent. It also predicts that GDP will be lower than previously expected over the decade. Meanwhile, states face the prospect of severe budgetary problems. Maryland, for example, has just cut $413 million from its budget. It stripped funding from universities, community colleges, and anti-crime initiatives. Say what you want about Marylands universities and community colleges. The cuts are going to reduce the quality of the education they provide (unless youre naive enough to think the diversity deans and staffers are going to bear the brunt of them). According to the Washington Post, the budgetary problems Maryland faces are typical of the nation as a whole. Revenue has fallen off sharply at the same time that states have had to ramp up spending to combat the Wuhan coronavirus. Thus, the Post reports that states and cities across the country have started slicing into budgets, laying off workers and delaying major infrastructure projects in a dash to balance the books. The putting off infrastructure projects is a big deal, in my opinion. Decaying infrastructure constitutes a major problem one that both President Trump and the Democrats say needs to be addressed. But suddenly the money isnt there to address it. The problem states face is exacerbated by the reality that union power makes it difficult to do cuts the right way. In Maryland, for example, the three-person board that approved the cuts described above balked at eliminating a two percent increase in state workers salaries. Although the board reached agreement (by a 2-1 vote) on $413 million worth of cuts, it could not agree on $205 million in additional cuts. More cuts, from somewhere, are inevitable, though. Maryland is expected to lose $1.2 billion over the next year, and thats assuming Congress approves a $500 billion rescue package for state governments. If the recovery is as robust as the CBO is now predicting, states like Maryland will experience smaller than expected revenue shortfalls. But they will still have to tighten their belts for a while, to the likely detriment of infrastructure and education, at a minimum. Princeton has dropped Woodrow Wilsons name from its school of public policy due to the racism of the 28th U.S. president. However, Princeton hasnt come to grips with a more fundamental problem the name of the college itself. A woke graduate informs us that Princeton, both the town and the school, takes its name from King William III, the Prince of Orange. The famous Nassau Hall, which is still in use, also honors the Prince of Orange, a descendant of the house of Nassau. So does Old Nassau, the schools theme song. In addition, orange and black, the colors of Princeton, derive from the Prince of Orange. The problem is that the Prince, King William III, played a massive role in expanding the trans-Atlantic slave trade. According to the woke Princeton grad: When William became King of England in 1689, the renowned slave trader Edward Colston transferred a large part of his shares in the Royal African Company to the King in an effort to retain the monopoly over slave trade in the colonies. According to research and estimates from the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, British merchants transported 76,735 slaves during the first nine years of Williams rule. This is a substantial number, but Williams impact on slave trade may be far greater than just owning shares in a company. In 1695, William dismissed the English Parliament to make way for a new legislature that was in general more amenable to his will. The new Parliament then proceeded to enact An Act to settle Trade to Africa in 1698. This Act formally ended the Royal African Companys monopoly over the slave trade and opened slave trading to British merchants. Englands merchant class had already been pushing for the opening of slave trading for quite a while. In this sense, one may argue that William was merely ceding to popular demand. The liberalization of slave trading accelerated the growth in the number of slaves that were moved across the Atlantic. In 1697, the year before the Act was passed, merchants traveling under the British flag transported an estimated 10,180 slaves across the Atlantic. In the year 1700, this number reached 25,069. The number of slaves traded in British colonies in a year subsequently peaked at 49,897 in 1799. Between 1698 (the year the Act came into force) and 1810 (the year of the last recorded slave trade in the Commonwealth), British ships transported a staggering 2.88 million slaves from Africa to the New World, including the area known today as the United States. By way of comparison, Great Britain traded 379,552 slaves in total during its entire colonial history prior to 1698. It seems that the villainy of the Prince from whom Princeton takes its name far exceeds that of Woodrow Wilson. Thus, if Wilsons name needed to be removed from Princetons public policy school, Princetons name needs to be removed from the University. Now. The school began its existence as the College of New Jersey. Wokeness dictates that it revert to that name assuming there are no racial overtones to Jersey. The Washington Post notes that, although taxes, for decades, have been redistributed from wealthy suburbs to poorer communities [in Minneapolis] to combat inequality. . .the prosperity fueled by the regions Fortune 500 companies and progressive policies has not translated into economic equality. On the contrary, the wealth gap between Minneapoliss largely white population and the citys black residents has deepened, producing some of the nations widest racial disparities in income, employment and home-ownership. The Post offers an explanation structural racism. Economists, lawyers and civil rights advocates in the Twin Cities say progressive tax policies could not make up for other aspects of structural racism, such as access to credit or jobs. Some say investments in affordable housing in low-income neighborhoods deepened segregation and poverty. Others argue for better enforcement of federal laws to combat discrimination in lending, employment and housing. There is an alternative explanation. It might be that, to a disproportionate degree, African-Americans in Minneapolis arent doing the things required to become successful. Things like finishing high school and college, not having children while in the teens, raising children in two-parent homes, avoiding drug use, and abstaining from crime. The Post never considers this possible explanation. Rather, Post reporter Tracy Jan dismisses it, quoting unnamed civil rights and community leaders in the Twin Cities who say that a focus on fixing things perceived to be wrong in the black community, instead of fundamentally reshaping underlying inequities in society is whats preventing racial equity. But what if a core inequity in society is the way children are raised in the black community? Jan herself equates the delivering of racial justice with the elimination of the disparities in income, employment, and home-ownership she describes. In other words, for Jan there is no racial justice as long as a wealth gap exists between Blacks and Whites. It doesnt matter how much of the gap is explained by differences in behavior. This is an absurd account of racial justice. Distributing wealth on the basis of race, without regard to merit, is the opposite of justice any kind of justice. Is Minneapolis African-American population, viewed collectively, behaving differently than its white one in ways that might affect its economic status? A 2010 report showed that Blacks in Minnesota were being arrested in numbers that far exceeded their representation in the states population. The same was true for violent felony convictions. I havent found Minneapolis or Minnesota-specific data on parenting by race. Nationwide, more than one-third of all black children under the age of 18 live with unmarried mothers, compared to 6.5 percent of white children. What about graduating from high school? In 2012, 84 percent of white students in Minnesota accomplished this, compared to only 51 percent of black students. The 51 percent mark was the lowest for Blacks in any state in America. Given disparities like these, its not surprising that Minneapolis progressive policies havent translated into economic equality. For me the interesting question is why, at least according to Jan, Minneapolis has some of the nations widest racial disparities in income housing and home-ownership. Ed Morrissey suggests, quite plausibly, that the answer is one-party governance by Democrats: Other than Louisiana, the worst states and territories for income inequality were all states not just that vote Democrat in presidential elections, but have become Democratic one-party fiefdoms. All of them have applied progressive policies in the same way the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota have, most of them for decades. And the results have been uniformly the same failure and decline, at least in terms of inequality. Its also possible that the larger wealth gap in Minneapolis is a function of the citys general prosperity. In a strong economy, members of all races get a lift. However, its very likely that those who do the things needed to take advantage of the general prosperity will get a bigger lift than those who dont, so that income inequality increases. Thus, if one group of citizens is doing these things to a greater degree than another group, we shouldnt be surprised if the wealth gap between the two groups grows. Jan gives the final word to Steven Belton, president and chief executive of the Urban League Twin Cities. He insists that Minnesota works for white people at the expense of black people. Maybe. But Jans article doesnt disprove this thesis: Minnesota works for people of all races who do the things that have always worked to bring about individual success. Black lives matter. George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are only two of the most recent horrific murders of Black Americans by the hands of police. In the last few weeks, Floridians have joined together to demand that our government do better. The movement continues because the majority of Floridians wont tolerate anything less than liberty and justice for all. And that includes access to our fundamental right to vote in a safe and secure election. Ammo Grrrll makes another EXCELLENT CHOICE! She writes: I have dim but fond memories of eating in a restaurant. And part of that pleasure is being complimented on my unique ability to pick a quality item from a menu. When presented with the evenings specials by oral recitation, for instance, I am able to weigh the options of Roast Loin of Pork (no), Filet Mignon in a Blueberry Reduction (no, just no), and Colorado lamb chops with Garlic and Rosemary. I will have the lamb chops, please. And then I hear those magic words, EXCELLENT CHOICE, Maam! I have often wondered how far afield I would have to go to be denied that compliment. Uh, yes, Id like the chef to make me a special dish of Chicken Feet with a Mango Chutney served on a bed of Liver, Arugula, and Lima Beans. Excellent choice, maam! Thinking about this peculiar restaurant ritual put me in mind of the tens of thousands of personal CHOICES we make in a lifetime, of just how much power is in our own hands. One time perhaps 20 years ago I was entertaining at some educational conclave in Minneapolis. Sessions had been going on all morning and I showed up about noon for my set at the end of the afternoon. There was a hubbub in the lobby as several people were gathered around an older black gentleman who was livid almost to the point of tears. What, I wondered, had made him so upset? Had someone said that black children couldnt learn? That black children could not be responsible for their own decisions, their own lives? No, that was not it. It was quite the opposite, in fact. He was adamant that without white people admitting that racism alone was to blame for everything bad in their young lives, that black youth would have no one to blame when they failed. I am serious. He NEEDED racism to justify every bad outcome. Act up in school and get sent to the principals office? Obvious racism! Smoke crack instead of doing homework? Racism again! He needed white people to understand that his people were totally helpless in the face of systemic racism, that there was not one thing they could do to improve their chances of success. Nothing has changed, except for the worse. That is now the official Democrat credo on race. Here are a few examples of hypothetical human beings making voluntary selections from The Great Menu of Life. Lets see how the left and right would respond. I am a teenager without much spending money. The neighborhood drug kingpin has offered me $500/week plus all the weed I want to be a lookout to warn him about the cops. Just think of all the fun I could have with $500/week! I have decided to work for him. Democrat: Excellent choice! What could possibly go wrong there? In fact, because of all the prison sentences doled out to black drug dealers over the years, all drugs should be immediately legalized and black people alone should able to sell them. Of course, then the kingpin wouldnt need a lookout, but this young man could have a sales territory instead. Trump voter: That is NOT an excellent choice. You will probably either be killed by a rival gang or someone in your own hood angling for your job. Or, since heroin is unlikely to be legalized any time soon, you will eventually become what Obama termed a Justice-Involved Youth. What normal humans refer to as a felon. Stay in school. Learn a useful skill. Stay away from crime! You will eventually earn much more than $500/week. I am a 25-year old man who just got my main girlfriend pregnant. I already have one Baby Mama, who was just a one-night stand, but I actually kind of love this other girl. What should I do stick around for a few months, or maybe get, like, married, or what? Democrats: Getting trapped in a cis-normative relationship in which you assume full responsibility for a wife and new baby is stupid. You can terminate the baby or cut and run and the government will be your girlfriends baby daddy! This will turn her into the most reliable Democrat voter on earth. Why should YOU do what the taxpayers should do in a fair world? You are OWED this. Never doubt that. No hurry, though. You can still decide on the termination option when labor pains are 3 minutes apart. Trump Voter: Marriage is an excellent choice! Yes, having irresponsible sex was a mistake, but now a baby is on the way, and it is not too late to do the right thing. Many a lasting and happy family has been formed when people from fine families have found themselves in a similar situation. Congratulations on taking the first step toward becoming a responsible man. As an added bonus, by getting married you will have taken one of the surest paths to tilting the odds toward a secure financial future. I am a 42-year old white woman named Karen Karenina. I live on alimony in the large suburban house I got in the second divorce. I have multiple degrees, but I dont work. Its a personal statement to protest womyn only making 79% of what men make. During this COVID-19 pandemic, which came from Europe and no way should be blamed on China, I have been spending night and day screaming at people for not wearing masks, except for People of Color who dont have to wear them becausereasons. Yesterday, I was forced to scream at a man of color anyway. He WAS wearing a mask, but he was also wearing a MAGA hat! I have decided that I am well-qualified to advise People of Color on how they should vote because one of my majors was Ethnic Intersectional Studies. Democrats: Excellent choice, maam. Sometimes, no matter how articulate and clean black people seem, or how nicely their trousers are creased, they cannot always be counted on to vote how we tell them to. That is why we harvest their votes lest they inadvertently mess it up. Your spittle-flecked screamfest could be just the ticket to convincing this wayward man to mend his ways. Dont feel guilty about yelling at people of color who fail to live up to your expectations. You can always grovel later, kiss their boots, wash their feet, stuff like that. Trump voters: By all means, keep harassing people of any color or gender who are wearing MAGA hats. There are many inspiring YouTube videos to show how well it always ends. Well, Im off to the grocery store as soon as I finish this death threat to myself so that I also might merit a taxpayer-funded security force. What a neat trick, Minneapolis City Council! Defund the police and then get other people to pay to protect you, you, you. Oh well. Its Minneapolis, Jake. The State Bird is the Loon. That is the emes (truth), my hand to God. Minnesota: Come for the Lutefisk. Stay for the looting! The federal government says it is supporting smallholder farmers through their various associations and cooperatives with 38,142KG of improved cashew seeds for distribution to 3,798 of cashew farmers across the country. The Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development, Muhammad Nanono, stated this on Thursday when he flagged off an exercise in Kogi State. He said the federal governments commitment to support Nigerian Farmers with agricultural inputs to enhance food production, create employment and enable farmers to recover quickly from sudden shocks of the COVID-19 Pandemic as well as sustain food supply in 2021. The Ministry is supporting smallholder farmers through their various associations and cooperatives with the following farm inputs: 38,142KG of improved cashew seeds for distribution to 3,798 of cashew farmers across the country for the 2020 cropping season, he said. Mr Sabo stated that distribution of agricultural free inputs to smallholder farmers which include different categories of seeds of cashew, sesame, soybeans and tomatoes as part of the Ministrys measures to mitigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural production in the country. The minister said the initiative would ensure a more sustainable and resilient food system in Nigeria. The decision of the Ministry to support the smallholder farmers with various inputs especially improved seeds of some priority crops namely; cashew, sesame, soybeans and potatoes through farmer associations, women and youth groups and cooperatives nationwide is to avert food scarcity in the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. He also pointed out that 27,000kg of certified sesame seeds for distribution to 5,400 sesame farmers, fifty thousand (50,000kg) of soybeans seeds for distribution to soybeans farmers and 12,000 bundles of Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) for 1,200 farmers, 15,000 sachets of redforce, 3,000 sachets of glory crop protection, 580 litres of soil amender and 500 litres of organic fertilizer to potato farmers. According to him, the ministry takes the issue of food security and health of the population seriously. These seeds are being given to the beneficiaries free of charge while other inputs are given at 75 per cent subsidy. In our input distribution efforts, at least 35 per cent of the inputs are targeted at women and youth farmers in line with the targets set in our National Gender Action Plan for Agriculture and Policies aimed at ensuring increased opportunities for women. This has been communicated to the Farmer Associations accordingly, he said. Mr Nanono informed that this is the 4th in the series of distributions of the ministrys palliatives to farmers nationwide. During the 1st flag off in Kano, the Ministry in collaboration with our development partners led by International Crops Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), distributed certified seeds of sorghum, millet, cowpea and rice to 8,200 farmers in 13 states of the Federation. He added that during the 2nd flag-off in Kaduna on 8th June 2020, the Ministry supported rice farmers with twenty-seven thousand (27,000kg) and three hundred thousand (300,000kg) each of certified seeds of FARO 66 & three hundred thousand (300,000kg) of Foundation Seeds of flood tolerant rice varieties of FARO 66 & FARO 67 respectively. The minister further said that twenty (20) metric tons of Breeder Seeds of the same varieties were given to 14 selected seed Companies to produce foundation seeds. Twenty-six thousand 26,000kg of certified wheat seeds were distributed to wheat farmers, 1,350 maize production kits to maize farmers, 18,517KG of Aflasafe and 300,000 sprouted nuts of oil palm to farmers in Kogi, Nasarawa and Kaduna States. He stated that the 3rd exercise conducted in Ibadan on 24th June, 2020, the Ministry supported Kenaf farmers through the Kenaf Producers, Processors & Marketers Association (KEPPMAN) with 19,672kg Kenaf Foundation Seeds, Yam Farmers through their national association and other cooperative groups were supported with twelve thousand (12,000kg) of Foundation Seeds for production of Certified Seeds. The Ministry also distributed over 18,000kg of organic insecticides to farmers to combat Fall Army Worms infestation in Maize. Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello In his remarks, the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, represented by the deputy governor, Edward Onoja, thanked the President Muhammadu Buhari for the diversification of the economy of the country with robust Agricultural policies, which would ensure food security and increase revenue of the nation. ADVERTISEMENT In her vote of thanks, the Director, Federal Department of Agriculture, Karima Babangida, appreciated the Kogi State Government and other Relevant Stakeholders for their collaboration with the policy of the Ministry in mitigation of the effects of COVID 19 Pandemic in Nigeria. ADVERTISEMENT The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, has called on the Certified Computer Manufacturers of Nigeria (CCMON) to improve in quality and synergy to ensure devices meet the minimum requirements to enable increased patronage. He said for greater patronage, the manufacturers must ensure sufficient after-sales-support of the devices. The DG made this call during a virtual meeting held between NITDA and CCMON to discuss issues affecting the increasing adoption of indigenously assembled devices in Nigeria and possible ways of moving the countrys ICT hardware subsector of the economy forward. Mr Abdullahi in his welcome remarks commended CCMON for its partnership with NITDA as a critical stakeholder for Nigerian Content Development in ICT. He, however, encouraged them to be competitive in terms of price and to also set their target as the public and not just government. The DG also directed that a joint committee be created between CCMON and NITDA to ensure all concerns are addressed and a strategic direction agreed. The committee will be chaired by the National Coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Content Development in ICT (ONC) and will submit its committee report in a month for consideration and action by the agency Earlier, the President of CCMON, Adenike Abudu, noted that comparative patronage of Nigerian Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) was relatively low and that investments made by indigenous OEMs were still underutilised. She said several government agencies still do not patronise Indigenous OEMs as required by the Guidelines for Nigerian Content and Executive Orders 003 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari. She identified gaps in communication between NITDA and the association, noting that there is a need to improve communication between NITDA and the association. She said the purpose of the meeting was to see how they could partner with NITDA to ensure implementation of policies that will help OEMs to thrive, OEMs being in business in turn retains and creates more jobs. In his response, Kasim Sodangi, the national coordinator, Office for Nigerian Content (ONC), said NITDA has been engaging MDAs through the IT project clearance channel and has mandated a lot of purchases of OEMs. He said NITDA often insisted that preference must be given to indigenous manufacturers in IT procurements, in line with the Executive Order 003. Further discussions were held on the certification requirements of NITDA, quality of devices, stock availability, after-sales-support, the need for a streamlined specification of devices and the need to deepen business development and marketing. Five cases of coronavirus have been reported in Cross River State by the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH). Five samples sent for from the hospital for testing returned positive for COVID-19, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Ikpeme Ikpeme, said on Friday in an internal memo to the staff of the hospital. Mr Ikpeme, a medical doctor, said the tests were conducted in a laboratory approved by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Abakiliki, Ebonyi State. Two of the samples came from the health workers in the UCTH, Mr Ikpeme said, adding that the workers were making tremendous progress along the path of recovery. Mr Ikpeme said the Cross River State government has been informed on the development. The Cross River government, before now, had insisted there was no case of confirmed coronavirus in the state. We wish to reassure our staff and patients that a positive COVID-19 test is neither a death sentence nor a reason for any type of fear or stigmatisation, the UCTH said. As stated above, our medical personnel have recovered. We urge all our staff and patients to abide by all the guidelines on hand and respiratory hygiene as advised by the state and federal government through their various agencies, especially the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. There is absolutely no reason for panic. As an institution of government, the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital will continue to provide information and guidance, and take steps to protect our staff, patients and the community we serve, the hospital said. The Commissioner for Health in Cross River, Betta Edu did not respond to calls seeking comment on the development. Meanwhile, the state commissioner of information, Asu Okang, dismissed the hospitals memo as desperate attempts by mischief makers to ensure that the state records a case of COVID-19. No hospital is empowered to announce cases of pandemic in the country asides the NCDC. So if a hospital uses one test kit and say we have COVID19 does not mean anything, Mr Okang told PREMIUM TIMES Friday afternoon via phone. The point is that the NCDC is the body required to reflect cases of COVID-19 and announce it to members of the public. Not one small lab technician trying to assert their egos and hatch their mischief on the grounds of what they think and their state of mind could through an internal memo. Like you said it is an internal memo so if it becomes an external memo we would respond to the teaching hospital. For now, we want to believe its an internal memo and we will treat it as such, he noted. No response from NCDC This is the second time within a week that the Calabar federal teaching hospital is reporting positive cases of COVID-19. Yet, NCDC officials are yet to officially respond to the claim. READ ALSO: PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported how the UCTH exposed a COVID-19 case in Cross Rivers in an internal memo last Friday saying a patient tested positive to the virus in the facility. ADVERTISEMENT The hospital management said it informed the NCDC of the development which added a new twist to the controversy trailing the COVID-19 free status of Cross Rivers State. Calls and text messages to Chikwe Ihekweazu, NCDC executive director, were not answered on Friday. Nigeria has reported 27, 110 cases of the virus in all states across the country except Cross Rivers. ADVERTISEMENT BUA Group, through its philanthropic arm, BUA Foundation, has donated six ambulances, food supplies and N100 million each to Rivers and Kwara states. In March, BUAs chairperson, AbdulSamad Rabiu, announced N1 billion donation to the private sector basket being coordinated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in response to the pandemic. A month later, the group announced a fresh donation of N3.3 billion to help the most hit states of Lagos and Kano respond to the rising figures in their states. Speaking while presenting the ambulances to Nyesome Wike, the Rivers State governor, in Port Harcourt, and to his Kwara State counterpart, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in Ilorin, representatives of BUA Foundation said the donations are intended to assist both governments in fighting the pandemic. Governor Wike reportedly praised the sustained support from BUA foundation to the Rivers State government. He also revealed that BUA has made a donation of N100 million as well as 4,000 cartons of pasta. READ ALSO: Also, Governor AbdulRahman thanked Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Executive Chairman of BUA Group for the ambulances and the N100 million. He said the donations will further strengthen the states fight against the pandemic. He also added that the donations will be used judiciously. ADVERTISEMENT UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday said he wanted a higher percentage of black people to serve in the countrys police force. Mr Johnson said it would facilitate more success stories of young black people to help rectify racial injustice. According to the prime minister, while serving as mayor of London, he massively increased the black and minority ethnic representation in the Metropolitan Police. He said there is currently an active programme to accelerate promotion for black police officers in the capital. I want to see that happen across the country. I would rather see a story of championing success and talking about the opportunities that we can open for young black people. That is what I want to see; I much rather work on that. Of course, there are injustices that we need to rectify, there is prejudice out there and we need to fight it, the PM said. READ ALSO: The prime ministers remark comes in the wake of massive protests against racial inequality across the UK and the globe, triggered by the death of George Floyd. Mr Floyd was an African American man, in police custody in the U.S. city of Minneapolis on May 25. Over the past month, demonstrators clashed with police and have turned their attention to statues commemorating public figures linked with racism or the slave trade. In response to the dismantlement of statues of historic figures who protesters believe represent the countrys colonial and racist legacy, Johnson said that removing controversial statues was akin to lying about the countrys history. (Sputnik/NAN) Illegal fees and transactions are amongst the most popular forms of corruption in public hospitals in Abuja, a survey has found, describing the trend as the lubricant that helps ease access to care. The recently released researched by Tap Initiative for Citizens Development in collaboration with Dataphyte found that health administrators in hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) collect payments for services that are ordinarily meant to be free as well as tips for special favours from patients who are trying to speed up access to care. The research listed the illegal transactions to include payments for bed space, consultancy fee, laboratory fees and tips for the movement of files. Payments for such services are considered illegal because they are meant to be free and or are made mostly without issuance of receipts, the survey found. It also identified what was driving the corrupt practices in health facilities and offered ideas on how to address them. But health authorities in the FCT kicked against the findings of the survey, describing it as a false representation of the actual state of things at public hospitals in Abuja. The Survey The study was conducted among 300 randomly selected adult residents in the six local councils of the FCT. An average of 50 respondents were selected in each of the area councils. The respondents are outpatients who had accessed care within two months prior to the survey. They are old residents with outpatient cards for more than three years receiving care in public hospitals in Abuja. Their responses were reviewed by health workers and tested on a small sample for reliability, according to the survey. The research was focused on investigating how the four components of access to healthcare: coverage, services, timeliness, and the workforce are affected by corruption. Survey questions focused on uncovering what extent patients tip healthcare workers to access health care services and whether patients are deprived of health services due to corrupt officials in the healthcare facilities among others. According to the result of the survey released on May 10, none of the respondents indicated they have been deprived of healthcare for not paying financial tips. But they said since most of the other patients that paid the tips are usually attended to first, the time it takes them (respondents) to access the facilities has increased. The study found that in 449 transactions involving the services of paying for bed space, consultancy fee, HIV fee, tuberculosis fee, Hepatitis fee, and movement of files, receipts were barely issued. Almost half of the respondents, 134, attested to paying for consultation fees between N200 to N21,000. About 76 per cent of the times these payments were made, there were no records kept or a receipt to serve as payment evidence. On 120 occasions, such payment was made to the cashier in cash while it was paid to a doctor and a nurse on eight and two occasions. ADVERTISEMENT Nine respondents attested they paid N500 in cash for HIV fees. Six of them confirmed they were not issued a receipt for this payment. Nine persons also paid between N200 to N2000 for the treatment of tuberculosis with a receipt issued to only seven of them. Similarly, 35 respondents paid for hepatitis treatment with only 14 of them issued a receipt; 21 of them were not issued any receipt. The study also revealed that often, patients are denied access to health care facilities due to the unavailability of adequate healthcare facilities especially doctors, bed space, and drugs. In summary, the majority of the respondents were unable to access healthcare timely because most of the healthcare centres they visited lacked the facilities to treat the health condition of the patient. Respondents, however, did not mention the name of the facility or the health official they engaged with in the survey. Kickbacks? It is not true. The findings of the survey are inaccurate, said Francis Alu, the Director of Clinical and Diagnostic Services of the FCTA. Mr Alu said the researchers did not gather enough data and interviews to arrive at the findings. You cannot interview only a few people and come out with such finding. What they found is not true, he explained. However, Roland Aigbovo, the president of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Abuja chapter alluded to the possibility of recurring corrupt practices in public health facilities in the FCT. He, however, said the bulk of the blame should not be pushed on health officials, maintaining that patients in most cases initiate the illegal transactions. Mr Aigbovo also agreed with the researchers on the existence of corruption in the health sector when presented with findings of this survey. He downplayed the prevalence of such practices, dismissing them as a mutual transaction between health officers and patients. In all public hospitals in the FCT, there are bold inscriptions on the walls that any payment should be made at designated areas and patients should request for receipts, he said. Yes, there are one or two sharp practices but most times those sharp practices are negotiations between any of the doctor or healthcare worker and the patients paying the fee. On bed space fee, Mr Aigbovo said the scarcity of bed spaces in many hospitals in the FCT has made it difficult for patients, even those that need emergency treatment get a space. He disagreed that patients are made to pay for beds, unless they are paying for V.I.P slots. The ARD chief noted that HIV and tuberculosis treatments are free and should not be paid for. Anybody paying for such treatments should come forward with details of where it happened so we can take action. On the movement of files, the medical doctor said the illegal transaction is between record keepers and the patients. Not true But Martins Obono, the Executive Director, Tap Initiative disagreed with the officials, especially the union leader, insisting that the onus lies on the health official to ensure no illegal transactions occur by refusing such offer from a patient. The fact that a patient initiated an illegal transaction does not exonerate health officials from blame, he argued. A person who has a health challenge is already desperate and can do anything, he said. It is the duty of a health official to avoid, reject, and refuse any illegal payment and advice patients to do the right thing, he explained. But instead, health officials are taking advantage of the vulnerabilities of patients. In some of these public hospitals, administrators intentionally create a lot of bottlenecks that will make these illicit payments inevitable. They also collude within themselves to upturn things. Recommendations The study recommended that the federal ministry of health, the national primary health care development agency (NHPCDA) and chief medical directors of various health facilities should base on the findings of the survey, issue appropriate sanctions and disciplinary actions to healthcare workers that enforce patients to make irregular payments before they access health care facilities. READ ALSO: This study also recommends that the federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with the media should encourage extensive sensitization of citizens of their right to report any fraudulent or unruly behavior of health workers in their course of accessing health care facilities, the report noted. Mr Aigbovo said the major solution for corruption in hospitals is for patients to stop initiating illegal financial transactions with health officials. Patients should demand receipts too in order to help us. They should do the right thing. For Abiodun Essiet, a public health expert, the findings of the survey calls for further probe into such activities in the public health space. Even when you bring emergency cases such as rape, some hospitals will not treat the patient until payments are made for card and other things, she explained. Knotty problem Besides illegal financial tips, several sharp practices occur in Nigerias health facilities. A PREMIUM TIMES investigation last June found how a network of corrupt officials of different cadres perfected means of issuing all sorts of reports to willing patients at negotiated prices in Lagos. The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), considered the largest medical association in the West African sub-region with over 40,000 members, has laid down ethical guidelines on how to check medical malpractices. Jumia, one of Africas leading e-Commerce platforms, announced the celebration of its 8th anniversary with different promotions on its mobile application platform and website. Following that announcement, two variations of a viral WhatsApp message claim that Jumia, is offering gifts in a daily spin-and-win promotion. The messages urge recipients to visit a website or its alternative to participate in the promotion, which is part of Jumias 8th-anniversary celebration. JUMIA 8TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBTRATION: You Could Win Exciting Prizes in The Jumia 8th Anniversary Spin And Win giveaway. More and more people are winning daily, it could be your turn today. Hurry Now And Spin For Free. offer valid while stock last. TERMS and CONDITIONS APPLIED. https://jumiawheel.store/?m=1, one of the viral posts read. When users click on the link, it leads them to a website with Jumias logo on the top left corner of the screen; meanwhile, the favicon of the website is the logo of Google Blogger platform. It has a colourful image of a wheel of fortune with various items dotted around the board. It also has many Facebook comments of supposed testimonies of winners of the prizes. We sent an email to the PR and Communications Manager for Jumia Ghana, Bennet Otoo, to inquire about the information to which he responded saying its a scam. Please ignore it. Not from Jumia. Dubawa also spoke to the Customer Care Representative at Jumia who confirmed that Jumia is celebrating its 8th anniversary. However, the representative clarified that Jumia is not offering any such promo of a Spin-and-Win giveaway. The representative stated that Jumia is rather offering discounts on certain products on its website. This is a scam and should you click on the link, you could give such people access to hack into your phone, the representative cautioned. We realized that both websites attempted to clone the original website by adopting their traditional orange and grey theme colour. Both websites also embedded the same Facebook comments of people who claim they won prizes by participating in the promotion. Our checks on Who is to know further details about the website domains showed that both websites were registered recently one was registered on June 23, 2020, while the other was registered on June 29, 2020. We further found that Jumia has also issued an official disclaimer about the scam on its Facebook page. Another post, this time from a Facebook account also claims to be giving away free Vivo phones to users when they participate in a giveaway competition by typing the letters VIVO in the comment section and pressing send. The people with the fastest fingers would win brand new Vivo phones! The motive, according to the post, is to, bless thousands of people, thereby cautioning people who have already won prizes before from participating. WARNING: This prize is for people who have never won our prize before, please, if you have won an VIVO PHONE before, please stay away from this, let others also win. ADVERTISEMENT This post has been widely patronized by Facebook users resulting in 3,239 shares and 1.2K comments. Dubawa spoke to Mr Jean Fidel Nyetam, the Local Representative for Vivo in Africa, and he stated that the company is not doing a giveaway on Facebook presently, Its false. These are maybe scammers or something related to that. Mr Nyetam said. Mr Nyetam went on to state that people need to be cautious of fake posts and ploys online. The Vivo newsroom website also makes no mention of a giveaway being done by the company. As a global tech company, it would be expected that that would be the first point of call to publish notice of a giveaway, if indeed such an event was in progress. This in itself is another red flag. Furthermore, the Facebook account that posted Viv0 givve away nyam is riddled with typographical errors. The posts are not professionally written, with little or no detail given to customers about the companys image. This would be self-sabotage if indeed Vivo posted the message. We see this as another red flag. Most Vivo accounts on Facebook are verified like VivoIndia, Vivo.philippines and the main Vivoglobal Facebook page. The account in question, Viv0 givve away nyam, is not verified. It is neither followed by nor does it follow the Vivo global page. Finally, none of the companys other verified social media accounts like Vivo_global on Instagram, or Vivo_India on Twitter has published news of any giveaway being done by the company. Conclusion Neither Jumia nor Vivo is running a promotion. Citizens are advised to disregard such misinformation and are advised not to click on any associated link which may expose their phone or computer to scammers. The conspiracies surrounding COVID-19 do not seem to be tailing off, as a 14-minute audio purported to be from the President of Ghana, Akufo-Addo, warns Ghanaians to pay attention to an alleged extract from an article titled Rockefeller Lockstep 2010 on the Rockefeller website. In the audio, the speakers main claim is on the Rockefeller Foundations detailing of a simulated global outbreak, the required steps involved, the various phases required, the overall timeline and the expected outcomes. Some of the plans and phases the speaker purports to be from the article include: 1.The creation of morbid viruses such as SARS, MERS and HIV in a laboratory to be stolen and smuggled to Wuhan, China as a pandemic. 2. The Foundations plans to fund organisations such as WHO, CDC and the UN 3. The creation and funding of a vaccination development plan, vaccination verification certification protocols, digital IDs to enforce the vaccination program after the mandatory rollout is enacted 4. The control of a depopulation agenda 5. The establishment of public quarantine to destroy regions economy 6. The creation of civil unrest, breakdown of supply chain to cause the start of mass food shortages, as well as weaken immune systems due to lack of interaction. The speaker further requested for the audio to be passed around to create awareness so that the document can be pulled down from the Rockefeller website. The audio circulating is accompanied by a message which reads: THIS VERY IMPORTANT SECRET AUDIOTAPE BY THE PRESIDENT OF GHANA MUST BE CIRCULATED TO THE ENTIRE HUMANITY FOR EXTREME AWARENESS OF THE CORONAVIRUS PLOT Verification The speaker in the audio It is evident that the voice of the speaker in the audio is not that of President Akufo-Addo. Yet, Dubawa further contacted the spokesperson for the President of Ghana, Eugene Arhin, who could not be reached yet. Additionally, Dubawa has contacted the Ministry of Information and awaiting a response. President Akufo-Addo has made no official announcements in any publication or on any platform concerning such a matter. Rather, he continues to publicly update Ghanaians on measures and efforts by the government to contain the spread of the virus. The content of Lockstep 2010 Dubawa found a 54-page pdf document titled Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development a report produced by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Business Network, published in May 2010. ADVERTISEMENT The document focuses on how technology can help in globalisation by using scenario planning to develop strategies to respond to each scenario over a period of years. On page 18 of the document, which contains that chapter on the Lockstep as a Scenario Narrative, the document indicates the LockStep to be a world of tighter top-down government control and authoritarian leadership with limited innovation and growing citizen pushback. It predicts and narrates a global pandemic expected in 2012, which would affect world economies and international mobility of persons. It is also expected to affect industries such as tourism and break global supply chains. Locally, the global pandemic is also expected to affect shops and buildings by keeping them empty of supplies for months. The chapter also predicts how the most pandemic-prepared and developed countries would be overwhelmed, as countries such as America would be unable to contain the spread whereas China would have a quick and effective enforcement of mandatory quarantine for its citizens. The global pandemic is also predicted to result in mandatory wearing of face masks, body temperature checks at communal spaces, and states that Ghanas government would have ambitious programmes to improve basic infrastructure and ensure the availability of clean water for all her people which would lead to a sharp decline in water-borne diseases. It stipulates that people would grow weary of so much top-down control and letting leaders and authorities make choices for them to the extent that there would be protests. It further predicts that developed countries would have innovations and technology whereas developing countries access to technology would remain limited. It finalises the import of this narrative and provides timelines for the occurrences from 2010 to 2030. Photo source: Rockefeller Foundation document Photo source: Rockefeller Foundation document Although the Rockefeller 2010 Lockstep chapter Dubawa accessed contains simulations on a hypothesised global pandemic with indicated timelines with the purpose of using technology to enforce governmental control on citizens, the chapter does not reveal the exact claims made by the speaker in the audio, unless such claims are otherwise contained in another similar document. It is, however, certain that the speaker is not the president of Ghana. Conclusion The claim that the president of Ghana has cautioned Ghanaians of a Coronavirus plan by the Rockefeller Foundation is false. President Akufo-Addo has made no official pronouncement or publication of such announcements to Ghanaians. Also, even though the Rockefeller Foundation document containing the 2010 Lockstep chapter simulates a global pandemic and predicts its global effects, the content is not the same as the claims the speaker makes in the viral audio. It is expected that most people are wary of their privacy. That is why a viral WhatsApp message suggests a tone of caution, alerting Android and iOS mobile phone users of an inserted Covid-19 tracker in their phones found in the settings section. The message reads: Attention COVID-19 sensor has been inserted into every phone. Apparently when everyone was having phone disruptions earlier this week, they were adding COVID-19 Trackers to our phones! If you have an Android phone, go under Settings, then Google setting and its there. If you have an iPhone, go to settings, privacy, then health, Its there but not yet functional. Please check and confirm. The message has also been shared on other platforms. Verification Dubawa followed the directives in the message and found a COVID-19 Exposure Notifications feature found in the Settings and Google Settings section for Android users, and in the Settings, Privacy and Health section for iPhone users. RelatedNews No Content Available As the viral message indicated that the feature is not yet functional, the feature shows that it is turned off till the users Bluetooth is enabled. Additionally, there needs to be an installation or finishing of a participating app before the Covid-19 exposure notifications feature is turned on. Further, as the message stated of a sensor and tracker, the feature indicates that the app installed can notify you if youve been near someone who reported having COVID-19 An example from an Android phone shows in the photos below: Source of photos: Forbes What is the Covid-19 Exposure Notifications? In April 2020, two technology companies Apple and Google announced a partnership of introducing a Bluetooth enabled technology that would assist governments and health authorities with contact tracing as a measure to reduce the spread of Covid-19. Google explains that, Exposure Notifications on your smartphone enables contact tracing apps to send you a notification if youve likely been exposed to Covid-19. Contact tracing apps will be developed by your local public health authority, not by Google or Apple Apple further explains that this is to enable a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracing platform by building this functionality into the underlying platforms. ADVERTISEMENT They added that This is a more robust solution than an API and would allow more individuals to participate, if they choose to opt in, as well as enable interaction with a broader ecosystem of apps and government health authorities Both technology companies by detailing how the feature operates here and here, have also stated that this feature is built to protect users privacy and security. These include settings such as users control over whether or not they receive exposure notifications, the features inability to track users location and the identity of users remaining unseen by Google, Apple and other users. Photo source: Forbes As explained by the tech companies, Covid-19 Exposure Notifications is not an application; however, it simply notifies phone users once the feature is turned on, and it is also only effective when a corresponding Covid-19 tracking application from the users government public health authority is installed. Thus, for the Ghanaian context, for instance, the Covid-19 Exposure Notifications feature is built to be enabled by the Ghana Covid-19 Tracker app, once the app is downloaded. Dubawa spoke to the Regional Director of National Information Technology Agency (NITA), Richard Okyere-Fosu, who further clarified that this in-built Covid-19 Exposure Notifications feature on phones is totally different from the Ghana Covid-19 Tracker app launched by the Ministry of Communication in April 2020. This is different for the Covid-19 Tracker app. With our Covid-19 Tracker, you have to download it first, Mr Okyere-Fosu stated. Conclusion The viral message alerting Android and iPhone users of an inserted Covid-19 tracker is partly true. While it is true that a Covid-19 Exposure Notifications feature has been jointly designed by Apple and Google for its mobile phone users, the feature is by itself not a tracker. It is only functional by downloading a corresponding Covid-19 tracking application, as well as enabling Bluetooth on the smartphone. The feature is built to assist government and health authorities with contact tracing by notifying mobile phone users of anyone who was reported to have Covid-19. I am ticked off that Orange County is thinking of spending $700 million that they dont have to expand an under used convention center that loses money in the best of times. The best forecasts are that tourists will not come back to their former numbers before three years. Our county leaders should vote no on committing this pork barrel expansion! As African countries begin to reopen land borders and air space, the World Health Organisation has called on governments to take effective measures to mitigate the risk of a surge in COVID-19 infections on the continent. WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, made the call on Thursday during a virtual press conference in Brazzaville, while giving an update on the status of the crisis in Africa. Ms Moeti said the call became necessary due to decisions of some of the African countries to reopen their borders months after lockdown aimed at curbing the pandemic. She said while open borders are vital for the free flow of goods and people, initial analysis by WHO found that lockdown along with public health measures reduced the spread of COVID-19. Ms Moeti said air travel is vital to the economic health of countries, but as we take to the skies again, we cannot let our guard down. Our new normal still requires stringent measures to stem the spread of COVID-19. Lockdowns During the early days of the pandemic, many African governments acted swiftly by implementing confinement and travel restrictions to contain the importation of the virus from hotspots zone like Aisa, Europe and the USA. Africa recorded its first case of COVID-19 in Egypt on February 14 through a traveller returning from an hotspot in Asia. Afterwards, many countries on the continent reported confirmed cases through travellers from Asia, Europe and the United States. In the WHO African Region, 36 countries closed their borders to international travel. Eight countries, including Nigeria, suspended flights from countries with high COVID-19 transmission and others had partial or no restrictions. This had affected the free flow of passengers and some goods, thereby having a negative impact on the economies of many countries, including Nigeria. However, some countries are beginning to ease the lockdown and open their borders and resumption of commercial flights and airport operations. So far Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Tanzania and Zambia have resumed commercial flights. Nigeria has announced the reopening of its airports for domestic flights from July 8. Most of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States are expected to open their airspace for international travels on July 21. COVID-19 As it stands now, African countries have been reporting relatively low numbers of cases. Countries like Nigeria, South Africa, are witnessing increasing community transmission of COVID-19. As of the time of reporting, Africa has reported over 418,000 confirmed cases with over 10,000 deaths. To resume international air travel, WHO recommends that countries assess the epidemiological situation to determine whether maintaining restrictions outweigh the economic costs of reopening borders. ADVERTISEMENT It is also crucial to determine whether the health system can cope with a spike in imported cases and whether the surveillance and contact tracing system can reliably detect and monitor cases, it stated. The UN health agency said even with border restrictions, imported cases have sometimes brought back COVID-19 to countries which had not reported cases for a length of time. An example is Seychelles which had not had a locally transmitted case since April 6, but in the last week, 66 new cases all crew members of an international fishing vessel have been recorded. Ms Moeti said it is important that countries have systems in place at points of entry including airports. Comprehensive entry and exit screening should be considered based on risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis, and as part of the overall national response strategy. Such screening may target, as a priority, direct flights from areas with community transmission. In addition, observance of preventive measures such as personal hygiene, cough etiquette, physical distancing remains crucial. Passengers should be registered and followed up, and if they develop symptoms be advised to inform health authorities, she added. The resumption of commercial flights in Africa will facilitate the delivery of crucial supplies such as testing kits, personal protective equipment and other essential health commodities to areas which need them most, Ms Moeti said. It will also ensure that experts, who can support the response can finally get on the ground and work. Economic impact According to the International Air Transport Association, the impact of COVID-19 on airlines is severe. The association said African airlines could lose $6 billion of passenger revenue compared to 2019 and job losses in aviation and related industries could grow to 3.1 million, half of the regions 6.2 million aviation-related employment, Another analysis by the International Civil Aviation Organisation also noted that in the worst-case scenario, international air traffic in Africa could see a 69 per cent drop in international traffic capacity and 59 per cent decline in domestic capacity. The major parties mentioned in the controversial Malabu scandal were involved in sundry corrupt activities, Sergio Spadaro, the Public Prosecutor of Milan, told a Milan court on Thursday. The prosecutor also said that major Nigerian officials named in the controversial deal all had long-standing relationships. According to activists working with anti-corruption group, Re:Common, who were at the hearing Thursday, Mr Spadaro made this known while going through evidence against the defendants in the controversial deal in Milan. OPL 245 is an old story, but we focused on a period from autumn 2009 when Shell and Malabu were still discussing a possible settlement, began Mr Spadaro. Then late 2009, ENI steps in with Emeka Obi joining the negotiation. Two offers filed. Goodluck Jonathan becomes (sic) president in May 2010. Explaining further, the prosecutor alleged that Mr Jonathan, a former Nigerian president; Dan Etete, who allocated OPL 245 to Malabu Oil and Gas even when he had stake as Nigerias minister of petroleum; Diezani Alison-Madueke, minister of petroleum when the oil block was sold to Shell and Eni by Malabu in 2011; Mohammed Adoke, Nigerias attorney-general at the time; and other parties all had long-standing relationships. For instance, he explained that Mr Adoke was once a lawyer to Mr Etete before he was appointed by Mr Jonathan in 2010. It was also reiterated that Ednan Agaev, another witness and former Russian diplomat, had claimed that Mr Etete told him that Mr Jonathan was a teacher to his (Etetes) sons. Similarly, Aliyu Abubakar, the middleman at the centre of the agreements, was said to have a long-time relationship that was not occasional with Mr Jonathan. Mr Spadaro thereafter went further to explain the details of how the oil block was allocated under shady deals, adding that most of the oil licences awarded in 1998 were illegitimate as most beneficiaries never paid the required signature bonuses. Speaking further, Mr Spadaro spoke about how Mr Adoke allegedly bought a house worth N500 million for N300 million, suggesting that the differential was settled under questionable circumstances. He also said Enis due diligence report from a private intelligence company The Risk Advisory Group (TRAG) revealed Mr Etetes involvement in Malabu, adding that Shell staff noted in an internal email that Mr Etete had to be satisfied and the new oil minister, the late Rilwan Lukman, was on the take. Making copious reference to internal emails within the oil giant, Mr Spadaro insisted that Shell knew Mr Etete would benefit from the proceeds of oil block sale despite the denial. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo. He also alleged that former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, allowed the 2006 settlement agreement to return the revoked oil block to Malabu because he needed Mr Etete to support the 2007 election, in which he had an anointed successor, Umaru YarAdua. But the late Mr Yaradua was said not to be so supportive of Etete. On his part, Aliyu Gusau, former national security adviser, was alleged to have schemed to gain from the transaction with his involvement. On Thursday, the court adjourned the trial to July 21. Scandal The controversial Malabu deal was struck in 2011 under former President Goodluck Jonathan. The arrangement saw the Nigerian government stand as a negotiator in the controversial sale of the oil block, OPL 245, in offshore Nigerian waters. Goodluck Jonathan Two international oil firms, Shell and Eni, paid out about $1.1 billion to Nigerian government accounts in the UK which then transferred most of the money to Malabu, a company then controlled by Nigerias former petroleum minister, Dan Etete. ADVERTISEMENT It was Mr Etetes Malabu that transferred the over $500 million to accounts controlled by Abubakar Aiyu, who is also being prosecuted in Nigeria for his role in the scandal. The payout immediately became a subject of cross-border investigation spanning over six countries. Several Nigerian government officials were believed to have received several millions of dollars in bribes for the enabling roles they played. A larger trial including Shell, Eni and 13 other defendants is ongoing in Italy. Shell and Eni photo used to illustrate the story. [Photo credit: THISDAYLIVE] The London claim centres on the licensing rights for OPL 245 block, for which the oil majors purchased extraction rights in 2011. It is alleged that most of the $1.1 billion was used for bribes and kickbacks to government officials. Messrs Jonathan, Adoke, and other Nigerian officials named in the alleged scheme have all denied wrongdoing. Last month, PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported how Nigeria tracked down and grounded the luxury private jet purchased by Mr Etete with some of the alleged proceeds of the Malabu deal. The suspension of the head of a government agency by a minister has once again brought to fore the inconsistencies in the Buhari administrations policies and implementation. On Thursday, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, approved the immediate and indefinite suspension of the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Adebayo Somefun, from office, effective July 2. This comes over a month after the Secretary to the Government of the Federations (SGF) restrained cabinet ministers from removing heads of agencies and parastatals they supervise. The SGF in the circular outlined what he said was the process approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for removing or punishing agency heads accused of wrongdoing. While his Thursday action is contrary to that directive, Mr Ngige said President Muhammadu Buhari approved his announcement. SGFs Directive PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported how the Buhari administration restrained cabinet ministers from directly removing heads of agencies and parastatals they supervise. In his circular dated May 19, the SGF, Boss Mustapha, conveyed the concern of the government about the tendency by some ministers to arbitrarily remove chief executive officers of agencies and its impact on stability and service delivery. The SGF said the circular was dispatched to all ministers and several other senior officials, including the head of service, the presidents chief of staff, military chiefs, the central bank governor, and permanent secretaries, among others. According to the new procedure, when serious misconduct is reported against a chief executive, the supervising minister through the permanent secretary is to refer the matter to the governing board of the affected agency in line with its enabling law and chapters three and 16 of the Public Service Rules on discipline and government parastatals. The board will then issue the affected official a query and subsequently advise the minister of its findings and recommendations. But whether the board is itself the source of the allegation of misconduct against the chief executive or the chief executive is the chairman of the board, the minister, on the advice of the permanent secretary, still has to ensure a query is issued, requesting an explanation from the accused official. READ ALSO: The Minister after due consideration of the submission from the Board shall, on the advice of the Permanent Secretary, forward the ministrys position along with the recommendations of the Board and explanation of the Chief Executive Officer to the Secretary to Government of the Federation for processing to Mr President, for a decision, the circular states. Upon receipt of the submission from the minister by the SGF, the procedure then establishes another layer of probe, requiring the SGF to without delay, cause an independent investigation and advise Mr President on the appropriate course of action, including interdiction or suspension in accordance with the principles guiding Sections 030405 and 030406 of the Public Service Rules, pending the outcome of the independent investigation. Based on the outcome of the independent investigation, it shall be the responsibility of the SGF to further advise Mr President on the next course of action, the circular states. Mr Mustapha said this procedure shall serve as a mandatory guide and all ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and any other Public Officer in a similar supervisory role are enjoined to strictly abide by its content. Past removals Before the SGFs directive, many ministers had exercised their powers to discipline heads of agencies, commissions or departments they supervise, including suspending and dismissing them from office. For example, in January, the power minister, Sale Mamman, removed Damilola Ogunbiyi and Marilyn Amobi, respectively the chief executives of the Rural Electrification Agency and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company. President Buhari later reversed the ministers action. The power minister on May 19, the same day the SGF sent his circular, sacked the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Usman Mohammed, and replaced him with Sule Abdulaziz, in an acting capacity. ADVERTISEMENT Mr Mamman also said his action was approved by Mr Buhari. The sack of Mr Mohammed, however, resulted in a fight between the SGF of the federation, Boss Mustapha and the power minister. Deficiencies In SGFs Directive Although the May 19 SGFs circular protects heads of agencies from their supervising ministers arbitrariness, it may have created a hurdle of red-tapism that may delay or even prevent sanction for abuses. Also, ministerial threats of sanctions in the event of no performance, like the one issued by communications and digital economy minister, Isa Pantami, to agencies under his ministry inAugust 2019, may no longer yield any effect if the ministers obey the SGF directives. However, it appears some ministers are not ready to comply with the SGFs directive, something reflected in Mr Ngiges action. Ngiges Directive In a statement by his aide, on Thursday, Mr Ngige said President Buhari has approved the immediate and indefinite suspension of Mr Somefun. Mr Ngige, in a statement by Charles Akpan, named other officers suspended to include Jasper Ikedi-Azuatalam, Executive Director (ED), Finance and Investment, and Olukemi Nelson, ED, Operations. Chris Ngige. [PHOTO CREDIT: Sahara Reporters] Also suspended are Tijani Darazo Sulaiman, ED, Administration; Olusegun Olumide-Bashorun, General Manager, Administration/Human Resources/Maintenance; and Lawan Tahir, General Manager, Finance. Others asked to go are Chris Esedebe, General Manager, Claims and Compensation; Olodotun Adegbite, Deputy General Manager, Investment and Treasury Management; and Emmanuel Enyinnaya-Sike, Deputy General Manager, Finance and Accounts. The statement also named Olutoyin Arokoyo, Deputy General Manager/Acting Head, Legal; Dorathy Zajeme-Tukura, Deputy General Manager, Administration, and Victoria Ayantuga, Assistant General Manager, Internal Audit. The minister said their suspension from office arose from the preliminarily established prima facie infractions on the extant Financial Regulations and Procurement Act, and other acts of gross misconduct. During the period of their suspension, the officers will face a Joint Board and Audit Investigative Panel that had been set up to look into the financial and procurement breaches, as well as gross misconduct in the NSITF from 2016 to date. The gross misconduct has invariably put the contributions of stakeholders in a perilous state. The affected officers have also been directed to hand over to the most senior officers in their respective departments, the statement said. Mr Ngige directed Kelly Nwagha, General Manager. Health, Safety and Environment Department, to assume the position of Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, being the most senior General Manager in the organisation. NSTIF reacts In a statement sent PREMIUM TIMES Thursday night, Mr Somefun said Mr Buhari has not suspended the management of NSITF and did not make such an announcement. The person mentioned in the media report is not a staff of the Presidency. For clarity, we need to mention that we received a letter from the Hon Minister of Labour and Employment Sen Chris Ngige stating that he is doing a procurement audit on NSITF and that Management is suspended, he said. Mr Somefun also reiterated that the ministers action is against President Buharis directive through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation that stated clearly that no minister has the powers to suspend or sack any head of agency appointed by the president without following due process. We are sure that President Buhari will not be part of any illegality and lack of due process. We have been in receipt of several letters by the minister and several petitions written against NSITF by the Minister of Labour Sen Chris Ngige and we will make all communications available to the public and relevant authorities. The Management of NSITF is still discharging their duty as appointed by Mr President, he said. Pending Issues The NSTIF has been under scrutiny since last year when the House of Representatives directed its Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity to investigate its activities in relation to the expenditure of 2.3 billion by its management. SGF and Labour reacts Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES Friday morning, the spokesperson of the SGF, Willie Bassey, said he saw the reports and the reports showed it was approved by the presidency. He promised to call back on the stance of the SGF. He was yet to do so at the time of this report. Also, the spokesperson of the labour ministry, Charles Akpan, did not return calls nor reply to text messages sent to him. ADVERTISEMENT The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has appointed Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to head its campaign council in the governorship election in Edo State. In an announcement made by its National Publicity Secretary on Friday, the party named 77 people to serve as members of the committee. Mr Wike had in June criticised some unnamed members of the NWC for benefitting financially from a potential crisis in the Edo chapter of the party. He had also threatened not to support the aspiration of incumbent governor Godwin Obaseki who recently joined the PDP. But it now appears Mr Wike has resolved his problems with the PDP leadership. Mr Obaseki eventually emerged as the candidate of the PDP. He won the primary unopposed after his opponents stepped down. His main challenger for the September governorship election is Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). PDPs announcement of its campaign council comes a week after the APC named Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, to chair its 49-member campaign council. The PDP also appointed the Adamawa State Governor, Umar Fintiri, as the deputy campaign chairman. Other members of the committee include all governors who are members of the party, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Senate President David Mark. Others are ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki, ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, Senate Minority Leader Enyinnaya Abaribe, ex-Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, ex-Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and ex-Anambra governor Peter Obi amongst others. The inauguration of the council is scheduled to hold on Tuesday next week at the partys secretariat in Abuja. The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has threatened an industrial action over the poor state of roads in the country. The union also gave the Nigerian government a two-week ultimatum to fix the roads across the country. Speaking at the end of the unions virtual National Executive Council meeting on Thursday, NUPENGs National President, Williams Akporeha, said owners of petroleum products go through difficulties moving their products across Nigeria due to the poor state of roads. He said: We wish to urgently draw the attention of the federal government to the harrowing experiences of the owners of petroleum trucks in the country. The only means of moving petroleum products across the country is by roads, using the trucks. We can confidently tell you that this means of distribution is presently endangered and require urgent federal government stimulus intervention fund to prevent it from total collapse. The union also urged the Nigerian government to immediately address the issue of multiple roadblocks and extortions from all security agents. The labour ministry, already battling with similar threats, is yet to respond to the latest impending strike. Roadblocks of extortion, death traps Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, there have been measures by the Nigerian government to curb the spread of the disease across the country. Parts of the measures put in place include declaration of curfew and total lockdown in most parts of the nation. Similarly, a ban was placed on inter-state travels in March to prevent people from spreading the virus after moving from different locations to another. Security officials have also been drafted to border posts in different states to regulate non-essential movement. Since the Nigerian government placed a ban on interstate travel, there have been reports of extortion at the roadblocks mounted by security officials across the country. The ban has since been lifted, effective Wednesday, July 1. Demands On Thursday, NUPENG urged the government to look into cases of extortion across the country. Failure to do this might force the union to embark on a serious industrial action to drive home our case, Mr Akporeha added. The NUPENG official explained that most of the nations highways are becoming death traps for the union. He listed the roads to include Calabar-Itu-Uyo, Port-Harcourt-Aba, Mokwa-Jebba-Kaduna, Port-Harcourt-Owerri, Warri-Benin-Auchi-Okene-Lokoja, among others. We are shocked at the lackadaisical attitude of local, states and federal governments to the issues of addressing the degenerating state of Nigeria roads before the coming of the current raining season despite all our warnings for them to make necessary construction, repairs and maintenance of all our roads, which are now in a parlous state and becoming practically impassable, he said. ADVERTISEMENT The issue of bad roads is further compounded by the various security agencies who now set up multiple checkpoints on these deplorable roads to further exploit and extort money from motorists. Petroleum tanker drivers are the worst hit by the exploitative tendencies of these unscrupulous security agencies. The brazen extortion of our members, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic was really disconcerting and unfortunate. ADVERTISEMENT With less than five days to commencement of domestic flights in Nigeria, preparations are in place to ensure that safety measures are adhered to during operations. The Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, made this known in an interactive session with the Senate committee on aviation on Thursday. Top among such measures, he said, is the restriction of aides of Very Important Personalities(VIPs) or politicians into the airport. Those who have no business traveling would not also be allowed to enter the airports as domestic flights operations resumes, he noted. They will not enter the airport, not at all, so any body coming into the airport, this time around as a personality, a minister or even our honourable members,distinguished senators will not be carrying their aids into the airports any longer. We will provide for all their security for the VIPs and the VIP gets in and travel. So the VIPs should help us and take responsibility, and ensure that they dont add to our problems in this country. He said no need for panic as the airports authorities are committed to ensuring the provision of necessary safety protocols of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Increase in fare The minister was however, skeptical about responding to questions regarding the planned increase in flight fare by various domestic airline operators. Price is not in my hand but like I said from what we put in place, I do not think that anything significant will happen to affect the propensity to fly, he said. When asked about the implication of planned social distancing protocol on air fare since those with 300 capacity will be reduced to 150, he said before the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the flights were not always full and that his ministry is working with the airlines to come up with the protocols before the opening . Some air travellers have expressed fear of price hike upon resumption. And major airlines like Arik Air, have effected 25 per cent increase in its fare from Abuja to Lagos and vice versa. On his part, the Director General of the Nigerian civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it would not approve any airline or service provider to commence flight operations until it fulfills and comply with every international guidelines and protocols provided by the international civil aviation authority. The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Smart Adeyemi, (APC, Kogi West ) said the interactive session was designed to find out steps been taken by the ministry and aviation authorities to ensure safety of passengers as the airports reopens. He also said the meeting was also meant to get details on the demands of aviation workers who had earlier complained on non payment of their salaries. The Abuja and Lagos airports are expected to resume domestic operations on July 8, while Kano, Port Harcourt, Owerri and Maiduguri will resume on the 11th and other airports will resume on 15th. ADVERTISEMENT The Nigerian government has released new procedural guidelines for air travellers and other airport users. The new guidelines are issued against the backdrop of the approval that flight operations recommence gradually at the nations airports effective July 8. A statement by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria said the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is aimed at protecting all stakeholders and preventing further spread of the Covid-19 virus. In the new normal, departing passengers must comply with sundry guidelines. First, according to FAAN spokesperson, Henrietta Yakubu, all passengers MUST arrive at the airport properly kitted with their FACE MASKS ON, and they must also ensure a minimum of one point five meters (1.5m) PHYSICAL DISTANCING. Similarly, aviation medical/port health personnel would screen each passenger and ensure the use of face masks, while those travelling with pets must get necessary clearance from Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services. In the new procedures, FAAN said that all passengers luggage WOULD be DISINFECTED/SANITIZED by FOOT MATS placed at all entrances to the terminal building, amongst others. For arriving passengers, on disembarkation from the aircraft, they would observe physical distancing as they board the co-buses while hand sanitizers would be provided in the buses. PHYSICAL DISTANCING protocols MUST be observed at the BAGGAGE claim area, where HAND SANITIZER is also provided, the statement said. Disinfected trolleys would be made available for passengers and all COVID-19 protocols must be observed while undergoing customs check, it added. FAAN added that passengers would exit the halls and head straight to the car park for pick up and if they must speak to anyone around, they are expected to speak to a properly tagged Aviation Security (AVSEC) officer. Physical distancing would be maintained while waiting to be screened by personnel of port health services, amongst others. In addition to the above guidelines, passengers are required to observe SOCIAL DISTANCING and make use of the FLOOR MARKINGS at the security screening area, FAAN said. They must also comply with all other security guidelines as laid down by officials of the Aviation Security (AVSEC) department. We urge all our passengers and other stakeholders to respect and observe these necessary protocols, put in place for our protection, Mrs Yakubu explained. Our success in achieving healthy and safe air travels is highly dependent on your cooperation in this regard. The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has called for the immediate release of intervention funds by the government to all tertiary institutions to enable them to provide safety kits for the students as they prepare to return to school. The union also asked the government to strengthen e-learning facilities in primary and tertiary institutions through the provision of customised electronic devices to all staff and students. Schools were shut on March 19 due to the coronavirus outbreak, leaving some school authorities to adopt alternative modes of learning for students at all levels. However, the federal government on June 29 approved what it called safe reopening of schools nationwide in the next phase of the gradual easing of lockdown ordered to curtail further spread of COVID-19. The government said only students in graduating classes primary six, JSS 3 and SSS 3 are allowed to receive classes in preparation for examinations. NLCs position In a communique of a joint meeting of NLCs affiliate unions and the NLC education committee, which was signed by the NLC president, Ayuba Wabba, and sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, the union asked the government to put in place, transparent post-COVID-19 plans. These, it said, should include the isolation of staff and students who manifest the symptoms of the disease or who have tested positive, without creating any stigma around them. The unions said the meeting was perturbed by the increasing infections across the country and the dearth of educational infrastructures in Nigerias institutions of learning. The union asked the government to bring all stakeholders in the educational sector together to brainstorm on modalities for reopening schools. Increased budget Mr Wabba said there is need to re-adjust the Nigerian federal budget for education and implement measures to assist institutions with the financial burden of managing COVID-19. It is important to adopt phased/structured education activities, adjust exams and lecture/teaching time, there is a need for National Safe School policies to assist educational institutions to conduct risk assessment audit of schools in the country, the union said. The NLC said there is need to revisit the outsourcing policy of security personnel and cleaners, especially in institutions of higher learning to enable the institutions to have full control of the security personnel and cleaners, as private cleaners and security personnel cannot guarantee the health and safety of staff and students. The union said there is need for expansion of classrooms to ensure observance of the social distancing protocol and an elaborate plan to determine the duration of classes, and sitting arrangements to avoid infection. It asked for an additional employment of teachers to enable effective teacher-student ratio based on the social distancing protocol Provision of out-door learning environment for kids; provision of free internet bandwidth in all institutions to be deployed free to members of staff and students within and around the school premises should be put in place, the official said. Government guidelines for resumption ADVERTISEMENT PREMIUM TIMES reported how the federal government in June advised tertiary institutions in Nigeria to put preventive measures against COVID-19 in place before it announces their re-opening. The minister of education, Adamu Adamu, had urged all institutions not to wait till the announcement on opening before putting in place all necessary measures in compliance with the protocols and advisories of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The minister said for a campus to be reopened, it must do the following: (1) Install hand-washing facilities (2) Have equipment for body temperature checks (3) Provide body disinfectants at all entering points to their major facilities, including the gates, hostels, classes, offices, etc. (4) The whole premises of each institution must be decontaminated. (5) All efforts must be geared toward maintenance of the highest level of hygiene (6) Ensure social/physical distancing in class sizes and meeting spaces. ADVERTISEMENT The African Development Bank (AfDB) has pledged its support for the newly launched BASICII project of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). This was disclosed in a statement endorsed by Godwin Atser, a digital extension and advisory services specialist, sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday. The project tagged Building an economically sustainable and integrated cassava seed system, phase 2, (BASICS-II), was launched during a virtual meeting at the IITA headquarters in Ibadan on Thursday. IITA is a non-profit institution that offers research partnership that facilitates agricultural solutions to hunger, poverty, and natural resource degradation throughout sub-Saharan Africa. In the statement, Martin Fregene, AfDBs director of agriculture and agro-Industry, was quoted to have said the project is aimed at creating a more efficient dissemination of cassava stems that would trigger the adoption of new varieties to improve productivity with the hope to raise income of cassava growers and seed entrepreneur. He said the project will enhance gender equity and as well contribute to inclusive agricultural transformation in Nigeria and Tanzania. Mr Fregene said the development bank, through its flagship project, Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), is excited to be part of BASICS-II to ensure the best varieties are put in the hands of farmers as soon as possible. The statement noted that the first phase of the project, BASICS-I, which lasted between 2015 and 2020, facilitated the development of more than 160 commercial seed entrepreneurs in Nigeria. These seed entrepreneurs are now growing cassava with the primary aim of producing and selling stemsan activity that is generating income and creating wealth in cassava growing communities, the statement reads. READ ALSO: It said BASICS-II will also work with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND Foundation). While PIND pledged to be the projects sustainability platform in the Niger Delta of Nigeria; AGRA will help the projects replication in other states in Nigeria as well as other African countries, Mr Atser noted in the statement. BASICS-II will not only raise the productivity of African, Nigerian and Tanzanian farmers, but it will improve productivity along the value chain and make cassava to be a good business for anyone to invest in, Mr Fregene was quoted to have said. He urged the project managers to maximise public private partnerships to achieve maximum success and impact. In his remarks, PIND executive director, Dara Akala, said his foundation would help BASICS-II outlive its duration in the Niger Delta. Everything we do in PIND is centred around partnerships and partnerships is at the core of what we have achieved in the Niger Delta. Our collaboration with NRCRI Umudike towards the end of BASICS-I led to the pool of Village Seed Entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta. So, we are committed to partnering with BASICS-II to consolidate and scale up the results of those initial efforts made in BASICS-I, he said The 5-year project will be led by IITA, working in partnership with Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), IITA GoSeed, Umudike Seed, Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Ltd., Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), and Tanzania Official Seed Certification (TOSCI). ADVERTISEMENT The APC national leader, Bola Tinubu, on Thursday night declared that there was no differences to be sorted out in the party. Mr Tinubu also said there is no crisis in the party, hence, no fight to reconcile. He made the declaration shortly after a closed door meeting with Governor Mala Buni, Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee and other members at his Bourdillon Residence in Ikoyi, Lagos. Mr Buni, also the governor of Yobe, led other members of the APC national caretaker committee to the Lagos meeting with Mr Tinubu. We have no differences to be sorted out in the APC; we just had consultation and it is how our party, the APC, would continue to be a progressive party, he said. According to him, the committee is a consultation and not reconciliation committee since nobody is fighting anybody. There are instances when you disagree, but it doesnt mean that you cannot discuss it over and be a good example in leadership and politics, Mr Tinubu said. The former Lagos State governor also said that politics without seeming media crisis would be less interesting. But the question is, are we committed to building this party and Nigeria? That is what we are all about. We are steering the ship of our nation and our party in the right direction, Mr Tinubu said. He said that the party leadership had trust and respect for the chairman of the caretaker committee and would support him to succeed for the party to continue in its progressive governance of the country. The committee chairman, who led other members to the meeting, said that the meeting was part of the consultation the committee was making. You know the task before us is daunting, and we need guidance, experience and prayers from our leaders, Mr Buni said. The host Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, expressed his pleasure to have his colleagues in the state. Its been a very fruitful discussion we have had here this evening, Mr Sanwo-Olu said. Other members of the committee in attendance included the Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum, Governor Abubakar Bagudu; Secretary of caretaker committee, James Akpan Udo-Edehe and Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello. (NAN) In watching the devastation that COVID-19 is causing in our communities, the letter said, we strongly recommend that the State of Florida implement a mandatory use of face covering over the nose and mouth while in a business or other building open to the public, as well as outdoor public spaces, whenever social distancing is not possible. ADVERTISEMENT The Nigerian Law School paid N32 million illegally into the account of an unnamed cleaner over a period of 12 months, an official has said. The management of the school also in 2013 alone, paid N36 million several times to its staff as dressing allowance. This was revealed to the Senate committee on public accounts on Thursday by the Office of the auditor-general of the federation, Punch Newspaper reports. The auditor-general, Anthony Ayine, said he uncovered several anomalies in the financial records of the Nigerian Law School over the years. The report revealed misappropriation and spending without approvals by the institution for years. The 2015 Financial Report of the office is currently being scrutinised by the Senate Public Accounts Committee. According to the report, the payment of N36 million was made as dressing allowance of 52 workers to the account of a single member of staff in violation of Nigerias Financial Act. The examination of payment records revealed that the Nigerian Law School several times paid N36 million to staff as dressing allowance in 2013 alone. The Management could not substantiate these payments with any approval from Salaries and Wages Commission to enable the audit team to determine the genuineness of these payments to staff. No appropriation in this request, part of the report read. Reacting to the revelations, the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Isa Chiroma, said he was not in office when the issues occurred, but agreed that government is a continuum. The Nigerian Law School is one of the many agencies that have been indicted for misappropriation of funds and spending without approval. Some agencies indicted in recent times include the Nigerian Customs Service, Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Niger Delta Development Commission, among others. Many other agencies have been accused of failing to submit their audited reports to the Office of the auditor-general This recent revelation comes months after the OAuGF queried the Customs Service over N28 billion unremitted fund into the Federation Account in 2015. The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) recorded a profit of about N36.15 billion from its investments in the 2019 financial year but fears worse returns this year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its markets. The figure is also 18.47 per cent lower than the N44.34 billion profits it realised in the previous year. The Managing Director of the agency, Uche Orji, disclosed this while presenting the annual audited financial statement and account for the year. Excluding foreign exchange gain of N18 billion realised in 2018 and N1.28 billion in 2019, the net income during the year stood at about N34.87billion, compared to N26.28bn in 2018. Mr Orji, who briefed journalists on the activities of the agency in 2019, said the manager of Nigerias sovereign wealth fund also grew its asset base to over N649.84 billion, about five per cent higher than about N617.70 billion recorded in 2018. He said the agencys asset allocation strategy remained stable at 25 per cent across the various funds under its management, namely Future Generations fund of public and private equities as well as absolute returns and other diversifiers. Describing 2019 as a most favourable year for the agency, Mr Orji said it diversified asset investments in equities, hedge funds and private equities in the international markets yielding positive returns. He said domestic developments also favoured its strategy in infrastructure investment to deliver value to the Nigerian people as more capital was deployed into key projects. Performance Highlights Highlighting NSIAs activities and performance during the year, Mr Orji said its areas of focus for the Nigeria Infrastructure Fund remained agriculture, healthcare, power, toll roads and gas Industrialisation. During the year, he said the NSIA closed key transactions and increased capital deployments on domestic infrastructure projects, specifically in motorways, agriculture, healthcare, and power. Some of the completed projects include the Cancer Centre at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (NLCC) in May; and the Advanced Diagnostic Centre located in Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital in February. Other projects in the health sector include the completion of civil and construction works at the Advanced Diagnostic Centre in Federal Medical Centre Umuahia (FMCU). On the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI), Mr Orji said about 6.5 million 50kg bags of NPK 20:10:10 fertiliser was delivered to farmers across the country during the year, bringing total deliveries since the inception of the initiative to 20 million bags. He, however, lamented that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the timely delivery of the fertilisers, particularly as a result of the unscheduled shutdown of the Indorama plant following the outbreak of the coronavirus in the area. Regardless, he said the NSIA increased the number of accredited participating blending plants to 31 by year-end 2019, from 18 plants in 2018. This, he said, allowed the creation of significant direct and indirect jobs across the agriculture value chain, including in logistics, ports, bagging, rail, industrial warehousing, and haulage touchpoints, amongst others On the activities of the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), the NSIA boss said as of year-end 2019, about 181.9 billion was deployed across all three projects under the fund, namely the 2nd Niger Bridge, Lagos Ibadan Expressway and Abuja-Zaria-Kaduna-Kano Road. ADVERTISEMENT He reported significant progress on the projects in terms of construction works ahead of their completion deadline in 2022 despite the impact of COVID-19. A review of asset under management, he said, showed NSIAs core capital stood at about $1.5 billion as of year-end 2019, following the receipt of an additional capital contribution of $250 million approved by National Economic Council in April 2020. The update on other third-party managed funds include the Nigeria Stabilization Fund having a balance of N33.365 billion from about N20.814 billion in the corresponding period in 2018. 2020 outlook On the outlook for 2020, Mr Orji said the COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented human and health crisis with significant impact on global markets. Consequently, he said, it would be difficult to predict the markets overall reaction to development, adding that what was predictable was that the volatility introduced by the onset of the pandemic may linger. He said the NSIA would continue to monitor the market conditions with the view to leveraging the upside risks in the market. We expect that our investment strategy will continue to deliver positive returns in the long term in 2020 as the markets normalise and new opportunities emerge. We will continue to focus on Agriculture, Healthcare (including Pharmaceuticals), Toll Roads, Gas industrialization and Power in our Infrastructure Funds. Operationalising several subsidiaries of the NSIA will be a key focus especially in the healthcare sector where we have several projects in the pipeline, he said. The anti-graft agency, EFCC, has denied dropping charges of money laundering against a former attorney-general of the federation, Mohammed Adoke. The EFCC in January filed corruption charges against Mr Adoke in two separate courts. The charges included money laundering, denying Nigeria taxes and an alleged N300 million bribe. Mr Adoke is standing trial alongside a controversial businessman, Abubakar Aliyu, for allegedly benefitting from the controversial $1.1 Malabu Oil deal. The former AGF has since been released on bail. However, there had been media reports that the commission had dropped charges against Mr Adoke. The rumours were linked to the arraignment of Malabu Oil & Gas Limited, Aliyu Abubakar and five companies allegedly involved in money laundering charges before Justice Ekwo on Wednesday In the suit Number: FHC/ABJ/CR/268/2016, Mr Adokes name was missing. The companies listed in the charge are A-Group Construction Company Limited, Rocky Top Resources Limited, Mega-Tech Engineering Limited, Novel Properties and Development Company Limited, and Carlin International Nigeria Limited. EFCCs statement In a statement by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC said the charge emanated from a subsisting case between Malabu Oil & Gas and others, that did not involve the former AGF. The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to some media reports claiming that the Commission has dropped charges of money laundering against former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke. The EFCC wishes to make it abundantly clear that, Mr Adoke is standing trial in two separate courts: Federal High Court, Abuja before Justice Inyang Ekwo in Suit Number: FHC/ABJ/CR/39/2017 and FCT High Court, Gwagwalada before Justice Idris Kutigi in Suit Number: FCT/CR/151/2020. He was re-arraigned alongside an Abuja-based businessman, Aliyu Abubakar before Justice Ekwo on June 17, 2020, on seven-count charges, bordering on money laundering. The re-arraignment was occasioned by the transfer of the case from Justice Binta Nyako, before whom he was originally arraigned on February 8, 2020. Adoke was equally arraigned before Justice Kutigi alongside others on January 23, 2020, on 42-count charges bordering on the Malabu Oil scam. There is another subsisting case involving Malabu Oil & Gas Limited, Aliyu Abubakar and five companies allegedly involved in money laundering charges before Justice Ekwo. They were arraigned on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Suit Number: FHC/ABJ/CR/268/2016. In the statement, the EFCC reacted to the removal of Mr Adokes name from the Wanted Persons list of the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol). The anti-graft agency described it as unnecessary and misleading since he had been arrested and facing trial already in Nigeria. A suspect cannot be on a Wanted Persons List and be facing trial in court at the same time. ADVERTISEMENT The EFCC wishes to reiterate its commitment to global best practices in its operations and would not be distracted from its assigned mandate of ridding the nation of all forms of economic and financial crimes. Trial The EFCC has been after Mr Adoke for his role in the controversial Malabu oil scandal regarding the controversial sale of Nigerias OPL 245 oil field. PREMIUM TIMES reported how almost half of the $1.1 billion paid by Shell and Eni in a controversial OPL 245 deal brokered by Mr Adoke ended in accounts controlled by Mr Aliyu. The oil multinationals paid the money through the Nigerian government to Malabu, a company then controlled by Dan Etete, a former petroleum minister who is on the run. Malabu, which was illegally awarded OPL 245 when Mr Etete was minister in 1998, then transferred about half of the money into accounts partly controlled by Mr Aliyu. Mr Aliyu is believed to have shared the money to top officials of Shell and Eni as well as officials of the Jonathan administration. Shell, Eni and their officials are already being prosecuted in Italy for the scandal. Mr Adoke has always denied any wrongdoing. He said he acted professionally on the instructions of the former president, Goodluck Jonathan. ADVERTISEMENT Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State on Friday suspended the First Class Emir of Misau, Ahmed Suleiman, and two other traditional rulers over a land crisis between farmers and Fulani herders in the area. Those suspended along with the emir are the District Head of Chiroma, Yusuf Atiku, and the Village Head of Zadawa, Bappa Ahmed. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that nine lives were lost and many persons injured in Zadawa Village of Misau Local Government area on Monday as a result of the clash in the area on Monday. The governor announced the suspension of the emir and the two other traditional rulers at Government House during the inauguration of a 13-man investigation panel tasked with the responsibility of identifying the cause of the clash. Mr Mohammed said that the suspension was to allow the panel to effectively carry out its assignment without interference. Following the receipt of additional petitions that we have at our disposal from some communities, we have decided to suspend the relevant traditional institutions in the area so that they will not interfere with the work of the investigation committee. The traditional institutions include His Royal Highness, the Emir of Misau, the District Head of Chiroma (the Chiroma Misau), the Village Head of Zadawa or his representative. This officers or traditional rulers are hereby suspended and they will remain in Misau; they are not allowed to go anywhere and they are to subject themselves to the Administrative Inquiry Committee pending the time it is over, Mr Mohammad said. The governor stressed that the committee would investigate the cause of the happenings in Misau. He also directed the committee to look for other communities in the area where such an incident was likely to occur due to injustice and abuse of the Land-Use Act, especially lands that were confiscated from Fulani people without due regard to the law. I am indeed convinced with the calibre of this committee, especially its members. They will investigate the root cause of this unfortunate happening and other areas I mentioned, where this is likely to happen due to injustice and inequality and abuse of Land-Use Act. The committee would also look into abuse of land that are reserved and those that are for the Fulani people that had been confiscated without due regard to the law, he said. Mr Mohammed assured the people of the state that any person or group of persons found to be directly or indirectly involved in the clash, would be dealt with in accordance with the laws of the land. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has approved the appointment of Justice Henry Olusuyi as the acting chief judge of the state. The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Onogwu Mohammed, confirmed the appointment in a statement issued on Friday in Lokoja, the state capital. Mr Mohammed said Mr Olusuyi would function in that capacity pending the appointment of a substantive CJ. The position became vacant following the death of Justice Nasir Ajanah on June 29. Similarly, the appointment of Bayo Olowosegun as the acting President of the states Customary Court of Appeal by the governor, was also announced in the statement. Mr Olowoseguns appointment also followed the demise of former occupant of the office, Shaibu Atadoga, who died on June 22. Both appointments are for an initial period of three months, the government disclosed in the statement. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The Akwa Ibom State government has lifted the ban on weddings and burials in the state which it imposed in March in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The state governor, Udom Emmanuel, who announced the lifting of the ban on Thursday, however, said people who wish to organise funeral ceremonies and weddings in the state must follow strict guidelines. If you are doing funeral in an open space like a field in a primary school you must not have more than 50 people. We are not forcing you to do the burial, but if you must do it, you must do it within our guidelines. Not more than 50 people and you must adhere to all our guidelines which was drafted by the Christian Association of Nigeria, Mr Emmanuel said during a live radio and television interview in Uyo. They (people attending the burial) must all wear facemask, have hand sanitisers, (and adhere to) everything that has been outlined by CAN. If you are doing the burial inside the church, people inside should not be more than 30, Mr Emmanuel said. The governor said the same condition is applicable to those wanting to do weddings in the state. Monitoring teams would be dispatched to monitor and ensure strict compliance with the guidelines, he said. Governor Emmanuel appealed to pastors to help in the implementation of the guidelines so as to halt the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Please we dont want anybody to expose himself or his own family. If you must go out, wear a facemask. If you dont feel like wearing mask, please stay at home. A lot of people are asymptomatic to this and they keep infecting other people without knowing. And we dont want this to continue, he said. READ ALSO: Mr Emmanuel said it is extremely expensive to manage COVID-19 cases. Some of the drugs, we are running out of stock. And how to replenish the stock we dont know because a whole lot of them are not manufactured here in Nigeria. I dont want us to get to a point where we are overwhelmed. As I am talking, I am yet to receive one naira from the federal government to support our fight against COVID-19, he said. Akwa Ibom has 104 cases of COVID-19 as of July 2. ADVERTISEMENT Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State said on Friday in Benin that 80 more COVID-19 patients had recovered and discharged to reunite with their families after testing negative to the virus. The governor said in a statement that the death toll in the state had, however, risen to 43 with the elderly accounting for a large number of the fatalities. He therefore urged residents to observe precautionary measures to stay safe and healthy as well as protect the aged. Mr Obaseki said: We have discharged 80 more COVID-19 patients from our isolation centres. The number of discharges now stands at 498. We lost one more person to the virus, bringing the number of fatalities to 43. Stay safe and protect our aged parents who are most endangered. Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Health, Patrick Okundia, has said the state recorded a total of 1,203 confirmed cases and 6,046 suspected cases. He added that 2,532 others were exited, including 2,185 line-listed contacts and 347 persons-of-interest (POI) who had completed the compulsory 14-day follow-up and tested negative. Mr Okundia gave the breakdown of confirmed cases as Oredo (391), Esan West (117), Egor (223), Ovia North East (86), Ikpoba-Okha (160), Uhunmwode (14), Etsako Central (2) and Esan South East (7). Others included Akoko-Edo (1), Esan Central (107), Ovia South West (19), Owan East (1), Esan North East (43), Etsako West (20),Etsako East (9),Orhionmwon (2),Owan West (1). READ ALSO: The commissioner, who assured residents that the state government would continue to intensify efforts to contain the pandemic, said the state had tested over 6,371 residents. He added that the committee was contact-tracing 2,794 others and had visited over 1,035 rural and urban communities for Active Case Search (ACS) activities. While the state government intensifies efforts to protect Edo people from this deadly disease, we urge all citizens to stay at home and observe all precautionary measures against the spread of the infectious disease. These include regular handwashing with soap under running water and the use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers. Cover your mouth and nose properly when sneezing and/or coughing, he said. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Kassim Afegbua, has said he would not support the second term ambition of the Edo governor, Godwin Obaseki. Mr Afegbua was the PDP spokesperson in the 2019 presidential election. Mr Obaseki, who fought a protracted political battle with his predecessor and former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, recently defected from the APC to the PDP after he was disqualified from contesting in the APC primary. Mr Afegbua was also a spokesperson to Oshiomhole while the latter was Edo governor. Some PDP governorship aspirants in Edo, who were already in the party before Mr Obaseki, were upset when it became clear that the Edo governor was likely to get the party ticket. One of the aspirants even filed a case in court, seeking to bar the governor from participating in the PDP primary. All the aspirants eventually stepped down for Mr Obaseki and the case was withdrawn from the court. At least, I am bold enough to come out in the open and say that I will not support Obaseki. It would have been different if I was hiding or pretending to be supporting him and doing some damage, Mr Afegbua was quoted by Channels Television as saying recently. Mr Afegbua, according to the Channels report, is aggrieved at the way Mr Obaseki emerged as the candidate of the PDP a few days after joining the party. My position on Obaseki is not borne out of desperation, greed or money politics. My position on Obaseki is borne out of the fact that there has to be a difference in the way and manner that democracy is run in this country. Someone cannot just join a party within 24 hours, you surrender every whims and caprice of the party to him and then you sit back and tell me that you are celebrating your Christmas early enough in the day, he said. Mr Afegbua did not say if he would work against Mr Obaseki in the September election. The governors main opponent is the APC candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu. Mr Ize-Iyamu was the PDP candidate in the 2016 governorship election in Edo. He was defeated in the election by Mr Obaseki. The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has announced August 3 for the resumption of students in transitional classes in the state. Mr Sanwo-Olu said the resumption applies to only students in Senior Secondary 3 (SS3) and Technical College 3 (TEC), while dates for JSS3 and other classes will be announced later. The governor disclosed that the decision was made by stakeholders in the state. The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 earlier approved a safe reopening of schools nationwide for students in graduating classes to resume preparations for final examinations. While announcing the date for reopening Lagos schools on Friday, Mr Sanwo-Olu said no boarding activities will be permitted and all schools are expected to open strictly for day schooling. All schools and educational institutions will remain closed. We continue to support online teaching of curriculum during this period. However, students in transitional classes, who have mandatory Public exams ahead of them are permitted to resume at only day schools as soon as possible for revision classes and examination. All educational establishments are to follow established public health guidelines and protocol for re-opening the schools for these categories of students. For the avoidance of doubt, students impacted by this directive are those in primary 6; J.S.3 and S.S.3. Commencement dates for this opening will be announced after such schools have met the required guidelines and protocols and provision of essentials for both students and teachers alike, Mr Sanwo-Olu said. He added that tertiary institutions are to continue their online academic activities which are at various advanced stages. Schools are also expected to comply with all the health guidelines in ensuring that schooling environments are safe for students. The governor further said all restrictions applying to mass gatherings will remain in force as not more than 20 persons are permitted in a single gathering. Places of worship, social and event centres, social clubs, bars, day and night clubs, cinemas, games arcades, beaches and beach fronts, gyms and spas continue to remain closed in the state. Opening times for government and private offices, markets, supermarkets, eateries still remain in force, while eateries and restaurants are to continue to open as normal for takeout only. As of Friday, Lagos State has 10,639 confirmed cases of coronavirus, out of which 2,681 have fully recovered and have been discharged, while 177 have died. We take very seriously the fact that we are the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria. For us in Lagos State it is a constant call-to-action; a strong reminder of the responsibilities that lie upon us, to be aggressive and proactive in our response, and to show leadership on the sub-national level. Mask usage is mandatory in public places. We are asking offices and business and commercial premises to refuse entry to any persons not wearing masks, in line with the Presidential Task Force directive on No mask, no entry. No mask, no service, the governor said. Mr Sanwo-Olu said enforcement agencies will begin to charge defaulters to court, as the period of grace is now over. Lagos residents are encouraged to lodge all COVID-19 related complaints to the hotline; 08000CORONA. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The management of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro (FPI) has reinstated the suspended president of the Student Union Government (SUG) of the institution, Adegboye Olatunji. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Olatunji, alongside one Olarewaju Taiwo, was arrested for allegedly aiding cultism and supervising initiation of new members into the cult. The police, in February, said the two students were arrested following a tip-off that some people suspected to be cultists were sighted in a bush at Gbogidi area of Ilaro where they were initiating new members. The two persons arrested in full regalia of the dreaded Black Axe cult group were remanded in police custody at the Ilaro Divisional Headquarters. Although Mr Olatunji proclaimed his innocence, he was suspended from the school on February 11 for alleged involvement in cultism. But in a letter dated July 2, the school management recalled the student leader. The letter was signed by the institutions Registrar, Funke Osore. According to the letter, the reinstatement of the SUG president was based on the intervention of the state government in the matter. The letter said a meeting was held and coordinated by the Secretary to the Ogun State Government (SSG), Tokunbo Talabi. It said the meeting had in attendance the advisers to the governor on Security, Labour, Students Matters and representatives of the State Security Services (SSS) in the state. Also in attendance were executives of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) in Ogun, the Rector of the Polytechnic and the Deputy Registrar. A follow-up letter after the meeting signed by the SSG, Tokunbo Talabi, directed that the status quo be maintained pending the outcome of the court case of cultism instituted against you. Accordingly, the academic board at its meeting held on Thursday, July 2, took into consideration the intervention of state government which results to restore your studentship with some conditions: A letter of certification from your guarantors, that is, the Ogun government and DSS to maintain law and order for the period of your studentship in the institution and community, the letter read in parts. Reacting to the reinstatement, the spokesperson of NANS Zone D, Kazeem Olalekan, expressed happiness, describing it as a victory for all Nigerian students. It shows that indeed, freedom cometh by struggle and that, if we fight, we may win, but we have definitely failed if we dont. The position of the association is unambiguous when it comes to the issue of victimisation and our solidarity is always with the oppressed, he told PREMIUM TIMES Friday evening. Vote-by-mail has been part of our fabric of voting for years and years, Latimer said. By Election Day, were going to be in a position where all of those ballots will have already been tabulated, except for maybe the ones that came in on Election Day.' Tips for Traveling While Working Remotely One of the biggest benefits of working remotely is that it can be done from anywhere! While many... Atlantic County health officials on Friday reported 24 new COVID-19 cases and one additional death. A 75-year-old Absecon man with underlying health conditions was the latest county resident to succumb to the new coronavirus, according to a news release from county spokeswoman Linda Gilmore. The two dozen new positive cases include 14 boys and men, ages 5 to 56, and 10 girls and women, ages 12 to 90, according to the release. The new cases include six in Egg Harbor Township, four in Atlantic City, three in Egg Harbor City and two in Hammonton, according to the release. Absecon, Brigantine, Buena Borough, Corbin City, Galloway, Hamilton Township, Linwood, Pleasantville and Ventnor each had one new positive. So far, Atlantic County has reported 2,994 cases with 209 deaths and 1,505 cleared as recovered. Cumberland County has reported 2,489 cases with 135 deaths. The county will continue to provide testing by appointment for symptomatic county residents with a doctors prescription on Tuesday in Northfield behind the countys public works yard at Route 9 (New Road) and Dolphin Avenue. Appointments are available from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and can be made online at www.aclink.org. Cape May County has reported 766 cases with 69 deaths and 594 designated off quarantine. According to a news release from county officials, the majority of recent cases have been individuals between 16 and 22 years-old who were "socializing without regard to the threats of spreading the virus." The county also announced guidelines for the reopening of indoor businesses like restaurants, bars and food courts. They must adopt the following policies: Limit occupancy to 10% of stated maximum capacity Ensure 6 feet of distance between workers and customers except at the moment of payment or exchange of goods Arrange for contactless pay options, pickup, or delivery wherever possible Provide hand sanitizer and wipes to staff and customers Frequently sanitize high-touch areas like credit card machines, keypads, and counters Require infection control practices such as regular hand washing, coughing and sneezing etiquette, and proper tissue usage Place conspicuous signage at entrances and throughout the food business alerting staff and customers to the required 6 feet of distance Require workers and customers to wear cloth face coverings, and require workers to wear gloves. A business must provide, at its own expense, these face coverings and gloves for employees. Customers may be exempted if it would inhibit their health, or if under two years of age. If a customer refuses, they must be denied entry, but another method of pickup should be provided. Plan on wearing a mask in Ocean City Saturday? You might win a prize. City officials on Thursday announced that its public relations team will be strolling the Boardwalk from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday awarding prizes to families and individuals wearing face coverings. "Heres a chance to show off your creativity and patriotism to win Ocean City gifts," city spokesman Doug Bergen said. "The city continues to encourage the wearing of face coverings in all public places." Latino Motion Public Affairs, along with Bert Lopez and other community leaders, have established an emergency community fund for Atlantic County. In collaboration with other trusted community-based organizations, including Authentic City Partners, La Iglesia Bajo su Gloria Casa de Dios, La Casa Dominicana of New Jersey, the Hispanic Association of Atlantic County (HAAC), and El Pueblo Unido of Atlantic City, the MI GENTE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY FUND was established to aid the most vulnerable Atlantic County residents that are currently suffering from severe financial instabilities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release. Emergency financial assistance will be provided to people who are unable to pay basic living expenses like rent and utilities, and to pay for expenses due to medical issues and necessary health supplies, according to the release. Individuals may submit an application for a grant from the MI GENTE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY FUND at www.migentefund.com. The application is available in English and Spanish. Applications will be accepted until July 17 at 4:00 p.m. (EDT). Pastor Laura Terrero of La Iglesia Bajo Su Gloria Casa de Dios and member of the MI GENTE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY FUND Selection Committee emphasized that, This pandemic has left many in very difficult conditions. It is time to demonstrate what we can do if we unite from the heart. Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez, chair of the Mi Gente Community Emergency Fund, stated, We are living in unprecedented times and we cannot do this alone. We have been amazed by the generosity of our friends, families, and neighbors. There is still a lot of work to do, but this is a small step in the right direction. I love Atlantic City and Atlantic County, and it hurts to see all the pain the COVID-19 pandemic has caused in our area. We can only get through these times together. Donations to the MI GENTE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY FUND are still being accepted at https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/mi-gente-community-emergency-fund/latinomotionpublicaffairsmediaanjnonprofitcorporationlatinomotion. Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio sent a message to residents urging them to wear masks and social distance over the Fourth of July holiday. "Knowing that cases of COVID-19 are spiking in other states and that many out-of-state travelers flock to New Jersey for summer vacations each year, it is critical that everyone practices social distancing AND wearing face masks when shopping, using public bathrooms or anytime you are within 6-feet of non-household members," he said. "We have made great strides in the battle against COVID-19 in recent months, and we certainly dont want to have some of the restrictions that have already been lifted put back in place so please show your respect for others by following these simple directives at all times." "I realize that this is not the typical Fourth of July holiday that we are all accustomed to enjoying, but we shouldnt let COVID-19 stop us from showing our patriotism and acknowledging all that we have to be proud of as Americans," he continued. "With that in mind, I encourage everyone in Sea Isle City to follow a suggestion made by the members of The Commodore Club at The Spinnaker, who proposed that we all take a moment to play the National Anthem at 7:00 PM on July 4th and then afterwards give a loud round of applause and cheers for all of our nations first responders, medical employees and essential workers. If you dont have the means to play The Star Spangled Banner at your home, you can come to the Promenade between 44th and 35th Street, where we will play that wonderful song on our new speaker system at 7:00 PM on Saturday. If we all take a moment to do so, it will be a memorable way to celebrate our nations independence and say 'thank you' to the people who have kept our country going strong during these difficult times." State officials have not scheduled a briefing Friday to update residents on the spread of COVID-19. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. One particular item on Youngs agenda is for officials in the citys casinos to work more with the community instead of taking their money outside the city, he said, noting he previously met with Hard Rock International Chair Jim Allen about what the casino is doing in the community. Young did not go into detail about the casinos community involvement. We talked to local faith leaders about the challenges facing America. This is what they had to say. The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the country. More than 30 million Americans are receiving Our goal is to go to each casino in the city and say, This is what we deserve, this is what we need. Hard Rock is doing it, whats your problem? he said, adding the coalition also wants a list of every Black casino employee and their position over the past 10 years. Young said he used the words shut down the city to garner the attention they need to bring awareness to their efforts. Youre opening up Atlantic City to people all over the world, and a majority of black people are dying from (the coronavirus), Young said, explaining that visitors may be bringing COVID-19 to a city where a third of the population is Black. Some city residents echoed Smalls sentiment that Young is protesting for the wrong reasons. "We thought he was satisfied that he was finally at the table," Small said. "Mr. Young said if we didnt leave, he was going to leave. He got up and walked out and said, 'This meeting is over.' You can dislike me, but its about respect. "Were not going to tolerate someone to hijack our city," he added. "Im not going to be intimidated or held hostage by anyone. I will never do that to the people of Atlantic City." He said the city is ready for Saturday's protest with law enforcement "all the way up to the federal government." "When youre talking about a town that is hanging on by a thread, and you've got someone for selfish reasons wanting to say theyre going to block the expressway and shut it down, were not going to have that," he said. "The leadership is ready, willing and able... to protect businesses, residents and visitors of Atlantic City." A listener, who identified himself as a Pagan, called in to WPG Talk Radio 95.5s Hurley in the Morning program Tuesday, alleging the club was considering bringing 300 motorcycles in counterprotest and to support police. Police Sgt. Kevin Fair said Wednesday the department respects the rights of the people to peacefully protest, but criminal activity will not be tolerated. 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. EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP Plans for high school graduation will remain intact despite negative feedback from the community, the district said in a letter this week. Administrators received criticism last week after announcing a plan for students to choose between one of two graduation options with their class but no parents, or with their parents and no classmates on July 8. The letter states the students were surveyed a third time June 24 as they picked up yearbooks, and the results were consistent with the first two surveys. Two-thirds of students elected to graduate with their class in a traditional ceremony that would not include parents. The remaining third selected the option to walk with four family members, but no classmates. We, as an administration, are happy to put on both ceremonies in hopes that our seniors will be able to have some sort of closure for a year that no one has wished upon them, the letter reads. Parents and several school board members asked the district administrators to reconsider, if possible, its graduation plans during last weeks Board of Education meeting. Gov. Phil Murphys special counsel for Atlantic City on Thursday endorsed Brigid Callahan Harrison in the 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary. Jim Johnson, author of the 2018 report that outlined the citys problems and an approach to solve them, said Atlantic City is in crisis and Harrison is the partner it needs in Congress to reach its potential. Johnson left the position in Atlantic City in November to head the New York City Law Department, overseeing 1,000 lawyers who represent city government in legal matters. What will Jim Johnson's Atlantic City legacy be? ATLANTIC CITY At a news conference in April, where city and state leaders introduced a tim He said Harrison has offered sound, thorough policy solutions; she loves South Jersey and she will beat Jeff Van Drew. Atlantic City is one of the main economic engines of South Jersey. Its success is vital to the states economy, Johnson said. What we have been missing is a thoughtful, energetic and committed partner in Congress. He said that person is Harrison. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Plattsburgh, NY (12901) Today Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends providing assistance for people to use air conditioning at home, such as a temporary ban on utility shut-offs during heat waves. To reduce coronavirus spread, cooling centers should allow staff and volunteers to stay at home if theyre sick or caring for family members; separate people with mild illnesses from others; maintain distance between people and use air exchange systems. WHO says Africa experiencing full-blown third wave of COVID-19 The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said Africa is in the middle of a Tokyo Olympics: Ugandan tests positive for Covid in Japan A member of Uganda's Olympic squad has become the first to test positive for Ethiopian couple forego wedding party for Tigray aid An Ethiopian couple has donated funds they had set aside for a lavish wedding Euro 2020: Lewandowski earns Poland a point against Spain Robert Lewandowski scored his first goal of Euro 2020 as Poland held Spain to Southbury, CT (06488) Today Variable clouds with showers at times, and perhaps a rumble or two of thunder, especially this evening. Low 68F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Variable clouds with showers at times, and perhaps a rumble or two of thunder, especially this evening. Low 68F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Zero Hedge July 3, 2020 18 months ago, the virtue-signaling Bank of England stuck a knife between the ribs of Venezuelas embattled socialist leader, Nicolas Maduro, a former bus driver and anointed successor of Huge Chavez who managed to cling to power last year despite a Western-backed coup attempt led by opposition leader Juan Guaido, whose government was officially recognized by dozens of foreign governments. But when the Venezuelan military refused to break with Maduro, choosing instead to back him over Guaido, Guaido gradually faded into irrelevance. Hes still there, and still claiming to be the legitimate ruler of Venezuela, but instead of looking like a credible alternative to Maduro, hes sounding more like a deranged street preacher proclaiming that he is the one true messiah. Despite the fact that Venezuelas leadership is no longer in doubt, a lawsuit brought by the Venezuelan central bank against the British government seeking the release of the Venezuelan gold sitting in the BoEs vaults ended on Thursday with a decision against the Maduro government, as it was denied access to $1 billion of venezuelan gold in the BoE vaults. Instead, the court ruled that it could only release the gold to the legitimate government of Venezuela. Since Britain recognizes Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate ruler, the British government has legal standing to treat the Maduro government like an illegitimate regime, allowing the govt to essentially freeze and seize government assets at will. Heres more from the Guardian: Mr Justice Teare, a commercial court judge sitting in the high court, ruled on Thursday the Maduro-supporting bank was not entitled to make the request. Her Majestys government does recognise Guaido in the capacity of the constitutional interim president of Venezuela and, it must follow, does not recognise Maduro as the constitutional interim president of Venezuela, he said. Whatever the basis for the recognition, Her Majestys government has unequivocally recognised Guaido as president of Venezuela. It necessarily follows that Her Majestys government no longer recognises Maduro as president of Venezuela There is no room for recognition of Mr Guaido as de jure president and of Maduro as de facto president. Sarosh Zaiwalla, senior partner at Zaiwalla & Co, representing the Banco Central de Venezuela, said his clients would appeal and challenged the court judgement for entirely ignoring the reality of the situation on the ground. Though the Venezuelans plan to appeal, we suspect they wont have very much luck. Thats of course terrible news for the Maduro government, which is officially broke with its oil output at record lows and its currency essentially worthless, the government has no money to finance anti-COVID-19 programs. And the international community, aside from Maduros benefactors in Russia and China, has been pretty unforgiving. Back in May, we pointed out that Venezuelas gold vaults are probably empty, or close to it, after the government was forced to make some payments to the Iranians in gold. The central banks solicitor argued that the decision was illegal under international law as an illegal intervention in the affairs of Venezuela. The decision also puts the kibosh on a Venezuelan plan whereby proceeds from the gold could be handed to the UN allowing it to intermediate the purchases of critical COVID-19 supplies for Venezuela. Ultimately, we imagine Hugo Chavez, who took strides to repatriate most of Venezuelas gold held in the vaults of foreign central banks, is rolling over in his grave. And Maduro is learning once again that gold doesnt have any owners only spenders. He who controls the vault, controls the gold. This article was posted: Friday, July 3, 2020 at 4:01 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: It is time to update the Constitution to reflect Americas modern values Steve Watson Prison Planet.com July 3, 2020 A law professor at the University of Texas-Austin has called for the US Constitution to be updated, claiming that it has racist words and that it is written in gendered language. Writing in The Hill this week, Richard Albert stated that the documents gendered and racist words stand in the way of true reconciliation in this divided country and have no place in any modern society. I explain in this new oped why it is time to update the language of the US Constitution: "Its gendered and racist words stand in the way of true reconciliation in this divided country and have no place in any modern society." https://t.co/rqrD6wIhei Richard Albert (@RichardAlbert) June 30, 2020 The Constitution is replete with obsolete and outdated language that weakens rather than enhances the feeling of belonging that a constitution should generate among a countrys citizens, the professor proclaims. The racist part of the Constitution, Albert claims, comes in the 13th Amendment, despite the fact that it actually abolishes slavery. Albert argues that the Fugitive Slave Clause remains, claiming it serves as a painful reminder of Americas original sin. Albert also argues that because all pronouns in the Constitution are male, it is discriminatory. Imagine how schoolchildren must feel when they read the Constitution in their basic civics course. Some will be made to feel less than welcome in their own country The highest law of the land creates a hierarchy of citizenship. he writes. The professor also argues against claims that altering the Constitution as it was written would water it down, claiming that if racist and gendered terms are removed, then the Constitution would celebrate equality and inclusion, and give Americans a text proudly to call their own one in which they would see themselves and their hopes reflected. Many had choice words for Professor Albert: Doesn't the Constitution also show the progress the US has made? Schoolchildren read the fugitive slave clause but then learn slavery was abolished by amendment following a bloody war. They see masculine pronouns but then learn they've long been interpreted to include both sexes. Asher Honickman (@Honickman) July 1, 2020 "a constitution as a canvas-in-progress, w/ priority to present values." New take on "living, breathing document" which would mean it would be at the mercy of emotion, crisis, oppressive majority, a tyrant who arises. What if the present values are, say, Jews are the problem. David.in.Houston (@DavidinHouston1) July 2, 2020 This trash (and it is trash, the 2nd paragraph shows someone who doesn't understand how amendments work) doesn't belong in a publication dedicated to public policy. Sad thing is people will read it, see who published it, and assume it's relevant.https://t.co/jqPQjHWax8 The Mask of WuFlu Zorro (@rayrothfe) July 1, 2020 The true goal of leftists! In other words, destroy the Constitution and put in a totalitarian one world government. Time to update the language of the Constitution https://t.co/rZV2VvM78s Auntie Thesis (@ThesisAuntie) July 2, 2020 https://twitter.com/amalavida0/status/1278846681505726465 A grotesque attack on the US constitution by Canadian law professor @RichardAlbert who works at UT Austin. Read it and weep for American college students.https://t.co/nA71XeNgij Couldn't B. Righter (@CouldntBRighter) July 3, 2020 This article was posted: Friday, July 3, 2020 at 4:58 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: Breitbart July 3, 2020 Elements of the left are claiming now that Americas national parks are built on systemic racism. The outdoors and public lands suffer from the same systemic racism that the rest of our society does, Joel Pannell, associate director of the Sierra Club, said in an ABC report, titled Americas Great White Outdoors. The report called the parks stubborn bastions of self-segregation. If we dont address this, and we dont see how all these things are interrelated, then were going to risk losing everything, Pannell said. Youre not going to have public lands to enjoy. The report is part of a wave of sometimes violent protests taking place across the nation after the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed while being arrested by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day. All four officers involved in the arrest have been charged in the case. ABC cited a National Park Service Study but did not link to it: New government data, shared first with ABC News, shows the countrys premier outdoor spaces the 419 national parks remain overwhelmingly white. Just 23 percent of visitors to the parks were people of color, the National Park Service found in its most recent 10-year survey; 77 percent were white. Minorities make up 42 percent of the U.S. population. The U.S. Census Bureau projects people of color will be a majority in America by 2044 a demographic shift that will impact park attendance and finances. Community advocates say physical and mental health for minority communities is also at risk. Read more This article was posted: Friday, July 3, 2020 at 2:41 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: Source claims Trump regrets listening to Kushner in the past Steve Watson Prison Planet.com July 3, 2020 According to a report from Axios, President Trump is done listening to his son-in-law Jared Kushner, telling White House staff he wants No more of Jareds woke shit. Speaking anonymously, a source claimed that Trump regrets listening to Kushner in the past, and feels that it has cost him vital support among his base. The final straw appears to have been the recent anti-police sentiment stirred up by rioters coinciding with Kushners continued pushing for Trump to get on board with the prison reform bill. If Trump were to undercut police in any fashion, it could be construed as hypocritical, given his pledge to support law enforcement unequivocally. The report also notes that Trump listens carefully to Tucker Carlson, who has continually warned of the perils of listening to Kushners policy advice. Tucker Carlson Calling Out Jared Kushner "No one has more contempt for @realDonaldTrump's voters than Jared Kushner does." "The President's famously sharp instincts, the one's that won him the Presidency have been since subverted at every level by Jared Kushner." pic.twitter.com/TYunh0REjX The Columbia Bugle (@ColumbiaBugle) June 2, 2020 He often derides Kushner as a liberal, Carlson said during a recent fiery segment. And thats correct, Kushner is. But Kushner has convinced the president that throwing open the prisons is the key to winning African American votes in the fall and that those votes are essential to his reelection. Carlson further warned. Axios notes that a second senior White House official denies that there is any rift between Trump and Kushner, saying that Numerous anonymous sources have attempted to provide separation between Jared and the president. They have failed for the last three and a half years. They are not going to be successful today either. This article was posted: Friday, July 3, 2020 at 4:34 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: The following is the translation of a letter by the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith addressed to Br Rene Stockman, Superior General of the Congregation of the Brothers of Charity, on the practice of euthanasia in psychiatric hospitals of the Congregations Belgian branch. Most Reverend Br Rene, Superior General, In March 2017, on the website of the Belgian branch of the Congregation of the Brothers of Charity, a document was published which permits under certain conditions the practice of euthanasia in a Catholic hospital. This practice, supported by the Association Provincialat des Freres de la Charite asbl, is fundamentally based on three criteria: the inviolability of life, the autonomy of the patient and the relationship of care. Such a document, however, makes no reference either to God, or to Sacred Scripture, or to the Christian vision of humanity. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wrote to the Superior General, who had already disapproved of this document, asking for clarifications, and the then-prefect of the Dicastery informed the Holy Father about the gravity of the case in an audience on 20 May 2017. From 27 June 2017 until now, contacts and meetings have taken place between the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Secretariat of State, Representatives of the Freres and of the Association Provincialat des Freres, as well as representatives of the Episcopal Conference of Belgium, in order to offer opportunities and spaces for dialogue on an extremely delicate subject and thus to find, in a spirit of sincere ecclesiality, a convergence on Catholic doctrine on the subject. The numerous interdicasterial meetings of 31 August and 7 November 2017, of 1 February, 15 March, 20 June and 12 October 2018, and of 20 July 2019, this Dicasterys letter to the Superior General of the Freres dated 30 June 2017, the document Principles to be observed on the accompaniment of patients in psychiatric hospitals, and the meeting which took place in Rome on 21 March 2018 should all be recalled. In this context, the Secretary of State and the Prefects of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life asked the Representatives of the Freres and of the Association Provincialat des Freres to unequivocally affirm in writing their adherence to the principles of the sacredness of human life and the unacceptability of euthanasia, and, as a result, their absolute refusal to carry it out in the institutions dependent on them. Unfortunately, the replies received gave no assurances on these points. Euthanasia remains an inadmissible act, even in extreme cases, inasmuch as it is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written word of God, is transmitted by the Churchs Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium (John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, n. 65). For his part, Pope Francis has affirmed that the current socio-cultural context is progressively eroding the awareness of what makes human life precious. Indeed, it is increasingly valued in terms of its efficiency and utility, to the point of considering lives that do not correspond to this criterion as rejected or unworthy. In this situation of the loss of authentic values, the inalienable duties of human and Christian solidarity and fraternity also fail. In reality, a society deserves to be recognized as civil if it develops antibodies against the throwaway culture; if it recognizes the intangible value of human life; if solidarity is actively practiced and safeguarded as the foundation of coexistence (Pope Francis, Address to participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 30 January 2020). Furthermore, he reiterated that the relational and not merely clinical approach to the patient, considered in the uniqueness and integrality of his person, imposes the duty never to abandon anyone in the presence of incurable diseases. Human life, because of its eternal aim, preserves all its value and all its dignity in any condition, even of precariousness and fragility, and as such is always worthy of the highest consideration (ibid.). In these latter words, Pope Francis touches on the theme of compassion, which is increasingly invoked by public opinion as a justification for euthanasia. John Paul II had already made it unequivocally clear that euthanasia is a false mercy, and indeed a disturbing perversion of mercy. True compassion leads to sharing anothers pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear. Moreover, the act of euthanasia appears all the more perverse if it is carried out by those, like relatives, who are supposed to treat a family member with patience and love, or by those, such as doctors, who by virtue of their specific profession are supposed to care for the sick person even in their most painful terminal stages (Evangelium Vitae, n. 66). In short, therefore, Catholic teaching affirms the sacred value of human life; the importance of caring for and accompanying the sick and disabled; the Christian value of suffering; the moral unacceptability of euthanasia; the impossibility of introducing this practice into Catholic hospitals, even in extreme cases, and of collaborating in this regard with civil institutions. It seems clear that the position of the Brothers of Charity group in Belgium does not conform to such principles. Indeed: 1.) it rejects the absolute nature of respect for life, or rather, it calls into doubt that the life of an innocent human being must be respected always, leaving open the possibility of exceptions; 2.) with regard to the importance of the care and accompaniment of psychiatric patients, it refers to the Belgian law on euthanasia, clearly opening the possibility for non-terminal psychiatric patients; 3.) it leaves the responsibility and the right to accept or reject the request for euthanasia (medical act) to the doctor, thereby excluding the hospitals choice; 4.) it maintains the possibility of euthanasia within the Institute with the justification of enabling family members to avoid the effort of having to find another solution. The report of the Apostolic Visitator, H.E. Bishop Jan Hendriks, also demonstrated no progress, since it shows the profound difficulty in maintaining the link between the works and the Congregation of the Brothers of Charity, since those responsible do not accept the commitment to finding a viable solution that avoids any form of responsibility for euthanasia on the part of the institution. Therefore, at the end of this long and painful journey, and noting the lack of willingness to accept the Catholic Doctrine on euthanasia, it is announced, albeit with deep sadness, that the psychiatric hospitals run by the Association Provincialat des Freres de la Charite asbl in Belgium, henceforth, can no longer be considered Catholic institutions. I gladly take this opportunity to confirm my feelings of religious respect. Cardinal Luis F. Ladaria, SJ Prefect Giacomo Morandi Titular Archbishop of Cerveteri Secretary DUBLIN, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Hand Wash Market By Distribution Channels, By End User, By Region, Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2020 - 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Hand wash Market size is expected to reach $11.9 billion by 2026, rising at a market growth of 7.1% CAGR during the forecast period. Hand wash is a liquid soap that is less foamy because it doesn't need to cover a lot of surface area and is used very often all day. Hand washing, also called hand hygiene, is a method of cleaning hands to avoid microorganisms, dirt, or all other harmful objects to discourage disease spreading. Liquid hand wash is an antibacterial liquid that contains an active substance used to inhibit, destroy, or render the active bacteria on hands harmless. Due to ease of use and the ability of liquid soaps to retain natural moisture in the hands, liquid hand washings are usually favored over soaps. Liquid hand wash is a multi-million-dollar industry, with continuous market opportunities due to advances in technology and research and development that have resulted in new offerings in the form of organic hand wash and sensitive skin hand wash, among others. The latest coronavirus pandemic has seen an increase in the use of personal hygiene products, stimulating the growth of the industry. Hand-washing has become as imperative as breathing given the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted people to use the hand wash liquids as a minimal step to prevent the disease from spreading. As of May 30, 2020, as many as 5 million cases of coronavirus were confirmed worldwide, the reported death toll of which stood at around 2 lakhs. With Russia, Iran, and other developing countries disclosing a spike in the number of new cases and the emerging second wave of COVID-19 in China, cost-effective ways to curb spread infection, such as social distancing and basic hand hygiene, are becoming increasingly prevalent. The uncertainty about releasing a vaccine over the time period has instilled fear in consumers and encouraged them to use hand washings. The World Health Organization (WHO), with the FDA and the CDC, suggests regular hand washing to prevent infection. The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Johnson & Johnson, Unilever PLC, The Procter and Gamble Company, S.C. Johnson and Son, Inc. (The Caldrea Company), Beiersdorf AG, Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, 3M Company, Henkel AG & Company, KGaA, Alticor Inc. (Amway Corporation), and Lion Corporation. Unique Offerings from the Publisher Exhaustive coverage Highest number of market tables and figures Subscription based model available Guaranteed best price Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1. Market Scope & Methodology 1.1 Market Definition 1.2 Objectives 1.3 Market Scope 1.4 Segmentation 1.4.1 Global Hand Wash Market, by Distribution Channels 1.4.2 Global Hand Wash Market, by End User 1.4.3 Global Hand Wash Market, by Geography 1.5 Methodology for the research Chapter 2. Market Overview 2.1 Introduction 2.1.1 Overview 2.1.2 Market Composition and Scenario 2.2 Key Factors Impacting the Market 2.2.1 Market Drivers 2.2.2 Market Restraints Chapter 3. Global Hand Wash Market by Distribution Channels 3.1 Global Hypermarkets Market by Region 3.2 Global Retailers Market by Region 3.3 Global Online Market by Region 3.4 Global Other Channels Market by Region Chapter 4. Global Hand Wash Market by End User 4.1 Global Commercial Sector Market by Region 4.2 Global Residential Sector Market by Region Chapter 5. Global Hand Wash Market by Region 5.1 North America Hand Wash Market 5.2 Europe Hand Wash Market 5.3 Asia Pacific Hand Wash Market 5.4 LAMEA Hand Wash Market Chapter 6. Company Profiles 6.1 Johnson and Johnson 6.1.1 Company Overview 6.1.2 Financial Analysis 6.1.3 Segmental &Regional Analysis 6.1.4 Research & Development Expenses 6.2 Unilever PLC 6.3 The Procter and Gamble Company 6.4 S.C. Johnson and Son, Inc. (The Caldrea Company) 6.5 Beiersdorf AG 6.6 Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC 6.7 3M Company 6.8 Henkel AG & Company, KGaA 6.9 Alticor Inc. (Amway Corporation) 6.10 Lion Corporation For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8bkzlz Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. 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 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com As custodians of some of the world's most iconic and popular beer, wine, and spirits brands, we are determined to play our part in supporting this global effort, while maintaining our commitment to the hundreds of thousands of people worldwide that we employ, and the many millions of businesses we support in the value chain across agriculture, production, distribution, retail, and hospitality sectors. The hospitality sector has been among those most severely impacted by shutdowns around the world, yet it has never been more valued or missed. The sudden closure of cafes, restaurants, and bars brought into sharp focus not just how many livelihoods depend on these venues, but also how vital they are to the social fabric and emotional wellbeing of communities. Socializing in bars and restaurants has been missed the most, second only to spending time with friends and family. To many of us, the two are intimately linked. Indeed, the sense of occasion and pleasure of being sociable is so valued that many are prepared to pay more to go out and enjoy food and drink within these settings, clearly showing that communities value their social wellbeing alongside their physical health. By working together, with all key partners, we can help rebuild a safe and thriving cafe, bar, and restaurant culture that can flourish despite the uncertain times we currently face. Through a whole-of-society response we can once again create the welcoming environment that has been missed by many. Although our individual companies are very different, we share many common values. We all take pride in the drinks we produce. We want to ensure our products are consumed responsibly so that, for those who chose to drink them, it is always a positive and memorable experience. Harmful drinking is not in our interests; it is bad for consumers, bad for the communities we serve, and ultimately bad for our businesses. Although there have been long-term declines in binge drinking, drink driving, and underage drinking in many parts of the world, there is more that we are determined to do. As governments allow venues to reopen, we will work alongside retailers and other business partners to support appropriate physical distancing measures. We will also use our marketing, promotion of responsible service, and server training programs to help prevent harmful drinking from threatening the safe and sociable atmosphere that communities want to enjoy. In addition - recognizing the rapid growth in online sales and home delivery of beer, wine, and spirits - we are accelerating the efforts that we announced in January to develop global e-commerce standards and safeguards for online marketing, sales, and delivery, and invite digital platforms and delivery agents to join us in doing this. As we emerge from this pandemic, we will continue constructive dialogue with national governments, international organizations, experts, and civil society to better understand what we can do to raise standards and protect lives, livelihoods, and communities. By working together, we can help communities rebuild the thriving and flourishing cafe, bar, and restaurant culture that is so valued and important to our social wellbeing. Signed: Anheuser-Busch InBev, Asahi Group Holdings, Bacardi, Beam Suntory, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg, Diageo, Heineken, Kirin Holdings Company, Molson Coors, Pernod Ricard, and William Grant & Sons PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1199694/International_Alliance_for_Responsible_Drinking.pdf Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/715226/IARD_Logo.jpg SOURCE IARD - International Alliance for Responsible Drinking CHICAGO, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Metal Forming Market for Automotive by Technique (Roll, Stretch, Stamping, Deep Drawing, Hydroforming), Type (Hot, warm and Cold), Application (BIW, Chassis, Closure), Material (Steel, Aluminum, Magnesium), Vehicle (ICE & Electric) - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Metal Forming Market for automotive is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.2%, by value, during the forecast period. The market is estimated to be USD 172.5 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 202.2 billion by 2025. The driving factors for the metal forming market for automotive are gradually increasing vehicle production across the globe (particularly in Asia Oceania) and the increasing trend of vehicle lightweighting due to stringent emission norms. Browse in-depth TOC on "Metal Forming Market" 145 Tables 71 Figures 215 Pages Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=117844713 "By vehicle type, passenger car is expected to hold the largest share of the metal forming market for automotive" According to the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles (OICA), passenger cars accounted for 61.2% of the overall vehicle production in 2017. In 2017, according to OICA, the passenger car production in the Asia Oceania region was approximately 44.96 million units in 2019. Passenger cars have the highest application of formed components, more than that for light and heavy commercial vehicles. Owing to the increasing passenger car production, especially in the Asia Oceania region, and high applications of metal forming, passenger car segment is projected to share of the metal forming market, by vehicle type. "Aluminum is expected to show the fastest growth over the forecast period, by material type" The contribution of aluminum to the overall vehicle weight has grown substantially over the years. According to the ACC, the contribution of aluminum has increased from 7.8% of the total vehicle weight in 2005 to about 9.0% in 2012, and approximately 12.5% in 2019 for light weight vehicles in North America. Several automotive components are manufactured using aluminum. These include cross-car beam, front door, oil pan, rear door frame, and seat frame. Aluminum is rapidly replacing steel in many automotive applications like body in white and chassis. Its usage rate (%) for forming applications is higher in Europe and North America when compared with that in Asia Oceania. However, even with the low usage rate, Asia Oceania is the largest market for aluminum, owing to its huge vehicle production. Request FREE Sample Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=117844713 "Asia Oceania is estimated to be the largest metal forming market for automotive over the forecast period" China, India, Japan, South Korea, and others are considered under the Asia Oceania region for this study. China is the largest contributor in terms of vehicle production in the Asia Oceania region. Out of the total vehicle production, China contributed approximately 24.9% in 2019. Japan is the second largest vehicle producing country which contributes approximately 8.4% to the global vehicle production. In addition to high vehicle production, factors such as increasing GDP, rising per capita income, low production costs, availability of economic labor, and government initiatives for FDI have created growth opportunities for the OEMs and tier 1 players of the metal forming market in the Asia Oceania region. Even the presence of the tier 1 players such as Aisin Seiki (Japan), Hirotec (Japan), and Toyota Boshoku (Japan) is driving the Asia Oceania metal forming market for automotive. The metal forming market for automotive is dominated by manufacturers such as Magna (Canada), Benteler (Germany), Tower International (UK), Toyota Boshoku (Japan), and Aisin Seiki (Japan). Browse Related Reports: Metal Casting Market by Process (Gravity, High & Low Pressure, Sand), Application (Body Assembly, Engine, and Transmission), Material (Iron, Al, Mg, Zn), Component, ICE & EV (Passenger Car, LCV, HCV, BEV, HEV & PHEV), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025 Global Body in White Market by Vehicle Type, Construction (Monocoque, Frame Mounted), Manufacturing Method (Cold Stamping, Hot Stamping, Roll Forming), Material (Steel, Aluminum, Magnesium, CFRP), and Region - Global Forecast to 2027 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. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/metal-forming-market.asp Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/Metal-Forming.asp SOURCE MarketsandMarkets SEATTLE, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MJ Unpacked, a state-specific, virtual event series designed for the cannabis industry's brand and retail executives, announced participants for its feature panel at MJ Unpacked California, focused on the steps the California marijuana market can to take to achieve social justice and equity. Since MJ Unpacked California is a virtual experience brand or retail leaders from any state can register to attend event, which runs from July 14-16. "We are honored to provide a platform that amplifies the voices that deserve to be heard right now. The cannabis industry is a great example of an industry that needs to take some time to reflect on not only its roots, but its future and it's fair to say we have considerable work to do," said MJ Unpacked co-founder George Jage. The event's featured panel discussion is titled, Promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Cannabis Industry to Achieve Social Justice, and takes place July 14, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. PST. Grasslands and Cannabist founder Ricardo Baca will moderate the discussion, featuring the following social equity and criminal justice reform influencers: Kika Keith: Creator and founder of the beverage company Gorilla Life, and the founder of the Life Development Group, an organization that provides resources and opportunities for equitable ownership and employment in the cannabis industry. Read more about Keith's work here. Niambe McIntosh: Executive Director of the Peter Tosh brand and legacy, keynote speaker and criminal justice reform advocate. McIntosh is also the youngest daughter of Peter. Read more about her work here. Alphonso "Tucky" Blunt, Jr.: Co-owner of Proud Papas clothing and Blunts + Moore dispensary. Blunt, Jr. was the first person to open a dispensary under Oakland's Equity program. To learn more about his work, click here. Sarah Gersten: Executive Director and General Counsel, Last Prisoner Project. Sarah has spent most her career focused on the intersection of cannabis legalization and criminal justice reform. Click here to learn more. The MJ Unpacked California show floor is open from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., PST, each day from July 14 to 16. To see the full agenda and register for the event, please visit www.mjunpacked.com. About Jage Media Headquartered in the greater Seattle area, Jage Media is poised to fill the critical gap where cannabis brands and retailers convene with its state-specific MJ Unpacked event series. MJ Unpacked was designed exclusively to enable cannabis industry decision makers to drive the future of the industry, capture the next stage of market growth and deliver a true return on investments and objectives. Founded by George and Kim Jage, Jage Media is funded by a veteran team of cannabis investors, which include BDSA, CanopyBoulder, Keneh Ventures and more. SOURCE MJ Unpacked Related Links http://www.mjunpacked.com SILVERDALE, Wash., July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mud Bay's new Silverdale, Washington, location (11467 Pacific Crest Place NW Suite C125) will open on Sunday, July 5th at 9:00 a.m., but instead of hosting opening day festivities, Mud Bay will be matching food donations made at their new store for Kitsap Humane Society's Pet Food Pantry. The donation drive will last through Friday, July 31st, and Mud Bay is committed to matching all pet food donations pound-for-pound. Mud Bay Silverdale, WA Grand Opening. Mud Bay is the Pacific Northwests largest retailer focused on healthy, natural nutrition for dogs and cats. With 56 locations in Western Washington and Oregon, Mud Bay is an employee-owned company focused on helping dogs and cats thrive through customized nutritional recommendations. For more information about Mud Bay, please visit our website. Since COVID-19 began to affect Washington, Kitsap Humane Society has seen a 20-percent increase in people visiting its pet food pantry. The animal welfare organization hopes that people from the surrounding communities will take this opportunity to contribute to the pet food bank by buying or bringing food to Silverdale's Mud Bayand possibly help their neighbors in the process. "One of our biggest priorities is to help pets stay in their homes and to keep families together. With this extra food, we can support more pets and their owners during this time of hardship and ensure pet owners in our community don't have to consider rehoming their pet due to an inability to afford pet food," said Kitsap Humane Society Events and Outreach Manager Amanda Graham. In addition to the donation drive, Mud Bay will be giving away 4 great prizes valued at over $200 to celebrate the Silverdale store grand opening. Visit Mud Bay's Facebook page for contest details. Winners will be announced on July 18th and August 1st. Visitors to the new Silverdale, Washington, store can browse inside or order online for curbside pickup prior to their visit. In-person visitors can take advantage of the full-size pet scale, free treat of the week samples, and a solution-based philosophy that helps customers find the right products for their individual dog or cat. About Mud Bay Founded in 1988 in Olympia, Washington, Mud Bay is the Pacific Northwest's largest retailer focused on healthy, natural nutrition for dogs and cats. With 56 locations in Western Washington and Oregon, Mud Bay is an employee-owned company focused on helping dogs and cats thrive through customized nutritional recommendations. For more information about Mud Bay, please visit our website. SOURCE Mud Bay Related Links https://www.mudbay.com BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts and Nevis, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr The Honourable Timothy Harris has today announced a significant yet time-limited reduction in the level of contribution required to secure the country's best-in-class economic citizenship. The announcement came in light of the significant global economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic and efforts by the country to find creative ways to stabilise the economy and put it on a path to consolidate growth enjoyed over the last five years before COVID-19. From today 3rd July 2020, until the end of this year (31 December 2020), families of up to four people will be able to secure citizenship of the safe, beautiful and prosperous twin-island Federation at a substantially discounted rate. Today also marks 46 days since St Kitts and Nevis health authorities declared the country completely free of COVID-19. Just 15 people were confirmed in the country to have contracted mild forms of the disease since the start of the global pandemic, all of whom were isolated and recovered, with zero cases requiring hospitalisation and zero fatalities. St Kitts and Nevis has received international recognition for its superb management of COVID-19. A single applicant seeking economic citizenship with a donation to the Sustainable Growth Fund is normally required to contribute at least USD 150,000 and a family of up to four at least USD 195,000. Now the Government of St Kitts and Nevis has decided to temporarily reduce the family minimum contribution by USD 45,000 to a competitive USD 150,000. However, the minimum contribution for a single applicant will remain at USD 150,000, a level that recognises St Kitts and Nevis' continuing market-leading position. Prime Minister Dr The Honourable Timothy Harris said: "St Kitts and Nevis is the safest, most beautiful and prosperous country in the Caribbean to offer economic citizenship and we remain so during these difficult times. "While COVID-19 has placed the world under enormous strain, St Kitts and Nevis' record to date of zero hospitalisations and zero fatalities from the disease underlines the character and enduring appeal of our great country." This limited time offer will provide the resources to help us successfully fight COVID-19 and enhance the safety nets for those who have lost their jobs or income as a consequence. St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Investment Unit Chief Executive Les Khan said: "In today's uncertain world it is only right that individuals and families want the ability to travel the globe as flexibly and confidently as possible. "St Kitts and Nevis has been offering this peace of mind for longer than any other citizenship programme and, with visa-free access to 156 countries, is recognised as a market leader in independent, global rankings. "We are now delighted to offer for a limited period while the world grapples with the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic all of the benefits of full economic citizenship at an even more competitive rate for families, and with a new paper-free application process. "Once travel restrictions are lifted, we are delighted that the St Kitts and Nevis passport will continue to enable our citizens to travel visa-free to more countries in the world than any other programme in the Caribbean and the vast majority of passports in the world." St Kitts and Nevis' Citizenship by Investment Programme is the oldest and most respected in the world. It is the recognised market leader in the Caribbean, entitling citizens to travel visa-free to 156 countries, without any St Kitts and Nevis residency requirements. The St Kitts and Nevis passport is ranked as the top one of all Caribbean countries with citizenship by investment programmes, most recently in April 2020 in the Henley & Partners 2020 Q2 Passport Index. The country's Programme is also known for its highly efficient processing of applications while insisting on best international-standard due diligence checks and vetting. Donations to the Sustainable Growth Fund by citizenship applicants are a welcome and significant contribution to the development of the country in which their citizenship is being secured. They provide support and investment in local heritage, infrastructure, tourism and culture, business and entrepreneurship, climate change resilience, education and health services, poverty alleviation and people empowerment programmes. Alternatively, those seeking the benefits of citizenship through property are able to invest USD 200,000 (re-saleable after seven years) or USD 400,000 (re-saleable after five years) in an approved real estate project. There is no discount for the property investment option at this time. [email protected] www.ciu.gov.kn SOURCE The Government of St Kitts and Nevis Related Links http://www.ciu.gov.kn/ SUZHOU, China, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 30, the 2020 "All Quality Matters" Solar Congress and "All Quality Matters" award ceremony hosted by TUV Rheinland Group ("TUV Rheinland") was held in Suzhou. Focusing on the photovoltaic industry's development after the COVID-19 pandemic, this event brought together more than 200 industry-related enterprise representatives, experts, and scholars to discuss trending hotspots and solutions to crises through online and offline interactions, providing suggestions for the healthy and sustainable development of the PV industry. Experts, Scholars, and Business Leaders Discuss Development of the PV Industry after the COVID-19 Pandemic Wang Bohua, Vice President and Secretary General at China Photovoltaic Industry Association, said in his speech that the global demand for renewable energy is expected to increase by about 1% in 2020, which may be one of the few energy sources to experience demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for about 30% of global power supply. He pointed out that the pandemic brings not only challenges but also opportunities for the PV industry. On the one hand, the world will increase investment in renewable energy to boost economic growth; the price drop in each link of the industrial chain is expected to promote the rise of new incremental markets around the world; and the overall market will become more mature and stable with increase in the concentration of each link. However, the industry will also face many problems, including the impact of recovery pace after the pandemic in overseas markets on the aftermarket demand, the increased pressure on the cost of backward production capacity, and unclear and delayed domestic policies. To deal with these problems requires the joint efforts of the entire industry. Specially invited to the event were Watson Wu, Vice President of Product and Technology at AISWEI New Energy Technology (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd., Kevin Chen, Technical Director Business Strategy of Coveme Engineered Films Zhangjiagang Co., Ltd., Monsoon Wang, Product Director of LONGi Solar Co., Ltd., Dr. Liu Zhifeng, Vice General Manager of Jolywood (Taizhou) Solar Technology Co.,Ltd, Tony Liu, Product Director of SolaX Power Network Technology (Zhejiang) Co.,Ltd., Bu Yanhui, General Manager of Investment and Financing Department at EDF Renewables (China), Jonathan Luan, Senior Analyst of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, etc., to deliver keynote speeches and share their in-depth thinking from different perspectives on such topics as the quality of PV products, technology, investment and mergers, global markets, and so on. In addition, more than a dozen business leaders from the upstream and downstream sectors of the industry chain participated in two round-table dialogues to discuss and propose insights on related topics including "Seize the Opportunity to Rebuild Commercial Value in Energy Storage" and "Photovoltaics in the 2020s." TUV Rheinland PV Module Supply Chain Whitepaper 2020 Officially Launched At this event, the TUV Rheinland PV Module Supply Chain Whitepaper 2020, after a preparation and writing process that spanned nearly half a year, was officially released. In order to better understand the views of the PV industry and related supply chain practitioners, TUV Rheinland surveyed the major domestic manufacturers of PV modules and components. In the whitepaper, TUV Rheinland deeply analyses practitioners' views on the current PV module market environment, exports, and the current status of companies' operations and their prospects for the future. At the launch conference, Chris Zou, Vice President of TUV Rheinland Greater China Solar Products, pointed out that China's PV industry already possesses a full industry chain from the production of high-purity crystalline silicon in the upstream sector and high-efficiency solar cells in the midstream, continuing to the construction and operation of PV power plants in the downstream sector. Moreover, China's PV industry has complete independent intellectual property rights. The PV industry is about to enter a new era marked by technology leadership, cross-sectoral cooperation, coordinated development, and value innovation instead of price competition. High requirements such as photoelectric-conversion efficiency, attenuation rate, and comprehensive energy consumption of PV modules will accelerate industrial transformation and upgrading. Various PV module and component producers are constantly innovating in technology, improving product quality, reducing production costs, and increasing efficiency. In addition, in the whitepaper, technical experts from TUV Rheinland provided in-depth analysis of the impact of PV components on the output power of modules from the perspective of an independent third party, including solar cells, encapsulation materials, backsheets, junction boxes, PV connectors, etc., and elaborated on the market status, technical issues, and future technological development trends for PV components, as well as on the corresponding test requirements and standards evolution for products domestically and overseas, providing guidance for companies to ensure product quality and safety and facilitating their entry into target markets more rapidly and efficiently. 16 Companies Win the "All Quality Matters" Award On the evening of the congress, the TUV Rheinland "All Quality Matters" award ceremony was held. This year, the award set up selections of several categories, including PV modules, PV components, PV inverter, energy storage, and PV power plants operation and maintenance service providers. It is worth mentioning that testing and selection for the PV Module Energy Yield Simulation Award was based on TUV Rheinland's world-leading "Energy Yield Rating Label" to more accurately identify the energy yield capacity of PV modules. In the end, 16 companies involved in PV modules, inverters, energy storage systems, components, and power plant operation and maintenance stood out and won awards for their excellent product and service quality. As an authoritative platform established by TUV Rheinland for communication with the entire PV industry, the "All Quality Matters" Solar Congress has become a bellwether of the PV industry. Over the years, the "All Quality Matters" Solar Congress has been focused on the photovoltaic revolution in the Asia-Pacific region and in the global economy, and has witnessed the development and progress of the industry. However, the market is constantly changing. The opportunities and challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic make transformation and upgrading of the industry urgent. TUV Rheinland will continue to rely on its over 35 years of professional experience in the global PV field, guarding quality and safety and paying attention to new trends in the global market, to help PV companies seize opportunities and welcome challenges. SOURCE TUV Rheinland Greater China ARLINGTON, Texas, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Is there anything that fans love more than watching their favorite celebrity? As a matter of fact, they would give anything possible to interact directly and get noticed by their star. Well, Arlington-based music artist Shaddow understands this, and he has redefined and revolutionized the dynamics of celebrity-fan relationship, bringing it to a whole different level. He is determined to make an impact in the world with his music and direct interaction with the fans. Contrary to most celebrities, Shaddow is taking an approach where he is easily reachable; which is very admirable. This time, it is with a very exciting dance challenge dabbed #BitcoinBillionaireChallenge. Dancer participating in the Bitcoin Billionaire Challenge by Shaddow on Tiktok The Music Artist known as Shaddow who started the Bitcoin Billionaire Dance Challenge with his song "Bitcoin Billionaire" Shaddow's Bitcoin Billionaire single was produced by Tre 8 in 2017. His motivation for making his version of the song was to sensitize people on the unlimited possibilities of making a fortune with cryptocurrency. His intention was to encourage more people to use bitcoin and cryptocurrency around the world. The artist, best known for his Street-Jazz style of music, had this response when interviewed: "You know I saw myself as being a bitcoin billionaire" he said. "It's spread out amongst the people so that every man and woman got a shot at becoming a millionaire or billionaire with cryptocurrency." The song is available on all major streaming platforms including YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, iHeart Radio, Spotify and Amazon. This challenge creates an opportunity for Shaddow's fans all around the world to join and participate. It is a fun experience that is geared at bringing fans closer to the artist. The fans are required to record a dance video to the song "Bitcoin Billionaire" and post it on Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or any other social media platform. The challenge is open to anyone who would like to participate. After recording the video, the fans and followers are expected to post it with the tag #BitcoinBillionaireChallenge for it to reach him. The contest runs all the way until September, 20th, 2020. The winner will get $50 worth of Bitcoin sent to their phone bitcoin wallet. The artist made it clear that fans should feel free to send him a message with the link to their video and he would see it personally. He noted that he will make an effort to respond to every single message. Fans can follow him on all social media; twitter Facebook, Tiktok and Instagram @ Shaddowmusic. He also gave out his number, +1 (817) 587-3433, for fans to reach him easily through text. #BitcoinBillionaireChallenge is one of several channels that Shaddow is creating in an effort to interact directly with his fans both for his music and his JDM car culture. This announcement comes just soon enough after the launch of ShaddowRyderz Army (SRA); a black-owned streaming site that opens up his life to his Army (Which is the term he uses to emphasize that the gathering of his fans is an unstoppable force for change). The artist has gone further and had special T-shirts, called The Bitcoin Billionaire Brigade, made to promote the challenge. The contestants can get them on teespring.com. Some fans have already taken to the challenge and posted their videos on Tiktok. Bitcoin Billionaire Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/album/0o1K614RT4lAOp1p4kUPip Bitcoin Billionaire T-Shirt link: https://teespring.com/the-bitcoin-billionaire-brigad Bitcoin Billionaire Tiktok link: https://vm.tiktok.com/JRkFcuC/ Official website link: http://www.shaddowmusic.com/ Media contact: Shaddow Music [email protected] 817-587-3433 SOURCE Shaddowryderz Army Enterprises LLC Related Links http://www.shaddowmusic.com/ HAMILTON, Bermuda, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Afiniti, the world's leading applied artificial intelligence provider of enterprise behavioral pairing solutions, today announced that Dame Jennifer Smith, 7th Premier of Bermuda, and Peter Riepenhausen, Chairman of The Resource Group, have been appointed members of Afiniti's Board of Directors. Dame Jennifer Smith was the first female Senator, first female Deputy Speaker, and first female Premier of Bermuda. She led the Progressive Labor Party to its first general election victory in Bermudan history, and is the only leader from the Progressive Labor Party to win two consecutive general elections. Prior to joining elective politics, Dame Jennifer was a political reporter and editor for the Bermuda Recorder newspaper. She is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders and was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005. "Afiniti's mission to generate economic benefits while improving human interactions is a powerful one," said Dame Jennifer. "I look forward to continuing to further increase my involvement in the technology sector and contributing my areas of expertise to the fourth industrial revolution." Peter Riepenhausen is the Chairman of The Resource Group, the principal shareholder of Afiniti. Mr. Riepenhausen previously held positions at PepsiCo where he was responsible for global operations outside of the Americas, at Align Technology where he was Chairman of Europe, at ReSound where he was CEO and President, at Blendax-Werke where he was CEO, and at the Cooper Companies where he was Vice Chairman. Riepenhausen said of joining the board, "Afiniti has built an internationally recognized technology business at the forefront of artificial intelligence advancement. I have been following the unicorn's rise since its inception in 2005 and am looking forward to assist in its next stage of growth evolutions." Zia Chishti, CEO and Chairman of Afiniti's Board of Directors, commented: "Dame Jennifer and Mr. Riepenhausen are extraordinary individuals that will bring great talent and experience to the Afiniti Board. Afiniti welcomes them to their new roles, and looks forward to working with them in the years to come." Following this announcement, Afiniti's Board of Directors is comprised of: Hasnain Aslam , CIO, The Resource Group , CIO, The Resource Group HE Jose Maria Aznar , 6th President of Spain , 6th President of Larry Babbio , Former President of Verizon , Former President of Verizon Zia Chishti (Chairman), CEO of Afiniti (Chairman), CEO of Afiniti Peter Riepenhausen, Chairman, The Resource Group Dame Jennifer Smith , 7th Premier of Bermuda , 7th Premier of Secretary John Snow , 73rd US Treasury Secretary To learn more, please visit https://www.afiniti.com/board-of-directors Media Inquiries [email protected] About Afiniti Afiniti is reinventing how businesses communicate with their customers. It uses patented, award-winning artificial intelligence to identify subtle and valuable patterns of human interaction in order to pair individuals on the basis of behavior, leading to more successful interactions and measurable increases in enterprise profitability. Afiniti operates throughout the world to measurably drive incremental value to its clients, which include companies in healthcare, telecommunications, travel, hospitality, utility, insurance, and banking, among other industries with large, consumer-facing operations. Afiniti has over 150 deployments in major enterprises and has optimized more than 600,000 agents and 700 million customers. Afiniti's technology continually learns and improves, analyzing 1.3 million interactions every day to refine its pairings. To learn more, please visit www.afiniti.com. SOURCE Afiniti Upon hearing the news of the death of Benedict XVIs brother, Msgr Georg Ratzinger, on Wednesday, 1 July, the Holy Father sent a letter of condolence to the Pope emeritus, offering support and prayers. The following is a translation of Francis words. To His Holiness Benedict XVI Pope Emeritus You had the sensitivity to be the first to inform me of the news of the death of your beloved brother, Msgr Georg. I wish to renew my deepest sympathy and spiritual closeness to you in this moment of sorrow. I assure you of my prayers of suffrage for your dear departed one, so that the Lord of life, in his merciful goodness, may welcome him into heaven and grant him the reward that awaits the faithful servants of the Gospel. I also pray for you, Your Holiness, invoking the Father through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for the support of Christian hope and tender divine consolation. Always united in faith in the Risen Christ, source of hope and peace. With filial and fraternal devotion Francis From the Vatican, 2 July 2020 Burns & McDonnell India has earned this recognition by excelling in the five dimensions of building a high-trust, high-performance culture: fairness, credibility, respect, pride and camaraderie. Great Place to Work Institute annually conducts a study on workplace culture and recognizes the Best Workplaces, in India as well as globally. The company scored high in areas like camaraderie, integrity, contributing, employee benefits and welcoming new employees. The study represents the voice of more than 2.1 million employees across more than 21 industries in India. "Creating and maintaining a safe and great place to work is ingrained in our culture at Burns & McDonnell India," says Justin Sherman, chief executive officer, Burns & McDonnell India. "We are honored to be recognized again as a great place to work. As employee-owners, we take pride in making our company a great place to work and making each and every person successful." Burns & McDonnell India received nearly 3,500 applications for employment during the last year with satisfied employees maintaining an attractive retention rate. One of the greatest steps taken by the organization last year was to implement a Share Appreciation Plan for all its employees, making Burns & McDonnell India one of those few organizations offering such a benefit across its entire organization. For photos and support materials, please visit our MEDIA KIT. About Burns & McDonnell Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 7,600 engineers, construction professionals, architects, planners, technologists and scientists. With an integrated construction and design mindset, we offer full-service capabilities with more than 55 offices, globally. Burns & McDonnell India was established in Mumbai in 2013 as a 100% subsidiary. About Great Place to Work The Great Place To Work Institute is an independent research and consulting company that is dedicated to building a better society by helping companies transform their workplaces. Great Place to Work conducts study on workplace culture and employee engagement and identifies India's Best Companies to Work For across 20-plus industries. Contact: Mary Young, Burns & McDonnell 816-822-4369 [email protected] SOURCE Burns & McDonnell LONDON, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 3rd, the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) of the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis reduced the minimum contribution families must make to become economic citizens. Now, families of four contribute US$150,000, instead of US$195,000, to the Sustainable Growth Fund under the country's Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme. The offer is temporary, valid from July 3rd, 2020, until December 31, 2020. The measure comes in response to the economic impact of COVID-19 on the country. Although St Kitts and Nevis has had no related deaths and only 15 cases, the government is using this family-friendly CBI offer as an economic safety net. The proceeds would address unemployment, support those whose income has been affected, and assist the country in continuing to fight COVID-19 efficiently. "St Kitts and Nevis is the safest, most beautiful and prosperous country in the Caribbean to offer economic citizenship and we remain so during these difficult times," said Prime Minister Timothy Harris. "We are now delighted to offer for a limited period while the world grapples with the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic all of the benefits of full economic citizenship at an even more competitive rate for families, and with a new paper-free application process," commented Les Khan, the CEO of the CIU. In light of COVID-19, authorised agents who are mandatory to apply through can temporarily submit applications online. The new offer only applies to the fund option, which remains the fastest route to citizenship from St Kitts and Nevis. In addition to the financial contribution, all applicants must pass the Programme's due diligence checks. "St Kitts and Nevis is the cradle of citizenship by investment," says Paul Singh, Director of government advisory and official marketing promotor CS Global Partners. "Established in 1984, the CBI Programme continues to attract some of the finest and most knowledgeable investors who want the best for their families. Many applicants will be pleased to learn of this time-limited offer, also knowing that, in the process, they are assisting struggling families get back on their feet." Once successful, the new citizens earn the right to live, work and study in St Kitts and Nevis. They can enjoy visa-free and visa-on-arrival travel to 156 destinations, with Foreign Minister Mark Brantley continuing to establish more visa waiver agreements worldwide. Contact: [email protected] www.csglobalpartners.com SOURCE CS Global Partners Related Links https://csglobalpartners.com NEW YORK, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A concerning fallout from the March COVID-19 shutdown has been the disastrous drop in cancer screenings. This worrisome discovery is according to a study in May by Epic Health Research Network. A review of data from 39 health systems from 190 hospitals in 23 states, found alarming statistics: prostate specific antigen (PSA) screenings for detecting prostate cancer fell by 60 percent. "In my years as a urologist and prostate cancer surgeon, I've never been more concerned for my patients than now," exclaimed Dr. David Samadi, Director of Men's Health and Urologic Oncologist at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York. "By putting off preventive services and screenings to avoid potential exposure to COVID-19, will very likely lead to another huge health crisis of a significant increase in undiagnosed cancer cases in the next few years." Approximately 2.7 million people were included in this study, of which each had at least one preventive screening for cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer from 2017 to early 2020. Both cervical and breast cancer screenings dropped a whopping 94 percent in March 2020 and colorectal cancer screenings fell 86 percent when compared to the averages in 2017 to 2019. The National Cancer Institute also has concerns as they are predicting that the COVID-19 pandemic will result in nearly 10,000 additional deaths due to breast cancer and colorectal cancer over the next decade. "In my specialty of prostate cancer, early-stage prostate cancer, can withstand a delay of a few months in screening due to their slow-growing nature," explained Dr. Samadi. "But men with an undetected, more advanced or aggressive prostate cancer growing inside of them, long delays in screenings can mean the difference between life and death." Most clinics and hospitals have slowly gone back to business as usual; however many patients are still avoiding medical facilities with fears of contracting the virus if they come in for a preventive cancer screening. Healthcare professionals working in hospitals and clinics have been trained and are practicing extreme care and caution since COVID-19. They are going the extra mile of taking everyone's temperature, requiring face masks, practicing social distancing and frequent hand washing between patients and sanitizing each room and piece of equipment between procedures. "No medical facility wants any patient to contract COVID-19. Preventive cancer screenings are safer than ever and are absolutely essential for finding and treating cancer even during a pandemic," advised Dr. Samadi. "Cancer doesn't go away during pandemics. Cancer is a time-sensitive disease and early detection is our best way to beat it back which is why preventive screenings are key. Let's avoid a second health crisis of a spike in cancer cases by returning to routine cancer screenings." Dr. David Samadi is the Director of Men's Health and Urologic Oncology at St. Francis Hospital in Long Island. He's a renowned and highly successful board certified Urologic Oncologist Expert and Robotic Surgeon in New York City, regarded as one of the leading prostate surgeons in the U.S., with a vast expertise in prostate cancer treatment and Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy. Visit Dr. Samadi's websites at robotic oncology and prostate cancer 911. Contact: David Samadi, 212-365-5000, [email protected] SOURCE RoboticOncology Related Links www.roboticoncology.com DUBLIN, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Pressure Relief Devices Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global pressure relief devices market grew at a CAGR of 4% during 2014-2019. A pressure relief device refers to a cushioned appliance that is used to minimize pressure and friction between various body parts, such as shoulders, elbows, heels and hip bone. It is usually filled with water, gel or foam and is also used for providing relief to patients suffering from pressure ulcers caused by the lack of mobility post-treatment or surgery. Some of the common types of pressure relief devices include static air mattresses, foam- and gel-based mattresses, and dynamic air therapy and kinetic beds. These devices ensure that the patient's skin is not deprived of oxygen by continuously being compressed under the bodyweight, thereby minimizing the development of sores or ulcers. The increasing prevalence of pressure ulcers, along with rising awareness regarding the available treatment options for diabetic ulcers, is one of the key factors driving the growth of the market. Furthermore, the rising geriatric population across the globe is also providing a boost to the market growth. The aging population is highly susceptible to terminal illnesses that require a prolonged hospital stay and limited bodily movements to maximize recovery. This enhances the risks of developing pressure ulcers and other associated issues, thereby increasing the overall product demand. Increasing awareness among the masses regarding the availability of technologically advanced devices is also acting as a growth-inducing factor. Manufacturers are focusing on developing product variants that speed up the healing process and ensure a painless recovery experience for the patient. Other factors, including rising healthcare expenditures and improving healthcare infrastructure, along with the continual launch of innovative products by key industry players, are projected to drive the market further. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to exhibit stable growth during the next five years. The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Acelity, Apex Medical Corp., ArjoHuntleigh, Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare Ltd. (Sidhil Limited), Hill-Rom Services Inc., Invacare, Medtronic, Paramount Bed Holdings Co. Ltd., Stryker Corporation, Talley Group Ltd., etc. Key Questions Answered in this Report: How has the global pressure relief devices market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years? What are the key regional markets? What is the breakup of the market based on the device type? What is the breakup of the market based on the end-user? What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry? What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry? What is the structure of the global pressure relief devices market and who are the key players? What is the degree of competition in the industry? Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface 2 Scope and Methodology 2.1 Objectives of the Study 2.2 Stakeholders 2.3 Data Sources 2.3.1 Primary Sources 2.3.2 Secondary Sources 2.4 Market Estimation 2.4.1 Bottom-Up Approach 2.4.2 Top-Down Approach 2.5 Forecasting Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 4.1 Overview 4.2 Key Industry Trends 5 Global Pressure Relief Devices Market 5.1 Market Overview 5.2 Market Performance 5.3 Market Forecast 6 Market Breakup by Device Type 6.1 Low-tech devices 6.1.1 Market Trends 6.1.2 Major Types 6.1.2.1 Foam-Based Mattress 6.1.2.2 Gel-Based Mattress 6.1.2.3 Fiber Filled Mattress 6.1.2.4 Water/Fluid Filled Mattress 6.1.2.5 Air Filled Mattress 6.1.2.6 Others 6.1.3 Market Forecast 6.2 High-tech Devices 6.2.1 Market Trends 6.2.2 Major Types 6.2.2.1 Dynamic Air Therapy Beds 6.2.2.2 Kinetic Beds 6.2.2.3 Others 6.2.3 Market Forecast 7 Market Breakup by End-User 7.1 Hospitals 7.1.1 Market Trends 7.1.2 Market Forecast 7.2 Clinics 7.2.1 Market Trends 7.2.2 Market Forecast 7.3 Long-term Care Centers 7.3.1 Market Trends 7.3.2 Market Forecast 7.4 Others 7.4.1 Market Trends 7.4.2 Market Forecast 8 Market Breakup by Region 8.1 North America 8.1.1 United States 8.1.1.1 Market Trends 8.1.1.2 Market Forecast 8.1.2 Canada 8.1.2.1 Market Trends 8.1.2.2 Market Forecast 8.2 Asia Pacific 8.2.1 China 8.2.1.1 Market Trends 8.2.1.2 Market Forecast 8.2.2 Japan 8.2.2.1 Market Trends 8.2.2.2 Market Forecast 8.2.3 India 8.2.3.1 Market Trends 8.2.3.2 Market Forecast 8.2.4 South Korea 8.2.4.1 Market Trends 8.2.4.2 Market Forecast 8.2.5 Australia 8.2.5.1 Market Trends 8.2.5.2 Market Forecast 8.2.6 Indonesia 8.2.6.1 Market Trends 8.2.6.2 Market Forecast 8.2.7 Others 8.2.7.1 Market Trends 8.2.7.2 Market Forecast 8.3 Europe 8.3.1 Germany 8.3.1.1 Market Trends 8.3.1.2 Market Forecast 8.3.2 France 8.3.2.1 Market Trends 8.3.2.2 Market Forecast 8.3.3 United Kingdom 8.3.3.1 Market Trends 8.3.3.2 Market Forecast 8.3.4 Italy 8.3.4.1 Market Trends 8.3.4.2 Market Forecast 8.3.5 Spain 8.3.5.1 Market Trends 8.3.5.2 Market Forecast 8.3.6 Russia 8.3.6.1 Market Trends 8.3.6.2 Market Forecast 8.3.7 Others 8.3.7.1 Market Trends 8.3.7.2 Market Forecast 8.4 Latin America 8.4.1 Brazil 8.4.1.1 Market Trends 8.4.1.2 Market Forecast 8.4.2 Mexico 8.4.2.1 Market Trends 8.4.2.2 Market Forecast 8.4.3 Others 8.4.3.1 Market Trends 8.4.3.2 Market Forecast 8.5 Middle East and Africa 8.5.1 Market Trends 8.5.2 Market Breakup by Country 8.5.3 Market Forecast 9 SWOT Analysis 9.1 Overview 9.2 Strengths 9.3 Weaknesses 9.4 Opportunities 9.5 Threats 10 Value Chain Analysis 11 Porters Five Forces Analysis 11.1 Overview 11.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers 11.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers 11.4 Degree of Competition 11.5 Threat of New Entrants 11.6 Threat of Substitutes 12 Price Indicators 13 Competitive Landscape 13.1 Market Structure 13.2 Key Players 13.3 Profiles of Key Players 13.3.1 Acelity 13.3.1.1 Company Overview 13.3.1.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.2 Apex Medical Corp. 13.3.2.1 Company Overview 13.3.2.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.2.3 Financials 13.3.3 ArjoHuntleigh 13.3.3.1 Company Overview 13.3.3.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.4 Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare Ltd (Sidhil Limited) 13.3.4.1 Company Overview 13.3.4.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.5 Hill-Rom Services Inc. 13.3.5.1 Company Overview 13.3.5.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.6 Invacare 13.3.6.1 Company Overview 13.3.6.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.6.3 Financials 13.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis 13.3.7 Medtronic 13.3.7.1 Company Overview 13.3.7.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.8 Paramount Bed Holdings Co. Ltd. 13.3.8.1 Company Overview 13.3.8.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.8.3 Financials 13.3.9 Stryker Corporation 13.3.9.1 Company Overview 13.3.9.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.9.3 Financials 13.3.9.4 SWOT Analysis 13.3.10 Talley Group Limited 13.3.10.1 Company Overview 13.3.10.2 Product Portfolio For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1tzgmu Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. 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 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com AUSTIN, Minn., July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a global branded food company, today announced it will be donating up to $300,000 to three organizations to help support education and equity as part of its Inspired Giving program. The donation will include matching donations by team members and retired alumni who want to join the company in its donation. Inspired Giving is part of the company's new spotlight giving program that matches worthwhile causes and charities with the company's core pillars of education, hunger and supporting communities. The company will be spotlighting other causes and charities that meet certain criteria with a company match. This is in addition to the company's current charitable efforts that has donated more than $50 million in cash and products to worthy causes over the last five years. The company's Inclusion and Diversity Guiding Coalition selected three organizations for the first spotlight charities campaign, announced during the company's global Inspired People Town Hall. The featured organizations include: Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the UNCF. "Being a good corporate citizen is about more than just writing a check to worthwhile causes, it's about making a difference and doing our part every day to lift up our communities and use our size and position as a global branded food company to make a difference through our philanthropic pillars of education, food security and community support," said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer, Hormel Foods. "As a company that is inclusive in all that we do, we decided to let our team members choose how we should launch our Inspired Giving program and I am incredibly proud of the organizations and partnerships they selected." Gerald Meux, foodservice area manager, and Xavier Morgan, foodservice territory manager, led the company's Inclusion and Diversity Guiding Coalition in the selection of the causes. Both members are part of HAARG Hormel African American Resource Group one of nine employee resource groups at Hormel Foods that all have a voice on the company's Inclusion and Diversity Guiding Coalition. "To have the executive leadership team at Hormel Foods look to the Inclusion and Diversity Guiding Coalition to determine what charitable organizations will receive the first donations of our Inspired Giving platform was a great opportunity and shows the continued commitment our company has to inclusion and diversity," said Meux. "We all look forward to being a part of the process to help select other great charitable organizations Hormel Foods will support in the future." "It is imperative to support organizations that are helping to change the world when it comes to social injustice reform," said Morgan. "Not only do these organizations fit our Hormel Foods philanthropic pillars, but they also help address some of the issues at its roots through policy reform. I am committed to continuing to do the work to help better our world and I am thrilled to work for a company that is a great corporate citizen." According to Danielle Journo, manager of inclusion and talent development at Hormel Foods, embracing diversity means understanding and recognizing that each of us is unique and our differences are our greatest strength. "At Hormel Foods, we believe that everyone has a role to play in inclusion and diversity," said Journo. "We also have individuals who are working every day to create a culture of belonging, value and respect. We have talented team members driving meaningful initiatives forward as part of our Inclusion and Diversity Guiding Coalition. For us, the power is in the collective. Together, we can and will go far." ABOUT HORMEL FOODS Inspired People. Inspired Food.Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, Wholly, Hormel Black Label, Columbus, Happy Little Plants and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three straight years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for 11 years in a row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement Inspired People. Inspired Food. to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/. SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation Related Links http://www.hormel.com DUBLIN, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Airport Information Systems Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global airport information systems market is currently witnessing a stable growth. An airport information system (AIS) refers to a collection of various technological solutions that are majorly used for displaying flight information to passengers at the airports. It uses electronic or mechanical television screens that are located around the terminal, while the virtual versions of the systems are displayed on the website of the airports. AIS includes the airport operation control center (AOCC) that is responsible for cargo handling, flight dispatch, maintenance management and crew management, along with the departure control system (DCS) that is responsible for passenger check-in and boarding, weather monitoring and flight information display. Significant growth in the aviation industry is one of the key factors driving the growth of the market. Furthermore, the integration of AIS with various advanced technologies, such as near-field communications, video analytics, geolocation, thermal sensors and 3D face recognition, at airport terminals across the globe, is also providing a boost to the market growth. Authorities are employing these solutions to streamline operations and enhance the overall experience of the passengers. Additionally, the widespread adoption of baggage handling systems is acting as another growth-inducing factor. For instance, various airlines are introducing innovative baggage tag devices that are attached to the luggage for assisting in tracking and handling operations at the airport. Other factors, including the rising demand for self-service and automated processes, along with increasing investments to improve the existing infrastructure at the airports, are projected to drive the market further. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to grow at a CAGR of 3.3% during 2020-2025. Key Questions Answered in this Report: How has the global airport information systems market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years? What are the key regional markets in the global airport information systems industry? What is the breakup of the market based on the type? What is the breakup of the market based on the system? What is the breakup of the market based on the airport? What is the breakup of the market based on the software? What is the breakup of the market based on the cost? What is the breakup of the market based on the application? What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry? What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry? What is the structure of the global airport information systems market and who are the key players? What is the degree of competition in the industry? The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Advantech Co. Ltd., Airport Information Systems, Amadeus IT Group, CGI Inc., Damarel Systems International Limited, Exelis Inc., IBM Corporation, Ikusi, Indra Sistemas, Inform GmbH, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RESA, Rockwell Collins, Siemens AG, SITA, TAV Technologies, Thales Group, Ultra Electronics, etc. Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface 2 Scope and Methodology 2.1 Objectives of the Study 2.2 Stakeholders 2.3 Data Sources 2.3.1 Primary Sources 2.3.2 Secondary Sources 2.4 Market Estimation 2.4.1 Bottom-Up Approach 2.4.2 Top-Down Approach 2.5 Forecasting Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 4.1 Overview 4.2 Key Industry Trends 5 Global Airport Information Systems Market 5.1 Market Overview 5.2 Market Performance 5.3 Market Forecast 6 Market Breakup by Type 6.1 Terminal Side 6.1.1 Market Trends 6.1.2 Market Forecast 6.2 Air Side 6.2.1 Market Trends 6.2.2 Market Forecast 7 Market Breakup by System 7.1 Airport Operation Control Center 7.1.1 Market Trends 7.1.2 Market Forecast 7.2 Departure Control System 7.2.1 Market Trends 7.2.2 Market Forecast 8 Market Breakup by Airport 8.1 Class A Airports 8.1.1 Market Trends 8.1.2 Market Forecast 8.2 Class B Airports 8.2.1 Market Trends 8.2.2 Market Forecast 8.3 Class C Airports 8.3.1 Market Trends 8.3.2 Market Forecast 8.4 Others 8.4.1 Market Trends 8.4.2 Market Forecast 9 Market Breakup by End-Use 9.1 Passenger Systems 9.1.1 Market Trends 9.1.2 Market Forecast 9.2 Non-Passenger Systems 9.2.1 Market Trends 9.2.2 Market Forecast 10 Market Breakup by Cost 10.1 Operating Cost 10.1.1 Market Trends 10.1.2 Market Forecast 10.2 Procurement Cost 10.2.1 Market Trends 10.2.2 Market Forecast 10.3 Integration Cost 10.3.1 Market Trends 10.3.2 Market Forecast 11 Market Breakup by Application 11.1 Finance & Operations 11.1.1 Market Trends 11.1.2 Market Forecast 11.2 Maintenance 11.2.1 Market Trends 11.2.2 Market Forecast 11.3 Ground Handling 11.3.1 Market Trends 11.3.2 Market Forecast 11.4 Security 11.4.1 Market Trends 11.4.2 Market Forecast 11.5 Others 11.5.1 Market Trends 11.5.2 Market Forecast 12 Market Breakup by Region 12.1 North America 12.1.1 United States 12.1.1.1 Market Trends 12.1.1.2 Market Forecast 12.1.2 Canada 12.1.2.1 Market Trends 12.1.2.2 Market Forecast 12.2 Asia Pacific 12.2.1 China 12.2.1.1 Market Trends 12.2.1.2 Market Forecast 12.2.2 Japan 12.2.2.1 Market Trends 12.2.2.2 Market Forecast 12.2.3 India 12.2.3.1 Market Trends 12.2.3.2 Market Forecast 12.2.4 South Korea 12.2.4.1 Market Trends 12.2.4.2 Market Forecast 12.2.5 Australia 12.2.5.1 Market Trends 12.2.5.2 Market Forecast 12.2.6 Indonesia 12.2.6.1 Market Trends 12.2.6.2 Market Forecast 12.2.7 Others 12.2.7.1 Market Trends 12.2.7.2 Market Forecast 12.3 Europe 12.3.1 Germany 12.3.1.1 Market Trends 12.3.1.2 Market Forecast 12.3.2 France 12.3.2.1 Market Trends 12.3.2.2 Market Forecast 12.3.3 United Kingdom 12.3.3.1 Market Trends 12.3.3.2 Market Forecast 12.3.4 Italy 12.3.4.1 Market Trends 12.3.4.2 Market Forecast 12.3.5 Spain 12.3.5.1 Market Trends 12.3.5.2 Market Forecast 12.3.6 Russia 12.3.6.1 Market Trends 12.3.6.2 Market Forecast 12.3.7 Others 12.3.7.1 Market Trends 12.3.7.2 Market Forecast 12.4 Latin America 12.4.1 Brazil 12.4.1.1 Market Trends 12.4.1.2 Market Forecast 12.4.2 Mexico 12.4.2.1 Market Trends 12.4.2.2 Market Forecast 12.4.3 Others 12.4.3.1 Market Trends 12.4.3.2 Market Forecast 12.5 Middle East and Africa 12.5.1 Market Trends 12.5.2 Market Breakup by Country 12.5.3 Market Forecast 13 SWOT Analysis 13.1 Overview 13.2 Strengths 13.3 Weaknesses 13.4 Opportunities 13.5 Threats 14 Value Chain Analysis 15 Porters Five Forces Analysis 15.1 Overview 15.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers 15.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers 15.4 Degree of Competition 15.5 Threat of New Entrants 15.6 Threat of Substitutes 16 Competitive Landscape 16.1 Market Structure 16.2 Key Players 16.3 Profiles of Key Players 16.3.1 Advantech Co. Ltd. 16.3.1.1 Company Overview 16.3.1.2 Product Portfolio 16.3.1.3 Financials 16.3.2 Airport Information Systems 16.3.3 Amadeus IT Group 16.3.4 CGI Inc. 16.3.5 Damarel Systems International Limited 16.3.6 Exelis Inc. 16.3.7 IBM 16.3.8 Ikusi 16.3.9 Indra Sistemas 16.3.10 Inform GmbH 16.3.11 Lockheed Martin 16.3.12 Northrop Grumman 16.3.13 RESA 16.3.14 Rockwell Collins 16.3.15 Siemens AG 16.3.16 SITA 16.3.17 TAV Technologies 16.3.18 Thales Group 16.3.19 Ultra Electronics For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rwp5nk Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. 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 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com DUBLIN, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Reefer Container Leasing - Global Market Outlook (2018-2027)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Reefer Container Leasing Market is growing at a CAGR of 17.8% during 2018-2027. Growing power of leasing players is the major factor propelling the market growth. However, factor such as fluctuations in reefer container prices is hampering the market growth. Reefers Container Leasing are refrigerated containers that continuously deliver air from the bottom of the container to share out uniform chillness across the container through specific T-shaped decking. These containers are used to carry pharmaceutical products as well as food and beverage. Based on the end user, the food and beverage segment is estimated to have a lucrative growth due to the growing demand for processed and ready-to-eat food by the consumers. Apart from significant growth in APAC and Latin America, matured regions such as North America and Europe are processing natural and organic food over processed food. F&B manufacturers adopt container leasing over purchasing as cost cutting supply chain techniques to reduce their overall cost. By geography, Asia Pacific is likely to have a huge demand due to the presence of several established drug manufacturers that contribute to the exponential medical product sales in this region. Also, the increasing population contribute to the demand for perishable food items such as fresh and processed foods, meat, poultry, and dairy. Growing sale of medical products and perishable food will drive the growth for reefer container leasing in this region. Some of the key players profiled in the Reefer Container Leasing Market include Beacon Intermodal Leasing, Textainer, SeaCube Container Leasing, Seaco, CAI International and Triton International. What our report offers: Market share assessments for the regional and country-level segments Strategic recommendations for the new entrants Covers Market data for the years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023 and 2027 Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations) Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements Key Topics Covered: 1 Executive Summary 2 Preface 2.1 Abstract 2.2 Stake Holders 2.3 Research Scope 2.4 Research Methodology 2.4.1 Data Mining 2.4.2 Data Analysis 2.4.3 Data Validation 2.4.4 Research Approach 2.5 Research Sources 2.5.1 Primary Research Sources 2.5.2 Secondary Research Sources 2.5.3 Assumptions 3 Market Trend Analysis 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Drivers 3.3 Restraints 3.4 Opportunities 3.5 Threats 3.6 End User Analysis 3.7 Emerging Markets 3.8 Impact of Covid-19 4 Porters Five Force Analysis 4.1 Bargaining power of suppliers 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers 4.3 Threat of substitutes 4.4 Threat of new entrants 4.5 Competitive rivalry 5 Global Reefer Container Leasing Leasing Market, By End User 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Food and Beverage 5.3 Pharmaceutical 6 Global Reefer Container Leasing Market, By Geography 6.1 Introduction 6.2 North America 6.2.1 US 6.2.2 Canada 6.2.3 Mexico 6.3 Europe 6.3.1 Germany 6.3.2 UK 6.3.3 Italy 6.3.4 France 6.3.5 Spain 6.3.6 Rest of Europe 6.4 Asia Pacific 6.4.1 Japan 6.4.2 China 6.4.3 India 6.4.4 Australia 6.4.5 New Zealand 6.4.6 South Korea 6.4.7 Rest of Asia Pacific 6.5 South America 6.5.1 Argentina 6.5.2 Brazil 6.5.3 Chile 6.5.4 Rest of South America 6.6 Middle East & Africa 6.6.1 Saudi Arabia 6.6.2 UAE 6.6.3 Qatar 6.6.4 South Africa 6.6.5 Rest of Middle East & Africa 7 Key Developments 7.1 Agreements, Partnerships, Collaborations and Joint Ventures 7.2 Acquisitions & Mergers 7.3 New Product Launch 7.4 Expansions 7.5 Other Key Strategies 8 Company Profiling 8.1 Beacon Intermodal Leasing 8.2 Textainer 8.3 SeaCube Container Leasing 8.4 Seaco 8.5 CAI International 8.6 Triton International For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qo4bo9 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. 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 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com LOS ANGELES, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A highly anticipated 5 song EP from L.A. based rock band, The Unwoken, each song speaks volumes about current political turmoil, social uprisings, and the need for justice with those oppressed. First released in May 2019, the EP titled Some Lives Matter has sparked curiosity as well as interests in both the lyrical content and emotionally charged musical performances. Though the band has halted current live shows given the COVID19 outbreak, the music however has connected with listeners finding inspiration in a time of uncertainty through live radio and internet interviews. Album Cover The Unwoken Live Show Recorded in the summer of 2018 in Hollywood, California at EastWest Studios with producer and engineer Les Camacho, vocalist and bassist Albert Ramirez tells a story about a person who time travels warning the past about future discord and a slow dystopia with a singular message of hope. "Prescient, timely, relevant, and most importantly it rocks out hard" (June 2020 Luis Mora, online music review). With growing presence on Facebook and Spotify the band is working on releasing additional songs for the winter of 2020. This 4-piece rock group is building upon this movement in a time that calls upon its listeners to take action for the November 2020 elections. "Some Lives Matter is a heavy song, both in lyrical content and musical delivery. I think the message conveys is relevant to the world at large and very reflective of the racial and political tension in the U.S" (April 2020 Song Review). With so much occurring in the United States and around the world, The Unwoken will continue to support those fighting for a voice and offering a musical outlet for its audiences. You can find their music on social media and official website. The Unwoken FB: https://www.facebook.com/theunwoken/?modal=admin_todo_tour The Unwoken Website: https://www.theunwokenmusic.com The Unwoken Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4v5MBUyaxZ4f9jJVCQ6w1A?fbclid=IwAR0ZjouaBj6mJ5BwWitHq9mbIOyLDULwAm6m67QSFy_X-lZjZLfYq9V_YMA Contact: Albert Ramirez Phone: 310.864.3383 Email: [email protected] SOURCE The Unwoken Related Links https://www.theunwokenmusic.com Yuri Bender, the PWM Editor-in-Chief, focuses on the economic impact CBI has on the Federation's economy. In the first chapter, he suggests that St Kitts and Nevis has hidden treasures that garner great demand from foreign investors. Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris says that diversifying the agricultural sector is one of the new areas to benefit from CBI contributions. "We have come to St Kitts and Nevis to examine the role of Citizenship by Investment in helping the islands transform their economy and adapt to a changing world," says Bender. "As in the past, the hidden treasures of the Caribbean islands are once more in great demand from foreign visitors," he explains. "When the CBI Programme was first formulated, it was intended to provide our country a new pathway for economic development," PM Harris explains. "We have seen the benefits of that vision being realised, with significant job creation opportunities, high earnings for persons involved in the construction sector, the addition of some top-class hotel facilities [] We are looking at new areas of engagement for the CBI Programme and new areas in which we can target to invest CBI flows, and agriculture diversification would certainly be one of these," the Prime Minister added. As the country with the oldest CBI Programme in the world, St Kitts and Nevis is generally known as the 'Platinum Standard'. It offers foreign investors the fastest route to second citizenship through the fund option. To qualify, applicants must pass the due diligence checks, complete the necessary documentation and contribute at least US$150,000 to the Sustainable Growth Fund. In return, 'economic citizens' earn the right to live, work and study in St Kitts and Nevis. They can travel visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival to 156 countries and territories, a list that keeps growing thanks to Foreign Minister Mark Brantley's diplomatic efforts. Future generations could also inherit the citizenship. [email protected] www.csglobalpartners.com SOURCE CS Global Partners Related Links https://csglobalpartners.com/ NEW YORK, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area. You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network it's easy and free. Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform EXPERT ALERTS Wearing masks effectively Video Marketing Tips Expertise on cardiac surgery Helping sexual trauma victims in the military MEDIA JOBS OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES 5 Caribbean Travel Sites to Help Satisfy Your (Virtual) Wanderlust Blog Profiles: Homeschooling Blogs Wearing masks effectively John Schwind Co-Inventor, ReadiMask President Global Safety First "It's the seal that makes for a safer mask." Now, amid the coronavirus pandemic, lots of people are wearing masks. But that doesn't mean they're actually protecting themselves or the people with whom they come into contact. So how do you know your mask is effective? John Schwind, co-inventor of the ReadiMask, offers easy-to-follow tips to ensure that you have the safest mask possible. For example, is your mask a NIOSH-certified N-95? Do you know the origin of the manufacturer? (We see the scandal that continues to erupt over masks made in China.) Would your mask pass the "fit test" in medical settings? (A procedure to measure the efficacy of a mask after use.) Do they offer a preferred size for many women and children? Almost all manufacturers only offer a one-size-fits-all.) What about those pesky straps? Is there an alternative? Finally, and most important, does your mask ensure a tight seal? If it's as good as the manufacturer claims, is it capable of withstanding with a face shield hits from pepper spray? John Schwind can explain in simple non-technical English, the best way to evaluate the effectiveness your mask. "Show, don't tell" is the popular adage for all writers. If you want to try on a mask with a perfect seal, we'll be happy to send you samples. Then you can judge for yourself. Website: www.readimask.com Media contact: Tom Peric, [email protected] Video Marketing Tips Sharon Haver Online Marketing & Branding Expert, Entrepreneur FocusOnStyle.com "As the world transitioned to working from home, remote learning, and at home television broadcasts, we became accustomed to the relatability of what was on-screen daily. While business reopens, the ease and familiarity of being virtual will continue to shift the future landscape of getting you and your business out there." Sharon Haver, Founder of FocusOnStyle.com, says the Future of Your Business Relies on Authentic Storytelling As a small business owner, entrepreneur or consultant being "camera ready" was never a necessary element in your modern business tool kit - until now. Today's virtual world requires going beyond the equipment you need to deliver a great remote presentation. Nailing your authentic visual storytelling is a must according to entrepreneur Sharon Haver, the founder of FocusOnStyle.com. Sharon can provide expert insights into using marketing videos and branding photos to stand out and confidently position yourself as the authority in your niche. Please view our latest press release for more from Sharon on the ins and outs of video marketing in 2020: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/video-marketing-tips-2020-sharon-haver-says-the-future-of-your-business-relies-on-authentic-visual-storytelling-301083567.html Website: https://focusonstyle.com Media contact: Nicole Dickerson, [email protected] Expertise on cardiac surgery Junaid H. Khan Director of Cardiovascular Service Sutter Health "As the director of cardiovascular service, I specialize in thoracic and cardiac surgery. I'm proud of our team of cardiac anesthesiologists, perfusionists and nurses; all of whom make it possible for me to deliver expert minimally invasive valve surgery." Khan can speak about adult thoracic and cardiac surgery, coronary artery bypass grafting, minimally invasive valve surgery and endoscopic mitral valve repair. Khan is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine. He completed his residency in general surgery, cardiac surgery and thoracic surgery at the University of California in San Francisco before working for two years in the UCSF research lab. He completed his fellowship at UCSF, specializing in thoracic and cardiac surgery. He is past president of the ABSMC, AHA and California Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Website: www.sutterhealth.org Media contact: Ashley Boarman, [email protected] Helping sexual trauma victims in the military Dr. Renee Carr Psychologist; Political & Corporate Advisor The Problem Solver, LLC "Sexual trauma happens almost every day in the military - for both men and women. The use of rank and command and reporting hierarchy makes it easy for crimes such as the death of Vanessa Guillen to not only keep happening but to also keep being covered-up." Dr. Carr applies psychology to help elected officials, CEOs, and entities such as the military create reform, rebuild, and transition. She can speak about Fort Hood, the death of Vanessa Guillen and military sexual trauma. https://www.linkedin.com/in/drreneecarr Website: https://www.theproblemsolver.co Media contact: Sasha Morgan, [email protected] **************** MEDIA JOBS: Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://www.cisionjobs.com/jobs/united-states/ ***************** OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES: Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected] 5 Caribbean Travel Sites to Help Satisfy Your (Virtual) Wanderlust. The travel industry has recently started on its long road to recovery. Even though some of us may not be comfortable with flying quite yet, that doesn't mean we can't start planning future getaways. Check out these blogs to satisfy your (virtual) wanderlust and start planning your next vacation.: https://prn.to/38p5zRp. BLOG PROFILES: HOMESCHOOLING blogs. Each week, we feature blogs we follow. This week is all about homeschooling blogs: https://prn.to/3dPJHQj. **************** PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To contact ProfNet: [email protected] or 800-776-3638, ext. 1 SOURCE ProfNet Related Links http://www.profnet.com India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signs documents during a joint news conference at Abe's official residence in Tokyo on October 29, 2018. Photo: VCG Warships from the Indian Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) conducted a joint exercise in the Indian Ocean on June 27, reported Indian media. Being described as a routine tactical training, the joint exercise was of a small scale with a limited number of forces from both sides, including the INS Rana (D52) and INS Kulish(P63), as well as JMSDFs JS Kashima (TV-3508) and JS Shimayuki(TV-3513), all training ships. The subjects of the exercise were not complicated either, mainly on tactical training and communication. Recently, India has had military clashes in several strategic directions with China, Pakistan, and Nepal. Against such a background, New Delhi hopes to take the joint exercise with Japan as an opportunity to stir hard-line public opinions in the country to reinforce its political stance. But this kind of agitation is actually a double-edged sword for India. It will boost its confidence, but will also stimulate nationalistic sentiments in the country that will eventually harm Indias interests. Over recent years, both India and Japan have the strategic need to expand the scope of their regional footprints and influence, and the two countries have seen closer defense security relations and faster development of mil-to-mil relations motivated by the US-initiated Indo-Pacific strategy. It is reported that the latest joint exercise is the 15th of its kind between Tokyo and New Delhi in the past three years. They also held a joint land exercisein 2018 and the Japan-India 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting was conductedin 2019. The two sides are in talks about an agreement on military logistics support. Such intimacy stems from their shared strategic interests and needs. Washingtons promotion of the Indo-Pacific Strategy has given a strong impetus to the escalation of the India-Japan military relationship. While Japan needs to send its military forces overseas, particularly entering the Indian Ocean to demonstrate its influence in this strategic region, India attaches great importance to its military relationship with Japan too, putting forth the Look East policy. The overall security situation in the Asian Pacific region is relatively stable at present without any massive military conflict or warfare. This is valuable stability that all regional countries should try to preserve. But if countries in the Asia-Pacific region reduce themselves to pawns in the US-pushed Indo-Pacific strategy, or take such a defensive stance to assist US, even adopting highly targeted and exclusive military actions to some extent, that will undoubtedly exert adverse effects on regional security and stability. (The author Wang Baofu, a former professor majoring in military strategy at the National Defense University of the PLA, is a special expert on the CCTV Military Channel.) Disclaimer: This article is originally published on cnr.cn and translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. Do you appreciate the work we do as the only independent media outlet dedicated to serving OU students, faculty, staff and alumni on campus and around the world for more than 100 years? Then consider helping fund our endeavors. Around the world, communities are grappling with what journalism is worth and how to fund the civic good that robust news organizations can generate. We believe The OU Daily and Crimson Quarterly magazine provide real value to this community both now by covering OU, and tomorrow by helping launch the careers of media professionals. If youre able, please SUPPORT US TODAY FOR AS LITTLE AS $1. You can make a one-time donation or a recurring pledge. BERWYN, Pa., July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- RM LAW, P.C. announces an investigation on behalf of CURO Group Holdings Corp. ("CURO" or the "Company") (NYSE: CURO) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws. If you purchased shares of CURO and would like to learn more about these claims or if you wish to discuss these matters and have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights, contact Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire toll-free at (844) 291-9299 or to sign up online, click here. Our investigation concerns the Company's response to a change in Canadian laws. In response to those changes, CURO began to develop a strategy to transition its Canadian business out of single-pay loans to installment and line of credit ("open-end") loan products. CURO assured the transition would be slow with minimal negative impact confined to the second quarter 2018. Though CURO consistently reaffirmed its full year 2018 ("FY18") financial guidance in its public statements, on October 24, 2018, CURO announced dismal third quarter 2018 results that widely missed analysts' expectations and revealed a staggering decline of 50% year-over-year in single-pay loan balances, culminating in a significant cut to the Company's FY18 guidance. On this news, CURO's stock price fell almost 34% to close at $15.12 per share. The stock has since continued to decline, currently trading at around $8. For more information regarding this, please contact RM LAW, P.C. (Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire) toll-free at (844) 291-9299 or by email at [email protected] or click here. For more information about class action cases in general or to learn more about RM LAW, P.C. please visit our website by clicking here. RM LAW, P.C. is a national shareholder litigation firm. RM LAW, P.C. is devoted to protecting the interests of individual and institutional investors in shareholder actions in state and federal courts nationwide. SOURCE RM LAW, P.C. Related Links http://www.rmclasslaw.com Powered by FleetEvaluator , Sandhills' proprietary asset valuation tool, the Used Price Index provides useful insights into the ever-changing supply-and-demand conditions for each industry. Buyers and sellers can use this market information to maximize returns on acquisition, liquidation, and related business decisions. The accompanying charts provide a sample of the data included in the current market report. As illustrated in these charts: The U.S. commercial trucking market continued its free fall throughout Q2, highlighted by a 15.72% year-over-year decline in used sleeper and day cab truck values. The 1.91% YOY uptick in the U.S. farm equipment market, which includes 100-horsepower or greater tractors, combines, and planters, shows a slight improvement in values for machines in the ag industry. Heavy duty construction equipment values took a hit during Q2, dropping 6.03% YOY. Tracking Market Data and Trends Over Time With billions of dollars in used equipment, trucks, and trailers sold annually across its retail, auction, and wholesale platforms, Sandhills is in an ideal position to monitor and analyze trends across multiple industries worldwide. The used inventory on TractorHouse.com, AuctionTime.com, MachineryTrader.com, TruckPaper.com, and Sandhills' other industry-leading websites and trade publications provide an enormous share of the data that Sandhills tracks for its analysis and reporting. Along with this data, Sandhills examines the market to discover the forces behind high-level inventory and average price trends in each industry. Obtain The Full Report For more information, or to receive detailed analysis from Sandhills Global, contact us at [email protected]. About Sandhills Global Sandhills Global is an information processing company headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Our products and services gather, process, and distribute information in the form of trade publications, websites, and online services that connect buyers and sellers across the construction, agriculture, forestry, oil and gas, heavy equipment, commercial trucking, and aviation industries. Our integrated, industry-specific approach to hosted technologies and services offers solutions that help businesses large and small operate efficiently and grow securely, cost-effectively, and successfully. Sandhills Globalwe are the cloud. Contact Sandhills www.sandhills.com/contact-us 402-479-2181 SOURCE Sandhills Global WEYBRIDGE, Vt., July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Novelist, guerrilla artist, and music-maker Camden Joy returns with his second record of original material in seven months. It comes out on our nation's birthday, 04 July 2020. It is entitled "American Love." It can be purchased and downloaded off the Bandcamp website. American Love by Camden Joy (CD designed by Mark Lerner) Songwriter Camden Joy, photo by Steve James All the songs are written, produced, and sung by Camden Joy. The drums are by Lukas Lerner while his father, Mark Lerner, provides bass. The record was made during April and May of 2020 with each musician in lockdown at a distance. Files were emailed back and forth. When a song was deemed to be complete, the tracks were dispatched over to Split Rock Studios in New Paltz, who assembled the tracks and attempted, post-recording, to somehow "engineer" the sessions. The fourteen songs on "American Love" combine noisy pop with astute lyrics about historical figures, from early suffragists (Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B Anthony, Lucy Stone, et al.) to Harry S Truman and William Jennings Bryant. (And then there's a song about Johnny Paycheck...?) A lot of famous dead Americans collide with a lot of dying American musical styles on this extraordinarily alive release. Seven Days of Vermont recently (05 May 2020) praised the "poignant lyrics and powerful imagery" in Joy's last release "Updated Just Now," while comparing its sound favorably to David Bowie, Elvis Costello, and Bruce Springsteen. (That record came out on 01 Jan 2020.) Camden Joy is now (apparently) a "great basic crewneck" made in Portugal and sold by the Sundance Catalog ("a draping heathered look and the flattering surprise of a ruffled sleeve") but Camden Joy was once just a guy who earned fleeting fame for a series of inflammatory NYC street postering projects in the mid-1990s. He also produced radioplays, and wrote and published two highly-controversial novels, three novellas, and a story collection. He was on NPR's "This American Life." His story "Dum Dum Boys" appears in MacMillan's 12th edition of the textbook "Literature: The Human Experience" (2017). His review of the rock band Spoon appears in Library of America's "Shake it Up: Great American Writing on Rock and Pop" (2017). Regarding the title of this release, Joy explains: "I love my country because Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B, I love my country because Richard Pryor, because Mark Twain, because George Marshall, because Bob Dylan, because Studs Terkel, because Rosa Parks, because Salk & Sabin, because Abigail Adams, because Dorothea Lange, because James Agee. This is my country! We have done a gigantic amount of good in the world and will again soon." Camden Joy is the pseudonym of Tom Adelman, who lives now in a very small town in Vermont. For more information, go to www.camdenjoy.net or Joy's Wikipedia or Facebook page. Media contact: Tom Adelman [email protected] 802-377-5311 SOURCE Camden Joy Related Links http://www.camdenjoy.net Recent updates to SCIP requirements OTTAWA, ON, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - On July 8 2020, Claigan Environmental Inc. (www.claigan.com) will present a webinar on the June updates to the ECHA SCIP guidance. This webinar will focus on the most recent guidance updates, particularly around component grouping (quasi-identical complex objects), representative products, worst case scenario reporting, and hierarchy. The original requirements for a SCIP submission were general and had few examples. Since that time, from industry input, updates have been made in both the data set and guidance on options available to industry. These updates are driving more specific compliance processes for companies. For many companies, these changes are very sensible but may be different from what they originally expected or what we explained. The main topics to be covered in this webinar are - June updates to SCIP guidance Component grouping rules (quasi-identical complex objects) Representative products Worst case scenario reporting 'May contain' approach Recommendations Due to the interest in these topics, two (2) webinars will be held on July 8 to accommodate a larger audience. Webinars - June Updates to SCIP Requirements Date: 8 July 2020 Time: 10am and 2pm EST Duration: 1 hour plus Q&A To Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/3896602546484338443 or on Claigan Website at www.claigan.com/webinars Register now or send an e-mail to [email protected]. For more information on Claigan Environmental's restricted materials services - see Claigan's services at www.claigan.com About Claigan Environmental (www.claigan.com) Claigan is a leading provider of regulatory consulting and ISO 17025 accredited laboratory testing for restricted materials legislation. Claigan analyzes and tests hundreds of products a year for restricted materials compliance. Claigan is dedicated to providing practical solutions for supply chain due diligence and social responsibility. At Claigan, we believe in 'More Results. Less Journey.' SOURCE Claigan Environmental Inc. "Hanna" season 2 (streaming on Amazon Prime) Cast: Esme Creed-Miles, Mireille Enos, Dermot Mulroney, Yasmin Monet Prince Created by: David Farr Rating: * * * (three stars) By Vinayak Chakravorty "Hanna" season one had started off with a couple of hitches last year. There was the obvious comparison it drew with "Hanna" the movie of 2011. Then there was Esme Creed-Miles, Hanna of the series, fending against constant weighing up with Saoirse Ronan, the simply incomparable Hanna of big screen. By season two, Esme Creed-Miles has learnt to make Hanna her own, with a distinct style. Comparison with the film is no longer valid either, because the story of the series veers off to a whole new direction this time. Hanna's tale, beyond the survival action adventure that it was in the first season, has morphed into a search for identity that unfolds with the recklessness of a spy thriller. This season, chances are you would unwittingly be comparing Hanna to Jason Bourne, and a bit of James Bond, perhaps. And Sydney Bristow from "Alias", too. Which isn't much of a spoiler for the show, actually. The teen female assassin template puts Hanna in unique space. Never mind the fact she cuts a rather wonky picture as she precariously perches her undersized frame in the driver's seat of an oversized Merc convertible to impossibly speed down winding hilly roads, Hanna still holds her own against Bond, Bourne or Bristow. Plus, despite being a trained killer with wolf-hybrid DNA, Hanna is still a work in progress. Somewhere at the core, she is still a psychologically vulnerable youngster, a rough cut of what she is eventually destined to become. As season two opens, Hanna is still on the run from Utrax. She is not alone -- with her is Clara (Yasmin Monet Prince), fellow trainee assassin from Utrax. Early on, a couple of things become clear: Utrax wants Clara back, and the organisation boss John Carmichael (Dermot Mulroney) is somehow convinced that, contrary to perception, Hanna is not dead. Clara's reasons for escape becomes clear soon enough -- she wants to find her mother. As the adventure builds around the two girls, the script brings in more characters. There is a handful of other teen female assassins who get a share of the action and there is Mireille Enos returning as CIA agent Marissa Wiegler, with a more formidable role. Although sleekly executed, it's all played by the cliches. Without giving away plot spoilers, a covert operation she gets thrown into lets Hanna go for a sultry makeover (an assassin needs a disguise, so there). Hanna's antagonist John Carmichael is no less suave than any Bourne or Bond villain, which lets Dermot Mulroney strike a super dapper form through eight episodes before -- in tested filmi tradition -- he will conveniently become a bumbling idiot in the finale, like all super villains on screens are fated to do, so that the hero can win. Genre specifics also demand that the finale must be set in an exotic locale, so -- whoa, we aren't complaining -- "Hanna 2" takes us to beauteous Barcelona (while on Barcelona, don't miss how a mention of Messi is smoothly inserted into the screenplay amid all the action in the last episode). For an eight-episode thriller, "Hanna 2" could test your patience around the middle of its storyline. The show really comes alive towards the end -- if not with smart twists or originality then at least with the way it picks up pace and delivers the (albeit predictable and escapist) action. It's all very tautly executed and makes for a fun watch, never mind the fact that you would have probably seen what's coming long before it does. "Hanna 2" ends with an obvious hint at season three. There is a readymade fan base to dig into once more, after all. It's good enough to fall back on, till Hanna outgrows her USP as a cool killer trapped in a teenager's body. (Vinayak Chakravorty can be reached at vinayak.c@ians.in) -- Syndicated from IANS Yangon, July 3 : At least 162 bodies have been found after a landslide at a jade mining site in northern Myanmar, officials said. Rescue work has continued all day for people still missing at the site in the Hpakant area of Kachin state, the BBC reported. A wave of mud and rock triggered by heavy rain engulfed those collecting stones, the fire service said. Myanmar is the world's biggest source of jade but its mines have seen numerous accidents, many involving people who scavenge for stones. The country's fire service department said in a Facebook post (in Burmese): "The jade miners were smothered by a wave of mud, which hit after heavy rainfall." It said that by 19.15 local time (12.45 GMT) "162 bodies were found and 54 injured people were taken [to hospital]". No figure was given for the number of people still missing. Kachin state's minister of social affairs, Dashi La Seng, told BBC Burmese: "All of a sudden... huge amounts of mud together with rainwater ran into the pit. It was like a tsunami." Heavy rain continued all day during the rescue work. Police said some people had defied a warning issued on Wednesday not to work in the area after the rainfall, although the advice may also have saved many lives. Video of the incident shows a massive landslide pouring into a large flooded pit or lake. Maung Khaing, a 38-year-old miner, told Reuters he saw a towering pile of waste close to collapse and people were shouting "run, run". He said: "Within a minute, all the people at the bottom [of the hill] just disappeared. I feel empty in my heart... There were people stuck in the mud shouting for help but no-one could help them." Hundreds of people gather at mines to sift through rubble discarded from lorries, hoping to find jade stones. The rubble creates large slopes that can be dangerous in an area denuded of trees and resembling a moonscape. More than 100 people died last year alone at mining sites. Myanmar's jade trade is reported to be worth more than $30bn (A24bn) a year. Hpakant is the site of the world's biggest jade mine. "Searching for precious stones is traditionally the only job for the people in this area. They have no other choice of livelihood," local resident Shwe Thein told the BBC. "They will mine by any means whether they have an official permit or not. Although the mudslides keep happening, many organisations, including armed groups, involved in jade mining are saying the situation here is good. So it's difficult for the outside world to know the real situation here." The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says a new gemstone mining law was passed last year, but critics say the government has too few inspectors with only limited authority to stop illegal practices. He says campaigners have accused the military, drug dealers, insurgent groups and Chinese business interests of controlling the jade trade and preventing a safer and more sustainable exploitation of the valuable gemstone. London, July 3 : British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, an ex-girlfriend of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, is facing charges in the US after being arrested by the FBI. She is accused of assisting Epstein's abuse of minors by helping to recruit and groom victims known to be underage, the BBC reported. She was arrested in New Hampshire and is due in federal court later on Thursday. Prosecutors will oppose bail. Maxwell has previously denied any involvement in or knowledge of Epstein's alleged sexual misconduct. Epstein died in prison on August 10 as he awaited, without the chance of bail, his trial on sex trafficking charges. He was arrested last year in New York following allegations that he was running a network of underage girls - some as young as 14 - for sex. His death was determined to be suicide. Prosecutors allege that between 1994 and 1997 Maxwell helped Epstein groom girls as young as 14. The charges say she would build a rapport with them - including by taking them shopping or to the movies - and would later coax them into giving Epstein massages during which they were sexually abused. "Maxwell played a critical role in helping Epstein to identify, befriend and groom minor victims for abuse," said Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York. Four of the six charges relate to the years 1994-97 when Maxwell was, according to the indictment, among Epstein's closest associates and also in an "intimate relationship" with him. The other two charges are allegations of perjury in 2016. The indictment says Maxwell "assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom and ultimately abuse victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18". Specifically, saxwell has previously denied any involvement in or knowledge of Epstein's alleged sexual misconduct. Epstein died in prison on August 10 as he awaited, without the chance of bail, his trial on sex trafficking charges. He was arrested last year in New York following allegations that he was running a network of underage girls - some as young as 14 - for sex. His death was determined to be suicide. Prosecutors allege that between 1994 and 1997 Maxwell helped Epstein groom girls as young as 14. The charges say she would build a rapport with them - including by taking them shopping or to the movies - and would later coax them into giving Epstein massages during which they were sexually abused. "Maxwell played a critical role in helping Epstein to identify, befriend and groom minor victims for abuse," said Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York. Four of the six charges relate to the years 1994-97 when Maxwell was, according to the indictment, among Epstein's closest associates and also in an "intimate relationship" with him. The other two charges are allegations of perjury in 2016. The indictment says Maxwell "assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom and ultimately abuse victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18". Specifically, she is charged with conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. She is accused of grooming multiple minor girls to engage in sex acts with Epstein. She allegedly attempted to befriend them by asking about their lives and families and then she and Epstein built the friendships by taking minor victims to the cinema or shopping. Having built a rapport, Maxwell would "try to normalise sexual abuse for a minor victim by... discussing sexual topics, undressing in front of the victim, being present when a minor victim was undressed, and/or being present for sex acts involving the minor victim and Epstein". "Maxwell and Epstein worked together to entice these minor victims to travel to Epstein's residences - his residence in New York City on the Upper East Side, as well as Palm Beach, Florida, and Santa Fe, New Mexico," acting US attorney Audrey Strauss told reporters. "Some of the acts of abuse also took place in Maxwell's residence in London, England." The perjury counts relate to depositions she gave to a New York court on April 22 and July 22, 2016. The charge sheet says she "repeatedly lied when questioned about her conduct, including in relation to some of the minor victims". "Maxwell lied because the truth, as alleged, was almost unspeakable," said Strauss. "Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, then delivered them into the trap that she and Epstein had set for them. She pretended to be a woman they could trust. All the while she was setting them up to be sexually abused by Epstein and, in some cases, by Maxwell herself." Allegations against Epstein had dated back years before the parents of a 14-year-old girl said he had molested her in 2005. Under a legal deal, he avoided federal charges and since 2008 was listed as level three on the New York sex offenders register. But he was arrested again in New York on July 6, 2019 and accused of sex trafficking of underage girls over a number of years. Some of Epstein's alleged victims have accused Maxwell of bringing them into his circle to be sexually abused by him and his friends. One told the BBC's Panorama that Maxwell "controlled the girls. She was like the Madam". Maxwell has denied any wrongdoing. Earlier this year she sued Epstein's estate seeking reimbursement for legal fees and security costs. She "receives regular threats to her life and safety", court documents in that case said. Another of Epstein's alleged victims, Virginia Giuffre, has accused Maxwell of recruiting her as a masseuse to the financier at the age of 15. Details of that allegation against Maxwell emerged in documents unsealed by a US judge last August in a 2015 defamation case but are not part of the charges against Maxwell unveiled in July 2020. Islamabad, July 3 : Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan launched an initiative to preserve nature by protecting and promoting 15 national parks in an effort to increase the country's forest cover. The prime minister on Thursday inaugurated the Protected Areas Initiative which is part of his government's Green Stimulus vision launched earlier this year to increase forest cover and create jobs amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Xinhua news agency reported. "The government will protect, govern and manage 15 national parks ecologically," said Khan, adding that out of these national parks nine will be new while six others were announced previously but were never protected. He told the launching ceremony that the initiative will benefit future generations and almost 5,000 direct jobs will be generated related to these parks in the initial phase. According to the prime minister, the national parks will be opened for the public once the government has finalized the guidelines for tourists. Advisor to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said one of the purposes of the project is to rebuild the pandemic-hit economy and stimulate sustainable green growth. Kanpur, July 3 : In a shocking incident, eight police personnel, including a circle officer, were shot dead and six policemen seriously injured when a local criminal, Vikas Dubey, and his gang sprayed them with bullets in Vikru village under Chaubeypur police circle in Kanpur in the wee hours of Friday. The deceased include circle officer Bilhaur and station officer of Bithoor. The injured policemen have been admitted to the hospital. According to reports, the police team comprising about 50 police personnel had gone to the village around 3.30 a.m. after receiving a tip-off about the presence of Vikas Dubey there. Dubey and his men had stationed a JCB to block their way and then started firing from the terrace of a house as soon as the police team entered their lane. The gangster and his men later looted the arms of the policemen who ran away to save their lives. All senior police officials including ADG Kanpur, IG and others have reached the spot. UP DGP H.C. Awasthi and ADG law and order Prashant Kumar are also reaching the spot. Vikas Dubey, meanwhile, is wanted in over 100 criminal cases. He had shot dead a minister rank leader inside a police station a few years ago. Police is launched search operation for Vikas and his team as they are now absconding. Kanpur, July 3 : In a shocking incident, eight police personnel, including a circle officer, were shot dead and six policemen seriously injured when a local criminal, Vikas Dubey, and his gang sprayed them with bullets in Vikru village under Chaubeypur police circle in Kanpur in the wee hours of Friday. The deceased include circle officer Bilhaur, Devendra Kumar, who was leading the team, three sub-inspectors and four constables. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the incident and offered his condolences to the families of the deceased police personnel. Chief Minister has directed the Special Task Force (STF) to take over investigations and ensure immediate arrest of the criminals. A forensic team has already reached the spot. IG Kanpur Mohit Agarwal said that the borders of the district had been sealed and forces from several adjoining police stations had been called in for combing operations to arrest the accused. The injured policemen have been admitted to the hospital and the condition of two of them is said to be critical. According to reports, the police team comprising about 50 police personnel had gone to the village around 3.30 a.m. after receiving a tip-off about the presence of Vikas Dubey there. Dubey and his men had stationed a JCB to block their way and as soon as the police team reached there, they started firing from the terrace of a house. The miscreants, numbering about a dozen, also pelted stones at the police men. The deceased police personnel have received multiple bullets in the incident. The gangster and his men later looted the arms of the policemen and made an easy escape. All senior police officials including ADG Kanpur, IG and others have reached the spot. UP DGP H C Awasthi said that a massive operation has been launched to arrest the accused. ADG law and order Prashant Kumar also reached the site of the incident. The bodies have been sent for post mortem. Vikas Dubey, meanwhile, is wanted in over 60 criminal cases. In October 2001, he had shot dead senior BJP leader and then chairman of contract labour board, Santosh Shukla, inside the Shivli police station. Further investigations are on. All borders of the district have been sealed. This, incidentally, is one of the biggest attacks on a police team in the state in recent years and has expectedly sent shock waves in the state. Even as speculations began about the information of the police movement being leaked to the criminal by some 'insider', the IG range said, "This is a matter of investigation. Our focus is now on arresting the accused without delay." -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text United Nations, July 3 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reminded the Security Council of the multi-faceted implications of COVID-19 on international peace and security. "The COVID-19 pandemic continues to profoundly affect peace and security across the globe," he told the Security Council on Thursday. "The risks are diverse." The consequences can be seen even in a number of countries traditionally seen as stable. But the impacts are particularly apparent in countries already experiencing conflict or emerging from it -- and may soon engulf others, he said, Xinhua news agency reported. Tensions are rising as a result of the severe socio-economic fallout of the crisis. Trust in public institutions is being eroded further in places where people perceive that authorities have not addressed the pandemic effectively or have not been transparent about its impact, said Guterres. As pre-existing grievances and vulnerabilities become more accentuated and entrenched, the potential for instability and violence only grows, he warned. The pandemic is exacerbating gender inequalities, as women make up the vast majority of the sectors most affected. There has been an alarming spike in gender-based and domestic violence, and it is increasingly difficult for victims to report abuse, seek shelter and access justice, he said. In some countries, fragile peace processes could be derailed by the crisis, especially if the international community is distracted. In other places, conflict actors, including terrorist and violent extremist groups, see the uncertainty created by the pandemic as a tactical advantage, he said. Many countries have had to consider how to move ahead with elections slated for 2020 while trying to manage the health crisis. In the Central African Republic, there are tensions due to attempts to use the pandemic as a pretext to postpone the holding of elections planned for the end of the year, he noted. Decisions on postponing or indeed proceeding with elections raise complex legal, political and public health challenges. Difficult as they are, such decisions are best made on the basis of broad consultations with all stakeholders, to avoid fueling political tensions or undermining legitimacy, said Guterres. COVID-19 has also made diplomacy more challenging. Mediation can be a very personal endeavor, an almost-tactile reading of a person or a room. With movement restrictions limiting such contacts, and with online discussions often the only alternative, it can be harder to establish the trust and nurture the willingness to compromise that are at the heart of preventive diplomacy, he said. The pandemic also highlights the risks of bioterrorist attacks, and has already shown some of the ways in which preparedness might fall short if a disease were to be deliberately manipulated to be more virulent, or intentionally released in multiple places at once, he said. "So, as we consider how to improve our response to future disease threats, we should also devote serious attention to preventing the deliberate use of diseases as weapons." He called for the universality and strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention, which lacks an oversight institution and contains no verification provisions. "Given the speed at which pathogens spread in an interconnected world, we must ensure that all countries have resilient and appropriate capacities to respond quickly and robustly to any potential global and deliberate biological event," he said. Meanwhile, stigma and hate speech are on the rise. And an epidemic of misinformation online has run rampant, said Guterres. Another risk for the long term is the shifting of resources away from gender equality initiatives, education and other economic sectors. Indeed, this could have intergenerational impacts, including on women's rights and participation in political and peace processes, he said. Humanitarian needs have surged. More than 1 billion children are out of school. More than 135 million people could be on the brink of starvation by the end of this year. Routine immunization services are being disrupted on an unprecedented scale, raising the likelihood of major outbreaks of diseases like measles and polio. The already acute vulnerability of refugees and internally displaced persons has grown more pronounced, particularly those living in confined and congested camps and detention facilities. And health care workers and humanitarian personnel have themselves been targeted for unconscionable attacks. "The health pandemic has fast become a protection crisis," said Guterres. These wide-ranging risks require an urgent and united response, including from the Security Council, he said. "Collective security and our shared well-being are under assault on many fronts, led by a relentless disease and abetted by global fragilities. Our challenge is to save lives today while buttressing the pillars of security for tomorrow." The Security Council was holding a high-level debate on the implications of COVID-19 on international peace and security. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Washington, July 3 : The United States should restore sanctions against Russian intelligence and defence sectors, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said after being briefed by top intelligence officials on the Russian-Taliban bounty intelligence. Pelosi said at a press briefing on Thursday that the White House had previously asked the Congress to "take out the sanctions on Russia that pertained to the intelligence and the defence sectors, the very sector that is accused of possible threats on our men and women in uniform", Xinhua news agency reported. "We must restore those sanctions and we must act upon them," she added. Pelosi also criticized President Donald Trump's handling of US-Russia relations. "This is at the same time as the White House was aware of this threat to security of our men and women in uniform, the President was still flirting with the idea of having Russia be part of the G8 in total opposition to the wishes of the other members of the G8." CIA Director Gina Haspel earlier in the day briefed a group of senior lawmakers from both parties, known as "Gang of Eight," on the Russian-Taliban bounty intelligence. In a joint statement following the classified briefing, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer suggested "our Armed Forces would be better served if President Trump spent more time reading his daily briefing and less time planning military parades and defending relics of the Confederacy." The White House, however, accused the Democratic Party of politicizing this issue. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Tuesday that "Democrats should come forward in good faith ... and you have the Democratic Party politicizing this information, which I think is absolutely disgraceful." Top US officials continued defending the administration's response to the intelligence as well as Trump's dealing of US-Russia ties. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien stressed again on Wednesday that Trump had not been briefed on this "uncorroborated intelligence," adding that "no one had been tougher on Russia than Trump since the end of the Cold War. " The New York Times reported on Friday that Trump had been briefed on the intelligence that Russian intelligence units secretly offered bounties to Taliban-related militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan during US-Taliban peace talks. The report also said that the National Security Council discussed this issue at an interagency meeting in late March, while the White House thus far has not taken any actions to respond. Kanpur : , July 3 (IANS) The family members of Vikas Dubey, the main accused in the killing of eight police personnel on Friday, are now claiming that Dubey has not been home since the past two days. A woman relative, possibly his sister-in-law, told TV channels that Vikas Dubey had not come home since the past two days and it was the police that fired at the house in the wee hours of Friday. Two other members of the family who refused to identify themselves, said that 'some people' may have come on their roof during the incident but Vikas was not present. The local villagers, meanwhile, also claimed that they were not present in the village when the firing took place. "I thought it was a tyre-burst," said one while the others claimed that they were sleeping in the fields and learnt about the incident in the morning. None of the villagers admitted to knowing Vikas Dubey personally or having seen him in the village. Dubey, sources said, owned about half a dozen properties in the village and wielded tremendous clout in the region as well as in the corridors of power. New Delhi, July 3 : Despite a surge in anti-China sentiment in the country, a top executive of smartphone brand OnePlus said on Friday that the company has commenced manufacturing TVs in India and remains committed to achieving long-term growth as it seeks to integrate and delve deeper into the Make in India strategy. The company on Thursday launched OnePlus TV U Series and Y Series packed with smart features which will enable users to pair with up to five devices at the same time. The premium handset maker also announced this week that its first smartphone in the affordable segment, OnePlus Nord, will be initially launched in India and Europe. "India continues to be a key market for OnePlus since our entry in 2014 and we are committed towards our focus in the region. Over the years, we have worked hard to strengthen our manufacturing capabilities in line with the 'Make in India' initiative," Navnit Nakra, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, OnePlus India, told IANS in an email interview. OnePlus has been manufacturing its devices in India since February 2018. "We have also commenced the manufacturing of the OnePlus TVs in India. Additionally, we launched our India R&D centre (in Hyderabad) last year and committed an investment of Rs 1,000 crore over the next three years," Nakra said. "With our R&D centre, OnePlus is committed to achieving long-term growth in India and seeks to integrate and delve deeper into the 'Make in India' strategy," he said. The R&D centre primarily houses three labs -- camera lab, communications and networking labs, and automation labs. "In line with this, our team focuses towards developing future technologies of camera, automation, networking and connectivity, which also includes special focus on 5G developments and performance testing effort," Nakra said. "India is a key market for OnePlus, and we are consistently working towards strengthening our presence in the region and creating products that cater to the evolving needs of our community," he added. OnePlus said that its business has seen "active growth" in India from a retail perspective, further penetrating tier-2 markets and beyond. "We now have over 5,000 offline stores including partnered stores across India with plans to scale up to 8000+ stores," Nakra noted. "These initiatives stand testament to our sincere commitment. We will continue in our endeavor towards building an accessible connected ecosystem in India that delivers a premium experience". Several companies that originated in China have invested heavily in the "Make in India" initiative. But anti-China sentiment grew in the country following the death of 20 Indian soldiers in an attack in Ladakh by Chinese People's Liberation Army last month. The Indian government this week banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat and UC Browser and Xiaomi's Mi Community over national security concerns. (Gokul Bhagabati can be contacted at gokul.b@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Lucknow, July 3 : Opposition parties have mounted a blistering attack on the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh over the killing of eight policeman in Kanpur on Friday. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav tweeted that the incident was one of the 'most shameful' incident that reveals the nexus between criminals and those in power. "It is the dedicated police personnel who have paid the price today," he tweeted. He further said that the accused must be arrested so that the nexus can be revealed. UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu said that the Yogi government has lost control of governance and the law and order had completely collapsed. "This incident is proof of the fact that there is no government in the state. It is jungle raj where even the police is not safe," he said. Kanpur : , July 3 (IANS) All places of worship in Kanpur will remain closed till July 31 in view of the continued rise in the number of Corona cases. District Magistrate Dr Brahmadeo Ram Tiwari said that the decision was taken unanimously at a meeting of various religious leaders. All the religious leaders, who attended the meeting, expressed grave concern over the increasing number of Corona patients in the city. "They all said the increasing number of infected persons was a matter of grave concern and agreed to keep all the religious places close till July 31," the district magistrate said. He further said that all the religious leaders were in favour of closure and will be appealing to the followers of their respective religions to pray at home. The leaders agreed that the situation was becoming grim and even one infected person at a religious place could spread the virus to other devotees. A Muslim cleric said that he had discussed the situation with senior doctors who said it would be difficult to implement social distancing in religious places and the circumstances at present are not conducive for opening them. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Kanpur, July 3 : Ever heard of a dog committing suicide? In a soul-stirring incident, a dog jumped to death from the fourth floor of a building after his master, a woman doctor, passed away. The incident took place in Barra locality in Kanpur on Wednesday evening. Anita Raj Singh, a senior health official, had developed a kidney ailment and was unwell since past few months. She was undergoing treatment at a city hospital, where she breathed her last on Wednesday. According to her son Tejas, her body was brought home form the hospital and their dog, Jaya, started barking and wailing. The dog then went upstairs and jumped off the fourth floor. "We rushed her to a veterinary hospital, but she was declared brought dead. Her backbone had fractured," Tejas said. He said that the dog was depressed ever since his mother was admitted to hospital and almost stopped eating. The family buried the dog near their house soon after Anita Raj Singh's cremation on Thursday. Tejas said that his mother had found the dog in a pitiable condition about 12 years ago. "Jaya was infested with maggots and my mother brought her home. She treated the dog and Jaya soon became a member of the family," he said. The family is trying to cope with the double tragedy. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Paris, July 3 : French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has expressed his country's concern over the current tense situation in Libya, stressing importance of Libya's security and stability. Le Drian made his remarks during a telephone call with Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj on Thursday, where the two officials discussed the latest developments in Libya, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's information office. "During the call, the French Foreign Minister expressed his country's concern about the current tense situation (in Libya), stressing that France's efforts are aimed at achieving stability in Libya, and that the interests of the Libyans, Libya's neighbors, and Europe lie in Libya's security and stability," the statement said. "Le Drian called for speeding up achievement of a cease-fire that would allow a return to the political track through the efforts of the United Nations and its central role, adding that Italy and France agree on this approach," the statement added. The French Foreign Minister expressed his country's rejection to foreign interference of all kinds and sources in Libya, Xinhua news agency reported. Serraj highlighted the recently discovered mass graves in the city of Tarhuna, as well as the deadly booby traps and landmines in the south of the capital Tripoli, stressing the need to bring those responsible to justice, the statement said. The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said Thursday that 130 Libyans were killed or injured by booby traps in the south of Tripoli over the past five weeks. Serraj's UN-backed government has accused the rival eastern-based army of planting landmines in conflict areas in southern Tripoli before their withdrawal. The UN-backed government has been engaged in a deadly armed conflict for more than a year against the eastern-based army in and around Tripoli, before the government announced taking over all of western Libya after the withdrawal of the rival army. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Agra, July 3 : The Tourism industry captains in Agra have welcomed the decision of the Union Culture Ministry to reopen the Taj Mahal and other ASI protected monuments for visitors from July 6. While the industry has started making preparations, a few doubting Thomases and some health activists here wondered if "it was a little early and premature as the COVID-19 infection spread has not yet been effectively checked." Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh tweeted Thursday that ASI monuments could now be opened taking necessary precautions and full safety measures. "When trains are not running and international flights have not resumed, from where and how the tourists will come to Agra which does not boast of international standard health infrastructure," asked social activist Shravan Kumar Singh. The ASI officials, however, have clarified that entry would be allowed with a set of restrictions listed in the SOPs which will need to be strictly followed by the tourists. To give a momentum to tourism, which had been badly hit due to the Covid-19 scourge, local hoteliers have demanded resumption of flights to Agra, starting international flights and connecting Agra with important destinations within the country. The tourist season generally starts in the last week of September. Right now all big hotels are carrying out maintenance and repair work. The properties have been sanitised and hygiene standards upgraded to meet international requirements. Akhilesh Dubey, a tourism industry captain, who had demanded that the monuments be opened as people were suffering economic hardships due to the four month-closure, said "it will not be risky, provided they frame SOPs, fix the number of visitors. When airports, malls, hotels can reopen why not monuments. Agra remains a favourite weekend destination for the domestic visitors. People come to Agra by taxis and private cars. The reopening will create confidence among stakeholders and boost tourism. The Eiffel Tower has also reopened on June 25." The Taj Mahal is annually visited by over seven million tourists. Entry to children below 15 is free. On the recommendation of the Dr. S. Vardarajan Committee, the Supreme Court allowed the Taj Mahal to enjoy a weekly holiday on Friday. The 100-day respite, has healed the scars and wounds inflicted on the fragile monument by air pollution. The whole complex looks fresh and rejuvenated, waiting to welcome guests. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has decided to allow only 5,000 visitors daily, 2,500 in the morning shift and 2,500 post-lunch. Face covers and social distancing would be compulsory. Group photography will not be permitted. Monuments in the containment zones will remain closed. The Taj Mahal, India's most visited monument, was closed in the last week of March, due to surge in Covid-19 cases. This was the first time in the monument's almost 375 year old history that the doors were shut to visitors, for over 100 days. During the 1971 war with Pakistan, the Taj was closed for 15 days. In 1978, visitors were not allowed for almost a week due to flood in Yamuna. Meanwhile, rising Covid-19 cases continued to cause worry. Twelve fresh cases were added in the past 24 hours taking the total tally to 1,253. The number of deaths is now 89, with one more added on Thursday. The number of active cases is 130. The sample size was 24,054, health department bulletin said. The tally for Firozabad is 522, Mathura 385, Mainpuri 258, Etah 140 and Kasganj has 77 corona cases. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 3 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday raised questions about the safety of the common people in Uttar Pradesh after eight policemen were shot dead in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur district. "Another proof of hooliganism in Uttar Pradesh. When the police are not safe, how will the public be?" Rahul Gandhi said, quoting a news report. He also extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased police personnel and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. Eight police personnel, including a circle officer, were shot dead and six policemen seriously injured when a local criminal Vikas Dubey and his gang sprayed them with bullets in Kanpur. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the incident and offered his condolences to the families of the deceased. A massive search operation has been launched to nab Vikas Dubey. The police are also using electronic surveillance. The police have recovered cartridges of AK-47 from the site of the incident. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New York, July 3 : There are currently 18 candidate vaccines in key clinical trials globally but despite encouraging preliminary data coming from some research labs, a Covid-19 vaccine is nowhere near while new corona cases are mounting in several countries including in India. No vaccines have yet started their large and critical Phase-III trials in the US. Drug maker Moderna's Phase-III trial which was supposed to start from July 7 "will likely start at the end of the month or the beginning of August," reports the CNN, citing an investigator working on the Moderna vaccine candidate. Researchers at University of Oxford, however, said this week they have vaccinated 8,000 people in the UK as part of a Phase-III trial. Another Covid-19 vaccine candidate called BNT162b1, being developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech, has delivered some early positive data. "These clinical findings for the BNT162b1 RNA-based vaccine candidate are encouraging and strongly support accelerated clinical development and at-risk manufacturing to maximize the opportunity for the rapid production of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to prevent COVID-19 disease," the researchers wrote in a pre-print paper repository which is yet to be peer-reviewed. US vaccine maker Inovio also said this week that it's vaccine candidate already has shown some positive early data in a Phase 1 trial. After saying that the world may have a Covid-19 vaccine within one year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said late last month that UK-based AstraZeneca is leading the vaccine race while US-based pharmaceutical major Moderan is not far behind. WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine candidate is currently the most advanced vaccine in terms of development. AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine candidate, developed by researchers from the Oxford University, will likely provide protection against the disease for one year, the British drug maker's CEO told Belgian radio station Bel RTL. The vaccine developed at the Oxford Jenner Institute is currently on trial in the UK, where over 4,000 participants have enrolled and additional enrollment of 10,000 participants is planned for the clinical trial. The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine has been licenced to AstraZeneca. The sudden surge in corona cases has left the scientific community gasping for fresh answers. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday reported a new single-day record of COVID-19 cases in the US at 54,357. More than 2.7 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in the US with the fatalities surpassing 128,400, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Anthony Fauci, the top US expert in infectious diseases, has expressed his concern over the sudden spike of COVID-19 cases in the country, warning of the risk of a greater outbreak if the latest surge is not controlled. India on Friday recorded the highest single-day spike of 20,903 cases, pushing the total tally to 6,25,544. The death count rose to 18,213. In China, the military has received approval for using a Covid-19 vaccine jointly developed by its research unit and CanSino Biologics Inc. The phase-I and phase-II clinical trials of the Ad5-nCoV were conducted in China. However, the critical phase-III trials are yet to bear positive results. The US, however, remains hopeful to have a Covid-19 vaccine available by the end of the year or early next year. "FDA has given authorisation to proceed with clinical trials for four separate vaccines and we've seen a number of vaccine developers come forward -- double digit numbers -- so we have a lot of different, if you will, shots on goal with respect to vaccines. That's good news," US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Dr Stephen Hahn said on Thursday. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 3 : As the government orders e-commerce players to display the "Country of Origin" of products sold on their platforms, a survey reveals three in ten urban Indian respondents (31 per cent) consider the Country of Origin of a product important when buying it, but it ranks lower than other factors. The Quality of the product (77 per cent), its price (53 per cent) and the brand name or the parent brand (34 per cent) are all notably more important when deciding what to buy. While it is less of a motivating factor when making a purchase, 44 per cent respondents always seek information related to a product's origin. 40 per cent on the other hand, look for this information for certain products or services and 16 per cent rarely or almost never bother about the origin of the product, adds the survey by YouGov. Thinking about the different countries manufacturing products, the majority of respondents (88 per cent) were most likely to say products of Indian origin had the greatest influence on their purchase intention. Apart from homemade goods, products made in America (71 per cent), Japan (64 per cent) and Germany (55 per cent) have also had an impact on their purchase intent, suggesting products from certain countries can aid brands to some extent. On the other hand, products of Bangladeshi origin were most unlikely to have an influence, followed by those made in Hong Kong (66 per cent), Taiwan (65 per cent) Sweden (64 per cent) and China (58 per cent), all of these are likely to reduce or have no impact on purchase intent. When it comes to some of the leading categories sold worldwide, almost all the categories people are likely to consider the origin place of a product, except for buying alcohol. Consideration is the highest for 'Smartphones and gadgets' category (with 81 per cent saying this), followed by 'Consumer electronics' (79 per cent), 'Food & Beverages' (77 per cent) and Automobiles (75 per cent), the survey notes. The recent border tensions with China have angered Indian consumers and many Chinese smartphone brands are facing a backlash on social media. The smartphone market in India is heavily dominated by Chinese brands and currently more than half of the respondents are using some Chinese smartphone, with Xiaomi leading the race, followed by Vivo, RealMe and Oppo. In response to the calls to boycott Chinese goods, 43% of all respondents claimed to have stopped using at least one or more Chinese products or services, with Chinese smartphone users being more likely to say this as compared to non-Chinese phone users (45 per cent vs 39 per cent). The negative sentiment is likely to affect their future choices as well, with a quarter of Chinese smartphone users indicating their intent to boycott Chinese products in the future. A deeper insight into the smartphones category shows how the recent media and news events have affected consumer brand perception of some of the leading smartphone brands in India. Data from YouGov BrandIndex shows the strong negative emotion around Chinese goods could be a reason for the declining perception scores of some of the leading Chinese smartphone brands. In the last quarter, Xiaomi, Vivo, RealMe and Oppo have witnessed declining Buzz scores (whether one has heard something positive/ negative about the brand). Around the same time, Impression (whether one has a positive/ negative impression of the brand) for these brands has also plummeted. However, these movements are more likely to be influenced by the current geopolitical situations rather than solely the country of origin of a product. (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New York, July 3 : Men are more likely to be seen as 'brilliant' than women, say researchers in a new study measuring global perceptions linked to gender. The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, found that these stereotyped views are an instance of implicit bias, which is when associations are automatically activated in our minds. "Stereotypes that portray brilliance as a male trait are likely to hold women back across a wide range of prestigious careers," said study lead author Daniel Storage from the University of Denver in the US. "Understanding the prevalence and magnitude of this gender-brilliance stereotype can inform future efforts to increase gender equity in career outcomes," said study senior author Andrei Cimpian from the New York University in the US. Previous work by Cimpian and his colleagues has suggested that women are underrepresented in careers where success is perceived to depend on high levels of intellectual ability (e.g., brilliance, genius), including those in science and technology. Less understood are the factors that explain this phenomenon. To address this, the current study explored the potential impact of stereotypes. In a series of five experiments, the research team surveyed more than 3,000 people from over 78 countries including US women and men as well as US girls and boys between the ages of 9 and 10. To find out more about gender perceptions of brilliance, the researchers adopted an indirect way of measuring the stereotype - namely, a tool called the Implicit Association Test (IAT). IAT measures the degree of overlap between concepts (e.g., brilliant and male) without explicitly asking participants whether or not they hold stereotyped views. The researchers consistently found evidence for an implicit stereotype associating brilliance with men more than with women. The magnitude of this stereotype was striking as well--for example, it was similar in strength to the implicit stereotype that associates men more than women with careers (and women more than men with the family), which was identified in earlier work. The team also gauged explicit stereotypes, directly asking participants whether they believed that men are more brilliant than women. In marked contrast to the implicit stereotyping measures, participants reported disagreeing with this idea--and, in one study, explicitly associated the quality of being "super smart" with women more than with men. The finding is consistent with previous scholarship showing that people are unlikely to admit to stereotyping, reinforcing the importance of measuring such perceptions through more subtle means. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 3 : Alluding to the recent killings in Uttar Pradesh, Congress General Secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Friday emphasised on the need to fix accountability in the state. "As the news about the incident in Kanpur came to the fore, a family of four were also killed in Prayagraj. Father and daughter were murdered in Ghaziabad. Looking at this Jungle Raj, the accountability will have to be fixed," said Priyanka, quoting a news report. She also paid condolences to the family of eight police personnel who lost their lives in an encounter with criminals in Kanpur. She asserted that the law and order situation in the state is in shambles and demanded strict action. Her brother and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also raised questions about the safety of common people in Uttar Pradesh. "Another proof of hooliganism in Uttar Pradesh. When the police are not safe, how will the public be?" he said. Eight police personnel, including a circle officer, were shot dead and six policemen seriously injured when a local criminal Vikas Dubey and his gang sprayed them with bullets in Kanpur. New Delhi, July 3 : With Chinese bellicosity reverberating across the world, South Asia is bracing for another jolt -- the epicentre of which is neighbouring Afghanistan. The tremors from Kabul will pass through Islamabad and hit Delhi, yet their intensity is not known. To what extent is India prepared is a question mark. It all began on February 29, when the US signed a deal with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, to withdraw its forces from the war-torn country after almost 19 long years. Strangely it chose to leave out the elected Afghan government from a deal that impacts the future of Afghans. The peace deal between the US and Taliban, remains a misnomer. Contrary to the spirit of the deal, the Taliban has increased attacks and the violence has engulfed the landlocked country - right from the maternity ward of a hospital in Kabul, to a gurdwara in prayers; from a funeral site in Nangarhar to a court in Paktia. And, not to mention dozens of Afghan security check-points where many hundreds of security personnel have died. On its part, the Afghan government is implementing various provisions of the deal, like the release of Taliban prisoners, and President Ashraf Ghani has committed to join the intra-Afghan talks in Doha. Doha is where the Taliban maintains its political office, and where the US-Taliban deal had been negotiated this February. The US Special Representative for Peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad has been chasing diverse parties including Pakistan for the intra-Afghan talks, reducing violence and release of prisoners. In his recent talks with Afghan leaders, Khalilzad reinforced that peace in Afghanistan is equivalent to peace in the region and the US is ready to invest in this sphere. However, going by the high levels of violence inflicted by the Taliban the future looks bleak for the nation. It is not difficult to understand why the Taliban has stepped up its deadly attacks across the country - it is looking forward to an American withdrawal to enable a complete takeover of the country. The World Human Rights Watch Report has said that the Taliban's widespread human rights abuses in areas under its control raise concerns about its willingness to adhere to future agreements. Besides the two key nations -- the US and Afghanistan, there always has been a high-stakes player -- Pakistan, with its behind-the-scenes shelter and support to terror groups. In its efforts to control a resource-rich but unstable neighbour, it has played a pivotal role in keeping Afghanistan on the tenterhooks and vulnerable to attacks through battle-hardened terror groups. It has also put in considerable efforts to keep India at bay. Indian intervention in Afghanistan has been diametrically opposite Pakistan's -- it has pumped in $2 billion aid and assistance for the Afghan people to rebuild the war-ravaged country and promote democracy. India has built dams, power stations, roads, hospitals and trained Afghan people in various aspects of administration and security. With unprecedented developments happening in Afghanistan, many including Khalilzad are urging India to talk to Taliban. This is a view which even Zamir Kabulov, Russia's special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, holds. The million dollar question is -- how does India view the Taliban, which India has kept at an arm's length for close to two decades now. India still looks at Afghanistan as a democratic country that elects a people's government, while the Taliban is still viewed as a terror group, power hungry and a Pakistani stooge. Indian thinking is still governed by the good old-fashioned theory of an ideal Afghanistan where all tribes come together to hold elections, where terror groups drop their arms and the Afghans climb up the development charts with roads, dams, schools and hospitals with Indian support. With unbelievable violence engulfing Afghanistan, this looks like an impossible reality. An Indian pipe dream. But what is still possible amidst these impossibilities is that India opens up a window to talk with the Taliban. The Taliban has made reconciliatory gestures towards India which have been surprising. It has already said that the revocation of Article 370 in Kashmir was an internal matter of India. And, it has said a couple of times that it is open to talks with India. In fact, even the Afghan government has indicated that India should join the intra-Afghan talks as the country has always been supportive of peace in Afghanistan. It wants India to drop its opposition to the Taliban and lend strength to the peace process. While calls for India's role in the peace process echo from all sides, the only opposition has come from arch enemy Pakistan, which is still busy playing its 'running with the hare and hunting with the hounds' game. Even as it poses with the US as an ally in the Afghan peace process, it has been sheltering and training various terror groups in attacking both Afghan and Indian interests. However, the good news for India is that the terror groups are mutating in the Afghan battlefield. While the Taliban is warming up to India, the formidable terror group, Haqqani Network, shares Pakistan's line of thinking. The fast-paced developments in Afghanistan have left the field wide open for India to drop its nonchalance and join the talks, paving the way for a bigger Indian role once the US completely withdraws from the region. As the various players in the Afghanistan theatre know, India's stand at the talks will only be from a point of peace and from a perspective of the Afghan people. We know that there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies in international relations. People evolve, entities change but peace still remains a goal worth pursuing. India has pursued that goal for millions of Afghan people for long. It should not give up now. (This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 3 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday met the family of late Dr. Aseem Gupta who had recently succumbed to coronavirus and handed over compensation of Rs 1 crore to them. The 56-year-old anaesthesia specialist in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) hospital was deputed to treat coronavirus patients and had tested positive on June 3. He died earlier this week. After meeting his family, Kejriwal tweeted, "We cannot do anything to bring back the 'People's Doctor', but it is our duty to support families of those who lay down their lives for us. An ex gratia of Rs 1 crore was given to the family today." While announcing the compensation earlier this week, the Chief Minister had said that there is no value attached to anyone's life, but the compensation is a small tribute to him on behalf of the people of Delhi and the country. "He was known for going out of his way to serve his patients. We have lost a very valuable fighter. Delhi salutes his spirit and sacrifice," he said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Panaji, July 3 : The 11-day Goa Assembly session may be curtailed to a one-day event, in view of the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the state, Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat said on Friday, after an all-party meeting with Speaker Rajesh Patnekar at the state legislative Assembly complex. At the meeting, Opposition legislators have also recommended a virtual session of the state Assembly. "Today's meeting was an informal one called by the Speaker. There were discussions on various aspects taking into consideration the Covid-19 situation. One suggestion is that the assembly session should be limited to one day for passing of vote on accounts," Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat told reporters, after emerging from the meeting with other MLAs. Kamat also said that in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the state budget which was presented some months back by Sawant "had no meaning" and there was no point in discussing the financial paper now. "The budget has no meaning. It will have to be reset. All these aspects will be discussed in upcoming (legislative) Business Advisory Committee meeting. The Speaker has also said that information about how states are managing state Assembly sessions in other states like Maharashtra and Delhi will be sought, before the BAC meeting," Kamat said. Kamat said that the Speaker as well as other MLAs discussed the risks of holding a prolonged assembly session, at a time when Covid-19 cases were rising with a record 90 plus cases reported on Thursday. "Apart from MLAs, there are hundreds of persons who are present during an Assembly session including civil officers, policemen, Assembly staff," the Leader of Opposition said. "There is the air conditioning factor, the rainy season. Cases are increasing on the outside. The Speaker has said let us have a one-day session and then a full-fledged session at a later date," Kamat said. The former Chief Minister also said that legislators have suggested that a virtual session of the state Assembly should be organised to mitigate infection risk. One ruling BJP MLA from South Goa district and his family have already been quarantined after they tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 3 : In a strong show of support for India, Japan on Friday hit out at China, saying that it opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh where the Chinese aggression led to the killing of 20 Indian soldiers last month. Tokyo's envoy in New Delhi, Satoshi Suzuki on Friday revealed that he had a conversation with Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla about the government's efforts at peaceful resolution of the Indo-China face-off in Ladakh. Suzuki later tweeted: "Had a good talk with FS Shringla. Appreciated his briefing on the situation along LAC, including GOI's policy to pursue peaceful resolution. Japan also hopes for peaceful resolution through dialogues. Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo." The statement came weeks after Japan revised a certain legislation which allows it to share defence intelligence with India, Australia and the UK. Until now, the legislation covered only its closest ally, the US. The move will facilitate joint exercises, tie-ups for developing equipment and sharing data on Chinese troop movements -- strategically significant issue -- for Tokyo as its finding harder to keep a track of Beijing's activities in East China Sea. Chinese Coast Guard vessels, as per media reports from Tokyo, have been sailing through waters in the East China Sea around the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands for the last 80 days continuously. China disputes Japan's sovereignty over Senkaku islands. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text July 03 : The whole country woke up to the sad news as the industry lost its veteran choreographer Saroj Khan early morning today. The legendary choreographer has given us some innumerable memorable dance numbers. Her death is a big loss for the industry. Many Television celebrities took to their social media account to mourn the death of the legend. Rashami Desai tweeted, She was the 'Mother of choreography in India." Our Guru ji. Sad sad May her soul rest in peace. #SarojKhan #OmShanti." Shweta Tiwari wrote, "#RIPAmma." Kritika Kamra also paid her homage and wrote, "RIP #SarojKhan What a legend!Iconic songs..literally all the hit Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi songs! I'm sure we've all tried all those steps in front of the tv...I got to work with her just once...for a show years back..and i remember being petrified! I froze watching her teach." Sayantani Ghosh wrote, "Was a dream come tru n honor to have met u, to dance in front of u....spent a span of about 2/3 months with you as we did a reality show together...will cherish all the moments we spent, all the love you gave me forever...still remember u liked one of my dances so much that u asked my maa "Kya khake janam diya tha"? I was ecstatic n how!!! learnt so much from you...you inspired men many to dance, inspired us with your life's journey...witnessing u dance and express was invaluable n beautiful..those notes signed by you as a blessing are precious...shal cherish them always...Rest in Peace masterji...#rip #sarojkhan ...ur a legend..The world of dance won't the same without you but u will forever live in our hearts. " May her soul rest in peace! New Delhi, July 3 : The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the authorities to treat as representation and decide expeditiously on a plea seeking the court's direction to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to constitute a statutory body to regulate smooth availability of plasma in various hospitals. A division bench of the high court presided over by Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan asked the Centre, the Delhi government and other concerned authorities to treat the petition as a representation and decide on the same expeditiously and in a time-bound manner. The plea filed by one Piyush Gupta through advocate Kapil Goyal claimed that till now, except for plasma therapy, no other effective tool has been invented to cure Covid-19 patients. Senior advocate Rakesh Tikkoo told the bench that despite plasma therapy being a major invention, the government is not taking effective steps to ensure its smooth and sufficient availability. The plea also sought the court's direction to make it mandatory for all the hospitals to obtain plasma from the recovered patients -- those who were admitted to the hospitals as well as those under home quarantine or isolation -- by framing proper guidelines. The plea contended that plasma therapy helps in declining the death rate and is also helpful for treating an infected person in the absence of a vaccine for Covid-19. Through his petition, Gupta also claimed that thousands of lives can be saved if sufficient plasma is made available . "The PIL seeks indulgence of this court on a very crucial matter, which involves basic survival requirement of every citizen of India, particularly in Delhi where there is rapid surge in Covid-19 cases which is creating havoc and people are getting psychologically weak," the plea said. On Thursday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced the opening of the first plasma bank in the country for coronavirus patients in the city, urging Covid survivors to come forward and donate plasma to save people's lives. Kejriwal also launched a helpline number to register names for plasma donation. "Those who want to donate can call directly on 1031 or WhatsApp on 8800007722 and the hospital will get in touch with you," he said. New Delhi, July 3 : Two men sustained bullet injuries after a group fired on them in north-east Delhi on Friday. According to the police the Nand Nagri incident occurred around 11.45 a.m. in B Block when the group carrying pistols opened fire at a 42-year-old Naresh. Another man Pramod, who was also standing in the lane received a bullet injury. "We received a call at around 11.45 a.m. on Friday. The men fired at Naresh who is into finance business and was into some sort of dispute with the accused. We have identified the accused and our teams are working on it," said Ved Prakash Surya, DCP North East Delhi. Both the victims have been shifted to the hospital. New Delhi, July 3 : A growing number of cases of gangs luring businessmen into honey traps and then extorting money are being reported in Delhi-NCR. Several active gangs have been busted by the Delhi and Gurugram Police during the nationwide lockdown period. In a recent case, when a 19-year-old girl came to the Krishna Nagar police station in Shahdara district and lodged a sexual assault case against a local businessman, the cops didn't find any reason to suspect her. They registered the case and apprehended the accused. However, during the course of the investigation, the police got suspicious of the victim as her statements had inconsistencies. Later, during the investigation, it was revealed that the victim was demanding money from the son of the accused. The police team then started working on different angles, including the possibility of the man being honey trapped, and the girl being a part of a racket. The police questioned the victim about her family and residence. She introduced a woman as her elder sister and provided an address to the police. "When we inquired further, we got to know that the victim has no siblings. The team got suspicious and the so called sister was interrogated thoroughly. During sustained interrogation, she confessed that the victim is not her sister. She further confessed that she along with two others hatched a criminal conspiracy to trap the businessman of Gandhi Nagar in a sexual harassment case to extort money," said Amit Sharma, DCP Shahdara. According to the police, as per the plan she introduced herself as Priya to the businessman and another girl introduced herself as the sister of Priya and they both trapped the businessman after exchanging numbers. "They demanded Rs 20 lakh to settle the case and extorted Rs five lakh in advance to become hostile in the court," the officer said. Two other associates were also arrested and they both confessed that they registered similar cases against different people in various police stations of Delhi following the same modus operandi. In a second case in Jagatpuri, a couple was arrested after two complaints of extortion reached the police station. In one case, the man and a 24-year-old woman entered the office of a businessman and demanded Rs 10,000 per month failing which they threatened to implicate him in a false case of sexual assault. The deal was set at Rs 2,500 per month. But the businessman approached police. The same couple then trapped a share market employee and demanded money from him to settle the case. Both the accused, Prakash Mandal and the woman, have been arrested. The honey trap racket seems to have spread wide in the NCR. Not just Delhi, similar cases have been reported in adjoining Gurugram also. In June, two men were arrested from the Gadoli Khurd village in Gurugram's sector 10 for their alleged involvement in honey trapping several real estate agents in the city and Delhi. The people involved in the racket seem to exploit the victim's fear of loss of reputation. Many do not even approach the police and end up paying extortion amounts to the honey trap gangs. New Delhi, July 3 : The government said on Friday that 14 Indians have been killed while 88 others have been injured by Pakistan in over 2,400 unprovoked ceasefire violations along the Line of Control in the last six months. "This year, till June 2020, 14 Indians have been killed and 88 Indians have been injured in more than 2,432 unprovoked ceasefire violations carried out by Pakistan forces," official sources said. India and Pakistan had agreed to ceasefire along the LoC and International Border (IB) in 2003. However, India alleges that Pakistan has been continually violating the terms of the understanding. Official sources said that the Ministry of External Affairs has registered its strong protest with Pakistan for the continued unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along the LoC and the IB. The government also conveyed its strong concerns at the continued support being extended by the Pakistan forces for cross-border infiltration of terrorists, including through covering fire. Despite these concerns having been shared, including through the channel of Director Generals of Military Operations, the Pakistan forces have not ceased such activities, sources said. New Delhi, July 3 : Migrant workers have caught the attention of the nation during the ongoing corona pandemic, but it has become difficult for the states to distribute free foodgrains to them. Only 13 per cent of the foodgrains allocated under the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat scheme has been distributed while in some states such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Goa, there has been no distribution at all. Under the 'Self-reliant India' scheme, the Central government has allocated 8,00,268 tonne of foodgrains for distribution in May and June for the migrant workers. But by the end of June, only 1,07,032 tonne of foodgrains were distributed. Thus, only 13.37 per cent of the total foodgrains allocated were distributed. Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan had allocated 8,00,268 tonne of foodgrains for the migrants during May and June, based on an estimate of eight million migrant workers across the country, but only 15.2 per cent of the May quota was distributed as against the 11.6 per cent of the June quota. However, in May and June, Rajasthan distributed 95.1 per cent of the allocated food grains to migrant workers. The Union minister, however, says the purpose for which this scheme was launched has been fulfilled, but he himself acknowledged that due to lack of accurate data of migrant workers with the states, the distribution of foodgrains could not be estimated. Recently Paswan said the objective of this free foodgrain distribution scheme launched for migrants was to ensure there was no starvation in the country and the needy could avail of the foodgrains. During the corona pandemic, the number of stranded migrants in various states was estimated to be nearly eight crore, but according to ministry figures 1,21,62,028 people across the country availed of the scheme in May while the beneficiaries in June were only 92,44,277. Instead of eight crore migrant workers, the data of even one crore could not be collected. However, experts say the main reason for the low foodgrain distribution under the scheme was its strict conditions, which made it difficult to identify the beneficiaries. As per the terms and conditions, the persons eligible for the scheme could be the same who were not the beneficiaries of the public distribution system under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) or the beneficiaries of other schemes of grain distribution. The Central government had made a provision to provide free five kg of foodgrains each to the eligible migrant workers and one kg of gram each to their family under the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' scheme. Similarly, for the NFSA beneficiaries, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) has been started under which five kg of foodgrains and one kg of pulses are being distributed to each beneficiary since April. Seeing the usefulness of this scheme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the extension of this scheme for five months from July to November. But the scheme of free foodgrain distribution for migrants will not be continued after June. Islamabad, July 3 : In a recent address to the Parliament, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan said that foreign policy of his government is a success story, claiming that the issue of Kashmir was raised at global platforms like never before. However, the opposition parties slammed the Imran Khan led government for completely failing in its diplomacy over Kashmir and compromising the Kashmir issue over Afghanistan. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairperson of Pakistan People Party (PPP) slammed the government for trying to project the current foreign policy -- a success story. "I am surprised to see Prime Minister Imran Khan call his government's foreign policy as a success. The Kashmir issue has been completely compromised. Kashmir is out of our hands now since August 5, 2019. And his government has done nothing about it. "India became non-permanent member of UNSC with massive votes. And our government's foreign policy kept numb... became completely irrelevant in the matter. I ask how and why did this happen when the so called successful diplomacy was active?", he questioned. Khwaja Asif, senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) lashed out at the government for its failure in gaining support from the international community over the Kashmir issue and allowing it to slip the issue into India's hands deliberately. "India has taken over Kashmir today. It is gone from our hands. And that has happened in the presence of Imran Khan-led government. India became part of the UNSC non-permanent members with massive support. Those countries, who our government claimed to be its allies on the Kashmir issue against India, sided clearly with India. And this prime minister has the audacity to claim that his foreign policy is a success. It is a slap, a failure, an embarrassment," he said. Another opposition member from PPP Sherry Rehman said that the Kashmir dispute is "done and dusted today", courtesy to what she called "incompetent government of Prime Minister Imran Khan". Taking to twitter, Senator Sherry Rehman slammed Prime Minister's speech in the Parliament, calling on the premier to stop destroying Pakistan. "Its not only about inappropriate speeches in parliament. Who will stop your PM from destroying Pakistan? Three more years and nothing may be left. Economy is worse, debts r higher, mafias on the rampage, PIA being cannibalised, Kashmir gone, what's left?" the senator tweeted. The Imran Khan government is facing serious criticism from the opposition parties, who are questioning its capability and competence to run the country. Despite of all these slamming, Imran Khan is consistent in his claims and praises for his government and its policies on domestic matters, handling of coronavirus pandemic and foreign policy, specially over Kashmir. San Francisco, July 3 : Twitter has joined efforts to do away with racially loaded terms such as master, slave and blacklist from its coding language in the wake of the death of African-American George Floyd and ensuing Black Lives Matter protests. The project started even before the current movement for racial justice escalated following the death of 46-year-old George Floyd in police custody in May. The use of terms such as "master" and "slave" in programming language originated decades ago. While "master" is used to refer to the primary version of a code, "slave" refers to the replicas. Similarly, the term "Blacklist" is used to refer to items which are meant to be automatically denied. The efforts to change these terms in favour of more inclusive language at Twitter were initiated by Regynald Augustin and Kevin Oliver and the microblogging platform is now backing their efforts. "Inclusive language plays a critical role in fostering an environment where everyone belongs. At Twitter, the language we have been using in our code does not reflect our values as a company or represent the people we serve. We want to change that. #WordsMatter," Twitter's engineering team said in a post on Thursday. As per the recommendations from the team, the term "whitelist" could be replaced by "allowlist" and "blacklist" by "denylist". Similarly, "master/slave" could be replaced by "leader/follower", "primary/replica" or "primary/standby". Twitter, however, is not the first to start a project to bring inclusivity in programming language. According to a report in CNET, the team behind the Drupal online publishing software started using "primary/replica" in place of "master/slave" as early as in 2014. The use of the terms "master/slave" was also dropped by developers of the Python programming language in 2018. Now similar efforts are underway at Microsoft's Github and LinkedIn divisions as well, said the report. Spielberg, July 3 : Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel has revealed there was no offer on the table with respect to a new Ferrari deal but accepted he was left a bit surprised when he was made aware about the team's decision. Vettel has so far won 14 races for Ferrari but failed to add to the four titles he won with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013. It was earlier announced by both Vettel and Ferrari that their association with come to an end after the current campaign. "There was no sticking point," Vettel was quoted as saying by Formula1.com. "It was obviously a surprise to me when I got the call from Mattia (Binotto, Ferrari Team Principal) when he told me that there was no further intention for the team to continue. "We never got into any discussions - there was never an offer on the table and therefore there was no sticking point," he added. Vettel, who is currently gearing up for the much-anticipated Austrian GP, also revealed he hasn't held discussions with other teams over a possible move next season. "At the moment I'm not really having any. Looking forward, obviously I want to make sure I make the right decision for myself and my future. I think I have a very competitive nature, I have achieved a lot in the sport," Vettel said. "I'm motivated and willing to achieve more. To do so I need the right package and the right people around me, so that's what I'm looking out for at the moment. "If the right opportunity should arise then it is quite clear (what I will do). If that's not the case then I'll probably have to look out for something else," he added. Panaji, July 3 : The upcoming 11-day Goa Assembly session has been curtailed to a one-day event, in view of the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the state, Speaker Rajesh Patnekar said on Friday. Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat said on Friday, after an all-party meeting chaired by Patnekar at the state legislative Assembly complex, also said that some legislators had demanded organising of a virtual session of the state Assembly. "The Covid-19 disease spread is increasing. The session we had decided on has now been curtailed after a unanimous decision by all MLAs...A longer session will be held in December instead," Patnekar said. Kamat said that the meeting called by the Speaker was an informal one to solicit views of the legislators on the duration of the session. "Today's meeting was an informal one called by the Speaker. There were discussions on various aspects taking into consideration the Covid-19 situation. One suggestion is that the Assembly session should be limited to one day for passing of vote on accounts," Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat told reporters, after emerging from the meeting with other MLAs. Kamat also said that in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the state budget which was presented some months back by Sawant "had no meaning" and there was no point in discussing the financial paper now. "The budget has no meaning. It will have to be reset. All these aspects will be discussed in upcoming (legislative) Business Advisory Committee meeting. The Speaker has also said that information about how states are managing state Assembly sessions in other states like Maharashtra and Delhi will be sought, before the BAC meeting," Kamat said. Kamat said that the Speaker as well as other MLAs discussed the risks of holding a prolonged assembly session, at a time when Covid-19 cases were rising with a record 90 plus cases reported on Thursday. "Apart from MLAs, there are hundreds of persons who are present during an Assembly session including civil officers, policemen, Assembly staff," the Leader of Opposition said. "There is the air conditioning factor, the rainy season. Cases are increasing on the outside. The Speaker has said let us have a one-day session and then a full-fledged session at a later date," Kamat said. The former Chief Minister also said that legislators have suggested that a virtual session of the state Assembly should be organised to mitigate infection risk. One ruling BJP MLA from South Goa district and his family have already been quarantined after they tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed New Delhi, July 3 : The Delhi High Court on Friday declined to entertain a petition against domicile reservation in the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru. A division bench of the high court presided over by Justices Hima Kohli and Subromonium Prasad observed that the main parties in the petition are the Karnataka government and NLSIU Bengaluru, and refused to entertain the petition. "Will NLU fight battle all over the country?" the bench questioned while adding that the petitioner shall approach an appropriate forum for the redressal of his grievances. However, after the bench passed the observation, Shadan Farasat, counsel for the petitioner, sought permission to withdraw the plea. The court granted him the permission to do so and also granted liberty to move the appropriate forum with their grievances. The court was hearing a petition filed by Shubham Kumar Jha, who has challenged the Karnataka government's decision of 25 per cent domicile reservation in NLSIU Bengaluru. The Karnataka Assembly had passed the National Law School of India (Amendment) Act, 2020 in March this year, which provided a 25 per cent horizontal reservation for students of Karnataka in the NLSIU. Lucknow, July 3 : Village panchayats in Uttar Pradesh are now playing a major role in resolving property and other disputes that have emerged with migrant workers returning to their native villages. In almost every village, there is some dispute or the other. The return of migrants to their homes is creating problems because the returnees are demanding their share in land and house. In some cases, the houses are small and unable to accommodate another family which is causing tension. Besides, there are other disputes like giving passage to neighbours or construction of drains. "These problems are now being resolved by village panchayats that circumvent the issue from reaching the police station. This not only ensures quick disposal of complaints but also eases the pressure on the police," said a senior police official. In Kanpur Dehat, two disputes related to the return of migrants was also resolved last week through panchayat intervention. "In one case, three brothers ganged up against the fourth, the youngest, who had returned from Surat after 9 years. They were unwilling to give him his share of land and said that they had tilled the land for years and would not part with it," said Monu Kashyap, a panchayat member. The village panchayat called the brothers and told them that legally, they were bound to give the brother his share of land. "The panchayat told them that if the matter reached the police, they would land up behind the bars. Finally, they agreed and the fourth brother got his share of land," said Akhtar Hussain, a local resident. In another case, a returnee worker faced problems when his two brothers refused to let him stay with them in their ancestral two-room house. The two brothers had five children and with their wives and one unmarried sister, there were already ten people sharing two rooms and, apparently, could not make room for the third brother his wife and child. The matter reached the panchayat members who prevailed upon the two brothers to put up a shed outside their house and allow the brother to stay with them. Several other disputes in villages in Sultanpur, Gonda, Jaunpur, Basti, Pratapgarh, Kanpur Dehat and Ayodhya have also been resolved by the panchayat in the past one month. For instance, in Pratapgarh, a village panchayat solved a 22-year-old land dispute that had led to several clashes between the warring groups and three FIRs at the Fatanpur police station. "It took more than six hours to resolve the matter but the dispute was finally settled and the entire village is happy about this," said Ratan Lal, a local resident. In another village in Bahraich district, the village panchayat made two families resolve a 12-year-old enmity that had led to three murders. "We made the families sit together and discussed the futility of the enmity. We told them that both the families would continue to suffer if they did not reconcile. After four days, both agreed to call it quits and shook hands," said Charan Das, a former village head. He said that people were now willing to approach the panchayat to resolve disputes, mainly because of the lockdown. "The courts are not yet working in the normal routine and the panchayat system seems to be working fine because it saves money and time," he said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text PARLAMENTUL REPUBLICII MOLDOVA 2010 The Moldovan Parliaments website design was supported by the Democracy Support Programme in Moldova" an initiative financed by the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe Bengaluru, July 3 : Karnataka government is allowing select asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic Covid-19 patients to recuperate at home as part of home isolation guidelines, an official said on Friday. "Only those who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic shall be allowed to be in isolation at home," said a health official, highlighting that such patients should be properly oriented on home isolation. However, before home isolation, a health team will visit the patient's house and assess its suitability for executing home isolation. Similarly, the patient should be provided with a tele-consultation link for initial triage, daily follow up and during the entire home isolation time. For a daily update, the patient isolated at home should give a report on his health status to the physician or health authorities. "The home isolation shall be with the knowledge of the family members, neighbours, treating physician and local health authorities," said the official. Though home isolation is allowed, it is not a blanket permission for all asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic cases in Karnataka to avail. "Such cases should have the requisite facility at their residence for self-isolation and also for quarantining the family contacts. A care giver should be available to provide care on 24x7 basis," said the official. Likewise, the caregiver should also have a regular communication link between him and the hospital during the home isolation. No patient above 50 years will be allowed to avail home isolation. "If the patient has the following comorbidities: hypertension, diabetes, obesity, thyroid disease, they shall be well managed and under good clinical control as assessed by medical officer," he said. However, patients with comorbidities such as kidney diseases, dialysis, heart diseases, stroke, tuberculosis, cancer and HIV cannot avail home isolation. Likewise, immunity compromised patients and those on steroids also cannot be on home isolation. Though pregnant women are not allowed to avail this facility, lactating women are allowed after due instruction and assessment. The Health Department has also issued several other guidelines and protocols for a patient choosing home isolation. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 3 : In a bid to check proliferation of Chinese equipment in the critical power sector, the central government plans a major policy shift that will incentivise domestic manufacturing while putting restrictions on all imports where local capacities exist. Power Minister RK Singh said that as part of the new policy initiative a mega manufacturing programme is being launched to incentivise a phased manufacturing plan through investments while scaling up existing manufacturing capacities so that India not only reduces it import dependence but also becomes a major exporter of energy equipment. "There is no need to go for imports of things available in the domestic market. We want to build Atmanirbhar Bharat, so power project developers using local equipment will get encouragement by way of lower interest on loans from state funding agencies such as PFC, REC and IREDA compared with those who rely on imports. Also, import of items manufactured in the country will attract a higher duty," Singh said during a media interaction after a meeting with state energy ministers. He said that in conventional power segment, India lacked only in equipment manufacturing at present. "We will encourage phased manufacturing here so that even these capacities come up soon and thus reduce import dependence," Singh said without mentioning whether tariff and non-tariff action were directed at China. In 2018-19, the total imports in conventional power sector were to the tune of Rs 75,000 crore, of which imports from China stood at over Rs 21,000 crore. In renewable energy segment, imports stood at $2.9 billion in FY19, with close to 70 per cent of it from China. Singh said even in renewable energy segment, sufficient domestic capacities for both solar modules and Veela existed in the country that should discourage imports. The minister said that in solar cells, the existing domestic capacity is being increased by more than three times from present 2,500 MW. About 4,000 MW of fresh cell manufacturing capacity is coming up while 3,000 MW additional capacity will be added under manufacturing-linked bids for solar projects. The Power Minister said that in case of solar modules as well, 7,000 MW in capacity is being added. This, he said, should be sufficient to meet the country's needs as well as exports. To discourage imports of solar equipment, the Power Ministry has already proposed a 20-25 per cent basic customs duty on solar module imports for the current year, which will go up to 40 per cent in the next year. Also, the duty on solar cells has been proposed at a lower 15 per cent for the first year and a higher 30-40 per cent in the next year. Already, solar imports attract 15 per cent safeguard duty. Singh said imports would also be checked through an approved list of models and manufacturers (ALMM). It will only allow imports from entities approved by the Power Ministry. Also, the ministry has suggested stringent quality standards for imports of all kinds of power equipment be fixed and substandard products outrightly rejected and suppliers blacklisted. Goods so imported will be tested in Indian laboratories as per Indian standards and to see presence of malware with a potential to jeopardise security of critical infrastructure installations in the country. The plan is also to put in palce another layer of checks at the ministry level that will first clear all import proposals. In such case, the equipment/items required to be imported from prior reference countries will be done only after obtaining prior approval of the Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. New Delhi, July 3 : A man in Delhi abducted and brutally killed another, who invited the wrath by insulting the former's mother. The killer along with his friend murdered the man, identified as Sajid. According to the police, the victim went missing from his house in South Delhi's Fatehpur Beri on June 16. A missing report was filed by his father on June 19. The father already suspected the hand of two men -- Viplav and Rahul -- in his son's disappearance. "During the course of investigation the suspect Rahul with whom Sajid was last seen, was interrogated and involvement of another man -- Chaman was established. "Later, both Rahul and Chaman were interrogated and they confessed that they killed Sajid in the jungle in Mandi Valley and left his body there. They murdered him by bludgeoning his head with stones after getting him intoxicated," said DCP South Atul Thakur. According to police, they stated that Viplav's mother had a quarrel with Sajid's mother before lockdown and that is why they killed him. "Both the accused were arrested and with their help the remains of Sajid's body was recovered from the jungle around a kilometre deep into the forested area near the Faridabad border," said the officer. Sajid too had some criminal cases registered against him. His motorcycle has been recovered from PS Sitarganj. This has also led the police to another murder by Viplav, who has been arrested in the other murder case in Sitarganj town of Udham Singh Nagar district in Uttarakhand. In that case Viplav had allegedly abducted one person (his relative Sushant) from Sangam Vihar and murdered him there. The reason for that murder was apparently Sushant's use of foul language about Viplav's friend. Viplav has been found to be involved in a kidnapping and murder case as a juvenile also. Lahore, July 3 : At least 19 Sikh pilgrims were killed and many others critically injured in a collision between a passenger bus and train on Friday in Pakistan's Sheikhupura district, near Lahore. As per details, the Shah Hussain Express train smashed into the bus carrying at least 25 Sikh pilgrims from Nankana Sahib to Lahore, after it came on the rail tracks and got stuck. A Pakistan Railways spokesperson said that the collision occurred at a railway crossing located between Farooqabad and Bahali Wala. It was reported that the Sikh devotees were travelling from Gurdwara Sacha Sauda from Peshawar, while the train was enroute to Lahore from Karachi. Image Source: IANS News Hospital authorities confirmed that there were at least 60 injured being treated, adding that most of them were in critical condition. Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed grief at the incident and ordered the best possible medical facilities to the victims. Railway Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has ordered an immediate inquiry into the incident. As per eyewitnesses, the railway crossing did not have any barriers to stop the traffic and keep the train track clear. "The bus was stuck on the train track and was hit hard by the train. The train dragged the vehicle to a good distance. Then the vehicle exploded," said an eyewitness. -- Syndicated from IANS New Delhi, July 3 : After a long stint of 10 years, Rajan Mathews on Friday resigned as the Director General of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). Following his resignation, COAI has announced the appointment of S.P. Kochhar, former head of the ICT wing of Indian Army, as its Director General. "Kochhar, a decorated military veteran, retired as Signals Officer in Chief, the head of the ICT wing of the Indian Army, where he was responsible for planning, executing and operating all Telecom and IT networks of the Army. Prior to that, he was Additional Director General Personnel of the Indian Army, handling HR and empowerment of the 11 lakh strong army," a COAI statement said. He was till recently the CEO of Telecom Sector Skill Council of India. The development comes a day after the telecom industry body ended its Annual General Meeting and announced changes in its leadership with Ajai Puri, Chief Operating Officer (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel as its Chairman for the year 2020-21. Speaking to IANS, Mathews said that he would move back to the US. Describing his 10 year tenure as "fulfilling", he said that the sector is at the cusp of 5G and the future looks bright for telecom in India. "It think we have been through the worst, I think Covid has shown us that the networks are absolutely essential. We are on the cusp of 5G," he said. Noting that the industry has passed through its worst phase, he said: "I really see a very bright future for the industry." Chennai, July 3 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Friday said that ration card holders will be supplied free rice, sugar, pulses and oil in July as the Covid-19 lockdown has been extended till the month end. In a statement issued here, Palaniswami said ration card holders were given free rice, sugar, pulses and oil during April, May, June and this will be continued in the month of July as well. Only Tamil Nadu ensured food security by distribution of free ration for four months, he added/ Bhopal, July 3 : Madhya Pradesh is known as a state famous for its tigers, but now it seems the tiger has become the symbol of the political jungle in the state. Ex-Congtress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia's statement of "Tiger Abhi Zinda Hai" (The tiger is still alive) reached Bhopal for the first time after the former Union minister and now BJP Rajya Sabha member was elected. If the Congress is attacking Scindia in a variety of ways, Scindia is also not missing out on repeating his statement. Scindia reached Bhopal on Thursday for the first time after being elected as a Rajya Sabha member and attended the second expansion ceremony of the Shivraj Singh Chauhan Cabinet. He launched a scathing attack on former Congress Chief Minister Kamal Nath and senior leader Digvijaya Singh. He said that for the last two months some people are trying to tarnish his image, "but I want to tell them that tiger is still alive." Former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh has also attacked Scindia in his own style. He said that when hunting was not restricted, he and Madhavrao Scindia (Jyotiraditya's father) used to hunt tigers. "But since Indira Gandhi's 'Wild Life Conservation Act', I now only shoot tigers with the camera." Former minister Subhash Kumar Sojatia has expressed his displeasure over Scindia calling himself a tiger. He says that the number of tigers in MP is the highest in the country, in such a situation, it is natural for every citizen of the state to be proud, but to call himself a tiger is nothing more than a film dialogue! "Those who know the history of the Scindia royal family will refrain from addressing him as tiger! Scindia cannot be considered a tiger, not the least for being the centre of the vicissitudes of current politics in Madhya Pradesh." At the same time BJP State President Vishnu Dutt Sharma says that Digvijaya Singh's nature has been to hunt. Scindia again mentioned the statement that "Tiger will be alive for the second time" in the BJP's program held on Thursday night. He said that Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh better hear that "The tiger is alive." Sunil Tiwari, who is close to Scindia says that some Congress leaders have always been troubled by Scindia's influence and mass base, which is why they are now making various kinds of allegations. Congress leaders do not have the courage to admit that Scindia had contributed in forming the Congress government in the state. Scindia has always been raising voice in public interest and he joined BJP to fulfill the dreams of common people. Politics experts say that a direct face-to-face battle has started in state politics. The political battle ground is heating up in Gwalior-Chambal division where the entire Congress will be ranged against Scindia. Jaipur, July 3 : Staying connected on WhatsApp, buying firecrackers in abundance, having a loud music system in your house, waiving dupattas or saafas when locusts attack and you sense danger, this Rajasthan town is well prepared for the winged beasts anytime they decide to swoop down. These are also part of the tips being recommended by Behror Kisaan Sangharsh Samiti to the farmers who have been battling the locusts attacks frequently "as administration, till date, has failed to inform or update or warn us of any probable locust attacks", said the farmers. Crops worth in lakhs have been damaged by locusts in this small town falling under Alwar district and farmers have therefore decided to stand up on their own to fight the menace, Vijay Yadav from Behror Kisaan Sangharsh Samiti told IANS. "Among the recommended guidelines by our Samiti, we have asked them to stay connected with farmers/people of neighbouring villagers on WhatsApp as they can keep them updated about locusts movement. "Farmers should not depend on administration as they have failed to inform us of any locust attack. Now, let's stay connected with farmers of other villagers who can predict the wind direction and eventually inform us if locusts are coming towards our villages," Vijay Yadav said. "All farmers should check their WhatsApp every hour," says the first point. The next point is to buy firecrackers in huge stock which can be burst as and when locusts attack their village. The third point says that loud music should be played by the neighbourhood at the maximum volume to shoo away the swarm that has so far spread out to at least nine heartland states, including the national capital region. In the fourth point, they have recommended that the tractors horn should be in working condition to be played to its maximum capacity. Siren arrangement should also be there with farmers, as this year the nation is battling its worst-ever desert locusts attack. Keep vessels of iron, bronze etc ready to be beaten when locusts attack, says the fifth point, evn as the central government has undertaken spraying of insecticide initiative in these west, central and north states. The sixth point says that women and men should start flying their dupatta/saafa in the air while screaming to inform them about locust attacks. The locusts rest between 7 pm and 9 pm -- at this point, all farmers should unite and shoo them away, they should never be allowed to rest, says the last point. Vijay Yadav further said that many farmers in Behror incurred huge losses due to locust attacks. "Surprisingly, none of the officials alerted us of any probable attack of Locusts in Behror which was quite strong on July 2," he added. Another farmer Ratiram, residing in Khapariya village of Behror, said: "I had sown cotton, bajra and jwaar seeds on 16 bigha land. However, locusts came and damaged the fields. There was no warning given by the administration. Till the time, I reached the field, all my work had gone down the drain. "Even the fields were not mine. I was working on borrowed land. Lakhs of seeds cost and my work both have gone now. Why does the administration fail to inform us when information these days flies with the speed of the light," he said. Vijay Yadav said every farmer here have the same story and hence "we have advised them to spray pesticides on crops and they shall be given 100 per cent grant from cooperative society". Behror SDO Santosh Kumar Meena-I and BDO Devendra Yadav were contacted to find out how the administration was pitching in but they did not take the call. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Ankara, July 3 : At least 50 people were injured in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Turkey's northwestern province of Sakarya on Friday. Citing a statement of Sakarya Governor Cetin Oktay Kaldirim, the state-run TRT broadcaster said 50 people have so far been rushed to the nearby hospitals. Kaldirim stated that there were 172 people inside the factory, which contained 110 tons of explosive material. Over 60 ambulances and two helicopter ambulances have been dispatched to the area, according to press reports. The NTV broadcaster noted that three of the injured are in critical condition. Kerem Kinik, president of the Turkish Red Crescent, urged people who live close to the explosion area to close their doors and windows to avoid the smoke, noting that the chemicals in the smoke can badly affect health, Xinhua news agency reported. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority announced that the incident should be considered as an industrial accident, and no radiation source has been detected at the factory. New Delhi, July 3 : Nasscom on Friday unveiled the fourth batch of its DeepTech Club that would nurture, mentor and fund 17 startups working in the field of new-age technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, Machine Learning (ML) and virtual reality (VR). The start-ups have been selected for a four-month programme that would involve guidance, enterprise connect sessions and exposure to investors and the global start-up ecosystem, the IT industry's apex body said in a statement. "It is heartening to see Indian start-ups continued to prove their resilience by developing innovative solutions that would help society cope with the pandemic on a daily basis. We must ensure the growth trajectory of the start-up ecosystem is not derailed by providing them with coordinated support from all stakeholders," said Debjani Ghosh, President, Nasscom. With over 1,600 DeepTech companies in India in 2019, there has been a spurt in funding of deep-tech startups as investor interest in niche products and platforms has increased significantly. "We have mentored 78 product companies so far and are very happy about the small part we are playing in nurturing the growing DeepTech ecosystem in India," said Milind Hanchinmani, Co-lead, DeepTech Club and Director at Intel. The fourth batch includes a diverse set of companies that have built phenomenal use cases for several verticals including healthcare, manufacturing, marketing and customer experiences, cyber security, public safety, transport infrastructure and e-governance, etc. "I am looking forward to learning from the best mentors in the industry and grow Devnagri exponentially," said Himanshu Sharma, Founder & CEO, Devnagri which is one of the selected 17 startups. Praveen Bhaniramka, CEO of 3D meeting and collaboration platform Exxar said they are excited about working closely with the Nasscom mentors to create growth opportunities and "help the industry with COVID-19 related business continuity and inefficiency challenges". "Within a few weeks of joining, we are already seeing value through collaboration with other start-ups, guidance from committed mentors, ecosystem and go-to-market connects," added Ganesh Subramanian, Founder & CEO, Stylumia Intelligence Technology. Iranian-American Organization Pars Providing COVID-19 Financial Assistance to Community 07/03/20 Source: Pars Equality Center (PARS), San Jose, California As the pandemic continues to cause unprecedented trauma and profound financial hardship, Pars Equality Center (Pars) strives to support the community through various initiatives. Thanks to the generosity of private donors, philanthropic foundations and government grants, Pars offers the following assistance to qualified individuals and households. Pars Youth Grant /The American Dream is a financial grant dedicated to ensuring the future generation's academic success. The students must be currently graduating from high school in California, with specific plans to continue their education in a College or a University in California. The amount of the grant varies based on financial need and educational costs of the institute for each student. The maximum award will be $10,000 per student. The deadline for submitting the application is July 15. To apply, please click HERE. The Goodarzi Scholarship Grant is a financial assistance designed to assist college students in California. This grant is awarded to female students of Iranian descent who-within the last seven years-have migrated to the United States. The deadline for submitting the application is July 15. To apply, please click HERE. Pars Los Angeles Emergency Food Assistance Program supports households affected by the pandemic. The food distributed at our center in Sherman Oaks includes nonperishable, shelf-stable food items, food vouchers and also face masks. So far, we have served 317 community members thanks to our partnership with Radio 670 AM KIRN and our sponsors: The office of Council Member David Ryu, Kadbanou and Abali Food Products, Sadaf Food, Almas Food, Chop Chop Products, Woodland Hills Market, Golchin Products, Barcelona Enterprise, Delphi Greek, International Summit and King's Market. To apply, please click HERE. Pars San Jose has partnered with Destination Home and Sacred Heart Community Service to offer COVID-19 Financial Assistance. Among other eligibility criteria, individuals must reside in Santa Clara County and be Extremely Low Income based on the County's Median Income Level. Since the launch of this program in June, we have assisted 10 individuals by offering them $1000 each. To learn more, please review the eligibility criteria below and email us at: assistance@parsequalitycenter.org if you qualify. About Pars Equality Center: Pars Equality Center's mission is to catalyze social, civic and economic integration of immigrants from Persian-speaking and other countries into American society. As a community-based social and legal services organization, Pars Equality Center is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to helping the Iranian-American and other Persian-speaking communities realize their full potential as informed, self-reliant, and responsible members of the American society. Pars Equality Center achieves its mission primarily by providing extensive social and legal services. Our multi-lingual-staff including case managers and attorneys serve the needs of our community by providing a full range of professional social services and legal representation. Website: www.parsequalitycenter.org Facebook | Twitter | YouTube New Delhi, July 3 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a visit to Ladakh on Friday issued a clear warning to China without naming it, saying that the "age of expansionism is over." Addressing the armed forces, he said, "The age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development. History has been witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to retreat." This assertion by Modi in the Ladakh region is extremely significant given the ongoing tension at the LAC with China in eastern Ladakh, barely 18 days after a violent stand-off. While China has been concerned about India ramping up infrastructure in the Ladakh region, Modi on Friday hinted India is not reviewing that. "We have increased expenditure on development of infrastructure in the border area by three times," Modi said. He also paid his tributes to the martyrs of the Galwan Valley clash. Addressing the soldiers, the Prime Minister expressed his gratitude for their bravery and commitment to protect Indian borders. "This land will remember their sacrifices, you have made every Indian proud." "From Ladakh to Kargil, your courage has been seen by all. Ladakh is the crown of India and this land is sacred to us. We are ready to sacrifice our lives for the country. The world knows about India's strength, our enemies' devious designs won't succeed," Modi said to soldiers in Nimu in Ladakh. "The bravery of 14 Corps will be talked about everywhere. Tales of your bravery and valour are echoing in every house in the country. Bharat Mata's enemies have seen your fire and fury," the Prime Minister said. In what can be seen as India's unequivocal assertion that its restraint should not be seen otherwise, he invoked Lord Krishna, "We are the same people who pray to Lord Krishna who plays a flute. But we are also the same people who follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the 'Sudarshan Chakra'." In fact, there has been more than one time when Modi mentioned Galwan Valley that witnessed one of the most violent India-China clashes recently. Modi said, while addressing India's armed forces that from Galwan's icy waters to every mountain peak, all are witness to the valour of Indian soldiers. Sources said that Modi reached Ladakh early this morning and was briefed by the Army, Air Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police at one of the forward locations in Nimu. Located at 11,000 feet above sea level, Nimu is tough terrain surrounded by the Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. The Prime Minister, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, will also interact with injured soldiers at the military hospital in Leh, in what will be a morale booster for the forces. On June 17, Modi had stated that the supreme sacrifice made by 20 soldiers who went down fighting against the People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops at Galwan Valley on June 15 night "will not go in vain". He also said that while India wants peace, it will give a "befitting reply" if provoked. "India's integrity and sovereignty is supreme for us, and no one can stop us from defending it. Nobody should have any iota of doubt about this," said Modi. "Indian troops went down fighting ("maarte, maarte mare hain")," he had said. The Prime Minister further added that whether world wars or peace, whenever the need arises, the world has seen the victory of Indian braves and their efforts towards peace. "Those who are weak can never initiate peace, bravery is a pre-requisite for peace. We have worked for the betterment of humanity," he said. To the soldiers, he said, "Your courage is higher than the heights where you are posted today. The resolve of a self-reliant India becomes stronger because of your sacrifices." Modi, sitting in a military camouflage tent, spoke to hundreds of soldiers seated at a distance from each other, in view of the coronavirus pandemic. It was Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who was to travel to Leh on Friday but his trip was cancelled. "The Prime Minister going to Ladakh, meeting with soldiers and encouraging them has definitely strengthened their morale," Rajnath said on social media. Last week, Modi had said that India gave a befitting response to China on Ladakh, during his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' radio address. "Those who cast an evil eye on Indian territory in Ladakh have been given a befitting response. If India knows how to maintain friendship, it can also confront someone and give an adequate response," said the Prime Minister adding that brave Indian soldiers showed that "they will not allow anyone to taint the honour of Mother India." -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Kanpur : , July 3 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Kanpur on Friday afternoon and met the kin of eight police officials killed by gangster Vikas Dubey and his men, and also announced Rs 1 crore compensation to each of the bereaved families. He also announced a government job to one member each of the bereaved families apart from pensions. The Chief Minister visited the Regency Hospital and enquired after the health of the injured police personnel. He also had a word with the doctors treating them. He then went to the Kanpur Police Lines where he paid homage to the eight police personnel who were fatally shot earlier in the day. He met the bereaved families and assured them of strict action against the culprits. A number of BJP leaders were present on the occasion. Talking to media persons, Yogi Adityanath assured that none of the culprits would be spared and that the policemen's martyrdom would be avenged. Meanwhile, police has seized an abandoned Mahindra Bolero vehicle in Etawah district. Area people told police that some people riding the vehicle on Friday had asked for directions but then abandoned it. It is suspected that Vikas Dubey and his accomplices may have travelled to Etawah in this vehicle after committing the crime. Etawah Superintendent of Police Akash Tomar said that efforts were on to vehicle owner and track those who had seen the vehicle passengers. In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Police raided Dubey's residence in Krishna Nagar locality and carried out a thorough search. The gangster's mother present in the house claimed that she had no connection with her son. "If he has killed so many people, he deserves to be killed too," she told reporters. Raids were also carried out in cities where Dubey reportedly had links. The eight police personnel, including a Circle Officer, were shot dead and six policemen seriously injured when criminal Vikas Dubey and his gang sprayed them with bullets in Vikru village under Chaubeypur police circle in Kanpur in the wee hours of Friday. The deceased included Bilhaur circle officer Devendra Kumar, who was leading the team, three sub-inspectors and four constables. Mumbai, July 3 : The Board of Directors of Muthoot Finance will meet on July 18 to consider the proposal of stock split of equity shares of the company. A stock split divides the company's existing shares into multiple shares to boost the liquidity of the shares. Although the number of shares increases by a specific multiple, the total value of the shares remains the same compared to pre-split amounts, as the split does not add any real value. Further, the board will also seek approval of shareholders for increasing the borrowing powers of the company from existing Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 75,000 crore, the company said in a regulatory filing. On Friday, shares of Muthoot Finance on the BSE closed at Rs 1,145.50, higher by Rs 36.85 or 3.32 per cent from its previous close. Lucknow, July 3 : Underworld don Vikas Dubey, who was responsible for the murder of eight policemen in Kanpur, has 60 criminal cases registered against him. He was also active in politics using 'honour' to polarise voters in favour of his men. Vikas is the prime accused in the 2001 murder of Minister of State Santosh Shukla. Apart from this, some high-profile murder cases in which Vikas is an accused include the murder of Siddheshwar Pandey, assistant manager of Tarachand Inter College located in Shivli police station area of Kanpur in 2000 and the killing of Rambabu Yadav in the same year. Vikas is accused of hatching the conspiracy to murder Yadav even while he was in jail. Along with this, Vikas' name emerged as an accused in the 2004 cable businessman Dinesh Dubey murder case. In 2018, Vikas carried out a deadly attack on his own cousin Anurag. Here again, he hatched the conspiracy from inside the jail. Four people including Vikas were held responsible for the murder by the deceased's wife. Vikas formed his own gang as a youth and started his criminal career with snatchings, robberies and murders. He became notorious and wanted in Kanpur in almost no time. He was also known for determining the victory and defeat of candidates in elections with terror. Manoj Shukla, the brother of Santosh Shukla and a Bharatiya Janata Party leader, told IANS that "Vikas is a very vicious criminal. He has been persistently escaping due to political patronage. He murdered our brother Santosh Shukla inside the police station. There were around 25 witnesses to the crime most of them were policemen, but he got acquitted in the case due to political connections". Manoj is former BJP district vice president of Kanpur rural. Manoj said that Vikas had joined the Bahujan Samaj Party to protect himself in 1995-96. After that he became a member of a zila panchayat. Thereafter, his wife contested panchayat polls with Samajwadi Party support. "In 20 years, Vikas always got acquitted in every case due to his political connections," Manoj said with regret. He said: "When my brother was murdered even that time Vikas had the support of some leaders of our own party, it is not right to take their names. Vikas was acquitted in this case in 2005. The police did not give a statement which deprived us of justice." "Now, he has initiated a war against the administration. Action will definitely be taken because he has started a fight against the administration and the government. When he killed my brother, there were 45 cases registered against him. Illegal land acquisition was his profession. He worked for many political leaders during panchayat and civic polls which strengthened his relations with many big parties," said Manoj. Senior journalist Pranshu Mishra explained that after killing Santosh Shukla in the police station, Vikas became a big name in the criminal world. He had support from almost every political party that's why no one could even touch him for 20 years. He consider himself a 'Don' and some youths consider him their role model. Director General of Police Hitesh Chandra Awasthi said that Vikas is a vicious criminal. He has 60 criminal cases registered against him including attempt to murder. (Vivek Tripathi can be contacted at vivek.t@ians.in) Thiruvananthapuram, July 3 : Former Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Friday made light of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to forward areas in Ladakh and said that "it is common for Indian PMs to visit forward areas" as it gives a tremendous boost to the defence forces. "Today's visit to Leh by Modi is a good one; he met the injured soldiers. But if one looks back, then Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi visited areas of (border) friction over a dozen times and one needs to see it (Modi visit) in the same way," the senior Congress leader remarked. Antony has held the Defence Minister's post for a record tenure from 2006 to 2014 in both the UPA governments at the Centre. "In 1971, Indira Gandhi along with the then Defence Minister visited the same place which Modi visited on Friday. Visits like these will be a huge morale booster for all in the defence forces," said Antony. He said that China has since made huge advancements into areas which they never ever did in the past, like in the Galwan Valley. "The need of the hour is for a status quo ante; China should go back and if it does not they should be ousted from there," Antony remarked. Amid the ongoing tension on the India-China border in eastern Ladakh, Modi paid a visit to Leh and forward locations on Friday morning to review the security situation, barely 18 days after a violent stand-off between troops of the two countries. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 3 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled the death of 19 Sikh pilgrims in an accident involving a passenger bus and train near Lahore in Pakistan's Sheikhupura district. "Pained by the tragic demise of Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan. My thoughts are with their families and friends in this hour of grief," he tweeted. The Prime Minister said that he will pray that those injured recover at the earliest. The Sikh devotees were travelling from a gurdwara in Lahore to Peshawar in the bus when it was hit by the train en route to Lahore from Karachi. Hospital authorities said most of the around 60 injured were in critical condition. Thiruvananthapuram, July 3 : The CPI-M, which heads Kerala's ruling LDF combine, on Friday asked Jose K. Mani, who heads a faction of the Kerala Congress-Mani, to spell out his party's political stand. Thiruvananthapuram, July 3 (IANS) The CPI-M, which heads Kerala's ruling LDF combine, on Friday asked Jose K. Mani, who heads a faction of the Kerala Congress-Mani, to spell out his party's political stand. After the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) decided to keep out Jose K. Mani's faction out of the UDF meetings for defying its directive to vacate the President's post in the Kottayam district panchayat, the Left Democratic Front has its eye on the group. The Kerala Congress- Mani comprises of two factions -- one presently led by Jose K. Mani and the other led by veteran legislator P.J. Joseph and practically for all purposes, they have been functioning as two different entities for the past one year. CPI-M state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and LDF convenor A. Vijayaraghavan said that its is the Jose K. Mani faction which has roots and strength in the state. Addressing the media on Friday soon after the CPI-M state secretariat meeting, Balakrishnan said the UDF is in shambles because of internal strife. "Not long ago the LJD (party led by late M.P.Veerendra Kumar) was an ally of the UDF and now they are with us. Jose K. Mani is yet to spell out his political stand and once when he does that, we will take a call.... till this moment, he has not said anything, when he does, we will look into it," he said . However after Jose K. Mani's exclusion from UDF, CPI state Secretary Kanam Rajendran, to repeated questions on whetherthe Jose K. Mani faction would be accommodated in the LDF, shot it down, saying that they don't require his help. Balakrishnan, asked about Rajendran's views, said that every party is free to have their view. "In the LDF, we take decisions after discussing things and at the moment, Jose K. Mani has not shown or expressed any intent and hence at the moment, there is nothing on it," he said. Balakrishnan also contended that he doubts if Jose K. Mani whose faction has one Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha member each, would commit the same mistake which P.C. Thomas did when he joined the then NDA government (1999-2004) to become a Union Minister but ruined his political future. The signals from the CPI-M is loud and clear that as and when Jose K. Mani spells out his political stand, his faction will be the 11th constituent of the LDF. "Already in the LDF we have three factions of the erstwhile Kerala Congress and we are an outfit, which will always take our allies together," added Balakrishnan. Kolkata, July 3 : A Kolkata Police Constable on Friday allegedly shot himself dead with his service rifle while on duty at the Writers Building here, the former state Secretariat. According to police sources, Bishwajit Karak, 34, was posted alone at Gate Number 6 when the incident occurred around 3.30 pm. "Karak, a resident of West Midnapore, was posted alone at Gate Number 6. We have heard that he was suffering from depression and was on medication. He shot himself with his service rifle," Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner (central division) Sudhir Kumar said. Kumar, who visited the spot, said that the Constable was taken to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital where he was declared brought dead. London, July 3 : Khabib Nurmagomedov's father and trainer, Abdulmanap, passed away due to coronavirus complications on Friday at a Moscow hospital aged 57. According to a report in RT Sport, Abdulmanap suffered a heart attack after being diagnosed with coronavirus. He had fallen ill in late April and tested positive for the deadly virus after being treated at a millitary hospital in Moscow. "Abdulmanap suffered two strokes, in his heart (a heart attack) and brain," family friend Ramazan Rabadanov told Russian outlet Championat as per Daily Mail. "They managed to treat his heart, but not his brain, so he didn't emerge from a coma. The situation was too serious, it was already too late. "The doctors did everything they could, they even tried to connect him with the President (Putin), but his condition was too serious." Abdulmanap oversaw his son beat every opponent so far inside the octagon as Khabib currently holds a 28-0 record on the circuit. Khabib's father had also accompanied him during their meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin after he beat Conor McGregor in 2018, which still remains one of the most watched fights in the history of the sport. Kolkata, July 3 : Hundreds of people staged a sit-in demonstration in West Bengal's East Midnapore district on Friday to protest against the irregularities in the distribution of Amphan relief packages. The incident took place in Pataspur town where people staged a sit-in, blocking the main road near Bajkul-Egra. The situation soon turned hostile and the police had to resort to baton charge to quell the crowd. According to police sources, a huge contingent of force was called in to control the situation. "Two rounds were fired in the air to bring the situation under control," a district police officer said. He said the villagers were agitating over the irregularities in Amphan relief funds which reportedly went to various fake accounts, thus depriving those who were actually affected by the cyclone. New Delhi, July 3 : The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that it has accepted the international tribunal award in the killing of two India fishermen by Italian marines and asked it to close the matter pending before it for eight years. The tribunal ruled for the trial of marines in Italy, while holding India is entitled to payment of compensation in connection with loss of life, physical harm, material damage to property and moral harm suffered by the captain and other crew members of fishing vessel 'St. Antony'. The Centre, in the application filed in the top court, said: "The applicant (Union of India) states and submits that the Republic of India has taken a decision to accept and abide by the Award passed by the Tribunal which would have the bearing on the continuance of present proceedings before this court." In March 2017, the apex court had passed an order where it directed the parties to place on record the award passed by the Arbitral Tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Centre submitted that on August 24, 2015, the International Tribunal on Law of the Sea (ITLOS), on the request of Italy, rendered an order prescribing provisional measures, which stated that Italy and India shall both suspend all court proceedings. On August 26, 2015, the apex court, in view of the pendency of the issue before ITLOS, stayed the proceedings pending before it and before any other court. "The Tribunal upheld the conduct of Indian authorities with respect to the incident and highlighted the material and moral harm suffered by the Indian fishermen on board the St. Antony on 15 February 2012. It held that the actions of the Italian Marines breached India's freedom and right of navigation under UNCLOS Article 87(1)(a) and 90," said the Centre, citing salient features of the award. However, the international tribunal found that the immunities enjoyed by the marines operate as an exception to the jurisdiction of the Indian courts and, hence, preclude India from exercising its jurisdiction over them. It also rejected Italy's claim to compensation for the detention of the marines. "India being a party to the UNCLOS, in accordance with the provisions of the UNCLOS and the Rules of Procedure agreed by the Parties, the Award is final and without appeal and shall be complied with by the parties to the dispute (Article 11, Annex VII, UNCLOS)", said the Centre's application, placing the award on record before the apex court. On February 15, 2012, two Indian fishermen aboard the Indian fishing vessel, St. Antony, were allegedly killed by two Italian marines aboard the Italian tanker 'Enrica Lexie' off the coast of Kerala. The Indian Navy intercepted the Italian tanker and detained the two marines, triggering an international conflict over legal jurisdiction and functional immunity. The two marines were released and returned to Italy after two and four years, respectively. The Arbitral Tribunal was tasked to resolve the conflict over jurisdiction. Mumbai, July 3 : The Indian stock market rose for the third straight day on Friday with the BSE Sensex closing above the psychological mark of 36,000 points. Positive global cues supported the Indian indices during the day, analysts said. Rahul Sharma, Market Strategist & Research Head, Equity99 Advisors, said: "Markets settled at a four-month high today on positive clues from Asian and European markets on hopes of a global economic rebound." Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Retail Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, noted that global sentiments continue to be buoyant on the back of more positive economic data from the US and China which bolstered hopes of a global economic rebound. China's services sector in June expanded at the fastest pace in over a decade, and US non-farm payrolls saw a better-than-expected jump. "Market is factoring in positive macro-economic data, onset of timely monsoon and optimism over potential Covid vaccine emerging soon. However, concerns over rising coronavirus cases and chances of a second round of lockdown along with trade tensions between US-China continue to linger. Thus, despite the near term momentum being positive, traders should look at booking profits at regular intervals," he added. On the technical front, Khemka said that Nifty has to hold above 10,500 to extend its move towards 10,800 while the support is placed at 10,450-10,330 levels. The Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange closed at 10,607.35, higher by 55.65 points or 0.53 per cent from the previous close of 10,551.70 points. The BSE Sensex closed at 36,021.42, higher by 177.72 points or 0.50 per cent from its previous close of 35,843.70. It had opened at 36,025.38 points and touched an intra-day high of 36,110.21 and a low of 35,872.38 points. The top gainers on the Sensex were Bharti Airtel (up 4.05 per cent), Bajaj Auto (up 2.28 per cent) and TCS (1.88 per cent). The major losers were IndusInd Bank (down 1.50 per cent), Tata Steel (1.49 per cent) and HDFC Bank (1.42 per cent). Lucknow, July 3 : The Yogi Adityanath government has announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for anyone giving information about Vikas Dubey, the main accused in the killing of eight police personnel on Friday. An Uttar Pradesh police spokesman said that the identity of anyone who provides information will be kept secret. The police has been raiding the various hideouts of Dubey but have not yet nabbed the criminal. Hyderabad, July 3 : Telangana Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, who had tested positive for Covid-19, was discharged from a corporate hospital on Friday. The minister's son and grandson, who too were undergoing treatment at the same hospital, have also recovered. Ali was admitted to the hospital on June 28 after he tested positive. The next day, his son and grandson were also admitted. The minister thanked all those who prayed for his health. He expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao, Aother ministers and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders. The minister also thanked Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, public representatives of the state and the leaders of all the parties who spoke to him over the phone while in the hospital. Ali also expressed special thanks to Apollo Hospital doctors and staff who treated him carefully. Advising people to be cautious about corona disease, he, however, urged people not to be afraid to seek treatment as soon as symptoms appear. The Home Minister suggested to people not to drink cold water, eat only homemade food, do exercise regularly and to maintain physical distance. Ali is the only state minister to test positive for Covid-19. Earlier, three legislators of the ruling TRS had also tested positive. Chandigarh, July 3 : Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Friday lauded the efforts of Haryana for swiftly moving forward to achieve the target of providing piped drinking water to all rural households in the country by 2022. He said other states have been asked to emulate the Haryana pattern in planning for the Jal Jeevan Mission. "It is a matter of great pride that dedicated efforts made by various departments and officers, who under the leadership of Chief Minister Manohar Lal are continually working as a team towards the national goal of providing tap water connection to all rural houses by 2022," the Union minister said. He was reviewing the work being carried out by the Haryana government under the Jal Jeevan Mission through video conferencing. The Chief Minister said the state government was speedily moving forward to provide functional household tap connections to all rural households by 2022. Various measures are being taken in a bid to provide piped drinking water to all rural households, he said. The farmers have also been told to adopt crop diversification and it is a matter of great satisfaction that they have given their consent for growing alternative crops other than paddy in over one lakh hectares, he said. Around 12 to 13 per cent of water will be saved in this way, he added. The Chief Minister said to ensure better utilisation and conservation of water, the Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority has been set up. He said the authority is working towards the rejuvenation of ponds. New Delhi, July 3 : At least five persons sustained bullet injuries in the national capital after gunmen opened fire in three separate incidents within 24 hours. One of the victims succumbed to the injuries while four are still battling for life in various hospitals. In the first incident, two sisters were shot by two boys in South West Delhi's Kapashera on Thursday evening. The two girls aged 15 and 13 received bullet injuries in the stomach and leg respectively. One of the boys was annoyed after the girl's family allegedly scrapped the engagement with him. It was then that he decided to barge into the house of the girl with his friend and shoot her. Both have been nabbed and the two girls are battling for life in a hospital. The second incident was reported from Delhi's Rohini where in an alleged case of mistaken identity gunmen shot dead the son of a retired Delhi police ASI on Thursday night. The deceased was identified as Nitin Dalal. "Nitin Dalal, son of a retired Delhi police Assistant Sub Inspector was shot dead by some unknown persons. They came in a Santro car. Nitin was driving his brother's car when he was attacked. Neeraj, elder brother of Nitin, is in the property business." said DCP Rohini PK Mishra. Since Nitin was driving his brother's car the police suspect it might be a case of mistaken identity where the gunmen mistook Nitin for his brother Neeraj. In the third case of shooting reported on Friday morning, three to four men entered B Block of Nand Nagri in North East Delhi at around 11.45 a.m. and fired at a 42 year old businessman who has been identified as Naresh. Another man Pramod who was also standing in the lane received a bullet injury in the firing. Both are admitted in a hospital. Amaravati, July 3 : YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Friday urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to disqualify Narsapuram MP Raghurama Krishna Raju for his anti-party activities. A delegation of YSRCP MPs, led by party General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP V. Vijaysai Reddy, met Birla in New Delhi, seeking the disqualification of Raju. After submitting the disqualification petition, Vijaysai Reddy told reporters that the Lok Sabha Speaker responded positively and assured to take action after going through the case. "Raghurama Krishna Raju created an awkward situation, by airing his views which were against the party line and his conduct was highly questionable and he lost the moral ground to be a member of the House representing the party," he said. Vijaysai Reddy alleged that Raju was also hobnobbing with the leaders of the opposition party and many times, he used unparliamentary language against YSRCP President and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and other party members. He has never discussed his inconvenience within the party forum anytime, but instead, took it up in the public, going against the party guidelines. "The Narsapuram MP had colluded with opposition party leaders and went against the party guidelines and discipline. The anti-defection law applies to Raghurama Krishna Raju, who contradicted the party rules and he even misused the freedom of speech," the YSRCP leader said. He argued that Raju's public defiance of the party line attract the anti-party provisions. YSRCP Floor Leader in Lok Sabha, Mithun Reddy said that Raju was given due prominence in the party by nominating him to important committees. He has been critical about the party and the reply to the notice given to him was irresponsible which forced the party to give this notice. Party Whip, M. Bharat said that Raju behaved like an opposition within the party and lacked the true spirit of the party which he represents. He was given many opportunities during the debates, but he has been talking contrary to the party decision on introduction of English medium from primary level and Tirupati lands. MP Nandigama Suresh challenged Raghurama Krishna Raju to resign and contest without party support and win again. Mumbai, July 3 : Telly star Arjun Bijlani is among celebrities who have complained about inflated electricity bills, but he has given his complaint a humorous twist. "My last name is Bijlani. And friends call me bijli. Aur mere bijli ka bill aaya haiiiiiiiiiiii (my electricity bill is) 48970. Shukriya @Adani_Elec_Mum.I guess bharna toh padega (I guess I'll have to pay up)," tweeted the "State Of Siege: 26/11" actor. Residents across Mumbai have been complaining about abnormally high electricity bills, which they received after the lockdown. The list of celebrities includes Nimrat Kaur, Soha Ali Khan and Neha Dhupia. Actress Taapsee Pannu was one of the first celebrities who had tweeted to complain that there has been an "insane rise" in the electricity bill for the month of June 2020. Dhaka, July 3 : Five port users' organisations in Bangladesh have suspended import of Indian goods through Benapole land port on the border for the third day on Friday, protesting India's refusal to accept Bangladeshi-exported goods. "Since July 1 morning, as the port's users and stakeholders held protests demanding withdrawal of India's restriction on exports from Bangladesh," said Chairman of Benapole land port authority Tapan Kumar Chakravarty. Since June 7, some 4,188 Indian goods-laden trucks entered Bangladesh. The organisations have announced a stop to import of all types of goods from India until they accept Bangladeshi export goods. Due to this, there has been an export trade deficit with India of 2,000 crore takas in the last three months, they said. "We continued negotiating with Indian authorities for last 3 days through the High Commission in Dhaka .They are also trying their best, but it's still uncertain," Chakravarty added. Indo-Bangladesh import-export through the land-port of Benapole in Bangladesh - which is opposite India's Petrapole on the border, have remained almost stalled since July 1. Bangladeshi exporters are having to bear large losses due to their trucks being stuck at the port. Benapole, the biggest channel for trade between the two neighbouring nations reopened on June 7 after remaining closed for three months due to coronavirus-induced shutdown. Nearly 500 trucks of export goods are stuck in Benapole port for the last three months. The government of India and Indian traders allow export of Indian products to Bangladesh but do not allow entrance of Bangladeshi products to India, the Bangladeshis say. Some 5,000 goods-laden trucks are waiting to enter Bangladesh through the port from Petrapole for the last 3 days. Many goods with short date of expiry have already been damaged inside those trucks, sources said. Hyderabad, July 3 : Telugu superstar star Allu Arjun, while remembering his "1st choreographer" Saroj Khan, has described her as a precious and irreplaceable jewel in Indian cinema. Khan had choreographed for Arjun in the 2001 Telugu release, "Daddy". "Saroj Ji! A Legendary choreographer no more. She was my 1st choreographer ever in the movie 'DADDY'. I have always admired her incredible body of work. A precious & a irreplaceable jewel in Indian Cinema," Arjun tweeted. "I bow down my respects for her and my deepest condolences to all the near and dear ones. RIP #Sarojkhan ji," he added. Saroj Khan passed away after a cardiac arrest in the early hours of Friday. She was 71. Khan was diabetic and had complained of breathing problem last month, following which she was admitted to Mumbai's Guru Nanak Hospital. Over the past few weeks, she had been experiencing multiple health issues, though she had tested negative for Covid-19. She breathed her last at around 1.30 am, family sources said. Islamabad, July 3 : At a time when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Ladakh, amid the ongoing standoff between Indian and Chinese forces, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has reaffirmed Islamabad's extended support to China's "One China Policy", along with a complete alliance against India. Qureshi held a brief telephonic conversation with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday, immediately after Modi concluded his visit to Ladakh. As per an official press release, "bilateral, regional, and international issues were discussed" with Islamabad underscoring that the two countries are "All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partners", who are facing "common challenges". Beijing's 'One China Policy' has its core interests in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang, while the multi-billion dollar Silk Route, part of which is the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), making Pakistan's support and the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and Ladakh sensitively important. Pakistan's open support to Beijing is certainly in line with the concerns New Delhi and Washington have raised over the increasing presence of China in the region along the CPEC belt, stretched from Gwadar Port to Gilgit-Baltistan. Islamabad has been open in siding with China when it comes to countering the threat it faces from mutual rival India, a point Qureshi re-asserted during his telephonic conversation with his Chinese counterpart. "Foreign Minister Qureshi underscored that regional security situation was deteriorating and underlined that India's belligerent posture and expansionist policies were imperilling peace in the region," read a press release from Pakistan Foreign Office. "Apart from committing egregious violations of human rights in IOJ&K, India was seeking to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory. The Foreign Minister also briefed about the repeated violations committed by India across the LOC as well as targeted killing of the civilians. In the face of Indian provocations, Pakistan was exercising restraint," Qureshi maintained. Earlier in the day, the Indian Prime Minister was on a visit to Ladakh, his first visit after the India-China standoff. Modi did not mention China in his speech to the troops, but his gestures and words were loud and clear, cautioning Beijing over its desire of "expansionism". "Age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development. History is witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back," Modi said in his address to troops in Ladakh. While Modi's message to China is a cautious intimation, Pakistan is keeping a very close eye on the developments in the region. China's presence in Ladakh will need Islamabad's support to sustain and Islamabad is extending every support to ensure New Delhi remains challenged. Hyderabad, July 3 : With another lockdown looming over Hyderabad, hundreds of people were heading to their native places in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Fearing that they may be stuck in the city if the lockdown was re-imposed, workers and businessmen were returning to be with their near and dear ones. Using whatever mode of transport available to them, the migrants were leaving Hyderabad, which is witnessing a big spike in Covid-19 cases. Majority of those returning home were daily wagers, construction labourers, domestic help and traders. Most of them had returned to Hyderabad after easing of lockdown in May. Though there is still no official word on re-imposing lockdown in Hyderabad, the reports that the state cabinet would soon take a decision on lockdown triggered fears among the migrants. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has already hinted that this time the lockdown will be strict with only two-hour relaxation for people to buy essentials. Health Minister E. Rajender has gone on record that the health experts suggested a 15-day lockdown in Greater Hyderabad to contain the spurt in coronavirus cases. Checkposts at Garikapadu in Krishna district, Pondugala in Guntur, Jeelugumilli in West Godavari and Panchalingala in Kurnool district were witnessing traffic snarls as migrants were returning to Andhra Pradesh with their families. People were waiting in long queues for verification of the documents by the authorities. Only those who obtained permission from Andhra Pradesh authorities were being allowed. The officials were checking 'Spandana' e-pass, Aadhar and other documents and registering their residential addresses. Those without e-pass and other documents were being turned away. The officials at the checkposts are also conducting thermal screening of all people and taking swab collections of those with suspected symptoms of Covid-19. They are also stamping 'home quarantine' mark on the hands of those with suspected symptoms. Some people without e-passes were seen pleading with authorities to allow them and even showed their willingness to be under quarantine at government-run centres. Even those with all the documents are being allowed entry only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Some people are spending the night in their vehicles at the toll gates. Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police Gautam Sawang has appealed to people not to come to the checkposts without obtaining e-pass through state government's portal 'Spandana' to avoid inconvenience. Officials at the inter-state checkposts said the number of people crossing into Andhra Pradesh had almost doubled during the last four-five days. The number of vehicles at Garikapadu checkpost, for instance, has doubled to 600 daily vehicles during the last few days. Officials say over 1,100 people are entering Andhra Pradesh through this checkpoint every day. A week ago, this number was around 700. At Pondugula, about 1,500 vehicles from Telangana are entering Andhra Pradesh every day. The number of people crossing the border into Andhra has increased to 4,000 against 2-500-3,000 a week ago. At Panthangi toll plaza on Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway, the number of daily vehicles heading towards Andhra has gone up to 25,000 from about 15,000 a few days ago. Mumbai, July 3 : The hashtag #BreakTheSilenceForSushant has been trending on Twitter throughout Friday, as fans of the deceased actor believe his death did not happen by suicide. Even though Sushant Singh Rajput's postmortem report states his death was a "clear case of suicide", fans do not seem convinced. They are also requesting for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the actor's death. "#BreakTheSilenceForSushant We need to know the reason behind his death.. We need cbi enquiry," tweeted a user. "To this edge who is behind this crime is influential and important, since they did not listen to all this pressure, their lack of response assures us that it is a planned crime, and we will not silent until justice is done for him. #BreakTheSilenceForSushant #CBIMustForSushant," tweeted another user. "Raise your Voice Guys As much as you can for Justice for #SushantSinghRajpoot. He is murdered very Brutally by his own trustworthy Friends," alleged another user. #BreakTheSilenceForSushant. We are United here for him Because he suffered a lot, Raise Your Voice RIGHT NOW, Before Someone becomes another Victim. WE REALLY WANT JUSTICE NOT POLITICS ANYMORE... #BreakTheSilenceForSushant," urged another user. Several fans of the actor have also called for the boycotting of films featuring star kids over the past couple of weeks. "Let's all take a pledge that we will not watch nepotism and star kid movies any more. With this we will give justice to Sushant Singh Rajput. #BreakTheSilenceForSushant. No one will stop the voice of justice for Sushant untill convincing justice not given," tweeted a fan. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery New Delhi, July 3 : The controversial proposal to annex Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), which is to change the semi-autonomous status of the region, is being pushed by Pakistan to help China secure the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), security agencies have told the government. India is opposing the proposed move. The developments in Pakistan related to Gilgit-Baltistan and diminishing role of terrorist leaders and separatists operating against India is not just accidental. It has massive strategic depth and the security perimeter around it with China playing a major role. Arguably the most important factor, top security officials said, is increasing interference of China in Pakistani affairs with a long-term focus. The 3,218-kilometre CPEC, a dream project of Chinese President Xi Jingping, in which China has sunk about USD 19 billion, runs along the disputed area. Last August Prime Minister Narendra Modi scrapped special status of Jammu & Kashmir bringing it under federal control. Statements reiterating India's claim over the Gilgit-Baltistan are believed to have sparked further apprehension about Gilgit-Baltistan. There were three meetings in Islamabad to end the autonomous status of Gilgit-Baltistan. As the meetings were happening in Pakistan, the security agencies underline Chinese started incursions in eastern Ladkah region. Sources detailing the manoeuvres said that the first meeting was held last year in Islamabad and it was presided over by Pakistan's top army officers. In the meeting, Kashmiri separatists leaders based in Pakistan were called in to discuss the issue to annex Gilgit-Baltistan with Pakistan. The Kashmiri separatists shot down the proposal. This irked the Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence. Subsequently, the third meeting was held in February 2020 and it was presided over by another top Pakistan Army officer. The meeting was also attended by Pakistan's law minister, PoK law minister, PoK Prime Minister, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister, both factions of Hurriyat and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) representatives. In the meeting, a detailed presentation by Pakistan Army on the history of Gilgit-Baltistan was made wherein it was stated it was never part of Jammu & Kashmir and was forcibly annexed by Dogra Maharaja and British. The Hurriyat leaders supported the idea. However, JKLF nominee and Kashmir-based SAS Geelani's representative remained quiet. Geelani's representative is reported to have opposed the proposal after seeking clarification and direction from Srinagar. Sources said that 90-year-old Geelani based in Srinagar had directed to oppose it tooth and nail. Further, Geelani's representative refused to endorse other Hurriyat leaders' decisions about Gilgit-Baltistan. Geelani's representative is reported to state that annexation of Gilgit-Baltistan would hurt the militancy movement in Kashmir. The JKLF nominee also voiced apprehension on the proposal. "The meeting was then adjourned without any final decision," said sources. Geelani had earlier opposed then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's four-point formula also and because of it Islamabad and PoK offices were shut down. After this meeting, a series of events took place that led to a revolt against Geelani's representative and he was removed from his position. Seeing this, Geelani's representative, who was a former Hizbul Mujahideen commander and had made forays in politics, sought support from separatists opposed to ISI machinations. They formed a six-member core group without a name, which is a separate organistion and also against Hurriyat. It included representative of JKLF Rafiq Dar, Hurriyat Mirwaiz group Faiz Naqashbandi, Hizbul commander Salahudin, Jamat e Islami representative Nabi Nowshari. The group is said to have the backing of PoK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider. Then the ISI started acting against them. The first was the attack on Hizbul Mujahideen chief and most wanted terrorist Syed Salahuddin. The Kashmiri leadership was peeved by the ISI, which has been funding the terror outfit and sheltering Salahuddin, for not doing anything after India's scrapping of Article 370 last year. In May this, an explosion took place at Salahuddin house in Islamabad. It is said a hand grenade was lobbed at his house to send him a message. In police FIR it was mentioned as cooking gas cylinder blast. The attack at Salahuddin house in May was a coded message that he was no longer a poster boy of Rawalpindi. And then came the resignation of Geelani from Hurriyat Conference. Although, in his audio message, Geelani cited the current state of the Hurriyat Conference to disassociate himself from the forum, there was a shadowy war behind the move. Explaining the shadowy war, sources said that those militants who had gone to PoK and stayed there since 1990s are not a fighting force anymore. "They are seeking a role in political affairs. Hurriyat leadership is not allowing them, since they have developed vested interests. They are not vacating their positions," said sources adding that Geelani has been backing the former Hizbul cadre, who want a political space within Hurriyat. "The old hawks occupying the top positions are not allowing the younger lot to join. Also, in PoK, many separatists' leaders are living a luxurious life, which is also being resisted by the younger lot. They had even complained to Geelani against the old Hurriyat leaders based in PoK," sources further added. India closely watches these developments and has strongly opposed the move of Pakistan to make changes in Gilgit-Baltistan. India has always maintained that the entire Gilgit-Baltistan and PoK is part of India's territory and illegally occupied by Pakistan. In a strong-worded statement India said such cosmetic exercises are intended to camouflage Pakistan's illegal occupation of Indian territories. Top sources said the move would serve China's geostrategic agenda and diminishing power of separatists will provide Chinese People's Liberation Army to strengthen its foothold in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan and ultimately, treat it like Chinese provinces. China and Pakistan, which has been using terrorists against India, have a single aim - to convert the geopolitical stability in the region to turmoil on another front away from Ladakh. (Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in) Mumbai, July 3 : Maharashtra's Covid-19 cases continued to break records with a new high of 6,364 - up from Thursday's 6,330, and notched 198 deaths for the second time in three days, health officials said here on Friday. With the latest fatalities, the state death toll climbed up to 8,376 and total cases zoomed to 192,990 - both the highest in the country. Friday's figures work out to roughly one death recorded every 7 minutes and a staggering 265 new cases notched every hour. The recovery rate in the state improved marginally from to 54.24 per cent while the mortality rate stood at 4.34 percent. July has started with three-digit highs of deaths and over 5,000 cases daily, causing major concerns among health officials. The Health Department said of the total number of cases declared till date, 79,911 are active case. On the positive side, 3,515 fully cured patients returned home on Friday - taking the number of those discharged to 104,687. Of Friday's fatalities, Mumbai alone notched 73 deaths - pulling up the city death toll to 4,762, while the number of Covid-19 positive patients here shot up by 1,338 cases to 82,074. There were also 50 deaths in Thane, 19 in Pune, 15 in Solapur, six each in Palghar, Aurangabad and Jalgaon, five in Jalna, four in Raigad, three in Akola, two each in Dhule and Amravati, and one each in Nashik, Ahmednagar, Nandurbar, Latur and Gondiya. Two deceased were from other states. The MMR (Thane division) continues to see deaths and cases continue to pile up, with a total of 6,060 Covid-19 fatalities and a whopping 4,379 new patients pushing up the number of positive cases to 137,783. Thane cases have shot upto 43,634 with 1,075 fatalities - to emerge as the second worst-hit district after Mumbai in the state. Pune district comes third with 25,454 patients and 826 deaths till now. But Pune division ranks second (after MMR) with 29,371 patients and 1,157 fatalities. Nashik division has 566 fatalities and 10,379 positive cases, followed by Aurangabad division with 306 deaths and 7,060 cases, and Akola division with 139 fatalities and 2,934 cases. Kolhapur division has notched 55 deaths and 2,173 patients, Latur division 49 fatalities and 1,134 cases, and Nagpur division has recorded 19 deaths and 2,050 cases. Among the eight divisions, only Kolhapur recorded zero fatalities on Friday, though there were new Covid-19 positive cases. Nashik division, meanwhile, the third division to enter the 5-digit levels in the total cases. Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home quarantine increased to 589,448, while those in institutional quarantine increased to 42,371. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, July 3 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a high level meeting on Friday to review preparedness of measures to deal with monsoon and flood situation in major flood-prone river basins in the country. This meeting comes in the wake of Assam experiencing devastating floods that has left 33 dead so far. While Shah asked officials to focus on better coordination between agencies to have a permanent system for forecasting of floods and rise in water levels in major catchment zones/areas of the country, he also asked for permanent solutions to the perennial flood problem in areas like that of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and North Eastern states. Shah also directed the Ministry of Jal Shakti and Central Water Commission (CWC) to review and assess data on real storage capacity of major dams with a view to ensure timely release of water and prevention of floods. Senior officials of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation were present in the meeting as were officials of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and India Meteorological Department (IMD). The government, in a statement said, "The decisions taken in the meeting will go a long way to mitigate the sufferings of lakhs of people in the country who have to face the fury of floods in terms of damage to their crops, property, livelihood and precious lives." A total of 40 million hectares area in India is prone to floods in which Ganga and Brahmaputra are main flood basins and Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are most flood-prone states. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal regarding the flood situation in the state. Mumbai, July 3 : Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on Friday evening mourned the death of veteran choreographer Saroj Khan on social media. "ALL my Love Always too, Saroj ji. May your Soul Rest in Peace. Much respected, admired and adored as our Dance Guru in our Film Industry...truly a Legend...Such a privilege to have had so many memorable experiences dancing under your guidance...THANK YOU for All your Duas and Blessings always... and so much LOVE You will truly be missed. Prayers and much Strength to all your family," the actress posted on Instagram. The actress shared a still from the set of her 1999 film "Taal" where Saroj Khan can be seen choreographing a dance move for Aishwarya. Saroj Khan has choreographed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for iconic dance numbers like "Nimbooda" ("Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam"), "Dola re dola" ("Devdas"), "Ramta jogi" ("Taal"), "Barso re" ("Guru") among others. Earlier in the day, Abhishek Bachchan posted on Instagram Story, remembering the legendary choreographer. "The first song I ever performed to in films was under her tutelage and choreography. She taught me so much. Will miss you Saroj ji. RIP," the actor shared. Three-time National Award-winning choreographer Saroj Khan passed away due to cardiac arrest in Mumbai early on Friday. She was 71. New Delhi, July 3 : As Assam flood continues to ravage the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of persons who lost their lives in the flood. "PM @narendramodi has sanctioned ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of persons who lost their lives due to floods in Assam from the PM National Relief Fund," Modi tweeted from his PMO Twitter handle. Earlier in the day, he spoke to Assam Chief Minister Sarbanada Sonowal and reviewed the current situation after the heavy rain and resultant flood. HE also assured Sonowal of all central assistance. The flood in Assam has claimed 33 live so far, besides affecting around 15 lakh people in 21 of the state's 33 districts, officials said. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials had earlier said that 18 persons have died in Dhubri, Nagaon, Nalbari, Barpeta, Dhemaji, Udalguri, Goalpara and Dibrugarh districts in the flood since early last week, taking the state's death toll to 33, while 24 others were killed in landslides since May 22. New Delhi, July 3 : Leasing of commercial spaces by IT companies and IT-enabled services is likely to decline in the coming days as major domestic and international organisations are reducing their expenses and deferring projects due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by 360 Realtors. The report noted that in recent years, the gap between Delhi-NCR and other formidable IT destinations such as Bengalaru and Pune has narrowed. Quality human capital resources, the concentration of Fortune 500 and other major MNCs, and cosmopolitan culture continues to draw the attention of major IT companies. Besides a healthy pipeline of office supplies, robust infrastructure is also a pull factor for Indian and international IT companies to set up their foothold in markets like Gurugram and Noida. "However, as major domestic & international organisations are cutting down on IT spending & deferring digital initiatives, the downtrend will reverberate across IT/ ITeS leasing activities in Noida and Gurugram. As a part of the business continuity plan, many companies will move to more affordable destinations. Likewise, to accommodate mandated safety and hygiene requirements, a major makeover in the office layout is expected," it said. "Amid the pandemic, many companies have begun to question the need for Grade A office spaces. As firms cut costs to weather the recession, office real estate will be at the top of the list to shed. Already Grade-B spaces and Grade-C space are witnessing a sudden spurt in inquiries," Ankit Kansal, Founder and MD, 360 Realtors said. IT and ITeS companies are facing muted demand due to a cut down in IT spending globally. Hence, they will like to reduce the cost of operations, he said, adding that there is a strong possibility of a mandate to increase space usage per employee. Currently, space usage is around 30-40 square feet per employee and that might be increased to 80-90 square feet. This will be an incremental cost burden leading to increased demand for more cost-effective spaces, Kansal added. Bengaluru, July 3 : Karnataka registered yet another high single day rise of Covid cases at 1,694, with Bengaluru alone accounting for 994 of them, taking the state's tally to 19,710, an official said on Friday. "New cases reported from Thursday 5 p.m. to Friday 5 p.m., 1,694," said a health official. With Friday's spike, Bengaluru's Covid tally rose to 7,173, out of which 6,297 are active. Of all the cases in the state, 36 per cent are in in Bengaluru itself and in terms of active cases, the city has 59 per cent of them. Meanwhile, in the past 24 hours, 21 people succumbed to the virus, taking the number of deaths in the state to 293. Of the latest deaths, five were reported from Bengaluru Urban, three each in Kalaburagi and Chikkaballapura, two each in Vijayapura and Shivamogga, and one each in Ballari, Bengaluru Rural, Davangere, Bidar, Raichur and Hassan. Among the new cases, apart from Bengaluru, Ballari and Dakshina Kannada contributed 97 cases each, followed by Kalaburagi (72), Tumkur (57), Bengaluru Rural (44), Dharwad (38), Mysuru (35), Mandya (33), followed by Bidar (28), Chamarajanagar (24), Shivamogga (23), Gadag (19), Udupi and Kodagu (16 each), Yadgir (14), and Hassan and Belagavi (13 each). Kolar witnessed 11 cases, followed by Ramanagara (10), Bagalkote (8), Raichur (7), Davangere and Uttara Kannada (5 each), Vijayapura and Koppal (4 each), Chikkaballapura and Chitradurga (3 each) and Haveri (1). Of the 1,694 cases, 1,402 are contacts of earlier cases. On Friday, 471 people were discharged from different hospitals, taking the total number of discharges to 8,805. The number of patients in ICU increased to 201. Active cases in the state are 10,608. Meanwhile, the state Health Department hiked the salaries of contract doctors by Rs 15,000. "The monthly remuneration of MBBS doctors working for the Department of Health and Family Welfare services on contract is increased from Rs 45,000 to Rs 60,000," said Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey. Mumbai, July 3 : Ride-hailing major Uber has shut its Mumbai office as part of the global churning in the wake the ongoing Covid-19 disruption that has affected its business. According to reliable sources, the ride-hailing platform would continue to operate as usual in the city. Uder is winding up nearly 45 offices globally and the move to close down the Mumbai office is part of the global decision. According to media reports, the Mumbai office had nearly 25 employees and over 150 staff on contractual basis. Uber India had in May announced to lay off around 600 full-time employees due to the impact of the coronavirus crisis. The affected employees were from across driver and rider support teams, among other functions, Pradeep Parameswaran, President for Uber's India and South Asia businesses, had said in a statement. "The impact of Covid-19 and the unpredictable nature of the recovery has left Uber India with no choice but to reduce the size of its workforce. Around 600 full-time positions across driver and rider support, as well as other functions, are being impacted," he had said in the statement. Parameswaran noted that the reductions were part of the previously announced global job cuts. "Today is an incredibly sad day for colleagues leaving the Uber family and all of us at the company. We made the decision now so that we can look to the future with confidence. I want to apologise to the departing colleagues and extend my heartfelt thanks to them for their contributions to Uber," he said. According to the company, the employees would be paid around 10 weeks' salary, along with medical insurance coverage for the next six months and outplacement support. So far, Uber has globally laid off over 6,700 employees. The ride-hailing major in June elevated Parameswaran as Regional General Manager for Asia Pacific. Islamabad, July 3 : Days after the ground breaking ceremony at the land allocated for construction of a Hindu temple in Pakistan's capital, religious organisations have hyped up the pressure on the government and the capital's construction authority, prompting the authorities to stop construction work. The first Hindu temple for Hindu minorities in Islamabad was recently allocated a land area of at least 4 kanals in Sector H-9/3 in Islamabad along with an additional fund of Rs 100 million, approved and released immediately by Prime Minister Imran Khan. However, the decision did not go well with the religious organisations, who were quick to raise serious concerns over the construction of the temple in the capital, calling it against the norms and teachings of Islam. In a fatwa against the construction of the temple, religious group 'Jamia Asharfia', an organisation comprising of leaders from different schools of thoughts of Islam, declared the construction of Hindu temple in Islamabad by the Iman Khan government against the Shariah. "In a state, formed on the principles of Islam, preserving, maintaining and looking after the already present religious sites of other religions is correct as it provides them freedom to perform their religious rituals. However, construction of a new worship place of non-Muslims is not acceptable as per the Islamic Shariah," read the fatwa. Another religious organization has issued a statement, saying that allocation and construction of a Hindu temple in Islamabad is a clear violation of the capital's master plan. Ulema Mashaikh Federation of Pakistan (UMF), another religious organisation representing religious scholars from different schools of thoughts in Pakistan, has also condemned the government's decision to construct a Hindu temple in Islamabad and has announced July 5 as a day of condemnation against the decision. "July 5 will be marked as a day of condemnation against the government's decision to construct a Hindu temple in Islamabad. We demand the government to reverse its decision with immediate effect," read the press release. A petition has also been filed in the Islamabad High Court, challenging the federal government's decision to construct the temple. The petition contented that the a temple for Hindus of Islamabad already existed in model village of Saidupur, located in Sector F-6 Islamabad, insisting that the government should renovate the existing one instead of constructing a new temple. Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Religious Affairs Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Union Council of Sector H-9 and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) have been made respondents in the case. "The land allotted for the construction of the temple be withdrawn, along with the funds allocated for the project," advocate Tanveer Akhtar said in his petition. The pressure and the uproar of the religious clerics has already shown its effect as the CDA has stopped the construction work on the site, amid increased threats piling up on the issue. Sources within the CDA confirmed that the work on the site has been stopped as there is a petition in the Islamabad High Court, while the threat of religious groups is also serious. Amaravati, July 3 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday launched the Andhra Pradesh Corporation for Outsourced Services (APCOS) to recruit employees for various government departments in the state. The establishment of a separate department for this purpose is expected to eliminate contractors and middlemen who used to control outsourcing for government services. APCOS will handle processes such as recruitment and salaries, including the ESI and PF benefits. The processes will factor in the state government's policy of providing 50 per cent reservation to the SCs, STs, BCs, minorities and women. A state government official said that the move is part of the reforms undertaken by the state government to usher transparency in governance. After launching APCOS from his camp office here, the Chief Minister handed over appointment letters to the outsourcing staff working with the General Administration Department (GAD) at the Secretariat. APCOS will hand over 50,449 appointment letters to the employees working in various departments across Andhra Pradesh. The APCOS is one more poll promises of Jagan Reddy. "During my 3,648 km padayatra, people working as outsourcing employees had come to me with many complaints about the recruitment process, delay in salaries, the bribes they have to pay for getting the job, the commissions they have to give for getting their pay and the likes," he recalled. "By setting up APCOS, we will be putting an end to all such corruption and nepotism. All recruitments and salaries will be done online on time and under the supervision of the concerned district collector. The in-charge minister will also be in the committee, which will ensure that 50 per cent reservation is provided to the weaker sections and women," the Chief Minister said. Some of the outsourcing employees who interacted with the Chief Minister through video conference expressed happiness with the setting up of APCOS and thanked him for keeping up his poll promise. Gandhinagar July 3 : In view of the worsening situation in the 'Diamond City', Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, along with Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, will be visiting Surat on Saturday to take stock of the situation there. Principal Secretary, Health, Jayanti Ravi is already camping in Surat since last four days. Even as health authorities heaved a sigh of relief due to the decline in the number of cases in Ahmedabad, Surat began emerging as the state's new hotspot for coronavirus, with a sudden spike in daily cases over the last two weeks or so. Before June 20, the daily count of coronavirus cases in the city used to be around 70 to 80, but, it has now risen to around 200. From 3,057 cases on June 20, Surat has now reached 5,461 now. Alarmed at Surat's condition, Rupani and Patel have decided to fly to the city on Saturday, where they will assess the situation, and visit hospitals. Thereafter, Rupani will chair a meeting with top officials and Surat district authorities to take stock of the steps being taken, and facilities in the city. Chief Secretary Anil Mukim and CM's Chief Principal Secretary K. Kailashnathan will also be present at the meeting. Guwahati, July 3 : Amidst widespread protests against a proposed ordinance to allow conversion of land without multiple clearances from authorities for setting up Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the Assam government on Friday denied allegations that it was planning to "sell off" the state's land resources. Various political parties, tribal and social organisations, and students' bodies, including the influential All Assam Students Union (AASU), launched agitations after the cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, on June 29 approved the "MSME Ordinance". The ordinance, when promulgated, would allow investors to set up MSMEs without any hurdle and without multiple clearances of land from different authorities. Industry and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on Friday said that the reactions on the proposed ordinance might be because no one has seen its proposals, which, he sought to clarify, did not touch tribal blocks and areas, reserve forests and eco-sensitive regions. "Hazardous units would not be allowed to be set up. The ordinance was aimed to facilitate generation of jobs to the state's 20 lakh registered unemployed as well as some 3.5 lakh people who have been jobless since returning from other parts of India before and during the Covid-19 lockdown," he clarified. Patowary said that under the proposed MSME Ordinance, maximum quantum of investment would be Rs 50 crore for medium, Rs 10 crore for small and Rs one crore for micro industrial units. He said only few states like Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka have brought out such ordinance and acts to facilitate setting up of MSMEs. "This Ordinance will not affect the land rights of indigenous people of Assam as protected by the Assam Agricultural Land (Regulation of Reclassifications and Transfer for Non-Agricultural Purpose) Act 2015," he said. Noting that due to the pandemic, the state's economy has been adversely affected and business environment depressed, the Minister said that in such situations, the ordinance would create a conducive environment, drive domestic growth, attract investment and accelerate industrial development in the state. The opposition Congress, however, said that they were not convinced by the government clarifications. State Congress President Ripun Bora said that the easy transfer of land for industrial purposes would effortlessly allow major investors. "The ordinance would go against the very interest of the indigenous people," he argued. The All Indian United Democratic Front President and Lok Sabha Member Maulana Badruddin Ajmal also criticised the ordinance as a ploy to sell off large areas of Assam's land resources to corporate houses posing as MSME aspirants. Agitators from the AASU on Thursday as part of their state-wide agitations burnt copies of the ordinance, which await Governor Jagdish Mukhi's assent. The AASU protestors called the "MSME Ordinance" as a "betrayal of trust" by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government that had come to power in 2016 promising to protect 'jati' (race), 'mati' (land) and 'bheti' (hearth). The Delhi-based Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) has urged the Governor not to give his assent to the "disastrous MSME Ordinance" in the veil of promoting MSMEs. New Delhi, 3 July : In a fatal accident, an assistant professor of Rajasthan University rammed his car into a wall near the US Embassy here, killing a 51-year-old assistant sub-inspector (ASI) on the spot. The incident happened at 10 a.m. when 41-year-old Siddharth Bhagat lost control of his car and mowed down the ASI. "An ASI of the PCR unit, Lal Man Singh Sisodiya, who was on duty near the gate of the US Embassy, died in the accident. A case has been registered in the Chanakyapuri police station and the driver of the car has been arrested," said additional DCP, New Delhi, Deepak Yadav. Further investigation is on. Bengaluru, July 3 : Karnataka's 42,000 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) have surveyed 1.59 crore households as part of vulnerability mapping survey to check on high risk people amid the Covid pandemic, an official said on Friday. "In a one-time survey to identify households with the elderly, persons with comorbidities, and immunity compromised individuals, about 1.59 crore households were covered," said an official. Popularly known as Asha workers, they have proved to be a vital cog in the southern state's fight against the pandemic, conducting household surveys, screening inter-state passengers, migrant workers and others in communities for the virus symptoms. "Ashas regularly monitor such high-risk groups in their area with periodicity of follow-up visits, varying from once in a day in the containment zones to once every 15 days in other areas," he said. The health workers also visit the residences of people suffering from Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), including high risk individuals who reached out to the state Covid helplines. Illustrating the work of a typical Asha worker, the official gave the example of Annapurana, an Asha worker from Tunganagar in Shivamogga district who covers a population of 3,000 people in a slum. She has been an Asha worker since 2015 when urban Asha was introduced as part of the National Health Mission. "Urban Asha workers have been at the forefront in disseminating various awareness activities in the fever clinics and swab collection centres. They have also actively screened cases of ILI and SARI," the official said. Likewise, they also manned international and interstate check-posts for screening cases. In rural settings, Asha workers are part of the Rural Task Force headed by the Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) to meet the needs of both Covid and non-Covid requirements. Currently, Karnataka is battling 10,608 active Covid cases while total cases are around 300 shy of 20,000. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vijayawada, July 4 : Andhra Pradesh police on Friday night arrested Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Andhra Pradesh minister Kollu Ravindra in connection with the murder of a leader of ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). Ravindra was arrested in Tuni in East Godavari district when he was heading towards Visakhapatnam. A police team from Krishna district stopped the TDP leader and arrested him. He was being brought to Vijayawada. The former minister has been arrested in connection with the murder of M. Bhaskar Rao, a close associate of Transport Minister Perni Venkataramaiah. The former Machilipatnam market yard chairman was stabbed to death by four unidentified persons in broad daylight in the fish market in Machilipatnam on June 29. On a complaint by the slain leader's family, police had registered a case against Kollu Ravindra. Alleging that Ravindra is the mastermind behind the criminal conspiracy, Bhaskar Rao's widow had demanded his immediate arrest. The police have already arrested three persons in connection with the murder case. Meanwhile, TDP president and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has condemned Ravindra's arrest. He said that arresting him without even preliminary investigation is an act of vendetta politics by YSR Congress. He said the state did not see these many atrocities even during the emergency. "Never before were leaders booked in so many wrongful cases or the opposition targeted to this extent until now. It was unprecedented that so many leaders are being put in jail like this,a he said. The leader of opposition alleged that YSRCP adopted a vengeful attitude towards backward classes with wrongful cases being filed against Atchannaidu, Ayyannapatrudu, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, and Kollu Ravindra being the examples. Naidu called Ravindra's family members and gave an assurance that he and the party will stand by them. Property transactions activity in Finland has decreased significantly due to the outbreak of COVID-19. According to the preliminary statistics of KTI, the transaction volume of the second quarter of 2020 amounted to only 400 million, which is the lowest quarterly volume since Q3/2013. Before Q2, the quarterly volumes had exceeded [] Peace Came in the Morning: an inspiring display of hope and unity during a fight for survival that greatly brought trauma and disrupted everyones life in an island paradise. Peace Came in the Morning is the creation of published author Athelene Linton, an epidemiologist, visiting professor at DeVry University and writer. Her passion for helping people led her to the field of public health. She has contributed to the prevention and control of diseases and illnesses in Jamaica and the Virgin Islands (UK and US). Linton shares, Peace Came in the Morning is based on a true story. It narrates the most frightening, near-death experience of a woman living in the British Virgin Islands on September 6, 2017, during the passing of Hurricane Irma, historys strongest Atlantic tropical cyclone. Be prepared to relive every moment of this Category 5 hurricane experience with the author, as she vividly describes the physical devastation of this island paradise. She movingly captures the psychological trauma endured, the struggle to stay alive and ultimately the triumphant survival of the people. The author highlights the culture and diversity of the people living in the community during and after the hurricane, and how they embraced unity through adversity. This must-have, one-of-a-kind book is a journey with Sandy, as she tackles the numerous challenges to remain emotionally stable, yet firm in faith after surviving the hurricane. Awe-inspired moments will mesmerize readers as Sandys experiences unfold. Compelling testimonies of the impact on the lives of family and friends will captivate your imagination. Join Sandy as she grows closer to God, being abundantly grateful for sparing her life, during the devastation of her beloved home. Become motivated through her pursuits for survival, while bolstering her faith, and Christian beliefs. Hurricane Disaster Preparedness tips, self-help resources, and survivors lessons included and much more, elevates this book, as a great addition to your reading collection or personal library. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Athelene Lintons new book shares a fascinating journey throughout awe-inspiring fights against the challenges of life. Here, readers will see how survivors cope with trauma, strengthen their faith in God, and stand back up again. View a synopsis of Peace Came in the Morning on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Peace Came in the Morning at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Peace Came in the Morning, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Prominent Napa Valley vintner, Dario Sattui, owner of Castello di Amorosa and V. Sattui Winery, has donated $1 million dollars to the Napa County Board of Education to fund the expansion of Calistoga School Districts pre-school program. It is the largest donation ever made to a Napa Valley school by a Napa Valley vintner. Mr. Sattui presented a check to the Board during a meeting in Calistoga on July 1. This donation will fund the creation of the two new classrooms, a playground and an all-day after school program and a new parking lot. An educated society is perhaps the single most important factor in perpetuating a great democracy such as ours. Everyone should have an educational opportunity. And education should begin at a very young age. Therefore, I am delighted to be instrumental in funding this very worthwhile project, said Dario Sattui. Sattui founded Castello di Amorosa, an authentically built Tuscan castle and winery in Calistoga in 2007; which today is one of the most popular landmarks in California. A native of San Francisco, in 1975 Sattui re-established with $8,000 his great-grandfathers winery in St. Helena, which is also a Napa Valley icon. This is an overwhelming act of generosity and enlightened philanthropy by Dario Sattui, said Barbara Nemko, Napa Countys Superintendent of Education. Over the years Sattui has donated several million dollars to local charitable organizations, contributing $1,600,000 to build the Calistoga Boys & Girls Club alone. In addition to his various donations he is underwriting programs which assist employees by subsidizing housing and paying employees to share rides or take the bus. The donation will be presented at a Napa County Board of Education meeting in Calistoga on July 1. The new classrooms, playground and the extended childcare program are anticipated to be open by September 2020. Sattuis donation will be complemented by other donations and a grant from the State of California. ### Photo caption: From Left to Right: Chuck McMinn, Founder of Napa Valley Vine Trail Terence Mulligan, Napa Valley Community Foundation Rick Jones Dario Sattui Chris Canning, Mayor, City of Calistoga Allen Rossi, Napa County Office of Education, Director of Finance Barbara Nemko, NCOE Superintendent Steve Orndorf, Napa County office of Education, Trustee Erin Smith-Hagberg, Superintendent, Calistoga School District ezPaycheck payroll tax software has been updated to accommodate all healthcare facilities. ezPaycheck payroll tax software has been updated to accommodate all healthcare facilities. ezPaycheck payroll software from Halfpricesoft.com has released the 2020 paycheck software for healthcare office accommodation. ezPaycheck allows for employee payroll, vendor payments for supplies, W2, W3, 940 and 941 form filing as well as many other added bonus features. This software allows for easy setup of employee information, set up tax options, calculating payroll - including calculation of federal, state and local taxes; deductions for Medicare, insurance and 401(k) plans; and printing paychecks & tax forms. Medical office clients need simple, reliable and affordable software, said Halfpricesoft.com Founder Dr. Ge. "ezPaycheck payroll tax software has been updated to accommodate all healthcare facilities. Several features are available in ezPaycheck 2020, simplifying the mundane task of processing payroll for medical offices: Many medical offices do not have an accountant on staff. Ezpaycheck 2020s new graphic interface is straightforward and user-friendly. The new form-level help buttons reduce the extensive learning curve for first time computer payroll software customers. This payroll software can handle paychecks for both salary employees and hourly rate contractors. It also supports unlimited employees at no extra charge so medical office owners need not worry about the cost when they hire new employees. $109 per calendar year for a single user version- No Monthly Fees! ezPaycheck is an easy-to-use payroll software designed with small businesses in mind: simple, reliable and affordable. Our developers designed it to be an in house payroll tax solution for small businesses to calculate taxes, print paychecks for employees & contractors, generate reports and print tax forms. No internet connection is needed. ezPaycheck is now available for both Windows and Mac computers (sold separately) https://www.halfpricesoft.com/index.asp. Small businesses and nonprofits appreciate the unique features in ezPaycheck payroll software. Now available in MAC and Windows Versions (Sold separately). Print Payroll checks, remotely for ease of use and peace of mind Supports stub only printing Supports daily, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly and monthly payroll periods. Features report functions, print functions, and pay stub functions. Easily calculates differential pay Prints miscellaneous checks as well as payroll calculation checks. Prints payroll checks on blank computer checks or preprinted checks. Automatically calculates Federal Withholding Tax, Social Security, Medicare Tax and Employer Unemployment Taxes. Includes built-in tax tables for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Creates and maintains payroll for multiple companies, and does it simultaneously at no additional cost. Prints Tax Forms 940, 941, W2 and W3 (Copy A needed for W2 and W3 forms) Supports multiple accounts in single user version at no additional charge. Supports network access (Additional cost) Priced at $109 per calendar year for a single user version, ezPaycheck payroll software is affordable for any size business. Customers seeking a way to simplify payroll processing with more accuracy to start the no obligation 30-day test drive today at https://www.halfpricesoft.com/index.asp. Halfpricesoft.com is a leading provider of small business software, including online and desktop payroll software, online employee attendance tracking software, accounting software, in-house business and personal check printing software, W2, software, 1099 software, Accounting software, 1095 form software and ezACH direct deposit software. Software from halfpricesoft.com is trusted by thousands of customers and will help small business owners simplify payroll processing and streamline business management. Family physicians, in addition to being the backbone of our healthcare ecosystem, are often small businesses. We need to do more to ensure these frontline physicians are able to keep their doors open. - Lisa Folberg, CAFP CEO The California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP) and our 11,000 members applaud lawmakers and the Governor for reaching a compromise State Budget that preserves vital primary care infrastructure programs. CAFP recognizes the devastating effects COVID-19 has wrought on state revenues and remains committed to working with lawmakers and the American Academy of Family Physicians on securing appropriate federal relief for California. CAFP appreciates the extraordinary challenges lawmakers faced this year to balance the states budget and appreciate lawmakers wisdom in not cutting critical primary care infrastructure programs like the Song-Brown Physician Training Program and support for Medi-Cal through Proposition 56 funds. These programs are critical to ensuring access to care for vulnerable patients now and in the future. The Song-Brown Program significantly improves access to care in underserved areas and reduces the shortage of primary care physicians in California. Song-Brown-funded programs consistently send more than 60 percent of their physician graduates to practice in state and federally designated underserved areas. The program also delivers needed services to communities immediately as each family medicine resident provides an average of at least 600 primary care patient visits per year. Likewise, this program has significant long-term benefits for communities in which residents train, as the majority of residents stay and practice in those communities. The Song-Brown program is the only state physician training program to provide incentives to programs to train underrepresented physicians. Many of the family physician practices that are also an essential part of Californias primary care infrastructure are struggling. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed significant flaws in our health care system that have hurt primary care practices. Direct support for primary care providers is critically needed to protect a vital part of front-line care, protect against future spikes in health care costs, and prevent failures in care delivery. We hope the Legislatures and Governors support for the critical primary care services California depends on will extend to support for the Care for Californians plan. The legislation would require the State to take three crucial actions that will help support these vulnerable primary care practices: 1) Provide immediate payment reform and support for a portion of primary care practices. 2) Establish a reconciliation process to ensure payments do not result in undue compensation. 3) Ensure a successful transition to sufficient support and value-based payment for primary care. The threat to primary care physician practices is immediate and severe, and the impact of practice closures will be long-lasting and incredibly detrimental to the health and wellbeing of the communities they serve., said CAFP President, David Bazzo, MD, noting that, A recently released national study says that almost 80 percent of primary care clinicians are experiencing severe or close to severe strain as a direct result of COVID-19. Health plans have been taking premium dollars for months without spending them on care - they should be directing resources to ensure our primary care providers are still around when patients go back for care, said CAFP CEO, Lisa Folberg. Family physicians, in addition to being the backbone of our healthcare ecosystem, are often small businesses. We need to do more to ensure these frontline physicians are able to keep their doors open. Again, we recognize the agonizing decisions our lawmakers face as the COVID-19 Pandemic has wreaked havoc on state finances. The 11,000 members of the CAFP and the millions of patients we serve thank you for protecting crucial primary care infrastructure in the State Budget. We urge lawmakers to ask health plans to do the same by using some of the premium dollars that have already been paid to support primary care practices and ensure these physician practices are there to take care of Californians when they need them. Being awarded this SBIR grant is further validation of the capability of GroGurus research and development team and vision for developing breakthrough technologies to help farmers and the commercial agriculture industry at large GroGuru has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant for Cyber Agriculture. The funding was awarded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for Plant Production and Protection. According to the proposal topic areas, the objective of this topic area is to enhance crop production in both conventional and organic systems by creating and commercializing engineering technologies that enhance system efficiency and profitability and that protect crops from pests and pathogens in economically and environmentally sound ways. Engineering projects must describe the system need; design specifications, and functionality and reliability; and cost benefit analysis. Where feasible, projects should describe the testing metrics, experimental design, and material and methods to collect and analyze data on the metrics. Projects must address solutions that are scalable to address problems in commercial agriculture. Being awarded this SBIR grant is further validation of the capability of GroGurus research and development team and vision for developing breakthrough technologies to help farmers and the commercial agriculture industry at large, said Patrick Henry, president and CEO of GroGuru. According to Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Purdue, the United States has a goal to increase agriculture productivity by 50% and reduce environmental impact by 50% by the year 2050. GroGuru is focused on delivering strategic irrigation management solutions that move us toward this goal. About GroGuru GroGuru is a privately held company based in San Diego, CA which provides precision soil and irrigation monitoring systems to the commercial agriculture industry. GroGuru is all about strategic irrigation management, and helps farmers make more money by increasing crop yield and more efficiently using water in a sustainable way. GroGuru has a patented wireless underground system (WUGS) for soil monitoring, an AI-based recommendation engine in the Cloud, and an intuitive farmer-friendly user interface. GroGuru sells an innovative hardware-enabled subscription-based solution to farmers that enables optimal irrigation. GroGurus patented WUGS technology enables a permanent installation of soil sensors, even in annual field crops. GroGuru is part of OCTANE Launch, EvoNexus, AgLaunch, the Yield Lab, SVG-Thrive and Plug and Play AgTech accelerator programs. Clara Hartree My true sense of achievement comes from helping people make one of the most important decisions of their lives. Clara Hartree Haute Residence welcomes acclaimed real estate agent Clara Hartree to its invitation-only Haute Residence network. Clara Hartree has been selling Real Estate in British Columbia, Canada for over thirty years. In this time she has built a solid reputation as a marketing leader and careful negotiator. She continues to earn industry awards for her success and ranks in the Top 1% of Realtors in Vancouver as well as the Top 100 agents with RE/Max in North America. More importantly she has earned the respect and trust of her clients and colleagues. Claras marketing strategy includes local and international exposure for her listings. She specializes in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia including: Vancouver, West Vancouver, and North Vancouver. Call Clara today for a Complimentary Market Analysis of Your Home 604.889.9977 My true sense of achievement comes from helping people make one of the most important decisions of their lives, she says. Visit Clara Hartree's Haute Residence profile: https://www.hauteresidence.com/member/clara-hartree-2/ Visit Clara Hartree's website: https://clarahartree.com ABOUT HAUTE RESIDENCE: Designed as a partnership-driven luxury real estate portal, Haute Residence connects its affluent readers with top real estate professionals, while offering the latest in real estate news, showcasing the worlds most extraordinary residences on the market and sharing expert advice from its knowledgeable and experienced real estate partners. The invitation-only luxury real estate network, which partners with just one agent in every market, unites a distinguished collective of leading real estate agents and brokers and highlights the most extravagant properties in leading markets around the globe for affluent buyers, sellers, and real estate enthusiasts. HauteResidence.com has grown to be the number one news source for million-dollar listings, high-end residential developments, celebrity real estate, and more. Access all of this information and more by visiting: http://www.hauteresidence.com We are thrilled to be partnering with one of the worlds leading manufacturers of HVAC systems, which envisages FIN as a central pillar in the development of the next generation of HVAC plant and building optimization solutions J2 Innovations, the developer of the easy-to-configure and use software platform for building automation and IoT applications, FIN Framework (FIN), has unveiled a strategic partnership with Clivet SpA that will enable the global maker of specialist HVAC systems to develop innovative HVAC plant and building optimization solutions. By leveraging FIN, OEMs can rapidly launch their own software and control products to the market by leveraging FINs open platform and wide range of building automation and IoT-related functions and features. The first FIN-based solution from this collaboration will be a highly-specialized Clivet Plant Room Controller. The controller manages and optimizes Clivet HVAC systems. An open integration framework enables compatibility with both new and legacy Clivet systems as well as 3rd party plant room components such as boilers and energy meters. Through its innovative monitoring and control solutions, plant rooms can now be managed with reduced asset and maintenance cost and improved energy efficiency. The comprehensive 360-degree KPI dashboard provides the facility manager and other stakeholders with real-time information about the status and performance of the system and simplifies system diagnostics. Through its HTML5-based WebServer, operators can access the solution via desktop, mobile and tablet, from anywhere in the world at any time. Alexander Rohweder, COO J2 Innovations: We are thrilled to be partnering with one of the worlds leading manufacturers of HVAC systems, which envisages FIN as a central pillar in the development of the next generation of HVAC plant and building optimization solutions. Rohweder continued: Utilizing FIN Framework not only delivers Clivet with a market-leading system that reduces the maintenance regime, improves energy efficiency and increases up-time, but it also provides the manufacturer with the freedom to continuously improve its solutions throughout their lifetimes. New features and functionality can be added seamlessly - via an App concept - as technology evolves. The FIN product is suited for management, control, and optimization of an HVAC system or entire small to large buildings and campuses. It is natively built on tags, supporting the Project Haystack open standard with the latest incarnation being Haystack 4. FIN provides intuitive user experience, intelligent data management and analytics, simplified workflows and shares data to Cloud or other IT systems, via an IoT interface. The engineering process can be easily simplified through custom wizards that enable plug & play installation of preconfigured solutions. Looking ahead, Domenico Canei, Control Systems and IoT R&D Manager Clivet SpA commented: Were very much looking forward to the journey were about to take alongside J2 Innovations. FIN is the most innovative software platform that has been built for supervisory, building automation and IoT applications. It will enable us to customize and improve the monitoring, control and optimization capabilities of our already market-leading HVAC systems while helping us transition to a pivotal role in the smart building, digitalization, and IoT space. Rohweder summarized: We think this move sets Clivet SpA apart in its industry. For more information about FIN Framework see http://www.j2inn.com About J2 Innovations J2 Innovations is a fast-growing, innovative software technology company based in California. They are the creators of the FIN Framework, a state-of-the-art open framework for building automation and IoT applications. J2 Innovations is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Siemens AG, operating as an independent legal entity. About FIN Framework FIN is a next-generation software framework for building automation and IoT applications. FIN provides features such as monitoring, control, alarming, scheduling, visualization, reporting, integration, and analytics. The FIN Framework offers OEMs, System Integrators, and end-user solutions that are faster, easier, and better. About Clivet SpA Established in Feltre, Belluno Clivet SpA is an Italian company with over 30-years experience in the research and development of innovative specialized air conditioning systems and has more than 50 distributors worldwide. In 2016, Clivet SpA formed a strategic alliance with the MIDEA Group to integrate its products, technologies and sales and support infrastructure to create one of the most formidable market portfolios in the industry covering: chiller, heat pump, mono and multi-split, VRF solutions for commercial, industrial and residential applications. See http://www.clivet.com Space Centre Storage General Manager Cam Martyna and Special Projects Manager Brett Martyna have taken over the reins of their familys Kelowna storage company. Both brothers are also looking forward to building on Space Centre's already established reputation as an excellent place to do business and work. Known for the rocket ship that sits high above its entrance, Kelowna storage company Space Centre Storage is looking to the future with the appointment of two familiar faces to its management team. Brothers Cameron and Brett Martyna are taking on full-time roles at the family-owned and operated business. Cameron has replaced retired General Manager Bob Laird, while Brett is serving as Special Projects Manager. This is a return to Space Centre for the Martyna brothers, who are following in their father and grandfather's footsteps. Opened in 1985, current Space Centre owner and CEO Mitch Martyna Jr. took over the business from his father, Mitch Sr., in the early 1990s. Space Centre Storage has since gone on to become Western Canadas largest storage facility. Ive always worked on and off at Space Centre. When they needed somebody to do some odd jobs here and there, I would always jump in. It became a nice job for me to have in between going to school. I started with maintenance, went on to the front desk, and shadowed all the managers, including our former General Manager Bob, who is now mentoring Brett and me," Cameron says. Brett also grew up around the family business and returned to Space Centre after pursuing other employment opportunities. Like his brother, Brett started in maintenance and at the front desk then later started taking on security projects such as setting up cameras and sensors. The management change comes as Space Centre Storage has some significant projects in the works. Besides applying a fresh coat of paint to doors and walls, the brothers have overseen the installation of new gates and upgrades to the facilitys security system. They are looking at changing the centres hours of operation. We also have some big projects coming down the line next summer, with the development of a new lot for commercial lease units," Cameron says. "We already have a dozen lease units, that are in high demand and don't stay vacant for very long." Open throughout the COVID-19-caused state of emergency in BC, Space Centre Storage continues to take all protective measures, including daily sanitizing of all high-touch areas. Both brothers are also looking forward to building on Space Centre's already established reputation as an excellent place to do business and work. My goal is to continue building a team environment. I want our employees to be happy and taken care of so that positive mood reflects on the customer experience, Brett says. I would also like to build on our community presence, Cam adds. We would like to get more involved with events such as the annual Terry Fox Run and the Soles4Souls charity, which we supply with MI-BOX portable storage containers. Space Centre Storage is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays and holidays. Contact SpaceCentreStorage.com for more information. About Space Centre Storage: In business since 1985, Space Centre Storage is the largest and most established storage facility in Kelowna. With just under 350,000 square feet of space, Space Centre Storage provides customers with secure and convenient storage solutions, including self-storage, heated storage units, drive-through or drive-up access, mini warehousing for businesses, RV and boat storage, MI-BOX storage containers, shipping and receiving, as well as full-service moving and storage needs. Attorneys handling bad faith insurance litigation often look to the knowledge of Kirk Presley. Kirk Presley, founding member of the Presley & Presley law firm, has been recognized by Missouri Lawyers Media as a POWER30 personal injury lawyer. This is the inaugural year for this distinguished POWER series, with the POWER 30 in personal injury category featuring 30 Missouri movers and shakers in this area of law. Attorneys are selected based on their expertise in personal injury law, their reputation across the state of Missouri, and outcomes of the significant matters theyve worked on. Missouri Lawyers Media recognizes Mr. Presley as a leader in his field noting that "Attorneys handling bad faith insurance litigation often look to the knowledge of Kirk Presley. Kirk has over 35 years of legal experience and has become one of the guiding voices for attorneys in the personal injury and insurance bad faith fields, as well as a champion for his clients facing complex and daunting legal matters. His expertise in personal injury and insurance bad faith claims have led to numerous awards and recognition including Best Lawyers in America, National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and Top 10 on Insurance Bad Faith, America Board of Trial Advocates, Super Lawyers and Kansas City Business Journals Best of the Bar. Presley has also recently been elected to the 16th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission in Jackson County, Missouri. Presley & Presley, LLC is a client-focused and results-driven law firm in Kansas City, Missouri. The attorneys at Presley & Presley work tirelessly to seek justice for individuals and families who have been harmed through the negligence of others. Presley & Presley handles a broad array of serious injury cases, including catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases that require technical and scientific training and experience. These include general and commercial aviation crashes, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, carbon monoxide poisoning, insurance bad faith claims, car accidents, semi-truck accidents and more. For more information, Missouri Lawyers Media has profiled each attorney in print publication and on molawyersmedia.com. https://molawyersmedia.com/2020/07/02/power-30-personal-injury-law/?dmcss=login I never believed in the traditional agency model and rules. So, the things that make Look Listen successful are what we have infused into OTHRDigital: Deep client partnerships, data-driven decision making, and a passion for simply doing good work, said Kit Hughes, CEO and co-founder of Look Listen Look Listen, a full-service digital marketing agency with offices in Atlanta, Denver and Portland is pleased to announce that they have signed an agreement for the creation of a joint-venture company with OTHRSource, a leader in providing a suite of merchandising, e-commerce, media/content creation and other services to the emerging brand community. The new joint venture, OTHRDigital, will focus on supporting challenger food and beverage brands with a variety of digital marketing tools and services customized exclusively for them. I never believed in the traditional agency model and rules. So, the things that make Look Listen successful are what we have infused into OTHRDigital: Deep client partnerships, data-driven decision making, and a passion for simply doing good work, said Kit Hughes, CEO and co-founder of Look Listen. Its a powerful relationship thats been years in the making. OTHRSource brings unrivaled industry expertise and Look Listen brings proven, repeatable success in digital marketing. We both started as underdogs and have scrapped our way to the top of the mountain. The partnership is a no-brainer, and I cant wait for our clients to experience it firsthand. OTHRDigital promises clients to transform and optimize their entire digital marketing landscape. In 30 days or less. Key Service Areas Websites: Pretty pictures on a website just doesnt cut it. We design and build sites that engage users, build loyalty, and drive sales. Ok, they look cool, too. Social: Emerging brands cant keep up with social. Theres too much, too often, and they have a business to run. We grow social followings. Real brand followers. Buyers. Content: What content emerging brands do have time to create gets lost in the jungle. Not anymore. We build effective content engines for brands. Content that builds and promotes the brands story to the world. Email: Email can be tough. So many regulations and ethical decisions. We design and execute email plans that let brands speak directly to customers, without being creepy. Mark Feinberg, the CEO of OTHRSource, shared, Ive known Kit and the team at Look Listen for quite some time. Weve shared a passion for deep data-driven digital marketing and audience curation that quite frankly has been lacking for the emerging brand community. OTHRDigital provides a level of depth, unparalleled in the industry and we do it without breaking the bank, which is critical for an emerging brand. We are thrilled to offer this service to our clients and the industry as a whole. About OTHRDigital OTHRDigital delivers no-nonsense, data-driven marketing solutions to help brands organize and leverage the value of their data right from the start. We think data is human, and it sits at the center of every strategy we develop. We also believe in great ideas. Sometimes those ideas are more creative and other times the strategy with the best ROI is what matters and we optimize to win. Every time. Our data-driven approach helps our clients find the story behind each spreadsheet and target the audience theyre trying to reach more effectively. Get your free consultation today at OTHRDigital.com. About Look Listen Look Listen builds campaigns, websites, communications, and digital products for companies that seek to improve the human experience. Leveraging our long history of applying human-centered design to marketing, we help our clients achieve peak performance by using behavioral analysis across sales, marketing, and product development. With offices in Atlanta, Denver and Portland, you can connect with us online at LookListen.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About OTHRSOURCE Launched in 2018, OTHRSource is a platform that provides a suite of services including merchandising/in-store support, e-commerce (OTHRstore.com), the OTHRFoodNetwork, a media entity and data and analytics services. The initial in-store support service spun out of a rapidly growing food company in 2017 and has been growing and adding services ever since. To learn more about us, visit http://www.OTHRsource.com or follow OTHRSource on LinkedIn (@OTHRSource), Instagram (@OTHRSource) and Facebook (@OTHRSource). Media Contact: Donna Crafton Montgomery Look Listen 303-888-8424 Donna@LookListen.com We are excited to share that NADI Wild Rosehip Drink has been awarded a BEST BITE Award by Delicious Living magazine. Retailers and readers cast votes for their favorite natural drinks and foods, and NADI was given a Retailers Choice - Silver award in the Functional Beverage category. The BEST BITE awards recognize great tasting products that are made with clean ingredients and minimal processing. Winners are chosen for having high quality, purity and innovative methods. Congrats to the winners the competition was tough this year, said Kristina Hall, editor-in-chief of Delicious Living. Every company that participated contributes healthy and tasty foods to our industry, and we thank them for that. Our original beverage, NADI Wild Rosehip, delivers 135% of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin C, along with B Vitamins, antioxidants and flavonoids. It has zero sugar, only 9 calories per bottle, less than 3 grams of carbs and is a great immunity booster. We also make NADI Wild Rosehip Grape and NADI Wild Rosehip Pomegranate, which have luscious ripe fruit flavors that are a hit with people of all ages and a treat for sophisticated palates. All NADI drinks are made with wild organic rosehips that are sustainably grown and hand harvested from the forests of the Caucasus Mountains in the country of Georgia. NADI is also a social venture with a mission to create jobs for displaced refugees, and a WBENC certified woman-owned business. Thank you to all the retailers and readers of Delicious Living magazine who voted for NADI! We look forward to making our organic wild-grown rosehip beverages and other natural treats for many years to come. About NADI: NADI was founded as a social venture that creates jobs for displaced refugees while also introducing an ancient Georgian tradition of healthy rosehip beverages to the rest of the world. Inspired by an old family recipe, NADI rosehip drinks are rich in Vitamin C, B Vitamins, antioxidants, polyphenols, flavonoids and many other beneficial nutrients. NADI means collective work effort in the Georgian language and recognizes the dedication of our families, friends and workers who are helping us share this taste of tradition with others. NADI is proud to be certified as a woman-owned business by WBENC. Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday asserted that holding military drills in the South China Sea is within the country's sovereignty and reasonable, rebuking U.S. accusation that the move destabilizes the situation in the region. Earlier on Thursday, the U.S. Defense Department expressed concern about China holding military exercises in the South China Sea, saying the move will further destabilize the situation in the disputed waters. It also accused China of militarizing the South China Sea. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian reiterated Beijing's position that the Xisha Islands are China's inherent territory. "Some countries outside the region often travel thousands of miles to the South China Sea to engage in large-scale military activities, and show off their power, which is the fundamental reason that affects the stability in the South China Sea," Zhao said. Most drivers want to obtain the cheapest car insurance. However, cheap car insurance policies have several disadvantages that will make drivers think twice before getting cheap insurance , said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that presents several disadvantages of cheap car insurance policies. For more info and free car insurance quotes online, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/the-disadvantages-of-cheap-car-insurance-policies/ Everyone strives to obtain the cheapest car insurance possible. However, getting a cheap car insurance policy has several disadvantages. Policyholders that own cheap car insurance will have to face some tough consequences if they are required to file a claim. The disadvantages of a cheap car insurance policy are the following: The coverage cant be enough. The liability coverage has some really low limits. While experts are recommending to have at least $500,000 of liability coverage per accident and $2 million to be fully protected, cheap policies are offering only $10,000 to $30,000 liability coverage per incident. These small limits can easily be exceeded even in a minor accident with a few passengers that require costly medical treatments. Drivers wont be able to fix their cars after a collision. Insurance companies will cover the damage inflicted on other drivers, property, passengers, and vehicles if the policyholder only has liability coverage. Liability coverage does not cover the costs to repair the policyholders damaged vehicle. Drivers can remain without their cars after a claim. Drivers that have cheap car insurance are more likely to remain without a car after filing a claim. Policyholders that dont have the money to repair their vehicles after a crash, and their cheap policies dont cover the costs will probably remain without their cars until they can afford to repair them. Bad customer service. Some insurers will offer better customer support to persons that have expensive policies compared to those that have only liability coverage. Although this doesn't sound that bad, drivers that are dealing with an insurance claim will need to have good customer support. High deductible. Raising the deductible is one of the most common methods used to lower the insurance premiums. Drivers will pay less on their monthly insurance, but if they are required to make a claim, will have to pay a significant amount of money upfront before the insurance kicks For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/ Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. Herrera launches a new series with Here to Stay (Carina, Sept.), an interracial, enemies-to-lovers romance between the head of a charitable foundation and the consultant who may eliminate her job. How did you come up with the idea for this new series? I like to write about found family and I like the idea of transplants, people who are all new in a new place. In Here to Stay, the friend group calls themselves the Gotham Exiles Club. Its a group of New Yorkers who have recently moved to Dallas, Tex., and all start getting together for happy hour. Im from the Dominican Republic originally, but I left when I was 23 to come to New York City for grad school. And from there I got married, my partner and I moved to Ethiopia, then to Honduras, then to Upstate New York. So Ive had the experience of going to a new place and the friends that Ive met there becoming family. This is my love letter to that type of community. Here to Stay touches on some heavy topics, including racism and abuse. How do you balance that with the romance? In my day job, Im a trauma therapist. I work specifically with populations of color and immigrant communities. And in my own lived experience, Im an immigrant and, despite some of the things that have happened in my life, I live in joy. I have a life thats complete; I have a life thats well-rounded. And I think one of the disservices of shying away from the realities of the lives of people of color in fiction is that we dont get a whole person. I think there are a lot of books that show one sidepain but not joy, or only joy and not painand that leaves us with characters that are not fully formed. Tell me about how you approached the sex scenes. Its really important to me to set up the power dynamics in the relationship from the beginning and for there to be agency on both sides. Thats something that I start building from the moment the characters meet. Even their backstories have some bearing on whether theres consent there and whether theres emotional equity. I write women of color, Afro-Latina women. Theres a history in fiction and media of hypersexualized women of color, especially when they have partners who are white men. The dynamics are historically complicated and racist. So I really try to think about pleasure, and to decolonize and liberate my characters from a lot of that baggage, so that what is present on the page is two people who see each other as equals, who understand their positions in the world, and who come to each other because they make perfect sense together. I think what makes something sexy is creating a dynamic in a relationship where people feel as free as possible in those moments of intimacy to ask for what they wantand get itwithout any inhibitions. Isaac Fitzgeralda former BuzzFeed books editor, cofounder of The Rumpus, and author of two adult books about tattoossays that his first picture book, How to Be a Pirate (Bloomsbury), was a long time in the making. I have all of these tattoos, and one of my friends daughters would call me the stamped man. He says his first thought was to write a picture book that explains tattoos to children, but, though tattoos remain a central part of the book, Fitzgerald credits authors and booksellers with teaching him how to transform his idea into a story that resonates with children. When Fitzgerald moved to New York City in 2013, he discovered that his neighbor was childrens author Jon Scieszka. The two became friends, and a year later Fitzgerald nervously pitched Scieszka his idea for a childrens book explaining tattoos. To Fitzgeralds chagrin, Scieszka responded, Thats not a kids book idea. But he offered to help. Over a series of weeks, Fitzgerald and Scieszka met every Friday. The first week was like a Karate Kid situation, Fitzgerald says. Scieszka pulled his entire childrens book library off his shelves and stacked books all over the floor and the furniture. Im going to be in the backyard drinking rose, he said. Come get me when youre done reading all of these. Through his exploration of childrens literature and discussions with Scieszka about what makes a good picture book, Fitzgerald says that he was able to transform his original concept from an adults idea of what a kids book should be to a story with kid appeal. In How to Be a Pirate, a girl named CeCe (after Fitzgeralds niece) is told by the boys in her neighborhood that she cant play pirates. Disappointed, she asks her tattooed grandfather for help. He advises herBe brave! Be quick! Be independent! and Fun!all inspired by his tattoos. The tattoos are traditional designs with roots in sailing history: the ship, the panther, the dancing lady, and the eagle. Collaborating with artist Brigette Barrager further transformed the story. Fitzgerald says it was important to him that the family in the book be unconventional, and he had a very specific image of CeCes grandfather in mind: a round, buttoned-up man with a big, bushy mustache and a tweed jacket. When Fitzgerald received Barragers initial sketches, the character took on new life. In an attached letter, she explained that she had modeled CeCes grandfather after her own father, who had recently passed away. She noted that her father had worked on oil rigs and sported tattoos, and that, when she had children of her own, How to Be a Pirate would be a way for them to connect with their grandfather. I think it shows that, for both of us, this book was a real labor of love, Fitzgerald says. This book isnt actually about pirates, and it isnt even really about tattoos; its about how spending time with someone you care about and telling stories can brighten your outlook on the entire world, and how it can turn a faded day into a brighter day. Fitzgerald is currently working on two other books for Bloomsbury. He hopes that Dirtbag, Massachusetts, an essay collection for adults, shows young men that there are many ways to live. Hes also writing his first young adult novel, which is based on an essay he wrote about mental health, body image, and growing up in a low-income rural area in a family with a lot of issues and not a lot of money. Isaac Fitzgerald will give the keynote address 55:30 p.m., July 15. Once again, J.K. Rowling is stirring up the book world as few other authors could possibly do. This time, she has been drawing criticism, including from indie booksellers, for her views on gender identity since tweeting in December her support for a British tax specialist fired for transphobic tweets. The controversy has only intensified after Rowling published three weeks ago a 3,700-word blog detailing her concerns about people who transition to the opposite sex. In response to what they regard as hate speech, three mission-driven indie bookstores have decided to stop stocking Rowling's books. While these stores acknowledge some impact upon their bottom line, all three owners speaking to PW emphasize that they have no obligation to provide shelf space to authors whose views contradict their personal philosophies and their stores' missions. The three indies that have pulled all of Rowling's books from their shelves, however, say that they will fill special orders for customers. Left Bank Books, which was founded 51 years ago this month and is co-owned by Kris Kleindienst and Jarek Steele, is the only indie thus far to make it public, by announcing on the stores website and on social media that despite having read, recommended, sold, and celebrated Harry Potter for the past 23 years, it would no longer carry that series or any other book written by Rowling, including the adult thrillers shes written under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith. Rowlings public comments about transgender people, particularly transgender women [are] abhorrent, hurtful, and willfully ignorant, Steele, who is himself transgender, wrote. Not only that, but she has a worldwide platform for that bigotry, which makes her even more dangerous. As a transgender person, Im personally disappointed, hurt, and angry. Describing Rowling as an author of stories that were truly inclusive and affirming celebrations of community, and expressing an appreciation for Rowlings subsequent revelation that Albus Dumbledore was gay, Steele asserted that Rowlings transphobia demeans the very people who read her novels. Emphasizing the negative impact, due to Rowlings stature, that her words might have on people who identify as GLBTQ, especially young people, Steele wrote that, while he and Kleindienst and their staff might still love the characters Rowling created and the stories she wove, Left Bank will not carry books we love written by people who hate us. We no longer feel comfortable giving her shelf space while she uses her extensive platform to deride the humanity of trans women, Steele wrote, illustrating his point with the screenshot of a tweet by Rowling mocking transgender people by asking what to call people who menstruate. Im sure there used to be a word for those people. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? We've been here before, he added. We know we'll hear cries of censorship and First Amendment rights violations. We'll remind you that there are millions of books that aren't on our shelves. We curate. It's our job. That series doesn't need our help. She wont notice. But we will, and our transgender staff and customers will. The store is compiling a list of books to recommend as alternatives to Rowlings work that will accompany the store's statement. Steele told PW that he and Kleindienst had been discussing whether or not to do this "for about a week before we pulled the books. In the end it came down to this: do we want to celebrate an author who publicly denounces many members of our staff and many customers who shop at our store?" he asked, "Can we, in good conscience, display, promote, sell and further the career of someone who is using perhaps the loudest microphone in bookselling to cause harm? When I sent out the notice to our staff, they were very happy and relieved that we were doing it. Our booksellers had been talking about it amongst themselves too." "We'll still sell Rowling's books [by filling special orders]. We just don't celebrate them. It's a matter of self-respect." Feminist Stores Promote Inclusion It's personal as well at Charis Books in Decatur, Ga. regarding the 45-year-old feminist bookstore's decision not to stock Rowling's books; the store stopped replenishing its stock after selling out during the holidays, Charis Circle executive director E.R. Anderson told PW. Disclosing that he himself is a transgender man, Anderson wrote in an email that he, as well as store owners Sara Luce Look and Angela Gabriel subscribe to the philosophy that "transphobia, homophobia, and misogyny are all fruit of the same poison tree and that you cannot fight against one of those oppressions without fighting against them all. You cannot profess to love queer and trans people and then demean us in the same breath." "It is painful," he added, "that Rowling would choose this moment in history when so many activists are focused on uplifting and centering trans women, especially Black women, who face a disproportionate likelihood of violence, to harm trans women with her words. If violence against even one trans person is justified because of [Rowling's] bigoted and essentialist views, that is one too many. If one trans or gender questioning child feels less valid or safe in the world, that is one too many. We are taking the same approach with her books that we have taken with other authors whose personal views or conduct have marred the otherwise lovely works they have created--we don't give them attention." Instead, Anderson wrote, Charis regularly spotlights transgender authors, including scheduling a virtual event that will take place on July 16 for two transgender authors of "transmasculine narratives" for children: Lexie Bean (The Ship We Built, a middle grade novel) and Tobly McSmith (Stay Gold, a YA novel). It also organizes support groups for trans teens and for parents of trans children. "We believe in elevating what we love, not denigrating or harming those who would harm us," Anderson wrote. "We hope that Rowling will get help for her transphobia and understand that it is not feminist to fear and demean other women. We believe that people are capable of growth, education, and change. We are booksellers, after all." Chicagos Women & Children First, a feminist bookstore founded in 1979, had already, after what co-owner Sarah Hollenbeck recalls as a very thoughtful and passionate staff meeting in January, removed some Harry Potter books and related sidelines and the Robert Galbraith novels from store shelves. It, however, continued selling the original Harry Potter series, donating all profits from the sales of those books to the Safer Schools Alliance, which Hollenbeck describes as a radical organization that does advocacy and education work to promote safety and support for LGBTQ youth in Illinois schools. On Wednesday, WCF decided to pull from its shelves the original series as well. The staff as a whole made the decision, said Hollenbeck, who owns the store with Lynn Mooney. Considering our community, our mission, and that were trans-inclusive, it just made sense. Store personnel are currently putting together a list of YA fantasy novels to recommend that people read as an alternative to the Harry Potter series. When completed, the list will be posted on the stores website and on social media. Providing alternative titles is important, Hollenbeck said. Were also communicating to publishers that we want to carry books by queer authors and by trans authors. There should be more of them. Other Indies Want to Be Allies Although Unabridged Bookstore, another iconic Chicago indie with a large GLBTQ selection, has not stopped carrying Rowlings books, manager Shane Khosropour wrote in an email to PW that the 40-year-old store is taking a proactive stance against [her] recent statements, putting together a display of non-binary and trans sci-fi/fantasy authors to read instead of Rowling, that it featured in its weekly newsletter. Khosropour added that Unabridged also is making contributions to charitable organizations that address systemic social injustices, such as Brave Space Alliance, the first Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ center on Chicagos South Side. The bookstore also donated 10% of its June sales to the Equal Justice Initiative. In Philadelphia, Alan Chelak, manager of the Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovannis Room, told PW that as the oldest gay-oriented bookstore in the U.S., founded in 1973, Harry Potter has really never been on our radar." He added in an email, Whenever J.K. decides to go on one of her ridiculous rants, we always like to remind people of this amazing book, Magical Princess Harriet: Chessed, World of Compassion by Leiah Moser, a middle grade fantasy novel. As for other indies responding to PW's query, Luisa Smith, Book Passage's buying director, says that its two San Francisco Bay Area outlets will continue to carry Rowling's books. "We absolutely respect Left Bank Books' stance on this," she said. "Our belief is that the world of acceptance that many of our readers discover inside the pages, a world that is in many ways constructed by young readers hearts and minds, outshines the disturbing recent statements by the author." But, Smith added, Book Passage also feels that "it is vitally important to promote books with diverse characters that explore themes of identity" such as the YA novel PET by Akwaeke Emezi, a Stonewall Book Award recipient. Another San Francisco bookstore, Charlie's Corner, a children's bookstore in the Noe Valley neighborhood, will continue to stock Rowling's books for children and YA readers, but also will, its owner Charlotte Nagy wrote in an email, "support the LGBTQ community in many ways. Our collection is curated for everyone." While Rowlings U.K.-based publicist, Mark Hutchinson, declined comment, her American publisher, Scholastic, responded to PWs request with the following statement: We support J.K. Rowlings right to express her personal views and beliefs. We also fully support the rights of LGBTQIA+ people. As the Scholastic credo states, we believe in the worth and dignity of all individuals, and are opposed to discrimination of any kind. Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that E.R. Anderson is a co-owner of Charis Books. He is not: Anderson heads Charis Circle, the store's nonprofit foundation. Angela Gabriel co-owns Charis Books, along with Sara Luce Look. Editors' note: Comments have been removed from this story due to transphobic content. Click Here to go to PublishersWeekly.com In a July 2 filing, lawyers for Mary L. Trump insist there is no Constitutional or valid contractual basis for New York State Supreme Court judge Hal B. Greenwald to block publication of her forthcoming tell-all memoir Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the Worlds Most Dangerous Man. And, as co-defendant Simon & Schuster argued earlier this week, with tens of thousands of copies of the book already printed and sold to booksellers, neither is there any practical way to stop publication. "Plaintiff seeks an injunction that would restrain Ms. Trump from sharing insights she alone can share on the current President during his re-election. There may be no more serious First Amendment injury in American law," concludes Mary L. Trump's legal team, led by Theodore Boutros, one of the nation's top litigators, adding that "there are no circumstances here that would warrant such historic interference." Citing a litany of cases, the brief portrays the Trump family bid to stop publication of Mary L. Trump's memoir as an obvious unlawful prior restraint" on core political speech, adding that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbids prior restraints against the publication of books, especially books comprising core political speech relating to a sitting president running for reelection. The 58-page filing answers a June 26 suit filed by Robert S. Trump on behalf of the Trump family, including President Donald J. Trump, in New York State Supreme Court in Dutchess County. Among its remedies, the Trump family suit seeks to stop publication of the book, citing a sweeping confidentiality clause agreed to in 2001, when the estate of the presidents father, Fred Trump Sr., was settled. On June 30, judge Greenwald issued an Order to Show Cause and a Temporary Restraining Order blocking the author and her publisher, Simon & Schuster, from publishing the book, pending a July 10 hearing. A day later, however, an appeals court vacated the Temporary Restraining Order against Simon & Schuster, holding that since the publisher is not a party to any confidentiality agreement with the Trump family they could not be enjoined without more fact-finding. Further, lawyers for Mary L. Trump also argue that the confidentiality agreement at issue is "unenforceable and inapplicable." In a potentially explosive revelation, the brief alleges that Mary L. Trump was fraudulently induced into signing the settlement agreement in 2001 based on false valuations that were revealed by the New York Times in its expose of the Trump family finances in October of 2018. In addition, the brief argues, the confidentiality provision, which was agreed to in the narrow context of an estate settlement, is not nearly specific enough to constitute a valid waiver of First Amendment rights and cannot be interpreted as "a perpetual ban" on Trump family members' ability to speak publicly about issues of public concern, "in particular where one of those family members has voluntarily made his life a public issue by running for and becoming president of the United States. Ms. Trump has delivered the manuscript of the book; under the agreement with Simon & Schuster, she no longer has the power to stop its publication. And, in an argument that recalls federal judge Royce Lamberths June 10 decision declining to enjoin S&Ss publication of former national security advisor John Boltons memoir, lawyers for Mary L. Trump argue that tens of thousands of copies of the Book have already been printed and shipped to retailers who will sell the book to the public, regardless of any injunction the court might issue. Ms. Trump has delivered the manuscript of the book; under the agreement with Simon & Schuster, she no longer has the power to stop its publication, the brief states. Even if Plaintiff had adequately proven that release of Ms. Trumps book will cause him irreparable injuryand he has nothis application for injunctive relief still would have to be denied because the injunction he seeks is no longer capable of stopping that release. Injunctive relief thus would be ineffectual. That means not only that the injunction should not issue, but also that Plaintiff lacks standing to seek it. In his June 10 decision, Lamberth declined to issue an injunction to block publication of Boltons memoir because the book was already widely available. "For reasons that hardly need to be stated, the Court will not order a nationwide seizure and destruction of a political memoir," Lamberth wrote. On the S&S website, Mary L. Trump's book is described as a revelatory, authoritative portrait of Donald J. Trump and the toxic family that made him," and claims to offer insight into how Trump "became the man who now threatens the worlds health, economic security, and social fabric. The publisher's catalog copy describes Mary L. Trump as a trained clinical psychologist as well as the presidents only niece. The book is set for a July 28 release. The hearing before New York State Supreme Court judge Hal B. Greenwald is set for July 10. If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. Submit Rantoul, IL (61866) Today Partly cloudy skies. Low near 50F. N winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low near 50F. N winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Rapp News and Foothills Forum are continuously covering the impact of COVID-19 on our community. Sign up to have the C-19 Daily Update delivered to your inbox every morning. Click here to sign up... Berks County Drivers in work zones have heavy foot More than half of camera speeding tickets in construction zones were issued in Berks County, officials say Recent increases in coronavirus infection rates across the US, Asia and the EU have pressured global oilseed markets, according to AHDB analysts Alex Cooke and Charlie Reeve. Many growers across the east of England expect to start harvests later this week or the beginning of next, dependant on weather. Oilworld forecast the UK rapeseed crop at 1.12Mt, marking potentially the lowest production figure in over twenty years. What this means for feed markets is perhaps a greater reliance on imported protein meal, Cooke and Reeve explain. Furthermore, the temporary closure of the Erith crushing plant could affect meal availability for surrounding feed manufacturers. With a decreased availability of domestic rapeseed, imports are likely to increase in volume to supply the deficit. As a result, UK rapeseed prices are more likely to price at import parity levels, with Ukraine and Australia likely origins. In addition, a forecast bumper US soyabean crop and increased Brazilian stocks could pressure soyameal prices, with a knock-on effect for UK soyameal imports that feature in protein feeds. In June, global oilseed prices started strong, seeing rises over the first half of the month. This was largely due to two key factors, a significant increase in US soyabean export sales to China, coupled with the easing of lockdown measures in the EU and US. Fuel use will increase as more countries reduce lockdown measures, benefitting biodiesel markets and supporting oilseed prices. The main price drivers will be changes in currency and prices trends in the wider global market. Get Our E-Newsletter - Pig World's best stories in your in-box twice a week See e-newsletter example Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy Letter: Its time to stop Trump from being king of the hill Voters have a clear choice this November. If you want mobs vandalizing stores, destroying public property and setting churches on fire, then vote for Democratic candidate Joe Biden, who has spent the majority of his time hiding out in his Delaware basement while our country has been in flames in the aftermath of the George Floyd tragedy. If you scroll through Uncle Joe's Twitter feed from the past several weeks, you'll notice he hasn't condemned the burning of St. John's Episcopal Church by violent protestors. He hasn't denounced the heinous assaults and killings of police officers that have taken place throughout the country. Nor has he said a peep about the brutal murder of civilians -- including teenagers -- shot and killed in the Seattle CHOP zone controlled by armed left-wing anarchists. And he certainly hasn't called upon Democratic mayors and governors to get their ransacked cities and states under control. The stark reality is that Democrats today would rather appease anarchists, looters and violent criminals than uphold law and order. Make no mistake. Republicans who elected Donald Trump are just as horrified by the appalling death of George Floyd as Democrats. We want police reform so that type of excessive force never happens again. That we can all agree on. Conservatives also support peaceful protests of any kind. But where conservatives draw the line is arson, mayhem and murder, which are antithetical to a civilized society. Loudly and clearly, President Trump has condemned the mob's violent destruction and murder of police officers. In early June, he tweeted his respects for David Dorn, a 77-year-old African American retired police officer who was killed in the line of duty: "Our highest respect to the family of David Dorn, a Great Police Captain from St. Louis, who was viciously shot and killed by despicable looters last night. We honor our police officers, perhaps more than ever before. Thank you!" The president has also taken action against those who deface America's historical monuments. On Wednesday, he tweeted: "My Executive Order to protect Monuments, Statues etc., IS IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT. In excess of a 10 year prison term. Please do not put yourself in jeopardy. Many people now under arrest!" The president has also threatened to use military force, if necessary, to break up violent protests. Undoubtedly, Trump is our "law and order" president, and, thankfully for our nation, he's also our jobs president who's succeeding, once again, in creating millions of jobs. The jobs report released Thursday smashed expectations, with the creation of over 4.8 million new jobs in June. That welcome news follows 2.5 million jobs added in May as the economy continues to rebound under Trump's leadership post-lockdown. But that's not all. After years of negotiations, the president just inked the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on Monday, benefitting America's farmers and car manufacturers. The International Trade Commission estimates it will create up to 589,000 new American jobs. So, while Democrats are defunding the police and turning a blind eye to the mob's criminal destruction in cities nationwide, Trump is bringing back millions of jobs and increasing wages for union workers. The USMCA requires that 40% to 45% of car vehicles are built by laborers making at least $16 an hour. The historic trade agreement also stipulates that 75% of qualifying cars must now be manufactured in America, reducing the outsourcing of parts to other countries -- a win for America and the forgotten men and women who finally have a president fighting for them. When voters cast their ballots in November, they'll choose between a president that's creating jobs and Joe Biden, a career politician, who tiptoes around the mob. The choice is clear. COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM Christopher Slutman, 43, had always wanted to be a firefighter. He was that kind of kid, the kind who wants to save people. He was also a Marine Reserves Staff Sergeant who had served in Iraq. Last year, he was assigned to duty in Afghanistan. On April 8, 2019, just two weeks before he was scheduled to return home, he and two other Marines were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near Bagram Air Base. This may be one of the attacks Russia was sponsoring. Also murdered that day were Cpl. Robert A. Hendriks, 25, of Locust Valley, New York, and Sgt. Benjamin Hines, 31, of York, Pennsylvania. The question that cannot be avoided is this: Did President Donald Trump -- through laziness, dereliction or some still-inexplicable prostration to Vladimir Putin -- make these Marines' deaths, or those of other Americans, more likely? The New York Times, Associated Press, The Washington Post, Fox News and The Wall Street Journal are all reporting that U.S. intelligence agencies had become aware that Russia was offering cash bounties to the Taliban to kill Americans and other coalition forces as early as March 2019. The intelligence was included in the president's daily brief in the spring of this year. It was also the subject of a National Security Council meeting. "Given that there was an NSC meeting, I suspect that [Trump] did know" about the intelligence, former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden told The Washington Post. The president's spokespeople are playing the word games. Pressed on whether the information was included in the PDB, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany sidestepped. The president "has not personally been briefed on the matter and that's all I have for you today." Well, that could mean merely that the information was not spoon-fed verbally. Besides, she added, the reports of Russian cash for American corpses were "unconfirmed" and there was "no consensus" in the intel community. But that is always the case with intelligence. CIA Director Gina Haspel, by contrast, did not deny the intelligence. She acknowledged that when information is obtained that may affect the welfare of U.S. combat forces, it is "shared throughout the national security community -- and with U.S. allies. In fact, The Washington Post has reported that the intelligence was shared with the British. So the British were informed, but the president was kept in the dark? And if he was kept in the dark, what does that say about his leadership? Trump, who maintains the highest vigilance about any harsh word from Joe Scarborough or Don Lemon, says he was unaware. "Nobody briefed or told me, @VP Pence, or Chief of Staff @MarkMeadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, as reported through an 'anonymous source' by the Fake News @nytimes," he tweeted. He wasn't finished. "Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us." Pause on that for a moment. "There have not been many attacks on us." That must be a great comfort to the Hendriks, Hines and Slutman families. Trump is not slow to anger, as we know. Yet when it comes to Vladimir Putin putting bounties on the heads of America's warriors, he is strangely unperturbed. Knowing that Putin was reveling in American deaths, he invited him to attend the G-7 meeting in September. It is hardly news that Trump lacks empathy, but he has made concern for "our great military" one of his calling cards. Where is even a hint of rage at Putin for putting targets on their backs? All of his ire is directed at The New York Times, with none to spare for the Kremlin ghoul. Far from imposing a price, Trump rewarded him. Trump's vaunted "love" of the military is not for the real military, the one represented by Hendricks, Hines and Slutman. It's to a twisted, gangster image of militarism. He ran for office promising that as commander in chief he would order the U.S. military to commit war crimes. While president, he pardoned war criminals. His "love" of the military is worse than phony. He has no appreciation of what sacrifice means. He has no understanding that serving means putting someone else's welfare before your own. He thinks the military are a bunch of thugs. The thing that drew him to General Jim Mattis was the nickname "mad dog" -- which Trump falsely later claimed to have bestowed on Mattis. Robert Hendriks, Benjamin Hines and Christopher Slutman were patriots. Slutman, an Eagle Scout, was always contributing to his community. Robby Hendriks's mother always knew he would serve his country. Ben Hines had a gift for lifting morale in his unit. It is not credible to imagine that Trump was ignorant of Russia's role in this. But in any case, it is now known to the world. Where, oh where, is Trump's concern for them? COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM NEW YORK (AP) The U.S. economy just posted its best single-month job gain in history. U.S. unemployment is at one of its worst points since the Great Depression. Both are true. As Republicans and Democrats fought to spin Thursdays jobs numbers to their advantage, both sides face tremendous political risks in navigating a delicate and defining issue heading into the presidential campaigns final months. Democrats, led by presumptive nominee Joe Biden, seized on the growing threat presented by the coronavirus after the better-than-expected numbers were released, a stance the Republicans called rooting against Americas recovery. President Donald Trump claimed a major economic victory and played down the health threat, even as an explosion of new infections threatened to stall, or even reverse, the economic gains. Deep uncertainty lies ahead, experts warn, despite two months of record job growth. And with only two more monthly jobs reports expected before the Nov. 3 election, the dueling visions of Americas economy establish a new frame for the high-stakes debate ahead. Todays announcement proves that our economy is roaring back, Trump exulted to reporters at the White House after the June numbers were released. He later added, The crisis is being handled. Two hours later, Biden offered a darker assessment. Theres no victory to be celebrated, the former vice president said in a video recorded at his home in Delaware. Were still down nearly 15 million jobs, and the pandemic is getting worse, not better. Todays report is positive news, and Im thankful for it -- for real, Biden continued. But make no mistake, were still in a deep, deep job hole because Donald Trump has so badly bungled the response to coronavirus. Thursdays data showed a surge of 4.8 million new jobs last month, a snapshot of the economy as of three weeks ago. The U.S. unemployment rate improved from 13.3% in May to 11.1% in June as many Americans thrown out of work by COVID-19 were called back. But the jobs numbers were announced just as the nations confirmed coronavirus infections soared to an all-time daily high of 50,700, more than doubling over the past month, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University. The spike, centered primarily in the South and West, has led states such as California, Texas, Arizona and Florida to re-close or otherwise clamp down again on bars, restaurants, movie theaters, beaches and swimming pools, throwing some workers out of jobs for a second time. Those losses will show up in next months government unemployment report. The Trump campaign believes that nothing matters more to the presidents reelection than the state of the economy. With many Americans reporting that the country is moving in the wrong direction under his leadership, he has a lot of work to do. Still, the presidents strongest ratings center on the economy, as has been the case throughout his tenure. About half of Americans say they approve of Trumps handling of the economy, according to a poll released last month from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Justin Wolfers, a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan, said that Thursdays numbers confirmed that the economy is in slightly less of a dreadful economic hole. You just look out the window and you know things are grim, he said. The first, second and third most important things for the economy right now are the progress of the disease. Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, said the virus continues to pose a major potential threat to the nations economic comeback, especially in light of new reports that hospital systems in some states are reaching capacity. Given the uncertainty, Strain said hes confused by Trumps apparent resistance to plans from both Republicans and Democrats to inject another round of major economic stimulus into what he called a fragile economy. Trump highlighted his support for a Social Security tax cut on Thursday, but Vice President Mike Pence, in an interview with CNBC, reiterated the administrations opposition to extending enhanced unemployment payments to out-of-work Americans when they expire at the end of July. Biden, meanwhile, has yet to come out with a specific jobs plan, which his campaign said Thursday would be released in a matter of weeks. Jared Bernstein, a Biden economic adviser, encouraged Congress to adopt a new round of fiscal stimulus for unemployed Americans immediately. Bernstein predicted the pace of economic growth would slow considerably in the coming months because of the Trump administrations inability to contain the pandemic. Trump has not employed a coordinated national response to the health threat, preferring instead to let state and local leaders adopt their own strategies. Biden has released his own plan to combat coronavirus, which calls for a massive surge in testing and required face masks for all people in public. The absence of effective virus control from the top is reversing reopenings in states across the land, and my grave concern is that that will be reflected in upcoming jobs reports, Bernstein said. Trump, however, focused on the best of the news, declaring that it would die with a Biden victory in November. These are not numbers that other presidents will have. They wont have it, Trump said from the White House. The only thing that can kill it is a bad president. He added, patting himself and his administration on the back: This is not just luck whats happening. This is a lot of talent. (c) Associated Press As Aristotle reminds us, its easy to make mistakes about equality. The simplest mistake is to believe that we deserve not only more than we have but also more than can be justified by any rational principle of distribution. This insight provides us with a concise explanation for political conflict: in any community, citizens will believe that they are entitled to more power than they have, based on their superiority in some area or anotherany area will do, if it can form the core of a successful political appeal. The poor are superior in numbers, and therefore should have the most votes in the assembly; the rich pay all the taxes, and therefore should write all the laws; those whose superiority consists of their aristocratic breeding think that they should have the lions share of powerful offices. We have a second great teacher of equality: Alexis de Tocqueville, who saw in the French and American revolutions the two faces of modern equality: the desire to tear down, and the desire to raise up. Both desires could be found in both countries, but the French were afflicted with the first, while the Americans were blessed with the second. If Americans were wise enough, Tocqueville believed, they could parlay this blessing into the foundation of the first successful modern democracy, one that could tame the contest for office and influence through the promise of equal citizenship and equal rights under law. By contrast, the desire to tear everyone down to the same level while raising the government to ever greater heights is the cornerstone of modern collectivism, in both its fascist and Communist varieties, and has been the source of much misery and destruction. Tocqueville saw that both understandings of equality could exist in the same place, in different strengths, at different times; the great struggle of the modern era would be to suppress one and advance the other. To the extent that a nation governed itself freely, the struggle between the noble and perverse versions of equality would be conducted openly, through debate, persuasion, and example. Ultimately, the noble version could triumph only if citizens, as well as statesmen, understood its meaning and its importance. Do we? Do they? The Fourth of July is a time for celebration but also for reflection. Perhaps this is truer this year than at any other time in the memory of those now alive. At the moment, there is much furious denunciation of America, and many Americans will refuse to celebrate this Fourth. The urge to reject, to tear down, is everywhere, while the defense of the American experiment has retreated from most of the precincts and institutions from which its defenders might have been expected to emerge. To survive, any political order must be defended, by officials and citizens alike. But in this moment of doubting and rejecting, many leaders are silent, if not actively on the side of the rejecters. They either lack the courage of their conviction, or they have neither courage nor conviction. And what precisely is it that the rejecters are rejecting? Their language makes this clear: it is America that must be rejected, not this or that policy or institution. They are revolutionaries, not policy wonks. Though they do not use the term, they are referring to the American regimethe institutions, laws, and procedures by which the American people have been governing themselves since 1789. They propose now to end Americathat is, to end this constitutional regime, wiping the slate clean and beginning again, as the French revolutionaries did, with Year 1. But they are not in the least bit serious about this. While rejecting America, they appeal continually (without attribution, of course) to Thomas Jeffersons assertion that all men are created equal. They appeal as well to their equal rights, protected (largely without their knowledge) by the shrewd congressional management of James Madison, who made the Bill of Rights a reality. Many of them live in states that are still part of America thanks only to Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and the Grand Army of the Republic, whose monuments they propose to remove or deface. They oppose racism but refuse to acknowledge (or do not know) that there is less racism in the United States at the present moment than at any time in its historythanks to the great and heroic movement for civil rights that could only have been successful in a nation of free and equal citizens, living under the supremacy of the laws. It is that America whose birth we celebrate every July 4; it is that America that Lincoln called the last best hope of earth. And so it is, and so it shall remain, if the many have the courage to preserve it against the few who wish to destroy it. What youre about to read is a journeyand I launch it with the most famous line in the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Today, many question just how self-evident Americas commitment to equality is. Good. Questioning this, and much more, is every Americans unalienable right. But for me, a migrant to these shores, equality means something beyond the binary of black and white. Equality means recognizing that were all plurals: multifaceted and mongrel. Each of us has a unique back story. That includes the Statue of Liberty. Besides being a champion of the pursuit of happiness, shes also the queen of quirk. And I feel personally connected to her. Lady Libertys back story has uncanny parallels with that of my Muslim grandmother. Both women came from Egyptian stock. Both spent years in Europe. Both settled into their final homes after crossing the Atlantic. Above all, both taught me the power of wonder. Conventional history has it that France presented the Statue of Liberty as a gift to a fellow lover of Enlightenment values, the United States. Well, yes and no. Its true that a French sculptor, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, carved the statue. But he conceived of her in Egypt, at the opening of the Suez Canal. Awed by ancient Egyptian architecture and inspired by the canal as a passage to possibility, Bartholdi let loose his imagination. He envisioned a monument, taller than the Sphinx and radiating noorArabic for lightas ships entered the Suez en route to Asia. Bartholdi thus knew his mission: to erect the likeness of an Egyptian peasant woman holding aloft a torch of freedom, as historian and former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren puts it. Having found an Arab philanthropist to finance the lady of light, Bartholdi began sculpting her. But the dream nearly flamed out: The donor went bankrupt. Crestfallen, broke, and bereft of a Plan B, the artist needed distance from the woman who almost was. So he set sail for America. Unexpectedly, Bartholdi felt ecstatic as he cruised into New York harbor. This, he realized, was where the torchbearer belonged! He secured more financing. He also found an American chief engineer who had once served in the army that tried to liberate Egypt from her British colonizers. You can take the lady out of Africa, but not the other way around. Which brings me to my grandmother, Leila Noor Nasser. She was the daughter of dirt-poor farmers from Egypt. At the time, Britain ruled much of that country and transported hardworking families like hers to its colonies in East Africa, where their labor could be exploited for the immediate benefit of Empire. So Leila Noor wound up raising her family in still another colony, the Belgian Congo. However, in the early 1970s, wars of independence spread across much of Africa, and she fled to Belgium with her youngest children. But no beacon, no noor, greeted Leila. Most Belgians didnt want exiles from their conquered, still savage periphery. Indeed, my grandmother would wait many more years to find a home. Finally, following her eldest son to Montreal, she received her welcome in Canada. Its the country that also embraced my family and me as refugees from my birthplace, Uganda. What Canada gave all of ussafetythen allowed us to become curious about the wider world. One afternoon, Leila Noor noticed me messing around with my mobile BlackBerry, an early version of the smartphone. She zeroed in on the screen and asked, Is that a TV in your hand? It hadnt occurred to me that my device could someday play video. Her question foretold my mission, not unlike that of Bartholdi, to communicate the wisdom of being open to diverse points of view. Later that same day, my grandmother confided to me her endless fascination with Amrika. I had no clue that I would end up in America. Today, Im the holder of a green card, which puts me on the path to becoming a dual citizen of Canada and the United States. Which brings me back to the Declaration of Independence. Its stated valuesLife, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happinessserve as the unum to our pluribus, unifying aspirations in our otherwise divided body politic. Every July 4, we can do more than cite those values. We can animate them by taking the time to ask about our neighbors journeys, whether theyre born of mass migration or individual transformationor both. I, for one, will share with all and sundry that an Arab peasant woman lit my way to America, her flame inviting self-government as well as governance of the self, ideals kindled by the Declaration. May more of us discover the full glory of Lady Libertys story. And one anothers. As the son of immigrants, I want to give thanks to God for the United States of America, for our Founders, and for the true patriots and peacemakers who fight hard to make our country stronger every day. On this Fourth of July, I am filled with great pride and an undying gratitude for a country that was born out of violent times -- a testament to the idea that a free and united people can beat back tyranny. The land of the free and the home of the brave is a country unlike any other, which is why millions upon millions of immigrants have fought to reach to her shores -- and are still doing so today. It is why America holds a special place in the hearts and minds of people yearning for freedom and opportunity. Even with all of her flaws, the United States offers hope and gives everyone the chance to achieve their dreams. That is why I choose to call the U.S. my one and true home. And that is why, because I love America, I invite all Americans who cherish freedom and opportunity to take a stand against the violent protesters, history revisionists, anarchists, and sowers of hate who want to undo 244 years of progress in one fell swoop with petulant, warlike tactics. Let me be perfectly clear -- our country allows for peaceful protests and gatherings. Our Constitution guarantees its citizens, even those with extreme viewpoints, to express themselves without political reprisal or fearing for their lives. However, that is not what we are talking about here. What we are talking about is civil unrest that has given way to heinous acts, violence, and looting. The aim of violent protesters is to sow discord in our land, and they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. People who act in this barbaric fashion stand diametrically opposed to what our country represents and what American heroes such as Martin Luther King, Jr. struggled to advance. The violent protesters do not love America the way peace-loving Americans do. If they did, they would not look for ways to destroy our country but to make her better. Am I saying that things are perfect here? No; clearly, we need reforms, and we need to take a close look at ourselves and how we may knowingly or unknowingly perpetuate erroneous beliefs that represent a threat to unity. Am I saying that racism and discrimination are not real? No, of course not. I have experienced and witnessed racism and discrimination not just here but also in Mexico and other parts of the world. But before we put our country on trial, let us consider this: what is working now, how much progress our country has achieved, and how far minorities have come along in recent years. Do not be fooled by those who spew hatred and lies to advance an agenda that is decidedly anti-American. The big lie is that our nation is no longer exceptional. Supposedly, our citizens can no longer achieve the America Dream unless they get behind socialist candidates and politicians who redistribute resources according to their own interests and their big government agenda. Nothing could be further from the truth. Think of the contributions our country has made to the world in less than 250 years. We have done more in a shorter period of time than countries with far longer histories and far larger populations. Going from an agricultural-based economy to one where industry has helped achieve major breakthroughs is nothing short of amazing and inspirational. American know-how, innovation, drive, grit, determination, and the idea that nothing is impossible for anyone, no matter their social status, background, or race is what makes us a different breed. The key ingredient in our secret sauce is having a government that respects the roles that both the individual and the private sector can play in creating a strong economy. Prior to COVID-19, key groups within our population benefited from the Trump administrations moves to lower taxes, cut regulation, increase jobs, rein in China, renegotiate bad trade deals, and help launch businesses. During that time, Latinos and African Americans achieved record employment. Latinos started businesses in record numbers and were on an upward trajectory. That is a fact. We need to fully reopen the economy and look for ways to find the path we were on prior to the foreign virus. At this critical juncture, we need to get beyond violent and hateful acts of disobedience. We need to look for ways to heal our nation, both socially and economically. We must commit to building something better, because there are people, families, and entire communities who are depending on us to succeed. Poverty and lack of opportunity knows no race; it does not discriminate. We will not let the violent protesters shame us into thinking that our past transgressions define who we are as Americans today. Instead, when we look back on this time in our history, we will see that we came out better, stronger, more united, and more prosperous than ever. That is what Americans do. When we fall, we get back up with the determination to build something even better. This Fourth of July, let us reject the politics of terror and fear that radical, violent protesters have adopted to wage war against the freedoms and liberties we cherish. Our message must be clear: Your hate is not welcome here. I believe in the United States of America, so I am standing up for her. If you love her as much as I do, I hope you will, too. God bless the U.S.A.! French President Emmanuel Macrons party, La Republique en Marche, lost the countrys recent municipal elections. Logically enough, commentators now believe Macron is more vulnerable in the 2022 election, even though there is no candidate on the political landscape right now with a tangible chance to beat him. But politics doesn't always follow logic, and certainly not in France. Nothing is ever permanently won or lost in political life. As social scientists say, trend is not destiny. A victory too great can create the conditions of a subsequent defeat. Or, in this case, Macrons stark defeat at the local level could actually increase his chances for re-election in two years. The commentariat may be right that he is in greater trouble now, but it is not immediately obvious, when looking at the broader state of French politics. There remains no obvious candidate of Macrons quality. What about Marine Le Pen, whom Macron defeated in the runoff last time? The national-populist rights old war horse hangs on, but barely. Shes still seen as Macrons likeliest runoff opponent, but this just shows a lack of political imagination among the commentators. Le Pen has worn out her welcome even on the far right. Her campaign performance in 2017 was disastrous. In her single television debate with Macron, a few weeks before the vote, she disgusted even long-time supporters -- people who for decades had supported her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the National Front party. She appeared remarkably ignorant in economic matters, mean if not vicious politically, and totally out of her class intellectually. Her struggling party, renamed the National Rally, may in fact abandon her, or she it. A new populist party might be thrown together, perhaps with her own niece, Marion Marechal-Le Pen, as a candidate. In any case, Macron is unlikely to be beaten by a hard-right national-populist candidate. As in 2017, even hardened left-wing voters would support him against any far-right candidate. Nevertheless, Macrons position is weaker because in the past few years hes lost a certain number of voters and deputies on his left. Being in government naturally uses up political capital. Macron continues to hold the center and center-right. The traditional conservative right-wing parties have not yet recovered from Macrons surge in 2017. (Francois Fillon, candidate of Les Republicains in 2017, was just last week sentenced to prison for corruption.) On Macrons other side, the once-formidable French left made up of Socialists and Communists is moribund. Except for the Greens (see below), the old French left is a rudderless group of has-beens and wannabes, including the France Unbowed surge movement led by Jean-Luc Melenchon, a political anti-capitalist buffoon who won 19% of the first-round vote in 2017. (Understanding die-hard left-wing French voters takes special skill.) A small swing in votes could have made the equally unprepared Melenchon, rather than Marine Le Pen, Macrons runoff opponent. But there is indeed something new in Frances historical dance with political precariousness. The very large Green/Ecology social-cultural movement, which ran as a coalition named Europe Ecologie Les Verts, enjoyed a completely unexpected triumph. It took several big cities in June's elections, including the second-largest, Marseille, where a long-governing right-wing coalition was ousted. Looked at from Macrons perspective, the Greens are not yet a looming disaster, because there is no outstanding Green leader at the presidential level, although one may emerge. Theres not much time for this to occur, but remember that Macron himself leapfrogged everyone in 2016-2017. An imposing Green candidate would score higher than Le Pen or any other far-right candidate in the first round and would reach a runoff against Macron. It is even conceivable, given Macrons decline in the polls, that a convincing Green candidate could beat Macron on the first ballot. But which one would win the runoff? Dont bet against Macron. Macron has made mistakes, but he is a serious and surprisingly courageous political leader. He has enacted difficult reforms, for example changes in worker protection rules and pension plans -- moves with an eye to the long term at the expense of short-term difficulties. This has not increased his popularity. Instead, Macron got the usual corporatist trade union opposition and then faced the Yellow Jacket movement, which was the culmination of years of problems not of Macrons making. Now he has been hit politically by the pandemic as well. Macron has also lost appeal because of his sometimes arrogant, impatient temperament. But compare him to others: Among the major European leaders, only Germanys Angela Merkel makes him look unusually difficult. French voters have a long history of spiteful attitudes toward politicians. Neither has Macron been able to shake off the sobriquet the president of the rich, when he originally had a brilliant retort. I dont want to be the president of the rich, he would say, I want to be the president of those who want to get rich, meaning motivating entrepreneurs and the start-up sector. In sum, it is possible that the Macron/LREM defeat in local elections is less than meets the eye. Politics is paradoxes and zig-zags, and the one who defeats you today may be doing you a favor for tomorrow. If France were to elect a genuinely capable Green president, that would be good for everybody. It would be as well or better if Macron, who is green in all but name, pulls through, has a successful second term and ultimately gets credit for a job well done. The views expressed are the author's own. In three decades since India opened its economy, China has remained a greater draw for foreign investors. India has lagged behind China, in GDP growth and in elevating its citizens out of poverty. Beijing has bested New Delhi in developing infrastructure, manufacturing capacity, and financial incentives, on its way to becoming a factory floor of the world. COVID-19 is one of the forces reshaping the corporate worlds relationship with China, and the United States-India relationship could be the major beneficiary. But India must act quickly to seize the opening and fully embrace long-needed economic and structural reforms. Multinationals, already wary of Chinas mounting costs, are accelerating plans to locate new supply lines due to heightened political and strategic risks. In Washington, the U.S. Congress is currently pursuing legislation to incentivize American companies to decouple from China, due to growing fear the United States has become overly dependent on Beijing for strategic products such as medicines, rare earth metals, and computer chips. Reshoring to the United States will be a campaign theme. Other countries, particularly Southeast Asian nations, are also pursuing these global companies, trying to attract their supply chains. In this U.S. election year, President Donald Trump isnt only casting China as a rival, but as an emerging enemy who fueled the global pandemic and is practicing a predatory foreign policy, particularly toward Hong Kong. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, is also getting tough and proposing a paradigm shift in the China relationship. In this rapidly evolving environment, a number of American companies are already planning to make India part of their Plan B. On the positive side of the ledger, they cite the countrys large market and its growing middle class; Indias educated and English-speaking workforce; its comparatively lower operating costs, and its democratic system. Apple Inc., one of the largest manufacturers in China, is reported to be planning to invest several billion dollars to expand its current manufacturing in India and become the countrys largest exporter. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of Indian states have been aggressively rolling out the red carpet to multinationals and U.S. companies in a bid to woo them away from China. India, with the right blend of the physical and the virtual, can emerge as the global nerve center of complex, modern multinational supply chains in the post COVID-19 world, the prime minister wrote in April. While Indias federal government recently lowered corporate tax rates, the state leaders have outlined steps to upgrade infrastructure and to amend land and labor laws that have seriously impaired foreign investment in the past. Some have also offered financial incentives to attract capital-intensive projects that China has traditionally dominated. In another welcoming sign to foreign investors, New Delhi and Indian states are attempting to harmonize their policies to bolster commerce. Historically, central and local governments have worked at cross-purposes, locking outside investment in a maze of taxes, licenses, and labor laws. Industrialized states such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have been drawing up new investment-outreach plans since the pandemic hit. And several poorer rural states have also been seeking to woo foreign investment. Northern Uttar Pradesh seeks to partner with American firms to create a commercial corridor focused on producing weapons and other defense equipment. No sector holds more promise, at least in the short term, than pharmaceuticals. Indian companies already produce 40 percent of the generic drugs used in the United States. And American drug makers are now turning to the subcontinent to try and speed up the production of a vaccine for COVID-19. Gilead Sciences Inc. of California announced partnerships in recent weeks with six Indian firms to register, manufacture and sell its experimental treatment drug, Remdesivir, internationally. However, the factors on the negative side of the ledger are significant. Indias economy is expected to sharply contract this year due to the COVID-19 shutdown, before returning to growth next year. Indias international reputation as a bureaucratic nightmare, for example covertly changing tax policy from budget to budget, is discouraging. Furthermore, differing political perspectives between Washington and New Delhi on sensitive national security issues, including dealings with Iran and Russia, could ensnare Indian firms in U.S. sanctions legislation. India and the United States also failed last winter to finalize a landmark trade agreement that Trump and Modi had personally championed to solidify ties between the worlds two largest democracies. This failure in progress illustrates the rising political populism and protectionism in both countries and exposes the potential limits to economic integration. Still, tectonic plates are shifting around the globe. America and India have deepened their partnership over the years with a civilian nuclear agreement, historic intelligence sharing and defense cooperation, and vibrant people-to-people ties. Moreover, if the two sides can manage to create a new bilateral trade structure, cutting tariffs and circumventing respective bureaucracies, this model could be a harbinger for the post-pandemic order. Economic commerce should ultimately benefit both countries, not become one-sided as trade is tilted toward Beijing. As added enticement, Indian companies could be encouraged to invest in the United States and stimulate job growth for Americans. The trend is encouraging, as firms such as Tata Group, Infosys, and Wipro have recently injected $18 billion annually into the United States and created more than 100,000 jobs. The U.S. recovery from economic coma will require new blue-collar and service jobs to address the unemployment rate. The United States and India have achieved one historic break-through after another in their strategic relationship over the past two decades. Its past time to construct a mutually beneficial trade relationship thats a win-win for both democracies, and one that helps build their middle classes. Tim Roemer is a former U.S. ambassador to India. The views expressed are the author's own. of Mancelona, died on March 4, 2021. A celebration of her life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 27 at Mancelona High School. You are invited to come and share a memory with family and friends. When we decided to celebrate the 10th birthday of the National Writers Series, we had a lot of conversations and meetings about just how to ce About the author: Curt VanderWall, R-Ludington, is chairman of the Senate Committee on Health Policy and Human Services. He serves the residents of the 35th Senate District, representing the counties of Benzie, Crawford, Kalkaska, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Missaukee, Ogemaw, Osceola, Roscommon and Wexford. He can be reached at 517-373-1725 or SenCVanderWall@senate.michigan.gov. Athens, GA (30605) Today Thunderstorms likely. Low 71F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Low 71F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. University of Georgia President Jere Moreheads recent statement on racism has prompted a look into Moreheads past messages regarding both on-campus and national and international issues. To UGA alumna Jaylen Black, Moreheads statement was disappointing. This was an opportune time to redeem themselves even in the slightest and we still got a Here so you all can stop pressuring us statement, Black said in an email to The Red & Black. Moreheads original statement was released on May 31. It quickly amassed attention after students and alumni criticized Morehead on social media, voicing that he did not explicitly mention Black people, racism and the people that have been killed by the police. The day after the original tweet, Morehead released a second statement where he said he condemns racism in all forms and mentions the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. To our black students, faculty, staff, and alumni, I want you to know that I stand with you, Morehead said in his second statement. I know we dont always get it right, and mistakes are made. Morehead and the Black community UGA alumna and former student body vice president Charlene Marsh said she understood the political pressure against Morehead but said he remained neutral in the face of injustice in his first statement. She said the university must adopt explicitly anti-racist statements, policies and programs that go beyond surface level diversity and inclusion initiatives. UGA has a history of racism, especially when it comes to the Black community. UGA dormitories Brumby, Creswell and Russell Halls were built where the neighborhood of Linnentown once stood. Nearly 40 African American families lived in Linnentown in 1960, according to the research from the Linnentown Project. The Linnentown Project proposed the Linnentown Resolution for Recognition and Redress to the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission, which demands recognition and recompensation for residents who lost their homes from the demolition of the community as part of the UGA Extension Urban Renewal Project. In a Jan. 9 statement, UGA told ACC commissioners it respectfully disagree[s] with the conclusions of the Linnentown Project and the new dormitories were constructed to accommodate the universitys population boom. In its statement, UGA said the groups resolution states more than forty percent of the families affected by the project were white. Morehead has still not personally made a statement about Linnentown. In 2015, renovations to Baldwin Hall uncovered remains of former slaves. The remains were moved to Oconee Hill Cemetery, a move that community activists have criticized. Protesters, including students and Athens residents, called for the university to publicly acknowledge the role it played in promoting slavery during the time of its construction. Additionally, The Franklin College Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Baldwin Hall released a 31-page report condemning UGAs response to the Athens and UGA communities concerns. UGA has not admitted that the remains could be former slaves nor made moves to remedy its history, protesters said at a November 2018 memorial dedication. UGA reinterred the human remains without consulting the local Black community, with no descendants or community in attendance at the reburial, protesters said. Morehead wrote a letter to the editor in 2019 to The Red & Black about the wildly inaccurate claims of some activists. The University of Georgia handled the Baldwin Hall matter appropriately, and our response actually went far beyond what is required by the law, he wrote. However, it is clear that a few individuals, obviously driven by a personal agenda, continue to try to leverage this issue and expand it to promote their own causes. In March 2019, a racist video from UGAs Tau Kappa Epsilon chapter surfaced. Four students were expelled from the chapter after being caught on video mimicking slave ownership, one telling another to pick my cotton, followed by a racial slur. Later on, the fraternity was suspended. In response to the video, UGA released a statement saying that complaints of racist or discriminatory conduct are referred to the Equal Opportunity Office. On March 23, Morehead released a statement condemning the video and expressed how profoundly disappointed and appalled he was by the content of the video. The incident does not reflect the culture of unity and inclusion which we support on our campus, Morehead said. Alex English, the president of UGAs chapter of the NAACP, said he had mixed feelings on Moreheads past responses and the administrations current efforts. On the one hand, I am deeply disheartened at some of these very generic and seemingly inauthentic responses, English said. I am ultimately asking and advocating for changes such as the renaming of the 18 buildings with racist pasts and of namesakes as well as the address of the Baldwin Hall findings and granting scholarships to the descendants of those enslaved to build UGA. Black said she wont tell students of color, particularly Black students, to come to UGA when the university continues to show they do not value us nor our situations. I have had enough of being failed as a student and now as an alumna. Enough is enough, Black said. Morehead on other issues Morehead has also made statements about other local, national and international news. In November 2019, Morehead sent an ArchNews message to faculty, staff and students condemning swastikas drawn on message boards and placards in two residence halls. I am appalled by such offensive and outrageous displays of hate. Let me be clear: this type of behavior has no place on our campus, Morehead wrote. The University of Georgia is defined by our shared values. Respect for others, diversity of thought, a love of learning, and a drive to expand knowledge and make a positive difference these values unite us as a campus community and inspire our academic endeavors, the statement said. In this statement, Morehead asked students with information about the drawings to contact the Equal Opportunity Office or UGA police before calling for the community to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring a welcoming and inclusive environment. On another issue, Morehead released a statement offering his strong and unwavering support for our international faculty, staff, and students at the University of Georgia in January 2017. His statement was a response to President Donald Trumps travel limits on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days. Morehead said he was proud of the universitys diversity and international engagement as international education, research, and collaboration enrich the academic culture of this institution beyond measure, and I am proud that, today, more than 2,700 students from 124 countries study at the University of Georgia. You are valued; you are supported; and you are an integral part of this vibrant university community, Morehead said in the statement. English said that he is not here to criticize Moreheads past responses but to look towards the future. I will look to the future and use the platform that this moment has given us as an American people, English said. We take it upon ourselves to make sure our platform is utilized in making sure we hold each other accountable during these unsettling times and after, and we owe it to one another. All of the inhabitants of Mallard so tiny and remote it doesnt appear on maps follow suit down through the generations. By 1938, when an Irish priest is sent to minister to the town, he cant figure out why its fair and blonde and redheaded people are considered black: Was this who counted for colored in America, who whites wanted to keep separate? Well, how could they ever tell the difference? Source: July 03, 2020 22:11 IST While Indian telecom czar Sunil Mittal's Bharti did not share deal details, UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma said his government and Bharti Global, will provide $500 million each. A UK government consortium involving Bharti has won the bid for OneWeb, which develops satellite technology in the UK and in the US. While Indian telecom czar Sunil Mittal's Bharti did not share deal details, UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma said his government and Bharti Global, will provide $500 million each. Bharti Global Ltd, the overseas arm of Bharti, operates out of London, and its investment portfolio spans telecom, technology, hospitality, transportation and energy. OneWeb was formed in 2012, with a mission to offer high speed, and low latency wireless broadband access to billions of people across the globe, especially in rural areas through a constellation of satellites in low earth orbit. Bharti was one of the founding members of OneWeb and had a strategic stake in the company. "The deal will enable the company (OneWeb) to complete construction of a global satellite constellation that will provide enhanced broadband and other services to countries around the world," the UK government said in a statement. It went on to state that a sovereign global satellite system will help the UK further develop its advanced manufacturing base. Sharma said that UK government will invest $500 million and take a significant equity share in OneWeb. Bharti and the UK government will each get a 45 per cent stake in OneWeb with existing investors retaining 10 per cent. "This is alongside Bharti Global Ltd, which is part of a group that controls the third-largest mobile operator in the world. Bharti will provide the company commercial and operational leadership, and bring OneWeb a revenue base to contribute towards its future success," the statement said. The deal - which is subject to US court approval and regulatory clearances - is expected to close before the end of the year. In a separate statement, Bharti Enterprises announced that "a UK Government consortium led by Bharti has won the bid for OneWeb". The deal will enable OneWeb to complete the construction of a global satellite constellation that will provide enhanced broadband and other services to mobile and fixed terminals in countries around the world. "I am delighted that Bharti will be leading the effort to deliver the promise of universal broadband connectivity through OneWeb, with the active support and participation of the British Government," Sunil Mittal, chairman of Bharti Enterprises said. In addition to strategic opportunities across a wide range of other applications and working with a broad range of international partners, this business has substantial commercial use cases across telecoms, enterprise, aviation and maritime sectors, he said. "On a personal note, I am particularly excited about the opportunity for India and the UK to deepen their cooperation on space. Further, India's leading edge capabilities in the space programme through the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) can be leveraged to accelerate OneWeb's ambitions," Mittal said. In addition to the commercial and strategic benefits, OneWeb's platform will help to reduce the 'digital divide' by providing high speed, and low latency broadband access to the poor and hard-to-reach rural areas. A low-earth orbit constellation is the only viable mechanism through which the "last billion" can be connected, he noted. "As one of the largest telecom operators in India and Africa, I know what a powerful social and economic enabler this can be. We will work with partners around the world to deliver this technology to those who need it the most," Mittal said. According to reports, OneWeb had filed for bankruptcy earlier this year after it was unable to secure fresh funding from large investors. OneWeb had raised about $3.3 billion in debt and equity financing from shareholders, including SoftBank Group Corp, Airbus SE and Qualcomm Inc for the constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites to provide internet services outside urban areas before it collapsed into bankruptcy in March. Photograph: Reuters July 03, 2020 11:35 IST While HUL's Fair & Lovely was launched in 1975, Emami's Fair & Handsome was unveiled in 2005. Both companies now straddle both the mens and womens fairness categories in the country. Consumer goods company Emami, which is the maker of the Fair & Handsome brand of products, on Thursday said it was shocked to know that competitor Hindustan Unilever (HUL) had rebranded its mens skincare range as Glow & Handsome. Emami said it had trademark rights over the name and that it was consulting legal experts on the matter. We are shocked to learn of HULs decision to rename its mens range of Fair & Lovely as Glow & Handsome. "We are the market leaders in the mens fairness cream with legal ownership of the trademark, Emami said in a statement. We have already launched a week back our brand Emami Glow & Handsome digitally and necessary application has already been made to the relevant authorities, it said. HUL on Thursday said it had rebranded its popular skincare brand Fair & Lovely as Glow & Lovely after dropping the word fair in its name. Over the next few months, Glow & Lovely will be on the shelves, and future innovations will deliver on this new proposition, the company said in a statement, putting to an end speculation about the new name. In response to Emamis claim, HUL said it was fully conscious of its rights and position and will protect it fully in all appropriate fora. HULs move had followed intense scrutiny of the fairness category in India, following the global BlackLivesMatter movement triggered by the death of George Floyd in the US. Johnson & Johnson was the first global major to blink, exiting the fairness category in India and West Asia last week. Rival LOreal, too, will replace white with glow for some products, the cosmetic groups chief executive officer Jean-Paul Agon told investors in a shareholders meeting this week. Were adapting our vocabulary to meet changing expectations and attitudes, Agon said. For a long time, these products were called whitening, or fairness, and were increasingly being less appreciated by local consumers, he said. Emami and HUL have been fierce competitors in the Rs 5,000-crore fairness category in India, claiming leadership of the market. Part of this problem stems from the usage of fairness creams by both men and women, said experts. While Fair & Lovely was launched in 1975, Fair & Handsome was unveiled in 2005. Both companies now straddle both the mens and womens fairness categories in the country. Photograph: PTI Photo July 03, 2020 14:56 IST While the Hinduja brothers - Gopichand, Prakash, and Ashok Hinduja - did not indicate any move to begin talks with Vinoo Hinduja, top Indian lawyers said mediation would help both sides considering that the letter signed by the four brothers cannot trump other legal documents and challenge the validity of a registered will of SP Hinduja. The dispute between the SP Hinduja family and the three other Hinduja brothers can be settled only through talks and not in the court rooms which is already going on in three separate jurisdictions, say corporate lawyers. The complex holding structure of various group companies across various jurisdictions can lead to multiple and fresh litigation for years, they warn. While the Hinduja brothers - Gopichand, Prakash, and Ashok Hinduja - did not indicate any move to begin talks with Vinoo Hinduja, top Indian lawyers said mediation would help both sides considering that the letter signed by the four brothers cannot trump other legal documents and challenge the validity of a registered will of SP Hinduja. In a judgment titled as A. Phiroz & Co. v. CIT, Bombay, the Bombay high court has held that a mere piece of paper on which appears a recital of certain rights and liabilities could not by itself asten the said rights and liabilities to any particular person. The letter, although signed by all four brothers, does not constitute to be a legally enforceable document, said Rajeev Bansal, senior advocate. In the UK high court, the three Hinduja brothers relied on a July 2014 letter signed by the four brothers, which said the brothers appoint each other as their executors, and that assets held in any single brothers name belong to all four. The letter further said Gopichand, Prakash, and Ashok are authorised to carry out all steps to implement the letter. The UK high court, however, rejected the July 2014 letter and appointed ailing SP Hindujas daughter, Vinoo, as his litigant friend. Lawyers said the Hinduja Group is a conglomerate with its headquarters in London, and further the dispute is in regards to the validity of the Letter dated July 2, 2014. Even if the contents of the letter are upheld, then also it can only come into effect after the death of any one of the brothers. "But once it comes to any dispute regarding companies registered under the Indian Companies Act, 2013 or 1956, the same shall only be enforced by Indian courts. "Also, the details as to where the letter was signed and the details is respect to the residential status of the Hinduja brothers are not mentioned so as to decide which court will have the jurisdiction over the matter, Bansal said. While SP and Gopichand are British citizens, Prakash is a citizen of Monaco and Ashok is an Indian citizen. HP Ranina, a senior corporate lawyer, said the concept of Hindu undivided family is turning out to be myth considering the fights going on among the business families over assets. The succession planning should be clear and the earlier the assets are divided, the better. "The only people who will gain with prolonged litigation are the lawyers, he said. Multiple litigations Vinoo Hinduja, along with her mother and sister, is seeking control of SP Hindujas assets and apart from British courts, has also moved courts in Jersey and Switzerland to seek ownership of SPs assets. The UK court order makes reference to other cases filed by Vinoo Hinduja. In relation to the Jersey proceedings, Vinoos interests and those of SP appear to me to be aligned. "The defendants (the three brothers) suggest that the case Vinoo is running in Jersey is substantially different from the case she is seeking to run in England on SP's behalf. "Based on what I have seen, I do not accept this. "The nature of the proceedings, and the precise allegations put, are different, but that does not demonstrate any adverse interest. "Vinoos case in Jersey is that the July letter is not relevant. "In any event, the relief being sought in these proceedings appears to me to be essentially aligned with Vinoos objective in the Jersey proceedings, the order said. The UK order said the Hinduja brothers do not dispute that SP lacks capacity, and have relied on it as a basis for seeking to take control of Hinduja Bank, an asset in SP's sole name, relying on the July letter. This is the subject of proceedings in Switzerland. Source: July 03, 2020 16:59 IST The aviation regulator DGCA said on Friday that it was extending the suspension of scheduled international passenger flights in the country till July 31 but added that some international scheduled services on selected routes may be permitted on a case to case basis. Scheduled international passenger flights were suspended in India on March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Modifying its June 26 circular that stated that scheduled international passenger flights will remain suspended till July 15, 2020, the regulator said on Friday that it has decided to extend the deadline to July 31, 2020. "However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis," said the circular by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). India is in talks with the US, Canada and countries in the European and Gulf regions to establish "individual bilateral bubbles" which will allow airlines of each country in the pact to operate international flights, said Airports Authority of India chairperson Arvind Singh on Thursday. The ministry of civil aviation (MOCA) had on June 23 said India is considering establishing "individual bilateral bubbles" with the US, the UK, Germany and France. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had on June 20 said the government will start thinking on the resumption of scheduled international passenger flights in mid-July, when it expects the domestic air traffic to reach 50-55 per cent of the levels before the coronavirus. After nearly two months of suspension to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the government resumed scheduled domestic passenger flights on May 25. However, it had allowed airlines to operate a maximum 33 per cent of their pre-Covid flights. The MOCA increased the limits on June 26 from 33 per cent to 45 per cent. Air India and other private domestic airlines have been operating unscheduled international repatriation flights under the Vande Bharat Mission, which was started on May 6 by the central government. July 03, 2020 12:21 IST Chances are any such disruption will not occur on the major shipping lanes, but on some edge of the ocean between India and China, warns Subhomoy Bhattacharjee. IMAGE: An Indian Navy ship fires a missile during a joint India-Sri Lanka naval exercise at the Trincomalee navy base in Trincomalee in 2012. Photograph: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters Thousands of kilometres from the barren rocks of the Galwan Valley where Indian and Chinese troops waged a grim battle are colossal stakes between the two countries. These stakes are the possible disruption of energy trade on the Indian Ocean, home to 13 per cent of world trade. More than two-thirds of the world's oil and half of the global coal trade passes through these waters. Disruptions to any of these is an enticing concept for a nation willing to stamp its authority over the world. Chances are any such disruption will not occur on the major shipping lanes, but on some edge of the ocean between India and China. Even if there is no actual disruption, the costs of averting one can be punitive. The setting for this is provided by the energy shortage both countries face. The promise of renewable energy is still a work in progress, so policymakers on both sides know they have to depend on fossil fuel for at least a decade or more to ensure energy security, which means imports. China has been scouting for coal, gas and oil from abroad for more than a decade. To ensure safety on the sea routes for its ships, it is well known that Beijing has begun to develop a series of ports with a military presence on the Indian Ocean, especially to checkmate any blockade at Malacca. India has followed suit, establishing bases in the Indian Ocean as far south as French-run Reunion island. But closer home it is exposed in places such as the Bay of Bengal. A naval blockade real or threatened seems unreal for Asia simply because it has never happened in the Indian Ocean. Yet it is one of the reasons that India has begun to develop onshore strategic oil reserves. But reserves for coal or gas are difficult to maintain. The alternative is to police shipping lines. In the 21st century, countries do not wage prolonged war. The Galwan Valley encounter lasted barely five hours but it will impact India-China relations for decades. It has begun to add to the costs for both economies. A naval blockade could follow the same script. So which are the possible naval nightmares on the Indian Ocean? China does not feel threatened at the Straits of Hormuz, having turned down an offer for joint naval patrol with the US last year. It feels its investment in Iran is good enough to secure its supply lines. But the People's Liberation Army has opened its first overseas base in Djibouti off the Strait of Mandeb investing over $2 billion. In the east near the Lombok Strait (an alternative to Malacca) by emphasising control of the Natuna Seas, the Middle Kingdom is, again, exercising its options. Work on Chabahar port in Iran by India and on Gwadar in Pakistan by China has stalled. But all things considered, the stakes for India are rising in the Bay of Bengal. Beijing already has a port at Hambantota in Sri Lanka, but the latest is its plans for a port at Kyaukpyu in Myanmar as the tip of a special economic zone. China now has three ports in the Bay including one at Payra in Bangladesh and a smaller river port near Sittwe in Myanmar. The Bay of Bengal is critical: Close to 30 per cent of India's coal supply from eastern to western coast plies on it. A large percentage of the 244 million tonnes of annual imports from Africa and Asia feeds the power plants dotting the coasts. Trade in domestic coal from Jharkhand and Odisha to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat take the shipping route. Gas exploration basins off Krishna Godavari are not only India' most important basins, there are also plans for massive expansion of the gas grid on the eastern coast. It includes plans to import gas and trade with Bangladesh. It might seem to be of little consequence to India if China is merely securing its energy supply lines. India could just as well secure the same advantages. But what happens if China insists that shipping liners should not travel into its extended nautical zone? Moves in southeast Asia suggest that it is prone to expansive notions of nautical boundaries. It will raise costs as ships take longer diversions. It can get worse if a nation follows up its warning with a possible disruption to even one commercial ship, claiming it an inadvertent strike. Costs for the nation will skyrocket, with not only longer shipping voyages but also added insurance costs. China has demonstrated once again at Galwan valley that it is willing to take an unconventional path to make its point. India with far less naval resources has to therefore try to be original too. One solution could be the planned Quad naval exercises with Japan, Australia and the US in the Bay. The other is a tie-up with France. The two countries have begun working on a joint maritime surveillance in the South Indian Ocean region, which includes possible deployment of an Indian Navy maritime patrol vessel from the Reunion Island from this quarter. There could be other solutions but all of those will need to be iterative. There is no possibility of ducking the challenge. Feature Production: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com July 03, 2020 08:04 IST 'A hundred days later, it is a moot point whether the lockdown has been partially or totally effective, or, as sceptics indicate, plain ineffective.' 'Did it actually deflect infections and the loss of lives, or was it merely a hasty decision rammed down the populace's throats that choked the economy and caused the searing tragedy of dispossessed migrant workers?' ask Radha Roy Biswas and Manoj Mohanka. All illustrations: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com At any given time in the life of a nation, trust and cooperation between the states and the Centre are the key to the state of the Union. So also, for a lock-down or unlocking. On March 24, a nation of 1.3 billion people was brought to a standstill when Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a nationwide lockdown starting midnight to stave off the COVID-19 pandemic. A hundred days later, it is a moot point whether the lockdown has been partially or totally effective, or, as sceptics indicate, plain ineffective. Did it actually deflect infections and the loss of lives, or was it merely a hasty decision rammed down the populace's throats that choked the economy and caused the searing tragedy of dispossessed migrant workers? While this is, and will continue to be, debated endlessly, the primary issue now, is the way the nation is unlocking: with states taking charge of their own staggered path to reopening, after the PM removed the blockade, and 'directed' the states to do so in a way that they deemed appropriate. The state-wise unlocking will have equal ramification for lives and the economy. Both the Centre-directed lockdown and state-driven reopening display the balance of power and the dynamic between the states and the central government. And it may be worth a look to see what the challenges are, and what needs be in place for either to work. As any school child knows, our Constitution is an amalgamation of many inspired undertakings -- the American, French and Irish constitutions, foremost. The august team of drafters avowedly wanted to learn and took from the best around the world to lead our young nation. In the process they drew on the rights, responsibilities and directives of governance enshrined in those hallowed documents, to create an entity with a strong executive centre, along with a federalist structure that devolves certain rights and responsibilities to the states, with checks and balances for both. But also, as we have discovered anew, a possibility of huge inbuilt tension based on power play. On the Republic's federalist spirit, the chairman of the drafting committee, Dr B R Ambedkar, had this to say: 'Though the country and the people may be divided into different states for convenience of administration, the country is one integral whole, its people a single people living under a single imperium derived from a single source.' When the PM announced the lockdown on March 24, he was within his Constitutional rights to do so. But states were not consulted, and the dissonance showed. States complied with the lockdown with their own interpretation -- varying from a defiance of the central writ, to a limited, reluctant compliance, to going along entirely. Their own political agendas and vote bank considerations, oft at conflict, became a spoiler in the process. The gap was more visible where the states were ruled by non-NDA affiliates, which is not to say that they didn't do well. Some, like Kerala, became shining examples of how the states ought have tackled the crisis: steering their own ship while taking full advantage of the Centre's help as appropriate. How much exactly the efficacy of the lockdown was impacted by states' variance in instituting it, is hard to tell. However, one does not have to be a close observer of Indian politics to know that 'politics' certainly led to different trajectories for the virus spreading across the country. The lockdown was criticised by many state chiefs, as one more instance of the Modi government's tendency to spring surprises and ram hasty decisions down the country's throat, or as others alleged, delayed to accommodate the ruling party's election aspirations by way of instituting a coup in MP. Truth or canard, it certainly exacerbated the long-standing discord between states and the Centre. As the COVID-19 count continues to surge, we can ask, did the fractious cacophony that is the Indian polity, get us -- the citizens -- shorted both by the Centre and the states? Nowhere is this more clearly visible than West Bengal where the chief minister has asked for the cessation of international flights (Vande Bharat evacuation ones run by Air India, which were very few in any case) as she wanted the Centre to handle the mandatory institutional quarantine of the arriving passengers with the Centre wishing the State govt take care of it. Even as that impasse continues, the Bengal government has asked for domestic flights to Kolkata from Delhi-Mumbai-Pune-Nagpur-Chennai-Indore-Ahmedabad-Surat stopped from July 6 until July 21. Why did the Centre do this in the way it did? Could it have been done better or differently? Well, it certainly had its basis in law. The Centre took recourse to Article 256 of the Constitution which stipulates that the Centre can give directions on how to implement laws made by Parliament. Article 257 indicates that the executive power of the states should be exercised in a manner that does not 'impede or prejudice' the executive power of the Centre. The Centre also took recourse by invoking two other laws which provided the statutory basis for acting against the pandemic: The 1897 Epidemic Diseases Act and the 2005 Disaster Management Act]. A more effective national lockdown could perhaps have best been implemented under a national emergency being declared, under Article 352. In this provision, the state government administrations become subordinate to the central government, as all executive functions of the state come under the control of the Union government in the event of war/external aggression and 'armed rebellion' as happened in 1962 and 1971 during the two wars India fought. The Emergency declared by then prime minister Indira Gandhi 45 years ago was under the same Article but it allowed 'Internal disturbance' to be adequate reason for a declaration. This clause was repealed by the 44th& Amendment act in 1978 and hence not possible to invoke. Moreover, this crisis, not being war in the traditional sense, left no room for such an Article 352 emergency to be declared. Perhaps it was this lacuna or lack of Constitutional authority that made all the difference in a lockdown -- where the Centre directed the states in an order but could not hold them to its implementation. Multiple discussions are said to have taken place out of the public eye between the Union home secretary and the chief secretaries of various states, but the command and control structure needed to tackle a crisis, augmented with political and administrative will, seemed missing. Officials appeared to be working at cross purposes. The voluntary cooperation of state leadership, so vital in executing a national order across the country, was absent in many instances, except for the initial period of shock. State bureaucracies were caught between directives and objectives of the Centre and conflicting directions of their own state's chief ministers. As a result, we had a lockdown announced with the best of intentions, but not the success that it deserved or could have achieved. Instead, we got a migrant labour crisis and a COVID-19 ticker that now reads 604,461 cases, 17,834 deaths (as on the morning of July 3) and counting. By May, the migrant crisis had exploded into the national consciousness and on mobile screens even as the economy continued to haemorrhage. States began to feel the pressure and heat from their businesses and other constituencies, and clamoured to remove the lockdown. This time, the Centre decided to invoke the other aspect of our Constitution -- what may be called the federalist impulse. The process involved well publicised Centre-state dialogues, and the states were directed to craft their own re-openings within certain broad guidelines. Whether it was because the Centre's purpose had been achieved or it finally recognised that the problem could not be managed from their vantage point alone in the face of ground realities and opposition from too many quarters, will remain anyone's guess. The migrant crisis certainly played a part. That workers, with their daily wages gone, would need to return to safety of their homes, was lost in the panic and din of the first couple of weeks, and the haste in implementing the lockdown. It could be argued that the central government didn't have a choice and had to act fast, given the utter chaos that was unfolding around the world and the fears of an out of control contagion. It had little time to plan, and therefore had to shoot before it could aim. But it is undeniable that these workers became the biggest victims of the pandemic. Would it have been better if the states had been taken on board? Could some uniformity may have been expected, with less of a variance in states' implementation, had a conversation taken place at the outset pre-announcement on 24th March 2020?Had the states been consulted, they may have pleaded for trains to run for the 'return of the natives' working across the length and breadth of India. It is also possible that some states might have picked up cudgels to keep migrants from moving, and contained the spread to bigger cities -- stopping the virus's migration to smaller towns and villages. Some states may not have assented at all, or merely dragged their feet to thwart the Centre's plans. While second guessing state actions serves no purpose, now that the pandemic is wild and loose in the country, it is clear that the nation is paying for the trust deficit between the Centre and states, as much in the unlocking, as in the lockdown. This is a breach that needs to be filled, and filled quickly, not just for a war on an invisible enemy, but also for the other wars with the enemies at our gates. As W B Yeats wrote in the second coming, 'Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world...' For the Centre to hold and anarchy not be let loose, the Centre and states must hear each other. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, while the devil in the details! Radha Roy Biswas is a public policy and advocacy professional by training. Manoj Mohanka is a serial entrepreneur. Feature Production: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Last updated on: July 06, 2020 11:27 IST 'Why has the peace been kept?' 'Basically because there is a balance.' 'Maybe they think that balance has changed.' 'If that is the cause, then I think what we have done, matching their build-up, etc, it is giving a good account of ourselves in the face-offs.' IMAGE: An Indian Army convoy on its way to Ladakh. Photograph: Yawar Nazir/Getty Images "They have come to the conclusion that our relationship with the US has now reached a whole new stage where we are no longer neutral vis a vis the China-US thing and therefore, they want to try and take some counter measures," Shivshankar Menon, former national security adviser, former foreign secretary and former Indian ambassador to China, tells Rediff.com Senior Contributor Sheela Bhatt in the third part of an exclusive and eloquent interview. Prime Minister Modi's talks with Xi Jinping at various venues these last six years have not yielded results. You know, personal relations are not politics. You are dealing here basically with a 4,000-year-old bureaucracy! And President Xi Jinping is the leader of that bureaucracy. I don't think any of us ever thought that charm between heads of State, heads of government especially can get results when we have a complicated relationship which has been deteriorating in the last few years. Yes, it is important that they meet, that they try and talk these issues out. But what worries me is that they didn't manage to produce a new strategic framework for the relationship what we had done in 1988 during the Rajiv Gandhi visit when we had a basic agreement and that lasted, that kept the peace for over 30 years. But I think the problem now is that both countries have changed, the situation has changed, and therefore we need a new understanding, a new strategic framework, but this is not the way to reach it. Now, relations are so tense, when you have had deaths on the border for the first time since 1975, when actually emotions are very high, so it seems to me we are actually in a much more difficult position, a dangerous position in the relationship than we have been for a very long time. Do you think Parliament's 1993 resolution that asserts India's claim on all of Jammu and Kashmir including the areas currently under Pakistan occupation is a speed-breaker to take a political decision then and now? No, I don't think so. I don't see that as a problem at all actually because ultimately we have the ability under law -- and the Supreme Court has upheld this to make adjustments -- not to seed Indian territory, but to make adjustments and the standard against which that is done. As it was done with Bangladesh? No, it is the map that is attached to the Constitution of India in 1950 when it was adopted. And that map, if you look at it, gives you a certain amount of leeway. So I don't think there is a legal problem there. But there is a question of political will. After all, this is a big ask of any political leader, that you are going to tell us to change the way we learnt in school to draw the map of India, which we can all draw. We learned as children. But are we going to change that? For any political leader, that's a big decision to take, and I'm not saying just for an Indian leader. It is a big decision for a Chinese leader and certainly for leaders who base their legitimacy on nationalism, on pride, I think, it becomes a more difficult decision. At the Special Representatives talks on border settlement that you were part of, was the Galwan Valley a hotly debated issue? No. Not even Pangong Tso Lake? Pangong is a different issue, but Galwan has not been an area between India and China where there were differences of perception on where the LAC (Line of Actual Control) was until now. The Chinese have now opened it up as a dispute. IMAGE: Indian Air Force aircraft carry out sorties in Ladakh, June 26, 2020. Photograph: ANI Photo Do you think this stand-off occurred because of the dilution of Article 370? During a Parliamentary debate, India reiterated its claim on Aksai Chin and Pakistan occupied Kashmir? My personal opinion, no. Because if it were, the Chinese would say so. Have you heard the Chinese mention it once? Nothing. None of their statements states it. Their ministry of defence, foreign office, political leaders, nobody has ever said that. They made a proforma response when it happened. iIn August-September, they raised it at the UN security council to embarrass you and to help their client, Pakistan, but this is not a trigger for this kind of action, not at all. Don't forget, you and I don't know what the Chinese are saying in the negotiations and that is very important because that will tell you what they are actually about, what they want out of this. But I don't see how the change in the status of Ladakh, making it a Union Territory impacted. This is not the answer to that clearly. Are China watchers in India failing to read China? I do want to say in defence of India's China scholars and experts that on all the big issues, whether it was the Sino-Soviet split, the Cultural Revolution, the end of the Cold War and how China would react, what China would do on our boundary, all these things, we have been consistently right. We have predicted every single Chinese leader who has risen to the top and invited him to India before he rose to the top. If you look at the previous leaders of China, they have all been here long before -- whether it was Li Peng all the way to Xi Jinping. So, please don't question India's China watching skills. What governments do is different from what we analyse. Governments have their own reason and their own calculus to follow. We have understanding how the process works in China, what China as a State is likely to do, where it is likely to go. I don't think we have a bad record at all. We understood Sino-Soviet ties long before the Americans were willing to believe it. And I can go on with instances over the last 50 years where Indians's China watching has actually been better than most. And here I don't mean only government, I mean the whole China watching community, which is not very big, by the way. Do you think the Ladakh stand-off is a small move in China's larger strategic game? Is it a part of a new world order that China wants to create? I think it is part of a general shift in Chinese behaviour of a much more assertive China, a China that is pushing forward. My own personal understanding is that this comes from the domestic stress that China is under. Not only because of covid, but because of their deteriorating relationship with the US, which now seems to be structural. It eems like that contention will continue for some time with the diminishing prospects because of the world economy. So, that China dream, this idea that China would be a developed country, will take centre-stage, and the various stages that they have spoken of, I think, all that is in question now, to be much more assertive on their periphery, with all of us. With Japan, with Hong Kong, with Taiwan, with Vietnam, with others in the South China Sea, and with us. So, for me, that is probably a better explanation than to find individual acts of omission or commission that India or somebody else has done. I think it is more part of internal dynamics. If you think of the 1962 war, one reason that the Chinese went to war against us, launched that war was because there were division within the (Chinese) leadership, it was part of Mao's comeback to power. And, frankly, it seems to me that this is a similar moment in terms of tensions within China and we are probably seeing the external manifestations of that. China's risk-taking propensity actually goes up in terms of internal trouble and crisis. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi with Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist party of China, during their first informal summit in Wuhan, April 28, 2018. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Is China in any way reacting to Prime Minister Modi's politics, ideology, style? You know, I wouldn't personalise this relationship. There are two things that could have happened, but, as I said, till you know exactly what is being said in the negotiation, I mean the Chinese are certainly not explaining why they are doing this today. We are still in the middle of it, don't forget. But there are two things that could explain it. One is, that they have come to the conclusion that our relationship with the US has now reached a whole new stage where we are no longer neutral vis a vis the China-US thing and therefore, they want to try and take some counter measures. Now, in that case, that's not very sensible policy because this will only put our backs up and make us work. China wants India to keep its strategic autonomy. Is it? No, they want you to keep your distance from the US. The autonomy? No. They would rather want that you did what they (China) want. That's one explanation. The other more worrying explanation is that they think, you know there has been an effective balance of power on the border which has kept the peace. After all, why has the peace been kept? Not only because of other distractions or because of goodwill, but basically because there is a balance. Both can embarrass each other along this line (LAC ). Maybe they think that balance has changed. Maybe. People can make mistakes. People can miscalculate. Now let's see, if that is the cause, then I think what we have done, matching their build- up, etc, it is giving a good account of ourselves by all accounts in the face-offs. Let us see, maybe that will lead them to reconsider what they are doing, but it is going to be a hard take, today we cannot say. But these are, for me, the two possibilities that we need to look at. Feature Production: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com July 03, 2020 12:35 IST China under President Xi Jinping has stepped up its 'aggressive' foreign policy toward India and 'resisted' efforts to clarify the Line of Actual Control that prevented a lasting peace from being realised, according to a report released by a United States Congress appointed commission. The armies of India and China have been locked in a bitter standoff at multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for the last seven weeks, and the tension escalated after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash in the Galwan Valley on June 15. 'Under General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Xi Jinping, Beijing has stepped up its aggressive foreign policy toward New Delhi. Since 2013, China has engaged in five major altercations with India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC),' said a brief issued by US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. 'Beijing and New Delhi have signed a series of agreements and committed to confidence-building measures to stabilise their border, but China has resisted efforts to clarify the LAC, preventing a lasting peace from being realised,' said the report and was prepared at the request of the Commission to support its deliberations. Authored by Will Green, a Policy Analyst on the Security and Foreign Affairs Team at the Commission, the report says that the Chinese government is particularly fearful of India's growing relationship with the United States and its allies and partners. 'The latest border clash is part of a broader pattern in which Beijing seeks to warn New Delhi against aligning with Washington,' it said. After Xi assumed power in 2012, there was a significant increase in clashes, despite the fact that he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi several times and Beijing and New Delhi have agreed to a series of confidence-building mechanisms designed to mitigate tensions. Prior to 2013, the last major border clash was in 1987. The 1950s and 1960s were a particularly tense period, culminating in 1962 with a war that left thousands of soldiers dead on both sides, according to the records of China's People's Liberation Army, the report said. 'The 2020 skirmish is in line with Beijing's increasingly assertive foreign policy. The clash came as Beijing was aggressively pressing its other expansive sovereignty claims in the Indo-Pacific region, such as over Taiwan and in the South and East China seas,' it said. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region. Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources and are vital to global trade. China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the area. Several weeks before the clash in the Galwan Valley, Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe called on Beijing to 'use fighting to promote stability' as the country's external security environment worsened, a potential indication of China's intent to proactively initiate military tensions with its neighbours to project an image of strength, the report said. Last updated on: July 03, 2020 21:26 IST India's apex medical body Indian Council of Medical Research said on Friday that it aims to launch the world's first COVID-19 vaccine, the indigenously developed Covaxin, by August 15, and has told select medical institutions to fast-track its clinical trial approvals. But experts said such a timeline may not be realistic. The ICMR has identified 12 clinical trial sites, including medical institutions and hospitals, and has asked their principal investigators to ensure that the subject enrolment is initiated no later than July 7. The trial sites included AIIMS, New Delhi, AIIMS, Patna and SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre in Tamil Nadu. COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin, developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited in collaboration with the ICMR and the National Institute of Virology, had recently got the nod for human clinical trials from the Drug Controller General of India. Separately, Zydus, which is part of Cadila Healthcare Ltd, said in a statement on Friday that it has received approval from authorities to start human trials for its COVID-19 vaccine contender. The vaccine candidate, ZyCoV-D, showed a "strong immune response" in animal studies, and the antibodies produced were able to completely neutralise the wild type virus, Zydus said. In its letter to principal investigators of the 12 sites, ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava noted that the clinical trial of Covaxin is one of the "top priority projects which is being monitored at the top-most level of the government". "It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by August 15 after completion of all clinical trials. BBIL is working expeditiously to meet the target, however, final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project," Bhargava said in the letter. However, it is not clear how the clinical trials can be completed and the vaccine released on August 15 when the normal period for a vaccine to be approved is 12 to 18 months. Anant Bhan, of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, questioned the timeline of the announcement. "To my knowledge, such an accelerated development pathway has not been done EVER for any kind of vaccine, even for the ones being tried out in other countries. Even with accelerated timelines, this seems really rushed, and hence with potential risks, inadequate attention to process," Bhan wrote in a series of tweets. "For a vaccine for which pre-clinical development is still ongoing, as per the letter itself, how can clinical trial recruitment be starting on 07th July? And that the vaccine will be launched on 15th August? A vaccine trial completed in little over a month, efficacy pre-decided?" Virologist Upasana Ray said in a pandemic situation like this we are all waiting for a therapeutic handle to manage COVID-19. She noted while an accelerated launch or promise for launch for a vaccine against this novel coronavirus deserves applause, we also have to think if we are rushing too much. "We must rush albeit carefully. Giving this project high priority is absolutely important. However, excess pressure might not necessarily lead to a positive product for public use," said Ray, a senior scientist at CSIR-IICB, Kolkata. In his letter to the 12 sites, ICMR chief Bhargava said: "You have been chosen as a clinical trial site of the BBV152 COVID vaccine. In view of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic and urgency to launch the vaccine, you are strictly advised to fast track all approvals related to initiation of the clinical trial and ensure that the subject enrolment is initiated no later than July 7." Following a flurry of queries from the media about the authenticity of the letter dated July 2, ICMR spokesman Rajnikant Srivastava said that on Friday that "the letter is genuine and a request has been made to fast track the vaccine trials." Even though the letter makes it seem as if the apex health research body plans to launch the vaccine by August 15, a scientist from the ICMR clarified that the aim of the letter is to fast track the human clinical trials of the vaccine so that results can come out early. "Only if the results are satisfactory only then can a vaccine be launched for public. It cannot be otherwise," the scientist, who did not want to be named, said. The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the pre-clinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine, the letter said. The letter warned the 12 institutes that any non-compliance will be "viewed very seriously". "Therefore, you are advised to treat this project on highest priority and meet the given timelines without any lapse," the letter stated. A copy of the letter has been sent to BBIL. India's COVID-19 cases soared by over 20,000 in a day for the first time taking the country's total tally to 6,25,544 on Friday while the death toll climbed to 18,213 with 379 new fatalities, according to the Union health ministry data. Over seven vaccines are being researched in India and only Covaxin and Zydus' ZyCoV-D have got the go-ahead to start human clinical trials, just this week. Globally, over 100 candidates are being tested on humans but no vaccine has yet been approved. "Zydus has already manufactured clinical good manufacturing practice batches of the vaccine candidate and plans to initiate the clinical trials in July 2020 across multiple sites in India in over 1,000 subjects," the company said. It did not say when the vaccine will be ready for commercial use, unlike Covaxin, which is targeting for release on August 15. ZyCoV-D, developed at the company's Vaccine Technology Centre in Ahmedabad, has now received permission from the DGCI-Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation to initiate phase I/II human clinical trials in India, Cadila Healthcare said. In animal studies, the vaccine was found to elicit a strong immune response in multiple animal species like mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits. The antibodies produced by the vaccine were able to completely neutralise the wild type virus in virus neutralisation assay indicating the protective potential of the vaccine candidate, it said. It further said no safety concerns were observed for the vaccine candidate in repeat-dose toxicology studies by both intramuscular and intradermal routes of administration. In rabbits, up to three times the intended human dose was found to be safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic. Zydus said, with its ZyCoV-D, it has successfully established the DNA vaccine platform in India using non-replicating and a non-integrating plasmid carrying the gene of interest making it very safe. The company claimed that the vaccine candidate has no vector response and with the absence of any infectious agent, the platform provides ease of manufacturing the vaccine with minimal biosafety requirements. It is also known to show much-improved vaccine stability and lower cold chain requirements making it easy for transportation to remotest parts of the country, it said. "Furthermore, the platform can be rapidly used to modify the vaccine in a couple of weeks in case the virus mutates to ensure that the vaccine still elicits protection," it added. The company now intends to rapidly ramp up the production capacities of ZyCoV-D at multiple sites and facilities to cater to Indian and global demand. Source: Edited By: Last updated on: July 03, 2020 22:46 IST Eight police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were gunned down in a village near the city by the henchmen of a criminal who lost two of them in a firefight later, officials said on Friday. IMAGE: Police and forensic team members investigate the encounter site, where eight police personnel lost their lives after being fired upon by criminals, in Kanpur, on Friday. Photograph: PTI Photo Seven others, including a civilian, were injured in the attack from a rooftop on a police team after it entered Bikru village past Thursday midnight to arrest Vikas Dubey, a history-sheeter who has faced about 60 criminal cases. The attackers fled, snatching weapons from the dead and the wounded policemen. SEE: 8 cops, including DSP, killed in firing during raid in Kanpur Police then sealed the entire area and began a combing operation, which led to another encounter with Dubey's men in Nivada village. There, police killed Prem Prakash and Atul Dubey, and recovered a snatched pistol. They were looking for the other members of the gang and the rest of the weapons. The snatched weapons included an AK-47 rifle, an INSAS rifle, a Glock pistol and two .9mm pistols, a police spokesman said. IMAGE: The encounter took place when the police team was approaching to arrest Vikas Dubey, a history-sheeter facing 60 criminal cases, in Dikru village under Chaubeypur police station on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. Photograph: PTI Photo Inspector General (Special Task Force) Amitabh Yash claimed that the weapon used in the initial attack was a rifle seized from Dubey by the Special Task Force when they arrested him in Lucknow's Krishna Nagar in 2017. The automatic rifle was released into the custody of someone else by the court. Police said they will investigate further into this. Hours after the attack, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath came under flak from the opposition -- including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi -- over the law and order situation in the state. The failed police raid at Bikru followed the registration of another case against Vikas Dubey, who was accused in 2001 of killing a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader in 2001. IMAGE: Police personnel investigate the site after the encounter. Photograph: PTI Photo This time Rahul Tiwari of Jadepur Gharsa had lodged an FIR at Chaubeypur police station against Dubey and four other, accusing them of an attempt to murder. Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police H C Awasthi said the criminals might have got an inkling of the raid. Dubey's henchmen put up roadblocks to stop policemen from reaching their hideout. As they got off from their vehicles at one hurdle, a hail of gunfire caught them by surprise. Policemen fired back but Deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Mishra, three sub-inspectors and four constables died, officials said. IMAGE: Additional Director General (ADG) Law and Order Prashant Kumar visits spot of encounter. Photograph: PTI Photo Additional Director General (Law and Order), Inspector General (Kanpur) and the Senior Superintendent of Police (Kanpur) rushed to the spot after learning about the attack. A forensic team also arrived there. Besides Deputy SP Devendra Mishra, who was posted as the circle officer in Bilhaur, others killed in the attack were sub inspectors Mahesh Chandra Yadav, Anup Kumar Singh and Nebu Lal, and constables Jitendra Pal, Sultan Singh, Bablu Kumar and Rahul Kumar. Two sub inspectors, three constables, a home guard and a civilian were injured, a spokesman said. Late in the evening, police announced a Rs 50,000 reward for information leading to Dubey's arrest. Officials said Dubey was an accused in the murder of Santosh Shukla, a minister of state-rank BJP leader, inside a police station in 2001. But he was acquitted. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Kanpur to pay tributes to the slain policemen and offer condolences to their families. IMAGE: Cars parked inside the house of criminal Vikas Dubey near the spot of encounter in Bikaru village. Photograph: PTI Photo He directed the state police chief to take stringent action against the culprits. The Opposition parties too condoled the deaths and targeted Adityanath over crime in the state. "Another proof of 'goonda raj' in UP. When police are not safe how can the people be?" Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi. Party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said criminals have no fear in the state. "From the common man to policemen, no one is safe," she added. The Samajwadi Party called UP 'Hatya Pradesh' (land of murders), where criminals "patronised by those in power"killed policemen. It said this "connection" must be exposed. Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati termed the incident "shameful and unfortunate". In this June 24, 2020, file photo, Antonio Mingo, right, holds his fists in the air as demonstrators protest in front of a police line on a section of 16th Street that's been renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza, in Washington. Thousands of Black activists from across the U.S. will hold the 2020 Black National Convention on Aug. 28, 2020, via livestream to produce a new political agenda that builds on the protests that followed George Floyds death. Organizers of the gathering shared their plans with The Associated Press on Wednesday, July 1, ahead of an official announcement. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP) Source: July 03, 2020 10:34 IST Additional Director General (ADG) Law and Order Prashant Kumar on Friday visited the encounter spot in Bikaru village where eight police personnel lost their lives after being fired upon by criminals and stated that if there has been any lapse on the part of the police, it will be investigated. IMAGE: ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar visits spot of encounter in Bikaru village where eight police personnel lost their lives after being fired upon by criminals. Photograph: ANI "Seven other persons including a civilian were also injured in the incident. Few police weapons are also missing. "Those responsible for the act will be caught and produced before the law. If there has been any lapse on the part of the police, it will be investigated," said ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police H C Awasthi said that the operation is still underway to nab the criminals who had fled after shooting at the police. "A case under Section 307 was lodged against history-sheeter Vikas Dubey by a man named Rahul Tiwari and the police had gone to arrest him in a village called Bikaru. "JCBs were put up there which obstructed our vehicles. When the force got down, criminals opened fire. We retaliated but since the criminals were at a height, eight of our men died." the DGP told ANI. The eight policemen who lost their lives in the encounter are -- CO Devendra Kumar Mishra, SO Mahesh Yadav, Chowki In-charge Anup Kumar, Sub-Inspector Nebulal, Constables Sultan Singh, Rahul, Jitendra and Bablu. "The Inspector General (IG), Additional Director General (ADG) and Director General (DG) (Law & Order) have been sent there to supervise the operation. "The forensic team from Kanpur was at the spot, an expert team from Lucknow is also being sent. The Kanpur Special Task Force (STF) is already at work. "A large scale operation is being carried out. This is in continuation with the operation for which the team had gone there in the first place," he added. J N Singh, ADG Kanpur zone told ANI, "Police from the neighbouring districts of Kannauj and Kanpur Dehat has also been called." Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed condolences to the families of the eight police personnel who lost their lives in the incident. He has directed the DGP to take strict action against criminals and sought a report of the incident. Source: Edited By: Last updated on: July 03, 2020 13:22 IST Days after a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in East Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reached Leh where he interacted with personnel of the Army, Air Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Modi, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, reached Leh around 9.30 am, sources said. He is presently at one of the forward locations in Nimu where he interacted with personnel of the Army, Air Force and ITBP, official sources said. Modi was also briefed by senior Army officers, they said. Located at 11,000 feet, Nimu is among the toughest terrains, on the banks of river Indus and surrounded by the Zanskar range. In his monthly 'Mann ki Baat'radio address on Sunday, the prime minister had asserted that India has given a befitting reply to those who cast an evil eye on its territory in Ladakh. He had said while the country honours the spirit of friendship, it is also capable of giving an appropriate response to any adversary. Paying tributes to the 20 Army men killed in the violent stand-off, Modi had also said India's brave soldiers have shown that they will not allow the nation's pride to be hurt. Sources had earlier informed about CDS Gen Rawat's visit to Leh on Friday. General Rawat's visit holds importance since it comes in the wake of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Ladakh being rescheduled. Earlier, the Defence Minister was scheduled to visit Ladakh today to review the preparedness of the army amid the ongoing standoff with China. The situation at the India-China border remains tense after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in the Galwan valley on June 15-16 when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. India and China have been involved in talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month. -- with inputs and photographs from ANI July 03, 2020 21:03 IST At least 20 Pakistani Sikh pilgrims returning from Nankana Sahib were killed when the driver of the mini-bus they were travelling reportedly tried to take a short cut to avoid a shut railway crossing and rammed the vehicle into a passenger train in Pakistan's Punjab province on Friday, officials said. The mini-bus carrying around 26 Sikh pilgrims, all from Peshawar, hit the Shah Hussain Express which was coming from Karachi to Lahore at a crossing near Sheikhupura district at around 1.30 pm, police said. According to Rescue 1122 officials, at least eight people were injured in the accident, all of whom were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital, Sheikhupura, Dawn newspaper reported. The gate at the crossing was closed and the driver apparently tried to take a shortcut instead of waiting for the gate to open, senior police officer Ghazi Salahuddin told reporters at the crash site. "Twenty passengers died that included women and children," he said. The Evacuee Trust Property Board spokesperson Amir Hashmi said the bus was carrying mostly Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad in the district. "They had come to Nankana Sahib from Peshawar. After staying in Nanakana Sahib, they were leaving for Peshawar. The ETPB security had escorted them till the limits of Nankana Sahib," he said. Police have denied reports that the crossing was unmanned. Pakistan Railways Chief Executive Officer Dost Ali Laghari has set up a committee comprising three senior officers to investigate the incident. It will present its initial report by Saturday "so that it can be determined which side was at fault", according to the press release. "Action will be taken in accordance with the law against whomever is held responsible for this accident," the Railways statement said. The rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the injured to the district headquarters hospital, a statement by the railways ministry said. The railways said a divisional engineer has been suspended from service and an inquiry has been launched. Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid has ordered authorities to take immediate action against those responsible for the accident. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed grief over the accident and directed authorities to provide the best medical aid to the injured. "My condolences and prayers go to the families of the deceased. [I] have directed relevant authorities to ensure facilitation and care for all the families," he said, noting that at least 20 people were killed. The premier announced that the Railways' "operational safety SOPs will be reviewed immediately". Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar expressed sorrow at the loss of lives in the train accident and conveyed condolences to the families of the deceased. According to a statement, the chief minister directed the health department to provide all facilities possible to the injured. Opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shehbaz Sharif said the news of the Sikh pilgrims' death in the accident was "saddening". "I extend my most sincere sympathies to the bereaved families on their irreparable loss," a tweet by his office quoted Sharif as saying. Friday's accident comes after a series of recent fatal railway accidents in Pakistan. Over 70 people died when a Karachi-Rawalpindi train caught fire during its journey in November last year. Source: Edited By: July 03, 2020 17:18 IST A pardon sought from the people by Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav for "mistakes" that might have been committed during the 15 years when his parents ruled Bihar as successive chief ministers drew snide remarks from the ruling Janata Dal-United-Bharatiya Janata Party combine on Friday. Yadav, who is now leading his party as its chief ministerial candidate for the assembly polls due in a few months, made the charm offensive at a party function on the previous day. "I was young when the party was in power. Still, if there were any mistakes, I apologise for that," Yadav, a former deputy chief minister, who is now the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, had said. The 30-year-old made the remarks in response to the "15 years versus 15 years" narrative being built by the NDA, which has ruled the state since 2005 barring a four-year-long period when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who heads the JD-U had remained out of the BJP-led coalition. The younger son of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi also sought to rouse public sympathy by asserting "no wrongdoings took place under my watch" referring to the less than two years long period when he served as the deputy to Kumar, with many plum portfolios. SEE: Tejashwi Yadav seeks apology for "mistakes" Kumar had snapped ties with the RJD-Congress combine and returned to the NDA expressing disgust over stout refusal of Tejashwi Yadavs party to the demand that the young deputy chief minister tender his resignation till his name was cleared in money laundering cases for which the government was coming under relentless attacks. In his speech on Thursday, Yadav had also mounted an attack on his former boss for his failure to rein in large-scale exodus of work force from the state because of abject lack of employment opportunities back home. "The claims of good governance lay exposed before the whole country during the recent lockdown. Migrants were moving back to their homes in all states. But if one state stood out for very large number of such displaced people, it was Bihar," Yadav had said. JD-U spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad rebutted Yadav's allegations against the Nitish Kumar government and asserted that the people of Bihar would not be taken in by "attempts at an image makeover in the election season". "People still shudder at the memories of the dark age when caste wars and kidnappings for ransom committed by anti-social elements patronised by those in power were the norm. Not just ordinary labourers but even doctors, engineers and professionals of all hues had to flee for their safety," Prasad alleged. BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand, whose party likes to give Lalu Prasad no quarters, said the RJD "will never be forgiven by the people of Bihar, just like the people of the country will never forgive China and Pakistan, for their anti-India stance, and the Congress for the massacre of Sikhs and messing up Jammu and Kashmir". Anand pointed out that Yadav's antics came "15 years after the 15-year-long misrule of his party came to an end" and wondered why no regret has ever been expressed by the RJD supremo, now in Ranchi serving sentences in fodder scam cases, himself. Source: Edited By: July 03, 2020 16:37 IST The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh faced opposition onslaught on Friday over the killing of policemen in an encounter in Kanpur, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying it was another proof of 'hooliganism', while the Samajwadi Party said the state has become 'Hatya Pradesh'. IMAGE: Police personnel investigate the site of the encounter in Kanpur on Friday. Photograph: PTI Photo Eight Uttar Pradesh Police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were killed and seven others injured in an encounter with criminals in Kanpur, officials said on Friday. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the UP government over the incident 'Another proof of 'goondaraj' (hooliganism) in UP. When police is not safe how can people be?. My condolences are with family of martyrs and I wish speedy recovery of injured,' he said in a tweet. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also condole the deaths. 'Eight policemen were martyred while they went to nab criminals. I pay my condolence to the family of the martyrs. In UP, law and order has become very bad and criminals have no fear. From common man to policemen, no one is safe,' she said on Twitter. 'The responsibility of law and order is with the chief minister. He should initiate strict action and there should be no laxity in it,' she added. Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav said, "The BJP government in UP is doing 'natak' (drama) of small encounters in fear that it stands exposed. This will affect morale of the force and their anger will increase." "The government should immediately announce compensation and secure family members (of martyrs)," he said. Earlier the Samajwadi Party said Uttar Pradesh has become 'hatya pradesh' (murder state). 'In 'rogi sarkar' 'jungleraj', UP has become 'hatya pradesh', wherein Kanpur criminals patronised by those in power attacked policemen killing eight of them,' the Samajwadi Party said in a tweet. While condoling the deaths, the SP has demanded an 'immediate announcement of Rs 1 crore each for the martyred policemen's family'. It also demanded that the alleged 'connection (of criminals) with those in power should be exposed'. Bahujan Samaj Party Supremo Mayawati termed the incident as 'shameful and unfortunate', and added that 'it is clear that the UP government needs to be more alert on law and order issue'. 'Those involved should not be spared by the government at any cost even if a special campaign is needed for that. 'The family of those who died should be given financial help and job should be given to one member of their family. This is demand of the BSP,' the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said in a tweet. Source: Edited By: July 03, 2020 15:56 IST China on Friday said no party should engage in any action that may escalate the situation at Line of Actual Control (LAC) after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Ladakh and met the soldiers there. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Leh, Friday, July 3, 2020. Photograph: PTI Photo "India and China are in communication and negotiations on lowering the temperatures through military and diplomatic channels. No party should engage in any action that may escalate the situation at this point," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said during a briefing when asked about the Prime Minister's visit. PM Modi was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. He reached Nimu early morning on Friday and interacted with Army, Air Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel. The PM also addressed the soldiers during his visit. Located at 11,000 feet, this is among the tough terrains, surrounded by the Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. The situation at the India-China border in Ladakh remains tense after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in the Galwan Valley on June 15-16 when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. The two countries have been involved in talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month. July 03, 2020 15:00 IST Very few today realise that without Brigadier John Dalvi's courage, we would never have known what really happened during those tragic days of October/November 1962, reveals Claude Arpi. IMAGE: Brigadier J P Dalvi in captivity in Tibet. Photograph: Kind courtesy Michael Dalvi Today we are celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of John Parashuram Dalvi who commanded the ill-fated 7 Infantry Brigade on the Namkha chu (river) in the West Kameng Frontier Division of the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) in October 1962. Very few today realise that without his courage, we would never have known what really happened during those tragic days of October/November 1962. When Brigadier John Dalvi returned to India on May 4, 1963, he and his 26 junior colleagues were interrogated like criminals, the government suspecting them to have been brain-washed by the Communist Chinese. According to his family, this was even more difficult to bear than his days in captivity; he had been kept in a separate camp near Tsethang in Central Tibet, far from his men, in complete disregard of the Geneva Conventions. I have written about this on this blog (external link). Later, Brigadier Dalvi was offered a second star (to be promoted as Major General) by a senior minister of the Nehru government to keep quiet. He preferred to write about what really happened; he was never promoted. His Himalayan Blunder had to first be published in the UK by his sister as no publisher in India dared accepting such a manuscript. It was only years later, that it was released in India. Can you imagine what would have been our knowledge of the history of the conflict if Brigadier Dalvi had not penned his memoirs? Remember that today, the Henderson-Brooks-Bhagat report is still kept under wraps at army headquarters. IMAGE: Brigadier John Parashuram Dalvi. Photograph: Kind courtesy ADGPI-Indian Army As I was writing this tribute, I received this message from Michael Dalvi, Brigadier J P Dalvi's son. It is very touching: A SON'S HUMBLE TRIBUTE The man you see here in uniform, in which he took such great pride, joy and honour, would have been 100 years of age today. It is my honour, privilege and pride to be his son. He is flanked by insignias of the Indian Army and his beloved Battalion, the 4th (Rajput) Guards. Commissioned (Indian Military Academy, Dehradun) at age 21 he went straight off to do battle with the Japanese in Burma with his Regiment, 10/5 Baloch. In 1962, he went off to do battle again. This time the Chinese, as Commander 7 Brigade then based in Tawang. NEFA. Our collective energies are currently deeply absorbed in the Chinese challenge facing our nation. It is as good a time as ever, indeed imperative, that at this crucial and critical time, we honour and respect the memory of the bravest of the brave of our warriors who have selflessly done battle before in the service of our nation. And learn from the hard lessons of history. Never ever again must a proud commander of the finest fighting men in the world have to go to a premature grave with the deaths of his men and officers on his conscience. EVEN IF FOR NO FAULT OF HIS !!! That his troops, under-clothed, armed with obsolete weapons, under fed and woefully ill-equipped for mountain warfare fought to the bitter end is a tribute to the discipline, training, fortitude and indomitable spirit of the Indian Army. They died with honour, often, to the last man and the last bullet and not before inflicting huge casualties on an enemy militarily and psychologically unprepared for such intrepidness!! We must never forget that fact, sitting in the cozy comfort of our safe houses rendered secure by the daily sacrifice of our troops!! To quote Macaulay: How can man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his Gods? And I pray God that no man should have to witness his father's gradual but inexorable mental and physical deterioration and decline. From a conscience debilitatingly burdened, tormented, riddled with bitterness, anger, frustration helplessness and guilt for those who didn't make it back!! This guilt eventually destroyed his soul. It gnawed at the very core of his being from living each day with the memory of men of steel who followed blindly, into impossible situations, against unimaginable odds, and in many cases certain death, driven to great heights of valour only for the Izzatof their paltans, their army, and the honour and security of their country!!! And let the guilty, and their political successors contemplate, the great crime of sending brave men to do battle against AK-47s with WWI obsolete.303 Lee Enfield bolt action rifles !!!! And with not enough ammunition to fight a relentless enemy. Often resorting to hand to hand combat and using the weapons of fallen Chinese soldiers!!! WHILST THE GUILTY, SITTING IN THEIR AIR-CONDITIONED OFFICES IN DELHI, ORDERED COFFEE PERCOLATORS, STANDARD LAMPS MADE FROM SHELLS AND OTHER CIVILIAN ITEMS TO BE PRODUCED IN ORDNANCE FACTORIES!!!! These were criminals. Make no mistake about that. History has labelled them thus. For the sheer brazen and brutal heartlessness of their crimes of omissions and commissions against a simple, trusting, loyal and dedicated soldiery! I only hope those who currently control and conduct the destiny of our great country, and our unquestioning uniformed bravehearts learn from the hindsight of history!! It's done and dusted sir. You are dead and gone ages ago, but your army, that was your life, lives and fights on!!! RIP Sir wherever you be, and, hopefully, till we meet again to clink pewter tankards of your favourite tipple; chilled to perfection!!! MICHAEL DALVI IMAGE: Brigadier Dalvi with his captors. Photograph: Kind courtesy Claude Arpi In homage to Brigadier Dalvi, on the occasion of his 100th birth anniversary, I post here -- with Mr Michael Dalvi's kind permission -- the preface of his book -- The Himalayan Blunder, Brigadier J P Dalvi, Natraj Publishers (2009) -- which is so relevant with the present happenings in the Himalayas. 'This book was born in a Prisoner of War Camp in Tibet on a cold bleak night. On the night of 21st November 1962, I was woken up by the Chinese Major in charge of my solitary confinement with shouts of 'good news - good news'. He told me that the Sino-Indian War was over and that the Chinese Government had decided to withdraw from all the areas which they had overrun, in their lightning campaign. When I asked the reason for this decision he gave me this Peking inspired answer: 'India and China have been friends for thousands of years and have never fought before. China does not want war. It is the reactionary (sic) Indian Government that was bent on war. So the Chinese counterattacked in self-defence and liberated all our territories in NEFA and Ladakh, in just one month.' 'Now we have decided to go back as we do not want to settle the border problem by force. We have proved that yonu are no match for mighty China.' He concluded with this supercilious and patronising remark: 'We hope that the Indian Government will now see sense and come to the conference table at once so that 1,200 million Chinese and Indians can get on with their national development plans and halt Western Imperialism.' This kindergarten homily was, and remains, the most humiliating moment of my 7-month captivity and indeed of my life. That night I experienced a wave of bitter shame for my country. In my grief I took a solemn vow that one day I would tell the truth about how we let ourselves reach such a sorry pass. With time heavy on my hands, as I had no radio, newspapers or books, I brooded over India's humiliation and the fate of my command. I was repatriated, along with all the other officers of field rank, on 4th May 1963. We reached Barrackpore, the Military Airport at Calcutta at mid-day but could not land there and were diverted to Dum Dum. IMAGE: Then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru addresses a public meeting in New Delhi during the 1962 War with China. Photograph: Terry Fincher/Express/Getty Images We deplaned and were greeted with correct military protocol, tinged with a chill reserve. It was only later that I found out that we had to clear ourselves of the charge of having been brainwashed -- a strange charge from a Government which had itself been brainwashed into championing China's cause for more than a decade without a doubt the prisoners had been declared outcasts. Apparently we should have atoned for the past national sins of omission and commission with our lives. Our repatriation was embarrassing as the national spotlight had again been focused on the Sino-Indian Conflict. From the tarmac we were herded straight to the Customs enclosure where a sprightly team of appraisers had assembled to 'examine' our luggage. They had been told that some Indians had arrived from Hong Kong and were waiting to confiscate transistors and opium! I knew then that there had been no material change in India and we were in the same old groove. After a cursory and stereotyped de-briefing at Ranchi, I was ordered to meet the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. J.N. Chaudhuri at Delhi on 15th May. He asked me to write a report for the personal information of the Defence Minister and himself. The aim was, in Gen. Chaudhuri's words: "To teach ourselves how not to hand over a brigade on a plate to the Chinese in future". He added that we had become the laughing stock of even countries like... and ... (I hesitate to name these countries!). IMAGE: Indian Army officers and soldiers in Ladakh during the 1962 War. Photograph: Radloff/Three Lions/Getty Images I welcomed the opportunity afforded by the Chief's instruction for a personal report as this would give me a chance to collect my thoughts. The basic facts had been branded into my memory. To make doubly sure, I had many sessions with Lt. Col. Rikh, Commanding Officer of 2 Rajputs and Lt. Col. B. S. Ahluwalia, Commanding Officer of the 1/9 Gorkhas, Major R.O. Kharbanda and Captain T. K. Gupta of my Staff. We recounted, cross-checked and authenticated the facts which form the basis for this book. Rankling at our unfriendly reception and the many garbled versions I heard from friends, I wrote a forthright account which 1 handed over to the Chief personally. I do not know the fate of this report as I was never again asked to discuss or explain it. It may have touched some sensitive nerves. It was soon apparent that the Army had become the centre of much controversy and that the blame for the 1962 fiasco had been cunningly shifted to its alleged 'shortcomings'. What was more alarming were the extravagant claims made by some senior Army Officers, who attained eminence only after the 1962 reshuffles, as to how brilliantly they would have handled the situation and defied the authority of Nehru, Menon and Kaul. This attitude made me despair of whether my countrymen and colleagues would ever learn any lessons from India's first attempt at conducting a modern war and strengthened my resolution to tell my story. 1962 was a National Failure of which every Indian is guilty. It was a failure in the Higher Direction of War, a failure of the Opposition, a failure of the General Staff (myself included); it was a failure of Responsible Public Opinion and the Press. For the Government of India, it was a Himalayan Blunder at all levels. IMAGE: An Indian soldier stands guard over makeshift forts hastily built in Ladakh during the India-China War in 1962. Photograph: Radloff/Three Lions/Getty Images The people of India want to know the truth but have been denied it on the dubious grounds of national security. The result has been an unhealthy amalgam of innuendo, mythology, conjecture, outright calumny and sustained efforts to confuse and conceal the truth. Even the truncated 'NEFA' Enquiry has been withheld except for a few paraphrased extracts read out to the Lok Sabha on 2nd September 1963. For some undisclosed reason, I was not asked to give evidence before this body nor (to the best of my knowledge) were my repatriated Commanding Officers. It is thus vitally necessary to trace, without rancor and without malice, the overall causes which resulted in the reverses and which so seriously affected India's honour. Some of the things that happened in 1962 must never be allowed to happen again. There is a school of thought which advocates a moratorium on the NEFA Affair on the grounds that such 'patriotic reticence' is desirable in the context of the continuing Chinese (and Pakistani) military threats. I do not think that this theory is tenable. The main protagonists of this line played a part in the tragic drama, or belonged to the political party which provided the national leadership and their plea for silence does not spring entirely from a sense of patriotism. IMAGE: Indian troops in Ladakh during the 1962 War. Photograph: Radloff/Three Lions/Getty Images There are others, mostly barren politicians, who use the Nehru legend to buttress their failures, or inveterate hero-worshippers who express irritation at any adverse reference to Mr Nehru's long spell as the Prime Minister of India. As was said of Lord Chatham, the British Prime Minister, 'His country men were so conscious of what they owed him that they did not want to hear about his faults'. But it is impossible to narrate a failure, which historically marked the end of the Nehru saga, without critical, often harsh comments on the principle dramatis personae who held high office and who were revered by the people. The magnitude of our defeat could not have been wrought without Himalayan Blunders at all levels. But this is not a "J'accuse". IMAGE: Indian and Chinese soldiers face off during the 1962 War. Photograph: Deshakalyan Chowdhury/AFP/Getty Images India has a near unbroken record of military failures through the ages. Our peasantry has always fought gallantly; but it is an indisputable fact that seldom has this bravery been utilised to win battle field victories and thus to attain our political objectives, due to inept political or military leadership, or both. Need we follow this tragic path interminably? It had fallen to my lot to be associated with the China problem for over 8 years from 1954 to 1962. I was first connected with the Higher Direction of War, in a modest capacity, as a Lt.-Colonel in Military Operations Directorate. Later, as Brigadier-in-Charge of Administration of the troops on Ladakh, I saw, at first hand, what passed for 'logistic support'. Finally as Commander of the key sector of Towang, North-East Frontier Agency, I was involved in our so-called operation al planning to defend our borders. The years of higher responsibility were complementary and gave me a personal insight into our National Policy as well as our half-hearted military response to the Chinese challenge. IMAGE: Soldiers of the Assam Rifles arrive at Tezpur during the 1962 War. Photograph: Terry Fincher/Express/Getty Images I have tried to tell the story as I saw it unfold, over the years, to add to our knowledge. I have included the politico-military background only because this had a direct bearing on our performance in the military field, in 1962. This is a personal narrative -- a narrative of what 7 Infantry Brigade was ordered to do and what happened when they attempted to carry out those orders. In all humility I can claim that only I am in a position to explain many nagging questions that need explaining, facts that are necessary. The theme of the book is the steadfastness of the Indian soldier in the midst of political wavering and a military leadership which was influenced more by political than military considerations. The book records their valour, resolution and loyalty - qualities which are generally forgotten in the mass of political post-mortems which have been served up to the Indian people. This is a record of the destruction of a Brigade without a formal declaration of war -- another central fact that is often overlooked -- and which coloured the actions of all the principal participants. IMAGE: Then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru with then Chinese premier Zhou Enlai in 1953. Photograph: Getty Images I have made every effort not to view things in a retrospective light or with the clarity of hindsight. I have recorded experiences, ideas and feelings as they appeared at the time. I have tried to give an objective account of all that happened, of the people involved and of the decisions they took. My opinions as a participant in the climatic finale of September-October 1962 must be subjective. The main essential is to know how the principal participants thought and reacted. As Lord Avon (Sir Anthony Eden) says in the preface to his Memoirs, The Full Circle: "This book will expose many wounds; by doing so it may help to heal them". By this book I express my undying gratitude to my Commanding Officers for their trust and loyalty; to the men of all classes and from all units under my command for their selfless devotion to duty; and to my staff whose dedication sustained me in those harrowing days. This book is the fulfilment of my promises to my friends, in all walks of life, to vindicate the reputation of the men I had the honour to commando I hope that I shall have discharged my responsibility to all those who gave their lives in the line of duty and whose sacrifice deserves a permanent, printed memorial.' Claude Arpi is a regular contributor to Rediff.com. Feature Production: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com July 03, 2020 18:12 IST 'It is never easy to run a campaign as a woman, particularly a minority woman, especially when you are bucking the establishment.' My entire campaign is an act of resistance.' P Rajendran reports from New Jersey. IMAGE: Arati Kreibich. Arati Kreibich is an unlikely challenger for Josh Gottheimer, the Democratic representative from New Jersey's 5th Congressional district, even though he has voted with President Donald J Trump more than any other Democrat. In fact, there was a time that Kreibich stumped for Gottheimer enthusiastically. That was in 2016. She voted for him again in 2018, albeit a little more reluctantly, before deciding to finally take him on herself. Kreibich (nee Sadalge), grew up in Wadala, norh central Mumbai, and studied at the Raja Shivaji Vidyalaya till she got to the sixth grade. She was 11 when she moved to the US with her parents Subhash and Vijaya, and brothers Sanket and Sandesh. Her father Subhash became a bookkeeper in the garment and construction industries while her mother Vijaya went on to work at the Bank of Baroda branch in Manhattan. Kreibich went to the Stuyvesant High School, the best specialised high school in New York City, did her undergraduate degree in psychology at Boston University, and her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania, where she met her husband Thomas. They have two children, Neil and Jay. Then, in 2017, Kreibich decided to become a council member in her town, Glen Rock. "She is a brilliant girl," says Subhash Sadalge of his daughter. Kreibich, he says, worked hard and did well enough in middle school and New York City's Specialised High School Admission Test to get into the top-ranked Stuyvesant High School. And, according to him, she had a very practical reason to pick Boston University for her undergraduate degree. "We had recently immigrated, and she was aware of our financial difficulties," Subhash explained. Kreibich's mother Vijaya Sadalge says the family always discussed issues openly. "Whatever she wanted to in her career, her education, she always asked us," she says. "We are a close-knit family." Kreibich still lives just about 10 miles from her parents. Vijaya describes her daughter as being very single-minded. "She wanted to be a scientist from the beginning," says Vijaya. "The 'beginning' was when Kreibich in the first or second grade. "I asked her, 'Do you know the spelling of scientist?" Vijaya says, laughing. Well, her daughter went on to do her PhD. Kreibich's shift to politics, her mother says, came later. "She used to go for marches," Vijaya says, adding that contact with political issues finally encouraged her to step in herself. She paraphrases Kreibich as telling her, "Whatever I learned, I have to give back to the nation." *** IMAGE: Arati Kreibich with husband Thomas and two children, Neil and Jay. In the council, one of Kreibich's main planks was climate change, as part of which she spearheaded clean-energy initiatives and got a plastic bag ban (though it was suspended for 60 days when the coronavirus pandemic broke, with Kreibich saying then, "Public health is number one."). She is also credited for her role in shifting Glen Rock to 100 percent clean, renewable energy through a community choice aggregation program, working on a programme to bring two electric vehicle charging stations to her town, and a resolution to stop a proposed gas-fired power plant in Meadowlands. The National Environmental Advocacy Group liked the work and endorsed her for the race against Gottheimer. Besides her focus on the environment, Kreibich says she is also committed to community outreach, having pushed for a Sikh Awareness Day proclamation within months of being elected. "One of the founding members of the gurdwara said at the meeting that they had been in town for so long and having that proclamation meant so much because they truly felt they were becoming part of this community now. That's why it is important to have more Indian folk -- South Asian folk -- in these kind of positions of power -- so that we can elevate... our community." She talks about her metamorphosis from Gottheimer adherent to adversary. "In 2018, he showed his true colors," says Kreibich. "He voted with Trump 77 percent of the time. He backed Trump's anti-immigrant agenda. He still hasn't come out strongly against hate speech, especially when it's coming out of the White House. All of these things led up into last year. I was discontent. A lot of his supporters feel betrayed. He's betrayed the Democratic party, he's betrayed the real moral values we stand for." She lists some of the issues she had with the incumbent. "Last year, we had reports in the press how he was really the person who led the charge to make sure there were no guard rails (to monitor the usage of) the millions of dollars for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CDP (Customs and Border Protection). This was weeks after we learned about kids in cages." "We learned about the humanitarian crisis at the border. He makes sure that we give them (border officials) money with really no accountability. That is a moral stand that is inhumane in terms of decision-making. He made me -- as a supporter, a former supporter -- morally complicit in that. That's really the galvanising event for me." Her attention was drawn to the fact that Gottheimer had a lot more money for whatever reason, and was ahead in the polls in a community that was almost 90 percent white according to the last census. "It's not for 'whatever reason,'" Kreibich says quickly. "He has so much money -- literally millions of dollars because of corporate PAC donations. One of the most important things I'm running on is to make sure we get... corporate money out of politics because that is what is stymieing policies that actually help the people." "My opponent has got the most amount of money from private equity ($326,355)... than any other member of Congress, whether Democrat or Republican. When you embrace your nickname as the 'human fundraising machine,' it means you're out of touch with what people want," she says. "This is exactly the problem with American politics today. This is why no matter what party you are in, things are not going to get done - because our politics is bought by corporations." Citizens United -- which allowed corporations and other outside groups can spend unlimited money on elections -- is one of the worst things to happen to American politics, she says. "Corporations are not people. Period," she asserts. "We need to have a move to amend this so that we can actually get rid of corporate influence." Krebich does concede that the fight is tough. "It is never easy to run a campaign," she points out. "It is never easy to run a campaign as a woman, particularly a minority woman, especially when you are bucking the establishment. My entire campaign is an act of resistance here: The act of making sure we are doing the best that we can for our people," she says. "From the beginning I was told it is never going to take off, that I should wait my turn, this is never going to happen." "It's been almost a year and we've built incredible momentum, and we don't get that if we're not a viable campaign." As evidence, Kreibich points out to the big name endorsements she got for her progressive campaign: Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Ayanna Pressley, the Working Families Party, Vote for Choice, Moms in Office, Desis for Congress and South Asians for America... Still, Kreibich is taking on a political Goliath. An internal poll funded by Gottheimer and showing that he had a 41 percent lead over her is evidence of that. Kreibich points out to her own team's poll that "when voters learn about me and my campaign, and learn about him, I am neck-and-neck (within 2 percent) with him." But it is hard to get a message across in person, as was her wont, during a pandemic. The researcher-turned-politician says she is still going to keep pushing her progressive agenda. "We're going to keep fighting for the kind of things that are important and imperative that we do, especially in the middle of these crises," she says. "We have a public health crisis and a looming, burgeoning economic crisis. This is not the time to sit back and say let somebody else handle it". "We need to make sure we have change that actually helps people. That includes taking care of them with stronger safety nets like Medicare for All, like the Green New Deal -- using that to get green new jobs, using that to jumpstart our economy, and using that to ensure we are more sustainable in the future." Feature Production: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Greenville, NC (27833) Today A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. In an unsolicited comment, Howell said Virginia's governor should be conscious about who he or she appoints to a board. When asked to elaborate, he said: "I'm not going to call names, but I'm sure that you know that there are some board members on there who may not have had the best interest of Norfolk State at heart." Beckley, WV (25801) Today Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. W winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. W winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. "Bay Diesel sells and services diesel and natural gas engines and generator sets for industrial and marine applications. We have three divisions: our power generation division, which provides generator sets for hospitals, data centers and commercial and government facilities; our worldwide sea services division which provides services for large bore marine engines up to 100,000 horsepower; and our industrial services division, which provides repair service, major overhauls and retrofits of marine diesel engines for commercial vessels, and industrial diesel and natural gas engines for land-based applications." The bridge, which forks off U.S. 119, was constructed in 1998 by former Gov. Paul E. Patton for $6 million. It was seen at the time as a route to many things: a highway, a strip mall, housing developments. Today, it spills out onto Ledfords 12,000-acre property, which he and his business partner, Frank Allen, are developing into a nonprofit nature reserve called Boones Ridge. The road sloped up and disappeared around a hill, and Ledford took his right hand off the wheel for a moment to appreciate it. Its a hell of a driveway, he said. Often known as the person who inspired Aamir Khanss 3 Idiots character, Sonam Wangchuk has been at the centre of the Boycott China movement in recent weeks. The renowned scientist-turned-educational reformers impact could be understood from the manner in which numerous celebrities heeded his clarion call to boycott Chinese goods and services. One of them was Milind Soman whose decision to quit TikTok had made headlines, before the app itself was pulled down by the Indian government a few days ago. READ: Sonam Wangchuk Issues First Reply As 'Boycott China' Call Culminates In India's 59-app Ban Milind continued to raise his anti-China stance even after his decision to go off TikTok and this time took it further by interacting with the person who inspired him to go off TikTok. The actor-model discussed with Sonam Wangchuk the Boycott Made in China' movement via a video call recently. Introducing the discussion on how the common citizens could participate in making the country stronger, he wrote how one of the ways was the '#BoycottMadeinChina' movement. Heres the video How can common citizens do their bit to make a country stronger ? @Wangchuk66 and I discuss one of the ways :) https://t.co/hKaiF6r23B Milind Usha Soman (@milindrunning) July 3, 2020 READ: Maha Veer Chakra Awardee Sonam Wangchuk Notes A 'grim Turn' In Indo-China Ties In the video, Milind is heard thanking Wangchuk for his initiative and asking him about the thought behind the decision. The latter shared that the recent tensions in Ladakh were not new, and had been going on for long, and Chinas conduct was similar with countries like Vietnam. Wangchuk felt the battle against China could be fought by citizens through their wallets as compared to soldiers with bullets. He once again highlighted his idea on uninstalling Chinese software in a week and hardware in a year, calling the China-based games as violent and apps like TikTok wasteful. Wangchuk also highlighted that it was important for the environment to not buy something because it is cheap, one of the reasons for Made in China products to flourish. He also suggested a simplistic way of living. When Milind asked the reformer on the jobs for Indians that could be impacted due to impact of this movement on Chinese companies, the latter replied that many jobs were lost too when China-made products entered the market, and urged to focus on the jobs that can be created with local production and purchase. When Wangchuk asked Milind about about his decision to quit TikTok, the Bajirao Mastani star highlighted some of the benefits of the app. However, he shared that he was inspired to think of the countrys larger interest after seeing Wangchuks message and expressed confidence that India could make such apps, and that was important to make the country strong. Meanwhile, a netizen expressed his unhappiness at the nation being 'dragged in the direction that the ruling party decides,' telling Milind that he had 'no idea what the nation stood for.' Milind responded that he hoped what each of us stood for is 'good for the country'. Hopefully, what each of us stands for, is good for our country :) https://t.co/IdTyb5iODe Milind Usha Soman (@milindrunning) July 3, 2020 After the tension at the border got escalated and led to the martyrdom of 20 Army personnel, even the traders body and film associations have supported the Boycott China movement, with celebrities also being urged to refrain from promoting Chinese goods. The governments decision to ban 59 apps that were prejudicial to the country's security was hailed by stars like Malaika Arora. READ: Incidents On Twitter, Google Proving That China Is Coming Under Pressure: Sonam Wangchuk READ: Amrita Rao Follows Milind Soman To Delete TikTok, Tanuj Garg Echoes Sonam Wangchuk's Call Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. British Socialite and Heiress Ghislaine Maxwell have been arrested on July 2, 2020. Ghislaine Maxwell was Jeffrey Epstein's previous girlfriend and his life long confidante. She was arrested on the charges of conspiring with Epstein in sexually abusing and trafficking minors. Read | Jeffrey Epstein's ex-girlfriend Maxwell charged with conspiring to sexually abuse minors Where was Ghislaine Maxwell arrested? The 59-year-old British Socialite was arrested in America from Bradford, New Hampshire, at around 8:30 am. The Federal prosecutors revealed that she was found living in a reclusive, million-dollar luxury home which had 156 acres of rural mountainside property. Ghislaine Maxwell was the daughter of British media mogul Robert Maxwell. Reportedly she was the girlfriend of Epstein and was at the disgraced investor's side for decades. Jeffrey Epstein who is a registered sex offender was arrested in the summer of 2019 on federal charges of exploiting and manipulating dozens of underage girls in New York and Florida in the early 2000s. The financier despite his actions and role in sex trafficking kept company with presidents and captains of industry. Epstein attempted suicide in police custody in late July, but died in his second suicide attempt in August 2019. Read | Ghislaine Maxwell, ex-girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, arrested by FBI How did they find Ghislaine Maxwell? Ghislaine Maxwell, who has stayed below the radar since Epstein's suicide, was on the run from the FBI. The Federal prosecutors revealed that Maxwell had paid for the picturesque retreat, in cash through a limited liability company. As per the acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss, the FBI said that it had been tracking her movements for some time. Read | About Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach house and real estate portfolio The 4,300-square-foot estate where Maxwell had treated to amidst the pandemic, sits at the top of a half-mile long driveway which makes it an ideal location for her to stay hidden. Few residents of Bradford which is a town of just 1,600 people claimed that they had never seen Maxwell in town, nor was she heard of. In an electronic appearance in New Hampshire federal court on Thursday afternoon, a judge ordered her to be transferred to New York City. Ghislaine Maxwell did not enter a plea, while her attorney claimed that he will seek a detention hearing in New York, which is a prelude to a possible bail request. Read | Jeffrey Epstein's documentary: 4 shocking claims made in Netflix's 'Filthy Rich' series What did Ghislaine Maxwell do? The Manhattan Federal Courts six-count indictment alleges that Ghislaine Maxwell helped the financier Epstein to groom girls who were as young as 14 years old. As per the citation, this had been happening at least since 1994. Prosecutors have further revealed that she was in the room during the abuse and even took part in the abuse of three underage girls. They were conducting these actions at Epstein's Upper East Side townhouse, his Florida estate, and even his ranch in New Mexico. As per the indictment Ghislaine Maxwell faces up to 35 years in prison. Maxwell has been accused to have helped Epstein groom and train teen girls for having intercourse with the rich and powerful. Read | Anonymous links Naomi Campbell to Jeffrey Epstein's case along with Donald Trump The charges against Maxwell were levelled by a teen, Virginia Roberts Giuffre in a 2015 defamation suit. Multiple women have come forward to report such actions by Maxwell since. The indictment states that Maxwell was present for and participated in the sexual abuse of minor victims. One day before Epsteins suicide, a federal appeals court revealed the transcript of a 2016 deposition. In the transcript, Epstein was repeatedly refusing to answer whether Maxwell had procured young girls for him or not. Did Ghislaine Maxwell die? Since her arrest on July 2, 2020 speculations had been growing whether Ghislaine Maxwell too like Jeffrey Epstein had committed suicide. But these were merely speculations as Maxwell alive is still in police custody. People were most likely confusing Epstein's death with Maxwell's. Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. Vande Bharat flights carrying passengers from abroad will soon land at four places in Rajasthan, officials said on Thursday. Presently, repatriation flights land only in Jaipur city. Additional Chief Secretary Dr Subodh Agarwal said the state government is making arrangements to expand flight landing at airports in Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner districts. The District Commissioners have been directed to arrange quarantine facilities near the airports, he said. Meanwhile, 353 people, including 170 from Ras Al Khaimah and 183 from Dubai arrived at the Jaipur airport on Thursday. READ | CIAL Handled 322 Arrival Relief Flights In Three Phases Of Vande Bharat Mission Air India to operate 170 flights between June 3 to 17 Air India will be conducting 170 flights to and from 17 countries between July 3 and 15 under the fourth phase of the Vande Bharat Mission, according to an official document. The government started the mission on May 6 to help stranded people reach their destinations using special repatriation flights. Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Under the fourth phase of the mission, Air India will be conducting 170 flights connecting India with Canada, the US, the UK, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa, Russia, Australia, Myanmar, Japan, Ukraine and Vietnam, as per the airline's document accessed by the PTI. READ | 'Vande Bharat Is One Of The Largest Evacuation Missions': Hardeep Singh Puri These 170 chartered flights under the fourth phase are scheduled to be operated between July 3 and 15, it stated. A total of 38 flights and 32 flights will be operated on Indo-UK and Indo-US routes, respectively, as per the document. The national carrier will operate 26 flights between India and Saudi Arabia, it added. Air India is scheduled to operate 495 chartered flights to and from various countries in the third phase, which began on June 10 and it will end on July 4. The first phase was from May 7 to 16, following which the second phase began. READ | Over 3.6 Lakh Indians Returned To India After Launch Of Vande Bharat Mission: MEA READ | Five More COVID-19 Deaths, 115 Fresh Cases In Rajasthan (With PTI inputs) (Image credits: PTI) Taking a veiled dig at China amid the tensions along the LAC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stated that the era of expansionism is over. In his interaction with the personnel of the Army, Air Force, and ITBP at Leh, he observed that only development is relevant in the present and the future. Recalling that expansionism has historically posed a threat to world peace, he affirmed that expansionist powers have always met their downfall. Thereafter, the PM asserted that the entire world had rallied against expansionism currently and is focused on development. His veiled attack assumes significance as China has had territorial claims on land and sea pertaining to 21 countries such as India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal, Russia and North Korea. PM Modi remarked, "Friends, the era of expansionism is over. This is the era of development. In the fast-changing times, only development is relevant. There are opportunities only for development. And only development is the pillar of the future. In the last few centuries, expansionism sought to destroy humanity. When (a nation) is obsessed with the victory of expansionism, it has always posed a threat to world peace. History has shown us that such powers have met their end or had to change their path. This has been the experience of the world always. Banking on this experience, the entire world has rallied against expansionism. Today, the world is dedicated to development and is encouraging a competitive environment for development." Read: PM Modi's FULL Ladakh Speech: 'The World Has United Against Expansionists,' China Warned Speaking in Nimu. India is proud of the courage of our armed forces. https://t.co/juUjqkAp6v Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 3, 2020 Read: 'Vande Mataram' & 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', Resound Forces in Leh As PM Modi's Chopper Lands India-China faceoff 20 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred when a violent faceoff took place on June 15 when the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. As per the Editor-in-Chief of the Chinese newspaper Global Times, the Chinese side also suffered casualties during the physical clash. On June 18, the Indian Army revealed that a total of 76 personnel had been injured out of which 18 admitted to the Leh hospital can resume duty in about 15 days. During his surprise visit to Ladakh, PM Modi not only visited a forward location in Nimu at a height of 11,000 feet but also the hospital where several soldiers injured in the Galwan clash are recuperating. He was accompanied by Chief of the Armed Forces General MM Naravane and Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat. During his address to the Forces, the PM also mentioned that the country's resolve of Atmanirbhar Bharat was strengthened by their sacrifice, valour and resolve. Read: Stunning Video Of PM Modi's Chopper Landing In Leh Out Amid Loud Message To China; WATCH A US court has ordered the continued detention of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who has been declared a fugitive by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case. Rana, 59, a childhood friend of David Coleman Headley, was recently re-arrested on June 10 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed. He is a declared fugitive in India. A federal district court on Thursday scheduled his next day of bail hearing on August 21. In his extradition case held before Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian, the US District Court of Los Angeles ordered that Tahawwur Hussain Rana be temporarily detained till his next hearing on August 21. Court orders defendant temporarily detained pending further briefing and issuance of decision on detention motion, it said. Describing Rana a flight risk, the US has opposed his release on bail, arguing that if he were to flee to Canada, he may escape the possibility of a death sentence in India. Given the stakes, allowance of bail in any amount would not guarantee Ranas presence in court. Granting bail would invite the possibility of embarrassing the United States in the conduct of its foreign affairs, straining its relationship with India, Assistant US Attorney John J Lulejian said. According to the federal prosecutors, between 2006 and November 2008, Rana conspired with Headley, also known as "Daood Gilani, and others in Pakistan to assist Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harakat ul-Jihad-e-Islami, both US-designated terrorist organisations, to plan and carry out the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Pakistani-American LeT terrorist Headley was involved in plotting the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. He was made an approver in the case, and is currently serving a 35-year prison term in the US for his role in the attack. India seeks his arrest on a number of offences, including the conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit forgery for the purpose of cheating, and murder under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He is sought for his role in 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The 2008 Mumbai attack was one of Indias most horrific terrorist attacks in which 166 people were killed and over 300 injured as 10 heavily-armed terrorists from Pakistan created mayhem. Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive, was hanged to death on November 21, 2012. In a move that is part of a wider part which aims at the 'feminization' of public places, a square in Brussels will be named after the Bronte sisters. According to reports, this will be the first move of its kind and will mark 178 years after Charlotte and Emily arrived in the city to study French. Its name change was approved by councillors in the north-west district of Koekelberg who have agreed to name the square Place des Surs Bronte. A recognition which was long overdue According to reports, the Bronte sisters have been described as models of emancipation. The square that will be renamed after the sisters is currently undergoing development and reportedly contains the local Dutch-language cultural centre and library. The new name will celebrate the literary talents of the Bronte sisters and will also honour the presence of two of the Bronte sisters in the Koekelberg municipality. Emily, Charlotte and Anne Bronte published their first work, Poems, #onthisday in 1846. Uncertain as to how poetry by women would be received, the Bronte sisters published the volume under male pseudonyms of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell, retaining their own initials. pic.twitter.com/9K1ggPpU4g Portrait Gallery (@NPGLondon) May 7, 2020 The two of the Bronte sisters, Charlotte and Emily, arrived in Brussels in 1842, aged 25 and 23 respectively. Both the sisters dreamed of opening a boarding school in their home town of Haworth Parsonage and therefore wanted to master various languages in Brussels. Their plan to open a boarding house ultimately never came to pass because both the sisters focused their energy towards writing masterpieces like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Read: Brussels Airport Reopens After 3 Months Closure Due To Pandemic Read: Belgium: Restaurants, Bars Reopen In Brussels According to reports, Helen MacEwan who is the founder of Brussels Bronte Society and author of The Brontes in Brussels has said that the news that a square will be named after the sisters is a piece of delightful news even though the square is not located at the centre of Brussels where the sisters actually lived. Currently, the only reminder that the Bronte sisters lived in Brussels is a commemorative plaque. The plaque was erected by the Bronte Society in 1979. Bronte news: A Brussels square is to be named after the Bronte sisters. The district of Koekelberg has decided to establish Place des Soeurs Bronte/Zusters Bronteplein to commemorate Charlotte and Emily's link with the Belgian capital. https://t.co/5Gvg31K6CV pic.twitter.com/5uIQKj7QOl Brontes in Brussels (@Brontes_Bxl) July 2, 2020 Read: Brussels Airlines To Cut 1,000 Jobs Amid COVID-19 Crisis Read: Belgium's Brussels Airlines To Cut 1,000 Jobs Citing Negative Impact Of Pandemic France has recently announced that it will be re-naming certain streets after African World War 2 heroes. According to reports, the French armed forces ministry has provided local authorities with a list of 100 Africans that fought during the war in the hopes that streets and squares may be named in their honour. France to honour African war heroes The recent drive to rename streets and squares comes as a response to the global anti-racism protests which were caused by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in the United States, while in police custody. According to reports, French Junior Defense Minister Genevieve Darrieussecq presented a 210-page paper wherein there were the names, faces and lives of African heroes that fought as free citizens; he added that without the noble deeds of the men in the booklet the world would not be free. Read: A European Court Backs 3 Migrants, Rules Against France Read: France Withdraws From NATO Naval Mission Amid Tensions With Turkey After the start of the worldwide protests, protestors had been attacking, vandalizing and pulling down statues linked to people that were connected to slavery and colonialism. Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who was behind the establishment of rules for French colonies, had his statue vandalized in June. In a statement, Darrieussecq told the mayors of French towns that very few streets in France were named after African soldiers and that streets should become areas that will be able to teach history and therefore advocated that plaques be installed that would honour the lives and the sacrifices of African war heroes. Read: France Ex-PM Fillon Found Guilty Of Fraud, Sentenced To Five-year Jail Term Read: France's Oldest Nuclear Reactor To Finally Shut Down: Report According to accounts, 400,000 Africans were a part of the Free French Forces and participated in the landing on the south of France in August 1944. They were integral in liberating the towns of Toulon and Marseille. After the invasion of France by the Nazis, many Africans from French colonies volunteered to fight in the Free French Forces. (Image Credit Pixabay) (Representative Image) The fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist who was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, said on Friday that the trial on his death been "exhausting both morally and psychologically". Hatice Cengiz spoke to press outside Caglayan Courthouse in Istanbul on Friday and asked that all persons responsible for her fiance's killing be brought to justice in court. Cengiz spoke at the opening of a trial in absentia against two former aides of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and 18 other Saudi nationals who have been charged by Turkish authorities over Khashoggi's grisly killing in 2018. His slaying sparked widespread condemnation and cast a cloud of suspicion over the crown prince. Turkish prosecutors have indicted the 20 Saudi nationals, who have all left Turkey, and have demanded that they be sentenced to life terms in prison. Saudi Arabia rejected Turkish demands for the suspects' extradition and put some of them on trial in Riyadh behind closed doors. The proceedings were widely criticised as a "whitewash" and Khashoggi's family later announced that they had forgiven his killers. The trial in Turkey is being closely watched for possible new information or evidence into the killing, including the whereabouts of Khashoggi's remains. The Swedish border town of Stromstad is in trouble because of the countrys decision to not impose a COVD-19 induced lockdown like its neighbours. As per reports, Stromstad is driving distance from Oslo and was frequented by Norwegians looking to buy cheaper consumer goods but the lockdown in Norway put the stop to the town's booming business. After Norway went into complete lockdown in mid-March, the business in Stromstad considerably dwindled. While Norway has now eased lockdown restrictions following a sharp fall in COVID-19 cases, the move has not seen a return of shoppers to Stromstad because Noway continues to quarantine people returning from Sweden. Read: Norwegian Salmon Not Source Of COVID-19 At Beijing Food Market, Says Norway Sweden isolated from neighbours According to reports, Sweden has registered more COVID-19 deaths than Norway, Denmark and Finland combined. The country has reported over 70,000 positive coronavirus cases as well as 5,411 deaths. On the other hand, Swedens neighbour Norway has reported only 8,902 coronavirus cases and has a death toll of 251. Moreover, the majority of Norwegians support their government's decision to impose restrictions on those coming into Norway from Sweden, as per reports. Read: Sweden: Iran To Compensate Ukraine Plane Crash Victims COVID-19 has infected about 10,929,352 people worldwide and the global death toll has crossed the 500,000 mark according to the John Hopkins University coronavirus resource centre. The United States is currently the global epicentre of the virus having reported 2,811,200 positive coronavirus cases and more than 131,175 deaths. The novel coronavirus first appeared in China late last year and the country has been heavily criticised for its role in allegedly keeping the origin and pandemic potential of COVID-19 a secret from the world. While it is believed that the virus originated at a wet market in Wuhan, some leaders believe the virus was manufactured in a Wuhan laboratory. Read: Swedens State Epidemiologist Says World Went mad In Imposing Coronavirus Lockdown Read: Sweden's Parliament Honours COVID-19 Victims (Representative Image) But the modest sentence stunned Di Fazios mother as being far too low. Youre kidding me, she said, with her sobs growing louder as she was consoled by family as others left the courtroom. She took my sons life. In a bid to honour the victims of COVID-19, the statue of the Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro was beautifully illuminated. Latin America has emerged as the new epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak and Brazil is the second most virus-hit country in the world. As per Johns Hopkins University tally, over 1.4 million people have been infected with the fatal disease while 61,884 have died. To pay a tribute to all the people who lost their lives in the global health crisis, the number was showcased on the statue. The homage was put together by the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) and Brazilian Caritas (an organization of the CNBB), with the support of the United Nations. The Christ the Redeemer statue, on the summit of Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, pays its respects last night to the more than 60,000 Brazilians and 500,000 globally who have now lost their lives to COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/7cBeJ5GgaH Brazil: The Guide (@RioDiary) July 2, 2020 All lit up blue, Christ the Redeemer in memory of all those who lost their lives in Rio de Janero #covid19brasil pic.twitter.com/5fCQ8BQeDL AndreaJay StaySafe (@AndreaJackGoro) July 2, 2020 Read - China Tries To Shift Covid Blame To Brazil; Claims Coronavirus Detected There In November Read - Amazon Fires At An All-time High In Brazil Due To June Spike; 'Covid Laxity To Blame' White coat on Easter Sunday Before the iconic statue was lit up to remember over 60,000 victims of COVID-19 in the country and over five lakh worldwide casualties of coronavirus outbreak, Christ The Redeemer was lit up with white coat on the Easter Sunday. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the doctors and all health professionals have emerged as the frontline fighters who are being honoured worldwide. In the same light, Brazil also decided to pay tribute to health care workers with messages being flashed in all languages. A doctor's white coat is projected onto the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Easter Sunday, to honor medical workers who are fighting to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic. pic.twitter.com/iqwMmJjwah Janet Schulte (@pommom5) April 13, 2020 The deadly virus has already infected over 1.4 million people in Brazil. The virus has been reportedly spreading mostly in larger cities, however, since late May it has been spreading faster in the interior of the country. According to reports, earlier this month the country also reported that 60 per cent of the new cases were registered in smaller cities. The Brazilian health ministry has noted that the deaths are also rising outside of the major cities. As per reports, the experts believe the impact of a potential second wave of a new case in urban centres could further complicate attempts to reopen businesses and revive the hard-hit economy. While speaking to an international media outlet, Miguel Nicolelis, who is coordinating a coronavirus task force advising the state governments of Brazils northeast, said that the boomerang of cases that will return to the capital of the country will be tsunami. Read - Brazil Network Ends Rio Soccer Deal Over New Bolsonaro Rule Read - Brazil Military Distribute Face Masks To Largest Amazon Tribe Amid Coronavirus Fear Hundreds of US tourists and US residents were finally returning home to the United States on Friday after being stuck for months in Peru. A humanitarian flight by Delta Airlines arrived at a Peruvian Air Force base in Lima to pick up the stranded people, who hadn't been able to leave for over three months due to the country's strict coronavirus quarantine. Peru's commercial airports have been closed since mid-March allowing only for the occasional rescue mission from abroad to come and retrieve marooned citizens. The travelers were told to head to a park in Lima's posh Miraflores neighborhood at 6:00 a.m. where they were met by local authorities who then put them on buses to be taken to an airbase on the outskirts of the capital. According to sources inside the Municipality of Miraflores, more than 7,000 citizens of the European community, the United States and Canada have left on humanitarian flights since the state of emergency due to COVID 19 was declared over three months ago Peru exceeded 10,000 deaths on Thursday due to the new coronavirus in the midst of its worst economic crisis and while infections are increasing by the thousands every 24 hours. The country is the seventh with the largest spread of the pandemic in the world and mortality is concentrated in the poorer areas of Lima. The health ministry reported 10,045 deaths so far, a death toll that is more than triple than the number killed during the cholera epidemic in 1991. Amid global retaliation against China, Japan on Friday has sought to expand its defense intelligence sharing to India, Australia and U.K, as per international news reports. The country reportedly has decided to include these three nations by amending its state secrets law which already covers US. This decision comes amid Japan's ongoing tiff with China over uninhabited Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the Indo-Pacific sea, which has been administered by Japan since 1972. Coronavirus Live Updates: 20,903 new cases in India; ICMR targets August 15 vaccine launch Japan seeks sharing defence intelligence Reports state that by amending the states secret law, it will allow Japan to share data on Chinese troop movements as it gets harder for Japan to track China's activities in the region on its own. Moreover, reports stat that Japan is mulling to share intelligence with U.K., Australia, India and France, with which Japan has signed agreements, thus mandating both sides to keep classified defense information secret. Japan has participated in the India-US-Japan Malabar naval exercise every year since 2015 and . Indian and Japan navies join forces amid China's aggression, conduct joint exercises Japan-China's recent island skirmish On June 22, Ishigaki City Council in Japan's Okinawa approved legislation to change the administrative status of the Senkaku islands by changing its name from "Tonoshiro" to Tonoshiro Senkaku", to reportedly avoid confusion. The islands, 1,200 miles (1,931 kilometers) southwest of Tokyo, have been administered by Japan since 1972, but both nations have claimed the islands as their own for over a hundred years. Since April, Japan has reportedly spotted at least 67 Chinese ships near Senkaku islands, the latest in May. Japan has already deployed its missiles towards its border facing China amid its several maritime incursions. India briefs US, France, Germany, Russia and Japan on LAC standoff with China Japan backs India against China in LAC Earlier in the day, Japanese Ambassador to India Satoshi Suzuki opposed 'any unilateral attempts to change the status quo' after holding talks with Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla about the LAC standoff. Shringla has briefed US, France, Germany, Russia and Japan on the situation at Line of Actual Control with China in Ladakh and India's efforts for a peaceful resolution, over the past week. Apart from participating in naval exercises every year with Japan and US, India is also a part of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad)- which is a informal strategic dialogue between the United States, India, Japan, and Australia. Japan backs India on LAC situation; slams China's 'unilateral attempt against status quo' US, Russia, Japan on LAC Apart from Japan, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has acknowledged India's efforts to maintain peace at the border and has slammed China's 'illegal claims to more territory'. On June 20, referring to the Galwan clashes, he said, "The PLA has escalated border tensions we see it today in India, the worlds most populous democracy". Russia, on the other hand, has ruled any intervention in the current standoff between India and China - maintaining that the two can solve problems on their own. Most global powers have expressed their condolences to India on the 20 soldiers' martyrdom. English broadcaster Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson, has caused a stir online by confirming he is not dead after being surprisingly quiet on Twitter. The Grand Tour host replied to a follower saying what? Sad Im not dead? on Tweet that is no longer available on the social networking site. Clarksons inactivity on the platform was triggering his fans to worry about his wellbeing especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. After being moderately active in April, he posted tweets on a slower pace. However, his followers are now celebrating his swift response as Hes returned, He is the messiah. Read - NASCAR Meets With Minister Pushing For Racial Equality Read - Conor McGregor Reveals He Worked Hard Only To Dress Up In Fine Clothing And Footwear Planning next adventure While Jeremy Clarkson posted updates about watching different movies and liking them on Twitter, he also posted an image with James May and Richard Hammond on Instagram indicating that they are planning the next adventure. Known for his world-famous Top Gear series and the Grand Tour alongside Hammond and May. In the image which has garnered 451k likes, the car show presenters can be seen standing a few metres apart from each other. Many people reacted to the pleasant news including Julia Bradbury who said, Good to see you all social distancing gentsyoure all quite high risk obviously. British Racing Driver Abbie Eaton also said that the image looks ominous while another Instagram user called it the holy trio. Since the last appearance that Clarkson made was in December for the first of a series of specials called The Grand tour Presents: Seamen, one user wrote, Cant wait for the next episode of the grand tour!. The special episode was a feature-length one where all three, Clarkson, Hammond, and May were seen heading off to an adventure across the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia in three different vessels. The journey was nearly 800 kilometres and it had begun at Tonle Sap Lake. However, the episode also disclosed the challenges that the men faced on the way among other unprecedented situations while making their way to Mekong Delta. Read - Bell To Commentate And Race On Same Day In Different States Read - Volvo Cars Recalls Nearly 2.1 Million Cars Worldwide Amid the ongoing political upheaval in Nepal, Chairman of the Nepal Communist Party Pushpa Kamal Dahal who is also popularly known as Prachanda, has opined that the party is in turmoil with an uncertain future due to the internal factions, after Thursday's meet. Dahal's remark comes after the second round of Standing Committee meeting on Thursday after having a separate meeting with President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. READ | Nepal PM Oli Meets President Amid Party Revolt & Calls To Resign; Budget Session Prorogued READ | In A Major Boost To IAF, Defence Ministry Approves Acquisitions Worth Approx. Rs.38900 Cr. "Today's meeting will be a historic one for the Nepal Communist Party. We are holding the meeting here at Prime Minister's residence but he is not present I had made multiple requests with him on the issue but he has been turning out from it," Dahal told the committee. Nepal Communist Party was formed in 2018 from the unification of two leftist parties, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist) and Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre). However, since its formation, there has been an internal rift in the party and now an ordinance has been passed which would help split the party; however, Dahal says wants the party to be united. "I had also asked him not to prorogue the ongoing meeting but they rejected and went ahead with it. It is learned that they are bringing on an Ordinance which helps to split the party, I have made it clear that I am against it," he said. "It would a historic if we succeeded in protecting the party unity," he added. At present, the party has the joint chairmanship of KP Oli and Dahal, but with the ongoing events, there has been a rising discontent among the top party leaders against Prime Minister KP Oli and the leadership has demanded the resignation of the prime minister. READ | 'Pakistan Can't Blame India', Says MEA; Attacks Imran Khan For Calling Bin Laden 'martyr' READ | Malaysia Grounds Pakistan-licensed Pilots After Pak Govt Admits '30% Carry Fake Licences' KP Oli has blamed India for the political turmoil in Nepal, however, Dahal rubbished the blame and said the demand of resignation is due to the failures allegedly on a range of issues including the handling of the pandemic. KP Oli's controversial statements against India besides other things have not gone down well with the party leadership, according to the Himalayan Times. The senior leaders, including co-chair Dahal, Madhav Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam, asked the Prime Minister to step down from the post citing his 'failure' over various issues. The standing committee meeting planned for Thursday was cancelled and has been called for Saturday as the top brass of the party failed to forge consensus on the resignation of Prime Minister Oli. (With ANI inputs) After three months of rigorous lockdown restrictions, Pattaya has once again resumed to welcome visitors to its bars and nightclubs. According to the reports, this new move came after Thailand eased some lockdown restrictions that were imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. As per the reports, the bars and nightclubs will remain open until midnight and visitors are asked to maintain social distancing measures. The businesses have welcomed the move to lift the lockdown restrictions and reopen the bars and clubs but on the other hand, the coronavirus outbreak has slowed down the pace with which the Pattaya bars used to attract and welcome visitors. READ: Thailand To Spend $707 Million To Boost Domestic Tourism Thailand lifts curfew Thailand on June 15 lifted coronavirus curfew allowing schools to reopen and restaurants to serve alcohol after going through a two-months of intense lockdown. The decision to ease restrictions came after the South Asian country recorded no new local coronavirus case in the last 21 days as all new cases have been recorded in Thais who have returned from abroad. Thailand was the first country to record a COVID-19 case outside mainland China and with its curfew and other precautionary measures the country of 70 million has successfully managed to flatten the curve. READ: Thailand Lifts Nationwide Curfew As It Marks 21 Days With No Local Coronavirus Cases Thailands Cabinet earlier approved three projects with a combined budget of more than 22 billion baht ($707 million) to help the countrys reeling tourism industry recover from the coronavirus crisis. The packages are meant to promote domestic travel from July to October. Tourism normally accounts for more than 10% of Thailands GDP. International flight arrivals were stopped in early April, drying up the market for foreign tourists. READ: Thailand's Low-cost Airline NokScoot Shuts Down Amid Losses READ: Thailand: Thais Defy Warnings To Mark Anniversary Of 1932 Revolution Image: Representative/Unsplash Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on July 3 approved the controversial anti-terrorism legislation that critics argue will be used against opponents to suffocate their right to free speech and peaceful criticism. According to reports, Duterte fast-tracked the legislation in both houses of the Philippine Congress during the ongoing coronavirus health emergency in the country. The legislation grants unprecedented powers to the country's armed forces that legal experts say could be used to suppress dissent and infringe upon the privacy of citizens. Read: Philippines Warns China Of 'severest Response' Over Drills The law creates an anti-terrorism council appointed by the president, which can detain and arrest people for 14 days without any warrant. The detention period is also extendable to 24 days. The council can also designate individuals and groups as 'terrorists'. The Presidential communications operations office responding to the criticism said that President Duterte took enough time to read the legislation before signing it into law. The legislation has garnered condemnation from global bodies such as the United Nations, that had called on Duterte to refrain from signing the law. Read: UN Office Denounces Human Rights Violations In Philippines "So I would urge the President to refrain from signing the law and to initiate a broad-based consultation process to draft legislation that can effectively prevent and counter violent extremism but which contains some safeguards to prevent its misuse against people engaged in peaceful criticism and advocacy. My Office is ready to assist in such a review," Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on June 30 during the 44th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council. Read: Philippines Suspends Abrogation Of Defense Pact With US Other side's argument Supporters of the legislation argue that the law would help armed defence personnel control terrorist activity and will enable them to target individuals who indulge in such activities. Experts suggest that the law would help the country control radical Islamic terrorism that has seen an exponential rise in the past decade and was behind the 2017 capture of a southern city which was followed by a series of suicide bombings in the Philippines. Read: Philippines Police Raid Clandestine Hospital While the Taliban continue to attack soldiers and civilians in Afghanistan, the United States plan to withdraw troops from the war-ravaged nation is going according to schedule. According to reports, over the course of the last few weeks, the Afghan Taliban have continued their attacks, signalling their lack of interest in constructive intra-Afghan dialogues for peace and a possible cease-fire. Read: Countering U.S. Allegations, Russia Denies Supplying Weapons To Afghanistans Taliban Afghan govt believes Taliban to be insincere As per reports, the Trump administration signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February wherein they pledged to withdraw troops from war-torn Afghanistan and in exchange, the Taliban would stop sheltering foreign terrorist organisations. The Talibans side of the bargain is reportedly proceeding much less smoothly than the US withdrawal of troops. Reports have indicated that violence by the Taliban has actually gone up, even crossing historically established norms since the signing of the peace deal. The Taliban have continued to target Afghan security forces as well as police convoys and outposts. Read: Taliban Must Live Up To Its Commitments Made In Peace Deal With US: Pompeo According to reports, one of the partners that Taliban routinely works with is the Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), undermining any peace efforts by the Afghan government. Moreover, the intra-Afghan talks that were supposed to start immediately after the signing of the peace deal have been stalled and not made progress. According to the Afghan government, the Taliban have carried out 422 separate attacks in the month of June alone. The government believes that the Taliban are not serious about their commitments and will plan to seize power from the legitimate Afghan state once the United States pulls out the majority of its troops. Read: Trump, Polish Counterpart Duda Discuss Sending US Troops To Poland From Germany Read: NATO Chief Downplays Trump's Statement On Some Of US Troops Withdrawal From Germany (Image Credit AP) Amid the global spike in COVID-19 cases, China has now blamed Brazil for the virus. China's claims are based on a 'new study' which suggests that the virus was active and circulating in the south American country as far back as November last year. The development was tweeted out by Chinese mouthpiece Global Times on Friday. READ: Brazil Military Distribute Face Masks To Largest Amazon Tribe Amid Coronavirus Fear 'Coronavirus was circulating in Brazil' The Chinese mouthpiece shifted the blame on Brazil and stated that the virus was circulating in Brazil's Santa Catarina as far back as November 2019. China further alleges that the local scientists had detected the virus in several samples of human sewage, two months before the first case was officially 'detected' in the Americas. A new study has revealed the novel #coronavirus was circulating in #Brazil's Santa Catalina as far back as November 2019, as local scientists detected the virus in samples of human #sewage. This is two months earlier than the first reported #COVID19 infection in Americas. pic.twitter.com/nYYYaKuHfx Global Times (@globaltimesnews) July 3, 2020 This comes even as China is held as being the source of the Coronavirus, with unofficial estimates claiming that the outbreak may have begun as early as August, though China and the WHO kept downplaying it till at least January 2020. READ: Brazil Education Minister Resigns In Five Days After Controversy Over His Academic Records COVID-19 in Brazil Meanwhile, Brazil which is the second-worst affected countries has recorded over 1.5 million coronavirus cases till date. The virus death toll has crossed the 60,000-mark in Brazil. According to indigenous umbrella organization APIB, coronavirus has also impacted the tribals in the forest saying that over 400 people have died due to the disease so far and nearly 10,000 people have been infected. APIB also added that COVID-19 has infected people across 112 different tribes. READ: Brazil Network Ends Rio Soccer Deal Over New Bolsonaro Rule Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email please call (208) 542-6777 for help. We get it. You don't want to see the ads. We'd just ask you to understand that those ads help us pay the bills and our reporters. Please, consider white-listing the Standard Journal in your ad-blocker or, even better, purchase a subscription so that you can help support quality local journalism. By Ma Yichong KHARTOUM, July 3 -- China's 3rd Medium Utility Helicopter Unit (CMUHU03) to Darfur, Sudan successfully completed a test flight mission in the field after replacing some helicopter parts on July 1. On that day, the peacekeepers worked continuously for 7 hours at a high temperature of 45 to complete the replacement of two pairs of blades and one auxiliary engine of a helicopter. Officials from the aviation department under the United Nations and the African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) attended the event and spoke highly of the professional skills and dedication of the Chinese peacekeepers. Lu Bo, deputy commander of the CMUHU03, said that the unit will stay committed to the peacekeeping mission while taking the prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic into considerations, so as to contribute more of China's strength to promoting the peace process in Darfur. Since the deployment of the CMUHU03 to Darfur in August 2019, it has successfully accomplished multiple urgent and challenging missions, such as reconnaissance of unfamiliar areas, transportation of VIPs, emergency transport of wounded personnel, etc. Altogether, it has transported more than 1,000 passengers and over 30 tons of materials, thus acclaimed as "an indispensable aviation force" by the UNAMID. He is 6-foot, 165 pounds and has brown hair, blue eyes and a beard. Akers was last seen wearing blue hospital scrubs and no shoes. The ruling Chinese Communist Party on appointed a former mayor who cracked down on the rebel village of Wukan to head its national security office in Hong Kong. China's cabinet, the State Council appointed Zheng Yanxiong, former mayor and Communist Party secretary of Guangdong's Shanwei city at the time of the Wukan protests, head of its Hong Kong-based national security office. Luo Huining, who heads Beijing's Central Liaison Office in Hong Kong, was also made National Security Adviser to the committee set up to oversee the implementation of a security law banning subversive and secessionist words and deeds, as well as collusion with overseas forces and acts deemed to be terrorism. Under new powers given to her under the new law, Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam has also picked six judges to hear cases under the new law, a move that drew an unprecedented comment from Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma, who said judges should only be appointed on the basis of judicial and professional qualities, and not politics. The office in charge of implementing the law won't be subject to Hong Kong law, but to that of mainland China, and will be able to handle certain cases directly if it sees fit. Suspects in such cases could also be extradited to face trial in a mainland Chinese court. The Hong Kong government confirmed on that speech will also come within the remit of the law, including protest slogans from the pro-democracy movement that began as protests against extradition to mainland China, and which has rocked the city for the past year. The announcement came after police said they had made 10 arrests under the new law after thousands came out onto the city's streets as the law took effect on , the anniversary of the 1997 handover to Chinese rule. Hong Kong current affairs commentator Liu Ruishao said Luo's "advisor" role would be far more than that in practice. "His powers include the authority to give advice, which, in the political context of the Chinese Communist Party, means issuing instructions and orders that must be heeded," Liu told RFA. "He is [effectively] playing the role of Communist Party secretary [to the Hong Kong government], so we can see now that there is no more separation between the two systems," he said. 'Mainland-style governance' Bruce Lui, senior journalism lecturer at Hong Kong's Baptist University, said those sent to impose the will of the ruling Chinese Communist Party were all known for their toughness. "I don't think there will be any tolerance of street protest, and the room allowed for freedom of expression has shrunk a good deal now," Lui said. "This is mainland-style governance, the natural consequences of which will be brainwashing and crackdowns," he said. While serving as party secretary of Shanwei in 2011, Zheng styled the Wukan protests, which were sparked by rampant official corruption and loss of farmland, as being whipped up by Hong Kong media and "foreign forces." He became known for saying: "The day you can trust the foreign press, pigs will climb trees." Zheng also served as vice minister of the Guangdong provincial propaganda department in 2013, a few months after a rare public protest over press freedom in support of a strike by journalists at the Southern Media Group. Li Jiangzhou, who will be deputy director of the Hong Kong national security office, has a background in internal affairs and already serves as Beijing's liaison to the Hong Kong Police Force. A woman stands next to layers of notes on a Lennon Wall with messages of support for the pro-democracy protests outside a restaurant in Hong Kong, July 3, 2020, Credit: AFP 23-year-old charged with terrorism and secession Little is known about fellow deputy director Qingye beyond media rumors that they come from a national security background. The official Global Times newspaper said it was unable even to confirm 's gender. Veteran Hong Kong policewoman Edwina Lau will head the force's own national security department, which will be tasked with bringing cases under the law that aren't directly handled by Beijing. Hong Kong police on charged a 23-year-old man with terrorism and secession, the first prosecution under the national security law for Hong Kong. Tong Ying-kit was accused of crashing a motorcycle into a group of police officers in Wanchai during protests on , although social media footage at the time appeared to show a rider grabbed by around a dozen officers, who dragged him from the bike. Tong is accused of carrying a flag bearing the words: "Free Hong Kong. Revolution Now!" a slogan the government said is banned under the new law. He is charged with inciting others to organize, plan, commit, or participate in acts "with a view to committing secession or undermining national unification," or separating Hong Kong from China, or "altering by unlawful means the legal status" of Hong Kong. He also faces a charge of "engaging in terrorist activities." Former Hong Kong politician and youth leader Nathan Law, who was among six pro-democracy lawmakers stripped of their seats in Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) following a decree from Beijing about the validity of their oaths of allegiance, said via Twitter that he has already left Hong Kong. "So I bade my city farewell," Law wrote from an undisclosed location. "As the plane took off the runway, I gazed down at the skyline I love so much for one last time. Should I have the fortune to ever return, I hope to still remain as I am: the same young man with these same beliefs. Glory to Hong Kong." Law said he left because several provisions in the new security law targeted activities he had been carrying out "for years," and he wants to continue to lobby for Hong Kong on the international stage. "As a global-facing activist, the choices I have are stark: to stay silent from now on, or to keep engaging in private diplomacy so I can warn the world of the threat of Chinese authoritarian expansion," he said. "The crowds show once again that the fire of Hong Kongers' determination will not be easily extinguished," Law wrote. "We must sustain our resistance on all fronts." Reported by Lau Siu-fung and Tseng Yat-yiu for RFA's Cantonese and Mandarin Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. A top official in Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has warned the island's 23 million residents to think carefully before traveling to Hong Kong or China in the wake of Hong Kong's draconian national security law, which targets acts or speech seen as subversive by China anywhere in the world, as the U.S. upgrades its military commitment to the island's defense. DPP deputy leader Lin Fei-fan, himself a former leader of the 2014 student-led Sunflower movement that occupied Taiwan's parliament in protest at a trade deal with China, said the law doesn't just make life riskier for Hongkongers. "I hope Taiwanese people traveling to Hong Kong will be mindful of their safety, because this is a law that affects not only Hong Kongers, but people in Taiwan and in countries around the world," Lin told a party meeting. The national security law, which took effect in Hong Kong on , criminalizes speech and actions deemed subversive or secessionist, as well as actions, speech and help for people "colluding with foreign countries" or planning and committing acts of "terror." Its definitions are broad and are already being used to target people carrying protest banners, as well as actions that may be disruptive or destructive in nature, but which might be regarded as offenses against property or public order in other non-authoritarian jurisdictions. There are provisions to ensure that the "wrong" opinions are no longer heard in the city's education system, nor in its once freewheeling media. The law applies to anyone in the world, and to acts and speech that take place anywhere in the world, if they are deemed injurious to China or Hong Kong's status as part of China. Critics of China at 'high risk' There are fears it could be used to prosecute anyone who has spoken in support of Taiwan independence, which is a mainstream political opinion on the democratic island, which has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, nor formed part of the 70-year-old People's Republic of China. Lin's warning echoed earlier comments by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng on : "If our people have been critical of the Chinese Communist Party, or have shown support for the anti-extradition movement [in Hong Kong], then they are at high risk." "We recommend that people avoid travel to Hong Kong, Macau or mainland China unless absolutely necessary," Chiu said. As thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong in defiance of a protest ban on , Taiwan said its Taiwan-Hong Kong Services and Exchanges Office was now open for business to help Hongkongers fleeing the city to study, work, invest or take up residence in Taiwan. Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen said she expected the law to "fundamentally affect" the rule of law and human rights in Hong Kong, and said her party would continue to assist Hongkongers. Taiwan announced on it would set up a representative office in the U.S. territory Guam, to reflect a closer alliance with the U.S. in the face of growing Chinese aggression in and around its territory. The island's ministry of foreign affairs said it had taken the decision to reflect the growing partnership between Taiwan and the U.S. and the strategic importance of the Pacific region to Taiwan. It had earlier been shut down due to budget cuts. "Re-establishing TECO in Guam will facilitate economic and trade cooperation and exchanges between Taiwan and the greater Western Pacific region, deepen Taiwan's relations with its Pacific allies, and increase multilateral exchanges," the ministry said in a press release. Taiwan Defense Act The announcement came after U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher introduced the House version of the Taiwan Defense Act (TDA) on , to ensure the U.S. continues to meet its obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) in the face of the Chinese Communist Party's aggressive military build-up, according to an official news release. The TRA was passed in 1979 after the U.S. cut ties with the 1911 Republic of China on Taiwan to build ties with China, which insists that its diplomatic partners not recognize Taipei. The law commits Washington to providing sufficient defense weapons and services to Taiwan to enable it to defend itself. "[On ], we saw the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) end one country, two systems. No longer can anyone harbor the illusion that the CCP would unify peacefully with Taiwan," Gallagher said in a statement, in a reference to the national security law for Hong Kong. "Taiwan's liberty is a vital national security interest of the United States, and the Taiwan Defense Act helps ensure our military has the capabilities it needs to block CCP aggression," Gallagher said. The bill is an attempt to prevent Beijing from annexing Taiwan before the U.S. can mount a military response. Chinese President Xi Jinping has refused to rule out such a course of action, and says "unification" with Taiwan is an inevitability. Gallagher's introduction of the bill came as China launched a five-day naval exercise near the contested Paracel Islands in the South China Sea to test its ability to seize islands. Chinese military aircraft and ships have also passed close to Taiwan's airspace and waters on numerous occasions since Tsai took office in 2016. Reported by Chung Kuang-cheng for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Hwang Chun-mei for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. The USS Gabrielle Giffords (top) conducts operations near the Chinese vessel Hai Yang Di Zhi 4 Hao I (below) in the South China Sea, July 1, 2020. An American Navy combat ship this week conducted routine operations near a Chinese geological survey ship in the South China Sea, U.S. officials said, after the Chinese vessel in June entered an area where Vietnam has shown interest in exploring for oil. The maneuvers in waters around the Spratly Islands echoed events off the north coast of Malaysian Borneo in April, when a Chinese survey vessel and a fleet of China Coast Guard (CCG) ships shadowed Malaysian oil exploration efforts, in an apparent bid to deter the smaller nation from exploiting resources in the disputed waters. That incident prompted the U.S. Navy to send littoral combat ships near the site of the survey on three occasions. The U.S. Seventh Fleet on Thursday tweeted that the USS Gabrielle Giffords was performing routine ops in the South China Sea, and published a photo showing the littoral combat ship near a Chinese ship, which the post identified as the Hai Yang Di Zhi 4 Hao. In another photo released by the navy, a ship that appears to belong to the Vietnamese coast guard is visible along with the Giffords and the Hai Yang 4. In mid-June, the survey ship sailed into waters in Vietnams exclusive economic zone (EEZ), in an apparent bid to pressure Hanoi out of exploring for oil with international partners in certain oil blocks off the countrys southeastern coast. The ship left on June 20, but vessel tracking software used by RFA and its affiliate BenarNews shows that the Hai Yang 4 was roughly 205 nautical miles (330 km) from Vietnams coast on Tuesday the last day it was transmitting its location. China is known for sending survey ships into disputed waters or other claimants exclusive economic zones to pressure those countries out of resource exploration. From April 15 to May 15, China sent the Hai Yang 8 a sister ship to the Hai Yang 4 into Malaysias EEZ, along with an escort fleet of Chinese coast-guard ships. The Hai Yang 8 performed a survey well-within Malaysian waters, and right near a Malaysian-contracted drillship called the West Capella, which was exploring for oil there. That incident led to the U.S. Navy deploying combat ships near the area at least three times. The Chinese Communist Party must end its pattern of bullying Southeast Asians out of offshore oil, gas, and fisheries. Millions of people in the region depend on those resources for their livelihood, said Adm. John Aquilino in a press release on one such occasion. The West Capella suspended its operations early on May 12, and the Hai Yang 8 left shortly after. China maintains that any resource exploration in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely, must be done with Chinese partners instead of international companies. Beijing has also taken this position during negotiations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to create a Code of Conduct for governing behavior in the seas disputed waters. On June 13, Spanish company Repsol ceded its stakes in three Vietnamese oil blocks to the state-run oil company, PetroVietnam, citing its inability to work under conditions of a territorial conflict, according to Archyde, a Spanish oil and gas blog. Repsol halted work in those blocks in 2018 due to Chinese pressure. Two days earlier, Vietnamese state media announced that U.S. company ExxonMobil would invest in Vietnams energy sector, after a phone call between Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and ExxonMobil senior executive Irtiza Sayyed. Daniel Kritenbrink, the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam reportedly told VnExpress on June 23 that the U.S. would support commercial energy projects between U.S. companies and Vietnam. Additional reporting and editing by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. The global death toll from the coronavirus is almost 522,000, with more than 10.9 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness. Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions. Serbia Serbia has declared a state of emergency in the capital, Belgrade, and is reimposing a series of restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus after a spike in infections. The government on July 3 said it was making the wearing of masks compulsory in indoor public spaces or on public transport, and shortened the opening hours of clubs and cafes -- which will now be closed between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. -- while limiting gatherings to 100 people indoors or 500 outdoors. Those not wearing masks in closed spaces face hefty fines. President Aleksandar Vucic announced the measures on television overnight. The state of emergency comes into effect immediately, City Hall said in a statement on July 3, adding that the rules will be reviewed in two weeks. Serbia reported 359 new cases for July 2, 80 percent of which were in Belgrade and its surroundings, which is home to about one-third of the country's 7 million inhabitants. In Belgrade, an outbreak traced back to student dormitories prompted Vucic to closed the facilities, a move that brought angry students into the streets on July 3 to protest the measure. The Ministry of Education later rescinded the measure, saying all students with exam deadlines will be allowed to stay in their dormitories until July 20, as originally planned. Meanwhile, local authorities in central and western Serbia have already declared emergencies in several other municipalities where a rise in infections since May has been recorded. The increase came as a strict countrywide lockdown imposed in March was lifted. Critics have accused Vucic of causing the spike because he eased restrictions to allow for parliamentary elections on June 21, where he was looking for his populist government to tighten its grip on power. Last week, several high-ranking officials from the ruling coalition, including the outgoing parliament speaker and the defense minister, tested positive for the virus after attending events late last month celebrating their election victory. In total, Serbia has confirmed 15,195 coronavirus cases with 287 deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, Reuters, and AP MOSCOW -- The day President Vladimir Putin declared victory in a vote on constitutional changes that pave the way for him to rule Russia until 2036, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a "triumphal referendum on confidence" in the former KGB officer, who has already spent over two decades in power. Official results of the weeklong vote that ended July 1 showed that 77.92 percent of Russian voters endorsed the constitutional changes, with only 21.26 against. Turnout was 68 percent, the Central Election Commission said. "Such a high turnout and such a high level of support was very difficult to predict," Peskov said in a statement to reporters. Other officials quickly chimed in. "A plebiscite on trust in Putin ended with victory for the head of state," State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin was quoted as saying in the lower house of parliament's official newspaper. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin lauded "a plebiscite on the consolidation of society around the Russian president." Kremlin critics were struck by the retroactive portrayal of the vote as a plebiscite on support for Putin. His name was almost completely absent from promotional material and TV reports urging Russians to vote on a package of over 200 constitutional amendments -- despite the fact that a clause allowing Putin to reset term limits was among the most consequential of them. They also alleged that the high turnout and support reflected in official results were engineered to conform with targets set down well in advance by Putin's aides. "The updated 'results' are fake and a huge lie," said opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, who had called on his supporters to boycott the vote. "They have nothing in common with the opinion of Russia's citizens." Claims of fraud quickly began mounting. The most damning came from Sergei Shpilkin, a prominent electoral researcher who uses data from Russia's Central Election Commission during voting cycles to plot tallies reported at polling stations throughout the country and detect evidence of inflated turnout. During the presidential election of 2018, which Putin won handily, Shpilkin saw that the data showed numerous polling stations reporting turnout percentages ending in 0 or 5, suggesting, per his widely cited analysis, that almost 10 million votes were falsified at the ballot box. This time, Shpilkin said, that figure was an "unprecedented" 22.4 million. Adding to the murky picture, exit polls conducted by anti-government activists in Moscow and St. Petersburg showed that a small majority in the two cities -- both strongholds of the embattled opposition -- had voted against the proposed changes. But the activists could only record the views of voters who agreed to be interviewed, meaning they had few means of gauging the actual scale of ballot manipulation. The plebiscite was marred by inconsistencies from the start, not least because few official rules governed its execution. From the first day of voting, Russians could cast ballots in car trunks, parked buses and on tree stumps, as evidenced by various images posted to social media from across the country. By the afternoon of July 1, the election commission was already reporting preliminary results, apparently in violation of laws that usually apply to national votes. A Russian woman living in Israel reported that she'd been able to vote three times -- in Tel Aviv, in Haifa, and again online. At one Moscow polling station, a man was told that he and two of his children had already cast their votes -- despite insisting none of them had. A supervisor then seized the voter record, snapped it shut, and told the man, "Prove it!" Daily raffles offered prizes to all who cast their ballot. Posters with "YES" written across them hung in the basements of apartment blocks in major cities. And at least one journalist who tried to document events inside a polling station was violently apprehended by police. There was also plenty of evidence suggesting the vote had been a mere formality. At least two weeks before voting even began, bookshops across Moscow were selling copies of the Russian Constitution with the new amendments included. In a statement on July 2, the day after voting ended, election monitor Golos issued a scathing assessment of the vote, saying that much of the balloting had been falsified -- and results partly determined in advance. "The actual voting process had no significant meaning," the organization said. "An expression of the people's will was impossible from the start, because of the rules that were consciously put in place by the organizers." Calling the vote "unprecedented" in terms of the scale of fraud and manipulation, the organization concluded that it will "go down in the country's history as an attack on the people's sovereignty." YAKUTSK, Russia -- The Supreme Court of the Siberian region of Yakutia has excluded independent experts from taking part in evaluation of the mental health of a local shaman, who gained notoriety for claiming to have a plan to remove Russian President Vladimir Putin from power. Olga Timofeyeva, a lawyer for Aleksandr Gabyshev, told RFE/RL that the court's July 3 ruling annulled its own decision made just the day before to allow independent psychiatrists to evaluate her client. Timofeyeva said that the court also rejected a motion from Gabyshev's lawyers to release him from the clinic where he was forcibly placed in May. "We are getting ready to appeal the ruling, because it does not make sense. The psychiatric clinic's medical personnel will check their own decision, according to which, Gabyshev needs psychiatric treatment in the facility," Timofeyeva said, adding that the ruling violates the principle of independent examination of her client. After Gabyshev was forcibly placed in a psychiatric clinic against his will on May 12, his lawyers filed a complaint with the European Court for Human Rights, challenging the move, which they said was illegal. Gabyshev was briefly released on May 29, a day after Timofeyeva filed a complaint with the Yakutsk city court, questioning the legality of the forced placement in the clinic. But a court in Yakutsk subsequently ruled on June 2 that Gabyshev must be confined in a psychiatric clinic. Several local and federal politicians and officials have challenged Gabyshev's forced stay in the clinic in Yakutsk, Yakutia's capital, equating it with a Soviet-era practice to muzzle dissent. Amnesty International said Gabyshev "has been made an enemy of the state solely for voicing his dislike of Putin." "By co-opting first the police and now the psychiatric system to do their bidding, the Russian authorities have revealed the astonishing lengths they will go to repress critics," the London-based human-rights watchdog said. In early May, Gabyshev posted a video on YouTube that showed him performing a traditional Yakut shaman's dance while chanting, "Very soon you all will break free." Gabyshev first made headlines last year when he called Putin "evil" and announced a march to Moscow to drive the Russian president out of the Kremlin. He set off for Moscow in March 2019 and walked more than 2,000 kilometers, speaking with hundreds of Russians along the way. As his notoriety rose, videos of his conversations with people were posted on social media and attracted millions of views. In July, when Gabyshev reached the city of Chita, he led a 700-strong rally under the slogan "Russia without Putin!" At the time, Gabyshev said, "God told me that Putin is not human but a demon, and has ordered me to drive him out." His march was halted when he was detained in the region of Buryatia in September. He was transferred to Yakutia, where he was confined to a psychiatric clinic. Gabyshev was released in October, after independent experts hired by his lawyers challenged the local psychiatrists' diagnosis of mental instability, concluding that Gabyshev is sane, does not need treatment in a psychiatric clinic, and is not a danger to society. In December, Gabyshev and two supporters attempted to resume the march toward Moscow, ignoring Yakutia's sub-zero temperatures. But they were stopped again by police and forced to return. Shamans have served as healers and diviners in Siberia for centuries. During the Soviet era, the mystics were harshly repressed. But in isolated parts of Siberia, they are now regaining prominence. India has green-lighted the purchase of 33 Russian fighter jets and upgrades to 59 others worth $2.4 billion at a time of rising border tensions with China. The Defense Ministry on July 2 announced the purchase from Russia of 21 MiG-29s as well as upgrades to 59 existing MiG-29 aircraft. The government also approved the procurement of 12 Russian Su-30 MKI aircraft to be built under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The purchase, along with indigenously produced missile systems in line with the governments "Make in India" initiative, were made "to strengthen the armed forces for the defense of our borders," the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The announcement followed a telephone conversation between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Among other things, Modi congratulated Putin for the "successful completion" of a national vote on constitutional amendments that could allow the Russian leader to rule until 2036. The two leaders also discussed plans for a bilateral summit later this year in India. New Delhi and Moscow were partners during the Cold War and much of India's military hardware is of Russian origin. In 2019, India was the third-largest military spender in the world at $71.1 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Modi has sought to boost the domestic defense industry by focusing on indigenous design, production, and development, as well as technology transfer agreements with other countries. Most of India's arms imports still come from Russia. The United States and Israel are also major providers of high-tech military hardware. Indias military buildup comes as its relationship with China has worsened in recent weeks following a clash on June 15 along a disputed stretch of border in the Himalayas in which India lost 20 soldiers. With reporting by AFP and Reuters Fire broke out at an Iranian power station and chlorine gas leaked at a petrochemical plant on July 4, two new incidents in a string of fires and explosions in recent weeks at Iranian facilities. The blaze affected a transformer in the power station in the southwestern city of Ahvaz and was put out by firefighters, said Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, a spokesman for the state-run power company Tavanir, according to the semiofficial news agency Tasnim. There were partial power outages, but Mashhadi said electricity had been restored. The chlorine gas leak occurred at a unit of the Karoon petrochemicals plant near the port of Bandar Imam Khomeini about 60 kilometers south of Ahvaz, the semiofficial ILNA news agency said. The plant's spokesman, Massud Shabanlou, told ILNA 70 people were treated for chlorine inhalation and all but two had been released from hospital. The incidents come two days after fire broke out at the Natanz nuclear facility and less than a week after 19 people were killed in an explosion at a medical clinic in the north of the capital Tehran, which an official said was caused by a gas leak. It also follows an explosion on June 25 at a gas-storage facility near the Parchin military base east of Tehran. The fire at the Natanz uranium-enrichment plant fueled speculation of a possible act of sabotage as Iranian officials struggled to explain what happened. Iran's top security body said on July 3 the cause of the Natanz incident had been determined, but it declined to release details, citing security reasons. A spokesperson from Irans Supreme National Security Council said on July 3 that investigators determined the cause of the incident after examining different hypotheses. "Due to some security considerations, the cause and manner of this incident will be announced at a proper time," Keyvan Khosravi said, according to state-run Press TV. Iran's Atomic Energy Organization on July 2 described the damaged building as an industrial shed" under construction above ground at Natanz. The affected building was not part of the underground enrichment facility itself, which is protected against air strikes by 7.6 meters of concrete. U.S. experts at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at Middlebury Institute of International Studies used satellite footage to determine the damaged building was a new centrifuge assembly workshop. Centrifuges are used to produce enriched uranium, which can be used for nuclear fuel at lower levels but also to produce nuclear weapons-grade uranium. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been visiting Natanz to monitor uranium-enrichment activities since Tehran and world powers signed a nuclear agreement in 2015. The UN nuclear watchdog said it has been informed about a fire at Natanz and that there was no nuclear or radioactive material in the damaged building. It said Natanz is under IAEA safeguards, including verification and monitoring. U.S. Sanctions The United States withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018, prompting Tehran to progressively break restrictions laid down in the accord. Under the deal, Iran is allowed to have just over 5,000 of the oldest and least efficient centrifuges at Natanz. But in response to U.S. sanctions, Iran in November 2019 said it had installed new cascades of advanced centrifuges at Natanz and restarted injecting gas into centrifuges at the underground Fordo facility in violation of the nuclear deal. The IAEA says Iran enriches uranium to about 4.5 percent purity -- above the 3.67 percent allowed under the terms of the nuclear deal but far below weapons-grade levels of 90 percent. Mystery surrounding the incident has been heightened by an online video claiming responsibility for the damage to the building at Natanz from a previously unknown group calling itself Cheetahs of the Homeland. Hours before the attack, the group sent a video to BBC Persian journalists which said they were a group of soldiers from the heart of the regimes security organizations who want to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. While Iranian officials have sought to downplay the fire, they also appear to be open to the possibility of sabotage backed by foreign powers. Reuters cited three unidentified Iranian officials as saying they believed the fire was the result of a cyberattack, without citing any evidence. State news agency IRNA published an editorial on July 2 addressing what it called the possibility of sabotage by "hostile countries," especially Israel and the United States. Natanz was the target of the Stuxnet computer virus in 2010 that is widely believed to have been engineered by the U.S. and Israel to sabotage Irans nuclear program. The incident at Natanz comes a week after the Iranian Defense Ministry said there was an explosion at a gas-storage facility near the Parchin military base east of Tehran. Parchin is suspected of having hosted conventional explosion tests with nuclear applications more than a decade ago, which the Islamic republic denies. Iranian lawmaker Yaghoub Rezazadeh said on July 4 that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the head of Irans Atomic Energy Agency Ali Akbar Salehi have been summoned to the parliament on July 5 to brief members on recent incidents at Natanz and Parchin. He said if intelligence services establish that sabotage caused the incidents, then necessary decisions will be made. Rezazadeh was also quoted by the official government news agency IRNA as saying that a team comprising members of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission will visit the Natanz plant without giving any further details. The U.S.-based private intelligence firm Stratfor said either incident could "have been the result of a domestic group acting with or without foreign support, or the result of a U.S. or Israeli cyberattack. If there is a campaign by the United States, Israel and/or local groups in Iran under way, then Iran is likely to eventually respond in kind, potentially against Western targets in the Persian Gulf, Stratfor warned. With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, Press TV, and dpa MOSCOW -- A member of a district election commission in Moscow says the chairwoman of the district worked when Russians voted for constitutional amendments even though she had tested positive for the coronavirus. The unidentified commission member for Moscow's Severnoye Tushino district told the Dozhd television channel on July 2 that when the positive test results came in on July 1, the voting station was not closed and continued working for the whole day. According to the person, all members of the election commission went through coronavirus tests on June 27-28, although the preliminary voting kicked off on June 25. On July 1, the commission's chairwoman received her test results, which were positive, but she worked until the voting station was closed and was in contact with other members of the commission and voters. According to the final protocol, 1,310 people voted at the station, of which more than 300 did so on July 1. It is not clear how many of them voted remotely. Russia's opposition and many health experts have warned that it was dangerous to hold the vote as the country continues to deal with the pandemic. Hundreds of election commission officials across Russia refused to work during the voting, fearing for their safety and that of voters. The leader of the Physicians' Alliance movement in Russia, Anastasia Vasilyeva, told Current Time on July 2 that holding the vote amid the outbreak had added to the increase of the spread of the virus across the country. She pointed out that medical personnel who worked with coronavirus patients had been forced to vote as well, which is against health and sanitary recommendations. The amendments, which were approved by more than three-quarters of those who voted, number more than 200. The most notable change is a reset of Russian President Vladimir Putin's term count, opening an avenue for him to run for two more terms, which could mean Putin, who has ruled the country as president or prime minister since 1999, remains in power until 2036. The latest official data in Russia show that 667,883 coronavirus cases have been registered in the country, including 9,859 deaths. PSKOV, Russia -- The prosecutor in the western Russian city of Pskov has asked a court to sentence journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva to six years in prison for "justifying terrorism" in a commentary she wrote that linked a suicide bombing with the country's political climate. The prosecutor also asked the Second Western District Military Court on July 3 to bar Prokopyeva from journalistic activities for four years. The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to seven years in prison. Prokopyeva, a freelance contributor to RFE/RL's Russian Service, has maintained her innocence throughout the trial and described the case as an attempt to "assassinate freedom of speech" in Russia. "I am not afraid to criticize the government," Prokopyeva said in her final statement to the court. "I am not afraid to criticize law enforcement or tell the security organs that they are wrong. Because I know how really horrific it will become if I dont speak out -- if no one speaks out." She asked the court to take into consideration "the most basic principles that our society is built upon" when deciding her fate. "I mean freedom of speech, the status of a journalist, and the mission of the press," she concluded. "I did my work. I did not do anything that was beyond the framework of my professional duty. And that is not a crime." Later in the day, police detained picketers who had gathered outside the Moscow headquarters of the Federal Security Service (FSB) in support of Prokopyeva. Journalist Ilya Azar wrote on the Telegram messaging service that he was in a police van with 15 others detained at the protest, most of them journalists. Prokopyeva was charged in connection with a commentary she wrote in November 2018, published by the Pskov affiliate of Ekho Moskvy radio. In the text, she discussed a bombing outside the Federal Security Service (FSB) offices in the northern city of Arkhangelsk. Russian media have reported that the suspected bomber, who died in the explosion, had posted statements on social media accusing the FSB of tampering with criminal cases. 'Yet Another Chilling Method' In her commentary, Prokopyeva linked the teenager's statements to the political climate under President Vladimir Putin. She suggested that political activism in the country was severely restricted, leading people to despair. "We are dismayed that Russia would choose to move so ruthlessly against a highly recognized independent journalist who was doing the opposite of what prosecutors allege," RFE/RL acting President Daisy Sindelar said in a statement on July 3. "Svetlanas commentary was an effort to explain a tragedy; the portrayal of her words as 'justifying terrorism' is a deliberate and politically motivated distortion aimed at silencing her critical voice, and recalls the worst show trials of one of Russia's darkest periods," she added. In a July 3 statement, European Union spokesman Peter Stano called for the case against Prokopyeva to be dropped, saying it was an indication of "the ever-shrinking space for independent journalists and civil society" in Russia. We expect the Russian Federation to uphold its international and domestic obligations and to guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms and ensure that journalists are able to work in a safe environment without fear of reprisal, he said. Human Rights Watch called Prokopyeva's prosecution a violation of freedom of expression, "but not just hers." "It sends yet another chilling message that in Russia, raising uncomfortable questions can have severe repercussions -- a lesson the authorities have been giving the media for years," the New York-based rights group said. The case has also drawn criticism from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and media-rights groups like Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the European Federation of Journalists. The Clooney Foundation for Justice, a human rights watchdog founded by Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife, Lebanese-British lawyer Amal Clooney, said last month that it will be monitoring Prokopyeva's trial for its legality. Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE) is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Lake Resources demonstrates production of clean lithium chloride at a larger scale Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE) (OTCMKTS:LLKKF) has demonstrated the production of lithium chloride at a larger scale from the newly upgraded facility of technology partner Lilac Solutions in California. The samples produced from Lake's Kachi Lithium Brine Project in Argentina have shown high lithium concentrations from Lilac's direct lithium extraction pilot plant module as previously demonstrated at lab scale. Producing responsibly sourced lithium This represents another key step from the clean lithium developer's strategy to deliver high purity, responsibly sourced 'clean' lithium with the pilot plant samples produced to be analysed by external laboratories next week. Lake's managing director Steve Promnitz said: "Production of larger size lithium chloride samples has now been demonstrated at a much larger scale with similar results to the initial, smaller samples reported. "The next step is producing lithium carbonate samples that can meet product quality requirements of large off-takers. "We eagerly await the release of these first samples and ramping up our negotiations with potential off-takers." Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for "nonaggressive" public monitoring of what he described as efforts to promote "nontraditional lifestyles." "If there is reason to assume that something is propaganda of values not traditional for us, then public organizations that share the official stance of Russias authoritiesshould build up public control accordingly, but not aggressively," Putin said during a July 3 videoconference with a "working group" he had set up to draft amendments to the constitution. One of the more than 200 amendments that Putin signed into law the same day defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman to enshrine the country's ban on same-sex marriage in the constitution. In 2013, Russia adopted a law outlawing gay propaganda to minors, which bans any content that presents "distorted ideas about the equal social value of traditional and nontraditional sexual relations." During the conference, the head of the Womens Union of Russia drew Putin's attention to an ice cream with the brand-name Rainbow, which uses multicolored advertising vaguely reminiscent of the LGBT Pride rainbow flag. "Even indirectly, such things make our children accustomed to thatflag," Yekaterina Lakhova said. "It would be very good to have a commission to make sure that those values that we enshrined in our constitution were upheld." In an interview with Ekho Moskvy, the vice president of Chistaya Liniya, the company that produces Rainbow ice cream, rejected any association between the product and the LGBT banner. "It is a delightfully delicious and high-quality ice cream with various colors based on natural dyes," Armen Beniaminov said, adding: "For us, the rainbow represents the sunshine after rain, the most beautiful natural phenomenon. We dont see any comparison with the LGBT movement or its symbols." At the same July 3 meeting, Putin also mocked the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for flying a rainbow flag to mark LGBT Pride Month, saying the move "revealed something about the people that work there." "Yes," the president said. We pass a law banning the propaganda of homosexuality among minors. So what? Let people grow up, become adults, and then decide their own destinies. Human rights activists say that homophobic hate crimes have increased in Russia since the 2013 law was passed. Last year, prominent LGBT activist Yelena Grigoryeva was killed in St. Petersburg after appearing on a hit list published by the homophobic group Saw Against LGBT. With reporting by RIA Novosti, Ekho Moskvy, and Interfax Journalist David Frenkel was surfing social media on June 30, looking for reports of suspicious activity surrounding the ongoing voting in a national plebiscite on Kremlin-backed constitutional amendments that, among other things, would enable President Vladimir Putin to seek two more terms and possibly remain in the Kremlin until 2036. "I saw a report about the voting station at Fontanka 22," he told RFE/RL, referring to an address in the center of St. Petersburg. "They were purportedly trying to remove a member of the polling-station commission, which according to the law can only be done with a court order. Since this was a serious violation, I naturally went there to find out what was happening." About half an hour later, Frenkel, who reports for the independent MediaZona website, was lying on the polling-station floor, writhing in agony. Video posted on social media showed how a police officer attempted forcibly to remove him, audibly breaking a bone in the process. Frenkel spoke with RFE/RLs Russian Service and Current Time -- the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA -- from his hospital room where he is recovering from surgery to repair a broken right clavicle. "Most likely they will release me in a week," he said. "The bone has been fixed. I have a broken clavicle, if Im not mistaken, and they have put a pin into it. It will grow back together. They arent putting me into a cast. The bone should be completely healed in about eight weeks. It is hard to say now, though, how long it will take until I have full use of my arm. "In the video, you can see perfectly how the police officer grabs me by the arm," Frenkel said. "He twists it around my back and begins to push me. He pushes me in the direction of the wall and I fall down. After I fell, he hit me with his fist or something else in the arm. It snaps and I scream out in pain." St. Petersburg police and the Investigative Committee have both said they are investigating the incident at polling station No. 2191. Police have said that Frenkel was being removed for an unspecified "administrative violation." I didn't expect that I would go to a polling station and have my arm broken. But in my experience, anything can happen to an independent journalist or an independent election monitor." On July 1, MediaZona published Frenkels own video of the encounter, in which he can be heard calmly but insistently asking the police officer to identify himself and to explain why he was being removed. The badge number of the police officer is clear in the video and he has been identified as Police Sergeant Denis Dmitriyev. In another Mediazona clip from June 30, Dmitriyev is shown without his badge. He tells a journalist he "lost it in the struggle" and refuses to identify himself. Immediately after Frenkel's collarbone was broken, a man in a blue shirt approached him and grabbed his injured arm, calling him a "faker." The man was identified as former city lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party Dmitry Abramov. Abramov later told MediaZona that Frenkel "broke his arm himself by striking it against the door handle." "After I had fallen and I had shouted for someone to call an ambulance, I was on the floor holding my broken arm when he walked up to me and said that I was an 'artist' and a 'faker' or something like that," Frenkel said. "Then he pulled me by the broken arm. It really hurt and again I heard it snap. I was out of my mind with pain and he simply laughed and walked away." Frenkel says he does not know what was going on at the polling station. "We had indications for several days from this polling station that something unusual was going on," Frenkel told RFE/RL. "Either someone was being removed or not being allowed in. It was clear that there was some unhealthy, aggressive atmosphere there. There were some suspicious, beefy young men who were apparently there to, as they say, maintain order and make sure that no independent members of the polling-station commission didn't hinder the falsification. "It is hard to say what was going on," he added. "They clearly had something to hide." Frenkel said his lawyers have requested that a criminal case be opened on charges of hindering the lawful work of a journalist and exceeding a police officers authority. "As far as I understand, investigations have been launched," he said. "Today, a court medical expert came to my room and she documented the condition of my arm and asked me questions about how I received my injuries. "An investigator of the Investigative Committee also tried to see me, as well as someone from the police," he added. "But they tried to see me without the presence of my lawyer, so I refused to speak to them. I am prepared to talk to them only in the presence of my lawyer." Although Frenkel has covered elections in the past and has been involved in incidents with the police, he was surprised by what happened to him. "I didn't expect that I would go to a polling station and have my arm broken," he said. "But in my experience, anything can happen to an independent journalist or an independent election monitor." Frenkel said he had planned to cast his own ballot against the controversial package of constitutional amendments on the last day of voting on July 1. "On the last day, there is the biggest chance that my vote won't be changed or stolen or whatever," he said. "But unfortunately, because they broke my arm, I wasn't able to vote." Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson based on reporting by RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Mark Krutov and correspondent Irina Romaliiskaya of Current Time To receive Steve Gutterman's Week In Russia each week via e-mail, subscribe by clicking here. The Kremlin has claimed victory after a landslide vote for constitutional changes that could enable Russian President Vladimir Putin to remain president until 2036. But the process leaves him on shakier ground than before, in terms of perceived legitimacy, and exposes the Russian people to the whims of the state and its security apparatus under a constitution one analyst said is now meaningless. On the surface, a yes vote of nearly 78 percent sounds like a ringing endorsement of Putin and the constitutional amendments he advocated. But for millions of Russians who voted no, something rings wrong. And observers say the landslide leaves Putin standing on shaky ground, at least in terms of his perceived legitimacy, and leaves the Russian people stranded on a more barren and brutal landscape than ever, exposed to the whims of the state and its security apparatus by a constitution one analyst said is now so contradictory it has ceased to exist. Putin can claim victory, of course, and did so shortly after the full results were announced by the Central Electoral Commission on July 2, thanking voters for their support and trust two things opinion polls show have declined during his current term at a meeting of a Kremlin agency that handles veterans and the patriotic upbringing of citizens and happens to be called Victory. Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov was less subtle, saying that what took place was in essence a de facto triumphal referendum on trust in President Putin. And to hammer that narrative home, the Twitter account of state news agency RIA Novostis Kremlin pool reporters, which often acts as more of a cheerleader for Putin than a source of unbiased reporting on his doings posted a list showing that the proportion of yes votes in the weeklong balloting was higher than Putin received in any of his four presidential elections -- in 2000, 2004, 2012, and 2018. The state news agencys tweet ended with 2024 - ? a mischievous wink presumably meant to suggest that those close to Putin know that he will in fact do what he now has the legal right to do -- run for reelection when his current term runs out -- even though he insists he has not yet decided. Win Or Lose Amid the Kremlin celebrations of a triumph for Putin, after weeks during which state officials had studiously avoided casting the nationwide vote as being about the president or the amendment allowing him to seek two more six-year terms, critics citing evidence of fraud, among other things, called it a hollow victory or no victory at all. A result above 70 percent is a triumph in an election, even a manipulated or unfair one, or in a referendum, even if it is forced upon voters, Gleb Pavlovsky, a political analyst who advised Putin for years and left the Kremlin in 2011, told Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. But in a plebiscite on trust, one in which everything that could be faked was faked, it is a flop a deafening failure, Pavlovsky said. Delayed by the coronavirus, the vote still came less than six months after Putin proposed the constitutional amendments some of them, that is in a national address on January 15. It was not until March 10 that the amendment erasing Putins four presidential terms and thus allowing him to seek two more without violating terms limits was added, in a closely choreographed parliament session. While there had been hints for a few months, the move came as a surprise for some of those who had looked on and listened as Putin had suggested repeatedly, over the years, that he would not alter the constitution to extend his time in the Kremlin. Once that proposal was out there, though, it because impossible to unsee it or to see much of anything else around it: the Cheshire cats mocking grin against a background of empty air. Many observers maintain that the amendment allowing Putin to seek two more terms was the main -- if not the sole -- purpose of the constitutional changes, with the other 200-plus alterations serving as mere window-dressing. Peskovs remarks about the referendum on trust seemed to strengthen that argument, and so did Putins first public comments after the vote. Time After Time "Thank you very much for your support and trust," Putin said, abruptly casting the vote as a sign of backing for him personally. Then he added what sounded like an argument after the fact -- for giving him a chance to seek six more years as president or 12. We must not forgetin historical terms, very little time has passed since the downfall and collapse of the Soviet Union, and modern Russia is doubtless still in the formative stage. This applies to all aspects of our lives: the political system, the economy, and so forth, he said, adding: We need internal stability and time to strengthen the country and all of its institutions. To critics, it sounded like an awfully strange argument, coming from someone who has held so much power for so long. Putin demanded Russians give him time to strengthen the country! Kira Yarmysh, the spokeswoman for opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, wrote on Twitter. 20 years! This person has been in power 20 years. All these years he has been telling us how great things will be sometime later. In reality, everything has gone to ruin over this time, from roads to hospitals. People have become impoverished. The world is turning away from us, Yarmysh tweeted. But Putin needs TIME. 'The Saddest Day' Other critics, meanwhile, maintain that the amendments Putin has pushed through gravely damage one of the bulwarks of post-Soviet Russia the constitution adopted in 1993, two years after the breakup of the U.S.S.R. -- rather than strengthening it. The saddest day in modern Russian history, Irina Borogan, an investigative journalist and co-author of a book on the rise of the Russian security services under former KGB officer Putin, wrote on Twitter on July 1. After the vote for the Constitution amendments Russia became China politically, and we lost all the legacy of the new democracy that had emerged in 1991. Georgy Satarov, a political analyst who helped create Russias constitution, told Current Time that the amended version contains numerous contradictions that make it a meaningless document. The contradictions stem in part from the fact that in order to avoid a far more onerous process, Putins proposal left the fundamental first two sections of the constitution intact while making more than 200 changes in the subsequent chapters some of which seem to undermine, at the very least, the basic principles closer to the top. The first two sections of the constitution, for example, say that Russia is a secular state and guarantee freedom of religion, equality among faiths, and the right to profess no religion at all. Wording in a new amendment describes belief in God as a core national value bequeathed to Russians today by their ancestors. And while the second section says that the state must guarantee equal rights and freedoms regardless of sex, race, nationality, language and other categories, the new version among other things -- seems to elevate ethnic Russians by stating that Russian is the language of the state-forming group and defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The constitution is losing its logical force, and thus its legal force. And this means that the constitution in the normal sense simply no longer exists, said Satarov, director of the Moscow think tank INDEM. And when the constitution ceases to exist, one thing remains: power. The main result of the vote securing adoption of the constitutional amendments is that proizvol a word that can be translated as lawlessness, excess, or arbitrary rule by those who hold power -- will become limitless, Satarov said. Proizvol will become the new main rule of existence of this regime. Soldiering On Other commentators also warned that there will be fewer protections for the people, whether opposed to Putin or politically neutral, and enhanced power for the siloviki the hard-liners in law enforcement, security, and intelligence whose clout has grown substantially under Putin. Before the weeklong vote, U.S.-based political analyst Andras Toth-Czifra wrote that while major protests may not erupt, growing doubts about the acquiescence of public servants and civil leaders in Russia will almost certainly lead to a growing clout of the security elite. The role of the super-loyal people around Putin and in the Kremlin, people who call themselves loyal soldiers, will increase, Kirill Martynov, political editor at the independent newspaper Novaya gazeta, told Current Time. Martynov said that far from a triumph, the result was a terrible blow for the authorities. Milllions of people spoke out decisively against the current political situation, against the course set by the current Russian authorities. And nobody will be able to say that this is a marginal group of enemies, agents of the West, and so forth, he said. But those surrounding Putin will be able to tell him that he scored an unprecedented win, Martynov said, predicting that the rift between the president and the country will only grow wider. Red Lines Putin went with a nationwide vote on the constitutional amendments because he wanted legitimacy for a move that crossed a red line that he has been reluctant to cross before, Aleksandr Baunov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center and editor in chief of its website, tweeted on July 1. It is clear that he is violating both the letter and the spirit of the existing law by pushing for the right to run for two more six-year terms, Baunov wrote. Beyond this red line is a vacuum of legitimacy. In a July 2 article in The Spectator headlined Putins Referendum Rigging Is A Sign Of Weakness, analyst and author Mark Galeotti wrote that Putin has his result but that he damaged his legitimacy in obtaining it, and that he might come to regret the whole thing. Putin sought to secure the right to seek reelection because he has become increasingly concerned that the idea he would leave office in 2024 generates an unwanted and to him, dangerous search for a successor, while making him a lame duck. The constitutional changes give him options, as he can stay or go as he pleases, but all is intended to stop this obsession with 2024, Galeotti wrote. Heres the other irony, though. To consolidate his position and stifle talk of succession, Putin has undermined his own legitimacy and alienated his own elite, Galeotti added. Someday he may feel this was too big a price to pay. Members of the U.S. Congressional Ukraine Caucus have asked President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to find a compromise with renewable energy producers over prices as a months-long dispute threatens foreign investment. Ukraine's parliament will hold the first of two readings on July 3 of a new bill that would cut prices for solar and wind energy producers by 15 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively, the latest government proposal to unnerve the business community. Wind producers have agreed to the government's proposal while solar producers have asked for a two-year extension to the time frame for favorable pricing, saying the new price formula would otherwise crush their profitability and discourage new investment. In a July 2 letter addressed to Zelenskiy, House of Representatives members Marcy Kaptur (Democrat-Ohio) and Mike Quigley (Democrat-Illinois) called on the Ukrainian president to proceed with a "consensual approach" in talks with wind- and solar-energy producers. "Maintaining the integrity of this approach would be recognized as a substantial achievement and would bolster Ukraine's credibility in attracting further foreign direct investment in its energy sector and other sectors of Ukraine's economy," they wrote. Kaptur, who is a co-chair of the Ukraine Caucus, held a webinar last month with alternative energy producers operating in Ukraine to discuss the impact of the new bill on their businesses. Foreign investors, including American businesses, have poured more than $2 billion into Ukraine's renewable industry since 2015, when the country passed legislation that offered favorable pricing over a 10-year period in order to attract needed investment. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, a state agency, has committed $400 million in financing and political-risk insurance for Ukrainian alternative energy projects. Zelenskiy, who won in a landslide last year in part on a promise to attract more foreign investment to Ukraine, is now revisiting that earlier agreement, raising questions about his government's respect for investor rights. Solar producers have said they would bow to the government's price cut if it would extend the period of favorable pricing from 10 years to 12 years. However, the bill submitted to parliament contains no extension. Solar investors in Ukraine warned in a June 23 letter to the government that it faces the prospect of having the industry's success tumble "nto a web of acrimony and litigation" if it doesn't extend the time frame. Parliament could choose to amend the bill, which must pass two readings before being sent to the government. In the meantime, the Ukrainian government has stopped fully paying alternative energy producers for their output. With the onset of the coronavirus in March, the state has paid as little as 5 percent for the energy it has received from producers. The government's decision to renege on an earlier power agreement is just the latest "big blow" for private investors in Ukraine who were initially emboldened by Zelenskiy's promises to reform the economy and boost growth, Morgan Williams, the president of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC), a Washington-based lobby group, told RFE/RL. The 42-year-old Zelenskiy in March unexpectedly fired his pro-reform government after just six months. Then, on July 1, Yakiv Smoliy, the respected governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, abruptly quit, saying he faced political pressure in carrying out his duties. The USUBC joined the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, the European Business Association, and other business groups in publishing a statement on July 2 saying the business community was "deeply concerned" about Smoliy's resignation and the independence of the central bank. SARYAGHASH, Kazakhstan -- Almost 2,000 Tajik and Uzbek citizens are stranded in Kazakhstans southern region of Turkistan because they are unable to travel back home due to restrictions imposed to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The majority of those stranded at the Zhibek Zholy (Silk Road) checkpoint are male labor migrants who lost their jobs in Kazakhstan after many businesses shut down following lockdown measures. Some of them told RFE/RL that they have been waiting for Uzbekistan to open the border crossing for more than a week. They complained that they have to stay outdoors and that the weather is very hot during the daytime and cold at night. A representative of Tajikistans embassy in Kazakhstan, who was standing near four large tents that had been set up at the site to accommodate Tajik nationals, refused to comment on the matter. An Uzbek Embassy official, Bahtiyor Kamalov, was also at the site. He said the authorities were not opening the border because many individuals who had entered Uzbekistan from Kazakhstan remained in quarantine inside the country. Kamalov added that some 1,500 Uzbek citizens stranded at the border will be transferred to Uzbekistan "soon." Kazakh border guard officials said they would allow Uzbek and Tajik citizens to cross the border when their Uzbek colleagues allow it. On June 19, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) told RFE/RL it had organized transportation by bus to repatriate 635 Tajik citizens stranded at the Zhibek Zholy checkpoint. If you look at the shape of Richland County on a map and pay close attention to detail, you will notice a small angular discrepancy in the line of its lower edge: like someone dropped it and dinged up the corner. That odd little chip off the corner represents an interesting principle in the study of history that goes like this: something which doesnt seem to make sense in one era can make perfect sense when seen through the lens of a previous era of the past. Some of our history bleeds through many lifetimes with inscrutable mementos. Richland Countys missing corner is like a fossilized memoryperhaps a scarleft behind from an age when things were vastly different from our own. That distant age was more than 200 years ago; that scar was called the Greenville Treaty Line. 1795 The United States was only 19 years old when these events took place. To the young nation at that time Ohio was regarded as an uncharted wilderness. To the tribal folk who lived in Ohio, it was simply home. The decades of struggle whereby the Ohio country went from being the wilderness home of Native Americans to becoming a charted possession of the United States, are told in a sequence of violent challenges back and forth: attacks and reprisals, wars and treaties. The specific battle that is regarded as the culmination of Ohios hostilities and the end to local dispute took place in 1794 at a site near where Toledo is today. It was known as the Battle of Fallen Timbers, and is commemorated in US history books as the event on the timeline of western expansion that signaled when Ohio became safe for settlers. A year after the battle there was a great conference convened so representatives of the United States and Chiefs of the loosely confederated tribes of Ohio could come to agreement about how Ohio was to be divided between the Indians and the settlers. They took a map and they drew a line. The negotiations were held at Greenville, and the document they all signed was called the Treaty of Greenville. The line was called the Greenville Treaty Line. It was inked on the map in a straight stroke between two US military fortsone in the east and one in the westwith an extension down to the Ohio River on the west end and an eastern boundary northward to Lake Erie by way of the Cuyahoga River. The Greenville Treaty, executed by General Anthony Wayne and eventually signed by President George Washington, specified that as of August 3, 1795 everything north and west of the Treaty Line was, and would forever remain, Indian land. Treaty Line A surveyor was subsequently dispatched into the woods who could transfer the line from the map into an actual boundary in the landscape. It took him nearly 2 years to devise and demarcate a straight line from tree to tree, from Fort Recovery to Fort Lawrence. One of the stretches of Treaty Line that the surveyor paced off in the Ohio forest was a segment of what would eventually be the southern border of Richland County. When the surveyor was assigned his task in 1796 there were roughly 5,000 European settlers living within the borders of Ohio. By 1800 there were 45,365. By 1810 there were 230,760. Ten years seems like Forever It was only 10 years later when the next treaty was signed that affected Richland County. From 1795 to 1805 there werent any major military actions in the Ohio frontier, so this new document was not a peace treaty to end hostilities, but rather a purely financial arrangement. Various tribal Chiefs agreed to sell off a half million acres of their land north of the Treaty Line in consideration for down payments to each tribe and certain annual payments for years to come. It was called the Treaty of Fort Industry, and included in the land cessions were all of the forest and rolling hills that would shortly become designated as Richland County. The Line today Two hundred years of life in America has pretty much effaced all common awareness of how monumentally significant the treaty of Greenville was at the time it was signed. But it has not effaced all evidence of the Treaty Line. It can still be traced, even from outer space. It doesnt take a lot of effort to locate the line from above in the shape of pavements, the edges of fields, and the contours of treelines. If you want to find the Greenville Treaty Line in Richland County today you can simply go to the odd corner of Richland County. It is marked there far more clearly than it ever was when its presence in the forest had significance: Most of our famous natives achieved their renown in the world by virtue of their accomplishments: what they made, or what they wrote, or what they did. We have, however, one local who became well known all over the US, yet he never made or wrote anything; and all he really did, in the way of doing, was be himself. Being himself was enough to make him unforgettable. Immortal, in fact. Thats what they called him: The Immortal J.N. That is the exact term that was in headlines of newspapers all over the country; in the conversations of everyone who ever met him: from bums on the street to waiters in high class restaurants; to Congressmen and Governors. Even the President. It was said that he personally knew, and called by name, every editor of every newspaper in every town he ever set foot in. At the end of his life, in a retrospective biography, a NY newspaper said, He has probably spoken to more people publicly and oftener than any other living man. He made a life out of spreading good will. He would arrive at a town on the trainany town of any size in America; stroll into the newspaper office to have notice printed that he would make a public address; and people were so curious about this famous man that a crowd would assemble. Sometimes his speeches made sense, in a way, but no one was exactly sure what he was taking about. He expounded great truths, and claimed to be lifting the veil on profound cosmic certainties that he alone could comprehend. He spoke in public halls, city chambers, bandstands, and courthouse steps; or just as comfortably, to cluster of folks on a street corner while standing on a barrel. A news clipping from Fredericktown reported his widely advertised appearance there: In dignified posture the speaker of the evening, the Immortal J.N. sat upon the platform and calmly watched the gathering of the crowd. When the seats were all filled and the time had arrived for the opening of the lecture, J.N. arose, and after stating that it was necessary that he be excused for a few minutes, he went out of the door and that was the last ever seen of him by the audience, as he disappeared from the village without further ado. You see, the Immortal J.N. was not entirely anchored into common reality as we generally experience ithe operated in a sphere of cognition all his own. That was his charm: he was a little cracked. He was the most famous person in America whose fame was entirely predicated on his unpredictable and half-lunatic endearing personality. He was clearly nuts most of the time, but he made enough sense, and approached his encounters with such earnest intention, that everyone had to take him seriously. Sort of. The Immortal J.N. was famous for, well, for being famous. He visited every state where the train went, and introduced himself to famous people, and to public figures: striding into their offices as one celebrity to another. After he had departed, the office holder would turn to his secretary and ask, Now, who exactly was that man? There were several times in his life when newspapers around the US reported his death: once, in the 1890s, by drowning in a Missouri river; at least twice, in the 70s and 80s, by falling to a mysterious sudden illness. He used to walk into newspaper offices to search their files, looking for his obituaries, to see what they had written about him. Worth the ink There are a thousand examples of how his fame played out in the daily life of the 1800s, and in fact, his fame was established and maintained through the decades almost entirely by the myriad anecdotes everyone had to tell about the famous man. Some of them were true, some were not, but it hardly mattered because even the true stories were barely believable. He one time gained an audience in the White House, and explained to Abraham Lincoln with his earnest and convoluted logic, that the war could have been avoided because, both sides of the conflict entirely believed they were right and, as such, were true patriots, and worthy of forgiveness. He was certain that if he had the opportunity to similarly speak with the President of the Confederacy, that he could end the war. It was reported that J.N. pleased the President by his quaintness and eccentricity, so much, that Lincoln provided him with a letter of safe passage through the battle lines in order to visit the Confederate Capitol. The Immortal J.N. accordingly had his sit-down with Jefferson Davis, and the Rebel President received him with all the due courtesy accorded a visiting dignitary. It would not be difficult to assume J.N. was a statesman of high honor, because he presented every appearance of noble intellect, and highly presentable dignity. After a few minutes of conversation, Mr. Davis found a way to have J.N. escorted courteously away from his presence, and then turned to his aides and demanded to know how this crazy man had gotten past the guards. J.N. was subsequently arrested as a Northern spy, and would have been imprisoned or executed except it became clearly evident to his captors that the man was, though scrambled in his head, entirely innocent as a child and guileless in his intentions. He was given a few dollars and sent home. Assuming and unassuming That was the thing about J.N.: no matter what crazy thing he was saying, or what skewered logic his rabbit-hole conversation was leading, there was such a purity and innocence in his eyes that he was entirely disarming; and even a little hypnotic, and it made people take him seriously. Kind of. He talked Conductors of trains into letting him ride free almost his entire lifein fact he talked the owners of the railroads into issuing him free passes to ride anytime, anywhere he liked. He carried those passes with him in his pocket, and could produce them for almost any line in the US. If a Conductor balked at the audacity of it, and put J.N. off the train, he would simply wait for the next train and climb aboard. He stayed at hotels across the United States and never paid: even the finest hotels. There are famous stories about his various encounters with hotel clerks that always end with J.N. walking cheerfully away without paying the bill. People fed him, feted him. He was a social phenomenon all to himself. He rode free, stayed free, he ate free. In fact, that was his name: J.N. Free. Born to fame He was born in 1828 and, according to whose version of the story you read, he was born in Mansfield, or perhaps in Pennsylvania; or any number of other places. Towns were quite willing to claim him as a local legend in order to enhance their own legacy. A writer from Athens County said J.N. was from Lancaster; a newspaper from Toledo said he was born in Tiffin. There is one small clue that lends powerful credence to Mansfields claim for him though, and that is the mans very name: he was Jacob Newman Free; and Jacob Newman was the founder of Mansfield and highly respected in early Richland County as its first pioneer. J.N. grew up here. Records and witnesses show his parents lived in Mansfield in the 1830s and 40s; and the young man worked at a pharmacy on North Main Street. He left here for the California Gold Rush, and after that he never again belonged to any single place. He became a professional itinerant. He was introduced as The Immortal J.N. of Nowhere and Everywhere. Folks who knew him early in life attested to his tremendous intellect and mental acuity and capacity. He supposedly spoke 12 languages; memorized the entire Bible. They all predicted a brilliant future for him in national affairs. There was no one who knew him as a young man who didnt imagine he would become famous. Legendary In later years, after the Immortal J.N. had been a public figure for several decades, it became a common part of every newspaper column about him to speculate as to what, exactly, happened to the brilliant young man that broke his fabulous mind. Some said that he was jilted in love, of course, some even provided her name, as a familiar plot line for any eccentric. Some said it happened in California: where he amassed a terrific fortune in gold but was double-crossed by his partner; or that he lost everything in a great boomtown fire of 1851 and it drove him crazy. The most commonly told tales involved a famous murder trial that took place in Cincinnati, or in Chicago, or in Decatur; when J.N.as a lawyerturned his astonishing intellect to the purpose of defending a young man in the case. After J.N. exhausted himself in having the accused set free, the man told J.N. he actually had committed the crime. Then his mind snapped. There are many more stories of what made him snap. Folks began to recognize that J.N. had snapped sometime around the onset of the Civil War. That was when he began his career of public speaking. In 1860 there are public notices published in newspapers across the Midwest advertising free public lectures where J.N. Free would explain how the war could be averted. That was also when he started having himself voluntarily incarcerated in municipal jails as a public service. He wanted to be placed in manacles and locked into dungeons, because only through this action could he lift the pressure of the community. He was jailed 43 times from New Jersey to Missouri, until the jailers caught on. He came to believe he could control the weather; and there were other people who came to actually believe it as well. He once averted a meteor shower that would have destroyed Kansas City. J.N. never paid for his hotel accommodations or meals or train rides because he believed his transcendent genius radiated value in every moments time he gave to others. It is a genius of a whole brightly illuminated level of reality that is incomprehensible to those of us who live in the crude and dimly lit world. One day the Immortal J.N. strode into the Legislative Chamber of the Ohio Statehouse and announced he wanted to reserve the hall to make a speech. The Speaker of the House had just released all the Congressmen for the day, but he had them resume their seats and told J.N. to go ahead and make his speech at once. J.N. was so surprised at the suddenness of it, he stammered and spun his wheels in wholly uncharacteristic speechlessness. It took a few minutes of rambling before his mind took traction, and Congressmen muttered and started to walk out. But then J.N. suddenly lit up from within, and launched into a stunning oration about how he fought the Civil War not on the battlefields of America, but in his own mind. The lawmakers stopped in their tracks and stared at the old man as he explained how the war was fought with guns because Grant, Sherman, Lee, Lincoln and Davis did not use the power of their own minds to resolve the conflict with reason. It made no sense at all, and it made perfect sense; and the Ohio Legislature burst into spontaneous applause and cheered loudly for the man whose words defied simple mortality. MANSFIELD -- The Area 10 Workforce Development Board, which serves Richland and Crawford counties, has been awarded $300,000 in COVID-19 rapid response funds to be redistributed within the community. The one-time award comes from the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, which is asking the board to use the money for outreach to minority-owned businesses and Black male job seekers. Weve never been given an opportunity like this before, said board chair Jenni Paramore. Its such a wonderful time for us to be able to create outreach to businesses, to educators, to make new pathways to employment for the citizens of our community. Board Director Teresa Alt said funds could be used for a broad range of purposes. Some examples Alt cited included supporting business growth or helping businesses adjust to new state regulations. Employers could use the funds for additional hires or employee training. The funds may also be utilized to provide students and job seekers access opportunities for education, training, career exploration or apprenticeships. What were looking for is someone to bring that specialized outreach services, she said. We tried to leave it really broad so that people, agencies and organizations can apply for what theyre best at. The board is accepting requests from any individual, business or organization. Those requests and questions should be emailed to teresa.alt@jfs.ohio.gov. The deadline for submissions is July 15 at 4 p.m. The board will review applications and make funding decisions at its meeting on July 21. The funds become available Aug. 1 and must be spent by June 30, 2021. Parties can apply together and initiatives involving community collaboration are encouraged. Due to the short turnaround time, the board is not asking for formal applications. Its basically a description of how they intend to use the money, Paramore said. Alt hopes the grant will help form new connections between job seekers, businesses and the OhioMeansJobs centers in Richland and Crawford counties. We want to use that to build a relationship and create some bridges to underserved populations that havent been to our centers or are part of our businesses team, she said. Although the parameters for the use of funding were determined at the state level, they align well with recent recommendations from the North End Community Improvement Collaborative. In its recent publication, The Richland County State of the African American Community Report, the NECIC listed five recommendations, three of which addressed the economic wellbeing and educational attainment of the local Black community. These recommendations were to increase the labor force participation rate of Black residents, with a strong focus on men; to help non-white owned businesses without paid employees become profitable enough to hire paid employees and to increase the pre and post-secondary educational attainment of Black residents, with an urgent focus on men. According to the 2017 American Community Survey, Black men in Richland county had a labor force participation rate of 32.2 percent between 2013 and 2017. The same survey found that 17.8 percent of White residents had a post-secondary degree, compared to 7.2 percent of Black residents and just 5.6 percent of Black men. A 2012 American Community Survey found that out of 747 minority-owned firms, only 151 had paid employees. COLUMBUS -- Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday a new Ohio Public Health Advisory Alert System, a color-coded, county-by-county analysis to assess the spread of COVID-19. He said the new four-level system is designed to "inform and empower individuals, businesses and local governments" in their response to coronavirus spread, though he stopped short of additional statewide mandates, including facemasks. DeWine announced the new system during his daily press briefing, saying it's time to begin looking at areas of the state differently in the fight against the coronavirus. "We are now at another critical juncture in our battle against the coronavirus. What we are seeing is the virus once again spread with a vengeance across the country and some parts of Ohio," he said. He said this new phase is "how we live with the virus phase." Some Ohio cities, including Dayton, have adopted mandatory facemasks for their residents. The governor said there is evidence of community spread in all 88 counties and said officials will monitor seven indicators, such as new COVID-19 cases per capita, sustained increases in new cases, proportion of cases not found in congregate care, ER visits, hospita admissions and ICU usage. He said the state will also look at contact tracing, tests per capita and the percentage of tests coming back positive for COVID-19. Individual counties will be "flagged" as they meet a certain number of the indicators. DeWine said the levels are designated yellow (level one), orange (level two), red (level three) and purple (level four). DeWine said Level 1 counties are seeing a moderate number of cases, but the virus is not spreading rapidly. He said 53 counties are at level one, including Ashland, Knox and Crawford counties. He said Level 2 counties,which include Richland County, face an increased risk of exposure and spread of the virus. He said 28 Ohio counties are at this level. DeWine said seven counties at at a Level 3, including Huron, Trumbull, Cuyahoga, Montgomery, Butler, Hamilton and Franklin. The governor said Huron County has been seen cases spike primarily because of agricultural workers and farming operations. He said residents in level 3 counties should wear a mask and should limit their movements and interactions. No counties are currently at Level 4, though Franklin County is nearly there, the governor said. DeWine said residents in any counties that reach Level 4 should "only leave home for supplies and services." DeWine has said increased testing is just one reason for the spike in positive tests, which topped the 1,000 mark on Wednesday. We cannot move back. Ohioans have come too far in this fight to cede ground to this virus, DeWine said. This next phase is not about hunkering down, but how we learn to live with this virus. The governor said previous orders issued during the pandemic, which began in March, will remain in effect. Certainly, one race or sex is not superior to another. To ignore systemic oppression and its impact on the past and present policies, however, is to put ones head into the sand. I was struck by the fact that even recently, most white Americans were unaware of the Tulsa Race Massacre of June 1, 1921 when mobs of white residents attacked black residents and destroyed homes and businesses in the Greenwood district in Tulsa. Thirty-five plus square blocks of the neighborhood at the time the wealthiest black community in the United States, known as Black Wall Street was decimated, with up to 300 people dead. Ten thousand black people were left homeless and property damage of black businesses and homes was an estimated at $1.5 million in 1921 dollars. It is precisely the omission of this kind of event in local, state, and national histories that establishes the need to examine systemic problems. Arlene Violet on critical race theory. She is a Republican who served as RI Attorney General COLUMBUS -- Facemasks will be required for Ohio teachers and staff and are "strongly recommended" for students in grades 3-12 when school begins for the 2020-2021 school year, Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday. The governor, who said it's important for in-classroom education to return this fall, also said each school district must develop and implement its own facial covering policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Schools can adjust their rules to what works best for them for a safe environment and that protects students and staff," the governor said during his daily press conference, stressing the importance of local control for each district. DeWine also announced districts must develop social distancing policies that may affect school schedules when the new academic year begins, which would likely mean a mix of in-class and online education. The governor is largely leaving it up to individual districts and school boards to determine their own plans, other than requring teachers and staff wear masks. "Just as we have done in the business sectors with employees, we are requiring school staff to wear face coverings to reduce the spread of the virus, unless it is unsafe or when doing so could significantly interfere with the learning process," DeWine said. DeWine, who ordered the state's K-12 schools closed in March when the coronavirus pandemic began, said teachers and students did "outstanding with distance learning" for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. "(But) the American Academy of Pediatricts strongly recommends students be physically present in school as much as possible," the governor said. Under state guidelines, students are not required to wear masks, but DeWine said they are strongly recommended for grades 3-12, unless there are medical or developmental reasons not to do so. "We just use common sense," he said. "We follow the science and we use common sense with regard to how (face covering) policy gets implemented. We wear face masks to protect each other." DeWine said other state guidelines include daily monitoring for symptoms; testing strategy in conjuction with the local health department; frequent hand washing and thorough cleaning of all school environments. Hand sanitizer will be required at all buildings entrances and classrooms and districts should require its usage. DeWine said he is talking to leaders in the Ohio General Assembly about providing financial assistance to districts to meet expenses related to the guidelines, including potential use of federal CARES Act funds. He said he hoped to have an announcement in the next week with specific funding assistance. The pandemic and the associated economic downturn has affected Gene Landrys Henrico County pawn shop business. In some ways, there has been a boost at the Ole Town Silver Exchange on Lakeside Avenue, including a surge in gun sales during these uncertain times. We have a hard time buying guns right now from distributors because they just dont have any, Landry said. Yet sales of other items, such as coins and DVDs, are down at his store, he said. Theres also been a drop in the pawn side of the business where he provides short-term cash loans to people who put up their own items as collateral, such as a coin or a handgun, with the understanding theyll pay off the loan in a month with interest. We had to cut hours back because its been slow, Landry said. Its tough. Every day is different. Thats for sure. Landry and other Richmond-area pawn shop owners said many customers dont need to tap the cash loans thats a key part of their business because those patrons have received federal stimulus checks sent out to lessen the brunt of the economic downturn as well unemployment benefits that have been boosted by $600 weekly federal payments. If, for instance, someone makes a $1.90 purchase with a debit card, RoundlyX will automatically round that up to $2 and put 10 cents into the investment portfolio. The founders say those investments in digital assets can be part of a diversified portfolio of investments that include traditional stocks and bonds. Digital assets are becoming more and more mainstream, because over time, people are learning more and more about the utility of the asset class, Elliott said. RoundlyX has several thousand users, the founders say, and the company is handling several thousand dollars a day in orders. That is a lot of spare change, Elliott said. It goes to show the magnitude of how many people are involved to generate that type of volume. We are still on track to be doing 10 times that, roughly by the end of the year. The investment by Virginias Center for Innovation Technology will help the company expand its service, including into Europe, the founders said. Very soon this summer you will be able to connect whatever European or UK bank you have, and round up your spare change into digital assets in Europe, Elliott said. The thing about digital assets is they are a borderless asset class. Petersburg High School students will soon have the opportunity to receive immunizations, prescription scripts and physical exams all within the walls of their school. Whether or not students will be back in school come September, the new Crimson Clinic, a primary care and behavioral health clinic, will be waiting for them. Years in the making, the hope for the clinic is to keep students in school and to lower the chronic absenteeism rate. Attendance rates are not where they should be, for many reasons. The school district saw this as an opportunity to help with attendance, said Superintendent Maria Pitre-Martin. In the 2018-2019 school year, a quarter of the districts nearly 4,200 students were chronically absent, missing at least 18 days or 10% of the year. Having the in-house center will help both parents or guardians and the teenagers in their care, allowing students to seek medical care in school without needing an adult to take time off work to bring them to an appointment, Pitre-Martin said. Central Virginia Health Services, a community-based nonprofit, is providing a nurse practitioner and a licensed clinical social worker. Crimson Clinic is the nonprofits third primary health care clinic in the city, with the others on Poplar Drive and South Union Street. Attorney General Herring remains committed to ensuring the removal of this divisive and antiquated relic as soon as possible and were hopeful this wont cause any delay in resolving the matter, spokesman Michael Kelly said Friday. Governor Northam has the moral and legal authority to remove the Lee statue. Helen Marie Taylors suit contends that removal of the Lee monument would have a substantial adverse impact on her and the other residents, who say the damages would include the loss of favorable tax treatment and reduction in property values. Five of the plaintiffs asked to remain anonymous because of fear for their personal safety and the safety of their families and residences, as the Lee monument remains the focus of protests over racial injustice after the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. Protesters say statues of Lee and other Confederate leaders represent white supremacy, erected long after the Civil War to glorify the Lost Cause of the Confederacy to maintain Black slavery in the Southern states. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney ordered the removal of all city-owned monuments to the Confederacy on July 1, the day a new state law took effect giving localities authority to take down war memorials on property they control. Richmond, KY (40475) Today Periods of rain. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Periods of rain. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Governor sends warning as Quintana Roo records 202 new cases in 24 hours Cancun, Chetumal, Q.R. The Ministry of Health of Quintana Roo (SESA) has announced 202 new cases of Covid-19 for the state, 72 of which they report, has been detected in the southern municipality of Othon P. Blanco. The municipality, which is home to Costa Maya and the state capital city of Chetumal, reported the 72 new infections. They are also the municipality with the highest hospital occupation rate to date. SESA head Alejandra Aguirre Crespo, reported that the 202 new infections is the highest reported for Quintana Roo in a 24-hour period since the beginning of the epidemic. She explained that of the 202 new infections, 72 came from in Othon P. Blanco, 64 in Cancun, 27 in Playa del Carmen, 14 from Lazardo Cardenas, 9 in Cozumel, 7 in Tulum, 5 for Puerto Morelos, 2 in Bacalar and 2 for Isla Mujeres. After the announcement, Governor Carlos Joaquin said the state is at a critical point, noting that actions must be taken quickly and that residents need to adopt a renewed civic attitude for the new normal to live with the virus. Today, I confirm frankly and clearly that we are at a critical point and we must act quickly. We need to adopt a renewed civic attitude for the new normal, he said, announcing that the epidemiological traffic light remains orange in both in the southern and northern zones until July 12. Governor Carlos Joaquin warns the state could lose what it has gained However, the Governor of Quintana Roo reiterated that we can lose what we have earned and, more seriously, have more patients and deaths. I have pointed out that many people from Quintana Roo, irresponsibly, have been distracted and have neglected basic measures. And I have also warned that we are not going to allow fatal setbacks, stressed Joaquin. He noted that there is an ongoing monitoring of the spread of the virus, admitting that the contagion rate has again grown and the state is very close to returning to the red alert. Carlos Joaquin pointed out that several areas of Cancun have been identified as having a large number of infections, emphasizing that most of the people are not wearing face masks or keeping a healthy distance. He cited that in the Villas del Mar neighborhood of Cancun, there are 40 active cases of Covid-19 where they have noted that 2 out of 3 people do not wear face masks and more than half do not maintain a healthy distance. Alarming and similar figures appear in the Villas Otoch, Paraiso and Region 103 colonies of the city, he explained. He announced that on the State Government website, citizens will soon be able to consult, colony by colony, the number of active cases. Governors ask for intervention in shutting nonessential land travel by Americans into Mexico after Covid increases The governors of the states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas are urging President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to close traffic along the U.S. borders to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Mexico. There are three states that have many border crossingsand about 50 percent of the movement that occurs between Mexico and the United States are on our borders, said the Governor of Tamaulipas, Francisco Garcia Cabeza de Vaca. He added that although Mexico has implemented sanitary filters inside the country in airports and bus stations, we have to take a step forward and understand that the coronavirus will enter by walking across our borders, and that is precisely what is looming, he added. Miguel Riquelme Solis, the Governor of Coahuila said they will spread awareness campaigns to avoid visits during Holy Week to the border states of Mexicans residing in the United States, particularly caravans that are organized to travel to their native country. Furthermore, we want to see that the Federal Government can do the same within the border strip of the northeastern states of the country, said Riquelme. The three governors have also asked the Secretary of Foreign Relations Marcelo Ebrard, to enforce a border closure that was agreed with the United States government by only allowing essential crossings for work, trade, security and medical care. The request came due to the increase in Covid-19 cases along the northern border. Garcia Cabeza de Vacas request to Secretary Ebrard is in addition to that made by the governor of Sonora, Claudia Pavlovich, who on Wednesday, announced that starting this weekend, her government will begin a filter operation along the border to strengthen the coronavirus prevention strategy. Governor Pavlovich has also contacted the United States Ambassador to Mexico, Christopher Landau, who in response, issued a warning Thursday to American citizens in which he said that if the southern border with Mexico continues to be crossed, the restrictions would increase instead of decrease. Attention US citizens on both sides of the border. We are still in the midst of a pandemic, but hundreds of thousands of people PER DAY cross the land border 90 percent are US citizens or green card holders. Whichever side of the border you live on, this is not the time to cross to buy, eat or visit family on the other side of the border. Only essential travel is permitted over the land border. If US citizens continue to make casual cross-border trips, the restrictions will increase, not decrease. Please act responsibly! he wrote on social media. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Tabasco man found drowned in Cancun cenote Cancun, Q.R. A man has been confirmed drowned by Cancun authorities after responding to an Emergency 911 call Thursday. Emergency personnel received the call at 5:30 Thursday afternoon by people requesting support at a cenote in the southern region of Cancun. Police, Civil Protection and medical personnel located the centoe near a junction of the Cancun-Merida federal highway. According to a Public Security element, several subjects went to the security filter to ask for a flashlight to look for a man who was apparently in the cenote. Authorities who attended the rescue reported finding the body of a deceased male who has been identified as 30-year-old Carlos M from Tabasco. There were no details released regarding the accident. Greenville, TX (75401) Today Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Rocky Mount, NC (27804) Today A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Lucknow: At least eight Uttar Pradesh police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were killed in an encounter with criminals in Kanpur, police said on Friday. Photo The encounter took place when the police team was trying to arrest Vikas Dubey, a history sheeter facing 60 criminal cases in Dikru village under Chaubeypur police station on the intervening night of July 2 and 3, they said. As the police team was about to reach the hideout of the dreaded criminal, a hail of bullets was showered on them from a building rooftop, leaving Deputy SP Devendra Mishra, three sub-inspectors and four constables dead, officials said. Yogi Adityanath Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tributes to the slain policemen and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to their family members. According to a spokesperson, he directed the police chief to take stringent action against the culprits and collect the detailed reports from the spot immediately. Chandigarh: The cases of coronavirus are on the rise in Punjab. Meanwhile, 123 new cases were registered in the state in 24 hours and four people have died due to the epidemic. CoronavirusSince then, the total number of cases of coronavirus in the state has reached 5,908. In addition, 156 people have died from corona so far. Manjit Kaur, 71 of Amritsar, Razia Begum, 60 of Malerkotla and a 23-year-old Gurdaspur resident died on Monday. The highest number of 36 new cases was registered in Ludhiana on Thursday. There are 444 active cases in Ludhiana and 225 active cases in Jalandhar. Coronavirus These cases are gaining momentum in the state. The main reason for the increase in cases is the people entering from outside the state. In addition, people are no longer taking the corona crisis more seriously than before. They are not wearing a mask and not even maintaining social distancing. To curb this, an important decision has been taken in the government under which the government is now monitoring the people in the containment zone through drones. In a major tragedy, 19 Sikhs have been killed in Farooqabad, Pakistan when an express train rammed into a bus. As per reports, the incident occurred when the bus carrying the Sikh pilgrims collided with the Karachi-Lahore Shah Hussain Express in the Sheikhupura district. Photo As per the reports, the pilgrims were returning to Gurudwara Sacha Sauda after performing religious rituals at Nankana Sahib. The dead bodies are being shifted to local hospitals. The bus was reportedly carrying 25 members. It is said that the bus was reportedly crossing the railway tracks when it was rammed by Shah Hussain Express train. Rutland, VT (05701) Today Thunderstorms early, mainly cloudy late with a few lingering showers. A few storms may be severe. Low 62F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, mainly cloudy late with a few lingering showers. A few storms may be severe. Low 62F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Danvers, MA (01923) Today Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Weather Alert THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 300 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN NEW YORK THIS WATCH INCLUDES 4 COUNTIES IN NORTHERN NEW YORK CLINTON ESSEX FRANKLIN ST. LAWRENCE IN VERMONT THIS WATCH INCLUDES 12 COUNTIES IN CENTRAL VERMONT ADDISON ORANGE WASHINGTON IN NORTHEAST VERMONT CALEDONIA ESSEX ORLEANS IN NORTHWEST VERMONT CHITTENDEN FRANKLIN GRAND ISLE LAMOILLE IN SOUTHERN VERMONT RUTLAND WINDSOR THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ALBURG, BRADFORD, BURLINGTON, DANNEMORA, GOUVERNEUR, ISLAND POND, JOHNSON, LAKE PLACID, MALONE, MASSENA, MIDDLEBURY, MONTPELIER, NEWPORT, OGDENSBURG, PLATTSBURGH, PORT HENRY, POTSDAM, RANDOLPH, RUTLAND, SARANAC LAKE, SOUTH HERO, SPRINGFIELD, ST. ALBANS, ST. JOHNSBURY, STOWE, TICONDEROGA, TUPPER LAKE, VERGENNES, AND WHITE RIVER JUNCTION. Local Theater Camps and Classes Are Going Digital Awaken your inner superstar with remote acting, singing, and dancing lessons for all ages The flip-flops you wear to the beach may soon come from the ocean. Within the next year, UC San Diego professor Stephen Mayfield and his students plan to introduce a brand of flip-flops made of algae oil, a renewable and potentially biodegradable alternative to the petroleum-based foam now used for the worlds most popular throw-away shoes. The initial pair is made of bright-blue foam, with a leather strap and the universitys triton logo. The retail product is scheduled to debut next year with other colors and a cushier footbed. Three billion petroleum-based flip-flops are produced worldwide each year, and most will end up in landfills or circulate in ocean currents, where theyll join mounds of plastic trash in remote areas of the world. Advertisement Mayfield and his students set out to develop sandals that hold up on your feet, but break down in the environment. How do we make something comfortable like a petroleum one, but biodegradable? asked Mayfield, director of the California Center for Algae Biotechnology at the university. The answer took some work, but was well within the realm of possibility, he learned. Ancient algae that grew hundreds of millions of years ago forms the petroleum we use today, and freshly harvested algae oil is chemically similar, Mayfield said. Like petroleum, it can be formulated to make hard and soft foams, which function much like their petroleum-based counterparts. Mayfield opened his laboratory and founded a startup, Algenesis, to explore those uses. The nice thing about algae is the molecules that algae can produce are very complex and varied, so theoretically the things you can make from it -- the possibilities -- could be endless, said Marissa Tessman, who began working on the project as a graduate student in chemistry and is now a research scientist at Algenesis. The universitys original algae research focused on biofuels, including biodiesel, but the economic incentive for those projects tanked along with gas prices several years ago. Shortly afterward, Mayfield and chemistry professor Skip Pomeroy took up a new challenge: to create an algae-based surfboard. Mayfield, a lifelong surfer himself, saw that product as a good fit for the surfing ethos. We shouldnt be surfing in an area where we really care about the environment, on a surfboard made of petroleum, he said. He and Pomeroy worked with a local surfboard blank manufacturer, Arctic Foam of Oceanside, to make hard, foam surfboard cores from algae oil instead of petroleum. They ended up using a mix of petroleum and algae oil to produce a foam that met surfers expectations for their boards, but the researchers concluded it was a good start. Tackling flip-flops, an even more ubiquitous product, was a natural next step, they said. For surfers, their whole raison detre is about being in the ocean, being in the water, Pomeroy said. In the flip-flops, we hoped that Southern Californians who would be open to greener technology would be open to this as a shoe. Advertisement Stephen Mayfield, professor of molecular biology, and his team at UC San Diego developed a sustainable, algae-based flip-flop to reduce the petroleum used in billions of throwaway shoes each year. (Howard Lipin) Getting the foam formulation right was just part of the equation, Mayfield said. There were also design and marketing considerations involved in making a shoe with the arch support, comfort level and appearance that consumers want. They have to hold their shape for months of walking, but decompose easily when discarded. The researchers consulted footwear designers, and enlisted volunteers to wear the shoes and provide feedback. Theyre also conducting laboratory tests to see if the foam sandals are both durable and biodegradable. Our idea would be to make a polymer that would have the properties that you want it to while its on your foot, but when you decide its use is over for you, it can be degraded by a microorganism in some type of rapid process, said Michael Burkart, a fellow chemistry professor and partner on the project. Advertisement The testing will continue this year, and commercial rollout is planned for the end of 2018, Mayfield said. To finance their efforts, theyre planning a kick-starter campaign geared toward UC San Diego alumni, who can purchase a pair in advance. The first batches will probably cost about $5 more than typical flip-flops, the researchers said, but that price premium will come down as they fine-tune production and ramp up scale. Developing the product from basic research to finished product is an important lesson for science students, who might otherwise graduate with an excellent education but few practical skills, Mayfield and his colleagues said. After working on the flip-flops, chemistry students can tell prospective employers that they used injection molds, rebound tests and other tools of industry. It shows them that things Im learning in the lab apply in real life, Mayfield said. This kind of experience is exciting for students and gratifying for professors. Mayfield became doubly dedicated to the project during a recent trip to the Maldives Islands. There he saw piles of discarded flip-flops washed up on the beach, transported to the pristine, white sand beaches from far-flung parts of the Indian Ocean. Advertisement Theres something wrong with the world when the Maldives looks like that, he said. We need to change that, and its not that expensive and not that hard. At their outset, synthetic polymers were revolutionary products, designed to be both affordable and very nearly indestructible. Now the trick is making them from sustainable materials, and with a limited lifetime, Burkart said. The resulting products could improve consumer goods ranging from shoes to car seats to home insulation, he said. I really see a bright future for developing renewable materials and polymers, but with an eye for the end of life of those materials, and how they need to be recycled or decomposed in the environment, so they dont end up polluting our planet, he said. Advertisement deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan The new majority on the Escondido City Council appears poised to rescind the former councils 2017 decision to locate a $44 million recycled water plant in the middle of a residential area. Its the wrong location, newly elected Mayor Paul Mac McNamara said Friday of the site in the center of the city at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Ash Street. Im seriously considering moving it. Its in the middle of a neighborhood. Its not the right location. It never was. I totally get it. It might cost us a few more bucks, but in the long term, its better to have it where it needs to be. The siting of the Membrane Filtration Reverse Osmosis Facility has been a source of controversy since 2016. The plant is needed to desalinate recycled water so it can then be piped to outlying parts of the city where it can be used for agricultural irrigation. The recycled system is crucial because it will take water that today is being dumped into a pipe that eventually leads to the ocean -- a pipe that is nearing its capacity. Without the recycled water system, the city could find itself in the position of having to replace the outfall pipe at a cost of a billion dollars or more. Advertisement The majority of the council is not opposed to the recycled water plan, just to the location of the plant. The council will discuss rescinding the approval at its meeting Wednesday. They will need to consider a memorandum prepared for the meeting by the citys director of utilities, Christopher McKinney, who paints a dire financial picture should the location of the plant be moved. If the City Council chooses to direct staff to pursue another site the financial consequences of this decision will depend on several factors including, and not limited to, the location and characteristics of a new site, he wrote. These financial costs will likely reach several millions of dollars. The only other logical location, officials say, is to build the plant next to an industrially zoned location near the citys Public Works yard to the west. That would require purchasing four to five acres of property at a cost of around $5 million and the construction of at least another 1.5 miles of additional 24-inch recycled water mains at a cost of about $3 million, McKinney said in the memo. He said the Washington and Ash site is already owned by the city, saving Escondido millions. He said about $1 million has been spent to develop plans for the currently proposed site, money that would also be partially lost because not all plans can be readily transferred to a new site. Additionally, McKinney said moving the project could jeopardize a $2 million grant awarded to the project from the state, as well as a $29 million state revolving fund loan, which includes $2.5 million in loan forgiveness. The initial site for the plant was not at Washington and Ash but instead on city-owned property further east along Washington Avenue near where it intersects with El Norte Parkway. That location met with huge resistance from the surrounding community. Homes surrounded the property and the council decided to find another spot in mid-2016. Late that same year, the Washington and Ash location was approved by the citys Planning Commission but the decision was appealed to the council by the Springs of Escondido residential development a neighbor of the project site and Councilwoman Olga Diaz. Advertisement In January 2017, the council voted 4-1 to place the plant at the Washington and Ash location, with Diaz and dozens of members of the surrounding community vociferously expressing their objection. The Springs of Escondido then sued the city. A $40,000 settlement was reached which included a city promise that the plant would be built on the west side of the property near Ash, as far from the retirement home as possible. Things have now drastically changed on the council, which for years had a 4-1 conservative majority voting block. With the election of Councilwoman Consuelo Martinez over incumbent Ed Gallo and McNamara over incumbent Mayor Sam Abed in November, a new, Democrat-led council is now in control. Should they vote to move the plant, many believe it could be the first of many decisions made under the Abed-led council over the past decade to be overturned. Advertisement Martinez represents District 1, which includes the Washington and Ash intersection. During her campaign, she said she would like the plant to be located elsewhere. McNamara on Friday said moving the plant is the right move for the long-term future of the city. The property at Washington and Ash abuts the Escondido Creek and there are visions of turning that area into a riverwalk-type residential and commercial area. That property would be prime for enhancing that vision, McNamara said. We already have an industrial area to put that plant in. Granted, it may put us behind a couple of years, but when youre looking out 40 or 50 years, what do you want to see? Do you want to see a big plant in the middle of a neighborhood or would you rather have it in an industrial area? Advertisement He said developing a riverwalk concept on the site would make far more financial sense in the long run and could revitalize that part of the city. Technically, on Wednesday the council can vote only to consider rescinding the former councils approval of the plant location. The citys staff would then come back to the council next month with details about where else the recycled water plant could be built and how much it would cost. Advertisement jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones Foreign sailor sentenced to 4-year imprisonment for assault on Russian border guards flickr.com/ paukrus 11:24 03/07/2020 MOSCOW, July 3 (RAPSI) - A court in Nakhodka, a town in the Primorsky Krai, has sentenced a foreign sailor to 4 years in penal colony for assault on the Russian boundary officers in the Sea of Japan, the press service of the Prosecutor Generals Office reports. The foreigner has been found guilty of using force dangerous to life and health against a representative of authority. In September 2019, boundary officers of the Federal Security Services (FSB) Primorsky Krai Directorate patrolling the Sea of Japan found a poaching foreignfishing vessel, reportedly under the North Korean flag. Eighteen alleged poachers actively resisted during the vehicle check that resulted in personal injuries of four officers out of eleven, including a gunshot wound of one of them, the Investigative Committee reported earlier. The Wesley Community is a nonprofit senior living campus in Saratoga Springs with more than 700 residents. Another $47k recovered from organizers of illegal Moscow rally in favor of police RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 12:01 03/07/2020 MOSCOW, July 3 (RAPSI) Organizers of the illegal opposition rally of July 27, 2019, including Alexey Navalny and Ilya Yashin, on Friday were jointly ordered to pay another 3.3 million rubles ($47,000) to the Moscow Main Directorate of the Interior Ministry, RAPSI reported from the Simonovsky District Court of Moscow. The court granted the claim in part. The plaintiff sought to collect about 4.3 million rubles (about $70,000) from opposition figures Alexey Navalny, Ilya Yashin, Lyubov Sobol, Vladimir Milov, Georgy Alburov, Alexander Solovyev and Oleg Stepanov. Police insisted that the said funds were spent to enhance security during illegal rallies in central Moscow. Earlier on Friday, the court recovered over 4.6 million rubles (over $65,000) jointly from organizers of the unauthorized opposition rally held on August 3, 2019, Lyubov Sobol and Georgy Alburov, in favor of the Moscow Main Directorate of the Interior Ministry. Protest actions began in Moscow in mid-July after election commissions denied registration of certain opposition members as candidates for the Moscow City Duma elections reasoning that documents submitted by them contained numerous violations. The first unauthorized rally took place hear the Moscow City Election Commissions building on July 14 and looked like a provocation, according to law experts. Unauthorized rallies in support of candidates seeking to become lawmakers of the Moscow State Duma but refused registration by the Election Commission were also held on July 27 and August 3 in central Moscow. Over 1,000 people were arrested for various violations as a result. Mathematicians based in Australia and China have developed a method to analyze the large amount of data accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The technique, described in the journal Chaos, by AIP Publishing, can identify anomalous countries -- those that are more successful than expected at responding to the pandemic and those that are particularly unsuccessful. The data comes from Our World in Data (https://ourworldindata.org/about), a project of the Global Change Data Lab, a registered charity in England and Wales. This organization collected information from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control for cumulative daily case counts and deaths for 208 countries over a period of 122 days from Dec. 31, 2019, to April 30, 2020. The investigators analyzed the data with a variation of a statistical technique known as a cluster analysis. In this approach, data points are grouped according to similarity. The countries form clusters as individual outbreaks become more similar. For all of January, the investigators found only two clusters: China in one cluster, and all the other 207 countries in the other. As the virus spread, additional countries jumped into the China cluster. Italy was the first to join, followed by the U.S., Spain, France, Germany, Iran and the U.K. By mid-March, case counts for countries around the world grouped into 16 clusters. By April, a similar grouping was seen in death counts. In mid-March, China moved out of the worst death cluster, while the U.S., Spain, Italy, France and the U.K. moved into it. The investigators found a notable break in the cluster structure for cases between March 1 and March 2. This date is significant, because numerous countries reported their first COVID-19 cases at that time, mostly coming from Iran and Italy. Another break in the cluster structure occurs between March 18 and March 19 for deaths, a 17-day difference from that of cases. This offset suggests a 17-day lag for deaths behind cases and agrees with medical data. Once the investigators identified the 17-day offset between cases and deaths, they were able to compare countries' case and death numbers at the same point in time. This revealed countries with anomalous results. "Anomalies may signify either disproportionately high or low number of deaths relative to the number of cases," said co-author Nick James. Iran and Italy both had anomalously high death rates early in the pandemic, while Singapore was anomalously low, as were South Korea, Qatar and Australia. "We also noticed a sort of critical mass effect in the progression of cases to deaths," said co-author Max Menzies. "Spain's death count as of March 28 was over twice that of its case count just 16 days earlier. This is an astonishing explosion of COVID-19. It also applies to the U.S. Its dramatic elevation in death count hit after the case count reached a critical mass in early March." Rural hospitals are more likely than urban facilities to have access to telehealth, a once-underused service that now is playing a key role in treating coronavirus patients, according to research by two health administration professors in Florida Atlantic University's College of Business. Neeraj Puro, Ph.D., and Scott Feyereisen, Ph.D., say the research can help U.S. hospitals understand the extent to which they are prepared for another wave of the pandemic. The work has been published in The Journal of Rural Health, one of the leading peer-reviewed publications on rural health issues. Telehealth connects patients with doctors by computer or telephone when in-person appointments are not possible or safe from disease transmission. "It's a relatively easy way to expand access," Feyereisen said. "More health care access is good. It's one of the goals of the system." Having telehealth provides hospitals the ability to expand their service offerings in multiple ways, according to the report. For example, telehealth services have the potential to improve outcomes for high-risk obstetric patients in rural communities, while telehealth facilitated the use of anti-microbials in rural areas where infectious disease physicians were not available. Still, barriers such as insurance restrictions and technology limitations remain in place, preventing the widespread use of the service. Puro and Feyereisen concluded that talking with doctors remotely is an important part of improving rural health care. The odds of hospitals to provide telehealth services vary, with Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas leading the way among the nine regions designated by the U.S. Census. What's more, coastal states, including New York, Florida, California and Washington, generally lacked the capability to provide e-services in rural areas, with telehealth specifically in short supply. In addition, telehealth capabilities are more common in hospitals that belong to a system and benefit from the economies of scale. "Not only are rural populations some of the most vulnerable to diseases such as COVID-19, they might be called upon to provide back-up service to overflowing urban hospitals in the event such systems are overwhelmed," the report stated. "Going forward, telehealth is likely to play a large role in diagnosing patients, particularly in coming months as long as social distancing is a preferred strategy for preventing the spread of COVID-19. This virus might also become seasonal, and until a vaccine is introduced, telehealth will likely be increasingly integral to diagnosis and treatment." The research also found that telehealth capabilities are predictably available in larger hospitals as well as teaching hospitals, and the professors say policymakers would be wise to provide support to smaller facilities. The study of 3,268 hospitals is based on 2017 data from the American Hospital Association survey, Area Health Resource Files and Medicare cost reports. It is estimated that 15 million different species live on our planet, but only 2 million of them are currently known to science. Discovering new species is important as it helps to protect them. Furthermore, new species can also produce compounds that could lead to the development of new medicine. "Biodiversity is declining at an accelerating rate and, according to estimates, even a million organisms are in danger of becoming extinct in the next few decades. If we want to protect nature's biodiversity as efficiently as possible, we have to discover as many species as we can," says Professor of Biodiversity Research Ilari E. Saaksjarvi from the University of Turku, Finland. Discovering new species enables, for example, studying their habits and defining their geographical distribution. So far this year, the researchers of the Biodiversity Unit at the University of Turku have described 17 new spider species, 23 insects, one bristly millipede, and one monitor lizard. The new species have been discovered from the Amazon, Europe, India, the Middle East, and the Pacific islands. In addition to the species, the researchers have also described four new genera previously unknown to science. The Amazing Beauty of Spiders In one of the most recent studies from the Biodiversity Unit, Doctoral Candidate Alireza Zamani described a new spider species Loureedia phoenixi from Iran. advertisement "The discovery was amazing as the new species belongs to the genus of velvet spiders, of which only few species have been known so far. They are very shy in their habits so discovering a new species was a great and welcome surprise. The species in this genus are amazingly beautiful and colourful so I wish this new discovery can make people understand the beauty and importance of spiders. We discovered the species from an area that is about 1,500 kilometres outside the known geographical distribution of the Loureedia genus," describes Zamani. Zamani and Saaksjarvi say that the Loureedia phoenixi spider was named after actor Joaquin Phoenix. The colourful pattern on its back resembles the face paint of the movie character Joker. The researchers of the Biodiversity Unit have also described tropical parasitoid wasps belonging to the Acrotaphus and Hymenoepimecis genera. These wasps are parasitic on spiders and manipulate the host in complicated ways. The parasitoid wasp lays its egg on the spider and then manipulates it into spinning a special web instead of a normal web for catching prey. The wasp's pupa nests safely inside this special web while developing into adulthood. Species Discoveries Support Conservation Efforts New discoveries increase our information about the history of species and can therefore affect their conservation in the future. A good example is the Varanus bennetti monitor lizard described this year, as the importance of the species' conservation was concluded only after close field and laboratory studies. advertisement "The monitor lizard species that was first considered an invasive species to Micronesia turned out to be two separate species native to the islands. We described one of these as new to science," say researchers Valter Weijola and Varpu Vahtera who discovered the species. Discovering, classifying, and describing a new species is a long process. New discoveries often require challenging field studies in remote places. Before conducting the field study, the researcher has to make sure that the required permits for collecting specimens and taking them out of the country are in order. The studies are conducted together with local scientists as often as possible. After the field study, the other research work begins: the species is examined in a laboratory, described, named, and classified and then the research article is published in an international journal. In the last few years, the Biodiversity Unit of the University of Turku has profiled itself especially in describing the biodiversity of unknown ecosystems. Each year, the unit describes dozens of new species which is a great amount even by international standards. "Our goal is to discover new species and tell their story to the world. At the moment, we are in the process of describing even more new species and genera. Many of these animals live in areas that might transform or even disappear in the next few years. Describing new species to science is a race against the clock. We hope that our research draws people's attention to the life of these unique species and thus promotes the conservation of biodiversity," conclude Saaksjarvi and Zamani. Men are more likely than are women to be seen as "brilliant," finds a new study measuring global perceptions linked to gender. The work concludes that these stereotyped views are an instance of implicit bias, revealing automatic associations that people cannot, or at least do not, report holding when asked directly. The research, which appears in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, was conducted by scientists at New York University, the University of Denver, and Harvard University. "Stereotypes that portray brilliance as a male trait are likely to hold women back across a wide range of prestigious careers," observes Daniel Storage, an assistant professor in the University of Denver's Department of Psychology and the paper's lead author. "Understanding the prevalence and magnitude of this gender-brilliance stereotype can inform future efforts to increase gender equity in career outcomes," adds Andrei Cimpian, an associate professor in NYU's Department of Psychology and the paper's senior author. Previous work by Cimpian and his colleagues has suggested that women are underrepresented in careers where success is perceived to depend on high levels of intellectual ability (e.g., brilliance, genius), including those in science and technology. Less understood are the factors that explain this phenomenon. To address this, the new Journal of Experimental Social Psychology study explored the potential impact of stereotypes. For example, perhaps the qualities of genius and brilliance are associated in people's minds with men more than with women -- and, as a result, women are less encouraged to pursue these fields -- or the atmosphere of these fields is less welcoming to women. advertisement However, accurately measuring stereotyping is a challenge. People are often reluctant to admit they have stereotypes, so asking directly about these beliefs is unlikely to provide an accurate measure of whether they endorse the idea that brilliance is more common among men than it is among women. To overcome this methodological obstacle, the researchers adopted a test that is geared to measure stereotyping indirectly. Here, the aim is to capture implicit stereotypes -- or the automatic associations that come to mind between certain traits (e.g., brilliance) and certain groups (e.g., men). This is in contrast to explicit stereotyping, in which we knowingly and verbally ascribe traits to groups of people. The team employed a long-established tool, the Implicit Association Test (IAT), which measures the degree of overlap between concepts (e.g., brilliant and male) without explicitly asking subjects whether or not they hold stereotyped views. The IAT is essentially a speeded sorting task. In the study, participants saw a series of stimuli (such as a picture of a woman or the word "brilliant") on a computer screen and were asked to sort them into two categories by pressing either the E or the I key on their keyboard. For example, in some trials participants were asked to press E if they saw a stimulus that is related to either the category male or the trait brilliant. On other trials, the sorting rule was different. For example, the gender categories were swapped such that participants had to press E if they saw a stimulus that is related to either the category female or the trait brilliant. The logic of the IAT, the authors explain, is as follows: If brilliant is more associated with male than with female in people's minds, then participants will be faster to sort the stimuli when brilliant and male are paired with the same response key -- because the stereotype makes these two concepts seem like they "go together" -- than when brilliant and female are paired. advertisement Across a series of five studies, which included U.S. women and men, U.S. girls and boys (ages 9 and 10), and women and men from 78 other countries, the researchers consistently found evidence for an implicit stereotype associating brilliance with men more than with women. The magnitude of this stereotype was striking as well -- for example, it was similar in strength to the implicit stereotype that associates men more than women with careers (and women more than men with the family), which was identified in earlier work. The team also gauged explicit stereotypes, directly asking subjects whether they believed that men are more brilliant than women. In marked contrast to the implicit stereotyping measures, subjects reported disagreeing with this idea -- and, in one study, explicitly associated the quality of being "super smart" with women more than with men. The finding is consistent with previous scholarship showing that people are unlikely admit to stereotyping, reinforcing the importance of measuring such perceptions through more subtle means. Tessa Charlesworth, a doctoral student at Harvard University and co-author of the paper, notes that "a particularly exciting finding from this work is that, if anything, people explicitly say that they associate women with brilliance. Yet implicit measures reveal a different story about the more automatic gender stereotypes that come to mind when thinking about brilliance." The paper's author team also included Mahzarin Banaji, Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics at Harvard University. The research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (BCS-1530669, BCS-1733897). Things are different on the other side of the mirror. Text is backward. Clocks run counterclockwise. Cars drive on the wrong side of the road. Right hands become left hands. Intrigued by how reflection changes images in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, a team of Cornell University researchers used artificial intelligence to investigate what sets originals apart from their reflections. Their algorithms learned to pick up on unexpected clues such as hair parts, gaze direction and, surprisingly, beards -- findings with implications for training machine learning models and detecting faked images. "The universe is not symmetrical. If you flip an image, there are differences," said Noah Snavely, associate professor of computer science at Cornell Tech and senior author of the study, "Visual Chirality," presented at the 2020 Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, held virtually June 14-19. "I'm intrigued by the discoveries you can make with new ways of gleaning information." Zhiqui Lin is the paper's first author; co-authors are Abe Davis, assistant professor of computer science, and Cornell Tech postdoctoral researcher Jin Sun. Differentiating between original images and reflections is a surprisingly easy task for AI, Snavely said -- a basic deep learning algorithm can quickly learn how to classify if an image has been flipped with 60% to 90% accuracy, depending on the kinds of images used to train the algorithm. Many of the clues it picks up on are difficult for humans to notice. advertisement For this study, the team developed technology to create a heat map that indicates the parts of the image that are of interest to the algorithm, to gain insight into how it makes these decisions. They discovered, not surprisingly, that the most commonly used clue was text, which looks different backward in every written language. To learn more, they removed images with text from their data set, and found that the next set of characteristics the model focused on included wrist watches, shirt collars (buttons tend to be on the left side), faces and phones -- which most people tend to carry in their right hands -- as well as other factors revealing right-handedness. The researchers were intrigued by the algorithm's tendency to focus on faces, which don't seem obviously asymmetrical. "In some ways, it left more questions than answers," Snavely said. They then conducted another study focusing on faces and found that the heat map lit up on areas including hair part, eye gaze -- most people, for reasons the researchers don't know, gaze to the left in portrait photos -- and beards. Snavely said he and his team members have no idea what information the algorithm is finding in beards, but they hypothesized that the way people comb or shave their faces could reveal handedness. advertisement "It's a form of visual discovery," Snavely said. "If you can run machine learning at scale on millions and millions of images, maybe you can start to discover new facts about the world." Each of these clues individually may be unreliable, but the algorithm can build greater confidence by combining multiple clues, the findings showed. The researchers also found that the algorithm uses low-level signals, stemming from the way cameras process images, to make its decisions. Though more study is needed, the findings could impact the way machine learning models are trained. These models need vast numbers of images in order to learn how to classify and identify pictures, so computer scientists often use reflections of existing images to effectively double their datasets. Examining how these reflected images differ from the originals could reveal information about possible biases in machine learning that might lead to inaccurate results, Snavely said. "This leads to an open question for the computer vision community, which is, when is it OK to do this flipping to augment your dataset, and when is it not OK?" he said. "I'm hoping this will get people to think more about these questions and start to develop tools to understand how it's biasing the algorithm." Understanding how reflection changes an image could also help use AI to identify images that have been faked or doctored -- an issue of growing concern on the internet. "This is perhaps a new tool or insight that can be used in the universe of image forensics, if you want to tell if something is real or not," Snavely said. The research was supported in part by philanthropists Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, and Wendy Schmidt. Close The increasing amounts of greenhouse gases have trapped heat that causes the rising temperatures of the Earth's oceans. The global average surface temperature has increased by more than 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit or 0.9 degrees Celsius since 1906, according to National Geographic. The rising temperature has melted glaciers and sea ice and has affected the precipitation patterns which caused the animals to change course also. Although water temperatures have risen, one patch of water in North Atlantic seems to resist the trend, and instead of increasing in temperature, it is actually dropping. Cold Blob in the Atlantic Ocean This cold blob in North Atlantic has caught the attention of many climatologists ever since it was discovered in 2015. However, these experts find it challenging to explain this mysterious phenomenon due to the complexities of ocean circulation. But a team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Germany conducted a study, published in Natural Climate Change, adding detail to this mysterious cold blob, revealing that there's more than one cause for this phenomenon. They applied long-term climate modelling to simulate different configurations to find which match the observed plunge in temperature. According to the researchers, one cause of this cold blob is no surprise. It actually adds to previous studies that show a current of water known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) has significantly weakened beginning on the mid-20th century. When AMOC is running at its full speed, the circulation takes warm, salty surface waters from the tropics near the Gulf of Mexico north to the European coast. This, in turn, exchanges to cold, freshwater that is supplied by the melting ice. It is not yet clear what causes this highway of tropical water to slow down, but climate models suggest that more meltwater from Greenland added by rising global temperatures would explain this event. Warmer temperatures on the ocean surface make it buoyant that is why it is less likely to drop as quickly, slowing the spiral. At the same time, water from the melting Arctic ice and more rainfall form a layer of salty water on the surface which could also obstruct the circulating currents. Read also: Rare Whales That Were Hunted Almost to Extinction Survived Under the Arctic Ice How Does Earth's Climate Affect the Cold Blob? The researchers used a detailed planetary climate model to identify variations in energy, carbon dioxide, and water across the ocean, land, and atmosphere in an effort to know the link between the Earth's climate and the cold blob. Simulations based on this model helped the researchers to see what might happen if they force the AMOC to churn away at full speed, which leaves the atmosphere as the major influencing factor. They found a small noticeable effect as the incoming warm waters cooled down and produced low-lying clouds that would reflect possible radiation which then cools the water surface even further. The team then ran another scenario that only looked at the transport of heat of AMOC, finding that it was not just carrying energy but also dumping more of it in the circulating water of the Arctic. But for some complicated reasons, these subpolar circulations are increasing and draws heat from the AMOC which leave the cold blob even colder. There is more work to be done to explain the cold blob further and determining how climate change impacts it. There is no doubt that future researchers will be paying even closer attention to the AMOC's strength in the coming years, but knowing how the cold blob operates in a world experiencing climate change help better understand what to expect in the future. Read More: Storms in US Eastern Seaboard and Asia Could Slow Down by 2 Miles Per Hour Due to Climate Change An Associated Press investigation has found that at least 1,900 U.S. military firearms were lost or stolen during the 2010s. Civilians later u Case over sexual battery of 1.5-year girl must be reconsidered - Kuznetsova RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 15:58 03/07/2020 MOSCOW, July 3 (RAPSI) Russias Child Rights Commissioner Anna Kuznetsova believes a case over sexual battery against a 1.5-year girl by her father is to be reconsidered to the fullest extent of the law. In April, a court in town of Bugulma acquitted a local resident of sexual assault on his kid because of absence of the event of a crime. Prosecutors challenged the ruling. On July 3, the acquittal was reversed by the Tatarstan Supreme Court. The ombudsman thanked prosecutors, her regional colleague for their prompt reaction and asked guardianship and wardship authorities to join the case. In late June, Kuznetsova said she held control over the situation in the Republic of Tatarstan where a court has acquitted a man of sexual battery against his 1.5-year daughter. Kuznetsova was in contact with a republican minors ombudsman. She stated it necessary to sort out the situation because the matter is protection of rights of a little child who even cannot tell of the incident. National Guard employee gets 9.5 years behind bars for girlfriend murder flickr.com/ meesh 16:37 03/07/2020 MOSCOW, July 3 (RAPSI) A court in Kazan, the capital of Russias Republic of Tatarstan, has sentenced the National Guard employee Marat Sakhapov to 9.5 years in high-security prison for killing his girlfriend, lawyer Rushana Kamalova has told RAPSI. Moreover, a judge has recovered 1 million rubles ($14,000) from the defendant in favor of the injured party, according to the attorney. The court found that on September 1, 2018, Sakhapov beat the 21-year Elnara Karakhanova and then threw her out from a 6-floor balcony. A prosecutor demanded 16.5 years in jail for Sakhapov, who had pleaded not guilty to the murder. Over the past 100 years, inventions and discoveries have made life safer and healthier. Medical breakthroughs have given diabetics insulin, created the artificial heart, and made blood banks possible. The discovery of penicillin led to modern antibiotics, and vaccines have eradicated polio. Some inventions have helped the world connect and fundamentally changed all aspects of people's personal and work lives. Technological advances in the 1960s gave rise to the modern internet, which gave the world websites and email addresses. Steve Jobs changed everything when he unveiled the iPhone in 2007, putting a computer and a camera in just about everyone's pocket. Some inventions just made things a little easier. People can save time by heating their food in the microwave, and Band-Aids keep cuts clean. At the home or office, Post-it notes and Scotch tape can come in handy. Still others promised to change our everyday lives but fell short: Within two decades, Segway went from the future of personal transport in 2001 to its announcement in June 2020 that it would cease production by July 15. Depending on your birth year, you may have lived through the creation of many of these iconic items, and it is only you who can confirm or deny which inventions were the best thing since sliced bread (1929). For those born in the last 20 to 30 years, you can recall several passed-down stories from your parents and grandparents-perhaps those of visual significance, such as when the color television, contact lenses, and polaroid camera emerged and left a vast cultural footprint. As with most of human history, many of the best inventions are simply the byproduct of improving upon old ideas; the pinnacle of fully fleshed-out designs. There is no DVD player without the VCR forebear. No iPod without the Walkman. No augmented or virtual reality video game systems without its ancestors in the first gaming consoles. To find some of the most interesting inventions of the last century, Stacker scoured news reports and patents. Scroll down to find brilliant inventions from the year you were born. You may also like: Origins of the 50 most popular dog breeds This article was first published on Stacker David Ryder/Getty Images SEATTLE Ten people were arrested Thursday night and Friday morning as some protesters continued to clash with Seattle Police. Three were arrested just after 10 p.m. Thursday for investigation of property destruction for an incident outside the department's West Precinct building in downtown Seattle, according to Seattle Police officials. Navalnys associate fined $1,400 for breaching foreign agent law RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov 17:29 03/07/2020 MOSCOW, July 3 (RAPSI) Moscows Simonovsky District Court on Friday fined lawyer Ivan Zhdanov 100,000 rubles ($1,400) for publishing posts on the Instagram page of the foundation founded by Alexey Navalny without noting that the materials were distributed by a foreign agent, RAPSI was told in the court. Navalnys associate was found guilty of violating the order of the operation of an NGO labeled as foreign agent. In early November 2019, Moscows Zamoskvoretsky District Court refused to overturn the Justice Ministrys October decision to include Navalnys organization in the list of NGOs acting as foreign agents. The Justice Ministry established the fact of the organizations conforming to the foreign agent criteria during the monitoring of its activity conducted by the Justice Ministrys Moscow Main Directorate, the Ministrys official website informed at that time. The decision to give Navalnys foundation the status of a foreign agent was made based on evidence of its funding from abroad, the acting director of the Justice Ministrys NGO affairs department Vladimir Titov told journalists. Human Rights Watch, June 18, 2020 By Heather Barr On May 28, 2020, Human Rights Watch launched a survey to learn more about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on students, parents and caregivers. As of June 6, people in 54 countries had completed the survey; its still open hereplease fill it out! The following dispatches highlight some of the themes that have come through most strongly, and well keep adding to this page. The survey is helping us identify issues of concern and hear from people experiencing themany data is not intended to be representative of the experiences of the broader population. Amid government responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of children around the world have faced school closures, and many are struggling to keep up their studies. But few governments were as poorly prepared as Afghanistan, where schools are closed until at least September. In an ongoing Human Rights Watch survey on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on students and caregivers, Afghans described trying to study amidst both war and a pandemic. Afghanistans schools were in crisis before the pandemic. The number of children studying is falling in many provinces as conflict escalates and donor funding ends. Girls were already behind; Afghanistan has many more schools for boys than girls, and by upper secondary school, fewer than 36 percent of students are girls. But now things are even worse. Online study works for few students. The World Bank estimates that only 14 percent of Afghans use the internet, and with 55 percent of people below the poverty line, many families cannot afford internet or devices to access it. With only 30 percent of women and 55 percent of men literate, many parents cannot help their children study. Girls may be less likely to make it back to school. Respondents to the Human Rights Watch survey said that out-of-school girls face greater housework burdens, social isolation, and less internet access. A 2019 study found Afghan women spent 18.7 hours a day on childcare, care for others, preparing food, and cleaning, while men spent 5.6 hours a day on these tasks. Since the Covid-19 outbreak, caregiving responsibilities have increased dramatically around the world, often pushing women out of paid employment. Abuse at home is another risk. One respondent wrote, Afghans live in big families. If they stay home every day it leads to family violence and children are the victims normally. Thirty-five percent of Afghan girls marry as children, and being out of school is associated with child marriage. Afghan girls who did not study are 3 times as likely to marry before age 18 as girls who completed secondary education. The Afghan government and its international donors should work to minimize the impact of the pandemic on women and girls. Schools should track which students return to school and reach out to missing children, especially girls. The government should strengthen services for victims of violence and ensure that economic recovery plans reach women. Afghan women and girls cant face another setback. Thank you for reading! You have reached your 30-day limit of free access to SentinelSource.com, The Keene Sentinels website. If you would like to read two more articles for free at this time, please register for an account by clicking the sign up button below. We hope you find The Sentinels coverage of the Monadnock Region valuable. We rely on our subscribers to bring you strong local journalism and hope you will consider supporting our work by taking advantage of this special subscription offer here. Keene, NH (03431) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Santa Clara Countys health officer issued a new health order Thursday that puts in place long term measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus and warned residents that they must adapt to a new way of life as COVID-19 will be with us for a long time. Dr. Sara Codys order requires risk reduction measures to be put in place across all business sectors and activities to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. Businesses must require workers to do their jobs remotely if possible; businesses are strongly urged to move as many operations as possible outdoors, and businesses must not exceed density limitations at their facilities. It says the total number of workers at a facility cannot exceed one personnel per 250 gross square feet, and the total number of customers or members of the public may not exceed one person per 150 square feet of space open to the public. This virus has proven time and again in communities around the country and around the world that it will come back with a vengeance if you let your guard down, Cody said during a news conference. We will not let our guard down here in Santa Clara County. The order takes effect on July 13 or whenever it is granted approval by state officials, whichever is later. High-risk businesses must remain closed as part of this order, such as: indoor dining, indoor bars, indoor swimming pools, saunas, amusement parks, nightclubs, music venues, indoor theaters, indoor playgrounds, and Any indoor facility that is used for an activity inherently necessitating the removal of a face covering. Were all coming to recognize that certain activities just cant be done safely at this time, Cody said. There are, however, other activities that we can resume in limited ways if we do them with appropriate and consistent social distancing. Cody said the county has reached an inflection point in the pandemic where its crystal clear that COVID-19 will be with us for a long time. She said county residents must adapt a new way of life in order to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe. In addition, the order sets mandatory reporting standards for employers, requiring them to immediately report coronavirus cases to local public health officials if an employee tests positive for COVID-19 if they were present in the workplace within the 48 hours prior to onset of symptoms or within 48 hours of the date on which they were tested. Employers must report the case within four hours to the public health department. The new order will allow some activities to resume in the county, such as hair and nail services, gyms, and small gatherings, as long as strict social distancing protocols are in place, she said. Cody said that while Santa Clara County has had fewer coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents than any other county in the Bay Area over the last two weeks and fewer than any other urban region in the state during that time period the county continues to record higher daily case counts than compared to April, when she said we all came together to flatten the curve. Santa Clara County has reported 4,750 cases and 159 deaths as of Thursday, according to the countys COVID-19 data dashboard. Cody said the order marks the beginning of a new phase in the countys response to a pandemic that has infected 246,594 and killed 6,261 in California as of Thursday, and infected more than 2 million people in the United States. The new health order comes a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered 19 counties with climbing coronavirus cases to close indoor restaurants, wineries, and other establishments in an effort to curb the virus acceleration. Santa Clara County was on the list, joining Contra Costa and Solano counties in the Bay Area. I am extremely grateful for his leadership in doing this. Those activities were never reopened here in our county, and unfortunately many are ones that cannot resume safely here or elsewhere anytime soon, Cody said. She said she understands that the realities of human behavior must be taken into account and hopes the new order is a guide for residents to safely navigate certain activities in the county for the months ahead. Cody said health officials anticipate this new stage will be stable for some time, but did not provide a timeline. In her closing remarks during Thursdays news conference, Cody said the coronavirus has put a spotlight on the stark existing disparities in society and created devastating social and economic consequences in the Bay Area and beyond. But the only way we can get out of this is to simply stay laser focused on containing COVID-19. And I believe we can do this if we stay together, Cody said. I am very proud of our community and what we have been able to accomplish together over the last many months, and know that we will continue to pull together and support one another as we move forward in the weeks and months to come. Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez A federal judge ordered state prison officials Thursday to transfer two mentally ill inmates who said they were assaulted by guards after speaking with lawyers who were looking into the death of another inmate. The inmates have provided evidence that the guards were retaliating against them for cooperating in the investigation, in violation of a court order, and that their lives will remain in danger until they are safely transferred from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Center in San Diego, said U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken of Oakland. She told prison officials to present plans by Monday to transfer both inmates to a prison, jail or non-custodial setting where they could be safe. Michael Freedman, a lawyer for the inmates, said he was relieved by the order. For years, correctional officers in CDCR have abused incarcerated people without accountability or repercussions, he said, referring to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. As a result, CDCR is an exceedingly dangerous place in which even witnesses in a federal civil rights lawsuit are in danger. A department spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. Mentally disabled prisoners first sued the state in 1994, alleging violations of federal laws requiring accommodations for disabled people. In recent filings in Wilkens court, inmates alleged a series of beatings and other abuse by guards against mentally and physically disabled prisoners in numerous institutions. In one incident, they said, Rodney Gravesbey, a 68-year-old inmate with mental illness, was feuding with his cellmate at the Donovan prison, and both men pleaded to be moved to separate cells but were brushed off by guards. They came to blows on Feb. 4, and guards ignored calls for help for 15 to 30 minutes, the court filing said. Gravesbey died of his injuries 15 days later. Thursdays order involved two inmates who were witnesses to the incident and discussed it with lawyers. According to Freedmans court filing, one, a 69-year-old man, was yanked from his wheelchair by a guard, slammed to the ground and knocked unconscious on June 17. The guards mocked him when he awoke and later accused him of assaulting them, the filing said. The other inmate is a 47-year-old transgender woman. Freedman said a guard stepped on her hands and ankles while she was having a seizure, and guards also manipulated other inmates, who worked with the guards, into threatening her. Guards also made announcements that both inmates were working with lawyers or prison officials, exposing them to retaliation from other inmates, Freedman said. In her order, Wilken said the inmates had presented evidence that they have already faced violent retaliation for participating in the (case) and reporting officer misconduct, and that they have a credible fear that (Donovan) is an extremely dangerous place for those who report misconduct. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko A mountain lion that recently roamed the streets of San Francisco died Friday morning when it was apparently struck by a vehicle along Highway 1 in Pacifica. California Highway Patrol officers received a call around 7:30 a.m. from someone who passed the dead cat on the shoulder of the northbound lanes near Skyline Boulevard, said Officer Mark Andrews. The mountain lion had a tracker from the states Department of Fish and Wildlife. The young puma, a 70-pound, 12-to-18-month-old male, was released into a rural part of San Mateo County, where scientists believed it may have been from, after its capture, said Ken Paglia, a spokesman for Fish and Wildlife. Young males are more likely to become one of the nearly 100 cats killed on California roads every year because they often meander, searching for territory, Paglia said. As he eluded authorities and animal experts in San Francisco weeks ago, the puma captured the attention of the city for the two days he was on the lam. He was first spotted on June 16 on Russian Hill shortly after midnight and then near Broadway on the northern waterfront. His appearances continued, prompting officials to issue guidance of what to do in a chance encounter with such a cat. He also drew suspicion when a kangaroo and two wallaroos were attacked and killed by a predator at the San Francisco Zoo. Findings suggest that a local wild carnivore is responsible. zoo spokeswoman Nancy Chan said at the time. The saga between the elusive cat and animal officials trying to help it came to an end in the small hours of June 18, when a San Francisco police officer patrolling the 100 block of Channel Street spotted the mountain lion. Officials captured the puma, collared it and drove it to a rural part of San Mateo County, where they released it. Dozens of pumas have been killed on roads in Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties since 2008, according to the Santa Cruz Puma Project at UC Santa Cruz. Alejandro Serrano is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alejandro.serrano@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @serrano_alej San Francisco, which once packed 68 crowded bus lines into its lean streets, stands to lose most of them as the pandemic sinks its transit budget and steers riders into cars. Up to 40 of the bus lines that San Francisco cut at the beginning of the pandemic are not coming back unless the city finds a new revenue source, transportation chief Jeffrey Tumlin said this week. Just about every aspect of San Franciscos transportation future looks grim. Elbow-to-elbow transit has long been a feature of life in San Francisco. Yet the daily bustle ended with COVID-19, which closed schools and businesses, moved offices into homes and lured more people into cars. And the huge blow to Muni, which is on life support, has implications for the environment, the livability of San Francisco and the ability of the city to bounce back economically post-pandemic. The cuts that were making are terribly painful, Tumlin said during a board meeting Tuesday, his voice breaking slightly as the four directors solemnly nodded. Faced with galling projections of $568 million in revenue losses over four years, along with a $46 million increase in pension contributions, the board took a hard look this week at the budget it approved in April. Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle In the ensuing two months, the world changed for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. Officials agreed to cancel a planned Clipper card fare increase under pressure from two city supervisors a decision that by itself stripped $20 million in anticipated revenue. And cases of COVID-19 surged again, tamping down hopes that the normal commute would resume any time soon. By fiscal year 2023, we will have a problem that we cannot overcome without cutting service, Jonathan Rewers, senior manager of budget, financial planning and analysis, said at Tuesdays meeting. It will just come to that. We have cut everything to the bare bone. The board voted Tuesday to pass the amended budget, despite misgivings that it would not include a fare increase. As a result of that change, the agency had to wind back free Muni for youth, though low-income youth still ride free. Munis backlog in infrastructure maintenance equipment that still needs to be repaired and replaced has ballooned to $110 million, and Rewers said it will cost $472 million annually just to keep a status quo state of good repair. Studies of transit systems around the globe show that, at best, 80% of riders will eventually return, with the rest lost to telecommuting, cars or bicycles amid heightened fears of COVID-19 infection. Thats the optimistic projection, Rewers said. He presented a worst-case scenario in which social distancing rules severely limit the number of people Muni can carry on each vehicle. In that case, he said, the agency might limp along with fewer than 150,000 riders each weekday, or one-fifth of its pre-pandemic haul. Tumlin noted that Muni wont succeed if everyone has to maintain 6 feet of separation, which strains capacity and is hard to enforce. Officials have no desire to dispatch police officers to pull riders many of whom are essential workers off buses, Tumlin said . For mass transit to survive, U.S. cities should follow models in Europe and Asia, where agencies have strict cleaning regimens, and all riders wear masks. Many people view automobiles as protective armor against a deadly virus a mentality that has led to car parades for birthdays, graduations and protests and it will likely persist in the coming years. Traffic data show that even in a period of remote work, bottlenecks at the Bay Bridge and SoMa are already getting choked during rush hour. Cat Carter, head of the grassroots advocacy group San Francisco Transit Riders, is still adjusting to that strange reality. Before shelter-in-place orders clamped down, she rode transit up to four times a day. But after her office shut down March 7, Carter mostly stayed home and gingerly avoided public spaces. She hasnt stepped on a bus since that day. Still, she vehemently defends Muni against perceptions that its dirty or unsafe. People assume its gonna be a Petri dish, Carter said, pointing to all the extra cleanings, the Plexiglass barriers for operators, backdoor boarding and other precautions like allowing workers to take time off if they felt sick or had a sick family member. Muni and other transit systems also require riders to wear masks. It may take public theater to lure people back to Muni, Tumlin said, noting that his staff is literally looking at cleaning products that smell like bleach. Having our buses smell like cleaning products is pure theater, but may actually be necessary to comfort the public, he said. Carter and other transit enthusiasts have some hope for the future. In August, Muni plans to reopen its Muni Metro light-rail system, along with a few more bus lines. The agency has gradually built bus service back up from a low of 17 in April to 23 now. Next month officials will restore a few more. Though transportation planners are still picking the routes, they know it will fall short of the 68 lines San Francisco had in February, spokeswoman Erica Kato said. The Central Subway is still on track to open at the end of 2021. It may take a shift in cultural attitudes to resurrect the shared daily ritual of commuting. In the meantime, officials in San Francisco will struggle to maintain even a skeletal service. For the next two years, Tumlin said, we are draining reserves and living on our credit cards. Correction: An earlier version of this article did not state that low-income youths can still ride Muni for free. Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan Airline major IndiGo will provide up to 25 per cent Tough Cookie' discount on airfares to nurses and doctors who have served in these challenging times. The airline launched the Tough Cookie' campaign on the occasion of National Doctor's Day to express gratitude towards the tireless commitment and service being provided by the medical fraternity to the nation. "As part of the campaign, IndiGo will provide up to 25 per cent Tough Cookie' discount on airfares to the nurses and doctors who have serviced in these challenging times," the airline said in a statement. According to the airline, the nurses and doctors will be required to provide valid hospital IDs at the time of check-in as a proof of their identity. "The discount will be offered while booking through IndiGo's website, valid for sale and travel from July 1 till December 31, 2020," the airline said. The Tenderloin looks better than it has in months, now that the city has removed 65% of the hundreds of tents that had covered the troubled neighborhood since the coronavirus pandemic clamped down on San Francisco in March. The first phase of reducing the appalling crush of tent camps and moving their homeless occupants indoors ends Friday, city officials reported. Its been one of the most intensive street-camp cleanups in city history. The all-out campaign by the citys Healthy Streets Operations Center and city emergency workers began June 10, and resulted in 497 homeless people being placed in hotels, shelters or safe sleeping sites, sanctioned camps with counselors and restrooms, city statistics show. A total of 431 went to hotels leased by the city to protect vulnerable homeless people from the coronavirus. Our goal was to assist as many vulnerable individuals as possible while improving conditions in the neighborhood and we have made significant progress, said Jeff Kositsky, who as manager of the healthy streets center spearheaded the campaign. He said clearance efforts will now continue on a less-intensive scale, with the goal of reaching a 70% reduction in tents by July 20, the date mandated by an out-of-court settlement the city reached last month in a federal lawsuit filed by area businesses and residents frustrated with the mess in the Tenderloin. He cautioned that although he and other homelessness workers will continue to try to help everyone on the street, coming to the Tenderloin and setting up a tent will not lead to people getting hotel rooms. Street counselors, police and ambassadors from nonprofits including Code Tenderloin will be discouraging new tent masses. Camp overcrowding in the 49-square-block Tenderloin hit a crisis point in the spring. The number of tents had mushroomed by at least 285% by early May while the pandemic wreaked havoc on the homeless population as city shelters thinned their populations to allow for safe distancing inside. Kositsky estimated there were more than 500 tents at the peak. Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle The need to draw down the big camps was driven not just by the desire to make life better for residents and businesses, but also because having that many people in tents jammed next to one another is not safe, as people should be distancing during the pandemic. Supervisor Matt Haney, whose district includes the Tenderloin, said he appreciated the recent urgency in addressing the problem. This is what me and others in the neighborhood have been demanding for months during the pandemic, and years before it, he said. It shouldnt take a lawsuit for the city to do its job and do what is right. Haney and others, including the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness, have been pushing the city to put most of the population of 8,000 homeless people into city-leased hotels during the pandemic, but only about 2,000 have gotten rooms. City officials say the logistics of arranging counseling and other services for that many rooms right now is insurmountable and the cost about $3 million a month is prohibitive. The city faces a nearly $2 billion deficit from the pandemic-induced economic crash. One thing was clear, though, throughout the three-week Tenderloin operation: Most people, from campers to residents, were satisfied with the newly cleared streets. A case in point came Wednesday with the emptying out of a sprawling settlement on Eddy Street between Mason and Taylor. Police officers and street cleaners descended with an army of street counselors and medical staff at around 7 a.m., and by shortly after lunchtime the dozens of tents that have bedeviled residents of the gritty block for several months were gone. Residents irritated at late-night noise and afraid of the coronavirus multiplying in crowds were relieved. Campers unhappy at being so jammed together were relieved. Business owners whod lost customers because of the mess were relieved. I am ecstatic, said Raymond Gilliam, 47, whod lived in a big orange tent there for four months. He was placed into a hotel room that day. Im a barber and I know how to fix bikes, but I havent had a job in a long time because its hard to find one when youre living outside, he said. Ive been afraid of catching the virus the whole time Ive been here. I wore a mask, but social distancing is impossible out here. Thank God I didnt get the disease, Gilliam said. Getting this hotel is the best thing thats happened to me in a long time. The camps disappearance was also the best thing thats happened in a while for Daldas grocery store. I feel bad for those people, and Im happy that they will be in a safer place, said owner Bill Multani. But its been hard for everyone else, too. Weve been losing business because some people, especially those who are disabled or elderly, cant get out of their houses for fear of the virus in the crowds. This gives me hope that those customers might come back. Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Kositsky and Abigail Stewart-Kahn, interim director of San Franciscos homelessness department, said if there were enough resources they would like to house or shelter everyone, not just in the Tenderloin. They noted that the effort in that one neighborhood has required the coordination of 10 different city departments, community members and several nonprofit agencies. Weve never moved this kind of volume of people this fast like this before, Kositsky said. And in an ideal world, wed know where everyone vulnerable in the city is, rank them and address them right now. But were in the middle of a crisis, and were doing what we can with the resources we have. Stewart-Kahn said 90% of those who were offered hotel or shelter took it, and thats an important message for people who might think homeless people resist services and housing. Christy Shirilla lives in the neighborhood and said shes had to walk down the middle of the street whenever she goes out to avoid threading through tent clusters. I know its rougher for the people on the street, but its been hard to get around, she said. I hope this kind of coordinated effort to help becomes the norm. Otherwise its going to hard for residents and businesses to stay here. San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Trisha Thadani contributed to this report. Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinChron Bay Area apartment rents continued to drop in June as the coronavirus kept most offices closed and layoffs mounted. One-bedroom rents fell compared to the prior year in 27 of 31 Bay Area cities tracked by Zumper, a real estate listings website. The biggest drops were concentrated in major Silicon Valley tech hubs, including Cupertino, the home of Apple; Mountain View, where Google is headquartered; and Menlo Park, Facebooks hometown. Those cities have some of the regions highest rents. Emeryville was the only East Bay city that saw a double-digit drop. San Franciscos one-bedroom rents plunged 11.8%, the highest drop on record and the biggest among major U.S. cities. The city remains the most expensive in the country. Widespread work-from-home policies are pushing tenants to reconsider whether continuing expensive leases is worth it. Many tech companies including Facebook and Google are allowing workers to stay home until the end of the year. People are definitely taking this time to move out of San Francisco, said Crystal Chen, marketing manager at Zumper, though she said many are still staying in the Bay Area. Jason Henry / New York Times 2019 Zumper data shows that downtown San Francisco, South of Market and Hayes Valley saw some of the biggest drops in rent, while demand increased in the western neighborhoods like the Sunset, Richmond and Lakeshore. Tenants not having to commute downtown as well as access to more outdoor space makes those areas more desirable, Chen said. The number of listings have risen about 25% in San Francisco compared to the previous year, meaning renters have more options. Chen said her friends have successfully renegotiated rent to a lower rate and she urges prospective tenants to push for lower rents and more incentives, which can include gift cards or free parking. In contrast, Oakland rents rose in June, which Chen attributed to renters looking for a less expensive option compared to San Francisco. The city is also seeing thousands of new apartments being completed in the downtown area, which have higher listing prices than older buildings. Hundreds of thousands of unemployment claims in the Bay Area during the coronavirus pandemic make it harder for people to stay in the region. I was expecting a significant drop in rents and a big jump in vacancy rates. Unemployment hits the rental market much harder than it hits the for-sale market, said Patrick Carlisle, chief market analyst in the Bay Area at real estate brokerage Compass. Tenants paying the highest rents in the nation decamp quickly if their jobs disappear to cheaper areas or back to mom and dad and that is what is happening now. The calculations are based on median rents for one-bedroom apartments listed in June compared to the previous year. Cupertino: -15.7% to $2,680 Mountain View: -15.1% to $2,930 Emeryville: -13.8% to $2,490 Menlo Park: -13.5% to $2,830 Santa Clara: -12.9% to $2,570 San Francisco: -11.8% to $3,280 Palo Alto: -11.1% to $2,800 Union City: -10% to $2,150 Milpitas: -9.5% to $2,560 San Ramon: -9% to $2,010 San Jose: -8% to $2,300 Richmond: -6.7% to $1,810 San Bruno: -6.5% to $2,870 South San Francisco: -5.4% to $2,470 Redwood City: -5.3% to $2,850 Sunnyvale: -5.2% to $2,560 San Mateo: -4.3% to $2,660 Daly City: -4.3% to $2,430 Interactive Vaccine Tracker: Latest developments Detailed information about the coronavirus vaccines as it becomes available. Fremont: -2.3% to $2,150 Alameda: -2.3% to $2,110 Vallejo: -2.1% to $1,380 Dublin: -2% to $2,420 Hayward: -1.6% to $1,900 Berkeley: -0.8% to $2,380 East Palo Alto: Rent unchanged at $2,030 San Leandro: Rent unchanged at $1,850 Walnut Creek: Rent rose 1.3% to $2,290 Concord: Rent rose 2.3% to $1,760 Oakland: Rent rose 4.5% to $2,300 Campbell: Rent rose 4.8% to $2,200 Livermore: Rent rose 15.1% to $2,060 Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf When the pandemic hit, Union Citys Daylight Foods, which distributes food to restaurants, colleges, schools and corporate campuses, went from $90 million annual sales to almost nothing. CEO Chris Vlahopouliotis had to lay off three-fourths of his 200 workers. I wanted to bring the employees back, and at the same time got a call from a farmer who said, Chris, I planted all these crops for you; what am I gonna do? he recalled. That sparked a brainstorm: Why not switch to home delivery of groceries from its well-stocked warehouse and supply chain? Basically overnight, we created a website and started doing hundreds of deliveries a day, he said. Weve been able to help consumers out, support our farmers and bring our employees back to work. In the Bay Area and nationwide, scores of restaurant suppliers and other wholesale distributors saw their regular business implode during shelter-in-place orders, even while homebound families desperately sought grocery deliveries. So they are making similar shifts, from wholesale to direct consumer sales. You have to do something to keep the lights on and keep some employees working, said Adrian Hoffman, founder of Four Star Seafood & Provisions. With warehouses packed full of kitchen staples, perishables that had to be consumed soon, and suppliers in place for produce, dairy, meat, fish and poultry, food distributors realized that they could find a ready market for their goods among consumers, and offer prices competitive with supermarkets. A Chronicle directory of 175 companies offering home delivery of food also includes restaurants, farms, butchers, wine shops and specialty stores. When COVID hit, we were hit very hard in direct correlation to the impact on restaurants which lost the majority of their sales, said Naama Moran, CEO of restaurant supplier Cheetah in San Francisco. We had a warehouse filled with products, many of them perishable. At the same time, a friend texted her a picture of empty supermarket shelves in New York. I realized customers would find it hard to get essential groceries here, she said. I expected the same panic mode. So we opened the (app) to consumers for contactless pickup. More on grocery delivery Biz & Tech Coronavirus: Online grocery deliveries are buckling under... Cheetah, founded in 2016, aspires to be an Amazon for restaurants, a high-tech way for them to buy everything they needed, from food to cleaning supplies. Moran said it served more than 10% of Bay Area independent restaurants. It had recently opened in Los Angeles and was about to open in Dallas; those expansions now had to be postponed. Even though it already had the food, the warehouse, the trucks and the supply chain, going direct to consumers was still a major endeavor. Consumer grocery purchasing is very different from restaurants, which buy very large quantities, Moran said. The model of how we pick and pack items had to change. Adapting from giant sizes was a challenge. Cheetah has added about 300 products in smaller sizes, but still has a lot of bulk items. The consumer experience is very much like Costco; access to family sizes at wholesale prices, she said. Its also adding meals and ready-made items from some restaurants, such as Zero Zero Pizza, Curry Up Now and Hummus Bodega. It expects to continue consumer sales at least through year end. Sarahbeth Maney / The Chronicle Rather than home delivery, Cheetah started by setting up 10 pick-up locations throughout the Bay Area for consumers to drive to, pop open their trunks and have groceries loaded inside. It is now adding home deliveries, which cost $25 for orders under $250 and are free for those above $250. That fee will decline over the coming weeks, the company said. Pickups are free. Cheetah came to our rescue, said Usha Upadhyayula of San Jose. Her family of four, with sons 18 and 25, eat plenty, so she appreciated the large quantities and the no-contact pickups. I can see how the app is being improved; I constantly give feedback and they take it, she said. She was impressed at the selection of foods, including tamarind concentrate exactly the way we make it at home in India, she said. Daylight Foods also had a learning curve. Initially it offered prepackaged grocery boxes, but consumers made it clear that they wanted to pick and choose their own food, Vlahopouliotis said. It is adding products all the time, focusing on local companies. We dont want to be Walmart; we want to be where you can get good quality products from local purveyors, he said. Still, the selection is more limited than a traditional supermarket. A grocery store might have upward of 5,000 (items), and were around 800, Vlahopouliotis said. Daylight Foods offers free home delivery for orders over $100; $5 for under that. Consumers can order until 3 p.m. for next-day delivery. I didnt feel comfortable contracting out deliveries, he said. We have really high standards for food safety, so I wanted to control the last mile. Were field to home. Interactive Vaccine Tracker: Latest developments Detailed information about the coronavirus vaccines as it becomes available. Less tech-savvy customers can call the company directly to place orders. Were definitely going to continue to do (consumer sales); we like it, Vlahopouliotis. We get emails that are really touched; some of the elderly people that are high risk (from going out) are really grateful. People are so happy to get food. Some of those making the consumer move are niche players focused on artisanal foods. Hoffman, a chef his whole life (he ran the Lark Creek Restaurant Group), started Four Star in 2015 to try get seafood to restaurants more quickly. It expanded to other gourmet provisions, curating a few hundred (items) of really boutiquey things we like to cooked with: cheeses; truffles; French, Spanish and Italian oil and vinegars, he said. It launched home deliveries the same day San Francisco issued shelter-in-place orders. At the time, Hoffman was weeks away from opening a brick-and-mortar market for consumers in Noe Valley, so he spread the word on the local Nextdoor site. Local residents whod been eagerly anticipating the store quickly became customers. The companys 13 trucks make about 75 deliveries a day around the Bay Area. Deliveries are free for orders of more than $100; $35 for those under $100. Four Star sells fish, meat, produce, dairy and desserts and more 700 items in all. Its added lots of local gourmet purveyors, with some offering their wares on consignment so Four Star isnt taking much risk. Some serendipities: Among the home-delivery customers were top executives of Williams Sonoma, who arranged to start selling Four Stars seafood boxes on its website. We have people whove ordered 20 times in the past month and say this is how they want to eat now, Hoffman said. He definitely wants to continue the home business. Some companies have even adapted to supporting the middlemen that went direct. Choco, a 2-year-old Berlin startup whose technology simplifies how restaurants order from suppliers, has launched Choco Market, an online store to help restaurant suppliers connect to the general public for selling their products. Four Star is among its users, although it also has its own site. Business-to-business restaurant deliveries come in large-pack sizes, with flexible delivery times, and to an easily accessible storefront, so (have) very different expectations than those of everyday consumers, CEO Daniel Khachab said in an email. Moving towards the very demanding consumer segment is challenging for any business. Luckily our partner suppliers took on this challenge incredibly well and delivered to many happy customers. Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid Police in San Francisco are asking for the publics help in identifying people who allegedly threw bottles, rocks and paint at officers and also struck them with wooden signs and makeshift shields during a demonstration last weekend. The attacks started Sunday afternoon when officers arriving near Valencia and 18th streets encountered people on motorcycles blocking southbound traffic lanes, according to San Francisco police. Numerous people approached the officers van and stepped in front of it while others started kicking it. The officers tried to clear the area, but people in a crowd once again started striking the van and spray painted it once the officers got back in, police said. They were struck with wooden signs and makeshift wooden shields when they got out of the van again to try clearing an exit path through the crowd. One of the vans tires was punctured. An officers face was sprayed with paint, and someone tried to grab his baton, police said. People in the crowd threw objects at the officers as they got back in the van, and someone smashed one of the vans windows with a skateboard. Another person unsuccessfully tried to break another window, police said. San Francisco has for years been a world-renowned voice for peaceful, progressive change. It has never been a City that tolerates violence against members of their police department, and it isnt now, police Chief Bill Scott said in a statement. Im asking that anyone in the community with information regarding this incident to come forward and work with investigators. A police spokesman said Friday morning authorities were not sharing images of the van or suspects at this time. It was not immediately clear whether the alleged attacks were captured by the officers body-worn cameras. It also remained unknown how many officers were wounded, but police said their injuries were minor. The Mission police station also was splattered with paint. Authorities did not release a public statement about the attacks until Thursday night, police said, so that sufficient progress could be made on an investigation into the incident. Anyone with information about the episode can call police at 415-575-4444. Alejandro Serrano is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alejandro.serrano@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @serrano_alej Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams announced Thursday she is recusing her office from reviewing two controversial fatal police shootings in Vallejo and is asking California attorney general Xavier Becerra to take them over instead. In a four-minute speech posted on social media, Abrams said the shooting deaths of Sean Monterrosa and Willie McCoy would be removed from her jurisdiction in the interest of safety and justice so that the attorney general could conduct an outside review. As many of you are aware, there have been increasing community concerns regarding two recent officer-involved fatal incidents in the city of Vallejo, Abrams said. Since June 2, there has been a great deal of civil unrest throughout Solano County. City, county and state elected officals are calling for independent investigation into these cases. Monterrosa, 22, was shot and killed on June 2 following reports of looting at a Walgreens store. Police said the officer fired at Monterrosa after seeing an object that looked like a gun in his pocket. The object turned out to be a hammer. Monterrosa was kneeling when he was shot, police said. McCoy, 20, was shot and killed on Feb. 9, 2019, in the drive-through of a Taco Bell restaurant. He had apparently fallen asleep with a gun on his lap. Officers said he was reaching for it when they opened fire, firing 55 rounds. Abrams said the attorney general had legal duty and constitutitonal authority to take full charge of any decision to prosecute. Given the exceptional circumstances and the lack of public trust from some community members, it is my professional judgment that our office must recuse itself from any further review of these two cases, she said. Although she said she is confident she could review the cases fairly, Abrams said the current circumstances compel an outside review to preserve public trust. Abrams announcement came more than a week after Becerras office declined to investigate Monterrosas death. Last month, Becerra said his office will review the Vallejo police department and recommend reforms its its use-of-force policies. Becerra said he was taking the action so Vallejo police could build trust with people who have lost faith in them. Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF A radical shift in our lifestyles usually means a major change in our relationship with what we wear. In the midst of a pandemic and mass social movements, fashion has had to evolve quickly. Our clothing choices have also become intrinsically more personal as weve been removed from dressing for the societal herd. Then theres the accessory/necessity of the year: the face mask. What began as a tool for preventing transmission of the coronavirus quickly transformed into both a political statement for some and an aesthetic choice for others. Who did and did not wear a mask began to be a signal of our perceived values. By June, our masks were the new T-shirts as Black Lives Matter messages, community signifiers and even political candidates were emblazoned on them. In a world that is continuing to grapple with a deadly pandemic and where long-held social structures and systems are being re-evaluated, how will fashion respond? Right now its both trying to update its message for new day-to-day realities and trying to be a familiar anchor in unpredictable times. Lynda Grose, the chair of the fashion department at the California College of the Arts, calls 2020 one of the most impactful moments in history when it comes to changes in our attitudes about clothing. The two world wars, the changes of the 1960s and the emergence of ready-to-wear, maybe going as far back as the Industrial Revolution when things were mechanized, those were the other moments maybe comparable in terms of a radical shift, says Grose. The potential is so great for really deep change. Amid that change, the industry has asked itself questions about where it fits in with the new restrictions and new concerns of consumers. Its a kind of fallow period were in, says Ben Ospital, the co-owner of the Modern Appealing Clothing boutique in San Francisco with his sister Chris Ospital and mother, Jeri Ospital. Fashion is going to have to reset on so many levels, from what were dressing for to how it reflects a companys values on social issues. The most exciting fashion of recent seasons has responded to whats been going on at the time, whether it was the rise in political messaging on the runways after the election of Donald Trump, more gender fluidity in collections arising from greater awareness of nonbinary identity, or the social-media-savvy looks of Millennial designers looking to exploit the power of influencers. What we dress for now is different. With so many major news stories breaking in 2020, what we think about is different, too. The new reality is so changed from the recent past that the excesses of maximalist fashion, celebrity style, overt sexuality and anything that reeks of status or conspicuous consumption feel not only passe, but tone deaf. Dressing has new purpose and a new awareness in 2020. Rachel Fischbein, the executive director of the Fashion Incubator San Francisco, has seen several key topics emerge in conversations with industry colleagues and the designers in residence at the incubator since March. She says protection is one consideration for the immediate future, and likely will be until a vaccine for COVID-19 is developed. She points out incubator brand Cotton the First, which now has a line of shirts with matching face masks as an example of one way protection is becoming more aesthetic, a move that San Francisco brand Lemon Twist and others have also made. Fischbein has also seen a rethinking of weather-protective accessories like hairbrella head coverings with built-in face visors, and she predicts that more hooded tops and high collars on outerwear that can wrap around the face will emerge as part of this move. Some of that thinking was probably already there because of issues related to climate change in recent years, she says. Now this idea of protection for the face doubles for fire season and coronavirus. There have also been ongoing questions about how to extend the selling life of clothes outside of certain pigeonholes of the fashion calendar. Brands are trying to be more evergreen and more seasonless, says Fischbein. We see that already in San Francisco, where certain pieces can be worn year round because of the climate, but with the disruption in the supply chain, designers all over are trying to think about making pieces that are perennially relevant. Its part of a push toward making things that are really useful for how were living, which is why youre seeing basically all designers integrating masks as part of production. Comfort will also continue to be an expectation for consumers, both in their new home-work wardrobes and for the limited versions of going out. The softer something is, the easier it is to sell, says Emily Holt, the owner of Hero Shop in San Francisco and at the Marin Country Mart. I dont want a structured, nipped waist now. Im wearing sleeper dresses with puffed sleeves and no waist. But comfort is not at the expense of aesthetics. Details on garments like darting, interesting necklines and sleeves are selling well, Holt says. Jewelry as well as tops and knitwear in bright colors and bold patterns have also been much in demand, which Holt attributes to more of her customers trying to strategize their wardrobes for video conferencing. Its not dreary, dark colors like after the 2008 recession, says Holt. People dont want sad clothes. Womenswear designer Sarah Liller sees 2020 as a year where people are beginning to re-evaluate what it means to dress for themselves once they were removed from schedules and events that dictated expectations of what they wore. Were not going out and showing off what were wearing the same way, she says. Things like stiletto shoes, skinny jeans, corset dresses feel unimaginable for a long time in terms of not having reasons to wear them. Soft, drapey things were already a place we were heading toward, but now theyre a psychological comfort for people. Theres been a comeback of things like housedresses and flats for home. Were looking for security blankets in what were wearing. It also seems unlikely that consumers will want to continue the addiction to fast fashion in a world of less social interaction. Saloni Shrestha, the designer and owner of sustainability-focused brand Agaati, sees consumer and designer obsession with newness as being out of the step with the times. Quick trend cycles may vanish as people become more thoughtful about the environmental cost of disposable fashion. As people have become more introspective about their consumption, brands are going to be held more accountable for what we produce and what goes into the production, says Shrestha. Overall production and consumption will have to go down, so brands will be thinking more about classic silhouettes, pieces that are timeless. Theres also issues about whats sustainable in the long run we have time to talk about, says Chris Ospital. Its about whats sustainable for the planet and business on a certain seasonal schedule. It was all going so fast. Everything stopped that first month (of the pandemic), and its going to be really slow for a while. Its not just a brands environmental practices that will be under scrutiny. Choosing brands based on their social values will be one of the next major revolutions, says retailer Sherri McMullen of the McMullen boutiques in Oakland and Palo Alto. After the social media black boxes for Black Lives Matter, it became very obvious to me that people can see through insincerity in a brand, says McMullen. Consumers are very much wanting to know how theyre spending their money. It has to be in line with their values. It has to go beyond just putting up a black box in solidarity. How many people of color do you have in your workplace, how many black models are in your lookbook? Spending our money is a political statement we can control that people are waking up to. As such, ideas of luxury and the worth of certain fashion items will also evolve. A $2.50 shirt hurts the people who make it and sell it, says Ospital. Part of slowing down will allow you to ask what youre paying for, who does it support in the chain from store to designer to factory workers and does it allow them to make a decent living? Its a move that will hopefully elevate considerations of craft and the life cycle of a garment above just the perceived value of a brand for its social cachet. Much of this slowdown feels unavoidable: The pace at which we consumed, the number of collections fashion houses produced in a year and the absurd capitalism of influencer culture were a bubble waiting to burst. Authenticity is already coming to replace flash and status dressing as the need to level societal playing fields becomes more apparent. The major issues of 2020 only brought an inevitable reality check to fashion. Tony Bravo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tbravo@sfchronicle.com We are living in extraordinary times. After the death of George Floyd in May, Americans took to the streets in a wave of anti-racism protests unlike anything weve seen in this country for generations. In June, the killings of two Black transgender women ignited new outrage over the alarming rates of violence, poverty and discrimination faced by transgender people. In the span of just a few weeks, Black Lives Matter has gone from being labeled a terrorist group to every corporations favorite new slogan. And on June 15, nearly 56 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Supreme Court ruled that LGBTQ people can no longer be discriminated against at work. But is this moment different from the riots that followed the acquittal of the police officers who beat Rodney King in 1992? Or the civil rights protests of the 1950s and 60s? Its been nearly 54 years since a trans woman resisting arrest threw coffee in the face of cop and set off a riot at San Franciscos Compton Cafeteria. Three years later, in 1966, Marsha P. Johnson, a Black drag queen, threw the first brick at the Stonewall Wall uprising, touching off the gay rights movement. Is society truly at a turning point, or will the anger fade without inspiring lasting changes? Eight Bay Area veterans of social protests reflect on where weve been and where we might be heading. The interviews were edited for brevity and clarity. George McCalman Alexander Lee 42, project director, Funders for LGBTQ Issues, Oakland My activism began when I was in my early 20s. I joined a group called TransAction that addresses the high rates of police violence against trans people. We tried to get the police associations to sign a human rights pledge to respect the lives of trans people. None would, not even the gay and lesbian law enforcement officers associations. Street demonstrations are supposed to be just one part of a larger campaign, but that doesnt always happen, and were not seeing the changes that we need. At least one Black trans woman is murdered every month, and trans people experience extreme rates of poverty. Im heartened by the energy of the current protests, but its hard to feel hopeful. Weve been let down so many times. George McCalman Amanda Gough 78, retired paralegal, San Francisco I went to Cordele, Ga., in 1965 as a volunteer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. We decided to integrate a public pool. A lot of white people gathered; there was a lot of tension but no violence. Looking back, I dont think we made much of a difference, but the mere presence of white kids standing with Black kids made an indelible impression. The killing of George Floyd rubbed too many people the wrong way, or maybe it was the right way. Its the young people who will carry this moment. We thought the 60s had turned things around, but in police stations today thats not true. You work hard and you get minuscule change. Its amazing how racism is imbued in this country. George McCalman Masen Davis 49, interim executive director of Transgender Europe, San Francisco Ive been an advocate for queer rights since I came out in 1990, in the days of ACT UP and Queer Nation. Ive grown up in the movement and seen tremendous changes. Visibility of trans people continues to grow, but the increased attention means theres also a backlash, as politicians cynically use trans people as a wedge issue. Im incredibly excited about this moment. The Supreme Court decision affirming gay rights in the workplace was a very big deal. Activism works, but you can never let up. Every bone in my body wants to be out in those streets right now, but because of a pre-existing health condition, Im staying home. I feel ashamed and guilty. Its been really tough, but Im glad I can support the movement with money. George McCalman Rodney Barnette 75, retired union organizer, Compton (Los Angeles County) I returned from the Vietnam War and moved to South Central Los Angeles. I witnessed police-military actions there that would have been classified as war crimes. Thats when I joined the Black Panthers, organizing churches and helping with the breakfast programs. When I discovered we had been infiltrated by the FBI, I left. Later I found out that I had been the subject of Cointelpro surveillance and was able to recover my file. I moved to San Francisco, where I opened the Eagle Creek Saloon, the citys first Black-owned gay bar. White gays couldnt understand the kind of discrimination that we faced. This is an amazing time. Theres a strong chance that we can make real changes. So many other people are with us now. We have a chance to turn things around and have a democracy. The whole world is watching. George McCalman Carole Klokkevold 75, retired bookkeeper, Albany My first protest was a civil rights march from the UC Berkeley campus to Oakland. It was probably in the fall of 1963 or spring 1964. I carried a sign with the names of the four little girls killed in the Birmingham church bombing. I still have that sign. I was thinking that I should put Black Lives Still Matter on the back if I ever feel comfortable going out again. Im hopeful things can change. The Confederate statues are coming down, and police are being held accountable. I believe what Martin Luther King Jr. said about the arc of the universe being long but bending toward justice. Ive seen change, but it takes a long time. George McCalman Janetta Johnson 55, executive director of the TGI Justice Project; co-founder of the TAJA Collation and the Compton Transgender Cultural District, San Francisco I moved to San Franciso in 1997 and was adopted by Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a longtime transgender advocate. She politicized me. The trans community was not big on taking to the streets. So much of our work then was focused on our survival. Theres a part of the present moment that feels good. Were seeing a lot of growth, but it also shows us that theres still a lot of need. The murder of George Floyd mobilized a lot of people, but it was the murders of Black trans women that sent the trans community into the streets. I feel confident about the changes that are going to come. Theres no movement without Black trans women. George McCalman Peter Haberfeld 78, retired attorney, Oakland I was arrested for the first time at Sproul Hall at Berkeley during the Free Speech protests in 1964 and marched against the Vietnam War in 65 and 66. Later I was a poll watcher for the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in Holmes County, Miss., where I was beaten, arrested and charged with assault on a peace officer. This feels like a watershed moment. Its exhilarating that there are so many determined people angry at the system. People are more informed now than they were in the 1960s. We owe a lot to Black scholarship and journalism. Im confident that there will be a backlash. There will always be high points and low points. Its important not to get discouraged. George McCalman Billy X Jennings 69, retired longshoreman, historian for the Black Panther Party, Sacramento I was born in 1950 in Hobson City, Ala., the only township in the state where Blacks could vote. We shopped at a Sears that had a Blacks-only entrance. I understood what was happening at a very young age. I was in Oakland when Huey Newton went on trial. I knew the Panthers wanted Black men to be exempt from the military, so I joined. We never thought we could overthrow the government with armed force, but we knew that we could educate people. This is a special moment. People are tearing down Confederate statues. Thats a leap in consciousness. The situation today has its roots in what we were doing then. The legacy of the Black Panther Party is never going to die. Jan Newberry is a freelance writer. Follow George McCalman on Instagram and Twitter at @mccalmanco. Email culture@sfchronicle.com Hundreds of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants, and millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans, scored dramatic victories in recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings. There may have been another, less-visible winner: the environment. According to several analysts, the court majoritys reasoning on central legal issues in both cases supports the arguments California and other states are making in major environmental cases in particular, challenges to the Trump administrations rollbacks of greenhouse gas regulation and of Californias vehicle-emissions and fuel-economy standards. The justices never mentioned environmental issues in either case. But, referring to the June 19 ruling that preserved former President Barack Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, William Buzbee, an environmental law professor at Georgetown University, said, Every challenge to every regulation will be citing this case. DACA allows undocumented immigrants, known as Dreamers, who entered the United States before age 16 to live and work legally in the U.S. for renewable two-year periods. In a 5-4 decision rejecting President Trumps attempt to rescind the program, Chief Justice John Roberts said the administration had failed to explain its action or consider its impact on immigrants who relied on DACA. Noah Berger / Special to The Chronicle 2017 That is the same argument California and other states have made in challenging the Trump administrations repeal of Obamas Clean Power Plan, a climate-change control measure that limited carbon emissions from power plants. California has also made similar arguments in attacking Trumps override of the states gas-mileage and emissions standards for new motor vehicles, standards followed by a dozen other states. In both cases, the state says the administration offered little reasoning for its rollback and never mentioned the impact on those who had relied on the former rules, such as utilities that invested huge sums in clean-energy systems and consumers who bought high-gas-mileage cars in hopes of paying less at the pump and breathing cleaner air. The DACA ruling appears to require the government to explain why the benefits of its actions outweigh the adverse impacts. The ruling indicates that were back to traditional law, where agencies have to explain the things they do and changes have to be grounded in evidence, said Dave Owen, a professor of environmental and administrative law at UC Hastings in San Francisco. The June 15 ruling on LGBTQ rights was focused on a single issue: whether the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibited employment discrimination based on sex, applies to bias based on an employees sexual orientation or gender identity. In the 6-3 decision, Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, said those employees could claim discrimination based on their sex because they would have been treated differently if their gender was different. Although authors of the 1964 law may not have intended it to apply that broadly, he said, they used language that, as understood today, clearly extends to sexual minorities. California and other states are making the same type of textual argument Gorsuch used in their defense of the Clean Power Program in a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C.: that the 1970 Clean Air Act, which required the Environmental Protection Agency to curb air pollution, applied to greenhouse gases. The Supreme Court had generally agreed with that position in a 5-4 ruling in 2007 authorizing the EPA to regulate tailpipe emissions, but the issues in that case were somewhat different and the courts membership has changed. Gorsuch just gave proponents of using the Clean Air Act for expansive regulation of greenhouse gases a potent new precedent, UCLA law Professor Ann Carlson said in a blog posting after the recent ruling. A week later, lawyers for 21 young people suing the government for inaction against climate change cited the LGBTQ ruling in asking the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to reinstate their suit. The court ordered the suit dismissed in a 2-1 ruling in January, saying that although global warming is potentially catastrophic, judges lack the power to order the government to move toward a carbon-free energy system. In asking the full appeals court for a new hearing, the youths lawyers said Gorsuchs reasoning applies equally to the courts duty to enforce the Fifth Amendments guarantee that no one may be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law. Predictions of impacts on environmental cases are far from unanimous. Ilya Shapiro, chief of constitutional studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, said he thinks the DACA ruling is good for one ticket only and that the courts new interpretation of sex discrimination did not open the door to redefining legal terms. At a certain point, words have to mean something definite and arent endlessly expansive, he said. COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California. Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press 2018 Deborah Sivas, a Stanford environmental law professor, said the DACA ruling added some teeth to a 1983 Supreme Court decision that required government agencies to justify repealing their previous rules. But she said the pending environmental cases have political implications and that Roberts position on the issue could be more case-specific than permanent. On the other hand, said Georgetowns Buzbee, Roberts made it clear in the DACA ruling and in last years ruling blocking the administration from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census that government agencies need to turn square corners when they change their rules, explaining both their reasoning and the impact on those who followed the rules. So far, he said, the Trump administrations chief explanation for some of its major environmental actions, such as repealing the Clean Power Plan and removing federal clean water protections for many wetlands and small streams, is that the previous rules were not authorized by law the same argument the court found insufficient in DACA. It doesnt mean that the administrations hands are forever bound, said Ted Lamm, a climate policy researcher at UC Berkeley Law School who has filed legal arguments supporting California in the Clean Power Plan case. But they need to explain why their new decision wont harm those people ... like the states or electric utilities (that invested in clean-power systems) or why its necessary to accept a certain level of harm to achieve some other goal. Under the courts current standards, Lamm said, the Trump administration cant just say those are no longer public policies. Its got to explain why there are public benefits (from the rollbacks), or economic benefits at the cost of environmental benefits. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against Punjab Basmati Rice Ltd for cheating a consortium of six banks to the tune of Rs 350.84 crore by disposing off the stock and prime security. The agency registered the case on a complaint filed by Canara Bank, Chandigarh, against Punjab Basmati Rice Ltd (borrower company). Some unidentified persons and bank officials have also been booked by the CBI. It was alleged in the complaint that the accused had cheated the Canara Bank-led consortium comprising Andhra Bank, Union Bank of India, Oriental Bank of Commerce, IDBI Bank and UCO Bank to the tune of Rs 350.84 crore, including Rs 174.89 crore of Canara Bank, by disposing off the stock and prime security without any prior intimation or approval from the consortium of lender banks. The CBI on Thursday also conducted searches at the premises of the accused directors and promoters of the firm -- Kulwinder Singh Makhani, Jasmeet Kaur and Manjit Singh Makhani -- and the premises of the company in Amritsar. "All precautions were taken while conducting the searches and PPE kits were provided to the search teams. The investigation is continuing," the CBI said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday chaired a meeting via video conference with the Chief Ministers of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana for a unified strategy to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his counterparts in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, Yogi Adityanath and Manohar Lal Khattar, respectively, shared the measures being undertaken to check the spread of coronavirus as well as the preparedness to treat the patients in their respective states. Shah emphasised on the need to focus on more testing of people suspected of Covid-19 so that the infection rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) could be controlled. The Home Minister said that adoption of more testing via Rapid Antigen Test Kits will help bring the infection transmission rate below 10 per cent as suggested by the World Health Organization. He said that nearly 90 per cent of screening is possible through these kits, which can be provided by the Centre to the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana in numbers desired by them. Emphasising on the importance of the humanitarian perspective to save the lives of the poor and the needy, Shah said the focus should be on early hospitalisation of patients, so that the mortality rate can be reduced. He also emphasised on the wide use of the Aarogya Setu and Itihas apps to help Covid-19 mapping in the NCR. Shah added that the AIIMS Delhi telemedicine consultation model should be replicated in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana also. Training for doctors in small hospitals in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana can be provided by AIIMS with the help of Tele-videography, he suggested. V.K. Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, also gave a presentation on the strategy to tackle Covid-19 in the NCR. He provided details of the best practices adopted in Delhi-NCR and on the way ahead. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and senior officials of the Central as well as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi governments were present in the meeting. Delhi has reported 89,802 Covid-19 cases so far, including 2,803 deaths. In Uttar Pradesh, the Covid-19 tally during the day reached 24,056, including 718 deaths. Nearly 2,400 people have been infected in Gautam Buddh Nagar of which 22 have died. In Ghaziabad, the tally has crossed 850 with reports of 56 deaths. In Haryana, 14,941 Covid-19 cases and 240 fatalities have been reported so far. Gurgaon and Faridabad districts have reported 92 and 80 deaths, respectively. The two districts jointly account for 9,300 cases. On June 18, the Home Minister had held a similar meeting at his North Block office to implement a common strategy to tackle the pandemic. It was attended by Kejriwal, Delhi Police Commissioner S.N. Shrivastava, and senior officials from the NCR districts, Ministries of Home and Health, and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Authorities in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have imposed restrictions at different times on the movement of people between the states. The Home Minister also held an all-party meeting last month, in which he urged all the political parties to set aside political differences and unite to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone conversation on Thursday reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the special and privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India in all spheres. Prime Minister Modi on Thursday called President Putin to congratulate him on the success of the celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II, and also for the successful completion of the vote on constitutional amendments in Russia. An Indian armed forces contingent participated in the Victory Parade held in Moscow on June 24, as a symbol of abiding friendship between the people of India and Russia. Modi and Putin talked about the effective measures undertaken by the two countries to address the negative consequences of the global Covid-19 pandemic and agreed on the importance of closer India-Russia ties for jointly addressing the challenges of the post-Covid world. The two leaders agreed to maintain the momentum of bilateral contacts and consultations, leading to the annual bilateral summit to be held in India later this year. Modi also conveyed his keenness to welcome Putin in India for the bilateral summit. The Russian President also thanked Modi for the phone call. It doesnt pay to be too optimistic on San Franciscos unrelenting homelessness crisis. Yet the city is showing modest progress in taking down street tents and prying loose more money to expand programs. For weary residents, those steps sound like more of the same. Tents have gone away before, only to reappear. The citys $350 million homeless budget is barely keeping pace with a population that hasnt budged in years. New plans such as cordoned off safe sleeping sites and a flock of navigation centers to get people off the streets are the latest efforts to change the picture. But the city is under extra pressure to do more at a critical time. The coronavirus has led to massive layoffs, especially in low-end work, and forced a maxed-out shelter system to trim available beds, pushing more homeless people onto the streets. The results have turned the Tenderloin into ground zero where an already thriving drug trade deepens the crisis. Theres no more graphic symbol of the trouble than a slapped together patchwork of tarps, tents and boxes spilling over the sidewalk in the area wedged between Civic Center and Union Square. People living and working amid this ragged village have felt trapped and harassed. Police werent sure what to do. The city looked the other way, tolerating the tents as a stopgap solution. Whats happening now is a slow change in the dismal picture. Of some 443 tents, 172 remain. People are being moved indoors to city-rented hotel slots under the coaxing of counselors. A lawsuit by aggrieved neighbors and the UC Hastings College of the Law extracted a promise to cut the street campground by 70% this month. A problem brought to the boiling point by a runaway pandemic is getting a limited solution. It wont be cheap. With the city lining up some 2,000 hotel rooms, the nightly bill per occupant comes to $200 after totaling in security, counseling and other expenses. About 75% of the cost will be picked up by federal pandemic money, but city still faces steep costs for a new homeless program. The overall results are not enough, and the citys inept handling of a slow-building crisis is on full view. But the falling numbers represent a measure of success. Theres even a measure of political peace between Mayor London Breed and her progressive opponents. The sight of human suffering is one thing, but just as important is finding the money to alleviate it. In this respect, the city took a giant step forward in unlocking the money that can nearly double its homeless budget. A state appeals court sided with city lawyers defending Proposition C, a voter-approved measure in 2018 that taxed major businesses to aid homeless programs. The levy could yield $300 million per year, but the funds cant be spent until court challenges play out. The ruling may be appealed, yet the plan stands on firmer legal ground. Its an especially critical moment with the city facing a $1.5 billion budget shortfall that could imperil safety-net programs. Along with the money injection, the case was notable because it rested on the argument that citizen-sponsored tax increases could be approved by a simple majority instead of a two-thirds threshold. The eventual outcome could resonate beyond San Francisco and its homeless efforts to other cities with similar tax proposals brought by citizen initiatives. Street tents still proliferate elsewhere in San Francisco. The close quarters, poor health and viral risks make camping out in alleys or side streets dangerous to the homeless and any passersby. Allowing the virus to spread in this population is a threat to all residents of the city, wherever they live. San Francisco needs to do much more, but its beginning to see modest progress. This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters. Regarding Oakland barb shows presidents true colors (June 29) and Fix economic realities of U.S. (Letters, July 1): As Otis R. Taylor Jr. so succinctly explained in a recent Chronicle column, disparity in income and economic opportunity has plagued people of color in the United States since our countrys inception. Without the opportunity to gather equity in property or other forms of prosperity and security, African Americans have been prevented from being partners in Americas growth and promise. As a previous letter to the editor pointed out, this is a hard and painful acknowledgment for me, my family and other middle-class white Americans. That fact acknowledged, reparations to African Americans must happen. The California Assembly has started the process by passing a bill to study how reparations could be implemented. This work must be advanced with all due speed. In the place of the sorrow and long-standing hardship of our countrys history of economic inequality, lets start to make amends by finding a way to start reparations this year! Jaye Erickson, Albany Maximized profits Regarding U.S. is slammed for hoarding virus drug (July 2): Why should anyone be surprised that our government has made an agreement with Gilead Sciences of Foster City to make almost all of its production of remdesivir, a drug used to treat COVID-19, exclusively available to Americans during the next three months? After all, current Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar previously served as the top lobbyist and then president of U.S. operations for drug maker Eli Lilly. Helping companies like Gilead Sciences to maximize their profits in our country, especially during a health crisis, is practically written in Azars DNA. Ezra Steindler, San Francisco Pleased with makeup As someone who considers themself gender neutral, I was both pleased and amused to read Mens makeup goes mainstream with CVS (Business, July 2). Why shouldnt men, women and gender fluid or neutral people consider wearing makeup to feel and look better? The notion that concealer, foundation or even mascara is only a female product is an antiquated stereotype from the 1950s. My advice to everyone in 21st century America (unlike First Lady Melania Trumps ill-named Be Best campaign promoting well-being for youth) is this: Be Fabulous! Blake Kennedy, San Jose Landlords arent victims Regarding Landlords sue to block new city law on evictions (July 1): The landlord associations responsible for this lawsuit are trying to appeal to our small-business values when Janan New, their representative, refers to mom-and-pop landlords. They hope we will have mercy on the ignorant perpetrators of class/race-based housing privileges. Landlords, however, are not the victims. This lawsuit reveals that privatized housing is not exempt from systemic classism/racism. Landlords are announcing that their own capital gain is more valuable than people by taking legal action to reinstate their ability to terminate shelter. News perspective is akin to sympathy for a slaveowners loss of property after emancipation. Shelter for ones body is a persons inalienable right to life, and is consistently referred to as a basic need. While landlords may not be the modern version of slave owners, there are similarities in their authoritative ownership and control over ones basic human rights. If youre sympathizing with the landlords, remember that in Abolition as Market Regulation, Caitlin C. Rosenthal reveals that after the Haitian Revolution, the former slaves paid reparations to France to compensate their former masters. Maybe youd like to use this precedent to compensate our local landlords. Liam Hardison, Oakland Verify the curricula Regarding Tough textbook market (Letters, July 2): Having been responsible for leading school district teams in the selection of texts and other materials to support established curricula in the districts secondary schools, I cannot agree with the authors suggestion to let K-12 educators create their own classroom materials. What makes one believe that teacher-selected materials would be bias-free, balanced, and factually based? While Im certain many excellent instructors would come up with creative and worthwhile materials, how would the public know they support the adopted curricula? Ive witnessed abuses of this so many times, Ive lost count. So many of us (myself included) have specific interests we would love to dwell on that are tangential to the subject studied. For instance, I recall one history teacher with a fascination for weaponry spending weeks on bringing his musket replica to school and taking his students outdoors to learn how to fire it. The curriculum he deleted in order to make room for his pet exhibit was simply dropped. Or another teacher who chose to focus on her favorite historical century, skipping the others. I suggest allowing teachers to create their own materials, but running them through verification for approval. Evie Groch, El Cerrito Dont stop building Regarding City OKs modular housing project (July 2): As it is now becoming increasingly apparent to millions of Americans that overly powerful police unions are inextricably complicit in the perpetuation of institutionalized racism, the article shed light on the next ugly scab that has to be peeled back: the role of the building trades unions in the perpetuation of institutionalized homelessness. The building trades unions inevitably push back against any form of architectural or manufacturing innovation that could substantially reduce the per-unit cost of construction. The proffered reasons? Lower wages for union members, reduced quality, and (of all things) an imperiled apprenticeship program. Spare me. Only one of those is the truth and Ill leave it to the readers of this letter to guess. Too many Bay Area low- and moderate-income residents have for years been just a paycheck or two away from winding up on the streets. And with the economic free fall, the crisis is even scarier. The time has come for cops to stop using choke holds on citizens. So, too, the time has come for the building trades unions to stop using a choke hold on the development of housing for the millions of Bay Area residents who arent wallowing in money. Joe DiPietro, Oakland Grocery bag tip Regarding Grocery store debacle (July 2): I learned from a grocery checker that many customers are bringing bags to leave in their cars. At checkout, the bagger just loads the groceries back into the cart, which the customer then wheels out to the car to load into his/her/their own bags. Its a little more work for the customer, but it certainly makes one appreciate the skill involved in filling a nicely balanced bag! With a resurgent coronavirus raging across California and anti-racism rallies and protests a near-daily occurrence, theres a brand-new focus as candidates gear up for the fall campaign. Rep. Harley Rouda, an Orange County Democrat, sent out a standard fundraising email Tuesday, looking for re-election cash. But the message was anything but traditional. These last few months have tested our leaders and weve seen far too many fail, the email read. From organizing a PPE (personal protective equipment) drive in Orange County, to marching for Black lives, to simply wearing a mask, Harley has stood out for his leadership in this crisis. Nothing about the economy. Nothing about foreign affairs. Nothing about what he has done for his district in his 18 months in Washington, or any of the other campaign standbys. Instead, the email showed a picture of Rouda, wearing a mask, standing with a family of masked, sign-carrying supporters at a Black Lives Matter protest last month in Newport Beach. These are issues that residents of Orange County care about right now, said Matilda Bress, a spokeswoman for Roudas campaign. This is a traditionally Republican part of California, she said. But when George Floyd, a Black man, died at the hands of Minneapolis police in May, there were mass protests in the district, standing up for the Black Lives Matter movement. Its something to be proud of. Across the state, Democratic candidates are challenging Republicans on the pandemic and their response to racism, buoyed by President Trumps unwillingness to support tough rules to contain the coronavirus, his attacks on Black Lives Matter and his refusal to deal with the countrys legacy of inequality. In the Central Valley, Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock (Stanislaus County), slammed his Republican opponent, former Turlock City Councilman Ted Howze, as the most racist candidate for Congress in 2020, based on a series of anti-Black and anti-Muslim posts on Howzes Facebook page. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee attacked Republican David Valadao, who is challenging Fresno Democratic Rep. TJ Cox, for backing Trumps effort to eliminate former President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act at a time when over 5.2 million Californians could lose their employer-sponsored health insurance because of COVID-19-related job losses. Assemblywoman Christy Smith, D-Santa Clarita (Los Angeles County), argued in a fundraising email last month that with Trump and GOP Rep. Mike Garcia, whom she will face in November, holding rallies without masks, an outside observer might think that the pandemic is coming to an end. Theyd be wrong. Dead wrong. Its not only Republicans who are being attacked. San Franciscos Shahid Buttar, who is challenging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a Democrats-only contest in November, charged that Pelosi and other House Democrats have attempted to co-opt the (Black Lives Matter) movement, resorting to pandering rather than showing solidarity. The new focus is a good one for Democrats, said Adam Probolsky, a pollster based in Orange County. Social unrest and the coronavirus are two issues that people talk about, with the coronavirus leading into worries about health care, he said. Trump and his leadership also top voters concerns. Trump constantly puts people in uncomfortable and difficult positions, Probolsky said, and that goes double for Republican politicians looking to win in November. Chris Carlson / AP The politics of the pandemic have changed everything in 2020, said David McCuan, a political science professor at Sonoma State University. The president will want to bring the economy front and center in the fall campaign, he said. But the recession and double-digit unemployment brought on when the coronavirus forced businesses across the nation to shutter make that a less effective talking point than it might have been. Some other issues like North Korea, the Middle East and even China will be a lot less important, McCuan said. Despite Trumps willingness to fight Democrats on issues like taking the names of Confederate leaders off military bases and preserving statues of people linked to racism, other GOP leaders would rather change the topic. On Wednesday, the Republican National Committee released a digital ad about the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade. As more of his Promises Made, Promises Kept agenda, President Trump has righted the wrongs of decades of failed trade deals, helping to ignite the Great American Comeback, committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said. Republicans are fighting back against the Democratic charges in California, pointing to what theyve done to battle the coronavirus in their communities. Howze and Valadao, for example, argue that Democrats are supporting calls to defund the police by slashing budgets and downsizing law enforcement. The party of Nancy Pelosi, AOC (New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) and the radical Democratic socialists ... want to defund the very organization that protects our communities, families and homes, Valadao said in an email last month. The National Republican Congressional Committee also has weighed in, accusing both Cox and Smith of refusing to stand against calls to defund the police. Democrats generally describe the strategy as redirecting some duties from law enforcement to social service workers. But the nastiest and most visible dispute is in Orange County, where Rouda is facing a challenge from Republican Michelle Steel, chairwoman of the county Board of Supervisors. Our opponent is charged with the countys COVID-19 response, which deals with public and economic health, said Bress, the spokeswoman for Rouda. We will talk about her inability to be an effective leader. Problems relating to Steels opposition to mandatory mask rules, as well as the announcement Thursday that county health officials accidentally inflated coronavirus testing numbers, all fall on Steels shoulders, Bress added. But Rouda can sit on the sidelines and snipe, said Lance Trover, a spokesman for Steel. He knows hes facing a strong opponent, who is in the arena every day, making hard decisions. In an email last month, Steels campaign accused Rouda of politicizing the countys COVID-19 response. Rather than focusing on how he can help, said Matt Ciepielowski, her campaign manager, Rouda spends his time on Twitter distorting and politicizing Michelle Steels work to help Orange County families get back on their feet following this devastating pandemic. John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth A day after California reimposed parts of its stay-at-home order for much of the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom gently implored protesters and mask scofflaws to consider the consequences of ignoring health orders. All I can offer is this consideration: Do what you think is best, not only for you, but for the health of those you love, Newsom said Thursday at a news conference in Sacramento. Just because someone else is doing it, doesnt mean you should. Asked repeatedly whether there was a disconnect between discouraging family gatherings but saying nothing about protests, such as those that have taken place since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, Newsom ventured mild criticism of street activism during the pandemic. The governor said that while orders to wear masks in crowded places or maintain safe physical distance arent widely enforced, protesters should think about those who may die from exposure to the virus. He ticked off a string of statistics to show how the coronavirus has roared back in California in recent weeks: Hospitalizations have increased 56% in two weeks, admissions to the intensive care unit are up 49% and the rate of positive tests has climbed to more than 6%. Look, were not going to everybodys backyard and enforcing. You know that, Newsom said. Consider others. That could be your mother, it could be your grandmother, it could be someone you deeply love. Newsom didnt unveil any new restrictions on public life Thursday, but he said the state is doubling down on parts of its stay-at-home order that were reimposed in 19 counties on Wednesday. To coax more businesses to comply, Newsom said the state is deploying teams of health regulators across the state. He said they will focus on people who have turned their back or been particularly more problematic in the past. On Wednesday, Newsom ordered 19 counties with surging outbreaks to reimpose parts of their stay-at-home orders for at least three weeks, to prevent the pandemic from spiraling out of control. Counties on the states watch list were directed to close a host of indoor establishments: dine-in restaurants, wineries, tasting rooms, movie theaters, bowling alleys, arcades, zoos, museums and cardrooms. Bars must halt all indoor and outdoor operations. Two Bay Area counties Santa Clara and Solano are among the 19 on the list. Newsom said more counties in the region could be added if new infections continue to soar. Contra Costa County had been on the list, but was removed Thursday. Meanwhile, Monterey County was added. Besides the Bay Area counties, those on the list are Los Angeles, Orange, Sacramento, Stanislaus, Fresno, Glenn, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Merced, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura. Newsom said the message to adhere to health orders is particularly important as Californians head into the Fourth of July weekend, one of the busiest times for travel and family gatherings. He said people should celebrate the holiday differently this year, noting that many cities and counties have extinguished fireworks displays and canceled parades. Newsom said those who want to see fireworks should stay in your cars or stay at home and just enjoy them from afar. Newsom also announced Thursday that the state is launching a major public-awareness campaign, with TV ads and more than 400 billboards, to emphasize the need to wear masks. Dont think for a second we are out of the woods, he said. We can again bend this curve. Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner SAN FRANCISCO - Two days after two black female ex-Pinterest public policy officials claimed in viral Twitter posts that they were underpaid, faced racist comments from their manager, and were subject to retaliation, Pinterest chief executive Ben Silbermann tried to assuage outraged employees. Ahead of a companywide meeting on Google Meet in mid-June, they had submitted more than 100 questions about the allegations. Silbermann ended the Q&A by assuring his 2,000 employees that people who work at Pinterest have "really good hearts," according an employee in attendance. The image of Pinterest as a kinder, gentler social media juggernaut grew out of the site's predominantly female user base and soft-spoken CEO - a reputation held aloft in recent years by the company's commitments to racial and gender diversity. This made Pinterest an outlier among its generation of multibillion-dollar start-ups, where Uber's unbridled aggression led the pack. But since Ifeoma Ozoma and Aerica Shimizu Banks, who represented two of the three people on Pinterest's policy team, quit together at the end of May and soon went public with their claims, that image has grown harder for Pinterest to maintain. The two women and other former employees, who were inspired to speak after they saw the Twitter threads, allege there's little accountability at Pinterest, where some subordinates were berated, women were pushed out without warning, and executives in Silbermann's inner circle faced no consequences despite repeated complaints. The Washington Post spoke with Ozoma, Banks, and five other women who formerly worked at Pinterest, and viewed copies of performance reviews, investigation findings, emails, and other documents. The other women spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of retaliation from Pinterest and further harm to their careers. "On the one hand, Pinterest was fine with me being the person interviewed on 'All Things Considered,' the person who's doing press all around the world on behalf of the company for an initiative I'm leading," says Ozoma. "And on the other hand, they just completely did not believe that I had enough sense and enough ability, both financially and otherwise," to keep pursuing her bias claims, which she felt Pinterest had shrugged off. Pinterest declined to comment on specific allegations. The company pointed to a note Silbermann sent employees Monday, which was included in a press release announcing that Pinterest's board of directors hired the law firm WilmerHale to conduct an independent review of the company's culture. "This is important work that will help us make Pinterest better," Silbermann wrote, urging his staff to prioritize following up if they were contacted by the firm. The womens' stories echo complaints across the tech world and corporate America, as companies are pressured to address systemic racism. In Silicon Valley, black employees are breaking norms by speaking out against employers and investors who failed to take their allegations seriously and often did not believe their stories of toxic bias. In recent weeks, employees have also come forward from Facebook, LinkedIn, and other tech companies. Hours after the Q&A, Silbermann sent an effusive note to his staff, apologizing for not confronting these issues. "What I've learned over the past few weeks is that parts of our culture are broken. Truthfully, I didn't understand just how much work we have to do. That's not an excuse, that's a failure in leadership, and I'm truly sorry for letting you down," he wrote. "It's been devastating to hear the stories of Black employees who feel like they don't belong at Pinterest. Because of the lack of representation in senior leadership and the board. Because they are afraid to bring concerns to their managers or HR. Because they don't feel that they have the same opportunities to grow their careers." But that was a shift from Silbermann's early response to the women's claims. Hours after Ozoma and Banks tweeted, he sent his staff an email refuting their claims without mentioning their names. "The investigations found that we treated these employees fairly. I know that this message is not nearly detailed enough to give everyone the clarity you may have hoped for," he wrote in an email viewed by The Post. "Unfortunately, this is not just a Pinterest problem. Every tech company I know has stories of anti-Black racism and bias," says Michelle Kim, chief executive of Awaken, a Bay Area firm that hosts diversity workshops for tech companies. Bias is reinforced in part because of tech industry's monoculture, in which white and Asian men tend to hire the people in their networks, who in turn hire from their networks, which can define what is considered acceptable workplace behavior and who is viewed as an outsider. Ozoma and Banks, however, had sterling credentials: they had worked at Google, Facebook, and the White House, and studied at Oxford and Yale, upending the unspoken belief in tech that the industry's lack of diversity is due to a lack of diverse talent. The idea of Pinterest as an exception to the rule was an outgrowth of Silbermann's unassuming persona as a nontechnical transplant from Iowa who came up with the idea for online pinboards because he collected insects as a kid. The site's earliest adopters were Mormon women and Midwestern moms. The first rule on Pinterest's etiquette page was "Be nice." As Pinterest grew, it increasingly defined itself in opposition to the recklessness of growth-at-all-costs start-ups. When Pinterest was a five-year-old company already valued at $11 billion, co-founder Evan Sharp told Business Insider that Pinterest liked to hire "geniuses that are nice to each other," rather than follow the "stereotype of a successful start-up" as an "aggressive, type A place." That same year, in 2015, Pinterest announced its strategy to increase diversity inside the company, including hiring a new startup called Paradigm to train employees and executives in unconscious bias, hiring a head of diversity and inclusion, and publicizing its hiring goals in order to hold itself accountable to make meaningful improvements on diversity. (Four percent of Pinterest's workforce is black, according to the latest figures released by the company.) The reality inside the company was different, the former employees said. One black female former employee said she was told to stop speaking in meetings and watched her manager use the presentations she created to speak to clients instead. The woman, who was the only black person on her team, says an executive joked that she should act as "the servant" and "serve" her co-workers at a team dinner. "Everyone knew it was wrong, but nobody said anything in that moment," said the ex-employee, who said she was too scared of retaliation to report the incident to HR. Another black ex-employee said a top marketing executive told her that she was surprised that marketing material showing a black woman, created by the ex-employee, was successful. Most of the women said that were made to feel incompetent after raising these issues. Most believed their experience inside Pinterest was unique until they heard what happened to Ozoma and Banks. Now, nearly 25,000 people have signed a petition demanding that Pinterest pay its black employees fairly. Ozoma and Banks were well-respected in tech circles for spearheading improvements to Pinterest's policies, including the decision to stop promoting content about slave plantation weddings and to block antivax content, as well as the decision to reinstate holiday pay for Pinterest contractors in December 2019. The content policies were frequently cited in media coverage as Pinterest prepared to go public last year, insulating Silbermann from the type of scrutiny around misinformation and racist content that greeted his social networking rivals. Yet, behind-the-scenes, Ozoma and Banks were rebuked and investigated for championing those same decisions around content moderation and contractor pay, they said. They allege that they were unknowingly assigned lower levels on Pinterest's internal hierarchy for doing the same work as their manager, who is white. Ozoma received two raises and a promotion during her two-year tenure at the company, which she says was a reflection of her job performance, but the changes did not address her concern about being hired at the wrong level. Both women say their lower level in the internal hierarchy deprived them of stock options they believe are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. In June 2019, Ozoma's name, cellphone number, email, and photo were published on extremist forums, including 8chan and 4chan, where users organize harassment campaigns after a co-worker leaked documents to a right-wing news organization. In one of the documents, Ozoma suggested looking into creating an advisory warning for content from conservative media personality Ben Shapiro, whom she described as "a white supremacist," which angered Shapiro's supporters. Ozoma said she had sought help for the publication of her personal details from a third-party company named Storyful, that she had worked with on health misinformation, after Pinterest's deputy general counsel brushed off warnings from Ozoma and Banks that individual employees were likely to be targeted, according to emails viewed by The Post. But when Pinterest's legal department took over monitoring, the company asked Storyful to investigate whether Shapiro actually was a white supremacist. "Instead of focusing on security and making sure that we were fine and validating the concerns that we had, their concern was: Is what you said is valid? Almost like [the employee] had a legitimate reason to share my personal information all over the Internet," Ozoma says. In an email exchange with Silbermann the day she was doxed, Ozoma shared her disappointment in Pinterest, including screenshots of the harassment she received. "I'm personally concerned that when these risks were raised, we didn't take the right steps," the chief executive wrote, vowing to ask his deputies and look into the matter. Ozoma says she received no follow-up from Silbermann. Banks also claims that Pinterest was more aggressive about investigating her actions, than the complaints she raised. In December, Banks had advised the company to reinstate holiday pay for contractors, a position that Pinterest's federal consultants congratulated Banks for pushing, according to an email viewed by The Post. However, under pressure from management who disagreed with the situation, the consultants, a firm that advises Pinterest on interactions with regulators and government agencies, falsely said they had not advised that course of action, Banks alleges. In response, Pinterest's "business conduct" team investigated Banks' policy decision, including searching through an employee's cellphone to try to find WhatsApp and Facebook messages with Ozoma or Banks, and then accidentally forwarded the screenshots to Banks, according to emails viewed by The Post. Pinterest never informed Banks of the outcome of the investigation, she says. Both women say they hoped to resolve their disputes internally. Even after they filed documents in 2019 with California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing indicating their intent to sue, Pinterest still had the same manager they had been complaining about for months conduct their reviews. When the women posted parts of their story on Twitter, the uproar was immediate. Public policy executives from Facebook and Google praised their skills and accomplishments. Color of Change, an advocacy group that had worked with the women on restricting marketing for planation weddings before they quit, posted a press release saying Pinterest's "hypocrisy is glaring," considering statements the company made in support of Black Lives Matter. Responding to internal and external pressure, Pinterest took a page from Uber, whose chief executive Travis Kalanick hired former attorney general Eric Holder to investigate the company's culture after allegations of rampant sexism. "I'm not sure that they remember Kalanick ended up stepping down," Ozoma says. Amid ongoing tension at borders with China in Eastern Ladakh, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to Leh and forward locations on Friday morning to review the ground security situation, barely 18 days after a violent stand-off. Sources said that Modi reached Ladakh early morning and briefied by the Army, Air Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police at one of the forward locations in Nimu. Located at 11,000 feet above sea level, Nimu is among the tough terrains, surrounded by the Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. The Prime Minister, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, will also interact with injured soldiers at the military hospital in Leh, in what will be a morale booster for the forces. General Rawat will review the tri-services preparedness against the aggressive People's Liberation Army (PLA), as well as understand the proposed de-escalation and disengagement process at the four stand-off points. Modi's visit comes just a day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called off his own visit to Ladakh. Singh was to visit Eastern Ladakh region to interact with soldiers deployed at the hostile border on Friday. He had plans to interact with the soldiers injured during the barbaric attack carried out by Chinese People's Liberation Army on June 15. In the attack, India lost 20 soldiers and Chinese Army too had casualties, figures still unknown. On June 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stated that the sacrifice made by 20 soldiers who went down fighting against the People's Liberation Army (PLA) at Galwan Valley on June 15 night "will not go in vain". He also said that while India wants peace, it will give a "befitting reply" if provoked. "India's integrity and sovereignty is supreme for us, and no one can stop us from defending it. Nobody should have any iota of doubt about this," said Modi. "Indian troops went down fighting (maarte, maarte mare hain)," he had said. Modi also said that the whole country is with the families of those who sacrificed their lives for the country. "India will defend every stone every inch of its territory. India is a peace-loving country which has always tried to maintain cooperative and friendly relations with neighbours." In a strong show of support for India, Japan on Friday hit out at China, saying that it opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh where the Chinese aggression led to the killing of 20 Indian soldiers last month. Tokyo's envoy in New Delhi, Satoshi Suzuki on Friday revealed that he had a conversation with Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla about the government's efforts at peaceful resolution of the Indo-China face-off in Ladakh. Suzuki later tweeted: "Had a good talk with FS Shringla. Appreciated his briefing on the situation along LAC, including GOI's policy to pursue peaceful resolution. Japan also hopes for peaceful resolution through dialogues. Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo." The statement came weeks after Japan revised a certain legislation which allows it to share defence intelligence with India, Australia and the UK. Until now, the legislation covered only its closest ally, the US. The move will facilitate joint exercises, tie-ups for developing equipment and sharing data on Chinese troop movements -- strategically significant issue -- for Tokyo as its finding harder to keep a track of Beijing's activities in East China Sea. Chinese Coast Guard vessels, as per media reports from Tokyo, have been sailing through waters in the East China Sea around the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands for the last 80 days continuously. China disputes Japan's sovereignty over Senkaku islands. As many as 27 women have been rescued from a brothel in the city in a Central Crime Branch police raid on Thursday night, an official said on Friday. "On Thursday night CCB women's wing lead by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mudvi and team detected a prostitution racket and raided a big brothel house," told CCB Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Kuldeep Jain to IANS. Among the rescued women, Jain said there were nine each from Nepal and Punjab, four from Delhi, two from Maharashtra and one each from Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. "Main pimp Yogesh from Rajasthan and two others have also been arrested," said Jain. Yogesh was operating the brothel with women predominantly from northern states within Puttenahalli police station limits in the city. As many as 27 women have been rescued from a brothel in the city in a Central Crime Branch police raid on Thursday night, an official said on Friday. "On Thursday night CCB women's wing lead by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mudvi and team detected a prostitution racket and raided a big brothel house," told CCB Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Kuldeep Jain to IANS. Among the rescued women, Jain said there were nine each from Nepal and Punjab, four from Delhi, two from Maharashtra and one each from Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. "Main pimp Yogesh from Rajasthan and two others have also been arrested," said Jain. Yogesh was operating the brothel with women predominantly from northern states within Puttenahalli police station limits in the city. NEW DELHI The groom felt ill at the wedding. Days later, he was dead, and soon more than 100 guests had tested positive for the coronavirus. Now, Indian officials have opened an investigation into the wedding gathering, which some experts are calling a superspreader event. The event was in mid-June and was attended by more than 300 guests in the city of Patna, in the northeastern state of Bihar, according to relatives who were there. The groom, a software engineer living near New Delhi, had returned to his home state to prepare for the ceremony, telling friends it would be remembered forever as a corona marriage. But a few days before the ceremony, the groom started to vomit and complained of a headache, according to a relative who spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared being ostracized. The relative said that the grooms family took him to a hospital in Patna, but that his parents insisted on continuing with the wedding. He was not tested for the coronavirus, according to the relative. But a few days after the ceremony ended, Sri Kumar Ravi, the district magistrate in Patna, said he received an anonymous call: The groom had died, possibly from COVID-19, and his parents had cremated the body. Through an intermediary, the grooms parents declined to comment. The Wire, an Indian news outlet, quoted the grooms father as denying that his son had been sick before the wedding. But he said members of his family, including him, had recently tested positive for the coronavirus. Ravi said the bride, whose identity has not been disclosed, tested negative. But he said that more than 100 other guests have tested positive. He likened the wedding to forcing your guests into mass suicide, noting that there was evidence to suggest the groom knew he was sick before the ceremony but proceeded anyway without informing most people who attended. No charges have been filed yet, he said. India has struggled to limit the coronavirus, with more than half a million confirmed infections and around 18,000 deaths as of Thursday. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown in late March, businesses shut and millions of Indians traveled from cities back to their villages. Many of those who returned home unknowingly spread the coronavirus to the countryside, leading to fresh outbreaks in states like Bihar that were initially spared high case loads. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Elsewhere in the United States, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has put plans to reopen indoor dining rooms on hold because of a possibility of infected people from elsewhere flocking into the city. And Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf issued a statewide order Wednesday mandating that everyone wear face masks. California's increasing rate of infections has prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to revive the sweeping restrictions imposed statewide at the start of the outbreak, to shut down bars and theaters and halt indoor dining in 19 counties, reviving the sweeping restrictions imposed statewide at the start of the outbreak. Other states with record new one-day coronavirus infections Wednesday were Alaska, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and Tennessee. The record number of new infections is accompanied by a new high for current hospitalizations in eight states, with Texas reporting 6,904 patients Wednesday. The situation has created a crisis in one of the nations largest states, with some hospitals reaching near-capacity. Wednesday's record-setting figures were led by California, which posted 9,740 new cases, according to The Covid Tracking Project operated by The Atlantic magazine, followed by the southwestern state of Texas with 8,076. The southeastern state of Florida was third with 6,563, with the southwestern state of Arizona close behind with 4,877. For the first time since the novel coronavirus arrived in the United States, the nation has topped 50,000 new infections for a single day. Risks of 'Fragmented Approach' Wednesday's record day of new infections in the United States came a day after Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a U.S. Senate committee that the current rate of new infections could more than double to 100,000 a day if the current surge is not contained. The World Health Organization says 60 percent of the world's 10 million coronavirus cases since December came in the month of June -- a sign that the pandemic is getting worse and not slowing down. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that more than 160,000 new cases are reported every day. He said countries must take what he calls a "comprehensive approach" in battling the virus. "Find, isolate, test and care for every case; trace and quarantine every contact; equip and train health workers; and educate and empower communities to protect themselves and others," Tedros said. He added that those countries taking a "fragmented approach" have a "long, hard road ahead." "Not testing alone. Not physical distancing alone. Not contact tracing alone. Not masks alone. Do it all," Tedros said. He said one of the lessons learned in the past six months is that "it's never too late... no matter what situation a country is in, it can be turned around." Tedros pointed out that wearing masks saves lives. U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to be seen wearing one in public. But after months of dismissing the idea of masks, Trump said Wednesday he would now have "no problem" putting one on. "If I were in a tight situation with people, I would, absolutely," the president told Fox Business news. "I'm all for masks. I think masks are good. Actually, I had a mask on. I sort of liked the way I looked. It was OK. It was a dark, black mask, and I thought it looked OK. If people feel good about it they should do it." But Trump said he doubts wearing them should be mandatory and repeated his belief that COVID-19 will just "disappear" at some point. But medical experts say they believe the virus is here to stay, just like the virus that causes the common cold. Security Lapses Allegations In Australia, officials in the state of Victoria have launched a probe into that government's disastrous hotel quarantine program. Allegations have surfaced of security lapses at hotels used to quarantine visitors and Australians returning home from overseas, including undertrained staff, misuse of personal protective equipment, allowing quarantined families to leave the hotels, and even claims guards slept with guests. The security breaches have been tied to a resurgence of new coronavirus infections in Melbourne in recent weeks. New Zealand Health Minister David Clark resigned Thursday after coming under fire for breaching the country's strict restrictions imposed at the outset of the pandemic in March. Clark initially submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in April after he was spotted biking and visiting the beach with his family, but Ardern rejected it, citing his role in the government's successful response to the outbreak. Ardern lifted nearly all restrictions in June after declaring the virus had been eliminated, earning New Zealand international praise. But the government's efforts have suffered a setback after travelers who left quarantine after entering the country tested positive for the virus. The Yogi Adityanath government has announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for anyone giving information about Vikas Dubey, the main accused in the killing of eight police personnel on Friday. An Uttar Pradesh police spokesman said that the identity of anyone who provides information will be kept secret. The police has been raiding the various hideouts of Dubey but have not yet nabbed the criminal. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday met the family of late Dr. Aseem Gupta who had recently succumbed to coronavirus and handed over compensation of Rs 1 crore to them. The 56-year-old anaesthesia specialist in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) hospital was deputed to treat coronavirus patients and had tested positive on June 3. He died earlier this week. After meeting his family, Kejriwal tweeted, "We cannot do anything to bring back the 'People's Doctor', but it is our duty to support families of those who lay down their lives for us. An ex gratia of Rs 1 crore was given to the family today." While announcing the compensation earlier this week, the Chief Minister had said that there is no value attached to anyone's life, but the compensation is a small tribute to him on behalf of the people of Delhi and the country. "He was known for going out of his way to serve his patients. We have lost a very valuable fighter. Delhi salutes his spirit and sacrifice," he said. Short-video platform Likee on Thursday said it has temporarily pulled off the app from Google Play and Apple App Stores and has suspended its service in India. Likee, a product of BIGO Technology Pte Ltd, is one of the 59 Chinese apps banned by the Indian government. "We respect the Indian government's order and have temporarily taken off Likee from Google Play and App Store, and have suspended service in India until there is further clarity provided on this matter," the company said in a statement. Stressing that it works under Singapore-based BIGO Technology Pte Ltd, Likee said that it held "utmost priority to adherence to all the local laws as well as users' privacy and data security". Released first in 2017, the platform has over 15 million users worldwide. Bigo Live, another product from the same company, also said that they respect the government's order and have removed the app from both Google and Apple stores. Meanwhile, another short-video making platform TikTok from China-based ByteDance said they are not pursuing legal action regarding the government's directive as reported in a section of the media. "We have no plans to pursue such action. We are committed to working with the government to address its concerns," said a TikTok spokesperson. Both TikTok and vernacular social networking platform Helo have said they were in the process of complying with the government order to ban 59 Chinese apps and were not sharing any data of Indian users with the Chinese government. TikTok and Helo, both owned by Chinese content giant ByteDance, disappeared from both Google Play Store and Apple App Store earlier this week. Two Oklahoma police officers were charged with second-degree murder this week as part of a July 4 incident last year in which the men allegedly used Tasers on a man more than 50 times before he died, according to court documents. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation announced Thursday that Wilson, Okla., police officers Joshua Taylor, 25, and Brandon Dingman, 34, were charged in connection with the 2019 death of 28-year-old Jared Lakey. Court documents filed in Carter County, Okla., show that the officers' use of Tasers was a "substantial factor" in Lakey's death and that the 50-plus uses of the Tasers "greatly exceeded what would have been necessary or warranted by the attendant circumstances." The officers turned themselves in Thursday morning after the Carter County District Attorney's Office issued warrants for their arrests earlier in the week. If convicted, they could face sentences of 10 years to life in prison. Kevin Coley, chief of the Wilson Police Department, told The Washington Post on Friday that the officers were placed on administrative leave pending a termination hearing. He said he could not comment on the case, citing the ongoing investigation. The murder charges in Oklahoma come amid a period of national unrest surrounding police brutality. There's been a renewed focused on law enforcement's use of force and Tasers in recent weeks following the fatal police shooting of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta last month. After the 27-year-old was found asleep in a Wendy's drive-through, Brooks, who failed a sobriety test, fled from police and grabbed a Taser from one of the officers, police said. Brooks was shot and killed while running from police. The incident in Wilson, located near the Texas border, unfolded late on July 4, 2019, when Taylor and Dingman responded to a call of Lakey "acting in a disorderly way," according to the state. A public records lawsuit filed by Lakey's family last year found that police replied to a report of a man "screaming and running down the road." At around midnight, investigators said that Lakey, who was white, refused to comply with the commands of the white officers. That's when the officers "used their Tasers multiple times," the state said Thursday. Shortly after a Carter County officer arrived to help get him into custody in the early morning hours of July 5, 2019, Lakey stopped breathing and became unresponsive, according to court documents. He was transported to hospitals in Healdton, Okla., and Oklahoma City for almost two days and died July 6. Records show that his cause of death is listed as multiple heart attacks as well as "law enforcement use of electrical weapon and restraint," the Ardmoreite reported. At the request of Carter County Sheriff Chris Bryant, an agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation was brought on last year to investigate the officers' use of force. In reviewing the dash-cam and body-cam footage, the agent saw the full extent of the officers' repeated use of their Tasers on Lakey in a nine-minute time frame. According to the officers' Taser data logs in the court filings, Taylor allegedly deployed his Taser 30 times for a cumulative total of more than two minutes, while Dingman reportedly used his Taser 23 times for just under two minutes total. As the Ardmoreite noted, "this indicates the victim was Tased for almost four minutes straight" in less than 10 minutes. Dingman later told authorities that the officers continued using their Tasers "to attempt to keep [Lakey] from getting up and giving him the opportunity to come at Cpt. Taylor or myself." But as the agent wrote in the affidavit, Lakey never struck or made any move toward police, and neither officer attempted to control the 28-year-old by placing their hands on him, which went against their training. Taylor has been with the department since 2016, while Dingman joined as a full-time officer in 2013. "The footage reveals numerous instances of both officers using their X26P Tasers to send electrical shocks through [the victim's] body in an apparent attempt to persuade him to put his hands behind his back as he lay on the ground," said the agent, according to court documents. Since Lakey's death, his family has filed a public records lawsuit and a federal civil rights lawsuit, both of which remain pending. Spencer Bryan, an attorney for Lakey's parents, told the New York Times that the charges announced against the officers were appropriate. He pointed out that both officers claimed to investigators early on that they used their Tasers only four times, a significant discrepancy compared with what's outlined in court documents. "I have never seen a more disturbing video," Bryan said to the Times. "After watching it, I cannot understand how the city allowed officers who exhibited such gross recklessness, resulting in a man's death, to continue working." Taylor and Dingman were released on $250,000 bonds on Thursday, the state said. Ryan Hunnicutt, an attorney for both officers, told the newspaper that Lakey's death "saddens us all." "We are confident that the legal system will provide an opportunity for all the facts to be known and look forward to our day in court," he said. In a statement to the Ardmoreite this week, Carter County District Attorney Craig Ladd offered his gratitude to Lakey's family for a process that was slowed by a seven-month investigation and the coronavirus pandemic. "Hopefully, the fact that the criminal prosecution of those responsible for his death has begun will make this upcoming first anniversary of his death a little bit easier to bear, if only in the slightest," he said. At least 113 bodies were found on Thursday, while several others were reported missing after a landslide hit a jade mining site in Myanmar's Kachin state, officials said. "A more than 304 metre-high cliff collapsed, burying those collecting stones," Xinhua news agency quoted a rescue worker at the scene as saying. Caused by the monsoon rains, the landslide occurred at the site in Sate Mu village tract of Hpakant township at 8 a.m., according to the Fire Services Department. Rescue work is continuing for people still missing at the site. Deadly landslides are frequent in Kachin state, known as land of jade. Many local people make living by jade scavenging in the region and most of the landslides are caused by partial collapse of tailings heaps and dams. A major landslide, which occurred in the region in November 2015, left at least 116 jade scavengers dead. Myanmar is the world's biggest source of jade, said a BBC report. The country's jade trade is reported to be worth more than $30 billion a year. Hpakant is the site of the world's biggest jade mine. WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Thursday left in place laws in Chicago and Pennsylvania that restrict antiabortion protesters who gather near the entrances of clinics and other medical facilities. The court without comment turned away challengers who said the ordinances violate their First Amendment rights to free speech "at the precise moment when this speech is most likely to matter." Justice Clarence Thomas would have granted the challenge to Chicago's ordinance, but no other justice indicated agreement. At the same time, the court vacated wins for abortion rights advocates challenging two Indiana abortion restrictions. It sent the cases back for reconsideration in light of the reasoning the Supreme Court used in striking down Louisiana's restrictions on abortion clinic doctors. In the protest cases, antiabortion groups wanted the justices to reexamine the court's 2000 decision in Hill v. Colorado, in which it approved that state's law that established a 100-foot buffer zone around the entrances to medical facilities. Violent clashes sometimes occur between antiabortion protesters and women and their supporters entering clinics. The challengers said the Supreme Court's free speech decisions since Hill have undermined the precedent. For instance, the court in 2014 struck down a Massachusetts law that allowed only certain people in a 35-foot zone around entrances to facilities. The Chicago law says that within 50 feet of the entrance to an abortion clinic or other medical facility, a person needs consent to come within eight feet of someone to pass out leaflets or to engage in "oral protest, education, or counseling." "Under the ordinance, one can, without consent, approach a person within the 'bubble zone' to solicit donations for a charity, sell Cubs tickets, campaign for a candidate, or panhandle. One can also approach without speaking at all," wrote lawyers for the Thomas More Society. "But certain speech is declared illegal: it is unlawful to approach that same person to 'educate' or 'counsel' her about alternatives to abortion." A unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit reluctantly upheld the Chicago ordinance, saying that the court's subsequent decisions "have deeply shaken Hill's foundation." The panel contained two judges considered by Republican presidents for the Supreme Court, Diane S. Sykes and Amy Coney Barrett. They said they had no authority to overturn the law. Hill "remains on the books and directly controls here," Sykes wrote, adding "Only the Supreme Court can bring harmony to these precedents." But the same Supreme Court majority that struck the Massachusetts law and yet distinguished it from Hill remains on the court - Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. The court also declined to hear a similar Harrisburg, Pa., ordinance. It was enacted after disruptions at abortion clinics in the city, and was affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. The decision in the Indiana cases will give the state another chance to defend its laws, which were enacted when Vice President Pence was governor. Both had been blocked by the 7th Circuit. One law expands the requirement that a woman seeking an abortion undergo an ultrasound procedure. The new requirement that it be done at least 18 hours before the abortion procedure was unduly burdensome, the court said, because it prolonged the waiting period for women who had to travel for the procedure. The other requires parental notification when someone under 18 seeks an abortion, even if she had asked a court to provide consent, instead of her parents. It is not unusual for the Supreme Court to send back some cases for reconsideration when it has recently decided a related case. But abortion advocates worry that Roberts's concurring opinion in the Louisiana case might make it more difficult to prevail in some cases. "On Monday, we said this fight was far from over, and these orders today prove it," Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. "Let's be clear - these laws are medically unnecessary, burdensome and unconstitutional." The Philippines has released a total of 15,322 prisoners amid a rising number of Covid-19 cases, officials said on Thursday. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) of the Philippines said these inmates called "persons deprived of liberty" jailed in the facilities run by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, were freed from March 17 to June 22, Xinhua reported. The majority of the freed prisoners are "elderly and have committed light or bailable offences," the DILG said in a statement. It further said the freed inmates were from Metro Manila and several jail facilities across the country. As of July 2, the DILG said some 783 inmates throughout the country have contracted the virus. It said 549 inmates have recovered. The DILG also said that 135 jail personnel have also been infected but 90 of them have recovered. The Philippines now has 38,805 confirmed Covid-19 cases, including 10,673 recoveries and 1,274 deaths. WASHINGTON - With a burst of light and dust, an armored vehicle carrying Marines outside a major U.S. air base in Afghanistan erupted into flames, killing three men inside and plunging their unit into chaos. The April 2019 car bombing about a mile from Bagram air base had the hallmark of a coordinated ambush, said two defense officials familiar with the details. A sedan packed with explosives blew up as the Marines' vehicle drew alongside it, mangling the mine-resistant vehicle so badly that U.S. troops had to take the wreckage back to Bagram to extract the remains. The Taliban released a photo of the explosion afterward, asserting responsibility for it and saying that "multiple invaders" were killed and wounded. The attack quickly faded from public attention as one of many violent incidents in a war that has killed nearly 2,400 Americans in combat over more than 18 years. But it has been thrust into the spotlight in recent days amid revelations that intelligence analysts believe those who planned it may have been paid a bounty by a Russian military intelligence unit to kill Americans. President Donald Trump has dismissed the story as a "hoax," amid reports that information about the threat circulated through the American intelligence community and first reached the White House early in 2019, before the attack outside Bagram. Other Trump administration officials, meanwhile, have cast the information as a concern that merited attention, even if defense officials did not see the intelligence - originally gathered in interviews with Taliban members detained in Afghanistan - as verified. Caught in the firestorm are the families and friends of the three Marines - Staff Sgt. Christopher Slutman, Staff Sgt. Benjamin Hines and Sgt. Robert Hendriks - who were just a few weeks from returning home to the United States when they were killed. Kyle Moyer, a Marine veteran who deployed with Hines and Slutman to Iraq in 2008, said that the death of his friends was "heartbreaking" and that the revival of the attack in the news has brought more pain. "For the immediate family and Marines, it's like ripping a Band-Aid off. They are just getting used to life again. We just had Memorial Day, the one-year anniversary in April, and now this," Moyer said. "They just want the lives to be celebrated, and to remember them, and not have a cloud over it." Slutman, a 43-year-old married father of three, had served 15 years in the New York City Fire Department. Hines, 31, was engaged to be married when he returned home. The body of Hendriks, 25, was escorted home to the United States by his brother, Joseph, who also is a Marine, his family has said in past interviews. Several friends, family members and members of their Marine unit either declined interview requests this week or did not respond to requests. News that Russian officials may have had a role in the attack came as a surprise, the defense officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Three other service members and an Afghan interpreter were wounded in the explosion. Hendriks's father, Erik, told the Associated Press that he believes that even rumors of Russian bounties should have been immediately addressed. "If this was kind of swept under the carpet as to not make it a bigger issue with Russia, and one ounce of blood was spilled when they knew this, I lost all respect for this administration and everything," he said. The men were members of the 25th Marine Regiment, a reserve unit, and had volunteered for a deployment with Georgia Liaison Team 8, a unit of several dozen Marines who advised a battalion of nearly 900 soldiers from the Republic of Georgia. They were based at Bagram, an installation that is still home to a former Russian air tower and a mass grave that is marked as the final resting place of Afghans who died during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The deployment was part of an ongoing collaboration that goes back more than a decade. Georgians, seeking membership in NATO and American backing against Russia, deployed alongside U.S. troops in the Iraq War and pivoted to deploying a battalion of soldiers at a time to Afghanistan, beginning in 2009. The joint U.S.-Georgian unit's operations included manning security checkpoints at Bagram and patrolling outside the base in search of evidence of Taliban operations such as rocket attacks on the air base. The Pentagon has long watched warily as Russia has expanded its involvement in Afghanistan. Russian officials have accused the United States of supporting the Islamic State to undermine the Afghan government, a baseless accusation at odds with years of U.S. raids and airstrikes against ISIS and tens of billions of dollars of American aid sent to Afghanistan. Senior U.S. officials have accused Russia of supplying the Taliban with weapons, including machine guns. Military officials saw the Russian activity at the time as mainly aimed at building relationships with actors who could play a prominent role in Afghanistan's future rather than posing a direct threat to American forces. Russia has denied the accusation of offering bounties, saying it has supplied weapons only to the Afghan government. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that the Defense Department "has no corroborating evidence at this time" to validate the allegations against Russia in Afghanistan, but he said he wanted to assure service members that the department takes seriously "any and all" threats against U.S. troops. That stood in contrast to the reaction of the president, who dismissed the significance of the reports, citing the lack of Pentagon corroboration. "Do people still not understand that this is all a made up Fake News Media Hoax started to slander me & the Republican Party?" Trump tweeted on Wednesday. "I was never briefed because any info that they may have had did not rise to that level." Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and other political opponents have said that the situation shows that Trump either read his briefing about the alleged Russian plot and did nothing, or didn't read the intelligence reports. "Either way, it's an unjustifiable dereliction of duty," Biden tweeted. "The American people deserve answers." Despite the president's dismissal of the allegation, White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien told reporters Wednesday that CIA Director Gina Haspel has distributed "raw intelligence" to coalition forces in Afghanistan "to make sure they have force protection." The U.S.-led military headquarters in Afghanistan said in a statement Thursday that it doesn't comment on specific intelligence but is "well aware of the potential threats we face from the variety of actors in this complicated region, including the Taliban, ISIS, al-Qaeda and criminal elements looking to disrupt the peace process." The statement, which did not mention Russia, concluded: "Protecting the force is our top priority, and we regularly review our posture from all standpoints to ensure the protection of our personnel." On Thursday, Haspel and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe briefed top lawmakers about the intelligence. Congressional leaders shared little about the substance of the briefing, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., excoriated the Trump administration as doing too little to ensure the president was aware of the information. "The White House put on a con that if you don't have 100 percent consensus on intelligence, that . . . it shouldn't rise to a certain level," she said. "We would practically be investigating nothing if you had to start off at 100 percent. . . . Just because they didn't have 100 percent consensus, should this be not briefed to the president of the United States?" Jason Dempsey, an Afghanistan war veteran who studies national security issues for the bipartisan Center for a New American Security, said the stakes in the discussion are "as high as they can be," considering the possible involvement of American deaths. "The unfortunate thing here is that the grief of these families, which is the most real thing in all of this, will now be used as ammunition in a domestic partisan battle," he said. Dempsey said that warfare is inherently confusing and that initial intelligence reports can be misleading, but that he was taken aback by the president's reaction to the news, first reported by the New York Times. "His response to this was maybe the most telling self-own about this whole thing," Dempsey said. "There's only one way to act when you hear that American service members may be getting killed by our adversaries, and the way he reacted isn't it." Moyer, who lost two friends in the attack, said that no one wants to see the Marines' deaths subsumed by politics. "I wouldn't like my death being politicized," he said. "They were there serving their country, protecting their beliefs and the country they love, and the freedoms of individuals. That's how they looked at it, and that's the kind of light they would want put on their deaths, not either party using it to take down a political opponent or justify a political move - anything along those lines." - - - The Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian and Julie Tate contributed to this report. Kayleigh McEnany's press briefings don't just draw to a close. They tend to end with a flourish - a true walk-off moment. It happened again at the White House on Monday. President Donald Trump's press secretary was speaking to reporters when one asked about his denial of reports that Russian operatives offered bounties to Taliban members who kill American troops in Afghanistan. But, a reporter noted, Trump had also claimed that he had never been briefed on the subject - so how could he be certain there were never any bounties? McEnany was ready for this one. Quickly flipping pages in her briefing binder, McEnany launched into an extended critique of the New York Times, which broke the Russia story last week. Reading from her notes, she rattled off a series of alleged errors published by the Times in its reporting about Russia over the past four years, including a claim that 17 intelligence agencies had agreed about Russian interference in the 2016 election. (Only four agencies had done so.) Then she unleashed the uppercut punch: "It is inexcusable, the failed Russia reporting of the New York Times. And I think it's time that the New York Times, and also The Washington Post, hand back their Pulitzers." Bam! And with that, McEnany snapped her binder shut and strode out of the briefing room, trailed by the unanswered shouts and murmurs of the White House press corps. Such dramatic exits have become a signature of McEnany's brief tenure as press secretary. Since taking the job in April, the former Trump-friendly CNN pundit and spokeswoman for Trump's reelection campaign has often waited until the briefing's conclusion - that is, the moment when she determines the briefing is concluded - to unload on the assembled reporters. The excoriation is typically punctuated by a binder slam and a determined stride away from the lectern, almost like the slugger who doesn't bother to watch the pitch he just swatted as it sails into the bleacher seats. The unspoken message seems to be: Take that, hacks! McEnany, for example, concluded her briefing on June 1 by playing a White House-produced video of police embracing protesters, images that she said "have not been played all that often" in the news media. And when she was asked in early May if she wanted to take back her assertion in a Fox Business Network interview in February that "we will not see diseases like the coronavirus come here," McEnany responded by rhetorically asking if news organizations would like to take back articles that had downplayed the threat. After rattling off several of them, she delivered her exit line: "I'll leave you with those questions and maybe you'll have some answers in a few days." During another very special McEnany moment in May, the press secretary closed things out by narrating an illustrated PowerPoint presentation of five questions she said reporters should pose to Obama administration officials in support of Trump's claims of a conspiracy against him. "If I write them out in a slide format - maybe we're visual learners and you guys will follow up with journalistic curiosity," she said sarcastically in introducing her lecture. Sounding like a teacher handing out an assignment, she concluded: "It's a long weekend. You guys have three days to follow up on those questions. And I certainly hope the next time I ask, some hands go up, because Obama's spokesperson should be asked those questions because President Trump's spokespeople certainly would be." And . . . scene. The would-be smackdowns seemed so orchestrated that all it lacked in stagecraft was the kind of musical punctuation that "CSI: Miami" used to punch up Detective Horatio Caine's bon mots before jumping to the opening credits and theme song, the Who's "Wont' Get Fooled Again." As a practical matter, McEnany's abrupt exits have the advantage of foreclosing upon follow-up questions or comments. They give her, in effect, the last word. They're also in keeping with her boss's perpetual denunciations of the media as "fake news." McEnany didn't respond to requests for comment. Her mic-dropping moments are really designed for two audiences beyond the denizens of the briefing room: Trump himself and the universe of Trump-friendly websites, said Ryan Lizza, Politico's chief Washington correspondent and a CNN contributor. The websites, he said, turn her set pieces into share-worthy clips "for the MAGA-sphere" within minutes of her walkout. "We used to have this quaint idea that the press secretary wasn't just a mouthpiece for the president, that half of the job was serving the press and the public," said Lizza, who appeared with McEnany on CNN many times when she was a network contributor. "That model is gone now. Now it's almost pure theater, and [she's serving] the negative partisanship that drives all else." Social scientists study the way in which people end interactions with others, known as "leave-taking behavior," and McEnany's behavior fits into this analytical framework, said Jennifer Mercieca, an associate professor at Texas A&M who specializes in rhetoric and public affairs. In friendly or cordial relationships, she said, a person typically will begin to position themselves toward an exit and announce their intention to depart. They'll reaffirm the relationship by summarizing what's been said and suggest, if only in vague terms, a future meeting. The failure to do these things sends the opposite message about a relationship - that one party has disrespect for the other. McEnany's scripted walk-offs point to "how adversarial the relationship between the press secretary and the press is at present," said Mercieca. "The abrupt ending signals a lack of respect for the press, especially after she has berated their reporting." WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump will celebrate American independence Friday in his signature self-aggrandizing style, staging a fireworks show that frames him before a granite mountain carved with four of the nation's most celebrated presidents. But Democrats are hoping that the latest display of self-flattery by Trump at Mount Rushmore will have a different effect than similar efforts in the past, following a shift in public sentiment that suggests the 2020 presidential race is being fought on different terrain than Trump's first campaign for the White House. "In 2016, Trump's buffoonery was held up by some as a refreshing rejection of an ineffectual status quo. He would step up to the plate eventually, they thought," said former Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook, explaining the thinking that now dominates his party's strategists. "Today, it's the same buffoonery, except it is killing people." About 7,500 guests are expected to gather to see Trump. In keeping with the president's preferences, the rally will occur without any mandates from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, to socially distance or wear masks, despite federal health guidelines that suggest them and overwhelming public opinion against such events. A recent Fox News poll found 8 in 10 Americans favored mask wearers and less than one in four thought it was a good idea for presidential candidates to hold large political events or rallies right now. This contradiction has become a central target for former vice president Joe Biden's presidential campaign, which has been drawing on Democratic polling and focus groups that find enormous new vulnerabilities for Trump that have contributed to his recent slide in the polls. "Mr. President, this is not about you," Biden said Tuesday, in a succinct summary of his message. "It's about the health and well-being of the American public." A gut political player, Trump has for years dismissed criticism of his narcissistic public style and proved his naysayers wrong when they predicted it would lead to his downfall. He boasted his way to the top of the Republican nomination fight in 2015 and won the White House with a great-man theory of governance summed up with his convention declaration: "I alone can fix it." Since then, Trump has repeatedly declared himself the best, the most knowledgeable and the most righteous as president. "Nobody's ever done a better job than I'm doing as president," he said in 2018. But he has struggled this year, as a pandemic and economic shutdown took hold, to wield that self-regard against national fears about crises that have impacted nearly every American in painful ways. In the last two weeks, Trump has pushed for largely maskless mass gatherings in Arizona and Oklahoma, two states that have seen recent spikes in coronavirus cases. He also pushed for the relocation of his nominating convention to Florida, another state battling an outbreak, to increase the odds that he is greeted by roaring crowds in late August. Doug Heye, a Republican strategist and former spokesman for the Republican National Committee who did not vote for Trump, said voters took note when Secret Service agents and campaign officials had to self-quarantine after a rally Trump staged in Tulsa last month over the objections of public health experts. Two agents and at least six campaign staffers tested positive for the virus. "The challenge for Trump here is that all of the risks that are being taken are done solely for his own benefit," he said. "That is, without question, going to cause some voters who would otherwise approve of things that his administration does to turn away from him. So by acting in his own very immediate self-interested interest, he's hurting himself in the longer term, which is reelection." Democratic pollster Jefrey Pollock conducted focus groups on Trump in 2016 that found many Americans who disliked both presidential candidates were still attracted to Trump's self-important declarations, because they felt economically secure enough to take a chance on someone new. That same category of voters - those with a favorable view of neither candidate - now favors Biden over Trump by a margin of 55 to 21 percent, according to a Monmouth Poll released Thursday. "Three years later, it is the voters who need attention," Pollock said of Trump. "Voters are looking at an individual who has a sense of entitlement, when they need more attention to their own needs." Other polling by Navigator Research, a coalition meant to inform Democratic strategy up and down the ballot, has noted an uptick in recent weeks in the number of people who describe Trump as "self-absorbed," according to Nick Gourevitch, a pollster on the project. Of a long list of negative attributes that the Democrats regularly test against Trump - including "incompetent," "chaotic" and "divisive" - the poll has found "self-absorbed" raises the most concerns among self-described independent voters. "A lot of the concerns throughout the pandemic - ignoring experts, not following precautions, - can all be tied back to this trait," Gourevitch said. National polling shows Trump's ratings on empathy have not shifted much during his four years in office. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found 41 percent believed he "cares about the needs of ordinary people," compared with 40 percent who told Gallup pollsters in September 2016 that he "cares about the needs of people like you." But the candidate he is running against has changed, and so has the political dynamic. While 48 percent of voters gave Democrat Hillary Clinton positive marks for empathy in Gallup polling four years ago, 54 percent in the Pew poll now credit Biden with caring about ordinary people. The problem with Trump's self-referential worldview appeared this April in focus groups by the pro-Biden SuperPAC Unite The Country. Memos produced by the group afterward identified a big opportunity for Biden to lean into his reputation for empathy. "What is striking is that much of the criticism of Trump's response to the virus is about his personality ('he always makes it about himself') than setting in place policies that could have made a difference," one pollster wrote. The conclusion, which has become a driving theme of the $1.4 million in recent television advertising by the group, was that "many voters believe Trump's ego is getting in the way of progress on Covid-19." Since then, Biden has draped himself in constant demonstrations of empathy and concern for others, consistently wearing a mask and often leaving it dangling from an ear when he speaks on camera to demonstrate its importance. At the age of 77, he would find himself at high risk for serious complications were he to contract the coronavirus, and his travel and security detail puts him in touch with a large number of possible carriers. But he has so far refused to test himself for the disease, he said, so it would not look like he was "moving to the front of the line." "I haven't wanted to take anybody else's place in the process," Biden said. The president's defenders say voters appreciate Trump's straightforwardness more than symbolic gestures that smack of politics. "The president is who he is - he's going to push," said Bryan Lanza, an adviser on Trump's 2016 campaign and transition. "He's not a typical politician who listens to you, tells you one thing and does something else behind your back. With Donald Trump, you know exactly what you're getting, and you know exactly what he's going to do." The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. But a growing number of the president's former advisers have spoken out in recent weeks, offering at times blistering critiques of his leadership skills and personal character. Much of the criticism has taken Trump to task for being selfish or narcissistic, putting his own needs ahead of those of the country. The list of aides-turned-detractors includes former defense secretary Jim Mattis, former White House chief of staff John Kelly and former national security adviser John Bolton. In his book published last month, Bolton describes Trump as obsessed with his own press coverage and more interested in his reelection than any broader foreign policy objectives. "I am hard-pressed to identify any significant Trump decision during my tenure that wasn't driven by reelection calculations," Bolton wrote in the book. Trump, who has blasted Bolton as an "idiot," has claimed that his memoir is full of falsehoods. Several Republicans have publicly and privately pushed Trump to focus less on himself as he prepares to face voters. Trump's rambling answer to a question about his "top priority items" for a second term during a Fox News town hall last month set off alarm bells among allies who hoped the president would offer a more detailed vision for the next four years. In his answer, Trump used the word "I" 13 times, as he talked up his outsider "experience" in Washington and the "great people" in his administration. "I always say talent is more important than experience," he said, offering little on his second-term plans. Five days later, Biden offered a rejoinder at an event near his Delaware home, where he spoke to a mostly empty room of socially-distanced journalists. "If you have noticed, the president puts everything in terms of him," Biden said. "It's not about 'I.' It's about us." The spread of the coronavirus has fundamentally changed the lives of just about everyone on the planet. One of the biggest changes for those who werent in committed relationships before the pandemic may be that they're starting to feel a bit thirsty. Since its nearly impossible to maintain social distance during sex, many single people are experiencing frustration from forced abstinence that will likely lead them to eventually break their shelter-in-place bubble. But what does safe sex look like in a pandemic? And how permanent will its cancellation be? The San Francisco Department of Public Health has some bad news: YES! Exposure to the virus can occur during sexual activities. It recommends avoiding close contact, including sex, with anyone outside your household, and suggests sex workers try to pivot their businesses online. In terms of transmitting the disease sexually, the evidence is inconclusive but not very encouraging. Early on in the pandemic, COVID-19 was found in feces, making anal sex inadvisable. Since publication of the SFDPH guidelines in April, Chinese studies have identified traces of COVID-19 in semen as well, but theres no conclusive data on whether it can carry the virus to another person. A silver lining may be that the coronavirus has not yet been found in vaginal fluid. Basically any factor that decreases risk of public transmission also applies to sex. Abstinence is the only surefire way to avoid spreading the illness with a new sexual partner, but since it is transmitted through saliva, avoiding kissing will reduce the risk. Cracking a window or having sex outside will also lower chances, under the same principle that al fresco dining is safer than eating indoors at a restaurant. The NYC Health Department also released a set of guidelines that presented similar facts, but with a few additional tips. It suggested wearing a face mask during sex to stop asymptomatic spread and to make it a little kinky by trying new creative sexual positions or using physical barriers like walls to prevent face-to-face contact. RELATED: What its like to go on a video chat first date in SF during a pandemic Psychosexual therapist Machel Hunt, who hosts the podcast "Lets Cum Together with the Sex Doc," read that report and was taken aback. One of the things that I noticed when I read that was the sheer lack of emotional intelligence and emotional perspective that people have, he says. Sex should always be very, very enjoyable. Its ingrained in us. Its in the DNA of how we function as human. Were always going to engage in sex in some ways. For those who are dating these days, moving beyond video chats into real life encounters is complicated to say the least, which is driving sex toy sales through the roof and actually leading thousands of people to download companion apps that emulate the emotional support of a significant other. Although the commodification of sex and hookup culture emphasized physical gratification, Hunt stresses that theres much more going on, and that this experience might unlock some realizations for those with unhealthy sexual habits. People kind of use sex as a way of combating loneliness as an example. If you only think about that end result, you miss the point of what being lonely means. It may also speed up relationship trajectories in terms of commitment, since casually dating more than one person at a time is temporarily a thing of the past. Hunt believes that people need to be more careful than ever for now and doesn't have a prediction as to when casual sex will become safe again, but as a small reassurance to those with a more polyamorous lifestyle (particularly relevant in sexually liberated San Francisco), he doesnt expect these changes to be permanent. RELATED: SF sex workers forced to make tough and risky choices during pandemic I think there is something to be said about our sensibility as humans and our resilience as humans. I think therell be a temporary shift, but over the long term, I think people will revert back to that animalistic instant gratification model that we tend to see a lot in the modern world, particularly in cosmopolitan cities when sex has become so accessible. Although it isn't particularly animalistic or instant, one consolation for San Francisco singles may be the speed and accessibility of testing at city sites (an SFGATE reporter called it "one of the easiest things I've ever done"). With results potentially returned within 24 hours, it'd be feasible for two new partners to get tested independently, self-quarantine until a negative diagnosis, then throw social distancing caution to the wind for a night. Granted coronavirus tests aren't 100% accurate, but for many, it's a risk they'll be willing to take. Dan Gentile is a culture editor at SFGate. Email: Dan.Gentile@sfgate.com | Twitter: @Dannosphere You are now listening to the sounds of the New Generation. A podcast created for those who desire a new way of gaining information rather than reading a traditional newspaper. In our show we will discuss everything from sports, pop culture, politics, and local news. To stay up to date on our latest episodes every week be sure to follow us on your favorite podcast service. And dont worry, we keep it short. Northrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/03/2020 -- According to a new research report "Cloud Encryption Market by Component (Solution and Service), Service Model (Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Software-as-a-Service, and Platform-as-a-Service), Organization Size, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2022", The cloud encryption market size is expected to grow from USD 645.4 Million in 2017 to USD 2,401.9 Million by 2022, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 30.1%. The demand for cloud encryption is majorly driven by stringent government regulations and the need to protect mission critical data residing on the cloud. With the rising demand for cloud and virtualization across different industry verticals, the adoption rate of cloud encryption among enterprises is expected to gain a major traction during the forecast period. Browse 65 Market Data Tables and 36 Figures spread through 168 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Cloud Encryption Market - Global Forecast to 2022" Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=158713019 The Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) model is expected to hold the largest market share The IaaS segment includes the offerings such as servers, storages, and networking infrastructure on-premises private cloud. This infrastructure is used to run the applications on the public cloud. It enables the organizations to reduce the total cost of ownership as the infrastructure is being provided by third-party vendors in the form of cloud-based data centers. However, virtualization introduces new security challenges. Thus, enterprises are adopting cloud encryption solution and services to run business-critical functions securely. The telecom and IT vertical is expected to grow at the fastest rate The telecom and IT vertical involves high usage of cloud-based applications for their business operations and is thus frequently attacked by cybercriminals. Companies in this sector are adopting cloud encryption solutions so as to provide their customers risk-free services. The usage of cloud encryption has allowed users to save the important information on their mobile devices and use that information through the cloud without any risk. Therefore, cloud encryption solutions are helping telecom and IT companies in enhancing their services and providing secure information to customers while complying with regulations. Speak To Expert Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=158713019 North America is expected to contribute to the largest market share; Asia Pacific to grow the fastest during the forecast period North America is expected to have the largest market share and dominate the cloud encryption market from 2017 to 2022, owing to the early adoption of new and emerging technologies and the presence of a large number of players in this region. APAC offers extensive growth avenues in the cloud encryption market, owing to a widespread presence of SMEs that are extensively adopting cloud technology. The major vendors providing cloud encryption solutions and services are Thales e-Security (La Defense, France), Gemalto N.V. (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Sophos Group plc (Abingdon, UK), Symantec Corporation (California, US), Skyhigh Networks (California, US), Netskope Inc. (California, US), CipherCloud (California, US), HyTrust, Inc. (California, US), Trend Micro Incorporated (Tokyo, Japan), Vaultive, Inc. (Massachusetts, US), and TWD Industries AG (Unteriberg, Switzerland). 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. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their pain points around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra. MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road, Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: 1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com VICTORY TWP. Students in the West Shore Community College Police Academy were on track to graduate in May, and students were imagining their future careers when the COVID-19 health crisis changed everything. When it hit, we scrambled to deal with the challenges, stated John OHagan, academy director and associate professor of criminal justice, in a press release from the college. In mid-March, in an effort to help flatten the coronavirus curve, on-campus classes were suspended and many of the courses turned to online learning. Adapting to new ways of interacting during Zoom lectures took some getting used to, and students and instructors agreed it wasnt the best way to learn practical skills. The classes were suspended for a month while faculty and administrators explored the best ways to resume face-to-face instruction. The police academy curriculum includes traffic stops, subject control, emergency vehicle operation things that require us to be within 3 feet of each other, stated OHagan, former Manistee County sheriff. After that first week of being online, there were no other courses we could do, and I had to suspend the academy. But OHagan and his colleagues were determined to find a way to continue. These students had worked and saved and done everything they could to finish college, he stated. They were counting on finding work right away I wasnt going to let them just fall away. During the month that students were off campus, OHagan instituted semi-weekly Zoom meetings and brought in guest speakers who discussed job opportunities in various areas of law enforcement. In mid-May, classes resumed at the Riemer Regional Public Safety Training Center on U.S. 31. Students picked up where theyd left off, despite changes in daily protocol: face masks including special masks and face shields worn during driving events daily temperature checks when entering the building, social distancing in break rooms and classrooms, and for the instructors, lecturing in masks for more than two hours. This class told me, Well do anything we have to get through this, and I said, Ill do anything I can to make it happen. Some students put the shutdown period to good use, like graduate Joshua Pomorski, who stated in the release that he spend the two-month off period training for physical tests. It was inspiring to see that instead of feeling discouraged, students channeled these difficult circumstances into something positive, stated instructor Lauren Kreinbrink. They give me hope that we have people who want to make a positive difference in law enforcement. Current events in the classroom Challenges of the pandemic werent the only thing to impact the academy this spring. Right after things went down in Minnesota (the arrest of police following the death of George Floyd), the very next day we were talking about it in the classroom, stated OHagan. We dont teach a chokehold here. Academy students are taught that the main purpose of law enforcement is to serve the community and protect lives and property. The West Shore curriculum includes topics from investigation to patrol procedures to detention, prosecution, and police skills and covers sensitive areas such as de-escalation, bias and cultural competency. Policing in rural northern Michigan is demanding in its own way, OHagan stressed. You need to know everyone in your community, he stated. We like to be out there shaking hands, walking in our communities. In a small town, we can do a lot of that, where in the big city, there are so many officers and so many different assignments, its a different culture. Here, you know everybody that you work with. And the community gets to know you. I teach interpersonal skills. I teach integrity, that if someones in trouble, to step in immediately to render assistance. Poised for success One of the biggest challenges was our graduation, stated Kyli Cressel-Rogers. We were looking forward to having friends and family there to support us. But the director and the other people involved in our academy did everything they could to make it as special as they could. We had a goal, OHagan stated. It didnt matter what was thrown at us we were going to try to reach it, and we did. Im very proud of this group. The 2020 academy graduation ceremony may have been virtual, but it was no less meaningful than an in-person gathering. On June 18, 11 students received law enforcement certificates from West Shore Community College and are now eligible for police licensure from the State of Michigan. The graduates are Kyli Cressell-Rodgers, Albert Mendez, Emily Paulsen, Joshua Pomorski, Austin Priese, Noah Robart, Catrina Saylor, Jeffrey Soraruf, Aaron Facundo, Brandon TenHove and Trevor Thrailkill. Most plan to seek career placement in the area and neighboring counties. One reason a lot of them wanted to go into law enforcement was to give back to their community, stated OHagan. Yes, you hear about the negativity toward the police, but theres so much good. Most law enforcement officers have the heart the size of Montana. Its unbelievable what they would do to risk their lives for people. As a current print subscriber, you receive 24/7 access to our website and online e-edition at no additional charge. All you have to do is activate your access. To activate digital access, you will need your account number. You can find your account number on any recent subscription notice or bill. Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt on Thursday took to social media to express her gratitude to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for inviting her to be a member. In the same message, Alia claimed that social media divides people. "I thank The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for inviting me to be a member of the Academy. I feel at once honoured and humbled." "There is also a deep satisfaction in seeing that the voice of Indian cinema is finding a very well deserved platform on the world stage. Every year, more actors, filmmakers and technicians from India are recognized by the Academy and Indian cinema continues to reach the hearts and homes of people all over the world." "I truly believe that cinema, like water, find its level. And, like water, it knows no race, class, border or geography and flows freely. It takes everything in its course: audiences who passionately love or hate it, critics who dissect it, students who immerse themselves in it. Our opinions about films maybe divided, but cinema as a whole is a powerful binding and unifying force." "In a world that can be unsure and fragmented, at a time when the very social media that is meant to connect people ends up dividing them, movies are the glue that binds us," reads Alia Bhatt's message on Instagram. Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt and Hrithik Roshan are among the 819 artistes and executives who have received invitations to join The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Alia Bhatt's allegation against social media comes at a time when she is being targeted by trolls and receiving hatred from netizens for being a star kid in the film industry that is allegedly dominated by nepotism. Netizens have been vocal about nepotism and targeting star kids ever since Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's demise on June 14. Text: IANS Images: Alia on Instagram Sify.com Movies Reviews Malayalam Sufiyum Sujatayum Sufiyum Sujatayum Sufiyum Sujatayum has a few good moments but gives the feeling that with so much potential, this one could have been a better watch Source: SIFY By: Sridevi Sreedhar Critic's Rating: 2.5/5 Friday 03 July 2020 Movie Title Sufiyum Sujatayum Director Naranipuzha Shanavas Star Cast Aditi Rao Hydari, Jayasurya, Dev Mohan Director Naranipuzha Srinivas Sufiyum Sujathayum is a romantic tale that has created history of sorts as the first Malayalam movie to release directly on an OTT platform (Amazon Prime Video) before reaching the theatres. The story is set in a remote village where a young Sufi (Dev Mohan) reaches the Jinn mosque one night. There he meets an old muezzin (Mamukkoya). The Sufi is the disciple of a Ustad Aboob, who lived there earlier, and is now back after ten years. But sadly, the Sufi doesnt open his eyes after performing the morning prayer. The news of his demise is conveyed to Sujatha (Aditi Rao Hydari), who is married to Dr. V R Rajeev (Jayasurya). The couple is living abroad with their daughter. The love story of the Sufi and the non-verbal Sujatha is then shown as a flashback. The movie has been packaged with top notch visuals and good music, but the narrative moves ahead at a leisurely pace. The writing is shaky and it is towards the middle of the second half that the story gets some momentum. Aditi Rao Hydari, who returns to Malayalam after her debut in Prajapathi that came out in 2006, looks pretty but is unconvincing as Sujata with her brown hair and light eyes. Dev Mohan is okay as the Sufi but their chemistry lacks the intensity and as a result the impact that this love story manages to create is pretty limited. It is in fact Jayasurya, who becomes the saving grace of this movie, with a genuine performance. Though he is doing an extended cameo role, the actor is effective and steals the show in a way. Siddique, Manikandan Pattamby and Kalaranjani are good in their supporting roles. Sufiyum Sujatayum has few good moments for sure but definitely gives the feeling that with so much potential, this one could have been a better watch. Verdict: A love story that fails to impress Kuwait's Deputy Chief Minister and Interior Minister, Anas Al Saleh issued a decree suspending Maj Gen Mazen Al Jarrah, who was an Assistant Under Secretary in the ministry. The lawmaker, who was charged with money laundering and human trafficking, is in jail there, the Arab Times has reported. Papul, an Independent lawmaker, had named the army officer as one of the officials who took bribes from his company to allow his visa trading. Al Saleh told the parliament that no one found guilty in illegal visa trading will be spared. He also said that Kuwait is planning to heighten the level of punishment for human trafficking and visa trading. Earlier, five Bangladeshi expatriates testified against Islam before a Kuwait court, claiming to have paid him upto 3,000 dinars to be sent to Kuwait. "The prosecution heard testimonies of the expatriates, who also paid annually in exchange of renewing their residency," the Arab Times reported. On June 6, Kuwait's CID arrested Papul on the charges of human trafficking, visa fraud and money laundering. Bangladesh's criminal investigation agency found evidence of human trafficking and smuggling of about 53 million Kuwaiti dinars (about 1,400 crore Bangladeshi takas). A court denied Papul's bail plea and sent him to jail. Other media reports said over the past two months, a number of government agencies have extended more than four government contracts of Papul's companies, triggering another scam. The contracts were completed years ago, but some of them ended over the past two months, and were extended, in view of the authorities' needs amid the coronavirus pandemic. The total value of the four contracts is one million Kuwait dinars ($3.25 million), and most of them are related to workers employed as cleaners. One of the government agencies, which manage vital facilities, sent a letter earlier this month to the central agency for public tenders to extend the contract with a Bangladeshi lawmaker, starting from July 1 to January 19, 2021, but the agency postponed the process, as per the Gulf News. There is another government agency with religious activity that had recently assigned additional duties to a company of Papul, managing the cleaning of facilities for only one governorate in the original contract, but another governorate was added to his work, which raised the value of the contract to 720,000 dinars, and it was also extended until the end of November 2020. Papul is Managing Director and CEO Marafie Kuwaitia Group and has five million dinars in assets in Kuwait. Sources said that he has four companies in Kuwait, working in general trade, contracting and cleaning of streets and buildings. Meanwhile, two Kuwaiti lawmakers have been indicted, while three others are likely to be charged in connection with the case. This comes against the backdrop of the prosecution's demands to toughen penalties for certain offences currently classified as misdemeanours and attracting just a small fine. Kuwait's Attorney General has decided to keep Papul in jail, and the public prosecutor ordered continuing the imprisonment of the remaining accused but released the owner of a company on bail of 2,000 dinars. The prosecution approached the Central Bank of Kuwait to freeze the bank accounts of Papul and his company, whose financial balance amounts to about 5 million dinars, including 3 million dinars capital. Apart from the bribes to be sent to Kuwait, workers also paid huge sums to the company for renewing their residency every year. In response to a complaint filed in February, Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission opened an enquiry into the allegation that Papul amassed 1,400 crore takas by trafficking people to Kuwait and laundered the money to different countries. It was then only that Kuwaiti media reported that three Bangladeshis were operating a human trafficking racket in the country and that one of them was a "member of parliament in Bangladesh". According to the report, the trio "occupied sensitive positions" in three major companies that sent over 20,000 Bangladeshi workers to Kuwait in exchange for an amount believed to be more than thousands of crores of takas. Papul, who has pleaded not guilty, told the public prosecutor that some Kuwaiti officials were trying to hinder his work. "No one can complain about the success of what I have done. "But some Kuwaiti officials tried to block my work. I paid a bribe to stop them," he claimed. Noting that no other company has the kind of equipment his company has or has provided quality completed service, he said: "But the 'problem' is some Kuwaiti officials." However, the reports said that Papul has not only confessed to his crimes to Kuwait's criminal investigation agency, but has also revealed the names of his associates in Kuwait and information about bribery. Following the confession, the Kuwait government has also taken steps to confiscate about 138 crore takas from his bank accounts. --IANS sumi/vd New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled the death of 19 Sikh pilgrims in an accident involving a passenger bus and train near Lahore in Pakistan's Sheikhupura district. "Pained by the tragic demise of Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan. My thoughts are with their families and friends in this hour of grief," he tweeted. John Torres, a retired city Department of Eduction teacher and now a United Federation of Teachers part timer, spends most of his time recruiting friends and colleagues for his latest mission: helping stock local food pantries. When the New Springville resident heard that local food pantries are at an all-time low due to the increased demand during the coronavirus pandemic, he reached out to Angela Mascia Millan, a member of the volunteer staff at St. Peters Pantry, who told him of the ongoing needs of the parish community. Torres launched a new mission. He contacted his former colleagues and friends including Millan - and invited them to join in his new endeavor with a promise that he would match up to $2,000. His challenge was more than met. A total of $6,000 was ultimately raised and checks were distributed to Project Hospitality, Our Lady of Good Counsel and St. Peter's Food Pantries. As we have been blessed with generous donations from other sources, I am happy to say that the St. Peters Food Pantry is well stocked and will be able to continue for the months ahead, said Millan. This isnt the first time that Torres has come to the rescue. Millan added: John challenged friends and colleagues to donate to Puerto Rico after the devastating hurricane. And hes also made several trips to Cuba with school supplies and other basic necessities for students and teachers. John Torres is a person who challenges others to serve our community far and wide. He has made us better people for his commitment to service. Broadway lovers have been waiting for this for a while. Although New York Citys Theater District remains closed through the rest of the year, Broadway fans will be able to catch the musical Hamilton on television, beginning tonight (Friday, July 3, 2020) at 8 p.m. ET Disney Plus will broadcast the smash-hit 2015 show, which has won 11 Tony awards. The show will be coming live from Nashville, Tenn. For those of you who may not know, the play tells the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton and his rise to and fall from power. The story also centers around the larger theme of how history is influenced by those who live long enough to tell it. The show feature some top songs, including My Shot, The Room Where It Happens, and Who Lives, Who Dies and Who Tells Your Story. Many members of the original Broadway cast are in the new Disney Plus show, including Lin Manuel-Miranda, who created and composed the musical and stars as Alexander Hamilton. Phillipa Soo, who plays the female lead of Eliza Hamilton, and Jonathan Groff, who plays King George III, are also original cast members. Disney has ended its free trial offer period, but you can watch Hamilton, and so much more from the Disney library, on Disney+ for $6.99 a month. For a better deal all around, you can also get a package that includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99 a month. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. We have a new city spending plan and, as promised, $1 billion has been cut from the New York City Police Department budget. They money will be distributed to other programs. But some on the left are still griping. Before the budget vote, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of Queens, said that the chop to the NYPD wasnt nearly enough. Defunding the police means defunding the police, she said, adding that it doesnt mean budget tricks or funny math. The Democratic Socialist is nothing if not consistent. Mayor Bill de Blasio fired back at her, but even lefties dont listen to the mayor anymore. In the perfect lefty world, there are no police and no jails. And legal gunowners are stripped of their weapons, even as illegal guns are left to flood the streets, where they cause far more damage on a daily basis than mass shootings. With no law enforcement and no privately-owned guns, how will people be protected from crime? How are citizens meant to fend off the tyrannical overreach of a central government? Its the very reason we have a Second Amendment. Now you know what nirvana looks like to the left. And New York seems to be rolling right along in that direction. Shootings are up all over the city. So are the number of shooting victims. Burglaries too. Staten Island has seen its share, with the scariest recent episode being the careening car chase with shots fired we saw in broad daylight in New Brighton. We had another shooting, in Clifton, on Thursday morning. Murders were actually down in the city for the most recent week versus the same week last year, but are up overall for the year. The mayhem weve seen in the five boroughs has been startling, including two successive weekends featuring multiple shootings. Never mind the naked Jesus whos been lounging around Washington Square Park. Meanwhile, NYPD officers responding to a report of a possible shooting in Harlem early Sunday were pelted with bottles and garbage. On Wednesday, police stood down from a confrontation with protestors at the Occupy City Hall site. You can hardly blame police for treading lightly when every interaction with the public risks bringing the wrath of protestors and special prosecutors down on them. All of which the left will gladly accept: If they cant abolish the police, they can cow them, take away their funding and render them neutral. Just who was it that helped formulate and implement the policies that made New York the safest big city in America, that rescued the city from 2,000 murders a year? Its the very same NYPD that now gets vilified as a threat to public safety, as an occupying army. Try that for Orwellian doublespeak. New York City is not alone. Seattle police finally moved to reclaim the CHOP/CHAZ protest area in that city, but only after two deadly shootings and weeks of violence. Portland, Ore., has seen more than a month of sometimes violent protests, including what police termed a riot on Tuesday night that reportedly featured protestors launching fireworks at cops. Thats a nice echo of what weve seen in New York City, where the nightly calm has for weeks been shattered by the sound of illegal fireworks. Another sign of a city on the wrong track. But there doesnt seem to be much interest in really cracking down on that activity. Just like we didnt see social-distancing crackdowns during the George Floyd protests. New York isnt out of its fiscal hole yet, and the NYPD will play a role here as well. The New York Post reported that 75 police Traffic Enforcement Agents will be reassigned to ticket-writing duty in order to vacuum a few dollars from the wallets of errant motorists. The city is expecting an initial $40 million boost from the blitz. Sure, thatll solve all our problems. (This column was updated to reflect that murders are up in the city for the year.) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Improved patient outcomes. A focus on specialty care. Increased emergency services. These are just a few of the goals of the new clinical and academic partnership between Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) and Mount Sinai Health System, which was announced this past week. Its an integration thats been years in the making, as the health needs of Staten Island were carefully analyzed by experts at both RUMC and Mount Sinai, while there was also a close watch on the overall state of health care in the United States. President and CEO of RUMC Daniel Messina told the Advance/SILive.com that the nuts and bolts of the alliance, at least initially, are to increase efficiencies and improve outcomes in patient care through expanded access. The opportunity to bring that level of academic medicine to Staten Island and really build on a strong and growing infrastructure that we have been working on at RUMC really lays the groundwork for something very special to unfold, Messina said. Having only two private hospitals in the borough and an absence of a public hospital, Staten Islanders have always expressed the need for access to increased specialty care services, among others, without having to cross a bridge. The affiliation between RUMC and the Mount Sinai Health System began several years ago with cardiology services -- and it has now blossomed into a more complete integration between the two, bringing Mount Sinais world class academia, as well as ambulatory, primary and specialty care to Staten Island. Already having a deep bench in specialty care, Mount Sinai will help to advance the goals and objectives of RUMC while complementing Mount Sinais reputation. Dr. Arthur Klein, president of the Mount Sinai Health Network, said both hospitals have grown considerably since they first embarked in the cardiology affiliation, making for better opportunities for the residents of Staten Island as well as the physicians of the future. On RUMCs side, theyve been very successful in building their physician foundational base and in fundraising to be able to renovate the campus; the focal point is to start with the brand new world class emergency room. From the Sinai side, we learned a lot about the value of these types of affiliations even without ownership or governance control, so I think we both matured in our outlook about how to make this relationship work, Klein said. Both Messina and Klein said they have extremely high standards for the care coming out of RUMC as a result of this new interconnection. NEW EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT Hospitals on Staten Island, in New York City, and around the country have largely been focused on treating patients with the coronavirus (COVID-19) for the last several months, in part due to orders to suspend all non-emergency care to leave hospital beds open for those fighting the deadly illness. Since Mount Sinai admitted its first COVID-19 patient on March 8, it has cared for more than 8,000 people as in-patients throughout its campuses. RUMC has treated and released 2,217 patients. While the pandemic is far from over, its been on a steady decline, at least in New York City, and patients are slowly beginning to seek care that had to be put on hold due to the outbreak. Messina said the emergency department volume is beginning to regroup and come back to where it was pre-COVID-19. The number of patients the emergency department is able to treat is expected to increase when RUMCs new world-class emergency facility is completed. Construction of the 350,000-square-foot emergency department began in spring 2019 and didnt stop during the pandemic; its slated to be completed in 18 months. The new facility will include increased private treatment rooms, state-of-the-art trauma bays, additional support space and specialty areas for urgent and pediatric care. Messina said that Mount Sinai, in the earlier phases of their relationship, helped provide significant input into the planning and design of the emergency department. Going forward, Klein said Mount Sinai plans to make sure the new emergency department offers higher standards of care and that it is appropriately resourced. These are all things that we agreed to work on collaboratively, project-by-project and step-by-step, Klein said. SPECIALTY CARE The broad spectrum of opportunities presented by the integration of the two hospitals places a specific focus on specialty care, including oncology and heart disease. Staten Island has a significant mortality and morbidity issue with respect to cancer and heart disease, and those will be two areas we intend to grow through a Mount Sinai and RUMC presence, Klein explained. With respect to cancer, he continued, Mount Sinai will make its expertise and research available to increase care, in addition to a RUMCs newly designed cancer center. Mount Sinais Tisch Cancer Center has National Cancer Center(NCI) designation. Right now, there are no NCI designations on Staten Island. An aspiration would be to provide access to important clinical trials and, for patients who need care that isnt available, to facilitate and expedite that care at Mount Sinai, Klein said. There are 3,815 hospital beds within the Mount Sinai Health System, which includes eight hospital campuses. Messina said, The opportunity to partner and co-brand and really look at the whole spectrum of medical, surgical and radiation oncology, infusion, etc. is an exciting endeavor that we are embarking on. Although taking patients out of the borough to a Mount Sinai campus will be an option -- Messina said RUMC will always honor patient requests when possible -- keeping patients on Staten Island will always be the goal. I think the opportunity to partner with Mount Sinai will create the enhancement to [RUMC] and really keep people local, and thats been a very important basis for the relationship, Messina said. The principal goal is to integrate our medical resources -- but there will be opportunities where there are rarer high tertiary levels of care required that would cause, at times, care to be provided at Mount Sinai. But the larger share of the care will certainly be provided here at RUMC in connection with Mount Sinai, he said, adding that there will be rare cases in which highly specialized care will be needed solely at a Mount Sinai campus. Klein offered a bone marrow transplant as an example of highly specialized care that would involve both hospitals -- but where the treatment would take place off Staten Island. In that case, both hospitals would be in constant communication and facilitating patient care. EXPANSION OF TEACHING, RESEARCH Messina called RUMCs residency and teaching programs vibrant, but said the ability to continue to grow and expand the programs is a wonderful opportunity for the hospital and the future physicians. Its going to expand on our existing teaching mission; theres a whole series of areas that we are going to be exploring and begin work on, and certainly teaching is something that we will be looking at, Messina said. From a Mount Sinai perspective, Klein said teaching and training physicians of the future has always been an area the hospital network is interested in. Mount Sinai will study current residency programs, which began a new cycle on July 1, and will spend the next several months evaluating and working with RUMC to develop protocols for education. Its going to be a significant part of our work over the next year, Klein said. FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER. The Sandy Ground #SIFerry was put in the water in Florida on Friday. There is still a lot of work to be done before this... Posted by Staten Island Ferry on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Spectators gathered along the shoreline in Florida recently and cheered as the newest addition to the Staten Island Ferry fleet was launched into the water, video posted by the Department of Transportation (DOT) shows. A meaningful step toward getting the brand new ferryboat into service, the Sandy Ground was put into the water on Friday, June 26. The Sandy Ground vessel, along with the new Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis boat, will feature the most recent advancements in maritime technology and architecture. The new storm-resilient ferryboats, which will replace the John F. Kennedy, Andrew J. Barberi and the Samuel I. Newhouse boats, will be more capable of operating in a wide range of weather conditions and locations -- and can also be used in emergency situations such as evacuations. The ships were modeled after the Kennedy boat, which is popular for its outdoor promenades and extended foredecks. A facebook post on the DOTs Staten Island Ferry page states: There is still a lot of work to be done before this #StatenIslandFerry is ready for passengers but this an exciting splash! The Sandy Ground was originally scheduled to arrive in New York Harbor in summer 2020 but the timeline was impacted by Hurricane Michael in October 2018. The Advance/SILive.com previously reported that it is uncertain whether this boat will arrive by the end of the year, or be pushed into 2021. The DOT has not provided an updated timeline for the ship. NAME HONORS RICH HISTORY The vessel was named with input from Staten Islanders, and honors the rich history of Sandy Ground, a settlement of freed slaves in the Rossville section of the borough. The history of Sandy Ground dates back to one year after slavery was abolished in New York, when ferry boat operator Capt. John Jackson became the first African-American to own property on Staten Island on Feb. 23, 1828. Sandy Ground was settled by other African-American oystermen from Chesapeake Bay fleeing the restrictive industry laws of Maryland. Within walking distance of the Prince's Bay docks and the abundant oyster beds of the Raritan Bay, they found prosperity and freedom from persecution there. Once a flourishing community of more than 150 African-American families, a collection of historic structures are still found at Sandy Ground, five of which are designated as New York City landmarks, including a church, three residential structures and the cemetery. The center of the community, the A.M.E. Zion Church, was also a major stop on the Underground Railroad, as Capt. Jackson brought slaves to Staten Island and New Jersey aboard the ferry boat he owned and operated. Descendants of Sandy Ground settlers still worship at the church. 2299342 Animal shelter braces for surge as expats abandon Qatar By Gregory Walton and Anne Levasseur DOHA (AFP) -- When stray puppy Izzy was rescued from a stretch of wasteland in Qatar, she was so dehydrated she could barely stand and was close to death. One of many abandoned and stray animals struggling to survive on the scorched streets of the wealthy Gulf state, she is set to be adopted by a German family, but most others are not so lucky. Now, Izzy's rescuers are warning there could be a spike in dumped pets in the emirate as an economic downturn driven by the novel coronavirus pandemic forces expatriate workers and their families to leave at short notice. Expatriates make up 90 percent of Qatar's 2.75 million population. "We're expecting a wave of emails and phone calls to say, 'Help'. We've had a few of those already," Paws animal shelter co-founder Alison Caldwell said. Major employers including Qatar Petroleum and Qatar Airways have warned of sweeping cuts to staff numbers as the global economy slows. Animals dumped or born on the streets in Qatar face particular hardship. Summer temperatures touch 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) and images of abuse, including animals being shot with airguns, are common on social media. Caldwell said the Paws shelter had already seen an uptick in the number of animals needing help. "There's nothing we can do, really," Caldwell said -- the shelter has capacity for just 60 cats and 30 dogs. There are no statistics on stray animals in Qatar, but Paws estimates they number in the tens of thousands. 'Sitting there waiting' The pandemic has also complicated Paws' efforts to re-home animals. Izzy, a cream-coloured "Doha mix" cross-breed common in Qatar, was rescued in February. By April, a family in Germany had spotted her story on Paws' Facebook site and decided to adopt her. But commercial aviation had ground to a halt as authorities imposed restrictions to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. From her home near Bremen in northern Germany, Christina Fuehrer said she had been "just sitting there waiting" for flights to resume so she could complete Izzy's adoption. "We still have to find a flight," she told AFP, but said mid-July was the soonest. Until then, Izzy is with a foster family who, like many others in Doha, found themselves eager for canine company to break the lockdown's monotony. "We decided it would be a good thing to do this summer, because we're obviously not going anywhere," said Julie Melville, who has taken the puppy in temporarily. Paws uses "flight buddies" -- volunteer passengers who carry animals to their future homes as excess luggage. It costs just over $300, compared to $1,600 to send the pets via air freight -- but for the system to work, passengers need to be able to travel freely and frequently. 'Strange times' Founded seven years ago by two British expats, Paws said it saw an influx of animals in the early days of the pandemic from owners who feared their pets could spread the virus. People have also contacted the shelter for help after some animal owners fell ill and were hospitalised without warning. Since March, more than 100 people have died and over three percent of Qatar's population has been infected with the novel coronavirus, according to official figures. Animal cruelty is also a major issue, said Paws co-manager Hester Drewry, due to Qatar's transient population and a lack of education on the issue. To raise awareness and deter those unable to care for an animal from acquiring pets, Paws partners with local schools and encourages children to volunteer with the rescue animals. But Qatar's lockdown has seen schools suspended and Paws unable to visit. The not-for-profit depends on donations and a mostly volunteer workforce, as well as revenue from its kennelling service. The shelter team says their pens are "always full" as they battle to cope with an ever-increasing population of abandoned pets and strays, and volunteers often take home animals to help out. "We have a huge backlog of animals waiting to fly out to their 'forever homes'," Drewry said. Since opening, Paws has helped re-home 1,000 animals, many of them overseas, where Qatar's ubiquitous Saluki hunting breed -- with their distinctive narrow heads, prominent eyes and dangling ears -- is highly coveted. Drewry expressed hope that some animals would begin to leave in July and August as travel starts to pick up again. "It's strange times," Drewry said. 2299378 Coronavirus turns Chile's middle classes into new poor By Paulina ABRAMOVICH, Pablo COZZAGLIO SANTIAGO (AFP) -- During more than three decades of boom in Chile, the middle classes reaped the rewards, but just three months of the coronavirus pandemic has already reduced many to poverty. When a protest movement took to the streets against inequality in October, it was largely led by the middle classes. The protests dragged on for months, affecting many small businesses -- and just as those were starting to recover, the coronavirus struck in mid-March. With high levels of debt, facilitated by easy access to credit, and a lack of state support, a significant number of the middle class have been left in a vulnerable situation by the virus crisis. "The richest 10 percent is the only sector relatively bulletproof in Chile," said Dante Contreras, assistant manager at the Center for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies (COES). Contreras is also a professor at the University of Chile, which has calculated that poverty has risen from nine to 15 percent. There's an emergency family fund that was created to help people cope with the health crisis, but it only covers households bringing in less than 400,000 pesos ($490) a month. That accounts for only 34 percent of Chilean households, meaning the entire middle class -- which makes up almost half of Chile's 18 million people -- gets nothing. "What you see in Chile is a high degree of fluctuation in household income. Families that leave poverty and families that return to poverty. And that is a snapshot of the high level of fragility that makes it difficult for them to take long term decisions," said Contrerasa. 'Live or pay rent' Pablo Martinez is a prime example. In just over one year, the 44-year-old has gone from a successful and solvent engineer living in an upper-middle class neighborhood to barely having enough to live. Since being made redundant in March 2019, he has been unable to find work. During the first few months he used up his savings and unemployment insurance. He started working as a driver for Uber, but work slowed when the protests broke out in October and dried up completely when the virus lockdown began. "If before we were critical, now we're practically paralyzed," Martinez told AFP. Whereas before he "lived relatively comfortably," now he cannot afford to pay the rent. "There's living or paying the rent, I can't do both." He and his wife have opened a shop selling personalized gifts, while he also gives guitar and piano lessons over the internet. But it's not enough, and he doesn't qualify for state help. Surveyor Rodrigo Acevedo, 44, is in the same situation. After his job was suspended, he had to lean on the employment protection law that was created during the pandemic so that employees could access their unemployment insurance. The first monthly payment was worth 70 percent of their salary, but that diminished progressively. His $1,200 monthly salary meant he didn't qualify for state aid, and he had to take his daughter out of a private college and enroll her in a public school. "We had no other option," he told AFP. In Chile, there is a wide disparity in the level of public and private education and health care. 'A drastic change' Since 1990, Chile has dramatically reduced poverty from 40 to nine percent, but the middle classes improved their lifestyles through credit. Now, 70 percent of those families live with unsustainable levels of debt. A study by the University of Chile found that the self-employed had been the worst affected by the pandemic, seeing their salaries fall by 60 percent. "The fall in the wellbeing levels of the middle classes is going to be significant," said Contreras. "Even if they don't fall into poverty, it will be a drastic change: changing from the private to public health system, the children's schools or liquidating assets." Life has already changed for Pedro Castro, 54, a successful exhibition businessman whose business fell victim to the pandemic. To make ends meet, he's rented out his comfortable home in the trendy Nunoa neighborhood of the capital and moved his family to a cabin on the outskirts of Santiago. "You have to go out onto the streets again," Castro, who now sells purified water, told AFP. "To live off cards, off savings, to sell some machines to make money and payments." 2300709 Singapore's opposition hit with misinfo law before polls SINGAPORE, July 3 (AFP) -- Singapore's government has used a controversial online misinformation law to order an opposition party to correct a social media post, days after campaigning got underway for an election next week. Under the law, ministers can order social media sites to put warnings next to posts the government considers false and order pages be blocked, but critics fear it is being used to suppress dissent. On Thursday the government ordered Peoples Voice to correct a video posted on Facebook and YouTube and the opposition party complied, putting up banners saying it contains inaccurate information. In the video, party chief Lim Tean said the government spends a quarter of a billion Singapore dollars (US$180 million) "providing free education for foreigners every year". A government website aimed at debunking untrue information said the video contained "a false and misleading statement", as a significant majority of such students have to pay fees higher than local students. The large number of foreigners in the city-state has become a hot-button issue ahead of the election, with the opposition pressing the government to put Singaporeans first when it comes to job opportunities. People's Voice is among a handful of small opposition groups taking on the long-ruling People's Action Party (PAP) at the July 10 vote. While the PAP is expected to remain in power, the opposition hopes to win more seats in parliament. Since the misinformation law came into force last year, several opposition figures and activists have been ordered to correct posts while Facebook has been forced to block pages on several occasions. The tech giant said last month the use of the law is "severe" and risks stifling free speech, while Google and Twitter have also expressed concerns. But authorities insist the measure is necessary to stop falsehoods from circulating online that could sow divisions in the multi-ethnic, multi-faith country of 5.7 million. 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! "COVID has made a number of activities obsolete," says Philippe Aghion, a professor of economics at the London School of Economics. "A lot of firms are going under and on the other hand there is big demand for e-commerce, e-consultation by doctors, etc. Life will change a lot." Loading A process of "creative destruction" is taking place where the old is being pushed aside by innovation and new firms that will power the recovery, taking resources with them. Aghion says the challenge for governments is in the balancing act of protecting the viable firms that would be strong in normal times and allowing the strugglers to fall away. "You have to help those firms survive but you have firms that are not so viable and you have to make sure you reallocate labour," he explains. He believes government intervention is crucial in facilitating the process of creative destruction, ensuring that workers are retrained for the jobs of the new economy. COVID-19 has also revealed opportunities for more traditional companies. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Businesses have found that many jobs can be done almost as effectively from home as in the office and many workers may be unwilling to return to the pre-virus status quo. "Any jobs where you sit in front of a computer for 95 per cent of the day is now a job that can be moved out of the city into the suburbs," says John Gathergood, professor of economics at the University of Nottingham. "Think about accountants, lawyers, health administration, head offices, the finance departments of any firm." Some of the winners of this crisis will be those that can take advantage of that shift by slashing costs by reducing office space, Gathergood says. He believes that office jobs moving online could also transform the labour market. "It certainly changes the flexibility with which people can work because location is no longer a key factor," he says. "It does mean the new normal that we return to might have much less emphasis on cities generally." If employees can be equally productive remotely, then their location becomes far less important. If even a fraction move to remote working, that could ease pressure on transport and housing in cities while bringing the need for some typical city services out to the suburbs. How fast economies adapt to the new normal will depend to some extent whether they are allowed to. Governments, particularly in Europe, have sought to deep freeze their economies with furlough schemes and state-backed loans. This fiscal bazooka has initially cushioned the blow of COVID-19 on workers and smaller firms but has it held back the reallocation of labour to the new post-virus economy? The US opted to boost jobless benefits rather than introduce a furlough scheme, allowing unemployment to surge. But economists at Goldman Sachs believe the North American model has its advantages if the post-COVID economy is dramatically different. Loading If, for example, demand has shifted from the high street and restaurants to e-commerce and delivery, the US jobs market could be better placed to facilitate such a move. However, Goldman admits the benefits of allowing such a sharp reallocation are "quite limited in practice" and says the cost to move the workers to new employers is still "substantial". Many of those workers will not be trained for the booming industries of tomorrow. In 1973, developer Frank Theeman booted about 300 tenants out of the Victoria Street terraces so he could pull them down and erect his highrise, with several still casting gloomy shadows over the leafy street to this day. Squatters moved in to stop Theemans wrecking crew. Nielsen used her paper to advocate for the preservation of the houses. The Builders Labourers Federation, led by Jack Mundey, put a green ban on the precinct. Theeman's $60 million dream turned into a nightmare. The two-year stand-off was brutal. There was arson, with one act deadly. Protester Arthur King was kidnapped and held in the boot of a car for days. Raids and bashings on the squatters were routine, so too marches and demonstrations. The battle was winding down by 1975, but Theeman was in strife, paying out thousands of dollars a day on his loans, and with only a few buildings finished. Nielsen was last seen at the Carousel Club, a nightclub run by Jim Anderson, an associate of notorious underworld figure Abe Saffron, on the morning of July 4, 1975. It would later emerge that Anderson was paid $25,000 by Theeman, not long before Nielsen disappeared, supposedly for the purchase of a Bondi club. Eddie Trigg was convicted of conspiring to kidnap Juanita Nielsen. Credit:Herald archives Nielsen was at the Carousel Club to meet with manager Eddie Trigg and his partner, receptionist Loretta Crawford, to discuss advertising. But four days before the appointment Trigg and another man, Shayne Martin-Simmonds, had visited Nielsen`s residence with the intention of abducting her. Martin-Simmonds later told police they planned to "just quietly grab her by the arm and maybe put a hand over her head" when she opened the door. But their plan was foiled when Nielsen's friend David Farrell answered the door. In 1981 Trigg was convicted of conspiring to kidnap Nielsen, as was Martin-Simmonds two years later. Neither man gave a motive for the attempted abduction. Nielsen's body has never been found, stories vary wildly as to her resting place. Bones found at Kurnell during the excavation for the desalination plant were not hers. Other theories have come and gone, including that her body was dumped in the Blue Mountains near the Hydro Majestic hotel. More recently it was speculated her body was under a runway at Sydney Airport. Other rumours have her remains in the foundations of Theeman's towers, the same buildings she waged war against. Day's legal woes continue Six weeks ago Titus Day sounded like a broken man as he spoke exclusively to PS about the ongoing legal dispute he was embroiled in with his former best friend and client, Guy Sebastian. Fielding PS's questions, Day was trying to care for his ailing mother, but was frank in his admission that the legal ordeal was taking a huge toll on his emotions, and those of his wife Courtney, along with his extended family. "Ive tried more than a dozen times to organise a meeting with him and his lawyers to work this out in a civil way but he has ignored me or refused every time," Day told me. That toll became worse on Wednesday night when he was arrested and charged with fraud, spending the night away from his young family behind bars at Waverley Police Station. Titus Day leaves Waverley Court House. Credit:Edwina Pickles Usually at 6pm on a weeknight Day and his wife are juggling three children at dinner time. But Wednesday night was a little different. NSW Police detectives came knocking on the door of the Days' Bondi home, which they share with Day's parents after Titus Day sold the family's previous home to help pay for his legal battle with Sebastian. In recent months money had become so tight for Day that he represented himself in the Federal Court case over claims and counter-claims of money being owed. Day, wearing a Road Runner T-shirt, calmly greeted police at his front door on Wednesday, careful not to distress his family inside. Detectives entered the home and went with Day upstairs, out of the children's sight, only to emerge a short time later. Day was then frisked outside the front door, surrendered his passport and was led away to a waiting police van. Loading It was a far cry from the red carpets Day once walked down with the likes of Sebastian and his other former clients, Sophie Monk and Grant Denyer. The only lenses focused on Day on Wednesday night were the ones the police brought with them, to document the entire ignominious episode. They even filmed Day through an air vent in the back of the wagon, the sort of treatment usually reserved for murder suspects and drug dealers. And sure enough, it was the lead story on every news outlet. Norvill in limbo Geoffrey Rush gets to keep his record defamation payout of almost $2.9 million after The Daily Telegraph's parent company Nationwide News failed on Thursday in its bid to appeal the amount of damages. However, surely the real victim in the legal tussle has been the woman who never wanted any part of it in the first place, the actor Eryn Jean Norvill, who had her integrity questioned at every turn of the drawn-out legal process. Eryn Jean Norvill speaks outside the Federal Court in April last year. Credit:James Brickwood Norvill, who remained silent this week, only ever wanted her employer, the Sydney Theatre Company, to know about the alleged behaviour of her co-star Geoffrey Rush, with whom she starred in the 2010 production of King Lear. She did not give an interview to the Telegraph, she did not initiate legal proceedings, nor did she ever want her name attached to any formal complaint about Rush. Since Rush's victory, Norvill's career has stalled, though she did appear on the Perth stage. She was also due to be in rehearsals right now for the STC's The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was meant to have its world premiere on July 21. Eryn Jean Norvill was supposed to return to the Sydney Theatre Company stage in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Credit:Rene Vaile However thanks to the pandemic, the production has been postponed. And while the STC is "hopeful" it will be on the stage later in the year, no firm dates have yet been announced. The only hint that his parents have died is a brief visit to the cemetery, and the empty house to which he returns. Gangs of armed youths roam the empty streets, freaking him out, so he leaves for Paris, where the streets are just as empty except for all the pretty girls who stroll past in the sun, wearing flimsy dresses and showing their legs. Nina Simone sings I put a spell on you in this scene a song he used in an earlier film. A few of his actors are familiar too, suggesting continuity with his most recent features The Time that Remains (2009) and Divine Intervention (2002). As if to explain the long time between, the straw-hatted man meets with a Paris producer, whos full of praise for his work, but offers absolutely no money. We have a commitment to Palestinian film, he explains, but your film is perhaps not Palestinian enough. Suleimans observations on Paris and New York are wry, sometimes sharp, more expansively funny. Every person in the New York deli where he shops carries a weapon even the children. Cops in Paris chase citizens through the streets on monowheels and roller skates. A French ambulance crew serves a homeless man with a full meal chicken or fish followed by coffee, before moving on. That idea of no place runs through a lot of these jokes, but quietly, with a tinge of chaos. Suleiman has made more accessible films than this, but he has never been conventional. This is another hybrid part essay film, part odyssey, not quite a travelogue, more like a psychic jigsaw. You have to put the pieces together yourself, and that is against all popular modes of current filmmaking. The mood is superbly sustained by emptying most of the locations of people (astounding, given some of the places he got closed down for filming, such as the entrance to the Louvre). Its a soulful sort of comedy, rather than a thigh-slapper, but thoughtful is always better than its alternative. Women with male health-care providers are accustomed to their medical appointments becoming three-person productions. You, the doctor, and a female nurse or technician, whose job is to bear witness. She's in the room to make sure the doctor doesn't do anything to you. She's in the room to make sure you don't falsely accuse the doctor. She's there for your safety. On Thursday, Jeffrey Epstein's onetime girlfriend and associate Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire, 11 months after the disgraced financier died by suicide in jail. Her indictment was made public, and over 18 pages her alleged role in Epstein's sex trafficking scheme becomes clear. She was, allegedly, a twisted version of the woman in the room. She was there, allegedly, to serve a role in a three-person production: to make girls feel safe, so they could instead be abused. Ghislaine Maxwell has long denied that she took part in or knew about any sexual misdeeds. Credit:Bloomberg Maxwell, 58, would allegedly take "Minor Victim 1" on shopping trips or to the movies. She would ask about "school, her classes, her family." And then, the indictment reads, Maxwell "sought to normalise inappropriate and abusive conduct by among other things, undressing in front of Minor Victim and being present when Minor Victim undressed in front of Epstein." Minor Victim 1 was 14 years old. The Australian Tax Office (ATO) is considering new rules to deter multinationals from transferring billions of dollars in intellectual property rights overseas. The new rules will govern brand names, copyright and licences, Fairfax reports. A confidential discussion paper prepared by the ATO outlines an option experts say follows an approach in Germany which has tightened laws related to transfer pricing. The German laws seek not only to offset reductions in the tax rate, but to close loopholes said to be eroding the German tax base. The ATO's Assistant Commissioner and head of the transfer pricing unit Anne Connon said the ATO had identified intellectual property rights as a key concern. We have been getting a lot of questions about how people can let those now in lockdown in the public housing towers that others are thinking of them and support them. We thought we would try and gather up messages from our readers which we will then publish together to demonstrate that support. To offer yours please use the form below: We are also in touch with agencies who offer on the ground assistance and will bring readers information on how they can also contribute in a practical fashion. A new outbreak has emerged linked to an emergency department in Melbourne's north,as a leading intensive care specialist warns that dangerous pockets of suburban coronavirus flare-ups are likely to continue. The challenge of protecting hospital staff from contracting COVID-19 while caring for infected patients has again been brought to the fore after two healthcare workers at the Northern Hospital in Epping were diagnosed with coronavirus on Friday. A coronavirus tester at work. Credit: Getty Images All emergency department staff are now being tested for the virus. The Department of Health and Human Services said the medical workers were wearing appropriate personal protective equipment when interacting with patients during their shifts . Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we're told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they're given. This week he talks to Norman Swan. Presenting ABC Radio Nationals Health Report for decades has given the 67-year-old Walkley Award-winning broadcaster, journalist and doctor the kind of credibility that money cant buy and some swooning fans. Norman Swan: "Weve had this divide for years, which has crippled Australian healthcare. Now, in the blink of an eye, weve got telehealth. Weve got mobilisation of private resources for public good." Credit:Joshua Morris Politics In the COVID-19 era, health and medicine seem to have been politicised like never before, especially in the US. Do you feel that here, too? Theres almost no other area of Australian life thats been more politicised over the years than health and healthcare. In some ways, its been less politicised during the pandemic. Weve had this divide between private and public, state and federal for years, which has crippled Australian healthcare. Now, in the blink of an eye, weve got telehealth. Weve got mobilisation of private resources for public good. All showing just how artificial some of those barriers are. Early in the pandemic, there were reports the PMs office called your boss at ABC News suggesting you speak to the governments chief medical officer apparently concerned your advice on the ABC was contrary to his. Im not going to comment on what calls may or may not have occurred. The government was uncomfortable about how some of the commentary was ahead of the curve, in a sense. What do journalists do? We hold government to account; work off the evidence. I never gave my own opinion. I was relying on people who knew what they were talking about. It was fairly straightforward to report a view based on science. Don Harwin has been reinstated as a NSW minister after being cleared of a $1000 fine for breaching COVID-19 lockdown restrictions earlier this year. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that, following Friday's court decision, Mr Harwin would now return to his former positions as minister responsible for the arts and Aboriginal affairs. He was also the special minister of state. Former NSW arts minister Don Harwin travelled to and from his Pearl Beach holiday home in an alleged breach of COVID-19 restrictions, but the fine has been dismissed. "Mr Harwins decision to resign from cabinet was appropriate when he received an infringement notice in April, but now that he has been cleared, it is appropriate that he return to cabinet," Ms Berejiklian said. "Mr Harwin has always assured me that he did not break the rules." The pilot of a seaplane carrying British tourists that crashed in a bay north of Sydney is most likely to have lost full control after breathing in fumes that leaked into the cabin through an insecure panel. Air-crash investigators found pre-existing cracks in the seaplane's exhaust collector ring, which can lead to fumes leaking into the engine bay. They also discovered there were missing bolts that secure a panel in the wall separating the engine bay from the passenger cabin, potentially allowing fumes to enter. The Sydney Seaplane crash into Jerusalem Bay claimed the lives of (top row) pilot Gareth Morgan, Emma Bowden, her daughter Heather, (bottom row) British chief executive Richard Cousins and his sons Edward and William. The breakthrough in the investigation into the crash of the Sydney Seaplanes aircraft on New Year's Eve in 2017 comes after toxicology testing found the pilot, Gareth Morgan, 44, and two of the five passengers had high levels of carbon monoxide in their blood. If the Premier is so keen to give the west some cultural institutions, why not remove the NSW Parliament to the Old Parliament House in Parramatta? This would then put the Parliament into the centre of Sydney, providing easy access for all Sydneysiders. Sell off the site in Macquarie Street to a developer for millions and allow them to build a multi-storey residential block with sweeping views over the Domain, harbour and out to sea. Instead of paying out billions of dollars building a new museum, they would pocket millions. A win-win deal for all. Peter McKeown, Erina Clearly, nothing will budge the government from its act of cultural vandalism in replacing the Powerhouse Museum with apartments. Just as clearly, it's not about creating a museum for western Sydney, conserving heritage buildings, or spending money wisely. Otherwise, why close Ultimo before the new site is built? This Liberal government must owe a lot of favours to a lot of people. Kristina Vingis, Church Point Your correspondent shouldn't be surprised at a useful and much-used facility being demolished long before its replacement is built (Letters, July 3). Think about Parramatta swimming pool: it has been two years since the Parramatta swimming centre was closed and I believe it will be another two years or so before its replacement will be functioning if at all. Terry Funnell, Parramatta Name and shame I agree with correspondent Joan Brown that Donald Trump's use of disparaging nicknames should be turned against him. Rather than "That Lyin' Donald" I suggest "That Mushroom Donald" is more apt (Letters, July 3). Mushrooms have short stalks, big heads, and thrive best in bovine manure. Brian Cambourne, Worrowing Heights Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: In a similar case of selective (mis)hearing, I believe Richard Nixon was heartened as his presidency unravelled after Watergate, to hear a crowd outside the White House chanting "hail to the chief". Their actual words were "jail to the chief". Mickey Pragnell, Kiama I am reminded of a sketch where Trump is fulminating from a podium; "We need less immigrants. Less. Immigrants. Less". The VP leans over and whispers "fewer". The Don replies; "Shh! Don't call me that just yet". Paul Keir, Concord King of denial First he neither confirmed nor denied that he referred to Andrew Constance as an expletive four-letter word, now he claims the privacy of the "ballot box in our great democracy" while neither confirming nor denying that he had preferenced Labor ahead of the Liberals at last year's federal election ("Barilaro put Labor ahead of Liberals", July 3). Makes me wonder where his mind goes in the privacy of the ballot booth. Peter Skrzynecki, Eastwood Kids' fable exposes illogic of proposed JobSeeker change Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg's argument that the JobSeeker allowance needs to be reduced otherwise people will lose the incentive to get a job reminds me of a popular children's story by Paul Jennings ("Job support needed to dodge economic cliff", July 3). The Paw Thing tells the story of a cat called Singenpoo, owned by a parsimonious chicken shop owner Major Mac. Singenpoo's job is to reduce a plague of mice in the chicken shop. Unfortunately, there are so many mice that Singenpoo has no chance and Major Mac decides the best way to make her catch mice is to reduce her food. Of course, this only makes Singenpoo weaker and the poor thing caught even fewer mice. Funnily enough, the year three children to whom I read this story always seem to understand the false economy and futility of Major Mac's plan. Perhaps I should send a copy to the PM before he makes a decision on reducing the JobSeeker payments. Anne Dale, Inverell Wealthy? Welcome I wonder why it's all right to offer safe haven visas for residents of Hong Kong, but unacceptable to offer those same visas to similarly placed persecuted residents of West Papua, Myanmar, or Sri Lanka ("Safe have visas for Hong Kong residents", July 3). Perhaps the relative wealth of the Hong Kong residents may be a factor. Or, perhaps the desire to paint China as the region's only "bad guy" may be part of the reasoning. I doubt that purely humanitarian motives are driving the decision. Christopher Tome, Bathurst Defence self-reliance critical I have been surprised at the criticism of the Prime Minister's announcement on defence ("Neighbourly gratitude for missiles will hush-hush", July 3). By demography and geography, Australia is a strategically vulnerable country. We are 25 million people largely gathered in half a dozen urban enclaves widely separated from each other around a vast coastline, not hard to conquer. No country in the region, fortunately, has any present intention of doing so but one at least has the capability. It is silly to suggest that Australia should not do what it can because we will never be big or strong enough. In the first place, defence of the air-sea gap has long been a centrepiece of Australian strategy, and with modern weaponry, this is feasible. In the second place, the extent to which we can rely on major allies will depend in part on the extent to which we are prepared to be self-reliant. And thirdly, military threats to our interests will not always take the form of the ultimate threat, invasion, and deterring and countering lesser threats offshore is feasible and important. Technologically sophisticated weaponry is certainly the smart way to go. Sandy Hollway, Rose Bay Regrettably, Australia needs to arm itself with the nuclear deterrent. The country cannot assume the US will come to our aid with its nuclear shield should China become more belligerent, as now seems possible. The US has long espoused an isolationist policy and President Donald Trump even more so. I appreciate we are a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but, sadly, times have changed since 1970. We need a proper defensive capability, as history has shown: the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. Stephen Wawn, Edgecliff Missiles of any range will not increase our capacity to defend ourselves against the ambition of China. Morrison should forget his self-serving political rhetoric. His propaganda actually puts us in danger of becoming the external enemy China needs for its own domestic purposes. Morrison would be more realistic and more helpful if he spent money on strategic diplomacy and foreign aid. Mark Porter, New Lambton Seriously? We're going to spend gazillions of taxpayers' money on picking a military fight with China? We'd last as long as Sonny Liston did against Muhammad Ali: 2 minutes 58 seconds. I suggest the money would be better spent. John Campbell, South Golden Beach AFP's shadow over democracy Australia continues to lurch inexorably to the right under the Morrison government ("AFP wants ABC charge pursued", July 3). Scott Morrison had no intention of amending a flawed law that allows a journalist like Dan Oakes to be criminalised for doing what a journalist should be doing in a democracy providing information its citizens have every right to know. The intimidation that this law generates has nothing to do with genuine democracy. If this law functioned in China or Russia, it would be seen as integral to repressive governments seeking to control the flow of information. Gary Mulley, Collaroy Plateau Battery-powered future What fabulous news that a new hydrogen-powered battery has been developed here and is close to production ("Hydrogen-powered homes closer after breakthrough", July 3). With a 60 kilowatt hour capacity and at a cost of less than one-tenth of a lithium battery, it shows just how ridiculous waving a lump of coal around in parliament is. Let's hope our fossil-fuel loving government gets behind this project to ensure it gets the funding and support it needs, and to ensure the technology and manufacturing remain here in Australia. Jobs, growth and non-polluting energy: win, win, win. Alan Marel, North Curl Curl Branches of government Judging by the Royal Sydney Golf Club's wish to destroy almost 600 trees, I was wondering how many of the board are members or friends of the NSW government ("Rose Bay golf course proposal 'would remove entire urban forest': planner", July 2). Merinda Air, Frenchs Forest Surely the Royal Sydney Golf Club is on prime real estate land and should be moved to Parramatta. Todd Hillsley, Homebush Face the facts How could you possibly go past The Angels' Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again for Trump's walk-off song (Letters, July 3). The live version, with crowd participation. Stephen Driscoll, Castle Hill Don't panic! Where can I panic buy now ("Woolworths Balmain employee tests positive for coronavirus", smh.com.au, July 2)? Rob Fraser, Balmain God will provide Rather than extend JobKeeper to workers in the arts, for example, the federal government opted for those in religious positions ("JobKeeper for religious leaders splits legal minds", July 3). Shouldn't they have been left to sort it out with their gods? After all that's who must be responsible for the virus. Tony Doyle, Fairy Meadow Money, like praying, has healing properties. Mustafa Erem, Terrigal The right note Tradie the Musical must surely include that epic hit by Michaela Cash We're Gunna Save Yer Utes. Helen Vaughan-Roberts, Noosaville (Qld) What's her name? Never mind Laura Norder and Jobson Grothe (Letters, July 3). Who the hell is Victoria Hotspots? David Grant, Ballina Postscript Was it a case of people power, with letter writers driving the charge? This week, hundreds of correspondents lamented the loss of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo and the destruction of heritage buildings in Parramatta associated with the move. Many echoed Riverview resident Alison Stewart's view: "Why must the NSW government destroy lovely things so enthusiastically in the name of progress?" She listed "Anzac Parade's fig trees, swathes of historic Haberfield, the perfectly good stadium" and, of course, the museum. Many addressed their "last plea to save the Powerhouse Museum" directly to the Premier through these pages, asking for her "to listen to the people and stop the move". And then, too close to deadline to change today's letters or the Readers' Panel on the subject, we received the news correspondents had been wanting: the Ultimo site will remain open and a second site for the Powerhouse will be built in Parramatta. The Premier has been listening. Should letter writers take some credit for the museum's reversal of fortunes? We'll leave it up to you to make that call but we think it would be reasonable to say the many dissenting voices on the letters pages made a noisy contribution to the loud chorus of objections to the proposal, which were heard. We look forward to hearing from you next week on this development. On a sadder note, much-loved regular Bert Candy of Glenvale passed away. Bert's energetic letters were always full of passion, and will be missed. We imagine he would have been proud to be part of the noisy chorus of dissenters. Vale Bert. Queensland police will begin random vehicle checks at state road borders in an effort to stop people being smuggled across the border in large vehicles amid tougher new domestic travel restrictions. It comes as the state's disaster co-ordinator, Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski, warned of a "lumpy and difficult" process ahead with restrictions changing again from next Friday. All travellers entering Queensland who have been in Victoria at any stage in the previous 14 days are now effectively barred from entering without a mandatory fortnight in hotel quarantine, at their own expense. This is in addition to the border closure on all but those with exemptions already in place. But from Friday, July 10, travellers who sign a declaration that they have not been within a Victorian local government area in the previous 14 days will be able to enter. Morrison has gone through the most extraordinary transformation. He was pretty much unknown to the Australian public when he came from nowhere to seem to sneak into office, darting opportunistically through a Peter Dutton challenge to Malcolm Turnbull to outwit both and catch the falling prize of the prime ministership as it tumbled from Turnbulls hands. He went on to win an election on the most threadbare of platforms the status quo, plus tax cuts. He had nothing much to offer but political lines so that satirical news website The Betoota Advocate nicknamed him Scotty from Marketing. Illustration: Jim Pavlidis Credit: He was so determined to avoid the responsibilities of leadership during the bushfires that I was moved to dub him the Prime Minimal. It seemed he would never live down his jaunt to Hawaii as his country burned. He was an object of national derision. But when the pandemic struck, a different prime minister emerged. He closed the border to China, declared a pandemic and mobilised a national emergency response. He brought the federal and state leaders together by forming a national cabinet, an innovation in Australian governance. He led a decisive economic support program and went on to declare a new phase of national reform. The people have rewarded him. Loading The last prime minister to begin a term in such low public regard was almost half a century ago. The Liberals Malcolm Fraser was tainted by the way he came to power, forcing the constitutional crisis that precipitated the sacking of Gough Whitlam. Yet today Morrison basks in popularity only exceeded once in the 25-year history of Newspoll. With an approval rating of 68 per cent, hes second only to Rudd a decade ago, before Labor began the demolition of its leader. Other leaders have fallen from grace during their terms in power, and some have been appreciated anew after losing office, but Morrison is the prime minister who has managed the most spectacular positive transformation while still enjoying taxpayer-provided accommodation at The Lodge. The lesson I have learned from those who have been in this job, Morrison tells me, is they rarely made the same mistake twice. He ducked one national crisis and hes determined not to do so again. He couldnt have predicted that hed be leading the country through a pandemic and a savage economic downturn. And now, if his analysis of Australias strategic situation is correct, is it possible that Morrison will become a wartime leader too? Loading He doesnt resist the idea: You dont get to write your time. In his Wednesday speech, Morrison emphasised that as Australia confronts an aggressive China, its a crisis he wont duck. In announcing that Australia will buy ballistic missiles from the US, he said: We don't seek to entangle or intimidate or silence our neighbours. We respect their sovereignty. We champion it. And we expect others to respect ours. Sovereignty means self-respect, freedom to be who we are, ourselves, independence, free-thinking. We will never surrender this. Clear? Just in case, he added: Never. Ever. But while the parallels between the 1930s and the 2020s are bracing, Morrison makes the point that facing a similar set of forces doesnt mean it has to turn out the same way. Hes hoping he doesnt need to reprise we will fight them on the beaches. So whats he doing about it? The government is working to ensure strategic balance is achieved, so peace and stability can return. Balancing against what, exactly? Potential adversaries is the answer. Morrison is, of course, too diplomatic to say so, but this is code for China. A scholar of international strategy would translate this into the Prime Minister tracing the transformation of the region from the collapse of a longstanding US hegemony, into a new landscape where an informal coalition of regional powers balances against a potential new hegemon, China. The countries he names as part of the new balancing group alongside Australia include Japan, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam. And including the US, rather than exclusively the US. Those days are gone. There are two parts to this one is to better calibrate our defence capability, which was the subject of his Wednesday speech, and the other is to link in with as many partners as possible, and thats what weve been doing feverishly. Thats a word you dont often hear in statecraft feverishly. Its a hint at the rising regional concern over Beijings ambitions. Its all about shaping the environment and thats whats being achieved, Morrison continues. Theres not a nation in the Indo-Pacific that doesnt like its own independence and system of government. And this is one of the ways that Australia today is better placed than it was during the 1930s and 40s, he points out. Australia then saw itself as a dependency of Britain and was alone and afraid in Asia. Today Australia is well enmeshed in its region and makes its own decisions. Another difference? It now has a close alliance with the US. Australia is much better placed now, thats why Im optimistic. That doesnt mean the forces are any less severe. Peace and stability are fundamental to achieving the economic recovery that the region needs, he points out. And Australias economic position is much better today, too. In the 1930s, Australia followed the economic orthodoxy of the time by imposing austerity. This was, of course, exactly the opposite of what was needed. Before miners can fly to BHPs vast open-cut mine at Olympic Dam, they are scanned by a thermal camera. If their temperature is 38 degrees or over, they arent flying. BHP is one of many companies enthusiastically rolling out thermal cameras to try to spot anyone with an undiagnosed case of COVID-19. An airline passenger is checked with a thermal imaging camera for signs of coronavirus. Credit:AP They are already in hospitals and airports, and when employees finally return to work, they will find them in office blocks as well. Seven fines were issued by police on the first day of new lockdown restrictions in Melbourne's hotspots, including to five criminals who were also charged after they were caught driving around with drugs and weapons. Mobile patrols and booze buses are set to relocate to 15 different sites across Melbourne each day during the month-long lockdown of suburbs to suppress the spread of coronavirus. Police conducted address checks on drivers and passengers on Sydney Road, Fawkner, on Friday afternoon. Credit:Justin McManus Officers manning checkpoints are stopping drivers, asking them to display their licences and explain where they are going and why, or risk a $1625 fine. Police numbers would fluctuate depending on what kind of behaviour officers were witnessing in different areas, a spokesman said on Friday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a Workers' Party politburo meeting on Thursday that focused on the coronavirus epidemic. The official [North] Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim ordered officials to thoroughly review quarantine measures and stressed "the need to maintain maximum alert." The announcement comes even though the North officially admits no cases of COVID-19. Meanwhile, there was no mention of inter-Korean matters at the meeting, despite North Korea's recent histrionics that culminated in the blowup of the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong. But the northern suburbs lockdown has led to tough questions of both the government and the security industry it relied upon. A key issue, according to industry insiders, was training. Guards were being expected to work with difficult, potentially infectious people, to use personal protective equipment and have a working knowledge of infection control techniques. In NSW, police escorted people to hotel quarantine. Credit:Edwina Pickles But for some, according to Kazim Shah, a United Workers Union organiser who has worked with Melbourne quarantine hotel guards in recent months, the preparation was severely inadequate. Some guards are saying they had no training," Shah said. Some were saying they had three minutes training. One trainer had a background in managing security for car parks, Shah said. Until recently security guards had been working at multiple quarantine hotels, adding to infection spread risks. Details have since emerged of the lax hygiene standards in some Melbourne quarantine hotels and significant breaches of quarantine. Premier Andrews has drawn attention to guards sharing a cigarette lighter, and having "carpooling arrangements". More lurid rumours have also emerged, but a common story is that there was too little personal protective equipment or it was being worn wrongly or for too long; there was a lack of medical waste bins and that there was insufficient medical oversight. So bad were the practices in some places that one returned traveller from New Zealand who stayed at a Crown hotel, said he felt more at risk in quarantine than going home. "I noticed a lot of guards, they'd hug each other or give each other a pat on the shoulder, returned traveller Patrick Enright told The Age. They were definitely in their personal space. One guard escorted me outside with the mask over his mouth but not his nose." Patrick Enright (left) finishes his two-week hotel quarantine at the end of June. Credit:Justin McManus Andrews has admitted there has been unacceptable infection control breaches in hotel quarantine. Then the virus spread. Security workers acquired infections from travellers and then took it home to family members and contacts an event that will now be subject to a new government-ordered inquiry amid fierce scrutiny on the Andrews government. Low pay, insecure work The pandemic has seen government work at warp speed. Decisions that would normally take months are being made in days. Corners are being cut and mistakes are inevitable. In Victoria, the Andrews government has moved more than 20,000 people many from places with major coronavirus outbreaks through the hastily constructed hotel quarantine system, guarded by three security industry players MSS, Wilson and Unified. The problem that emerged from those contracts has not been one of money. Victoria has already spent tens of millions of dollars on hotel quarantine alone as it hired out more than a dozen hotels to provide rooms for returned travellers. Rather the problems are similar to those in some other Australian workplaces and industries insecure work, exploitation of temporary migrants, inadequate training and decades of de-unionisation. Recent research from the Fair Work Ombudsman said the private security industry had disproportionate levels of workplace disputes, including issues of contractors bidding down tenders to below the cost of paying employees lawfully. Some of the quarantine contracts were sub-contracted to smaller operators, a practice that drives down wages and muddles responsibility. A former guard himself, Shah said workers employed directly by big companies typically were paid legal rates and penalties and overtime, but they would then pass off work to sub-contractors that regularly paid migrant workers flat rates of $20 an hour. They dont have contracts and sometimes they dont get paid at all, he said. This is an ongoing issue for the security industry. This week The Herald Sun reported claims of taxpayers being charged by security firms for "ghost shifts" shifts that were never worked. Workers in the industry are not surprised. The problems with the industry are well documented. Unions affiliated to the ALP have spoken out about it for years, and the Australian Centre for Corporate Responsibilitys director of workplace rights, Dr Katie Hepworth, said investors and companies needed to urgently review the use of sub-contractors in high-risk areas during the pandemic. The failure to provide proper training and personal protective equipment to subcontractors is common practice, she said. It is the result of years of outsourcing in the security industry, that has seen the hollowing out of wages and conditions, and seen experienced workers locked out of the industry in favour of inexperienced, lower-paid workers. Guards and police at the entry of Crown Promenade hotel late in June. Buck passing and an inquiry What occurred in the hotels and why the private security industry was selected will be key questions for the new $3 million inquiry ordered by the Andrews government and headed by retired judge Jennifer Coate. Among the issues to be examined include the decisions and actions of government agencies, hotel operators and private contractors along with contractual arrangements and the training provided to staff. The report is due to be completed by September 25. The state opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier wants the inquiry to be public and extended to include the earlier Cedar Meats cluster, while state opposition leader Michael OBrien called for the health minister, Jenny Mikakos, to be sacked. This has been a complete and utter debacle, Mr OBrien said. There has to be accountability for this, and this means the health minister has to go. On Friday Mr Andrews said Ms Mikakos had his support and said as leader he took responsibility for these and all matters. I absolutely acknowledge this is unacceptable what has gone on here. Ms Mikakos said she welcomed the judicial inquiry and said she had no concerns whatsoever about the role of her department. She said the decision to award the contracts was not made by her Department of Health and Human Services. Im deeply frustrated by what has happened here, she said. We have managed this before (virus spread) and we will manage it again. Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos and Premier Daniel Andrews on their way to a COVID-19 press conference on Friday. Credit:Joe Armao Despite days of questions of the government, it remains unclear who made the call to outsource quarantine to the private security industry. Victorias Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Thursday the decision to use private security was not his. "But it was jointly oversighted by emergency management within the Department of Health and Human Services, Emergency Management Victoria and Department of Jobs Precinct and Regions," he said. The 'reset' A significant overhaul has already begun in what the premier has called a "reset". No international travellers will arrive in Melbourne for two weeks. Andrews said diverting flights would allow the government to focus on existing cases rather than worry about new returning ones. The state government has also moved to toughen the rules for those in hotels, cancelling outside walks for everyone except those with mental health problems. The move mirrors the more stringent lockdown already in NSW for quarantine hotels. At the start of the pandemic, there was a major debacle in NSW over the virus spreading from passengers disembarking from cruise ships. But their hotel quarantine program has had far fewer issues than Victorias and has been run using a different model. A NSW Police spokeswoman said they were responsible for that states hotel quarantine operation along with the Australian Defence Force, NSW Health and a private contractor. People who have stayed in quarantine in Sydney describe strictly enforced rules. This is the model Victoria is now moving to. On Thursday Police Minister Lisa Neville said that the private security program at 15 quarantine hotels would be stopped by the end of next week. Corrections Victoria, which runs the states jails and parole system, recently took over supervision of the quarantine program and will work with the Australian Defence Force to manage the hotels. The Age has reported that MSS had been guarding the Stamford Plaza hotel in Melbournes CBD. Unified Security had been responsible for the Rydges on Swanston in Carlton. The Andrews government said that the security companies were bound by the standards of their service agreement with the Victorian government and staff were required to complete training programs. Loading That may be the case. But given the well-known state of the industry, it still required a leap of faith to believe it could deliver. Now the government is advertising for parole and prison officers, sheriffs and other authorised officers not already deployed to fill hundreds of new quarantine jobs. The new roles will pay a base rate of $54 an hour. Thats more than double what one former guard said he was paid. "I was on a $25 set flat rate, that didn't [move] whether you were on a day or night shift," former guard Sebastian Porter said. He said guards he worked alongside from other security firms "were on way less than that". Professor Sutton has conceded there has been "some concern about the distancing between those contracted security guard staff". He also confirmed some of the staff spaces where security guards and healthcare workers were gathering at the quarantine hotels "were too close together". Hasan Sayer lives about five kilometres from Melbourne Airport and lately hes enjoyed a rare slice of serenity. During COVID-19, its been how it used to be when we first shifted in in 1986, the Keilor resident said of the noise from passing aircraft. Hasan Sayer in Keilor will be affected by the aircraft noise from the new runway. Credit:Justin McManus Back then, Mr Sayer heard a few planes taking off at night time, a disturbance that pales compared with the roaring jets that now pass over his home every two to three minutes. Its already untenable, Mr Sayer says, and he knows it will get worse. Kensington and Flemington are at risk of being added to Melbourne's list of COVID-19 lockdown suburbs as early as next week, as the inner-northwest neighbourhoods emerge as growing infection hotspots. The warning comes as hundreds of Commonwealth public servants from Centrelink prepare to join doorknocking efforts in the citys locked-down postcodes, with Australian Taxation Office workers also set to mobilise for the state governments pandemic response. Racecourse Road in Flemington on Friday. State health officials will closely examine coronavirus data over the weekend as the government weighs whether to extend the lockdown to other postcodes. Credit:Chris Hopkins Premier Daniel Andrews warned again on Friday that the current lockdowns in force across 10 Melbourne postcodes could extend across the city if case numbers do not improve. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos revealed that postcode 3031 which covers Kensington and Flemington that neighbour the locked-down suburbs of Travancore and Ascot Vale had recorded some of the biggest increases in new COVID-19 cases over the past week. A Gosnells teenager accused of 208 child sexual abuse offences has been bashed in prison, a Perth court has been told. The 19-year-old man, who detectives alleged was linked to a national online child exploitation network, had his front teeth knocked out during the assault. Details of the altercation emerged as the teenager faced Perth Magistrates Court on Friday in relation to a string of offences allegedly committed between 2014 and 2020. Child Abuse Squad detectives allege the man sexually assaulted five boys aged between three and 11 at the time he first abused them. The victims were known to the man through family and friends. He is accused of recording some of the abuse and sharing those videos and photographs online with other alleged child sex offenders around Australia. Coalition backbench MPs are backing a modest lift in the base rate of unemployment payments, saying the current level is untenable for people who may struggle to find work following the coronavirus pandemic. But any increase will have to be balanced against spiralling public debt, with one of the nation's top economists predicting the Morrison government faces a record budget deficit of $230 billion. Coalition backbenchers are backing a modest increase in the JobSeeker unemployment payment ahead of the end of the $550-a-fortnight coronavirus supplement. Credit:Janie Barrett The regular JobSeeker payment of $565.70 a fortnight has been boosted since late April by the $550-a-fortnight coronavirus supplement, which is due to end on September 24. With the economy in recession and jobless rate at a 19-year high of 7.1 per cent, business leaders, charities, unions and economists are increasingly concerned about an economic "cliff" when the government's JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme winds up at the same time. The ABC divides opinions: there are those who celebrate it as a precious resource, and there are those who dismiss it as wasteful drain on the public purse. News that the broadcaster is making cuts, including to jobs and programs, because of an indexation freeze on its government funding prompted a strong reaction among The Age and Sydney Morning Herald readers. ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose and Scott Morrison. She claims the government misrepresented the ABC's efforts to work closer with SBS. Credit:Jessica Hromas Several articles last week reporting on the ABC's funding levels, debates about whether the government's indexation freeze constitutes a 'cut', and details about the broadcaster's money-saving plans all attracted close to, or more than, 500 reader comments. The exclusive report, ''Ita Buttrose lashes government over handling of ABC funding cuts'', written by national affairs editor Rob Harris and media reporter Zoe Samios, was one of the most commented-on articles last week. A multibillion-dollar plan to help struggling small businesses either prosper beyond the coronavirus pandemic or exit with dignity is being developed by the Morrison government as part of its efforts to grow the economy and drive down unemployment. The package, which recognises many small businesses face bankruptcy when the JobKeeper program ends at the same time as pandemic insolvency protections, will form part of the government's budget recovery strategy and could cost more than $10 billion. The Morrison government is working on a package for small- and medium-sized businesses as it seeks to help firms that may face bankruptcy later this year. Credit:Louie Douvis The government, business organisations and the insolvency sector are expecting a surge in bankruptcies once the $1500-a-fortnight JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme winds up in September. Despite the nation being in its worst recession since the 1930s, bankruptcy and insolvency actions are actually in steep decline. But laws introduced by the government in March that made it more difficult to start insolvency actions at the height of the crisis are due to finish in late September. Volunteer firefighters are leaving the ranks in NSW and Victoria due to disrespect from city-based professional emergency managers, the bushfire royal commission has heard. Volunteer Fire Fighters Association of NSW vice-president Brian Williams said fire control plans overlooked input from local volunteers, which they feared put them at increased risk of harm. The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements has heard volunteer firefighters are dissatisfied with professional fire managers. Credit:Nick Moir "The Rural Fire Service has become quite a city centric organisation and there has been a considerable loss of control at the local level," Mr Williams said. "Their [volunteer] input isn't valued like it used to be when we were under local government and they're tending to walk away and that's very unfortunate." Volunteers do a "a very difficult, dangerous job" and the bureaucracy should "give them respect", Mr Williams said in a hearing of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements on Friday. The scandal involving multiple allegations of sexual harassment by former High Court judge Dyson Heydon has prompted NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman to instigate an urgent review into the way in which NSW courts and tribunals handle similar complaints. "No woman should ever have to choose between reporting sexual misconduct or continuing in her legal career. No one deserves to be harassed, victimised or silenced" Mr Speakman said. Former High Court justice Dyson Heydon was found in an inquiry ordered by the High Court to have harassed six associates. Credit:Dean Sewell "The full force of the law should be applied to those engaging in sexual misconduct." An independent investigation authorised by the High Court upheld allegations of sexual harassment which six associates made against Mr Heydon, who was a judge on the High Court for a decade from 2003. The Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo has been thrown an extraordinary 11th-hour lifeline and will not close but instead operate across two sites, including one in western Sydney. Five years after the move was first announced by her predecessor, Gladys Berejiklian's government will abandon plans to sell the Ultimo property and will now use the Parramatta site as a second Powerhouse location. The controversial site in Ultimo that was to have been sold. Credit:Kate Geraghty Ms Berejiklian and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the about-face would ensure Sydney had two world-class museums in a boost for the arts, tourism and employment. Pressure on the government to rethink its controversial decision to close the inner-city site has been increasing in recent weeks as it emerged the Ultimo collection could be dispersed across the state. Curtis Scott's legal case will return to court in July after a deal with police to drop five serious charges fell through. The Raiders young gun's legal team had reached an agreement with NSW Police to plead guilty to two of the non-serious charges in exchange for the other five to be dropped, but the deal came unstuck when police were asked to pay for his legal fees. Scott's case will go in for mention on July 13 in Sydney Downing Centre Local Court. It will then go to a hearing date, which could be set as late as September or October due to coronavirus-related delays. If the case goes to a hearing, Scott plans to add Murugan Thangaraj, SC, to his legal team. Queensland came out on top of a bruising derby against their NSW rivals for the first time since 2013 after a ding-dong battle sealed by a couple of late James OConnor penalties. NSW fell behind 19-7 in the first half but rallied to lead with 16 minutes to go. However, the Reds were able to hold their nerve, despite some wobbly goal-kicking from Bryce Hegarty, to run out 32-26 winners. Harry Wilson celebrates scoring a try at Suncorp Stadium Credit:Getty It has been seven long years since the Reds tasted victory over their southern rivals at Super Rugby level and they will certainly enjoy the mid-strength beers NSW vice-captain Alex Newsome had sledged them about drinking in his pre-game press conference. There was no shortage of niggle and the physicality was intense during a four-tries-to-two clash. The chief executives of some of the world's largest technology companies have agreed to testify before the US Congress later this month as part of an antitrust hearing. The appearances by the chief executives of Apple, Facebook, Google and Amazon will give US politicians a chance to question these billionaires on their company's practices. Of the four tech CEOs, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos is the only one fronting US Congress for the first time. Credit:AP It is likely members of Congress will widen questioning beyond the antitrust theme. Here are some of the issues they could address: Hanoi: Vietnam and the Philippines have criticised China's holding of military drills in a disputed part of the South China Sea, warning it could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbours. Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Thursday the exercises in the waters near the Paracel Islands were "highly provocative", while Vietnam's Foreign Ministry called them a violation of sovereignty that could be "detrimental" to Beijing's relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. China scheduled five days of drills from Wednesday near the Paracels, according to a June 27 announcement by Hainan's Maritime Safety Administration. Vietnam has overlapping claims with China over the Paracels. Vietnam and the Philippines have been the most vocal regional opponents to what they see as Chinese overreach in the South China Sea and its disregard for boundaries outlined in international maritime law. Leading activist Nathan Law has reportedly fled Hong Kong. Credit:Bloomberg An activist was reportedly arrested after injuring a police officer while attempting to leave Hong Kong airport for London on a one-way ticket. Nathan Law, the former legislator who co-founded the now defunct Demosisto democracy party, made it out before he could be charged with offences that he believed were inevitable if he continued to speak out. "I bade my city farewell. As the plane took off the runway, I gazed down at the skyline I love so much for one last time," he wrote on Friday from an undisclosed location. The legislation, first floated at China's National People's Congress in May, was released on the 23rd anniversary of the British handover. Its final contents shocked observers. "I was expecting this full law to be really bad news," said Bing Ling, a founding member of the Faculty of Law of the Chinese University of Hong Kong who now works at the University of Sydney. "But it is something that is menacing and threatening to the whole world. It is a draconian and heavy-handed piece of legislation," he said. A man is detained by riot police during a demonstration on July 1. Credit:Getty The Chinese government maintains the powers will restore order to Hong Kong after 15 months of protests that often turned violent. They include setting up a mainland national security agency in Hong Kong to investigate acts that threaten the Chinese state and appointing judges to courts that can extradite the accused to China. The terms are so broad that even anti-Chinese Communist Party sentiments expressed overseas could be prosecuted once people arrive or transit through Hong Kong. The warning posted on the Department of Foreign Affairs smart traveller website on Thursday was ominous. "This law could be interpreted broadly. You can break the law without intending to. The maximum penalty under this law in Hong Kong is life imprisonment." Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video The legislation and the day of arrests that followed it triggered an emotional response from leaders around the world. In Washington, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the laws "eviscerated the very foundation of Hong Kong's success". In London, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said they represent a flagrant assault on freedom of speech and freedom of assembly", and announced plans to offer safe haven visas to up to three million Hong Kong residents. Watching events unfold in Canberra, Prime Minister Scott Morrison moved ahead of the work the government was doing in the background to declare Australia was ready to step up and offer pathways for resettlement. Hong Kong is also home to the second-largest group of Australian expatriates in the world, with more than 100,000 living in the city. "We do find these events very concerning and we have been very clear about our statements to that in concert with many other nations," Morrison said. Morrison, aware of the inflammatory potential of offering refuge to citizens of Australia's largest trading partner when the bilateral relationship has reached its lowest ebb, made clear it was a multinational response. "This is not a position Australia has commented on in isolation," he said. Loading China's Foreign Ministry was unimpressed. "We urge Australia to treat Hong Kong's National Security Law in an objective manner, immediately stop interfering in China's internal affairs through the so-called Hong Kong issue and do not go further on the wrong path," its spokesman Zhao Lijian said in Beijing on Thursday night. Migration agents say the number of inquiries from Hong Kong residents looking to leave the Chinese territory had been surging since last year. Australia, due to its proximity, time zone, climate, and relatively low-level of coronavirus infections, is seen by many as a more attractive destination than Britain, despite its historical links with its former colony. The Australian government is weighing up using the existing humanitarian intake or fast-tracking setting up a separate stream for Hong Kong migrants. The measures could also include offering refuge to the up to 20,000 Hong Kong visitors already in Australia. The proposals are expected to be presented to cabinet on Wednesday. Both sides of politics regard Hongkongers as highly attractive migrants. Highly educated, native English speakers, with many STEM specialists among them, thousands could fill Australia's skills gaps across the economy. Hong Kong's position as an intermediary between the West and China for more than a century allowed it to flourish as a global financial hub. London-based multinational bank HSBC and investment firms Swire Group and Jardine Matheson have effectively made it their home throughout the 20th century [all three have now signed up in support of the national security law]. One in seven Hong Kong residents is a millionaire, according to Citibank, which took into account deposits, mutual funds, stocks, bonds and property, and the city has the highest concentration of billionaires in the world. Guy Hedley, the former chief executive of Macquarie Private Bank, who now helps bring Chinese business to Australia as executive chairman of Atlas Advisors, said the largest potential gain could come from its strong investment community. "The really important," he said. What we see in the Australian market is a lack of investment capital. What is Hong Kong really good at? That's it. Venture capital, small and medium enterprise capital, that is their core competence. They are financially literate and understand how capital flows work. "It is a huge opportunity. A massive opportunity," he said. The government's investor stream - the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) - is capped. Last year, only 7000 out of 160,000 migrants came to Australia under the scheme, which encourages migrants to invest between $1.5 million and $5 million in Australia as a pathway to permanent residency. This year it was paused in March amid the coronavirus pandemic but the number of applications routinely exceeds the quota. "The states have not been able to accept any more," said Hedley. "That is an own goal. Hong Kong is happening now, it is not happening in six months time when the Australian government gets around to opening its quotas again. "This is a category of visa you can open up tomorrow and bring in naturally entrepreneurial Hong Kong citizens who will jump at it." Hedley suggests the investment requirements could be better targeted to the regions, where businesses are falling over. "We are investing in agricultural-tech robotics, drone systems to monitor wildlife, all of those small businesses need capital but people in Australia are not ponying up saying I'm going to going to put money into [a] new venture," he said. Loading "We know that the demand is there for these migration programs. All the government has to do is allocate resources and it becomes self-fulfilling." The Australian opportunities, however, are unlikely to be little comfort to the hundreds of protesters in Hong Kong jails. Some, including Nunan, appear determined to continue to fight what they see as the death of democracy in the Chinese territory. Please do not give up on hope. Even though things seem bleak right now, it is always darkest before the dawn, Nunan wrote this week. "Now Hong Kong people are to run Hong Kong. That is the promise, and that is the unshakeable destiny." They were the final stirring words of Chris Patten's speech before the British governor handed the territory over to mainland China just over 23 years ago. And they were not just words. Hong Kong's sovereignty was enshrined in the Basic Law, a document approved by Beijing that set out the territory's right to a large degree autonomy promised by China under its "one country, two systems" mantra. As a separate autonomous region, Hong Kong enjoyed special trade arrangements, customs agreements, and global immigration that helped make the city a capital of international finance. It was meant to last 50 years, but came to an abrupt end this week when the Chinese government rushed through in secrecy laws introducing life sentences or long prison terms for vaguely defined crimes involving secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. They also allow Beijing to establish an office in Hong Kong for the safeguarding of national security and to oversee, guide, coordinate and support local national security activities and investigations. Hongkongers will have little chance to feign ignorance, with article 10 of the new laws stipulating they will be given "national security education in schools and universities and through social organisations, the media, the internet and other means". The "two systems" now look a lot more like one. After the enormous democracy protests in Hong Kong last year, it should hardly be surprising that Beijing would use the time when most countries are preoccupied with the twin health and economic crises brought on by the pandemic to tighten its grip on the region. And Hong Kong is no longer the economic powerhouse it once was for China. In 1997, Hong Kongs GDP was equivalent to 18 per cent of the mainlands and most of Chinas foreign trade was conducted through Hong Kong. Fast forward to today and Hong Kongs GDP is equal to less than 3 per cent of the mainlands. London: The arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell will see the spotlight of public scrutiny turn once again on Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, who became embroiled in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal by virtue of their friendship. Andrew has already faced serious questions over his relationship with Epstein, who died while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking minors, but has been accused by US prosecutors of failing to provide a suitable level of co-operation. Andrew has always denied allegations made by Australia-based Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims they had sex on three occasions, including when she was aged 17. Maxwell's arrest, and any testimony she provides, could now provide the key, with the British socialite thought to have the ability to fully corroborate his denials to the FBI on record, or provide evidence leading to new areas of investigation. Bradford, New Hampshire: Ghislaine Maxwell was hiding out in style: her luxury timber-framed home perched on 63 hectares of New Hampshire pine and oak forests boasts dramatic views of Mount Sunapee's foothills, but is secluded enough to have kept her out of eyeshot of the tight-knit locals. A boulder inscribed with "Tuckedaway" sits beside a road going to an estate in Bradford, New Hampshire, where Ghislaine Maxwell was taken into custody. Credit:AP It was not until Thursday, US time, that other residents of this rural corner of New England, US, knew her whereabouts, after FBI agents arrested her on charges she lured underage girls for the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse. "I had no clue she was there," said Laurie Colburn, 53, whose home is within two kilometres of Maxwells compound on the outskirts of Bradford, a town of less than 2000 people defined by its white colonial homes, horse farms, stone walls and a historic covered bridge. "Goes to show you, you dont always know who your neighbours are." "Solja - Prince of the Streets" by George Gittoes. Credit:George Gittoes When Waqar and I walked into Soljas apartment, he looked up to us from his wheelchair, puzzled to see a long-haired, old, white man and a young Pakistani who, he assumed, would be packing guns. His followers reacted like cats putting their fur up and hissing through their teeth, as their hands reached for their actual guns. Since then those young men, Li'l Dave, Li'l Mac, Lolo, Head Shot, Boozie and Solja, have grown so close to me they treat me like their pop or adopted father. People ask me How did you get their trust ? and expect me to say it took a long time but the reality is it was less than 3 minutes, and within 15 minutes we were filming interviews that were so frank I began to worry they were seriously incriminating themselves. If you grow up black in the segregated ghettoes of America or are born into a war zone, like Afghanistan, you have to learn how to read someone in seconds; misjudging can cost you your life. Taking time to trust or not trust someone is a luxury. If an active war is raging, the assessment has to be lightning fast. Members of the May Block community at the Mario Make Me a Model competition (from left) Jon Jon, Smiley, Li'l Mac, Li'l Dave and (front) Solja. Credit:Waqar Alam I asked: Who are these enemies who shot Solja and many of your friends? Steven "Smiley" Armour, a respected elder in the area known as May Block, replied: If you met them before you met us you would like them as much as you like us. There are no good guys or bad guys. It is just that if they do things to us, we have to retaliate, and no one can see a way out of this cycle of violence. The big revelation for us was that there was no need for one gang to slander or verbally criticise any other gang ... they all are caught in a cycle of violence they do not know how to end when the police do nothing to investigate shootings. They do not see each other as enemies but as victims of endless retaliation that needs to end. There are no good guys or bad guys. It is just that if they do things to us, we have to retaliate. Steven "Smiley" Armour , Community leader I lived and worked in South Africa before the end of apartheid and the segregation was never as extreme in Soweto or Alexandra Township as it is in South Side Chicago. What makes this American version of apartheid work is the fear caused by the guns and killings. The red line that separates is no longer created by the racist manipulation of real estate as it was in the days of Dr Martin Luther King jnr, but the red, crime-scene tape, rolled out by cops, around countless killings. We witnessed this, first-hand, when, after one night of hearing shooting we woke up to three separate crime scene areas taped off around our apartments. No one knows if it is a conspiracy to keep African Americans killing one another but it feels like one. George Gittoes at work on the film in Chicago with (from left) artist Darius Marcus Ford, Li'l Dave and Boozie. Credit:Waqam Alam Illegal guns are in oversupply and the cops do not investigate black-on-black murders. They arrest and intimidate for basic lifestyle offences but do not go after killers. It is not hard to meet community hitmen who have taken 12 to 16 lives and are still walking around. If they have done time it is for selling pot or traffic offences. No one talks to the cops; snitches are despised. The one informant I met was promised total secrecy by the police, but it was only days before the news leaked out. That person now lives in perpetual fear, knowing someone will come for him, someday. Gun deaths in Chicago to June 22 this year, reported by the Chicago Tribune, total 1508 (350 more than in 2019). On May 31, 18 people were killed in 24 hours, the single most violent day in six decades of record-keeping. Filmmaker George Gittoes with Chantal Scott, whose sister Kaylyn Pryor (in posters) was murdered. Credit:Waqar Alam There is a group of parents who have lost their children to gun violence who regularly protest because official statistics show only one in 10 murders on the South Side are solved. The "angel", of our film, is Kaylyn Pryor, who was famous for winning the Mario Make Me a Model Competition. The day Kaylyn was shot she was celebrating signing a contract with a big modelling agency, her ticket out. Even though Kaylyn was high-profile, there has been no success in finding her killers in the three years since her death. While Waqar and I were out filming on the streets, my wife, Hellen Rose, was working with local musicians to create the White Light soundtrack and music album. Hellen was expecting a lively music scene from this home of Chess Records but was shocked to find live music is another homicide, mummified in crime scene tape and departed. Sad twilight in birthplace of blues classics Hellen: South Side Chicago is the birthplace of some of the greatest jazz and blues ever exported to the world from the US. Mahalia Jackson, Cab Calloway, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf and Willie Dixon who wrote Little Red Rooster. Its legendary Chess Records was where the Rolling Stones went to meet Muddy Waters in 1964; the area was a mecca for music lovers but its like a ghost town now. Without the guns it could be the equivalent of Beal St New Orleans or Soho London, with tourists and bars jumping with music. After a long search I found Soundmine, the last jazz recording studio in the area and had the honour of being the first white women to record there in decades. Chicago Drill Hip Hop was invented right in Englewood by young rappers like Chief Keef and Li'l Dave and Li'l Mac are straight out of the same block, May Block." Our apartments became a safe place for young rappers to come and write, collaborate and record. We had spare rooms where they could sleep when it was too dangerous out on the street, and always some nourishing meals when they came in hungry. "Words" by George Gittoes Credit:George Gittoes My favourite movie is The Blues Brothers, set in Chicago. As a tribute, I wore a black fedora hat and total black attire, everywhere. One morning, this attire nearly got me killed by cops in our own apartment. Most of the apartments are rigged, by the gangs that have occupied them, to stall a police break-in. Ours, like all others, had iron bars that could be dropped into heavy brackets fixed on either side of the door frames. I never bothered with this, so when a squad of cops were trying to break down our neighbours door and couldnt, they took their frustration out on ours. I was dressed ready to head out, as they burst in pointing guns at my face and heart. They had been startled to see a white man, with black mobster hat and clothes, and assumed something sinister; like I had been sent by the mob to retrieve stolen drugs or do a hit. Fortunately, a woman sergeant arrived in time to yell at them to, de-escalate!!!! . I got so used to these break-ins that one night I heard cop noise and thought it was from upstairs, so I went back to sleep. Next thing Waqar was banging on my door, yelling, George are you OK? The police just came out your door. The cops were outside surrounding our car. I challenged them and one casually yelled back, Hey, we liked the art that you had on your floor. That was nice to hear, but the fact was I had not had any art on my floor for a week or more. They could have planted drugs or a gun, and I would be writing this from a jailhouse. The most important thing, if you are contemplating making a film like White Light, is to have a cool car. Ours was a metallic orange Ford Edge with a hotted-up engine, a sunroof and, most important of all, a great booming sound system. The first thing anyone said, when we pulled up, was, Like your car!. Our fire-coloured car features in the police bust you see in our documentary. Solja had been under house arrest for months, with an ankle bracelet restricting him to his apartment. On the day we took him to court, he was given a few extra hours of freedom of movement. We drove him over to May Block to chill with his friends. Fixed cameras are everywhere monitoring this notorious haunt of the Black Stones. Solja and crew on the Block. Credit:Waqar Alam The gang calls it the trenches. A police drone picked up the activity and soon we were surrounded by cop cars. It did not help that there had been three murders in the vicinity that morning. Mac had been to buy dope and was rolling joints for everyone inside the car. As the cops exited their vehicles, Waqar and I were filming the action from the curb.Our guys were brutally cuffed and pushed up against our car while the cops searched every crevice. When more detectives arrived one turned on me saying Have you been filming illegal activity smoking marijuana? and I could see he was itching to find a reason to cuff and charge me. We were told we needed a permit and forced to switch our cameras off. Solja smiled across to me, letting me know he was secretly filming with his mobile phone camera. It is all these cameras that make the cops think twice about toning down their aggression. Before cameras in phones, police killings, like that of George Floyds being choked in Minneapolis in May, were occurring every day and police were getting away with 100 per cent of them. As the cops drove off, Solja wheeled over to me and said: That cop whispered in my ear you know I could have planted a gun on you. Solja shook his head at a world in which he was supposed to feel grateful for not being set up and said: The police say we are a gang but they are the worst gang. The police say we are a gang but they are the worst gang. Solja, a leader of the Black Stones I told everyone involved in our film this was their chance to have a voice and let the world hear their story the way they wanted it told. When aggrieved people are not being listened to, they take their anger to the streets. As Pastor Michael Pfleger told us: "95 per cent of the brothers out here in the street want an alternative. It is time to get in the face of America." Parents of Child Victims of Gun Violence attend a rally in South Side. Credit:Waqar Alam Our greatest disappointment was having to tell the community the film had been rejected by the 2019 Chicago Film Festival on the grounds that they had "shown films about coloured people in the past" and did not feel the need to continue. Most of our participants have never been into central upmarket Chicago City and were imagining themselves on the red carpet and had already begun buying evening wear. When White Light was screened at the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane International Film Festivals last year,the group watched a livestream on Soljas large-screen TV. In October, Smiley (narrator and community leader) and Chantal and Alan Scott (sister and father of murdered Kaylyn) attended the Syracuse International Film Festival on our behalf. In the middle of the night we got a video phone call from their hotel to see the happiest three faces I have ever seen. They all shouted We have won! We could not believe it. White Light had won Best Documentary Feature Film and they had been on stage to receive the prize. The next step will be a US wide screening of White Light. As a result of the protests over the George Floyd murder, we have been approached by all the big media players in the US who had previously had the film on a back shelf for assessment. Li'l Dave wants to be a chef, and fellow rapper Li'l Mac a clothing designer. Credit:Chantal Scott I was in the US in 1968, the year Dr Martin Luther King jnr was assassinated, and it feels the same now. The choking of George Floyd was the tipping point, but the protests will not end until there is real change. In the 12 months we were living on 67th and Rhode, we did not see another white person except for cops. It was hard for me to believe that 50 years had passed since I first became involved in the struggle for social justice in the US, and at every level conditions had got worse for those born black, in American ghettos such as South Side Chicago. The good news is that everyone in White Light has managed to stay alive and flourish. The young men with Solja at his apartment do not want to be gangsters. Li'l Mac wants to be a clothing designer, so we helped him to get a job designing T-shirts. Li'l Dave wanted to be a chef so we encouraged him to do a course; now he is cooking in a fancy, uptown restaurant. Jon Jon, who was shot with Kaylyn, wants to become a nurse, so we helped get him a hospital job that enables him to study nursing. Somerset, KY (42501) Today Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Secure access control is helping to shape the post-pandemic world With the continued rolling back of COVID restrictions in the UK, there is a palpable sense of relief. A mixture of mass vaccinations, widespread testing, and track and tracing of the infection is helping to enable a healthy bounce back for businesses with secure access control taking an important role in facilitating this. However, rather than just being a reaction to the wake of the pandemic, there is every sign that the economy, and consequently the security sector as well, are both rebuilding and reshaping for the long-term new normal. Prioritising Safety Already deemed an essential service even during the first wave of the pandemic, the security industry has of course taken a vital role in protecting people and property throughout the crisis. Now that venues in the UK are starting to reopen again, our services are key to occupancy management and ensuring that disease transmission is limited as far as possible. Access control is also key in reassuring people that their safety is a priority. Making the upgrade Its all been about choosing the most suitable components and technology that already existed with a few tweaks Businesses and organisations have a duty of care to their employees and the safety of visitors so controlling access, employing lateral flow testing, and deploying suitable Track & Trace mechanisms are all key components. I think those outside our industry are surprised to learn that most of the technology being deployed and used hasnt just magically developed since COVID appeared its all been about choosing the most suitable components and technology that already existed albeit with a few development tweaks or adjustments for the situation at hand. This includes using or installing facial recognition readers rather than using fingerprint or contact tokens, it is swapping to automatic request to exit sensors instead of buttons; it is using powered secure doors rather than having people all grab the same handle. Using mobile credentials is also a key technology choice why not use the highly secure, easy to manage, cost-effective, and of course contact-free benefits of this approach? Touchless solutions We have seen a clear shift in organisations looking to protect their staff and visitors. For instance, we have a big utility customer in Southeast Asia that has just replaced close to 200 sites using fingerprint readers with an additional facial recognition capability. We have also seen a big rise in demand for touchless request to exit sensors and Bluetooth Low Energy Readers for use with smartphone authentication. Working together Integration of security systems is of course nothing new, but in the post-pandemic or endemic age, it has perhaps never been more important. Installations need to be simple, straightforward, and rapid to help maintain safe distancing but also to ensure systems can be deployed as soon as they are needed. The world is changing and developing rapidly and there is simply no place for systems that dont work with others or cause the end-user considerable cost and inconvenience to upgrade. This flexible delivery of security solutions perfectly matches the evolving and increasing demands of the market. Its clear that end-users want systems that work well and can easily integrate with their existing systems not only security but all the other business components which work in unison with each other over a shared network. Great opportunities ahead The recent work-from-home trend is also clearly changing the way organisations and businesses interact with the built environment. Lots of companies are downsizing, offices are being split up, there is lots of revitalisation and reuse of existing office space all of which creates considerable opportunities for security providers. UK inflation more than doubled in April 2021 with unemployment figures dropping and the Pound rising in value There are also, in the UK at least, clear signs that the construction industry is rapidly growing again -with a forecast of 8% rebound and growth this year. UK inflation more than doubled in April 2021 with unemployment figures dropping and the Pound rising in value all positive signs for UK-based security providers. Undoubtedly the highly successful UK vaccination rollout has helped considerably, but there are signs that the Eurozone looks set to improve considerably over the next few months as well. Using integrated access control Undoubtedly the pandemic has made security markets around the world more aware of the benefits of integrated access control in managing the needs of the new normal COVID endemic environment. For example, as a business, we have always had keen interest from the UK healthcare sector, but over the last 12 months, we have seen a big growth in previously modest international markets including Morocco, Kuwait, Bahrain, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand all of which are very keen to adopt improved access control solutions. Learning the lessons Nobody would deny the last year or so has been unprecedentedly tough on everyone, as a society we have had to make huge changes and sacrifices. Governments, organisations, and businesses all need to be better prepared in the future, to understand the things that went wrong and those that were successful. However, there is a world beyond the immediate pandemic and its effects. Flexible working practices and the changes these will have to the way we live and work will undoubtedly present great opportunities for the security sector in helping the world evolve. The pandemic has been a wake-up call for many organisations with regards to their duty of care to employees particularly when it comes to mental health and providing a sensible work/life balance. Where we work and the safety of these facilities has received far more scrutiny than before. Flexible security systems Integrated security solutions have a vital role to play in not only protecting the safety of people during the post-lockdown return to work but also in the evolution of the built environment and move towards smart cities - which inevitably will now need to consider greater flexibility in securing home working spaces rather than just traditional places of work. Importantly, powerful access control and integrated security systems need to be flexible to the uncertainties ahead. The COVID pandemic has shown that nothing can be considered certain, except the need for greater flexibility and resilience in the way we operate our professional and personal interactions. Marjorie Stephens Better Business Bureau With more time to spare, now is the perfect time to do some redecorating and clutter-tackling. Selling your pre-owned items can free up much-needed space and give you a quick cash boost, too. Whether youre a buyer or a seller, online transactions require extra caution to avoid scams. Sites like Facebook Marketplace, PoshMark, OfferUp, Craigslist, eBay and other direct seller-to-buyer sites make it easier than ever to list items and wait for offers to flow in. While most consumers know it pays to be cautious when shopping on these sites, there are also risks involved for sellers too. If youre the seller, a typical scam works like this:You list an item, and a potential buyer contacts you with an offer. However, they want to pay for the item with a check. If you accept the offer, they mail you the check by overnight mail, but the check is for more than the cost of the item. The buyer wants you to deposit the check, then transfer the balance back to them. Days after the funds from the check clear and after youve forwarded the money your bank informs you the check was bad, and youre on the hook for the full amount. By law, banks must make funds available in a few days after you deposit a check, but it can take longer for them to receive the money from the check-writers bank. This delay is what scammers count on, since the bank will come after you to recoup the funds. Following these BBB tips can help you stay safe while shopping online: Be cautious if a prospective buyer wants to communicate outside the site. Many online selling platforms require users to communicate via the sites messaging system to protect their users. If you move off the platform, you lose those protections. Dont accept checks or money orders as payment. Scammers typically use these forms of payment because they can walk away with cash. If you send funds from a check that bounces, it will be you, not the scammer, the bank holds responsible for the funds. Accept payment through only the recommended payment methods for your platform. Most sites require or recommend certain methods of payment to protect both buyers and sellers from fraud. Follow all guidelines set by your chosen selling platform. While each platform may have slightly different rules and recommendations, following them will make it easier to get the platforms assistance in case a transaction goes wrong. If the item is purchased by someone who lives close, be careful whom you invite into your home. It makes better sense, especially for women, to meet the person in a public place. Ask a male to accompany you for extra safety. Guard against swamp-out scams. Someone buys something identical to a broken one they already have. When the purchase arrives, they swap the good item with their broken one and send it back claiming it arrived damaged. Take detailed pictures of the item and any identifying marks when posting it on a selling site. Shipping insurance can help you avoid these losses and hassles. Be sure you have back-up protection in the event this happens. Better Business Bureau encourages consumers to go to BBB.org/Scamtracker to read other consumers reports of bad actors and the tactics they are using. Online purchases (some COVID-19-related), employment scams, lotteries and sweepstakes are picking up traction. BBB is here to help. Marshall V. King Tribune Columnist A friend and I got reacquainted in my backyard this summer. With more time at home and more cooking at home, Ive leaned on my Char-Griller AKORN Kamado Charcoal Grill in new ways. I havent physically leaned on the non-fancy grill unless I need to move it. I mean leaning on it as a valuable tool to produce flavor-filled meals. Most of us do that this time of year, particularly around the Fourth of July, but Im doing so even more than usual for several reasons. After being in the house staring at a computer screen much of the day, being outside getting a waft of smoke is welcome. In the era of physical distancing, weve had a few meals with friends or family in the backyard. We sit apart and take precautions, yet enjoy conversation and good food together. The grill becomes a key part of that. You can cook your food in any number of ways, but using a fire and smoke to do so seems to spark something primal within us, particularly us men. So this summer, Im filling a charcoal chimney with the lump charcoal and lighting it with newspaper. Thirty minutes later or so, Im ready to cook. Over the years, my grilling setup has actually gotten simpler. I stick to using a few simple tools and focus on delivering flavor. That isnt dependent on having a massive, expensive grill with Wi-Fi controls, as much as I may enjoy having one. I use: Lump charcoal and charcoal chimney: Gas grills can cook food, but rarely as well as charcoal. Briquettes have extra stuff added and lump charcoal is simply wood thats been lit on fire and then starved of oxygen. A few local Amish folks have taken to producing this stuff. A chimney is simply a column with a handle and a place to put some newspaper below the charcoal to get it going. Long tongs: These are all you need for many cuts of meat and vegetables. They can be used to lift, stir, move and flip most things. I use a 16-inch pair of tongs and dont feel the heat as I work over a grill. A large spatula handles the rest. Fully cooked meat: Ive taken to buying chicken sausages that are labeled as being fully cooked on the package. Not only are they great going from freezer to microwave to cast iron skillet for a great breakfast or lunch, theyre incredibly easy to grill. Hot dogs also fit this category. A grill makes them magical. Having them as an option, alongside the raw burger, fresh fish or marinated chicken thigh, takes some of the pressure of a quick supper production. Digital instant read thermometer: Whether its a fancy Thermapen or a $10 one, a battery-powered digital thermometer is almost guaranteed to help your cooking. Getting a steak to medium rare or a chicken breast approaching 160 degrees can be done with touch, sight and experience, but its a lot more difficult. If you want to go fancier or are smoking meats for hours, get a digital probe. Lets be clear that I love a simple setup, but can also geek out on gear. Wes Silers story How to cook a great steak on a terrible grill on Outsideonline.com has me wanting to use a hair dryer as charcoal billows, but I havent tried it yet. Its summer. That means tomatoes with mozzarella and basil. It means trying new things on the grill. And it means returning to old classics you havent made in a while. For me, Grilled Peach Salsa is one of those things. I developed the recipe years ago and had it published in Simply In Season. Its time to make it again. Im hungry. Lets eat. Grilled Peach Salsa 5 large peaches (washed and halved, pits removed) 5 tomatoes (chopped) 1 jalapeno peppers (minced, seeds removed) cup honey 2 tablespoons basil or cilantro (chopped) Salt, pepper and white wine vinegar to taste Brush peaches and grill grate with oil (or spray them with oil). Grill open-side down for several minutes and flip with tongs until skins begin to darken. This can also be done in a vegetable grill basket. Remove when peaches can be pierced easily. Cool and chop after removing skins. Combine with other ingredients. If you want the salsa hotter, add the seeds of the jalapeno. Add salt and pepper to taste and a splash of vinegar if you want acidity. SHEPHERDSTOWN On Tuesday afternoon, the Shepherdstown Town Council met on Zoom for a special meeting, focusing on the towns immediate concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Market House restoration. Shepherdstown Farmers Market President Natalie Friend was asked to speak at the beginning of the meeting, to request permission for the market to return to its regular summer location behind the Market House building on King Street. Friend explained the social distancing precautions that the market would be taking, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, when the Town Council voted on whether or not to allow the market to permanently move back from its White Hall parking lot location to behind the Market House, they were evenly divided. Councilman David Springer then proposed a new motion, to allow the market to move back to its regular location for a one-time trial period this Sunday. I think theres enough protections and enough safeguards to minimize the risks, Springer said. I think it could be worth trying it out for one week as a trial. The motion passed, with only one council member abstaining from the vote. I cant support any vote that would require masks on a public street, said Councilman Mark Everhart, explaining why he opposed the motion. I dont think we should be requiring anything that we cant enforce. However, the rest of the Town Council agreed that the market had the right to post prominent signage with the markets social distancing requirements, such as no mask, no service. Vendors, as private businesses, they argued, have the right to require customers to observe current health practices mandated by the markets governing authorities, the West Virginia Department of Agriculture and Jefferson County Health Department. The Town Council then discussed the continued restoration of the Market House building, which is currently inhabited by the Shepherdstown Public Library. We have the brick work done, and in order to not have to do brickwork any time soon, we have to get it painted and ready, now that the brickworks done and dry, Auxer said. A motion was passed, approving the towns continued funding of the restoration project, with Everhart voting in opposition. I will reiterate what I said in the Finance Committee meeting, which is that the library has raised millions of dollars for its new building, yet has let its current building fall into disrepair, Everhart said. I think, frankly, that the library should pay for the painting. Its a nominal amount of money, and they should share in the cost of upkeep of the building. However, the rest of the Town Council agreed that the building was owned by the town, so it should be maintained by it. The town then moved onto discussing signage needs, for conveying the towns social distancing requirements to town visitors. The Finance Committee meeting on Friday ended with the committee agreeing that banners for German Street are too hard-to-see to be worth the expense. However, the Town Council decided to move forward with ordering the banners, along with other recommended signage by the Shepherdstown Reopening Task Force Messaging Committee. The total cost of the signage is $1,700, which Messaging Committee Co-Chair and Councilwoman Deb Tucker said she believes will pay off in the end. We were devastated that most of our signage was torn down the first week we put them up, Tucker said, referring to the signs the committee had placed around town. We feel that, for an overall cover for the businesses here, that we expect when people come here to act respectfully toward our community. We had a great number of people in town over the weekend. Im just giving a passion plea to the Town Council members for my committee to be leant money to put up these signs. The final agenda item the Town Council discussed and approved, was for Mayor Jim Auxer to send a resolution to the governor, letting him know of the towns support, should the governor choose to require everyone in the state to wear a mask in public. The governor [may be] confused about this it is a divisive thing. But maybe if he hears from constituents how we feel about that, maybe it will help him make that decision, Auxer said, mentioning other towns have already sent similar resolutions to their governors. Were giving him valuable information, valuable data in the decision he makes. We know that the numbers [of COVID-19 cases] are rising, so as the Shepherdstown community, were saying were behind you if you mandate masks in West Virginia.' Staff reports South Bend Tribune MISHAWAKA Indiana State Police are investigating a crash that killed a construction worker on the Indiana Toll Road. Ronald Smith, 61, of Edwardsburg was killed when he was struck by a SUV while working on the toll road on Thursday. The crash occurred Thursday at 1:45 p.m. in the east-bound lane near mile marker 81, which is about 2 miles west of University Park Mall, according to police. The worker was struck by a vehicle going east. According to the Indiana State Police, a toll road maintenance worker had parked his red maintenance truck on the right shoulder and had activated the emergency lights. The worker excited his vehicle and was sweeping debris from the right shoulder in front of his truck when a white SUV drove off the road, side-swiping the maintenance truck and then hitting the maintenance worker. The SUV then rolled over before coming to a rest in a ditch to the south side of the road. The driver, Charles Bellows, 70, and his passenger Deborah Bellows, 69, both of Wayzata, MN. were transported to Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries that are believed to be minor. Shippensburg, PA (17257) Today Scattered thunderstorms, some strong this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low near 65F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms, some strong this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low near 65F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Mias Lapthorn: All of our friends have been waiting for us at the museum this whole time Real Madrid will be unable to afford Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane during this summer's transfer window, according to a report. Real Madrid will reportedly be unable to afford Liverpool's Sadio Mane during this summer's transfer window despite Zinedine Zidane's interest in the attacker. Zidane is allegedly desperate to bring the Senegal international to the Bernabeu, with the Madrid boss viewing him as the ideal player to operate alongside Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema in the final third. Liverpool are thought to be fearful when it comes to the 28-year-old's future as he is yet to signal whether he would be prepared to sign a new long-term deal at the club. However, according to the Daily Mail, Los Blancos would not be able to afford to sign Mane this summer due to the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The report claims that Zidane has been told to 'concentrate on moulding the raw talent' of Brazilian youngster Vinicius Junior rather than pursuing a deal for the Liverpool forward. Mane has scored 19 times and registered 12 assists in 40 appearances at club level this term. Planning to join family and friends to celebrate the Fourth of July? You might want to take precautions and avoid large gatherings, as public health experts and physicians warn that Independence Day celebrations could spread the novel coronavirus, endanger lives and hinder reopening plans. In normal times, July Fourth is a day for friends, family, barbecues, and celebrations of everything American, a statement from the American Medical Association said. But with COVID-19 cases spiking across the country in the weeks since Memorial Day, these are anything but normal times, and a typical Fourth of July celebration could further spread the virus, endanger lives, overwhelm our health system, and undo the progress made toward reopening sectors of our economy. Americans should limit the size of their gatherings and consider celebrating only with people with whom they have already had close contact, according to the statement. The AMA also urged folks to wear masks, practice social distancing and frequently wash their hands or use hand sanitizer. Failure to exercise these basic steps will result in a rise in COVID-19 cases, additional hotspots, and larger hurdles in the way of reopening, according to the statement. Local and state officials in Connecticut have also issued warnings around preventing the spread of disease during the holiday weekend. When you are with your loved ones and neighbors, please continue to maintain social distancing. Wear your mask. Wash your hands, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said in a Fourth of July message to residents. I know Ive been saying this all along, but one of the main reasons we have seen very few new cases in New Haven is because you are proactively adhering to these guidelines to preserve the health of all our residents. In a briefing at Hammonassett Beach State Park in Madison on Friday, state officials struck a positive note about Connecticuts response to the pandemic but also advised residents to continue to take precautions this weekend. Gov, Ned Lamont told residents to enjoy the holiday weekend but to do so responsibly. Connecticut went from a state with one of the highest infection rates to one of the lowest, said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz. We know that we are not out of the woods yet ... our message today is that when you go to enjoy one of our beautiful beaches, please wear your masks, wash your hands frequently, carry hand sanitizer and practice social distancing. meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com MILFORD Two suspects being sought in connection with a murder investigation in South Carolina may be on the run in Milford, authorities said Friday. Milford Police spokeswoman Officer Marilisa Anania said the department had been in contact with police in South Carolina. The two were spotted at a local Walmart, and video was captured. We were contacted by Georgetown Police, who requested we obtain video surveillance of the suspects that were previously in the Walmart in Milford. We provided the video to them, she said. Georgetown Police Department Police in Georgetown, S.C., said the suspects, Letisha Evans, 20, and Jorden Johnson, 27, had been traced to Milford. The two are being sought for questioning in the death of a person on June 28 in Georgetown. Another person was seriously injured in that incident, and Georgetown police say the pair could face charges of murder, attempted murder, armed robbery and grand larceny charges. The suspects are both from Illinois. The two were in Milford on Monday. Authorities say they were last seen driving the victims gold or silver 2004 Ford Taurus. It may have a temporary South Carolina plate, HP0717Q, or an Illinois dealer plate DL1299H, according to police. The murder took place at the Rodeway Inn in Georgetown. Police said the two are considered armed and dangerous. Johnson was last seen wearing blue board shorts with a red or orange long sleeve shirt, police said, and Evans was last seen wearing a floral print black sleeveless dress. According to a media report in Illinois, Johnson has a long rap sheet in that state. He has a record of arrests in several jurisdictions west of Chicago. In 2017, he was convicted of aggravated battery in Lee County and sentenced to 3 years. He was convicted on theft in Ogle County and sentenced to 2 years, the report stated. The Post and Courier News in South Carolina was reporting the murder victim was Jack Kendree Jr., 66. A woman was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital. Page Content Fellow St. Maarteners, Residents of our beloved island, Distinguished Guests, Online viewers, Ladies, and Gentlemen. Good Morning, In 1863, when the institution that was slavery, was officially abolished on the southern side of St. Martin, our ancestors on whose shoulders we stand today had already liberated themselves by making it economically unfeasible for it to be maintained, while family members to the North were already freed some 15 years before in 1848. History has shown us, even after most countries in Europe abolished the slave trade itself since the early 1800s, the Dutch were the last to abolish slavery, Denmark in 1803 Britain in 1834 France in 1848 Dutch in 1863 While Suriname and the rest of the then called Dutch Antilles officially abolished slavery in 1863, here on St. Martin, our ancestors Ran for freedom across the borders, the Diamond 26s and many more. So the Plantation owners finally gave in and both sides maintained the same status, and as can be seen on our monument, 1848 is a pivotal year for St. Maarten and her people. Though the massa been a hidem ....our ancestors freed themselves. It saw an end to the most brutal, horrendous, inhumane time in our history. We often conceal the level of pain and hurt that surrounds this time. What it was... was self-enrichment on the hard work of our people. Though the physical restraints were removed, we have yet to remove the institutionalized inequalities we continue to face even today as member states in the Dutch Kingdom. While slavery was one of the most horrific events in our recent history, today, we honor our ancestors' strength, who had to toil through this hardship for so many years. We take time to remember the journey and celebrate Freedom, assess our Freedom, and enhance our Freedom. Emancipation is the commemoration of Freedom, the god-given right of every living being. For this Freedom, our ancestors ran, fought, and struggled. Today, we celebrate St. Martiners, their perseverance, and their determination. We are now building a nation on their blood, sweat, and tears. They did not accept the status quo, and did not conform. We have what we have today, and what many take for granted today Because of their resilience, their strength of mind and their purpose. Today marks the victory of the strong will of our people. This was not without its struggles; we all know the story of One-tete Lohkay; a young woman who fled the plantation of her captor. Lohkay was caught, and brought back to the plantation, and punished by removing one of her breasts, giving her the name-- one-tete Lokay. What gives me great admiration for this young woman and her story; is that despite this harsh punishment, she became even more courageous and strong-will for her Freedom. She escaped again and lived alone in the hills coming down to visit persons and gather additional supplies. With her new found freedom, she led many more to flee to their Freedom. Fellow Sint Maarteners, I implore you to adapt the spirit of emancipation as a descendant of the enslaved, which we have achieved, progressed, survived and made possible, together. And with us, our food, music, dance, culture, and values have passed down from generation to generation. Today, we are not without our challenges, as black people worldwide fight for equality, the right to determine one's destiny, and the right to live free from judgment; a fight against bigotry that still exists today. We must recognize that we are now truly also in a fight for our right as small island-states for our right to self-govern, for our right of self-determination. We fight this first and foremost by standing up against any oppression and any form of inequality. We fight this by addressing all forms of institutionalized colonialism still remaining in our systems of government, education, Immigration, etc. But most importantly, we fight this through education, knowing our history, and ensuring that our children know theirs. In the words of Marcus Garvey. "A people without knowledge of their history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots." We must also remember that our story did not start in slavery, but as emperors and empresses on the mighty continent of Africa, where we traveled, built, explored and ruled.... this story we must also learn to value ourselves and love ourselves and lift ourselves up to where we envision us to be again. Freedom is a state of mind. Our ancestors imagined a world in which they were free, and they fought towards it. Our brother Bob Marley's "Redemption Song," that highlights the words of Garvey, chanting "Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!" Therefore, we must begin to imagine ourselves as a financially self-sufficient country and take necessary actions to that end. We must think it, believe it, plan and work to achieve it. This Emancipation Day has been themed Sacred Legacies, standing on the shoulders of giants." which is ever so fitting for us. Our foundation in this land is based on indescribable strength. A strength that has guided us for years, and will guide us again through the challenges faced with COVID-19 and beyond, and through our collective efforts. Remember Lohkay, remember the many nameless, I remember! Quamina, I remember Jose Lake sr., I remember Sir Camille Baly, I remember Neville York, I remember Joe Richardson, I remember Nadia and I honor those who toil today, including our current leaders, movers, and shakers. I conclude today, to impress this final thought upon you--as many of us go through challenges right here on St. Martin, remember our foundation and find that strength within. If there is something that you can conceive; a dream, idea, an opportunity, an avenue of untapped potential, go for it. Our Ancestors did it with far less, and we can surely do it too. Thank you, God Bless you and May God Bless Sint Maarten and protect her people wherever they may be.. Days after announcing a plan to reopen school full time in the fall, state officials on Monday afternoon released a 50-page set of guidelines. Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona called the plan a road map guardrails to operate within allowing districts some flexibility to create reopen plans that will most effectively serve their individual communities. I think in terms of implementation, they have an awful lot of discretion, Gov. Ned Lamont said. Among the specifics: Before the first day of classes, schools must comply with Department of Public Health cleaning and ventilation guidelines. There must be signage in schools related to stopping the spread of the virus. Where possible, districts should use no-touch doors, trash cans and restroom fixtures. Where no-touch technologies arent available, the guide recommends propping doors open and removing trash lids. It also recommends the use of paper towels over hand dryers. On riding school buses, the protection depends on the level of community transmission. If there is a low amount of cases, students can ride with masks. If there is moderate transmission, they must adopt seating and spacing restrictions. The plan offers minimal guidance about how to pay for the reopening accommodations. It asks that budgets be developed for multiple scenarios. It also tells districts to consider tapping retired teachers or volunteers to help. Districts will be asked to have a designated person to serve as a COVID-19 Health and Safety Compliance Liaison as well as an isolation room for a student exhibiting symptoms to wait until a parent arrives. It tells districts to plan for at-home instruction in case some parents and students may temporarily choose not to participate in the return to school. As for what happens if COVID-19 makes a comeback, the guide requires districts to have written protocols for monitoring individuals with COVID-19 symptoms. Schools are not expected to daily screen students or staff. The state Department of Public Health is developing specific color-coded indicators to help school official make decisions about future school closures due to the virus. All school districts must submit a plan by July 24, addressing how they will carry out the reopening requirements. Lamont and Cardona announced last week their intention to make school an in-person, full-time experience in the fall. Cardona promised that once in-person learning returns, things will look different than they did when schools were abruptly closed in March because of COVID-19. Instruction went remote and school buildings remained closed for the rest of the 2019-20 school year. Last week they offered an outline that called for students and staff to wear masks and stick together with the the same group of students throughout the school day. The promised guide, which didnt hit the inboxes of school superintendents until after 2 p.m. Monday, includes both requirements and recommendations. The guide calls for schools, when they open, to maximize social distancing between student workstations, achieving six feet when feasible. Desks should face in the same direction. Masks must be worn. Hands frequently washed. Other spaces such as gyms and cafeterias should be looked at as alternative instructional space. Student/teacher ratios are left up to school districts. The plan strongly encourages schools to group students in cohorts so they stick together throughout the school day. By doing that, Lamont said, its hoped an entire school would not have to shut down if an infection is found. Schools must also plan to meet the needs of students with special needs or who are learning English. They must adapt learning plans for physical education, art, and music. There also is guidance on hallway traffic and playground use. Districts are required to develop polices to address clubs and before- and after-school programs. They are encouraged to limit nonessential volunteers and visitors. Cardona used the word fluid to describe the guide and promised it will evolve based on public health data trends as well as any updated understanding of the best way to mitigate the viruss spread. The start of the 2020-21 school year is still two months off. As we proceed toward the fall, we will continue to receive input from our educational partners, students and families and will continue to work toward providing the best opportunities for our greatest resource the students in the State of Connecticut, Cardona said. Late last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for kids to get back to school in the fall, something Lamont said reinforces the assumptions the states plan makes. Anything we can do to get kids safely back into the classroom ought to be a priority, Lamont said. Last week, Lamont emphasized that full-time school was desired to ensure employers that parents could get back to work. Cardona said his department engaged repeatedly with state and local educational and public health experts to craft the plan. Many, however, were upset last week when the plan was released with few details. Even U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, a former Waterbury teacher and 2106 National Teacher of the Year, decried the lack of specifics. Am I missing something? Hayes tweeted a day after the outline was announced. I havent been out the classroom too long to know this is not realistic & doesnt instill any confidence. I hope a more substantive plan is forthcoming b/c I have so many questions and this doesnt provide adequate ans for parents or teachers. Cardona said Monday there will be a survey taken to find out how many parents want to keep their kids home in the fall for remote learning. lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck E conomists today said Europe may recover faster from the Covid crisis from the US, in a reversal of the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis. Donald Trumps approach of not funding furlough schemes in the US where the unemployment rate is 11% has been in contrast to much of his European peers. Simon French, chief economist at Panmure Gordon, said: It depends on what happens post-Covid, if consumer spending demands change permanently then the US strategy was the right thing to do. If behaviour changes the US will recover faster because Europe will have jobs in the wrong parts of the economy. Overall I would rather be in the European boat in terms of both healthcare and protecting capacity. Numerous labour market studies have shown that with large numbers out of work there is much higher potential for long term scarring affect. Guntram Wolff, director of Bruegel, an economic think tank, told the New York Times: So far Europe is doing quite well, with a huge increase in unemployment in the U.S. and not so much here. If what we see is temporary, if we return to an economic system much like before, then [Europes] is the right response But if you think there will be longer-lasting shifts, if you need to reallocate, then the US, which is more agile, may be better off. Thomas Pugh, an economist at Capital Economics, said comparing the economies was difficult, not least as much of America was not locked down. Europe had a much sharper fall than the US, so the rebound looks steeper, he said. Its hard to compare the two, and we wont get the full picture on unemployment until next year. It does look like a lot of European economies are bouncing back quicker than we had expected. B ritain's leading shares fell today amid a two-way pull of improving news on the global economy and reports that Rishi Sunak is not set to give it a big push in his Budget next week. The FTSE-100 closed down 83.06 points at 6157.3 as investors sat on their hands for more conclusive news to trade on with US markets closed. The Chancellor's summer statement will not be including any big tax cuts to boost the economy, the Financial Times reported. That will put a damper on the mood in the markets, particularly following yesterday's interview in the Evening Standard when the Prime Minister warned there would be no extension to the furlough scheme after October. Business leaders were disappointed that they will now be facing a cliff edge of cashflow management as their subsidised payroll bill suddenly comes to an end. Sunak is likely to still be tweaking his ideas over the weekend when he sees the effects of reopening pubs and restaurants in England this weekend. If it triggers a surge in spending into the economy, he may feel he can get away with doing less intervention. Yesterday's jobs data in the US were hailed by Donald Trump as proof of his brilliant stewardship of the economy but while they showed a gain of 4.8 million jobs - better than expected - the weekly jobless claims were still rising at a pace of 1.4 million from the week before. Total continuing unemployment claims are running at 19.3 million. CMC pointed out that covid cases in the US are rising at their fastest rate since 9 May and the jobs data only covered the period to the second week of June. Stockbroker Numis today said there were few bargains left on the stock market in the UK now that shares had bounced back so significantly from three months ago. "The market for a brief period significantly mispriced certain stocks like ICG in our view. Today it almost feels "back to normal". Share prices, multiples and earnigns are in many cases broadly back to where they were ot at the very least, significantly back from the lows." That means it's back to longer term value hunting for investors, the broker said, highlighting as its picks St James's Place, Intermediate Capital Group, Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell among others in the fund management space. Ashmore was a decent company to hold onto for the long term although shares would probably fall nearer term. Jefferies stockbrokers last night produced research showing the UK economy was regaining momentum rapidly, particularly in the past week. It measures public transport, electricity and flights data among other indicators. An easing of some quarantine restrictions for travellers from Europe boosted easyJet 2% but British Airways owner IAG slipped by the same amount. Land Securities jumped 0.5% as it said it would be paying a dividend having got 60% of its rents in despite tenants being hit by covid. Biggest risers were Whitbread, Fresnillo, Just Eat Takeaway and Homeserve. Banks and insurance companies had a weak session, pulling down the FTSE, with Aviva, RSA, Lloyds, RBS and Standard Chartered all down 2-3%. Rolls-Royce plunged 10% amid continuing worries about the aviation industry which saw Airbus just announce big job cuts. H SBC will make new investments in mainland China just weeks after the bank backed controversial new security laws in Hong Kong. The UK-headquartered bank is under fire from some shareholders and British lawmakers for its support for the new National Security Law in Hong Kong, its largest market, which critics say undermines freedoms in the city. HSBC will establish a financial technology company on the mainland, and its life insurance joint venture in China will hire new staff to provide non-branch based wealth management services to customers in Shanghai and Guangzhou, the Asia-focussed lender said in a statement. Many international financial institutions see opportunities in providing services to upper middle class and rich individuals in China and Asia more broadly. HSBC hopes to be the top wealth manager in Asia in the medium to long term, Greg Hingston, the banks regional head of wealth and personal banking previously told Reuters. Yesterday Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab stuck the boot into the bank, telling HSBC that Hong Kong citizen rights should not be sacrificed for banker bonuses. Raab told parliament yesterday: On HSBC and banks, Ive been very clear in relation with HSBC and ... all of the banks: the rights and the freedoms and our responsibilities in this country to the people of Hong Kong should not be sacrificed on the altar of bankers bonuses. The security laws in Hong Kong came into effect on Tuesday night - making activities deemed subversive or secessionist punishable by imprisonment. The law was introduced to target anti-government demonstrators. Hong Kong police have already made arrests under the new law, including one person said to have displayed a sign with the Union flag which called for Hong Kong's independence. The law also sees Chinese security agencies in Hong Kong for the first time and allows extradition to the mainland for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party. Dear Londoners, From tomorrow, large parts of our incredible city will start to open up for business once again. This is an exciting moment that we have all been waiting for - a positive step that will help to kick-start our economic recovery, support local businesses and protect jobs. However, we must take this step with caution. It poses some real risks that we must all work together to mitigate as a city. Thats why, as Mayor, I wanted to take this opportunity to send a direct message to you, the people of London. This weekend, you will once again be able to meet up with friends and family to visit local cafes, restaurants, pubs and cultural venues. Many of these places have been severely struggling during the crisis, with their income completely drying up. The easing of the lockdown measures will provide a welcome and much-needed boost. The overall scale of the economic challenge ahead and the unprecedented threat to jobs has become increasingly clear in recent weeks, and the changes tomorrow will be a vital part of what is going to be a long and difficult road to recovery. Today I'm re-launching the London Is Open campaign to promote and celebrate the local businesses that help make London the best city in the world Thats why Im today re-launching the London Is Open campaign to promote and celebrate the local businesses that help make London the best city in the world. But I do this with an important note of caution. When you are out and about over the coming days, weeks and months, I urge you to act sensibly, respectfully and with the health of other, more vulnerable, Londoners in mind. Make no mistake: the threat posed by Covid-19 remains very real - and will be for some time to come. This means its more important than ever that we remain vigilant, keep our guard up and all play our part in avoiding a deadly second wave of the disease. Its only thanks to the monumental efforts you have made, along with millions of fellow Londoners, that we have managed to suppress the spread of the coronavirus, save thousands of lives and get us to a place where the lockdown measures can be eased. We cannot be complacent and risk wasting all the hard work and sacrifices Its made me so proud to be Mayor of London as our city has come together in a way we have not seen for generations. We need to maintain this sense of social responsibility as London reopens. We cannot be complacent and risk wasting all the hard work and sacrifices that have been made by not being careful at this pivotal stage. So my message to you is this: please go out and support Londons brilliant local businesses and cultural attractions. But, when doing so, always remember that lives are still at stake. Please stick to the rules, act responsibly and stay safe at all times. There are some simple things you can do to play your part, and Id ask you to encourage others to do the same: Maintain a safe distance from others wherever possible: two metres whenever you can. Wherever you go, wear a face covering if you cant keep a safe distance from other people - this includes in shops. Avoid public transport if possible. But if you have to use the transport network, you must wear a face covering. Wash your hands regularly and carry hand sanitiser. Check in advance with venues about any special arrangements they have in place. Stay away from large groups of people. If you, or someone in your household, feels unwell, stay at home. And if you develop Covid-19 symptoms, request a test by calling 119 or by visiting nhs.uk/coronavirus. These actions will help us to slow the spread of Covid-19 and protect all our families, friends and communities. I know that life in lockdown over the last few months has been unbelievably tough. Many of you have had to go through the pain and anguish of losing a loved one. Many of you have had to make huge sacrifices to keep others safe. And many of you are now facing uncertainty about your jobs and livelihoods. I completely understand why you will be eager and impatient to meet up with friends and family you have not seen for too long, and why you will be keen to try and get back to a semblance of normality as quickly as possible. I am too. But we must accept that the experience of going out will still have to be very different for some time yet from how it was before. Lets build on the good work thats already been done Perhaps more than any other crisis our city has faced, every single one of us has a pivotal role to play. So while we support our local businesses tomorrow and in the weeks ahead, lets not risk a deadly and damaging resurgence of Covid-19. Lets instead build on the good work thats already been done thanks to you, your family and the amazing efforts of Londoners across our city. Thank you, Sadiq Khan B rits revelled in the reopening of pubs this weekend with "Super Saturday" marking the latest easing in coronavirus lockdown measures. It's thought the reopening of bars, restaurants and other hospitality venues could boost the economy by 3.8 billion within a week of Covid-19 restrictions being relaxed. However, Boris Johnson has also urged the public not to overdo it and while heading back to the pub is going to be a joy for many, it won't be exactly as it was before lockdown. So, if you're planning on visiting your local, here's what you need to know. Pouring pints: takeaway pints are likely to continue, though pubs are now allowing people indoors too / AFP via Getty Images Food. Bars. Going out. Delivered weekly Email Sign up Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice {{message}} {{permutiveUid}} {{message}} What can I do when visiting pubs from July 4? A joint statement from the British Beer & Pub Association, UKHospitality, the London Night Czar and the National Police Chiefs Council reads: We ask pub-goers to be supportive of landlords and pub staff, helping them to reopen in the best way possible. Its important everyone respects the new measures in place to ensure everyone can enjoy the return of our pubs safely. If we all work together we can ensure that the reopening of pubs and hospitality is a success and an enjoyable experience for everyone. In a separate statement, Katrina Wood of the Local Government Association, said: People will understandably want to relax and enjoy a drink or a meal out from this weekend after the lockdown challenges we have all faced during the past few months. It is up to individuals and businesses to make sure they act responsibly and safely, including maintaining social distancing. In the main, that means complying with the government guidelines, which are as follows: Pub visitors will also be asked to give their name to the pub landlord at the door, and sometimes a number too. This temporary record will be kept by pubs for 21 days so those who visit can be contacted if there is a localised breakout of coronavirus. One-way systems will be used to ensure people do not cross paths. Orders can be taken at the bar, but customers won't be allowed to drink there. Perspex screens will be in place, and staff will be given face masks, and gloves or visors. Contactless payment, whether using a card or an app, is strongly encouraged over cash. Table service is likely to be commonplace, but in certain pubs, drinkers will have to order from their table too. People will be allowed to gather at a social distance in groups of six, with a maximum of two households involved. There will be a one in, one out system with toilets to minimise customer interaction. Doors should be left open, where appropriate, to reduce touchpoints and maintain good ventilation. Additionally, many pubs are only accepting people who have booked places, due to lower than normal capacities. What is not allowed when visiting pubs from July 4? Keep safe: pubs will operate one way systems to keep drinkers at a safe distance / Getty Images When visiting your local drinking spot, make sure to avoid the following: Drinking at the bar Speaking too loudly, as this could increase the chances of oral transmission. The government guidance reads: "All venues should ensure that steps are taken to avoid people needing to unduly raise their voices to each other. This includes, but is not limited to, refraining from playing music or broadcasts that may encourage shouting, including if played at a volume that makes normal conversation difficult. This is because of the potential for increased risk of transmission, particularly from aerosol transmission. If it rains, people may not be allowed to shelter inside, according to CAMRA. O ne of Londons oldest private member nightclubs once frequented by Prince William and Kate Middleton plans to open to the general public. Raffles in Chelsea, which has also counted Prince Harry, Usain Bolt and Eddie Redmayne among its clientele, has asked Kensington and Chelsea council to remove the membership condition on its licence so it can run as a normal nightclub. But the request has been met with opposition from neighbours, who say they are plagued by noise from guests revving their car engines and drunken revellers urinating by their homes. Residents in Paultons Square, where homes costs upwards of 5 million, say anti-social behaviour could worsen if the licence request is granted making them a magnet for all members of the public who want to drink late at night, the boroughs licensing committee heard yesterday. Andrew Harting, of the Paultons residents company, said: It should continue as a private club. A general admission club would be an entirely different animal. Food. Bars. Going out. Delivered weekly Email Sign up Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice {{message}} {{permutiveUid}} {{message}} Nearby resident Stavros Livanos said: Already there are many instances of public disturbances from Raffles. I have witnessed drunken behaviour on my street, to fights, to people urinating and being sick. Our neighbourhood will only be negatively affected by this order. Raffles opened in 1967 and is believed to be Londons second oldest nightclub after Annabels. It is allowed to stay open until 4.30am Monday to Saturday and charges 500 a year for membership, with a 250 joining fee. Where the British Royal Family love to eat 1 /7 Where the British Royal Family love to eat Queen Elizabeth II The Queen has been spotted dining and drinking in a variety of places including luxury hotels Claridges and The Goring, Mayfair haunts Quaglinos and Bellamys, and West End favourite The Ivy. Getty Images Duchess of Cambridge Like The Queen, Kate has been spotted numerous times at the Goring Hotel. She famously stayed at the luxury five star hotel with her family the night before the royal wedding, and even made a special appearance for its 105th anniversary party. Kates love for the place also extends to Prince Harry who notoriously fell off the hotel terrace and has been seen partying alongside princesses Beatrice and Eugenie countless times. Its even rumoured that a secret tunnel connects the hotel to Buckingham Palace. AFP via Getty Images Prince Harry Prince Harry has been seen dining at the likes of pizza mecca Bunga Bunga and downing a few pints at the Sands End pub. Getty Images Prince William The Duke and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge treated 27 members of their staff to Christmas lunch at Bumpkin in South Kensington in 2012. Getty Images Prince Charles The heir apparent's love for eating out is well documented, so much so that he even opened his own restaurant and gift shop, Rothesay Rooms in Ballater, Scotland last year. Getty Images Duchess of Sussex The latest addition to the royal family has been seen swishing back fine cocktails at Chiltern Firehouse and eating out at Italian favourite Bocca di Lupo. AFP via Getty Images Prince Phillip To experience London town Philip-style, head to The Arts Club, a literary, arts and science club whose co-founders and early members included the likes of Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling. Getty Images It has been running a guest list entry on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Members can bring others in as guests, but they are not allowed to order drinks at the bar. Supervisor Hamish Ross told the council meeting: Membership fees are something that we have struggled with more and more. That model doesnt quite work for us as the club operates now. The owners R Townhouse Ltd said they wanted to use an ID scanning and recognition machine for guests rather than the membership model. A nimal Collective will make changes to both an EP cover and an album title in their back catalogue to avoid the use of racist stereotypes. The experimental US group apologised for their earlier decisions, and announced they would alter the cover art of People, an EP from 2007, as well their 2003 album Here Comes The Indian. People was released with a cover depicting two children and a mammy an offensive archetype of an older black woman looking after young white children, which has links to slavery in the US. In a statement, the band said: There is no way to excuse using a mammy on our artwork, and so we have decided to remove it. We understand now that using a racist stereotype at all causes more damage than an explanation can repair, and we apologize. The group added that they would be donating a portion of royalties from People to Equal Justice Initiative, a racial equality non-profit focused on the justice system. The best albums of 2020 so far 1 /11 The best albums of 2020 so far Getty Images Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia Future Nostalgia arrived at the end of March, a ray of light to pierce the lockdown gloom. It was a shot at writing something timeless, taking strands of classic disco and Eighties synth-pop and putting them through a slick, modern filter. On standout tracks such as Dont Start Now and Cool, Dua Lipa hit her target. More than anything though, this was something defiantly fun, a heartening reminder that there are brighter times ahead. Getty Images Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher It would be easy to label Punisher as a sad album, because it is, with heartache and despondency always within an arms reach. But to simply call it that would be to grossly undersell it the album, also out today, is cathartic, nostalgic, surreal, grounded, darkly comic and, more often than not, weepingly beautiful. The disarming vocals are morbidly quotable (The doctor put her hands over my liver /She told me my resentments getting smaller) and confirm the 25-year-old Bridgers as one of her generations deftest writers. Getty Images for Tibet House Tame Impala - The Slow Rush It took some time to fall in love with Kevin Parkers latest album as Tame Impala. Its layers were dense and meticulously produced, a product of the Australians dogged perfectionism, but when they did eventually unravel, the albums brilliance was revealed in vivid colour. There was squelchy hip-hop and tap-dancing piano on Borderline, alluring sophisto-funk on Breathe Deeper, and dizzying disco on One More Year. Parkers lyrics were typically conflicted, stuck between past and future, but musically, hed never sounded so assured. AFP via Getty Images Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters Fiona Apples fifth album was eight years in the making, and sounded as if it had been simmering for all that time. It was inescapably personal, rattling with homemade percussion, grinding against Apples visceral vocals as she retold traumas of sexual abuse and toxic relationships. But it all coalesced to give momentum to a magnificent release of tension, the sound of a furiously convinced artist. Kick me under the table all you want, she asserted, I wont shut up. Getty Images Run The Jewels - RTJ4 When Killer Mike, one half of Run The Jewels, wrote Walking In The Snow (You so numb, you watch the cops choke out a man like me) he was remembering the tragic death of Eric Garner in 2014. It should have been retrospective; instead, it was hideously prophetic, arriving on RTJ4 amid the George Floyd protests. But these were wide-lens raps joined by partner El-P, they fired lyrical missiles at the racist police and ruling elite, interspersing it with cutting quips and dark humour. Painful, prescient, and hugely powerful. Getty Images for DIRECTV J Hus - Big Conspiracy Big Conspiracy was the sound of an artist taking his time. The eclectic beats, largely provided by chameleonic producer Jae5, avoided the usual bombast for something understated. The lyrical gaze was sharp, ranging from the legacy of slavery to the grind of everyday life, all of it recounted with clever wordplay. It wouldnt be a Hus album without tales of at least one sexual conquest the song Cucumber provides it but all in all, never has the east Londoner been so searingly composed. Getty Images for Nike Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways Bob Dylans 39th studio album, released today, might just be one of his greatest. Before this, eight years had passed without any new original music. Had the old master lulled himself into retirement? The surprise release of a 17-minute song about the JFK assassination did away with any doubts. Its a densely lyrical album, a poetic and historical tapestry, proving that, at 79, the Nobel Prize-winner is still at the peak of his songwriting powers. AFP via Getty Images Georgia - Seeking Thrills Georgias exhilarating second album landed back in January (oh, those halcyon days) and was the sound of an artist brimming with new-found conviction. Arriving five years after her debut, she had finally found her voice quite literally, shunning the over-produced vocals of before and a winning musical formula: retro-tinted dance pop, pairing the throbbing echoes of Chicago house with sharp modern melodies. Hollie Fernando Orlando Weeks - A Quickening Former Maccabees frontman Orlando Weeks took a mature step away from his indie-rock past on his debut solo album, supplanting it with soft, cloudy atmospheres. A Quickening covered his impending fatherhood, and all of the unknowingness that comes with it. It was minutely intimate Ill be your blood sugar, he pledged to the unborn child with his vocals at their most tender and innocent. Jackson Bowley Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter Another album to ease the pandemic blues, Laura Marling had initially planned an August release, but brought it forward to April. It had an effortlessly classic sound to it the folky tones of Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake chimed throughout but this album was undoubtedly Marlings own. Her vocals were soaring, sardonic and soothing, singing with all the wisdom of an artist who, still only 30, now has seven albums worth of experience behind her. Getty Images Animal Collective also confirmed that Here Comes The Indian would revert to its original working title of Ark. With utmost respect to Indigenous people we feel that having the word Indian in our record title sends the wrong message by objectifying the American Indian people, which is not what we were intending with the music, the statement read. The band added that they have drawn countless inspiration from Indigenous people in America and around the world, and would therefore donate a percentage of royalties to Seeding Sovereignty, an advocacy group for Indigenous people. Animal Collective also confirmed they would be donating $10,000 (8030), along with all Bandcamp sales from July 3, in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Over time, relationships change for both internal and external reasons. by Michael Czinkota Interesting times bring continuous changes which in turn affect national linkages and alliances. A pre-eminent example is a relationship between the U.S., Germany, and Hungary. Take German domestic diversity. By comparison with the United States, Germans have had very limited exposure to Africans. Only after major migration waves does diversity permeate society more - yet there is very little official activity providing support to People of Color. Take the use of words: the term race in the German Constitution is seen, after more than 70 years, as troublesome, since it tends to imply discrimination. Substitution of the term is part of a major national debate instead of an ongoing threat from the Coronavirus. Of concern to the reader is the lack of public German encouragement for the pursuit of happiness. This admonition which is so aptly reflected in the American Declaration of Independence is of major significance. Citizens of Germany should acknowledge and accept that directions for a citizens life path should not only consist of admonitions to work, but also include the opportunity for enjoyment, which the U.S. has in its pursuit of happiness, encoded in its Declaration of Independence. The U.S. has problems, some of them major ones. In consequence, Europeans, particularly Germans, hasten to draw conclusions about European superiority. The jocular aspects are so profound that, as one can discover, there is not even room for debate. The U.S. (and its President, government, policies, and ambassador) are said to be just plain wrong, thats all there is to it - from a European, and particularly German perspective. Statements about U.S. policy makes life disconcerted. For example, President Trump announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Germany. Why exuberantly protect Germany with U.S. forces when a long-promised 2 percent German contribution to its military budgets had not been delivered? There was an uproar in Germany designating Americans as derogatory merchants only preoccupied with money. No comparison was made to much earlier visits by Ronald Reagans Secretary of the Treasury Jim Baker who, tin cup in hand traversed Europe with the slogan feed, fund or fight, thus stressing participation while giving every ally viable options. Even less was mentioned about commitments made and or kept. Nothing was heard about the fact that military payment of 2 percent of GDP represents an investment, not some wild and senseless expenditure. Fascinating are the intra-European comparisons of nations, many of which have found their orbit around Germany. Concessions in one field then trigger sacrifices in another. For example, in many German rankings, Poland is relatively low. However, their help in bringing in the German asparagus harvest works as an important redeeming factor. For many Germans, the import of agricultural products has tended to be unimportant. However, after the renewed Covid-19 outburst in their key domestic butchering plant, procurement from abroad suddenly gained important priority. How do these changes refurbish internal alliances? My bets are on Hungary. That country has, more often than not, hit rock bottom due to invasions but has always recouped, even though it sometimes did take much time. Some controversies surrounding Hungary exist. Just the other day I overheard a German parliamentarian comment, warning that some legislation would lead to Hungarian conditions in Germany. That did not appear in the friendly way of consuming kolbasz, Tokaji wine, or palinka, but rather a derogatory statement. Amazing it is, in light of many Hungarian Nobel prizes, toy, and machinery production. Also, one might not forget the 1989 opening of the Hungarian border to Germans by the Hungarian Foreign Secretary Gyula Horn who effectively set the stage for German unification. Hungarians have always in history experienced the friction of being caught between East and West. Going back to the hordes of Mongols, Huns, and even Austrians, the country has been decimated. Nonetheless, there was consistency in Hungarys desire to adhere to the West of Europe. Nowadays, Hungary takes on repeated leadership positions when it comes to policy design and implementation. Its the management of immigration flows has, over time, been adapted by other European nations. Its acceptance of marketing principles for its society leaves much room for other Europeans to learn. The pricing policies of stores and services continue to be reasonable. But whenever Hungary initiates an innovation, the rest of Europe claims to suffer. Credit for Hungarian progress is only rarely given. Almost similar to the United States now. Over time, relationships change for both internal and external reasons. Take the US/UK relations which were always categorized as a special linkage between the two countries. Yet, the relationship is not quite the same anymore, particularly since Britain has left the European Union. Germany has its own set of problems. Many of its policies no longer reflect a firm economic and policy friendship with the U.S. If Trump wins the upcoming election, and it results in a restructuring of U.S. alliances, my conclusion for Europe is a special relationship between the U.S. and Hungary. When relationships between nations have more to offer each other, they will result in actions that strengthen each nations competitiveness. Professor Michael Czinkota teaches International Business and Trade at Georgetown University. He has served as the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce. His most recent textbook is International Business 9th edition. Professor Czinkota can be reached at czinkotm@georgetown.edu W hat's your lockdown literary style? Have you been buried in a book at all times as a distraction from the cruel world, or has the impending doom rendered you unable to focus with words swimming chaotically across the page? Either way, July brings with it an easy to dive into pile of book launches. From millennial podcaster Emma Gannons delightful debut fiction novel about the should-I-shouldn't-I dilemma of motherhood, to a juicy guide on how to crash the coolest celebrity parties by a former Page Six gossip columnist. Read on to see our picks of the best new books to hit shelves this month. Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers Set in the south-east suburbs of London in 1957, we meet our protagonist Jean Swinney - an unlucky in love thirty-something features writer for the local paper. When a young Swiss woman contacts her to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, their lives slowly become entangled until theres no way out. A gripping and ideal summer read for fans of Tessa Hadley and Jane Austen. Olive by Emma Gannon A whip-smart and fresh fiction debut from podcaster/author/writer Emma Gannon. Here, the reader meets early thirty-something protagonist Olive who has just cut ties with her long time love and is doubting her decision. Fertility is at the centre of this book, with Olive grappling with her instinct to be child-free while her three closest friends each portray a different aspect of motherhood: one has fertility issues, the other is newly pregnant and the third had kids young. Its an easy read but one that will stick with you long after youve put it back on your bookshelf. Finders, Keepers by Sabine Durrant This summers most anticipated thriller, Finders, Keepers is deliciously slow-burning and hard to put down. After Ailsa Tilson moves her family to a new suburb to find a house to renovate, she meets her new neighbour, Verity, who begins to work her way into the Tilson familys lives. Fans of Durrant's previous novels will relish the smart twists and turns and will be left guessing until the very end. How Do We Know Were Doing It Right? by Pandora Sykes A timely collection of essays from journalist and podcast host Pandora Sykes that touch on everything from happiness to wellness; womanhood to consumerism and the anxieties and agendas that consume our lives. What could be seen as middle class woes is made relatable by Sykes sharp and observant writing - resulting in a manifesto for the millennial woman. Curveballs: How to Keep It Together when Life Tries to Tear You a New One by Emma Markezic Australian comedian and columnist Emma Markezic was in her early thirties when a nasty form of cancer landed on her lap (well, breasts) in 2016. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, Markezic learnt to embrace the positive side, even through a mastectomy and gruelling chemotherapy. This book is part-memoir, part-self help manual and the reader cant help but feel uplifted by Markezics sunny outlook, and cheer her on when she joins the dating scene again. The Hungover Games by Sophie Heawood When journalist Sophie Heawood found herself pregnant and single in LA, half a world away from her London home, she decided to return to the UK to raise her daughter. The Hungover Games is Heawood's wry account of her journey into motherhood when she finds herself pregnant and single with a penchant for partying. Gatecrasher: How I Helped the Rich Become Famous and Ruin the World by Ben Widdicombe With bylines in Page Six, TMZ, and The New York Times, Ben Widdicombe knows a thing or two about celebrity gossip, and now hes sharing his examination of celebrity culture with us. In Gatecrasher, Widdicombe spill sensational stories from the rich and famous that never made it to print as well as sharing his guide to crashing the coolest parties and making small talk with Anna Wintour. Theres also a chapter dedicated to explaining how Paris Hilton gave us President Donald Trump - which is fascinating in itself. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue From the author of Room (later made into a 2015 film which actress Brie Larson won an Academy Award for), Emma Donoghues latest novel is set in Dublin in 1918 on a maternity ward at the height of the Great Flu. Set over three days, and told mostly through the mind of 29-year-old nurse Julia Power, she grapples with a group of expectant mothers who are quarantined together with a new flu. Its timely, punchy and gripping. Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell From the award-winning author of Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks, Utopia Avenue is David Mitchells long-awaited new novel - and it doesnt disappoint. It follows the band of the same name who emerge from London's psychedelic scene in 1967 and chronicles their brief, blazing glory from Soho Clubs to the stages of America. Its a true rocknroll novel filled with sex, drugs and how idealism faded as the 60s came to a close. Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman A man in his 70s has been left in a critical condition after he was hit by a bike in east London. Police were called to Bow Road, Tower Hamlets, at around 5pm on Friday following reports of a crash involving a cyclist and the man, who was a pedestrian. The rider of the bike did not stop, police said. Paramedics treated the pensioner at the scene but he was then rushed to hospital. He is said to be "critically ill". Police are attempting to inform his next of kin. They are also working to find out the identity of the cyclist. She made a reconnaissance trip to the world-famous landmark which hatching plans for the killing spree, standing right in the centre of cathedral while identifying good hiding places for her bombs. However Shaikh was already under counter-terrorism surveillance, and had unwittingly revealed her murderous plans to an undercover officer. She was brought to justice after a complex operation which involved undercover counter terrorist officers posing as ISIS sympathisers. On Friday, she was jailed for life and must serve a minimum of 14 years behind bars . Safiyya Shaikh took this photo during a reconnaisance trip to St Paul's / Metropolitan Police The 37-year-old from Hayes, west London, hatched a plot to bomb St Pauls and a luxury hotel. After leaving carnage behind her she planned to blow herself up at a central London station with a suicide vest and become a martyr. Shaikh was already under counter-terrorism surveillance when she was plotting to carry out the attack / PA Her inspiration is believed to have been the Sri Lanka attacks at Easter in 2019, when 269 people were killed in a string of attacks at churches and luxury hotels. Shaikh had become a Muslim after being impressed by the kindness of a family she befriended. She made a reconnaissance trip to the world-famous landmark which hatching plans for the killing spree / PA However, she plunged herself into the online extremist world forging close contacts with extremists in the Netherlands. She admitted to undercover officers that she sometimes posed as a man on extremist channels on social media app Telegram because she thought she would be taken more seriously. Shaikh had been on the radar of the authorities after having been in contact with the Prevent scheme which seeks to identify potential extremists in the community and steer them away from terrorism. The extremist has been jailed for life and must serve at least 14 years behind bars / Met Police She was referred to the scheme three times, but engagement is voluntary and Shaikh stopped talking with the authorities. She was not identified as a serious threat until she tried to fly to Holland to link to with a convicted terrorist. She was stopped at Luton airport and her passport confiscated on August 18 last year. After that red flag she was put at the top of the list of potential home grown terror threats. Counter terrorist officers tailed her and as her extremist views expressed on social media became more threatening two security officers posed as sympathises who could help her to obtain explosives to pack into two bags. A pink Nike bag which Shaikh said could be converted into a bomb / PA The terrorist carried out a reconnaissance on St Pauls as she prepared for a deadly assault, taking a photo inside the famous landmark which she sent on to the undercover officer with the caption: Under this dome I would like put bomb.. it centre of church. She was arrested as she awaited the deadly materials promised to her. Commander Richard Smith from the Metropolitan Police counter terrorism unit said: She expressed no regret or remorse ... she had said she wanted to do a piece of history. She was clearly dangerous spreading vile directives world wide. She was was heavily involved in toxic propaganda. Another pink "girly backpack" which Shaikh gave to an undercover officer to be converted into a bomb / PA He said there was no doubt she would have carried out her plot if she had received the bombs. A serial flasher who targeted women waiting for buses in south London told police he had been expecting them when finally arrested. Leslie Malcolm, 57, admitted eight counts of exposure at Inner London Crown Court on Wednesday. Malcolm approached victims at bus stops and outside Brixton Tube station between December 2019 and May this year. He exposed his genitals, often making eye contact as he touched himself inappropriately. Officers from the Mets Roads and Transport Policing Command quickly identifying Malcolm as the suspect. When arrested at home on June 1, he said: You know, its not like I werent expecting you. Malcolm, of Farley Road, Catford, will be sentenced on September 1. Detective Sergeant Okikiola Okunola said: I would firstly like to thank each victim for reporting Malcolms quite frankly disgusting and perverse behaviour to police. Because of them and the support theyve have shown the investigation, we were able to bring Malcolm to justice. Thanks to some of the victims evidence as well as the forensic evidence left at one scene by Malcolm, he had no choice but to plead guilty to the eight offences. Siwan Hayward, TfLs Director of Policing, added: No one should experience unwanted sexual behaviour on our transport network and we are determined to stamp it out. We were absolutely disgusted to hear of these incidents in Brixton and commend the victims for their bravery in coming forward to report them. Safiyya Shaikh, 37, dreamed of destroying the landmark by detonating an explosive under the famous dome during a Christmas Day or Easter service, in an attack inspired by Islamic State. She made plans to receive a bomb and went on a dry-run to the cathedral to scope out security and pick out the best place for an attack. But Shaikhs plot was foiled as an undercover agent was posing as bomb-maker, recording her as she outlined plans for an explosives and gun attack on innocent churchgoers. Shaikhs barrister, Ben Newton, told the Old Bailey last week that she had been getting cold feet and may not have gone through with her plan, having put back the date of the attack and missed a meeting to discuss the attack. Shaikh visited St Paul's as she plotted the attack / PA But Shaikh, a Muslim convert whose name used to be Michelle Ramsden, was then recorded on a prison phone call saying her mitigation to the court had been a lie, insisting: I was going to go through with it, I wasnt getting cold feet, I wasnt having doubts. Sentencing her to life in prison with a 14-year minimum term, Mr Justice Sweeney said it is self-evident that she is a danger to the public and said there is no telling when she will be safe to release. I had already reached the sure conclusion on all the original evidence that your claims of doubt to the police and others was a lie, he said. "You intention had been and remained throughout strong. Shaikh became a Muslim in 2007 and is believed to have radicalised after becoming disillusioned with moderate Islam. She stopped going to the mosque to avoid being reported as an extremist. Shaikh ran a channel on the secretive social media app Telegram which urged jihadis around the world to carry out terrorist atrocities, boasting that it was her job. The judge said there was evidence that her media posts may have affected terror plots around the world. She took this picture during the visit / Metropolitan Police She had sworn allegiance to ISIS and pledged to make history with a home-grown attack, having been stopped at the airport when she tried to fly out of the UK in August last year. Shaikh, from Hayes, got in contact online with the undercover officer, believing he was a fellow extremist, and began sharing her plans for terror. The defendant engaged in a plan to commit a lethal attack on St Pauls Cathedral with the clear stated intention of killing as many people as possible and destroy a symbolic building, said prosecutor Alison Morgan QC. She was by then a violent extremist who pledged her support for ISIS. She visited the cathedral to assess its security arrangements and the best place to detonate a bomb. The ISIS fanatic shared her plan with an undercover officer / PA Shaikh was caught on camera during a reconnaissance trip to St Pauls in September last year, observing how thoroughly bags were searched, suggesting she would wear her daughters non-Islamic clothes as a disguise and calling the plot the best opportunity of my life. This most famous church to King and Queen. All there (sic) weddings been there hundreds of years, she told the undercover agent. I really thought it would not be possible. But it easy. She added: I want do something in hotel and church. Than (sic) run and kill kuffar (non-Muslims) everywhere I see them until am shot down. If I had choice I blow the church to ground. With kuffar in it. She told the undercover officer that this bag could be turned into a bomb / PA Shaikh, who also mentioned poisoning people and attacking the Stock Exchange Building, also revealed her dream of attacking a high-profile church: I want to make historyI want to do that in London, you know where they do the Royal weddings. I think it may be too hard because of security. She was arrested in October last year, after providing her measurements and bags for the bombs to undercover agents and agreeing to collect what she believed was a viable explosive. In the call from HMP Bronzefield after her last court hearing, Shaikh insisted she wasnt having doubts about the attack, claiming she only missed the last meeting the undercover officer because she had been taking drugs and slept in. I just feel like this is a lie, she told a friend. I was going to go through with it, I wasnt getting cold feet, I wasnt having doubts. Mr Newton said he believes there is doubt whether the attack would have happened, but Shaikh wants to take full responsibility and wishes to be sentenced on the basis of her intentions. The comments from the British historian, made during an interview with pro-Brexit commentator Darren Grimes, were widely condemned by politicians, publishers and universities. The 75-year-old is an alumni of Fitzwilliam College at Cambridge and was made an Honorary Fellow in 2006. The college said Mr Starkey's comments were "indefensible" and a statement on its website on Friday said the master of the college had accepted Mr Starkey's resignation. "Fitzwilliam prides itself in leading the way in Cambridge in opening access to higher education for underrepresented groups," the statement says. Politicians and universities have condemned the comments from Mr Starkey / PA "Our student and academic bodies are diverse and welcoming to all. We do not tolerate racism. "Although Dr Starkey holds no teaching role at Fitzwilliam, Honorary Fellows have the same responsibility as all members of our college to uphold our values." Fellow historian and Cambridge professor Nicholas Guyatt had urged the university to cut all ties with Dr Starkey. Cant speak for my employer but as someone who teaches history at Cambridge I'm ashamed of our connections with David Starkey and urge both the University and Fitzwilliam College to cut all ties with him, he tweeted. During the interview, Mr Starkey said: Slavery was not genocide, otherwise there wouldnt be so many damn blacks in Africa or in Britain, would there? An awful lot of them survived and again theres no point in arguing against globalisation or Western civilisation. They are all products of it, we are all products of it. The honest teaching of the British Empire is to say, quite simply, it is the first key stage of our globalisation. It is probably the most important moment in human history and it is still with us." The interview sparked a backlash, including from former chancellor Sajid Javid, who said Mr Starkeys racist comments were a reminder of the appalling views that still exist. Meanwhile, Professor Rama Thirunamachandran, vice-chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University, apologised to staff and students at the university in Kent who have been offended and upset by the "appalling" comments. He said: Widely reported comments by historian David Starkey during a recent online interview are, in our view, completely unacceptable and do not reflect the values of our university and community. We have therefore terminated, with immediate effect, Dr Starkeys visiting professorship. I would like to say sorry to colleagues and students who will have been offended and upset by such comments of this appalling nature, and in particular in these challenging and difficult times for us all. Publisher HarperCollins also condemned Mr Starkey's "abhorrent" comments and said it will not be publishing any further books with him. A statement said: "The views expressed by David Starkey in his recent interview are abhorrent and we unreservedly condemn them. H ydroxychloroquine is a controversial anti-malaria drug which has been thrown into the spotlight in recent months by US President Donald Trump, who says he has tried it as a potential defence against coronavirus. Several studies have shown that the drug has no effect on Covid-19 patients, could be harmful and has the potential to cause heart problems. The French Government banned the use of the drug as a treatment for coronavirus, while the US Food and Drug Administration also withdrew its authorisation and cautioned against the use of hydroxychloroquine use with coronavirus patients. But researchers behind a global study into hydroxychloroquine led by Oxford University have warned against dismissing the dug prematurely, saying it could still save lives. The study, known as Copcov, aims to enrol 40,000 healthcare workers from across the world to determine whether the drug is effective at fighting Covid-19. Donald Trump revealed he was taking the drug / AP One of the trials lead investigators, Dr Will Schilling, said: We really dont know if hydroxychloroquine works or not in prevention or very early treatment. That question remains unanswered." Professor Nick Day, director of the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, also leading the study, added: By the time patients are admitted to hospital virus multiplication is well past its peak and inflammation in the lungs and other complications may prove lethal. At this stage the steroid dexamethasone, which reduces inflammation, saves lives but the antivirals hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine do not. However, that does not rule out that they could be effective much earlier in the illness. Prevention is much easier than cure. "The Copcov study will find out if these drugs can prevent Covid-19 or not. The benefits found in small post-exposure treatment trials, although modest, could be very valuable if they were confirmed. Candlelit vigil for coronavirus victims and NHS - In pictures 1 /13 Candlelit vigil for coronavirus victims and NHS - In pictures Getty Images PA Getty Images PA PA PA PA Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images PA AP AP Meanhwile one hydroxychloroquine study found that the drug helped hospital patients survive coronavirus. Researchers at Henry Ford Health System in the US found that 13 per cent of people given hydroxychloroquine died, compared to 26 per cent of those who weren't given the drug. Dr Marcus Zervos, head of infectious diseases at Henry Ford, told a press conference: "Our results do differ from some other studies. What we think was important in ours ... is that patients were treated early. "For hydroxychloroquine to have a benefit, it needs to begin before the patients begin to suffer some of the severe immune reactions that patients can have with Covid." But other researchers not involved in the trial, the results of which were published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, remain sceptical. Dr. Todd Lee of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal wrote: "As the Henry Ford Health System became more experienced in treating patients with Covid-19, survival may have improved, regardless of the use of specific therapies." Mr Trump raised eyebrows when he said he takes hydroxychloroquine, despite warnings from his own government's health experts. He told reporters that he takes a hydroxychloroquine pill every day, combined with zinc. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is another champion of the drug and recently said he'd taken it when he became infected with coronavirus. Mr Bolsonaro tested positive for Covid-19 after months of playing down the virus' severity while deaths mounted rapidly inside his country. The drug is controversial / AFP via Getty Images What is hydroxychloroquine and is it safe? Hydroxychloroquine is a drug used to treat acute malaria, lupus, and some types of arthritis. It is a derivative of chloroquine, which is also used to treat malaria. It is widely used to treat rheumatic diseases as it can reduce inflammation, pain, and swelling. The drug is on the World Health Organisation's List of Essential Medicines, the safest and most effective medicines needed in a system. However, it is not free of risk: common side effects of taking it include vomiting, headache, changes in vision, and muscle weakness, while severe side effects can include allergic reactions, vision problems, and heart problems. What has Trump said about taking the drug? Mr Trump said he took the drug daily with zinc, "because I think it's good. I've heard a lot of good stories." "You'd be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the front-line workers, before you catch it," he added. "The front-line workers many, many are taking it. I happen to be taking it. "I'm taking it, hydroxychloroquine, right now, yeah. A couple of weeks ago, I started taking it. Mr Trump said his use of the medicine was approved by the White House physician, Sean Conley, but said that it was he, not his doctor, who took the first step. Trump: I started taking it because I think it's good... I've heard a lot of good stories / AP "I asked him, 'what do you think?' He said, 'if you'd like it.' I said 'yeah, I'd like it.'" Trump said he has received many "positive calls" from people telling him about the malaria drug. He said he had received a letter from an unidentified New York doctor, who said he had given the drug to hundreds of patients and "I haven't lost one." "It seems to have an impact, and maybe it does, maybe it doesn't but if it doesn't, you're not going to get sick or die," Trump added. "I take a pill every day. At some point I'll stop." He told reporters he showed "zero symptoms of Covid-19. A new trial has suggested hydroxychloroquine could help coronavirus patients / AFP via Getty Images "Every couple days they want to test me, you know, for obvious reasons, he said. I mean I am the president, so they want to test me. I don't want to be tested but they want to test me," he said. "I've shown always negative." Mr Trump has also retweeted claims Americas leading infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, misled the US on hydroxychloroquine by refusing to endorse the use of the anti-malaria drug in combating Covid-19. Commenting on Mr Trump's remarks regarding the drug, Dr Stephen Griffin, associate professor in the School of Medicine, University of Leeds, said they were a staggering, irresponsible act that could very well also amount to self-harm. He warned that hydroxychloroquine is prescribed and monitored carefully because of its potential side effects. He said people following Mr Trumps example could endanger themselves. Former Government chief scientific adviser Sir David King said of Mr Trump: Every word he says should be ignored in terms of advice. He added: Im sorry but this is not the pronouncements of a person who is listening to the scientists. He is making it up as he goes along. What's the official advice about taking hydroxychloroquine? The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory warning that hydroxychloroquine has "not been shown to be safe and effective". It cited reports that the drug can cause serious heart rhythm problems in coronavirus patients. The FDA has withdrawn its authorisation for hydroxychloroquine use with coronavirus patients. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says there are no approved drugs or therapeutics to prevent or treat Covid-19. The UK Government has said that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are not licensed to prevent Covid-19 or treat symptoms. Dr June Raine, chief executive of the UK's medical products regulator, said in June: "We have told those conducting clinical trials using hydroxychloroquine to treat or prevent COVID-19 to suspend recruitment into their trials. "Neither hydroxychloroquine nor chloroquine are licensed to treat COVID-19 related symptoms or to prevent infection. "It is important to note that patients taking hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat other health conditions can continue to do so, as advised by their healthcare professional, as the balance of benefits and risks remains favourable in the licensed uses." Several clinical trials have shown that hydroxychloroquine has no positive effect on coronavirus patients. Some trials have suggested the drug could cause heart problems / AFP via Getty Images But a major UK trial is set to resume after it was paused because of concerns about side-effects, raised in studies that have since been retracted. The COPCOV trial will give chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine or a placebo to more than 40,000 healthcare workers from Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. One of the lead researchers, Professor Sir Nicholas White from the University of Oxford said: "Hydroxychloroquine could still prevent infections, and this needs to be determined in a randomised controlled trial." Prof Martin Llewelyn, of the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, said: "Although rates of coronavirus are low just now in the UK, healthcare workers are still being affected across the NHS and a second wave of infection this winter is widely expected. One small uncontrolled study in France on the use of hydroxychloroquine in combination with another drug, azithromycin, found some reduction in patients viral load. However, another study from France, published in the BMJ medical journal, found that hydroxychloroquine did not help significantly reduce admission to intensive care or death rates of people hospitalised with pneumonia due to coronavirus. Staff in a hospital in the UK / POOL/AFP via Getty Images A randomised clinical trial carried out in China, also published in the BMJ, also concluded that taking hydroxychloroquine did not speed up recovery for hospitalised patients with mild to moderate persistent Covid-19. The study also found that those taking hydroxychloroquine were more likely to have adverse events. The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) said in May it was aware of 218 trials involving chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. There have been more than 16.4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus throughout the world, with around 650,000 deaths. T wenty-one people have died with Covid-19 at a care home in east London in one of the most devastating known outbreaks of the virus in the capital. Between the end of March and early May, Aspen Court in Poplar saw 33 residents die, with 21 of the deaths recorded as coronavirus related, the homes GP Dr Osman Ali said today. Some 68 elderly people were living at the home at the time. The figures came to light in a Tower Hamlets council meeting where doctors said care homes were low priority for testing and PPE. Dr Ali said: At Aspen Court during this period there was very little testing for suspected cases. Dr Naureen Bhatti told Tower Hamlets overview and scrutiny committee: These are elderly people and we may have lost two or three a month before the pandemic. "That has gone up to 20 a month. That is a devastating amount. Robert Henry, 78, was one of the Aspen Court residents who died at the height of the pandemic on April 8. The father-of-eight suffered from dementia and had been living in the 72 capacity home, run by Britains largest care home operator HC-One, for a year. His daughter Amanda said: Dad was a really funny, loving, chatty man. I got a call saying he had a temperature. But there was no testing available. I was told doctors had three tests for the entire home. "When he was very ill I visited and dressed up in flimsy PPE. It felt like he wasnt a priority. Ms Henry received a call on April 8 saying her father was about to die. She rushed to the home and arrived minutes after he passed away. A spokesman for HC-One said the home is in recovery. He added: Our sympathies are with all families who have lost a loved one. "Since the start of the pandemic we have had a comprehensive coronavirus plan in place, which was updated to reflect government guidance. Annexation is fundamentally contrary to the long term interests of both the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples. The Elders have called on European leaders to maintain their resolve against Israels plans to annex swathes of the West Bank, and to insist that any such moves would have negative political and economic consequences for bilateral relations. The absence of any direct military and legal moves towards annexation on 1 July the deadline unilaterally declared by Israels Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu should not be taken as grounds for complacency. Annexation of any part of the West Bank, including illegal settlement blocs, would constitute a flagrant breach of international law. In letters to French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, The Elders underscored the damage annexation would cause not only to any hopes of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but also to global respect for the rule of law. Annexation is fundamentally contrary to the long term interests of both the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples. [It] will not dampen future Palestinian demands for rights and self-determination, but destroying hopes in a two-state compromise will increase the risks of future violence in one of the most combustible areas in the world, the Elders warned in their appeal to Europes leaders. They called on the EU leaders to consider suspending the blocs Association Agreement with Israel if annexation does go ahead in any form, and recalled the UKs historical and abiding responsibility to the region as the colonial Mandate holder in pre-1948 Palestine. The Elders also reiterated their support for human rights defenders and civil society activists in Israel and Palestine, whose voices need to be protected and amplified at this challenging time. D rinking has been banned in one of London's most popular parks after weeks of "public urination, defecation and littering" by partying visitors. Hackney council spent 150,000 on a court injunction to cover London Fields, which it says has come to resemble a "festival site" after thousands flocked there during lockdown. The injunction was granted on Friday afternoon and will now temporarily ban consuming alcohol in the park and give police powers to arrest those who break the rules. It follows a "significant number of complaints" from residents about the behaviour of visitors. Visitors flocked to party on London Fields during lockdown, Hackney council said / Hackney Council One resident said: On Saturday there was a huge party festival taking place in London Fields, that went on until at least 3am... they were defecating and urinating everywhere, in bins, on pavements outside people's home, in kerbs, and through the railings of Gayhurst Nursery. Absolutely disgusting." It comes as many councils across London said they have had to deal with excessive litter and public urination since lockdown measures were eased. No urinating signs warning visitors they are being watched by CCTV have been put up in Victoria Park and Tower Hamlets council has sent patrols of enforcement officers to challenge anyone seen urinating in public after complaints from residents. Meanwhile Royal Parks, which runs green spaces including Hyde Park, Richmond Park and St Jamess Park, said rubbish dumped in its green spaces had gone up by at least 35 per cent. Laughing gas canisters on London Fields after a lockdown party / Hackney Council Mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville said: "London Fields is not a festival site - its a vital green space for everyone. Weve heard so many stories from local people - many with no outside space of their own - who feel excluded from the park and whose lives are being made a misery because of littering, urinating, defecating and drunken behaviour." Hackney has reopened public toilets in the park with additional cleaning rounds and installed an extra 25 large commercial waste bins. However in May and June the council issued 193 fines at London Fields for urinating and littering compared to just nine in the previous 12 months. Tower Hamlets council has warned visitors to its parks to maintain social distancing ahead of "super Saturday" this weekend when pubs reopen. T he latest round of talks between the UK and European Union have broken up early, with significant differences still remaining between the two sides, Boris Johnsons Europe adviser David Frost said. Talks in Brussels between Mr Frosts team and the EU side led by Michel Barnier were due to continue into Friday. Mr Frost said: We have completed our discussion of the full range of issues in the negotiation in just over three days. "Our talks were face-to-face for the first time since March and this has given extra depth and flexibility to our discussions. The negotiations have been comprehensive and useful. But they have also underlined the significant differences that still remain between us on a number of important issues. He said talks will continue next week in London. Downing Street said it hopes negotiations will end by August / PA Mr Barnier said in a statement that after four days of discussions "serious divergences" remain. "The EU side had listened carefully to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's statements in recent weeks, in particular, his request to reach a political agreement quickly, and his red lines: no role for the European Court of Justice in the UK; no obligation for the UK to continue to be bound by EU law; and an agreement on fisheries that shows Brexit makes a real difference," said Mr Barnier. "The EU engaged constructively, as we had already done during the fourth round of negotiations in June." Michel Barnier said the EU continues to believe an agreement is possible / POOL/AFP via Getty Images He added that there will be no economic partnership without guarantees for a level playing field, a sustainable and long term solution for European fishermen and women and an "overarching institutional framework and effective dispute settlement mechanisms". It is hoped that the Brexit talks will result in a deal which could be implemented before the current post-Brexit arrangements expire at the end of the year. The Prime Ministers spokesman said that UK-EU negotiations need to end "by the autumn" and the job of the UKs chief negotiator will cease to exist later this year. But recently German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the German parliament that although talks between the UK and EU were intensifying the EU must be prepared for the possibility that a deal will not be reached. Brexit negotiations to 'intensify' to reach deal It comes as Germany assumes the rotating EU Council presidency for the next six months, giving the chancellor an influential role in the final phase of the Brexit process. In a sign of the strained relations between the two sides, the UK failed to meet a deadline for submitting equivalence assessments on financial services regulations. These could help determine the Citys access to European markets and vice versa. Whitehall sources suggested that the demands made by the EU in 1,000 pages of questionnaires were much broader than the equivalence criteria set out in legislation. The UK has insisted that it wanted to work constructively with the EU. T he Governments new White House-style TV briefings are going to be fronted by a political appointee as opposed to a civil servant, Downing Street has said. The Prime Ministers official spokesman confirmed that new televised briefings are going to be introduced later this year, although a presenter has not yet been recruited. The Government is thought to be looking for an experienced broadcaster to front the new question-and-answer sessions. It will replace off-camera afternoon briefings for journalists, which are currently hosted by a senior civil servant. The move is expected to prove controversial and concerns have been raised about a reduction in scrutiny of Government. The Governments new White House-style TV briefings will be introduced later this year / AP Chair of the Parliamentary Press Gallery Pippa Crerar and Chair of the Lobby Jason Groves said: We have read the reports about proposed changes with interest and hope the intention is to increase scrutiny and accountability. We would not wish to see any changes used as an excuse to reduce transparency by, for example, reducing the number of daily briefings, limiting questions, those who can ask them, or our on-the-record access to ministers. Ian Murray, executive director of the Society of Editors, warned: Briefings that are too stage-managed and favour the few will not be in the best interests of the public as a whole. It also comes amidst reports that Downing Street is preparing a major overhaul government communications as a part of Dominic Cummings drive to reform Whitehall. Communications will soon be managed by the Cabinet Office instead of individual departments, with a significant reduction in the number of press officers expected. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: The new televised afternoon briefing, the person who takes that will be a political appointment. What that will allow them to do is answer political questions in a way Im not. It will obviously be for the PM and my political colleagues to determine who they want to appoint. No 10 will still hold an off-camera lobby briefing in the morning hosted by the prime ministers official spokesman. The broadcasts are expected to start in October and the spokesman confirmed work would begin shortly to make Number 9 TV-ready. The move was announced after the Government scrapped the daily briefings last week but pledged to hold them to coincide with significant announcements. Boris Johnson told LBC today: People have liked a more direct, detailed information from the Government about what is going on and I think that theyve actually particularly liked our brilliant scientific and medical advisers, possibly more than the politicians to be frank. T ransport Secretary Grant Shapps defended the Prime Ministers father today after he flew to his Greek villa in defiance of coronavirus travel warnings. Stanley Johnson jetted to his four-bed home in Greece and dodged the countrys ban on direct flights from the UK by flying via Bulgaria. The former Tory MEP ignored Foreign Office guidance which says no one should travel unless it is essential. Mr Johnson told the Daily Mail he was in the country "on essential business" to ensure a property he rents out was "Covid-proof" before holidays restart. The 79-year-old shared photographs on his Instagram account on Wednesday, showing him arriving in Athens and at an airport in a mask. Grant Shapps said the Prime Minister's father ignore "advice" but not "restrictions" / 10 Downing Street/AFP via Getty Secretary of State Mr Shapps said the PMs dad had ignored travel advice but not restrictions. He told Sky News: The advice says you have to make your own decision about whether you want to travel. The Prime Minister's father shared a selfie as he flew to Greece, via Bulgaria / @stanleyjohnson "What he wont be able to ignore, of course, isanyone returning to this country from a country not on the list has to quarantine for 14 days so that would apply to him the same as anybody else who has left the country. Pressed on his view about Mr Johnson ignoring the advice, he replied: As I say, its advice. Everyone can decide what to do with the advice. The important thing is quarantine is in place. Asked if the advice was optional, he replied: Well, yeah, the clue is in the name. But the quarantine isnt. Stanley Johnson says he worried Boris wouldn't survive covid-19 diagnosis Asked if the Prime Minister's father was well within his rights to go Greece, he replied: Yes. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office make it clear. They issued travel advice to check their website, there are a good reasons for that which will include things like insurance. But it is advice and people make those decisions. What isnt advice and is legally restrictive is the quarantine and that would apply to him just as much as it would apply to anybody else. It comes ahead of the publication of a list of more than 50 countries that will not require people to quarantine for 14 days on their return to England from July 10. Individuals will also have to fill in a passenger location form, stating which country they have visited and where they will be on their return. A n education regulator has announced that conditional unconditional university offers will be banned until September 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Such offers give students a place regardless of their A-level grades as long as they make the university their firm first choice. But updated rules from the Office for Students (OfS) prohibits any university from giving out the offers or making false or misleading statements with the intention of discouraging students from attending other institutions. Settings who breach this clause could be fined more than 500,000. The condition has been introduced in consultation with the higher education sector and is a temporary response to the coronavirus pandemic, with a fixed end date, according to the OfS. The new rules also still allow universities to make contextual offers to students from disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds, who may get lower grades than required, to recognise the different circumstances around their results. The move comes amid a sharp increase in conditional unconditional offers in recent years which have been viewed by some as controversial. The pandemic had not only impacted graduation ceremonies but affected next year's intake / PA Data published by Ucas earlier this year showed that in 2019 there were 35 universities and colleges where at least 1 per cent of offers made were conditional unconditional. Critics have slammed the practice due to concerns they encourage students not to work hard to get the best A-level results. Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of the OfS, said: Our concerns are even more acute in these exceptional times with the shape of the next few months and years still very unpredictable, and information, advice and guidance less readily available than it may normally be. However, we have ensured that the condition explicitly permits unconditional and contextual offers that are clearly in students interests, and which support the transition into higher education for the most disadvantaged students. Students can also be reassured that they should not expect to have any offers that they have already received withdrawn, and where there are good reasons for them to receive an unconditional or contextual offer in future, there is no reason that this cannot go ahead. She added the necessary and proportionate changes were designed to avoid instability during the pandemic and would not continue past September 2021. Universities Minister Michelle Donelan said: There is no justification for conditional unconditional offers and I welcome the strong action against these potentially damaging practices while the sector navigates this uncertain period, and hope to see this continue beyond 2021. Some have said the rule change is a fairer system / PA I do not want students to be taken advantage of and feel pressured into making a major life decision which might not be right for them. The University and College Union (UCU) also backed the move for a fairer admissions system. It said allowing applicants to apply after they received their results would be better for students and remove the gamble of predicted grades. UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: These controversial offers have highlighted the failings with our system where students apply to university before they receive their results. It is time we joined the rest of the world and moved to post-qualification admissions system, where students receive offers after their results. E xtinction Rebellion (XR) has announced it will blockade Parliament until the Government debates its three demands. The environment activists plan to set up blockades in Westminster to prevent ministers from getting to work when Parliament returns from its summer recess in September. "Were not going to let them back in until they agree to start anew with justice, care and life at the heart of it," said the campaigners in a statement on their website. Similar protests are planned for Cardiff and Scotland and as a precursor to the main demonstrations in September, XR will start a countdown to rebellion from August 28 with local groups invited to cause "high impact disruption" in their areas. XR's three demands on the Government are that it declares a climate and ecological emergency, it commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025 and for the Government to form a Citizens' Assembly on climate and ecological justice. Extinction Rebellion Parliament Square protests - in pictures 1 /20 Extinction Rebellion Parliament Square protests - in pictures AP AP REUTERS PA AP Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images AP PA PA PA AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images PA PA PA PA Clare Farrell, XR co-founder, said if business continued as normal the world was guaranteed "mass death and eventual extinction". "With this prognosis in mind, empathy, compassion and solidarity are a pragmatic necessity, and they are vital ingredients of our rebellion," said Ms Farrell. Extinction Rebellion recognises that the climate crisis is a symptom of a far wider kind of malaise and corruption in our politics, society and the human imagination. "In the failed story of unlimited growth and spiralling inequality we are told to forget about our power, our community, and our rights as citizens. But together we are powerful. Its time we start a new story. One of compassion, community and trust. One where we reclaim the words 'growth' and 'value' and give them new meaning." Protesters during an Extinction Rebellion (XR) march through Piccadilly Circus to Parliament Square in February / PA The campaigners claimed the Government's failure to keep people safe during the coronavirus pandemic was comparable to its handling of the climate and ecological emergency. They also referenced a Climate Change Committee report which warns of a future world that is four degrees warmer. Alex Armitage, Pediatrician and a member of Doctors for XR, added: The Lockdown was an opportunity to confront the huge challenges of climate change but the Government, addicted to the malignant ideology of unlimited economic growth, is now pushing us in the opposite direction. We have lobbied MPs, stood for election, written letters, emails and we have tweeted at powerful people. Extinction Rebellion London protest outside Barclays HQ "But one thing gets clearer and clearer, our political system is rotten, no longer serving the needs of ordinary people." Boris Johnson was asked for his thoughts about XR's plans for mass demonstrations in September in an interview with LBC's Nick Ferrari this morning. The Prime Minister said: I think they should be supporting the incredible things this Government is doing to combat climate change and if I were Extinction Rebellion I would be jumping for joy. Look at our plans for a green recovery, look at the amazing things were going to do to get this country making wind turbines, making batteries, the ambition I announced for a jet zero to be the first country to produce a zero-emission long-haul passenger jet. Stephanie Little and Thomas Martin had planned to marry on July 4 but neither expected the ceremony to go ahead when the scale of the coronavirus pandemic emerged. Last month the Government announced that weddings and civil partnerships involving no more than 30 people but not wedding receptions - could restart alongside other Super Saturday changes, such as the reopening of pubs and restaurants. Stephanie, 24, said: We had actually rebooked for next year but then came the announcement about the change on our date! We contacted our vicar and he said yes, and suddenly we had to plan a wedding in a week while Ive been working night shifts. We only got the licence on Sunday. The couple, who both work for London Ambulance Service, originally planned to have 90 guests. To comply with social distancing, the aisle at St Faiths Church in Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, has been widened to allow Stephanies father can walk her down it. The reception and the honeymoon two weeks in Antigua have both been cancelled and Stephanie had to find a new dress as she wasnt able to attend fittings for the one she planned to wear. The medics, who are based at Edmonton ambulance station and occasionally work shifts together, have both relied on each other for medical help. On the night he was due to propose, Stephanie had to save Thomas, 30, when he choked on a steak. In March, Thomas helped nurse Stephanie through a nasty bout of Covid-19, which she said was like the worst flu ever. Thomas said: Its not the wedding we thought we would have, but after everything that has happened, we are just so happy we can still get married. Being in lockdown together has just made us appreciate each other more, we didnt want to wait any longer to be married to each other. The pair, who live in north London, met five years ago while at university studying to become paramedics. Thomas said: We went out for dinner and I was so nervous about proposing, that I couldnt eat properly and started choking on a piece of steak. I couldnt breathe and remember thinking, I dont want to die before Ive proposed. Im lucky Stephanie is a paramedic because she knew what to do. I survived and managed to propose later that night. A wedding rehearsal was held over Zoom. The couple plan to host a party on their first anniversary to invite all the guests who will be unable to attend tomorrow. Stephanie said: It was so busy and stressful [at work] but we were glad we had jobs to do, jobs with purpose. It is quieter now but we dont know what will happen in the future. Thats why we knew we just had to get married. We have been through something crazy and now something is happening thats good. N icola Sturgeon criticised the "shifting sands" of UK policy on setting up air bridges as she called for a more speedy decision-making process from the Government. UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps earlier revealed quarantine restrictions for people returning to or visiting England from destinations such as Spain, France, Italy and Germany will be lifted from July 10. The Scottish and Welsh devolved Governments declined to sign up to the scheme immediately, meaning the freedoms currently only apply in England. Speaking during the Scottish Governments coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon said the British Government's decision-making process had been "shambolic". She said: When so much is at stake as it is right now, we cant allow ourselves to be dragged along in the wake of, to be quite frank about it, another Governments shambolic decision process. We want to welcome visitors again from around the world and we also want to allow our own citizens to travel. We also want, if possible for obvious practical reasons, to have alignment on these matters with the rest of the UK. Airlines ramp up schedules expecting 'air bridges' Ms Sturgeon said it has been really challenging for Scotland to come to a position on the UK Government proposals with speed. Just to illustrate the point (on) the shifting sands of the UK Governments position the list of countries that they were yesterday demanding that the Scottish Government sign up to, and suggesting we were a barrier to getting an agreement on, is not the same as the list they have shared with us today, she said. The First Minister added it is very likely the Scottish Government will be able to agree the low-risk countries on the air bridge list over the next few days. But she warned: We need to take some particular care in our assessment of the risk categorised as medium-risk, because that is where there may be some countries that have a higher prevalence of the virus than Scotland does right now. Loading.... The Scottish Government has assessed the prevalence of coronavirus in Scotland is currently five times lower than it is in England, Ms Sturgeon added. The First Minster also announced that one more person has died after testing positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 2,488. A total of 18,276 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 12 from 18,264 the previous day. Also speaking during the briefing, national clinical director Jason Leitch said there are now 11 cases in a cross-border outbreak identified earlier in the week. The cluster emerged in Dumfries and Galloway and the north-west of England. He said 23 people had been traced through the contact-tracing system. They have been spoken to, all offered testing, all been told to self-isolate and we believe they are all self-isolating, he said. T he Government will announce a timetable for the reopening of theatres, gyms, nail bars and other locked-down businesses next week, Boris Johnson has revealed. After weeks of waiting, the Prime Minister said task forces were working rapidly with the sectors that remain closed to explore how they can be made Covid-secure. I am pleased to report good progress is being made, he told a special Downing Street press briefing on Friday. Next week we will set out a timetable for their reopening. The announcement came as the countrys pubs and cinemas prepared to open their doors on Saturday. While theatres and concert halls are also able to reopen, they have been told that live performances will not be allowed. London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 1 /50 London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures A woman jogging near City Hall, London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA An image of Queen Elizabeth II and quotes from her broadcast on Sunday to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA A pedestrian walks past a billboard reading "Please believe these days will pass" on Broadway Market in east London AFP via Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge Getty Images Boris Johnson Jeremy Selwyn Sun-seekers cool off in the water and sunbathe on the riverbank at Hackney Marshes in east London AFP via Getty Images Ed Davey is shown on screens as he speaks via videolink during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London PA A herd of fallow deer graze on the lawns in front of a housing estate in Harold Hill in east London AFP via Getty Images A woman wearing a mask crosses a bridge over Camden Lock, London PA An empty Millenium Bridge PA A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images People push to enter the Niketown shop in Londo AP Jo Proudlove and daughter Eve, 9, follow the daily online "PE with Joe" Joe Wickes' exercise class on "Fancy dress Friday Reuters Waterloo station looking empty PA Police in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn Getty Images A quiet Parliament Square Getty Images PABest A man walks along a passageway at London's Oxford Street Underground station the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the Coronavirus PA Social distancing markers around the camel enclosure at ZSL London Zoo PA A police car patrols Greenwich Park in London PA The Premier League in action in front of empty stands AP Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed. A deserted Piccadilly Circus PA A general view is seen of a deserted Trafalgar Square AFP via Getty Images Getty Images The iconic Abbey Road crossing is seen after a re-paint by a Highways Maintenance team as they take advantage of the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown and quiet streets to refresh the markings Getty Images A view of 20 Fenchurch Street (the 'Walkie Talkie' building) in the City of London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus PA A deserted Chinatown PA A person looks at graffiti on a JD Wetherspoon pub in Crystal Palace, south London. Wetherspoons workers have described founder Tim Martin's lack of support for his chain's 40,000 employees as "absolutely outrageous" PA The London ExCel centre that has been turned into a makeshift NHS Hospital and critical care unit to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic PA The Palace Theatre, which usually shows the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA The Sondheim Theatre, which usually shows the Les Miserables musical, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA Two members of a British Army mounted regiment exercise their horses in Parliament Square AP Westminster Bridge is deserted PA A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA An empty street and bus stop at St James's Park AFP via Getty Images Whitehall Jeremy Selwyn A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn Buckingham Palace looking empty in London, PA London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn London's Carnaby Street empty as shops closed after a lockdown was announced in the latest bid to stop the spread of coronavirus through the UK AP A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images A quiet Jubilee line westbound train carriage PA A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA Empty Embankment Jeremy Selwyn The Prime Minister said he was aware the arts, events and leisure sectors were anxious about when they will be able to unlock. Mr Johnson said an announcement next week would deliver a roadmap explaining how venues and businesses could reopen after seeing their doors shut for more than 100 days. Without doubt, lockdown has saved many hundreds of thousands of lives but it has also had a devastating impact on our way of life and our economy, he told the televised conference. And of course, lockdown has not yet been lifted entirely. Indoor gyms, nail bars and swimming pools are still closed, mass gatherings are still prohibited, social distancing is still essential. I want these restrictions to be lifted as soon as possible of course I do, he said. We have established task forces to work rapidly and closely with the sectors that remain closed to explore how they can be Covid-secure. I am pleased to report good progress is being made. Next week we will set out a timetable for their reopening though of course I can only lift those remaining, national restrictions as and when it is safe to do so. Responding to a question from a member of the public on the fate of the events, arts and theatre sectors, the PM said "all of them have had an incredibly tough time and I know how difficult it has been". He continued: What we have tried to do is to support every sector of the UK economy, jobs, incomes, to the tune of 120 billion. I know that particularly in the events and arts industry people are anxious about when it is going to be their turn to unlock, and that is why I have announced tonight that we will next week be setting out a timetable so that we can get you all preparing and under way. Mr Johnson said he wanted to get the disease down so the events and arts industry really have a chance of recovering. He added: But you can also take it that we will be doing everything we reasonably can to support sport, the arts, the theatre, the events world in the interim. Some theatres have already closed amid the pandemic, including the Nuffield Southampton Theatres, making some 80 employees redundant. T his is the moment a CNN reporter was mugged live on air in Brazil. Bruna Macedo was reporting on rising water levels in the Tete River on Saturday morning when she was threatened with a knife. CNN footage shows a suspect approach Ms Macedo from the corner of the screen while she speaks to anchor Rafael Colombo. Ms Macdeo acknowledges the man who is wearing a hooded jumper and beanie hat, before she tries to refocus her attention on the broadcast. But the suspect continues to approach her and pulls out a knife, forcing the reporter to take a few steps back. Ms Macedo can be seen handing the man a phone as the camera pans away to show the street. The reporter was forced to hand over two phones during the attack. Mr Colombo told the Brazillian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo that Ms Macedo was uninjured and returned to the CNN centre after the centre. 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He cheated efforts by the many women he was accused of abusing to obtain justice. And he left one of the great conspiracy theories unanswered. Who was this man? And why did so many rich, powerful people breathe a sigh of relief when he died? Ghislaine Maxwells arrest on Thursday reopens a case many thought closed. Maxwell was Epsteins closest friend and alleged enabler. She was once a very visible and popular New York social figure, a high-voltage link between the worlds of media, finance, politics and culture. She was the acceptable face of the more awkward Epstein. But her personal charm and connections are irrelevant now. As her case heads to court in New York, all anyone wants from her is the truth about how Epsteins wealth and influence allowed him to hide his serial depravity in plain sight. What exactly went on between Epstein and friends like Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton? What did Epstein do with all the recordings taken by the hidden cameras riddling the walls and fixtures of his homes? The promise of Maxwell, 58, facing trial will certainly have ruined the summers of many prominent men. Prince Andrew has already refused an in person interview with Epsteins US prosecutors. But the heat on him will now intensify. Maxwell, who grew up in England, was the Princes connection to Epstein. On Thursday night a source close to the Andrews working group said: The Dukes team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the Department of Justice in the last month and to-date, we have had no response. Ghislaine Maxwell with the Duke of York leaving the wedding of a former girlfriend of Andrew's in Salisbury in 2000 / PA President Trump knew Epstein well in the 1990s, but Trump said last year that he had not spoken to Epstein in 15 years. Former President Clinton had a much closer friendship with both Epstein and Maxwell. He travelled frequently on Epsteins jet and invited Maxwell to his daughter Chelseas wedding. Epsteins links to the powerful meant his suicide prompted endless speculations. He was supposed to be under constant supervision, yet somehow the guards took their eyes off him for long enough for him to construct an elaborate noose and hang himself. There are more than enough gaps in that story to fill it with theories of murder, double-agents, and pay-offs by the many who preferred Epstein dead. Prosecutors said yesterday that since vanishing after Epsteins arrest, Maxwell had hopscotched between homes in New England. There were rumours that she had fled to France, which has no extradition treaty with the US. Turns out, last December she bought a 156 acre property in Bedford, New Hampshire, paying cash through an anonymous company. She had $20 million in 15 different accounts, had changed her telephone number and email. The FBIs lead investigator, William Sweeney, said that they had "been discreetly keeping tabs" on her, but pounced when she slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire. Maxwell is being charged on six counts: enticing minors to travel for illegal sex acts, transporting a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity; two conspiracy counts related to the prior charges; and two counts of perjury for allegedly lying in a 2016 deposition about her links to Epstein. She could face up to 35 years in jail. Audrey Strauss, the acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said yesterday that Maxwell lied because the truth as alleged was almost unspeakable. Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, then delivered them into the trap she and Epstein had set for them. Audrey Strauss, acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, gestures as she speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Ghislaine Maxwell / AP Maxwell was ordered to be transferred to New York to await trial. The grim holding cells are a very long way from her privileged youth, when her father, Robert Maxwell, was still a powerful media owner in London. And just as far from the life given her by Epstein, whom she met soon after coming to New York. Earlier this year, Maxwell sued Epsteins $600 million estate. She claimed that he had promised to pay her legal costs if any women accused her of recruiting them for sexual massages with him. So far at least 70 women have shown an interest in a restitution fund set up by Epsteins estate for his victims. Loading.... N athan Law, one of Hong Kongs most prominent young pre-democracy activists, has fled the territory after China imposed a controversial new security law. Demonstrators and other residents have been weighing up their future and are waiting or Britain to lay out details of its offer of a path to citizenship. Mr Law, 24, confirmed that he had left Hong Kong for an undisclosed location because he faced unknown dangers. It comes after China brought in a sweeping national security law for the city that criminalises much of the pro-democracy protest movement. After I spoke at the [US Congress] hearing and told the international community about the real human rights situation in Hong Kong after the draconian law took effect, I have plunged myself into unknown dangers, he said in a statement on Facebook. Now we have to think of how to continue our front line and to keep the flame alive under the most violent suppression. Hong Kong protests against a new national security law 1 /38 Hong Kong protests against a new national security law AP AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images REUTERS AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images REUTERS AFP via Getty Images Getty Images AP Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images AFP via Getty Images REUTERS AP AP REUTERS AP AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AP AFP via Getty Images AP AP AFP via Getty Images AP AP AFP via Getty Images AP AP REUTERS Getty Images The implications of the law, which was not made public until it came into effect earlier this week, are still being digested in Hong Kong. Almost three million residents who hold British national overseas status (BNO) have been promised the right to settle in the UK by Boris Johnson and are waiting for details on the scheme. The US has also proposed specific refugee assistance, and Australia has pointed to an imminent announcement. Mr Law is part of a generation of young activists who re-energised the citys battle for democracy over the last decade. He said he had moved overseas so he could safely continue his battle for Hong Kongs future there. T wo people have died and at least 56 have been injured by an explosion at a fireworks factory in northwestern Turkey. A huge plume of dark smoke could be seen above the factory on Friday, which had around 190 people on site at the time of the explosion. Several firefighters and ambulances rushed to the scene which is away from residential areas outside the town of Hendek in the Sakarya province. However explosions were continuing, hampering efforts to bring the fire under control. An aerial view of the firework factory from the helicopter of Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu / via REUTERS Television footage showed rockets shooting into the sky out of the factory. Governor Cetin Oktay Kaldirim said on Twitter that at least 56 workers were taken to hospital with injuries. He said many were trapped by the explosion and emergency services were struggling to reach the building. All security measures were taken around the factory," said Governor Kaldirim. "Since it is a fireworks factory, and the explosions continue, we cannot intervene at the moment." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed two had died and said 74 others had been injured. C oronavirus cases in the United States have soared by a record global level, which President Donald Trump attributed to "massive" testing abilities. A surge in cases over the last week has put Mr Trump's handling of the crisis under the microscope and led several governors to halt plans to reopen their states after strict lockdowns. On Thursday, the number of reported cases rose by more than 55,274, topping the previous single-day record of 54,771 set by Brazil on June 19. "There is a rise in coronavirus cases because our testing is so massive and so god, far bigger and better than any other country," Mr Trump said in a tweet late on Thursday. "This is great news, but even better news is that death, and the death rate, is down," he said. The wave of new cases has prompted several governors to backtrack on plans to reopen their states after months of strict lockdowns, closing beaches and cancelling fireworks displays over the upcoming Independence Day weekend. The United States has now recorded nearly 129,000 deaths from the outbreak, nearly a quarter of the known global total. But the president appears to have shifted his stance on wearing a face covering in public, saying in an interview that he is "all for masks". He made the comments as he suggested coronavirus will "just disappear". He told Fox Business: "Im all for masks. I think masks are good - people have seen me wearing one. If I were in a tight situation with people, I would absolutely." A large mask hangs on a lion statue outside New York Public Library / REUTERS It comes as former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is being treated in hospital for "serious" Covid-19 symptoms after attending a rally in support of Mr Trump, according to a statement posted on Mr Cains Twitter account. It was not immediately clear when or where the 74-year-old, who rose to the top of the polls briefly during the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, was infected. A man wears a mask as he cycles on Santa Monica beach / Getty Images However, he was taken to a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, less than two weeks after he attended a campaign rally for Mr Trump in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The presidents campaign team said he did not meet Mr Cain there. The statement said Mr Cain was taken to hospital after developing "serious" symptoms but is "awake and alert". "I realise people will speculate about the Tulsa rally, but Herman did a lot of travelling the past week, including to Arizona where cases are spiking," Dan Calabrese, who has been editor of HermanCain.com, wrote on the website. "I dont think theres any way to trace this to the one specific contact that caused him to be infected. Well never know." Across the world, more than 10.89 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus and 520,066 have died, according to a Reuters tally. The United States alone has recorded about 2.76 million cases. C ate Blanchett has an unrivalled career in cinema - and now, the Australian acting legend has turned to television for what promises to be one of the most exciting shows of 2020. Blanchett leads an extraordinary ensemble cast in Mrs America, a historical drama telling the story of the movement to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in the States, and the backlash spearheaded by outspoken conservative Phyllis Schlafly. The series debuted to rave reviews in the US, and is now heading to BBC this month. Here's everything you need to know about the show... When is Mrs America on BBC Two? BBC/FX/Sabrina Lantos Mrs America makes its UK debut on Wednesday, July 9. The series kicks off with the a double bill on BBC Two from 9pm. The whole boxset will then be available to watch on BBC iPlayer straight after the second episode airs. Whos in the cast? Rose Byrne and Tracey Ullman in Mrs America / BBC/FX/Sabrina Lantos Mrs America boasts an incomparable ensemble of some of Hollywoods most talented actresses. As well as Blanchett playing Schlafly, Rose Byrne plays Gloria Steinem, Uzo Aduba is Shirley Chisolm and Elizabeth Banks plays Jill Ruckelshaus. The series also features Margo Martindale as Bella Abzug, Melanie Lynskey as Rosemary Thompson and last (but definitely not least) Sarah Paulson plays a fictional character named Alice Macray. Uzo Aduba in Mrs America / BBC/FX/Sabrina Lantos Tracey Ullman, James Marsden, Jeanne Tripplehorn and John Slattery also star. Whats the series about? The drama is a dramatisation of the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in the US in the 1970s. The show looks at both sides of the debate, analysing why Schlafly was so staunchly opposed to equal rights for women and how she gained support. It also examines the main figures of second-wave feminism and how they fought for equal rights - as well as moments in which the movement fell short on accounting for women of colour and queer women. 17 underrated series on Netflix and Now TV 1 /17 17 underrated series on Netflix and Now TV Girlboss Girlboss Photo by Karen Ballard Veep Veep Anne With An 'E' Anne With An 'E' Dark Dark Abstract: The Art of Design Abstract: The Art of Design Good Girls Good Girls Bloodline Bloodline Jeff Daly/Netflix Save Me Save Me Next In Fashion Next In Fashion Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Sally4Ever Sally4Ever Tuca & Bertie Tuca & Bertie The World's Most Extraordinary Homes The World's Most Extraordinary Homes She's Gotta Have It She's Gotta Have It David Lee/Netflix Girls Incarcerated Girls Incarcerated Schitt's Creek Schitt's Creek Quicksand Quicksand Netflix Each episode follows characters on both sides of the debate, with one focused on Steinem (Byrne) and her journey through activism, and how she was met with doubt from conservatives and feminists. While the show has taken fictional liberties, it broadly reflects the culture wars of the 1970s and how they influenced Western society as we know it today. T witter has become the latest company to reveal it will replace coding terms such as "slave" and "master" for more inclusive terminology. The social media giant detailed the changes in a Twitter thread from its engineering division that stressed "words matter". It stated that the non-inclusive terms, which have been part of programming codes that originated decades ago, were outdated and not reflective of the company's values. According to the proposed changes "whitelist" will become "allowlist" and "blacklist" will be replaced with "denylist". Gendered terms will also be changed with "man hours" becoming "person hours, engineer hours" and "Grandfathered" changing to "legacy status". "Inclusive language plays a critical role in fostering an environment where everyone belongs," said Twitter's engineering division. "At Twitter, the language we have been using in our code does not reflect our values as a company or represent the people we serve. We want to change that. #WordsMatter." US bank JP Morgan, software developer Github, LinkedIn divisions and Google Chromium are among the major corporations which are also making moves to drop what they describe as non-inclusive coding terms. According to BBC News replacing the terms could cost companies millions and the changes could take months. Twitter's engineering division explained the changes will involve migrating source code, updating documentation across internal resources and the implementation of a browser extension to help it's teams identify words in documents and web pages, and suggest alternative inclusive words. Black Lives Matter protests across the world - In pictures 1 /21 Black Lives Matter protests across the world - In pictures A banner and a US. flag are placed on the Monument a la Republique in Paris REUTERS Protesters in Perth Australia Getty Images Speakers at the Black Lives Matter Rally at Langley Park in Perth Getty Images Police officers are seen during a protest against police brutality and the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Paris REUTERS Perth protests Getty Images Speakers take to the stage during the Black Lives Matter Rally in Perty Getty Images Protesters show their support during the Black Lives Matter Rally at Langley Park in Perty Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth AFP via Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth AFP via Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth AFP via Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth Getty Images Thousands of people take part in a demonstration against police brutality and racism in Paris AP French riot police forces detain a protester during a rally as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' AFP via Getty Images French riot police forces detain protesters AFP via Getty Images The crowds in Paris AFP via Getty Images A man wearing a protective face mask and googles walks past a broken store window in Paris REUTERS Assa Traore (C), the sister of Adama Traore, who died in police custody in 2016 in Paris AFP via Getty Images Protesters hold flares as they stand next to a banner reading 'Confronted to police brutality - Self defence' in Paris AFP via Getty Images A house facade with a graffiti against police in Paris. AFP via Getty Images An injured demonstrator is helped away in Paris AFP via Getty Images The changes come as the death of George Floyd prompted protests around the world against police brutality and racism. But for Twitter the move towards using more inclusive terminology in its coding started when a black programmer, Regynald Augustin, raised the issue in January, months before Black Lives Matter protests swept across the US. Last year he received an email about an engineering discussion to restart a secondary process which used the wording "automatic slave rekick". TikTok user explains racism in Australia Mr Augustin said on Twitter: "Seeing it was infuriating. Ive been used to seeing the word 'slave' throughout my CS education but this was different." The programmer worked with fellow colleague Kevin Oliver to see how they could make change the terminology that was being used. "Our goal here is to apply this language to all of eng, and eventually adopt inclusive language across Twitter," said Mr Augustin. "I know this is a small step, but its one that keeps us on the path to improving the industry." Twitter is proposing to replace the "master/slavery" coding term with "leader/follower, primary/replica, primary/standby". Twitter's engineering division added: "Words matter in our meetings, our conversations, and the documents we write. Ogden jazz icon Joe McQueen may be gone, but his memory and legacy live on. One physical reminder of his life, McQueen's lifelong home at 3158 Grant Ave., has now become available for sale. The house received extensive remodeling, but as investor Richard Casperson has said, "Joe's energy is WEBER COUNTY COLD CASE HOMICIDES Brian Sean Housley, Nov. 27, 2017. Housley was killed in a drive-by shooting on 16th Street in Ogden. Bryan Cliff Pickett, Feb. 9, 1980. At 1:50 a.m., Weber County Corrections Deputy Bryan Pickett was found dead on the roadway beside his Jeep. Carson George Thonsen, Sept. 5, 2003. Ogden police found Thonsen's body in a transient camp. Corbin Samuel McGuire, Aug. 20, 2015. McGuire, of Roy, was riding a bicycle in the 2300 block of Van Buren Avenue when he became the victim of a drive-by shooting. Francisco "Cisco" Lopez, May 2, 2015. Lopez was shot several times near 7th Street and Harrison Boulevard. Jeffrey Bancroft, Oct. 24, 2008. Bancroft was driving on Wall Avenue in the early morning hours. His car crashed into a building and police learned he had been shot. Robert Levi Chacon, July 28, 2001. Police said Chacon was shot while sitting in a parked car. Robert Santos Soto, Aug. 31, 2013. At 1:20 a.m., Ogden police were dispatched to a report of shots fired. They found Soto lying on his back, dead on a sidewalk. Witnesses said they heard gunshots, car doors slam and vehicles accelerate from the area. Shallen Demetrius Lestrick, Oct. 1, 2013. Witnesses told police Lestrick was on the sidewalk smoking in front of a home in the 200 block of 29th Street. Two men approached from behind and he was shot. Cyle John Vankomen and Kevin Dale Nelson, Dec. 9, 2016. The two men were shot to death in a South Ogden home invasion. Neighborhood cameras showed masked men lurking around the home before the shootings. Joyce Yost, 1985. Douglas Lovell was convicted and sentenced to death in Yost's killing, but her body never has been found. Tina Joyce Gallegos, Aug. 16, 1982. Her body was found in the Ogden River. Gabrielle Distefano, Sept. 16, 1982. Her body was found wrapped in plastic in a Harrisville ditch. Weber County sheriff's detectives believe her case may be connected to Gallegos's because they both disappeared in the same week in August. This list of cold case homicides investigated by police agencies in Weber County does not include out-of-state cold cases with Utah victims, other deaths such as victims of hit-and-runs, or missing persons cases. Two other cases of note: Joe Martinez, Nov. 1, 2014. The 16-year-old was skateboarding at night when he was hit by a pickup truck at 17th Street and 200 West. Ryan Bush, April 28, 2013. The 20-year-old's body was found in a California commercial waste facility. Police said Bush may have been killed in Ogden and dumped in a trash bin. Sources: Utah Department of Public Safety cold case database and Standard-Examiner files. ANDOVER [emdash] Wild Bill passed away and left his sister, Sharon, son, Jason, step daughters, Tiana and Sarah to remember him. He was PAPA to Devin and Emma and a darn good friend. He will be missed by many. 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Shouts rang out of Move up, and God Bless, between the drivers and doers. Hundreds of people were served by about 40 volunteers from more than a dozen area churches who gave away produce and potatoes in the old Albertsons parking lot, a revamp of the churches successful effort back in May. While the giveaway was scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon, the giving started before 8 a.m. and ended just before 11 a.m. Its a lot of unorganized chaos, but were getting it done, one volunteer Cathy McPhail said as she directed cars. She and her husband had heard of the effort on their churchs Facebook page and they were anxious to get involved. I wanted to give back to the community that has given so much to me, she said. Korea and the U.S. are likely to cancel a joint military drill scheduled for mid-August amid the coronavirus epidemic. "We're making preparations on the assumption that the two countries will stage the joint exercise next month as scheduled," a government official here said Thursday. "But we've yet to make a decision whether to go ahead and when and how to carry it out as there has been little sign of improvement in the coronavirus situation." The two countries have worked out three scenarios -- to carry out the drill as planned, to downscale it, or to cancel it completely. The problem is the latest surge in infections in the U.S. Normally, troops from the U.S. mainland take part in the drills. But this year's joint spring training in March was canceled as most troops from the U.S. were unable to travel to Korea because the virus was spreading rapidly there. The cancellation could delay the handover of full operational control of Korean troops to Seoul, which is scheduled for 2022. The two countries are assessing the preparedness for the handover in three stages. Last year, they tested the initial operational capability of the Korean military. But they are worried that the second-stage assessment might be canceled this year. A military spokesman here said, "We have to wait until early next month, when U.S. troops begin to arrive from the mainland" because whether or not to stage the drill depends on the number of participating U.S. troops. Another variable is differences in views about which side will be in overall charge. Last year, the drills were carried out under the U.S. military's control in the first half and under the Korean military's control in the second half to see if Korea was up to the job. But as this year's spring training was canceled, the U.S. has called for the summer exercise to be staged under the control of U.S. Forces Korea Commander Robert Abrams, whereas the Korean government has insisted that it should run it. Wirtz, VA (24184) Today Widely scattered showers or a thunderstorm this evening. Then partly cloudy. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Widely scattered showers or a thunderstorm this evening. Then partly cloudy. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Police are investigating a stabbing that occurred Wednesday night in York, Nebraska. York police officers responded to a home about 7:30 p.m. after a 911 hang-up call was made from the residence. They found a man appearing to strangle a woman, according to a press release from the Nebraska State Patrol. An officer pulled 60-year-old Mario Reyes off the woman and saw that the woman had been stabbed multiple times. The victim is being treated for life-threatening injuries, the patrol said. For her safety, officers arent releasing her identity. She remained hospitalized as of Thursday afternoon. Reyes was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, strangulation and domestic assault. The State Patrol is assisting the York Police Department in the investigation, which is ongoing. Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Oddly, I find something bracing about this. Not long ago I was meeting with a group of young graduate students, who asked what troubled me most about the problems we confront, and the word that instantly came to mind was complacency. As Americans, we have a tendency to feel that weve always come through hard times and always will. The result is often a sense that we can leave things to others: to our leaders, to our nonprofits, churches, and community groups, to our more involved neighbors. We ourselves dont set out to do the things we know need to be done. But heres the thing about a representative democracy like ours: it doesnt work unless citizens do their partand I include our leaders in this. At its heart, it asks of us that we find a niche where we can improve things. Its disheartening to see recent polls that suggest huge percentages of Americans believe things in the country are out of control80 percent of respondents in a recent NBC News/Wall St. Journal pollbut its heartening to know theres something we can do about it: the country wont be out of control if each of us steps up to the challenges we see in our own neighborhoods and our nation. I began my political career because I felt like I needed to do something to help my community in southern Indiana and didnt know where to start. So, I asked my precinct committeeman, who enlisted me to go door to door to try to get voters involved. That led eventually to Congress, and ultimately to a committee chairmanship trying to resolve some of the countrys knottiest foreign affairs challenges. You never know where these things are going to lead. At least half of St. Catharines city council says it supports making masks mandatory in indoor public spaces ahead of a special meeting on the issue Monday. A survey of ward councillors Thursday found six of the 12 are in favour of or leaning towards coming up with a mask rule while two were undecided and one was leaning against it. Another three were unreachable Thursday. Mayor Walter Sendzik told the Standard earlier this week he would like to see Niagara municipalities follow Torontos lead and make masks mandatory in indoor spaces such as stores to help control the spread of COVID-19. Hes called a special meeting for Monday to discuss a temporary bylaw requiring residents to wear face masks in indoor places where the public are within close proximity. The meeting will take place at 4:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on the citys YouTube channel. Several councillors reached Thursday said they thought the move could help propel the area into Stage 3 of the provinces reopening strategy quicker. All the medical evidence supports the wearing of masks and, therefore, to shorten the shutdown in this area we should go with the masks, said St. Andrews Coun. Joe Kushner. Kushner said he sent a memo to the mayor a few weeks ago about the issue when Niagaras acting medical officer of health said it was up to municipalities to make mask orders, not the health department. The fact is if it is in law, most people will abide by the law, Kushner said. Port Dalhousie Coun. Carlos Garcia said he also raised the issue after Toronto and Peel voted to make masks mandatory. He said there are people who will think its an imposition, but its something we should put up with until the virus is under control. We have been so lucky so far when you look at the horror story down south, and we mustnt get complacent. St. Patricks Coun. Karrie Porter said she also asked staff how to implement a mask bylaw for indoor spaces in May but the city was waiting for the province or region to act on it. In the absence of any action, Im completely in favour of St. Catharines implementing a mask bylaw, she said, adding the city is getting a lot of tourists and visitors from other municipalities. Porter said she doesnt want to see an uptick in cases and the evidence is mounting that universal mask wearing indoors is a good way to prevent the spread. She said masks are also symbolic and remind people there is still a pandemic and to remain vigilant. Fellow St. Patricks Coun. Mat Siscoe said after moving into Stage 2, some people seem to have forgotten that theres a whole swath of the service sector which is still not working. He said wearing masks is a small step the city can take to show its ready to move on to Stage 3 and may be a way to get those people back to work as well. Were all willing to accept no shirts, no shoes, no service. This is, for the time being, just an extension of that, Siscoe said. When youre inside, its like wearing shirts and shoes. Its a matter of public health and public cleanliness. Merritton Coun. Greg Miller said there is going to have to be some understanding for people who cant wear masks because of health issues. But he said anything council can do to help stem the spread of COVID-19 is a good thing. I think everyone is pretty understanding that if they see most people wearing a mask, the person they see not wearing a mask probably cant. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... But even councillors in favour of the move questioned if it could really be enforced and how. Port Dalhousie Coun. Bruce Williamson said he will err on the side of public safety and is leaning towards encouraging the masks, but wondered about the citys jurisdiction and authority. He, like several others, questioned why Niagara Region isnt making the mask decision. Even if its a political decision it should be regionwide. I think its fair for us to advocate for it, but do we have jurisdiction to do it? Grantham Coun. Bill Phillips said he has a tough time demanding people do something if they dont want to do it. He said hes had calls and emails from residents saying they shouldnt be forced to wear masks. Ultimately, he said, hed like to see the decision made on the regional level and if its going to happen, it should happen across the region. While he wasnt leaning towards masks, he said that could change by Monday. Its a tough one. Number 1 thing is you want people to be well. Were adults and we should be able to determine how concerned we are. On the other hand, people who are concerned should not be infected by people who are not concerned. Theres no right answer, I dont believe. Others said they were waiting for more information. Merritton Coun. Lori Littleton said she hadnt formed an opinion and planned on doing more research into what Toronto is doing and what health authorities are recommending. St. Georges Coun. Sal Sorrento said he was planning to talk to people in the health-care field and on the front lines before making a decision. Sorrento said questions needed to be answered such as what happens if a business allows employees not to wear masks and clients come in wearing masks? How will a bylaw affect what goes on in professional offices? And what if people say they dont like a mask order and go to Niagara Falls or Thorold to shop? Ive had residents contact me who are absolutely not in favour of it and residents who are absolutely applauding the move. Im hearing from both, he said. Grantham Coun. Dawn Dodge, St. Andrews Coun. Matt Harris and St. Georges Coun. Kevin Townsend could not be reached. A 68-year-old man who, together with a co-accused, received more than $34,000 in benefits they were not entitled to has been placed on probation. George Hurst, of Niagara Falls, appeared in an Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines Friday and pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud over $5,000. Court was told the defendant and a co-accused received Ontario Disability Support Payments totalling more than $34,000 between 2012 and 2016 while living in Brazil, and not Ontario. This is a debt that can never be wiped out, assistant Crown attorney Grace Pang told Judge Harvey Brownstone. He will have to pay up. Hurst was arrested when he returned to Canada. The co-accused, court heard, remained in Brazil. The judge agreed to a joint submission by the Crown and defence and placed Hurst on probation for 12 months. A Canadian epidemiologist has called the decision by Air Canada and WestJet to drop on-board seat distancing policies wildly inappropriate, warning that the move could lead to a second wave of COVID-19 in Canada. Colin Furness, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, called it a foolish move from both a public health and a business standpoint. Thats how COVID arrived in Canada. It came on an airplane, he said. Theyre really kind of setting us up ... for a really ugly second wave. Canadas two largest airlines ended their on-board seat distancing policies on July 1 the same day that Nova Scotias public health agency warned that passengers may have been exposed to COVID-19 on a June 26 WestJet flight from Toronto to Halifax. Its not the only case. The government has posted COVID-19 related health advisories for 11 Canadian airline flights since June 17. Eight are Air Canada flights, two are WestJet, and one is Flair Airlines. The airlines maintain that temperature checks, mandatory face masks, HEPA air filters, deep cleaning and other measures mean that they can now seat passengers right next to each other, but all three independent health experts contacted by the Star said that the face masks, temperature checks and extra cleaning promised by airlines cannot replace the efficacy of social distancing. Air Canada and WestJet said they would relax the procedures in accordance with the United Nations aviation agency and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) trade group. Both airlines were previously blocking immediately adjacent seats. But epidemiologists say its too soon for people to fly for any non-essential reason, and that if people do need to fly, social distancing is the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Furness said the June 26 flight should serve as a scare for anyone thinking of flying recreationally. He said Canadians who have to fly should choose airlines that are still distancing passengers almost impossible now that both major airlines have ended the practice or at least fly business class. And if theyre thinking of flying recreationally, he has this advice: Maybe dont. What role do you want to have in propagating suffering and death? And is it worth it? Tim Sly, an epidemiologist and professor emeritus at Ryerson Universitys School of Public Health, said any air travel at all is taking a big risk, because youre doing exactly what the experts have been telling you not to do. He agreed with Furness that distance is much more effective than masks, and said no matter how careful passengers are, it just takes one person to spread COVID-19 on a flight. In early June, Air Canada CEO Calin Rovinescu was one of more than 130 executives from the travel and tourism industry who signed an open letter to the prime minister asking for looser travel restrictions and targeted quarantines for passengers coming from higher-risk countries. A week later, the companys CFO echoed that call during a virtual event. WestJet spokesperson Morgan Bell said in an email that the company is trying to balance the economic necessity of the airlines to a country with responsibly living with the virus. She added that WestJet has been alerting the public about potential exposures since March 15 to remain transparent with customers. Bell said WestJet airplanes are fitted with HEPA filters, which refresh air throughout the cabin and help clean recirculated air. She said the seat distancing measures were intended to be temporary while the airline ramped up all its other hygiene measures in preparation for the long haul. Bell said WestJets posted schedule for July shows the airline operating at 13 per cent of last years capacity. In an email, an Air Canada spokesperson pointed to HEPA filters as a key reason why there are no reports of outbreak clusters on board flights. The spokesperson said modern aircraft are made to constantly scrub and refresh air every 2-3 minutes, adding that the airline will notify passengers if their upcoming flight is near capacity and give them other flight options. While we would all like a single measure that reduces risk, we are left to use a combination of approaches to mitigate risk, the spokesperson said. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... On May 19, the IATA called for an end to seat distancing, saying the use of masks rendered it unnecessary. A May 8 publication said continued distancing would make airlines economically unviable and that depending on configuration, seat distancing could result in a reduced capacity of 33 to 50 per cent, causing companies to lose money. The May 19 publication also states that air filtering, seats as a barrier and the fact that everybody is front facing help negate the need for seat distancing. IATA has suggested COVID-19 testing be part of airlines safety measures where available. Furness said he thinks Canada has an unfortunate track record of following international governance over its own officials, and that this is an example of that. Nitin Mohan, a physician epidemiologist who teaches public and global health at Western University, said people need to figure out their own risk threshold, and think about not just their own health safety, but that of those around them. He said he would prefer airlines continue to maintain seat distancing and listen to public health officials in Canada. We cant be lax with our precautions, he said. Mohan said with airlines relaxing restrictions and the economy reopening, Canadians may be lulled into a false sense of security, thinking life is returning to normal. But were far from that. On Monday, B.C.s health minister Adrian Dix asked for evidence that its safe for airlines to drop social distancing policies. Neither airline commented at the time, but Transport Canada said in a statement that it had issued nonmandatory guidelines to the industry that included passenger spacing. With files from Canadian Press and Jillian Kestler-DAmours Clarification July 3, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version to clarify comments by WestJet spokesperson Morgan Bell. Read more about: All those warnings from small cottage country mayors to stay away this spring havent discouraged Torontonians from hunting for vacation homes, say realtors in the resort destinations outside the city. Some say the pandemic is boosting business as urbanites seek a change of scene in less populated communities, finally secure in the knowledge that the boss is OK with working from home. The lockdown made people stir crazy, said real estate broker Treat Hull in Prince Edward County east of Toronto, which has been attracting tourists, retirees and telecommuters, with its wineries, internet service and home prices at half the cost of the city. Hull said COVID-19 deepened the pool of potential home buyers beyond the lawyers and knowledge workers because suddenly it has become acceptable to make a big presentation or sales proposal on video chat. Now, not only can you work from home, you can sell from home. I think thats the breakthrough, he said. North of the city, prices have been climbing all spring but they were up 10.5 per cent in June over May, said Catharine Inniss, of Johnston and Daniel in Port Carling in Muskoka. People are coming up in droves. They are buying everything, she said. COVID brought home that (people) wanted more space. Also employers are embracing telecommuting much more now that they know it works just fine, said Inniss, who is the president of the Lakelands Association of Realtors. Even the recent stock market turmoil has helped, she said. People are deciding its a much safer bet to invest in real estate. You can enjoy your money in real estate, said Inniss. Lake Simcoe real estate was sizzling at the start of 2020, even with 2.5 ft. of ice on the water, said Barrie based realtor Rick Laferriere of Re/MAX Hallmark Chay Realty. His business, based entirely on waterfront properties, went cold the last two weeks of March but then the phones started ringing again. Laferriere said the first six months of the year saw a 25 per cent year over year increase in sales and he says its all healthy family business compared to recent years when buyers were purchasing lakefront homes to earn short-term rental income. With no day camp or sleepaway camps for their kids, a lot of families that are just biting the bullet, he said. Normally after Canada Day, the real estate season starts to slow, but the pandemic appears to have stalled and sped up the usual spring search for vacation homes, said Troy Austen, of Re/MAX Team Haliburton Highlands. As city folks hunt for year-round homes in cottage country, the Ontario governments commitment to high speed internet in rural areas, cant come soon enough, he said. Austen said buyers, who cant travel, cant send their kids to camp and are afraid to ride the elevator to their condo, are looking for a sandy beach, sunset views and internet not necessarily in that order. The 57.5 per cent year over year drop in waterfront home inventory in June and a 47 per cent increase in sales, means many properties are selling with multiple offers. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... If you want to know what your place is worth, just wait for the next week, he said. As for the warnings for cottagers to stay away for fear of overwhelming rural health care systems, Austen said many cottage owners took no notice. Now, those people are bored and working on their properties with 2x4s selling out at the lumber store and a run on hot tubs. For a long time you could fire a cannon up the street, said Austen. Last week, starting on Wednesday, you cant even drive through town any more. ROME - The president of the lower house of Italys Parliament has slammed Egypts stance in a probe to bring to justice the torturers and killers of an Italian doctoral student who disappeared in Cairo while researching labour movements in Egyt. Chamber of Deputies President Roberto Fico told Italian state TV on Friday that lack of satisfactory co-operation from Egyptian prosecutors in solving the 2016 killing of Giulio Regeni amounted to a punch in the face? of Italy. Fico, a leading member of the main party in Italys coalition government, the populist 5-Star Movement, was expressing frustration that the discussions Italian prosecutors had with their Egyptian counterparts this week failed to elicit progress. Since late 2018, Italian prosecutors have called for Egypt to hand over five intelligence and police service officials or to at least help Italy prosecute them in absentia. Some Italian lawmakers have contended that the only progress so far in the case came after Italy temporarily yanked its ambassador to Egypt. Regenis parents are pressing Premier Giuseppe Conte to again withdraw the Italian envoy in Cairo to protest what is perceived as Egyptian resistance to exposing the truth and delivering justice. But Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio insisted the ambassador needs to stay put so the truth will emerge. The Giulio Regeni case is an open wound for the entire country, Di Maio told reporters Friday. In these very hours, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the Egyptian ambassador for further information, and also the Egyptian prosecutor office has stated that they will act with extreme transparency. Di Maio added that he hoped words will be followed by facts. Tension over the case comes at a sensitive time for Contes increasingly squabbling coalition. Many lawmakers, including from the Democratic Party, the coalitions junior partner, have objected to plans to sell two Italian-made frigates to Egypt. Final government approval of the sale is pending. Regenis mother has said her son was so badly beaten and otherwise tortured that she only recognized the tip of his nose when she viewed his body. HOUSTON - An audit of a Houston Police Department narcotics unit thats been under scrutiny following a deadly 2019 drug raid found that officers made hundreds of errors in cases, often werent thorough in their investigations, lacked supervision and overpaid informants for the seizure of minuscule amounts of drugs. A group of state lawmakers who had been fighting for months for the audits release criticized the report, calling it a scam for not detailing the systematic problems within the unit and the police department that ultimately led to the January 2019 drug raid in which Dennis Tuttle, 59, and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, 58, were killed. This was not a single rogue officer. This was not even a single rogue unit. This was an entire rogue division. This is an entire branch of the Houston police department that just did whatever it felt like doing, state Rep. Gene Wu said Friday. A Houston police spokesman said Chief Art Acevedo and the department were not expected to comment on the audit. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Thursday the audit looked at the narcotics unit with a very critical eye and Houston police have since stepped up and already made a number of revisions. The 66-page audit reviewed the work of two former members of the narcotics unit Gerald Goines and Steven Bryant along with the work of squads within the unit. Goines and Bryant have previously been charged in state and federal court in the case, including two counts of felony murder filed in state court against Goines for the deaths of the couple. The audit found more than 400 errors in cases from the three years leading up to the raid that were handled by Goines and Bryant. Some of the errors the audit tied to Goines included not getting approval for informant payments, missing documentation regarding the payment of informants and overpaying informants. Goines use of informants has been one of the key issues thats been investigated in the deadly raid. Prosecutors had previously accused Goines, 55, of lying to obtain the warrant to search the home of Tuttle and his wife by claiming that a confidential informant had bought heroin there. Goines later said there was no informant and that he had bought the drugs himself, they allege. Five officers, including Goines, were injured in the raid. Nicole DeBorde, Goines attorney, said Friday she couldnt immediately comment as she was still reviewing the audit. The audit also reviewed the work of officers in four squads within the narcotics unit and found they had made over 700 errors in cases from the two years leading up to the raid. One squad was cited for not being thorough in their investigations as officers failed to document pertinent details in the offence report, such as who was present, location of the evidence, and other information that would aid the prosecution. Some officers took up to a year to turn in completed reports. Officers and supervisors normally have 15 days to complete case paperwork and turn it in, according to the audit. Acevedo had declined to release the audit, arguing it would harm an ongoing investigation by prosecutors. But after Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg on Wednesday announced new charges against Goines, Bryant and four other former officers, Houston released the audit on its Twitter page later that evening. In the weeks since the killing of George Floyd, a former Houston resident who died in May while being arrested by a Minneapolis police officer, Acevedo has given interviews and talked to protesters about being committed to police transparency and accountability. But hes been criticized for not releasing the audit sooner and for not releasing body camera footage from six deadly Houston police shootings that took place within a five week period in April and May. Wu, D-Houston, said he and other lawmakers planned to craft legislation to ensure the deaths of Tuttle and Nicholas mean something. We want there to be true reform from this. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The raid did not happen in a vacuum. That kind of conduct can only happen when there is an environment, a long standing and pervasive custom and practice of illegal conduct that is known by and condoned by the highest levels of the department, said Boyd Smith, an attorney representing Tuttles family. ___ Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70 TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Several college students in an Alabama city organized COVID-19 parties as a contest to see who would get the virus first, an official said. Students hosted the parties to intentionally infect each other with the new coronavirus, news outlets quoted Tuscaloosa City Councilor Sonya McKinstry as saying. McKinstry said party organizers purposely invited guests who tested positive for COVID-19. She said the students put money in a pot and whoever got COVID first would get the cash. It makes no sense, McKinstry said. Theyre intentionally doing it. Tuscaloosa Fire Chief Randy Smith told the City Council on Tuesday that fire officials confirmed some students had attended parties despite knowing they were infected. The department thought the parties were rumours, but Smith said after some research, officials discovered they were real. Not only do the doctors offices confirm it but the state confirmed they also had the same information, Smith said. State Health Officer Scott Harris said he had seen the news story about the reported parties, but could not officially confirm it. Dr. Ramesh Peramsetty, a local physician, was quoted by the Tuscaloosa News as saying that there had been rumours of parties for about a month. While my nursing staff was triaging patients for COVID-19 swabbing, they were told about the COVID-19 house parties and were even shown videos of the parties by college students, Peramsetty said. When students are called for results, we noticed that some were very excited and happy that they were positive, while others were very upset that they were negative. McKinstry and Smith did not say which schools the students attend. Tuscaloosa is home to The University of Alabama and several other colleges. The University of Alabama issued a statement saying they have heard rumours of such parties and are working to educate students. We have been aware for weeks of the rumours about COVID parties. We conducted a thorough investigation, and although we have been unable to identify any students who may have participated in these types of activities, we will continue to follow up on any information we receive and educate our students about essential precautions, the university said in a statement. Tuscaloosa City Council members unanimously approved a mask requirement during a meeting Tuesday. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and even be fatal. ___ This story has been edited to clarify that the fire chief confirmed only that students had attended parties knowing they were infected. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... ___ Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. Do you believe in miracles? Have you ever gazed at a sunset and wondered whether there was anything more breathtaking and awesome? Is not the birth of a child or the love between two human souls also miraculous? And what about ancient miracles? The Sea of Reeds parting, the Walls of Jericho crumbling down or mere survival? These remain powerful examples of the faith our ancestors held in God. Even this weeks Torah portion, Chukat/Balack, refers to a talking donkey and intended curses turned into blessings. How do our modern minds view these? Do miracles occur at a time when science and technology are exponentially increasing our knowledge and understanding of the universe? And what exactly IS a miracle? May I suggest that our lives are replete with small, unassuming miracles daily. Good health, the warmth and love of dear ones, and the ability to have faith in God as well as one another constitute miracles. These are everyday miracles. In an age of cynicism, looking at life through lenses of blessings is a miracle. Rabbi Alexander Schindler (of blessed memory) eloquently paraphrased Maimonides thoughts on miracles: ADVERTISEMENT Miracles are not the things that awe us with the sense of the impossible. Miracles, rather, are those events that stretch our sense of the possible. Miracles are not transcendent, not otherworldly. They are simply the achievement of the people in this world who proceed in faith to deal with life not merely as a personal quest for happiness, but as a communal quest for worthiness. The late Rabbi Menachem Schneerson taught that miraculous behavior is merely an extension of human goodness. Miracles would be an extension of tikkun olam, of repairing the world. The rebbe would regularly distribute dollar bills so everyone could participate in tikkun olam. You no longer could exercise your excuses. The Haftarah portion is from the prophet Micah, who tells us that above all, what is most important is to do justice, to love goodness and to walk humbly with your God. As Gods partners, it is our obligation to care for the world one soul at a time. Rabbi Schneerson saw within each of us the ability to perform a mitzvah, a daily miracle, and thus participate in the repair of our world. A story I once heard: A student once inquired why God endowed human beings with doubt. The student quickly pointed out that skepticism leads us only to doubt our abilities and deny our faith. The rabbi replied that there are times when it is better not to have too much faith in the Almighty. For when a poor soul comes to you for help because he and his family are hungry, do not send him away with the assurance that God will perform some miracle for him. This is the time to use your doubt. Act independently. Help the man yourself! All too often our charitable actions are delayed until much of the need has passed and the joy of giving largely diminished. I once read a cartoon that depicted two elderly women, in the middle of winter, draped in rags and shivering over a meager fire. One woman asked the other, What are you thinking about? She replied, About the nice warm clothing people will give us next summer. A rabbi of the 16th century explained that if you want to raise a person from the mud and filth, do not think it is enough to keep standing on top and reaching down with an extended hand. You must go all the way down yourself. Down into the mud and filth. Then take hold with two strong hands and pull him and yourself out, into the light. On Shabbat morning, many communities sing Ma Tovu: How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel. By opening our arms, hearts and gates, we shall continue to be a place that seeks justice, goodness, and walks humbly with our fellow human beings and with God. May our words, our actions, our faith be for a blessing, and may our lives be filled with Gods presence. May our eyes be open to the existing miracles and the ones we create. Elizabeth Hersh is senior rabbi at Temple Emanuel and is a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, which coordinates the dvar Torah for the Jewish Light. This is so heartbreaking for us, she said. I want people to think about the slavery people are experiencing today. My sister is sitting somewhere being forced to make what, hair pieces? Wednesdays shipment was made by Lop County Meixin Hair Product Co. Ltd. In May, a similar detention was placed on Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories Co. Ltd., although those weaves were synthetic, not human, the agency said. Hetian Haolins products were imported by Os Hair in Duluth, Georgia, and I & I Hair, headquartered in Dallas. I & Is weaves are sold under the Innocence brand to salons and individuals around the U.S. Both of the exporters are in Chinas far west Xinjiang region, where, over the past four years, the government has detained an estimated 1 million or more ethnic Turkic minorities. The ethnic minorities are held in internment camps and prisons where they are subjected to ideological discipline, forced to denounce their religion and language and physically abused. China has long suspected the Uighurs, who are mostly Muslim, of harboring separatist tendencies because of their distinct culture, language and religion. SPRINGFIELD, Mo. Housekeepers are able to discuss R-naught factors. The health department lists the public locations visited by infectious residents. Nearly 80 church leaders just delivered a letter asking the City Council to mandate face masks. That is just some of what goes on in Greene County, which is home to Missouris third-largest city and surrounded by counties where cases of COVID-19 have exploded over the past two weeks. Greene County has about 300,000 people, and 170,000 of them live in Springfield. Its in the southwest corner of Missouri, an area getting the blame for the states recent increasing pace of new cases. Nearly a dozen counties in the corner of the state have seen the number of cases swell in recent weeks, the University of Missouris tracking site shows. McDonald County, which borders both Oklahoma and Arkansas, now has the most cases per capita in the state after seeing its cases increase 515% going from 116 on June 17 to 714 cases on July 1. In the middle of it all is Greene County. Cases have increased, but more steadily. The county has seen a 40% increase, going from 236 to 329 in two weeks. Some, like Walker, though, are more alarmed about the pace of infections. We are headed for total and complete community spread, said Walker. The worst-case scenario is people continuing to die from this, and thats whats happening. She points to grim numbers that show the steady progression of infections since May 4, when Missouri began to phase in steps to reopen society. On May 3, the Post-Dispatch reported 351 virus-linked deaths and 8,154 cases. Both of those numbers have more than doubled since. If that growth rate continues for two more months without intervention, then by the beginning of September, Missouri will have tallied about 2,700 coronavirus deaths and 42,800 confirmed cases, Walker said. Thats not a second wave. Thats this wave continuing to get worse, she said. And its not a wave, its a tsunami. She says leaders dont need to revert to shutting down society, but should simply apply lessons learned about prevention. That starts with wearing masks, said Walker. Suggestions dont go far enough, she added. Governments job is to lead, Walker said. They have a mandate to warn and they have a mandate to protect. But, International MOMS Club, which was founded in 1983 by Mary James, has taken an entirely different approach. In an unsigned response to questions I sent to the organizations email, they defended the decision to reject the collage by stating it was political because others outside the MOMS Club have made the issue political. The organization uses a very narrow definition of political, the email said. Some members complained that the poster itself was racist, the organization said. That sounded like gaslighting and felt like a betrayal to moms who had volunteered hours over many years to build their local chapters. Sara Simpson, who founded the West County chapter seven years ago and served as president for three years, asked: What political party is pro-racist? If you cant even say dont be racist, then I dont want to be on your team, she said. Its such a weird hill to die on. She looked up the political contributions and Facebook posts of the board members and found a majority supported conservative political causes. It seems like they are taking a very strong political stance, while saying they are not, she said And its really disappointing and not transparent at all. ST. LOUIS With backyard fireworks displays booming across the city this year, St. Louis police busted one back-of-the-car fireworks salesman Thursday night. Officers spotted the man about 8 p.m. selling fireworks from the trunk of his car at Spring Avenue and Delor Street in Dutchtown. Officers seized the fireworks, which are illegal to sell or fire off in the city. The police then issued the 44-year old man a summons and released him. St. Louis police told the Post-Dispatch they received more than 1,000 calls complaining about fireworks from June 1 to 29, compared with 239 the year before. Rob Cima, vice president of the Missouri Pyrotechnics Association, also told the newspaper this week that fireworks sales in Missouri are up 200% to 300% compared with last year. Terms of the contract call for Geng and his team to provide projections on the disease and analysis to identify emerging hot spots. The contract also calls for studying the role of contact tracing. The state of Missouri has used and will continue to use data and the analysis of that data to help craft policy decisions, and to inform the public, members of the media and local governments, Moreland said. Although the St. Louis region has been the hardest hit by COVID-19, nearly a dozen Missouri counties in the southwest corner of the state have seen the number of cases swell in recent weeks. McDonald County, which borders both Oklahoma and Arkansas, now has the most cases per capita in the state after seeing its cases increase 515% going from 116 on June 17 to 714 cases on July 1. On Thursday, the governor said despite an increase in the number of cases, hospitalizations have trended downward since a high in April. Missouri is in a good place, Parson said. Pruitt also said the measure will result in stepped-up razing of contaminated vacant buildings. Opponents of both privatization plans say the city would be gambling its single most valuable asset and that companies chosen to lease Lambert would prioritize profits over the public interest. Its a way of extracting value out of the airport and putting it in the control of a private operator, said Alderman Cara Spencer, D-20th Ward. She also has said Lambert and the city would be a guinea pig because no major airport in the continental United States has leased their entire operation. Critics also say now is the wrong time to negotiate an airport lease amid the big decline in air travel amid the coronavirus pandemic. Its possible both the petition measure and Reeds proposal could be on the ballot at the same time. But Pruitt said his campaign is open to sitting down with Reed and other aldermen to see if theres a way we dont wind up with two proposals on the ballot. Reed could not be reached for comment Thursday. The Atlantic Sapphire team successfully transferred its first batch of Atlantic salmon from fresh to saline water sourced directly from the Floridan Aquifer. Their first harvest of Atlantic salmon in its Miami Bluehouse is scheduled for the third quarter of 2020. Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. The German Defense Ministry is having a procurement crisis of their own making and has been forced by increasingly embarrassing revelations to amend specifications for a new infantry rifle. These specifications were drawn up by bureaucrats more concerned about avoiding some vague future embarrassment while ignoring some current realities. This mess could have been avoided it the procurement bureaucrats involved had consulted a small-arms expert or one of their own special operations troops, to double-check the new spec. At that point, they would have been told the weapon the specification described was physically impossible, at least with current technology. The 2017 German spec for a new rifle, to replace the G36, called for a weapon weighing no more than 3.6 kg (7.9 pounds). That was OK, but then the spec included bullet performance, like speed, range and penetration, that could not be achieved by an assault rifle weighing 3.6 kg. What the 2017 spec called for was a rifle weighing as much (or as little) as most current 5.56mm rifles but firing a bullet with the range and penetration of the larger 7.62mm round that had been largely replaced by 5.56mm weapons. The spec was a little vague on exactly what caliber the new weapons was supposed to handle and many weapons suppliers reading that dismissed it as some ill-informed bureaucratic rhetoric that no one would take seriously. The procurement officials did take their error seriously as they failed to accept proposed weapons like the HK416 which were long used by German army and navy special operations troops. France had recently selected the HK416 as its new infantry rifle and many other NATO nations used or were adopting the HK416. Unlike the G36, which was accepted without the military considering extended use in a hot climate, the HK416 had already shown itself effective in a wide range of climates and operating conditions. The HK416 is not a wonder weapon, just a competently designed one that has proved its effectiveness in combat in a wide range of climates and situations. There were several other rifles in the competition that were a suitable G36 replacement. But it was the decision to fail the HK416 that jumped out. Scrutinizing the procurement spec, it was eventually discovered that someone (we may never know who) had the spec call for a new weapon that could handle a more powerful bullet than any 5.56mm weapon was designed to handle. The spec was OK if it was calling for a rifle that could handle a 7.62mm round and some 5.56mm rifle designs will accommodate that by switching in a different receiver/barrel component, a substitution feature that many modern weapons are designed to handle. But the 7.62mm receiver/barrel component is heavier than the one used for a 5.56mm round. Basic physics, which the new rifle spec did not talk about changing, is at the heart of the current G36 replacement crises. It is not clear if the German procurement bureaucrats are going to just fix the problem or try to talk their way out of it and delay the acquisition effort still more. This problem has been lurching towards a solution for over a decade. The G36 heat problem was confirmed, in Afghanistan, back in 2008. The procurement bureaucracy did not confirm and act on that by issuing a new assault rifle specification until 2017, even though by 2015 it was widely understood why the G36 had failed in the heat and why other weapons, like the HK416, had not. The 2017 spec called for a new rifle to be selected and orders placed by early 2019. With this latest problem that has been revised to late 2020. Maybe. Many details of the new assault rifle spec were not disclosed so it is uncertain what other surprises might manifest themselves from among the unpublished fine print. A 2015 German Army study concluded that the G36 was unreliable during sustained combat, especially in hot weather. Most G36 users were NATO soldiers who only used their G36s for training in their home country. That means a nation in Europe where sustained periods of extremely hot weather are rare. Most NATO soldiers had been satisfied with G36s. That was largely because the heat problems were never noticed because the troops typically used the G36 for training, as in single or short burst fire, and often in cooler European weather. In early 2015 the German Amy issued a report that admitted, after years of user complaints and several rounds of testing, that there were major accuracy and reliability problems with its G36 assault rifle, and all were heat-related. The G36 is a 3.3 kg (7.3 pound), 999mm (39 inch) long (758mm with stock folded) 5.56mm assault rifle. Effective range is 800 meters and it can use a 30 or 100 round magazine and was designed to be an improvement on the M16 design from the 1960s. On paper, the G36 was a success but in combat, it was not. This was particularly true in Afghanistan. While the G36 entered service in 1995 it didnt get exposed to heavy combat use until 2008 and thats when the complaints from the troops began. The main problem was that the G36 suffers accuracy and reliability problems when the barrel gets very hot. This tends to happen when the rifle fires a lot of rounds in a short period, and is worse in areas where the outdoor temperatures are very hot to begin with. This was a common situation in Afghanistan. In 2014, despite formal investigations and test results that backed up the complaints of the troops, the German government ordered one last round of tests and a temporary halt in purchases of G36s. The results of those tests confirmed earlier results and the G36 was said to have no future in the German military. That admitted the problem but did not solve it. That took a lot longer than anyone expected. Although German troops went to Afghanistan in 2002, they were deliberately kept away from combat for several years. But by 2008 German troops were regularly fighting the Taliban and experiencing extended firefights during the warm weather. At that point the troops encountered the previously unknown G36 flaws. There were incidents where hours of combat caused several very obvious difficulties. One of the more obvious problems was the polymer (plastic) parts of the rifle getting a bit soft when the metal parts got very hot due to heavy use in a short period of time. The barrel and receiver could move a tiny bit under those conditions and that threw off accuracy to a small degree that became especially noticeable only at longer (over 200 meters) ranges. It was later discovered that the manufacturer had not been using the right type of plastic for the rifle and the cheaper substitute was more prone to failure in high-heat conditions. Military equipment failing because the manufacturer substituted inferior (and usually cheaper) components is nothing new. Unfortunately, double-checking for that is time-consuming and expensive. When a budget crisis comes along, such quality-control expenses are often among the first cuts. Germany had been reducing its defense budget since the early 1990s and the G36 problem was another result of those cuts. The G36 fiasco was not unique but part of a larger pattern that has, at times, grounded most of the German air force, left the German Navy with only a few operational warships and the army with only a few operational tanks. Most of those disasters were simply the result of years of spending too little on maintenance. The G36 mess was special because if could have been avoided if the procurement officials had monitored the quality of what they were buying. The latest G36 mess indicates personnel problems in the procurement bureaucracy because no one caught this basic flaw in the spec or the G36 replacement. By 2012 it was also discovered that there were no practical (workable and affordable) solutions. At first, the German government insisted the problem had to do with bad ammunition. The ammo manufacturers denied that and were able to make a convincing case. Meanwhile, the complaints from the troops, confirmed by many witnesses and cell phone photos, of the heat-related problems and total failure of the rifle in some cases kept showing up in the media. German politicians and procurement officials initially responded by trying to make all this go away. The government officials did not want to admit they made a major mistake in putting the G36 into service. They also dont want the major expense of replacing the G36 with a better design. The G36 was initially very popular as the standard German infantry assault rifle. By 1997 it was widely used and troops appreciated the fact that it used a short-stroke piston system. The M16s uses a gas-tube system, which results in carbon being blown back into the chamber. That leads to carbon build-up, which results in jams as rounds getting stuck in the chamber, and the weapon is unable to fire. The short-stroke system also does not expose parts of the rifle to extremely hot gases, which wears out components more quickly. As a result, rifles using the short-stroke system, rather than the gas-tube, are more reliable, easier to maintain and last longer. That was the good news. The bad news stayed hidden for a decade. The G-36 assault rifle had been created in the early 1990s as the successor of the outdated G3 rifle which was incompatible with the current NATO standards. The new G36 5.56mm assault rifle was adopted by the Bundeswehr in 1995 and achieved some export success. The rifle is made mostly from reinforced composites. Thanks to this it is very light. The lightest version weighs only 2.8 kilograms and the heaviest variant is only 3.6 kilograms. The bit of information may have been what caused the G36 replacement spec to go off the rails. We will probably never know. Stay up to date on COVID-19 Get Breaking News Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Sponsored By: Arvest Bank Changes to the SunCommercial's back end processing means the e-edition is getting a facelift. The biggest change is the e-edition, by default, is now presented in Text view. The principals' federation says the government must bring truant service workers inhouse to schools because teachers know their students better. This comes as Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced a $66 million package to tackle high truancy rates persisting since lockdown and offfer counselling to teachers. Currently, if a student is truant, a referral can be made to a regional attendance service. A truancy officer then contacts the family to get the child back to school. But sometimes many visits are required. New Zealand Principal Federation president Perry Rush called it "time-intensive" and said it would be best served by the schools themselves. He called the new funding package "appropriate" and "nimble" but it did not adequately reflect frustrations. "I think there's potential to improve how schools can deal with attendance issues locally [in the funding], what it doesn't appear to be is a long term solution," he says. "Frustration with slow and overburdened attendance service providers has reached a crescendo [and] urgent improvement is required. "Schools know the students who are frequently truant and are best placed to make the connections and build the relationships to address attendance concerns." He called on the government to disestablish the regional attendance services and reinvest funds in frontline staffing that schools could deploy in their own local communities. "Our view very strongly is that funding should be located within schools because schools know their young people best." Of the package, $50m is an urgent response fund to increase teacher aide hours, boost home visits for students with poor attendance history and give social workers more time with refugee families. The other $16m is for workplace assistance and counselling support services for the education workforce and their families. Hipkins says this would benefit 10,000 additional teachers and other school staff by 2022. "During Covid stress levels among families and students have increased. "In some cases the links families have with schools have been put under extra pressure, and we need to make sure students are connected to their learning." -RNZ Do you already have a paid subscription to any of the SWNewsMedia newspapers? If so, you can Activate your Premium online account by clicking here. Activation will allow you to view unlimited online articles each month. To activate your Premium online account, the email address and phone number provided with your paid newspaper subscription needs to match the information you use in setting up your online user account. If you are having trouble or want to confirm what email address and phone number is listed on your subscription account, please call 952-345-6682 or email circulation@swpub.com and we'll be happy to assist. 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. Lawton, OK (73501) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. The cry of anguish from someone who feels completely abandoned comes from Psalm 22. One of Jesus ancestors obviously was personally acquainted with desperation. It would seem many of Gods children feel such desperation today. A later verse of that same Psalm begs: Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. As Jesus disciples, those he directed to love others as he loved us (and he offered us no exceptions) are we not called to help? Mountain View United Methodist Church Pastor John Graham, who also serves as the clerk of Smyth County Circuit Court, spoke about this situation recently. He said the path forward may not be clear, but he knows it involves two things. First, he said, the community would have to listen to the voices in the black community, and listen to understand. Secondly, he said, The way forward is rooted in love. Milton, PA (17847) Today Thunderstorms, some strong early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 63F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms, some strong early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 63F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Since that time, animosity has grown as individuals have taken to social media, at times making statements that could be perceived as threats and indicating that weapons may be brought to Fridays gatherings. Tomorrow, another BLM protest and march is scheduled for 4 p.m., while another group has called for a freedom gathering/Fourth of July celebration in the courthouse area on Main Street to begin at 1 p.m. Some overlap is expected. However, authorities are working to keep the groups physically separate. About 1,000 feet of event barricades will be used to designate assembly areas. A Town of Marion press release noted that residents and participants should expect to see a massive police presence in the downtown area, throughout the town and in areas surrounding the event locations. Law enforcement officers from multiple area jurisdictions will be assisting local authorities. Except for a few loud trucks driving past the mostly closed businesses, Marions Friday morning started out quiet. Even the businesses that were open planned to close early for the holiday weekend. A few owners, too, expressed concerns about plans for later in the afternoon, when several protests were planned for the downtown area. Haydens World owner Terry Hayden said he hasnt seen anything like what is going on in Marion in his 28 years on Main Street. All this happening to a sleepy little town, he said. Im just playing it by ear. Hayden said he planned to stay open through the heart of the protests and close up shop at 5 p.m. A group of motorcyclists rolled into town just before noon. At 1 p.m., the first rally, aimed at celebrating the Fourth, was scheduled for the courthouse lawn. A rally and march at the farmers market was slated to begin at 4 p.m. Syracuse, N.Y. Upstate Golisano Childrens Hospital has treated two children for a rare and potentially deadly side effect of the coronavirus. The hospital diagnosed two kids with Covid-19-related multisystem inflammatory syndrome, MIS-C for short. One child was admitted in May and the other in June, hospital spokeswoman Kathleen Paice-Froio said in an email. Both children have been discharged and sent home. Upstate reported the cases to the state Health Department. Upstate declined to disclose the childrens ages, hometowns or any other details about their cases. Parents should not be alarmed about MIS-C because the condition is extremely rare, said Dr. Jana Shaw, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Upstate. The state Health Department is investigating 230 statewide cases of children with the syndrome. The symptoms can include prolonged fever, severe abdominal pain, skin rashes, diarrhea, vomiting, trouble breathing, a racing heart and fatigue. A state Health Department study of 99 children with the condition found 80% of them required intensive care. Two died. Shaw said very few children get Covid-19. Most kids who do get Covid-19 dont show symptoms or get mildly ill, she said. MIS-C often appears about 30 days after children get infected with Covid-19. The immune system goes crazy trying to deal with the previous infection, Shaw said. Most of the kids who get MIS-C were previously healthy. Treatment often includes anti-inflammatory drugs and other medications to reduce inflammation. In April, doctors in London announced they had discovered some children with Covid-19 developed an inflammatory condition that can attack the heart. Doctors in New York soon began reporting cases, too. Shaw said parents of children who have tested positive for Covid-19 or been exposed to someone with the virus should contact their doctors if their kids get rashes, fevers and other MIS-C symptoms. James T. Mulder covers health news. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com Washington 2012 GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain is being treated for the coronavirus at an Atlanta-area hospital, according to a statement posted on his Twitter account Thursday. Its not clear when or where Cain was infected, but he was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending President Donald Trumps campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He did not meet with Trump there, according to the campaign. Cain, 74, was hospitalized after developing serious symptoms but is awake and alert, according to the statement. The former pizza company executive has been an outspoken backer of the president and was named by the campaign as a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. I realize people will speculate about the Tulsa rally, but Herman did a lot of traveling the past week, including to Arizona where cases are spiking, Dan Calabrese, who has been editor of HermanCain.com, wrote on the website. I dont think theres any way to trace this to the one specific contact that caused him to be infected. Well never know. Cain took part in a Trump campaign livestream before the rally with campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson and Texas state Rep. James White. Asked whether Cain met at the rally with other senior campaign or administration officials, Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh responded that contact tracing was conducted after the Tulsa rally but we do not comment regarding the medical information of individuals. Regardless, Mr. Cain did not meet with the President, Murtaugh added. At least six campaign staffers and two members of the Secret Service working in advance of the Tulsa rally tested positive for Covid-19. An Oklahoma-based journalist has also confirmed testing positive soon after attending the rally. Trump faced criticism for holding the big-arena event despite warnings from public health experts that it is not yet safe to hold mass gatherings. More than 6,000 people attended the rally at the BOK Center, an arena that can seat more than 19,000. Cains official Twitter account on Wednesday included a posting of an article about South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem declining to impose mask-wearing or social distancing rules at Fridays fireworks display at Mount Rushmore, an Independence Day weekend event that Trump is scheduled to attend. The Twitter posting included the addendum, Masks will not be mandatory for the event, which will be attended by President Trump. PEOPLE ARE FED UP! Masks will not be mandatory for the event, which will be attended by President Trump. PEOPLE ARE FED UP!https://t.co/Oykdz4xThD Herman Cain (@THEHermanCain) July 1, 2020 For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. Cain briefly rose to the top of polls during the 2012 race for the Republican presidential nomination by highlighting a plan to simplify the tax code with what he called the 9-9-9 plan. On the campaign trail, he spoke about being diagnosed in 2006 with stage 4 liver cancer and his doctors giving him slim hope for long-term survival. More recently, he has kept involved in conservative politics as a commentator on Newsmax. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources How the coronavirus pandemic created a historic housing market in Syracuse right now Coronavirus in NY earlier than previously known, study finds Syracuse cancels all outdoor festivals through November, and its not just the coronavirus Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Syracuse, N.Y. A frantic man was holding a water can and running across a Syracuse driveway when he flagged down the police officer. It was an accident! It was an accident! the man yelled, according to a police report. My firework hit this car! The officer then spotted a Jaguar with its grill engulfed in flames. Stephen Neider, of Syracuse, had been trying to sell fireworks in the 200 block of Delhi Street on June 14 when he accidentally set the car on fire, the Syracuse Police Department said in a police report. Neider lit a firework that exploded sideways into a womans car, police said. The Syracuse Fire Department quickly put out the fire, police said. Neider was arrested. Syracuse police have spent weeks cracking down on illegal fireworks exploding all over the city. Over 1,500 complaints have been made so far in the city this year, a more than 1,000% increase from this time last year. READ MORE: An explosion of illegal fireworks in Central NY: Where are they all coming from? In the county, the Onondaga County Sheriffs Office has responded to nearly 100 fireworks complaints mostly in northern half of the county in the last 15 days, said spokesman Sgt. Jon Seeber. The New York State Police have arrested drivers and seized thousands of dollars worth of fireworks during traffic stops on Interstate 81 near the Pennsylvania border. But the soaring use of fireworks isnt limited to Central New York. Cities across the country have noted huge spikes of illegal firework complaints. Sellers and customers have pointed to a reason why: The coronavirus pandemic has led cities and towns across the nation to cancel their yearly Fourth of July fireworks displays. So residents have decided to throw their own colorful shows. Syracuse officers have arrested and ticketed more than a dozen people for fireworks-related crimes in the past month. They got the fireworks from other people or bought them in Pennsylvania or Ohio. Eight big stashes of the illegal explosives have also been seized. Each person arrested was charged with unlawfully dealing with fireworks and dangerous fireworks, a misdemeanor. The police reports filed about each of the cases give a look into Syracuses illegal fireworks scene. A U-Haul full of fireworks An investigation that ended with officers seizing a U-Haul full of fireworks started June 20 with an anonymous tip. The tipster told police a man was selling illegal fireworks out of a U-Haul trailer attached to a pickup truck on Lilac Street, said Detective Dzenan Selimovic. Investigators checked surveillance cameras and watched a man sell an entire trailers worth of fireworks within one hour, he said. Selimovic said he and another detective later watched Muhammad Zahran, of North Syracuse, load more fireworks into his truck and sell the colorful explosives at corner stores. When they stopped Zahran, he had fireworks sitting in plain view inside his truck, the detective said. Zahran had been making weekly trips to Ohio to buy fireworks, Selimovic said. Officers searched his vehicle and his North Syracuse home, the detective said, and seized 51 boxes of fireworks, the detective said. Zahran was charged with unlawfully dealing with fireworks and dangerous fireworks. Zahran was one of Syracuses main firework suppliers, Selimovic said. Detectives are working to bust the rest. Over the past two weeks, our special Fireworks Detail has responded to over 632 calls for fireworks, resulting in 6... Posted by Syracuse Police Department on Friday, June 26, 2020 Convenient fireworks Residents dont necessarily have to drive to Pennsylvania to get flashy fireworks. Officers said they recently found stashes at two Syracuse convenience stores: the Royal Grocery Store and Marios Mini Mart. When officers stopped by the Royal Grocery Store on June 16, store manager Sahleh Sakr explained he had bought fireworks from a man who was selling the illegal explosives from his trunk, police said in an arrest report. Officers looked in the basement of the 717 Kirkpatrick St. store and seized 21 boxes of fireworks. Marwan Zahran, the manager of Marios Mini Mart in the 800 block of Park Avenue, told officers he bought fireworks from a wholesale seller, police said in an arrest report. Officers seized everything from roman candles to firecrackers from the store. Both store managers were charged with unlawfully dealing with fireworks and dangerous fireworks, a misdemeanor. The illegal show must go on An officer responded to Polk Street near Smith Street on June 18 after a caller reported a fight. The officer didnt see anyone fighting when he got to the East Side street. Instead, he saw fireworks exploding in the sky, according to an arrest report. A man in the area, Roy Thornton Jr., of Syracuse, told the officer he had been setting off fireworks with his friends and children, the officer said. He was part of a group that had just brought fireworks back from Pennsylvania to throw a private Fourth of July show, the officer said. After warning Thornton to stop setting off fireworks, the officer left. He heard the crack of firecrackers before he reached his patrol car, according to the police report. Thornton told the officer he didnt care about charges or tickets, the officer said: He was going to keep setting off fireworks, regardless of the consequences. Staff writer Samantha House covers crime, breaking news and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea or a comment? Reach her at shouse@syracuse.com Syracuse, N.Y. Members of the Syracuse-area are set to hold a prayer vigil against violence at 1 p.m. Friday in the South Side. The vigil will be held at the corner of East Raynor Avenue and South State Street. It is set to be the first vigil of several in a Campaign for Peace. To promote the event, a group of pastors created a video set to Whats Going on? by Marvin Gaye that shows each of them talking about stemming any possible violence on the July 4th weekend. The vigil comes nearly two weeks after Chariel Osorio, 17, was shot and killed at a party on the Near West Side. He was one of nine people who were shot at the party. Police charged three people in connection with the shooting on Thursday. While homicides have increased compared to the same time last year, most crime in Syracuse is steady or has decreased. Violent crime has stayed steady since 2019 and is down 17% when compared to the five-year average. The clergy members involved in the campaign: Reverend Max Jones Minister David Harris Reverend Marcus Jackson Curtis Pastor Kenneth Reed Pastor Andre Dowdell Sr. Bishop Colette Matthews-Carter Apostle Willie K. Mitchell Pastor Erik B. Eure Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter. Albert Giamartino says he didnt open the envelope that arrived in his mail around Memorial Day because it looked like an offer for a credit card. I thought it was junk mail, so I threw it in the trash, said Giamartino, a 75-year-old retired Vietnam veteran from Caughdenoy in Oswego County. About two weeks later, Giamartino received an envelope from the IRS. A form letter signed by President Donald Trump alerted him and his wife, Diane, that a $2,400 economic stimulus payment had been made by a prepaid debit card. Then the bells started ringing, and I realized that I threw it out, Giamartino said. We always get tax refunds with a check. Why they did it like this, I dont know. This is crazy. Hundreds of Central New Yorkers did the same thing, destroying prepaid debit cards or tossing them in the trash because the envelope carrying the cards didnt indicate it was from the federal government. Giamartino is among almost 300 people who have contacted the regions two congressmen Reps. John Katko and Anthony Brindisi asking for help to recover payments of up to $1,200 per person or $2,400 per couple. Taxpayers across the United States have reported similar confusion with the debit cards. Some people assumed the cards were junk mail or part of a scam because the envelopes return address was listed as Money Network Cardholder Services. The U.S. Treasury Department hired the company to distribute 4 million prepaid Visa debit cards with payments to help Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. The money is from the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The IRS said the debit cards were sent to taxpayers who did not provide their banking information for direct deposit on their 2019 or 2018 tax returns, and whose tax returns were processed at IRS offices in Andover, Mass., or Austin, Texas. The agency did not explain why some taxpayers received checks in the mail instead of debit cards. Retirees Joyce and Bernie Bunce of Camillus were among those who received a debit card with the familys $2,400 payment and promptly threw it away. She suspected it was some kind of marketing ploy. I looked at it, Joyce Bunce said. I never in my life have used a debit card. We dont use debit cards. So, I cut it up and threw it in the trash. Bunces letter from President Trump, alerting her to the payment by debit card, arrived June 9 about two weeks after she had thrown the card away. Bunce said she called the IRS phone number to report a missing or lost debit card payment. But she couldnt get through to an agent, and the automated system hung up on her. Katkos office filed a request on behalf of Bunce for the payment to be reissued. Shes still waiting and growing more upset by the day. Im so disgusted that I would get a debit card instead of a check or direct deposit, Bunce said. And secondly, why did the IRS farm this out to some company? The IRS said it used the debit cards to help speed delivery of the economic impact payments. The cards have the Visa name on the front. The back of the card lists the name MetaBank, which issued the cards for the Treasury Department. MetaBank initially charged a $7.50 fee to replace debit cards that were lost or destroyed. But June 12, the IRS said the fee would be waived as a one-time courtesy. Those who paid the fee prior to June are eligible to have the charge reversed, the IRS said. Replacement debit cards can be requested by calling Money Network Financial, the company that manages the program for the Treasury Department, at 1-800-240-8100. You can request a replacement card without knowing the number of the debit card that was lost or destroyed. Katko and Brindisi this week asked IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig to permanently waive all fees for replacement cards and to explain why some taxpayers received debit cards instead of paper checks or direct deposits. The congressmen also want the IRS to help taxpayers verify the legitimacy of any debit cards sent to Americans in the future. Brindisi separately asked the IRS to identify people who never activated their debit card, and to follow up with those households to make sure the stimulus payment was received. He is also trying to help Giamartino and others recover the money theyre owed from the trashed debit cards. Brindisi said any future stimulus payments made by debit card should indicate on the envelope that the payment is on behalf of the federal government. MORE ON STIMULUS PAYMENTS IRS paid $1.4 billion in stimulus checks to dead people Some people have received a second stimulus payment. Heres why you shouldnt spend it Commentary: Spend your stimulus check to spur economic recovery Coronavirus stimulus check scams: Tips for staying safe online, what to watch for Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 LaFayette, N.Y. If you want a spot at LaFayettes fireworks show the only public July 4 display in Onondaga County you might want to get there early. Despite rumors that the display might be shut down over coronavirus concerns, County Executive Ryan McMahon said Friday the free, public event is still a go. But theres a catch: Only 500 cars will be allowed into the field off Route 20 in LaFayette, where the Apple Fest is usually held in the fall, McMahon said. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. RELATED: Where to see Fourth of July fireworks in Upstate NY Original plans had a capacity of up to 1,500 vehicles, using every other parking space in the large field. Families were invited to bring lawn chairs and sit outside. Not anymore. People will be required to stay in their vehicles during the display, McMahon said. Were comfortable where (the event) is now, McMahon said. Well celebrate the countys birthday in a safe way. Organizers were already concerned that the event might run out of space when the capacity was 1,500 cars. Now, theyll be allowed to welcome only one-third that many vehicles. The LaFayette fireworks display comes with its own bit of political intrigue: the event is being organized by Dave Knapp, the Republican chairman of the Onondaga County Legislature. LaFayettes town supervisor, who helped bring the event together, is Republican Danny Fitzpatrick, son of longtime District Attorney William Fitzpatrick. And McMahon, also a Republican and the former county legislature chairman, said Friday that his administration played a role in changing the scope of festival based on pandemic concerns. But McMahon said Friday that, at no point, did he threaten to shut the event down. Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070. Syracuse, N.Y. Its been no secret for awhile now that state and local governments are cutting jobs and services as tax revenue has dried up during the Covid-19 pandemic. But county and city officials say a new round of even more drastic cuts is inevitable without federal aid. Wonder why Jamesville Beach isnt open? Why theres no information about most summer parks programs? Or why libraries are taking a long time to get back to normal? None of those decisions are by accident, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said Friday. The county simply doesnt have the money. And things will get worse if no federal aid comes along. McMahon, a Republican, has warned for months now that local services will have to be cut without federal help. Hes noted that governments, from Washington to Albany, ordered the economy to come to a standstill for months, while requiring millions in extra coronavirus-related expenses. On Friday, he wasnt shy about calling out one of the most powerful men in his own party U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for inaction. A 100-year pandemic seems like a good time for the Senate to step up, McMahon said, adding later: We need Leader McConnell to do the right thing. McMahon was the only Republican to join U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) at a news conference Friday at a Syracuse fire station, urging the public to pressure the Senate into action. Syracuses deputy mayor, Sharon Owens, noted city furloughs that began weeks ago. And theres more cuts on the way, she said, if federal aid doesnt come through soon. We have not been screaming fire, she said. But we see and smell smoke. The next cuts will directly effect city services, she said. I like my trash picked up every week, Owens said. But if we cant afford that, we dont have options. The city is doing all it can to protect essential services, like the fire station where Fridays news conference was held. But nothing is guaranteed, she warned. We never want to think we have to get to that level. McMahon noted that the crisis gets worse the longer the federal government puts off action. A $40 million budget deficit, if squeezed into the last four months of the year, means the equivalent of $120 million in cuts for that period, he noted. And borrowing from rainy day funds is dangerous, too, because that ruins the governments credit rating and makes it more expensive to borrow money for projects down the road, McMahon said. That means less gets done and it costs more to do it. Gillibrand expressed optimism that pressure from constituents across the country would compel the U.S. Senate to act. The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives has passed a $3 trillion aid bill that includes more direct payments to residents, as well as $1 trillion to state and local governments. But McConnell has made it clear hes not willing to take up the House bill, as written. That doesnt mean that some other bill couldnt be drawn up that includes direct payments and government aid. McConnell has expressed optimism that a new stimulus bill could be passed in late July or August. So far, the pandemic has claimed 102,000 state and local government jobs, Gillibrand said Friday. The state has already slashed regular payments to Syracuse and other cities. The state governors association, a bipartisan group led by Marylands Republican governor and New Yorks Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has called for $500 billion in federal aid, she noted. But nothing can happen before McConnell allows an aid bill to be voted on in the Senate, she said. Two other Democrats, state Senator Rachel May (D-Syracuse) and state Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D-Cicero) joined Gillibrands news conference Friday. UK Issues COVID-19 Guidance On Interest Expense Deduction Regime by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London 03 July 2020 HM Revenue and Customs has released an update to guidance on the UK's interest deduction limitation rules for corporate groups regarding the appointment of a reporting company. The UK's Corporate Interest Restriction only applies to individual companies or groups of companies that will deduct over GBP2m in net interest or financing costs in a 12-month period. Under the regime, a company or group must calculate the maximum amount of net interest and financing costs they can deduct in a period of account, using either the "fixed ratio method" or the "group ratio method". If a company or group's net interest and financing costs are restricted, the taxpayer should generally appoint a reporting company within 12 months of the end of the period of account. They must submit a full Corporate Interest Restriction return. Using the fixed ratio method, the interest allowance is the lower of: 30 percent of the company's or group's UK taxable profits before interest, taxes, capital allowances and some other tax reliefs; or the company or group's worldwide net interest expense. To use the alternative group ratio method, the taxpayer must: appoint a reporting company; and elect to use the method in a Corporate Interest Restriction return. Using the group ratio method, the interest allowance is the lower of: the ratio of the company or group's worldwide net interest expense owed to unrelated parties, to the company or group's overall profit before tax, interest, depreciation, and amortisation, multiplied by the company's or group's taxable UK profits before interest and capital allowances; or the company's or group's worldwide net interest expense owed to unrelated parties. The reporting company is responsible for submitting their company or group's Corporate Interest Restriction return. A return is required including when there's no interest restriction, until the company revokes the appointment of a reporting company. Those companies or groups who intend to deduct less than GBP2m may carry forward unused interest allowances for up to five years by filing a full return for the relevant period of account. Owing to COVID-19, HMRC said it would accept elections by email while temporary measures are in place to stop the spread of COVID-19. In a July 1, 2020, update to its guidance, HMRC made changes to the process taxpayers should follow if they have missed the deadline for appointing a reporting company. It sets out how companies who missed the deadline to appoint a reporting company owing to COVID-19 may request that HMRC do so instead. US Withdraws From International Digital Tax Talks by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com Washington 03 July 2020 US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told a congressional hearing on June 17, 2020, that the US Government has withdrawn from international negotiations on new global tax rules for digital companies at the OECD. Lighthizer told a hearing of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee that the US has decided to pull out of the negotiations due to a lack of progress towards an international agreement on new digital tax rules, the main goal of the OECD's BEPS Pillar 1 talks. However, the USTR said that the US was still open to a negotiated solution. Lighthizer's remarks appear to confirm reports that the US's decision to pull out of the talks was communicated by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a letter to European Union finance ministers on June 12, 2020. However, Lighthizer confirmed to the committee that the US would continue to participate in negotiations on Pillar 2, which are focusing on a global corporate minimum tax. Under pillar one of the OECD's BEPS project, the OECD is reviewing existing rules that divide up among jurisdictions the right to tax the income of multinational enterprises. However, Mnuchin argued in a letter to OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria in December 2019 that the objectives of Pillar 1 could be substantially achieved through a safe harbor regime instead of specific rules for digital companies which tend to discriminate against certain companies from certain countries, particularly the US. OECD guidelines define a safe harbor as "a provision that applies to a defined category of taxpayers or transactions and that relieves eligible taxpayers from certain obligations otherwise imposed by a country's general transfer pricing rules." The US has also begun an investigation into the legitimacy of certain national digital tax measures and proposals. The investigation, launched on June 2, 2020, is being conducted under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, which gives the USTR broad authority to investigate and respond to a foreign country's action which may be unfair or discriminatory and negatively affect US commerce. A notice published in the Federal Register on June 2, 2020, states that the investigations will focus on DSTs adopted or under consideration by Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Thank you for Reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and Purchase a Subscription to continue reading. Virtual Beef Week - Sustainable Beef Production Event Time All Day Venue Online A week long stream of videos, webinars and live events Teagasc are holding a Virtual Beef Week from Monday 6th to Friday 10th July, to communicate the latest research results relevant to beef farmers. Building a Sustainable Irish Beef Sector is the theme for this virtual beef week, which will involve two webinars each day from Monday to Friday. This will be accompanied by a continuous stream of content through social media platforms. The Teagasc Virtual beef week is kindly sponsored by FBD Trust. The Virtual Beef Week replaces the planned major Teagasc BEEF Open Day, Beef 2020 which was due to take place on 7th July at the Teagasc Animal and Grassland research and innovation centre, Grange, county Meath. Instead farmers will have the opportunity to access the latest research and knowledge through their mobile phone, laptop or tablet. Wednesday 12pm - Beef Talk On the third day of the Teagasc Virtual Beef Week, Sustainable Beef Production - Where policy meets practice is the theme. In the morning Teagasc Beef Talk webinar, Paul Crosson, Teagasc Beef Enterprise leader, will provide an overview of the situation in Ireland, in terms of Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the options that farmers can take to reduce the footprint of their business. John Finn, from Teagasc Johnstown Castle will give a brief overview of the current status of Irish habitats and will outline simple easy steps every farmer can take to improve biodiversity on their farm. Sinead Waters, Teagasc Grange, will present the research work on-going in Teagasc, and in collaboration with Irish Cattle Breeding Federation and with researchers around the world, on ways to reduce GHG and Methane emissions from Irish agriculture. View the Beef Talk webinar on Tuesday at 12pm on Teagasc Facebook 7pm Live@Grange The live panel discussion from Teagasc Grange at 7pm will have focus on sustainable beef production. Mark Plunkett will talk about the practical steps farmers can take to reduce Ammonia emissions, such as using protected urea and using low emissions slurry application methods. Mike Egan, Teagasc Grassland researcher will show how White Clover can be incorporated into grass systems for beef production and how artificial fertiliser use can be lowered. Andrew Crombie from ICBF will talk about the contribution good genetics and breeding can contribute to sustainable beef production. Eddie Burgess from the Agricultural Catchments Programme will provide an update on water quality and on what simple measures farmers can take to improve water quality. Join the livestream each evening at 7pm on www.teagasc.ie/virtualbeefweek Social Media Stay tuned to our social media channels throughout the day or search #VirtualBeefWeek. Well be dedicating the entire week to Teagasc Beef and will be posting videos and updates throughout each day. On Wednesday, watch our social media channels and Teagasc Daily for videos and information on; ka51resident BHPian Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: Bangalore Posts: 37 Thanked: 172 Times Re: Porsche India head Pavan Shetty resigns Quote: GTO Originally Posted by IMHO, Porsche needs a good, committed, experienced leader... It could only be my experience, but Porsche Mumbai (when they were operational in a proper showroom space) lacked the zeal to sell a car. I was looking for a 911 in a different shade of Red. I had to make three calls in two days as I didn't hear from them. Quote: KMT Originally Posted by The average successful Industrialist/ tycoon will opt for an Italian Supercar. But not everyone wants a Porsche because it lacks the appeal of the Italian Supercar. The people who know about the brand and its history will go for it. The rest will go with a used Ferrari or a Lamborghini. I completely agree with you. Perhaps, they could take a few tips from the entire staff of Porsche Bengaluru on how to sell a car or two. I had never been a fan of the Porsche brand, I felt that all their cars look the same and they are an oversized and overpriced cousin of the VW Beetle. But one visit to the showroom and they had me with the way sold the experience of owning and driving a Porsche, I became a big fan. Since then, all I want is a Porsche.It could only be my experience, but Porsche Mumbai (when they were operational in a proper showroom space) lacked the zeal to sell a car. I was looking for a 911 in a different shade of Red. I had to make three calls in two days as I didn't hear from them.It could also have to do with the brand perception. The perfect Supercar for India is the 911 Turbo S spec'd with a Nose Lifter. You can daily it, or you can take it on the track day or you can take it to wherever a C-Class can go.But not everyone wants a Porsche because it lacks the appeal of the Italian Supercar. The people who know about the brand and its history will go for it. The rest will go with a used Ferrari or a Lamborghini. As the world continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries around the world, meanwhile, have continued to implement various measures to curb the spread of the virus while they initiate efforts to open up their economies once again. Physical distancing and proper hygiene remain to be essential recommendations. And while many countries have adopted wearing masks, the practice has become a divisive issue, however, in the United States. However, many businesses are taking a stand for the practice--even in tech. Also Read: Friends Can Now Repost Your Instagram Stories, But Here's The Catch Facebook and Instagram want to remind you to wear face masks The wearing of face masks should be a basic rule, but it seems this reminder needs more emphasis after even the President of the United States, Donald Trump, finally endorsed the practice after weeks of refusing to one when out in public. As such, Facebook and Instagram have started a small yet impactful campaign to urge people to not forget to wear their face masks in public places. The social networking platforms announced this on Thursday, July 2. The two social media platforms are planning to release the new face mask notification on their respective news feeds, along with links to the website of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Currently, Facebook has a specific COVID-19 page for emergency information and pertinent details. Users can head over to this page for updates or to post their conditions for netizens to see. From this point on, the company will expand this notification to other nations. Right now, it is being rolled out in the United States, The Verge reported. Currently, the United States has been listed as having the highest number of coronavirus infections in the world with more than 2.6 million infections, John Hopkins University data said. Alerting users These alerts will let users know that it's time to wear a face mask. It will also offer them information about the latest data on the pandemic. Along with this, Facebook has a very extensive plan to ensure that the coronavirus does not spread any further, especially with the proliferation of misinformation and "fake news" leading people to inaccurate sources. These are being done in the middle of controversies that the social media company is facing. Recently, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg refused to take action on the presence of hate speech on the platform, and the company's refusal to act on complaints regarding these posts in the face of numerous racially motivated demonstrations around the country. In response, some 500 Facebook advertisers decided to boycott the company as a platform for their ads. The CEO also refused to take action against posts by President Trump deemed to glorify violence during the protests after the death of George Floyd who died in the hands of Minnesota police. Protests across the world have been launched since then. This stand by Facebook remains strong, saying that COVID-19 misinformation is an "extension of our existing policies to remove content that could cause physical harm." Also Read: Instagram Is Really Considering Hiding Like Counts 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Metal Gear Solid film director Jordan Vogt-Roberts wants to bring David Hayter back to voice Snake in an animated series of Metal Gear Solid. Speaking on the Animal Talking show by Gary Whitta, Vogt-Roberts revealed that he is trying to get an animated series that will bring back David Hayter. He added he would bring back the original voice cast, and want to do it in tandem with the MGS film. Also Read: How To Play The 'Metal Gear Solid' Series In Chronological Order Why is he interested in Snake's original voice actor? Director Vogt-Roberts of the Metal Gear Solid movie appeared on the Animal Talking virtual talk show and unveiled some interesting details. While on the show, he revealed that he already had the right voice actor in mind for Snake: David Hayter. He has been voicing Solid Snake on Sony's PlayStation ever since the first installment of Metal Gear Solid. However, Kiefer Sutherland replaced David Hayter in voicing Snake in the latest mainline installment of the series called Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Hayter has confirmed that after being replaced, he would love to reprise the part. And if Vogt-Roberts approached him about it, the actor would most likely be on board for the role. The series would bring back David Hayter and the rest of the original voice cast. (Source: pic.twitter.com/9bjuguA34g Jordan Vogt-Roberts has said that he is trying to develop an animated METAL GEAR SOLID series.The series would bring back David Hayter and the rest of the original voice cast.(Source: https://t.co/A0vlpbycoh DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 2, 2020 Nonetheless, fans of the Metal Gear series should be patient as Vogt-Roberts is currently making a Metal Gear Solid live-action film. It's been six years since the director began working on the film, and he's said it was hard to get it done. That is why Metal Gear fans shouldn't get too excited too soon. Skeptics shouldn't worry about the director's passion for the Metal Gear series. During the talk show, a photo was shown that revealed Vogt-Roberts' Metal Gear arm tattoo. For a long time, there hasn't been much coverage on the Metal Gear Solid show which has left fans of the series hungry for any coverage they can find. The show has been on something of a hiatus for the last few years. This suspension is because the founder of the show Hideo Kojima quit Konami as the publisher. The show had a spin-off named Metal Gear Survive released in 2018 after Kojima left. It was not a mainline installment, and it was viewed negatively by fans. Konami seems to have abandoned the development of any big games. They have recently concentrated on porting games and publishing mobile games. So whatever is next for the Metal Gear series is unknown. Also Read: 'Metal Gear Solid V' Boss Guide: How To Beat The Skulls What is the talk show animal talking? If you haven't heard of Animal Speak, Gary Whitta hosts this talk show. The talk show also takes place entirely in Animal Crossing: New Horizons through the Nintendo Switch title. Gary Whitta agreed, back in April, to launch the talk show. There have been several famous guests on view since the first season of the talk show. Kevin Smith, Sting, and Elijah Wood are just a few of them. The popular Danny Trejo is a regular correspondent on the show. Such an honor to be on @garywhittas brilliant talk show within Animal Crossing! I love sharing a couch with the badass @k_wolfkill. The master of it wasnt me denial @DiRealShaggy opened the show. Surreal and amazing are not a strong enough words to describe this moment. pic.twitter.com/dN8QIFTHI4 Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) July 2, 2020 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. One of the trending COVID-19 questions today: Is coronavirus weakening its infection towards humans? Some studies already showed yes, but here's another more recent research showing that the virus is beyond losing its power. In fact, the virus is suggested to be three times to six times more infectious than its first spread in China. Here's the study. How is the virus getting worse? Have you been getting out lately? If yes, here's a warning for you. Sorry to burst your freedom, but the Coronavirus is not weakening, based on the Thursday report of few well-known universities in the United Kingdom and the United States. A study, published in Cell, says that instead of lowering the virus' potency, the SARS-CoV-2 is now more dangerous than ever. They suggest that the virus strand could be three times up to six times more infectious these past few months. This was compared to its first potency level, back in China, where it originated. Researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and Duke University in North Carolina partnered with the University of Sheffield's COVID-19 Genomics UK research group to identify the real deal behind the infectious level of SARS-CoV-2. Using the current virus variant named "D614G," the researchers laid down all their assumptions that the virus is getting stronger than it was supposed to be. They found that there has been a change in the 'spike' protein of the surface of the virus, thus, making it more viral to transmit from a person to another person. "It seems likely that it's a fitter virus," said Erica Ollmann Saphire, who carried out one of the experiments at La Jolla Institute for Immunology. Too early to be a warning Though the team did found some changes in the spike protein of the virus, it is still based on 'probability.' There is still no sufficient evidence proving that the virus does have a more infectious level than before. Anthony Fauci, the U.S top infectious disease specialist, commented on the said research study by saying that "the data is showing that there is a single mutation that actually makes the virus be able to replicate better, and maybe have high viral loads. We don't have a connection to whether an individual does worse with this or not. It just seems that the virus replicates better and maybe more transmissible, but this is still at the stage of trying to confirm that." Who says the virus is weakening? On June 21, Fox News reported about the assumption that the Coronavirus has weaker potency than before. Dr. Matteo Bassetti, the head of the infectious diseases clinic at the San Martino hospital, told the media that the virus seemed to be showing less potency, maybe due to its genetic mutations over the months. For now, the United States government still advised everyone to stay-at-home as much as possible. Until the study really proves a fact. ALSO READ: COVID-19 UPDATE: Man Lied About Coronavirus and Infected Friend At A Party 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Alinity, one of the most-watched female personalities of Twitch, recently announced that she thought of committing suicide because of online abuse. Several Twitch streamers immediately apologized after the incident. Alinity, whose real name is Natalia Mogollon, streams World of Warcraft on Twitch regularly and also streams her daily life. As a result, after joining Twitch in 2012, she acquired a significant number of followers (1.1 million followers). Yet lately, after multiple scandals on the site over the last year, she has faced criticism. The star told her viewers that harassment has become overwhelming over her past mistakes in her latest broadcast. She's even hitting out for pushing it too far at cancel culture. In summary, reported by the National Institute of Mental Health from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Statistics in 2017, suicide was the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. Suicide took the lives of 47,000 people, with 7,948 of them belonging to the age group 25 to 34. Breaking down As noted by Dexerto.com, Alinity disclosed in her video titled "Very very sad. We need to chat" how constant hate online has begun to affect her seriously. "The s**t you guys say really affects people, okay? You guys have no idea how many times I've wanted to kill myself. How many times I've spent my entire night, trying to figure how I was going to end my life. I just want you guys to know, it's really serious. You guys can't just send hoards of hate towards somebody without it having an effect on a person," she said. Dotesports noted that her breakdown stemmed from reports of neglect of animals that included suspicious conduct against her other pets in her posts. Once both the police and community control investigated her, they found no evidence that the dogs were neglected in any way. The entire video can be seen here below. Alinity - Twitch Hi :) I am Alinity! I love games and animals. I've been streaming on Twitch for 7 years and love to chat with people! Ninja apologizes to Alinity after breaking down on Stream Only days after a tense back and forth exchange with Twitch streamer Natalia 'Alinity' Mogollon, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins has apologized. Alinity has been caught in the crossfire between Ninja and fellow web developer Felix 'xQc' Lengyel during a July 1 Twitter dispute. When the two were fighting, she put a joke into the drama. It wasn't long before unloading Ninja and taking out his frustrations on a shocked Alinity. Days later, the Twitch streamer booted back up her Stream for a much shorter than usual broadcast. Although she sometimes plays games or kicks back with her viewers for hours on end, her Stream from July 3, Friday, only lasted 50 minutes. Following fellow streamer Byron 'Reckful' Bernstein's recent speech, she discussed how significant online bullying can have. "You guys can't just send hate hoards to someone without it having an effect on a person," she said. Esports analyst Rod 'Slasher' Breslau was among the first to apologize publicly after streaming Alinity. He wrote on his Twitter account that he deleted his previous Tweet as it contributed to the culture of online and toxicity. Ninja chimed in moments later with a similar message. He expressed remorse over his comments on the Twitter thread days before. Same, I kept looking back at the tweet and saying I wouldn't have sent that if I wasn't a little tilted. I apologize as well @AlinityTwitch https://t.co/JycL15AJs6 Ninja (@Ninja) July 3, 2020 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. While parents may warn their children to avoid getting too close to fireworks, they may not realize the other health risks of using these showpieces. A new study published in the journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology on Thursday, July 2, found some consumer fireworks release harmful contaminants for both humans and animals. After examining 12 retail fireworks, the study found five of them emitted particles damaging to human cells and animal lungs, as reported by Philadelphia Tribune. New York University's Grossman School of Medicine Consumers professor and author of the study Terry Gordon said people tend to forget about the toxins that are released when they set off fireworks. "You or your family is setting off a ton of fireworks, and you're doing it safely as far as the physical injury is concerned," said Gordon adding that people ignore they are "inhaling high levels of toxic metals." These poisons come from the various materials in the fireworks that create different colors such as copper can create blue fireworks while red fireworks can contain strontium. The study did not measure if certain colors emit more toxins than others, but certain fireworks had lower toxicity levels. Gordon said those who had "very high levels of aluminum" had very low toxicity levels. Lead emission in fireworks Gordon's research includes firing up fireworks in a stainless-steel chamber, sifting the particles with, then exposing human cells and mice to these elements. According to the Wired, the study found two fireworks emitted lead particles, one of which was 10 times more damaging. "I was surprised by the level of metals in the particles," said Gordon adding that one had "a super high level" of lead at 40,000 parts per million. The scientist also said it was "totally unexpected" as lead should normally not be released. The nonprofit organization, American Fireworks Standards Laboratory, sets standards for American fireworks and carries out trials to ensure their safety. However, Gordon said not all are caught in the laboratory. "Even though this laboratory has requirements for importing and the safety of fireworks testing, it's not broad enough to capture all the fireworks," said Gordon. AFSL randomly tests firework samples in crates because it cannot test each crate. John Rogers, the group's executive director, said they work in factories to ensure fireworks meet federal standards as well as the voluntary criteria they set. These include the height fireworks have to travel into the air, the maximum burst radius, and other similar concerns. Meanwhile, Gordon said that while his study did not touch the health effects of these toxins, but generally, they could lead to respiratory problems while asthmatics are more susceptible to these issues. Dr. Kristin Van Hook, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics section on pediatric pulmonology and sleep medicine, suggested that children avoid standing where the firework smoke is leading to. These toxins can also affect children's respiratory systems. Van Hook said she has seen asthmatic children being brought to the emergency room after breathing in firework smoke. Thus, she suggests limiting children's exposure to firework fumes. It is also better for parents to check any signs of difficulty in breathing. Moreover, Gordon called the fireworks industry to uphold more safety regulations. "Given what we've found, they [must] make sure they are importing safer fireworks and that that's what the consumers use," Gordon added. Read also: How to Take Your Kids to the Playground While Also Protecting Them from Coronavirus 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Due to the ongoing protests across the United States for the last few weeks, several massive companies have chosen to stop providing the police force with assistance when it comes to facial recognition. IBM made the decision first, while Amazon and Microsoft were quick to follow suit. Amazon and Microsoft's Exit In a report by CNN, the company stopped the sales for facial recognition software to the police departments in the US and urged Congress to regulate the use of this powerful technology. According to the report, Amazon has issued a one-year moratorium and has called to the Congress to enact "appropriate rules" during the period. Meanwhile, Microsoft has made the same move, and Microsoft President Brad Smith said they would no longer sell their technology to the police force unless Congress creates "strong national law grounded in human rights." But although these internet giants have decided to make a move, it seems like the police can still gain access to the software. As it turns out, IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft aren't the only ones that offer these technologies, including Japan's NEC, Clearview AI, and Ayonix, as well as choices from Germany like Cognitec and Australia's iOmniscient. Read Also: [BREAKING] Zukerberg Responds to Facebook Boycott: 'They'll be Back Soon!,' Adds Policies Won't Change The Police Force Still has Various Sources According to these companies, they will maintain their relationship with the US police force. "I don't think taking technology away from [the police] is going to solve the problem," said Rustom Kanga, the CEO of iOmniscient. "We need to give the police the tools to do their jobs, to find lost children, and stop terrorism." Kanga did say that his company supports the ongoing protests across the US and even in some parts of the world against police brutality and also said some of the behaviors of the police are "unduly brutal." Nevertheless, he believes that this is more of a "management issue" and that the police still need the technology to help solve other serious crimes. However, many disagree, including civil society groups, some politicians, and even academics, as they believe the police force and even governments could use the technology and pose a massive risk for the democratic society. Facial Recognition Tech Abuse The issue began when IBM CEO Arvind Krishna sent a letter to the Congress early last month, saying that they will stop producing and offering facial recognition technology to the police as they claimed the force has been using it for mass surveillance and racial profiling, according to a report by The Verge. The bottom line is, the police force and the government could use facial recognition technology to spy on their people and invade their privacy--and that's just the tip of the iceberg. The Hill reported that around 40 civil rights, technology, and privacy groups are also working together to call the attention of Congress and ensure that facial recognition technology will be used more appropriately and adequately. Nevertheless, other companies that offer the same technology are not stepping down on their offer to the US police force and even to the police departments around the world, including the London Metropolitan Police, who work with NEC. Read Also: Don't Forget to Wear Masks: Instagram, Facebook Will Now Remind You 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Australian government has ordered an investigation on the cause of an alarming increase in coronavirus cases in Victoria, Australia amid claims that guards slept with isolated guests, shook hands, and shared lifts at quarantine hotels. According to Mirror, authorities will also investigate reports that quarantined families roamed and visited other guests to play card games. READ ALSO: Is COVID-19 Weakening? Study Says Virus Mutates up to 6x More Infectious Now As of Thursday, July 2, Victoria had 73 new COVID-19 cases, which put 36 suburbs back into lockdown to curb the spread of the virus. On July 1st, the city recorded the highest daily rate since the crisis began early this year, with 20 new cases with no identified sources. Premier Daniel Andrews said an inquiry was launched as there were protocol breaches among quarantine hotel staff, which may have led in the second wave. This was after genomic testing linked many of the coronavirus reported cases in May and June to private contractors who work at two quarantine hotels. Amid the scrutiny over its hotel quarantine program, Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said Victorians were let down because people did not take seriously the risks posed by returning travelers. "I'm angry, whether it was individuals or companies did not take this seriously enough, and we've got this spread," said Neville. Meanwhile, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said he did not decide on using contracted security guards on quarantine facilities after these turned out to have breached protocols. "[It] was jointly oversight by emergency management within the Department of Health and Human Services, Emergency Management Victoria and Department of Jobs Precinct and Regions," Sutton said. Quarantine breaches may have resulted in a spike in COVID-19 cases Various reports about breaches in quarantine hotel personnel have shocked the police, government circles, and the Australian hotel industry. According to CNN, there were reports that hotel staff and security guards had sexual interactions with guests who were on isolation while families visit other guests to play card games. Security firms are also accused of enlisting ghost employees to inflate the amount that the government would pay for their services. Also, guards have allegedly shaken hands with each other, shared lifts, had limited training, and wore personal protective equipment for a longer time without replacing it. Some staff also worked shifts at other hotels and private facilities outside the quarantine hotel, which may have augmented the increase in cases. A security guard interviewed in Today show said that he only got five minutes of training before working in the hotel. About 20,000 returning travelers have spent in quarantine hotel facilities to stop the spread of coronavirus. However, DNA tests showed some of the new coronavirus cases linked to the hotel staff who allegedly breached infection control protocols, particularly those in late May and early June. As of Thursday, there were 32 cases in that cluster as a new case was linked to the Stamford Plaza Hotel, while other cases have been linked to the Rydges on Swanston Hotel. Health officials believe security guards acquired the virus at these hotels before security guards among friends and relatives. "That left me in no doubt that if not right now, but certainly back weeks and weeks ago, there was a significant infection control problem," Andrews said. Andrews said such breach is "unacceptable" to him. "I'm sure that will be unacceptable certainly to all of those who will be impacted by the restrictions that we have had to reimpose," he added. Read also: Man Got Infected After Attending a Party: He Mysteriously Died After Posting Regret on Facebook 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Tehachapi, CA (93561) Today Mostly clear. Low 57F. WNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 57F. WNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus has already spread to 222 countries with 179.238.504 infected. The disease is caused by a new virus that had not been detected in humans until a few months ago. In Gabon the total number of positive cases is 24.864. Gabon ranks 129 in countries with reported Covid-19 cases, the viral pneumonia that affects the planet. The list of the top ten is as follows: EE.UU. 34.405.933, India 29.934.361, Brazil 17.927.928, France 5.757.311, Turkey 5.370.299, Russia 5.316.826, UK 4.630.040, Argentina 4.268.789, Italy 4.252.976 and Colombia 3.945.166. In the last 24 hours, no deaths were reported and the number of fatalities remains at 158. So far, 17 pacients are in critical condition expecting to react positively. In contrast, it has been reported that 24.264 people have recovered in the country. The president Ali Bongo Ondimba is closely monitoring the situation while the authorities continue to coordinate the actions of health personnel across the country. Recommendations to minimize the transmission of the infection can be found at the World Health Organization (WHO) Total infected New cases Total deaths Deaths in the last report Total recovered Total critical cases Gabon 24.864 0 158 0 24.264 17 World 179.238.504 289.620 3.881.423 5.784 162.072.614 82.630 The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus has already spread to 222 countries with 179.238.504 infected. The disease is caused by a new virus that had not been detected in humans until a few months ago. In Mauritania the total number of positive cases is 20.314. Mauritania ranks 131 in countries with reported Covid-19 cases, the viral pneumonia that affects the planet. The list of the top ten is as follows: EE.UU. 34.405.933, India 29.934.361, Brazil 17.927.928, France 5.757.311, Turkey 5.370.299, Russia 5.316.826, UK 4.630.040, Argentina 4.268.789, Italy 4.252.976 and Colombia 3.945.166. In the last 24 hours, no deaths were reported and the number of fatalities remains at 480. So far, 16 pacients are in critical condition expecting to react positively. In contrast, it has been reported that 19.372 people have recovered in the country. The president Mohamed Ould Ghazouani is closely monitoring the situation while the authorities continue to coordinate the actions of health personnel across the country. Recommendations to minimize the transmission of the infection can be found at the World Health Organization (WHO) Total infected New cases Total deaths Deaths in the last report Total recovered Total critical cases Mauritania 20.314 0 480 0 19.372 16 World 179.238.504 289.620 3.881.423 5.784 162.072.614 82.630 The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus has already spread to 222 countries with 179.238.504 infected. The disease is caused by a new virus that had not been detected in humans until a few months ago. In Paraguay the total number of positive cases is 405.075. Paraguay ranks 51 in countries with reported Covid-19 cases, the viral pneumonia that affects the planet. The list of the top ten is as follows: EE.UU. 34.405.933, India 29.934.361, Brazil 17.927.928, France 5.757.311, Turkey 5.370.299, Russia 5.316.826, UK 4.630.040, Argentina 4.268.789, Italy 4.252.976 and Colombia 3.945.166. In the last 24 hours, no deaths were reported and the number of fatalities remains at 11.521. So far, 572 pacients are in critical condition expecting to react positively. In contrast, it has been reported that 341.264 people have recovered in the country. The president Mario Abdo Benitez is closely monitoring the situation while the authorities continue to coordinate the actions of health personnel across the country. Recommendations to minimize the transmission of the infection can be found at the World Health Organization (WHO) Total infected New cases Total deaths Deaths in the last report Total recovered Total critical cases Paraguay 405.075 0 11.521 0 341.264 572 World 179.238.504 289.620 3.881.423 5.784 162.072.614 82.630 The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus has already spread to 222 countries with 179.238.504 infected. The disease is caused by a new virus that had not been detected in humans until a few months ago. In Suriname the total number of positive cases is 19.748. Suriname ranks 132 in countries with reported Covid-19 cases, the viral pneumonia that affects the planet. The list of the top ten is as follows: EE.UU. 34.405.933, India 29.934.361, Brazil 17.927.928, France 5.757.311, Turkey 5.370.299, Russia 5.316.826, UK 4.630.040, Argentina 4.268.789, Italy 4.252.976 and Colombia 3.945.166. In the last 24 hours, no deaths were reported and the number of fatalities remains at 454. So far, 39 pacients are in critical condition expecting to react positively. In contrast, it has been reported that 15.164 people have recovered in the country. The president Desi Bouterse is closely monitoring the situation while the authorities continue to coordinate the actions of health personnel across the country. Recommendations to minimize the transmission of the infection can be found at the World Health Organization (WHO) Total infected New cases Total deaths Deaths in the last report Total recovered Total critical cases Suriname 19.748 0 454 0 15.164 39 World 179.238.504 289.620 3.881.423 5.784 162.072.614 82.630 Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email please call (208) 542-6777 for help. Madisonville, KY (42431) Today Chance of a shower or two during the evening, followed by partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Chance of a shower or two during the evening, followed by partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. Special forces of the U.S. Forces Japan, which would be dispatched to the Korean Peninsula in a war, conducted 10 days of special warfare training in mid-June with vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and an elite commando unit. The training was launched on June 17, two days after North Korea blew up the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong, as a possible warning to Pyongyang. According to the website of the USFJ's Yokota Air Base, "the 353rd Special Operations Group organized exercise Gryphon Jet from June 17-26, 2020" at the base. An elite U.S. Navy SEALs team also participated in the training. Madisonville, KY (42431) Today A shower or two around the area early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight A shower or two around the area early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. ADA [ndash] Wanda Lee Brewer, 91, of Ada, Oklahoma passed away Sunday, June 13, 2021, in Ada. Services for Wanda will be held Thursday, June 17, 2021, at 10 a.m. at the Estes-Phillips Funeral Home Chapel, with Bro. Roger Arter officiating. Interment will follow at New Bethel Cemetery. For up Schools in five Acadiana parishes may be short immersion teachers come August now that a federal change to a temporary visa program is preventing more than 70 foreign language teachers from entering the country. The teachers, recruited to work in 15 parishes, were barred entry to the United States after President Donald Trump issued a proclamation June 22 suspending new entrants on temporary visa programs, including the J-1 visa the teachers were operating under, in an effort to curb American job losses caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The order lasts through the end of the year. The teachers include French and Spanish immersion teachers, as well as a limited number of educators bound for traditional foreign language programs. The group includes roughly 48 French educators and 23 Spanish teachers, according to the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL). The numbers are in flux as some teachers step down from the program due to the pandemic. In Acadiana, schools would lose about 16 teachers: six in Evangeline Parish, four in St. Martin Parish, three in Iberia Parish, two in Lafayette Parish and one in Vermilion Parish, according to numbers provided by the Louisiana Department of Education. Advocates for French immersion programs are raising the alarm that loss of the teachers could, at best, set children back in their language skills development and at worst endanger the health of immersion programs around the state, including some that are still in their early years. The supporters are pushing for an exemption to the presidents order. Michael Lombas, assistant superintendent of Evangeline Parish Schools, said the loss of new teachers would devastate the immersion program at Mamou Elementary, which lost all its existing teachers at the end of the school year when their visas expired. Five of the parishs six scheduled teachers were intended to cover kindergarten through fourth grade immersion at Mamou, he said. Without them coming my program is devastated. You cant get a bigger impact than that, Lombas said. Evangeline Parish launched French immersion programs at Mamou Elementary and Ville Platte Elementary in 2017, Superintendent Darwan Lazard said. The programs have been warmly embraced by parish residents, who boast the largest French-speaking population in the state, he said. The programs are an important academic addition to the parishs offerings and help boost student achievement, he said, citing studies that suggest bilingual students outperform monolingual peers. Lazard partnered with U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Benton, to have a letter advocating exemptions for the immersion teachers delivered to the president. The superintendent said hes optimistic they can reach a resolution sooner than later and get a favorable result to ensure the best academic situation for all students come August. +2 St. Landry's French immersion charter school opening delayed to 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic Students and teachers are hoping for a return to normal schooling in August after closures caused by the novel coronavirus. But the team at Ac Francophone multimedia company Tele-Louisiane started a petition urging state and federal lawmakers to work with the president to save the teaching positions. The petition had more than 4,700 signatures as of Thursday morning. Tele-Louisiane CEO Will McGrew said his team saw an opportunity to leverage the infrastructure theyve built in the Louisiana Francophone community to spread the word about French immersions potential setback. Its important to illustrate the publics support for immersion language programs, he said. French immersion is a driver for the preservation of French in Louisiana, not only as a cultural touchstone and piece of living heritage but as an economic engine and opportunity generator in the state, he said. Louisianas French-speaking reputation drives tourism and can help attract businesses looking to relocate or establish offices in areas with French presence, McGrew said. Louisiana was inducted into the International Organization of La Francophonie, a group of French-speaking countries, as an observer member in 2018. Honoring commitments is crucial to maintaining a healthy relationship with these countries, he said. Top stories in Acadiana in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Our situation is very unique. This is not a situation where any American jobs are at risk. This is a situation where we couldnt find Americans to fill these positions and thats why we had to recruit from our international partners, McGrew said. CODOFIL spokesman Matt Mick said immersion teachers are primarily recruited from France, Belgium and Canada because developing homegrown talent has been a slow process. In the past 10 years, CODOFIL has invested in a pipeline program, Escadrille Louisiane, to train Louisianians as French immersion educators and place them in public schools or public charters. Escadrille Louisiane is a two-year graduate program that requires students to earn a masters in education, spend time teaching abroad and become French-fluency certified, he said. There are about 30 active teachers from the program, but with roughly 175 teachers working in immersion programs or other French programs annually statewide and 5,000 students in need, Escadrille Louisiane cant keep up with demand yet, the CODOFIL spokesman said. We dont have the numbers to support the interest in immersion education to feel comfortable putting teachers who are qualified both linguistically and pedagogically to work in an immersion environment, Mick said. CODOFIL estimates the loss of the new foreign educator cohort would impact about 2,000 students. Continuity of instruction is critical because strong language skills require frequent use and steady progression to retain ability, he said. Mick said a federal exemption is crucial because its unlikely a midyear solution would be feasible. CODOFIL serves as the teachers visa sponsors and is involved with their contract negotiations. The contract terms for the recruited teachers are very specific. If they dont accept the Louisiana positions on schedule, theyll likely be placed in teaching positions in their home countries or have to seek out other opportunities. The plan to reopen Louisiana schools amid coronavirus: 5 key points in the state's guidelines Louisiana Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley laid out the framework on Thursday of what the state's public schools will have to do to sa In Evangeline Parish, Lombas said hes hopeful if the foreign teachers cant be physically present, some might be able to teach virtually. The administrator recognizes that might be a long shot for some educators; one couple with young children slated to teach in Evangeline already gave up their apartment in Paris and their jobs in preparation to come to the United States and now are in a difficult position as the jobs in Evangeline Parish lag. If too much time passes, theyll need to move on with their lives, he said. Lombas said he and the Evangeline Parish schools team are working feverishly on a backup plan, turning to French speaking school volunteers, retired French teachers and others who may be able to keep the program afloat in case full-time immersion teachers are unavailable this school year. Im not giving up on our French immersion program and Im going to do whatever I can to keep it going, the assistant superintendent said. State Education Superintendent Cade Brumley said his office has advocated with Louisianas Congressional delegation and the U.S. Department of Education to stress the importance of the programs. Parents are facing existing instability with schooling and employment caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic and dont need another worry added to the list, he said. While delivery of education will look different for all students come August, students shouldnt have the central function of their educational model stripped away just over a month before school starts, the superintendent said. Families have selected this model of education for their children and those families had every reason to believe this model would be able to continue. This policy decision, which probably was not made in terms of educational facilities, certainly has a clear and direct impact on many of our families in Louisiana, Brumley said. Woman's Hospital says pregnant woman need to take extra precautions during the coronavirus pandemic, including self-isolating at home in the final two weeks before their due date. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced that pregnant women with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, may have a higher risk for serious illness than women who are not pregnant. +2 Newborn baby dies in Baton Rouge after coronavirus-positive mom went into premature labor A newborn baby was added to the growing list of Baton Rouge coronavirus deaths Monday one of the youngest lives lost amid the global pandemi While the CDC noted that pregnant women with COVID-19 were hospitalized at higher rates, it wasn't known whether that was because of illness or out of an abundance of caution. Pregnant women should avoid going out in public when at all possible to minimize exposure, said Dr. R. Clifton Moore, medical director of maternal-fetal medicine for Womans Hospital. They should also pay especially close attention to their health for any symptoms of COVID-19 and maintain regular visits with their OB-GYN to ensure both mom and baby remain in good health. The hospital says pregnant women should self-isolate for the last two weeks before delivery, if possible. Moore says expecting moms should limit interactions with others as much as possible, especially in the final weeks of pregnancy. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Other advice to pregnant women amid the pandemic includes what health professionals continue to tell others to do: wear a mask in public and wash hands frequently. The CDC reports that 10,537 pregnant women have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Of these women, 3,077 have been hospitalized and 30 have died. In Baton Rouge, a newborn baby died from coronavirus complications in April after the mother had become infected and delivered her baby more than three months early. And just last week a 29-year-old pregnant woman died from the coronavirus, delivering a premature baby girl who weighed only 2 pounds when born. The baby has been placed on a ventilator since her lungs aren't fully developed yet. Public health officials have been alarmed by an apparent resurgence of coronavirus cases in Louisiana, particularly in East Baton Rouge Parish. Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome made it mandatory for city residents to wear masks in public places, starting Friday; those who don't comply could be subject to a fine. Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome's office said Friday that an increase in East Baton Rouge Parish's coronavirus cases so alarmed the White House this week that it reached out with the hope of seeing her make masks mandatory before the holiday weekend arrived. A White House report specifically called out Baton Rouge and recommended a mask order because more people were being diagnosed with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. The report also suggested that people who took part in recent protests or attended social gatherings should be tested. Broome signed an executive order mandating that public-facing businesses require customers to wear masks, beginning at noon Friday. An earlier state order requires many workers to wear masks. "I am happy to see so many are already wearing face coverings at a greater rate," Broome said in a statement Friday. "I acted quickly with the executive order ahead of the holiday weekend because of the troubling rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations." Broome continued: "The data caused concern at all levels of government as shown in a White House report released just ahead of the holiday weekend strongly recommending a mask order. The executive order is a collaboration with the many businesses who called for the mandate and openly support it to protect their employees and keep the economy open." Broome signed her order Wednesday night ordering mask use at businesses in Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish, but not those in Baker, Central and Zachary. The order was to have taken effect Thursday, but businesses leaders asked her to push back the effective date to Friday so they could fully understand what is required of them. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up A White House report dated Monday, outlining the situation on the ground in Louisiana, noted Jefferson, Lafayette and East Baton Rouge parishes had had the highest number of new coronavirus cases in the previous three weeks. Among them, the parishes accounted for more than a quarter of the new cases in the state. Beyond general recommendations for increased testing and general mask use, it said local leaders should encourage anyone who took part in protests and other social gatherings to be tested, and that local leaders should "consider mandating mask use and closing bars if cases continue to rise in Baton Rouge." +4 Masks will be required in parts of East Baton Rouge amid coronavirus: What you need to know Masks will now be required in Baton Rouge and parts of East Baton Rouge Parish as coronavirus cases continue to increase. Under Phase 2 of the state's reopening from a springtime stay-at-home order, bars are allowed to open at 25 percent capacity. The Louisiana Department of Health reported Thursday that it had traced 230 positive diagnoses to bars. In her statement Friday, the mayor included a mask endorsement from the Louisiana Retailers Association, a trade group supporting businesses. It said that mask use will help protect shop employees. We ask that the public abide by the No Mask, No Service Policy and not put retail workers in positions as enforcers of the facial covering mandate. Businesses in Baton Rouge need to remain open to serve the public, and healthy, safe employees are key components to keeping the doors open for everyones benefit," the association said. Supporting local businesses, it said, "starts with complying with face covering mandates without placing retail workers in compromising situations. Retail workers deserve respect and courtesy, so please wear a mask to ensure retail stores can remain open to continue serving the public. A Baton Rouge man was arrested in the double murder of a man and a woman on West Brookstown Drive in May, police reported. Saydie Thomas, 24, and Roland Franklin, 38, were found dead in their apartment on West Brookstown Drive on the morning of May 19. Baton Rouge police were conducting a welfare check at their address when officers found the two victims, officials said. The East Baton Rouge Coroner's Office said Franklin died from stab wounds and Thomas from strangulation. Albert Carter, 48, was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on two counts of first-degree murder, according to spokesman Sgt. Don Coppola Jr. An anonymous Crime Stoppers tip assisted with the investigation, he said. A day after calling for the resignation of fellow board member Connie Bernard, East Baton Rouge Parish School Board President Mike Gaudet is himself being asked to resign as president of the board. Woody Jenkins, who is chairman of the executive committee for the Republican Party in East Baton Rouge Parish, has been one of the few public defenders of the embattled Bernard. On Friday, Jenkins issued a statement arguing that, in joining the widespread calls for Bernards resignation, Gaudet has joined Black Lives Matter and that Gaudet himself, not Bernard, is the one who needs to step down, at least from the president's chair, which he has held since January 2019. (Gaudet) piled on for absolutely no reason, Jenkins said. In doing so, he forfeited the confidence of Republican and other fair-minded voters in this community to lead the school board. He should resign immediately from this leadership position. There are other Republican board members who can lead the board effectively and preside fairly. Jenkins additionally criticized Gaudet, who is a Republican, for allowing a nearly 8-hour June 18th board meeting to turn into a circus. +10 Connie Bernard plans to stay even as 4 East Baton Rouge School Board members call on her to resign Four East Baton Rouge Parish School Board members are calling for colleague Connie Bernard to resign from the board after recent comments she The four African American board members Dawn Collins, Tramelle Howard, Dadrius Lanus and Evelyn Ware-Jackson quickly called for Bernard's resignation. Gaudet stopped short of joining them, but criticized Bernard. On Thursday, he changed his mind and joined them. Bernard stoked controversy in a June 10 TV interview where she said people offended by the name of Lee High School in Baton Rouge should "learn a bit more" about Robert. E. Lee, the Confederate general the 61-year-old school is named after. She added further fuel to the fire on June 18 when pictures showed her apparently shopping while the board debated renaming Lee High. The next day Bernard apologized for her June 10 comments, but insisted she wasn't shopping at the meeting; she said a pop-up ad on her laptop failed to close. Witnesses who saw her that night immediately questioned her denial. And on Monday, the school system released her internet browsing history from her School Board laptop and that history suggests she was shopping online during much of that board meeting. That new information released Monday shows (Bernards) public statement on the issue was, in my opinion, misleading, Gaudet said Thursday. "I believe this erodes her ability to retain the confidence of the public that we serve," Gaudet wrote. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Bernard has vowed to serve out her third term, which ends Dec. 31, 2022. She is fighting an effort to recall her from her District 8 seat. +3 School Board president calls for Connie Bernard to resign: Students 'will suffer the greatest' The president of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Thursday called for the resignation of board member Connie Bernard, becoming the Jenkins has spent eight years working with Bernard on the local GOP executive committee; Bernard is its vice chair. Jenkins is also active in the school system. He has been active in the effort to regain control of Istrouma High and reopen and revive that historic north Baton Rouge school. Jenkins blamed Gaudet for setting the stage for the attacks on Bernard to get out of control. He permitted members of the public to come to the microphone and make repeated verbally abusive personal attacks against a female board member, Jenkins said. Instead of politely calling out the speakers and saying they were out of order and that personal attacks and yelling were not allowed, he permitted the attacks and the circus-like atmosphere to go on and on. It was his way of saying. This is okay! But its not okay! The board member has been harassed beyond all reason, including receiving hundreds of emails, many of which threatened her and her family and called her every vile name in the book, Jenkins continued. By letting that criticism take fire and now joining the calls for Bernard resignation, Gaudet is aiding an attempted political takeover of the board, Jenkins said. This is about Black Lives Matter and other extremist groups switching the seat Connie Bernard represents from Republican to Democrat, Jenkins said. Jenkins also downplayed the criticism of Bernards spending time on her computer on non-School Board matters, saying she is far from alone. If every elected official who looked at their computer during a meeting were removed from office, we would be virtually without any public officials, Jenkins said. Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission Prominent global real estate agency Colliers International is being sued by Consumer Affairs Victoria for alleged underquoting and "false or misleading" representations over three property sales. The consumer watchdog last month lodged a Supreme Court writ against Colliers alleging two of its agents underquoted the selling prices of two separate properties, in one case by up to $500,000. Vendors of the sprawling country mansion in Sarsfield wanted $1.9 million. Credit: The watchdog also alleges another two Colliers agents marketed a prime Rosebud development site claiming it had planning approval for 64 retirement living units when in fact it had no such thing. Consumer Affairs is seeking a declaration by the Supreme Court that Colliers broke the law, specifically the Estate Agents Act 1980 and Australian Consumer Law (Victoria). Company directors have been warned against using the government's JobKeeper stimulus package to artificially inflate profit figures and pad up executive bonuses, with governance experts saying the practice could lead to shareholders being given misleading guidance. The JobKeeper scheme, introduced in March, allows businesses to receive a $1500 a fortnight payment for each eligible employee, with the government effectively paying their wages until September. Businesses must demonstrate a 30 or 50 per cent decline in revenue to be eligible. Retailers have been a key beneficiary of the government's JobKeeper scheme. Credit:Louise Kennerley Swathes of COVID-battered businesses have signed on to the $60 billion program, including a large number of retailers who were forced to close their doors for four weeks across April as social distancing measures made in-store shopping unfeasible. However, with the likes of Harvey Norman and Accent Group, forecasting higher than expected profits despite having staff on JobKeeper, proxy advisory Ownership Matters' co-founder Dean Paatsch said companies need to come clean on the quantum of JobKeeper payments they receive. There are a few things Australia is really good at. Most of them are resources, given to us through good fortune and geographical circumstance, we dig them up and send them all over the world, earning about $180 billion a year in the process. A look down the top 10 list of Australia's exports - a roll call of the country's areas of comparative advantage puts education at number three, tourism at number five, and mostly rocks in between. Chinese students account for 60 per cent of all international students at Australia's top universities. Illustration: Matt Davidson Credit: Iron ore makes good steel but does little for exporting Australia's values or influence. Education does. Now it appears we may be squandering it. Historically, the flow of people for educational exchange in Western democracies is seen as a way of transferring democratic values to non-democratic regions of the world. Employers brought back millions more workers in June as businesses began to reopen across the country. But the recent surge in coronavirus cases is threatening to stall the economic recovery long before it has reached most of the people who lost their jobs. US payrolls grew by 4.8 million in June, the Labor Department said on Thursday, leading to President Trump to claim the economy was "roaring back". It was the second month of strong gains after April's huge losses, when businesses laid off or furloughed tens of millions of workers as the pandemic put a large swath of economic activity on ice. The gains were broad-based, cutting across industries and demographic groups. Donald Trump said the US economy was "roaring back" but the jobs data was collected in mid-June, before coronavirus cases began to spike across the country. Credit:AP But the thaw is far from complete. There were still nearly 15 million fewer jobs in June than in February, before the pandemic forced businesses to close. The unemployment rate fell to 11.1 per cent in June, down from a peak of 14.7 per cent in April but still higher than in any previous period since World War II. The rate would have been about 1 percentage point higher, the Labor Department said, had it not been for persistent data-collection problems. The monthly jobs data was collected in mid-June, before coronavirus cases began to spike in Arizona, Florida and several other states. More timely data, also released by the Labor Department on Thursday, showed that 1.4 million Americans filed new claims for state unemployment benefits last week the 15th straight week that the figure exceeded 1 million and another 840,000 filed for benefits under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. When dance teacher Michelle Johnson reflects on what it was like to return to her ballet school last week after three months in isolation, her voice wobbles. It just felt like, for those three hours, life felt normal, says Ms Johnson, owner of the Melbourne Ballet School in Noble Park North, which is opening for school holiday classes next week. Sisters Themelina and Theodora Rozakis are looking forward to attending school holiday ballet classes. Credit:Simon Schluter There werent those worries [about the pandemic], and Im sure it was the same for the kids, they werent worried about how things were different, they just danced their hearts out. One of Ms Johnsons students, Themelina Rozakis, 7, concurs. When asked how excited she was and how much she was looking forward to attending classes this coming week, she said: Until the number 10 excited! The newspaper claims the contents had already been made public in an interview given by Meghan's friends to People magazine, in February 2018, with her blessing. The Duchess denies that she "knowingly" allowed her "sisterhood" to leak the correspondence effectively breaching her own privacy. Yet what is, at its heart, a straightforward claim now appears to have turned into full-scale war against the media and, by association, the Windsors. How ironic that Harry and Meghan should leave Britain to avoid unwarranted intrusion in their lives, only for an almighty publicity storm to have been brewed up by this case. In the era of coronavirus, with millions set to lose their jobs, some may find the idea of their vast wealth being 'relatively nominal' tone deaf. Eyebrows have been raised in royal circles at suggestions Meghan has endured "hundreds of thousands of inaccurate articles about her" with some questioning whether the Duchess understands the difference between untrue headlines and simply negative ones. Many are now starting to question what victory may look like if the Sussexes end up burning all their bridges not just with the Palace but the British public, too. Although insiders insist that "family bonds remain strong" between Harry and the Queen, the perception that the couple are disrespecting her is likely to hinder their Stateside relaunch. While their US fan base remains impregnable, Brits didn't react well to them announcing they were stepping down as senior royals in January without telling the 94-year-old monarch first. Loading As royal author Phil Dampier put it: "I think the Queen is going to be absolutely devastated by this. She'll cope with it but she will feel desperately betrayed. She broke with protocol to invite Meghan to Christmas at Sandringham before they were married, and the couple ended up with a beautiful multi-million-pound home in the middle of Windsor Great Park. Some will be wondering: what more did they want?" The answer perhaps lies buried in the legal papers. In one section, about the level of "wealth and privilege" the couple enjoyed in Britain, the Duchess's team say their public funding was "relatively nominal", with costs for their May 2018 wedding met by the Prince of Wales and paid security only for the protection of crowds. This "was far outweighed by the tourism revenue of over one billion pounds sterling that was generated from the royal wedding... which went directly to the public purse," claim the legal documents, which do not quote a source for the figure. Republic, the antimonarchy campaign group, has described this as "complete fiction". But the precise figure is somewhat irrelevant. Potentially more harmful to the Sussexes is the implication that they not only think they are worth it but worth more. In the era of coronavirus, with millions set to lose their jobs, some may find the idea of their vast wealth being "relatively nominal" tone deaf. Most upsetting to the royal household will undoubtedly be the suggestion that the couple were hung out to dry. Some staff not only bent over backwards in a bid to meet their demands, but at considerable cost to their own personal lives. It has been well documented that between September 2018 and October 2019, the Sussexes lost five aides and one female royal protection officer. None the less, the Palace's reaction appears to be one of sadness rather than anger. "Calm" discussions are understood to have taken place between relevant parties yesterday, who are under no illusions that there will be more damaging revelations to come. It is not just the Markle vs Markle court revelations that it is braced for but also the publication, on August 11, of Finding Freedom, a biography of Harry and Meghan that appears to have been sanctioned by the couple. Other books including a scathing tome by Lady Colin Campbell have already been released, with more in the offing. The Palace has "no idea" what is going to be in Finding Freedom, written by journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, although aides understand one of the main themes will be "the role of the institution" in their departure. Loading Yet courtiers don't seem to be overly worried, theorising that post-COVID-19, the Queen's enduring popularity has always been built on her ability to overcome adversity through remaining visible and using hard work to counter any negativity. They are hoping, perhaps not unreasonably, that the Sussexes will be perceived as self-indulgent by comparison. And what of their US relaunch? Having previously posed a threat to the royals by setting up in competition, the pandemic has put Archewell, their not-for-profit organisation, on hold. An Apple TV+ series on mental health with Oprah Winfrey is yet to be given a release date, but sources say "work is still on track". Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd said the Commonwealth gave their full support to the widespread testing taking place in Victoria at the moment. Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos revealed on Friday that 10,000 Victorians had refused tests when offered one. If you are approached and asked to have a test, please comply, he said. You may be infected with COVID-19 and have no symptoms but still be infectious and putting at risk your own loved ones, your family, and your friends, so again, please if you are asked to have a test, please have the test done. Put your own mind at risk, sorry, put your own mind at ease, and put the minds of your family members at ease as well. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen He again urged anyone doing it tough during isolation to reach out to mental health providers, or to their local GP for support. If you find yourself back in isolation and you are feeling fearful or distressed or despondent, please reach out for assistance and support. If you develop medical symptoms over the next four weeks while you are in lockdown that need attention, please do not neglect your own health. When asked about the possibility over super-spreaders as was the case during the SARS outbreak, Professor Kidd said there was nobody that fit the description. We're still learning about the indifferent patterns of transmission We have not yet identified many people he was so-called super spreaders in Australia, he said. The number of people in Victoria who have refused tests now exceeds 10,000. I'm very concerned about anyone who is refusing to have a test, particularly when we have high levels of community transmission, he said. If they are in an area of community transmission they may be affected and asymptomatic and at risk of infecting others. With some members of the public refusing tests because of conspiracy, Professor Kidd stressed that people should not be getting any information about the virus from social media. The single source of information in truth I recommend is the health.gov.au website, he said. If you hear different theories and you are not sure about it, do a search, look at the Australia government advice, it comes from the best experts we have right across the country, based on evidence around the world. Do not listen to the theories that you may be coming across on social media. But it does serve as a timely reminder that community confidence remains fragile, and Australia will remain exposed even after this spike in cases is dealt with. Australia isnt built for economic growth in isolation. At 25 million people, and with half its population concentrated in just three cities 5 million-plus in Sydney and in Melbourne, and 2.5 million in Brisbane it is too small to go it alone, and too urbanised to share whatever income it can generate locally. The premiers and chief ministers understand this better than the Prime Minister at the moment because they are responsible for service delivery and would know that their communities are stretched, and stressed. Illustration: Simon Letch Credit: The states and territories are the federations housekeepers. They spend the money the Commonwealth collects in taxes, and raises through borrowing. It is easy to pick apart state excesses in good times. And it would be helpful if they reformed their taxes, so they were less reliant on the vagaries of the property market, and the fiscal mood swings of the federal budget. But this recession changes the relationship in challenging ways. The Australian economy confronts three rolling shocks. In order of magnitude they are: the collapse of the global economy; the closure of our border to foreigners: and the restriction of local economic and social activity involving large numbers of people. The first two fall into the Commonwealth domain; the third is where things get tricky. If the states and territories are to remain ever-vigilant on the health front, they need a generous Commonwealth safety net to reduce the risk of hasty reopenings and second-wave lockdowns. But Scott Morrison is already showing signs of impatience for recovery. He wants to hand over responsibility to the private sector, when large parts of the economy cant function normally. And that trademark tribalism has crept back into his public language. Consider the argument over the cuts to the ABCs budget. On the campaign trail in Eden-Monaro this week, the Prime Minister repeated his mantra for recovery. The key thing for everybody in Australia at the moment [is] jobs. Inevitably, he would have to square that platitude with the 250 jobs that will be shed by the public broadcaster. Asked about NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro's criticism that it was disingenuous to claim there had been no cuts to the ABC, Morrison was defiant. The Deputy Premier is known for his wide-ranging comments, he said. What I know is that ABC funds are greater next year, the year after, under the three-year funding program, and I'm sure that's a position that many media organisations and communications organisations would love to be in. This is literally the worst argument a government can make in a recession. Cutting an essential service when it knows the people it makes redundant cant find work elsewhere is a recipe for higher unemployment, not more jobs. Why else would he refer to the collapse in revenues in the private media? Imagine if he applied the logic of burden-sharing to the construction sector. Prime Minister, housing and commercial building are in free fall. OK, lets wind back public infrastructure. Then again, Morrison also tried to claim credit for giving the ABC a one-off increase in spending. And in addition to that, there was over $40 million in additional support we gave to the ABC to support their regional activities in recognition of the important work that the ABC does in regional areas. The government has always understood that and we provided additional funds for that. Loading So ABC jobs are worth protecting in the bush, but not in the cities? It made no sense, of course, because the cuts were originally announced before the pandemic, when the budget was tracking for surplus. In that context, the so-called efficiency dividend might have been defensible on fiscal grounds because every department was being asked to find savings. And the ABC staff laid off wouldve had a reasonable expectation of re-employment. But every job the government sacrifices now, in what is shaping as the deepest recession since the 1930s, will only delay the recovery. The question still nags. Is this Coalition government temperamentally suited to governing in an economic crisis? The scoreboard at the moment reads one all Morrisons own goal during the black summer of fires versus his world-class response to the pandemic in March. The Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation will offer Rhodes-style scholarships from next year, paying postgraduate students up to $85,000 a year to study at top international universities. Ramsay Scholars will be chosen on their records of leadership and community service by a panel that includes members of the centre's board, such as former Coalition prime minister John Howard and former Rhodes Scholar Tony Abbott. Ramsay Scholarships will cover the cost of postgraduate degrees at institutions such as Harvard University. Credit:iStockphoto They will join the Rhodes and John Monash scholarships as the country's most generous, and outnumber both. But critics say Ramsay Scholarships will struggle to achieve the same prestige if candidate selection is influenced by politics. Having established undergraduate humanities programs at three universities amid furore over its promotion of Western civilisation, the centre is now offering 25 scholarships for postgraduate students across all disciplines, not just the humanities. The path has been cleared for work to start on the $48 million redevelopment of North Sydney Olympic Pool, but only after an independent panel recommended a series of changes to the local council's plans for the project. North Sydney Council submitted an application to overhaul the Milson Point site with a new 50-metre pool, upgrades to the indoor pool, a children's play pool, expanded gymnasium and a replacement grandstand. North Sydney Council changed the proposed design due to heritage concerns. The majority of the Sydney North Planning Panel determined late on Thursday the controversial project could proceed before the council resolves the dilemma of shading the children's pool without disrupting heritage features. The panel, chaired by former NSW Coalition leader Peter Debnam, said the council would need to lodge a separate application for a sun-shade after the structure was scrapped in a bid to facilitate the project's approval. A custodial correctional officer has been taken to hospital after he was injured in an incident with a prisoner at Brisbane's Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre. Queensland Corrective Services said the officer appeared to have been injured during a disturbance in a secure unit at the Wacol prison on Friday afternoon. "Responding officers deployed chemical agents to subdue the prisoner, and the officer has been taken to hospital for assessment," they said. "A crime scene has been established and CSIU will investigate the incident." Last month, Together Union expressed concerns for officers as the coronavirus pandemic intensified the effects of overcrowding in Queensland prisons. The speed limit on Ipswich Road through Annerley Junction could soon be reduced to 50km/h after numerous crashes and 10 years of campaigning by residents, schools and councillors in the area. Queensland's Department of Main Roads reviewed the speed of the section near Junction Park State School after a series of accidents. Residents want the speed limit reduced through Annerley along Ipswich Road. Credit:Google Maps Brisbane City Council previously refused to reduce the speed, saying maintaining traffic flow on Ipswich Road was the priority, but the review recommended the speed be lowered around Annerley Junction. In 2017, Insurer AAMI rated the Annerley section of the road as Brisbane's "worst accident hot spot". In 2019 it was the ninth worst, according to the AAMI road crash index. Well heres a life-turn I didnt expect. The first thing I see at sunrise these days, and the last thing at night, is that erect and shiny immensity I can only think of as James Packers penis. As overcompensations go, this one is spectacular. A deliberate endwarfment of our lovely city and all who sail in her, this mammoth megalith, this outsize obelisk, this vast verticality sports a serious bulge, a certain heft, a slight twist, a vertical seam and a knob head steepled by a blinking cherry-light. Its so blatant a gesture, so needy. Who would do that? Why is he not embarrassed? Of course, even to wonder that is to mistake the psychology involved. Once, as a kid after choir, I saw a man exposing himself among the mossy gravestones. Sorry for him, feeling his shame, I turned politely away, so his whole endeavour was wasted on me. Crown Sydney thrusts itself into your view. Credit:Rhett Wyman Now, unprotected by such innocence, I see these aggressions for what they are; the ultimate in man-spreading. And although Ive always considered the old tower-as-phallic-object cliche to be both obvious and fatuous, both descriptors do rather fit this thing that thrusts itself rudely into your view from every inner-city hood. Could a look-at-me-mummy ploy even be more blatant? And so to the oldest architectural question of all; the origins of form. The new Crown casino, nearing completion on Barangaroo, answers with characteristic arrogance. Form is what I say it is. One bay west, the new Sydney Fish Market begs to differ. It argues for form as active listening; a creative response to place, purpose and context. The minister responsible for the department that hired the security companies blamed for outbreaks in Victoria's troubled hotel quarantine system says he is happy to wait for the outcome of a judicial inquiry into its performance. Martin Pakula, the government minister whose department hired the security companies blamed for the outbreaks, was saying little on Friday about his role in the botched hotel isolation program. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has accepted responsibility for the mess involving hotel quarantine. Credit:Simon Schluter Mr Pakulas Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions hired three security companies to provide guards for the quarantine hotels after the state governments bureaucracy was given just 24 hours on March 27 to organise the program. Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday said he accepted responsibility for Victorias COVID-19 hotel quarantine debacle, which has contributed to a second surge of the deadly virus in Melbourne and a fresh lockdown of hundreds of thousands of residents. As he lay dying Miller allegedly said there were two offenders, a statement immediately radioed to D24. CHELTENHAM 206: Hes been shot twice, once in the chest, once in the stomach. He said theres two offenders, theres two on foot. Theres two on foot, at this stage no idea of direction of travel from here. Rod Miller and wife Carmel Arthur. Credit:The Age Five first responders say Miller said two offenders while others at the scene didnt hear the reference. A taskforce codenamed Lorimer was set up, largely consisting of armed robbery and homicide detectives. The two-year investigation led to the arrests of Bandali Debs, 47, and his daughters boyfriend Jason Roberts, 19. At their trial both denied they were the killers or the robbers. The jury didnt believe them. In 2003 Debs was sentenced to life with no minimum and has since been convicted over two more murders. Roberts was sentenced to life with a minimum of 35 years. In 2016 mandatory life sentences for all police killers became law, meaning Roberts was ultimately re-sentenced by Parliament. If he doesnt win the appeal he is likely to die in jail. Roberts pushed for his case to be reviewed. He now says while he was Debs partner in all the 1998 robberies and helped cover up the police murders he was not in the Hyundai in Cochranes Road. Debs, he contends, acted alone. In late 2013 veteran homicide investigator Ron Iddles produced a report declaring a miscarriage of justice. In July 2017 Attorney General Martin Pakula refused to send the case to the Court of Appeal saying there was no new compelling evidence. It looked as if the case was finally closed. That is until a statement turned up, made by Glenn Pullin, one of the first police to arrive at Cochranes Road. In that statement, taken hours after the shooting, Pullin (badly shaken and later diagnosed with PTSD) made no mention that Miller said there were two offenders. But in his statement, altered ten months later and submitted to court as original, Pullin says he did hear Miller say there were two. Now this is a different ball game altogether. If police fabricated evidence to prove there was a second offender (which had to be Roberts) the conviction is unsound. Rightly it was sent to the Court of Appeal that found in March there was sufficient concern to review the case. The court said Roberts case relied on claims evidence and testimony gathered by IBAC established, An officer or officers of Victoria Police fabricated evidence relating to [dying] statements made by Senior Constable Miller. This relates largely, but not exclusively, to the Pullin statements over what he heard Miller say. But what if that assertion is wrong? What if the evidence before IBAC (and the trial) was not fabricated? What if IBAC found the altered statements submitted to court from Pullin contained no fake facts? What if he did hear Miller say two offenders? The call to D24 that Miller said two offenders came directly from Pullin repeating to a third officer, Colin Clarke, the dying policemans words. Should not the Court of Appeal be provided with the IBAC report to come to its own conclusions? The IBAC investigation (code named Gloucester) was not a probe into the guilt or innocence of Roberts. It was into the procedures used by investigators and those conclusions will not be pretty, finding police used improper methods to gather evidence and failed to disclose statements werent originals. So why were the initial statements shoddy? Lets go back to the night for a moment. It was chaotic. One senior officer, more interested in his career than justice, walked up to the coroner near Gary Silks body to say, I want it recorded that I opposed this operation. A veteran armed robbery squad detective who overheard the conversation briefly considered punching him in the face. Cochranes Road the day after. Credit:Jason South Back at the Moorabbin police station near dawn there wasnt enough computers to take statements, police from the scene were in shock, some were crying, and others were sleeping on desks. Then the word came through Rod had died. Later attempts to review and alter statements were to tidy up loose ends. The trouble was they tried to hide the loose ends completely. There was no conspiracy to railroad Roberts as he didnt become a suspect until five months after Pullins statement was altered. Five police heard Millers dying declaration (backed by the D24 tape), notes taken at the time referred to two offenders and there was no fake evidence. Police statements were altered and upgraded (in itself not unlawful), the originals destroyed (which is) meaning defence lawyers at the first trial were robbed of the legitimate tactic of casting doubt on the first responders declarations. While Miller did declare two offenders that doesnt alter the fact the defence should have been told original statements were reviewed, clarified and altered. In approving the right to appeal the Court of Appeal found, It may be inferred that if the changes to the [Pullin] statement had been known to have been made 10 months after the first statement, then the course of cross-examination may have been radically different. At the appeal Roberts barrister Peter Matthews said at the initial trial there had been a deliberate manipulation of the evidence, that was so contrary to the spirit of justice Roberts should be freed without retrial. In the case of Cardinal George Pell the High Court released him because it found the jury should have acquitted. In the Roberts appeal this is clearly not the case. The argument is if the defence had a chance to damage Pullins credibility then a jury could have acquitted. Another issue for the Court of Appeal is if you let the conviction stand you are rewarding sloppy, improper and possibly illegal police practices. If the appeal is allowed police and the Office of Public Prosecutions are geared for a retrial and are confident of a conviction. Bandali Debs was sentenced to life in jail. Credit:Joe Arrmao They argue that Roberts admission he was Debs armed robbery partner in the 10 stick-ups means he would have been there for the one they were to commit at The Silky Emperor, and he was in the Hyundai. Debs liked to have a junior robbery partner. A police image of the man seen beside the stopped car when Rod Miller and Gary Silk were killed, released within days of the murders and based on descriptions by senior constables Frank Bendeich and Darren Sherren. This cannot possibly be Debs, which means there must have been two men present. Credit:Victoria Police Between 1991 and 1994 he committed 28 armed robberies with a second young partner. They only stopped when they were nearly caught on October 9, 1994, during a stick-up in Patterson Lakes. The Lorimer Taskforce found Debs and Roberts, Were constantly involved in criminal activity together, such as thefts, burglaries and armed robberies. The evidence shows that the accused spent many nights together stealing. The D24 tape is not the only independent audio indicating there were two offenders. This is from Debs own mouth in a bugged conversation discussing the murders. Those were the ones [Silk/Miller] that were sittin' there, when we drove in just to quickly look [at the restaurant], they seen us so they drove behind us, and drove down the street to stop us, they stopped us. Then its not good . . . . Cause we heard it on this, we heard it on that [police radio], they said oh one is gone [Silk] we can't find the other one [Miller]. After we left they come in 30 or 40 seconds. Thirty or 40 seconds they were there, that means they had a few [police] cars in the area. Some of Melbournes highest-fee schools are appealing to former students and current parents to help pay the fees of students at risk of quitting the school because of the financial impact of COVID-19. Methodist Ladies College in Kew and Lauriston Girls School in Armadale both of which charge well over $30,000 a year for senior students have both rattled the tin among alumni in recent days. Some elite schools have been rattling the tin. Credit:Louie Douvis Methodist Ladies College in Kew has written to its community asking for contributions for emergency fee relief for MLC families experiencing financial distress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many MLC families have been adversely affected financially by the pandemic, the school said, adding that it had chosen to suspend its usual annual giving program this year to instead focus on school families in need. Key players in Victoria's hotel quarantine system warned Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton of major problems with the scheme in April, more than a month before the first outbreak was detected. Professor Sutton and other top public health officials were told about inadequate supply of masks and gloves, poor infection-control protocols and breaches of physical-distancing guidelines by hotel staff, security and health personnel. The concerns were raised by senior players in the hotel quarantine system, who spoke to The Age on the condition of anonymity as they did not have authorisation to speak publicly about the program and their employment could be jeopardised if their identities were revealed. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton at a press conference this week. Credit:Eddie Jim The Age has seen evidence that confirms the concerns were raised with Professor Sutton. The Age is not suggesting Professor Sutton did not act on the concerns, only that he was told. The new ritual has new protocols: some millennials consider it polite to text first and ask whether it might be okay to call. The surprise factor may have been ironed out, but the urge to gather remains. There were no mobile phones and no texting not so long ago. Phoning ahead was an elaborate arrangement: you needed to be at home, where your phone was tethered to the wall. Phoning ahead was often judged too formal for a mere social visit. Deciding to drop in while just passing by was by its nature a surprise, and often enough, considered a nice surprise. But now, in this time of plague, dropping by is suddenly unthinkable. In some areas in Melbourne designated by postcode, youll stand a strong chance of copping a heavy fine if you choose to indulge in such behaviour. It was inevitable that spontaneous and freeform social assemblies would be banned, of course, once transmission of the coronavirus kicked up again in suburban Melbourne, because large family gatherings are reported to be among the sources of recent outbreaks. But the loss of the ability to gather to drop by is surely among the most crushing costs of the pandemic. If dropping by for a cuppa was the glue that once held together an older Australia, it has long been the natural social fulcrum for newer communities, and continues to be so. Migrant communities have gravitated together while making their way into Australian society ever since the first shiploads of displaced people from a war-wrecked Europe began arriving in 1947. How could they not? While the older Anglo-Celtic population took scones and tea, migrant families entertained each other with more exotic fare and often, much more expressive celebrations of life. In navigating their way into this new country, their strength was embedded deeply in the idea of community held together by family and age-old traditions. The big, happy family and community gathering became the migrant bulwark against loneliness. It has been so ever since, as wave after wave of new arrivals took up residence in Australian suburbs, sustaining themselves by gathering in each others homes and drawing strength and meaning from it. By dropping in, you might say. But as news spread that some of the new coronavirus outbreaks occurred within a few large family groups in Melbourne suburbs, it became far too easy for extreme media voices to start bellowing that multiculturalism itself had failed. Its an absurd proposition, considering that more than one-quarter of Australians were born overseas, making multiculturalism a large part of the national fabric. Multiculturalism, you might say, has become about as Australian as the pie and sauce used to be. Loading All major cities in Australia, it happens, have significant migrant communities. If any halfway rational form of argument could be made that the recent outbreaks were somehow proof that multiculturalism had failed, then similar outbreaks would have had to occur in migrant communities across the nation. They havent. The loud-mouthed outburst against migrants is thus an extreme version of a fallacy commonly expressed wryly in Latin as post hoc ergo propter hoc ("after this, therefore because of this"). You might sum it up in the nonsensical equation: "Since event Y followed event X, event Y must have been caused by event X." Premier Dan Andrews, unsurprisingly flummoxed by the increase in community transmissions of the virus, has taken the sensible course of ordering an independent inquiry by a retired judge into the reasons for the outbreak. It may be that along with the likely finding that the use of medically unskilled guards at quarantine hotels led to a chain of infections, the inquiry will also confirm that some families unwisely continued to hold large gatherings while ignoring the need for physical and social distancing, thus spreading the virus. The truth is, however, we dont know what the inquiry might find. About 2000 homeless people who have been put up in hotels across Victoria during the coronavirus outbreak face the prospect of having to return to the streets later this month without a state government lifeline. The Andrews government moved about 4000 homeless people into hotel accommodation around the state amid concerns the deadly virus would sweep through vulnerable rough sleepers. Melbourne man Paul Barr says the uncertainty of the hotel accommodation scheme is wearing on him. Credit:Justin McManus About 2000 people, including children, remain in subsidised hotel rooms. With the funding set to run out at the end of July, the government is under pressure to extend the scheme while it progressively relocates homeless people into secure and permanent housing. The government department tasked with preserving Western Australia's wildlife has defended its decision to appoint Jewell Crossberg as district manager in Esperance, despite photos of him posing with dead animals in South Africa causing outrage across the state. In a statement, a spokesperson from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions said Mr Crossberg's employment had been reviewed since the images emerged and the department had determined his appointment met public sector regulations. The spokesperson said the Parks and Wildlife manager had disclosed his background in African game reserve management prior to being employed in 2017 and had "consistently performed his duties" since. A photo from Mr Crossberg's Facebook page of him posing with a dead elephant. Credit:Facebook Mr Crossberg was appointed as district manager in July 2020, but photos on his Facebook page from around 2010 under an album titled business and pleasure showing him posing, armed, with the dead animals spurred outrage in the region's community. The continuing trauma from a summer of bushfires, a pandemic without obvious end, candidates and political leaders frustrated by social distancing requirements and a seething row between Nationals and Liberals... The Eden-Monaro byelection has had the lot. Liberal Fiona Kotvojs and Labor's Kristy McBain are the only candidates able to win the Eden-Monaro byelection. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen As voters head to the polls on Saturday, however, pundits are reluctant to predict a result, even though political convention holds that Labor should retain the seat. It is not too much to say there has never been a byelection like this one. The coronavirus pandemic alone has seen to that. The legal firm pursuing a class action over the unlawful "robo-debt" scheme will demand the government explain how it plans to repay the 373,000 people it owes money to after it said some would be repaid in instalments. A spokesman for Government Services Minister Stuart Robert said only a small number of the 470,000 debts that Centrelink raised using an income averaging method would be repaid in instalments. Labor's government services spokesman Bill Shorten has called for a royal commission into the robo-debt saga. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "This is due to system limitations on the size of daily payments," the spokesman said but declined to say what the dollar limits on payments was. One source close to Services Australia, the government department that administered the program, who did not want to be named for fear of jeopardising her employment, said the limit was about $10,000 per transaction. Mr Robert's spokesman said payments would be made on consecutive days if they were too big to be paid in one go. He denied a claim on social media that some refunds would be made in $80 instalments, calling it "categorically false". "Now Hong Kong people are to run Hong Kong. That is the promise, and that is the unshakeable destiny." They were the final stirring words of Chris Patten's speech before the British governor handed the territory over to mainland China just over 23 years ago. And they were not just words. Hong Kong's sovereignty was enshrined in the Basic Law, a document approved by Beijing that set out the territory's right to a large degree of autonomy promised by China under its "one country, two systems" mantra. As a separate autonomous region, Hong Kong enjoyed special trade arrangements, customs agreements, and global immigration that helped make the city a capital of international finance. Police detain a protester during a march marking the anniversary of the Hong Kong handover from Britain to China. Credit:AP It was meant to last 50 years, but came to an abrupt end this week when the Chinese government rushed through in secrecy laws introducing life sentences or long prison terms for vaguely defined crimes involving secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. They also allow Beijing to establish an office in Hong Kong for the safeguarding of national security and to oversee, guide, coordinate and support local national security activities and investigations. Hongkongers will have little chance to feign ignorance, with article 10 of the new laws stipulating they will be given "national security education in schools and universities and through social organisations, the media, the internet and other means". The "two systems" now look a lot more like one. Paris: French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and his government resigned on Friday as President Emmanuel Macron acted on a pledge to reinvent his administration and win back disillusioned voters ahead of a possible re-election bid in 2022. Macron named Jean Castex, a top civil servant and local mayor who orchestrated France's exit from its coronavirus lockdown, as Prime Minister in a high-stakes cabinet reshuffle. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe leaves after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris last month. Credit:AP Castex will be tasked be forming the next government, the Elysee Palace said in a short statement. Macron is reshaping his government as France grapples with the deepest economic depression since World War Two, a sharp downturn that will shrink the economy by about 11 per cent in 2020 and reverse hard-fought gains on unemployment. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In the dense forest 60 kilometres west of Moscow, a gigantic new drawcard has just opened at Patriot Park - the sprawling "military Disneyland" where visitors play with fake weapons and members of Russia's youth army have fun storming a mini replica of the Reichstag. The Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces rose from park's grounds in less than 600 days and features stairs rumoured to be crafted from melted-down Nazi tanks, plus a main gold dome measuring 19.45 metres wide in a symbolic nod to end of the Great Patriotic War in 1945. Its opening was scheduled for May - the 75th anniversary of Soviet victory over Nazi Germany - but only went ahead a fortnight ago after a coronavirus-induced delay. The new cathedral is nearly 100-metres high. Credit:Sputnik The lavishly decorated monument carries huge importance for President Vladimir Putin, who has skilfully tapped Russian Orthodox Christian values and pride in Russia's World War II feats to bolster his own rule over the country. A beaming Putin toured the cathedral on June 22, three days before Russians were asked to endorse a series of alterations to the country's constitution. The week-long referendum was Putin's final move in a six-month political chess game containing enough subterfuge to impress even the best Soviet-era military strategist. The most substantial amendment was the removal of a rule banning presidents from serving more than two consecutive terms - a shift which gives the former KGB agent the option of staying in the Kremlin for a further 12 years after his current term expires in 2024. "Putin has been exploring options for what happens next for many months now and has not been convinced that he can be confident of Russia's future and possibly his own future with anything other than the option of him sticking around," says Olga Oliker, the director of the Europe and Central Asia Program at the International Crisis Group. "He will say until the last moment, 'oh I might run or I might not', but I think just as we all expected the referendum vote to come out with a resounding yes, we all pretty much expect Putin to run again unless something unexpected occurs." Advertisement Putin came to office a relative unknown following the resignation of Boris Yeltsin in 1999 but consolidated his power, revived the economy and served as president until 2008, when the two-term limit kicked in. He spent four years in the less influential position of prime minister before returning to the Kremlin in 2012, and being re-elected in 2018. The longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin, Putin looms large as a disruptive and unpredictable force in Europe, the Middle East and United States. US President Donald Trump might leave the stage in November but the dark cloud of the 67-year-old Putin could now feasibly hover over the international arena until 2036. In a cunning tactic, removing the presidential term limit was wrapped up in more than 200 other constitutional changes, including a vow to protect the "historic truths" of the Great Patriotic War. With voters only permitted to approve or reject the package as a whole, taking a stand against an extended Putin reign would have required voting against recognising Russia's proudest military achievement. Russian servicemen attend a service at the cathedral. Credit:AP However the referendum came at a difficult time for Putin and the state wasn't taking any chances. Election monitoring outfit Golos fielded thousands of allegations of intimidation and fraud, casting real doubt over the veracity of what authorities claim was a 78 per cent vote in favour of the changes. The Central Election Commission actually announced the "yes" vote had prevailed well before some polling stations had even closed in Moscow and other western regions. "The sham vote, masquerading as a referendum, has swept away all remnants of Putin's legitimacy and Russia's democracy," said Jim Risch, the chairman of the US Senate's powerful foreign relations committee. "The Russian people deserve better." Oliker points out the vote was purely symbolic because parliament had approved the changes in March and Putin had already signed them into law. "I'm not sure what would have happened if the referendum went the other way. Things could have been quite awkward," she says. "Yes, there seem to be irregularities. Yes, we can ask questions about the numbers, but odds are most Russians probably did vote yes." Advertisement Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday hailed the outcome as a "triumphant referendum on confidence in President Putin". Other numbers tell a different story. Putin's popularity has nosedived since the coronavirus pandemic exploded across the continent in April. Russia's formal death toll stands at nearly 10,000, a rate of about 65 fatalities for every million citizens. That is far lower than Britain, France, Italy and other western European nations but higher than any of Russia's neighbours. Russia also has more cases on a per capita basis than most other countries on the continent. The Russian state has also distributed a much smaller level of aid as a percentage of GDP compared to other major powers, hitting an already sluggish economy. A man holds a poster reading "My vote against constitutional amendments!" during a protest against constitutional amendments at Palace Square in St Petersburg, Russia. Credit:AP Dissent popped up in early May when news leaked of plans to memorialise Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in one of the mosaics at the glistening new Patriot Park cathedral. The idea - which did not appear to originate from the Kremlin - triggered a backlash and the widely ridiculed design was promptly dropped. The affair proved Putin's presence has limits. That same month, independent polling firm the Levada Centre reported Putin's approval rating had fallen to 59 per cent - a strong figure compared to many western leaders but a 20-year low for the Russian leader. Some 35 per cent of all Russians disapproved of their President's performance as of June. In previous surveys that figure has been as low as 10 per cent. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "We are seeing significant economic hardship in Russia and the problem with that hardship is that it has been going on now for a long time," says Samuel Greene, director of the Russia Institute at King's College London. Advertisement "The country has now had six years of declining real disposable incomes and that has really cut into people's wealth and welfare, even before the pandemic and lockdown came along. "There is a growing number of people who not only recognise the country isn't well governed but who also recognise as long as Putin's in power it's not likely to be well governed. The problem is do they see an alternative that would be better? And of course the Kremlin puts a lot of effort into making sure people don't see that alternative." Oliker believes Russians view Putin similar to the way the world now views America: grateful for what was achieved militarily and economically in the past, but increasingly ambivalent and rattled by more recent actions. "But then you look around and there isn't an obvious replacement," she says. "If not Putin, who? If not American leadership, what? "With Putin, Russia is in a period of economic stagnation and a lot of Russians have seen their standard of living decline but what else is there? There is a preference for order over the unknown, and I do think that has a lot to do with the acceptance, rather than popularity, of Putin." The President is hugely assisted by a suppressed and disunited opposition, and a tendency to pursue his and Russia's internal enemies to their death. Attacks from western leaders also never seem to harm his position domestically. Putin, a former KGB agent, has portrayed a strongman image throughout his time in power. Credit:AP Advertisement Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis holds a news briefing Sunday, June 28, 2020, on Fort Lauderdale Beach as south Florida beaches are to close for Fourth of July weekend. Up for debate: Live legislation tracker Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics. Those are very good decisions, but the problem is we wont see the effects of those decisions for about two weeks, said Dr. Mary Jo Trepka, chairwoman of the Epidemiology Department of Florida International University. I hope that beginning in the next two weeks we start seeing a decrease. If we dont see a decrease and it starts increasing exponentially, then well have to do stricter stay-at-home precautions, maybe go back to where we were back in April. Students wait to receive school laptops for home study March 19, 2020, at the Lower East Side Preparatory School in New York. Towanda, PA (18848) Today Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. With most women who are in a situation like mine, where they live in a home where they have children, they are concerned with the welfare of their children and they want to wear masks themselves and have others wear masks in public because they dont want to get the virus and pass it on to their children, she said. Oneonta, NY (13820) Today Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 57F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 57F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Melanie joined The Daily Times in the early 90s and has served as the Life section editor since 1993. A William Blount and UT alum, Melanie is generally the early arriver who turns on the lights in the newsroom. Follow Melanie Tucker 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 According to the indictment, Maxwell, who lived for years with Epstein and was his frequent companion on trips around the world, facilitated his crimes by helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse girls. For years she has been accused by many women of recruiting them to give Epstein massages, during which they were pressured into sex. Those accusations, until now, never resulted in criminal charges. Click the image to the left and log in to get your exclusive reader perks. News Blount governments don't require masks for employees or public, but encourage everyone to wear them Scott Keller | The Daily Times Shoppers wearing masks head to the Foothills Plaza Kroger Marketplace on Thursday. Amid COVID-19 concerns, many residents are stepping up their precautions. Area governments including Maryville, Alcoa and Blount County are not requiring employees to wear masks, but say everyone should do so if possible. On the heels of Knox Countys mandated mask policies in government and public spaces, Blounts governments say there are no immediate plans to mandate face covers for employees or the public. Representatives for Maryville, Alcoa and Blount County governments told The Daily Times on Thursday they will not require masks in government buildings or in public spaces at this time. Citing the social distancing standards put in place since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, leaders indicated they are currently not going further with restrictions in government buildings. Maryville, Alcoa and Blount County employees were not required to wear masks as of Thursday, though officials said if the situation evolves, that may change. Currently, county government is distributing masks to anyone who needs one, according to an email from County Mayor Ed Mitchell. Maryville officials said only emergency response employees are required to wear masks right now in some situations and they are letting plexiglass barriers suffice for other public interactions. At the city of Alcoa, employees are strongly encouraged to wear masks if they are interacting with the public. No government employee has tested positive for COVID-19 since its onset in the county, spokeswomen for all three governments confirmed. The local health departments are in constant contact with their local county governments, community partners and citizens, Blount County Health Department Director Robert Schmidt told The Daily Times in an email. (It) continues to recommend wearing a face mask as well as practicing social distancing to help to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Regardless of what the Health Department recommends, city officials insisted they do not have the power to enforce face coverings in government and public spaces like Knox County began doing this week. As mayor, I do not have the authority to implement or enforce any kind of mask mandate at this time, Mitchell emailed. Because Blount is not one of Tennessees six metro counties with its own public health official, those decisions must be made at the state level. He added enforcing a mask requirement would be extremely difficult, and emphasized an effective response to the pandemic will depend on public participation. It should not take a mandate for people to make decisions that benefit public health and safety, Mitchell wrote. I strongly urge our citizens to wear masks while in public, especially those who are in a high-risk category. Schmidts advice mirrored Mitchells and that of Maryville and Alcoa leaders. (We) encourage everyone to wear a cloth face mask or facial covering, he wrote, speaking for the local Health Department and adding that masks are not a substitute for staying 6 feet apart and practicing good hygiene. Masks are available at the Blount Health Department. As of Thursday, nearly 30 states had laws requiring masks to be worn in public either by nearly everyone in all public spaces where social distancing isnt possible or at least by all business and government employees. Tennessee is not one of those states, though many cities and counties are adopting mask laws with some variation regarding where they need to be worn and by whom. Though Blount government and many businesses do not enforce mask-wearing in public places, groups have evolved on social media to track and list what institutions are requiring masks and whether or not mask policies are being followed. Dean Ridings is CEO of Americas Newspapers, which works on behalf of its approximately 1,500 newspaper and associate member companies to explain, defend and advance the vital role of newspapers in democracy and civil life. Learn more: www.newspapers.org. Services for former Texas A&M University System Chancellor Perry Adkisson, who also served in a variety of roles at the flagship university, are scheduled for Friday. Adkisson, 91, died June 25. The Arkansas native joined the faculty of Texas A&Ms department of entomology in 1958, and later served as department head, deputy chancellor and vice president for agriculture and renewable resources before he was named System chancellor in 1986. He served in that position through 1990. According to Texas A&M, he worked with both the state and U.S. legislatures to significantly increase funding for the A&M Systems research and extension programs. He also established several centers, including the Institute of Biosciences and Technology in Houston. Adkisson was a leader in bringing Corpus Christi State University, Texas A&I University, Laredo State University and West Texas State University into the Texas A&M System. Adkisson was among those who worked to get President George H.W. Bush to establish his presidential library and museum in College Station, and served as executive director of the Bush Presidential Library Center and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation in the 1990s. The incident involving the death of Kevon Todd is currently an active ongoing death investigation. In addition to the death investigation there is an open internal affairs investigation. As this time we do not have any additional information available; however, as soon as it becomes available we will advise, Sgt. Donald Prichard said in an email. But infections have shot up in recent weeks after Abbott let businesses reopen and barred local officials from forcing residents to wear masks. (He reversed course Thursday and required people in all counties with 20 or more cases to cover their faces.) There have also been occasions to gather, further driving up the spread: Memorial Day, graduations, Fathers Day and a regional penchant for backyard barbecues. When people say it's conspiracy, it doesn't exist or really [exaggerated], my response would be: Come to our emergency department where we have five people on ventilators for three days. Come to the three floors we've had to use to put these people on. Come to all the health care workers that go home every night, every little cough they're sure they have it. We're in tough times, Dr. Ivan Melendez, Hidalgo County's health authority, said at the press conference. Around noon on Friday, dispatch responded to a call about a suspicious container, which was a large pot that police said appeared to be methodically taped shut. Dispatch then contacted College Station polices bomb squad to examine the container. After X-raying the container to see what was inside, police decided to disrupt it in a way it would not go off if it was an explosive device, Brock said. Our number one goal is always going to be the safety of the community, so were always going to err on the side of caution. And when we go and take a look at a pot thats like this, randomly left with nobody around it and its on the island of a parking lot that has quite a bit of traffic in it, thats concerning, Brock said. Obviously with the way it was taped, it caused even more concern, so at that point thats when we call in our bomb squad and thats what they do. Theyre experts at that and theyll go take a look at it. We depend on what they decide to do, and in this case, obviously, we felt like the safest course of action was to disrupt a potential device. 2 Kansas City Police Officers Shot in Separate Incidents: Authorities Two officers in Kansas City, Missouri, were shot in separate incidents on Thursday, and one of them is in critical condition, authorities said. The officers were both responding to calls for help, according to police. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas wrote: Horrified to hear today of an incident in which a @kcpolice veteran and a @RideKCTransit driver were shot in Northeast Kansas City by a robbery suspect who opened fire on both. My thoughts are with both victims and their families and I thank them for their service and courage. Added Missouri Gov. Mike Parson: This afternoon, two law enforcement officers in the Kansas City region were shot. One is in very serious condition. Please join Teresa and me in praying for these officers and their families. Smith said police were called to a disturbance near a McDonalds, and a witness told KMBC that a man left the fast-food restaurant with a gun. He was acting like he was out of his mind. No shirt. His pants were halfway down to his knees. Angry. Yelling, the witness, James Boyd, told the news outlet. Police said that the suspect ran off on foot during the incident. The subject, suspect, turned around and fired shots towards the officers striking one Kansas City police officer. The other officer returned fire, striking the suspect, said Sgt. Bill Lowe, of the Missouri Highway Patrol, reported KMBC. The officer was taken to a hospital, where he was reported to be in critical condition. The suspect, 31-year-old Ky Johnson, died at the scene, officials said. The other shooting occurred on a municipal bus after a Kansas City Area Transportation Authority bus driver spotted a man allegedly robbing someone at a bus stop and then get on the vehicle. The driver notified police and drove until an officer arrived, according to KSHB. The Missouri Highway Patrol confirmed the incident, writing that when an officer tried to get on the bus, the suspect shot the officer and the bus driver. An officer, fearing for his life, returned fire striking the suspect, the agency wrote. The officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the incident, while the suspect sustained critical injuries, according to the highway patrol. The bus drivers injuries were not life-threatening, and she is being treated at an area hospital, said Lowe, the Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman, to KHSB. She was under a tremendous amount of pressure, Lowe said. For her to think quickly to not only notify the Kansas City Police Department but to also decide to drive a little slower than normal, to make sure that officers were able to arrive on the scene, that was extremely heroic on her part. Officers Joshua Taylor (L) and Brandon Dingman of the Wilson Police Department in Oklahoma were charged in the death of Jared Lakey. (Courtesy of Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation) 2 Oklahoma Officers Charged With Second-Degree Murder in Mans 2019 Death Two Oklahoma police officers have been charged with second-degree murder this week in the Taser death of a 28-year-old man last year, authorities report. The charges follow a season of protests against police brutality and systemic racism after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Jared Lakey, 28, died on July 6, 2019, after being tased multiple times by officers Joshua Taylor, 25, and Brandon Dingman, 34, of the Wilson Police Department. The town is about 100 miles south of Oklahoma City. The officers were responding to a call that involved Lakey acting in a disorderly way, according to a statement from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI). When Lakey would not comply with commands from the officers, Taylor and Dingman used their Tasers multiple times, the statement says. A Carter County deputy eventually responded to the scene and was able to assist with getting Lakey in custody. Shortly thereafter, Lakey stopped breathing and became unresponsive. Lakey was transported to the hospital in Healdton and then to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, which is where he died. CNN affiliate KXII obtained an affidavit that says the officers were called because Lakey was reportedly screaming and running naked down a street in Wilson, the station reported. OSBI public information officer Brook Arbeitman said Lakey did not cooperate with officers, the station reported. According to court documents, Officer Dingman deployed his Taser 23 times for a total of 114 seconds of tasing over nine minutes. Officer Taylor deployed his Taser 30 times for 122 seconds total, the station reported. Lakey made no aggressive moves, and the officers did not try to restrain him, KXII reported. The OSBI statement says it then investigated and sent a report to the district attorney, who issued arrest warrants for the officers on Wednesday. Both officers turned themselves in to the Carter County Sheriffs Office on Thursday. They were booked on one count each of second-degree murder. The officers were released after each posted a $250,000 bond, the OSBI statement says. CNN is attempting to reach their attorneys. Its not often that we see law enforcement criminally prosecuted. The actions of these officers justifies criminal charges, said Lakey family attorney Steven Terrill in a statement to CNN. The video of this incident, which our firm has worked to get released for some time, is a heart-wrenching and disturbing account of a young man dying due to the direct actions of law enforcement. The actions of the district attorney in filing second degree-murder charges is a big step in providing the public with the security that law enforcement is going to be held accountable, Terrill said. The Daily Ardmoreite newspaper obtained a statement on Wednesday from District Attorney Craig Ladd explaining the delay in filing charges. The OSBI investigation lasted seven months, and Ladds searched for an expert on use of force to review evidence added another three months, the paper reported. The COVID-19 pandemic also reportedly slowed the process by making meetings harder to schedule, the paper said. Wilson Police Chief Kevin Coley told CNN, I cannot speak of the case as there is still an investigation for the civil proceedings. The CNN Wire contributed to this report. Canada Restricts Dealings With Hong Kong Over New Security Law OTTAWAForeign Affairs Minister FrancoisPhilippe Champagne says Canada is suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong as part of a package of responses to the new security law China has imposed on the territory. In a statement, Champagne says Canada will also treat sensitive goods being exported to Hong Kong as if they were being sent to mainland China. That means outright banning some militaryrelated goods from being traded there. China imposed strict new controls on Hong Kong this week, in what Champagne calls a violation of the one country, two systems philosophy that was supposed to last 50 years after Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997. Champagnes statement says Hong Kongs place in the global economy was based on that promise and needs to be reassessed. Canadas moves follow measures taken by the United States earlier this week to tighten trade with Hong Kong and stop selling it military equipment. On July 1, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill imposing sanctions on banks doing business with Chinese officials involved in the implementation of the national security law. Two protesters are arrested by the police in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, on July 1, 2020. (Song Bilung/The Epoch Times) The law is a brutal, sweeping crackdown against the people of Hong Kong, intended to destroy the freedoms they were promised, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the situation in Hong Kong. Concerns have been raised that the legislation breaches Hong Kongs Basic Law, which guarantees that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights can remain in force in the territory. The U.S. Senate last week unanimously approved a companion bill, the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which would impose mandatory sanctions on individuals or companies that back efforts by China to restrict Hong Kongs autonomy, also including secondary sanctions on banks that do business with anyone found to be backing any crackdown on the territorys autonomy. The United States has already taken measures to eliminate Hong Kongs special status, halt defence exports, and restrict the territorys access to high technology products in response to the new law. According to Sky News and other British media outlets, Britains Foreign Office chief Sir Simon McDonald summoned Chinas ambassador Liu Xiaoming to express its concerns over the implementation of the law. McDonald expressed the U.K.s deep concern over the move, pointing out that the law breaches the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, in which the Chinese regime promised to guarantee Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy for 50 years after the territory was handed back to China in 1997. A police officer raises his pepper spray handgun as he detains a man during a march against the national security law at the anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China from Britain in Hong Kong, on July 1, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) A Global Tragedy: Think Tanks in 39 Countries Denounce Hong Kong Security Law, Call for International Response An international group of think tanks from 39 countries has signed a letter in support of the Hong Kong people and condemning the actions of the Chinese Communist Party for imposing a draconian national security law on the city. We stand with the people of Hong Kong as they attempt to protect their freedoms and rights and believe a strong global response is critical, says the letter, signed by member organizations of the Economic Freedom of the World Network, which is led by Canadas Fraser Institute. The law, which is in direct violation of the one nation, two systems principle, criminalizes individuals for any acts of subversion, secession, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, with maximum penalties of life imprisonment. Released on July 3, the letter calls for a global response to address the deteriorating situation in Hong Kong. This is a global tragedy, Fred McMahon, the Dr. Michael A. Walker Chair of Economic Freedom research at the Fraser Institute, told The Epoch Times. It makes a lie of the CPCs [Communist Party of China] agreement to respect the one country, two systems agreement. It tells everyone who hasnt already gotten the message that any treaty with the CPC is worthless. Police detain protesters in Causeway Bay in Hong Kong on July 1, 2020, a day after China enacted a national security law that cracks down on protests in the territory. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) On July 1, a day after the law came into effect, thousands of protesters took to the streets in Hong Kong to demonstrate against it, with police arresting around 370. Ten were arrested on suspicion of violating the new law. With this letter, we support the people of Hong Kong as they fight to preserve the right and freedoms that made Hong Kong one of the most prosperous places on the planet, McMahon said. A Global Fight During a congressional hearing on July 1, Hong Kong democracy activists told U.S. officials that the world must unite in confronting an authoritarian Beijing, otherwise the regime would be emboldened to take more aggressive actions further out from its shores. We are actually facing a global fight, Nathan Law, a prominent Hong Kong activist currently studying at Yale University, said at the House foreign affairs committee hearing, just hours after Hong Kong police began making arrests of protesters under the new law. We should hold hands together and to suppress these authoritarian expansionists, he said, adding that fighting for democracy in Hong Kong is helping the world preserve its democracy and its values. McMahon said Canada should do more to support Hongkongers fight for freedom, such as following the United States to impose sanctions on China. Canada has appropriately condemned the law but it seems hesitant to take any action for fear of what the CPC will do to Canadians [Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor] now held hostage, he said. Canada has gotten nowhere with not much of a bark and no bite. The CPC does not respond to weakness. The letter notes that since the Second World War, Hong Kong has become one of the most prosperous, entrepreneurial, and freest places on earth and must be preserved. McMahon applauded the move by the United States to eliminate Hong Kongs special trade status, and said specific actions like this, rather than simple words of condemnation, are most effective in curtailing the Beijing regime. Democratic nations should immediately start procedures to expel China from the World Trade Organization. The CPC routinely violates WTO rules, just like it has violated its agreement on Hong Kong, he said. Expelling China would not only send a strong message but help right the world trading system. On July 1, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill imposing sanctions on banks doing business with Chinese officials involved in the implementation of the national security law. The U.S. Senate last week unanimously approved a companion bill, the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which would impose mandatory sanctions on individuals or companies that back efforts by China to restrict Hong Kongs autonomy, also including secondary sanctions on banks that do business with anyone found to be backing any crackdown on the territorys autonomy. McMahon said the new law puts Hong Kongs freedom under attack. This freedom allowed the people of Hong Kong to build immense prosperity among many other huge achievements, including creating tolerant city of many ethnicities, languages, and religions, he said. The world must stand with the people of Hong Kong. Eva Fu contributed to this report. A Mother Loses Her Entire Family in the Chinese Regimes Persecution of Falun Dafa Warning: Contains a graphic photo A mother in her 70s in Central China struggles to cope after the loss of her youngest son during the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) ongoing persecution of Falun Dafa, shortly after having buried her second son less than a year beforeboth sons were a target for harassment, torture, and imprisonment for many years for refusing to renounce their belief. In the 21 years of the CCPs persecution of Falun Dafa, tens of thousands of families in China have been separated, many never to meet again. Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a spiritual practice that consists of slow-moving exercises and meditation, and moral teachings based on truth, compassion, and forbearance. It became the most popular form of qigong shortly after its public introduction in 1992, as Chinese citizens found in Falun Dafa a practice that not only relieved stress and improved health, but also filled a spiritual void left by the Cultural Revolution, a CCP campaign to systematically destroy ancient traditions and culture. Xiaomin Chen, the youngest son, died on March 10 at the age of 51, after his release from prison in January, according to a report on the Minghui website, which compiles information and statistics on the persecution against Falun Gong. He was in critical condition, emaciated, and unable to eat when he was released. A Falun Dafa adherent who was held in the same prison said Chen and his brother were severely tortured there for not renouncing their faith. Chen was arrested for the third time on June 6, 2016, and taken to a detention center. He was held for a year before being secretly sentenced to prison in July 2017. Prior to his latest imprisonment, Chen was detained at a forced labor camp, where he was shocked with electric batons while his hands were tied tightly behind his back and pulled up to his neck as the rope cut deeply into his flesh. Chen was tied up in this way for over 30 minutes at a time before the rope was loosened for a while only for the torture process to be repeated. A re-enactment of the torture that Chen Xiaomin suffered while in prison. (Minghui.org) Chens second brother, Shaomin Chen, was arrested the day after Chen and held at the same prison. For refusing to give up his faith, Shaomin was tortured until he lost the ability to take care of himself. He was released on medical bail in 2018 and never regained his health, passing away on May 14, 2019. An autopsy was conducted and both of his lungs were shown to have completely deteriorated at the time of his death, according to the Falun Dafa Info Center. Chens eldest brother, Yuemin Chen, died at the age of 48 in 2011, after being tortured and injected with unknown drugs while imprisoned for his faith. The torture left him paralyzed and he often had intensive back pain after being released, yet the police continued to harass him until his final days. Chens father was the first in the family to pass away in 2001 in the persecution. The elderly man endured tremendous stress and was threatened by the authorities as he worked tirelessly to try to seek the release of his sons, who were arrested in Beijing for appealing for the right to practice Falun Dafa. More than 4,300 Falun Dafa adherents are confirmed to have been killed in the persecution in China, according to Minghui.org. The actual number of deaths is thought to be much higher as thousands of cases remain unconfirmed due to the Chinese regimes tight-fisted control over details of the persecution. Attorney General William Barr speaks during in a roundtable with law enforcement officials in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington on June, 8, 2020. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) ACLU Lawsuit Urges AG Barr to Delay Federal Execution of Convicted Child Killer The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Attorney General William Barr and other federal officials demanding that they delay the federal execution of death row prisoner Wesley Purkey in order to protect the health of his Buddhist priest during the pandemic. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Buddhist priest Reverend Seigen Hartkemeyer, who had ministered Purkey for eleven years. Hartkemeyer is religiously obligated to attend Purkeys execution, which is scheduled for July 15, but argues that by doing so, he would put in at risk of contracting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Hartkemeyer, who is 68 years old and has lung-related illnesses, has been designated as a witness to Purkeys execution, which requires him to be present at the prison location where the execution will take place. The lawsuit alleges that the federal governments scheduling of Purkeys execution at a time and place that cannot guarantee the safety of individuals entitled to be present at the execution violates Hartkemeyers right to free exercise of religion. Rev. Hartkemeyer must decide whether to risk his own life in order to exercise his religious obligation to be present for Mr. Purkeys execution, the complaint (pdf) argued. Hartkemeyers lawyers are asking the court to temporarily block the execution and compel the government to postpone Purkeys execution until it can be carried out without burdening the Buddhist priests rights. I should not have to risk my health and life to perform my sacred priestly duties. We must ask ourselves how much we are willing to sacrifice to enable the government to perpetuate a cycle of killing, Hartkemeyer said in a statement. Heather Weaver, senior staff attorney for the ACLUs Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, said in a statement she believes that there is no reason to resume federal executions during a pandemic, especially when it would keep a priest from performing his religious commitments to a man about to lose his life. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times request for comment on the lawsuit. Purkeys execution is the second of three scheduled federal executions this month. He was convicted of raping and murdering a 16-year-old girl and bludgeoning an 80-year-old woman to death. His execution is one of the first announced federal executions after Barr announced in July 2019 that they were resuming federal executions following a nearly 20-year hiatus. When Barr announced that the department was resuming federal execution, he also said the department was replacing a three-drug procedure that had been used in federal executions with a single drug, pentobarbital. Afghan Interpreter Who Saved 5 US Soldiers in Afghanistan Becomes American Citizen A former military interpreter targeted by the Taliban after saving the lives of five U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan has officially become a U.S. citizen. Afghani interpreter Janis Shinwari and his family attended a naturalization ceremony for 170 immigrants in Fairfax, Virginia, on June 29. Shinwari, 42, told Fox News that his two children were very excited the night before the ceremony. They asked me, Dad, if we wake up tomorrow morning, well be U.S. citizens? he shared, adding, I said, Yes, you guys should be U.S. citizens tomorrow. Shinwari served eight years as an interpreter for U.S. Army troops deployed overseas. Among the soldiers he is credited with saving is former Army Capt. Matt Zeller, with whom Shinwari now shares a brotherly bond. Zeller and Shinwari during their joint interview in Arlington, Virginia, on Nov. 21, 2013 (Guillaume Meyer/AFP via Getty Images) Zeller and other troops were ambushed by Taliban fighters in 2008 during combat in Afghanistans Ghazni Province. In the middle of the conflict, Shinwari found Zeller in a ditch, alive but vulnerable. There were two Taliban behind him to kill him, Shinwari explained, and I shot those two Taliban. Zeller had only met the interpreter 10 days previously. It was the worst firefight of my life, Zeller recalled, speaking to NPR. Somebody yelled, Zeller! and I turned and I saw Janis shoot a guy. There was a guy rushing up to attack me and Janis shot him, saving my life. Shinwari became a marked man when the Taliban put him on its kill list in 2009, and admitted he feared that he would lose his life if he was caught. He spent a protracted period of time hiding out at a U.S. military base near Kabul, KPBS reported. U.S. and Afghan Army soldiers maneuver on patrol with air support shortly before being attacked by Taliban insurgents on March 15, 2010, at Howz-e-Madad in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. (John Moore/Getty Images) That was really hard for me that I couldnt see my kids for a while, he said. The saddest part was that my kids couldnt go outside to play with the other kids because of some security reasons. They were home all the time. The father of two sought asylum in the United States by applying for a special immigrant visa for former military service personnel. Zeller lobbied on his behalf, telling USA Today: From this point forward, Im his family, and hes mine, and Im going to do anything I can to take care of him. The Special Immigrant Visa Program authorizes 4,000 visas annually, Fox News reported, yet wait times are notoriously lengthy. But after one near miss, numerous lobbies, and letters of recommendation, Shinwari was finally approved. It took three years to get my visa, Shinwari revealed, claiming that many interpreters were killed by the Taliban while waiting for visas. The interpreter moved his family to the States in November 2013. Zeller met them at the airport. Zeller and Shinwari during their joint interview in Arlington, Virginia, on Nov. 21, 2013 (Guillaume Meyer/AFP via Getty Images) The former Army captain launched a GoFundMe campaign to help the Afghani family find their feet stateside, raising $35,000 within days, but Shinwari declined the money. Instead, he teamed up with Zeller to launch a nonprofit, called No One Left Behind, to lobby for other U.S. military interpreters to gain asylum and support them with donations upon arrival. Shinwari says that he feels safe in his new home and is still in the business of saving lives. The former interpreter now works for Briartek, a company that manufactures rescue beacons for sailors. You dont have to worry, you can sleep well, he said. Once you are here, youre free. Whats made our country truly great is not just that weve been born with amazing people, weve imported them, Zeller told The Christian Science Monitor. We seek out the best and the brightest, and we recruit them to be on our team. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Hong Kong: New US act opposed The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today expressed strong opposition to the passage of the Hong Kong Autonomy Act by the US Congress. In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government urged the US Congress to immediately stop interfering in the Hong Kong SAR's internal matters, noting that the act and so-called 'sanctions' are totally unacceptable and will not deter the Hong Kong SAR Government but only harm the relations and common interests between Hong Kong and the US. It said the passage of successive laws targeting the Hong Kong SAR, an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China (PRC), by the US legislature under the pretext of human rights, democracy and autonomy is a blatant breach of obligations and respect between nations. On national security legislation which is invariably the jurisdiction of the central government of any country, the US legislature has clearly displayed double standards which is deeply regretted. The Hong Kong SAR government noted that for those who were still ignorant about the Hong Kong SAR's constitutional order, they should be reminded that the Constitution of the PRC and the Basic Law form the constitutional basis of the Hong Kong SAR. No other state or legislature has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, in those internal affairs. "Since the return to the motherland, the Hong Kong SAR has been implementing the 'one country, two systems' principle, 'Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong' and a high degree of autonomy in strict accordance with the Basic Law. "The central government has given the 'one country, two systems' principle unswerving support and acted in strict accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law. "Some members of the US Congress claimed that the passage of the act was in response to the enactment of the national security law in Hong Kong. This is totally misguided. "National security is a matter that falls under the purview of the central authorities and the national security law enacted on June 30 by the National People's Congress Standing Committee is a national law which by virtue of relevant provisions in Article 18 of the Basic Law shall be applied in the Hong Kong SAR." The statement also noted that in view of the increasingly pronounced national security risks faced by the Hong Kong SAR, especially since the escalating violence and social chaos last June, close to three million Hong Kong people took part in a signature campaign over eight days to show their support for the enactment of national security legislation by the central authorities, which was considered timely, reasonable and rational. "The national security law seeks to prevent, suppress and impose punishment for four types of acts and activities that seriously endanger national security. It targets an extremely small minority of people without adversely affecting the basic rights and freedoms legitimately enjoyed by Hong Kong people. "It is an important step to improve the 'one country, two systems' institutional system and represents an essential and timely decision for restoring stability in Hong Kong. The law will not affect the high degree of autonomy, judicial independence and the rule of law in Hong Kong." The Hong Kong SAR Government reiterated that any sanctions imposed under the act will not create an obligation for financial institutions under Hong Kong law and urged the US side to act responsibly by refraining from taking measures that may potentially affect the normal operations of financial institutions and the vast number of customers they serve. Countermeasures may also be adopted by the central government as well as the Hong Kong SAR Government as and when needed, the statement added. This story has been published on: 2020-07-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Korea was among 62 countries that violated UN sanctions against North Korea, according to a study by the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington. China topped the list of offenders with 25 percent of violations, but more unlikely offenders also include Sierra Leone and Singapore. ISIS analyzed reports from a UN Security Council panel of experts on North Korea sanctions in March of this year and August 2019 to pinpoint countries that violated sanctions against the North in the military, industrial, financial, procurement, export and transportation areas. South Korea was among the violators because it illegally imported coal from North Korea and served as a transit point for some armored luxury cars that are banned from export to the North. In October of last year, a Daegu district court found businessmen guilty of deceiving customs about the origin of coal they imported from the North. And in April 2019, the panel revealed that a Mercedes-Benz sedan was smuggled into the North through six international posts including South Korea's Busan. China committed 60 alleged violations from buying coal from the North to arranging illegal ship-to-ship transfers of oil and took no measures to rectify its transgressions, according to ISIS. The U.S. was also among the offenders because some North Korean financial transactions went through it, but the report notes that Washington and Seoul "have taken remedying actions since becoming aware of the violations and have prosecuted or extradited responsible companies and individuals." Meanwhile, U.S. Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Christopher Ford said on Tuesday claimed that North Korea had been using chemical weapons for years in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Antifa Militant Arrested for Helping Damage Statues in DC: Police A self-described member of the far-left network Antifa was arrested for allegedly participating in the destruction of one statue in Washington and an attempt to tear down another. Jason Charter faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of destruction of federal property. Authorities said in a court filing that Charter was part of the mob that tried tearing down a statue of former President Andrew Jackson near the White House on June 22. Surveillance video shows Charter entering Lafayette Park that day wearing a distinctive armband on his right arm, ski goggles, a white N95-style mask, a black T-shirt, brown shorts, and sporting a backpack with a SwissGear logo. A bicycle helmet was dangling from the backpack and Charter was using a walking cane. Footage from later in the night showed Charter grabbing ropes attached to the Jackson statue and adjusting them. He was then boosted onto the statue and appears to request more ropes from people still on the ground; a yellow tow strap is handed to him and he unwrapped it before handing it to another person, who attached it to the statue. Charter was handed another packaged rope, which he unwrapped and attached to the statue. Jason Charter in still images from surveillance video. (FBI) Vandals attempt to pull down the statue of President Andrew Jackson in the middle of Lafayette Park in front of the White House during racial inequality protests in Washington on June 22, 2020. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters) Charter is plainly visible in the footage carrying the same backpack, walking cane, armband, and helmet, according to the filing. His face was clearly visible at different times during the incident. Charter was well-known to local police officers. One has had numerous interactions with Charter after meeting the militant during a protest in Washington last year. Charter called the officer multiple times to discuss the ongoing protests. The self-described Antifa militant was also implicated in the toppling of the Albert Pike statue in Washington overnight on June 20. Video footage shows Charter pouring liquid over the statue and appearing to set fire to it. He later lit a cigarette in the flames. Charter posted a picture that day on social media of the Pike statue on the ground, writing: Tearing down statues of traitors to the nation is a service to this nation not a crime. Estimated damages inflicted on the statue and its pedestal came to $250,000 while repairs to the Jackson statue are estimated at $78,000, with a fuller account not yet completed. Charter is also believed to have assaulted Jack Posobiec, a reporter with One America News, at a protest in Lincoln Park on June 26. The statue of Confederate general Albert Pike is pictured after it was toppled by vandals in Washington on June 19, 2020. (Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images) Reporter Jack Posobiec, right, faces off with activists in Lincoln Park in Washington on June 26, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) Antifa is an anarcho-communist group that openly supports violence. Members adhere to a definition of self-defense that includes hitting people first if those individuals are perceived to be enemies. The group despises conservatives. Militants in the past have assaulted journalists, police officers, and minorities. Charter says on social media that he is part of Antifa. He has shared some of the beliefs he says the group holds and an article outlining the tactics of Antifas black bloc, a group of mostly males that dresses in all black, with faces obscured with masks and sunglasses, and gangs up on people. Antifacism is an ideology and I identify myself as an antifacism [sic], as someone who is against facism, Charter said in an interview in April. Charter has also expressed animus against Republican President Donald Trump, calling him a facist. After his arrest, Charter said on social media that hes innocent. The fact that Trump is tweeting at and prosecuting a crippled 25 year old activist shows how desperate his is to creates false narratives, he added, asking people to donate to his legal defense. Four others were arrested last week for allegedly participating in the attempts to tear down the Jackson statue. Demonstrators vandalize a car as they protest the death of George Floyd, near the White House in Washington on May 31, 2020. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo) Michael Sherwin, U.S. attorney for District of Columbia, said late Thursday that over 150 people have been charged on the federal level for property destruction and other crimes carried out during recent riots. A slew of others were charged on lower levels in investigations that were often assisted by federal agents, he said during an appearance on Fox News Carlson Tonight. The destruction of federal monuments is very disturbing, Sherwin said, adding: Theres a process and people cant unilaterally decide what is right and what is wrong. And if those people do make that decision on their own and take the law in their own hands, the law will come after them and the United States will use federal resources to charge you, he added. Sherwin declined to get into which groups the people carrying out the crimes are affiliated with. Some of them, he said, are loosely affiliated with extremist groups, both on the left and on the right. The bulk of those accused were self-radicalized, or lone wolfs that self-identity with these groups, he said. Thats not saying that theres not an overall command and control, but we have not identified that full architecture yet. Vanessa Guillen, a 20-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, who went missing on April 22, 2020, and some of her remains were found on June 30, 2020. (Fort Hood Press Center) Attorney: Missing Fort Hood Soldier Was Killed in Armory, Dismembered with Machete Texas soldier Vanessa Guillen was allegedly killed on the day of her disappearance in April by a fellow soldier who bludgeoned her to death with a hammer, her family attorney said on July 2. Attorney Natalie Khawam, a lawyer for Guillens family, told a press conference on Thursday that the 20-year-old Fort Hood Texas soldier was killed on April 22 by Spc. Aaron David Robinson inside an armory room where she worked. He then, with his girlfriend, allegedly attempted to burn her body before dismembering her body with a machete. Guillen was last seen in the parking lot at the Texas Army base at around 1 p.m. on that day, wearing a black T-shirt and purple workout pants. The family lawyer said she had been provided the information by officials with the Army Criminal Investigation Command during a four-hour meeting, the Army Times reported. Robinson, 20, allegedly attacked Guillen on the head with a hammer in a heinous act that caused her blood to be splashed all over the armory room, Khawam told the Army Times in a statement. After Robinson killed Guillen, he then allegedly contacted his girlfriend Cecily Anne Aguilar to help him bury her bloody body, Khawam said. At first they tried to set her on fire, but she wouldnt burn. Then they dismembered this beautiful U.S. soldiers body with a machete, the attorney added. Robinson died by suicide after officers attempted to make contact, the Killeen Police Department said in a news release on Wednesday. During the course of the investigation, information was provided on the location of the suspect. The suspect was located walking in the 4700 block of East Rancier Avenue and as officers attempted to make contact with the suspect, the suspect produced a weapon and committed suicide by shooting himself. The suspect was pronounced deceased at 1:17 a.m. by Justice of the Peace Garland Potvin at the scene, the news release said. The pair were both members of the 3rd Cavalry Regiments engineer squadron but were on different troops. Khawam told reporters on Thursday that she believes Guillen was sexually harassed by Robinson. She was afraid to [report it] because the sexual harassment was coming from her superiors, so her concern was the retaliation, being blackballed, Khawam said, noting that the 20-year-old had planned to file a complaint against him before her death. We believe the person that killed her is that person that sexually harassed her. Family members told Army leaders during a news conference last month that Guillen had told them that her superiors had sexually harassed her. One walked into the shower while she was naked, they said. Khawam said the 20-year-old feared retaliation, so did not report the harassment. A spokesperson for the Army CID said during the briefing that there was no credible information that Guillen had been sexually harassed, calling Robinson a coworker and not a supervisor to 20-year-old. Partial human remains were discovered near the Leon Riverabout 26 miles east of the baseby U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, Army spokesman Chris Grey confirmed on Tuesday. The identity of the remains has not been determined. Its believed to be her pending positive identification that will have to be determined by the medical examiners office. But Im confident to say the search for Vanessa is now over, Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller told ABC13 this week. Our hearts are broken. We feel pain, frustration and devastation. This shouldnt have happened. We demand a congressional investigation. We demand the truth, the attorney said. If this could happen to Vanessa, this can happen to any one of our sisters, daughters and mothers, she continued. Theres no reason why a young beautiful girl who joined the Army, to honorably serve our country, should be in a shallow grave near on our own turf. Robinsons girlfriend, Aguilar, 22, has been charged with second-degree felony tampering/fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse and a federal charge of conspiracy to tamper with evidence. Jack Phillips contributed to this report. Australia Not Standing Still as Beijing Advances Military Adventurism in Indo-Pacific: Expert Australias pivot towards an offensive-focused military is to counter Beijings rising militarisation in the Indo-Pacific region. It is part of a grander move for nations to unite against the Chinese regimes coercive actions, according to a defence expert. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on July 1 presented the new Strategic Update and Force Structure Plan, which included a record $270 billion (US$187 billion) investment into the Australian Defence Force (ADF) over the next ten years. Morrison said Australia faced a world that is poorer, that is more dangerous, and that is more disorderly. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks at a media conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Jan. 15, 2020. (Rohan Thomson/Getty Images) Regarding the increasing risks in the Indo-Pacific, Morrison alluded to the Great Depression era and the subsequent build-up to World War II: We have not seen the conflation of global, economic, and strategic uncertainty now being experienced here in Australia, in our region, since the existential threat we faced when the global and regional order collapsed in the 1930s and 1940s. The Indo-Pacific is the epicentre of rising strategic competition, he said. Tensions over territorial claims are rising across the Indo-Pacific region, as we have seen recently on the disputed border between India and China, and the South China Sea, and the East China Sea, he added. Chinese leader Xi Jinping (L) speaks after reviewing the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy fleet in the South China Sea on April 12, 2018. (Li Gang/Xinhua via AP) Michael Shoebridge of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra told The Epoch Times on July 1, the major source of danger in the region is an assertive, coercive China and its Peoples Liberation Army. There is no doubt about that, he said. Shoebridge said the Australian militarys shift towards more offensive capabilities is about deterring potential military adventurism from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Indo-Pacific region. The Chinese regime is likely to respond to the prime ministers announcement by accusing Australia of fostering a Cold War mentality and will call for a more harmonious win-win relationship between the countries. The only problem with that is their words dont match their actions, so if they were not coercive, expansionist, and aggressivewhether its on the South China Sea, the India-China border, or through foreign interference or cyber-hacking in Australia and elsewherepeople might be able to trust them, he said. Wife Jaswinder Kaur (4R), her daughter Sandeep Kaur (4L), her son Prabhjot Singh (2R), father Jagir Singh (3L), mother Kashmir Kaur (C) of soldier Satnam Singh who was was killed in a recent clash with Chinese forces in the Galwan valley area, during the cremation ceremony at Bhojraj village near Gurdaspur on June 18, 2020. (Narinder Nanu/AFP via Getty Images) When you add to that the gap between their words and action in Hong Kong, with Uighurs, with Tibetans, theres a big trust deficit with Beijing. Its Beijings task to [decide] whether it tries to rebuild that trust or not, he added. The Shift from Defence to Offence Australias military is currently defence-focused and not adequately equipped to deter attacks against the nation, according to the prime minister. The new Strategic Update will see the ADF concentrate its efforts on the Indo-Pacific region, whereas previously the ADF spread its focus across three key theatresthe nearer region, the Indo-Pacific, and the global order. The new direction also sees Australia transforming its military from a niche, expeditionary force, to one with broader and longer-range strike capabilities. Australias warship HMAS Leeuwin sails during the 2013 International Fleet Review in Sydney on October 5, 2013. Australia considered sending navy ships to help challenge the Chinese regimes claims in the South China Sea. (Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images) Morrison said the ADF needed stronger deterrence capabilities and among a host of new military hardware investments, would acquire long range maritime and land strike capabilities. These capabilities would need to influence the calculus of costs for potential adversaries if they consider threatening Australias interests. The most notable acquisition is the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) produced by Lockheed Martin. This is probably better thought of as an autonomous system that has a warhead. Its a very intelligent and capable missile, that can do its own targeting, and avoid defences, as it goes towards the target, Shoebridge said. Since the retirement of the F111 fighter jet in 2010, Australia has not had significant long-range weapons that can strike potential adversaries. Australia is also looking to purchase drones and hypersonic weapons, mainly from the United States. Hypersonic missiles travel five times the speed of sound, can change course mid-flight, and are difficult to intercept due to their speed. An artistic rendition of DARPAs Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV-2). The Chinese regime recently held its fourth test of a hypersonic missile. (DARPA) The Australian military is moving from a high-technology, defensively postured force, to a high-technology force, with considerable offensive capability, Shoebridge added. Back in 2016 there was the idea that Australia had a ten-year warning time to prepare for major conflict. That idea is dead with this update, Shoebridge said referring to the ADFs previous doctrine which assumed the country had a ten-year buffer period to respond to major military attacks on Australia. Even in the uncertain economic times because of the pandemic, the defence commitment is only going to grow, and there arent many other areas of Australian government expenditure that has such a strong commitment to real funding growth out over ten years, he said. Thats driven by the urgency and deterioration of our strategic environment, he added. Prime Ministers Speech a Call for United Indo-Pacific on CCP The prime minister highlighted the role nations in the Indo-Pacific had to play maintaining free and open trade as well as investment and cooperation that has underpinned stability and prosperity. Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, the countries of South-East Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Pacific all have agency, choices to make, parts to play and of course, so does Australia, he said. The rest of the world, and Australia, are not just bystanders to this, Morrison added. One of Chinas man-made islands in South China Sea, May 21, 2015. (U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters) Shoebridge said Australias military build-up is not about bilateral military conflict with the Chinese regime, instead, he said: This is about Australia as part of a stronger region constraining Chinas coercion and aggression. Related Coverage Australia to Spend Big on Defence Amid Hostile Global Environment There has been a reaction in other countries defence spending, whether thats NATO countries, European countries, the U.S. as well as in Asia. Chinas militarisation and aggression is provoking a broader military modernisation responseAustralia is a part of that, he said. The new Strategic Update by Scott Morrison comes just a day after his announcement of a new cybersecurity force with an investment of $1.35 billion over a ten-year period. The announcement follows revelations by the prime minister on June 18 that Australia was under sustained cyber-attacks from a sophisticated, state-based actor. Barr Asked to Address Concerns Over Potential Political Influence on Probe Into Hackers of Green Groups A senator is asking the U.S. attorney general to address concerns over potential political interference by the Trump administration in a probe into the hacking of environmental groups following the ouster of acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman. The probe, which was launched by the U.S. attorneys office for the Southern District of New York, is investigating aspects of a hack-for-hire operation that targeted advocacy groups and journalists, elected and senior government officials, hedge funds, and multiple industries across six continents. The hackers allegedly targeted a number of U.S. non-profits including those that worked on a campaign against ExxonMobil. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr on Thursday expressing concerns about the independence of the U.S. attorneys office in Manhattan following the dismissal of Berman. The DOJ faced increased scrutiny for Bermans firing after the U.S. attorney initially refused to step down from his role but relented after Barr invoked the presidents power to remove him. During his time in office, Berman led the prosecution against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before his widely reported suicide in jail. He also probed several associates of President Donald Trump, including Michael Cohen, Trumps former lawyer, and Rudy Giuliani, Trumps current lawyer. Whitehouse told Barr that he was worried that the investigation into the hack-for-hire operation would fall victim to political pressure from Washington or be slow-walked or curtailed to protect the presidents donors and allies in the oil and gas industry. Suggestions of political interference into ongoing criminal investigations and prosecutions are rife at this point, the senator wrote in his letter addressed to Barr. The recent termination of the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York heightens those concerns for matters in that office. Add to that the interest of the oil and gas industry in avoiding an inquiry into the events documented in these stories, and its influence in the Trump administration, and any reasonable observer would have reason to be concerned, he added. The Epoch Times has reached out to the Justice Department for comment. Whitehouse asked Barr to assure that political interference will not be applied to this investigation, and to provide the senator with a log of all contacts between the Southern District of New York Office and the main Justice Department about the probe. He also asked the attorney general to preserve all communications between the main office and the Manhattan office relating to the probe. Last month, The Citizen Lab, a research laboratory based at the University of Toronto, released a report the revealed details of the hack-for-hire operation. It found that the hacking operation, which involved sending phishing emails to various institutions, was linked to an India-based technology company, BellTroX InfoTech Services. BellTroX owner Sumit Gupta had previously denied any wrongdoing to Reuters. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Exxon Mobil told The New York Times in a statement last month it had no knowledge of or involvement in the hacking activities as outlined in The Citizen Labs report. According to The Citizen Lab, the hacking operation targeted individuals and organizations that were linked to the #ExxonKnew campaign, which alleges that ExxonMobil misled the public about what it knew about man-made climate change. The research lab found that the organizations that were targeted includes the Rockefeller Family Fund, Greenpeace, and the Climate Investigations Center. Beaches Beckon as England to End Quarantine for Over 50 Countries, but Not US LONDONBritain will end coronavirus quarantines for people arriving in England from more than 50 countries, including Germany, France, Spain, and Italybut not the United Statesthe British government said on July 3. The move, effective July 10, clears the way for millions of British tourists to take summer holidays without worrying about being quarantined when they return. Those arriving from higher risk countries will still have to self-quarantine for 14 days under a rule that has angered airlines and travel companies. Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government had debated for days how to ease the quarantine rules. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, which set their own health policies within the United Kingdom, have not announced plans to lift the measures. There will be a list of 50 plus countries and if you add in the overseas territories, 60 something or other that we will publish later today, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said. Today marks the next step in carefully reopening our great nation, he said. As the spread of the novel coronavirus slows in Europe, countries are reopening travel after more than three months of lockdown. People visit the beach in the Spanish south-eastern town of Benidorm, on March 31, 2015. (Heino Kalis/Reuters) The full list of countries has not yet been published. New Zealand is included, as are the Vatican and Britains overseas territories such as the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar. The United States remains on the red list. The U.S. from a very early stage banned flights from the UK and from Europe so there isnt a reciprocal arrangement in place, Shapps said. Britains foreign ministry will also set out exemptions from a global advisory against all but essential international travel, from July 4, a key to normal insurance being valid. The government said it expected countries included on the quarantine-free list to reciprocate by relaxing their own restrictions. The move to ditch the quarantine comes as Englands High Court is due to hear a legal challenge by British Airways, backed by low-cost rivals Ryanair and easyJet. They argue the quarantine had no scientific basis and was unworkable. Britain, with the highest COVID-19 death toll in Europe, is slowly reopening its economy. England and Northern Ireland will reopen pubs this weekend, and Scotland and Wales are expected to follow later in July. Johnson has warned people to maintain social distancing rules and is expected to repeat that caution at a news conference on Friday. Anyone who flouts social distancing and COVID-secure rules is not only putting us all at risk but letting down those businesses and workers who have done so much to prepare for this new normal, he will say. By William James and Costas Pitas Andrew Stuart wears a bandana as a mask while taking a selfie with his dog, Voltron, on Sunset Blvd, in West Hollywood, Calif., on July 2, 2020. (Ashley Landis/AP Photo) California Governor: Wear Masks, Avoid July 4th Gatherings SACRAMENTO, Calif.Gov. Gavin Newsom urged Californians on Thursday to turn to their better angels and use common sense by wearing masks and skipping traditional gatherings with family and friends during the holiday weekenda message echoed by local officials who previously sparred with the governor over his virus orders. Infections and hospitalizations are rising rapidly in many parts of California and at a news conference Newsom was pressed repeatedly on whether the state is being aggressive enough in enforcing his health mandates, especially an order to wear masks that was put in place two weeks ago. Newsom previously noted he has established teams of state regulators to target businesses that dont enforce the mask rule or follow other requirements for social distancing and hygiene. State authorities also sent letters Thursday to every employerabout 350,000 businesses,warning that failure to implement the face coverings order could result in fines and potential criminal prosecution. But the governor acknowledged authorities can only do so much when it comes to the behavior of individuals outside business settings. Laurent Vrignaud (C) serves pastries to pedestrians in the newly opened promenade in Laguna Beach, Calif., on June 15, 2020. (Jamie Joseph/The Epoch Times) Were not going into everybodys backyard and enforcing, he said. Were just encouraging people to be safe, to be thoughtful about themselves and others. Dr. Mark Ghaly, the states top health official, called the holiday weekend a big deal for efforts to contain the virus and urged people to behave differently than they did on Memorial Day weekend, when many gathered socially. Authorities say that behavior helped spur the latest surge of cases. This is another time for Californians to pay attention to what happened over the last month and make a different set of decisions now, he said. Members of the Laguna Beach City Council gather to celebrate the opening of a summertime shopping promenade to spur business in the heart of the city following the COVID-19 pandemic, in Laguna Beach, Calif., on June 15, 2020. (Jamie Joseph/The Epoch Times) Across the state, local officials largely parroted the governors words about the importance of personal responsibility. But they also took action. Along the coast, many beaches and parks were closed or access was restricted. Fireworks shows were canceled up and down the state. In West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Monterey, officials announced they were ready to fine people who dont wear masks. Coco Cocozzella, who wore a black face covering while outside in Sacramento, said masks are kind of a pain but she doesnt mind the state mandating she wear one. At home, she said, she keeps hers on a hook with her keys to remember to take it when she goes out. She said fines are a step too far but people who dont wear a mask should be stopped and warned. You should get a little scared, she said. A couple ride a tandem bike at Huntington Beach, Calif., on July 1, 2020. (Reuters/Mike Blake) California had been on a good trajectory with its virus efforts until mid-June. As infections rose markedly, Newsom took action this week. Los Angeles and 18 other counties with the most troubling virus increases were forced to shutter bars, forbid inside restaurant dining and close movie theaters, among other things. More than 2,200 additional cases of COVID-19 were reported Thursday in Los Angeles County. In addition, nearly 1,900 people were hospitalizedthe largest number since early Mayand 28 percent of them are in intensive care, the county reported. Unfortunately, we continue to see negative trends in the data and we urgently need to make a change in the trajectory, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. We must make sure we are not unnecessarily spending time outside with others and use this opportunity as a countywide reset. We need everyones help. San Diego, the states second-largest county, previously wasnt among the 19 countiesincluding virtually all of Southern Californiathat are on the state watch list. But local authorities said Thursday the state had notified them that San Diego County would join the list Friday following a series of outbreaks this week. People enjoy the beach amid the CCP virus pandemic in Huntington Beach, Calif., on June 14, 2020. (Apu Gomes /AFP via Getty Images) In neighboring Orange County, where officials had fought Newsoms order to close down beaches and the health officer resigned due to harassment that followed her order to wear face coverings, Supervisor Michelle Steel and Sheriff Don Barnes advised people to wear masks. The sheriff said his deputies will urge voluntary compliance rather than use aggressive enforcement. Meanwhile, in Santa Clara County in the San Francisco Bay Area, Public Health Officer Sara Cody announced hair and nail salons, gyms, and other businesses could open by July 13, even as the county followed state orders to close bars and other establishments because its cases are rising. Cody was the architect of the stay-at-home order in the Bay Area that preceded Newsoms statewide order by several days in March. California Gov. Gavin Newsom talks about new policing and criminal justice reforms at Miss Ollies in Oakland, Calif., on June 9, 2020. (Courtesy of Associated Press Pool) Cody criticized Newsoms rapid reopening of the economy in early June. But she now says that even with increases in cases and hospitalizations in her county, she felt comfortable setting a date to reopen additional businesses. The new order is about acknowledging that we have been sheltering in place for a very long time and need something sustainable because were going to be at this for a while, she said. Newsom also announced a new public awareness campaign with billboards, TV, radio ads, and social media posts urging Californians to wear face coverings and reminding them of the danger of the virus. One ad shows a person breathing on a ventilator with a mask that reads: Even without symptoms, you can spread COVID-19. And people can die. People like your mom. If you think this hasnt or wont impact you because it hasnt impacted you, I hope to disabuse you of that, Newsom said during his news conference. The ads are starting in English and Spanish and will eventually run in seven languages. The effort also includes social media ads and will focus specifically on Black and Latino communities, which are being disproportionately impacted by the virus. The new campaign is funded in part by Silicon Valley groups and philanthropists, including Tom Steyer, a former Democratic presidential candidate and head of Newsoms Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery. By Kathleen Ronayne Chicago Police: 15 People Shot, 3 Dead on Thursday Authorities in Chicago said that 15 people were shot, three of them fatally, across the city on Thursday. The latest shooting left one person dead and another injured in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago, police told the Chicago Sun-Times. A group was standing at 11:15 p.m. on the 4700 block of West Huron Street when a male approached them and opened fire, officials said. The deceased individual was identified by officials as 39-year-old Corey Gilmore. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, said the Cook County Medical Examiners office, while the other man was shot in the arms and was taken to the same hospital in fair condition, the Sun-Times reported. The second fatal shooting occurred when Noe J. Mondragon-Jimenez, 27, was walking in Little Village in the Southwest Side at 9:30 p.m. Two males got out of a dark-colored vehicle and shot him, police said, while officials said he was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The first fatal shooting took place on 3:20 p.m. in the South Sides Burnside neighborhood, authorities said. The man, who was not identified, was struck by gunfire, and no arrests have been made, according to the newspaper. The violence comes as shootings are on the rise in Chicago. Over the past two weeks, four toddlers have been shot in the city. What was called the Windy City is now turning into the Bloody City. If we dont stop this, then Chicagos going to become known as not a safe place for children. Once that happens, weve lost the soul of our city, said Rev. Michael Pfleger on July 2, according to USA Today. Ive been here 45 years, and Ive never seen the meshing together of hopelessness, despair and anger all together at this level. Because of that, we have the fallout of unacceptable behavior, Pfleger said. Over the Fathers Day weekend, more than 100 people were shot, and five minors died, police said. That included a 3-year-old child who was shot while his father was driving. Our citys collective heart breaks to hear the unfathomable news of a 3-year-old boy who was shot and killed tonight on Chicagos West Side, Mayor Lori Lightfoot wrote at the time on Twitter. There are simply no words to describe such a heinous, unconscionable act of cowardice to shoot at a toddler. Meanwhile, there are fears that the Fourth of July weekend, when temperatures are expected to soar, will produce yet another several days of bloodshed. Lightfoot and other officials announced a Fourth of July weekend safety plan to combat violence and shootings. Its not just on the police department. Not just on the fire department. Not just on elected officials, Lightfoot said, according to ABC7. All of us have to embrace our notion of community and think about what we can do, each of us in our own way, to make our communities safe and healthy and vibrant. Australia Considers Fast-Tracked Hong Kong Visas, Beijing Calls It the Wrong Path The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has warned Australia about helping Hong Kong citizens escape the new repressive national security laws imposed on the territory on July 1. On July 2 Chinas foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, warned Australia to not head down what he called the wrong path regarding the national security legislation. The CCP is facing increased criticism internationally for imposing new laws that have severe punishments for what it considers acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and the vague collusion with foreign forces. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on July 2 that Australia expected the CCP to uphold the basic law and safeguards that were established at Hong Kongs handover to the communist regime. We do find these events very concerning, and we have been very clear about our statements to that in concert with many other nations, said Morrison. Speaking to Ben Knight on ABC Breakfast on July 3 Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment Simon Birmingham said the Australian government was preparing for any circumstance that may unfold in Hong Kong. Were just working carefully through scenarios, in terms of what could occur, what we may need to respond to and they include scenarios around whether or not there may be individuals who need safe haven or circumstances, where they might seek to move their base or the locality, said Birmingham. On July 2 the Australian government flagged bringing forward similar opportunities as the UK announced the day before for residents of Hong Kong if they have a British National overseas passport (BN(o)). Under the new changes, the UK will grant residency rights to BN(o) holders and create a path to full British citizenship. Alternatively, Australia could fast track skilled migrant visas for Hong Kong nationals or offer sanctuary through the refugee program. The Risks of Doing Business in Hong Kong Cause Concern Senator Birmingham asserted that there is a growing concern over the safety of Hong Kong because it is an essential centre of investment and a commercial hub that has been so important to our region for so long. William Pesek from the Nikkei Asian Review noted on May 25 that the new security laws would likely take a toll economically on Hong Kong as companies weigh up the risk of doing business with the CCP. Pesek explained that many companies now fear how the spectre of the Chinese Communist Party could remake both the Hong Kong judiciary and the banking system. Utilising the example of Cathay Pacific, Pesek revealed that during the 2019 protests in Hong Kong Beijing strong-armed companies like Cathay Pacific to punish employees supporting Hong Kongs pro-democracy movement and ousted Cathays chairman and CEO. Furthermore, the new foreign collusion law frightens many as it does not specify where the boundaries lie for overseas businesses. Might a Goldman Sachs report out of Hong Kong questioning Chinas gross domestic product data put its business charter at risk? wrote Pesek. He notes could companies like Muddy Waters Research sustain their office in Hong Kong when part of their work is to put a spotlight on alleged fraud from mainland Chinese businesses. College Democrats President, Executive Board Members Resign Amid Racism Accusations The College Democrats of America (CDA), the official college student branch of the Democratic Party, has undergone a major structural change, as the groups president and several executive board members were forced to resign over accusations of racism and classism within the national leadership. The shake-up started when Denison University student Matthew Nowling, the sole black member of the CDA executive board, announced his resignation on June 27, claiming that his efforts to promote diversity within the organization had been twisted by other board members. During my time on the national board, Ive constantly been ostracized, undermined, and mocked, Nowling wrote on Twitter. The perpetrators of those efforts have often done this in the open and during executive board calls and have not seen consequence. Nowlings complaint led to a June 30 ultimatum from a coalition of College Democrat federations from 39 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, expressing solidarity with Nowling. The coalition threatened to cut all ties with the organization and denounce it in its current form, unless a series of demands, including the resignation of CDA President Mikaela Guido, were met within 48 hours. In response, the CDA announced support of Mikaela Guidos resignation the following day, promising to start the implementation of all demands made by the coalition. We apologize to Matthew for the contributions of our complicit practices and the indirect roles we played into the racism and bullying he experienced in this organization, the remaining CDA executive board members said in a statement. At least three board members had already resigned shortly after Matthew Nowling cited racism as the reason for his resignation. Nowling announced on July 1 that he was asked and accepted the role of the CDAs interim president, in what he called encouraging steps towards creating a more inclusive and accountable environment. Mikaela Guido, a law student at the University of Florida, accused Nowling of using accusations of racism to cover personal disagreements between them. She threatened legal action against those who attacked on her character, while saying she agreed that the CDA needed to make changes to reflect uplifting voices of color. What I do not stand for is being labeled a racist or complacent in racism, Guido wrote in a statement. The gross mischaracterization that I contributed to this environment is unequivocally false. Moreover, these unsubstantiated claims of racism towards me have an appearance of being used as a front for personal disagreements, which is morally reprehensible. Dawn Gomez holds her 3-year-old granddaughter, Saryia Greer, who waves at Vanessa Guillen's mural painted by Alejandro "Donkeeboy" Roman Jr. on the side of Taqueria Del Sol, in Houston, on July 2, 2020. (Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle/AP) Complaint: Missing Texas Soldier Was Killed at Fort Hood AUSTIN, TexasFederal and military investigators said on July 2 a soldier missing since April was killed by a fellow soldier stationed at the same Texas base. The revelation followed demands for the Army to release details about its investigation of the disappearance. A criminal complaint released by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas charges a civilian with helping hide the body of 20-year-old soldier Vanessa Guillen. The document, prepared in conjunction with the Army Criminal Investigative Command and the FBI, says the civilian helped the other soldier get rid of evidence after he bludgeoned Guillen with a hammer at Fort Hood in Central Texas and later dismembered and dumped the body. Human remains were found Tuesday near the Leon River in Bell County, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Fort Hood, in the search for Guillen. Her family said through attorney Natalie Khawam that they believe the evidence shows the remains are Guillen, but authorities said they are still awaiting positive identification. The whole thing is devastating, gruesome, barbaric, Khawam said. The Army said Wednesday that the soldier suspected in Guillens disappearance had killed himself. In a press conference Thursday, the Army identified the soldier suspected in Guillens disappearance as Aaron David Robinson. Army investigators declined to comment further on the details of Guillens case, saying they did not want to compromise the ongoing investigation. The criminal complaint released later Thursday said the civilian arrested in connection to the Guillen case is Cecily Aguilar, 22, of Killeen, Texas, near Fort Hood. Aguilar faces one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence. Robinson enlisted Aguilar to help him dispose of Guillens body, according to the complaint. Aguilar later recognized Guillen, the complaint says, and helped Robinson mutilate and hide her body. Aguilar was arrested Wednesday and was being held Thursday in the Bell County Jail in Belton, Texas, according to booking records. It was unclear whether she had an attorney to speak on her behalf. Missing Fort Hood Soldier, Vanessa Guillen. (Courtesy of Fort Hood Military Police) Khawam said the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division told her Robinson cleaned up the area where Guillen was killed, placed her body in a container, and wheeled her out to his car. After driving to pick up Aguilar, Khawam said, the pair drove to a nearby river and tried to burn Guillens body, but later chopped it up with a machete. Then, they put cement on the body and buried the remains. Tim Miller, of Texas Equusearch, who was assisting in the search for Guillen, told KHOU that investigators found a lid last week that belonged to a container consistent with one a witness saw loaded into a car at 8:30 p.m. the night Guillen disappeared. Investigators were called back to the scene this week when a man working in the area reported a foul odor. Miller said it appeared the suspect buried her, put lime on her, mixed up concrete, put that over her, put dirt over her, rocks and stuff. The family had said they believe Guillen was sexually harassed by the military suspect and is calling for a congressional investigation, Khawam said Wednesday. Guillens older sister, Mayra Guillen, told The Associated Press on Thursday that her family was distraught after learning details about her sisters disappearance. The family had previously said they believe the Army was covering up details of Vanessa Guillens disappearance. There are a lot of horrifying things that happened that day, said Mayra Guillen, 22. There are just no words. Mayra Guillen said her sister had spoken with their mother about experiencing sexual harassment, but that her mother has been too devastated to talk about it. From their text conversations, Mayra Guillen said she believed her sister was afraid during her time at Fort Hood. Army investigators said Thursday that they had no credible evidence that Vanessa Guillen had been sexually harassed or assaulted. We are still investigating their interactions but at this time there is no credible information for reports that specialist Robinson sexually harassed specialist Guillen, said Fort Hood CID Special Agent Damon Phelps. Guillen was last seen April 22 in a parking lot at Fort Hood. She was set to be promoted to specialist this month. Her car keys, barracks room key, ID card, and wallet were found in the room where she was working the day she disappeared. Authorities said Wednesday that Robinson, 20, of Calumet City, Illinois, a Chicago suburb on the Indiana border, pulled a gun and shot himself as police were trying to make contact with him. The Army CID and the League of United Latin American Citizens offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Guillens whereabouts. By Acacia Coronado This bill didnt do everything I wanted it to do. In fact, theres several things I wanted to get done that are not included in this bill, LaRose said in a video statement this month, promising to try to get some of those other changes made in the future. Couple Married for 53 Years Die From COVID-19 Within an Hour of Each Other, Holding Hands A Texas couple married for 53 years passed away holding hands within an hour of each other after a short battle with the CCP virus. The couple was able to be together in their final moments thanks to a medic who requested they be moved to the same hospital room. Curtis Tarpley, 79, and his wife, Betty, 80, passed away at the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth on June 18. Betty was admitted to hospital shortly before her husband. Curtis and Betty Tarpley. (Courtesy of Tim Tarpley) Betty initially suspected a sinus infection; however, when it didnt improve after 10 days, she made a dental appointment, the couples son, Tim, told WFAA. [O]n the way there, she wrecked her car, Tim explained. Shed hit a curb and destroyed her wheel. But, she just wasnt really making sense. That day, Betty had trouble explaining to her son where she was at. The next day, the confusion got even worse, and she wasnt able to even check her blood pressure, something she did for almost 20 years. The worried son drove his mother to the hospital. The 80-year-old tested positive for the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, on June 9, and her condition deteriorated quickly. The Tarpleys on their wedding day. (Courtesy of Tim Tarpley) Just days after Bettys hospital admission, Curtis, who had underlying health conditions, also tested positive. They both kind of knew if they got this, if it was brought into the house, that my dad would not be able to survive this, Tim reflected. A few days after his parents both tested positive for Covid-19, Tim too tested positive for the virus, and entered quarantine. Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price was also required to quarantine, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, as Tim is her personal trainer. According to her son, it was Betty who first became cognizant that her fight was almost over. My mom called me and said, Hey, I just want to let you know, Im ready to go, Tim told CBS DFW. I yelled and screamed, and thought maybe if I talked to her I could inspire her to have one last bit of will to live, he said. Tim called his father, who was being treated on a different floor of the hospital, to break the news. He said, Hows your mom? Tim recalled. I said, Not good, and it was like, at that moment knowing that my mom was going to go, it was okay for him to go. Tim Tarpley with his father, Curtis. (Courtesy of Tim Tarpley) A medical staffer came forward with the suggestion that the couple be relocated to the same room. It was some doctor or nurse named Blake, said Tim, thats all we knew about him. He really went out of his way to get my mom moved from her room to his room. The Tarpleys medical team placed Curtis and Betty side by side and laid their hands close together. [N]ext thing we know, said Tim, they grabbed each others hands. And thats how they went. The grieving son has since expressed immense gratitude to Curtis and Bettys team, as well as all medics working on the front lines during such a challenging time, calling them unseen heroes. Curtis and Betty attended the same high school in Rockford, Illinois, even working at the same ice cream shop. Somehow, the two met each other in San Diego again, and they dated each other, married, and had their two children, Tim and Tricia, before relocating to Texas in the 1980s. Tim praised his parents to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for always making it work but admitted he had been bowled over by some of the anecdotes that had emerged about his kindhearted parents since their passing. A friend of mine I guess he was homeless and living in his car, and my mom would let him shower and sleep on the couch and she would make him food to eat in the car, Tim explained, recalling one anecdote. I had no idea. Curtis and Betty on their 50th wedding anniversary with their children, Tricia and Tim, and grandchildren. (Courtesy of Tim Tarpley) Curtis and Betty also gave back in their final moments; their bodies, said Tims sister, Tricia, are being donated to the University of North Texas Health Science Center for medical research. I dont know how one would have survived without the other, Tricia reflected. Theyre together. Neither one of them had to grieve for the other one. For them, it was perfect. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds takes an oath during a ceremony at Government House in Canberra on May 29, 2019. (Mark Graham/AFP/Getty Images) Defence Minister Says Australia Needs to Define a New Rule-Based World Order Australia's defence force will tackle the grey area of hybrid or 'unrestricted' warfare in peace times Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds has told a meeting of defence specialists that Australia has to define a new rule-based world order. Speaking at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra on July 2 about the 2020 Defence Strategic Update, Reynolds said: The world we grew up in is no more. Our region is facing the most consequential regional realignment since World War II, she said. We need to define a new rule-based order and encourage all state-based actors to accord with these rules. The defence minister emphasised Australias security environment had changed rapidly in ways not predicted. Nations in our region now have advanced capabilitiessuch as submarines, next-generation air combat, and highly capable land forces. New weapons and technologiesincluding hypersonic glide and long-range missiles, autonomous systems, space capabilities, AI and cyber, said the defence minister. All of which, she revealed, had increased the range, speed, precision and lethality of their armed forces. Australia must be prepared to face these challenges, said Reynolds. Royal Australian Navy warship HMAS Paramatta sails in front of the iconic Sydney Opera House on Oct. 4, 2013. (Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images) Australia to Become a Regional Protector The Morrison government announced on July 1 that it would overhaul the Australian defence forces by investing $270 billion over the next ten years to expand its capabilities and activities into the Indo-Pacific region. Included in the expansion of military capabilities will be the purchase of long-range missiles and space infrastructure. In an interview on SkyNews on July 2, Reynolds indicated that Australia would move to become a major power in the Indo-Pacific region. Australia is certainly concerned by some behaviours that we have seen from China in recent times, which is making our region even more anxious, said Reynolds. To address these concerns, Australia will initiate plans to develop and shape its regional environment by working with its neighbours and regional friends. By doing so, Reynolds believes that Australia can ensure countries adhere to a rules-based order, respect others sovereignty, peace, and prosperity. Where that is not successful, deterrence is also critically important to make sure that we can keep any threats at arms length from ourselves and also from our regional friends and thats where our commitment to acquiring new long-range strike weapons comes into play because they are a very strong deterrent, said Reynolds. Defence to Tackle the Grey Area of Hybrid Warfare in Peace Times The minister also highlighted that the ADF would move into the developing field of conflict called grey zone warfare or hybrid conflictalso known by China analysts as unrestricted warfare. Countries are increasingly seeking to exploit the grey area between peace and war by using tactics that fall beneath the threshold of armed combat, Reynolds explained. Grey-zone tactics are considered by conflict analysts to be part of hybridised warfare that is currently emerging in the newly competitive international environment. In a 2018 paper for the Strategic Monitor, Danny Pronk said grey-zone activities usually involve the use of cyberattacks, economic pressure, and foreign interference by a country to achieve its national objectives. Everything short of open warfare. Pronk went on to explain that even though grey-zone activities use covert and overt actions by the military, intelligence service, diplomatic core, and financial organisations, the activities do not justify retaliation because they are not covered by international law. Pronk identified China, North Korea, and Russia as three nations that utilise these tactics. The ADF 2020 Force Strategic Update (pdf) published on July 1 asserted that there has been an expansion of grey-zone activities in the Indo-Pacific region with activities ranging from the militarisation of the South China Sea to active interference, disinformation campaigns and economic coercion. Watch Next On Marxism in America, the Communist China Threat, Unconventional Warfare and Hong Kong: Joshua Philipp DOJ Has Brought Charges in 150 Federal Cases Linked to Rioting, US Attorney Says The Justice Department (DOJ) has so far brought charges in 150 federal cases related to acts of violence amid nationwide protests that occurred in the wake of George Floyds death, according to the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. The department and other federal agencies have been prioritizing efforts to quell outbreaks of violent rioting in several cities and restore law and order to those areas over the past month. The death of Floyd, a black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police, sparked widespread protests across the nation to call for change over police brutality and policing practices. While many of the protests were peaceful, some cities were faced with the violent activity that has led to significant property damage and more than a dozen deaths. Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, provided an update of the departments efforts in the area on Thursday on Fox News Tucker Carlsons show. He said that to date the U.S. attorneys offices across the nation have brought charges in 150 cases related to the destruction of federal property and a litany of other crimes that really have been lost in the shuffle, including cases related to arson as well as murder in California. He added that federal resources have also been used to assist with local and state authorities to charge hundreds of other cases related to state charges including assault and battery and theft. Even though we dont get a federal stat for those cases, there are hundreds of other cases the federal government has used to assist those local law enforcement agencies to ensure that, look, this violence will not be tolerated and it cannot be condoned in any way, Sherwin said, adding that authorities want to send a message that there is a difference between these crimes and legitimate protests. Senior officials have attributed the violent activity to extremist groups such as Antifa. Attorney General William Barr previously said that actors from a variety of different political persuasions have hijacked the protests to pursue their own violent agendas and engage in lawlessness. Some groups have barricaded large areas in some cities to set up self-declared autonomous zones such as in Seattle and New York City. More recently, groups have been targeting monuments and statues of former U.S. presidents who had links to colonialism and slavery. This had prompted President Donald Trump to sign an executive order to protect the countrys monuments, memorials, and statues. He also authorized the federal government to arrest any person who vandalizes or destroys a monument or other federal property, a crime that could attract a prison sentence of 10 years. Four individuals have since been charged in connection with a failed attempt to topple a statue of President Andrew Jackson near the White House. People cant unilaterally decide what is right and what is wrong. And if those people do make that decision on their own and take the law into their own hands, the law will come after them and the United States will use federal resources to charge you if youre inciting violence or destroying these monuments, Sherwin said during the interview. Sherwin said the department was in the progress of identifying the individuals who are commanding and controlling the operations of some of the violent activity. He said that it appears that a bulk of the cases are related to individuals who are self-radicalized or lone wolves that self identify with extremist groups on the left and on the right. Thats not saying that there isnt an overall command and control, but we have not identified that full architecture yet, Sherwin said, adding that at the moment the department is charging individuals not of the basis of political affiliation but the evidence collected. Barr has previously said that the department has evidence that Antifa and other similar extremist groups, as well as actors of a variety of different political persuasions, have been involved in instigating and participating in the violent activity. We are also seeing foreign actors playing all sides to exacerbate the violence, he said. In an interview with Fox News, Barr explained that Antifa hasnt yet been mentioned in criminal complaints related to the rioting because federal authorities are still conducting comprehensive investigations into certain individuals with ties to the extremist group. We have some investigations underway and very focused investigations on certain individuals that relate to Antifa, Barr said during an interview with Fox News on June 8. But in the initial phase of identifying people and arresting them, they were arrested for crimes that dont require us to identify a particular group or dont necessitate that. Individuals who were charged with federal crimes were arrested for a range of alleged conduct, including pointing laser beams at law enforcement aircraft, setting police vehicles on fire, possession of firearms during the protests, theft and looting, inciting riots, and for impersonating a federal officer. In one case, three New York residents, Colinford Mattis, Urooj Rahman, Samantha Shader were charged in two separate indictments for allegedly trying to use improvised incendiary devices, commonly known as Molotov cocktails, to damage a New York City Police Department vehicle in May. Federal Labor's candidate for Eden Monaro Mike Kelly (far left) votes in the electorate of Eden-Monaro on July 2, 2016 in Canberra, Australia. (Martin Ollman/Getty Images) Eden-Monaro Voters Go to Polls Amid Virus Voters in Eden-Monaro are sharpening their pencils and heading to the ballot box to have their say, albeit in a COVID-19-safe way. Polls formally open in the by-election for the seat in the southeastern corner of NSW on July 4. However, about half the 114,000 voters have either cast their ballot early or mailed it in. The electoral commission has warned people it may take longer than usual to cast their vote due to coronavirus safety measures. Voting places will have hand sanitiser and social distancing measures in place, and people have been asked to bring their own pen or pencil. There are 14 candidates running but the race is widely expected to come down to a contest between Labors Kristy McBain and Liberal Fiona Kotvojs, neither of whom is likely to win on primary vote alone. The by-election was triggered when respected Labor member Mike Kelly resigned from parliament due to health concerns. Its been 100 years since a party in government won a seat from the opposition at a by-election. The vast electorate has suffered from drought, bushfires and the coronavirus recession in recent months. Labor has accused the government of talking big, especially about the bushfire recovery, but having poor follow-through when it comes to delivering what people need. Prime Minister Scott Morrisons has told voters he needs a local voice on his governments benches to ensure the smooth delivery of help to people in the region. On Friday, a Sydney man was charged with sending offensive and menacing emails about Ms McBain to voters and others. Katina Curtis in Canberra British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, driven by Britain's Prince Andrew, leaves the wedding of a former girlfriend of the prince, Aurelia Cecil, at the Parish Church of St Michael in Compton Chamberlayne near Salisbury, England, on Sept. 2, 2000. (Chris Ison/PA via AP) Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell Ordered Held Without Bail Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell is being held without bail for now. Maxwell, 58, was arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire, on Thursday before appearing in a federal court via teleconference. During the appearance, Maxwell waived her right to seek bond. The U.S. Marshals Service was to take custody of Maxwell and would transport her to New York for a detention hearing, federal Magistrate Judge Andrea Johnstone said. The timing for the transfer wasnt clear. Requests for information sent to the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Prisons werent returned. Ghislaine Maxwell, longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, speaks at a news conference on oceans and sustainable development at the United Nations in New York on June 25, 2013, in this screengrab taken from United Nations TV file footage. (UNTV/Handout/Reuters) Extreme Risk Prosecutors said in a memo filed with the court that Maxwell poses an extreme risk of flight and should be held without bail. Maxwell faces 35 years in prison and the government has a strong case against her, prosecutors argued, meaning she has the incentive to try to flee if released before a trial. That risk is only amplified by the defendants extensive international ties, her citizenship in two foreign countries, her wealth, and her lack of meaningful ties to the United States, they wrote, noting that Maxwell has three passports, large sums of money, and extensive connections outside the country. According to flight records, Maxwell traveled to the United Kingdom, Japan, and Qatar, among other nations, in the past three years. The 58-year-old British national, who is a naturalized citizen of the United States and a citizen of France, stopped appearing in public entirely after an indictment against Epstein was unsealed in July 2019, authorities said. Moreover, it appears that she made intentional efforts to avoid detection, including moving locations at least twice, switching her primary phone number (which she registered under the name G Max) and email address, and ordering packages for delivery with a different person listed on the shipping label, they wrote. The 156-acre property where she was arrested was acquired in an all-cash purchase in December 2019 through an anonymized LLC. Maxwell is rich. Government investigators located more than 15 different bank accounts held by or associated with her from 2016 to the present. During that period of time, the money in the accounts ranged from hundreds of thousands of dollars to more than $20 million. Maxwell also has at least one foreign bank account containing more than $1 million. She reaped substantial income from selling a residence in New York City in 2016. That residence sold for $15 million through a limited liability company. Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Ghislaine Maxwell for her alleged role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein in New York City on July 2, 2020. (John Minchillo/AP Photo) First Epstein Associate Arrested Maxwells arrest was the first of an associate of Epsteins, a convicted sex offender who was accused of molesting dozens of minor girls and running a sex trafficking operation. Epstein was arrested last year but was found unconscious in his prison cell in Manhattan before he could face charges. A medical examiner determined he committed suicide. Charges against Maxwell included enticing a minor to travel to engage in sexual activity, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and perjury. Prosecutors said Maxwell and Epstein from 1994 through 1997 exploited girls as young as 14. Maxwell played a critical role in the grooming and abuse of minor victims in a number of locations, including New York, New Mexico, and Florida, prosecutors alleged. Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, and then delivered them into the trap that she and Jeffrey Epstein had set. She pretended to be a woman they could trust. All the while, she was setting them up to be abused sexually by Epstein and, in some cases, Maxwell herself, Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss, who just took over the position from Geoffrey Berman, said in a statement. Maxwell is also accused of making several false statements in sworn depositions in 2016. Correction: A previous version of this article included a mislabeled photograph. The main photograph is from Sept. 2, 2000. The Epoch Times regrets the error. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (via live video transmission) speak to the media following talks at the Chancellery on July 2, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Christian Marquardt /Getty Images) EU Seeks Dialogue on Hong Kong as Germany Assumes EU Presidency A day after Germany took over the presidency of the European Union, Chancellor Angela Merkel said the 27-nation bloc would continue to discuss human rights and the rule of law with the Chinese regime, but stopped short of threatening sanctions over Beijings new national security law for Hong Kong. We will continue to seek dialogue and conversation with China about this, said Merkel at a press conference on July 2 marking the beginning of Germanys six-month EU presidency. Stressing that ties with China are of strategic importance to the EU, she said it was important to have a relationship of trust where one can openly say ones opinions to each other with mutual respect. And there will be differences of opinion, but I hope also common results, the German leader added. Asked whether Germany would consider offering asylum to Hong Kong dissidents, Merkel replied that German asylum law is there for people everywhere and therefore she did not think anything beyond that was needed. In May 2019, Germany granted refugee status to two young Hong Kong activists facing charges at home. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (L) addresses a joint press conference with Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel at the start of the German presidency by video conference at the EU headquarters in Brussels on July 2, 2020. (John Thys/AFP via Getty Images) Also speaking at Thursdays press briefing, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was in both sides interests to maintain the special status of Hong Kong, because the city is still the most important hub for Chinas economic exchange with Europe. If Europe takes a confident and united position, it will have a long-term effect on China, she said. Germany, the EUs most influential member state, appears to have taken a relatively mild stance on the Hong Kong crisis, compared with the United States, Britain, and Australia. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill on July 2 to authorize sanctions on individuals who are found to be involved in subverting Hong Kongs autonomy, and banks who do business with them. Senators have also launched a bill to grant refugee status to Hong Kong residents at risk of persecution under the national security law. Britain has offered a bespoke route to citizenship to Hong Kong residents holding the British National (Overseas) status, and is set to enact Magnitsky legislation in order to apply targeted sanctions on those who breach human rights in the city. Australia is also working on a scheme to offer a safe haven to Hong Kong residents. Police detain a protester after spraying pepper spray during a protest in Causeway Bay before the annual handover march in Hong Kong on July 1, 2020. (Vincent Yu/AP Photo) The Merkel governments stance on the Chinese regime is not unchallenged within Germany. Green Party leader Robert Habeck, for example, has recently criticized her unwillingness to ban the Chinese state-controlled telecoms giant Huawei from the German mobile network. We cannot allow the Chinese state to gain access to our hospitals, traffic routes, factories and energy systems through providers such as Huawei, which are controlled via the 5G network, Habeck told German newspaper Handelsblatt. We cannot bring a Trojan horse into the system. The Green Party leader also called for personal sanctions including visa bans and asset freezes against Chinese officials who violate human rights and break international law. German Green Party co-leader Robert Habeck delivering a speech at a two-day party congress of the German Green party in Bielefeld, western Germany, on Nov. 16, 2019. (Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images) Andreas Fulda, a German scholar teaching at the University of Nottingham, England, has spoken out against Germanys failed China policy and expressed concerns over its impact on the EU. Merkels unwillingness to set red lines not only undermines German foreign policy towards China but also makes it harder to develop a new and more assertive European strategy towards China, wrote Fulda in a recent commentary published by think tank the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). At a time of heightened geopolitical tensions between the US and Communist Party-led China, Europe can no longer afford Germanys unprincipled and failed China policy of change through trade, he wrote. Chancellor Merkel should abandon her failed China policy and join Europes search for a more principled approach towards China, Fulda concluded. Isabel van Brugen and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Father of 19-Year-Old Victim Who Died Inside Seattles CHOP Says He Still Doesnt Know What Happened to His Son The father of the 19-year-old who was shot and killed on June 20 during the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) in Seattle said during an interview with Fox host Sean Hannity that he was never told about what happened to his son. In the interview on Wednesday, July 1, the father, Horace Lorenzo Anderson Sr., said that no one ever reached out to him about the death of his son, and that it was only through two of his sons friends that he learned of his sons passing. The only way I found out was just two of his friends, just two friends that just happened to be up there and they came and told me. They werent even from Seattle, Anderson said. Furthermore, he said that neither the police nor the city mayor had contacted him about his sons death from the time his son was killed until now. Somebody needs to come to my house and knock on my door and tell me something. I dont know anything. All I know is that my son got killed there, Anderson said during the interview. Anderson said that to this day, he still doesnt know what happened on that day, and according to the interview, he is currently waiting for someone to offer him some sort of explanation of the incident that transpired on June 20. Furthermore, he said on June 20 he went to the hospital to see his son, there was nobody there. Anderson told the Fox Show host that it took him until June 25 to be able to see his son. Anderson told the Fox host that it felt like his son didnt matter and the only reason why people know about his son was because he became more vocal about finding out what happened. I feel like he doesnt without this, he would just be nobody. Hes just it doesnt matter, hes just another guy. Just another child, just swept under the rug and thats it and forgotten about, Anderson said. Anderson also told Hannity during the interview that he feels numb following the death of his son, especially since he will be burying his son on Thursday. And despite being vocal about wanting some answers, the authorities still have not contacted him. Im hearing from YouTube Im still trying to figure out answers so I can sleep. I dont sleep. My kids dont sleep. I cant even stay home, he said. My kids, they feel like they are unsafe at home. Ive been buying motel rooms and I dont have that type of money. I wasnt prepared for this. His son was killed on the morning of June 20 in the CHOP zone near Cal Anderson Park on 10th Avenue and East Pine Street. A 33-year-old man was also wounded in the shooting. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, a Democrat, told reporters on Wednesday that she deeply, deeply regrets the loss of life and planned to meet with the families of the deceased to express her condolences. Durkan ordered CHOP to be cleared this week. The autonomous zone was in operation, with the citys blessing, for nearly one month. From NTD News Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. U.S. President Donald Trump looks on at a joint news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on June 24, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Father of Teen Victim Killed in CHOP Zone Receives Condolence Call From Trump President Donald Trump this week offered a condolence phone call to the family of a teenager who was shot and killed during the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) in Seattle last month. Horace Lorenzo Anderson Jr., 19, was killed in the early hours of June 20 near the border of the so-called autonomous zone known as Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone, or CHOP, which was occupied by protesters for weeks. His father, Horace Lorenzo Anderson Sr., told Fox News on Thursday that the president called the family to offer his support after seeing his interview with the channels Hannity host Sean Hannity the night before. In the Wednesday interview, the 19-year-olds father said that he was never told about what happened to his son, and that no one had ever reached out to him about his death. He told Hannity that it was only through two of his sons friends that he learned of his sons passing. A sign welcomes visitors on East Pine Street during ongoing Black Lives Matter events at the so-called Capitol Hill Organized Protest in Seattle, Wash., on June 14, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images) The only way I found out was just two of his friends, just two friends that just happened to be up there and they came and told me. They werent even from Seattle, Anderson said, noting that, at the time of the interview, he hadnt been contacted by the police or the city mayor. Somebody needs to come to my house and knock on my door and tell me something. I dont know anything. All I know is that my son got killed there, Anderson said Wednesday. Anderson confirmed that after the interview, he was contacted by both the president and Mayor Jenny Durkan (D). Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan speaks at a news conference about the COVID-19 outbreak in Seattle, Washington, on March 16, 2020. (Elaine Thompson, Pool/Getty Images) We just talked to the president of the United States, Andersons friend and family spokesman Andre Taylor told Fox News on Thursday. How are you going to top that? The family spokesman said that Trump told the family he was moved by the interview, and offered his condolences and support in the seven-minute phone call. He said he watched Hannity last night, and told Horace, Your son is looking down on you and watching over you, Taylor said. He was incredibly gracious, and it gave Horace some extra help as he buried his son. In the interview with Hannity on Wednesday, Anderson told the host how his sons death has left him heartbroken and numb, adding that he has trouble sleeping. Im still trying to figure out answers so I can sleep. I dont sleep. My kids dont sleep. I cant even stay home, he said. My kids they feel like they are unsafe at home. Ive been buying motel rooms and I dont have that type of money. I wasnt prepared for this. I wake up in the morning I look for my son in the morning, he said. Hes not there no more. You know what Im saying? Its like I go in there, Im kissing a picture. Hes not there. Taylor said that the presidents phone call on Thursdaythe day of the funeralgave him some peace and strength. It blew Horaces mind, he said. Trumps phone call came after the City of Seattle cleared CHOPa move which was commended by Attorney General William Barr. City crews dismantle the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) area outside of the Seattle Police Departments vacated East Precinct in Seattle on July 1, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images) The police officers were enforcing an executive order by Mayor Jenny Durkan issued on Wednesday, declaring the gathering in CHOP as an unlawful assembly. I commend Police Chief Carmen Best for her courage and leadership in restoring the rule of law in Seattle. For the past several weeks, the Capitol Hill area of Seattle was occupied by protesters who denied access to police and other law enforcement personnel, Barr said in a statement. He said that Best had rightly committed to further discussions about the distrust of law enforcement by members of the black American community while ending violent defiance of the law. He noted that the autonomous zone had become a haven for violent crime, citing shootings that took place in and around the zone, which had resulted in the deaths of two teenagers. The message of todays action is simple but significant: the Constitution protects the right to speak and assemble freely, but it provides no right to commit violence or defy the law, and such conduct has no place in a free society governed by law, he added. Janita Kan and Paula Liu contributed to this report. Fiberglass Boat Company Invents Sturdy SafeHuts to House Homeless A company in Orange County, California, says it may have a solution to quickly and safely shelter the local homeless populationwithout shelling out too much cash. Newport Beach City Councilman Marshall Duffy Duffield has been building battery-operated fiberglass boats for 50 years. Now hes created small, portable fiberglass homes called SafeHuts, and hes teamed up with David Ellis, owner of Delta Partners, to spread the word. [Its] a micro homeless shelter made of fiberglass, and the reason thats important is fiberglass is indestructible. Its stronger than steel, said Ellis, SafeHuts director of business development, to The Epoch Times. The homes come in two sizes, 60 square feet or 80 square feet, with either a single or a double vinyl mattress on a folding bed. The company is also developing a larger 120 square foot size home with four beds. Theyre waterproof, insulated, and windows are included. Made of six fiberglass panels that can be assembled or disassembled with ease, they are also simple to clean and sanitize, which is especially important during the pandemic. Heating, air conditioning, or other amenities could be added. The product launched about six weeks ago, and already the company has met with county supervisors in Orange and San Bernardino counties. Theyre planning to go to Los Angeles next. While some recent housing built in Los Angeles for the homeless has cost nearly $700,000 per apartment, SafeHuts only cost $17,000 for the small size and $23,000 for the larger. What were proposing is not a permanent solution. Its a temporary solution. It happens to be a temporary solution that has a 50-year life span, though. So we think we have an economically more attractive solution to communities, said Ellis. David Ellis, owner of Delta Partners, is part of an initiative to get homeless people into portable fiberglass homes. (Hau Nguyen/The Epoch Times) According to the most recent data, Orange County has nearly 7,000 homeless individuals, while Los Angeles County has more than 66,400, a nearly 13 percent increase from the previous year. California as a whole has around 150,000 homeless people, more than any other state. In 2019, the Ninth Circuit court upheld a ruling in the case Martin v. City of Boise that found that it is unconstitutional to ban people from sleeping in public places. If local governments wished to remove people from the streets, they would have to provide the homeless with shelter. SafeHuts could provide temporary shelter to homeless people in small villages at a fraction of the cost of an apartment building, leaving more public funding available for mental health treatment, said Ellis. These are people who are in trouble, people who need help, and I think that the political will of our state is there to help them, but its a challenging issue, he said. Duffield himself has a homeless family member with a mental health condition, so he is very compassionate and understands that if we dont get the proper funding into the mental health aspect of homelessness, its just, the cycle perpetuates itself, said Ellis. The homes are made in the Duffy Electric Boat Company factory in Adelanto, California, the biggest manufacturer of fiberglass electric boats in the world. Florida Governor Signs Bill Requiring Minors to Get Parental Consent to Get an Abortion On Tuesday, June 30, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law state bill SB 404, which requires teenagers under the age of 18 to obtain permission from their parents or legal guardians before having an abortion. The new law also strengthens penalties for those who perform abortions but do not provide lifesaving care to infants who survive the procedure, according to Live Action. In February, the bill received solid support both from members of the Florida House and Senate, stated a press release. The House voted 75 to 43 in favor of HB 265, and the Senate passed SB 404 with a vote of 23 to 17. Gov. Ron DeSantis attends an event at the Freedom Tower, where he named Barbara Lagoa to the Florida Supreme Court on Jan. 9, 2019, in Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Two republicans, state Sen. Kelli Stargel and state Rep. Erin Grall, were responsible for sponsoring the bill. Last year, a similar bill was passed in the House but died in the Senate. Passing a law requiring parental consent for abortion has been a long and arduous battle stretching back decades. The Florida Supreme Court struck down a similar law in 1989, the release said. Regarding the new legislation, Florida Right to Life President Lynda Bell has this to say: While we (the pro-life community) believe it to be unthinkable that a minor child can undergo an elective surgical procedure without a parents permission, pro-abortion organizations fought with zeal to stop this common sense legislation. Lets look at areas where parental permission is required regarding children. An underage child must have permission to get their ears pierced, get a tattoo, take an aspirin, or go on a field trip with their school. Logically, it is absurd that a child can be ushered off to an abortion clinic with no parental permission! In fact, abortion is the only elective surgical procedure that can be done without a parents permission. Polling also showed that Floridians overwhelmingly support requiring parental consent for abortion; even among those who consider themselves pro-choice, 73 percent are in favor of the legislation, the release added. Senate bill sponsor Sen. Kelli Stargel said the legislation is not a pro-choice or pro-life bill, adding, This is about whether or not youre going to have adults involved in difficult decisions with children. Meanwhile, House sponsor Rep. Erin Grall rebutted pro-abortion assertions that it is unfair for male-dominated legislative bodies to impose laws on women and girls, according to the Palm Beach Post. No one group of people, gender of people owns this issue, she said. There is, consistently, an acknowledgement that what we are talking about is a child. And here, what we are talking about is a child who is carrying a child. An exam room sits empty in the Planned Parenthood Reproductive Health Services Center on May 28, 2019, in St. Louis, Missouri. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images) There are aspects of the districts response that I agree with in particular the swift decision to shut down the schools until we were able to get a better understanding of what we were facing. However there are a few areas that are of concern for me. One of the biggest areas is the decision to return to schools and the safety of the environments that our students would be returning to. Sanitation and sterilization is of major concern as. Cases in Broward County are on the rise and are at its highest peak, in retrospect returning to school in August may be too soon. Fossil Hunter Discovers MASSIVE Megalodon Shark Tooth in a Riverbank in South Carolina The sci-fi thriller The Meg may have had many viewers jumping out of their seats, but the discovery of an enormous fossilized megalodon shark tooth in South Carolina shows just how terrifying these prehistoric creatures really must have been. Charleston resident Jessica Rose-Standafer Owens, her husband, and some friends were hunting for fossils in a local riverbank when she happened upon a big one. She later shared her discovery in a Facebook post. Her caption read: If I never find another shark tooth, I will be just fine! The tooth measures 5.75 inches long and weighs just under 1 pound (approx. 450 g), and was estimated to be between 3 million and 5 million years old, according to the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History at the College of Charleston. The Charleston area with its many waterways and location near the Atlantic is known as a great place to find fossils. Owens and her party were on a fossil-hunting expedition with Write Off the Rip Charters, which specializes in fishing and finding megalodon teeth. After sifting through rocks and mud on the banks of the Stono River, Owens was confident she had found something special. I dont know much about the smaller teeth, if theyre great white or a bull shark or what not, she told WCIV, but something that large, its just automatically megalodon. In a video of the discovery posted on her Facebook, she shared, We think we found a tooth, but I wanted to get it on video, because if its a tooth, its going to be the biggest one we have ever found. (Courtesy of Jessica Rose-Standafer Owens) As Owens started to dig, her husband, Simon Chandley Owens, warned not to pull too hard and potentially break the fossil. The two became progressively more excited as they felt sure of their find. Oh my God, you guys, the lucky fossil hunter shouted. Im done. I can literally go home. The Charleston Natural History Museum authenticated the find and congratulated them on their sharp eyes. Thats a great meg findfinds like that are why Charleston is known as the megalodon capital of the world! they reportedly told Owens. Judging from the surrounding layer of Goose Creek limestone, the museum estimated the tooth to date from the Pliocene era. Megalodon itself means big tooth, and thats certainly appropriate for this giant shark species that lived during the early Miocene to the Pliocene period (some 20 million to 3 million years ago). This shark (Otodus megalodon) seems to be related to the famous great white and was likely one of the biggest fish to ever exist, according to the London Natural History Museum. As for why megalodon had such huge teeth, scientists believe they were adapted to hunt large marine animals. If you are that big you need to eat a lot of food, so large prey is required, London NHM fossil fish curator Emma Bernard explains. Although the megalodon is long gone, its believed they once probably crossed paths with ancestors of the great white sharks of today. As weve found more and more fossils, weve realized that the ancestor to the great white shark lived alongside megalodon, Bernard says. Some scientists think they might even have been in competition with each other. Meanwhile, Owens continues her shark tooth hunting, though she realizes this megalodon tooth might have been the find of her life. I dont want to say Im done with shark tooth hunting because I love it, she confided, but Im totally okay with finding little ones for the rest of my life now. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc German Lawmakers Approve Plan to Phase Out Coal, Nuclear BERLINGerman lawmakers have finalized the countrys long-awaited phaseout of coal as an energy source, backing a plan that environmental groups say isnt ambitious enough and free marketeers criticize as a waste of taxpayers money. Measure approved by both houses of parliament on July 3 envision shutting down the last coal-fired power plant by 2038 and spending some 40 billion ($45 billion) to help affected regions cope with the transition. The plan is part of Germanys energy transitionan effort to wean Europes biggest economy off planet-warming fossil fuels and generate all of the countrys considerable energy needs from renewable sources. Achieving that goal is made harder than in comparable countries such as France and Britain because of Germanys existing commitment to also phase out nuclear power by the end of 2022. The days of coal are numbered in Germany, Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said. Germany is the first industrialized country that leaves behind both nuclear energy and coal. The controversial most modern Uniper Datteln 4 coal-powered plant steams one month after the operational start in Datteln, Germany, on July 3, 2020. (Martin Meissner/AP Photo) Greenpeace and other environmental groups have staged vocal protests against the plan, including by dropping a banner down the front of the Reichstag building on July 3. They argue that the governments road map wont reduce Germanys greenhouse gas emissions fast enough to meet the targets set out in the Paris climate accord. Germany, the country that burns the greatest amount of lignite coal worldwide, will burden the next generation with 18 more years of carbon dioxide, Greenpeace Germanys Executive Director Martin Kaiser told The Associated Press. Kaiser, who was part of a government-appointed expert commission, accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of making a historic mistake, saying an end date for coal of 2030 would have sent a strong signal for European and global climate policy. Merkel has said she wants Europe to be the first continent to end its greenhouse gas emissions, by 2050. Activists of Greenpeace have covered the headquarters of German Chancellor Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Party (CDU) with black panels to protest against the partys coal policy in Berlin, on July 1, 2020. (Michael Sohn/AP Photo) While Germany closed its last black coal mine in 2018, it continues to import the fuel and extract its own reserves of lignite, a brownish coal that is abundant in the west and east of the country. Officials warn that the loss of mining jobs could hurt those economically fragile regions, though efforts are already underway to turn the vast lignite mines into nature reserves and lakeside resorts. Schulze said there would be regular government reviews to examine whether the end date for coal can be brought forward. She noted that by the end of 2022, eight of the countrys most polluting coal-fired plants will have already been closed. Environmentalists have also criticized the large sums being offered to coal companies to shut down their plants, a complaint shared by libertarians such as Germanys opposition Free Democratic Party. Activists of Greenpeace covered the inscription Dem Deutschen Volke (To the German People) on top of the entrance of the Reichstag building, home of the German parliament Bundestag, with the slogan Eine Zukunft Ohne Kohlekraft (a future without coal power) in Berlin, on July 3, 2020. (Michael Sohn/AP Photo) Katja Suding, a leading FDP lawmaker, said the government should have opted to expand existing emissions trading systems that put a price on carbon, thereby encouraging operators to shut down unprofitable coal plants. You just have to make it so expensive that its not profitable anymore to turn coal into electricity, she said. This week, utility companies in Spain shut seven of the countrys 15 coal-fired power plants, saying they couldnt be operated at profit without government subsidies. But the head of Germanys main miners union, Michael Vassiliadis, welcomed the decision, calling it a historic milestone. He urged the government to focus next on expanding renewable energy generation and the use of hydrogen, which is being touted as a long-term replacement for natural gas. According to Germanys state-funded Fraunhofer Institute, some 55.7 percent of net electricity generated so far this year for the public power supply came from renewable sources including wind, solar, biomass, and hydro. Coal accounted for almost 20 percent, followed by nuclear and natural gas with about 12 percent each. By Frank Jordans Socialite Ghislane Maxwell with an unidentified male companion attends the Opening of the Asprey Flagship Store on 5th Avenue in New York City on Dec. 8, 2003. (Mark Mainz/Getty Images) Ghislaine Maxwell Could Be Sent to Manhattan Jail Where Epstein Died: Former Official There is a chance that socialite and alleged Jeffrey Epstein cohort Ghislaine Maxwell will be housed in the same Manhattan federal jail where Epstein is said to have killed himself while she awaits trial. In my experience, someone who is remanded would be held either at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan or at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, said Roland Riopelle, a former assistant U.S. attorney with the Southern District of New York, according to the New York Post. Maxwells case is being prosecuted at the Southern District of New York, where she was also charged on Thursday. Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss was asked during a news conference on Thursday if any special precautions would be taken to ensure the defendants safety in custody. As you know, we are sensitive to that concern and certainly well be in dialogue with the Bureau of Prisons about it, she said in response to the question. L: Jeffrey Epstein in a booking photograph in Palm Beach, Florida, on July 27, 2006. (Palm Beach Sheriffs Office) R: An aerial view of Little Saint James Island, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a property purchased by Jeffery Epstein more than two decades ago. (Gianfranco Gaglione/AP Photo) Riopelle noted that Maxwell may first spend her first week in the Special Housing Units section while they are being processed. However, due to her high-profile, she could remain in one of the units for a longer period of time. That is where particularly high-profile or particularly dangerous inmates sometimes go, Riopelle said, adding that someone who is believed to be at risk from other inmates, including child predators, are sent to those units. Prosecutors, meanwhile, warned in a memo that Maxwell has a strong incentive to leave the United States. That risk is only amplified by the defendants extensive international ties, her citizenship in two foreign countries, her wealth, and her lack of meaningful ties to the United States, according to the memo. Maxwell has three passports, large sums of money, extensive international connections, and absolutely no reason to stay, it added. As a result, she was ordered held without bail. A medical examiner ruled that Epstein, 66, killed himself via hanging in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan in August 2019 after he was arrested on sex trafficking charges, although his death has been the subject of much intrigue and speculation. His brother, Mark, has questioned the official finding that the wealthy financier killed himself and hired an independent forensic pathologist to investigate the matter. Epstein counted numerous high-profile individuals as friends, including politicians and business luminaries. Charges against Maxwell include enticing a minor to travel to engage in sexual activity, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and perjury. Officials said Maxwell and Epstein, starting in 1994, exploited young girls. Maxwell is also accused of grooming and abusing minor victims in a number of locations including Florida, New Mexico, and New York, said prosecutors. Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, and then delivered them into the trap that she and Jeffrey Epstein had set. She pretended to be a woman they could trust. All the while, she was setting them up to be abused sexually by Epstein and, in some cases, Maxwell herself, Strauss said in a statement of her arrest. Herman Cain Hospitalized After Testing Positive for COVID-19 Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain was hospitalized on Wednesday after testing positive for the CCP virus. A statement on his Twitter account on Thursday said that Cain was informed he had tested positive for COVID-19 and developed symptoms serious enough that he required hospitalization by Wednesday. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, the novel coronavirus that emerged from Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Cain did not need a respirator and by Thursday, he was awake and alert and resting comfortably in an Atlanta-area hospital, the statement continues. We are sorry to announce that Herman Cain has tested positive for COVID-19, and is currently receiving treatment in an Atlanta-area hospital. Please keep him, and all who are battling this virus, in your prayers. Our full statement appears below. Updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/lDRW7Rla4e Herman Cain (@THEHermanCain) July 2, 2020 Cain had attended President Donald Trumps campaign rally on June 20 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. According to a photograph taken on the day, Cain was seated next to several people. None of the group, including Cain, were wearing a face mask. The statement on Twitter announcing Cains positive COVID-19 test noted that there is no way of knowing for sure how or where Mr. Cain contracted the coronavirus. It also noted that Cain is a fighter who has beaten Stage 4 cancer. With Gods help, we are confident he will make a quick and complete recovery, and will soon resume hosting The Herman Cain show at HermanCain.com, and Herman Cains America on NewsmaxTV, the statement concluded. According to the Trump campaign, Cain did not meet with the president at the rally. President Donald Trump at the BOK Center at the first re-election rally in Tulsa, OK, June 20, 2020. (Stephen Pingry/Tulsa World via AP) Dan Calabrese, editor of HermanCain.com, wrote on the website: I realize people will speculate about the Tulsa rally, but Herman did a lot of traveling the past week, including to Arizona where cases are spiking. I dont think theres any way to trace this to the one specific contact that caused him to be infected. Well never know. In 2006, Cain had received a diagnosis of stage-four colon cancer. By 2011, Cain said he was free of the cancer and crediting his recovery to God. Cain, 74, a former pizza company executive, ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. He was best known for his tax proposal called the 9-9-9 plan, which proposed a 9 percent income tax, a 9 percent federal sales tax, and a 9 percent business transaction tax. Cain has been an outspoken backer of Trump, and was named by the Trump campaign as a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Hong Kong Democracy Activist Flees to Undisclosed Location Days After Strict National Security Law Takes Effect Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law announced on July 2 that he has left the city after testifying to a U.S. congressional hearing about a strict national security law imposed by China. His departure comes two days after the national security law took effect following ceremonial votes by Chinas rubber-stamp legislature, the National Peoples Congress (NPC). The law, which China has deemed necessary in order prevent pro-democracy protests such as those seen in Hong Kong during much of 2019, gives Beijing sweeping power to target individuals for any acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, with maximum penalties of life imprisonment. No Hong Konger is under the illusion that Beijing has any intention to respect our basic rights and honor its promises to us. Mass arrests have already begun on the first day of the National Security Laws implementation, Law wrote in the first of several Twitter posts announcing his departure. At the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing yesterday, I spoke about the regimes lawlessness in hopes that the world would not forget about whats going on in Hong Kong. Of course, I knew my speech and appearance would put my own safety in serious jeopardy given the circumstances, he continued. Pro-democracy activists Nathan Law, left, and Joshua Wong speak to the media outside a government office in Hong Kong on June 18, 2019. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo) Law urged Hong Kongers to continue defending the international front adding that he had chosen to remain vocal about the threat of Chinese authoritarian expansion by testifying before the U.S. Congress, thus jeopardizing his own safety. So I bade my city farewell, he said. As the plane took off the runway, I gazed down at the skyline I love so much for one last time. Should I have the fortune to ever return, I hope to still remain as I am: the same young man with these same beliefs. Glory to Hong Kong. The 26-year-old, who last week resigned from his role as a founder member of Demosisto, a pro-democracy party in Hong Kong, did not disclose his new location. Just hours after the national security law came into effect in Hong Kong, mass protests broke out throughout Hong Kong in defiance of a police ban on marching. Police detain a protester after spraying pepper spray during a protest in Causeway Bay before the annual handover march in Hong Kong on July 1, 2020. (Vincent Yu/AP Photo) The Hong Kong government said in a statement Thursday night that popular protest slogan Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times connotes a call for Hong Kongs independence or its separation from China, meaning those using it or displaying it on flags or signs could be in violation of the new law. Local police arrested roughly 370 people on Wednesday, and fired pepper spray, tear gas, and water cannons at large crowds of people gathered at the area of Causeway Bay where the march was due to start. Ten of those arrested were detained on suspicion of violating the national security law. Despite the mass protests, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam at a press conference on Wednesday argued that the new law has perfected the framework of one country, two systems, and branded it a turning point to bring order back to the region. The Associated Press contributed to this report Lifeguards Spot Single-Prop Plane Crash Into the Ocean, Then Dive In to Save Injured Pilot Two Jersey Shore lifeguards are receiving praise from locals and the internet after a spectacular rescue of a pilot who had to ditch his plane in the Atlantic Ocean on June 27. Scott Meggitt, 21, and Charlie Osborne, 20, swam out to assist pilot Cory Morris, whose banner plane had lost power. It was definitely one for the books, Meggitt told NJ.com. Ive never seen anything like that. When the lifeguards, who were at different stations along the Surf City beach, saw the banner come down first and then the plane, they rushed into action. Its the craziest feeling, Osborne told The Sandpaper. Its like you have tunnel vision. You just do what youve been trained to do. (Illustration NYC Russ/Shutterstock) When the pilot, Morris, realized his plane was going down, he made a mayday call and took the small Cessna 150 away from shore and the crowds on the beach to ditch in the water. The controlled landing was impressive, lifeguard Osborne said. I was prepared for him to be on the bottom of the ocean with the plane. I thought I would have to dive for him. As for his colleague, Meggitt, without having heard anything about the mayday call, he knew that time was of the essence. I saw the banner drop, he recounted. And I started to get undressed. I was layered up. The afternoon had been cool, and both lifeguards were wearing sweats to keep themselves warm. Both got into the water right away when they saw the crash landing. It took under 20 seconds for [the plane] to sink, Osborne explained. I spotted the pilot and headed for him. He was treading water and had hit his face pretty good. (Illustration Piccirilli Valentina/Shutterstock) Though the lifeguards had been trained for plane crashes as well as boat fires near the beach, they werent entirely sure what to expect. It happened so quick, said Meggitt. It was very surprising. There was no sign of any plane, it was just the victim treading water. Both of the lifeguards, who are college students studying in New York and Virginia, are also part of the local lifeguards racing team. The tension and adrenaline were building, Meggitt added. When we got out there and there was only one victim and he had just minor injuries, that was a big relief. Morris had not only landed safely but managed to get himself out of the plane just before it sank. When the lifeguards arrived, they were able to confirm he was all right and help him get back to shore, where an ambulance was waiting to take him into the hospital. Osborne and Meggitt both reflected on how differently the situation could have turned out if the pilot hadnt been able to make such an expert landing. Luckily there was no one else in the plane and he was able to able to rescue himself, Meggitt told NJ.com. It could have gone really south if he didnt get out. According to The Press of Atlantic City, the lifeguards had plenty of backup from other first responders, including local fire departments, paramedics, the New Jersey Marine Police Division, and even the U.S. Coast Guard. The FAA is investigating the cause of the crash as well. For Osborne, this wasnt the first save he had witnessed or made, having been a lifeguard for several seasons. It was definitely the most spectacular, though, as he told The Sandpaper: You see some crazy stuff, but this is the craziest Ive ever seen. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Maduro Blocked by UK Judge From Venezuelas Gold in London Bank LONDONA British judge on July 2 refused to give Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro control of nearly $2 billion in gold sitting in a Bank of England vault because Britain doesnt recognize the socialist leader as president of the Latin American nation. Maduro has demanded the gold to help his cash-starved nation fight the coronavirus pandemic. But the central bank for the United Kingdom, whose government recognizes Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Guaido as his countrys legitimate leader, had refused to hand it over to Maduros administration. The ruling clarifies the question of who is Venezuelas legitimate leaderat least in the eyes of one world power. This is very much showing the isolation of the Maduro government, said Christopher Sabatini, a senior research fellow for Latin America at the Chatham House think tank in London. Guaido has sought to preserve the gold stash at the Bank of England to keep it out of the hands of the Maduro government, which it contends is illegitimate and corrupt. Guaidos lawyers reiterated during a recent four-day hearing their stance that the National Assembly leader became Venezuelas rightful president under provisions of the countrys constitution. Guaido, who holds no practical power within Venezuela, called the ruling a great victory for his interim governments international recognition and the anti-Maduro coalitions fight to protect the countrys wealth and assets held abroad, which includes an ongoing battle over its Citgo refineries in the United States. The first thing is that its protected from the clutches of the dictatorship, Guaido said of the gold, adding that for now, it will remain in the banks vaults. Also on July 2, Maduros Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza announced that Venezuela had withdrawn an expulsion order against European Union Ambassador Brilhante Pedrosa. Maduro on June 29 had ordered her delegation out, hours after the EU sanctioned several Maduro officials. However, Arreaza and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell released a joint statement, saying they had repaired relations in a phone call. Venezuela, a nation in economic and political crisis, sits atop the worlds largest crude reserves, but that source of cash has dried up under years of mismanagement and more recently stiff U.S. sanctions aimed at forcing Maduro out. Venezuela holds a total of about $1.8 billion worth of gold at the Bank of England, and Maduro was asking for $1 billion of it. The Bank of England holds the worlds second-largest sum of gold bars in the world, after the New York Federal Reserve, and it boasts of never losing any to thieves in 320 years. The dispute hinged on the British stance toward Venezuela, a country in economic and political crisis where both Maduro and Guaido have been claiming presidential powers for more than a year. Venezuelas central bank, controlled by Maduro, sought to release the gold, which it says now that it wants to sell for food and medical equipment that is desperately needed to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. But it had also sought the gold before the pandemic began. The British government has unequivocally recognized Mr. Guaido as President of Venezuela, the court ruling said. It necessarily follows that (it) no longer recognizes Mr. Maduro as President of Venezuela. A lawyer representing Maduros side promised to appeal. Sarosh Zaiwalla said in a statement that the judgment entirely ignores the reality of the situation on the ground in Venezuela. Mr. Maduros government is in complete control of Venezuela and its administrative institutions, and only it can ensure the distribution of the humanitarian relief and medical supplies needed to combat the coronavirus pandemic, he said. This outcome will now delay matters further, to the detriment of the Venezuelan people whose lives are at risk. The UK recognizes the claim of Guaido, who heads Venezuelas congress, as do the United States and about five dozen other governments. Guaido proclaimed himself the interim president in early 2019, months after Maduro declared victory in an election that his critics say was rigged in his favor. Maduro maintains the support of key allies, including Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and Cuba. Despite its support for Guaido, the UK continues to have diplomatic ties with Maduros government. The British have not granted diplomatic credentials to the envoy that Guaido has named ambassador to the UK. By Danica Kirka & Scott Smith Vandals attempt to pull down the statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square near the White House on June 22, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) McCarthy to Introduce Bill To Withhold Funds From States That Dont Protect Property From Mobs House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Thursday said that he will be introducing legislation that withholds federal funding from states that do not stop vandals from destroying historic monuments and property. Ill be introducing legislation to withhold funding from states and cities, whos leaders fail to uphold the law. The mobs that Democrats encouraged suppress speech and punish those who speak out. Democrats encourage it because they think it is a distraction that their agenda can skate by unnoticed. They see it as a supplement to the radical movement in the streets, McCarthy said at a press conference Thursday. Memorials to the nations Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington have been torn down by vandals during protests in recent weeks. Trump singled out the defacement of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, a nonviolent Indian activist, and the takedown of a statue of Ulysses S. Grant, who played a major role in defeating the Confederacy during the Civil War. In late June, protestors attempted to topple a statue of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson near the White House and the Emancipation Memorial of President Lincoln. Whether it is a monument of Abraham Lincoln freeing the slave or of four of our greatest presidents Democrats no longer view the richness of our countrys history worthy. Not only do they want to erase our past, they want to radically change the way we live today. The mobs that Democrats encourage destroy property, added McCarthy. Republicans have spoken out against the removal, and destruction of historic American Statues, monuments, and other property, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Thursday said that he will be introducing legislation which withholds federal funding from states that do not stop vandals from destroying historic monuments and property. In a statement Wednesday, McCarthy called out Speaker of the House Nancey Pelosi (D-Calif.) for not speaking against the destructions of historic monuments by mobs, Perhaps the speaker is being silent on the rioters and criminals who continue to destroy and deface the heroes and history of our country and assault innocent citizens, because she wants to appease the radical left, said McCarthy said. Speaker Pelosis office did not immediately return a request for a comment on the issue. While Pelosi has made clear the reason why she wants confederate statues removed from the nations Capitol, she has not made any official statement about the destruction of property and monuments that have been destroyed across many U.S. cities. Rioters have torn down and defaced statues representing other notable figures, including a statue of Hans Christian Heg, who died fighting for the Union Army during the civil war, in Wisconsin. These monuments memorialize the history we all share as Americans, and they deserve to be defended for future generations, reads the White House statement. President Trump recently signed an executive order aimed at protecting monuments and statues from vandalism. I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statuesand combatting recent Criminal Violence. Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country! the President announced on Twitter. My Executive Order to protect Monuments, Statues etc., IS IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT. In excess of a 10-year prison term. Please do not put yourself in jeopardy. Many people now under arrest! he continued. Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham delivers his address to the National Press Club on June 17, 2020 in Canberra, Australia. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images) Melbourne Outbreak Risking Economic Pain: Trade Minister The Morrison government is concerned Melbournes COVID-19 outbreak could threaten Australias economic recovery. Dozens of suburbs across the city entered the second day of a reinstated lockdown on July 3 after more than two weeks of double-digit case increases. Senior cabinet minister Simon Birmingham vowed to put partisanship aside to work with the Victorian Labor government on squashing the disease. We have a situation in Victoria that is threatening the economic recovery that is so important for all of us, he told Sky News on Friday. I absolutely fear that this is getting in the way of the economic recovery that is so important to saving the jobs of Australians. There were 77 new coronavirus cases detected in Victoria on Thursday. More than 330 people in the state have contracted the disease without a known source. Victorias Andrews government is under pressure after serious breaches were alleged in hotel quarantine and a coronavirus-infected man left his two-week stint without being tested. Senator Birmingham said the federal government was not interested in blame games, despite the state opposition calling for Health Minister Jenny Mikakos to be sacked. Were interested in working with Victoria, acknowledging the failings that have happened in Victoria and trying to make sure they get on top of that. He wants the outbreak to become a model for dealing with other infection spikes. Across the rest of the country, there were eight new cases in NSW. One of those was the supermarket worker who tested positive after spending two weeks in Melbourne hotel quarantine. Health authorities in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Balmain have urged people to be alert to the diseases symptoms because of the case. The man had been in hotel quarantine from June 11 to June 26 after flying from Bangladesh and tested positive on the fourth day of his quarantine period. He then flew from Melbourne on June 26 and returned to work the next day with his employer noticing he had minor symptoms. The Northern Territory has also recorded its first case since early April, with the infection linked to one of Melbournes hotspots. Matt Coughlan in Canberra A man poses for photos in front of a fire at an AutoZone store, while protesters hold a rally for George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 27, 2020. (Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via AP) Minnesota Gov. Asks Trump to Declare State of Disaster After $500 Million Riot Damage Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on July 2 asked President Donald Trump to declare a state of disaster due to the extensive fire damage to public infrastructure caused by civil unrest following the death of George Floyd. The governor also requested financial support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help the state rebuild following the extensive damage. More than 10,000 public safety officials contributed to the effort to restore peace and safety amid the protests, which erupted following the death of Floydan unarmed African-American man who died in police custody on May 25. The often violent and chaotic protests left businesses and vehicles engulfed in flames, including the police departments Third Precinct building, which was torched and abandoned. The Minnesota National Guard was also mobilized for the first time since World War II in an effort to contain the protests, many of which sparked looting. Flames from a nearby fire illuminate protesters standing on a barricade in front of the Third Police Precinct in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 28, 2020. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images) The National Guard sets up near the Lake Street/Midtown metro station as buildings continue to burn in the aftermath of a night of protests and violence following the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 29, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) In his statement on Thursday, Gov. Walz said more than $15 million of eligible damages related directly to the fires, a preliminary damage assessment found, while nearly 1,500 businesses in the Twin Cities were damaged by vandalism, fire, or looting. Walz estimates the cost of damages currently exceeds $500 million. Were asking our federal partners to step up and help our communities recover, Governor Walz said in a statement. We need to come together to ensure Minnesotans who were victims of this destruction have access to critical infrastructure they need so they can go to the grocery store, pick up their medication, and live their lives. Together, we will rebuild. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks to the press in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 3, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Buildings continue to burn in the aftermath of a night of protests and violence following the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 29, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) A burned-out building after a night of protests and violence following the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 29, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) A police officer stands amid smoke and debris as buildings continue to burn in the aftermath of a night of protests and violence following the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 29, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) The federal assistance would reimburse local governments for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and damage to public buildings and equipment, Gov. Walz explained. Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, Peggy Flanagan, added: We are committed to helping our communities rebuild, but we cant do this on our own. While state, tribal, and local budgets are stretched thin by COVID-19, we need everyone to step up, including the federal government, to restore safety and critical infrastructure to our communities. Floyd, 46, was arrested by police outside a south Minneapolis grocery store on Memorial Day for alleged fraud. George Floyd in a file photograph, left, and Derek Chauvin, who was arrested May 29, in the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, in a mugshot. (Christopher Harris via AP; Hennepin County Sheriff via AP) A citizens cellphone video showed an officer, 44-year-old Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Floyds neck for almost eight minutes as Floyd repeatedly said he couldnt breathe and begged officers not to kill him. He eventually became unresponsive. All four officers at the scene have since been fired from the Minneapolis Police Department. Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder and the three other former officers are charged with aiding Chauvin. We have to encourage more innovative programs that have been used in other school districts and develop new ones tailored to our students to raise our reading scores so that our students develop more interest in math and science. We must get all sectors of our community involved to the point of something similar to how the United Stated recaptured our dominance in the space program. Finally, we have to promote that our district is like a honeycomb because it is the gatekeeper that touches and interacts with every facet of life in Broward County. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (F) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands with leaders at the BRICS summit in Goa, India, on Oct. 16, 2016. (Manish Swarup/File/AP Photo) Modi Visits Military Base Close to China Amid Standoff SRINAGAR, IndiaIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unannounced visit on July 3 to a military base in a remote region bordering China where troops from the two countries have been facing off for nearly two months. Modi, accompanied by Indias military leadership, interacted with troops in Ladakh region. A photo on his Instagram account showed him sitting in a camouflage tent at the base. Interacting with our brave armed forces personnel, he wrote. Modis visit comes in the backdrop of a massive Indian army buildup in Ladakh following hand-to-hand combat between Indian and Chinese soldiers on June 15 that left 20 Indians dead and dozens injured in the Galwan Valley, the worst confrontation in over four decades between the Asian giants. A banner erected by the Indian army stands near Pangong Tso lake near the India China border in Indias Ladakh area, on Sept. 14, 2017. (Manish Swarup/ File/AP Photo) Indian officials say there were casualties on the Chinese side as well, but there has been no confirmation by Beijing. Modi chanted Long live mother India! while addressing troops at the Nimu military base, insisting that after every crisis, India has emerged stronger. He praised the valor of Indian soldiers and said: Enemies of India have seen your fire and fury. Days of expansionism are over. Expansionism creates danger for world peace. This is an era of development. Expansionist force have either lost or forced to turn back, he said in an oblique reference to China. Family members and villagers carry the coffin of soldier Satnam Singh who was killed in a recent clash with Chinese forces in the Galwan valley area, during the cremation ceremony at Bhojraj village near Gurdaspur on June 18, 2020. (Narinder Nanu / AFP via Getty Images) Modis speech, which lasted for 26 minutes, was punctuated by nationalist fervor and praise for Indian soldiers. He said the bravery shown by troops was a message of Indias prowess to the world. The weak can never accomplish peace, the brave do. The world is praising the bravery shown by Indian soldiers in Galwan Valley. Later Friday, Modi also visited a military hospital where he met injured soldiers. Both India and China have provided little information officially, but media in the two countries have given large coverage to the escalating tensions, much of it replayed on television news channels and social media. The leader of Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, B.L. Santhosh, wrote on Twitter Friday that the visit was a big, big booster to soldiers morale. He leads from front. Protesters shout slogans as they hold posters of Chinese President Xi Jinping during an anti-China demonstration near the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, India, on June 18, 2020. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP via Getty Images) Modi has faced public pressure for a stern response to Chinese actions along the contested frontier. Indian protesters have been calling for a boycott of Chinese goods. On Monday, the government banned 59 Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok, citing privacy concerns that it said pose a threat to Indias sovereignty and security. The ban was largely symbolic since the apps cant be automatically erased from devices where they are already downloaded. China has insisted that Indian forces provoked the border incident and that the blame lies entirely with New Delhi. On Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the countries need to maintain their relations while seeking to de-escalate tensions through military and diplomatic channels. Against such a backdrop, no party should take any actions that may complicate the border situation, he said. Zhao called it the evil way that two sides are suspicious of each other and engaged in friction continuously. The Indian side should get along with China to jointly safeguard the overall situation of bilateral relations. The pragmatic cooperation between China and India is in nature mutually beneficial and win-win, he said. To deliberately set obstacles for pragmatic cooperation between the two countries violates the relevant WTO rules and will harm the interests of India itself. Indian army officers walk past the funeral pyre of their colleague Colonel B. Santosh Babu, who was killed in clashes between Chinese and Indian soldiers in Ladakh, at Suryapet, about 140 kilometers (87.5 miles) from Hyderabad, India, on June 18, 2020. (Mahesh Kumar A., File/AP Photo) Indian officials say the current standoff began in early May when large contingents of Chinese soldiers entered deep inside Indian-controlled territory at three places in Ladakh, erecting tents. They say the soldiers ignored repeated verbal warnings, triggering a yelling match, stone-throwing and even fistfights in at least one place along the Pangong Lake, the site of several such confrontations in the past. But the situation turned deadly when the rival troops engaged in a nightly medieval clash in the Galwan Valley, where India is building a strategic road connecting the region to an airstrip close to China. According to Indian officials, Chinese troops atop a ridge at the mouth of the narrow valley threw stones at, punched, and pushed Indian soldiers down a ridge at around 4,500 meters (15,000 feet.) Since then, India has sent huge reinforcements of soldiers, military equipment, and fighter jets into the already highly militarized area. The disputed border covers nearly 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) of frontier that the two countries call the Line of Actual Control and that stretches from Ladakh in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim in the northeast. India and China fought a border war in 1962 that also spilled into Ladakh. The two countries have been trying to settle their border dispute since the early 1990s, without success. India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory while separating it from disputed Kashmir in August 2019, ending the territorys semi-autonomous status and straining the already prickly relationship between New Delhi and Beijing. China was among the countries to strongly condemn the move, raising it at international forums including the U.N. Security Council. Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks to end the current crisis in Ladakh have been unsuccessful. By Aijaz Hussain Mom Is in Tears When She learns Sons Plot to Bully Classmate, Urges: Bullying Affects Everyone A woman came away deeply moved by the ripple effect bullying has after she encountered a distressed mother on a beach, who had just learned that her teenage son was planning on bullying a classmate. Laura Mazza, from Australia, shared her profound run-in with a stranger, which prompted her to speak out against bullying. Her message to others was simple: bullying affects everyone. A chance encounter Laura was enjoying a beach outing with her kids at the Mornington Peninsula in Mount Martha, a seaside suburb of Melbourne, Australia, when she came across a woman in tears. Laura Mazza and her daughter at the beach (Courtesy of Laura Mazza) Laura asked her why she was crying, and she said she had just discovered her 15-year-old son was plotting a humiliating attack on another student. She was so upset by this that she had had to step away for a walk alone. Laura gave the woman a hug. I felt like it was a bit of fate, Laura told The Epoch Times. Im a social worker, and I love working with children and teens as well as mothers to help them feel more confident in their family relationships. I think the universe put her in my path so that I could reassure her. The woman had found texts of plans to humiliate a kid that her child and friends had been bullying. I think feeling overwhelmed by having a child who did that, and then having to discipline that child, made her feel emotional, she added. (Illustration LightField Studios/Shutterstock) The distressed mother had grounded her son, confiscated his cell phone, and placed a temporary ban on sports, socializing, and social media. She had also instructed her son to confess the scheme to his school principal and face the consequences. Laura supported the moms approach. I think she did what was best for her and her son, she said. Everyones responsibility Laura pondered that her own approach to diffusing a potential bullying scenario might be slightly different. I dont know if I would do the same because Im a very sensitive soul and I worry about humiliating, Laura reflected, adding that she grew up with an abusive father and was raised in a pretty terrible home environment. Ive made it my mission to be a very gentle and responsive parent, she explained, but I also think what [the mother] has done will make an incredible impact for all. Laura believes its everyones responsibility to quell bullying when they see it but that parents and teachers bear most of the responsibility. Children die from bullying, she shared, everyone really needs to get involved to stop it. Impacts of bullying Bullying is particularly prolific among school-aged adolescents. One out of every five surveyed U.S. school students revealed that they had been bullied, according to a 2019 report from the National Center for Educational Statistics. Physical bullying was more prevalent among males than females, while a higher percentage of female students reported being victims of rumors or social exclusion. Incidents of bullying appeared to have a strong and lasting impact upon students confidence and self-esteem, the report showed. Moreover, 41 percent of bullied students believed they would be bullied repeatedly, yet fewer than half had informed an adult in a position of authority. (Illustration Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock) The impacts of bullying are also compounded through technology: text messaging, social media, etc., otherwise known as cyberbullying. Cyberbullying, says a 2019 report from the Centers for Disease Control, is highest among middle school students, closely followed by high schoolers, and trailed by primary school students. Reported incidents of cyberbullying also doubled between the years 2007 and 2019. Having a positive impact Laura hopes that sharing her encounter with a stranger on a beach will further raise awareness of how imperative it is to understand bullying and intervene when incidents arise. Before parting ways, Laura and her new friend shared a second hug and swapped phone numbers, planning to keep in touch. Laura thanked the mom and commended her actions, feeling the encounter was part of a ripple effect in a more positive direction. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Mom Puts Her Kids on a Screen Detox, Shares Amazing Results of Its Positive Impact In this fast-paced world where technology is at the tips of our fingers, parents are constantly faced with the everyday decision of how much time kids should be spending on smartphones, iPads, and video games. While one mom of five thought she had things under control limiting her kids screen time, the results of a complete screen detox made her think again. Molly DeFrank, a blogger and mother from California, had limited her childrens screen time to only an hour a day but noticed that even then it was hampering their creativity and causing them to act grumpy. One day when I got home after running errands, my kindergartener greeted me at the door with, Can I play on your phone? Nope. That was the last straw, DeFrank wrote on her blog in November 2019. After that, DeFrank and her husband arrived at a decision to pull the plug immediately and make the kids, who are all under the age of 10, go on a screen detox for a month. When the parents told the kids at dinnertime about their new rule, unsurprisingly, they were unhappy and protested against the decision. However, after a few tears, everyone moved on. The kids, who once loved Netflix and YouTube to Minecraft and Fortnight, didnt even request for screen time since they knew it was a non-starter, DeFrank told Cafe Mom. What happened over the next few weeks blew our minds, DeFrank added. It was like we flipped a switch: We had our kids back. They were more obedient, less grumpy, played better together, more creative and happier. DeFrank admits that although initially she was terrified and thought that her life would become a lot more difficult without electronic babysitters, it seemed like quitting screen time was a lot easier and sustainable then she had imagined. The 30-day detox became a lifestyle overhaul for the family, and it changed their lives for the better. Sharing her results a few months afterward on a Facebook post, DeFrank wrote: A few Saturdays into our screen detox, my kids woke up one by one and saw my husband and I reading in bed. She continued: They grabbed their own books and joined us. At restaurants they bring a stack of books instead of propped ipads. My daughter has grown five reading levels in seven months. DeFrank also said that her daughter was just reading nonstop and has admitted being glad that their family went into a screen detox. However, the change didnt just occur with her daughter; DeFrank also found that her son started to take family art classes. The entire experiment led her to find out what her kids were really interested in, which she admits not knowing before. In November 2019, according to Cafe Mom, the parents had limited their childrens screen time to one hour every week on Sunday and allowed them to play a preapproved video game. Amazed by the results, DeFrank encourages interested parents to try a screen detox for themselves and check it out for themselves. I would say step one is to quit screen cold turkey for a specified amount of time, she said. Then, watch the results and make a plan that works best for your family. Over the years, experts have also spoken about going screen-free and admit that the results can be varied and beneficial. Dr. Liz Donner, a senior Pediatric Hospital Medicine fellow physician at The Childrens Hospital of San Antonio, told Bored Panda: Screen-free interaction with your children doesnt have to be anything fancy. Reading a book to them as early at 6 months of age has shown to increase their language and reading skills later in life. She further added, [W]e find that less screen time in the toddler years corresponds to lower rates of ADHD by the age of 7. In a Facebook post on May 26, DeFrank reminded us of the role of technology in our lives. Technology can be a great partner in this modern world, she wrote. But it can also get in the way of meaningful connection with our favorite people. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc MP Calls for Victorian Health Minister to Stand Down Amid Melbourne Quarantine Hotel Outbreak Victorias opposition leader has called for the health minister to stand down while comparing the outbreak at a hotel used by the government to quarantine COVID-19 patients to New South Wales Ruby Princess outbreak. Victorian opposition leader, MP Michael OBrien, said Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos had botched the job of managing the COVID-19 hotel quarantine program and said the government needs to take responsibility for its mistakes. There has to be accountability when these sort of mistakes are made its not about finger-pointing, its just about being accountable for the job youve got to do, OBrien said on Sevens Sunrise program on July 3. Why Daniel Andrews didnt take up the offer to have ADF (Australian Defence Force) personnel, people who are trained, people who know what theyre doing, why he didnt take up that offer is beyond me and unfortunately, 300,000 Victorians are facing extra lockdowns because of those bad decisions. Premier Daniel Andrews did later ask for help from the ADF. (L-R) Minister for Health, Jenny Mikakos, Premier Daniel Andrews, and Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton, Melbourne, Australia. March 11, 2020. (Luis Ascui/Getty Images) It is alleged that the negligence of hotel security guards involved in the quarantine program has contributed to the second wave of COVID-19 infections across Melbourne, Victorias capital city. There are allegations of under-trained staff, inadequate personal protective equipment, private security contractors claiming for shifts not worked, and even claims that some hotel guards had slept with guests. This shouldnt have happened, what has happened isnt bad luck, its bad decision making from a government that put unqualified, untrained and unprofessional security guards in charge of hotel quarantine, OBrien said. Its Victorias own Ruby Princess in a way. Related Coverage NSW Launches Ruby Princess Inquiry OBrien said that some guards had failed to do their job and have instead ended up getting infected themselves; going on to spread the virus through the community. Some of those same private security guards are still guarding hotel quarantine, which is just unbelievable, OBrien said. Minister for Health Greg Hunt addresses a press conference in the Main Committee Room at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on April 8, 2020. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images) In response to the allegations, the federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt called for the Victorian government to bring those responsible to justice. If those statements are true, that would be completely and utterly unacceptable and we would encourage the Victorian authorities to throw the book at them, Hunt said on July 2. Related Coverage Melbourne Outbreak Risking Economic Pain: Trade Minister On July 2, Andrews announced a judicial inquiry into the hotel quarantine program. In a media release titled So many questions for Daniel Andrews to answer about his hotel quarantine disaster, OBrien said Andrews is using the inquiry to cover up his mistakes. Daniel Andrews cant hide behind a judicial inquiry into the stuff-ups in hotel quarantine, said OBrien. Polish soldiers participate in the NATO Noble Jump military exercises of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) in Zagan, Poland on June 18, 2015. NATO has put a defense plan for Poland and Baltic states into action after Turkey dropped its objections officials said on July 1, 2020. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images) NATO Puts Defence Plan for Poland, Baltics Into Action, Officials Say VILNIUSNATO has put a defense plan for Poland and Baltic states into action after Turkey dropped its objections, officials from Lithuania, Poland, and France have said. Turkeys foreign ministry declined to comment on July 2. The plan for Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, details of which are classified, was drawn up at their request after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. It was approved at a NATO summit in London in December. But Turkey did not allow NATO chiefs to put the plan into action unless they recognized the Kurdish YPG militia in northern Syria as a terrorists. The Turks have dropped their objections, an official of the French Armed Forces Ministry said on Wednesday. A NATO diplomat said that the plans were now finally agreed. Although it was unclear if Turkey extracted any concessions for agreeing, a second NATO diplomat said Ankara had acquiesced after pressure from the other 29 allies late last month. The Poland and Baltics defense plan, known as Eagle Defender, has no direct bearing on Turkeys strategy in Syria. Putting in place the political decision, which was reached in London, is a success for all NATO, Lithuanian Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis told reporters. Pawe Soloch, head of Polands National Security Bureau, also confirmed the deal. Turkey began its offensive in northern Syria after the United States pulled 1,000 troops out of the area in October. Ankaras NATO allies have said the incursion undermines the battle against the ISIS terrorist group. NATO declined to comment directly, saying that it has plans in place to protect all allies. Those plans are regularly revised and updated. By John Irish in Paris, Joanna Plucinska in Warsaw, Robin Emmott in Brussels, and Andrius Sytas in Vilnius Nurse Catherine Askin performs a consultation with patient Rachel Roth at the COVID-19 and flu assessment clinic, Prince of Wales Hospital on May 12, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images) NSW GP Charged in Medical Certificate Scam Over Insurance and University Fee Claim A Sydney GP and another man have been charged over insurance and university fee claim scams involving false medical certificates. Police say the 50-year-old doctor and the 46-year-old man were arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into compulsory third party insurance fraud syndicates operating across Sydney. The GP was arrested at Bankstown Police Station on July 2, a day after the other man was arrested at a Bass Hill home. Their arrests came after investigators discovered that false medical certificates were being submitted to universities in suspected attempts to avoid fees under the NSW governments student visa training scheme. Similar medical certificates were also suspected of being submitted in fraudulent compulsory third party insurance claims, police said. It will be alleged in court the GP created the false medical records and certificates, and the other man co-ordinated their supply. Both men were granted bail and are due to face the Bankstown Local Court on July 22 charged with multiple fraud offences, including make false document to obtain financial advantage and conspire with other to cheat and defraud. So far 37 people have been charged by detectives investigating the compulsory third party insurance fraud syndicates, in relation to nearly $17 million in fraudulent claims. Sydney A deep sea fishing boat heads out of the harbour with a backdrop of the Sydney skyline, 02 April 2005. (ROB ELLIOTT/Getty Images) NSW Man Jailed Over 500Kg Cocaine Plot The Australian representative in a sophisticated international syndicate which plotted to smuggle 500 kilograms of cocaine into the country has been jailed for at least 18 years. Darren John Mohr was motivated by money and expected to receive millions of dollars for his significant role in the plot, Justice Helen Wilson said. The former Bondi cafe owner and heavy vehicle mechanic was found guilty of conspiring to import the cocaine from Chile to Australia in 2016. In the NSW Supreme Court on July 3, Justice Wilson jailed the 46-year-old for 32 years with a non-parole period of 18 years. This was an extremely serious offence that Mohr entered into for no better reason than the lure of money and the prestige and lifestyle money could buy him, she said. The cocaine was valued at between $106 million and $150 million. Police waited for the drug-laden vessel when it pulled up to a NSW Central Coast boat ramp late on Christmas Day in 2016. At the time police described it as part of the largest cocaine seizure in Australian history. Margaret Scheikowski in Sydney Popcorn and Inspiration: The Patriot: The American Braveheart R | 2h 45min | Action, Drama, History | 28 June 2000 (USA) The Patriot, starring Mel Gibson (2000, directed by Roland Emmerich) is basically the American version of Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson (1995, directed by Mel Gibson). Mel Gibson as William Wallace, bent on revenge, in Braveheart. (Paramount Pictures) Consider the loads of things The Patriot has in common with Braveheart: Substitute green vistas of Scottish mountains for green U.S. Southern cornfields. Both movies have massive casts and bone-crunching, bloody battle scenes. Both have a loathsome antagonist we love to hate. Both are nearly three hours long. In Braveheart, William Wallace (Gibson) avoids waragainst the Britsuntil his young bride is murdered. In The Patriot, Benjamin Martin (Gibson) avoids waragainst the Britsuntil his young son is murdered. These events turn both Wallace and Martin into infernally tricky guerrilla war-fighters, fighting for freedom. There are a number of string-laden score themes in The Patriot that are suspiciously similar to the score of Braveheart. Mel Gibson as Benjamin Martin, bent on revenge, in The Patriot. (Columbia Pictures) Mel shouldve directed The Patriot. Mels an epic director, and while The Patriot is epic in length, it doesnt quite have that certain special epic something that Mr. Gibsons directing projects have. The Story Its 1776; the American Revolution looms, and the British are bent on quashing rebel independence. Fictitious South Carolinian land and slave owner (and French and Indian War vet) Benjamin Martin (an amalgamation of actual men who fought in the Revolutionary War) is trying hard to forget his sins of wartime violence. He prays for forgiveness while stowing away his elaborately carved tomahawk, at the movies outset. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) about to fling a tomahawk, in The Patriot. (Columbia Pictures) We learn hes considered a war hero of considerable stature; men continue to be moved and honored enough to buy him drinks. Hes got seven kids, his wife is dead, he longs for peace, but his eldest son Gabriel (Heath Ledger), a chip off the old block, enlists without his dads blessing. Heath Ledger as Gabriel Martin in The Patriot. (Columbia Pictures) When Gabriel, before his fathers very eyes, is captured by the Brits, and the sadistic British Col. William Tavington (Jason Isaacs) orders Gabe to be taken off and hanged, and then slays Martins second son Thomas (Gregory Smith) on the spot, it reignites Martins bloodlust. Arming his two youngest sons with flintlocks twice their height, they ambush 20 British redcoats. And then Martin and sons, with a high degree of accuracy, snipe every last one of them. And forthwith, there are rumors among Brit soldiers of a killer ghost that roams the Southern fields and forests. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) about to ambush British soldiers, in The Patriot. (Columbia Pictures) Like William Wallace, Benjamin Martins God-given leadership ability makes him the natural go-to leader of the South Carolinian local militia chapter, which consists of a motley crew of farmers, former slaves, war buddies, and eventually son Gabriel as one of his lieutenants. As Martin predicted, this war would consist of skirmishes fought in and around the country homes, farms, fields, and towns of South Carolina. So while the Brits stage field battles that outnumber and out-arm the rebel forces, Benjamin Martin conducts elusive, stick-and-move guerrilla-tactic raids on British supply lines and forces, popping up, raining down death and destruction, and quickly fading back into the bush. Honor and Tradition What really hits home about The Patriot is something weve seen countless times before: Lines upon battle lines of men facing each other, from 50 feet away, standing there stock still while the enemy shoots them dead willy-nilly. What is up with such incredible stupidity? Because how else, in this day and age, can it be described? Mathematician Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi invented algebra in the ninth century. Very intelligent. So why, nine whole centuries later, are men standing still in fields allowing their heads to get blown off? Rebel soldier: Take your best shot! Redcoat: Blam!! Rebel ghost: Doh!! Battle scene in The Patriot. (Columbia Pictures) War was once considered an honorable thing. Honorable and courageous. Same with pistol dueling; one knew never to question a mans honor because if you didjust like thatyoud be called out to get your head blown off at dawn. And if you didnt show up? Your reputation was ruined for life, and I mean ruined. Todays military still thinks war is honorable, and of course, serving and protecting ones country certainly is. But the rules of war were vastly different back in the day. You did not shoot someone in the face. Even back in the 1970s, pre-Bruce Lee, you did not kick someone in a fight. It was not cool. Honor is interesting. For years, before special operations sniping came to be considered cool, it was considered cowardly. Now theres nothing coolerendless books and movies dedicated to the art of sniping. Shooting someone while hiding behind a tree is smart, but is it honorable to hide? Is it now honorable? Was it ever honorable? Does the end justify the means? Questions to ponder. Have a peep at The Patriot and ponder peoples present-day pittance of honor and propriety. Mel Gibson as Benjamin Martin in The Patriot. (Columbia Pictures) The Patriot Director: Roland Emmerich Starring: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, Chris Cooper, Tom Wilkinson, Donal Logue, Adam Baldwin Rated: R Running Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes Release Date: June 28, 2000 Rated: 4 stars out of 5 Mark Jackson is the senior film critic for The Epoch Times. Mark has 20 years experience as a professional New York actor, a classical theater training, a BA in philosophy, and recently narrated the Epoch Times audiobook, How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World: https://www.thespecterofcommunism.com/en/audiobook/ Rotten Tomatoes author page: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critic/mark-jackson/movies Pregnant Woman Found Dead Near Photo of Twins Sonogram, Boyfriend Arrested: Police Authorities suspect a Texas man fatally shot his pregnant girlfriend on Monday before hijacking another womans car at gunpoint. The pregnant woman, Darionne Burley, 26, was found dead in the front passenger seat in Mansfield. Police said they were called to the scene after a woman said someone stole her vehicle. Maurice Smith, 28, is accused of driving the vehicle to his apartment in Fort Worth, officials told the Fort Worth-Star Telegram. Smith was charged with capital murder of multiple persons in Burleys and her unborn childrens deaths, aggravated robbery, and a parole violation, police told NBC5 in Dallas. Police said that Burley was found with a gunshot wound near a wallet with a recent sonogram of Burleys twins. The photo listed Twin A and Twin B as boys and Burley as their mother. Maurice Smith, 28, in a booking photo. (Fort Worth Police) Burley had also apparently uploaded a photo of the sonogram to Facebook, according to People Magazine. Authorities did not provide a motive in the slayings. However, Smiths mother told police that Burley and her son had an intermittent relationship since high school, and they recently held a gender-reveal party. Burley was due to give birth to the twins in October, according to the Star-Telegram. Darionne Burley in a Facebook selfie (Facebook / selfie) Officials said Smith tried to purchase a gun and was denied during an FBI background check. However, they said that a man attended a gun show with Smith and bought a .40-caliber Hi-Point pistol. Smith allegedly told police that the two had an argument about a leaking tire, and that Burley made him feel like less of a man and also called him a junkie, according to police, reported People Magazine. He said the two drove home, and she left in the car to run errands. School Bus Driver Inspired by Kids He Drove Every Day Earns College Degree to Become a Teacher Driving school buses run in Clayton Wards family. Both his parents did it, and so did his grandfather. Even though Ward tried to avoid it, he found himself driving school buses, sharing his love for history with the kids he drove every day. As he bussed students to and from school in the city of Framingham, Massachusetts, the younger kids would simply talk to Ward about what they did in class that day. Additionally, as the high schoolers knew that Ward was a history buff, they would ask him about particular historical events. Clayton Ward in front of the school bus he drove while students were still going to school before the Covid-19 pandemic. (Courtesy of MassBay Community College) Some kids were like, You should be my teacher or I wish you were my teacher because it was a different view, a different voice instead of hearing the same thing (from their teachers) over and over again, the 30-year-old told CNN. Those conversations, one by one, reignited Wards desire to get back into the classroom himself and finally take the steps to work towards his dream of becoming a high school history teacher. Ward had dropped out of college 10 years ago as the demands of school and work took a toll on him. However, inspired by students, he enrolled at Massachusettss MassBay Community College in May of 2019. He would drive school buses by day and attend classes at night. (Illustration Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock) It wasnt always easy. I would drive my route in the morning and afternoon, take a class in between shifts and take night classes and classes online to complete my degree requirements, Ward told the school. I would think of those students and all the years I wanted to make this happen, and it helped me focus my energy. In just one year, Ward not only completed his Associate in Arts degree in Liberal Arts, but he did it with High Honors. He earned a spot on the Deans List every semester and received several awards at a virtual commencement ceremony on June 30 for his 4.0 GPA, according to the college. Clayton Ward with the awards he received at the commencement ceremony for his 4.0 GPA. (Courtesy of MassBay Community College) Clayton really exemplifies the spirit of MassBayresilience, persistence, and dedication, Nina B. Keery, the MassBay Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, told CNN in a statement. I am so proud of his accomplishments across his program and division. His future students will benefit in so many ways. They will learn about history. She further added: They will learn what it means to be a successful student. And they will learn that hard work translates into success. Now, with his associates degree in hand, Ward is headed to Framingham State University in the fall to pursue a bachelors degree in history with a minor in secondary education. Clayton Ward graduated on June 30, 2020, with his associates degree from MassBay Community College in the hopes of becoming a high school history teacher. (Courtesy of Clayton Ward) However, Ward knows that all of this wouldnt have happened without those kids. You wouldnt think that kids can do something like that, to make such a large impression and give me the drive and ambition that I need to make the decision to go back to school, Ward said. Its kind of crazy that such a small thing can make such an impact on your life and I just want to them for every little bit of it. The CNN Wire contributed to this report. First and foremost, we need to make sure the Connect website can process 10 million claims simultaneously. There needs to be a live chat and a more robust FAQ section on the site to get answers to commonly asked questions. We need to eliminate the 45 questions asked to applicants and only ask the most relevant questions pertaining to getting their benefits. There should be some contingency processes in place such as additional servers and back up call center agents to handle 10 million calls. Floridas workforce is about 9.2 million people and our contingency and online capacity plan should be able to accommodate, god forbids, that 10 million people need access to benefits simultaneously. Im a tech entrepreneur and digital technology consultant, websites, servers, and software performed based on what humans require. The Connect site was deliberately programmed and coded to make the unemployment process cumbersome and difficult. The backend processes were deliberately designed to not process payments. Some Republicans have blamed antiquated technology; however, this website was redesigned in 2013, in the era of cloud technology, additional server capacity can be added from across the state. From a policy perspective, our state needs to increase the maximum amount of weekly compensation. According to data from the Bureau of Labor of statistics, Florida pays $200 less than the national average for weekly benefits. We are ranked in the bottom five for weekly compensations and tied for last for the shortest duration of payments. Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) speaks at the start of a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on the government's response to the CCP virus outbreak in Washington on March 5, 2020. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) Senate Republicans Divided on Second Round of Stimulus Checks, Deposits Senate returning on July 20, meaning that deposits likely won't be sent out this month Senate Republicans appear to be divided on whether to send more direct stimulus payments to Americans, even though President Donald Trump this week expressed support for the measure. I wasnt supportive of the first round. I dont think Id be supportive of the second, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told reporters. This is not a classic recession that requires financial stimulus. Trump said on Monday that he supports sending out payments larger than $1,200the maximum amount allotted under the last major stimulus package. I support actually larger numbers than the Democrats, but its got to be done properly, Trump said in an interview with Fox Business. I want the money getting to people to be larger so they can spend it. I want the money to get there quickly and in a non-complicated fashion, he added. House Democrats, meanwhile, passed a $3 trillion stimulus package that would send out $1,200 payments to eligible Americans and children. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) endorsed the measure and on Thursday called on GOP senators to quickly provide additional federal fiscal relief, while calling on them to finally work with Democrats. President Donald Trumps name is seen on a stimulus check issued by the IRS to help combat the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, in San Antonio, Texas, on April 23, 2020. (Eric Gay/AP Photo) But Majority Whip Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said Republicans dont see eye-to-eye on sending direct payments to Americans when he was asked about Trumps willingness to support the measure. About direct payments or some of the checks thats something hes talked about, and some of our members are interested in that as well. There are some of our members who arent interested in that, so well see where that goes, he said. Republicans will still need to agree on a number and other components. Senators on Thursday left for a two-week recess that ends on July 20. After that, they are expected to debate on the stimulus package. It comes as the extra $600 per week unemployment boost, which was included in Marchs CARES Act, is slated to expire at the end of July. At the same time, the United States added 4.8 million jobs in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday, while the unemployment rate fell to around 11 percent. Trump and other Republicans said the measure created a disincentive for people receiving unemployment insurance to return to work. Youd make more money if you dont go to work, Trump said of the measure, thats not what [this] country is all about. According to the Treasury Department, more than 160 million Americans received payments authorized by the CARES Act. Bystanders watch protesters on a street below a shop during a rally against a new national security law in Hong Kong on July 1, 2020. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images) Senate Sends Hong Kong Sanctions Bill to Trumps Desk The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed legislation imposing sanctions on banks doing business with Chinese officials involved in the implementation of Beijings new draconian national security law on Hong Kong. The bill, which is now headed to the White House for President Donald Trumps signature, would authorize sanctions on foreign individuals who are on an annual list of people found to be involved in subverting Hong Kongs autonomy, and the banks who do business with them. The legislation was also passed unanimously by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday in retaliation to Beijings draconian new law, marking a show of overwhelming bipartisan support reflecting concern over the erosion of the autonomy that had allowed the former British colony to thrive as Chinas freest city and an international financial center. The standing committee of Chinas rubber-stamp legislature, the National Peoples Congress (NPC), passed the law on June 30 via ceremonial votes. It criminalizes individuals for any acts of subversion, secession, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, with maximum penalties of life imprisonment. Critics fear the law will be used to crackdown on those critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This is an urgent moment. Our timing could not be more critical, said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a lead sponsor of the Hong Kong Autonomy Act in a Senate speech urging support for the legislation. .@ChrisVanHollens and my bipartisan #HongKong Autonomy Act is now on its way to the president to be signed into law! With our bill, the CCP will learn there are ramifications for repressing Hongkongers freedom. President Trump should sign this bill ASAP. We #StandWithHongKong. Senator Pat Toomey (@SenToomey) July 2, 2020 All of the prosperity and the elevation of human dignity that comes from human freedom and Democratic values from one model, that is the model that is up against the dark shadows of the authoritarian governments that are constantly pushing to systemically erode, corrode and warp the values and freedoms that we cherish, said Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), a co-sponsor. Through this bill, the U.S. Senate makes clear which side we are on, he added. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday told reporters during a press conference that the U.S. legislation will help end Chinas campaign of cruelty against the city. All freedom-loving people stand with the people of Hong Kong as they confront Beijings campaign against freedom. With my signature, the #HongKong Autonomy Act goes to the White House. The sanctions included within it are critical to holding China accountable. pic.twitter.com/prgInYxw3l Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 2, 2020 On the first day that the national security law was enforced, the Hong Kong Police Force said it had detained 10 peoplesix men and four womenon suspicion of violating the security law. In total, about 370 were arrested for a number of offenses, some for unlawful assembly obstructing police, and possession of weapons, officials said. This is a real tragedy. Its so sad, Pelosi added. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, warned the United States that there would be consequences if the bill is signed or implemented. Beijing will resolutely and forcefully resist, he said. The bill has significant implications for financial institutions operating in Hong Kong as it penalizes lenders doing business with Chinese officials involved in implementing the controversial security law that protects the CCP. According to a Bloomberg article, the bill puts $1.1 trillion funding for Chinas largest banks at stake. Global banks are also at risk, according to the report, as they may have Chinese officials and their relatives as customers. Emel Akan and Reuters contributed to this report. Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a former military officer at the National Security Council who testified during the impeachment hearings on Capitol Hill, walks down the steps of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington on Jan. 27, 2020. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo) Senator to Block All Military Promotions Over Impeachment Witness Vindman Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said shes planning to block every single military promotion unless Secretary of Defense Mark Esper promises that he didnt or will not block the promotion of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who testified against President Donald Trump in the impeachment inquiry. Vindman, who at the time sat on the National Security Council, told lawmakers that Trumps call with Ukraines president was inappropriate. Duckworth, citing anonymously-sourced reports, said shes requiring Esper to confirm in writing that he did not or will not block Vindmans promotion, which she described as expected and deserved. Our military is supposed to be the ultimate meritocracy. It is simply unprecedented and wrong for any Commander in Chief to meddle in routine military matters at all, whether or not he has a personal vendetta against a Soldier who did his patriotic duty and told the trutha Soldier who has been recommended for promotion by his superiors because of his performance, she said in a statement. I wont just sit by and let it happen, and neither should any of my colleagues. This goes far beyond any single military officer, it is about protecting a merit-based system from political corruption and unlawful retaliation. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) participates in a march with Gov. J.B. Pritzker, third from right, in Chicago on June 19, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) The Department of Defense didnt respond to a request for comment. Duckworth said shell block the Senate confirmation of 1,123 senior U.S. Armed Forces promotions until her demands are met. Shes insisting Esper provide written confirmation of whether the Army Competitive Category promotion board included Vindman among its selections for promotion to Colonel. If so, she is demanding to know whether the Army included Vindman on its list of promotions that it sent to the Pentagon and, if so, whether Esper or his designee will or has submitted the list of Army promotions to the White House that includes or included Vindman. Esper told reporters earlier this year that the Pentagon protects all of its people from retribution or anything like that. Trump, a Republican, was impeached in December 2019 but acquitted by the Senate. He repeatedly railed against Vindman, describing the military officer as a Never Trumper. Vindman, who drew attention for refusing to name the person he gave details of Trumps call to, was removed from the council in February, ahead of his scheduled departure. The move came because Vindman was insubordinate, according to the president. President Donald Trump walks to the White House residence after exiting Marine One on the South Lawn in Washington on June 25, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Trump later suggested the military would look into disciplining Vindman but an Army spokesman said there were no plans to investigate him. Duckworth accused Trump of threatening to use active-duty service members to quell peaceful protests. The president mulled ordering the military to quell riots that took place at or near protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. The senator also described Trumps resistance to taking down or renaming Confederate statues and bases as a desire to honor traitors who raised arms against our union to maintain their ability to enslave and kill Black Americans. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), another member of the Armed Services Committee, earlier in June also cited the anonymously-sourced reports about alleged interference in Vindmans expected promotion. To keep our democracy healthy, the U.S. military has avoided partisanship, and to keep our military strong, elected officials should avoid partisan interference with the militarys merit-based promotion system, he said in a statement, adding later: Civilian control of the military is a bedrock principle of our government. Civilian defense leaders, including the Secretary of Defense, have a duty to shield uniformed military personnel from undue partisan pressures. Ivan Pentchoukov and Jack Phillips contributed to this report. The Three Gorges Dam, a gigantic hydropower project on the Yangtze River, discharges flood waters in Yichang, central China's Hubei Province on June 29, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) Severe Floods Hit Chongqing as Flooding Across Southern China Leaves 121 People Dead or Missing The southwestern Chinese megacity of Chongqing is the latest area to be hit by flooding, as southern parts of the country battle with the worst flooding it has seen in decades. Weeks of heavy rainfall have wreaked destruction across 26 provinces, affecting more than 19 million residents. At least 121 people have been confirmed dead or missing, authorities say. Chongqing has been lashed by intense rains since July 1, affecting 28 of its 38 counties, according to a July 2 report by state-run Peoples Daily. The highest rainfall reached 128 millimeters (5 inches) that day. Waters in 116 local rivers rose one to ten meters (3.3 feet to 32.8 feet). State-run media Xinhua quoted Chongqing city officials on July 2 saying that the water levels of 12 rivers were higher than the upper limits, meaning the banks could burst at any time. At least one person has died, and one is missing, the report said, adding that almost 60,000 have been affected by the floods in the city. Local authorities in one area of Chongqing have warned those who live on the fourth story or below in buildings close to rivers to be prepared to evacuate. The Chongqing Hydrology Bureau told us that the flooding this year is very bad, an official from the Shanhuwan neighborhood in Chongqing told the Chinese-language Epoch Times by phone on July 2. The official said intense rains have been forecasted for the entire month in Chongqing. Residents who live on the fourth floor and lower should start preparing for evacuation, so once flooding starts, they can quickly escape. The official said if the water level in Shanhuwan reaches 180 meters (590 feet) above sea level, it will submerge the first floor; at 190 meters (623 feet), it will flood areas higher than the second floor, so the third and fourth floors also need to be on guard. Two rivers pass through Chongqing, the Yangtze River and the Jialing River. In 1981, when water levels of both rivers reached 193 meters (633 feet), 15 million people were affected, and 1.5 million lost their homes. Mr. Liu, a resident in Qijiang district in Chongqing, told the Chinese-language Epoch Times on July 2 that the downtown area in the district flooded the day before, and the water levels of the Qijiang River swelled by three meters (10 feet). The first floors of many buildings were submerged by floodwaters, he said. Mudslide Buries Highway A surveillance camera caught the moment a mudslide buried a highway in Chongqing on July 1. The Epoch Times called the Chongqing Highway Service Center on July 2, and was told that the highway has now been closed. Both directions were buried, the operator said. The mudslide was very severe. On July 2, other provinces in southern China including Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Anhui also reported flooding. The same day, the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources announced, As of noon of July 1, the water levels of 304 rivers in China have exceeded critical limits. The ministry said July and August are critical periods to control the flooding. Famous Chinese Drama Snow in June Becomes Reality Snow in June is a famous Chinese drama written during the Yuan Dynasty (12791368), which tells of a young lady named Dou E who is wrongly convicted of crimes by a corrupt official for actions perpetrated by a rejected suitor of Dou. Before her execution, Dou cried to heaven to prove her innocence, bringing three unusual phenomena to her hometown: blood rain from the sky, snow in June, and a three-year drought. These three prophesied phenomena indeed occurred following Dou Es wrongful death. Until today, Snow in June is still widely used among Chinese speakers as a metaphor for a miscarriage of justice. In some areas of Chinas Xinjiang region, heavy snow started to fall from the evening of June 28. By June 29, the ground was covered with 30 centimeters of snow. Supreme Court Denies Fast-Track Request by Texas Democrats to Expand Mail-In Voting Ahead of July Primary The U.S. Supreme Court on July 2 denied a request by Texas Democrats to fast-track (pdf) a review of the partys efforts to expand mail-in voting amid the coronavirus pandemic and ahead of the July primary. It marks another loss for Texas Democrats in their ongoing battle with state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, who has argued that only a physical illness or disability that prevents voters from going to the polls should qualify an individual to vote by mail. Election law established by the Texas legislature generally requires in-person voting, and allows mail balloting only for certain limited groups, including those who are 65 or older, have a disability or illness that renders them unable to vote in-person, those who will be out of the county on election day, and those who are confined in jail but otherwise eligible. The Texas election code defines disability as a sickness or physical condition that prevents a voter from appearing in person without the risk of needing personal assistance or injuring the voters health. Texas Democrats and voting rights groups have argued that voters who are susceptible to contracting the new coronavirus should be able to vote by mail amid the pandemic and have been seeking to expand the definition of disabled to include those who fear coronavirus exposure during in-person voting. Election workers sort vote-by-mail ballots for the presidential primary at King County Elections in Renton, Wash., on March 10, 2020. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images) In May, the Supreme Court ruled that a that a voters lack of immunity to COVID-19 is not a physical disability that qualifies people to vote by mail. The decision by the Supreme Court this week means the states current regulations for the upcoming July 14 primary runoff election will remain in place. The ruling comes just a week after the Supreme Court also declined to immediately reinstate a federal judges order that would immediately expand voting by mail to all Texas voters during the coronavirus pandemic. A spokesperson for the Texas Democratic Party, Abhi Rahman, said the party will continue to fight tooth and nail for everybodys right to vote, and that all Texans should have clarity on how they can cast their ballot in the November elections. While the Supreme Court may still decide to hear the case, this is unlikely to happen before fall. Disinfecting wipes stand at the ready at the Lancaster County Election Committee offices in Lincoln, Neb., on April 14, 2020. (Nati Harnik/AP Photo) We still expect the case to be heard in mid-August, Rahman said. Texas Democrats will never stop fighting for the right for everybody to vote. Every Texan should be able to vote safely and without the fear of contracting a deadly disease. A number of other states will allow all voters to mail in their ballots during the pandemic in an effort to prevent large crowds from gathering at polling places. Paxton has remained steadfast that expanding access to vote-by-mail could lead to voter fraud, and in a statement issued on June 26, he applauded the Supreme Court for following the law and refusing to order mail-in balloting that the Texas Legislature has forbidden. Universal mail-in ballots, which are notoriously vulnerable to fraud, would only lead to greater election fraud and disenfranchise lawful voters, he said, adding that State election officials have many options available to safely and securely hold elections without risking widespread fraud. President Donald Trump has also previously said mail-in voting is particularly susceptible to fraud. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference in Austin, Texas, on May 18, 2020. (Lynda M. Gonzalez/Pool/Getty Images) Houston Cancels Texas Republican Convention Over Pandemic Update: Houston officials canceled the Texas Republican Partys in-person convention on July 8. Original story below. The Texas Republican Party is moving forward with plans to hold an in-person convention in Houston this month. The convention is scheduled to take place from July 13 to July 18 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Members of the partys executive committee voted late Thursday to move forward with plans to hold the event. After extensive debate Thursday evening, the State Republican Executive Committee reinforced its support for proceeding with our State Convention in person in Houston, James Dickey, chairman of the state GOP, said in a statement. The convention will be taking a number of precautions and have safety measures in place aimed at preventing transmission of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Temperature scanners will be present at entryways and meeting areas will be deep-cleaned after each gathering while hand sanitizer stations will be placed throughout the convention center. Expanded seating will be in place to allow for social distancing. And sponsors donated masks, which will be handed out so attendees are in compliance with Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order. No other events are scheduled to be held at the center, which can hold thousands of people, this month. A sign is posted on a bank entrance in El Paso, Texas, on July 1, 2020. (Cengiz Yar/Getty Images) Abbott, a Republican, issued an order earlier Thursday requiring all Texans to wear a face-covering over the nose and mouth when inside a business or another building open to the public in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases. COVID-19 is a disease caused by the CCP virus. Violators face a warning; a second violation can land a $250 fine. Texans should wear a face covering for the health of their families, friends, and for all fellow Texans, the governor said in a video message. He said he issued the order due to substantial increases in the number of COVID-19 cases. Along with the number of cases, the percent of people being tested has risen. The number of hospitalizations has also increased, hitting 7,382 on Thursday. According to the Texas Health and Human Services, there are an estimated 82,732 active cases of the new disease. Daily new reported cases reached over 8,000 on Wednesday. The Texas Medical Association, an advertiser at the Texas GOP event, sent a letter to party officials urging them to reconsider its decision to hold an in-person event. The group announced Friday it was withdrawing from the convention. With or without masks, an indoor gathering of thousands of people from all around the state in a city with tens of thousands of active COVID-19 cases poses a significant health risk to conventiongoers, convention workers, health care workers, and the residents of Houston, Dr. Diana Fite, president of the association, said in a statement. Jack Phillips contributed to this report. The Chinese Regimes All-Out Assault on Hong Kong: Human Rights Activist Benedict Rogers Just what does the newly passed National Security Law mean for freedom in Hong Kong? Will Hongkongers be arrested for talking to journalists and activists in the West? Could Christians, Falun Gong practitioners or other religious believers be persecuted? And, how should the world respond to a potential mass exodus from Hong Kong? In this episode, we sit down with human rights activist and writer Benedict Rogers, founder of Hong Kong Watch. He is also the co-founder and deputy chair of the United Kingdom Conservative Partys human rights commission. This is American Thought Leaders , and Im Jan Jekielek. Jan Jekielek: Ben Rogers, such a pleasure to have you back on American Thought Leaders. Benedict Rogers: Thank you very much. Its great to be with you. Mr. Jekielek: Its a pleasure to have you back, but its under extremely unfortunate circumstances. We now know the content of the new Hong Kong national security law thats been basically rubber-stamped through ultimately by the Chinese Communist Party and the Congress. Were hearing from Secretary Pompeo in a recent speech that Hong Kong will become just another [communist run] city. Do you agree? What does that actually mean? Mr. Rogers: I do agree, although its heartbreaking to say that. The reason I agreeand the reason Secretary Pompeo says thatis that the National Peoples Congress national security law imposed on Hong Kong totally destroys both Hong Kongs freedoms and Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy, one country two systems, in effect, making Hong Kong at least on a pathway to becoming just another Chinese city. What that means is that its going to be accompanied by all the repression that goes with being a Chinese city, the repression at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, and it means that freedom of expression, freedom to protest, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, are all going to be undermined. Mr. Jekielek: According to the Hong Kong polices own messaging, at least three hundred people have been arrested with protests happening on July 1st, and at least nine of them actually under the provisions of this new law. Mr. Rogers: Thats correct. On one level, the arrests, the police brutality, and the use of tear gas and pepper spray is nothing new. Those things have been happening over the last year or more, and weve seen horrific, totally disproportionate, indiscriminate police brutality over the last twelve months. What is new is the police now have this new law that has the potential to result in people being imprisoned on life sentences. Mr. Jekielek: Ben, lets talk about the law. Of course, weve been looking at it closely here at the Epoch Times. I know youve been studying it very carefully, because it has implications for all of us, not just people in Hong Kong. There are four categories of offenses: secession, subverting state power, terrorism, and colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security. What are you seeing in this law? Mr. Rogers: Well, this is the worst law I think Ive ever seen in many years of human rights work. It exceeds our worst fears about what the law might contain. First of all, of course, [nothing on the surface is troubling about] those categories that you just mentioned. Nobody or very few people would have any disagreement with the need to counter terrorism, depending on how you define terrorism. Similarly, subversion, if it was properly defined, could be a different matter. But the Chinese Communist Partys definition of terrorism could well include peaceful protesters. The definition of subversion really includes any form of criticism or dissent from the regime. The clause of collusion with foreign entities has the potential, really, to make it a criminal offense for people in Hong Kong to do what theyve rightly and understandably done for some time now, which is to talk to foreign journalists, foreign activists, foreign parliamentarians. Ive had people in Hong Kong in the last 24 hours saying to me, We cant contact you on social media now. Its too dangerous. Those are some of the effects of the law. Of course, theres also this clause, Article 38, that applies the categories of the law, not just to Hong Kongers in Hong Kong, but to non-Hong Kongers outside Hong Kong. So in theory, at least, what I do in Londoncriticizing the regimeand what you do in Washington and this very conversation were having now could in theory be a criminal offense under this law. Mr. Jekielek: I have written down Article 38 here, because I wanted to actually read it out for the world to hear it. The law shall be applicable to persons who do not have permanent resident status in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and commit crimes under this law against the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region outside the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. So, in other words, it could apply to, frankly, anybody that the Chinese Communist Party doesnt like. Thats what it certainly appears to me to say. Mr. Rogers: Thats how it appears to me as well. I was talking last night with a number of friends as soon as it came out, and we were just astonished by this, because it could apply to you and me. It could just as easily applyand this is the absurdity of itto the former governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, whos been very outspoken, too. Numerous British parliamentarians, members of the US Congress, in fact pretty much the entire US Congress, British Parliament, European Parliament, President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, the British Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister and others in theory. Its a cruel, repressive, horrific law, but its also a totally absurd law. Mr. Jekielek: Speaking of that, I have to ask you. Do you have a Winnie the Pooh pillow behind you? Mr. Rogers: I do. Thats not because I have necessarily any fondness for cuddly toys. I was given Winnie the Pooh by somebody actually in Taiwan a year ago, and I have him there as a political symbol, because Winnie the Pooh in 2018 was banned from China, because somebody made a comparison between Xi Jinpings physical appearance and Winnie the Pooh, which I happen to think is an insult to Winnie the Pooh. Nevertheless, Winnie the Pooh was banned because Xi Jinping took offense at that. I was denied entry, as you know, to Hong Kong in 2017, just under a year before Winnie the Pooh was banned. I have a bit of solidarity with him, so I have him there as a symbol of that. Mr. Jekielek: Remarkable because mainland China doesnt enjoy the rule of law. Theres a certain arbitrariness [to the law, like banning Winnie the Pooh,] that this new legislation kind of expands right? Mr. Rogers: Absolutely. Both the content of the law but also the way the law has been introduced is just extraordinary. The speed that its been rushed through; the fact that its been imposed on Hong Kong by the National Peoples Congress in Beijing, not through Hong Kongs Legislative Council; the fact that within moments of the law being passed Carrie Lam was unaware that it had been passed and seemingly had not seen the content of the law; Hong Kong government officials standing up the day before saying, We support the law, even though they didnt know what it contained [are all extraordinary]. [There is also] this potentially sweeping effect of the law, the crushing impact it will have on everything, from basic freedoms, to Hong Kongs autonomy, to the independence of the judiciary. The Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, under the guidance of Beijing with a Beijing-appointed National Security Adviser, will choose the judges for national security cases, totally undermining independence of the judiciary. Its an all-out assault on Hong Kong. Mr. Jekielek: All these cases in point for this arbitrariness. Would it engender a lot of self-censorship? Mr. Rogers: Yes, I think it will. Weve already seen yesterday, Joshua Wong and some of his colleagues disbanding the party that they founded, Demosisto, in order to protect themselves. Ive had messages from people saying, I might not be able to contact you Those who are courageous and want to stay in touch are trying to find more secure means to stay in touch. I think there will be people who are [brave,] and weve seen with the protests on July 1st, the 23rd anniversary of the handover and the first day of the effect of this law. Weve seen people bravely still protesting, so there are many people who are still willing to continue the fight, but I think we will see many people thinking it is not worth the risk. I can understand that if you face a life sentence potentially. Mr. Jekielek: There was one I guess photo that was published by the Hong Kong police of a man with the Hong Kong independence flag. I dont know if you saw that. Mr. Rogers: I did. I have never advocated Hong Kong independence. Ive always and continue to believe ineven though its been destroyed nowthe principle and the vision of one country, two systems. But at the same time, I strongly support freedom of expression. This law, which criminalizes even discussion of the idea of independence, is equivalent to if the United Kingdom were to imprison the entire Scottish government. Scotland is led by the Scottish Nationalist Party. Nicola Sturgeon is the First Minister. They are advocates of Scottish independence. Now thankfully, Scotland remains part of the UK, and I am glad about that, but I would never want to imprison Nicola Sturgeon or the Scottish nationalists. Somebody a little while ago in Hong Kong, maybe a year or so ago when the Hong Kong National Party was banned, I tweeted saying that I dont advocate and I dont support Hong Kong independence, but I do support the right of people to talk about it. And somebody messaged me and said, Well, how would you feel if advocates of Scottish independence were in your Parliament? I said, Theyre the third-largest party in our Parliament. [Restricting speech] is devastating. I did see that picture. It was amazing the courage of that person, knowing the risks, that he still went out with that flag. Mr. Jekielek: Well, its very curious too, because I saw some discussion on social media and Telegram [messenger]. Theres apparently two little characters on that flag which say, I dont support [before the larger characters Hong Kong Independence] or something to that tune that keen-eyed people younger than I noticed. Mr. Rogers: I wasnt aware of that. Thats very interesting. One thing I think we will seeand weve already seen over the last year and more, but well see more ofis much more creativity. I think we may see possibly fewer street protests, but we may see people expressing dissent in more creative and perhaps more subtle ways. Mr. Jekielek: Something thats kind of stark and new is the purple flag. Tell me about the purple flag. Mr. Rogers: Yes, this was the police warning to protesters. I have to admit, I havent studied it in great detail, but it was essentially, I believe, warning protesters about the things that the law can be applied for. Within hours of the law being introduced, the police deployed this new tool in their armory to instill fear in people. Mr. Jekielek: Ben, given that foreign commentary on this reality in Hong Kong might be seen as criminal, what is the value of prominent voices speaking out in favor of freedom in Hong Kong or something in that vein? Mr. Rogers: I think its absolutely essential to do so for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Chinese Communist Party must not be allowed to get away with this. They may get away with it in the short term. They have implemented the law now. But I think we should make sure that the regime, not the people of China, not the country of China, but the regime and the Hong Kong government who represent that same regime, pay a very high price and face the consequences for this. The international community really needs to rally together and deliver an extremely strong not just message but action in response to this. Thats important because if the regime is allowed to just get away with this with impunity, then its not going to stop with Hong Kong. Taiwan will be next. Taiwan will be in its sights. Actually our own societies will be further threatened as well. Ive always seen Hong Kong as the front line in the fight for freedom against authoritarianism. The Chinese Communist Party already is encroaching on our freedoms, in your country [USA] and mine [UK]. We mustnt let that continue. Its also important to speak up, because, as weve just been saying, it will become more and more dangerous for people in Hong Kong to do so. Ive had messages from people saying, You know, we may not be able to continue to speak out now, or if we do, well be taking a huge risk. So we want you outside Hong Kong to speak for us. Both to defend our own interests, to stop the encroachment of the Chinese Communist Party further, to make sure that they face consequences, and in order to speak for those who might not be able to speak, its really important to do so. Mr. Jekielek: Ben, what are the implications of this law acting retroactively? What does that actually mean? How does that affect things? Mr. Rogers: Well, like many things surrounding this law, thats not entirely clear yet, at least to my understanding. Its possible Ive missed something. But, with this regime, I dont think we should underestimate the lengths they will go to suppress dissent. Its certainly possible that theyll find ways to go after people that have long been in their sights and until now have had the freedom in Hong Kong to continue speaking out. Im not sure I want to name names necessarily, but prominent Hong Kong democrats of all generations must be in grave danger now. Mr. Jekielek: There have been some responses to this already. Certainly theres revoking of special trade status that has been announced on the US side. Theres been a recent speech by [British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs] Dominic Raab reinforcing that the British National overseas passport holders will be welcome to the UK. Theres a whole range of responses, and of course Hong Kong Watch, your organization, has ideas about what the responses should be. Tell me about this. Mr. Rogers: Yes, I welcome the responses that have been made so far. Its worth saying that actually ever since the law was first proposed over a month ago, there has been a strong international reaction, which I had hoped might prevent the law going forward. We were able to mobilize over nine hundred parliamentarians from over forty countries to sign a statement that was initiated by the last governor of Hong Kong, Lord [Chris] Patten, and the former British Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind. And thereve been various other initiatives over the last few weeks. Going forward, I see essentially a three-pronged approach. I think there should be a coordinated punitive approach of targeted sanctions. Sanctions, not against the people of China, but against individuals and entities that are part of the Chinese Communist Party regime in Beijing and its proxies in Hong Kong, who are responsible for serious human rights violations and who are responsible for this law. Secondly, I think there should be a diplomatic route, particularly through the United Nations. When I say diplomatic, Im not talking about negotiations but more monitoring the situation. Ive been calling for the UN to establish either a special envoy or a special rapporteur for human rights in Hong Kong, because I think its really important that the international community keeps a very close eye on how this law is implemented and what the human rights abuses are. There were increasing calls in support of that last week. At least fifty current UN special rapporteurs called for a UN mechanism actually for China as a whole, taking into account whats happening in Xinjiang and whats happening to others in mainland China. The former head of human rights at the UN, Zeid Raad Al Hussein, together with eight former special rapporteurs called for a special rapporteur or envoy on Hong Kong. Others have done so too. The chairs of the Foreign Affairs committees in the parliaments of the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand have written to the UN Secretary General calling for this. So I think thats a path that we should continue to press. Then thirdly, a humanitarian response, which should be a last resort because our aim is not for Hong Kongers to leave their homes and leave their city. Our aim should be to try to stop this crisis escalating and to protect rights in Hong Kong. But nevertheless, the reality of this law is that its going to be very dangerous for some people in Hong Kong. I think that the international community together should come up with a lifeboat rescue package, because if they come in large numbers, no one country can take everybody. Britain has already made this extremely welcome offer to the 3 million potential British National Overseas passport holders in Hong Kong. Thats incredible and very welcome. But of course, many of the political activists, especially of a younger generation, are not BNO Passport Holders. So I think the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, some European countries and others should coordinate together to give people a place to flee to if they need to. Mr. Jekielek: Right. On June 30, I saw that there was legislation led by Senator Marco Rubio to offer some kind of lifeboat for Hong Kongers to the US. Ive seen some rumblings of this in other places. Before we talk further about this whole lifeboat initiative, I wanted to just ask you briefly about the UN. You appear to still have faith in that system. I saw that the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders had made a statement also very recently upon the passing of the law. These mechanisms still exist. Ive seen them be very useful in the past, but theres a lot of concern, especially considering the composition of the UN Human Rights Council, as to whether this body can actually be effective at all anymore. Mr. Rogers: Absolutely. I understand and share some of those concerns. Im deeply concerned about Chinas presence and the increase in its influence and its attempt to reshape the UN. Weve seen it with multilateral organizations, particularly the WHO over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. So I absolutely share those concerns. Ive worked in the field of human rights for more than 20 years. Ive been to the UN. I dont have unrealistic hopes or expectations. But I do think, first of all, these mechanisms are there, and its better to use them than not use them, particularly among the special rapporteurs. Many of the special rapporteurs serve a valuable role in highlighting human rights situations. At least there is a reporting mechanism that can be used to mobilize governments that is beyond simply NGOs reporting. I also think its actually really important to try not to surrender the UN to China and say, Well, we give up. Its not working. Well not use it, and well withdraw. Then China just takes over immediately. I think its really important for us to be there fighting our corner and trying to push Chinas influence back and reshape the UN into what it should be. Mr. Jekielek: So Ben, lets go back to this lifeboat idea here. I saw that in The Spectator UK, the editor Fraser Nelson has been calling for every Hong Konger to be given full citizenship. That would be sort of the biggest offer that could be out there. From the Hong Kong Watch perspective, what should the UK be doing? Mr. Rogers: Well, I really applaud Fraser Nelsons vision, and of course I sympathize with it enormously. I think the UKs offer already of taking the 3 million BNOs is a really excellent start. Im not sure. As much as I would support it, and as much as I believe actually that Hong Kongers, wherever they go if they do flee, would be the most enormous blessing and benefit to any society that accepts thembecause theyre remarkably entrepreneurial, creative, dynamic people who will benefit any economy in any society rather than being a burden to itbut realistically, I am not sure that even if I wanted to, Im not sure that British people and Britain as a whole would say, Yeah, we will take all 7 million or so, particularly in these difficult economic times. Britons have welcomed the policy of offering the 3 million BNOs, and I think Im really actually pleasantly surprised that the British population has responded with such generosity of spirit. Where I do agree totally, is that Britain should play a leading role in coordinating a lifeboat program, so that if the entire population of Hong Kong did need to fleethats probably not going to happen anyway; there will always be Hong Kongers who wont want to flee, but if a significant proportion of them dothen if theres a coordinated, agreed approach between like-minded countries as to how to share responsibility for helping them. That I think is the way forward. Mr. Jekielek: Do you expect a mass exodus in the near future, simply based on this law? Mr. Rogers: I think I do. I mean, I obviously cant predict numbers and there may be some people, and I think there already are people who will be getting out fast. Therell be other people who will be planning to leave but if they havent been prominently outspoken, they may not feel the need to drop everything at once. But there will be people who will be thinking of packing up and leaving their jobs and getting out, but equally there will be very brave people who decide to stay and fight. And of course, not absolutely the entire Hong Kong population is on the same side. The very fact that this law has come into being is in part because there are sadly, Hong Kongers who are complicit with the Chinese Communist Party and who presumably, therefore, would stay. Mr. Jekielek: Right.In terms of these lifeboat countries, we of course have Taiwan, which I understand has a pretty wide-open door to Hong Kongers at the moment. We have some discussion in the US, of course. We have a lot of Hong Kongers that also have Canadian passports, so thats a route. We have this UK [policy]: that would be a potential massive number. Are there any other places that jump to mind? Mr. Rogers: Well, I havent studied the details of this, but I understand that Japan has made an offer. The press reports that I saw were that they were offering to take specifically financial sector workers. Im not quite sure what the rationale for that was. But I welcome Japans engagement with this issue and indeed Japans leadership at the G7 [Group of Seven] in leading the statement the other week. I think Australia is also a possibility. Some people have talked about the Commonwealth, because although Hong Kong is not part of the Commonwealth of course, the Commonwealth is made up of former British colonies with that shared history, and so theres a spirit of the Commonwealth thats relevant here. But I guess the Commonwealth countries most likely to be involved in this are the ones already mentioned: Canada, Australia, perhaps New Zealand. Maybe some European countries as well. Mr. Jekielek: Ben, you also serve in another capacity with Christian Solidarity Worldwide. What are your thoughts on the implications for religious freedom in Hong Kong from this law? Mr. Rogers: Absolutely. I actually work for CSW full time. Even though Hong Kong is taking up a huge amount of my energy and attention for very understandable reasons, my full-time work is with CSW, and Im deeply concerned about the implications for religious freedom in Hong Kong from this law. First of all, weve seen over the last few years the most severe crackdown on religious freedom in mainland China, arguably since the Cultural Revolution, when you look at whats happened to the Uyghurs, when you look at the continued persecution of Falun Gong, the continued situation in Tibet, but also a massively escalated campaign against Christians, involving the destruction of thousands of churches and crosses, severe restrictions even in the state-controlled churches that are supposed to be state-approved, and the imprisonment of pastors. Just as one example, the case of pastor Wang Yi, who was jailed just after Christmas on a nine-year prison sentence. He was charged with subversion, which of course is one of the elements of the security law in Hong Kong now. The reason he was accused of subversion was that he had in a sermon simply stated that Xi Jinping is not God. That was a subversive remark in the eyes of the Communist Party. I am very concerned for the situation in Hong Kong. It might not necessarily be the case that churches and other places of worship are immediately shut down or restricted or any of the dramatic things weve seen in mainland China. But what I do think is very likely is that pastors and priests sermons will be more closely monitored. Those who preach in their sermons on questions of human dignity, human rights, justice may find themselves in trouble with the law. Those churches and individual Christians whove taken part, for example, in the last year, in candlelit prayer vigils in support of the demonstrators, or handed out water to the demonstrators, or given shelter to the demonstrators in their churches could be at risk. Of course, Hong Kong has been the only place in China until now where Falun Gong practitioners have been able, relatively freelyI know thereve been some small-scale problems but nothing like whats happened in the mainlandrelatively freely to practice and to protest and to gather. I would imagine Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong must be feeling very worried tonight. I know from Christian leaders in Hong Kong that theyve been expressing concerns. And I raise the question: how long will it be before somebody like the courageous Cardinal [Joseph] Zen, whos been an outspoken critic of Beijing for a long time, or indeed the auxiliary bishop Bishop Joseph Hart, who in maybe a slightly more understated but nevertheless courageous way has been a strong voice in recent years. How long will it be before they end up in the same way that so many Catholic bishops and cardinals and clergy in mainland China have ended upin prison, in house arrest, or even in danger of their lives? Mr. Jekielek: Cardinal Zen has been on the show. I imagine hell be one of the people in his very calm and collected way who will be staying to fight, although I dont know if he would necessarily say it that way. Before we finish up, I wanted to ask you about the impact on independent journalism. There is the Apple Daily, and there is, of course, the Epoch Times in Hong Kong. What do you expect the impact of this law on independent journalism? Mr. Rogers: Well, again, that remains to be seen. I know that the media is intending to try to carry on. The Hong Kong Free Press is another excellent independent media source, and I know theyre intending to continue their work. Ive actually just been asked a few days ago before the law was introduced to write a weekly column in the Apple Daily, which Ive agreed to do. Ive just written my first column for them last night, which will come out, all being well, on Friday. But I do question how long that will last because if this law is really implemented with the full force that the Chinese Communist Party has a track record of doing, then independent journalism is in grave risk. Even if those publications are able to survive, life for journalists on the streets is going to get even more dangerous. Weve already seen over the last year police violence towards journalists, threatening them verbally, spraying tear gas and pepper spray directly in their faces, all sorts of other physical abuse of them. I think we will see the police becoming even more heavy-handed with journalists at a minimum, but we may see publications threatened as well. Mr. Jekielek: To finish up, I wanted to ask you about something you posted, which I frankly found touching. I just wanted you to expand on it for me a little bit. You said Dont listen to the Grand Master in Beijing. Listen to the Grand Master within your heart. Tell me what you mean here. Mr. Rogers: Every day over the last few months, well really since lockdown, I have been practicing my Chinese characters. I studied Chinese many years ago, but pretty much forgot all of it and hadnt used it for many, many years. With the help of Hong Kong friends, I started writing traditional Chinese characters and just a little slogan or phrase each day. Another Hong Kong friend of mine suggested some characters from the movie The Grandmaster, which is a kind of kung fu movie. I wrote these characters, but I thought I put my own kind of interpretation, so the words in English that I wrote were not a translation of the characters. What I meant by that really was, and I would caveat this by saying, of course, people need to be wise and careful, peoples security is of paramount importance, and Im not telling Hong Kongers what they should or shouldnt do. Far be it for me to sit in the safety of London and tell people what they should do. My role always is only to support Hong Kongers, but I suppose I was trying to encourage people not to lose all hope, not to think that this is absolutely the end. Its going to be a very dark time for Hong Kong for a period of time. But if they hold on to their conscience and the values that are in their heart, whatever their own spiritual beliefs, thats what they should listen to. Not necessarily to act on in public. Thats for each individual according to their own conscience and circumstances, but just internally within their hearts not to allow the grandmaster in Beijing, Xi Jinping, to overtake their view of life, their whole way of life, but to hold on to what they really believe in. I know they will. Hong Kongers dont need me to say this to them, but it was just a way of encouraging them. Mr. Jekielek: Ben Rogers, such a pleasure to have you on. Mr. Rogers: Thank you so much. Pleasure to be with you. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. American Thought Leaders is an Epoch Times show available on Facebook and YouTube and The Epoch Times website. The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington on July 21, 2007. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) UNC-Chapel Hill to Pay $1.5 Million for Misreporting Campus Crime Statistics The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will pay $1.5 million in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Education, after a six-year review found severe deficiencies in the universitys crime and safety reporting. In a campus-wide message announcing the settlement, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz said the Education Department had been investigating the university from 2013 to 2019, and the weaknesses exposed by the investigation are disappointing. The department looked at the UNC-Chapel Hills crime and safety reporting between 2009 and 2017 and found persistent failure to compile and disclose accurate and complete campus crime statistics in annual reports and federal surveys. The university acknowledged that some 16 crimes throughout that period, including sexual offenses, aggravated assaults, and robbery, were unintentionally omitted from those federal-mandated reports. In addition, the university was found to have repeatedly failed to issue a timely warning when those crimes occurred within the campus perimeter, as required by the federal law. The report (pdf) also determined the UNC-Chapel Hill failed to properly identify the campus geography. For example, the universitys own police department couldnt tell whether a certain building complex was indeed owned and operated by the university as a residence facility, even though it was being advertised as the best off-campus housing possible in promotional material. Under the settlement agreement announced on Tuesday, the UNC-Chapel Hill will pay a $1.5 million fine to the Education Department to resolve the dispute, without admitting any wrong doing. The university also agreed to implement organizational changes and will continue to be monitored by the department for three years, among other things. The settlement over misreporting campus crime comes as UNC-Chapel Hill continues to delay releasing sexual assault records as ordered two months ago in a North Carolina Supreme Court ruling. In a 4-3 decision, the state supreme court ruled in May that the university should disclose the records detailing how individuals found responsible of committing sexual crimes on campus were disciplined. The university previously said that it would be releasing the requested records by June 30. UNC-Chapel Hill has come under a lot of fire for denying the public access to what ought to be public records, especially in the realm of serious Title IX issues, Brooks Fuller, director of the North Carolina Open Government Coalition said, reported The Associated Press. Public records are the property of the public and universities do their best work when they do it in the light of the day. US Pursuing Tankers With Iranian Gas Heading Toward Venezuela MIAMIU.S. federal prosecutors are seeking to seize four tankers sailing toward Venezuela with gasoline supplied by Iran. The civil-forfeiture complaint (pdf) filed late Wednesday in the District of Columbia federal court alleges that the sale was arranged by a businessman, Mahmoud Madanipour, with ties to Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. The profits from these activities support the IRGCs full range of nefarious activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism, and a variety of human rights abuses, at home and abroad, prosecutor Zia Faruqui alleges in the complaint. The four tankers named in the complaint filed Wednesdaythe Bella, Bering, Pandi and Lunaare currently transporting to Venezuela 1.1 million barrels of gasoline obtained via risky ship-to-ship transfers, prosecutors allege. Of the four, the Bella is currently sailing near the Philippines, ship tracking data shows, while the Pandi appears to have turned off its satellite tracking system on June 29 after having spent two weeks between Iran and the UAE. The other two were last spotted in Maythe Bering near Greece and the Luna sailing between Oman and Iran. President Donald Trump walks to the White House residence after exiting Marine One on the South Lawn in Washington on June 25, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) The documents allege that profits from petroleum sales support the IRGCs full range of nefarious activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism, and a variety of human rights abuses, at home and abroad, read an announcement from the Department of Justice. A warrant for arrest and civil forfeiture complaint are merely allegations, the announcement noted. The Trump administration has been stepping up pressure on ship owners to abide by sanctions against U.S. adversaries like Iran, Venezuela and North Korea. In May, it issued an advisory urging the global maritime industry to be on the lookout for tactics to evade sanctions like dangerous ship-to-ship transfers and the turning off of mandatory tracking devicesboth techniques used in recent oil deliveries to and from both Iran and Venezuela. On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department lifted sanctions on eight vessels that were recently found to have transported Venezuelan crude. The move followed an attempted auction Wednesday by federal marshals in Houston of 100,000 barrels of gasoline seized from a Greek-managed ship whose owner suspected the cargo was heading toward Venezuela. None of the five parties at the auction agreed to the minimum $2.5 million bid. As commercial traders increasingly shun Venezuela, Nicolas Maduros socialist government has been increasingly turning to Iran. In May, Maduro celebrated the arrival of five Iranian tankers delivering badly needed fuel supplies to alleviate shortages that have led to days-long gas lines even in the capital, Caracas, which is normally spared such hardships. Despite sitting atop the worlds largest crude reserves, Venezuela doesnt produce enough domestically-refined gasoline and has seen its overall crude production plunge to the lowest in over seven decades amid the ongoing crisis and fallout from U.S. sanctions. The flotillas arrival angered the Trump administration, which struck back by sanctioning the five Iranian captains of the vessels. One of the companies involved in the latest four-tanker shipment to Venezuela, the Avantgarde Group, was previously linked to the Revolutionary Guard and attempts to evade U.S. sanctions, according to prosecutors. An affiliate of Avantgarde facilitated the purchase for the Revolutionary Guard of the Grace 1, a ship seized last year by Britain on U.S. accusations that it was transporting oil to Syria. Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 sits anchored awaiting a court ruling on whether it can be freed after it was seized in July by British Royal Marines off the coast of the British Mediterranean territory, in the Strait of Gibraltar, southern Spain, on Aug. 15, 2019. (Reuters/Jon Nazca) Iran denied the charges and the Grace 1 was eventually released. But the seizure nonetheless triggered an international standoff in which Iran retaliated by seizing a British-flagged vessel. According to the asset forfeiture complaint, an unnamed company in February invoiced Avantgarde for a $14.9 million cash payment for the sale of the gasoline aboard the Pandi. Nonetheless, a text message between Mandanipour and an unnamed co-conspirator suggest the voyage had encountered difficulties. The ship owner doesnt want to go because of the American threat, but we want him to go, and we even agreed We will also buy the ship, according to the message, an excerpt of which was included in the complaint. By Joshua Goodman Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. Currently three big issues are Covid-19 and reopening of schools and building trust with the community. We are living in unprecedented times. Covid is an ever-changing issue and evolves weekly. The district is keeping a close eye on the covid numbers daily. This will determine how the schools will reopen in the fall. The district is currently hard at work trying to figure out how to work with the guidelines provided by the CDC to find the best and safe possible opportunities to have children in school. The district I believe needs to make sure they have buy-in from all stakeholders and approach each school on a case by case basis. I feel the district is approaching this difficult task with cautioned swiftness. I am confident they will be able to come up with a good plan to accommodate all our 272,000 students. After the shootings in 2018 a lot of information was revealed about the district that foster great distrust. This distrust causes the district efforts to be met with skepticisms. I want to bring back trust by working on more programs to engage students, parents and teachers that will foster collaboration in settings that are conducive for constructive dialoged. That could be in the form of creating workshops in neighborhoods with low parent involvement, carnivals and fairs, or weekend activities. Watchdog Clears Jackie Trad of Corruption, but Warns of Worrying and Disappointing Practices Queenslands Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) has found the states deputy premier did not interfere in the recruitment process of a new college in Brisbane, an allegation that forced the leader to step down from her role in early May. The CCC did however find the actions of department officials created a corruption risk. The CCC began its investigation into former Deputy Premier Jackie Trad on Dec. 19, 2019, over allegations she interfered in the Department of Educations recruitment of a principal for the newly built Inner City South State Secondary College in Brisbane. Trad stepped down from her role as deputy premier on May 8 as the investigation was ongoing. The controversy centred around the selection of a new principal for the college. A candidate was chosen by a selection panel. Afterward a meeting was arranged with Trad. Later the position was opened again and the selection process for a new principal began. Rafael Nadal of Spain and Deputy Premier of Queensland Jackie Trad at Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, Australia on Jan. 2, 2017. (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images) The CCC submitted its report to Queenslands Parliament on July 2, finding the deputy premier committed no criminal office and that she was not motivated by any dishonest or corrupt intent. The CCC found the Department of Education and deputy director-general had organised the meeting between Trad and the candidate. This approach was deemed to create a corruption risk. According to the commissions Chairperson Alan MacSporran Q.C.: Department officers thought it was a good idea or were aware of the idea to test a candidate during a meeting with the former deputy premier, even though the selection panel had made a decision. The former deputy premier did not instigate that meeting and was not a member of the selection panel, nor was a meeting part of the original recruitment process, so in the CCCs view the meeting to test the candidate was entirely inappropriate, he added. The CCC found after the meeting, that a series of text messages were exchanged between a panel member and the deputy director-general which agreed the meeting did not go well. After the meeting, the estimated number of students to be enrolled in the school was revised to a higher number, which would allow the college to select a new principal. The job was subsequently re-advertised. The CCC found the manufacturing of new enrolment figures was arguably dishonest. The report also found the department published false information in a media statement, and provided false or misleading information to the state premier. There was also a failure to keep records which were found to fall well below the standards expected of senior public servants. MacSporran Q.C. said the investigation found worrying and disappointing practices which should be of concern to all Queenslanders. All Queensland public servants and elected officials should read this report to see how a straightforward recruitment process went off the rails. This type of conduct should never occur again, MacSporran Q.C. said. There are vital lessons from this investigation that must be learned, he added. The CCC has provided a report to the Public Service Commission to consider possible disciplinary action. Smith credited Linda Stanley, director of the Franklin County Historical Society, for obtaining the caboose for the town. He explained that the caboose was at Sontag Elementary School. Stanley knew it was there, no longer in use and mentioned it to Smith, who said the town would like to have it to display by the depot. He said the next thing he knew was someone was pulling into the town with the caboosethat was in 2016. Smith said the caboose is a coup for the town to have not just because it is unique, but also because the committee plans to restore it to its former glory. A lot of people own cabooses, but many people turn it into something else, Smith said. We want to keep it as it originally was. Town council member Dale Fisher pointed to a rusted out spot on the bottom of the caboose and explained how he plans to sandblast it and rebuild that section. Greene said sandblasting, scraping and painting are planned for the outside of the railcar. Though the caboose was originally blue a fact lost in all the rust that covers it the committee plans to paint it red and have someone who can recreate the original writing on the side. Fisher said he also has steps that will be welded to the end of the caboose as part of the restoration. In this race, Manley received 10 notices from the state for skipping campaign reporting deadlines, and he faces thousands of dollars in fines. He blames the state for failing to upload his reports and said he was battling pneumonia at the time. The young challenger said hes getting his campaign finances in order. If he does, he should run for this seat again in two years when it will be open. Burrows agreed that tree species diversification is a key component to a healthy urban forest. It just not about diversifying a species, but also diversifying the ages of our trees, Burrows said. For instance, we have a lot of old hackberry trees, but we have very few younger ones. Once those older ones start dying, we arent going to have as many numbers of the younger ones to take their place. According to the U.S. Forest Service, a health and diverse urban forest provides many benefits for a community as they help to filter air and water, control storm water, conserve energy, and provide animal habitat and shade. They add beauty, form and structure to urban design. Along with disease and insects, urban forest take a pounding from the weather, such heavy winter snows, heavy rains, strong wind storms and drought. For example, Burrows said June was hot and dry. In yards that have shade trees, the turf is a lot healthier than those yards without shade. Trees also suffer from the mismanagement of chemicals people apply on their lawns when they dont follow application instructions. If you are going to be a tree in Nebraska, you have to be tough, Burrows said. In providing the crucial fifth vote to strike down a Louisiana law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at hospitals, Chief Justice John Roberts has re-enforced a longstanding theme: there is no guarantee a judge nominated by a Republican president will decide cases based on the text of the Constitution. From the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower, who called his selections of Earl Warren and William Brennan his biggest mistakes, through George W. Bush, who gave us Roberts, inconsistency has been all too consistent a pattern when it comes to judges nominated by Republicans. Not since Justice Byron White, appointed by John F. Kennedy in 1962, has a nominee selected by a Democratic president gone against the constitutional philosophy of the left. White was one of the two dissenters in the Roe vs. Wade case in 1973. William Rehnquist, who would later become chief justice, was the other. The Louisiana law was not about the right of a woman to abort her child, it was argued instead as a way to protect a womans health in the face of botched procedures that have sometimes led to severe medical complications and even their deaths. The U.S. Travel Association is confident that the industry can launch a safe and successful recovery this summer so long as travelers continue to wear masks and adhere to common-sense safety measures such as physical distancing and frequent hand washing. Citing the latest information uncovered by medical experts, U.S. Travel came out in strong support of mask usage and other safety protocols ... WOOD RIVER With people celebrating both Independence Day and the easing of restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, it would be a terrible irony to have escaped COVID-19 just to fall to food-born illness. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in a typical year one out of six Americans will experience some form of food-born illness and approximately 126,000 will go to the hospital. While most cases are mild, severe consequences and death can result. Two of the biggest issues, especially in the summer with grilling and picnics, are food temperature and cross-contamination, according to Amy Yeager, health promotion manager for the Madison County Health Department. The bottom line with safe food handling is to keep hot food hot and cold food cold, she said. In general, cold food should be kept below 41 degrees and hot foods above 140, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Bacteria grow most rapidly between those temperatures, sometimes referred to as the Danger Zone, and can double in as few as 20 minutes. Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill is the mantra used by both state and federal agencies when it comes to food safety. Clean More Information Food safety rules Clean Separate Cook Chill See More Collapse The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends washing hands for 20 seconds with soap and water before, during and after preparing food, and before eating. Singing Happy Birthday twice is recommended for those unsure about time. Utensils, cutting boards and counter tops should be washed with hot, soapy water; and fresh fruits and vegetables should be rinsed under running water. Separate It is especially important to separate raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs from other foods, especially ready-to-eat items. Recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include: using separate cutting boards and plates for raw meat, poultry, and seafood; when grocery shopping, keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from other foods; keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate from all other foods in the refrigerator or cooler. Keep the raw meat in a completely different cooler than any other foods, Yeager said. If that raw meat leaks, it could leak into one of the other containers. She also said when marinating food, dont reuse marinade for basting. Instead, reserve some of the marinade before applying it to the meat. Cook Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature gets high enough to kill germs that can make you sick, according to the CDCs website. The only way to tell if food is safely cooked is to use a food thermometer. You cant tell if food is safely cooked by checking its color and texture. According to the CDC and FDA, minimum cooking temperatures are 145 degrees for whole cuts of beef, pork, veal, and lamb (then allow the meat to rest for 3 minutes before carving or eating); 160 degrees for ground meats, such as beef and pork; 165 degrees for all poultry, including ground chicken and turkey; 165 degrees for leftovers and casseroles; 145 degrees for fresh (raw) ham; and 145 degrees for fish. Chill Food should never be left out for more than two hours, one hour if outside in 90-degree heat or above, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Frozen food should always be thawed in a refrigerator or cooler. When serving, one option is to place food containers on ice. Symptoms of food poisoning include vomiting and diarrhea, but in some cases, life-threatening complications such as organ failure occur, according to the IDPH. The IDPH recommends contacting a doctor or health care provider if you have: A fever over 101.5 degrees; frequent vomiting that prevents you from keeping liquids down; signs of dehydration, including a decrease in urination, a dry mouth and throat, and feeling dizzy when standing up; and diarrheal illness that lasts more than three days. Something people need to remember is that even though the guidelines have loosened up, COVID-19 is still out there. We want people to follow food safety guidelines, but we also want them to follow COVID guidelines, said Yeager, health promotion manager for the Madison County Health Department. That includes washing hands, wearing masks, sanitizing high-use areas and items, and proper social distancing and keeping to groups of 50 or less. For more information about food safety, go to www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/groups/consumers.html. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Antonio Guterres (The Jakarta Post) New York Fri, July 3, 2020 13:27 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406639141f 3 Opinion United-Nations,Antonio-Guterres,COVID-19,black-lives-matter,racial-discrimination Free From COVID-19 to climate disruption, from racial injustice to rising inequalities, we are a world in turmoil. At the same time, we are an international community with an enduring vision embodied in the United Nations Charter, which marks its 75th anniversary this year. That vision of a better future based on the values of equality, mutual respect and international cooperation has helped us to avoid World War III that would have had catastrophic consequences for life on our planet. Our shared challenge is to channel that collective spirit and rise to this moment of trial and test. The pandemic has laid bare severe and systemic inequalities both within and between countries and communities. More broadly, it has underscored the worlds fragilities not just in the face of another health emergency, but in our faltering response to the climate crisis, lawlessness in cyberspace, and the risks of nuclear proliferation. People everywhere are losing trust in political establishments and institutions. The emergency is compounded by many other profound humanitarian crises: conflicts that are continuing or even intensifying; record numbers of people forced to flee their homes; swarms of locusts in Africa and South Asia; looming droughts in southern Africa and Central America; all amid a context of rising geopolitical tensions. In the face of these fragilities, world leaders need to be humble and recognize the vital importance of unity and solidarity. No one can predict what comes next, but I see two possible scenarios. First, the optimistic possibility. In this case, the world would muddle through. Countries in the global North would engineer a successful exit strategy. Developing countries would receive enough support and their demographic characteristics namely, the youth of their people would help contain the impact. And then perhaps a vaccine would appear in the next nine months or so, and would be distributed as a global public good, a peoples vaccine available and accessible to all. If this happens, and if the economy starts up progressively, we might move towards some kind of normality in two or three years. But there is also a second, bleaker scenario in which countries fail to coordinate their actions. New waves of the virus keep occurring. The situation in the developing world explodes. Work on the vaccine lags or even if there is a vaccine relatively soon it becomes the subject of fierce competition and countries with greater economic power gain access to it first, leaving others behind. In this scenario, we could also see greater movement toward fragmentation, populism and xenophobia. Each country could go it alone or in so-called coalitions of the willing to address some specific challenges. In the end, the world would fail to mobilize the kind of governance needed to address our shared challenges. The result may well be a global depression that could last at least five or seven years before a new normal emerges, the nature of which is impossible to predict. It is very difficult to know if we are moving in one direction or the other. We must work for the best and prepare for the worst. The pandemic, as horrible as it is, must be a wake-up call that prompts all political leaders to understand that our assumptions and approaches have to change, and that division is a danger to everyone. This understanding could lead people to recognize that the only way to address global fragilities is through much more robust mechanisms of global governance with international cooperation. After all, we cannot simply return to the systems that gave rise to the current crisis. We need to build back better with more sustainable, inclusive, gender-equal societies and economies. In doing so, we must reimagine the way nations cooperate. Todays multilateralism lacks scale, ambition and teeth and some of the instruments that do have teeth show little or no appetite to bite, as we have seen in the difficulties faced by the Security Council. We need a networked multilateralism, in which the United Nations and its agencies, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, regional organizations such as the African Union and European Union, trade organizations and others work together more closely and effectively. We also need a more inclusive multilateralism. Governments today are far from the only players in terms of politics and power. Civil society, the business community, local authorities, cities and regional governments are assuming more and more leadership roles in todays world. This, in turn, will help lead to an effective multilateralism with the mechanisms it needs to make global governance work where it is needed. A new, networked, inclusive, effective multilateralism, based on the enduring values of the United Nations Charter, could snap us out of our sleepwalking state and stop the slide towards ever greater danger. Political leaders around the world need to heed this wake-up call and come together to address the worlds fragilities, strengthen our capacity for global governance, give teeth to multilateral institutions, and draw from the power of unity and solidarity to overcome the biggest test of our times. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Warren Entsch and Putih Sari (The Jakarta Post) Canberra/Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 08:28 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406637662b 3 Opinion Tuberculosis,tuberculosis-in-Indonesia,infectious-diseases,COVID-19,pandemic,drugs-distribution Free The news about Indonesian hospitals being able to admit more non-COVID-19 patients was a welcome update. The pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the world as we know it and many of us are still uncovering so many of its unforeseen consequences. As members of the Global TB Caucus, an international network of elected representatives who work on issues of tuberculosis (TB), our focus over these past months has been on our management of TB, the world's deadliest infectious disease. Let us consider for a moment, the havoc COVID has done to TB health services. Drug resistant TB wards converted to COVID wards, health workers diverted to COVID response, rapidly falling identified TB case numbers; the list goes on. According to a modelling analysis undertaken by the STOP TB partnership in association with Imperial College, Avenir Health, Johns Hopkins University and USAID, the impact of reduced availability and use of TB services is that 6.3 million more people will fall ill due to TB by 2025 and 1.4 million more will die if immediate action is not taken. This puts the world at infection levels last seen five to eight years ago - a setback we cannot afford. What worries us parliamentarians is that these deaths will add to the 4,200 deaths already happening every day due to TB in the world and that lockdown is not yet over in many countries and that recovery may take several months. If you put this into context for Indonesia, every year more than 98,000 Indonesians die due to TB, more people than HIV/AIDS, malaria and COVID-19. Indonesia is one of the highest TB burden countries in the world with an estimated 845,000 TB cases every year. Only 68 percent of cases are reported every year, which means 32 percent of cases are still not detected. The case notification is reduced even more significantly during this time of pandemic, which means that more people with TB are not detected, still infecting the community and potentially not accessing treatment. With all eyes on COVID-19, we need to focus on TB too. In just the past months, the global community has mobilized more than US$15 trillion through over 1,000 initiatives addressing the health, social and economic impacts of COVID-19. TB funding, on the other hand, has been struggling to bridge the annual funding gap of $1.6 billion, which is less than 0.01 percent of the funding for COVID-19 to date. This is historic, and should pave the way forward for countries to invest more in health and health research and development. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that there can be no real growth or development without investment in health first. This is important because for the first time, the world has taken coordinated action in a crisis based on science and health. For example, the national development agenda in Indonesia also shifted to focus on health security since the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the first few cases were reported, President Joko Jokowi Widodo declared his full support to end TB by 2030. He granted the process of drafting a presidential decree on TB expected to be finalized within this year. He also reiterated his concern about the nations high TB burden when opening the National Development Agenda Meeting 2021 to high-level stakeholders in May. Advancements in the countrys political agenda are hoped to enable national authorities to narrow the TB funding gap. In 2019, 57 percent of the US$ 366 million needed to finance the national TB effort was unfunded, while 30 percent was funded domestically. According to the National TB Strategic Plan 2020-2024, the national and subnational government budget for TB program funding in Indonesia is anticipated to increase substantially each year during the 2021-2023 period. Domestic funds supporting the TB program in 2021-2023 are expected to include payments from the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) and finance needs in procurement, program management, human resources development, surveillance and community-based activities. Indonesia and Australias strategic partnership has grown even stronger with the recently concluded trade agreement, known as the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. This agreement provides an opportunity for the two nations to create a deeper and stronger business and trade relationship, including in regard to infrastructure and health. This is also echoed in the recent Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trades Partnerships for Recovery plan prioritizing Indonesia among the tier one countries in the region. Now is the opportunity to strengthen the Australia-Indonesia health security partnership and discuss opportunities for deeper engagement and investment in health security and infectious diseases, including TB. Indonesia and Australia can therefore emerge as leaders in the region in prioritizing health priorities in respective regional forums. Together, the region needs to leverage TB program infrastructure in response to COVID-19, while maintaining core TB services, including the scale- up of molecular testing and appropriate triage of people affected by COVID-19 and TB, and involving communities and civil society as key partners in TB and COVID-19 response. It is also important to increase efforts and investment in TB, with supplementary measures and resources to reduce the accumulated pool of undetected people with TB, such as ramped-up active case finding, intensive community engagement and contact tracing, using digital technology and other tools. *** Warren Entsch is a member of the Australian Federal Parliament and cochair of the Australian TB Caucus and the Asia Pacific TB Caucus. Putih Sari is an Indonesian legislator and former deputy chair of House of Representatives Commission IX overseeing health, employment and population. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Rogers-Shaw, 30, of Lauderhill, has a degree in family and child sciences from Florida State and worked for five years as a child abuse investigator for the state Department of Children and Families. According to her resume, she has also been a member of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a worker for Elizabeth Warrens presidential campaign, advocate for living wages and member of a reproductive freedom group. Her mission is doing the most good for the most people. All the world's a stage as far as AR gaming company Niantic is concerned. Niantic is partnering with board game company CATAN and theater visionaries Punchdrunk over a globe-sized tabletop game and augmented reality adventure. Having launched its own Ingress, the Pokemon Company collaboration Pokemon Go and Warner Bros team-up Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, Niantic is now looking to new ventures involving board game Settlers of Catan and the theater company behind immersive experience Sleep No More. Outlining the two new projects in a corporate blog post, it described Catan World Explorers as something that "transforms neighborhoods, towns and cities across the globe into a giant game of 'CATAN'." Using the Niantic Real World Platform, Catan World Explorers presents itself as immediately recognizable to anyone with exposure to Pokemon Go or Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. As with the modern classic board game, however, there'll be dice rolls, card dealing, resource gathering, Victory Points and settlement and road building to take care of. After being initially announced in October 2019 -- though not officially as a Niantic game -- it's to enter a beta testing phase "very soon" with signups for the mobile game accepted via catanworldexplorers.com. Read also: Pokemon Go maker Niantic making a game of the world Especially well known for its unique, walkabout adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth called Sleep No More, Punchdrunk has helped popularize a form of interactive stage play called promenade theater. It's a theatrical genre in which audience members can fully explore the set over the course of the performance and, as such, it's not hard to see Punchdrunk's vision transposed onto the perambulatory nature of Niantic's catalog. Both Punchdrunk and Niantic are for now staying relatively tightlipped about the scope of their crossover, though they are developing "multiple projects" together. "Those that have seen Sleep No More often liken the experience to how it might feel to walk into a video game," teased the theater company's artistic director, Felix Barrett. "What happens if you take that sense of adventure into the real world? Tear down the walls and the world becomes your stage." "I think we will blow people's minds; bend the rules of genre and redefine the norms of mobile gaming," he said. Niantic's previous games have all been free-to-play, though Pokemon Go microtransactions generated US$894 million in 2019 according to data firm Sensor Tower. A start-up that helps rural Bangladeshi owners of home solar power systems trade their surplus electricity with their neighbors won an international award for climate change innovation Thursday. SOLshare, set up in 2014, aims to stem the waste of more than a billion dollars in energy each year when home battery storage systems connected to solar panels reach capacity and excess solar power generated goes unused, its officials said. Bangladesh is one of the world's leaders in solar home systems for off-grid communities, with more than 5 million of the systems now in place. "We have created a device that can share the surplus energy and help people earn money for it," said Salma Islam, a project manager at SOLshare, based in Dhaka. Using an electronic unit installed alongside their solar system, owners can transfer excess energy into a local power "microgrid" created with other SOLshare users, allowing those who need more power to buy it and cutting waste. "If someone puts the device on automode it will automatically start selling energy once its (battery is) full," Islam said. Homes that can't afford to buy solar panels also can buy electric power through the system, which Thursday won an award for innovation in energy access from Ashden, a British charity that works to scale up climate-smart energy solutions. Bangladesh's government, which aims to boost its use of renewable energy to 10% of electrical power demand by next year, said it saw SOLshare's device as a useful part of the push. "We welcome this," said Mohammad Alauddin, chairman of Bangladesh's Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority, lauding the company's grassroots focus. He said the country is exploring a range of ways to improve access to solar energy, from adding more rooftop panels to installing some solar panels on floats on water bodies. Bangladesh, however, also plans to build new coal-based power plants over the next two decades, which are likely to dramatically boost its dependence on highly polluting coal, according to environment groups. The country's main source of energy is natural gas but reserves are dwindling, according to its government. Cheap solar SOLshare officials said they have set up 27 "microgrids" in communities that have installed their devices across Bangladesh. A majority of their roughly 3,000 customers - most of them farmers - earn less than $5 a day, they said. Previously, many users who couldn't afford a basic solar home system relied on polluting and expensive fuels like kerosene or on diesel generators, the company said. SOLshare has helped cut use of such fuels, while expanding access to electricity for those who lack it, according to Ashden. "SOLshare is a true pioneer, creating neighborhood networks of energy. Their peer-to-peer solar grid system means that no solar energy is wasted. It's putting electricity into ... hard-to-reach rural communities, said Harriet Lamb, the CEO of Ashden. The coronavirus pandemic has forced thousands of Bangladeshis to return to their villages from cities, causing a spike in electricity use in some of SOLshare's microgrids, company representatives said. To help ease the burden on hard-hit families, the company decided to temporarily remove the small surcharge normally levied on sellers of power, Islam said. With some charitable funding the company also has supplied medical packages to rural communities and plans to deliver sewing machines to garment workers who lost their city jobs, she said. The company is also in talks with the United Nation's refugee agency to create similar microgrids in the world's largest refugee settlement in Cox's Bazar, home to more than 800,000 ethnic Rohingya refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar. SOLshare officials said they hope to scale up their business to allow at least 100,000 Bangladeshis to share solar power over the next five years. The aim is to help people "live by using what is already there" and to harness "existing and underutilised resources", said Sebastian Groh, the CEO of SOLshare. One of those who has benefitted from the technology is Bimal Krishna Das, 40, whose said his pharmacy business in Barisal, about 250 kms from Dhaka, had taken a hit from the coronavirus pandemic. By selling electricity, he said, he was able to raise extra funds he desperately needed. "Its such a relief to have some extra money in your pocket during this crisis," he said. Bumbu (Seasoning), the first digital magazine about Indonesian cuisine in the French language, is now available for download. The magazine is the result of a collaboration between Bumbus Indonesian team and the French branch of the Visit Indonesia Tourism Office (VITO), aiming to serve French people who wish to delve into Indonesias culinary scene. In Bumbus first edition, readers can expect to learn about food establishment Und Corner in Malang, East Java, which preserves the flavors of the past; warung burjo (mung bean porridge stand); characteristics of Indonesian dishes; and teh talua (egg-yolk tea), among other things. Authors Rizkie Nurindiani and Nurlina Maharani, as well as VITO representative Eka Moncarre, contributed to this edition. Stories featured in Bumbu can be a quick review of people and foods in Indonesia, said Moncarre, who is in charge of the magazine in France, in a statement. Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry marketing deputy Nia Niscaya said that Bumbu could become a promotional tool for Indonesian tourism. We have numerous kinds of food with flavorful tastes, Nia said. This magazine can be one of the ways to boost Indonesian tourism and, hopefully, can attract French travelers to visit our country." The Indonesian version of Bumbu has been published monthly since April. According to the magazines Facebook page, it aims to provide information about the culinary arts from personal perspectives. Its July edition highlights various foods and traditions in Indonesian families. (wir/wng) To eliminate the risk of contagious human beings, a Mexican company has launched a drone delivery service to get clean medical supplies to hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic. Mexico-City based firm Sincronia Logistica has begun deploying unmanned drones to deliver personal protective gear and other essential equipment to public hospitals in the central state of Queretaro, north of the capital. Mexican healthcare workers have staged protests nationwide over the lack of personal protective equipment. The drones help stem the spread of the novel coronavirus by allowing for quick, contact-free drop-offs. "In addition to reducing time, we've also reduced human contact," said Diego Garcia, director of business excellence at Sincronia Logistica. The innovation comes as the pandemic has surged in Mexico to give the country the sixth-highest death toll worldwide, with some 28,510 confirmed COVID-19 fatalities. Sincronia Logistica says it has used drones to deliver donations of antibacterial gel, facemasks, gloves, 3D-printed face shields and other basic supplies for healthcare workers. Doctors value the service, said Juana Angelica Garcia, director of the El Marques public hospital in the city of Queretaro, the state capital. "In a situation where you need medical materials supplied fast without risking the health of the people involved, drone delivery has become a comprehensive and sure-fire option," she said in a statement. Millions of Indians have joined homegrown social media platforms since New Delhi banned a slew of Chinese apps, including TikTok, amid growing tensions between the giant neighbors, industry officials said Thursday. The ban comes as India steps up economic pressure on China following a border battle last month in which 20 Indian soldiers died. The 59 banned apps include video-sharing giant TikTok, Helo and Likee, with authorities accusing them of activities "prejudicial" to the "sovereignty and integrity of India". Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has a huge social media profile, threw his weight behind the campaign by closing his account on China's Weibo platform on Wednesday. His photograph and 115 posts made over the past five years were deleted at the request of Indian authorities, the Chinese company said. India's 1.3 billion population is a key market for global internet players and homegrown app platforms Sharechat and Roposo said they had seen a huge surge in new users since Monday's ban on their Chinese rivals. Sharechat said in a statement that its video platform had clocked 15 million new downloads -- sometimes at a rate of half-a-million every 30 minutes -- in the 48 hours following the ban. It now has at least 150 million registered users, it said. "We welcome the move from the government against platforms that have had serious privacy, cyber-security and national security risks," Berges Malu, public policy director for ShareChat, told AFP. Read also: India's TikTok stars feel pained by government app ban Ban brings tech boost "We believe this move will help create a level playing field (for Indian platforms)," Malu added. Some 10 million new subscribers have joined the Roposo video app, Naveen Tewari, chief executive of owners InMobi, told AFP, bringing its user base to 75 million. An estimated 120 million Indians were TikTok users before the ban. Tewari said the app ban would give local platforms the chance to become the world's fourth major tech hub alongside the United States, Russia and China. "Such opportunities don't come easily," he added. The Indian industry has long been pressing for action against Chinese apps which dominate the market, with Sharechat and Inmobi calling for the platforms to follow Indian laws and values. There are also fears foreign apps could influence domestic affairs in areas such as politics. "Deep penetration of Chinese platforms in an open democracy like India makes its future election processes vulnerable to outside interference and manipulation," said one senior New Delhi-based digital industry analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity. Observers say retaining the new followers will be the main challenge for the Indian upstarts, which will now have to invest in staff and content to keep audiences. Arvind Gupta, founder and head of the DigitalIndia Foundation, told AFP that Indian firms also had to answer "the strategic concerns around privacy and data security" while taking advantage of the exit of TikTok and other rivals. "This vacuum also makes India's digital landscape much more attractive for investment... from other democratic and open societies," said Gupta, a former technology head for India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Two months after it launched on Netflix, news has come that the series co-created by Mindy Kaling, "Never Have I Ever", will be returning to the small screen. A new season comprising ten episodes will follow on from the series' first salvo, which has met with success all over the world. No dates have been announced for the production and release of the show, but it is known that all of the main actors will be back to reprise their roles. The news was announced with a video of a Zoom conference call on the official Twitter for Never Have I Ever. MAITREYI GOT BANGS oh yeah, and Never Have I Ever got a season 2 pic.twitter.com/sHJhjQMmXb Never Have I Ever (@neverhaveiever) July 1, 2020 Read also: 'Never Have I Ever': Four reasons why you should watch it right now The announcement of the eagerly awaited second season has come just two months after the launch of the show on Netflix. The innovative and politically committed story about the life of a girl from an Indian family in the US was warmly welcomed by subscribers to the streaming platform, who propelled it to top of the Netflix series ranking during the lockdown. The show mocks Indian community stereotypes and offers a relevant portrayal of the life of a high-school student, while also exploring the question of social inclusion. Im truly in shock. I cant believe that our show about a complicated little Indian family has been seen by this many people. @loulielang, the entire cast and crew are so grateful to you for making us #1 around the world on @netflix. We love you guys! Thank you!! @neverhaveiever pic.twitter.com/s8F16z94VD Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) May 2, 2020 Speaking to Deadline in June, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who plays the show's heroine, high-school student Devi Vishwakumar, remarked: I think it's great that we have a story like Never Have I Ever but it's depressing that this is happening in 2020, and even though we can applaud breaking stereotypes, but we can't forget that we still have so much work to do. The 18-year-old, who overcame competition from 15,000 aspiring actresses to win her role, also shared her hope that the series would pave the way for other shows dealing with issues of social inclusion. Prince Andrew is "bewildered" by claims he is not cooperating with the US investigation into the alleged sex trafficking of minors by British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, his legal team said Friday. The daughter of the late newspaper baron Robert Maxwell is believed to have introduced Andrew to Epstein -- a convicted pedophile -- and US authorities want to speak to the prince about their relationship. Maxwell was arrested and charged by US authorities on Thursday after spending months living in seclusion. Epstein committed suicide in jail while awaiting trial last year and Queen Elizabeth II's second son quit his royal duties after he defended his relationship with him. He has since faced claims from US prosecutors that he is running shy of giving his version of events. "The duke's team remains bewildered given that we have twice communicated with the DOJ in the last month and to date we have had no response," an unnamed source on his legal team was quoted as saying by the Press Association news agency. Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss told reporters on Thursday they would "welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us". "We would like to have the benefit of his statement," she added. Read also: US prosecutors reject claim Prince Andrew cooperating in Epstein probe The 60-year-old Duke of York vehemently denies claims he had sex with a 17-year-old girl procured by Epstein. Pictures of him posing with his arm around the girl's waist forced Andrew to give a disastrous TV interview to the BBC that was quickly followed by his standing down from all Royal duties in November. A lawyer who represents some of Epstein's alleged victims told British television on Friday that the prince was "avoiding and evading" the US authorities. "More excuses, more delays, it really is painful for many of the victims. It's just not fair," lawyer Gloria Allred told ITV. Another lawyer representing the alleged victims said Andrew's royal connections were helping him avoid facing justice. "He has been hiding behind not only the royal family but his attorneys," lawyer Spencer Coogan told BBC radio. A US attorney for the Southern District of New York said last month that Andrew had "repeatedly declined our request to schedule" an interview. COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on the restaurant industry. While a few restaurants have found ways to provide takeaway and dine-at-home offerings, the majority of businesses have shut up shop during lockdown. From July 4, restaurants in the UK are permitted to open but dining out will be very different. Here are seven ways in which social distancing and the wider impact of COVID-19 will change the restaurant industry. Low customer numbers A social distancing rule of one meter means restaurants can operate at a capacity level of 70 percent. Furthermore, a recent opinion poll showed that just 18 percent of consumers intend to visit restaurants, bars and pubs within a week of opening although 44 percent said they intended to visit within a few weeks. Lower customer numbers pose a significant challenge if businesses are to remain financially viable. Operators may consider adjusting prices to increase revenues, but must do so cautiously. Rewarding loyalty, enhancing service and product quality can give customers more for their money and still protect long-term profits. New hygiene measures Food safety and hygiene practices are not new to food businesses. Now, however, hygiene practices will need to form a key part of the meal experience in order to develop customer confidence, as well as preventing the spread of infection. New measures may include the introduction of physical barriers and the use of protective equipment, disposable menus and the collection of contact details. Operators will need to think carefully how to make these interventions part of the dining experience. When a smile is hidden behind a face mask, waiting staff will have to use new ways to convey a warm welcome. Local over city center Travel restrictions and a rise in home working has led people to turn to their local restaurants for home dining offers. Even as restrictions are lifted, many will continue working from home and a general reluctance to travel apart from for essential needs is likely to remain. So local restaurants are likely to continue benefiting from local patronage, while city center restaurants may experience a slower growth in diners. A different meal experience As well as consuming great food and drink, dining out is all about providing experiences to customers that cannot be achieved at home but these experiences will be very different under distancing measures. Service interactions will be limited and diners are likely to be served by just one employee. More of the service process will involve technology, such as ordering through a smartphone. Restaurants will be quieter, at least in the short term, so the atmosphere and ambience may seem lacking. Customer levels will have to be managed carefully and we are likely to see far fewer walk-in opportunities, with advance reservations becoming the norm. Changing menus Full-service restaurants sit-down eateries with dedicated waiting staff have historically fared far worse during economic recessions than limited-service restaurants, where customers pay up front and collect their own food. Limited-service businesses often have lower overheads and pass the savings on through more affordable menus. Cash-strapped people turn to cheaper dining options rather than ceasing dining out altogether. In response, we are likely to see full-service and fine-dining establishments consider introducing more affordable menu options. For instance, the economic crash of 2008 led to the 20 Michelin starred meal. While we may not see discounting to this level, operators will need to consider how best to attract increasingly money-conscious customers in the coming months and years. These restaurants may also consider offering simplified and reduced menus. More takeaways Many restaurants have already turned their attention to providing takeaways and ready meals to cook at home. This trend is not likely to disappear any time soon as risks of further lockdowns persist and customers may remain cautious about going out to eat. The growth of delivery platforms such as Deliveroo has significantly changed our perspective of the restaurant and access to it, enabling people to experience restaurant-quality meals from the comfort of their own home. Read also: Frozen meals become hot seller for quarantined Indonesians Restaurant closures After the 2008 recession, restaurant sales did not fully recover until 2016. Now, another economic recession appears inevitable for the UK, with GDP shrinking by an unprecedented 10.4 percent in the three months to April 2020. Almost one-third of operators anticipate that they may need to close sites and sadly many restaurants have already permanently closed. More are likely to follow suit, especially when facing restricted revenues due to social distancing. If people want their favorite restaurants to remain open, they need to support them as best they can. Restaurants will need to find opportunities where they can. Focusing on delivering a great dining experience, safely and with exceptional value will be essential, as diners look for relief from lifes challenges and to simply enjoy a night out once again. *** James Ellerby is Senior Lecturer in Hospitality, Sheffield Hallam University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 09:30 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406637a200 1 National pre-employment-card,Ombudsman,ICW,Indonesia-Corruption-Watch,Indonesian-Ombudsman,conflict-of-interest,e-learning Free Graft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has reported the government's preemployment card program to the Indonesian Ombudsman for alleged maladministration, urging the institution to open an investigation into it. "We urge the government to stop the preemployment card program and we hope that the Ombudsman conducts an investigation related to alleged maladministration in the program," ICW activist Tibiko Zabar said at the Indonesian Ombudsman office in South Jakarta on Thursday shortly after submitting the report. In its report, the ICW said that the program, a mix of cash aid and an upskilling subsidy, violated several regulations in selecting its partner companies. The government selected seven companies to aid with the program, which is managed by the office of the coordinating economic minister. They are e-commerce platforms Tokopedia and Bukalapak and online learning platforms Skill Academy by Ruangguru, Pintaria, Sekolahmu, Pijarmahir and MauBelajarApa. Read also: Conflict of interest? Public questions government's relationship with start-ups ICW activist Wana Alamsyah said that the government established a committee for the program on March 17 and signed a cooperation agreement with the partners on March 20 before issuing a regulation on the technical implementation of the contracts, which he said indicated maladministration. Wana also took issue with the digital learning platforms curation of courses for the program, alleging that the process was too rushed. "We suspect that the program [] management and the digital platforms did not curate [the courses] well," he said. Tibiko also raised the issue of conflicts of interest in the course curation process. "There is a double role where the digital platform is not only in charge of curating but also organizes the training courses," he said. Read also: Preemployment card draws criticism as workers need cash aid Previously, commissioner Laode Ida said that the Indonesian Ombudsman had received many complaints regarding the program, calling its concept unfinished and its technical implementation "half-baked". The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has also evaluated the program and pointed out the same issues raised by the ICW. Following the KPK's evaluation, the government has temporarily halted participant registration for the program, promising an overhaul to address the concerns. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 08:14 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066373529 1 Business coal-miner,production,coal-price,COVID-19 Free Miners in Indonesia, the worlds top coal exporting country, have decided to cut domestic production by 50 million tons this year in their bid to increase global coal prices, which have been falling during the health crisis. The Indonesian Coal Mining Association (APBI) has forecast coal production to fall short by 11 percent to 530 million metric tons this year. However, members are planning to further lower production to 480 million tons due to weak prices, the APBI announced on Wednesday. Indonesias benchmark coal price (HBA) hit US$52,98 per ton in June, the lowest price in the last four years, according to Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry data. The [low price] trend will continue amid concerns over a possible second wave of COVID-19, wrote APBI chairman Pandu Sjahrir in a statement on Wednesday. A possible second wave is expected to lower coal demand in major coal exporting markets such as China, Japan, India and South Korea. Coal is mainly used to generate electricity, the demand of which will sink as factories and businesses close shop during COVID-19 lockdowns. As the worlds largest coal producer, dry fuel makes up 14 percent of Indonesian exports, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data show. Exports cooled 28.95 percent year-on-year (yoy) in May to $10.53 billion, the lowest since July 2016, partially due to falling coal exports. This will of course have an impact on government revenue and national production targets, the association stated. The energy ministry expects to earn Rp 35.93 trillion in non-tax state revenue (PNBP) from coal and mineral miners this year, 41 percent of which had been achieved as of early June. The mining sector is a major contributor to state coffers in Indonesia. The revenue target assumes that Indonesia will produce 550 million tons of coal this year. Forty-two percent of the target had been met as of May. If we compare the numbers, it feels like the 550 [million tons] target can be met, energy ministry coal director Sujatmiko said on Tuesday, a day before the APBIs announcement. He was not immediately available for comment over the announced production cut. The government and coal miners were focusing on redirecting sales into South Asian and Southeast Asian markets to make up for lost sales in China and India, he added, during a webinar hosted by green energy nonprofit CERAH. Expecting these countries to fill in the shortage to China is, of course, not a short-term or long-term plan. We cannot even expect much from 2020. But these are new markets we can secure, said APBI executive director Hendra Sinadia at the webinar. A recent report calculated that only six of 11 big coal companies in Indonesia can remain profitable given that coal prices have lingered at around $50 per ton in 2020. The unprofitable or cash flow negative companies are PT Bumi Resources, PT ABM Investama, PT Bukit Asam, PT Toba Bara Sejahtra and PT Harum Energy and Geo Energy Resources Ltd, according to the report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Finance Analysis (IEEFA). However, PT Bumi Resources, Indonesias most productive coal miner, did not plan to cut production levels, said Bumi corporate secretary Dileep Srivastava. He noted the company could produce between 88 million and 95 million tons of coal this year. Our production and sales are on track at normal levels presently, in spite of the present challenges, he said. Vice President Mike Pence said the federal government would make sure that Florida has the resources it needs in its fight against the novel coronavirus during a July 2 press conference in Tampa. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mardika Parama (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 07:41 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406637193e 1 Business lion-air-group,Lion-Air,Wings-Air,Batik-Air,layoffs,job-cuts,contract-worker,aviation Free Privately owned Lion Air Group has laid off 2,600 contract employees at its subsidiary airlines Lion Air, Wings Air and Batik Air amid declining flight traffic, an official has said. The groups spokesperson, Danang Mandala Prihantoro, told The Jakarta Post Thursday that the management had decided not to extend the work contract of the 2,600 employees, which accounted for around 9 percent of the companys total workforce. Our [permanent] employees are not being terminated. We downsized our workforce by terminating our contract workers, he said via text message. In an official statement, Lion Air Group said it was currently operating at just 10 to 15 percent of its normal capacity of between 1,400 and 1,600 flights per day, which had battered the companys finances. The COVID-19 pandemic has put the airline industry in a state of coma. Meanwhile, the company still needs to pay large expenses, which creates a great challenge for us, the statement reads. Besides terminating contracts, the companys employees and management board have had their wages cut since March until further notice. We need to make the difficult decisions to ensure our business survives through operational downsizing, cost reduction and organizational restructuring amid the current airline industry situation that hasnt return to normalcy, the statement added. Lion Air is the latest airline to announce employee cuts. In June, Garuda Pilot Association (APG) chairperson Muzaeni told the Post that national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia had laid off 180 contract pilots as the company was struggling financially amid the slump in demand for air travel. The COVID-19 outbreak has forced Garuda to park 100 of its 142 aircraft as its daily flights dropped 70 percent due to the governments large-scale social restrictions (PSBB). Consequently, the airline recorded a 30.1 percent annual drop in its total revenue in the first quarter, the companys financial report shows. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) also estimated that Indonesias aviation industry would suffer a 49 percent passenger drop and an $8.2 billion fall in revenue this year compared to last year. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 09:16 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066379293 1 Business mining-industry,investment,smelters,MIND-ID,Inalum,energy-and-mineral-resources-ministry,antam,PT-Timah,Freeport-Indonesia Free Investment in the mining industry is expected to fall short by US$4.74 billion this year, 40 percent of the initial target, as a result of delays in several smelter projects, the Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Ministry has said. Lockdowns at various levels applied in many countries around the world to contain the spread of COVID-19 have disrupted material and labor supplies for the projects, adding more issues to developers financial problems, said the ministrys coal director, Sujatmiko. Smelter construction will only resume in July 2020, he said during a webinar hosted by Cerah Foundation on Tuesday. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy ministry expected four new smelters to start operations this year. However, only two smelters a ferronickel smelter and lead bullion smelter are slated for completion in 2020, energy ministry mineral director Yunus Saefulhak told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. The remaining two smelters a nickel pig iron (NPI) smelter and a ferromanganese smelter have had their expected operational dates pushed back to 2021 from 2020. We have to be realistic. We will help those facilities that proceed with their development, he said, adding that his office continued to find investors and electricity suppliers, among other things, for the delayed smelter projects. The pandemic-led investment shortfalls have added further delays to Indonesias ambitious smelter-development plan, which is part of a larger plan to transform the mineral-rich country from a commodity-driven economy to an industrial economy. Among the bigger smelter projects facing delays are those being developed by state-owned mining holding company MIND ID, officially PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum), and its subsidiaries. Our partners cannot operate [normally] so that automatically means there will be delays whether we like it or not, said MIND ID president director Orias Petrus Moerdak on Tuesday. Some of the projects are expected to fully resume in October, added Orias, who was speaking before House of Representatives lawmakers in Jakarta. Meanwhile, the other projects resumed early work this month. MIND ID subsidiary PT Aneka Tambang (Antam), a diversified miner, has put on hold a 98 percent complete $289 million ferronickel smelter in East Halmahera, Maluku, because of a lack of electricity. Antam president director Dana Amin said the miner initially enlisted private consortium BGP to develop a power plant for the smelter but ended the deal because of financial problems. There was a lack of risk management, he said. Meanwhile, fellow subsidiary PT Timah, a tin miner, has brought in construction equipment to the site of its $80 million tin smelter in West Bangka, Bangka Belitung province. They are still waiting for an opportunity for the contractors to enter Bangka, said Orias, adding that developers were focused on designing the facility in the meantime. PT Freeport Indonesia, a gold and copper miner, has requested a one-year delay in the completion deadline of its $3 billion smelter in Gresik, East Java, to 2023. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang and Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 The national elections are four years away, but the Indonesian political scene, especially in the digital realm, has seen mudslinging and simmering tension between parties. The most recent target of this anger has been the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) over a bill on Pancasila, the national ideology. So-called buzzers semi-anonymous online trolls played the infamous communism card against the PDI-P after the party proposed a bill that would regulate Pancasila and create an agency to interpret the ideology. On June 24, protesters at a rally organized by the 212 Alumni Brotherhood (PA 212) burned the PDI-Ps flag on the street in front of the House of Representatives in Jakarta. They had assembled to protest the Pancasila ideological guidelines bill, alleging that it would open the door to communism in the country... Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Riska Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 15:56 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406639fe2d 1 Business Financial-Services-Authority,bukopin,banking-industry,Bosowa-Corporindo,Kookmin-Bank,rights-issue,OJK,Rush Free Publicly listed Bank Bukopin is inching closer to solving its liquidity problem amid reports that customers are facing difficulties withdrawing their funds, sparking concerns over the bank's health. The Financial Services Authority (OJK) said in a statement on Tuesday that it had approved the shareholders plan to inject more capital through a rights issue after a series of leaked documents exposed commotion among Bukopins shareholders. The plan was actually approved during a shareholders meeting on Oct. 24, 2019. We support Bank Bukopins corporate action to restore its customers and the publics trust, especially regarding the banks services in the future, the OJK said in the statement. The approval also paved the way for South Koreas KB Kookmin Bank to become Bank Bukopins controlling shareholder. We are grateful for the shareholders and the regulators support since the start of this capital injection process,Bukopin president director Rivan Purwantono said in the statement. Bukopin has faced problems at a time when the countrys banking industry is experiencing slumping loan growth due to cooling economic activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Loan disbursement grew 5.7 percent annually in April, slowing from 7.9 percent in March, Bank Indonesia (BI) data show. At the same time, third party funding expanded 8.08 percent year-on-year (yoy), also cooling from 9.54 percent annual growth in March. How it all started In June, media outlets reported that Bank Bukopins customers were seen lining up for hours just to withdraw or transfer money at the banks branch offices. Other customers took to social media to complain that they could not withdraw money from their accounts. It was later revealed that the bank was limiting daily withdrawals and requiring customers seeking to make withdrawals of more than Rp 10 million (US$692.98) to contact the bank two days prior. Bank Bukopin later issued a statement, explaining the withdrawal limits at several branches were situational so that the bank could still allow customers to make transactions. This is an adjustment that we need to make and management will continue to inform our customers, the bank said in a statement to the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) on June 25. The measure was taken because the banks consolidated short-term liquidity coverage, known as the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR), stood at 112.03 percent in the first three months of the year, while its consolidated long-term liquidity coverage, known as the net stable funding rate (NSFR), stood at 100.31 percent. Both figures were nearing the OJKs minimum threshold of 100 percent. However, the OJK has since lowered the threshold to 85 percent for BUKU III category banks banks with core capital between Rp 5 trillion to Rp 30 trillion, such as Bukopin to stimulate the banking industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the banks loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) stood at 90.92 percent in the first quarter of this year, below the 92 percent maximum threshold set by Bank Indonesia (BI). The figure, however, was significantly higher than the 85.1 percent recorded in the first quarter of last year. This situation triggered panic among some customers, with many rushing to take their money out of the ailing bank. Shareholder commotion The banks alarming liquidity condition could have been resolved long before a withdrawal limitation needed to be imposed, as the bank had received shareholder approval for its rights issue plan last year. However, a letter issued on June 10 by the OJK to conglomerate PT Bosowa Corporindo revealed that the company, founded by tycoon and politician Aksa Mahmud, was obstructing Kookmin from injecting capital into Bukopin, which would make it the controlling shareholder of Bank Bukopin. There was no controlling shareholder in Bukopin at the time, as the major shareholders, Bosowa and Kookmin, held only 23.34 percent and 22 percent stakes, respectively. Meanwhile, the Indonesian government owned a 8.92 percent stake and the public held 45.69 percent. In the letter, the authority advised the company to prioritize the public and customers interests. It also warned that the company could face criminal charges if it failed to do so. The OJK issued again a warning letter dated June 26 to Bosowa president director Sadikin Aksa, instructing the conglomerate to support Kookmin Bank's plan to become the controlling investor and shareholder in Bukopin and solve its liquidity issues, Kontan.co.id reported. We are assessing the legal aspect of a plan to increase Kookmins stake, Bosowa president commissioner Erwin Aksa said, as quoted by Kontan.co.id on June 27. Given the commotion, the OJK then asked state-owned Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) and Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) to provide technical assistance to Bank Bukopin to help solve its liquidity issues. It also allowed BRI to help select the banks board of directors, according to an OJK letter, which was not confirmed nor denied by the authority. Rights issue Later in June, Bosowa and Kookmin announced a commitment to exercise their rights to conduct a rights issue. Kookmin also said it would act as a standby buyer to absorb the unexercised rights. Kookmin has deposited $200 million in Bank Bukopins escrow account, while Bosowa has also deposited Rp 239 billion, according to the companys letter to the OJK. The bank will now issue 4.66 billion new B-class shares, equal to 40 percent of its current total shares, for Rp 180 apiece starting July 13. Stocks in Bukopin, traded under the code BBKP at the IDX, were priced at Rp 185 as of 1:32 p.m. Jakarta time on Friday, up 0.5 percent from the previous closing. Should other minority shareholders not exercise their rights, Kookmins ownership of the bank would rise to 37.6 percent from 22 percent, while Bosowas ownership would rise to 23.36 percent from 23.34 percent. Despite the commitment from the majority of shareholders and support from the regulator to solve the banks liquidity problems, Bank Bukopin appears to have lost the trust of many customers after the difficulties they faced making withdrawals. Center of Reform on Economics (Core) Indonesia economist Piter Abdullah said on Thursday the customers behavior could be considered a rush, and said it was unlikely to be seen among customers of other banks. However, the problem that Bank Bukopin faces could result in customers losing trust in the bank itself, he said during a webinar organized by Infobank. Speaking to The Jakarta Post, banking expert Paul Sutaryono said that to prevent a rush the OJK and the Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS) needed to reassure the public that their savings were safe. If the OJK and [Bukopin] management are transparent and give the public a sense of certainty, customers may calm down and this will prevent [...] a systemic impact on the industry, Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) economist Bhima Yudhistira said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Eisya A. Eloksari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 18:43 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663aad3f 1 Business Grab,kppu,monopoly-practices,COVID-19,fine Free The Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) announced on Thursday that it would fine Grab Indonesia Rp 30 billion (US$2 million) and its car rental partner PT Teknologi Pengangkutan Indonesia (TPI) Rp 19 billion for discriminating against its driver-partners. The KPPU found that the ride-hailing companys practice of prioritizing orders for drivers affiliated with PT TPI had caused a decrease in the number of orders for non-PT TPI drivers. The practice was found to occur in Greater Jakarta as well as in Makassar, South Sulawesi, in Medan, North Sumatra, and in Surabaya, East Java. The discriminatory practice by Grab and PT TPI has resulted in monopoly practices and unfair business competition for non-TPI partners and individual partners, the KPPU wrote in a statement. The commission says both companies have violated Law No. 5/1999 on monopolies and business competition and has given them 30 days to pay the fines. Grab and PT TPIs latest partnership includes the deferment for car rent payment and cash aid for TPI-affiliated drivers in April to help cushion the impact of the pandemic on the ride-hailing business. The fine adds woe to the company, which has been valued at $14 billion, after it recently announced it would lay off 360 employees due to the pandemic. The Singapore-based company, which is present in eight Southeast Asian countries, stated that it would eliminate noncore projects forward. A Grab spokesperson in a statement has denied giving special treatment to driver partners affiliated with PT TPI, adding that the partnership was solely done for the benefit of the driver partners to give them access to affordable car rental. The company promotes productive orders for drivers with good service quality, according to the statement. If Grab's drivers who are registered with PT TPI consistently provide quality services to passengers, they certainly are entitled to the same program benefits as all other driver-partners, Grab Indonesia said in a statement on Friday. Meanwhile, Grab Indonesia and PT TPI attorney Hotman Paris Hutapea said they would appeal the decision at the district court. He added that the driver-partners of Grab Drivers Cooperative, the rival of PT TPI, have stated under oath that they do not feel discriminated by the Grab-PT TPI partnership. The KPPU has forced the statement that Grab conducted discriminatory practices on the cooperative without clear legal consideration, he said in a statement on Thursday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 18:03 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663a97d3 1 Business loan-disbursement,working-capital,stimulus-package,APINDO,Kadin,loan-growth,COVID-19 Free Indonesia is running out of time to rescue its businesses from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and banks should immediately ramp up promised working capital loan disbursement to bolster the economy, businesspeople have said. Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) chairman Rosan Roeslani said the implementation of one of the governments stimulus programs was too slow, urging banks to soon disburse working capital loans after receiving fresh funds of Rp 30 trillion (US$2.08 billion) from the government. After the debt restructuring process, we now need working capital loans for micro, small and medium businesses as well as [big] businesses, Rosan told reporters in a press conference on Thursday. Without working capital loans from banks, he went on to say, debt restructuring would not have much of an impact in stimulating supply and demand. He added that several business associations had complained about banks reluctance to provide working capital loans. The government announced last week that it would place Rp 30 trillion in state-owned banks to be disbursed as loans to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to help support economic recovery as the pandemic wrecked the economy. The government is following through on its promise to allocate fund placements in banks worth a total of Rp 82.2 trillion to help with their liquidity and stimulate credit growth as banks conduct credit restructuring for MSMEs. The allocation is part of the governments stimulus worth Rp 695.2 trillion to strengthen the healthcare system and bolster the economy. Bank Mandiri and Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) will each receive Rp 10 trillion, while Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) and Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN) will each receive Rp 5 trillion. The State-Owned Banks Association (Himbara) has expressed optimism that its members can disburse up to Rp 90 trillion in loans after receiving the funds. The government should also pump state funds into banks specifically to help stimulate working capital loans for big firms, said Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani. Indonesias loan growth slowed to 5.7 percent year-on-year (yoy) in April from 7.9 percent recorded in March, Bank Indonesia (BI) data show, as the pandemic discourages loan demand amid disrupted business activity. At the same time, some borrowers are facing difficulties in repaying their loans. Financial Services Authority (OJK) data show that Indonesian banks have provided 6.35 million debtors with credit restructuring worth Rp 695.3 trillion as of June 22, following the issuance of OJK Regulation No. 11/2020, which instructs financial institutions to provide relief for borrowers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit restructuring has grown significantly in banks [categorized as] BUKU IV, with the highest growth recorded in the trade sector, OJK chairman Wimboh Santoso told lawmakers in a hearing on Monday. We will ask banks to start providing loans for borrowers again. Banks liquidity is ample and ready to be disbursed, but it would depend on the development of the real sector amid a spike in the coronavirus infection [rate], said OJK public relations and logistics deputy commissioner Anto Prabowo. We will maintain coordination with business associations and the financial industry to speed up disbursement of working capital loans. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Steve Scherer (Reuters) Ottawa, Canada Fri, July 3, 2020 12:45 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406638d85c 2 World Canada,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,US,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free A spike in COVID-19 cases in the United States has become a hot topic for Canadians, who unfurled their maple-leaf flags to celebrate Canada Day this week just days ahead of 4th of July celebrations south of the border. The spread of the novel coronavirus has slowed steadily in Canada over the past eight weeks, but outbreaks are worsening in many US states, with Florida shattering records on Thursday by reporting more than 10,000 new cases in one day. The two countries share the world's longest demilitarized land border and their economies are closely linked, with 75% of all Canada's goods exports heading to the United States. Most Canadians have family and friends living across the border. Shelly Reid, a 44-year-old schoolteacher in Calgary, said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set "a great example ... right from Day 1," and Canadians took his message on staying home, distancing, and handwashing seriously. "The numbers themselves show how well we've done," Reid said as she celebrated Canada Day with friends in Ottawa. "The United States is such a leader on the global stage, I thought they would have set an example by their actions. Clearly, they've shown otherwise." In March, Canada and the United States agreed to close the border to all but non-essential travel. Those measures are due to expire on July 21, and Trudeau has said discussions are taking place about what to do next. According to a poll by Abacus Data, 88% of Canadians want the border to remain closed. "Canadians pay huge attention to what is happening in the United States, and they are very concerned," said Frank Graves, president of polling company EKOS Research. "What's clearly been a disastrous reopening (in parts of the United States) has caused a rebound of prudence in Canadians." Canada Day celebrations, which usually include live fireworks and concerts, were entirely online for the first time ever this year. Eric Sladic, a 51-year-old delivery driver in Ottawa, says the two countries are not only neighbors, but "brothers." The way Trudeau's Liberal government and provincial leaders, who often are members of rival parties, worked together during the pandemic was "spectacular," Sladic said, and stood in stark contrast to the polarized politics of the United States. "People not pointing fingers and blaming each other, but actually getting on the same page, that's a point of pride on Canada Day." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 13:18 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066390b49 1 National mahfud-md,AGO,djoko-tjandra,bank-bali-case,fugitive Free Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD has instructed the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to immediately arrest Djoko Soegiharto Tjandra, a fugitive in the high-profile Bank Bali corruption case, who is believed to have returned to the country after years on the run. "I have ordered the Attorney General [ST Burhanuddin] to quickly arrest fugitive Djoko Tjandra," Mahfud said on Thursday, "There's no reason for him to remain free even though he has requested a case review [for his conviction]." Djoko, who had reportedly been in Indonesia for the past three months, filed a case review against his conviction with the South Jakarta District Court in early June. He was then scheduled to attend his case review submission hearing at the court on Monday, but did not show up. ST Burhanuddin said previously that his office had not received any information about Djoko's arrival in the country, but he gave an assurance that the AGO was currently hunting him. Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, however, gave a conflicting statement, saying there was no indication that Djoko had returned to Indonesia. A thorough examination of immigration data, he said, showed no record of his arrival in the country. Djoko was found guilty of his involvement in the Bank Bali scandal, which saw hundreds of billions of rupiah embezzled from state bailout funds during the 1998 Asian financial crisis. He was acquitted in 2000 but later sentenced to two years imprisonment and ordered to pay Rp 546 billion (US$54 million) in restitution in 2009 after the AGO filed a request for a review with the Supreme Court. Djoko, however, fled Indonesia on a chartered flight from Jakarta to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea (PNG) on June 10, 2009, just a day before the country's highest court issued the ruling. Indonesia does not have an extradition treaty with PNG, which later confirmed that Djoko had obtained PNG citizenship in 2009. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 09:34 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406637b692 1 Business Alibaba-Cloud,Alibaba,data-center,Indonesia,digital-economy Free Chinese tech behemoth Alibaba plans to open its third cloud data center in Indonesia by next year in expanding its presence in the Indonesian market amid rising competition. Alibaba Cloud, a subsidiary of Alibaba, said Tuesday the latest data center would minimize data loss-related risks by dividing workloads between the companys three centers in Indonesia. The first center was built in 2018 and the second in 2019. Read also: Google launches first Cloud region in Indonesia This is very important as many businesses including traditional enterprises such as banks are shifting their IT infrastructure to the cloud amid the pandemic, wrote Alibaba Cloud in a statement. The cloud provider neither disclosed the centers investment value nor their general location. Indonesias major cities, starting with Jakarta, formally entered a partial lockdown in late April, causing an uptick in demand for digital services including e-commerce, finance, online media, education and video games. All these services are lucrative markets for Alibaba. However, rival tech giants Google and Amazon also plan to expand their cloud service subsidiaries in Indonesia, which is the single largest digital economy in Southeast Asia. Google Cloud opened a new Jakarta region in late June, bringing its services closer to local customers, while Amazon Web Services plans to build a data center in 2022. Alibaba Cloud country manager Leon Chen said his company would also build a data scrubbing center alongside the third data center in Indonesia. Read also: Alibaba adds new cloud-native services in Indonesia Scrubbing would improve system reliability as cybersecurity attacks have grown in intensity and technology with many businesses moving their IT infrastructure to the cloud, he said. Communications and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate, in the statement, reminded Alibaba Cloud to comply with Indonesian policy and regulations over data management. We hope data management processes will be carried out in accordance with the Indonesian governments principles on data management, which are principles of legal validity, compliance and transparency, he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Fri, July 3, 2020 09:35 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406637c6d3 2 Business Visa,MasterCard,banks,payment-system,European-Union,European-Central-Bank Free Sixteen European banks have teamed up to deliver by 2022 a new unified payment system that will offer consumers on the continent both cards and digital wallets that could offer a serious alternative to giants in the sector such as Visa and Mastercard. Dubbed the European Payments Initiative (EPI), the "solution aims to become a new standard means of payment for European consumers and merchants in all types of transactions including in-store, online, cash withdrawal and 'peer-to-peer' in addition to existing international payment scheme solutions," the consortium said in a statement. The proposal would offer consumers the possibility to make instant transactions, a service start-ups have pioneered and which some European banks have begun to integrate into their offers. "The big innovation will be to allow making a payment to someone throughout Europe, seven days out of seven, instantaneously and, for example, with the telephone number of the beneficiary," said Thierry Laborde, a senior executive at French bank BNP Paribas, one of the members of the consortium. With payment systems in Europe still fractured and digital services still not available everywhere, the banks behind the initiative believe that European and national authorities will find it useful. "The COVID-19 crisis has underlined the need for a unified European digital payment solution," the EPI consortium said. "In this sense, EPI also aims to align the European payments ecosystem of banks, merchants and acquirers/payment services providers, thereby contributing to strengthening of the Single Market and the European digital agenda." The European Central Bank welcomed the initiative, noting that 10 European countries still have national card schemes that do not welcome cards from other EU member states. It said it supports private initiatives that are pan-European in reach, are cost efficient, secure and customer friendly. The consortium is still open and members urged others involved in the payments sector to join. The project, which is expected to cost several billion euros, aims to eventually capture at least 60 percent of electronic payments in Europe. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Budi Sutrisno (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 17:25 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663a75e1 1 City sexual-harassment,peeping-tom,Starbucks,Starbucks-Indonesia,Jakarta-police,Twitter,viral-video,cctv Free The North Jakarta Police have arrested two former Starbucks Indonesia employees for alleged sexual harassment after they were caught peering at a female customers cleavage through a CCTV camera. Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Yusri Yunus said the two arrestees, identified only by their initials K and D, were apprehended on Thursday evening. The police are now interrogating them to find out their motives, Yusri told The Jakarta Post on Friday. He added the police had also identified the victim, since one of the suspects personally recognized her. The suspect has her phone number. The victim just filed a report to the police. The spokesperson went on to say the incident occurred on Wednesday in a Starbucks store in the neighborhood of Sunter in North Jakarta. The incident caught public attention after a Twitter user under the handle @LisaAbet uploaded a video of the incident to the Twitter. She tweeted she was angered upon watching the incident in her friends Instagram Story. Read also: Public outcry as House plans to delay sexual violence bill again The footage showed a male employee of the coffee shop zooming on CCTV recordings at the back office to get a clearer look on a female visitors cleavage. Another male employee who recorded the event through his phone burst into laughter. The incident drove many internet users raging over the behavior, demanding immediate investigation from Starbucks. @LisaAbets post has been retweeted 19,400 times in less than two days. How they behave is unacceptable and disgusting, Twitter user @xxnotababexx wrote. F&B [food and beverage] business is about hospitality. If customers are not respected, its fatal [...], user @aguslio17g tweeted. Starbucks responded to the post on Wednesday, apologizing for the incident. The company added that the management was investigating the incident and the employees. The company released a statement on Thursday afternoon, saying the individual was no longer employed and the company would ensure similar incidents did not happen in future. We were extremely troubled to learn of this incident and it is a matter that we take seriously. It is not consistent with our mission and values, high standards of conduct or the experience we strive to deliver for our customers, Starbucks stated. Starbucks Indonesia spokesperson Andrea Siahaan confirmed to the Post that the company had fired the two employees implicated in the incident. Opening its first store in Jakarta in 2002, Starbucks now has more than 300 stores in major cities across the country. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Spielberg, Austria Fri, July 3, 2020 19:10 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663ac9e6 2 Sports Lewis-Hamilton,Formula-1,Red-Bull-Team,Max-Verstappen Free Defending six-time champion Lewis Hamilton topped the times ahead of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas as Formula One roared back at Friday's opening practice at the belated and surreal season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. Three months after the cancellation of the original campaign starter in Australia and six months on from the last race meeting, it was business as usual for the dominant black arrows with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull ahead of McLaren's Ferrari-bound Carlos Sainz. After a slow start on a damp surface at the Red Bull Ring, following overnight rain, Hamilton, sporting a new Black Lives Matter helmet to match his black race suit, was on the pace immediately in his W11 car of the same colour, repainted from silver this year to support equality and diversity. It was as if the lengthy delay created by the COVID-19 pandemic had no affect on the teams, cars and drivers other than Ferrari whose new SF91 machine was, as forecast, unable to match the pace set at the front by Mercedes. Ferrari plan to revise their car with updates for the Hungarian race in two weeks time following the second event in Austria next week. Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, who is set to leave the outfit at the end of the year, struggled to 12th, two places behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, in the eerie surroundings of the fan-less circuit in the Styrian Alps where pit-stops were curiously controlled with all the mechanics in masks and protective gear. In mild weather conditions, with track temperatures measured at 22 degrees Celsius compared to 57 degrees for last year's race, Mercedes had no cooling problems as Hamilton outpaced Bottas by three-tenths and was six-tenths clear of Verstappen. Sergio Perez was fifth in Racing Point's 'pink Mercedes' ahead of Lando Norris in the second McLaren, Alex Albon in the other Red Bull and McLaren-bound Daniel Ricciardo of Renault. Kevin Magnussen was ninth for Haas. The session saw Verstappen recover from a spin at Turn One and Daniil Kvyat of Alpha Tauri run off at the final corner, causing Williams' George Russell to take dramatic avoiding action while Romain Grosjean was stuck in the Haas garage with brake problems throughout the session. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Donny Kwok and Yanni Chow (Reuters) Hong Kong Fri, July 3, 2020 13:15 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066390041 2 World Hong-Kong,Hong-Kong-activist,Hong-Kong-autonomy,Hong-Kong-protests,Hong-Kong-security-law Free Hong Kong police arrested a 24-year-old man at the airport early on Thursday on suspicion of stabbing and wounding an officer during a demonstration against a new national security law imposed by Beijing on the financial hub. The arrest followed protests on Wednesday in which police fired water cannon and tear gas and arrested more than 300 people as demonstrators defied the sweeping security legislation introduced by China to snuff out dissent in the former British colony. There were no signs of protests on Thursday. US Vice President Mike Pence said the new law was a betrayal of the Sino-British agreement on Hong Kong's future after it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. "The national security law that China passed and now is imposing on Hong Kong is a - it's a betrayal of the international agreement that they signed, and ultimately it's unacceptable to freedom-loving people around the world," he told CNBC on Thursday. Hong Kong police posted pictures on Twitter from Wednesday's disturbances showing on officer with a bleeding arm saying he was stabbed by "rioters holding sharp objects". The suspects fled while bystanders offered no help, the police said. A police spokesman said the arrested man was surnamed Wong but could not confirm whether he was leaving Hong Kong or working at the airport. Media, citing unidentified sources, said the suspect was on board a Cathay Pacific flight to London due to depart just before midnight. A witness said three police vehicles drove towards a gate as a Cathay Pacific plane was preparing to take off and about 10 riot police ran up the bridge to the aircraft. The suspect held an expired British National (Overseas) passport, a special status which provides a route to citizenship, the source told the Cable TV station. Cathay Pacific did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying on Wednesday posted on Facebook that a bounty of HK$500,000 ($64,500) would be offered to anyone helping catch the fugitive. China's parliament adopted the security law in response to protests last year triggered by fears Beijing was stifling the city's freedoms and threatening its judicial independence, guaranteed by a "one country, two systems" formula agreed when it returned to China. Beijing denies interfering. Hong Kong and Beijing officials have said the law is vital to plug holes in national security defences exposed by the protests, pointing to the citys failure to pass such laws by itself as required under its mini-constitution, the Basic Law. Another unfulfilled constitutional requirement for Hong Kong is to introduce universal suffrage, the protesters' main demand. Diplomatic tension The new law punishes crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. It will also see mainland security agencies in Hong Kong for the first time and allows extradition to the mainland for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party. Ten of the arrests made on Wednesday involved violations of the new law, police said, with most of the 360 or so others involved illegal assembly and other offences. Demosisto, a pro-democracy group led by Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, disbanded on Tuesday, hours after China's parliament passed the legislation. Prominent group member Nathan Law said on Thursday he had left the territory. "I have already left Hong Kong and continue the advocacy work on the international level," he said on Facebook. "Based on risk assessment, I shall not reveal too much about my personal whereabouts and situation now... I do not know the date of my return." Simon Cheng, who worked for the British consulate in Hong Kong for almost two years until he fled after he said he was tortured by China's secret police, said activists were discussing a plan to create an unofficial parliament-in-exile to keep the flame of democracy alive. In the latest diplomatic tension over the law, China said Britain would bear all consequences for any offer to Hong Kong citizens of a path to settlement. China also denounced the United States after the US House of Representatives passed legislation that would penalise banks doing business with Chinese officials who implement the national security law in Hong Kong. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the United States "must stop advancing the bill, let alone sign it or implement" it. Democratically ruled and Chinese-claimed Taiwan advised its citizens to avoid unnecessary visits to or transit through Hong Kong, Macau or mainland China. Britain and Canada have also updated their travel advisories for Hong Kong, warning their citizens of detention risks. Apparently seeking to allay fears that judges for national security cases would be cherry-picked by Hong Kong's unpopular, pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam, Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma said they would be appointed on the basis of judicial and professional qualities, rather than politics. Hong Kong's independent judiciary, one of many freedoms guaranteed when it returned to Chinese rule, has long been considered key to its success as a glittering global financial hub. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Natalie Thomas and Guy Faulconbridge (Reuters) London, United Kingdom Fri, July 3, 2020 13:45 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066392831 2 World Hong-Kong,Hong-Kong-activist,Hong-Kong-autonomy,Hong-Kong-national-security-law,Hong-Kong-protests,Hong-Kong-security-law,China,pro-democracy Free Hong Kong pro-democracy activists are discussing a plan to create an unofficial parliament-in-exile to keep the flame of democracy alive and send a message to China that freedom cannot be crushed, campaigner Simon Cheng told Reuters. Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, was convulsed by months of often violent pro-democracy, anti-China protests last year against Chinese interference in its promised freedoms, the biggest political crisis for Beijing since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Hong Kong police fired water cannon and tear gas and arrested more than 300 people on Wednesday as protesters took to the streets again in defiance of new, sweeping security legislation introduced by China to snuff out dissent. The law pushes China's freest city and one of the world's most glittering financial hubs on to a more authoritarian path. China, which denies interfering in Hong Kong, has warned foreign powers not to meddle in its affairs. Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen, worked for the British consulate in the territory for almost two years until he fled after he said he was beaten and tortured by China's secret police. Cheng, who has since been granted asylum by Britain, describes himself as pro-democracy campaigner. "A shadow parliament can send a very clear signal to Beijing and the Hong Kong authorities that democracy need not be at the mercy of Beijing," he told Reuters in London. "We want to set up non-official civic groups that surely reflect the views of the Hong Kong people." He said that while the idea was still at an early stage, such a parliament-in-exile would support the people of Hong Kong and the pro-democracy movement there. He declined to say where the parliament might sit. "We are developing an alternative way to fight for democracy," Cheng said. "We need to be clever to deal with the expanding totalitarianism: they are showing more powerful muscle to suppress so we need to be more subtle and agile." He said more and more people were "losing hope that it is effective to go out on to the streets or run for election" to Hong Kong's Legislative Council, or mini-parliament. "We should stand with the Hong Kong people and support those staying in Hong Kong," he said. 'Very good signal' Asked about HSBC's support for the sweeping national security law, Cheng said the British government should speak to senior British capitalists to make them understand the importance of democracy. After Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered millions of Hong Kong residents the path to British citizenship following China's imposition of the law, hundreds of thousands of people would come to the United Kingdom, Cheng said. "The UK has given a very good signal," Cheng said. "At least hundreds of thousands of people will come." Almost 3 million Hong Kong residents are eligible for the so called British National (Overseas) passport. There were 349,881 holders of the passports as of February, Britain said. "One day we will be back in Hong Kong," Cheng said. Hong Kong returned to China 23 years ago with the guarantee of freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland, including its independent legal system and rights to gather and protest, under a "one country, two systems" formula. Huge protests calling for democracy, especially on the anniversaries of the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen crackdown, were common and brought major streets to a standstill for 79 days in the Umbrella movement of 2014. The national security law punishes crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, will see mainland security agencies in Hong Kong for the first time and allows extradition to the mainland for trial. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam Fri, July 3, 2020 14:39 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066398d01 1 World Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan,Riau-Islands,Singapore,travel-restriction,COVID-19 Free The Indonesian government has asked Singapore to soon reopen its borders, particularly those that connect the city state to the tourist areas of Bintan and Batam in Riau Islands, which have been closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his visit to Batam on Thursday, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan made a phone call with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakhrisnan, requesting the latter to reopen the Singaporean borders that serve as entry points to Bintan and Batam. The senior minister said Vivian agreed to review Indonesia's request after Singapores general election, which will be held on July 10. I had a phone call with Foreign Minister Vivian because there was a request from Lagoi, Bintan, that they are ready to receive tourists as they now have zero COVID-19 cases," Luhut said. "Vivian mentioned that after [Singapore] concludes the general election, they will review [our request] and they will probably send tourists back here afterward." Singapores borders closed in March to short-term visitors. The Singapores Consul General in Batam said the city-state would close access in and out until December this year. Border closures have impacted tourism and the economy in Riau Islands, which depends largely on Singaporean tourists. Malls in Batam have been a lot quieter than usual, as ferry operators serving the Batam-Singapore route have reduced the number of trips due to plummeting passenger numbers. Batam's shopping centers are popular stopovers for Singaporeans who visit Batam to buy what they need before going back home across the Singapore Strait. Read also: Tourism recovery still long way off despite slight increase in visitors in May: Experts Riau Islands, with more than 1,000 islands, places second for foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia, after Bali. In 2019, Riau Islands attracted 2.59 million international visitors, almost half of whom (47 percent) were from Singapore. China came in second, providing Riau Islands with 260,000 foreign tourists, accounting for 10 percent of the total number of foreign visits. Batam contributed almost three-quarters of Riau Islands foreign tourist arrivals at 1.76 million, followed by Bintan at 575,000 and Tanjungpinang at 154,000. Separately, Batam Mayor Muhammad Rudi said on Thursday that he had asked Batams representative office for the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) to lobby the Singaporean Health Ministry to provide them with a clear picture of when the border connecting Batam and Singapore would be reopened. If Singapore, and perhaps also Malaysia, are all good [to reopen borders], of course, there will be requirements, including health protocols. We will soon [fulfill] that, Rudi said. The Batam administration also contacted the Indonesian mission in Singapore about the issue of reopening the international ferry route connecting the two countries. Rudi acknowledged that the route was vital for the economy of Batam, and Riau Islands in general. For the last three or four months, for instance, Singaporeans have not been entering Batam and we are already scrambling as the tourism sector is completely shut down, said Rudi while thanking other industries for keeping the economy running. Rudi said he had conveyed this concern to Luhut, requesting for this matter to be prioritized. (asp) Editors note: A previous version of the article misquoted a statement from the Singapores Consul General in Batam. We have corrected the quote. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Kate Lamb (Reuters) Fri, July 3, 2020 07:50 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066371c25 2 National Indonesia,BPPT,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccines,Research-and-Technology-Ministry,research-and-development-center Free Indonesia is working to produce its own COVID-19 vaccine next year, amid growing anxiety that developing countries could have difficulty getting access to a future jab, the head of Indonesias national COVID-19 research team said Thursday. The production capability and capacity of biotech companies in the world is, we know, limited, and global supply chains also have challenges, Ali Ghufron Mukti, head of the innovation team at Indonesias research and technology ministry, told a streamed press conference alongside the countrys foreign minister. Therefore, it is necessary for Indonesia to develop its own COVID-19 vaccine. And it will be by Indonesia, from Indonesia, to Indonesia, he said. "We are using our theory and we are optimistic that in the year 2021 and early 2021, this will be finished in the laboratory," he said, adding state-owned firm Bio Farma could conduct trials in the second half of next year. Indonesias Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has in recent months spoken about the need for developing countries to have access to any future vaccine, amid concern that rich countries would try to corner a limited supply. Such concerns increased this week, when the United States announced it had bought up most of the global supply of Gilead Sciences Inc.'s drug remdesivir, shown to speed up recovery times from COVID-19. The pandemic has sparked a race to find a vaccine, with more than 100 in development and around a dozen already being tested in humans. On Thursday, Mukti also outlined efforts underway between local and foreign pharmaecutical companies to mass produce a vaccine in Indonesia. A COVID-19 Vaccine Development Team has been tasked with guaranteeing the availability of a vaccine nationally within the next 12 months. Honesti Basyir, the director of Bio Farma, told Reuters in late June it was working with Chinese firm Sinovac on a vaccine which would enter the third phase of clinical trials in humans this month. If the trial is successful, it could start production in the first quarter of next year with a minimum 100 million doses. With a population of more than 265 million, Indonesia estimates it would need more than 352 million shots of a two-dose vaccine. On Thursday Indonesia recorded 1,624 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily rise so far, taking the total numbers of cases to 59,394. In addition to Bio Farma and Sinovac, Mukti said private Indonesian pharmaceutical firm Kalbe Farma and the South Korean biotech company Genexine were cooperating to produce a vaccine. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 14:09 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663951ea 1 National Fatmawati-Hospital,COVID-19,coronavirus,THR,Idul-Fitri-bonuses,medical-workers Free Fatmawati General Hospital in South Jakarta has denied news about Idul Fitri holiday bonus (THR) and salary cuts, as reported by The Jakarta Post on May 21. In a letter dated June 19 as the hospital's right of reply to the Post, the hospital's president director, Mochammad Syafak Hanung, said it had paid Idul Fitri bonuses on May 15 to civil servants and civil servant candidates and on May 18 to permanent staff under management authority (BLU) and temporary workers. The payments were according to Government Regulation (PP) No. 24/2020 on Idul Fitri bonuses to civil servants and other types of government workers. Mochammad explained that the hospital had paid bonuses to the civil servants, with the payments sourced from the state budget (APBN). The bonuses consisted of a basic salary, husband or wife allowance, child support and other allowances. Some civil servants on probation received 80 percent of the basic salary. The hospital had also paid bonuses to its non-civil-servant permanent staff, permanent staff under BLU and nonpermanent employees, with the budget sourced from hospital revenues. The payments, he said, consisted of the basic salary and functional or general benefits. It is not true that the hospital has cut the salaries and/or 2020 Idul Fitri bonuses of all employees," he said. The Post previously reported that Ratna, not her real name, a contract-based nurse at the hospital, and her colleagues treating COVID-19 patients had experienced bonus cuts. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 18:16 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663a9b3a 1 National Supreme-Court,Central-Jakarta-District-Court,Jakarta-Corruption-Court,Pertamina-Patra-Niaga,Judicial-Commission,judges,conflict-of-interest,Indonesian-Ombudsman Free Anwar, an ad hoc corruption judge at the Jakarta Corruption Court, has been appointed to serve as one of the commissioners for PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, a subsidiary of state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina. Bambang Nurcahyono, spokesperson for the Central Jakarta District Court that supervises the corruption court, said Anwar had been tapped as a commissioner during Pertamina Patra Niagas shareholder meeting on June 12. Information on the company's website also listed the judge as a commissioner. Anwar had decided to step down from serving the court after his appointment, Bambang said. He has submitted his resignation as an ad hoc corruption judge through then-Central Jakarta District Court chief Yanto, he told The Jakarta Post on Friday. Since then, he no longer attended any trial and handed over all ongoing corruption trials to Yanto. He was only at the court to finish the administrative requirements. Pertamina vice president of corporate communication Fajriyah Usman also told the Post on Friday that Anwar had dropped his judgeship. However, Bambang said that Anwar was still waiting for a decision letter from the Supreme Court regarding his resignation. As of Friday, the Central Jakarta District Courts website still listed Anwar as an ad hoc judge. Read also: Critics demand stricter conflict-of-interest rules for public officials Supreme Court spokesperson Andi Samsan Nganro said he had yet to receive notification of Anwars resignation from the human resource department, adding that he would look into the matter further. The President appoints judges, so, of course, bureaucratic procedures for resignations require some time, he told the Post on Friday. Andi asserted that judges were strictly forbidden from holding positions as commissioners of companies, noting the "potential conflict of interest" and "interfere with judges' independence". Judicial Commission head Jaja Ahmad Jayus also told the Post that he would be looking into Anwars appointment as commissioner. The commission is looking into the matter to find out the truth. The appointment came amid reports issued by the Indonesian Ombudsman, whose investigation found that 397 state officials, including active members of the police and military, sit as commissioners of state-owned enterprises. Read also: Supreme Court acquits former Pertamina president director Karen Agustiawan of graft charges During his career as a judge, Anwar adjudicated several high-profile cases, including the e-ID graft case that implicated former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto in 2013. He was also a member of the panel of judges that handled a graft case implicating former Pertamina president director Karen Galaila Agustiawan. Karen was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment by the Jakarta Corruption Court on June 10, 2019, after being convicted in a case involving Pertaminas investment in the Basker Manta Gummy (BMG) Block, Australia, in 2009. During one of the trials, Anwar reportedly expressed a dissenting opinion to the other judges by declaring Karen not guilty. The Supreme Court later acquitted the former president director from all graft charges on March 10 this year. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Djemi Amnifu (The Jakarta Post) Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara Fri, July 3, 2020 15:26 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406639e76c 1 National kawin-tangkap,local-tradition,Sumba-island,East-Nusa-Tenggara,Women-Empowerment-and-Child-Protection,NTT,human-rights-violations,violence-against-women Free Regional leaders of four regencies on Sumba Island in East Nusa Tenggara have declared their rejection of kawin tangkap (capture and wed), a form of bride kidnapping tradition that is commonly practiced on the island but seen as a violation of human rights. The declaration was read out on Thursday by West Sumba Regent Agustinus Niga Dapawole, East Sumba Regent Gideon Mbiliyora, Central Sumba Regent Paulus Limu and Southwest Sumba Regent Kornelis Kodi Mete in Sumbas largest town of Waingapu. Womens Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Bintang Puspayoga and East Nusa Tenggara Deputy Governor Josep Nae Soi also attended the declaration. "I hope that this violence against women won't happen any longer in Sumba," Bintang said on the sidelines of the event. Read also: NTT vows to abolish bride kidnapping after nationwide public anger She added that she would coordinate with the relevant ministries and institutions to end kawin tangkap. The practice has been in the spotlight lately after a video of locals taking a woman in a public place went viral in social media. The footage showed a group of men carrying a distressed-looking woman to a black pickup truck. Another woman later comes and hugs her through an open window, while trying to get her out of the vehicle. Dozens of people can also be seen crowding the car, cheering and taking videos, while the kidnapped women cries as the event unfolds. (vny) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Polina Ivanova (Reuters) Moscow, Russia Fri, July 3, 2020 11:40 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066387002 2 World Russia,Vladimir-Putin,governance,Kremlin Free Only one of Russia's 85 regions, a sparsely-populated patch of the Arctic known for reindeer herders, defied the Kremlin and voted against changes granting President Vladimir Putin the right to stay in power until 2036, results on Thursday showed. The former KGB officer, who has ruled Russia for more than two decades as president or prime minister, handily won the right to run for two more six-year terms after the current one ends in 2024. But in the remote Nenets Autonomous District, located 1,600 km northeast of Moscow, over 55% of 37,490 voters voted against the reforms, the only region to say "nyet". Discontent there has been brewing for some time and its rejection appeared to be a protest vote designed to signal anger over a local issue. Specifically, residents object to a plan put forward earlier this year by authorities to merge with neighboring region Arkhangelsk, a move they believe would leave them poorer by stripping them of special financial support. A memorandum outlining the plan was signed by the two regions' governors on May 13. A September referendum on the issue has since been cancelled but locals remain wary. "Sign of protest" "People voted [against the constitutional reforms] as a sign of protest ... They wanted to use this to get the attention of authorities in Moscow and to tell them that we live here too, that we have an opinion," Tatyana Antipina, a local businesswoman, said by telephone. Antipina travelled to Moscow this week to deliver a petition to the Kremlin with over 15,000 signatures opposing the plan. Olga Bondareva, who voted no, said locals had been protesting the planned merger since May. "We held flash mobs every day, stood in solitary pickets, and on Saturdays we'd do protests driving in our cars, all so that our district authorities and deputies would hear us," Bondareva said in a chat over social media. In Volonga, a village with 32 registered resident voters, located on the coast of the Arctic Ocean, 17 people took part in the referendum and all voted "no". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the region's voters had the right to vote against but were "the absolute minority." The ex-boyfriend of Gu Ha-ra of defunct girl band Kara was sentenced to a year in prison by an appeals court Thursday for assaulting and blackmailing the starlet. The court upheld a lower court's ruling that cleared Choi Jung-bum of making a pornographic video of the couple without Gu's consent but increased the punishment for causing her physical harm. The scandal surfaced in September 2018 when Choi filed a police report claiming Gu assaulted him at her home. Gu filed a counter-complaint against Choi for blackmailing her with a sex tape after a gossip website reported the threat. The website said that Choi sent the video to her mobile phone saying, "I will end your career," and that Gu pleaded with him not to. The lower court in August last year found that the sex tape was not recorded against Gu's will although she did not explicitly consent but gave Choi a three-year suspended sentence for assault and blackmailing. Gu committed suicide in November 2019, three months after the ruling. The incident caused an uproar among fans, especially women, with a petition calling for more severe punishment for revenge porn, while women's rights groups called for the resignation of the judge who presided over the first trial. But the appeals court also found Choi innocent of making the sex tape without Gu's consent, but sentenced him to imprisonment saying the lower court's sentence was "too light." It said that he abused the fact that the victim is a celebrity and threatened to distribute the video to news media. The coronavirus outbreak inside a Red Cross shelter in Malaga city, detected last week, has caused more infections in the last few days. On Thursday evening this week the number of positive tests had reached 105, although there were only two new cases since Tuesday, suggesting the outbreak was stabilising. This continues to be the most worrying cluster of infection in Andalucia, but it is not the only one in Malaga province. The other outbreak, in the Axarquia village of Casabermeja, is stable with seven cases on Wednesday, according to regional government data. Here health workers have finished their investigation and testing, following new cluster-control procedures. The Red Cross cluster was however still under investigation on Wednesday, as more contact tracing and tests were carried out. Local hospitalised cases In Malaga province, including the Costa del Sol, there were 14 people in hospital with Covid-19 this week but none were in intensive care, the first time this has happened since early March. According to the regional Health ministry, 16 people tested positive in Malaga province on Wednesday. In June overall, there was one death in the province's hospitals due to coronavirus. The total amount of positive cases recorded locally since the crisis began with the more reliable PCR testing is now 2,975. In Andalucia, there were eleven active outbreaks on Wednesday: two in Malaga, six in Granada and one outbreak each in Almeria, Huelva and Cadiz. Forty-nine people were in hospital in the region, of whom 12 were in intensive care. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Laurie Goering (Reuters) London, United Kingdom Fri, July 3, 2020 12:15 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406638b75b 2 World South-Africa,fossil-fuel,energy-industry,energy-security Free As the COVID-19 pandemic bashes economies and demand for oil, many African nations dependent on exporting fossil fuels are "hemorrhaging" cash, African energy experts warned this week. The crisis - which comes as more investors shun carbon-heavy businesses - is a taste of what may happen if Africa's rich oil and gas reserves become "stranded assets" that cannot be pumped as the world shifts to clean energy to meet climate goals. Fatima Denton, director of the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa, said such a situation had always been "talked about as a hypothetical scenario". "But it's fair to say it's what's happening now," she said. Hard-hit nations could respond to the threat in two ways, African experts said: either by switching up a gear on renewable power in a bid to meet development and climate change goals, or by pumping fossil fuels faster while they still can. "It's time to optimize our resources," Senyo Hosi, CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, told an online event this week. "If we don't utilize [fossil fuels] in time, we'll make fools of ourselves and miss a major opportunity." Cutting back on fossil fuel use to curb global warming is the job of rich countries that produce the vast majority of global emissions - not African nations which are responsible for only a tiny share, noted James Murombedzi, coordinator of the African Climate Policy Centre. But Denton said the continent had the potential to leapfrog dirty technology in getting electric power to the 565 million Africans who still live without it today. "Africa could become the custodian of a new sustainable development world order" if it can make that energy transition in a clean way, she added. Doing so could also be an opportunity to root out corruption in oil and gas nations that has meant Africa's fossil fuel resources "have never benefited the great majority of our people", she said. 'Unique opportunity' Damilola Ogunbiyi, the U.N. Secretary-General's special representative on sustainable energy for all, said that as African states try to recover from COVID-19 "they are faced with a unique, once-in-a-generation opportunity to 'recover better'". "Countries that recover better with sustainable energy will see the payoff in the form of resilient economies, new jobs and faster energy development", giving them a competitive advantage, she said as Sustainable Energy for All, a global energy access body, published a clean recovery guide for Africa this week. Installing and maintaining solar mini-grids and solar home systems, in particular, could create millions of jobs for the fast-growing number of young Africans seeking work, clean energy backers said. But finding political support and cash for a green energy transformation will be a huge challenge in many parts of Africa, not least with budgets flattened by the pandemic, they added. Many African oil-exporting countries, from Gabon to Equatorial Guinea, have seen their oil revenues halved since the start of the pandemic, said Antonio Pedro, director for central Africa at the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa. New licensing for fossil fuel exploration is also drying up, and projects are being postponed or cancelled in countries from Mozambique to Guinea Bissau, Pedro said. Natural resources - including oil and gas - account for 25% of gross domestic product in Africa, he said, compared to 2% for richer countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The pandemic-linked slowdown is raising awareness of the risks of relying so heavily on revenue from fossil fuels and other natural resources, the experts said. But if Africa is asked to back away from using its oil, gas and coal, it will need help to do it, said Rose Mwebaza, director of the U.N.-backed Climate Technology Centre and Network. "The transitions are not going to happen without financial facilitation," she said. Selam Kidane Abebe, a legal adviser to the African group of negotiators at U.N. climate talks, said African officials were willing to make changes in their energy systems, but they had to be ones that would cut poverty and boost incomes. "If countries are not going to use these [fossil fuel] resources, there have to be other resources to promote their sustainable development," she told the online event. Climate threat Africa already has most of the world's people lacking access to electricity, and climate change is making efforts to slash those numbers difficult. Worsening droughts, particularly in southern Africa, now regularly dry up key hydropower dams, one of the continent's leading sources of clean energy. Africa has huge potential for solar, wind and geothermal power, but so far the technologies "are not yet proven on a scale that can drive the industrialization of this continent", said Murombedzi of the African Climate Policy Centre. Investment by some multilateral agencies and countries from China to the United States also is still driving expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure in Africa - raising the risk of more stranded assets, the experts noted. The World Bank in 2010 granted a $3.7 billion loan to build South Africa's large-scale Medupi coal-fired power plant, making it hard for the country to ditch the fuel, Murombedzi said. "If South Africa moved out of coal, it would have not only the stranding of the facility itself but the ... debt South Africa owes," he said. Denton said any effort to catalyze a shift to clean energy in Africa must take into account its heavy economic dependence on natural resources, including fossil fuels. "The road to going green is fraught with many difficulties," she said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dyaning Pangestika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 15:58 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663a0a1f 1 Business COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,coronavirus,virus-korona-indonesia,SMBCI,Sumitomo-Corporation,btpn,donation,COVID-19-aid Free Bank holding and financial services company Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. has donated US$930,206 through the United Nations International Childrens Fund (UNICEF) to help Indonesians affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. These are challenging times for everyone all over the world. Global collaboration is now more important than ever to find ways to overcome the common challenges posed by COVID-19, the companys global business unit deputy head, Ryuji Nishisaki, said in a statement on Friday. Nishisaki added the donation from the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) group served as an example of the institutions commitment to contributing to Indonesias economy and society especially in the time of a global health crisis that has caused immediate impacts on peoples livelihoods. Read also: Anti-COVID-19 initiatives: Helping Indonesia fight the outbreak UNICEF representative to Indonesia, Debora Comini, said the UN body appreciated the donation. During this extraordinary time, UNICEF is pleased to accept this assistance from SMBC Group. This will allow us to further expand our response programs to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemics impact on the health and livelihoods of children and women, said Comini. Separately, employees of publicly-listed private lender Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Negara (BTPN) in which SMBC has a 96.89 percent stake raised Rp 166 million in donations to provide personal protective equipment to medical workers in various health facilities in 10 provinces across the country. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Johannesburg, South Africa Fri, July 3, 2020 11:00 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406638329d 2 World South-Africa,coronavirus,coronavirus-effect,coronavirus-restrictions,coronavirus-prevention,military,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed parliament of his decision to extend the deployment of 20,000 soldiers, a drop from 76,000, until Sept. 30 to help enforce COVID-19 restrictions as the country reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases. Ramaphosa first deployed 2,820 members of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) a few days before enforcing a nationwide lockdown in late March. The number was increased to 76,000 in April as the health threat grew. The money that will be spent on this extension is 1.5 billion rand ($88.35 million), Ramaphosa told the speaker of parliament. At the end of March, Ramaphosa announced one of the toughest lockdowns anywhere in the world, banning anyone but essential workers from leaving home except to buy food or medicine, and prohibiting alcohol sales, when South Africa had just 400 cases. The country started slowly reopening parts of the economy from May and again in June but infection have started to spike again. On Thursday, South Africa reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases, adding 8,728 confirmed infections and taking the total count to 168,061, according to health ministry data. Deaths rose by 95 to 2,844 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nina A. Loasana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 12:07 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066389e9e 1 National South-Korea,enoki-mushroom,mushroom,import,food Free Enoki mushrooms imported from South Korea are no longer in circulation at markets after a recall was issued by the Agriculture Ministry in May following reports that they contained harmful bacteria. The ministry recalled the mushrooms exported by South Korean mushroom exporter Green Co. Ltd, an official from the ministrys Food Security Agency (BKP), Agung Hendriadi, said. "Officials from the regional branches of the Central Food Safety Competency Authority [OKKPP] have checked enoki mushrooms sold at markets in several regions such as Jambi, West Kalimantan, Ternate, and Jakarta and they found no enoki mushrooms from South Korea, specifically from Green Co," he said during a press conference on Tuesday. Between April 21 and May 26, the agency had taken samples of enoki mushrooms imported from South Korea after the International Food Safety Authority Network (Infosan), a food security network under the United Nations and the World Health Organization, notified them that people in the United States, Canada and Australia had contracted listeriosis after consuming enoki mushrooms imported from South Korea. Read also: Indonesia orders destruction of imported enoki mushrooms over listeriosis fears The BKP found that some samples imported by the company had been contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterium that causes listeriosis. The foodborne illness can cause serious problems for vulnerable groups such as newborns, toddlers, pregnant women and the elderly. The BKP then told PT Green Box Fresh Vegetables, a local company that imported enoki mushrooms from Green Co Ltd., to cease all distribution and destroy the remaining mushrooms weighing more than 8.1 tons in Bekasi, West Java, between May 22 and June 19. Agung said the agency had also notified the South Korean Embassy in Indonesia so it could carry out corrective action. He explained that it was safe for the public to consume enoki mushrooms as long as they had not been imported from South Korea. "Listeria monocytogenes contaminates enoki mushrooms through water, land and while they grow. The factors are quite localized and specific to certain regions so it is very unlikely that enoki mushrooms from other countries also contain the bacteria," he said. However, Agung suggested cooking enoki mushrooms before consumption as a preventative measure. "Listeria monocytogenes will die when heated to a temperature of more than 75 degrees Celsius for five minutes, he added. Agung also suggested not storing enoki mushrooms with other foods to prevent cross-contamination. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gemma Holliani Cahya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 10:04 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406637fc18 1 National Papua,racism-in-indonesia,#BlackLivesMatter,#PapuanLivesMatter,double-standard,Komnas-HAM,everyday-racism Free For years, media coverage on Papua has straddled narratives on politics, natural resources, development, security and human rights, attracting attention from around the world. However, there is one issue that is still rarely discussed in public the casual racism experienced by native Papuans in their day-to-day lives. Do you think Im an animal? I remember I sometimes regretted my decision to study in Java. If only I knew it would be that hurtful, I would have just gone to a university in Sorong, Norce Herlin Mak Momao, 24, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday. Like many young Papuans, Norce left Sorong, her homeland, in 2013 and flew to Yogyakarta to go to university there, hoping to benefit from better higher education standards. It was her first time living far away from her family, but she quickly learned how people tended to look at her and treat her differently because of her appearance or because she was from Papua. Read also: How Papuan students deal with everyday racism The first few years were the hardest for her, she said. Finding a place to stay, for instance, was unnecessarily difficult. Once, the owner of a rooming house refused to take her in despite a sign advertising a vacancy up front. She was told there werent any rooms available. I think when they see Papuans they have this belief that we are mean human beings who will bring trouble to their place, Norce said. When I go to restaurants or stores, I can feel how they stare at me from head to toe like there is something wrong with me. Those experiences made me want to stay in my room and avoid public places. Oftentimes, even when she was with friends or family in public places like malls and tourist sites, strangers would casually take out their mobile phone to record or take pictures of her without her consent, all the while giggling among themselves and making her feel like a laughing stock. One time I was so annoyed that I grabbed the cellphone from one of them and deleted the video of me they took. I told them, do you think Im an animal so you could treat me this way? she said. They just went silent. They were adults, not some children. I was really angry. Norce Herlin Mak Momao poses for her graduation picture while surrounded by flowers from family and friends, after completing her master's degree in law from a university in Yogyakarta in May 2019. Norce is currently pursuing her doctoral degree and plans to return to her homeland in Sorong, Papua after she graduates. (Courtesy of/Norce Herlin Mak Momao) Norces sister, who is two years younger, also experienced such casual racism when she visited her for the holidays. It became such an unbearable experience that she decided to cancel her application to a university in Yogyakarta and return to Sorong to study. Maybe if I had lighter skin or straight hair, I wouldnt be treated this way. But it is beyond our power to choose the physical appearance we are born with, Norce said. We are also human, like any other. If they say Papua is really part of Indonesia, then educate yourself about us. The world is not only filled with people of your own race; educate your children about the diversity we have. Norce is now pursuing a doctoral degree in law and working at a legal aid organization in Yogyakarta. She would return to Papua after graduating, she said, so that she could continue her work at a human rights organization. Discussions on racism in Papua have flourished in online seminars and on social media following the death of black American George Floyd, which galvanized the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the United States, which rippled across to Indonesia. A number of local groups began to discuss racism in the country by campaigning that #PapuanLivesMatter too. Read also: Papuan lives matter: George Floyd and colorism in Indonesia Efforts to end years of racism against Papuans have not progressed fast enough, activists have bemoaned, but they believe the growing debate and sense of solidarity with the minority could be a good opportunity for change. Racism has been happening for decades in Papua, but these discussions can be a positive start, as more and more people start to recognize these public issues and start addressing the problem, Elvira Rumkabu, an international relations lecturer at Cenderawasih University, said on Sunday. I believe this will bring change. We cant end racism alone, we must do it together. Elvira said people had been reluctant to discuss issues related to Papua, mostly due to the running narrative that there are only two sides of the equation: separatism or the undisputable Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI harga mati). Thats the only narrative we have been fed. It has framed the discussion in a way that snuffs out any necessary debate on humanity. There is a fundamental human issue here that must be addressed; discussing Papua is discussing humanity, she said. Listen to us, stop denying Growing up dark-skinned with curly hair in Indonesia is not easy, says 25-year-old vlogger Barneci Nuboba. As a native Papuan born and raised in Timika, Eci has seen how most young Papuan girls she knows have tried or been tempted to straighten their hair so they can feel better about themselves so they can fit in. As a response to this, she started the online campaign #talingkarclub on Instagram, where girls post pictures of themselves showing off their curly hair with pride and connect with one another for support using the hashtag. Talingkar is the Papuan word for curly hair. Growing up, we have no role models in Indonesia that can make us feel good about ourselves. Beautiful people are portrayed in the media only as light-skinned girls with straight hair, Eci said. Barneci Nuboba (second right) poses with her best friends while visiting Pandawa Beach in Bali in 2019. Born and raised in Timika, Papua, Eci has for the past few years actively campaigned self-love for young Papuan women and for them to embrace their naturally curly hair. (Courtesy of/Barneci Nuboba) Since 2018, Eci has been posting videos on her Youtube channel dedicated to curly hair treatments, like tips to use coconut oil as a moisturizer, as well as other how-to styling videos. She has amassed a loyal following of 6,000 subscribers on her channel and regularly speaks in Papuan dialects to make her Papuan audience feel comfortable. However, her journey is not without its challenges. I often find many racist comments on my channel mocking my hair and my skin or saying that its ugly. At first it really brought me down, but nowadays I just delete them immediately. There are many young followers on my channel, so I dont want them to get hurt by those comments, she said. Read also: Racism: My experience as a doctor in Papua Even after all the things that weve experienced, some people still say that this kind of racism does not exist. I want to say to those people that unless you are Papuan, youll never be able to fully understand it. "Such racism is real and we face it every single day. So please listen to us and stop denying. If you dont want to sit next to a Papuan, dont come to Papua Even in their hometown, Papuans still face everyday racism. Yuliana Langowuyo, 37, the director of the Secretariat for Justice and Peace (SKPKC) Fransiskan Papua in Jayapura, shared just some of her stories that prove how casual racism can easily be found on the island. Yuliana recounted the several times that non-Papuan commuters would cover their noses whenever she hopped on an angkot (public minivan) in Jayapura. I could tell that people like that were new in town, because people dont do that if theyve been living here for years. It still makes me angry, though, she said. One time, I met a lady who moved away from me in the angkot and was in a hurry to cover her nose and mouth with her jacket when she saw me. I told her, if you dont want to sit next to a Papuan, dont come to Papua. Dont come here just to hurt our feelings with that kind of attitude. It is not just about the slurs and hurt feelings that are visible in the everyday experiences of native Papuans. Yuliana said she also saw that discrimination was baked into the governments development projects. There is a village called Kwarja in Jayapura. Jayapuras native people live there, mostly cocoa farmers. There is [still] no asphalt road there, no schools or health facilities, and no electricity, she told the Post. Yuliana Langowuyo (left) and her friend Caca pose for the camera at Tulsa international airport in Oklahoma, the United States, while waiting for their flight to Albuquerque, New Mexico to attend an event held by the US mission to Indonesia. Yuliana is actively involved in advocating for human rights, justice and peace in Papua. (Courtesy of/Yuliana Langowuyo) Just 25 kilometers away from the village, in a residential complex built to accommodate people under the New Orders transmigration scheme, the local administration has provided schools, health facilities and even an asphalt road to connect the five settlement units there, Yuliana said. People in my church [...] have tried for years to persuade the government to give better road access to the natives living in villages, but its so hard. They are still isolated and many of their children are still illiterate because they cant go to school, the activist complained. Read also: Govt drops appeal against ruling on internet shutdown in Papua And this is happening in Jayapura, the capital city of Papua can you imagine the discrimination that happens in other more rural regencies? To ensure that her nieces and the younger generations of Papuans wont have to experience the same everyday racism and discrimination that she currently faces, Yuliana insists on bringing this fight to the authorities. This fight is not because we want to be glorified, we are involved in this fight so we can matter, just so we can be treated as other human beings. This is supposed to be our basic human right and the fact that we have to really struggle to achieve it is really saddening, she said. Where is the government in this discussion? While more and more people have started to recognize the problem and tried to educate themselves about the struggles of everyday Papuans, activists have criticized the state for being so seemingly unmoved by the current changes underway. Up until today, the government has not responded to any of these discussions. We need to push for bigger change, a change in our political and social constructs, a structural and systemic policy to end racism, said Elvira from Cendrawasih University. In a recent online discussion held by Human Rights Watch Group Indonesia, a National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) commissioner, Choirul Anam, highlighted that there was still no law enforcement measure that effectively addressed acts of racism in Indonesia. Read also: Papuan protesters sentenced to less than one year for treason amid calls to drop charges The people involved in alleged racial abuse against Papuan students in East Java last year were not even charged for their racist acts. Choirul said these people, which included military personnel and members of the general public, were instead charged for "making a commotion and being violent". We have failed to seriously address the matter at the heart of this racism case, the commissioner said. "The government must use all the instruments at its disposal from law enforcement, prevention to self-correction to end racism." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Geneva, Switzerland Fri, July 3, 2020 16:00 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663a16ed 2 World Swiss,switzerland,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-drugs,COVID-19-treatment,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus,pandemic,remdesivir Free Switzerland announced Thursday that COVID-19 patients beyond those on clinical trials could be given remdesivir, the first drug shown to be relatively effective in treating the new coronavirus. At least two major US studies have shown that the anti-viral drug can reduce the duration of hospital stays for those suffering from the novel coronavirus. "With immediate effect, remdesivir can be used more widely in Switzerland for the treatment of COVID-19 patients," the government said in a statement. Following a swift review this week, Swissmedic, the national agency for therapeutic products, said it would allow the temporary distribution of the drug, which was originally intended as a treatment for Ebola. "Products containing the active substance remdesivir and marketed under the brand name Veklury may be used in Swiss hospitals, without authorization, for the treatment of COVID-19 patients," the statement said. The product will be made available to patients outside approved clinical trials and the approved compassionate use program, pending a decision on full authorization of the drug. Clinicians will monitor any adverse reactions to the drug to ensure patient safety, the government said. Cases rising again Switzerland had largely got the virus under control, but, from a low and stable base, has witnessed a resurgence in cases in the last week or so. The wealthy European nation, population 8.5 million, said in Thursday's daily COVID-19 update that 31,884 people had tested positive for the new coronavirus since it was first detected in Switzerland in February. Some 4,051 people have been hospitalized and 1,685 have died. Nearly 600,000 PCR tests for the virus have been conducted, with 6.4 percent proving positive. The United States has bought up almost all the supply of remdesivir. Washington announced this week that it had purchased 92 percent of all remdesivir production by the California-based Gilead laboratory until the end of September -- about 500,000 treatments out of nearly 550,000. Each treatment requires 6.25 vials on average. The World Health Organization's emergencies director Michael Ryan said Wednesday that the Geneva-based UN agency was looking into procurement details. "There are many people around the world who are very sick with this disease and we want to ensure that everybody has access to the necessary life-saving interventions," he told a virtual briefing. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Brad Brooks (Reuters) Lubbock, Texas Fri, July 3, 2020 10:50 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066382cfe 2 World Texas,US,coronavirus,coronavirus-mask-rush,corona-cake,coronavirus-effect,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,face-masks,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday decreed that face masks must be worn in all counties with over 20 coronavirus cases, billing the measure as a requirement to avoid another economic shutdown. Wearing face coverings to slow the spread of the coronavirus is unpopular among Abbott's conservative Republican base in Texas, but he said in a video released on Thursday that the action was now absolutely necessary. "In the past few weeks, there has been a swift and substantial spike in coronavirus cases," Abbott said. "We need to refocus on slowing the spread. But this time, we want to do it without closing down Texas again." Face masks must be used in all public buildings and outside when social distancing of at least six feet (2 meters) cannot be maintained, the governor said. Those violating the order will be given one warning. After that, they can be issued a fine of up to $250. Nobody can be jailed for defying the order, he said. About a third of the 254 counties in Texas have reported fewer than 20 coronavirus cases - making them exempt from the order. The governor also gave local authorities the ability to ban outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people. On Sunday, a far-right anti-mask rally was held on the grounds of the Texas Capitol attended by about 150 people. After avoiding major outbreaks in April and May, Texas has become a coronavirus hotspot. It reported nearly 8,000 new infections on Thursday. The rate of people testing positive for the virus has gone from 4.5% in late May to 14%, Abbott said. Hospitalizations averaged less than 1,700 per day in late May. By Thursday it was about 5,700 daily. "These spikes are not just limited to the big cities," Abbott said. "Ninety-one counties had record high numbers [of cases] in the past three days." Abbott's order marks a major reversal. For over two months, he ignored calls by the Democratic leaders of Texas' metropolitan areas to mandate mask wearing. He refused to allow leaders in Houston to enforce their own face-covering mandate with penalties, undercutting their ability to slow the spread of the virus. Hospital officials in Houston have said intensive care beds there are now in short supply. Abbott said he is not issuing a stay-at-home order, but is asking people to remain home if at all possible. "We must do more to slow the spread without locking Texas back down," Abbott said. "We are now at a point where the virus is spreading so fast, there is little margin for error." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Istanbul, Turkey Fri, July 3, 2020 17:15 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663a6774 2 World Turkey,Jamal-Khashoggi,Murder-trial,murder-case,Saudi-Arabia,journalist Free The trial in absentia of 20 Saudi suspects accused in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, including two former aides to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, began in Istanbul Friday, Khashoggi was an insider-turned-critic who wrote for The Washington Post before he was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018 to obtain documents necessary for his wedding to Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz. The suspects were charged with "deliberately and monstrously killing, causing torment," and prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for them. Turkish prosecutors claim Saudi deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Assiri and the royal court's media czar Saud al-Qahtani led the operation and gave orders to a Saudi hit team. Cengiz was attending the trial alongside the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, who has directly linked the crown prince to the killing, an AFP correspondent said. Yasin Aktay, a close friend of Khashoggi and advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party, was also in the courtroom. Cengiz said she hoped the trial "brings to light the whereabouts of Jamal's body, the evidence against the killers and the evidence of those behind the gruesome murder." "I will continue to pursue all legal avenues to hold Jamal's killers accountable and I will not rest until we get justice for Jamal," she told AFP before the trial. Khashoggi was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in a case that damaged the reputation of the crown prince despite his strenuous denial of any involvement. Khashoggi's remains have never been found. Saudi Arabia describes the murder as a "rogue" operation. A closed-door trial in Saudi Arabia ended in December with five unnamed people sentenced to death. The crown prince's former aides, Assiri and Qahtani, were exonerated. The sons of Khashoggi said they forgave his killers in May this year, a moved expected to allow the government to grant clemency for the five convicts on death row. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Galih Gumelar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, July 3, 2020 11:43 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066387bed 1 National confiscation,Jiwasraya,#Jiwasraya,AGO,#AGO Free The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has seized Rp 18.5 trillion (US$ 1.32 million) in assets from six defendants standing trial in the PT Asuransi Jiwasraya corruption and money laundering case. The defendants include former Jiwasraya president director Hendrisman Rahim and two other former Jiwasraya executives who are all accused of mismanaging premium revenue from the JS Saving Plan, one of Jiwasrayas insurance products, by investing it in multiple assets. Three other defendants are executives of three different companies, including a publicly listed property firm, who are accused of manipulating Jiwasrayas investment for personal gain. The alleged investment mismanagement resulted in the company's failure to pay out Rp 16 trillion in matured policies due in February to its policyholders. The assets seized from the defendants range from cash, mutual funds, land to apartment units all collected by investigators since the beginning of their probe on Dec. 17, assistant attorney general for general crimes Ali Mukartono said. Ali said the total value of the seized assets had exceeded the Rp 16.81 trillion in state losses incurred by Jiwasrayas investment mismanagement as audited by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) from 2008 to 2018. We are trying our best to restore state losses caused by the [investment] mismanagement, Ali said during a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs on Thursday. Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Trimedya Panjaitan applauded what he called progress in the AGO's investigation. The AGO named last week 13 new suspects in the case -- all investment management companies -- for allegedly helping the six defendants launder the premium revenue collected by Jiwasraya from 2014 to 2018. It has also named a Financial Services Authority (OJK) official, identified as FH, a suspect in the case. He is suspected of abuse of power, which is believed to have paved the way for Jiwasraya's investment mismanagement during FHs tenure as OJK department head of capital market monitoring from 2014 to 2017. Trimedya, however, suggested that the AGO also examine the liquidity of the assets so that it could easily convert them into cash to restore state losses. Imagine if some of the land has been used by the defendants as collateral to get loans from banks. It would be really hard to convert them into cash, he said. NasDem Party lawmaker Taufik Basari said the AGO should not only try to restore the state losses but also find a way to return all premiums that had been paid by JS Saving Plan policyholders. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mardika Parama (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, July 4 2020 Three state-owned construction companies, PT Waskita Karya, PT Hutama Karya and PT Wijaya Karya, are seeking repayments from the government for Rp 5.6 trillion (US$390.9 million) in accumulated land acquisition expenses for infrastructure projects. Waskita Karya president director Destiawan Soewardjono said on Wednesday that the government still owed the company Rp 3.71 trillion for land acquired for its ongoing toll road projects, including the Pemalang-Batang toll road in Central Java, the Bekasi-Cawang-Kampung Melayu told road in Greater Jakarta and the Cimanggis-Cibitung toll road in West Java. A combination of mounting unpaid expenses by the government and the companys dwindling income due to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused cash flow issues for the company, according to Destiawan. Our cash situation is currently in the red. Howeve... The Environment ministry of the Junta de Andalucia regional government has this week moved to deny that video footage of an Iberian lynx could have been filmed in the Serrania de Ronda. The video of the animal went viral after local businessman Enrique Ruiz uploaded it to the social media account of his business, the Bodega Antigua Real Fabrica de San Miguel de Ronda. He says that a German tourist by the name of Mandfred had gone hiking in the area between Farajan and Juzcar: "I took him to Alpandeire myself and he wanted to walk back to the bodega. When he returned he showed me the video, thinking that these animals were common here. I told him they weren't." Biologist Andres Rodriguez concurred: "We haven't seen lynxes in this area for a very long time. Perhaps because of the coronavirus their habitat is expanding. There are a lot fewer people in the countryside now." For its part, the Junta has concluded that the video must have been taken in Seville or Huelva, pointing towards the vegetation observed in the recording and also the behaviour of the animal. Ruiz's reaction, however, was one of disbelief: "If they decree that there was no lynx, there was no lynx." He added, sarcastically: "I love seeing how they manage the environment from an office. Perhaps they should do more hiking and see the wonders we have in the area." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam Sat, July 4 2020 The Indonesian government has asked Singapore to soon reopen its borders, particularly those that connect the city state to the tourist areas of Bintan and Batam in Riau Islands, which have been closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his visit to Batam on Thursday, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan made a phone call with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakhrisnan, requesting the latter to reopen the Singaporean borders that serve as entry points to Bintan and Batam. The senior minister said Vivian agreed to review Indonesia's request after Singapores general election, which will be held on July 10. I had a phone call with Foreign Minister Vivian because there was a request from Lagoi, Bintan, that they are ready to receive tourists as they now have zero COVID-19 c... Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, July 4 2020 The Industry Ministry is seeking to increase the role of small and medium enterprises (SME) in supplying raw materials for big businesses, as the government wants to reduce reliance on imported goods. A program that runs from July 1-15 aims to prepare selected SMEs by helping them with brand registration, packaging as well as with National Industrial Standards (SNI) and halal certification to meet big producers product standards, according to Gati Wibawaningsih, the ministrys director general of small and medium enterprises. The message this program is trying to convey is that local industries can produce what Indonesians need with quality products, Gati said in a virtual press conference on Wednesday. The program is part of the governments efforts to increase the role of small businesses, whic... Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dwi Oktarina (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Sat, July 4 2020 As more people stay home during this pandemic, concerns of rising numbers of pregnancies have emerged. West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil recently posted on his Instagram account a screenshot of an article relating to an increase in pregnancies in Cirebon regency, and urged men to take it slow with their wives. Negative COVID-19 but positive pregnancy, Ridwan posted. Limited access to health services during this pandemic has led to worries that less people are receiving contraceptives. According to the National Population and Family Planning Boards (BKKBN) latest figures, 28 million Indonesian couples receive contraception services. However, the board noticed a 20 to 30 percent decline in recipients from February to March, with variations among provinces. Concerns of a baby boom and population increase are not the only reasons expert... Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Fri, July 3, 2020 09:00 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066377f29 2 SE Asia Myanmar,mining-accident,mining-sites,landslides,mining-sector Free A landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar killed at least 126 people, with more feared dead, authorities said on Thursday, after a heap of mining waste collapsed into a lake and buried many workers under mud and water. The miners were collecting stones in the jade-rich Hpakant area of Kachin state - the centre of Myanmar's secretive jade industry - when the "muddy wave" crashed onto them, after heavy rain, the fire service department said in a Facebook post. By late afternoon rescue workers had recovered 126 bodies, the department said, but more were missing. "Other bodies are in the mud," Tar Lin Maung, a local official with the information ministry, told Reuters by phone. The numbers are going to rise. Deadly landslides and other accidents are common in the poorly regulated mines of Hpakant, which draw impoverished workers from across Myanmar in search of gems mostly for export to China. But Thursday's accident was the worst in over five years. About 100 people were killed in a 2015 collapse which strengthened calls to regulate the industry. Another 50 died in 2019. Many of those killed are freelance "jade pickers" who scour tailings - the residue from mining - for gemstones overlooked by larger operators. One good piece of jade, worth tens of thousands of dollars, could transform their lives. Video footage on social media showed frantic miners racing uphill to escape as a towering pile of black waste cascaded into a turquoise lake, churning up a tsunami-like wave of mud. Photos showed rows of dead bodies laid out on a hill, covered by tarpaulin. In a statement posted online on Thursday evening, the armed forces commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, said military officers would continue the rescue efforts. 'Run, run' Maung Khaing, a 38-year-old miner from the area who witnessed the accident, said he was about to take a picture of the precarious waste mound he felt looked set to collapse when people began shouting "run, run!" Within a minute, all the people at the bottom (of the hill) just disappeared, he told Reuters by phone. I feel empty in my heart. I still have goose bumps...There were people stuck in the mud shouting for help but no one could help them. Than Hlaing, a member of a local civil society group helping in the aftermath of the disaster, said those killed were freelancers scavenging the waste left by a larger mining firm. She said about 100 people were still missing and 30 had been hospitalized. A local official had warned people not to go to the mine on Thursday because of the bad weather, she said. Theres no hope for the families to get compensation as they were freelance miners. The government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi pledged to clean up the industry when it took power in 2016, but activists say little has changed. Official sales of jade in Myanmar were worth 671 million euros ($750 million) in 2016-17, according to data published by the government as part of an Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. But rights group Global Witness says the trade is worth billions of dollars a year, funds it says fuel armed conflict between government troops and ethnic Kachin rebels fighting for greater autonomy for the region. In a statement, the group called Thursday's accident a "preventable tragedy" and said the Suu Kyi's administration had failed to implement promised reforms to curb "illicit and rapacious mining practices". A government spokesman did not answer phone calls by Reuters seeking comment. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Bangkok, Thailand Fri, July 3, 2020 07:27 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663703f7 2 SE Asia Thailand,alcohol-ban,alcohol-consumption,under-age-drinking Free Thailand said on Thursday it would prohibit online sales of alcohol in a clampdown on underage drinking after a rise in sales during the coronavirus outbreak. The Southeast Asian country scrapped a three-week ban on the sale of alcohol in shops in May when it lifted other restrictions following progress in containing the coronavirus. The legal drinking age is 20 and the sale of alcohol is prohibited in certain areas like schools and parks. Thailand already limits the hours that stores can sell alcohol. "Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the sale of beverages online has increased and there were promotions that did not regulate age and location, making it difficult to enforce existing laws," Deputy Minister of Public Health Satit Pitutacha said in a statement. The new regulations would come into effect this year and carry a maximum fine of 10,000 baht ($320) and up to six months in prison. Several grocery retailers in Thailand offer alcoholic products online. A more logical decision would be to enforce checking of age, Jerome Le Louer, owner of Wishbeer, an online store for craft beer, wines and spirits. We check the ID of our customers when we deliver, he said, adding that retailers could do similar checks online and that cooperation between regulators and businesses would be more effective than prohibition. Thailand reported six new coronavirus cases on Thursday, all imported from abroad, marking 38 successive days without any domestic transmission. Red-light districts in the Thai capital, Bangkok, reopened on Wednesday after more than three months of shutdown. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Bangkok, Thailand Fri, July 3, 2020 08:24 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066373eed 2 SE Asia Thailand,Asia-Pacific,trade-pact,trade-aggreement-talk Free Thailand will take until September to study whether to join a trans-Pacific free trade agreement, potentially missing a window for entry this year amid widespread concern that joining the pact may harm its farm and healthcare sectors. Thailand's commerce ministry has said joining the 11-member Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) would boost the country's economy and offset the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, while making sectors including electronics and agriculture more competitive against rivals like Vietnam and Malaysia, both CPTPP members. Opposition parties and some civil groups oppose membership, saying tariff-free access to other CPTPP members could lead to a flood of agricultural and pharmaceutical imports and hurt those industries in Thailand. A parliamentary committee will study the costs and benefits of the CPTPP by mid-July. But the committee needs two more months to finish its study, chairman Werakorn Khumprakob told Reuters. The commerce minister will not propose CPTPP membership to the cabinet if people cannot agree on it, the minister's advisor Mallika Boonmeetrakool Mahasook told Reuters. The study committee has said it will be open to public opinions on CPTPP membership. Business groups on commerce, industry and banking have said Thailand should take part in the talks this year, which start on Aug. 5. The CPTPP was originally known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which fell apart when the United States - its main architect - withdrew in early 2017. Member countries, including Japan and Canada, signed the CPTPP deal in 2018 without the United States. The national COVID-19 task force requires every individual traveling by land, sea or air transportation to present a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or rapid test result certificate that is valid for 14 days from departure date. In light of this regulation, low-cost carrier Citilink is now offering a free rapid test service for passengers who book flights via the airlines website or mobile application between July 1 and 7. According to the airlines website, the offer is valid for the first 500 passengers who travel between July 2 and 31. Passengers who make a booking via website or mobile app will receive an e-ticket that includes unique numbers to claim the service. They then can go to any of the airline's partner clinics and show their e-ticket and identity card. Read also: COVID-19: Here are the requirements for those seeking to travel to, within Indonesia Passengers need to take the test at least 12 hours before departure. Non-reactive rapid test results will be valid for 14 days from departure date. Meanwhile, passengers with reactive rapid test results will be directed to a COVID-19 referral hospital for further examination. The free rapid test service is not refundable. Previously Lion Air Group made news for offering rapid COVID-19 testing for their Lion Air, Wings Air and Batik Air passengers, with prices starting from Rp 95,000 (US$6.62). The first phase of the test is said to be conducted daily in four locations in Jakarta and Tangerang, Banten. (jes/kes) Travellers to Switzerland from 29 countries will from July 6 have to register with the authorities and go into self-isolation to prevent a resurgence of the coronavirus, the government said on Thursday. The list includes the United States, Sweden, Brazil and Russia, which have been designated as countries with a high risk of infection. Visitors who have spent time in the named countries in the previous 14 days must notify the Swiss authorities immediately on arrival and then go into quarantine for 10 days, the government said. The list of affected countries also includes Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Serbia. The list will be continually reviewed, the government said. In Switzerland the number of infections has started to increase in recent days, triggering concerns about a second wave of COVID-19, but its borders with Italy, Austria, Germany and France are currently open. The country, which has lifted many of its restrictions, including reopening schools and shops, has had 31,967 positive tests for COVID-19 so far, while 1,686 people have died during the epidemic. Switzerland is in the 26-nation Schengen area which normally has no frontier checks. Unrestricted travel has been allowed between Switzerland and all the other Schengen members, apart from Sweden which appears on the government list. Since mid-June, when the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases held steady at 81, Isabella County's cases have increased 33 percent. No other mid-Michigan county has come close to matching that growth. Friday afternoon, the number of cases in the county had grown to 108. It means that 1.5 people have been infected for every 1,000 people who live in the county. The Central Michigan District Health Department has also monitored 28 probable cases of COVID-19 in Isabella County. A probable case is defined as someone who had close contact with someone confirmed with the disease and has developed symptoms. Eight people have died from the disease in Isabella County, five of whom were nursing home residents. The county has also seen 11 hospitalizations, with none of them recently. - Advertisement - Cases in other counties increased across mid-Michigan. Since Wednesday, another two cases were reported in Clare County, increasing its totals to 29 cases with three deaths and five probable cases. Montcalm County saw an additional seven cases for 92 cases and one death. There were another three cases in Midland, bringing its totals to 130 cases and nine deaths; another case in Mecosta County, for a total of 27 cases and two deaths; another case in Gladwin County, for a total of 27 cases and one death. Only Gratiot saw no growth, staying at 83 cases and 13 deaths. The Mid-Michigan District Health Department has monitored 10 probable cases there, according to its website. Statewide, another 460 cases and three deaths were announced, bringing the state's cumulative totals to 65,135 confirmed cases and 5,969 deaths. Approximately 6.5 people for every thousand in the state have been infected. Health departments across the state have monitored 7,003 probable cases. Michigan had reached lows in mid-June, and cases have trended up since. So far, there is one difference between the disease before mid-June and the recent uptick in cases, fewer deaths. At the height of the April outbreak, death rates from the disease were running at 10 percent. So far, the new cases are a fraction of that, which has pulled the death rate down to 9.2 percent. Also increasing is the state's rate of positive test results. On Wednesday, the rate went above 3 percent for the first time since June 5. It was 3.19 percent Thursday. Isabella County's positive test result rate, on Tuesday, was 2.7 percent. READ MORE: Soaring Eagle restaurant employee tests positive for COVID-19 Legends Diner, one of the restaurants at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort, was closed Thursday night after one of its employees tested po +3 CMU prof considers pandemics impact on apparel When Central Michigan University alum Michael Mamp returned to CMU seven years ago to join the Fashion Merchandising and Design faculty, he br +15 Confirmed coronavirus cases are rising in 40 of 50 states FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.>> The number of confirmed coronavirus cases per day in the U.S. climbed to an all-time high of more than 50,000 on Thursday, with the infection curve rising in 40 out of 50 states in a reversal that has largely spared only the Northeast. Amid new shut-down order, most mid-Michigan bars stay open Most mid-Michigan bars - open again for just a few weeks but facing a new shut-down order Wednesday - remain open because food sales contribut Spain and Portugal opened their border on Wednesday, with simple ceremonies on either side of the frontier. The border, known colloquially in Spanish as 'La Raya' (the stripe), was first shut at all crossing points on 17 March. This has been particularly hard for towns and villages on either side where local economies in both countries are historically very interconnected. The two countries wanted to give special relevance to this return to cross-border normality and the event was presided over by King Felipe VI and Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. It was also attended by the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, and the Portuguese prime minister, Antonio Costa. The border was reopened ten days after the rest of the Schengen area, following the wishes of the Portuguese government. Two symbolic events took place, one each side of the border. The first was in Badajoz (Extremadura) and the second in the adjacent town of Elvas, in Portugal. The EU opens up The opening of the Spain-Portugal border coincided with the start of air bridges from the EU to 15 countries. From 1 July, visitors can now arrive from Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and China, though in the latter case only if the arrangement is made reciprocal. Notable omissions from this list are the United States and Russia. In his speech in Elvas, Pedro Sanchez said that precautions still needed to be taken, but it was time to get the economy moving. Central Michigan University's offices of University Communications and Advancement each have won international recognition for their outstanding work in 2019. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education's 2020 awards honored University Communications with its silver international Circle of Excellence Award for its multimedia/story package titled "CMU is Deep into Great Lakes Research," which published in September. Advancement won CASE's 2020 Educational Fundraising Award in the category of Overall Improvement for Public Research/Doctoral Institutions with endowments of less than $215 million. It is the first time CMU has received this award. - Advertisement - According to judges of the Great Lakes package, what seemed like a standard research story on the surface turned into a surprising interactive and engaging experience that takes users through CMU's journey to understanding and protecting the Great Lakes. They also said that the use of beautifully produced videos, movement on the map, and quickly consumable copy left readers informed, impressed and excited to continue following the story. "I am excited that our team has been recognized for their work," said John Veilleux, chief marketing officer and vice president of University Communications. "We have a talented team of professionals second to none. They love to share stories about the talented faculty and students we have at Central Michigan University. It's easy to tell great stories when you have incredibly compelling stories to tell, and we are honored to share them." The fundraising awards recognize exemplary development programs based on a blind review of data submitted to a CASE survey. The years measured for the award were the last three of CMU's Fire Up for Excellence Campaign. Heidi Tracy, vice president of Advancement, said the campaign, which ended June 30, 2019, raised more than $115 million from 68,861 donors. "CMU is known as a place that develops leaders," she said. "The work accomplished by the alumni, staff and donors during this campaign demonstrates just how strong those qualities are in every member of our community." Overall, CASE received 2,752 entries from 587 higher education institutions, independent schools and nonprofits in 28 countries and selected more than 400 entries for recognition. Amid new shut-down order, most mid-Michigan bars stay open Most mid-Michigan bars - open again for just a few weeks but facing a new shut-down order Wednesday - remain open because food sales contribut New Michigan coronavirus cases more than double from previous day Michigan saw 543 new confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday, July 2, more than double the number added Wednesday. Additionally, 15 deaths were reported, up from the previous day's four. Michigan Opera Theatre plans changes for its return The show will go on, but in a different fashion when the Michigan Opera Theatre resumes operations in the future. Testing for E. coli in the Chippewa River has started for the summer, and the first results show just one location above the state's water quality standards. That location is a familiar one, downriver from Meridian Park but upstream from Chipp-A-Waters where the river's north branch merges in. There, the daily geometric mean is 344.7, above the state's standard of 300. E. coli is measured using colony forming units per 100 mililiters of water. A colony forming unit measures the number of viable bacteria cells within that water. - Advertisement - When water exceeds the state's water quality standards, people are recommended to avoid full contact. By the time the river reaches Chipp-A-Waters Park, the daily geometric mean fell to 87.3, and was down to 68.3 at the Chippewa Road bridge east of Mt. Pleasant. Upstream from the confluence of the north branch, at Meridian Park the daily geometric mean was 70.3. At the Coldwater River Road bridge, the daily geometric mean was 83. At the School Road bridge, the furthest upstream testing is conducted, the daily geometric mean was 23.7. Upstream from the confluence of the north branch, the river has remained safe for contact throughout the summer since testing started. The highest readings, which usually occur at the confluence and into Mt. Pleasant, usually come at the height of the summer from mid-July to mid-August, and then it usually begins to decline. The cause of the increased E. coli levels is believed to be sewage from the Beal City area. A new sewer system connecting that part of Isabella County to the city of Mt. Pleasant's, which is believed will address the problem, is under construction. READ MORE: +2 Parks department slowly opening Isabella facilities While it might look like it's simple to open a park, there can be a lot of parts that need to fall into place first, the director of Isabella Library program Zooms in on wildlife REPCO Wildlife Encounters offers a virtual visit via Zoom at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, June 20, with wild animals from reptiles to invertebrates, s Mt. Pleasant opens Nelson Park, cars barred from Island Park Mt. Pleasant's Nelson Park is reopening in time for Memorial Day weekend, but if you want to visit Island Park, you'll have to walk. +6 Heavy rains cause mid-Michigan flooding Most of mid-Michigan remained under a flood warning Monday as heavy rains continued to soak low areas and send river levels toward flood stages. Solution for Pine River: Stop farm over fertilization? Manure produced by farm animals in Gratiot County equals the waste of 1.3 million people. This subscription will allow curernt subscribers of The News Guard to access all of our online Subscriber-Only content, including the E Editions area. NOTE: To claim your access to the site, you will need to enter the Last Name and First Name that is tied to your subscription in this format: SMITH, JOHN If you need help with exactly how your specific name needs be entered, please call us at 1-541-994-2178 or email admin@countrymedia.net. When the 2021 high school softball season kicked off, more than 150 teams from around the state set out to reach the Division 1 state championship game. People travelling from Spain to England will not have to submit themselves to a 14-day quarantine from next Friday, 10 July, Transport secretary Grant Shapps has announced. Spain has been included on a list of 59 countries and 14 British overseas territories considered "lower risk", alongside Italy, France, Belgium and Germany. "Passengers returning to or visiting the UK from certain destinations will no longer need to be isolated on arrival from 10 July," Shapps said on Friday. This does not apply, however, if they have travelled via a place which is not exempt However, while Shapps referred to the UK, at present the devolved governments in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are yet to decide whether to ease travel restrictions. A range of factors Shapps explained that the decision is based on "a range of factors" including "the prevalence of coronavirus, the number of new cases and the potential disease trajectory" in the destinations concerned. However, he warned that the exempted countries and territories would be "under constant review" and that if the risks to public health in the UK increased, the 14-day quarantine measures could be reintroduced "to help stop the spread of the disease" in the country. That release could not be found. To help #FlattenTheCurve of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Lagos has embarked on several activities from the confirmation of the first case till date. Some of these activities are as enumeratedbelow: The Centre for Excellence in Haemorrhagic and Viral Diseases, College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL),confirmed the first COVID-19 case in Nigeria. This was done under theleadership of Professor Sunday Omilabu and Dr.MuyiwaSalu (Medical Microbiology & Parasitology). Presently, the laboratory in conjunction with Lagos University Teaching Hospital,runs about 300 samples daily and is one of 4 laboratories in Lagos and 14 in the country accredited for laboratory diagnosis of the virus. These sensitisation videos and images were facilitated and disseminated by the University of Lagos Television (UNILAG TV), Communication Unit, Medical Centre, University of Lagos and other exceptional members of staff of the University. Click the following URLs to access the videos: Longbefore the stay-at-home and lockdown directives were issued by both the federal and state governments, the University has been sensitising the public across all it media platforms, of preventive tips to avoidthe spread of theCOVID-19 and is still continuing in this duty by creating sensitisation infomercials in various languages such as:Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and Pidgin English. https://youtu.be/XHRwFGDptuc https://www.linkedin.com/posts/university-of-lagos_unilagnigeria-covid19-preventionisbetterthancure-activity-6645253832152616960-vkoJ https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ybg33FIl0/?igshid=1iyvritlh86c ImportantCOVID-19 Announcement in English Language:https://youtu.be/_SXDN74aqAU Important COVID-19 Announcement inYoruba Language:https://youtu.be/lQgpuzB9DUQ Important COVID-19 Announcement inIgbo Language: https://youtu.be/iTNt1pDgGUI Important COVID-19 Announcement in Hausa Language:https://youtu.be/1HAODE6UXSY Important COVID-19 Announcement in Pidgin English:https://youtu.be/BqZcm-1FWVY In our determination to take action towards preserving our nation and its people, amulti-disciplinary research team, drawn from different departments in the University recently produced a low-cost Ambubagventilator which has been tested and patented as UNILAG/LASRIC-AmbuVent. The ventilator was named thus to emphasis the partnership between the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC). The medical practise has a great demand for this machine in this COVID-19 pandemic, as well as pre and post COVID-19. Further to this, the University of Lagos wanted to create a product that will not only play an important role in flattening the COVID-19 curve but remain relevant long after the pandemic has been vanquished. The aim therefore, was to produce an easily deplorable ventilator that can cater to the increasing need for the life support machine while maintaining the specifications laid out by the World Health Organisation (WHO). We believe theUNILAG/LASRIC-AmbuVent will play a significant role in reducing the mortality rate of COVID-19 in Nigeria at a low cost. Members of staff who participated in the projects are from the Departments of Anaesthesia, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics and Metallurgical & Materials Engineering. The team was led by Dr. Hakeem Amuda, an Associate Professor of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and Deputy Director (Innovation) in the University of Lagos Research and Innovation Office. In a country with about 200 million population and less than 500 ventilators, the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, poses a great threat to not only the economy of the state but the very existence of its people, culture and identity. Due to the alarming increase in the demand for health workers during these trying times, members of staff of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), joined forces with their colleagues in the Infectious Disease Unit of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH)to actively help in the training of health workers and treatment of COVID19-positive cases. As one of the essential hygienic requirements to protect individuals from this pandemic is to regularly apply alcohol-based hand sanitisers, members of staff of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagosproduced and donatedpacks of hand sanitisersto the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Please click the URL for details https://unilag.edu.ng/?p=6478 In the same light, the Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos, has produced about 100 litres of high-grade COVID-19 Intervention Hand Sanitisers, which was shared free of charge to the University's immediate environment. Please click the URL for details https://unilag.edu.ng/?p=6547 Similarly, Home Economics, a cohort under the Department of Science and Technology, Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, also produced and donated re-usable fabric face masks to Management for the University's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This was subsequently distributed to both internal and external communities of the University. The Centre for Information,Technology and Systems (CITS), University of Lagos (UNILAG) powered a Covid-19 Visualizerthat allows people to check real-time statistics of COVID-19 cases across all the states in Nigeria. Click http://covid19.unilag.edu.ng/to use it. Our members of staff at CMUL have been in the forefront of the public health response and they also monitor the COVID-19 trends and plot daily charts which can be found on the University website. Click the following URL to check out the COVID-19 bot of Microsoft Tech Community UNILAG http://covid19.mspunilag.com/ Microsoft Student Partners of UNILAG created a bot that tells you your chances of having the COVID-19based on your answer to carefully selectedquestions. It also gives precautionary tips to help individuals prevent the spread of the virus. Staff and students of the Department of Computer Science, University of Lagos made it to the top 40 out of 200 great entries from around the world in the Code The Curve competition to solve COVID-19 problems. Theirs was a unique submission as it addresses health issues beyond the present COVID-19 pandemic and can be utilised continuously in the future. They progressed to the second stage of the competition and represented Nigeria diligently. As it is expected, one of the greatest challenges during a pandemic is the stress and mental trauma that ensues. Our members of staff at CMUL have been instrumental in catering to individuals dealing with thestress and mental trauma associated with positive COVID-19 diagnosis. This they have done in the hospitaland community care of COVID-19 patients, as well as a part of the Lagos State Response Team. Ultimately, the University of Lagos (UNILAG) is committed to continue devising newer, safer and more cost-effective means of stoppingCOVID-19 in Nigeria and the world at large. Further to this the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, FAS, has charged members of staff of the University to deepen their research and drive for innovation in areas relevant to the immediate need of the nation. Students of the University under the Professor Ogundipe Innovative Challenge (POIC) also launched a Stay-At-Home awareness campaign which augmented the efforts of the various state governments particularly that of Lagos State. The campaign involved individuals uploading their pictures in a graphic design that depicts they would do their part to flatten the curve by staying at home and maintaining healthy hygiene. The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu, has declared that there was no differences to be sorted out in the party saying there is no crisis in the party, hence, no fight to reconcile. He made the declaration shortly after a closed door meeting with Governor Mala Buni, Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee and other members at his Bourdillon Residence in Ikoyi, Lagos. Buni, also the governor of Yobe, led other members of the APC national caretaker committee to the Lagos meeting with Tinubu. We have no differences to be sorted out in the APC; we just had consultation and it is how our party, the APC, would continue to be a progressive party, he said. According to him, the committee is a consultation and not reconciliation committee since nobody is fighting anybody. There are instances when you disagree, but it doesnt mean that you cannot discuss it over and be a good example in leadership and politics, Tinubu said. The former Lagos State governor also said that politics without seeming media crisis would be less interesting. But the question is, are we committed to building this party and Nigeria? That is what we are all about. We are steering the ship of our nation and our party in the right direction, Mr Tinubu said. He said that the party leadership had trust and respect for the chairman of the caretaker committee and would support him to succeed for the party to continue in its progressive governance of the country. The committee chairman, who led other members to the meeting, said that the meeting was part of the consultation the committee was making. You know the task before us is daunting, and we need guidance, experience and prayers from our leaders, Buni said. Other members of the committee in attendance included the Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum, Governor Abubakar Bagudu; Secretary of caretaker committee, James Akpan Udo-Edehe and Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello. Minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, on friday, met with the caucus of the Bayelsa State House of Representatives Members in Abuja. The meeting, the first of it's kind for the year and the first major bipartisan gathering had the five green chamber members of the state in attendance. In his opening remarks, chairman of the delegation Hon Fred Agbedi (Sagbama/Ekeremor federal Constituency) expressed the group's willingness in working with the Hon Minister in all areas of development. He also hailed Sylva's strides to existing structures, especially the most recent Hospital brought to the state by the Minister at the backdrop of the COVID-19 epidemic. Chief Sylva, in response, appreciated the chairman and his colleagues. Sylva spoke of a fair, stable relationship with Governor Diri and vowed to always make sure Bayelsa state gets all she is due from the Federal government. 'Bayelsa needs a plan...and I'm happy to announce that I've gotten approval for a depot in Bayelsa state. Also, a museum for Oil and Gas' Sylva said amidst other efforts at developing the state in the works. Sylva also emphasized the toll carnivorous politics could be having on the state. Others in attendance are Hon Israel Sunny-Goli (Brass/Nembe federal Constituency) Hon Steve Sinikiem Azaiki (Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma federal constituency) Hon Fred Obua (Ogbia Federal Constituency) and Hon Preye Influence Oseke (Southern Ijaw federal constituency) JULIUS BOKORU is the Special Assistant On Media And Public Affairs To Chief Timipre Sylva (Hon Minister Of State For Petroleum Resources). BUA Cement, One of West Africas largest Cement companies has announced that it is set to establish a three million metric tonnes cement plant and 50 megawatts power plant in Guyuk and Lamurde local governments of Adamawa state in the North Easter region of Nigeria. This was revealed when the Chairman of BUA, Abdul Samad Rabiu led the BUA Cement Management team on a courtesy call to the Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri in the Government House, Yola. Speaking during the visit, Abdul Samad Rabiu said preliminary findings show that the two local governments of Guyuk and Lamurde are reputed to have good quality of limestone deposits and BUA Cement is ready to begin the investment in the state. He added that the BUA will use new technologies to supply power to the proposed cement plant and communities of Guyuk and Lamurde in addition to providing three thousand direct and five thousand indirect jobs. The Chairman stressed that the Guyuk Cement Plant will be the major investment in the North East by BUA and solicited for support of Governor Umaru Fintiri to set up the factory in Guyuk. Rabiu said the company made a decision to source its raw materials locally and it has invested billions of dollars in various sectors across Nigeria and therefore urged the state government to support BUA to actualize the Guyuk Cement project. In addition, he praised the commitment of the governor within one year in office in many sectors of development despite the economic challenges in Adamawa. Responding, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri said his administration's effort in exploring local contents has started yielding results and thanked BUA for showing interest in establishing the cement plant in Guyuk. He further assured the management team of BUA that government will make whatever is needed and provide the necessary support which will create enabling environment so that the BUA Cement company in Guyuk will become a reality. He also expressed readiness of the government to protect the investment once it is established and told them that his administration will maintain the good relationship with the company for the benefit of the state. BUA is Nigerias second largest Cement Producer by volume with cement plants in Sokoto and Edo States. The Companys newest plant in Sokoto is expected to be operational in 2021. When completed, the Guyuk Cement Plant will bring BUAs total capacity to 14million metric tonnes per annum. Nigerias prominent civil rights advocacy body- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA ( HURIWA) has called out President Muhammadu Buhari administration's failure to activate workable strategy to contain, combat and flattened the curves of the National Covid-19 infection rate in Nigeria. HURIWA says President Muhammadu Buhari and his Politically tainted Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 are adopting a 'Wait and See' unscientific methodology on the ravaging CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IN NIGERIA rather than mobilize the scientific community in Nigeria to work out and implement methodologies that meet global best practices as are adopted in Civilized nations of Germany, Great Britain, Italy, France, Australia and South Korea. The Rights group has also warned against hurried reopening of public and private educational Schools even before any identifiable benchmarks to guide against widening spectre of Covid-19 infections are met just as the Rights group has tasked President Buhari to utilize the over $4.5 Billion dollars World Bank and International Monetary Funds loans recently obtained for Covid-19 to construct worlds class tertiary health facilities each in the six geopolitical zones of the country and to connect all the public schools in Nigeria to clean sources of water for the benefits of millions of the students and teachers to contain the spread Covid-19 . "Generation unborn will never forgive this government should it fritter on frivolities the huge indebtedness it has incurred from global funding institutions in the name of fighting Covid-19 disease in Nigeria without building World's class hospitals nor procure medical facilities and protection tools for frontline medical staff who as we speak have only just returned from a nationwide strike due to the failure of government to pay their hazards allowances". "We have watched With considerable disappointment, the total absence of any sort of unified National anti-Covid-19 Strategy since the corona virus pandemic spread into Nigeria about three Months ago Just as the Rights group has asked the federal government to disband the presidential Task Force on Covid-19 for spectacularly failing to achieve any significant milestones in the area of efficient containment. "Why keep a team that has failed to achieve tangible results?" The Rights group has blamed the Nigerian government for abandoning local medical research institutes which could have been deployed to search for home made remedies to the corona virus pandemic. The Rights group said President Muhammadu Buhari's over reliance on foreign money to combat Covid-19 disease in Nigeria is belittling and has presented the Country in terrible shape thereby consigning Nigeria to the backyard of international relevance. Imagine that the health minister told Nigerians that the country was awaiting foreign grant before the relevant agencies can analytically research into the efficacy of the recently obtained Covid-19 organics from Madagascar just as the Rights group wondered if Nigeria has become a failed state that relies entirely on grants. HURIWA recalled that the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had on April 28, 2020 approved US$3.4 billion in emergency financial assistance under the Rapid Financing Instrument to support the authorities efforts in addressing the severe economic impact of the COVID-19 shock and the sharp fall in oil prices. HURIWA recalled that the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Nigerias request for emergency financial assistance of SDR 2,454.5 million (US$ 3.4 billion, 100 percent of quota) under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to meet the urgent balance of payment needs stemming from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. HURIWA recalled that the IMF gave reason for assisting Nigeria with huge funds to battle COVID-19 as follows: "The near-term economic impact of COVID-19 is expected to be severe, while already high downside risks have increased. Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, Nigerias economy was facing headwinds from rising external vulnerabilities and falling per capita GDP levels. The pandemicalong with the sharp fall in oil priceshas magnified the vulnerabilities, leading to a historic decline in growth and large financing needs. The IMF financial support will help limit the decline in international reserves and provide financing to the budget for targeted and temporary spending increases aimed at containing and mitigating the economic impact of the pandemic and of the sharp fall in international oil prices." HURIWA stated further Nigeria at the time it got the $3.4billion loan for Covid-19 loan was close to securing a loan of $1.5 billion and another $1-1.5 billion for the Federal Government and states respectively. The fund is being sourced from the World Bank, this is according to information from Nigerias Minister of Finance Zainab Ahmed. HURIWA therefore has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to tell Nigerians in black and White what these huge cash obtained to fight Covid-19 have been used for given that the state of health infrastructures is in shambles. Click here and then look to the right side for the sign up to the morning newsletter for The News Herald, and you can get the top headlines de The city of Pontiac signed a quit claim deed this week to sell Carriage Circle Apartments to the Pontiac Housing Commission for $1. The sale was made to help facilitate the redevelopment of the federally subsidized housing complex, estimated at $39 million. The housing commission has been operating the apartments since they were first built, according to Ahmad Taylor, executive director. Owning the property itself will help the commission secure funding from tax credits and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Everything inside the building will be completely rehabilitated, Ahmad said. The exterior and the landscape are going to be reinvented as well. Its going to be a fabulous project. - Advertisement - The commission is expecting to secure state and federal funding for the renovations by October with plans to begin work on the building in 2021. Its a project thats been two-years in the works and will see the property move from a Section 9 public housing model to a Section 8 housing choice voucher model. Section 9 has created a $60 million backlog in the housing industry in terms of maintenance, and Congress isnt going to write a $60 million check for all this old infrastructure. We need to think about how were going to sustain these developments over the next 40-years, Taylor said. Residents will be allowed to stay in their apartments during the construction. The city of Pontiac originally offered $500,000 in Community Block Grant Development funding, a federal grant program, to support the project. Subsequent negotiations saw the creation of the $1 deed transfer. We know how valuable that grant is and the projects it pays for in the city of Pontiac, we wanted them to be able to use their funds the way they need to, Taylor said. More details on the project are expected to be released in the coming months. +5 Vietnam veteran receives new roof in Waterford from national nonprofit A Waterford veteran and his wife are looking forward to a drier summer in their home this year after being chosen for a roof replacement by th Sheriff: Special patrol units recently cleared Pontiac streets of 32 firearms The Oakland County Sheriffs Office is reporting that its specialized patrol teams took nearly three dozen guns off the streets of Pontiac and Peterborough Police have fielded 65 complaints between May 15 and June 30 about people setting off fireworks and police are warning people they are risking $125 fines under the citys noise bylaw if their fireworks disturb neighbours. Traditional Victoria Day and Canada Day public fireworks displays in the Peterborough area were cancelled this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting some to stage their own shows at home. The number of complaints so far this year is 364 per cent more than last year when there were 14 fireworks complaints, police said. City police have received reports of fireworks being set off from as early as 9:30 p.m. to as late as 1 a.m., police said. Police are urging people to respect their neighbours and not set off fireworks. The use of fireworks is dangerous and can cause injury or property damage. Fireworks are not permitted to be set off on city property, Staff Sgt. Dan MacLean stated. The sound of fireworks being set off late at night is disturbing residents and startling pets. The city has an around-the-clock noise bylaw that covers any noise likely to disturb neighbours or other residents, including fireworks, with a set fine of $125. Discussions are ongoing in Ottawa over a multi-billion-dollar proposal from Via Rail to offer a new passenger train service between Quebec City and Toronto, with a stop in Peterborough. Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau recently discussed the high frequency line projects next steps with Canada Infrastructure Bank board chair Michael Sabia, according to a new statement from the office of Women and Gender Equality Minister Maryam Monsef. Monsef, who is also the rural economic development minister and the Peterborough-Kawartha MP was not available for comment on Friday, but a statement from her office explains that key players Sabia and Garneau have been in discussions. Sabia is the chair of the Infrastructure Bank, which has invested along with Transport Canada $71.1 million for detailed planning work ahead of a federal cabinet decision on whether to back the project, which is expected to cost $4 billion. Garneau was tasked in his mandate letter from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to work toward making the new train service a reality. Part of the detailed studies being undertaken now include determining an exact route and locations for railway stations. Although a rail station for Peterborough is planned, its exact location is yet to be determined. While the project is expected to use existing corridors and rights-of-way, its still unclear whether there may be a railway station in Havelock where rail lines already exist. Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Mayor Jim Martin could not be reached for comment about it Friday. A transportation advocacy group said the risks for the project are lower now that Via Rail has focused on existing rail lines, the Canadian Press reported, meaning planning could be done by 2022. In the meantime consultations with the public and with Indigenous communities are expected soon, wrote Via Rail spokesperson Karl-Philip Marchand Giguere in an email to The Examiner earlier this week. He wrote that further details on those consultations will be released when available. Meanwhile Infrastructure Bank chief investment officer John Casola was quoted in The Globe and Mail this week as saying that tremendous progress is being made on developing a route, and he hopes to have good advice for the federal government on the project by the end of 2020. The new Via Rail plan comes years after the formation of the Shining Waters Railway proposal, which aimed to have passenger trains running between Peterborough and Toronto by 2013, for the first time since the 1990s. That plan stalled, however, with the new Via Rail proposal emerging in 2019. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Moving inland is an option that no longer sounds so ridiculous, especially after all we've been through recently. I know entrepreneurs, middle-aged workers and families with children who would move to a small village with their eyes closed; tired of how expensive, noisy and uncomfortable it is to live in many districts of a city. It is the inverse process of the rural exodus, and would be the solution for the emptying villages in Malaga province: a repopulating with new inhabitants and their families, who would like to recuperate the advantages of the lives of their grandparents; but they still need access to technology because their lives, just like nearly everybody's now, are based on it. And there's the problem. All we're doing is beating around the bush with proposals, which are almost always costly for the public coffers, to try to persuade the existing population to stay in the town or village and to stop the schools from closing. There are the ridiculous "baby cheques" (as if anyone would base their decision to have a child on a benefit that would barely get them through the first month) and other equally senseless and anecdotal measures. The worst thing is that the solution, or at least much of it, is actually within reach. Just ask prestigious professionals such as Juan Luis Cruz, who is the head of the College of Technical and Telecommunication Engineers; or the business owner Pelle Lundborg, who is originally from Sweden but linked to Carratraca. They both say the same: what is really needed is for broadband internet access, via the new 5G or through fibre optic cables, to be the same for everyone, whether they live in Malaga city centre or the remotest village of the Serrania de Ronda. You can't expect villages to attract people to live there without bearing in mind that work, education, business, leisure and many other facets of daily life, have a telematic element that requires a lot of broadband. The sad truth is that in the majority of places that are far from the Costa or the city it is impossible to send an average volume of data without having to walk twenty times round the village square first. In some points, you can barely find a decent signal to talk on the phone. Mayors and leaders of the provincial government, if you really want to fight against depopulation of rural areas, stop coming up with makeshift ideas and reach agreements with telecommunications operators and technicians to install cables and antennas in your municipalities. Until then they will continue to be no more than clusters of pretty streets where it's nice to spend the weekend from time to time... when we want to switch off! A spike in COVID-19 cases in the City of Kawartha Lakes continued Friday with two new confirmed cases reported by the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. Thats on top of four new cases reported Thursday afternoon for the jurisdiction, three of them in the City of Kawartha Lakes. Among the jurisdictions new cases this week are a man in his 30s, a woman in her 60s and two men in their 60s, with three of them contracting the virus through community contact, according to Public Health Ontario. The City of Kawartha Lakes now has 171 cumulative confirmed cases, with 11 of the cases unresolved. There are 15 residents also being monitored by the health unit for having had contact with confirmed cases. Northumberland County has had 21 cases, with 20 of them resolved. Haliburton County has had 10 cases, with nine of them resolved. One Haliburton resident is also being monitored by the health unit for having had contact with a confirmed case. An outbreak that had been declared June 11 at the Fenelon Court long-term-care home in Fenelon Falls after one symptomatic resident tested positive for COVID-19 was declared over Thursday by the health unit. The health units offices located in Port Hope, Lindsay and Haliburton are reopening to the public starting on Monday and will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Port Hope announced Thursday that the west beach, east beach and the Caldwell Street beach access point on Lake Ontario will be temporarily closed on weekends during the COVID-19 pandemic. The move comes on the heels of a busy Canada Day holiday which town staff said saw the number of visitors to the municipal beaches increase exponentially. Those beaches and access points will be closed from Friday at 7 a.m. until Monday at 10 a.m. Pursuant to Bylaw 54/2017, the director and/or chief of police and/or director of fire and emergency services and/or bylaw enforcement officers are authorized to close off for such temporary period as deemed appropriate any park, recreation area or part of parts thereof to relieve or prevent overcrowding or traffic congestion, authorized construction, weather conditions or in the interests of public safety, a statement from the municipality read. Physical distancing measures were not being maintained during the Canada Day holiday, the notice points out. For the safety of the community, and to comply with the government directive to continue to maintain a safe distance of two metres apart, the beaches will remain temporarily closed over the weekends, to mitigate the risk of large group gatherings, the statement read. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... There have been 35 inmates tested for COVID-19 at the Warkworth Institution medium-security federal prison 60 kilometres east of Peterborough and all 35 have tested negative, Correctional Service of Canada reported as of Friday. with files from Northumberland News In recent months, people all over the world have taken to social media and to the streets to reject police brutality and injustice toward Black people. Protests have erupted in the United States, driven by recent deaths of Black people, including the death of George Floyd, the killing of Ahmaud Arbery and the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. While tough conversations with the intent to inform and provoke change might be new among friends and colleagues, they are not foreign to interracial romantic relationships, where support and advocacy arent just bonuses. They are imperative. Its important to have someone who is enthusiastically listening to and supporting you, and that youre not always having to be in an educational kind of mode, says Bill Schaefer, a 29-year-old writer and actor in New York. He and his wife, Jenny Rube, 28, who is white, have been married for a year and half. They actively discuss racism and both the systemic and blatant effects it has had on Schaefer, who is Black. But the frequency of their talks and Rubes advocacy were not always as prevalent as they are now. There was one specific incident when we were in Vancouver and someone made a comment to me and I was just so totally caught off guard, Schaefer said. And she didnt say anything not because she was agreeing with him but because she was also very shocked. The incident caused some strain on their relationship and simultaneously made Rube feel bad, resulting in a well-received discussion and immediate change. I had never directly experienced an act of racism and did not know what the appropriate response was, said Rube. I let him down by not speaking up and supporting him when it was important. My lack of action spoke for itself and at the cost of my partners hurt. And with the national attention these instances are receiving, more talks are being had and increased action is taking place. I think for her, the light bulb that has changed is not being racist is not the same as being anti-racist, and now shes really taking that to heart, said Schaefer. Shes really committed to calling out the stuff that she sees and rekindling blind spots in herself. Whereas, before she mightve kind of stayed in her own lane. A lucid understanding of the trials and tribulations that Black people face in America is one that is not easy to grasp, but close-knit relationships have proved to create understanding and heightened awareness for non-Black partners. In a 2007 study led by George Yancey of the University of North Texas, 21 white partners in interracial relationships were interviewed, and the research showed that white people who marry outside their race are likely to change their thoughts on how race plays a role in society. Additionally, white people who specifically marry Black partners are even more likely to think beyond theoretical ideas as a result of exposure to racism from being with their partner. Zach Finley, 43, who is white, has always socialized in predominantly Black spaces through his work as a DJ in Greenville, South Carolina, a city with a large Black population. Very early on, I became comfortable being the minority and realized that those folks werent out to get me, like I was taught, said Finley, who grew up in Greenville in a strongly Republican household with a heavy involvement in the church. They werent people that didnt look like me who were ready to rob me and steal from me, and whatever else they could if they had the advantage. It was actually the opposite. While individually, Finley never had to actively think about race, it wasnt until he and his wife, Andrea Finley, 32, who is Black, had children that racism became a more overt issue that indirectly affected him as a father. I think the turning point for us to really start having conversations was when our first son was born, because when you have kids your whole world changes, said Andrea Finley. So we realized that he wont be able to move through the world as a white man. The couple had the talk with their son when he was five years old, when they explained to him that he cant always do everything he sees his white friends do a conversation that Zach Finley did not have to hold with his older white son from a previous relationship. Additionally, since marrying Andrea Finley and being more vocal about issues surrounding race, Zach Finley has noticed a lack of support from some of his family and friends, especially in recent weeks. I think thats the hardest part about our relationship, Andrea Finley said. Its not us. We can talk, we can show frustration. We have a safe place, but I think whats been most difficult for us in the past few weeks has been, in the age of Facebook and social media, you get to see whatever people are thinking. And some of those people are family members that weve had family gatherings for, and theyre either quiet as a mouse or theyre liking and commenting on racist posts. Unfortunately, issues with extended family and friends arent rare in relationships between Black and white partners, often causing the Black partner to hold the white partner accountable and the white partner to figuratively pick a side. Racine Henry is a licensed marriage and family therapist in New York. The most common issues I see for interracial couples, specifically Black and white couples, is as the relationship progresses and becomes more significant, helping the people around the couple, meaning their family, accept and I hate the word accept because it implies theres something to accept and get on board with the couple not just dating and being in a preliminary phase but wanting to move in together or get married or have children, she said. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... It brings up different cultural aspects and different racially themed conversations that then impact how the couple relates to one another. Henrys clientele ranges between couples of different backgrounds, both intraracial and interracial, but its her Black-white couples that often experience strain from navigating how to properly support each other. I always encourage the couples to have these hard conversations about race away from therapy, when theyre at home, because the point of therapy isnt what you do in the office, its what you do all the time in between in your real life, Henry said. Having these talks will make them aware of what comes up for each of them individually. You know, if the white partner feels like theyre always trying to defend themselves, what does that say about their partner to them? What does it mean to them to accept the fact that they may have been offensive and ignorant, and theyll never truly understand being in Black skin and what that might mean for when they have children, or go out to buy a home or go out in the world together. Henry said it is equally important for the Black partner to think about their own possible internalized racism and maybe some of the ways in which being with someone who is not Black is a source of shame or guilt for them. This feeling, she said, could stem from messages they may have gotten from childhood or their family, or even friends who indicate theyre doing something wrong or something nonprogressive by being with someone who is white. Even younger couples face the same issues. Sharon Nealy, 21, met her fiance, Buck Barfield, 22, when she was 16 and has seen tremendous changes and challenges over their five years together. Nealy, who is Black, is attending the Medical University of South Carolina next fall, while Barfield, who is white, works as a welder, a job that Neeley says has gotten some negative responses from mostly Black people in her social circle where they live in Lancaster, South Carolina. I get a lot of this white guy, whos not really even doing that great, comes in and takes the best of our Black women. Theres Black men out here that are doing great that would be a better partner for you and easier to be with, Nealy said. In moments like these, Nealy defends their relationship. And while Barfields strongly Republican family has caused an ongoing wedge in their relationship, support from each other and being able to discuss race openly remains their top priority. Its always been important for me to make sure that I have a partner that supports me and tries to make an effort to understand the best they can. Its something I could not compromise on, Nealy said. Weve always talked about race, but its heightened with all this going on. We went to a protest together the other day and hes learning, hes listening and hes trying to be supportive without trying to take my voice either. Henry said that being open about differences is the only way to reach some level of understanding in how couples will handle them when they arise. Race is never going to go away. Its always going to be present and its just going to be compounded when you do things like move in together, have children, move or take new jobs, she said. And more than ever, when the 24-hour news cycle is bringing light to the unfair and unjust hardships Black people face, race is likely to drive every aspect of an interracial relationship. Having these talks really has implications around where they stand in their respective communities, and whether the white partner is as liberal and progressive as they think, and if the Black partner is as vocal and active about Black justice as they think, Henry said. Theres always going to be something from the outside that reminds you of what you both represent by being together, but also by being who you are individually. There was the time Jessica Thevarajah got her makeup done for prom and the makeup artist told her, Oh, if Id known how you looked I wouldve asked you to bring your own foundation we dont have your colour. She proceeded to dust bronzer all over the young womans face. Thinking back on it now makes me sad for 17-year-old me, she says. There was also the time model Ardrianna Annalesia Mairs was on set for a shoot and the hairstylist kept complaining about how thick and curly her hair was. Maybe my hair is all of those things, but the language that was used was so harmful and negative. The stylist was combing her hair so aggressively, Mairs had to ask for a break. When she got up, her white shirt was covered in broken strands. Or all the times Solange Ashoori struggled to find a hairstylist who knew how to work with her curls. They would always try to tame them or straighten them. I had so many nightmare cuts that were just so bad. Stories like these, heartbreaking tales of women of colour being made to feel less than by people whose very job is to make them feel beautiful, are infuriatingly common. So much so that Ashoori, now a hairstylist herself and the owner of Torontos Ziba Style Bar, started a petition on change.org about it. Addressed to the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, it calls for Ontario beauty schools to make curly hair part of their curriculum. Beauty education institutions make hundreds of millions of dollars and yet disproportionately focus on European beauty standards and hair textures, reads the petition. So far, nearly 5,900 signatures have been amassed. We havent heard from the ministry yet, but we do anticipate theyll reach out to us soon, says Ashoori. For Janet Jackson, TV personality and founder of JouJou Hair Studio in Etobicoke, the fact that this is even up for debate illustrates how deeply rooted racism is in the beauty world. It just shows that theres a huge gap in our industry that needs fixing, she says. Im in awe that we even have to petition this. Jackson was never taught to style curls in beauty school. In fact, the only thing she did learn about textured hair was how to smooth it through chemical relaxing. And even then, the teacher, who was unsure how to do it, asked Jackson to demonstrate the technique to her class, assuming shed know because shes Black. The teacher had no idea whether or not what I knew was the right way, she says. We just had one day out of an entire beauty school program to learn about this and it was how to make textured hair straight so that we could quote unquote manage it. What if a client came in and didnt want a chemical relaxer and just wanted you to work with their texture? While the petition specifically targets hair education, the problem also exists in the makeup world. After that horrible prom makeup experience, Thevarajah went on to work at Sephora in Burlington, Ont. I remember girls panicking in the back when a darker-toned person would come in for a foundation, she says. Its definitely tough to witness because, as a person of colour, I know how hard it is to find my own foundation. In beauty school, Montreal makeup artist Mayillah Ezekiel never learned how to work with darker skin. We would practise on the other students and I was the only Black person in the class, she remembers. From the onset of her career, shes always made sure to have a wide range of foundation shades in her kit, though she admits she routinely runs out of the light ones and rarely gets to use the deeper ones. The number of times Ive heard, Oh, we cant use a Black model, we already had one in the campaign last year. Most makeup artists Mairs worked with didnt have her shade, so she started bringing her own to set. Thats on top of the many hair products, combs and brushes she has to lug around. My model bag is always so heavy, its ridiculous, she says. Theres this expectation that Black models have to show up with all these things and the next white girl never has to. The hair and makeup people always have everything laid out for her. For Ezekiel, theres no question about it: Anyone who respects their craft should know how to work with all skin tones and hair textures. End of story. She recalls how when she used to work at beauty counters, people of colour would often go to her directly or wait for her to finish with another customer, because they figured only she would know how to help them. When you finally find someone who knows how to work with your hair texture or complexion, its very reassuring. Its a relief, really. You think, This whole time, I wasnt the problem. Its just that this person didnt know what they were doing. For many professionals, those blind spots are a source of shame. During a recent livestream that Jackson hosted on her Instagram, a prominent salon owner revealed that earlier in his career he had no clue how to work with textured hair and would often turn clients away. He was embarrassed by the fact that he had people come in wanting services and he just didnt have the knowledge, she says. Lately, Jackson has been receiving a lot of messages from stylists asking if shed consider giving classes and sharing her expertise. Same with Ashoori. Many really want to learn and feel embarrassed that they dont know how to do it, she says. They also feel kind of cheated that they never got taught. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Ashoori hopes her petition can be the first step in changing that. For professionals like her, Jackson and Ezekiel, or models like Mairs, or teens simply wanting to feel pretty on prom night like Thevarajah at 17, this is bigger than hair and makeup. Its about the larger message thats communicated when the beauty industry pretends like a whole demographic just doesnt exist. We have been taught in our beauty schools that beauty doesnt include people of colour, it doesnt include our skin, it doesnt include our hair type, says Jackson. And then this problem trickles down into our community, basically teaching us that we are not beautiful, and its a huge contribution to Black people growing up and suffering from severe self-esteem issues. So we need our beauty schools to have inclusion. This is not a Black or white thing. Its about everyone being included. These days, when we talk about fizz, its usually a reference to bubbly wine. If youd asked for a fizz, say, 100 years ago, the bartender would have handed you a gin cocktail, since the Gin Fizz was one of the most popular drinks of the day. What made it so popular? Aside from being delicious and refreshing, having a carbonated cocktail was still a bit of a novelty. Carbonated water was invented in the 1700s, but it wasnt until the soda siphon (a.k.a. a seltzer bottle, that made water fizzy with carbon dioxide cartridges) became widely available and affordable that bubbly cocktails became common. For home bartenders, that was in the 1920s. Fancy bars had carbonated water for making sparkling cocktails earlier. One of the most famous and flashy fizzy cocktails was the Ramos Gin Fizz, which was invented in New Orleans in 1888 at the Imperial Cabinet Saloon and, within 20 years of its creation, had become a veritable cottage industry. Some of its appeal was the spectacle of teams of bartenders shaking fizzes for exceptionally long times, which was part of the secret to getting a frothy top. The other part of the trick was adding an egg white, which, when added to a drink and shaken, turns foamy, pretty much the same way an egg white turns into meringue when whisked. The final touch comes from adding soda water at the end, which, just like a soda fountain drink, makes the bubbles rise even higher. Because it contains cream, the Ramos Gin Fizz, is really an indulgent boozy soda fountain drink. Its delicious, but its next-level cocktail-shaking and I prefer to steer clear of dairy in the hot summer months, so I thought it best to use a different Fizz for this column. There are plenty of options, since the family includes at least a dozen different recipes. Some people even include the Mojito and Tom Collins in the family. I have a soft spot for the Silver Gin Fizzgin, lemon, egg white, sugar and soda water. For this 100-mile version of the recipe, weve tweaked this classic slightly by using lime instead of lemon and Beatties Farm Crafted Potato Gin ($39.95; LCBO 645622), which is distilled from potatoes in Alliston, Ontario. Its a neat distillery, since they use the odd-sized potatoes (chip industry rejects) to make vodka and gin, so its part of the zero-waste movement, too. Alliston Fizz 2 oz Beatties Gin 1 oz lime juice 1 egg white 2 teaspoons special fine granulated sugar 1 tiny pinch of salt 2 oz soda water Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Add ice, gin, juice, salt, sugar and egg white to a cocktail shaker and shake rigorously for 60 secondsuntil the shaker is ice-cold. Strain into a tall glass with four or five ice cubes. Slowly pour soda water to make it froth up. PRO TIP: Many bartenders keep a small bottle of saline solution at their stations and add a couple of drops to a range of cocktails, including the Fizz. Its used for the same reason it is in baking, namely, that it helps bring out flavour. A lot of cocktail technique is actually pretty similar to baking, such as the use of egg whites or specific grades of sugar. Cocktail recipes may seem finnicky but, details are important. Special fine granulated sugar, for example, is much easier to dissolve in the cold shaking process than the normal granulated sugar you stir into your coffee. Feeling ready to get rid of negative energy Ive accumulated over the past year, I booked a 90-minute Samhara Energy Medicine session with Shelley Burton over Zoom the day before my birthday. I wanted to kick off this new spin around the sun refreshed. Im always seeking out ways of working on coping and healing, even if they seem a little different. Recently I did a tarot card reading and at the start of 2019, I experimented with equine therapy with Burton, where I worked on developing better boundaries in my primary relationships. Yes, its true, I worked with a horse to find inner peace, and surprisingly, I did. But the latest session ended up being nothing I could have ever expected. Samhara Energy Medicine is a system Burton created to help release traumas that have manifested as emotional blocks, in order for you to move forward, feeling empowered. Samhara is a name that came to Burton during a practice one day. As I understand it: Samhara is a Sanskrit word that refers to a process of liberation that has the power to destroy all illusion so that only love remains. She does these sessions through intuitive counselling. In-person sessions also include sound healing, to deepen the experience and shift your point of resonance toward better emotions. A 90-minute session is $499.50. In all my years doing weekly therapy, I never achieved what I did with Burton in just one session. I met her onscreen to start the session and she went over how things would unfold and assured me that she would be there to protect me, no matter what we uncovered. Im your guide through the process, and you are your own healer. This is important as I work to build self-empowerment; from your power, you heal, Burton said. Prior to the session, I had to fill out a form, answering a few questions on whether Ive experienced any trauma in the past year, what the biggest challenge is in my life right now, how long has it been a challenge and if healing allowed me to accomplish anything, what would that one thing be? Burton says to guide the healing process, she begins by looking at a clients pain points and goals from how they answer the questionnaire, and then sees what stands out as a starting place. I then help them clear the pain points so they can reach their goals by developing new ways of thinking and feeling about the past and the present, she said. I help them learn self-empathy, understand their feelings (or the past), let go of their identity that is based in pain or trauma, and create a new positive identity based on truth. What stood out to her from my very personal answers included a few things: I have fresh anger, my throat felt choked - a sign, she agreed, that Im not using my voice, and deep-rooted feelings of abandonment. She told me to make myself comfortable and said, We know we want to clear this trauma, this anger, the holding in of the voice, but this abandonment thing is so important to address because that might be related to the holding in of the voice. I know you want to clear trauma, she said. I agreed, and said I just want to use my voice. Already, as she was saying that within our first minute or so, she began channelling my energy. Her own throat started choking up and she lost her voice. This, her empathy and sensitivity, is why I continue to hold her in such esteem. She then asked what made me angry and enraged recently. Her channelling persisted throughout the 90 minutes, and often she would use an alternate voice, one with a British-like accent, that she explains as her guides speaking through her, delivering what she calls energy transmissions, also known as channelled wisdom. And just like that, I let it all out. Through her guidance, and encouragement by telling me not to close-up or lock down, and looking at me through the screen with such sincerity, openness and attention, we went deeper to find out where this stemmed from, taking me back to being about nine years old, when my mothers father died of cancer, spiralling her into grief which had her send me to stay with friends after each school day. I realized this is where I had felt abandoned. I needed her. I was going through a loss too. This session took me right back to being that nine-year-old, feeling alone, angry, sad, and ignored after my grandfathers death. I now know that I have had a fear of people leaving me. My mother died when I was 18, so that sense of abandonment is still with me. In the session, Burton helped me forgive my mother, realizing she was trying her best in her own grief. My eyes were closed and I was crying, sort of convulsing as she kept telling me it is okay, and my mom was doing her best over and over again. I let everything out and kept my eyes closed. And then, in that moment, Burton said my mother was with us. Now I know, if you havent done a session of this kind, or if youre a skeptic, that this sounds hard to believe. But Burton said my mom just wanted to do two things, things that really only I would know about, from a mother to a daughter. As the session came to a close, I felt lighter. Although I had broken down, what I really experienced, surprisingly, was a breakthrough. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... I woke up on my birthday feeling like my true self, having let go of a burden I didnt even know I was carrying. Burton had emailed to check up on me, acknowledging how intense the session was. Through this experience, I feel like I started down a path of healing and growth. I have already booked her for a follow-up session, but this time in person. I cant wait to see what happens next. Q: Ive read your column daily for years and of late its been a great distraction during these trying times. However, when people write in about various topics I dont understand why you slip in COVID-19 into virtually every one. Not everyones problems are wrapped up with the pandemic. Have you ever thought you are causing unnecessary anxiety to your readership? We dont need it. Thank You Ellie: Thanks for being such a long-time reader, its truly greatly appreciated. Im deeply sorry if the effect of people writing me for advice related to their lives during the current pandemic, and my answering them regarding the problems and issues they raised in those letters, has caused you any unnecessary anxiety. Of course, its true that not everyones problems that are shared with me, are bound up with COVID-19. Ive had letters about many other issues that turned out to be of more popular concern than was widely known: Narcissistic relatives has been a frequent topic, for example, prompting many followup questions. So, too, was the repeated discussion by readers of a womans belief that her husband was stolen by another woman, for an affair. Also, several columns were reactions about a man who kept secret from his adult daughter his plans to live with his long-distance partner, prompting discussion about whether he was more attached to his daughter than his girlfriend. However, its only natural that many people, when writing about their relationships, do so in the context of their current lives. Theyd been affected for months by lockdown restrictions, then by concerns about opening up. Many people have been anxious at some level since at least last March. They turned to this column and many other outlets for asking questions to try and ease their worries and find solutions for adapting. I think when seen that way, its part of the larger picture of what relationship columnists, political columnists, news columnists, humour columnists, etc. are supposed to be writing about when theres a significant overriding issue affecting all of us i.e. trying to make sense of whats happening. Personally, I start my day each morning counting on five superb columnists to inform me and show me the light ahead, the chance for a smile, and the darkness to avoid. The changes in medical and public health information, including both good and bad news is vital for us to know. The political decisions need to be examined, debated, understood, and sometimes railed against. Humour lightens our mood which is essential to our mental health. And any advice I give that can help people either resolve or have new hope regarding their relationship problems is what they want or need for emotional health while living with the virus in our midst. If my column has sometimes been, as you said, a great distraction for you in trying times, then Ive done what I set out to do. I do believe theres a level of ongoing anxiety in most of us, while our way of life is affected and restricted by a worldwide novel coronavirus for which we do not yet have a vaccine. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The good news, however, is that there are many brilliant scientific minds diligently at work in laboratories across the globe, to find a vaccine and prove it safe for human use. When that eventually happens and it must well still be talking and reading about COVID-19, but itll hopefully be a summary more than an anxious brief. Ellies tip of the day Pandemic information is, by its nature, anxious-making. Find balance from healthy outdoor time, personal interests, safe socializing. AUSTIN, Texas - Federal and military investigators say a soldier missing since April was killed and dismembered by a fellow soldier stationed at the same Texas base. The revelation followed demands for the Army to release details about its investigation of the disappearance. A criminal complaint released Thursday by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas charges a civilian with helping hide the body of 20-year-old solider Vanessa Guillen. The document, prepared in conjunction with the Army Criminal Investigative Command and the FBI, says the civilian helped the other soldier get rid of evidence after he bludgeoned Guillen with a hammer at Fort Hood in Central Texas and later dismembered and dumped the body. Human remains were found Tuesday near the Leon River in Bell County, about 20 miles (32 kilometres) east of Fort Hood, in the search for Guillen. Her family said through attorney Natalie Khawam that they believe evidence shows the remains are Guillen, but authorities said they are still awaiting positive identification. The whole thing is devastating, gruesome, barbaric, Khawam said. The Army said Wednesday that the soldier suspected in Guillens disappearance had killed himself. At a news conference Thursday, the Army identified the soldier suspected in Guillens disappearance as Aaron David Robinson. Army investigators declined to comment further on the details of Guillens case, saying they did not want to compromise the ongoing investigation. The criminal complaint released later Thursday said the civilian arrested in the Guillen case is Cecily Aguilar, 22, of Killeen, Texas, near Fort Hood. Aguilar faces one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence. Robinson enlisted Aguilar to help him dispose of Guillens body, according to the complaint. Aguilar later recognized Guillen, the complaint says, and helped Robinson mutilate and hide her body. Aguilar was arrested Wednesday and was being held Thursday in the Bell County Jail in Belton, Texas, according to booking records. It was unclear whether she had an attorney to speak on her behalf. Khawam said the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division told her Robinson cleaned up the area where Guillen was killed, placed her body in a container and wheeled her out to his car. After driving to pick up Aguilar, Khawam said, the pair drove to a nearby river and tried to burn Guillens body, but later chopped it up with a machete. Then, they put cement on the body and buried the remains. Tim Miller, of Texas Equusearch, who was assisting in the search for Guillen, told KHOU that investigators found a lid last week that belonged to a container consistent with one a witness saw loaded into a car at 8:30 the night Guillen disappeared. Investigators were called back to the scene this week when a man working in the area reported a foul odor. Miller said it appeared the suspect buried her, put lime on her, mixed up concrete, put that over her, put dirt over her, rocks and stuff. The family had said they believe Guillen was sexually harassed by the military suspect and is calling for a congressional investigation, Khawam said Wednesday. Guillens older sister, Mayra Guillen, told The Associated Press on Thursday that her family was distraught after learning details about her sisters disappearance. The family had previously said they believe the Army was covering up details of Vanessa Guillens disappearance. There are a lot of horrifying things that happened that day, said Mayra Guillen, 22. There are just no words. Mayra Guillen said her sister had spoken with their mother about experiencing sexual harassment, but that her mother has been to devastated to talk about it. From their text conversations, Mayra Guillen said she believed her sister was afraid during her time at Fort Hood. Army investigators said Thursday that they had no credible evidence that Vanessa Guillen had been sexually harassed or assaulted. We are still investigating their interactions but at this time there is no credible information for reports that specialist Robinson sexually harassed specialist Guillen, said Fort Hood CID Special Agent Damon Phelps. Guillen was last seen April 22 in a parking lot at Fort Hood. She was set to be promoted to specialist this month. Her car keys, barracks room key, ID card and wallet were found in the room where she was working the day she disappeared. Authorities said Wednesday that Robinson, 20, of Calumet City, Illinois, a Chicago suburb on the Indiana border, pulled a gun and shot himself as police were trying to make contact with him. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The Army CID and the League of United Latin American Citizens offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Guillens whereabouts. ___ Acacia Coronado is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a non-profit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez wants everyone to love his government, to see it as a modern, huggy coalition as unlike the austere, corrupt old Conservatives as possible. This is why he's trying so hard to avoid using the word "austerity", a term carrying connotations of punitive economics and often associated with his arch-enemy Mariano Rajoy, whose right-wing administration implemented austerity measures to help Spain recover from recession ten years ago. The country's leading fiscal authorities seem similarly unwilling to use this dreaded term. In the Bank of Spain's latest address on Covid this week, the dirty word wasn't employed directly, but it was lurking just behind those that were. The Bank recommended the adoption of a medium-term fiscal plan to save jobs and businesses, and to deal with a debt level that will be the "highest in many decades". This was interpreted as follows by the Spanish daily El Pais: "Despite the cautious tones, the message remains clear: there will be no repeat adoption of the strict austerity measures introduced a decade ago during the economic crisis". Yet it's not at all clear that there's any meaningful difference between what the Bank says will be necessary to contain Covid's economic fallout and the unpopular measures enacted by Rajoy a decade ago. The Bank predicts that "deep budgetary reforms" will be required to control Spain's already-swollen public debt and to "prevent enormous social and economic costs". It has stated before that tax hikes and spending cuts will need to be among these "deep budgetary reforms". Is this not austerity in all but name? It's looking likely that austerity economics of some kind will play a part in the post-Covid recovery. Let's remind ourselves of the latest statistics: it emerged this week that during the first quarter of 2020, Spain's GDP contracted by 5.2%, more than double the amount it shrank in the first quarter of 2009, at the beginning of the global recession. The first quarter of this year encompassed only two weeks of the total lockdown that dominated over half of Q2, during which period the Bank estimates that the Spanish economy slowed by an incredible 20%. There were zero international visitors to Spain in April: not a single, solitary tourist in a month that usually marks the start of the summer season. And to top it all off, the country's public debt is expected to rise to around 120% of GDP this year, up from an already-dangerous level of just under 100%. Sanchez and the fiscal authorities can avoid the term "austerity" as much as they like, but it's hard to see how the government will be able to honour its costly welfare pledges at the same time as minimising Covid's economic impact. KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City police officer who was shot in the head during an exchange of gunfire that left a suspect dead was in stable condition Friday following surgery, authorities said. A police spokesman, Officer Jacob Becchina, declined to release the name of the officer, and Chief Richard Smith said his family was asking for privacy. The Missouri State Highway Patrol, which is heading the investigation into the Thursday evening shooting, identified the suspect in a tweet as Ky Johnson, 31, of Grandview. The patrol did not immediately return phone messages left by The Associated Press on Friday seeking more information. But Smith said during a briefing for reporters that the officer moved some of his limbs and called that a very promising sign. The neurosurgeon seems to be very optimistic for the wound it was, Smith said during the briefing, which was livestreamed by WDAF-TV. I think were headed down the right path. Highway patrol officials said police were called shortly before 5 p.m. to a McDonalds restaurant where Johnson was waving a gun, then fled on foot. The officers chased him, and he turned and opened fire on them, striking one. A second officer fired back, highway patrol officials said. Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted his support for the police following the shooting. The women and men of our department are dedicated to this city, Lucas said. Always have been. Always will be. We owe them our prayers tonight and our thanks and our resolveall of usto call out those who are terrorizing so many in our community. Smith touched on similar themes during his briefing, decrying what he called a recent negative narrative about law enforcement. Protesters across the U.S. have called for reforms and defunding police since George Floyds death May 25 in Minnesota. Floyd, a Black man, was pleading for air as a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck for nearly eight minutes, and his death inspired global demonstrations. Im trying to bite my tongue here, but its frustrating, Smith said. These men and women come out here everyday to protect and help people in this city. I think for awhile here there was a negative portrayal of that, and it was a voice and maybe a message that was not honest, in my opinion. The Kansas City officers shooting is the second in the city that injured an officer Thursday. Three people including a police officer were shot earlier in the day after a reported robbery at a bus stop. OTTAWAChinas sweeping new national security law extending the Communist governments control over Hong Kong takes aim not only at pro-democracy protesters but also non-residents, foreign governments, non-governmental organizations, and international media. It subjects all persons in Hong Kong, including non-residents acting from outside the region, to strict bans on political activities that Beijing deems to endanger national security as the central government flexes its muscle over the former British territory. An English translation of the new law, published Thursday by the South China Morning Post and cited by Beijings central office for Hong Kong affairs, outlined a 39-page list of drastic new executive, police, prosecutorial and judicial powers all overseen by Beijings hand-picked appointments to the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central Peoples Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It bans Hong Kongers from activities linked to secession, subversion, terrorist activities and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements. It grants police authorities the ability to conduct surveillance and counter-interference investigations, and gives central authorities power to take measures to strengthen control of organs of foreign countries and international organizations in the region, as well as non-governmental organizations and news agencies of foreign countries and from outside the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao. Overall, it is a dramatic warning to all diplomats, academics, non-governmental researchers, foreign correspondents or freelancers on the ground in Hong Kong to play by new rules. A top U.S. diplomat in Hong Kong vowed Thursday that American officials would continue to engage with opposition politicians. Canadas Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne was unavailable for comment, but a statement sent by his office expressed his deep concern that China has adopted a national security law on Hong Kong that already and clearly undermines the agreement that saw Britain hand over the territory to China in 1997. For weeks in advance of the laws publication, Champagne has said he is consulting with international allies to co-ordinate a forceful response. A senior government official suggested the Trudeau government would detail more actions in the coming days but acknowledged that while the main concern is to act with its allies, the Trudeau government is also mindful of the impact its actions have on the situation of two Canadian men, Michael Kovrig and Micheal Spavor, held in Chinese jails. Id by lying to you if I said we dont think about that in almost everything we do, said the official who spoke on a background-only basis. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has expressed concern not just for Hong Kong citizens but for some 300,000 Canadian passport holders who live in the global financial capital, which has long enjoyed more political and civil liberties than mainland China. The United States, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom denounced the law saying China has breached the autonomy guaranteed to Hong Kong by the One Country, Two Systems handover deal. In the past week the U.S. said it will deny visas to Chinese officials involved with administering the new law, deny exports of defence and dual-use technology exports to Hong Kong and China, and eliminate special exemptions for Hong Kong. Britain and Australia say they are examining ways to ease entry of Hong Kongers and to create a path to citizenship for Hong Kong emigres. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian dismissed criticism by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying he and others are mad they will not be able to influence activists in Hong Kong. The reason why Mr. Pompeo and his like make such a fuss about the law is that they wont be able to jeopardize Chinas sovereignty and security in as reckless and unchecked ways as before, Zhao said Thursday in translated remarks posted to the foreign ministry website. The law is like a burglar-proof door for Hong Kong. Canada has stopped short of saying whether it will facilitate the refugee claims from Hong Kong democracy activists. Groups supporting them have complained there are too many hurdles for asylum seekers. The Liberal government could increase the allowable stay for visitors holding passports from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Right now they are treated as visa-exempt, and permitted to enter Canada for short stays up to six months at a time, as long as they have an electronic travel authorization, which is valid up to five years. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Canada is currently processing at least 46 refugee claims filed by people with Hong Kong citizenship, the government said Thursday. Those claims were filed between Jan. 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020, at points of entry into Canada, airports, or at Canada Border Services or Immigration Canada offices across the country. On Thursday, Immigration and Citizenship Minister Marco Mendocinos office said Canada will continue to open our doors to newcomers, including those fleeing persecution, terror and war. Read more about: OTTAWAThe RCMP has called in a specialized national security team to investigate a Canadian Forces reservist who was arrested Thursday on the grounds of Rideau Hall. Crown prosecutors charged Corey Hurren, 46, of Bowsman, Manitoba, with 22 criminal offences, including misuse of restricted and prohibited weapons, and uttering threats. Hurren made a brief court appearance on Friday afternoon, and was remanded in custody until his next appearance on July 17. His lawyer, Michael Davies, did not reply to a request for comment on Friday afternoon. Hurren was arrested after the RCMP said a man crashed a pickup truck through a pedestrian gate into the grounds of Rideau Hall at around 6:30 a.m. Thursday. The armed man then made his way on foot to a greenhouse on the property, where he was confronted by police and surrendered after a nearly two-hour discussion. Rideau Hall is the official residence of Governor General Julie Payette, and its grounds are also the site of Rideau Cottage, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family reside. Neither the Trudeau family nor Payette were there at the time of the incident. Hurren appeared to have uploaded numerous conspiracy theories to social media accounts associated with his Manitoba sausage-making business. The RCMP would not comment on any suspected motives for the incident. Hurren has not been charged with any national security-related offences, but the fact that the RCMPs integrated national security team is leading the investigation suggests that theres a national security component to their investigation, said Leah West, a former Department of Justice national security lawyer. In order to bring charges of terrorism, they would need to have reason to believe that he was motivated by political, ideological or religious motives, and that he intended to intimidate likely in this case the prime minister or elements of the government, West said Friday in an interview. That may not have been apparent on its face from the initial investigation. A day after the incident, details of Hurrens life emerged through conversations with friends and acquaintances, interviews with government officials, as well as from his online presence. The Department of National Defence confirmed that Hurren had been a reservist from 1997 to 2000, earning the rank of corporal in an artillery unit based in Regina. In 2019, he re-enrolled in the Canadian Rangers, a reserve unit that works in northern and remote parts of the country. He was considered to be on duty at the time of his arrest, and had been assigned to Operation LASER, the militarys response to the COVID-19 pandemic. DND spokesperson Daniel LeBouthillier said Hurren travelled to Ottawa of his own accord without the knowledge of his chain of command. Hurrens Rangers-issued rifle was not used in the attack and remains in the possession of the Canadian Forces. LeBouthillier said there were no red flags on Hurrens service file that would have barred his re-enrolment in the reserves. He confirmed that an administrative review would be conducted to assess whether he would be released from the Canadian Forces. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have taken a particular toll on Hurren, whose Grindhouse Fine Meats business had been temporarily closed. Bill Gade, a local radio host in Hurrens community of Bowsman, said that Hurren worked his butt off at the local co-op and worked even harder to make his own business, and he was doing well. The pandemic, however, put all that on hold. In March, just as the COVID-19 lockdowns began, the Grindhouse Instagram account featured a post about going down the rabbit hole into QAnon conspiracy theories. QAnon is an American conspiracy group focused on a supposed deep state conspiracy against U.S. President Donald Trump that boasts a worldwide following. Dozens of QAnon signs were spotted at a far-right rally held on Parliament Hill the day before the Rideau Hall attack. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Has anyone else been following Q and the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole and how this all relates the Corona virus (sic)/COVID-19 situation? reads a March 27 post on Grindhouse Fine Foods Instagram account. Lots of coincidences in all these Q posts if this turns out to be a nothingburger. Attached to the post were a series of hashtags, referencing debunked conspiracy theories. The Star reported Thursday that another COVID-19 conspiracy meme was posted to a Facebook account associated with Hurren just minutes before the truck crashed through the gates at Rideau Hall. Gade noted that Trudeau isnt much loved in Western Canada, with Bowsman being no different, but said Hurren was not particularly political. I've never heard that type of stuff from Corey, more than you'd hear from any normal person just unhappy with the government and all those people in the east, Gade told the Star. Gade said he noticed Hurrens social media posts have gotten a little stranger over the last couple of weeks, although he added thats been true for many people coping with the stress of lockdown. Last year, Hurren joined an RCMP manhunt in northern Manitoba for teen murder suspects Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky. Hurrens social media posts suggested anxiety about the pandemic. He recently started following a number of survivalist accounts on Instagram, and appeared to worry about the future of his business. I am not sure what will be left of our economy, industries, and businesses when this all ends, he wrote on Facebook. Hurren will remain in police custody until July 17, when he is scheduled to make another appearance in an Ottawa courtroom via video conference. His lawyer, Michael Davies, did not return a request for comment Friday afternoon. Read more about: Police track Phuket post office, Kerry Express thief to Phang Nga PHUKET: Wichit Police have tracked down and arrested a man in Thai Mueng, Phang Nga, after he broke into a Thailand Post Office and two Kerry Express offices in Phuket. crimepolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Friday 3 July 2020, 03:47PM Phakhin Reunpet was caught on CCTV and identified by tattoos on his neck and left leg. Image: via Wichit Police The man, Phuket native Phakhin Ruanpet, was arrested yesterday (July 2), explained Lt Col Thammasan Bunsong of the Wichit Police. Lt Col Thammasan explained that police were informed on June 28 that at around 1:30am a man had broken into a Kerry Express office on Chao Fa West Rd and fled with stolen items on a motorbike. The thief was reported as wearing a black long-sleeved hoodie, shorts, a cap and a face mask, ironically now required by law. From CCTV footage in the area officers identified the license plate of the Phuket-registered motorbike, registered as owned by Phuket native Renu Reunpet. Following up on the motorbike, police found the motorbike parked in front of Ms Renus house in Moo 1, Tambon Kathu. Officers then confirmed that Ms Renus son, Phakhin, matched the image of the thief fleeing on the motorbike. Phakins tattoos helped police identify him, Lt Col Thammasan said. Phakin also had a criminal record for previous thefts, he said. Ms Renu told police that her son used the motorbike on June 28, and confirmed that her son had the same tattoos on his neck and the back of his left leg that police were looking for on the suspect. Continuing their investigation, officers tracked Phakin to a house in Moo 1, Tambon Laem Kaen, in Thai Mueang District, Phang Nga, where he was arrested, Lt Col Thammasan said. Phakin confessed to breaking into the Kerry Express office and stealing items, Lt Col Thammasan said in his report. Phakin also told police that on June 21 he broke into a Thailand Post office and another Kerry Express office in Phuket Town. Phakin said that during those break-ins he stole some cash and a laptop, Lt Cokl Thammsan noted. In placing Phakin under arrest, police seized a red-black Honda Wave motorbike used in the theft on June 28. They also seized a Dell laptop and two receipts as evidence. Phakhin was brought back to Phuket and taken to Wichit Police Station, where he was charged with the thefts, Lt Col Thammasan reported. Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 712-243-2624 or email circ@ant-news.com. Alan Guebert Agricultural Columnist One of the oldest sayings in journalism reminds readers and writers alike that Its hard to argue with facts. True, but readers of this weekly effort often rise to the challenge in their letters and emails to me. Most mix new or alternative (thank you, Kellyanne) facts with their opinion to point out the wrongs of my ways. Others forgo niceties and jump right to name-calling. These writers often find their black-and-blue prose highlighted in a twice-yearly letters column where my detractors debate the pros and cons ofas one noted a few years agomy shrinking brain. For example, after the White House announced a new, ag-heavy trade deal with China in mid-January, David C. from Illinois was not surprised that I failed to highlight the pact in a positive column, nor was he subtle in noting his disappointment. I should have known you are a partisan hack who gives no credit nor respect to the President when he does well by Illinois farmers. Hack or not, my non-response to the January dealthe numbers didnt add up then or nowlooks like a good call. Despite big, recent Chinese purchases of U.S. pork and soybeans, November soybeans futures are now $1 per bu. less than in January and August lean hog futures are $35 ($35!) per cwt. lower. Speaking of numbers, Bob C. from Iowa wrote in April to say that I was misinterpreting what he a Trump voter and others were saying about the [corona]virus. Were not actually saying itself is a hoax. We are saying the press and the dems are working together(to take) advantage of the virus and make it worse. It should really be termed a scam. Well, Bob, I like your sense of humor; Dems working together now thats funny. What isnt funny, though, is the number of Covid-19 dead in the U.S., now about 120,000 and climbing. As such, if Covid is a scam, its the deadliest scam either you, me or the nation has ever witnessed. Another emailer, Marvin H., had a different take on an April column that examined Covid-19s impact on rural America. Its not the disease thats killing people, Marvin suggested; instead, Fear is killing people. Fear? Well, How many alcohol and smoking deaths are there per year? 10 million worldwide, he claimed. And with social distancing people are sitting at home in fear, drinking and smoking to calm their nerves. OK, Marvin, you got me on that one. The past six months have set a record on what my mother called upside down compliments, or compliments that poked you in the ribs as hard as they slapped you on the back. For example, in late March Rob W. wrote from St. Paul to say that he has tried to read my column many times but I rarely get through the first few paragraphs before I move on. But, he quickly adds, The headline this week caught my eye (I read) the first sentence about your dad. I continued to read on, praying that the story would stay focused on him It did and I thank you. Thank me? Sounds like the Lord did the heavy lifting, Rob. The best left-handed compliment Ive ever received, however, arrived by email just this week from Joe in Maryland. In its entirety, it reads: Hi, Alen: (no worry, Joe; there are too many ways to spell my name) Just wanted to let you know I appreciate your articles. Good, bad or whatever, you give us something to ponder. Also, [it] doesnt hurt that you seem to be truthful and forthright, regardless of your thoughts on the subject. Thank you. No, Joe, thank you. Your letter was straight from the heart and I treasure it and you. And thank you, faithful readers, emailers, letter writers, andat least twice a yearcolumnists. Good, bad or whatever, you, too, are treasures. Alan Guebert is an agricultural columnist from central Illinois. Find past columns, events and contact information atwww.farmandfoodfile.com. Staff reports Watertown Public Opinion Beholden to Putin? As peace talks proceeded for ending the long-running war in Afghanistan, President Trump was informed as early as January that bounties were being paid to Taliban-linked militants for killing American and coalition troops. The payer-organization was a Russian unit known to have performed covert assassinations in Europe. How has President Trump responded to this information? Was he angry? Did he initiate appropriate consequences against Putin? Alas, our president simply tried to keep it a secret. Trumps non-action and secrecy led someone in the Pentagon to leak the story. We already knew that Trump never confronted Putin regarding 2016s election interference. Weve noted that Trump has ignored other Russian provocations throughout his presidency. Families of the twenty-some American service members killed since 2019 in Afghanistan deserve answers. Why isnt Trump angry about this? Why are there no consequences for Russia? Throughout his presidency, Trump has consistently shown adoration and special comity for Putin. Hes had many secret conversations with Putin and other high-level Russian ministers. Hes consistently supported Russias interests often to the detriment of our European allies. Can a simple-minded observer like me be faulted for quietly wondering whether Trump might be secretly beholden to Russias Putin? Its also disturbing that the U.S., with 4% of the worlds population, is accounting for 25% of covid-related deaths on this planet. Trump should be pressing insurance companies to expand their coverage of COVID-19 testing. Our country needs a national testing strategy. A full economic recovery is unlikely until the public has confidence the disease is contained. South Dakotas two Senators are also responsible for these many failures. David Wegner Sioux Falls, SD Aimia Inc. closed a transaction with Waterloos Kognitiv Corp. after the Quebec Superior Court dismissed an application from Air Canada to stop the merger. Waterloo Region tech company, Cloud DX, has been awarded $1.75 million from Next Generation Manufacturing Canada to develop Pulsewave 2.0, a system that will remotely monitor COVID-19 patients sent home. Kitchener-based video company, Vidyard, has added 2.8 million users over the past three months as many companies shift to remote work and adopt video communication. Google has acquired Kitchener smart glasses manufacturer North Inc, both firms confimed Tuesday. North co-founders Stephen Lake, Matthew Bailey and Aaron Grant said in a blog post that theyll be remaining in Kitchener-Waterloo. In the most recent YouTube episode of Communitechs True North TV, Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin said in an interview that he wants to modernize policing and find new ways of deliviering community services in response to the Black Lives Matter protests. A University of Waterloo student club called enTECH that teaches long-term care residents and cancer patients things like how to video chat, launch a Zoom meeting, or sign out books from the library electronically, has expanded its reach to the entire community during the pandemic. Beisan Zubi, a Waterloo Region resident who works in the tech sector, has created Get on Board, a matchmaking program that hopes to match Black, Indigenous and people of colour with vacant seats on local nonprofit boards. WATERLOO REGION COVID-19 cases in Waterloo Region dont seem to be linked to socioeconomic factors such as income, but new information that will be collected soon may reveal trends. Public health compared its new map of COVID-19 rates by neighbourhood to census data and found no correlations to areas with lower income, more recent immigrants, or homes that speak languages other than English. Based on this initial information at this time at the neighbourhood level, we do not see a clear pattern of correlation between rates and characteristics such as income, acting medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said during Fridays briefing. But the region will be gathering personal information from individuals who test positive and consent, following new provincial guidance thats coming soon. Were going to have more data because going forward well be collecting data at the individual level related to race, income, size of household and language, Wang said. Currently the only correlation by neighbourhood is to outbreaks in long-term care and retirement homes. Wang said expanded testing will also make it easier to look for trends because it is no longer restricted to only certain people as in the beginning of the pandemic. Next week, the province will be rolling out training to public health staff on how data is collected and entered into the provincial database. Wang said public health will continue to look for trends and then consider the best action to take. In Toronto, for instance, more outreach was done to encourage testing in neighbourhoods with higher infection rates. It may indicate a need to maybe deploy some different or additional resources or activities to try to make sure that we are addressing any increased risks among certain groups, Wang said. Confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region reached 1,312 in the Friday morning update, up three from Thursdays 1,309. Deaths remain at 116. Of the local cases, 1,114 are resolved, 82 are active and 14 are hospitalized. One outbreak remains at a Kitchener long-term care home. No outbreaks are active at group homes, workplaces or local hospitals. We have made progress toward slowing COVID-19 in our community, but we cannot take that progress for granted. We remain at risk for a resurgence of cases if we are not careful, Wang said. Migrant farm workers RELATED STORIES Waterloo Region COVID-19 cases mapped by neighbourhood in region An order was issued this week to local employers of temporary foreign workers as recommended by the provinces chief medical officer of health following outbreaks among migrant farm workers in southern Ontario to ensure measures are in place to prevent or reduce the spread of COVID on farms. It doesnt mean our farms are not already putting in place the appropriate measures. This is a proactive measure to ensure the measures will be in place, Wang said. At this time, we have not detected any cases among temporary foreign workers in our community on such farms. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The order was given to 15 farms known to employ migrant workers, and also posted on the regions website in case there are more farms which would also have to follow the order. It details strict measures such as a 14-day isolation upon arriving in Canada, what to do if a worker develops COVID-19 symptoms, and requirements for screening and infection prevention and control measures. Wang said the region is also collaborating with the Ministry of Labour, which is doing on-site assessments of farms across Ontario including in this region. Why is Marwan Tabbara still representing residents of Kitchener South-Hespeler? Tabbara has been member of Parliament for this riding since it was created in 2015. He has won two elections as a Liberal. But in April, he was arrested in Guelph and charged with criminal harassment, breaking and entering and two counts of assault. Both he and the Guelph police stayed quiet about this for nearly two months. Even his boss, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, didnt know about it. Tabbara has now left the Liberal caucus and continues to represent the riding as an independent MP. His next court appearance is August 28. I thought about Tabbara last week as Waterloo Region was roiled by the misdeeds of another elected politician, Wilmot Mayor Les Armstrong. Armstrong, of course, has been broadly criticized by local residents who were horrified, and rightly so, that he had shared a video on Facebook claiming the Black Lives Matter movement was a hoax. He apologized and took down the video. There were repeated calls for his resignation and he was called a racist. When he said he wouldnt resign, there were demands on social media to get rid of him right away. Yet Armstrongs behaviour, though deeply problematic, never came close to him being charged with a crime. Tabbara, meanwhile, has been charged with four serious crimes. However, the silence from the public has been deafening. Unless he decides to resign as a member of Parliament, Tabbara has got that job until the next election. Theres nothing anyone can do about it. Theres only one other way for the seat to be vacated and that would be if the House of Commons decided to expel him, says Emmett Macfarlane, a political science professor at University of Waterloo who specializes in Canadian politics and parliament. That is an extraordinarily rare thing in Canada, Macfarlane said. Three of the four cases that Im aware of happened in the 19th century. Unlike the United States, Canada doesnt have the ability for citizens to recall a politician, Macfarlane said. If we did, it might be something of a double-edged sword, he said. It would allow for more grassroots participation, but also would allow for a group of people who are very committed to removing someone to be successful, even if most citizens were not concerned. The overall effect, he thinks, would be to further polarize the political environment. That said, some people in other professions lose their licence if they are even charged with a crime, Macfarlane said. Why not politicians? I do think we need to hold elected representatives to a higher standard, he said. Of course, Tabbara is presumed innocent unless his trial shows otherwise. But the whole issue lays bare the huge amount of power that is concentrated in the party leadership. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... A candidate cant run in an election unless the party leader approves. Even if the local party members choose someone, the party leader can bring in someone from out of the riding. Candidate selection is horribly undemocratic, Macfarlane said. Until that changes, the only way to have some local control is for voters to look less closely at the party being represented and more closely at the individual who is running. The tall green sentinels that have stood guard on either side of town hall will soon end their decades of silent duty, shading sidewalks and benches, anchoring the wires that suspend the great American flag before the buildings front entrance, adding leaves and green to a corner dominated by pavement and brick. The two big trees will be taken down soon within a month. We signed contracts last week. Theyll be coming down roughly the third week of July, First Selectman Rudy Marconi said Monday, June 25. This has been planned for several years now, due to their failing condition, he said. This past year we had them pruned once again, with several major branches being removed, that had died. Because of our municipality status, and ownership of the trees, and that we have established the fact that the trees are in poor condition, and given the number of pedestrians in and around the area, it is the safest thing to be done rather than waiting for someone to potentially be harmed, We do not want that, Marconi said. So, the removal of the trees is an important step to be taken, unfortunately. Where will the flag hang? Taking down the tree leaves the giant American flag that hangs over town halls entrance without something tall enough, and strong enough, to hold it up. We will be working on supporting the hanging of the flag in a different manner, Marconi said. There is one bit of good news concerning town halls look. In the beginning of July, we will have the widows walk being replaced, Marconi said. That was part of the original building, built in 1896 after the Great Fire. That project is being completed by a group of volunteers and a generous donor. The widows walk project was proposed in 2016 by builder Mike Wise, whod done work including a widows walk restoration on the Lounsbury House. Architect Dave Scott did drawings for the project, based on old photographs. When town hall was rebuilt after the Great Fire it was the center of civic pride and the widow's walk railing was the building's crown, Scott told The Press at the time. Town hall certainly looked better with it than without. Rotting wood Tree Warden John Pinchbeck told The Press in May that a resistograph test for rotten wood had found one of the two elms had a failure of about 20% on the side facing town hall. They dont look good, he said. Pinchbeck figures the two trees which he identified as Siberian elms were planted around the 1930s. Todays brick town hall was built in 1896-97 after the previous wooden town hall was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1895, which took a number of Main Street buildings. A postcard that Jack Sanders website Ridgefieldhistory.com dates to about 1907 shows the corner of Main Street and Bailey Avenue without the trees there or the brick walls in front of town hall. In the May interview, Pinchbeck said the elms probably shouldnt have been planted where they were. The root zone is too small for the trees, he said. You can tell because theyre pushing against the wall and the sidewalks. Drainage work Once the trees are removed, a project for which we have received state funding will commence to redo the landscaped area in front of town hall, to be rebuilt exactly the way it is today, Marconi said. Unfortunately, we will not be able to replace the trees exactly as they are today. The stumps will be removed, and new trees planted toward of the end of the project. The project will correct drainage problems. Excavation will take place down to the footings in front of town hall, to correct a water problem that we have had for years, Marconi said. The foundation will be waterproofed, and new footing drains put in to handle the water... We repair the front steps every year, due to the poor drainage. Its been a safety hazard. We need to fix the front steps, put in new footing drainage, around the building, for all the leader drains. The front wall around town hall is tilting away from the tree, because the root system expanded. We need to fix that and, of course, the sidewalk. Cost How much will all this cost? I think its approximately $175,000, Marconi said. Its not a mammoth project, but its probably a more sensitive project because of the trees. The big trees are scheduled to come down in the mid to late July, and the drainage project expected to take three to five weeks. So, new trees will be planted late August, early September, Marconi said. What kind of trees? That will be a recommendation of the tree committee, Marconi said. The goal will be have substantial replacements. The type of tree will be from the tree committee, but theyll be as large a caliper tree as can possibly be installed, Marconi said. Flag solution Whatever the size of the new trees, theyre not going to be able to support the huge flag that now hangs in front of town hall traditionally from Memorial Day through Flag Day and the Fourth of July, We know for sure we will not be able to hang the large flag as it hangs today, Marconi said. So thats another thing to continue looking into. Look how high that flag is is hanging its higher than our roof. There are two wires there; the first one was the original, and the flag was too close to the building and often in windy weather would rub against various sections of the building, ripping the flag, he said, Not to mention when the rain soaks the flag, the weight is incredible and it stretched to the ground and we had to move it higher and away from the building. People may remember having to duck when leaving town hall, when the flag was stretched and wet youd have to duck to get under it. How to hang the flag is a problem Marconis been thinking about but it isnt an easy one to solve. All of the facia board, all the dentil molding, is metal perhaps we can improvise some kind of plate that gets bolted to the building, with a couple of columns or extensions off of the plate that will allow us to hang the flag that way. Marconi knows people will be upset at taking down the trees something hes been talking about on and off for a couple of years. With the trees deteriorating condition and the high pedestrian traffic in the area, he argues that the unhappy day cant be put off forever. We have no choice, Marconi said. What are we going to do, wait for something to, unfortunately, happen? And then it will be: Why didnt you do something? Red Hill crash victims are asking a judge to allow a class-action lawsuit against the city to go ahead but they may not get an answer until next year. A proposed $250-million class action was filed last year after the city discovered inexplicably hidden 2013 test results that showed poor friction on the Red Hill Valley Parkway. The suit alleges negligence in building and maintenance of the seven-kilometre parkway. The statement of claim alleged the city hid the 2013 report over a period that saw more than 200 serious collisions and four fatalities on the Red Hill. The allegations have not been tested in court. Lawyer Rob Hooper said a legal team from Grosso Hooper and Scarfone Hawkins LLP filed a notice of motion June 30 seeking a court hearing to certify the class action a necessary step to allow the lawsuit to go ahead. Hooper said he hopes to meet with a judge in July to set a hearing date but ongoing COVID-19 court delays suggest it wont be soon. We are guessing spring 2021, he said. It was not clear Thursday if the city had responded to latest court filing, but council will get a confidential update on Red Hill litigation next week. Councillors will also hear the latest about a separate judicial inquiry into the Red Hill mystery that has so far cost taxpayers $3 million. An online public hearing for the inquiry is slated for July 7. Hooper said the lawsuit seeks damages on behalf of all drivers who suffered a collision on the parkway since it opened in November 2007. That could include 2,000 motor vehicle crashes. The latest court filing includes affidavits from representative plaintiffs Corinne and Brian Klassen, as well as the family of the late Michael Sholer. Corinne spun out and crashed on the parkway in 2016, leaving the 56-year-old with lack of function, pain and disability. Michael Sholer died in 2017 after his vehicle veered through the parkway median and into a transport truck. Sister Melissa Sholer has publicly pushed the city for years to install crossover safety barriers along the parkway. Everyone has been saying for years the road is slippery and theres something wrong with it, she said last year. To mandate masks, or not to mandate masks, that is the question. While Hamilton hasnt yet made a decision, it seems a mandatory mask bylaw might be in our future. Mayor Fred Eisenberger said Friday he is waiting on a recommendation from Hamiltons medical officer of health on mandatory mask-wearing and he anticipates something will be discussed at the July 17 city council meeting. Eisenberger said hes hearing broad community support for mandatory masking and that a bylaw approach is definitely the approach that we are heading towards in terms of if and when we do this. As things become more open, I think the need for masking becomes more acute, he said Tuesday. But questions remain around what a potential bylaw might entail, what mandatory masking really means and how could it be enforced. Drawing from comments made by Eisenberger and Hamilton public health officials, along with interviews with Raywat Deonandan, a University of Ottawa epidemiologist, and Cara Zwibel, a director with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, we explore the issue of mandatory masking and what it might look like in practice. Whats the latest? At a news briefing Friday, Hamiltons medical officer of health Dr. Elizabeth Richardson said public health will bring advice to the board of health when it meets July 10, with the aim of providing something to the city before council meets July 17. She added that in countries where mask-wearing is mandatory and upwards of 70 per cent of people are wearing masks, that really can make a difference in decreasing the transmission. What has the city and public health said about making masks mandatory prior to Friday? When asked Tuesday about his position on making masks mandatory, Eisenberger said he would support having masks indoors and that masks are effective. A day earlier, the city joined other GTHA mayors in calling on the province to implement a mandatory face-covering measure in large municipalities. The province responded saying municipalities can make that call on their own. A week earlier, Hamilton public health had said it wasnt looking to make masks mandatory, but on Tuesday, Richardson said she was open to exploring the issue. On Thursday, a Hamilton public health spokesperson said making masks mandatory is in active consideration. Why is it necessary? Epidemiologist Raywat Deonandan said mandatory masking highlights to the public the important role masks play in stopping or slowing the spread of COVID. Mask-wearing, in partnership with other endeavours, can keep most of this under control to a large extent, he said. Deonandan said he doesnt think the public nor the economy can handle another large-scale lockdown if a second wave is to hit. Increased mask-wearing could mitigate that. Do businesses want this? The mayor said Tuesday there has been a fair bit of pressure from businesses to make masks mandatory. Businesses would rather the city tell their customers to wear masks, than them having to do it themselves. Keanin Loomis, president and CEO of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, said: If making masks mandatory is going to give us the confidence we need to venture out, while preventing us from backsliding, then were all for it. How would mandatory masking be enforced? The mayor said he expects bylaw officers would enforce mask-wearing policies and he imagines scofflaws would face a fine, though decisions on that are far from made. Paul Johnson, director of the citys Emergency Operations Centre, said bylaw officers would educate the public on the importance of masks. If somebody says they cannot wear a mask, this isnt about putting them on the spot about why not, Johnson said Friday. Would there be exceptions? Torontos temporary bylaw, approved by council Tuesday and coming into effect next week, will not apply to children under two and those who cant wear masks for medical reasons. Where would the bylaw be in effect? Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... In Toronto, masks will be mandatory in enclosed, public places. Business owners are required to have a policy ensuring face coverings are worn in the enclosed public spaces under their control. Some exemptions are allowed. Would this infringe on civil liberties? Cara Zwibel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said she worries less about people arguing their freedom is being infringed upon, more about the judgment or invasive questions those who have legitimate health reasons for not wearing masks might face. Are these people going to be put in a situation where theyre shamed and shunned ... or theyre forced to disclose personal and confidential information to basically every establishment they want to enter? More than half of Hamiltons usual summer child-care centres are expected to reopen in the next 10 days, according to city staff. Nearly all of Hamiltons 234 child-care centres were shuttered in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, Education Minister Stephen Lecce gave Ontario child-care centres the green light to reopen as early as June 12, but only if they were abiding by strict guidelines, which include keeping attendance records and a 10-person cap on staff and children. Brenda Bax, manager of early years operations, children services and neighbourhood development, said an additional 68 daycares are planning to reopen on July 6 and July 13, bringing the total to 90. The goal is for every child-care centre in the city to be reopen by the fall, Bax said in an emailed statement. According to Paul Johnson, director of the citys Emergency Operations Centre, typically there are about 130 centres open during the summer months. We understand that this is a challenge for families but they were hopeful that child-care centres could get going very, very quickly, said Johnson during the citys June 26 COVID-19 response update. But, the bottom line is that the public health guidelines around reopening child care and the provincial guidelines around reopening child care, they are very stringent, he said. When asked by The Hamilton Spectator, Bax could not confirm the number of spaces that have come back online with the reopenings thus far. Trends are showing that all centres are operating at approximately 50 per cent capacity due to the ministry limits of cohorts of 10, said Bax. We cannot provide specific numbers of spaces because child-care programs report that information to the city once they are open and operating. To reopen, child-care centres across the city have had to recall and train their staff, assess their sites and change the flow of their rooms. Toys such as blocks, teddy bears and dolls have been tucked away and desks have been measured and set apart. They must also pass a public health inspection and submit an attestation and updated COVID-19 policies to the licensing and compliance team with the Ministry of Education. There are lots of protocols in place to make sure we keep children and their families safe, said Johnson. We know the challenge of that. As child-care centres begin to welcome back youngsters, Bax said operators are contacting families to confirm their interest in coming back, starting with those who had children enrolled at the time of the provincial order to close in March. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The city is pleased with the progress and continues working closely with the child-care community to ensure a safe reopening for all involved, she added. Are you a parent in Hamilton that is trying to get your child back into daycare? We want to hear from you for a story in the Spectator. If you want to chat, please contact reporter Fallon Hewitt at fhewitt@torstar.ca. Cities getting a free pass on spills Environment Minister Wilkinson has quietly granted municipalities a 20-year waiver to dump raw sewage into fish habitats. Why did everyone get their shorts in a knot over a couple of years worth of sewage overflow into Chedoke Creek not too long ago? Dick Borzychowski, Hamilton Canada should release Meng Time to focus on getting the Two Michaels home (June 24) Its gratifying the Spec is finally willing to consider that the justice minister drop extradition proceedings against Meng Wanzhou. After all, Huawei CFO Meng was arrested, not for a crime committed in Canada, but rather at the Trump Administrations very political request. In fact, according to Boltons tell-all book, Trump intended to use her arrest as a bargaining chip in his trade war on China. Moreover, the U.S. president is determined to ignore trade rules and block Huawei Corporation from participating in building the 5G U.S. internet network. The actual charges against Meng relate to Huaweis relationship to Iran, which Trump has heavily sanctioned since he abrogated the JCPOA (Iran Nuclear Agreement). Canada, however, favoured the JCPOA and didnt join the new U.S. sanctions. Recently, 19 Canadian former diplomats and politicians penned an open letter to Trudeau noting that the rule of law would be served by the justice minister simply ending Mengs extradition. Canadians have paid dearly for Canadas slavish response to Trumps extradition request, especially farmers who lost markets for crops in China. And Canada-China relations will deteriorate further if the extradition drags on. Conversely, all Canadians, including the Two Michaels, stand to gain if Canada were to develop good relations with the Peoples Republic of China. I hope Trudeau gets the message, grows some backbone, and releases Meng now. Ken Stone, Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War It comes down to respect I work in retail and I am mandated to wear a mask. We work hard to maintain sanitized high touch areas in our store to protect everyone. Items returned and tried on in the fitting rooms are sent to the warehouse to be quarantined for at least 24 hours. We do this to protect our customers and staff. I am thanked many times for working the front line so they may shop. So when I see people without mask, I have to ask, why? When I see people with masks, I thank them. Its comes down to respect for the well being of others. Marlene Girvan, Ancaster Cartoon a cheap shot at dedicated police That is a very broad brush the cartoonist is using to depict law enforcement in Canada. I get that racism exists in Canada and that there are a few in law enforcement that perpetuate this image. However I can say, unequivocally, that the vast majority of our policemen and policewomen dutifully serve the public without bias or malice in their hearts. This cartoon does nothing to promote a less divided society nor address the real issues to affect meaningful change in law enforcement. It is nothing more than a cheap shot at dedicated public servants. Brian Gibson, Burlington Police need re-education What kind of organization allows their staff to cheer and clap at others suffering? The Hamilton police, apparently. In 2018 Andrew Pfeifer, the white constable who arbitrarily stopped to question a Black man who was standing outside waiting for a bus, was found not guilty by an independent review by former police members. The street check happened in 2016 to Matthew Green, a city councillor at the time. Green not only had to wait two years for the results of the hearing, but also had to endure multiple insults from all levels of police who made it seem like investigating the incident was a waste of time. Clint Twolan, president of the Hamilton Police Association, said Green was creating a circus and that Green was filing a formal complaint only to further his own political agenda. Ultimately, hearing officer Terence Kelly said he lacked confidence of Mr. Greens credibility and decided the cop in question was just doing his job like a good cop should. Cheers from police and cries of shame from members of the Black community greeted the decision, CBC reported at the time. The appalling attitudes of police throughout those proceedings show their true colours. I support reallocation of funds from the police to services that actually serve our citizens. Hamilton police need re-education and restructuring Samantha Delaney, Hamilton Police not the best to respond to mentally ill It is so sad to read about the deadly encounter between police and the mentally ill individual in Mississauga. It brought back memories of the Hamilton incident involving Steve Mesic. Will someone please stop sending police into situations involving such individuals. The police are obviously ill-equipped and trained to respond to these calls which often involve individuals demonstrating irrational behaviour and failing to respond to authority. Police officers are trained to address such behaviour with escalating use of force. The police should not be placed into these situations in the first place. These individuals are confused and mentally ill. They are more of a danger to themselves than the public. Mental illness cannot be treated with violence. I am sure that properly trained professionals other than the police could respond more appropriately to these situations. Our community should insist that such professionals are available to deal with these calls. RICHMOND, B.C.Premier John Horgan says Americans travelling through British Columbia on their way to Alaska or returning home should not stop in the province while COVID-19 cases continue rising in the United States. Horgan said Thursday hes heard concerns that Americans have stopped at Vancouver hotels and in stores on Vancouver Island instead of heading straight to their destination, putting local residents at risk. He said licence plates from Texas and California have been spotted in Port Renfrew, which is not on the way to Alaska. Horgan said he has spoken with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland about the need for her to discuss the issue with American officials. B.C. has kept its infection rates low and the provinces progress should not be lost to queue jumpers as outbreaks of COVID-19 have increased in many states, he said. Outbreaks in Washington state, California, Arizona, Texas are absolutely unacceptable. We have to maintain our border security so we can protect the progress weve made here in British Columbia, Horgan said. We do not want to make it more difficult for people to get home but if youre going home you should go straight home. You shouldnt be stopping along the way to enjoy the sights and sounds of British Columbia. Thats not part of the plan. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in mid-June that the federal government is looking into reports of U.S. tourists flouting measures around the border shutdown. The federal government extended the mandatory quarantine order for most people entering Canada until the end of August to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The order made under the Quarantine Act, which first came into effect in late March, was set to expire at midnight Tuesday, but will now remain in effect until Aug. 31. Horgan said he has maintained during 15 consecutive weeks of meetings with the other premiers, Trudeau and Freeland that the border needs to remain closed until the U.S. demonstrates it has a handle on this pandemic. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said those coming into the province should recognize that British Columbians have a vested interest in making sure visitors follow our travel manners. Weve done a lot here and it has been a sacrifice for everybody in this province and so there are concerns there are people coming in from jurisdictions that are still very much at risk, she told a news conference in Victoria. Henry said she supports closing the border to non-essential travel, adding that the situation in Washington state and the broader United States is challenging. They have been actively working for, as we know, a long time to control the outbreak, she said. I think it really speaks to once you get a level of transmission in the community with this virus, it is so, so challenging to get ahead of it and that is one of the things that weve been able to do here in B.C. early on with the testing that we had, and here in Canada. We seem to be managing it but we know that theres still risks. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Health Minister Adrian Dix said he wants the border to be closed beyond August. The provincial government announced three additional deaths due to COVID-19 since Tuesday, bringing the total number of people who have died to 177. There have been 24 new cases, for a total of 2,940. Read more about: EDMONTONAlbertas minister of health has ordered an independent third-party investigation into how the provinces health authority responded to a racist act at one of its hospitals. Tyler Shandro said in a statement Friday that a piece of rope tied into a noose was found taped to the door of an operating room at the Grande Prairie Hospital in 2016. In August of 2019, I was first made aware of this incident and was reassured by senior officials that the matter was being dealt with appropriately, he said. Shandro added, however, that he recently heard about it again and there are questions about how Alberta Health Services handled the matter in 2016. I share their concerns and I am not satisfied that this matter was handled appropriately, he said. Racism and bigotry have no place in our health-care system. The Opposition NDPs deputy leader and former health minister, Sarah Hoffman, said she hadnt been told about the racism at the time. I am shocked and disgusted to learn of the violent, racist incident that occurred at the Grande Prairie Hospital in 2016, she said in a statement Friday. If I had been informed, I would have taken swift action. My record on confronting racism is clear. In 2017, when two AHS employees used a racial slur against an Indigenous woman, we moved swiftly to dismiss them. Hoffman added shes concerned that Shandro has known about the incident for nearly a year but has not raised it publicly or acted. Shandro said in his statement that the initial investigation may have been limited by medical staff bylaws that govern how the health region responds to complaints and disciplines staff. These bylaws have not been updated in more than a decade, he said. Consequently, I have issued a directive requiring AHS to revise their bylaws within 60 days. He said he would be introducing legislation next week that would increase the number of public representatives on college councils, hearing tribunals and complaint review committees, which will increase the publics oversight of health professions. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... These initial steps are only the beginning, said Shandro. The review, which will be made public, will undoubtedly bring further required changes to our attention. Read more about: HOUSTON, B.C.Police say theyre investigating the homicide of a 30-year-old man in Houston, B.C., early Thursday morning. The RCMP says the detachment received a report of a man in medical distress inside a home at 4:30 a.m. They say officers found the man suffering from significant injuries and he died at the scene. The Mounties say investigators believe the death is an isolated incident and theres no risk to the public. Police are asking anyone with information to come forward. The BC Coroners Service is also investigating the circumstances surrounding the mans death and police say his name will not be released. Read more about: KEY FACTS 2:30 p.m.: Jays arent guaranteed exemption to play regular season in Toronto 1:55 p.m.: Province sends teams to Essex County to help migrant farm workers. 8:25 a.m.: Wasaga Beach to close main beach area after huge crowds. The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Friday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available. 6 p.m. Ontarios regional health units are reporting 37,558 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, including 2,731 deaths, up a total of 164 new cases since Thursday evening, according to the Stars latest count. As has been the case in recent weeks, the vast majority of new cases were reported in a small handful of health units. Just Toronto (80 new cases), Peel Region (21 cases) and York Region (20 cases) reported increases in the double digits; of the remaining 31 units, just Windsor-Essex saw more than five new infections. Meanwhile, three more fatal cases were reported Friday, two in Toronto, one in the Southwestern region. The daily rate of deaths has also fallen sharply since peaking in early May when the health units reported as many as 94 deaths in a single day. Earlier Friday, the province reported 155 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19, including 40, who are in an intensive care unit, of whom 25 are on a ventilator. These numbers are all near the lowest levels in data that goes back to early April. The province says its data is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its latest count of total deaths, 2,682, may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system. In the event of a discrepancy, data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date. The Stars count includes some patients reported as probable COVID-19 cases. This means they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test. 3:43 p.m. There are 105,027 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada, according to The Canadian Press, including 8,663 deaths, and 68,658 cases resolved. This breaks down as follows (NOTE: The Star does its own count for Ontario; see this file.): Quebec: 55,682 confirmed (including 5,560 deaths, 25,158 resolved) Ontario: 35,535 confirmed (including 2,682 deaths, 30,909 resolved) Alberta: 8,202 confirmed (including 155 deaths, 7,505 resolved) British Columbia: 2,940 confirmed (including 177 deaths, 2,603 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,064 confirmed (including 63 deaths, 998 resolved) Saskatchewan: 796 confirmed (including 14 deaths, 711 resolved) Manitoba: 314 confirmed (including seven deaths, 302 resolved), and 11 presumptive cases Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including three deaths, 258 resolved) New Brunswick: 165 confirmed (including two deaths, 158 resolved) Prince Edward Island: 27 confirmed Repatriated Canadians account for 13 confirmed cases, all of which have been resolved Yukon: 11 confirmed, all of which have been resolved Northwest Territories: five confirmed, all of which have been resolved Nunavut reports one case presumed to be COVID-19. 3:08 p.m.: Soon after the four Atlantic provinces lifted travel restrictions within the region early Friday, heavy cross-border traffic was reported across the Maritimes. Residents of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island can now travel to any of the other three provinces without self-isolating for 14 days after arriving a change that has created a so-called Atlantic bubble. Video footage from the Confederation Bridge showed a steady stream of vehicles heading to P.E.I. after midnight when the restrictions were lifted. 2:55 p.m.: A new report on the COVID-19 crisis in long-term care homes has concluded that Canada failed in its duty to protect its elders. The report released today by the Royal Society of Canada found the pandemic was a shock wave that exposed many long-standing deficiencies in the system. The groups COVID-19 task force of scientists and researchers said the causes of the failure are complex but are rooted in what they call systemic and deeply institutionalized attitudes about age and gender. 2:45 p.m.: The mayor of Ottawa says hes working to make cloth masks mandatory indoors in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 while restarting the economy. Jim Watson says he and a councillor will bring forward a motion on July 15 to create a bylaw mandating the use of masks in indoor public spaces. He says the move will help protect the community from increased transmission of the novel coronavirus while also giving businesses the chance to reopen. Watsons announcement comes after several other Ontario cities made similar moves, including Toronto and Windsor. Torontos bylaw was passed last week and comes into effect on July 7. Premier Doug Ford has resisted calls to make masks mandatory across the province, saying a regional approach is best given the relatively low infection rate in some parts of Ontario. 2:30 p.m.: A top Canadian government health official says the Toronto Blue Jays arent guaranteed to get an exemption for the regular season. The Blue Jays got clearance to hold training camp in Toronto starting this week. But the regular season will require players to frequently travel back and forth between the United States. Thats a totally different ballgame, Dr. Howard Njoo, Canadas Deputy Chief Public Health Officer, said Friday. Njoo said its too early to say if an exemption will be granted, but said health officials will examine a plan. He noted a lot of American states that have teams are seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases. We have to look at it very carefully, Njoo said. Our priority is to safeguard the health and safety of all Canadians. Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro said the team hopes to know within 10 days where it will play regular-season games. MLB requires an exemption to a requirement that anyone entering Canada for nonessential reasons must self-isolate for 14 days. The U.S.-Canada border remains closed to nonessential travel until at least July 21. There is wide expectation that will be extended. Public Health Agency of Canada spokeswoman Marie-Pier Burelle said the Blue Jays were granted exemption for training camp in Toronto on national interest grounds. The Blue Jays are moving their camp from its spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida, where players reported for intake testing. The team will create a quarantine environment at Rogers Centre and the adjoining Toronto Marriott City Centre Hotel, which overlooks the field. The Blue Jays will use four locker rooms and employ social distancing during training camp. They will not play exhibition games with other teams during training camp. Precautions at the hotel include contact-less check-ins and discouraging the use of elevators. Njoo called the training camp plan minimal risk. Shapiro said visiting teams would not leave the confines of Rogers Centre and the hotel attached to the stadium if the regular season plan is approved. Players union spokesman Chris Dahl said the association had not yet signed off on the plan. COVID-19 cases are surging in Florida as health officials reported a new single-day record total of 10,000 new cases in a day recently, and before this week several Blue Jay players and staff in Dunedin had tested positive. Ontario reported 165 new cases Friday. Shapiro said the players prefer to be in Toronto. 2:30 p.m.: With an increasing number of Nova Scotians complaining on social media about seeing cars with American plates entering the province, Premier Stephen McNeil has pledged to keep a closer watch on those showing up at the border from outside Atlantic Canada. However, McNeil also warned Nova Scotians not to jump to conclusions about the people in those cars, saying most of them are probably Canadian citizens coming home after living or working abroad. There are lots of stories circulating, conversation on social media about Americans and others who are coming into our province and not self-isolating, the premier told a virtual news conference. If this is true, this is not acceptable. If you commit to self-isolating for 14 days, we expect you to keep your word. 2:25 p.m.: The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario says it plans to revoke the liquor licence of a Toronto club accused of hosting a secret indoor party attended by up to 150 people. The AGCO says it has suspended Goldies licence while it begins the revocation process. It says the move is related to serious violations related to public safety. Earlier this week, police alleged that between 125 and 150 patrons were allowed to enter the club on June 26 for a party where no social distancing regulations were enforced. Police said the owner, manager and corporation will be charged with failure to comply with an order made during a declared emergency. Investigators noted the establishment doesnt have outdoor seating or a patio of any sort. Bars and restaurants are currently only allowed to serve customers in outdoor settings in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. 1:55 p.m.: Emergency Management Ontario teams have been dispatched to Essex County to help local officials house, feed and arrange medical care for almost 200 workers who tested positive for COVID-19 at an industrial greenhouse that was effectively shut down by the outbreak. Its all hands on deck down there, Premier Doug Ford said Friday. The teams are aiding the Red Cross and staff from the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit as they try to contain the outbreak at the massive Leamington greenhouse operation that grows tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. The Stars Rob Ferguson has the full story. 1:25 p.m.: Premier Doug Ford apologizes for saying farm workers in Windsor-Essex hid from COVID-19 testing, saying he received misinformation on Thursday. Heres that earlier story. 12 p.m.: Windsors medical officer of health is defending his decision to order a work stoppage at a local greenhouse with a COVID-19 outbreak after farmers and Ontarios premier said the move will make growers less likely to co-operate with testing efforts. Dr. Wajid Ahmed said Friday that he issued the public health order after 191 workers at an unidentified greenhouse in the Windsor-Essex region tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend. Ahmed said he may issue additional orders if there is further risk to workers on local farms. The evidence in this particular farm pointed to the fact that there is an ongoing risk, he said. And that risk needs to be mitigated and controlled to protect the workers . . . and it may happen again, if there is any risk, and I dont think that anyone would disagree. 12 p.m.: The province announced Friday that Canadian Forces personnel who were deployed to some of Ontarios hardest-hit long-term care homes are leaving the facilities. The soldiers were deployed to the homes in April after the province requested their help from the federal government. A report from the soldiers in May highlighted shocking conditions in some of the homes, with allegations such as rooming COVID-19 positive patients with uninfected ones, insect infestations and aggressive resident feeding that led to choking. Ford praised the work of the Canadian Forces members in the seven long-term care homes. From providing relief to our frontline workers, to taking care of our loved ones in long-term care homes, they have been there for their fellow Canadians when we needed them most, he said in a statement. The government said inspections at all of the military-supported homes have been completed and provincial inspectors remain on site. 11:55 a.m.: Quebec is announcing 19 new deaths due to COVID-19, including seven that occurred in the last 24 hours. The other 12 deaths occurred before June 25, bringing the provinces total to 5,560. There were also 89 new cases reported, for a total of 55,682. Hospitalizations dropped below 400 with a decline of 19 people from the 411 reported Thursday. Of those, 31 are in intensive care. Health authorities completed 8,662 tests on July 1, which remains well below the provinces stated goal of 14,000 tests per day. 11 a.m.: When COVID-19 hit, Paintbox Bistro, a restaurant located in Regent Park, quickly transformed into a store. Why? The goal was to keep her staff employed and continue providing a resource to feed lower-income residents. The Stars Karon Liu has the full story. 10:20 a.m. (updated): Youth Minister Bardish Chagger says the WE organization wont manage the federal governments $900-million program to pay students and fresh graduates for volunteer work this summer. In a statement this morning, Chagger says its a mutually agreed upon decision. Since the charity founded by brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger was announced as the manager of the program last week, the sole-sourced deal has been criticized because of Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus close relationship with the group. Trudeau and Chagger have said repeatedly that the recommendation to use WE for the work came from the public service, not politicians. 10 a.m.: All those warnings from small cottage country mayors to stay away this spring havent discouraged Torontonians from hunting for vacation homes, realtors say. In fact, the pandemic is boosting those real estate numbers. Read the full story from the Stars Tess Kalinowski. 9 a.m.: Outdoor patios at restaurants and bars have been given the green light to grow, allowing more people to dine or have a drink in the open air as summer gets into full swing. Premier Doug Ford said the government has amended emergency orders to cut red tape and allow municipalities to quickly pass temporary bylaws clearing the way during the COVID-19 pandemic. The measure follows consultations with chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams and a push from Progressive Conservative MPP Gila Martow (Thornhill), who proposed the idea in May to help restaurants and bars struggling to stay afloat selling take-away food, beer, wine and spirits. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Read the full story from the Stars Rob Ferguson. 8:25 a.m.: The publics blatant disregard for the rules of social distancing has resulted in Wasaga Beach laying out a plan to shut down the majority of the main beach area by July 9. The only access permitted would be three walkways to reach the water, and so the public can access businesses along what was Beach Drive. Anyone who chooses to flout the new rules by walking on the municipal portion of the beach will also face a hefty fine: $750. The towns emergency management co-ordinator and deputy fire chief, Craig Williams, called the disregard for social distancing and gathering recommendations on Canada Day, and the previous two weekends, human behaviour at its worst. The beach area would be closed to the public by July 9 and for the foreseeable future. The municipal lots would be reduced in capacity by half. Mayor Nina Bifolchi said while the previous two weekends on the beach had been busy, the crowds on Canada Day took it to a whole new level. 7:18 a.m. The scale of coronavirus infections in English care homes was laid bare on Friday, adding to the pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson over his handling of the pandemic. A survey of more than 9,000 institutions found that 56 per cent had at least one confirmed case of COVID-19 since the outbreak began, according to the Office for National Statistics. In total, 11 per cent of all care-home residents tested positive for the disease, almost double the rate in the community as a whole. The government has come under fire for its failure to shield vulnerable people in care homes, with the ONS now estimating that over 19,000 residents in England and Wales died from the virus as of June 12. In the initial stages of the outbreak, some hospitalized residents were discharged into the facilities without a negative test to show they werent carrying the disease. Speaking on LBC Radio on Friday, Johnson described the significant loss of life in care homes as absolutely tragic and promised a proper examination. Far too many lives were lost in care homes and we mourn for everyone, he said. I bitterly, bitterly regret every single loss of life that weve had. Whether an earlier lockdown would have made the crucial difference is something we will have to look at. Staff working arrangements also influenced levels of infection. Those that employed more workers from agencies, or had staff working across multiple sites, showed a greater spread of the virus. There was also evidence that care homes that provide sick pay had lower levels of infection, as staff were more likely to take time off work. 7 a.m.: The pandemic has dinged the auto sector, but one part of the industry is faring better than it was before the crisis: used cars. Sales of used vehicles in the U.S. have roared back after dropping 38 per cent in April, when states were shut down and some dealerships were forced to close. In June, used-vehicle sales rose 17 per cent above the pre-pandemic forecasts, according to research firm J.D. Power. A confluence of factors is drawing buyers to the used-car lot. Some have used federal stimulus checks on their purchases, dealers and analysts say. Interest rates have fallen during the pandemic, to about 4.73 per cent on average for a 36-month used-car loan, from about 5 per cent in early March, according to Bankrate.com. Meanwhile, many dealers are having trouble getting new vehicles from the factory, after the health crisis forced auto makers to close their plants for nearly two months this spring. That has led salespeople to more readily redirect customers to the used-car lot, dealers say. The used-vehicle markets swift recovery is a relief for dealers and auto makers, which have seen other areas of their businesses upended by the pandemic. 6:10 a.m. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged officials to maintain alertness against the coronavirus, warning that complacency risked unimaginable and irretrievable crisis, state media said Friday. Despite the warning, Kim reaffirmed North Koreas claim to not have had a single case of COVID-19, telling a ruling party meeting Thursday that the country has thoroughly prevented the inroad of the malignant virus despite the worldwide health crisis. Outsiders widely doubt North Korea escaped the pandemic entirely, given its poor health infrastructure and close trade and travel ties to China, where COVID-19 emerged late last year. Describing its anti-virus efforts as a matter of national existence, North Korea earlier this year shut down nearly all cross-border traffic, banned tourists and mobilized health workers to quarantine anyone with similar symptoms to the disease. Experts say the countrys self-imposed lockdown is hurting an economy already battered by stringent U.S.-led sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile program. The Korean Central News Agency said Kim during the politburo meeting of the Workers Party stressed the need to maintain maximum alert without a slight self-complacence or relaxation as the virus continues to spread in neighbouring countries. The agency said Kim sharply criticized inattentiveness among officials and violations of emergency anti-virus rules and warned that a hasty relief of anti-epidemic measures will result in unimaginable and irretrievable crisis. The Norths official Rodong Sinmun newspaper published several photos of Kim at the meeting, which were the first state media images of him in weeks. Neither Kim nor the ruling party officials who participated were wearing masks. 5:01 a.m.: Torontos northwest corner which has been hardest hit by COVID-19 is part of a larger hot spot of vulnerability that extends beyond the edges of the city, suggesting a broader regional cluster of high infection rates that defies boundaries and is exploiting socioeconomic inequalities, according to experts and public health data. Officials are still trying to puzzle out why Torontos northwest corner has seen the citys highest infection rates, and who, exactly, has been impacted most. Recent reporting from the Star found that these neighbourhoods have some of the highest concentrations of residents who are low-income, racialized and living in cramped housing while working in higher-risk sectors like manufacturing. These findings were echoed Thursday by newly released data from Toronto Public Health showing that neighbourhoods with these characteristics were correlated with higher case counts. Read more of the Stars reporting here. 5 a.m.: The four Atlantic provinces are lifting travel restrictions within the region today, with an agreement thats causing a mix of anxiety and excitement among people in the region. Residents of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island can now travel to any of the other three provinces without self-isolating for 14 days after arriving. The premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick have hinted restrictions could soon be lifted for visitors from the rest of Canada if all goes well. Some residents have criticized the so-called Atlantic bubble over fears the novel coronavirus could re-emerge in the region, but health officials are encouraging people to trust the science behind the decision and keep following health measures. Read more of the Stars reporting here 4:16 a.m.: South Africas reported coronavirus cases are surging. Its hospitals are now bracing for an onslaught of patients, setting up temporary wards and hoping advances in treatment will help the countrys health facilities from becoming overwhelmed. The spike comes as the country has allowed businesses to reopen in recent weeks to stave off economic disaster after a strict two-month stay-at-home order worsened already high unemployment and drastically increased hunger. In Johannesburg, the largest city, health officials said they are considering reimposing some restrictions to try to slow the spread of the virus. 4 a.m.: A group representing greenhouse growers in Ontarios Windsor-Essex region says a work stoppage at a local farm due to a COVID-19 outbreak has escalated fears about testing for the virus. The Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers says in a statement that the public health order has contributed to anxiety among both farmers and workers. On Wednesday, the regions medical officer of health issued an order that required an unnamed farmer whose greenhouse has an active outbreak involving 191 workers to isolate those employees and stop work. The medical officer of health for Windsor-Essex issued the order after a rash of positive tests over the weekend. The growers group says it is working with the sector and the provincial government to address those fears as on-farm testing continues. Premier Doug Ford said Thursday the work stoppage will not encourage local farmers to participate in efforts to combat the virus. 6 p.m.: Interest payments were already draining the bottom line at Cirque du Soleil Holdings LP before the pandemic froze its revenues, according to a report by the monitor in its bankruptcy protection case. Ernst & Young, the firm overseeing Cirques restructuring under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act in Canada, said its net loss increased to $80 million last year from $10.2 million in 2017. During that period, the applicants financial position deteriorated as a result of the losses sustained and the increasingly debt heavy capital structure, the monitor said in a report. The pandemic hit the 36-year-old company just as it emerged from a string of acquisitions that helped it diversify from its original acrobat-based shows. The deals, which included Blue Man Productions Inc., help Cirque increase revenue to $1.04 billion last year from $882 million in 2017, but also put it deeper into debt. As of March 31, Cirque owed its first lien creditors $901 million and its second lien creditors $154 million. It also owed $32 million to shareholder Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec and an equal amount to Fonds de solidarite des travailleurs du Quebec, the monitors report said. Montreal-based Cirque filed for protection from creditors on Monday after the coronavirus forced it to close shows around the world. A creditors group has said a proposal by existing shareholders TPG, the Caisse and Chinas Fosun International Ltd. to restructure the live performance company is doomed to fail and there is no chance they will accept it. The shareholders group proposed refinancing the company with new capital and giving creditors a 45% equity stake in exchange for wiping out most of its debt. Now the company will go through a process to see if another investor can improve on that offer. Cirque had $1.47 billion in liabilities at the end of 2019, about five times shareholders equity. Thursday 5 p.m. Ontarios regional health units are reporting a total of 37,389 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, including 2,728 deaths, up a total of 154 new cases since Wednesday evening, according to the Stars latest count. As has been the case in recent weeks, the vast majority of new cases reported Thursday came in a small handful of health units. Just Toronto (77 new cases), Peel Region (23 cases) and York Region (21 cases) reported increases in the double digits. New infections are down sharply, even in these regions. In Toronto, for example, the long-term average rate of new infections has fallen from 196 per day in early June to just 53 daily as of Thursday. Four more fatal cases were reported Thursday, all in Toronto. The daily rate of deaths has also fallen sharply since peaking in early May when the health units reported as many as 94 deaths in a single day. Earlier, the province reported the Canada Day holiday meant it had incomplete information on the number of Ontarians currently hospitalized with COVID-19. The most recent totals of patients hospitalized, in the ICU or ventilated in Ontario hospitals were near the lowest levels in records that were first made public in early April. The province says its data is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its latest count of total deaths, 2,680, may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system. In the event of a discrepancy, data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date. The Stars count includes some patients reported as probable COVID-19 cases. This means they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test. Thursday 2:45 p.m.: More than three million Canadians either lost their jobs or had their hours significantly reduced due to COVID-19, according to Statistics Canada. And now that economies across the country are reopening, some people are looking to change course, having realized their careers arent as viable as they may have been pre-pandemic. Many are going back to school to pursue an entirely new profession for example, Ryerson Universitys Chang School of Continuing Education saw a 15 per cent jump in its spring enrolment, according to dean Gary Hepburn, even after the schools in-person courses had to be cancelled. Read the full story from the Stars Rosa Saba. - Click here to read more of Thursdays coverage. Twelve Black community organizations are holding a news conference Friday morning, demanding that all three levels of government implement recommendations based on three past reports on policing. Heres a rundown of each report and some of the most important recommendations: Report of the Independent Street Checks Review (2018) The biggest takeaway from this 2018 report was that random street checks, or carding, should be banned. Street checks, if done right and for the right reasons, can have value but they cant be arbitrary, says the report. According to the report, there is little evidence to show that the practice, when its done capriciously, is useful in reducing crime, and it tends to disproportionately affect racialized individuals. The report was prepared by Justice Michael Tulloch who, along with his team, consulted with more than 2,200 people, including representatives from 34 police services, and received more than 100 written submissions. Many of Tullochs 103 recommendations were dedicated to tweaking language within provincially mandated street check regulations enacted in 2017. Key recommendations from Tulloch included: Discontinuing the practice of randomly stopping people to gather their identifying information for the creation of a database for intelligence purposes . . . in those remaining jurisdictions that still employ the practice. Defining suspicious activity to mean an activity where, under all of the circumstances, there are objective, credible grounds to request identifying information. Informing someone before they provide identifying information to police of the reason for the request for information, that the information may be recorded and stored in a police database, that participation is voluntary, and that some of the information, such as the persons religion, is being requested to help eliminate systemic racism. Report of the Independent Police Oversight Review (2017) This report was nearly a year in the making. It came after hundreds of conversations and written submissions, 130 private meetings, and 18 public consultations held across Ontario. The report was commissioned by the Ontario government amid controversy surrounding police use of force and allegations of secrecy on the part of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The report was also led by Tulloch and produced 129 recommendations. Some of the recommendations include: The Special Investigations Unit, Ontarios police watchdog, should recruit investigators with relevant experience who were not former police officers. There should be recruitment and development of people from communities under-represented within the oversight bodies, including in senior and leadership positions. Legislation should stipulate the following: the duty of an officer to co-operate arises immediately upon SIU involvement, and the duty to co-operate requires the police to comply forthwith with directions and requests from the SIU. A subject officers notes on an incident prepared before SIU involvement should be produced to SIU investigators upon request. (A subject officer is the officer identified as having killed or caused serious injury to an individual). Police and Community Engagement Review, or PACER (2013) In March 2012, then police chief Bill Blair directed a review to examine all aspects of police-community engagement. This review was the beginning of the PACER report. The report was penned by Peter Sloly (now Ottawas chief of police), with help from a cast of others, including outgoing police Chief Mark Saunders. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... In the end, 31 recommendations emerged including: That Toronto police create a new core value articulating their explicit, continued commitment to delivering bias-free police services, and that a new values statement reflecting this new core value is embedded in all related police governance That police create a community advisory committee to work alongside them, in order to address the issue of racial profiling, and through this partnership assist police in the delivery of bias-free police services. That an individualized program is designed for police officers requiring improvement in the areas of valuing diversity or bias-free service delivery, which would include participation in an intercultural development program. The issues faced by Canadas migrant workers arent new, but COVID-19 has amplified them and brought the issue under the microscope in recent weeks. In Windsor-Essex, the last region in Ontario yet to move to stage two of the provinces reopening plan, the spread of the virus through agri-food workers has led to the deaths of three people, with hundreds more falling ill. Speaking to the Star Thursday, Syed Hussan, the executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance For Change, said that systemic inequality for migrant workers means a lack of even the most basic of support. On Saturday, the Migrant Workers Alliance For Change will be hosting a sit in at the office of Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino, while the Migrant Rights Network will be rallying nationwide. The groups are calling for full immigration status for non-permanent residents, so that migrant workers can protect themselves during the pandemic. Who is classified as a migrant worker? Migrant workers refers to anyone that is a non-permanent resident of Canada, such as those who are temporary foreign workers, undocumented workers or international students in low-wage positions, Hussan explained. For us, when were saying migrants and migrant workers, were actually talking about all non- permanent residents in the country. That means temporary foreign workers in the agricultural sector or domestic work, as well as working refugee claimants, he said. The reason for that is that all of these people are coming into the country with temporary status and most of them dont get them resident status. By not securing permanent resident status, workers end up shut out of services and are unable to assert their basic rights, Hussan said. Around 750,000 temporary permits are being issued each year, he said. Many of them cant renew those permits, many of them cant get permanent resident status and so they then become undocumented. What issues do migrant workers face? The rights afforded to permanent residents Canadian citizens are largely non-existent for migrant workers. Seeking health care is particularly challenging. If youre undocumented, you have no access to health care. If youre a migrant, you may not have it for three months. You may not have it while youre renewing permits, Hussan said, noting his network is aware of people who are undocumented giving birth at home because they couldnt afford hospital fees. Additionally, workers do not have access to high-paying jobs, and are working in precarious, low-wage positions. There are virtually no paths to complain about unsafe working environments and labour rights typically do not extend to migrant workers. They are excluded from labour rights and protections in most cases. And because of the temporary immigration status, speaking out against a bad boss is dangerous. It can mean deportation. It can mean homelessness, it can mean that youre being kicked out of the country, Hussan said. Migrant workers might be paying into EI or CPP, but are unable to access the services linked to those payments. Beyond that, many migrant workers are separated from family and cannot visit with them. They cant visit their families. Sometimes youre separated from your children for (up to) 25 years, Hussan said. All of this creates a situation of grave instability and precarity, which has a substantial deteriorating effect on your personal emotional health and well-being of your community. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... How has COVID-19 made these situations worse? The pandemic has had disastrous consequences for Canadas migrant workers, Hussan said. First and foremost is that the shutdown of the economy and the lack of access to any of them or most of the emergency income supports meant that people started starving. Some workers have missed paycheques for four months, meaning that they need loans from friends or community members. Meanwhile, fees have not gone down. Tuition, for example, for international students has gone up. Domestic workers have (been) trapped in the familys homes, he said. Where you are working, your work is intensified. Youve been locked down, but many other people have lost working wages. So its basically created a spiral of a crisis, which is impossible to recover from. Theres no return to normal. Correction July 3, 2020: This story was updated from a previous version which stated that the Migrant Workers Alliance For Change alongside the Workers Action Centre will be rallying nationwide on Saturday. The Migrant Rights Network will be rallying nationwide on Saturday. Jenna Moon is a breaking news reporter for the Star and is based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @_jennamoon Read more about: Protesters in front of Nathan Phillips Square have been served a trespass notice, two weeks after they first occupied the area, and ordered to remove all tents by Monday. The notice, delivered Friday morning, states that people cannot camp or set up tents in the area. People cannot light fires, candles, torches or stay in the square for longer than an incidental period and while social distancing, under the order. On Thursday, there were 43 tents huddled in the square between the arched pool and city halls front doors. The popular Toronto sign in the square has also been vandalized but its not confirmed who did it, or when it took place. Protesters with the core organizing group, the Afro Indigenous Rising collective, have been occupying the square to protest police brutality and urging the abolition of the police since June 19. There was no timeline for the end of the protests. We have been respectful of both the groups themselves and their right to protest. People have the right to protest for a period of time, albeit this protest is a little more unconventional in the context of things that normally take place in the square, specifically as provided for under the law, Mayor John Tory told the Star earlier this week. On Tuesday, a letter was delivered to the group that contained a pre-notice with a willingness to consider special permissions to accommodate the protesters, provided they comply with bylaws and health protocols, said Patrick Matozzo, the citys executive director of real estate management. To date, the protesters have not complied with all of the requirements under the notice letter, Matozzo told the Star in an email. In particular, the protesters have refused to observe the prohibitions regarding camping and erecting tents in the square. Matozzo said the square is a common urban space and needs to be shared in a fair way. The square is booked for a farmers market on July 8. The notice under the Trespass to Property Act prevents tents, fires, generators, obstruction of public access, cooking, defacing of city property and physical distancing for COVID-19 must be observed among other prohibited activities. Members of the public should be aware of, and comply with, all laws that may be relevant to their activities on the square, read the notice. People who engage in the prohibited activities can be fined up to $10,000. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... With files from Rosie DiManno Raneem Alozzi is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @r_alozzi Over the last months weve seen various attempts at socially distancing gone viral including the Maryland bar where patrons walked around in giant inner tubes, but perhaps its worth taking a cue from our aunties when it comes to sun protection and keeping people at a distance. Enter the parasol. Dermatologist Dr. Renee A. Beach says that umbrellas and parasols are an effective barrier against the suns rays, but its best to carry one on top of wearing broad spectrum sunscreen because even the shade from an umbrella wont fully protect the skin from transient or reflected rays. While she says it isnt the most convenient thing to carry when trying to juggle other items in the summer heat, its long been an option for people around the world. I come from a Trinidadian background, and my mom said her friends use umbrellas for the sun, said Beach, who is also an adjunct assistant clinical processor at the University of Torontos Faculty of Medicine. The Canadian Dermatology Association also states on its website umbrellas, or anything that provides any kind of shade, are a good way to stay out of direct sunlight. There are even special umbrellas specifically for the sun that tout a UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) rating by blocking the suns rays. There are many brands on the market, but Beach said Coolibar is a reputable company that sells umbrellas with a UPF 50+ rating. UPF is a rating for sun protective fabrics (such as clothing) that block harmful rays. A rating of 50 blocks 98 per cent of the rays (but again, its still recommended to wear sunscreen). Writer and digital content producer Liisa Ladouceur says its been her go-to summer accessory for years. It started off as a goth accessory when she was a teen, but she says she carries one now because it prevents her from getting heat stroke, wont mess with her hair and she can fit one in her backpack. Bonus: it keeps people at bay at a time when were all trying to stay six feet apart from each other. When I took my parasol out for the first time this summer, it also kept people out of my space. There are two reasons to use it now. Of course, the idea of parasols isnt new: who didnt have a relative who always brought an umbrella to the barbecue? Civilizations around the world have been using some form of it for thousands of years, from ancient Egypt to China, Greece and India. It was later adopted by Europeans and seen as a fashion accessory. Historian Ariel Beaujot writes in her book, Victorian Fashion Accessories, that the parasol was tied to issues of race, gender, class and wealth, and used as a way for British white women to maintain pale skin, which was viewed as a symbol of beauty and superiority. Umbrellas continue to be a common means of sun protection around the world, but they havent been used as widely in the U.S. and Canada compared to using an umbrella as a shield from the rain. But in the midst of a pandemic when everyone is trying to keep their distance from each other in the summer sun, perhaps the parasol and umbrella could take on another role. Were all about keeping safe this summer and this is just another way to do it, says Ladouceur. The Fourth of July, Independence Day in the U.S.A. and the moment we should give our American friends and neighbours a figurative hug and our best wishes. More than ever this year, they are in desperate need of it. But while youre at it, be sure to ask them about the issue historians a century from now will marvel at, when they reflect back at this insane period of the 21st century in which we are living. Your question could go something like this: Excuse me, and not wanting to intrude on your holiday merriment, but could you please take a moment and explain to me how it is that you elected a Russian stooge to serve in the Oval Office as your president? The corollary question, of course, is this: And just out of curiosity, what do the Russians and Vladimir Putin actually have on Donald Trump? If you have been living on the moon during the past four years still clinging to the illusion that American democracy is alive and well now is the time for you to return to Earth so that we can tell you that there is now little doubt that Trumps campaign promise in 2016 should have been Russia First, not America First. Trumps suspected true loyalties not to the U.S. but to Russia have been a source of controversy since the day he took office, but this weeks developments stunned even his most ardent supporters. Reports in the New York Times and Washington Post this week revealed that a Russian military intelligence unit paid bounties to the Taliban in Afghanistan to kill U.S. soldiers. The newspapers state that since at least last February, and perhaps as early as March 2019, Trumps administration knew about it and did nothing to stop it or reprimand Russia because of it. In fact, during the weeks after this intelligence appeared in the highly classified Presidents Daily Brief, Trump took part in six separate and apparently friendly conversations with Russias president Vladimir Putin including one in which he was invited to rejoin the Group of Seven summit without mentioning a word about the Russian bounty reports. The reports threw the White House into a frenzy of contradictions and half-truths. At first Trump denied he knew anything about it, but then fell back to his familiar playbook. He dismissed the intelligence as possibly another fabricated Russia hoax, maybe by the Fake News wanting to make the Republicans look bad. He added, with typical eloquence: From what I hear, and I hear it pretty good, the intelligence people many of them didnt believe it happened at all. This is simply the latest example of when the U.S. president, incomprehensibly, has excused Russian behaviour in the face of his own intelligence agencies. Do you remember when Trump accepted Russian denials that it interfered in the 2016 presidential election? His statements in Helsinki in 2018 as he stood alongside Putin will surely be put into a time capsule for future historians to figure out. President Putin says its not Russia, Trump said. I dont see any reason why it would be. Assuming that we will one day get an answer to this question What did Putin have on Trump? it seems likely that it will be all about the money, as it always is with Trump. Once his tax returns are finally made public, we will find out how virtually bankrupt the so-called Trump business empire was in the 1990s and how an assortment of Russians oligarchs, mobsters and shady business types with close ties to Putin kept Trump afloat. And then, as Trump went for the presidency, they gained in power and influence. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... In a revealing 2018 essay in the New Yorker titled A Theory of Trump Kompromat journalist Adam Davidson wrote: There is no need to assume that Trump was a formal agent of Russian intelligence to make sense of Trumps solicitousness toward Putin. He cited Keith Darden, an international-relations professor at American University in Washington who has studied the Russian use of kompromat (compromising material): He thinks it is likely that the President believes the Russians have something on him. Darden observed, (Trump has) never said a bad word about Putin. He has exercised a degree of self-control with respect to Russia that he doesnt with anything else. But it is becoming obvious that, in other respects at least, Trump is losing control and becoming desperate. He seems to have given up in the battle against the pandemic. The U.S. economy is showing no signs of a quick rebound. And virtually every poll is now indicating that his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, is heading to victory in Novembers election. Given that, what will Trump do? There is some speculation in the U.S. media now that he is frightened at the prospect of a humiliating loss and may consider some sort of retreat. That is what I predicted in 2018: that once Trump believes he could never be re-elected in 2020 and realizes he may end up in jail, he would do what Richard Nixon did in 1974 and resign. This would be in exchange for a full pardon for him and his family from Mike Pence, who would have become the new president in that scenario. The only consolation for the rest of us is that Pence would likely meet the same political fate as Gerald Ford, who lost his 1976 election bid to keep the presidency after pardoning Nixon. Pence would be crushed in any election against Joe Biden, and this surreal chapter in American history would come to a close. We hope. Tony Burman, formerly head of CBC News and Al Jazeera English, is a freelance contributing foreign affairs columnist for the Star. He is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: , formerly head of CBC News and Al Jazeera English, is a freelance contributing foreign affairs columnist for the Star. He is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyBurman Read more about: WASHINGTON Geoffrey S. Berman, the former top federal prosecutor in Manhattan who was abruptly dismissed last month, has agreed to testify in a closed-door hearing before lawmakers next week as part of an inquiry into potential politicization at the Justice Department, according to a House Judiciary Committee notice reviewed by The New York Times. Berman, who was fired after a brief but highly public standoff over his status with Attorney General William P. Barr, will meet privately on July 9 with members of the committee to discuss the circumstances surrounding his surprise ouster, according to two people familiar with the terms of his testimony. Bermans planned testimony comes amid a shakeup at the federal prosecutors office in Brooklyn. Richard P. Donoghue, the offices top prosecutor, will come to Washington to serve as the No. 2 official in the office of the deputy attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen, a key department post. Donoghue is seen within the department as a close ally of Barr. The position is currently held by Seth DuCharme, who plans to return to the Brooklyn prosecutors office, where he was previously the head of the criminal division. He is being considered to run the office, according to two people familiar with the deliberations. The moves, coming weeks after Bermans firing, are likely to stir speculation that they are politically motivated. But President Donald Trump has yet to nominate a successor to Donoghue, who expects his top deputy, Mark Lesko, to serve as the acting U.S. attorney immediately after his departure. Trump could install DuCharme to run the office under the Vacancies Reform Act. Under Berman, the Manhattan federal prosecutors office pursued cases that touched on Trumps inner circle, exposing misdeeds by his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen. From nearly the moment that Barr took office last year, he clashed with Berman about politically sensitive investigations, including the decision to charge Cohen with campaign finance offences and how prosecutors in Manhattan should investigate Halkbank, a Turkish state-owned bank that they indicted last year, according to multiple people familiar with those investigations who were not authorized to publicly discuss the deliberations. The end of his tenure appeared to be hastened after Jay Clayton, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, told Trump and Barr weeks ago that he would be interested in running the Southern District. Barr decided to install a lawyer with whom he had a better working relationship, the attorney general said in an interview with NPR. But Berman refused to resign, and Barr issued a news release late on a Friday night last month declaring that Berman intended to leave. That notice prompted Berman to publicly say that he had no intention of leaving. In the end, because of legal issues surrounding Bermans appointment, Barr was forced to ask Trump to fire him. He also backed away from his plan for temporary succession and installed Bermans deputy, Audrey Strauss, to run the office for now. Bermans dismissal also came at a time when Trump had been pushing out other administration officials with a degree of independence, including inspectors general who are tasked with rooting out agency fraud and abuse. On Thursday, Donoghue, the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, notified his office that he would be stepping down to become an official with the Justice Department in Washington, according to people familiar with the matter. The post he will assume principal associate deputy attorney general, working under Rosen is considered extremely influential, as Rosens office oversees the nations federal prosecutors offices. A previous official in the role, Edward OCallaghan, was best known for overseeing the day-to-day of the Russia investigation. The job is particularly critical under Rosen, who has never been a prosecutor. DuCharme, who is Rosens current top deputy, will return to the Brooklyn office, where he had worked for his entire career as a prosecutor before he came to Washington last year to advise Barr on criminal and national security matters. Berman will testify just a week after two Justice Department lawyers told the House Judiciary Committee that political appointees in the prosecutors office in Washington and in the antitrust division had intervened in investigations to advance the personal interests of Trump and Barr. Aaron S.J. Zelinsky, a prosecutor who worked on the investigation into Roger Stone, Trumps longtime friend, told the committee that senior officials in the Washington U.S. Attorneys Office demanded a more lenient prison sentence for Stone because of politics. He named several career lawyers who told him that the lenient sentence would be done essentially to appease Trump, and that the offices top political appointee feared the president. A Justice Department spokeswoman has said that Zelinskys testimony was based on hearsay, and that he had no conversations with the political appointees whose intentions he described. John W. Elias, a senior career official in the antitrust division, said that Barr sought to use an antitrust investigation to harass cannabis companies because he personally disliked the industry. He also said that to please Trump, the division opened an investigation into automakers who had decided to make cars that emitted fewer pollutants. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Leaders in the antitrust division denied those accusations in an internal memo circulated to the division. Their testimony and Bermans interview are part of the House Judiciary Committees scrutiny of whether Barr has politicized the Justice Department and wielded its power to protect and support Trumps interests. Barr will appear before the panel on July 28. Read more about: Two Oklahoma police officers have been charged with second-degree murder after they used Tasers more than 50 times on a man who later died, according to court records. The officers, Joshua Taylor, 25, and Brandon Dingman, 34, of the Wilson Police Department, were charged in connection with the death last year of the man, Jared Lakey, 28, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Wilson is a small town about 160 kilometres south of Oklahoma City, near the Texas border. On July 4, 2019, Taylor and Dingman were responding to a call that involved Lakeys acting in a disorderly way, according to the State Bureau of Investigation. When Lakey would not comply with the officers commands, Taylor and Dingman used their Tasers a combined total of more than 50 times, which greatly exceeded what would have been necessary or warranted by the attendant circumstances, court records said. A Carter County deputy sheriff eventually responded to the scene and was able to help take Lakey into custody, according to the bureau. Shortly thereafter, Lakey stopped breathing and became unresponsive. He was taken to a hospital in Healdton, Okla., and then to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, where he died on July 6, 2019. Court records said that such dangerous and unnecessary Tasing was a substantial factor in bringing about Lakeys death. The district attorneys office issued arrest warrants for Taylor and Dingman on Wednesday, and they turned themselves in Thursday morning. They were booked on one count each of second-degree murder, which is punishable by 10 years to life in prison, according to court records. Both were released on $250,000 (U.S.) bonds, according to the State Bureau of Investigation. The death of Mr. Lakey saddens us all, Ryan Hunnicutt, who was listed in court records as the lawyer for both Dingman and Taylor, said in an email Thursday night. We are confident that the legal system will provide an opportunity for all the facts to be known and look forward to our day in court. Calls to the Wilson Police Department were not immediately returned Thursday, and it was not immediately clear if Dingman and Taylor were still on the force. Spencer Bryan, a lawyer for Lakeys parents, Doug and Cynthia Lakey, said both officers had initially claimed that they used Tasers on Lakey only four times. He said the charges were appropriate given what was shown on Taylors body camera footage, which he said the City of Wilson had allowed him to view. I have never seen a more disturbing video, Bryan said in an email. After watching it, I cannot understand how the city allowed officers who exhibited such gross recklessness, resulting in a mans death, to continue working. We have great confidence the evidence supports the charges. Bryan said the Lakey family had filed a public records lawsuit and a federal civil rights lawsuit in connection with Lakeys death. Both lawsuits are pending. In the public records lawsuit, filed in September, Cynthia Lakey is seeking body camera footage, witness statements, photographs and police radio logs. The lawsuit states that Jared Lakeys body was riddled with Taser probes and says that medical providers had told the family that Lakey died from multiple heart attacks. The lawsuit states that radio logs from just before midnight on July 4, 2019, around the time that Lakey was shocked with the Tasers, documented a single report of a man screaming and running down the road. It stated that there was no indication that Lakey had committed a serious offence and no indication that he had threatened Taylor or Dingman. A debate over the use of Tasers was reignited last month after the fatal police shooting of Rayshard Brooks, a Black man who was found asleep in a car in a drive-through at a Wendys in Atlanta. Brooks, 27, had fled from the police after failing a sobriety test and grabbed a Taser from an officer during a struggle, the authorities said. A former Atlanta police officer, Garrett Rolfe, was later charged with murder and aggravated assault in the killing of Brooks. Rolfes partner, Devin Brosnan, was charged with three counts, including aggravated assault and violations of oath. Both Brosnan and Rolfe are white. In the Oklahoma case, both officers are white, as was the victim, Lakey, Bryan said. Tasers, also known as stun guns, part of a class of less lethal tools, are designed to help law enforcement officers temporarily immobilize people by jolting them with electricity. Axon Enterprise, which makes the Taser, says the devices save lives and prevent injuries. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... But at least 500 people in the United States have died since 2001 after being shocked with stun guns during an arrest or while in jail, according to a 2012 statement by Amnesty International, which supports stricter limits on the use of Tasers. In a 2008 review of hundreds of deaths after stun gun use, Amnesty International found that 90 per cent of those who died had been unarmed. Most of the deaths were attributed to causes unrelated to stun gun use, but medical examiners listed the devices as a contributing factor in more than 60 deaths, Amnesty International said. The shock delivered to the chest by a Taser can lead to cardiac arrest and sudden death, according to a 2012 study in the journal Circulation. WASHINGTON By a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a trial judges order that would have made it easier for voters in three Alabama counties to use absentee ballots in this months primary runoff election. The courts brief, unsigned order gave no reasons, which is typical when it rules on emergency applications, and it said the order would remain in effect while appeals moved forward. The courts four more liberal members Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan said they would have rejected Alabamas request. In March, Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, postponed the election in light of the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, the official who oversees the states elections, John Merrill, Alabamas secretary of state, a Republican, expanded the availability of absentee ballots to all voters who concluded that it was impossible or unreasonable to vote at their voting place. But Merrill did not relax two of the usual requirements for absentee voting: submission of a copy of a photo ID with a voters application for a ballot and submission of an affidavit signed by a notary public or two adult witnesses with the ballot itself. Four voters and several groups sued to challenge those restrictions, saying they placed an unlawful burden on the right to vote in light of the health crisis. Making a copy of a piece of identification, for instance, may be difficult and dangerous during the pandemic, they said. Alabama officials have dismissed that concern. Writing on Twitter, Merrill said: When I come to your house and show you how to use your printer I can also show you how to tie your shoes and to tie your tie. I could also go with you to Walmart or Kinkos and make sure that you know how to get a copy of your ID made while youre buying cigarettes or alcohol. Judge Abdul Kallon, of the U.S. District Court in Birmingham, blocked election officials in Mobile, Jefferson and Lee counties from enforcing the ID requirement for voters who are disabled or 65 or older. He also blocked the notary or witness requirement for voters who submit a sworn statement that they are at heightened medical risk. Kallon also allowed but did not require officials to employ curbside voting. A unanimous three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in Atlanta, refused to block Kallons decision while an appeal moved forward. In a concurring opinion, judges Robin Rosenbaum and Jill Pryor wrote that state officials were mistaken in arguing that the photo ID and witness requirements impose only a little bit of work on Alabamian voters. That misperceives the burden, they wrote. The burden here is not the finding of two people or a notary to witness a signature or the finding of a location to copy ones photo ID. Instead, the burden is tied to the fact that plaintiffs and those similarly situated must risk death or severe illness to fulfill Alabamas absentee voter requirements and, therefore, to exercise their right to vote. In asking the Supreme Court to intervene, state officials said Kallons order had come too close to the election and threatened its integrity. Their brief discussed ways in which voters could safely comply with the witness requirement. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Nothing requires voters to lock arms with their witnesses, or for a signatory and witnesses to unmask themselves before the signing, the brief said. A particularly cautious voter could meet her witnesses outside or in a large room and then each sign the piece of paper with everyone remaining masked and staying six feet or more from one another. In fact, there is nothing to prevent the witnesses from watching the voter sign from a different room entirely or through a window, such that the voter need never be in the same room as the witnesses. In response, lawyers for the voters said the state had offered no good reasons to justify the application of the witness or photo ID requirements to high-risk voters in the middle of a pandemic. GABORONE, Botswana - Botswana says it is investigating a staggeringly high number of elephant carcasses 275 found in the popular Okavango Delta area of the southern African nation in recent weeks. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks said it is mobilizing human personnel and aircraft to better understand the mysterious deaths. Samples have been collected for analysis at labs in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Canada and anthrax has been ruled out as the cause. We have no reason to dispute the numbers reported and we are continuing to verify reports, Lucas Taolo, the departments acting director, told The Associated Press. He said local communities are being advised not to tamper with the dead elephants tusks. Poaching remains a threat in the country but also has been ruled out as the cause of the deaths. This is one of the biggest disasters to impact elephants this century, and right in the middle of one of Africas top tourism destinations, the director of conservation group National Park Rescue, Mark Hiley, said in an email. Elephants began dying in huge numbers in early May and the government would normally respond within days to an event of this scale. Yet here we are, months later, with no testing completed and with no more information than we had at the start. He said COVID-19 is an unlikely candidate but for now nothing, including poison, can be ruled out. Botswana has the worlds highest population of elephants with more than 156,000 counted in a 2013 aerial survey in the countrys north. Former wildlife minister Tshekedi Khama, brother of former president Ian Khama, has blamed poaching in the Okavango Delta on President Mokgweetsi Masisis decision to disarm the wildlife departments anti-poaching unit in 2018. Soon after that decision, conservation group Elephants Without Borders reported 87 elephants found stripped of their tusks in the area. In a separate statement on Thursday, Botswanas government also announced an alarming surge of rhinoceros poaching in the Okavango Delta in recent days. Tokyo prosecutors said Friday they have filed a request for the extradition of two Americans arrested in the U.S. for allegedly helping Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan, flee Japan while he was out on bail. We express our deepest gratitude for the co-operation the U.S. authorities have shown to our request, the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office said in a statement. We plan to co-operate in all ways possible so the extradition procedures for the two can be carried out quickly, it said. The completion of the extradition request does not immediately mean Michael Taylor, a 59-year-old former Green Beret and private security specialist, and his son Peter Taylor, 27, will be handed over. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Takahiro Saito sounded upbeat about the prospects while stressing the decision was up to the United States. The request had to be filed within 45 days of the arrests. Saito said Peter Taylor came to Japan last year and met with Ghosn at the office of his Japanese lawyer six times, including the day before Ghosns escape. We believe that plotting the escape can be the only reason for his visit to Japan, he said. If they are extradited, the Taylors will be arrested after reaching Japanese territory and then will be investigated, Saito said. Suspects are held and interrogated without a lawyer present, sometimes for months, under a system critics call hostage justice. Arrested in May in Massachusetts, the Taylors are accused of helping Ghosn flee to Lebanon in December while he was awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges. Their lawyer has argued that jumping bail is technically not a crime in Japan. Japanese prosecutors have brushed off that argument, stressing that Japan has arrest warrants out for the Taylors for allegedly helping a criminal escape, which is a crime under Japanese law. Prosecutors have also been trying to bring Ghosn back to Japan, but Lebanon, unlike the U.S., does not have an extradition treaty with Japan. If convicted in Japan, the Taylors could face a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a 300,000 yen ($2,800) fine. Authorities say the Taylors helped sneak Ghosn out of Japan on a private jet with the former Nissan boss hidden in a large box. Ghosn, who led Nissan Motor Co. for two decades, has repeatedly said he is innocent. He said he fled because he believes he could not have a fair trial in Japan. He faced charges of under-reporting future income and breach of trust in diverting Nissan money for personal gain. He says the compensation was never decided on or received, and that the payments were legitimate. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama New exclusive details from Apple were recently revealed by YouTube influencer Filip Koroy--known on the video-sharing platform as EverythingApplePro. Apple reportedly teamed up with Max Weinbach, XDA Developer, over the inclusion of the 120Hz ProMotion display technology in the iPhone 12 Pro, Gordon Kelly wrote in a Forbes report. Kelly pointed out that there is a potential for this feature to see it taken away from both the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the iPhone 12 Pro. In one of the videos, Koroy narrated that unlike the iPhone 12 Pro Max, units of Pro have only passed four out of five tests because of having a different panel due to the sizing. Things then became more complicated, but they are hopeful that Apple can have these fixed in due time. This will, however, cost more and according to the report, Apple is deciding whether or not this is worth the purchase. The YouTube influencer also added that this could result in a "split release" in which Apple can only offer the 120Hz display for the iPhone 12 Pro. Otherwise, the company may just forget about the feature. Will Samsung supply iPhone 12's display features? "There's still time for Apple to remedy this," Koroy said in the video. He also cited insider Ice Universe, who reportedly keeps contacts within Samsung who told him he believes the 120Hz will be part of both these units. Samsung will allegedly supply these displays. The 120Hz ProMotion display has been touted as a very important feature. It may be considered a "catch-up feature," but it's high refresh rate screens have many elicited several positive responses from customers. These don't only deliver smoother frame rates, but they are also more responsive to the touch interface similar to the 60Hz panels of the current iPhones. Apple Pencil also requires 120Hz which is tipped to be supported on the Pro models of iPhone 12, Kelly continued. For current users of the iPhone, this should not be surprising, since the line-up has always gotten new redesigns of the features, including 5G, state-of-the-art camera tech, and affordability. "For me personally, I wouldn't buy an iPhone 12 Pro model without it," the Forbes report added. More updates Meanwhile, another YouTube influencer also shared what they thought about the first dummy models of the iPhone 12, along with finishes, materials, and accurate dimensions. "I love it, I really love it when I actually hold [the new models] in my hand," the YouTuber said. "This second I went back to my iPhone 11 Pro with the more rounded edges, it felt cheaper. These new phones, regardless of if it's the cheapest 5.4-inch iPhone or the biggest 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max, they all feel really premium." The influencer also revealed this is "the best looking phone design" they have ever owned. The reaction is fairly similar to EverythingApplePro. "I suspect this will surprise a lot of buyers and I have already tipped it to become the top-selling iPhone 12 model, especially considering its price. Conversely the enlarged 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max is a monster when the two models are positioned side-by-side," Kelly added in the report. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. BRUSSELS - The European Unions top diplomat said Friday that he has received a letter from Iran that triggers a dispute mechanism in the international agreement limiting Tehrans nuclear ambitions, citing concerns that Britain, France and Germany are not living up to their side of the deal. The accord, which Iran signed with the U.S., Britain, Germany, France, China and Russia in 2015, has been unraveling since President Donald Trump pulled Washington out in 2018, unleashing sanctions designed to cripple the Islamic Republics economy. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who is co-ordinator of the pact known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, said that in the letter Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif seeks redress under the dispute resolution mechanism, as set out in paragraph 36 of the agreement. No details about the nature of Irans implementation issues with Britain, France and Germany were provided. The dispute mechanism provides for a period of about one month, which can be prolonged if all parties agree, to resolve any disagreement. In a tweet on June 19, Zarif said the three countries must stop public face-saving and muster the courage to state publicly what they admit privately: their failure to fulfil even (their) own JCPOA duties due to total impotence in resisting U.S. bullying. Zarifs letter to Borrell was sent a day after a mysterious fire broke out at the Natanz underground facility where Iran enriches uranium. Britain, France and Germany consider the nuclear deal to be a cornerstone of regional and global security and have struggled to keep it alive since the U.S. pulled out, setting up a parallel system to try to keep funds flowing into Iran as its economy flagged. On Jan. 15, they reluctantly triggered the accords dispute resolution mechanism themselves to force Iran into discussions on possible violations of the deal, as Tehran appeared to backslide and refused to be bound by its uranium enrichment limits. They later suspended the action. Borrell said the dispute process requires intensive efforts in good faith by all. He underlined his support for the agreement, saying that it is an historic achievement for global nuclear non-proliferation contributing to regional and global security and that he remains determined to preserve it. Late last month, Irans president warned the U.N. nuclear watchdog to expect a stern response regarding its demands for Iran to provide access to sites thought to have stored or used undeclared nuclear material. Tehran was irritated by a resolution adopted by the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency demanding access to the sites. The resolution was proposed by Britain, France and Germany. Russia and China voted against it. Iran has dismissed allegations of nuclear activities at the sites in question. LONDON - A woman was jailed for life, with a minimum sentence of 14 years, on Friday for plotting to blow up Londons St. Pauls Cathedral, a nearby hotel and a subway train in a suicide attack. Safiyya Shaikh, 37, extensively researched how to cause maximum carnage at the historic church and visitor attraction. Police said she had planned to leave a bomb in a bag at the cathedral before detonating a suicide vest on a London Underground train. Her defence lawyers said she had doubts about the plot, but prosecutors disclosed details of a call she made to a friend from prison last week in which she said she didnt get cold feet and was ready to go through with it. The Muslim convert, who was a supporter of the Islamic State group, pleaded guilty to creating a terrorist act and dissemination of a terrorist publication. Shaikh, born Michelle Ramsden, was arrested in October after she sought help from an undercover officer who posed as a bomb-making expert. She engaged with others, who she believed to be of a similar mindset, to instigate and plan a terrorist attack involving the use of improvised explosives to attack St Pauls Cathedral and a hotel nearby, prosecutor Alison Morgan said. She visited the cathedral to assess its security arrangements and the best place to detonate a bomb. She stated that her intention was to kill herself and as many other people as possible, she added. Police said Shaikh was also heavily involved in extremist propaganda posts online and inspiring others to fight. ISTANBUL - A Turkish court on Friday convicted Amnesty Internationals former Turkey chairman, Taner Kilic, of membership in a terror organization and sentenced him to more than six years in prison. The court also convicted three other human rights activists Gunal Kursun, Idil Eser and Ozlem Dalkiran of charges of aiding a terror group, sentencing them to two years and one month each. Seven other activists, including German citizen Peter Steudtner and Swede Ali Gharavi, were acquitted of the charges. Ten of the activists were detained in a police raid in July 2017 while attending a digital security training workshop on Buyukada island, off Istanbul. The 11th activist, Kilic, was detained separately a month earlier in the city of Izmir. Ten defendants were charged with aiding terrorist organizations, including the network led by a U.S.-based cleric, which the Turkish government blames for the 2016 coup attempt and has designated as a terror group. Kilic was accused of membership in cleric Fethullah Gulens network. Gulen denies allegations that he engineered the coup attempt. Their trial heightened concerns about Turkeys treatment of human rights defenders and helped sour Turkeys relations with European nations, notably Germany. Amnesty International condemned the ruling as a crushing blow for human rights and for justice in Turkey. Today, we have borne witness to a travesty of justice of spectacular proportions, said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty Internationals Turkey researcher who observed the hearing. The courts verdict defies logic and exposes this three-year trial as the politically motivated attempt to silence independent voices. The four convicted activists, who were released from jail pending the outcome, were expected to appeal the verdict. All 11 defendants maintained their innocence throughout the trial. Gardner said: This case has been a litmus test for the Turkish justice system. As such, it is tragic to see the part it has played and continues to play in criminalizing the act of standing up for human rights. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the three other human rights activists were sentenced to two years and one month, not one year and one month. ISTANBUL - The fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi told a Turkish court Friday that the Washington Post columnist was lured to his death at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul through a great betrayal and deception, and she asked that all persons responsible for his killing be brought to justice. Hatice Cengiz spoke at the opening of the trial in absentia of two former aides of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and 18 other Saudi nationals who were charged in Turkey for Khashoggis grisly slaying. The journalists 2018 killing at the consulate sparked international condemnation and cast a cloud of suspicion over the prince. The 20 Saudi defendants all left Turkey, and Saudi Arabia rejected Turkish demands for their extradition. Some of the men were put on trial in Riyadh behind closed doors. The proceedings were widely criticized as a whitewash. Khashoggis family members later announced they had forgiven his killers. The trial in Turkey is being closely watched for possible new information or evidence from the killing, including the whereabouts of Khashoggis remains. Khashoggi, who was a United States resident, had walked into his countrys consulate on Oct. 2, 2018, for an appointment to pick up documents that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancee. He never walked out. He was called (to the consulate) with great betrayal and deception, the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Cengiz as testifying. I am making a complaint about everyone who knew about the incident and about everyone who gave the order, said Cengiz, who waited for Khashoggi outside the Istanbul consulate when he went there to obtain the documents and alerted authorities when he failed to come out. Yasin Aktay, a prominent politician from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans ruling party and a friend of Khashoggis, told the court that the slain journalist felt safe in Turkey despite reports of operations by Saudis against dissidents abroad. Aktay also testified that he alerted Turkeys intelligence chief, among other officials, after Khashoggi failed to emerge from the consulate after five hours. He said the intelligence chief responded, I wish he hadnt gone in, according to Anadolu. The court also heard testimony from six local Turkish employees of the Saudi Consulate. Five of them said they did not see Khashoggi,. One said he had a brief conversation with the journalist when Khashoggi first entered the building but did not see him again after that. The trial was adjourned until Nov. 24 to await several actions, including an Interpol response to correspondence concerning Turkish requests for the suspects arrests, Anadolu reported. Turkish prosecutors have demanded that the defendants be sentenced to life terms in prison, if convicted. The Turkish prosecutors have charged the princes former advisers, Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmed al-Asiri, with instigating a premeditated murder with the intent of (causing) torment through fiendish instinct. Prosecutors are also seeking life prison sentences for 18 other Saudi nationals charged with carrying out a premeditated murder with the intent of (causing) torment through fiendish instincts. A team of 15 Saudi agents had flown to Turkey to meet Khashoggi inside the consulate. They included a forensic doctor, intelligence and security officers and individuals who worked for the crown princes office. Turkish officials allege Khashoggi was killed and then dismembered with a bone saw. Turkey, a rival of Saudi Arabia, apparently had the Saudi Consulate bugged and has shared audio of the killing with the CIA, among others. Prior to his killing, Khashoggi had written critically of Saudi Arabias crown prince in columns for the Washington Post. Saudi Arabia had initially offered shifting accounts about Khashoggis disappearance. As international pressure mounted because of the Turkish leaks, the kingdom eventually settled on the explanation that he was killed by rogue officials in a brawl. Turkish prosecutors say the suspects acted in consensus from the beginning in line with the decision of taking the victim back to Saudi Arabia and of killing him if he did not agree. Riyadh had insisted that the kingdoms courts are the correct place for the suspects to be tried and put 11 people on trial over the killing. In December, five people were sentenced to death while three others were found guilty of covering up the crime and were sentenced to a combined 24 years in prison. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in May, Khashoggis son announced that the family pardoned the killers, giving legal reprieve to the five government agents who were sentenced to death. ___ Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. NEW YORK - A Manhattan federal lockup failed to implement common-sense measures to protect prisoners after a COVID-19 outbreak infected dozens of inmates at the facility, a judge said Thursday. U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos said four inmates who sued over conditions at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on behalf of themselves and others were unlikely to prove deliberate indifference to their plight. Still, the Manhattan jurist allowed their lawsuit to proceed in their quest to improve conditions at the jail and win release for vulnerable inmates. Arlo Devlin-Brown, a lawyer for inmates, said in an email that it was notable that the judge cited the fact that the facilitys warden has promised to address shortcomings as he observed that the MCC may fall short in its efforts to improve its pandemic response. Time will tell whether the MCC practices what it preaches, Devlin-Brown said. The lawsuit is not over, and well continue our efforts to hold the MCC accountable should it fail to take necessary measures to minimize the spread of this deadly virus within its walls and treat with proper care those who are sickened by it. A spokesperson for government lawyers declined to comment. The inmates are likely to show that the MCCs response to the pandemic was ad hoc and overlooked many gaps in its scheme to identify and isolate infected inmates creating conditions that posed a substantial risk to the health of all inmates, Ramos said. He noted that at least 5% of the MCCs more than 700 inmates contracted the coronavirus in March and April. The federal Bureau of Prisons on its website continued to show Thursday that only one inmate currently has the coronavirus and four have recovered even though a government lawyer admitted weeks ago that nearly three dozen inmates were believed to have had it. Lawyers for inmates have estimated the true number of infections among inmates was more likely 75 to 150. Although no inmate died, many were debilitated by coughs that wracked their bodies, fatigue so extreme they could not rise from bed, and a host of other symptoms, Ramos said. Even now, after the peak of the outbreak at the MCC, a handful of inmates continue to test positive for the disease. While the management of the MCC was well aware of the threat posed by the virus and of the guidance that was issued to address it, it failed to implement common-sense measures to stop the spread of the virus, the judge said. He said the inmates may still be able to prove they should be released, but he stopped short of ordering court oversight of the facility where convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein killed himself last August as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death drew increased scrutiny to the jail that has housed many famous mobsters, white-collar criminals and terrorists in recent decades. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... ___ Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A shooting Thursday in Kansas City, Missouri, left a suspect dead and a police officer in critical condition after being shot in the head, police said. The unidentified officer, who has been with the department for about 2 1/2 years, was hospitalized for emergency surgery following the shooting that happened just before 5 p.m., Kansas City police said on Twitter. Highway patrol officials said police were called to a McDonalds restaurant where the unidentified suspect was waving a gun, then fled on foot after police chased him. The suspect turned and opened fire on the officers, striking one. A second officer fired back, highway patrol officials said. At around 9:45 p.m., the officer was out of surgery and was stable, but his injuries were still very serious, Kansas City police said in a statement. Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Bill Lowe said police believe there was only one suspect. No further information was immediately available. We talk about the violence in this town, Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith said. We can see where this is headed. Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted his support for the police following the shooting. The women and men of our department are dedicated to this city, Lucas said. Always have been. Always will be. We owe them our prayers tonight and our thanks and our resolveall of usto call out those who are terrorizing so many in our community. The shooting is the second that injured a Kansas City officer Thursday. Three people including a police officer were shot earlier Thursday after a reported robbery at a bus stop. PORTLAND, Ore. - Protesters in this liberal, predominantly white city have taken to the streets peacefully every day for more than five weeks to decry police brutality. But violence by smaller groups is dividing the movement and drawing complaints that some white demonstrators are co-opting the moment. As the Portland protests enter a second month, they have shifted on several nights from the citys downtown core to a historically Black neighbourhood in North Portland thats already buckling under the effects of white gentrification and has the most to gain or lose from the outrage in the streets. Late last week, some protesters barricaded the doors to a police precinct a half-block from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and set fire to the building, which also houses Black-owned businesses, including an Ethiopian restaurant and a barbers school. Two nights later, a potluck at a park in the heart of the Black community morphed into another violent clash with police, who unleashed tear gas to quell the crowd of several hundred people. On Friday, a Portland man was arrested for his role in an overnight attack on the Hatfield Federal Courthouse, U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams said. Rowan M. Olsen, 19, aka Kiefer Alan Moore, was arrested by Federal Protective Service officers early Friday morning, he said in a news release. Olsen is scheduled to appear in federal court on Monday, Williams said. The change has angered and frustrated some in the Black community, who say a white fringe element is distracting from their message with senseless destruction in a city where nearly three-quarters of residents are white and less than 6% are Black. This is NOT the Black Lives Matter movement. This is chaos, Kali Ladd, executive director of KairosPDX, wrote in a Facebook post. These white actors are enacting dominance in a different form under the guise of equity ... White supremacy has many forms. Demonstrations elsewhere in the city have also grown increasingly violent. Early Friday, someone broke the windows of a federal courthouse and threw fireworks that started a fire inside the building. One prominent Black leader wrote to Mayor Ted Wheeler and said some clashes had unfolded three blocks from his house. He said the problem was with elements that were 99% white and did not represent the Black Lives Matter movement. It has nothing to do with helping Black people. These hoodlums are needlessly scaring neighbours and their children, said Ron Herndon, who has fought for racial justice in Portland for four decades and led a school boycott in 1979 after the city closed predominantly Black schools. At some point, enough is enough. Newly appointed Police Chief Chuck Lovell, who is Black, said the violence in North Portland was offensive and hurtful and has cost the city at least $6.2 million in overtime for its officers. People in that neighbourhood were upset. Thats not something theyre going to tolerate ... and they came out and were very vocal, Lovell said. I think people sometimes look at the protest movement as one homogeneous group and theres definitely a segment here that is very violent. The tension over the protests comes amid increasing conflict within the movement itself. Rose City Justice, a coalition that for weeks galvanized thousands of people for peaceful marches and rallies every night, announced last week it will no longer do so after it was criticized, among other things, for sitting down with the police commissioner and mayor to discuss police reform. The Rose City Justice marches and rallies attracted a diverse crowd of 10,000 people a night at one point. High school students marched arm-in-arm with the Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard across the Burnside Bridge, and people gathered along the Willamette River to listen to hours of music and speeches. Aerial photos of the crowds, which filled the massive bridge from end to end, made national headlines. The purpose of making noise is to have a seat at the table, to be heard, the coalition said in a statement announcing its decision to stop marching nightly. As with every movement, we realize that there are people who actively work to discredit momentum and change. Now, as clashes with police have become more violent in the business district and moved toward the residential neighbourhoods of North Portland, Black residents are watching in dismay. Many are concerned that those watching police precincts burn and businesses get vandalized will wrongly assume Black people are doing the damage. Jerome Polk has operated his business, J.P.s Custom Framing, for 26 years from a building he shares with the North Precinct police offices that were set ablaze. As he carried supplies into his business on a recent day, char marks, graffiti and police tape were still visible outside the building, and half of Polks own windows had been boarded up as a precaution. I dont know the motivation of why people do what they do, he said. I know when the damage is done, they blame that on what the movement is supposed to be. And thats unfortunate and unfair. A few blocks away, Carl Baskin sat next to his drive-up car wash station and worried that the message of racial justice was being taken away from the Black community by young white children. This is where theyre losing the narrative. In the midst of all this other stuff, theyre not really showing anyone sitting down with the police, actually talking and getting some of this stuff made into laws, Baskin said. Thats the stuff we should be talking about. The sting is made even deeper by the fact that the North Portland neighbourhood has, over the years, seen an exodus of Black families and businesses as white people have moved in. On a recent day, just a few blocks from boarded-up buildings and anti-police graffiti, white families with strollers walked past food carts selling sushi burritos as fliers advertising micro-greens fluttered in the wind. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Get to know us and get to know the pain that we feel with gentrification in this neighbourhood, said Elaine Loving, who has lived in her familys North Portland home for 59 years. Now its mostly white folks, and they dont even speak to us half the time and that hurts. ____ Follow Gillian Flaccus on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/gflaccus. China is crushing Hong Kong under its heel, and Canada should be doing more to push back. The draconian National Security Law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong this week is a fatal blow to the promise that the territory could keep its civil and political freedoms until the year 2047. Thats what China signed up to when Britain handed sovereignty over Hong Kong to Beijing in 1997. Under the principle of one country, two systems, the territory was to keep its special status and all the rights that went along with that for another 27 years. The new security law, which took effect on Wednesday, puts paid to all that. It is both vague and all-encompassing. Essentially, it gives authorities the power to treat dissent as a crime and allows Chinas security forces to operate directly in Hong Kong. It criminalizes secession, subversion, and activities that could be interpreted as collusion with foreign forces. It allows for closed courts in cases that involve risks to public order, and opens the door for anyone in Hong Kong (not just citizens) to be extradited to the mainland and face charges in Chinas party-controlled courts. It adopts the kind of broad language about national security that has long been used to outlaw political dissent in China. It will make it a lot more difficult, and certainly much more dangerous, for pro-democracy activists to continue protesting Chinas attempts to have its way with Hong Kong, as theyve been doing for the past year. No wonder some activists disbanded a prominent pro-democracy organization as soon as the new law took effect, to avoid being charged and disappearing into Chinas murky and politicized legal system. Canadians have learned something about how that system operates over the past year and a half. The ordeal of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, imprisoned in retaliation for the detention of Chinese telecom executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, has been a stark reminder of how Chinas courts can be used as political tools. Now that same system is coming to Hong Kong, which until recently managed to keep alive a robust legal system and a semi-democratic political structure. The new law undermines all that. Its a threat not only to Hong Kongs political freedoms, but to its prosperity as well. People doing business there now run the risk of facing trumped-up charges if they fall foul of powerful interests. Canada has a special interest in Hong Kong since 300,000 of its residents are Canadian citizens, the biggest foreign community in the territory. So far, Canada has voiced its serious concern at the crackdown on political dissent, and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland has said Canadian citizens living there are welcome to come home if conditions become untenable. On Friday, the government went further. It announced it will treat exports of sensitive goods, including military items, to Hong Kong in the same way as it does those to China. And, importantly, it suspended Canadas extradition treaty with Hong Kong. These are good moves, but Ottawa can do more in conjunction with other countries concerned about Chinas disregard for human rights and its increasingly aggressive assertion of what it sees as its interests around the world. The United States has already said it will no longer give Hong Kong different and special treatment than it extends to China as a whole on trade issues. And moves are underway in the U.S. Congress to impose sanctions on Chinese officials involved in the crackdown, and to give refugee protection to anyone who falls foul of the new security law. Britain, given its historic relationship with Hong Kong, is going further to uphold the guarantees made to residents of the former colony under the handover treaty signed by London and Beijing. Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government says its prepared to give as many as three million people in Hong Kong who hold British National (Overseas) passports the right to live and work in Britain, with the possibility of a pathway to full citizenship. Canada should listen to groups in this country aligned with pro-democracy forces in Hong Kong. It should be prepared to provide refuge and residency rights for people there who risk arrest or prosecution under the new security law. Canada could also guarantee that anyone arrested or charged in Hong Kong for political activity wont find that a barrier if they apply to come to this country. It could heed the appeal of groups such as Hong Kong Watch in Britain and Alliance Canada Hong Kong in this country to extend a lifeline to pro-democracy activists who may need it. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Naturally, China will condemn any such moves as interference in its internal affairs. But the more countries that speak up for Hong Kong, the more difficult it will be for Beijing to single out any one of them for special retribution. All this is a tragedy for Hong Kong, whose flourishing civic culture and vibrant economy are threatened as never before. Canada should speak out more forcefully for the people of the territory. And it should be prepared to welcome more of those who want to make a new life here. Read more about: Canada expresses concern but takes no action over Hong Kong security law as China blasts its critics, June 30 I am appalled by the inaction our Canadian government has shown over the situation in Hong Kong. Our Canadian government prides itself in admitting refugees who flee from dangerous places, offering refuge in this country. Our prime minister won his first election back in 2015 with a strong policy that admits many Syrian refugees, and even personally welcomed them at the airport. We welcomed waves of refugee seeking safety at our shore, and this generosity has earned us our name of openness, and the Nansen Refugee Award. So ignoring calls to allow Hong Kong residents, who are also in danger, a refuge is a big betrayal of not only our name but the expectation that many of us have in our government. At the same time, we have 300,000 Canadian citizens currently living and working over there, and their safety and security is a big priority. Britain, Australia and our closest ally, the United States, have all stepped up with regards to this crisis. Is Canada ready to play its part, too? Agnes Young, Toronto Read more about: Police on Thursday wrapped up a 30-year investigation of serial killings that terrorized Hwaseong south of Seoul after finally pinning them on a man who is already in jail. Investigators concluded that Lee Chun-jae is a psychopath who was responsible for 14 unsolved murders, 10 of the them in Hwaseong, and his crimes were triggered by predatory sexual urges. Police in Gyeonggi Province on Thursday said Lee committed 14 murders and raped nine other women. Police discovered last year that DNA samples collected from the scenes of three of the crimes matched Lee's DNA, which was in the national database because he has been in prison in Busan since 1994 for raping and murdering his sister-in-law after his wife walked out on him. The investigation into the killings that lasted from 1986 to 1991 is finally concluded, but the statute of limitations ran out in April 2006, so he will face no additional punishment. After being transferred to a prison in Suwon to be investigated over the serial murders, Lee was sent back to the penitentiary of Busan to serve out his life sentence. Police said Lee's crimes were motivated by "pent-up frustration and sexual desire due to a monotonous life after he was discharged from the military." Lee started raping women in January 1983 when he was 23. In September that year, he committed his first murder. For the next four years and seven months, he committed a total of 14 grisly murders, desecrating the corpses of his victims if they had resisted vehemently or if he was in a bad mood. An exhaustive investigation of over 52 face-to-face interviews by profilers and other forensic psychologists found that he felt no remorse or shift in emotion as he committed more murders, which eventually escalated into serial killing, while his modus operandi became increasingly grisly. Police said Lee also exhibited extreme self-centered tendencies by blaming the victims for the murders. Although Samsung is acclaimed for presenting numerous innovations, LG deserves some praise as well for unveiling more "experimental" devices from its curved LG G Flex to its recent dual-screen phones. According to Slash Gear, LG seems keen at investing in radical innovation, even if they end up being a flop. The South Korean brand may be launching its craziest phones yet next year, which includes a rollable phone. Samsung's fascination with foldable screens aside, LG seems obsessed with rolling displays as can be seen in large TV screens that roll up when not needed. Similarly, LG has also been known for mobile phones that can be tucked into a more compact form when not in use, and then stretched like a tablet when needed. LG's rollable screen may sound like a wilder idea than a foldable display, but the former is easier to pull off since the screen can spread the pressure across a wider surface area. The problem is the execution of placing more rigid electronics like circuit boards and batteries. According to The ELEC, LG already has a phone prototype, coded B Project, rumored after CEO Kwon Bong-Seok. LG has teamed up with China's BOE in developing the screen. Last year, the Chinese company already exhibited a working rollable display. The B Project aims to inspire confidence and boost morale around LG's troubled mobile phone trade. LG's crazy phone ideas If you think the rollable screen sounds outlandish, LG has also been rumored to be working on a "winged" smartphone which is said to launch in the latter part of 2020. The winged phone display swivels horizontally, which reveals a smaller screen at the bottom part. LG now uses more descriptive names for its new line of premium phones, giving up its old number-based labeling scheme. For instance, the LG Velvet is named for its velvet-smooth design. Meanwhile, the phone codenamed "Wing" does not have a formal name yet, but some guessed it may be because of its T-shape that looks like a plane. Some also guessed that the second display is like a wingman, which is assumed to resolve some uncommon issues. LG's winged phone For instance, space and shape are two of the usual concerns of smartphones, regardless of their size. Their regular rectangular shape may make viewing some content awkward. This is the reason Samsung has created foldable phones to expand the screen real estate while Microsoft and LG have combined two screens. While the exact function of this setup triggers our curiosity, the second screen could simply add another screen or a separate area for the keyboard, so it doesn't block the main screen. Whether LG will launch its innovative Wing phone later this year or unveil its rollable screen early next year is still uncertain. It is still too early to guess what LG has in store, although the company has been known for surprising the public with its experimental devices. This may urge developers to go out of the box with their creativity and innovation. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Theres only one thing members of my industry appear to enjoy more than demeaning U.S. President Donald Trump: declaring him indestructible. Can you recall how many times youve read the words Teflon and Trump side by side in the news since the man was elected four years ago? Ive lost count, but here are just a few recent examples: Donald Trumps Puzzling Teflon Presidency, ran a headline in the Japan Times last December. In February, USA Today wondered if Trump is tougher than Teflon. In April 2019, the Guardian referred to the U.S. president as Teflon Don and in April 2020, the Spectator posed the question: Can Teflon Trump survive his biggest challenge yet? That challenge was and remains COVID-19, a virus that has killed nearly 130,000 Americans to date the same virus Trump claimed his government had totally under control in January. But the president faces other challenges, too, heading into the U.S. federal election against Joe Biden: namely, addressing the long-past-due demands of Americans protesting anti-Black racism and police brutality, and most recently, trying to convince Americans he didnt sit idly by while a Russian military intelligence unit placed bounties on the heads of U.S. troops. Hes failing miserably on all fronts. COVID-19 is infecting Americans at remarkable rates (this week the state of Florida recorded 10,000 cases in a single day); meanwhile Trump has continued to hold rallies indoors and decline to wear a mask in public, despite his recent admission that he thinks he looks good in one. As far as the protests go, the U.S. president appears to care more about the fate of toppled statues than actual human beings. (He recently called the Black Lives Matter slogan a symbol of hate.) And concerning the recent revelation that Russia may have paid members of the Taliban to kill U.S. troops, its not especially surprising that he claims the story is a hoax perpetrated by the media. What is surprising, however, is public reaction to his recent behaviour. There was a time, not long ago, when scandals and gaffes like those above seemed to bounce off of him: when the president could lie incessantly about whatever he wanted; when he could be as crude as he wanted and many Americans would shrug their shoulders. That time may be over. This week, the U.S. presidents approval rating fell to its lowest point in more than a year (41 per cent). According to a new Pew research poll, only 17 per cent of Americans including 25 per cent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents and 10 per cent of Democrats and Democratic leaners say they feel proud when thinking about the state of the country. Another Pew poll from June suggests two-thirds of U.S. adults say they support the Black Lives Matter movement (this may indicate why the presidents antagonizing of protesters didnt provoke the positive response he had hoped for.) According to an Ipsos poll from June, 58 per cent of Americans disapprove of the presidents response to the coronavirus. Right now, according to a new national poll in the U.S., Biden is leading Trump by 12 points. Polls shouldnt give anyone comfort that Trump will surely lose the 2020 election, just as they shouldnt have given anyone comfort Hillary Clinton would win in 2016. Pollsters are not fortune-tellers. But 2020 is so far a uniquely, almost unbelievably bad year. Its possible that in such a year, Trumps Teflon is decaying; that some Americans who were previously amused by or ambivalent about his tactics are fed up. Its hard for a leader to spin civil unrest, mass infectious disease, and the alleged unchecked murder of troops to his advantage. Its hard, in other words, to spin straight up chaos. In 2016, Trump asked voters to give him the platform to Make America Great Again. In 2020, he is asking for the privilege to Keep great a nation that is, according to recent polling, overwhelmingly ashamed of itself. He is not made of Teflon. Hes a human being and a good salesman. However, he may discover come November that people are no longer buying what hes selling. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Emma Teitel is a columnist based in Toronto covering current affairs for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @emmaroseteitel Read more about: Please note The Sun Chronicle is providing this story and all of our local coronavirus coverage for free so that all readers have access to this important information about the pandemic. Please visit our dedicated coronavirus coverage page for more stories. If you'd like to support our mission, please subscribe. Our View: Fireworks are nothing to play with Epic Games has recently launched the third season of Fortnite's Chapter 2 after a couple of delays. Still, it's all looking good now as there is a whole lot of new content, including new exclusive superhero skins and new challenges. Of course, those who want to get new skins, cosmetics, and emotes could purchase the Battle Pass as with previous seasons for $9.50, according to CNET. With the Battle Pass, you can get new skins as long as you finish the weekly tasks, so we will take a look at what we have for week 3, along with some tasks for Aquaman, which is a lot like the Deadpool skin from last season. Additionally, it seems like there's a secret challenge for Captain America, the new skin that just dropped recently in time for the Fourth of July, which players can get via the Fortnite Item Shop for $20. Week 3 Challenges Here are the challenges for Fortnite Chapter 2, season 3, week 3: Search Chests or Ammo Boxes at the Misty Meadows (7) Eliminations at The Authority (3) Collect Floating Rings at the Lazy Lake (4) Dance on top of the Crane at the Rickety Rig (1) Deal 100 damage from inside a cornfield at the Frenzy Farm (100) Destroy cars within 60 seconds of landing from the Battle Bus at the Retail Row (2) Land a Choppa at the bottom of the Steamy Stacks Deal 200 damage to opponents at the Catty Corner (200) The missions are pretty straightforward, and you can easily finish them by continuously playing Matches, but be careful when you're visiting the locations in the challenges as there will surely be more enemies than usual trying to complete the same challenges. You'll also want to try and get the floating rings at the Lazy Lake faster before someone gets to them. Read Also: NBA 2k21 Mamba Forever Edition Pre-Order Details; How to Secure Your Own Copy The Captain America Challenge The Captain America challenge isn't exactly part of the Fortnite weekly challenges, and instead, it's part of the Quick Challenges, which change daily, meaning it's easy to do, and you can finish it quickly. The challenge states: "Set off fireworks around Lazy Lake," so find all five fireworks around the location and then go up to have it activated. Once the fireworks explode, they will recreate the infamous shield, which has become Captain America's symbol. The Aquaman Challenges During the previous Fortnite season, Epic Games has been teasing the players with a Deadpool skin Battle Pass players could only get if they complete all the weekly challenges that the Merc asks them to do. This time around, those who want to acquire the Aquaman skin, which was inspired by Jason Momoa's portrayal of the character, have to complete the challenges. For week 1, Fortnite players have to use the whirlpool at the Fortilla, which is on the southwest part of the map. Just swim to the whirlpool, and you're done. For week 2, players will have to ride a loot shark at the Sweaty Sands, and you can do so by looking for a fishing pole and then equip it and just look for one. Remember to avoid going into the water as they will kill you, so just cast the pole and wait until a shark takes the bait. This week, the challenge is to catch two types of fishes in a single match, so prepare your fishing pole for it. Read Also: 'Persona 4 Golden' PC Version Has a New Mod That Allows You to Date Yosuke 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. WOOD RIVER The Madison County Health Department on Thursday announced 14 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 974 cases. No new deaths were reported, leaving the total at 69. Statewide there were 869 new cases and 36 deaths reported during the past 24 hours. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health website, there are now 144,882 cases statewide, and 6,987 deaths. In the past 24 hours, 30,262 tests have been completed, for a statewide total of 1,666,317. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from June 25 July 1, is 2.6 percent. The Madison County figures include 552 people released, meaning they have completed isolation. A total of 18,309 tests have been completed in the county. Information by ZIP code on Thursday showed 179 cases were reported in 62234 (Collinsville), 163 in 62040 (Granite City/Pontoon Beach), 154 in 62002 (Alton), 124 in 62025 (Edwardsville), 81 in 62034 (Glen Carbon), 46 in 62060 (Madison) and in 62035 (Godfrey), 42 in 62010 (Bethalto), 30 in 62294 (Troy) and 28 in 62095 (Wood River). There were 21 cases in 62249 (Highland); 20 cases in 62052 (Jerseyville); 16 in 62062 (Maryville) and 62056 (Litchfield); 14 in 62024 (East Alton) and 62090 (Venice); 13 in 62012 (Brighton); 12 in 62018 (Cottage Hills); nine in 62069 (Mt. Olive); eight in 62088 (Staunton); and seven in 62049 (Hillsboro). The IDPH is releasing case numbers by ZIP code for areas with more than five cases. Numbers are not released in ZIP codes with fewer cases to protect the privacy of patients. The information is online at www.dph.illinois.gov. For the latest information on COVID-19 or coronavirus resources, visit the Madison County Health Department online at www.madisonchd.org or on Facebook @MadisonCHD. Also visit www.co.madison.il.us for more news and a daily update or on Facebook @MadisonCountyIL. Two Oklahoma police officers have been charged with second-degree murder after they used Tasers more than 50 times on a man who later died, according to court records. The officers, Joshua Taylor, 25, and Brandon Dingman, 34, of the Wilson Police Department, were charged in connection with the death last year of the man, Jared Lakey, 28, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Wilson is a small town about 100 miles south of Oklahoma City, near the Texas border. On July 4, 2019, Taylor and Dingman were responding to a call that involved Lakeys acting in a disorderly way, according to the State Bureau of Investigation. When Lakey would not comply with the officers commands, Taylor and Dingman used their Tasers a combined total of more than 50 times, which greatly exceeded what would have been necessary or warranted by the attendant circumstances, court records said. A Carter County deputy sheriff eventually responded to the scene and was able to help take Lakey into custody, according to the bureau. Shortly thereafter, Lakey stopped breathing and became unresponsive. He was taken to a hospital in Healdton, Oklahoma, and then to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, where he died on July 6, 2019. Court records said that such dangerous and unnecessary tasing was a substantial factor in bringing about Lakeys death. The district attorneys office issued arrest warrants for Taylor and Dingman on Wednesday, and they turned themselves in Thursday morning. They were booked on one count each of second-degree murder, which is punishable by 10 years to life in prison, according to court records. Both were released on $250,000 bonds, according to the State Bureau of Investigation. The death of Mr. Lakey saddens us all, Ryan Hunnicutt, who was listed in court records as the lawyer for both Dingman and Taylor, said in an email Thursday night. We are confident that the legal system will provide an opportunity for all the facts to be known and look forward to our day in court. Calls to the Wilson Police Department were not immediately returned Thursday, and it was not immediately clear if Dingman and Taylor were still on the force. Spencer Bryan, a lawyer for Lakeys parents, Doug and Cynthia Lakey, said both officers had initially claimed that they used Tasers on Lakey only four times. He said the charges were appropriate given what was shown on Taylors body camera footage, which he said the city of Wilson had allowed him to view. I have never seen a more disturbing video, Bryan said in an email. After watching it, I cannot understand how the city allowed officers who exhibited such gross recklessness, resulting in a mans death, to continue working. We have great confidence the evidence supports the charges. Bryan said that the Lakey family had filed a public records lawsuit and a federal civil rights lawsuit in connection with Lakeys death. Both lawsuits are pending. In the public records lawsuit, filed in September, Cynthia Lakey is seeking body camera footage, witness statements, photographs and police radio logs. The lawsuit states that Jared Lakeys body was riddled with Taser probes and says that medical providers had told the family that Lakey died from multiple heart attacks. The lawsuit states that radio logs from just before midnight on July 4, 2019, around the time that Lakey was shocked with the Tasers, documented a single report of a man screaming and running down the road. It stated that there was no indication that Lakey had committed a serious offense and no indication that he had threatened Taylor or Dingman. A debate over the use of Tasers was reignited last month after the fatal police shooting of Rayshard Brooks, a Black man who was found asleep in a car in a drive-through at a Wendys in Atlanta. Brooks, 27, had fled from the police after failing a sobriety test and grabbed a Taser from an officer during a struggle, the authorities said. A former Atlanta police officer, Garrett Rolfe, was later charged with murder and aggravated assault in the killing of Brooks. Rolfes partner, Devin Brosnan, was charged with three counts, including aggravated assault and violations of oath. Both Brosnan and Rolfe are white. In the Oklahoma case, both officers are white, as was the victim, Lakey, Bryan said. Tasers, also known as stun guns, part of a class of less lethal tools, are designed to help law enforcement officers temporarily immobilize people by jolting them with electricity. Axon Enterprise, which makes the Taser, says the devices save lives and prevent injuries. But at least 500 people in the United States have died since 2001 after being shocked with stun guns during an arrest or while in jail, according to a 2012 statement by Amnesty International, which supports stricter limits on the use of Tasers. In a 2008 review of hundreds of deaths after stun gun use, Amnesty International found that 90% of those who died had been unarmed. Most of the deaths were attributed to causes unrelated to stun gun use, but medical examiners listed the devices as a contributing factor in more than 60 deaths, Amnesty International said. The shock delivered to the chest by a Taser can lead to cardiac arrest and sudden death, according to a 2012 study in the journal Circulation. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. DuBois, PA (15801) Today Thunderstorms, some strong early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low near 55F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Thunderstorms, some strong early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low near 55F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. EDWAREDSVILLE The Scott Credit Union has opened a full-service location at 101 #. Schuetz St. (Route 4) in Lebanon. The former bank building, is 3,840 square feet and features a traditional teller line in the lobby and two drive-up teller windows. The location a drive-up ATM. We are excited to be growing again with another Illinois location to serve people in Lebanon and those traveling to and from Scott Air Force Base, said Scott Credit Union President & CEO Frank Padak. This is another step in our growth and commitment to serving the Illinois market. We are pleased to be adding our 19th branch and our 15th in Illinois. The new Lebanon Branch is part of Scott Credit Unions strategic growth plan, which includes adding branches to better serve members in Illinois, Padak added. We want to be convenient so our 145,000 members can take advantage of the value we offer, he said. We welcome the residents in Lebanon and the area around it to see why we are a great money-saving alternative. Because of its not-for-profit structure, Scott Credit Union has given $12 million back to members through a bonus dividend and loan interest rebate over the past 12 years. In November, the local credit union gave more than $1 million back to its members. Scott Credit Union currently has 19 area locations: Scott Air Force Base; East Belleville; Fairview Heights; Collinsville; OFallon; Edwardsville; Waterloo; Highland; West Belleville; Mascoutah; Troy; Wood River; Lebanon; Columbia; Ladue, MO; Crestwood, MO; Ferguson, MO; at Ballpark Village in St. Louis; and its Home Office in Edwardsville. For more information, visit www.scu.org. WASHINGTON The Supreme Court announced Thursday that it would decide whether Congress may see parts of the report prepared by Robert Mueller, the special counsel who investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election. As a practical matter, the move means that the full report will almost certainly not be made available before the 2020 election, if at all. In May, the court blocked the release of the report while the appeal moved forward. The court will probably hear arguments in the case in the late fall, after the election, and issue its decision next year. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, expressed frustration about the delay the courts review required. I am disappointed by the courts decision to prolong this case further, but I am confident we will prevail, he said in a statement. Attorney General William Barr, he said, had broken with the practices of earlier administrations by refusing to allow access to grand jury materials in impeachment inquiries. Unfortunately, Nadler said, President Trump and Attorney General Barr are continuing to try to run out the clock on any and all accountability. The case arose from a request by the House Judiciary Committee for grand jury materials that the Justice Department had blacked out from the report provided to Congress. The House told the justices that it sought information about whether President Donald Trump had obstructed justice, a topic on which Mueller declined to reach a conclusion. These redactions bear on whether the president committed impeachable offenses by obstructing the FBIs and special counsels investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and his possible motivations for doing so, a House brief said. Trump was impeached by the House in December and acquitted by the Senate in February. But the House told the Supreme Court that its inquiry into the presidents conduct was not over. The committees impeachment investigation related to obstruction of justice pertaining to the Russia investigation is ongoing, the brief said. Indeed, the brief said, new areas of inquiry have arisen, including the Justice Departments request for leniency in the sentencing of Roger Stone, a friend of Trumps who was convicted of witness intimidation and perjury; and the departments request to dismiss its case against Michael Flynn, Trumps first national security adviser, who had twice pleaded guilty to lying to investigators. The committees investigation continues today and has further developed in light of recent events, the Houses brief said. For example, the committee is investigating the possible exercise of improper political influence over recent decisions made in the Roger Stone and Michael Flynn prosecutions, both of which were initiated by the special counsel. In March, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the materials must be released to help Congress consider whether to conduct impeachment proceedings. That disclosure was authorized by the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the panel ruled, which contain an exception to grand jury secrecy rules for materials to be used preliminary to or in connection with a judicial proceeding. The panel was divided on other issues in the case, but it agreed that an impeachment trial was a judicial proceeding for purposes of the rule. Historical practice supported the ruling, Judge Judith Rogers wrote for the majority. Federal courts have authorized the disclosure of grand jury materials to the House for use in impeachment investigations involving two presidents and three federal judges, Rogers wrote. It is only the presidents categorical resistance and the departments objection that is unprecedented. In particular, Rogers noted, Judge John Sirica in 1974 ordered the disclosure of the grand jury report and accompanying materials to be delivered to the House Judiciary Committee, which was then engaged in an impeachment investigation of President Richard M. Nixon. Lawyers for the House said that order was part of an unbroken series of precedents. To our knowledge, they said, no court has ever turned down a request for grand jury materials by Congress in connection with an impeachment. The House brief argued that the Constitution considered an impeachment trial to be a judicial proceeding, quoting its words: the Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments; when the president of the United States is tried the chief justice shall preside; and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members present. One of Trumps lawyers at the impeachment trial, Ken Starr, made the same point, the brief said. We are not a legislative chamber during these proceedings, Starr said. We are in court. In urging the Supreme Court to block the release of the report, Solicitor General Noel Francisco said the exception for judicial proceedings referred to court proceedings and not to impeachment trials. He said the appeals courts historical examples were of questionable probative value because in each instance DOJ supported disclosure of the requested materials. The Justice Department, he wrote, has reconsidered that position. Lawyers for the House urged the justices to reject the departments new position in the case, Department of Justice v. House Committee on the Judiciary, No. 19-1328. The decision below, the Houses brief said, was plainly correct to reject the newly developed position that DOJ has advocated here, after decades of taking the opposite view that Congress can indeed legally obtain grand jury materials in connection with impeachment proceedings. The House brief said the grand jury materials would be kept confidential under protocols established by the committee. These protocols, which are similar to those used to protect grand jury and other confidential materials during the Nixon impeachment investigation, limit staff access to grand jury material; require storage of such material in a secure location; and provide that such material may not be publicly disclosed absent a majority vote by the committee, the brief said. Francisco called those protocols inadequate. Once the government discloses the secret grand jury records, their secrecy will irrevocably be lost, he wrote. That is particularly so when, as here, they are disclosed to a congressional committee and its staff. Indeed, as respondent acknowledged below, its own procedures will allow it to release these grand jury materials to the public by a simple majority vote of the committee (not even the full House). This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Symone Sanders was deeply upset in May when the graphic video surfaced of Ahmaud Arbery being shot while jogging surfaced, and she made sure her boss, Joe Biden, saw it. Weeks later, it was Sanders who told Biden about the explosive video of a police officer kneeling on George Floyd's neck. "Again?" Biden asked in disbelief. Sanders responded, she recalled in an interview, "Again. Again. This literally just happened again." The brutal 8-minute, 46-second video touched off a national reckoning and demonstrations across the country. And it threw Sanders, 30, into a unique, high-pressure role as the highest-profile African American staffer in Biden's inner circle, tapped to explain - or justify - his record on race to sometimes-skeptical black activists even while advising him privately on how to navigate the moment. The campaign deploys her to marquee shows like "Fox News Sunday" to make the case for Biden. She has been dispatched to reassure voters when Biden makes tone-deaf comments. Internally, she advises Biden on a wide-range of issues, including his response when a crisis erupts in the country's rapidly shifting racial justice landscape. But as a bridge between Biden and black activists, Sanders sometimes finds herself taking shots from all sides. Biden, after all, is trying to harness the energy from the massive street protests while rejecting the protesters' most visible demands, such as defunding the police. Some civil rights leaders grumble that Sanders hasn't done much to get Biden to meet the moment. Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, which advocates for minority women in politics, has criticized Biden for not reaching out enough to voters of color. "You have millions and millions of people - some who supported other candidates in a large primary, and others who have been protesting in the streets - and the general sentiment amongst Democrats is for transformational change," Allison said. "The moment doesn't call for a justification. It requires us to move into a new phase." But if outsiders want Sanders to be more of an agitator, insiders sometimes want her to be less of one. "If there's a place where I think sometimes she still is learning, it's that her role now is not to be a full-time activist," said Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., a Biden ally who closely coordinates with the campaign. "It is to figure out a pathway to accomplish the goals within the system. Sometimes I remind her that you can't govern if you can't win." Yet Sanders's fans says she's been indispensable to the presumptive nominee. She reached out to Floyd's lawyer to determine how Biden could best offer his condolences after his death - and sobbed as she listened in on Biden's call to the family. She has briefed the Congressional Black Caucus at delicate moments, including as Biden denied an accusation of sexual assault by former Senate staffer Tara Reade, according to participants in that conversation. She sits on Biden's criminal justice task force, which is developing his policies on the volatile issue. Sanders has pushed the campaign to be wary of language that frustrates black activists, for example urging staffers to avoid the term "white working class," according to a person familiar with the discussions. "She's in every meeting," Richmond said. "There are not any decisions being made behind her back. She's in the room. She participates with decisions." And Sanders's role as an African American validator will only become more important as the Trump campaign ramps up its effort to use Biden's sometimes tone-deaf comments on race to peel off some of his support from black voters. For now, Sanders is offering advice as Biden makes the most important decision of his campaign: whom to choose as his running mate. She helped orchestrate a conversation between Biden and prominent black women pushing him to choose an African American running mate, according to two people on the call who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal campaign dynamics. "I'm privileged to say I've been let into the circle to do this work," Sanders said. Breaking into Biden's inner circle was never straightforward. When Sanders joined the campaign in spring 2019 as a senior adviser, she drew sharp criticism from liberal activists baffled that a young, outspoken black woman, and a former top aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., would lend her voice and charisma to a centrist Democratic politician. It was no easier inside the campaign. Sanders quickly discovered that she was excluded from the daily 8:30 a.m. phone call among Biden's top strategists, where major decisions were often made. Of his senior aides, Sanders was by far the youngest - born two years after Biden abandoned the first of his three presidential campaigns - as well as the only one new to Biden's orbit and the only African American. Sanders complained to Anita Dunn, one of Biden's top aides and close confidantes, and Dunn immediately added her to the daily call. Now the campaign frames that incident as evidence of Sanders's value. "It was a perfect example of why you want somebody like Symone on the campaign," Dunn said. "She didn't wait to be invited." But the balancing act never ends. Sanders has developed ways of deflecting questions about whether she embraces Biden's views, for example. "He might not get it right 110 percent of the time," Sanders said at a recent event, deploying a straw man she often uses - after all, no one can be expected to agree 110 percent of the time, and that avoids the issue of just how much she does differ with her boss. "It is my job to advocate for and protect his position," Sanders said in the interview. "It is my job to communicate his position to other folks and explain to them why his position is actually the best position if we want to beat Donald Trump." Clearly that's not satisfactory to many liberal black leaders, four of whom declined to discuss her on the record for this article. Several cited recent Biden senior hires who are black, saying they'd become more familiar with Karine Jean-Pierre and Ashley Allison, who have broad portfolios that include reaching out to black voters. Rashad Robinson, executive director of the Color of Change Coalition, a racial justice group, told Vogue magazine in April, "I have not felt the effects of Symone's presence. It has not translated for us." Internally, Sanders has also developed tools to be sure she's taken seriously. When overruled on a key decision, she makes a point of acknowledging that her idea is not carrying the day - but restates her position nonetheless, to ensure it does not get lost. "It's helpful because sometimes conversations start in one place and then go off in other directions," Dunn said. "And sometimes it has the effect of bringing people back to what the core issue is. And sometimes it is just, Symone has made her position clear." The aftermath of Floyd's killing showcased Sanders's role. When she'd been an aide to Bernie Sanders in 2016, she would seek out civil rights attorney Ben Crump to hash through racial justice issues, even though he was firmly supporting Hillary Clinton, and they became friends. So when Floyd died, the Biden team agreed Sanders should reach out to Crump, now an attorney for the Floyd family, to determine if a call from the former vice president would be welcome. "Do you think it's the right time?" Sanders asked Crump, he recalled in an interview. He added, "She wanted to make sure she didn't have the vice president just call for the sake of saying, 'I called.' " They had a robust discussion about how Biden should approach the family, and Crump said her efforts secured a "very dignified, a very engaging moment" for both Biden and Floyd's family. In interviews later, family members praised Biden's approach and contrasted it to President Trump. "Vice President Biden, I loved his conversation," Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's brother, told CNN. "He talked to me for 10 or 15 minutes. And I was trying to talk his ear off. . . . But Trump? It lasted probably two minutes." Despite her activist aura, Sanders has always sought a role in mainstream politics, and her rapid rise follows a steep arc more typically seen from white men in Washington, though she comes from North Omaha, Neb., with no family connection to politics. As a student and leader at a local nonprofit, Sanders introduced former president Bill Clinton at a fundraising luncheon by age 16. She became Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign spokeswoman by 25. She became a paid commentator on CNN and was granted an at-large seat in the Democratic National Committee by 26. She had a book deal by 28. And this year, at 30, in addition to being a senior staff member to the presumptive Democratic nominee, she released her book, which is titled "No, You Shut Up: Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America," a rallying cry for young women trying to navigate politics based on her own experiences. (The book, Sanders said, was largely written before she started working on the campaign.) A virtual party to celebrate the book's launch last month was hosted by a quartet of female power brokers: Barack Obama confidant Valerie Jarrett, Democratic operative Hilary Rosen, Recode co-founder Kara Swisher and Washington fixer Tammy Haddad. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who joined as a special guest, swooned over Sanders's book, which she said she had listened to in an audio format. "This book is Symone at her funniest, her most outrageous and, ultimately, her most passionate," Warren said. During the event, Sanders described her broad goal thusly: "I want to be a powerful person." She added, "Why? Because powerful people can help change things." Sanders vaulted into national politics in 2015, when Bernie Sanders, then a long-shot presidential candidate, needed to bulk up his communications operation and wanted help navigating the Black Lives Matter movement. Symone Sanders took on the role she is now reprising for Biden - helping an older white candidate understand the views of energized black activists, some of whom had begun disrupting events held by the presidential hopeful. At an August 2015 rally with 28,000 people in Portland, Ore., Sanders went onstage to warn the crowd that the candidate might be interrupted by hecklers, and she led them in a chant they could take up in response: "We! Stand! Together!" Jeff Weaver, then Sen. Sanders's campaign manager, said she was a natural before a big audience. "Some people are all well and good about getting out to a crowd of thousands of people - then they kind of freeze," Weaver said. "She had no problem." By late 2018, as this year's vast Democratic presidential primary field was starting to take shape, it was clear that the party's progressive flank was ascendant, and that Symone Sanders, by then a visible liberal spokeswoman, would be in great demand. She met with top-tier candidates like Warren and Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Cory Booker, D-N.J. She also traveled to Delaware to talk with Biden, whom she had never met, and the pair clicked. The interview, scheduled for 30 minutes, lasted two hours, and Sanders said she was the one to end it. "I said, 'Oh, I've got a plane to catch. Sir, I've got to go,' " she recounted at her book party. When she signed up with Biden, she became an immediate target. "I took a lot of flack for that decision," Sanders said at her book party. "People questioned my character. They questioned my commitment to my values. They questioned if I even had political instincts." Sanders acknowledges she has not always met the challenge deftly, for example flubbing an early question from a reporter about the 1994 crime bill Biden authored, which critics say contributed to the mass incarceration of young black men. But she has steadily pushed ahead, helping a man who came of age 60 years ago navigate the tricky terrain of 2020. When Booker and Harris criticized Biden in 2019 for bragging at a fundraiser about his once-close relationship with segregationist senators, she was there to defend him. "The vice president did not embrace segregationists," Sanders told CNN. She was there again at a Democratic debate that year, when Harris called out Biden for his opposition to busing black children to predominantly white schools. Sanders said Biden's more recent record as Obama's vice president "is more indicative of what he believes now, the kind of president he will be, how he will govern, than something he said or did 40 years ago." And as Biden's campaign appeared to be crashing after poor finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, Sanders was dispatched to South Carolina, where Biden mounted a successful last stand based largely on his appeal to black voters. Now that Biden's campaign is conducted largely via virtual events, Sanders is more frequently seen on TV as a surrogate than physically at Biden's side. Yet evidence of her presence abounds. Last month, after a Biden "virtual roundtable" with big city mayors, Biden's team failed to cut the audio feed when the event ended. Though the screen was dark, Biden could be heard seeking her input. "You know, Symone, I think . . ." he said. And then the sound was cut. Most of what we fear in life never becomes true. As children, we were afraid of the shadows in our bedroom and that the boogeyman would come and take us away. As adults, most of our fears switch to lack of security: Fear that our home will be broken into or our family will be harmed or a fear of lack of financial security. Regardless of what frightens us, most of us will admit were living with some form of fear or anxiety. Fear of sickness from COVID-19, fear of job loss or economic collapse, fear of rioters, looters on the streets that are openly committing harm to property or others. If you believe cable news, there is much to be afraid of and we are. Gun dealers across the country are selling their shelves empty. Citizens are stocking up on toiletries and food supplies, buying guns at a record pace and loading up on ammunition. Whats driving these actions? Fear. Fear is a healthy sensation, as it can keep some of us from what Ill call the Oh yeah? Hold my beer syndrome. Fear kept our early ancestors from being eaten by saber-tooth tigers. I can go on, but you get the picture. However, fear can also make you react irrationally at times where rational thinking is needed. Fear can negatively impact your health and ruin your life. I grew up in an anti-gun family. My dad didnt like guns or want one in the house. For most of my life, I never wanted a gun, but 25 years ago we moved out onto 40 acres and coyotes were everywhere. I still didnt buy a gun, as I felt the coyotes had just as much of a right to be here as I did. But as our two beloved dogs began to age, the coyotes would try to lure them away from the house and we had our clash with nature so I bought a shotgun. Mostly for the noise, I thought Id scare they coyotes off and did. Now, as I age, I began worrying about being out and away from civilization and bought my first hand gun. A Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum now sits on my nightstand next to me as I sleep. Rational? I think so. But at what risk? Last night, the dreaded intrusion happened. I was asleep and heard a commotion on our side deck. Our door was open and only the screen separated us from the apparent intruder that began pushing on the screen. I rolled out of bed, grabbed my handgun, crawled to the screen and there he was. The biggest opossum Id ever seen. He growled at me, then slowly walked away, never knowing that all three of us me, Smith & Wesson were poised to send him to opossum heaven. He was just a friendly neighbor out for a walk. I recognize that I moved into his neighborhood. He isnt trespassing in mine. I also realize fear almost caused me to pull the trigger. It was a wake up call for me to relax. I think that in normal times, Id have sleepily gotten out of bed, walked to the door, looked, smiled, said a friendly word to a curious visitor and climbed back into bed but something has changed. Before we start shooting each other: Lets take a breath. Relax. Step away from our fear and understand whats driving our anxiety. The news is frightening. A bad cop killed a relatively harmless suspect on television. Statues are being torn down, stores are being looted and burned. Innocent civilians are being killed. Its all real. Television pundits stoking the fires and encouraging lawlessness are also real, while municipalities are voting to defund or disband local law enforcement. On CNN, an ignorant pundit, while encouraging rioters and looters, shouted, Show me where it says public protest should be peaceful! Well, look no further than the First Amendment. the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. I think peaceably is a key word here. Im mailing Chris Cuomo at CNN a copy of our Constitution, with the First Amendment tagged to make it easy for him to find without having to read too much. I highlighted the word peaceably in hopes he might understand. And its not just CNN. Fox News Photoshopped images allegedly depicting CHAZ/CHOP to escalate fear. MSNBC is full of fear-mongering. There is not much real news on cable, especially after 8 p.m. only ideological agendas designed to frighten us. My longtime friend, Tim Duggan, says, This is all driven by a 24-hour news cycle, that is driven by ratings, which networks found can be driven by fear. Hes right. Fear is an effective ratings tool. There is a drive, which I agree with, to license police officers. Maybe there should be the same for political pundits and politicians. I get the feeling lately that most have little knowledge of civics or American history. If a pundit, while on the air, is encouraging others to commit crimes, shouldnt he or she be charged with a crime? I think its largely our political pundits on cable news driving much of the fear and anxiety on both sides. Im not talking about prohibiting free speech. I am recognizing that screaming fire in a crowded theater where there is no fire is prohibited. Promoting and encouraging others to commit crimes, using your platform on an international cable show is even more dangerous. Why is it not prohibited? Common-sense Americans need to relax and be more discerning about what voices we allow into our heads and hearts. The nation is in turmoil. We have problems that must be addressed but we cannot allow a group of irresponsible talking heads on cable news to drive us over the edge and they are working overtime to do so. They are mixing news of the day with False Evidence Appearing Real (FEAR) to drive their political agenda. And make no mistake about it. There is little real news available to us on television. Its all sensationalized to drive an ideology. Do you still wonder why we are afraid? What can we do to relieve this fear and anxiety? Lets start with recognizing that an opossum is just an opossum. Maybe our fear is misdirected. Is it possible that sensationalized media is the true source of our national fear and not each other? Shut them out. Turn them off. We are smarter and better than this. Gary W. Moore is a columnist, speaker and author of three books. He can be reached at garywmoore.com. Dickson City Movie night: Make-A-Wish Movie Night, gates open 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Circle Drive-In, 1911 Scranton-Carbondale Highway. The showing of Minions will begin at approximately 9 p.m. Cost: $8 per adult/$5 per child. Family-friendly games and raffles will benefit the Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Info: 570-341-9474. Olyphant Food distribution: Free Community Food Distribution, noon, Monday, Rescue & Restore Church, 125 Lackawanna Avenue. ID must be shown to receive food. Info: 570-483-4114. Scranton Legal advice: Virtual Family Law Help Desk, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Thursday. The event, sponsored by Lackawanna Pro Bono, will allow low-income individuals to receive free legal advice. To qualify, county residents must have a household income below 125% of the poverty level and must not currently have an attorney. To apply for the services, call 570-961-2714 or visit lackawannaprobono.org. Northeast Pennsylvania counties added 26 COVID-19 cases and six deaths, according to state Department of Health data released Friday. Statewide, 667 more people tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total to 88,741. The increase comes on the heels of 832 new cases reported Thursday, the biggest single-day jump recorded since May 22. Another 34 people died statewide up from 25 additional deaths reported Thursday bringing the statewide death toll from the virus to 6,746 reported Friday. To date, 715,403 people have tested negative statewide, up from 702,199 reported Thursday. All 67 counties are in the green phase of the states reopening plan. As the entire state is now in the green phase, we must remain committed to protecting against COVID-19 by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and avoiding large gatherings this holiday weekend, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said in a statement. Pennsylvania has been a model for the country on how to reopen effectively using a careful, measured approach. However, the virus has not gone away and we are seeing cases rise, especially in Southwest Pennsylvania. Cases in Allegheny County increased by 166 overnight. Yesterday, Allegheny Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen announced that additional mitigation measures are being taken in the county to further stem the spread of the coronavirus. The new order calls for a one-week closure of bars, restaurants and casinos and the cancellation of all activities or events of more than 25 people for that same one-week period. Food establishments may still offer takeout and delivery. The order took effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday. Bogen also recommended a voluntary stay-at-home protocol for residents of the county. Mask-wearing is required in all businesses and whenever leaving home. Consistent mask-wearing is critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19, the state Health Department said. The 26 new cases in the seven-county NEPA region of Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties bring the regions reported case total to 6,954 since March 18.Six new coronavirus deaths in the region increased its total to 555. Lackawanna added five cases for a total of 1,719, including 58 probable. There were three more deaths reported, for a total of 207. Luzerne, for the second day in a row, added 12 cases for a new total of 2,939, of which 52 are probable. There was one additional death, up to 178. Monroe added two cases for a total of 1,430, including 43 probable. Deaths increased by one to a total of 109. Pike added two cases for a total of 500, including 25 probable. One additional death was reported, bringing the total to 21. Susquehanna added two cases for 185 total, including six probable. Deaths remained at 24. Wayne added two cases for 142 total, of which nine are probable. Deaths remained at nine. Wyoming added one case for 39 total, of which two are probable. Deaths remained at seven. Barney Slack hears the first boom outside his Scranton home and immediately bolts to his safe zone behind his familys couch. The terrified terrier-mix will spend a good portion of the summer there, said his owner, Paula Slack, as she tries in vain to calm his fear of the fireworks neighbors set off almost daily leading up to annual Fourth of July celebrations. It breaks my heart, Slack said. He hears that first crack and he cowers down, runs into the house behind the couch. He shakes so bad. Its horrible. Barney is not alone. A recent study published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science estimates 45% of dogs are frazzled by fireworks. For some its the loud bang. Others fear the flashes of light. Whatever the cause, its a traumatic time for both the panicked pooches and their owners. Its gotten worse since Pennsylvania legalized consumer-grade fireworks in 2017, said Patricia Sperling, DVM, owner of Dr. Paws veterinary clinic in Scranton. Now that the laws have changed, anyone can get the big bangers, Sperling said. For dogs that live in a neighborhood, there is no escape. No one knows why some dogs are so fearful while others have no issues. Sperling said an animals first experience plays a big role. If theyre frightened at an early age, the fear likely will last their lifetime. Thats what happened with Barney, Slack said. He was four months old when they brought him home. As soon as he exited the car, someone in the neighborhood set off fireworks, startling him. Now age 7, he remains so fearful she has a hard time getting him to go outside, especially in the evenings. I know he cant tell time, but he knows about five of six oclock, he wont go outside to pee, she said. They just keep throwing them. Hes horrified. While there is no cure-all, there are some things owners can do to calm their canine, said Sperling and Brandi Hunter, a spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club. First a disclaimer: No two dogs will react the same, Sperling and Hunter said, so owners should expect to try several approaches until they find the one that works best for their pet. Here are some things to try: Create a safe spot The behavior Barney exhibits is common among dogs, Hunter said. Enclosed spaces act as a cave that brings a sense of security. They need a den to get away from it, Hunter said. Its a safe haven. Sperling said dogs will often pick out their own spot, but owners should encourage their pet to go to the lowest level of the home. Make the spot as comfortable as possible. Add a blanket and spread their toys around it. Also consider creating a den out of a box and add some styrofoam insulation. Allow the dog to find a safe space and make it quieter by buffering the sound around it, she said. Mask the sound with other noise Dogs have an acute sense of hearing, so the loud noises are especially distressing. It may be difficult to completely drown out the big bangs, but adding the sound of a fan, music or turning up the TV may help distract them. Have a noise of a different nature right next to them, Sperling said. Purchase a thunder shirt or similar item A number of different companies sell products that wrap around a dogs body. Its designed to give them a hug and make them feel safer, Sperling said. Give them lots of hugs and attention You want to comfort them and cuddle them. Pet them and rub behind their ears, Hunter said. Let them know its OK. They just want to feel safe. Medications to relieve anxiety Sperling said she encourages owners to first try the natural remedies listed above, but if thats not working there are a number of medications available. Many owners are reluctant to try medications, fearful it will make their pups lethargic. While its not the ideal solution, its better than the alternative, Sperling said. Some people dont like the use of drugs. I dont like a dog to be in a state a panic for hours, she said. Its better for the dog to be, lets say, drunk, than to be panic-stricken. Make sure you pet has a collar and ID A dogs natural response to fear is to flee. Animal shelters report the Fourth of July is one of the busiest times for lost dogs. Having ID will greatly increase the chance of being reunited. JERMYN Borough council approved an ordinance Thursday limiting fireworks use to three holidays Memorial Day, Labor Day and the Fourth of July. The ordinance, which passed 5-0, allows residents to deploy fireworks from dusk to 10 p.m. the day of and the day prior to those holidays. Anyone using fireworks in the borough outside of those windows could face a $100 fine for violating the ordinance. Councilman Carl Tomaine was absent and Councilwoman Cynthia Stephens left the meeting prior to the vote. We didnt want to completely take (fireworks) away from people, but at the same time there has to be some sort of regulation on it, said Councilman Kevin Napoli, councils public safety chairman. You dont want to see people getting hurt. Complaints about people using fireworks late at night prompted the Jermyn ordinance. Borough police generally field about 10 fireworks-related calls every week around the Fourth of July, according to Chief William Arthur. Beyond annoying neighbors and distressing pets, fireworks can be dangerous and sometimes deadly. Jermyns ordinance comes less than a week after 31-year-old Corey Buckley of Scrantons Minooka section died instantly when a commercial-grade firework he was trying to deploy exploded. It also comes after the state Senate approved Tuesday an amendment that would allow Scranton and eight other larger Pennsylvania cities to restrict the use of consumer-grade fireworks, though that legislation must still be approved by the state House. Scranton will dedicate four police officers to enforce fireworks laws today and Saturday. Jermyn resident Matthew Kochis said the boroughs fireworks problem isnt as pronounced as Scrantons, but argued the ordinance is sound policy. We dont need them all year round, he said of the fireworks. Arthur said borough police will take a common-sense approach to enforcing the new ordinance and first issue warnings to nonegregious violators who arent being dangerous. We dont want to see anybody burn somebodys house down or get injured, the chief said. A lot more fireworks have been bought this year because big events have been canceled. ... Well do what we have to do. Hopefully well educate people, give them warnings and if theyre doing something dangerous were going to seize their fireworks. In other business, council voted to get three telephone quotes to repair Lane Street and Davis Court and accepted the lowest quote as long as its below a $10,222 estimate the borough already received from Mayfield-based Andrew Baldan Construction. Council hopes to have the work completed by the end of the month. Council next meets Aug. 6. July 3, 1945 Judge Johnson resigns Attorney General Tom Clark announced that Federal Judge Albert W. Johnson of the Middle District of Pennsylvania had resigned his position on the bench. Clark said in his resignation letter to President Harry Truman, Johnson stated the reason for resignation was his age. Johnson was 72. Johnson and his colleague, federal Judge Albert L. Watson, also of the Middle District of Pennsylvania, has been the focus of investigation by the House judiciary subcommittee since 1944. A federal grand jury in Scranton also has been investigating issues in the Middle District. They recently indicted Johnsons son, Snyder County District Attorney Donald Johnson. Despite his resignation from the bench, chairman of the House judiciary subcommittee, Rep. Estes Kefauver of Tennessee, said they will continue their investigation. Fourth of July plans The weather looks fantastic for tomorrows Fourth of July celebration. In the city of Scranton, the Victory Music Committee scheduled two concerts for the holiday. The first was in the afternoon at Nay Aug Park and featured the Ringgold Band with soloist Mary Russoniello. The evening concert took place at Allens Park in West Scranton and featured the music of Samonys Band. Rocky Glen in Moosic also offered performances by the Rapp Trio and Pansy the Skating Cow plus free parking. No fireworks displays were planned due to the states ban. Boy attempts rides to Scranton Joseph Patsy, 12 years old, left Philadelphia on horseback on July 1 to visit with his father in Scranton. Patsy rented a horse from the Boulevard Riding Academy in Philadelphia. After riding for a day, he was finally stopped in Doylestown Twp. by Justice of the Peace William Wrigley. Wrigley asked Patsy where he was going and the boy responded by saying to Scranton to visit his father who works for the railroad. Patsy was sent to the House of Detention in Philadelphia and the horse was returned to the academy. Brian Fulton, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribunes expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140. The United States shipped billions of dollars in weapons to the holy warriors in Afghanistan via the CIA in the 1980s. Those guerrillas used them to kill thousands of Soviet soldiers. Back then, jihad was cool; Ronald Reagan was all for it. It was the last great battle of the Cold War. Now, Russias military intelligence service is shipping small fortunes in cash to the Taliban in Afghanistan bounty, apparently, for killing American soldiers. This dirty business may seem like a taste of revenge for a Russian intelligence veteran like Vladimir Putin. But its part of a grander strategy. Russia and its intelligence services have been at war with the United States since 1945. Putin seeks to weaken the United States through any means short of open warfare. His goal is to make the United States look like a pitiful, helpless giant, to quote Richard Nixon in the depths of the Vietnam War. He wants to watch American forces beat an ignoble retreat from Afghanistan, following in the footsteps of the vanquished Soviet army three decades ago. He clearly swears by a maxim attributed to Lenin: Probe with bayonets. If you encounter mush, proceed; if you encounter steel, withdraw. He has encountered mush, and so he strives to advance his authoritarian agenda throughout the world, in every nation where President Donald Trump no longer cares to defend American interests including America. The Russians have a name for the dark arts: active measures. They encompass espionage and sabotage, deception and disinformation, attacking our elections and using proxy armies against us. Let others do the fighting and dying, goes the thinking. The United States calls these stratagems political warfare. In the Cold War, we threw almost everything we had against Moscow short of launching nuclear weapons, using the full spectrum of our intelligence and diplomacy. Political warfare helped America speed the collapse of the Soviet Union. Americas multibillion-dollar Afghan operation served as payback for the Soviets arming of North Vietnam. I traveled through Afghanistan as a reporter every few years from September 1987 to December 2001, as misfortunes wheel slowly turned from the Soviet occupation to the American occupation. I came to know some Afghan fighters and more than a few of the CIA officers who armed them. The goal was to damage, irreparably, the image of the Soviet Union as a superpower. When the Red Army left Afghanistan in February 1989, that mission was accomplished. Now that those roles are reversed, Russia wont stop at killing American soldiers if it will serve Putins aims. The bounty program, according to The New York Times, was run by Unit 29155, a team inside the GRU, Russias military intelligence service. It has tried to assassinate Putins enemies abroad, notably executing a nerve-agent attack on a GRU defector in Britain. Another GRU team ran the 2016 election hack designed to put Trump in the White House. Two years before, the GRUs cyberattacks allowed Putin to annex the Crimean Peninsula without firing a shot. The GRU and its sister intelligence services in Russia are seeking ways to disrupt the 2020 election, to deepen our divisions, all in the hope that the United States might come apart. Putin already sees an America whose place in the world has been undermined by Trumps presidency. Trump says he wants out of Afghanistan, but he has no plan for a strategic withdrawal, a dangerous maneuver even when you have a plan. He wants out of the Middle East, again without a germ of an idea as to why or how. He inexplicably has ordered thousands of American troops out of Germany, soldiers whose role is to deter the Kremlin and project global power in a crisis. He wants out of Americas alliances, created after World War II to guard against a revanchist Russia. This all makes life easier for Putin, who has practiced political warfare since he joined the KGB in 1975. The United States is all but out of that game nowadays. It isnt playing much offense. Its barely playing defense. And Putin knows that. On the day of the 9/11 attacks, and for many years thereafter, counterterrorism consumed almost everything in the realm of national security. American intelligence services lost their once-fierce focus on the Kremlin. Meanwhile Putin turned significantly back towards what was essentially Russian behavior during the Cold War, which is challenge the United States everywhere you can in the world, in the words of former acting CIA director Mike Morell. Russias active measures threaten democracy. That mortal threat will remain unless this administration, or the next, awakens to the danger. Every year studies show that large percentages of Americans have limited knowledge of U.S. history and scant understanding of civics. Millions, however, are disciples in one respect of John Adams, the second president and one of the leading architects of the Declaration of Independence. After the Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776 (it adopted the Declaration on July 4), Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail: It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. So on this Independence Day eve, if you are shaken from your bed under which your dog is hiding due to nearby explosions, feel free to blame John Adams. The state Legislature hears complaints above the din: This week, the state Senate approved, 48-2, an amendment to a bill that would allow Scranton, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, Bethlehem, Lancaster and Bensalem Twp. to ban the use of all consumer fireworks within their borders. The amendment would, in effect, be the partial repeal of the 2017 law by which the Legislature ended the statewide ban on commercial fireworks sales. Under the bizarre prior law, people with out-of-state identification could buy fireworks in Pennsylvania, but Pennsylvanians could not. So every major road near the states border included at least one fireworks shop. In lifting the ban, the law added a 12% fireworks tax to the 6% sales tax, which has generated about $7 million a year. The money funds grants for volunteer fire companies. The proposed change has been under consideration ever since the new law took effect, but the debate took on added poignancy when Sen. John Blake of Lackawanna County invoked the accidental death this week of a Scranton man while handling fireworks. Public safety, and even peace and quiet, are worthy goals. Its not likely that a patchwork approach will work, however. For untold numbers of state residents, of course, the next town is one street away. Lawmakers need to come up with uniform standards, or at least give all municipal governments the option to ban or regulate fireworks. London, KY (40741) Today A few showers early becoming a steady rain overnight. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight A few showers early becoming a steady rain overnight. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Founded in 1981,Ayuda en Accion is an international NGO that operates in more than 20 countriesof Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe. Ayuda en Accion is committed to thevalues that stem from respect for Human Rights and that believes in the need togenerate changes that make social justice possible, by addressing the causesthat cause inequality of opportunities, social exclusion and poverty. Ayuda enAccion has been in Uganda for over 20 years and is now in the process ofestablishing itself stronger, in order to expand impact by creating morepartnerships and work projects implemented through partners as well as directimplementation. EMILY ST. LAWRENCE, Chariho girls lacrosse, senior: St. Lawrence scored the 100th goal of her career in a 16-1 win against Lincoln. St. Lawrence finished her career with 104 goals, eight short of the school record. The team did not play last season due to the coronavirus pandemic. JOSH MOONEY, Stonington track & field, sophomore: Mooney scored in three events at the State Open meet. Mooney was second in the 110 hurdles, fourth in the javelin and fifth in the 300 hurdles. He scored all 17 of Stoningtons points. ALEX STOEHR, Westerly softball, freshman: Stoehr hit three triples and a double in a doubleheader sweep of Barrington. For the week, she was 7 for 13 with four doubles, two triples and three RBIs. Stoehr is hitting .333 for the season. Vote View Results Port Allen, LA (70767) Today Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 72F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 72F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible. After the high-flown rhetoric from Boris Johnson, it will be the Chancellor Rishi Sunak's turn in the limelight on Wednesday. The economic backcloth appears gloomy, with known big corporate redundancy numbers bulking up to 195,000. That could be just the tip of a supply chain iceberg. There is reason for optimism too. The Bank of England's Andy Haldane has underlined his faith in a 'V' shaped recovery. The latest data reinforces that view. The critical services sector is challenging despond with the purchasing managers index jumping to 47.1 in June from 29 in May. Services are very much a people activity and the subsidence of overseas travel has been debilitating. Under pressure?: Chancellor Rishi Sunak is being urged to cut VAT in a bid to boost the economy The lifting of restrictions will ease the stress. There remains a big question mark over journeys to the US, which is Britain's biggest single market for services. It is encouraging that 53 per cent of respondents to the services survey expect a rise in business activity for the year ahead. Shards of light also come from the corporate sector. At Primark the new, sanitized, normal seems to be working. Encouragement also comes from Land Securities, owner of Bluewater. It reports like-for-like sales at its shopping centres are up to 80 per cent of levels of last year in the two weeks since non-essential shops reopened. Its office, if not retail, rent collections are picking up. The company feels comfortable enough to restart suspended dividend payments. Where does this leave the Chancellor? He is under some pressure from predecessors and hard-pressed sectors such as hospitality to cut VAT. The Treasury (presumably guided by HMRC) sees all kinds of border and supply chain difficulties in a sectoral VAT cut rather than a general reduction. More likely actions are around work. Releasing the employer's contribution to national insurance contributions (NIC) as furlough is run down is an option. This would not assist the 40 per cent of workers whose earnings are below the NIC threshold. New normal: At Primark the new, sanitized, normal seems to be working A bold step on apprentices, subsidising firms to keep the under-25s in the workforce and accommodating school and university leavers, would be helpful. Sunak has shown a willingness to overcome his own 'dry' fiscal instincts since taking over at Number 11. In the last 48 hours it emerged that he has injected 30million into Spanish-owned Celsa Steel UK to save 1,000 jobs in Cardiff under the Project Birch scheme. The Financial Conduct Authority is planning to extend pandemic relief measures for hard-pressed car buyers and on expensive credit deals. Forget the snarling from the Left. Bringing the economy back is a priority not being shirked. Tug-of-war The US is losing no time in punishing Beijing over its 'brutal, sweeping crackdown' in Hong Kong. Defence exports have been halted and restrictions imposed on access to high-tech. New legislation would sanction banks which act for key Chinese officials. All of this, and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab's tough talk about not letting bankers' bonuses dictate UK policy in Hong Kong, is going to weigh heavily on HSBC and Standard Chartered. They have decided that stability in the territory is as critical as the loss of personal freedoms and the security and communications crackdown. Unfazed, HSBC is doubling down on Beijing. It is to make investments in its wealth management and insurance operations in the People's Republic. The plan is to target new customers in Shanghai and Guangzhou provinces using fintech. A global diplomatic stand-off is not getting in the way of HSBC ambitions to be Asia's top wealth manager. Palm pals As a rookie entrant to financial journalism, a curiosity was an elderly gentleman in the corner of the office who glorified in the Victorian title of Plantations Correspondent. I wonder what he would have made of a note put out by blue-blooded asset manager Schroder in defence of palm oil. It recounted that the commodity has been targeted as evil by activists. Tappers are accused of starting forest fires, rendering orangutans homeless and had become a public enemy for many consumers. Among other things, palm oil is an essential ingredient in biscuits, gum and toothpaste. Schroder concluded that palms are more productive and less ecologically destructive than other oil crops such as soy and rape seed. Boycotting palm oil would also destroy the lives of smallholders in countries such as Malaysia and damage poverty alleviation. Palm has been a good investment too. Catenae Innovation had a busy week with a triple dose of good news, sending the shares up 154 per cent to 7p. The digital media firm announced that its COVID-19 passport app is now ready to be rolled out across the UK and globally. The Cov-ID records whether individuals are unexposed, active or recovered from the virus by uploading results of swab and antibody tests. Sharing the data will allow individuals to freely roam in public locations, such as workplaces. Catenae Innovation had a busy week with a triple dose of good news Catenae, which completed the app well ahead of schedule, is already in discussions with potential customers. Still, the firm didnt leave behind its pre-pandemic projects and also unveiled its 'Onsite ID', a new multi-document digital wallet. The system allows potential employers to access IDs and qualifications to avoid fraud, that can often happen with paper-based processes. These two products will be trialled in Botswana following a new agreement inked with tech player Afrik-ID, also announced this week. Staying in Africa, Fastjet PLC descended 26 per cent to 0.1p after admitting it only has cash to survive until the end of August. The low-cost airline has had all but repatriation flights grounded until the end of July, but didnt specify what restrictions will be lifted by the South African and Zimbabwean governments thereafter. Looking at the wider market, the AIM All-Share index and the FTSE 100 both rose 1 per cent over the past week, to 894 and 6,213 respectively. Among the risers, Haydale Graphene Industries rocketed 68 per cent higher to 3p on a new collaboration with IRPC to develop graphene-based fabric for medical use, including face masks. Data insight provider TrakM8 Holdings soared 57 per cent to 21p after confirming a delayed contract to optimise home deliveries for a major UK food retailer. Meanwhile, Sound Energy climbed 55 per cent higher to 2p after entering an initial agreement with a Moroccan energy group, which could purchase liquefied natural gas and partially finance the Phase 1 development of the junior oilers TE-5 Horst development. Fellow oiler Nostra Terra Oil and Gas Company jumped 16 per cent to 0.3p after reassuring investors it can weather the oil crisis, having secured fuel hedges of $55.15-57.15 per barrel for half of its production until December. Cello Health surged 40 per cent higher to 162p after a takeover offer from private equity firm Arsenal Capital Partners, valuing the health advisory firm at 178.8million or 161p per share, a 44 per cent premium to the previous closing price. IT service provider Cloudcoco Group jumped 34 per cent to 0.9p after forecasting higher demand as organisations seek to adapt to the 'new normal', with increasing need for communication systems. In the mining sector, IronRidge Resources advanced 22 per cent to 12p after defining a drill-ready target at the Zaranou gold license in Cote d'Ivoire, as well as expanding its drilling programme over the Ehuasso and Ebilassokro targets. Rare earth peer Cadence Minerals advanced 8 per cent to 9p after its partner Hastings was deemed eligible to receive AU$75million under the Finnish Export Credit Scheme. Elsewhere, clean technology firm Verditek shot up 19 per cent to 9p on the back of several orders in new geographical areas and sectors, including the marine market in Thailand and UK agriculture. Among the fallers, Mosman Oil and Gas tanked 31 per cent to 0.08p after raising 400,000 by placing shares at a 43 per cent discount to fund drilling of the Falcon well at the Champion Project in Texas. Temporary seating specialist Arena Events Group tumbled 27 per cent to 5p after admitting that revenue losses up to December, expected to be over 110mln, are barely offset by the 24million made in April and May with contracts for temporary hospitals and drive through test centres. Finally, Congo-based miner Zanaga Iron Ore slipped 12 per cent to 5p after announcing its cash balance halved to $400,000 in the five months to May, though it said it has enough funds to carry on for a year. Hungarian airline Wizz Air flew about 100,000 more passengers in June than Ryanair, though both airlines have seen customer numbers fall off a cliff since last summer due to the lockdown. Just over half a million people travelled on a Wizz Air flight last month compared to around 400,000 who flew on a Ryanair plane. The figures were a massive improvement on the previous month when the airline industry was brought to a virtual standstill by heavy travel restrictions imposed by governments across Europe and the wider world. Wizz Air announced it was cutting around a fifth of all its positions back in mid-April Wizz Air's growing operations were enhanced by the launch of 64 new routes, and the opening of three new bases across Europe, which were in Dortmund, Germany, St Petersburg, Russia, and the Romanian city of Bacau. Its total passenger figures were still 86.1 per cent below their levels in 2019 though, while its seat capacity fell by three-quarters on an annual basis. Ryanair's traveller levels sank at an even faster rate, however, dropping by 99 per cent from 14.2 million the year before. The group flew just 2,800 scheduled flights in June, and none were with its subsidiary airline Lauda, whose fleet was wholly grounded. The poor results come the day after pilots at the Irish company agreed to have their wages cut by 20 per cent in order to save 260 jobs from being lost after months of falling demand for flights. Chief executive Michael O'Leary warned staff prior to a pilots' union vote that redundancies would take place unless members agreed to accept salary reductions. The British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA), the trade union representing UK pilots, said 96 per cent of its Ryanair-employed members agreed to the deal's terms, which will also see the pay cuts restored to their full amount over the coming four years. Ryanair Group flew just 2,800 scheduled flights in June and had only 400,000 passengers BALPA General Secretary Brian Strutton said it was a 'terrible time for aviation and for employees in all airlines,' and that his organisation did 'not relish accepting pay cuts,' which would impact many of their union's members. 'But,' he added, 'we are at least pleased to have ensured that the overwhelming number of pilots whose jobs were at risk will continue to be employed.' Wizz Air announced it was cutting around a fifth of all its positions back in mid-April and slashing the pay of its workers, including pilots and crew, due to the collapse in European air travel. Its finances remain relatively strong though and in the year to the end of March, it underlying profits jumped by a sixth to 307million thanks to carrying around 40 million passengers, nearly 16 per cent more than the preceding year. The airline boasts of having 'the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger/km amongst all competitor airlines' at 57.9 in the year to the end of June. Even so, Wizz's per passenger emissions were nearly two-thirds greater last month due to the massive fall in load factor, which was only slightly above 50 per cent. Shares in Wizz Air were down a third of a per cent to 3,331p around mid-afternoon. The crisis engulfing High Street restaurants intensified as the owner of Cafe Rouge crashed into administration and Prezzo put itself up for sale. As one of Britain's biggest pub groups warned 'a different mindset to eating out' would hit business, Casual Dining Group (CDG) called in administrators. The firm, which owns Cafe Rouge, Bella Italia and Las Iguanas, is the latest victim of the pandemic which has already seen Carluccio's and Chiquito's pull down the shutters. The company, which owns Cafe Rouge, Bella Italia and Las Iguanas, is the latest victim of the Covid-19 pandemic which has already seen Carluccio's and Chiquito's pull down the shutters Burger chain Byron is also fighting for survival and Frankie & Benny's owner The Restaurant Group is closing 125 sites. The collapse of CDG saw 91 of its 250 restaurants closed permanently with the loss of 1,900 jobs. The future of the remaining sites and 4,000 jobs now hangs in the balance. Italian food chain Prezzo, which has 180 restaurants and around 3,000 staff, hired FRP Advisory to find a buyer following weeks of Covid-19 lockdown. The chain is part-owned by US buyout firm TPG. With pubs and restaurants given the all-clear to open tomorrow, All Bar One owner Mitchells & Butlers warned business would be tough. A spokesman for the group, which has more than 1,700 pubs and brands including Harvester and Toby Carvery, said: 'As pubs and restaurants re-open, consumers may have a different mindset to eating out, with health and safety at the forefront of priorities. 'Equally some consumers may not heed the measures put in place to restrict the spread of the virus, potentially putting our team members and other guests at risk.' Mitchells & Butlers swung to a 121million half-year loss due to the lockdown having made profits of 75million a year earlier. It said revenues dropped to 1.04billion from 1.2billion a year earlier, with the first half including nearly four weeks of enforced lockdown closure. King's Cross has launched a three-month summer art exhibition as the area reopens for business. The 67-acre estate, which is owned by King's Cross Central Limited Partnership, has brought in Andy Leek to be its resident artist until September. Restaurants, bars and pubs are reopening tomorrow after months in lockdown. Artwork by resident artist Andy Leek will feature as the Kings Cross area reopens Andy Leek, pictured, wants his art to help spread optimism as people return to King's Cross And King's Cross, as well as hosting one of the UK's biggest transport hubs, boasts offices owned by tech giants Facebook and Google, where thousands of employees work. Leek has been tasked with putting on an exhibition of works that 'spread optimism and fun and capture the public mood as the nation emerges from lockdown'. The 34-year-old is known for his 'notes to strangers' project, which saw him leave messages such as 'You are enough' for people to find across London in public spaces, newspapers and underground trains. Leek's first installation will be called 'This Much', taking the form of 28 'messages of hope and love' in the shape of outstretched arms. Ryanair boss Michael OLeary described the coronavirus crisis as the worst the airline industry has endured in its 100-year history Passenger numbers in Europe will return to pre-crisis levels by next summer despite falling 97 per cent last month, Ryanairs boss predicted yesterday. Michael OLeary described the coronavirus crisis as the worst the airline industry has endured in its 100-year history, eclipsing the September 11 terror attacks that took place almost 20 years ago. But he offered hope to shareholders who have seen Ryanairs share price collapse by 30 per cent since the crisis began, by predicting a sharp recovery in short-haul air travel across Europe. He insisted the lure of cheap travel will drag passenger numbers up to 2019 levels by next summer, and predicted restrictions on travel will be largely lifted across Europe by the middle of next month. But yesterday the airline served up a reminder of the devastating impact of coronavirus on the industry, as it confirmed it carried just 400,000 passengers last month, down 97 per cent from 14.2m in the same month last year. Speaking to the Mail before the figures were released, OLeary said: I think well see a very rapid return to normal volumes because of lower prices. Britain's vital service sector is starting to spring back to life again, new data has revealed ahead of the reopening of pubs and restaurants this weekend. The historic slump across businesses in the sector levelled off last month as pockets of the economy were given the green light to reopen by the Government. Business confidence in the service sector, which encompasses everything from hotels to financial advice companies, swelled to its highest level in four months in June. The manufacturing sector is also beginning to show signs of recovering, and with most factories and productions lines already reopened, the sector is faring better than the service sector. Britain's vital service sector is slowly starting to spring back to life again, new data shows With lockdown restrictions starting to ease up, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is due to announce his next steps for steering the country's economy back towards recovery next week. While millions of people across the country have been furloughed or already lost their job during the pandemic, last month's data suggests that job cuts in the service sector fell to their lowest since lockdown started in March last month. The closely-watched IHS Markit/CIPS UK Services Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 47.1 from 29 in May and just 13.4 in April. Estimates had expected the figure to come in at 47, but is still remains the 50 threshold for growth. Tim Moore, economics director at IHS Markit, said: 'Encouragingly, more than one-in-four service providers reported an expansion of new business during June, which was commonly attributed to pent-up demand and the phased restart of the UK economy. 'However, lockdown measures continued to hold back travel and leisure, while companies across all main categories of service activity commented on subdued underlying business and consumer spending in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.' The survey showed that 33 per cent of service sector businesses, which account for the vast bulk of Britain's economy, reported a drop in activity, down from 54 per cent in May and 79 per cent in April, while 28 per cent reported a rise. The composite PMI, which combines the services and manufacturing sector, rose to 47.7 in June, up from 30 in May and came out slightly higher than a preliminary reading of 47.6. IHS Markit said: 'The latest Composite PMI data also showed a continued rebound in business expectations for the year ahead, with confidence reaching its highest since February.' Service sector job cuts were reported once again in June, but the rate of losses eased to its 'least marked' since the start of the downturn in March. IHS Markit said: 'Some service providers mainly commented on cost reduction measures and a slump in demand. 'That said, more than half of the survey panel (53%) anticipate a rise in business activity during the year ahead, compared to 21% that foresee a decline. The resulting business expectations index reached a four-month high in June.' Across all of Britain's key business sectors, activity started to improve last month Chancellor Rishi Sunak is due to announce his next steps for steering the country's economy next week Many service sector businesses said they were still seeing 'highly subdued demand and disruptions' linked to the pandemic, but a growing number were beginning to see the benefits of easing lockdown restrictions and reopening. Last month, levels of new work coming into the sector fell at the slowest rate since lockdown started in March and businesses reporting a drop in new orders mostly attributed this to 'cautious' business and consumer spending. While elements of the domestic market appear to be improving, export sales continued to drop at a steeper rate than overall new business volumes last month. On the price front, many service sector companies said they had been offering customers discounts last month, with outgoings largely unchanged. But, a number of firms their costs had increased amid purchases of PPE. Many service sector businesses said they were still seeing 'highly subdued demand and disruptions' linked to the pandemic Duncan Brock, a director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: 'A cessation in some lockdown policies enabled the services sector to emerge tentatively from the shadows last month and reclaim some normality, with the PMI leaping to a four month high.' 'Though the sector remained in overall contraction territory, the re-opening of businesses premises unclogged levels of dampened demand and created hope that the worst impact of the pandemic could be over.' In June, the Bank of England said Britain's economy looked on course to have shrunk by around 20 per cent in the first six months of this year, marking a smaller decline than it had first feared, but still one of the biggest annual drops in 300 years. Following today's improved data from IHS Markit, Howard Archer, chief economist at the EY Item Club, issued a note of caution. He said: 'Markit reported that that the easing of restrictions related to COVID-19 had a favourable impact on economic activity in June, with business operations gradually resuming in a number of sectors and staff brought back from furlough. 'Nevertheless, it is evident that the UK economy suffered a record, substantial GDP contraction in the second quarter. 'We suspect that the economy likely contracted around 17% quarter-on-quarter in the second quarter. 'We expect the economy to return to clear growth in the third quarter with GDP expanding close to 10% quarter-on-quarter. This assumes a further easing of lockdown restrictions, including a relaxation of social distancing rules. We currently expect GDP to contract around 8.0% over 2020.' Shares in Rolls Royce tumbled by nearly 10 per cent yesterday as it emerged the company is looking for ways to bolster its battered finances. The ailing British engineering group is considering a 1.5-2billion shares sale, as well as flogging assets such as Spanish subsidiary ITP Aero to raise cash, according to Bloomberg. The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the aviation industry, grounding airline fleets and hammering demand for new aircraft in turn affecting demand for the engines Rolls produces. Shares in Rolls Royce tumbled by nearly 10 per cent yesterday The Derby-based firm, whose share prices has more than halved from pre-crisis levels, has already announced it will slash 9,000 jobs globally because of the pandemic's impact. It responded to the claims in an afternoon statement, confirming it was 'reviewing potential options to strengthen our balance sheet and position ourselves for the recovery following Covid-19' but offered no further details. After the announcement yesterday, Rolls shares fell 10 per cent or 29.3p to 263.2p. The company insisted 'no decisions have been made', adding: 'Our current financial position and liquidity remain strong.' If Rolls presses ahead with raising cash by placing shares, it would be just the latest major firm to do so during the pandemic. Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey (down 4.4 per cent, or 6.25p, to 137p) raised more than 525m in a placing last month, while gambling group William Hill (up 1.9 per cent, or 2.25p, to 118.35p) also raised 224m. The slide in Rolls' share price helped dragged the FTSE100 into the red yesterday, marking a subdued end to the week for equities. The blue chip index dipped 1.3 per cent, or 83.06 points, to close at 6157.3, despite generally upbeat figures in a closely-watched survey showing that the UK private sector was poised for a recovery from the virus lockdown. Similar surveys in China and the eurozone also showed that business activity was improving. The final reading of June's UK IHS Markit composite PMI (purchasing managers' index) was 47.7, higher than an earlier reading of 47.6 and well above May's 30. A reading of 50 or more indicates growth, with experts saying the data showed that the historic slump in activity caused by the pandemic had levelled off. In particular, services rose from 29 in May to 47.1 in June. Ulas Akincilar, head of trading at Infinox, said: 'Few dared imagine it but on this evidence, the Great British bounce back is on. 'This is gravity-defying stuff, and while not a total surprise it is a huge, caffeinated shot in the arm for UK market sentiment.' Besides Rolls, the other top Footsie fallers included clothing retailer Next, which fell 4.6 per cent, or 232p, to 4798p and Lloyds Banking Group, which fell 2.6 per cent, or 0.01p, to 31.03p. The picture was not much better on the FTSE250 index of mid-sized companies, which ended the day down 0.4 per cent, or 65.83 points, at 17,302.03. But it was not all doom and gloom yesterday. Plastics maker Essentra was the index's top riser, gaining 7.2 per cent, or 21.2p, to close at 314.2p, after publishing a trading update. The firm revealed the impact of the virus crisis had been more severe on its second quarter but also offered investors a ray of light, saying that revenues had been improving month-by-month. Essentra said like-for-like revenues were down by 17 per cent in April, 10 per cent in May and just 1 per cent in June. Cash-rich companies that bounce back quickly from the coronavirus crisis have been urged to join the 'national effort' to rebuild Britain by returning furlough money to taxpayers. With Boris Johnson promising a building blitz to stave off a severe recession, two of the UK's most influential business lobby groups, and the chair of the Parliamentary Business committee, have called on profitable firms to do their bit to get Britain back on track. A smattering of firms, including housebuilders Taylor Wimpey and Redrow, Ikea, outsourcer Bunzl and Games Workshop, have already vowed to hand back the money they claimed after furloughing staff. Smart Metering Systems joined them this week. Plea: Labour MP Darren Jones has appealed to the Government to extend its Job Retention Scheme beyond October With a growing list of big name firms laying off thousands of staff, Darren Jones, Labour MP and chairman of the commons Business Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee appealed to the Government to extend its Job Retention Scheme beyond October. But he said companies in a strong financial position 'should recognise the wider societal role they play' and pay back the money if they can afford to. Jones said: 'We will continue to have very significant demand for government support as we recover from the pandemic and I'd hope that companies which realise they didn't need furlough payments, for example, return these funds to the Treasury.' More than a million firms have claimed 25.5billion so far in wage subsidies from the Job Retention Scheme on behalf of 9.3million furloughed workers. The lifeline, which is expected to cost 60billion by the time the scheme is wound up in October, was launched by Chancellor Rishi Sunak to prevent mass unemployment. It pays 80 per cent of wages up to 2,500 a month. Edwin Morgan, director of policy at the Institute of Directors said: 'Government support has rightly been provided to help companies and workers through these desperate times, and it will only be the rare business that is able to return funds. For those who can, it would clearly send a positive message.' HSBC is ramping up its operations in China just weeks after supporting a controversial law the Beijing regime has imposed on Hong Kong. The bank, which has been condemned by British politicians for its position on Hong Kong, is making investments in its wealth management and insurance operations in China. Expanding: The bank is making investments in its wealth management and insurance operations in China The bank drew criticism weeks ago for condoning Hong Kong's national security law that experts fear will encroach on human rights in the territory. But HSBC is wary of angering Beijing as it is banking on Asia, and China in particular, to boost profits over the coming years. Pressure is mounting on HSBC and Standard Chartered as the banks find themselves 'caught in the crossfire' of a diplomatic row centred on Hong Kong. In its latest move against Beijing, the US has proposed sanctions on banks which do business with Chinese officials who are cracking down on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. And in retaliation against Boris Johnson's offer to allow 3m Hong Kong citizens to come to the UK, China warned there would be 'consequences'. In its latest move against Beijing, the US has proposed sanctions on banks which do business with Chinese officials who are cracking down on pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urged banks on Wednesday not to 'sacrifice' Hong Kong's freedoms in their bid to boost profits in Asia. Experts fear that major London-headquartered firms may find themselves caught between sanctions from the West, and punishments from Beijing as the Communist regime threatens to use them as pawns in its efforts to win back control of Hong Kong. Matthew Henderson, director of the Asia Studies Centre at the Henry Jackson Society, said: 'In the case of Hong Kong, sanctions will target assets managed by British banks, lawyers, and accountants operating within the city. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urged banks on Wednesday not to 'sacrifice' Hong Kong's freedoms in their bid to boost profits in Asia These institutions will be forced to choose between complying with the sanctions or maintaining their relationships with the system which the sanctions are targeting. 'The Chinese will very likely react by forcing other British businesses to take sides one way or the other.' HSBC and Standard Chartered in particular both of which are headquartered in London, but do most of their business in Asia have already come under fire from politicians in the UK and the US for supporting a draconian national security law imposed by China on Hong Kong. Hundreds of people have already been arrested in the territory amid protests this week as the law came into force. It is feared the laws will encroach on human rights and reduce Hong Kong's attractiveness as a financial centre. But British lenders in the region found themselves in an interminable bind, as China reportedly threatened to curtail their ability to do business there unless they supported the law. Raab said in Parliament: 'I've been very clear in relation to HSBC and I also say the same thing in relation to all of the banks: the rights and the freedoms and our responsibilities in this country to the people of Hong Kong should not be sacrificed on the altar of bankers' bonuses.' HSBC and Standard Chartered have already come under fire from politicians in the UK and the US for supporting a draconian new national security law imposed by China on Hong Kong The move by US lawmakers to introduce sanctions on banks which work with certain Chinese officials will put HSBC and Standard Chartered in an even stickier spot. Benedict Rogers, deputy chairman of the Conservative Human Rights Committee and co-founder of Hong Kong Watch, said: 'My understanding is that the US sanctions are principally aimed at Chinese financial institutions and not the international banks like HSBC at this stage. 'But clearly if HSBC behaves more and more like a Chinese bank because of the pressure from the Chinese regime, then they could find themselves affected by it.' The heightened tensions between China and the US are particularly problematic for HSBC, which effectively connects the financial plumbing between New York and Hong Kong and facilitates smooth trading between the East and the West. Matt Kilcoyne, deputy director of think-tank the Adam Smith Institute, said: 'Firms like HSBC and Standard Chartered preach corporate responsibility in the West, but then they turn their back on human rights in countries where that's less in favour. 'That has now come back to bite them, as they find themselves increasingly caught in the crossfire. 'They have to make a decision between the banking system of the West and that in Beijing, and that will be difficult because they make most of their profits in Asia. 'But they also have a duty to their customers and shareholders in the West, who expect them to uphold proper corporate practice and human rights around the world.' He added that HSBC's position on Hong Kong was a 'kick in the teeth' for its UK customers and shareholders, and that he knew 'a lot of people' who had switched from HSBC to another bank in recent months. Kilcoyne said: 'These banks do make a lot of money in Asia but if they're going to lose a lot of customers over this in the long term, that's not good for shareholders.' Standard Chartered shares climbed 2.6 per cent yesterday, while HSBC went up 4.5 per cent. Donald Trump claimed the US economy is 'roaring back' as official figures showed firms hired a record 4.8m workers last month. The unemployment rate dropped to 11.1 per cent in June from 13.3 per cent in May as the world's biggest economy bounced back more sharply than expected. The increase of 4.8m workers on payrolls is the biggest monthly rise since records began in 1939, and comes after a 2.5m bump in jobs in May. The rise was also far bigger than the 3m increase predicted by many economists. President Trump hailed the latest US jobs figures showing the unemployment rate dropped to 11.1 per cent in June from 13.3 per cent in May The jobs recovery was broad based, with figures from the US Labor Department showing leisure and hospitality firms took on 2.1m workers, manufacturers added 356,000 jobs and retailers recruited 740,000 staff. The figures triggered a rebound on global stockmarkets and were pounced upon by Trump who tweeted immediately: 'Great jobs numbers!' In a White House press conference, the president described the numbers as 'spectacular news for American workers and American families and for our country as a whole'. He said: 'Today's announcement proves that our economy is roaring back it's coming back extremely strong.' But experts quickly pointed out that the figures were collected in the second week of the month and therefore predate a second wave of infections which has hit several large US states including California, Florida and Texas. Melissa Davies, chief economist at Redburn, said there is 'plenty of good news in the US non-farm payrolls report', but added: 'There will not only be a virus second wave, but a second wave of job losses as companies enter bankruptcy and new economic realities set in.' Tifton, GA (31794) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 72F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 72F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. This subscription will allow current subscribers of The Tillamook Headlight Herald to access all of our online Subscriber-Only content, including the E Editions area. NOTE: To claim your access to the site, you will need to enter the Last Name and First Name that is tied to your subscription in this format: SMITH, JOHN If you need help with exactly how your specific name needs be entered, please call us at 1-(503) 842-7535 or email admin@countrymedia.net. Barre, VT (05641) Today Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. A few storms may be severe. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. A few storms may be severe. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. remaining of SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM! 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. Thomasville, GA (31792) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. WHITEMARSH Bells are ringing Bells will be ringing at St. Thomas Church -- despite the pandemic Rebecca A. Hobbs, Esquire is licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation as authorized by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She is a principal of the law firm of ODonnell, Weiss & Mattei, P.C., 41 High Street, Pottstown, and 347 Bridge Street, Phoenixville,610-323-2800, www. owmlaw.com. You can reach Ms. Hobbs at rhobbs@owmlaw.com Dallas American Airlines and four smaller carriers have reached agreement with the government for billions more in federal loans, a sign of the industry's desperate fight to survive a downturn in air travel caused by the virus pandemic. The Treasury Department said Thursday that it had signed letters of intent for new loans to American, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and SkyWest Airlines. All the leading U.S. airlines had previously accepted a combination of grants and loans to help cover payroll costs through Sept. 30. These five are the first carriers to tentatively accept loans from a separate $25 billion kitty that Congress set aside under a $2.2 billion measure to help companies hurt by the pandemic. American Airlines said it signed a term sheet with Treasury for a $4.75 billion loan, which would be in addition to $5.8 billion that Treasury has already agreed to extend to American. "We have to complete some legal work to reach a definitive credit agreement, but we expect to finalize that loan during the third quarter," American CEO Doug Parker and President Robert Isom said in a note to employees. They said the additional loan would give American liquidity of about $15 billion. American is generally considered the financially weakest of the largest U.S. airlines, having entered the pandemic with the largest amount of debt. Isom said in May that the airline was considering using its AAdvantage frequent-flyer program as collateral for a federal loan. Details about terms of the new loans for American and others were not immediately clear. The Treasury Department said it would post documentation within 72 hours of the agreements becoming final which, judging from American's comments, could be weeks from now. A spokeswoman for SkyWest, which operates regional flights for the major airlines, said the company is still "evaluating our level of participation with the Treasury." The other three airlines signing letters of intent did not immediately answer requests for comment. Spirit and Frontier are budget carriers that appeal primarily to leisure travelers. Hawaiian depends heavily on vacationers visiting the islands from the U.S. mainland and Asia they have been subject to a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. Airlines received special treatment from Congress and the White House during drafting of the virus-aid measure, which was approved in March. It provided up to $50 billion in grants, loans and guarantees to passenger airlines, plus $8 billion for cargo carriers. The measure gave Treasury power to seek compensation for taxpayers, including in the form of partial ownership stakes. The airlines are expected to slash thousands of jobs in October, when the federal payroll help runs out. Many are encouraging employees to quit or retire. American Airlines, which began the year with about 130,000 employees, still expects to have 20,000 too many for the number of flights it expects to fly this fall, its leaders said Friday. Delta Air Lines warned 2,500 pilots last week about potential furloughs. Six leading airline unions have asked Congress to give the companies another $25 billion to prevent layoffs through next March. Analysts believed interest in the second batch of federal loans would be lower because of the terms including giving the government a potential ownership stake and the availability of money from private sources. Major carriers including American, United, Delta and Southwest have raised billions in available cash on the private credit market. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said his department was still talking with other airlines about loans and hopes to reach agreements as soon as possible. Some, including United Airlines, have said they would apply for loans but might not use them. Air travel within the United States fell about 95 percent from March 1 through mid-April, as the government restricted travel to slow the spread of the virus and travelers feared contracting it. Travel has recovered slowly since then, but the number of airline passengers is still about 75 percent lower than a year ago. As colleges figure out how to structure classes this fall, many students are questioning whether to enroll at all. The idea of taking a gap year might sound enticing, but returning students should think twice. Many colleges have official gap year or deferred enrollment policies for incoming freshmen. But returning students who choose to take time off and re-enroll once the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic have passed aren't "gappers." They're "stopouts," and they face risks that don't come with a traditional gap year. The president and founder of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, Betsy Mayotte, explains that colleges have individual leave of absence and withdrawal policies for students who want to take time off. Students who don't follow those rules might end up with unexpected debt and be blocked from accessing their academic transcripts. "I see a lot of students that just stop going to school and don't understand why they're being charged," Mayotte said. Taking a break from college this fall could derail your overall educational and financial goals. Here are things you should consider before making a decision. You might have to reapply Unless the college makes concessions, students without an approved leave of absence are at the mercy of the readmission policy to determine if they can return. Even with an approved leave of absence, you can miss only 180 days in a 12-month period, according to the Department of Education's Code of Federal Regulations. "Students have to weigh their options and look at what's going on with their university," said Kenneth Stephens, director of the Department of Human Services for Florida's Southeastern University. He said that while his school has systems in place for students dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, others are still trying to figure it out. Some colleges allow students to re-enroll after two years off with no hassle. But others, like the University of Miami or East Carolina University, require students to submit an application for readmission and pay a fee after missing only one semester of school. Schools also don't have to readmit students who take time off. For example, the University of Arizona's Graduate College requires a new application, application fee and a minimum 3.0 GPA on all previous coursework at the university before granting readmission. And Drexel University in Philadelphia makes clear that students might have to take additional coursework to graduate if the curriculum changed during their stopout. They might even have to enroll in a different program altogether. Student loan payments possible If you have student loans, taking time off could trigger repayment to begin. Contact your student loan servicer or lender to find out their policy. All federal student loans are in an administrative forbearance through Sept. 30, due to a provision in the federal government's coronavirus relief package. So until then, you don't have to worry about your loans gaining interest or going into repayment. But if you plan on missing the school year, you will exhaust that window and payments will begin after your six-month grace period ends. While there is speculation that the forbearance could be extended, nothing has been announced. Federal student loans only get one grace period, so if you use it now you won't have it available after you graduate, Mayotte said. The coronavirus relief package forbearance doesn't apply to private student loans. If you decide to stopout due to COVID-19, your private loans might enter the grace period and then head into repayment. And not all private lenders allow academic deferments for students who return to school, so you could be on the hook for loan payments even when you return to full-time student status. You might not find stable work Students planning to work full time must contend with the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression. The coronavirus remains a threat, and a second wave could cause more shutdowns, which might make finding and keeping a job even harder. "I've had students who mentioned stopping-out, and I told them they should really think about that," said Sharon Taylor, director of academic advising and professional enhancement at Virginia State University. "The first thing they say is they will work, and I ask them to look at how many people are out of work right now." Taylor advises students to continue school if they can afford it. "It's better to wait out the pandemic in school than out of school," she said. If you want to minimize coronavirus-related uncertainties with your school, there are options other than withdrawing completely. Take a half-time schedule: Students can take fewer classes and still maintain some of their financial aid benefits while making progress toward graduation. Not all students are comfortable with online learning. Taking fewer classes will give you more flexibility in case your school shuts down early to go online. Take online classes at a community college: If you need to complete general education requirements, you may be able to do them online at a local community college. That way you can save money on tuition, avoid the unknowns with in-person classes and complete graduation requirements. Before taking community college classes, check with your school to make sure the classes will transfer and that you are in compliance with your school's dual enrollment policies. Take an official leave of absence: If you decide not to take classes this fall, work with your school to take an official leave of absence. Let them know why you want to take time off and when you plan to return. Make sure you ask questions about financial aid implications and try to work out exceptions to get more favorable terms with your school and loan servicer. If you have private loans, contact your lender to discuss your leave of absence and ask questions about how it will affect your loan's status. cclark@nerdwallet.com. Vacations will look a little different this year, as the coronavirus pandemic has upended travel as we knew it. With the airline industry significantly impacted, perspective travelers are looking to take road trips to scenic locations nearby. Luckily the Capital Region is nestled between mountain ranges that offer natural splendor as far as the eye can see. "As we all measure our personal risk tolerance for travel, I think vacations are going to look a lot like they did in the 1970s when I was a kid," Chris McGinnis, Senior travel correspondent for SFGate said in an article assessing the future of travel. "Instead of flying, back then we loaded up the station wagon and headed to the beach, the mountains or the lake for two weeks every summer. That usually meant a day-long drive to somewhere in our state..." Recent data from Airbnb backs that assertion, with searches for listings in the Hudson Valley, Catskills and Berkshires are up 30 percent compared to this time last year, while listings in the Adirondacks are up by 40 percent. If you're looking to get a change of scenery at any point this year, these are some options at varying price points for an Adirondack escape. Rest assured, Airbnb hosts are encouraged by the company to follow an enhanced cleaning protocol and requires those that cannot commit to the new standards to extend the time between each booking to 72 hours to allow for the property to be cleaned. Note: Prices listed below are approximations and can fluctuate Salida, CO (81201) Today Clear skies. Low 54F. Winds SE at 15 to 25 mph, becoming W and decreasing to 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low 54F. Winds SE at 15 to 25 mph, becoming W and decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. CLIFTON PARK A day at the beach ended in what two girls from different states hope will be a lifelong friendship. On May 23, then 11-year-old Clifton Park resident Sofia Wilson tossed a bottle into the ocean off the coast of Florida. It was found 10 days later, washed up on a North Carolina beach by another 11-year-old, Sarah Beth Walters. She sent me a message that she found my bottle, said the Gowana Middle School student, who wrote her phone number on the message in the bottle. We started talking. We are the same age, have the same initials and have blonde hair, too. Now, the girls talk daily via text. Their mothers, Kim Wilson and Dean Walters, chat too. All are trying to come up with a plan to inspire kids to send messages to other kids all of whom are doing the same thing during the pandemic spending a lot of time with immediate family and missing their friends. We want to start our own business to make messages in a bottle," Sofia said. "We want to get a website for other people to make friendships like we did. Sarah already sent one and it was found by a 16-year-old. Family time during the pandemic is what brought Sofia to Florida. She was visiting her sister and 6-year-old niece in Fort Lauderdale. While playing with her niece, Sofia wanted to come up with a surprise for her like discovering a message in the sand. She wrote a note, starting with "Dear ?," that talked about COVID-19 and how she wants it all to end. She was about to bury it in the sand on Marco Island, where her family was also visiting, but high tide and the lateness of the day prevented her. After returning to Fort Lauderdale, where the beaches were closed, she decided to toss it out into the Atlantic Ocean waves off of her sister's friend's boat that navigated a few miles from the shore. She lobbed it with a bye-bye bottle. My sisters friend Ben said it would probably end up in North Carolina, Sofia said. He was right. About 10 days later, Sarah Beth, who lives just outside of Jacksonville, Fla., was also visiting family in Holden Beach, N.C. She said she was raised to be environmentally conscious and decided to clean up the garbage on the beach. Thats when she spotted it, a water bottle with a note inside. It laid on a heap of other trash in the dunes. I was like, oh my gosh, I think I found a message in a bottle, she said. (My parents) were like, you didnt find a message in a bottle, someone probably shoved some trash in their water bottle. My dad pulled it out, and sure enough, it was a message in a bottle. Sarah Beth said the note instructed her to contact Sofia. Sofia, who is now 12, said she forgot about her message, until she got a text from Sarah Beth while she was trying to do school work. In her message, she told Sofia that she too was tired of the coronavirus and missed her friends. Sofias only response was cool. Sarah Beth thought that would be the extent of their conversation. But after her English class was over, Sofia texted her back, starting the friendship. At first we talked for about five days about the weather, Sofia said. "Now we talk about life." Sarah Beth said she hopes they can get together, maybe in Florida when Sofia can visit again. But the pandemic, that brought them together, is now delaying an in-person meeting. It will be fun, Sarah Beth said. I love her. Shes so sweet and nice. Its just nice now because you dont get to talk to friends. You dont get to see them. Its nice to get a new perspective of someone who lives in New York. Sarah Beths mother said the experience has been awesome. At first, we thought it would be just a couple of text exchanges, she said. Then we realized they had more in common. Its been a fun to watch them. Bradford, N.H. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested Thursday on charges she helped lure at least three girls to be sexually abused by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of victimizing dozens of girls and women over many years. According to the indictment, Maxwell, who lived for years with Epstein and was his frequent companion on trips around the world, facilitated his crimes and on some occasions joined him in sexually abusing the girls. Epstein, 66, killed himself in a federal detention center in New York last summer while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell has, for years, been accused by many women of acting as a madam for Epstein, helping him scout young girls for abuse, then hiring them to give him massages, during which the girls were pressured into sex acts. In one lawsuit, a woman alleged Maxwell was the "highest-ranking employee" of Epstein's alleged sex trafficking enterprise. The 58-year-old was arrested in Bradford, N.H., where she was living on a wooded estate she purchased for $1 million last December. The FBI had been keeping tabs on her after she disappeared from public view following Epstein's arrest a year ago. "More recently we learned she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims live with the trauma inflicted upon them years ago," William Sweeney, head of the FBI's New York office, told a news conference Thursday. The indictment, which was unsealed Thursday, included counts of conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. She was also accused of perjuring herself during a deposition in a civil lawsuit over alleged abuse. "Maxwell lied because the truth, as alleged, was almost unspeakable," Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said. Messages were sent Thursday to several of Maxwell's attorneys seeking comment. She has previously repeatedly denied wrongdoing and called some claims against her "absolute rubbish." At a brief hearing Thursday, a magistrate judge ordered Maxwell to remain in custody while she is transferred to New York for a detention hearing there. Among the most sensational accusations was a claim by Virginia Roberts Giuffre that Maxwell arranged for her to have sex with Britain's Prince Andrew at her London townhouse. Giuffre bolstered her allegations with a picture of her, Andrew and Maxwell that she said was taken at the time. Andrew denied her story and Maxwell said in a deposition that Giuffre was "totally lying." The prince was not mentioned in the indictment, and the charges covered Maxwell's dealings with Epstein only from 1994 through 1997, a period well before his alleged encounters with Giuffre in 2001. Strauss said she would "welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us," but did not answer further questions pertaining to these charges and Andrew. The indictment focused on Epstein's alleged abuse of three specific girls at his Manhattan mansion and other residences in Palm Beach, Florida; Santa Fe, New Mexico, and London. Their names were not revealed in court filings. Maxwell is the daughter of a British publishing magnate Robert Maxwell, who died in 1991 after falling off his yacht near the Canary Islands. Maxwell was in an intimate relationship with Epstein for years and also was paid by him to manage his various properties, according to the indictment, which included a photograph of Epstein with his arm around Maxwell and his head nuzzling hers. Strauss promised the investigation was continuing and urged other victims to come forward. In a memo seeking Maxwell's detention, prosecutors wrote that she "poses an extreme risk of flight." Maxwell has three passports, is wealthy with lots of international connections, and has "absolutely no reason to stay in the United States and face the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence," they wrote. Maxwell's indictment was celebrated by lawyers for some Epstein accusers. China's June PMI exceeds expectation: media From:ChinaDaily | 2020-07-03 11:31 China's factory activity expanded at a faster pace in June, beating expectations, Reuters reported Tuesday. As per the report, China's official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to a three-month high of 50.9 in June which analysts had expected to drop to 50.4 from 50.6 in May. Bloomberg, meanwhile, reported that China's non-manufacturing PMI rose to 54.4. The 50-point mark separates expansion from contraction. Reuters said China's economy continues to recover after the government lifted lockdowns and ramped up investment. Bloomberg came to a similar conclusion, saying the data confirmed the trend of a gradual domestic recovery from the contraction in the first quarter and backed up the Chinese government's stance on policy stimulus. Reuters said the government has already rolled out a raft of easing steps this year, including reserve requirement cuts and targeted lending support and tax breaks for virus-hit firms. It has also ramped up local bond issuance in the hopes of spurring infrastructure growth. China's "overall manufacturing demand recovered at a fast clip," Wang Zhe, senior economist at Caixin Insight Group, told Reuters. The data show that manufacturing is still leading the recovery in China, Zhou Hao, senior emerging markets economist at Commerzbank AG in Singapore, told Bloomberg. "China's GDP growth is very likely to turn positive in the second quarter." Charlotte, N.C. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has confirmed a report by The Associated Press that some service members mobilized to Washington, D.C., last month in response to civil unrest over the killing of George Floyd were issued bayonets. Defense documents obtained by the AP show some were not trained in riot response. Members of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C., and the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, which typically guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, were mobilized last month to respond to protests over the treatment of Black Americans and systemic issues of police brutality. But they were never sent to the protests after they arrived. The soldiers were issued bayonets for their June 2 deployment but told they were to remain in their scabbards and not attached to their service rifles, Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Mark A. Milley wrote to two U.S. representatives in a letter obtained by the AP. The soldiers were also told no weapons were to enter the capital without orders and only after nonlethal options were first reviewed, he said. Milley said the order to mobilize the troops came from Major Army Gen. Omar Jones, commander of the military district of Washington. His letter, dated June 26, was sent to two Democratic Congressmen, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, and Rep. Ted Lieu of California, who asked him for an explanation after the AP first reported on the use of bayonets on June 2. Roughly 700 members of the 82nd Airborne Division were sent to two military bases near the District Capitol Area. The soldiers were armed with live-rounds, bayonets, and riot gear. Bloomberg reported on June 11 that the Old Guard was also issued bayonets. Neither the 82nd nor The Old Guard were ever called off base and into the city. Division paratroopers were sent back to Fort Bragg on June 4. An unclassified military document obtained by the AP also shows that some of the soldiers were not prepared to deal with the protesters. Instead commanders planned to give paratroopers the proper training within 96 hours of their arrival in Washington, the document shows. While some infantry soldiers are trained in crowd control, they don't typically undergo training for riot control and domestic civil unrest. In a June 22 letter to Milley, Krishnamoorthi and Lieu expressed concern that use of bayonets could escalate any potential violence at the protests. They drew parallels to the 1970 Kent State shootings in which four students were killed by National Guardsmen. In his response, Milley stopped short of agreeing to bar service members from deploying to domestic protests with bayonets. He said the decision would depend on individual circumstances. In a joint statement to the AP, the U.S. representatives said: "While we are grateful for General Milley's responses to our questions concerning the arming of troops with bayonets for potential deployment against protesters, we were disappointed he was not willing to commit to banning the practice." They added: "We recognize the necessity of the Joint Force preserving flexibility to respond to varying circumstances, but it is difficult for us to imagine a circumstance which could necessitate or justify the deployment of bayonets against American civilians." Before this year, five presidents had visited Mount Rushmore or six, if you include an Air Force One flyover that gave Ronald Reagan an aerial view. But there's reason to worry that this weekend's appearance by Donald Trump may be the presidential pilgrimage that does lasting damage to what's known as the Shrine of Democracy. Lay aside the threat of forest fires and other environmental harm from the Trump-ordered fireworks display a Friday night event made possible after the National Park Service lifted a decade-old ban on pyrotechnics in the area. By the time you read this, we will presumably be relieved that the Trump show didn't cause catastrophic fires in the Black Hills National Forest. But to a degree unlike any other politician of our time, this president brings taint to his associates. Just ask the Republican senators seeking reelection, several of whom are straining these days to put distance between themselves and an increasingly unpopular leader whom they have served with ardor. To be linked to Trump is now to risk identification as a racist, a stooge of hostile powers or a throwback to a pre-scientific age, where pandemics "sort of just disappear," as Trump preposterously said just this week. Maybe fretting that the man could imperil the mountain is silly. The giant likenesses of four presidents, blasted from a granite dome during the years around the Great Depression, seem indestructible enough. But it would be tragic if this weekend's show causes Americans to see Mount Rushmore as no more than a representation of Donald Trump's narrow view of America. Understand, I love Mount Rushmore, despite the human and societal flaws that its very existence obscures. I grew up in the monument's shadow, my patriotism stirred on summer nights when the floodlights flipped on, as everything stopped in the dining room at the mountain's base, the waitstaff and customers standing to sing "God Bless America" while facing the busts. I revere George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. But our nation is coming to terms with the full range of our history. Each of those leaders, no less than every political figure, was blemished. Two were slaveholders. One ended slavery, eventually, without fully embracing the enslaved. One was an unyielding colonialist. Yet we harm our nation's very identity if the belated recognition of our leaders' failings prompts us to deny their accomplishments. What historical figure hasn't displayed as many weaknesses as Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln? What are we to make of the good works that prompted the creation of this monument if we now see these figures only in the context of their great flaws? There must be a place between the two extremes between glorifying historic figures without regard to their inhumane actions, which seems to be our president's intent, and, on the other hand, destroying the inspiration we can take from their real achievements. Surely we can attend our newly woke realism with a dose of grace, by examining our history in its full context. It's a shame that Donald Trump didn't find time during his visit to South Dakota to travel 17 miles down the Iron Mountain Road from Mount Rushmore (slowly, because there are 14 switchbacks) to the Crazy Horse Memorial, another granite-and-schist mountain where a massive carving has been emerging since 1948. It's an unfinished monument to a 19th-century Native American leader, an Oglala Lakota known to us as Crazy Horse, who fought valiantly to preserve his people's way of life. The Plains tribes were pursued in those years by U.S. soldiers intent on their extermination. Gen. Philip Sheridan, whose statue stands before our state Capitol, described the strategy as "make them poor by destruction of their stock, and then settle them on the lands alloted to them." Crazy Horse, a leader at the battle of Little Big Horn, surrendered in 1877 to protect his people from starvation and cold. Under arrest, he was killed by a police officer. So imagine this: The two great mountain carvings linked as a single national historic site, with reverence for both those who fought to establish these United States and those whose way of life was destroyed as the nation emerged. Suppose that there, and everywhere, we honored the memory of the oppressed as well as recognizing the role of their oppressors, who were also pioneers and liberators. It's a complex story. It's our real story. Wouldn't a nation that faces its history with such candor feel pride as it celebrates the anniversary of its founding? It sounds to me like a truly American concept. Amid the growing number of COVID-19 cases in states like California, Texas and Arizona, large gatherings for Independence Day weekend are largely out; most cities have canceled fireworks displays, and big in-person gatherings continue to be high-risk activities based on Centers for Disease Control recommendations. In addition to updating its extenuating circumstances policy, Airbnb is taking steps to make sure you won't be reading about out-of-control "party houses" and COVID outbreaks next week. Farmington, WV (26555) Today Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Cabot Corporation has announced a significant milestone in its project in Franklin, Louisiana, with the placement of all emissions control equipment at the site. According to the US manufacturer, the equipment will reduce NO X emissions by 90% through the use of selective catalytic control, and SO 2 emissions by 95% using wet gas scrubbing, when the site becomes operational in early 2021. This represents a reduction in NO X of 900 tons per year and SO 2 by 6500 tons. ') } // --> ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> Cabot noted that these well-established technologies are already in use at several other sites across the world. The company is the first carbon black producer to collaborate with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in connection with the EPAs national enforcement initiative to control air emissions from carbon black manufacturing facilities. [July 02, 2020] Sixth Street Specialty Lending, Inc. Schedules Earnings Release and Conference Call to Discuss its Second Quarter Ended June 30, 2020 Financial Results Sixth Street Specialty Lending, Inc. (NYSE: TSLX) ("TSLX" or "the Company") announced today that it will release its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020 on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, after the market closes. TSLX invites all interested persons to its webcast / conference call on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its second quarter ended June 30, 2020 financial results. Conference Call Information: The conference call will be broadcast live at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on the Investor Resources section of TSLX's website at http://www.sixthstreetspecialtylending.com. Please visit the website to test your connection before the webcast. Participants are also invited to access the conference call by dialing one of the following numbers: Domestic: (877) 359-9508 International: +1 (253) 237-1122 Conference ID: 1749355 All callers will need to enter the Conference ID followed by the # sign and reference "Sixth Street Specialty Lending" once connected with the operator. All callers are asked to dial in 10-15 minutes prior to the call so that name and company information can be collected. Replay Information: An archived replay will be available from approximately 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 5 through August 12 via a webcast link located on the Investor Resources section of TSLX's website, and via the dial-in numbers listed below: Domestic: (855) 89-2056 Conference ID: 1749355 About Sixth Street Specialty Lending Sixth Street Specialty Lending is a specialty finance company focused on lending to middle-market companies. The Company seeks to generate current income primarily in U.S.-domiciled middle-market companies through direct originations of senior secured loans and, to a lesser extent, originations of mezzanine loans and investments in corporate bonds and equity securities. The Company has elected to be regulated as a business development company, or a BDC, under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. The Company is externally managed by Sixth Street Specialty Lending Advisers, LLC, an affiliate of Sixth Street and a Securities and Exchange Commission (" SEC (News - Alert) ") registered investment adviser. The Company leverages the deep investment, sector, and operating resources of Sixth Street, a global investment firm with approximately $34 billion of assets under management as of March 31, 2020. For more information, visit the Company's website at www.sixthstreetspecialtylending.com. About Sixth Street Sixth Street is a global investment firm with approximately $34 billion in assets under management and committed capital as of March 31, 2020. Sixth Street operates eight diversified, collaborative investment platforms across our growth investing, adjacencies, direct lending, fundamental public strategies, infrastructure, special situations, agriculture and par liquid credit businesses. Our long-term oriented, highly flexible capital base and "One Team" cultural philosophy allow us to invest thematically across sectors, geographies and asset classes. Founded in 2009, Sixth Street has more than 275 team members including over 140 investment professionals operating from nine locations around the world. For more information, visit www.sixthstreetpartners.com. Forward-Looking Statements Statements included herein may constitute "forward-looking statements," which relate to future events or the Company's future performance or financial condition. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200702005512/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 02, 2020] YouTrip: 7 in 10 Singaporeans Still Want to Travel in 2020 Travel Promotions to Spur Recovery 7 in 10 Singaporeans want to travel in 2020 when border regulations are eased and travel promotions will further entice them to do so 40% of Singaporeans are willing to visit COVID-19 hotspots in 2021, signalling the gradual recovery in travel 85% of Singaporeans are prepared to increase their budget for their next holiday and almost half are willing to spend 30% and more to make up for cancelled plans "Pay Now, Travel Later" promotions of 50% and above are the most enticing to travellers SINGAPORE, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- YouTrip , Singapore's leading multi-currency mobile wallet, conducted the Travel Intent Survey 2020 to analyse post-COVID-19 travel intentions of 6,000 Singaporeans. The survey aimed to understand the outlook of travel recovery and changes to travel behaviours of Singaporeans as a result of the pandemic. First Travel Destination With less than 6 months till the end of the year, slightly more than half of the respondents (54%) indicated that they'll be travelling in 2020 as soon as travel restrictions lift. Another 20% of Singaporeans would be enticed to travel in 2020 if there's an attractive promotion, suggesting that both border restrictions and prices spur travel recovery. Among Singaporeans with immediate travel intentions within 2020, millennial travellers aged 25 to 34 years old are the most adventurous (35%). Comparatively, only 22% of travellers aged 35 to 44 years and 11% of travellers aged 55 to 64 years old expect to travel within the year. Caecilia Chu, Co-Founder and CEO of YouTrip said: "It's encouraging to see sgns of travel recovering after months of pent up demand. Within our community of users, many of them are avid travellers who I believe will be amongst the first movers for the initial travel recovery." Popular countries like Japan (23%), Thailand (12%), and Malaysia (11%) remain top choices for Singaporeans, followed by Australia (8%), South Korea (7%), Taiwan (6%), Mainland China (5%), New Zealand (4%), Indonesia (4%), and Vietnam (2%). As for COVID-19 hotspot countries, 25% more Singaporeans are willing to travel there in the first half of 2021 (40%) as compared to 2020 (15%), signalling a gradual recovery of tourism in the most affected countries. The New-Normal in Travelling As an indicator of the pent up demand for travel, 85% of Singaporeans are prepared to spend more on their next holiday. 4 in 10 Singaporeans are willing to budget 30% or more for their upcoming travel plans as a way to compensate previously cancelled plans. The Chief Economist from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Brian Pearce estimates that flight tickets will cost 43% to 54% higher than previous prices due to in-flight social distancing policies. Even though Singaporeans have expressed their enthusiasm for their next holiday, most of them are value-driven when it comes to transport expenses. 72% of respondents said they will be deterred by higher flight ticket prices and would wait for promotional prices before making their travel plans. This is echoed in 58% of respondents stating that promotional prices will entice them to resume travelling in 2020, further suggesting that Singaporeans are value-driven. "Pay Now, Travel Later" promotions seem to be a viable option for Singaporeans, with more than 70% indicating that they will be keen to purchase if the discounts are at least half-priced or more. Other factors that could influence their purchase include the flexibility of stay and eligibility for full refunds. "We're taking the time to anticipate and understand the new-normal of travel, and the different ways it'll impact travellers. With this understanding, YouTrip will be ready to better serve our users' needs once travel resumes," Caecilia adds. Alternatives to Travel Plans In view of cancelled travel plans in 2020, 28% of respondents stated that they'll be saving the money instead. Local staycation (15%), shopping (14%), and visiting local tourist attractions (5%) are amongst alternative options for Singaporeans. ABOUT YOUTRIP TRAVEL INTENT SURVEY 2020 The YouTrip Travel Intent Survey 2020 was conducted to uncover the outlook on travel recovery and understand post-COVID-19 travel behaviour of 6,000 Singaporeans. The survey was carried out from 17 June 2020 to 24 June 2020, targeting YouTrip users aged 18 and above. ABOUT YOUTRIP YouTrip is a regional financial technology startup, dedicated to creating the best mobile financial services for travellers across Southeast Asia by simplifying overseas spending and creating a fuss-free travel experience. YouTrip first launched in Singapore in 2018 and subsequently in Thailand in 2019. For more information, please visit www.you.co Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200514/2804174-1LOGO SOURCE YouTrip [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 03, 2020] Inventec Announces its NGC-Ready Edge Server Optimized for AI Software-E850G4 TAIPEI, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Server manufacturer, Inventec (TPE: 2356), today announced that its first edge computing server, E850G4, now supports NVIDIA EGXTM , a high-performance, cloud native platform that brings real-time AI to the edge. As an NGC-Ready for Edge server, the E850G4 is certified for functionality and performance of the GPU Optimized AI stack from NVIDIA, security, and remote management. This 2U GPU server, targets multi-access edge computing (MEC), content acceleration, network-in-a-box, and network function virtualization (NFV) applications, among others, in the booming new market of 5G and edge datacenter. This allows users to rapidly deploy and efficiently run AI workloads in their edge networks. NVIDIA EGX Edge AI Platform With the future pointing towards convergence of IoT and AI at the edge, allowing all industries to deliver automated intelligence from billions of sensors at the point of action, scalable, accelerated platform that can handle continuous delivery of information securely and drive decisions in real time is required. NVIDIA unveiled the latest NVIDIA EGX platform capabilities and NGC features for deploying accelerated AI at the edge and in the data center at GTC Digital in May 2020. NVIDIA EGX platform enables companies to perform low-latency and high performance AI inference at the edge and includes GPU-optimized AI software from NVIDIA NGC -- a registry of containers, pre-trained models, and helm charts along with a private registry that simplify building, collaborating, and deploying AI software securely at the edge. Inventec E850G4: OTII-based Edge Computing Server The E850G4 server system is encased in a computing box with a NUMA (non-uniform memory access) balanced design for multiple SKUs for acceleration and storage scenarios. This system is also a China Open Telecom IT Infrastructure (OTII) server design for WW5G edge computing applications such as multi-access edge computing, and fog computing. In addition, E850G4 offers enhanced serviceability and reliability including: Up to 4x NVIDIA T4 Tensor Core GPUs Dual Socket: 2nd Gen Intel Xeon scalable processors (Cascade Lake) 12x DIMM: Up to 1.5TB 3DC ECC DDR4-2933MHz, RDIMM/LRDIMM and Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory (DCPMM) Onboard 2x 10G Ethernet port Up to 7x PCIe Gen3 slot to support multi-scenarios 6+(2) SFF SAS/SATA/ NVMe hot-plug drive Tool-less design of serviceable parts Optimized TCO "Inventec E850G4 supports quality inspection AI cloud and edge applications in industries including 3C electronics, steel plant, energy management, rubber inspection, etc. We designed this new server solution to help our customers optimize their edge infrastructure," said George Lin, General Manager of Business Unit VI, Inventec Enterprise Business Group (Inventec EBG). About Inventec Data Center Solutions (Inventec EBG) Inventec Data Center Solutions (Inventec EBG) was established in 1998 and has been focusing on the design and manufacturing of server systems in Inventec Corporation. Over decades, Inventec EBG has been the key server system supplier of the global branding clients. For more information, please visit: https://ebg.inventec.com/en Follow "Inventec Data Center Solutions" on LinkedIn and Wechat to receive their latest news and announcements. Inventec logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Inventec Corporation. All trademarks and logos are the properties of their respective holders. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inventec-announces-its-ngc-ready-edge-server-optimized-for-ai-software-e850g4-301087981.html SOURCE Inventec [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 03, 2020] Neutrinos Partners with eBaoTech to "Make Insurance Easy" with Low Code Development Platform and Insurance PaaS Platform SINGAPORE, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- eBaoTech Corporation and Neutrinos announced their partnership that aims to deliver new age digital insurance applications to insurance carriers, brokers/agents and InsurTechs, powered by eBaoTech's Insurance PaaS platform - eBaoCloud InsureMO (InsureMO) and Neutrinos' Low Code Multi-Experience Development Platform (MXDP). Joint customers can leverage the front-end application development capabilities for Omni-channels provided by Neutrinos' Low Code platform and the rich insurance APIs for policy whole lifecycle provided by eBaoCloud InsureMO. eBaoTech is a world-leading provider of digital insurance solutions with clients across 30+ countries. eBaoTech's Insurance Middle Office platform - eBaoCloud InsureMO is a containerized industry middleware based on microservices architecture. InsureMO is designed to accelerate fast innovations and deep connectivity for insurers, brokers, agents, MGA, affinity channels, and InsurTech startups. InsureMO contains common APIs needed to manage the whole life cycle of General, Life and Health insurance policies, such as quotation, illustration, underwriting, payment, and claims. The platform can seamlessly integrate with external applications and services such as OCR, voice recognition, payment and location by API calls. As a Gartner recognized low-code, Multi-experience Development Platform, Neutrinos offers one-stop digital innovation solutions. With an array of digital insurance distribuion solutions, Neutrinos is helping insurers rapidly build applications on disruptive technologies, cater to customer demands, and future proof their businesses. The Neutrinos Suite of Insurance solutions offers seamless, end-to-end solutions for insurers, enabling cost, resource, and time optimization. Leveraging on best-in-class technology, this MXDP covers all aspects of the insurance lifecycle, and is changing the face of insurance business. Rajat Sharma, Corporate VP and Head of Sales and Strategy commented, "We are excited to partner with Neutrinos and leverage the power of Low code platforms to deliver Insurance applications powered by InsureMO. With over 3,000 products from over 120 insurance companies across more than 10 countries configured on eBaoCloud InsureMO, we are sure that together with Neutrinos we will create enormous value for rapid digital transformation in the Insurance industry." Ashok Bhattacharya, Chief Customer Acquisition Officer quotes "In our pursuit of providing end-to-end Digital Insurance Solutions capabilities along with our one-stop Digital Experience (DX) platform, we are pleased to announce our partnership with eBaoTech to build Omni-channel applications across the insurance value chain. We see this partnership brings strong synergies by assisting insurers with orchestration of Microservices at ease, seamless connection with InsureMO as well as many vertical connectors of Neutrinos MarketPlace. The aforementioned points bring capabilities to easily add functionalities to their service mix, and as a result, create an enhanced Digital Experience journey that empowers insurers with faster time to market through an easy adoption of emerging and futuristic technologies such as Multi-Experience, Hyper-Augmentation, Hyper-Automation and more". About eBaoTech eBaoTech is a digital solution provider to the global insurance industry with a company mission to "make insurance easy". We have business in more than 30 countries, serving over 200 carriers and numerous agents, brokers, InsurTech startups and others in the insurance ecosystem. eBaoTech offers two groups of solutions: eBao Cloud as an insurance middleware platform, and eBao Software for traditional insurance carriers' core systems. For more information, please www.ebaotech.com About Neutrinos Founded during a eureka moment that was driven by passion for technology and the urge to make a difference in the world of technology, Neutrinos enables rapid application development through their MXDP backed by low code capabilities. With leading companies of South East Asia, India, Australia, North America, South Africa and Europe already rolling out Neutrinos solutions, they are helping enterprises rapidly build enterprise-grade applications that can be deployed on any cloud or on premise or hybrid environments. Over 2500+ connectors spanning across new-age technologies, such as Email, Chatbots, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Augmented Reality (AR) as well as experts available for consultation on Extended Reality/Mixed Reality (XR/MR), further facilitate the development of multi-experience applications. For more information, visit: www.neutrinos.co SOURCE eBaoTech [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 03, 2020] New FT PWM Documentary Examines How Citizenship by Investment Helps St Kitts and Nevis Develop LONDON, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Professional Wealth Management (PWM) magazine, a publication from the Financial Times, released a new documentary on July 2nd. Part of the Spotlight Series, it features the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis and its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme, established in 1984. Split into five chapters, the documentary explains how this Caribbean country attracts high-quality foreign investors seeking second citizenship. Yuri Bender, the PWM Editor-in-Chief, focuses on the economic impact CBI has on the Federation's economy. In the first chapter, he suggests that St Kitts and Nevis has hidden treasures that garner great demand frm foreign investors. Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris says that diversifying the agricultural sector is one of the new areas to benefit from CBI contributions. "We have come to St Kitts and Nevis to examine the role of Citizenship by Investment in helping the islands transform their economy and adapt to a changing world," says Bender. "As in the past, the hidden treasures of the Caribbean islands are once more in great demand from foreign visitors," he explains. "When the CBI Programme was first formulated, it was intended to provide our country a new pathway for economic development," PM Harris explains. "We have seen the benefits of that vision being realised, with significant job creation opportunities, high earnings for persons involved in the construction sector, the addition of some top-class hotel facilities [] We are looking at new areas of engagement for the CBI Programme and new areas in which we can target to invest CBI flows, and agriculture diversification would certainly be one of these," the Prime Minister added. As the country with the oldest CBI Programme in the world, St Kitts and Nevis is generally known as the 'Platinum Standard'. It offers foreign investors the fastest route to second citizenship through the fund option. To qualify, applicants must pass the due diligence checks, complete the necessary documentation and contribute at least US$150,000 to the Sustainable Growth Fund. In return, 'economic citizens' earn the right to live, work and study in St Kitts and Nevis. They can travel visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival to 156 countries and territories, a list that keeps growing thanks to Foreign Minister Mark Brantley's diplomatic efforts. Future generations could also inherit the citizenship. pr@csglobalpartners.com www.csglobalpartners.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-ft-pwm-documentary-examines-how-citizenship-by-investment-helps-st-kitts-and-nevis-develop-301087994.html SOURCE CS Global Partners [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Posted Thursday, July 2, 2020 6:48 am Clark County Council Chair Eileen Quiring is pushing back on calls for her resignation following remarks dismissing the idea that there is systemic racism in Clark County, wishing for insults against her to stop before having a conversation with local organizations about inequities. During a council time meeting hosted remotely July 1, Quiring expressed reluctance to answer the call from a number of groups to have a listening session about systemic racism with council. At the meeting, Councilor Temple Lentz said the council received an email from YWCA Clark County, NAACP Vancouver, the Southwest Washington League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program requesting a listening session to address systemic racism in the county. That request follows calls for Quirings resignation after the chair said I do not agree that we have systemic racism in our county, period, during a remote meeting June 24. In a letter dated June 27, NAACP Vancouver formally called for Quirings resignation, stating that her disbelief of systemic racism in the county reflects ignorance at best, pointing to issues in schools, hiring practices and policing. As of July 2, a change.org petition for her resignation had more than 5,400 digital signatures. Quiring acknowledged that the council had been copied on emails calling for her resignation, adding that she has received a comparable number of messages of support. I would say that I have just about as many people supporting me as the emails that are flooding into our email boxes to ask me to resign, to leave, because I had a different opinion, Quiring said. The controversy surrounding her statements last month led to her not wanting to have a listening session until the rhetoric around them calmed down, Quiring explained. I certainly want to sit down and talk and reason together (but) Im not sure this is about reasoning together, Quiring said. This is more insults to the chair and my viewpoint. Lentz said a listening session would be a good first step to following what was laid out in a unanimously-approved resolution from council June 16 that acknowledged systemic racism existed in Clark County and made a commitment to identify and enact policies that would work to rectify inequities, adding she didnt see any insults within the letter making the request for the session. I see it being a response to insults and division, Lentz said about the letter. I believe that the folks who took great offense to what was said last week have a right to feel that way. Quiring took issue to what appeared to be a focus directly on her as council chair in the letter request. Until the YWCA loses that (direction) Im not willing to have them even hold this session until I know who else is going to be on it, Quiring said, adding she didnt want to eliminate potential participants, but broaden who would take part. Thats my concern its going to be more limited to people with one point of view, and were not going to learn anything except what those people think, Quiring said. She expressed a desire for some individuals participating to be older than 40, people who have experienced a little more of history, and maybe not experienced some of the rewriting of history that has taken place in some of our education system. Nationally we see a lot of hyperbolic things. We see statues coming down, Quiring said, adding that although statues werent falling in Clark County there were attempts to take down something, and thats a duly-elected official, she said. Quiring said she wanted to avoid going to a listening session where I get beat up and told Im ignorant and that I need more education, Quiring said, adding she had taken Black studies curriculum in college. Councilor Gary Medvigy was supportive of a listening session while agreeing with Quiring that currently the calls for her resignation would cloud the discussion. We just need to tone it down and turn this into a positive experience if we can, Medvigy remarked. He pointed to a similar meeting Vancouver had conducted, though he agreed that before such an event, we need to stop the insults. We need to stop the mob, kind of, mentality here. Medvigy said that he wanted to make sure participants in such an activity were representative of the county, and not just a Vancouver-centric listening session. Theres a lot of good people out in the unincorporated area and throughout the county who certainly should listen, but are insulted by the accusation that they are somehow responsible or participating in systemic racism, Medvigy said. We need to have this conversation, but I think we need to have it with an open heart, without the divisiveness, Medvigy said. Councilor John Blom also voiced his support for the listening session, adding that he did not want the June resolution to be the extent of what council did toward acknowledging inequities. Lentz suggested council invite representatives of the different groups to talk about the letter specifically, and what those groups would like to see in a listening session, which the majority of council consented to. [July 03, 2020] Market Intelligence Solutions helps a US Semiconductor Industry Client Enhance Sales and Realize Savings | Infiniti's Success with Market Assessment and Competitor Analysis Infiniti Research is the world's leading independent provider of strategic market intelligence solutions. Our market intelligence services are designed to connect your organization's goals with global opportunities. Today's competitive business environment demands in-depth, accurate, and reliable business information to ensure that companies gain a strong foothold in domestic or foreign markets. Our global industry specialist teams ensure the international consistency of our research, enabling powerful access to the real story behind market changes. Request a complimentary proposal for more insights into our solutions portfolio. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200703005003/en/ Market Intelligence Solutions for a US Semiconductor Company (Graphic: Business Wire) "In recent years, semiconductor manufacturing companies in USA have been exposed to several predicaments including economic recession, security threats, and growing competition. Therefore, partnering with a market intelligence firm is often helpful to navigate new challenges and explore new market opportunities," says a market research expert from Infiniti Research. Engagement Overview: The client is a well-known semiconductor manufacturing company. The client sought to understand the US semiconductor industry, and devise a commercialization strategy with an understanding of the potential for their products in this industry. They realized that with the lack of a detailed market assessment and competitor analysis, achieving a greater market share through effective market penetration would be difficult. Therefore, they approached the experts at Infniti Research. Infiniti's research experts used market intelligence solutions to assist the US semiconductor industry client by providing critical insights into the market and competitive landscape, as well as to devise strategies for customer acquisition. Currently, for the US semiconductor industry the major challenges range from the declining labour pool to competition from new market entrants, but there is ample scope for improvement. Our market intelligence solutions help companies navigate challenges and explore growth opportunities. Contact us. Our Approach: Market opportunity assessment to help comprehend the potential challenges, and identify the needs of the customers to help comprehend the potential challenges, and identify the needs of the customers Market entry advisory solutions to help the client review macro and micro economic environments, identify barriers, compare offerings, and build strategies to help the client review macro and micro economic environments, identify barriers, compare offerings, and build strategies Market scanning and monitoring study to analyze the latest market trends and technological innovations in the US semiconductor industry to analyze the latest market trends and technological innovations in the US semiconductor industry Competitive intelligence and benchmarking to help evaluate the competitive landscape and analyze top companies in the US semiconductor industry. to help evaluate the competitive landscape and analyze top companies in the US semiconductor industry. Risk assessment study to help the client evaluate all risks and take risk mitigation approaches before they affect the company's growth. Business impact of the market intelligence solution for the US semiconductor industry client: Infiniti's market intelligence solution helped the client gain detailed insights into the US semiconductor industry's market demographics and develop an understanding of the attractiveness of market opportunities. The US semiconductor industry client was also able to: Devise an effective market entry plan and partnership structure Develop a robust product commercialization strategy and enhance brand awareness Set up their production center and establish their foothold in the US semiconductor industry Realize savings of over $4.3 million, and enhance sales rate by 23% The steadily growing US semiconductor industry poses several challenges that can hamper growth prospects. Request more info to learn how we can help US semiconductor industry companies identify potential barriers, compare competitor offerings, and review macro and microeconomic environments. About Infiniti Research Established in 2003, Infiniti Research, is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to help analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions, and develop intelligent business strategies. To know more, visit: https://www.infinitiresearch.com/about-us View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200703005003/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 03, 2020] Pearl LTC Founder Comments on Racial Divide in Acknowledgment of America's "Two Independence Days" POTOMAC, Md., July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Myisha M. Gatson, the founder of Pearl Long Term Care Solutions, Inc., a company that recently recognized "Juneteenth" as a corporate holiday as a display of their values of education and racial equity, today released the following comments: On July 4th, 1776, the world's most powerful nation was born. Yet, 34 of the 47 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, a document that declared their independence from the tyranny of the King of England, owned slaves. Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, penned the document while owning slaves and even wrote a portion condemning enslavement that was eventually rejected. From America's inception, Black lives have been the bargaining chip for freedom for all Americans except those with Black skin. The American practice of subjecting Blacks to chattel slavery solely on the basis of their skin color was the country's original sin. With their eyes wide open and in full view of the world, the Founding fathers stated the most egregious hypocritical mistruth as the launch of modern democracy: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal" Our country, and democracies worldwide, are still haunted by those words of hypocrisy more than 200 years later. I want to believe that the signers believed it. I want to believe that they earnestly thought they were liberating themselves while sacrificing Black freedom as the price and that was the only way. That sacrifice, however, is the wound that has been laid bare for all the world to witness today as two Americas and two Independence Days have become self-evident and the day of reckoning for America is now here. From 1776 through the Civil War America grew meteorically, becoming the toast of the world. Dumbfounding observers with what was erroneously attributed to industry, innovation and commerce, the nation hungrily consumed the boundlesslabor of enslaved Blacks. Nearly 85 years passed and the enslavers' down payment was due. The wages of sin, the Civil War, arrived at Ft. Sumter in 1861. This debt had been predicted by one of the great heroes of the Revolutionary War, Marquis de Lafayette, who said, "I would never have drawn my sword in the cause of America, if I could have conceived that thereby I was founding a land of slavery." The Union fractured and for four bloody years, brothers fought. Fractured or whole, slavery died on America's Second Independence Day, but inequality still lives on today as a powerful reminder of our nation's first sin. When Abraham Lincoln acted boldly to sign the Emancipation Proclamation, his goal was simple: preserve the Union. Though he signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st, 1863, the last enslaved Africans didn't receive word of it until June 19th, 1865. "Juneteeth" stands as the day the last enslaved Africans became freedmen, though they were not yet citizens. 4,641 weeks after America declared her independence from an oppressive monarch, Black Americans finally had their freedom. Yet freedom wasn't free for America's Black citizens. That 88 year, 11 month and 15 day gap created two Americas. One, with freedom and opportunity at its core, created wealth that exists well into the 21st century. The other, held back for nearly a century, still struggles to this day to survive and prosper. The gap between White and Black in every statistic used to measure wealth, health and success today can be traced back to these two independence days. The gap hasn't closed, because America, despite its Civil War, chose to continue to treat it's Black citizens as second-class. The beneficiaries of the first independence day celebrate the nation. The beneficiaries of the second protest. Separated by 32,521 days, two Americas persist, its two independence days a marker of the chasm between Black and White. Juneteenth 2020 is the turning and tipping point, where America can embrace true freedom which begins with the breaking of the chains, not with the extension of its links and begin to extend that freedom fully to its Black citizens. Today we can clearly see that these gaps exist and even trace the roots of why. It is important to note that the creation of the gap between the promise and reality of America for Black Americans isn't the fault of anyone alive today. Yet, the promulgation of that gap continues today and has been laid bare for the world to witness as the crushing toll of inequality and racism threatens our democracy. Today, the responsibility falls on us all to do our part to make the promise of America align with the reality of America for ALL of its citizens. Creating the gap took generations, it will take generations to close. With the spirit of our ancestors, Black and White, the ones who died for all to be free, the ones who chose to grasp at freedom with both hands and not look back, the ones who said enough is enough, we can close the gap. We may have started apart, but we can work together. The litmus test is to stand on the side of truth and justice and silence and inaction are off the table as we all must play a part in making this, our United States, a more perfect union. E Pluribus Unum. About Pearl LTC: Pearl LTC Solutions is the booking engine for long-term care, officially scheduled to launch in 2020. Pearl's mission is to make long-term care accessible and affordable for all. Media Contact: Rabia Piacentini rabia@pearlltc.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pearl-ltc-founder-comments-on-racial-divide-in-acknowledgment-of-americas-two-independence-days-301087957.html SOURCE Pearl LTC [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 03, 2020] C-Suite At The Open: Yaniv Spielberg, Chief Strategy Officer, Bragg Gaming Group Inc. tells his Company's Story. Filmed in May, 2020 TORONTO, July 3, 2020 /CNW/ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YID86hOfLPE The C-Suite At the Open video interview series highlights the unique perspectives of listed companies on Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange. Videos provide insight into how company executives think in the current business environment. To see the latest C-Suite At The Open videos visit https://www.tmxmoney.com/en/csuite.html . About Bragg Gaming Group Inc. (TSXV: BRAG) Bragg Gaming Group Inc. is a next generation gaming group with cutting-edge technology, leading brands and world-class management expertise, developing into a global gaming force. Formed by a team of gaming industry experts, Bragg's main portfolio is ORYX Gaming, an innovative B2B gaming technology platform and casino content aggregator. Through thisbrand and targeted acquisitions, Bragg is focused on becoming a leader within the evolving global gaming industry. Learn more at https://www.bragg.games. About TMX Group (TSX: X) TMX Group's key subsidiaries operate cash and derivative markets and clearinghouses for multiple asset classes including equities and fixed income. Toronto Stock Exchange , TSX Venture Exchange , TSX Alpha Exchange , The Canadian Depository for Securities , Montreal Exchange , Canadian Derivatives Clearing Corporation , Trayport and other TMX Group companies provide listing markets, trading markets, clearing facilities, depository services, technology solutions, data products and other services to the global financial community. TMX Group is headquartered in Toronto and operates offices across North America (Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver and New York), as well as in key international markets including London, Beijing and Singapore. For more information about TMX Group, visit our website at www.tmx.com . Follow TMX Group on Twitter: @TMXGroup . SOURCE TMX Group Limited [July 03, 2020] Micron Waste Issues News Release Clarifying Details Regarding COVID Technologies VANCOUVER, BC, July 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Micron Waste Technologies Inc. ("Micron" or the "Company") (CSE: MWM) (OTC: MICWF) (Frankfurt: 7FM2) (OTCQB "MICWF") is issuing this news release as a result of a review by the British Columbia Securities Commission (the "BCSC") with respect to certain statements in Micron's promotional materials and news releases dated April 20, 2020, May 19, 2020, and May 26, 2020, with respect to COVID Technologies Inc. ("COVID"). In the Company's news release dated April 20, 2020, the Company announced that it had entered into a letter of intent to acquire COVID (the "Letter of Intent"). The valuation of COVID in the Letter of Intent was agreed to between COVID and the Company during arm's length negotiations. The valuation was agreed to after reviewing the replacement value of the assets held by COVID, COVID's manufacturing and sales experience, and contracts that COVID had entered into or was in the midst of negotiating, including a non-binding letter of intent to sell $1,942,000 worth of personal protective equipment ("PPE"). Additionally, COVID was in the midst of a private placement to sell 16,500,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.02 per Unit for gross proceeds of $330,000. The Company's April 20, 2020, news release stated that the "COVID facility is capable of producing key pieces rapidly" and COVID is "bringing manufacturing capacity and experience to deliver personal protective equipmentboth now and in the future." The Company now clarifies that as of April 20, 2020, COVID was acquiring manufacturing equipment and required raw materials to produce PPE, but did not at that time produce PPE or have any manufacturing capacity to deliver PPE. In the Company's news release dated May 19, 2020, the Company stated that "COVID has entered into purchase agreements for approximately 1 million masks to private enterprise." The Company now clarifies that COVID had entered into letters of intent, not purchase agreements, which are non-binding. In an interview released on May 25, 2020, COVID's presiden Harvey Sidhu stated, with regard to COVID, "so our capacity for production right now, we can make about 100,000 3-ply surgical masks per day" and "we can make about 40,000" N95 respirators. Additionally, in the Company's news release dated May 26, 2020, the Company stated that COVID "will begin production in June 2020 of Class 1 Protective 3-ply surgical masks equipment ASTMF2100 or F2101 guidelines." The Company now clarifies that as of May 26, 2020, COVID did not have the capability to manufacture 3-ply surgical masks or N95 respirators but was purchasing manufacturing equipment and raw materials to manufacture the PPE. As of June 29, 2020, COVID has raw materials and a Senfeng FLK120 3-Ply Surgical Mask Machine, and has begun manufacturing 3-ply surgical masks. With respect to the ASTMF2100 standard testing, COVID sent PPE to a laboratory for testing on June 15, 2020 and expects to receive results in July. The Company's May 26, 2020 news release also stated COVID "plans to manufacture N95 Respirators and is awaiting a license from NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)" and that it "has approximately $2.5M additional cash and manufacturing assets to deploy towards facial mask making." The Company would like to clarify that COVID is not awaiting a license from NIOSH; it has contacted a laboratory to conduct pre-testing and will need to apply to NIOSH for a license once pre-testing is complete. Further, COVID does not have cash and manufacturing assets of $2.5 million; instead, the Company and COVID combined have cash and manufacturing assets of $2.5 million. With regard to promotional material posted on ProactiveInvestors' website about the Company and COVID on May 26, 2020, the Company now clarifies that COVID was not a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. The Company had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire COVID (the "Acquisition"); however, it had not completed the Acquisition at that time. The promotional materials also state "Sidhu discusses his company which makes PPE or personal protective equipment." As previously mentioned, as of May 26, 2020, COVID did not manufacture PPE but was acquiring equipment and raw materials to begin the production of PPE. COVID is subleasing space in the Company's facility located in Delta, British Columbia. COVID's website stated that the "manufacturing facility is only one year old. This technologically enhanced, sterile environment is driven by ultrasonic technology." The Company now clarifies that the facility is three years old and does not include ultrasonic technology. However, COVID's equipment and raw materials are new. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Kal Malhi" Kal Malhi, Chairman FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and, except as required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. By its very nature, such forward-looking information requires the Company to make assumptions that may not materialize or that may not be accurate. This forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, levels of activity and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such information. The Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/micron-waste-issues-news-release-clarifying-details-regarding-covid-technologies-301088113.html SOURCE Micron Waste Technologies Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Johnson County affirms mask mandate, enforcement unlikely - The Sentinel The Johnson County Board of Commissions arguably made a political decision to affirm Governor Kelly's statewide mask mandate , even though local authorities can override such an order under state law. The vote was 4-2 in favor, with Commissioner Michael Ashcraft abstaining. An important point . . . Even if they should, police are unlikely to beat suburbanites into submission for taking health advice from their favorite faceboox anti-vaxx group. Read more: In typical Mansory fashion, the Cabrera goes extreme in ways Lamborghini never did when it created the Aventador SVJ. Shmee was on hand to give us a close look at the Cabrera and all its infinite glory. YouTube personality Shmee recently took a trip to the Mansory headquarters in Germany to take a look at the tuners three new projects that it created to celebrate its 30th anniversary as a company. One of those three models is the Mansory Cabrera, a ridiculous aftermarket creation based on the already ridiculous Lamborghini Aventador SVJ. Does the Cabrera name sound familiar to you? It should, at least if you followed the development history of the model that came to be known as the Huracan. When rumors started flying that Lamborghini was developing the successor to the Lamborghini Gallardo, people referred to the developmental model as the Cabrera, a nod to one of the five historic lines of Spanish bulls that the Gallardo name is also a part of. The Gallardos successor ended up being named the Huracan after a specific Spanish bull that fought in 1879. Little did we know that somebody else had plans to use the Cabrera name six years after the Huracan was launched. Whats so special about the Mansory Cabrera? For starters, its a Mansory creation, which is special enough on its own. But theres more to it than that, too. The Cabrera, together with the Mansory Le Mansory, was created to celebrate the German tuners 30th anniversary. The two exotic builds were supposed to debut at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show, but with the coronavirus effectively putting the entire world on lockdown back in March, Mansory had no choice but to find alternative ways to introduce the Cabrera to the world. Whats Shmees involvement in all of this Shmee, or Tim Burton in real life, is one of the most recognized car bloggers in the world. The London-based YouTube personality is a fixture in a lot of exclusive debuts, and it comes as no surprise that he was invited to Mansorys headquarters to not only showcase the Cabrera on his YouTube channel but, more importantly, to take it out for a spin around town. How did Shmee take to the Mansory Cabrera? As you might expect, Shmee was all-too-eager to talk about the Cabrera to fans of his YouTube channel. Its not at all surprising since Shmee is known for doing comprehensive walk-around videos of cars that make it to his channel. He didnt waste time with this one, too, pointing out immediately how the Cabrera is a completely rebuilt car thats now completely made from carbon fiber. You can see the exposed carbon fiber throughout the body, and the panels that arent seen are dressed to the nines in the Vento Verde Satin Green paint finish that Mansory cooked up on its own. From there, Shmee gives us a good look at the rear section of the Cabrera, which is probably the most radical-looking area of the purpose-built supercar. From the enormous rear wing to the quad exhaust pipes that look like jet turbines to the equally imposing double diffuser, the entire rear section setup is about as extreme as you can get on a supercar. That also holds true in the front where Mansory completely recreated the look of the Cabrera, moving completely away from the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ on which the Cabrera is based. Some elements of the Aventador SVJ remain in the Cabrera the active flaps and Lambos ALA system are still there but a lot of it has changed though Mansorys doing. The new LED headlamps, in particular, give the supercar a completely different look. The splitter design and the endplates that wrap around to the side panels also give the Cabrera a distinctive appearance. All that said, the most distinctive design element of the Cabrera can be seen all over the car. The entire engine cover, the cooling vents, and even the sharks fin-styled spine that runs towards and connects to the wing are all made from carbon fiber. Even the louvers, mirror caps, and even the wheel covers yes, there are wheel covers are all made from top-grade, stealth-weaved naked carbon fiber. The Mansory Cabrera isnt just all-looks, is it? No, it most certainly is not. Underneath the all-new bodywork is a modified version of Lamborghinis irrepressible 6.5-liter V-12 engine. Lamborghini developed the V-12 to produce an insane 759 horsepower and 537 pound-feet of torque. With these numbers, the Aventador SVJ can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in just 2.8 seconds and hit a top speed of over 217 mph. The tuner didnt elaborate on what it did to the Aventador SVJs V-12 engine, only saying that its engineers rebuilt the massive engine to unlock more power out of it. The result speaks for itself; the heavily tuned V-12 engine can now produce a whopping 800 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque. Do the math and youre looking at improvements amounting to 41 horsepower and 42 pound-feet of torque. The increased output manifests itself spectacularly in the Cabreras performance times. Mansory claims that its mental monstrosity is capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds before peaking at a top speed of 220 mph. Shmee can probably afford one, but can we? The short answer is no. Between its super exclusive status only three conversions will be built and the sticker price of a stock Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, the Mansory Cabrera will go down as one of the rarest and most expensive cars Mansory has ever built. The Aventador SVJ is priced at over $500,000, and thats without Mansorys conversion. Opt for the full boat of upgrades and your cost could balloon to seven figures easily. Perhaps its better to simply admire the Mansory Cabrera from afar. Watching this video is a good way to get that ball rolling. Sales dropped from 12,000 units in 2017 to less than 7,000 in 2019, so Ford decided to halt production of the tenth-generation sedan after four years. 2020 is the final year for the Continental in the United States. Lincoln revived the iconic Continental nameplate for the 2017 model year, a full 15 years after it sent it into the history books with the ninth-generation model. The new Continental was supposed to put Lincoln back on track as a solid premium brand against Cadillac , Mercedes-Benz, BMW , and Audi . But things didnt go as planned despite the new Continental featuring a nicely appointed interior, powerful engines, and even a special-edition model with rear-hinged passenger doors. Poor sales and Americas love for trucks and SUVs is killing off the Continental The Continental was relaunched at a time when sales of trucks and SUVs had already taken off and many automakers were already considering giving up on sedans. Shortly after that, Ford decided to discontinue all cars in the United States save for the Mustang, killing off the Taurus, Fusion, Focus, and Fiesta. Although Lincoln still offers the MKZ, its pretty obvious that the brand is now more focused on SUVs, offering four distinct models from the compact Nautilus to the massive Navigator. Just to get an idea, 70 percent of the U.S. vehicle market in 2019 was trucks and SUVs. Speaking of sales, the Continental failed below expectations. During its first year on the market in 2017, the Continental moved 12,012 units in the U.S., which wasnt all that bad. However, sales decreased to 8,758 units in 2018 and then took another dive to 6,586 units in 2019. Thats below the Cadillac CT6, yet another slow seller, which moved 9,668 units in 2018 and 7,951 examples in 2019. Things become even worse when compared to full-size models from the German premium brands. Mercedes-Benz sold 12,528 units of the S-Class in 2019, while BMW delivered 8,823 examples of the 7 Series. Granted, Audi sold notably less A8 models in 2019, but the Continental still comes fourth in a market it once led. And thats worrying given that the Continental retails from $46,305, while its competitors come with stickers between $59,000 and $94,000. The Continental also accounts for only 8.3 percent of total Lincoln sales in 2019, so it's pretty obvious why Lincoln wants to stick to SUVs. But the Continentals poor sales arent just because people prefer trucks and SUVs. The full-size sedan also didnt live up to its concept version and many customers complained about the poor interior. The Lincoln Continental will live on in China for 2021 Although it wont survive in the United States beyond 2020, the Continental will remain in showrooms for one more year in China. Thats not surprising because while sales dropped dramatically in the U.S., Continental deliveries in China remained steady at around $10,000 units per year. But 2021 will be the Continentals final year on any market, putting an end to a rather short five-year life cycle. The Lincoln Continental left an important mark Although it wont be remembered as one of the more important versions of the iconic Continental, the tenth-gen model left an important mark on the Lincoln brand. For starters, it reintroduced actual names and led Lincolns campaigned to drop the confusing MK nomenclature. The MKZ is the only model standing, but it will be discontinued as well soon. Second, Lincoln learned from the mistakes it made with the Continental and delivered better Navigator and Aviator models and not just washed up variants of a cool concept. The Lincoln Continental could return as an EV Although its going into the history books again, the Continental could return soon. Lets face it, its Lincolns most iconic nameplate and the American brand probably wont wait another 15 years to bring one into dealerships. But its quite obvious that Lincoln needs a different approach and an electric model might be the solution. With Ford having launched the Mustang Mach-E with various electric drivetrains that deliver up to 459 horsepower, perhaps theres a future for an electric Continental that would rival the Tesla Model S and upcoming EV equivalents of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series. The Lincoln Continental has the same fate as the Cadillac CT6 The Continental isnt the only full-size American sedan thats going under. Cadillac also discontinued the CT6, a model it had introduced only a few months before the Continental. The CT6 fared a bit better with some 36,000 units sold in three and a half years, but it also didnt live up to expectation. Cadillac stopped production of the CT6 in January 2020, when GM kicked off a retooling of the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant for electric vehicles. Ford is doing an excellent job of keeping up with all the hype surrounding the upcoming 2021 Bronco. The SUV is less than two weeks away from its launch and teasers are coming out more frequently. The company started an Instagram page for the Bronco a couple of days back and has already posted a video where you can hear the Bronco grunting and rumbling on mountainous roads, and now, it has released a set of images showing the SUVs front end. Germany and Turkey will continue their talks on tourism and conditions for lifting coronavirus-related travel restrictions, the German foreign minister said on Thursday. Speaking at a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart in Berlin, Heiko Maas said Turkey provided today detailed information about its COVID-19 containment measures and safe tourism program, which would be reviewed by relevant German and European authorities. In the next two weeks, we would have discussions within the EU and would review the list of positive countries, he said, referring to the countries, which were classified by the 27-member bloc as safe countries for travel. But I cannot prejudge the outcome of our assessment, Maas added. Objective assessment Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, for his part, renewed his call on Germany to reconsider its travel warning on Turkey, stressing that Ankara has taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of tourists. Germany needs to revise its travel warning on Turkey based on objective assessments. Our German friends also want to holiday here, Cavusoglu said. He said this is not only important for Turkish tourism but also for German tourism sector. It needs to be evaluated within the framework of objective criteria. We gave the latest figures to Heiko [Maas] today. Our friends will give to their interlocutors, he said. If we look from the objective perspective, Turkey should be on the list of safe countries. Turkey and Germany are both the worlds best countries in terms of health care, he added. Cavusoglu also said he has German neighbors in his hometown Antalya and they are starting to come to Turkey. This is because they see Turkey as a safe country. If the restrictions and travel warning lifted, they will come more comfortably, he said. On Tuesday, EU members decided to lift travel restrictions initially for 15 countries, including Canada, Algeria, Tunisia, Serbia, Rwanda, South Korea and Thailand, after a long debate among the member states. The EUs decision drew criticism from Ankara, with Turkish officials stressing that their country, which has successfully managed the pandemic process, should have been included in the list. Asked whether Germany would scrap its national travel warning for Turkey, Maas said Berlin has to coordinate any decision on lifting travel restrictions with other EU member states. Last month, Chancellor Angela Merkels government decided to lift its global travel warning only for EU member states and Schengen associated countries (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland), but extended it for all the other countries until the end of August. Turkey is one of the most popular travel destinations for German holiday makers. Nearly 5 million German tourists traveled to Turkey last year. Image Credit: (AA) Tomorrow is now here. The restart of tourism means the return of hope and opportunity for many millions of people around the world. This week, Europe leads the way in restarting tourism. Destinations throughout the Schengen Zone are once again open. The lifting of borders will have an immediate and significant impact on economies and livelihoods. For Spain, host country of UNWTO, and neighbours Portugal, the occasion will be marked by a special ceremony. The presence of His Majesty King Felipe VI and President Pedro Sanchez of Spain alongside President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Antonio Costa of Portugal is testament to the significance of tourisms restart for both countries. So too is the practical support that tourism has received, including from the very highest political level. The European Commission has provided an unprecedented degree of economic support for the sector. And at the national level, has France has echoed our call to back tourism with actions and not just words, giving the sector and the businesses that make it the economic help they need to survive and lead recovery. To reflect this, UNWTO is changing gears in how we support our Member States and tourism at large. This week I resume person-to-person official meetings as I lead a delegation on an official visit to Italy and to the Vatican City. This is an opportunity to show our support for tourism and for a country that is not only a true global tourism leader, but which was one of the worst-affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in all of Europe. Our visit to Italy will allow us to learn more about important steps being taken to make tourism more sustainable, more resilient and more innovative. It also offers an opportunity to celebrate what makes tourism: people. This will be the first of a series of visits as the world steadily opens up again, allowing us to lead by example in supporting tourism and making our sector a vital tool for recovery. At the same time, it is only right that we remain cautious. This crisis is far from over. In other regions of the world, borders remain closed to tourism and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread. The human toll, economic cost and social impact are still growing. This is no time for complacency. And even where the worst appears to have passed, the threat of the pandemic returning means we must act responsibly and make public health our priority. During these difficult months, tourism has stepped up to meet this unprecedented challenge with determination and an unparalleled spirit of solidarity. We carry this into the next stage. Tourisms restart is a step towards ending many weeks of uncertainty and replace it with a renewed sense of confidence. As we meet in person again, we can build trust, the essential foundation as we work together to grow back stronger and better. But this will only work out, if we act with responsibility its better to be right, than to be first. Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO Secretary-General Image Credit: AA Latin America reported more than 2.6 million coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, but countries in the region are showing no intention of reimposing lockdowns as they grapple with reopening plans. Mexico Mexican businesses have been closed since April in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But in response to a downward trend in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19, Mexican authorities decided reopening day is here, although with a lot of restrictions. On June 29, several businesses in the city were gradually reactivated. On Wednesday, it was the hotels and restaurants turn. Restaurants will operate with a capacity of 30%-40% while hotels will maintain a maximum occupation of 30%. Menus will have to be disposable, exposed on a blackboard, or seen through a QR code; an online reservation system and card payments will be encouraged. The country has registered more than 231,000 cases and more than 28,000 deaths. Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic reopened airports, hotels and restaurants Wednesday under strict health measures. The tourism industry had been paralyzed since mid-March due to the closure of borders as a result of the global impact of COVID-19. The country welcomed international visitors from the US after three months of closure, which has been devastating for the sector, on which 8% of the GDP and 300,000 direct jobs depend. The Caribbean nation has reported 33,387 cases and 754 deaths. Brazil Brazil topped 60,000 deaths from the novel coronavirus after recording more than 1,000 fatalities over the last 24 hours, health authorities said Wednesday. The second-worst affected nation in the world also reported nearly 1.5 million cases as of Wednesday. Due to the increase in COVID-19 cases, the countrys 2020 municipal elections scheduled for October were postponed. The Brazilian Chamber of Deputies approved a constitutional amendment Wednesday that postpones the first round for six weeks. As a result, the first round will take place on Nov. 15 and the second on Nov. 29. They were originally scheduled on Oct. 4 and Oct. 25 respectively. For now, it will only be delayed for a few weeks, but authorities can postpone it even more if the health crisis continues in November. The final deadline for the elections to take place, in any case, must be Dec. 27. Uruguay After the European Union reopened its borders to 14 countries including Uruguay, the only one in Latin America, the South American nation announced that it is analyzing the opening of its borders to EU countries. Uruguayan Foreign Minister Ernesto Talvi said Tuesday in Montevideo that the opening of borders should be the result of a bilateral agreement. "For flights to be profitable, they have to come with people and go with people. There has to be coordination and reciprocity for there to be a bilateral opening of the borders," he said. Uruguay currently only allows the entry of nationals, foreigners residing in the country or members of the diplomatic corps. With 943 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 28 deaths, it distinguishes itself from its South American neighbors. Image Credit: AA Johnstown, PA (15901) Today Showers and thundershowers this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Low 56F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Showers and thundershowers this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Low 56F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. MBABANE - The man who was fined 12 cattle for alleged adultery now wants the High Court to overturn the decision of the Masundvwini Royal Kraal Inner Council. Nhlanhla Joseph Dlamini was fined a total of 12 cattle after the inner council purportedly found him guilty of having unlawfully, intentionally and knowingly slept with the wife of Elmon Mabuyendiya Nxumalo. Nxumalo is a King Liaison Officer (Ndabazabantu) based in Nhlangano in the Shiselweni Region. Dlamini has since moved an application at the High Court where he is seeking an order declaring the orders purportedly issued by the Masundvwini Royal Kraal Inner Council invalid and of no force and effect. The orders, according to Dlamini, were issued on April 26, 2018 and September 15, 2018. He also wants the court to review and set aside the orders issued by the inner council finding him guilty of adultery and fining him five and seven cattle respectively. The applicant is represented by senior attorney Sabelo Bhembe of Bhembe Attorneys. Sleeping In his founding affidavit, Dlamini narrated that on August 16, 2017, he was called by the Masundvwini Royal Kraal Inner Council, to answer on a charge of unlawfully, intentionally and knowingly sleeping with Nxumalos wife. He told the court that the case was heard at the Masundvwini Royal Kraal. He alleged that his first encounter with Nxumalo was in 1998 at Logoba Royal Kraal, where he had laid a similar charge against him. According to Dlamini, the matter briefly appeared before the Logoba Royal Kraal Libandla and it was then decided that Nxumalos father in-law should be called since he was not present on the day. When the matter resumed at a later date at Logoba Royal Kraal, Nxumalos father in- law, Mathambo Sihlongonyane, requested that the matter should be transferred to his own chiefdom where he can be in a position to address it with Nxumalo, alleged Dlamini. Nxumalos father in-law is further alleged to have stated that if he (Nxumalo) wanted his lobola back, he should come to him rather than to lay a charge against another man. The applicant (Dlamini) claimed that the libandla granted the request and the matter was removed from Logoba Royal Kraal. Affidavit These are allegations contained in an affidavit whose veracity is still to be tested in court. Dlamini told the court that on August 16, 2017, the matter appeared at Masundvwini Royal Kraal and the alleged wife of the first respondent (Nxumalo) was present. When the charge was read to me, I pleaded not guilty and explained that I did not know that the lady was Nxumalos wife as I found her in a rented flat at Mpaka living alone. She was not residing with Nxumalo, averred Dlamini. He said he further explained to the council that the lady did not inform him that she was married to Nxumalo. The Sihlongonyane members who are the in-laws of Nxumalo told the council that he (Nxumalo) never reported the alleged infidelity of their daughter to them as a family according to Swazi Law and Custom, submitted the applicant. He further claimed that the Sihlongonyane family also mentioned that Nxumalo had left their daughter and that she had been residing alone for over a period of four years. According to Dlamini, the council then ordered the Nxumalo and Sihlongonyane families to meet and bring back a report within four weeks. He alleged that a written order to that effect was issued on October 5, 2017, signed by the Chairman of the inner council, Samuel Mduna Phungwayo. Dlamini averred that he was never told of any developments after the order of October 5, 2017 was issued until the month of November 2017, when he received summons to appear before Ndabazabantu in Manzini concerning the matter. The applicant alleged that he decided to honour the summons and appear before the late Khopho Dlamini who was the Ndabazabantu in Manzini. Argument He alleged that after a lengthy argument, Khopho dismissed the matter on the basis that it was still pending before the Masundvwini Royal Kraal. I again received summons from Ndabazabantu for the Manzini Region to appear before him on July 5, 2018. I immediately engaged the services of my present attorney, who wrote to the office of Ndabazabantu informing them that I wanted to be legally represented in the matter and also informing the office of the order of the Masundvwini Royal Kraal Inner Council, alleged the applicant. I did not hear anything after that nor was I called to any forum about the matter until January 30, 2019 when I read in the front page of the Times of Eswatini that I had been found guilty of sleeping with another mans wife and fined seven cattle. I must mention that my name was blocked- off but could tell that the article referred to me, he argued. Dlamini submitted that he immediately went to the Masundvwini Royal Kraal to ask the inner council about the article and whether they had issued an order in the matter between him and Nxumalo. Answer The applicant claimed that he did not get a clear answer except to be informed by members of the inner council that he would be called on another date, something that did not happen to this day. He recounted that on May 8, 2020, he received summons to appear at the Manzini Swazi Nation Court on May 27, 2020 at 9am concerning the matter between him and Nxumalo. Dlamini alleged that he was advised by his lawyer that he was given a copy of an alleged order of the inner council dated September 28, 2018. According to Dlamini, the order stated that members of the inner council comprising the chairman, Phungwayo, Makhundu Mahlalela, David Lukhele, Fanukwete Dlamini, Sipho Magagula, Sandile Shabalala and Samuel Jele, deliberated the matter between him and Nxumalo. The order, according to the applicant, further stated that the Sihlongonyane family members were present and that Nxumalo had laid a charge that he (applicant) slept with his wife. The order further stated that I was found guilty upon my plea and fined seven cattle; one for the inner council, one for the emissary who would effect the order, namely Samuel Jele and the remaining five to be given to Nxumalo. The order also gave me up until the end of November 2018 to have paid the seven cattle as the matter was finalised in the year 2017, he averred. Gerald Kirkham, 88, of Terre Haute, passed away Friday, June 18, 2021 in Terre Haute Regional Hospital. Gerald was born in New Goshen on June 9, 1933 to Cecil Kirkham and Fay Lake Kirkham. He was a member of the Lutheran Church and member of the American Legion in Sellersburg, IN. He was an Two controversial Indiana laws that would restrict abortion access in the state have been sent back to the federal courts for further review after awaiting potential intervention by the nations highest court. The U.S. Supreme Court announced Thursday it had issued two petitions for certiorari, vacating old lower court rulings and asking the federal courts to review the laws further. The decision arrived days after the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law designed to restrict abortion access in a 5-4 decision on the case June Medical Services v. Russo Get breaking news delivered to you! Sign up for our newsletters to get the latest, breaking news. The latest order by the Supreme Court targets two separate Indiana abortion laws. The first, a 2016 law signed by former Indiana Gov. and Vice President Mike Pence, would require patients seeking an abortion to obtain an ultrasound at least 18 hours before the procedure. The second law passed in 2017 under current Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and places further requirements on minors who wish to have an abortion. Under the law, a judge in most circumstances would be required to notify the minors parents or guardians even if the minor is asking for permission to bypass parental approval. Additionally, children who are wards of state are virtually barred from having an abortion unless a doctor can demonstrate not having one could lead to serious injury or death. Initially, the lower federal courts that reviewed the 2016 and 2017 laws attempted to block them, arguing the 2016 law offered no medical basis for requiring an additional ultrasound and that the 2017 law could endanger minors living in abusive homes. The laws are two of five cases now under review by the federal courts that involve Indiana policies on abortion access. Both the 2016 and 2017 laws were challenged by the pro-abortion organization and provider Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, or PPINK. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana and national arms of Planned Parenthood and the ACLU represented them in their opposition. PPINK CEO Chris Charbonneau said in a statement the organization is disappointed to see the Supreme Court not take action on the cases. These laws and others like them have nothing to do with the health and well-being of the patient, and everything to do with the politicization of abortion care, Charbonneau said. TheStatehouseFile.com is a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. MANZINI Nurses are working in fear at the National Psychiatric Referral Hospital as there is no medication to treat psychotic illnesses. The psychiatric centre is located at Two Sticks in Manzini. According to aggrieved nurses, the institution has been without medication for quite some time and they were facing challenges as the patients had become violent towards them. The nurses claimed that the patients had started beating them up when they were going about their duties. The nurses raised a concern that this had come about due to the lack of medication such as modecate and fluanxol injections. Modecate is used to treat schizophrenia. It is thought to work by reducing dopamine (a chemical messenger) in certain areas of the brain while fluanxol is also used in the treatment of schizophrenia. Brain Fluanxol is thought to work by affecting nerve pathways in certain areas of the brain to help correct certain chemical imbalances that cause the symptoms of schizophrenia. The sources said the medication had been out of stock for an extended period, which could be over two weeks. One of the sources said the medication was critical as it was given to psychotic patients who were enrolled for a longer period. The source said this brought about a challenge in that the patients were now defaulting and becoming more violent. This is a challenge now as the patients are beating us while we are also being exposed to COVID -19 as the out-patients have to regularly come to seek tablets that will assist with their conditions, the source said. Bheki Mamba, President of the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), confirmed that there were challenges at the hospital. He said the lack of medication was not just unique to the National Psychiatric Hospital, but it was the same case in many facilities. Episodes Mamba said the violent episodes had been reported to his office. He said the challenge with the nurses at the psychiatric centre was that they dealt with psychotic patients. The nurses should be careful and if need be, move away from any possibility of danger, Mamba said. He said they had engaged government on the lack of medication and had been informed that there were fiscal challenges which were delaying the procurement of the medication. Worth noting is that the country has been in a state of national emergency for about three months. This resulted in a number of businesses ceasing to operate for over two months. This is not the first time the hospital faces challenges as nurses let patients out after complaining about unfavourable working conditions. Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula said the ministry would investigate the allegations. In terms of the shortage of medication, Magagula said the Ministry of Health would communicate through the right channels when the nurses should expect medication. MBABANE Theres no need to panic, teachers will have enough time to prepare pupils for the exams. This is just what many parents, especially those with pupils in external classes, want to hear. There have been concerns on whether teachers will be able to cover the syllabus on time for pupils to sit for their exams. It would seem these concerns have been allayed following the closure of schools with intent to minimise the spread of COVID-19, which was first discovered in Wuhan, China in November last year. The schools were closed in March this year and government has since proposed the reopening of external classes on July 6, 2020, starting with Form Vs. Eswatini Principals Association President Welcome Mhlanga said as far as they were concerned, teachers would have enough time to prepare pupils for the final examination. Optimism Mhlanga said the optimism was informed by the commitment from teachers in schools around the country. He made an example that some teachers would normally finish the syllabus three months before schedule and utilise the remaining time for revision. There is no reason to worry, teachers will have enough time to prepare pupils for the final examination, Mhlanga said on national radio yesterday morning. He added that in some schools, teachers were ahead with preparations for the reopening of schools. The president also observed that there was 100 per cent attendance after government ordered all high school teachers to report to their various schools in readiness for reopening this week. However, Mhlanga stated that in as much as teachers had to remain strong, they also feared COVID-19 just like the pupils. He called upon government to provide psychological assistance as they executed their duties. Minister of Education and Training Lady Mabuza was asked on how far the ministry agreed with Mhlanga. In her response, the minister said the ministry fully concurred with the association. Mabuza pointed out that a final examination was a collection of what pupils covered in the previous syllabus. She made an example that part of the Form V examination includes what pupils learnt in Form IV. I hope you can agree with me that some teachers finish the syllabus even before pupils sit for their mock examination. Examination If schools closed in March, there is a possibility that some teachers were about to finish the syllabus, Mabuza said. Worth noting is that government has suggested that schools should use weekends and holidays to try and recover the time lost during the temporary closure. Meanwhile, the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) viewed the EPAs statement as an over-exaggeration that could give emaSwati the impression that the temporary closure of schools had no effect at all. SNAT Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini said there was a difference between principals and head teachers, which was why EPA could come up with such a statement. Dlamini stated that as far as he was concerned, head teachers referred to the teachers who headed schools and also taught pupils, whereas principals were those who administered schools without teaching. He said head teachers could agree with SNAT that EPA was over-generalising things. Dlamini stated that subjects taught in schools differed as some required practicals within the syllabus. He made an example of Geography, stating that the subject could not be finished before the stipulated time. I think the best way to respond to this question will be saying the situation will depend on the teachers. Teachers are professionals and I hope they will prioritise to ensure that critical chapters are covered before the final examination. Saying that we have enough time portrays that nothing bad had happened yet there was a big loss, he said. Questions He said an added advantage to the pupils was that some subjects allowed them to choose questions during the final examination. Some parents partly agreed with Mhlanga while others held a different view. Those who agreed with Mhlanga stated that it was possible that there was enough time to prepare pupils for the final examination. I made sure that my children participated in the learning programmes, which were initiated by government. I listened to the programmes and I can attest that pupils can make sense out of them. I believe the online learning programmes initiated by some schools have played a vital role in preparing pupils for the examination. Preparing for an examination is not about going to class. It is all about making use of the material, said Sipho Tfwala. Others felt that some pupils would be hugely affected by the three months loss of learning. They stated that some pupils understood better if there was a teacher in front of them. 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Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph, becoming ENE and decreasing to less than 5 mph. - Comedia Sleepy David took to social media to defend Victor Ber after Zeddy accused him of frustrating artists - According to Sleepy, Ber is a good person who did nothing but dedicated his energy to ensure that the industry grew as expected - Zeddy was not ready to hear any of that and called out her colleague saying that he only made a comeback to Churchill show after his show with Teacher Wanjiku failed to succeed Hours after accusing Churchill Show's creative director, Victor Ber, as the man behind artists woes, comedian Zainabu Zeddy has clashed with fellow comedian Sleepy David. The two clashed after David took to social media to defend Ber over Zeddy's allegations. READ ALSO: Churchill Show comedian Othuol to undergo brain surgery Zeddy clashed with Sleepy David after he defended Victor Ber. Photo courtesy: Zainabu Zeddy. Source: Instagram READ ALSO: Man says wife's decision to leave him, their two kids with autism was great relief According to David's post, he differed with Zeddy's accusations saying that Ber was one great guy who dedicated his time to building the industry. The comedian said that the creative director shared a very personal relationship with most of the comedians among them being the late Kasee and the ailing Othuol Othuol. "About Ber, now for all of you judging a man you do not even know, you need to meet Ber. Great guy. He has paid his price in building the industry. Ask yourself why no comedian is saying anything about this man amidst the drama. I have soo much respect for Victor, did you actually know that Ber was among the few people that hanged out with Kasee before he passed on?" he wrote David. READ ALSO: Magazeti ya Alhamisi, Julai 2:DP Ruto awamwagia 'mahustler' mamilioni ya pesa Angered by her colleague's post, comedienne Zeddy took to the comment section and openly told David that he was defending Ber because he always favoured him. According to her, the guy is only on Churchill Show because his show with Ber's wife failed to work at Citizen TV. "Sleepy you are just saying this because Ber favours you. You are only at Churchill Show because your show with Teacher Wanjiku at Citizen TV never succeeded. I am sure if it succeeded you would not have come back to Churchill Show. You came back through Ber so that you can build a name and when you achieve your goal you leave. I hope Churchill opens his eyes," said Zeddy. READ ALSO: Comedian Zeddy accuses Teacher Wanjiku's husband of being behind their problems: "Mzizi wa fitina" In other news, Zeddy left many social media users confused on Wednesday, July 1 after her confession. She boldly called out Teacher Wanjiku's husband blaming him for the death of Kasee and Njenga Mswahili. In his defence, Ber denied the allegations saying that he understood the comedienne was grieving. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. I will never give up on my children - Martin Kilavi | Tuko TV Source: Tuko News - Ezekiel Mutua said Anita Nderu's viral cooking show was pathetic and was a result of lack of creativity and imagination - Mutua said no brand should be proud of such "madness" because it portrayed laziness of the mind - In the controversial cooking show, the media personality hosted two gay men and they were all using obscene language - The viral video ignited scathing reactions with many saying such kind of content should not be allowed Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Film and Classification Board (KFCB) Ezekiel Mutua has blasted Anita Nderu for hosting gay men in her cooking show. Mutua said the TV personality's show was a pathetic attempt to promote homosexuality in the name of user-generated content and freedom of expression. READ ALSO: TV anchor Ken Mijungu among journalists sacked at NTV Ezekiel Mutua said Anita Nderu had lacked imagination. Photo: Ezekiel Mutua. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Mombasa pastor disappears with KSh 200k contributions 3 weeks to his wedding day Taking to his Twitter, the CEO also christened moral police said no brand should promote such "madness" which he said was a result of lack of imagination. "Anita Nderu as a pathetic attempt to promote homosexuality in the name of user-generated content and freedom of expression. "No brand worth its name should be proud of this madness. It's the laziness of mind and lack of imagination to fall for such cheap gimmick!" an infuriated Mutua said. READ ALSO: Former Raila Odinga's chief of staff Caroli Omondi joins William Ruto's team ahead of 2022 At the comment section, netizens concurred with him with many calling out the media personality for the show. Here are some of the reactions: His sentiments came barely a day after Nderu found herself on the wrong side with netizens after the controversial show went viral. Taking to the various social media platforms, her followers expressed their disappointment in the woman they said they valued highly. READ ALSO: Khloe Kardashian reconciles with baby daddy Tristan months after cheating scandal In the video, she was making food with two homosexual men while using Freshfry cooking oil and many misconstrued the video to be an advertisement for the product. However, Pwani Oil distanced itself from the video and said it was in no way linked to it. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. I will never give up on my children - Martin Kilavi | Tuko TV Source: Tuko Breaking News Latest OKLAHOMA CITY The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Thursday awarded $900,000 apiece to two Oklahoma tribes as part of HUDs Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Imminent Threat program. The Peoria Tribe, Wichita Tribe and affiliates will get the money. The program provides funding to help address problems that pose an imminent threat to public health or safety of tribal residents. Specifically, the money will be used to help tribes prevent, prepare for and respond to COVID-19. All told, HUD is awarding $100 million to tribes nationwide, $15 million in the first phase. "(Thursday's) grant announcement will help families throughout Indian Country to access essential resources amid the coronavirus outbreak," HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson said in a statement. R. Hunter Kurtz is assistant secretary for Public and Indian Housing. "From helping Tribes build more affordable housing to building a place where families can go to quarantine, this funding will help Native Americans persevere during this unprecedented time," he said in a statement. Subscribe to Daily Headlines Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The business news you need With a weekly newsletter looking back at local history. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission saw a decrease in both initial and continued unemployment claims for the week ending June 27. For the file week ending June 27, the advance number of initial claims, unadjusted, totaled 16,680, a decrease of 41,933 from the previous weeks revised level of 58,613. Oklahoma had the largest decrease in initial claims in the nation for the file week ending June 20, a dip of 26,166, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. OESC held in-person, socially distanced events Wednesday and Thursday in the Oklahoma City area to process claims for those who required one-on-one assistance. Those events will continue Monday through Thursday of next week. Even with the significant decrease in initial claims, our team has been hard at work processing claims in person in Midwest City this week, OESC Interim Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt said in a statement. Our July 1 event met our anticipated goal of serving 500 people. We know theres still a significant need, so we are adding events to ensure more Oklahomans are served in central Oklahoma, along with our upcoming Tulsa events slated for mid-July. We are continuing to adjust our processes at our events and pivot throughout each day to ensure claims are being processed quickly and safely. OKLAHOMA CITY Former Public Safety Commissioner Rusty Rhoades and two of his former top aides on Thursday sued Gov. Kevin Stitt. The suit alleges that Rhoades and his aides were fired after they discovered wrongdoing in how the Department of Public Safety handled civil asset forfeitures. It also alleges outside interference into a DPS probe of allegations that a member of the Highway Patrol attempted to bribe Rhoades in an effort to get a promotion. Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Chip Keating, his deputy Jason Nelson and Joe Claro, a DPS attorney, are also named as defendants in the lawsuit. Keating is a former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper and son of former Gov. Frank Keating. Nelson is a former lawmaker. The other plaintiffs are Megan L. Simpson, former DPS general counsel, assistant commissioner and chief of administration, and former Oklahoma Highway Patrol Chief Michael S. Harrell. The lawsuit alleges that an internal DPS probe into the civil asset forfeiture program threatened a source of income for the state. Department staff will review plans and either suggest improvements or approve them, Bynum said. If the department certifies an organizations safety plan, then that organization will be able to tell their clients or congregants that they have a Tulsa Health Department certified safety plan. Bynum said he had discussed with Dart about whether Tulsa needs to ban events of a certain size. He said Dart told him that it depends on the events circumstances and environment. So Bynum said that, instead of establishing an arbitrary size cutoff, he will require any event of at least 500 people to have a safety plan approved beforehand. This will allow the departments staff to work with event organizers on a case-by-case basis in making safe decisions, he said. City-wide mask mandate? Bynum said that if at any point Dart feels a citywide mask order is necessary, he will issue an executive order for it on that day. For now, the mayor said, the Health Department is recommending the mask mandate for all bar and restaurant workers while at work. OKLAHOMA CITY Two police officers from a small southern Oklahoma town have been charged with second-degree murder after being accused of using their stun guns more than 50 times on a 28-year-old man who subsequently died. Wilson Police Officers Joshua Taylor, 26, and Brandon Dingman, 34, were charged Wednesday in the death of Jared Lakey a year ago, according to court documents. Court documents say the two officers used their stun guns on Lakey more than 50 times, which greatly exceeded what would have been necessary or warranted by the attendant circumstances and was a substantial factor in Lakeys death. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, which assisted with the investigation at the request of the Carter County Sheriffs Office, said that after Taylor and Dingman used their stun guns on Lakey on July 4, 2019, Lakey was hospitalized and died on July 6, 2019. Taylor and Dingman had come into contact with Lakey after responding to a call that he was acting in a disorderly way, the OSBI said. The agency said that when Lakey wouldnt comply with the officers commands, they used their stun guns multiple times. "With all the lawlessness that weve seen across the nation in the recent months and weeks, then the shooting in Tulsa kind of brought it to a head that these people that are out there on the front lines need encouragement," Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, told The Oklahoman. At Keystone Lake, Eufaula, Tenkiller and Grand Lake, lakeside businesses are looking for an influx of fireworks lovers with Tulsas annual fireworks event canceled. We are going to have a great time on the water, said Sean Adair, general manager at Pier 51 Marina at Keystone Lake. On Friday, the marina is holding a boat parade from the marina to Edgewater RV Park where park owner Larry Chasteen, a pyrotechnician, shoots off his own show. He really knows what hes doing and always puts on a great show, Adair said. Saturday, the marina hosts a show that is launched from the shoreline opposite the marina with Hance Fireworks of Tahlequah launching a show near dusk, he said. A lot of people watch from shore, but a lot do come out on their boats because its a lot more fun and its like the fireworks are right over the top of you, Adair said. Our cove and deck will be full, and the (Keystone) state park usually reaches capacity at about 5 or 6 in the afternoon. Weekends at Keystone Lake have been busy since the COVID-19 shutdowns began, Adair said. A mayoral candidate who was accused of sexual assault announced the end of his campaign in light of those allegations, but his name will still appear on the August ballot. Ricco Wright, who announced his candidacy in June, said in a prepared statement that he was withdrawing from the mayoral race. The sexual assault allegations against me should not be a distraction to the work that needs to be done, Wright said. And while the timing of said allegations is worth noting, the timing of the issues and problems is far more paramount because the world is now focusing on equity issues like never before. Wright said he can address the issues without being in a political office. Although his name will still be on the ballot Aug. 25, he renounced his candidacy for the office, currently occupied by Mayor G.T. Bynum. The deadline for withdrawal from the ballot was June 12, Tulsa County Election Board Secretary Gwen Freeman said. The printing order for ballots has already been placed. Tulsa Police Officer Jeanne Pierce said the procession had made its way from Tulsa to Oklahoma City in relation to Johnsons organ donations. The Highway Patrol reported that Johnsons body was being taken to LifeShare Transplant Donor Services of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin confirmed that no Tulsa police officers were injured in the crash. Bynum said the citys thoughts and prayers were with the injured troopers. Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement: I ask Oklahomans to join the first lady and me in praying for the recovery of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers who were injured, for their families and for all those affected by this terrible accident. It is always difficult to receive news of first responders being injured in the line of duty, but it is especially heartbreaking to learn this incident happened during the procession for an officer who was senselessly murdered while protecting his community. Two more Tulsa County residents died recently from COVID-19, and health officials have identified hundreds more cases of the disease. The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Friday three new deaths from COVID-19 and 526 new cases of the disease. Two of the deaths were in Tulsa County, according to the updated data. Additional details on the deaths reported Friday were not available. The updated numbers push Oklahoma to another milestone, with a cumulative total of 15,065 cases. In little more than four months, 398 people in Oklahoma have died from the disease. Thus far, Tulsa County alone has had 3,792 cases and 72 deaths. Of the Oklahoma patients, 11,519 are considered recovered. The states seven-day rolling average of daily new cases is 398, the second-highest it has been. More than 128,000 Americans have died from the disease, and more than 2.7 million have contracted it. The number of cases nationally grew by 53,621 on Friday. As of Wednesday, 391 Oklahomans were hospitalized due to the disease or while under investigation for it. Of those, about 41% are in intensive care. Prior to it, she said 97,000 Oklahomans with mental health diagnoses were uninsured, and many were only able to access state services when they were in crisis. Mental illness is a progressive disease, White said. When it goes untreated, it gets worse. Having health coverage for Oklahomans that allows them to access treatment at the first sign and symptom can keep diseases from becoming lifelong struggles, she said. Other states that opted to expand Medicaid have seen the number of their mental health hospital stays cut nearly in half, which White said is promising for Oklahoma. Nobody wants to be in the hospital for care for any disease if they can avoid it, White said. And to know we have a shot at that? Scott Hamilton, MHAOK board member and chair of the search committee said the board could not be happier with White as the new CEO. She is the ideal person to continue the organizations mission to promote mental health, prevent suicide, end homelessness and transform the criminal justice system, Hamilton said in a news release. Michael Madsen, MHAOKs board president, echoed Hamiltons thoughts in the same release. Father's Day was spent in under more quiet conditions than usual because of the extended curfew in effect. But the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation has taken the lockdown period to combat the spread of COVID-19 through a sanitisation programme. Here's Alicia Boucher with the details. Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it. I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends. More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it. The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity. About me: I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS. Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line). Age: 42 Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed. I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it). On July 2, the armed formations of the Russian Federation violated ceasefire in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in Donbas ten times. The enemy opened fire from 82mm and 120mm banned mortars, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns, and small arms, the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports. In the zone of action of tactical force North, Russian-occupation troops opened fire from 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems, and heavy machine guns on Ukrainian positions near Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns outside Novooleksandrivka (65km west of Luhansk). In the zone of action of tactical force East, the enemy used 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems, and heavy machine guns to shell Joint Forces units near Kamyanka (62km south of Donetsk); heavy machine guns and small arms on the outskirts of Nevelske (18km north-west of Donetsk); grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns, and small arms to shell defenders of Vodiane (94km south of Donetsk). One Ukrainian serviceman was wounded in the enemy shelling over the past day. Ukrainian defenders stopped the enemy shelling by decisive actions and effective use of duty fire weapons. Today, the enemy has already violated ceasefire seven times. No casualties among Ukrainian troops have been reported. The situation in the JFO area remains controlled. ol The military power of two army corps created by Russia in the territory of DPR and LPR in eastern Ukraine exceed the armed forces of some European countries. Head of the Main Directorate for International Cooperation and Verification of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Leonid Holopatiuk made a corresponding statement during an online meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "The creation of a group of Russian occupation troops in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as part of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps has led to the emergence of a large number of weapons and military equipment in eastern Ukraine," Holopatiuk said during a meeting on the implementation and modernization of the Vienna Document 2011 on confidence and security-building measures. He stressed that a huge group of troops in the "grey zone" in the occupied territories of Donbas "is still not covered by the OSCE regime of arms control and confidence and security-building measures." According to him, the operational strength of the 1st Army Corps, created on the territory of the "Donetsk Peoples Republic", includes: 5 brigades (1st, 3rd, 5th separate motorized rifle brigades, 100th separate motorized rifle brigade of the "Republican Guard" and a separate artillery brigade); 3 separate regiments (11th separate motorized rifle regiment, 9th separate assault motorized rifle regiment of the marine corps and a separate commandant's regiment); 10 separate battalions (divisions). The operational strength of the 2nd Army Corps, created on the territory of the "Luhansk Peoples Republic", includes: 4 brigades (2nd, 4th, 7th separate motorized rifle brigades and a separate artillery brigade); 2 regiments (6th separate motorized rifle regiment and separate commandant's regiment); 6 separate battalions (divisions). "About 35 thousand servicepersons serve in the 1st and 2nd army corps. These army corps have 481 units of battle tanks, 914 units of armored combat vehicles, 720 units of artillery systems and 202 units of multiple rocket launcher systems in the uncontrolled territories of Donbas," the Head of the Main Directorate for International Cooperation and Verification of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. At the same time, the command and staff posts, as well as positions of scarce specialities in the 1st (Donetsk) and 2nd (Luhansk) army corps, are occupied by personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation with a total number of about 650 people. In addition, there are units of operational / combat and logistical support, military advisers, instructors of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Their total number is up to 2,100 Russian servicepersons. To maintain constant tension on the contact line and to ensure the viability of the 1st and 2nd army corps, the ammunition and combustive and lubricating materials are supplied from the territory of the Russian Federation through uncontrolled areas of the state border of Ukraine. ol Our state informed OSCE about military potential being accumulated by Russia against Ukraine Ukrainian and American experts, as well as the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, warned that under the pretext of holding strategic exercises Kavkaz 2020, Russia may resort to a large-scale offensive against Ukraine. The other day, the Russian president signed a decree on conscription from the reserve "for military training" - without specific dates for this training. This only increased the likelihood of an offensive behind the decree may be the attempt of the Russian leadership to conduct a covert mass mobilization for military aggression. Against this background, the question arises: what is the number of Russian troops ready to be involved against Ukraine? How many units of armament and military equipment do they have? In general, the answer to these questions was given at a meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation on July 1. As Ukraine currently chairs this OSCE policy-making body, the issue of implementing and modernizing the 2011 Vienna Document on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures was raised on Wednesday. The main speaker from Ukraine was Head of the Main Directorate for International Cooperation and Verification of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Leonid Holopatiuk. In particular, he pointed to the transformation of the occupied territories of Donbas into a "gray zone" that is not covered by the OSCE regime of arms control and confidence- and security-building measures. Another factor of destabilization is the militarization of the occupied Crimea. The non-transparent nature of military exercises in the Russian Armed Forces also does not inspire confidence. OCCUPATION CORPS IN DONBAS LARGER THAN SOME EUROPEAN ARMIES "Ukraine insists that the Russian Federation has to provide in the Global Exchange of Military Information data on the number of its troops and weapons deployed on the territory of Ukraine," Holopatiuk said. He stressed the need to develop effective mechanisms of international control over the military activities of the Russian-occupying forces deployed to the temporary occupied territory in the eastern part of Ukraine and in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The Ukrainian general said that today Russia has already created three groups of troops near the border with Ukraine, "which are capable of carrying out sudden offensive operations on the territory of Ukraine with limited objectives without declaring mobilization and with minimal preparatory measures." And this is not taking into account the Crimean peninsula turned into a "ground aircraft carrier" and the occupied areas of Donbas where Russia's deployed army corps in terms of their military power and strength outnumber the armies of a number of European countries. The creation of a group of Russian occupation troops in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as part of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps has led to the emergence of a large number of weapons and military equipment in eastern Ukraine. The combat composition of the 1st army corps includes: five brigades (1st, 3rd, 5th separate motorized rifle brigades, 100th separate motorized rifle brigade of the "Republican Guard" and a separate artillery brigade); three separate regiments (11th separate motorized rifle regiment, 9th separate assault motorized rifle regiment of the marine corps and a separate commandant's regiment); ten separate battalions (divisions). The combat composition of the 2nd army corps includes: four brigades (2nd, 4th, 7th separate motorized rifle brigades and a separate artillery brigade); two regiments (6th separate motorized rifle regiment and separate commandant's regiment); six separate battalions (divisions). About 35,000 servicepersons serve in the 1st and 2nd army corps. These army corps have 481 units of battle tanks, 914 units of armored combat vehicles, 720 units of artillery systems and 202 units of multiple launch rocket systems in the non-government-controlled territories of Donbas. At the same time, the command and staff posts, as well as positions of scarce specialities in the 1st (Donetsk) and 2nd (Luhansk) army corps, are occupied by personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation with a total number of about 650 people. In addition, there are units of operational/combat and logistical support, military advisers, instructors of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Their total number is 2,100 Russian servicepersons. To maintain constant tension on the contact line and to ensure the viability of the 1st and 2nd army corps, the ammunition and combustive and lubricating materials are supplied from the territory of the Russian Federation through uncontrolled areas of the state border of Ukraine. CRIMEA AS A "GROUND AIRCRAFT CARRIER" The militarization of Crime remains another destabilizing factor. The peninsula has become a so-called "ground aircraft carrier." Today, a powerful joint task force has been created on the territory of Crimea, which includes land, air and maritime components and has the strength of about 32,500 servicemen. In addition, Coastal Defense forces and National Guard units (up to two brigades), as well as the Russian FSB Border Guard Service, have been deployed. This indicates an active augmentation of strike capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces, which are illegally based on the territory of the peninsula, by increasing the number of troops (forces), equipping them with new models of weapons and military equipment. The basis of the ground component is the 22nd Army Corps, on the basis of which it is planned to create a combined arms army, and the 810th detached marine brigade. Currently, six battalion tactical groups are ready for employment. The air component has been reinforced by the deployment on the peninsula of bomber, assault, fighter and army aviation. Belbek and Gvardiyske airfields were reconstructed to accommodate Russian long-range bombers on the peninsula. The infrastructure is being prepared to allow storage of nuclear weapons on the territory of Crimea. The combat capabilities of the naval component have been increased by adopting the latest warships and submarines carriers of maritime-based cruise missiles of the "Caliber" type (up to 70 warships/gunboats, six submarines, a total volley 84 missiles). According to data provided by Russia as part of the annual exchange of military information in accordance with the 2011 Vienna Document on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures, there has been a threefold increase in the number of the Russian Federation weapons and military equipment in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea over the past six years. There were 684 units of weapons and military equipment on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as of January 1, 2020, or 453 units more than on January 1, 2014. In particular, after the occupation of the peninsula, Russia transferred there 31 battle tanks, about 200 armored combat vehicles, almost 100 artillery systems, as well as 63 combat aircraft, and 34 combat helicopters. THREE GROUPS READY FOR SUDDEN OFFENSIVE The Russian Federation continues military build-up along the state border of Ukraine, in particular, the active creation of brand-new military units and the reorganization of existing military formations in order to enhance their combat potential. Currently, 28 battalion tactical groups are deployed along the state border of Ukraine. Today, the creation of three new formations is being completed two Armies and an Army Corps, which plan to reach full operational capability in 2020-2021. In the ground component in the Western strategic area, the 20th combined arms army consisting of the 3rd motorized division and the 144th motorized division has been created. The 448th Missile Brigade of the 20th Army is equipped with mobile short-range ballistic missile systems Iskander. In the South-Western strategic area, the 8th Combined Arms Army consisting of the 150th motorized division, the 20th separate motorized rifle brigade, as well as operationally subordinated 1st and 2nd army corps, have been created. The Iskander missile brigades will be established within the military district and the Army. In general, the strength of the land task force of the Russian Armed Forces along the border of Ukraine amounts to about 87,000 military personnel, up to 1,100 tanks; up to 2,600 armored fighting vehicles; up to 1,100 artillery systems; up to 360 MLRS, 18 mobile short-range ballistic missile systems. The air component continues to be re-equipped with modern and upgraded models of aircraft (Su-30SM, Su-35S, Su-34, Su-25SM3, MiG-31K with a hypersonic Kinzhal system, as well as helicopters of various modifications). In total, about 330 combat aircraft and 230 helicopters are deployed at base airfields near the Ukrainian state border. The formation of mobilization deployment support centers continues, which can allow for the establishment of up to four combined arms divisions (Boguchar, Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Novoozerne/temporary occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea). Thus, as of today, three joint task forces have already been created in the vicinity of the Ukrainian state border, which are capable of carrying out sudden offensive operations on the territory of Ukraine. Vasyl Korotkyi, Vienna * In the original version of the article, slides were published on which the OSCE logo was incorrectly placed. In 2019, trade turnover between Ukraine and Brazil increased by 21.5% compared to 2018. In 2019, bilateral trade with Brazil increased by 21.5% and amounted to USD 300 million. Ukrainian exports grew by almost 65%, and Brazilian imports by 11.8%, Ukraines Ambassador to Brazil Rostyslav Tronenko said in an interview with Ukrinform. According to him, Ukrainian enterprises exported medicines, in particular insulin, products of metallurgical, flour and cereal industries, and textile materials to Brazil. Brazilian exports to Ukraine included tobacco products, surface transport, except rail, ferrous metals, food, pharmaceuticals, and coffee. Of course, the 2020 pandemic will have a negative impact on foreign trade with Brazil. Overall, there is potential for increasing our exports to Brazil, including metallurgical products and steel pipes, car tires, mineral fertilizers, and pharmaceutical products, which we are working on, the ambassador said. As reported, in October 2019, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro in Tokyo and discussed the possibility of increasing trade between the countries and cooperation in the space industry. ish Ukraine and Thailand plan to hold an inaugural meeting of the Joint Trade Commission and the Ukraine-Thailand Business Forum by the end of the year. The Embassy of Ukraine in Thailand posted a corresponding announcement on Facebook upon a meeting between Ambassador of Ukraine Andriy Beshta and Director General of Trade Negotiations Department of the Ministry of Commerce of the Kingdom of Thailand Mrs. Auramon Supthaweethum. As noted, both sides expressed interest in providing a boost to cooperation on trade and investment in order to make full use of the existing potential for further development in these areas. "During the meeting, the parties discussed the implementation of the trade agreement signed in 2017 between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand, in particular the importance of holding an inaugural meeting of the Joint Trade Commission and the Ukraine-Thailand Business Forum by the end of 2020," the statement reads. According to the diplomatic mission, Ukraine became the largest grain supplier to Thailand in 2019 with exports worth more than $140 million. In total, in 2019, the trade turnover in goods and services between Ukraine and the Kingdom of Thailand amounted to more than $570 million with a positive balance for Ukraine of more than $116 million. ol The countries of the International Coordination and Response Group to support families of victims of PS752 signed a memorandum of understanding in cooperation at the negotiations on the payment of compensation by the Islamic Republic of Iran. "A video conference meeting was held between representatives of member states of the International Coordination and Response Group to support families of victims of PS752 which was shot down in Iran. The group includes Ukraine, Canada, Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, and Sweden - all countries whose citizens were on the downed plane. We discussed Iranian compensation, criminal investigation, download and analysis of "black boxes", compensation for Ukraine International Airlines. But the main thing is that we signed a memorandum of understanding in cooperation at the negotiations on payment of compensation by the Islamic Republic of Iran," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba posted on Facebook on June 2. He noted that this memorandum was Ukraines idea from the very beginning. "And I am glad that the members of the group supported our initiative. This is important because we have formalized a common approach to bring Iran to justice for the downing of the plane through interstate negotiations," the minister said. Kuleba added that all the mentioned states would stand together and help each other as a group of affected countries, and Ukraine would be the voice of this group. According to the minister, the document defines Ukraine as a spokesperson of the group at the talks, i.e., Ukraine will negotiate with Iran on behalf of the group. An advisory committee of representatives of each member of the coordination group will assist Ukraine in preparing for the rounds of negotiations in order to maximize common position. "These interstate negotiations with Iran on the payment of compensation are an important and necessary step. These steps will lead us to the goal - the responsibility of Iran and the payment of compensation to the affected states and the families of the victims. I assure you that Iran will take full responsibility and pay for what was done. Justice will prevail, no matter how long it takes," Kuleba said. The Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) plane (flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after it took off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport at about 06:00 Tehran time (04:30 Kyiv time) on January 8. There were 176 people on board nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK). They all died. On January 11, Iran admitted that its military had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accepted full responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian plane. It emerged later that the UIA plane had been shot down by two missiles of the Tor-M1 air defense system, which Iran received from Russia. At the ICAO Council meeting on June 26, the Iranian representatives agreed to send flight recorders to France for download and analysis by July 20. ol The UK does not and will not recognise voting on amendments to the Russian constitution in the territory of the occupied Crimea. Russias use of Crimea for voting on amendments to the Russian constitution is unacceptable. The UK does not and will not recognise such voting on sovereign Ukrainian territory. We stand in solidarity with Ukraine in reminding Russia and the world that Crimea is Ukraine, the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Ukraine posted on Twitter. Russias use of Crimea for voting on amendments to the Russian constitution is unacceptable. The UK does not and will not recognise such voting on sovereign Ukrainian territory. We stand in solidarity with #Ukraine in reminding Russia and the world that #CrimeaisUkraine pic.twitter.com/THUux2GBMe UK in Ukraine (@UKinUkraine) July 3, 2020 As a reminder, 77.9% of referendum participants voted for the amendments to the Constitution of Russia which zero out the presidential term of Vladimir Putin. At the same time, Russia held voting on the territory of the occupied Crimea. The so-called authorities stated that the Crimean peninsula became one of the regions with the greatest support for amendments - more than 90%. The voter turnout in Russia was 67.9%, in Crimea - 81%. The referendum on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation lasted from June 25 to July 1. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol were illegally annexed by the Russian Federation on 18 March 2014. ol (Photo: Five Travel Essentials) Globetrotting is a wonderfully rewarding experience that fills your life with treasured memories and moments. However, finding yourself ill-equipped will place you in-between a rock and a hard place. It is stressful when you're miles away from home, and the things you didn't carry are out of your reach. However, knowing what to pack can save you from the frustrations. Whether you're flying out to a different country or city, this list of top 5 travel essentials will help make your voyage seamless and smooth. 1. Headphones or Earphones Listening to your favorite band on the go can be soothing. Noise-canceling headsets are essential to cutting out external sounds, snores, and chitchat. They are very convenient when you need some time to think (meditate) or relax. Cordless earphones remove the annoyance of untangling cables. They're also easy to pack, portable, and best used on the go. 2. French Press Coffee Maker Fire up the device and enjoy delicious authentic coffee instantly whenever and wherever you are. It's your ultimate pick-me-up remedy. Not only does a warm cup of coffee stimulate your senses, but it also enhances productivity, especially if you're freelancing or working while traveling. With a French press coffee maker, you remove the stress of having to brew coffee beans from scratch and spending money on Starbucks or local coffee vendors. It's a recommended travel essential to equip in your arsenal. 3. Camera In hindsight, your smartphone is capable of taking photos. However, a professional Digital SLR camera captures special moments in clarity. Whether you're out scuba diving during the summer of touring the African savanna on safari, this is a must-have travel essential if you're out to make memories and share them with loved ones back home. 4. Portable Power Being miles apart from a stable power source is frustrating more so when your phone is beeping at 5% power. Investing in a portable power source before your travel will save you a lot of pressure in the long run. Things like power banks or solar phone chargers are a great way of powering your device without having to plead with the locals to charge your phone. They are cheap, efficient and can be reused each time you travel. While the policy of using these devices on an aircraft may be strict, using them on the ground is quite advantageous, and there are no restrictions. 5. Multi-travel Adapters & Voltage Converters Not all countries share the same socket designs. Some may feature square holes for three pined devices others circular. While it's good to know the socket "policy" of the places you're traveling to, having a multi-travel adapter will solve your plug problems. These adapters are versatile and can fit any socket. Voltage converters work hand-in-hand with travel adapters to ensure your device is getting the correct voltage it needs. For example, if you're traveling to Switzerland from America, most European countries' voltage is different from what you're used to back at home. A converter "steps down" the electric voltage from the outlet (230V) to 120V, which is suitable for American devices to charge safely. So don't worry about accidentally blowing up your iPhone that you left charging in your Italian hotel. In a Nutshell Whether you're out on a business trip or backpacking throughout Europe, ensure to equip yourself with the proper travel necessities. That way, you'll prevent further problems from developing when you're halfway up a summit and realize your phone is drained. Our list of five travel essentials are compact and targeted to feature the things you'll need in emergencies or for leisure purposes. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Ukraine, together with its NATO and EU member states partners, will continue to participate in the Treaty on Open Skies and implement it. The preservation of the Treaty on Open Skies and continued participation in it meets the interests of Ukraines military security, as well as the countrys priorities of Euro-Atlantic integration. Aerial monitoring of military activities, as well as the exchange of information with partner states, constitute an important source of information necessary for assessing the military and military-political situation in the conditions of countering Russia's armed aggression, reads the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine comment on the extraordinary conference of States Parties to the Treaty on Open Skies. As noted, conducting joint observation missions with the participation of Ukrainian and foreign inspectors, as well as using the Ukrainian observation aircraft Antonov-32 in the interest of observation missions of the NATO members is also one of the most important treks of the practical interactions and achieving of the operational compatibility between the armed forces of Ukraine and Alliance members. As before, Ukraine insists on the fulfillment in good faith of the obligations under this Treaty by all States Parties without exception. We consider that the actual reasons for the US withdrawal from this Treaty were provoked by Russia's deliberate long-term actions aimed at breaking the pan-European regimes in the field of arms control and military restraint, as well as at the concealment of military preparations, of the processes of the large-scale deployment of new Russian attack weapons systems near Ukraine-Russia state border, in the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Luhansk and Donetsk regions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasizes. Ukraine calls on all States Parties to preserve and further implement the Treaty, as well as to actively oppose Moscow's attempts to manipulate its provisions in order to legalize the consequences of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, temporary occupation and illegal annexation of the part of Ukraine's sovereign territory, the statement reads. ol Attempts by European governments and social platforms to counter spread of fake news make them angry Russian propagandists do not neglect the use of outright lies and speculation to psychologically "process" the audience and are not ashamed to spread absolutely insane theories, but at the same time do not notice that such an obvious and brazen falsity of their messages turns all their efforts into absurdity. Such a conclusion was reached in another weekly review of disinformation directed against the European audience by the authors of EUvsDisinfo, which is published in Brussels under the auspices of the European External Action Service. "Dealing with disinformation is often psychologically draining both for its creators as well as for those fighting against it. To be constantly immersed in lies and distortive half-truths, unmoored from reality, takes a toll on us all. This is why it is sometimes refreshing to highlight how absurd, even laughable, pro-Kremlin disinformation can be. Like the claim that Facebook uses Ukrainian Nazis to fight Russia. Or that the US and Ukraine are plotting to bomb Siberia. Or that the US will turn Crimea into a nuclear desert. Let's take a look at some of this week's most outrageous cases," the article reads. "NATO is an aggressive coronavirus of capitalism" That pro-Kremlin disinformation consistently portrays NATO as an aggressive project of US imperialism is of course well known but to describe it as a "militaristic coronavirus of capitalism directed against global progress" is another level of venomous nonsense. Perhaps this is the pro-Kremlin media's way of expressing frustration that NATO's principle of collective defense is highly "infectious", and has an enduring appeal especially to countries that suffered under Soviet imperialism. This is a position the pro-Kremlin media is incapable of acknowledging, and instead chooses to repeat the discredited lie that the West promised Moscow NATO wouldn't expand eastward. "Kyiv agrees to carry out genocide of Ukrainian citizens in exchange for IMF loans" According to the article, demonizing Ukraine is one of the most stalwart elements of the pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign, which has no shame in making egregiously false claims like that Ukrainian government officials agreed with the IMF to reduce the national population to 10 million people. In addition to being genocidal, Kyiv is also portrayed as petty as cruel allegedly confiscating the apartments and cars of people who do not want to join an attack on Donbas. "It's hard to fathom that anyone could be persuaded by such blatant fabrications, but the pro-Kremlin media seems to think it's worth investing in such absurd content. Ukraine is supposedly a fake country, a colony of the US Democratic Party, and/or a puppet state fully controlled by George Soros," the review reads. According to the authors, pro-Kremlin outlets also regularly complain about social media policies designed to curb harmful content and increase transparency, claiming that they amount to censorship and even persecution of Russian users. Facebook's decision to label state-controlled media has not been well received, and the pro-Kremlin media is taking out its anger by claiming that Facebook's moderation and fact-checking efforts are apparently controlled by Soros, "Ukrainian Nazis," "Baltic gays," and other undesirables. All such assumptions, obviously, are only the fruit of the sick imagination of Russian propagandists themselves, who have fallen into the psychological trap of their own lies. Dmytro Shkurko Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has established the Medical Council at the Health Ministry as part of the healthcare system reform in Ukraine. Yesterday, I signed the order to set up the Medical Council at the Health Ministry, which will consist of the best experts of our country: on infectious diseases, specialists in cardiology, cardiac surgery, oncology, family medicine. It will also include the chief doctors of different hospitals of different levels - these are regional, district hospitals, specialists in family medicine, Stepanov said at a briefing on July 3, an Ukrinform correspondent reported. According to the minister, the main tasks of the Medical Council are to develop and submit to the Health Ministry proposals for reforming the healthcare system, providing proposals for setting priorities for the use of international technical assistance, the beneficiary of which is the Health Ministry to implement reforms. The Council will also provide proposals for the implementation of new and existing medical technologies in the practice of healthcare facilities; evaluate priority areas for the development of the healthcare system and the results of scientific research. iy The rescuers of Ivano-Frankivsk region received humanitarian assistance from the Swedish government to eliminate the effects of floods in the region, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine has reported. On July 2, emergency response workers in Ivano-Frankivsk region received the following equipment: flood barriers, sand bags, barrier reels, cable ties and fire hoses, the report says. Earlier, the Italian government sent humanitarian aid to flood-affected regions in western Ukraine. As Ukrinform reported, heavy rains on June 22-24 caused floods in Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Lviv, and Ternopil regions. Three people were killed in floods and one more went missing. Hundreds of kilometers of roads, dozens of bridges were destroyed, and hundreds of people were resettled. The Cabinet of Ministers allocated almost UAH 700 million for the needs of the regions to eliminate the consequences of the natural disaster. ish Over 9.3 thousand Ukrainians visited Brazil in 2017-2018. Among the most popular destinations are Rio de Janeiro, Florianopolis, Buzios, Foz do Iguacu, Sao Paulo, the Amazon, and El Salvador. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Brazil Rostyslav Tronenko said this in an interview with Ukrinform. "Ukraine and Brazil have a visa-free agreement, which helps increase the number of our tourists. In 2017-2018, more than 9.3 thousand Ukrainians visited Brazil. The most popular destinations are Rio de Janeiro, Florianopolis, Buzios, Foz do Iguacu, Sao Paulo, the Amazon, and El Salvador, said Tronenko. According to him, many Ukrainians work on merchant ships and cruise liners that go to the territorial waters of Brazil. At the same time, the ambassador reminded about the need to observe security measures while staying in the country. The embassy recommends Ukrainian citizens, arriving in this country or planning to come here, to follow personal security measures, avoid places of demonstrations and mass gatherings, limit travel in public places in the afternoon and at night-time," said the diplomat. iy The tenth court hearing in the MH17 case began on Friday, July 3, at 13:30 local time at the Schiphol Judicial Complex in the Netherlands, according to Ukrinform's correspondent in The Hague. Presiding judge Hendrik Steenhuis took the floor. He summarized everything said by prosecutors and lawyers of Lieutenant Colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian Federation Oleg Pulatov during the previous meetings. Afterward, the court is to announce a decision on inquiries for an investigation from Pulatov's lawyers. Pulatov's defense team sees the need for further investigation. In particular, they demand more attention to alternative theories of the crash, as well as the questioning of about a hundred witnesses and experts. Dutch prosecutors see as inappropriate statements by Pulatov's lawyers who insist that the investigation has not been completed. The second block of court hearings in the MH17 case began on June 8, 2020. In March this year, the District Court of The Hague began hearing the case of the crash of flight MH17 in the sky over Donbas. The Schiphol Judicial Complex, located 50 kilometers from The Hague, has been reserved for one year for the MH17 case. Lawyers Sabine Ten Doesschate and Boudewijn van Eijck from the Sjocrona Van Stigt law firm represent the interests of one of the four suspects, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Pulatov, who has expressed a desire to join the trial. On June 19, 2019, the international Joint Investigation Team named four suspects believed to be involved in the transportation and combat use of the Buk missile system, from which MH17 flight had been downed. Three of them are Russians: Igor Girkin (Strelkov), former colonel in Russia's FSB intelligence service and former so-called defense minister of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic"; Sergey Dubinskiy, general (at the time of downing colonel) of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and head of the so-called "Main Intelligence Directorate of the Donetsk Peoples Republic"; Oleg Pulatov, lieutenant colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. The fourth suspect is Leonid Kharchenko, a Ukrainian civilian, who fought on the side of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic." Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over conflict-hit Donbas in July 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board. All of them died. The JIT reported that the plane had been shot down from a Buk missile system that belongs to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces stationed in Kursk. op (Photo: Rent a Car and Safely Travel to Greece Amid COVID-19) Greece is one of the go-to destination spots of people during the summer. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has disabled aspiring travelers to visit the country. Travel bans were implemented and tourist spots were closed. Nonetheless, Greece has eased travel restrictions. Greece's isolation helped it maintain a relatively low risk of infection rates from the global pandemic. The state has implemented safety rules in opening tourism again. Greece implemented protocols for road transport services and car rentals - a safer way to roam around Greece. Greece Eased Travel Restrictions On May 4, 2020, Greece has already re-opened their commercial establishments. These establishments include bookshops, electronic stores, and hair salons. On May 11, more shops opened. On May 18, shopping malls and archaeological sites also opened. With the gradual reopening of tourism in the country, the Greek government is asking business owners and travelers to comply with COVID-19 health protocols. The Greek Tourism Ministry announced last May 22, 2020, the official health protocols for tourism businesses for hotels, car rentals, tourist accommodations, and tourist travel agencies. These protocols are the answer to the COVID-19 pandemic. Greece also allowed the opening of bars and restaurants. In mid-June, hotels were allowed to open and international flights were gradually restored. The health protocol limits the number of passengers aboard a tour bus to carry only 50% of its capacity. This protocol applies to tour buses of public use, either with close or open tops. Tourism companies of tourist buses are required to train their employees regarding safety precautions. Travelers from specified European countries are allowed to enter Greece. Some of these countries are Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein. However, countries with high cases of COVID-19 will be subjected to stricter travel restrictions. The Greek government has extended its travel ban on flights from Britain and Sweden. Although Greece will open its borders for international flights, some countries are banned from traveling to Greece. These countries are Sweden, the United States of America, Russia, Qatar, Israel, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Travelers from these countries will only be allowed, subject to certain COVID-19 protocols. Currently, arriving passengers in Greece are required to undergo tests. While waiting for the results, these passengers will stay at a designated hotel or accommodation provided by the government. The Greek Tourism Ministry then announced that those arriving from 29 countries will only be subjected to random testing and can freely roam the country after such tests. However, those arriving from specific airports with high-risk coronavirus transmission will be subject to compulsory testing, 7-day isolation if negative, and 14-day quarantine if positive. The list of airports will be based on the European Aviation Safety Agency list. After July 1, foreign ferry boats, cruisers, private yachts, and private cruisers will be allowed to dock in Greek ports. Subsequently, tourists will also be allowed to enter the land borders from Albania. Land travel from Bulgaria is also allowed, subject to random testing. Aside from travel agencies, hotels, and other tourist accommodations are also subject to health protocols. Health measures were required for reception desks, housekeeping, air conditioning, and ventilation. Renting a Car in Greece Renting a car is recommended when exploring Greece. Greece is jam-packed with historical sites, which you can easily visit when driving a car. You will have the liberty to explore every corner of Greece at your own pace, even those places that are not listed as top tourist spots in the country. Renting a car has become essential for travelers, especially at this time that people should avoid physical contact as much as possible. There are lesser chances of contracting coronavirus by avoiding tourist buses with people you do not know. Thus, rent a car if you want to safely travel to Greece during this pandemic. Booking a car rental in Greece is relatively cheap and easy. Shop around and book car rentals in advance to get a cheaper price. Look for car rentals in the place you will visit. For example, if you will visit Crete, then look for Car Rental Crete. Renting a car within the area you're visiting makes it easier for both you and the rental company. You might be thinking that renting a car is dangerous since there were different users before you. You should not be worried since the Greek government implemented health protocols for car rental services. Car rental companies were required to thoroughly clean and disinfect the units after every usage of different customers. A limit was also placed for the number of passengers, depending on the capacity of the car. A 7-seater car has a limit of two passengers and a driver, a 9-seater car has a limit of three passengers and a driver, and these passenger limits may be modified if there is a minor passenger. Takeaway Although it might be tempting to book a flight going to Greece, travelers should consider the risks of traveling to another country. People are advised to refrain from non-essential travels to places with local COVID-19 transmission. If you do travel, make sure you comply with health protocols set by the government of the place you will be visiting. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Students attend a class at the Shahid Mohamad Akram Khakrizwal high school for girls in Kandahar, Afghanistan, February 2020. UNHCR/Farzana Wahidy UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is calling for targeted investments inside Afghanistan and in refugee-hosting Iran and Pakistan, warning that inaction could lead to further population flows, continued suffering and instability, and a deepening regional socio-economic crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the long-running crisis in Afghanistan enters its fifth decade, a renewed focus on international solidarity is needed to ensure another decade of displacement and despair is averted and hope restored for millions of Afghans. Some 2.7 million Afghan refugees still live outside the country, while another 2.6 million are displaced within Afghanistan. Since 2012, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan have pursued a regional approach - the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees - to build an environment conducive to voluntary repatriation and sustainable reintegration in Afghanistan, while also easing pressure on host communities. Working together with the three countries and its partners, UNHCR has come up with a range of humanitarian and development projects in education, health, livelihoods, shelter, energy, water and infrastructure to boost human capital and ultimately support refugee returns and reintegration in Afghanistan. Since 2002, nearly 6 million Afghan refugees have returned home including 5.3 million with UNHCRs support with the hope of rebuilding their country. However, the pace of return has not been matched by investments in development. Voluntary returns to Afghanistan in 2019 were among the lowest recorded in years. The latest negotiations to bring peace and stability to the country represent a watershed moment for the Afghan people. However, many Afghans in exile are pinning their hopes on seeing improvements in the situation before returning home. The majority of refugees in the Islamic Republics of Iran and Pakistan cite several main obstacles to their return and sustainable reintegration in Afghanistan. These include a lack of access to livelihoods, land, shelter and basic services, as well as continued insecurity in the country. Inside Afghanistan, glaring gaps also need to be addressed in the provision of education. Nearly half of the Afghan population of some 37 million are under 15. The initiative is seeking strategic investments to expand education opportunities, skills training, youth empowerment and developing public infrastructure, including schools. Displaced and host communities are also in urgent need of shelter, cash and targeted interventions in the health, water and sanitation sectors, as well as investments in livelihoods. Iran and Pakistan have been hosting the vast majority of Afghan refugees for the past 40 years, shouldering a disproportionate burden of providing them with sanctuary and care. Today, the two countries still host nearly 90 per cent of Afghan refugees globally, stretching resources and infrastructure in both countries. With the deteriorating socio-economic conditions in the region due to COVID-19, this long-standing generosity is now in danger of being exhausted. On Monday, 6 July, UNHCR will be joined by representatives from the Islamic Republics of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan in a virtual high-level meeting to seek practical support and galvanize action under the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees. The initiative seeks investments from donor countries, bilateral and multilateral development actors, international financial institutions, United Nations agencies, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and civil society. The future of Afghanistans people depends on new partnerships and sustained commitment by the international community. B-Roll link: https://media.unhcr.org/Share/kb35srr4eik7q3573wu6lkhd3t3mx651 For more information on this topic, please contact: Afghanistans shortage of decent and affordable housing is one of the biggest challenges facing millions of displaced and returning refugees. A new project is offering some a solution. Mohammad Daud and his family fled fighting and insecurity in their home area and came to Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan more than eight years ago. But until recently, they still lacked a secure roof over their heads. We shifted from ruins to ruins. This was our life moving from one place to another, recalled Mohammad, 65, whose family of 15 includes his wife, four children and four grandchildren. Their last home was so close to collapse that he had to warn the children not to sit too close to the crumbling walls. "We shifted from ruins to ruins. This was our life moving from one place to another." The state of the house did not prevent its owner from doubling the familys rent and threatening to evict them when they could not pay. Mohammads experience is all too common in Afghanistan, where more than 440,000 people were internally displaced by conflict in 2019 alone, in addition to hundreds of thousands driven from their homes by natural disasters. Some are able to move in with relatives, but most have to make do with ramshackle shelters or tents in informal settlements or cramped and over-priced rental accommodation that often lacks running water and toilets. Conditions are especially difficult during Afghanistans scorching summers and freezing winters. Across the country, displaced Afghans report the need for shelter as one of their biggest priorities, second only to food. The same is true of the nearly six million former refugees who have returned to Afghanistan over the last two decades. Sardar Bibi and her family lived as refugees in neighbouring Pakistan for several decades before returning to Afghanistan three years ago. They arrived in Kandahar with nothing, said Sardar Bibi, no work, no land, no food or property. Her family of 12, as well as her daughters family of nine, all lived in a single room. Life was hard back then, she said. We were in such a bad condition. Life has been a little easier for both families since they received cash grants from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to build their own homes. The Cash for Shelter project, which was piloted with 600 vulnerable displaced and returnee households starting last year, provides families with a US$3,300 cash grant and technical assistance to construct a two-room shelter that includes a bathroom. The cash is provided in three installments as building progresses. Both families used some of the money to hire local construction workers. With the help of family members, their homes were built within three months. Mohammads sons gained construction skills which they used to build an additional room as well as a kitchen and perimeter wall. Mohammed Daud (centre) waits with other Afghan men in Kandahar City to receive the third installment of his cash grant from UNHCR to build a home for him and his family (2 February, 2020). UNHCR/Farzana Wahidy An Afghan woman receives her third installment of cash to build a shelter in Kandahar province, on 2 February, 2020. UNHCR/Farzana Wahidy Construction work on a house in the Dand district of Kandahar province that was built with the support of UNHCR's Cash for Shelter project (3 February, 2020). UNHCR/Farzana Wahidy Afghan workers building a house in Kandahar province for one of the families benefiting from the Cash for Shelter project (3 February, 2020). UNHCR/Farzana Wahidy Sardar Bibi cooks traditional Afghan bread in the one-room shelter she shares with 21 members of her family. They will soon move into their new, larger home (4 February, 2020). UNHCR/Farzana Wahidy Sardar Bibi, 45, takes a tea break in front of her newly-built shelter in Kandahar province, on 4 February, 2020. UNHCR/Farzana Wahidy Faced with the threat of eviction, Mohammad and his family moved into their new home before it was even complete. The walls were still wet when we started living in the house, he said. We covered the floor of one room with a plastic sheet the rooms were windowless. Sardar Bibi and her family also moved into their new home before it was finished. When we came to the new place, we became comfortable, she said. There is enough space for everyone. Not long after both families had settled into their new homes, the coronavirus pandemic brought new hardships. Mohammads two sons, who were supporting the family as daylabourers (earning US$3 a day), have not been able to work for the past six weeks because of lockdown measures, and the family has had to borrow money to get by. The impacts of COVID-19 have also pushed up the prices of staple foods. Prices are higher, said Sardar Bibi. We cannot afford anything, not even dinner. "We cannot afford anything, not even dinner." The spread of coronavirus in Afghanistan has amplified the need for people to have shelters with adequate space, running water and toilets. The Cash for Shelter project is providing those benefits while the cash component has helped families faced with the financial fallout of lockdown. Coronavirus is only the latest trial facing Afghans during 40 years of conflict, displacement, political instability and natural disasters. As Afghanistans displacement crisis enters its fifth decade, UNHCR is calling for targeted investments, both inside Afghanistan, and in Iran and Pakistan, which between them are hosting over 2.3 million Afghan refugees. The cost of inaction, warns UNHCR, could be further population flows, continued suffering and instability, and a deepening socio-economic crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. See also: UNHCR urges investment in Afghan displacement situation to achieve a decade of hope not despair At a virtual high-level meeting taking place on Monday, 6 July, UNHCR will seek support for critical humanitarian and development projects in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, including in shelter, education, health, livelihoods, and to support refugees return and reintegration. The projects fall under the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees, a regional initiative that was launched in 2012. For shelter we are comfortable now, said Mohammad. It is only that we are living in poverty. Former Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Oleksandr Pysaruk welcomes the closure of the case against him and Oleg Bakhmatyuk, but considers it is fair if the case was closed not only de jure, but also based on facts available to law enforcement agencies, showing that the charges are completely groundless, as reported by Ukrainian News. In an article for the Novoye Vremya news outlet, Pysaruk said: "the case, despite all the legal and factual grounds for this, was closed on formal grounds rather than on merits, which, nevertheless, are also significant." "The National Bank had to fulfill its function of ensuring financial stability in the country and defending the interests of depositors and creditors and acted completely within the framework of the law and procedures," the banker said. "In particular, during the process of deciding whether to issue a stabilization loan to VAB Bank, despite the fact that the crisis requires prompt decision-making, the team went through the necessary procedures and made a lawful decision, which is still valid and has not been contested by anyone." "My lawyers have collected all the necessary evidence and filed it with the law enforcement authorities quite long ago, along with a motion to close the criminal case against me," Pysaruk said. "The absence of the grounds and far-fetched claims regarding the decision were confirmed by professional findings, as well as other documents collected by the defense. Closing the criminal case against me is the logical conclusion of this story. The absurdity of the accusations was clear from the very beginning of the active phase of the criminal proceedings, and therefore I'm sure there is every reason to close the case against me both for formal reasons and over the absence of any criminal deed in my actions. I expect all necessary procedural actions will take place soon and all charges against me will be finally dropped." The case against Pysaruk and Bakhmatyuk was opened due to the alleged misuse of refinancing funds provided by the NBU to VAB Bank during the 2014 banking crisis. However, findings of examinations of the Deposit Guarantee Fund and statements by the NBU confirmed that all refinancing funds had been spent for their intended purpose, i.e. they were received by bank depositors. On June 5, Kyiv's Pechersky district court declared the resumption of the case against Bakhmatyuk by former Deputy Prosecutor General Vitaliy Kasko, a former deputy of Prosecutor General Ruslan Riaboshapka, was unlawful. A mere US$600 in siphoned funds returned to Ukraine in 2020 Saakashvili According to Saakashvili, the officials do not want to transfer the rest of the money back. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter What do you think about our new website? Share your opinion Ukraine harvests over 1.1 million tonnes of grains Some 245,000 tonnes of new crop's wheat has been harvested so far, which is 1.7% of the target. Reporting by UNIAN If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Ukraine's SBI returns missile guidance equipment to air defense forces (Video) The devices were seized over the abuse during the procurement. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Stoughton, WI (53589) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 46F. WNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 46F. WNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Smolii signed a letter of resignation on July 1, 2020. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday held consultations with the leadership of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) and financial market participants on the candidacy of the new NBU governor. In particular, the president met with the NBU deputy governors, the heads of state-owned and private banks, as well as heads of banking organizations and institutions, according to the president's press service. The meetings were attended by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak, his Deputy Yulia Kovaliv, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, and Head of the Verkhovna Rada's Financial, Tax and Customs Policy Committee Danylo Getmantsev. Read alsoEU says NBU chief's resignation "sends a worrying signal" Zelensky reiterated commitments to the principle of the central bank's independence and the need to preserve its institutional capacity. "An independent National Bank is a guarantee of macroeconomic stability of the state and the welfare of Ukrainians. Therefore, as president, I will protect the independence of the NBU under any leadership as a basis for the financial and macroeconomic stability of our state," the president said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Smolii signed a letter of resignation on Wednesday, July 1, 2020. The move is a result of what he claims is long-standing political pressure. On July 2, draft resolution No. 3772, which was prepared by the Office of the President of Ukraine to formalize Smolii's resignation, was registered in parliament. The decision was supported by 226 votes, which is exactly the required minimum. The Verkhovna Rada on Friday, July 3, adopted a resolution on dismissing Yuriy Terentyev from the post of chairman of Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee, according to an UNIAN correspondent. The decision was supported by 226 votes, which is exactly the required minimum. Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Development Dmytro Natalukha says on July 2, the committee received from Terentyev a resignation letter and recommended that the parliament endorse the move. Yuriy Terentyev did not attend the session hall during the vote. On his Facebook page, Terentyev said he had submitted on July 2 a motion to recall his resignation letter. "Despite the fact that the withdrawal letter was available, my resignation letter was still considered by the Committee on Economic Policy and included in the agenda of the extraordinary session on July 3, 2020," he wrote, adding that he is "not afraid of the assessment of my work by people's deputies and neither do I want to create any emotional background." Read alsoUkraine's parliament backs chief banker's exit "Let the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine make the decision that it considers fair with respect to me and our common work over the past five years!" the official wrote, adding that he is recalling the second application to make Parliament's vote "technically possible". UNIAN memo. the Verkhovna Rada appointed Terentyev head of the AMCU in May 2015. Since April 2012, he had worked at PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih as Deputy General Counsel. Earlier, Terentyev was engaged in legal support with Bristol-Myers Squibb Ukraine; worked as a legal adviser at CJSC JT International Company Ukraine; and at METRO Cash & Carry Ukraine LLC he held positions of head of the Legal Department, head of financial control, head for development coordination, and head for compliance and corporate standards. The move is in violation of international law and Ukrainian legislation. Ukrainians who have been illegally detained in the territory of the Russian Federation and the temporarily occupied Crimea were forced to vote for amendments to the constitution of the occupying state, says Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner Liudmyla Denisova. The Ombudsperson shared on Facebook the information she received that administrations of penitentiary facilities had forced Ukrainian political prisoners to participate in an all-Russian vote, since Russian government perceives them as Russian citizens. At the same time, Denisova noted, psychological pressure was applied against those who initially refused to cast ballots. In accordance with Article 45 of the IV Convention on the laws and customs of the land war and its annex, "The Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land" of 1907, it is forbidden to force people in the occupied territories to swear allegiance to the occupying state. Read alsoUkraine pushes for international sanctions against Russia over vote on Constitution in Crimea Also, as the Ombudsperson added, Part 4 Article 5 of Law of April 15, 2014, on Ensuring the Rights and Freedoms of Citizens and the Legal Regime in the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine, clearly defines that the forced automatic acquisition by citizens of Ukraine who reside in the temporarily occupied territory of Russian citizenship shall not be recognized by Ukraine and is not a basis for losing citizenship. "I consider coercion to citizenship another type of repressive policy of the Russian Federation towards citizens of Ukraine under occupation. I urge representatives of international human rights organizations to apply all levers of influence available to force the aggressor state to comply with international humanitarian law and cease repression of citizens of Ukraine, who became victims of occupation," said Denisova. As UNIAN reported earlier, on July 1, the main voting took place in the Russian Federation on amendments to the Constitution that would allow President Vladimir Putin to be reelected at least two more times as the count of his presidential terms is being reset. The minister listed four criteria for the local authorities to toughen quarantine-related curbs. Ukraine's Health Minister Maksym Stepanov says no nationwide strict quarantine will be introduced even if the incidence of COVID-19 cases exceeds 60 active cases per 100,000 people. "As for this indicator 60 active cases per 100,000 people, we are now at the level. This morning, it was 59.7 per 100,000 people," he said at a briefing on July 3, according to an UNIAN correspondent. Read alsoAlmost 880 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Ukraine in past day "We used this indicator solely to determine whether to conduct external independent testing at schools. And we calculated it as of June 22. If this indicator had exceeded 60, then we would have decided to postpone the tests," he said. "Regarding the restrictive measures that are in force in our country I'd like to remind you: we are in an adaptive quarantine, when, depending on the epidemiological situation in a particular region, specific restrictive measures are introduced or eased [by the local authorities]. There are general rules the use of face masks, hand sanitizers, social distancing, different events with the limited number of people and there are [measures] introduced in a particular region in line with the adaptive quarantine," Stepanov said. According to him, there are four criteria for the regional authorities to toughen quarantine-related curbs. These are the availability of beds in hospital (less than 50%), the average number of COVID-19 tests (at least 24 per 100,000 people in the past seven days), an incidence growth rate, and a case detection rate. The worst situation is now in the western regions of Ukraine Volyn, Zakarpattia, Lviv, and Rivne regions. As UNIAN reported, on June 30, Prime Minister Shmyhal said: "We are carefully monitoring the parameter of the number of active patients per 100,000 people. Today it is 50 people per 100,000. We set the limit at 60 patients. This will be the moment at which it will be necessary to strengthen quarantine restrictions at the level of the country and individual regions." On July 1, the incidence rate in Ukraine was 58 cases per 100,000 people. Kyiv would represent the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752 in the negotiations with Tehran. Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde says she is confident that Iran will pay compensations to the relatives of those killed in the downing of Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) Flight PS752 outside Tehran on January 8, 2020. This was discussed at a meeting of foreign ministers of five affected countries, Deutsche Welle's Ukrainian Service said. The countries jointly with Iran will negotiate the payment of compensation to the relatives of the victims. Read alsoUIA plane crash: Ukraine on behalf of group of five affected states to negotiate with Iran on compensation This information was confirmed by Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. He recalled that Kyiv would represent the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752 in the negotiations with Tehran. As was reported, Iran says it accidentally shot down the UIA Boeing 737-800, killing all 176 people aboard, after mistaking it for an incoming missile. Iran had been bracing for a counterattack after launching missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq in response to the killing of its top commander, Gen. Qassim Soleimani, in a U.S. strike earlier in January. Since, then it has been in negotiations with Ukraine, Canada and other nations that had citizens aboard the plane, and which have demanded a thorough investigation. Iran initially blamed the crash on technical problems and only acknowledged shooting down the plane days later. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry does not rule out the possibility of filing a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice against Iran over the downing of the UIA plane. The PS752 flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder are to be read out in France on July 20 with the participation of all countries involved. Pilgrims could spark a coronavirus outbreak in town, mayor says. The mayor of Uman, a Ukrainian town where Hasidic Jews flock every year to visit the tomb of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, has spoken against this year's pilgrimage set to be held in September amid the uncertainty over the coronavirus spread developments. "Every year about 30,000 pilgrims come to Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. But this year, the coronavirus pandemic made adjustments to our life... It's a very difficult situation in the world and in Ukraine. In Uman, the situation is under control... But the arrival of a large number of foreigners from different countries could cause a coronavirus outbreak in our town," Mayor Oleksandr Tserbiy said in a video address he uploaded on Facebook. He went on to express doubt that all pilgrims who would like to visit the town this year would have appropriate medical certificates with negative COVID-19 test results. Neither is the mayor sure visitors would actually undergo the required 14-day observation upon arrival and comply with all requirements of the adaptive quarantine Ukraine has introduced. Read alsoUkraine's Health Minister comments on possibility of nationwide strict quarantine "The government foresees the second wave of coronavirus in September. In the current situation, I stand against the arrival of pilgrims this year," the mayor emphasized. However, he noted, Uman residents' opinion must be heard, so he suggested that people leave comments under his post and have their say on the matter. Earlier in April, Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Joel Lion has called on the Hasidim not to go on a pilgrimage to Uman amid the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of members of Hasidim come to Uman every year to visit the tomb of their spiritual leader, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. Rosh Hashanah in 2020 will begin on September 18 and will end September 20. The occupation forces openly ignore the Minsk peace agreements. A female civilian was killed in shelling by Russian-led forces in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, which began in early hours of Friday, July 3. "At dawn today, on July 3, armed formation of the Russian Federation once again opened fire to attack the village of Zaitseve. A local woman, born in 1940, was killed in the cynical attack launched from 82mm mortars," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) Headquarters said on Facebook on Friday, July 3. Read alsoDonbas war escalation: Number of attacks on Ukraine army's positions on the rise The JFO HQ said the occupation forces had once again openly ignored the Minsk peace agreements, demonstrating that they had come to Donbas to kill people, rob and destroy, and civilians' lives mean nothing to them. Russia's hybrid military forces on July 2 mounted 10 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, with one member of the Joint Forces reported as wounded in action. The enemy opened fire from proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms. From 00:00 to 07:00 Kyiv time on July 3, seven more attacks were reported. Russia-led troops used proscribed weapons, namely 82mm and 120mm mortars, and 122mm artillery systems to shell Ukrainian strongholds. Russia's hybrid military forces on July 2 mounted 10 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, with one member of the Joint Forces reported as wounded in action. "The Russian Federation's armed formations violated the ceasefire 10 times on July 2," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said on Facebook in an update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on July 3. "As a result, one Ukrainian serviceman was wounded in enemy shelling." Russian-led forces opened fire from proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms. Read alsoUkraine's JFO HQ reports enemy death toll in Donbas in June Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the villages of Luhanske, Novo-Oleksandrivka, Kamianka, Nevelske, and Vodiane. The Joint Forces returned fire to each enemy attack. According to intelligence reports, one member of Russia-led forces was wounded on July 2. "Since Friday midnight, Russia-led forces have already violated the ceasefire seven times, including from weapons banned by the Minsk agreements," the update said. In particular, the enemy opened fire from proscribed 122mm artillery systems, 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, and heavy machine guns near the town of Avdiyivka, and the villages of Novotoshkivske, Khutir Vilny, Pivdenne, Kamianka, and Vodiane. No casualties have been reported among Ukrainian troops since Friday midnight. As UNIAN reported earlier, five attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas were recorded on July 1. The temporary ban to enter Sweden for citizens of countries outside of the EU, EES [Entry/Exit System] and Schengen has been prolonged, with some easing in the restrictions. The Swedish Government has decided to extend the temporary entry ban to the EU via Sweden until August 31. "The decision was taken following a recommendation of the European Commission. The aim of the entry ban is, as previously, to mitigate the effects of the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and reduce the outbreak of COVID-19," the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine said in a statement on July 3, 2020. It is noted the temporary ban to enter Sweden for citizens of countries outside of the EU, EES [Entry/Exit System] and Schengen has been prolonged, with some easing in the restrictions. "Starting July 4 some restrictions will be lifted regarding the entry ban. This means that the requirement to return home is lifted. Entry is thus allowed for EU citizens and people with Swedish residence permits regardless of the purpose of travel. The requirement that those entering Sweden must be returning home is also removed for their family members," reads the statement. Read alsoEU re-opens borders from July 1 for tourists from 14 'safe' countries list According to the Government Offices of Sweden, as of July 4, the entry ban does not apply to people who lives in one of the following countries: Algeria, Australia, Georgia, Japan, Canada, Morocco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay. In addition, the entry ban does not apply to people with an essential need or function in Sweden. For example, this may be the case for: healthcare workers, researchers in health and medical care and elderly staff; frontier workers; seasonal workers in the agricultural, forestry and horticulture sectors; personnel transporting goods and other staff in the transport sector; people who work in international organizations or are invited by such organizations and whose presence is necessary for the organizations' activities, military personnel, aid workers and civil defense staff; passengers in transit; people with imperative family reasons; seafarers; people in need of international protection or for other humanitarian reasons; people who travel for the purpose of studying; and highly skilled workers, if the job the alien is to perform cannot be postponed or performed remotely. UNICEF Executive Board: Strategic Plan midterm review and COVID-19 response reimagine a world fit for every child UNICEF NEW YORK, United States of America, 2 July 2020 The UNICEF Executive Board ended its 2020 annual session this morning. With the telecommuting arrangements in place during the global COVID-19 pandemic, this marked the first-ever virtual formal session in the Boards history. Conducted with an abridged agenda and made available for public viewing through live streaming, a strong focus on business continuity by UNICEF enabled the Board to seamlessly continue to exercise its oversight mandate, albeit in the virtual format. Although children may not be the face of the pandemic, too many of them will bear the brunt of it as their parents and caregivers fall sick or die; or face joblessness and the overall economic downturn caused by the pandemic, stated UNICEF Executive Board President, H.E. Ms. Rabab Fatima, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Bangladesh, as she opened the session. She emphasized that this is not a business-as-usual annual session. We are not here just to take stock of our existing programmeswe are here to also see how best we can respond to, and live with, this unprecedented crisis, the impact of which is going to be felt for years to come. Now, more than ever, we need to forge effective collaborations between all stakeholders, and we expect UNICEF to play a central role in this regard. In her opening address to the Board, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore said as we move forward on efforts to contribute to UN reform, continue with the midterm review of our Strategic Plan and begin planting the seeds of our next Plan, we have an important opportunity: We can reimagine together how UNICEF will deliver even more results for children and young people. Midterm review of the Strategic Plan and integrated budget The session considered the UNICEF midterm review of the Strategic Plan, 2018-2021 and integrated budget. The review of the Strategic Plan found that UNICEF is performing well across its major result areas, however the world is not on track to achieve the child-focused targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. The first two years of implementation provided UNICEF with an opportunity to learn and adapt, including by: modernizing and simplifying processes to accelerate results; increasing programmatic ambition and sharpening priorities where targets are on track; and strengthening the organizations commitment to the United Nations development system reform, which is key to accelerating progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. But, according to Ms. Vidhya Ganesh, Director of the Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring, COVID-19 does bring increased challenges to the acceleration agenda andrisks reversing the historical trajectory of progress, which has been hard won. In introducing the update on the midterm review of the integrated budget, the Deputy Executive Director, Management, Ms. Hannan Sulieman, said we are assessing the impact of COVID-19 on current and future estimates and revising strategies to limit any potential downturn in our resource mobilization results. Ms. Sulieman cited the decreasing trend of less core resources received by UNICEF, which she described a wave taking us away from meeting the funding compact target of 30 per cent of core resources as a proportion of total resources. She cited several efficiencies and modernization initiatives that had been undertaken by UNICEF, which had resulted in considerable savings for the organization and for children. UNICEF/UNI320751/Soares A girl shows off the online platform on which children and parents in Timor-Leste can access a range of audio-visual material to help students continue learning during school closures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Learning Passport platform was developed by Microsoft, UNICEF and the University of Cambridge. Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic On Monday, the Board received an update on how UNICEF is responding to the pandemic. Emerging in a world marked by deep inequalities, the COVID-19 pandemic has fuelled an unprecedented global crisis that has quickly become a crisis of child rights. And, as Executive Director Fore remarked earlier that day, COVID-19 is a trend towards more, not less inequality. The pandemic is revealing in stark terms a huge barrier to our dream of a better, fairer and more sustainable world. UNICEF is fully engaged in United Nations system-wide efforts to mount a swift, multidimensional, human rights-based response to COVID-19. The organization is striving to maintain the continuity of its programmes and operations, while responding to COVID-19 and adapting to its impacts. Together with Governments and partners, it is committed to delivering assistance to children across all affected areas contributing both to outbreak control and to mitigate the socio-economic repercussions on children and families. UNICEFs actions include, among others: co-leading inter-agency efforts to counter misinformation and promote healthy behaviours; procuring and delivering critical medical supplies; and ensuring the continuity of essential health, nutrition, education, child and social protection services. Of particular concern is the pandemics potential negative impact on overall funding, specifically on regular resources. Together with United Nations partners, UNICEF is advocating to boost support to its regular resources, which are indispensable to providing effective and efficient support to countries and communities in this crisis and beyond. Flexible funding has already proven key in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic by reaching children and communities quickly. Delegations largely commended the efforts of UNICEF in responding to the pandemic, underlining the need for collaborative efforts within the United Nations development system and with other partners. Many delegations expressed support for the priorities presented by UNICEF, including a focus on education and digital learning; the continuation of immunization; water, sanitation and hygiene; and mental health support for children and young people. Some delegations cautioned about the risk of online harm to children, while many delegations emphasized the importance of achieving gender results, with a particular focus on girls in crisis situations. New country programmes New country programme documents for Ethiopia and South Africa demonstrated the role of social protection in two very diverse contexts. The speakers discussed how measures like cash transfers help to protect children from the lifelong consequences of poverty; build human capital; and promote inclusive and prosperous societies. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 385 million children (aged 017) were living in extreme poverty, which denied them the chance to survive, grow and develop to their full potential. Mr. Omar Abdi, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Programmes remarked that the current crisis threatens to undo decades of progress made in child poverty reduction, with intergenerational consequences. Mirroring Mr. Abdis remarks, UNICEF Associate Director and Chief of Social Policy, Ms. Natalia Winder-Rossi, emphasized the role of social protection in poverty reduction, humanitarian action and acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as UNICEFs leadership role in the sector. Evidence has shown the power of social protection to transform the lives of children, highlighted Ms. Winder-Rossi. Beyond individual and household impacts, social protection has been proven to generate multiplier impacts in local economies. Its no surprise therefore that social protection is at the forefront of COVID-19 responses across the world, with over 190 countries that have taken cash transfer and related measures to cushion the impact of the crisis on families and children, added Ms. Winder-Rossi. UNICEF is playing a key role in these efforts, supporting the expansion of existing programmes, generating data and evidence to inform policies, and promoting innovation and inclusion in responses. Her Excellency Ms. Lindiwe Zulu, Minister of Social Development in South Africa, spoke about her nations social assistance programme, which is delivered mostly in rural areas of the country. She acknowledged the consistent advocacy and support of UNICEF in the expansion of South Africas social protection programme, adding that against this background, the new country programme will contribute significantly to our development objectives by extending services that promote and protect the rights of vulnerable children. H.E. Mr. Taye Atske-Selassie Amde, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ethiopia, reported that the countrys productive safety net programme has significantly expanded since its inception in 2005, and now covers approximately 8 million people. He reported that UNICEF is providing ongoing support to ensure these programmes are implemented through a gender and child focus with a variety of action. UNICEF/UNI343277/ On 19 April 2020, two displaced children are photographed carrying water bottles in Hadramout Governorate, Yemen. UNICEF has been scaling up preparedness and response programmes, including providing clean water and distributing basic hygiene kits to help internally displaced families across the country protect themselves against COVID-19. Key decisions By the end of the session, the Executive Board had adopted six decisions: on the midterm review of the UNICEF Strategic Plan and integrated budget; on the new country programmes and extensions of ongoing programmes; on evaluation items; and on the annual report on humanitarian action. After making a tribute to the five winning teams during the UNICEF Staff Team Awards for 2019, whose work was featured in a moving video, Executive Director Fore delivered her closing remarks. She emphasized that communities, children and young people must be supported, and that we must help them to build back better beyond the immediate crisis. She said that a focus on education is especially urgent, and that innovations that support continuity of services should be put in place. In closing the meeting, which she described as an extraordinary success, Ambassador Fatima stated UNICEF is needed more than ever to support countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and create a world in which no one is left behind. I hope that countries, in spite of their own economic challenges, will continue to prioritize the worlds children, not least through their continued financial support of this organization. Register for a FREE account to keep reading! Register now for a FREE account to keep reading. No cost and no credit card required! Access up to 5 articles per month when you register, or get unlimited access to all of our content online starting at $1.99 now! Already registered? Click the log in link below Rio De Janeiro, Jul 2 (UNI) Researchers in South Africa and Brazil have initiated clinical trials to assess a Covid-19 vaccine candidate, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222), developed by the University of Oxford and licensed to AstraZeneca. Professor Sarah Gilbert from Nuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford University states that "We have removed some of the adenovirus genes so that when we use it as a vaccine, the adenovirus can't spread through the body. That makes it very safe, even in people with a weak immune system. But because it is still a live virus, it is good at inducing a strong immune response after vaccination" "We started with an adenovirus, which was isolated from a chimpanzee and doesn't circulate in human populations, so there is no prior immunity to it. Then we add a gene to encode one of the proteins from the pathogen that we want to vaccinate against -- for SARS-CoV-2 we use the spike protein, which covers the surface of the coronavirus," added Gilbert. For full access, please log in, register your subscription or subscribe. Try for 99 a month for two months, cancel or pause anytime. IT GOT INTO the 90s back home the other day and friends complained to me over the phone though guiltily because they knew Id spent a day in the ER in New York which, honestly, had been a beautiful illuminatory experience and not miserable at all, but they felt sheepish about complaining of Leh, Jul 3 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning reached this border town in the Union Territory of Ladakh to review the ground security situation amid the standoff with China at Line of Actual Control (LAC). The visit of the PM in Ladakh holds significance as it comes at a time when talks with the Chinese military to de-escalate tension at the LAC in eastern Ladakh are making no headway. Official sources said that Mr Modi was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General MM Naravane reached this border town for an unannounced visit. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was supposed to visit Ladakh on Friday, has not gone along with the PM to take stock at the forward locations. They further said that the PM was given a joint briefing by the Army, Air Force and the ITBP at one of the forward locations in Nimu, which is located at 11,000 feet above sea level. 'Mr Modi could also visit the soldiers who were injured in violent face-off with China in Galwan valley that left 20 Indian jawans dead,' they stated. This is the first time that a member of Cabinet Committee on Security is visiting Ladakh since the June 15 clash in Ladakh where 20 soldiers were killed in a face-off with Chinese troops. UNI ABS JTS 1140 A celebration of the life for John Robert "Bobby" Brown, 72, will be held at his residence on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at 10 a.m. Bobby was born in Dublin, but his home was Baldwin County. He was predeceased by his parents, John Preston "Pete" Brown and Virginia Watson Brown. He was retired MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) At least 30 people have died as a result of militants' attack on four villages in southern Mali, media reported. The attack took place in the Bankass area in the Mopti Region on Wednesday. According to the Mali Jet news outlet, the attackers arrived from the Baye area, near the border with Burkina Faso, on four vehicles. The situation in Mali was destabilized in 2012 when the Tuareg militants seized vast territories in the northern part of the country. The conflict escalated even more over the activities of Islamists, forces loyal to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as well as French interference. The Estonian Maritime Administration detained a vessel registered under Panama's flag after nine Philippine sailors complained to the International Transport Forum (ITF) that they were kept on the vessel for more than 16 months, the ERR broadcaster reported on Friday HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) The Estonian Maritime Administration detained a vessel registered under Panama's flag after nine Philippine sailors complained to the International Transport Forum (ITF) that they were kept on the vessel for more than 16 months, the ERR broadcaster reported on Friday. The vessel, named Pacific Seagull, arrived in Estonia on Saturday and was inspected by the ITF the following day. The inspection revealed that nine sailors from the Philippines had been aboard since February 26, 2019, and their nine-month contracts had already expired. The sailors were promised a vacation in early 2020 but were denied the right to leave the vessel due to the coronavirus-related restrictions. Jaanus Kuiv, the ITF inspector in Estonia, said that the Baltic country had relaxed the lockdown, and the crew was allowed to go ashore. According to Kuiv, the owners of Pacific Seagull have violated the Maritime Labor Convention, as it is not permissible to keep sailors aboard vessels for more than 11 months. The inspector added that he had reported the situation to the owners of the vessel and the Panama Maritime Authority. HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) Finland hopes to prevent the Open Skies Treaty from full collapse following the US decision to withdraw from the agreement, Finnish Ambassador to Russia Mikko Hautala told the Kommersant newspaper. In May, the United States announced its withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty. Many European countries, including Finland, have voiced regrets over the US move and expressed hope that Washington would revise the decision. "The Open Skies Treaty has always been a good tool and actually we believe it is a good decision of Russia to remain in the treaty to preserve its viability. One should see now whether it will be possible to save the treaty in its current form," Hautala said. The ambassador once again expressed hope that the United States would remain in the Open Skies Treaty. Starting from September 1, Hautala will become a new Finnish ambassador to the United States. US President Donald Trump said in May that Washington was quitting the treaty and alleged that Russia was not in compliance with the agreement. Russia has repeatedly refuted US accusations so breaching the treaty. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow would work with the United States only on a mutual basis and would not accept any ultimatums. The treaty on observation flights was signed in 1992 and set up as trust-building measures in post-cold war Europe. It allows its 34 parties to openly collect information about one another's militaries. (@ChaudhryMAli88) GENOA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) Russia, Turkey and Iran, or the so-called Astana guarantors troika, have demonstrated unity in decrying the US actions in Syria, which is an important political sign and can be the indication of a possible future rapprochement between Turkey and Damascus, Mahmoud Afandi, the secretary of the Syrian opposition movement Popular Diplomacy, told Sputnik. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held a joint video conference dedicated to Syria. In the final statement they said that they considered Israeli air attacks on Syria and the US decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights as a threat to regional peace. "This summit has shown a remarkable unity of the three leaders in decrying the US actions in Syria. They openly spoke out also against the seizure of oil revenues. Such unity is an important signal, it's also a reaction to the recently-introduced US sanctions," Afandi said. In addition, this demonstration of unity on Turkey's part might mean that there could be "a rapprochement between Turkey and Damascus in future," the opposition figure added. "Moreover, this summit has made it clear that the political process in Syria should go only through the constitutional committee, and everyone, including Turkey, agrees with it," Afandi said. The three leaders discussed the situation in the Kurdish north-eastern area of Syria and emphasized that territorial integrity must be preserved. They expressed their strong opposition to the unlawful capture and transfer of oil revenues that belong to Syria by right. In the end of last year, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the United States would deny the Russian and Syrian forces access to the oil fields in northeast Syria and would ensure they are controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Last month, the US Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act came into effect, imposing sanctions against individuals or companies that cooperate financially with the Syrian government. Putin said on Wednesday that Washington's sanctions against Damascus have no legal ground and contribute to existing problems of the war-torn country and undermine its economy. (@ChaudhryMAli88) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) The Russian embassy in Riga on Friday criticized the ban on several RT channels in Latvia as a blatant violation of the freedom of speech. The Latvian National Electronic Media Council said on Tuesday that it was banning seven RT channels, namely RT, RT HD, RT Arabic, RT Spanish, RT Documentary HD, RT Documentary and RT tv, saying that they were headed by Rossiya Segodnya Director-General Dmitry Kiselev, who is under EU sanctions. Notably, RT and Rossiya Segodnya are two different legal entities and the former is not chaired by Kiselev. Margarita Simonyan, RT's editor-in-chief, is not under any EU sanctions. "We are curious, whom this blatant ban aims to defend? Arab and Spanish-speaking population of the country? This sounds absurd, doesn't it? It seems that freedom of speech in Latvia is becoming a category of exclusively hypothetical nature," the embassy wrote on Facebook. The embassy added that this was not the first time that the Latvian authorities had targeted Russian television broadcasters, trying to isolate their citizens from the "harmful propaganda of Moscow," but essentially blocking access to objective and unbiased covering of world events. On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry slammed the ban and called on relevant international organizations to check Riga's decision to see if it complied with the political and legal commitments of Latvia on ensuring the freedom of speech and free access to information. Russian media in the Baltic states have been frequently targeted by authorities in what Moscow says is a coordinated crackdown on the media, which is not in line with the principle of freedom of expression. Valdosta, GA (31601) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Indian Navy celebrates International Day of Yoga 21 Jun 2021 | 9:22 PM New Delhi, Jun 21 (UNI) The Indian Navy on Monday said that the International Day of Yoga was celebrated at Western Naval Command (WNC), with all serving naval personnel including Defence Security Corps (DSC), the Military Engineer Services (MES), Defence Civilian Employees and their family members enthusiastically participating in the 7th International Day of Yoga on the theme 'Be with Yoga - Be At Home'. see more.. Centre issues memo to WB ex-Chief Secy, initiating major disciplinary proceedings 21 Jun 2021 | 9:08 PM New Delhi, Jun 21 (UNI) Initiating major disciplinary penalty proceedings against former West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandhopadhyay, the Department of Personnel and Training has issued a memorandum for his alleged misconduct and misbehavior and asking him to reply within 30 days time period, the officials said here on Monday. see more.. Fire in Delhi's shoe factory, at least six people reportedly missing 21 Jun 2021 | 8:49 PM New Delhi, Jun 21 (UNI) A fire broke out at a shoe factory in Delhi's Udyog Vihar on Monday morning, with no reports of any injury or casualty so far. see more.. Sharad Pawar calls meeting of non-BJP leaders, eminent people on Tuesday 21 Jun 2021 | 8:20 PM New Delhi/Mumbai, Jun 21 (UNI) Maharashtra Minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik on Monday said his party's chief Sharad Pawar has called a meeting of several political leaders from different parties and eminent persons at his official residence in the National Capital on Tuesday to discuss the current scenario in the country. see more.. Caritas Zambia has supported the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) in their call for withdrawal of the controversial Constitution Amendment Bill number 10 of 2019 which seeks to amend Zambias 2016 Constitution. Mwenya Mukuka Lusaka, Zambia This is according to a statement signed by Caritas Zambia Executive Director Eugene Kabilika. He made the remarks on behalf of all Caritas Zambia Diocesan Directors. Key principles of Catholic Social Teaching We agree with the Bishops on the need for inclusive consultations on matters concerning the amendment of Zambias 2016 Constitution. When Bishops analyse political events, they do so in the light of the Word of God and the Social Teaching of the Church. Bill No. 10 falls short of promoting some of the key principles of the Social Teaching of the Church, said Kabilika. He added, While the constitution-making process is a common good for Zambians, the government refused to amend the National Dialogue Forum Bill (NDF), which would have set the tone for national unity and healing. The Bill has lapsed and should not be insisted upon Caritas Zambia Directors from the Dioceses say that, in any case, according to Parliamentary Standing Orders, Bill No. 10 lapsed on 4 June 2020 and it was wrong to insist on it. Caritas Zambia has since repeated the call made by the Zambian Bishops on 9 June 2020 that Bill 10, should be withdrawn. We call upon the government to listen to the voice of reason. Amendments to the Constitution of Zambia should be based on the widest consultation and consensus-building, Kabilika said.. Bill No.10 has polarised the nation Recently, President of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop George Cosmas Lungu said Constitution Amendment Bill No. 10 was polarising Zambians and should be withdrawn from parliament. Explaining the Bishops objections, Secretary-General of the Bishops Conference, Fr. Cleophas Lungu, said the amendments were too radical. He said the ruling party had hijacked the process for its own political ends. To begin with, in terms of the main objectives: When we were embarking on this journey, it was our understanding that the aim was to address the lacunas (gaps) in the amended Constitution of 2016. It was our view that the law needed some refinement. Alas, we see now that the Patriotic Front Government has gone beyond the original objective. Some wholesale changes are being proposed that will radically change the nature of the Constitution and even the nature of our young but maturing democracy, said Fr. Cleophas Lungu. Send to Email Address Your Name Your Email Address Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Email check failed, please try again Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Vaibhav Saxena and Le Tuan Anh, lawyers at Vietnam International Law Firm Vietnams National Assembly (NA) on June 17 passed the amended Law on Investment and the Law on Enterprises. The new laws will replace the current Law on Investment No.67/2014/QH13 and the Law on Enterprises No.68/2014/QH13 issued by the NA in 2014. Law on Investment modifications The new Law on Investment enumerates changes related to the conditions for foreign financiers to invest in Vietnam, the procedures for merger and acquisition (M&A) approval for foreign investors to acquire shares and/or capital contribution in economic organisations, the categories of projects subject to investment policy decisions, and consideration on national defence and security to license investment proposals. The new Law on Investment drops down the foreign ownership threshold from 51 to 50 per cent to determine if an economic organisation with foreign-owned capital must satisfy conditions applicable to overseas investors prior to the investment. These conditions apply to economic organisations with foreign-owned capital establishing economic organisations, contributing capital, acquiring shares or equity, or investing on the basis of a business co-operation contract. This change will invite investors to consider matters related to the competition laws of Vietnam. The new Law on Investment simplifies the procedure for M&A approval by eradicating the need for such approval if the M&A transaction does not result in an increase of the foreign investors ownership ratio in the target company. Such conditions apply even if the target company operates in the business sectors subject to market entry conditions applicable to foreign investors. Further, if any M&A transaction results in an increase of the ownership ratio in the target company and with the overseas investor holding more than 50 per cent of the shares or charter capital in the target company after the M&A transaction, the same shall be subject to M&A approval requirements under the new Law on Investment. This is significant relief provided from an administrative angle and will support businesses to cut short the timeline for M&A transactions. Under the new Law on Investment, commercial arbitration, franchising, and logistics services are no longer considered conditional business lines. New conditional business lines are architectural services, data centre services, electronic identification and authentication services, import press distribution services, fishing vessel registration, and fishing vessel crew training. Further, the new Law on Investment details the list of business lines restricted to foreign investment. It includes business lines for which foreign investment is not permitted or business lines for which it is subject to conditions. The detailed list on such business lines will be formulated by the relevant authorities. The new Law on Investment has touched upon the long-existing issue under the current Law on Investment with respect to conditional business lines. Although, the conditional business lines are listed out under the Appendix 4 of the current Law on Investment but the list is not comprehensive and needs to be refined to avoid conflict with Vietnams international commitments. The new Law on Investment supplements the categories of investment projects which are subject to the prime minister or provincial peoples committee investment policy decisions. The additional projects subject to the investment policy decisions include projects invested by the foreign investors in areas subject to national security concerns and housing and urban area construction projects. The new Law on Investment provides more clarity on the relevant authority for certain investment projects falling in areas as mentioned. It is again a constructive provision and will support investment activities in certain areas. Further, the new Law on Investment states that national defence and security-related matters will be considered while licensing a new project and granting M&A approval, if the project land or the business entity to be acquired has land use right on an island, commune, ward, border district, sea coast, or other areas which could affect national defence and security. It also adds that the project of investors could be terminated if it negatively affects national defence and security. Significant Law on Enterprises changes The new Law on Enterprises introduces modifications to relax the administrative procedures in order to support the ease of doing business in Vietnam. First, minority shareholder rights are protected. The new Law on Enterprises details on the cases and permits a shareholder or a group of shareholders holding at least 5 per cent (it is 10 per cent under the current Law on Enterprises) of the total ordinary shares the right to request the organising of an annual general shareholder meeting and request the board of inspection to investigate issues relating to the management and administration of the company. This is a golden provision inserted under the new Law on Enterprises especially for the minority investors who are usually concerned about their rights in relation to the functioning of the target company. Minority shareholders may have a lower risk appetite sometimes and accordingly are more careful to secure their rights under the shareholders agreement in an M&A transaction. Second is exclusion of corporate seal notifications and management reports. The new Law on Enterprises reduces administrative procedures for enterprises by deleting the notification requirement regarding corporate seal use by the company; and reporting on the changes to personal information of managers of the company in Vietnam.It will increase the index for ease of doing business in Vietnam and the enterprises will be relieved from unnecessary administrative obligations. The new Law on Enterprises also provides that in a single member limited liability company (LLC), an inspector is not required. Single member LLCs are the simplest form of an enterprise in Vietnam and removing the condition to appoint the inspector will benefit such enterprises operating in Vietnam. Overall, the new law on Investment and Enterprises are aimed to make the financing scenario more investor-friendly in Vietnam and to increase the ease of doing business for the enterprises registered in Vietnam. The new laws will be guided further with relevant regulations to be drafted by Vietnamese authorities to ensure smooth implementation. Union Springs, AL (36089) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 72F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 72F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Extensive cash injections heading towards finance - illustration photo Last week, state-owned lender VietinBank announced it would transfer 49 per cent of its VietinBank Leasing arm charter capital to Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance, a Japanese group engaged in consumer finance and asset finance businesses, such as provision of monetary loan services. Accordingly, the domestic firm will be switched from a single-member limited liability company to a two-member (or multi-member) one. Historically, foreign investors have played an important role in developing and strengthening Vietnams banking and insurance sectors, said Warrick Cleine, chairman and CEO of KPMG in Vietnam and Cambodia, who advised the Japanese investor on the acquisition. They have operated directly in the market through branches and subsidiaries, often introducing new products and service standards to Vietnamese consumers. They have also invested directly in Vietnamese-owned and operated entities, bringing technology and human capital. Likewise, other finance companies are also shaking hands with deep-pocketed partners to strengthen their operations. One source told VIR that MCredit a consumer finance subsidiary of Military Bank will sign an agreement with Vietnam Post Office to distribute unsecured loan products via the latters vast network. This co-operation is slated to boost MCredits presence, even to remote areas, while saving on costs of opening their own transaction offices. Previously, Shinsei Bank from Japan had acquired 49 per cent of MCredit. Notably, South Korean and Japanese firms are gearing up to enter Vietnams financial market, illustrated by the cases of Shinhan Card, Lotte Card, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank purchasing local finance companies in recent years. AEON, Japans leading retailer, also signalled its ambition of jumping onto Vietnams finance bandwagon. Meanwhile, South Korean JB Financial has paid around $16.1 million to acquire Vietnam-based brokerage Morgan Stanley Gateway Securities, which was established in 2006 with backing from investment giant Morgan Stanley. The group also plans to provide Vietnamese companies with services like arranging corporate bond issuance or mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory services. Privately-held lender SHB is mulling over selling parts of its capital at SHB Finance to a strategic foreign partner. Although the deal value was not disclosed, the parent company is likely to retain the bulk of the capital in the subsidiary. Do Quang Hien, chairman of SHBs Board of Directors, expressed his optimism, saying, We are in the middle of negotiations, and a successful tie-up deal in 2020 is likely on the cards. In the same boat, FE Credit is also allegedly seeking strategic shareholders to beef up its capital. Ngo Chi Dung, board chairman at VPBank the parent company of FE Credit said the negotiation process has yielded some fruit, despite being postponed due to the pandemic. Although the stake sale will reduce VPBanks net interest margin, management plans to use the capital from the FE Credit sale to boost the banks capital base, enhance scale, and expand lending to retail and small- and medium-sized enterprises. Under a contract signed last October, South Korean credit card company Hyundai Card also showed interest in acquiring a 50 per cent stake in Vietnamese consumer finance institution Finance Company Limited for Community (FCCOM) for around $42 million. The deal is poised to be completed within 2020, and FCCOM will operate as a joint venture of Hyundai Card and the bank. Hyundai Card is paying attention to the fast pace of growth in the Vietnamese financial market and sales of automobiles from Hyundai and Kia, Hyundai Card said in a statement. In another case, HD Bank revealed plans to convert HD Saison from a 50-per-cent-owned consumer finance joint venture to a joint-stock company. Experts believed relations with foreign shareholders that can transfer know-how or help lower costs will be an advantage, though any imported expertise will still need to be calibrated to local conditions. Now we are seeing interest in the non-bank financial sector. Foreign investors have backed Vietnamese fintech providers, securities companies, and non-bank lenders such as leasing and consumer finance companies. These investments allow companies to grow domestically, and explore expansion abroad, Cleine of KPMG told VIR. At the signing ceremony (Photo: VNA) The signing ceremony took place in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang on July 2. The two-year project, carried out by CECAD via support from the embassys Fund for Local Cooperation from July 2020, will total 160,000 EUR (180,400 USD) and benefit Tien Giang, Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Ben Tre, and Long An provinces. CECAD Deputy Director Le Thi Van Hue said the project is expected to support goals under the Vietnamese Governments Resolution No 120/NQ-CP on the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta in adaptation to climate change. It will also improve the communications capacity of relevant agencies and raise public awareness about saltwater intrusion in the region. Activities in the saltwater intrusion response model will be piloted in Tien Giang. The project directly targets local communities, poor households in remote and mountainous areas, and those hard hit by saltwater intrusion and the lack of water for daily use. District and provincial authorities, mass organisations, provincial hydro-meteorological centres, and irrigation branches will benefit indirectly. At the handover ceremony (Photo: VNA) At the handover ceremony, President of the VFF Hanoi Nguyen Lan Huong said that the capital city has held fundraising campaigns for the Fund for Vietnams sea, islands to build facilities in the island district. Since 2009, Hanoi has raised more than 380 billion VND to help build eight guest houses and cultural houses in the island district along with equipment serving people and soldiers in the district and the DK1 platform. The VFF Hanoi has received over 43 billion VND for the fund since the start of 2020. In 2018, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc decided to rename the Vi Truong Sa Than yeu (For Beloved Truong Sa) fund as Fund for Vietnams sea, islands. The fund was established in 2011, aiming to encourage people to turn their mind and heart to the Truong Sa archipelago, while enhancing awareness among all sectors, localities and Vietnamese people at home and abroad of the importance of Vietnams sea and islands. It also helped bring the resolution on Vietnam's Sea Strategy by 2020 into reality, mobilising social resources to defend the national sovereignty over sea, islands and continental shelf. Japan seeks extradition of two who helped Nissan chief Ghosn escape (illustration photo / AFP) The men -- security contractor and former US special forces member Michael Taylor and his son Peter -- were taken into custody on May 20 after they were named earlier in a Japanese arrest warrant for participating in Ghosn's dramatic escape. The Taylors were arrested in Harvard, Massachusetts as the son was preparing to travel to Lebanon, where Ghosn fled after sneaking out of Japan. The United States and Japan have an extradition treaty, but Lebanon and Japan do not. "Japan's requests for the extraditions of Michael L. Taylor and Peter M. Taylor have been submitted to the US Department of State in accordance with the extradition treaty between the United States and Japan," Andrew Lelling, the US attorney in Massachusetts, told a Boston court. The Taylors and a Lebanese man named George-Antoine Zayek are accused of helping Ghosn flee Japan on December 29. Ghosn, who led Nissan for nearly two decades before his arrest in 2018, was out on bail awaiting trial for alleged financial crimes when he made the audacious escape. According to court documents, the Taylors and Zayek, posing as musicians, helped the auto boss hide inside a large black case of the kind used to transport audio equipment for music, which they then loaded onto a private jet. In February Nissan filed a civil lawsuit to reclaim some 10 billion yen ($90 million) from Ghosn for what it called "years of his misconduct and fraudulent activity." Vietnam Airlines aircraft at Noi Bai International Airport. The national carrier and other airlines in Vietnam are preparing for international flights. (Photo: Vietnam Airlines) Hanoi - The Ministry of Transport will consider the reopening of international flight routes to countries and territories which have no new cases of COVID-19 in the community for 30 consecutive days, according to a ministry official. The official, who wanted to remain anonymous, told Vietnam News Agency that priority will be given to Japan, the Republic of Korea, China (mainland) and Taiwan (China) and some Southeast Asian countries which have controlled the disease. The COVID-19 pandemic is taking place in many countries around the world. Under the Governments direction, the reopening of international flights needs to be considered carefully." The resumption of international flights is scheduled to begin at the end of July, according to a proposal from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) sent to the ministry recently. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recently directed that the reopening of international flights will have to ensure safety for people because just a small mistake will mean social distancing measures have to be implemented again. The reopening aims to serve investors, technical staff and skilled workers in Vietnam. It creates conditions for Vietnamese people living abroad to return home. However, all still have to follow strict control procedures to prevent the spread of the pandemic to the community, the ministry official said. Vietnam Airlines has conducted one-way flights transporting Vietnamese people to the Republic of Korea for work and study, but it is difficult to restore all international routes. Head of CAAV Dinh Viet Thang said to maintain and ensure the feasibility of the reopening of international flights, it should not limit the number of passengers, including visitors, who will be required to follow safety rules. He said transit passengers will not be allowed to enter Vietnam. Passengers are required to have stayed in countries and territories for at least 30 consecutive days before flight and have negative coronavirus certificates issued three days before the scheduled flight date. In addition, passengers must be tested at the arrival terminal in Vietnam. Laboratory expenses are paid by the airline. Passengers must stay at locations determined by local People's Committees in cities and provinces for 14 days, for which they have to pay a fee. Thang said when countries consider how to restart international travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept of a "travel bubble", which is an 'intra-zone movement or moving corridor', is becoming more attractive. The travel bubble includes two or more countries successfully restraining COVID-19 to create a moving bloc or corridor. People living in the bloc can travel freely by road, sea and air transport, avoiding mandatory quarantine requirements. Thang said Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have opened their borders to the Baltic bloc, creating opportunities for businesses to reopen trade, meanwhile visitors from outside the bloc are still required to isolate themselves for 14 days. Australia and New Zealand have also proposed a Trans-Tasman bubble, in which citizens of one country can work in the other without a visa. Meanwhile, China is considering expanding its "intra-regional movement" over mainland China to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau and the Republic of Korea. State capital at Viet Nams top brewer Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corp (Sabeco) will be soon transferred to the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC). - Photo cafef.vn The benchmark VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) gained 0.46 per cent to close at 846.28 points. The index had lost 0.13 per cent on Thursday to close at 842.38 points. Large-cap stocks pulled the market up as the blue chip tracker VN30-Index increased by 0.45 per cent to 789.14 points. Sixteen of the 30 largest stocks by market capitalisation and trading liquidity in the VN30 basket rose while five decreased. Among gaining large-caps were FPT Corporation (FPT), HDBank (HDB), Novaland (NVL), Vingroup (VIC), Vinhomes (VHM), Vinamilk (VNM), Vincom Retail (VRE) and giant brewery company Sabeco (SAB). State capital at Viet Nams top brewer Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corp (Sabeco) will be soon transferred to the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC). The government has set the deadline by August 31 for the transfer of 36 per cent of state capital in Sabeco from the Ministry of Industry and Trade to SCIC. On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index also rose 0.06 per cent to close Friday morning at 111.67 points. Vietnam is allowing experts and managers to enter from Japan in order to boost investment projects, Photo: Le Toan Le Thi Thu Hang, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), told VIR that based on the situation and demands of both sides, Vietnam is now working with a number of nations such as China, South Korea, and Japan to resume investment and trade activities, with the strict obedience of anti-pandemic measures under specific conditions. For the time being, we will facilitate experts and managers from these nations to come to Vietnam to work, and Vietnamese labourers to come to the nations to work, Hang said. One of the reasons behind this move is that these markets have controlled the pandemic well, and are Vietnams major trade partners. Last week, 440 Japanese experts and entrepreneurs came to Vietnam to continue engaging in projects in Vietnam. Vietnam and Japan have agreed that they will gradually loosen the travelling limit between the two countries. Specific measures and procedures will be exchanged via the diplomatic channel, the MoFA said in a statement. Earlier Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had phone-based talks with Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, with one focus laid on expanding both nations trade and investment ties, also backed by some bilateral agreements. Two-way trade hit $40 billion last year and $16.2 billion in the first five months, including $8.1 billion earned by Vietnam from exporting to Japan. On June 12, Vietnam agreed to allow 331 experts, managers, and high-skilled labourers from China to enter its territory. The move was made after the Government Office received a diplomatic note from Chinas Embassy to Vietnam asking Vietnam to permit those people to enter the country to implement their projects here. A week ago, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh held telephone talks with Kuwaiti counterpart Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, discussing various breakthrough solutions to expand bilateral trade and investment ties. Bilateral trade turnover reached $3.6 billion last year and currently both nations are further cementing energy co-operation, focusing on oil and gas. Vietnam wants to boost exports of agricultural products, consumer goods, electronics, garments and textiles, and building materials to Kuwait, where demand for these products are on the rise. Meanwhile, seeking to further consolidate Vietnam-Russian ties, two weeks ago Party General Secretary, State President Nguyen Phu Trong and Russias President Vladimir Putin held phone talks, reaffirming that despite COVID-19 both sides will continue boosting co-operation in defence, security, and energy. They support and encourage both nations oil firms to engage in new projects in Vietnam and Russia. This will help realise the countries goal of reaching $10 billion over the next few years, from nearly $4 billion last year. Also two weeks ago, PM Phuc had a phone call with French counterpart Edouard Philippe to boost both nations trade and investment ties, especially amid the upcoming entry into force of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, which will usher in massive trade and investment opportunities for both nations. The EU is now Vietnams third-largest exporting market, which spent $13 billion importing Vietnamese goods in the first five months of 2020, when it also sold $5.8 billion worth of goods to Vietnam, which considers the EU its sixth-largest importing market. Over the past five weeks, newly-established Thai-invested Amuay Textile and Garment Co., Ltd. at Hanois Quang Minh Industrial Park has resumed operations of its three production lines after a month-long halt caused by COVID-19, which locked the company from exporting its products to some European nations. We have recently landed an export order from a Canadian partner, with a total contract value of $1 million. We will boost production to ship goods to Canada, said Vu Thai Hang, vice head of the companys marketing department. Canada is a new market for Amuay, and import tariffs on garments and textiles have begun to decrease in 2020 under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Currently though Canada is still shutting its borders, it is beginning a staggered reopening. Many Canadian businesses are seeking orders online, such as the case with Amuay, and hoping that their government will lift the lockdown soon. According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), Canada is planning to increase imports of Vietnams key products including garments and textiles, footwear, aquatic products, electronics, and some types of machinery. So as to expand Vietnams exports to Canada, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh recently held a telephone call with Mary Ng, Canadas Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade. He suggested that Canada consider the establishment of an intergovernmental commission on economic and trade co-operation, which will help further amplify both nations investment and trade ties currently spurred on by the CPTPP entering into force in January 2019. Colin Blackwell - Founder, Enablecode and chairman of HR Committee Vietnam Business Forum A company owner has a business that has been doing well for many years but notices that their competitors are gaining an inexplicable advantage. Their competitors start selling cheaper than what appears to be possible and are gaining new customers by changing the rules of business. The owner correctly identifies that digital transformation is needed, so gives the task to their most trusted executive to carry out. The executive knows their existing business may be old fashioned, but still works. Performance may not be great, but they are simply continuing a trusted way, so it is not the executives fault. Change could work, but there is a real risk that it will make things worse, which would then be the executives fault. Thus, the executive is caught in a dilemma they must do something but not risk too much. The executive asks around their friends and does a few internet searches to find a good place to start. As the topic seems complex, it seems sensible to bring in an expert. Now the executive must reassure the owner that they have chosen the right expert. The worst thing that could happen is to choose the wrong expert and then the executive would be rightly blamed when the transformation later goes wrong. So how to make a safe choice? Simple bring in a large, famous international consulting company. The consulting firms reputation is so strong that no matter what happens, the executive cannot be blamed for choosing them. The famous consulting company is then asked to come in and advise what change is needed. The consultants know well that the executive will hire them, as their job depends upon it. They also know that the executive does not really wish to risk change and does not care about spending large amounts of the owners money. Thus, the consultants prepare a proposal full of pretty pictures of trees and smiling people and add in every buzzword they can think of for a million US dollars. The executive persuades the owner to say yes and the consultant is given the inevitable go ahead. For $1 million, the consulting company must be active, so they must appoint a visibly large team to the project. To maximise their profit margin, they assign inexpensive junior interns and people from their regional outsource centre, usually in India. Now I hasten to add that the Indian they appoint may be knowledgeable, but through no fault of their own, they cannot be expected to understand the intricacies of Vietnamese business culture after being here for only a few days. Likewise, the intern may be a very nice and clever person, but through no fault of their own, lacks the real-world business experience to make sense of the client company. This consulting team then starts by asking the client companys line management many time-consuming questions, with the answers then summarised back to the client. It follows the old cliche lend me your watch and I will tell you the time. This is used to then make a massive PowerPoint presentation with every buzzword known to humanity, flowcharts copied from business journals plus, of course, more pictures of computer circuit boards and random people shaking hands. For $1 million, the presentation when printed should be thick enough to beat a small rodent to death with. To sum up, the consultant has their million US dollars, the executive has done something without disaster, nobody has to do any real change, it is all nobodys fault, so they all live happily ever after. The original problem of being outperformed by competitors just gets worse. Time and money were wasted and now the problem still needs solving, but with less time and money available. So, how could this have all been done differently? A good outcome is always possible, so let us retell the story more positively. Again, a business owner notices their company falling behind in the way described previously. Their correct conclusion is that while their competitors actions are unexpected, they are not magic. Their competitors are people just like them, so if their competitors can do it, so can they or even do it better. The owner calls in their trusted executive and they agree together that real change is needed. They will share the responsibility and the owner acknowledges there is an inevitable risk, but this will not be automatically the executives fault. They agree that they will have to question the most fundamental assumptions they had about their business and be brave to make the needed changes. To get started, they have a bit of fun pretending to be prospective new customers of their competitors. These mystery shoppers highlight a few things that their competitors do better than them. It is still an unknown how the competitor is doing it, but the challenge is at least clearly defined. Realising that outside expertise is needed, they decide to do their research on what type of consultants are available that can produce real, practical, measurable results. They quickly discover that business consultants have given themselves a bad reputation in general. A recent survey published in the Singapore Sunday Times showed that the public thought garbage collectors were performing a more essential job than business consultants. Proceeding with warranted caution on alleged experts, the executive uses their personal network to find consultants that understand the Vietnamese business culture and have a proven track record in making practical improvements in similar companies. Listening to the good consultants explanations of the best practice the executives competitors are using, the executive realises that the needed change is a combination of smaller, practical, and achievable improvements. Before choosing a consultant, it is also a good idea to challenge a prospective consultant to give you references of past clients they have successfully made practical improvements for in Vietnam. These will vary from company to company, but typical practical improvements involve the following: - Using the full potential of social media to market your company to new customers; - Implementing a modern e-commerce option with a great customer experience; - Reducing costs and improving efficiencies by automating or outsourcing support functions; - Using new technology to have a better product or service for your customers delivered faster, cheaper, and more profitably; - Improve internal controls to reduce fraud and have more real-time visibility of the companys performance; - Align employees with the new culture by removing some, retraining all, and hiring others; - Introducing digital platforms for supply chain, purchasing, and logistics; and - Integrate existing technology systems to reduce errors and using the cloud more to provide greater system security and availability. Here, it is the executives job to draw together the individual practical improvements into a broader strategy. If it makes everyone feel better about themselves, call this collection of practical steps a digital transformation. Shareholders love it and the buzzwords impress young attractive people at business networking functions. But most importantly, you will have made a real change that delivers real business performance. Cambodias use of incitement laws to jail journalists sends a threatening message to news outlets and could result in self-censorship, media experts say. The countrys vaguely worded incitement law is often used against detractors of Prime Minister Hun Sens government, international rights groups say. Recently, the law was used to jail three journalists, in a move that local press groups warn could silence critical reporting. Ros Sokhet, publisher of the Cheat Khmer newspaper, was arrested June 25; Sok Oudom, owner of the Rithysen Radio News Station, was taken into pretrial detention in May; and Sovann Rithy, who runs the Facebook-based TVFB news outlet, was charged in April. All three are in custody in Phnom Penh. Ith Sothoeuth, media director at the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, said the government should not use criminal code provisions, such as incitement, against journalists, especially if they were only expressing opinions. We have the Press Law, and I think in cases related to journalists, we should use this law, especially when they are expressing opinions, Ith Sothoeuth said. Cambodias Law on the Press is supposed to deal with any infractions by journalists or news publications. Nop Vy, executive director of the Cambodia Journalist Alliance, said the arrests were a threat or warning to other reporters to refrain from critical reportage, and that authorities should use the Press Law rather than criminal charges. Journalists now are more fearful of writing their articles, Nop Vy said. Those journalists will restrict their freedom of expression [by not] writing opinion pieces. Khan Leakhena, a journalist who covers controversial issues like politics and land-ownership disputes for local publication Voice of Democracy, said the arrests made her worry that she may be detained. I am afraid that they will pick up any mistakes [in my stories] and accuse me of incitement, the 29-year-old reporter said. Even if I work professionally, I am still worried. I dont know when I can be the target. Information Ministry spokesperson Meas Sophorn denied the arrests were related to press freedom or the right to free expression and said the reporters had broken the law. The spokesperson added that the ministry was considering whether to revoke Ros Sokhets media outlets license but did not say why such a move was necessary. A Phnom Penh court issued an arrest warrant for the publisher for incitement to commit chaos, according to Phnom Penh Police Chief Sar Theth. Sar Theth referred questions on why the journalist was arrested to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. A spokesperson for the court did not respond to requests for comment. Court and police officials have not said publicly why Ros Sokhet was arrested. A few days before he was detained, the journalist posted critical comments on Facebook including about Prime Minister Hun Sens response to economic hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic and alleged plans to make Hun Sens son the next prime minister. In Sok Oudoms case, the radio owner was charged with incitement to commit a felony after he broadcast a Facebook Live report on a land dispute in Kampong Chhnang provinces Phnom Oral Wildlife Sanctuary. A court spokesperson told VOA said the journalist was guilty of inciting villagers to grab military and state land for private ownership. TVFB journalist Sovann Rithy was charged with incitement after reporting on Hun Sens speech at the government building Peace Palace. Local police officials said the prime ministers comments in his speech that motorcycle taxi drivers should sell their vehicles to buy food if affected by the pandemic were made in jest and not to be reported seriously. Cambodias media work in an already restrictive climate. The country ranks 144 out of 180 countries, where one is the most free, in Reporters Without Borders 2020 press freedom index. Under a crackdown that started after the 2017 commune elections, The Cambodia Daily was closed for alleged tax violations, and The Phnom Penh Post was sold to a Malaysian investor with links to Hun Sen. Two former Radio Free Asia reporters were charged with espionage and two former Cambodia Daily reporters are awaiting trial for incitement over a 2017 story. In the last few months, the pandemic has been an unprecedented complication for U.S. presidential campaigns. Both Donald Trump and Joe Bidens campaigns have had to pivot their strategies and rely on technology to raise money and connect with potential voters. VOA's Elizabeth Lee has more on the digital strategies used by the campaigns, how theyre using it and the kinds of information they are gathering with the goal of winning the race for the White House. VOA Khmer's Chrea Vanrith narrates. UNODC marks 15th anniversary of the entry into force of the Firearms Protocol UNODC Vienna (Austria), 3 July 2020 15 years ago on 3 July 2005, the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition (Firearms Protocol) entered into force. The date marks a milestone in the international efforts to prevent the proliferation of small arms as the Firearms Protocol was the first legally binding global instruments that addressed this bloodstained threat to peace, security and sustainable development. This year, the anniversary almost coincides with the Working Group on Firearms, which will be held on 16 and 17 July, to discuss, for the first time by virtual means, the responsiveness of the Firearms Protocol to new and emerging threats, amongst other topics. Celebrating the 15th anniversary, John Brandolino, Director of the Division for Treaty Affairs of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is applauding the significance of the Firearms Protocol as a crucial instrument to strengthen criminal justice responses to prevent and counter illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms. Disrupting illicit arms flows is essential to effectively counter organized crime and terrorism and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Protocol requires States Parties to mark and register firearms in order to allow their identification and tracing, when recovered from a crime scene or detected in the hands of transnational operating trafficking networks. Most illicit firearms were once produced legally but entered the black market throughout their lifecycle. The unique marking on firearms can help identify firearms used by a criminals, organized crime or terrorist groups and trace them back to their point of diversion. This allows criminal justice systems to take action and bring perpetrators to justice. The marking and record-keeping requirements of the Firearms Protocol are accompanied by a comprehensive authorization regime for arms transfers. By implementing this system, everyone involved in the import, export and transit of firearms and related items can be held accountable for the absence of correspondent authorizations and accompanying transfer documentation. If customs or law enforcement authorities detect firearms which are not complying with these provisions, the Protocol requires their confiscation, seizure and destruction. In order to enforce these preventive measures, it is the significant achievement of the Protocol to have established as criminal offences the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, being the only legally binding global instrument to do so. After the ground-breaking adoption of the Firearms Protocol by the General Assembly on 31 May 2001, more global instruments have followed. Only two months later the legally not binding Programme of Action was adopted, followed, in 2005, by the International Tracing Instrument (so called political instruments). In 2013, the Arms Trade Treaty further completed and enhanced the international framework on small arms control. The joint national implementation of these instruments complements and cross-fertilizes each other, through the establishment of comprehensive and harmonized firearms control regimes. As we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the entry into force of the Firearms Protocol, with 118 States Parties today, we acknowledge its responsiveness to new and emerging forms of manufacturing and trafficking linked to organised crime and terrorism. John Brandolino: In this decade of action, we seize the opportunity to invite countries, which have not yet done so, to become State Party, in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 16.4 by significantly reducing illicit arms flows until 2030. UNODCs Global Firearms Programme is assisting governments to implement the Firearms Protocol through a holistic and integrated approach based on five main pillars. These pillars include: Legislative and policy development, preventive and security measures, criminal justice responses, international cooperation and information exchange, and the monitoring of illicit arms flows. Further information Global Firearms Programme Does wearing a mask pose any health risks? No, not for most people. Babies and toddlers should not wear masks because they could suffocate. The same goes for anyone who has trouble removing a mask without help. Others can wear masks without risking their health, according to experts, despite false rumors to the contrary. In areas where COVID-19 is spreading, health experts agree that wearing masks or other face coverings in public helps reduce the risk of spreading the virus when people cant socially distance by staying 6 feet apart. The coronavirus mainly spreads through droplets that are emitted when people talk, laugh, sing, cough and sneeze. Masks lower the likelihood of those droplets reaching other people. Even if you dont have symptoms, you could be carrying the virus and could spread it. When it's humid outside, it could feel like it's harder to breathe if you're not used to wearing a mask, said Benjamin Neuman, a professor of biology at Texas A&M University-Texarkana. But he said masks don't meaningfully decrease oxygen in the body. The body is quite good at adjusting to keep oxygen levels where they need to be," he said. Theres also no evidence that the use of masks causes fungal or bacterial infections, according to Davidson Hamer, an infectious disease expert at Boston University. Disposable face masks are meant to be used once, then thrown in the garbage. With cloth masks, it's a good idea to wash them regularly. Wearing a mask may be uncomfortable, but health officials say you should resist any urge to touch your face. That could bring germs from your hands into your nose, mouth or eyes. Sterling Heights, MI (48312) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 45F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 45F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. The Alabama Department of Corrections announced Thursday night that a staff member at Limestone Correctional Facility in Harvest has tested positive for coronavirus. The employee is in self-quarantine. This is the second employee at the Limestone facility to test positive for coronavirus. Earlier this week, the department said a staff member at North Alabama Community Based Facility/Community Work Center in Decatur self-reported a positive coronavirus diagnosis. More from the departments news release: (ADOC) is saddened to announce the death of an employee at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women (Tutwiler) in Wetumpka, Alabama. This staff member recently tested positive for COVID-19. The ADOC extends its heartfelt condolences to the employees family and loved ones during this difficult time and is grateful for the employees service to the Department. This is the Departments second COVID-19-related staff or contracted staff death. ADOC STAFF The ADOC was informed via self-reporting that: ne (1) staff member at Bullock Correctional Facility in Union Springs, Alabama; one (1) staff member at Limestone Correctional Facility in Harvest, Alabama; and one (1) staff member at Tutwiler have tested positive for COVID-19. These three (3) individuals promptly self-quarantined under the direction of their healthcare providers. The ADOCs Office of Health Services (OHS) has initiated investigations to determine which, if any, ADOC inmates or employees may have had direct, prolonged exposure to these staff members. Upon completing the appropriate due diligence, OHS will advise any staff with direct exposure to contact their health care provider and self-quarantine as advised. Eighty-four (84) COVID-19 cases among ADOC staff and contracted staff remain active. Eighty-seven (87) staff members who previously self-reported a positive test have been cleared by medical providers to return to work. INMATE POPULATION The ADOC has confirmed that five (5) inmates have tested positive for COVID-19: Staton Correctional Facility (Elmore, Alabama) one (1) inmate St. Clair Correctional Facility (Springville, Alabama) two (2) inmates Easterling Correctional Facility (Clio, Alabama) two (2) inmates Staton Correctional Facility (Staton): The inmate in question was tested and returned a negative result for COVID-19 on June 11 following direct exposure while in Statons infirmary. He remained under quarantine until his transfer to a local hospital on June 26 for a scheduled procedure. While asymptomatic, he was retested for COVID-19 at the hospital on June 29 and subsequently returned a positive test result. He remains under the care of the hospital. The infirmary at Staton remains on level-three quarantine. St. Clair Correctional Facility (St. Clair): After the two inmates in question began exhibiting signs and symptoms of COVID-19, both were taken to a local hospital, tested, and returned a positive result. These two inmates remain under the care of the hospital. The dormitory in which these inmates were housed has been placed on level-two quarantine. Easterling Correctional Facility (Easterling): One of the inmates in question tested positive for COVID-19 at a local hospital while under their care for unrelated health conditions. Upon transfer back to Easterling, he was placed in medical isolation. The second inmate in question tested positive for COVID-19 at the facility after exhibiting symptoms of the disease. He also has been placed in medical isolation. The dormitories in which these inmates were housed remain on level-one quarantine. All existing quarantine protocols held in-place or newly implemented as recommended by the ADOCs contracted State Medical Director are being maintained at each facility where the newly identified positive inmates are currently housed. Seventy-five (75) total cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among our inmate population, forty-three (43) of which remain active. A Florida sheriff issued a strongly worded warning to anyone who may be considering violently protesting in his county, saying he would "deputize" lawful gun owners for help. "If you threaten to come to Clay County and think for one second that we'll bend our backs for you, you're sadly mistaken," Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels said in a video message posted on Facebook. "Tearing up Clay County -- that's not going to be acceptable. And if we can't handle you -- you know what I'll do? I'm going to exercise the power and authority as the sheriff, and I'll make special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county and I'll deputize them for this one purpose -- to stand in the gap between lawlessness and civility. "That's what we're sworn to do and that's what we're gonna do. You've been warned," he said. The message comes as tens of thousands of Americans have protested in recent weeks -- demonstrations that were sparked by George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police in late May. Protesters have decried police brutality and racism and called for reform. The majority of those demonstrations have remained peaceful. But some, in the early days of unrest, ended in looting and damage. Officials in different parts of the US hinted that the violence may have been instigated by outside groups who infiltrated the protests with an ulterior motive. In his Facebook video, the sheriff said that while he had seen images of protests across the country, the relationships between police and the community in Clay County "are great and not strained." "Look folks don't fall victim to subjecting yourself to this conversation that law enforcement is bad. That law enforcement is the enemy of the citizens that were sworn to protect and serve," Daniels said. The sheriff said officers take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, adding "we end that (oath) with, 'so help me God.'" "But God is absent from the media's message or Black Lives Matter or any other group out there that's making themselves a spectacle." CNN has reached out to the Clay County Sheriff's Office for comment. Harold Rutledge, who will be challenging Daniels in the elections, told CNN affiliate WJXT the message seemed like the sheriff "challenged rioters and looters to come to Clay County and cause mayhem." "Part of the problem in policing is that some officers need more training in how to interact with all people and all situations, including how to keep calm and how to de-escalate situations. Threatening to 'make special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county and I'll deputize them' is going to make the problem worse," the statement said. At least three other candidates also on the ballot all condemned the message. A 13-ton shipment of beauty products such as weaves suspected to have been made out of human hair was seized on Wednesday by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of New York/Newark. According to the CPB, the shipment originated in Xinjiang, China, signaling potential human rights abuses of forced labor and imprisonment. The products were worth over $800,000. Xinjiang is an autonomous rural region in the northwest of China and home to roughly 11 million Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority with a distinct culture and language. Until recently, there were many more Uyghurs in Xinjiang than Han Chinese, the ethnic majority that makes up the rest of the country. The US State Department estimates that over one million Uyghurs have been detained in a massive network of internment camps in Xinjiang, where they are reportedly 'subjected to torture, cruel and inhumane treatment such as physical and sexual abuse, forced labor, and death.' In addition to political indoctrination, former detainees have told CNN that they experienced sleep deprivation, lack of food and forced injections. This is the second time this year that the CBP has seized products from China suspected to have been made from prisoner's hair. 'It is absolutely essential that American importers ensure that the integrity of their supply chain meets the humane and ethical standards expected by the American government and by American consumers,' said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of the CBP Office of Trade. 'The production of these goods constitutes a very serious human rights violation, and the detention order is intended to send a clear and direct message to all entities seeking to do business with the United States that illicit and inhumane practices will not be tolerated in U.S. supply chains.' China has faced international scrutiny for its treatment of the Uyghurs, and in June, President Trump signed a bill into law that aimed to punish Beijing for its repression of the ethnic minority. However, according to John Bolton's new book 'The Room Where It Happens', Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2019 that he should 'go ahead with building the camps.' Per Bolton's account, Trump thought that was 'exactly the right thing to do.' HOOVER, Ala. (WBMA) Hoover Police Chief Derzis says an 8-year-old child was killed in the Friday shooting at Riverchase Galleria in Hoover. Police said he died shortly after he arrived at Children's of Alabama. The Bessemer City School System identified the child as one of its students, releasing a statement that said: "It is with deep regret that we announce the tragic loss of Jonesboro Elementary School student Royta Giles Jr. School administrators have been speaking with the childs family members and offer support as they grieve the sudden and difficult loss. Our hearts are simply broken at the tragic loss of Royta. We are here for the family in every way possible, and we ask that everyone lifts the mother, family, and our school community in your prayers. This is tough, says Bessemer City Schools superintendent, Dr. Autumm Jeter. Royta Giles was heading to the 3rd grade this fall. Principal Dr. Anjell Edwards, and staff describe him as a smart child, who was a jewel, with big dreams of someday entering the music industry. He was bright, articulate, and very convincing. We even tried to convince him to become a lawyer, says former assistant principal Mr. Van James." Also, ajuvenile female was shot and transported to Children's of Alabama in unknown condition A male was shot and transported from American Family Health to UAB Hospital in unknown condition A female was shot and transported to UAB Hospital in unknown condition. From earlier: The Hoover Police Department has confirmed reports of shots fired at the Riverchase Galleria shopping mall in Hoover. Police said multiple people have been shot. There are at least four victims who have been transferred to local hospitals. They don't know how many gunmen were involved. Police say the scene is contained, and the mall has been evacuated. In November 2018 at the mall, a police officer fatally shot a Black man with a gun after mistaking him for the gunman in an earlier shooting at the mall. Stay with WAAY 31 on air and WAAYTV.com online for updates It's been a long time since folks at Diatherix Eurofins had what they would describe as a "slow day." After WAAY 31 visited the facility on the campus of HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in late April, the lab went from processing about 3,000 to 4,000 tests per day up to about 7,000 to 8,000. In fact, one day last week they had about 10,000 tests pass through their lab. Technicians at Diatherix Eurofins work to process coronavirus tests on Thursday, July 2, 2020. The laboratory is continuously working to expand its capacity to process tests in order to keep up with rising demand. Technicians at Diatherix Eurofins work to process coronavirus tests on Thursday, July 2, 2020. The laboratory is continuously working to expand its capacity to process tests in order to keep up with rising demand. Currently, Diatherix processes tests for 31 states around the country with Alabama accounting for about 17 percent of its workload. Dr. Jeff Wisotzkey, the chief scientific officer and laboratory director at Diatherix, said the growth in demand was faster than initially anticipated. So they sped up their timeline to meet that demand. "We're seeing a real, rapid ramp up in the testing requests and we're trying to manage our capacity so that we can handle the requests as they come our way," Dr. Wisotzkey said. He said the lab technicians work many long hours these days in order to keep pace with the demand. Right now, they're in the process of looking at adding additional staff as well as some robotics to further increase their capacity. "I've never worked with people that were more dedicated to getting the job done. We ask a lot of them and they're doing it. It's incredible," Dr. Wisotzkey said. Over the rest of the summer, Diatherix is adding in equipment and renovating an 11,000-square-foot space in a separate building that will allow them to further expand the amount of testing they can handle each day. In addition to diagnostic testing, there are plenty of other facilities that are currently doing antibody tests. While data is still being gathered about the implications of having antibodies to this coronavirus, it is allowing places, like LifeSouth, to offer the opportunity for those who have antibodies to donate convalescent plasma. Isaiah Burgin donated blood more than two weeks ago and got tested for antibodies. When he learned on Wednesday that he had them, he scheduled an appointment for the next day to make a plasma donation. "If this plasma could be used to treat them and get them well, then I thought it was probably my civic duty to come out and try to help those people out," Burgin said. And as the technicians continued to plug away Thursday afternoon, Dr. Wisotzkey said the best way the public can thank them for what they're doing is for everyone to do their part in helping to slow the spread of the virus. Those include good hand hygiene, staying physically distant from others and wearing a mask in public. "Our folks are exhausted and working almost every day. They're putting in long hours and that would be the message that they would give to our community," Dr. Wisotzkey said. As the number of people hospitalized for coronavirus continues to increase around the state, blood banks are encouraging those with antibodies to donate convalescent plasma. LifeSouth said they've received a growing demand for the plasma from physicians and hospitals around north Alabama. District Director Kelley McPhail said the demand is due to doctors using more of the plasma in treating some coronavirus patients. She said on Thursday that the request they're receiving have more than doubled recently. Currently, everyone who donates blood at LifeSouth will receive an antibody test, which will let them determine if they are able to donate the convalescent plasma. Once those results come back, a patient can make an appointment with LifeSouth for the plasma donation, which can be done relatively quickly. "It's easy to do, it takes less than an hour of your time and one donation can help three different patients in the hospital, so it's very important and it's, like I said, a selfless gift," McPhail said. LifeSouth will remain open for donations throughout the Independence Day weekend and will be giving a holiday shirt to those who donate during this window. To find a location to donate, click here. Unemployment numbers are declining, according to a report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Thursday. The report states that numbers dropped 2.2% to 11.1% and added a record 4.8-million jobs in June -- the second consecutive month of job growth after the economy lost 20 million jobs in April alone. Some of those were here in North Alabama. Local businesses, still recovering from the shutdown, have considered PPP loans a saving grace. Now, the loans are allowing some to bring back staff, and, in some cases, afford them the ability to hire more. "That's one of the reasons why we're able to reopen today is being able to bring people back, partially through that PPP usage, Connor Knapp, co-owner of PIPER AND LEAF, said. Knapp was able to open the doors to his Lowe Mill location Thursday for the first time in nearly three months, when the historic art center fully reopened. "We've got to get some of these things ironed out again because we've been out of here for so long, Knapp told WAAY 31. So it's both super exciting and even a little scary." According to Knapp, the Paycheck Protection Program loan allowed him to bring the location's manager back and, in doing so, reopen. "That's one of the things that using things like the PPP has allowed us to do, is to grow and expand in certain areas. So we actually are hiring -- not only for here, but for some of our other initiatives as well." 9Round 30 minute kick box fitness, another Huntsville PPP recipient, didn't have to let any employees go. Owner Steve Bump said he paid workers out of his own pocket to keep them employed before the loan kicked in. "I just felt it was the right thing to do in order to just give them some income for the first few weeks - or month a half actually - before we actually got our PPP loan funded to us. " Bump says the money really helped with the transition to reopening, rather than paying his employees. "I don't think I would have had to let anyone go, Bump said, but I would have had to go into further debt. I just can't do that anymore." Bump says he believes his business will be fine but told WAAY 31 that if another forced closure were to happen, he couldn't guarantee that they'd reopen. Dr. Anthony Fauci said the spikes in many states are the worst the US has seen so far, and warned it could get worse if more precautions aren't taken. With the start of school less than 6 weeks away, a local pediatrician told WAAY 31 she has some concerns about reopening schools. She said she wants to see the start date pushed back at least another two months! "It would be nice if we could delay the start of school i would think until around october....it looks like cases are getting more prevalent in our area," Dr. Joann Johnson, the head pediatrician at Over the Rainbow Pediatrics, said. Dr. Johnson said the recent rise in coronavirus cases around Alabama is why she's concerned about schools re-opening in August. She's had discussions with parents and teachers who shared concerns about schools re-opening next month. "It's going to be very difficult to get the kids to keep their masks on all day long. It's also going to be difficult in the larger schools to do any social distancing," she said. She said pushing the start date back will allow time for coronavirus cases to decline before kids go back in person. She said seeing the way the flu and other sicknesses have spread among kids in years past makes her feel now isn't the time for kids to return. "Yes, I am very worried because other viral illnesses like RSV and flu always spread through the school system so I don't see why this virus will be any different," Johnson said. Ultimately, she said parents are going to have to make a decision on what's best because every child and situation is different. She said she just hopes parents have their own conversations with their children about keeping themselves and others safe. "Stress to their children to keep their masks on and to wash their hands frequently, and not be touching each other," Johnson said. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a nearly statewide mask mandate Thursday as Texas scrambles to get its coronavirus surge under control. The order requires Texans living in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth while inside a business or other building open to the public, as well as outdoor public spaces, whenever social distancing is not possible. But it provides several exceptions, including children who are younger than 10 years old, people who have a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask, people who are eating or drinking and people who are exercising outdoors. Abbotts order specifies at least one group of people is not excepted from the order: any person attending a protest or demonstration with over 10 people who cannot socially distance. Abbott released a video message along with the mask order, saying the latest coronavirus numbers in the state "reveal a very stark reality." "COVID-19 is not going away," he said. "In fact, its getting worse. Now, more than ever, action by everyone is needed until treatments are available for COVID-19." Shanna Hagan-Burke, Ph.D., began her service as the new dean of the Baylor School of Education on Wednesday. Hagan-Burke had been professor of special education and head of the department of educational psychology at Texas A&M Universitys College of Education and Human Development. She succeeds Terrill F. Saxon, Ph.D., professor of educational psychology and associate dean for research and graduate education, who has served the past three years as the schools interim dean. Throughout her academic career, Dr. Hagan-Burke has demonstrated a strong commitment to both undergraduate and graduate teaching while also conducting robust externally funded research in her academic field, Baylor Provost Dr. Nancy Brickhouse said. It is an exciting time to join Baylor University, and I am looking forward to serving the School of Education as its next dean, Hagan-Burke said. From the moment I read Illuminate (Baylors academic strategic plan), I knew I wanted to be a part of Baylors efforts to realize this vision. The School of Education is uniquely poised to make substantive contributions to the Universitys signature academic initiatives, and I am grateful for the opportunity to lead those efforts. If you've never seen 'Hamilton,' here's what you need to know 1619 has been painted on a toppled statue of George Washington, and Hannah-Jones has been happy to take ideological credit for the 1619 riots. The message of the project and the protests are the same: America was rotten from the beginning, and the slavery that was the true heart of its founding has transformed itself over the eras into insidious, irradicable systemic racism today. The only way to truly fight racism, therefore, is to destroy the American system itself. But its not just historical inaccuracies that plague the 1619 Project and its rioting adherents. Their central narrative is wrong. America was founded in 1776, and at the cornerstone of the American system rests not slavery but the fundamental equality and dignity of every human being, naturally endowed with inalienable rights. The United States, like all fallible human civilizations, has not always lived up to the greatness of its creed. Its heroes, like all men in all eras and countries, are flawed and made terrible mistakes. But Thomas Jeffersons great words in the Declaration of Independence are the promissory note that civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. called upon Americans to honor. The American Founding is not a rotten weed that continues to encourage bigotry today but rather the greatest rebuke to racism that has ever been built by any civilization before or since. One can passionately debate whether Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts Thursday afternoon executive order requiring Texans to wear face coverings in public comes too late amid skyrocketing COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths. At least the governor grasps grim realities on the eve of the long Fourth of July weekend. While some Texans might fault the governors precipitous reopening of the Texas economy weeks ago, some of us should also remember who else is to blame: some of our neighbors, co-workers and family members who went out in public unmasked and arguably helped spread viral contagions in a pandemic. While earlier executive orders issued by counties and cities (and with the governors blessing) require businesses to mandate face coverings or masks of both employees and customers in commercial settings when physical distancing is impossible, the governors latest order commendably goes further, placing the burden on residents rather than businesses, which seemed to be a concern to hesitant McLennan County Commissioners this week. The governor says first-time offenders will receive warnings; should they continue to violate this public safety measure, they risk fines of up to $250. Selfless leadership In times such as those we face today, we are blessed to have a number of local citizens who go above and beyond to serve and protect their friends and neighbors. These are the folks who provide calm in the storm and courage in the face of danger. Once such citizen is Waco Mayor Kyle Deaver. In working with a wonderful team of community supporters, Kyle has been the spokesman of local decision-making related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kyle carries the mantle of trying to make sense of what we face and the best way to combat the spread of this potentially deadly virus. His messages are delivered in reaffirming, patient and sincere form and, though some of the rules to combat the virus spread may not be completely popular, Kyles decision-making is known to be in the best interests of our entire community. We as individuals in this community have a responsibility to our neighbors to avoid putting others in danger or harming them. If that means wearing a mask, physical distancing, washing our hands and encouraging others to do the same, we also need to model the same courage as Mayor Deaver. Thank you, Kyle, and your entire team, for your tireless efforts, unbelievable hours of service and for making those hard decisions to protect our community. Young and old can keep ND safe and open If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). Passengers on a private jet coming from Colorado US were denied entry to the country at a customs check at Elmas airport in Cagliari, Italy. There were about ten people aboard the plane. Five of them were in possession of American passports. The U.S. is not on the list of non- EU countries to which Italy has decided to open its borders, and the passengers were repatriated. Also read: The remaining five passengers were from Italy, New Zealand and England. They could have stayed in Sardinia, following a mandatory quarantine for 14 days before being allowed to move freely. However, at around 11.30 p.m. on Wednesday, they decided to return to the U.S. with their friends, out of solidarity. Also read: Sardinias governor, Christian Solinas, spoke on the matter: "The region of Sardinia has no responsibility for what happened. Immediately, with the collaboration of the airport management company, we set to work - initiating urgent talks with the government, the Ministry and the Prefect - to find a solution that would allow American passengers to stay in Sardinia, even by submitting to quarantine," said the Sardinian president. Also read: "The singular restrictive interpretation of the rules by the Government, contrary to our ability to guarantee health security, in this case has again inflicted serious damage on the international tourism credibility of our island, and our sense of hospitality. We hope that in the next few hours there will be further efforts to resolve this matter," concluded the governor. New lights for Basilica di S. Maria in Trastevere in Rome. Rome's Basilica di S. Maria in Trastevere, in the piazza of the same name, was newly illuminated in a ceremony attended by the city's mayor Virginia Raggi on the night of 2 July. The new illumination system, consisting of 51 floodlights using warm led lights, was installed by the municipal energy provider ACEA in collaboration with the city. Following a performance by the local police band, the mayor switched on the lights to applause from a piazza full of people, all of whom were wearing masks. "After covid-19 the capital is slowly reawakening and lighting up again," said the mayor who described the illuminated church as "not only a light of hope in the dark but also a focal point of the city's artistic and cultural beauty." The church, which Raggi described as "a beacon in the heart of Trastevere", is the latest in a series of Roman monuments to be illuminated by the city, from the Trevi Fountain to the Synagogue. Basilica di S. Maria in Trastevere Known for its 12th-century mosaics, the 18th-century marble surfaces and the 19th-century frescoes, the Basilica di S. Maria in Trastevere is one of Rome's oldest churches. According to tradition, a christian house-church was founded on the site in the third century by Pope Callixtus I, with the building expanded in the fourth century by Pope Julius I. Basilica di S. Maria in Trastevere Over the subsequent centuries the church underwent numerous major renovations and is most noted for its coffered gold ceiling embellished with ornate carvings and paintings. The current structure, including the exterior mosaic, dates to the 12th century, when the building was rebuilt at the behest of Pope Innocent II, using marble capitals believed to have been taken from the Baths of Caracalla. The church facade was restored in 1702 by architect Carlo Fontana while during the late 19th-century Rome painter Silverio Capparoni added the mural surrounding the mosaic of the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus flanked by 10 women holding lamps. The facade of the basilica underwent a year-long restoration between 2017 and 2018. Photo Wanted in Rome Trusted local news has never been more important, but providing the information you need, information that can change sometimes minute-by-minute, requires a partnership with you, our readers. Please consider making a contribution today to support this vital resource that you and countless others depend on. Recent central bank actions mean capital markets are no longer "free," according to Bridgewater Associates's Ray Dalio, founder of the world's largest hedge fund. "Today the economy and the markets are driven by the central banks and the coordination with the central government," said Dalio, speaking at the Bloomberg Global Asset Owners Forum on Thursday (US time). As a result, "capital markets are not free markets allocating resources in traditional ways." Hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio said the US now has the worst wealth gap since the 1930s, adding that central banks will need to continue to pump money into the economy. Credit:Bloomberg The COVID-19 pandemic brought economic activity to a standstill and sent markets spiralling downward in March. The Federal Reserve's unprecedented multi-trillion dollar response eased concerns and helped fuel a shock recovery in financial markets even as the US economy continues to struggle. Dalio said the US now has the worst wealth gap since the 1930s, adding that central banks will need to continue to pump money into the economy. Question: I have noticed as virus cases have gone down in Australia, some high-profile people (but also my friends and family), have been saying government measures went too far. They are saying the economic and social cost of strong lockdowns will be worse than the health cost if we had gone for lighter measures. They're talking about job losses and mental health problems. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit: As someone who has had mental health concerns and struggled with unemployment over my adult life, I think it's awesome that these topics are getting airtime. But why only now? Most of my friends and family and many of these celebrity commentators have taken no interest in these topics until now. Maybe I am being too negative, but could it be it's OK to bring up these problems when it's easy to blame someone for them "Oh the bloody government" but not OK to bring them up when the answer is more complicated or might involve a change in thinking? Australia has joined Britain in offering Hong Kong residents refuge after the territory was engulfed by a fresh wave of protests and arrests over Chinas new security laws. In this episode, national editor Tory Maguire is joined by China correspondent Eryk Bagshaw to discuss the unrest in Hong Kong and how it may affect our diplomatic relations with China. Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Sydney Morning Herald or The Age. Caracas: Venezuelan security operations killed at least 1324 people in the first five months of 2020, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Thursday. Michelle Bachelet, who presented a 17-page report on Venezuela in Geneva, said "I am still concerned about the high numbers of deaths of young people by security forces," referring to people who were said to have died while resisting authorities. Venezuela's official figures show 6710 homicides in 2019 and 1363 between January and May this year. Those figures "do not include violent deaths in the context of security operations classified as 'resistance to the authority'," said Bachelet, a former president of Chile. Wilmington, DE (19810) Today Thunderstorms, some strong early, mainly cloudy overnight with a few showers. Low near 70F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms, some strong early, mainly cloudy overnight with a few showers. Low near 70F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. President Donald Trump's refusal to set an example by wearing a face covering, despite growing evidence that it may be one of the most effective ways to slow America's increasingly disastrous coronavirus pandemic, was always a political statement. Now, as the clinical and electoral damage builds from a resurgent virus that is close to racing out of control after another record day for new cases on Wednesday, the President may be edging, very slowly, toward a rethink. By going barefaced when everyone around him masked up, Trump created a false impression that the worst was behind us, that normality was about to come roaring back. He cemented his bond with grassroots supporters who see mask-wearing mandates as a sign of servitude to government and elites and an impediment to their rights. Yet Trump's position has left him increasingly isolated even from the Republican leaders who have facilitated his unchained presidency, as public health officials and local and state leaders of all political stripes plead with Americans to cover up in public so the country can heal itself. The mask movement now seems unstoppable, partly due to warnings like the one this week by the government's top infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who said new US coronavirus infections could soon hit 100,000 a day. "It's a violation of the principles of what we're trying to do, and that is the social distancing, the wearing of masks," Fauci told NPR on Wednesday. The reality suggested by such warnings has helped to change the debate on mask wearing. Far from becoming a mark of strength and defiance, Trump's isolated crusade against masks-- he dubbed himself a "LONE WARRIOR" in a recent tweet, is now emblematic of his denial of a fast-worsening national disaster, a botched federal government response and his refusal to take even the most basic steps to save American lives. On Wednesday, Trump offered the first signs that he understands the box he has built for himself on masks, which medical experts say can contain droplets that could infect people and surfaces and facilitate the spread of the coronavirus. The President claimed in an interview with Fox Business that he was "all for masks" and that he had worn them in situations where social distancing was not possible in small groups. But for the last two months, Trump has trashed mask wearing, undermining his own government's advice. He suggested to the Wall Street Journal that people wore masks to show they disapprove of him. He warned he won't give the press the "pleasure" of seeing his face covered in public. He's toured the country barefaced and flouted social distancing recommendations. And he even said he couldn't wear a mask when he's meeting "presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens." "I don't know, somehow, I don't see it for myself," the President said back in April. Trump's baby steps on masks Wednesday's tiny movement from his entrenched position may be all that he can manage for now -- especially as his opponent in November, Democrat Joe Biden, has said he would mandate mask wearing nationally if he is elected. But the issue is not whether Trump has worn a mask in private. The sight of the President leading the way with a face mask would be a potent signal to his millions of devoted supporters -- especially those in conservative Southern states where mask wearing is frowned upon and the virus is getting worse, fast. So far, Trump, who has often balked at taking risks with his base support -- a choice that all presidents face sooner or later -- has not taken the plunge. That it has taken him so long means that if he does eventually walk out of Air Force One in a mask he will cause an uproar and he will be likely denied any political benefit such a step could have won him earlier. It is not at all surprising that the President has become a standout on the question of wearing a mask. The more his political position has weakened ahead of the election, the more he has adopted stances -- on issues like the virus, race and foreign policy -- that appear to appeal to his most devoted supporters. Article continues below advertisement Trump's mask apostasy is an act of rebellion against the establishment figures and scientists and professional officials of the government with which he has been waging an internal war ever since he took his office. It's a natural fit for a lifelong outsider who is personally and politically compelled to break the rules. The President's slight softening of position Wednesday on wearing a mask came after many of his political allies implicitly repudiated his stance, stressing repeatedly that wearing a mask was not a political act but a gesture of humanity. "We must have no stigma, none, about wearing masks," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said on Tuesday. In hard-hit Texas over the weekend, Vice President Mike Pence -- who has himself spent weeks undermining government messaging on the issue and is loath to get crossways with his boss -- backed wearing a mask. Pence is still, however, not going all in -- typically saying that mask wearing should be done where it is "indicated" by local authorities. Even the President's campaign manager, Brad Parscale, modeled a Trump-Pence mask at a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month, suggesting as much as anything else a massive marketing opportunity the brander-in-chief may be missing. Some Republicans have been trying to walk back earlier squeamishness about a step that runs counter to conservative talk show dogma by finding ways to make mask wearing more politically palatable. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican who's a strong Trump ally, suggested that with Independence Day approaching, Americans should show their patriotism with red, white and blue face coverings. Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, has been resplendent in a plaid mask that recalls the red and black shirt he wore when he hiked across his state and was elected governor decades ago. Trump still in denial Trump's apparent shift on mask wearing probably does not signal a corresponding change in his denial about the worsening crisis and refusal to provide strong presidential leadership. In the same Fox Business interview, he claimed that "we did it all right" on coronavirus, a pandemic that he initially ignored, then mismanaged and politicized, and finally went back to ignoring even with more than 127,000 Americans now dead. "We did a great job. We're credited with doing a great job," he said, before returning his typical fantasy-based predictions about the virus. "We're headed back in a very strong fashion. ... And I think we're going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point that's going to sort of just disappear. I hope," Trump said. If the President has not had an epiphany about the worsening situation, which has seen nearly half the states slow or pause their reopening plans, what could be motivating him? If record new infection rates, filling hospitals and an average of 1,000 American deaths a day can't get him to take the pandemic seriously, there's one thing that still might: its disastrous impact on his reelection hopes. A divide is emerging inside Trump's inner circle over whether the President should publicly turn his attention to the virus he has been ignoring for days or continue to open the economy, sources familiar with the matter told CNN's Jim Acosta, Jeremy Diamond and Kevin Liptak. Several of Trump's top aides, including chief of staff Mark Meadows and son-in-law Jared Kushner, have begun to worry about the President's reelection chances and have urged a focus on the economy. But other advisers believe he has suffered severe damage amid the pandemic. "There is a fair amount of concern," one adviser said, describing the President as "frustrated" by recent polling indicating Biden could win the November election by a wide margin. --- CNN's Maeve Reston contributed to this report. Central Kentucky man who tried to find child porn online sentenced to 15 years in prison Court orders 'Tiger King' star Jeff Lowe to turn over records from lions once owned by Tim Stark, of Wildlife in Need The WCO-Japan Career Development Programme (CDP) for 2019/2020 ended with a ceremony at which the Professional Associates (PAs) were awarded with certificates by the WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, to mark their successful completion of the Programme. The PAs, assigned to WCO Headquarters under the CDP, reported on the results of their 10-month research projects to WCO senior management in June. Each of the 10 PAs undertook research into different Customs-related issues: some of them studied topics of global importance currently being examined by various WCO committees, while others focused on subjects that would add practical value to their home administrations as well as to other Customs administrations facing similar situations. The CDP was launched by the WCO in 2009, in cooperation with Japan Customs. It provides a unique opportunity for selected candidates to carry out work at the WCO Secretariat and is aimed at enabling the nominated specialists to gain knowledge, skills and international work experience; at developing and enhancing networks among WCO Members and the Secretariat; at enriching the WCOs research activities in order to support and assist the Secretariat in its mission and tasks; and at developing a pool of highly competent officials with specialized expertise in WCO Member administrations. As part of the CDP 2019/2020 which commenced in September 2019, Customs officials from Angola, Burundi, Egypt, Gambia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Maldives, Namibia, Paraguay, Thailand and Uzbekistan worked at the WCO Secretariat on a number of projects and activities. The contribution by these PAs has enabled the relevant WCO Members to enhance their communication with the Secretariat and has also added to the diversity of the Secretariats staff. At the end of the certificate ceremony, Dr. Mikuriya expressed his satisfaction at the quality of the work produced by the PAs and, in particular, at the outstanding results achieved during the course of their research, which he felt would add value to the Organization and to the Customs community as a whole. Secretary General Mikuriya highlighted the unique experience that the current class of PAs had acquired, including working alongside WCO colleagues to develop guidance and assist the Customs community in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. He encouraged the PAs to stay in touch with the Secretariat after returning to their home administrations and thus strengthen the global Customs network. Family members say 19-year-old shot in downtown Louisville was waiting for the bus A 911 call, a racial slur, a refusal to cash a check. This is what it's like for some Black bank customers Southern Indiana man who tried to have sex with child gets 30-year prison sentence Weatherford, TX (76086) Today Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Fort Polk, LA (71446) Today Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Niagara Falls city council is to discuss whether the municipality should make wearing a mask mandatory inside stores and other businesses. Coun. Carolynn Ioannoni, who supports the idea, said she plans to bring a motion forward during councils July 14 session, calling on her colleagues to support the mandatory measure. Mayor Jim Diodati, who doesnt support the idea, said he looks forward to hearing opinions of all councillors before a decision is made. First and foremost is the safety of residents, said Ioannoni. The businesses in this city need to stay open to economically survive. If we are so focused on keeping our economy running and helping these businesses stay open, mandating masks should be one of our first priorities. Diodati said he believes municipalities should take their lead from public health experts. I dont think you want the politicians overriding the expert opinion of the medical professionals, he said. If the chief medical officer of health felt that it was necessary to make (masks) mandatory, they have the authority (to do so). They made a deliberate decision not to because it leads to more questions than answers. Diodati said he believes making masks mandatory would be unenforceable. Therefore, it becomes only a suggestion, he said, adding leaders are already suggesting and encouraging the public to wear face coverings. Ioannoni said she was glad in recent days to see Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates and St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik call for local municipalities to follow the lead of other Ontario cities, including Toronto, which made wearing a mask mandatory in indoor public spaces, including stores and other businesses. Ioannoni said she has been posting about the importance of wearing a mask to her Facebook page since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit Niagara in March. Gates posted to his Facebook page Tuesday that the evidence is clear wearing masks dramatically reduces the transmission of COVID-19. Its not just about protecting yourself, more importantly, it stops those who have it and have no symptoms from spreading it, he said. Its a shame that (Premier Doug) Ford wont show the leadership we need right now to make masks mandatory, so were calling on our locally elected officials help protect our communities and make masks mandatory in certain areas. Sendzik said he is particularly concerned with St. Catharines, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls, which receive more out-of-town visitors than other Niagara municipalities. Having masking orders in those three cities, at the very least, will help blunt the spread of COVID-19, he said. Sendzik said he understands there will be a minority of people who cannot wear masks for health reasons. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... To date, Niagaras governments and the public health department have been reluctant to impose face coverings. Niagaras acting medical officer of health, Dr. Mustafa Hirji, has said masks are a second line of defence that, while useful, are not as effective as both physical distancing and handwashing. Diodati said he always carries masks in his pockets and has them stocked in his vehicle, office and home. I probably have 25 masks, he said. RELATED STORIES Niagara Region Sendzik pushing for masks to be mandatory in Niagara I think weve done an incredible job as a region and the results are in the pudding. Weve crushed the curve. And how did we do it? We did it through education and awareness. There are some places in Niagara where masks have been made mandatory. David Adames, chief executive officer with Niagara Parks Commission, said the agency is requiring face coverings to be used by guests to all its attractions, as well as its flagship site, Table Rock Centre, and is handing out masks. In addition, we are encouraging our guests to bring their own face covering (mask, bandana, shield), but disposable options are available and distributed as required, prior to entering these areas, he said. Niagara Parks staff are required to wear face coverings at all times, when they are not behind plexiglass or cannot maintain six feet from their co-workers and guests. In addition to this, all culinary employees are required to wear facemasks at all times, as well as face shields or safety glasses. Adames said Niagara Parks will continue to review and update its policies regarding face coverings based on the guidelines and best practices provided by provincial public-health officials. Port Colbornes Nickel Beach was near capacity before the clock struck noon Friday as residents from across Niagara sought relief from the heat, says the citys corporate communications officer. The two-kilometre long sandy beach, at the end of Lake Road, reopened June 26 and reached capacity at least twice in less than a week, said Michelle Idzenga. Canada Day was one of those days, she said. The beach, leased from nearby Vale, doesnt have a formal capacity. Idzenga said the number of cars and people that can fit depends on factors such as water levels and how much sand/lakefront is available for parking. The number could change depending on the day, she said. Physical distancing between beachgoers due to the COVID-19 pandemic is also a factor. Everyone is co-operating relatively well. (Niagara Region) public health was on site and had no issues. Our bylaw staff are there a few times a day to check on the beach, said Idzenga, adding Port Colborne Fire and Emergency Services and Niagara Regional Police also visit. We hope everyone continues to follow social distancing. With the beach near capacity before noon Friday, Idzenga said the city will now place signs on Lake Road to let people know when the beach is full and accepting only walk-in patrons. There will be messaging on the citys social media channels as well. Idzenga said with a heat warning in effect and more warm weather expected over the weekend and into next week, the beach will likely be packed. When the city reopened the beach, it allowed beachgoers who wanted to walk in to park on the south side of Lake Road, as long as they do so safely. No Parking signs along the stretch just southeast of Fares Street have been covered. Beach fees were changed, and residents of Niagara will pay $15 per car through the week, $20 on weekends and holidays. Non-residents previously paid the same fee as locals, but this year outsiders will pay a flat fee of $50 per car an increase of more than 200 per cent. Public washrooms are open at the beach with new COVID-19 rules, including one person at a time inside, sanitizing stations outside the doors, and a warning that even with heightened sanitation, people use the washroom at their own risk. Nickel Beach is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through the week, and 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Friday to Sunday, and holiday Mondays. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Port Colbornes Centennial Park-Cedar Bay Beach, 2767 Vimy Rd, is also open for public use. There is parking at Centennial Park across the street from the beach. with files from James Culic, The Leader Closing a section of Queen Street to vehicle traffic about two weeks ago has been a success, says the downtown board of management, while the business association representing Centre Street hopes a similar measure will help operators there moving forward. We just wanted something that was different, something that was going to cater towards both the local community and the actual business owners to have their patios expanded to help them out, said Matt Guarasci, marketing consultant with the downtown business improvement association. Obviously with Stage 2, since dining is not available inside, we wanted to make sure that they had that proper space to have as much business as possible during this time. As Niagara was preparing to enter the second stage of the provinces COVID-19 reopening plan, the city supported the downtown BIAs proposal for a Queen Street promenade, allowing restaurants to expand their patios. It meant a section of Queen Street, from Buckley to Crysler avenues, has been closed to vehicle traffic. Side streets have remained open. Guarasci said there has been excitement on the street since Niagara entered Stage 2 June 19, adding people were just ready to get back to work. He said Taps Brewhouse, for example, was able to expand their outside patio further into their parking lot and can comfortably accommodate more than 60 customers. Everything is socially distanced appropriate very logistically mapped out. Meanwhile, during last weeks city council meeting, local politicians approved a request by the Victoria Centre BIA to close Centre Street, between Victoria and Ellen avenues, to vehicle traffic to allow businesses to install patios. That section of Centre Street is now closed, with barricades in place, new lighting installed, and signs put up to help visitors navigate the area. BIA chair Eric Marcon said this first weekend could go a long way to proving whether the decision was the right one. Today (Friday) is the day that theyre supposed to be getting finalized, he said. Were still waiting for a few items banners, I think the flowerpots are there, but were still waiting to finalize everything. Well assess it after a few weeks and see how well its going. Marcon said there have been concerns raised by some businesses, including parking lots and hotels, about how the street closure could negatively impact them, but hopefully theres enough people that will gather in the area that it will be a win-win for everybody. The last thing the BIA wants to do is alienate certain businesses, where some benefit and some dont, he said. Were trying to come up with a way where we can all benefit. Were very hopeful that the restaurants are busy and the parking lots and motels in that area are busy. During these difficult times, we want everybody to be busy. Mayor Jim Diodati said the idea of closing a section of Centre Street to vehicle traffic has been discussed for so long. It was a big debate and weve been all over the place with this issue, he said. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Diodati said the hope is for the street closure to give businesses in the area a lifeline during the health pandemic, although many remain nervous. They had to get extra insurance, they needed to bring in furniture. This has cost them a lot of money to do this and it doesnt come without risk, he said. But this is what people want right now, they want patios because No. 1, patios are way less risk and No. 2, nothing says summer like eating or having a drink out on a patio. Thats part of the experience of summer and were giving it all to everybody. SRINAGAR, India - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unannounced visit Friday to a military base in a remote region bordering China where troops from the two countries have been facing off for nearly two months. Modi, accompanied by Indias military leadership, met with troops in Ladakh region. A photo on his Instagram account showed him sitting in a camouflage tent at the base. Interacting with our brave armed forces personnel, he wrote. Modis visit comes after a massive Indian army buildup in Ladakh following hand-to-hand combat between Indian and Chinese soldiers on June 15 that left 20 Indians dead and dozens injured in the Galwan Valley, the worst confrontation in over four decades between the Asian giants. Indian officials say there were casualties on the Chinese side as well, but there has been no confirmation by Beijing. Modi chanted Long live mother India! while addressing troops at the Nimu military base, insisting that after every crisis, India has emerged stronger. He praised the valour of Indian soldiers, saying, Enemies of India have seen your fire and fury. Days of expansionism are over. Expansionism creates danger for world peace. This is an era of development. Expansionist forces have either lost or forced to turn back, he said in an oblique reference to China. Ji Rong, the Chinese Embassy spokesperson in New Delhi, said it was groundless to view China as expansionist. He tweeted that China has demarcated boundaries with 12 of its 14 neighbouring countries through peaceful negotiations, turning land borders into bonds of friendly co-operation. Modis speech, which lasted 26 minutes, was punctuated with nationalist fervour and praise for Indian soldiers. He said the bravery shown by troops was a message of Indias prowess to the world. The weak can never accomplish peace, the brave do. The world is praising the bravery shown by Indian soldiers in Galwan Valley. Later Friday, Modi visited a military hospital where he met injured soldiers. Both India and China have provided little information officially, but media in the two countries have given large coverage to the escalating tensions, much of it replayed on television news channels and social media. The leader of Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, B.L. Santhosh, tweeted Friday that the visit was a big, big booster to soldiers morale. He leads from front. Modi has faced public pressure for a stern response to Chinese actions along the contested frontier. Indian protesters have been calling for a boycott of Chinese goods. On Monday, the government banned 59 Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok, citing privacy concerns that it said pose a threat to Indias sovereignty and security. The ban was largely symbolic since the apps cant be automatically erased from devices if they have already been downloaded. China has insisted that Indian forces provoked the border incident and the blame lies entirely with New Delhi. On Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the countries need to maintain relations while seeking to de-escalate tensions through military and diplomatic channels. Against such a backdrop, no party should take any actions that may complicate the border situation, he said. Zhao called it the evil way that two sides are suspicious of each other and engaged in friction continuously. The Indian side should get along with China to jointly safeguard the overall situation of bilateral relations. The pragmatic co-operation between China and India is in nature mutually beneficial and win-win, he said. To deliberately set obstacles for pragmatic co-operation between the two countries violates the relevant WTO rules and will harm the interests of India itself. Indian officials say the standoff began in early May when large contingents of Chinese soldiers entered deep inside Indian-controlled territory at three places in Ladakh, erecting tents. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... They say the soldiers ignored repeated verbal warnings, triggering a yelling match, stone-throwing and even fistfights in at least one place along the Pangong Lake, the site of several such confrontations in the past. But the situation turned deadly when the rival troops engaged in a night clash in the Galwan Valley, where India is building a strategic road connecting the region to an airstrip close to China. According to Indian officials, Chinese troops atop a ridge at the mouth of the narrow valley threw stones, punched and pushed Indian soldiers down a ridge at around 4,500 metres (15,000 feet.) Since then, India has sent huge reinforcements of soldiers, military equipment and fighter jets into the already highly militarized area. The disputed border covers nearly 3,500 kilometres (2,175 miles) of frontier that the two countries call the Line of Actual Control and stretches from Ladakh in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim in the northeast. India and China fought a border war in 1962 that also spilled into Ladakh. The two countries have been trying to settle their border dispute since the early 1990s, without success. India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory while separating it from disputed Kashmir in August 2019, ending the territorys semi-autonomous status and straining the already prickly relationship between New Delhi and Beijing. China was among the countries to strongly condemn the move, raising it at international forums including the U.N. Security Council. Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks to end the current crisis in Ladakh have been unsuccessful. ___ Associated Press writer Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report. ___ Follow Aijaz Hussain on Twitter at twitter.com/hussain_aijaz This page contains all of The Wenatchee Worlds coverage of the novel coronavirus outbreak, and the illness it causes, called COVID-19. Because this outbreak impacts public health, our coverage of the coronavirus is available to all readers, even without a subscription. But our journalists are working hard to bring you the verified information below. Please consider supporting important local journalism with a subscription. (Click Here) Are you a North Central Washington resident whos been affected by the illness? Send us an email: newsroom@wenatcheeworld.com. Teenagers Arrested for Paducah Robbery By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - Two teenagers have been charged in connection with a robbery last month.According to the Paducah Police Department, a man told police that he received a message via social media from a juvenile, asking for a ride home. He said he met the teenager in the area of South 22nd Street, who allegedly got into the man's vehicle, pointed a gun at his head, and demanded money. The victim said that another person, identified as 18-year-old Cincere Demond Bailey, stood at the back of the vehicle, "keeping watch."The victim said he gave the juvenile his wallet and a small amount of marijuana.Bailey was arrested Thursday on a warrant charging him with first degree robbery (complicity). He was reportedly in possession of marijuana and a marijuana grinder at the time of his arrest and was also charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bailey was booked into the McCracken County Jail.The juvenile turned himself in to the police department on Thursday. He was lodged in the McCracken County Juvenile Detention Center on a complaint charging him with first degree robbery. William Walton-Case is the Editor-in-Chief at the Western Herald and is a political science undergraduate at Western Michigan University. He also hosts Figuring Things Out and is a contributing member host of The Hoodrat Strategist Radio Program on WIDR. For breaking news and live updates you can follow him on Twitter at: @William_I441. AGAWAM, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- Middle school students in Agawam were allowed to celebrate their last day of school with ice cream after all. The annual tradition was called into question Wednesday when an email to parents from school administrators said Friendlys would not be able to serve stude Man Crashes into Boaz Home While Fleeing Police By West Kentucky star Staff Deputies and detectives from Graves and McCracken counties were conducting a surveillance operation while attempting to locate and arrest 21-year-old Keon K. Boyd. Detectives pulled into the Boaz area off of Highway 849 after reportedly noticing Boyd driving a vehicle. Deputies say Boyd immediately attempted to get away from them by speeding through a yard, which resulted in Boyd hitting a mobile home. A search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, a handgun, cash, marijuana, scales, baggies, and other items. Boyd was wanted on five outstanding warrants charging him with the following: second degree bail jumping on an underlying drug possession charge; second degree bail jumping on an underlying sexual misconduct charge; failure to appear on charges of promoting contraband, first degree robbery, first degree unlawful imprisonment, first degree wanton endangerment, and first degree burglary; failure to appear on a trafficking charge; failure to appear for assessment. Additionally, Boyd is also being charged with first degree possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, fleeing or evading, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and no operators license. He was lodged in the Graves County Jail. GRAVES COUNTY - A man with numerous arrest warrants is facing additional charges after crashing his vehicle into a mobile home. The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language, or memes may be removed by the moderator. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. 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 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM EDT FOR NORTHWESTERN WARREN...CENTRAL LEHIGH...EASTERN CARBON...MONROE AND NORTHAMPTON COUNTIES... At 756 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Pocono Raceway to near Bath, moving northeast at 35 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and penny size hail. SOURCE...Law enforcement. Numerous reports of power lines down and tree damage have been reported in Carbon and northwestern Lehigh Counties. IMPACT...Damage to roofs, siding, trees, and power lines is possible. Locations impacted include... Allentown, Easton, Mount Pocono, Bethlehem, Forks, Emmaus, Northampton, East Stroudsburg, Tobyhanna, Wilson, Nazareth, Palmerton, Bangor, Slatington, Pen Argyl, Wind Gap, Bath, Belvidere, Harmony and Oxford. This includes the following highways... Northeast Extension between mile markers 53 and 70, and between mile markers 77 and 93. Interstate 78 in Pennsylvania between mile markers 52 and 60. Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania between mile markers 282 and 314. Interstate 80 in New Jersey between mile markers 0 and 10. Interstate 380 in Pennsylvania between mile markers 0 and 13. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with these storms. Move indoors immediately. Lightning is one of nature's leading killers. Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. && HAIL...0.75IN; WIND...60MPH Woman Finds Rattlesnake Under Wheelchair Seat By The Associated Press MURRAY - A woman travelling in a motorized wheelchair near Walmart in Murray discovered a rattlesnake under her seat on Sunday.Murray Police say the woman looked down to see the snake underneath her and was still in the chair when police arrived.Officer Chris Garland says, "She couldn't move, and I guess that was from being scared. Come to think of it, I probably would've froze too."Police helped her out of the chair and got the snake on the ground.Garland says they tried to find someone who could take the snake but ended up having to kill it. Williamson, WV (25661) Today Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Have any questions? Please give us a call at 701-572-2165 FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2020, file photo, state Rep. Charles Booker speaks on the floor of the House of Representatives in the State Capitol in Frankfort, Ky. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston, File) PHOTO:AP Photo/Bryan Woolston Booker Reaches Out to Unite Dems Against McConnell By The Associated Press LOUISVILLE - Progressive Charles Booker has reached out to help unite Kentucky Democrats behind Amy McGrath's fight to unseat Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.Booker lost to McGrath by about 15,000 votes in Democratic Senate primary results released Tuesday.On Thursday, Booker portrayed McConnell as our common enemy in the struggle against generational poverty and structural racism.Those issues formed the foundation of his campaign.McGrath welcomed the overture, saying she looks forward to teaming with Booker.McConnell campaign spokeswoman Kate Cooksey says a McGrath-Booker alliance might earn praise from the liberal elite," but not from the vast majority of Kentuckians. Today A few showers early, becoming a steady light rain overnight. Low near 60F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Tonight A few showers early, becoming a steady light rain overnight. Low near 60F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Tomorrow Sunshine along with some cloudy intervals. High 78F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Michelle Troconis has retrieved her $283 weight bench and glasses from Home Goods from the Farmington home she used to share with Fotis Dulos, her attorney said Friday. Attorney Jon Schoenhorn had accused Christopher Hug, an attorney an administrator for Fotis Dulos estate, of preventing Troconis from retrieving her personal belongings. Schoenhorn said he has withdrawn his motion against Hug after his client was allowed Thursday to obtain her items. Fotis Dulos faced murder and other charges in the death and disappearance of his estranged wife when he died Jan. 30 from an apparent suicide. Troconis is facing conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution charges in the case. Jennifer Dulos vanished May 24, 2019 and has been presumed dead by police based on blood evidence found in the garage of her New Canaan home where they believe she was attacked, according to arrest warrants. Troconis and Fotis Dulos were living together in his palatial Jefferson Crossing home in Farmington when Jennifer Dulos disappeared. Hug was appointed in February as the administrator of the estate to sort out the tangled financial affairs of Fotis Dulos who was deeply in debt when he died. Schoenhorn had submitted to the probate court a detailed list of items owned by Troconis that remained in the Farmington home. The list included towels, a juice maker and several other items. Schoenhorn said in the motion seeking the removal of Hug as the administrator that his client was being denied access to several specific items, including the weight bench and drinking glasses. Schoenhorn withdrew the motion Thursday after Hug said he would allow Troconis to retrieve the items. Troconis is next scheduled to appear in court on the criminal charges on Aug. 6. Attorney Kent Mahinney, a longtime friend of Fotis Dulos, has also been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the case and is due in court next week. Gov. Ned Lamont shut the door Thursday on a full-scale reopening of Connecticut bars in mid-July, though he said a formal announcement wont come until next week. Im sorry to disappoint you, but I think the bars are going to have to take a pause right now, Lamont told reporters during a daily briefing at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison. Im just looking around at the rest of the country. The governor already ordered visitors from 16 other states to self-quarantine for two weeks upon arriving in Connecticut. He noted that Texas, Florida and California three states with rapidly escalating COVID-19 infection rates have closed bars in many areas. Im learning from that, he said. On Thursday the state Department of Public Health reported two new fatalities in the coronavirus pandemic, bringing the total to 4,326. There was a net increase of one patient, for 101 people hospitalized, down from 1,972 on April 22. There were 74 new positive COVID-19 tests out of 11,461, for a percentage of six-tenths of 1 percent. The month of June had 4,371 infections reported from 225,816 tests, for a 1.93 percent rate. That compares with a rate of 8.8 percent positive results in Connecticut in May. The state announced Thursday it will no longer report results on weekends and instead will report the full weekend results each Monday. For the past two weeks, Connecticut restaurants and bars licensed to serve food have been allowed to serve customers indoors, including alcoholic beverages, with restrictions. Indoor capacity must be limited to 50 percent, with parties spaced at least six feet apart and guests wearing masks when not eating and drinking. Parties can be seated at bar counters provided they are: Ordering food; Seated six feet apart; The bartender is separated from customers by a plastic shield. Scott Dolch, executive director of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, said many small bars serve little or no food, and were counting on being able to serve patrons just seeking alcoholic drinks in mid-July. There also have been discussions between the association and the Lamont administration about removing the plastic shielding requirement, though no decision had been reached. Dolch said he remains hopeful that talks between the association and the governors staff will continue. Lets go back and revisit where we are currently and where were trying to get, Dolch said, adding that Connecticut bar owners understand they must be diligent in enforcing any public health standards tied to a broader reopening. Its not only about metrics. Its also about following the rules. The governor hinted on June 29 that he was considering scaling back phase three of Connecticuts economic reopening from the pandemic, and specifically reassessing bars. Besides reopening bars and amusement parks in mid-July, the administrations plan calls for limits on indoor gatherings to grow in about two weeks from 25 people to 50. The limit on outdoor gatherings would jump from 100 to 250. Lamont continued to stress that Connecticut, and several of its neighboring states in the Northeast, have made great progress in stemming coronavirus spread through social distancing and other public health measures. Were open because of each and every one of you doing the right thing, Lamont said, referring to the more than 140 state beaches, parks and forests that are open for the Fourth of July weekend. For seven consecutive days, fewer than 1 percent of Connecticut residents tested for the virus have been found to be positive, he said. Dont take that for granted because youve seen whats going on around the rest of the country, Lamont added. You see how that can change fast. But also you can see the benefits of paying attention. Surging caseloads in large states in the southern and western U.S. have dominated headlines over the past week. But on Monday, Lamont acknowledged the spread is creeping closer to Connecticut, with increasing infections in Ohio and other Rust Belt states. But new data from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center shows several key states have begun to trend in the wrong direction. The rolling, three-day average for new infections in Ohio was 381 on June 13, and had more than doubled to 886 by June 27. In Pennsylvania, new infections jumped from 452 to 574 over the same period. In Michigan which connects quickly to upper New York via Canada infections rose from 202 new daily to 319 during those two weeks. State beaches, parks and forests are expected to reach capacity this weekend. Lamont and other administration officials Thursday warned people not to relax social distancing and other public health safeguards when celebrating the long holiday weekend. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes said most state beaches, parks and forests are expected to reach capacity this weekend. Potential visitors are urged to check the states website before going, she said, adding a new webpage has been created to provide updates when beaches and parks have reached capacity and cant accept more visitors. Attendees must wear masks, maintain a six-foot distance from others when walking, and keep 15 feet apart from other parties when setting up a towel or blanket at beaches, Dykes said. Swimming is not available at most inland parks, in large part because the ponds or lakes involved with those sites often feature beach areas that are too small to allow sufficient distancing between guests, she added. Private indoor events are limited to 25 people and outdoor gatherings to 100 guests, acting Department of Public Health Commissioner Deidre Gifford said. Those attending municipal fireworks shows are expected to remain 15 feet apart from other parties in attendance, she said. Staff writer Ken Dixon contributed to this report. Schaghticoke Middle School in New Milford recently held promotion ceremonies for its 322 eighth-grade students. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, which limits large group gatherings, three drive-up ceremonies were held June 15. Vehicles were decorated and drove through the school parking lot, where staff cheered and played music. Students received their certificates by Principal Dr. Chris Longo at the last stop in the parking lot. For a list of SMS promotees and awards, see a future edition of The Spectrum. When You Know Better Do Better (Maya Angelou) Everyone has prejudices. There is a natural tendency to gravitate to groups with the same traits, ethnicity, and values. We often pre-judge or discriminate when characteristics differ from our own. This can lead one to label those outside their group as superior or inferior and thereby creating personal biases. Privilege Privilege gives the advantage of wealth, education, or social status due to the circumstances of birth. If you are born into an educated, wealthy, or powerful family, you may have greater access to selective colleges, military academies, jobs and political office than minorities or those on the lower end of the economic ladder. Navigating the complexities of everyday life, including the judicial system, becomes less challenging for you. Appearance can also give someone an advantage and provide access. The taller, thinner, and younger you are the more desirable you become. Stereotypes of what is beautiful and good are reinforced by the media and Hollywood. White privilege is specific to skin color. Yet, there is no scientific evidence that skin color makes you more intelligent, more beautiful, or better than others since the DNA of every person on the planet is 99.9 percent the same. Not too long ago, black and white children could not be educated together and interracial marriage was illegal. Today, mothers and fathers of black sons at any level of income or celebrity must still have the uncomfortable conservation of what to do when stopped for a minor traffic violation to avoid racial profiling or how to dress in public to deflect stereotypes. Most people do seek positive change. A black friend is working hard to turn racism to gracism. I love the term she uses for by the grace of God it could be me or my child. She is having community conversations on line to explain the black experience in suburbia. Can we really know how it feels unless you have walked in anothers shoes or lived in their skin? Brought up poor and illiterate in an urban environment, I have walked in the shoes of many poor minorities but there was one big difference the color of my skin. I quickly saw that white Americans were more privileged. Poverty was overcome through a public education. But my path was made easier by the advantage of blending into a predominantly white society. A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand (Abraham Lincoln) Americas journey has been tortuous, and the wounds still show. Wounds are made more painful as we witness each new act of bigotry, injustice, or violence. These incidents are stark reminders of the work ahead for all of us. The President of Morehouse College recently stated our nation is now facing dual crises of health and race. Both are crippling this country. We recognize the legitimacy of the anger; but we must resist destructive impulses that turn neighbor against neighbor and set communities ablaze. When we all need to pull together, these events pull us apart. Most now recognize that substantive police reforms are needed due to misuse of justice; but defunding law enforcement is not sensible or desirable. Where would hate or other crimes be reported? Many suggest that more funding is needed rather than less. Police are not trained to be psychiatrists and drug treatment interventionalists. Mental health professionals should be specially trained and deployed to work alongside police departments to defuse volatile situations much like paramedics responding to accidents. Furthering understanding, compassion and tolerance Americans can and should do better, we do not have to repeat the sins of the past. There is no quick solution for these long-standing issues. Time and energy are required to change. Leaders in industry, education and government should bring their people together to communicate and connect as they may be silently hurting. Most importantly is the acknowledgement that our children will grow up to be those that create the environment we wish to see in our institutions. It starts with what a child is taught in the home and around the dinner table. Exposure to diversity in childhood reduces sensitivity to racial differences in adulthood and develops greater understanding, compassion, and tolerance. We can also seek out and increase contact with members of other racial groups and learn about each other. We are not born being a racist. It is learned, so it can be unlearned if we say it is not OK. If you see someone mistreated do not be silent, say something. Do not ignore it or avoid it. America remains a beacon of hope. People still risk everything to come here, many escaping unimageable hardships and tyranny in their homeland. So, on this July 4, lets honor not only the birth of our republic but those who fought to ensure that it lived up to its promise: that all people are created equal and would be treated equally. WILTON Several Connecticut members of the Daughters of the American Revolution joined their colleagues from around the world for the groups annual convention, which, in a historic first, was conducted online June 24-28. Attending the Virtual 129th DAR Continental Congress were Lee Ann Schneider, Regent, Drum Hill DAR; Mary Bendix, Southwest District Director CT DAR; Louise Wagner, CTDAR Grants Chair; and Alice Schroeder, Drum Hill Patriot Records Project, historian, chaplain, and historic preservation chair. National, state and chapter leaders as well as other members meet during the summer to report on the years work, honor outstanding award recipients, plan future initiatives and reconnect with friends. There are business sessions, committee meetings and social functions. Among those honored this year were Secretary of the Smithsonian Lonnie Bunch, who received the DAR History Award Medal and provided the keynote remarks. He told his audience the country is living through two pandemics: COVID-19 and racism. We do not have to stay trapped by the past, he said. As surely as our reality today is informed by our history, the choices that we make now can help us craft a better future but only if we hold ourselves collectively accountable. He said as a nation we must face the lessons of the past and commit our attention and resources to pieces of the American stories that have been overlooked. The organization also honored Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. for his PBS series, Finding Your Roots. After tracing his ancestors to West Virginia, he found they were free Blacks. He had an ancestor who fought in the American Revolution and thus is a Son of the American Revolution. The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With more than 185,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the worlds largest and most active service organizations. We are not your grandmothers D.A.R., Schneider said. We are an inclusive lineage society who welcome anyone regardless of race or religion, who can prove lineage to an ancestor who aided in the fight for freedom. Our Patriot Records Project is exciting. We are finding and identifying Revolutionary War patriots. The project brings the exploits of the American patriot who sacrificed so much, to light, she continued. The project began with the Continental Loan Books of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and New York. The Continental Loan Books contain names of men, women and businesses who helped finance the War for Independence. The Patriot Records Project is available as part of the DAR Genealogy Research System. The index is being made possible by the countless hours of indexing done by D.A. R. member volunteers who rise and shine to accomplish this endeavor, she said. For information, visit Drumhilldar.org. The League of Women Voters of Connecticut and the Connecticut State Conference of the NAACP have filed a lawsuit calling on Secretary of the State Denise Merrill to expand absentee voting for the November election, a move Merrill has made clear she cannot do without the extension of emergency powers by Gov. Ned Lamont or a formal change passed by the legislature. The groups, along with a Connecticut voter who does not feel comfortable voting in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are calling on the state to extend the medical exemption covering COVID for absentee ballots to the November election. An executive order signed by Lamont said any eligible Democratic or Republican voter will be allowed to use an absentee ballot to vote in the Aug. 11 primary. Applications are being sent this week to 2 million eligible voters. However, because the governors public health emergency order expires Sept. 9, he cannot mandate that the ballots be made available for the Nov. 3 general election. Thursdays lawsuit marks the third legal action filed in recent weeks regarding mail-in voting in Connecticut. The first two were filed in state courts by critics of the concept including four Republican congressional candidates on the primary ballot who are part of a group called Fight Voter Fraud Inc. They filed a lawsuit Wednesday with the Connecticut Supreme Court, asking the court to order Merrill to stop sending out the voter applications that misinform the true legal requirements for voting by absentee ballot. COVID-19 remains a threat, and it is critical that our fall elections are carried out in a way that assures voters and election workers can participate safely, which means Connecticut must have absentee vote-by-mail available for everyone in November, said Carol Reimers, president of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut, in a statement. Merrill has called upon the Connecticut legislature to pass reforms in an upcoming special session that would apply to the November general election, and it seems lawmakers are poised to take up the issue and make a change at least for the duration of the pandemic. An executive order issued by Lamont allows every Connecticut voter to vote by absentee ballot in the August primary. But Lamonts emergency powers are slated to expire in September, prior to the November election. Several lawsuits have been filed by Republicans alleging, with no evidence, that allowing widespread vote-by-mail will result in voter fraud. "No Connecticut voter should be forced to choose between protecting their health and casting their ballot, Merrill said. As I have said for months, the legislature should come into special session immediately to allow Connecticut voters to cast their votes by absentee ballot in November. More than 46,000 Connecticut residents have contracted COVID-19 and over 4,300 have died with the virus. While many states have widespread mail-in voting and early voting, Connecticut does not have any form of early voting outside of voting absentee and requires voters provide an excuse such as illness or absence to obtain an absentee ballot. Scot X. Esdaile, president of the Connecticut NAACP State Conference, said that Black voters, who have been disproportionately impacted by coronavirus, will also be disproportionately impacted by the inability to vote by mail in November. The Black Community has been hit the hardest in the state by COVID-19 by devastating our peoples health and finances, and now it seems we will be hit the hardest politically in the state of Connecticut if there are not protections put in place for voting rights in November, he said. We need to do everything possible to prevent a huge political catastrophe in November, and that means making sure people are able to vote in a safe manner. kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt BRIDGEPORT The state Judicial Branch has announced further resumptions in court operations that were shut down by the pandemic but a local lawyer says its not nearly enough. On Wednesday, Chief Court Administrator Judge Patrick L. Carroll III announced the reopening of eight courthouses across the state that had been closed for several months. Effective July 20, the Judicial Branch is planning to resume some court operations at the courthouse on Golden Hill Street in Bridgeport; three courthouses in Hartford; the Judicial District at Meriden courthouse; the Judicial District at Norwich courthouse; the Judicial District at Waterbury courthouse and the Judicial District at Tolland courthouse. Carroll also announced that an expansive range of civil, criminal, family and juvenile proceedings are now being processed both by remote technology and within open court facilities. Judicial Branch officials, he said, are also currently attempting to develop strategies to safely resume jury trials in courthouses. We continue to expand the ability of the Judicial Branch to resolve matters brought before it, both physically within our courthouses and by use of remote technology, Carroll said. We are simultaneously doing all we are able to do to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus and protect the health and safety of the public, the bar, and our employees and judges. But Bridgeport lawyer Robert Berke said the announcement by Carroll will not dissuade him from continuing with his federal lawsuit accusing the state Judicial Branch of violating the constitutional rights of criminal defendants and their lawyers with its restrictions on the states criminal case docket because of the pandemic. The states judicial system is still completely disorganized, Berke said Thursday. Every court has a different set up and a way they operate; there is no organization. He said every court has its own concept of operating remotely, pointing out that in the Bridgeport court remotely means going to a separate courtroom with your client and talking to a judge via video who is in another courtroom in the same courthouse. Thats not exactly protecting the public, he said. Berke said he is looking forward to taking a deposition of Carroll for his case. Carroll has declined to comment on Berkes lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, claims court officials are giving deference to civil case proceedings over criminal cases in allowing hearings and other proceedings. Notwithstanding the unpreparedness of the Judicial Branch to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, the defendant ... has not fulfilled his statutory charge of ensuring the prompt disposition of cases and the proper administration of judicial business, the lawsuit states. The differentiation of judicial branch policies toward criminal and civil matters has no rational basis. The suit seeks a judgment that the current policies of the Judicial Branch regarding the pandemic violate the constitution; that a special committee be appointed to examine the branchs policies and recommend modifications; and that the state not enforce the current policy that private lawyers appear in person for court hearing while public defenders can appear by video conferencing. Viewed of Take Five - This is your final free article during this 30 day period.Stay in touch with all of the news from Winchester, Frederick and Clarke. Sign up today for complete digital access to The Winchester Star. The coronavirus pandemic has not been kind to Winnipegs dining scene. Over the past few months, the citys restaurants have had to figure out how to stay afloat on takeout or close their doors some of them permanently. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/7/2020 (354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The coronavirus pandemic has not been kind to Winnipegs dining scene. Over the past few months, the citys restaurants have had to figure out how to stay afloat on takeout or close their doors some of them permanently. So its nice to report, amid the gloom and uncertainty, that two husband-and-wife teams have actually opened new restaurants. Tom and Heather Hoang had planned to open the latest location of Pho Hoang, their growing chain of acclaimed Vietnamese restaurants, in the former Desart space at 117 Osborne St. back in March. And then Manitoba announced its first cases of COVID-19. "It was a shock," Heather says of those first few weeks. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Pho Hoang owners Tom and Heather Hoang in the new Osborne Village location of their chain of Vietnamese restaurants. It was set to open in March, but the pandemic delayed the couples plans. Were sitting in the Osborne Village location, which was finally able to open its doors in June. The hip, airy space, inspired by the couples travels to Vietnam and Thailand, is unrecognizable from its former life as a quirky boutique. Its also set to become one of the most Instagrammed rooms in the city, from the patterned tiles on the floor to the stunning skylight to the cheeky sign on the wall urging you to "save room pho dessert." (Osborne is also home to the couples second location of Rollesque, which serves the mesmerizing Thai-style rolled ice cream the pair first introduced to the city at the original Sargent location of Pho Hoang.) "We wanted to make it feel like youre sitting right on the street in Saigon, having some coffee," says Heather, who worked with designer Lynn Fenwick. "I think thats the feeling we wanted to bring into the space." For a long time, though, their beautiful new restaurant sat with papered-covered windows as the pandemic forced everyone to suspend dine-in services, and Tom and Heather pivoted to takeout at their Sargent and Portage locations. "We lost about 50 per cent of sales for the first month," Tom says. "And then it got better." Since the first Pho Hoang location opened on Sargent back in 2011, Tom has worked hard to make sure his pho is the best youve ever had. "Weve had a lot of people from New York, California, Vancouver, Toronto whenever they come to our restaurant, they say its the best Vietnamese restaurant in the world. We want to make it the best, in Winnipeg, so everyone, when they come to Winnipeg, they must talk about Winnipeg when they get home," he says with a laugh. Tom feels lucky to be able to keep doing what he does best. "Were lucky weve been able to survive the past few months," he adds. "A lot of restaurants, they have to shut down. Some of them, they have to close down forever. But were lucky that customers support us, and we keep going." "A lot of restaurants, they have to shut down. Some of them, they have to close down forever. But were lucky that customers support us, and we keep going. Tom Hoang That would not have been possible without his dedicated staff, he says. "I have 45 people working for me. They are like front-line workers; they just keep working hard. I really admire my workers." Now, Heather and Tom say that they are happy Osborne is open, "but were still a little bit worried," Tom says. "We dont know when this will happen again with the second wave, if well have to shut down again and have the same feeling like March." "Right now, its day by day," Heather adds. Opening a new restaurant during a pandemic is challenge enough, but there are added pressures when one is opening a restaurant in a neighbourhood whose vibrancy has been dulled by a growing number of vacancies. (Osborne Village lost two restaurants, Stellas and Segovia, in the past few weeks.) People have high hopes for Pho Hoang and what it might do for the area. "People have actually said, Oh, Pho Hoang will bring life back to Osborne, Heather says. "It made us feel like its worth it." Over in the Polo Park area, Tristan and Melanie Foucault were gearing up to open Preservation Hall Eatery and Wine Bar in the former Kelseys and Barley Brothers space at 655 Empress St. in March when the pandemic hit. "We literally had our first interviews scheduled at Starbucks on March 16 and, we walked in to have them, and all tables and chairs were gone," says Tristan, the former chef at Peasant Cookery in the Exchange District. "We thought, Thats not a good sign." A worldwide pandemic was not the horizon when they scouted the location last July and, when they took possession in December, a new virus causing an outbreak in Wuhan had yet to be named. "When it all happened, we were like, Well, its too late now to turn back," Melanie says with a laugh. RUTH BONNEVILLE Preservation Hall, at 655 Empress St., is now open for business. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press) Walking into Preservation Hall, which officially opened at the end of June, its hard to believe it was ever a chain restaurant or a pub. The formerly dark and cavernous space there was a lot of brown, and a lot of wall-mounted TVs has been lightened up with grey and white; the pretty, French-inspired, vintage-modern decor complements the rustic, French-inspired dishes that populate the menu, which also features plenty of Manitoba ingredients. "Its as farm-to-table as much as we can be," Tristan says. "Its a lot of old-world stuff like charcuterie." Indeed, the "preservation" in Preservation Hall is an intentional nod to all the curing and pickling done in house; Tristan is well-regarded as an authority on butchering and curing meat. Its the kind of spot you may expect to find downtown, but Preservation Hall is filling a gap in a high-traffic neighbourhood that doesnt have anything like it. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Chef Tristan Foucault, right, and his wife/partner Melanie Foucault in their new farm-to-table, French-inspired restaurant near Polo Park. "Its close to downtown without being downtown, has ample parking, its close to the airport," Melanie says. "Its also one of the only independently owned restaurants in the area. You have all the chains in the Polo Park area but, aside from Rae and Jerrys, there pretty much isnt any independently owned restaurants." While the pair say its amazing to be open, "one of the things we hadnt necessarily anticipated was just how much it would affect peoples dining-out habits," Melanie says. "Were still in a pandemic, even though were doing so well in Manitoba. So I think a lot of people are choosing to dine out less or not take a chance on a new place. That has definitely affected our projections for the volume of guests." (Right now, the space, which can normally seat 160 inside and 48 on the patio, is operating at roughly 50 per cent to adhere to physical distancing.) Were still in a pandemic, even though were doing so well in Manitoba. So I think a lot of people are choosing to dine out less or not take a chance on a new place." Melanie Foucault Still, the response theyve received so far has been encouraging. "Weve been open three days now and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive," Melanie says. "On Facebook, on OpenTable, on Google reviews, we already have several five-star reviews and very positive feedback from the guests as far as how amazing the food is." jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @JenZoratti There have been several Justice 4 Black Lives rallies in Winnipeg during the past month, beginning on June 5 when an estimated 15,000 supporters gathered at the Manitoba legislative grounds before marching to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/7/2020 (354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. There have been several Justice 4 Black Lives rallies in Winnipeg during the past month, beginning on June 5 when an estimated 15,000 supporters gathered at the Manitoba legislative grounds before marching to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. That was followed by a series of smaller events for eight consecutive days between June 22 and 29. The Free Press asked three Black photographers to choose one of their images from the rallies and explain why it resonates with them. Barry St. Louis: "How much longer must we march in the streets and scream before we are heard?" Here we stand at yet another tipping point. Although not the first to be murdered for the colour of his skin, Emmett Tills death and open-casket funeral sparked our modern-day civil rights movement. Trayvon Martins death and the subsequent acquittal of his killer gave birth to the Black Lives Matter movement. Now, after witnessing the suffocation of George Floyd for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, we find ourselves here. A place where, for the first time ever, people from all 50 continental U.S. states as well as across Canada and the globe are gathering to protest Floyds death and countless other incidents fuelled by racism. Yet, amid it all, we continue to lose more lives. We are then left with nothing but tears for the continued injustice. How much longer must we march in the streets and scream before we are heard? In the words of James Baldwin, "How much time do you want for your progress?" Barry St. Louis OTTAWA - The federal Conservatives have asked Canada's procurement watchdog to review the circumstances around several sole-sourced contracts between the Liberal government and WE Charity, including its administration of a $900-million federal program for students. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/7/2020 (354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks up as he harvests broccoli at the Ottawa Food Bank Farm in Ottawa with his family, on Canada Day, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. The federal Conservatives are asking Canada's procurement watchdog to investigate the circumstances around several sole-sourced contracts between the Liberal government and WE Charity.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA - The federal Conservatives have asked Canada's procurement watchdog to review the circumstances around several sole-sourced contracts between the Liberal government and WE Charity, including its administration of a $900-million federal program for students. They sent a letter to federal procurement ombudsman Alexander Jeglic on Thursday as questions continue to surface around Ottawa's decision to have the Toronto-based WE organization manage the Canada Student Service Grant. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been on the defensive since Ottawa revealed last week that WE had been chosen to administer the program, which will provide students with up to $5,000 toward their education costs for volunteering for causes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The prime minister has faced allegations of cronyism and questions about a conflict of interest as Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, both have long-standing connections with the organization. Trudeau has said WE will be paid only to cover its costs. He has also said the non-partisan public service concluded the organization was the only group in Canada with the capacity to run the program and reach the many thousands of young people who might sign up for it. The Conservatives nonetheless referenced the prime minister's ties to WE in asking Jeglic to investigate both the Canada Student Service Grant arrangement and five other sole-sourced contracts between the charity and Ottawa since March 2017. The amounts for those other contracts range from $13,000 to $40,000, which means they were not required to be advertised for competitive bids, according to federal procurement rules. The Tories write in their letter to Jeglic that "the Liberal government's pattern of providing untendered and sole-sourced contracts to an organization with close personal ties to the prime minister, who is head of the government, is deeply concerning to many Canadians. "We felt it prudent to raise and give a full argument to the procurement ombudsperson that this is not a one-time variance," Conservative employment critic Dan Albas said Thursday. The Conservatives earlier this week asked auditor general Karen Hogan to include an investigation into the circumstances around the decision to have WE manage the student grant program as part of a broader look at Ottawa's COVID-19 relief spending. "Our government is committed to providing the best services to Canadians and doing so in an open, transparent, and accountable manner," responded Danielle Keenan, a spokeswoman for Youth Minister Bardish Chagger. "With respect to the Canada Student Services Grant, WE Charity was recommended by the public service and the contribution agreement followed federal government best practices." The letter to Jeglic follows emergence of a video earlier this week, obtained by The Canadian Press, that showed WE co-founder Marc Kielburger telling youth leaders last month the Prime Minister's Office reached out to the organization about the student grant program one day after it was first announced on April 22. Kielburger, who founded WE with his brother Craig Kielburger more than 20 years ago, backtracked this week, saying he "misspoke" and "contact came to WE Charity" from a senior public servant the week of April 26. That was the week after Trudeau announced the program. But WE has not answered follow-up questions about whether there was any contact between the organization and the PMO the week of April 20, when the actual announcement was made. Trudeau's spokesman has said there was no contact "to our knowledge." The government has refused to provide details about the contract with WE. It says it has allocated $19.5 million to cover administrative costs for the grant program. Of that, $5 million is for non-profits to provide volunteer jobs for students, including $300,000 for accessibility support. NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus described the arrangement between the government and WE as a "political boondoggle" waiting to happen. "We don't know if $20 million is the max they're going to receive. We don't know if them hiring a whole bunch of people at WE is going to be an extension of the WE operation. ... How is this not going to end badly?" This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2020. OTTAWA - Canada is suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong as part of a package of responses to the new security law China has imposed on the territory, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne gestures as he responds to a question at a news conference in Ottawa, Thursday, April 2, 2020. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says Canada is suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong as part of a package of response to the new security law China has imposed on the territory. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - Canada is suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong as part of a package of responses to the new security law China has imposed on the territory, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday. Canada will also treat sensitive goods being exported to Hong Kong as if they were being sent to mainland China. "Effective immediately, Canada will not permit the export of sensitive military items to Hong Kong," Trudeau said in a news conference. China imposed strict new controls on Hong Kong this week, meant to give Beijing more power to police anti-government protests and other activities it considers the work of hostile foreign powers. Trudeau suggested the new law is a threat to the "one country, two systems" philosophy that was supposed to last 50 years after Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997. Canada's relationship with Hong Kong, including freer trade and travel than is allowed between Canada and mainland China, depends on that principle, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a separate statement. "We will continue to support the many connections between Canada and Hong Kong while also standing up for its people," Trudeau said. Canada's moves follow measures taken by the United States earlier this week to tighten trade with Hong Kong and stop selling it military equipment. Britain announced that up to 2.6 million Hong Kong residents will be able to move to the United Kingdom for up to five years and ultimately seek citizenship. Those are holders of special overseas British passports that have had much more limited rights attached to them until now. Trudeau hinted that something similar might be in the works in Canada. "In the days and weeks to come, we're also looking at additional measures, including around immigration," he said. The relationship between Canada and China remains extremely strained. China is holding two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, on national-security charges that Canada considers retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver in 2018 on a U.S. extradition warrant. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2020. AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered that face coverings must be worn in public across most of the state, a dramatic ramp-up of the Republican's efforts to control spiking numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/7/2020 (354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this June 16, 2020, file photo, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott adjusts his mask after speaking in Austin, Texas. Abbott on Thursday, July 2, ordered that face coverings must be worn in public across most of the state, a dramatic ramp up of the Republican's efforts to control spiking numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File) AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered that face coverings must be worn in public across most of the state, a dramatic ramp-up of the Republican's efforts to control spiking numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. Abbott, who had pushed Texas' aggressive reopening of the state economy in May, had previously said the government could not order individuals to wear masks. His prior virus-related orders had undercut efforts by local governments to enforce mask requirements. But faced with dramatically rising numbers of both newly confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus and the number of patients so sick they needed to be hospitalized, Abbott changed course with Thursday's mask order. It requires all Texans to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases, with few exceptions," the governor's office said. We are now at a point where the virus is spreading so fast, there is little margin for error, Abbott said. Texas reported 7,915 newly confirmed cases, a slight dip after zooming past the 8,000 mark for the first time on Wednesday. The 7,382 hospitalizations means the state has more than quadrupled its numbers in that category since the end of May. The true number of cases is likely much higher because many people have not been tested and studies suggest that people can be infected and not feel sick. Jeff and Raynette Ho wear face masks as they sit with their dog at Custer Park on Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Richardson, Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered Texans in most of the state to wear face masks in public beginning Friday at noon as cases of the coronavirus surge. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News via AP) Abbotts action comes as Texans approach the Fourth of July weekend, a time usually marked by gatherings and parties. Along the coast, local officials have said that access to many beaches will be restricted. And a l akeside concert by 1990s rapper Vanilla Ice that was set to take place outside of Austin on Friday was postponed after being criticized for planning to gather hundreds of fans in one of the nations coronavirus hot spots. The mask order takes effect Friday and the minimum case count would cover most of the state's 254 counties and most of the population. Counties with fewer than 20 cases cover mostly rural areas and will be allowed to apply with the governor's office for an exemption. The order also applies to the Texas GOP Convention in Houston in two weeks which is still pressing forward after party leaders late Thursday voted against switching to a virtual gathering. The convention typically draws thousands of attendees, and some party activists criticized Abbott's mandate while backing a three-day, in-person event starting July 16. Mask order violators can be fined up to $250. There are exceptions for people who have a medical condition or disability, who are exercising outdoors, or who are participating in a religious service or voting. Texas this week began its monthlong early voting period for its primary elections. Abbott also gave mayors and county authorities the ability to ban outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people. In his order and a statement, Abbott said wearing a mask is a proven method to slowing down the virus' spread and said if Texans comply more extreme measures may be avoided. Abbott has said he doesn't want to roll back his previous orders to reopen the economy. But last week he moved to reclose bars and limit dine-in capacity in restaurants to 50%. We have the ability to keep businesses open and move our economy forward so that Texans can continue to earn a paycheque, but it requires each of us to do our part to protect one another and that means wearing a face covering in public spaces, Abbott said. Abbott has been under extreme pressure from both Democrats and Republicans on his reopening plans. Democrats, most notably the leadership of the state's largest cities, have complained Abbott reopened Texas too quickly and have pointed to the record numbers of confirmed new cases and hospitalizations. Conservative lawmakers battered Abbott's early moves to combat the virus, including business, school and child-care closures and a stay-at-home order that expired in May. In April, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called attempts by local governments in the Houston area to enforce mask orders with fines the ultimate government overreach. The move to mandate facemasks comes far too little, far too late for Governor Abbott," Texas Democratic Party Communications Director Abhi Rahman said. Texans are still getting sick. Families are still suffering ... All of this could have been prevented if Governor Abbott had listened to experts and medical professionals in the first place." The Texas Medical Association applauded the mask order. There is no question about it, face masks reduce the spread of COVID-19. They help protect the people wearing masks, and they help protect the people around them, said the association's president, Dr. Diana L. Fite. This story has been corrected to remove references to it being a statewide mask order, and to show that the TMA had urged the state GOP to cancel its in-person convention not just require masks. The order applies to counties with at least 20 positive COVID-19 infections. OTTAWA - A coalition of First Nations chiefs and residential school survivors are rejecting new recommendations to lift Sen. Lynn Beyak's suspension from the Senate. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/7/2020 (354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Sen. Lynn Beyak waits for the Throne Speech in the Senate chamber in Ottawa, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019. A coalition of First Nations chiefs and residential school survivors are rejecting new recommendations to lift Sen. Beyak's suspension from the Senate. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Wattie OTTAWA - A coalition of First Nations chiefs and residential school survivors are rejecting new recommendations to lift Sen. Lynn Beyak's suspension from the Senate. They say her most recent anti-racism training undermines and disregards calls from Indigenous Peoples to remove Beyak from the upper chamber. "For them to somehow come up with this finding that Lynn Beyak has been rehabilitated, she's ready to resume her duties as a senator without speaking with any of the survivors, that we know of anyway, in the region, is an insult," said Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler. Fiddler represents dozens of First Nations communities in northern Ontario, the same area Beyak represents in the Senate. Last week, the Senate ethics committee tabled a report recommending Beyak's suspension be lifted now that she has taken anti-racism training and apologized for posting derogatory letters about Indigenous people on her website. The committee says Beyak has acknowledged the wrongs of her past conduct and committed herself to improvement after taking a four-day virtual program to learn about Indigenous history and the role of the Senate in promoting minority rights. The training program was conducted by a team of what the committee report describes as "experienced and qualified experts from the University of Manitoba," engaged by the Senate ethics officer. "Your committee was of the view that the qualifications of the experts would allow for a professional, impartial and informed evaluation to be provided to the committee upon the completion of the training," the report says, also adding that the Senate ethics officer vetted and approved the training program, characterizing it as "sophisticated and elaborate." The work was led by Jonathan Black-Branch, dean of law at the university, who submitted a performance assessment of Beyak's work with his team. He determined that through the sessions Beyak was co-operative and willing to learn and that she "seems to accept 'the need to refrain from acting in a way that could reflect adversely on the position of senator or on the institution of the Senate in respect of racism' and understand her obligations in relation to racism as a senator." A coalition of chiefs from Ontario and Manitoba together with a group of residential school survivors has now penned a letter to Black-Branch, saying the education program given to the senator was an inappropriate process, as it offered no involvement or input from First Nations and residential-school survivors in Beyak's home region of northwestern Ontario. "It's a top-down and paternalistic process," said Danielle H. Morrison, an Anishinaabe lawyer who is a coalition spokesperson. "Why is a university deemed more highly qualified and impartial than we are? All these institutions are really far removed from our own lived experiences, our own ways of learning, our knowledge-keepers and our own governance and justice systems. Those should be given priority and those are the voices and the systems that should be centred over an academic university." A request for comment made to Beyak's lawyer was not immediately answered Thursday. A request to ethics committee chair Sen. Murray Sinclair for comment was also unsuccessful. This is the second time Beyak has received anti-racism training after she was suspended by the Senate for refusing to take down the racist letters from her website, some of which suggested Indigenous people and their culture are inferior. In February, the Senate ethics committee concluded she'd not gone far enough in her first attempt at education after she clashed with different training staff last year. They reported she was resistant to their efforts and also said she had claimed to be Metis because her parents adopted an Indigenous child. Beyak denied making that claim. Grand Chief Fiddler said Beyak has been given many opportunities over the last three years to hear and learn from residential school survivors the painful realities they faced and the harm that she caused by minimizing their experiences and using the situation to instead argue the merits of free speech. He said he rejects the recommendations of the "outside group" engaged by the Senate ethics officer to conduct her anti-racism training and questions why the residential school survivors in the territory she represents were not engaged in this work. "They want to be heard. They want the country to validate their experience. They want the country to know about what happened to them," Fiddler said. "When you have someone like Lynn Beyak who posts racist material on her website to try to deny those painful experiences, that's creating harm. That is going against everything that these survivors are telling us." The group of chiefs and survivors say they reject Beyak's latest apology that was tabled last month which they say was delivered to the Senate and not to the Indigenous people she represents and they are calling on the Senate to reject the findings and recommendations of the ethics committee saying she should be reinstated. They insist Beyak must resign. "She needs to go. She's created enough harm by her actions and there's no place for someone like her in the Senate," Fiddler said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2020. Covid-19 Update 34 Phase 2: The return of students to campus Students who are scheduled to return as part of phase 2, will return in mid-July. Dear Students We hope that you are healthy and well. At the end of May, we shared information about Wits phased approach for the return of students and staff to our campuses. The first cohort of students are already on campus. Students who are scheduled to return as part of phase 2, will return in mid-July. If you are required to return in this phase, your School coordinator or lecturer will communicate the exact date, time and schedule directly to you. Cohorts that will be invited to return from mid-July are as follows: Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management The Faculty will reintegrate a very small percentage of the student body, as and when appropriate. PhD and MSc students who require access to data laboratories will return. A very small number of students in accountancy and law, and specifically final year CTA students and legal practice students in law, will attend a limited number of tutorials on campus. All other activities will continue online. Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment PhD and MSc students who require access to laboratories will return. Selected graduating classes and students who need access to laboratories and/or studios, will also return. Faculty of Health Sciences Pre-final year students with a high clinical load will return. Undergraduate students with clinical training needs and postgraduate students with laboratory-based research will return. Faculty of Humanities The Faculty will reintegrate a percentage of the student body. Schools within the Faculty will communicate directly with students who need to return to campus. Faculty of Science Some PhD and Research Masters students have already returned. Honours students who require access to laboratories and a very careful selection of 3rd year students will return. Residences The first cohort of students who found it difficult to study online returned to Wits campuses in June, where they continue with their online studies from their respective residences. As per regulations, no more than one third of Wits residences may be occupied at any given time. This means that only a limited number of students are allowed to live in residences. The Dean of Students is managing this process carefully and will communicate details of a possible return to those students who have applied, as soon as lockdown regulations allow for a further return of students in this category. Managing Covid-19 risks There is still much confusion in the public sphere surrounding Covid-19. The following article co-authored by several Wits experts, helps to contextualise the pandemic and provides some useful pointers on Covid-19 risks and how to manage them. Read more: Distance, Dose, Dispersion: Experts guide on Covid-19 risks in South Africa and how to manage them. Conclusion Your wellbeing and safety is paramount and it will take our collective effort, courage and determination to keep the coronavirus at bay. Please do not return to campus unless you have been given express permission to return, as we are carefully managing the numbers of students and staff on our campuses. Please contact your lecturers or School Administrators directly should you have any further queries. Thank you SENIOR EXECUTIVE TEAM 3 JULY 2020 A teen boy is facing numerous charges including first-degree murder following a violent 24 hours in Winnipeg in which four people were shot. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A teen boy is facing numerous charges including first-degree murder following a violent 24 hours in Winnipeg in which four people were shot. Winnipeg police arrested a 14-year-old in North Kildonan Thursday afternoon in connection with a series of shootings that happened in the early morning hours on Wednesday and Thursday in west central Winnipeg. Police spokesman Const. Jay Murray said the alleged actions of the teen will likely be concerning for many Winnipeggers, and come as a shock to the community. The boy cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Winnipeg police have arrested a 14-year-old boy for four recent shootings including a homicide on Canada Day, said Winnipeg police Const. Jay Murray. (John Woods / Canadian Press files) "I think these shootings are everyones worst fear," Murray said. "These are individuals who were shot by what we believe is somebody who is unknown to them." Winnipeg police say the string of shootings started around 2:30 a.m. on the holiday Wednesday. An injured 44-year-old man was found on Balmoral Street near Cumberland Avenue, after being hit by a vehicle. He was taken to hospital in critical but stable condition and police later learned he had been shot prior to the collision. Murray said it is still unclear Friday exactly which part of the city the man was in when he was shot. About 45 minutes later, two people were shot while walking in the 400 block of Flora Avenue, about two kilometres north of where the first victim was found. Police investigate the scene of a double shooting near Salter Street and Flora Avenue on Wednesday. Danielle Dawn Cote, 27, died from her injuries. (Jesse Boily / Winnipeg Free Press) Danielle Dawn Cote, 27, died from her injuries. An 18-year-old man, who police say is Cote's cousin, was able to get to a nearby convenience store on Salter Avenue to call for help and was taken to hospital. He remains in stable condition. Police said a previously unreported shooting occurred in between those two incidents. An unidentified man and woman were shot at on the 100 block of Isabel Street between 2:30 a.m. and 3:15 a.m., and left the area on foot. Police believe the woman was targeted and are asking for witnesses to come forward with information that could help investigators. On July 2, city police were called to The Forks around 12:30 a.m., after one man was stabbed and another shot near the illuminated Winnipeg sign next to the CN Stage. The victims were able to seek help at the Forks market, and the shooting victim, a 40-year-old man, was taken to hospital in stable condition. Murray said few details were available to share publicly on Friday and police werent prepared to speak to a motive. However, police do not believe the 14-year-old boy knew the victims, nor did the victims from each incident know one another. University of Manitoba sociology and criminology professor Frank Cormier said details of the shootings as described by police are highly unusual. Statistics show at least 80 per cent of homicide and violent crime victims will know the perpetrator, Cormier said, and less than one in 10 homicides are committed by youth. "That makes it unusual right off the top. Its very rare that its a complete stranger thats involved," Cormier said. "Now the fact that there were so many, just sounds bizarre. Its highly unusual for a 14-year-old to go on a spree. "The planning that's required for first degree murder is again much less likely for a youth," he said. On July 2, city police were called to The Forks around 12:30 a.m., after one man was stabbed and another shot near the illuminated Winnipeg sign. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files) Police declined to provide details of the moments leading up to the shootings, but a gun thought to be used in the assaults was recovered. "We felt it was important to acknowledge the arrest of an individual for very serious charges. Were very limited in what we can provide today," Murray said. "Were holding back some evidence right now," Murray said. "Its a possibility that theres other incidents we dont know about. Theres a possibility that other charges could be coming to this person or others." Police have charged the teen with first-degree murder, two attempted-murder charges, two counts of aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, and three counts of discharging a firearm with intent. He is also facing charges of possession of a firearm contrary to a prohibition order, and failure to comply with a sentence. The 14-year-old had his first appearance in front of a judge at the Manitoba Youth Centre Friday afternoon. He appeared via video from Winnipeg Police Service cells, where he was being held. Personal details about the teen are protected under a publication ban. He had his charges read to him during the brief court appearance, and the Crown gave notice that prosecutors will be seeking an adult sentence based on the seriousness of the charges. He was also told that his charges may be upgraded, and was ordered not to have contact with any of the victims or their families. His case was adjourned to Monday, July 6. with files from Katie May danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca Opposition Leader Wab Kinew has complained to the federal health minister that Manitoba appears to be violating "the spirit and letter of the Canada Health Act" in its bid to mobilize the private sector to reduce a surgical backlog due to the pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opposition Leader Wab Kinew has complained to the federal health minister that Manitoba appears to be violating "the spirit and letter of the Canada Health Act" in its bid to mobilize the private sector to reduce a surgical backlog due to the pandemic. Provincial Health Minister Cameron Friesen calls the complaint "baseless." In a three-page letter to Health Minister Patty Haijdu, Kinew said the province's request for surgical and echocardiography services will likely lead to private health care providers "poaching" specialists from the public health care system. "There is already a shortage of specialized health care professionals in Manitoba in the public health care system," he wrote. "For example, the Flin Flon General Hospital operating room was recently closed due to the loss of an anesthetist to support the provision of surgical procedures. Prairie Mountain Health Region suffers from a prolonged and ongoing lack of anesthetists." The request for supply arrangement the government announced this week "will directly and indirectly lead to insured persons in Manitoba being unable to have reasonable access to health care as there will be fewer health care professionals in the public system and the remaining health care workers will be stretched thinner across our different areas in the province," Kinew wrote. The NDP leader said he is concerned there has been no commitment by the province to operate the current public health care system at full capacity before shifting public health care dollars to private providers. He said he is also concerned that the shift to private-sector provision of services will be permanent. Friesen said in announcing the RFSA Thursday that the backlog in elective surgeries in Manitoba stood at 5,500 as of June 10. Many surgeries were put on hold at the onset of the pandemic in March to ensure there was sufficient hospital capacity. The government said priority areas include pediatric dental surgeries, pediatric ear, nose and throat surgeries, minor orthopedic procedures, ophthalmology surgery, outpatient spine procedures and outpatient urology surgeries. In a statement Friday, Friesen said Kinew's letter to Haijdu is "baseless and demonstrates that the leader of the opposition, and the Manitoba NDP, are totally unaware of how our health care system works in Manitoba and throughout Canada." For years, Manitobans have received health-care treatment from private facilities, Friesen said. In 2014-15, the Manitoba NDP signed an untendered contract with a private centre for 10,000 echocardiograms, he said. "Our government has been clear that any interested bidder must follow the Canada Health Act as well as any additional relevant legislation or regulations. This is consistent with initiatives underway in other jurisdictions, including in British Columbia under an NDP government," Friesen said. "Before making any further comments, I would suggest that Mr. Kinew do his homework instead of trying to prevent Manitobans from getting the health care they need." larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca THE St. Boniface Hospital presidents prolonged absence from Winnipeg raises concerns about whos directing traffic at the large institution, the Manitoba NDP health critic says. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. THE St. Boniface Hospital presidents prolonged absence from Winnipeg raises concerns about "whos directing traffic" at the large institution, the Manitoba NDP health critic says. Martine Bouchard has been overseeing the hospitals response to the COVID-19 pandemic from her Montreal home since the end of April. Shes not expected to return to Manitoba until August, the Free Press reported earlier this week. Uzoma Asagwara said Bouchards absence raises questions about whether situations at the hospital are being assessed accurately, how decisions are being made, and the effectiveness of those decisions. The NDP MLA noted Tory Premier Brian Pallister has found it necessary to travel to Ottawa during the pandemic, reasoning he can only do so much business with federal officials over the telephone. As useful as Zoom and other online communication platforms are, "its critically important" for leaders to be on the ground and accessible, Asagwara said Thursday. "Were talking about a hospital thats undergone significant changes in the last several years," the MLA said. "Certainly, right before this pandemic, they were still reeling from dealing with the conversion of two flus, understaffing issues, and challenges in the emergency room." Hospital chairman Tom Carson said the institutions board of directors has been "very happy" with the way Bouchard and her team have been operating during the pandemic. Bouchard returned to Quebec at the end of April to attend to a family emergency, Carson said earlier this week. With Quebec the most seriously affected province by the pandemic, the hospital CEO is unable to return to Winnipeg "without major risk issues," he said. Bouchard, who earned $283,481 in 2019, was criticized last year for commuting to her Montreal home on weekends, sometimes spending as few as four days a week in Winnipeg. Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said it would be preferable for anyone heading a hospital or a Crown corporation to live in Manitoba full time. However, he was reluctant to criticize Bouchard for staying in Montreal during the pandemic, saying its possible to work from home. "We probably shouldnt be bringing people from the single-worst (COVID) hot spot in Canada to go work in a hospital," Lamont said. "Its unusual. These are unusual times. And it would be preferable if she were working here full-time but, ultimately, I think thats a decision for the (hospital) board to make." Larry Kusch The group that represents northern First Nations is sounding the alarm after two alleged incidents of racial discrimination by security at the Thompson Walmart in less than a week. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The group that represents northern First Nations is sounding the alarm after two alleged incidents of racial discrimination by security at the Thompson Walmart in less than a week. Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee said his group received several complaints from Indigenous people who said they had been racially profiled while trying to enter the store or while shopping at it. "Its appalling that we still have to deal with this, especially in our north we contribute to the economy, we contribute to the overall expansion of Thompson," he said. "For our people to be subject to this kind of racial profiling is unacceptable." MKO wants a meeting with Walmart Canada to discuss the incidents. Alister Weenusk Jr., an Indigenous man, went to the Walmart with his wife on Thursday to pick up water and supplies. Weenusk said they both wore sunglasses, and despite many other people entering at the same time wearing sunglasses, they were approached by a security guard and told to remove their sunglasses so the guard could check to see if they had been drinking. "I refused and told him youre profiling us. He denied it and threatened to call the cops," Weenusk said. He felt "embarrassed and humiliated." He complained to a manager, but he said he has yet to hear back. He said he will attend a peaceful protest against racial profiling that was scheduled for Friday evening outside Walmart. Weenusk and his wife live in Oxford House and pay $1,000 to fly to Thompson and stock up on necessities. Weenusk said he felt unsafe when he returned to shop on Friday. "I was scared of being attacked again. I didnt want to be embarrassed again," he said. A spokesperson for Walmart Canada said the chain had been made aware of the incident and the company "is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for our associates and our customers." Earlier in the week, Wayne Constant, also an Indigenous man, said a security guard prevented him from entering the store because, according to Constant, the security guard said he looked like "one of the drunks." "He labeled me as a drunk on the street, not a human being it makes you feel pretty down, when somebody stigmatizes you with that label," he said. Constant, who has lived in Thompson for 35 years, said it was not the first time someone in his family had been profiled at the Walmart store. On one occasion, his wife was questioned when she bought mouthwash. "It hurts a lot when a person says, Youre nothing but a drunk, you dont belong in this society. It took me back to residential schools," he said. He said he will file a human rights complaint against Walmart and will seek guidance from MKO and an expert in racial discrimination. Constant echoed Weenusks concerns about returning to the Walmart. Despite his mistreatment, he said it would be impractical to boycott the chain. "We only have one Walmart in Thompson, and we have limited supplies in Thompson," he said. "As much as Id like to boycott it, I have no choice but to shop there." malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: malakabas_ Winnipeg police have charged a 14-year old with four recent shootings, including a homicide on Canada Day. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Winnipeg police have arrested a 14-year-old boy for four recent shootings including a homicide on Canada Day. Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) Constable Jay Murray addresses media in Winnipeg, Monday, April 23, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods Winnipeg police have charged a 14-year old with four recent shootings, including a homicide on Canada Day. The boy, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, faces one count of first-degree murder in the death of a 27-year-old woman and a slew of shooting charges. "I think it's going to be terrifying and concerning for a lot of Winnipeg the fact that we would have so much violence and committed by such a young individual," Const. Jay Murray said Friday. A 44-year-old man was struck by a vehicle around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday and it was later found he had been shot. He's in stable condition in hospital. Less than an hour later the woman and an 18-year-old man, who police believe are cousins, were walking along a street when they were shot. The woman died immediately and the man was taken to hospital and is in stable condition. Police were then called to The Forks, a popular historic and tourist area of the city, around 12:30 a.m. Thursday. A 40-year-old man had been shot and was taken to hospital in stable condition. Murray said police also learned of another shooting Wednesday where a man and woman were shot at but able to run away. The teenager was taken into custody on Thursday afternoon. Police said a firearm has been recovered and is believed to be the one used in the shootings. Murray said he could not speak to a motive for the shootings. "The reality is, we can acknowledge, that we don't believe any of these victims knew the shooter," he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 3, 2020 THE First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion THE First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms says: "Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: (a) freedom of conscience and religion; (b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; (c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and (d) freedom of association." U.S. President Donald Trump recently lashed out at Twitter, claiming the company was interfering with his freedom of speech after it attached a link to an article about a claim he made in a tweet. Trump responded with this tweet: "Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives (sic) voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We cant let a more sophisticated version of that. " Twitters actions didnt interfere with Trumps freedom of speech, as set out by the U.S. constitution. Twitter is a private entity, not the U.S. Congress or government. The First Amendment clearly refers to the activities of the government where it might restrict a citizens rights. Theres an imbalance in how users are treated on social media. Certain individuals have been getting away with making outlandish and inflammatory statements for years, and have faced no consequences. This isnt to say there are no restrictions on speech. Hate speech is often restricted, as are a variety of other things, like libelous and slanderous statements. However, Twitter choosing to fact-check a statement made by a politician is neither slanderous nor hate speech. Congress moving to restrict Twitters activities would quite possibly a violation of the First Amendment. In fact, Twitter has allowed politicians (including Trump) a much wider range of behaviour than an ordinary user would get. If I tweeted a claim, without evidence, that another individual had committed a murder, Twitter would have suspended or banned my account. I would also likely face criminal charges or a civil lawsuit. Trump has made such accusations on Twitter and has faced no repercussions. Theres an imbalance in how users are treated on social media. Certain individuals have been getting away with making outlandish and inflammatory statements for years, and have faced no consequences. Twitter is finally reasserting ownership over its platform. This is in line with the actions of YouTube and Facebook over the previous two years, banning the likes of Alex Jones. YouTube has also begun to demonetize smaller, non-corporate, political commentators. Is this an attack on conservative voices? Given that many of the commentators who have been demonetized are left-leaning or centrists, its clear that social media operators are reasserting their control and ownership over platforms that had become free-for-alls. Trumps threat to regulate Twitter if it continues to fact-check him may well preface a violation of the U.S. constitution. Regulating social media is not only likely to be illegal, its pointless. If conservative voices are concerned about being fact-checked by private corporations, the solution is simple: create a conservative-only rival to Twitter. Surely one of the rich supporters of the president could afford a few million to launch such an endeavour. Eamonn Brosnan is a research associate with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. Troy Media CIVILIZATIONS are based on a variety of structures that combine power and authority. Putting those two things together, however, can mean truth is a dangerous commodity. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion CIVILIZATIONS are based on a variety of structures that combine power and authority. Putting those two things together, however, can mean truth is a dangerous commodity. When people object to the way they are being treated by authority, trouble starts. Power does not respond well to a challenge of any kind especially if it reflects facts it doesnt want to admit. Lately, we have seen stark examples of how such structures react to the challenges that truth presents. #BlackLivesMatter put the spotlight on systemic racism, with global reactions to the death of George Floyd. Wearing a mask to slow the spread of pandemic disease has become a political act, especially in the U.S. Protesting ecological destruction, or even just protecting water and soil, will soon be a crime in Alberta (and perhaps, eventually, here). Economic recovery is placed ahead of the health and well-being of ordinary people, as environmental regulations are ignored or rescinded. Resistance to these structures of power and authority doesnt begin because of what journalists say, however. A free press just communicates the message, multiplying what a group of people, somewhere, has chosen to challenge. This is why speaking truth to power is a dangerous exercise, putting journalists in the crosshairs of angry authority perhaps even risking injury or death for doing their jobs. Every year, more and more journalists are beaten or killed, making the work of journalists almost as dangerous that of environmental defenders, who die by the hundreds every year around the world, trying to protect the Earth and their homes. This year, World Environment Day on June 5 passed almost without notice here in Manitoba. It was also the day thousands of Winnipeggers demonstrated peacefully against racism and in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, giving that day a different focus this year for environmentalists, as well. There is a simple reason for the lack of conflict between these two causes: there will be no racial justice without ecological justice. They are two sides of the same coin. In fact, we should make it a three-sided coin, so you can add in social justice, as well. Each of them requires the other two, if we are going to change those structures, those systems, that combine power and authority in ways that threaten our global future together. When leaders would rather listen to the ideological voices in their heads than the common sense of people in the streets, however, it is time for them to step aside before they are simply set aside. Fear of criticism is a sign of insecurity, not of conviction. It is fear the critics are right and you are wrong, so it is easier to ignore their voices, tune them out, shut them down, deny them the chance to speak and, if that doesnt stop them, then tear gas, truncheons and bullets should do the trick. You can always arrest and punish those who persist. Yet few (if any) revolutions have resulted from some well-executed master plan. Instead, it is something small, a pebble rolling downhill, that provokes an avalanche of change. The convenience store clerk in Minneapolis who called police because George Floyd had supposedly given them a fake $20 bill could never have imagined the global impact of such a minor decision. It was a citizens cellphone, once again, that captured video of what happened and shared the news not the journalists. Yes, racism is systemic because, otherwise, common sense and ordinary humanity would have eliminated it. Social inequality is also systemic because, otherwise, kindness and generosity would have made it disappear. Ecological injustice is systemic, too, because if people respected the Earth around them and within them, there would be no other colour in our lives than green. Yet if racial, social and ecological injustice are left unchallenged, accepted and embedded in the institutions of our society, then trouble is surely coming. Without warning, something small, whether local or global, will trigger a pent-up avalanche of change. When that happens, everything familiar will be swept away the good with the bad and life will be forced to begin again amidst the rubble of what used to be. That "new normal" people talk about may be better than the old one, but not necessarily. So, we need to speak truth to power in the press, in the boardroom, in the law courts, and in the chambers of political authority. That truth must be about racial justice, about social equality, about care for the Earth. If these truths continue to be ignored, discounted or suppressed, then one day some small, otherwise insignificant event will be the spark that ignites a revolution whose outcome no one can predict. Change doesnt need to happen that way, but given the continued arrogance and privilege of those in authority today, it too easily could. Peter Denton is an activist, author and teacher. One evening earlier this year, a man died on the street in a major United States city. His death would make history, and although much has been said about it since, its worth pausing for a moment to review how the first draft of that history was written, because what it says and what it doesnt delivers a stark lesson. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/7/2020 (354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. One evening earlier this year, a man died on the street in a major United States city. His death would make history, and although much has been said about it since, its worth pausing for a moment to review how the first draft of that history was written, because what it says and what it doesnt delivers a stark lesson. The scene, as laid out in that first draft, begins when someone calls police to allege that a non-violent offence has been committed. Police state they are "advised," presumably by the caller, that "the suspect was sitting on top of a blue car and appeared to be under the influence." Read this next part carefully, because this is what that first draft of the story says happens next. "Two officers arrived and located the suspect, a male believed to be in his 40s, in his car. He was ordered to step from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers. Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress. "Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to (hospital) by ambulance where he died a short time later. "At no time were weapons of any type used by anyone involved in this incident." A person photographs a mural in memory of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd died while in Minneapolis police custody and protests have erupted across the United States after video was released showing a Minneapolis Police officer kneeling on his neck while he was handcuffed and pleading that he could not breathe. (Dave Schwarz/St. Cloud Times via AP) If this doesnt sound familiar, its only because it doesnt resemble reality. The city was Minneapolis. The man who died was George Floyd, and this was the original press release issued by police notifying the media and public of what happened in the minutes leading up to his death. On the surface, it is a standard police release: dispassionate, spartan, scant on details. In this version, the officers who responded to the call are, if not outright heroic, at least imbued with a sort of minor benevolence: they found a suspect in medical distress and called an ambulance, but he died. No weapons. But that isnt the truth of it, not by a wide margin. Thanks to bystander video and security-camera footage gathered by journalists, we can see the press release now as a chilling exhibit of lies of omission and misdirection; a narrative that makes sure to note Floyd as "under the influence" but erases all trace of the officers actions. Concealed there, in the gaps between details, is the killing of a man who begged for his life as three officers crushed his body into the pavement for almost nine minutes, with one kneeling directly on his neck. All four officers are facing charges now; there will be a day in court, a chance for the facts to be weighed and considered. "Concealed there, in the gaps between details, is the killing of a man who begged for his life as three officers crushed his body into the pavement for almost nine minutes, with one kneeling directly on his neck." Would that have happened if the only thing written about George Floyds death was that first, police-written draft? Re-reading this original release now, nearly six weeks since Floyds killing sparked a groundswell of protest that is still surging over the world, is a sobering act. I keep going back to it, aware that it is far from the first time a press release and fact diverge so significantly, searching it for clues to how to make it one of the last. What scares me is knowing that, if that bystander video had never been taken, that is the last the world might have learned of the death of George Floyd. And what scares me is that, if Id been working a general assignment shift on that night in Minneapolis, I might have written the first, brief report of the incident up the same way. As the public reckons with the surging debate about how to change police and policing, this is also something that must be part of that discussion. If we understand justice as accountability, it has to begin with information, and with careful thought towards how we obtain it, how we share it, and how it can be concealed. "What scares me is knowing that, if that bystander video had never been taken, that is the last the world might have learned of the death of George Floyd." Change requires the media, across the board, rethinking how it reports information from police, especially when it concerns their own actions. It also requires more education for the public on how to read sources critically; to take information on board, but wait to render judgment until more is known. In 2018, the journalist Sophie Haigney wrote an article in the magazine Popula, entitled "Down with the daily crime story." Its been making the rounds again in recent weeks, because Haigneys observations are sharp and the topic remains timely. In short, she argues that the media needs to rethink how it covers crime stories. Haigneys piece is worth Googling to read in full; I couldnt do it justice here, except to say she writes from a strong position of both experience and research. She knows the challenges of pursuing deep reporting involving crime or police; she also sees how that impacts the way information is presented and received. "Police have a functional monopoly on information in this beat that seems to me unparalleled across journalism," she wrote. "Police said is peppered all over daily crime stories. Often, if you look closely, youll notice its the basis for the entire story." That monopoly of information is especially concerning when police are the sole source of information about their own actions. There isnt always clear bystander video. There isnt always information that winds up in court. There arent always witnesses who are willing to talk to journalists, or the resources or, frankly, luck to find them. In the absence of that information, cases often simply fade from public view. There are still a number of incidents in Manitoba that, months after they happened, the public knows almost nothing about. The Independent Investigation Unit is tasked with reviewing those, and that does take time but the lack of transparency is concerning. There cannot be accountability if the public does not have the information it needs to judge the truth of events. And this information needs to be timely and received with care and a critical eye to both what is said and what is left out of the story; above all, we must keep trying to ensure that history is not left at its first draft. melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca Its at times like this that one might be inclined to conclude politics and prudence are complete strangers. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/7/2020 (354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Its at times like this that one might be inclined to conclude politics and prudence are complete strangers. How else can we explain the bizarre manner in which the simple act of wearing a face covering to help minimize the spread of a deadly disease has become a political flashpoint capable of inflaming partisan anger and prompting some to defiantly reject the most reasonable, simple and sound of evidence-backed medical advice? Somehow, in the three-plus months since the COVID-19 pandemic careened into the lives of North Americans, the clash between health-care expertise and political advantage-seeking has turned dealing with the ravages of the novel coronavirus in the United States into something other than the pursuit of the best possible public-health outcome. U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence broke ranks with Donald Trump by wearing a mask at recent public events. (Tony Gutierrez / The Associated Press) The COVID-19 face mask has become a symbol of a deeply divided America; an America whose coronavirus infection rates have continued to accelerate at breakneck speed while most other countries in its demographic peer group have effectively flattened the curve. At the forefront of the face mask debate and the larger issue of our southern neighbours losing COVID-19 battle is, of course, the question of leadership. U.S. President Donald Trumps so far inept strategy for dealing with the pandemic has been limited mostly to denial, summed up by his continuing refusal to wear a face mask in public, reportedly because he feels it would be viewed as an outward sign of weakness. Many of the presidents supporters have followed his lead; some have taken the anti-mask animus several steps further, claiming the suggestion to wear one is an assault on civil liberties ("medical tyranny," according to one maskless militant) and criticizing those who cover their faces as fainthearted or un-American. Mr. Trumps earliest reaction to the pandemic was to deny the disease posed any danger to Americans; by refusing to take decisive action to limit its spread opting instead to voice the belief it would "magically" disappear by mid-April, and touting quack remedies rather than encouraging basic behavioural changes the president, by example, set the stage for the outbreak that has racked up nearly 2.7 million confirmed cases and 130,000 American deaths. Through it all, Mr. Trump has consistently declined to publicly adopt the simple but effective measure of face covering, despite telling a Fox Business interviewer this week that hes "all for masks" and would wear one if he were in "a tight situation" with other people. Of note this week is that U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence, otherwise an in-lockstep follower of his bosss positions and behaviours, broke ranks with Mr. Trump by wearing a mask at recent public events. Other Republican lawmakers have veered suddenly away from their anti-mask positions, but much of the Trump-supporting public remains unwavering in its rejection of pandemic face coverings. CP U.S. President Donald Trump has refused to wear a mask in public. (Evan Vucci / The Associated Press) It is, in a word, dumbfounding. Wearing a mask to protect others from the virus is not an admission of personal weakness or political betrayal; its an expression of kindness, caring and commitment to the common good. Freedom-obsessed Americans often cite founding father and noted orator Patrick Henry, whose 1775 declaration to the Second Virginia Convention included the breathless exhortation, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" By refusing to cover up, those defiant, face mask-dismissive denizens of the rhetorical Land of the Free (as well as a few misinformed malcontents on this side of the border) are eliminating the binary choice, insisting instead that liberty and death be considered as a macabre package deal. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page On July 4, Americans celebrate the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence. But although our countrys independence was declared, it wasnt until the end of the Revolutionary War and a peace treaty in 1783 that Great Britain finally recognized it no longer had political control of what had been 13 British-ruled colonies and would soon be an independent country. It was a huge victory, but the country still had a long way to go to be truly democratic. Although the Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal, for many years after the founding of this country, only white men who owned property could vote. That left out all women, Blacks and Native Americans, so there was hardly equality for all. It wasnt until 92 years later that the 15th Amendment guaranteed that voting rights couldnt be denied because of a persons color, race or previous condition of servitude. Still, for many years afterward in many states, Black voters were prevented from voting by poll taxes and literary tests that were designed to make them fail. Ive seen examples of those tests and Id be surprised if even highly educated Americans could pass them today. It wasnt until 1965 that President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which ended literacy tests, and in 1966 the Supreme Court ruled that poll taxes were unconstitutional. Lueck said the graduates perseverance was more important than ever this year because they werent in the classroom every day. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} In an expression of gratitude, he said DSLA teachers reached out to students any way they could throughout the mandated school shutdown. Driving around the district to drop off and pick up schoolwork, working with kids over the internet, through phone calls, meeting socially distanced in outdoor spaces and even through screen doors. They pushed them right up until the very endright up until 1:30 this morningthats when our last graduate finished, he said. DSLA staff members who are retiring were recognized for their contributions to the school. They are Virginia Grebel, Mary Kelroy-Skelton and Melissa McIntyre. Kweianaw Rufus was chosen to speak at the ceremony on behalf of her class. Admittedly honored and nervous, she said, Im very proud of my classmates and how successful theyve become. Even though we went through ups and downs, some of us found it hard to transfer to the Don Smith Learning Academy but our teachers helped us a lot. Rufus said she wanted to thank the teachers for working with them and truly wanting to see them graduate. Dakota Access Shutdown, Dominion Pipeline Decision Show Failures of Trumps Fossil Fuel Agenda As Dominion Cancels ACP and Sells off Fracked Gas Holdings, Virginia Must Turn to a Clean Energy Future by Rejecting Larger Fracked Gas Plan Why Trump Wants To Kill The Biggest Environmental Law You've Never Heard Of NRDC: With Atlantic Coast Pipeline Canceled, Time to Pivot to Clean Energy EWG News Roundup (7/2): Enjoying a Healthy (and Safe) Independence Day, PFAS Provisions Added to Military Spending Bill and More EWG News Roundup (7/2): Enjoying a Healthy (and Safe) Independence Day, PFAS Provisions Added to Military Spending Bill and More Richmond Removes Symbols of Racial Injustice Newark Makes Progress on Lead Crisis, But is Not Out of the Woods Yet House Committee Advances Critical PFAS Reforms (The Center Square) Wisconsin's Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson is proposing a holiday swap. Johnson on Wednesday filed an amendment to replace Columbus Day with Juneteenth on the federal holiday schedule. We support celebrating emancipation with a federal holiday, but believe we should eliminate a current holiday in exchange," Johnson said. Johnson said the idea is to try and save money, as much as it is about promoting one holiday over the other. "We chose Columbus Day as a holiday that is lightly celebrated, and least disruptive to Americans schedules," Johnson said. "In response to a bipartisan effort to give federal workers another day of paid leave by designating Juneteenth a federal holiday, we have offered a counter-proposal that does not put us further in debt. Not everyone is happy with the idea. Fox New host Tucker Carlson spent part of his show Wednesday night blasting Johnson for caving to what he called the "woke mob." "It's easier to give them what they want," Carlson said. "Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and James Langford of Oklahoma are both Republican Senators. They've both introduced legislation to abolish Columbus Day." Carlson added: "The people who are pushing Juneteenth on the country do not consider Abraham Lincoln a hero. They are pulling down his statues, along with Columbus." But Langford insisted the idea is purely fiscal, not political. Throughout our history, we have strived to become a more perfect union and Juneteenth was a huge step in attaining that goal," Langford said. "We should celebrate these strides on the federal level while remaining cognizant of the impact the existing 10 federal holidays have on federal services and local businesses." Local families are being affected by New York State's travel advisory. Governor Cuomo announced last week that anyone coming to New York from a state currently hit hard by the coronavirus would have to quarantine for two weeks and those returning to New York from those states would have to quarantine as well. Gabrielle Iannarilli lives in Boonville. Her kids are supposed to be returning home July 14, but due to the state's travel advisory and mandatory quarantine, she is not sure when they will come home. Her children are in Georgia with their grandmother because it's been hard for Iannarilli to find reliable child care right now. Its disheartening not to know when youre going to see your kids again, I was thinking I was going to see them in two weeks and now I dont know if theyre going to be there another four weeks, or if theyll come home in time, I thought about flying down to get them but then I will have to quarantine," Iannarilli said. This is just the beginning of her ruined plans. She is getting married in September and a lot of changes have been made. Ive been worried about our wedding all summer long," Iannarilli said. "I have bridesmaids coming in from Florida and North Carolina coming, they dont seem worried about it but obviously Im the bride so Im freaking out a little bit. She says what she would like to see is Governor Cuomo consider doing what Alaska and Hawaii are doing. "It would be really nice if Governor Cuomo would let my guests take a coronavirus test in lieu of quarantining," Iannarilli said. "Some other states are doing that, they're letting them take a test and show proof they had a negative test and they don't have to quarantine." Mike Kalil is a Clinton native. He now lives in Fort Myers, Florida and he is planning to come home August 19. "Right now, I'm still scheduled to come up to the area the third week of August," Kalil said. "My oldest sister Kacie is expecting her first child in the next couple of weeks." His plans haven't changed yet, but they could. "My intentions are, or at least were, to come up there, stay with my family in Clinton for two weeks," Kalil said. "Right now, that's up in the air, depending on what Governor Cuomo decides, if you still have to do a mandatory two-week quarantine when coming to the area." Even though he plans to be in the area for two weeks, quarantining isn't exactly what he had planned. "Two weeks, for me personally, I'm already there, it would just be a matter of staying at my parents house, not going out and about and that's not really the point of why I want to go up there," Kalil said. Kalil hopes things change before he is supposed to travel. "I want to be there so badly, it's going to be my first nephew, all I want to do is be there for him and my family and see them, I haven't seen them since Christmas time because their travel plans were also cancelled," Kalil said. Flash Flood Warning National Weather Service Binghamton NY 150 PM EDT Fri Jul 3 2020 The National Weather Service in Binghamton has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... Southeastern Oneida County in central New York... * Until 445 PM EDT. * At 149 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other drainage and low lying areas. * Some locations that will experience flooding include... Utica, Rome, Kirkland, Westmoreland, Paris, Deerfield, Floyd, Whitesboro, New York Mills and Yorkville. NEW YORK (AP) - Hugh Downs, a genial and near-constant presence on television from the 1950s through the 1990s, has died. His family said Downs died of natural causes Wednesday night in Scottsdale, Arizona. Downs was a host of the Today" show on NBC, worked on the Tonight show when Jack Paar was in charge, and hosted the long-running game show Concentration. He co-hosted the ABC newsmagazine 20/20 with Barbara Walters. Until surpassed by Regis Philbin, he had the Guinness Book of World Records mark for most hours logged on television. Downs also hosted the PBS series Over Easy and Live from Lincoln Center. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana health officials plan to collect and release to the public statistics on coronavirus infections and deaths at individual nursing homes after refusing to do so for more than two months. The state will have long-term care facilities submit information on when COVID-19 virus cases occurred, how many residents and employees have died from the illness, how many have recovered and demographics for those infected. Dan Rusyniak, chief medical officer for Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, said Wednesday he expected preliminary data will be released in mid-July, with a user-friendly website being developed in the following weeks. At least 1,166 residents of 178 Indiana nursing homes have died with the coronavirus, according to a weekly update released Monday by the state health department. That represents about 45% of the states total coronavirus-related deaths, with at least seven nursing homes around the state having more than 20 resident deaths. Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and other state officials in April stopped identifying specific nursing homes with outbreaks, despite complaints from relatives of home residents about a lack of communication about illnesses and deaths. State officials have maintained that those facilities face federal and state requirements to notify the families about their COVID-19 status. Nursing homes across the country have been devastated by COVID-19 deaths as elderly people and those with serious health troubles living in nursing homes are among the most at-risk from severe illness due to the coronavirus. Rusyniak said the states policy change comes after the largest associations that represent and lobby for long-term care facilities and AARP expressed their support for providing facility-level information. As we have all learned, responding to this pandemic requires us to continuously evaluate our approaches, and when appropriate, to change them, Rusyniak said. This is one of those times. If you havent yet been out shopping for BBQs, ties and cigars, youd better hop to it! Fathers Day is on Sunday. If youre among the lucky ones who have a wonderful father still alive and kicking, spend some time listening to his stories and being together because time flies. For the CPC, everything starts and ends with the people. China tops the 2019 global rankings in terms of levels of satisfaction with government performance, with over 86 percent of the Chinese surveyed expressing satisfaction. The CPC is "the architect of the country's social and economic achievements." China has shown a spirit of solidarity and commitment in countering world challenges in keeping with the values the CPC has promoted. BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) The Communist Party of China (CPC), founded with an aspiration and the mission to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, celebrated its 99th founding anniversary on Wednesday. From 57 party members represented by 13 deputies back in 1921 at the CPC's first national congress on a rented tourist boat on South Lake in the city of Jiaxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, the party now has more than 91 million members across the country. All through the decades, the CPC has not only remained committed to its people-centered philosophy and led the Chinese people to achieve development miracles, but also made great contributions to the peace and development of mankind, winning worldwide recognition. Ma Huihuang (L), leader of the poverty relief team of Shibadong Village, together with villager Shi Linjiao, promotes local products via live streaming at Shibadong Village of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China's Hunan Province, May 15, 2020. [Xinhua/Chen Sihan] People-Centered Philosophy According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, China tops the 2019 global rankings in terms of levels of satisfaction with government performance, with over 86 percent of the Chinese surveyed expressing satisfaction, far above the global average of 47 percent. "For the CPC, everything starts and ends with the people. This has put their people in the center of all that they do. The people are paramount above all," Richard Todwong, deputy secretary general of Uganda's ruling National Resistance Movement party, told Xinhua. Indeed, just as Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, called the people "the foundation and lifeblood of the CPC," the party has always been putting the well-being of the Chinese front and center, and the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a telling example. In face of a ballooning caseload at home, the CPC decided that it would protect the lives and health of the people even at the cost of a short-term economic downturn and a temporary shutdown. More than 39 million CPC members fought the disease at the front line, and over 13 million volunteered their services. Nearly 400 CPC members have defended others' lives and safety at the cost of their own. The leaderships of Wuhan City and Hubei Province were reshuffled, with some officials sanctioned for irresponsibility and dereliction of duty and others honored and promoted for their dedication and sense of responsibility. Medical staff of Wuhan No. 1 Hospital gesture to bid farewell to medics from Guangdong Province before their departure from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 23, 2020. [Xinhua/Chen Yehua] "China has rolled out perhaps the most ambitious, agile and aggressive disease containment effort in history," said a report released in late February by the World Health Organization (WHO)-China Joint Mission on COVID-19. D.E.W. Gunasekera, general secretary of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, said all structures within the highly institutionalized CPC, from local to national levels, "were geared up for the immediate task of containing the COVID-19 pandemic." "The Chinese leadership took strict and effective actions and the people responded," he told Xinhua. Lauding the CPC's "unique leadership" in fighting the pandemic, Ahmad Jawad, central secretary on information of Pakistan's ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, said facing every challenge and every threat, it is always the leaders who become an important factor because they will not only secure their people but also guide and lead the people to overcome the challenge and threat. Li Wei (R), a kindergarten teacher and a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC), works as a community volunteer in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, February 27, 2020. [Xinhua/Chen Zeguo] Development Miracles Taking the happiness of the people to heart, the CPC has been devoted to leading China's homestretch toward building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and has helped the country achieve development miracles especially in poverty eradication. "This has happened thanks to the wisdom and good leadership of the party, which has drawn up plans that suit the conditions of China and its people," Salah Adly, general secretary of the Egyptian Communist Party, told Xinhua, adding the history of the CPC is great and glorious. According to official data, China has lifted more than 700 million people out of poverty over the past several decades, representing over 70 percent of global poverty reduction. Over the past four years, China has relocated 9.3 million low-income rural residents to more inhabitable areas, 9.2 million of whom were lifted from poverty as a result, the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planning body, said in March. So far, 22 provincial regions have built over 2.6 million apartments and houses for the relocated people. And up to 99 percent of poor villages should have access to internet by the end of 2020, the government body said. Mou'se Dati looks back at the Atulieer Village atop a cliff as he heads to his new home at a newly-built relocation community in Zhaojue County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 13, 2020. [Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing] With the CPC, millions of people in quite a short time "made the leap from poverty to a much more comfortable life, with the power to keep making progress towards greater fulfillment," said secretary general of the Communist Party of Chile Lautaro Carmona. At a symposium in early March on securing a decisive victory in poverty reduction, Xi stressed that lifting all rural residents living below the current poverty line out of poverty by 2020 is a solemn promise made by the CPC Central Committee, and it must be fulfilled on time. "China will emerge as the first nation in the world free of absolute poverty," Gunasekera expressed his confidence in the promise, adding, "China will create history." The CPC is "the architect of the country's social and economic achievements," said Jose Luis Robaina, a senior researcher at Havana's Center for the Study of International Politics. A China-Europe freight train carrying medical supplies bound for Madrid of Spain departs from the city of Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 5, 2020. [Xinhua/Lyu Bin] Common Prosperity Throughout the years, the CPC has been not only true to the Chinese people, but also devoted to the peace and development of the whole world by actively building a community with a shared future for mankind. The CPC's foreign policies based on cooperation, multipolarity and a community with a shared future for mankind are quite favorable, said Gunasekera. With the CPC, China has become an indispensable force in resolving global and regional issues, from wealth inequality, trade and investment to climate change, terrorism and peace-keeping. As a country contributing more than 30 percent to world economic growth for years, China has been dedicated to sharing its resources with the world for mutual development through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which, in the eyes of Deputy Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Russia Dmitry Novikov, offers an example of mutual respect and cooperation. In spite of the COVID-19 crisis, Chinese investment in Belt and Road countries and regions increased by 11.7 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020, along with a 3.2-percent growth in trade, official data showed. Photo taken on April 9, 2020 shows the undergoing berth expansion project by Chinese company at Dar es Salaam Port, Tanzania. [Xinhua] Todwong said China's infrastructure development, especially in developing countries in Africa, has portrayed the country as a caring world leader. "China does not intend to use its disproportionate size, economy of scale and development in different areas to sap the autonomy and sovereignty that each country has, but (aims to use it) for mutual benefit" through regional integration as promoted by its BRI, Carmona said. The CPC's commitment to common prosperity has excelled itself in the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the leadership of the party, the Chinese people have been actively contributing to the global anti-epidemic fight, donating much-needed medical supplies, dispatching teams of medical experts and sharing epidemic information via video conferences. From March 21 to the end of April, anti-pandemic supplies totaling 660,000 items and weighing 3,142 tons were sent from China by freight trains to European countries such as Italy, Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic. The country has also been racing against the time to find an effective COVID-19 vaccine, which it announced will be made a public good for all when available. China has shown a spirit of solidarity and commitment in countering world challenges in keeping with the values the CPC has promoted, Robaina said. "By its own example, the country proves the possibility of a fairer, more developed and safer world," Novikov said. (Source: Xinhua) Kim Divan, 66 years old, of Woodward, OK passed away at his home on Saturday, June 12. He was born in Nebraska but spent his childhood and most of his adult life in Palmdale, CA until moving to Oklahoma in 2005. Kim liked to have a good time and enjoyed his motorcycles and fishing. He will b Song Yajing, head of a community health service station, directs people to receive nucleic acid test at a testing site in Tongzhou District of Beijing, on June 22, 2020. [Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin] Women members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing have been working hard on the front line of the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) since a cluster of confirmed patients were found on June 11. Under the leadership of CPC committees at all levels, women CPC members in Beijing have played exemplary roles on the front line of the anti-epidemic battle, including communities, nucleic acid sampling sites, and designated hospital wards. One of the CPC members, Song Yajing, a 43-year-old woman who joined the CPC five years ago, is head of a community health service station of Beijing's Tongzhou District. The station offers medical treatment and consultation services to home-based quarantined people. It also provides nucleic acid tests, and publicizes anti-epidemic knowledge to the community residents. Ma Hongxia, 32, joined the CPC eight years ago. She had been responsible for conducting nucleic acid testing in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province, since the epidemic outbreak. Now, she is working in an advanced nucleic acid testing lab in Beijing. She and her team receive and deal with tens of thousands of samples every day. Like Song and Ma, many women CPC members have stuck to their posts to contribute to the battle against COVID-19 epidemic. Many of them work in 7000-plus communities in Beijing to guarantee residents' security by taking temperatures, registering information and guiding them to do nucleic acid test. Song Yajing collects a throat swab from a resident at a nucleic acid testing site in Tongzhou District of Beijing on June 22, 2020. [Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin] Song Yajing gives a nucleic acid test to a local resident in Beijing's Tongzhou District on June 22, 2020. [Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin] Ma Hongxia checks out a sample in an advanced nucleic acid testing lab in Beijing's Daxing District on June 23, 2020. [Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao] Ma Hongxia communicates with her colleague via walkie-talkie at a nucleic acid testing lab in Beijing's Daxing District on June 23, 2020. [Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao] Ma Hongxia dons a protective suit before entering the lab in Beijing's Daxing District on June 23, 2020. [Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao] Wang Yue (R), a probationary Party member and postgraduate student at a university, takes the temperature of a resident at a community of Zhongguancun Sub-district in Beijing's Haidian District on June 16, 2020. [Xinhua/Ren Chao] Wang Yue (L) works with her mother who is also a volunteer at a community of Zhongguancun Sub-district in Beijing's Haidian District on June 16, 2020. [Xinhua/Ren Chao] Li Meihong (2nd, L), secretary of the Party committee of a community in Beijing's Shijingshan District, is on duty at a community entrance on June 25, 2020. [Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin] Sun Xiangting (Front), a retiree, helps community workers guide people to undergo nucleic acid test in Donggaodi Street of Beijing's Fengtai District on June 28, 2020. Sun has volunteered to participate in the epidemic prevention and control work in the community since the COVID-19 outbreak. [Xinhua/Li Xin] (Source: Xinhua/Translated and edited by Women of China) Sharp differences have emerged within Canadas ruling elite over Ottawas policy towards China. The rift is directly tied to Washingtons escalating diplomatic, economic and military-strategic offensive against Beijing, which has already roiled Canadas relations with China, and to intense US pressure for Canada to adopt an even more hardline anti-China stance. The latest salvo in this increasingly fractious dispute came in the form of Wednesdays lead article in the Globe and Mail. Titled Canada-China relations need urgent rethink, Mulroney says, the article promoted the call of the former Progressive Conservative Prime Minister for the establishment of a blue-ribbon committee to fundamentally redefine Canadas China policy. Mulroney, who has counselled the federal Liberal government on its dealings with the Trump administration and has close ties to both sides of the aisle within the US political establishment, told the Globe that China has become an aggressive global player and a real threat to Canada. He said Ottawa must do whatever is needed to preserve the Canada-US military-strategic partnership; and praised Prime Minster Justin Trudeau for spurning calls to free Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, whose extradition from Canada to the US is pending, as part of a deal to reset Ottawa-Beijing relations. Brian Mulroney (Credit: Flickr.com/NATO Association of Canada) The remarks of Mulroney, who speaks on behalf of key sections of the Canadian ruling elite, signal a pronounced shift in the direction of an even more confrontational approach towards Beijing. Just last year, Mulroney was advocating that former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien be sent as an interlocutor to Beijing to negotiate the release of Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who were detained following Mengs arrest. Like Chretien, Mulroney has long had close ties to the multi-billionaire Desmarais family, which has had extensive business dealings with China for decades. Mulroneys intervention followed the publication in mid-June of an open letter to Trudeau from 19 retired diplomats and senior politicians, including former Liberal Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, former Conservative Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon, former New Democratic Party leader Ed Broadbent, and Derek Burney and Hugh Segal, who both served as chief of staff under Mulroney. The 19 urged the Trudeau government to use its legal prerogative to end Mengs extradition to the United States and return her to China. Meng was detained by Canada in Dec. 2018 at the behest of the Trump administration on fabricated chargers of violating US sanctions against Iran. Her prosecution under criminal charges that could result in a 30-year jail-term is a political provocation, aimed both at intimidating China into acceding to US economic demands and furthering Washingtons campaign to thwart Beijings emergence as a dominant player in 5G, AI, and other pivotal new technologies. Recently released RCMP documents written in the hours prior to Mengs arrest confirm Canadian authorities knew full well that her arrest would prove politically explosive. The authors of the open letter argued that allowing Meng to go free could bring about the release from Chinese custody of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were charged with espionage on June 19. But they tied this to broader strategic considerations. Removing the pressures of the extradition proceeding and the related imprisonment of the two Michaels will clear the way for Canada to freely decide and declare its position on all aspects of the Canada-China relationship, wrote the signatories. In an attempt to put this proposal into practice, a high-level delegation of Canadian officials, including former Conservative Foreign Minister John Baird, reportedly travelled to China last November for negotiations on releasing Spavor and Kovrig. None of the letters supporters is advocating a pro-Beijing policy. They are fully committed to maintaining Ottawas close military-strategic partnership with Washington, but merely want Canadas corporate elite to retain the option of pursuing lucrative business opportunities with China. Their chief fear is that Canadian imperialist interests are being damaged by Ottawa being so closely associated with the bipartisan US drive to economically isolate and militarily encircle China. Mulroneys intervention underscores that the proponents of this approach are increasingly isolated within ruling circles. Nevertheless, the open letter triggered an outraged response, with right-wing corporate media outlets denouncing it as tantamount to negotiating with terrorists and engaging in a prisoner swap. Right-wing columnists railed against an old and out-of-touch Liberal foreign policy establishment bent on appeasing Beijing. Trudeau promptly dismissed any suggestion Ottawa exchange Meng for Kovrig and Spavor, and stressed that his government will not intervene in Mengs case. Releasing Meng Wanzhou to resolve a short-term problem would, Trudeau claimed, endanger thousands of Canadians who travel to China and around the world by letting countries know that a government can have political influence over Canada by randomly arresting Canadians. Trudeaus rebuff to the retired politicians and diplomats was, as far as it went, greeted enthusiastically by the Globe and Mail and National Post, Canadas leading right-wing publications, as well as by the pro-Liberal Toronto Star. But influential sections of the ruling class, including the Conservative Party, remain frustrated with Trudeaus failure to impose punitive sanctions on China and end Canadian involvement in the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. They reject out of hand any attempt to reduce tensions with China, and instead demand that the government stand up to Beijings bullying and immediately act on Washingtons demand it block Huawei from any involvement in Canadas 5G cell phone network. Of the five countries in the Five Eyes alliance, which unites the signals intelligence agencies of the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, only Canada has not yet banned or at least imposed sweeping restrictions on the use of Huawei 5G technology. In his Globe interview, Mulroney insisted that Canada must do whatever it takes to retain a leading role in the Five Eyes partnership. Writing in the National Post, John Iveson complained that while Trudeau had ruled out a prisoner swap, nobody should expect him to take a harder line towards China. An open letter countering the call for Meng to be released was subsequently published at the initiative of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI), which assembled 30 high-ranking military and defence policy officials to warn darkly of Chinas nefarious global activities. Earlier this year, the MLI helped organize the issuing of a statement signed by academics and politicians, including the main contenders for the Conservative Party leadership, that touted false claims China had hid the coronavirus from the world, dubbed the pandemic Beijings Chernobyl moment, and demanded China be held accountable for its supposed responsibility for the global pandemic. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Canadas primary spy agency, also weighed in to the debate by describing Canada as a permissive target for Chinese interference. Canada is kind of a sleepy and unaware target, David Mulroney, a former Canadian ambassador to China told Global News. We dont have the same kind of vigilance that you now see in places like Australia and New Zealand. That had better change. Presumably enthused by the former ambassadors hawkish view of Beijing, Brian Mulroney told the Globe that David Mulroney would be his recommendation for chair of the proposed blue-ribbon panel to redefine Canadas China strategy. The bitter factional conflicts tearing apart the Canadian bourgeoisie arise out of the rapidly accelerating global capitalist crisis and the escalating rivalry between the United States and China. Ottawa has relied on its close partnership with US imperialism for over three-quarters of a century to advance its own predatory imperialist ambitions. However, Washington is sinking into ever deeper economic and political crisis, as the ongoing coronavirus debacle has laid bare, and is seeking to offset its economic decline with unilateral and increasingly aggressive threats, bullying and military actions, including against its erstwhile European and Canadian allies. As a result, the Canadian ruling elites traditional geopolitical calculations are being rendered inoperable. Since early June, the Trump administration has dramatically ratcheted up tensions with China, including by deploying three aircraft carrier strikes group to operate in the western Pacific. Following last months deadly border clash between India and China in the Himalayas, Trump administration officials intruded into the dispute to denounce Chinese aggression. US intelligence has also declared high-profile Chinese companies, including Huawei, to be directly controlled by the Chinese government, which clears the way for them to be targeted by tougher sanctions. Speaking in Copenhagen late last month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told his European audience that American troops were being redeployed from Europe to the Asia-Pacific to counter China. As it escalates its confrontation with China, raising the danger of a catastrophic war fought with nuclear weapons, Washington is also issuing starker warnings to its allies to fall into line. In early June, the US State Department warned that it would reassess intelligence sharing with Canada if Huawei is permitted to participate in its 5G network. Pressure is also being applied on the economic front. Last week, Trump threatened Canada with the re-imposition of 10 percent tariffs on aluminum, citing the alleged flooding of the US market with foreign aluminum as the pretext. Later in the week, Democratic Senate leader Charles Schumer chastised Canada for its refusal to open its dairy and agricultural markets, which Ottawa protects with high tariffs. Under these conditions, the explosive character of the factional disputes within the Canadian ruling elite should not be underestimated. An editorial in the Toronto Sun earlier this year raised the prospect of Trudeaus removal should he fail to stand up firmly enough to China. That such a scenario is by no means mere idle speculation can be seen by the political situation in Australia, which last week marked the tenth anniversary of the unceremonious removal of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in a backroom coup initiated by US assets in the Labour Party. Rudd was deemed to be an obstacle to Washingtons offensive against China, as he sought to position Australia as a mediator and go-between helping to manage US-China tensions, rather than a subordinate ally and launching pad for US military aggression in the Asia-Pacific. Hundreds of thousands of Indian coal miners employed by government-owned Coal India Limited (CIL) launched a three-day strike yesterday against the privatisation plans of Prime Minister Narendra Modis government. Some reports indicate more than 500,000 full-time and contract workers have downed tools. The miners launched their job action in open defiance of threats made by CIL Chairman Pramod Agrawal, who warned that any strike would be deemed illegal. Workers would face no work-no pay and other penal actions, he declared June 29, because the coal industry has been declared a public utility service. The strike is expected to result in production losses of 4 million metric tonnes of coal. The authorities have responded forcefully, with at least five arrests reported in the Jhanjra area of the Eastern Coalfields in West Bengal. According to a union spokesperson, management has called in outsiders to work for CILs Southeastern Coalfields subsidiary, which operates in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, creating an extraordinary situation without precedent for CIL. Striking Indian coal miners (Credit: Twitter/ @prasenjitberaES) Facing an economic crisis that has been transformed into a collapse by the coronavirus pandemic, the Modi government has announced a quantum jump in pro-investor reforms, including throwing open the coal industry to private investors and privatizing parts of CIL. In a final attempt to prevent the strike, Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi, Coal Secretary Anil Kumar and trade union leaders held a virtual meeting on Wednesday. However, with the government refusing to make any concessions, the unions were forced to go ahead with the strike. The main demands of the strike are the withdrawal of plans for commercial mining and foreign direct investment in the coal industry, and the overturning of the decision to de-link Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL) from CIL. The strikers are also demanding the enforcement of enhanced wages for contract workers at CIL and the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), another public sector-coal company, jointly-owned by the Indian and Telangana state governments. The major unions who called the strike include the Center of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), which are affiliated to the two main Stalinist parliamentary partiesthe Communist Party of Indian (Marxist), or CPM, and the Communist Party of India (CPI), respectively. The strike was also endorsed by the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), which is affiliated to the Congress Party, the traditional ruling party of the Indian bourgeoisie, and the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS). These unions have no intention of mobilising the social power of the working class against privatisation and the Modi government. Rather, their main concern is to maintain control over the mounting opposition to the government, which has been further fuelled by Modis callous disregard for the devastating health and social impact of the pandemic, and tie it to the Congress and other right-wing opposition forces. The coal strike is the first major industrial action by Indian workers since the outbreak of the pandemic. The anger among coal miners is so widespread that even the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), which is affiliated to Modis Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was forced to join the strike call. In an attempt to defuse the militancy among the miners, the unions organised protests on June 10 and 11. However, the Modi government announced its decision to auction 41 coal blocks throughout the country for commercial mining on June 11 and launched the process of auction on June 18. On the same day, the unions issued the three-day strike call. CIL Chairman Agrawal also sought to deceive the workers, claiming that they would not be affected by the governments move because no coal block allotted to CIL is going to be auctioned. CIL at present has 463 coal blocks that can meet the requirement of thermal coal for the foreseeable future, he said. Contrary to his claims, allowing private capital into the coal sector will inevitably intensify the pressure to attack the jobs, wages and conditions of CIL workers. In an attempt to whip up reactionary Indian nationalism against the workers opposition to its privatisation drive, the Modi government claimed the decision to allow commercial mining and FDI in the coal sector is aimed at developing a self-reliant India and to drastically reduce coal imports. ThePrint website reported that as he launched the auction, Modi said, We are not just launching the auction for commercial coal-mining today, but bringing the coal sector out of decades of lockdown. Coal Indias daily production of around 2 million tonnes of coal accounts for over 80 per cent of the countrys coal production. India also imports around 250 million tonnes of coal annually. Business Today reported that major corporate players could barely contain their excitement as they rush to compete with each other to profit from the Modi governments accelerated privatisation drive. The major beneficiaries of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's fourth tranche of economic relief package (announced in mid-May) will be business groups like Adani, Anil Ambanis Reliance Group, Vedanta and Kalyani, besides companies like Tata Power, JSW Steel, GVK, Hindalco and GMR, enthused Business Today. Adani Group, it continued, will be able to tap new opportunities coming up in sectors like coal, minerals, defence, power distribution and airports, while Vedanta and Aditya Birla groups Hindalco will be able to cash in on projects in coal and minerals mining. Most of the trade unions involved in the three-day strike are linked to parties that have been directly involved in implementing pro-market restructuring over the past three decades. Congress and the BJP have both led national governments that have sold off public assets, including public sector enterprises (PSEs), at fire-sale prices; corporatized and partially privatized other PSEs; raised or scrapped caps on foreign investment; lavished business with round after round of tax cuts; and promoted the proliferation of cheap-labour precarious contract jobs in both the public and private sectors. From 1991 through 2008, the CPM and CPI supported a succession of right-wing national governments, most Congress Party-led, that implemented privatization, deregulation and other pro-market policies, while pursuing closer ties with Washington. In those states where the CPM and CPI have formed the governmentWest Bengal, Kerala, and Tripurathey have similarly pursued pro-investor policies. In an attempt to promote the Congress as an opponent of privatisation, INTUC president Chandra Shekhar Dubey claimed, Remember the time when coal workers had to suffer a lot in collieries under private owners and the Indira Gandhi government nationalised the coal sector in the early seventies for saving them from the distress. Telegraph India quoted Dubey as saying, We cannot allow our workers to go back to the same situation after half a century. In line with the Stalinists never-ending attempts to promote the big business Congress Party as a lesser evil, D.D. Ramanandan, general secretary of the All India Coal Workers Federation, which is affiliated to CITU, applauded Dubeys remarks. Thats true, he said. Its like going back to square one. The fact of the matter is that the first moves to privatise coal blocks were made by Congress-led governments. It was only after the Supreme Court in 2014 cancelled the coal-block allocations the Congress-led UPA government had made, due to a lack of transparency and competitive bidding, that the Modi government brought in the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act of 2015 to return these coal blocks to the private sector through auctions. The Stalinists are attempting to divert the genuine opposition of workers to privatisation along reactionary nationalist lines. The CITUs statement on the strike, while lamenting that the Modi government went ahead with its privatisation plans despite the protests organized by the unions last month, embraced the Prime Ministers nationalist rhetoric. It called for all our respective state chapters to extend their solidarity support to this agitation to defend this core public sector in the national interest and for our nations self-reliance in this sector. In the months leading up to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, mass opposition among the working class, youth and rural toilers was developing against the Modi government. This found expression in the January 8 general strike opposing its austerity measures and pro-investor polices, and the mass protests against the anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The Modi government exploited its ruinous ill-prepared coronavirus lockdown to launch a crackdown on protests, particularly those against the CAA. The coal miners strike indicates that working class opposition is erupting once again. The Stalinists responded to the pandemic by lining up with the Modi government in the name of national unity to fight the virus, while making limited criticisms about the inadequacy of the measures taken by the government to contain the pandemic and provide basic necessities for the people during the lockdown. When border tensions escalated between India and China last month, the Stalinists again rallied behind the Modi government, and called for the defence of national interests, i.e. the reactionary geopolitical interests of the Indian elite. The three-day coal miners strike is part of an emerging international upsurge of the working class that is developing ever more openly in rebellion against the corrupt pro-capitalist unions. In the United States, autoworkers have formed their own rank-and-file safety committees independently of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union to demand safety measures be taken in the factories against the coronavirus. Any genuine struggle by workers to defend jobs and conditions requires a complete break from the corporatist trade unions, the formation of rank-and-file committees of miners and a turn to other sections of workers in India and internationally who confront similar attacks. Such a struggle can only go forward if it is based on a genuine socialist program to restructure society to meet the needs of the vast majority of working people, not the profits of a wealthy few. On Tuesday, the United States Supreme Court voted 54 to reverse a decision by the Montana Supreme Court that invalidated a state program allowing dollar-for-dollar tax credits for donations to private or parochial primary or secondary schools. The reasoning and breath of the ruling in Espinoza v. Montana eliminate the legal barriers to government subsidies for religious education. The decision wipes out a provision in dozens of state constitutions dating back to the post-Civil War Reconstruction period and undermines the First Amendment wall of separation between church and state as well as public education. In 2018, of the donations to Montana schools under the tax rebate program, 94 percent went to religious institutions, mostly evangelical Christian and Catholic. The scheme diverted substantial state tax revenues from public education and other uses for deposit directly into the coffers of primary and secondary schools that teach their pupils religious doctrine, perhaps along with subjects such as math, science, history and English. Clouds roll over the Supreme Court at dusk on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sunday, May 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) The Montana high court ruled that the tax credits violated a state constitutional provision that prohibits any direct or indirect appropriation to aid any church, school, academy, seminary, college, university controlled in whole or in part by any church, sect, or denomination. This provision derived from a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution introduced by Speaker of the House James G. Blaine in 1875, intended to clear a path for the development of public education. After passing the House of Representatives by a vote of 1807, it fell two votes short of the two-thirds vote in the Senate required for distribution to the states for ratification. To compensate, 37 of the 50 states, including Montana, adopted Baby Blaine provisions in their state constitutions. These provisions promoted the development of public education, free of religious entanglements, for families of the emancipated freedmen in the South, as well as the rapidly growing, heavily immigrant working class in the North and the settlers populating newly formed states such as Montana. Because the Montana court based its decision on the states Baby Blaine provision, not on any federal constitutional provision, adherence to the conservative principle of states rights would have ended the litigation. Instead, a group of parents asserted that the state court decision interfered with their federal First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion by denying financial support to the religious schools where they wanted to send their children. They petitioned the Supreme Court for review, backed by a consortium of reactionary anti-public education activists, including the Koch Foundation and the family of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. The Espinoza ruling itself consists of seven opinions spanning 92 pages. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the right-wing majority. His opinion was joined by Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neal Gorsuch filed separate concurrences. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor filed dissents. Elena Kagan dissented without an opinion. The First Amendment to the US Constitution begins: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Thomas Jefferson explained in an 1802 letter that the so-called Establishment Clause on religion erects a wall of separation between Church and State. Over time, following the ratification of the post-Civil War Fourteenth Amendment, the religion clauses have been incorporated to bind state governments as well. Roberts, who has recently oscillated between the four extremely right-wing and the four more liberal justices, brushed aside Establishment Clause concerns. To be eligible for government aid under the Montana Constitution, Roberts wrote, a school must divorce itself from any religious control or affiliation. Placing such a condition on benefits or privileges inevitably deters or discourages the exercise of First Amendment rights A State punishes the free exercise of religion by disqualifying the religious from government aid as Montana did here. This reasoning turns the religion clauses upside down. According to Roberts, the Montana state law that prohibits the subsidizing of religious education, i.e., prohibits the establishment of religion, cannot be enforced because it denies certain adherents to certain religions their right to free exercise. Under this view, religious subsidies are not only constitutionally permitted, they are constitutionally mandated. Under Roberts reasoning, parents who want a religious education for their children can sue in federal court to fund religious schools because the free exercise clause precludes the state from providing funding only for secular public schools. Espinoza repudiates the very foundation of the First Amendments religion clauses, which arose from 1785s Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments by James Madison, who four years later drafted the First Amendment. Roberts writes: Madison objected in part because the Bill provided special support to certain churches and clergy, thereby violating equality by subjecting some to peculiar burdens. Roberts history is very wrong. Madison objected to the Virginia Legislatures Assessment Bill because it imposed a tax to support religious education, even though it gave each taxpayer the right to designate which church was to receive it, a proposal no different in substance from the Montana tax credit scheme. Madison opposed the Assessments Bill because in matters of Religion, no mans right is abridged by the institution of Civil Society, and that Religion is wholly exempt from its cognizance. Government sponsorship of religion violates that equality which ought to be the basis of every law, he wrote. True to his convictions, as the fourth US president, Madison vetoed a bill that would have allocated tax revenue in the District of Columbia to an Episcopal church for the education and care of poor children. The Virginia Assembly rejected the Assessments Bill and passed Thomas Jeffersons Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, the preamble to which stated that to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical. Justice Thomas concurrence denigrates decades of often eloquent Supreme Court jurisprudence affirming the separation of church and state championed by Jefferson and Madison as a trendy disdain for deep religious conviction. Joined by Gorsuch, Thomas argues that the Establishment Clause, unlike other provisions of the Bill of Rights, should apply only to the federal government and should not be incorporated to limit direct state government support for particular religions, a recipe for a patchwork of theocratic states levying taxes to support favored churches. Alitos concurrence paints the Blaine Amendment, proposed during Reconstruction with the support of President Ulysses S. Grant to promote public education, as solely the product of anti-Catholic bigotry, with no progressive content. While there was undoubtedly some invidious nativist sentiment among forces supporting the Blaine Amendment, as noted by Stephen K. Green, an expert cited by Alito, states began prohibiting state funding for religious schools in the 1830s, before the first waves of Catholic immigration. Professor Green documents collaboration among religious leaders of different denominations, including Catholics, to support non-sectarian public education by banning public funding for religious schools. Green recognizes that anti-Catholicism may have influenced some who supported the Blaine Amendment, but he cautions that included in the mix was a sincere effort to make public education available for children of all faiths and races, while respecting Jeffersonian notions of church-state separation. He adds that those who characterize the Blaine Amendment as a singular exercise in Catholic bigotry thus give short shrift to the historical record and the dynamics of the times. Indeed. The justices who support religious subsidies must rewrite history because they do not accept the secular foundations of the democracy that grew out of the American Revolution of 17751783, nor the egalitarian impulses generated by the Union victory in the Civil War of 18611865. Ironically, Espinoza was the final Supreme Court decision released before the Fourth of July, the celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which traditionally marks the end of the Supreme Courts annual term. In this COVID-19 year, however, more cases remain to be decided. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has upped the ante against China in the wake of the Trump administrations increasingly bellicose confrontation with Beijing. Posturing as a defender of human rights, Johnson, speaking in parliament, pledged to honour his provocative and essentially empty pledgemade last monthto offer residency to up to 2.9 million of Hong Kongs 7.5 million citizens. Johnsons shift marks a definitive end to former Conservative Prime Minister David Camerons vision of extending economic relations between Britain and China and Johnsons own once mooted plans for a trade deal with China after Britain leaves the European Union (EU). Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson holding a news conference earlier this year. (Simon Dawson/Pool via AP) On Wednesday, Johnson denounced Chinas sweeping new security law for Hong Kong as a clear and serious breach of the 1985 UK-China agreement over the handover of Hong Kong to Beijing in 1997 at the expiry of Britains 99-year lease on the island and mainland territories. It violates Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy and is in direct conflict with Hong Kongs basic law. The law also threatens the freedoms and rights protected by the joint declaration. The new legislation, passed Tuesday, will allow Beijing to crack down on political dissent in Hong Kong and further curtail democratic rights. The Hong Kong government is to set up an Office for Safeguarding National Security that will grant Beijing judicial rights over criminal cases with alleged foreign interference, that includes subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces deemed to pose a threat to national security. Subversion could encompass damage to government property, while attempts to shut down public transportation in a citywide strike, as has happened during recent protests, could constitute terrorism charges. On Wednesday, protesters took to the streets to oppose the new law, blocking roads, prompting the citys police to detain nearly 400 people for various offences, including nine for violating the new law. One demonstrator was arrested for carrying a Hong Kong independence flag. The police said one officer had been stabbed in the arm while making an arrest. The 350,000 Hong Kong citizens who hold British National Overseas (BNO) passports issued before the 1997 handover would be offered citizenship, while those eligible for BNO status and currently living in the city, around 2.55 million, would be able to apply for a BNO passport. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that BNO passport holders would be allowed to live and work in the UK without having to satisfy any income test. After five years they would be eligible to apply for settled status and later citizenship. He stressed, There will be no quotas on numbers. This comes from Brexiteers who fought a vicious campaign to leave the EU based on limiting immigration, whipping up xenophobia and taking back control of our borders. The government is to introduce a points-based system for migrants to Britain and end free movement for EU citizens after Brexit as part of its efforts to all but end immigration. The Tories appear to have forgotten that their Conservative predecessors in power in 1995, under John Majors premiership, refused Lord Chris Pattens demand for similar measures. According to Lord Michael Heseltine, a minister under both Margaret Thatcher and Major, Britain had not granted residency rights because it would have been seen as a major insult to China and undermined the peaceful handover of the colony, which was the gateway to China and the source of much of the City of Londons wealth. But when pressed, Raab admitted that few Hong Kongers were likely to take up Britains offer and that in practice London was powerless to coercively force Beijing if it blocked them from leaving the city to come to the UK. His sights are in fact set on the citys financiers, hoping to entice them to bring their ill-gotten gains to London and buy property in the City, Canary Wharf and the more affluent parts of the capital. According to Beauchamp Estates, buyers from Hong Kong and China account for 15 percent of international acquisitions worth more than 1 million and 20 percent of deals worth more than 10 million. Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Chinese governments Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office told the media that China would not be intimidated if foreign powers intervened. Gone are the days when Chinese people had to be at somebodys disposal or rely on others for the air one breathes. Chinas ambassador in London Liu Xiaoming said that Britain had no right to grant residency to Hong Kongers, which violated the agreements between the two countries, and vowed to take corresponding measures to stop such a move. He pointed out that the citys citizens were Chinese nationals and Britains offer of residency and citizenship breached international law, insisting, The UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of supervision over Hong Kong. The government has also offered asylum to Cheng Man Kitalso known as Simon Chenga former employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong and a British overseas national, who reported on the pro-democracy protests for the British government. He claimed he was tortured by Chinese police and was accused of inciting political unrest in the city in 2019 after returning from a day trip to Shenzhen. Cheng told the Guardian that he had been forced under torture to falsely confess that he and the British government were involved in the citys pro-democracy protests. The Labour Party backed Johnson to the hilt, welcoming the government's stance. Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy urged the government to push for a UN inquiry into police brutality in Hong Kong and to re-examine its commercial ties with Beijing. London followed up its aggressive stance towards China by summoning Chinese ambassador Liu Xiaoming to a meeting with the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices permanent under-secretary, Simon McDonald, to express Britains deep concern about Chinas imposition of national security legislation on Hong Kong. Speaking about Britains commercial links with China, particularly its high-tech companies, which it is threatening to cut, a Downing Street spokesperson said, We have a strong and constructive relationship with China in many areas. But this relationship does not come at any price. It has always been the case that where we have concerns, we raise them, and where we need to intervene then we will. The Johnson government, which is moving rapidly to curtail democratic rights in Britain under the cover of the COVID-19 pandemic, has absolutely no interest in the erosion of democratic rights in Hong Kong or anywhere else. Its purpose is to open another front in US imperialisms economic, diplomatic, and military-strategic offensive against China that threatens military war against the worlds second largest economy. Washington has blamed Beijing for the USs shocking death toll from COVID-19, due to its own negligence and incompetence, to deflect public anger and justify aggression against Beijing. It has accused China of pushing disinformation and malicious cyber campaigns and saddling the so-called developing nations with debt and dependency. It has backed up this war of words by dispatching three aircraft carrier strike groups to operate just off Chinas water. It is pressuring American companies to move operations from China and other countries to bar HuaweiChinas flagship telecoms and electronics companyfrom their 5G networks, promoting India as an alternate global manufacturing production-chain hub, threatening to repudiate support for the one China policy and encouraging others to do likewise. On Wednesday, US Congress approved with bipartisan support a bill to rebuke China over its crackdown in Hong Kong by imposing sanctions on groups, including the police and banks, that undermine the citys autonomy or restrict its freedoms. Last week, the Trump administration said it would restrict US visas for unspecified Chinese officials for infringing the autonomy of Hong Kong. This follows an earlier announcement that Washington intends to end Hong Kongs special status as a gateway to mainland China due to its looser export controls and agreements on technology transfers, academic exchanges, taxation, currency exchange and sanctions that continued after 1997. Johnsons moves against Beijing are echoed by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison who said he was prepared to step up and provide support for Hong Kong residents, including the possibility of permanent residency. The unanimous decision of the Boston Art Commission (BAC) Tuesday to remove the Emancipation Group, a public monument to Abraham Lincoln and the ending of slavery, is a reactionary attack on the progressive legacy of the Civil War that will have far-reaching consequences. The public monument that is to be removed and temporarily placed into storage is a replica of the Emancipation Memorial in Washington, DC, depicting Abraham Lincoln with his arm outstretched over a formerly enslaved man rising up from the ground, his shackles broken and his eyes to the sky and right fist thrust outward. The base reads Emancipation. That such an attack on Lincoln and the progressive legacy of the Civil War can take place in Boston, the cradle of the American Revolution that contributed so much to the fight against the slave power, is an indication of deep historical ignorance among the general population that has been encouraged by the Democratic and Republican parties for their own political purposes. The statue in Boston is a copy of the Emancipation Memorial, also known as the Emancipation Group and the Freedmans Memorial, that was erected in Lincoln Park, in Washington, D.C., in 1876. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) The movement against police violence and racism that erupted after the murder of George Floyd is being derailed by the Democratic Party and its operatives down a right-wing path, turning the justified demands to tear down Confederate statues into attacks on monuments to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and abolitionist Union officers like Robert Gould Shaw and Hans Christian Heg. The decision in Boston sets a precedent for the removal of the original in Washington, DC on the same spurious grounds. Protestors have declared their intention to tear down the monument, and Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton, the nonvoting representative for the nations capital in Congress, has announced a plan to introduce a bill authorizing the problematic statues removal from Lincoln Park. The ignominious vote by the Boston Art Commission came after two hours of public testimony in which the gates were flung open for a flood of racialist falsifications and slanders of Lincoln and the monument. Anne Boelcskevy, a lecturer in African American Studies at Boston University, told the commission that walking past the statue made her feel nauseated and repeated the false claim that abolitionist Frederick Douglass did not like the monument. Thalia Yunen, a public relations specialist at Liberty Mutual Insurance, said that the monument to emancipation was a microaggression against African Americans and Hispanics because it depicts Lincoln as a white savior. The worst slanders were spewed by Greg Ux, a personal trainer in Boston and founder of a microfinance nonprofit, who declared Lincoln a racist unworthy of a monument since while he was president segregationist and racist ideas oozed from the highest office in the land. There were only a few comments in favor of the monument allowed during the hearing, including from Cedric Turner, the great-great-great grandson of Archer Alexander, the freedman depicted in the monument. Dorris Keeven-Franke, Alexanders biographer, also spoke in favor of the monument, noting that it does not depict a slave on his knees but rising and looking up to the future. Anne Khaminwa, who studied at MIT, told the commission that the monument successfully captures the moment of the emancipated slave getting up from slavery. Despite these efforts, the racialists held the day. The opinions of those who testified against the monument were not simply their own, but were the outcome of a long-standing campaign to discredit it. A 2018 report produced for the BAC by Boston University art history PhD student Ewa Matyczyk, Opportunity for Change, declared the monument to be racist and condescending for depicting an African American figure as subservient to a white counterpart. It is claimed that the statue [i]mplies that the Abolition Movement and struggle to end slavery can be singlehandedly attributed to one individual. Despite the subjective feelings of those who want to see the Emancipation Memorial banished from public view, there is nothing objectively racist about the statue, which depicts the end of slavery in the United States. In fact, it is a just tribute to Lincoln. While not an open abolitionist, Lincolns political record prior to the Civil War was outstanding, and he had come to be seen years prior to 1860 as the leading spokesman of the antislavery forces in the United States. The southern slavocracy certainly understood what it meant when he won the presidency, responding to his rise to the White House with secession. To the extent that any one individual in history can be credited with playing a decisive role in the destruction of slavery, it is undoubtedly Lincoln. Furthermore, the statue does not portray Alexander in a racist manner or as subhuman, but as a man, with imagery drawn from abolitionist literature. The monument is a celebration of the end of the cruelest form of oppression and the role that Lincoln played in this process as the leader of the Second American Revolution and author of the Emancipation Proclamation. The original monument, paid for by subscriptions from former slaves, was commissioned by abolitionist William Greenleaf Eliot and created by Thomas Ball, a prominent American sculptor who lived in Florence, Italy. While in Florence, Ball moved in the artistic circle of antislavery poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, exposing him to the heights of abolitionist writing. Eliot recalled seeing a small model of Lincoln and freed slaves during a visit to Balls studio and thought it would be a fitting memorial. It was at Eliots urging that Alexander was made the model for the freed slave. Ball worked in a naturalistic style presenting the figures of Lincoln and Alexander in a realistic, sympathetic manner. As it was in the case of those who testified at the Boston Art Commission, Douglasss speech dedicating the monument in 1876 has often been cherry-picked or misconstrued to declare that the preeminent African American abolitionist disapproved of the monument and did not care much for Lincoln himself. While he outlines what free blacks and the ex-slaves saw as Lincolns shortcomings and slow movement towards abolishing slavery at the beginning of the war, Douglasss speech is an objective and deeply perceptive recognition of Lincolns progressive and monumental role in history. In the context of the effort to use Douglass against Lincoln, it is worth quoting at length from his dedication speech. He began by noting what he saw as the importance of the Emancipation Memorial, explaining, we, the colored people, newly emancipated and rejoicing in our blood-bought freedom, near the close of the first century in the life of this Republic, have now and here unveiled, set apart, and dedicated a monument of enduring granite and bronze, in every line, feature, and figure of which the men of this generation may read, and those of aftercoming generations may read, something of the exalted character and great works of Abraham Lincoln, the first martyr President of the United States. He then explained why former slaves held Lincoln in the highest regard, regardless of his contradictions: Despite the mist and haze that surrounded him; despite the tumult, the hurry, and confusion of the hour, we were able to take a comprehensive view of Abraham Lincoln, and to make reasonable allowance for the circumstances of his position. We saw him, measured him, and estimated him; not by stray utterances to injudicious and tedious delegations, who often tried his patience; not by isolated facts torn from their connection; not by any partial and imperfect glimpses, caught at inopportune moments; but by a broad survey, in the light of the stern logic of great events, and in view of that divinity which shapes our ends, rough hew them how we will, we came to the conclusion that the hour and the man of our redemption had somehow met in the person of Abraham Lincoln. It mattered little to us what language he might employ on special occasions; it mattered little to us, when we fully knew him, whether he was swift or slow in his movements; it was enough for us that Abraham Lincoln was at the head of a great movement, and was in living and earnest sympathy with that movement, which, in the nature of things, must go on until slavery should be utterly and forever abolished in the United States. Later in the speech he noted: Few great public men have ever been the victims of fiercer denunciation than Abraham Lincoln was during his administration. He was often wounded in the house of his friends. Reproaches came thick and fast upon him from within and from without, and from opposite quarters. He was assailed by Abolitionists; he was assailed by slave-holders; he was assailed by the men who were for peace at any price; he was assailed by those who were for a more vigorous prosecution of the war; he was assailed for not making the war an abolition war; and he was bitterly assailed for making the war an abolition war. But now behold the change: the judgment of the present hour is, that taking him for all in all, measuring the tremendous magnitude of the work before him, considering the necessary means to ends, and surveying the end from the beginning, infinite wisdom has seldom sent any man into the world better fitted for his mission than Abraham Lincoln. Douglass understood that it was necessary to judge Lincoln by his ultimate success in expunging chattel slavery from the United States, a world historic task that he had undertaken with resolve and seen through to its finish with the defeat of the Confederacy. Lincoln refused the entreaties of many that he seek a compromise with the South, which would have accepted its demands for the continuation of slavery. He refused to bow before the slave owners. Lincoln was the political author of the 13th Amendment, not to mention the 14th and 15th, extending citizenship and the right to vote. As masterfully depicted in the 2012 Steven Spielberg film Lincoln, the president used his full political might and ingenuity to ensure that the 13th Amendmentabolishing slavery once and for allpassed in the House of Representatives while the war was still going on. And in his last public address, Lincoln spoke in favor of extending the right to vote to recently emancipated black men just two days after the effective end of the war and just four days before he was assassinated by the racist, pro-slavery actor John Wilkes Booth. It is for this reason Lincoln is the preeminent political figure in the history of the United States. Those know-nothings who would spit on Lincolnwho deny his fundamental role in the destruction of slavery in the United States and dismiss the key importance of the Emancipation Proclamation as the document that sounded the death knell of slavery for all timefind themselves on the side of the murderer Booth and the forces of political reaction. On July 4, The World Socialist Web Site will be celebrating the 244th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by hosting a discussion with five eminent historians: Victoria Bynum, Clayborne Carson, Richard Carwardine, James Oakes and Gordon Wood. They will assess the American revolutions in the context of their times as well as their national and global consequences. We urge our readers to sign up to attend this critical event. Family of much loved Wrexham DJ plea for more to join stem cell register after being told he has no matching donor This article is old - Published: Friday, Jul 3rd, 2020 The family of much loved Wrexham DJ are appealing for more people to join the Anthony Nolan stem cell register, after being told there was no matching donor for him. Mike Wignell, 68, was only a few weeks retired from his thirty-three-year career playing the pubs and clubs of Wrexham when he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), a type of blood cancer, in July 2019 by chance. He had visited his local A&E with an unrelated issue and whilst there underwent a blood test. Mikes GP pursued more tests believing something wasnt right, but nobody knew at this stage how serious Mikes condition was. Although hed experienced fatigue and aching joints, he had put it down to the recent handyman work he had been undertaking. The long-time motorbike enthusiast had just finished building his own garage, where he planned to spend his retirement fixing up old bikes for pleasure. Further tests revealed that Mike had a condition known as Myelodysplasia, a pre-curser to leukaemia. His consultant called and ordered him to go Manchesters Christie Hospital right away, recalls Mikes wife Alison. Treatment started almost immediately, Alison continues. She spent six weeks sleeping by Mikes bedside in the Christie. He went through two lots of chemo. The first lot took the cancer away, but it came back. The next round cleared Mikes cancer, only for it to return again for a second time. Mikes medical team were transparent right from the start. With the chemotherapy not working out the way they had hoped, the was one final avenue they could explore; that of a stem cell transplant from a healthy donor. New, healthy, stem cells would be given to Mike through his bloodstream to grow and create more healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Alison said: We didnt know much about anything at that stage. There was no matching donor in Mikes family, but the consultant was confident, as Mike is a White British male, he had a good chance of finding an unrelated match on the register. Unfortunately Mike was found to have a rare tissue type, and as result there was no match for him on the register. Alison said they were devastated and gutted when they heard the news. You dont take it for granted that there will be a match but you hope and hope, explained Alison. Every day you think youre going to get that phone call. It just never happened for us. Alison is now hoping young people, especially young men, who remember popular Mike from the Wrexham music circuit, are inspired by his story and encouraged to join the stem cell register. She said: Everyones just trying to be positive, something will turn up. Its not Mikes time yet, he wanted to go to the Isle of Man TT and to Spain. Hed just set up a workshop to do up bikes. Apart from this illness he has so much life in him. But as time goes on, its not looking great. The added complexity of being a blood cancer patient one of the most at risk categories in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the stress on Alison. Having worked every day all her life, Alison has not been able work much since Mikes diagnosis. When she wasnt in the Christie keeping him company, she was caring for him at home. She praises her amazing employer for their support, but also worries about taking so much time off. When asked what she say to young people thinking about joining the register to help someone like Mike, Alison says that she was amazed to discover how easy it is with just a form and a cheek swab. Alison added: Donating is so straightforward. Its such a positive thing. Its an amazing thing really. Not only could it save Mikes life, it could save our familys life. Rebecca Sedgewick, National Recruitment Manager at Anthony Nolan, says: By all accounts Mike was a man about Wrexham, a big personality, who many will remember well. He has had his retirement planned out when he received his diagnosis and forcing him to put his life on hold. But there could be a cure out there. Mike has joined the five people a day, who start their search for an unrelated stem cell donor. Every single person who signs up to the register has the potential to give hope to someone like Mike in need of a lifesaving stem cell transplant. Were especially keen for young men to consider signing up; they account for over 50% of those chosen to donate but make up just 18% of the Anthony Nolan register. We really need young men to visit our website, find out more and help us address this imbalance. Together, we can work towards a future where nobody is waiting for their match. Anthony Nolan recruits people aged 16-30 to the stem cell register as research has shown younger people are more likely to be chosen to donate. They also carry out ground-breaking research to save more lives and provide information and support to patients after a stem cell transplant, through its clinical nurse specialists and psychologists, who help guide patients through their recovery. It costs 40 to recruit each potential donor to the register, so Anthony Nolan relies on financial support. Health officials reported 1,629 new cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina on Wednesday, after a record 1,843 new cases reported the day before. A total of at least 1,391 have died from the virus, and 912 people are currently in the hospital fighting for their lives. The situation in the state has worsened following the relaxation of restrictions on social gatherings and business operations in late May, but there are two reasons why the state has not seen the dramatic increases observed in other states that have reopened. First, many of the states meat and poultry processing plants never closed in the first place. Second, in the rural counties where meat and poultry facilities are located, under-testing has concealed the magnitude of the crisis. While Democratic Governor Roy Cooper has so far resisted the pressure of the Republican-led legislature to allow bars and gyms to reopen, both the Democratic and Republican parties are complicit in permitting the meat and poultry industries in the state to endanger the lives of millions of workers with impunity. Poultry workers cut and trim chicken as it moves across a line. (Credit: National Chicken Council) The dangers presented by meatpacking plants are well documented. The online edition of Science, which is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, spoke with several experts, including Gwenan Knight from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who discussed some possible reasons behind the so-called superspreading events in the past few months, in which large numbers of people have been infected with COVID-19 at an alarmingly rapid rate. Such superspreading events tend to involve enclosed indoor spaces where people are packed closely together. Meatpacking facilities fall into this category. Moreover, low temperatures in the plants also likely help keep the virus active for a longer period of time. According to Knight, the fact that meatpacking plants are very loud places where workers have to shout to communicate may also play a role. Since the coronavirus can be spread by speaking, more virus is most likely expelled, and at a faster rate of speed, when people speak loudly. However, private profit, not science, has driven the response of the ruling class to the immense dangers presented by the continued operation of such facilities. President Trump himself intervened on April 28 to prevent the closure of meatpacking plants, signing an executive order classifying the plants as critical infrastructure under the Defense Production Act. As the World Socialist Web Site insisted at the time, this order was squarely aimed not at securing the food supply chain or defending workers safety, but rather at shielding the profits of the giant food processing conglomerates and protecting them from the impact of lawsuits from sickened workers. There are 35,000 workers employed in the meat and poultry industry in North Carolina, which has continuously ranked among the top five US producers of chickens and hogs in the country. According to the Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN), there have been more outbreaks at North Carolina processing plants than in any other state. Some individual meat and poultry plants employ more than 4,000 workers, and whenever a single worker in one of these facilities unknowingly becomes infected it places the health and lives of thousands of other workers in immediate danger. However, the impact of the reckless operation of these facilities extends well beyond the workplace itself. According to an investigative report published by the Raleigh News & Observer, the infection rates are highest in the zip codes of counties with significant plant outbreaks. According to the report, virus cases rose by nearly 600% on average from May 1 to June 11 in the 13 ZIP codes closest to processing plants in seven North Carolina counties where outbreaks had occurred. In contrast, the article points out, the number of cases statewide in the same time frame rose by 262%. Moreover, further highlighting the potential for the spread of the virus, not all meat and poultry workers reside in the same ZIP codes where the outbreaks have occurred. As the report points out, meat and poultry processing facilities are not the only source of outbreaks in the state. Outbreaks in urban areas have been linked with nursing homes, prisons, jails and construction sites. However, in spite of the fact that these areasincluding Wake, Durham and Mecklenburg countiestend to be more densely populated, the infection rate there is lower than it is in rural areas where most of the meat and poultry facilities are located. Although only 2,000 processing plant workers have reportedly tested positive for the virus, this number doubtless represents a vast undercounting of the number of cases at the facilities themselves. The inadequacy of coronavirus testing in rural outbreak areas was highlighted in a report by ProPublica, which documented how at least one Tyson Foods facility in Wilkesboro, North Carolina attempted to wrest control of coronavirus testing from the county health department. According to the report, Rachel Willard, the county health director in Wilkesboro, watched with alarm as COVID-19 cases rolled in from the Tyson Foods chicken plant in the center of town. For very different reasons, Tyson too was alarmed and hired a private company to take over testing. At that point, the report recounts, the information suddenly slowed to a trickle. Tyson stopped testing in May, but, nearly a week later, the county health agency had received less than 20% of the results. The agency was prevented from carrying out comprehensive contact tracing because the information that the company did provide was missing phone numbers and other data, making it impossible to track down and speak with workers who tested positive for the virus. As meat and poultry facilities have done their best to conceal the extent of the crisis in the industry in North Carolina, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which knows exactly which plants have led to outbreaks, has refused to release this information to the public. Democratic Governor Roy Cooper is complicit in this effort. In response, a coalition of media outlets is now suing both DHHS and Governor Cooper in response to their failure to provide public records relating to the outbreaks as required by law. On June 17, a judge ordered the parties to enter mediation in mid-July. It is time to take the decisions about how to fight the coronavirus pandemic out of the hands of the ruling elite. Meat and poultry workers in North Carolina and around the country must join their class brothers and sisters in the auto industry and build rank-and-file committees to fight for safe and sanitary working conditions in their own workplaces and to fight for a socialist alternative, guided by science, to the criminal mishandling of the pandemic by the capitalist class. We urge all workers who want to fight for such an alternative to contact the World Socialist Web Site. On June 27, the number of COVID-19 cases surpassed 10 million cases. It has taken less than six days for another 1 million cases to be tallied with the cumulative death toll rising to 521,000 globally. Yet, international health organizations continue to warn that it is still not too late to employ an all government approach to public health in containing the devastation being wrought primarily on the working class. However, the worst is yet to come if the world continues to dismiss these admonitions. Yesterday, more than 200,000 new cases were reported among more than 200 nations with the United States, by itself, contributing an unprecedented 57,236, a one-day high that will undoubtedly be surpassed as the pandemic becomes more deeply entrenched in the country, with almost every state reporting a rise in new cases. By comparison, Europe had only 13,507 new cases and 413 fatalities. Concerningly, the number of new cases is beginning to rise again throughout the continent and it may very well see another surge of cases. Medical student Kimberly Olivares, left, takes a sample from a patient at a free COVID-19 testing site provided by United Memorial Medical Center, Sunday, June 28, 2020, at the Mexican Consulate, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) With Independence Day weekend coming up, it seems certain that celebrations will fuel the raging pandemic. Even the New York Times writes in disbelief that 30 days of rising new cases show the US outbreak spiraling out of control, citing that the US has set a single-day record five times in little over a week. Officials have been warning their communities to celebrate at home as the health systems in the hardest-hit states are reaching capacity. Florida has had a single-day high of over 10,100 cases. Texas recorded 8,240 new cases yesterday. California, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee and the Carolinas have registered more than 1,000 new daily cases. Additionally, Ohio and Kansas had seen single-day highs recently when, by all accounts, things were going well. Since reaching its ebb on June 7 after the initial peak on April 10, the number of new cases has returned to its previous accelerating trajectory. There is a clear correlation between the poorly conceived reopening of the economythe lifting of restrictions and the mandatory return to work, policies agreed to and supported by the entire political establishmentand the lack of any well-organized concrete public health initiative such as contact tracing, testing, isolation of contacts, and care of those infected. The situation is brazenly careless as the country is flying blind through this second surge, ignoring all the lessons of the last few months. By all accounts, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been instrumental in signing off on this deadly policy at the behest of the ruling classes. Furthermore, they have used their position to enrich the companies tasked with producing therapeutics, vaccines and non-pharmacologic interventions. They have wholly refused to listen to the alarms being sounded by health care facilities and workers who are overwhelmed by the massive surge of new patients as personnel, equipment and stamina run short again. Repeatedly, governors and state officials have thrown the blame for these surges on the backs of young people citing irresponsible behavior, admonishing them for their reckless actions and endangering the lives of others and their own. At the coronavirus task force brief last week, Vice President Mike Pence said, Younger Americans have a particular responsibility to make sure that theyre not carrying the coronavirus into settings where they would expose the most vulnerable. Texas Governor Greg Abbott noted, At this time, it is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, said, I dont think we reopened too soon, our numbers were very good. The problem is that people are not wearing masks. You go out, and everywhere you look, theyre not wearing masks. Even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told NPR, I totally agree with Joe Biden. As long as were faced with this crisis, masks should be mandatory. In fact, the reason the CDC hasnt made it mandatory is because they dont want to embarrass the president. Such is the content of these statements where the division between the Democrats and Republicans centers on mandating vs. suggesting the wearing of a mask, as they both celebrate the unprecedented rise in the stock markets. There is no call to return to lockdown, save lives, or bring the pandemic under control. An opinion piece in Bloomberg by Justin Fox encapsulates the ruling elites intention: The choice now isnt between opening the economy and letting Covid-19 rage. Its between implementing a few targeted policies (indoor mask-wearing; restrictions on bars and other indoor settings most conducive to transmission; investments in contact tracing and other public-health efforts) that could probably bring the disease under control, and just letting it continue to spread like thisdragging down the economy the entire way until we have vaccines and better treatments. Behind these sentiments is the weight of the recent jobs report that is couched in nervous exuberance. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that US employers added a much larger than expected 4.8 million workers to the payroll, bringing the unemployment rate down to 11.1 percent. They also noted that the jobless claims for the week ending June 27 fell for the 13th week in a row to 1.43 million. Robert Frick, the chief economist for the Navy Federal Credit Union, said, Another surprisingly strong job report released today showed Americans were hired back by the millions last month, but as with last months report, it came with major caveats. The biggest is the surge in COVID-19 cases in many states across the country that may slow hiring significantly this summer. In a new ABC News poll, the majority of Americans feel the economy has opened far too quickly. Though the population, after adhering to the necessary restrictions imposed for several weeks, were more engaged in public activities, they have grown more concerned with the rising number of coronavirus cases. The percentage going to church has declined from 57 percent to 49 percent. Those willing to fly has decreased from 44 percent to 36 percent. Even the Wall Street Journal took note that restaurant seating in several large cities was down, and credit-card spending had slackened. According to a labor economist at the University of Tennessee, Marianne Wanamaker, Were at the beginning of a slow recovery. I think the recovery will stall out if we dont get control of the virus. The passing holiday will be used as another excuse to decry American irresponsibility as the surge will continue unabated. Let it rip, the corporate bosses said, and the state and local officials have dutifully acknowledged their orders and let it rip. Yet, the catastrophic rise in the number of cases is bound up with the drive to push workers back into the factories, assembly buildings, and plants where the virus has begun to infect people in astronomical numbers. At the same time, the US stock market ended a phenomenal second quarter, mounting a triple-digit gain on Wednesday. Not since William Randolph Hearst cabled his correspondent in Havana in 1898 with the message, You furnish the pictures and Ill furnish the war, has a newspaper been so thoroughly identified with an effort to provoke an American war as the New York Times this week. The differenceand there is a colossal oneis that Hearst was fanning the flames for the Spanish-American War, a comparatively minor conflict, the first venture by American imperialism to seize territory overseas, in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. The Times today is seeking to whip up a war fever directed against Russia, one that threatens to ignite a third world war fought with nuclear weapons. There is not the slightest factual basis for the series of articles and commentaries published by the Times, beginning last Saturday, claiming that the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU, paid bounties to Taliban guerrillas to induce them to attack and kill American soldiers in Afghanistan. Not a single soldier out of the 31 Americans who have died in Afghanistan in 2019-2020 has been identified as a victim of the alleged scheme. No witnesses have been brought forward, no evidence produced. The sole foundation of the reports in the Times, since reinforced by similar articles in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press, and accounts on cable and network television, are the unsupported, uncorroborated statements of unnamed intelligence officials. These officials give no proof of their claims about the operation of the supposed network of GRU agentshow the money came from Russia to Afghanistan, how the money was distributed to Taliban fighters, what actions the Taliban fighters carried out, what impact these actions had on any American military personnel. Yet six days into this press campaign, there has been no acknowledgement in the mainstream corporate media that there is anything dubious or unsubstantiated about this narrative. Instead, the main focus has been to demand that the Trump administration explain when the president learned of the alleged Russian attack and what he proposes to do about it. The Times reporters spearheading this campaign are not journalists in any real sense of the term. They are conduits, passing on material supplied to them by high-level operatives in the CIA and other intelligence agencies, repackaging it for public consumption and using their status as reporters to provide more credibility than would be given to a press release from Langley, Virginia. In other words, the CIA has provided the plot line, and the newspaper creates the narrative framework to sell it to the American people. The Times and individual reporters like David Sanger and Eric Schmitt have a track record. The newspaper played a leading role in helping the Bush administration fabricate its case for war against Iraq in 2002-2003. It was not just the notorious Judith Miller, with her tall tales of aluminum tubes being used to build centrifuges as a step to an Iraqi atomic bomb. There was an entire chorus of falsification, in which Schmitt (January 21, 2001, Iraq Rebuilt Bombed Arms Plants, Officials Say) and Sanger (November 13, 2002, U.S. Scoffs at Iraq Claim of No Weapons of Mass Destruction, and December 6, 2002, US Tells Iraq It Must Reveal Weapons Sites) among many articles, played major roles. In this weeks Russian bounties campaign, Schmitt and Sanger are at it again. A front-page article published Thursday under their joint byline carries the headline, Trumps New Russia Problem: Unread Intelligence and Missing Strategy. This article is aimed at advancing the claim that Trump was negligent in responding to allegations against Russia, either being too lazy to read the Presidents Daily Briefa summary of world events and spy reports produced by the CIAor choosing to ignore the report because of his supposed subservience to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The political line of the article is set early on, when the authors claim that it doesnt require a high-level clearance for the governments most classified information to see that the list of Russian aggressions in recent weeks rivals some of the worst days of the Cold War. The list is ridiculously thin, including cyberattacks on Americans working from home (no evidence presented) and continued concern about new playbooks for Russian actors seeking to influence the November election (this is a description of the state of mind at the CIA, not of any actual steps taken by Russia). The purpose is to place the current allegations about Russian bounties in the context of the long-running effort to portray Russian President Vladimir Putin as the evil genius and puppet master of world politics. Schmitt, in an article co-authored with Michael Crowley, refers to intelligence reports that Russia paid bounties to Taliban-affiliated fighters to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, as though this was an established fact. The article cites various unnamed former officials of the Trump and Obama administrations who claim that such an allegation would certainly have been brought to Trumps attention, and that his failure to take action in response must be seen as negligence. The article suggests that there is supporting evidence for the CIA claims of a Russian bounty plot, citing, among other things, detainee interrogations, the recovery of about $500,000 from a Taliban-related target and intercepts of electronic communications showing financial transfers between the Russian military intelligence unit and Afghan intermediaries. In point of fact, every item on this list represents an assertion by unnamed intelligence sources, not evidence: no actual detainees, cash hoards or electronic intercepts have been produced. Another article by Schmitt, along with three Afghan-based reporters, focuses on the alleged role of an Afghan businessman, Rahmatullah Azizi, a former drug smuggler and US government contractor, in whose home investigators found a cash hoard of half a million in US dollars. Again, US intelligence reports are cited, claiming Azizi was a key middleman between the GRU and militants linked to the Taliban. Again, there is no actual evidence cited, and Azizi himself cannot be found. As for the alleged cash hoard, this suggests more the proceeds of narcotics trafficking than anything else, an enterprise in which Azizi was supposedly engaged. The article asserts that the Russian government organized the bounty scheme as payback for decades of humiliation in Afghanistan at the hands of the United States, although how killing a handful of US soldiers would accomplish such a goal is a mystery. Moreover, the Times also admits, citing an unnamed congressman who participated in a White House briefing on the allegations, that the intelligence briefing did not detail any connection to specific US or coalition deaths in Afghanistan, and that gaps remained in the intelligence communitys understanding of the overall program, including its precise motive In other words, the Russian bounties program has no identifiable victims and no credible motive. This makes the unanimity of the media chorus that much more damning a self-indictment. Why is there not a single article or commentary in the corporate media challenging the claims being peddled by the CIA? It is not that these claims are particularly convincing in and of themselves. Far from it. It is the source of the claims that is decisive: if the US intelligence apparatus says it is so, the American media obediently salutes. The real question to be answered about the latest anti-Russian provocation is this: what political considerations are the driving force of this episode of media fabrication? It is no coincidence that the Afghanistan bounties story has surfaced just at the point where the Trump administration is visibly reeling in the face of the twin crises of the coronavirus pandemic and the popular upsurge against police violence. The American ruling class has been deeply shaken by the outraged protests by large interracial crowds, particularly of young people, that have swept virtually every American city and town. And the financial aristocracy is well aware of the deep-seated popular opposition to its drive to force workers back to work under conditions where every large factory, warehouse and office is a potential epicenter for the ongoing resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The response to this crisis by the political and media representatives of the ruling elite is twofold: seeking to split the working class along racial lines and seeking to divert domestic social tensions into a campaign against foreign antagonists, particularly China and Russia. The New York Times acts as a political mouthpiece of the Democratic Party, which is determined to block any mass radicalization of workers and youth. In the event that former Vice President Joe Biden is elected in November and takes office in January 2021, an incoming Democratic administration will carry out policies no less reactionary than those of Trump. The campaign against Trumps alleged dereliction of dutya phrase used by Biden three times during his Tuesday press conferenceis nothing more than a continuation of the campaign by the Democrats to attack Trump from the right, as too soft on Russia and too unwilling to intervene in the Middle East. This began with the anti-Russia campaign that triggered the two-year-long Mueller investigation, continued with the Ukraine phone call that led to impeachment, and now emerges in the form of increasingly vehement demands that the US government retaliate for an entirely fabricated Russian effort to kill American soldiers. The primary elections held on Tuesday, June 30, and results of earlier primaries announced the same day, showed the ongoing political polarization in the United States. Both the major capitalist parties, the Democrats and Republicans, are moving to the right, while working people in general are moving to the left. This is one more indication of the mounting conflict between the corporate-controlled two-party system and the working class, which comprises the vast majority of the population. The shift to the right among the Republicans was demonstrated in the victory of a fascist supporter of the QAnon internet conspiracy theory, Lauren Boebert, over a sitting congressman in the Republican primary for the Third Congressional District of Colorado. A man voting at a polling place (Credit: Flickr.com) Representative Scott Tipton has held the seat, which covers the entire half of the state west of the Rocky Mountains, for the past ten years, since he defeated an incumbent Democrat, John Salazar, in the 2010 election, when the right-wing Tea Party campaign returned the House of Representatives to Republican control. Tipton won only a narrow victory in 2018 against a well-financed and thoroughly right-wing Democratic Party opponent, former state representative Diane Mitsch Bush, who won the Democratic primary again on Tuesday. The incumbent Republican evidently was looking ahead to the general election, having accumulated a war chest of $630,000, and spent little on the primary, not airing even a single television ad. But Boebert, an ultra-right gun rights activist, unexpectedly won 54 percent of the vote in a relatively high turnout for a primary contest. She campaigned against Tipton as a supposed moderate, linking him to four liberal DemocratsAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressleybecause he has voted or co-sponsored coronavirus relief legislation they supported. Boebert is the second advocate of QAnon to place first in a Republican congressional primary. The first, Marjorie Taylor Greene, faces an August 11 runoff against the second-place finisher in Georgias 14th Congressional District. The Republican Party establishment has lined up against Greene, who won 41 percent of the vote in the first-round vote. A third supporter of QAnon, Jo Rae Perkins, won the Republican nomination for the US Senate seat in Oregon held by Senator Jeff Merkley, who is a heavy favorite to win reelection. Six others linked to QAnon have won Republican nominations for congressional seats in heavily Democratic districts where the Republican Party has little official presence. If elected, either Boebert or Greene would be the first member of the House of Representatives with close ties to the ultra-right internet tendency. Boebert owns Shooters Grill in the town of Rifle, Colorado, where the wait-staff serves customers with guns on their hips, and the menu features food described using the names of various types of weapons, both civilian and military. The restauranteur launched her political career last year by confronting Beto ORourke, then a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, over his call to confiscate semi-automatic weapons like those used by a fascist gunman to murder nearly two dozen people, mainly Hispanic and immigrant, at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. Boebert spoke out at a town meeting with ORourke held in Aurora, site of a horrific movie theater massacre in 2012 in which 12 people were shot to death. She also defied state coronavirus restrictions and refused to close the dining area of her restaurant until county officials obtained a letter from a local judge compelling her to do so. Boebert has indicated sympathy for the QAnon theory, while proclaiming her main causes to be hostility to socialism and support for Trump. She told an internet interview program in April, Everything Ive heard of QI hope this is real. Because it only means America is getting stronger and better and people are returning to conservative values. The QAnon theory claims that Trump is leading a battle against a secret cabal of child sex abusers who control the Democratic Party, and that at some point the president will arrest and even execute his opponents in Washington. While the Republican leadership has sought to distance itself from the QAnon candidate in Georgiawho may still be defeated in the runoffthere is no such effort in Colorado, where Boebert has won the Republican nomination outright. The National Republican Congressional Committee declared, This is a Republican seat and will remain a Republican seat, while Trump tweeted his congratulations. On the Democratic side, the party establishment asserted its dominance in primary contests for US Senate nominations in Colorado and Kentucky. In both cases, heavily funded and more conservative nominees beat back more liberal challengers. In the Colorado race, to choose a nominee to face first-term Republican Senator Cory Gardner, former governor John Hickenlooper won the nomination over Andrew Romanoff, former speaker of the state house of representatives, by 60 percent to 40 percent. Hickenlooper has led Gardner in the polls, and the seat is considered essential to the Democratic Party effort to win back control of the Senate, now held by the Republicans with a 53-47 majority. Both candidates are longtime fixtures in state politics, but Hickenlooper had a higher national profile because of his failed campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, and vastly more access to big money and endorsements. He was supported by Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer. Romanoff adopted a more left sounding platform, embracing Medicare for all and the Green New Deal, but Senator Elizabeth Warren endorsed Hickenlooper, while Bernie Sanders adopted a position of neutrality. In Kentucky, final vote tabulations from the June 23 primary were released on June 30, after lengthy counting of mail-in ballots that comprised the bulk of the vote. Retired Marine Corps fighter pilot Amy McGrath narrowly defeated state representative Charles Booker for the Democratic nomination to face Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is finishing his sixth six-year term. McGrath received 45.4 percent of the vote compared to 42.6 percent for Booker, while a third candidate finished well back. McGrath is one of the CIA Democratscandidates coming directly from military-intelligence activities into Democratic Party politicswho lost her race for Congress in 2018, narrowly defeated by Representative Andy Barr for the seat including Lexington, Kentucky. She had the backing of Schumer and the Democratic Party leadership, and has already raised an astonishing $40 million, much of it over the internet. McGrath had to spend half that sum in the primary contest, overwhelming Booker with a 20-1 financial advantage. Booker trailed badly in the early stages of the race, but as an African American representative from Louisville, he positioned himself at the forefront of the demonstrations that erupted in May and June over the police murders of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. McGrath was a well-publicized no-show for these demonstrations. Booker also was endorsed by Warren and Sanders, as well as Ocasio-Cortez. While outright fascists gained in the Republican Party, and the right-wing party establishment maintained control among the Democrats, there was a noticeable shift in Oklahoma, long a byword for right-wing politics in both capitalist parties. In a statewide referendum conducted alongside the primary voting Tuesday, State Question 802 passed by a narrow margin of less than one percentage point. The measure expands Medicaid, as allowed for under Obamacare, over the refusal of the state government, under Republican control, to carry out such action. Moreover, the expansion of Medicaid is in the form of a constitutional amendment, which takes the action entirely out of the control of the state government. Four other states expanded Medicaid through ballot questions that amended state law, thus still allowing the state legislature and governor significant leeway in implementing the action. The constitutional amendment in Oklahoma stops the legislature from rolling back the Medicaid expansion. A similar vote is to be held in Missouri August 4. Oklahoma was one of a total of 14 states, all Republican-dominated, that have refused to expand Medicaid as provided by the 2010 Affordable Care Act, denying health care coverage to millions of lower-income families even though the federal government would pay 90 percent or more of the cost. An estimated 215,000 state residents would qualify for Medicaid as a result of the statewide vote, according to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. The state share of this coverage would come to $164 million a year, a bargain at only $800 per person, with the federal government paying the balance. The measure was placed on the ballot through a petition drive that collected a record 313,700 signatures, conducted before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, which has only underscored the need for universal health care coverage. Oklahoma has one of the highest rates of uninsured, 14.2 percent of the population, second only to neighboring Texas. The measure had widespread support in the states urban areas, including Oklahoma City, the state capital, and Tulsa, where President Trump held an in-person, indoor campaign rally June 20 in defiance of health concerns over the pandemic. The referendum was defeated in the vast majority of rural counties, but not by a wide enough margin to offset the votes in the cities. On July 1, a seven-day long vote on constitutional changes first proposed by Russian president Vladimir Putin in January, was concluded. According to official numbers by the Kremlin, 77.92 percent voted in favor. This is significantly more than polls in the lead-up to the vote had indicated, which regularly put support for the changes at between 35 and 45 percent of voters. Voter turnout reportedly stood at 67.97 percent. The vote had initially been scheduled for April 22 but was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The last lockdown restrictions in Moscow, the capital, had been lifted just last Monday, even as cases have continued to skyrocket, to enable the Kremlin to hold both the victory parade and the referendum. The Kremlin tried hard to fraudulently present the constitutional changes as a means of improving the living standards of the impoverished population. Clauses like the indexation of pensions and a reference to the fact that the minimum wage in Russia cannot be lower than the minimum subsistence level were heavily advertised. However, both points have, in fact, long been contained in other legislation and are systematically violated on a daily basis. Their introduction into the text of the Constitution does not restrain the authorities in any way in further ruthless attacks on the living standards of the population. Vladimir Putin, center (Credit: en.kremlin.ru) The approximately 200 amendments affect about 60 per cent of the articles in the Constitution, increasing its text by a factor of 1.5. The most significant of these changes vastly strengthen the powers of the President. The President gets the uncontrolled right to appoint all the power ministers (defence, interior, FSB, etc.). At the same time, he only "consults" with the Federation Council (upper house of parliament) in their appointment. The terms of President Putin, who has been President since 2000 with a four-year intermission in 2008-2012, are reset so that he can now run for president twice more, allowing him to potentially stay in power until 2036. He and Dmitry Medvedev, the former President and prime minister, are granted lifelong immunity. The President gains direct control over the government by "exercising general management" of its work. The diminished role of the prime minister is complemented by the right of the president to remove the prime minister without resigning the government as a whole as Putin did with Dmitry Medvedev's cabinet in January. As a result, the prime minister, nominally the second face of the state, is becoming a virtually completely dependent presidential creation. The widely advertised expansion of the powers of the State Duma (lower chamber of parliament) is nothing but a verbal trick. If the Duma does not "approve" candidates that have been nominated by the president three times, the president's personnel decisions come into effect automatically. He can dissolve the Duma itself and announce new elections. After years of growing tensions between the Kremlin and the regional elites, the constitutional changes also provide for a significant limitation of the powers of the regional and municipal authorities. The President not only appoints judges of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, but now also has the right to appoint prosecutors in the regions. In the past, this used to be the exclusive prerogative of the Prosecutor General's Office. Any autonomy of the municipal authorities will also be abolished. Municipal deputies will now become de facto government officials. Another set of amendments to the Constitution are aimed at promoting notions that are traditionally associated with extreme right-wing ideology. Such amendments include a reference to God, which undermines the declared secular nature of the state, the characterization of marriage as "a union of a man and a woman", as well as a clause declaring Russian as "the language of the nation that is constitutive to the state". The latter is just a slightly veiled formulation that declares the Russian people "state-forming" - a formulation characteristic of ultra-right parties, such as the fascist party Pamyat which was active during Gorbachev's perestroika period in the last years of the Soviet Union. It was no coincidence that it was fully supported by the ultra-nationalist Stalinist Communist Party (KPRF) of Gennady Zyuganov. A number of new paragraphs for example, the abolition of the priority of norms of international law contradict articles of the Constitution which are part of its so-called "protected" sections. The national referendum over the changes to the Russian Constitution was a shameful and thoroughly anti-democratic farce. There is no legal basis for either the advancement of the constitutional changes, which were initiated in January, or the mechanism of a national discussion and vote. Instead, they were enacted on the basis of a specially drafted document. The changes and the referendum provide a pseudo-legal cover for a massive escalation of the push toward ever more open dictatorial forms of rule. The vote was conducted under conditions in which the coronavirus pandemic is ravaging the country. Whatever the propagandistic announcements in the media that the pandemic is going away, Russia still ranks as the country with the third-highest number of confirmed cases in the world. There are now over 650,000 cases and more than 9,500 people have died. Over the past month, every day between 7,000 and 9,000 new infections were recorded. On July 1, the highest number of deaths in three months was reported at 216. The vote, much like last months victory parade, in which basic social distancing measures were not observed, will likely drive up infections further. While trying to simulate the supposed stability and strength of the regime, the referendum and constitutional changes in fact grow out of an enormous crisis of the Russian oligarchy. The vote took place amid an unprecedented breakdown of world capitalism which has escalated class tensions in every country and is further fueling the imperialist drive to war, especially against Russia and China. Approval ratings for Putin have been plummeting as the coronavirus pandemic has thrown millions out of work and many more into utter destitution. Hospitals in Russia have been devastated by the pandemic, revealing the catastrophic implications of the restoration of capitalism and decades of austerity. Under these conditions, the Russian oligarchy seeks to solidify the power of Putin as a figure that can balance between different warring factions of the ruling elite, while at the same time fostering extreme nationalism and strengthening authoritarian rule in anticipation of major confrontations with the working class. The crisis of the oligarchy and the drive toward dictatorship ultimately grow out of the Stalinist counter-revolution against the October Revolution of 1917, and the destruction of the Soviet Union in 1991 and restoration of capitalism at the hands of the Stalinist bureaucracy. Contrary to the assertions of the Stalinist and imperialist propaganda at the time, the privatization of former state property and the dismembering of the Soviet Union were not the basis for the flourishing of democracy and general welfare, but, on the contrary, provided the basis for unprecedented plunder of social resources and the emergence of a new ruling layer of criminal and thoroughly parasitic oligarchs. The 1993 Constitution was the pseudo-legal codification of this counterrevolution and the established capitalist property relations. Under Putin, the oligarchy has further enriched itself. The Boston Consulting Group recently published its Global Wealth report which found that the personal wealth of Russia's super-rich has increased 16-fold over the past 20 years, from $0.1 trillion to $1.6 trillion, with an average annual growth rate of 14% between 1999 and 2014. At the same time, according to Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, the median salary in the country is around 18,000 rubles ($255). At least half of all families are struggling to make ends meet. In March, President Putin announced that people with an income 1.5 times the minimum wage, which is just over 12,000 rubles ($170) a month, should be considered the middle class. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announced the governments guidance on the full reopening of schools in September yesterday. Stripped of its sophistry, evasions and lies, the plan is for the resumption of teaching as normal. There will be no social distancing, no personal protection for children or staff and no school closures if children or staff record positively for COVID-19. These measures will be enforced through threat of fines of 120 for parents who fail to send their children to school. Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Childrens Services and Skills, will replace their statutory school inspections in the autumn term, with inspections based on ensuring all children are back and catch-up work is being carried out effectively. Children have breakfast at the Little Darling home-based Childcare after nurseries and primary schools partially reopen in England after the COVID-19 lockdown in London, Monday, June 1, 2020. (Photo: AP Photo/Frank Augstein) The conditions have been set for the deadly virus to be allowed to let rip throughout schools and the communities. Not even the minimal measures around the 1 metre plus social distancing rule and provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) for adults in the workplace will be provided for the protection of children. Members of Parliament cannot gather in the one room without social distancing, but children can! Children in primary schools are expected to return to classrooms of 30. All pupils must face the front and cannot sit in circles. The teacher is expected to teach from the front, 2 metres away from children, and not spend more than 15 minutes with a child at a time. Teachers will have to project their voices so that all children can hear and thereby risk droplets circulating throughout the classroom. In secondary schools, children can form bubbles of up to 240entire year groups! These are meaningless measures. They contradict all advice hitherto stated on social distancing. These children will also be catching buses to school, mixing with a myriad of other bubbles of children and adults. The guidance opposes the closure of schools in the event of positive cases. Local health protection teams will advise on the appropriate action, which could include small groups of young people and staff being asked to self-isolate for up to 14 days. Where there are two or more confirmed cases in a two-week period, health protection teams may ask a larger number of children or young people to self-isolate at home. The guidance opposes the use of PPE by both children and teachers, as this interferes with learning. PPE must only be used if a staff member is sat with a child with COVID-19 symptoms and is waiting to be collected by a family member. The government insists that head teachers must not make their plans on reopening schools contingent on the need to allocate any additional space to accommodate high numbers of children, or 1 metre social distancing rules. They can only rely on existing school spaces. On June 19, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that all schools will be open in September to all children, backed up two days later with the issuing of threats of fines for parents who did not want to send their children to school. Johnson was determined to stem widespread opposition to schools reopening to maintain his narrative that the pandemic is in retreat. This was despite mounting evidence that the easing of the lockdown and partial return to school from June 1 was producing high levels of infection rates in many cities, particularly in poorer and disadvantaged communities. On the very same day as Williamson announced the guidance for the full reopening of schools, all schools in Leicester were forced to close as a local lockdown was imposed due to infection rates which had increased by over 70 percent over a two week period. The government for the first time acknowledged that children were vectors for the virus, as five schools in Leicester already had to close their doors. On Tuesday, Health Minister Matt Hancock said that one of the main reasons for imposing the Leicester lockdown was an increase in the number of under 18 year olds who have tested positive, explaining, because children can transmit the disease, although they are highly unlikely to get ill from the disease, we think that the safest thing to do is to close the schools There are 36 other area boroughs throughout England, with 15 in London and other disadvantaged areas in cities such as Bradford, Leeds, and Doncaster, which have high rates of infection. The government is steaming ahead with its plans, declaring Super Saturday on July 4 where virtually all elements of the lockdown will be removed, including the opening of pubs and restaurants. It is under these dangerous circumstances that children will be returning to schools. Dismissing the need for social distancing in schools, Williamson said, Its not about 1 metre, its not about 2 metres. He did not say what it is aboutnot the health and safety of children and staff but restarting the economy in the interests of the corporations and super-rich. Labours new Shadow Education Secretary Kate Greens maiden speech in Parliament focussed on how belated the announcement was, and that Labour welcomes the reopening of schools. She thanked Williamson for a phone call welcoming her to the shadow cabinet and giving her the guidance beforehand to study. The education trade unions have played a criminal role in allowing the government to press ahead with its plans. Despite overwhelming opposition among educators and parents forcing retreats, such as providing free school meals over the summer and a delay in opening primary schools fully, the government has met no challenge from the union bureaucracies. Mary Bousted of the National Education Union (NEU) responded to the leaked guidance document on Monday, stating there were still some days left for the union to hope to influence the outcome. Kevin Courtney, joint president with Bousted, pledged, As ever, the National Education Union is ready to talk with Government to find a way forward. The unions have in fact played a key role in influencing the outcome through suppressing and demobilising the mass opposition that exists to the reopening of schools. Some 1.6 million children are currently at school. There has never been a call to organise industrial action over unsafe working conditions. Members of the NEU have continued to be critical of the unions response. Emma stated, Seeing as Hancock finally admitted children spread the virus, does the NEU not consider the lack of social distancing and PPE to be of massive concern? I dont understand how adults in offices need to social distance, have perspex screens etc., yet school staff are expected to be in an enclosed classroom with no distancing or PPE at all? Dani said on Facebook, The new proposals are now worse than the previous return to school proposals you [the NEU] were up in arms about, so what is the new plan of action to secure the safety of school staff because these new guidelines are putting teachers and school staff at more risk than they were at before. The unions have a plan of action: to control and demobilise opposition. The working class needs its own independent plan of action. The Socialist Equality Party proposes genuine measures to protect the lives and well-being of educators, children and the working class. We call for the formation of rank-and-file committees where workers take matters into their own hands and decide on health and safety issues. These committees must be the spearhead of a struggle to bring down the Johnson government. We urge all educators and families to study our programme of action. Join the fight to defend workers health and safety! For help starting a rank-and-file safety committee at your factory, send an email to the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter at autoworkers@wsws.org to learn more. Support for rank-and-file safety committees continues to grow among autoworkers, following the initiation of committees last week by workers at Fiat Chryslers Jefferson North (JNAP) and Sterling Heights (SHAP) assembly plants. Autoworkers around the US have widely shared reports from the World Socialist Web Site about the courageous stand taken at the two Detroit-area plants, where workers stopped work to protest unsafe conditions and demand information about the spread of COVID-19 in their plants. Anger is reaching a boiling point as workers continue to fall ill and management and the United Auto Workers union refuse to release information about the extent of COVID-19 cases. It is ridiculous, Johnny, a worker at Fiat Chryslers Toledo North Assembly Plant, said. Threats and intimidation. People popping up positive left and right. Ive been hearing weve had about 11 positive this week alone. All different parts of the plants. Plus, there are several other potential cases. An autoworker on the assembling line inside the FCA Toledo Jeep plant (Credit: Twitter/@FiatChrysler_NA) Another worker at the FCA Toledo plant said that workers needed a rank-and-file safety committee at their factory, adding that they had read and shared the statement by the committee at Jefferson North. Management and the union are two peas in a pod down in Toledo. Management has threatened the workers about any line stoppage. The union is still in hiding. The company and union have been hiding most confirmed cases and we are getting pissed at both the company and the union. We cant get real answers and are very frustrated about this. Another worker described the rising tensions in the plant and the impossible situation workers are being forced into. Things are about to get wild in Toledo. They are forcing every single one of the 1,600-plus SEs [temporary supplemental employees] to report every day. Last week they told full-timers they could not use PAA [paid allowed absence] on weekends anymore. Today they told full-timers no more pick days [select days off during the week]. COVID is running rampant through the plant with no contact tracing. People are being fired for not wearing masks properly when theres no airflow. AC pretty much nonexistent in some places. We are at our breaking point. Both FCA and the UAW are increasingly nervous over the growing unrest in the auto plants and are seeking to subdue opposition among workers. On Monday, management personnel around the country read a letter from FCAs head of manufacturing, Mike Resha, which threatened workers with termination if they stop production. FCA will investigate any unauthorized work stoppage and will appropriately, immediately and decisively act on the employee that was found to have unnecessarily instigated such activities, the letter stated. The company said it would take disciplinary action against workers accused of misreporting information on COVID screening questionnaires, in an attempt to shift blame for the spread of the virus onto the backs of workers. The letter is completely subjective and literally holding people hostage to the job, an FCA worker in Kokomo, Indiana said. If you get sick at work: can be fired. If everyone falls over cause of COVID and you walk off job: fired. We were told that anyone getting sick at work would be investigated and FCA would determine if the sick individual violated the questionnaire we are made to fill out daily. If they can prove you were exposed to COVID and didnt answer the questionnaire correctly: fired. Even if you have no idea you were exposed to someone with COVID and they determined you werefired. A nearly 40-year veteran at Toledo FCA pointed to the Catch-22 workers are being placed in. If you fill that form out and say you have it you have to go on quarantine for 14 days. A lot of guys cant do that with all the bills to pay! The worker said there should be regular and widespread testing for the coronavirus at the plants. I think itd be a good idea a couple times a day to go down the line and take their temp and swab in the morning. Why not? That would help out a hundred percent! With all these temps, theyre paying them half price compared to the old timers. And theyre making a killing. The company can do more, but they dont want to spend a nickel. They wont fix anything until somebody dies from a safety error, then they fix it. The UAW, far from opposing FCAs threats against workers, issued a joint letter with the company Wednesday which sought to evade responsibility for the spread of COVID in the plants and offload the blame onto workers. Signed by both UAW President Rory Gamblewho is under investigation in the UAW bribery scandaland FCA CEO Michael Manley, the statement admonishes workers to follow safety precautions, such as handwashing, social distancing and avoiding contact with those who are sick, which they well know are difficult to impossible inside the plants. Cynically, the letter states, Coming to work when youre not feeling well or falsifying health information puts others at risk and compromises the safe work environment we are trying to create. You are literally between a rock and a hard place, Johnny said. Every day and every week it keeps getting worse. The PPE that were given has written on it that it does not protect against COVID-19. The masks break very easily. I went through six in one day. They are a joke, theyre garbage. Our plant has always been a gutter, nasty conditions. The only reason we even got running water or soap in the bathrooms is because we shut the plant down. Theyre not doing a thing. According to local union representatives, no one has contracted COVID-19 from anyone else in the plant, he continued. I dont know how the hell they know that, and I dont believe that. The union and the company are trying to condition us so that we fall in line. The UAW want to keep getting their union dues. Theyre trying to keep the line running. Be happy you got a job. The UAW bylaws have been violated on the international and local level repeatedly in a manner that says, Were better than you guys. Johnny said that the corruption and bribery revealed in the UAW so far is just the tip of the iceberg. [Former UAW Presidents] Dennis Williams, Gary Jones, how are we to think the people they appointed have even an ounce of respect for us? No way they have our interests at heart. There is no way the people they put into office are going to do anything for us. Now we have to figure out how we can fight them. Were seeing the civil unrest all over the country, we need to have that within FCA, Ford, GM. The company, the union, theyre all just lying to us. Rank-and-file committees need to happen everywhere, he said. The company needs to be held responsible for our safety. Thats what these rank-and-file safety committees need to do. This is my livelihood, this is my life, this is my family, these are my friends. And to have the company and the union stick it to us together is infuriating. Extensive torrential rains have led to the destruction of dams, bridges, villages and roads throughout western Ukraine and left at least three dead. While the downfall of rain ended on June 24, 70 towns and villages remain flooded, primarily in the Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil regions in the western part of the country. At its worst, over 5,000 houses and more than 200 villages were inundated with water. While the Ukrainian government blamed the origins of the floods on the extraordinary amount of rain, 70 percent of an entire months average in just two days, several reports have pointed to illegal logging and soil erosion in the nearby Carpathian Forest at the behest of international firms, such as furniture chain Ikea, which have led to the floods. Immediately following the floods, Earthsight, an environmental group based in the United Kingdom, released a report which found that, Ikea is selling beach chairs made from wood which was illegally felled in the forests of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The report also noted that illegal logging had continued during the COVID-19 lockdown throughout April. As a result of the deforestation, when heavy rains hit the Carpathian Mountains, floods, mudslides and the destruction of bridges, roads and other infrastructure are now much more common. According to the report, the illegal logging has been taking place for years under various Ukrainian governments and with their full knowledge and assistance. Most recently, the head of one Carpathian regions forestry agency was fired after accepting bribes in an illegal logging scam. Rather than improving under the current administration of President Volodymyr Zelensky, who campaigned on a phony anti-corruption platform, one experienced lumberjack in the region stated that state-sanctioned illegal logging in the country had never been worse. The Zelensky government has denied any link between the floods and exploitative deforestation, stating that no amount of trees could have stopped the floods. In response to the floods, the United States, which recently approved a $250 million military aid package to Ukraine, announced it was sending a paltry $100,000 in humanitarian assistance. The floods have taken place in the very same regions where the country has been hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak, further impoverishing some of the poorer regions of what is already Europes poorest country. In one instance, in the city of Halych, a hospital was evacuated, but 43 COVID-19 patients were left so as to prevent the spreading of the virus. The western regions of Ukraine have experienced a series of rapid COVID-19 outbreaks in part due to the large number of migrant workers who returned to the region primarily from Poland just prior to the closing of the countrys borders. Approximately 2 million Ukrainian workers returned home from across Europe in order to avoid the risk of being stranded abroad with no jobs or social or legal protections. Upon entering the country, they were forced to pass through crowded checkpoints where social distancing was practically impossible. In June, Ukraine experienced a renewed surge of cases, hitting almost 45,000, with 1,173 deaths. Among those infected are at least 3,270 children and 6,765 medical workers. The Ministry of Health announced this week that the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations had doubled over the past month from 749 a week to 1,410 a week, along with a similar doubling in the number of pneumonia cases from 2,572 to 4,705 cases. One in five patients in Ukrainian hospitals is now infected with COVID-19. Earlier this month, President Zelenskys wife tested positive for the virus. Zelensky has now publicly stated that the country had to prepare for a second wave. The World Health Organization (WHO) counts Ukraine among one of 11 countries in Europe and Asia where there has been a very significant resurgence of the virus. Almost all of these countries are in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The director of the European department of the World Health Organization (WHO), Hans Henri Kluge, warned in an interview with the BBC that if left unchecked [this resurgence of COVID-19] will push health systems to the brink once again. The floods and the spread of the virus are fueling an already devastating social crisis. Even before the pandemic began, about 60 percent of the Ukrainian population were living beneath the subsistence minimum. The economist Viktor Skarshevsky estimated in an interview with Kontrakty.ua that, due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis, 3 million to 3.5 million people are now unemployed, the equivalent of 15 to 17 percent of the working age population. Betty and Curtis Tarpley were together for most of their lives -- they went to the same high school in Illinois, met and fell in love in California as adults, got married, and raised two kids. On June 18, after 53 years as a married couple, the two died from coronavirus within an hour of each other in a Texas hospital, spending their last moments together holding hands, their son told CNN. Tim Tarpley said his mom, who was 80, had been sick for a few days when he took her to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth and found out she had Covid-19. She was admitted on June 9 and his 79-year-old dad was admitted on the 11th. Preparing to say goodbye Tarpley, 52, said his dad was in the ICU and seemed to be doing well. Nurses had even been able to wheel Curtis to Betty's unit, so they could spend some time together. Betty's condition declined, and Tarpley said she called him and his sister, Tricia, and told them she "was ready to go." It took him time to make peace with her decision. "I just screamed 'No!' I was like, 'I've got too much, too many other things to do in this life that I want to show you, and I'm not ready,'" he said. Hospital staff let Tarpley and his sister visit their mom twice, he said. On the first visit she was heavily medicated and didn't really know they were there. She was alert and cracking jokes when they came back the next day, but Tarpley said it was clear that she was uncomfortable and doctors said she didn't have much time. Tarpley said he called his dad to update him on his mom's condition and told him how much he loved him. Shortly after receiving the update from his kids, Curtis' oxygen levels plummeted. "I really feel like he like he was fighting because he was supposed to and once he knew she wasn't gonna make it, then he was okay with, you know, taking it to the house," Tarpley said. "I think he fought because he thought the team needed him, but he was also tired and he was in pain." It happened so quickly that Tarpley and his sister weren't able to see their dad again. 'The right thing to do was to get them together' Tarpley said that a nurse he'd never even spoken to arranged for his mom and dad to be together. They had both decided to go on comfort care, which involved giving them heavy doses of medication to ease their pain. "It felt like the right thing to do was to get them together," said Blake Throne, one of the ICU nurses caring for Curtis. "I started inquiring about if it was even possible and then I started shaking the tree to try to get it done." Throne said it took a team effort, but they were able to move Betty to the ICU, so she and her husband could be side-by-side. When another nurse told Curtis that Betty was there, he tried to look over at her. But Throne said he was very weak. "His eyes opened and his eyebrows went up," Throne said. "He knew what we said. He knew that she was there." Throne said he then put Betty's hand on Curtis' arm. Communicating without words "I honestly think they were so incapacitated that all they could do was talk with their souls or something, a special unspoken language," Tarpley said. "They obviously knew each other well enough that they could communicate without words." Betty died after about 20 minutes and Curtis died about 45 minutes later, Throne said. Tarpley said the was grateful for the hospital staff's empathy and kindness. "That's what makes them the best," he said. Tarpley said he doesn't know how his parents got Covid-19, but he said he had to quarantine because he caught it from them. He said his mom and dad had mostly been in isolation since March, but he visited them every couple of days to check in. That time together made their relationship even stronger, which Tarpley said gave him "another level of peace." He said the family and friends hope to be able to have a celebration of Betty and Curtis' life next year. Something's really wrong with the President. I know, I know. This is a man who was impeached in his first term of office and is so awful to work for that departed officials routinely trash him. (See former national security adviser John Bolton, former Defense Secretary James Mattis and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to name a few.) What I mean is that President Donald Trump now seems wounded and desperate -- and this makes him dangerous. His dejection was obvious in Trump's lonely, late night walk across the White House lawn Sunday after the Tulsa rally failed to draw the expected crowds (fewer than 6,200 attended, according to the Tulsa Fire Department). He clutched a crumpled, red MAGA hat, while his trademark ruby-red tie was undone, hanging loosely down his chest. He strode like a lumbering bear -- and while he managed to wave to photographers, he didn't even attempt a smile. Trump must have been upset by the pitiful turnout in Tulsa where he had hoped for the banquet of adoration he needed to energize his ego. It doesn't help that polls show he's being outpaced by his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden Now wounded, Trump is resorting to a kind of political terror campaign, spreading blatant lies about foreign-based election fraud and a "RIGGED 2020 ELECTION." Trump's false claims, which have been repeatedly debunked by CNN and others, destroy public trust in the foundation of our democracy and set the stage for a potentially dangerous crisis if voters end up questioning the results on Election Day. After three-and-a-half years of his deceitful and chaotic reign, Trump's lies about voting come as no surprise. The same is true for the string of awful choices that have put him in a hole with the voters. In this case, Exhibit A is his administration's failed response to the Covid-19 pandemic. While Trump claimed all was well and played snake-oil salesman for a treatment that was not effective, the virus went on to kill more than 120,000 Americans. And now it's only getting worse. In states like Arizona, Texas, and Florida, where GOP governors followed his lead, the spikes in infections have helped push the nation to break the previous single-day record of new cases. Trump's dismissive attitude toward social distancing and face masks, both recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has also stoked a culture war around these effective public health tools. From the crowds Trump addressed in Oklahoma last week and in Arizona on Wednesday, it seems these true believers demonstrated their devotion to the President by defying science to gather indoors without face coverings. With infections spiking in both states, the rallies were death-defying festivals of risk. The pandemic, made worse by his failed leadership, has destroyed the economic record Trump hoped would earn him reelection. Then came the nationwide protests against the police treatment of Black Americans, sparked by the caught-on-camera killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta. A majority of Americans, according to the Pew Research Center, say they support the Black Lives Matter movement. But Trump has responded with little empathy for their concerns and repeated calls for "law and order." He has also proposed criminal penalties for flag burning, urged lengthy prison sentences for those who tear down statues honoring Confederates and personally instructed Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to restore the only Confederate statue in Washington, DC, after it was torn down last week. Beset by these crises, the president has refused to alter course. (This is, it seems, a man who would rather double-down on a deadly decision than admit a mistake.) True to his dangerously divisive form, he's risking the safety of Asian Americans -- who have already been attacked as scapegoats for the pandemic -- by using a racist phrase to describe Covid-19. He has also continued to use social media to spread inflammatory videos; he retweeted clips that show Black people physically assaulting White people and shared a doctored "racist baby" video. (The video, which was manipulated to look like a CNN segment, was taken down by Facebook and Twitter after one of the children's parents lodged copyright objections.) What's going on here? A recent New York Times and Siena College poll shows Trump is 14 points behind Biden. Never one for learning new tricks, Trump is responding by pushing all the buttons that worked for him as an outsider candidate in 2016. He indulges in stream-of-consciousness rants, like the one explaining his recent physical struggles at West Point. He pastes ugly nicknames on his opponents. And he continues to rail against immigration. In Arizona, the president didn't meet with brave nurses treating coronavirus patients or comfort the families of those who died from Covid-19. He did, however, tour a recently built barrier at the border with Mexico. The trouble with Trump's rerun approach is that he's not an outsider anymore. He's the President -- which means he bears responsibility for the state our country is currently in. Things are so bad that he's even lost his chance to brag about the economy, which was once at the center of his claim to success. Unemployment is above 13%, and the economy is estimated to contract 5% in 2020. And while other nations are easing out of lockdown and kickstarting their economies thanks to strong public health measures, Trump's pandemic bungling threatens to make the economic price even steeper for Americans. Trump has had nearly four years to "make America great again." He's failed. The vast majority of Americans think the country is on the wrong track, according to a poll from NORC at the University of Chicago, and a typical president would try to acknowledge the suffering and show he has a plan for ending it. Trump has done neither, opting instead to cease the daily coronavirus briefings and gloss over legitimate outcry of protesters while emphasizing instances of looting and vandalism. Aides have recently observed Trump's self-destructing tendencies and fear he's turning himself into a re-election campaign loser. Even his campaign rallies, which fail to enforce face masks and social distancing, seem self-defeating if you consider that older voters who favored Trump in 2016 are more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Encouraging seniors to risk their health by attending indoor rallies where most people don't wear masks (following Trump's example) hardly seems like a good move. Why risk getting them sick, or worse? Inside the Trump re-election campaign, strategists are focused on those women voters who helped him in 2016. He's at risk of losing their support and needs to offer them more than malice and chaos. The problem is that Trump's instincts are more likely to make him double down on the divisiveness, anger, pettiness and rage. He is, however, capable of a grand gesture or performance that would steal some of the attention his Democratic opponent Joe Biden will get when he announces a female running mate, as he is soon expected to do. Trump does have a showman's instinct for the dramatic. Under the circumstances we should expect something bold, like replacing Vice President Mike Pence with a prominent Republican woman. How does Vice President Nikki Haley sound? First Minister again points to UK Government to address peverse situation where workers may have to choose between work or following public health advice This article is old - Published: Friday, Jul 3rd, 2020 The First Minister of Wales has insisted a large coronavirus outbreak associated with a factory in Wrexham is being taken very seriously. It comes as more than 600 people have signed a petition calling for Rowan Foods on the towns industrial estate to be closed temporarily. The latest figures from Public Health Wales show the number of cases linked to the ready-meal manufacturing plant has remained static at 283. Meanwhile, the sites owners and Welsh Government said there were no immediate plans to shut the plant after a Health and Safety Executive visit raised no serious issues. Previously Wrexham.com has raised economic challenges and choices faced by the local workforce in previous Welsh Government briefings, specifically mentioning a locally raised issue of cramped car sharing on the 22nd of June. A week ago asking the First Minister if there were any plans for direct economic support in such situations so finance is taken out of public health questions, a situation Mark Drakeford called perverse. Today we pointed the First Minister to those comments, and noted the situation is persisting. We asked if it had been assessed on how much it would cost Welsh Government to stop waiting and intervene now, for example via a targeted temporary furlough. We pointed out the Welsh Government have asked workers to do the right thing, even if it means financial cost to them, and asked is it time his government led by example on the finance v public health question, and stepped in. The First Minister replied, in an answer that echoed earlier comments that indicated frustration with the UK Government: You point to a very important fault line in the devolution settlement, and one which I guard very jealously. Because its really something I do very reluctantly, to use money that has come to Wales, to invest in devolved services, and to divert that money to pay for things that are the responsibility of the UK Government. Because every pound I divert to pay for something thats not our responsibility is a pound less that we have to spend on our health service or education service, to build houses, all the other things that are our responsibility. I did write to the Prime Minister a week ago. I dont have a reply to that letter, as yet, but I do know that this matter was discussed again by my colleague Vaughan Gething with other health ministers at the UK level. I once again put the case to the UK Government. We want people to do the right thing. We want people not to go to work if they are unwell and we dont want perverse incentives for them to do that, because they fear that if they dont go to work, they wont have enough to live on. That has clearly been a factor at play in Leicester amongst workers there, so this is not a Welsh issue. It needs a UK solution and the UK Government has solutions that they could implement. Concerns remain regarding the local factory after some staff revealed this week that they were scared of going to work, but felt they had to because they couldnt afford to live on statutory sick pay. Writing on the online petition, the fiancee of one employee said she felt the lives of workers, their families and the wider community in Wrexham were being put at risk due to the factory remaining open. The worries of signatories were raised directly with the First Minister by the Local Democracy Reporting Service at todays daily press conference. In response, Mr Drakeford said he believed the outbreak was under control and all appropriate measures were being taken to prevent the virus from spreading. He said: I can assure people that we are taking the situation very seriously indeed. Its why we have mobilised a team of people who are experts in their field. Its why we have insisted that the Health and Safety Executive has visited the plant and made an assessment of it. Its why we have insisted that the trade union represents workers at that site have been involved in all of those discussions. He added: Of course, I understand why people are concerned but I hope that people will draw some comfort from the fact that those people who are best equipped, who understand the most, who have the greatest expertise have come together in a team to control the outbreak. Their advice to us is that the things that need to be done are being done, that the outbreak is under control and that it is reviewed absolutely regularly. He said the current advice was that the factory was able to remain open. Mr Drakeford said it was important that any concerns held by workers were raised with their union representatives. He said: If there are individuals who feel that things are not being done in the way that they should be, please use your trade union. It is your mouthpiece; it is there to speak up for you and the Welsh Government is determined that its influence will be felt in the decisions that are being made on your behalf. On Tuesday the Health Minister gave the lunchtime update, noting a large increase in figures. We asked the Minister for context that day on those stats, however it was later that afternoon before it emerged the increase was largely due to historic figures being added in. There was no update on Wednesday, and Wrexham.com asked the Minister yesterday if there should be more clarity than a few lines on a the Public Health Wales statement, and International Relations Minister, Eluned Morgan pointed us to the 2pm statement in her response. Today we asked pointed to the irregular handful of sentances updates from Public Health Wales that is the limit of the official localised information. Week old Test Trace Protect pan-Wales data is made public, however there is no localised regular data. We asked the First Minister if such information, along with data on numbers of people tracked and traced, those asked to self isolate, and if they are staff, friends or family would be released to give context to the outbreak. The First Minister replied: I think we are doing our very best to keep the public informed both in Wrexham and in other parts of Wales by issuing regular bulletins from Public Health Wales from the Outbreak Control Team. It has been meeting daily, its now moved to meeting three times a week because we believe that we have been effective in the interventions that we have made, and every time the Outbreak Control Team meet they publish information to keep local populations informed. I am keen that we publish as much information as is useful for local people to be able to follow the actions that our system is taking, but I do think we are doing our very best to do exactly that. You can view todays briefing, and the Q&A session on the below video: Yn fyw gydar Prif Weinidog, Mark Drakeford | Live with First Minister, Mark Drakeford https://t.co/R0Ahr55jjC Welsh Government (@WelshGovernment) July 3, 2020 Wrexham.com / Liam Randall BBC Local Democracy Reporter tag team. Top pic: Rowan Foods factory in Wrexham. TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- Customers and workers at Todds Big Star grocery store on Main Street seem to have mixed feelings about the mayor's executive order having people wear masks when inside places of business. Face masks have become a part of everyday life during the coronavirus pandemic. Customer Paul Hampton said he just wants to keep safe. I dont mind that at all, Hampton said about the executive order. Its alright with me, whatever will protect us, thats what we need. Customer Lisa Brown agreed with Hampton, saying she thinks the new order is a good idea. I think people need to be wearing masks, Hampton said. Its for my protection and for your protection, because I dont know what I have, and I dont know what you have, so I think its a good idea. Brown also recognized it is a sensitive subject, but people need to accept its for good reason. Its a little touchy I think to really force somebody to do that, Lisa said, but, people just need to realize its what needs to happen right now. According to customer Bertha Bowdry, masks give a sense of security when in public. I think all business should enforce that rule. I really do because when I go in a store and a person aint got on a mask, I start freakin out. While everyone we spoke with at Todds Big Star supported the order, store manager Patrick Verner thinks differently. While he is in favor of everyone being safe, there are a few aspects of the rule hes not entirely sure he agrees with. He said public scares over safety have hurt his business, despite managements efforts to keep people safe. He added that people dont always respond well to being forced to wear masks. I dont see how we can be asked to police our own businesses, and were not getting reimbursed for employees that we have to pay to stand at the front doors, and then deal with the conflict that we have to do, policing it, and asking them that you have to wear a mask or you cant come in, Verner said. I want things to be safe, and I will wear a mask myself, but I dont think its fair for the city of Tupelo to tell me how to operate my business, Verner said. Tupelo Cloudy 75 Hi: 87 Lo: 74 Feels Like: 75 More Weather Columbus Mostly Cloudy 83 Hi: 87 Lo: 76 Feels Like: 90 More Weather Oxford Mostly Cloudy 75 Hi: 83 Lo: 72 Feels Like: 75 More Weather Starkville Mostly Cloudy 83 Hi: 86 Lo: 76 Feels Like: 90 More Weather We will see the rainfall move out of our area overnight as a cold front moves through our area. We will see high pressure move into our area for a few days as we to through our Tuesday and Wednesday. However, more rainfalll in the forecast later in the week. Charleston, WV (25301) Today Scattered thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 61F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 61F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Morgantown, WV (26505) Today Showers and thundershowers early, then overcast overnight with occasional rain. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Showers and thundershowers early, then overcast overnight with occasional rain. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Clarksburg, WV (26301) Today Thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Low 61F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Low 61F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. First Minister I want to emphasise again, just because we are able to lift the restrictions further, coronavirus has not gone away This article is old - Published: Friday, Jul 3rd, 2020 The First Minister is urging for people to remain cautious, stating today that whilst new cases of coronavirus in Wales remains low, the pandemic is far from over. Speaking at this afternoons Welsh Government briefing First Minister Mark Drakeford provided an update on the number of people currently being treated for coronavirus across Wales. In total there are 546 people in Wales being treated for the virus, which is described as being 60 per cent lower than the peak in April and the lowest number throughout the pandemic. 19 people remain in critical care for coronavirus, which is down 88 per cent from the peak in April. The R Number also remains below one. As of yesterday, over 8000 people in Wales have been discharged from hospital having been treated for coronavirus. Mr Drakeford said: The number of people of people dying coronavirus, as you can see from the second slide there has been falling steadily with fewer Than 10 deaths reported by Public Health Wales on most days. Nevertheless, we are yet to see a single day in Wales, where no coronavirus deaths need to be reported. Every day, more families are still added to those already grieving, and we think again today of all of those who have lost a loved one during this pandemic. For them, the coronavirus crisis is certainly not over. Its not over for all of us as well. It was also noted that there has been an increase in the number of coronavirus cases recorded in recent weeks due to the outbreaks at food processing plants in Wrexham, Anglesey and Merthyr Tydfil. Mr Drakeford added: I want to emphasise again, just because we are able to lift the restrictions further and move into the amber zone, coronavirus, has not gone away. I want to see more freedoms that we have all had to give up, restored to us all. I want to see more of the Welsh economy in recovery. But this will depend not on the actions of the Welsh Government, but on the actions of us all as Welsh citizens. We all need to keep to the golden rules that have helped to keep ourselves safe and which have helped to keep Wales safe too . Work from home wherever possible, avoid unnecessary travel, keep our distance from one another. The two metre rule still applies here in Wales. Wash our hands often meet people from one other household and in the outdoors. If we all continue to do this, we can continue to reduce cases of coronavirus forever and we will be able to continue lifting the restrictions in Wales. You can view todays briefing, and the Q&A session on the below video: The pertinent question here, from a defense point of view, is not whether these assertions are true or false, but whether a man like Longo might actually believe them--or indeed, even act on them. In other words, if Longo were to say that he intended only to spare his wife and children from suffering the tribulations of Satan's Rule, or even that the Devil made him do it, who would be able to authoritatively say he was wrong? Depending on the Longo defense attorneys' final strategy, it is thus possible that the stage might be set, in Longo's forthcoming trial, for a discordant clash between the rule of law and the rule of religion. Wrexham doctor speaks of personal battle with COVID-19 and how the disease robbed him of seeing his dying father This article is old - Published: Friday, Jul 3rd, 2020 A senior doctor today told of his personal battle with Covid-19 and how the disease robbed him of seeing his dying father. Wrexham Maelor respiratory consultant Dr Stephen Kelly revealed how most of his colleagues became infected with coronavirus and risked respiratory failure and death, simply for doing their job as they battled the pandemic. And he told how unreliable tests meant in the early weeks we moved many false negative patients to safe areas where they were likely to have infected other patients. The British Medical Association Welsh Consultants Committee member also issued a stark message about funding, saying he didnt know how the public had put up with the level of NHS service over the last 30 years. Sat in his office Dr Kelly nodded to a window to his left as he explained how his father Gary, 77, had been ill for some time and lay in a ward just a few hundred yards away. He said his father had not contracted the virus but it stopped Dr Kelly from being able to visit up until his death in May. He said: I can pretty well see the building he was in from here. Its not a place I normally go to, so literally he spent a month, month and a half just a few hundred yards from my office. I would literally walk past the ward going to other parts of the hospital. I didnt see him until he passed away I got there too late for him ultimately. Thats sad but its an experience lots of people have had. I suppose its hard when youre walking past the ward but its not easy when youre at home and cant come anywhere near the hospital that experience is very tricky for people. Dr Kelly told how staff quickly had to learn how to don and doff PPE from colleagues who had worked with Ebola and be fit tested for face masks as they ran up to five wards at the height of the crisis. He revealed how early swab testing of patients was not as reliable as they would have liked. We learned as patients came in, so some things we could have done better with hindsight, he said. We initially did not know how sensitive the swab tests were and in the early weeks we moved many false negative patients to safe areas where cross infection then likely occurred. Now, if we suspect Covid-19, we swab and swab again. He said the disease was unlike normal influenza and staff became good at spotting Covid patients. He said: We could see those at risk of being ventilated on the day they came in, but I was caught out by several patients who had been very ill seeming to get better for a couple of days to then suddenly crash in the now recognised cytokine storm and need ITU. I learned not to be reassured until seeing 3-4 days of improvement. Dr Kelly said he had to make difficult calls to people but then felt guilty because people were so nice to him. Two of those calls stood out, he said. I cant forget telling a soldier just leaving his house to help build a rainbow hospital that his father was not likely to make it to the end of the day, and one to an elderly lady to tell her that her husband was deteriorating when I knew her son was also ventilated on ITU and at serious risk, Dr Kelly said. Most of his colleagues caught the virus as they treated patients with many medical staff feeling there was not enough PPE to go round initially. Dr Kelly said national PPE guidance matched the stock they had rather than what they needed to be safe. He added: The false belief of safe patient areas filled with those early false negative patients led to inadequate protections for staff and close working conditions likely spread the virus among us quickly. Many of us faced the very real risk of respiratory failure and death, simply for doing our job. Thankfully my wife and I recovered after a few quite unpleasant days and our two children had no symptoms despite high exposure. However he said the way the service got things done, in a way hed never seen before filled him with hope the NHS can work in a better and faster way, with more funding from those who hold the purse strings. Dr Kelly, who has been at Wrexham Maelor for 16 years, pulled no punches about lack of NHS funding. He said: Before Covid-19 we lacked staff, beds, were swamped with patient numbers and my actual take home pay was less per day than 16 years ago when I was still at the bottom of the salary scale. \ How we will be able to function with Covid-19 still here and needing so much more working space to allow safe practice and let alone catch up with months of inaction will be the real hard work. So at the next election perhaps clap a door stepping politician in the face to wake them up to provide the funds and allow a service the country can really applaud. I dont think its terribly politically incorrect for me to say you go to hospitals, were not flush with beds, were not flush with staff. Being completely apolitical, I dont understand how the British public has put up with the kind of level of service in the NHS that they have for the last 30 years. By Jez Hemming BBC Local Democracy Reporter (more here on the LDR scheme) Police blotter is a list of recent arrests compiled from public records in Laramie County. All people listed here are innocent until proven guilty. Anyone listed who has a charge dismissed or is acquitted of the charge may bring or mail a court document proving such to the WTE editor, 702 W. Lincolnway, Cheyenne, WY 82001. An Arkansas daycare kicked out a 6-year-old girl for wearing a shirt that said Black Lives Matter. Journei Brockman had been attending His Kids Preschool for six months when she was told not to return, Arkansas Fox16 reports. The childs mother, Deval Brockman told the news station that last Thursday, an employee at her daughters school called them and said she didnt like or agree with the shirt. The employee asked Brockman to not let Journei wear the shirt to school again. Brockman filed a complaint with state officials, asserting that she was told her daughter could wear what she wanted unless it included profanity. If Im supporting something, Im going to wear it, my child is going to wear it, to help say that our voice needs to be heard, Brockman said. After the first warning, Journei went back to school last Friday wearing a shirt emblazoned with a raised fist on the back. When Brockman picked her daughter up later that day, she was told Journei couldnt return, with an employee claiming that the shirt promoted racism. I got very upset. Im just like are you serious? Over a T-shirt? Brockman said. She also said that a school director reportedly told her, I am not going to tell you how to raise your child, but you need to reevaluate how youre parenting her. Its not political, its everyday life, its all over the news. Right is right and wrong is wrong, Brockman said. Patricia Brown, director of His Kids Preschool, said in a statement to FOX16, We feel a childcare environment is not a place for a parents political views to be addressed or played out, regardless of race. Related Articles More Complex Sign up for the Complex Newsletter for breaking news, events, and unique stories. Follow Complex on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok Former congressman Beto ORourke appeared on The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell, Thursday. ORourke spent the entirety of the interview discussing the increase in COVID-19 cases in Texas, which he heavily attributes to Lieutenant Governor Dan Patricks desire to keep the state open. Patrick made headlines in March when he suggested the elderly would be willing to die for the economy. Governor Greg Abbott briefly shutdown the state, but under alleged pressure from Patrick, he reopened early and against CDC guidelines. A recent spike in cases has led to a partial shut down again, as some hospitals have reported their ICU facilities are over capacity. Despite this, Patrick is still fighting to open the state. He is also no longer taking the advice of infectious disease expert Dr. Fauci. Dan Patrick and this death cult that he's trying to lead here in Texas where he says there are more important things than living as an argument to re-open the state, said ORourke. ORourke believes Patrick is unencumbered by concern for those most at risk by keeping the state open. Hes asking minimum wage workers, Black Texans, Latino Texans, to do the dying, said ORourke. He just literally does not care about them. DAKAR (Reuters) - A tear slipped down the cheek of Ghanaian-German artist Zohra Opoku as she recalled how the global Black Lives Matter had kindled her pain and anger while she was stranded away from home due to coronavirus lockdowns. After Senegal closed its borders in March, the internationally renowned visual artist had no option but to remain at a residency in Dakar, where she had been creating large textile collages to explore her self-image after a cancer diagnosis. When the death of George Floyd in U.S. police custody sparked a global reckoning over racial injustice and oppression, the 44-year-old stitched a new piece in tribute to the movement. 'Say Their Names' is a white and indigo-dyed canvas onto which Opoku has sewn dozens of images of an unidentified face from ancient Egyptian art. Some are printed in red and tumble from a screenprint of Opoku's face like teardrops. The protests "have shaken us and awakened us and sharpened our senses about what kind of world we want to live in," she said, standing in front of the work-in-progress in her studio at the Black Rock Senegal residency. She has a rare perspective on the Black experience after growing up surrounded by white people in communist East Germany, the daughter of a Ghanaian father and German mother. "I was always standing out too much," recalled Opoku, who now calls Accra home. "I learned to resist the racist energy and hate against coloured people in East Germany, especially after the wall came down." The quest for identity is a central theme in her work. In earlier self-portraits, Opoku obscured her face with plants. In her latest series, she combines images of bare tree branches from her native Germany with dissected photos of herself. "I've always been interested in disappearing in an environment because of my upbringing," she said. (Reporting by Alessandra Prentice; editing by Diane Craft) Blindspot is a story built on twists. One that started as soon as Jane Doe (Jaimie Alexander) crawled out of that duffle bag in Time Square. Between moles within the FBI and the return of repressed personalities, fans of the show have been hanging on tight while on this rollercoaster thrill ride. "Twists were critically important for the show," shares creator Martin Gero. Cliffhangers and shocking plot turns are built in, keeping viewers along for the ride, from individual episodes to the more significant shocks during the mid-season and season finales. "Each year we needed to end with a massive twist that would be so exciting it DEMANDED another season," he adds. Virginia Sherwood/NBC Having this many twists, especially at the consistency Blindspot does, isn't easy. Gero reveals being worried about viewers' reactions to the return of a ruthless, villainous Remi in season 4 after spending so much time with Jane, and finally getting her and Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) together. "Since Kurt and Jane's relationship is such a big reason why most people watch, we were worried how they would take this sudden animosity she had towards him," he explains, "But I thought it made for some very exciting episodes for us." In honor of the final season, we reached out to the cast of Blindspot past and present and asked them which twists were their favorite. Read on for their picks. David Giesbrecht/NBC Jaimie Alexander and Chad Donella: Bill Weller actually killed Taylor Shaw Shortly after Jane Doe and her tattoos show up at the FBI with no memory, Kurt Weller is sure she's his long-lost childhood friend Taylor Shaw. After her disappearance, everyone, including Kurt, blamed his father, Bill Weller. If Jane was Taylor, then Bill was off the hook, so Bill ripping away Kurt's hope for his father's redemption by admitting to the crime was painful to watch, and Donella's favorite twist. "Watching Kurt have to process what his dad is admitting as I was processing what his dad was admitting! It was an awesome twist!" he explains. Story continues Barbara Nitke/NBC "In season one, I absolutely loved that Jane wasn't Taylor Shaw and that Weller's father was the one who killed her. It was such a devastating and heartbreaking twist," Alexander adds. David Giesbrecht/NBC Aaron Abrams: The many faces of Matthew Weitz "My favorite twist is a tie between all the times Weitz turns good, and all the times Weitz turns evil again." Barbara Nitke/NBC Luke Mitchell: Roman's last Blindspot chapter "Oh man, so many twists and turns. I guess for me, personally, my favorite twist was when Roman killed Tom Jakeman and then proceeded to assume his identity, which obviously included his Aussie accent, and travel to incredibly beautiful locations all over the world whilst romancing Blake Crawford and torturing his sister along the way! Also, being deceived by Blake at the end of season 3 and dying in his sister's arms under a beautiful tree at sunset in South Africa. Such a perfect end. On a side note, the episode where Patterson has a head injury, and we all got to play different characters from The Breakfast Club, was pretty bloody great!" Virginia Sherwood/NBC Jaimie Alexander and Audrey Esparza: Jane Doe is the mastermind Jane Doe shows in Time Square, and Weller's team work hard to uncover the truth. Surprisingly, Blindspot lets viewers know who wiped Jane's memory and put those tattoos on her body early on. It was Jane herself. "My favorite Blindspot twist of all time has to be in season 1, when we discover that Jane had in fact been responsible for her tattoos," Esparza says, "It was such a fantastic shocker and really set the tone for the series." Paul Sarkis/NBC "My other favorite [twist] was when we learned that Jane was the mastermind behind her own memory wipe and her infiltration of the FBI. The duality between her as Remi and her as Jane will always be a favorite of mine," Alexander adds. Ennis Esmer and Trieste Kelly Dunn: Rich and Boston's heist Peter Kramer/NBC During Rich DotCom's second appearance on Blindspot, the maverick hacker goes on a mission with the team and double-crosses them with his boyfriend Boston Arlis Crab (Josh Dean). "By the end of the [episode], we're all on a rooftop in downtown Manhattan and Rich jumps off the building with a parachute and escapes with Boston and the real paintings," Dunn shares, "It was a really fun episode to shoot. We were on the roof all night with epic views of lower Manhattan. It was kind of foggy, and I remember seeing this lone camera flying through the sky." Jeff Neumann/NBC Esmer also loved the couple pulling one over on the team. "Rich and Boston pulled quite the double-cross on the FBI team, lemme tell ya," he recalls, "Pretending to be at each other's throats for long enough to smuggle in a tuxedo parachute and smuggle out some priceless works of art. Who knew that one day Boston would be trying to undermine Rich's underworld consultant position with warm scones and paintings of narwhals? Boston did. Boston knew." "Also, production kept the cast in a hotel next door, so while we weren't shooting, we were just hanging in a hotel room together eating room service. It was super fun and felt like we were all on a school trip staying up past curfew," Dunn adds. David Giesbrecht/NBC Michelle Hurd: The truth about Shepherd "My favorite plot twist on Blindspot was finding out that Shepherd is Jane and Roman's mother of course!" Virginia Sherwood/NBC Rob Brown and Ukweli Roach: Borden's betrayal "My favorite twist was when it was revealed that Borden was actually working with Sandstorm," Brown shares. "Ukweli brought such a steadiness and an uplifting quality to Dr. Borden that I was truly shocked when I read it like, 'Naaaah, not Borden!' I figured Reade would go rogue before Borden." Jeff Neumann/NBC Roach, who played Borden, is also fond of his character's shocking secret and the arc that followed. "Obviously, as the actor, I was very invested in his reasons for betraying the FBI, as flawed as they were, and even at times empathized with Borden's choices," he explains, "I also like this twist because I believe it was the beginning of Borden's road to redemption, atonement and genuine remorse for what he allowed himself to be a part of. Which is a satisfying thought for me." Evans Vestal Ward/NBCUniversal Martin Gero: The twist that never was While Gero didn't pick a favorite twist, he did share one he loved that never made it on the show. Roman almost had a twin brother! The plan was to "reveal that the person Roman had been talking to on the phone all season 3 was his twin brother who was a doctor that had been working on a cure for ZIP," Gero shares. The new brother would help Jane deal with her unresolved guilt about Roman, and it would keep Luke Mitchell on the show. "Ultimately, as we started work on season 4, there was a feeling from some that it was a little too over the top," Gero adds, "so we decided to go another way." Blindspot airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: Click here to read the full article. EXCLUSIVE: Charles Booker, the Democratic Senate candidate who narrowly lost to former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath in a close race in Kentucky, is set to have his campaign documented by American Relapse and Bernie Blackout director Pat McGee. Bookers campaign was gaining steam right up until he lost to McGrath by a narrow margin this week. More from Deadline McGee has been embedded with the Booker campaign since the Kentucky House of Representatives member handed him access during the past few weeks. Booker, who was running on a platform of universal health care, a Green New Deal to tackle climate change, systemic criminal justice reform and universal basic income, only started his campaign in January and was endorsed by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Oscar winner Susan Sarandon. His campaign bounce to win the right to take on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky came during the COVID-19 crisis, coupled with the Black Lives Matters protests, of which Booker was a key supporter, and the killing of Breonna Taylor in the state. McGee, who runs his own production company, Pat McGee Pictures, told Deadline that once the Sanders campaign ended abruptly, he turned his attention to Booker, calling him a fascinating person. Im always trying to find a story and it doesnt matter what your politics are, he said. As a storyteller, it has all the layers and ingredients. There is a very powerful story, the David vs Goliath story, can a black man cut through the clutter and get elected in Kentucky? When his campaign started taking off, it became a microcosm of what was going on in the rest of the country. It was incredible to see his connection with people from all sorts of backgrounds. He speaks the language of struggle because he grew up a poor black child and it resonated with people. Story continues McGee is directing and exec producing the project, which has echoes of Bill Clinton doc The War Room and AOC film Knock Down the House, and working with director of photography Gregory Taylor and co-executive producers Adam Linkenhelt and Terry Hahin. McGee said hes going to stick with the story despite Bookers loss. I dont know how it ends. I think its still a powerful film [even though he lost]. I thought the primary would be Act 1, he said. We will continue shooting until theres a natural end point. The story dictates the film, I dont know whats going to happen. He admits that the independent feature filmmaking business is a very risky business and that he will consider a number of release plans. I dont want to rush it and do the story injustice unless theres a reason to, McGee said. If theres a reason to get it out sooner who knows, a buyer may come by and want to get involved or we may remain independent and create our own timeline. Formerly SVP Development and in-house exec producer at T Group Productions, McGee most recently produced Bernie Blackout for Vice and the feature doc American Relapse, which turned into Dopesick Nation for the youth-skewing cable network. He also directed YouTube feature documentary The Deported starring Rosario Dawson. 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. Based on CNN reporter Jake Tappers nonfiction book of the same name, Rod Luries new film The Outpost recreates the Battle of Kamdesh a bloody 2009 showdown in Afghanistan between 53 U.S. soldiers and more than 400 enemy insurgents with startling authenticity. When the time came to mount his re-enactment of this dramatic conflict, Lurie, a West Point graduate, knew hed face an uphill battle enlisting the Department of Defense for assistance. I worked for a little while in the office that approved or disapproved movies that the army was going to cooperate with, Lurie tells Variety. And I know that really in your best-case scenario, the military does not assist you because they do assert some level of control to force your cooperation, and you lose flexibility in changing the script along the way. More from Variety Lurie instead worked closely with military-technical advisor Jariko Denman to ensure that he distilled the events in Tappers book to their essence without betraying the truth. On The Outpost, they hired me a couple of months out, and I was doing page turns and messing with the screenplay, just little things and dialogue and stuff like that, Denman says. When youre an advisor, you have to kind of pick your spots, because you dont want to be the boy who cried wolf on a set when it comes to authenticity stuff. But Rod made it very clear from the beginning like, hey, tell me everything. Denmans previous experiences, including on TVs The Long Road Home, taught him how to balance basic operational concerns with the cinematic tweaks needed to tell the story most effectively. Pre-production is about 50% practical, tactile things like drills and stuff, but then another 50% of that is building a mindset to make the cast walk a few feet in the shoes of the people theyre portraying. And then during principal photography, its daily checks of props, wardrobe, weapons, and then putting together the firefight scenes so that theyre in realistic formations while also being able to get the director the shot he needs. Story continues Meanwhile, production designer Erik Carlson attempted to be as detailed and yet unobtrusive as possible in recreating Combat Outpost (COP) Keating. I wanted it to feel as though there was no production designer on this film, as though that we just happened to have access to a military base in Afghanistan, Carlson explains. This was unique in that it was a true event and the people I spoke to and got stories and references and photos from are still alive. I was able to take direct images and direct research from them. Shooting the film near Millennium Films studio in Bulgaria proved to be a challenge and opportunity for Carlson to maintain the level of verisimilitude Lurie required. We built every single thing from scratch in a quarry outside of Sofia, he says. One of the benefits of filming in Bulgaria is they have a pretty amazing crew of artisans that I definitely could not have done this show without, and they are sort of old-world craftsmen. Every book on the shelf, every DVD, everything was built from nothing for the film. Even the Humvees. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Federal prosecutors investigating the sexual crimes of Jeffrey Epstein are describing how his alleged associate Ghislaine Maxwell evaded arrest for nearly a year. On Thurs., July 2, federal authorities announced the arrest of the 58-year-old on six counts for her alleged involvement in the Epstein abuse case. She's previously denied any wrongdoing. She was found on a lavish estate in Bedford, New Hampshire, one of two locations she allegedly hid out in, according to prosecutors. Maxwell's arrest brought to end a nearly year-long manhunt, which began in July 2019 when an indictment against Epstein was unsealed. According to the federal indictment obtained by E! News, federal prosecutors claim that Maxwell deployed numerous strategies to avoid detection from investigators, including moving to different hideouts on at least two separate occasions. Other actions she took included changing her email, phone number and using a different name when having packages shipped. Hollywood's Many Men Accused of Sexual Misconduct As for her housing, prosecutors stated that the former friend of Prince Andrew was living on a 56-acre property in a quaint town of New Hampshire. The estate was allegedly purchased for $1 million by an anonymized limited liability corporation in December 2019. According to CNBC News, many of the local residents were entirely unaware of the new person reportedly living in their midst. An anonymous agent who was involved in the sale of the mansion that matches the description given by federal prosecutors told CNBC they, "Never met her, never saw her," and assumed the new home owner "was a famous actress." Ghislaine Maxwell Ghislaine was likely able to take these measures partly because of the millions of dollars that Epstein had given her in the years before his death. Prosecutors claimed that the late convicted sex offender transferred over $20 million to some of Maxwell's 15 bank accounts from 2007 to 2011. Story continues The aforementioned details contribute to the prosecutors desire that the 58-year-old be awarded no bail. In addition, they explained, "The seriousness of the allegations, the strength of the evidence, and the possibility of lengthy incarcerationcreates an extraordinary incentive to flee." Jeffrey Epstein himself died in what was ruled a suicide in his New York City jail cell on Aug. 10. He was awaiting trial on charges of one count of sex trafficking conspiracy and one count of sex trafficking, and faced up to 45 years in prison if found guilty. He plead not guilty. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-02 19:41:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CANBERRA, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia has surpassed 8,000 on Thursday. As at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, a total of 8,001 cases have been reported in the country, including 104 deaths and 7,090 recovered cases, according to the Department of Health. The department also said that the number of new cases in last 24 hours is 86. Of the new cases, 77 were in Victoria but five previously confirmed cases were removed from the state's tally, resulting in a net increase of 72. "There have been 332 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Victoria that have been acquired through unknown transmission. There are currently 415 active cases in Victoria," said a media release from the Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria. "This is the sixteenth consecutive day of double-digit case growth in Victoria, with a continuing and concerning number of new cases associated with transmission in households and families." The Victorian government has announced targeted restrictions for a number of Melbourne suburbs in 10 postcodes that have experienced a spike in positive COVID-19 cases. From Thursday, people who live in these restricted postcodes are only allowed to go out for four reasons: shopping for food and supplies, medical care and caregiving, exercise and study or work if unable to work or study from home. Also on Thursday, the Northern Territory (NT) has confirmed its first new case in more than 80 days after a Darwin man who returned from overseas via Melbourne tested positive to the virus. Addressing the continued spike in cases in Victoria on Thursday, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said that he was confident that a progressive opening of domestic borders could happen at the same time as local outbreak is contained. It comes after several state governments announced that Victorians will be excluded from their plans to re-open borders in July. "What we're trying to do is make sure that Australians get their lives back - get access to their families back - but at the same time, we keep each other safe, which is why we have this model of rapid testing, rapid tracing and local containment where there are outbreaks," Hunt told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television. Enditem Click here to read the full article. Its game over. Spains Cable Girls, Netflixs longest-running non-U.S. original series, will soon be history, its final five episodes of a two-part season five released on Friday. No other Netflix original series made outside the U.S. has yet made it to five seasons, and only a few have been so popular. Aired on Netflix from Feb. 14, Cable Girls season five, part one, proved the third most-binged SVOD series in the world over its first week of release, according to TV Time. More from Variety Announced in March 2016, and produced with Bambu Producciones, Spains first Netflix original series, which bowed in April 2017, is set in early 1929 as Alba (Blanca Suarez), a petty thief, timid country lass Marga (Nadia de Santiago) and upper-class flapper Carlota (Ana Fernandez) are hired as switchboard operators at Spains sole telephony company, in central Madrid. That set-up promised the same romantic melodrama infusing Bambus Gran Hotel and Velvet, the first Spanish originals to play to huge audiences in Latin America without being dubbed into so-called neutral Spanish. But Cable Girls has gone its own way, especially in its final season, and its growth speaks to Netflixs evolution at large. As Cable Girls draws to an end, Variety sat down with Diego Avalos, VP of original content for Spain; Teresa Fernandez-Valdes, Bambu co-founder and Cable Girls producer and co-writer; and Ana Fernandez, one of its stars, to discuss the series and Netflixs growth over the last four years. Heres what weve learned from the hit show. Going Out With a (Bigger) Bang In the first quarter of 2016, when Netflix announced Cable Girls, it already had 77.7 million household accounts and a $100 share price. No company in Spain, save Telefonica, had the economic muscle to make high-end series at Netflixs level. Netflixs arrival in Spain allowed us to work and think with more ambition, says producer Teresa Fernandez-Valdes. Four years on, Netflix is trading at $485 a share and boasts 182.9 million clients worldwide. Cable Girls has grown its audience throughout its five seasons, Netflix says, and, regarding budgets, Netflix also recognizes that the ambition of the story and show have grown season on season. Story continues Opening Up to Exteriors One case in point, regarding ambition, is the use of exteriors. The first seasons action largely focuses on a number of fixed sets the telephone exchange, the girls pension, the bar opposite built at the Adisar Studios in Villaviciosa de Odon, says Fernandez Valdes. By season five, however, 60% of the series had been shot in exteriors, outside the Adisar Studios, at, for example, Toledos Lillo airport, Segovias former prison, or villages outside Madrid. Over the last four years, Netflix series have often opened up to new locales. Money Heists action veers in season three from Panamas San Blas islands to temples in Thailand to a monastery in Italy, for instance. Its been a case of each day, a different location, mounting lorries all the time. We had to take that step forward, and Netflix allowed that journey, says Fernandez-Valdes. Ratcheting Up the Action The first four seasons of Cable Girls take place over 1929-32, in the run-up to Spains 1931 Republic. Season five unspools in 1939 in the last months of a desperate Spanish Civil War with resistance to Francisco Francos Nationalists crumbling. Theres a superb scene in the first half of season five where Pablo, who marries Marga and couldnt hurt a fly, is drafted to Madrids Republican Western front. Hes taken to the trenches, which suddenly fall under attack, then drives his commanding officer in a desperate mission for help, ending up running over an exposed wheat field, with two Nationalist soldiers in pursuit and almost certain to be shot in the back. Season five is packed with such battle action. Ending the series in the Civil War was a decision made for creative reasons, Avalos explains: As we were writing the final seasons, our focus was on the journey of each of the characters that fans held dear and the Spanish Civil War was the ending that a story like theirs needed, Avalos comments. However, the war scenes also dovetail with Netflixs expansion. More action, less niche is a trend at the streaming giant in general, argues Guy Bisson, research director at London-based Ampere Analytics. Netflix is moving more towards broad audience demographics simply because its customer base is broadening demographically, he adds, suggesting that the fastest growing subscriber age groups for Netflix is now found among over-45s, and that historical or war-themed drama plays well with this demo. The series certainly has a trans-generational appeal, adds Avalos. That connects with the way Netflix membership has grown. Priming Gender Issues In season one, the cable girls juggle love and desire with, from the very get-go, a desire for freedom and independence, which runs foul of the epochs pervasive machismo. It was an act of some courage to make Cable Girls, says Avalos. It wasnt quite what was expected of Netflix. As early as season one, episode three, Carlota, though in a relationship with telephone technician Miguel, surprises Sara in a darker corner of a bar and kisses her on the lips. Their queer love story is a major narrative backbone of season three, released in Sept. 2018. The series is perfectly contemporary, says Ana Fernandez, who plays Carlota. All the characters, but maybe especially Carlota and Sara/Oscar could fit into a modern series, she argues. By season five, as Lidia flies back from New York to rescue Sofia, her adopted daughter, who suffers a heart condition, from battle and then summary execution, the cable girls are now cable women and have settled most affairs of the heart. When, as Madrid falls, Lidia is incarcerated in a female correction center, the cable girls set out, if a trailer for part two is anything to go by, to spring not only her but every other female inmate from the hell hole. Indeed, in season five, the girls set out to fight for all women in Spain, as a reflection of the rest of the world, says Fernandez-Valdes. The series is no longer about egotism, what each cable girl wants for herself, adds Ana Fernandez. Comments Bisson: Race, gender, sexuality and gender identity are all very, very hot at the moment across the board not just for Netflix but for commissioners in general linear and SVOD. Here, Cable Girls got in relatively early. Netflix: A Needed Local Player Just as Cable Girls has grown as a series, Netflix has matured during these years, in production terms and as a service and business, says Avalos. One instance: season one of Cable Girls was greenlit out of Los Angeles with Erik Barmack, Kelly Luegenbiehl and Amanda Krentzman taking producer credits. Season 5 is produced by Netflix out of Spain where it has established its first European Production Hub, and has produced its most popular foreign-language series ever, La Casa de Papel (Money Heist), whose season four, released in April, was seen by a projected 65 million household accounts, according to a letter to shareholders following Netflixs first-quarter results. Netflix has announced at least 20 upcoming Spanish series, new and returning, or movies in some phase of production in Spain. Theres consensus that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated change. One is Netflixs place on the international production scene. Cable Girls bows out as the first series in Spain from a company that was once feared as a disruptor but is now regarded as ever more an integral and hugely needed part of the local film-TV landscape. Jamie Lang contributed to this article. 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. Any flimsiness in the script by director Hirokazu Kore-eda, the Japanese filmmaker behind Shoplifters, After Life, and Nobody Knows, is quickly overcome by the sight of this dazzling duo in a duel of wits and conflicting emotions. Kore-eda may be working off his home turf, but his funny and sneakily touching film his first in English (with a smattering of French) tackles the universally relatable topic of family bonds and how to stop them from fraying. Deneuve plays Fabienne Dangeville, an aging icon of French cinema. (Since Deneuve herself is famously ageless, shes clearly acting.) The screen legend is about to publish her memoirs, an event that has brought her Manhattan-based, screenwriter daughter Lumir (Binoche, sharp-eyed and sensational) to her meres chateau just outside Paris, where Lumir grew up. Also bearding the self-absorbed lioness-in-winter in her den are Lumirs easy-going, just-out-of-rehab husband Hank (Ethan Hawke) and their preteen daughter Charlotte (Clementine Grenier). Hawke hold his own with these feminine forces of nature, which is fortunate since hes playing a TV actor who nearly everyone relentlessly mocks. More from Rolling Stone Back to the memoir, which Lumir hasnt read before her visit. When she does, the merde hits the fan since Fabiennes portrait of herself as maternalism incarnate hardly squares with the way Lumir remembers her lonely childhood. Fabienne brushes off the criticism. To her, the truth is irrelevant to printing the legend she has nourished for years. In private, she bluntly admits: Id prefer to have been a bad mother and a bad friend but a good actress. You wont forgive me, but the public will. Story continues Kore-eda busies up his film with subplots, including one about Sarah Mondavan, a deceased actress who mothered Lumir and rivaled Fabiennes rep as Frances top leading lady. Theres also a sci-fi film that Fabienne is making with Manon (Manon Clavel), a young threat to Fabiennes throne and a starlet so luminous that critics are comparing her to Sarah and not to Fabienne, who is playing her daughter. Yes, the film within the film has a neat twist: Manon, the mother, wards off aging and a terminal disease by living on a distant planet, leaving the daughter, played by Fabienne, to grow old on Earth. The life parallels are spot on, forcing Fabienne to reckon with how her daughter feels to have a mother that cinema, and not some magic planet, has made immortal. And thats the trouble. The real story here isnt watching Fabienne work out her mother issues through a film role. Nor is it the men in Fabiennes life: the ex-husband (Roger Van Hool) who shows up uninvited; the new lover (Christian Crahay) who flatters her when needed; the longtime personal assistant (Alain Libolt) who feels betrayed by not meriting a mention in Fabiennes book. Its the essential conflict between mother and daughter that brings The Truth into Kore-eda territory, where life is always a delicate balance. Hes lucky to have Deneuve and Binoche tempering the verbal fireworks with a tenderness that that allows for pain, regret and the hard-won knowledge that they must both face the truth to move on. See where your favorite artists and songs rank on the Rolling Stone Charts. Sign up for Rolling Stones Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Congress is on recess for 2 weeks. Heres where they leave off on COVID-19 relief While Americas financial leaders may be split about whether the U.S. is on its way to economic recovery, both Democrats and Republicans largely agree that additional measures -- including another stimulus package -- is inevitable. It will all have to wait, however, until after Congress returns from its Fourth of July recess, a two-week vacation that leaves legislation at a standstill. As the legislators depart, heres where things stand. Bipartisan action in the nick of time on PPP One play by the Democrats moved off the Senate floor this week: an extension to the Paycheck Protection Program, which expired at the end of June under current law. PPP, which still had $134 billion to give even as the deadline neared, has undoubtedly been plagued with flaws. But rather than let the deadline for small businesses to apply for the program pass while Congress is on vacation, the extension means businesses can continue to apply through August. MORE: Congress extends Paycheck Protection Program; billions remain available In the meantime, Republicans and Democrats have batted around ideas to fix the program, which has doled out more than $513 billion in forgivable loans since it was launched in April. Senate Small Business Committee Chairman Marco Rubio, R-Fla., argued that many small businesses that needed PPP have already gotten it -- and used it up. "What we really need to pass very soon is targeted help for those who need a second round of aid," he said. Other Republicans, like Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., have supported Rubios idea of less money but more targeted aid. "Itd be driven more by losses, be needs-based and targeted as opposed to kind of just pushing money out," Thune said. As for the Democrats, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, chair of the House Small Business Committee, demanded more data on who had gotten the first round of PPP loans before she would agree to anyone getting a second loan. PHOTO: Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D- N.Y., asks questions during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on the coronavirus response on Capitol Hill, June 30, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/AP) "We know that 4 million businesses accessed the program. But what about the millions of minority- and women-owned businesses that were not able to access the program?" Velazquez said during a House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday. Story continues "No one should get a second loan unless we know most businesses that are struggling get a chance to get a loan," said Velazquez, a Democrat from New York. Actual changes to the program will likely be tied to the next stimulus package. Unemployment Benefits The future is still unclear on the $600 per week of unemployment benefits. The last CARES Act gave an extra $600 a week to everyone in the country who applied for unemployment insurance, on top of the regular unemployment amount they would receive from the state. But it expires on July 31, less than two weeks after Congress returns. MORE: Employers struggle to compete with $600 coronavirus unemployment payments And more than one in 10 Americans, or 11.1%, are still unemployed, according to the latest joblessness report. MORE: Unemployment rate at 11.1% in June, another 1.4 million workers filed jobless claims last week On Wednesday, Democrats introduced an option to keep the program going past July 31. The legislation, introduced by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden, would create a "trigger" mechanism, tying the rate of unemployment benefits to the unemployment rate. As long as unemployment remains above 11%, $600 bonuses would remain in place. As the unemployment in each state drops, the bonus would reduce by $100 dollars for each percentage point. But the latest joblessness report also showed nearly 5 million new jobs were added to the U.S. economy since May, when the unemployment rate was 13.3%, a measure of growth that Republicans took to mean they shouldnt interfere. "I just think it underscores how quickly the economy is rebounding, and we shouldn't do anything to derail that," said Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. MORE: Senate GOP torn on how to address expiring COVID-19 unemployment boosts But some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have warned that tumult is still expected. The job numbers released Thursday were compiled before the recent surge in COVID-19 cases caused some states to delay their reopening plans. "You've got to be living in a country club fantasy land to believe that this economic crisis is anywhere close to ending," Wyden said. Wyden has floated this "trigger proposal" for several weeks, but it has gained relatively little traction with Republicans. On the Senate floor Wednesday, he called on Republicans to offer constituents who are facing the July sunset of benefits some sense of security moving forward. "We've got a moral obligation to not turn our back on those who are suffering," Wyden said. "And I'm telling you the Senate is going to go home and Senators are going to hear loud and clear that workers are concerned about whether after July 31 they're going to be able to pay rent, they're going to be able to buy groceries." While Republicans have objected to an extension of the unemployment program, arguing that the $600 bonus serves as a disincentive for returning to work, some prominent Republicans have said they support some sort of additional unemployment support. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, has proposed a bonus for individuals returning to work, while Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has said he supports some sort of measure that would prevent those receiving the unemployment bonus from "falling off a cliff" when it ends. Direct Impact Payments Back in April, the Internal Revenue Service executed a quick band-aid effort to combat economic standstill, delivering direct checks of up to $1,200 to nearly 160 million Americans. Since then, Americans have said theyd like to see another round of direct impact payments, a call the White House seems to be receptive to. Its "on the table," Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, said on Fox Business, though the payment could also come in the form of tax rebates, he said. "I think the tax rebates or the direct mail checks are on the table. This is all pre decisional, a lot of discussion going on. Probably we would want to target those to folks who lost their jobs and are most in need, Kudlow said. The president, too, has expressed support for another round of payments in an interview with Fox Business, but was unclear about how those payments would manifest. PHOTO: President Donald Trump's name on a stimulus check issued by the IRS to help combat the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak. (Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images) But many Republicans are not in lockstep with the Kudlow or the president. Democrats in the House, on the other hand, have called for not only another round of payments, but to increase the amount for families with children by $600 per child. There are, however, outstanding issues from the first round of stimulus checks that would need to be addressed before another goes out. MORE: As stimulus checks hit bank accounts, many encounter roadblocks According to a report on the CARES Act by the nonpartisan Government Office of Accountability (GAO) published on June 25, 1.1 million of the $1.4 billion in payments went to dead people. MORE: US sent $1.4B in virus relief payments to dead people: Report As a solution, GAO recommended getting death data in the hands of both Treasury and the IRS to "help ensure the integrity of direct payments to individuals if Congress considers this type of assistance in the future." Broad themes of the next stimulus package On Tuesday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell outlined three main themes he says Republicans will focus on in their next proposal: kids, jobs and healthcare. "To step back toward normalcy our country will need K-12 and college students to resume their schooling, we will need to re-energize hiring to get workers their jobs back, and we'll need continued progress in the health care fight to get ready for the fall and winter and speed the search for a vaccine," McConnell said. McConnell and fellow Republicans have also adamantly supported a legal carve-out to protect businesses, schools and health care providers who are afraid theyll face lawsuits if people get sick when they reopen. Republicans are expected to put pen to paper in late July, after the recess. But as the number of coronavirus cases surge, Democrats have lambasted Republicans for slow-walking future relief packages. In an effort to galvanize support for their cause, Democrats brought a number of coronavirus relief proposals to the Senate floor throughout the week, almost all of which failed. Those included proposals that would have granted rental assistance, food assistance, a moratorium on evictions, aid for nursing homes, among others. Congress is on recess for 2 weeks. Heres where they leave off on COVID-19 relief. originally appeared on abcnews.go.com President Donald Trump's nominee to be the U.S. ambassador to Norway helped produce a "racist" flyer in a 1994 political campaign and failed to disclose his role or the lawsuit filed against him and others over it, according to the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., is calling on the White House to withdraw Mark Burkhalter's nomination after revealing the legal filing. The State Department referred questions to the White House, which has not yet responded to requests for comment. PHOTO: The US Department of State building in Washington. (Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images, File) MORE: Trump appoints Conair heir who promoted conspiracy theories to head US consulate in Bermuda "These actions should disqualify anyone from Senate confirmation. During this time of national trauma and reckoning over violence and racist actions against African-Americans, however, it is unthinkable to nominate for a position of public trust an individual who participated in such a despicable, racist scheme," Menendez wrote in a letter to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows Thursday. 07-02-20 RM Letter to CoS Meadows Re Burkhalter by ABC News Politics on Scribd This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. PHOTO: Mark Burkhalter, July 11, 2001. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag) Burkhalter served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1993 to 2011. During a 1994 campaign for North Fulton county commissioner, Burkhalter helped distribute a racist campaign flyer right before the election that distorted the image of Gordon Joyner, the Democratic incumbent who is Black. According to a lawsuit at the time, Burkhalter and others discussed how "white voters in North Fulton County were unaware that Gordon Joyner is black." The flyers, more than 100,000 of which they distributed to white voters, darkened Joyner's skin, painted on an afro, distorted one eye, and made his lips thicker, according to the filings. MORE: Fact Check: Majority of Trump's diplomatic vacancies because of him, not Democrats PHOTO: Mark Burkhalter, Pres. Trumps nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Norway, helped distribute this racist flyer to smear a Black county commissioner in Georgia during a 1994 re-election race. (Courtesy Sen. Menendezs office ) As a result of that lawsuit and an ethics investigation, Burkhalter said he authorized payment for the flyer and covered up the payment in violation of Georgia House ethics laws. He paid a civil penalty for it and apologized to Joyner. Story continues Menendez said that Burkhalter did not disclose any of this to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which vets nominees for the State Department and ambassadorships. When Trump nominated Burkhalter, "I immediately was stunned, shocked, dismayed, saddened, and very, very hurt," Joyner told the Washington Post, which first received Menendez's letter and the documents collected in his office's investigation. It was a libel lawsuit from Joyner, who ultimately won the 1994 race and is now a lawyer in private practice, that launched the probe into Burkhalter at the time. The flyer faced backlash back then, with an Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial slamming it as a "racist hit piece." But its resurfacing now comes as the president struggles to respond to the reinvigorated conversation on racism in America, facing strong criticism for attacking Black Lives Matter and praising supporters in a video where one white supporter chants "white power" as "great people." The White House later said Trump didn't hear the chant, and he has since deleted the tweet. Burkhalter is just the latest Trump pick for an ambassadorship with a controversial history that imperils their nomination. Most recently, he appointed Lee Rizzuto, a controversial Republican donor and heir to the Conair Corporation fortune, to head the U.S. consulate general in Bermuda after Republicans and Democrats blocked his nomination to be ambassador to Barbados and other Caribbean island countries over his controversial tweets promoting conspiracy theories and trashing politicians. Trump ambassador nominee must withdraw over role in 'racist' flyer, Democrat demands originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Secret Service agents in Arizona on Monday tested positive for COVID-19 or showed signs of illness while preparing for a trip involving Vice President Mike Pence, leading to the government postponing the trip originally planned for Tuesday to Wednesday, a government official familiar with the matter tells ABC News. The delay was needed for the Secret Service to bring in a new team of healthy agents in to Phoenix to complete the trip, according to the official. MORE: Trump holding large-scale July 4th event at Mount Rushmore despite coronavirus risks "The health and safety of our workforce, their families, and that of our protectees remains the agency's highest priority." Secret Service Communications Director Catherine Milhoan said in a statement. The Washington Post first reported late Thursday that "eight to 10 agents and other officers from sister agencies" had fallen ill preparing for the Arizona trip. On the trip, the vice president acknowledged "the dramatic rise of coronavirus cases in Arizona" while at the same time praising Gov. Doug Ducey's handling of the virus. "Up until roughly three weeks ago, Arizona had literally set the pace in slowing the spread, in flattening the curve, and we're grateful to you, to your team," Pence told the governor. Later, he said: "The rising cases in Arizona is why I'm here." PHOTO: Vice President Mike Pence waves as he boards Air Force Two after meeting with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to discuss the surge in coronavirus cases in Arizona Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Phoenix. (Ross D. Franklin/AP) This is the second time in nearly two weeks that agents have tested positive for COVID-19 while preparing for a presidential or vice presidential trip. At least two agents tested positive for COVID-19 before an indoor campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, late last month. MORE: 2 more Trump campaign staffers test positive for COVID-19 after Tulsa rally Dozens of agents and other Secret Service personnel began to self-quarantine for 14 days after that trip due to potential exposure to those infected agents. At that time, the USSS said it would not affect operations. Story continues "The U.S. Secret Service remains prepared and staffed to fulfill all of the various duties as required," Milhoan said in a statement on June 24. "Any implication that the agency is in some way unprepared or incapable of executing our mission would be inaccurate." "To protect the privacy of our employees' health information and for operational security, the Secret Service is not releasing how many of its employees have tested positive for COVID-19, nor how many of its employees were, or currently are, quarantined," the statement continued. PHOTO: Vice President Mike Pence, right, answers a question as he holds a news conference with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, left, after their meeting to discuss the surge in coronavirus cases in Arizona Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Phoenix. (Ross D. Franklin/AP) The Secret Service employs approximately 3,200 special agents, 1,300 uniformed division officers and 2,000 support personnel. Pence visited Florida on Thursday, the latest stop in a schedule taking him to various region particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. ABC News' Ben Gittleson contributed to this report. Vice President Mike Pence's Arizona trip was delayed due to Secret Service agents testing positive for COVID-19 originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A white woman and her husband have been charged with assault after she was seen pointing a gun at a Black mother and her teenage daughter in a now-viral video. Michigan authorities discussed the altercation during a press conference on Thursday, where they explained that the conflict started after an alleged bumping incident at a Chipotle restaurant in Orion Township. "Two very different stories from two different groups. Both sides claiming they feel extremely threatened," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. The catalyst and [the] moments before the incident intensified in the parking lot was not captured on the video posted on Facebook. Bodycam footage appears to show police in Florida celebrate after shooting rubber bullets at protesters The video, posted by Takela Hill on Wednesday, shows an interaction during which Hill claims Jillian Wuestenberg, 32, had just bumped into her 15-year-old daughter. Wuestenberg claimed she was being blocked from entering her car before her husband, Eric Wuestenberg, 42, was seen on video helping usher her into the vehicle. PHOTO: Eric Wuestenberg, 42, and his wife, Jillian, 32, were arrested for pulling a gun on a Black woman in a Chipotle parking lot in Orion Township, Mich., on July 1, 2020. (Oakland County Sheriffs Office) The couple and Hill argued and exchanged racial accusations before Hill appeared to move behind the couple's vehicle. Hill says the couple tried hitting her as they reversed out of their parking spot, according to authorities. Jillian Wuestenberg accuses Hill of striking her car. Bouchard said officers saw an open handprint on the car. Jillian Wuestenberg then exited the car and brandished a gun, pointing it at Hill several times. George Floyd's relatives watch as 4 officers charged in killing appear in court Bouchard said the deputies who arrived on the scene did their job to keep everyone safe. "They stabilized the scene, initially handcuffing the woman, taking the weapons into custody and then beginning an investigation," he said. Bouchard also said he "ordered all necessary resources" to help gather all the information that could help them "investigate the totality of circumstances with all the facts." Story continues PHOTO: Authorities in Michigan have charged a white woman and her husband with felony assault after she was caught on video pointing a cocked gun at a black mom and her teenage daughter. (Takelia Hill) "For example, were there other witnesses? Were there other cameras on other buildings, viewpoints or angles that could give us other angles and corroborate either side's story?" he said. "Unlike the internet, we have to gather all the facts and not just have snippets. So, this is what's been gathered so far." Bouchard said they listened to the 911 call and corroborated the timeline with responding deputies as well as witness accounts. If Wuestenberg and her husband are convicted of felony assault, they could face up to four years in jail. Responding to the incident, Oakland County executive Dave Coulter said, "I am deeply disturbed by an incident last night where a woman pointed a cocked gun at another woman during an argument. This behavior is unacceptable. I wholly expect the prosecutor to bring charges that reflect the severity of the incident." ABC News' Alex Perez and Rachel Katz contributed to this report. White woman who pointed gun at a Black mom and her teen daughter charged with assault originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Who: Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg (nee Halfin), 73, and the late Prince Edouard Egon von und zu Furstenberg, who died in 2004 at the age of 57. How They Met: Diane and Egon met in 1965, at a birthday party in Lausanne, Switzerland while both of them were attending the University of Geneva. They came from wildly different backgrounds Diane the daughter of a Holocaust survivor who gave birth to her just 18 months after escaping Auschwitz, and Egon, the son of a German prince and a member of the Fiat family. Diane has written in her memoirs that she was initially unimpressed by the young royal. I wasnt particularly attracted to this handsome blond young man, she wrote in Diane: A Signature Life. Feelings developed when Diane and Egon went on a ski trip and their car got stuck in the snow. It turned out to be very easy to get the car out, Diane wrote, but I was charmed by Egons helplessness. They split for a brief period, as Diane, determined to create my own life, moved to Paris to become an assistant to a photographer and filmmakers agent. Later, Egon sought Diane out and asked her to join him in New York; she accepted. In 1969, as Diane traveled to Italy for an apprenticeship, Egon proposed. He gave me a ring, but I didnt really believe he was serious, Diane wrote. nor was I in a terrible hurry to get married. Soon after, Diane learned she was pregnant. "I remember telling him I would give him a son. I meant it to be seductive; instead, it turned out to be prophetic, Diane later wrote in a Vogue essay, describing the night of their engagement. RELATED: TBT: Gene Simmons Dated Diana Ross, and Then He Dated Her Sister-in-Law Marriage had not been the only option, Diane wrote of her pregnancy, explaining that she considered getting an abortion. Egon ruled out the option, telling her via telegram Marriage will occur the 15th of July. Organize it as rapidly as possible. Diane was three-months pregnant with her and Egons son, Prince Alexander von Furstenberg, when the wedding took place. Egons father, under pressure from a family patriarch who did not approve of Egon marrying a Jewish woman, skipped the reception. That was a bit of a cloud over the wedding, Diane said in an interview with Over the Moon. Story continues Elisabetta Catalano/Conde Nast via Getty Images Why We Loved Them: For decades following their separation, until Egons death in 2004, the exes remained remarkably close. After their split Egon would send Diane a gift every year on their would-be wedding anniversary and they continued to spend every Christmas together with their children. We grew up together, Egon told People in regard to his and Dianes amicable split, and we were friends before we fell in love. Diane echoed that sentiment: Egon believed in me before I believed in myself, she said in 1995. In some ways, I still think Im his wife. RELATED: TBT: Kyle MacLachlan Said Ex-Girlfriend Linda Evangelista Opened Up the World to Him Following their separation, Egon and Diane even worked near one another. Diane and I can see each other from our offices, Egon told People in 1981. Our friendship is forever, Egon said. Diane calls me in the middle of the night and asks, Do you love me? I tell her, Of course I do. Now go to sleep. Diane even credits the split for jumpstarting her career. Usually the fairy tale ends with the girl marrying the prince, she told W in 2012. But mine started as soon as the marriage was over. In her 1998 memoir, Diane acknowledged Egons role in her ultimate success, writing, Not only had Egon given me the children, the name, the and the contacts that had opened so many doors but he had always supported my work and encouraged me. Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images When They Peaked: On paper, Diane and Egon were the embodiment of living well (well, as it pertains to N.Y.C. in the early 70s at least). They were young, royal, wealthy, famous, and knew how to party. There was hardly a party or opening that we didnt go to, Diane wrote in her 1976 book Diane Von Furstenbergs Book of Beauty. Back in the Seventies, we would hold parties in our Park Avenue apartment for people like Yves Saint Laurent and Bernardo Bertolucci, Diane reminisced during an interview with AnOther Magazine. All the Europeans would come; journalists, designers, Andy Warhol and his entourage of the moment. RELATED: TBT: Jack Nicholson's Post-Breakup Gift Left Anjelica Huston Both "Charmed and Furious And the high-profile fetes werent exclusive to their time in New York, of course. Egon, who was related to the Monegasque royal family, introduced Diane to Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace Kelly (whom Diane found a bit cold) ahead of a ball in Monaco. Diane thought the Princes Palace a little disappointing, and likened it to the Cloisters in N.Y.C., though once the party got going, it lived up to all expectations. Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images The Breakup: In 1973, Diane and Egon were profiled by New York Magazine in a story titled The Couple That Has Everything. Is Everything Enough? By Linda Francke (who now goes by Linda Bird Francke). The article painted the couple as both promiscuous and passion-devoid. The only way for a relationship to survive, I think, is to have no sex at all, Diane is quoted saying, while Egon discussed his penchant for sexual experimentation, noting that the couple tried it with another woman. Editor's Note: In this same interview, Diane expresses some troubling beliefs about homosexuality, and lesbian women in particular, which we have chosen not to reprint here. Diane has pointed to the articles publication as the driving force behind her and Egons separation. The result was shocking and it destroyed our marriage, Diane wrote of the piece in her 2014 memoir The Woman I Wanted to Be. Reading the magazine and seeing our lives exposed under a magnifying glass, I realized that that couple was not who I was. I didnt want to be a European Park Avenue princess with a pretend decadent life. RELATED: TBT: Lyle Lovett Said He and Julia Roberts "Never Spent More Than 7 Days Together Before They Got Married Of course, the article (and the truths it laid bare) was not the only factor in their split. Diane wrote in A Signature Life that Egon had admitted publicly to having affairs with other people, which inspired her to have an affair of her own. It was my recognition of the loss of intimacy between us, the picture of superficiality that emerged from the story, that forced me to come to terms with the fact that our three-and-a-half-year marriage was over, she wrote. Horst P. Horst/Conde Nast via Getty Images Diane has also pointed to her burgeoning career success as a source of tension. My success was so big and I was so young, and I think it was tough for him, she told Post Magazine in 2015. But then he had other issues, she went on. He was very promiscuous. Nearly a decade later, Egon commented on the reputation he and Diane shared. We were a bit of the social history of the time, he said. We said what most people then were afraid to admit about marriage that it is boring. Interestingly, the writer of the New York Magazine article that marked the end of Dianes marriage would come to collaborate with the fashion designer on two of her books: Diane: A Signature Life and The Woman I Wanted to Be. Though Diane and Egon separated in 1973, they didnt make their divorce official until 1983. RELATED: TBT: Carrie Fisher Told Paul Simon She Didnt Like Him on Their Honeymoon Where They Are Now: Diane wed IAC Chairman Barry Diller in 2001, decades after theyd initially met at an N.Y.C. party in the 70s. Egon went on to marry Lynn Marshall after he and Diane finalized their divorce. Diane was at Egons side when he passed away from cirrhosis of the liver in Rome in June of 2004. #TBT: Check in every Thursday as we throw it back to some of our favorite celebrity couples of all time. In the Los Angeles loft headquarters of 2.4.1 Cosmetics, gray walls give way to a calming and warm ambiance, with flowers and flickering candles framing the space. The founders' own quote, Dont let the eyeliner fool you sits on a wall. It's a nod to one of their first products: a rich black eyeliner named Wing It, that caters to cat eye lovers. The company's aura is a reflection of its leaders, twin sister Eritrean political refugees Feven and Helena Yohannes. The two are on a quest to instill confidence, kindness, and integrity in women with their beauty brand, as they say, one eyeliner at a time." 2.4.1 Cosmetics is a clean and classic collection of cruelty-free, paraben-free, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, and fragrance-free lipsticks and lip glosses, eyeshadows, and liquid and gel eyeliners, each with a name that has special meaning. We were really intentional about naming the products, Feven shares, referencing their creamy nude Role Model, pinkish-brown Honor, and mauveish plum Redemption lipsticks as examples. RELATED: Uoma Beauty Founder Sharon Chuter on Why Inclusivity Shouldn't Stop at 40 Foundation Shades They were just as intentional about the products itself. Were not trend driven, Helena says. 2.4.1. is not just about a woman looking good. It's her feeling good as well, Feven chimed in. The essence of 2.4.1 is deeply rooted in our early memories as political refugees, and the idea that women are resilient and strong. That echoes in the companys beauty philosophy which describes the 2.4.1 girl as one with both brains and beauty, who knows to enhance her beauty and not conceal it. It is soul deep makeup for all women, Helena said. In less than a year after launching 2.4.1 Cosmetics in July 2019, the Yohannes sisters products have already been selling out. And a few weeks ago, beauty veteran Bobbi Brown announced on Instagram that she would be mentoring the pair after already supporting the brand months beforehand. Story continues To shop: $22; 241cosmetics.com Feven and Helenas determination to be a force in the beauty industry on their own terms is a testament to their past and how much it took to get to where they are now. They were born in a refugee camp in Sudan in the early 80s in the midst of the Eritrea-Ethopia war (which their father fought and suffered injuries in) that lasted from 1961 to 1991, and came to the United States via the green card lottery. Seeking a better life for their family, their five-foot tall mother waited in the lottery line, which was half a mile long, carrying Feven on her back and Helena on her chest. On a stroke of luck, they were spotted and moved to the front. The Yohannes family was sponsored by a Presbyterian church in Rochester, New York, and eventually moved to the U.S. to build a new life. Settling into a new country and new home was what helped Feven and Helena develop an affinity for makeup. Beauty has been a vessel for connection with a lot of women that we know in our lives, Helena says. They would do makeovers for girls in their neighborhood at only eight or nine years old. It was a way for us to make friends. We were these Eritrean immigrants who moved to this predominantly white neighborhood, Helena continues. We were just trying to connect with them. We wanted people to feel good about themselves. In August 2016, they turned their childhood passions into a business, and started their journey to launch their cosmetics company. After nailing down their name, they networked with as many people in the beauty industry and in business as possible, and researched beauty product creation from top to bottom. VIDEO: Shopping for Makeup Post COVID-19 Lockdown Will Never Be the Same Shopping for Makeup Post COVID-19 Lockdown Will Never Be the Same Retailers including Sephora, Nordstrom, and Ulta are all getting rid of in-store testers. Getting venture capital funding is often an uphill battle for Black-owned businesses, so when it came to raising money to create their products, they opted to self-fund. We wanted to rise on our own terms, Feven says. We wanted to be authentic to ourselves and not have anyone dilute our voice. Helena adds, So, we bet on ourselves. Today, we can say we 100% own our own company. A group of students at Dartmouth College are doing their part to ensure that no frontline worker struggles to obtain essential items during the coronavirus pandemic one donor match at a time. Back in March, roommates Amy Guan and Rine Uhm helplessly watched as their spring semester and summer plans crumbled due to the pandemic. "We ended up losing internships, I lost my in-person graduation, but at the same time, it was hard to be sad about these losses with everything else going around in the world," Guan, 21, tells PEOPLE. "We would spend a lot of time reading the news and sharing stories that we found interesting about the risks and struggles that essential workers have been facing." "The more we read, the more we realized that there was a lack of access to basic necessities that a lot of other people might have lying around their house or might have panic-bought at the beginning of the pandemic," she continues. It was that idea that ultimately led the women to develop Give Essential, an online program that matches struggling essential workers to donors around the country who are willing to provide household items, cleaning supplies and other basic necessities. "We figured, why not find a way to connect these resources to the people who actually need them?" says Guan, who graduated from Dartmouth this year and has since focused her efforts on running the program. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The idea for Give Essential first came to Guan and Uhm as they were texting on April 8. Over the next two days, Guan says she worked on building the website, while Uhm wrote out the content. By April 10, they had launched the site. The following day, the roommates were stunned to learn that over 300 workers had expressed interest in receiving help from donors overnight after reading about the program on various Reddit and Facebook groups. "It was kind of insane," says Guan, who later helped recruit several of their friends fellow Dartmouth students Kaitlyn Kelley, Cindy Shen, Luiza Odhiambo, Kristie Chow and Cindy Zhu, as well as Case Western Reserve University graduate Crystal An to get involved with Give Essential. Story continues The program works by having donors and essential workers sign up individually, with each indicating what they need or what they can provide. Workers who express interest must submit proof of their need, such as their last pay stub or a work schedule. From there, the Give Essential team verifies that the worker is eligible for help before matching them with an appropriate donor. Give Essential A child with some of the items that were donated RELATED: Stories of Essential Workers & Everyday People Doing Heroic Deeds During the Coronavirus Pandemic Donors can provide items across six categories cleaning supplies, masks, personal hygiene products, feminine hygiene products, kids' activities, and gift cards and though it's mostly a one-time thing, some donors have requested to do biweekly shipments to their essential worker. Those who may be interested in helping but don't necessarily have the means to do so can contribute by serving as a volunteer. This entails finding other people who may be interested in the program, as well as organizing drives in their neighborhoods to collect essential items. "The personal part of the process and that personal connection between essential workers and donors really makes us stand apart," explains Shen, 21, a rising junior who currently serves as Give Essential's head of design. "It's been really cool to see how generous people can be and just how kind people are," adds Guan. "We're just trying to help as many as possible." Give Essential Some of the items collected for essential workers Since launching in April, Give Essential has reached over 12,000 essential workers and donors combined across 49 states. It's also managed to raise the equivalent of nearly $500,000 in donations, recruit over 100 volunteers nationwide and establish partnerships with dairy farms in Vermont as well as homeless shelters in Philadelphia. "I think, especially with the quarantines and social distancing, it's been easy to feel constrained, but Give Essential has served to facilitate these impactful connections beyond these limitations," Guan shares. "It's been amazing fostering these forms of community, even despite such an uncertain time." Looking ahead, the students are hoping to expand their platform and create more partnerships with businesses and community organizations that have similar goals to Give Essential. In order to get there, Guan created a GoFundMe page, which has raised over $6,700 so far. "We're really looking forward to continuing this project and seeing how much more we can expand," Guan explains. "For me, one of the best parts has been knowing that I'm part of a larger community that truly wants to make a meaningful impact." RELATED VIDEO: Michigan Family Is Delivering Smiles to Essential Workers One Pizza at a Time Michigan Family Is Delivering Smiles to Essential Workers One Pizza at a Time Shalinder Singh and his family have paid for and delivered over a thousand pizzas since early April In addition to helping others, the students say this project has provided some valuable insight into the good of humanity and just how impactful one small action can be. "The biggest takeaway for me was that people genuinely just want to help and that there is a sense of altruism in everyone," explains Shen. "I always knew that people wanted to help out, but I don't think I ever really knew how much people were willing to give until I joined Give Essential." Adds Guan: "We've been able to see how much of a difference one small gift or gesture can make. Being willing to speak out, act and do something no matter how small can make a really big difference." As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-02 22:33:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Medical staff members take throat swab samples from construction workers at a temporary sampling site in Daxing District of Beijing, capital of China, July 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Cai Yang) BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- China has requested its medical institutions to cut the turnaround time for COVID-19 nucleic acid test results to a maximum of 24 hours, according to an official circular released on Thursday. Efforts should be made to ensure that fever clinic patients get their test results within six hours, said the circular, adding that four hours are preferred. Other outpatients, inpatients, and their caretakers are expected to receive test results within 12 hours, while those who test of their own volition should expect to have their results back within 24 hours, according to the circular, which was released by the State Council through its Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism committee. Medical institutions are also asked to take measures to promote mutual recognition of COVID-19 test results, and standardize their reporting formats, according to the circular. Test reports shall be made available via self-help printing, online checking, and express delivery, it added. The circular also urged local authorities to take stock of their nucleic acid testing resources, beef up testing capacities, and make contingency plans to guard against a re-emergence of outbreaks. Before Jeffrey Epstein's confidant Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested Thursday, she was hiding out at a 156-acre property in rural New Hampshire that was paid for in cash through a limited liability company, according to federal prosecutors. The description matches a luxury home purchased last year for $1 million in a deal shrouded in secrecy, according to two people familiar with the transaction. The home on East Washington Road in Bradford was bought in December through a limited liability company, Granite Reality LLC, set up the previous month, records show. The sale price was $1,070,750. The previous owner did not know the identity of the buyer, and neither did the previous owners agent, according to people familiar with the transaction. The buyer was anonymous, a person familiar with the deal told NBC News. It was always this mystery woman, the person added. I was like, Is she an actress? The whereabouts of Maxwell, a British socialite who went into hiding after Epstein, the disgraced financier, was charged with sex trafficking last year, had remained a mystery until her Thursday arrest in the tiny rural town of about 1,600 people. The property where Ghislaine Maxwell may have been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Bradford, N.H., on July 2, 2020. (NBC News) Maxwell was charged with recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial. The 4,300-square-foot timber frame house sits on 156 acres of land, at the top of a half-mile driveway, making it an ideal location for someone looking to stay out of view. If youre looking for a place to hide, boy, you cant find a better one, a person familiar with the deal said. Its a lovely house on a lot of turf and its up a driveway thats a little bit more than half a mile long. Nobody comes up there to bug you or poke or pry. The listing for the home described it as an amazing retreat for the nature lover who also wants total privacy. Its features include a great room with floor to ceiling fieldstone fireplace, cathedral ceiling, and a spectacular chandelier, as well as a fabulous barn for square dances and hoedowns! the listing says. Story continues Granite Reality, LLC, was set up by Jeffrey Roberts, a lawyer based in Boston, records show. Roberts did not return a request for comment. Local residents said the home is one of the nicest in town. Its a beautiful estate, private, with very nice mountain views, Ann Hallahan, a local realtor who was not involved in the deal, said. She was among a handful of residents said they never saw Maxwell in town and had never even heard of her until Thursdays arrest. There are plenty of places like this all around the country that she could have gone to, Hallahan said. The Justice Department asked a judge on Wednesday evening to issue an emergency order to block the release of former national security adviser John Boltons upcoming book, saying the book contains government secrets. The move marks an escalation by the Trump administration of its civil suit filed Tuesday against Bolton, in which the government asked a court to postpone the June 23 release of Boltons book, The Room Where It Happened, which details Boltons 19 months as national security adviser. Disclosure of the manuscript will damage the national security of the United States, the administration said in a court filing. The United States asks this court to hold defendant to the legal obligations he freely assumed as a condition of receiving access to classified information and prevent the harm to national security that will result if his manuscript is published to the world. Some of the contents of the book were outlined in news articles on Wednesday, including Boltons allegation that the president was willing on several occasions to pump the brakes on criminal investigations to, in effect, give personal favors to dictators he liked. The pattern looked like obstruction of justice as a way of life, which we couldnt accept, Bolton writes, according to an excerpt of the book. Bolton also claims Trump appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping for help with his reelection, an assertion U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer called absolutely untrue during a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday. Boltons publisher, Simon & Schuster, called the new court filing a frivolous, politically motivated exercise in futility that would accomplish nothing since hundreds of thousands of copies of Boltons book have already been distributed around the country and the world. Trump sharply criticized Bolton on Wednesday, saying he broke the law and that his book was made up of lies. Boltons attorney, Charles Cooper, pushed back on the administrations claim that the book contains classified information, calling assertions to the contrary a transparent attempt to use national security as a pretext to censor Mr. Bolton, in violation of his constitutional right to speak on matters of the utmost public import. Story continues In order to prevent the publication of classified information, Cooper said he worked closely with Ellen Knight, a National Security Council official in charge of the prepublication review of materials written by council personnel, who said in late April that she had completed her edit of the book, Cooper said. More from National Review Coronavirus Coverage Because of health and safety concerns, the Herald-Republic is allowing unlimited access to our COVID-19 stories and resources. If you are able to support local news by subscribing, support our journalism. Click here to begin your subscription and access all of our local coverage. Greensboro, NC (27407) Today Variable clouds with thunderstorms, especially early. Low 72F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Variable clouds with thunderstorms, especially early. Low 72F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-02 22:56:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee Thursday strongly condemned and resolutely opposed the passage of the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" by the U.S. Congress. The U.S. move gravely interferes in China's internal affairs, and grossly tramples on international law and basic norms governing international relations, the foreign affairs committee said in a statement. National security is a basic precondition for the existence and development of a nation and it concerns the nation's core interests, the statement stressed. "No country in the world would ever turn a blind eye to acts and activities severely undermining its national security," said the statement. The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has won firm support from all Chinese people including Hong Kong compatriots, read the statement. The U.S. move is not about democracy or freedom of Hong Kong residents, but about containing China's development, said the statement, underlining that the plot of the anti-China forces in the United States will never succeed. The implementation of the law will definitely help Hong Kong end chaos and start afresh, the statement noted. Enditem YORK A traffic stop on Interstate 80 resulting in the discovery of 705 pounds of high grade marijuana has resulted in a multi-felony case against a California man being bound over to District Court. According to York County Sheriff Investigator Alex Hildebrand, the case began when a deputy with the York County Sheriffs Office conducted a traffic stop on a pickup pulling a fifth wheel camper on Interstate 80 near mile marker 348. The vehicle was stopped for committing a traffic violation in the area. The deputy identified the occupants of the vehicle as James Bailey of Anderson, Calif., and Jamie Bowman of Redding, Calif. While speaking with the occupants of the vehicle, the deputy observed numerous indicators that criminal activity was afoot. The deputy asked the occupants for consent to search the vehicle and camper and was denied consent to do so. The deputy deployed his police service dog, Loki, on the vehicle, and Loki alerted and indicated to the odor of controlled substances emitting from the rear of the camper, Investigator Hildebrand explained. A subsequent search of the camper yielded approximately 705 pounds of marijuana. Both occupants of the vehicle were arrested for multiple charges relating to the trafficking of narcotics. >> Tabitha Online Support Groups Tabitha will hold a Growing Through Grief Loss of Spouse online support group every Thursday from 10 - 11:30 a.m. Tabitha will hold a Growing Through Grief Loss of Parent online support group every Thursday from 12 - 1:30 p.m. Tabitha will hold a Caregiver online support group every Thursday from 2-3 p.m. The group will provide education and support for those caring for a loved one. Tabitha will hold a new Growing Through Grief All Types of Loss online support group every Thursday from 6 - 7:30. Anyone who is grieving can participate. Your loved one did not have to be with Tabitha. You must register to receive participation information by calling Abby at 402.486.8546 or register at Tabitha.org/Hospice/Bereavement. There is no charge. FRIDAY 7/10 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Friday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. SATURDAY 7/11 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. The following questions were asked recently on the Wonderline: Q: Is Pirate Jim bringing the Treasure Hunt to York this year? My out-of-town family members want to know. A: Yes, he sure is. In fact, Dave Sjuts was in contact with him this past week and found out the pirate had already snuck into town to hide the medallion. This is the 33rd year for the annual hunt and this year the medallion is worth $1,500 instead of the usual $1,000 in chamber checks. The extra $500 is being sponsored by the York County Visitors Bureau in conjunction with celebrating the 150th birthday of York County. Pirate Jim reminds hunters that they need to shop at the sponsoring businesses and sign up for a chance to find the treasure worth $1,500 they have until Sunday, July 5, to do so. Once they sign up to be an official hunter, they can look at the York News-Times for daily clues to the medallions location, starting on July 7. Numerous ads in the YNT and the Advantage list the businesses where you can register. Q: This is a strange question, but here goes . . . . since the pandemic, I cannot find a can of Campbells Beef Consomme soup in grocery stores. What is up with that? YORK A woman was stabbed Wednesday night in York and a man has been arrested for attempted murder. According to York Police Chief Ed Tjaden, the police department was dispatched to 413 North Beaver Avenue at 7:23 p.m., to investigate a disturbance. Upon arrival, officers witnessed assaultive behavior and had contact with a local woman and Mario Reyes, 60, of York, Chief Tjaden said. A state patrol spokesperson said the first responding officer heard screaming from inside the residence. The officer entered the residence and discovered a man appearing to strangle a woman. The officer immediately pulled the man off the woman and saw she had been stabbed multiple times. York rescue units arrived on the scene and quickly began rendering medical aid to the woman. The victim was transported to medical facilities and received treatment for multiple stab wounds and other wounds, the chief continued. Scanner traffic Wednesday night indicated that a helicopter was dispatched to York in order to fly the victim to another location for medical care. YORK James Lyon, 30, of York, has been charged with attempt of a Class 2 felony and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person in a case involving methamphetamine. The case was bound over to District Court and arraignment proceedings are scheduled for July 7. According to court documents, the York County Sheriffs Department executed a search warrant at a residence in York and made contact with several people, including Lyon. Deputies conducted the search and allegedly found the following: two bags of methamphetamine under a mattress in a room identified as Lyons; a homemade cutting instrument consisting of a rusted saw blade and plastic grip fastened together with electrical tape with the blade being just over nine inches with the capability of inflicting cutting, stabbing or tearing wounds, in Lyons bedroom; four bags of marijuana; six bags in his bedroom containing methamphetamine and marijuana; five glass pipes with methamphetamine residue on a window ledge in his room; and $600 in cash between the cushions of a couch in his bedroom according to court documents. Deputies said in their report that Lyon was arrested and they reviewed messages sent between Lyon and another individual that allegedly indicated plans for drug distribution. Today Partly cloudy. Low near 80F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low near 80F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Tomorrow Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. Hot. High 107F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. 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. The government has expanded its online tax accounting system, heralding a new era in tax returns and efforts to whiten the economy, a finance ministry official has told MTI in an interview. From July 1, online invoicing will provide the basis for VAT refunds made by the tax office and will help in the fight against the black economy, Norbert Izer, the state secretary for taxation, said. The extension of the real-time Online Invoice system is of huge significance since the possibility of tax evasion, even by the smallest businesses, can be reduced to a minimum, he said. Estimates indicate that online data reporting has added 200-250 billion forints (EUR 560m-700m) in revenue in a single year, he said, adding that the systems expansion could add a further tens of billions of forints. The tax authority NAV will not penalise non-compliance until Sept. 30 if businesses joining the system in the meantime register with NAV before issuing their first invoice. The number of people registering has increased by around 30%, he said. By June 29, more than 711,000 people had already registered. Izer said even by international comparison, Hungarys online tax system was exemplary, helping to curb VAT fraud and encourage businesses to go digital. Also, NAV will prepare a draft VAT return for domestic businesses after receiving the data online, he added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-02 23:32:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's statements regarding China's national security legislation on Hong Kong demonstrate nothing but ignorance and prejudice, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian used four "ignorances" to describe Pompeo's remarks at a routine news briefing. Firstly, he is ignorant of the law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Zhao said, adding that pulling human rights into this is just fact-distorting. The law protects the overwhelming majority of people while punishing only a very small number of perpetrators. After it is enacted, Hong Kong will enjoy more stable social order and better business environment, where Hong Kong residents and foreign investors can all benefit, Zhao said. Secondly, Pompeo is ignorant of the "one country, two systems" principle. The adoption of this law is not aimed to alter "one country, two systems," but to improve and better act on "one country, two systems" and ensure its faithful and steady implementation, the spokesperson said. The U.S. secretary of state is also ignorant of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, Zhao said, noting that all the provisions concerning the British side in the Joint Declaration were fulfilled after Hong Kong's return to the motherland. "The basic policies regarding Hong Kong declared by China in the Joint Declaration are China's statement of policies, not commitment to Britain, and they certainly have nothing to do with the United States. Furthermore, Pompeo is ignorant of international law and basic norms governing international relations. It's completely China's internal affair to formulate a law on safeguarding national security in a subnational administrative region, he said. "We have every confidence that it will get Hong Kong back onto the right path of development and help it regain its repute as the 'Pearl of the Orient,'" Zhao added. Enditem The most popular Hungarian news site warns that Hungarian citizens may pay the price of the governments decision to let American film crews back into Hungary, although the US doesnt figure on the list of 15 non-EU countries whose citizens are allowed to visit the European Union. Indexs David Klag reports that although the European Council decided not to let US citizens visit Europe without strictly quarantining themselves for the first two weeks of their stay, Hungary has authorised the crews and cast of two American TV series to resume shooting at the MAFILM studios outside Budapest. Hungary is among the two or three most favoured destinations for Hollywood shoots in Europe and foreign film production rose by 50 percent last year. Production was stopped in March as borders were shut because of the coronavirus pandemic, but now the government is easing those restrictions. Klag warns that if Hungary transgresses the limits set by the EU summit last week, other European countries might react by banning Hungarian citizens from entering their territories. This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online. Click here to Share Your Story - Professor Douglas Boateng, who is an expert in supply chain, logistics, and industrialisation, has called for increased attention on the production of face masks - According to him, the industry could generate over GHc300 million in revenue for the country - He explained that challenges such as COVID-19 are also opportunities for keen-eyed entrepreneurs Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in An expert in supply chain, logistics, and industrialisation, Professor Douglas Boateng, has predicted Ghana could earn about GHc300 million from the production of face masks. According to him, the outbreak of the coronavirus has led to a booming industry that could generate income for Ghanaian entrepreneurs. He added that there is an increased demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and with the instruction from the government to everyone in Ghana to wear a mask, it could be an avenue to be explored. Professor Douglas Boateng Source: blakkpepper.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Ghana receives $315 million to create jobs and develop skills Per a report by thebftonline.com, Professor Boateng went on to say that every crisis presents opportunities and the outbreak of COVID-19 is no exception. He further indicated that Ghanas population currently stands at an estimated 31.7 million and at least 65% of the population require face masks. Professor Boateng noted that the 20 million who require it may need about three on average, revealing a need to produce about 60 million masks. He went on to say that with a two-layered face mask costing GHc5 a piece, the market value for the industry could be an estimated GHc312 million. He again stated that there could be direct and indirect jobs created which would bode well for the Ghanaian economy. In other news, YEN.com.gh has learnt revenue from crude dropped by 5% in 2019 even though production increased by 15%. Production of crude oil increased from 62,135,435.07 barrels in 2018 to 71,439,585 barrels the following year. However, revenue, sourced from royalties, Carried And Participating Interest (CAPI), corporate income taxes, surface rentals, and income earned fell to $925million in 2019 from $977million in 2018. READ ALSO: Minister orders closure of factories over poor pollution practices Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Playstore now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! Star Gist: The impact of COVID-19 on the fitness industry in Ghana | #Yencomgh Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now! Source: Yen.com.gh New Delhi: Amid India-China standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in East Ladakh, Union Commerce Ministry Piyush Goyal on Friday (July 3) held a very important meeting with leading exporters and Export Promotion Council officials to discuss and address the issues being faced by exporters amid COVID-19 pandemic. Piyush Goyal said the exports after setbacks in the first two months of this financial year due to COVID-19 lockdown are recovering fast. The Union Minister said that the data of June 2020 will reflect the gains with the merchandise export figures touching almost 88% of the corresponding period of the last year. As Unlock 2 has come with more permissions, it is expected that the things will further improve in the future, Goyal said, while urging the industry to shun over-dependence on imports and certain geographies as it would lead to long-term dire consequences. Exhorting the exporters to adopt Make in India, use indigenous resources and skilled manpower, produce quality products, and use the economies of scale to deliver affordable products, Piyush Goyal asked them to be more competitive, be focused, and play on their strengths. Talking about the spirit of partnership and cooperation, the Union Minister assured the exporters and the industry of the government's full support. He also announced that action is being taken on the Baba Kalyani committee recommendations of the Special Economic Zones(SEZ). The meeting was attended by representatives of FIEO, APEC, SRTEPC, GJEPC, CLE, CEPC, Shefexil, Pharmexil, ECSEPC, ISEPC, SEPC, EEPC, EPCH, PEPC, TEXPROCIL, Telecom EPC, Cashew EPC, Chemexcil, CEPEXIL, IOPEPC, and PLEXCONCIL. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday while addressing the soldiers at Nimmoo in Leh said that age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development. He further said that history is witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back while paying tributes to the 20 Army men killed in a violent face-off with Chinese troops in east Ladakh. Addressing Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel during his surprise visit to Ladakh, the Prime Minister said, "We are the same people who pray to the flute playing Lord Krishna but we are also the same people who idolise and follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the Sudarshana Chakra." The Prime Minister stated that the bravery that soldiers and their compatriots showed, a message has gone to the world about India`s strength, adding "Your courage is higher than the heights where you are posted today. The bravery of 14 Corps will be talked about everywhere. Tales of your bravery and valour are echoing in every house in the country. Bharat Mata`s enemies have seen your fire and fury." PM Modi was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. He reached Nimmoo, early morning today at 8.15 am and interacted with Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel. He later reached Leh's Technical Airport at 11 am and left the place at 1:30 pm, and then reached Hall of Fame at 1:10 pm. The Prime Minister left for General Hospital in Leh at 1:20 pm and reached Leh Airport at 1:45 pm. He finally left for Delhi at 1:58 pm. Significance of PM Modi's visit to Ladakh PM Modis Ladakh visit assumes significance as the government first rescheduled Defence Minister Rajnath Singhs visit to Leh and then PM Modi's surprise visit took place. PM Modi's visit comes after the violent clash between Indian Army personnel and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley on June 15 that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and over 70 others injured. The visit is seen as a message of support to the Indian armed forces. PM Modis visit to the border area is high on symbolism and a morale booster for the troops that are deployed in Ladakhs Galwan valley and around Pangong lake. During his Mann Ki Baat address on June 28, PM Modi told the nation that "those who eyed Indian territory in Ladakh have received a befitting response". He had said if India knew how to maintain the friendship, it could also confront someone and give a befitting reply. "Our brave soldiers made it clear that they will not allow anyone to taint the honour of Mother India," he added. PM Modi's earlier visits Oct 2014: Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a surprise visit to Siachen to celebrate Diwali with soldiers posted at the worlds highest battlefield and hailed the role of the armed forces in securing the country. July 2014: The Prime Minister visited the Badami Bagh Army Cantonment in Srinagar and addressed the Army Jawans and officers. Praising the valour and courage of the soldiers, PM Modi had asserted that self-reliance in defence offset manufacturing was essential for the security (aatma-raksha) of the nation. Strength of Indian Army Nov 2015: PM Modi celebrated Diwali with troops. He also visited three military installations associated with the 1965 IndoPak war the Dograi War Memorial in Khasa, Asal Uttar Memorial near Valtoha and Barki War Memorial in Ferozepur district in Punjab, and interacted with the troops. October 2016: The Prime Minister met jawans of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Indian Army and Dogra Scouts at Sumdo in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. He offered sweets to the personnel during his unscheduled visit and wished them happy Diwali. Oct 2017: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent his fourth Diwali with soldiers - this time at Gurez in Jammu and Kashmir, where troops of the 15 Corps are stationed. November 2018: PM Modi celebrated Diwali with Army, ITBP personnel in Uttarakhand's Harsil near India-China border. October 2019: The Prime Minister celebrated Diwali with the troops deployed in Jammu and Kashmir's border district of Rajouri and praised them for their valour. Accompanied by Army chief General Bipin Rawat, PM Modi flew to the Army Brigade headquarters in Rajouri town just a few hours after the Pakistani army targeted forward posts in the district. LADAKH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (July 3, 2020) warned China saying the ''age of expansionism is over'' as he heaped praise on the Indian soldiers for their indomitable bravery in the Galwan Valley clashes in eastern Ladakh recently. ''Age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development. History is witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back,'' the PM said in a strong warning to China. Coming down heavily on China for not respecting India peace overtures, the PM said, "Those who are weak can never initiate peace, bravery is a pre-requisite for peace." PM Modi also paid tributes to the 20 Indian soldiers who laid their lives during the Galwan Valley clashes on the midnight of June 15-16 and said that their bravery gave a strong message to the whole world. The bravery that you and your compatriots showed, a message has gone to the world about Indias strength. I once again pay my tributes to the brave soldiers martyred in the Galwan Valley clashes, PM Modi said while addressing the soldiers in Nimmoo, Ladakh. Praising the valour of the Indian armed forces, the Prime Minister said, The bravery of 14 Corps will be talked about everywhere. Tales of your bravery and valour are echoing in every house in the country. He stated that the enemies of 'Bharat Mata' have seen your fire and fury. Hardening his stance, the PM said, We are the same people who pray to the flute playing Lord Krishna but we are also the same people who idolise and follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the 'Sudarshana Chakra'. Through his speech, the PM reminded, "Be it World Wars or peace, whenever the need arises, the world has seen the victory of our braves and their efforts towards peace. We have worked for the betterment of humanity." Assuring the Indian soldiers that the entire country is with them, the PM said, ''We have increased expenditure on development on infrastructure in the border area by three times.'' "I am looking at women soldiers in front of me. In the battlefield at the border, this view is inspiring...Today I speak of your glory," PM Modi said. PM Modi's Leh visit has apparently irked China, which said that 'no side should escalate the situation'. "India and China are in communication and negotiations on lowering the temperatures through military and diplomatic channels. No party should engage in any action that may escalate the situation at this point," news agency ANI quoted Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying. PM Modi Modi arrived in Leh and Ladakh on Friday morning to review the situation 18 days after a violent faceoff in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh with the Chinese forces, in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. The PM reached Nimmoo early morning and interacted with Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel. Located at 11,000 feet, this is among the tough terrains, surrounded by Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. Sources had earlier informed about CDS Rawat`s visit to Leh today. All eyes were on General Rawat`s visit since it came in the wake of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh`s visit to Ladakh being rescheduled. The Defence Minister was earlier scheduled to visit Ladakh today to review the preparedness of the army amid the ongoing standoff with China. The situation at the India-China border remains tense after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in the Galwan valley on June 15-16 when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. India and China have been involved in talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month. The Chinese side has not yet revealed the number of casualties on its side. It was the first casualties faced by the Indian Army in a clash with the Chinese People`s Liberation Army since 1975 when an Indian patrol was ambushed by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh. Kolkata: Calcutta High Court additional judge Justice Protik Prakash Banerjee died on Friday after suffering a heart attack. He passed away around 5.14 am at a city hospital today. He was 51 years old. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over his demise. "Shocked and saddened to hear the news of passing away of Justice Protik Prakash Banerjee, Calcutta High Court Judge and former Vice President of High Court Bar Association. Condolences to his friends and family who have suffered such a terrible loss," she tweeted. Justice Banerjee was elevated to the post of additional judge on September 21, 2017, according to the high court website. New Delhi: In retaliation to India imposing a ban on at least 59 Chinese mobile phone apps in the wake of violent faceoff between Indian army and Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley, the Xi Jinping government targeted the WION news channel by blocking the access to its website in China. According to reports, Beijing has blocked access to WION website www.wionews.com in mainland China. GreatFire.org, which is a Chinese internet monitoring watchdog, has confirmed that WION has been completely blocked in China. GreatFire.org has emerged as a database for internet censorship in China and international news outlets and researchers use it to track digital censorship there. Since the beginning of coronavirus pandemic, WION has reported extensively on China's cover-up, and hence, Beijing expressed its displeasure over this in more ways than one. In March, the spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry,- Zhao Lijian, blocked WION on the social networking site Twitter. Chinese diplomats in India too criticised WION's coverage of the pandemic. In June, a piece in the Global Times named WION, asking the channel to "think independently." The publication is perceived as the lifeline of Beijings propaganda machinery. It's no secret that China doesn't like the idea of a free press and the ban on WION is part of the same strategy of press censorship. Washington: The ruling Communist Party of China is acting "aggressively" in its neighbourhood and it essentially "invaded" India, killing 20 of its soldiers, a top American Senator has said. In the last several weeks, more than a dozen US lawmakers have spoken against the Chinese aggression against India and have come out in support of New Delhi. All across the periphery, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is acting aggressively. It's essentially invaded India and killed 20 Indian soldiers, Senator Tom Cotton said on the Senate floor on Thursday. In the South China Sea, it has attacked or otherwise threatened developments from Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. It has increasingly encroached on Taiwanese and Japanese airspace, the Republican Senator said. China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. In Hong Kong, the newly imposed security law proves most clearly that the Chinese Communist Party will not abide by its commitments whether to its own people or to foreign nations, Cotton said. "There was actions this week (wherein) Beijing effectively torn up the joint declaration it made with Britain to govern the peaceful handover of Hong Kong as cynically as China has broken its commitment to the United States, to the World Health Organisation, the World Trade Organisation and others, said the top American Senator. Senator Mitch McConnell, during his speech on the Senate Floor, in support of National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2021 alleged that China is engaged in the international provocation. An amendment to NDAA 2021 moved by Senator Cory Gardner this week supports India against the Chinese aggression in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh and says that the two countries should work toward de-escalating the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The expansion and aggression of the People's Republic of China in and around disputed territories, such as the LAC, the South China Sea, the Senkaku Islands, is of significant concern, says the amendment. International provocation of China has only stepped up during this pandemic - which they helped worsen - against Taiwan, against India, against the Philippines, and so on, McConnell said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi in a statement on Thursday said that the aggression must be met with clear American resolve to stand by India and its other allies in the region. We must work to de-escalate these tensions while sending a clear message to China that their belligerence will not be tolerated, Krishnamoorthi said. India is one of our closest friends, and it is vital that we stand with India in the face of the Chinese government's border aggression, he said. The Chinese government is taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to throw elbows at its neighbours in what's becoming a growing pattern of aggression, he added. The Indian and Chinese armies are locked in a bitter standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for the last several weeks, and the tension escalated manifold after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash in the Galwan Valley on June 15. The two sides are holding diplomatic and military-level talks to ease the situation along the LAC. New Delhi: Any kind of escalation from either side should be avoided on the border, China said on Friday (July 3), after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Leh and Ladakh and was briefed by senior officers in Nimu amid ongoing tensions with China. "India and China are in communication and negotiations on lowering the temperatures through military and diplomatic channels. No party should engage in any action that may escalate the situation at this point," ANI quoted Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying. PM Modi was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. The PM reached Nimmoo early morning today and interacted with Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel. He is presently at one of the forward locations in Nimu where he interacted with personnel of the Army, Air Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), official sources said. He was briefed by senior Army officers on the situation at the LAC by officials. Located at 11,000 feet, Nimu is among the toughest terrains, on the banks of river Indus, surrounded by Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. Earlier today, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh thanked PM Modi for making a surprise visit to Ladakh amid border tensions with China and meeting the soldiers, saying that it has boosted the morale of the Indian Army. Talking to Twitter, Singh said that the borders of the country have always been secure under the Indian Army. "The borders of the country have always been secure under the Indian Army. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Ladakh to meet and encourage the soldiers has certainly boosted the morale of the Army. I commend the Prime Minister`s move and thank him for it," Singh tweeted in Hindi. The situation at the India-China border in Ladakh remains tense after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in the Galwan Valley on June 15-16 when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. The two countries have been involved in military-level talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month. NEW DELHI: Interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing her concerns over denial of quota to OBC students for admission through the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET). Seeking PM Modis intervention in thi regard, Sonia Gandhi wrote, I would like to bring to your attention, denial of reservation for OBC candidates under All-India Quota being filled through National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), in State/UT Medical education institutions. She continued by saying, Under the All India Quota, 15 per cent, 7.5 per cent and 10 per cent seats are reserved for SC, ST and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) candidates respectively, in both Central and State/UT Medical education institutions. However, reservation for OBC candidates under All India Quota is restricted to central Institutions. As per the data compiled by the All India Federation of Other Backward Classes, since 2017, OBC candidates lost over 11,000 seats, in All India Quota, due to non-implementation of OBC reservations in State/UT Medical education institutions, Gandhi said in her letter to PM. The veteran Congress leader stated that the 93rd Constitutional Amendment envisages special provisions for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes in admission to educational institutions, including private educational institutions, whether aided or unaided by the State, other than the minority educational institutions. She claimed that the denial of reservations to OBCs in state medical institutions in All India Quota, being administered by GOI, violates the very objective of the Constitutional Amendment and is a barrier to access medical education for deserving OBC candidates. In the interest of equity and social justice, I strongly urge the Union Government to extend reservation for OBC candidates in All India Quota of medical and dental seats, even in the State/UT Medical education institutions, she concluded in her letter. The row over OBC quota in NEET exam erupted after the All India Federation of Other Backward Classes Employees Welfare Association wrote to the National Commission of Backward Classes on May 11, claiming that the OBC students lost 11,000 seats since 2017 due to the non-implementation of reservation policy. The Congress unit of Tamil Nadu and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) moved the Supreme Court of India against the NEET's decision. Other petitioners also called for a stay on admissions, seeking judicial intervention for the implementation of OBC reservation under the All-India Quota. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-02 23:45:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close More than 100 fishing boats parade at the Victoria Harbour to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai) BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's statements regarding China's national security legislation on Hong Kong demonstrate nothing but ignorance and prejudice, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian used four "ignorances" to describe Pompeo's remarks at a routine news briefing. Firstly, he is ignorant of the law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Zhao said, adding that pulling human rights into this is just fact-distorting. The law protects the overwhelming majority of people while punishing only a very small number of perpetrators. After it is enacted, Hong Kong will enjoy more stable social order and better business environment, where Hong Kong residents and foreign investors can all benefit, Zhao said. Secondly, Pompeo is ignorant of the "one country, two systems" principle. The adoption of this law is not aimed to alter "one country, two systems," but to improve and better act on "one country, two systems" and ensure its faithful and steady implementation, the spokesperson said. People take part in a parade to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) The U.S. secretary of state is also ignorant of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, Zhao said, noting that all the provisions concerning the British side in the Joint Declaration were fulfilled after Hong Kong's return to the motherland. "The basic policies regarding Hong Kong declared by China in the Joint Declaration are China's statement of policies, not commitment to Britain, and they certainly have nothing to do with the United States. Furthermore, Pompeo is ignorant of international law and basic norms governing international relations. It's completely China's internal affair to formulate a law on safeguarding national security in a subnational administrative region, he said. "We have every confidence that it will get Hong Kong back onto the right path of development and help it regain its repute as the 'Pearl of the Orient,'" Zhao added. New Delhi: An NRI from Chuna Mandi in Delhi's Paharganj area was allegedly kidnapped and killed, a case has been registered and Paharganj police station have detained some people in connection with this case. According to the police, 68-year-old Rajendra Avot came to Delhi from London in January but could not return due to the coronavrius lockdown. He was staying at his home in Paharganj. On June 22, he left for Sonipat, his house maid Hema was with him at the time. She allegedly took Avot to Gohana in Sonipat where she killed him and threw his body in a drain. On June 24, the Sadar Gohana Police recovered Avot's body from the drain. His hands and feet were bound. Police filed a case of murder. But no further inquiries were conducted and his body was cremated. Meanwhile, on June 29, Paharganj police station received a missing person's complaint on behalf of Avot's family. The police began investigations and tracked Avot's phone, his last location was in Khanpur at Sonipat, near maid Hema's house. His phone was switched off since June 23. A team of Delhi Police reached Sadar Gohana Police Station of Sonipat where they found that the police there had performed the last rites without conducting proper investigation. The Sonipat police is now investigating the murder case, maid Hema is absconding and the police is on the lookout for her. New Delhi: Son of a retired Delhi Police Assistant Sub Inspector, Nitin Dalal, was shot dead by unidentified people in Rohini district on Thursday night. As per the police report, the murderers fired six gunshots to Nitin while he was driving his car. The reason for the murder is assumed to be some personal conflicts. Delhi police said, "Nitin was driving his elder brother's car at the time of the incident. In the initial investigation, it was revealed that Nitin's elder brother, Neeraj is in the property business.'' Meanwhile, the police is taking the help of the CCTV footage to identify the accused. Several teams of Delhi police have been formed to arrest the accused. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the celebration of Dharma Chakra Day / Asaadh Poornima on Saturday (July 4), said a PMO statement. The day is also celebrated by Buddhists all over the world as the day of Dharma Chakra Parvattana or Turning of the Wheel of Dharma. The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), under the aegis of Union Ministry of Culture, is celebrating Asadha Poornima as Dharma Chakra Day. This commemorates Buddha's First Sermon to his first five ascetic disciples at the Deer Park, Rsipatana in the present day Sarnath near Varanasi, UP. Notably, this day is also observed as Guru Poornima by both Buddhists and Hindus as a day to mark reverence to their Gurus. In keeping with the historical legacy of India being the land of Buddha's enlightenment, his turning the wheels of Dharma, and Mahaparinirvana, President Ram Nath Kovid will inaugurate the Dharma Chakra Day from the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi would deliver a video address on the occasion to emphasize the teachings of peace and justice of Lord Buddha and the Eight Fold Path shown by him to overcome sufferings of sentient beings, said the statement. The Minister of Culture, Prahlad Patel, and Minister of State for Minorities Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, will also address the opening ceremony. A special address by the President of Mongolia will also be read out and a valuable Buddhist manuscript of Indian origin preserved in Mongolia for centuries together, will be presented to the President of India. Other events, including messages from top Buddhist religious leaders, Masters and Scholars from different parts of the world will be streamed from Sarnath and Bodh Gaya. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the whole programme is being conducted virtually, like a very successful virtual Vaisakh (Buddha Poornima) on May 7 this year. The event on 4th July is expected to be witnessed by around 30 lakh devotees worldwide via live webcast, the statement said. One of the most travelled and preferred beach getaway, Goa has been opened for domestic tourist from Friday (July 3, 2020) amid the coronavirus pandemic. Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar gave the information and said that over 250 hotels will resume operations in the state. "We have decided to allow domestic travellers to enter Goa from July 2 onwards provided they comply with certain norms," Ajgaonkar said. The goa government has issued guidelines and regulations in three stages: before travel, during travel and on arrival. Here's the full guidelines for tourists travelling to Goa (1) Pre-booking hotel is mandatory. Only the hotels with the highest safety and hygiene stands have been allowed to open. (2) Fill up a self-declaration form which will be available at the pre-booked hotel. (3) Quarantine upon arrival is not required (carry a COVID-19 negative certificate from last 48 hours or get tested in Goa at your own cost). Travel: Tourists can enter by road (Dodamarg, Patradevi, Keri, Mollem, Pollem), air (Dabolim International Airport) and train (Madgaon, Thivim and Vasco da Gama). On arrival: (1.) At every respective entry point, tourists, upon arrival, will undergo basic screening through a thermal gun. (2.) Get mandatory documents checked bat tourism kiosks (see before travel). (3.) Tourists swab sample will be collected at state entry points; those with COVID-19 certificate can skip the next two steps. (4.) Check-in at your accommodation and stay in isolation for two weeks until the result comes. (5.) Your results will come in 1-2 days. If negative, you can stay in Goa; however, if positive, institution quarantine will be required. Over 250 hotels across Goa reopened on Thursday after state governments order. Goas current coronavirus count stands at nearly 1,400. Meanwhile, Goa on Thursday reported its highest single-day spike of 95 COVID19 cases, pushing tally to 1,482. Kolkata: Gunshots were heard at Gate-6 of the Writers Building in the late afternoon (3:35 pm) on Friday (July 3) and an on-duty police constable was found in a pool of blood with a bullet injury. Other security personnel posted on the ground floor of the building noticed that the constable from 5th Battalion has suffered a bullet injury. He was immediately rushed to the nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead. Deputy Commissioner, Central Division, Sudheer Kumar said that the constable Biswajeet Karak is 34 years old. The resident of Midnapore, constable Biswajeet had some medical condition. Prima facie, it seems that the constable shot himself by his service rifle. Meanwhile, the police has initiated an investigation to ascertain the reason behind the alleged suicide. Further details are awaited NEW DELHI: Further tightening the noose against hostile Indian neighbours, the government on Friday said that no power equipment will be imported from China and Pakistan without prior permission. The announcement was made by Union Power Minister RK Singh that came amid the ongoing border standoff with China. During a virtual press conference with state counterparts, Singh also asserted that the equipment import from China and Pakistan would not be permitted especially on the basis of inspection. The Power Minister said that state discoms should not give orders for supply of equipment to Chinese firms. "We manufacture everything here. India imported Rs 71,000 crore worth power equipment including Rs 21,000 crore from China," Singh said in the state energy ministers conference chaired by him this morning in his opening remarks. "This (huge import of power equipment) is something we cannot tolerate that a country will transgress into our territory....We will not take anything from China and Pakistan," Singh said in his opening remarks. He further said, "we will not give permission for import from Prior Reference countries. We are affected. There could be malware or trojan horse in those (imports from China) which they can activate remotely (to cripple our power systems)." Prior reference counties share land borders with us, he said. Singh further said that it is a pity that tower elements, conductors, transformers and parts of meters are imported, which are manufactured and available here. Giving a piece of advice to state energy ministers, Singh stated, "your discoms order equipment from Chinese companies. We request you not to order from Chinese companies." He stressed that under the Atamnirbhar Bharat mission India will not import any equipment from China which is available here and will go for inspection of imported equipment. Under inspection, the government can deny import of equipment. The minister also announced about a new scheme for funding discoms which would subsume three schemes-UDAY, DDUGJY and IPDS. Under the new schemes states would have to give a plan for reducing losses of discoms. The Minister said funds under the scheme would not be released as loan or grants to those discoms which would not adhere to loss reduction trajectory. The Union Ministers assertions assume significance against the backdrop of border standoff between India and China in Ladakh that also saw the death of 20 Indian Army personnel last month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Leh and Ladakh on Friday morning and was briefed by senior officers in Nimmoo amid ongoing tensions with China. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. The PM reached Nimmoo early morning today and interacted with Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel. Located at 11,000 feet, this is among the tough terrains, surrounded by Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. Sources had earlier informed about CDS Rawat`s visit to Leh today. All eyes were on General Rawat`s visit since it came in the wake of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh`s visit to Ladakh being rescheduled. The Defence Minister was earlier scheduled to visit Ladakh today to review the preparedness of the army amid the ongoing standoff with China. The situation at the India-China border remains tense after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in the Galwan valley on June 15-16 when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. India and China have been involved in talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month. New Delhi: In response to China's increased deployment of troops along Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian Army has also deployed another division in Ladakh amid border row with China. A total of four divisions have now been deployed in the East Ladakh following the violent faceoff in the Galwan Valley on June 15. Prior to May, there was only one division of the Indian Army stationed in this area. In the changed scenario, the Indian Army is making its largest military deployment in Ladakh. Notably, a division comprises 15 to 20 thousand soldiers. According to sources, the new division, which was moved from Uttar Pradesh, will remain stationed in eastern Ladakh. Along with it, the artillery of this division will also reach Ladakh. The development has come in the wake of China's increased deployment of its troops across the LAC because the Indian Army does not want to leave any part of the LAC vulnerable. Ladakh has an 856-km border with China, starting from Karakoram Pass to Chumur in South Ladakh. From Karakoram Pass to Daulat Beg Oldi, Depsang plain, Galwan Valley, Pangong Lake, Demchouk, Koil, and Chumur, there is a possibility of infiltration from the Chinese side on the LAC. Earlier in May, two mountain divisions from Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh were deployed in Ladakh region soon after the border tensions began. The soldiers of these two divisions have been well-acclimatized in eastern Ladakh and then stationed at different important places. Notably, Sino-India tensions along LAC in Ladakh have not subsided even after two months, and reports came that China is further enhancing its troops, tanks and armored vehicles in the region. The Indian Army, therefore, decided to increase the number of soldiers in the border areas. Prior to May, an army division stationed near Leh used to monitor the entire area from Siachen to Chumur. The Leh-based 14th Corps keeps an eye on the border area of both Pakistan and China. The 8th division has the responsibility to secure the border areas of Kargil and Dras on Pakistan sie, while the 3rd division keeps vigil on the border touching China. Washington DC: Indian Ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Thursday said that he had held several meetings with Kelvin Droegmeier, Director, Office of Science and Tech Policy, and Scott Pace, Executive Secretary, National Space Council this week to discuss India-US collaboration in science and space. "Engrossing conversations this week w/ Kelvin Droegmeier, Director, Office of Science & Tech Policy, & Scott Pace, Executive Secretary, Natl Space Council on collaborations btw India & US in science & space. The knowledge partnership between our democracies will define our future," Sandhu tweeted. Engrossing conversations this week w/ Kelvin Droegmeier, Director, Office of Science & Tech Policy, & Scott Pace, Executive Secretary, Natl Space Council on collaborations btw India & US in science & space. The knowledge partnership between our democracies will define our future. Taranjit Singh Sandhu (@SandhuTaranjitS) July 2, 2020 Earlier today, US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun and Sandhu inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi statue at a park in Washington DC, which was vandalised on June 3 during the George Floyd protests. The Centre on Friday asked the Supreme Court for the closure of judicial proceedings against the two Italian marines' accused of killing two Indian fishermen, off the Kerala coast, saying that it has accepted the recent ruling of the international tribunal. It said that it has accepted the Arbitral Tribunal's award United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which held that India is entitled to get compensation in the case but the trial of the marines will take place in Italy. The central government has told the court that there can be no appeal after the decision of the UNLOS and it is binding as per international arbitration rules. In 2017, the top court had asked the government to put the UNCLOS decision on the record. The central government while filing its decision said that the court should settle the case. Earlier, the apex court allowed both marines to go to Italy on several conditions. The Centre sought disposal of the Italian Marines case pending for last eight years as on February 15, 2012, two Indian fishermen were killed off the coast of Kerala, India, aboard the St. Antony in India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). India alleged that the two Italian marines--Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre-- aboard the Italian-flagged commercial oil tanker MV Enrica Lexie killed the fishermen. Latorre, who had suffered a brain stroke on August 31, 2014, was first granted bail and allowed by the apex court on September 12, 2014, to go to Italy for four months and after that, extensions for his stay have been granted to him. In Italy, Latorre had to undergo a heart surgery after which the top court had granted him an extension of his stay in his native country. On September 28, 2016, the apex court had allowed Latorre to remain in his country till the international arbitral tribunal decided the jurisdictional issue. On May 26, 2016, Girone was also granted bail with conditions and allowed by the top court to go to his country till the jurisdictional issue was decided. NEW DELHI: Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Friday evening informed that the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE-Mains) will be conducted from September 1 to 6. The Minister, however, said that the JEE-Advanced examination has been postponed to September 27 in view of the COVID-19 situation in the country. Keeping in mind the safety of students and to ensure quality education, we've decided to postpone JEE and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examinations. JEE Main exam will be held between 1st-6th Sept, JEE advanced exam will be held on 27th Sept and NEET exam will be held on 13th September, the Union HRD Minister said in a tweet. Keeping in mind the safety of students and to ensure quality education we have decided to postpone #JEE & #NEET examinations. JEE Main examination will be held between 1st-6th Sept, JEE advanced exam will be held on 27th Sept & NEET examination will be held on 13th Sept. pic.twitter.com/klTjtBxvuw Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) July 3, 2020 Pokhriyal had on Thursday constituted a panel to review the COVID-19 situation across the country for conducting the NEET and JEE examinations at the earliest. The HRD Minister also directed the National Testing Agency & other experts to submit a review report by Friday. The Union Minister said in a video message, shared through his official Twitter account, that they are looking into the ground situation. I have been getting a lot of requests from NEET and JEE aspirants over email and on my social media asking the ministry to postpone the exams, he said. It may be noted that due to the health risk, educational activities and all major entrance examinations had been pushed to either a later date or the dates are yet to be announced. NEET is a medical entrance exam that was to be conducted on July 26 while JEE - an engineering entrance exam - was to be conducted from 18-23 July. Tens of thousands of students take the tests that the National Testing Agency conducts. Parents have raised concerns over the increasing pressure on the students, without any solid statement by the authorities. A group of parents has also written to National Testing Agency (NTA) urging them to conduct exams as per schedule. In the letter, parents have urged the NTA to conduct the exams as per schedule as the students have been preparing for over two years for the entrance exams. After the cancellation of the CBSE examinations of the 10th and 12 standards, the Union Human Resource Development authorities have urged the NTA to re-look into the academic calendar of JEE and NEET. As per the latest data, there have been a total of 6, 04,641 Covid-19 cases in the country out of which 2, 26,947 are currently active. More than 9 million samples have so far been tested for coronavirus. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-02 23:55:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday launched an initiative to preserve nature by protecting and promoting 15 national parks in an effort to increase the country's forest cover. The prime minister inaugurated the Protected Areas Initiative which is part of his government's Green Stimulus vision launched earlier this year to increase forest cover and create jobs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "The government will protect, govern and manage 15 national parks ecologically," said Khan, adding that out of these national parks nine will be new while six others were announced previously but were never protected. He told the launching ceremony that the initiative will benefit future generations and almost 5,000 direct jobs will be generated related to these parks in the initial phase. According to the prime minister, the national parks will be opened for the public once the government has finalized the guidelines for tourists. Advisor to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said one of the purposes of the project is to rebuild the pandemic-hit economy and stimulate sustainable green growth. Enditem New Delhi: The Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) is most likely to release the MP Board class 10 and class 12 results 2020 in the first week of July. The results will be released online on the websites mpbse.nic.in and mpresults.nic.in. Students can check the class 10 and class 12 Board results 2020 online: Step 1: Visit the official website at mpbse.nic.in or mpresults.nic.in. Step 2: Enter all details asked such as roll number. Step 3: You will be directed to a new page where you will find the subject-wise results Step 4: Download your result, take a print-out for a future reference. Over 11.5 lakh students appeared in the class 10 exam in 2020 while around 8.5 lakh students took the class 12 exams, which couldn't be completed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pending board papers, which the board anounced earlier would be completed, has been completed due to rising number of coronavirus pandemic. Notably, Madhya Pradesh government has decided to announce the result without conducting the pending board exams. The pending exams got cancelled due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to curb the spread of coronavirus in India. New Delhi: Over five lakh Indians have so far returned home from 137 countries after the government launched the "Vande Bharat" evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday. The ministry said, "Considering that the initial target to bring stranded Indians with compelling reasons was only 2 lakh, this is a significant achievement." The MEA spokesperson, Anurag Srivastava, also tweeted, "A record 5 lakh+ stranded Indians have returned safely to India till date, under the #VandeBharatMission, a massive operation which is being carried out with the active support & cooperation of Indian Missions abroad, @MoCA_GoI, MHA, @MoHFW_INDIA and state governments." A record 5 lakh+ stranded Indians have returned safely to India till date, under the #VandeBharatMission, a massive operation which is being carried out with the active support & cooperation of Indian Missions abroad, @MoCA_GoI, MHA, @MoHFW_INDIA and State Governments. pic.twitter.com/cOUhFYXxAX Anurag Srivastava (@MEAIndia) July 3, 2020 Notably, Vande Bharat mission's first phase was launched from May 7 to 15, while the second phase of the mission was scheduled from May 17 to 22, but it was extended till June 10. The third phase of the exercise, however, was scheduled from June 11 to July 2. Under this evacuation policy, Indians having "compelling reasons" to return like pregnant women, elderly people, students and those facing the prospect of deportation were being brought back home amid COVID-19 pandemic situation. According to the MEA statement, a total of 5,03,990 stranded Indians from 137 countries have returned to India after the commencement of the mega evacuation mission. Kerala received a maximum of 94,085 stranded Indians, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, it said. "The largest number of stranded Indians returned by Vande Bharat Mission flights are from UAE (57,305), followed by Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the US and from Nepal (91,193) have returned through land border check posts," the MEA is quoted as saying by PTI. The statement further said that the evacuation mission involved 860 Air India flights, 1,256 chartered flights and eight naval ships. Out of the total returnees, 95,220 came back through land border check-posts from neighbouring countries, it added. NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday said that more than two crore N95 masks and over 1 crore PPEs have been distributed free of cost by the Centre to the states, since April 1. "Since April 1, 2020, Centre has distributed more than 2.02 crore N95 masks and more than 1.18 crore PPE kits to states/UTs/central institutions, free of cost. Also, more than 6.12 crore HCQ tablets have been distributed to them," the Union Health Ministry disclosed this in a press release. The ministry said, "In addition, so far, 11,300 `Make in India` ventilators have been dispatched to various states/UTs/central institutions, out of which 6,154 ventilators stand already delivered to various hospitals. The Government of India is also ensuring its installation/commissioning. MoHFW is also supplying 1.02 lakh oxygen cylinders to states/UTs, out of which 72,293 have been delivered to strengthen oxygen beds there. "Till now, 7.81 lakh PPEs and 12.76 lakh N95 masks have been supplied in Delhi, 11.78 lakh PPEs and 20.64 N95 masks in Maharashtra, and 5.39 lakh PPEs and 9.81 lakh N95 masks in Tamil Nadu by the Health Ministry. India reported the highest ever single-day spike of 20,903 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours on Friday, according to the ministry. With these new cases, India`s coronavirus tally has risen to 6,25,544 cases out of which 2,27,439 patients are active cases while 3,79,892 patients have been cured/discharged/migrated. As many as 379 more deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in the country in the last 24 hours, taking the number of fatalities due to the infection to 18,213. New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday lauded the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ladakh and said the tour will boost the morale of "our valorous soldiers". Modi's visit to Ladakh came amidst the ongoing stand-off between the Indian Army and China's PLA (People's Liberation Army) in the forward areas of the high altitude region. Tensions had escalated between the two countries after 20 Indian Army personnel were killed in a fierce clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh last month. "Leading from the front. Prime Minister Shri @NarendraModi Ji with our brave and courageous personnel of Army, Air Force & ITBP at a forward location in Ladakh. "This visit of honourable PM will surely boost the morale of our valorous soldiers," he tweeted along with multiple pictures of Modi with the soldiers. Shah also used the hashtag '#ModiInLeh' in his Twitter post. The prime minister on Friday reached Leh where he interacted with personnel of the Army, Air Force and ITBP. Modi, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, reached Leh around 9.30 am and then proceeded to Nimu post, sources said. Modi was also briefed by senior Army officers, they said. Located at 11,000 feet, Nimu is among the toughest terrains on the banks of river Indus and is surrounded by the Zanskar range. Mumbai: Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s visit to Leh, Ladakh is important and it sends a good message of solidarity to the troops. The senior Shiv Sena MP took to Twitter and tweeted, PM Modi`s visit to Leh is important and sends a good message of solidarity with the troops especially after his comments on June 19th. If he was criticised for that, he must be acknowledged for this." PM Modis visit to Leh is important and sends a good message of solidarity with the troops especially after his comments on June 19th. If he was criticised for that, he must be acknowledged for this. Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) July 3, 2020 Chaturvedis tweet came shortly after the Prime Minister made a surprise visit to Leh and Ladakh on Friday morning and was briefed by senior officers in Nimmoo amid ongoing tensions with China. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. The PM reached Nimmoo early morning today and interacted with Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel. Located at 11,000 feet, this is among the tough terrains, surrounded by Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. Sources had earlier informed about CDS Rawat`s visit to Leh today. All eyes were on General Rawat`s visit since it came in the wake of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh`s visit to Ladakh being rescheduled. The Defence Minister was earlier scheduled to visit Ladakh today to review the preparedness of the army amid the ongoing standoff with China. The situation at the India-China border remains tense after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in the Galwan valley on June 15-16 when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. India and China have been involved in talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to Ladakh on Friday (July 3) is seen as a strong message against China's aggressive posturing along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the region following the violent faceoff between India-China troops on June 15 night in the Galwan Vally. The Prime Minister also gave a clear message to China that the era of expansionism is over and "This is the age of development. If someone becomes stubborn for expansionism, then it creates danger for world peace. History is witness that such forces have either been eliminated or forced to turn back." Other connotations of his surprise visit to Ladakh are: The Prime Minister has given a very strong message to China that India is very serious about this border dispute and it will neither take it lightly nor bow down to China. Secondly, Prime Minister Modi has also shown that he is confident of India's victory. When a towering leader is confident of his victory, then only he takes such a big step. It can also be said that the Prime Minister has made the fight against China his individual battle, the reason, he himself visited the front and stood with the Indian Army. The third meaning of PM Modi's move can be understood as increasing psychological pressure on China and its People's Liberation Army (PLA). The Prime Minister belongs to that crop leadership who gives the highest regards to soldiers and always appreciates their martyrdom and valour. Whereas Chinese President Xi Jinping is notorious for not honouring their soldiers. China has lied on the death of his soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley and this has apparently broken the morale of the Chinese army. Prime Minister Modi's meeting with Indian soldiers in Ladakh will no doubt further hurt the morale of the PLA, besides giving a jolt to China. This may increase the difficulties of Xi Jinping who would have to face the wrath of Chinese soldiers. On the contrary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to soldiers will be recorded in the pages of history, because it is not a common incident for any head of the state to stand on the border and warn a country like China. No other global leader could have done this. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech also conveyed three key points. 1. PM Modi reminded China of India's identity citing Lord Krishna and said "We are the same people who pray to the flute-playing Lord Krishna, but we are also those who idolise and pray to the same Lord Krishna who carries the 'Sudarshana Chakra'. You must recall the context of Shishupala and Krishna, wherein, Lord Krishna tolerated 100 crimes of Shishupala, but when he crossed his limits, Sudarshan Chakra killed him. 2. Secondly, the Prime Minister also extolled bravery saying that "peace comes only with valour. A weak person can never initiate peace." In a subtle way, he also gave a message to the world that China cannot be fought with fear. 3. Thirdly, the Prime Minister directly challenged China's expansionist policy, adding "The era of expansionism has ended. This is the age of development. If someone becomes stubborn for expansionism, then it creates danger for world peace. History is witness that such forces have either been eliminated or forced to turn back. The entire world has made up its mind against expansionism." In his half an hour speech, the prime minister also said that in the last few years, several steps have been taken for the wellbeing of India's armed forces and to further strengthen India's security preparedness. China, however, responded to PM Modi's speech in Ladakh, wherein he stated that the "age of expansionism is over", and said that it is "groundless" to view the country as "expansionist". Chinese Embassy spokesperson in India tweeted, "China has demarcated boundary with 12 of its 14 neighbouring countries through peaceful negotiations, turning land borders into bonds of friendly cooperation. It`s groundless to view China as "expansionist", exaggerate & fabricate its disputes with neighbours." Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday lauded the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ladakh, adding that it will boost the morale of the soldiers. PM Modi visited Nimmoo, Ladakh amidst the ongoing border tension between the Indian Army and China's PLA (People's Liberation Army) along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Shah said, "Leading from the front. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji with our brave and courageous personnel of Army, Air Force & ITBP at a forward location in Ladakh. This visit of honourable PM will surely boost the morale of our valorous soldiers." Leading from the front. Prime Minister Shri @NarendraModi Ji with our brave and courageous personnel of Army, Air Force & ITBP at a forward location in Ladakh. This visit of honourable PM will surely boost the morale of our valorous soldiers. #ModiInLeh pic.twitter.com/UCvqyXdwtu Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 3, 2020 PM Modi paid tributes to the 20 Indian soldiers who laid their lives during the Galwan Valley clashes on the midnight of June 15-16 and said that their bravery gave a strong message to the whole world. The bravery that you and your compatriots showed, a message has gone to the world about Indias strength. I once again pay my tributes to the brave soldiers martyred in the Galwan Valley clashes, PM Modi said while addressing the soldiers in Nimmoo. Tensions had escalated between the two countries after 20 Indian Army personnel were killed in a fierce clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June. Praising the valour of the Indian armed forces, the Prime Minister said, The bravery of 14 Corps will be talked about everywhere. Tales of your bravery and valour are echoing in every house in the country. He stated that the enemies of 'Bharat Mata' have seen your fire and fury. Hardening his stance, the PM said, We are the same people who pray to the flute playing Lord Krishna but we are also the same people who idolise and follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the 'Sudarshana Chakra'. In a strong warning to China, the PM said, ''Age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development. History is witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back. Coming down heavily on China for not respecting India peace overtures, the PM said, "Those who are weak can never initiate peace, bravery is a pre-requisite for peace." Through his speech, the PM reminded, "Be it World Wars or peace, whenever the need arises, the world has seen the victory of our braves and their efforts towards peace. We have worked for the betterment of humanity." Assuring the Indian soldiers that the entire country is with them, the PM said, ''We have increased expenditure on development on infrastructure in the border area by three times.'' "I am looking at women soldiers in front of me. In the battlefield at the border, this view is inspiring...Today I speak of your glory," PM Modi said. PM Modi's Leh visit has irked China, which said that 'no side should escalate the situation'. "India and China are in communication and negotiations on lowering the temperatures through military and diplomatic channels. No party should engage in any action that may escalate the situation at this point," news agency ANI quoted Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. The PM reached Nimmoo early morning and interacted with Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel. Located at 11,000 feet, this is among the tough terrains, surrounded by Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. Sources had earlier informed about CDS Rawat`s visit to Leh today. All eyes were on General Rawat`s visit since it came in the wake of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh`s visit to Ladakh being rescheduled. The Defence Minister was earlier scheduled to visit Ladakh today to review the preparedness of the army amid the ongoing standoff with China. The situation at the India-China border remains tense after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent face-off in the Galwan valley on June 15-16 when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation. The Chinese side has not yet revealed the number of casualties on its side. It was the first casualties faced by the Indian Army in a clash with the Chinese People`s Liberation Army since 1975 when an Indian patrol was ambushed by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Leh, the capital of Ladakh, with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Friday (July 3, 2020). There he interacted with the soldiers of the Army, Air Force and ITBP. PM Modi landed in Leh at 8.15 am on Friday morning after which he met Army officers at Nimo. The Prime Minister, CDS Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane were briefed by 14 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Harinder Singh on the current situation at the LAC at Nimo which is almost 35 kilometres from Leh. The place is situated at the confluence of Zanskar and Indus rivers. The Line of Actual Control between India and China in Ladakh has been witnessing a prolonged face-off between the armies of the two countries and PM Modi and General Rawat's visit assumes great significance. Tensions escalated at the India-China border after reports of a violent face-off at Galwan valley on June 15 when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo. As many as 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in the skirmish while more than 40 Chinese soldiers lost their lives. India and China have been involved in talks to ease the ongoing border tensions since last month. New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a veiled swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (July 3) over Chinese intrusions at the Lnie of Actual Control (LAC), saying while Ladakhis claim that China has taken their land, the Prime Minister says otherwise. The former Congress President added that 'someone is lying'. "Ladakhis say: China took our land. PM says: Nobody took our land. Obviously, someone is lying," he wrote on a Twitter. Gandhi also shared the voices of some Ladakhis in a video alleging that the Chinese have occupied Indian territory in Ladakh. Rahul's latest salvo on the LAC border standoff came at a time when PM Modi visited Nimu, a forward location in Leh on Friday to interact with the personnel of the Army, Air Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). PM Modi was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat as he arrived in Leh at around 9.30 am. Modi was briefed on the Ladakh situation by senior Army officers. Rahul Gandhi had earlier accused the Prime Minister of 'surrendering' Indian land to China and 'lying' on the border standoff issue. Lucknow: A day after being arrested, the station house officer (SHO) who allegedly masturbated in front of a woman and her daughter when they went to the police station to lodge a complaint has been terminated from service by the Uttar Pradesh police, a senior official said on Thursday. "The Police Inspector who indulged in perverted behaviour in front of a female complainant inside a police station in Deoria has been terminated from service. There will be zero tolerance towards anyone violating the dignity of women. No one is above law," Additional Director General (ADG), Law and Order, Prashant Kumar said. An FIR was registered against Inspector Bhism Pal Singh and he was arrested on Wednesday, Deoria Superintendent of Police Shripati Mishra said. Inspector Singh was absconding since Tuesday and a reward of Rs 25,000 was declared for his arrest. Singh, who was Bhatni Police Station (Deoria) SHO, was caught masturbating in his office on June 22 when the woman and her daughter visited him with a complaint related to a land dispute, police said. The SHO was already suspended for alleged dereliction of duty in another case related to his posting at Salempur and was attached to the police line. A video of the SHO's vulgar act, recorded by the woman's daughter, went viral on Tuesday, leading to the demand for strong action against him. An FIR was registered against the police inspector at the same police station after the video surfaced. He has been booked under the charges of voyeurism, outraging the modesty of a woman, and public servant disobeying law, the Deoria SP had said. "Singh indulged in vulgar acts while talking about the land dispute. The woman's daughter made a video and showed it to other members of her family," the complaint filed against him said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 00:42:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on May 2, 2020 shows the Ubungo interchange under construction in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. (Xinhua) The World Bank has categorized Tanzania as a lower-middle income country after the country made economic reforms, including making consistent plans and taking hard decisions aimed at improving its economic development. DAR ES SALAAM, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has categorized Tanzania as a lower-middle income country after the country made economic reforms, including making consistent plans and taking hard decisions aimed at improving its economic development, a senior official said on Thursday. "Discipline in financial expenditure and the prevailing peace and tranquility also helped the country to earn the middle income status from the World Bank," Hassan Abbasi, the chief government spokesperson told a news conference in the capital Dodoma. Abbasi spoke after the World Bank on Wednesday declared Tanzania a middle income country, a goal that has been achieved five years ahead of the country's schedule. Tanzania had planned to gain the middle income status in 2025. Abbasi said other values that made the east African nation to earn the middle income status included the reinforcement of the leadership ethics, the implementation of flagship projects and investment in human development. Responding to the World Bank's announcement, President John Magufuli tweeted on Wednesday commending his fellow Tanzanians for the achievement. "We had envisaged achieving this status by 2025 but with strong determination this has been possible in 2020," Magufuli wrote in the tweet. Tanzania last year recorded an economic growth of seven percent, making the country one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. Tanzania is the second largest economy in East Africa and becomes the second East African Community member state to achieve the middle-income status after Kenya. New Delhi: Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) on Friday (July 3) held a meeting with NITI AYOG CEO Amitabh Kant to discuss issues related to Tourism and Airline amid COVID-19 crisis. The major issues highlighted were: 1. Airline Refunds 2. Challenges faced to retain employees, their salaries and avoid unemployment in the sector. 3. Moratoriums and reliefs to trade due to COVID-19 lockdown and loss of business. 4. Allowing accredited travel agents to book Vande Bharat flights for Air India and also informing foreign carriers undertaking such flights to permit the same. 5. Revival challenges and long term facilitation for the trade with airlines. 6. Protection of the Agents from Airline defaults and suspension of services. 7. Direction from government to the Airlines on remuneration for promoting the airlines. 8. Direction seeking Travel Agent Corp Credit Cards to be used for airline ticketing. 9. Reduction of Credit Card merchant fees by banks to below 0.75% so as to promote Digital India for Aviation, Travel, Tourism and Hospitality sector as a whole. Srinagar: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was martyred and a terrorist killed on Thursday (June 2) night during an encounter that stretched well past night at Malbagh Area on the outskirts of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. The soldier, who had received bullet injured, succumbed to his injuries. This was the third encounter in Srinagar in the last 45 days. The forces identified the slain terrorist as Zahid Ahmad Dass, resident of Waghama, Anantnag. He was involved in an attack on CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police at Bijbehara, Anantnag on June 26 this year. A CRPF personnel was martyred and a six-year-old child was killed in the attack. On June 30, Zahid Dass along with two other terrorists was cornered in Anantnag, but he managed to escape from the spot. The other two terrorists were killed by the forces. Police said that Special Operation Group and the CRPF had launched a joint security operation last night in Malbagh area of Srinagar. A CRPF jawan was killed in the line of duty during the encounter. The Jammu and Kashmir Police had yesterday confirmed the exchange of fire between terrorists and security forces in the area and tweeted, "Encounter has started at Malbagh area of Srinagar. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow." A police officer said as joint team cordoned the suspected spot, the hiding terrorists fired upon them. The fire was retaliated by the joint team, triggered off an encounter. Sources had said that 1-2 terrorists were hiding in the area when the encounter took place. Kanpur: At least eight policemen including senior police officer of the rank of deputy superintendent of police and four constables were shot dead in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur during a police raid to nab noted history-sheeter Vikas Dubey's house on July 2 late night. Teams from three police stations had gone to Bithoor's Dikru village in Chaubepur police station area in search of Vikas Dubey, who has 60 cases registered against him. A raid was planned at his village after he was accused in a fresh attempt to murder case. Who is Vikas Dubey? According to reports, Vikas Dubey has a long history of crime including an alleged role in the murder of BJP politician and state minister Santosh Shukla in the area in 2001. He, however, was acquitted in the case due to lack of enough evidence against him. In 2000, he was named in the murder of Siddheshwar Pandey, an Assistant Manager of Tarachand Inter College in Shivali police station area of Kanpur. He is said to have conspired wihtin a jail the murder of Rambabu Yadav, the same year. He is accused of the murder of cable businessman Dinesh Dubey in the year 2004. In 2018, he carried out a deadly attack on his cousin Anurag and had plotted the entire plan from within the premises of Mati jail. Anurag's wife had named four people including Vikas Dubey in the attack. While he was lodged in the jail, he won the Shivrajpur Nagar Panchayat election. Amidst the confrontation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and India working towards rethinking its China policy, intelligentsia and academia came together to discuss the policy options for India to rethink its One China Policy with a focus on Tibet. Dozens of intellectuals came together at one platform to brainstorm on the same in a talk organised by the Usanas foundation on "Rethinking India's 'One China Policy: Tragedy of Tibet". The esteemed list of speakers included Former Special Secretary, Government of India, Krishan Varma; Prof. Srikanth Kondapalli from Centre for East Asia Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Senior Fellow, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Abhijeet Iyer-Mitra; and Tibetan Activist and Writer Tenzin Tsundue. Beginning the talk, Srikanth Kondapalli said that the policy was initiated between December 1949 and April 1950. However, it was only related to Taiwan in the initial period, as the Communist Party won the civil war and the Kuomintang was pushed back to Taiwan. India had an embassy in Chongqing in the Republic of China. We also had Consul Generals in Lhasa, Xinjiang, and other areas. Within two years, the Communist Party won the war and we had to switch over from diplomatic relations with ROC (Republic of China) to PRC (Peoples Republic of China). With the advent of the PRC, the Communist party started setting up a different kitchen. All the diplomatic missions and relations were abolished and new relations were established. Unfortunately, India was among the first nations to use this world One China and recognise China, along with Burma and Pakistan. India simply stated that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. In about four years, we also had the Panchseel Principle sign and we started to have a nuanced position that Tibet - we began to consider it as Chinas part in trade perspective. Every joint statement reiterated that position till the 2010 joint statement. We started deviating a bit from it after staple visas were issued to Kashmiris and Arunachalis. Talking about possible solutions, he suggested three policy options. He first argued that it is also a matter of power when we talk about reciprocity. We need to learn from North Korea, which is a 50 Billion GDP nation that brought an 18 Trillion+ GDP nation - the USA to Singapore, largely on its own terms. We should start seeking reciprocity from China based on the deliverance of recognising the One India Policy. Secondly, he said that in conjunction with the Tibetans, Taiwanese, Uighurs, and others, we also need to coordinate activities. Third, many countries have signed One China Policy - around 200 odd countries except for 15 or so However, none of these got a reciprocal arrangement from China. India has to seek reciprocity with China as well as work together with all those countries. Krishan Varma began by highlighting that China said it is time to rephrase the One China Policy, highlighting the importance of practicality, he said that look at the way Chinese have done to annex neighbouring areas. It is not easy to roll back. Even in the current context, are we going to allow them to run away from what they have done in the South China sea? They have thrown away all the international norms. Are we legitimising everything that China has annexed? India needs to have a new One Tibet policy, a new Taiwan policy, a new Xinjiang policy, and even a New Mongolia policy. Abhijit Iyer Mitra began by putting forward two major points. He said that the first issue is the serial blunders that we did in recognising Tibet as a part of China. Second is the internal point of view regarding Tibet. What you will see in Tibet is the kind of an air of error everywhere. You can see people with machine guns and security scanning everywhere by the communist country - who are very good at wiping out the native culture. What is amazing about Tibet is that despite all the brutality, it has continued to preserve its culture, unlike other Central Asian countries. Talking about the strategic importance of Tibet, he said that as we move from a ground centric combat paradigm to an air centric warfare paradigm, Tibet becomes a huge liability for us. These are interception points. We have to adjust a whole set of things. Fighting Tibet on the ground is a nightmare, and fighting in the air is a dream. Tenzin Tsundue talked about global alliances fighting against China and said that there is an entire alliance of people fighting to get freedom from China including East Turkestan, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Tibet, Manchuria, etc. this is a growing movement. Three years ago, we had a conference in Dharamshala where Dolkun Isa - Uighur leader was denied a visa in India. What kind of diplomacy is this? If you are willing, freedom will happen. Freedom firstly needs to happen here. He also asked the participants to ponder on the quote of Aurobindo Ghosh, India can be free and India must be free. He also quoted Rabindranath Tagores quote - Where the mind is without fear in to that heaven of freedom.. For Tibetan people, freedom is always a matter of political decision and that will happen at some point of time, inevitably. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday praised the soldiers injured in the violent face off with Chinese troops in Ladakh's Galwan Valley in June saying that they gave a befitting reply. "The bravehearts who left us, have not gone without a reason. Together, you all also gave a befitting reply (karara jawab bhi diya hai)," he told the injured soldiers. Interacting with the injured personnel at an Army hospital in Leh, he said that 130 crore Indians are proud of them. The prime minister said their bravery is inspiring the new generation and will be a source of inspiration for times to come. "Today the whole world is analysing your work. Today I'm taking with me an inspiration from here. We have never bowed before anyone in the world and neither will we ever bow down. I bow to your brave mothers (who have given birth to brave warriors like you)," said PM Modi. PM Modi warned China saying the ''age of expansionism is over'' as he heaped praise on the Indian soldiers for their indomitable bravery in the Galwan Valley clashes in eastern Ladakh recently. ''Age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development. History is witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back,'' the PM said in a strong warning to China. Coming down heavily on China for not respecting India peace overtures, the PM said, "Those who are weak can never initiate peace, bravery is a pre-requisite for peace." PM Modi also paid tributes to the 20 Indian soldiers who laid their lives during the Galwan Valley clashes on the midnight of June 15-16 and said that their bravery gave a strong message to the whole world. The bravery that you and your compatriots showed, a message has gone to the world about Indias strength. I once again pay my tributes to the brave soldiers martyred in the Galwan Valley clashes, PM Modi said while addressing the soldiers in Nimmoo, Ladakh. Praising the valour of the Indian armed forces, the Prime Minister said, The bravery of 14 Corps will be talked about everywhere. Tales of your bravery and valour are echoing in every house in the country. He stated that the enemies of 'Bharat Mata' have seen your fire and fury. Hardening his stance, the PM said, We are the same people who pray to the flute playing Lord Krishna but we are also the same people who idolise and follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the 'Sudarshana Chakra'. New Delhi: Markets ended in green on Thursday. Sensex settled 429.25 points, or 1.21 per cent, higher at 35,843.70. The NSE Nifty surged 121.65 points, or 1.17 per cent, to close at 10,551.70. Here are stocks in focus on July 3, 2020 Motherson Sumi Auto components major Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd (MSSL) on Thursday announced a group restructuring under which it will demerge its domestic wiring harness (DWH) business into a new company that will eventually be listed. The reorganisation has been approved by the respective boards of MSSL and group firm Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd (SAMIL). HDFC Life Insurance Company Bellwether stock index NSE Nifty50 will exclude natural resources major Vedanta from July 31. The Index Maintenance Sub-Committee (IMSC) of the NSE decided to make the change as Vedanta has proposed a voluntary delisting. In its place, HDFC Life Insurance Company will be included in the index from July 31. Axis Bank Axis Bank on Thursday said it has received board of director's approval for raising funds up to Rs 15,000 crore though issuance of various securities. In a regulatory filing Axis Bank said the board at its meeting held on Thursday has approved the proposal relating to raising of funds not exceeding Rs 15,000 crore. PI Industries PI Industries has opened its qualified institutional placement (QIP) issue July 2, 2020. The floor price is fixed at Rs 1534.24 per share. The company may offer a discount of not more than 5% on the floor price so calculated for the Issue. The company wants to raise around Rs 2,000 crores through the QIP. JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals KKR & Co. Inc. will acquire about 54% stake in the drug manufacturer JB Chemicals and Pharma. KKR has agreed to buy 41.7 million equity shares of the Mumbai-based pharma company. New Delhi: Legendary Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan succumbed to cardiac arrest on the wee hours of Friday, at 2 am on July 3, 2020. She was admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra, Mumbai, since June 20 after complaining of chest pain. Saroj Khan had an illustrious movie career spanning four decades with over 200 movies to her credit. She started off at a young age of 3 as a child artist and later became a background dancer. She established herself as an independent choreographer with 1974 release 'Geeta Mera Naam' but it was only many years later in movies with Sridevi that she got recognition. Masterji choreographed super hit songs for the late legendary actress Sridevi in movies such as Hawa Hawai in Mr India, Nagina, Chandni and many more. Her camaraderie and collaboration with superstar Madhuri Dixit delivered sure shot success. Blockbuster songs like 'Ek Do Teen' in Tezaab, Tamma Tamma Loge in Thanedaar and Dhak Dhak Karne Laga in Beta are a few milestones in her career which helped her emerge as the numero uno choreographer in Bollywood. She received several awards and accolades in her long and shining career. Take a look: National Film Awards 2003 - Devdas, Dola Re Dola song 2006 - Sringaram (all songs) 2008 - Jab We Met, Yeh Ishq Haaye song She holds the maximum number of National Film Award in Best Choreography category in Bollywood as of now. Filmfare Awards 2008 Guru 2003 Devdas 2000 Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam 1994 Khalnayak 1993 Beta 1991 Sailaab for the song "Humko Aaj Kal Hai Intezaar" 1990 Chaalbaaz 1989 Tezaab Saroj Khan holds the record of maximum Filmfare award in Best Choreographer category with 8 trophies. Incidentally, she was the first person to get 'Best Choreography' award as the award category was started after her immensely popular song 'Ek Do Teen' from 'Tezaab'. Nandi Awards 1998: Nandi Award for Best Choreographer: Choodalani Vundi American Choreography Award 2002: Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film: Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) Besides these, Saroj Khan has received several accolades and honour in her career for her contribution to the field of performing arts. She also turned judge on various dance-based reality shows. May her soul rest in peace! New Delhi: Bollywood's legendary choreographer Saroj Khan died of cardiac arrest on the wee hours of Friday, July 3, 2020, at around 2 am. She was unwell for past few days and was admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra, Mumbai on June 20. The 71-year-old's burial took place in Malad cemetery on Friday morning. She is survived by daughter Sukaina Khan and son Raju Khan. Her daughter told PTI, We buried her at around 7 am. The prayer meeting will be held after three days. Saroj Khan, lovingly called Masterji by Bollywood celebrities had an illustrious career spanning four decades. Her name is synonymous with brilliant choreography and chartbuster songs in the Hindi movie industry. In fact, it was for her great skills that Filmfare actually introduced the 'Best Choreography' category in awards and she won the first one for 'Tezaab'. Several celebrities, political leaders and fans condoled her demise and called it 'an end of an era' in Bollywood on social media. ALSO READ: Rest in peace, Masterji! With Saroj Khan's demise, an era comes to an end in Bollywood A hard taskmaster and no-nonsense teacher, who gave us some memorable songs with Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit, which again became instrumental in shaping their movie careers including many other actresses as well. She did over 200 movies in her rich filmography and started off at a young age of 3 as a child artist and later became a background dancer. She established herself as an independent choreographer with 1974 release 'Geeta Mera Naam' but it was only many years later in movies with Sridevi that she got recognition. Masterji choreographed super hit songs for the late legendary actress Sridevi in movies such as Hawa Hawai in Mr India, Nagina, Chandni and many more. ALSO READ: When Madhuri Dixit paid a dance tribute to 'guru' Saroj Khan and Bollywood got teary-eyed - Watch Her camaraderie and collaboration with superstar Madhuri Dixit delivered sure shot success. Blockbuster songs like 'Ek Do Teen' in Tezaab, Tamma Tamma Loge in Thanedaar and Dhak Dhak Karne Laga in Beta are a few milestones in her career which helped her emerge as the numero uno choreographer in Bollywood. Masterji was also seen as a judge on several dance-based reality shows such as Nach Baliye, Ustaadon Ka Ustaad, Nachle Ve with Saroj Khan, Boogie Woogie, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa to name a few. Her on-screen and off-screen bonding with Madhuri Dixit resulted in some of the iconic dance moves. Incidentally, her last film 'Kalank' (2019) was with Madhuri for the song 'Tabaah Ho Gaye'. With her loss, an era of dance has come to an end in Bollywood - a void which can never be filled again. May her soul rest in peace! Mumbai: Legendary Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan died early Friday morning at 2 am at Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra, Mumbai after suffering from a cardiac arrest. Her body has been sent to a cemetery near Malad Mith Chowki. She is survived by son Raju and daughter Sukaina Khan. Saroj Khan was hospitalised since June 20, 2020, after she complained of breathing difficulties. She was rushed to Guru Nanak Hospital in Mumbai's Bandra. She had tested negative for coronavirus. Superstar Akshay Kumar expressed his condolences, he said Khan made dance look easy and accessible. "Woke up to the sad news that legendary choreographer #SarojKhan ji is no more. She made dance look easy, almost like anybody can dance, a huge loss for the industry. May her soul rest in peace," Akshay wrote on Twitter. While Suniel Shetty called Saroj Khan a true guru. "You are loved... You are irreplaceable... A true Guru," he wrote. Saroj Khan had worked in over 200 films in Bollywood, her last film was Kalank which released in 2019. Saroj Khan's first film was Mausam in 1975 but she got recognition for the film Tezaab which released in 1983. In a career spanning over four decades, the three-time National Award winner had also choreographed songs such as 'Dola Re Dola' ('Devdas'), 'Ye Ishq Haaye' ('Jab We Met') and tracks from 'Manikarnika' and 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns'. Her last project was also with Madhuri for 'Tabaah Hogaye' from 'Kalank'. New Delhi: Ace Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan died of cardiac arrest in the wee hours of Friday at July 3, 2020. She was admitted to Guru Nanak hospital on June 20 after complaining of chest pain. The veteran choreographer was 71. Saroj Khan, who was lovingly called 'Masterji' and 'Mother of choreography' in Bollywood worked in over 200 films in her illustrious career spanning four decades. Her last Instagram post was on June 14, 2020, when actor Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide. In her long post, Saroj Khan beautifully wrote how she had never worked with him yet always liked him and wished he had spoken to some elder about his troubles. Read it here: Saroj Khan's last movie as a choreographer was Karan Johar's 2019 release 'Kalank'. She choreographed Madhuri Dixit Nene in the song 'Tabaah Ho Gaye'. May her soul rest in peace! Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 03:12:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said on Thursday that 130 Libyans were killed and injured by booby traps in the south of the capital Tripoli over the past five weeks. The 130 casualties, 75 civilians and 55 clearance operators, are all victims of booby traps including IEDs and land mines, according to a UNSMIL statement. "The UN is cautioning against unsafe, spontaneous returns of displaced persons in southern Tripoli," the statement said. Tripoli had witnessed more than a year of deadly armed conflict between the UN-backed government and the east-based army, before the UN-backed government announced takeover of all western Libya after the withdrawal of the east-based army. The UN-backed government accuses the rival east-based army of planting landmines in conflict areas in southern Tripoli before withdrawing. Enditem New Delhi: The most inspiring Guru-Shishya jodi in Bollywood, that of legendary choreographer Saroj Khan and superstar Madhuri Dixit encouraged many youngsters to follow their dreams and dance like no one's watching. On veteran choreographer's demise, Madhuri tweeted and shared feeling 'devastated'. I'm devastated by the loss of my friend and guru, Saroj Khan. Will always be grateful for her work in helping me reach my full potential in dance. The world has lost an amazingly talented person. I will miss you My sincere condolences to the family. #RIPSarojji Madhuri Dixit Nene (@MadhuriDixit) July 3, 2020 Saroj Khan succumbed to a cardiac arrest on the wee hours of July 3, 2020 (Friday). She died around 2 am at Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra, Mumbai. She had been keeping unwell for past few days and was admitted to the hospital on June 20 after she complained of chest pain. Several celebrities mourned her demise on social media and many condolence messages showered. Amongst many, producer Vikas Gupta too extended her condolences to the family. Along with his message, he shared a beautiful video where Madhuri can be seen paying a befitting dance tribute to 'Masterji' aka Saroj Khan. Watch: While Madhuri Dixit danced to the iconic songs choreographed by Saroj Khan, Bollywood got teary-eyed watching the tribute as Masterji was seen enjoying the performance. Madhuri Dixit and Saroj Khan's camaraderie went on to create magic on-screen. Her blockbuster songs like 'Ek Do Teen' in Tezaab, Tamma Tamma Loge in Thanedaar and Dhak Dhak Karne Laga in Beta are a few milestones in her career which helped her emerge as the numero uno choreographer in Bollywood. Saroj Khan had an illustrious movie career spanning four decades with over 200 movies to her credit. She started off at a young age of 3 as a child artist and later became a background dancer. She established herself as an independent choreographer with 1974 release 'Geeta Mera Naam' but it was only many years later in movies with Sridevi that she got recognition. Saroj Khan's last film was 'Kalank' (2019) in which she choreographed a song 'Tabaah Ho Gaye' for Madhuri Dixit. With her loss, an era of dance has come to an end in Bollywood - a void which can never be filled again. May her soul rest in peace! CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has become the second state after Maharashtra to record over 1 lakh corona virus cases. The south Indian state has crossed this grim number at a time when its capital city Chennai and three adjoining districts with high population density are under an intense lockdown since June 19th. The lockdown is in place till July 5th after which partial normalcy would resume with offices and standalone shops allowed to function with limited strength. Fridays health bulletin issued by the state government said that Tamil Nadu had recorded 4329 new cases, taking the total count to 1,02,721. The state has tested 35,028 samples over the last 24 hours and a total of 12,70,720 samples till date. 2357 persons were discharged from hospitals over the last 24 hours and 58,378 persons were discharged in total. The state also recorded 64 deaths, thus taking the total count to 1385. Chennai alone has reported 2082 of Fridays 4329 new cases. It was on June 22nd that Tamil Nadu has surpassed 60,000 cases and in about 10 days the state has added 40,000 new cases to breach the 1 lakh mark. It was on June 3rd that Tamil Nadus total case count had breached the 25,000 mark. This goes on to indicate the rapid spike in cases in the month of June and the same trend continuing, with more daily cases. When India entered its Unlock phase since the start of June with gradual ease of restrictions, by mid-June, Tamil Nadu government had announced its decision to extend lockdown in Chennai and few other districts. It is evident from the daily state government bulletin that the authorities in Tamil Nadu have ramped up testing, tracing and isolation efforts during the lockdown. Last week, Tamil Nadu was the first state in India to have performed over 1 million tests. In recent weeks, Tamil Nadu has been consistently testing over 25,000 samples every day. On many days the state had also recorded above 30,000 tests. For perspective, Tamil Nadu had barely performed a total of 3000 tests as on April 1st. However, in the following months testing was immensely ramped up, thus enabling the state to reach the 1 million mark. In terms of Covid-19 testing facilities, from merely 17 labs at the start of April, there has been a five-fold increase and currently, 91 labs are functional. As per the data from the State health bulletins, 48 of these testing labs are state government facilities while 43 of them are private ones. This high rate of testing has also revealed a good number of cases with the state seeing over 3000 daily cases for over a week and over 4000 daily cases on Thursday and Friday. Such a high rate of testing was made possible due to the way the state government mobilized resources to establish more government testing labs and urged the private sector to also pitch in. Tamil Nadus recovery rate has been on par with the national average, with over 57% patients having recovered. In terms of mortality rate, the state has seen around 1.3% patients losing their battle to the deadly pandemic. A majority of the states cases (over 60%) are from the capital city Chennai and its three adjoining districts of Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu. While the intense lockdown in Chennai and adjoining districts, besides a few southern districts, will be relaxed from July 6th, the challenge for the authorities has only got bigger. New Delhi: Veteran Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan, also known as 'Mother of Dance' in Hindi movie industry breathed her last on the wee hours of Friday, July 3, 2020, at 2 am. She suffered a cardiac arrest and was admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital since June 20 after she complained of chest pain. Saroj Khan or Masterji, in her 4-decade long illustrious career, did over 200 movies, featured on dance reality shows as a judge and mentored many aspiring young dancers. Back in 2012, she also appeared in popular sitcom 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' and entertained her fans. She was seen as a judge of a dance competition on the episode. Here's a picture for you from that episode: Disha Vakani who played the role of Daya and Dilip Joshi as Jethaa Lal performed on the song Julie Julie and was rated as a fantastic entertainer by Saroj Khan. The entire team of 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' expressed their condolences over her demise and extended prayers for her loved ones. Saroj Khan was laid to rest at the Malad Cemetery in Mumbai on July 3, 2020, at 7 am. She is survived by daughter Sukaina Khan and son Raju Khan. A prayer meeting will be held after three days. Bollywood celebs such as Madhuri Dixit, who shared a guru-shishya relationship with Saroj Khan, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and several other stars, political leaders and fans mourned her death on social media, extending condolences to the family. NEW DELHI: Top opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra, Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati on Friday attacked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over Kanpur encounter in which eight cops and two criminals were killed and a dreaded gangster Vikas Dubey escaped. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raised questions about the safety of the common people in Uttar Pradesh after eight policemen were shot dead in Uttar Pradesh`s Kanpur district. "Another proof of hooliganism in Uttar Pradesh. When the police are not safe, how will the public be?" Rahul Gandhi said. Her sister and Congress General Secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stated that the law and order situation in the State has deteriorated and demanded strict action from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. "The miscreants fired indiscriminately on the police who went to apprehend the miscreants, in which eight jawans including CO, SO of UP police were killed. My condolences to the families of these martyrs of UP Police. Law and order in UP have deteriorated, criminals are fearless," the Congress leader tweeted (translated from Hindi). "Public and even the police are not safe. The CM himself has the responsibility of law and order. After such a terrible incident, they should take strict action. There should be no laxity," she added. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati called the encounter at Kanpur, that resulted in the killing of 8 police personnel, as "extremely sad, shameful and unfortunate". In a series of tweets in Hindi, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister urged the state government to be "more robust" with regard to the law and order situation in the state. "The incident where 8 policemen including deputy SP were killed and seven others who were injured in an encounter by vicious criminals in Kanpur today is extremely sad, shameful and unfortunate. It is clear that the UP government needs to be more robust, especially in the matter of law and order," she tweeted. The BSP chief further said that the state government must provide a proper ex-gratia and employment to a member of the family of the deceased police officers. "For this sensational incident, the government must not spare the criminals at any cost even if there is a need to carry out a special operation. The government should provide the family of the deceased police with proper ex-gratia amount as well as job to any family member, this is the demand of BSP," read her second tweet. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhielsh Yadav too came down heavily on the UP government calling it a Rogi Sarkar and demanded strict action against the criminals. They all extended their heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased police personnel and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. Eight police personnel, including a circle officer, were shot dead and six policemen seriously injured when a local criminal Vikas Dubey and his gang sprayed them with bullets in Kanpur. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the incident and offered his condolences to the families of the deceased. ' ' 08 , .. Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) July 3, 2020 A massive search operation has been launched to nab Vikas Dubey. The police are also using electronic surveillance. The police have recovered cartridges of AK-47 from the site of the incident. At least 19 people, including 15 Sikh yatrees, were killed and eight others injured on Friday when a passenger van bound for Sheikhupura in Punjab Province of Pakistan was hit by a train. The train was on its way from Karachi towards Lahore when the accident took place near a railway crossing. Of the total injured, five people are in critical condition. The DPO Sheikhupura confirmed that 15 Sikh Yatrees were killed in the accident. Around 27 people were in the van. Washington: The Southwest Research Institute scientists have increased the speed and accuracy of a laboratory-scale instrument for determining the age of planetary specimens onsite. The team is progressively miniaturising the Chemistry, Organics and Dating Experiment (CODEX) instrument to reach a size suitable for spaceflight and lander missions. "In situ ageing is an important scientific goal identified by the National Research Council`s Decadal Survey for Mars and the Moon as well as the Lunar and Mars Exploration Programme Analysis Groups, entities responsible for providing the science input needed to plan and prioritize exploration activities," said SwRI Staff Scientist Dr F Scott Anderson, who is leading CODEX development. "Doing this onsite rather than trying to return samples back to Earth for evaluation can resolve major dilemmas in planetary science, offers tremendous cost savings and enhances the opportunities for eventual sample return," Anderson added. CODEX will be a little larger than a microwave and include seven lasers and a mass spectrometer. In situ measurements will address fundamental questions of solar system history, such as when Mars was potentially habitable. CODEX has a precision of +-20-80 million years, significantly more accurate than dating methods currently in use on Mars, which have a precision of +-350 million years. "CODEX uses an ablation laser to vaporise a series of tiny bits off of rock samples, such as those on the surface of the Moon or Mars," said Anderson, who is the lead author of a CODEX paper published in 2020. Anderson further noted, "We recognise some elements directly from that vapour plume, so we know what a rock is made of. Then the other CODEX lasers selectively pick out and quantify the abundance of trace amounts of radioactive rubidium (Rb) and strontium (Sr). An isotope of Rb decays into Sr over known amounts of time, so by measuring both Rb and Sr, we can determine how much time has passed since the rock formed. "While radioactivity is a standard technique for dating samples on Earth, few other places in the solar system have been dated this way. Instead, scientists have largely constrained the chronology of the inner solar system by counting impact craters on planetary surfaces. "The idea behind crater dating is simple: the more craters, the older the surface. It is a little like saying that a person gets wetter the longer they have been standing out in the rain. It is undoubtedly true. But as with the falling rain, we do not really know the rate at which meteorites have fallen from the sky," said Dr Jonathan Levine, a physicist at Colgate University, who is part of the SwRI-led team. "That is why radioisotope dating is so important. Radioactive decay is a clock that ticks at a known rate. These techniques accurately determine the ages of rocks and minerals, allowing scientists to date events such as crystallisation, metamorphism, and impacts," Levine added. The latest iteration of CODEX is five times more sensitive than its previous incarnation. This precision was largely accomplished by modifying the sample`s distance from the instrument to improve the data quality. The instrument also includes an ultrafast pulsed laser and improved signal-to-noise ratios to better constrain the timing of events in solar system history. "We are miniaturising the CODEX components for field use on a lander mission to the Moon or Mars. Developing compact lasers with pulse energies comparable with what we currently require is a considerable challenge, though five out of the seven have been successfully miniaturised. These lasers have a repetition rate of 10 kHz, which will allow the instrument to acquire data 500 times faster than the current engineering design," Anderson said. The CODEX mass spectrometer, power supplies, and timing electronics are already small enough for spaceflight. Instrument components are being enhanced to improve ruggedness, thermal stability, radiation resistance, and power efficiency to endure launch and extended autonomous operations in alien environments. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 03:44:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PRAGUE, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Czech coal mining group OKD is shutting all of its mining operations for six weeks starting Friday due to a major outbreak of COVID-19, the company announced on Thursday. "CSM-South Mine, CSM-North Mine and CSA Mine will suspend operation from Friday. The interruption of mining will thus affect all our mines, including the Darkov Mine," the company said in its release, adding "This is a decision that our company made after finding out the results from the (coronavirus) testing at the CSM sites." OKD is the only producer of hard coal in the Czech Republic. OKD's Darkov Mine has stopped mining due to the higher number of employees infected with COVID-19 since late May. A total of 704 employees at OKD's two CSM mines have tested positive for the virus. The share of positive results for the blanket test on 3,403 employees was 20.7 percent, according to local hygiene station. In recent weeks, the mines and its surrounding area in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic have witnessed the largest outbreak in the country. As a result, the government, which has lifted most coronavirus-related restrictions in the country, has to make mask-wearing mandatory for indoor areas and public transport while banning public events of over 100 people in the region. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 04:25:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, July 2 (Xinhua) -- With an alarmingly high COVID-19 fatality rate in Yemen, UN humanitarians said they are scaling up aid to the war-torn country despite the looming threat of underfunding. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Thursday that with 303 deaths out of 1,122 confirmed cases since the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Yemen on April 10, the fatality rate is five times the global average. More than 12,000 metric tons of medical equipment, testing kits and medicine have been obtained, with 8,616 metric tons of it already in the country, OCHA said. The World Health Organization reported it has equipped and added 21 intensive care units in COVID-19-designated hospitals since the beginning of May. "Humanitarian partners are deploying two high-capacity mobile field hospitals with nearly 100 beds and providing salaries to 9,000 front-line health care workers," OCHA said. "Aid agencies are also responding to other deadly diseases, including cholera, diphtheria, dengue and malaria, and providing nutrition treatment to pregnant women and malnourished children." Critical water and sanitation services needed to suppress the spread of the virus and other deadly diseases will come to a halt for 8.4 million people, including 3 million children, and will close in the coming weeks if new funds are not provided immediately, the humanitarian office said. For the COVID-19 response alone, aid agencies require 180 million U.S. dollars, with only 49 million dollars already received, OCHA said. International donors announced a month ago pledges of a combined 1.35 billion dollars when 2.41 billion dollars is needed to cover essential humanitarian activities between June and December, leaving a gap of more than 1 billion dollars. With only 558 million dollars provided so far, the aid operation in Yemen is on the brink of collapse unless donors fulfil their pledges immediately, OCHA said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 04:39:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, July 2 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday asked the Security Council to push for positive responses to the UN secretary-general's appeal for a global cease-fire amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As it has adopted a resolution endorsing the appeal, the Security Council should work to accelerate its realization, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations. The international community should seize the opportunity to encourage the parties to conflicts to respond to the appeal, immediately cease hostilities, jointly fight the pandemic, save lives and seek peaceful settlements through political and diplomatic means, he told a high-level debate on the implications of COVID-19 on international peace and security. Zhang also asked the Security Council to step up humanitarian assistance and make every effort to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers. The Security Council should urge relevant countries to immediately lift unilateral sanctions that might affect a country's capacity to respond to COVID-19, he said. The Security Council should also explore ways to eliminate unilateral coercive measures so as to lessen people's sufferings in affected countries. COVID-19 continues to rage across the world. All countries face the daunting tasks of fighting the disease, saving lives, stabilizing the economy and ensuring livelihood, said Zhang. "We must put people and life first, do our utmost to protect people's safety and health, and minimize the impact of the virus. The pandemic once again proves that we live in a global village and have a shared destiny." Solidarity and cooperation is the most powerful weapon in fighting the pandemic. China is ready to work with all parties, upholding the UN-centered international system and supporting the leading role of the World Health Organization in the global fight against COVID-19, said Zhang. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has provided assistance in various forms to more than 150 countries and international organizations. China has proposed recommendations and measures on the global fight against COVID-19, including its decisions to make its vaccine, once available, a global public good; to provide 2 billion U.S. dollars in international aid to affected countries, especially developing countries; to cancel government interest-free loans owed by African countries due to mature by the end of 2020; and to implement the Group of 20 debt service suspension initiative, said Zhang. To strengthen international coordination, China also held an extraordinary China-Africa summit on solidarity against COVID-19 and a high-level video conference for international cooperation in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, he noted. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 04:53:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish coast guard on Thursday rescued 17 illegal immigrants on Turkey's Aegean coast, the coast guard announced on its website. The migrants were found stranded at a remote location on the land of the Bozburun Peninsula in Turkey's southwestern province of Mugla, the coast guard said. The coast guard acted upon a call for help from the refugees, the statement noted, without revealing further details. On Monday, the Turkish force rescued 36 migrants off Turkey's Aegean coast near the western province of Balikesir, but four others were reported missing. Earlier in the day, the state-run Anadolu agency reported that the body of one of the missing refugees was found in the Aegean Sea. The authorities have been trying to identify the body, Anadolu said, adding rescue operation is continuing to find three others. Since the start of this year, a total of 11,744 migrants attempted to reach Greece via Turkey's seas, slightly down from 13,247 over the same period in 2019, according to the latest figures released by the Turkish coast guard. The Aegean Sea was once the main route for migrants trying to reach Europe via Turkey. A deal was signed between Turkey and the European Union in March 2016 to curb the flow of illegal immigration. Hosting more than 3.7 million Syrian refugees in its territory, Turkey has been urging European countries to shoulder more responsibility. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 04:59:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MUSCAT, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Omani Minister of Health Ahmed Al-Saidi on Thursday urged stricter implementation of the measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. During the first four months of the virus presence in the country, the number of cases was only 7,700, while in the last month alone, 27,000 cases were reported, Al-Saidi said at a video press conference organized by the Supreme Committee tasked with tackling the coronavirus pandemic. "In the last week alone, we reported more than 9,000 cases, 43 deaths, 420 cases admitted in hospitals and 114 cases in the intensive care units," he added. "It is high time now to increase the severity of punishment, tighten control, and announce the names of those who violate the decisions of the Supreme Committee," the minister added. Minister of Transport Ahmad Al-Futaisi said the land and air borders would not be opened for travel, and that Omanis would not be allowed to go outside the Sultanate except for extreme necessity. "Whoever enters the Sultanate, either Omanis or expatriates, will be subject to quarantine for a period of 14 days," he said. Omani Ministry of Health on Thursday reported 1,361 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 42,555. Meanwhile, 1,156 patients recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 25,318. And the death toll rose to 188, after three more fatalities were reported. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 06:26:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW YORK, July 2 (Xinhua) -- More than 20 Open Streets in New York City will feature outdoor dining on weekends throughout this summer, as the resumption of indoor dining has been postponed, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday. "We made a decision that we could not go ahead with indoor dining, given everything that we're seeing around the country," said de Blasio at his press briefing. "So, starting this weekend, 22 Open Streets will also have Open Restaurants on them." "It's going to be amazing because it's going to key into some of the places in our city where we have extraordinary restaurants, concentrated in one place. People love to go there at any time, but now imagine being able to enjoy it all alfresco," he added. Since the COVID-19 crisis began, the city has developed over 67 miles (around 107 km) of Open Streets, namely streets closed to cars, for people to walk around, ride a bike or exercise with social distancing. The mayor has said his goal was to open 100 miles (160 km) of streets. De Blasio said that 2.62 miles of the city's Open Streets will be part of the outdoor dining initiative, with more coming in the future. This will take place every Friday night and weekend this summer. "We're very excited. It is going to open up a world of possibilities and get a lot of people back to their jobs. We want to help working people," said the mayor. Indoor dining, which was supposed to resume on Monday as New York City enters phase three of reopening, was postponed indefinitely as several U.S. states have seen soaring new COVID-19 cases related to restaurants and bars, the mayor announced on Wednesday. The mayor also said on Thursday that the city's public schools will be open in the fall with safety precautions. "We're full steam ahead for September. The goal, of course, to have the maximum number of kids in our schools as we begin schools. A City Department of Education survey released on Thursday found that 75 percent of NYC parents want their children to return to school in September. The mayor said schools will have deep cleaning daily, face-coverings and social distancing will be mandated, and handwashing stations and hand sanitizer will be seen all over the school buildings. "We're going to make it work to the maximum in each school and we're going to work with the scheduling realities to find a way," he said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 06:32:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CARACAS, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela and the European Union (EU) have agreed to promote their diplomatic contact "at the highest level," Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza said in Caracas on Thursday. The two parties issued a joint communique after Arreaza spoke by phone with the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. In an interview with Caracas-based news network Telesur, Arreaza said he held a "very frank, very sincere and at the same time very cordial" conversation with Borrell on Wednesday. During their conversation, the two sides pledged to maintain "constant and permanent communication," as expressed in the joint communique, said Arreaza. According to the communique, the two parties "agreed on the need to maintain the framework of diplomatic relations, especially at times when cooperation between both parties can facilitate the path of political dialogue." The Venezuelan government decided to rescind the decision taken on June 29, 2020, by which Ambassador Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa, head of the delegation of the European Union in Caracas, was declared persona non grata, the communique said. "They both agreed to promote diplomatic contacts between the parties at the highest level, within the framework of sincere cooperation and respect for international law," it added. Arreaza said the joint communique "is a clear sign of recognition, in diplomatic terms," of the government of President Nicolas Maduro. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 07:59:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Francis Collins, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), attends a hearing of U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on the plan to research, manufacture and distribute a coronavirus vaccine on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, on July 2, 2020. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via Xinhua) Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 09:06:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HARARE, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe reported 12 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the country's total to 617, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said in a statement. The new cases include 10 citizens who returned from South Africa and two local transmissions. The number of recoveries increased from 166 to 173, while deaths remain at seven. The country has conducted 71,236 COVID-19 tests so far. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 09:17:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- At least eight policemen were killed and over 12 others injured when they were attacked by criminals in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh in the early hours of Friday, confirmed a local cop. Further details are awaited. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 09:34:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, July 2, 2020. The United States should restore sanctions against Russian intelligence and defense sectors, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday after being briefed by top intelligence officials on the Russian-Taliban bounty intelligence. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) WASHINGTON, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The United States should restore sanctions against Russian intelligence and defense sectors, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday after being briefed by top intelligence officials on the Russian-Taliban bounty intelligence. Pelosi said at a press briefing that the White House had previously asked the Congress to "take out the sanctions on Russia that pertained to the intelligence and the defense sectors, the very sector that is accused of possible threats on our men and women in uniform." "We must restore those sanctions and we must act upon them," she added. Pelosi also criticized President Donald Trump's handling of U.S.-Russia relations. "This is at the same time as the White House was aware of this threat to security of our men and women in uniform, the President was still flirting with the idea of having Russia be part of the G8 in total opposition to the wishes of the other members of the G8." CIA Director Gina Haspel earlier in the day briefed a group of senior lawmakers from both parties, known as "Gang of Eight," on the Russian-Taliban bounty intelligence. In a joint statement following the classified briefing, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer suggested "our Armed Forces would be better served if President Trump spent more time reading his daily briefing and less time planning military parades and defending relics of the Confederacy." The White House, however, accused the Democratic Party of politicizing this issue. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Tuesday that "Democrats should come forward in good faith ... and you have the Democratic Party politicizing this information, which I think is absolutely disgraceful." Top U.S. officials continued defending the administration's response to the intelligence as well as Trump's dealing of U.S.-Russia ties. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien stressed again on Wednesday that Trump had not been briefed on this "uncorroborated intelligence," adding that "no one had been tougher on Russia than Trump since the end of the Cold War. " The New York Times reported on Friday that Trump had been briefed on the intelligence that Russian intelligence units secretly offered bounties to Taliban-related militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan during U.S.-Taliban peace talks. The report also said that the National Security Council discussed this issue at an interagency meeting in late March, while the White House thus far has not taken any actions to respond. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 09:48:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Thursday that the Libyan Coast Guard had rescued 102 illegal immigrants, including women and children, off the country's western coast. "A group of 102 migrants, among them 12 women and 20 children, were returned to Libya by the coast guard this evening. IOM staff are at the disembarkation point to provide assistance," the IOM tweeted later on Thursday. Nearly 300 migrants were rescued by the coast guard on Thursday, according to IOM. The IOM estimates that more than 5,400 immigrants have been rescued and returned to Libya so far in 2020, compared with 9,200 in 2019. The state of insecurity and chaos in Libya since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011 makes the country a preferred point of departure for thousands of illegal immigrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe. Despite repeated international calls to close those centers, many immigrants remain detained inside shelters across Libya. The Voluntary Humanitarian Return program, which arranges the return of illegal immigrants stranded in Libya back to their countries of origin, was run by the IOM before the Libyan authorities closed all the country's borders as a precautionary measure against COVID-19. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 09:58:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HEFEI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Kangmei Chinese medicinal material price index, a barometer of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) material market, dropped 0.06 percent to 1,279.16 points Friday. Covering more than 500 TCM materials including herbs and minerals from six major markets nationwide, the closely-watched index reflects the overall price trend in the country's TCM material market. It is released daily by Kangmei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, one of China's major TCM companies. The index was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission of China in 2012 to offer more timely and accurate reference for TCM material growers, traders and pharmaceutical companies. Traditional Chinese medicines, often given as oral liquid, granule and pills, typically use the combination of a number of medicinal materials, mostly herbs, to address health problems. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 10:19:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Medical staff members inquire about a patient at a quarantine and isolation center in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 3, 2020. South Africa has recorded a total of 168,061 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2,844 deaths as of Thursday, according to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. (Photo by Yeshiel/Xinhua) CAPE TOWN, July 2 (Xinhua) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has decided to extend troop deployment across the country to help enforce COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, the parliament said on Thursday. Thandi Modise, speaker of the National Assembly (the Lower House), and Amos Masondo, chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (the Upper House), have received correspondence from Ramaphosa about that decision, parliamentary spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said in a statement emailed to Xinhua. The president ordered a three-month troop deployment in late March when he announced a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. Mothapo said the deployment of 20,000 members from the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) will be extended to Sept. 30, and they are tasked to cooperate with the police to maintain law and order, support other state departments, and control the border to combat the spread of COVID-19 in all nine provinces. In his correspondence to Parliament, Ramaphosa said as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to spread across the country, these SANDF members' service is still required, according to Mothapo. South Africa has recorded a total of 168,061 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2,844 deaths as of Thursday, according to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. The country has registered the highest single-day surge in the past 24 hours with 8,728 new cases. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 10:21:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The increase in COVID-19 case rates reported in the United States has underestimated a "true surge" of coronavirus currently in the asymptomatic transmission, a leading epidemiologist has said. "We continue to learn about the critical role that transmission by people without symptoms plays in maintaining the epidemic. It is more and more likely that we will learn that over 50 percent of infections -- especially in people younger than 40 may be asymptomatic," Robert Schooley, a professor of medicine with the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at the University of California, San Diego, told Xinhua in an interview. Fewer of these individuals ended up in the hospital or died, so the increase in the reported case rates greatly underestimated a "true surge" of the virus currently underway in this demographic, he noted. More than 2,731,000 COVID-19 cases were reported in the United States with fatalities surpassing 128,600 as of Thursday evening, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported a new single-day record of 54,357 cases across the country. Several states reported record daily increase in COVID-19 cases over the past days. Florida reported on Thursday 10,109 new cases, marking a new single-day record for the state. "Politicians who point to the 'higher number of tests being done' and to the 'lower death and hospitalization rate' as a good thing are merely distorting reality," Schooley said. "In this viral surge we are seeing more tests being done but we are also seeing a higher percentage of those tests be positive. This indicates (that) more infection is the issue, not more testing," he said. According to Schooley, the lower hospitalization and death rates reflect the fact that more of those being infected are younger people with fewer medical risk factors. The recent surge in COVID-19 cases also led to record positive rates and hospitalizations. According to the CDC, 90,626 cases and 500 deaths from COVID-19 among healthcare personnel have been reported nationwide. "As the epidemic surges, hospitals and ICUs (intensive care units) are, nonetheless, being stretched to capacity in Arizona, Texas, Alabama and elsewhere. The number of deaths will rise if the epidemic is not brought into check," Schooley said. The COVID-19 model produced by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington has estimated 179,106 deaths from COVID-19 in the United States by Oct. 1. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government's top infectious-diseases expert, warned that the daily increase in COVID-19 cases in the United States could go up to 100,000 if the current trend "does not turn around." "Behavior in real time is what drives the future and, as behavior changes, the models change," Schooley told Xinhua. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 10:43:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese health authority said Friday that it received reports of five newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Thursday, of which two were domestically transmitted. The two domestically transmitted cases were reported in Beijing, the National Health Commission said in its daily report. No deaths related to the disease were reported Thursday, according to the commission. On Thursday, 12 people were discharged from hospitals after recovery, and one new suspected case was reported on the mainland. As of Thursday, the overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 83,542, including 409 patients who were still being treated, with eight in severe conditions. Altogether 78,499 people had been discharged after recovery and 4,634 people had died of the disease, the commission said. Three new imported cases -- one in Liaoning Province, one in Shanghai and another in Yunnan Province, were reported Thursday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 1,923. Of the cases, 1,854 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 69 remained hospitalized, with no one in severe condition. No deaths from the imported cases had been reported. The commission said six people, including one from overseas, were still suspected of being infected with the virus. According to the commission, 5,589 close contacts were still under medical observation after 453 people were discharged from medical observation Thursday. Also on Thursday, four new asymptomatic cases were reported on the mainland and no asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed ones. The commission said 97 asymptomatic cases, including 59 from abroad, were still under medical observation. By Thursday, 1,242 confirmed cases including seven deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 46 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 448 in Taiwan including seven deaths. A total of 1,120 patients in the Hong Kong SAR, 45 in the Macao SAR, and 438 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospitals after recovery. Enditem RTHK: Britain eases virus quarantine as US under siege Britain on Friday exempted dozens of countries from its quarantine rules as the coronavirus outbreak slowed in Europe, but excluded the United States as the pandemic accelerates across the Americas. With Europe reopening after an unprecedented lockdown, travellers arriving into England from more than 50 nations will from July 10 no longer be required to undergo 14 days of self-isolation. The European Union meanwhile authorised the use of the anti-viral drug remdesivir for Covid-19 - the first treatment approved to deal with the disease - although the United States has bought most of the global stock. But across the Atlantic the news was increasingly grim with the US posting a record 53,000 new Covid-19 cases, while the number of infections in Latin America overtook those in Europe for the first time. Touching almost every country on Earth since it emerged in China late last year, the coronavirus has hit at least 10.8 million people and killed 521,000 globally, shattering previously buoyant economies and bringing public life to a standstill. The World Health Organisation called on countries hit by serious outbreaks to "wake up" to the realities instead of bickering over them. "People need to wake up. The data is not lying. The situation on the ground is not lying," WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told journalists in Geneva. "It is never too late in an epidemic to take control." In Europe, countries are trying to safely revive a struggling tourism sector as the northern hemisphere summer gets underway. England unveiled a list of countries from which it allow travellers, mostly covering Europe - but not Portugal - and the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand. The United States and mainland China are notably omitted. "Today marks the next step in carefully reopening our great nation," British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said of the change, which reverses a two-week quarantine policy imposed in June. But the exemptions will only apply to arrivals into England, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland so far sticking to the blanket ban. Many of the countries on the English list will now also allow travellers from Britain, which has suffered the deadliest coronavirus outbreak in Europe with at least 44,000 dead, although infection rates are falling and it is gradually easing a three-month lockdown. Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to behave "responsibly" ahead of so-called Super Saturday when pubs will reopen after more than three-month shutdown. The rest of Europe is also looking to the future while also seeing what lessons can be learned. French prosecutors said they were launching an inquiry into former prime minister Edouard Philippe's handling of the virus crisis, following his resignation on Friday. While much of the planet pursued a return to some semblance of normality, the United States soared past 50,000 new infections on Thursday for the second time in two days. Now the epicentre of the pandemic, the United States has recorded nearly 129,000 deaths out of more than 2.7 million cases and is expected to record its three millionth infection next week. So-called "Sun Belt" states in the south and west have been forced to re-shut restaurants, bars and beaches, casting a grim pall over the nation's upcoming Independence Day celebrations on July 4. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis blamed the surge on "social interactions" among young people at parties, beaches, bars, swimming pools as well as a more "robust" testing programme. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott ordered people in counties with 20 or more cases to wear masks and banned gatherings of more than 10 amid a spike in infections. California has meanwhile seen a 56 percent increase in hospitalisations over two weeks. States that reopened their economies the earliest and fastest after the pandemic struck - and against the advice of federal health authorities - are now experiencing the highest caseloads. But President Donald Trump, under fire for his handling of the crisis, highlighted positive jobs data that showed 4.8 million people were back to work in June. "Today's announcement proves that our economy is roaring back," said Trump. "The crisis is being handled." Cases have been skyrocketing across Latin America. The region now has the second most cases in the world with 2.73 million, head of Europe on 2.71 million but behind North America. However there are still fewer deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean compared to Europe - nearly 122,000 compared to nearly 200,000. Brazil, the region's largest economy, has almost 1.5 million confirmed cases alone, second only to the United States. Nevertheless, popular tourist city Rio de Janeiro authorised bars, restaurants and cafes to reopen at 50 percent capacity. Colombia, the fourth largest economy in the region, passed 100,000 cases while Peru topped 10,000 dead. In Asia, however, swift lockdowns have largely made progress against the disease. Beijing was lifting most travel restrictions, weeks after a new wave of infections broke out. The global hunt for a coronavirus vaccine continues but there has been a ray of hope. The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, on Friday authorised the use of anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat the new coronavirus. Two US studies have showed it can reduce the length of hospital stays. However the United States announced earlier this week that it had purchased 92 percent of all remdesivir production by the California-based Gilead laboratory until the end of September. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-07-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 10:43:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) coming into force on Tuesday has received a broad welcome by the vast majority of Hong Kong residents, including foreign expatriates. "WE WANT STABILITY" Before 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday local time, Ilan, an Israeli, had driven from his home in Kowloon to a footbridge in western Hong Kong Island and started to clean posters and graffiti advocating violence and "Hong Kong independence" along with his friends. Their "cleaning operation," which was conducted on July 1, the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, was not the first of such activities. Ilan and his friends have carried out similar operations many times since last November in protest of violent incidents that gripped Hong Kong for months. During the prolonged social unrest, Ilan used to be stopped by rioters when driving his children to school and could not go to work as mobs went on the rampage. He also for many times witnessed streets' facilities being damaged and shops trashed. "They claim that they are fighting for 'freedom,' but they took my freedom away," Ilan said. "You are entitled to have your own opinion but just express it in a civilized, polite, and right manner. Don't push it down people's throat forcefully." Ilan was in particular worried about the impact on his children, who told him they were scared to go to school because of the human chain formed by people in black. He prepared a can of gray spray and used it to cover graffiti advocating violence after dropping off his children. Having lived in Hong Kong for 18 years, Ilan said Hong Kong is his home and he hopes the new law will help Hong Kong restore stability and residents can regain their peaceful life. "We are against violence and we want stability," he said. Ilan believes that every country will spare no efforts to safeguard national security and there is nothing to be afraid of. "If you are just minding your own business, working, going out with your friends, having a cup of drinks, making money and buying property, the law will not apply to you. What are you worried about?" Ilan said. "Whoever is really worried about this law has a reason to worry about it. They fit in the crimes." FOR A BETTER FUTURE Dan from Australia has lived in Hong Kong for 22 years. He witnessed Hong Kong's progress after its return and was saddened by the social unrest over the past year. "History tells us that instability and unrest in society are not good for anyone," Dan said, noting that disturbances hurt the economy, undermined Hong Kong's image, made residents scared, and killed the diversity of Hong Kong. Dan said he supports the law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong as it will not only rein in violence but also create a foundation of safety and trust that allows Hong Kong residents to start building a better and a healthier future together. "We need a stable and peaceful environment in Hong Kong," Dan said. Dan saw foreign criticisms and sanction threats as double standards. "I see the national security law as fundamentally important. Every nation without exception has an obligation to protect national security and its citizens. China is no different," Dan said. Even if some countries impose sanctions against Hong Kong, Dan believes investors and businesses will continue to come to Hong Kong, which remains free, has huge potential, and, most importantly, serves as a significant gateway to the Chinese mainland market. "One only needs to look across the border from Hong Kong and into Shenzhen and focus on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to see what has been achieved," Dan said, adding that Hong Kong will have enormous opportunities in the integration into the development of the whole country. A LAW LONG OVERDUE "The law should have been enacted a long time ago. It does become a very urgent matter," Angelo Giuliano said, stressing that the law will protect Hong Kong from foreign interference, terrorism threats and even a "color revolution." The Swiss expatriate, 50, was looking for opportunities in the financial consultancy field in Hong Kong three years ago. He was attracted by its stable environment and business opportunities but found himself unexpectedly dragged into the chaos last year and faced real threats to his safety. He felt sad about intensified violence in Hong Kong last year, which had been a civilized, happy and lively place. Giuliano strongly felt that he had the responsibility to fight injustice and oppose violence. He removed barriers set by rioters on the streets, attended assemblies in protest of violence, and urged his friends to take action. The law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong will better protect "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong, instead of harming it as alleged by some foreign countries, Giuliano said. "You need to look at the facts that over the last 23 years, China has always respected its word of implementing 'one country, two systems'. And the new law is not much different from what is being done in other countries. There's no reason to be afraid," he said. Because of the acts, his private information, along with that of his family, was leaked online by rioters. Despite the threats, he remained staunched and denounced those who claim to fight for the so-called "freedom." "My biggest fear is not to speak out. Hopefully my son will know what I did one day. And that could be the best teaching I can give to him." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 10:57:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- At least eight police officers were killed and 12 others injured when they were attacked by criminals in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh in the early hours of Friday, confirmed a local police officer over phone. The encounter between the police and the criminals took place at a village in the state's Kanpur district. The police were fired upon by criminals when a police team had gone to raid an area in search of a hardened criminal. At least 40 police officers had participated in the operation, said media reports. According to the media reports, state's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the families of the eight police personnel who lost their lives. He also directed the state police's top officials to take strict action against the criminals. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 15:01:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SINGAPORE, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Department of Statistics (DOS) of Singapore announced on Friday that Singapore's retail sales decreased by 52.1 percent year on year this May, compared to a revised 40.3-percent decrease in the previous month. DOS said that this is the lowest recorded decline since 1986 when growth rate data was first compiled. It attributed the retail sales decrease mainly to the Circuit Breaker measures that Singapore implemented from April 7 to June 1 to contain the COVID-19 transmission. The proportion of online sales in the total retail sales value, which was about 1.8 billion Singapore dollars (about 1.29 billion U.S. dollars), grew from 17.8 percent in April to an estimated 24.5 percent. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the retail sales decreased by 21.5 percent month on month in May, compared to a revised 31.3 percent decrease in April. Excluding motor vehicles, Singapore's retail sales in May declined by 45.2 percent year on year and 20.1 percent month on month. DOS also announced that the sales of food and beverage services decreased by 50.1 percent year on year but grew 4.1 percent month on month in May. The sales value was estimated at 430 million Singapore dollars, of which the proportion of online sales grew from 39.2 percent in April to an estimated 44.6 percent in May. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 15:36:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China's top economic planner has allocated 1.05 billion yuan (about 148.6 million U.S. dollars) to support the high-quality development of the Xiongan New Area. The fund will be invested into major projects related to sanitation, infrastructure construction and ecological protection in the area, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). To implement regular epidemic prevention and control measures, priority will be given to the building of sanitation facilities, such as dismantling center for bulky waste, which helps improve the hygienic conditions of the area, said the NDRC. The investment will be made to prop up infrastructure construction projects concerning transport and gas, while roads and water facilities for designated schools and hospitals will be supported. The fund will also assist the construction of roads and parking lots in the Xiongan high-speed railway station, as well as financing the construction of the ecological embankment of the Baiyangdian Lake. China announced plans to establish the Xiongan New Area on April 1, 2017, to take over Beijing's functions nonessential to its role as the national capital. Xiongan's city proper will be a new home for Beijing's colleges, hospitals, business headquarters and financial and public institutions. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 15:49:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A total of 60 COVID-19 patients have been cured and discharged from hospitals during the past week in China, 46 percent more than the previous week, a health official said Friday. Altogether 78,499 people had been discharged after recovery, said Hu Qiangqiang, a spokesperson for the National Health Commission, at a press conference. According to the commission's daily report, 12 people were discharged on Thursday from hospitals after recovery. Hu stressed further regular prevention and control measures, calling for efforts to improve treatment and cure more COVID-19 patients. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 15:52:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) defines the duties and government bodies of the HKSAR for safeguarding national security, requiring the HKSAR to establish the committee for safeguarding national security. Here are three important points for a better understanding of the committee. 1. WHY IS THE COMMITTEE NECESSARY? Over a long period, the deficiencies of institutional setup, resources and power allocation of the HKSAR in safeguarding national security have led to a rare de facto "defenseless" status in the field of national security in the HKSAR. Against such a background, establishing the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR according to the law is undoubtedly an important and imperative move to tackle realistic challenges. 2. WHAT DOES THE COMMITTEE DO? The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR defines the duties and functions of the committee as follows: Analyzing and assessing developments in relation to safeguarding national security in the HKSAR, making work plans, and formulating policies for safeguarding national security in the HKSAR; Advancing the development of the legal system and enforcement mechanisms of the HKSAR for safeguarding national security; Coordinating major work and important operations for safeguarding national security in the HKSAR. 3. WHY ARE THE COMMITTEE'S DECISIONS NOT AMENABLE TO JUDICIAL REVIEW? As stipulated in the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR, information relating to the work of the committee shall not be subject to disclosure; and decisions made by the committee shall not be amenable to judicial review. The power and authority over national security, just like that over national defense and diplomatic matters, fall within the purview of the central government. Over matters that fall within the purview of the central government, the HKSAR has no power to disclose related information, nor is it legally bound to make such disclosure either of its own accord or upon request. As it operates, the committee will inevitably hold classified state information and make decisions involving such confidential information. Opening its work to the public would be detrimental to national sovereignty, security and development interests, and would damage the fundamental interests of Hong Kong society. As the central government has the power and authority over national security matters, the HKSAR government sometimes must fulfill its duty according to the orders and instructions of the central government. The HKSAR courts, as judicial organs of a local administrative region, have no right to carry out judicial review of the orders and instructions of the central authorities. Moreover, the situation, policies, institution-building and major actions concerning national security are highly specialized. To judge whether a decision on national security is reasonable requires information that goes beyond the understanding of a special administrative region, and therefore the HKSAR courts are incapable of making an accurate judgment on related issues. Meanwhile, the national security situation in the HKSAR is complicated and changing fast. Relevant policies and decisions need to respond to changes in a timely manner. If decisions made by the committee are amenable to judicial review, irreversible losses may be caused, endangering national security and public interests. The fact that the committee's decisions shall not be amenable to judicial review does not mean that the committee's acts are not subject to oversight and checks. According to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR, the central government, which grants the power, has the right to supervise and hold the committee accountable. The central government will exercise its supervisory power strictly to ensure that the committee performs its duties in accordance with law, safeguard national security and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, and protect the legal rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 16:23:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Turning 99 this week, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has much to be proud of. The largest political party in the world has transformed a weak, war-torn nation into an economy with one of the fastest growth rates in recent decades. Yet for the rest of the world, the CPC has offered more than economic miracles and growth locomotives. Under the CPC's leadership, and moving ever closer to the world's center stage, China has evolved from a follower and learner into a champion and contributor of multilateralism and globalization, one that is always willing to share ideas and solutions to address common concerns, especially in times of pandemic and recession. AN INSPIRING DEVELOPMENT PATH This year also marks China's final push in completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and winning the battle against poverty, despite the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 epidemic. In 2019, China's GDP per capita exceeded 10,000 U.S. dollars for the first time in history. It was a new milestone in the country's decades of economic catching-up, which proves that a developing country is capable of climbing the ladder of development through structural reform, opening up and technological advancement. "Socialism with Chinese characteristics has expanded the modernization path for backward countries," said Song Tao, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee. An increasing number of political parties have expressed hopes of enhancing exchange and cooperation with the CPC on state governance, according to Song. Amid the fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak, China has strengthened cooperation with other countries, especially in the developing world, to fight the global pandemic. China's development experience over the past decades offers key lessons to Africa, according to UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, who said in February that "China's remarkable achievements in lifting its people out of poverty contributed to major advances under the Millennium Development Goals." With the aim of eliminating absolute poverty this year, China saw the number of impoverished people fall to 5.51 million at the end of 2019 from 98.99 million at the end of 2012. FIRMLY SUPPORTING AN OPEN ECONOMY One principle enshrined in the Constitution of the CPC is that a continued commitment to reform and opening up is the path to a stronger China. Since 1978, China has been promoting opening up as a fundamental state policy, following the trend of globalization. From 1978 to 2018, China attracted more than 2 trillion U.S. dollars in non-financial foreign investment, and its foreign trade amounted to 52.2 trillion dollars. In 2018, China's overseas investment reached 143 billion dollars, 53 times as much as in 2002. According to the report delivered at the 19th National Congress of the CPC, to make new ground in pursuing opening-up on all fronts, China will not close its door to the world, but will instead become increasingly open. "While protectionism is on the rise and globalization is under vicious assault in some countries, the CPC still keeps its strategic momentum and acts as an anchor for China to bolster wider opening-up, as always," said Wang Wen, executive dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University, in an interview with Xinhua. To fulfill its commitment, China has unveiled new, shortened negative lists for foreign investment, and to date, the number of sectors that are off-limits for foreign investors has been slashed to 33 from 93 in 2017. The country has also announced that it will transform its island province of Hainan into a globally-influential high-level free-trade port focusing on trade and investment liberalization and facilitation by the middle of the century. It is for sure that China will contribute to a stable world economy by continuing to advance reform and opening-up, widen market access, improve the business environment and expand imports and outbound investment. "At this critical juncture, when the COVID-19 pandemic is still ravaging the globe and brings shocks to the global economy, China does not waver in its determination to further open up," said Ren Lin, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. A COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE Facing a world with growing anti-globalization sentiment, populism, unilateralism and protectionism, the CPC has come up with its own vision of global governance. The notion of "a community with a shared future for humanity," which pursues an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity, has gained worldwide recognition. China, together with many countries, is working to transform this concept into reality. A total of 138 countries and 30 international organizations have signed cooperation agreements with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to achieve policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes. A World Bank report estimated in 2019 that, if fully implemented, BRI transport projects could increase global real income by up to 2.9 percent and help lift 32 million people out of moderate poverty. Meanwhile, the China-proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which has grown to 102 approved members worldwide, has a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia. The bank has also played an active role in global COVID-19 containment efforts by providing billions of dollars of loans for virus-hit countries. "By proposing public goods like the BRI and AIIB, among many others, China has shared its development dividends in real terms with the world and let other countries hitch a ride," Wang Wen of Renmin University told Xinhua. Martin Jacques, a senior fellow of politics and international studies at Cambridge University, said China has done unprecedented pioneering work and offered "a new possibility" to the world. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 16:48:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CANBERRA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd said on Friday that a continuing rise in the number of people in hospital and in intensive care due to COVID-19 infection is very concerning. As at midday on Friday, a total of 8,066 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Australia, including 104 deaths. The number of news cases in the past 24 hours was 66 and all of them were in Victoria, according to Kidd in the daily update. He said 27 people are now in hospital across the country with COVID-19 including seven people in intensive care. While on Thursday, there were 24 people in hospital with five in intensive care units. "So we are seeing a continuing rise in the number of people in hospital and in intensive care. And this is very concerning and reinforces the very serious risks of COVID-19, especially to older people and people with serious chronic disease," said Kidd. The Victorian government has announced targeted restrictions for a number of Melbourne suburbs in 10 postcodes that have experienced a spike in positive COVID-19 cases. From Thursday, people who live in these restricted postcodes are only allowed to go out for four reasons: shopping for food and supplies, medical care and caregiving, exercise and study or work if unable to work or study from home. "I want to especially thank those people in Melbourne who have found themselves back in lockdown over the last two days," said Kidd. "Please know that the rest of our country supports you and we are grateful for you for doing all you can to stop the spread of COVID-19." It is the 17th consecutive day of double-digit case growth in Victoria, "with a continuing and concerning number of new cases associated with transmission in households and families." "There have been 363 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Victoria that have been acquired through an unknown source. There are currently 442 active cases in Victoria," said a media release from the Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria on Friday. The Victorian government on Friday revealed that more than 10,000 people have refused tests, with some citing conspiracy theories as their reason for refusing. "The single source of information and truth that I would recommend to people is the health.gov.au website," said Kidd. "Don't listen to the theories that you may be coming across on social media." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 17:30:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Aerial photo taken on June 15, 2020 shows the view of Maozhou River in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Deng Hua) BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Turning 99 this week, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has much to be proud of. The largest political party in the world has transformed a weak, war-torn nation into an economy with one of the fastest growth rates in recent decades. Yet for the rest of the world, the CPC has offered more than economic miracles and growth locomotives. Under the CPC's leadership, and moving ever closer to the world's center stage, China has evolved from a follower and learner into a champion and contributor of multilateralism and globalization, one that is always willing to share ideas and solutions to address common concerns, especially in times of pandemic and recession. AN INSPIRING DEVELOPMENT PATH This year also marks China's final push in completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and winning the battle against poverty, despite the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 epidemic. In 2019, China's GDP per capita exceeded 10,000 U.S. dollars for the first time in history. It was a new milestone in the country's decades of economic catching-up, which proves that a developing country is capable of climbing the ladder of development through structural reform, opening up and technological advancement. "Socialism with Chinese characteristics has expanded the modernization path for backward countries," said Song Tao, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee. An increasing number of political parties have expressed hopes of enhancing exchange and cooperation with the CPC on state governance, according to Song. Amid the fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak, China has strengthened cooperation with other countries, especially in the developing world, to fight the global pandemic. A relocated rural resident picks vegetables in a reserved cultivation land next to the Yucai resettlement site in Songtao Miao Autonomous County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Yang Ying) China's development experience over the past decades offers key lessons to Africa, according to UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, who said in February that "China's remarkable achievements in lifting its people out of poverty contributed to major advances under the Millennium Development Goals." With the aim of eliminating absolute poverty this year, China saw the number of impoverished people fall to 5.51 million at the end of 2019 from 98.99 million at the end of 2012. FIRMLY SUPPORTING AN OPEN ECONOMY One principle enshrined in the Constitution of the CPC is that a continued commitment to reform and opening up is the path to a stronger China. Since 1978, China has been promoting opening up as a fundamental state policy, following the trend of globalization. From 1978 to 2018, China attracted more than 2 trillion U.S. dollars in non-financial foreign investment, and its foreign trade amounted to 52.2 trillion dollars. In 2018, China's overseas investment reached 143 billion dollars, 53 times as much as in 2002. According to the report delivered at the 19th National Congress of the CPC, to make new ground in pursuing opening-up on all fronts, China will not close its door to the world, but will instead become increasingly open. "While protectionism is on the rise and globalization is under vicious assault in some countries, the CPC still keeps its strategic momentum and acts as an anchor for China to bolster wider opening-up, as always," said Wang Wen, executive dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University, in an interview with Xinhua. To fulfill its commitment, China has unveiled new, shortened negative lists for foreign investment, and to date, the number of sectors that are off-limits for foreign investors has been slashed to 33 from 93 in 2017. Customers purchase electronic goods at a duty-free store of a shopping mall in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng) The country has also announced that it will transform its island province of Hainan into a globally-influential high-level free-trade port focusing on trade and investment liberalization and facilitation by the middle of the century. It is for sure that China will contribute to a stable world economy by continuing to advance reform and opening-up, widen market access, improve the business environment and expand imports and outbound investment. "At this critical juncture, when the COVID-19 pandemic is still ravaging the globe and brings shocks to the global economy, China does not waver in its determination to further open up," said Ren Lin, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. A COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE Facing a world with growing anti-globalization sentiment, populism, unilateralism and protectionism, the CPC has come up with its own vision of global governance. The notion of "a community with a shared future for humanity," which pursues an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity, has gained worldwide recognition. China, together with many countries, is working to transform this concept into reality. A China-Europe freight train pulls out of Alataw Pass in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Sadat) A total of 138 countries and 30 international organizations have signed cooperation agreements with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to achieve policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes. A World Bank report estimated in 2019 that, if fully implemented, BRI transport projects could increase global real income by up to 2.9 percent and help lift 32 million people out of moderate poverty. Meanwhile, the China-proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which has grown to 102 approved members worldwide, has a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia. The bank has also played an active role in global COVID-19 containment efforts by providing billions of dollars of loans for virus-hit countries. "By proposing public goods like the BRI and AIIB, among many others, China has shared its development dividends in real terms with the world and let other countries hitch a ride," Wang Wen of Renmin University told Xinhua. Martin Jacques, a senior fellow of politics and international studies at Cambridge University, said China has done unprecedented pioneering work and offered "a new possibility" to the world. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 17:30:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Wang Lei BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The national security law has officially taken effect in Hong Kong late Tuesday. It will effectively guarantee long-term stability and prosperity in the Chinese city for global investors in the years to come. The Pearl of the Orient has long been an ideal place for multinational companies. Over the more than two decades since returning to China, the city has further consolidated its status as an international financial hub and global trade center, as well as a key bridge linking the Chinese mainland with the rest of the world. It was rated the world's top IPO market in 2018 and remains the largest offshore RMB business center in the world. However, Hong Kong last year saw rampant violence and chaos as radical extremists in the city colluded with meddlers overseas. That turbulent situation in Hong Kong has raised the red flag on the absence of a legal system and enforcement mechanisms on safeguarding national security, and reminded Beijing of the urgency and necessity to better defend China's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. The timely arrival of the national security law, just ahead of the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, is a decisive step to better uphold and implement the "one country, two systems" principle, create a safer and more stable environment, and better protect the legitimate rights and interests of residents and businesses in the territory. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and its role as a free market and trading hub will never be changed. In fact, many businesses worldwide have cast their vote of confidence in Hong Kong protected by the new law. In a recent survey by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce on 418 businesses in the city, 75 percent expect positive or no impact at all on their day-to-day operations. Another report by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong showed that over 70 percent of U.S. companies have no plans to relocate their businesses. "What businesses want is stability and certainty. They want to know that their business isn't going to be disrupted by social unrest," Stephen Phillips, director-general of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, said in an interview with Xinhua. "So the vast majority are really welcoming (the law)." Hong Kong's geographic strengths coupled with its generally stable and peaceful society are an important factor behind its growing global economic and trade clout. Yet an ever stronger economy in the Chinese mainland and its increasingly closer bond with Hong Kong are a more attractive factor for investors around the world. And only by combining those elements together can Hong Kong's brighter future be possible. For years, Hong Kong has seen an increasingly deeper participation and played a more active role in China's modernization process and its unremitting reform and opening-up drive. On the one hand, development initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area city cluster, and the RMB's internationalization will offer a multitude of opportunities to inbound investors and electrify the city's long-term growth. The Greater Bay Area, with a population of about 70 million and an over 1.4 trillion U.S. dollar economy, will greatly expand Hong Kong's scope for development, and effectively support its sustainable growth with more open and diversified industries. On the other hand, a more prosperous Hong Kong will also help promote economic development for China as a whole. As a "super connector" between China and its global BRI partners, a more tranquil Hong Kong can better leverage its traditional advantages in world trade and finance to help build a global trade and investment network and enhance regional and international connectivity. Since last year, rampant street violence has taken a heavy toll on Hong Kong's economy, notably on its tourism industry, and sent the city on track for economic contraction. It once again shows that without stability, economic development would be a non-starter. And the freshly implemented national security law will serve as a ballast for Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperity. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 17:31:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Plasma treatment to cure COVID-19 patients has emerged as a lucrative trade in the black market in Iraq, as the conflict-ridden country's health systems teeter on the brink of collapse after registering a total of 53,708 confirmed cases on Thursday. Iraq records the third-highest daily increase of COVID-19 cases in the Middle East for weeks, lower than the epicenter of Saudi Arabia and Iran. Concerns are mounting as hospitals fill with patients. The crippled health systems lack the ability to treat a staggering 2,000 new cases daily, but plasma may be one answer. The Iraqi Health Ministry said it has achieved positive results in treating people with COVID-19 by using plasma. Families of patients have flocked to seek plasma treatment "at any price." Mohammed Ali, a citizen from Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk, published a post on Facebook, begging for plasma to save his father who is confined in a quarantine hospital. Demand for plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients is surging on social media from Baghdad and some other provinces. "A blood plasma bag can cost as much as 2,000 U.S. dollars, and many are willing to pay even more to save the lives of their loved ones," one recovered patient said. "People were avoiding talking to me or coming to my home and all members of my family suffered from stigma when I tested positive," the patient told Xinhua on the condition of anonymity. Now recovered, the patient's blood plasma is in demand. Unlike buyers, those who are willing to sell their plasma usually live in poverty. They offer their plasma through brokers to avoid social and legal consequences. Dr. Hamid Saadi from the Iraqi National Blood Transfusion Center in Baghdad told Xinhua that the blood plasma trade is a "very serious problem." He said the Health Ministry is cracking down. "Such plasma trade cannot be accepted morally and scientifically," Saadi said. "It cannot guarantee that the plasma bag is free from HIV or other viruses. In addition, prospective buyers would never know whether the plasma bags were properly stored." Saadi called on patients who have recovered from the coronavirus to voluntarily donate plasma to help those in need. He said so far only a few hundred plasma donations have been received despite the fact that patients recovering from the virus total 27,912 as of July 2. The plasma trade has highlighted the inability of Iraqi health institutions to cope with a pandemic. Health systems have been wracked by conflicts and chaos since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Saadi said major health challenges facing the Iraqi government include dilapidated health institutions and a severe shortage of ventilators, sterilization materials, health protection equipment and even inadequate beds, as well as lack of intensive health care sections. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 18:09:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran's confirmed novel coronavirus cases rose to 235,429 on Friday after an overnight registration of 2,566 new infections, according to official IRNA news agency. During her daily briefing, Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said out of the new cases in the past 24 hours, 1,483 were hospitalized. The pandemic has so far claimed the lives of 11,260 Iranians, up by 154 in the past 24 hours, she said. So far, 196,446 have recovered and been discharged from hospitals and 3,123 remain in critical condition. According to Lari, 1,744,958 lab tests for COVID-19 have been carried out in Iran as of Friday. Iran's health official said that seven provinces of Kordestan, Kermanshah, Khuzestan, Hormozgan, Bushehr, Khorasan Razavi and Ilam are in high-risk red condition. Besides, the provinces of Tehran, Fars, Mazandaran, Hamadan, Zanjan, Alborz, and Sistan and Baluchestan are on alert condition over the virus. Iranian health authorities are preparing to reimpose restrictions amidst the resurgence of the viral disease. Lari on Friday asked people to observe health instructions, including the sanitary basics, social distancing and wearing masks in public. Iran announced its first cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 19. In mid-February, at the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak in China, Iran lit up the Tehran Azadi (Liberty) Tower to show its solidarity with China, and donated 3 million masks to China. In return, China has delivered several shipments of medical supplies to Iran. On Feb. 29, a five-member Chinese medical team visited Iran for a month-long mission to help Iran fight the pandemic. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 18:09:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- "The last few months should stick a fork in the absurd proposition that the United States enjoys some kind of monopoly on brilliance. Clearly, we do not," New York Times opinion columnist Farhad Manjoo wrote. -- "We're the only country in the world that has politicized the approach to a pandemic," Max Skidmore, a political scientist at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, was quoted as saying by The Washington Post. -- "American exceptionalism hasn't died; it is very much alive. The problem is that America has been exceptional in all the wrong ways," Sourabh Gupta, senior fellow at the Washington-based Institute for China-America Studies, told Xinhua. WASHINGTON, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The United States has registered over 2.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 128,000 deaths so far, ranking first on the global tally. Many U.S. observers said such an epidemic situation has forced Americans to face a "brutal truth" -- the United States is not as exceptional as it thinks it is, and the world's sole superpower needs a little humility in face of modern-day challenges. Photo taken on May 26, 2020 shows the exterior of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) "STING OF DEFEAT, MISERY, EMBARRASSMENT" "Like a lot of Americans, I sometimes find myself assuming American exceptionalism -- the idea that America's founding ideals make us morally superior to 'ordinary' nations and confer on us special credibility and insight when dealing with global crises," New York Times opinion columnist Farhad Manjoo wrote Wednesday. "The last few months should stick a fork in the absurd proposition that the United States enjoys some kind of monopoly on brilliance. Clearly, we do not," Manjoo wrote. The immigrant from South Africa, who has lived in the United States for over 30 years, feels "the sting of defeat, misery and embarrassment" when he sees U.S. infections soaring while new cases in many other countries decreasing. "I can't think of any national failure as naked and complete as this one." A man wearing a face mask walks past a memorial for COVID-19 victims in front of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn of New York, the United States, May 27, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua) The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday a new daily record of confirmed cases across the country at 54,357. According to a tally by the Times, case numbers were trending upward in 38 states as of Wednesday. The problem spots in the country's south and West were spreading north and east. At least 23 states are pausing reopening plans to combat mounting infections, said a CNN report. U.S. top infectious-diseases expert Anthony Fauci said Tuesday the country is "not in total control" of the pandemic, giving a dire warning that confirmed cases could go up to 100,000 per day if the current trend "does not turn around." Official tallies of COVID-19 deaths in the country underestimated the full increase in deaths associated with the pandemic in many states, said a study published Wednesday in JAMA Internal Medicine journal, adding the number of deaths due to any cause from March 1 to May 30 was 28 percent higher than the reported number of COVID-19 deaths. Medical workers transport a patient from an ambulance to George Washington University Hospital in Washington D.C., the United States, May 13, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) The United States "has hamstrung itself" by "piecemeal, politicized approach" in handling the pandemic, said a report by U.S. news outlet Politico on June 22, citing public health experts. "We're the only country in the world that has politicized the approach to a pandemic," Max Skidmore, a political scientist at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, was quoted as saying by The Washington Post on June 27. Increasing gatherings and lack of social distancing amid reopenings nationwide have led to the deterioration, Zhang Zuofeng, a professor of epidemiology and associate dean for research with the School of Public Health at University of California, told Xinhua. Whether the country will see increase of infections throughout the summer depends on adherence to quarantining, Stanley Perlman, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Iowa, told Xinhua. Social distancing signs are displayed on electronic billboards on Times Square in New York, the United States, June 25, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua) EXCEPTIONAL IN "WRONG WAYS" American exceptionalism, a concept that was rooted in the 19th century and flourished in the 20th century, has become "an anachronism in the 21st century, even before COVID-19," Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn foundation, told Xinhua in a recent interview. In the past, one could find justification for American exceptionalism, but the proper and progressive development of all nations, particularly in technology, has created "a multipolar world in which many countries are 'exceptional,' each in its own way," said the famous public intellectual. "Today, it (American exceptionalism) is nearly impossible to maintain. Faced with perhaps the most significant global crisis since the end of the Cold War, America has proven itself to be depressingly ordinary, even substandard," Zack Beauchamp wrote in a story posted by news website Vox on May 6. Refrigerated trailers are seen at a temporary morgue in Brooklyn of New York, the United States, May 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) "American exceptionalism hasn't died; it is very much alive. The problem is that America has been exceptional in all the wrong ways. And it has been exceptional in these wrong ways for the better part (in) the past 20 years, from its illegal wars in Iraq, Libya, to its abject failure and de facto surrender to global financial crisis," Sourabh Gupta, senior fellow at the Washington-based Institute for China-America Studies, told Xinhua. "So why should we be surprised by the U.S. exceptionally abysmal response to the COVID-19 pandemic? In large part, the failures have been a product of its post-Cold War arrogance and hubris," Gupta said. "It had an opportunity to restore the multilateral system to the vision laid out by the founders of the United Nations. Instead, it abused the 'unipolar moment' and chose the 'my-way-or-the-highway' path, instrumentally utilizing the framework of multilateralism only when it served its interests," he said. People relax in circled-off areas to assure social distancing in San Francisco, the United States, May 24, 2020. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua) It is of vital importance to strengthen global cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 at a critical moment when confirmed cases worldwide have surpassed 10 million, Xi Chen, a professor at Yale School of Public Health and president of the China Health Policy and Management Society, told Xinhua. "We are experiencing globalization without global governance, which has exposed the vulnerability of human beings in the face of major infectious diseases like COVID-19," Chen said. Photo taken on May 24, 2020 shows the front page of the day's New York Times, which features the names of people who have died of COVID-19 in the United States, at the Times Square in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) "A LITTLE HUMILITY" NEEDED "American exceptionalism has been pronounced dead numerous times, from the Vietnam War through the global War on Terror, and nevertheless managed to stick around through those difficult periods," noted Uri Friedman, a contributing writer at The Atlantic, in an article posted on May 14. "But the coronavirus crisis may pose the greatest threat yet to the belief that America has little to learn from the rest of the world," Friedman wrote. The United States, of course, "still has tremendous capacity to teach. But it also may need to emerge from this crisis recognizing that it has equal capacity to learn," wrote Friedman. "To learn is to admit room for improvement, and thus to improve, especially in dealing with modern-day threats such as pandemics, which America doesn't have much experience contending with as a superpower," he wrote. Signs for a restaurant's open for takeout are displayed on the boardwalk at Belmar Beach amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Belmar, New Jersey, the United States, May 16, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua) "America's pandemic failure demolishes the notion that our country is better off without people and ideas from beyond our borders," wrote Manjoo. "No doubt, the U.S. government reacted too slowly and with insufficient central authority to avert the enormity of the pandemic calamity," said Kuhn. "But it would be a distortion to single out this unambiguous failure as the trigger of coming collapse or even abrogation of leadership," Kuhn said, adding other factors are at work undermining U.S. dominance, including internal political divisions and external dismantling of alliances. Still, the United States is "resilient, buttressed," for example, with a majority of world-class research universities and a continuing attraction for the world's best and brightest, and as "future U.S. administrations may take a different approach to policy, domestic and international," he said. A man wearing a face mask stands on a street in the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington D.C., the United States, June 14, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) Kuhn said he believes there is no reason to suppose that "the American economy will not return to its former strengths" in the post-pandemic era. "For some politicians, with an outdated and simplistic sense of America's mission in the world, a little humility from the pandemic might not hurt. American ideals should be a beacon, not a club," he said. (Video reporters: Yang Shilong, Tan Jingjing, Tan Yixiao, Hu Yousong; Video editor: Zhou Sa'ang) Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 18:13:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory issued a blue alert for rainstorms Friday, as heavy downpours are forecast to hit vast stretches of the country. From Friday night to Saturday night, heavy rain and rainstorms are expected in the regions of Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Yunnan, the National Meteorological Center said. Some of these regions will see up to 70 mm of hourly precipitation, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds, the center said, warning that some areas of Jiangxi and Anhui will experience downpours with up to 150 mm of daily rainfall. China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue. The center advised local authorities to remain alert for possible flooding, landslides and mudslides, and recommended halting outdoor operations in hazardous areas. Since June, continuous downpours have lashed large parts of southern China, and the waters of many rivers in the affected regions exceeded warning levels. China's Ministry of Water Resources has called for all-out efforts to prevent floods, and has dispatched teams to affected areas to facilitate flood prevention and control. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 18:20:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PARIS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe presented the demission of the government to President Emmanuel Macron, the French presidential palace announced on Friday morning. Philippe "assures, with the members of the government, the dealing of affairs until the government is formed," said Elysee in its press release. A new prime minister will be named in the coming hours, reported local BFMTV channel. In an interview with regional newspapers published late on Thursday, Macron, cornered by local election blows and fierce opposition to his reforms, said he would ensure a new phase of his presidency with a refreshed cabinet to inject new life into his administration to meet economic, social and health challenges. "The new phase entails new goals of independence, reconstruction, reconciliation and new methods. Behind that there will be a new team," Macron said. "I will have to make choices to lead the new path." Macron remained reticent about the future of his Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and the main figures that would compose his executive staff. Meanwhile, speculations over the entry of environmentalists into the government are mounting following their big success in mayoral elections. The ruling centrist The Republic on the Move (LREM) party -- founded by the president ahead of his 2017 election win -- failed in local contests without winning a single major city. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 18:25:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Zhu Lijuan has put her daughter's safety over academic performance to prepare her for sitting the national college entrance exam next week, as the whole semester had been overshadowed by the novel coronavirus epidemic. "It has been a special year. This year's examinees in Beijing will be the first to try the reformed exam, which will be prolonged to four days. My daughter has neither been able to prepare for the exam in school nor in extracurricular tutoring classes for her safety concerns amid the spread of the epidemic," said Zhu, a resident from Fengtai District, bearing anxiety. Zhu's daughter, who only had classes on campus in No. 8 Middle School in downtown Beijing between April 27 and June 16, when Beijing contained its domestic transmission of COVID-19. For the rest of the semester, she could only study at home, reporting her health conditions daily to the school. She will be among the 10.71 million students to sit this year's national college entrance exam in China starting July 7, an increase of 400,000 over last year, according to the Ministry of Education. The ministry made a decision on March 31 to delay the exam by one month due to COVID-19. The exam will be the largest organized event in the country since the outbreak of COVID-19. More than 7,000 exam sites will be set up across the country, including around 400,000 exam rooms, and 945,000 people will work as invigilators or service providers. Beijing will have 49,225 students to sit the exam. Each classroom designated for the exam will allow 20 examinees, down from 30 in the past years, according to Li Yi, the spokesperson of the Beijing municipal education commission. The exam, also known as the gaokao, is deemed the most important event for Chinese students. It has been hailed as a fair system to select talent and change the fate of children from poor families. All designated exam sites in Beijing have been under closed-off management. Since June 11, the Chinese capital has seen a resurgence in locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases, prompting the municipal government to tighten containment measures. From June 11 to July 2, Beijing reported 331 confirmed locally transmitted cases, 324 of whom were still hospitalized. There are 29 asymptomatic cases under medical observation, according to the municipal health commission. "Our school has prepared 40 exam rooms and four spare classrooms in case anyone exhibits symptoms of fever and cough during the exam," said Wang Jinjie, deputy chief of the exam site in Dayu Middle School in Mentougou District in the northwest of Beijing. He said staff will continue to disinfect the classrooms, arrange tables and chairs and check air conditioners. Li with the municipal education commission said that no confirmed cases or suspected cases have been found among Beijing college entrance examination candidates. Beijing has not mandated all examinees to take nucleic acid tests but has required all invigilators to take the test seven days before the exam. During the exam, all people at the exam sites should wear face masks throughout the exam. This year, Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong and Hainan will join the country's education reform based on the revised curriculum, which will also see the gaokao extended to four days. In addition to math, Chinese and English, which are mandatory subjects, examinees will take the exam for three elective subjects. When the school semester started in February, Chinese students were all restricted to their homes due to the nationwide epidemic control mechanism. Schools were required to open online curriculums by using official educational websites to ensure that students "are occupied with the guided study at home." As the epidemic situation was eased in April, senior students of high schools were prioritized to return to campus. Zhang Yihao, one of more than 1,200 graduating students in Hengshui High School in north China's Hebei Province, said all of the graduating students returned to the boarding school on April 23. The school has won national fame for securing seats at noted universities in big Chinese cities for at least 80 percent of its graduates in the past two decades, but it also takes criticism for its exam-cramming approach. "The epidemic affected my progress in preparing for the exam, as well as other examinees. The school schedule from 5:40 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. has kept me adjusted to the sprint for the final contest," said Zhang, who has kept writing a diary to record the special experience of preparing for the gaokao amid the epidemic. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 18:40:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh Friday reached 156,391 as over 3,000 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours. Senior Health Ministry official Nasima Sultana said in a briefing Friday afternoon that "3,114 new COVID-19 positive cases and 42 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh." "The number of confirmed infections in the country totaled 156,391 while fatalities stood at 1,968," she said. According to the official, 14,650 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across the country. She said the total number of recovered patients in the country stood at 68,048 including 1,606 new recoveries on Friday. Bangladesh recorded the highest daily new cases of 4,019 on July 2, and the highest daily deaths of 64 on June 30. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 18:51:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on Sept. 27, 2019 shows a night view of Tsim Sha Tsui and the Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang) - The national security law will effectively guarantee long-term stability and prosperity in Hong Kong - Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and its role as a free market and trading hub will never be changed - Many businesses worldwide have cast their vote of confidence in Hong Kong protected by the new law by Xinhua writer Wang Lei BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The national security law has officially taken effect in Hong Kong late Tuesday. It will effectively guarantee long-term stability and prosperity in the Chinese city for global investors in the years to come. The Pearl of the Orient has long been an ideal place for multinational companies. Over the more than two decades since returning to China, the city has further consolidated its status as an international financial hub and global trade center, as well as a key bridge linking the Chinese mainland with the rest of the world. It was rated the world's top IPO market in 2018 and remains the largest offshore RMB business center in the world. However, Hong Kong last year saw rampant violence and chaos as radical extremists in the city colluded with meddlers overseas. That turbulent situation in Hong Kong has raised the red flag on the absence of a legal system and enforcement mechanisms on safeguarding national security, and reminded Beijing of the urgency and necessity to better defend China's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. Rioters attempt to break into the Legislative Council building in south China's Hong Kong, July 1, 2019. (Xinhua) The timely arrival of the national security law, just ahead of the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, is a decisive step to better uphold and implement the "one country, two systems" principle, create a safer and more stable environment, and better protect the legitimate rights and interests of residents and businesses in the territory. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and its role as a free market and trading hub will never be changed. In fact, many businesses worldwide have cast their vote of confidence in Hong Kong protected by the new law. In a recent survey by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce on 418 businesses in the city, 75 percent expect positive or no impact at all on their day-to-day operations. Another report by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong showed that over 70 percent of U.S. companies have no plans to relocate their businesses. "What businesses want is stability and certainty. They want to know that their business isn't going to be disrupted by social unrest," Stephen Phillips, director-general of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, said in an interview with Xinhua. "So the vast majority are really welcoming (the law)." Hong Kong's geographic strengths coupled with its generally stable and peaceful society are an important factor behind its growing global economic and trade clout. Yet an ever stronger economy in the Chinese mainland and its increasingly closer bond with Hong Kong are a more attractive factor for investors around the world. And only by combining those elements together can Hong Kong's brighter future be possible. For years, Hong Kong has seen an increasingly deeper participation and played a more active role in China's modernization process and its unremitting reform and opening-up drive. On the one hand, development initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area city cluster, and the RMB's internationalization will offer a multitude of opportunities to inbound investors and electrify the city's long-term growth. Aerial photo taken on July 11, 2018 shows the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in south China. (Xinhua/Liang Xu) The Greater Bay Area, with a population of about 70 million and an over 1.4 trillion U.S. dollar economy, will greatly expand Hong Kong's scope for development, and effectively support its sustainable growth with more open and diversified industries. On the other hand, a more prosperous Hong Kong will also help promote economic development for China as a whole. As a "super connector" between China and its global BRI partners, a more tranquil Hong Kong can better leverage its traditional advantages in world trade and finance to help build a global trade and investment network and enhance regional and international connectivity. Since last year, rampant street violence has taken a heavy toll on Hong Kong's economy, notably on its tourism industry, and sent the city on track for economic contraction. It once again shows that without stability, economic development would be a non-starter. And the freshly implemented national security law will serve as a ballast for Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperity. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 18:51:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, July 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were killed and several others injured when a train hit a passenger van carrying pilgrims in Pakistan's eastern city of Sheikhupura in Punjab province on Friday, according to officials and local media. District Police Officer Sheikhupura Ghazi Salahuddin said the accident occurred in Farooqabad area of Sheikhupura, adding that women and children are also among the dead. Following the incident, rescue teams along with police personnel reached the scene and shifted all the wounded to a nearby hospital. According to media reports, most of the passengers in the van were Sikh pilgrims who were returning from Nankana Sahib, a district in Punjab province. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 19:07:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Two Afghan policemen were killed and five people injured after an armored police vehicle was struck by a Taliban improvised bomb in northern Baghlan province Friday morning, the district chief confirmed. "The incident occurred in Hafiz Bacha locality of Nahrin district in the morning. Those among the injured were the Nahrin district police chief," Fazluddin Muradi told Xinhua. The affected people were travelling to surrounding areas of the district, where Taliban militants established a checkpoint along a road, disturbing local villagers' normal life, according to Muradi. The injured were shifted to a main hospital in provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri, the official added. The Afghan national defense and security forces remain in control of most of Afghanistan's population centers and all of 34 provincial capitals, but Taliban insurgents control large portions of rural areas, staging coordinated large-scale attacks against Afghan cities and districts from time to time. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 19:16:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed higher Friday, tracking U.S. shares' advance following the release of upbeat jobs data, while chip-related issues rallying here added momentum, although concerns remained over a resurgence of COVID-19 cases both in and outside Japan. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average gained 160.52 points, or 0.72 percent, from Thursday to close the day at 22,306.48. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, added 9.57 points, or 0.62 percent, to finish at 1,552.33. Trading got off to a bright start, local brokers said, with the market inheriting a positive lead from Wall Street overnight which was buoyed by upbeat jobs data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that the virus-hit U.S. economy regained 4.8 million non-farm payrolls in June, while the unemployment rate dropped to around 11 percent, brokers here highlighted, saying that the data fueled buying here. "Japanese shares are being supported by rallies in U.S. stocks after better-than-expected jobs data in the world's biggest economy," Toshiyuki Kanayama, a senior market analyst at Monex, was quoted as saying. But concerns continued to weigh on the market, investment strategists here said, as the continued spread of the coronavirus in the United States and reintroduction of business closures and quarantine rules for some travel across states, could lead to a second round of lockdown measures in some hard-hit states, slowing the global recovery from the pandemic. A recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Tokyo has also spooked the market here, as despite the government saying that business and social restrictions will not be imminently reimposed, the possibility has not been ruled out, if the number of daily cases continues to spike to levels considered to be a second wave of infections, market analysts here said. "But concerns over a second wave of coronavirus infections in Tokyo weighed on market sentiment," Yoshihiro Okumura, general manager at Chibagin Asset Management, was quoted as saying on the matter. Nevertheless, semiconductor-related issues here followed their U.S. peers higher as demand remains solid as people continue to spend more time at home during the pandemic. Among notable winners, Advantest added 2.1 percent, while Tokyo Electron rose 2.8 percent. Screen Holdings, meanwhile, ended the day 3.4 percent higher. SoftBank Group gained 2.6 percent, after a solid launch on the New York Stock Exchange of insurance startup Lemonade, which it backs. But transportation issues came under pressure amid mounting overseas and domestic COVID-19 concerns, and ANA Holdings dropped 1.3 percent, while Kyushu Railway closed 1.3 percent lower. Following reports Japan plans to shutter around 100 coal-fired power plants under pressure to lower its CO2 emissions, electric power companies lost ground, with Tokyo Electric Power down 1.5 percent and Shikoku Electric Power closing the day 1.4 percent lower. By the close of play, precision instrument, miscellaneous product, and information and communication issues comprised those that gained the most, and issues that rose outpaced those that fell by 1,333 to 759 on the First Section, while 78 ended the day unchanged. On the main section on Friday, 982.46 million shares changed hands, dropping from Thursday's volume of 1,357.25 million shares. The turnover on the final trading day of the week came to 1.695 trillion yen (15.769 billion U.S. dollars). Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 19:16:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LISBON, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese government on Thursday announced its decision to increase its stake in the national airliner Air Portugal (TAP) from 50 percent to 72.5 percent to retain the company's financial control. "In order to avoid the collapse of the company, the government opted to reach an agreement with private shareholders to buy part of its position for 55 million euros (61.84 million U.S. dollars)," Finance Minister Joao Leao said at a press conference. The European Commission's approval of a lending in the amount of 1.2 billion euros (1.36 billion U.S. dollars) to TAP is "to unblock financial aid for TAP and avoid the bankruptcy of an essential company for the country," he said. "This is a very important investment for TAP," which "must be managed with a sense of responsibility and rigor," Leao said. Meanwhile, Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Pedro Nuno Santos said that after weeks of negotiations, "the state will have the conditions that will allow it to assist TAP." The current CEO of TAP Antonoaldo Neves will be replaced "immediately," Santos said, adding that the government will choose a company to find "a qualified team to manage TAP in the international market." "It was a good solution for TAP, that was always our goal and now we will start a more challenging phase for the airline," Santos added. According to the minister, TAP needs "qualified management" and "qualified managers with competence in the aviation area." Since 2016, the state has held 50 percent of TAP, a result of negotiations by the government with the Gateway consortium (of Humberto Pedrosa and David Neeleman), which took 45 percent of the carrier's capital. The remaining 5 percent is in the hands of the workers. TAP has been virtually paralyzed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 19:32:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that China and Cambodia have demonstrated through their concrete efforts in jointly fighting the COVID-19 epidemic that the China-Cambodia community with a shared future is unbreakable. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks in a message to Samdech Techo Hun Sen, president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and prime minister of Cambodia. Xi said he appreciates the fact that on the occasion of the CPC's 99th founding anniversary not long ago, Hun Sen sent him a letter to express his own as well as the CPP's wishes and views on deepening relations between the two parties and countries. Calling China and Cambodia good neighbors and good partners that help and support each other, Xi noted that since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, the two sides have maintained mutual support and close cooperation, and achieved important progress in their concerted fight against the coronavirus disease. Xi added that Hun Sen's visit to China at a time when the epidemic situation in the country was still grave has left a deep impression on the CPC, the Chinese government and people, and himself. Stressing that China attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties, Xi said he is ready to work with Hun Sen to strengthen political guidance for the relations between the two parties and countries, deepen inter-party and other exchanges and cooperation, and promote the building of the China-Cambodia community with a shared future for the benefit of both countries and their peoples. Meanwhile, Xi said he is glad to see that under the strong leadership of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and the Cambodian government headed by Hun Sen, Cambodia has made gratifying achievements in various fields. China, he added, firmly supports Cambodia in pursuing a development path suited to its own national conditions, and believes that under Hun Sen's leadership, Cambodia will surely make new achievements in the cause of national construction and make positive contributions to promoting regional stability and development. In his letter sent to Xi earlier, Hun Sen said that thanks to the CPC's long-term adherence to the correct development path, and especially under Xi's wise leadership, China has made remarkable achievements of worldwide acclaim in political, economic, social and other areas. Today with its international status rising steadily, China has played a leading role in solving major global issues, added the Cambodian leader. Citing the success of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation last year, Hun Sen said it has fully demonstrated that the Belt and Road Initiative is gaining support from more and more countries and institutions, and that China's efforts in building a community with a share future for mankind are being recognized by more and more countries and peoples. The prime minister also noted that since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, China has played an important and exemplary role in fighting the epidemic and coping with its international impact. He said he is glad to see that Cambodia and China have forged an unbreakable friendship, and their cooperative relationship has enjoyed continuous development and been lifted to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. He also noted that the relationship between the CPP and the CPC has kept deepening, party delegations at all levels are exchanging visits frequently, and the two sides firmly support each other on issues involving their respective core interests. The Cambodian leader said he would like to take this opportunity to express his sincere gratitude to the CPC and Xi for their strong support for the development of the CPP. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 19:36:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOGADISHU, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Somali cabinet has approved the resumption of domestic flights which were suspended from April due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said on Friday. Ismael Mukhtar Omar, the government spokesman confirmed the move, saying domestic flights that were suspended in mid-April will now resume on Sunday with strict health guidelines. "The Cabinet has approved the reopening of domestic aviation services following COVID-19," Omar said. Mahdi Gulaid, Somali Deputy Prime Minister said in allowing the resumption of the flights, the cabinet took into consideration measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 disease. Gulaid said the cabinet noted that it was important that the Ministry of Health directives are followed when the ban on the local flights is lifted. "I chaired the Cabinet Meeting today (Thursday) and agreed to carefully restart domestic flights on Sunday, July 5, 2020, in compliance with the COVID-19 spreadsheet recommendations," said Gulaid. Somalia's Ministry of Transport and Aviation said last month it reached an agreement with aviation companies to resume local flights with strict guidelines from the health ministry. Mohamed Omar, Somali Minister for Transport and Aviation said the Ministry of Health will offer personal protective equipment and other medical supplies to help curb the spread of respiratory disease. The Horn of Africa nation has so far confirmed 2,938 COVID-19 cases, 952 recoveries and 90 deaths as of Thursday. The cases are surging at a time Somalia is struggling to contain floods that have affected nearly a million people and desert locusts that are devouring crops and pasture in Somaliland, Puntland and Galmudug, creating a triple threat. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 19:39:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KIEV, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine intends to equip military forces in Donbass with Javelins, an American anti-tank missile, its defense ministry said Thursday. Ukrainian military personnel are actively training on the use of the missiles, said Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ruslan Khomchak. The military plans to reinforce each Joint Forces Operation brigade with the American anti-tank missile, Khomchak said. At the end of 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump approved military assistance to Ukraine, which included 210 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 37 launchers, which Ukraine received in 2018. In October 2019, the U.S. administration approved the 39.2-million-U.S.-dollar sale of 150 missiles and 10 launchers to Ukraine. Later, in December 2019, the Ukraine's defense ministry signed contracts for the supply of the second batch of Javelins. On June 17, 2020, the United States transferred 60 million U.S. dollars' worth of equipment, including radios, ammunition, and Javelin missiles to Ukraine. The move angered Russia, which said it would lead to "new bloodshed" in Ukraine. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 19:39:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese construction staff attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Vientiane station of the China-Laos Railway in Vientiane, Laos, July 3, 2020. The Vientiane station, to be built by China Railway Construction Group Co., Ltd. (CRCG), will consist of four platforms with seven track lines and two additional platforms with three lines reserved. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) VIENTIANE, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The groundbreaking ceremony for the Vientiane station of the China-Laos Railway was held on Friday in the northern outskirts of the Lao capital. The Vientiane station, to be built by China Railway Construction Group Co., Ltd. (CRCG), will consist of four platforms with seven track lines and two additional platforms with three lines reserved. With a construction area of 14,543 square meters, the station can hold maximum 2,500 passengers, according to the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd.(LCRC), a Vientian-based joint venture in charge of the railway's construction and operation. The station was designed under the concept of "City of Sandalwood (original meaning of the word Vientiane), Friendship between Laos and China," integrating the cultural traditions and national temperament of the two countries in a modern traffic architecture, according to an LCRC press release. The station was designed to be a people-oriented, green and environmentally friendly one, said the company. Xiao Qianwen, the LCRC general manager, said during the groundbreaking ceremony that the construction of the China-Laos Railway project has been progressing steadily, with the civil engineering being 90 percent completed, and the focus now is station engineering and operation preparation. During a critical time when heavy construction tasks are coupled with COVID-19 epidemic prevention, the engineering companies should focus on the construction of station buildings, maintain high quality and strengthen safety management and organization. Head of the Laos-China Railway Project Management Committee under the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport Chantula Phanalasy said the Laos-China railway will drive economic development, improve the living standards of the Lao people, promote the economic cooperation between Laos and China and contribute to the cooperation and exchanges between China and southeast Asian countries. The railway will serve as a link between Laos and neighboring countries and the international railway network, said Chantula, adding that the Vientiane station is the largest passenger station of the Laos-China railway, and it is expected to connect with the follow-up railways planned by the Lao side. The China-Laos Railway is a strategic docking project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub. The 422-km railway, with 198-km tunnels and 62-km bridges, will run from Boten border gate in northern Laos bordering China, to Vientiane with an operating speed of 160 km per hour. The electrified passenger and cargo railway is built with the full application of Chinese management and technical standards, with its construction starting in December 2016 and scheduled to be completed and open to traffic in December 2021. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 19:41:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China will close all live poultry markets in a step-by-step manner in a bid to reduce public health risks, an official said Friday. China will crack down on the illegal wildlife trade, ban the consumption of wild animals, and impose restrictions on the trade and slaughter of live poultry, Chen Xu, an official with the State Administration for Market Regulation, told a press conference. Authorities will step up supervision over farmers' markets to ensure food safety amid the COVID-19 epidemic, he said. China has 44,000 farmers' markets nationwide, including more than 4,100 wholesale markets, said Hu Jianping, an official with the Ministry of Commerce, at the same conference. About 70 percent of the country's agricultural products are distributed through wholesale markets, which are the main channels for the sales of farm produce, she said. Farmers' markets, both wholesale and retail, have contributed immensely to ensuring market supplies as they continued to operate normally amid the epidemic, Hu said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 19:44:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JUBA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 41 people have been killed and 24 others injured in South Sudan's Jonglei region in tribal violence that has beset the region for the past three days, local government officials said Thursday. Joseph Mayen Akoon, Jonglei state police commissioner, told Xinhua on the phone in Juba that armed bandits launched an attack on Paliau of Jonglei region on Wednesday, leaving five people dead, 17 others injured and 100 cows raided. Akoon added that the attackers are believed to have converged from the directions of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA). Jonglei state secretary-general, Mabior Atem Mabior disclosed that another separate attack occurred on Tuesday in Maar village in Twic East County leaving seven people dead. Peter Lebelek, secretary-general of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, said that 29 civilians were also killed and an unknown number displaced on Thursday. "Twenty-nine people, including the elderly, have been killed, seven others wounded. The attackers abducted women and children, people are displaced, and the attackers are still in Gumuruk," Lebelek said. The officials called on the national government to immediately dispatch troops for urgent intervention and deployment to patrol the areas as a way to curb the further killing of civilians. The Jonglei region bordering Ethiopia to the east has long been plagued by ethnic fighting over cattle grazing grounds and access to water. Last month, President Salva Kiir constituted a high-level committee to probe and find a solution to the region prone to deadly cattle rustling between the Nuer, Murle and Dinka tribes who often carry out retaliatory attacks against each other. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 19:45:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOGADISHU, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A senior member of al-Shabab militants on Friday surrendered to the Somali National Army (SNA), a military official confirmed. "Mohamed Abukar, the leader of al-Shabab for finance in the Lower Shabelle region, contacted our forces informing he was willing to leave al-Shabab cells to join the government army and the forces cooperated with him," Isma'l Abdi Malik Malin, commander of the SNA's 16th Unit, told reporters. Abukar, now in the hands of government forces, will be handed over to intelligence authorities, Malin said. The surrender comes as government forces intensify operations against al-Shabab extremists in the southern regions in recent months. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 19:47:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VIENNA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) daily basket price stood at 42.89 U.S. dollars a barrel on Thursday, compared with 42.66 dollars on Wednesday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations released Friday. Also known as the OPEC reference basket of crude oil, the OPEC basket, a weighted average of oil prices from different OPEC members around the world, is used as an important benchmark for crude oil prices. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 19:57:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Friday said it has allocated relief funds totaling 211 million yuan (about 29.87 million U.S. dollars) to flood-hit provinces. The funds were part of the central government's budget investment for disaster relief and emergency subsidies, which would be used for restoring infrastructure and public welfare facilities in disaster-hit regions, including Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan and Hunan, according to the NDRC. Since the beginning of June, floods have affected about 12 million people in 13 provincial-level regions in southern China. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 20:26:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TASHKENT, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan's State Security Service arrested an official from the capital city administration who was involved in a 1.4 million U.S.-dollar bribe case, the security service said Friday. The detained official received a part of the agreed amount for allotting a piece of land to a businessman, a statement issued by the security service said. According to the statement, some other local officials were also involved in the case. Similar cases were revealed in other regions of the country, involving a police officer and two university teachers, authorities said, adding that criminal investigations have been launched. Uzbekistan created an independent agency to combat corruption last month, and the case is a part of anti-corruption operations. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 21:09:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Edouard Philippe (L) and Jean Castex attend the handover ceremony in the courtyard of the Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, on July 3, 2020. Jean Castex, a 55-year-old top civil servant not known to the French general public, was appointed new prime minister by President Emmanuel Macron to replace Edouard Philippe, the French presidential palace announced on Friday. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua) PARIS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Jean Castex, a 55-year-old top civil servant not known to the French general public, was appointed new prime minister by President Emmanuel Macron to replace Edouard Philippe, the French presidential palace announced on Friday. Castex, a member of the Republicans and former adviser of former President Nicolas Sarkozy, had been charged by Macron in April to oversee the country's gradual exit from the coronavirus lockdown. "Accustomed to complex files", "unanimously praised for his interpersonal skills and his efficiency," Castex is dubbed as "Swiss knife" with multiple networks, according to French media. The new prime minister has never been a minister before but is familiar with several ministries. He was director of hospitalization and organization of care at the Ministry of Solidarity and Social Cohesion in 2005-2006, then director of the cabinet for Xavier Bertrand twice -- first at the Ministry of Health (2006-2007) and then at the Ministry of Labor (2007-2008). Sarkozy made him his social affairs adviser in 2010, then assistant general secretary (the second highest ranking official) of the Elysee Palace between 2011 and 2012. Philippe, who had tendered his resignation earlier on Friday after heading President Macron's government for three years, won the race for mayor in the northern port city of Le Havre following the municipal polls last Sunday. A wider cabinet reshuffle was expected to follow soon as Macron had announced that he would ensure a new phase of his presidency with a refreshed cabinet. In an interview published late on Thursday, Macron said: "The new phase entails new goals of independence, reconstruction, reconciliation and new methods. Behind that, there will be a new team." It is also common practice for a French president to replace a prime minister during the five-year term in office, French media reported. Macron's La Republique en Marche (LREM) party -- which he created in 2016 -- emerged from Sunday's municipal elections without winning a single major city, failing to gain a strong foothold at local level. An Odoxa poll published on Thursday showed 75 percent of French citizens thought that Macron has to change policy, with two-thirds claiming a shift to a more ecological and social approach. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 21:15:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUSAKA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Zambia and South Africa will be holding a virtual trade and investment meeting aimed at promoting trade and investment between the two countries, Zambia's investment agency said on Friday. The event, to be held on July 9 and 10 this year will be organized by Zambia's Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry in conjunction with South Africa's Department of Trade, Industry and Commerce, the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) said in a release. The meeting will be held under the theme "Developing Afrocentric Solutions and Forging Partnerships in response to COVID-19". According to the release, the main objective of the event is to forge partnerships between Zambian and South African private and public sectors with particular focus on the transport, mining, energy, agriculture and financial services sectors. It will also have a business-to-business session to allow businessmen from both countries to discuss possibilities of partnerships. The Department of Trade, Industry and Commerce has mobilized a total of 130 South African companies to participate in the business-to-business meetings. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 21:15:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People watch a parade to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Some U.S. and Western politicians have recently made false accusations against the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Here are one of the rumors they spread, and the facts. More lies will be debunked in the following days. Rumor: The national security law for the HKSAR would undermine the human rights and basic freedoms of Hong Kong residents and violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Hong Kong citizens celebrate the passage of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Causeway Bay of south China's Hong Kong, June 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) Facts: -- The national security law for the HKSAR clearly stipulates that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in the HKSAR. The rights and freedoms, including the freedoms of speech, of the press, of publication, of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration, which the residents of the HKSAR enjoy under the Basic Law of the HKSAR and the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as applied to Hong Kong, shall be protected in accordance with the law. -- The national security law for the HKSAR targets only four categories of crimes, namely secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security. It punishes the very few criminals who seriously endanger national security, protects the vast majority of Hong Kong residents who abide by laws, and safeguards the safety of the vast majority of Hong Kong residents and the various rights and freedoms they enjoy in accordance with the law. -- Constitutions in more than 100 countries all stipulate that the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms shall not endanger national security. According to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the right to have a belief, the right to freedom of expression, the right of peaceful assembly, and the right to a public hearing may be subject to necessary restrictions in the interests of national security and public order. The European Convention on Human Rights has similar provisions. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 21:19:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Armenia on Friday stressed the expansion of cooperation in diverse areas, official IRNA news agency reported. The comments were made in a Friday meeting between the Iranian ambassador to Yerevan Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri and Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Development Suren Papikyan in Armenia's capital Yerevan. "The joint development plans by Iran and Armenia is indicative of the high level of cooperation between the two countries," Papikyan was quoted as saying. The Iranian ambassador, for his part, voiced Tehran's readiness for further broadening of cooperation with Yerevan, and stressed the need to make use of the existing capabilities in economic relations. The two sides also discussed the outlook of implementing joint plans for regional, transportation and energy infrastructure cooperation. The Iranian ambassador and the Armenian minister also discussed the measures taken by both countries to contain the novel coronavirus and its impacts on economic ties. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 21:24:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China highly appreciates the firm support from Laos and Vietnam for its adoption and implementation of the law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a press conference when asked to comment on related statements by both Lao and Vietnamese foreign ministries recently voicing their support for China's adoption and implementation of the law. The Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the implementation of the law will ensure HKSAR's long-term prosperity and stability. A Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Vietnam respects and supports China's "one country, two systems" principle, the HKSAR Basic Law and the related legal system, hoping other countries can respect that, too. Zhao said more than 70 countries including Laos and Vietnam expressed their support for China's national security legislation for HKSAR at the 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, and urged relevant countries to immediately stop using Hong Kong-related issues to interfere in China's internal affairs. "This shows clearly who enjoys the popular support," Zhao said. "A few western countries' attempt to smear China will be to no avail." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 21:33:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that China and Cambodia have demonstrated through their concrete efforts in jointly fighting the COVID-19 epidemic that the China-Cambodia community with a shared future is unbreakable. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks in a message to Samdech Techo Hun Sen, president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and prime minister of Cambodia. Xi said he appreciates the fact that on the occasion of the CPC's 99th founding anniversary not long ago, Hun Sen sent him a letter to express his own as well as the CPP's wishes and views on deepening relations between the two parties and countries. Experts from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University attend a video conference with medical staff in Cambodia to share experience in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Cui Bowen) Calling China and Cambodia good neighbors and good partners that help and support each other, Xi noted that since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, the two sides have maintained mutual support and close cooperation, and achieved important progress in their concerted fight against the coronavirus disease. Xi added that Hun Sen's visit to China at a time when the epidemic situation in the country was still grave has left a deep impression on the CPC, the Chinese government and people, and himself. Stressing that China attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties, Xi said he is ready to work with Hun Sen to strengthen political guidance for the relations between the two parties and countries, deepen inter-party and other exchanges and cooperation, and promote the building of the China-Cambodia community with a shared future for the benefit of both countries and their peoples. Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian (L, Front) and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn (R, Front) exchange documents of a cooperation agreement in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, June 23, 2020. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua) Meanwhile, Xi said he is glad to see that under the strong leadership of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and the Cambodian government headed by Hun Sen, Cambodia has made gratifying achievements in various fields. China, he added, firmly supports Cambodia in pursuing a development path suited to its own national conditions, and believes that under Hun Sen's leadership, Cambodia will surely make new achievements in the cause of national construction and make positive contributions to promoting regional stability and development. In his letter sent to Xi earlier, Hun Sen said that thanks to the CPC's long-term adherence to the correct development path, and especially under Xi's wise leadership, China has made remarkable achievements of worldwide acclaim in political, economic, social and other areas. Today with its international status rising steadily, China has played a leading role in solving major global issues, added the Cambodian leader. Citing the success of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation last year, Hun Sen said it has fully demonstrated that the Belt and Road Initiative is gaining support from more and more countries and institutions, and that China's efforts in building a community with a shared future for mankind are being recognized by more and more countries and peoples. Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian (1st L front) hands over the medical items to Phnom Penh Governor Khuong Sreng (2nd L front) during a ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 21, 2020. (Photo by Sovan/Xinhua) The prime minister also noted that since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, China has played an important and exemplary role in fighting the epidemic and coping with its international impact. He said he is glad to see that Cambodia and China have forged an unbreakable friendship, and their cooperative relationship has enjoyed continuous development and been lifted to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. He also noted that the relationship between the CPP and the CPC has kept deepening, party delegations at all levels are exchanging visits frequently, and the two sides firmly support each other on issues involving their respective core interests. The Cambodian leader said he would like to take this opportunity to express his sincere gratitude to the CPC and Xi for their strong support for the development of the CPP. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 21:41:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAKAR, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action on Friday reported 110 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bring the total number of confirmed cases to 7,164 in Senegal. According to the ministry's director of prevention Mamadou Ndiaye, among the 1,078 tests carried out in the past 24 hours, 110 turned out to be positive, including 80 follow-up contact cases, 29 community transmission ones and one imported case detected at the airport. Ndiaye indicated that the number of patients cured of COVID-19 has reached 4,666 with another 67 patients discharged from hospitals. As for the patients who have lost their lives to COVID-19 in Senegal, Ndiaye deplored four additional deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll up to 125. Also on Friday, Chinese Embassy in Senegal handed over Chinese government's third batch of donation to Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action. The ministry's general secretary Alassane Mbengue said the donation from China "reflected the quality of relations between Senegal and China". This batch of donation of medical supplies would essentially reinforce the protection of frontline medical staff in Senegal, said Mbengue. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 21:43:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ANKARA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A Turkish delegation visited Libya to review the activities carried out under a memorandum of understanding between the two countries, a statement by Turkey's Defense Ministry said on Friday. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler visited Libya, it said. A military ceremony was held for the Turkish delegation upon their arrival at the Mitiga International Airport in the capital Tripoli. The Turkish delegation visited the Defense Security Cooperation and Training Assistance Advisory Command, which was created under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Turkey and the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libya, said the statement. Turkish Naval Forces Commander Adm. Adnan Ozbal also paid a visit to Libya on Wednesday and met with Libyan Army's Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Mohammed Al-Sharif. Last year, Ankara signed security and military cooperation agreements as well as a maritime boundary memorandum with the GNA. In January, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is "gradually" sending troops to Libya under the deal. Turkish authorities identify their military support as "consultancy" to the GNA troops. Turkey backs the GNA led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and has signed a military cooperation agreement with it to support its fight against General Khalifa Haftar. Libya has been locked in a civil war since the ouster and killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and has been divided between the powers of GNA and the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Haftar. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 22:23:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other like-minded American politicians are playing up the blame game in an increasingly barefaced way, which reveals their incompetence at home and irresponsibility on the international stage. Pompeo has been spreading misinformation about human rights in China's Xinjiang, threatened new sanctions after China's legislature adopted a national security law to safeguard Hong Kong and has been slandering China's sincere support for Africa to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. At a critical moment when the novel coronavirus pandemic in the United States and the rest of the world is extremely grim, Pompeo is wasting his energy on conjuring cliches, peddling rumors, sowing hatred, and becoming a genuine destroyer of global cooperation. An important lesson the coronavirus has taught us is that the world is a global village, and we can live better lives only by taking care of each other. Thus, cooperation is not only an ethical imperative but also an existential one. Throughout human history, cooperation and solidarity have always been powerful weapons against disasters -- natural or man-made. But, a few U.S. politicians are clearly running against the trend and moving towards isolationism, unilateralism, xenophobia, and disrupting the current world order. They shift blames to divert attention on their incompetence in the election year, putting political expediency above people's interests and challenging the bottom line of human conscience. The United States has failed to take on its leadership role in a pandemic as severe as COVID-19. It did not embark on protecting the world from the virus but is obsessed with narcissistic supremacy. A poll of 11,000 respondents across nine European countries, conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations, found there was an increasingly negative perception of the United States amid the coronavirus outbreak. It's deplorable that some U.S. politicians have been busy with inciting conflicts and widening social division during the pandemic, instead of assuming leadership role in anti-pandemic efforts. It's time for responsible U.S. politicians to oppose the Cold-War mindset and ideological bias of their domestic peers, take an open and objective view on China's development and achievements and play their role in cementing global solidarity in the face of crisis before the trouble gets out of control. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 22:24:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING/WUHAN, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China is taking strict anti-coronavirus measures to ensure the safety and health of 10.71 million students for the national college entrance exam, starting July 7. This year, 49,225 students in Beijing will take the national exam, also known as Gaokao, from July 7 to July 10 in 2,867 exam rooms in 132 schools across the city. Although the number of examinees declined compared with last year, more exam rooms have been prepared to guarantee physical distancing. All monitors and staff are required to take nucleic acid tests beforehand, and the health conditions of examinees are monitored 14 days ahead of the exam. Designated schools for Gaokao have also prepared necessary medical supplies, such as masks and disinfectant products, for students and monitors. In addition, Beijing's municipal education commission asks all schools for Gaokao to have three backup exam rooms in case of emergency, and each school will have an expert from the municipal health commission, or the disease control and prevention institutions, to help intensify anti-epidemic preparation. Students will have their temperatures taken before entering exam rooms and wear masks throughout the tests. Apart from strict safety measures, psychological experts will be ready to help relieve stress and anxiety of students before the tests, said Jiang Yanfu with the League of Beijing No. 12 High Schools. In central China's Hubei Province, a total of over 390,000 candidates and all monitors are required to have their body temperatures taken before entering the exam sites, and those with abnormal temperatures and symptoms of a cough will attend the tests in isolation rooms. Hubei will also offer free masks for students who decide to wear masks during the two-day tests, while the provincial capital city of Wuhan has prepared 220,000 masks for its 59,000 candidates. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 22:26:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan believes in peaceful co-existence with its neighboring countries, the country's Prime Minister Office said in a statement on Friday. Prime Minister Imran Khan held a meeting in his office to review internal and external security situation and the meeting resolved that despite the country's policy of peaceful co-existence, Pakistan has both the will and the capacity to defend its people and its territorial integrity, the statement said. Attended by various high-profile ministers and senior army officials including the chiefs of the army, the navy and the air force, the meeting resolved that sovereignty of Pakistan will be protected at all costs. The meeting also paid "glowing tributes to the bravery and coordinated efforts of Law Enforcement Agencies who successfully thwarted the recent attack on Pakistan Stock Exchange" in southern port city of Karachi. The terrorist attack on the stock exchange in Karachi killed one police officer and three security guards at the venue, and wounded at least seven people. Police and security personnel killed all the four militants in an exchange of fire and frustrated their plan. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 22:34:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed groundless accusations by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over China's Xinjiang policy, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a news briefing that Pompeo's remarks, which claimed that the Chinese government was using forced labor in areas including Xinjiang, were entirely fabricated. The rights and interests of workers from ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang as part of China's large workforce are protected by law, Zhao said, adding their customs, religious beliefs and spoken and written languages are all protected by law. Some in the United States profess they care about ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, but at the same time they are taking all sorts of measures to repress Xinjiang enterprises, Zhao said, noting this inconsistency exposes their hypocrisy and malicious intention to contain Xinjiang's development and sow discord between different ethnic groups in China. "We urge the U.S. side to respect facts, stop political manipulation, stop erroneous words and deeds detrimental to others and itself, and stop using Xinjiang as a pretext to disrupt normal cooperation between Chinese and American companies," he said. China has unwavering resolution to defend its sovereignty, security and development interests. Those attempting to undermine stability and prosperity in Xinjiang and contain China's development will not and cannot succeed, Zhao added. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 22:45:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A Japanese woman who was forcibly sterilized in 1977 under Japan's former eugenics law filed a lawsuit against the government Friday for 33 million yen (307,000 U.S. dollars) in reparations, as the number of similar suits in the country continues to rise. "I want the state to apologize. I wanted to have a third child," the women in her seventies told local media after filing the suit with the Hamamatsu branch of the Shizuoka District Court. After given birth to her second child in 1977, the woman said she was told by a hospital that her visual impairment might be hereditary and could be passed on were she to have a third child. Thereafter, she was forcibly sterilized. She said that the eugenics law was unconstitutional and being forcibly sterilized had caused her a great deal of mental anguish. Plaintiffs across Japan have filed 24 similar lawsuits against the government, with the first being filed in January 2018. As for the rulings, the first handed down by the Sendai District Court in May last year recognized the eugenics law as being unconstitutional but rejected the more than 70 million yen (650,000 U.S. dollars) in damages claimed by two female senior citizens in Miyagi Prefecture. On June 30, the Tokyo District Court ruled against a damages suit filed by a man in his late seventies who was forcibly sterilized as a young teenager in 1957 under Japan's eugenics protection law. The court dismissed the plaintiff's claim for 30 million yen (280,000 U.S. dollar), owing to it considering the statute of limitations for damages expired 20 years after the 77-year-old was operated on without giving consent. Many plaintiffs have claimed that being forcibly sterilized under the eugenics law, which was enacted in postwar Japan in 1948 and kept in place until 1996, deprived them of their constitutional right to choose whether or not to have children. The controversial law, similar to Nazi Germany's sterilization law and enacted here as a population control measure to deal with the nation's postwar food shortage, made it possible for the state to sterilize thousands of people without receiving their consent, due to mental disabilities and other illnesses. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, up until the eugenics law was removed in 1996, of a total of 25,000 people who were sterilized for reasons of mental disabilities and other illnesses, 16,500 people were sterilized without giving their prior consent. Legislation was enacted in April last year for the government to pay 3.2 million yen (29,800 U.S. dollars) in compensation to each person who underwent forced sterilization. The amount was deemed wholly insufficient by many of the plaintiffs, with the government's apology at the time also criticized for not squarely admitting its culpability. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 22:54:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press briefing in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) China urged the U.S. to stop using Xinjiang as a pretext to disrupt normal cooperation between Chinese and American companies. BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed groundless accusations by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over China's Xinjiang policy, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a news briefing that Pompeo's remarks, which claimed that the Chinese government was using forced labor in areas including Xinjiang, were entirely fabricated. The rights and interests of workers from ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang as part of China's large workforce are protected by law, Zhao said, adding their customs, religious beliefs and spoken and written languages are all protected by law. Some in the United States profess they care about ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, but at the same time they are taking all sorts of measures to repress Xinjiang enterprises, Zhao said, noting this inconsistency exposes their hypocrisy and malicious intention to contain Xinjiang's development and sow discord between different ethnic groups in China. "We urge the U.S. side to respect facts, stop political manipulation, stop erroneous words and deeds detrimental to others and itself, and stop using Xinjiang as a pretext to disrupt normal cooperation between Chinese and American companies," he said. China has unwavering resolution to defend its sovereignty, security and development interests. Those attempting to undermine stability and prosperity in Xinjiang and contain China's development will not and cannot succeed, Zhao added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 23:20:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MADRID, July 3 (Xinhua) -- On July 4, Spain will reopen its borders to visitors from 12 non-EU countries, according to the country's Official State Bulletin on Friday. The 12 countries, including Australia, Canada, South Korea, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, New Zealand, Rwanda, Thailand, Tunisia, Serbia and Uruguay, have been selected from an initial list of 15 agreed by the European Union (EU). Travel restrictions do not affect people working in transport, such as truck drivers, people working for airlines or shipping companies, seasonal agricultural workers and those in diplomatic or consular posts. Foreign residents in Spain are allowed to return to their homes regardless of their country of origin, as are health workers, members of humanitarian organizations and people who can prove causes of force majeure, necessity or whose entry is allowed for humanitarian reasons. Spain reopened its borders to countries of the EU and the Schengen passport-free area on June 21. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 23:21:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China appreciates Pakistan's support to the former's national security legislation for Hong Kong, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday in a phone conversation with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Wang said that the COVID-19 epidemic is profoundly changing the world and that unstable factors in the international community and the region are increasing. China and Pakistan should work together to tackle the risks and challenges and safeguard common interests of the two countries as well as regional peace and stability, Wang suggested. For a long time, China and Pakistan have always understood and supported each other, standing firmly together on issues concerning each other's core interests, Wang noted, describing the two countries as reliable and sincere friends. China appreciates the fact that Pakistan, together with more than 50 countries at the 44th session of UN Human Rights Council, voiced firm support for China's national security legislation for HK and strong opposition to interference in China's internal affairs, which reflects the unanimous call of the international community for upholding fairness and justice and respecting basic norms on international relations, he said. Wang said that since the onset of the epidemic, China and Pakistan have helped each other by providing anti-epidemic supplies, setting an example for international anti-epidemic cooperation. The two sides, he said, should overcome temporary difficulties caused by the epidemic, ensure the smooth progress in constructing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), allocate resources of the CPEC toward improving industries and people's livelihoods, and strengthen cooperation in the fields of medical care and health, employment training, poverty reduction and agriculture, among others, to assist Pakistan in eventually prevailing over the epidemic and reviving its economy at an early date. Concerning the recent terrorist attack at the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi, Wang pointed out that China firmly supports Pakistan's efforts to combat terrorism and defend its national security. Wang said China hopes that more strong measures will be taken by the Pakistani side to protect overseas Chinese and their institutions and projects, combat terrorist groups with all-out efforts, and create a safe and sound environment for bilateral cooperation and the development of the CPEC. For his side, Qureshi expressed his gratitude to China for its precious support and help to Pakistan against the COVID-19 outbreak, and also congratulated China on holding a high-level video conference on Belt and Road cooperation, voicing his belief that China's strong leadership and endeavours will help other countries speed up economic recovery. Given that the global landscape and the regional situation have undergone complex changes, Pakistan stands ready to strengthen cooperation and coordination with China to safeguard regional peace and stability, Qureshi said. He stressed that joint construction of the Belt and Road and the development of the CPEC are both pivotal for Pakistan, and his country will deepen cooperation with China by setting up a fast lane for the CPEC to better serve the economic recovery of both sides. China's national security legislation for HK is totally China's internal affairs, said Qureshi, adding that Pakistan firmly opposes any interference in China's internal affairs by any outside forces, and will stick to the one-China policy and side with China over its core interests. The two ministers also exchanged views over situation in Kashmir, Afghanistan and South Asia, among others. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 23:29:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WARSAW, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Polish President Andrzej Duda led a meeting between the prime ministers of the Visegrad Group countries in Warsaw on Friday as Poland assumed the one-year presidency. The Polish government launched its presidency on July 1 under the slogan "Back on Track," declaring a goal to return for the region to strong economic growth after a COVID-19 induced slowdown. The Polish government also declared that it aims to promote integrated policy on common interest goals and cooperation around digitalization and innovation. One of the efforts of the Visegrad Group, which consists of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, is to add collective weight in European Union (EU) negotiations. All the four are net recipients of EU funds, which put them at odds with member states that prefer European budgets to be decreased. They also oppose plans to introduce quotas on taking in required number of refugees from the Middle East and Africa in efforts to ease pressure on countries along the Mediterranean. The alliance was formed in 1991 and named after the town where a historical alliance of regional kingdoms formed in 1335, as a vehicle for economic and defense cooperation. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 23:41:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. - - - - BEIJING -- Nationwide tests of food for COVID-19, launched by China in June, had produced only negative results as of Thursday, a health official said at a press conference on Friday. Zhang Zhiqiang, from the Chinese National Health Commission, said the tests were launched after the COVID-19 outbreak at Beijing's Xinfadi market in June. - - - - ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi confirmed on Friday evening that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and quarantined himself at home. The foreign minister announced it at Twitter, saying "this afternoon I felt a slight fever and immediately quarantined myself at home. I have now tested positive for COVID-19." - - - - LONDON -- Passengers returning from certain destinations, including France, Germany and Belgium, will no longer need to self-isolate when arriving in England, the British Department for Transport announced Friday. The previously announced coronavirus regulations required passengers to self-isolate for 14 days when they return to Britain from a country outside the common travel area, which covers Britain, the Crown Dependencies (Bailiwick of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Isle of Man) and Ireland. - - - - BEIJING -- More than 10.41 million residents in Beijing had received nucleic acid tests as of Thursday since the resurgence of domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases, local authorities said on Friday. Test results from about 10.06 million people had come back, Zhang Qiang, deputy head of the Organization Department of Beijing Municipal Party Committee, said at a press conference. - - - - LONDON -- Britain's service sector bounced back to a four-month high in June after a steep downturn between April and May caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a report jointly published by IHS MARKIT/CIPS said Friday. The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the service sector rose to 47.1 in June, up from 29.0 in May and record-low of 13.4 in April, albeit still under the neutral 50.0 threshold, showed the data. - - - - KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait on Friday reported 813 new COVID-19 cases and one more death, raising the tally of infections to 48,672 and the death toll to 360, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Currently, 9,036 patients are receiving treatment, including 144 in ICU, the statement added. - - - - NEW DELHI -- Commercial international flights to and from India shall remain suspended until July 31, the country's civil aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced Friday. "In partial modification of circular dated 26-06-2020, the competent authority has extended the validity of circular issued on the subject -- Travel and Visa restrictions related to COVID-19 -- regarding scheduled international commercial passenger services to and from India till 31, July 2020," the order issued by DGCA said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 23:44:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JUBA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday handed over 160 oxygen concentrators to South Sudan in a bid to boost its fight against COVID-19 pandemic. The 160 oxygen concentrators will be distributed across the country to treat patients requiring oxygen, WHO said in a statement issued on Friday in Juba. It said that supplemental oxygen is the first essential step for the treatment of severe COVID-19 patients with low blood oxygen levels and should be a primary focus for treatment in countries like South Sudan. "We are grateful to receive the best type of oxygen concentrators," said Mayen Machut Achiek, undersecretary at the ministry of health. "The 160 oxygen concentrators will be used to treat severely ill patients with respiratory distress at designated COVID-19 treatment health-care facilities," added Achiek. South Sudan so far has reported 2,036 COVID-19 positive cases and 38 fatalities as of Thursday since the first COVID-19 case was reported on April 5. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 23:55:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The claims of a former U.S. senior official that China was one of the reasons behind the termination of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty are false, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said Friday. "We do not see China's activities in the missile sector as a threat to security, and even more so, as a reason for the destruction of the INF Treaty," Fomin was quoted by RIA Novosti news agency as saying. "Regarding the thesis of John Bolton on the increasing threat from China, I would like to emphasize that this is a banal distortion of facts," he said, commenting on the memoir of the former U.S. national security adviser. "We believe that the U.S. withdrawal from the INF Treaty was planned in advance. Accusations that Russia violated the agreement are baseless," Fomin said. "For a long time, the United States has pursued a consistent policy of renouncing its arms control obligations in order to ensure its military domination," he added. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 23:55:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ZAGREB, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Croatian Constitutional Court said on Friday that people infected with COVID-19 will have the right to vote in the country's upcoming parliament elections. Although it is not unacceptable to rule out the possibility of infected people showing up at polling stations, the court ruled that the State Electoral Commission must provide a chance to all citizens to exercise their right to vote. The State Electoral Commission claimed earlier that people infected with coronavirus will not be able to vote, but on Friday, after the court's decision was announced, it noted that these people could empower another person to vote in their name. "The law says that people who are illiterate or have a physical disability can vote with the help of other persons. They will express their desire and will for whom to vote, and someone else will physically do it for them," Ana Lovrinov, deputy president of the State Electoral Commission, explained on Friday. Croats are heading to the polls on Sunday to elect a new government. Parliament was dissolved on May 18 on the proposal of the ruling coalition led by the center-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). Many analysts here believe that the ruling party pushed for an early election to capitalize on its relatively successful management of the health crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the latest polls, the HDZ and the biggest opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) are neck and neck ahead of the Sunday elections. Croatia has seen a steady growth in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks, which is why the elections this Sunday are seen as one of the most challenging moments in the country's history. On Friday, there were 96 confirmed new coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period, the same number recorded on April 1, which makes this the biggest daily increase in new cases since the start of the epidemic here in late February. Croatia has 3.86 million eligible voters, who will elect 151 members of parliament in a secret ballot to a four-year term. There are ten constituencies in Croatia with 14 members of parliament elected in each, while the diaspora elects three and the ethnic minorities eight members. About 2,700 candidates on 192 lists are running for seats in parliament in this election. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 23:57:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MACAO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Macao's cross-border vehicle traffic in May declined by 89.9 percent year-on-year to 45,888 trips, the special administrative region's statistic service said here on Friday. The latest report from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) showed that among the cross-border vehicle traffic in May, the light automobile tumbled by 94.8 percent to 20,797 trips, whereas heavy truck decreased by 12.9 percent to 25,067 trips due to the continued freight services amid the epidemic. In the first five months of 2020, cross-border vehicle traffic dropped by 60.6 percent year-on-year to 851,509 trips. The arriving and departing commercial flights at the Macao International Airport in May declined by 96.2 percent year-on-year to 238 trips. In the first five months, the arriving and departing commercial flights fell by 70.2 percent year-on-year to 8,811 trips. The licensed motor vehicles in Macao totaled 239,718 at the end of May 2020, up slightly by 0.7 percent year-on-year. The new registration of motor vehicles in May increased by 23.7 percent year-on-year to 1,097. In the first five months of 2020, the new registration of motor vehicles decreased by 12.4 percent year-on-year to 4,280. The number of traffic accidents in May totaled 743 with 260 injuries. In the first five months, there were 3,445 traffic accidents, involving 1,202 victims and three of them were killed. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 23:59:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KATHMANDU, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Nepali government on Friday reported a record high single day spike in COVID-19 cases as total cases in the Himalayan country surpassed 15,000. Nepali government also confirmed its 32th COVID-19 related death on Friday as a 85-year man from capital Kathmandu died at a hospital on Thursday night. "With new 740 new cases in the last 24 hours, total COVID-19 cases in Nepal reached 15,259," said Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population, at a regular press briefing on Friday. It is the first time that the Himalayan country witnessed more than 700 cases in a single day. Of 4,483 people tested through rapid testing method and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, 774 were tested positive for novel coronavirus which is 16.5 percent of total testing in the last 24 hours, according to the ministry. Nepal has conducted tests on 242,247 people with both methods. Nepali government plans to conduct a test among 600,000 people, as announced by the Nepali Prime Minister in May. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 00:02:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, July 3 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed and two others seriously injured on Friday when two vehicles collided in Tanzania's central district of Kongwa in Dodoma region. Gilles Muroto, the Dodoma regional police commander, said the accident occurred at dawn after a mini-bus collided with a lorry that was driven into the main road from a feeder road without caution. "The driver of the mini-bus is among the dead and one of the injured persons is in critical condition," Muroto told a news conference in the capital Dodoma. The police official said the driver of the lorry ran away after the accident and police launched a manhunt for him. Binilith Mahenge, the Dodoma regional commissioner, urged the police to ensure that the driver of the lorry is arrested and arraigned in court. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 00:02:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Health Ministry on Friday confirmed 2,312 new COVID-19 cases, as the total number of infections climbed to 56,020. The ministry also confirmed 102 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 2,262 in the country. It also said that 1,688 people recovered during the day, bringing the total recoveries from the disease to 29,600. The new cases were recorded after 12,176 testing kits were used across the country during the past 24 hours, and a total of 579,861 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the ministry's statement. The ministry frequently attributed the recent increase of COVID-19 infections to the lack of compliance of the citizens to the health instructions, as well as to the increase in the testing capacity due to the increase of labs in Baghdad and the other Iraqi provinces. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Iraq has been taking measures to contain the pandemic. China has been helping Iraq fight the COVID-19 pandemic. From March 7 to April 26, a Chinese team of seven medical experts spent 50 days in Iraq to help contain the disease, during which they helped build a PCR lab and install an advanced CT scanner in Baghdad. Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 00:04:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health on Friday confirmed that a 100-year-old man tested positive to COVID-19 as the country's total number of infections reached 7,188. Rashid Aman, Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Health said that the elderly patient is among 247 people who tested positive from 4,147 samples which were tested in the last 24 hours. "From today's cases, 242 are Kenyans while five are foreigners," Aman told journalists in Nairobi. He added that 39 patients had been discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 2,148 while two more patients died hence bringing the total number of deaths to 154. The official confirmed that a study conducted by the government and researchers at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) found that at least 2.6 million Kenyans are already exposed to COVID-19, including 12 percent of Nairobians (550,000 people). Aman clarified that antibody testing in blood samples gives an indication of whether one had been exposed to the virus or not in the recent past, and how many people in the population. He noted that the study looked at the presence of antibodies in 2,535 blood donor samples from different regions in the country using a modeling formula involving populations from all parts of the country. He added that the number tested may not be a fair representation of the country but offers a good lead on what to work with. The blood used in this study was donated between April and June. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 00:12:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Germany's lower parliament Bundestag approved the gradual coal phase-out by 2038 on Friday. The parliament agreed to provide 40 billion euros (45 billion U.S. dollars) in financial aid to the coal-producing states. Furthermore, operators of coal-fired power plants would receive compensation for the early shutdown of their plants. And 4.35 billion euros were earmarked for this purpose. German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier described the planned coal phase-out as a historic "generation project" during his speech in the Bundestag. "The fossil age in Germany will come to an irrevocable end with this decision," said Altmaier. In January, Germany's coal-mining states and several major utilities had agreed with the government on a detailed shutdown plan for coal-fired power plants, depending on the age and efficiency of plants. "This will finally provide legal certainty and allow structural aid to flow to the regions disadvantaged by the coal phase-out. Another central building block of the energy system transformation in Germany will thus be implemented," Ralf Wissen, managing partner of r2b energy consulting told Xinhua on Friday. Environmental associations, however, claimed that a faster coal phase-out was necessary for climate protection reasons. A "complete phase-out of coal by 2030 is urgently needed," Greenpeace claimed on Friday. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 00:18:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Central China's Hunan Province launched a Level IV emergency response, the lowest in China's four-tier emergency response system, for flood control on Friday. The provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said that Dongting Lake, the second-largest freshwater lake in the country, and hilly regions in northwestern Hunan, should be considered the key areas for flood control work. East China's Anhui Province launched a Level IV emergency response for disaster relief on Friday, sending two working groups to the disaster-stricken areas to guide the disaster relief work. A total of 40 counties and other regions in Anhui have been affected after heavy rains hit the province, and 14,000 people have been relocated. East China's Jiangxi Province also launched a Level IV emergency response for flood control on Friday. The water level at the province's Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, may exceed the warning level. Southwest China's Guizhou Province allocated 4 million yuan (about 566,300 U.S. dollars) and a batch of disaster relief supplies to the regions most heavily affected by rainstorms on Friday, helping the regions relocate disaster-stricken residents, and meet their basic living needs. Guizhou launched a Level IV emergency response on Thursday in anticipation of geological disasters resulting from the heavy rains that have been sweeping southern China. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 00:32:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHENYANG, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, launched its first freight train heading for a logistics center in Moscow on Friday, according to local authorities. The train carries auto parts, chemicals, mechanical equipment, along with 300,000 medical masks donated by the provincial commerce department and other institutions in the city. It will arrive at the logistics center in between 13 and 15 days. The center launched its first freight train heading for China on June 18. The logistics center, located 30 km north of Moscow, was jointly built by Liaoning Port Group and Russian Railways since 2017. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 00:34:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health on Friday launched Kenya Cancer Policy 2019-2030 to help address the growing burden of disease in the country. Rashid Aman, Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Health of Kenya, said that the cancer policy documents provide a framework on how to comprehensively manage the cancer burden. "Cancer has been slowly and quietly consuming our people. It is one of the most impacting diseases on our people and the health facilities in recent times," Aman told journalists during the launch of the document in Nairobi. He said that the Kenya Cancer Policy 2019-2030 is expected to help reduce the number of deaths since every household in the country has in one way or another, been affected by the deadly disease. Aman said that people with underlying conditions such as cancer are at higher risk of contacting COVID-19. He said that out of the 154 patients that have succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic, six were nursing cancer at the time of their death. "Cancer care can now be accessed in county facilities. Every household has been affected by cancer. Recognizing the burden of cancer, Uhuru directed the ministry to develop cancer policy," said Aman. The Ministry of Health estimates that 47,887 Kenyans are diagnosed with cancer every year and 32,987 patients die annually. Aman, who also launched the breast cancer screening pilot report dubbed "Breast Health Awareness Campaign", said the document will guide the scaling up of breast cancer screening services in the country. He said that breast cancer is the leading type of cancer in Kenya with about 6,000 new cases every year. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 00:37:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Friday expressed strong opposition to the passage of the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" by the U.S. Congress. A spokesman for the HKSAR government said, "Once again, we urge the U.S. Congress to immediately stop interfering in HKSAR's internal matters. The 'Hong Kong Autonomy Act' and the so-called 'sanctions' are totally unacceptable. "The passage of successive laws targeting the HKSAR, an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China (PRC), by the U.S. legislature under the pretext of human rights, democracy and autonomy is a blatant breach of obligations and respect between nations. On national security legislation which is invariably the jurisdiction of the central government of any country, the U.S. legislature has clearly displayed double standards which is deeply regretted." The spokesman said that for those who were still ignorant about the HKSAR's constitutional order, they should be reminded that the national Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR form the constitutional basis of the HKSAR. The implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle in the HKSAR is entirely the internal affairs of the PRC. No other state or legislature has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, in those internal affairs. Some members of the U.S. Congress claimed that the passage of the "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" was in response to the enactment of the national security law in Hong Kong. This is totally misguided, said the spokesman, adding that national security is a matter that falls under the purview of the central authorities and the national security law enacted on June 30 2020 by the National People's Congress Standing Committee is a national law which by virtue of relevant provisions in Article 18 of the HKSAR Basic Law shall be applied in the HKSAR. "In view of the increasingly pronounced national security risks faced by the HKSAR, especially since the escalating violence and social chaos last June, close to three million Hong Kong people took part in a signature campaign over eight days to show their support for the enactment of national security legislation by the central authorities, which was considered timely, reasonable and rational," the spokesman said. The national security law for the HKSAR seeks to prevent, suppress and impose punishment for four types of acts and activities that seriously endanger national security. It targets an extremely small minority of people without adversely affecting the basic rights and freedoms legitimately enjoyed by Hong Kong people. It is an important step to improve the "one country, two systems" institutional system and represents an essential and timely decision for restoring stability in Hong Kong. The law will not affect the high degree of autonomy, judicial independence and the rule of law in Hong Kong, according to the spokesman. The spokesman reiterated that any "sanctions" imposed under the "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" will not create an obligation for financial institutions under Hong Kong law. "We urge the U.S. side to act responsibly by refraining from taking measures that may potentially affect the normal operations of financial institutions and the vast number of customers they serve." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 00:58:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Zimbabwe's Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing July Moyo (R, Front), Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Guo Shaochun (C, Front), and the UNDP Resident Representative Georges van Montfort (L, Front), pose for a photo with the agreements to provide restoration assistance to Zimbabwe's regions affected by Cyclone Idai, in Harare, Zimbabwe, on July 3, 2020. China through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Friday pledged an additional support of 2 million U.S. dollars in humanitarian assistance for the people affected by Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang) HARARE, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China through the United Nation Development Program (UNDP) on Friday pledged an additional support of 2 million U.S. dollars in humanitarian assistance for the people affected by tropical Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe. The grant, which is being implemented under the just launched Post Disaster Restoration Assistance through UNDP and its partners will provide roofing materials to community housing and selected health and education facilities that were damaged by Cyclone Idai in eastern Zimbabwe's Chimanimani and Chipinge districts last March. Cyclone Idai was one of the worst tropical cyclones on record to hit southern Africa. The storm caused catastrophic damage in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, leaving more than 1,300 people dead, and many more missing. In Zimbabwe, the cyclone killed at least 185 people and left 270,000 people in urgent need of humanitarian aid, according to the World Food Program. The recovery program, which will be implemented over a 12-month period, is funded by the Chinese government under the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund (SSCAF) which aims to support developing countries' implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Speaking at the official launch of the project on Post Disaster Recovery Assistance After Cyclone Idai, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Guo Shaochun said through the SSCAF that China remains committed to assisting the victims of Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe. "As a responsible member of international society and the all-weather friend of Zimbabwe, China has been doing its best to provide all kinds of assistance to Zimbabwe. After the Cyclone Idai, the Chinese government immediately provided emergency humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe through bilateral and multilateral channels, and was committed to helping the affected areas to restore infrastructure facility and basic living conditions," Guo said. He said the Chinese government and the UNDP have been maintaining cooperation and coordination in Zimbabwe and the other parts of the world, adding that cooperation on the reconstruction project will make its implementation more efficient. "In addition to the project signed today, in the meantime, with cooperation with WFP, UNICEF and UN Population Fund, another four projects funded by China are being implemented in Zimbabwe on humanitarian assistance, food security, health and wellness, and poverty alleviation," he said. Guo said multilateral cooperation has become an important pattern in China's assistance to Zimbabwe and the other developing countries. "We are looking forward to working more closely with the Zimbabwean government, the UNDP and other international partners, to bring more benefits to the people of Zimbabwe, and to build an even stronger China-Zimbabwe community with a shared future," Guo said. Speaking at the same event, Zimbabwe's Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, July Moyo expressed his profound gratitude to China and all the partners involved in assisting Zimbabwe in its post-disaster recovery efforts. "The funding came at an opportune time in which we are dealing with the residual effects of Cyclone Idai. The intervention by the People's Republic of China through the UNDP has made it possible for the government of Zimbabwe to move from emergency relief to recovery," Moyo said. Moyo said through the assistance, the Zimbabwean government has made a lot of strides in restoring normalcy in Chimanimani and Chipinge as well as the other seven districts that were affected by the natural disaster. Speaking at the same occasion, UNDP Resident Representative Georges van Montfort expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for supporting UNDP's resources mobilization efforts, saying that "I am particularly pleased, not only that we can help assist vulnerable communities in their recovery efforts, but also as this is our first engagement with the People's Republic of China in Zimbabwe and I thank the Ambassador for his confidence in the UNDP and this contribution to Zimbabwe. "The project we are officially launching today arises from the need to address the impact of the Cyclone Idai to homes and community public infrastructure in the affected communities and is in line with the Cyclone Idai Appeal that identified reconstruction of critical infrastructure such as housing, schools and clinics as a priority," he said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 01:05:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close COTONOU, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Benin donated a large quantity of sanitary materials to Benin's National Assembly as part of its contribution to the fight against COVID-19 on Friday in Porto-Novo, the political capital. The donation was handed over by Chinese Ambassador to Benin Peng Jingtao to Benin's National assembly senior vice-chairwoman Mariama Zime Tallata, in Porto-Novo, about 30 km south-east to the economic capital Cotonou. "This donation is simply a way for China to show solidarity and to support to Benin's people as well as to democratic institutions in the fight against the pandemic," Peng said. "China and Benin are united by a single destiny," said Peng, adding that the donation was part of China-Benin bilateral cooperation reinforcement and would enable Benin's parliamentarians to step up response measures against COVID-19. On the receipt of the materials, Benin's National assembly senior vice-chairwoman expressed gratitude of all parliamentarians to the Embassy of China as well as to people of China. "We would like to thank China's politic authorities for their constant helpful attentions towards people of Benin, especially in the framework of the fight against coronavirus pandemic," she said. So far, Benin has declared a total of 1,199 COVID-29 confirmed cases, of which 845 patients under treatment, 333 persons that have recovered, and a death toll of 21, since the country reported first positive case on March 16. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 01:09:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- As Kenya battles to contain the spread of COVID-19 among its citizens, another fight is silently taking place to curb environmental pollution arising from the effects of the disease. The East African nation has seen a high number of citizens adhere to the use of face masks, one of the measures used to contain the disease. However, amid the increased usage, poor disposal of the masks and sanitizer bottles is brewing another crisis. In many urban centers, the used masks are steadily becoming an eyesore as they become one of the most poorly disposed of items, alongside plastics and non-woven carrier bags. The sight of used masks strewn in open fields, alongside roads and at dumpsites where their numbers have risen in the past months as usage increases have become common. While there are recyclable masks in the market, most Kenyans are using disposable ones because they are cheaper, with each going for between 30 shillings (about 0.30 U.S. dollars). It is these masks, which are changed and disposed daily are finding their way into the environment, with the situation worsened by poor disposal and waste management habits. Kenya's Ministry of Health has continuously urged citizens to dispose of the masks correctly, but few are heeding to the calls. "The disposed masks are becoming a hazard in residential areas because even children are picking and playing with them. They have become the new pollutants, adding to plastics and non-woven bags," said Evans Mulanda, a resident of Kayole in the east of Nairobi on Friday. The low-income settlement, like many others across Nairobi, is among the worst hit as few follow disposal protocols. Also hit are open air markets, public parks, bus termini and drainage, which get clogged by the dirt when it rains. The downtown parts of the capital have also not been spared, with a survey on Friday showing that the areas are choking with plastics, used masks and the shopping bags. At public parks, authorities are not grappling with only poor disposal of masks but also the other waste. The number of people visiting the public parks in Kenya has risen in the past months following the outbreak of COVID-19, which saw the government ban public gatherings that don't adhere to social distancing. Many adults and their children, thus, visit the parks at the weekend to unwind as they observe social and physical distancing. But this has come with a price on the environment as the country battles COVID-19. Ngong Hills Park, on the outskirts of Nairobi, is among the worst affected places as it hosts hordes of people every weekend, according to the Kenya Forest Service (KFS). To curb pollution, the KFS banned the carrying of plastic bags and bottles into the park as well as alcoholic drinks, whose cans were also dumped there. According to the National Environment Management Authority, more than 6,000 tons of waste is generated daily in five major towns, including the capital Nairobi, which accounts for 2,500 tons. "With the outbreak of COVID-19, the tonnage of waste has surged if you add the masks, sanitizer containers, gloves and plastics used in packaging various products. If to dispose wrongly as it is being done, the collection becomes a problem leading to pollution, but this can be turned into a big business if recycled," said Ernest Manuyo, a lecturer at Pioneer Institute in Nairobi. Mamo. B. Mamo, acting director-general of the National Environment Management Authority, notes that increased use of safety materials against COVID-19 has led to massive generation of waste that is posing challenges. "These protective and safety materials are being used across the country in hospitals, shopping places, offices and homes. Most of them are single-use resulting in an increased waste generation which poses cross infections and environmental risks," Mamo says in a policy guideline issued after the outbreak of the disease. He adds that used masks, gloves and other related items must be treated as contaminated items and disposed as infectious waste. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 01:14:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LAGOS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Scores of Boko Haram terrorists have been killed in an airstrike in the Sambisa forest in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno, said an official on Friday. John Enenche, spokesman for the Nigerian military, who confirmed this in a statement made available to Xinhua, said the troops also destroyed a Boko Haram terrorists' meeting venue at Mainyakare on the fringes of the Sambisa forest. The Sambisa forest is known as the largest training camp of the Boko Haram group in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country. Enenche said the operation, which was executed on Thursday, following a series of intelligence, was in continuation of the air interdiction missions being conducted to unhinge the leadership of the terror group. The northeast region has been destabilized for over a decade by Boko Haram, which most notoriously kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls in 2014. Boko Haram is known for its agenda to maintain a virtual caliphate in the most populous African country. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 01:17:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close OTTAWA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- An armed man who was arrested on the grounds of Canadian Governor General Julie Payette's residence Thursday morning is facing multiple charges, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Friday. "He is in court as we speak right now," RCMP Deputy Commissioner Mike Duheme said at a press conference in Ottawa on Friday morning. "As soon as the RCMP is in a position to do so, we will release the details of these charges." The armed man identified as Corey Hurren had several weapons with him as he breached the front pedestrian gates of the residence. Hurren is a ranger with the Canadian Armed Forces from rural Manitoba. Hurren was arrested on Thursday morning after he bypassed a gate of the residence court, damaging the front-end of his pickup truck and initiating the vehicle's airbags. Police deployed police robots and sniffer dogs to the area to search Hurren's black four-door Dodge Ram truck. CTV images show garbage bags, large boxes and an orange cooler under analysis. As a precaution, the RCMP sent its chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive team to search and secure the suspect's vehicle. Payette was not at her residence during the incident, nor were Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family who are staying in the same area. Trudeau responded to the incident during a COVID-19 press briefing Friday. "This was something that nobody wants to hear, but I want to thank the extraordinary members of the police services and the RCMP who did their job and nobody was hurt, nobody was injured." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 01:43:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RABAT, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A total of 319 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Morocco on Friday, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 13,228. The number of the patients cured increased to 9,160 with 70 new recoveries, said Hind Ezzine, head of the Department of Epidemic Diseases of the Ministry of Health, at a regular press briefing. Ezzine said that the country's COVID-19 death toll stood at 230, as one new fatality was recorded in the last 24 hours. Some 719,206 diagnostic tests for COVID-19 have been carried out in Morocco since the start of the outbreak in the country on March 2, she said, adding that the number of active cases stands at 3,898, including 19 cases in intensive care units. Casablanca remained the worst-hit region in the country with 26.6 percent of cases, followed by Tangier with 19.1 percent. The COVID-19 death rate in Morocco stabilizes at 1.7 percent, with the recovery rate at 68.9 percent, the official noted. China has helped Morocco in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. A batch of medical supplies donated by the government of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was transported on June 8 to Casablanca-Settat in Morocco. On May 14, China Development Bank sent a batch of donation, including respirators and medical protective masks, to Morocco to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. China's Guizhou Province has also donated 15,000 surgical gloves, 20,000 medical masks and 2,000 protective suits to help Moroccan medical workers fight the pandemic. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 02:18:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NICOSIA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Cypriot government decided on Friday to include the United Kingdom in travel Group B countries as of Aug. 1, which means that a negative COVID-19 test certificate will be required for British travelers, according to Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou. "Britain's data, according to the presentation done by the epidemiological team, are good, and it has been decided, that if the same good epidemiological profile continues, it can be placed in category B by Aug. 1," Ioannou said after a meeting of Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, ministers and epidemiologists. Accounting for a tourist share of 33 percent in Cyprus, UK is a major source of tourists of the country. According to Ioannou, on the advice of chief virologist professor Leondios Kostrikis, the government decided to increase five-fold the random coronavirus tests on incoming travelers from the present level of 300 each day to 1,500 with no extra charges. A specialist explained that under this practice, five samples will be mixed into one test. In case of a positive result, all five samples in the batch will be tested separately. Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios, commenting on the inclusion of Britain in Group B, said there has been a big interest from travel agents who wanted to know when it would be possible to include the UK in category B. Meanwhile, Limassol city on the southern coast of Cyprus said that it decided to cancel one of the island's biggest tourist events, the wine festival, which is traditionally held at the beginning of September. "Free wine and very large crowds do not go hand in hand with the effort to completely eliminate the pandemic," Limassol's Mayor Nicos Nicolaides said. The city's town Hall said it would organize instead smaller scale events towards the end of September with free entrance. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 03:13:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH/GAZA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Dozens were injured on Friday during clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli army forces in a protest in the West Bank against the Israeli annexation plan, medical sources said. The sources said that Israeli soldiers shot and wounded a Palestinian young man during the protest near the northern West Bank city of Nablus against building two Israeli settlement posts in the area. Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, told Xinhua that the Israeli army forces opened fire at dozens of Palestinian demonstrators and wounded one of them near Nablus. Meanwhile, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said in a press statement that Israeli soldiers wounded 15 Palestinians by rubber-coated metal bullets, in addition to dozens who suffered suffocation after inhaling tear gas near the northern city of Qalqilya. Walid Assaf, head of the National Committee to Resist the Wall and Settlements, told Xinhua during the protest that the message of the Palestinian people is that they will "keep resisting the plans of settlement and annexations of Palestinian lands." "The peaceful and popular resistance will go on all over the Palestinian territories that Israel threatens to confiscate," Assaf said, adding that the Palestinian people's struggle "will go on until the end of the Israeli occupation." Also, the Gaza Strip-based Islamic Hamas movement organized on Friday a rally in the southern Gaza town of Rafah against the Israeli annexation plan. Mansour Break, a senior Hamas local leader, told reporters that the local Palestinians joined the rally "to tell the world that they are sticking to resistance and the Israeli annexation plan will never pass." The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it could begin the annexation process from July 1. Plans are to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank as well as the strategic Jordan Valley. It is still unclear whether the Israeli government intends to follow through with the plans to apply Israeli law over contentious territories in the West Bank and to what extent. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 05:00:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, July 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump headed to Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Friday to kick off the July 4th celebrations amid the nationwide surge of new coronavirus cases. Up to 7,500 people will attend the gathering and watch fireworks display at Mount Rushmore, midwestern state South Dakota, local media estimated. No social distancing is planned for the event though free face masks will be given out at the event, Republican Governor Kristi Noem has said. The Mount Rushmore fireworks displays had been stopped beginning in 2009 as a result of the risk of wildfires, but Trump has moved to revive the display this year, said a report from The Hill. Coronavirus cases in South Dakota currently remain stable, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, with 6,893 confirmed cases and 97 deaths as of Thursday. The president is expected to be back in Washington and deliver remarks from the White House on Saturday at the 2020 "Salute to America," an event that will include multiple flyovers by military aircraft and a 35-minute fireworks display over the city. Infections are up in at least 36 U.S. states as the country heads into the Independence Day weekend, according to a CNN tally on Friday. Much of the country has cancelled or scaled back traditional celebrations and events for the weekend as health experts warn that large gatherings could lead to spikes in COVID-19 cases at a time when the country is already experiencing significant surges. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 05:37:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Egypt condemned on Friday what it called "Turkey's violations of Iraqi sovereignty under the pretext of national security claims." "The continuation of such unacceptable approach may undermine regional security and peace," Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry stressed that repetition of hostile practices reveals "what Turkey actually intends to impose on everyone, which attests what Egypt has repeatedly put forward that Turkey constitutes a major source of instability in the region." In this context, the statement said that Egypt affirms its full solidarity with the Iraqi people and government against these provocative practices. In mid-June, Turkey announced it launched Operation Claw-Tiger in northern Iraq to target the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Iraq condemned the ongoing attacks on positions of the PKK, called on Turkey to stop such "provocative acts" and rejected violations. Iraq also demanded Turkey to withdraw its forces from the Iraqi territories. Turkish forces frequently carry out ground operations, airstrikes and artillery bombardments against the positions of the PKK militants in northern Iraq, especially the Qandil Mountains, the main base of the PKK. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 05:53:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ROME, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A dramatic drop-off in demand for Italian olive oil amid the COVID-19 pandemic has put the owners of more than 400,000 olive growers of all sizes at risk of financial collapse, Italy's main agricultural union Coldiretti said in a study released Friday. Coldiretti said that farmers cultivating some 250 million olive plants all across Italy have so far lost a combined 2 billion euros (2.25 billion U.S. dollars) due to the crisis. Coldiretti studied the impact on the nation's olive growers together with researchers from Unaprol, the country's largest association of olive growers. Coldiretti and Unaprol said the worldwide economic slowdown combined with the national coronavirus lockdown and the ensuing lack of tourism dealt an economic blow to farmers. The study said lower demand has pushed prices as much as 44 percent lower. Coldiretti urged for the implementation of a rescue plan, which calls for streamlining of quality control procedures and financial support for producers facing economic difficulties. Italian olive oil producers have faced a series of obstacles over the last two years, including harsh weather in 2018 and tariffs on exports to the United States. In addition to the issues related to demand and distribution this year, the coronavirus pandemic also made it more difficult for farmers to find the workers needed to pick olives. Italy is Europe's third-largest producer of olive oil by volume, behind Spain and Greece, according to data firm Statistica. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 06:18:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PARIS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Jean Castex, who was named as new French prime minister on Friday, announced at the handover ceremony that "a new stage in the mandate begins." Castex, a top civil servant and mayor of small commune in southern France, appeared at a handover ceremony with outgoing prime minister Edouard Philippe. "It is very largely dictated by a new, heavy and difficult context. The health crisis is unfortunately not over...The economic and social crisis is already here," he said. "Priorities and methods will have to be adapted. We will have more than ever to unite the nation to fight the crisis that is setting in and to pursue fundamental reforms to emerge stronger and more united," he added. Castex, 55, has orchestrated the government strategy to exit from the coronavirus lockdown. He had worked as high-rank officials at several ministries, served as adviser for former president Nicolas Sarkozy and worked as assistant general secretary (the second highest ranking official) of the Elysee Palace between 2011 and 2012. "Jean Castex is an all-around senior civil servant who will be keen to reform the state and conduct a peaceful dialogue with the territories," RTL radio cited a source from the Elysee as saying. "He is right for the job. He is perfectly experienced in the mysteries of Paris and an expert on local and territorial realities," it added. In an interview with regional media published late on Thursday, the French president warned that the period after the government's summer break would be "very hard." An overhaul of the executive staff is expected before Wednesday's weekly cabinet meeting. Enditem Scientific 'red flag' reveals new clues about our galaxy, Embry-Riddle researcher says Figuring out how much energy permeates the center of the Milky Way--a discovery reported in the July 3 edition of the journal Science Advances--could yield new clues to the fundamental source of our galaxy's power, said L. Matthew Haffner of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The Milky Way's nucleus thrums with hydrogen that has been ionized, or stripped of its electrons so that it is highly energized, said Haffner, assistant professor of physics & astronomy at Embry-Riddle and co-author of the Science Advances paper. "Without an ongoing source of energy, free electrons usually find each other and recombine to return to a neutral state in a relatively short amount of time," he explained. "Being able to see ionized gas in new ways should help us discover the kinds of sources that could be responsible for keeping all that gas energized." University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student Dhanesh Krishnarao ("DK"), lead author of the Science Advances paper, collaborated with Haffner and UW-Whitewater Professor Bob Benjamin--a leading expert on the structure of stars and gas in the Milky Way. Before joining Embry-Riddle in 2018, Haffner worked as a research scientist for 20 years at UW, and he continues to serve as principal investigator for the Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper, or WHAM, a telescope based in Chile that was used for the team's latest study. To determine the amount of energy or radiation at the center of the Milky Way, the researchers had to peer through a kind of tattered dust cover. Packed with more than 200 billion stars, the Milky Way also harbors dark patches of interstellar dust and gas. Benjamin was taking a look at two decades' worth of WHAM data when he spotted a scientific red flag--a peculiar shape poking out of the Milky Way's dark, dusty center. The oddity was ionized hydrogen gas, which appears red when captured through the sensitive WHAM telescope, and it was moving in the direction of Earth. The position of the feature--known to scientists as the "Tilted Disk" because it looks tilted compared with the rest of the Milky Way--couldn't be explained by known physical phenomena such as galactic rotation. The team had a rare opportunity to study the protruding Tilted Disk, liberated from its usual patchy dust cover, by using optical light. Usually, the Tilted Disk must be studied with infrared or radio light techniques, which allow researchers to make observations through the dust, but limit their ability to learn more about ionized gas. "Being able to make these measurements in optical light allowed us to compare the nucleus of the Milky Way to other galaxies much more easily," Haffner said. "Many past studies have measured the quantity and quality of ionized gas from the centers of thousands of spiral galaxies throughout the universe. For the first time, we were able to directly compare measurements from our Galaxy to that large population." Krishnarao leveraged an existing model to try and predict how much ionized gas should be in the emitting region that had caught Benjamin's eye. Raw data from the WHAM telescope allowed him to refine his predictions until the team had an accurate 3-D picture of the structure. Comparing other colors of visible light from hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen within the structure gave researchers further clues to its composition and properties. At least 48 percent of the hydrogen gas in the Tilted Disk at the center of the Milky Way has been ionized by an unknown source, the team reported. "The Milky Way can now be used to better understand its nature," Krishnarao said. The gaseous, ionized structure changes as it moves away from the Milky Way's center, researchers reported. Previously, scientists only knew about the neutral (non-ionized) gas located in that region. "Close to the nucleus of the Milky Way," Krishnarao explained, "gas is ionized by newly forming stars, but as you move further away from the center, things get more extreme, and the gas becomes similar to a class of galaxies called LINERs, or low ionization (nuclear) emission regions." The structure appeared to be moving toward Earth because it was on an elliptical orbit interior to the Milky Way's spiral arms, researchers found. LINER-type galaxies such as the Milky Way make up roughly a third of all galaxies. They have centers with more radiation than galaxies that are only forming new stars, yet less radiation than those whose supermassive black holes are actively consuming a tremendous amount of material. "Before this discovery by WHAM, the Andromeda Galaxy was the closest LINER spiral to us," said Haffner. "But it's still millions of light-years away. With the nucleus of the Milky Way only tens of thousands of light-years away, we can now study a LINER region in more detail. Studying this extended ionized gas should help us learn more about the current and past environment in the center of our Galaxy." Next up, researchers will need to figure out the source of the energy at the center of the Milky Way. Being able to categorize the galaxy based on its level of radiation was an important first step toward that goal. Now that Haffner has joined Embry-Riddle's growing Astronomy & Astrophysics program, he and his colleague Edwin Mierkiewicz, associate professor of physics, have big plans. "In the next few years, we hope to build WHAM's successor, which would give us a sharper view of the gas we study," Haffner said. "Right now our map `pixels' are twice the size of the full moon. WHAM has been a great tool for producing the first all-sky survey of this gas, but we're hungry for more details now." In separate research, Haffner and his colleagues earlier this month reported the first-ever visible-light measurements of "Fermi Bubbles" - mysterious plumes of light that bulge from the center of the Milky Way. That work was presented at the American Astronomical Society. ### MULTIMEDIA: A scientific animation is available, along with photos of the three researchers. Research described in the Science Advances paper, "Discovery of Diffuse Optical Emission Lines from the Inner Galaxy: Evidence for LI(N)ER-like Gas," was supported in part by the National Science Foundation for WHAM development, operations, and science activities including grants AST-0607512, AST-1108911, and AST-1714472/1715623; NASA grant NNX17AJ27G; and IDEX Paris-Saclay grant ANR-11-IDEX-0003-02. About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Reporters worldwide contact Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for content experts in all aspects of aviation, aviation business, aerospace, engineering and STEM-related fields. Our faculty experts specialize in unmanned and autonomous systems, security and intelligence, air traffic and airport management, astronomy, human factors psychology, meteorology, spaceflight operations, urban air mobility and much more. Visit the Embry-Riddle Newsroom for story ideas. Embry-Riddle educates 33,500+ students at its residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona, at approximately 125 Worldwide Campus locations and through online degree programs ranked by U.S. News & World Report as being among the Nation's Top Five. This story has been published on: 2020-07-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The New Braunfels Fire Department will conduct training activities during the next several days at the now-fenced-off portion of the H-E-B str In a video released in July, Texas Governor Greg Abbott explained why he was issuing a mask order that applied to almost all Texans as the state looks to curtail a surge of COVID-19 cases. New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low 72F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low 72F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Woodville, AL (35768) Today Thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 88F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. Low around 65F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. The ministry of interior, Government of Pakistan has authorised Nadra, also knows National Database and Registration Authority. It is the responsibility of Nadra to issue various identity cards to Pakistani citizens. It also covers the overseas Pakistani. Nadra online has gained significance overseas due to its NICOP application Registration services. Many individuals belonging to Pakistan who have started living overseas apply for Nadra identity cards. One of the identity cards issued by Nadra is CNIC, also known as Computerized National Identity Card. This card is the basic identity proof for Pakistani citizen. After 18 years of age, it is compulsory to have a CNIC. Nadra has provided the online portals for most of its services. CNIC can also be registered via the online portal. The renewal of expired CNIC can also be done via the online portal. What are the steps of CNIC renewal via Nadra? 1. The foremost step is to visit the official Website of Nadra. After reaching the official Website, theres an option available at the top stating Apply now. Click on that option. 2. It is necessary to have an account on Nadra portal to apply. If the individual already have an account, they can log in Directly. The individual who have no prior account, needs to create a new account prior, then click on . 3. During the process of sign up, a pin and OTP is sent to the registered mobile number and email address. This is a two- step verification. 4. The verification has to be completed by clicking on the link sent in email by Nadra. 5. Once the registration is successfully done, the individual has to log in with the registered ID and password. 6. All the terms and conditions must be read carefully before accepting them. 7. Various services provided by Nadra will start appearing on the screen. Choose the option of NICOP/CNIC. 8. Another portal will open on the screen, showing various options, choose My Identity Card has Expired. 9. The renewal form will open up, with many stages of form completion. All the steps must be completed. 10. The CNIC is delivered to the address filled in by the applicant. The process of applying for Nicop online renewal and CNIC renewal online is the same. The processing time for these identity cards is 7 working days. It takes up to 5 working days for delivery overseas. Some facts: * All the Pakistani citizen with the age of 18years or above are eligible for CNIC cards. * A multi-biometric national identity project was launched by Nadra in the year 2000. * The Economic Times stated in 2012, Pakistan started issuing biometric identity cards from the year 2001. * Nadra stated in 2012 that 91% of the Pakistani population have CNIC cards. * In September of 2012, Nadra took an initiative of Mobile Registration Teams to provide CNIC in rain-hit areas of Pakistan ( Balochistan, Sindh, South Punjab). * CNIC is required by Pakistani citizens to get a passport, driving licence, access to social servers and opening a bank account. Former ally of Kalonzo Musyoka, Johnstone Muthama, has revealed that the nomination of the Wiper party leaders son Kennedy Musyoka to the East African Legislative Assembly was the final nail in the coffin of their partnership. Muthama who has since declared his support for DP Ruto said he felt by Kalonzo after he nominated his son at the expense of other Wiper Party members. The former Machakos Senator alluded that Kalonzo is a neposit who only cares about the welfare of his family and not the Kenyan electorate. Tell me, did you see Jaramogi Oginga nominate his sons to any political office? Did you see the first President nominate his sons? Even Raila Odinga has never tried that, what does that tell you about Kalonzo? he posed. According to Muthama, he ceased to be a Wiper Member the day he withdrew out of the Machakos senatorial in 2017. He claimed that party nominations were rigged in favor of the highest bidders, adding that he didnt want to be part of what he termed a mockery of the democracy. A little over a week ago, the vocal politician noted that he was not expelled from Wiper after Kalonzo Musyoka initiated disciplinary proceedings against him over alleged insubordination. What business do I still have in wiper? I have no business to be in wiper. And for the record, I am not being expelled from Wiper, I vomited wiper in 2017, he said. Muthama was required to write to Wiper to explain why action should not be taken against him. He now says he has already written back wishing the party well in their future endeavors. Its good riddance, ni kama kupiga chura teke (Its like kicking a frog) they have actually helped me make up my mind over leaving the Wiper, he said. At the same time, the former Senator reiterated his support for DP Ruto saying he has no apologies to make. I will ensure William Ruto becomes the 5th president of Kenya. I am working round the clock to team up with Ruto to ensure that he is elected. Let them(Wiper) organize themselves and we organize ourselves, lets meet on the ballot, we are not afraid of them, he declared. Apple supplier Foxconn said on Friday customs clearing procedures in India have been resolved, as additional scrutiny by the country of imports from China disrupted operations in some foreign firms amid tensions between the Asian giants. Foxconn's customs clearance for cargo logistics in India has been resolved and all local regulatory procedures have been complied with, Foxconn said in a filing to Taipei stock exchange. It did not elaborate. Customs officers at Indian ports have held back shipments from China and sought additional clearances after deadly clashes at the disputed Himalayan border last month. The increased scrutiny of imports from China has disrupted operations at Foxconn, three sources told Reuters earlier this week. Also read: India can even do 'digital strike': Ravi Shankar Prasad on China apps ban Also read: India-China clash: Apple supplier Foxconn, others affected; Chinese imports held up at ports A UK government consortium involving Bharti has won the bid for satellite firm OneWeb, Bharti Enterprises announced on Friday. Without disclosing the financial details, the statement said the deal will enable OneWeb to complete the construction of a global satellite constellation that will offer enhanced broadband and other services to mobile and fixed terminals in countries across the world. Meanwhile a statement by the UK government said that it "will provide USD 500 million to deliver first UK sovereign space capability, alongside USD 500 million from Bharti Global". Bharti Global Ltd, overseas arm of Bharti, operates out of London. "I am delighted that Bharti will be leading the effort to deliver the promise of universal broadband connectivity through OneWeb, with the active support and participation of the British Government," Sunil Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises said. The business has substantial commercial use cases across the telecoms, enterprise, aviation and maritime sectors, he said. "With strong operational execution, we will be able to generate an attractive return for investors, while ensuring that Britain plays a leading role in space and next generation communications," Mittal noted. OneWeb was formed with a mission to offer high speed and low-latency wireless broadband access to billions of people across the globe, particularly in rural areas through a constellation of satellites in low earth orbit, the company said. "Bharti was one of the founding members of OneWeb and had a strategic stake in the company," the statement added. Also Read: Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital charges Rs 17 lakh for COVID-19 treatment; BMC files FIR Also Read: ICMR aims to launch India's first coronavirus vaccine by August 15 Amid the ongoing border tensions, China on Friday said that "artificial blocks" to bilateral cooperation would harm India's interests. The two nations should work towards maintaining peace in the border region, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing told reporters. About the clampdown on Chinese companies in India, China said that it will ensure that the rights of these companies are looked after. These comments by China come days after India banned 59 Chinese apps over concerns of national security. Both centre and state governments have also cancelled a number of projects originally awarded to the Chinese firms amid Boycott China calls after violent skirmish at Line of Actual Control (LAC). In June, 20 Indian soldiers died in a face off with Chinese forces at LAC. Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Ladakh to assess the on-ground situation. He was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief MM Naravane in his visit. PM Modi took stock of the security situation along with General Rawat, Army Chief MM Naravane and Northern Army Commanders Lt Gen YK Joshi and Lt Gen Harinder Singh and 14 Corps officials. During his Mann Ki Baat address on June 28, PM Modi had told the nation that "those who eyed Indian territory in Ladakh have received a befitting response". He had also said if India knew how to maintain friendship, it could also confront someone and give an adequate response. "Our brave soldiers made it clear that they will not allow anyone to taint the honour of Mother India," he had said. Also Read: Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital charges Rs 17 lakh for COVID-19 treatment; BMC files FIR Also Read: ICMR aims to launch India's first coronavirus vaccine by August 15 In a surprise visit amid the India-China border tension, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached Ladakh to assess the on-ground situation himself. He is accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief MM Naravane in his visit to Ladakh. PM Modi will take stock of the security situation along with General Rawat, Army Chief MM Naravane and Northern Army Commanders Lt Gen YK Joshi and Lt Gen Harinder Singh and 14 Corps officials here. As per new agency ANI, PM Modi is presently at one of the forward locations in Nimu, Ladakh. He reached there early morning. He is interacting with personnel of Army, Air Force and ITBP. Located at 11,000 feet, this is among the tough terrains, surrounded by Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. PM Modi is presently at one of the forward locations in Nimu, Ladakh. He reached there early morning.He is interacting with personnel of Army, Air Force & ITBP. Located at 11,000 feet,this is among the tough terrains, surrounded by Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. pic.twitter.com/ZcBqOjRzcw ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2020 The visit comes days after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in bloody clash with the Chinese at the Galwan Valley. Earlier, it was reported that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Ladakh today to review India's military preparedness in view of the bitter border standoff with the Chinese army in the region. #WATCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefed by senior officials in Nimmoo, Ladakh pic.twitter.com/uTWaaCwUVL ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2020 Notably, during his Mann Ki Baat address on June 28, PM Modi had told the nation that "those who eyed Indian territory in Ladakh have received a befitting response". He had said if India knew how to maintain friendship, it could also confront someone and give an adequate response. "Our brave soldiers made it clear that they will not allow anyone to taint the honour of Mother India," he had said. The Indian army and the Chinese are locked in the standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for the last seven weeks. The tension escalated manifold after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash in Galwan Valley on June 15. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. After several military-level talks, both the armies have emphasised the need for an "expeditious, phased and step wise" de-escalation as a "priority" to end the seven-week bitter standoff in eastern Ladakh. However, these talks are yet to bear any concrete results. Also read: PM Modi quits Chinese social media platform Weibo after ban on 59 apps Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Minister Rajendra Shingne on Friday said that action would be taken against Patanjali Ayurveda if the company tries to create confusion or attempts to mislead people into believing that 'Coronil' is a cure for COVID-19. On June 23, Patanjali Ayurveda had launched 'Coronil' and 'Swasari'. It had claimed that these two drugs could be used for treating COVID-19 and had successfully treated 100 per cent of the COVID-19 patients it was administered to in clinical trials. The announcement was immediately scrutinised by many organisations including the Ministry of AYUSH which ordered Patanjali to immediately stop all advertising of the drug. The Ministry of AYUSH had said that the details of clinical trials conducted by Patanjali were not known to it and ordered Patanjali to provide all relevant reports so that the Ministry could review the entire process and take a decision on the drug. It said that Patanjali should not advertise the drug until the MInistry had thoroughly reviewed all the important reports and given the drugs its approval. However, even before Ministry of AYUSH could give its verdict on the drugs, Patanjali Ayurveda changed its stance. On Monday. Patanjali CEO Acharya Balkrishna said that the company had never claimed that the drugs could cure coronavirus and had only said during the trails all patients given the drugs had recovered successfully. "We made the combination of Tulsi Giloy Ashwagandha at an advanced level and when the clinical trials were done on the patients of COVID-19, the coronavirus patients were cured. A conspiracy has been hatched against us and if the Ayush Ministry tells us to conduct clinical trials once again then we are ready to face it," Balkrishna said. Following this announcement, the Ministry of AYUSH has allowed the sale of 'Coronil' and 'Swasari' but not as COVID-19 treatment drugs. Maharashtra was one of the states which had immediately ruled out the selling of the drugs in the state back when they were originally announced as COVID-19 treatment drugs. Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh had tweeted, 'The National Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur will find out whether clinical trials of @PypAyurved's 'Coronil' were done at all. An abundant warning to @yogrishiramdev that Maharashtra won't allow sale of spurious medicines. #MaharashtraGovtCares #NoPlayingWithLives." Now, the state FDA minister has said that the state will take action against Patanjali if it tries to further mislead people. Also Read: Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital charges Rs 17 lakh for COVID-19 treatment; BMC files FIR Also Read: ICMR aims to launch India's first coronavirus vaccine by August 15 GST intelligence officials carried out more than 50 search operations in the last one month at various premises of pan masala and cigarette manufacturers in Indore and detected tax evasion worth over Rs 500 crore, according to an official statement issued on Friday. In order to protect government revenue, six immoveable properties and 14 bank accounts have been provisionally attached as part of the investigation proceedings by the officials of Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI) here. "Operation Kark to counter illicit sale of pan masala/tobacco/cigarettes, which was initiated on 30th May, has till now detected GST evasion of about Rs 512 crore in last one year (period), while five people have been arrested in this operation," the statement issued by Additional Director General, DGGI, here said. In the last one month period, the officials of central GST intelligence have conducted as many as 53 searches under this operation, it said. The operation has been named ''Kark'' -- considering the high Goods and Services Tax (Kar in Hindi) loss and the reported adverse effects of consuming illicit tobacco not subject to food and safety standards leading to high prevalence of oral cancer (Kark) in India. Officials said that the sleuths part of the searches acted as corona warriors by conducting operation in parts of Indore affected by the deadly coronavirus pandemic. In a recent operation, the GST intelligence officials had detected tax evasion of Rs 105 crore by a cigarette manufacturing firm in Indore in the last one year. As a result of searches conducted in the last week of June, additional evidence suggests that the GST evasion for the period April 2019 to May 2020, by the firm is Rs 270 crore, according to the statement, adding that the amount may rise further. "A search by officials of central GST intelligence was conducted on June 25, 2020 at the premises of the supplier of filters used in (manufacture of) cigarettes (by the Indore based firm)," it said. Investigations revealed that this unit had declared, on invoices, to have provided filters to three dummy firms. Whereas, the filters had been supplied to only one firm, which was searched by the officials, the statement said. One of the proprietors of the dummy firm was found to be an employee of a media organization run by the accused running these illegal units, it said. On June 29, three immovable properties located at Indore and nine bank accounts belonging to the accused and his associate companies involved in GST evasion were provisionally attached, the statement said. "As many as seven people which include directors of the companies (manufacturing cigarettes), transporters and their representatives, key associates in the GST fraud are presently absconding or not appearing under formal summons and are not cooperating with the legal proceedings," the DGGI said. Also Read: Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital charges Rs 17 lakh for COVID-19 treatment; BMC files FIR Also Read: ICMR aims to launch India's first coronavirus vaccine by August 15 When Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday removed his account from China's social media platform Weibo, the message was clear that India would not hesitate to step up economic offensive going ahead. A day later, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari followed it up with an announcement that Chinese companies will not be allowed to participate in highway projects, including those through joint ventures. Gadkari also said the government will ensure that Chinese investors are not entertained in various sectors like Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). "Even if we have to go for foreign joint venture in the areas of technology, consultancy or design, we will not allow Chinese," he added. While the military standoff continues at the China border, the Indian government has focussed on the economic route to counter China's aggressive posture at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which recently saw the death of 20 Indian Army personnel. In the past few days, the government has ensured that it restricts economic opportunities for Chinese firms in India. FDI restrictions Even before the violent skirmish at LAC, the Indian government, in April, amended the rules for foreign direct investment (FDI) from bordering nations without naming China. The government had removed FDI coming in from that country via automatic route, fearing hostile takeovers. "An entity of a country, which shares land border with India or where the beneficial owner of an investment into India is situated in or is a citizen of any such country, can invest only under the government route," the notification said. Ban on apps The government last week announced a ban on 59 Chinese apps, including popular apps such as TikTok, Shareit, Helo to counter the threat posed by these applications to the country's "sovereignty and security." The list also includes other commonly used apps such as UC Browser, Xender, SHAREit and Clean-master. Shopping portals such as Shein and Club Factory and gaming apps such as Clash of Kings have also made it to the list. The action by the government made headlines globally. According to Global Times, Chinese internet company ByteDance - the parent of the TikTok and Helo apps - could lose up to $6 billion or nearly Rs 45,000 crore after the ban. Maharashtra pauses Chinese projects Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government has put on hold three Chinese projects worth Rs 5,000 crore. Of the 12 MoUs agreed upon in the Maharashtra investors' event held before border standoff, three were with China - a project with Hengli engineering worth Rs 250 crore, one with Great Wall Motors worth Rs 3,770 crore and a project with PMI electromobility worth Rs 1,000 crore. Haryana cancels thermal power station contracts The Haryana government cancelled the thermal power station contracts issued to two Chinese companies. The thermal power plants are in Yamunanagar and Hisar. During the bidding process for both these plants, Chinese companies had won the bid and secured the contracts worth Rs 780 crore. Railways terminates contracts A major blow for Chinese investment in India came from the Indian Railways after the border clashes. The Indian Railways terminated a signalling contract worth Rs 471 crore awarded to a Chinese company in 2016. The contract, awarded to Chinese company Beijing National Railway Research and Design Institute of Signal and Communication Group, was funded by the World Bank. Telecom contracts cancelled Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) cancelled their 4G upgradation tenders issued in March. It is not just cancellation of contracts but an opportunity lost in 5G as the Indian government has advised even private firms to not buy Chinese equipment. After much deliberation, the Centre last December decided to allow Huawei to take part in the 5G trials. Blocking of goods by customs Import consignments from China are facing clearance delays at some ports including Chennai and Mumbai. While there is no confirmation over any such official directive, industry representatives say the message is clear - don't deliver goods originating from China until further orders. The custom authorities also indicated to importers that there would be delays in clearing shipments as checks were being conducted on basis of specific intelligence based inputs.The additional scrutiny of imports has begun to disrupt operations at plants owned by Apple supplier Foxconn, among others. Chinese imports India's trade with mainland China and Hong Kong declined by over 7 per cent to $109.76 billion in FY20, its steepest fall since FY13. It is a sharp reversal from the 3.2 per cent growth in trade in 2018-19 and the more robust 22 per cent jump in FY18, signalling the prevailing anti-China sentiment in the country. A lot of business with mainland China is also conducted via Hong Kong. GeM The government last month made it mandatory for sellers to enter the country of origin while registering all new products on Government e-Marketplace (GeM). The revised rule is expected to make it difficult to sell Chinese goods on the dedicated online trading platform for state-run agencies - Government e-Marketplace (GeM). "GeM has also enabled a provision for indication of the percentage of local content in products. With this new feature, now, the Country of Origin as well as the local content percentage are visible in the marketplace for all items," Ministry of Commerce and Industry said. UP bans Chinese electricity meters Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has been vocal against the imports from China and stepped up policy to boycott Chinese companies. The state government has imposed a ban on the installation of new China-made electricity meters by the state Power Department. Bihar cancels mega bridge contract The Bihar government cancelled a tender for construction of a new mega bridge parallel to Patna's iconic Mahatma Gandhi Setu because two of the four contractors selected for the project had Chinese partners. Also Read: Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital charges Rs 17 lakh for COVID-19 treatment; BMC files FIR Also Read: ICMR aims to launch India's first coronavirus vaccine by August 15 "We maintain Peru's rating at A3, with a stable outlook, which is still valid. We made the decision not to change the rating, despite the strong impact of the virus on the economy and fiscal accounts ," Moody's Investors Service Vice-President Jaime Reusche told Andina news agency. "The fact that there are such strong economic authorities gives investors quite a bit of reassurance, and that is also what has weighed on our decision not to touch the rating as it gives Peru the benefit of the doubt that it can recover, and very likely we are going to see an important macro-fiscal policy response to support the reactivation," he added. Reusche pointed out that although there are latent risks that put pressure on Peru's rating Moody's decided to maintain it, even despite the fact that other countries in the region are seeing downward adjustments to their ratings. "The fact that the rating is maintained in the case of Peru is remarkable, mostly due to the fiscal soundness of the country and the good macroeconomic management that already has a long history," he expressed. "Economic institutions are extremely strong and world-class, but political institutions are extremely weak due to the fact that we see a weak Judiciary, a high incidence of corruption and informality, as well as low education levels," he added. As is known, Moody's Investors Service in its annual review maintained Peru's credit rating at A3 for its long-term debt in local and foreign currency, with a stable outlook. (END) CNA/MVB Moody's Investors Service on Thursday said that the soundness of Peruvian economic institutions was a determining factor in maintaining Peru's A3 credit rating this year, with a stable outlook, which has not changed since 2014.Published: 7/2/2020 ???? Peru es el primer pais de Latinoamerica que vacuna durante la pandemia a la poblacion vulnerable. Hoy estuvimos en la zona de Lomas de Amauta brindando atencion primaria a mas de 1000 ninos, gestantes y adultos mayores. #PrimeroMiSalud pic.twitter.com/NTGJZT8QuD Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) expects to launch Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN by August 15. ICMR has selected 12 institutes for the clinical trial, according to an official. In a letter to the selected institutes, ICMR has said that it expects to launch the vaccine candidate for public health use by August 15, after completion of the clinical trials. The institutes have also been asked by ICMR to fast track the trials and to consider it as one of the top priority projects monitored by the topmost government authorities. "The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the pre-clinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine," stated the ICMR in its letter to the institutes. The launch will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project. ICMR asked the institutes to ensure that all the subjects are enrolled starting this week and to speed up approvals. "Non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. Therefore, you are advised to treat this project on highest priority and meet the given timelines without any lapse," said ICMR in its letter. Institutes from New Delhi, Hyderabad, Patna, Visakhapatnam, Nagpur, Gorakhpur, Rohtak, Belgaum (Karnataka), Kattankulathur (Tamil Nadu), Arya Nagar, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Goa have been enlisted by ICMR. Meanwhile, BBIL, the company behind the candidate, is also working expeditiously to meet the target. The vaccine candidate COVAXIN has been developed in Bharat Biotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) High Containment facility located in Genome Valley, Hyderabad. The Drug Controller General of India and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare granted permission to conduct Phase I and II of human clinical trials after the company's results demonstrated safety and immune response of the candidate. Also read: India's first COVID-19 vaccine candidate COVAXIN gets approval for human trials Also read: How quickly can Bharat Biotech's coronavirus vaccine hit the market? 13:55 | Lima, Jul. 2. "I am confident that the recovery will take place in the second half of the year . Obviously, the epidemiological variables shall always be monitored, and I think next year will be key to implementing infrastructure and competitiveness plans at once," Alva said in remarks to RPP radio and TV station. "Now that the economic recovery has begun, we see a gradual recovery in electricity production indicators ," she expressed. Pride Reimagined New challenges bring Pride celebrations closer to the community by Maggie McMillin Published in June, 2020 The landscape of LGBT Ann Arbor has changed considerably in recent years. Local gay and lesbian bookstore Common Language closed in 2018, and when owners Martin Contreras and Keith Orr sold Aut Bar to the BarStar Group last year, patrons hoped the 25-year-old Ann Arbor institution would avoid a similar fate. But in early June Aut Bar announced plans to permanently close, saying in a Facebook statement that "the financial impact of the COVID-19 crisis has proved [] to be simply too much to bear." Other local queer groups are feeling the effects of Covid-19, too. The LezRead book club has experimented with online meetings, Out Loud Chorus canceled their May concert, and Ypsilanti-based drag troupe Boylesque Michigan has moved its programming online. In addition to virtual bingo and online benefit shows, Boylesque is planning a July 3 country-themed drag show (a benefit for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) in the parking lot of Alive Ypsi, which audience members can watch from their cars or online. (Note: due to heat concerns, this show has moved to a livestream-only format). Ypsilanti's online Pride celebration, held on June 5, drew inspiration from the successful online programming that many local groups are putting out. Virtual Ypsi Pride featured live music-including a performance by Out Loud Chorus, burlesque and drag performances, and DJ sets. Signs of Pride are also visible in the streets. "[bringing] Pride to the outside world and off the internet felt crucial," A. Popkey, an Ypsi Pride Organizer, told The Gander. Ypsilanti residents participated in Project YARD (Ypsi Area Rainbow Decorating) by decking out their homes, storefronts, yards, and sidewalks in rainbow- and Black Lives Matter-themed paint, flags, and chalk art. Planning for Ann Arbor's August 1 Pride celebration is well under way. Director Joe Schoch says that "people can expect much of the same if they've been to Ann Arbor pride in the past, just in a virtual setting." The celebration will ...continued below... be held on AnnArborPride.com and will feature a combination of prerecorded and livestream performances on a virtual "main stage." There will also be an online directory of sponsors and a "kid's zone" with drag queen storytime, arts & crafts instructions, and kid-oriented messages of love and support.This year's celebration boasts a completely local lineup: "local artists, local drag performers, local bands, and local sponsors." Details are still to come, but the program will feature poetry, dance, drag performances, yoga, and more. The recently-announced headliner is musician Laith Al-Saadi, an Ann Arbor native whose blend of blues, soul, and classic rock earned him a spot in the finale of NBC's singing competition show The Voice in 2016. The celebration will also be active on Twitter Instagram , and Facebook . "We want it to be as interactive as possible," says Schoch.New this year, Ann Arbor Pride is teaming up with nonpartisan groups to provide online voter registration. "In support of the increasing visibility of racism in the United States, we wanted to make sure that people can have their voices heard in the upcoming election," Schoch notes. Ann Arbor Pride is also supporting local businesses with a silent auction. "It's a great way for businesses to raise money for themselves and raise awareness for Pride," says Schoch. It's not too late to sign up for the auction, and businesses can choose to donate what they earn (all proceeds from Pride go to the Jim Toy Community Center ).An upside of moving Pride online has been increased accessibility. "We're noticing really cool impacts that we didn't think about until people reached out and started sharing their stories with us," says Schoch. "People who are not comfortable with crowds, people who have never been to a Pride before because they don't have transportation or because they aren't out but they want to explore. We are able to share with those people." [Originally published in June, 2020.] YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. Minister of territorial administration and infrastructures Suren Papikyan received on July 2 new Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri, the ministry told Armenpress. Congratulating the Ambassador on appointment, the Armenian minister expressed confidence that Mr. Zohouris activity will contribute to the expansion and deepening of the Armenian-Iranian relations. The minister said the existing high level of mutual partnership is demonstrated especially in the joint infrastructure development programs between the two countries. The Iranian Ambassador thanked the Armenian minister for the welcome and in turn reaffirmed the readiness of the Iranian side to give a new quality to the bilateral multi-sectoral cooperation and fully use the existing potential in the economic relations. At the meeting the sides discussed the implementation prospects of joint programs in the regional partnership, transportation and energy infrastructure sectors. They also exchanged views on the actions to be taken to respond to the challenges of the novel coronavirus pandemic and overcome the economic crisis. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. Armenian President Armen Sarkissian sent a congratulatory letter to writer, publicist Razmik Davoyan on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of birth, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. Your literature is the spiritual bread thanks to which the reader is communicating with a real and imaginary world for decades, the President said in his letter, wishing the renowned writer good health, optimism and all the best. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. The representative of the Armenian Parliament submitted a petition to the Constitutional Court requesting to delay the examination of the case scheduled on July 7 on determining whether Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code [2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan is charged under this article] complies with the Constitution, Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan said on Facebook. The representative of the Parliament to the Constitutional Court submitted a petition to the Court requesting to postpone the examination of the case scheduled on July 7, provide to the Parliament the Armenian translations of the ECHR and the Venice Commission advisory opinions, as well as give a reasonable timeframe for getting acquainted with these opinions, the Speaker said. On July 18, 2019, the Constitutional Court of Armenia made a decision to suspend the proceedings of the cases on determining the compliance of the Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code to the Constitution based on the applications submitted by the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction and Robert Kocharyan. The Court also applied to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Venice Commission for receiving opinions. The two international structures have already provided their response. The examination of applications of 2nd President Kocharyan and the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction on determining the compliance of the Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code with the Constitution is scheduled on July 7, at 11:00. However, few days ago, Kocharyans attorney withdrew their application submitted to the Constitutional Court. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has sent a congratulatory message to Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on the occasion of Independence Day, the PMs Office told Armenpress. Dear Mr. President, I cordially congratulate you and all the citizens of the Republic of Belarus on your main state holiday - Independence Day. I wish you every success and new achievements on the way to ensuring your countrys economic, social and scientific-technical development and enhancing its international standing. It is emblematic that Belarus today celebrates its liberation from fascism. Our friendship, which was further strengthened during the Great Patriotic War, obliges us to carry on with the deep-rooted traditions and expand the scope of mutually beneficial partnership. I am confident that through concerted action, Yerevan and Minsk will be able to upgrade the Armenian-Belarusian interstate cooperation in qualitative terms. Dear Alexander Grigoryevich, I wish you robust health and good luck in all your endeavors, as well as peace, stability and prosperity to the friendly people of the Republic of Belarus, the congratulatory message reads. YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. 85% of the respondents in Armenia approve Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans activity, according to a survey conducted by MPG LLC, a full member of the GALLUP International Association in Armenia. We asked the citizens to answer to the question on how they assess the activity of the aforementioned institutions the opposition (22.7%), the Parliament (54.7%), the government (67.9%), the President (79.3%) and the Prime Minister (85%), Director of MPG LLC Aram Navasardyan said. The survey was conducted by phone. A total of 1,002 citizens participated in the survey. Alternative research error 3%. The selection is representative according to the age-sex and place of residence of Armenian citizens. The survey was conducted from June 10 to 27. Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. Georgia has no plans yet to open its land borders because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia told reporters today. In early May the Georgian PM announced that Georgia will open for domestic tourism from June 15 and will also be ready to host foreign tourists from July 1. We cannot make hasty steps now on opening the land borders. Movement of Georgian citizens and transportation of goods is absolutely not problematic today, the PM said. He said the Georgian side provides comfortable conditions for the international companies, carrier companies. At the same time the authorities control each truck and monitor the health condition of the drivers. Georgia suspended air communication with all countries in late March due to the COVID-19 and shut down its land borders in mid-March. Georgia borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan In the latest update, a coronavirus vaccine candidate tested by American firm Pfizer and German biotech major BioNTech SE has been found to generate antibodies in people, a study showed. The research also said that the antibodies generated in participants after receiving two shots of the vaccine candidate were more than in patients receiving convalescent plasma from patients recovered from coronavirus infection. The study in the preprint server medRxiv mentioned the preliminary clinical data for the candidate vaccine -- nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA), BNT162b1. "I was glad to see Pfizer put up their phase 1 trial data today. Virus neutralizing antibody titers achieved after two doses are greater than convalescent antibody titers," Peter Hotez, a vaccine scientist from Baylor College of Medicine in the US tweeted. As of now, there is no approved vaccine for coronavirus infection all across the world. There are 16 vaccine candidates currently in late-stage clinical trials among the 140 vaccines in different stages of development to fight coronavirus, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Among the frontrunners in the vaccine race, as identified by WHO, are the candidates developed by Oxford University - AstraZeneca and Moderna Inc. Moderna has also entered into a deal with Catalent for large-scale manufacturing of its vaccine candidate. Catalent is already in partnership with Johnson and Johnson as well as AstraZeneca. Sanofi, Inovio, Sinovac and CanSino are some of the major companies to have made significant progress. Even as early trials by many of these candidate vaccines have shown encouraging results, a clearer picture can only emerge when a diverse population gets tested. Meanwhile, India's coronavirus tally touched 6,25,544 with the biggest single-day increase of 20,903 cases, while the death count rose to 18,213, according to the latest data. Meanwhile, back in India, days after Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN, another potential coronavirus vaccine has received approval from India's drug regulator for human clinical trials. Pharma major Zydus Cadila earlier today said that its plasmid DNA vaccine candidate for coronavirus has got the nod of the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) to begin Phase I and II (combined) human clinical trials. The vaccine is being developed locally at its Vaccine Technology Centre in Ahmedabad. The vaccine has successfully completed the preclinical phase. The Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech's vaccine candidate COVAXIN had earlier this week received permission for advancing to human trials. COVAXIN is India's first vaccine candidate for COVID-19, developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Virology (NIV). Human clinical trials are scheduled to begin across India in July. Also read: Intel Capital to pump in Rs 1,894.5 cr in Jio Platforms; 12th investment in 11 weeks Also read: Vande Bharat Mission: More than 4.75 lakh Indians returned since May 7, says MEA YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. 88.1% of the respondents of a survey, conducted by MPG LLC, a full member of the GALLUP International Association in Armenia, positively assess Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans activity. 49.4% of the respondents assess the PMs activity fully positive, 38.7% - rather positive, Director of MPG LLC Aram Navasardyan said during a press conference. Navasardyan said 18.4% of the respondents said their expectations after Pashinyans election as PM have been fully justified, 66.7% said they have been justified to some extent. We also asked the citizens how they assess Pashinyan as a politician, and 53.9% of the respondents said fully positive, 34.6% - rather positive, he said. The survey was conducted by phone. A total of 1,002 citizens participated in the survey. Alternative research error 3%. The selection is representative according to the age-sex and place of residence of Armenian citizens. The survey was conducted from June 10 to 27. Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan hosted Ambassador of Lithuania to Armenia Inga Stanyte-Tolockiene, the delegation of Lithuania and others to thank them for the assistance provided for fighting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Armenian ministry of healthcare told Armenpress. The Lithuanian team consisting of 11 people arrived in Armenia two weeks ago bringing medical items, equipment and COVID-19 test kits. The doctors worked with their Armenian colleagues in coronavirus designated hospitals, whereas the team of experts worked in the ministry of healthcare, the national center for disease control and prevention, etc. The Ambassador expressed hope that the assistance provided by Lithuania to Armenia will have a positive impact not only on the anti-coronavirus fight, but also after that. She thanked the minister for the warm welcome. In turn the head of the Lithuanian delegation presented their observations, conclusions on Armenia and gave recommendations over the current situation. Commenting on the recommendations of the Lithuanian side, the Armenian minister said the issue of expanding the laboratories is among the priorities of the ministry and the works on this direction have already launched. He highlighted the support of the partners and expressed hope for constant cooperation. At the end of the meeting certificates and souvenirs on behalf of the Armenian ministry of healthcare have been handed over to the Lithuanian delegation members as a sign of gratitude. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has tendered his resignation after heading President Emmanuel Macron's government for three years, reports BBC. The president swiftly named centre-right mayor Jean Castex to lead a new team of ministers after a reshuffle. Although Mr Philippe was considered more popular than the president, the ruling party had poor local election results at the weekend. The Elysee palace said in a statement that Edouard Philippe had "today handed in the government's resignation to the president of the republic, who accepted it", adding that he would stay in place until a new government was appointed. YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a telephone conversation with Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly Valentina Matviyenko. During the talk I congratulated Mrs. Matviyenko on the holding and results of the referendum in Russia. We talked about the coronavirus-related situation, as well as discussed a number of issues of bilateral interest, the Armenian Speaker of Parliament said on Facebook. On July 2 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory letter to Russias President Vladimir Putin on the successful completion of the nationwide vote on amendments to the Russian Constitution. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. President Armen Sarkissian hosted today US Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy ahead of the US Independence Day, the Armenian Presidents Office told Armenpress. The Armenian President congratulated the US Ambassador on the state holiday, wishing success to her and the good people of the United States. President Sarkissian expressed gratitude for the constant assistance provided by the US government to Armenia, in particular in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic, stating that the real friendship is demonstrated in difficult times. The Ambassador said the United States continues supporting Armenia in the development of democracy, fight against corruption, reforms in different areas and creation of an attractive business climate for investors. At the request of the Ambassador, the Armenian President introduced the Constitutional amendments and the process relating to the constitutional reforms. In this context, the President highlighted the public debates over the drafting process of the Main law and talked about the Commission on constitutional reforms. The sides also discussed investments. They agreed that each investment should be protected not only by law, but also with the presence of a favorable and attractive environment. The US Ambassador touched upon the American programs and investment opportunities aimed at developing Armenias economy. President Sarkissian said the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the economy require quick response and flexible mechanisms for boosting investments. In this respect he considered the creation of investors rapid response working group as a key tool. Highlighting the important role of the latest technologies for Armenias future, the President introduced the presidential initiative ATOM (Advanced Tomorrow) on science and technology development in the country and talked about the possible partnership within the frames of this initiative. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. The SU-30 SM multirole fighter aircrafts of the Armed Forces of Armenia conducted the 1st training with combat missiles, ARMENPRESS reports Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page, posting a footage of the training. Yesterday our SU-30 SM jets carried out first training with combat missiles, testing air-to-surface missiles for attack operations. All targets were hit with high accuracy, Pashinyan wrote. Armenia received the 1st batch of the SU-30 SM jets in December 2019. Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. An online event launched the $1 million, three-year Technical Assistance to the Audit Chamber of the Republic of Armenia collaborative activity on June 23. The United States Government, through USAID, signed an inter-agency agreement with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Center for Audit Excellence to provide capacity building, training, and consultancy services to the Audit Chamber, the Supreme Audit Institution of Armenia. Through this activity, the GAO will also help implement the requirements of the 2018 Republic of Armenia law related to the Audit Chamber, directing them to adhere and adopt international audit standards. The Comptroller General of the United States and Head of the GAO Gene Dodaro and USAID Chief Financial Officer Reginald Mitchell who had planned to travel to Armenia for the launch prior to the COVID-19 crisis, instead virtually joined the Chair of Armenias Audit Chamber Levon Yolyan, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy and USAID/Armenia Mission Director Deborah Grieser to celebrate the launch, ARMENPRESS was informed from the USAID Yerevan Office. Today marks another significant milestone for the Audit Chamber. We now look forward to the successful partnership to help the Audit Chamber address some of the key issues identified and make improvements to strengthen its institutional policies and other procedures. said Mr. Dodaro. This is USAID/Armenias second agreement with the GAO Center for Audit Excellence. Under the previous agreement, the GAO conducted a needs assessment at the Audit Chamber to evaluate its strengths, weaknesses and needs. This activity builds on the recommendations from the needs assessment and is in line with the Armenian governments public financial management reform strategy. The role of the Audit Chamber is crucial in terms of strengthening the accountability, transparency and integrity of government institutions. This new activity is part of overall U.S. government support for the reforms initiated by the Armenian Government and its efforts to combat corruption. This activity will be implemented by the GAO, which is considered to be the golden standard for audit institutions around the world, said Ambassador Tracy. The Audit Chamber plays an important oversight role in strengthening the accountability, transparency and integrity of government and public entities in the country, as well as influencing citizens confidence in public institutions and ensuring that public resources are used in ways that reduce corruption risks, maximize value for money, and deliver results. As the head of the Audit Chamber, I would like to thank our partners for their valuable support in developing the Audit Chamber, especially in the midst of the pandemic, said Mr. Yolyan. This event is the result of the joint effort. We will try to get the most out of this partnership to be a more impactful institution. ATO rejects 6,500 JobKeeper applicants. Source: Getty More than 6,500 Australians have been rejected for JobKeeper by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) since the scheme commenced, new reports reveal. The applications have been rejected for various reasons, raging from genuine error to deliberate fraude, the ATO told ABC news. Earlier this month the ATO warned it would be conducting checks on businesses wrongly claiming JobKeeper for employees, after nearly 900,000 businesses had claimed the $1,500 fortnightly wage subsidy. Our tax system works on a self-assessment model. We will generally operate on the basis Australians are honest, meaning we will accept the information we are provided with as true and correct and make payments, ATO deputy commissioner Will Day said earlier this month. However, we will be conducting checks later, so if you've received a benefit as part of the Covid-19 stimulus measures and we discover you are ineligible, you can expect to hear from us. If you think this may apply to you, you should contact us or speak to your tax professional. At any particular time, between 2 and 3 per cent of JobKeeper applications were being reviewed, the ATO told ABC News. And, if it detects any foul play, the ATO flagged serious consequences. "We will identify those who are intentionally defrauding the system and we will use the full force of the law [to punish them]." Sole traders cop robodebt 2.0 The tax office also revealed more than 8,000 businesses were told they may have to pay back the JobKeeper payments they received, after compliance checks revealed they were never eligible for the subsidy in the first place. The ATO sent emails to businesses, stating that because they started business on or after 1 January 2020, their entity would not have assessable business income from the previous financial year, and couldnt verify they saw a 30 per cent reduction in revenue. "We are unable to pay businesses that do not meet the requirements of the law," the ATO told ABC, but small businesses have been told if they believe they are still eligible for the payment, they should contact the ATO with supporting documents. Story continues Some small business owners told The Guardian the warning was vague, and said theyd already spent the JobKeeper income they received. I have no other income coming in, I dont know how Id pay it back, one sole trader said. I cant help but feel this is some kind of Robodebt 2.0, like theres been a data-matching exercise and then automated emails sent out. Are you a millennial or Gen Z-er interested in joining a community where you can learn how to take control of your money? Join us at The Broke Millennials Club on Facebook! By Gina Lee Investing.com Asian stocks were up on Friday morning. Markets got an end-of-week boost after China and the U.S. released positive data, improving investor sentiment on the global economic recovery from COVID-19. Earlier in the day, China reported a Caixin Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) of 58.4 for June, which was higher than the previous months figure of 55 and the highest reading in two months. Chinas Shanghai Composite gained 1.02% by 10:56 PM ET (3:56 AM GMT) while the Shenzhen Component was down 0.17%, reversing earlier gains. Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index rose by 0.48%. Japans Nikkei 225 was up 0.11% and South Koreas KOSPI gained 0.48%. Down Under, the ASX 200 rose 0.07%. Australia reported a 16.9% rise in retail sales month-on-month in May. Meanwhile, the U.S. also released positive data on Thursday, with non-farm payrolls surging to 4.8 million in June, compared to the predicted 3 million in analyst forecasts prepared by Investing.com and Mays figure of 2.699 million. Although U.S. markets surged during the previous session and investors welcomed the positive figures, fears remain as the number of global COVID-19 cases continues to increase. There were more than 10.8 million cases globally as of July 3, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Theres still a general positive sentiment about how quickly were seeing the recovery, Chris Gaffney, president of world markets at TIAA Bank, told Bloomberg. But we do think youre going to see the recovery level off, especially if we continue to see higher case numbers on the virus. Related Articles China-backed AIIB to lend $500 million to two Turkish development banks Asian shares hit four-month high as U.S., China recoveries gather pace Citi targets more growth in Saudi Arabia after adding over 20 bankers in two years When police moved in to arrest Vladimir Vorontsov in May, they didn't bother to knock. Instead, two commando teams stormed the former policeman's top-floor apartment in southeast Moscow at around 7:00 am, one abseiling down the high-rise while the other broke down the door. "Our daughter thinks that bandits came and took daddy away," Aleksandra Vorontsova told AFP, describing the swoop on her husband, an activist for police labour rights. During a five-hour search, investigators even combed through their four-year-old's toys, socks and underwear, she said. Vorontsov, who quit the Moscow police force in 2017 after 13 years, has been charged with extortion. Supporters of the stocky, blue-eyed 35-year-old say that the real reason for his arrest is his Police Ombudsman project, a series of linked social media accounts dedicated to protecting police officers' rights and exposing abuse by their superiors. His case has sparked a rare public outcry among police, a key pillar of President Vladimir Putin's rule, that could eventually spell trouble for the Kremlin, observers say. Vorontsov has spent two months in pre-trial detention and on Thursday a Moscow court extended his arrest until early August. He denies any wrongdoing. With no genuinely independent police trade unions in Russia, Vorontsov's initiative has become popular, attracting more than half a million followers. It has exposed allegations of corruption within law enforcement and denounced pressure on officers to fulfil quotas for fines and arrests. It has also drawn attention to long working hours and suicides in the police force, for which precise figures are not publicly available. Vorontsov has criticised excessive use of force by police and supported claimants' successful legal court cases. For the first time, members of Russia's 750,000-strong police force have openly challenged the authorities over Vorontsov's treatment but also on the functioning and methods of the police, at a time when policing in the United States is under intense scrutiny following the death of George Floyd. Dozens of serving and former police staff in Russia have taken to social media to call for Vorontsov's release. Some posted photos of themselves, others released anonymous pictures of their police hats and protest signs. - 'Crumbling from within' - Several have told AFP that it was important to support Vorontsov despite possible repercussions. Two days after his arrest, former neighbourhood police inspector Georgy Zarya marched to Moscow police HQ for a one-person demonstration -- the only kind allowed in Russia without prior permission -- and held up a sign urging the city's police chief to resign. He was detained for two hours. "If we don't stand up for Vorontsov now, things will only become worse," the 36-year-old said. Zarya quit in late 2018, citing 10- to 12-hour shifts, meagre pay and labour rights' violations. While on the job, he'd made no secret of his disdain for the notorious system of quota-based policing, in which staff are often required to issue a predetermined number of fines or make a certain number of arrests. "The quota system is the bane of the interior ministry," Zarya said. "If you don't expose an administrative offence, you may not be able to hand in your service weapon in the evening. And how can you go home with a gun?" he said in an interview. After more than 12 years on the force, Zarya now has nowhere to live as he has not received a housing grant to which he is entitled. Vorontsov has helped him file a lawsuit against the interior ministry. - 'We are Vorontsov' - Mikhail Tsaplin also spoke out in support of Vorontsov, two weeks before retiring from the police in the town of Gus-Khrustalny, 250 kilometres (155 miles) east of Moscow, after 20 years. Dressed in uniform, he posted a picture of himself on VKontakte, the Russian equivalent of Facebook, with the words: "I am/We are Vorontsov. I am not afraid." The 39-year-old criticised Vorontsov's arrest by the Grom (Thunder) police special forces as heavy-handed. "He is neither a terrorist, nor an extremist, nor a murderer, nor a child molester," he told AFP in a phone interview. Tsaplin retired, he said, because he no longer wanted to be part of a flawed system. "I can no longer wear a uniform," he said. "I don't like what's happening. The system is crumbling from within." Tsaplin, who was paid a monthly salary of 43,000 rubles ($620) -- above the average for his region -- said that while ordinary police lived modestly, some senior officers were deeply corrupt and gave the force a bad name. - 'Considered slaves' - A police investigator from a major Russian city said that he and a colleague had become targets of an internal probe after posting pictures of themselves supporting the activist. He fears he could be fired from the job he "loves". The investigator, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that Vorontsov was a hate figure for the authorities because he encouraged police to stand up for their rights. "The government has taken away everything from us," he complained, stressing that police officers can be sacked for taking part in demonstrations and that election results in Russia were largely predetermined. He also said that officers had to obey what he called "criminal orders" to break up peaceful rallies, accusing authorities of purposefully pitting police against ordinary citizens. "Have you ever seen protesting police? No. Are we happy with everything? No," he added. All three men said they believed that Vorontsov's arrest was retribution for his work. They and other critics say police staff often have to buy their own uniforms and office equipment and are forced to accept unpaid overtime and unfair dismissals. Conditions for many are so hard, they say, that dozens of police in Russia commit suicide every year. The interior ministry did not respond to AFP's requests to comment on Vorontsov's activities and detention. But Mikhail Pashkin, head of the Moscow Police Trade Union, seen by some as close to the interior ministry, accused Vorontsov of seeking to make "big money" by helping policemen and interfering in politics. "There are problems in the interior ministry system," he acknowledged. "On the whole, interior ministry employees are treated very badly. Many superiors consider them slaves rather than humans," he told AFP. "Smart bosses understand that a trade union is not an enemy." - Powerful enemies - Supporters believe that Vorontsov has made enemies in the upper echelons of the police force and several senior officers have lost their jobs due to his activism. In a well-publicised case, the top policeman in the Siberian region of Novosibirsk, Yury Sterlikov, resigned in April after the Police Ombudsman published a recording in which a senior policewoman was heard ordering her subordinates to issue mass fines for coronavirus lockdown violations to meet a quota. The policewoman also lost her job after the uproar. Since being arrested, Vorontsov also faces three further probes, including for distributing and producing pornography. Igor Khudyakov, an ally who helped run the online project, has also been arrested. For some, Vorontsov's project was also an unusual opportunity to express anti-Kremlin views, said a former police major, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity. "There are plenty of those" who oppose Putin among the police, he said. The president, a 67-year-old ex-KGB officer, has ruled Russia for two decades and could remain in power until 2036 following a controversial vote to amend the constitution. The police, together with the army and security services, form the backbone of his regime. "It is critically important for the authorities to retain the loyalty of law enforcement," said Sergei Davidis, head of a political prisoners' support programme at rights group Memorial. But the pro-Vorontsov campaign, Davidis added, could signal a change in "public conscience", as some polls indicate record low approval ratings for Putin in the coronavirus economic slump. His cause has won backing from outside the police too, including prominent Moscow journalist and opposition activist Ilya Azar, who was jailed for 10 days after picketing. Though smaller in scope, the drive in support has drawn comparisons with last year's campaign over investigative journalist Ivan Golunov's detention. Golunov was arrested on trumped-up drugs charges but released after demonstrations. - Support from Navalny - While Vorontsov has received many plaudits, he has been criticised too, with some police claiming his "rock-star" fame has gone to his head. However, even some opponents acknowledge the importance of his work. Vorontsov himself was once a member of the interior ministry's anti-extremism unit, known for harassing anti-Kremlin campaigners. He set up his Ombudsman project in 2017 while still in the police, driven by a desire to highlight allegations of injustice and violations. In recent months, he has established close contacts with opposition activists and following his arrest, chief Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's team urged police officers to keep up the pressure. "This man was on your side," Moscow campaigner and Navalny ally Lyubov Sobol said in a video address. She told AFP that some police thanked her for sticking up for Vorontsov. In a terse Instagram reaction, interior ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk wrote "here it comes", appearing to suggest that the opposition -- whose members often suffer police brutality -- was beginning to flirt with disgruntled officers. Aleksandra Vorontsova said that her husband had anticipated government pressure but hadn't expected it to be so harsh. "He now understands that they can come for anyone," she said. "He's ready to fight." Vladimir Vorontsov, inside a defendant's cage during a court hearing in Moscow on Thursday Former neighbourhood police inspector Georgy Zarya amarched to the Moscow police headquarters in May holding a sign urging the city's police chief to resign Vorontsov in the dock, denies any wrongdoing Police officer Mikhail Tsaplin posted a picture of himself on social media holding a sign in suport of Vorontsov. He has since left the force